“Hey kids! Guess what Aunt Paige found for ya!” Paige yelled as she kicked the door open to their house. She was surprised the door could even take the blow.

It would take a bit before she would get used to her new home, but at least it wasn't crowded, even with a few more people inside.

Walking into the room, she took a glance at Lily’s party as they lounged around in their smallish house. But with her experience, she could tell that things were not as peaceful as she hoped it would be.

Though Lily was talking politely with her new members, that was already very un-Lily like. Looking in from the outside, Paige could see that Lily was still holding a grudge against her two new party members.

And truth be told, she couldn’t even fault Lily for it. Paige knew what she did was wrong, but she still added both girls to Lily’s party while she was unable to stop her. Paige knew how stressful it was managing people, and it was doubly so in a True Party, where all the members were under an oath to stay in the party.

“Um, hi Aunt Paige. Can I talk with you for a second?” Markus stood up quickly and rushed over to her.

It took her all of five seconds to realize he was the sacrificial lamb that was being offered up to appease Lily’s mood, but she wasn’t about to play along with it. Her eyes traveled over the party and she sighed in relief as she noticed a standard school uniform on all of them. And by the looks of it, they even got to choose what type of uniform to wear! It was weird seeing Nimi and Claire wearing Mage uniforms, but hey, to each their own. Taking a moment to look at Claire, she stared at her features before looking back towards Lily.

'...she doesn't look like Nick. Humph, at least Nick won't have a conniption about what Claire is wearing. Heh, a Knight or a Mage, now which one will Nick hate more?' Paige thought with a grin.

Ignoring Markus outright, she walked forward to Lily and grabbed her hands. “So, Lily, how’s your Party going? Figure out any tactics for an Archer and a Fencer yet?” Paige asked.

She noticed Markus wincing from the corners of her eyes as he strode forward and mentally frowned. Thinking back to her lessons, Lily should have figured out by now the best way to manage her small group. A Fencer and an Archer weren't exactly rare Classes.

“Hmm, let’s see. I have an Archer who dabbles as a Shieldmage, and a Fencer who dabbles as a Mage. So no, I haven’t figured it out yet.” Lily snapped back angrily.

Paige blinked at her behavior. This was not how Lily usually acted. Something was really bothering the girl. Frowning at Lily, Paige took a step back and really looked at the young girl in front of her. Lily's mana was churning erratically within her mana core. She was so upset that she wasn’t even paying attention to her own condition. In fact, was Zenith not paying attention to Lily’s condition because of Claire?

Well, Paige knew an easy fix for that. Plucking her hands into her pockets, she searched quickly for the smooth orb she always carried and smiled. “Come here,” she said quietly.

Lily quieted and took a deep breath. “... no?”

Paige could tell Lily was trying to adjust her mental state and mentally nodded. Even though Lily was angry, she knew better than to truly antagonize anyone stronger than her. Steeling her face, Paige’s frowned. “That wasn’t a question. Come. Here.”

Tyler stood up slowly. “We’re just having some problems at the school, Miss Paige,” he said as he edged forward. "We just need a bit more time to reorganize."

Paige turned as she waited for Lily to step forward and placed a hand on her hips. Her eyes narrowed as Tyler edged closer to his shield.

‘Ah, to be young,’ Paige sighed exasperatedly as she rubbed her head with her free hand. “Relax, I’m not going to discipline her. I just need to have a talk with her; Party Leader to Party Leader.”

Paige watched as Lily cooled down and evaluated her options. She didn’t miss that Lily’s eyes flickered between her original party, while she shook her head in a somewhat subtle way toward her newer teammates before she walked within reach.

It was a good sign that she sensed the movement around her as the others moved slightly to support Lily just in case she was in danger. None of them were dumb enough to actually pull out a weapon though, though it did bother her slightly that Isabella was keeping her hand close to the hidden crossbow she carried with her. Even her two new teammates were distancing themselves appropriately as they moved into position.

