Chương 1186: [1107] - Y06.007 - Unfinished Business I

Manager Dunes stared out at the procession of carriages, a larger number than any he had seen come from the Iyr previously. The carriages were well built, simple in design, but more importantly, were driven by an Iyrmen Oathsworn. However, it wasn't just the number of Oathsworn, but the familiar faces that soon filled the fort's walls, which brought more questions to the Manager's mind.

"Manager Dunes," Adam called out, reaching down to shake the Aswadian's forearm. The Manager was well built, with the dark skin of the Aswadians, and piercing green eyes. His hair was short, his beard trimmed down to only a finger digit thick, but lined fresh that morning during his prayers.

He wore an amulet with the symbol of Lady Arya, Goddess of War, over his breastplate, while the armour was stamped with the symbol of the United Kindom, a circle with a thick cross in the centre, and a thinner tilted cross which ran behind it.

"Executive Adam," Dunes replied, his tone light, though his green eyes held a curiosity, and the fear of asking. The last time Dunes had seen most of the older Iyrmen was when he was surrounded by all the Aldish Orders, and though they were on the same side, he couldn't push away the nerves.

"How's it going?" Adam asked, glancing around the business, scanning the faces of the few figures which remained within the fort under the afternoon sun.

"Well," Dunes replied, narrowing his eyes slightly upon seeing Adam's dark smile.

"Are you…"

"We can talk later," Adam whispered, smiling awkwardly, before turning to motion to his twins.

"Jirot, Jarot, look who it is!" Jirot and Jarot clung to Gangak, while the older Jarot stretched out his neck. The pair's amber eyes darted up towards Dunes, whose white smile contrasted his skin, and the Priest dropped to a knee before them.

"Jirot, Jarot. What is this? Have you come to surprise me?" The Aswadian smiled wide, reaching out to rub the tops of their heads, the Aswadian noting how they clutched their nano's legs so tightly.

"No…" Jirot replied, a deep frown encroaching across her lips.

"Then I am blessed by Lady Arya, Wahtu, and Baktu this day?" Dunes continued to smile wider, causing the girl to peer at him curiously, before a small smile began to form across her thin lips. Dunes continued to smile, even seeing the thinness upon little Jarot's face.

"Should we pray together for such a blessing?" Jirot's smile dropped, and she hid behind her nano's leg. Gangak tickled the back of her head, doing her best to calm the girl.

"Come," Gangak called, offering her hands to each of the twins.

"We must show our respect to Wahtu too."

"Nano…" Dunes led the twins, and their babo and nanos, further within the fort, where the Managers' estate lay, and also held his temple. The inner gate opened to allow them through, while the rest of the Iyrmen began to settle themselves within the outer estates.

"Uh, you all need to settle in the inner estates," Adam called, noting the way the Iyrmen were making themselves at home within the two superblocks of the first section of the fort, where most of the workers made their home.

"It is best we settle within these estates," Sonarot said.

"I'm not going to say anything against the President, but… it'll be annoying for the workers to move all their stuff without warning." Sonarot bowed her head.

"Okay." She motioned her hand towards the second section of the fort. The fort of the United Kindom loomed over the nearby villages. The thick stone walls were easily an Adam and a half tall, with several watch towers on each side, manned by young Iyrmen. The large river also provided the walls protection on each side, before rejoining the river further down.

Compared to the newly made forts they had come across, which were made to house soldiers who defend the land, and to assist in defending the land, this fort was made to impose upon the land. The gate within was equally as large as the gate that led to the first section, the heavy, thick, wooden doors opened by a crank within the fort, revealing the large dirt path heading to the next sections.

Within the first section of the fort were two fields, each already tilled and worked, outlined by the fruit trees, up until the dirt road which crossed from side to side in the centre of the first section of the fort, drawing a line to the super blocks, which towered three stories tall. They were rectangular, with large open archways in the centre of each side for the pathways within, with an inner courtyard, the estates reminiscent of those within the Iyr. It was by the Iyr's hand in which this fort was created.

Considering the business' security was mostly Iyrmen, and most of the highest ranked figured were Iyrmen, one might assume this was a venture spearheaded by the Iyr itself, and not a fool of a father who kept giving the Iyr reasons to kill him. Adam spotted the children of the business standing to the side, kept at bay by the three sisters, Cobra, Viper, and Python. He spotted a large number of younger children too, those only a couple of years old at most that he had yet to familiarise himself with.

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'Damn. If I, of all people, can't remember the names of those children, then…' Adam waved towards the children, before his eyes darted towards the other figures which required his attention. He nodded towards the mysterious Aswadian, who bowed his head in return, before his eyes then fell upon Bael.

"What are so many Iyrmen doing around here," Bael asked, and deciding to show some wisdom, he asked in the tongue of the dragons.

"They're here to make sure the kids are okay."

"Is that so?" Bael asked, his eyes darting between the Iyrmen, and though they all seemed to be acting as queerly as Iyrmen usually did, there was something else. He glanced down towards the silver scaled half dragons, who smelled of that particular family, and they looked up at the blue scaled half dragon, who smelled so much like a particular figure they recalled. Then Bael's eyes darted towards the sword upon Gangak's hip, which quickly disappeared out of sight.

'If she feels the need to wield Stormdrake…' Bael grinned wide, smelling the winds of a good fight.

'Why's he smiling for?' Adam thought, but he decided against trying to understand Bael.

