Interactive Theorem Provers: Lean & Coq and my journey through them

 Over the years I've gradually gained understanding and ability with Thereom provers. There's a lot of Computer Science and Math knowledge baked into how they work which made it a slow process of understanding them, but I can do a lot of simple proofs and Coq and now Lean of late.

I started with simple Logic proofs, and implications. And the gradually got into natural number proofs and slammed into some stupid walls. You have to make sure you organize your inductions so the inductive hypothesis remains as general as possible.

I went pretty far through the first Software foundations book, and learned how to construct inductive types, use rewriting and some proof by contradiction techniques.

Eventually, I saw a discussion on the prediction market Manifold about when a Blank Slate AI would be able to prove the Infinitude of Primes.

Conceptually, my thought was, give me your finite list of primes. I'll take the biggest one on the list, take the factorial, and add 1, and now I  must have a prime factor of that massive number which cannot be any of the numbers on the list.

I decided to solve the infinitude of primes myself in Coq, mostly starting from scratch and not using a library.

I had already proven stuff about addition and multiplication of natural numbers, so I brought that in, but I ended up writing a lot of proofs about inequalities and subtraction.

Over 6 months, I claw my way forward slowly, building up my base of lemmas. But sometimes I had to go back and add another lemma I needed for a proof.

My first wall was the divmod function, which I recreated the same definition that the Coq standard library used. It basically does both division and multiplication by keeping track of a sort of dual of the remainder and moving one step at a time.

A subtraction based approach has problems with proving termination, which is a topic  I slammed into later, so I'll wait to talk about that.

I learned through this whole 6 months that having ways to decompose operations is so important, and it very hard to decompose the divmod, for a long time.

I gradually managed to work my way through, and I made a big advance when I went back to the Standard library for inspiration and found divmod_spec:

le u y -> let (q',u') := divmod x y q u in

plus x (plus (times (S y) q) (sub y u)) = plus (times (S y) q') (sub y u') /\ le u' y.

Setting up an ax + b situation which the results of divmod was great, and also learning that I could "remember" the two values of a divmod call and work with them enabled me to complete the divmod lemmas I thought I would need.

Next was simple the process of defining the product of a list of items, defining the factorial, and then showing that n! + 1 has to have a prime factor greater than n.

Unfortunately, the intuitive argument that n! + 1 has a prime factor greater than n relies on a descending repeated division process. A nightmare for termination.

Instead I tried to define a decompose fuction. Writing it was difficult in itself, and proving it's termination and how to set up the syntax was hard, but running proofs with decompose was a nightmare.

The Program Fixpoint operation I used to define Decompose spewed all kinds of extra proof terms all over my proofs, and they were all completely unfamiliar concepts to me.

I tried to fight this battle, but for a month or two I was stuck.

I was trying to figure out another way to prove the infinitude of primes idea when I came up with this lemma.

If you have a property of the natural numbers, it either is always false, or else there exists some n which is the minimal or first time the property is true.

We can use this with the property of : does u divide a natural number n, to get the smallest divisor of a number. If a divisor of a number can be factored, then it is not the smallest divisor, either of it's factors would be a smaller divisor.

So we can get a prime divisor for any number n by getting the smallest divisor (other than 1). And we can prove that this divisor of n! + 1 cannot be <= n.

There were still a few battles and chains of additional lemmas, but the final proof in Coq was done soon after that.

Months after finishing the proof in Coq, I kept seeing impressive new efforts in formalizing math in Lean. I tried Lean, but I had troubles setting it up in VS code. After trying several times, I managed to get it working.

I decided to translate my proof of the infinitude of primes into Lean, in order to learn that prover. I am interested in exploring Lean's real numbers and analysis capabilities eventually.

I had a lot of stumbles in the process of understanding Lean, and had another issue with the Lean environment crashing before I got it straightened out.

Several lemmas in the Coq version were left out as the standard library already had the same lemmas for me. I used the existing operations for +, * and -, but I'm using the Coq version of divmod, to avoid a ton of rewriting, but I may reconsider for now.

I've completed all the proofs for add, mul, inequalities, and subtraction and now I'm starting on divmod.

Differences from Lean and Coq:

• In many cases in Lean, you don't need to finish the obvious last line of the proof. if you rewrite a term, and you get an obvious equality, or a case where assumption would apply, Lean does it automatically.
• Seems to work for rw and simp mostly.
• In Coq, reflexivitity is stronger than simpl for equalities proofs, in Lean, simp is stronger.
• simp completes almost all proofs that it can in Lean, in Coq you usually have to simp and then apply a tactic to finish the proof.
• No Qed / Defined in Lean, and no end in matches.
• Lean handles operators for + , *, - with no fiddling about with scopes.
• Lean handles numbers without trying to decide on Peano or Binary number representations.
• Lean has a proper Real number type that doesn't require deep study to use.
• Coq has fold in addition to unfold. I just learned a way to re-"fold" in Lean but it wasn't obvious.
• Unfolding / refolding expressions in general seems harder in Lean, although I've learned a few more tools to deal with it.
• if you have a more general statement as an inductive hypothesis, you have to specialize it with a have statement before applying it, in Lean. In Coq it will usually just auto-specialize it.
• Coq uses in, Lean uses at.
• Apply at was only available with the Mathlib, I use that a lot. You can do have H2 : result := by apply blah but that's more tedious. Now that I use mathlib exclusively it's not a problem.
• Lean usually replaces succ n with n + 1, which drove me crazy until I understood that it still could be used in proofs that refer to the successor.
• Lean normal syntax for a proof is def lemma (params : type), and these params are automatically introduced, and need to be reverted if you want your inductive hypothesis to be most useful.
• reverting teams seems pretty easy and it's nice to not have to intro when you don't need to revert.
• Having all the proofs in the Nat scope available with context search is so helpful. This context based search is very helpful in general. 
• Massive Math library in Lean is nice to have, and I'll eventually explore more of it once I finish formalizing the infinitude of primes again.
• It appears like termination criteria is easier to work with in Lean. in another project I was toying with I was able to establish well-founded criteria pretty simply.
• I'm not sure if there's a way to rewrite all references of a term, like in Coq's rewrite ?eq
• I hated Lean's use of symbols not on the keyboard at first, but I've found the backslash codes for them to be not bad.
• induction and cases explicitly forcing you to organize proofs better is nice. Instead of just chaotically solving sub-goals without noting it in the proof script.

