Jingyi Bo sat cross-legged on one of the couches in her lounge room, across from Izumi Makoto and Hizashi Kokoro.
“A mission?”
“That’s right.” Izumi had just returned from an assembly, and had decided that Bo and Kokoro should be the first to know. “We’ll likely be gone for around a week. Finally, a chance to prove our strength! Senior Dae has been assisting us with our magic - it’s just unfortunate he won’t be with us.”
Bo sat quietly as she listened to Izumi’s explanation of the mission at hand. As she spoke, a small sense of dread began creeping into her heart. The people I’m close to have a tendency to vanish when they’re away. Near to me is not much better, but so many bad things happen when I’m not nearby. This is like the pilgrimage all over again, but she’s the one heading off - before I know it, some beast will scoop her up and throw her to … I don’t know, Yamato or something!
“Jingyi? Jingyi, hello?”
“Bo! Quit yer mopin’ face, she ain’t goin’ forever!”
Bo realised she had stopped listening, and that she was frowning deeply. “O-Oh, yeah, haha … it just … it sounds a little bit dangerous. Aren’t you sure you’d rather stay here?” With me? Wait, why would I say it like that?
“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Izumi waved it away, “and Lady Hayakawa would never let me get away with sticking around here anyway. Besides, it’ll be great practice - I’ll make sure to bring you back a souvenir! Maybe your spiritual technique will do something strange with beast cores? It always does something strange.”
Hizashi and Izumi giggled, and Bo frowned. “The Endless Steps of Transformation isn’t strange! It’s just … slow to start, is all!”
“Sure, sure. A totally ordinary spiritual technique.” For some reason, Izumi’s smirking face calmed Bo down. She was strong - way stronger than Bo was, or anyone Bo had ever known. There was nothing she couldn’t handle.
“Um … I’ll make you some spare talismans for the trip.” Izumi nodded at that, giving another bright smile. Spares could never hurt.
Bo’s paper-making abilities were growing stronger, given that she was constantly surrounded by paper during her library duties. Her paper talismans were almost indistinguishable from actual paper - considering they were made of leaves, an impressive feat. Bo was indirectly assisting the rest of Izumi’s group through the sheer quantity of spare paper she continued to hand out. A mage’s practice went through an enormous quantity of paper, and Bo was actually worrying she might run out of fallen leaves to transmute. However, it gave her something to do, and it made her feel useful. Most important of all, it made Izumi smile.
--
The following morning, Hizashi sat down in the lounge room with two bowls of Yamato noodles. Despite not needing to, Kokoro enjoyed her beauty sleep and a fine bowl of noodles - unlike Bo, who had been sitting on the other couch staring at the floor literally all night. Even the rousing scent of luxury noodle toppings couldn’t get Bo’s attention - Kokoro had to lean over and poke her in the forehead.
“Ow! You didn’t have to flick me …” Bo complained. She looked up, realised Kokoro’s prodigious self was leaning forward in her sleeping gown, and forced her eyes down to her breakfast. Adopting the Yamato method of saying thanks for the meal, she tore into it - Bo was actually hungry, and the taste took her mind off Izumi’s dangerous mission.
“Sittin’ here worryin’ about her ain’t gonna keep her safe, Bo. She’s tough as nails, an’ even if the whole thing goes wrong, she’ll be right an’ safe. Y’know, her whole group is just as strong, if not stronger!” Hizashi’s beaming smile tore through the clouds of Jingyi Bo’s despair, and she nodded as she slurped up her noodles.
“I s’pose you’re right.” Bo wiped off a bit of mess from her face with a sleeve - a bad habit that caused Kokoro’s sunlight to flicker ever so slightly - and set down her chopsticks. “I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? She runs into a vicious pack of wolves? Encounters some jealous rival group? M-Maybe she gets trapped in a cave with some horrible elemental, o-or a DEMON shows up and--”
“Bo! Yer gettin’ noodles everywhere!” Bo had slammed the table, nearly knocking her bowl over. Clearing her throat, she sat back properly on the couch.
