The axe which collided with Micro's head was shockingly different from the tools he'd carried in the past. It was impractically shaped for chopping wood, but it was clear that they were designed to cut.

“Ouch.” Micro grunted as the axed bounced off his head, but it didn't fall to the ground.

Instead, the axe was pulled through the air, back into the hand of its thrower. Micro's protective arts had saved him from injury, but the impact left him dazed as he glanced ahead.

“Let's see what you got in those fancy robes!” A dirty, bearded man shouted with a raspy voice.

Micro collected himself and scanned the area, locating a small number of people tied to a tree near the axe-throwing bandit. Ignoring the vulgar taunts of the bandit, Micro immediately rooted himself to the ground with the Mycelial Art, gathering as much energy as he could.

“What-” The bandit yelped as a box of energy popped out of the ground, quickly enveloping him.

Micro then used his Serpent Art to fill the box with a poisonous gas, hoping the bandit would soon lose consciousness. To Micro's surprise and horror, an axe burst through the wall of the box, allowing the gas to escape.

“You little pu-” The bandit cursed and coughed as a new wall popped up to replace the damaged one, but he broke through it again.

Micro became flustered as the box continued to weaken, and as the other bandits approached from behind his current opponent, he struggled to think of a way to incapacitate them. The screams of the imprisoned villagers were almost deafening as he imagined what abilities to utilize.

Two more axes flew toward his head as he thought, and he reflexively raised his hands to deflect them. A loud metallic clang rang out as the first axe shattered against the back of his fist, and shrapnel was flung through the air in every direction.

“No...!” A woman screamed nearby.

Micro saw that the bandits had retreated several paces after being pelted by the flying pieces of metal, but the scream which drew his attention came from a woman tied to a tree with several others. She bent down over a young man who had fallen to his knees, unable to fall completely due to the rope attaching him to the tree, and Micro knew immediately what had caused the injury to his chest. Blood trickled down to the ground as the people near him panicked and cried.

Micro had no time to apologize or regret the accident, as the number of bandits surrounding him had increased to five, all of which appeared to be amber level cultivators. However, they didn't attack him right away.

“Oh?” One of them shouted, laughing crudely as he wiped some blood from his face. The bandit looked back at the cowering villagers after noticing that Micro hadn't taken his worried eyes off them since the fight began.

“He's after the product!” Another bandit noticed, laughing with his comrade.

“Here I was, thinking he was sent by the Empire! Hah!”

Lena's warning flashed in his mind as three of the bandits began rushing toward the prisoners. Micro knew he wasn't in any danger, but he was sure he wouldn't be able to stop anything from happening to a hostage in the midst of so much chaos.

He wished that all the bandits would simply stop moving. He wished the bandits would trip over rocks on the uneven ground. He wished that helping some people didn't mean hurting others, but he knew he was the only means of stopping the bandits at that moment.

“Stop-” Micro began to say, and then something clicked in his mind.

He summoned two swords of aura using the Spirit Sword Skill, and threw them as hard as he could at the legs of the fastest bandit. Before they had even made contact, he summoned two more to throw at the other, and then two more.

“The old man would forgive a tire slasher, right...?” Micro asked himself as the bandits stumbled and rolled to a stop on the dirt, screaming and grasping their bleeding legs. His aim was poor, and it took several more attempts to full immobilise the targets, but he eventually succeeded.

“It's to stop another crime, after all… Bad people…”

Micro's hands shook as he continued to summon swords and throw them, and his disgust in his actions gradually turned to relief.

“They looked a lot stronger than they are...” Micro wondered aloud.

“They lack discipline.” Lena said as she ran by, not slowing to greet Micro as she passed.

“Ah...” Micro nodded as she disappeared into a crowd of bandits, and he turned away as angry shouts became screams of pain and terror.

He made his way to the villagers, one of which was barely conscious, bleeding heavily from a deep cut in his chest.

“Head that way. My friends are waiting there.” Micro said as he cut away the ropes and chains. The people he freed seemed no less terrified of him than of the bandits, but they eventually carried themselves away from the scene and into the woods as directed by Micro.

“Sorry about...”

~

Micro sat down by a fire in the middle of the quiet camp. He couldn't smell the smokey air. He couldn't feel the warmth of the fire or hear the embers crackling. Despite his success in liberating the imprisoned people, none of the bandits whose lives he had spared survived Lena's thorough execution of her duties. After interrogating several for a while, the bandits' population was reduced to nothing before the dust had fully settled.

