“Why don’t you just forgive him?” Rouge looked at her brother Ronwick.

“It's about time you let this grudge go.”

“His greed is what got us workin’ as the Duke’s men in the first place. We’s pose to be in EGER by now coulda been a famous adventurer party. Instead, we gonna be on babysitting duty.”

Ronwick scowled at his sister. Ever since the Slight Hands were saved by the Duke’s personal guards Ronwick never fell right in like his other teammates. There was also the fact that he still wouldn’t forgive Alex.

“If he actually takes the time out to listen to us we could’ve been ranked as a High Silver party by now.”

He slowly removed his two short swords turning to fully face his sister. They were in a part of the training grounds. A brown field with dirt packed and solidified hard enough to feel like concrete. The grounds were a few miles long and had different environments set upon them for different attacking and defending scenarios. They even had a small castle at one part for siege scenarios.

Rouge got her own weapons out. She was equipped with a shield, and a spear while she kept a sword on her back as a secondary.

“Look around you brother. Truly open your eyes and take a good look. The training we receive, the food, the need to not worry about where we’ll be sleeping for the night.”

She advanced on her brother with a straightforward thrust.

Ronwick used both swords to parry. Then went to dash forward trying to get within range to strike. Rouge countered by moving back and sending pokes with her spear to avoid having Ronwick end on her sides.

“While you see the good they have done. I seen it for what it is. We prisoners and trained lackeys for a noble's quest. Look around, sister. Outside these walls orphans are put into programs never bein' able to make something of themselves, men and women worry about whether they have enough to pay to they landlord. The Dukedom takes a third of what they make.” Ronwick spat these words out. Malice within his eyes.

Ronwick dove in using his higher strength and weight advantage on his sister to make her stumble off balance. Using that opportunity he slashed at her spear arm.

Rouge dropped the spear avoiding a strike that would have severed her hand had she not. In the same motion, she grabbed the sword strapped to her back and once again turtled up always keeping her brother directly in her line of sight.

“Have you done no research? Do you only drink your nights away and pester Ivy? The upkeep of the Wall is public knowledge. Without those funds from the people do you think they would enjoy such a peaceful lifestyle? The second Extermination is only a matter of time.”

Rouge faked a slash at Ronwick using the opportunity he raised his weapons to defend against her strike. She rushed in bashing her shield against his chest. Sending him sprawling to the ground.

“With the magic technologies coming in from various parts of the continent as well as RIMT (Research Institution of Magical Technology). The Dukedom, no Empire has seen a massive increase in births, new jobs created, and overall better living situation. Do you not see the good.”

She held her sword to her brother's neck claiming her victory.

“As for Alex, Alex has been training twice, sometimes thrice harder than all of us. Do you not think the incident eats at him as well. You need to grow up and let go. Ivy is already preparing to talk to him. If she can find forgiveness and you cannot...” Rouge looked down at her brother sadness creeping into her eyes.

“Then there is no hope for you, for us to become something more. Let go.”

Rouge sheath her sword before extending out a hand to her brother. Their relationship had taken twists and turns ever since the incident. Rouge was willing and had taken the time to talk to Alex again. Slowly rebuilding their damaged friendship. She even brought Nick along at times to help as well. Ronwick was the only one who truly still holds something against Alex. She looked down at her brother, her hand still hanging in the air.

><>

Ivy watched her friends through the scrying orb.

“It's not nice to spy on people.”

With a start, Ivy jumped up and lashed out sending the intruder stumbling to the ground. Turning around she found a red face, Nick, with a palm imprint clearly outlined upon his face. Glaring, she opened her mouth to reprimand him.

“NICK!” She shouted before covering her mouth and speaking in a quieter tone.

“Nick, you know I don’t like people sneaking up on me. Now come here and let me heal you.”

[Heal]

Casting a heal on Nick, his agitated face slowly returned to its normal light tan color. She held out a hand to him and he grabbed it pulling himself up until she was looking up at him and no longer down on him.

“Hey Ivy.” Nick finally spoke up again with a goofy grin now plaster on his face.

“They were just getting to the good part and now you’ve ruined it!”

Ivy returned to look at the now dark scrying orb. After she lost her concentration her mana to the orb had been cut off. She sighed before starting to pack her things. They were in the library of one of the various mage towers within Ashburn.

Nick took a good look at the girl in front of him. Long blue hair with hints of white at the ends. Sky blue eyes and round and plump face. She had lightly tanned skin like him and returned to glaring at him after she finished packing. He looked down to study the rest of her body getting to the V in her neckline area before a hand grabbed his stubble of a beard.

“Eye up here mister,” Ivy said raising Nicks's head back up.

“Ivy, let's catch some lunch,” Nick said with that goofy grin still present. The girl had a pear-shaped body chunky in all the right places. Ever since the incident, Ivy had taken to stress eating and since the Duke paid for all their expenses she never had to worry about not having enough. Leading to her currently healthy-looking weight. Nick loved every bit of it.

“Not today Nick. My water magics is on the verge of taking the next step. Soon I'll be able to reattach limbs together.”

Nick gave out a disappointed sigh. “You’re always busy. You need to take a break. A nice lunch over by the docks would do you fantastic. The view as the sun is setting and ships pass is beautiful like no other.”

“I cannot after my test with my master. I’m…” Ivy took a deep breath before continuing.

“I’m going to go talk to Ronwick and Rouge. We’re supposed to talking about Alex.”

At the mention of Alex Nick’s face turned serious before relaxing.

“If you don’t want to talk to him you don’t have to, but what happened that day. None of us could have known.”

“I know Alex can be stupid sometimes with his always positive mentality, but I know he only wanted us to succeed. I’ve… I’ve come to terms with what happen and we, the Slight Hands need to return together as a group. Within a few years, The Young Master will begin his descent and we’re going along with him.”

“Ivy, you don’t have to… You don’t have to talk to Alex or descend with the Young Master. We could… We could go away together. Just me and you. Explore the other Empires or even the other human kingdoms!”

Now Ivy was glaring at Nick. They had been walking through the library for a while now. Ivy was returning the tomes she read for the day. She stopped and look at Nick giving him the harshest glare she could muster.

“Have you no shame,” Ivy hissed.

“Look around you, the knowledge we have, the food we eat, even the clothes you wear right now are all provided because of the Duke and because the Young Master took a liking to us. Without them, we’d either still be gutter rats on the street looking for a scrap to eat or dead. We’re rank 3 beings, Nick. Rank 3 because of the proper teachings available. Most commoners never break past rank 2. Playing with magic without proper teaching is dangerous.”

Ivy took a deep breath before continuing.

“We have it good, well better than most commoners. We don’t work for some minor nobility that feeds us scraps along the pathway to power. We’re under the Duke. The Shield of the West. The only one higher is the crown. Hell, we barely have to watch our steps around the other Dukedoms. Never suggest such a thing to me again.”

Ivy turned around and headed towards the library entrance leaving a stunned Nick behind.