‘An Archer who is training in close combat, and a Fencer who is a Mage. Claire’s problem I can understand, but why in the world was Nimi trained as a Mage of all things? The Elven royalty practically adores honor battles, and Fencing is their choice of combat. Not to mention, her affinity is practically nil from what I can sense.’

Pushing those thoughts away, Paige focused on the task at hand. Extending her hand out and smiling kindly, she waited for Lily to grab it. To the girl's credit, she only hesitated for a moment before she grabbed Paige’s hand.

Activating the tiny ward stone in her pocket, she raised her brows as Lily’s party member quickly attacked. A bad idea on a number of different levels, but to her surprise, even Markus was hitting the activated ward with a [[Dark Blade]] skill, though she could tell by the feedback that his action was mostly symbolic. At least Markus had a vague idea of what she was doing.

“Sheesh, no trust,” Paige said as she poured more energy into the circle; the world around them faded as a fog surrounded the two of them. She wasn’t worried about them destroying the formation, not yet anyways.

Turning around, Paige bent down and made eye contact with Lily, her face softening as much as it could. “Lily, what’s wrong? Your friends can’t hear or see you, so you can tell me your problems… if you want to vent.”

Lily bowed her head, much to Paige’s surprise. Paige knew that Lily was far more headstrong than that.

“I… I think it was a mistake to come here,” Lily said quietly.

“You’ve always wanted to go here though,” Paige responded. She waited for Lily to get her thoughts in order. ‘What happened this past week that could make her be in such a foul mood? Surely it isn’t that bad?’

Lily struggled. “It’s… it’s just not what I thought it would be like. Here, I mean.”

“Mhmm... well, it is a nice school. I think? You know, I never really went to a formal school myself, but it looks like a good school. Most schools I’ve seen can’t really compare to it,” Paige lied through her teeth. A school with the funding of a fee border countries would never compare to some of the ancient academies throughout the Empire. “Hey, you even get to choose your own teacher! You can learn at your own pace, and you even get equipment and funding from the school. What more could you ask for?”

“But it’s not what I thought it would be,” Lily said shakily. “I wanted it to be…” Lily was almost whispering now, but Paige could hear the pain underlying her statement.

Lily looked up, tears welling in her eyes. “Miss Paige, are… are you really an Imperial Servant?” Lily asked. “Here, everyone judges us because of you and..., not because we deserve it. I… I just wish...”

Paige stayed quiet as she waited for Lily to continue. ‘It would be good for her to let out all of her grievances right now instead of bottling it up,’ she thought.

“...that… that things were different…” Lily sniffed and wiped her nose with her sleeve. Fixing a complicated gaze at Paige, she nervously asked. “Are you, Miss Paige?”

“The answer doesn’t really matter,” Paige whispered.

“It matters to me,” Lily said.

Paige paused for a moment to look at the ward. Lily’s party was still battering it, quite heavily now actually. She’d have to disable the ward before they drained the mana core. Turning her head, she glared at Markus’s erratic shadow, which slightly staggered outside the ward.

Looking Lily in the eyes, she smiled a sad smile. “I don’t know if you’ll trust me when I say this...but no, I’m not one, Lily. But we are strong, and we do know a lot of people in high places,” Paige said with a shrug. That was true, but that mostly applied only for her. She smiled as she patted Lily’s head. “But even if I say that; who would believe us, Lily?” Paige said quietly.

“I do. And that makes all the difference," Lily said with conviction.

Paige smiled at that. Sometimes it seemed like Lily was a little too mature for her age, but that suited Paige just fine. “Do you need any help?”

“No, I think I got enough help from you already,” Lily complained pointedly. “Can I-”

Paige shook her head. “No. They need to stay in your party. For more than one reason now. Besides, I’ll make it up to you guys for dealing with the extra hassle. Though, I would like you to get along with the other two. Just take it slow and get to really know them.”

Paige heard a faint crackling as the mana core in her pocket chipped. “Why are they attacking anyways?”

“I think Markus and Tyler remember your last lesson about wards and Party Leaders.”

Paige blinked and chuckled silently. She had taught them well, hadn’t she?

