Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

The triplets stood, standing behind their hard working father, noting the looks of the other children, and the triplets, who stood beside their hard working father. An awkwardness filled the air, for the fathers were uncertain how their children would respond while meeting the others for the first time.

“Hoi hoi hoi,” a child said. “What handsome boys!”

“Dear, you can’t be flirting with kids half your age,” the father, hard working he was indeed, said.

“How you can blame me, dahddy? Look! They are so handsome, such handsome ears too, like mine.” The girl twitched her ears towards her father, whose lips formed a wide smile.

‘His children really are goblins?’ Esther thought, the woman eyeing up the pair, who stood before their father, the girl teasing her father who was apparently quite a monster.

Adam’s excitement had risen greatly, having heard the group had arrived the previous evening at the business. He hadn’t expected so many figures to arrive, not just John and his companions, their families too, but that was a small issue. He recalled many more figures last time, and supposed they did not wish to uproot their entire lives to come.

“Welcome back,” Adam greeted, reaching out to shake Jonn’s forearm. “Good work, Manager Jonn.”

“Thank you, Executive,” the half elf replied.

“Kaka!” Gurot half exclaimed, charging towards his sister, who lifted the boy up into one arm, lifting up her youngest brother with the other. It was difficult to hold both children, but she was a member of the Rot family, and even if they were chonky, she was able to hold them.

Tavgak smiled shyly up towards Laygak, Faygak smiling equally as shyly, though thankfully their cousins made sure to lead them to him, the Iyrman beaming down towards the four.

“Did cousin Adam bully you?” Laygak asked.

Tavgak smiled even wider, revealing her tiny white teeth, giggling as she hid her face within her hands. Faygak smiled even wider too, and as Laygak lifted up each one, he planted firm kisses on their foreheads.

“You brought handsome boys because you are so handsome?” Jirot asked, raising her brow coyly.

“Perhaps?” Laygak replied, returning a coy brow in return. As the twins cackled, he picked them up, and cuddled them close to his chest.

Maool blinked towards her elder brother, who lifted her up, the pair embracing tenderly for a moment, Faool picking up Jazool next, causing the girl to hug his neck, holding him close so he could not place her down.

‘I see, you have grown wiser,’ Faool thought.

Minakan eyed up her sister from the side, but she smiled shyly, while Alykan held up her arms, her eyes wide in shock as her elder sister returned. As the pair embrace, Naqokan reached down to poke Minakan’s head, the girl pouting slightly, though it turned to a smile once more.

“…”

“…”

“Hello,” Uwajin said.

“Hello,” Mijin replied, while Rowajin and Lojin both waited for their sister to embrace them. Majin and Tinajin blinked, waiting for their turn too, since their brother had not yet returned.

Rajin gave the young woman her time to greet her siblings and cousins, though he wished to speak with her, to check if she was still interested in what Jurot had informed him of.

“Any trouble?” Dunes asked.

“Little,” Korin replied, going to greet Amira, though noted the two girls, who hid near their mother. “I see, are these my nieces?”

“Ranya, Enisa, greet your ahm,” Dunes said, causing the girls to hide further behind their mother.

“Ranya, Enisa, look! It’s your ahm! It’s your aila Lani’s brother!” Adam called out, grabbing Korin’s shoulder, patting it gently. “It’s your other aila, Sara! Even if her horns aren’t as pretty as yours, you can’t bully her!”

The girls flushed lightly, but smiled innocently, their eyes returning to their ahm and aila, the woman blinking slightly for the half elf spoke so openly about her beautiful horns, but she decided against speaking up, since he didn’t speak a lie.

“My nieces are so cute,” Sara said, squatting down, reaching out to brush their cheeks with her gentle hands.

“Betti, how was the journey?”

“Not as eventful,” Yasha replied, her eyes darting between the others, recalling the fight they had, before they darted to the pair of Iyrmen.

“Mother!” Warkez called, half charging his mother, the grown man hugging his mother as she ruffled his hair.

“You did well in escorting the same group,” Sokikez said, pinching the young man’s cheek.

‘He wasn’t lying,’ Amos thought, though he was glad he didn’t say it out loud, since it was about an Iyrman.