“You did alright, eh?” Blue said, landing on his head with a thud.

Micro continued to sit in silence, staring into the fire.

“We have done what we came here to do.” Lena announced as she approached them from behind.

“Thank you for your assistance.”

“It was a good time.” Blue laughed.

“You really are merciless, eh?”

“Your ability to cause confusion aided me in isolating several bandit leaders who held valuable information.” Lena said with a respectful salute, one hand wrapped in the other in from of her chest.

“It would have been like hunting flies in a swarm of bees otherwise.”

“Don't worry about it. Bees, eh? I wonder if there is a Bee Art…” Blue replied casually. She then stomped on Micro's head once, causing him to stir from his daze.

“Wha-”

“You did fine, farm tool.” Blue shouted down at him.

“You saved the poor little humans, and the bandits are all gone. Take a bow!”

Micro nodded, then expanded his senses to confirm the presence of the villagers and his friends. He stood up and looked to his left, and saw Arbur leading Kolt, Kira, and the rest of the villagers through the woods toward the smouldering remains of the bandits' camp.

“Ah.” Micro blurted out as he remembered to activate his Charm Skill.

Though Micro had freed the majority of the imprisoned villagers, they remained afraid of him and Lena throughout the battle. The Charm Skill immediately eased the tension in the crowd of several dozen disgruntled non-cultivators, but Micro didn't feel any more at ease.

“If I may.” A middle-aged man suddenly declared from among the crowd. Lena seemed impressed by his confidence as he walked forward to address her and Micro.

“Yes?” Lena replied.

“I thank you on behalf of those you have saved.” The man declared with a bow. Though his clothes were tattered and his hair and beard unkempt, his eyes were sharp and confident. He looked back up at Micro and Lena and continued.

“I dare not lay our trivial concerns upon your feet. Though few of us have survived our long journey in captivity, those of us who are here do possess the strength to return home without troubling you any more than we have.”

“Help yourselves to what is left of these bandits' belongings.” Lena said.

“I have already received my reward. Where were you taken from?”

“Most of us come from west of these woods.” The man replied.

“We will follow the sun to what is left of our homes.”

“Then we shall escort you to a road that leads near to the western edge of the forest.” Lena explained, then looked up at the stars which had begun to emerge in the sky as an icy wind blew away the smoke and dust. Familiar flashes of green and purple among the stars caught the group's attention for a moment before Lena continued.

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“Make your preparations. We depart at dawn.”

“What road could- Excuse me… Your grace is immeasurable.” The man replied, though his face expressed more disdain than gratitude.

Kira and Kolt didn't hesitate to assist the freed villagers in looting the bandits and packing supplies. Many were wary or even scared to interact with the children in immaculate cultivators' robes, and who radiated the familiarly oppressive aura of a cultivator. The children were still unable to fully restrain their own auras, but they continued to help while explaining their own background. Before long, the camp was full of gossip about the two young members of a powerful sect who were nothing but orphaned villagers not long ago. Curious children among the recently freed gathered around Kolt and Kira, asking too many questions for the two young cultivators to answer, and Blue was happy to tell them tales, mostly true, of her own adventures with Micro’s odd party.

Despite Micro's Charm Skill alleviating some of the tension among the camp, he decided not to interfere with their preparations. Together with Lena and Arbur, he approached the dungeon portal with a constant, amber glow.

“Fire Blade Art...” Micro read aloud with his Appraisal Skill.

“It does feel... sharp...” Arbur marvelled at the portal.

“I am familiar with this art.” Lena stated.

“It is a formidable art, but dangerous. I was well defeated by a cultivator who took pride in this art. That was many years ago…”

“I wonder how different it would be from the sword card I already have.” Micro wondered.

“Your Spirit Sword Skill allows you to summon a simple blade.” Lena replied.

“But the nature of a sword is not the nature of all bladed weapons. The Blade Art allows one to intuit the nature of any blade, and Fire Energy is a particularly strong energy to use for a blade.”

“That sounds useful.” Micro said happily.

“I wonder why fire energy would be useful for a blade though. Fire isn’t usually sharp.”

“Elemental energies are a matter of taste, or talent, I suppose.” Lena replied, scratching her chin as she considered the matter.

“I hadn’t given it much thought in recent decades, as I have never heard of someone having a particular need for mastery of more than one or two elemental forces. But seeing you master Core Cards at such a rate, and having heard the dungeon guardian’s words regarding the strength of a soul…”

“Well, the old man spent a lot of time learning how to use all sorts of sharp tools…” Micro continued, giving up on following Lena’s train of thought.

