Deep in the mountains, the woman, who came to be known as the Jade Blade, watched as her party’s Technomancer, Yumi, hid away her soul-bound cell phone. The girl slipped the cellphone into her pocket and quietly scanned her surroundings. Her eyes passed over the blade warrior’s hiding spot in the shadows between the cover of two trees before quietly walking back to camp.

In the cover of darkness hidden behind trees, the Jade Blade’s lips thinned in irritation at the bothersome girl. She hated to admit it, but she liked the girl. She considered her a friend, or something similar to it. Genuine friends were nothing but liabilities, a hard lesson she learned early on. Friends are distractions. You can either be the player or the pawn. She was a player. A mastermind that moved the pieces, and while that might seem cruel to some most people were just pieces to be controlled by the powerful. It remained the same, regardless of the world.

How irritating. She massaged her temples, unsure of what bothered her more. That the girl crept away before the rest of the team woke up, or that she wasted her precious mana using her cell phone for her own interests?

As a team, they agreed she would refrain from powering devices with her mana without consulting leadership. It might seem cruel, but they had to be smart. It was crucial to their survival. Their dire circumstances required that they treat everything as a resource and squander nothing.

It was undeniable that Yumi had potential. She showed intelligence, worked well under pressure and her class gave her the ability to power technology with her mana. Her assistance in the Jade Blade’s rise to party leader of not one but three separate parties in such a short time showed her value. Discerning and friendly, she kept the morale up for key members of the party. While many assumed that her cute, friendly banter was carefree, the Jade Blade knew better.

It was anything but carefree. Those she reassured with her girl-next-door charm were victims of skillfully applied interpersonal skills.

The Jade Blade, however, approved of the application of those skills. The girl blunted hard feelings and assuaged the fear that the surviving humans suffered from.

Bolstering the spirits of others, not an effective use of the Jade Blade’s time. Upon arriving in the world of two suns, the Jade Blade worked to gather a party of competent individuals. She witnessed the people arguing; vacillating in fear, and decided to take control of the situation to ensure their species’ survival on this new planet.

She must lead humans in the new world and she wouldn’t hesitate to remove any obstacles to her duty. Every person lost represented a lost soldier, crafter, or farmer. She needed people to build her kingdom to ensure humanity’s survival.

Beasts, other races, and whatever else this world held in store outnumbered humans. Careful planning kept them safe. Precise application of their resources ensured that nothing was wasted. They could not tolerate mistakes. This new world was unforgiving, brutal, full of magic, and the unknown.

Should she confront Yumi about her careless use of her mana?

No other priorities came first. Also, while she had a hard time seeing Yumi intentionally harming the party, she didn’t accept unknown variables.

What was she doing on her phone that caused her to sneak away?

Did she not want to be reprimanded for using mana without consulting leadership?

Possibly…

More likely, she had contacted a person of interest. That look, while unsure of the exact sentiment it reflected, she thought she recognized it. Infatuation? Love? Relief? Perhaps one or more of those. Whatever the sentiment, it was strong. Emotions could be a hindrance to any individual, and while it was smart to limit the emotions in oneself, it was foolish to ignore the power they held over people. Her eyes narrowed. This event that had occurred, whatever ‘this’ was, could be a complication. She didn’t like complications, and if necessary, would handle it personally? Distractions were unacceptable.

She considered as she silently stalked after Yumi in the dark.

— —

Yumi attempted to crawl into her bedroll without making a sound when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She looked around, trying to be subtle. The camp was dark under the cover of the large pine trees. The chill of the night air and crisp scent of pine sap gave the dark forest a sense of remoteness. The deeper they traveled into the forest the more dangerous it became. They had chosen the camp because it was the best location available so deep in the forest—it provided a small, defensible clearing that backed up against a sheer rock face. The unrelenting stone jutted from the gradual slope of the mountain, large and gray, carved over time by some unknown force. The unyielding surface displayed the scars of time; thoroughly decorated with cracks—small rivulets that, over time, had given a sense of age and immutability to its sheer, hard face. In an unfamiliar forest full of dangers, the place offered a feeling of safety.

