It marched into the fort as though it were the fort’s owner, wearing a long cloak, dark as death. It was adorned in full pte of the deepest of bcks, and at its sword rested a bde, ready and eager to be drawn. Upon its breastpte, carved into the armour, treated with magical fmes, was a the symbol of a skull.

  The symbol of the God of Death.

  However, it was not the reason why the various red at it, for the stench of uh g to the creature like a stain.

  “What are you?” King Merryweather asked, feeling his entire body burn with righteous fury.

  It tio walk towards them, even as several knights of the various Orders stepped forward to block its path, until it was only a few steps away from them.

  “I have brought a list of the Iyr’s demands,” it said, its voice raspy, low, and calm.

  Dogek tensed up, and Shagek narrowed his eyes, while Toried to pce why the voice sounded so familiar. Jarot’s eyes remained firmly fixated on it, which smelled of uh, like one of those beings.

  “The Orders of the Thousand Hunts, the Floral Sun, and the Cherry Bdes, in the form they take today, or the form they take iure, will return to their stronghold, and to close their gates for one hundred years. Any members who steps outside the gates will be subject tht to Hunt.”

  “Only I have the authority to state such a demand,” Elder Peace stated firmly, her eyes focused pletely on it.

  “Your authority is overruled,” it said, reag into its cloak, before revealing a token made of obsidian.

  Elder Peace almost floated towards the being, ign the pints and demands of the Orders around her, before taking the token, closing her eyes as she listened ily. Upon hearing the advice of the Great Elder, Elder Peace bowed her head.

  “Expin yourselves, Iyrmen! What is this creature which defies the will of the Divine?” Sun Sword Zachary asked.

  “I am a Harbinger,” it replied, overruling even the Chief’s authority.

  “Why do you wreak of uh?” King Merryweather asked.

  “Baktu has blessed me.”

  “You are from the Iyr?”

  “I am a servant of the Iyr,” it said, not eveending to py politics.

  “First demons, and now abominations?” Fifth Bde asked, reag for her bde. “Before you leave today, you must expin yourself, Chief.”

  “What is there to expin?” Iromin asked.

  “You spit on the Divine!”

  “We are blessed by Baktu,” called a gentle voice, and there she stood, upon the roof of a building, appearing from nowhere. She was a woman as old as time, adorned in thick clothing, bck as the starless sky. She wore a medallion made of bck wood, shaped into the skull of Baktu, and wielded a staff made of the same wood. Upon her forehead were small hollow circles, also a deep bck, and unlike most of the tattoos in the Iyr, these tattoos were small and uniform, while the tral circle held the symbol of Baktu. “We thank his grace for our existence.”

  “How utterly profane!”

  Suddenly, the Orders, who had hesitated to draw their bdes, readied themselves, if not to sy demons, than to sy the undead which had caused them problems for millennia.

  “You ot,” Elder Peace said.

  “What?” Sun Sword asked.

  “If you wish to face them, do so uhe uanding that even I will be uo stop the Iyr from taking a. They are under Elder Story’s and.”

  “Stop,” King Merryweather anded, a shiver running through his spine. ‘Elder Story?’

  Adam raised his brows in arm, noting the look upon the Iyrman’s faces. Even they didn’t uand what was happening, and the fident Baztam, had withdrawn slightly, his eyes falling to the Chief, who also held an uainty.

  Jurot’s breath hitched within his throat, feeling the gaze of the being before him focused solely upon the young man. Even though the being held no ill i, Jurot could feel the gap between them, which erhaps eveer than the gap between himself and King Merryweather.

  “Those who arrived with the Bearded Dragon, e,” it said. “We will escort you away.”

  “Will you allow the abomination to leave?” Viander Harrison asked.

  “Do you have the ability?” Amokan asked, his voice light, the Iyrman barely able to tain his vitriol. “When I am the Chief, I will not allow you to speak with such fidence.”

  “If nothing else, I will cim the leaf ear’s head!” Harrison’s bde hummed to life, and steel rung against steel, as Amokan caught the Viander’s bde, the young man growling in pain as the thunder exploded against him again. However, the Viander brought up his bde, g against another bde, as Otkan, her body hot with rage, almost cut through his throat.

  It drew its bde, formed of the bess known as deathsteel, the st of death filling the air, as it held its bde with both hands. The old woman, too, held out her staff, ready to t her spells.

