Arriving at the Mission Hall, disciples pressed in and out of the main door because, when Siu arrived, it was also that day of the week when the new missions were being posted. At times like this, there was more complaining, more exchanging of tokens, and more fighting over the better slips than usual. Knowing exactly why he was coming, he just shrugged, looking over them, shaking his head, pushing past them as best as possible, trying to slip inside.

  "Get back to the end of the line, you bastard!" Someone grunted as Siu was trying to slip past him, a hand reaching out to hold his chest, trying to grab his robes. Yet, before the fingers could touch him, Siu had already snapped his right hand out, with the speed of a wild cat, using the instinctual mix between that form and his experience with the crane to snap his wrist, causing the boy to cry out. "Fuck!"

  "I'm not here for your mission slip," Siu answered, releasing his arm after another squeeze.

  "Damn it... It's you!" The boy hissed, holding his wrist, which wasn't broken, but he could feel it was cracked. Still... he recognized the face and felt his own go a shade paler.

  Siu just ignored him, but appreciated the part where the others finally stepped a bit away from him, letting him through as he headed towards the pulpit where multiple clerks were working, nobody bothering him anymore after seeing he wasn't here to snatch the best slips. When he approached the long, counter-height stone table where the clerks, all of them being Outer Disciples, kept inspecting and recording who took which mission, a pair of redheaded girls, apparently young-looking twins, both looking as though they were way more annoyed than usual, finally noticed his presence.

  "Where's your slip?" One of them studied him briefly, seeing he held none in his hand.

  “Name?” The other joined in, thinking he was here for some reward or something.

  “Siu.”

  That made the twins pause, and their fingers froze around a stack of papers. The next moment, they quickly exchanged a look, communicating only with their eyes, before one of them smiled, her voice turning much more... charming.

  “…that Siu?” the one on the left murmured under her breath, "You are a cutie... I should have gone and seen your duel with that idiot Nue..."

  "You know her?" Siu asked by reflex, surprised.

  "Oh yeah," The one on the right nodded, also prompting the same grin, blinking her eyelashes at Siu, her green eyes shining, "We joined when she did. She was a hardass since the start, and she also bullied us when we refused her advances. We are not really into girls but..."

  "Anyway," her twin elbowed her, "What can we help you with, Siu?"

  Watching the two, he just pretended not to notice the sudden interest in their voices, but it was hard to ignore the way they looked at him, clearly interested in him... or in his name; he wasn't sure if it was a combination of the two or not.

  “I am here for Elder Thane’s missions, with his permission.” He answered, showing a signed token he had given him.

  "Oh? A private mission?" The reaction was instant as the two said in unison, taking it from Siu, confirming its authenticity. "I'll be damned..." The right-hand one stiffened. "Well, if the Elder thinks you can handle it... We aren't here to say no. Give me a moment..." She stood up, disappearing into the back, while her sister just smiled, watching Siu just the same.

  "By the way," She started, "I am Milli, my sister is Nilli. Don't ask which of us came out first."

  "I won't." Siu nodded, trying to remain calm, but the way she was looking at him was making him feel... troubled. He could handle hate or anger, but this...? He didn't know where to put it because it wasn't aggressive or malicious... it was just... lustful.

  "Hehehe," Milli giggled, noticing it even though Siu kept his calm front; her eyes could see through his mask. "Cutie... and innocent."

  "Don't tease him, Milli!" Nilli chuckled, returning, “Well, here they are! There are five active assignments,” she explained, setting the box they were in down on the table. At the same time, the other clerks around them began looking over, slowing the handling of the other disciples' tokens and showing interest in the supposed main event. It wasn't rare for someone to take a mission like this, but it wasn't an everyday happening either. Well... they were usually done by the different factions as a group, sometimes sending ten or twelve disciples on such a mission... not by someone who was still... solo. “I'm not even surprised you were given the go-ahead, ahaha!” Nilli smiled at him, "Nue also tried one, then failed it... sooo... I guess you have a better chance, hm?"

  “We will see, but I intend to complete it, yes,” Siu replied calmly, looking at the two.

  "Sure you do," Milli licked her lips as she undid the lock, leaning forward, letting her ample bosom rest on the table while doing so, visible even through her robes. However, Siu only looked at it fleetingly, his eyes moving to the five neatly rolled slips tied with black string inside the box. "Feel free to read them all and choose one!"

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  "Thanks," Siu smiled as he picked them up, one by one, reading them without rushing, making sure he paid enough attention to understand every word, before deciding which one would be the best for him.

  The first was pretty straightforward: It was all about a serpent nest cull near the quarry tunnels, something that could easily cripple a new disciple... But that was not the issue. What he didn't like was that it would probably bring him close to that damned Stone Ward Collection, and after refusing their offer, he didn't want to add any extra trouble to an already difficult mission. Moving on, the second involved retrieving a Sect-issued pendant from the western forest... Apparently, because of its spiritual charge, it was eaten by wolves along with the disciple who wore it... Ugh. No... that's not it either.

  Moving on, the third one asked for night patrols and to catch a thief who had apparently raided the medicinal storage unit four times already. Interesting but... The last thing he needed was another conflict within the Sect, with someone or someone affiliated with some of the big groups. Skipping it, doing the same with the fourth, which was a task that wanted him to partake in clearing out the infestation near the southern edge of the Sect, where apparently moles had moved in... and he would have to work with multiple other disciples, as it was strictly a teamwork request.

