Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

“I also hope you are willing to accept the gifts from the children too,” Adam said, still pretending as though he was plucking the items from his cloak, handing over a black pearl to each of the children, even Taygak, allowing them to toss the gems out into the ocean for Urkina. Each was dark, near black, but sparkled like the night sky, and all understood each was a black opal, worth a thousand gold for such a small thing, all tossed away by the small children, and the young teen, eight thousand gold, disappearing into the dragon turtle’s gullet.

“Do you want to give your greetings to Great Urkina,” Adam whispered, causing his children to suddenly grow shyer, each hiding behind their families after tossing out so much gold, enough for someone to retire to a modest lifestyle for close to half a century.

“I recall now, your name was Adam, Nephew of the Rot family?”

“I am honoured you remembered my name, Great Urkina! I am indeed Adam, High Alchemist of the United Kindom, Nephew of the Rot family, but in these lands, I am more well known as the Crazy Father.”

“I see, so you are the Crazy Father,” Urkina said, having been informed of the name not long ago. Then Urkina’s eyes fell onto the twins once more, then the triplets, the other children, one who was blue skinned, and the teen who was red skinned.

“On behalf of the Executives of the business, I hope to gift you something else,” Adam said, reaching into his cloak, and he brought out a token made of silver, tossing it into the sea, allowing Urkina to claim it. “A silver token from the business of the United Kindom. You may exchange it for a Greater Enhanced token, or a favour from the business.”

“What kind of favour?” Urkina asked.

“I’m not sure if it’s applicable to someone as great as you, but if you ever require the assistance to face against the likes of a Paragon, the business will assist, or a favour of similar worth.”

Urkina could see the look within the half elf’s eyes, for as he spoke of the favour, his own eyes lit with something dangerous, and with an earnestness. After gifting her a total of gold which passed, in her estimations, twenty thousand gold, she took in his sight and engraved it within her mind, for whoever this half elf was currently, if he survived whatever trouble would come to him, he would become a figure that would rival even the great King Merryweather.

‘I suppose I will show you mercy today, you old drake,’ Bael thought, for though she was among those he had wanted to fight ever since stepping within the Lower Realms, if she was escorting the Iyrchildren, he could only step back.

“How much gold did you gift?” Baztam asked.

Adam smiled. The helf raised his fingers, his index finger almost reaching his thumb, with only a sliver of space between. “Just a little bit.”

As Baztam made to speak, he felt the sharpness of a gaze upon him, and though Jarot was holding his greatson within his arms, his eyes stated he would cut Baztam’s neck cleanly should he continue. However, Baztam smiled, for though perhaps for the first time, the Iyr had been overshadowed when it came to matters of gold, the half elf had gifted much of it under those of the Iyr.

The sailors remained silent, blinking towards the half elf who had tossed out who knows how much gold, and as some eyed him up, they noted his tattoo. It was not unlike the Iyr’s tattoos, though held a similarity to the tattoos of one of the families. The unknown, to some, allowed them to think such dark thoughts, while to others, the unknown forced their hearts to shudder in the greatest of fear.

“You did not wish to say hello?” Jarot asked, staring down at his greatson, who continued to bundle up shyly.

“Daddy,” Jirot called with a hushed whisper, drowned by the sea, and yet her father’s head instantly snapped towards her. “Great Urkina is so big.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“Daddy, you are not as strong as Great Urkina, so you must be careful,” the girl said, and though she clutched her greatmother’s shirt tight, she reached out a hand towards her father.

Adam cleared his throat, holding his daughter’s hand, for though she was still terrified, she still worried for him? This fool of a father? “If I wanted to, I could grow stronger! Even right now, I can grow stronger, and then you’ll see, this father of yours, he’s a little bit strong.”

“Of coas, daddy…” Jirot clutched at his hand a little harder, squeezing it reassuringly.

Adam blinked. “…”

“…”

“Since you are so cute, I’ll forgive you, just this once.”

“Of coas.”

“Of course.”

“Of coas.”

The half elf winced, trying to keep himself from bursting into laughter. “Did you hear what Great Urkina said about your kako?”

“Yes!” Jirot’s eyes began to beam brightly, sparkling towards her father with such delight.

“Kako Jaygak acted all cool the last time we met Great Urkina, so daddy needed to act a little cool too.”

“Kako does not act cool, kako is cool.”

“…”

“Okay?” Jurot asked.

The red skinned boy turned, looking towards his papo, blinking innocently. “Okay.”

