"I just meant to grab him by the wrist and stop him there, but then I realised I had his momentum and I reacted." Kai said as he picked his cup up.

"Did you forget you wasted a skill book on some unknown martial arts," Syl said as she looked over the brim of her own cup at him.

"I wouldn't say wasted," Alicia said with a smile. "I think that thing he does, you know when one moment your on your front and the next he has you flipped over to give you that look just before he takes your breath away…Its thanks to that skill book."

Kai spurter'd, his drink splattering across the table

The spill was quickly absorbed by an enchantment that kept the table clean.

They were at a cafe, sitting at an outside table enjoying the good weather as they waited to meet the last of the candidates that The Sage had arranged for them to meet in the hopes of filling out their party.

It was one of the last places Kai expected Alicia, of all people, to talk about their sex life, even if there was privacy magic in place.

Syl grinned at Kai deviously. "You know Alicia, you might be right."

"You know, he's been doing something similar with Aoife. She'll come in to make a good strike, then he grabs her arm, flips her over and pins her to the ground. She goes all doe eyed every time. We're lucky I am there to supervise or he might forget its just training."

"Yeah, with how easily he handled that idiot Lycaster, it does make me think he might be getting a bit too much practice with Aoife. How long was that last session with her?"

"About eight hours straight but he broke his arm again and we lost an hour taking notes on his regeneration. Why? Do you think he's deliberately using grapples and pins with Aoife? Stealing little moment?" Her eyes went wide in mock horror as she covered a gasp with her hand. "Should we put a stop to his wanton ways."

"Not intentionally," Syl said, shaking her head. "He's already seeing results so sacrifices must be made."

Alicia dropped her faux horror as quickly as she had put it on and said, "To be honest, I can't blame him. You've seen what she wears. Syl, I love you, but sports bras and scrunch butt shorts. What were you thinking, her ass looks amazing?"

"What? They're comfortable and you don't get as sweaty in it as you do the stuff that they were wearing to our group runs around the lake. You've got to remember they don't have the benefit of our raiment. There was so much chafing going on in their camp, something needed to be done. That and I'm working with Ester to make a gym equipment, I want it to actually work not just magically work. With the way things are going I was going to introduce gym wear at some point, why not now?"

Following the events of the Guild assessment, Kai had decided that yes, he would actually ask Aoife if she could try to teach him how she uses mana to enhance her body.

After having an hour to think about it and talk to her group, she returned to say she would do her best to teach him, and their sessions together had begun that same day.

At first, they had both approached the subject by Aoife trying to manipulate her body and her mana so that Kai could inspect the changes using his mana senses.

Only that didn't quite work out. Most of what Aoife did was instinctual, and she needed to be moving to make things work right. This eventually led to them instead practicing by doing what could only be called light sparing with each other. Aoife burning with an inner light, which he had to try to mimic what he was seeing. While Aoife used her frighteningly adaptive frighting style to force Kai to mix things up to just counter her.

This meant that yes, when Aoife got in past his defences he often had to dismiss his spectral blades to hit back with hand, fist and sometimes the odd grapple or throw just to avoid the little woman putting him down with her dangerous speed, strength and flexibility.

Alicia, for her part, was there at each of their sessions as she worked with Aoife, using the support magic she had learned from her father to try to expand the scope and range of Aoife's natural abilities and traits.

Alicia, Syl and anyone else who came along to see how things were going and stayed for the show, amusingly, had the habit of rooting for Aoife despite Kai being the one that was most often left stinging all over from their bouts.

Aoife, for her part, took a keen interest in Alicia's support magic. Especially the focus spell that put a person in a state of flow After Kai absently mentioned he was interested in it but was having trouble trying to trigger, what he liked to call, the zone.Every attempt he made to coppy the feel and flow of mana when it was used on him was met with debilitating headaches.

The two women even decided to spend some extra time working together when either Kardain or Talious came over to steal him away for their time training Kai.

Kai enjoyed the sessions, and he felt he was learning a lot from Aoife.

Sure, they had only had a couple of sessions together so far. But seeing how she constantly circulated her mana throughout her body when she sparred with him, despite not using it for an actual spell or ability, he realised there was a lot more to mana than just letting it travel through his channels than controlling it when he had it out in the open.

