“I don’t like this, Lena,” Azar shouted over the sound of wind rushing by. In the darkness of night, he ran alongside Lena as they leapt from treetop to treetop with ease. In his arms, he carried Micro, whose eyes squinted as dust and small insects pelted his face. “I don’t trust a single thing it says! And why do I have to carry it like this?”

  “I don’t remember when you stopped addressing me as master, little Azar…” Lena replied with disdain. “But if you’re afraid of being deceived by someone with a jade core, then you may need more instruction than I am qualified to offer.”

  “So you believe he found Master Kang because he has his ring?” Azar argued. “He could have found it anywhere, and Feng isn’t so uncommon a name that—”

  “I found some Core Cards too,” Micro interjected as he summoned the four Core Cards, two sapphire and two amber, which Blue had found on the dead cultivator from his storage to show Azar, who bit his tongue as the glint of the cards met his eyes. “And Feng gave me this one.”

  “Impossible…” Azar mumbled as Micro summoned a fifth card. He stopped running across the treetops, coming to rest on a boulder in the valley between two mountains by a river.

  “You know the story behind that card, don’t you?” Lena asked as she approached them from behind.

  “Give me those cards!” Azar ordered as he dropped Micro on the ground, though Micro quickly returned them to his storage. “Those were meant for the heir to our—”

  “Insolence!” Lena shouted with an aura that shook the trees around them.

  “Wha…” Azar blurted out in shock at her sudden cry. “Those cards are—”

  “Are you really a disciple of the same Sapphire Water Tiger Moon Sect?! To demand somebody relinquish their Core Cards…” Lena fumed. “Is honour a stranger to you?!”

  “What are you talking about?” Azar argued, though his aura was overpowered by Lena’s. “Those cards belong to my—to the sect!”

  “No, they do not,” Lena asserted coldly. “Those cards represent the fate of our clan, and they have come to rest in the hands of this otherworldly soul. Do not take them for some family heirloom to be lost and found.”

  “Then I’ll kill it now and take them with honour,” Azar shouted back. “And it’s suspicious that he came to possess them in the first place. How did he find Feng? Our sect has been searching for generations to no avail! And what rule of honour applies to some magician’s pet anyway?!”

  “I lack the patience for this insolent child…” Lena brought her hand to her head in frustration as Azar continued to shout, but Micro suddenly interjected. “Our sect is—”

  “I didn’t find him,” Micro explained as he rose to his feet and pointed to his pocket. “Blue did.”

  “A pixie?” Lena whispered. “Such a monster found our—”

  “Watch your tongue, brat!” Blue said, popping her head out of Micro’s pocket, taking a short break from healing his arm. “Nobody can hide from me in this land!”

  “It’s true,” Micro added as Blue returned to his pocket. He grabbed his arm as the tingling sensation of her healing powers continued. “She’s really good at finding things. Ouch…”

  “He’s been right under their noses too!” Blue added, her voice muffled. “What are they using Spirit Vision cards for? Aren’t tigers supposed to be good at hunting? Just pathetic…”

  “Using the powers of a pixie…” Lena whispered with wide eyes as Blue’s insults trailed off. “I’m regretting my promise not to dissect you now, but our deal remains.”

  “Thanks, Lena,” Micro said curtly. “Can we go? I don’t know what time the tournament starts.”

  “You think you’re in a position to order us around, hero?” Azar shouted, but Micro’s expression was one of impatience.

  “You’re not my driver,” Micro replied. “I have somewhere to be, and you’ve been holding up traffic for a while now. I told you I’ll help you find Feng after the tournament. Let’s go.”

  “You court death!” Azar screamed, summoning his sword once again, but it was suddenly knocked out of his hand with a fierce kick.

  “It’s you who courts death, insolent child!” Lena screamed as her leg drove Azar’s arm into the ground with a crack. “No student of mine has ever come as close to dying by my hand, Azar. Do not make it my duty to inform Yarin that his second son died without a shred of honour!”

  “The way you treat this thing like a real person sickens me!” Azar shouted, though he was clearly shaken by Lena’s words. “So what if he can clear a jade level dungeon and absorb a few low level cards? Plenty of children in our own sect have accomplished that, so why—”

  “You need a reminder after all,” Lena interrupted him with a voice that sounded like a whisper despite filling the valley with an eerie echo. Her body began to glow with the light of a full moon, and she walked casually toward Azar, whose knees buckled. “You’ve yet to challenge the dungeon of the Sapphire Water Moon Art, and yet you dare to challenge even a single word I say?”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “I—No…” Azar stuttered, grasping his chest.

  “Remember the names of your sect’s elders, insolent brat. They are the names of my students,” Lena said calmly, though her words passed through the leaves of every tree in the valley like a strong wind. “If you cannot recall them, I’ll carve them into the rock which marks your grave.”

  “Yes… But he—” Azar persisted, but a mysterious wave of energy suddenly pulled him to the ground. Micro could only watch in confusion as the force seemed to affect only the guard in front of him. “This is—”

  “Live or die, Azar…” Lena stated, her intentions clear.

  “I’ll keep no secret…” Azar grunted. “From the empire…”

  “Fine,” Lena said, releasing whatever force she had been applying to Azar. “Catch your breath. We’ll have to hurry now.”

