The walk back toward Runewoven's guild hall felt different from the march out.

The battlefield's noise faded behind them, replaced by the crunch of boots against stone paths and the hum of embedded mana conduits lining the mountainside. Exhaustion finally had time to settle in properly, but instead of dragging them down, it wrapped the group in a strange energy. They had survived. More than that, they had performed.

Aria and Bastet were practically skipping ahead, their steps light despite the long day. Aria's staff tapped the ground in rhythm as she talked animatedly with the tanned felinid, her fatigue nowhere to be found as she gestured wildly while Bastet listened with an amused smile, tail swaying lazily behind her. Whatever aches the solar kitten felt, she bore them with regal ease, and Aria fed off that confidence like a spark to dry tinder.

Behind them, Luna and Nyx leaned heavily against one another, arms slung over shoulders as they walked in imperfect sync. Their voices never stopped.

"I'm telling you," Luna said between breaths, "if you hadn't overextended during that third wave, you wouldn't have ended up being nearly eaten alive."

Nyx scoffed, adjusting her grip so Luna wouldn't stumble. "Oh, please. If I hadn't overextended, you'd be having this argument while missing your legs."

"?!" Luna's eyes darkened. "What gave you that idea? I was about to dodge!"

"Sure, bestie. And I'm a princess from La La Land."

"No, you're a fat cowkin born and raised in the United States of A."

Nyx's eyes narrowed. "Next time, I might assume you're as good at dodging as you proclaim."

Luna didn't like the sound of that too much. "… Let's return to this topic after a shower and with a mug of hot chocolate in hand."

"Keke. Sure," Nyx smirked victoriously.

Kaiden didn't intervene in the girls' usual bickering. After the incident of Luna invading Nyx's privacy, as well as poor butthole and then Kaiden fucking the nonsense out of the girl, making her see the error of her ways, he was happy to see that while the catfighting never stopped, it seemed to remain within acceptable bounds.

They were comrades, akin to how boys might bicker among one another, without going for each other's throats. Ideally.

So he just listened, amused, as he carried Calypso effortlessly in his arms. The demoness squirmed constantly, tail wrapped firmly around his waist, her horns occasionally brushing his chin whenever she shifted. Every few steps, she'd press closer, her cheek against his chest or her lips grazing his neck, kissing and purring as though she hadn't just been dragged out of a warzone, half-broken.

"You should relax, Cali…" he muttered. "Focus on rejuvenation."

"Mhm. By kissing, licking, and drinking in the warmth of my Darling through skin contact, my life energies are skyrocketing." Calypso hummed. Then her demonic eyes narrowed at him with accusation. "Also, Darling, aren't you shameless? You just promised me the mating of a lifetime, and expect me to relax?"

"… Shh," Kaiden begged because Alice was listening in now.

But instead of throwing any sort of hissy fit, Alice's sly voice sounded in his head. For some odd reason, the girl sounded incredibly innocent right now.

<Big brother, what does mating mean?>

'…'

Of course, Alice was a big girl who knew how the world worked.

But she did not wish to leave such a grand opportunity behind, where she could see her brother's helpless squirming beneath her inquisitive questions.

To that end, pure and innocent Alice Ashborn mode has been activated.

As Kaiden sweated bullets, the Runewoven guild hall soon came into view, carved directly into the mountainside. And standing there, arms crossed and grinning like she'd been waiting for this exact moment, was Talia, guild leader and one of Kaiden's biggest supporters as well as one of his most useful allies.

She straightened when she saw them, then raised one arm and waved enthusiastically. "Welcome back! You guys look like hell," she said cheerfully. "Good job today."

Aria beamed instantly. Luna lifted two fingers in a tired salute. Nyx smirked. Bastet inclined her head politely. Calypso lifted her head just long enough to grin smugly before nuzzling back into Kaiden's neck.

Talia's grin widened. "I figured you'd be wiped, so I won't keep you long. Get some relaxation in before the evaluation meeting begins. But, before anything," she added, turning on her heel and motioning them inside, "I've got a little surprise for you."

Kaiden raised an eyebrow but followed without comment, the others trailing after him as they passed into the hall. Talia led them away from the main guild paths, deeper into a quieter section.

She slowed near a sealed corridor flanked by layered enchantments and physical safeguards in the form of numerous defensive artifacts, then turned back to face them.

"I know you…" she began, then stopped short, blinking as she noticed Calypso practically purring while outright licking a slow line along Kaiden's neck. Her red cheeks were flushed, and her eyes full of dreamy need. Now that they were inside the safe location, the demoness' gears turned into overdrive.

The guild leader coughed and looked away with her ears turning red. "I know that you need your privacy more than most guild members, and… well, I thought you'd appreciate having a space of your own. I'm very happy to have you here, Kaiden and girls, so I thought I'd do this for you, hoping your stay with us will be more pleasant."

She activated the lock, runes peeling away as the door slid open. "It's not luxury," Talia added hastily, still flustered, "but it's private."

Aria stepped forward and looked inside. Her eyes lit up instantly. "This is amazing! Thank you, Talia!"

The smith relaxed at that, and her smile returned in full. "You're welcome. You earned it."

Then her gaze slid back to Kaiden.

She squinted at him for a long moment before clicking her tongue softly and looking away again. "And… well," Talia grumbled, clearly fighting her own irritation, "you are partial guild owners as well. So I suppose you deserve some privileges."

That earned a few grins from the girls.

The truth of it was something very few people knew.

Kaiden hadn't merely cultivated a friendly relationship with Runewoven, which was what the public assumed by his presence here. The current assumption was that they were merely on good terms, Kaiden happy to leech off of a guild's privileges while the guild was happy to help form good ties with such a unique and promising group.

But the truth was different. He'd strong-armed Runewoven leadership, Talia included, into cutting him in on the organization itself. Not through threats or brute force, but through leverage and an offer they simply couldn't afford to refuse. Twenty percent ownership. A real stake. Not symbolic. Not honorary.

Once the transaction was finalized and the seals lifted, Kaiden officially owned a fifth of one of the smaller but promising crafting guilds.

Which also meant his net worth had technically skyrocketed into absurd territory.

For now, though, it remained a tightly guarded secret. Only a few people in the government and association knew, alongside the Runewoven leadership and Tessa.

Publicly, Kaiden was still just a rising combatant attached to a dangerous, eccentric squad. Privately, he was already seated at the table where real power moved.

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