Awoken by the sounds of Baz and Mylon packing the campsite, Zycor sat up and took inventory of his surroundings. After he got dressed and packed everything up, Zycor exited the tent. “Well, look who finally decided to wake up.” Baz remarked.

“So, did anything end up happening with that egg?” Mylon inquired.

Zycor shook his head, “No change, still an egg.”

Baz shrugged, “Well, maybe its purpose is to be eaten. It’s a pretty large egg, I bet we could all have quite a good breakfast.”

Zycor took a defensive stance, guarding the egg as he glared at Baz. “Ha,” Baz chuckled, “I was joking, but do you really think you could stop me?”

Mylon, seeing the situation escalating, stepped in, “Ok, that’s enough you two. Baz, quit messing with Zy. And Zycor, taking almost anything this moron says seriously is a mistake.”

The tension finally began to dissipate as Mylon let out a sigh of relief. “These two are ticking time bombs when around each other. Just glad I managed to stop them before then,” he thought to himself.

As Baz turned to walk away, almost like divine providence decided Mylons day was not allowed to be easy, he quipped, “Learn to take a joke, kid.”

Hearing Baz call him the word set the already on edge Zycor spiraling off the cliff of anger. “Shit!” Mylon exclaimed as Zycor blitzed past him in a bolt of lightning.

“Baz!” Mylon called out, “Watch out!”

Baz, smirking, replied, “Oh, I know. Thought that would set him off.”

Baz turned to face Zycor, but immediately had to take a step back due to Zycor already being on him. With Baz caught off guard, Zycor delivered a blow to his stomach. The initial impact did nothing to the rock solid wall of an abdomen that was Baz’s stomach, however the blast of electricity caused Baz to stagger back.

“I admit, kid, you are faster than I gave you credit for,” Baz began as he got his bearings.

He then lunged at Zycor, trying to grab his face, “Too bad you have not been in as many battles as I have!”

As Baz ferociously closed his grip, Zycor managed to use the electricity to force himself down out of Baz’s attack. As Baz’s hand slammed closed on air, he looked down to where Zycor dodged. Baz’s Eyes widened as he began looking for him. “Where did you go, you little shit!” Baz raged, thinking Zycor may have run away like a coward.

From behind him, Baz heard Zycor respond coldly, “Behind you, dumbass.”

Zycor wrapped his arm around Baz’s neck, putting him into a choke hold. After applying as much strength as he could muster, Zycor’s hold weakened as he caught his breath. Baz, with Zycor still on his back with a loose hold on his neck, just stood there. After a moment of silence, Baz commented, “That was so pathetic, I can’t even be angry anymore. That was pitiful. I can’t believe I expected more. Guess it was too much to expect from a kid.”

With that comment, Zycor’s rage broke. Finally expressing his anger, Zycor tightened his hold and exclaimed, “Not only are you still calling me a kid, but now you say you pity me!? Fine! Continue your pitying while unconscious!”

Baz, confused, began, “What are you-.”

He was promptly cut off as lightning erupted from Zycor, engulfing Baz. As the lightning coursed through him, Baz fell to his knees, then to the ground, passed out.

Zycor, out of breath after expending nearly all of the mana he had, got off of Baz. “Don’t. Call. Me. Kid.” Zycor panted.

He turned and walked towards his tent to finish packing it up. After a moment Baz sat up and sat for a moment longer. “Well Zycor,” Mylon started, “You’ve done it now.”

After he regained control of his breathing and twitching muscles, Baz staggered to his feet. After he steadied himself, he looked at Zycor, who had not so much as glanced back, and huffed, “Alright, fine. You have made your point…Zycor.”

With that, Baz began walking over to his axe and supplies. As he walked past Mylon, Baz, through gritted teeth, muttered, “I’ll be waiting for you two a little ways up ahead.”

Without giving Mylon the chance to respond, Baz grabbed his stuff and headed through the trees.

Mylon reached out to try and stop Baz, but stopped. He sighed as he slowly lowered his hand and turned to Zycor, “Was that really necessary?”

Zycor, not stopping his tent packing, replied, “Not sure. But I do know that he was looking for a fight. He wanted to vent his stress. I just refused to be that outlet. Sue me.”

Mylon stared at Zycor in silence, his agitation growing larger by the second until he finally yelled, “Zycor, he was joking about the egg!”

Zycor began, “He called me a kid. So-.”

Mylon cut him off, “He called you a kid!? Are you really saying you attacked a friend over something like that!? Oh, my bad, I almost forgot you are an impulsive fifteen year old, so yeah, that would be something you would do huh?”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Zycor coldly stared at Mylon and replied, “We are not friends. And you guys are only three years older than I am.”

Mylon stood stunned at the statement as Zycor, returning to finish packing the last few things, continued, “We are only together because mom said so. I don’t know you guys, and you guys don’t know me. And that’s all there is to it.”

Mylon’s shock soon dissipated and was slowly replaced with a solemn look. “So, you never once thought of us as friends, huh?’ Mylon began, “My mistake, I thought after what we had been through… no, never mind. I guess not, huh?”

Mylon grabbed his stuff and turned to meet up with Baz, “Well, we will be waiting for you up ahead. When you are ready, come join us, kid.”

Zycor went to get angry for being called a kid again, but when he turned around, Mylon had already walked off. As Zycor stayed crouched, he began to realize how the way Mylon called him a ‘kid’ felt different from all the times before. When Baz and Mylon had called him that before, it had felt warm, like when Dreiford called him ‘my boy.’ As Zycor gathered up his things, he thought about how different that last ‘kid’ comment felt. Thinking about everything they had been through; getting to the dungeon, exploring inside of it, and spending the evening talking. Zycor stared up to the sky as he got up with his stuff as he thought, “Dammit… I did go too far, didn’t I. Shit. I feel like shit.”

