Kal mulled it over. There were a few possibilities.

One. His longer career as a prize-fighter had finally caught up with him. He’d taken one too many blows to the head. His brain had been tenderized to mush, and now it was cooking up some fantasy that the reincarnation of Jani fucking Zhang had strolled in in the guise of a savage-boy. A grinning, very annoying savage-boy.

Two. He was dreaming. Or someone had snuck mushrooms into his morning tea. But he quickly dismissed that thought. His dreams never got this dumb.

Three. This boy… might just be the real deal. That one was the toughest to swallow of all. Was he truly about to let a boy without a lineage, education, or even Azcan citizenship into the guild? It was lunacy! He’d have Council up his ass for the next year!

Yet…the Stick. That was certainly the real deal. It was early aughts yet, but if that thing got some tinkering, and if the boy was as clever as he made himself out to be…

Kal groaned. He wasn’t meant for this sort of—whatever this was. His problem-solving method was mostly punching things ‘till they stopped flailing. Fuck it. He stopped thinking and went with his gut.

“So, Martial Elder. Do I pass?”

Martial Elder Kal was morose. “Oh, wipe that smug fucking grin off your face, will you? What the hells am I supposed to say after all that? No? Fuck!”

“Does that mean—“

Kal pulled something out of his vest and chucked it at the boy full-speed. The boy somehow caught it out of the air. He glanced at it; his brows shot up. In his palms was a glinting Token emblazoned with a gold Tier 1. On the other side was the guild’s crest, a hammer in the center of a gear.

“Really?” The boy grinned ear-to-ear. Then his grin waned a fraction. “But… didn’t you say half the Guild’ll riot?”

“Fuck ‘em,” snapped Kal. “If they do, they’ll have to deal with me.”

“Sir…” The boy’s eyes watered.

“Oh—and don’t wear that thing around here. You’ll embarrass the other Tier-1s. Come back tomorrow and I’ll pin a Tier-2 badge on you.”

“Sir, you’re too kind!” The boy looked on the verge of happy tears. That was it for Kal. If there was one thing he couldn’t stand, it was crying, whiny, snotty brats. Especially brats who’d made him swallow his words. Kal felt his pride physically; it was a tender spot right above his heart. It throbbed like hells.

“Don’t be silly. We aren’t friends, kid. I don’t even like you. Truth be told, I find you irritating as hells. But you’re a member of the guild now, and I don’t abide nonsense aimed at any of our Artificers.”

The boy nodded, eyes wide as a newborn’s.

“Now get out of my sight!” Kal roared.

With a small bow, the boy skipped out of the room.

Groaning at the walls, Kal pinched at his forehead. “What have I gotten us into…?”

***

Lin met her friend Su at The Melted Chalice, a café placed conveniently near the main lobby. It was a quaint, charming place with a dark, smooth, wooden decor. Lamps hung on chain-links above, puffing with soft pastel lights. It was lightly peopled this late in the afternoon.

Across a small circle table and two matching cups of Spirit Bamboo tea, Su was prattling on about the Tournament. Lin was only half-listening. Her eyes kept drifting to the entrance to the testing chambers on the other side of the lobby. She wondered how Io was doing. I hope Uncle isn’t too hard on him...

She caught herself. She was being absurd, and she knew it. She hardly knew the boy! Why should she care? Why did she care? She didn’t care, she decided. She was simply bored. She needed distraction after weeks of grueling Tournament training. That must be it.

Then she he blinked. Su was snapping her fingers. “Hey, what’s the matter with you?”

“Sorry,” she said with a little half-hearted laugh. “You were saying?”

Su gave her an unimpressed stare. “I’ve set up more sparring for us,” she said, and Lin suppressed a groan.

“At this week’s end, with the boys from the Sphinx Academy’s class-1. With Ma Yun!”

“Oh…”

“He’s seeded in the Top-10—Master says he’s a lock for the quarterfinals. This is our chance to test ourselves against the real heavy hitters.”

“Mhm.”

“O-kay. No. Don’t you m-hm at me, Miss Zhang,” Su put her arms against the table and leaned forward. Her eyes narrowed to slits. “What’s wrong?”

“What?”

“Is it Eudora Azcan?” Su tsk-ed. “What’d she do this time? You can’t let her get to you! That’s her specialty. I heard she broke up Mistress Wei with her fiancé, just so she could screw with the poor girl’s head before their duel. The worst part is it worked.”

Lin started. “No!” She stammered. “Yes! I mean, well—Eudora did try me earlier today, but you know how she is. She hasn’t gotten to me.”

“Is it the Tournament? First-round jitters?” She crossed her arms. “You’re seeded. They won’t throw you anyone good in the first round. This year’s Tournament is special—and it’s not just all the added prizes.” She wrinkled her nose. “Did you hear they’re letting in Tribes-folk and Outskirters, too? You know my opinion on that. You'll likely be paired with one of them in round one. It’ll be trivial.”

