Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

“It's weird, isn't it?” Adam said, sipping his cool milk. 

The sun’s noonval head bore upon the world, but under the shade of the large blankets, each a soft lilac, they all sat and enjoyed their cool milk, chilled by the magics of the peculiar half elf. 

“What, Brother?” John asked.

“Quicksilver is a beautiful steel, as you’ve seen. They say a sword made of quicksilver feels like it floats in the air, and it’s like moonsilver, in which under the moon, it feels as though your blade just… glides through the air. Except, with quicksilver, which costs more than twice as much, it’s not just under the moonlight, but always.” Adam inhaled deeply. “A blade of quicksilver goes for five hundred and fifty gold, give or take. Just one sword. It’s not magical, it’s a sword. It’s got a nice metal, I guess, but even so, five hundred and fifty gold.”

John could see the half elf staring up at the world, asking it so many questions, but receiving no answers. 

“The average person could work four years straight, and if you didn’t have to pay for anything, taxes, clothing, food, anything, you still couldn’t afford that sword. Five hundred and fifty gold. If you had five hundred and fifty gold, what could you do, ey, John? Hire a nanny to watch over your children for at a few years, right? Send your triplets to an academy? Hire a tutor during the evenings for a little longer? Spend more time watching over your children while working fewer hours?”

John stared at the half elf long and hard, beginning to understand. Adam had spent gold like someone who had a lot of it, but he thought of gold in the same way as someone who was not born with gold, for the rich did not think of gold as how many nannies they could hire, or if they could send their children to an academy, or to hire tutors, or to hire another person to bring them their favourite cup for tea, but by how many blades they could procure.

“I try not to think about it,” Adam said. “I… I didn’t have a lot of money until recently in my life. Now that I have it, I feel… dirty.”

“Dirty?”

Adam shook his head, clearing his throat. “Don’t mind me, I’m a… you wouldn’t get the joke. Though, let me say this. You don’t have to worry about that sort of thing while at the business. You won’t even have a chance to spend money on these three adorable little punks, not when I’m here, or my name isn’t the Crazy Idiot!”

John furrowed his brows, fairly certain that wasn’t his name, nor was it his ridiculous epithet. John could see in Adam’s eyes, something he hadn’t expected. Shame. Guilt. A loathing for one self that a Brother like him should not have. 

“Come on! Let’s go spend more coin! I need to apologise properly if I’m going to be stealing you away for a few months, yeah?” Adam shot up, ready to bound forward, and ready to lighten the load of his purse. 

John had seen Adam his entire lifetime’s earnings in a single afternoon, in a single transaction, and somehow the half elf was still spending a year’s worth of wages upon them in a single day. How were there those who could…

No, what was he thinking? 

His eyes glanced aside towards the rest of his companions, some of whom were still under the impression that the nobles deserved their position above them, to take their time and lives as they saw fit, while others believed their hard work would allow them to one day become like those who have now outlawed the ways in which they, once outlaws themselves, had taken their position. 

Just how much could he, a man who worked himself to the bone to earn silvers while his masters earned gold, rise within this world without a heavy amount of luck? Could he, too, spend gold upon each of his meals? There were many who were born in the slums, in the ranks of the commoners, who eventually made a name for themselves, but for each Jessie Iron Sword, born to farmers in Gold Port, how many rose alongside her who were the second, third, fourth, or fifth children of nobility? Jessie Iron Sword, whose epithet was born from how she had wielded a hundred different iron blades, which could not bear the brunt of her effort, before she finally came upon a magical blade, and then allowed her to rise in prominence?

Leyla Silver Sword, who wielded her family’s Silver Sky Sword. She, born as the second daughter of a family, joined the Order of the Three Hundred Blades. They were considered equals in power, though one might not have thought so considering how they were both treated. 

Jessie Iron Sword… 

How inevitable it was, a pitiful situation, in which she was forced to retire. Not by injury, not by duty, but because…

If she had been free to continue to fight, to continue to rise up, would she have still equalled the current Second Blade of the Order of the Three Hundred Blades?

John, too, was like that. 