So despite his spouse's teasing him for putting Aoife on her back a few times, he was already seeing results.

Sure, those results were inconsistent. His attempts at circulating mana through his channels and out into his body ranging from minor things like a subtle burst of speed here and there, to dangerously uncontrollable. Such as the time he empowered his muscles so much he broke the bones in his arms.

This happened not once, not twice, but three separate times. That and the occasion where he broke both legs at the same time trying to do an empowered leap away from Aoife's onslaught.

That was when they decided it might be worth also exploring how Kai's regeneration worked.

His regeneration was different after his runic ring had been absorbed by his dragon scales. The new regeneration was no longer an item acting on him but a part of him coming to life to repair his body.

Alicia and Aoife both coming to the same conclusion, there was something that might be replicable as he lay on the ground reassuring them he was fine as he waited for his legs to recover under a dull blue glow.

"Niamh's a bit annoyed she has noting to teach him, Talious has the magic side of things covered. I'm thinking of offering her a melee for dummies so she can pick up a backup weapon type. That way she will have a reason to let Kai pin her, that and a fall back should her magic ever fails her. That or I could share with her my quarterstaff knowledge and learn another melee weapon myself. The problem is what I learned for quarter staffs may not suit her," Syl said thoughtfully.

"That would just mean the knowledge she receives is the same as any other skill book that she would have to adapt, so no harm there. What weapon were you thinking for yourself?"

"It's a cultural weapon from back home, escrima sticks I think it was. Short to mid range, you know how those quarter staffs Ester made for me compact down? It's basically them wielded in each hand. I'm thinking I could use a book and have the two fighting styles. The sticks for up close and the staff for longer ranges or when I want a bit more oomph to my magic. All rolled into one tight package I don't have to reach into storage to swap out… though that might be faster than extending them or collapsing them down… it was a nice touch ester added. Kai would call it rule of cool."

"You feel hesitant."

Syl sighed, "I am already pretty practiced with most weapons, but the book should push me towards a style that suits me. I just don't want to waste the books anymore then we have too, especially if the style that "suits me," doesn't change much," Syl said with air quotes.

"Oh, this is because of Kai learning all those weapon types but only really using swords now isn't it?"

"I'm sure he'll find it useful to counter an opponent that happens to use those weapons, insights a powerful thing. Besides, its not his fault, his plan would have worked out. We just didn't know someone was going to throw space wizards with magical swords in his face."

"It's a good idea, I have my sword and bow for a reason. Give Niamh the option to learn quarter staff as melee weapon and pickup those sticks for yourself. The quarter staff will be perfect for her for the very same reasons you chose it. Better yet the two of you can practice together. That or have some fun tripping up Kai when you need to blow of steam. Are we still planning on letting them use the party system book if it still has uses after we fill out our team?"

"I have already shared it... the other way."

"You shared a system action?" Kai asked, rejoining the conversation.

"It was taxing…, but it worked. I even managed to share the advanced levelling one with each of them. I don't think Atheos actually knew about that ability of mine to share these things when she gave us the books. That or she was playing dumb."

"So we have two insanely powerful advanced system actions that we don't actually need to use anymore, typical."

"I'm sure there will be times when we will want to give others those system actions without revealing my ability."

"That or we could sell them, they'll be worth a fortune!" Alicia said with a glint in her golden eyes.

"We don't need the money."

"Personal funds," Alicia pouted.

There was a long silence as both Syl and Kai gave Alicia a disapproving look.

"Oh, my father called last night. Things back home are progressing well. Though he was more interested in discussing his research into what Kai left for him to study. Says he is on the verge of a break though. But I've heard that a lot. If I didn't know my mom was still there keeping him on track I would wonder how anything got done."

"Did you ask his opinion on our family name?" Syl asked.

"He loves it, it's in English so he gets the reference. That and he loves how exotic it sounds in to the average Alean. We spent an hour trying to figure out the best way to write it down. It's almost there, once we figure that out we can register it with the guild. It will become official back in Dawn when we return and take the… mantle back."

"And your middle name?"

"He loved that I wanted to take back his last name and use it..."

"But?" Kai asked, seeing Alicia hesitate.

