“Show me how to open this first,” Vur said, holding out the crystalline bottle that had been flung towards Tafel.

Deowi’s eyes flared outwards for a brief moment. He held out his hand as if he were holding a bottle. “Look,” he said and wiggled his thumb. Flames burst in and out of existence. “You manipulate it with mana like this.”

Gaegukja Yeol rolled her eyes and floated over to Vur. “He’s messing with you. That is how you do it, but without knowing—”

There was a popping sound accompanied by a clinking noise. “Got it,” Vur said and brought the opened bottle up to his nose. He took a sniff, and his nose wrinkled. Whatever was inside, it smelled sour, bitter, and dead. He passed the bottle to Gaegukja Yeol and shook his hand off as if he had just touched something moist.

“Oh,” Gaegukja Yeol said and received the open bottle. She glanced down at it, inspecting the contents. A frown appeared on her face, and she glared at her brother. “You’re still drinking this stuff?”

“Helps me sleep,” Deowi said and shrugged. He rolled his shoulders and grinned at Vur. “So, which one of you is going to spar with me? If my sister picked you guys up, you should’ve shown some signs of promise. Who’s it going to be?” He raised an eyebrow before pointing at the fiercest-looking individual. “You?”

“Me?”

Everyone turned around to see a red-haired man pointing at his own face. Kax Ammer grinned and took a step forward. “If you’re not afraid of getting hurt, Kax doesn’t mind playing around with you.”

“He does talk big for someone who couldn’t get a jar of ant honey,” Erin whispered to Lindyss.

Kax Ammer walked forward and retrieved the hatchet hanging from his waist. It had a crystalline head with a shaft made of bone. Tafel stepped to the side, letting the large man walk past her. She whispered towards Lindyss, “Are we really going to let him fight?”

Lindyss frowned. “Why does everyone treat him like he’s my puppy or something? He’s a grown-up man with a beard larger than your face. If he wants to do something stupid like wrestle a cactus or drink a mouthful of lava, I’m not going to stop him.”

“Well, you did purchase his soul, so shouldn’t you be responsible for him?” Tafel asked.

Lindyss rolled her eyes. “Do you know what I do to the chickens I purchase? I eat them. Irresponsibly.”

“Are you sure you’re not the one who wants to stop him?” Erin asked Tafel. “You love fighting. I bet you’re looking for an excuse to replace him in a spar against the flaming big man there.”

Tafel snorted. “That’s not true,” she said and placed her hands on her hips. She swept her gaze over her party members’ faces before frowning. “Fine. If you guys want to watch a newcomer get beaten in a hazing session, then that’s what we’ll do.” She crossed her arms over her chest and watched as Kax went up to Deowi. “Maybe we should’ve brought Alice along. I need someone who’ll agree with me other than Vur.”

“What’s wrong with Vur?” Stella asked.

“Vur always agrees with me,” Tafel said. “It’s hard to know when I’m right or wrong around him.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Stella said and rubbed her chin. “He does prove you wrong a lot.”

Tafel’s expression darkened, and she took a step to the side to distance herself from the fairy queen. She glanced at Kax Ammer and Deowi, and her eyes widened. “Are they … wrestling?”

Kax Ammer let out a shout as he climbed to his feet despite Deowi clinging to his body like a boa constrictor. Kax’s skin was red all over, but he wasn’t burnt badly enough to the point of blistering. Kax let out another shout as he grabbed Deowi’s forearm, which was wrapped around the red-haired man’s neck, and hunched forward while pulling and leaning to one side in the same motion. Deowi slid off of Kax’s back and slammed into the ground, his crystalline armor clanking hard. Tafel was a bit surprised the crystals didn’t break.

“Seems like Deowi’s a grappler,” Lindyss said and nodded. Like Tafel, her arms were also crossed. “For someone who’s not afraid of wrestling fire, Kax really didn’t express his abilities by failing to get ant honey.”

“I know why,” Gaegukja Yeol said. At some point, she had made her way over to the group. “He’s claustrophobic. Telling him to muck through ant tunnels to gather honey is the same as asking me to dive into the ocean to hunt sharks.”

“Huh.” Lindyss raised an eyebrow. “I see. Well, I’m sure he’ll be an excellent skeleton soldier; though, some skeletons do spend a lot of time underground.” Lindyss shrugged. “It’s not like his claustrophobia will matter much once he’s dead.”

“Because skeletons can’t feel claustrophobic,” Erin said. “Right?”

“No, they can,” Lindyss said. “It’s just that once he’s dead, I don’t have to care about his feelings anymore. I purchased his soul, remember?”

Erin fell silent.

Lindyss exhaled and pinched the fairy queen’s cheek. “It was a joke,” the cursed elf said. “You’re supposed to laugh.”

“Your jokes are terrible,” Erin said and slapped Lindyss’ fingers away. “Stop telling them with a straight face.”

“Hey,” Tafel said to Gaegukja Yeol. “Isn’t your brother a bit weak?” She glanced at the spar that had devolved into a brawl. Kax’s hatchet had been flung to the side, and Deowi had stripped off his armor for some reason.

A faint smile appeared on Gaegukja Yeol’s lips. “My brother’s ability is a bit special. It makes him as strong as his opponent, so if he’s fighting a weakling….” Gaegukja Yeol gestured towards the two brawling men. “That’s what happens.” The flaming woman leaned to the side to look around Tafel. “Would you like to fight Deowi instead, Vur? Leave him with a better impression? This poor performance makes me look bad too.”