Ishin rolled to the side as three fists of darkness collided with the ground where he had just been. He pressed himself upward, his half spear in his other hand. Ishin sprang at Rhee, who conjured a shield of shadows and blocked his thrust. After the first failed strike, he pivoted to stab at her side. The second attack was countered by a hard bar of shadow slamming into his forearm. Ishin winced as pain rippled through his arm and he retreated.

  “That was quick,” Rhee commented, dismissing her shadow constructs. “Feel more comfortable now?”

  Shaking his stinging arm, Ishin replied, “A bit. It’s strange fighting with something so short.”

  Ishin twirled the half spear in his hand. It felt effortless, both due to its lighter weight and smaller frame.

  Is this what a swordsman would feel like wielding a dagger?

  Surprisingly, his sparring sessions against Rhee over the last few days had changed his perspective on the weapon. Previously, he had believed the spear’s reach was its main advantage over other weapons like the sword. Without the weapon’s superior range, the sword was arguably the better weapon, capable of both slashing and piercing in equal measure. Now, though, he understood there was a secondary element he’d never considered.

  Ishin thrust the spear forward, feeling it pierce through the air.

  Weaker than before. I knew thrusting with two hands would make a difference, but I didn’t realize how much. Does the shortened shaft contribute to the lessened force as well?

  There was something there that Ishin felt he was on the cusp of understanding, but couldn’t quite place yet. He moved through the Daihu Tribe’s second spear stance and then the third, trying to replicate it as best he could given his weapon’s state.

  I wonder how many spearmen have practiced this long with a broken spear?

  He could tell that his movements were off, trained over years to be executed with a proper spear. Ishin tried to compensate by shifting his footing and shoulders, but those changes caused the stances to mutate into something that bore no true resemblance to the original.

  Ishin let out a sigh as he abandoned any further attempts at training.

  The full shaft is needed for proper form. Without it my balance is off. Hmm, I really can’t fight at my full potential with just this.

  Closing his eyes in frustration, Ishin was tempted to throw his broken spear into the earth, but he restrained himself.

  “What’s wrong?” Rhee asked, walking over. “You seem upset.”

  “It’s just…” Ishin let out a sigh. “It doesn’t feel right fighting with this,” he admitted. “Like it’s holding me back.”

  Rhee arched a brow. “I thought you felt better using it?” She gestured vaguely around them. “It looked like you were using it fine during our spars.”

  “I can manage,” Ishin admitted, meeting her gaze, “but just manage. I’ve trained for a decade on how to use a proper spear.” He lifted the half spear in preparation to thrust. “Without the full shaft, my balance is off and the force of the thrusts isn’t as powerful.” He executed another thrust to make his point, parting the air.

  The spear is more than just the tip. It is the whole weapon. The shaft complements the tip. Without either, the weapon is incomplete.

  Ishin felt his inner beast rumble in agreement at his contemplation, and his chakra began to tremble in accordance. Ishin frowned as he felt his chakra tremor.

  What is it doing?

  The trembling continued for a few more seconds before gradually settling. He lowered his arm, confused about what had just happened.

  “You okay?” Rhee asked. “You just spaced out there.”

  “I’m fine.”

  I feel fine at least. But why did my chakra shake?

  Ishin peered inward to examine his chakra with his third eye. It appeared before him as a brilliant bright-blue sphere of qi with six noticeable layers. Thirteen meridians stretched out from the chakra, spreading throughout his body. After a quick inspection, Ishin found that it looked intact. That was a relief. But then what had caused that tremor? He’d always assumed the aggressive and primal part of his soul—his inner beast—was just a metaphorical representation he’d created. But that part of him had responded to his revelation about the spear first, before his chakra had. Was his spirit responsible for the sensation somehow?

  “Did you two finish your sparring session?” Mei asked, walking over from the nearby trees. Her dark eyes moved between the two, who now stood right next to each other. “Or, um, are you two still discussing something?”

  Rhee bit her lower lip before answering, “We’re done. Ishin was just spacing out.”

