[1750] – Y07.250 – Training Our Hearts X

The group quickly returned to the Iyr that day, and by the next day, Adam was already enchanting.

“I’m sure we’ve had this conversation a hundred times, but we have jeticule, except, I think we need something different so I can rip off the nobles,” Adam said, feeding his son from his fingers, the boy eating the shredded chicken, and as his father brought a carrot to his lips, the boy chewed on it all the same, for he was his aunt’s nephew.

“Jaghi has its steel,” Jurot offered.

“Right, I guess we could speak with them…” Adam thought, considering Jaghi. ‘Their steel was pretty nice last I recall.’

Xarot squirmed against his father, and as he caught his father’s gaze, the half elves glaring between one another. “Ooba!”

“Do you think I won’t kiss you?” Adam threatened. The boy blinked, and in that blink, his father pressed his lips firmly against the boy’s head. The boy flushed lightly and squealed. “The war drove up the prices and we didn’t end up doing much to gain influence…”

“There were many issues to deal with,” Jurot replied simply, although if Adam didn’t consider even the Faro or Amira, how much influence did he wish to possess?

“We should try and make a deal with the Grand Duchess of East Port for a…” Adam rubbed his head. “Right, right, we can’t with Aldland because of what they did. I suppose, should I speak to the Faro or the Amira?”

“We have the Amira’s plaque.”

“We do?”

“She granted us a plaque the previous year.”

“Oh yeah…” Adam furrowed his brows. “If I had remembered that I might have been a little nicer…”

“…”

“I guess I’ll need to figure out a way to make a ton of gold soon then…”

A shadow loomed over the pair of them.

“Considering your conversation, it seems I have arrived on time,” Jaygak said, smiling innocently.

“What’s up?”

Jaygak held a letter, and though she held it out to Adam, she pulled it back as a particular little boy reached for it with his hands, those which were covered in bits of food and saliva.

“Eyeh!” Xarot threatened.

“Even your elder sister cannot defeat me,” Jaygak stated.

“Eyah!” Xarot held up his fist.

“You can always trust the greatson of the Mad Dog to behave this way even to an Elder…”

“Hmm…” The boy lowered his fists, for since the Elder had paid him his respect, he allowed her mercy. It was not because his father had slipped a slice of cheese into his mouth, which would cause his clothy to suffer soon.

Once Adam had put the boy down, wiping his face and hands, washing them a moment later, he checked the letter. It was filled with requests from a pair of nobles.

Adam’s eyes slowly trailed to Jaygak. “They both want basically the same things?”

“They had also gifted the Iyr a separate sum of silver.”

“How much?”

“I will tell you if you wish to know.”

“Of co-,” Adam began, only to close his eyes. “I must be going mad…”

Jaygak smiled innocently. “There may be other requests you will receive soon, from other figures from Aswadasad, and perhaps even Northern Aldland.”

Adam raised his brows.

“They are a separate entity, courtesy of the Grand Duchess.”

“I see…” Adam considered that scary old woman. “Oh, by the way, how’s the Knight of Death?”

“I hear he has recently stepped onto the battlefield.”

“The Reavers?”

“Yes.”

“I guess there aren’t going to be any more Reavers for us then…” Adam mused.

“It seems he underwent training to return to his previous strength, and it is rumoured he may have reached the Peak.”

“Really?” Adam raised his brow. The last time he had fought the fellow, he had somehow defeated him, but if he had reached the Peak he was like Isam, the Poison Sword Dragon, who had almost bisected him. “I should probably prepare a gift for him…”

“Have you thought about the enchantments?” Jaygak asked.

“I was thinking about being boring and making everything 2D6, increased ability to Critical Hit, and for any heavier weapons, maybe 3D6?”

“An acceptable set of enchantments, but what about for the warriors, the… Fighters.”

“Yeah, that’s the issue, isn’t it? Maybe I should also add on something utility based like…” Adam thought for a moment. “I could make them quicker, or… I mean, I don’t know, maybe that can be the next weapon we end up gifting them. I was, actually, thinking maybe instead, adding an additional die of elemental damage of some kind? I mean, yeah, maybe holy damage? Like the-, oh, I mean, yeah. They can glow, deal holy damage. They’ll be slightly empowered versions of the swords we sell to the Amira and the Faro…”

Jaygak smiled, noting how Adam was looking towards her, as though asking her for permission. “Once you figure out the specifics, you may speak to me.”

“Glowing blades which everyone will be able to see us wielding, and we’ll kill the Reavers that way…” Adam considered them. “I might have to make them Basic Enhanced, just so we have enough to go around?”

“I believe the Enhanced may be more important than Basic or Greater in that situation.”

“Yeah…” Adam slowly nodded his head. “You may be right.”

It was at that time many continued to train, and as the rain began to fall through duskval, a great many could feel their hearts taken by the cold winds of duskval.

Luna checked the books, noting all the coin they had spent, and then the slip of paper the Executive had handed over. ‘TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND GOLD?’

Aria panted lightly, having finished her workout. A shadow by the name of Laygak formed over her, and she quickly stood up, bowing her head respectfully.

“I see you are training well,” Laygak said, as the woman stood, panting lightly.

“Yes… Manager?”

“I suppose I might possess an alternative title to Manager…” Laygak joked, smiling innocently. He turned, glancing aside to the other warriors, except, when it came to the other warriors, there were many who were good, but for each individual who was good, there was one who was great, too. It was a good thing many possessed the qualities to become great warriors, greater than he at least, but Aria was unique, in that, somehow, her greatest weakness was that she was good at everything. So few possessed no weaknesses like her, and certainly, she was stronger and tougher than she was agile, intelligent, wise, or charismatic, but she was truly that amazing.

Laygak continued to greet the others and compliment them, Theo, who was older, but would have made Mad Dog proud with his strength and fortitude, Thomas, who was perhaps only a half step behind Aria in some ways, and a step above in other ways, and even Alfie possessed beyond the minimum qualification, and though he, too, possessed no real weakness, it wasn’t quite at the level of Aria. Laygak wondered how Tommy and Isaac, who were almost teens, would rank between them. Then there was Freddie, who was working hard, and though he wasn’t as talented as his cousin, Nobby, he was more than decent.

‘Esther and Samuel are training hard to be Rage Dancers, and Amos requires steel, but they are decent too…’ To think that Samuel and Amos might be considered the least talented, and yet they certainly possess greater talent than himself, and each would be decent enough to be picked up in the various Orders.

Laygak smiled.

“If you are worrying that much…” Faool began, but seeing the way Laygak was embracing the world around him, he decided not to speak about that.

Laygak then made his way to check on Rick, who was training with Greg and Charley, the two figures who were large and wielded greatweapons with almost as much ease as Iyrmen.

‘It seems they are training hard to step out next year…’ Laygak thought, and his chest swelled with a deep warmth.

He, too, was swinging his blade late in the night. He swung his blade at least a hundred time in the morning, in each of the various ways he was taught.

It would, in some way, be his last song.

PATREON FOR 30+ CHAPTERS!

Every time I write Laygak in a chapter I have to stop and think about how cool his epithet is.