“Alright, like they’d run into any of that. I mean, even if there were wolves, she’d just … Y’know?” Bo mimed punching theoretical beasts - Kokoro’s laugh helped calm her nerves.
“She’ll be absolutely fine, an’ you know it! B’sides, you seen much of that Hayakawa Kaede? She’s their leader, an’ I reckon she could fight nearly ev’ry student at once an’ come out on top. We gotta be more worried they’ll fail their mission ‘cause the beasts’ll be too afraid t’come out an’ fight!”
With Jingyi Bo’s worries calmed for the time being, the pair carried on with idle conversation as they finished their morning victuals. With Kokoro’s smile, Bo’s heart could be at peace for a time.
--
“We should go on a camping trip of our own!”
Chao Da had taken an entirely different message to heart when Bo relayed Izumi’s news to the rest of the group.
“She’s not going on a camping trip, Chao.” Bo frowned. “It’s a serious mission! A dangerous one too! If you’re thinking we should follow her up the mountain, you’re out of your mind.”
“Woah! Even I know we can’t do that! I was just thinkin’, if all the beasts and stuff are going to the mountain, then the rest of the area in the shield is now safer than usual!”
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No one could really fault Chao’s logic there. The entire reason for the mission was to find out why all the beasts are going over there - if they’re over there, they’re not over here, and if the problem is solved … There was no time like the present for a camping trip!
“Seriously? You’re all really considering this?” Hoshikawa Junpei was the one to speak up this time - given how infrequently he spoke up, everyone was a little shocked to hear him. “What a half-hearted plan! Jingyi, you have responsibilities in the library! Everyone has classes! Not to mention, just because some of the beasts have gone, doesn’t mean they’re all-- guh!”
Ichiro grabbed Junpei and squeezed him in a comically tight hug.
“Please excuse my cousin! He means only well. Don’t you, Junpei?”
“Let go of me, Ichiro! I’m not done talking! Gahh!”
While Amai treated his cousin to a vigorous noogie, the plan went ahead. The young man did have a few good points, but Bo was surprisingly able to deal with the first two in the same move. With everyone else preparing supplies for a jaunt into the forest, Bo headed to the library to see if she couldn’t attract the attention of her instructors.
When she arrived, fortune smiled upon her - Elder Ienaga was poring over a Qin-made scroll with a frown and a slight blush. Bo could have sworn she saw the usually composed martial artist jump ever so slightly as she entered, but the idea of having surprised Elder Ienaga was so beyond expectation that she discarded that notion immediately.
“Jingyi Bo.” Ienaga cleared her throat. “It has been some time.”
Bo bowed deeply, but could have sworn she saw Ienaga throw the scroll into a distant shelf as she did so. “Elder Ienaga, it is an honour. As you may be aware, I have taken over as the clea-- custodian for the library. I, um, ac-actually needed to talk to you …”
“The scroll was merely for research, Jingyi. Do not inquire further about the … techniques.”
“I did not see any scroll about dual-cultivation, Elder Ienaga.” Bo bowed a little bit deeper. Ienaga sighed with relief.
“Was there something else, then?”
Bo quickly explained the plan - she would need to leave the library alone for a short time, and also skip her week’s lessons. It wasn’t until she finished explaining it that she realised that the only instructor this really mattered to was Elder Hwang. Still, Ienaga considered it.
“A little time out in the wilderness might be good for your training. I am aware your mastery of the basic martial arts forms is improving, and you have been studying hard on your other disciplines - as have your friends. Don’t act surprised, we deans keep an eye on all of our students. Hwang might be bothered by you leaving the library alone, but I’ll convince him--”
“You’ll convince me of what, Master Ienaga?” Hwang chose that moment to materialise, and Bo suddenly felt a pressure in the air. Worried that there might suddenly be even the slightest of issues between xiantian cultivators, and how that apparently meant for a lot of collateral damage, Bo did her best to look as small as possible.
“Oh, Magus Hwang, good. Saves me running off and finding you. Our disciple wishes to use this opportunity of distracted beasts to train outside the city.”