“Some dull ones too!” Blue shouted back at Micro while flying in circles above a group of laughing children.

“Hah...” Micro sighed.

“I would warn you that challenging the amber level Fire Blade Art Dungeon before mastering the jade level of the same art is unprecedented and foolish, but I cannot be certain whether or not it is impossible for you.” Lena declared.

“What's the difference?” Micro asked.

“The creator of these dungeons intended for them to be challenged in order for a reason, or so it is assumed.” Lena began, her voice returning to its comfortably teacher-like tone.

“Jade dungeons require mental fortitude. There, you gain knowledge and experience which serves as a foundation for future cultivation.”

“Right, jade makes you smarter.” Micro nodded.

“Like a puzzle?”

“Tha- well, sure.” Lena shrugged.

“Amber dungeons require physical mastery, not just of an art or skill, but of yourself.”

“That makes sense.” Micro agreed.

“I had to learn to trust my new body more in the Serpent Art Dungeon. I feel a lot better about it now, even if legs will always be inferior to-”

“Master?” Arbur called out as Micro began mumbling.

“The next stage requires a more refined approach.” Lena continued, silencing Micro.

“You must master your spirit.”

“How does that work?” Micro tilted his head.

“You will come to understand the requirements of a sapphire core in due time, I am sure.” Lena replied.

“It is a natural progression. For now, I would advise you to consider that this dungeon will test your physical capabilities in the context of an art about which you know virtually nothing. Will you risk your life in this way?”

“I see...” Micro replied.

Micro thought about what challenge may be waiting beyond the glimmering doorway for a while.

“I will also mention that the survival rate of that dungeon was among the information I collected from the bandits .” Lena added.

“Less than half of the bandits who entered that dungeon in the past month returned, and many failed to receive any Core Card in a single attempt. Of course, a cultivator with any honour at all would have less trouble, but it would be unwise not to acknowledge that these bandits, despite their disgusting nature, were by no means weak.”

“I can come back to this one later...” Micro said quietly, noticing the rusty smell coming from the motionless bandits all around him.

“I think I'd like to get back on a road.”

Micro retreated from his friends and the villagers as the snow grew heavier. The camp became lively for a while as small groups gathered around campfires with food and alcohol they had found, but all became quiet as night settled in.

Lena and Arbur spent some time meditating before going to sleep, while Kira and Kolt fell asleep with a group of children. Micro had begun to accept the reality of his encounters with bandits, and his guilt had begun to fade. However, it was a familiar feeling which replaced it.

“You look lonely for a punk with his own sect.” Blue mocked him as she landed on his head.

“I guess I am.” Micro admitted after wondering about what he was feeling.

“They all seem to get along well, like they belong together. Even Lena...”

“You want me to find you a shovel to talk to?” Blue smirked.

“I never needed to talk to the old man to enjoy our time together, but now-” Micro stopped talking as he felt his voice constrict.

“Just being together wasn’t that complicated before…”

“Humans are like that, eh?” Blue said while yawning.

“Not pixies?” Micro asked.

“Not before the war, at least.” Blue replied.

“We do our own thing usually. That might get old though. Who can say?”

“War...” Micro repeated.

“I don't like fighting at all.”

“Fighting can be fun. Humans tend to go overboard with it though.” Blue said.

“I don’t see how they don’t get bored of it. I’ve seen strangers kill each other to death just because they crossed paths on a sunny day.”

“People just go when it's their turn at an intersection where I'm from.” Micro reminisced.

“Road rage is a crime in the first place. I've only seen a few people shout at each other, never mind trying to kill each other...”

“Huh.” Blue nodded.

“And they drive those things around, what were they called?”

“Trucks, cars, bikes... There are a lot of options.” Micro replied.

“And you sit on top of them? And they just go?”

“You sit in the seat, usually.”

“And who pushes them?”

“The engine moves it.”

Blue frowned, but couldn't imagine the process. Just before she lost interest, Micro started to draw in the snow with his finger, but the image was messy and Blue only grew more confused.

“Ah, wait a minute.” Micro said, standing up quickly.

“Wood!”

“Wood?!” Blue shouted back as she fell off his head and landed gracefully in the snow.

“The old man liked to make toys out of scrap wood during winter.” Micro explained as he walked into the forest.

