Lea stifled a wince as she stumbled down the stairs out from the Guild building. Her entire body hurt after three full days of exertion but luckily, she had plans on how best to get some rest.

She still didn’t get how her team had slept on the ground. Their backs had to be f—ed up but if so, they hadn’t shown it. She had slept in a bedroll and knew she would ache for weeks.

Skills, an envious part of her mind whispered. It was a lie, or a partial truth, but one wrong step and another jolt of pain that shot up her spine. It was hard to argue with that.

She arched her back and looked up with the movement, only then realizing where she was headed: beyond the covered walkway, the stairs to the dorms, and her room inside. The room she shared with some of her former ‘friends’.

She hesitated.

Do I have to go back?

As quickly as the thought came, she glanced around to make sure nobody had seen her hesitation, but the school grounds were surprisingly abandoned this early in the evening.

Everyone had their own plans on how to deal after the exam, she guessed, or she stood in the middle of a lull between waves of debriefing and those plans.

Which meant she couldn’t stay for long.

Her home wasn’t that far away. She could make the trip, sleep there, and enjoy their luxurious baths or maybe order something in but … she was tired, her family might ask questions, and did she really want to hide from her roommates? If she did it once, she might do it again.

No.

They might not even be in or had to be as tired as she was. She must have eaten her weight in vitality gummies over the last three days, too, which had been made by their senior [Alchemist]. And it wasn’t like she had no Skills.

She juggled her luggage at the door to find her keys and shimmied it open but only got halfway inside when a voice called out behind her. Brusque, sore, but still confident.

“Lea, wait!”

Ryan.

He jogged up behind her and stopped a few steps away, slightly out of breath. The door of the school building fell shut far behind him. He must have hurried to catch up. She’d left after the initial check-up without going to find her team.

Somehow, she doubted this was because of that. Ryan had most of his luggage with him. If he had come to invite her back to a meeting or something similar, he would have left it behind.

He looked vaguely concerned. Was something wrong?

“We need to talk,” he said.

“About?”

“Kyle.”

“Ahh.” She glanced back to an empty hallway. Low chatter echoed from the common room halfway down the hall. It rose and fell with pauses and laughter. The others, sharing stories?

She stepped back outside and set her bags down but didn’t let the door fall shut. “If this about verifying his story with Principal Denner—” she said.

Ryan climbed a step on the short stairs closer to her and said, “You’re going to leave him alone.”

“Huh?”

“Kyle. You’re going to leave him alone. You’re not going to say anything to him, about him, stab him in the back, or make his life a living hell. He didn’t wear that stupid ratty glove of his for half a year just so you can go blab about what’s underneath it the first chance you get.”

As he ranted, he climbed the rest of the steps.

She was somewhat glad for it because it gave her a chance to catch up with what he was saying. She would have laughed if she hadn’t felt so insulted. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

He hated the guy.

But he kept on walking toward her. “I don’t matter here. Neither do you. Don’t think you can regain some of your fake friends through fresh gossip.”

“Fuck you. I wouldn’t do that,” she insisted but even as she said it, she wasn’t so sure she trusted herself. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done it before.

That wasn’t the point.

As if reading her thoughts though, Ryan asked, “Are you sure?” He placed a hand on the door above her and leaned in. “Because you better be.”

“What? Is this an ‘or else’ type of deal?” she asked and took a step back despite herself, toward the corner between door and wall. She stopped as soon as she realized the mistake and said, “You wouldn’t do anything.”

The thing was, looming battered and bruised above her, covered in bandages and salves, she wasn’t so sure about that either.

He nodded, almost to himself, and stood taller without really giving her space. “You know, I’m pretty sure they’re going to fail me for this exam.”

“What?”

“Without going into much detail, I screwed up. You’ll find out, sooner or later. But right now? I have little left to lose.” He leaned in and hissed, “So try me. Don’t think I wouldn’t hit a girl or throw you under the bridge. I can be just as ugly as you were, Bluth.”

He said it and smiled, one of the rare few times she’d seen him smile at all. Even without perfect teeth like some of the other guys she knew, it was devilishly charming.

Dirt poor or not, wherever classroom he had come from, he had experience being an asshole.

Still, Lea wasn’t concerned about either threat. She bet she could drag his name through the dirt with ease—she knew enough people who didn’t like him—and if he tried to touch her, her axe could sever an arm as easily as it did stone.