“Oho! I see.” Elder Hwang stroked his beard and nodded, as though he didn’t know everything that had been said before arriving. “Our disciple also made a commitment to keeping the library … which she has done admirably. Who knew such a spiritual technique would be so useful in repairing old scrolls! Ohoho!”
Bo sighed with relief, and was surprised to see Ienaga do the same. She turned to Hwang and bowed deeply once more.
“E-Elder Hwang, I, erm, apologise deeply for not asking you first, but--”
“It’s quite alright, Jingyi.” Ienaga cut her off. “I was the one who had you tell me. I think it would do wonders for several of my disciples to face off with beasts and the dangers beyond the city’s limits. The final say is yours.”
“Hrm …” Hwang stroked his beard once more. “I suppose it can’t hurt. That group only contains a few of my students, and practical training might be effective. Sure. The library will not collapse with such a brief lapse in attention, after all.”
Overjoyed, Jingyi Bo thanked her instructors profusely. Hwang gave a small nod and vanished again, and Ienaga gave an encouraging smile. With another deep bow, Bo turned and left.
Ienaga Yumi waited a full five minutes before going back to retrieve the scroll.
--
The group assembled on the Saoka pitch the following morning, nearly everyone holding something. Hizashi had somehow procured a set of tents, Wang Wei had prepared a well-organised pack of essentials, and the rest had … stuff. Amai had a box of treats, while Hoshikawa was carrying spare clothes for both of them. Hizashi had evidently opted to bring a towel, while Chao and Youni were empty-handed. Tatsumaki had inexplicably located a barrel, which he explained was full of water - it looked like he was just using it for weight practice.
Their plan was simple - almost disappointingly so. With little to no idea of what was actually out there, they were going to travel out into the forest to the south-east, then head west around the city. They would stop wherever seemed interesting, deal with any beasts they found on the way and, if the worst happened and they had to flee, they would never be particularly far from the city itself.
They passed through the city to reach their exit point - the place felt ever-so-slightly less full, and rather less fearsome. The most powerful people in the school had left for the mountain-top, so there was far less chance of running into someone strong. Jingyi Bo had been hearing more and more about those at the top - Hayakawa Kaede's name was on the lips of all the Yamato students, Yan Zhihao was a prominent figure amongst Qin nobility … and a half-spirit commoner by the name of Lee Jia was making waves with her formidable approach to cultivation. Their absence made the Academy feel just that bit emptier.
Bo’s thoughts on the rest of the student body aside, they reached the edge of the city they intended to set off from. It was really no different from any other set of trees, but the guess was that there might be less beasts to worry about at a decent distance from the mountain. The group stepped forward and began to make their way into the woods.
--
“So, what exactly are we meant to do out here, anyway?”
The party had been walking for about half an hour before Bo spoke up. Everyone fell silent, stopping for a moment to think.
“We’re here t’fight beasts ‘n stuff, aren’t we?” Hizashi smiled uncertainly. Amai nodded along with her, as did his cousin (albeit with some reluctance).
“I thought we were just gonna enjoy some time outta the academy for once. Away from all the rules and books and stuff.” Chao nodded sagely - Wang and Youni copied him.
“The rules are literally ‘don’t kill or oppress each other’, Chao. You couldn’t oppress a mouse!” Bo teased.
“Senior Bo, I am gravely wounded … Allow me some face in this matter!” The man grovelled rather dramatically - it was almost enough to take everyone off-guard. Except for Bo.
“Fine, fine. You could oppress a mouse. Probably. Maybe even a rabbit!”
“A rabbit! You are so kind, Senior Bo!”
“A rabbit … like that one! Show us your stuff, Chao!”
Jingyi Bo turned and pointed - some distance away, standing on hind legs on a rock, was a rabbit. At first glance it was a sweet and fluffy creature, but further inspection revealed its cruel and evil demeanour. Its fur was nothing but steel needles, its claws a set of sharpened blades, its teeth vicious guillotine blades. Beady red eyes stared them down, and an aura of malice surrounded this magical beast.
Chao gulped in fear.