TUF: PREVIEW/DRAFT 61+

CAUTION:

This is a very rough draft of the first third or so of the novel, and is not entirely indicative of the quality you might expect of the edited draft.

You can expect the edited draft on the 31st of August in 2025.

Thank you for reading and if you wish to comment your thoughts please use the appropriate Patreon post.

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CHAPTER SIXTY ONE

Percy turned his fingers to point towards her, the young man still shocked, his heart pounding within chest, thundering into his ears, and as their eyes met, he inhaled sharply.

Mana: 1 -> 0

Spell: Hex

Trick: Eldritch Blast

D20 + 5 = 6 (1)

Critical Miss!

‘Fuck! God damn it!’

The Crimson Flower winced, pulling back away from the beast in front of her, the woman taking the opportunity to flee, not even noticing the bolt of magic which scattered against the floor at her feet upon her retreat. However, a shadow formed over her back, and she turned, barely managing to deflect a terrible blow meant to fell her, though her entire body screamed with the pain of effort, for it was not simple to deflect a blow by the mighty Riva.

‘I had forgotten they were so swift of foot,’ the woman thought, before her blade snuck through the air, and managed to slice across Riva’s neck, causing him to drop to a knee as he reached for it, and the woman fled once more, daring not to spend the precious seconds to flee.

A snarl distracted her, but she shoulder barged the Malin, which caused his glaive to swing wildly, the crackle of lightning scattering across the earth, and she leapt away from him.

“Shiva! Don’t chase her!” Percy managed to shout, while willing forth his magic, noting how rough Shiva looked.

Trick: Eldritch Blast

D20 + 5 = 23 (18)

Hit!

1D10 + 1D6 + 5 = 12 (6)(1)

12 damage!

A blast of magic struck her across her back, and she spat out, but she rolled and continued to charge into the tree line, where another bolt of magic followed.

Trick: Eldritch Blast

D20 + 5 = 8 (3)

Miss!

Percy’s last bolt missed, the woman fleeing with the rest of her soldiers through the tree line, and though the Malin made to chase, a shout from the various Marshals caused them to pull back, the archers shooting into the forest, where the retreating bodies of the soldiers disappeared.

Shiva leapt to his father, uncorking the health potion, slipping it into the man’s mouth, helping him drink it as the fellow raged through dying, and as the health potion slipped into him, his wounds began to heal, his vision returning to him. Riva reached up, slapping his son’s cheek lightly, standing up, feeling the dizziness, but he flexed and forced it away.

Percy stared at Sal’s lifeless body, stuck with arrows, one through the throat, another through his head, two more through his open guts. He quickly looked away, forcing the sight out of his mind, but he couldn’t, covering his ears as the tears slipped through. ‘Fuck!’

Riva cut off the ropes, catching Sal’s lifeless body, covering his open wounds with his body as the blood spilled all over him. ‘Sal…’

Zal managed to drag himself forward, towards his brother, who was covered by a blanket, which stood up at the end of the arrows.

‘Don’t get caught!’ Sal had teased him before they had left for their scouting.

‘Me? Never.’ Zal had wondered if he had brought it upon himself with such a joke, as the tears slipped down his cheeks.

“Sorry, Zal,” Percy whispered, barely able to speak. He saw the flashes of the guts spilling out of the young man. It was savage, the kind of thing he’d read in textbooks about ancient wars, or the century previous, about the second war to end all wars, in which there were some truly horrid soldiers.

The warriors nearby began to tie up the prisoners together, some killing those who were too far gone, making sure those who seemed to be dead were truly dead, while others who were greatly wounded were lightly patched up and then claimed as prisoners to be ransomed off, or to gain their vengeance.

As they returned back to the village, some with heavy hearts, others delighted at the fact they had slain so many with so few losses on their own side, Percy was distracted.

Quest Complete: First Battle

XP Gained: +100

Quest Complete: First Kill

XP Gained: +100

Quest Complete: The Old Bear

XP Gained: +100

Victory!

XP Gained: +100

Quest Complete: Battle Assistance

Reward: Enchanting Enhanced

CHAPTER SIXTY TWO

Sleep came hard to Percy, even after a hot bath, and when he awoke in the morning, he spent a long while within the bath, using his magic to keep the water hot. Even as he returned back to the cabin, peeking towards his son, a chill remained running through him.

Percy sat down opposite his son, staring at the boy, who stirred lightly, but remained fast asleep, snoozing lightly. He held his head within his hands, imagining his son in the same position as Sal, his entire body tensing.

