“You’re the boy they call the Savage,” the Grand ander said, his eyes glued to the young Iyrman. His pressure exuded upon Jurot’s shoulders, like a heavy pool of murderous i.
“Yes,” Jurot replied, feeling the ge of pressures against his body. He had almost not noticed, but he was an Iyrman, so of course he’d notice such a thing. However, pared to those he had grown up alongside, the Grand ander’s pressure was far too gentle.
“The differeween ce and stupidity is subtlety.”
“You ot afford me even now.” The pressure against Jurot’s increased as the Grand ander focused his eention onto the boy.
“I expected the Iyrmen to step to the demon’s aid, for it is expected of your people,” the Grand ander began, still standing tall, his hands tied behind his back casually, too casual for someone speaking so ill of the Iyrmen while within the range of their rage. “Do you io step forward now?”
Jurot’s eyes remained focused on the Grand ander’s, his entire body tensing and rexing, heating himself up for a fight. “You are just a Paragon?”
“I had not expected the grandson of the Mad Dog to be so eager, not when he was so meek.”
“…” Jurot’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“When I met yrandfather, the ohey call the Mad Dog, he was but a shell of his former self. He was not the Mad Dog who pgued this nd with his wiess, but a meek little pup who dared not to raise his axe in front of me.”
Jurot could feel the rain of that day, feeling it pitter patter against his skin. His eyes darkened once more, and his fiwitched.
“Okay?” Kitool called.
“Okay,” Jurot replied, still feeling the risi, but uanding he couldn’t draw his axe first.
“Will the soldiers step forward?” Hope Willow asked.
“If you are to fight, you should do so outside of the fort, and as long as you do not assault us, we will not interfere iter,” the ander assured, too old to deal with the nonsense of the orders. ‘If I was younger, I might have caused your orders some trouble, but I’m just an old man now.’
“As long as you do not step forward while rehend the demons, we will guarantee your lives,” the Grand aated, still standing far too rexed.
“If you keep insisting, I must step forward, Sir James Greatwood.”
“I do insist.”
Hope Willow ched her fists together. The differeween herself and the Grand ander was far too high. However, there was something else which put her at a disadvahe Rays ot step forward here.’ She eyed up the other members of the Grand ander’s order, noting they were each at least their Experts, with a Master among their midst, and perhaps ahough there were only a handful, did she have enough support to deal with them?
She could only do that.
“Iyrmen, are you willing to step forward in this regard?” Hope Willow asked. “I will face the Grand ander.”
Jurot’s throat let out a groan, the kind of groan one would give out in dissatisfa and thought.
“If you wish to fight us,” Lucy said, with a tone of voio one had heard from her, that of the arrogance from authority, “we will also fight.”
Beside the Demon Lord, her aide crossed her hands over her navel, and she stood tall and proud, ready to assist her liege.
Vonda let out a soft sigh. If Lucy had remained silent, it would have given them some way to back out peacefully after the situation resolved, but with the young woman stepping forward, it had bee awkward for them. If the demons dispyed their eagero fight, the bme would be pinned on them, even if the order started the fight, justified or otherwise.
“Adam,” Jurot called finally. “I wish to face the Grand ander.”
A moment passed.
Another moment passed.
Jurot turned, gng over his shoulder to see his brother stood with his arms crossed, his eyes closed, as though he had shut out the world. “…”
“Jurot,” Adam finally called, revealing he had been listening after all, “it’s time for the Noonval Festival isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“How cute do you think my kids are looking right now?”
“Yes.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Adam said, letting out a soft sigh. His entire body shook as he thought about how much trouble had e his way while he should be within the Iyr eating pizza with his kids. “We should have sent bae ribbons so they could wear them today.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think Lanababy’s enjoying herself?”
“Yes,” Jurot replied, pausing only for a moment, “she will be watg the fights.”
Adam let out a soft exhale, the kind of exhale which did not relieve him, his entire jaw tense as he grit his teeth. “So you want to beat up the Grand ander?”
