By the following Saturday, Pax was thoroughly sick of Taming. The entire week had passed, surrounded by almost as many beasts as he would see during a battle in the Wilds or a shift on the walls. At least they weren't trying to kill him. Well, not once he helped Tame them.

He spent multiple evenings working at their team's new business. They’d also helped add another five pets to the Steelshade's ranks, with plans for more during the following week. It had only been so few because many of the teams were out on assignments, leaving a skeleton crew at headquarters.

Pax did his best to ignore the reason behind the deployments. There wasn't anything he could do except hope their warning had made it to the rebel bases in time to make a difference. Having spent more time with the Steelshades, Pax had a better feel for how deadly they were in action. Just watching them train made him hope he never had to face them on a battlefield.

But the rebels had generations of practice hiding and avoiding notice. With a bit of warning, they should be able to abandon their bases and move before danger descended on them. At least, that's what Pax hoped.

Then there had been the time spent with the military leaders put in charge of the new Taming program. It had taken all of his Charisma and acting skills to keep from sweating under their scrutiny. Playing the role of an excited loyalist had become almost second nature after this week. It helped that he had his crew assisting with the work.

It also didn't hurt that the military offered them a fifty-silver bonus for every person they helped gain the Taming skill. It was obvious the point was to not need Team Tribal in the future. But Incedis and Turgan had calculated that the war would be decided before the new tamers and baby beasts got powerful enough to affect the outcome.

That just left Pax with the stubborn fourth level of Taming tantalizingly out of reach. His skill had completely stalled out. The fundamental problem, of course, was that he was only Taming baby beasts. It wasn’t challenging to him at all. Even the times he helped crafters and warriors Tame companions, he only saw the slightest improvement in his skill. It was becoming much more obvious that he needed a challenge or he’d never reach the next milestone.

Thankfully, Incedis had come up with a solution. It had taken a few days to set up, but this afternoon, Incedis arranged a pass from their conditioning classes so Team Tribal could help with the exploding need for new baby beasts. Pax would join his team on an expedition to go further afield to find more nests. They’d pack meals for the day and get as far as they could before they needed to turn around and return before dark.

Everyone on Team Tribal was looking forward to the expedition. The tension in the capital had only grown, making everyone feel on edge. It was ironic that a trip out into the Wilds felt like a way to relax and get away from the drama building in the city. But it was true. A straightforward mission to discover nests and capture baby beasts felt much more enticing than navigating the tangled plots choking the academy and city.

Rin and Tyrodon were the most excited about the venture. They'd been squeezing extra time to work on the vermin traps they'd won from the auction and were anticipating the chance to test them out. Anything that boosted the number of baby beasts they could bring in would be valuable.

Pax was excited about new items, too. Earlier in the week, Tyrodon had promised to finish integrating the Spectral Mana Mirror into Pax's shield before they headed into the Wilds. Pax had high hopes for the item, already visualizing how he could trap powerful spells to use as attacks later. And, as it was an artifact, he'd be able to shoot off any type of elemental spell he wanted without repercussion. Well, of the primary elements, at least.

He would have liked to have tested the shield before going out into the Wilds. But Tyrodon hadn't been able to finish it in time. Besides, if Pax were honest, there just hadn't been the time. With the area around the capital mostly cleared, the Wilds weren't nearly as dangerous as they had been while on the Purge.

And they'd have the entire team out together. Sure, they would split up into crews, but they'd stay close enough to help each other if needed. That just left Incedis’ plans to set up a way for Pax to level his Taming.

If it worked out as expected, Pax would miss out on all the nest-raiding fun. Still, helping departing rebels Tame an adult beast sounded almost as thrilling as a tromp through the Wilds. He could test his new mirrored shield any time, but if he wanted his Taming to reach a level that was valuable to the rebels, he needed to do something significant.

One thing he did make sure to do was thread a trickle of light mana into the mirror as soon as he got it back from Tyrodon. He made sure to stick to a rate that was close to the speed that he regenerated mana, so he’d stay mostly topped off for the trip into the Wilds. Still, it shouldn’t take long before he had a nice battery to rely on the next time things got dicey.

As they arrived at Salman's southern pedestrian gate, they found a longer than expected line waiting to exit the city. A handful of inquisitors, in their distinctive black-and-white robes, had also joined the usual guards checking passes and running people past the exit altar's pedestal.

Ignoring how his stomach clenched, Pax grinned and gave a smiling wave of acknowledgement when one of them looked up and caught sight of their team arriving. The man's dour expression didn't shift, but his gaze didn't linger long on their group. Their interference made the line take longer than usual to advance. The Inquisitors stepped up to ask extra questions that Pax was too far away to hear. He pulled his stamped pass out to have it ready. Hopefully, they'd get through quickly.

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“Well, if it isn't the army's favorite Taming protege.”

Next to Pax, Amil groaned. “Please tell me that's not who I think it is.”

Rin had already turned and, in a voice filled with false cheer, said, “Aymer, Kali, funny seeing you here. I assume you and your team are headed out to find baby beasts like everyone else?”

Pax turned slower than his friend and clenched his teeth to keep from saying anything derogatory. Sure enough, with the same superior smile he always seemed to wear, Aymer had stepped into line right behind them. To his side, his sister gave Pax a contrite shrug when he caught her eye.