A knock at the cabin’s door took him out of his thoughts.

Shiva stared at the young man, who had never missed his morning routine for as long as he remembered, the young man always working out, then joining them to eat, but the darkness around Percy’s eyes revealed perhaps why.

“Let us run together,” Shiva said, placing a hand on Percy’s shoulder.

When they were deep within the woods, half way through their run, the pair paused, staring out at the dead trees around them. Shiva wait. And waited. And waited.

“That’s the first time…”

“Your first battle?”

“The first time I killed a person,” Shiva said. “I killed… I don’t know. At least one, but… I think I killed… three? Four?”

“How does it feel?”

“I thought it would have felt worse,” Percy admitted.

Shiva nodded.

“Do you remember your first?”

“When I was sixteen, a skirmish near the river, an Engwyn woman, she wielded a sword and shield, and she almost cut me down. I was knocked aside after I killed her, into the river. I almost drowned.”

“…”

“It is easier the second time,” Shiva said.

“It’s just…” Percy almost said something he didn’t believe. “I mean. I don’t, I didn’t have to think about that. I as away from all that. Sure, some guys came over, they bombed us, I don’t know, once every four or five years, but we were the ones to go over to bomb them, but it was out of sight, out of mind. You hear stories, you know? Some soldier said they would use… the girls there, they wore colourful scarves, and they would use them as target practise. We pretend as though we don’t, and when there’s a stink made about it, we decide to investigate one guy, and then decide to not investigate anything else. We’re better than them, you know? We, who invaded for their oil, we’re the good guys.”

Shiva wasn’t sure what Percy was talking about exactly, but he could hear the disdain, masked by shame, within his voice.

“Is that what they do, Shiva?” Percy asked, his voice cracking. “They gut you and toy with you like that?”

“Yes.”

Percy thought about what he said about his mother and sister. He stared down at the floor. “How do you not let the anger consume you?”

“To rage is to survive,” Shiva replied simply. “In my lifetime, I will use it well.”

Percy could hear the hope, the threat, in Shiva’s voice.

The various Chiefs, Marshals, and Shamans met together. A trio of them then spoke between one another about a certain fellow.

“We cannot deny it,” the Marshal said, his eyes falling on the Shaman. “His pills, his potions, his weapons.”

“I will not deny it,” the Shaman stated, he wasn’t that stupid.

Though they had been outnumbered, it wasn’t long before the reinforcements had arrived, somehow flanking the group, which had caused them to retreat. The Old Bear, the leader of the Bears of Kastar, had fallen in the fray, and Riva had claimed it had been thanks to Percy, something they couldn’t refute considering her helmet had caved into her face. They had lost a few warriors, but nothing compared to the enemy.

The loot of the battle had been spread throughout, and the prisoners had been taken to an underground area, and thus began the starvation, to keep them weak so they could not flee.

As the day passed, many villagers gathered, and the first drops of snow began to fall for the season, while the pyres stood tall and proud, for the bodies they needed to burn and bury. One figure was wrapped tighter than the others, and was surrounded by the most strips of cloth around the pyre.

“Do you see him?” Percy asked. “That’s mister Sal, who liked to spoil you. You can’t forget his face, okay?”

“Hoo!” The boy confirmed, certainly not understanding what was happening, nor that he would never see Sal again.

As the fires began, Percy handed his son to the Mo’An, who took him away, all the while he stared at the pyre with Sal.

“Was it a good death?” Percy asked, having heard the phrase a few times, never having imagined he would have spoken the words for Sal.

“I made it so,” Shiva replied.

Kasaki stood with the villagers, her eyes upon Sal, the most familiar face to her. She thought about how joyful the fellow seemed, and even in death, he wore a smile, which could barely be hidden even as the flames licked at his body.

‘What a shame.’

Shiva stared at the flames, feeling the dark aura from beside him, as Zal’s eyes remained fixated upon his brother’s flames, soon swallowed by the flames.

‘Go on ahead, cousin, we will join you soon,’ Shiva promised.

CHAPTER SIXTY THREE

“Your father did well,” Shiva said.

“Bababah!” Percival replied, holding up his hand towards Shiva.

“That is right,” Shiva said, smiling warmly, allowing the boy to grab his finger. Percival squealed with delight.

“Hoo!” Maya called out, frowning towards her father, reaching out with both hands.

Percy took back his son, pinching the boy’s cheek gently, thinking about heading out to work. “Did you hear that? Your father did alright during the skirmish.”

