Beyond Chaos – A DiceRPG

157. Hard Work

Omen: 2, 5

"Are you feeling unlucky today?” Shikan asked. 

“A little,” Adam replied.

“Then come work with me today.”

“I can’t,” Adam replied.

“You cannot?”

“If I work with you… who will nap with Lanarot?” Adam asked, staring into Shikan’s eyes.

“Adam,” Sonarot called.

“It was just a joke,” Adam said, quickly. “Sure, I’ll come with you.”

Adam had trained alone in the morning, though the children had joined him halfway through to run around and stretch. He had been feeling lonely without any other friends around his age, and he had been resting up well since he had been sick.

Sonarot exchanged a look with Shikan. She was going to tell Adam to keep resting, and was wondering what Shikan was up to.

Shikan led Adam around to a warehouse, where there were already several Iyrmen working. “We will carry these bags to the estates which require them.”

“Sounds good,” Adam replied, simply.

They each packed the bags of grains into a large pack which strapped around the entire front and back, and kept the weight around his waist. There were also large racks which some Iyrmen carried in a farmer’s carry, which Adam felt would be far more difficult than what he was doing.

Until he had been given a small rack to farmer’s carry as well as the large pack strapped around him. 

“Are you trying to kill me?” Adam asked.

“From what I have seen, this will be easy for you,” Shikan replied simply. 

Adam lifted it up, and considering his great Strength Attribute, he was barely able to carry it, though he was slowed.

He followed Shikan to an estate, one he didn’t recognise. As he entered, he noted that the estate was full of Devilkin, though there were a handful of Orcs.

“An Elf?” a young teen said, staring at Adam.

“An Elf!” a child gasped, pointing at Adam. 

“Don’t you know pointing is rude?” Adam said, staring down at the Devilkin.

“No,” the young boy said, still pointing at him.

“We have come with your nightfood,” Shikan said.

A woman appeared, a Devilkin who wore a glare across her face as though it was a faux leather jacket. “Thank you,” the woman said, checking on the package. She spent much more time examining the food Adam had brought, before signing a slip in Shikan’s hand.

“It isn’t rocket science,” Adam said, frowning at the woman.

“Yes?” she replied.

“Oh right, rockets don’t exist,” he said, and very quickly the Iyrmen around understood he was an idiot.

“He is not an idiot,” Shikan said. “He is queer.”

“I’m not…” Adam rubbed his forehead. “Right, I’m queer.”

“Who is he?”

“Adam, son of Fate,” Adam said.

“Unrivalled Under The Heavens!” the boy from earlier shouted, pointing at him.

“That’s me,” Adam said. “The man who has killed two Dragons just this year.”

The woman sighed, giving Shikan a look, who only nodded in response. “You really killed two Dragons?”

Adam smiled wide, before reaching into his pockets and revealed a handful of Dragon scales, white and blue. “I said I did, so I did.”

The woman stared at the Dragon scales which Adam quickly handed out to the children. 

“You can call me Adam, slayer of Vandra, and that Blue Dragon, who I’m sure had a name.”

“A Blue Dragon?” the woman asked, looking to Shikan again.

“I heard that Jaygak’s ancestors had been driven out of their home because of it, so she managed to get revenge on behalf of them,” Adam said. 

The woman nodded. “We would love to hear the tale.”

“Thinking about it, I still owe the tale to many others too.” Adam rubbed his chin. “I’ll set up a date and time for it eventually.”

“We have work to do,” Shikan said.

Adam continued assisting Shikan, moving large amounts of food from one place to another. Soon the thunderstorm began, making it more difficult for them, though Shikan did not say anything to stop them from working. He had assumed Adam would have spoken up when he was at his limits, and Adam was too shy to speak up.

“Do you Iyrmen do it the hard way on purpose?” Adam asked, feeling the ache in his entire body as they rested after Shikan had noticed Adam had slowed down.

“This is not the hard way,” Shikan said. “It is the easiest way without carts.”

“You guys need rickshaws or something,” Adam grumbled, rubbing his back. ‘Is this what it feels like to be old? Damn Iyrmen!’

“Rickshaws? Are those like the rockets you mentioned?”

