“That’s not true,” Beth said.

She’d approached them not too long ago with a look of curiosity on her face.

“And what are you doing?” she added, studying Seth’s expression for a moment. “The adventure guild will deal with it once we report we’ve cleared the nest. There’s no need to go core hunting.”

“I have no idea if that’s what I’m actually doing,” Tao Mei answered. “New guy was trying to pry it open so I offered a helping hand. Also, he is the only Iron we know in a team of Silvers.”

“Noel’s team has an Iron mage and their all Silver.”

“Barry’s royalty. Their practically protecting him and giving him experience until he hits silver.” Tao Mei wiped the back of her forearm across her face, cleaning a stain of blood that had splattered across it. “It’s not the same.”

“Well, all he does is stay at the back and shoot his gun.” Beth turned to Seth. “No offence.”

None taken, a mind answered sardonically.

Beth raised her brows at him. When he still didn’t answer, she returned her attention to Tao Mei. “What I’m trying to say is he’s not so different. He’s like,” she twirled a hand, looking for the proper word she needed, “a mascot. All mysterious and over armed.”

“I know you’re a mean person, Beth,” Tao Mei said without looking up from her work, a strain in her voice as she continued to wrench the chest apart. “But can you tone it down a bit. It’s not his fault Rick’s not here. That’s on your boyfriend.”

“But he’s the one butting in without knowing what he’s doing.”

Seth listened to both ladies discuss with a detached interest. The rest of his attention was kept on their surroundings, as far as his minds could reach.

They all stood amidst the countless trees and plants in a cacophony of green so bountiful he doubted there was a shade of the color that was not here. Between the tiny gaps in the canopy of branches and leaves above them tiny rays of sunlight, remnants of the dying evening, provided them with enough light to see.

As for what the ladies were talking about, he knew more than enough. According to the team’s file, they’d had a younger teammate who’d been with them for only six months before his unfortunate demise.

Rick had been a promising mage who’d leaned towards force reia. How they’d lost him had been a tale of grief. As Jim had put it to him, William had dared him to go into a nest of Iron rank reia beasts. As a silver mage it had been some kind of test against his strength. They had expected him to come out perhaps battered and bruised, unfortunately, he never did.

So now here he was, a perceived replacement of the famous and missed Rick. As much as he understood their pain to a certain level, he could not bring himself to empathize with them. People died every day, some more hardworking than the other. Some lived their lives staying away from danger only to die for no more reason than someone felt it was simply their fate. His mind slipped back to a ship of unknowing sailors and he forced the thought away.

There were children in the seminary who had been living happy lives just a year ago who would not see next year.

Rick was just an unfortunate death count in a much larger number. And from what he’d learned, his death was not completely undeserved. He’d walked into the nest of his own accord and hadn’t even cleared it.

That’s harsh, a mind thought. That he chose the life of adventuring doesn’t mean dying was deserved.

Seth cocked a brow at it but said nothing.

In all fairness, another mind thought. They challenged him to go into a nest of reia beasts and he did. What did he think was going to happen? They’d just lie on their backs and play dead. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Doesn’t mean he deserved it.

“Everybody dies,” Seth muttered. “That’s what he’s trying to say.”

Beth turned abruptly and grabbed him by the strap of his rifle that crossed his torso from shoulder to hip. She drew him so close he could feel the hot air of her breath against his forehead.

“What do you know of death, huh? With your pathetic amnesia you’ve only been alive for seven months. Who are you to say shit about death?”

“Beth,” Tao Mei said, trying to draw her attention.

Beth was having none of it. “No! he’ll tell me what he knows of death. He’ll tell me what gave him the effrontery to say what he said. Everybody dies? That’s the problem with spoiled Iron magi like him. Here we are, carrying his ass and he suddenly thinks he knows anything.”

“That’s quite enough, Beth,” Drew said.