Space Prince Arrives at the 5th Grade

Saionji Misao seemed like a good enough cover identity. His personal guardian would go by Kaji. He would have Sai as a nickname

`Sai` had been speaking Japanese with his guard team over the past few months. Only having `Kaji` on planet would have made him nervous, but the planet had no Class A threats to his person (or even Class B or C).

His personal staff had insisted on learning local customs around attire, and now he was wearing a rather nice blue suit, and bow tie. Kaji followed me into the school. It was a little early, so I only saw a few students heading to class.

Ms. Kirasawi was my teacher. Other than a few specialist subjects, I would be in her class for the whole day. We had chosen this school because of it's excellent physical fitness program and early leadership program, but I would have to prove to the school that I was capable of its programs.

I would have to go through a few boring years before I could into the best programs in the school. Kaji at least would challenge me to continue my martial arts training.

"Little Star," he said, "I'll be nearby in case anything untoward happens. We've screened the planet, there's no assassins that we can detect. Your third uncle is keeping his eyes on the planet. Fifth Armada is 17 light years away now, but they can divert if needed."

"It would be best if Fifth Armada returns to it's operational program. Have first uncle detach a small squadron to operate within 40 LY of this planet," I said.

There was no reason to keep a whole armada away from the more important defensive positions.

"Yes your highness. Good luck in class."

I opened the door into the classroom, and found only one other student had arrived as of yet.

The girl wore a green dress and didn't even glance over my way as I entered. She was writing on a pad of paper. 

I took a front row seat in the middle, while the girl was sitting two rows back on the right side by the window.

I much preferred the local people's mechanical pencils to the other devices they gave the same name to. My staff promised that they had found the best brand of mechanical pencil for me. There were twelve neatly slotted in a gray case, which also contained a gray eraser.

I pulled out my notebook also, and wrote my Japanese name on the inside cover.

I got distracted thinking about the recent raids on the Epsilon sector, and I started writing a few notes about the situation. It tested my ability to think in Japanese, and I had to pause once to consider how to phrase something.

Rapid Response needed. Raiders are almost guaranteed to be unofficially Seventh Dynasty forces. They are feeling threatened from recent colonization in their sphere of influence. Or our technological advances.

Standard Hyperspace fighters aren't strong enough to resist the raiders. We need a heavy and fast fighter, or a small ship that's inexpensive enough to widely deploy for counter-incursion. And training to recognize and respond. Maybe some work on the planetary defense systems. 

MilProd is still skewed to mainline combat ships, but maybe a slight allocation to this frigate or heavy fighter would help. If we can make them adaptive enough to also be useful in a fleet battle. 

We need to expand supply ships to make up for the lackluster supply situation of hyperspace fighters and frigates. Maybe a periodic resupply circuit to resupply all of these regional response forces.

We could even consider making this part of a political push to reassure local authorities that some decentralization is coming. Put the response forces under local authority, and then replace any incompetent local military leadership.

Many students had already filled in as I looked up. I turned the page to start fresh. Ms. Kirasawi arrived, and soon after the class started.

"Welcome students, welcome, welcome. Most of you are continuing on from last year, but we do have three new students. Ms. Nishio Takeyo. Please stand up. Ms. Takeyo is transferring from Okinawa. She is already recognized for her artwork, and will be working closely with Mrs. Sugi, our art teacher.

Secondly, Ms. Rieko Matsutoya. Ms. Matsutoya has arrived from one of our neighbor schools. Ms. Matsutoya lives with her grandparents and likes to help with their gardening.

Lastly, Mr. Saionji Misao. Mr. Misao, can you introduce yourself? I was not informed on where you have transferred from or your situation?"

I was prepared for this. Best just to alter the facts as little as possible. "Yes Mrs. Kirasawi. My uncle and I have recently moved to Japan. We both worked hard to immerse ourselves in your language so we could be prepared. I believe my uncle has some business opportunities he is pursuing here but I don't know, he doesn't tell me a lot.

I've lived with my uncles since I was four. Um, I like Martial arts, and hope to get into your school's Martial Arts Program."

"Thank you, Mr. Misao," the teacher said. "Now lets begin. Open your history textbooks to the Preface, page XIII."

After reciting the national anthem on that page, they continued on to discuss the earliest history of Japan. Very little was known about Japan before things were altered by Chinese influence. There were a few historical sites and temples with claims to be before Chinese "corruption."

We studied the earliest origins of Shinto and the differences with modern belief. Finally, Ms. Kirasawi switched to math. Using the whiteboard each student was instructed to take a word problem written in Japanese and then solve it out using `Arabic` numerals.

I sighed in relief that my team had identified another language hidden in this world's mathematics, and I was trained on that as well. Quickly, I calculated 23 * 18 = 414.

The school's math instruction was pretty primitive. We jumped around practicing basics like these two digit multiplications, and then working with geometric figures, and then some very practical studies with a tape measure or estimating how many candies were in a small jar. She promised to give anyone a treat who guessed exactly the right answer.

Before long the class broke up, and several classes of students followed along into the stadium. While tiny compared to the public venues I was used to, it was an impressive stadium for a small school like this one.

After we were crowded in the stands, the Physical Fitness instructor amplified his voice and spoke. "Welcome to a new year, beginning again the pursuit of health. All students already classified by ability level, please come on down to the field, join your Group Leaders."

About a third of the students went down onto the field after that.

"Now, for those of you who do not know, we have minimum standards for students who wish to be part of the Physical Fitness program. Senior High students, you must reach a minimum standard of 5 kyu to stay in the program. Students between 1 and 5 kyu will join the Standard Senior High group. For those who reach more advanced levels, we have groups for 1-2 dan, 3 dan and our top student group for those who reach a 4 dan evaluation. So all 9th graders, and Senior High transfers, please come down for evaluation."

Kaji had told me before that most schools on planet weren't that focused on martial arts, the two hour block for Physical Fitness was quite rare. This was one of the school most focused on these arts on planet. Obviously they didn't have any knowledge or ability to train in Transcendent arts, but I still have Kaji to work on that.