“Goo!”

“Are you proud?”

“Boo!”

Percy leaned in to plant a firm kiss on his son’s forehead, before heading back to work. He spent the next week enchanting the sword for the Oathsworn. If they were going to face against the army, they will need the Oathsworn at full strength. Apparently, Sir Petir and Sir Rahina would have been able to deal with the Crimson Flower and the one known as the Old Bear.

‘They said the Old Bear had a magical weapon, but it didn’t seem like it was more than just a +1 greatsword. If I can make +1 swords with +1D6 fire damage, that outclasses the greatsword by itself, and they can use a shield with it. If I make a greatsword with +1D6 fire damage, then the sword will have triple the base weapon damage, though it’ll be what, 3.5 additional damage in comparison? That’s pretty good. The difference between life and death is only a single point of damage.’

As he began to finish the magical sword, with the greatest enchantment he could currently employ, the village became abuzz with news. Greeting the villagefolk was a figure in full bark armour, with large antlers, and he carried a longblade at his side.

“I heard the news,” Ser Petir said, greeting Shiva and Percy. “You have no need to fear, for I have arrived.”

“With you at our side, we will be able to force back the army if they dare to attack again,” Shiva stated, certain of his words. He grinned wide, for a figure like Ser Petir, who surpassed even the Crimson Blade, and wielded Oathsworn magic…

“I’m glad you arrived recently,” Percy said, winking at the fellow.

“Oh?” Ser Petir grinned wide. “I am glad to have arrived so soon.”

Ser Petir took his place at a nearby cabin, not far from Percy.

“Look, it’s Ser Petir,” Percy said, tickling his son’s nose. “He is so strong, so strong, and he’s here to protect us!”

“Dah!” Percival reached up to grab his father’s hand, the boy pulling it back to suck against his father’s finger, but Percy didn’t allow it.

Once the blade was completed, he allowed the Chief to hand it over to the fellow.

Quest Complete: Arming the Order

XP Gained: +100

‘Hmm?’ Percy thought. ‘I only needed to arm two of them?

It wasn’t long later that he understood why, for trekking through the snow, the young woman appeared, Ser Tiana, escorted by a handful of villagers, and not just any villagers, but the various leaders who would one day become the Chiefs and Marshals of their respective villages.

Ser Petir stared at her, for she carried upon her back a large pack, and as he approached, he grabbed her by the shoulder. “What happened?”

“They attacked a few days after you left,” Ser Tiana said, opening up her pack, revealing the crown.

Ser Petir stared at the crown, blinking rapidly, before his eyes darted to Tiana’s. “Where is…”

“She remained behind…” Tiana admitted, her cheeks flushing red with shame, for she had been tasked with protecting the crown as Rahina fended off the small elite unit.

Petir remained silent for a long moment, his entire body tense, before he let out a gentle sigh. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “You did well, Ser Tiana.”

Tiana frowned, clenching her fists together. If she had stayed behind… ‘No. It is a useless thought.’

Shiva turned to face Percy, who had been in the middle of crafting a new magical sword, a third for the Order. He had already mentioned something weird about the Order.

‘Hey, didn’t the Order ask for three weapons?’

‘Yes?’

‘Huh. Alright…’

“Did you know?” Shiva whispered.

“No, but I saw the signs, I just didn’t realise that’s what it meant…” Percy admitted. “Fuck.”

Shiva bowed his head, patting his back gently.

It was later that night Petir practised his swordplay, melting the snow around him as his blade cut across it. He closed his eyes, trying to think of nothing. He knew what it meant to be at the mercy of the Engwyn. He only prayed she had managed to die before they could knock her out. No, perhaps she was lucky, and she buried herself. In which case...

Sir Petir turned, only to stop. “Step aside.”

“She requested I stop you,” Tiana said, for though she was exhausted, dark bags under her eyes, she had promised.

Petir stared at the young woman who dared to step in front of her. He held her gaze for a long moment, the young woman returning the gaze. He let out a pained sigh, his heart aching. ‘To think you would go on before me, Ray.’

Tiana frowned, her heart aching too, for the woman had been the one to teach her almost everything she knew. ‘Grandmother, when will you return?’

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR

"I shall go,” Kahn said, clasping a hand upon Shiva’s shoulder. “I will take Zal with me to keep his mind off of…”

Kahn realised quickly how it may have been rather awkward for Zal to go with them to a sight of death, especially if the Engwyn had gotten to the Ser.