Succeeding where Tao Mei had failed, Beth turned to him. “And why should I stop?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” he told her, reaching for his face and stopping in characteristic manner. He frowned at his hand before putting it down. “I don’t care what you have against him, or what you say. However, you will not belittle a mage brought into our team.”

“He’s only here because Jim’s giving him special treatment.”

“And you know this how?”

She cast her free hand around. “He’s surrounded him with all of us. He’s just Iron. He has no reason being here except to be carried into silver like one of all those pompous royalties.”

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Her words were barely free of her mouth before one of Seth’s twin blade was at her neck. Tao Mei held the weapon with a silent ease that belied the weight Seth had suffered with it.

“Choose your next words wisely,” she warned.

Beth turned a scowl at her but said nothing. Off to the side William was no longer resting against a tree. He was alert, a wolf growing rabid, looking for a chance. Hands free at his sides.

Are they about to fight? One of Seth’s minds asked.

Not sure, another thought. We think it all boils down to what grumpy over here says next.

Jaola, for his part, merely raised his head to look at them. His eyes panned to Seth before he returned them to the book he was reading. Today it was a new book with a cleaner cover than the last one.

“Tao Mei,” Drew warned gently. “Let’s think about this before we do anything rash.”

Tao Mei turned a friendly smile at him but the shortsword never wavered. “I’m still thinking well, that’s why she still has a head on her shoulders. Her next words will determine what happens next.” She turned the smile to Beth. “Isn’t that right, Bethany?”

Beth continued to scowl at the lady but her fear was beginning to show in the trembling of the hand that held Seth.

Is it just us or are these people worse than our brothers, a mind asked. We mean, look at them. William’s preparing to take Tao Mei out. Drew’s holding together a broken ship. This one here’s shaking in fear, it’s a miracle she hasn’t pissed herself. Tao Mei’s a real loony. And Jaola doesn’t even seem to care.

Seth listened to his minds ramble out information he’d already learned in the month he’d spent as a member of the team.

Anyone else think we can take Beth, another mind asked. We put her down and this whole cauldron of chaos stops simmering.

While Seth felt he could take her, he doubted now was the time to be harboring such thoughts. What he needed was to find a way to diffuse the situation. He wasn’t stupid. Thinking he could take on Beth was one thing, but being caught up in the chaos of a fight between Silver magi was something he had no confidence of surviving. Then again, [Quick Step] could carry him far.

His mind was still racing through possibilities when he lifted his hand and held his blade from the back. It stained his hand green with the blood of the corpse it had been in.

Tao Mei looked at him with an equal warning in her eyes and he said, “I really can’t say I know what’s going on right now, but those things are extremely sharp. I’d be careful how I move them, even around a silver mage.”

Tao Mei turned away from him. “Your next words,” she said to Beth, ignoring him. “You heard the Iron. Pick them quickly, this thing is sharper than it looks.”

“Apologize, Beth,” Drew said.

“Why?” Beth argued. “She’s the one with a knife to my neck.”

“And you’re the one who spoke ill of House fifty-eight.”

“Everyone’s thinking it. Why else would he put an Iron amongst Sil—Ow!”

A line of blood trickled down her neck were the blade of Seth’s sword met it. Seth felt William twitch in his senses then freeze in place.

“Careful Wil,” Tao Mei warned. “I might not be itching to take her head off but I’m fairly certain I can take it off without remorse if she keeps speaking ill of Jim.”

“Try it and I’ll take yours,” William bit out.

“No one will be doing anything!” Drew hissed.

“You think you can?” Tao Mei asked, ignoring Drew. “Cause I’m quite sure I’ll still have more than enough strength to take you when I’m done with her. Careful, princess,” she warned without turning to Beth. “We’ve already proven this thing’s sharp. I don’t want to see how it does against your muscles, too.”

“Apologize, Now! Beth!” Drew scolded. “You’ve done wrong and you know it. Jim is as much your benefactor as he is Oden’s. Your words against him now belittle everything he has helped you achieve till this date.”