“Cheer up, Lily. Things might not be how you would like it, but I have a feeling it’ll be alright.”

Watching Lily clean her face, Paige silently added Lily’s name to the growing list of people she owed a debt to.

“Ahem, well, now that I got to talk with Lily; anyone want to guess what I found?” Aunt Paige said cheerfully as she ignored their wary looks.

Markus rolled his eyes. There were only a few things that could get his aunt this excited. And seeing that there was no battle happening and she wasn’t training meant only one thing. “You found a place to farm?”

A smack on the head jarred him as his Aunt looked slightly down at him. “Hush, Markus. Everyone else was supposed to guess.”

He could almost feel his aunt's spirit quickly perking back up. Whatever she had discussed with Lily evidently put a damper on her mood. Markus was intrigued, but he still hadn’t figured out how to bypass his Aunt’s wards to listen in. “You have like two hobbies, aunt. Training and farming. If it’s not one, then it’s the other.”

Paige deflated a bit. “Well, be that as it may, I still wanted it to be a surprise. Ahem, I found both a farm and a place for you guys to set up a base! Great, right?”

Markus nodded, a bit astounded that his aunt was able to actually do something without Aunt Zeniths’ help. He quickly wiped his astonishment off his face as Paige’s gaze flickered toward him. ‘That was close,’ he thought as his aunt focused back on Lily.

“How big of a base?” Markus asked intently.

“Eh, about a quarter-mile square or so. I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to split the field yet, but I wanted to get your input on what you need before I start buying stuff.”

Markus quickly ran through his checklist of training items when he noticed the others on his team looking blankly at each other. “Aren’t you happy for a base, Lily?”

“We have the school grounds though. Why would we need to build one?” Lily asked with a small sniff.

"Because no one can spy on us?" Markus offered. He got the feeling that there were eyes everywhere around the school, even though he couldn't quite place how that would even work. Having some privacy would be great. And if they could spy on his Aunt, then there were bigger problems. Problems that he’d much rather let his family deal with.

“Well, yes, but more importantly, there are well over four thousand students, give or take. Do you really think there’s adequate space for everyone to practice to their heart's content? Think of it as my first congratulation gift to your party. I’ll go ahead and reinforce your new uniforms while I have some free time too.”

Markus blinked in surprise. His aunt was thoughtful, but usually not charitable.

“Umm, are you able to? I didn’t know there were Enchanters in Alcudia?” Claire floundered as Paige stared at the girl. Markus rolled his eyes as he saw his aunt appraising the shy one. Isabella had her informal title taken away from her after a single day of knowing her. Claire was fine when she was around people her age, but as soon as an authority figure appeared her confidence popped like a bubble.

Still, Markus was intrigued about what Claire had said. Enchanters. It didn’t take a big stretch of the imagination to figure out what that Class did. His aunt knew what she was talking about though, as she shrugged her shoulders and waved off Claire’s concerns.

“Meh, I can do simple stuff. I have [[Craft Modification]] for a reason. It’s just figuring out far to push is the tough part. Too little and your lives will actually be in danger; too much and you’ll have no sense of fear. Hmmm… and you girls are growing too, which makes it harder to reinforce your clothing inconspicuously...”

Markus wasn’t exactly sure that was the best way to phrase it, but he partially agreed with his aunt. There were good reasons for them to rely on their equipment, especially when they were young. And though he had the same Skill, he hadn’t been able to do as much as his aunt, nor with the same material as her either. ‘Now, if I could figure out how she can shape steel into threads…’ Markus could already imagine the possibilities. And then he could finally wear his cloak without fear of ruining it!

Markus focused back as Lily coughed politely. “Miss Paige, since we are going to school, how will we use the base? Class times are rather strict during the day.”

“Leave the school and head that way? I mean, it is rather close to the city, all things considering.”

“Bu-” Lily started.