Each student being evaluated sparred for a few minutes with one of the student assistants. It was a quick process, with five assistants, and each evaluation only took a minute or so. After 20 minutes, roughly half of those being evaluated were encouraged to train during their own time at home, and left the stadium. They hadn't reached 5 kyu grading he assumed.

Of the students who had reached that standard, some were directed to three student assistants that stood next to the teacher. Others joined the Standard senior high group right away.

A few of the new students were directed to the 1 and 2 dan training group, where the best student of the Senior High group had a chance to spar with the teacher himself.

But after another minute, that student was also directed to the 1 and 2 dan group. After that, Mr. Uesato spoke up again. "For our Junior High students, the minimum standard is an evaluation of 8 kyu. Those of you who reach the 5 kyu student in Junior High will be part of our Advanced Junior High group, and the other qualifiers will be part of the Standard Junior high group. If you have not been evaluated since entering Junior High, come on down."

After another twenty minutes, the Junior High students were evaluated. 

"Lastly, 5th Grade is the youngest age we accept for the program. We are very strict in only accepting the top 5th graders. Those of you who don't make it today, remember, many Junior High students enter the program after not making it in their 5th grade year. It is really just an early training year for our most promising students. 5th graders, please come on down."

I followed our whole class as well as the other 5th grade classes as we went out onto the field. We joined the third of five lines as the same student assistants began sparring with students in front of us.

The assistants seemed to be quite quick and brutal considering the size different between them and the small fifth graders. While I was taller than normal for my grade, these assistants would still loom over me.

There were actually a few fifth graders who cried after being hit by the assistant's blows, but most of the students were silent.

After very quickly going through the students in front of me, I reached the assistant assigned to my line.

I bowed to the girl. "Get ready," she said, and then swiftly approached me and tried to strike my chest with her right palm.

My elbow collided with hers and her strike was adjusted just enough. I responded with a sweep with my right foot, trying to knock her off balance. She wobbled but adjusted her stance, overpowering my returning fist.

I couldn't overpower her volley of kicks, so I darted backwards, and then hit her left side with my right elbow, going past her.

The concentration of qi was a sign of the assistant escalating the fight. I controlled my power level, sticking to what Kaji had showed me was reasonable for a very talented but not ridiculous fifth grader.

The blurring fist of her qi powered blow was deflected by the energy shield formation I formed with quick hand seals.

We were in a tense standoff. Lightning currents were running between the girl's hands but she didn't unleash them yet.

I prepared my hand seals in case this girl's intentions were hostile. The 1st Technique of the Dragon was the least revealing offensive ability I had. I found myself translating mystic language into Japanese and finding that it was a reasonable language for explaining such abilities.

"Enough!" Mr. Uesato said. "This student demonstrated enough skill to enter the Early Elementary Student's Group after 5 seconds. Step back, and your sensei will practice with the bright young student."

"Yes, sensei," the girl said. Lightning disappearing from her hands. She bowed and stepped back.

"Now let's see those hand seals. A rare ability even for Senior High students. We do have a few experts in the more esoteric ways of these seals."

The 1st Technique only took three seals, but they were very precise, and continuing the series into the 2nd Technique required immediately proceeding to use eight more seals.

I stuck to just the 1st Technique. My hands were wreathed in a fire that didn't hurt, but was composed of dozens of tiny sparks which could attack an enemy or deflect the enemy's own attacks.

"A fire technique in three seals? And a flexible one, make the fire wisps attack me," the teacher said.

I did as he said, and he had to step back to have enough time to deal with each of the fire wisps.

"Very impressive, and your name student?"

"Saionji Misao, sir," I said.

"I am restricted by the school board, join the Early Elementary group. But I would like to speak with you after today's session. I have a pass for your teacher."

We had two Senior High students leading our Early Elementary group. From all the 5th grade classes, there were only 5 of us.

Surprisingly, this artist from my classroom, Ms. Takeyo, had also become part of these group. Truly, a girl skilled in multiple areas.

"Don't think about the fancy techniques you hear in stories. Start with our own school's Way of Discipline. When you can perform the first three katas, you can begin to specialize and study a unique art."

We went through a few very simple maneuvers, focusing on basics of footwork, movement of the body and hand position and movement.

Finally, the two hour session was done, and I went to speak with Mr. Uesato. He lead me into his office at the stadium. 

"With power comes responsibility, Mr. Misao. I recognize the technique you used was just the first of a series. The way you immediately stopped, though you had an inclination to continue, gave it away. It is not my place to know how or why you learned a powerful style at such an early age, but Mr. Misao, it is my job to protect my students. Please don't use this series in my class. It is exceptionally difficult to dispel. Students won't be able to avoid it, and someone could be hurt badly.

The only time you may use that technique is sparring with myself or other professionals, if we have specifically asked you to. 

And one more thing, Mr. Misao. While I can't officially assign you to the 1-2 dan group or any Junior High group, I would like to continue your training as our schedules permit. I will approach you in a few weeks after the early foolishness is dealt with."

"Thank you, Mr. Uesato," I said. "May I have the pass for my teacher?"

He wrote something up for me and I headed to lunch. The lunch room was quite full, and so I had to sit with a group of older students.

"Ms. Higashi lost her cool when this kid was able to respond to her attacks," one of the 10th graders said.

"The Ice Queen challenged by a fifth grader?" the girl sitting next to the first boy said.

Another girl said, "She was defeated by our class representative."

"Yeah, he's a legend, that still means she should be more than able to demolish even the world's best 5th grader."

"Hey kid, never saw you in the 4th grade fitness groups. This is the first we've heard about a superstar kid coming up," the first girl said.

"I'm a transfer,' I said. "Saionji Misao. It is good to meet you, senior students."

The boy was Ryosho. The only one of the group still in Mr. Uesato's class. The three girls were Misha, Totsushi (Tots) and Satsushi (Satsu).

"We do some training outside of school. Ryosho has taught us a few things, but we still keep him humble, don't we girls? You should come some time, if your parents are okay with it," Tots said.

"I live with my uncles, I'll see what they think. Let me know where and when."

Lunch was pretty awful. I was going to have Kaji bring something back from home, but I was delayed and never had a chance, plus I couldn't exactly eat a separate meal at a full table of students without attracting attention.

