“Why don’t we just wait here? If a bunch of teams get offed before anyone finds us, we’ll have a better shot at winning, right?”

The question came from Iris. She and her three teammates were sitting at the entrance to the cave where they’d stayed the night, eating a light breakfast before they were to move out.

Boneroot noticed Hana mulling over whether she wanted to answer, so he did it instead.

“The proctors overseeing the competition will send in spirit beasts, or start a fire, or any number of things to get hiding teams out into the open. Danh made it clear that they don’t want to be here watching over things for a week. I was actually worried they might try to get us out of the cave last night.”

Hana added, “That is correct. I doubt we will have the same luxury if the competition extends into tonight. I propose we continue our sweep of the outskirts of the forest. While sending Boneroot in before us is certainly effective, I’d rather we were more prepared for the next fight.”

“Sounds good,” Guang said. “I wish we had somewhere to practice our formation, though. I feel like Iris and I could make some huge improvements on that thing we did against Wei.”

With an eager nod, Iris agreed, “Same! That was way stronger than it should have been! It’s a bummer we probably can’t work on it much for this contest. Once we’re done, though, we’re gonna become an unstoppable wall!”

Iris faltered a bit when she realized the embarrassing nature of her proclamations, but the two bumped fists and the team was ready to go. Boneroot led his peers through a path he’d scouted the previous night that led into a new section of the forest. As they ran, the knoll-covered fields became blackened trees and piles of cinder. They had entered the site of the strange forest fire they’d seen from atop their first vantage point.

Ash twirled about on the wind and the disciples had to run with their robes pulled up over their mouths to avoid inhaling any of it. Cultivator, or not, that could prove unpleasant at best and disastrous at worst. Though the leaves had all been burnt off the trees, the flurries of black and gray provided quick bursts of cover for the disciples to move through.

Of course, none of them were happy with Boneroot’s solution to the white and blue of their robes contrasting too conspicuously against the black landscape. After rolling about in the cinders until they were sufficiently camouflaged and miserable, they continued on. Hana Kasumi was particular upset with this state of affairs, given the difference in quality between her clothes and the sect robes. One comment about stuck-up nobles from Iris, however, had the Mist cultivator suffering in silence.

The team moved through the barren land at a relatively slow pace. The sporadic nature of the area’s sight lines forced them to move in short

As they crouched down behind an unrecognizable, burnt-down structure and waited for the wind to pick up some ash, Hana had to ask the question that had been bugging her.

“Why must we travel through this area?” After a couple glares thrown her way, she clarified, “Not that I’m complaining! I’m just unclear on the strategic benefit.”

The same glares reaffixed on Boneroot, who was the one to originally decide on their route. The boy was in deep concentration, looking for a way to move forward without potentially attracting attention. Or so it seemed.

“Boneroot,” Iris said through gritted teeth. “You’re staring pretty hard at the same spot in the distance. Nothing’s happening over there. Why don’t you join the conversation?”

He kept his eyes forward.

“Y’know,” Guang squinted as he spoke. “If I found out we didn’t need to be covered in ash and dirt right now, I might be a bit upset.”

Finally, Hana boiled over and her indignation could not be held back any longer.

“You...” She grabbed at her hair. “You halfwitted, dog-brained, rotten imbecile!”

Boneroot bolted through the still air. He hadn’t forgotten the danger of being spotted by another team. He simply felt that was a lesser risk than standing next to his teammates. Fortunately, his superior cultivation and qi-usage allowed him to flee the consequences of his decisions with peak efficiency.

Once more, their surroundings changed as they covered ground. Ironically, their soot-covered robes made them particularly conspicuous among the bizarre, multicolored, giant mushrooms they now found themselves among. It was under one of these mushrooms, with its cap tipped to the ground, providing decent cover, that Boneroot eventually came to a stop.

His teammates caught up in huff, but with surprising haste. Boneroot wasn’t sure whether to be impressed, or offended that Iris and Guang ran faster than he’d ever seen when they were specifically pursuing him. Hana was right behind them, sweat streaking the ash on her face.

The three took quick turns swatting at Boneroot’s shoulders and kicking at his shins. When they were done venting, the Spatial cultivator grinned at them.

“Did you see it?”

Still catching their breath, the others peeked out from around bulbous, yellow barrier of their mushroom hideout. An arboreal spire rose up from the ground, reaching above the treetops. Just like the forest around it, it was covered in colorful mushrooms, though its main body was gnarled and misshapen.

When they saw it, there was a long moment of deliberation. Each had to independently decide whether to continue to be mad at Boneroot, or to begrudgingly admit they’d taken the right path. As Iris craned her neck to look up at the spiraling, fungal tower before her, she opted for the latter. So did Guang. Hana was still furious.

“So,” Boneroot began. “Either we have a team to scout, or defenses to set up. I suggest we dig in here until we find out which.”

Eyebrows knit together, Hana said, “After the noise we just made in arriving, I can’t fathom a team in that tower not knowing we’re here.”