“I will watch over him,” Shiva assured, Kahn nodding in response before finding another scout to assist them on their return. Shiva glanced aside towards his father who was leaving with the Ser, just in case they came across the elite Engwyn who had dared to step forward.

Tiana frowned, wanting to go on ahead, but Petir had asked her to remain. Though she wished to assist with the funeral rites, and to see the aftermath of the Engwyn’s assault, she realised it would have been best for her to remain here, as a representative of the Order, but also to mourn. She only hoped the woman had managed to collapse the temple upon herself.

The group left, making their way through the hills, moving rather rapidly, especially thanks to the scout. As they charged ever forward, they came across the temple within days, finding it indeed collapsed, but with Ser Rahina’s body out in the open, stripped down, mutilated, with wounds which were fresh, but at the very least the woman had been dead long ago.

‘I should have remained,’ Petir thought, dropping to a knee as he covered her frozen body in a blanket, the fellow reaching up to cover his eyes as a tear slipped down his cheek. ‘Go on ahead, sister. I shall send you company soon.’

The villagers assisted with checking on the temple, finding much of it looted, though many of the larger items remained. From what they had seen, from the tracks which led away, and how much remained, they must have missed the group by a day.

“To think they dared to remain here for a few days…” Petir grit his teeth together, his cold body engulfed by the heat of rage. He took a mental inventory of what had been lost, quite a bit of wealth, a few artefacts, that sword, which was the greatest loss. His eyes fell upon one of the artefacts within the secret vault, a small tiara, reaching out for it with a finger.

‘I could be a Princess!’ Rahina had complained when they were much younger. ‘You only think so because you have never met royalty!’

‘Is it not the same for you?’ Petir had teased. ‘A Princess like you, such a nation would crumble before we knew it.’

He wondered just how many times they had fought about this and that. He thought of all the ridiculous arguments, many of his own making. He stared up towards the white sky, feeling the drops of the snowflakes against his cheeks.

They spent that evening preparing to burn the body, and the next day they collected all the treasure, which would need to be transported away. There was much of it which could remain, to be collected later, but they needed to take all the artefacts to the villages near the front, in which could they then request for support from the other villages northward, for they would not refuse such a summons.

“Ho?” called a feminine voice, causing the Malin to tense up for they hadn’t noticed her approach. “Graverobbers?”

Quest Complete: Arming the Malin

Reward Granted!

Multi Enchanting

Enchant +1 equipment equal to your Trained Bonus at once.

‘Damn!’ Percy’s eyes lit up, having no idea donating so many items would have granted him such an ability. ‘I need to tell the Chief.’

As he approached the Chief, he heard the commotion within the rest of the village, where he found the returning Ser Petir and his companions, and an old woman who was bundled in thick furs. She was lean, tiny, the furs she was bundled in tripling her mass, a soft face full of wrinkles greeting the other figures.

“Grandmother!” Tiana gasped, charging forward to almost tackle the woman, though she almost fell to her knees as they embraced.

“Oh dear, oh dear, you’ve become so thin,” the old woman said, pinching the girl’s cheek. “You are still growing, so you must eat.”

“Grandmother…” Tiana flushed awkwardly, and though she wanted to refuse the little pink marble the woman brought out from her pocket, she couldn’t, the girl tossing it into her mouth and sucked on it.

“It seems the Order will need to find a new home,” the old woman said, brushing the girl’s hair.

“Yes…”

“We are barely wealthy enough to start over,” Petir admitted.

“You will both have to work hard, and you'll both need to find new apprentices,” the old woman said, poking her granddaughter’s nose. “I will remain for now, watch over the building of the Order, and to protect it.”

“Yes!” Tiana gasped, since her grandmother being here meant they would find almost no trouble from the Engwyn.

“You must be Percy,” the woman accused, towards the one figure who was no Malin.

“I am,” Percy replied, noting the unassming old woman was more than he expected, feeling the way her eyes took in his sight.

“I have heard that you have assisted the Order greatly,” the woman said, holding out a hand, allowing him to hold it.

“I didn’t do much…”

“I didn't expect someone who wasn't a Malin to show us such favour.”

“Well, I am an Uldar.”

“Impressive.” She smiled, before glancing aside towards the other figure who was not a Malin. She smiled towards Kasaki, who bowed her head in return, and she approached the woman, speaking with her for a few moments. Within moments, Kasaki promised to assist the Order, and they promised to protect her.

CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE

“No crown, but this much treasure should be enough,” a knight said, peering through all the items, from the gems to the various artefacts they had managed to liberate.

