Chương 1200: [1121] - Y06.021 - The Duel I

"I had a dream today," Dunes whispered, sharing tea with the half elf, who had almost completed his preparations for noon.

"I dreamt of Ahmed. He teased me for marrying Amira. What? You just got married? Do you see it, Morn? I have blot out the sun, but all you have done is have a child. Is she even yours? She is too cute." Adam coughed, doing his best not to snort, his lips forming a wide smile.

"You did tell me he was a genius."

"I did no such thing!" Dunes almost snapped, his eyes almost a glare, if he wasn't too busy holding back his own laughter.

"I have a favour to ask of you, Adam."

"You should ask me after I win."

"It must be asked now..." Dunes fell silent for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. The half elf waited, since Dunes had done so much for him. Even if it was the last hour he had on this world, there wasn't much more he'd rather do than speak with Dunes.

"Last year, I walked alongside you towards certain death. I wielded this blade against…" Dunes waved his hand.

"He was from the Cherry Blades, but I did not see him among the group here. His name, perhaps it will go down in history, but… compared to the Grand Commander?" Dunes looked Adam in the eye, who kept his gaze. The Priest tried to gather what Adam was feeling, and he could see it. If he did not speak up, there was a chance Adam would not return.

"To defeat the Grand Commander, it is a good story. My story, it's not good enough for this blade." Adam stared down at the blade. He recognised the blade, which may have been in Dunes' hands, but it did not belong to him.

"Please kill the Grand Commander with this sword."

"A sword, Dunes? What would my grandfather say?" Dunes sighed, sipping the rest of his tea. The Manager stood, grabbing at the hilt of the sword, though did not pull it away from the table.

"If you refuse, what can I do? I will tell Ranya that you did not wish to give her a good tale because you were too afraid of some teasing."

"Well, hold on now," Adam began, reaching out for the blade, having fallen for the trap almost instantly, the half elf flushing red.

'How could he say that?'

'I have done all I can,' Dunes thought, hoping it would be enough, but since Jaygak said all he needed to do was this, he ended the matter there. He needed to have faith in them, just like how they had faith in him. After meditating with the weapon, Adam donned his armour, the purple reflecting the rays of sun which peeked through the window. His puthral full plate barely jangled as plate usually did, and though not quite as light as mithril, even a pale imitation of that metal was great.

He prayed over it in the morning, as he always did, increasing its protection. He rubbed along the edge of Strong Shield, the source of one of his grandfather's many nicknames. It was no longer his shield, having been gifted to Turot, who then, upon Adam's advice, gifted it to his younger brother, Asorot. His fingers tingled as he touched the red shield. Then there was Phantom. Adam held the axe within his hand.

It was perhaps his greatest weapon to date, and as long as he could manage just a single Critical Hit, it would be fine. Phantom which held three charges, and each struck so terribly, and as long as he could just land a single Critical Hit, he could bring a terror upon the Grand Commander, something to make him feel regret before Adam could kill him. Phantom (+2) Requires Attunement Deals 1D6 slashing and 1D6 psychic damage. Can store up to 3 charges.

1D3 charges are regained at dawn, or by expending Mana whilst holding the axe, at a rate of one Mana per charge. Charges can only be spent when holding the weapon, but require no action. Spend 1 charge or more to regain 3D6 health for each charge spent. On a hit, spend 1 charge or more to deal 3D6 psychic damage for each charge spent. With his puthral, Strong Shield, and Phantom, Adam had a chance. He thought of Vengeance, the axe he had made.

He had requested for it, but the Chief had informed him it was in the process of being destroyed, if it hadn't been destroyed already. Vengeance (+2) Requires Attunement Deals 2D6 slashing damage. On a hit, you can spend 1 Mana to deal an additional 2D6 damage, up to a maximum of your Trained Bonus. On a hit, you can choose to deal XD6 damage to yourself, to deal 2XD6 damage to an enemy. The limit of X is your Level. Those killed by this weapon can only be revived with spells of Seventh Gate or greater.

'Yeah, it is pretty dangerous.' His eyes then fell to Thunder's Triumph. The sword was a blade Adam was intimately familiar with, for it was a blade he had forged through magic, and then enchanted. It was a blade that had been part of a set he had enchanted. One went to the Iyr, because Adam didn't want to die. The other went to Karza, a dragon friend of Prince Morkarai. This one went to Ranya, who had worked so hard to be born so healthy and adorable.

A blade fit for a death cult, a dragon afraid of the death cult, and a baby. There was only one problem. If Adam didn't use the sword, there was a chance he'd die. If he did use the sword, he would definitely die. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The half elf then reached out to the amulet made of obsidian, the symbol of the stylised skull upon its face.

It was one of the symbol's of the God of Death, Lord Sozain, more specifically, it was the symbol of Baktu. They were one and the same, as much as the Aldish tried to pretend they weren't, but for today, perhaps there was a difference. Today, Adam prayed to Baktu. As the half elf stepped out, he almost walked into Elder Peace, but out of fear, the half elf stopped first without even realising, while the Great Elder stared up at him, into his eyes.

"Elder Peace," the half elf greeted. Elder Peace reached to her neck, revealing the black string that was tied around a small black crystal, which had been hidden under her clothing. She plucked it from her neck and placed it around Adam's neck, the half elf feeling how warm the string was, the crystal slipping between his armour and his shirt.

"Kill him," Elder Peace said calmly.

"The Iyr shall deal with the consequences."