“Fine. Tell Zenith and she’ll give you a permission slip or something. Either way, I already know that Isabella’s mom is going to push hard for you guys to come and use it, so you might as well make some time in your schedules to head this way. Now,” Paige clapped her hand, “Let’s go ahead and check out the base. It’ll be fun and a good way to warm up as a team.” Her eyes lit up.

Markus, Lily and Tyler shuddered as they noticed that look in her eyes. She wanted to train.

Markus could feel Lily and Tyler turning toward him. Markus cleared his throat as he cautiously asked, “Umm, we haven’t really done anything as a party yet, aunt. Maybe in a few months we-”.

“Nonsense. The best way for a party to grow closer is naturally through combat. And I can help point out flaws in your teamwork, which is the point of training! Come on, follow me!”

Watching his aunt pointedly usher them out of the house, Markus smiled wryly as Lily tried to get him to do something.

“Do something! We’re gonna get tortured!” He imagined Lily saying with her eyes.

Markus could already see that Tyler’s eyes were filled with gloom. “I still have bruises from her last ‘training.'"

Markus shook his head sadly in response. “I practiced with her for years, do you think I can do anything to change her mind?”

Isabella caught their hidden conversation. “Umm, Miss Paige, can we do that some other time? We need to get our stuff over to the school dorms before nightfall.”

“Hm? Dorms? Why would you be staying there when we have a perfectly good house here?” Paige said.

His aunt paused her steps and looked around at them suspiciously. Markus had a bad feeling about this. “There’s no way you guys are staying in the dorms. It’ll either be here or your base, and even that option is up in the air.”

“But the school sa-” Lily started.

“You let us worry about what the school thinks,” Paige said. “Shavie, Stella and I have the rooms adjacent to the stairwell, but the other rooms are available. You guys can choose your roommates when we get back. The last room will be the armory. But that will be for later. Come now, follow me to your base.”

Markus didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, they didn’t have to sleep in the dorms. But on the other, they just lost their independence.

Markus slumped as he walked. He knew they shouldn’t have come home today.

-----

“So, two actual mages; two actual close combat warriors, and … two weird hybrid classes? Why on earth would the two of you choose to learn something that isn’t even remotely related to your actual Classes? Hell, you guys are still Apprentices!”

Nimi started. “Back home, everyone starts out as a Mage before transit-”

“Hush, Nimi. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. And I've heard a lot of stupid ideas. And you, Claire. If you use a bow, then stick with it!”

Claire flushed and whispered, “...actually, everyone starts out as a knight in training...before…”

"For the love of god, that had to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Paige exclaimed.

Markus chuckled as his aunt continued to lambast the two newer members of their party. He rechecked his armor’s straps, and more importantly, the padding, on his trusty gear as he got ready to fight. His dark leather armor glistened in the mid-afternoon sun as he waited for his aunt to finish up her tirade.

Leaning on an errant fence post as he waited, his eyes wandered over to Lily and Isabella, who were adjusting their leather robes and doing the same thing he had. Although, he had a fleeting suspicion that their clothes offered far more protection and padding than his own. His aunt’s bias was definitely at work. Though, that reminded him of a question he had for Isabella’s aunt, who was waiting quietly behind him.

“Miss Shavie, did you see where my Aunt Zenith and Uncle Nick went? I thought for sure I sensed them before we left.”

“You can call me Shavie, Markus. Hm… they went to have some alone adult time. They’ll come around eventually,” Shavie smiled brightly at him. “Are you ready to fight?”

Markus averted his eyes at the sight. Even though she was gorgeous, Isabella’s aunt was weird; almost as weird as his Aunt Paige, which said something about both of their personalities.

“I’m ready; not that it’ll be a long battle. Aunt’s gonna wipe the floor with us.”

“Hrm? She’s not going to go easy on you?” Shavie remarked.

Markus frowned slightly. “No, she says it’s easier to give feedback this way. Personally, I think she just has fun this way.”

Shavie chuckled. “True, she seems to enjoy fighting, even if she is a Farmer.”

Markus rolled his eyes. If his aunt was just a Farmer, then he was a bonafide Hero.

“So, how are you going to fight?” Shavie asked.

