“Is the Iyrman your brother?” Adil asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Is he really your brother?” Adil asked Jurot.

  “Yes.”

  “He is no Iyrman.”

  “He is no Iyrman, but he is my brother.”

  Adil extended a hand out towards the Half Elf. “It is pleasure to meet you.”

  “You too, Adil.”

  The guards brought a small crate of tris, many of which were made of wood. Jurot and Laygak ied the different woods, noting the woods which came from further east. Adil also held out a small pouch of spices. “A gift.”

  “A gift?” Adam asked. “I didn’t bring something for you.”

  “No problem, is gift for you, no problem.”

  “Adil Al Zuhd, was it?” Adam replied. “Is that the name of your people?”

  “Yes.”

  “If I ever make my way that way, I’ll be sure to pay a visit,” Adam assured.

  “We are from very far.”

  “How far?”

  “federacy.”

  “Oh. I suppose we could still make our way one day, in the far future.”

  “You e to our nd, in pins in Chakar, say you know Zain Al Zuhd and Adil Al Zuhd.”

  “I will,” Adam stated. “I’m not sure I say the same, sieically I live in the Iyr, but if you ever have o buy magical ons, please do e to us.”

  “You sell magical ons?”

  “I’m a Chief Executive Officer of the United Kindom, and we work for an enter who currently specialises in magical ons,” Adam stated. “We currently aren’t active with our business, but we will be in the few years.”

  “We will remember,” Adil stated.

  The pair kept versing for a short while, before the groups said their goodbyes, and passed one another. Adil rode up to Zain, staring out ahead, but not looking at anything in particur, lost deep within his thoughts.

  “He said he works for an enter in the Iyr,” Adil said. “He said that Fming Hyena, Rook, used a on that the enter made, and that it was difficult to face him iour.”

  “He must beat Rook if he beat Vasera,” Zain said, before realising how young Adam was. “So he is the same age as Vasera?” Zain wasn’t sure if he had heard of Adam before, but that wasn’t shog since Adam rodigy of a distant nd.

  “No. He is the same age as his brother, Jurot.”

  “How old?” Zain asked, noting how the older man had avoided answering so clearly.

  Adil remained silent for a long while. “Twenty.”

  “Twenty?”

  “And half.”

  Zain stared at Adil, the older man who was a distaive. “He is same age as me, but beat Vasera?”

  “He said that his brother, and woman beside with staff, could beat Vasera too.”

  “…”

  “Iyrmen. Awakened Wolves. The young man also wore puthral.”

  “Puthral?”

  “It is armour of the Iyrmen. Almost as light as mithril of Elves.”

  “The purple armour?”

  “Yes.”

  Zain wondered what kind of crazy nonsense was happening in the Aldish nds. “They work for enter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Iyrmen too?”

  “Yes.”

  Zain thought about how easily Adam had handed out the gems, and how rexed he had beeire time. ‘If three of them could beat Vasera, then they must be quite strong. No, he was surrounded by mreat warriors too.’ He he two Iyrmen who had worn full pte armour, and thehers, especially the beautiful woman who kept to the side, and had stantly looked elsewhere, as though they were so insignifit.

  “Wheurn, we will speak with father,” Zain said.

  “Yes,” Adil replied.

  Meanwhile, Adam was trying to uand how important the people he had just met were.

  “The Al Zuhd family are well known for their caravan guards, unmatched on nd.” Dunes paused. “No, they are only matched by the Al Jumal family. The Al Zuhd family are best on the nd, but not the deserts. The Al Jumal family are best within the desert. They hold a monopoly on the best camels.”

  “So they’re still pretty important?”

  “They are well known within their specific Ejirate, and carry some weight in the nearby nds,” Dunes firmed. “They would have tried to take mold from you if you were not surrounded by so many Iyrmen.”

  “I thought they were going to start trouble.”

  “If there was no war, they would have perhaps tried to threaten you,” Dunes said. “They are not mistaken for Aswadians, but if they did try to start something, if they did not finish what they started, they would be irouble.”

  “So they’re not good guys?”

  “They are as good as any other people,” Duated, shrugging his shoulders.

  “Why are they travelling so far in Aldnd while on nd?”