“The Thousand Thunder Sword?” another knight said, the weakest of them all, but the reason why they brought him along was the fact he had all but memorised the various tomes of artefacts, so if he held the beautiful blade within his hands, a silver with a hint of blue, the blade engraved with swirls that seemed more like the raging sea rather than a storm, they had to relent to him.

“Are you certain?” the leader, Brom the Bull, asked, the fellow easily a head taller than the rest, and one of the few who could face the likes of Ser Rahina.

“I am certain,” the lean knight stated, reaching up to the glasses he usually wore, but found nothing, so it was slightly more difficult for him to see in the distance, though his eyes were fairly healthy otherwise, better at seeing minute details.

“I didn’t realise they had the sword,” another knight said, the one who technically outranked even Brom the Bull, for he was the younger brother of their liege, though he would give up his noble title soon enough. “If I had known, I would have attacked them myself earlier.”

Brom the Bull eyed up the young man, wondering if he would dare to claim what his brother would soon possess, but as he grinned that charming smirk, Brom realised he would just cause great trouble in exchange for giving it up.

“We couldn’t, not while that woman is still alive,” the lean knight said, again reaching for his missing glasses. “If we did not receive word she was elsewhere during snowfall, such a mission would have been difficult to accomplish.”

“Just be glad Lord Father will reward us all well,” the young Princeling said, for though he would give up the position of Duke to his elder brother, he would at least gain something equally as fine as the Thousand Thunder Sword. Ah, no, what could compare to such a blade? However, he was certain River Spirit Song would be his own, even if it was typically considered the family’s heirloom.

‘What a shame we have to give it up,’ Brom thought, but he eyed up the rest of the treasure, from the gems, to the various other bits and pieces, the rings and cloaks, which would soon adorn them for their fine work. Not even the Duke would be able to refuse their request to possess such items, for soon he would come into the possession of the Thousand Thunder Sword and also the honour of being the one who assigned his household knights to raid the Order, even if it was his second son who had taken the initiative.

“We’ll be fighting on the front lines soon,” the Princeling said, noting the way Brom was looking at the sword. “The Bears and Flowers routed.”

“As expected, you can’t trust the northerners,” Brom said, even though he himself was born in the north, though had been raised in the east.

As they made their way southward, a bird fluttered towards the Princeling, who unfurled the tiny note on its talon, and read it. He squinted his eyes, before handing it over to the lean knight to confirm.

“The Old Fox has appeared in the south!” the lean knight said, reaching up to his imaginary glasses.

Brom growled quietly, glancing down to the Princeling, who shrugged his shoulders and gave up the planned assault on the southern villages.

“It was hard enough to trek through the snow, let us return home,” the Princeling said, to the gratitude of his knights, the group continuing along the way to rendezvous with the remains of the so called elite units of the Northerly Dukedoms.

“We managed to burn down a few villages and the Order,” a knight mused aloud, reaching up to rub his chin. “I say, that is rather a good year of skirmishing!”

“It's a good thing the Frune only casually warred us this year, otherwise...” The Princeling couldn’t imagine the suffering they would have to go through if they had to actually fight.

“Must we step back because of some Old Fox?” the knight mused, rubbing his chin in thought.

“We might call her Old Fox, but don’t be fooled,” the Princeling warned, turning to meet the knight’s gaze. “She is considered to be equal to the likes of the Golden Sword of the Hills.”

The knight raised his brows in alarm, turning his gaze to Brom, who was but a child compared to the Golden Sword of the Hills. “I do say!”

“There are five reasons we cannot force the Malin out of our land,” the lean knight said, putting down his visor. “Their Dragon Turtle, Lady Kama, is the first, and greatest reason. The Old Fox is another. If she had caught us while we had liberated the temple from their desecration, half of us would have died, the other half forced to retreat.”

‘By the Divine Lords!’ The knight stopped rubbing his chin, donning his helmet once more, suddenly no longer quite so eager to continue his hunt.

Meanwhile, the old woman hummed a quiet song to herself in the evening, while her granddaughter meditated beside her, falling deeper into meditation thanks to the woman’s tune.

‘To think they would target our temple...’ The old woman continued to hum a tune, unable to regret the fact she needed to complete her task before returning.

CHAPTER SIXTY SIX

“To think they had managed to force their way so deep into our territory…” Kama mused aloud, hearing the complaints of the villagers, Kahn letting out a frustrated sigh, wanting to do much more than he could at this time. She dismissed them all, save for Ser Petir, who sat opposite the Supreme Elder, though with his head held high, and though the man had lost a little weight from mourning, his eyes remained sharp and eager.