“Yes.”
“Then…” Adam opened his eyes, slowly reag up to pull up his visor, his eyes gring out towards the world, revealing the utter annoyan his face. It was the kind of annoyed which was fuelled by rage, the kind in which his willpower had been chipped away by tiny little stabs of annoyance before he was about to burst. “Whose the sed stro from the order?”
“Your words are filled with such venom,” the Grand ander said, his eyes falling onto the young man in purple. “You knew when to step back during the tour, you should know to do so now.”
Adam’s eyes slowly made their way towards the Grand ander. He opened his mouth to reply, before he froze for a moment, realising the words which should slip out of his mouth. The young half elf’s lips formed a smug smirk.
“You are just a Paragon?”
Jurot slowly he shadow of a smile f on his lips. Jaygak smirked from behind her helmet, and Kitool slowly bowed her head, stretg it, also pleting the statients within her body as she prepared herself.
“Viander,” the Grand ander called, and a warrior in full pte stepped forward, his entire armour decorated, his cloak pio his armour with a particur medal Adam didn’t reise, but the Iyrmen knew was the medal for valour upon the field. “I will clip the paws of the pup, you may clip the ears of the fae.”
“Fourth Hope,” the Viander called, his voice like that of Adam’s, inviting trouble with its lightness. “Will you hide behind these children, or will you face the Grand ander or I.”
“…” Hope Willow hadn’t realised the ure she had spotted wasn’t actually a Master, but a Grandmaster. He wielded a bde at his side which wasn’t special, not like those wielded by the Grand ander or the other Master, a figure who probably also held a title. If he was a Viander who wielded a bde that looked pletely normal, then it robably only him.
‘If only the Grand ander wasn’t here…’ Willow was fairly certain she could csh with the Viander, but beating him would have been difficult. It was essentially a flip of a if they were to fight.
“These young men are friends of the demons,” Hope Willow said. “I will leave it up to them who they wish to face.”
“Friends?” the Viauro look towards Adam. “Those who cohort with demoheir sin too.”
“Those who believe they fight for justice may inflict a greater injustice.” Another heavily armoured figure stepped forward.
“You know of our scriptures?”
The figure removed his helmet, revealing his handsome, half fae face, and the look of dangerous defiahin his eyes. “I was always very good at my scriptures.”
The Viander removed his helmet, revealing his own handsome face, his dark hair and eyes. His dark hair had been cut in a particur way, cut at the start of every month, and allowed to grow out, just like another within Adam’s pany. His dark eyes held a hint of guilt.
“Viander.”
“Jonn.”
Adam gnced between the pair, deg to remain quiet. ‘Is he his…’
The Grand ander’s eyes fell to Jonn, a young man he instantly reised. He decided against speaking, not sihere was someone else with a greater e to him.
“I see you are well,” the Viander said, noting the Steel token against his chest.
“Yes.”
“It is terrible to see how far you have fallen. I only bme myself for not being able to stop you from leaving.”
“It was not our choiake,” Jonn replied, trolling his voice, his eyes narrowing slightly. “To break one’s oaths, it only be done so under extreme circumstance. When one is close to death, or”, his eyes darted towards the Grand ander he had idolised as a boy, “if the King demands you to throw away one of the brothers of your order.”
The Viander remained silent.
“It was a shame what happened back then,” the Grand ander said. He then held out a hand towards Jonn, ready to shake the young man’s arm. “We have lost our home, our heritage not enough for the Traitor King. It is important that we all remain together. We will reform our order, and you may return.”
Jonn remained silent for a long while. He had been kicked out so many years ago, and he had to fend for himself in the north. He used to dream of being accepted bato the order, even as far as a couple of years ago, when he had refused to swear his oaths to Adam.
“If the King is displeased, I will deal with it,” the Grand ander assured.
“You are just a Paragon?” Jonn replied.
You have to be at least that crazy if you're with Adam.
