“You need to slurp. It’s rude not to.”

Minokawa was right.

“That’s what she–” Bakunawa shut his mouth for some reason upon glancing at Bei.

He was getting some unhappy looks from the restaurant staff and fellow diners.

Bei properly slurped her gourmet ramen to show him.

Once again she dined in a place that had only occupied her dreams and fantasies.

She wondered if Manila was the same?

The two men had promised her village all the food they could want.

“Dude, I’m trying. The soup’s just splattering all over my chin,” Bakunawa frowned.

“It’s not like you’ve never had ramen before,” Minokawa said.

“I used to have it all the time. Cup O’Noodles, Top Ramen. The classics.”

“Cup Noodles.”

“Huh?”

“Why would it be ‘O’Noodles’? Must be that rare Irish ramen. Besides all the instant stuff isn’t real ramen.”

“This is why I wanted to go to the BBQ place,” Bakunawa jabbed chopsticks in Minokawa’s face.

“You’re making a scene.”

“No I’m not,” Bakunawa made a passable attempt at slurping up his next bite.

“So, how’s the family?” Minokawa ventured.

“Mom asked didn’t she?” Bakunawa sighed. “I’ve explained this already.”

“Yeah, but it’s like having a girlfriend, but she goes to a different school and lives two towns over.”

“Ha ha. Like I’d make up having a daughter. You’ve seen the pictures and video.”

“Deepfakes? We had the tech twenty years ago. The spires are infinitely more advanced. Plus, there’s literal magic. Witch glamours and illusions? Any number of things.”

“Bro, why would I even do any of that.”

“No idea,” Minokawa shrugged. “I’m just saying she’s what? A year and half? Two?”

“Lera’s almost two. Okay. And Wytchraven and I aren’t married in a Catholic sense.”

“Mom doesn’t even care about that anymore. She just wants to see her fourth grandbaby. Seeing as how two of her grandkids have been gone for so long.”

“It’s a safety issue.”

“Wild Hunt? Still?”

“Yeah, I kill them, but they keep coming back. I can’t even tell if they’re the same fae.”

“Fair enough. I’ll tell Mom if you aren’t stopping over after this.”

“I’ll do it,” Bakunawa sighed.

“I can lend a hand if you want. Fae don’t count as people. Maybe I can get them to leave Lera alone.”

“They’d take it personally and you don’t want another distraction.”

“There aren’t any access points to the Fae Realm where I’m at.”

“That you know of. And that could change. Man, you’d think they wouldn’t be such bastards about the coven claiming a space in the Fae Realm. They weren’t even using it. Totally barren.”

“I’m surprised that they aren’t attacking it directly.”

“Something about how the coven took it. Basically, it’s technically part of the Fae Realm, but is cut-off from the rest. Which means that it can only be accessed from the real world.”

“Seems fair. The witches are basically squatting. Though, it’s messed up that they’re going after your baby.”

“There might be a prophecy…”

“If I had a dollar every time a prophecy screwed things up for some people, I’d have five. Which is simultaneously too little and too much,” Minokawa sighed.

“Seven for me, counting Bei’s little bro.”

“My offer stands. Maybe, I can take Lera and Wytchraven for a visit, while you deal with the Wild Hunt.”

“Yeah, actually, that sounds like a good idea. You’re on the short list of people I trust to keep them safe.”

Bei soaked in their words, even though she didn’t understand half.

“Back to business,” Bakunawa said, eyes darting to the front of the restaurant. “Don’t look.”

Bei froze, head partially turned.

“Just keep eating all casual like. What are we dealing with here?”

“Multiple sects. None of the top five, of course,” Minokawa said. “They’re paying or forcing others to do it for them. Phoenix Dynasty’s fingers are in a few of them as well. And there are a few independents that have a nose for opportunity, fun and more importantly a chance to gain levels and points. Huh? Seems like some of us,” he pointed at Bei, “are in a Quest. Did you get it yet?”

