Ishin grew more concerned as the group made their way back toward the Collective Liberation Alliance’s fort. His head was on a constant swivel, watching for any sign of more vampire monkeys.

  Learning the nature of the vampire monkeys’ reproduction had been unsettling. If any dead body—except perhaps a vampire ape’s—could be transformed into one of those beasts, then hundreds, if not thousands, must populate the island. Depending on how many years the Culling had been occurring and the natural lifespan of the vampiric spirit beasts, that number could be even higher.

  I see why the alliance built that fort now.

  What had once seemed overly cautious now felt absolutely necessary.

  Most of the other candidates must camp on the shore too. Remaining in the forest too long is risky.

  But that begged the question of why they were in the forest at all right now. Go Lan had explained that this was the path the alliance took to reach the island’s center for the Pill Drop in two days. Ishin didn’t know if it was the most direct route, but surely it would have been safer to travel along the coast and only cut inland when absolutely necessary.

  I can’t imagine what would happen if we encountered more than one vampire ape at once. More than one of us would be dead.

  “Oh no.”

  At Wen Mei’s words, Ishin snapped to the front of their party. The white-haired woman had paused, though she didn’t seem alarmed.

  “What is it?” Rhee asked, moving beside Wen Mei. “What… is that?”

  Now Ishin was doubly curious. He craned his head to see what they were looking at. From beside him, Lei peered forward as well.

  “Find a monkey?”

  “No,” Rhee replied, troubled.

  Ishin stepped to the side for a clear view—and didn’t know how to process the sight.

  A figure dressed in the same black-and-red robes they all wore lay lifeless on the ground. His hair had fallen out in clumps, piled on the forest floor. His skin had turned gray and withered, as though he’d aged decades. More concerningly, black veins coursed up from his neck and across his face.

  Was he poisoned?

  However the man had died, it must have been excruciating.

  “What’s that in his hand?” Rhee asked.

  Ishin spotted it: the deceased was clenching something dark red and slick with ichor in his right hand.

  Is that a chakra?

  Wen Mei sighed. “I always hate finding someone in this condition.”

  “In what condition?” Tan Chen asked, joining them from the back of the group.

  Ishin noticed Wei Long still remained behind, vigilantly watching their rear. Six didn’t seem to care and was humming a pleasant tune.

  “Hells,” Tan Chen scowled when she saw the ruined corpse. “What did that?”

  “He did it to himself,” Wen Mei said. “This happens sometimes when people become desperate to get off the island.”

  “I don’t understand,” Ishin admitted. He bent to inspect the object clenched in the corpse’s fist. “Is he holding a chakra?”

  “A chakra?” Rhee asked, curious. “From what?”

  “From a vampire monkey,” Wen Mei said. “Don’t take it. Please.”

  Ishin looked up at her pleading expression and moved back from the body. “Alright.”

  “Why is he holding a chakra?” Lei asked. “You can’t do anything with them without turning them into pills or elixirs.”

  “You can still eat them for power,” Wen Mei explained. “You’ll gain the qi inside, but—” she sighed again, “—you’ll also absorb the impurities.”

  Impurities? It was the first time Ishin had heard the term.

  “Absorb too many impurities and they start to poison you. You’ll gain some power, but take too much and… well, this happens.”

  Ishin looked at the chakra again, now with horror.

  “That’s… awful,” Rhee said at last. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

  “Me neither,” Tan Chen echoed.

  “Most don’t,” Wen Mei replied. “We’re all so used to consuming pills or elixirs.”

  “And if you harvest a chakra,” Wei Long added, finally joining the rest, “you often just sell it to an alchemist to process.” He was clearly disturbed, too.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Exactly. But here, when you’re desperate to leave and the only way off is to reach the Adept Realm, some decide that consuming chakras is the ‘safest’ way out.” More quietly, she added, “From wherever they can get them.”

  The implications of her ominous last words were not lost on Ishin.

  “Easy enough,” Lei declared. “We just won’t eat the monkeys’ chakras!”

  “Well said,” Tan Chen nodded. “Now can we keep going? I want to get out of this forest.”

  “Yes. Sorry. Please, follow me,” Wen Mei said, moving on.

  They continued for hours—well beyond noon, Ishin guessed—though it was hard to be certain as clouds had formed overhead. No one asked for a break, all eager to reach the safety of the fort.

  “Do you think the vampire monkeys will be able to leave the forest with these clouds?” Tan Chen asked. “You said they’re sensitive to sunlight, right, Wen Mei?”

  “You’re correct,” she called back, still trudging forward through the forest. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath every step. “And yes, they can leave the forest when it’s cloudy like this. That’s why we built the fort originally.”

  “That’s concerning,” Rhee muttered.

  Ishin agreed. Knowing their luck, the fort would be attacked by a host of vampire monkeys after they returned.

  The Heavens never let anyone rest.

  “Don’t worry,” Wen Mei said, stepping around a fallen log. “We’ve fought off two attacks. It’s not too hard with the walls, and the vampire monkeys never enter the ocean. And we’re almost back.”