  “I’m never going tet,” Adam called out, his voice cutting through the air. “Those of you who dared to deny me my justice! Those of you who dared to harm my friends and family! Those of you who killed my precious children! I won’t fet it! When the Reavers e, and you have a need fical ons to defend yourselves or your homes, the United Kindom’s doors will be closed to you. Greater Enhanced? Greater? I wouldn’t even piss on you if you were on fire!”

  As Adam’s voice filled with life, Jurot gripped his axe tighter, while his panions prepared themselves. Even Dunes, who had thought they wouldn’t fight, realised that he should have expected it, si was Adam.

  “Will you fight?” Malfev asked.

  “No,” Bear Mother replied.

  “Okay.”

  “Sir Dunnock, is the abomination not under your jurisdi?” Sun Sword asked.

  Sir Dunnock remained deep in thought, her eyes shut tight, while her panions remai bay. She remembered it. The first time she had met Adam, he had worn puthral then too. It was only upon hearing the name of the busihat Sir Dunnock realised why Adam sounded so familiar to her retly. He had doo the Order of the Wings, tpie, who had spread the silver and gold to the rest of the Order. However, she had also warhe other members of the Order.

  “Sir Dunnock, have you fotten your Oaths?”

  “I will not draw my swainst it,” Sir Dunnock stated firmly.

  “What is the meaning of this?”

  “If it is within the Iyr’s trol, we will not step forward today.”

  Sun Swripped his bde tighter in hand, gng aside towards the other three Orders, those of the North, which had readied to fight.

  “Chief Iromin,” King Merryweather called. “Do you still wish to take full responsibility?”

  “Yes.”

  “I will ask for you to leave. I must thank you fing this matter to our attention, but due to your as here today, this gathering will tihout the Iyr.”

  “Okay,” Iromin replied.

  “Lord Merryweather, will you allow them to leave?” Viander Kaleb asked, his body still ag from the fight with Jonn.

  “Yrand ander must bring the matter to the Iyr officially,” King Merryweather stated, feeling the exhaustio within him. “All those who are displeased with my handling with this matter may leave the gathering, and we of Floria will bear no ill will.”

  “If you have an issue with it, you may e speak with me, sihe King takes all the fun for himself,” Lord Royce decred, his eyes upon Kaleb.

  Sihe King had ehe matter there, and the Iyr had revealed its wickedry, and given the Orders a ce to deal with them in an official capacity, the Orders realised they could dey the matter for the future. Only a few of them had realised what folly it artly because they thought their suspis had been firmed, that the Iyr dabbled in dark, twisted, demonic magic.

  “Sky ander,” a voice called. “Thank you for allowing us to meet the Grand Treasurer.”

  Sky ander Sienna caught Jurot’s eyes, staring at him in disbelief, her body still ag from the vicious beating at the hands of the Iyrman. The pair held one anaze for a long moment, before Jurot tinued, but she uood the threat in his voice.

  “It seems I will have to let you go today,” Jaygak said to the Primrose Sword, her lips curled up coyly.

  ‘Who let who go?’ the Primrose Sword thought.

  “Jaygak…” Rory called, staring out to the young woman.

  “Sir Rory.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “My nephews were killed.”

  “Is it true? That they are goblins and demons?”

  “They are Iyrmen,” Jaygak replied, smiling politely towards the young man. “Like me.”

  Rory stared at the young Iyrman as she turned a, noting the burden she carried upon her shoulders.

  “Malfev,” Bear Mother called.

  Malfev stopped, gng over his shoulder towards the woman. “…”

  “I will pray for the children.”

  Malfev bowed his head, before following his sister out.

  As Adam stepped out, he met Royce’s gaze. The half elf bowed his head. “sider us even.”

  “I’m sorry about your children.”

  Adam bowed his head, and tio step out, feeling his heart beat quickly, unsure if he would truly make it out of the fort alive, even as he approached the gates.

  Chief Iromin remained silent, deep in thought. They had mao dey the issue for another day, but now with the reveal of the Harbingers, there was certainly going to be a greater pressure against the Iyr. Ohought above all else pgued him.

  ‘Elder Story, why did you intervene?’