The afternoon lessons with Ms. Kirasawi were rather boring. Science lessons that were hundreds of years old. Really these lessons would maybe have been covered in History of Science. The lesson was at a very high level, covering a summary of scientific areas, like Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Ms. Kirasawi said we would be getting into Chemistry in future sessions and doing some labs. To be cordial, I paid attention as much as I could, and even answered a question when the teacher asked.

After science there were a few minutes of local civics. They were encouraged to ask the road wardens for help if they had any trouble on the way home.

I met up with Kaji after school. We had purchased a house which was quite cheap in the local currency despite it's size. As we walked home, Kaji filled me in on his day.

"I wasn't around at lunch because I was pulled into the Headmistress' office and I had to explain myself. It's a matter of honesty and decorum but not revealing too much. I guess she thinks you are a son of one of the local Imperial family's cadet branches. Basically, akin to your second and third cousins. Of course, you would be under an assumed name. Your performance during the fitness evaluation confirmed that view in her mind.

"I got carried away," I said.

"This girl did too. The Headmistress confirmed the girl goes a bit overboard in everything she does. I will show you another attack series that should be more low key and appropriate for training with your juniors," he said.

"Teacher Uesato recognized that I was used the first attack in a series. I didn't tell him anything but he figured out as much."

"Impressive. Your martial arts teacher is perceptive, well at least you can use this training series. You shouldn't need more than the second step."

They separated from the wave of students as they turned down another street approaching their new home. It wasn't just students, there was nobody on this street at all.

He heard the sound of someone muttering but couldn't find it's source.

* * *

Professor Tsuyame didn't usually travel in this part of the city. As second in command of the road wardens in addition to his study of Hostile Paranormal Entities, he guarded the boundaries of the safe routes to and from the college.

But he had heard someone bought the old mansion in the epicenter of the city's paranormal activity. His studies demanded he get close to the enemy, which meant he needed to be a strong martial artist in addition to scientist.

The first day of school wasn't just significant to students and parents, it was spiritually significant to the enemy. How many times have the unwary been caught out by the relative calm before the start of term? Countless times.

But here it was again, a battle between humans and malevolent beings, caused by the human's stepping away from the safe roadways.

Sometimes the strongest fighters had the biggest stumbling blocks when it came to safety, and he decided that was the case as he came upon the two of them.

The adult caused massive emanations in the force lines as he destroyed smaller spirits one after another, keeping them away from the child. His techniques were lightning aligned.

Foolishly, while he fought the lesser beings, the child fought a greater spirit, something akin to a coyote, the monster snapped his jaws at the boy, and was only barely resisted with a whole technique series.

Fire tattoos glowed on the boy's forehead and on both arms. Spouts of flame blasted the Coyote, and the spirit responded by empowering it's bite still further, and then howling.

"Only until the fifth step, --" the man shouted, and then turned to him. "Who are you?"

"I am Professor Tsuyame with the road wardens, I'm here to help you escape the malevolent spirits. I have some questions after we get back to safety."

The man turned and once again destroyed a wave of minor spirits with his arts.

Professor Tsuyame rushed forward, speaking briefly to the boy. "Go!"

The man finally spoke as the Professor began dissolving the spirit's hook on existence.

"I am Kajihara Nakata, and this is Misao Saionji."

It took only a few applications of the shielding charm, and he had the greater spirit displaced from existence.

Nakata and the boy, Sai, had proceeded to clear the way to retreat, and Professor Tsuyame lead them back away from the danger zone into safety. A couple of spirits even followed into the safe zone, and Tsuyame knew he would have to have a serious conversation with the Chief Warden about increasing patrols in this area and rearranging the safe corridor.

There wasn't a lot of foot traffic where the spirits had impinged on the safe zone, so he retreated with the two to a diner nearby.

As they waited for their food, he asked the two why they were off the safe zone.

The boy spoke up, "I am a bit of a Martial Arts hobbyist. So my uncles researched and found the school here was the best martial arts school in the world. Today was my first day of course.

Last week, we walked back and forth down the same road a dozen times. My uncles' servants went out to get food and supplies for the house, and no one reported any issues. We had heard about the dangers, but we didn't realize it was so serious."

"And this house was outside the safe zone?" the Professor asked.

"We found the place when we were looking for housing in the city. It was a reasonable size for our needs, and less expensive than the other options. We had a little trouble converting our currency at first, so we don't have as much Yen as we originally hoped. The place fit."

"And is this the place?" the Professor asked, showing a polaroid picture.

He could tell from their reactions that it was. The idiots had just doomed themselves. At least the boy was safe.

"Are there any other children in your family here?" he asked. If there was a child in danger at the epicenter, he would take a risk and go in, not before asking for lots of backup of course.

"No other children. My two uncles, and seven personal staff, plus Kaji, chief of security, I guess you could call them."

The boy had seven servants working for him, and not random people but highly skilled? This Kaji's ability to deal with swarming spirits would give him a sure job with the Road wardens or any other organization.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but unless you have one of the five best martial artists in the world, your family and staff are probably dead already."

He was grim. Though he spoke matter-of-factly, he did not make light of any losses to the evil spirits.

"My uncles did not pursue such arts. They are masters of business. Is there anything you can do Kajihara," the boy asked.

"What sorts of threats would our people face at the house?"

"It is a local epicenter of malevolent spirits. Foes much greater then the one Student Misao fought are there," the professor said.

"I am sorry, Little Star. We should find a hotel and rest for the night."

"Stay safe, and keep to the safe roads. Follow the wardens' instructions," he said.

"Thank you, Professor," the boy and his `chief of security` said.

When he got back to headquarters, he reported in to his boss.

"What do you have to report Professor Tsuyame?"

"I have rescued two people. They were off the safe roads. Both of them were skilled martial artists. At least 5 dan by my reckoning."

"What's their excuse?" his boss asked.

"New arrivals. The manor has changed hands again. And most likely, the boy's parents were killed after the spirits showed up for start of term.

"What's this about a boy?"

"One of the two we rescued was a child, maybe 13 or 14? The adult was fighting the minor spirits while the boy fought a major coyote spirit until I intervened."

"A true prodigy."

"The adult told me they had sought out the best Martial Arts primary school and found our school."

"I will keep watch on the school. Find one of your subordinates to watch over the college, and I want you to investigate what will happen next with the manor. How do they keep putting that manor on the market. It's a increasing amount of blood on our hands if we can't get that place off the listings.

