The Spades were a renowned group of S-ranked adventurers, known for their incredible skill, incredible efficiency, and incredibly high price. They'd cleared multiple high-difficulty dungeons, possessed multiple mythical weapons and armor, and joining them was many an adventurer's dream.

There were fourteen of them in total, so they rarely traveled as a group, but every so often they got together to split spoils and have some downtime. This particular night found them seated around a campfire, eating, drinking, and laughing. And brawling. It was almost a ritual at that point to have at least one booze-fueled scuffle, and this night was no exception.

Away from the...merriment, their rogue specialist, Queen, watched the fight with disinterest. "I swear, we're a bunch of unruly children." She took a puff of her smoke before flicking it into the bonfire, watching as it disappeared into the bright flames. "Still looking to join us?"

Beside her was another adventurer, this one still A rank. The group had recently lost their bard, Two, and were open to taking on a new adventurer to fill that position. They'd gotten many applicants, but their selection process was strict and grueling, and this was the only adventurer of the initial dozen or so they'd chosen that hadn't run away screaming.

"If you're worried about your rank, you should know we all started below S, Joker aside. Who knows where that guy started." She cast a sidelong glance at the prospective newbie. "Your skills are decent. You might make the cut."

It was high praise coming from Queen, who was known for being laconic, if not outright cold. Impressing her was a bigger feat than clearing the infamous Garza Labyrinth, according to the others.

"Color me curious, though," she said in her usual husky, disinterested tone. "Why are you here, and not over there, enjoying the..." Queen gestured vaguely at the ongoing brawl, "...camaraderie?"