“They looted the temple?” the Elder asked, narrowing her eyes, wishing to hear all which was lost. Hearing the items which they had lost caused her draconic heart to shudder, for losing the Thousand Rainbow Pearl was a great loss, losing the Thousand Thunder Sword was a travesty, and most importantly, she couldn’t believe they had stolen her favourite marble, which was only worth a few thousand silver at most!

“They moved too swiftly,” Petir whispered, unsure if he should say more at first, but he worked up the courage to continue. “It was as though they had planned this for some time.”

“We were too distracted,” Kama said, though understanding what Petir was trying to say. This was something that, even if they had planned for a while, could only happen if…

Petir remained silent, waiting for the Supreme Elder to continue. He thought of all they had lost, including the sword, the sword which once raised a King to the East, and then after being lost for a century, raised a King to the West. They had managed to regain the weapon a while ago, and it was the one of the main reasons why their Order managed to retain the influence to keep the Crown, and even if the sword may have been more valuable than the Crown, the Crown needed to be prioritised.

‘May the Divine Lords have mercy upon us,’ Petir thought.

“I will send word to the Tribes,” Kama promised, and with that, Petir thought about how effective praying to the Divine Lords was.

“Thank you, Elder Kama.”

“Go with the Grace of the Divine, Ser Petir,” Kama said, inhaling deeply, before splashing him with hot water, steam rising off his armour.

Ser Petir, suddenly awakened by the hot water, clasped a hand over his fist, bowed his head, and then sauntered off with renewed vigour.

‘If the Engwyn wish to go so far, then we must return the favour,’ Kama thought. The only issue was, would the Malin be willing to take it as slow as she wished? ‘Mortals, how you burn so brightly, and so quickly…’

Kama then checked on the note Kahn had handed the half dragon guard, who read it out aloud to her.

“Percy claims he is now able to…” The guard blinked, before continuing.

Kama blinked too, considering what she had learnt. ‘It seems we do not have to wait quite as long…’

Meanwhile…

“Oh my!” Percy exclaimed, gasping. “Isn’t the snow so cold?”

Percival squealed, holding onto his father’s hands as he stood, adorned in the thick clothing for snowfall, the boy’s cheeks so rosy, redder than his gums. The boy bounced lightly on his feet as his father held his hands until he finally dropped down onto his father’s lap, the pair nuzzling each other’s noses, before exchanging kisses on their cheeks.

Percy held his son close, their cheeks pressed together, the chill of snowfall tickling their faces as they kept one another warm. ‘I just need one more Level and I’ll feel so much more at ease…’

“Amamamama!” Percival babbled noisily, squealing once more.

“Yeah, I was planning on that too,” Percy admitted, staring down into his son’s eyes, which were so dark, almost black, but was certainly a dark green, just like his hair, which was thin, but so luscious.

“Ohoo?” Percival accused.

“What do you mean?” Percy opened his mouth in offence. “Charisma is daddy’s only good skill, so you can’t be saying something like that.”

Percival cackled, the boy almost throwing his head back with how hard he was laughing, before the pair embraced once more, kissing one another’s cheeks.

The old fox watched the pair, noting how affectionate the young Uldar was with his son. She closed her eyes, recalling her own son when he was but a babe. He was so light, too light, and he barely ate. It was a surprise to her that he even lived as long as he had, only passing away a few years after his own daughter was born, and even then, somehow, in a skirmish with the Engwyn.

‘Mother!’ the boy had coughed out when he was but a boy. ‘I am the strongest!’

‘The strongest? If you eat your vegetables, I might consider it.’

The toddler had blinked, staring at the vegetables. ‘Second strongest!’

The old woman considered just how funny her son had been, before opening her eyes to see Percy poke his son’s nose.

“I’ll have you know I was really good at maths, actually! I was so good, they had to make a new set for me!”

“Booboo.”

“You! How dare you say something like that, you cheeky little-,” Percy said, and before he could curse, he punished his son with a myriad of kisses all over his face, causing the boy to squeal and try to flee, but within the strong arms of his Strength 8 (-1) father, how could a son flee?

‘At least he is a good child,’ the old fox thought, having thought such thoughts about an Uldar.

“Don’t you scoot away from me!”

CHAPTER SIXTY SEVEN

“You! How can you do this to me?” Percy asked, his heart breaking into pieces.