“True,” Boneroot admitted. “They might want to ambush us in the actual tower, though. It’s not a stretch to assume that’s where we’d go next.”

Guang weighed in next.

“Let’s take it slow. We should create a perimeter. Check for a team in the tower. Make sure nobody else tries to enter it from the other side, yeah?”

“Shouldn’t we cultivate a bit first?”

Boneroot looked at Iris, pondering the question.

“You’re probably right. You and Guang meditate. Hana, are you in good enough shape to keep watch with me?”

“Naturally,” the girl replied.

Iris raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on the pairing. Soon, she and Guang were meditating in the crook of the overturned mushroom that was their makeshift base of operations.

While Hana hunkered down behind the same mushroom cap, Boneroot repositioned to one nearby to get a new perspective on the tower they were scouting. The distance didn’t prevent them from speaking, though. A few minutes passed before Boneroot opened the conversation.

“What happened with Zhi?”

“That’s all? I thought you were preparing to rake me over the coals. You’re hardly subtle.”

Both because he didn’t understand the idiom and he wasn’t trying to hide his intentions in the first place, Boneroot shrugged.

“So be it,” Hana sighed. “I thought she was just being obstinate when she refused to follow you and the others. It would hardly be the first time, after all. That was how she caught me off guard. Though I am most capable of besting her in single combat, she had already fled by the time I recovered from the shock of the opening blow. It was the obvious decision to catch up with you, rather than pursue her.”

Boneroot was surprised by the brazen betrayal.

“I knew she was going to backstab our team in some way, but I didn’t take her for the type to turn on her friends.”

Rubbing at the bridge of her nose for a moment, Hana spoke as she turned her eyes back to the tower, “Nor I. However, it is not entirely without reason. She mentioned on a number of occasions the pressure her clan was putting on her to help her brother succeed.”

“I figured. That still doesn’t explain how Wei found us, though.”

“My guess would be a tracking talisman of some kind. There are any number of ways, but it hardly matters now. We were lucky to come out of the fight as advantageously as we did. Were it not for the fortuitous appearance of the copse worm, I doubt we would have been so fortunate.”

Boneroot shrugged again.

“There was some luck, sure, but you, Iris, and Guang still had to keep Wei locked up for pretty long. He might be the weakest of the Orange realm disciples, but that’s still nothing to scoff at.”

“That was primarily the other two, I must admit,” Hana said. When she noticed Boneroot’s skeptical look, she elaborated. “What? Am I really so ‘stuck-up’ that I can’t be expected to give credit where it is due?”

“Well, it’s noticeable is all. Before this competition, you gave us the same glares as Zhi. And Wei, too.”

Hana chewed on her lip.

“I was in error to side with Zhi in that petty split of our team. That is clearer now than ever before, though it was becoming obvious even prior her outright betrayal. The only thing I feel I need to say in my defense is that she is not the only one with the weight of her clan bearing down on her. If you and your friends prove to be an asset to my own advancement, I see no reason we can’t conduct ourselves cordially.”

Boneroot had to think on that. After a long pause, he grinned.

“That lonely, huh?”

Hana flushed.

“Hardly! I’m simply not a fool. That’s it. I know the difference between me and the Shio girl. And even you, for that matter. I will not surpass her without the resources that come with success in the sect.”

“What’s this about the other Hana? She’s kind of full of herself, sure, but she seems decent enough.”

Hana Kasumi rolled her eyes.

“You can only say that because you’re nearly as strong as her. That earns you the right to be treated as a person in her eyes. Anyone beneath her might as well be dirt on her sandals.”

Boneroot grinned wider.

“So... like you and Zhi a week ago, then?

A clod of dirt slid off the shoulder of his robe. Its thrower glared at him.

“You know nothing of the Shio clan. Be thankful you didn’t get sucked into her orbit. She will crush anyone that slows her down. She has no friends and no comrades. Only stepping stones.”

“Sounds like you have some history.”

“How observant,” Hana said with another roll of her eyes. “It is certainly not my job to lecture you on the basics of relations between exiled Kazemuran clans. Pick up a book if you’re so curious.”

“Wouldn’t do much good,” Boneroot chuckled. “I can barely read as it is.”

This time, Hana’s glare was more confusion than indignation.

“Truly?”

“Yup! No writing, or anything where I come from. It was pretty easy to learn, though. I guess that was because I was already in the Red realm at the time, but still!

The expression on the girl’s face sat somewhere between disgust, pity, and regret. Finally, she managed to speak without vocalizing the instincts that steered her toward derision.

“I hadn’t imagined any self-respecting corner of the Empire to be so neglected. Even those of such wild origin.”

“Well, I’m from the Sentoru Forest.”

Hana didn’t pick up on the boy’s forlorn sigh at the mention of his homeland. She was too busy thinking over the revelation.

“Yes, I am aware. That is rather interesting, though. You aren’t of the Heartwood Tribe, are you? I thought they at least had a certain level of civility...”

“Never heard of them. We just called our home The Village. There wasn’t anyone else around, so we didn’t need a fancy name.”

