After the chaotic and early start to their day, the cultivators and Micro decided to spend some time tidying the shrine until the rain let up. There was a notable tension in the air, but Kel’s continued reverence to Micro kept anyone from voicing their concerns. Micro looked around to see if he could find his Core Cards, but he assumed the yellow pixie still had them tucked away in its impossibly large pocket. After the Shrine had been returned to its original state, the cultivators all bowed apologetically to the stone statue before leaving.

  They began walking at a brisk pace after the rain had stopped. With a renewed resolve, they were confident they would make it home before sunset the following day if they travelled through the night. Micro watched the others head down the path with a complicated look on his face before following them down the hill, but he couldn’t bring himself to set foot on the uneven path again. He cringed as he walked through the tall grass while counting the large rocks and tree roots littering the path to his side.

  “Why even bother…” Micro mumbled. “Whoever made that path is a disturbed individual…”

  Though the wet grass drenched his old boots, he still found it preferable to enduring the uneven path beside him. Kel noticed his continued displeasure with the path even after they had reached the end of it and entered the forest once again.

  “Are roads that different where you come from?”

  “Different? It’s hard to compare them!” Micro replied passionately. “Even with tires, that path up that hill would feel terrible to drive on.”

  “So the roads were of a much higher standard?” Kel inquired. “For roads to be so noteworthy…”

  “They weren’t all perfect, but at least they were mostly paved…” Micro closed his eyes as he spoke, imagining the roads of his driver’s village.

  “Paved roads? You must have lived in the capital of a powerful nation!” Kel exclaimed. Even the others who overheard Micro’s claim couldn’t hide their raised eyebrows.

  “Capital?” Micro replied, opening his eyes as he tripped over a rock. “Not at all. My driver grew up in a village an hour from the nearest market. Although there have been more cars on the road lately…”

  “You mean to say that even your villages have paved roads?” Kel’s laughter echoed in the woods for a moment. “You must be joking!”

  Micro laughed along with Kel, enjoying a break in the tension. The sun shone through the clouds once or twice before it set, but evening came quickly and soon the woods were dark again. As before, the cultivators didn’t hesitate to illuminate the surrounding area with their glowing green auras, making it much easier to see.

  “A world where humans have headlights and I don’t…” Micro lamented.

  “Fear not, master,” Kel replied cheerfully. “My grandfather is the leader of the Jade Fire Mountain Turtle Sect for a reason. He’ll be able to teach you more about using your internal energies. You’ll be able to use aura as well as us in no time.”

  “I was told to seek out a lizard sect to find a master,” Micro said, feeling a headache come on as he tried to remember the advice he’d received. “Or was it a snake…?”

  An awkward tension fell on the group after Micro’s declaration, but Kel dispelled it tactfully.

  “I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to visit a Serpent Sect one day, master,” He continued. “But the nearest one is an amber level sect, and they are… well… it would be discourteous to speak of them in greater detail. In any case, I think it would be best for you to join us at the Jade Fire Mountain Turtle Sect, at least for the time being. That is, if it pleases you, master.”

  “Okay,” Micro replied with a thumbs up. Seeing Kel bow so deeply while requesting he stay with them for a while, Micro couldn’t refuse. “Thanks, Kel!”

  “Young master, I think it’s time we discussed your territorial allotment,” Sung called out to Kel once he saw that the mood had lifted. “Your inheritance will soon be decided, now that you have completed the first quest.”

  “Ah, yes,” Kel said as some of his enthusiasm faded. “Excuse me master, my responsibilities have increased yet again…”

  Micro waved as Kel caught up to Sung, and the two became engrossed in a conversation about a number of things Micro couldn’t understand. Tae’s attention was fully devoted to keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings using her Spirit Vision Skill. Den and the other two cultivators walked while circling the group, diligently placing themselves between Kel and the outside world. Left alone for a while, Micro’s thoughts had just started to wander.

  “Ow, my arm…” the yellow pixie suddenly grumbled from his pocket. “Where am I?”

  “You’re right here,” Micro stated, gently plucking the pixie out of his pocket by its wings and held him closer to get a good look. “Hello there.”

  “Oh…” The pixie paused with its eyebrow raised. “And…?”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “What’s your name?” Micro asked.

  “It’s none of your business, stinking human! Cultivator trash! Ugly—”

  “So noisy…” Blue’s stern voice put a sudden end to the yellow pixie’s increasingly loud complaints. She jumped out of Micro’s left breast pocket onto his shoulder, pointing a glowing finger at her yellow counterpart.

  “Are you two related?” Micro asked while holding the yellow pixie beside blue to compare them.

  “All pixies are related, fool,” she snapped, but she looked slightly embarrassed by the fact. “Punks like this make me wonder though…”

  “Why isn’t he blue, like you?”

  “Hmm? This little runt?” she scoffed, and flicked the pixie’s forehead with her finger. “Most trees are older than him.”

