The cultivators and Micro spent the afternoon quietly cleaning the shrine. There was a notable tension in the air, but Kel’s continued reverence to Micro kept anyone from voicing their concerns. Micro looked around to see if he could find his core cards, but he assumed the pixie had them tucked away in its impossibly large pocket like the headband was. After the Shrine had been returned to its original state, the cultivators all bowed apologetically to the stone statue before leaving.
They began walking at a brisk pace after the rain had stopped and before the sun had set too low. Having rested well, despite their rude awakening, they were confident they would make it home before sunset the following day if they travelled through the night.
Micro watched the others head down the path with a complicated look on his face before following them down the hill, but he couldn’t bring himself to set foot on it again, choosing instead to walk beside it in the tall grass. Though the wet grass drenched his old boots, he still found it preferable to enduring the uneven path beside him. Kel noticed his continued displeasure with the path, and disrupted the awkward silence to ask him more about his life.
“Are roads that different where you come from?”
“Different? It’s hard to compare them!” Micro replied passionately.
“Even with tires, that path up the hill would feel terrible to drive on.”
“So the roads were of a much higher standard where you lived, yes?”
“They weren’t all perfect, but at least they were paved…” Micro closed his eyes as he spoke, imagining the roads of his driver’s village.
“Paved roads? You must have lived in the capital of a powerful nation!” Kel exclaimed. Even the others who overheard Micro’s claim couldn’t hide their raised eyebrows.
“Capital?” Micro replied.
“Not at all. He lived in a village an hour from the nearest market. Although there have been more cars on the road lately…”
“You mean to say that even your villages have paved roads?” Kel laughed.
“You may not be lying, but you must be joking!”
Micro laughed along with Kel, enjoying a break in the tension. The sun shone through the clouds once or twice before it set, but evening came quickly and soon the woods were dark again. As before, the cultivators didn’t hesitate to illuminate the surrounding area with their glowing green auras, making it much easier to see.
“A world where humans have headlights and I don’t…” Micro lamented.
“Fear not, master.” Kel replied cheerfully.
“My grandfather is the leader of the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect for a reason. He’ll be able to teach you more about using your internal energies. You’ll be able to use aura as well as us in no time.”
“I was told to seek out the Serpent Sect for a master.” Micro replied.
An awkward tension fell on the group after Micro’s declaration, but Kel dispelled it tactfully.
“I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to meet them one day, master.” He continued.
“But they are an Amber level sect, and they are… well… it would be discourteous to speak of them in greater detail. In any case, I think it would be best for you to join us at the Fire Mountain Turtle Sect, at least for the time being. That is, if it pleases you, master.”
Seeing Kel bow so deeply while requesting he stay with them for a while, Micro couldn’t refuse.
“Okay.” Micro replied with a thumbs up.
“Young master, I think it’s time we discussed your territorial allotment.” Sung called out to Kel once he saw that the mood had lifted.
“Your inheritance will soon be decided, now that you have completed the first quest.”
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“Ah, yes.” Kel nodded.
“Excuse me master, my responsibilities have increased yet again…”
Micro waved as Kel caught up to Sung, and the two became engrossed in a conversation about a number of things Micro couldn’t understand. Tae’s attention was fully devoted to keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings using her Spirit Vision skill. Den and the other two cultivators walked while circling the group, diligently placing themselves between Kel and the outside world. Left alone for a while, Micro’s thoughts had just started to wander.
“Ow, my arm…” The voice of the yellow pixie suddenly grumbled from his pocket.
“Where am I?”
Micro gently plucked the pixie out of his pocket by its wings and held him closer to get a good look.
“What’s your name?” Micro asked.
“It’s none of your business, stinking human! Cultivator trash! Ugly-”
“So noisy…” Blue’s stern voice put a sudden end to the yellow pixie’s complaints. She jumped out of Micro’s left breast pocket onto his shoulder, pointing a glowing finger at her yellow counterpart.