“Do you like the sea?”

“It is so big, papo.”

“It is,” Jurot replied, staring out across the sea, which seemed to remain ever endless, even as the ship flew across the surface.

Little Karot looked up to his uncle, who stared out to the sea, and then looked down to the man’s rough hands. He reached up and held onto his uncle’s hands, feeling just how large the man’s hands were compared to his own, rough, though not quite as rough as his babo’s.

Jurot’s heart throbbed lightly, letting out a soft sigh as he stared out to the sea. Thankfully, little Karot eased his heart, though he still regretted not allowing his son to come too, for such a journey would have been a fine journey for the little boy, who could watch as his father and uncle conquered Aswadasad so safely.

Ah.

Jurot squeezed little Karot’s hand, meeting the boy’s gaze for a moment. Jurot smiled warmly, causing even little Karot to stumble lightly, the boy flushing, peeking up to his uncle’s face, so clear as stone once more, all the while he stared out towards the beautiful sea.

It was no fun to conquer safely.

“What are you looking at?” Captain Alaen asked, his eyes falling upon a group of his sailors.

“Ah, Captain! We were just wondering, the Iyrmen that are with us, some of them seem a little familiar but we can’t really catch the fish.”

Captain Alaen blinked, letting out a soft sigh, for what did he do in a previous life that he was saddled with such a foolish crew?

“You should recognise a few of them at least.”

“Yes, but…” The sailors glanced between the Iyrmen, their eyes settling on one, who stood beside opposite the eldest girl of the small children.

“Granduncle, if Great Urkina is with us, then we will not see much fighting?”

“That is right,” the fellow with the greatblade upon his back, replied.

Lanarot sighed, clasping her hands behind her back, staring out to the sea with a forlorn look. Her eyes then fell to the little nieces and nephews who were surrounded by the rest of their family, and then to her sister, who babbled away to their mother. “It is okay. Just this once.”

“How magnanimous,” the Iyrman replied, peeking down at his grandniece, then let out a soft sigh, looking out to the see with a forlorn look. ‘Why are my grandchildren all fools in the wrong way? They should give me one or two little ones as sweet as the Mad Dog’s.’

“I think I recognise him,” one sailor admitted, though he wasn’t sure how.

Captain Alaen reached up to rub his forehead. “Do you even know the greatest villains of the sea?”

“Whitebeard and Blackbeard,” a sailor said.

“You can’t say just their names, you need to add in the likes of, what’s his name, the one with the red hair.”

“Firebeard?”

“No, that’s a giant, I think.”

“Redbeard?”

“There’s no way his epithet is Redbeard.”

“There’s definitely a Redbeard, though.”

“What about Seabeard.”

“Seabeard’s a myth.”

“Aye, a myth he is.”

“Aye, aye, a myth he is.”

Captain Alaen reached up to his forehead once more, letting out a soft sigh. “Whitebeard and Blackbeard? Perhaps they are the greatest villains, but they’ve only been the greatest while I have been alive. Still, it’s not a bad comparison, since those two are at least at the coveted realm of Paragon.”

“They’re really Paragons?”

“If they aren’t, they are close enough to Paragons that you should consider them that strong,” Captain Alaen warned. “Even their First and Second Mates are each at least Grandmasters.”

“A Captain who is a Paragon, Mates who are Grandmasters…”

“It’s not just that, but they each command over other Masters, even if we come across half of their crew, maybe even just a dozen of them, even with as many as we are, we would not be able to see the dawn.”

“Captain, are you telling me the Iyrmen are secretly Whitebeard and Blackbeard?” a sailor almost exclaimed.

“If you don’t want to drown, apologise.”

“Sorry, Captain.”

“What I’m saying is…” Captain Alaen looked to the Iyrmen around him. “Do you know who Butcher Marmak is?”

“Ah!” a sailor gasped. “Are you telling me there’s someone who is as strong as Butcher Marmak?”

“That Butcher Marmak?” another asked tentatively, as though he were speaking of a demon.

“Do you know who the Mad Dog is?”

“No?”

“Flame Brand?”

One of the sailors, whose skin was a deep red, her horns curled back, suddenly straightened at the name. “Who doesn’t know Flame Brand?”

The Captian stared at the Iyrmen while the realisation dawned upon the crew. However, as the crew stared out to the Iyrmen, the thought came to them.

If Butcher Marmak was on the ship, wouldn’t Aswadasad trouble them?