“Fight? I’m going to run away. There’s no way we’re going to win. I get more points from her by surviving a mock battle than dying midway,” Markus said.

“Huh? That’s not the right attitude to have for any battle,” Shavie said.

Markus shrugged. “It is for Aunt Paige. Running away is just as important as knowing when to fight.” Markus ignored the look he was getting from Miss Shavie. After the fight in the forest, he realized that was probably the best advice he’d gotten so far. “Besides, during the day, I can’t really hide from view in an open field.”

Markus sighed as he looked around. There wasn’t a shadow that he could hide in. A good majority of his Skills were reliant on dark mana and shadows, something his aunt had tried unsuccessfully to change.

“You know… I could teach you a quick move that’ll sure to surprise her.”

Markus turned sharply. “You?”

“Yes me. I noticed you have a greater affinity toward darkness. You should be able to tell that we have the same affinity as you. So? Want to learn a neat Skill?”

Shavie smiled politely, though Markus could feel something shifting around him, and he could feel a pair of eyes on his back. Shifting slightly, he realized that he could faintly sense someone behind him, though he knew that the road behind him was empty.

No, it was his shadow, Markus realized with a start. Miss Shavie was somehow extending her presence to his shadow.

He averted his eyes away from his aunt as she lambasted Nimi over her life choices. His aunt had a remarkable intuition; even looking at her was likely to grab her attention.

“...okay, what do I owe you?” Markus whispered.

“A favor at a later date. Of my choosing,” Shavie said.

“One that doesn’t bring harm to me, my family, or my party. And I get to decide whether or not to agree,” Markus said.

“Then why would I teach you?” Shavie said exasperatedly.

Markus took a gamble. “Why indeed?” Markus wondered aloud. “If you want to teach me, then fine. Otherwise, I’m going to run away from my aunt as soon as we start.”

He wasn’t a fool. He could tell that his family put up with Isabella’s, and that was a strenuous peace at best. But for whatever reason, he'd have to be blind to miss the fact that both of their families wanted Isabella and Markus to be friends.

There was a story in there, somewhere. Markus personally believed it had something to do with his father and mother, though he would never say that aloud. Some type of family feud; he couldn’t think of any other reason that would explain why Isabella’s family was heavily skewed toward dark mana, and why his aunts and uncles were looking for Isabella. He and Isabella were relatively close in age, after all, which might make them family, however unlikely. That might even explain his family’s willingness to stay low key; though how that ties in with Isabella’s family was unknown. A bad break between relatives?

Filing his thoughts away for later, he observed Shavie observing him. “Well? Are you going to teach me, or not? I don’t have much time.”

“...fine. You just need to -”

Shavie rapidly explained the process as Markus gauged his time. His aunt should be almost done, as she moved her hands across Nimi’s and Claire’s clothing, reinforcing their light armor to soften the inevitable blows they would be receiving today. It was favoritism at the finest; he had to beg to get the same treatment!

“Did you get that?” Shavie asked after he had a moment to think.

Markus nodded. “Yes. I know how the theory works. Now it’s just putting it into practice.”

“It’s a little more com-”

“[Shadow Walking]; just gotta imagine myself in a shadow and use enough mana to travel there. I learned this lesson in my aunt’s lectures years ago... I think I can do it by substituting [Magic Moulding], [Blink], and [Mana Sensitivity] all at the same time.”

“...you know Mage Skills?”

“I learned it from my Aunt Zenith,” Markus said absently, wholly missing Shavie’s impressed look. His mood plummeted as he knew he had just been conned by Miss Shavie. And the worst part was, he could’ve figured it out if he hadn’t been so time constricted!

Paige clapped her hands. “Okay, time to test your abilities. Hey, Shavie, keep a look out for spies, will ya? Except if it’s a Farmer; then it’ll be alright.

“Lily, you go ahead and think of a plan. I’ll give you… two minutes. That should be plenty of time.”

Watching as his aunt nodded her head, Markus groaned internally as he sped toward the rest of his teammates. “Lily, plan?” he asked as they all moved closer.