"Yes sir."

* * * 

Most of our money was back at the house, the house we couldn't get to. Our fleet communicator was also there. And the people, servants I had known since I was little. And my uncles.

Losing Sumi and Kesaimi, that hit me hardest. And if we needed to go back, how would we communicate with the fleet? If they had feared anything like this, Kaji would have insisted on a regular check in policy with the elite. This was a Class B threat. Not an assassin, but an unforseen danger that truly put them in peril. They would never have come here at all if they knew about it.

Spirits of that kind had been purged from the Kingdom for hundreds of years. To encounter that old danger here, was odd and terrifying.

Sumi and Kesaimi were friends. They were older than him, in their early twenties, but young enough that they could interact and joke without being so formal.

"What if we used Transcendent power, rescue whoever is still alive, and then leave. We can figure out other classes on a world that isn't cursed," I asked Kaji.

"The fleet is too far out. By the time we get here we'll be drowning in assassins and enemy fleets," Kaji said. "You know I wasn't trained for gentleness. You have to take this situation like a soldier, discipline yourself and get revenge. Your Highness, I think we will shape you into a worthy king. You have a mission now, to end these spirits."

"I asked for a challenge. To learn and grow in Martial Arts.  Sumi and Kesaimi had some other training in mind, but my focus will have to be on these arts," I reasoned.

"I need some time to steady myself," I told Kaji.

"I will have to think on our next steps. We will need money to find a new place to stay. I might have to work with the locals to pay our way through the next few years.

"There will be some benefit in this for you too, Uncle."

* *  *

It was a frantic morning as we used the last of our funds to rent a few weeks of room and board at the hotel and get a few simple changes of clothing for each of us.

Staying busy was suitable for me, it kept me from getting mired in my thoughts. I had to keep going for now. Morning classes were not my focus, I let the information come in, and I would work on the two assignments I received tonight, but I was focused on the two hours of Fitness.

I was surprised when I was pulled aside as I was headed with our class over to the stadium

"Mr. Misao, are you aware of the spiritual emanations caused by emotion."

"No ma'am. Spiritual emanations?" I said.

"It's only in extreme cases, but yes. These emanations are a sign my office uses to help those who need counseling. Please follow me," she said.

"But I was headed to the stadium for my fitness class," I said, protesting.

"Come with me, Mr. Misao. Trying to avoid facing your emotions by staying busy, especially with exercise and martial minded hobbies, isn't going to help. I've unfortunately seen it many times."

Reluctantly I followed the staff member to her office.

"I am Assistant Counselor Hara. I'm here to listen, whenever."

I didn’t have anything to say at first.

“I’ve seen a lot of kids not say anything, just holding it all in. The ones who talk recover a lot better.”

"I grew up knowing about death. My mother died six months after my father. It took a long time to find people I could trust. Sami and Kesaimi, I could trust them. We can’t even bury them.”

"Did you know about the safe zones and safe roads when you came here?" the counselor asked.

Really I was letting it all get to me in front of other people. That was embarrassing. I had to be better for my people.

"No. We heard about dangers but we had seen warnings for many of the places we checked, so we just thought it was local fears, and we would be able to deal with whatever we encountered."

"The city needs to do everything to make the dangers more apparent. This happens multiple times a year, unfortunately. Not always with someone going to the school here, but often. Your home was outside the safe zone, and it was attacked by the spirits?"

"Kaji and I encountered the spirits on the way to our new house. We had been there for a few days prior with no trouble, but yesterday, we were suddenly faced with a lot of spirits. Hundreds of minor spirits and a major spirit.

Professor Tsuyame arrived, and help us escape from the swarm. He said there was no way we could reach our house without a huge group of the best martial artists in town. So we had to go rent a hotel room last night. A lot of our money was in that house too.

Sumi and Kesaimi were two members of my personal staff. My uncle was there also. He was in charge of the household. And there were other personal staff, cooks, people to look after Uncle and myself. Now Kaji is going to look for work so we can pay for a place to live."

"I know the Professor quite well. If he was involved, this was no minor incursion of spirits around your house. Mr. Kaji should spend some time at the college studying warding. It is an important subject regionally, to know how to protect your home. There are many passive ways to defend the home from spirits, in addition to active techniques. The Japanese board of tourism really should warn about this region."

"I wanted to go home, but we don't have any quick way to do that, and Kaji convinced me to work harder, to make something out of a bad thing. So that's why I want to go to Fitness,"
I said.

"Come back tomorrow also, and then maybe we'll find a different time of day for counseling. This is not a minor thing, Mr. Misao. Losing family and friends is not something you'll got over in a few days.

* * * 

Mr. Uesato stormed into the head counselor's office. "You pulled my newest star out of class? Who do you think you are?"

He leaned against the woman's desk. She was just a staff person. Unless the Headmistress approved it, he would release Student Misao from the Counseling department. They would hold onto students for months, keeping them away from important classes, including his own.

"Did you hear about the battle near Hondou road yesterday? Hundreds of minor spirits defeated, and a coyote-type major spirit."

"What does that have to do with this?" he asked.

"Student Misao and his security detail defeated most of those," the counselor said.

"All the more reason to continue the young student's training."

"They say they were headed to a house they just purchased last week," she said.

"during the Calm -- The manor, those idiots. Why do the strongest students have the worst parents?"

"We don't know it was the manor, but according to what I've heard, the battle Student Misao was in was just the outermost region of a massive conflagration of spirits. Whoever was still at the manner is surely dead now."

"And so, Student Misao needs counseling."

"In some ways, he is doing quite well, all things considered. I will reach out to the city about his situation.”

***

I actually got to the cafeteria on time, and ended up sitting with three girls in my class. They invited me to sit there.

One of them was Ms. Takeyo the other girl from class in my fitness group.

Ms. Ueyemi, Ms. Picard (an odd name I thought), and Ms. Mitikihara were the other three girls.

“Fighting the Ice Queen, are you really a fifth grader,” Ueyemi asked. 

Takeyo ignored her saying, “we’ve got a little training group going, if you want to stop by sometime.”

First the senior high students and now fifth graders. Did every friend group have a sparring club?

“We’ve been calling her the Phantasm, Takeyo can make her art real, and just a fifth grader and now we have to come up with a nickname for you?” Picard said.