  “That’s a relief,” Ishin said.

  “Don’t want to face any more monkeys, Ishin?” Lei teased. “Already tired of the fun?”

  “Very,” Ishin stated bluntly.

  “Where is your martial spirit! This is the stuff of heroes!”

  His friend’s words were energetic, but Ishin knew Lei would appreciate a rest too. Given his injuries, Lei wouldn’t be fighting anyone or anything anytime soon.

  Ishin’s wounded shoulder began to sting. A quick look told him it hadn’t started bleeding again—though the bandage was already bright red—but he could tell something was wrong.

  I’ll see if Tan Chen has any more bandages once we’re back. There was a risk of infection, but Ishin silently prayed to the Heavens that wasn’t the case.

  “We’re back!” Wen Mei declared as she stepped out of the brush and onto the open beach.

  “We’ll finally be able to get some actual rest,” Rhee said excitedly from ahead of Ishin.

  He had to admit the alliance’s fort was a welcoming sight. The sky was still overcast, casting a dull light over the beach and fort against the black backwash of the ocean. Still, the fort was shelter.

  “Where are the guards?” Wen Mei asked as she brought the group closer.

  Guards?

  Ishin realized no one stood at the fort’s singular entrance. Having only been there for one day, he didn’t know if the guards might be taking a break or waiting inside—perhaps a shift change. But Wen Mei looked concerned, and Ishin trusted her instincts.

  “Is it possible they’re just waiting inside?” he asked.

  They continued toward the fort. “Maybe,” Wen Mei said hesitantly. “But there’s always supposed to be a lookout on watch.”

  “Stop,” Tan Chen hissed from behind them.

  Wen Mei halted, still several yards from the entrance. “What is it?”

  “Something feels wrong,” Tan Chen said, arms crossed. “We shouldn’t walk in blindly.”

  She’s right.

  Ishin glanced around the beach. His mother had taught him the basics of tracking when he was younger, and while he’d never seen a beach before, he realized sand left more evidence than the grassy hills of his homeland.

  “Over there,” he said, pointing at the far left side of the fort’s wall.

  “What do you see, Brother Ishin?” Rhee asked.

  “Tracks.”

  Tan Chen scanned where he indicated. “He’s right. Someone walked from the wall back to the forest.”

  “Why would tracks lead from the wall to the forest?” Lei asked. “Shouldn’t they have come from the opening?”

  There were, in fact, many footprints leading from the fort’s entrance to the forest. Their own party was following the path most had.

  “Someone must have descended the wall,” Ishin said, moving over to the trail. Tan Chen and Lei followed while the rest waited.

  He bent to examine the tracks.

  These only lead toward the fort.

  “We have a problem.”

  “Explain,” Tan Chen said.

  Ishin pointed from the forest to the wall. “These tracks originated from the forest. Whoever left them didn’t leave the fort—they entered it this way.”

  “So someone snuck inside,” Tan Chen summarized.

  “An enemy?” Lei asked, frowning.

  “Probably.” Ishin couldn’t think of any other reason to climb over the wall.

  They returned to the others and shared their findings.

  “We have to go inside,” Wen Mei said.

  “You’re joking?” Tan Chen stared at the white-haired cultivator in disbelief.

  “My friends are inside,” Wen Mei said. “Even if someone dangerous is in there, I have to make sure they’re okay.”

  Tan Chen looked ready to argue, but Ishin spoke first. “She’s right. We need to go in.”

  “Not you too.”

  “We’re their partners, remember? If they need help, we’re honor-bound to assist them.”

  “A noble cause,” Lei said. “I agree.”

  “Thank you,” Wen Mei told Ishin.

  “If we go inside,” Rhee began, “we need to be smart.” Her eyes shifted to Lei. “You’re too injured to go in first.” She looked at Ishin next. “Both of you.”

  “I’ll go in,” Wen Mei volunteered. “I’m fine now.”

  “From what I’ve seen, you don’t have much skill at close combat,” Tan Chen noted—matter-of-fact, not condescending. “I’ll enter first. You come behind me.”

  “Your hand,” Wei Long said.

  Tan Chen held up her bandaged hand, inspecting it. “I only need one good hand. Besides, only my hand is broken, not my arm. I’ll be fine.”

  “What about over the wall?” Six asked.

  Everyone turned to the bald man. It was an interesting idea, but even with qi, the walls were too high to jump.

  “I could climb over,” Wei Long said eventually. He studied the wall on either side of the entrance and pointed to a section to the right. “There. Enough handholds for me to get up. It’ll just take a minute.”

  “Good,” Wen Mei said. “Wei Long will climb the wall while Tan Chen and I go through the front.” From her tone, she was eager to get inside.

  She cares for her comrades. Ishin respected her for it.

  “I’ll go with you,” Rhee added. “I’ve recovered enough to fight too.”

  Wen Mei nodded. “No complaints. Now please, we need to get inside.”