“Dada!” Percival replied, crawling up towards his father, leaving behind his favourite blanket.

“What?” Percy gasped. “Did you just call me dada too?”

“Dada!” The boy looked up at his father while right at his feet, the boy squealing as his father picked him up with ease.

“You! You started crawling and you said my name all at once? I already said you couldn’t grow up too fast when you started eating fruit and vegetables, but now this? You!” Percy planted a firm kiss on his son’s forehead, his son who was a genius, who was so cute, who made his heart swell so painfully with joy.

The Mo’An eyed the pair up, seeing the father act a fool, as always, but even she couldn’t help but feel soothed by his behaviour. There was no way it was an act, especially since he did it so much, and when he was around all sorts of people. Then there was the fact that the tears slipped down Percy’s cheeks, so overwhelmed he was to see he had seen his son crawl and say his first word, having missed them by hours, but at least his son had been so eager to show it to him.

“I’m sorry,” Percy whispered into his son’s ears. “Daddy needs to help out the village. I’ll take tomorrow off so we can play together, okay?”

“Oo!”

Percy sniffled, rubbing his eyes against his sleeves, before blowing his nose, the boy leaning in to allow his father to rub his nose too. Percy took his son out to meet with Layla and the others, the young woman holding onto her daughter who was in a particular mood that day, until she noticed Percy arrive, and the girl smiled bashfully.

“Is she bullying you?” Percy asked.

“She always does,” Layla replied, poking her daughter’s nose lightly, causing the girl to pull away from her and cackle.

‘Is she…’ Percy knew better than to ask, instead dropping down opposite her, the pair holding their children to their chest.

Shiva appeared not long after, carrying a small sack of herbs, that which Kasaki had handed to the village from her stash, as well as a few from the nearby villages, who paid their taxes to them instead of Kama so their alchemists could work. Shiva sat down beside Percy.

Percy noticed the way Shiva’s ears twitched, the young man doing his best not to smile. “What?”

Shiva leaned in, glancing from side to side, before whispering into Percy’s ear. “We have procured… giant blood.”

Percy suddenly sat up a little taller, raising his brows. “Giant’s blood?”

“The hill giants traded enough for at least ten potions,” the fellow confirmed. “Much food, much ore, and their blood.”

“What did you trade.”

“Just a few magical weapons that came into our possession,” he winked.

“Oh? How’d you get those?” Percy asked, only to blink at Shiva’s look, for he had already enchanted twelve +1 weapons for the village. ‘Oh! Those magical weapons!’

“It is no priority, but if you could craft at least one, it would be useful for us,” Shiva said. “Thankfully, many of us are strong enough, but sometimes it is good for the others to feel our strength.”

Percy chuckled as Shiva flexed his muscles, causing his pecs to dance, causing his wife to lean in slightly, the woman smirking.

As the days continue to pass, snow falling upon the land, Percy continued to enchant the various weapons and even a few shields, then went on to brew a single hill giant potion, just in case. He also enjoyed his time with Percival, though didn’t enjoy it when his son would drop his spoon, or throw the bits and pieces of fruit. His heart especially broke when his son pulled away from his fingers for the first time, though eventually relented to eat the fruit, since he did love bananas.

Percy panted, training hard with Shiva, the pair taking lessons from Ser Petir, who assisted their training.

‘I didn’t realise the gap between us was that much!’ Percy thought, since Shiva and he together were so easily handled by the Ser. ‘Damn!’

He also informed the Chief of the new pills he was able to craft.

Blood Burst Pill.

‘Damn, that’s a sick as hell pill. For the next minute you can make up to three attacks with Advantage? Nice to burst people down, or as a finisher…’ He noted the issue which was after the minute, or after using all three charges…

‘Hold on, isn’t this useless for half of the Malin?’ Percy thought since they were each Barbarians, and had the ability to do something similar once they reached Level 2. ‘Aw.’

He felt a chubby hand grab at his wrist, the girl beside him clasping her fingers around his fingers, claiming his hand within her own.

“Maya?”

The girl looked up, staring at him for a long moment, before smiling.

“Are you here to cheer me up?”

“Kekekek!”

“Thank you.” He smiled, reaching over to fix her little hat, before pinching her nose.

CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT

As the days continued to pass, the last week of snowfall arrived. The young man had completely all he had set to do, and though he had thought he had the last week to work, the Chief half but threatened him from work, for he had spent so long working. She had finally received payment for his work too, from the villages, from their own treasury, and from Supreme Elder Kama.