"He thinks I should abandon the name. He thinks that too many people will see me as the head of the family… "

"That's not so bad. But its not what you want is it."

"Or assume he is the real power in the empire," Alicia sighed. "I want to recognise him, but it's the same as if I were to take my mother's name. Too many people would see the connection and assume I'm a puppet. That we are puppets."

"Politics is tiresome," Syl said as she put a sympathetic hand on Alicia's own.

Alicia took it and squeezed it in thanks.

"El'Dawnray," Kai said, testing the name again. "And you're certain it sounds okay to Aleans. I asked the others but they all have the omniglot skill now so its hard to tell."

"It's fine Kai. We just need to settle on a team name or risk the guild labelling us. Talking to Niamh and Aoife its clear they're not happy being saddled with team Korabain," Alicia said.

"Yeah, we need to think of something ourselves before Kai does something stupid and it catches on."

"Excuse m-me, are you Sylph, Alicia and Kai?" A young beastkin girl asked as she slowly approached the table.

"Yes we are. You must be the one we have been waiting for, Miracle Child?"

"Yes, M-Mountain always called me M-Mi-Mira M-Miracle Child," the girl stuttered nervously.

"That's such a beautiful name," Alicia said, smiling at the girl.

"I do too, but I have been telling people it's M-mm Mira, m-much faster. And people look at me strange when I tell them my name is M-m-irical"

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"I like Miracle… and Mira both, which do you prefer?"

"Mira's fine."

Kai was taken aback.

This nervous little beast girl was who they were waiting for? She looked no older than thirteen!

She had a dull grey bandage criss-crossing her face to cover her both her eyes. The way it had been tied clearly intended to leave her large feline ears open so they could flick about nervously.

Her clothes were rough and worn. The kind of worn that could only come with long years of use. And for some reason, it looked like the girl and her clothes both had not had access to a cleansing stone for a while now.

The girl's hair was so long that flowed down her back to stop just past her waist, but it was unkempt and frizzy. The deep purple shade, so dark it was almost black, looked dull in the sunlight.

They had just met, and Kai already felt a knot of sympathy in his chest.

"Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" Syl prompted.

"I have no Mm-money," Mira said, lowering her head.

"It's on us," Kai said.

Mira licked her lips, her head shifting around as if she was looking at them, her ears flicked this way and that as she clutched a leather satchel to her chest like her life depended on.

Suddenly she tilted her head, nodded as if setting her mind.

She took the only empty seat at the round table, careful not to sit on her long, dark, leopard like tail, and scooted it into place.

As she took her seat, Kai shot off a careful examination, trying to get a little more detail.

… Lv. 16 Leonid, beastkin, Age: 19

Miracle Child, Ward of the Mountain.

Kai had to resist doing a double take or using another examine despite his personal system still holding the information for later reference as three little dots appeared above her head where usually someone's name showed after an examination.

She actually had no name, Miracle Child instead being listed as a title along with ward of the mountain. Whatever that meant.

That and the girl was just so young looking when in reality she was actually nineteen years old. The disjointed reality form expectation once again, reminding Kai that mana really did slow down people's ageing.

The other surprising thing was that she was higher level than all of them. At just nineteen years old! Kai had seen no one here age with a level over five, and he had to wonder what that meant for her childhood. When did she start levelling up? Did she do it or alone or with help? And many other questions coming to his mind?

"If I'm not mistaken, you've met with Temra, our manager?" Syl asked her.

Seeing Syl push the conversation forward, Kai decided now wasn't the time to pressure Mira with his questions.

"Yes…" was all Mira said as she peered at the drinks menu that Alicia had handed her for a long moment

It was one of those fancy menus with elaborate font, no pictures and especially no prices. The kind of menu that frustrated Kai before he realised he was poor no more.

Mira lifted a hand to touch the bandages on her face. "I can't read."

"Oh, I should have thought, you can tell me what you normally like or we can read it to you?" Syl offered.

"Spring water is f-fine."

Syl took the menu from her and tapped the item on the menu to magically order the drink for her.

"Temra said you were quite gifted in golemancy," Alicia said as she leaned forward from the opposite side of the table.

Mira's head shifted nervously as if she were looking at the other tables for an appropriate answer or a means of escape.