Lin felt a strange flicker of annoyance. “What’s wrong with Tribes-folk and Outskirters?”

Su looked nonplussed. “Not this again. You’ve spent your whole life inside the city walls. You have this sunshine-y idea of those people. You don’t know them like I do. I was an Outskirter—I lived there the first nine years of my life! They’re wyrms! There’s not a decent man among them.“

“I don’t want to hear this.”

“Well, it’s true.” Su stopped to take a sip of her tea; she watched Lin with those sharp almond-brown eyes. “The best thing about them is they’re a timid, feeble lot. No real threat.”

“What about the Outsiders? The tribes-men?” said Lin. “Aren’t some of them strong fighters?”

Su snorted. “If you think any of them will make it past the second round, I have a flying carp to sell you.”

“I don’t know. A few of them seem quite skilled…”

Su paused to squint at her; Lin squirmed. Sometimes she thought her friend could read her thoughts straight out her head.

“It’s that savage-boy, isn’t it?” She said it like a statement, not a question. “He’s on your mind.”

Lin flushed. “What about him?”

“Lin, you’re of age now. You’ve got to stop associating yourself with folk so far beneath your station—especially not his kind! If you must fulfill this self-flagellation you call charity, donate some rations and be done with it.”

Lin scowled. “You sound just like my mother. And father. And brother. And every other bore telling me to do things I don’t wish to do. Don’t be boring, Su.”

Su sighed. “You’re impossible. All I’m saying is people might think—how shall I put it—swan wishes to eat toad meat.”

Lin paused for a second too long. His face rose unbidden in her mind; that dagger-sharp line of his jaw, his coal-black eyes, the feeling of his strong, muscled chest…that cool look on his face as he pressed Leo to the ground… she felt heat rising to her cheeks.

“…Really?” Su rolled her eyes. “Oh, Lin-Lin, you’re hopeless.”

“N-no! Of course not!” Lin laughed nervously. “Don’t be silly. It’s been three hours. I hardly know him!”

“Right,” said Su with a frown. “We both know you’ve got weird taste in men. You’re the same girl who got the hots for Young Master Kang ‘cause he liked wearing his hair in a braid.”

“I was eleven!”

“Sometimes I forget you aren’t.”

Lin glared at Su, but Su was placid as a spring pool. As usual.

“I don’t get it,” she muttered. “What’s so enticing about him, anyway?”

Before Lin could reply, she broke into a sudden smile. Her eyes fixed on someone behind Lin.

“Leo!” smiled Su. Placid pool no longer; now she was as bubbly as she ever got. Groaning, Lin looked back. And you’re berating me for my poor taste in men?

Su’s smile wilted as soon as fast as it’d come. Leos’ face was demented with poorly-restrained rage.

“The hour’s up,” he said.

“So?” frowned Lin.

“That savage’s exam is done. He’ll come out any moment.” His lips curved up in a mean little grin.

“The exam lasts five hours.”

“Not for him.” Leo was buoyant with joy. “Elder Kal’s only given him the one! Ready to see your little boy-toy booted out of the guild, vermin-lover?”

A burning coldness took Lin’s chest. To Lin’s side, Su gasped. Though Lin had always seen the ass underneath, Su had been taken in by Leo’s facade; usually the boy was a picture of noble courtesy. Especially to Lin. That scuffle with Io must’ve really needled him.

“You think I didn’t notice you draped all over him?” spat Leo, his eyes burning. “You think I don’t know what you two did in that private room?”

Lin’s teeth clenched so tight her jaw hurt. How dare he?

To her side, Su was horrified. Her face was drained of blood. “L-Lin?!”

“You’re a fucking disgrace!” snarled Leo. Lin was acutely aware that the whole of the café—no, the whole of the lobby—was staring at them. Her hands clenched to fists. Her head rushed with rage; it only built like a surging wave as Leo kept speaking. “How did it feel, letting that filth taint your bloodline?”

Silence. There was a choked, restless silence.

This—this impudent worm! Lin’s rage crashed in her ears; she was swept along in a scalding-hot rush of it. She leapt to her feet. The words rushed out before she could think about them.

“It felt really fucking good, actually,” she heard herself say. She was so mad her vision had started to swim with red. She didn’t know what she was saying. All she knew was that it drove a dagger deep into Leo’s heart; she could tell by the look in his eyes. Good. She was filled with that familiar, heady rush of sadistic joy; trembling, she twisted the handle.

“He’s so strong. So big. I was helpless under him as he destroyed me. You know the feeling well, don’t you, Leo?”

Leo’s face was somehow pale and flushed at once. “You—you godsdamned whore!”

“And you know what? I loved every second of it!” She bared her teeth at him.

Before Leo could reply, the ‘he’ in question strolled out of the testing corridor. Lin nearly fell over then and there. Her face was suddenly very, very hot; she hid her head in her hands. Did—did I just say all that?! She wanted to crawl into the Sinkhole and drown herself. What the hells is wrong with me?