Perhaps he had a rival within an Order. Perhaps he would have to destroy a hundred swords before coming across a magical weapon. Perhaps he could go blow for blow against his rival. Then, when he became a Master, would he too find only those offering retirement? To become a mentor of a household guard? The bodyguard for his betters? He would have to work twice as hard to gain half the respect, and then one day, they would write of his tale, and they would say that he would not be able to defeat his rival, for he was of common stock, unlike his rival who was born with noble blood. 

John stared at the half elf. The half elf, who spent gold so freely, who was a fool in every sense of the word. The half elf who had offered him a position, but was it not the same as those of noble blood? Was Adam not a master looking to pay silvers while he earned gold?

However…

Uf even half of what Adam offered was true, then it was more luck than Jessie had received. John thought of the blades Adam had bought, each which were worth more than his life to any and all who would come across them. 

John Quicksilver. John Divinesteel. John Dawngold. 

John let out a small sigh. ‘John the Fool.’ 

Adam continued to buy small gifts for the triplets, shaking the various toys towards them, before handing them over as he cooed. He was half glad they were half elves, for those around who not look at him so queerly, assuming he was their father. Adam glanced aside, towards John, who was so focused upon the gifts he wished to procure, while weighing their value in gold. ‘How could anyone else think I am your father when he works so hard for you? You punks, you can’t worry your father! He’s almost as cute as you!’

Jurot could see Adam begin to think of his own children, not in the cringe way, but in the way which weighed heavily upon him. 

Ah, and there it was. 

The cringe way. 

Adam eventually led them to an inn, allowing them to eat their fill, the half elf picking at his food lightly. He hoped they took his words to heart, but even he understood just how ridiculous this all was. ‘If they think I’m some kind of rich eccentric fool, that’s fine, as long as they end up joining us. I’ll need to work hard to impress John, otherwise… I guess if I spent a few hundred gold just for them not to grab my hand when it was offered, that’s fine by me.’

Eventually, once they were almost done with their meal, and ready to eat dessert, Adam made sure to inform them of the important matter. 

“While we’re gone, assume that you’ll join us, so we can move things along swimmingly if you do. I would like to know what demands you have of the business in order to join us. How many people will we need to move? I’ll accept your siblings, their children, and even your parents. If they can’t work, that’s fine too, we’ll figure something out.”

Adam could see the questioning looks they shot between one another, for truly, this was an offer that they would never receive, and therefore, it was extremely suspicious. 

“As long as you put in effort into the business, even if you do less work than others, even if you can’t work as long as others, we of the United Kindom will take care of you. If you bring someone that can’t work, who isn’t a child, and they don’t have any abilities or anything, but they’re your mother or father, that’s fine. We’ll figure something out that’s fair.” Adam was about to mention he would reduce their pay, but if it meant they abandon their own parents under the wrong impression, then the guilt would eat away at him. However, the half elf could already hear the complaints from everyone else if he started showing special attention to others. No, isn’t that normal? As long as he keeps his promises to them all, what did it matter if he treated them differently? Didn’t he already do that? Should he keep doing it? 

Seeing the half elf bury himself in his thoughts, Jurot placed a hand upon Adam’s shoulder. “Okay?”

Adam sighed. “Yeah.”

Jurot realised Adam was not okay from his tone of voice, but since his brother didn’t want to talk about it, the Iyrman did not pry. Towards the end of their meal, a figure adorned in full plate, wearing a long cape of deep purple, a magical blade at their side, and an oppressive aura, stepped into the inn. He scanned the area, before finding their group. 

Alarming those trying to enjoy their meals, a fool of an Iyrman, wearing blue tattoos upon his forehead, blocked the Kingsguard. 

“Step aside, Iyrman.”

“I refuse.”

The Kingsguard remained silent, but only for a moment, as he noted the glare within the Iyrman’s eyes. ‘This must be…’

John’s eyes remained firmly glued to Adam, who was certainly the Kingsguard’s target, and yet the half elf continued to pick at his meal, a cheeky smirk upon his lips as his brother blocked the path of the Kingsguard. His eyes then darted to Esther who finally admitted within her heart that Jurot was truly the Mad Dog’s grandson, while her heart was seconds away from imploding.

You're not even the King, buddy, so why don't you settle down?

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