Two bedraggled and sparsely outfitted guards shuffled back and forth on either side of the camp. Their clothes were stiff from not being washed, many had the smell of iron on them that came from blood and iron of weapons. There hadn’t been time to make soap or clean there clothes, at this point in their journey they were purely focused on survival. They searched for threats that had previously taken several of the camp members over the past week. The survivors had filled the space with makeshift tents and cots spread throughout. Yumi snuck in, evading the guards. It wasn’t very difficult since their party struggled to adjust to their new reality, where danger and hunger were constant. The guards shoddy job of guarding the camp showed the struggle that they were all facing. Coming from a life of opulence and technology had weakened their race in ways. The majority of them were not physically fit or equipped for the wilds. While she probably wouldn’t get in trouble for wandering off, she didn’t want to answer questions. The leadership had kept a tight hand on camp, and while she knew those rules kept her and others safe, the restraint rankled.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The guards had two empty bedrolls, while the one near the rock face was unexpected. Ugh, had someone noticed her sneak away from the camp? As her gaze continued circling the perimeter of the camp, she found the source of the feeling. Sure enough, the Jade Blade casually leaned against a tree. Her striking eyes followed Yumi with a calculating gaze.

Yumi jerked abruptly. Oh, no! Time to improvise.

She smiled as she approached the athletic, beautiful woman. “Hey, you’re just the person I wanted to talk to. I’m glad you’re up.”

The woman raised her perfectly manicured eyebrow. “Yumi. Why are you up so early?”

“I’ve made a discovery?”

“Oh, do continue, I’m interested to hear what you discovered.” Yumi cowered under the sharp gaze. Did those eyes miss anything?

Yumi fingered a strand of her hair, twirling it nervously. “I sent an SOS out to all my contacts. A message to see if people on Earth could be reached.” While that wasn’t far from the truth, Yumi had reached out to her friends or family because she missed them. She hadn’t expected anyone to respond, let alone hear from one of her close friends. They were on a different planet..

Across from her, the warrior rested her hand on the hilt of her blade. Yumi’s eyes traced the intricate patterns of the fine weapon. A soul-bound blade, unlike the mobile phone that Yumi had picked. The warrior didn’t need to fasten the weapon to her hip. With soul storage, it wasn’t necessary, but she kept it on her as a sign of her position, intimidating. The Jade Blade folded her arms. “And?”

“Well, I received a response from one contact.” She watched the warrior to see any sign of surprise. Nothing. Ah, well, that shouldn’t surprise her. The woman’s sword and spine were both made of steel. Yumi continued.

“He is stuck here, like us. I tried to find someone on Earth who could help us get back.”

The Jade Blade scoffed.

“I know, I know. You have shared your opinion. You’ve mentioned that it is highly unlikely we will ever be able to return. At this point, we should keep all our options open. I don’t see how being thorough can hurt.”

Yumi gazed at the warrior taking in her appearance. She was slim, athletic, and even looked elegant with her hand resting near her sword. Despite the relaxed posture, Yumi knew the sword could be unsheathed and at her throat in an instant. She knew her fear was irrational, but in the new world, the weak were vulnerable to the strong. A world without rules or government. Yumi admitted to choosing the side that would likely ensure her survival. Since they arrived, she had supported the rule of the Jade Blade. Their relationship had grown since they teamed up and despite a few differences, the relationship had paid off for both of them. She even considered the woman a friend. After all, there was nothing like life-threatening experiences to bring people close together.

She wasn’t a friend like Abby or Cass, but any person who would readily defend you from saber-toothed coyotes with sharp claws had to be a friend, right? She shuddered, chills running up her spine at the thought of those weirdly terrifying creatures.