“She doesn’t have to do anything,” William spat. In a quieter voice he added: “Give me a chance and I’ll break that bitch’s hand.”

Drew turned faster than Seth’s eyes could follow and slammed William into the tree behind him. A long crack ran up the tree from where William was pinned to it.

“The only reason we’ve become like this is because of you,” he said coldly, balefully. “If you had any ounce of self-control you would not have challenged Rick to such madness. But you did. And we let you. So here we are now, blaming our guilt on an Iron who’s done nothing but obey his benefactor. Now, you’ll keep quiet and allow me calm this madness or we can all disband and go our separate ways.”

What happens to our pastoral year if they disband?

Jim’ll probably move us to another team, a mind replied.

“Or we fail,” Seth mumbled.

With his hand still pinning William to the tree, Drew returned his attention to Tao Mei and Beth.

“If she apologizes,” he said, “will that be enough?”

Tao Mei gave it a moment’s thought. “I will accept it.”

“The bitch cut me!” Beth shrieked. “She should be the one apologizing.”

“And yet, you’re the one going to apologize,” Drew snapped. “Or I can leave you to your fate and we can see if you can come out of this okay.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Beth’s voice trembled. “You’re the leader of this team. Jim put you in charge.”

“Yes, he did. And I’ll explain to him that when faced with a solution, you chose to ignore your team leader. Now apologize,” he turned his head to a struggling William. “Stay!” he hissed, pinning him down harder and creating more cracks along the tree. When William stopped struggling, he returned his attention to Beth. “Now apologize, or take your chances with Mei.”

A moment filled the air in complete silence. In it everyone waited for what would come next. Seth took more controlled breathes, cycled his reia faster, hoping it would make a difference if things went south.

“I’m sorry,” Beth finally said. “I was angry. I shouldn’t have said what I did about Jim.”

Tao Mei nodded her acceptance then stared at where she held Seth. Beth followed her gaze then released him and stepped back.

There was still a tension in the air that cared nothing for subtlety but the threat of severe violence was gone. Seth’s mind was still cataloguing the event when Tao Mei lowered his sword.

“Good,” Drew said, releasing William. “That’s one problem solved.”

There’s still another problem? One of Seth’s minds asked.

Seth just began contemplating what it could be when Tao Mei turned and stabbed the dead reia beast with his sword. In one heavy heave, she ripped the chest completely open and stuck her hand inside it. The hand returned bloody all the way to her elbow and she held in it what seemed to be the creature’s heart.

“This what you were looking for?” she asked.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Seth’s minds answered, excited.

Seth held out his hand and she dropped it in his palm. “It seems so,” he answered calmly.

“I’m guessing you can get your swords yourself,” she added, raising her bloody hand as she stepped past him and an angry Beth. “Wouldn’t want to stain it.”

Seth nodded, staring at the dead heart in his hand. As if propelled by something he did not know, he let his hand fall limp and the heart fell to the dirt. He reached for his blades and drew them from the corps. He slid one into its sheath behind him and cut the heart in two with the other. Now exposed, its core gleamed green and he reached for it.

“What are you doing?” Drew halted him. “The cores are a part of the guild’s calculation of our payment.”

Seth reached into the center of the heart and picked up the core. He held it up for all to see.

“And how much would this cost?”

“Four silver thirty,” Jaola said, speaking for the first time since the altercation. “Three silver in the black market.”

Drew spared him a chastising glance.

He shrugged. “What? I just know the things I know. I can’t un-know them anymore than you can stop forgetting you don’t wear glasses.”

So that’s why he keeps reaching for his face, a mind realized.

What did we think it was before? Another mocked. He was fighting the urge to perform the sign of the cross? How much of a retard can we be?

“Four silver fifty,” Seth mused. He could make that much by simply walking through any market. He cleaned the core on the ground and slipped it into his pocket.

“Dock it from my pay.”