She blinked in confusion.

What strange words were coming out of his mouth.

How would he know about other people’s Quests without them telling him directly?

Let alone anticipating one for her.

Such—

Congratulations!

You have received a Quest.

The city’s cultivator sects seek to imprison you. Evade their grasp.

Success Parameters: Escape.

Failure Parameters: Capture or death.

Reward: 10000 Universal Points.

“And there it is,” Minokawa said. He signaled the waitress over. “Hi, I’d like to pay the bill now.”

“I have to escape!” Bei’s eyes were as wide as the tea saucers on the table.

“Shh!” Bakunawa hissed.

“I have to escape,” she whispered.

“She can do it,” Minokawa said.

“What? You can’t be serious? It’s too dangerous,” Bakunawa said.

“I secured a few random helping hands. It was why I was late to dinner. They’re in position.”

“Figures,” Bakunawa snorted. “You already knew the sects where going to do this?”

“I’d be terrible at what I do if I didn’t.”

“Could’ve warned us.”

“Better to sell the illusion.”

What was going on!

Bei wanted to scream.

She could barely hear over the pounding of her heart.

She glanced at the mirror behind the cashier’s counter.

The well-lit street was mostly empty, but that meant nothing when cultivators could conceal themselves.

“Listen, Bei, you don’t have to do this, but it is a chance to advance toward your goal,” Bakunawa said. “The spires reward overcoming challenges.”

“All you have to do is lead them on a chase. Bakunawa will take most of them on, leaving the weaker ones for you.”

“I take it you’re going to spring her brother?” Bakunawa said.

“Best opportunity. They’ll be focused on you.”

“This is a perfect opportunity for me to teach the sects a lesson. If they all jump me, then I can’t really be blamed for breaking all their arms and legs. I mean, the brat’s still going to blame me, but I’ll have the moral high ground and that’s all I care about,” Bakunawa laughed. “But only if Bei’s cool with it. Honestly, you should just stick with him,” he gestured toward Minokawa, “that way you and your little brother will be with your grandmother in, like, ten minutes.”

Bei wanted to be a cultivator, didn’t she?

While she deliberated her options, the waitress returned with the bill.

Minokawa paid.

Then he took out one of those old phones.

Her parents and grandmother had a few collecting dust in their drawers at home.

She only knew what they did from stories, so it was quite a shock to see Minokawa pull a slightly curved wooden sword from the phone’s glassy surface.

“What the hell is that for?” Bakunawa said.

“Commitment to the bit,” Minokawa pulled out his bird-dragon mask next. “I can’t fight like I usually do since I’m not me.”

“Yeah, but why a wooden katana, you weeb?”

“I don’t know, seems like it fits the aesthetic, plus I’ve been trying out different weapons and styles. I learn things quickly and they stick well.”

“Way to undersell your cheating brain,” Bakunawa pulled his own mask out. “What are you going to do with a wooden sword? Put a telekinetic edge on it? Make it unbreakable?”

“… yes…”

“You should make it pink.”

“I can make people think it’s pink, but that’s not my color. If anything, I should do blue and gold.”

“Pfft… you’d do pink if you were secure in your masculinity,” Bakunawa slipped his mask on. “Put your mask on.”

Bei pulled hers out of the bag she had hung on her chair.

The staff and the diners finally realized something was amiss as Bakunawa stood.

“Thanks for the meal!” he addressed the staff. “Please remain inside for your safety,” he sauntered out the front.

“You’ll know where to go,” Minokawa gave her one last encouraging smile before donning his own mask. “Good luck! Run well!”

Strangely, Bei knew exactly what to do.

Instinct directed her toward the rear of the restaurant.

She pulled her mask on and firmly slung her bag over her shoulder.

Without warning, she burst out of her chair.

She felt the rush of wind and the rustling of robes as Minokawa cut down two concealed cultivators before they could grab and spirit her away.