“We have a few choices to decide on. We can either press forward and lose fast or run away and lose slowly,” Lily said.

Markus twitched. How Lily had finished her missions, and successfully at that, was highly suspect. And she hadn’t even bothered to take precautions either. “Aunt, please don’t listen in on our conversation.”

“Please, Markus. Give me some credit at least. I’m not going to cheat against a bunch of Apprentices,” Paige called out. He looked over to where his aunt was standing.

“Aunt...”

“Yeah, yeah. I promise I won’t listen to your conversation.”

Markus nodded inwardly and scowled at Lily. “You need to take precautions against High Class opponents. Unless you are really careful, they are able to listen to conversations from a distance. In fact, their senses are magnified too, which is why it is so difficult to beat someone with a higher Class than you.”

“... I knew that,” Lily snapped irritatedly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we need to decide how we are going to lose. Fast or slow.”

“And why can’t we try to win?” Markus countered, wholy ignoring the fact that he just had the same conversation with Shavie a few minutes ago.

“Markus, how many times have you won against your aunt? And then tell me we can win.”

Markus looked away as Lily focused on him. She did have a point. But it just rubbed him the wrong way to see a Party Leader plan a battle around how to lose, even if he was thinking the exact same thing. Seeing Nimi and Claire looking around, he decided to give them the quick run down. “What Lily said is true; we can’t win. But we can decide on how realistic we want this battle to go. My aunt responds in kind.”

Claire nodded slowly. “My instructors sort of taught this way. I say we try to actually fight. We do learn much more with actual combat than not.”

Markus was skeptical about that. That was the correct answer, assuming that you didn’t have an instructor that didn’t have any qualms with beating you unconscious under the guise of 'training'.

Nimi shivered. “I have a bad feeling about this. I think we should avoid close combat. Like, at all cost.”

Markus eyed her suspiciously. Barring her unusual name, background and attitude, it was clear that Nimi could feel how dangerous his aunt was, even when she wasn’t trying.

Isabella shifted her eyes. “I’ll heal, so we should be able to last a bit longer? Assuming she’s like the Protectors, that is.”

Lily looked around and then spoke for the rest of them. “We’ll… actually try and lose slowly then. Markus and Tyler, you two go and pressure her from the front; Claire, hang back a bit and support them close range with your bow shield thing; Nimi, Isabella and I will fight at distance.”

Nimi frowned. “Shouldn’t I be closer to Claire? My Class-”

Lily interrupted. “Your Class is all messed up. Even Miss Paige agreed with my thoughts on your Class. For now, it’s better to focus on one and work toward mastering your Skills. I think you should stay back and help as…”

Markus watched as Lily struggled to find a good reason. To be honest, if he was the leader, he would have kicked out Claire and Nimi the first chance he had. They had no real use in a Party other than dead weight. And even if they did somehow consolidate their opposing Classes, it was highly unlikely that it would be powerful. How could it, when the spread of Skills were so varied. And that went double for Nimi as a Fencer and a Mage.

“...as the last defender. That way, Tyler can focus on stalling her further away from us. Please?” Nimi nodded begrudgingly before Lily continued. “Markus, Tyler; how will you guys fight?”

“Offensively,” Tyler said without a moment of doubt. “There’s no way I can defend you from her, so I might as well try and draw her attention.”

Markus nodded. “Same idea as Tyler. We’ll try and pincer her.”

“Claire, is your … shield-bow accurate?” Lily asked. Markus looked at the unwieldy shield and his eyes twitched. Her stupid shield was half as large as Tyler’s but almost twice as wide and practically screamed ‘watch out for whatever I’m hiding.’

“It is. Trust me,” Claire said. “I’ve practiced fighting from the back when I was on other teams.”

Lily nodded cautiously. “Okay. We’ll aim for lasting...one minute for the start. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get to five minutes by the end.”

The other three girls blinked. Hesitantly, Isabella raised her hand. “How many battles are we doing?”

Markus smirked deprecatingly. “We’ll stop once my Aunt is satisfied.”