“He made wind up toys too, though I have these now, and…”

“I didn't ask, but okay?” Blue tilted her head.

Micro's eyes brightened when he came across a short tree with a thick trunk. He knocked on it a few times and smiled, then cut the tree down with a single swipe of his Spirit Sword. He cut the branches off, then started to slice it lengthwise into thin planks.

Blue watched curiously from atop a pile of scrap wood that formed near Micro as he worked. He gradually became more adept and adjusting the size of the Spirit Sword in his hand, though it's shape was limited, and the process of carving pieces of wood into strange shapes sped up as the night dragged on.

~

“Good morning, Blue.” Micro greeted the pixie as she awoke, having fallen asleep in a pile of dead leaves.

“Ah? What did I miss...” Blue yawned, then her eyes fell on the strange object sitting between her and Micro.

“What the heck is that?!”

“It's a Micro.” Micro replied, then chuckled.

“Well, kind of. It's definitely not the same model as me.”

“I thought you were Micro.” She said with a blank expression, her eyes still fuzzy.

“This is a Micro too.” Micro replied.

“Well, sort of.”

“You were that small?” Blue asked curiously as she approached the object.

“No, I was the same shape, but much bigger. Big enough for two human passengers.” Micro explained.

“This one is your size.”

“My size?!” Blue gasped, her confusion giving way to curiosity.

“It doesn't burn gasoline, obviously, but the way it works is just about the same.” Micro explained, picking the toy-sized truck up and pointing at the parts as he described them.

“Pull this handle to open the door, then sit here. You turn the wheel to adjust the angle of the front tires. These pedals are the brake and accelerator.”

“Mmhmm?” Blue nodded, listening intently.

“I put an energy crystal inside that recharges over time, but you can add your own energy if it gets low before it refills.” Micro continued.

“The energy shoots out the back, and it turns this wheel here, like a waterwheel.”

“What's a water wheel?” Blue asked.

“Just a wheel that turns when water flows over it. Don't worry about that though. I noticed when i tried burning a piece earlier, but this wood really is durable.” Micro adjusted his grip on the toy and pointed into the cab.

“This lever adjusts the angel of the exhaust pipe, so it either hits the bottom of the rear axle or the top. Move the lever back to go forward, and move it forward to go back.”

“Why doesn't moving it forward make you go forward?” Blue asked.

Micro stopped talking for a moment and looked down at his creation with a blank expression.

“That's...” Micro said slowly.

“A good point…”

Micro scratched his head, then continued.

“I'll fix that in next year’s model. Anyways, the pedal on the right controls how fast you go. When you aren't pushing down on the accelerator, all the energy coming out of the crystal will just come out of the grill instead. Otherwise the truck would never stop.”

“Of course.” Blue replied, unsure if she understood.

“The brake will slow you down, you see?” Micro explained, and pushed down on the tiny pedal with one finger.

Blue stared at the truck intently for a while, her eyes widening as if she had finally woken up fully.

“Put it down.” Blue suddenly ordered.

“Oh?” Micro said, caught off guard.

“Okay, here-”

The moment he put the wooden truck, freshly carved from white hardwood, on the soft snow, he grew concerned that it may not be able to function in the snow with such small wheels made of wood. However, Blue flew into the cab of the miniature truck, slammed the door, and pressed her foot against the pedal on the right until it wouldn't go any farther.

“Yeeeaahhh-” Blue screamed in delight as the truck's rear wheels spun in the snow for a moment, then accelerated so quickly that Micro almost lost sight of it.

“You didn't pass your drivers' test yet!” Micro shouted.

“You don't have a license to-”

Micro gasped as Blue came close to colliding with a tree, lamenting that he hadn't thought of what material to craft seat belts with, but she placed her hand through the windshield, where there was no glass, and the tree exploded in time for her to keep driving in a straight line.

“Oh, I guess it works a bit like a rocket anyway...” Micro said, smiling as Blue swerved between trees, driving in circles around Micro and kicking up clouds of snow.

“It would be tricky to reverse in though.”

As the energy poured over the wheel on the axle which drove the rear wheels, it expelled enough power to simply propel the truck forward like a rocket, but Blue apparently had no trouble steering it safely, even when she entered the villagers' camp, creating a moment of chaos as they woke from their peaceful night.

“Master, are you alright?” Kira asked as she approached Micro.

“And what's Blue doing...?”

“She's driving a truck.” Micro replied with a strained voice.

“Without a license...!”