'Why are there so many Iyrmen around?' Fred thought, clasping a hand around the hilt of his magical blade, inhaling deeply to try and calm his troubled heart. Rick also held similar thoughts, but unlike Fred, he didn't concern himself with the matter. It was only until later that Rick realised he had to concern himself, as Adam begun to call for all the upper management of the business, and he had almost forgotten he stood alongside Fred.

"Ranya!" Adam gasped, holding out his hands for the girl.

"Gosh! Look at your hair, it's all grown back!" Ranya blinked, the toddler glancing up towards her mother with a furrowed brow, before hiding behind her leg. Her black hair curled slightly, hiding her ears, though the small nubs that formed her horns peeked out from her temples.

"Oh, look at you! You must have forgotten me since it's been so long. How could I neglect you like this? It's me, uncle Adam! Manager Amira, how do you say it?"

"Ahm," the devilkin woman replied.

"Are you her uncle?"

"Are you trying to take away my right to spoil her?"

"If you're going to spoil her, you should spoil her properly," Amira replied.

"No, you're right." Adam sighed.

"I should gift her a Greater shield." Amira laughed, before picking up her daughter.

"Ranya, look. It is your father's friend. Ahm Adam."

"Amma?"

"No, no. Ahm Adam."

"Ada?"

"Wow!" Adam gasped.

"Look at you Ranya! You must get your smarts from your mother, eh? No, no, it has to be your father, since he was smart enough to marry your mother, whereas your mother…" Amira smiled, noting the darkness within Adam's eyes, but seeing him try caused her heart to ease.

"Ranya, you cannot be greedy, but you can take all the magical items from your ahm."

"They say too much of a good thing can make you sick, so we'll stop once she's sick of all the magical items," Adam assured.

"Where's Enisa?"

"She is sleeping."

"I missed so much of Ranya's first year, and I'm about to miss Enisa's first year too."

"Are you still planning to go to Aswadasad?"

"Yeah. Sometime at the end of the season, probably." Amira nodded slowly, before glancing aside to all the Iyrmen.

"Is there… something wrong?"

"What?" Adam glanced around to all the Iyrmen she motioned her head towards.

"You know, let's gather all the management, I'll explain everything later."

"I'm sure you noticed all the Iyrmen around," Adam said, meeting them all within Dunes' room.

"They're a little sensitive after what happened last year, and, well, the Reavers are coming soon. We're going to have to be careful, but I've brought you all here to let you know about it first. I'm still not sure exactly how strong they are, but with the Iyrmen here, you all, obviously, and Bilal, it should be okay. Plus, Siten is no joke either, from what I heard." Oh, right. The Reavers.

It was almost a relief that the Iyr had brought such powerful Iyrmen here because of the Reavers, the mythical creatures which were not quite so mythical, and powerful enough to even cause the Iyr to take precautions. Unfortunately for them, Adam wasn't privy to the Iyr's thoughts. Dunes' eyes darted towards Jurot, Kitool and Jaygak, each of whom held the rank of Executive, surpassing his own rank.

There was something they were hiding, which was confirmed when Jaygak smirked slightly, but she shook her head, allowing Dunes to sigh in relief. If Jaygak was telling him it was going to be okay, then he had to believe it. Dunes caught Adam's eyes, and the meeting continued, until finally the rest of the management made their way out. Dunes poured the half elf some tea, while the half elf poured some water for each of them, casting Tricks, a weak magical spell to flavour the water.

"It hurt, bringing them here," Adam admitted, staring at the liquid within his cup. He sipped it, the burst of flavour filling his mouth. Blackcurrant was always so sour to him, and sometimes, far too sweet, just like life.

"They're so scared, Dunes."

"It is painful, but it is the right thing to do. How will Jirot conquer the world if she cannot step out of the Iyr."

"I'll just go conquer it for her," Adam replied, and the pair smiled.

"I mean, Lucy can do it."

"Once she is back with the wolves, I'm sure the twins will smile from ear to ear."

"Is she out scouting?" Dunes nodded.

"The wolves wished to stretch their legs, and most of us wear armour, so we cannot ride them."

"Yeah. How's the armour anyway? Does it fit right?" Adam asked.

"It is great. I did not expect to be gifted full plate."

"Well, I wasn't going to let you die to all the Orders."

"You did not know I was going."

"Don't call me out like that, okay?" Adam flushed slightly, sipping his flavoured water.

"You deserved the plate mail, after all you've done for me, and after coming with me, I should make you a Legendary Enhanced weapon."

"I'm sure the Enchanter is too busy," Dunes said, raising his brows towards the half elf, who flushed slightly after letting it slip.

"I must decline. Greater Enhanced is good enough for me."

"No," Adam said.

"It's not."

"Are you still pretending our relationship is transactional?" Dunes asked. Adam smiled wider.

"Until I speak with your Priest Commander and convince him to steal you away from your Order, yes." Dunes frowned. He reached up to rub his forehead.

"Ah. Right." Adam laughed, seeing the stress upon the Manager's forehead.

"Do you want me to bring Jirot along?"

"No, no," Dunes replied, far too seriously, and far too panicked. Even as a joke, Dunes wasn't sure if he would want Jirot to run amok in his Order. After all, if Jirot was coming, it meant Jarot was coming, and if Jarot was coming, it meant that the Mad Dog was coming.

"Dunes?"

"Yes?"

"Amira joked with me about spoiling Ranya, and I said I'd give her something like a Greater Shield…" Adam looked into Dunes' eyes sheepishly. Dunes rubbed his forehead again, and for a moment regretted asking Adam to come along to his Order. Dunes was no longer naive enough to doubt Adam's words, even if they sounded like a joke.