“Dammit!” Baz shouted as he took down a tree with his bare hands, “what the hell was that!? That little shit. I can’t believe he really attacked me over being called a ‘kid.’ Even more than that, how was he able to get on me like that!? I actually let my guard down! Me… ME!”

Taking down another tree, Mylon came up behind him and said, “Well, it’s only natural to feel like you should be allowed to let your guard down around friends. Unfortunately, it appears our ‘friendship’ was one sided.”

Baz turned to look at Mylon and responded, “We are not friends, ok? We were just forced to babysit that little shit-.”

As Baz finished his insult and looked at Mylon, he stopped. Baz was met with a sad look plastered on Mylon’s face. There were no tears, just a nearly overwhelming sense of somberness. “So,” Mylon began, “I was the only one who thought we were getting along. Ironic, considering I am normally the one to ignore and avoid people.”

The two stood in silence for a moment. Then Baz, not knowing what to say to his friend, walked over and awkwardly patted him on the back. “H-hey, don’t be so down. What happened?” Baz asked.

Mylon shrugged, “Well, Zycor said the same thing you did. That ‘we are only together because of Adria’ or rather ‘to babysit.’ He said there was no friendship. I just feel stupid. I thought we could be good friends with the kid. I guess not.”

Zycor, who hid just out of view, obscured by the trees, leaned against one as he listened to Mylons comments. Zycor grabbed his chest. He hated what he was feeling. This was something he had not felt since his family had been taken from him. Though he had no idea how to make it right, Zycor felt he had to try. He walked through the brush to meet Baz and Mylon. The rustling of the brush and twigs alerted the two to his presence. Everyone remained silent as Zycor walked over to Baz. As he stood in front of Baz, he held out the egg. refusing to look him in the eyes, Zycor raised the egg up to obscure their line of sight of each other as Zycor said, “Egg.”

Baz, stunned and uncertain as to what to make of the situation, tried to lightly laugh it off. “Hehe, what gives Zycor? Finally ready for that omelet?” he nervously chuckled

Still refusing to look Baz in the eyes, Zycor responded, “No, I know you would not do that.”

Baz, still nervously chuckling, commented, “Oh yeah? And how would you know that?”

Zycor responded, “Because I trust you.”

Baz, growing unable to keep up the act, sighed heavily and asked, “What do you mean trust? Didn’t you just try to kill me because you didn’t trust I was joking?”

Zycor looked up at Baz, finally meeting his eyes, and said, “Because friends are supposed to trust each other.”

Zycor then forcibly shoved the egg to Baz. Zycor walked over to Mylon. As with Baz, Zycor stood in front of Mylon in silence as he looked at the ground. After a moment, he immediately raised his head up and locked eyes with Mylon, “I am sorry, Mylon. You were right. We have not been together long, but I feel like we got to know each other, at least a little bit. Even if we never directly talked about ourselves. I think I had fun.”

Zycor held out his hand, gesturing to Mylon to shake it. Mylon took a moment, and then gripped Zycors hand as he replied, “I accept your apology. I also apologize for my ‘fifteen-year old’ comment.”

Baz cleared his throat and said, “Alright ladies, enough with this emotional crap! Let’s head back.”

As the trio began to set out, Baz handed Zycor the egg and said, “Here. I promise I didn’t shake it too much, Zycor.”

“Kid.” Zycor responded.

Baz understandably responded, “Excuse the hell out of me!?”

Zycor elaborated, “ I always thought that being called ‘kid’ was meant as an insult. But when Mylon said it before he left, it felt different and felt like an insult. If calling me kid is what you want to do, then I won’t stop you.”

Mylon asked, “Hey, wasn’t the fight between you two earlier about the ‘kid’ comment more than the egg joke?”

Baz, piggy-backing off of Mylon’s question, said, “Yeah, Mylon’s right. No doubt the egg comment set you on edge, but it was when I called you ‘kid’ that you really lost it. But now, since Mylon called you ‘kid’ and it ‘felt different,’ it’s ok to call you ‘kid’?”

“Yes.” Zycor responded matter-of-factly.

Baz sighed as he chuckled, “Honestly, I don’t think I have EVER done something as exhausting as dealing with you. Though, I will take you up on your offer, kid. If you want me to call you by your name again, you will have to earn it in a proper duel, no shenanigans like today, got it!?”

Zycor nodded. Mylon, hearing the two talk, cracked a brief smile just barely seen by Baz. “Was that a smile I saw from our resident depressed paladin?” Baz remarked.

Mylon, shifting his head to hide it from Baz, replied, “I think your eyes are still recovering after you got your ass handed to you by a fifteen year old.”

Baz, instantly becoming defensive, snapped back, “HEY! I was caught off guard and you know it! I swear to the goddess I will use my disintegrating powers on you!”

“We went over this, you don’t have that power.” Mylon responded, now having composed himself.

“Prove it!” Baz shouted.

After a moment of the two intensely staring at one another, they began to laugh.

Baz looked over at Zycor and saw him with a small smile on his face, similar to what Mylon had. Overreacting, he jumped to the other side of Mylon, pointed, and exclaimed, “What the hell is that Mylon?! Some mysterious entity has invaded the kid's body. Quick! We must purge it and save our new friend!”

“Shut up, you idiot.” Zycor chuckled.

The trio began their long trek back to the guild as a group of friends, rather than strangers.