“Time to play, kiddos!”

Markus sighed. It was time to get their collective asses whooped.

Paige smiled as she stood over the kid’s immobilized form. It only took a few hours before she was finally satisfied with their performance.

“I’ll give you guys some feedback in a bit. All in all though, you did.... adequate for a party your size.”

Granted, having two teammates who didn’t have an exact combat role severely hurt their chances of lasting more than four minutes against her. But, they were young, so they had plenty of time to get better. Paige relented a bit sooner than she'd wanted because of that too, which she hoped that the kids would be grateful.

Still, there was one problem she had to nip in the bud, and fast. “Markus; Markus; Markus. Didn't you hear my conversation with Nimi? And what have I told you about trying new Skills without practice?" She hadn't missed Shavie explaining how his Skill worked. "How many times have I told you it’s practically impossible for a Warrior to be Mage? Mages and Warriors are separate Classes for a reason, not to mention you are still only an Apprentice Swordsman."

She rubbed her head idly before glancing over at Nimi and Claire. Why they wanted to have messed up Classes was beyond her. But maybe… "Look , we’ll assess your capability to blend both after you get a specialization, so don’t try to rush into something new, especially if it doesn't work in the end.”

“...I’ll keep that in mind, aunt. Thanks for the training tip.”

Paige sighed as she eyed Shavie. Even without listening to Shavie, she had recognized that Assassin Skill as soon as he tried to do it. At least Shavie had the decency to shrug her shoulders at the blatant accusation. She’d have to keep a closer watch on Shavie since she clearly wasn’t shy on helping her former Party Leader.

Checking her surroundings, she frowned as she still didn’t find the girl she was supposed to be teaching. In truth, she was trying to make sure she looked good for her prospective student, but all of her efforts had been wasted by this point. “Shavie, has the Apprentice Farmer passed by?”

“Nope. But now that you’ve had a chance to warm up, wanna have a fight?” Shavie twisted her body as she stretched, eying her with a predatory gaze.

Any other time, and she might've taken that offer. But something was wrong if her new apprentice wasn't here yet. “I'm good. I don’t want to ruin the soil with a fight,” Paige said.

“Tch. How about this… I get a rematch, and I might give you back your equipment,” Shavie jested.

“...” Paige was almost tempted to take that bet but remembered she had another way to get her equipment back; a way she wasn’t about to share. “I fight, and you stop trying to teach Markus crap Skills. Don’t think I didn’t recognize the basics of the skill he’s been trying.”

Shavie scoffed softly. “I barely taught him anything. He figured out a way to do it himself. At least you weren’t bragging when you told Stella that you and Zenith were teaching him. Come on, a quick warmup? Just to move my old bones.”

Paige hesitated. But she was supposed to wait here to teach. “Fine, just a quick warmup before I teach some farming techniques. My new apprentice should be here soon.”

“Th, that wasn’t a warm up?” Nimi asked as she laid out on the ground.

She clicked her tongue. “Of course not. I barely tapped you guys and you’re acting like I pummeled you into submission,” Paige said.

From where she was standing, she could see Nimi shuddering as she thought back to their lackluster performance against her. But she was sure she was regulating her strength down to Markus’s... level. Paige mentally winced. Markus could take a far greater beating during her spars than anyone she knew at his age.

Checking the kids armor with a keen eye, she sighed in relief. She had indeed gone easy on them. None of their armor were even close to being damaged.

“Time to fight, Paige. First to draw blood wins,” Shavie grinned.

Paige rolled her eyes. That was a typical setup for any speed based fighter, and one that heavily favored Shavie’s quickish movements. “How about the first one to get a good hit wins.”

They both evaluated the other with an easy smile. Paige already knew that Shavie was thinking up counters for her movements that she’d already shown. ‘Let’s see… I should-”

Clang! Clang!

Paige and Shavie stopped as she listened to a soft clanging sound echoing across the field. The fields around them erupted into noise as the bells repeated themselves.

“Know what that is?” Shavie whispered.