"Its ok, the tables at this place are warded against eavesdropping and lipreading. We come here often because of it. It's a good spot to make ourselves seen but keep some privacy, and its why we chose it for meeting with you," Alicia said, her tone deliberate and reassuring.

Mira nodded. "I have… Go-lemms," she said, sounding like she was struggling with an unfamiliar word.

"You used two of them in the guild assessment. They showed some quite complicated, independent behaviour all things considered," Syl said, then turned to Kai. "Golemancy is typically a higher level magic school. The instruction sets implanted in golems can be ridiculously complex. Though some argue one simple instruction is the most effective use of them. So long as you are careful not to make a golem that replicates itself to complete that instruction. Something called a doll maker."

"I know, it was brought up in that class you all made me take on the different schools of magic," Kai replied dryly.

The class had been interesting, but it was clearly intended for young aspiring mages. He was the one and only guy there. The young teenage girls paid an uncomfortable amount of attention to him, which made Kai glad it was a single class. And no, he would not be doing the homework he was assigned. He was not taking regular classes and did not need the merits.

That, and he didn't want to give any of the girls and their proposals any hope.

"We have a dungeon run booked tomorrow and we were hoping you would come with us, are you free?" Syl asked.

Mira looked confused, her brow scrunching up under her bandages as she slowly started to shake her head. "I'm s-so sorry, I can't."

"Is there a reason?"

"I'm going back to m-Mountain,"

"Oh, temra didn't mention that."

"I have n-no choice, my gear, my armour, my b-badge... It was all stolen. The innkeeper k-kicked me out… s-aid I was too loud at night and my booking had run out…" Mira said, her jaw tightening visibly. "I p-paid for the m-month."

"That is a problem, when did this happen? Temra should have said something," Alicia asked, leaning further forward in her chair in concern.

"It was just this m-morning, when I went to find somewhere to clean up, a fresh water source, I w-wanted to make a g-good imm-pression. But I got shouted at by people when I tried to use the f-fountain. All the other fresh water was all built over. I came back to find m-my room was empty. The innkeeper said I must have left the r-room unlocked. But I kn-know I locked it," Mira said, her words biting off with certainty and frustration.

Kai gave Alicia and Syl both a look. From the feeling through the bond, they were thinking the same thing. The innkeeper had robbed her.

"We can get some one to look into that… why did you not just use the inns communal cleansing stone, almost every inn had one."

Mira tilted her head. "What's a cleansing stone?"

"Ah, you and Kai are going to get along just fine," Syl said with a chuckle.

Kai tried not to let his sympathy turn to pity. It sounded like she might be as inexperienced as he once had been. Coming from this mountain to a big magical city could be confusing. Especially if you didn't have what everyone else thought as common sense.

Kai pulled his cleansing stone from storage and put it down on the table between himself and Mira.

Before he got a chance to say she could use it, she recoiled, shaking her head. "I don't like those. Too clean, make my scent comes out stronger then it should, predators might find me!"

There was a short moment of silence as they glanced at each other.

"You're not wrong…" Syl said as she broke the silence and stored the stone back into the domain for Kai. "But you are aware being dirty can make you just as easy to find… it's not so much about how you smell but being able to locate and follow that smell."

Mira's shoulders slumped. "I know, I'm just not used to the change."

"You're not wrong about the strong scent. I love the way these two smell just after using them, for the longest time I was sure they were sneakily using perfume and refusing to tell me. But still, even with that. We actually prefer a good shower or a good long hot soak in our tub" Kai said as he wondered if a hot tub would be a good addition to their home, a private one hidden out of sight…

Mira's ears flicked to Kai at the mention of a shower and a long soak, but she bit her lip and chose not to ask.

"So you have no money, no gear? You should know, It's well with in our means to help you out if you want us to," Alicia said, her concern clear as Kai and Syl nodded in agreement.

"I w-was, I only came because Temra said she would help m-me get back to m-Mountain if we, er, didn't connect… but I h-hate this city, I wan-n't to go home."

"Where is Mountain? I mean, how far away are they?" Syl asked.

Mira shifted in her seat and pointed with certainty, "That direction. It took the bird that m-Mountain asked to bring me about three weeks."

"And where is this big bird now?"

"It went home."

"How do you plan on getting back without the bird?"

