Micro did his best to contain his aura, but it was clear that the children were both severely affected by his proximity to them. The forest had grown dark once again, and only a little moonlight illuminated the children’s scared faces. However, they quietly obeyed him, perhaps out of fear, and followed behind him as he led them into the camp toward the other people who remained after the slaughter carried out by Feng and Lena.

  Micro kept his eyes away from the motionless bandits lying everywhere, looking back constantly to make sure the children were still following him, and he was surprised to see such calm expressions on their faces as they stepped through puddles of blood on their way into the settlement. The smell of rust had never made him feel more disgusted.

  “Micro!” Feng called out from near a large tent. There were several men and children dressed in rags standing behind him. “Is that everyone?”

  “I didn’t see anyone else,” Micro answered. “There was a bandit, but he…”

  “Very well, it looks like we’re done here,” Feng continued as Lena appeared next to him.

  “Almost a hundred of them…” Lena said as she took hold of a piece of fabric at the tent’s corner. With a swift motion, the whole tent was plucked out of the ground, its wooden posts flying into the woods. Its fabric fluttered through the air and landed in a pile atop several bandits. Revealed beneath the tent were dozens of people, men and women, children of all ages, all wearing rags and chains, shivering in the cold night air.

  “Fetch yourselves some outerwear. The bandits were dressed warmly enough,” Feng announced with a loud voice that silenced the fearful whispers of the mundane crowd. “Those of you who can move quick, please do so!”

  “Is it that cold?” Lena asked.

  “I assume so, though the shaking could be a result of other conditions…” Feng replied, scratching his head as he further analyzed the group of weary people. “I was never any good at dealing with these types. Oh, they probably can’t get those chains off.”

  “They’re like helpless babies out here,” Lena said with a frustrated tone, then turned to face the crowd. “Alright, line up over here. I’ll take care of the chains and collars!”

  The mundane prisoners obediently began to approach Lena one by one to have their chains removed before scavenging for food and clothes in the camp full of deceased bandits, and Feng approached Micro with a worried look.

  “You may think it was cruel of me not to send you farther away and spare you the sight of this bloody encounter,” Feng spoke softly, reaching out to pat Micro’s shoulder. “Your innocence is not difficult to sense.”

  “I’ve seen death before, but this…” Micro whispered, having trouble breathing in the fowl air of the bloody camp.

  “This is the path you now travel, Micro,” Feng continued. “To pursue power, for whatever reason, is to walk a fine line between life and death.”

  “The line between life and death…” Micro repeated, frowning as he considered the words. “That line is usually in the middle of a road, not in the middle of a magical forest. Life and death—”

  “And you will see much of both,” Feng said with a more relaxed tone. “So do not dwell to long on either.”

  “Trucks aren’t supposed to kill people though,” Micro said with an argumentative tone.

  “What do you mean?” Feng tilted his head in confusion at Micro’s response, but Blue caught his attention with a chuckle.

  “He’s grumpy because he killed some jerk over there,” she said, miming the way Micro had slammed into the bandit. “He’ll get over it.”

  “I see…” Feng said, nodding his head slowly. Looking more closely at Micro’s hard expression, a look of remorse filled Feng’s eyes for a moment. “You said you were something called a ‘truck’ before, a farm tool of sorts?”

  “I am a truck, yes,” Micro replied. “I just need a mechanic…”

  “There are many answers that one must find on their own, when considering the nature or purpose of one’s existence, but allow me to offer a bit of perspective on issues of mortality,” Feng said slowly, making sure to keep Micro’s full attention. “You were a farm tool at a master’s disposal, and yet you must now act according to your own will in a life far removed from the purpose of any farmer. However, nearly any farm tool could be mistaken for a weapon of war in the hands of a warrior.”

  “I’m not a weapon,” Micro replied coldly.

  “Indeed, but neither are you simply a tool,” Feng asserted.

  “I’m a truck,” Micro repeated.

  “That may mean something very specific on your world, but you are the one who will define that word on this world,” Feng said, the tone of an instructor clear in his voice.

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  “What else could it mean?”

  “As far as I’m concerned, a truck is a being of great character and indomitable will,” Feng said with a warm smile. “It is clear to me that the soul with which your vessel was imbued is capable of much more than you assume.”

  “He’s still just a tool…” Blue yawned and crawled back into Micro’s pocket while he thought quietly for a moment with a bitter expression.

  “You told me before that the old man’s love for me is what gave me life…” Micro said. “But he wasn’t a violent person. So why can I be violent?”

  “Would he not have done anything in his power to protect those he cherished?” Feng asked.

  “Of course he would have!” Micro replied, slightly offended by the question. “He wouldn’t rest if someone needed help. He never rested at all…”

  “Then deep in your heart, I’m sure you’ll find the answer you need.” Feng smiled at Micro, though Micro only grew frustrated by Feng’s line of questioning. Feng was about to continue his lesson, but Blue’s voice interjected.