“You don’t have to,” I said.

I had fought the spirits the day before so it didn’t take more than a moment to recognize the cause of the sudden disturbance. 

ISG: The Grand Tournament

I've thought about who we might add to the Twelve before. Geng Guiying was not on my list of names.

I woke up late after some meditation and retiring early for bed. That morning I found Guiying sparring with Carmina in the Hall's commons. The grass needed some trimming here, I would have to check with Juyi as he was in charge of that.

Guiying was not at the level of the top 6 in the sect, but suddenly he was at par with the bottom group of the Twelve. The Later Six I called them.

His style was erratic but his speed was very good for this sect. Why hadn't he been picked up by another hall?

"Carmina, let him try against my Wind style," I said.

"Good morning, Hallmaster," she responded, amused. "Go ahead Guiying."

I was able to evade most of his attacks, but that wasn't much of a lesson for him, so when I stood stock still and took hits without even wincing he stopped.

"How do you just ignore my fists?" Guiying asked.

"As you move forward and face stronger opponents, you'll find speed can't make up for a weak punch. You need great speed and a good enough punch, or a great punch and good enough speed. Although our sect tends to go for a Great punch at adequate speed, nothing says you can't flip that. But a weak punch doesn't help no matter how fast."

I responded, attacking a few times with Wind style, showing both speed and power.

"Let's make today a gym day, get some upper body strength training in. Then we can rest and prepare mentally the last two days before the event."

It would be time to increase Guiying's weights at the gym.

**

The Sect’s teleport platform might be the most expensive possession of the sect, Elder Yu said using it consumed spirit stones like water as well. They entered the formation in groups of 20. 

Her hall’s 13 were grouped with the 7 participants of the Hall of the Foot, a minor hall with a kicking focus. 

We arrived at the receiving grounds for the Grand Tournament. We moved forward to clear the area for the next wave.

SYSTEM: revealing memories of past tournaments.

Two years ago, the preliminary round was with randomly selected teams of multiple sects.

I was paired with an archer and a Wizard and we managed to be one of the last groups standing. With 4096 competitors advancing to the main stage of the tournament, there were 12 rounds of elimination. I won two rounds then.

Two years before that, I was in the Juniors division, and made it to the quarterfinals.

Shortly after that I was promoted to Core Sect and started the Golden Silk Hall.

After a few more minutes we had all 100 of us. lead by Zu Shuren, we went to the registration hall to get registered.

The Sect of the Grand Tournament recruited occasional for their Grand Champions but otherwise had a staff dedicated to the tournament. 

They could only bring 100 cultivators because the Grand Tournament sect housed everyone at their sect, in addition to the juniors in their tournament.

They were directed to their sects housing and then everyone broke up into halls to wander about and socialize. There were three other Body cultivation sects on the level of their Mighty Body Sect and they looked for their counterparts.

I was also interested in any Wind style cultivators.

*

We ended up finding a rather Raucous bar full of mighty men and women.

Carmina, Min and I shared a table while a lot of the guys were “on the prowl”. It was a large bar as we didn’t any see anyone from our sect around us.

“That guy’s looking at you,” Carmina said.

“Let’s see what happens,” I said.

This man approached our table.

“Uh, here for the tournament?”

“Yep,” I said.

“Unbroken Sect,” he said.

“Mighty Body sect.”

“I thought that was all guys.”

“Been to the training grounds yet?” Carmina interrupted.

“Uh yeah got here yesterday. I’ve heard of the Thunder Kings in your sect.”

“There’s are some we’ll know Unbroken halls as well. Last time I watched the Iron Veins Hall.”

“Yeah that’s above my level,” he said.

“We’re not Thunder Kings obviously.”

“Do you have a friend?” Mina chimed in.

“Yeah just some guys from the Sect, do you want to meet them?”

We joined their crew at the bar, why not. No reason to be too prideful.

Conversations blurred together, Mina and Carmina let loose, I kept my drinks slow to protect them, just in case.

“Oh yeah, Esther’s our senior sister. She qualified two years ago,” Mina was saying.

“You’re pretty subdued,” the first guy we talked to said. Rod.

“There’s no expectations for them. And you never know what can happen in an unknown place.”

“There’s a lot of really strong fighters coming here. We’re not the strongest group either.”

She wasn’t interested in pursuing sex but Carmina and Mina could do whatever they wanted.

She sat outside the Unbroken housing with Rod. He tried to put some moves on, but she took him to the ground.

“I’m not into guys, sorry,” I said.

“Carmina goes both ways and Mina not sure. We have guys in our Hall so it’s not like they are deprived.”

“I gotcha, I’m not going in there so whatever,” Rod said.

Later he asked, “are you cold?”

“No.”

“Shit I’m freezing.”

He snuck in for a few minutes and got a big blanket.

“Damn,” he swore.

“Alright I won’t complain about being warmer.” I said.

He shifted to give me some of the blanket. “I’m not always a hardass you know.”

Darn, why was my body doing this anyway?

This weakness, it wasn’t like with Carmina. 

He gently kissed me, playing his fingers across my clothes under the blanket.

I shook. 

“God, your whole body is ripped,” he said.

I put my arm around his back.

The silver token I wore around my neck wasn’t something I’d brought back from seclusion. I found it in my jewelry stand. 

It was marked with a symbol of the Yu family, a fist inside a triangle.

He worked his way up my skin with his fingers,”

“Very low key.”

I kissed him. 

It was just a minor thing, I reasoned. It didn’t escalate beyond teasing and kissing. 

Finally I told him as morning started to creep in. “I’m the daughter of an Elder. He doesn’t mind my relationships with girls, but ultimately my relationship with men is up to him.

“ I’ll go easy on you. Your father’s pretty low key, no fancy clothes or jewelry.”

“Good luck in qualifying. I’m sure my friends will stop by after the event, so why not. Ask your buddies where you want to meet after prelims.”

“Good luck, he said. I just said my name was Rod to seem more sexy. I’m Hsu Jin.”

“Yu Esther.”

*

The girls were surprised I was there outside the Unbroken sect housing. 

“That guy?” Carmina?

“Chatted, burned up the hours, I guess by the end we kissed. Nothing more really.” I said.

“What did you think about all that. The most girl-obsessed of our hall,” Mina.

