It had been just over two weeks since their Guild assessments, and things had, as predicted, been busy.

Temra was managing their schedules so tightly at times, it was a surprise that they had time to breathe at all.

It was only thanks to the time dilation within the domain that they actually managed to get some real rest by adding a day off here and there to relax with the others as they took full advantage of being friends of theirs.

The crux of every day was a dungeon run, with everything else scheduled around when their dungeon time slot.

Unfortunately, the dungeons they had access to were so simplistic that they were ridiculously easy and surprisingly boring to complete. Sadly, with the influx of new adventurers soaking up all the low level Guild requests, there wasn't much more they could do than running these low-level dungeons again and again were one of the most effective ways to break out of the tin level restrictions.

If they weren't inside a dungeon, they were off to one of the many academies or training schools around the city.

Their lesson slates at this point still mostly involved sampling what was on offer in the city without making any real commitment to sign up for any longer courses on a particular subject or a particular school.

They had also met with and were now working through those The Sage had arranged meetings with. The candidates, for lack of a better word, were all young prodigies around Alicia's age and level, sent to Cibiale in the hopes that they would fit in her party.

When they managed to meet with many of them who had made long journeys and spent weeks waiting to meet with Alicia and her chosen team mates Kai and Syl, It was obvious too many of them that things weren't going to work from the moment they met.

Sometimes it was that their unique, eclectic, and sometimes downright exemplary skill sets just did not fit with Kai and the others.

A good example was the goblin girl, who would have been an excellent addition to their team, if not for their group already, unofficially, onboarding Ester as their dedicated defender.

Kai liked the angry little pink girl and she could have easily filled the role of their defender as she enraged enemies with her beautifully descriptive taunts to then keep them at bay using her magical heavy armour skill that allowed her to add pieces of her slain foe's right onto her person to make anything she fought so enraged they even ignored Kai and his challenge stone.

The only issue was that Kardain was keeping Ester busy, and she had yet to join them on any dungeon runs.

What it was that was keeping them busy, the two of them wouldn't say.

More often than not, Ester would be off doing a long solo run through a dungeon Kardy had arranged for her.

From which she would return looking more than worn out and proactively dismissing anyone's concerns as she disappeared to either her workshop to improve her gear in one way or another or to find Saoirse to blow off steam.

So far, even with their unofficial fourth party member unable to join them on their dungeon runs, everything had been amicable with those they went through the extra steps of going into a dungeon run with so they could at least try things out.

Upon exiting the dungeon, everyone would thank each other for the opportunity and move on knowing they had the talent and ability to make it almost anywhere else.

Often that was with friends they had already made in the city, other parties, or even guilds that had shown interest in their skills.

With it sometimes being obvious that they were actually eager to move on and had just been fulfilling an obligation to meet with Alicia and her team on behalf of whoever it was that The Sage had reached out to.

Sadly, that could not be said for everyone.

"Some how, I don't think this is going out," Kai said as he kicked the dungeon dirt in front of him.

"Why? I thought you want another guy in the party?" Syl asked him.

She was there at his side with Alicia, all of them looking down on the same series of small craters left behind by their current candidate.

"I do. But not this guy."

"Worried we might want to take him on as concubine of our own?" Alicia said, using the serious tone she used when dealing with political matters.

"Don't even joke. I know he gives the both of you the creeps, I can literally feel it through the bond."

"Yes. He has become so eager to prove he is better than you, that he has forgotten that he is in a dungeon, acting as a part of a team. And its been what, only three dungeon runs?" Syl complained.

"Yeah, the first dungeon wasn't so bad, he kind of tried be part of the team. Opening locked doors, clearing traps, luring mobs for us to kill. When he opened up that secrete passage by imploding a wall. But now that he is comfortable…" Kai trailed off so he wouldn't be interrupted and have to repeat himself.

There was an explosion.

"It wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't actually so good at what he does. He is clearly capable of precision and can do the things we thought would help out the team as a whole. But this is too much…"

Another explosion.

"To be fair, we are way too experienced for this low-tin level dungeon, and he's picked up on that. Only the elite beasts go over level five and they are so predictable once they get a whiff of Kai's challenge stone they are child's play to take care off. Perhaps he thinks he is doing us a favour, clearing things out quickly?" Alicia proposed diplomatically.

"I stored that when I realised he had stopped letting any come our way." Kai let out a long breath. "Maybe he's just blowing off steam. Should we talk to him?" he said as he too tried to see another perspective.