The important thing was, though, did she want to?

No.

She leaned in as he had until their foreheads almost touched and insisted with a fervor she barely felt, “I wouldn’t.”

Because really, she couldn’t be angry with him. Not for this.

The first time Lea had met the members of her team, properly and not in courses or group settings, Kyle and Ryan had gotten into a fistfight. The two of them could barely stand each other and yet, here he was, threatening to beat up a girl in front of her dorm building for him.

She wanted that. She longed for it, more than anything, until it was almost a physical sensation. Not trust. She didn’t believe in it anymore and there was no trust between those two.

Loyalty.

She didn’t know if she’d managed to convey a hint of that emotion in her expression or voice, but it must have been enough.

Ryan let off, sagging with a tiny sigh. “We found out by accident, Lea,” he said almost like a plea, “something he wanted to keep secret. We have no right to tell anyone. Unlike us, it wasn’t his fault he lied. Would you really do to him what your ‘friends’ did to you?”

She shook her head. “No. Of course, not.”

“Thank you.”

The statement was weirdly out of place. It didn’t mesh with his tone, coming here. But he almost seemed relieved to say it. And with that, he turned and left.

She needed a moment to realize he was leaving for good, stumbled out of the corner, and asked, “Wait, that’s it?”

A pair of girls had left the school building ahead of him, headed to the dorms. She didn’t know how much of that they had seen but Ryan didn’t waver as he called, “Yes. That’s it.”

There was a finality to his words.

The two gave him an odd look. Already, she could see the potential rumors forming in their eyes, but she didn’t care either. She didn’t. She’d known from the start she wouldn’t find what she was looking for in this team, with these people. Nor would she want to. They had issues.

It was still a little insulting, though. Maybe even more so. “Next time,” she yelled at his back, “how about a ‘hello’ first, and ‘goodbye’, or an apology?!”

Ryan just stepped inside without reacting to her voice. She scowled, picked up her annoying luggage, and did the same with a lame stumble as she squeezed through the door.

Thankfully, it fell shut before the other two could catch up. That gave her a second to breathe.

She regained her composure and almost used her bags as a shield as she strode by the open doorway of the common room. The familiar voices rose. Friends and former friends mixed in one setting. She hoped neither would notice her and continued up the stairs to her room.

It was empty.

She dropped her bags at her bed in relief and took a moment to relax, then began to sort things out. That much, she could do today. It was part of her post-exam ‘plan’.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Make things easy for yourself, one of her tutors had always told her. Doing a little bit of work today could save a lot of effort tomorrow, or else she would have to do everything at once. Not that she was a stranger to putting in work.

She stuffed her laundry in the basket to bring to the cleaners tomorrow, picked out a change of clothes, and locked everything in her closet, desk, and chest before she went to shower.

It was hard to enjoy a nice cold shower when it was so crowded. Others complained about the splash and temperature, but at least her room was still empty when she got back. They really were all hanging out in the common room, bonding, bragging, and showing off battle scars.

She crawled under her covers facing the wall, a storm raging so fiercely in her head that it turned into familiar, white noise, and needed only a few moments to find a miller’s sleep.

She hoped for something. Anything.

A wet shock woke her. A rushing disorientation spilled into her ears, her nose, and eyes—water. Her nose hurt when she breathed it in and her eyes stung. She clenched them shut again and sputtered, wiping her face.

The laughter echoed down the hall. Someone said something. Her door slammed shut. Her bed was soaked around her, but she just breathed and waited in suspense. A moment, two. A minute.

Her room was empty. Another girl peeked inside, saw her, and ran off with a roar of laughter. Someone said something, there was an excited answer, and then the others picked it up.

Nothing.

It was morning, guessing by the light outside. The clock pointed to nine. She must have slept in, thirteen hours, and the others had woken up earlier. Had been woken.

No Class, no levels, no Skills. But she had known that. Nothing fit, nothing felt right. Moving against her aching body, she took a second to hug her knees through the soaked blanket and groan.

Then she threw the covers back, waved a hand to make some of the water splash over onto the others' sides of the room, their beds and backpacks they hadn’t locked away, and got up to face the morning.

Only a little while longer, she told herself. She had the entire summer break to try stuff out and would hopefully get new roommates in the new year.

If I even come back.