  Finally, he reached the fifth slip, which seemed way more straightforward than the rest: Collect four eggs from the nest of a Bluetipped Ironclaw bird.

  "Bluetipped Ironclaw...?" Siu asked himself, speaking with interest, making Milli lean over.

  "Oh... those are tricky bastards..." She hummed, causing Nilli to nod her head.

  "They usually go for the eyes, and their claws can go through metal if they are mature enough."

  "I see..." Siu nodded, and he wasn't surprised... If it looked simple, it wasn't. But... the rewards were seven Sun Crystals, which also sounded... nice. “I’ll take this one.”

  "Really?" Both of the twins gawked at him. "The trickiest one?"

  "Hm?" Siu asked, tilting his head, "Is it really that tricky, though?"

  The two girls exchanged a helpless look, shrugging their shoulders.

  “Well… at least get a bestiary entry,” Milli muttered. “Please. We don’t want to fill out injury forms today... Or tomorrow.”

  "Yeah," Nilli nodded, "It would be bad if you get your eyes scooped out... it would ruin your cute face, Siu."

  "I'll do just that," He nodded, trying his best to ignore their extra words as he accepted the stamped token and headed out in a hurry before they could say something else. Taking a deep breath when he was finally outside, he began walking toward the sect's library, following their honest advice.

  Entering the tower-shaped structure, it was much quieter, with tall shelves rising toward the carved ceiling. Wherever one looked, dusty scrolls and thick books were arranged with obsessive care, not only topically sorted but by age and lastly, alphabetically. The archivist on duty, upon his entry, simply looked at him with an unimpressed stare.

  "Excuse me," Siu cupped his hands."I am looking for a bestiary that has information about the Bluetipped Ironclaw."

  "Mhm." The man grunted before leaving for ten minutes. When he finally returned, he handed over a dense, leather-bound tome for a small fee, of course.

  “Page seventy-three,” he said, waving him off. "Bring it back in an hour."

  "Thank you," Siu repeated and then found a seat near a window slit where the morning light could shine in, illuminating the page as he opened the book to the marked section.

  What greeted him was an illustration of a broad-winged avian creature with dark charcoal feathers, its wing tips glowing faintly blue. Just by the included scale, it showed that this bird was not small... not at all.

  Bluetipped Ironclaw.

  Classification: Ironbone Avian, Spirit Beast.

  Base intelligence level: Equivalent of a 4 to 5-year-old human.

  Size: Wingspan equal to two grown men, sometimes three.

  Coloration: Ash-gray plumage; metallic cobalt-blue along talons and primary feathers.

  Nature: Territorial, intelligent, and unforgiving toward intruders.

  Strengths:

  – Talons reinforced with iron-infused marrow. Capable of puncturing iron.

  – High aerial agility, even in dense forests where it nests.

  Weaknesses:

  – Limited maneuverability once grounded.

  – Chest feathers lack reinforcement.

  – Vulnerable sternum when wings extend in a dive.

  – Predictable attacking patterns.

  Reading, Siu tapped his thumb against the page, already trying to come up with a method to face one... if it comes to that. Vulnerable sternum... Predictable arcs... He will have to see one in action, though, to have any idea how to counter it. Still, he memorized every line before returning the book to the archivist, whose stare softened slightly when he saw he wasn’t rushing or skimming through the book, actually taking notes.

  Feeling that the mission just got real, right as he stepped outside, Siu couldn't help but form a small smile. Finally... this was finally his first quest, his first mission as a proper disciple. And he wasn't going to take it lightly. No matter where in the world, the forest was no playground... Not even in places where the animals had no chance to absorb the world's essence and gain intelligence. Here...? Even the smallest mistakes could cost a limb, and the beasts there didn’t care if the Sect claimed the mountain. This was their home, just as much if not more.

  Keeping that in mind, he purchased what he needed with little hesitation, spending all of his remaining CC, locking himself in on the thought that he must accomplish this mission... or he would have no money left. Not to mention, he would fail to prove to Elder Thane that he was ready for the advanced fighting styles.

  By early night, back in the dorm room, he was preparing his haul for the next day, which included a coil of rope, two padded cloth sacks, and a small knife. Next to it, there was a bag of bitter powder meant to mask his scent, along with a leather-wrapped forearm guard with affixable blades, so if he had to, he could use it to hang down from branches and trees with one hand... or use it as a weapon if it came down to fighting.

  "Are you going to the forest?" Tian suddenly asked, entering the room, noticing how he was preparing for the following day.

  "Yes." Siu nodded, not hiding it.

  "Thought so." The boy nodded, walking to his bed, "Keep your eyes peeled."

  "Hm?" Siu looked at him questioningly.

  "We will go on a hunt, too," He answered, tapping the satchel hanging from his side, "So... make sure our targets are different."

  "We'll see." He smiled, knowing that Tian was not only provoking him... but also warning him, telling him that the battle for resources was always taken seriously and the Ember Circle didn't like competition.

  "Are you going to the forest?" Neya asked, also arriving just at the same time, but remaining silent until now.

  "Yep," Siu repeated, looking at her. He could tell she was already opening her mouth to ask if she could come... but in the end, she stopped herself from doing that.

  "Be careful, okay?" She smiled at him instead, making Sui return that smile, nodding.

  "I am always careful."