"Come on Kai! Have you given up already. At this rate I'm going to clear this dungeon all by myself. Are you only good for standing around looking pretty?" Lycaster called from down below, his tone jovial despite the clear mockery.

"Yeah he's out," Kai growled.

"You missed a few!" Syl called back, pointing over the guy's shoulder.

Lycaster, who was their age, human, had impeccably manicured spiky brown hair and sported bold red robes, stood out in the field below.

He was a beacon to all in his bright red, unblemished gear, so much so that Kai had thought about explaining the concept of camouflage to the guy several times over the last three days, but he hadn't found the time to approach the subject.

Today the guy had taken advantage of the clustered nature of this dungeon's monsters, a large angry badger that came out of the ground in periodic waves of four or five in tight groups.

His speciality of impeccably controlled implosions and explosions allowed him to clear the threat before it got to any of them.

Another explosion announced that Lycaster had cleared the group of five badgers the size of ponies that Syl had pointed out like it was nothing as a cloud of red mist and viscera was blasted into the air.

Once again, Kai wondered how Lycaster kept clean as there was usually nothing left following one of those explosions.

Nothing that they could trade in to the guild, merchant or crafter in the city. Kai even doubted any of the kitchens in the city would be interested in the meat despite it being on the list Temra had given them as something worth collecting.

"The question now is who is going to break it to him, I know I don't want to," Alicia said. "What was it called, rock, paper, sheers?"

"He won't be happy, he might explode," Syl grinned, and touched her nose, holding her finger there as she said, "not it."

Alicia, seeing the gesture, mimicked it immediately before Kai even realised what was happening.

"Not funny," Kai chided despite finding it actually quite humorous. "Theres another random wave. Give him a fives seconds to do his chant aaaand-"

There was an explosion.

"If I'm not mistaken, That's a quick chant for a spell like that."

"Yeah, he has condensed it considerably, most people would take a minute or two. That he maintains his precision and flexibility is the interesting part. He might be close to mentally internalising the spell, at wich point its not far until he should be able to cast the spell at the speed of thought… impressive for someone who's only level fourteen," Syl said laying it all out for Kai.

"Frightening when you consider his speciality," Alicia said, shifting her feet as she thought about the implications of someone who could cause explosions on a whim.

"You know, he asked me if I wanted a one on one debrief after that first run. I Told him it was better for the whole team to debrief together. He looked creepily optimistic until he realised that yes, that meant Kai too," Syl said with a click of her tongue.

"He asked me the same thing, both before and after each run. I think I should have been clearer." Alicia raised a hand. "I must admit, I thought he was actually wanting to debrief… He said he wanted to know how he could fit with the team better. In retrospect, I should have said something. He seemed so genuine."

"Why did we even take him on another dungeon run?" Kai asked flabbergasted that they hadn't told him he was hitting on them.

"As Alicia said, he seemed genuine when we first met. Eager to be part of the team. Its only later that things began to slip."

"And I'm the one with the clueless trait?" Kai said, rolling his eyes.

"We're not immune to charm and charisma. Especially when it's so well practised. You cant tell us that you didn't like Lycaster when you first met him."

They both looked at him as he thought about when they had first met.

"He was funny?" Kai said defensively as he had to admit that the guy had a certain charismatic charm, " Though I submit to the court that even then there was something off. I- I thought it might be jealousy, so I ignored it. Thought it would either go away or get worse once we got into a dungeon."

"He made you jealous and you ignored it?"

"Yeah, he had the two of you laughing and smiling… had a pit in my stomach and thought I was being irrational. That and the dungeon run was booked, thought things might change once we fought together. You know, how we opened up each other in a dungeon?"

"I think that was different," Alicia said thoughtfully.

Syl grinned, "Did it not occur any of us that we were all just giving him a chance, that we all had a bad feeling, and we were waiting to see if it would go away."

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"How did this happen? That bond you put together must be faulty," Alicia said as she shook her head at Kai.

"I think it's happened because we've fallen into a routine?" Syl asked thoughtfully.

"That and Lycaster had gone ahead and already paid the dungeon fee as a show of sincerity so we couldn't take him off this run. Besides, Temra was having trouble contacting the last in the lineup so there was no rush. What was the harm in another run," Alicia added.