----------------------------------------

Kyle had never been so glad to have a bed he could drop dead on. If nothing else, the school had that going for it. And its beds weren’t even that good.

He’d stayed in a crappy caravanserai once, on his way south, running itself out of business; had to share a room with eleven others, but their beds! They’d advertised with Skills and those had worked. That was some of the best sleep he’d ever gotten.

Really though, anything was better than sleeping on the ground with a backpack for a pillow beneath his head.

He rolled around for a bit, breathed in the fresh scent of his bedclothes, and begrudgingly admitted the little Stranya’d had a point. Not that he would admit that out loud.

Before the exam, the kid had insisted they all clean up and prepare for after. Some talk about [Warrior] crap and [Winter Cleaning].

Now, it paid off to be able to just … relax. Everything else, the report he’d have to write tomorrow and sorting out the loot with another school, was shit future Kyle could worry about.

... The future, huh …?

The only thing he worried about was what came next. He was almost afraid to fall asleep because he might be disappointed again. And then what would he do?

He sat up.

Brent had just come in and was unpacking his things in the opposite corner of the room. He hadn’t showered yet and his stink ruined some of the comfort, but Kyle didn’t really care. His glove was still damp, too. He thought of what Micah had said last night and wondered if the [Cook] had leveled after all.

He could’ve asked but … that might have invited a question in kind, and Kyle hadn’t leveled yet. He wasn’t about to set himself up to get knocked down.

He sighed and twisted his head around.

Tor was out, probably getting his sleep in some mansion or spa. Conrad was in. Payne was—

In, he thought with a mental sigh as the guy stormed into the room. Surprisingly, he hadn’t showered yet, either.

He walked by without looking at him and dropped his bag. Paranoia leaned on Kyle’s back. What could have kept him? Their team hadn’t met up. Had he gone to Ms. Denner to snitch about him already? Not that he would have to worry about that but …

Same thing with Brent, he wasn’t about to show weakness and ask that upfront—at least, not with two others in the room—so he went at it from another angle.

“And where have you been?” he asked. “Just got back from tucking your boyfriend in or what?”

Ryan froze, hands in his backpack, and lifted his head up to stare. Yeah, just from the look on his face Kyle knew he had them pegged right.

There was something immensely satisfying about knowing people, being able to take a look at them—their little sleepover and how overprotective Ryan had been during that first night—guess, and never be surprised by anything they said or did again. Never be stabbed in the back again.

Behind him, Conrad rolled his eyes, turning with the motion, and sandwiched his head in his pillow to block out the noise.

Fuck you, too.

Ryan continued to stare without saying anything and Kyle easily met his eye with a sliver of a smile. Cat got his tongue, had it?

But then he put on an asshole’s smile of his own and turned. “Hey, Brent. Wanna’ know why Kyle’s such a dumpster fire of a person?”

“Huh?”

“Get this, he’s a—” he didn’t get any further.

Kyle had jumped up and almost stumbled over the other guy’s bed in his haste to rush him.

Ryan just stumbled back toward Conrad’s bed and laughed in his face. “Oh, the way you jumped!”

He froze, one foot still pressed against his mattress in case he needed to push off, and glowered. “I get it. I get your point.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow as if to ask, Do you, though?

“Dudes, can you not start another fight immediately after the exam? Some of us want to sleep, like the poor guy behind you.” Brent gestured.

Still holding the pillow, Conrad curled up into a ball. His pyjama pants rode up when he did, revealing heavy bandaging around both his ankles.

“Sorry. I just found a way to piss Kyle off, here,” Ryan said to them.

“No, he didn’t,” he snapped. Maybe a little too forcefully.

Brent’s eyebrows went up. “No shit? Do tell.”

“Payne.”

He smiled and said, “Give me a moment,” before stepping around him to head out of the room. In the doorway, he said, “Keep up or I might just shout something out loud, for the entire hall to hear.”

Brent stared and before he could say something, Kyle followed, as much as it grated to come to heel. He closed the door and heard Conrad ask, “Did they leave for good?”

“Nah.”

The click cut off his groan.

Ryan slammed him against the wall, one arm across his chest, a scowl to replace the smile on his face.

Didn’t look good on him anyway.

“Fuck,” Kyle groaned when his head bumped off the stone and asked, “Really, here in public? Didn’t take you for that kind of a sicko.”