  “Right,” Ishin answered. He could ponder the strange occurrence later. “Is it time for dinner already?”

  “It is,” Mei nodded. “Long sent me to come get you both.”

  “Maybe some food will help clear your head,” Rhee teased. “I know it can be exhausting to keep up with me.”

  Ishin rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “Whatever you say, Sister Rhee.”

  “Sister Rhee?” Her steps faltered as she recognized the term of address.

  Ishin rested his half spear over one shoulder. “With what we’ve been through, it only seems appropriate. Unless you object?”

  The corner of Rhee’s mouth twisted up into a faint smile. “Not at all. You’re right, it is appropriate at this point, Brother Ishin.”

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  A warmth spread up Ishin’s neck at her words, but he tried not to let his pleasure show.

  “Please call me Sister Mei too!” Mei interjected, joining the two.

  The nascent smile Rhee had faded at her words. “No.” She spun to face the white-haired woman, her expression cool.

  The excitement on Mei’s face wavered. “But I, uh… but why not?”

  Rhee crossed her arms. “I still haven’t forgiven you. You deceived us, and even if Brother Ishin and Long forgave you, I haven’t.”

  Mei looked hurt. “But I thought…” She extended a hand toward Rhee’s shoulder, but Rhee stepped back.

  “No.”

  Mei dropped her arm in resignation. “Okay. I understand.” She turned and began to walk back toward their camp.

  “That was harsh,” Ishin said, stepping beside Rhee.

  “Why?” Rhee quipped, her frustration now focused on him.

  Ishin didn’t flinch beneath her anger. “She didn’t deceive us any more than I deceived the others by not telling them about my Pale Azure Lightning Force Strike technique.” After some contemplation, Ishin agreed with Long’s perspective on the two omissions being similar. It had allowed him to truly feel no animosity toward Mei.

  “That’s not the same,” Rhee pressed, biting.

  “Why not, Sister Rhee?”

  Her temper seemed to cool upon hearing the address of familiarity. Rhee’s jaw loosened and she said, “Your technique couldn’t be used without severe risk. Her robes don’t carry that same risk. There was no harm in telling us about it for strategizing—other than her wanting to appear more helpless than she was.”

  Ishin didn’t know how to respond to that. It was the rationale of a captain, and there was truth within those words. He recognized that he could try to force the issue, but ultimately, Rhee would just need time to find her own resolution.

  Pressing the issue will just make it worse.

  “I don’t want to argue with you on the matter,” Ishin said. “Your feelings are your own and are, of course, valid. I just hope you two can get along until we’re at least off this island.”

  Rhee’s expression softened. “Thank you for leaving it be. And yes, I can work with her for that long.” She gazed at the surrounding ash-colored trees. “I at least trust her not to kill us, which is more than I can say for the other candidates here.”

  Ishin began to walk with her toward their camp, their confrontation resolved. “Isn’t that a bitter truth.”

  The four comrades sat in a square around a small bonfire they had erected using fallen branches and lit by Long’s fire technique. Chunks of severed meat from the defeated Vampire Ape roasted on a makeshift spit. Since killing the beast six days ago, their party had not lacked for food. Even better, there was a pond only a few miles away, providing them with a constant supply of water.

  They had been fortunate to encounter only one group of Vampire Monkeys over the last week. The beasts numbered only three, and their group killed them fairly easily. It had been a relief not to encounter any other candidates. The only consolation would have been encountering another spear cultivator—whom Ishin could have killed and taken their weapon.

  Their leisurely week had allowed Ishin and Rhee time to spar. Rhee had been helpful as he practiced how to use his half spear. The training sessions between the two had been nice, reminding Ishin of his time back at the Eight Oaths Resolve School. Even better, it allowed the two to talk alone. While Ishin trusted Mei and Long, he still felt the most comfortable around Rhee— even more so now that Lei was gone. From what he could tell, Rhee felt similarly, with the two sometimes spending hours alone together.