The loud thunks of solid wood on hard heads echoed behind her as she kicked the door open and dashed out into the dimly-lit alley.

She went left.

The path was clear in her mind.

The girl moved well for one that looked like she had missed many a bowl of rice.

Light-footed steps carried her over garbage containers and other alley detritus as lower level cultivators gave chase.

One reached out for the girl’s bag as it trailed behind her like a flag.

A moldy banana peel suddenly appeared beneath his foot, sending him slipping and sliding into a pile of rat-torn garbage bags.

Another was met with a garbage lid the girl threw behind her blindly, yet hit with impressive accuracy and power.

The young cultivator spat blood and teeth as he crumpled to the ground.

More of them slipped in puddles of dubious water, crashing into each other and flailing about in a tangle of limbs.

In truth, it was surprising and comical to watch.

Cultivators were typically sure-footed.

This was a shameful display.

The girl burst out of the alley and into a busy street.

Food stalls lined both sides even as vehicle and animal traffic slowly moved by.

For those that were around before the spires this was nothing compared to how it used to be.

Everything these days was quieter, lesser when it came to the numbers.

Even the night sky was darker without so many blinding city lights with their harsh neon glare.

She almost ran into the street and into the path of slow-moving donkey cart.

The girl leapt.

A small foot alighted on the donkey’s head barely ruffling its shaggy hair and pushed off to carry her to the other side of the street in one airy bound.

One capable of seeing Qi flow through the body couldn’t miss the basics of lightening.

The girl did it instinctively, more the first hesitant crawl of a small baby, like when they actually moved backward rather than forward… still, it was a good sign.

Less so was the middling cultivator waiting for the girl at the end of the dark alley she just darted into.

“Sigh…” the self-proclaimed Tsingtao Wanderer said.

“I’ve known you for minutes and I already hate you,” the proclaimed Twice Clever Fox said.

Tsingtao Wanderer took a massive gulp of his beer, draining it in a second then smashing the can on his forehead while letting an ear-rattling belch out.

The flattened can didn’t hit the ground for Twice Clever Fox couldn’t abide littering, so she kicked it into an open garbage container.

“I’m magnanimous toward you annoying twins…” red, bleary eyes narrowed, “no… wait… triplets.”

“The girl is running into a trap. We have seconds to plan the best course of action,” she said.

“Which girl?”

“The one we agreed to help escape, without revealing ourselves, though why he thought you’d be useful, I’ll never know.”

“Oh, right, for all the Universal Points!” he grinned and staggered the wrong direction.

“I do it because it is right.”

“And because it’ll tweak the high noses of the sects,” he staggered back in the right direction.

“No, it’s—”

“Seconds are up!” Tsingtao Wanderer disappeared with a rustle of beer-stained robes and a strong whiff of stale and fresh beer.

“Swill,” she muttered before disappearing into concealment and stepping up to the roof tops.

Bear Xi was so named for both demeanor and appearance. The big, brawny, hair-covered man was a lazy sort content to eat and drink when not training. That was until the sporadic moments when he’d explode into vicious violence.

Such unreliability meant that the Green Orchard Society only used him when they had no choice.

In truth, they wouldn’t have sent him for something as delicate as capturing a young girl without injuring her.

It was just that he had luckily been too far away from the ramen restaurant to be caught up in the blur of violence that had already felled dozens of cultivators in the blink of an eye.

Discretion being the better part of valor, he had remembered the other part of the operation.

Capture the girl.

“Spread out, dogs,” he growled at the weaker cultivators that had joined him in cutting off the surprisingly quick and nimble girl.

Perhaps, she wasn’t a mere dirty peasant as she seemed at first glance.

Bah!

What did he care for the hidden plots?

Eat, drink and rest was all he cared about.

Training and practice to remain strong enough so that he wasn’t on the lower rungs, yet not become too strong that he’d get pulled into all those headaches.

The girl sprinted into view, leaping over obstacles with ease.