"There is only one more in the lineup? I thought there was another guy that we were waiting on getting back to us?" Kai asked, the realisation that he was probably going to end up on a team full of women leaving him a little disappointed.

Not that would be a bad thing, he admonished himself.

"He found a team. Wich means If this last one doesn't work out we're going to have to open ourselves up to the vultures."

"Have you seen the number of letters Temra gets each day?" Alicia said as she blew out a breath.

Kai nodded. There was a new batch of invitations delivered each day, so many that the innkeeper had added a mail handling fee to their rent.

"Its insane. They're not just trying to join our team; they're trying to poach us from the team. Just as many letters are directly addressed to us as there are addressed to Temra, as if she doesn't vet them all anyway," Alicia said, shaking her head in disgust.

"As if they don't know were married. Still some of the offers in the letters addressed to Kai make for good reading. He already has stalkers that we need to be vigilant for when we are out and about in the city," Syl said as she gave Alicia a firm look.

Kai had heard about those letters already.

It just felt wrong to him. A year ago, he would have said you were insane if you had said that he of all people had a stalker. Now he had to be careful, so much so that he had a constant minder when he was anywhere in the city.

"Apparently, Harriet, the Panther of Karta, has done some rounds at the major guilds. So they are at least holding back. Temra says they would have held back anyway, waited to see if we were in fact worth the investment before deciding on the best way to approach us," Syl continued.

"IT hasn't stopped the smaller guilds from trying to snatch us up while we are fresh and foolish tin level adventurers," Kai said as he remembered Temra laughing her ass off at more than one letter.

Explosion.

"Oh, Lycaster is looking this way!" Alica said suddenly.

"Do you think he has noticed we are waiting for him to start the boss fight?" Syl asked them both as Lycaster started heading their way.

"Not that we need him," Kai said.

"It's technically etiquette, unless previously discussed otherwise, not that Lycaster has displayed much etiquette today," Alicia quietly explained while Lycaster climbed out of his own crater.

"I've cleared out the area; the boss should spawn any moment," Lycaster declared when he got to within a few feet of them.

"The boss? It spawned when we cleared the three nests," Kai not missing a beat.

"Nests?" Lycaster asked, his face falling in confusion.

"Yeah, there was a sow in each of them, the boar is over the hill behind us. You have been killing the cubs."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"We did, all three of us. You were pretty focused. That and it was in the dungeon guide we gave you yesterday."

"Ahh. Real spell constructs take time and concentration. Shall we? I've prepared something that should take care of the beast in short notice." Lycaster said with an assertive nod as he was already moving past the three of them in the direction they had indicated the boss was waiting.

…

They looked at the messy corpse. It was worse than that time Kai blew the head off a rune bear.

"Is anything salvageable?" Kai asked.

"This is small fry, no point in wasting our time," Lycaster replied resolutely.

"Ester could have used the materials-"

"Yes Ester, this elusive fifth party member. Where is she? If she wanted materials, she should be hear to dismantle and retrieve them herself. Are we even sure we want a crafter in the team. I understand the benefits, but we should think about the drawbacks too. I have a friend I think would fit, a few friends actual."

"That's not how we do things. And if you must know she is busy working with a friend."

"What could be more important than this?" Lycaster said smoothly, his smile surprisingly annoying.

"To be honest Lycaster I don't know, but their friends and we trust them. That's good enough for us," Kai said.

He was doing his best not to snap back.

"Let's get going, I've checked the list and there is nothing in this dungeon I care to spend the time harvesting right now," Syl said, her eye twitching as she bore holes into the back of Lycaster's skull.

"Honestly, why would we waste time harvesting this low level dungeon. With my connections I'll have us farming much better dungeons for gear and treasure in no time," Lycaster said as he looked to Syl and Alicia reassuringly.

'Because, we have the means to strip mine the resource's and provide low level materials to the low level crafters and adventures at reasonable yet while sending everything else back to the Dawn empire to enrich its economy you pillock!' Alicia cried through the party system so that Lycaster couldn't hear her.

'Temper temper,' Syl admonished.

With the boss dead and nothing to recover, they left the dungeon and got in the line to be cleared to leave by the guild guard.

At their rank, they needed to report the dungeon run for it to count against their tin level tally.

'I would like to do something challenging, spend some time grinding that dungeon that has endless spawns and see if it is any good for essence farming to repair Syl's core but now, we can only enter a maximum of one dungeon a day and everything is checked on the way in and the way out,' Kai complained.