  It hadn’t been the first time that Elder Story had intervened when it came to Adam, and if the Great Elder had wao intervehere were other, simpler ways they could have dealt with the matter. To reveal the Harbingers at this time, at a time with the Reavers, it was…

  Elder Peace stepped beside the Great Elder, stopping his thoughts. The pair walked away in silence, uanding that this, too, was a rule of the Iyr.

  ‘We know what we must know.’

  ‘I’m… alive?’ Adam thought. He gnced aside, towards the figure who smelled of great power and viciousness. ‘What the hell just happened?’

  “Elder Peace, you may apany them within their carriages, and we will follow,” Iromin said.

  “You must go, Chief Iromin,” Elder Peace replied.

  “…” Iromin bowed his head, following after the half elf as the group made their way to the nearby carriages, while the fresh Iyrmen brought up the rear.

  “Chief Iromin,” Elder Peace called.

  “…”

  “Did you notice?”

  Iromin turo face Elder Peace, and the questioning look in his eyes revealed he didn’t, but Elder Pealy bowed her head, dropping the matter.

  “You have a nice sword,” Bael said, stepping beside Gangak. “Where did you find it?”

  “It was a gift to our family from my grandson,” Gangak said.

  “What an ad grandson.”

  “He is,” Gangak said, feeling Jarot’s annoyed gre against the back of her head. “I am his favourite grandmother.”

  “You must be, si is a wonderful sword.”

  “ you dare to covet the bde?”

  Bael sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Si is in your hands now, I ’t.”

  Gangak smiled. “I will tell you the story of how we gaihis bde.”

  Bael smiled. “Thank you.”

  “The Honeysuckle Sword stopped me from fag the King,” Timojin said, teasing Amokan, who had only fought a Viander.

  Amokan gnced aside, before his grandmother ruffled his hair, and the young Iyrman smiled like a little boy.

  Lucy let out a long sigh, feeling her entire body ache. ‘I ’t believe I struggled against such a weakling!’

  Mara escorted Lucy to the carriage, deep in thought. Even now, after the deaths of those who had harmed the children, her heart still ached.

  “You may leave,” Iromin said to the figure.

  “I must escort them back.”

  “I will take that role.”

  The figure turs gaze towards the Iyrmen nearby. Its eyes fell upon Dogek, then Shagek, then Tonagek, and finally to Jurot. It almost turned away, but stopped. Then its eyes fell upon Adam.

  “You ot,” Iromin said.

  “I know.” The figure remaiill for a long moment, before it turo face Jarot, whose shoulder pulsed, recalling the heavy blow he had taken. “Chief Iromin.”

  “Yes?”

  “Is this an Iyr worthy of pride?”

  Iromin looked out to the group who embraced one another, from Mulrot holding her grandsons close, to the older Iyrmen each praising their children, and their children’s children.

  “Yes.”

  “You have worked hard.” It reached out its hand for Iromin’s head, and ruffled his hair, as though the Chief were a boy.

  Iromin smiled slightly, for who wouldn’t have wao be praised by such a figure. “Not as hard as you.”

  “I do not agree.”

  Iromin refrained from smiling so boyishly. “Thank you, Harbinger.”

  Harbinger. It thought of the word, and then turned back to look at the Iyrmen before it. He smiled from beh his helmet.

  ‘They have grown up so well.’

  “I will stay with Elder Peace,” Dogek said.

  “You should go with him,” Shagek said.

  “I ot.”

  “You have earhat right.”

  “I have not.”

  ‘Shall I beat him?’ Shagek thought.

  ‘ you?’ Shasen thought.

  “I will go!” Baztam decred, already charging into the carriage, only to find the half elf slumped to the side, while his grandmother held the boy’s head against her bosom. Baztam stepped away, to his nephew in another carriage.

  “You should sleep too,” Amokan teased Kitool.

  “…”

  “Sleep,” Jaygak said, and Kitool bowed her head, closing her sleepy eyes, instantly falling asleep.

  “You fought well,” Jarot said.

  Jurot’s lips twitched slightly upwards.

  “ime, it shall be your third time to face him. You should defeat him then.”

  “Okay.”

  Victory!XP Gained: +1000XP: 16 500 -> 17 500

  Quest plete: A Father’s VengeanceXP Gained: +1000XP: 17 500 -> 18 500

  Quest plete: SurviveXP Gained: +1000XP: 18 500 -> 19 500

  Elder Story out here causing more trouble than Adam for no reason.