‘A thousand gold,’ Percy thought, noting the pile of gold, silver, and all the gems, which he would hand over to the Chief for safekeeping. Technically, considering each +1 weapon could be sold for anywhere between six hundred and a thousand, he would have made quite a pretty sum of coin, but he had donated so many items, and had to repay the cost of enchanting, which cut his profits by roughly half.

Regardless of how much they shortchanged him, he realised this much was more than enough, since the Malin had gone so far to protect him and watch over his son.

“Shiva…” Percy called one day, when the pair had completed their morning routine within the longhouse, jogging on the spot and completing a set of calisthenics.

“Percy.”

“If something ends up happening to me, will you take in Percival as your own?” Percy asked out of the blue.

“I will call him my nephew, and will watch over him,” Shiva promised. “How could I compare to you?”

“I suppose I am a pretty amazing father,” Percy said, although his tone implied he didn’t wholly believe his words. He stared up at the ceiling.

“You do not have to worry, for you are hard to kill,” Shiva said, stretching his sides on either side of him, the half naked Malin revealing his thicker body which he had forged during snowfall. He had gained at least ten kilos over the year, Percy recalling the first time they had met, and most of it during the snowy season.

Percy, on the other hand, also half naked, was as lean as ever, and looked as strong as his thin arms implied. ‘Man, I really need to gain a bit of weight…’

“Zal has returned from his pilgrimage,” Shiva said. “It is good he has managed to return for the last week of snowfall.”

“Next year…”

“We will plan to retaliate,” Shiva confirmed. “Your weapons will assist, for such weapons are among their elites, but for us, now, they are almost as numerous as the children.”

“Plus all the pills I could make for us, and the health potions, same with Kasaki,” Percy said, considering their strengths. ‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t really spoken to her much.’

“We will fight well,” Shiva said, clenching his fist, stretching even those small muscles. “We will destroy their villages. Then, in the next few years, we will target their temples, as they desecrated ours.”

“Their temples too?”

“We will not desecrate them, for they are also our temples, but we will regain our treasures, our artefacts, and show the Divine Lords we pay greater respects.”

“I'm not sure all this war business is for me, but...” Percy sighed. “I need to grow stronger to watch over Percival.”

“I aim to become an Expert at least,” Shiva admitted. “In the next few years, Kahn and I will do so.”

“Yeah, same,” Percy admitted too. “Let's do it together.”

Shiva grinned wide, reaching out a hand, and the pair clasped hands together, flexing their biceps as they did. “First you should find yourself a wife!”

“I don't know. I think I'm hated enough by everyone else that it'll be hard. So I guess it has to be not a Malin, not an Engwyn, probably not a Frune?” Percy smiled awkwardly.

“I believe in you, Percy,” Shiva stated.

Percy flushed a deep red, smiling slightly. Once they were done, he assisted with the baths, having his own first before he warmed up the basins for the others, who enjoyed the fact that their village was the only one, save for the few near the north, which could enjoy hot baths during snowfall with ease, all thanks to a particular fellow who was not a Malin, not an Engwyn, certainly not Frunish, but definitely an Uldar.

Quest Complete: Weapons of War

XP Gained: +100

As the snowfall festival took the Malin for the last week of the season, Percy relaxed, spending time with his son, who dared to crawl away whenever he saw his father, though cackled with delight as he was lifted up.

“Make sure you say thank you to the Mo’An for helping you,” Percy stated, while his boy cackled with delight. He glanced over towards her, realising he hadn’t really done much for her. ‘They gave me a bunch of herbs and stuff as part of my payment, maybe I should make something for her?’

“Do you know why it snows, Maya?” Shiva asked, his daughter sucking her thumb while staring up at him, the girl nestled up to her mother’s bosom. “It is because the Winter Mother weeps.”

“Oo…” Percival called, hearing the name, the boy glancing up at his father.

“What’s wrong?” Percy asked.

Percival turned, resting his head against his father’s chest, clutching at his collar. Percy stared down at his son, noting his features. The boy’s eyes were slightly farther apart compared to the average babe, his nose slightly thinner, his lips slightly wider. He had this snake like quality to him, though only a hint, and his ears were slightly pointed, revealing his Angyr heritage.

Still, no matter what anyone said, even the Divine Lords knew just whose son he was.

‘Don’t worry, Percival,’ Percy thought, snuggling his son close. ‘I’ll definitely grow even stronger.’

‘Dada…’