She scaled the bamboo scaffolding like a nimble monkey.

Too good to be a simple peasant.

“Go, grab her.”

“Unhar—”

Bear Xi silenced the impudent worm standing too close to him with a growl.

Lower level cultivators descended in a rustle of dark cloth.

Those that carried weapons kept them sheathed or hidden.

The girl slipped their grasping hands time and again as they moved like drunken louts.

Hands missed holds and feet slipped, sending them plummeting to the ground to land hard.

This shouldn’t have happened with even a rudimentary ability to lighten oneself.

“Incompetent dogs!” Bear Xi readied himself to leap down and take her himself.

His was not a gentle hand, yet he cared nothing for permission and even less for forgiveness.

The girl would live with bruises and a slightly broken bone or two.

He stepped on the ledge only for a chain to wrap around his ankle and yank him back with surprising strength, slamming his chin on the clay roof tiles.

His useless allies, all three of them, stood with gaping mouths at the fox-masked woman clad in form-fitting cloth and light armor.

The girl crested the roof top at that moment.

Eyes widened at the scene.

To her credit she acted without hesitation.

The closest cultivator took a leaping kick to his most precious treasures.

The blow doubled him over, placing his face perfectly for an upward elbow strike that sent a red arc glistening in the moon light.

Bear Xi saw it then.

The girl was using her Qi.

It was pathetic. Like a trickle through a flattened hose.

It flowed to strengthen her strikes and reinforce her bones and muscles.

All wild and instinctive.

He could relate, though he’d never admit it.

There was no better place for insight than in violence.

The girl struck with short, powerful punches, sending the hapless cultivator back toward the edge of the roof.

One last shoulder strike to his stomach sent him over.

The remaining two cultivators reached for her only to suddenly slip and go flying with a meaty thwack.

Some would’ve stayed and stared, perhaps asked pointless questions, but the girl knew better.

She didn’t hesitate as she continued to flee eastward on light steps that carried her across the rooftops.

“You’ll pay for this,” Bear Xi growled as he yanked Twice Clever Fox’s chain.

She went with it, nimbly twisting in the air as she took a step on his outstretched arm to plant her foot in his face.

Bear Xi stumbled back only to hit something firm, yet slightly jiggly.

“Tut, tut, real warriors do not chase little girls.”

The stench of stale beer suddenly filled his nose.

How had he not noticed?

He spun with a backfist.

The drunkard staggered back, showing great flexibility by bending back at the waist.

Bear Xi didn’t see it with the shoe planted in his face.

He growled, spitting teeth and blood.

“Yer gonna pay fer that.”

“No, it is I who is being paid,” the fat drunk intoned.

“This is sect business. The Green Orchard ain’t gonna take kindly to yer interference. Same to you, fox.”

“I am going to make sure that young lady gets where she needs to be,” Twice Clever Fox vanished.

“Yes, yes, feel free to depart. This one faces a middling sort of cultivator. Truly a disgrace to our esteemed society,” Tsingtao Wanderer punctuated his words with a belch.

“C’mon then,” Bear Xi grinned, “yer belly’s got a lot of fat. Ain’t nothing more tasty than pork belly grilled on proper charcoal.”

“You’ll have to settle for the fine establishments across this fair city. Perhaps, I may recommend a few places, there’s a cart with rather jovial old m—”

The nimble fat man stumbled to one side just enough to avoid bear paw breaks the deer’s back.

“Ah, yes…” he belched, “we must fight and I must rejoin the chase, lest that scary bird-dragon man find my efforts lacking. He did pay me a fortune, after all.”

And so the fight finished quickly.

Bear Xi was indeed a middling sort of cultivator.

Tsingtao Wanderer, despite his appearance, was a serious cultivator. He had found his Dao and was determined to keep progressing.

The former had cause to reevaluate his own Dao as he lay in a pool of his blood, coughing up bits of teeth and trying to push his shoulder back into its socket.

Such laziness, such regret.