"I'll walk, I just need to replace my gear, get some food so I don't need to hunt for a few days."

Alicia looked troubled.

But Syl, she looked like she was putting something together.

"That's a very long way through rough and dangerous country," Alicia said.

Mira shrugged. "I'll be fine, I like the wild, I'm use to it, its quieter."

Kai thought Mira had to be underestimating the difficulty of making such a journey on foot. There was a reason everyone used airships, and there were no real roads connecting cities beyond a certain distance, so she would have to travel through wild, untamed terrain.

Then he had an idea. People used airships, and they happened to have one.

"What about hope?" he asked, looking at the Syl and Alicia.

"Hope?" they asked in unison.

"Yeah, when we get her back we can take Mira here back to this Mountain. Safely and quickly."

Alicia chewed her lip in thought. "We have no idea when we're getting hope back. Could be weeks, could be months.."

"Who's Hope?" Mira asked, a little confused as she tried to follow what Kai was saying.

Kai grinned, "Our airship!"

"Oh, those floating boxes, They seem slow, but they would be a lot faster than walking…" Mira trailed off, "But I can't afford to stay in the city one more day and I wouldn't know how to repay you."

A waiter came by and placed a glass of water in front of Mira. Condensation ran down the side of the glass, showing the water had been chilled.

Kai glanced curiously at the strange slice of fruit that he didn't recognise that had been placed on the rim and thought about pinching it if Mira didn't want it.

When the waiter left the range of the privacy magic, he continued explaining his plan.

"That's the beauty of it. If we replace your gear and pay for another room somewhere, maybe our inn, you can come on a dungeon run with us. if it doesn't work out you can keep the gear as payment for humouring us… and we will find some way for you to stay in the city until we get hope back," Kai said optimistically as he made a gesture of an airship flying off. "Then we take you home."

His enthusiasm for the idea woke Castiel in his shirt.

The little hatchling popped her head out to look about.

Kai wasn't worried about her doing this in public as both of the dragons had shown time and time again they knew to stay invisible while outside of the domain.

Mira fidgeted uncomfortably as she thought about it, but she somehow noticed Kai's shirt shift and her head tilted curiously as both of her ears flicked forward to focus on Kai.

"Tha-that sounds like I c-could end up staying in the city along time," her head flicked to the side as if she was watching something else for a moment before her attention turned back and she said, "This place is too loud, too busy, I don't like it."

Syl leaned forward for a moment, smiled and then sat back to tap the table.

Fayriel appeared in the spot she indicated, and he looked at his mother in confusion.

Mira's whole attention flicked to the table.

"You can see them can't you," Syl said, leaning forward with a sly smile.

Mira recoiled a little, shaking her head profusely as she said, "I see nothing."

"Fay, head," Syl ordered as she pointed to Mira.

Fayriel nodded to his mother, grinned, then dashed across the table, causing Mira to flinch.

"That's enough."

Fayriel stopped just short of knocking over Mira's glass of water, his little wings lowering to his side as he actually seemed to deflate with his mom calling him off.

"What were you looking at earlier?" Syl asked as she turned to look in the direction

Mira's jaw tightened as she pulled her satchel close.

"Well I guess that decides it, Mira's coming with us on a dungeon run tomorrow. if it doesn't work out we will do everything within our power to see you back to the mountain spirit that sent you. Wether that be a private charter using our political connections or even asking a favour of our friend a dragon, we will have you on your way as soon as you say its not going to work out. This I swear on the system. We will not keep you in a place as haunted as city full of dungeons and adventurers."

Kia didn't know how, but Mira seemed to shrink even further with Syl's sudden declaration.

"Does that satisfy?"

Mira looked like she was ready to run. Her uncertainty came out through the way she shifted back in her seat and clutched her satchel against her body as her ears flicked about.

"Mira, Miracle… Please. Look at me, and I mean really look at me and what I am."

Mira shifted, turning slightly to cautiously do what Syl had asked of her.

She was hesitant at first, but she soon began moving side to side as if she were somehow examining Syl from different angles despite the bandages over her eyes. "You're not really here…" she said as her face slowly contorted as she looked not only at Syl but about around her person.

Her head then turned to Kai, then Alicia and finally down to the two little hatchling that were now both sitting on the table and looking at her curiously.