The bell was intentionally soft, though anyone at their level could hear it. Paige smiled as Lily, Markus, and Isabella scanned their surroundings as they tried to pinpoint the location of the sound. ‘Their Classes are developing well. I expect it from Markus and Isabella, but it looks like Lily is on the right track too,’ Paige thought happily.

Paige nodded slowly. “Farmer claxon. I was wondering why my new trainee hadn’t shown up. Looks like…” Paige listened to the sound of the bell as it clanged out a simple message across the countryside. Her eyes narrowed as she decoded the message hanging in the air. “Tch. Just a wolf pack sighting. How about you take the kids back with you while I look around.”

“We can help with that, Miss Paige,” Lily said warily as she settled her head back on the ground.

“Thanks for the offer, but it’ll be fine,” Paige brushed her help aside lazily before helping the kids up off the ground. Paige stopped to listen as another warning claxon rang out in a different direction.

“But-”

“Lily, it’s fine. My aunt can take care of a few… wolves. Seems the pack is less than two dozen or so.”

Markus tilted his head to the side as he listened to the warning bell as he questioned Paige with his eyes. She shrugged. They both knew what the bells were warning about.

Looking toward the setting sun, Paige estimated how fast they were traveling and looked back toward the direction where the first warning bell had gone off and grimaced as she realized the discrepancy.

“Shavie will take you guys home. Be careful for any stragglers; it seems like the wolf pack has split up into two parts.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead while I babysit everyone here. Come on boys, you got to rest for a few minutes. Daylight’s burning while you guys are lazing about.” Shavie tapped Tyler with her foot as she looked back toward the city. “Maybe we can make it home before dinner. Tyler, Markus, be gentlemen and carry your teammates extra’s supplies Isabella, you and the other two go and fill the canteens over there. Lily, go gather up Claire’s arrows.”

“Yes, Miss Shavie,” the kids groaned back as they started to follow her commands.

Paige shrugged as Shavie gave her a frustrated look. She whispered low, making sure to talk quietly enough so that the others couldn’t hear. “Shouldn’t be too much trouble dealing with them.”

“How come I have to babysit them while you get to kill people?” Shavie said darkly.

“...it might not come to that,” Paige said. “They may just let her go after I posture a bit.”

She really did hope for that, but both of them knew that she was lying out her teeth. A coordinated kidnapping was not something one did without ample planning.

Paige paused as she felt Shavie gathering her mana, albeit very slowly. “Try not to make too much of a scene?”

Shavie slowly whispered. “You deal with your group how you want to. I’ll do the same.”

“And the kids?”

“They’re a smart bunch. It might do them good to fight an opponent or two.”

“Sha-”

“Don’t you dare try to tell me otherwise. If you’re that concerned about them, you take them back,” Shavie whispered back.

Paige and Shavie stared hard at each other, until a slight cough interrupted them.

“We’re ready to go back, Aunt Shavie,” Isabella said cheerfully.

Shavie turned and smiled down at Isabella before clapping her hands. “Good. Come along, kids. We got places to go and people to see.”

Paige shook her head and started walking in the opposite direction, promptly walking west on a weed infested path. Shavie did have a point. Sort of. Sighing to herself, she promptly pushed the issue to the back of her head and focused on the task at hand.

Seeing that the kids were out of sight, she quickly released her hold of her mana and started modifying her outfit. No longer were they her plain cotton clothes; instead, she quickly added a thin layer of woven steel to the inside face of her outfit.

Paige chuckled as she felt her mana engraving a few simple enchantments to her new metallic bodysuit. If there was one benefit she would be thankful for, she would most likely choose her improved mana core. It was a marvelous feeling, being able to use mana with minimal worry or concentration.

Content with her armor, Paige tapped the ground with butt of the hoe, only to frown after hearing the metallic clink of metal hitting packed earth instead. Her face went blank as she looked down at the metal sword in her hand, the mithril blade glowing slightly as it reflected the fading light.

Paige stopped, confusion in her eyes. And she started to ponder.