  ~

  The journey across the treetops was more awkward after Azar’s outburst in the valley, but as the sun began to rise and the clouds began to thin, the mountain range gave way to rolling hills that descended into wide valleys marked by rivers. Though Micro was anxious about whether or not he would be on time for his tournament with Kel, he enjoyed seeing the natural world below him as if from an airplane.

  “I’ve never even considered travelling via treetop…” Micro broke the silence as the pain in his arm finally left him.

  “We’re almost there,” Azar snapped back before Lena could continue the conversation. Azar quickened his pace as his feet met the grassy ground, leaving a cloud of dust behind him, while Lena kept a watchful eye over him and Micro from several paces to his left. Micro looked keenly at the horizon in front of them, beginning to feel some reservations over what he saw.

  “Driving into town was always the old man’s favourite time of week,” Micro remarked casually as they came over a large hill.

  “Remain silent,” Azar barked in reply.

  “Quiet drives are nice too…” Micro shrugged. His legs had started to feel numb from the way Azar was carrying him, but it was the first time he’d ever been driven somewhere itself, and the novelty of it hadn’t worn off yet. “None of you have a radio, eh?”

  “Finally…” Azar mumbled as their destination came into view. He placed Micro down on the ground, where a dirt trail leading down the hill had appeared. Micro followed it with his eyes down the hill to where a river ran through a small settlement. It was surrounded by walls that resembled the style of the turtle sect temple, but it seemed to contain a greater number of buildings of various shapes and sizes. Similarly to the sect, there were a handful of smaller, disorganized farming settlements littering the surrounding terrain. But even those managed to surprise Micro.

  “Is that a truck stop?” Micro asked, pointing down at the settlement.

  “What insult do you intend? That’s the Imperial City, you insolent—” Azar grumbled, but Lena waved him away.

  “It seems that the tournament is already underway, so if you mean to participate, then we should hurry,” she explained quickly. “Come now.”

  She led Micro and Azar down the hill and through the impoverished villages to the city in a hurry, surprised by the pace he was able to keep, and they came to a gate where five tall men stood with their eyes fixated on the trio. They wore grey robes and white headbands of modest design, but each of them wore shining brass gauntlets with long claws extending past their fingers. One of them took a step forward to meet them in front of the gate with a sour look on his face.

  “I greet the honourable members of the Imperial Guard.” He bowed his head deeply once, but quickly raised it to greet Micro with a fierce gaze. “I wasn’t aware you’d be returning from your mission with the hero… intact—”

  “It is bound. You need not worry,” Lena said dismissively.

  “But you would bring a living hero into the city…?” The guard asked with concern, doing his best not to sound rude despite his anxiety. “I can’t… That is to say, I must—”

  “Did the magistrate not assign the sacred duty of defending this city to the Amber Air River Falcon Sect based on the reputation of their keen eyes?” Lena asked, the irritation in her voice causing the guard to tremble slightly.

  “It is so,” he murmured with stiff lips.

  “Then you can clearly see a sapphire stage Imperial Guard standing before you.” Lena said with a frustrated sigh.

  “But the hero…” He stammered, struggling to stand despite her overwhelming aura.

  “You court death!” Azar suddenly shouted as he summoned a blade of energy. With a single movement he brought it to the neck of the guard without a word of protest from anyone.

  “They’re beneath you, Azar,” Lena said as she gestured for him to back away. “We’ll be going now.”

  “Of course…” The city guard said as he fell to his knees, the other four guards following him quickly to the ground in fear. “You—You are permitted… entry…”

  “Why does everybody keep calling me a Hero?” Micro said with a frown. “Completely different model…”

  “You shouldn’t have to worry about too many people being able to recognize the traces of magicians’ spells on you, but there are some who knew of our mission today. They will be surprised to see you intact,” Lena explained as they passed through the open gate in the dusty stone wall and into town.

  “I hope to stay intact for a long time,” Micro replied.

  “You may be able to fool any jade or amber level cultivators you meet who lack skills of perception, but mind yourself around any more powerful sects’ disciples,” Lena explained. “Chaos energy is very recognizable to those who have battled a hero. Fortunately, it will be harder to recognize traces of chaos energy in such a crowded place.”

  “Wait…” Micro stopped as he looked around. “You’re sure this is the Imperial City?”

  “It’s too late in the day for jokes,” Lena replied. “What’s the matter?”

  “Kel mentioned there was only one road, but this is just…”

  “Is it your first time seeing such a splendid place? The empire takes pride in its monuments,” Lena explained, beckoning him forward. “It wasn’t always so prosperous, but the effort and sacrifices of many have transformed it into what it is today.”

  “Wow…” Micro said as he looked around at the dusty wooden buildings and cobblestone walkways. Many of the buildings were much taller than those he’d seen at the sect, but there wasn’t a single thing made of concrete anywhere he looked. He saw a homeless encampment not far from the gate, and the smoke that filled the air around each business stung his eyes. “It’s hard to describe…”

  “The tournament awaits,” Lena said quickly. “Waste no more time. The arena is this way.”

  “Let’s go!” Micro said with a smile as he chased after her, but his momentum was soon interrupted.

  “That’s him!” A crude voice rang out in the crowd of people ahead.

  “Oh, hello!” Micro called out to the young man. “How are—”

  “That’s the evil thing that used magic to steal my Spirit Hammer card!”