"You're all connected, but the connection between you and Kai is the strongest… no the oldest. And there's something else," Mira said as she looked back at Syl, and examined her as if she were looking for something specific. "That on your hand, is that how you… It's almost like when my friends-"

Syl leaned forward and put a hand on Mira's lips, freezing her words. "Secrets Mira, secretes, don't spoil it for the others. You have to be careful with what you reveal to strangers. Remember, we just met"

Mira slowly nodded as Syl lifted her finger away. The little girl rasing her hand to touch the spot in awe.

"Now Mira, are you okay with the plan to at least join us for one dungeon run.?"

Mira didn't even seem to think; she nodded so enthusiastically that Kai thought she might end up shaking off her bandages.

"Now, there's a small shopping district for tin adventurers nearby. We can go through there first to replace her gear with some basic stuff for tomorrow. Its a short simple dungeon so we shouldn't need to worry overmuch on the quality. For now at least. Then we can hit up the guild to replace her tin badge and report the theft of her gear. Then well go by the domain to discuss things further and get Mira somewhere quiet she might actually get a good night's rest."

Kai was happy she was going along with the plan, but there was clearly something she wasn't saying.

She had just told Mira not to reveal secrets to people she had just met. Yet she altered the plan and wanted to bring Mira into the domain. "Sounds like a plan, but why the domain already?" Kai asked, trusting Syl, but unable to control his curiosity.

"Because there is a reason a literal mountain was able to give a little girl a title like Miracle Child," Syl said with a knowing, secretive smile.

"I'm a boy." Mira said with a big smile.

"Even better," Syl said as she shot Kai a look.

Kai just rolled his eyes in reply. He wasn't willing to admit out loud he was just a little relieved that their potential new party member was a guy, especially not after all the jokes at his expense.

"Are the bandages necessary?" Syl asked as she turned back to Mira and got out of her seat.

"M-my eyes' they look different." Mira went quiet as he seemed to deliberate what he wanted say. "People look at me funny, I don't like it, they stare too long and whisper to each other."

"Oh, we have that on common. Only we have ways of making it less noticeable, We should get you something nicer than the bandages, I'm assuming that it doesn't hinder your vision in the slightest."

Mira shook his head and then paused halfway out of his seat to say, "it itches"

"You know Kai wears something similar but it's hidden when synced with his mana.

"I can see it, kind of made it hard to look at him when I first approached. This weird thin cloth right?"

Kai looked at Alicia as they both got up, Fayriel and Castiel both disappearing to their usual hiding spaces.

There was clearly something not said here.

"Mira, you mentioned you were loud at night. Is it because of dreams, hauntings or something else?" Syl asked as she linked arms with him and started to lead them away from the table.

"Hauntings, I think you could call them that. The innkeeper refused to let me switch rooms or refund me so I could find somewhere else. Something terrible happened in that place. How did you figure it out?" Mira said before he ducked his head and whispered, "is it because you're a spirit too."

Syl chuckled, "Maybe, keep that talk for when we are somewhere safe ok."

Mira nodded, and the two continued on their way.

"Do you know what's happening?" Alicia asked Kai as they trailed behind. "That kid's just attached himself to Syl like he has found himself someone who shares his… what did you call it, special interest?"

Kai agreed; the turnabout in the kids' demeanour was comforting. "Moments ago I would have said he would have done almost anything to be on his way back to this Mountain. Which I might add, I'm not sure now whether that's a person or a place. I think it might be both. Whatever I'm missing, Syl's keeping it secret. All I'm getting through the bond is that she is over the moon with Mira."

"What an odd saying, which moon? and what does it mean to be over it?"

"She's ecstatic, extremely pleased?"

"I don't see what that has to do with moons."

Kai shrugged, he vaguely remembered a nursery rhym but decided to let it go when he found he was watching Mira's tail. "If I'm reading the flick of his tail right, the kid's pretty happy too." He sighed. "Even with omniglot I still struggle with body language."

"I think its because of whatever it is that Syl figured out," Alicia said as she slipped her arm into his and placed her head on his shoulder as they walked along. "And I for one think your getting much better with body language."

"You know Syl, all will be revealed."

"One way or another."

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