“No,” Adam said. “A rocket is like… a Fireball spell? Yeah, that sounds about right. A rickshaw is something which makes it easier for a person to carry something. It’s like a cart with really big wheels on the side, and someone, even someone fairly weak, can move heavy things easily with it.”

“Do you know how to make it?”

“I know the gist of it,” Adam said. “I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out with ease once I sketch it out.”

Shikan led Adam to Elder Zijin. “Adam has something which he wishes to show.”

Elder Zijin nodded, allowing Adam to explain the basic concept of a rickshaw, as well as a sketch of it, which he doodled onto a large sheet of paper.

“You say it is easier to carry things using it?” Zijin asked. 

“Yeah. Easier than the pack and stuff.”

Elder Zijin stared at it. It would take up a large amount of space to house a hundred of them, but if it meant that they could easily move around heavy items using the rickshaw, then the young Iyrmen could assist too. 

“Plus, it’s pretty fun to sit in one and be guided around in it,” Adam said. 

“Did you make this so you could guide Lanarot around in one?” Zijin asked, sighing. ‘He loves his sister too much.’

Adam blinked at Elder Zijin. “I didn’t think of that, but that’s a good idea,” Adam said, nodding his head. “You really are wise, Elder Zijin.”

The Orcish Iyrmen couldn’t help but feel that he was being teased.

Eventually Adam was allowed to fall back onto the pile of blankets, only in a pair of shorts as he stretched out his back. “Everything hurts.”

“That is why I was going to tell you to rest up today,” Sonarot said.

“I thought you were going to tell me off for joking.”

“Why would I do that?”

Adam glanced her way. “Good point.”

“This pain is a good kind of pain,” Sonarot said. “It will remind you of your limits.”

“Pain is bad,” Adam said. “The only thing good about it is to tell you to stop doing something.

Lanarot crawled over on top of Adam, laying down on top of him. She babbled at him and squealed, before slapping his chest repeatedly, having a whale of a time. 

“You can hurt me though,” Adam said, reaching down to hold her hands. “Did you miss me? Sorry, but your big brother needs to work too. We’ll play lots when I have a day off, okay?”

Lanarot squealed and continued to slap his chest all over. 

“Speaking of which, I need to also figure out when to tell my story to the children.”

“Tell it tomorrow,” Sonarot said. “You will be in great pain, so it is best to take it easy.”

“Good idea,” Adam said, trying to sit up, only to fall back down when his back spasmed. “If I can even move.”

Lanarot stared down at him, seeing his face contort in pain, before she smiled and laughed, slapping his chest all over again.

“Lanarot, stop bullying me.”

She laughed and giggled.

Omen: 13, 16

“If I wasn’t half dying, I’d have been able to enchant today.” He felt Sonarot’s glare against his back. 

He didn’t train that morning, instead he sat down and watched the children play, acting as their referee.

“Come play,” Katool said. 

“I can’t,” Adam said. “I’m hurt.”

“You are hurt?” she said, looking up at him.

“Yes.”

She pat his knee. “Get better, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” she said, returning back to playing. 

This was repeated several times from each child throughout their play. 

‘Kids, stop patting my knee, it hurts,’ Adam thought, though he didn’t vocalise it.

Eventually, word was sent out and the children of the various estates Adam had promised to tell the tale to had arrived.

“Are you okay?” the boy from the day before asked.

“I’m hurt,” Adam said.

“Was it the Dragons?”

“No,” Adam said. “Something worse.”

“Something worse than Dragons?”

“Yes,” the Half Elf said. 

“What was it?”

“Hard work.”

The boy nodded, understanding the pain of hard work, like washing dishes when he didn’t want to.

Performance Check
D20 + 3 = 17 (14)

Lokat had swung by the estate, under the guise of wanting to check Lanarot’s health, but mostly she had been curious as she heard the tale. She noted all the children who had been brought, some from far corners of the Iyr.

‘It seems it wasn’t a ploy,’ she thought, hearing the tale which had partly engrossed her. ‘Or perhaps he had anticipated my thoughts?’

Watching him struggle to stand quickly dissipated those thoughts.

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Hard work out here killing Adam before Dragons.