  “They provide guards for any caravan group,” Dunes said, before realising many of the merts were also dark skinned. “Hmm. Perhaps they had special orders for the various inner nd town and cities? It is rare, but there are times when towns and cities tact distant merts to sell their wares withiowns and cities, partly to tax them, but partly t wonders and treasures from the east.”

  “Fair.”

  “I should have asked.”

  “It’s alright. If it was shady business, the we didn’t pry. I swore we would have fought though, things are going too well.”

  “Are you wanting to fight?”

  “In some sense,” Adam admitted. “Things are going too well.”

  “It will be fine, Adam.”

  “Yeah…”

  Omen: 7, 9

  “I don’t like it,” Adam whispered, staring at the walls of Deadwood before them. The journey had been fraught with little danger. ‘Aren’t there meant to be Beast Waves?’ “Do you think anod is nearby?”

  “I do not know,” Jurot admitted.

  “I don’t like it, Jurot. I don’t like it o.”

  “Awakened Wolves?” the guards asked, tensing up as Jurot reached within his tunic.

  “Yes,” the Iyrman said, handing over the silver pque, before the group were allowed withiown walls without much more trouble.

  Ohe group were settled at the guild, Adam let out a sigh of relief, especially when he saw the appearance of a familiar form. A heavily armoured woman, adorned in darker metal, with a rge bde on her babsp;

  “Sir Kanna, what do we owe the pleasure?” Adam asked, almost beaming up at her.

  Sir Kanna hadn’t expected him to be smiling so much, but it made sense. “I have e to gratute yroup on behalf of the tess.”

  ‘If it’s just the tess, I’ll be fine,’ Adam thought, still beaming up at the knight. “I’m not sure why she had to go so far for the likes of us, but I appreciate the se.”

  “The tess invites you to her estate.”

  “Once again, I must refuse,” Adam replied, still smiling so joyfully at the knight. “We have done very little to allow our busio work here within the ret future, due to our business elsewhere.” Adam’s lips formed a wider smile. “The Duchess of East Port found our insignifit business suffit enough to strike a deal.”

  Sir Kanna remained silent, gring down at the smiling Half Elf. ‘Is he asking for death?’

  “It appears we’re still wele in Deadwood, though, so I at least say that I appreciate that,” Adam stated, narrowing his eyes slightly. “We’ll be sure to keep out of trouble.”

  “As you say, Executive,” Sir Kanna stated, before exg herself, stepping out of the guild, with so many adventurer’s eyes gring at her back

  “Jurot,” Adam called out quietly, before switg into the Iyrman’s tongue, leaning in to whisper. “What do you think? Could you beat her?”

  “Yes.” Jurot retty sure, with Phantom and Mighty Roar, he could beat the Darkknight, not that it would have been easy.

  “What about me?”

  “I could not beat you.”

  “No, I mean, you probably could,” Adam replied, raising his brow at Jurot, “but I’m asking whether or not I could beat her.”

  “Yes.”

  “Hmmm.” Adam slowly nodded his head. He wondered how strong she was, sure she was at least a Master, but was she closer to a Grandmaster? ‘Whose the stro person I’ve beaten?’ Adam thought about the tour, not remembering how he had fought a Fire Giant Prinbsp;

  ‘Hopefully she doesn’t start any trouble, but if she does, then the rest of the journey should go smoothly, right?’ Adam thought, looking out towards the doors Sir Kanna had walked through. ‘I wonder if anod is nearby, ready to cause trouble…’

  The group only spent a single night in Deadwood, with Adam not fortable with spending much time iowo their frosty retionship with the Duchess. They made their way through the dangerous forest, following the road towards Red Oak. They could feel distant gazes as they made their way through the forest. The forest was quieter than usual, but they could hear the ecosystem at work, from distant is and birds, to a number of smaller creatures.

  Omen: 9, 20

  “I don’t like this o,” Adam whispered, staring at the walls of Red Oak. “Not o.”

  “We are close now,” Jurot said.

  “Yeah…” Adam’s eyes sed across the walls. “We’re close.”

  Wow I hope nothing terrible has happeo Adam's family with all this luck...