  “You’re not a bad tool for killing some evil jerk to save some kids,” Blue mumbled quickly. “The old man you’re always talking about probably would have done the same, if he wound up in a situation like this.”

  “Thanks, Blue…” Micro whispered.

  “Might I ask that you leave his education to me, little one?” Feng asked Blue with a sigh. “Some lessons should not be rushed.”

  “You kids take forever to say anything,” Blue spat back.

  “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about it,” Feng said, noticing that the large group of mundane prisoners were now free of chains and warmly dressed, all gathered around Lena with humble expressions. “Little Lena, did they mention where they’re from?”

  “Most were kidnapped from towns north-west of these woods” she replied.

  “Then you’ll have company on your journey to the Water Serpent Moon Sect!” Feng said with a nod. “They’re fate has landed in your hands, for the time being.”

  “As you wish,” Lena said with a small bow, though Micro thought she looked displeased by the responsibility suddenly given her by Feng. “We shall bring them to safety.”

  “I’ve never had a hundred passengers…” Micro said, a bitter smile forming on his face.

  ~

  “You’re sure you can’t join us?” Micro asked Feng.

  As Lena prepared to leave, discussing the condition of the mundane group with several elder members, Micro joined Feng by a slowly dying fire at the edge of the camp where the smell of blood was overpowered by the smell of smoke.

  “I’m even more worried about the situation in these woods after seeing who was running the show here…” Feng replied with a heavy tone. “I have several sects to investigate once I’ve seen to the magicians’ messes, though I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.”

  “I hope so,” Micro replied. “Thanks for everything, Feng.”

  With his destination set, Blue on his shoulder, Trill in his pocket, and Lena by his side, Micro felt more than ready to leave the scene of the bandits’ demise behind him and begin his journey west. After the freed villagers had salvaged supplies from the decimated camp, the group began to move with Lena leading the way, but Micro soon noticed how much slower they were forced to travel while accompanied by ordinary people. Most of them had even less internal energy than the average non-cultivator, and many were injured. Some men carried children or elderly on their backs, and the dark forest floor was impossible for them walk quickly without tripping almost as frequently as Micro.

  “Still no headlights…” Micro lamented quietly. “I’ll get those sorted, then I’ll worry about tires.”

  “Hmm?” Blue spoke up. “You mentioned those before. Did your head light up before you were human?”

  “I didn’t have a head, but I could light the way,” Micro explained enthusiastically. “With the flip of a small dial, one could choose how bright they were. I’ll never take that for granted again.”

  “How did you make light without cultivating?” Blue asked. “Did they set you on fire?”

  “Of course not. The engine is the only place where explosions are supposed to happen,” Micro replied with a loud laugh. “We have a few of our own energy sources, but the lights use electricity.”

  “What’s that? Is it like chaos energy?” Blue asked.

  “It’s more like lightning.”

  “Farm tools use the power of lightning on your world?” Lena suddenly interjected, apparently having been listening in on the conversation.

  “Just for powering things like the lights and the radio,” Micro replied. “Newer models use it for a lot more though.”

  “If you simply desire to make light, you need not harness the power of lightning,” Lena explained, flustered by his story. “Even without Spirit Vision, you should be able to produce some light with your functional eye, if you truly desire to do so…”

  “Spirit Vision gives you headlights?!” Micro gasped. “Can you show me?”

  “I’m a sapphire core cultivator of the Water Tiger Moon Sect, not a lamp,” Lena said, snorting at his request. “One is judged not only by the skills they possess, but also by how they employ those skills. A show of lights for the sake of amusement would be beneath me.”

  “Well, you’re certainly not that bright anyway, eh?” Blue quipped, though her provocation was ineffective against the proud Lena. She turned back to Micro with a shrug. “If you want to waste energy pretending to be a lamp, go ahead. You can use every elemental energy, so make use of some of the light you already have.”

  “Light energy…!” Micro gasped. “That’s right! Thanks, Blue!”

  Micro suddenly stopped, prompting a commotion among the dozens of people following behind Micro and Lena. Ignoring their voices of concern, he quickly entered a meditative state to closely examine the energy flowing through his body. He was tempted to take a moment to visit the inside of his core and enjoy the familiar scenery of his garage and the company of his friendly new companion, but he turned his focus to the energy which continued to flow through his body.

  He noted that the energy in his body was no longer as chaotic and freely flowing as it was before. Instead, it was now moving steadily and orderly. Part of the reason for this seemed to be that the Armour Trait gave him the innate ability to channel energy of the fire element from his core in a very specific way, which allowed him to generate an efficient layer of dense energy all over his body without any effort.

  “Alright, let’s see here…” Micro mumbled, though he was flustered when he realized the weight of the task he had set for himself. “This could take a while…”