“Confused, kinda like it. But it’s dangerous.”

“I guess I can’t fault you for that,” Carmina said.

They had 8 hours to meditate and get ready for the preliminaries. I guess Mina and Carmina had the same idea for reducing tension.

I simply spent some time meditating and practicing switching from normal and wind style.

Finally we formed up as a sect and headed to the massive arena.

The Grand Tournament Director was projecting his voice.

“Welcome to the Grand Tournament Preliminary Round. We will proceed in groups. In each group the first 64 people to get to the 10th step of the podium will advance. Battling is allowed until 64 people are standing on that step.

A number appeared over each of our heads. Mine was 11.

It was time to get serious.

There were barriers all over the routes up to the steps, forcing competitors to clash with those next to them.

The first wave was full of competitors who rushed out ahead but ran into a barrier, collided with a person or were attacked by bow and staff users as they got ahead.

Some were two distracted by their fights, there were certainly some who regretted fighting as both they and their opponents were eliminated.

Carmina was in the second wave and managed to qualify.

“I quickly shutdown a person who was in my way and got people a bit nervous. Then there was a huge melee halfway up the steps, everyone was going down but I slipped through.”

Geng Guying was eliminated in the 7th wave, and shortly after it was my turn.

I ran forward, then diverted left, using wind strikes to hold off anyone in my way.

Briefly I exchanged a few blows with my neighbors as I climbed the steps. I was ahead of most of the competitors. The arrow piercing my back didn’t bother me much as I reached the top in third, facing warily against a swarm of fists and feet coming up.

I sent one guy sprawling back down the steps when he tried to take my spot.

No one else challenged my spot and the rest of the spots were rapidly filled.

*

In the end, Nathan, Carmina, Mina and I passed the preliminaries in our hall. 

The others joined the growing party in the pubs and bars of the sect’s entertainment district.

We would all watch the finals together.

Nathan ran out to get the pairings as we all crowed into my room. The pairings avoided matchups within the same sect and there was some limited seeding.

“I think it’s a theme to be unpredictable, switch between fast and powerful, make them think.”

It was almost an hour before Nathan came back with the pairings.

“Esther, you’re paired with a Bow sect’er. One of the better disciples, but still it’s a bow sect. I’m facing someone from the Endless Warrior sect, a durable and untiring opponent.

Carmina, you’re marched with a staff user, Fire elementalist. Mina, you were seeded near the bottom as a first time qualifier. You’ve got an expert Wind-style fighter with a Thaumaturgy. We’re talking an opponent on the level of the top three in Thunder King.”

“Mina, just focus on getting some hits in, don’t let them dodge dance. I don’t have any answers to their thaumaturgy. 

“Carmina, close range quickly, but be ready for a trap when you first get to fighting range 

“Nathan, if you think you can outlast them, you can try facing them head on. Otherwise focus on heavy strikes. Use your strength advantage.

“I don’t want to take anyone lightly. We’ve all heard too many cautionary tales. I should be able to stay in range with my wind arts.”

We ended up meditating together overnight, getting ready to pull all of our strength and prowess in battle.

“If anyone makes it to tomorrow, our pill cooldown will be over and I’ll share a S class pill. I only have a few of these.”

Nathan pumped his fists. It was unlikely for Mina or Carmina to advance two rounds. Nathan had a good chance, and I would be disappointed if I didn’t make it three rounds.

*

With 2000 some matches over the 8 hours of round 1, there were 25 match stages set up.

Mina’s bout was at stage 7 early in the morning.

“You have to forget the enemy’s strength with part of your mind. Be fearless,” Nathan said, and I nodded.

Projection Mages were displaying these matches all over the country, and no doubt the rest of our sect and hall, who hadn’t qualified would be watching.

It was time for the match and Mina’s opponent tried to end it quickly, but Mina resisted the tornado winds, closing the distance.

For a few seconds their attacks traded pretty evenly until Mina’s opponent had an opening and flurried into a series of attacks. The follow-up thaumaturgy blew Mina off the stage.

I had the desire to go up and face this guy right now, but I had to wait, and probably wouldn’t have the chance.

Nathan managed to win his fight in three exchanges which was impressive. He applied a familiar mixture of speed and force to win.

“You don’t talk like my apprentice but that was some devotion to my style,” I teased Nathan.

“You do have occasional good ideas,” he said.

Carmina was the only pure might cultivator in our four. Her fight was long and brutal but she managed to win, bruised but not broken.

Finally there was my fight. Did this archer have some secret art I needed to worry about?

I was on Stage 3. Bow cultivators at least had beautiful weapons.

The judge moved his hand and the fight began. Even as the first arrow curved towards me, I avoided it, stepping forward.

The next attack was a flurry of three arrows, I had to deflect one with my arm but I rushed past unharmed.

My first strike was a forceful punch which staggered my opponent, I didn’t even have to weave into Wind strikes, I just followed up force on force and my opponent conceded after the third strike.

“Have fun!” I said to Mina as she went to join the rest of the hall in merriment.

So there were three of us.

Nathan went to wait for the next pairings. Second round pairings were set throughout the day, after each wave of fights.

We went back to the sect housing. We went to my room. Carmina was on fire, I had to cool her off a bit. “We have time.”

“Not if you win the tournament,” she said.

That was ridiculously unlikely. If I couldn’t defeat the Thunder Kings there were foes in later rounds even stronger.

“Win both matches tomorrow for me,” she said after.

“Yes, I could only agree with her.”

The next morning we went out and got breakfast with Nathan while the rest of the hall was recovering from a hangover or somewhere else entirely.

“Carmina’s facing a Sword sect cultivator. I’ve got a sorcery sect opponent. Esther, you have a Wind Style sect junior. She’s outer sect.”

They had breakfast and hurried to the arena site. The battle zones were reduced to 20. I had one of the early fights.

The wind sect girl blasted towards me as soon as the match started. She expected a battle of wind vs wind I guessed but she didn’t try to dodge my mighty fist, and her own momentum hurt her as the first fist stopped her and the second sent her to the ground.

She fought valiantly to try to recover but I switched to wind style using speed and pursuit to finish the job.

In Nathan’s fight, he tried to use a monastic technique to ground the sorcerer’s lightning, he managed to approach close twice only to be hit by a surge of electricity, s spreading wall of electricity forced him to surrender.