Leo’s face had taken on a hue of sea-salt. His fingers stabbed into his palms. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to beat the living qi out of Io.

Then Martial Elder Kal emerged from the corridor, his big mouth drooped in a frown. Leo’s eyes flashed.

“Martial Elder!” he cried as he dashed for the Elder with his arms outstretched like a drowning man snatching at a lifeline. “I wish to lodge a formal complaint!”

“What now?” growled Kal. Leo pointed a shaking finger at Io, who looked faintly amused.

“This savage has duped Miss Lin, assaulted me, and dared to demand a Tier-1 test! He’s most flagrantly disrespected the Guild’s honor!” Leo swallowed. “I request the savage be flogged at once! And—and for the crime of assaulting me, break his arm for good measure!”

Lin was so mad she could scarcely breathe. But just as she was about to run over and give Uncle Kal a piece of her mind—and Leo a piece of her fist—the Martial Elder let out a loud exasperated rumble.

“Look, kid. I don’t know what sort of pissing match you’ve gotten yourself into, but issues between Guild members are best settled one-on-one. Don’t call me if it’s anything short of murder or embezzlement.”

“Wha—?” Leo gaped. Then the rest of the Elder’s words hit him. “Between Guild members? Sir, you passed him?!”

“Unfortunately.” The Elder fished for earwax with a pinky as he spoke. “I’d have loved nothing more than to boot him out, but the little fucker’s the most talented Artificer this Guild’s seen in a decade. Had to let him in. Nothing to be done for it.”

Leo’s mouth hung open like a fish. The more the Elder spoke, the wider his eyes got. By the end of it his eyes looked about to fall out of his skull. “B-B-But—“ he spluttered. “But—“ He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a high-pitched whine. “Euurrggh??”

“Indeed,” said the Martial Elder dryly. Yawning, he made to stalk off. But he paused after two steps.

“Oh, yes. One more thing.”

The slap came so fast Lin heard the crack before she saw Leo spinning to the ground with a cry. There hadn’t been any release of Bloodline or Aura. One moment Elder Kal was two paces off, the next he leaned over Leo with fury lighting his face.

Leo, meanwhile, was curled up and clutching at his reddening cheek. He cried out, whimpering.

“You lied to me. You made me rush down twelve fucking flights of stairs for nothing! The next time you mistake me for your dog, I’ll mistake you for a whetstone. Understood?”

“Y-yes, sir!” Still massaging his cheek, eyes brimming with tears, Leo struggled to his feet. The Martial Elder grunted and left.

Io giggled. Leo swerved to face him. “You find this funny, do you, you blasted demon?! I’ll fucking—I’ll—“ Leo spluttered at him but the words seemed stuck in his throat. Lin saw the precise moment the memory of how their last encounter went kicked in—he flinched like he’d been stung.

“You’ll do what?” asked Io mildly. He took a step in. Leo flinched and stumbled back. His face shifted in an instant; all the fight rushed out of him.

“S-stay back!” he yelped.

Fingers of shadow wafted off of Io like a halo of midnight. A sliver of his Bloodline leaked out; the air felt a little harder to breathe. His eyes were ice-cold. Dispassionate. A chill went down Lin’s spine.

“You seem to have an issue with me, fellow Leo,” He said in his velvet-smooth voice. “Let’s resolve it here.”

Leo nearly flinched out of his skin. He swallowed. Most of his hotness had had been slapped out of him; now he looked strangely small. Small and shivering.

“You said you wish to break my arm?” Io said. Lazily, he extended his arm to Leo. “I won’t resist. I promise. But after you’re done… I get to break a part of you. What do you say?”

He grinned, baring all his teeth, and it was then that Lin knew she’d been wrong to tell Kal not to call him a savage. In that grin was an animal ferocity the likes of which Lin had never seen. His canines glistened in the light; his eyes were so cold and bright they could’ve been shards of dirty ice. Every man in the room knew with a stone-cold certainty that he meant what he said. He wanted Leo to try it; he was trembling with eagerness at the thought.

And it was then, too, that Lin realized that this wasn't the person she thought she’d spent the last few hours with. There was a wild viciousness under those pretty features. Her heart quivered in her chest. She didn't know what to feel.

“No,” choked Leo. There was a wetness dribbling down his legs onto the floor. In any other situation Lin would’ve found it funny.

The pressure vanished in a snap. The lights shone brightly above. It was like there’d never been any pressure at all. When Io smiled again it was warm, without a hint of sharpness.

“Good.”

Lin caught his eye. An electric thrill shot through her. Then he turned on his heel and left.

The lobby exploded in whispers and shouts.

As Lin reached for her tea-cup, still shaken, she saw Su with her face cupped in her hands. The girl’s eyes wouldn’t leave Io as he walked out the front gates; for a long while they lingered on the place he’d been. She was blushing! Lin could count on one hand the number of times she'd seen the girl blush.

“I…think I get it now,” Su breathed.