A group of what looked like a hardened and experienced crew stood behind the siblings. They fixed their eyes impatiently on the gate, obviously not interested in any drama between students.

“Of course we are,” Aymer drawled in his condescending voice. “And we represent the Oakhouse Consortium, not just a single team of low-class students. You may have wormed your way into a favorable position with the military to start, but it won't last. In fact—"

Kali pushed past her brother with a subtle elbow to his side and aimed an apologetic look at them. “There's no need for any conflict between our teams. According to our accompanying professionals, there are lots of nests still available once you get a few miles from the wall. And the same goes for the military. Their needs are significant enough that both of our ventures still won’t meet them. There will be plenty of Taming business to go around. Best of luck to you today.” She finished with a tight smile and took a step back, staying between her brother and Pax’s group.

Aymer gave her an exasperated look. When he looked back at them, he let out a sigh before speaking in a much more reasonable tone. “I guess my sister is right. I tend to let my competitive nature take charge a bit too often. I still think we will eventually do much better than you and take over as leaders in this business, but there's no reason to be jerks about it.”

A stifled snort of surprise came from Amil, while Pax's eyes widened at the unexpected turnaround. Aymer noticed and, for the briefest of moments, chagrin flickered across his expression.

He stiffened and seemed to force out the next words. “I have had time to come to terms with the death of my close friend, Naexi. It wasn’t fair of me to blame you for her loss. She was an independent, strong woman and made her own choices. She did her best to save all of our lives, and I won't denigrate her memory by blaming you for her death.”

Pax stared at Aymer, speechless. Next to him, Rin let out a small huff full of amazement. Aymer looked like he had finished speaking when his sister nudged him again.

He cleared his throat as a bit of color rose along his neck. “I also realize that Mage Graybrew took advantage of my grief to manipulate me into joining him on his ill-considered crusade to actually kill you and your crew, something I know was irrational and ill-advised. While I don't wish death on Mage Graybrew, I am glad to be out of his realm of influence. Thankfully, my sister helped me come to my senses before I joined him on his last expedition, or else I might have suffered the same fate as him.” When he finished the awkward half-apology, he glanced at his sister for approval.

She gave him a subtle nod before turning back to them with a pleasant smile. “Best of luck today. I'm sure we will encounter you again, as we are both working in the same new growth industry.”

“Which we will soon dominate,” Aymer added, his arrogance back.

His sister frowned at him.

“What?” He gave her an unrepentant look. “Crushing someone in an industry is not the same as physically attacking them. It's just good business. Ask Father, if you don't agree. Besides, I still really don't like the arrogant peons.” He waved a dismissive hand in their direction.

“Well, good luck to you too,” Rin interrupted before the bickering could get worse and turned her back on them.

Pax took his cue from her, giving them an amicable nod despite the drama of the encounter before also turning his back on the group.

Am I the only one who found that extremely odd? Dahni's voice came over the Echoes, full of incredulity.

No, definitely not, Pax sent, followed by similar sentiments from the rest of the crew. More and more, Pax was looking forward to leaving the capital and all of its problems behind.

Ahead of them, they only had two more groups before they could leave. Pax silently urged the line to move faster.

However, before they could reach the front of the line, another commotion behind them grew louder, drawing everyone's attention. Pax really didn't want to turn around again.

“Wait for us.”

“Excuse us.”

“We are joining our group up there.”

Then Pax recognized the distinctive and brash tone. Warrior Grinheld! With a much happier smile this time, he spun around. Sure enough, he saw Burning Claw’s team leader, Venris, and his second in command, Warrior Grinheld, threading their way through the crowd.

When Grinheld caught his eye, she bounced up, giving him an enthusiastic wave over the heads of Aymer's group. Kali motioned for their team to give them space to pass, while Aymer looked disgruntled at letting anyone cut in line.

Turgan had noticed the commotion and quickly made his way to the back with Pax's crew.

“We heard you could use some help in the Wilds today,” Grinheld said with her booming voice. “And what are allies for if not to show up and help. Besides, I've missed this little guy and owe him another delivery of treats, right?” She leaned down to pet an ecstatic Talpa who was more than happy to gobble down the handful of treats she held out. She did a double take and smiled. “Well, not nearly so little now. I'll hand over the rest to your buddy, Pax, here so he can dole it out later, alright?”

Mage Venris walked past Grinheld and held out a hand to Turgan. “Well met, Team Leader Turgan. We would like to offer our help today as your allies. Grinheld and I brought supplies, extra weapons, and our knowledge of the landscape south of Salman. We've been spending quite a bit of time there ourselves, ransacking beast nests to feed the new craze that I hear you're responsible for.”

“Thank you, Team Leader Venris,” Turgan answered with the same formality. “We would be very grateful for your help and still owe you and your team your own beasts. But today, time is of the essence. We would appreciate any directions you can give us to help our expedition today be more successful.”

“Happy to. And I know Grinheld has been sifting through her choices and hasn’t made her mind up on a good beast type yet. So, we have plenty of time to get our own beasts. Meeting the army’s needs comes first.”

Pax's brows rose at their formal words and tones. He felt grateful that he hadn't campaigned to be team leader. He really didn’t enjoy politicking.

Still talking, the two leaders moved to the front of their group while Grinheld greeted each of their companions with her seemingly unending supply of treats. Finally, the line began moving, and Pax grinned. It was time to leave the capital and all its problems behind, even if it was just for a day.