Adam and the others remained outside, eating their bread slowly. Adam could taste the jam filled buns, though to say they were jam filled was a bit of aatement. Still, the sweetness, though not matg the sweetness of the jams in his first life, still sparked his taste buds to life. He exged a look with Lucy, the pair nodding towards one another, before they went back to enjoying the meal for their hearts.

  Pam stared up at Jurot in shoot realising that her father, who was hiding iher room, was also frozen in shock. They had heard that a group of Iyrmen had pced extremely well iour, but she had no idea Jurot had mao take first pbsp;

  “You ranked first?” Pam asked, a bead of sweat dropping down the side of her cheek, and not from the heat of the ovens slipping through the doorway behind her.

  “Yes,” Jurot replied.

  “I heard that there were the members of the orders iouroo!”

  “There were,” Jurot firmed, nodding his head slowly.

  “Did you fight one?” Pam asked, smiling slightly. The members of the various orders were often the best of the best. Many of them, evehey were young, were strohan many other warriors within their age group.

  “I fought many.”

  “Wow,” Pam almost whispered, her eyes sparkling with awe towards the Iyrman. “You said you had fought ertas, but… I didn’t realise you were that strong!”

  “I am strong,” Jurot firmed, crossing his arms. “We left the tour and came across…” Jurot paused, realising he shouldn’t mention anything more. “I have gained much honour for my family.”

  “The Row family?”

  “Yes,” Jurot replied, though uood that she robably imagining a different spelling.

  “How amazing.”

  Jurot’s lips twitched aried to speak more, but his throat clogged up. He tensed up slightly, but he couldn’t work up the ce ask her that. “I should go.”

  “Since you gained first pce, why don’t you take another few buns for you and your friends?” Pam swiftly procured more buns for the young Iyrman, fshing him a smile. ‘Our bread is feeding so many great warriors! If we start telling people about it, we should be able to gain more ers!’

  “Are you done?” Adam asked, watg as Jurot stepped out with a rge basket of buns for them.

  “Yes.”

  “Alright.” Adam stared at Jurot expetly. “You know, yrandfather is going to expect mreatchildren soon.”

  Jurot’s ears turned red as he ate a bun, before the group then parted ways. Adam made sure the farmers and porters each had more than their fill of bread for the rest of their families. Adam carried a basket as they made their way through the roads, while the others of his group made their way about to finish their own business withiown.

  “Nobby!” Annie gasped as she saw her giant boy, quickly embrag him tight. The woman was still thin, but not quite as thin as before, with her hair now cut much shorter. Her strength seemed to have increased too, since she was hugging Nobby tighter than previously.

  “Ma,” Nobby replied, awkwardly. He embraced his mother iurn, his arms gently ed around her like a b.

  “I’m gd you’re all safe,” Annie said, breaking the hug as she noticed the other two giants. “e in, e in. Ted’s w, but he should be ba the evening.”

  “Is A school?” Adam asked as he stepped into the small house, gng aside to see nothing much had ged, though Annie seemed to be w on sewing a small dress, a muted blue in colour.

  “She is,” Annie firmed, p them each a cup of a drink she had stored in a small cask.

  “Good, good. I hope she’s learning well.”

  “She’s ting well, and she even write her name now,” Annie firmed.

  “No issues with her school, is there?” Adam asked, taking a seat opposite Nobby, taking a sip of the grain drink. It was a thin drink, with a slightly sour taste, and didn’t seem to be alcoholibsp;

  “Oh no, no, she’s loving it,” Annie replied, smiling wide.

  Insight CheckD20 + 1 = 4 (3)

  Adam wasn’t sure what was wrong with the smile, but it could have been that she was excited to see her son. “Alright, well, if there are any issues you e to me about them, I’ll sort it ht away.”

  “Thank you for the offer,” Annie replied, still smiling awkwardly.

  “Anyhow, we’re here to inform you that…” Adam gnced around. “Maybe we should wait for Ted. There’s quite a bit we o tell you. Nobby, why don’t you stay here with your mother and help her around the house? Jurot and I will go buy a pig or something.”

  “Okay, mister boss,” Nobby replied.

  “Will you be able to roast the animal wheurn?” Adam asked.

  “I .”