The woman across from her waited for her in silence after giving her a slight nod, acknowledging her statement. Ugh, Yumi hated silence. “Anyway, he is part of a small party. It’s just him and a family of four, near the meadow.”

“I’m telling you, this guy would be a considerable asset to our group. He is smart, strong, and is a skilled outdoorsman. Also, he’s a close friend.”

The Jade Blade smirked.

“This wouldn’t be a lover of yours, would it?”

Yumi’s response was immediate.

“Ew! No! Please. He’s more like a brother to me. My best friend’s older brother, in fact.”

The Jade Blade only gave her a skeptical look. The kind that said, Sure girlfriend, we’ll pretend nothing is going on, but we all know that’s a lie.

“Have I met him?”

Yumi shuffled back and forth. Her shoes became suddenly fascinating. She briefly met the warriors’ gaze before looking away.. “Umm…No, I don’t think so. Not likely.”

The warrior watched her mannerisms closely, suspecting something was off. Did Yumi like the man but was ashamed to confess it? Yumi’s coquettish behavior made it difficult to know her true thoughts. She released a breath, uncertain the extent that this man held Yumi’s loyalty. Loyalty that was exclusively hers until this person came into the equation.

“Sure, we’ll have him retrieved, but we’ll keep the party small. You and one more are sufficient. I can’t have too many away from camp. You understand, do you not?”

Yumi felt a surge of relief flow through her body.

“Of course, I understand and I appreciate your support in this. It’s just been real hard. It will be nice to have a loyal friend here to help us. I’d trust him with my life.

“Wow, that’s quite the claim. I don’t trust anyone here with my life. He must be special.”

“Yes, well, he is practically family, so that helps. Maybe you could send Donovan, or Shayla, with me to find him. They’re both skilled warriors who won’t get lost, and I trust them to keep me safe.” Yumi beamed up at the other women. Wow! So far, so good. So far, the conversation seemed to be going well.

“Oh, no. You are far too valuable to humanity for that, Yumi.” The warrior looked at Yumi, returning a smile of her own.

Yumi was at a loss. She didn’t consider herself that valuable to humanity, though she supposed everyone was valuable since there were so few of them.

Donovan and Shayla were among the best warriors in their party. The party included individuals with diverse job backgrounds, such as construction, office, and restaurant work. Some were naturally athletic and had the right temperament to survive. Among them, some received classes and skills.. Donovan and Shayla were, in her humble opinion, two of the strongest and most capable party members outside of the Jade Blade. So it surprised her they weren’t sufficient for her in her retrieval quest. Who better to travel with her than one of them? Miguel, or…

The Jade Sword’s hand gripped her shoulder, and she met her gaze. “I’ll be going with you. I wouldn’t entrust the job to anyone else.”

Yumi felt a slight pit in her stomach, but only held her smile. “You would? Oh, that would be great. When can we leave?” Maybe they could leave tomorrow morning, just wrap up a few last-minute things.

“Today.” The lady responded.

Yumi gasped. “Today?” It was surprising to Yumi. She hadn’t expected to set out today. Until now, the focus was on finding a safe place to train..

“Today, I’ll take care of it. It’s only a few days, right? I’ll let everyone know. In the meantime, we can use this trip to check the meadow, just in case any others arrived.” She pulled her hand from the pommel of her sword where she had been tracing the intricate designs that were etched into it. She turned, then walked toward camp.

Well, it seemed the conversation was over. Yumi followed her. Anxiety filled her. The Jade Blade was competent, charismatic, and as sharp as her sword. The conversation had been too easy. Most surprising of all, she hadn’t expected the Jade Blade to accompany her.

The lady led the camp with brutal efficiency and foresight. Cass crossed her mind, causing a nervous pang about how he would get along with her. She had hoped to have time to prepare him, but it didn’t matter. Things were different now. They all needed each other. She needed Cass, and he needed her. Anything else was just water under the bridge.

That was what she told herself anyway, though they felt a deep pit in her stomach, anxiety that just wouldn’t go away.