There were people walking around. Some gave them glances. One guy stopped at the end of the hall and watched with a tired look on his face like he was deciding whether or not watch, interfere, or maybe get a teacher, but Ryan didn’t seem to care.

“Yeah, that’s what we’re going to talk about,” he hissed. “Speak up. Say whatever the fuck you want. The only thing you’re doing is pissing me off.”

Kyle grinned and strained against his arm, slowly pushing the guy back, even while it strangled his voice, “That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not getting me. The only thing you’re doing is pissing me off, Kyle. Nobody will believe a thing you say. But me? All I have to do is convince two guys to help me hold you down so I can get my glove back and I’ll have all the proof I need.”

Ah. So that’s where he went? Blackmail. He couldn’t say he was surprised, but if Payne thought he would just sit back without a fight—

Kyle was about to say something and pushed harder against his arm to prove his could when all of a sudden, his own body sagged in exhaustion and Ryan easily slammed him back.

Somehow, it hurt worse the second time around his head hit the wall.

He frowned, confused and alarmed, and didn’t know what had happened until he saw Ryan’s shitty smirk on his shitty face.

His stupid fucking aura. Kyle had forgotten about it, but it’d been up throughout the last three days, helping them, so subtle he hadn’t even noticed until now.

He’d cut him off without meditation?

“And believe me,” Ryan said to underline his point, “it wouldn’t be a challenge.”

Yeah. He got that. Strength Skills. To be so lucky. Though Ryan was a gym rat, either way.

Kyle still hissed, “Fuck you.”

Ryan rolled his eyes with a huff.

“So what do you want, huh? Me to be a model roommate or what? To be nice to you and yours?”

His head jerked back, bewildered, and he eased up a bit on the pressure. “What? No. I want nothing from you. Just don’t speak to me unless you have to, unless you’re spoken to.”

Kyle shrugged, feigning indifference. “Works for me.”

Another bewildered look. “Then why ...? Ugh, nevermind.” Ryan shook his head with a frown as let go, shambling back into their room like he was suddenly too exhausted to deal with him.

Kyle debated tripping his leg up. Too long, then it was too late and the random guy who was half-awake at the end of the hall still stared back at him.

“What do you want?” he snapped.

He shrugged and walked off.

Kyle stepped inside and reached his bed just in time for Ryan to storm back out with a towel and change of clothes.

Brent stood there with his own supplies but didn’t follow him. He stared and asked, “‘He’s a—’ … What was he going to say?”

Conrad glared from under his pillow.

So much for relaxation after the exam. Kyle sighed and hesitated. Considered. He’d always planned on owning up to it someday. At the very latest when Ameryth forced his hand. He was destined to be an infamous climber, but maybe it’d be better to start on that path now if it could be useful. He could give them what they wanted, throw them off, maybe even make himself feel more comfortable in his own skin.

Might even help me level, if I believe some of the stuff Lisa and Stranya talked about this morning. Classes and self-perception or whatever.

That aside, he had been reading up a little. Catching up in Social Studies was one of the few things he didn’t mind studying for.

If it was a moment a truth, he’d share a partial truth, then:

“I’m a [Rogue].”

Brent palmed his forehead. “Of course, you are! Yeah, no, that’d do it.” He nodded to himself and shook his head with a chuckle as he walked by. “You could’ve said something sooner, idiot.”

What?

He looked back and even Conrad just rolled his eyes and turned away to find some sleep.

Kyle would’ve said something, but the other guy wasn’t talkative and Brent left too soon, off to shower. None of their other roommates were in. When it was clear nothing else would happen, he lay on his bed and hesitated, staring at the ceiling.

It was quiet.

After a minute, something jerked inside him. He sat up, grabbed one of Ryan’s boots, and almost whipped it across the room at Conrad—froze, considered, and slowly put it back down.

Then he tossed it under the guy’s bed instead.

“Fucking hell,” he grumbled and slipped under his covers. “Bet the whole school will know by tomorrow or some shit.”

He didn’t really care, he told himself. And thankfully, he fell asleep before the others could get back.

Then he didn’t give a damn, anyway. Because when he woke up in the morning, he got what he'd so desperately wanted. Kyle leveled.

[Woodcutter level 3!]

[Rogue level 4!]

[Fighter level 5!]

[Skill - Ambidexterity obtained!]

[Skill - Lesser Resolve obtained!]

[Skill - Basic Woodcraft obtained!]