  “Great, because we’ve got quite a few things to celebrate, especially since my brother here…” Adam smiled. “No, no, we’ll wait until the evening. Why don’t you let the people around know we’ll be having a party?”

  Ached the pair go, before her eyes fell to her son. ‘Things to celebrate? Nobby, are you…’ She rubbed his arm gently, and though the slight tingle of curiosity ran through her mind, she decided against asking about it for now. Instead, she prepared the garden to roast whatever the pair would bring, letting the neighbours know of the party.

  “What are we celebrating?” one asked.

  “I don’t know, but it must be big,” Annie replied. “Nobby’s employers said there was a lot to celebrate.”

  “The ones who work for an enter?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “Ooh!”

  Adam and Jurot went to the market, with Jurot going to find the meat, and Adam going to find the alcohol. Adam wasn’t sure how big the party would be, but he bought a barrel of ale, while Jurot held the leashes of two pigs.

  ‘I should have brought another barrel,’ Adam thought. The pair brought a sack of vegetables before returning back to Nobby’s home, where they found many of the wives, as well as a few young women and men, helping around with setting up the party.

  It didn’t take long until the pigs were being roasted, with someone sending word to the guards that there arty. It hadn’t taken long until a pair appeared, wearing , with bdes at their side. Annie handed over some baked bread Adam had brought for them, as well as some meat they had folded into a swatch of hemp.

  “What’s the occasion?” a guard asked.

  “We pced well in the Noonval Tour,” Adam said. “Sir Landon, our sponsor, made out like a…” Adam realised calling the noble a bandit would have been a bad idea. “Let’s just say that roup allowed Sir Landon to gain quite a bit of influence.”

  “How well did you pce?”

  “I did the worst, pg third,” Adam said. “Only surrendering to the King’s Sword’s daughter and her cousin. My brother here…” Adam looked to Jurot.

  “First,” Jurot stated.

  The guards eyed them up. “Right…” They tipped their helmets and swiftly retreated away from the pair. “You think he really pced first?”

  “Not sure,” his panion replied. “Heard someoh purple armour did really well.”

  “Could be a bunch of chartans.”

  “Could be, but hoeople dare to act like an Iyrman?”

  “True.”

  Adam watched the guards leave. “What’s with that anyhow?”

  “Always a good idea to give the guards notice about a party, and to gift them some food,” Annie said.

  “Alright, fair.”

  “gratutions on your pt,” Annie said, going off to begin p ale for the pair of young men.

  “Well, we should be celebrating the fact that Nobby here is an Expert,” Adam said, reag over to pat Nobby on his back. “Once your pops is here, you tell everyone about your achievements during the adventure, and the time we spent i Port.”

  “Yes…”

  The party began with some of the younger folk drumming along. There was a slight bother with a set of guards making their way in, and Annie expining they had already spoken to uards, but sent them on their way with some bread a once more.

  The others mostly left Adam and Jurot alone, deg against b the pair at the moment. As evening began to fall across the area, the workers, mostly the fathers and older children, both boys and girls, returned back to find a party in full swing.

  “Nobby!” Ted almost shouted, before embrag his son. His hair had greyed further, but his body had grown fuller. No longer was he quite so thin, with his muscles filling out once more.

  “Pa.” Nobby hugged his father iurn, before their hug abruptly ended by each of them.

  “I’m gd to see you’re both well,” Ted said, shaking Adam and Jurot’s forearm. “How’s my boy been?”

  “Well,” Adam replied. “More than well, but why don’t we let him say it?”

  “I’m an Expert,” Nobby said.

  Ted’s eyes beamed up as he pced his hands on Jurot’s shoulders. “I knew you could do it.”

  “First,” Nobby said.

  “What’s that?”

  “I came first.”

  “You came first?”

  “Iour.”

  “What?” Ted asked, squeezing his son’s shoulders gently. “You came first?”

  “Yes.”

  “Iour?”

  “Yes.”

  Ted looked to Jurot and Adam, his eyes curious. Annie also did the same, staring at the pair of young men.

  “Look at this punk!” Adam excimed. “How he be so happy that he showed his boss up? I only came third, you know?” Adam’s lips formed a smirk, threatening to break into ughter. “Though, you shouldn’t be surprised, since he was taught by my brother.”

  I 't believe Nobby would sho like that smh!