38th of Season of Earth, 58th year of the 32nd cycle

  The sun was setting, the jungle growing dimmer, and Newt was the first to spot the snout as it appeared from behind the trees. Head-sized nostrils flared as Newt grabbed Emeraldstreak’s forearm. The woman opened her mouth with a frown, but Newt placed a finger to his lips and pointed towards the giant’s head as it emerged from the foliage.

  Greenbow carried Aura behind them and immediately stopped at the disturbance. The trio ducked behind a tree, vanishing into ferns as the fifteen-foot-tall predator stalked the jungle. Newt shifted a bit to catch a better look, grateful Explorer’s Gate robes blended well with the jungle. Had they worn red or blue, the beast might have spotted them.

  The allosaurus was on the smaller end as far as Newt was aware, but even if it were a fully developed, twenty-foot-tall specimen, the trio would not have feared it because of its might. No, the noise it might cause during battle posed the true danger.

  Reddish-orange aura shimmered about the creature, blazing with the spiritual energy of a middling fourth realm spirit beast, confirming the dinosaur’s fiery nature.

  The allosaurus turned, its eyes locked on Newt, then it continued scanning the jungle without halting its stride. By design or random twist of fate, the creature turned, heading straight towards the cultivators. Its pace was even as it kept scanning its domain. Suddenly, it stopped less than ten feet from Newt and his companions. The monster swept its claws, showering the ferns below with bark as it marked yet another tree as a part of its territory.

  Satisfied with its work, the allosaurus continued its patrol.

  The spirit beast disappeared from view, and Newt let out a relieved breath.

  “It’s gone,” he whispered as the oppressive silence seeped away from the air, replaced by the sounds of the rainforest.

  Newt had failed to notice it while the allosaurus stalked towards them, but silence had drowned the jungle even before the giant carnivore appeared.

  It’s vital that I pay more attention to the environment and things like jungle noises. Given the circumstances, even better trackers might have missed the signs, and Newt knew it, but viewed the thought as an excuse.

  He had no time for excuses because they needed to hurry. Time worked against them. Even if their path remained an unobstructed straight line, they would need four or five moons just to leave the jungle. And Newt found such good fortune unlikely. But even if they got lucky, and survived, and left unhindered, that left him with another four moons to find someone to shield him from the solar tribulation.

  The sect master could help him, but Newt had to find him.

  Newt’s heart sank as he realized he was fighting against luck and time, with heavens out to get him. Surviving Savage Wood suddenly seemed like a trivial task compared to the scope of what he needed to achieve.

  “Do we have a plan?” he asked, trying and failing to keep despair from his voice.

  “Our main objective is to navigate the jungle and get back home,” Greenbow maintained a brave front. “We won’t need weapons once we enter the zone without fourth realm dinos, but while we are here, we should either avoid fights or find something to fight with. And our weapons need to be high quality, at least third realm equivalent. Tying a rock to a stick won’t do.”

  Newt already knew that. Even if he used an expertly crafted mortal spear, it would shatter on impact, assuming it did not disintegrate when he sent a surge of fiery spiritual energy through it.

  “We will need to consider food and water. Aura needs to eat once a week, while we need to take a sip of water about as often, so we need to find or make a jug or bottle to carry water with us.” She glanced around the trees, but the night was already falling. “There should be plenty of fruit. Those might solve the problem of food and water at the same time. Meeting up with Stego and Sharpcut should also be our goals, but there’s nothing we can do to force the meeting. They could be walking in parallel with us a hundred yards to the right or left, and there’s no way for us to know they are there.”

  Newt could not help glancing to the side, then continued leading the way forward.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I have a third eye, so I can see in the dark. How do you guys do it?” Newt tried to make small talk and sate his curiosity. Perhaps there was something he could learn from his elder sisters.

  “I also have a third eye,” Emeraldstreak said without emotion while Greenbow grumbled.

  “You damn kids. If I was as lucky, I would’ve been a fifth-realmer already. I don’t have a third eye. I am old and have trained to move and fight in pitch black. I only have average talent, so I worked hard to get here.” A note of melancholy seeped into her voice. “That caught Master’s eye. She never said it, but I think she was like me, pushing forward against all odds, never giving up, and that’s what she liked about me.”