Esther eyed up the woman, who had apparently assisted the group. She, who was Warkez’s mother, Yarkez’s husband, and had, as if by Fate, had joined John on his adventure. Was it truly just Fate? It couldn’t have been planned by the half elf, but considering all she had heard…

‘It’s true,’ John had said. ‘Adam. The adventures. All of it.’

It was impossible, except the Iyrmen had said it, Yasha had said it, everyone had said it had been true. Her eyes darted towards Bael, who apparently was a monstrous figure himself, one the Iyrmen understood, apparently, while John did not.

“I’m glad you accepted,” Adam said, reaching out to shake John’s forearm.

“I am glad you offered such a job to us,” John replied. There was much he wanted to say, but first he introduced Adam to his companions, the Aldish, the Drakken, and the Aswadian.

“This is Mohammed,” John said, revealing the thin Aswadian, who was paler than most Aswadians, but in the sense that his skin was dark as night, yet held a ghostly complexion. “He has a sickness in which he can barely move during the day, but his mind is sharper than any blade I have seen.”

“Even one of ours?”

“Yes.”

“Bless you, Mo,” Mohammed called, reaching out a hand, his breath already ragged, though he had done very little. “Though my body is weak, if I had been born into a wealthier family, I would have completed a great many exams, and perhaps would have become a great Wizard.”

“I have no doubt,” Adam said, smiling. “I know quite a few geniuses, and if you can at least match them, well, I’ll count it as one of my many blessings.”

“Thank you, Mo.”

“You too, Mo.” Adam winked. ‘Mohammed, huh? That’s quite the name. I wonder if it has the same kind of…’

Adam paused a moment. He had known a great many people, so many of them with different names than he expected, but even here, there was a Samuel, a Robin, a Zack, even a Jax. Names so familiar in his first life, including the likes of Ahmeds and Mohammeds, alongside names like Jurot, Kitool, Jaygak. He supposed, technically, Jay was a fairly typical name too.

John considered mentioning how much gold it had cost to move them all here, in terms of paying the various fees and the money to assist their old friends and families, in order to soothe their own hearts.

Except, Nirot had requested he kept it a secret, having chosen to pay it out of her own pouch.

“I will test your abilities,” Jurot said, and as the entire businessfolk watched, he did what he had to do, and what he had done for Rowan and the others. “You must follow the rules within our business.”

“Are you sayin’ we can’t discipline our own children?” Zack asked.

“You cannot abuse your children, whether it is by striking them, or in another manner, for if you strike a child, you will be punished, if you go beyond that and commit a wickedness against a child, or those unwilling, Ray Vonda will stop her husband, Executive Adam, but she will not stop I, Jurot, grandson of the Mad Dog.” Jurot’s tone was low, filled with a calmness, but they could see it, within his eyes, the kind of simmering rage that did not belong just to the Rot family.

The temperature around them had dropped, and Jurot had spoken the words in front of them all, from the old businessfolk, to those who had just joined.

“If anyone commits the unforgivable sin against a child, I won’t share you even with Lord Sozain,” Adam warned, his entire body tensing up, flashing hot red with rage, though a hand on his shoulder slowly calmed him down. It was not Vonda’s, but Jurot’s, who was fairly certain Adam might fall into a Rage Fever just at the thought.

“What of you?” Amos asked.

Adam’s eyes instantly snapped to Amos. “If I did such a thing, then I expect my family will slice me into a thousand pieces, and they’ll do the same for whoever was controlling my mind.”

The chill in the air only further pressed upon their shoulders, Adam’s tone not full of offence, or annoyance, but of a neutral sorrow, the kind that hoped such a thing would never occur.

Jurot glanced up towards Adam’s tattoo, glad such a task would never come to pass, for he wasn’t sure which was worse, killing the half elf with his own hands, or the half elf committing such a sin.

“We will test you on your abilities over the next season and see what you are suited to, but tell us what you wish to aim for,” Adam said, cutting through the awkwardness. “Some of you may be typical Fighters, but those of you who have the talent to become Rage Dancers, or even Oathsworn, shall be granted the opportunity. However, I want you to know that even if you aren’t talented, even to become a Fighter, if you wish for it, we will train you.”

The businessfolk were glad the half elf had switched the topic, an easiness melting the frigid oppressiveness over their shoulders.

“You are in the United Kindom, now.”

“Dahddy, we are in the Iyr,” Jirot whispered.

“I meant spiritually.”

“Ah.”