  “You would know,” the yellow pixie mumbled while glaring at Blue.

  “If you must know, I have permitted this human to act as my escort,” Blue declared to the pixie, though her tone was more sarcastic than regal. “He is a convenient means of safe transportation.”

  “I’m more advertised as efficient and reliable,” Micro corrected her, but he was surprised to see her taken aback.

  “Really?” she asked.

  “That’s what Micro’s are…” he explained. “Aren’t they?”

  “Huh…” Blue wasn’t sure how to answer his awkward question, so she returned her attention to the yellow pixie still suspended in the air by Micro’s hand. “State your name if you have one.”

  “Trill,” the yellow pixie mumbled in discontent.

  “Am I not efficient or reliable…?” Micro muttered to himself in shock.

  “Good.” Blue nodded with authority, ignoring Micro’s dejected sigh.

  “So did you catch a cold or what?” the pixie called Trill asked with a suspicious stare. “A gust of wind could end you.”

  “Some cranky old magicians used up most of my power to summon this clumsy nut from who knows where, so I barely have the strength to fly,” she explained with dramatic gestures. “Even dealing with you gave me a headache back there, so watch the attitude!”

  “You’re that weak…?” Trill raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Blue… Blue is too weak to—“Gah!”

  His face contorted in pain as Blue clenched her fist in front of her.

  “I’ll use up the last of my powers ripping your wings off before I listen to a yellow bean sprout talk down to me,” she said coldly before releasing her mysterious grip on him. “So congratulations, twerp. You get to carry my luggage until I can do it myself, unless you want to chat with those cultivators over there.”

  “Understood…” Trill groaned. “You can’t even use your pocket… that really is sad…”

  “What a brat. What were you doing up there, anyways?” Blue asked him quickly, apparently ready to change the subject. “Stealing trinkets from brainless travellers is beneath you.”

  “None of your business…” Trill braced himself after talking back to Blue, but she remained harsh in tone only.

  “When’s the last time you saw another pixie doing something so stupid?” Blue continued. “Is that really all that fun?”

  “I don’t remember the last time I saw another pixie at all,” Trill replied with a harsh tone. “Are you senile?”

  “Ah…” Blue’s harsh tone waned for a moment, but she turned her nose up and waved him away. “I have more important things to do. Go to your pocket and don’t bother me in mine.”

  Blue jumped back into Micro’s pocket, leaving Trill alone with Micro.

  “So, you can carry a lot of things?” Micro asked with a jealous look. “That must be nice.”

  “Yes…” Trill hesitated to answer, but he was too exhausted to protest. “I’m a pixie. Of course I can…”

  “I see,” Micro replied. “And you’re carrying the things I put on the table?”

  “Mmhmm…” The pixie braced itself as it spoke, but was confused to see Micro still smiling.

  “Thanks!” he replied happily. “I don’t have my own bed anymore… I guess Blue has the same problem.”

  “Whatever…” Trill responded coldly with a raised eyebrow.

  “These pockets have holes in them too,” Micro added. “But beggars can’t be choosers.”

  “You’re dressed like a corpse, now that you mention it.” Trill noted. “Did a ghost sell that to you?”

  “I actually—” Micro began, but a timid voice called out to him.

  “Umm, excuse me, master…” Tae whispered as she appeared behind Micro, startling Trill to the point that his face turned a brighter shade of yellow.

  “Hello, Tae,” Micro replied happily. “Are you doing well?”

  “Yes, thank you,” she said with an awkward smile. “But, may I ask that you, perhaps, put away the pix—your passenger for the time being? I know you have your reasons, but the others are… distracted…”

  Micro looked around at the others upon Tae’s humble request and noticed several of them struggling not to steal frequent glances at him and his yellow friend. They politely smiled when their eyes met, but they were clearly disturbed by the pixie’s presence.

  “Well, okay,” Micro agreed, returning Trill to his right breast pocket without issue. “Why don’t you get along, by the way?”

  “You really don’t have any pixies on your world?” Tae asked.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Then you wouldn’t know the damage they can do…” Tae whispered. “They’re powerful monsters who bring chaos wherever they go, and few people would risk their lives trying to capture one… to carry them around in the open is…”

  “They seem friendly enough,” Micro said, waiting for Tae to continue.

  “In any case, master,” she finally spoke up. “Be careful not to let anybody back home see you with those. I trust you, but most would hesitate to allow a guest with two pixies in his pocket into their sect…”

  “Ah, understood.” Micro gave her a thumbs up. “I’ll keep my passengers safe.”

  “It’s not them I’m worried about…” Tae sighed. “Just, try to keep them out of trouble.”

  With that, Tae returned gracefully to her place at the front of the group. Micro opened his left pocket to take a look at Blue, who seemed to be meditating next to her Core Card, then patted the pocket shut again.

  “I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding,” he mumbled to himself with a smile.