Finally, Hana noticed the somber note in her teammates voice. For all her upbringing may have inflated her ego, or stripped her of respect for the common folk, it did instill in her a strong sense of tact.

“Ah, yes, well, in any case, the Shio clan has secured for themselves a much more influential position in the Empire than my own clan. Are you at least aware of the Censorate?”

Boneroot had to think for a moment.

“Song mentioned it once. Couldn’t tell you what it is, though.”

“The Zeide boy? A strange companionship, certainly. Regardless, the Censorate is a branch of the imperial government. They are primarily tasked with overseeing, or reigning in the other branches of government and particularly high-level cultivators.”

“So, their job is to be stronger than everyone else?”

Hana allowed herself a sly smile.

“An oversimplification, but not entirely incorrect. Naturally, when Emperor Li Doa appointed Kana Shio, the Clan Head, to the position, it lit a fire under my own family elders. The fools.”

Hana spat the last words. Rather than inquire as to the vitriol, Boneroot decided to change the subject.

“So, what will happen to Zhi now? It’s not like we can keep her on the team, right?”

Movement in the distance cut off Hana’s response. From behind their giant mushroom caps, the two cultivators tensed. A breathless moment ensued and lasted until the intruder revealed itself to be nothing more than a passing rabbit.

Hana picked up where she left off with a chagrined cough.

“I certainly won’t be welcoming her back. She will still be on our team, but that will be in name only. If she has even the slightest bit of decency, she will remove herself from any future competitions, practices, and the like. I would challenge her to a duel, were it worth my time. I don’t have the luxury, however.”

“Something to do with the Shio clan, then?”

Though he’d tried to avoid the topic just a few moments prior, Boneroot was getting the sense that Hana’s rant was not to be delayed. The girl eyed her teammate for a moment before responding.

“The Shio clan and, specifically, Hana Shio, are but one thorn of many in the side of my clan. Since leaving Kazemura, we have failed to produce the powerful cultivators that we counted among our numbers prior to exile. Though the Shio clan was in a similar position, their relationship with Emperor Doa, as well as the strength of Kana Shio, herself, gives them a much sturdier foothold in the Empire.”

Boneroot nodded along with her explanation. While he wasn’t well-versed in the nuances of clan relations in the Empire, he did get the broad strokes from Kroshieshi.

“This generation has been particularly scant of talent,” Hana continued. “Rather than try to assess the root cause of such a dearth, the elders of my clan have decided instead to foist their expectations solely upon myself. Irritating as it is, I must rise to the challenge. Surpassing Hana Shio is just one milestone on that path.”

Slightly out of breath, the girl stared hard into the ground. Despite the lingering tension, Boneroot chuckled to himself. The girl was mortified.

“Excuse me!” She yelped. “Just because my family didn’t leave me on my own in the middle of the woods, does not mean my tribulations are to be mocked!”

Boneroot laughed even harder. Finally, he managed a response.

“Not that, sorry. I just can’t stop thinking about Zhi. What’s she doing right now? I’ve never met someone less capable of surviving alone in a forest.”

Hana calmed down once she realized the ridicule was directed elsewhere. She even laughed softly, herself.

“I suppose that is rather humorous. Knowing her, I would guess she attempted to prove herself capable of fighting without a team. So divorced from reality is her ego, she might even be harboring delusions of winning the competition. For now, we can only hope she was most brutally stripped of that delusion.”

“What I wouldn’t give to see that,” Boneroot sighed.

“You might not be able to mock her so if anyone in that tower heard how loudly you were laughing.”

She had him there, Boneroot admitted to himself. By now, he was fairly sure nobody was actually up there. Though he wanted to investigate, one part of their earlier conversation still tugged at his attention.

“Wait, how do you know I lived alone in the woods? I didn’t tell you that.”

Boneroot was treated to a classic Hana Kasumi eyeroll.

“When a clanless, unknown boy in the Orange realm joins a sect in tow of an equally mysterious Sect Expert, inquiries are made. In this case, however, you were overhead talking about your origins in the canteen. Many times. By many people.”

Hana hammered her point home with staccato rhythm and raised eyebrows.

“Alright,” Boneroot yielded. “I get it. I wasn’t exactly trying to hide it, or anything. My village didn’t leave me, though. Something happened and I’m going to find out what. Eventually.”

Feeling a bit guilty about implying such in her brief flash of anger, Hana used a sheepish cough to switch subjects once more.

“As I alluded to with reference to your boisterous laughter, surely there is nobody in that tower, correct?”

“Seems like it,” Boneroot agreed. “There’s not much reason to rush in, though. It hasn’t even been an hour. Let’s wait for Guang and Iris to finish up before we make any moves.”

As time passed and neither cultivator saw any sign of another team, their hushed conversation turned lighter. Either in spite of, or due to her noble roots, Hana proved herself far more capable of friendly banter and ribbing than Boneroot. To be fair, though, only Guang was actually worse than him and that was more ascribed to his exceedingly gregarious nature. So it was that Boneroot found himself verbally outmatched for the remainder of their largely ineffective scouting session.