  Long and Ishin had grown closer too, discussing wilderness skills the archer had somehow learned as they took watch together and gathered water. Long had been quiet on how he learned so much about the wilderness, but was more than happy to share his knowledge.

  “How do we want to handle the Pill Drop tomorrow?” Rhee asked, opening the discussion as the meat cooked in front of them.

  “We could find someone to follow again,” Mei suggested. The ice cultivator held her arms in clear discomfort. Ishin suspected she was still shaken from Rhee’s rebuke.

  “A risk,” Long gently countered. “We won’t know if our target has the pills we need. If we choose poorly, we might be stuck here another week.”

  There was silence as all four of them reflected on how frustrating that would be. It was moments like these that Ishin couldn’t fathom being on Desolate Island for months, like Mei had been.

  “We have to make a move for the basket,” Ishin declared at last. It really was their only choice.

  “I agree,” Rhee seconded, meeting his eyes. “We’re strong enough, and both Isho Nel and Bai Hao are gone. It’s worth the risk.”

  Mei opened her mouth, but then closed it without speaking. When Rhee glanced toward her, the hesitant woman looked away.

  “We don’t know if Bai Hao is truly gone,” Long pointed out. “Just because we didn’t see him during the last Pill Drop doesn’t ensure he’s dead or left the island.”

  “Do you propose a different course?” Ishin asked.

  “No. It’s still the most practical choice at this point. And despite what I just said, I do think it’s likely Bai Hao isn’t on the island any longer.”

  “I agree,” Mei said softly.

  “So it’s agreed,” Rhee summarized, asserting her role as leader. “We’ll claim the pills tomorrow.”

  Long shrugged. “Wait at the edge of the crater until sunrise?”

  “No,” Rhee said, surprising everyone.

  “No?” Ishin echoed, confused.

  “There is no rule that states we have to remain outside the crater until the Pill Drop.” She traced a circle in the ground. “I’ve been thinking about this the past week. Everyone waits until the pills are there before making a move for them. From what I’ve seen, a lot of people die just trying to reach the crater’s center.”

  Rhee tapped the center of the circular sketch. “But we know where the pills will appear and when.” She turned to Mei. “The basket has always appeared in the exact center, right?”

  Mei nodded hesitantly. “That’s correct.”

  Rhee smiled. “Good. In that case, we should be there waiting for it. That way we can grab the exact pills we need and then depart without having to risk fighting anyone.”

  Ishin rubbed at his chin. It was actually a really sound strategy—one he wouldn’t have thought about himself.

  Why hasn’t anyone else tried this before? Rhee’s right; the Pill Drop’s consistency creates a clear opportunity.

  “One concern,” Long voiced. “If we’re in the middle of the crater, everyone else will see us. What’s to stop us from being targeted from afar while we’re exposed?”

  That’s the reason.

  But Rhee just smiled back at the archer. “It’ll be dark before the Pill Drop occurs. While we wait for the sun to rise and the Pill Drop to occur, we’ll conceal ourselves. By the time they spot us, we’ll have grabbed the pills and be on our way.”

  “How will we hide in the middle of the crater?” Mei asked.

  “Simple. Between the natural darkness of the morning and this, no one will notice us.” Rhee clapped her hands together, and a sphere of darkness materialized around them.

  As Ishin stared into the surrounding black, he realized this would work. It wouldn’t be possible during the middle of the day, but in the early morning, before there was any sunlight, this surrounding darkness would conceal them within the crater.

  The veil dissipated as Rhee continued. “We sneak into the crater in the middle of the night and remain still. As dawn begins to approach, I’ll use my Falling Night Veil technique to conceal us. When the Pill Drop occurs, I’ll drop it and then we grab the pills.”

  “That’s actually brilliant,” Ishin complimented.

  Rhee’s cheeks turned red at the praise. “Yes. Well… thank you.”

  “A good plan,” Long agreed. He looked up at the darkening sky above them, still a few hours away from true nightfall. “Then we should depart for the crater after we eat.”

  It was settled. Their plan had been established, and with any luck, this would be the last Pill Drop their group would have to prepare for.