'The guilds just making sure new adventurers don't go into dungeons unprepared or wear themselves too thin, and die because of it,' Syl said.

'If they knew what we went through, what the trials dungeon run entailed, we wouldn't have these restrictions.'

'No, I think we would-'

"I cleared the area and killed the boss," Lycaster reported loudly to the guard.

"Loot?" the guard asked.

"This is a low level beast dungeon; there was nothing worth our time.

The guard raised an eye at that before she shook her head and said, "Fair enough, its your dungeon fee. It's not like there are commissions for materials from this dungeon in the guild crafting hall, completing them adds to you tin tally. Means you don't have to run as many lower level dungeons to advance."

Lycaster stiffened at that.

"The run has been registered and counted against your tally. Would you like to book another run there are spaces in two days?" the guard asked.

"I think not… I have my eye on better dungeons that should prove worth my party's time," Lycaster said as he turned and walked off without them.

He got to within a few feet away from the guard before he turned back to look at the three of them, his eyes lingering for just a moment on both Syl and Alicia before he raised his head and beckoned them to follow.

"I think I've more than proven myself. We should get together somewhere private and talk about what else I can do with the team, how we should reorganise," he said, then looked at Kai. "Maybe discuss what we should do about the dragon in the room. Without it present?"

'Wait, I like how that translated, but did he just call me an elephant?' Kai asked through the party system.

"No, Lycaster, I think this is where we part ways," Syl said

"That's fine, I have plenty to do this afternoon. Well have time to discuss it later I'll set up some more runs and contact that little manager of yours, Lycaster said with a not as he turned to leave. The man not quite hearing what Syl said.

"She meant for good, it's just not working. Yo-r skills are impressive, and I am sure you would fit well with lots of people, but I don't think we fit," Kai said, restraining himself.

Kai was making an attempt to be polite, but there had been a total shift in Lycaster's demeanour and he really just wanted to punch him in the face.

Lycaster turned to Syl, then to Alicia, his shock clear. "Are you kidding me, your removing me from the party. After today? Did you not see how I single handedly cleared that dungeon?"

"And that's the problem. You did everything yourself today! You weren't acting as if you were in a party, you never communicated with us once the moment we entered the dungeon. We told you on the first day this was a trial, no expectations," Syl said, making it clear she wasn't impressed.

"It was a low level dungeon. The last two days Kai has done nothing but rely on his bag of tricks like some shitty magician. I was just trying to make a point," Lycaster pleaded.

Kai shook his head. "We've decided."

Lycaster ignored Kai and stepped towards Syl and Alicia.

Kai was tempted to step in his way, but he thought that might escalate things, that and he knew they could both handle him. The feelings bleeding through the bond made it clear they were ready for him if he overstepped.

"But why me?" Lycaster continued, addressing Syl and Alicia directly, ignoring Kai like he was inconsequential. "Why not him? Kai is useless, he relies on nothing but artefacts, no real skill, he's a charlatan. There'll come a point when his bag of tricks run dry and he becomes dead weight, or worse gets you both killed."

They just looked at each other, past jokes set aside; none of them had quite expected this. While the guy wasn't literally exploding, the outburst was certainly close to him figuratively exploding.

The thing was, Lycaster didn't have a clue what he was talking about.

They had deliberately kept to the level and range of skills they had shown in their assessments, not quite certain they wanted to show everything they had until they were certain it was safe to do with the newcomer, that they were right for the party.

Even going one step further in holding back to get an idea of how things might work out in a more difficult dungeon as each of them knew they could solo the runs they had been limited to without even breaking a sweat.

Unfortunately, for some reason Lycaster had not realised they were doing any of this and had latched onto the assumption that it was just Kai who was less than capable.

"I'm onto you," Lycaster snapped as he reached forward and yanked one of Kai's focuses free from his belt.

Kai had seen Lycaster move to take it but done nothing to stop him. There was no point. His focuses were functionally mute, their only value sentimental, that and the materials used to make them.

Lycaster had made another assumption and fallen for their intended purpose, which was to fool people into thinking they were the source of Kai's spectral blades, just as Inego had predicted.

"Without things like this to make this pretty blue sword your nothing," Lycaster said scornfully as he waved the focus around in front of them.

"Give it back," Kai said firmly as he held out a hand.

Sly and Alicia, while not amused, realised what was about to happen, and chose to let Kai handle things.