"Okay," Adam said, watching as the Great Elder turned, rubbing her white bead as she went to speak with the Grand Commander. The half elf flushed slightly, unsure of how much of the pressure he could handle.

'I wasn't thinking about it, but now…'

"Kaza Adam!" Inakan charged at the half elf.

"I will watch, okay?"

"Ah? You're going to watch?" Adam asked, hiding his nervousness with a light chuckle.

"Aren't you too young?"

"Kaza Adam! I am four!" The girl held up her entire hand, staring at the half elf incredulously.

"Ah, well, I'll be a little shy if you watch," Adam replied, before glancing aside to the Iyrmen.

"She must watch closely," Shikan said, the bronze skinned Iyrman ruffling his daughter's hair.

"The children are going to watch?" Adam asked cautiously.

"They must."

"Aren't they a little young?"

"They are four," Shikan said, and as Inakan held up her hand, her father curled her thumb, and the girl proudly held up all four fingers.

"…" Adam wasn't sure how he felt about that, but as his eyes fell to the rest of the children, each full of excitement, and finally his sister's, which were the most eager of all, he sighed.

"What about Virot and Damrot?"

"They are too young."

"Alright," Adam dropped down to his cousins, picking them up one by one, kissing their cheeks and allowing them to kiss his.

"You have to shout loudly for me, okay?"

"Okay!" Inakan promised, the girl clapping excitedly.

"Oof!" Adam groaned as he picked up Gurot, doing the same for each of the children, and with each squat and lift, he warmed his body for the fight.

"Kaza Adam," Kavgak glared at the half elf, holding up a ribbon.

"What's this?" Adam asked.

"Win," the girl demanded.

"If Kavgak asks me to win, then I'll have to win, eh?" Adam said, holding the girl close for a long moment, before allowing her to try and tie the ribbon on his wrist, only for Taygak to help. All the children embraced the half elf, each showering the half elf in their affection, while Adam did the same, ruffling their hair. Even Minool, who fled from his arms, held the half elf close.

"Jazool, make sure to watch over Larot, okay? He might get a little scared."

"Okay!" Jazool replied, the girl grabbing Larot's hand, causing the red skinned boy to narrow his eyes at the half elf. As Adam made sure to play with the children, Elder Peace dealt with the Order.

"How can we trust you?" Vice Commander Harrow asked, smiling his pearly white smite towards the Great Elder.

"We are not Aldish," Elder Peace stated firmly, before turning to lead the Order across the bridge, towards the Iyr's land, beyond even the islet. The rest of the Iyrmen waited to escort them, the Order wondering if the Iyr was truly serious about holding them hostage. However, they followed the Iyrman, since they had accepted the terms, even if the Iyr wasn't going to hold them to it.

As the last of the warriors stepped over the bridge, Bael approached the end of the first bridge, blocking off the exit, the half dragon keeping the warriors within his sight. He grinned wide, already smelling the scent of a good fight in the air, the blood soon to come. Then, he smelled it. His ears twitched, his hair stood on end, his scales grew itchy. The smell was so… familiar? Then, he felt it. An overwhelming pressure over his shoulders, a cold sweat growing over him.

'Am I too close?' a figure standing on a distant hill, staring eastward towards the duel.

'If that kid is there, they probably don't need my help.' A crimson snake slithered near the shadow's feet. Two figures stood behind the pair, one clutching a staff made of dark wood, the other adorned in full plate. They would watch, for today, regardless of who won, would be a turning point. They were here, just in case. As the Grand Commander approached the spot for the duel, the open field beside the small village the Iyr had created for a particular set of weddings, he dropped to a knee.

He placed a hand over his chest, and the Order began to chant a prayer. The chanting threatened to shake the world with their fervour, while the Iyrmen watched silently. The businessfolk working the fields stopped, clasping their hands together as they prayed. Adam inhaled sharply, hearing the chanting from the fort, the half elf standing behind the gate. Jirot and Jarot held each of his hands, while his triplets stood in front of him, glaring at the gate, not wanting it to open.

Konarot understood something was happening since her father looked so… small. Adam had yet to speak with the businessfolk about the duel, nor did he speak with his friends or family. All he needed to do was go out, kill the Grand Commander, take his sword, then come back. One. Two. Three. Four. Just like that. Then the prayers stopped. All fell silent. Jurot broke the silence by opening the gate, the creaking filling the air.

The dread filled the business as the gate opened, and Adam stepped forward, stepping out of the fort, seeing the river ahead of him. He stopped, glancing over his shoulder to his six children, each of whom were staring at him while their babos and nanos tried to take them to the top of the wall.

"Watch carefully, okay?" Adam asked.

"Okay!" came the emphatic cries of two of the girls, while his two boys replied so meekly, and Kirot pouted up at her father, reaching out a hand. Adam smiled, reaching out, clenching his fist. He bowed his head towards his second eldest daughter, who bowed her head in return, and followed her baba, Shikan, away to the wall.

"I love you," Adam called out to his children, almost desperately.

"I love you!" the children replied, and with that, they burst towards their father like water having torn through a dam, causing their babos and nanos to sigh. After a quick embrace, Adam's body filling with a deep warmth, he let them go. He stepped out once more. His eyes then fell to the village, where he saw a few familiar faces. He waved towards it, before his eyes finally fell to the west, to the hills of the Iyr, and finally, the heavily armoured warriors and Iyrmen waiting for him.

'I should have asked them to play some music for my entrance,' Adam thought, donning his helmet. As though to prove he was really the old man's grandson, Jarot shouted out from atop the walls.

"Where does the wind flow?" the old Iyrman shouted alone.