  Newt could certainly imagine Elder Alabaster stubbornly pressing on despite adversity while cultivating, or while fighting spirit beasts, or while eating for that matter. Elder Alabaster radiated an aura of a stubborn, persistent woman.

  “Do you think Master’s alive?” The question escaped his lips, laden with fear and sorrow.

  Newt’s cheeks burned with shame when he realized he had voiced his grim thoughts.

  “If there’s one person alive in the sect, that’s Master,” Emeraldstreak rebuked him.

  “Shh!” Greenbow put a finger to her lips. “No shouting.”

  “I wasn’t shouting, eldest sister,” Emeraldstreak whispered. “I was just chastising our little brother for his lack of faith in Master.”

  The night went on as the group exchanged hushed words. At first, they snapped to attention at occasional screeches from high in the canopy, but they got used to them as they grew more frequent. At some point, shimmering lights appeared all around as fireflies started blinking in search of mates.

  Tiny pterosaurs dove from the branches above, snatching the glowing insects, and the three cultivators went silent, observing the dancing feast. Newt watched the scene with fascination.

  “I bet that’s what the quetzalcoatlus we hit would look from a distance while devouring second or third realm cultivators.”

  Newt and Greenbow turned around to gape at their sister.

  “What? You were staring at them like it’s a beautiful demonstration of skill and agility, when in reality it’s a scene of carnage.”

  Newt could not find fault with the logic, then grinned.

  “Em,” he said in a voice reserved for delusional children, “the quetzalcoatlus hit us, not the other way round.”

  Her confused face illuminated by fireflies was priceless. Greenbow chortled.

  “He got you.”

  Newt’s joke bled out some tension, and Emeraldstreak also smiled.

  “Fine, I admit it was the dino that hit us.”

  The three of them continued their careful trek through the jungle, enjoying the luminous slaughter. But the depression slowly crept back on them, suffocating the trio.

  Newt rolled his eyes, trying to cheer himself up. I’ll never see fireflies in the same light. While Em is right, viewing their flight like a fight for survival instead of magical dancing lights, steals all the magic from the sight.

  Night went on and the lights slowly disappeared from view. Shortly before dawn, Aura groaned.

  “What—?”

  “Try to relax,” Greenbow said. “The crash was horrible, we tried to protect you the best we could. You survived, but suffered quite a bit of damage. Your leg is broken, you suffered a concussion, and you lost a lot of blood. We’re deep in the Savage Wood, heading north, and there are fourth and fifth realm spirit beasts around.”

  Greenbow continued with a short introduction into the group’s status, completely demoralizing the air cultivator.

  As light grew brighter, Newt wondered whether Aura was pale because of the blood loss or because of all the good news his eldest sister had shared with her.

  “Do you have any ideas or suggestions?” Aura shook her head. “Are you dizzy? Hungry…”

  Aura was shocked and in pain, with no immediate needs.

  “How good are you at scouting?” Greenbow asked.

  “Horrible. I’m an artificer, a skilled apprentice whose missions were all inside the workshop.”

  Newt wondered how she had survived the battle if that was the case. His suspicion once more reared its ugly head. He almost voiced his doubt, but kept quiet. He would discuss the matter with his sisters once Aura was out of earshot.

  “Newt, pick that yellow fruit over there.” Greenbow pointed with her chin, and Newt grabbed one of the melon-sized mangos.

  “Crack it in half and give a piece to Aura, we can split the rest.”

  Newt did, breaking the other half in three equal parts to the best of his ability. The sweet yellowish juice dripped from his hands as he gingerly tasted the unknown fruit. Sweetness flooded his mouth, tinged with a sour note which enhanced the flavor.

  “It’s good,” he admitted despite his dark mood.

  Greenbow nodded, the gesture too sharp for casual conversation. “Honeypom is sweet and refreshing. It doesn’t offer much in terms of energy, but even mortals can survive on them if they eat enough. Pick one or two whenever you see them.”

  Newt nodded, wondering whether he was running chores because he was the youngest or because he was the most mobile one in the group.

  Does it matter?

  On his own initiative, he climbed a tree and checked their direction.

  “We’ve drifted westward,” he mumbled the rising sun shining behind him.