“Are you two related?” Micro asked while holding the yellow pixie beside blue to compare them.
“All pixies are related, fool.” She sighed.
“Why isn’t he blue, like you?”
“Hmm? Pixies all start off yellow. This little guy is barely older than that stinky grey cultivator you found in the woods.” She scoffed, and flicked the pixie’s forehead with her finger.
“Just a baby.”
The yellow pixie glared at Blue, but he kept his mouth obediently shut.
“I have my reasons for allowing this human to carry me, for now.” Blue declared to the pixie.
“You’re not young enough to have no name, are you?”
“Trill.” the yellow pixie mumbled in discontent.
“Good.” Blue nodded with authority.
“Some crazy magicians used up most of my power to summon this clumsy nut from who knows where, so I barely have the strength to fly, let alone summon my pocket.”
“You’re that weak…?” Trill raised an eyebrow and snorted.
“Blue, the Blue is too weak to-”
But his smirk was short lived.
“Gah!” His face contorted in pain as Blue clenched her fist in front of her.
“I’ll use up the last of my powers ripping your wings off before I listen to a yellow bean sprout talk down to me.” She said coldly before releasing her mysterious grip on him.
“So congratulations, twerp. You get to carry my luggage, unless you want to chat with those cultivators over there.”
“Understood…” Trill groaned.
“What were you doing up there, anyways? Stupid brat.” Blue asked him with a harsh tone.
“Stealing trinkets from travellers is beneath you.”
“None of your business…” Trill braced himself after talking back to Blue, but she remained harsh in tone only.
“When’s the last time you saw another pixie doing something so stupid?”
“I don’t remember the last time I saw another pixie at all.”
“Ah…” Blue’s harsh tone waned for a moment, but she turned her nose up and waved him away.
“I have more important things to do. Go to your pocket and don’t bother me in mine.”
Blue jumped back into Micro’s pocket, leaving Trill alone with Micro.
“So, you can carry a lot of things?”
“Yes…” Trill hesitated to answer, but he was too exhausted to protest.
“I’m a pixie… of course I can…”
“I see.” Micro replied.
“And you’re carrying the things I put on the table?”
“Mmhmm…” The pixie braced itself as it spoke, but was confused to see Micro still smiling.
“Thanks!” He replied happily.
“I don’t have my own bed anymore… I guess Blue has the same problem.”
“Whatever…” Trill responded coldly with a raised eyebrow.
“Umm, excuse me, master…” Tae suddenly appeared behind Micro, startling Trill to the point that his face turned a brighter shade of yellow.
“Hello, Tae.” Micro replied happily.
“Are you doing well?”
“Yes, thank you, master.” She said with an awkward smile.
“But, may I ask that you, perhaps, put away the pix- your passenger for the time being? I know you have your reasons, but the others are… distracted…”
Micro looked around at the others upon Tae’s timid request and noticed several of them struggling not to steal frequent glances at Micro and his yellow friend, and they looked visibly disturbed by its presence.
“Well, okay.” Micro agreed, returning Trill to his right breast pocket without issue.
“Why don’t you get along, by the way?”
“You didn’t have pixies on your world…?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then you wouldn’t know the damage they can do…” Tae whispered.
“They’re powerful monsters who bring chaos wherever they go, and few people would risk their lives trying to capture one… to carry them around in the open is…”
Tae’s voice trailed off when she realized Micro was having trouble understanding her warning.
“In any case, master.” She spoke up.
“Be careful not to let anybody back home see you with those. I trust you, but most would hesitate to allow a guest with two pixies in his pocket into their sect…”
“Ah, understood.” Micro gave her a thumbs up.
“I’ll keep my passengers safe.”
“It’s not them I’m worried about…” Tae sighed.
“Just, try to keep them out of trouble.”
With that, Tae returned gracefully to her place at the front of the group. Micro opened his left pocket to take a look at Blue, who seemed to be meditating next to her core card, then patted the pocket shut again.
“I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding.” He mumbled to himself with a smile.