"How do you activate this thing? Cant be soulbound, you would store them, that and I just took it." Lycaster spat as he couldn't get it to do anything.

Frustrated, Lycaster eyed the other three focuses. "That's it! They're a set, give me that and ill show you."

He lunged forward again, but Kai had had enough this time.

Kai took Lycaster's wrist and pulled, moving to pivot and roll the idiot up and over his shoulder to then drop him to the ground with a satisfying thud.

His followup flipped him onto his belly and pinned his arm behind his back.

The speed of the manoeuvre seemed to have Lycaster stunned, and Kai pressed down to keep him in place.

"Keep your hands to yourself, now give it back," Kai asked as he firmed his willpower.

Lycaster had just started to try to break free, but hearing Kai he stilled for a moment, then he started to really struggle, a callout.

"Help! Help, I'm being assaulted!"

Kai shifted Lycaster's arm, applying a little more pressure to keep him still. "Give it back!" he commanded, his will hardening as this time he channelled mana into the words.

Lycaster froze this time, his free arm that gripped Kai's focus lifting slightly.

"Not here Kai," Syl said suddenly.

Realising what he had done, Kai pulled his mana back, and Lycaster started to struggle once more.

"This isn't right, the guild will here of this, my master will hear of this, do you have any idea who you're dealing with you country fool, you nobody!"

Kai reached to take his focus back, but Lycaster pulled his free hand away as he tried to keep it away from Kai and move it to the pouch on his waist, his spatial storage pouch.

This fucker's trying to steal it, Kai thought as he lifted the arm beyond what the human shoulder could handle.

Pop!

Lycaster screamed as Kai released the dislocated arm and grabbed the other to force the fingers open and retrieve his focus.

It took a moment as even screaming from his shoulder being dislocated Lycaster still refused to let go, and Kai didn't want to go to the point of braking the idiot's fingers.

His property retrieved, Kai got up and stepped away.

Lycaster rolled over and cradled his arm as he sat up screaming, "Guards!"

"Oh shut up, I saw everything," the guard that they had just reported to said from her position, she hadn't moved one step to come intervene.

Lycaster's head whipped round and he spat, "Arrest him!"

"No. You should have given his property back when he requested it. I've already registered the incident, best be on you way and see to that shoulder," the guard said, sounding utterly disinterested.

"This is outrageous, he attacked me!"

"You took his property, he requested it back, you proceeded to make another attempt to take more of his property. You were subdued with reasonable force yet still resisted and even if I am not mistaken, attempted to store the item you took from him. If my assessment of events is inaccurate you may lodge a formal complaint with the guild. Otherwise I suggest you examine your behaviour. The guild does not tolerate petty disputes from any of its members as it is, expect your tin tally to be docked and your probation extended at a minimum."

Lycaster just looked at the guard, blinking as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"Now if you don't mind, I have work to do, someone has to go into that dungeon every ten minuets or it fucks up the access times. Be a doll and leave while you still can. I would rather not have wait for someone to come and escort you to a guild holding cell while your application is re examined."

Lycaster got up, his arm cradled as his eyes darted about at the growing crowd.

Deciding he had lost, he spat at Kai's feet and turned. "I wont forget this!"

When his gaudy red robes were out of sight, Kai relaxed.

They made a point of waiting for a chance to thank the guard when she wasn't checking the gear of someone about to go into the dungeon or registering the outcome of someone who had just made their way out.

"Just doing my job, it happens more than you think." She eyed Kai, then said, "Two men on one team rarely works out well... This will also show on your records though, so don't think I was picking sides." She smiled and tapped her helmet. "He'll have trouble if he does complain. Recorded the whole thing. The Guild will contact you if they need a statement."

"I cant believe we wasted three days on that," Alicia scoffed as they made their way back into the city.

"I blame Kai for wanting another guy friend."

"You're the ones who thought we should give him a chance." Kai said, twisting the truth.

"We all thought that, besides Its not our fault you're terrified the new team members going to want to fuck you."

Kai didn't dignify that with an answer.

"I'm just surprised there is an equivalent to that saying about there being an elephant in the room. I thought if anything, I would find the saying to be a bit more abstract," he said, hoping to change the subject.

"I think it was, but that's how the omniglot skill translated it for us."

"What's an ele-phant?" Alica asked. "Explain what you think he said and I can cross reference it with what I heard."

"Imagine a hairless Orruk with a trunk and big flappy ears…"

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