The swordsman used three moves to created a sword phantasm and swallow Carmina up, she was sent to the medical center, but I had to stay and wait for today’s second fight.

In the third round I faced a Fire wizard. Using tailwinds I was fast enough to avoid his first strike. He had melee fire techniques, and we traded blows, he didn’t try to withdraw, my wind techniques helped limit the damage his fire dealt but I was still suffering.

Finally I surprised him with a power move forcing him to the ground, where I overpowered his Thaumaturgy with mighty blows.

Carmina had distracted me last night but now I had 30 training points to distribute. 

And a system message to consider:

Discipline breakthrough trial complete. New cap 200.

Strength; 99 - Stamina: 66

Reflex: 45 - Grace: 20

Displine: 105 (green) - Charisma: 20

Wisdom: 30 - Intellect: 20 - 

Meditation: 40 - Magic: 10 - Battle Form: 40

Power unlocked: Elemental defense. Completely resist magical effects for 3 s. Only usable once per battle.

Carmina was waiting for me that night. “Blade users are almost as terrifying as Sword users. Just win this last match and I’ll be your queen.”

My opponent the next day was a woman blade cultivator. I had never imagined defeating a weapon user. I hadn’t trained for it.

There were more spectators in this round.

Don’t give her a wind up, stop the blade at short range.

I had a bad cut on my palm in the first exchange. But I managed to evade her next cuts, smoothly working in Wind style, I could tell a Thaumaturgy was coming and I actived my new power just as a water blade passed through me, I was unharmed and I struck the blade user mightily, but she was unruffled.

I pummeled her, intercepting her attacks, doing no damage but when I brought her to the ground I tossed her blade away, and attacked with both fists and feet. I could feel more strength rushing through me, and the girl surrendered.

This would bring prestige for the sect.

I reviewed the remaining fighters in our sect. The next hall master of Thunder Kings, and the hall leader of the Jade Fists.

Kreisel could have made the finals in this event, but Shuren was no Kreisel.

My new system message was: “Strength breakthrough achieved. Please advance Magic stat to 30 to unlock Thaumaturgy.”

I would ask my father before I focused on magic at all.

In the second match of day 3, I faced a true scion of Wind. My attacks had bypassed grey realm into green and my opponent struggled with my attacks as much as I did with hers. Finally, it was my pain tolerance that won me the day in a slugging battle on the floor. No one wanted to let me take them to the ground anymore.

I pushed strength up to 119 for now. I was nearly at the point where I needed to meditate before advancing further.

I took the evening to meditate. Carmina went out with the crew. I had made the final 64.

If green tier makes grey look weak, blue tier is impressive for even our elders.

My opponent the next day immediately struck me with a blue-tier wave of water, I was flung off the battle stage and blacked out.

I was in the hospital for 12 hours, and not able to enjoy anything after I did recover. With everyone in the sect out, the hall leaders decided to leave.

Many in our sect were coming down from mighty week long benders. I realized even though I exceeded expectations there were still fighters vastly beyond me in skills and power.

The line at the  teleport formation took hours before it was finally our turn. Many other sects who were out of the tournament had the same idea.

ISG: Battle with the Thunder Kings

 It’s a good thing Carmine woke up early and got me up. There was another wave of new recruits to the sect, and hall selection demanded all the Hall Leaders being present.

Sect Grand Elder Liseth stood before a sea of a few hundred brand new sect. 

Other than the Thunder King, there was the female only Jade Fist, male only Adonis, my hall, the Golden Silk, and then an ever shifting group of lesser halls I didn’t always keep track of.

Promising new Core sect members were given the chance to form a hall, but most didn’t last and couldn’t compete against the 4 main halls. Thunder king got who they wanted and then the three sects behind them.

“You can be proud of passing the Sect entrance exam, but without a Hall, you’ll be unable to progress any further. Each hall can choose who to accept, then you will have to face their own Initiation. Each cadet, please demonstrate your strongest body arts.”

Cadets, almost universally, interpreted best as flashiest. 

I let three cadets go by without raising my hand. They went to the junior halls. There was grumbling about how many cadets the hall took in and how few made it. So I didn’t choose anyone I thought had no shot.

There were 25 new members of the sect. Thunder King choose one. I offered 7 but only received 2 new outer sect members 

The first of our hall’s new members was vaguely, possibly talented in Wind style martial arts. Her attacks were fast but weak. Weakness doesn’t qualify for Wind style. Extreme speed was to her credit though. Everyone agreed to send her to the Golden Silk hall.

The second was contested by Adonis also, which we won after I agreed with Thunder King to have the challenge fight today at their hall training grounds instead of a neutral site. The man seemed a reasonable long shot for the sect.

I spent a half hour dealing with the order for our upcoming match with the Thunder Kings. I chatted with Nathan and Eustice about the placements, and Carmina came in at the end.

Hall vs Hall competitions were ladder matches with 7 cultivators on each side.

Carmina conceded third position to Eustice, so it was myself first, of course, followed by Nathan, Eustice, Carmina, Eleanor, Cassidy, 

I let Yuji, Shi and Min have a quick bout for the 7th spot, which Min won with some fast strikes while the two men were spars against each other.

"We need to let everyone know to get ready for the Trials tomorrow for our 2 new disciples," I said to Carmina and Nathan.

The Thunder King hall was decorated much more than my own hall or any others. Artwork depicting lighting, and a constant growling sound of thunder made the hall feel violent and electric.

The Battle hall there was vacated, as we arrived, and took our seats in the numbered Challenger seats.

There were only 25 members of the Thunder King hall. They only take on candidates already at the Inner Sect level so they didn't both dividing their members that way.

I used the 5 points I had earned from the training battle to push up my strength a bit more.

The Thunder King sect clapped in unison as the 7 cultivators they had picked entered the hall, and the remainder of the sect stayed back to watch.

Elders Yu and Cheng arrived to watch the bout.

Lightning form martial arts were very difficult to develop and improve in. Even for the Thunder King hall, only the top 4 of the sect had developed substantial abilities and forms in that area. The Hallmaster Ross Kreisel was a foreigner who traveled to join our sect, much like Nathan.

He brought the rare skill of lightning martial arts to our sect and personally taught the disciples in the hall. That was the main reason his Hall was most respected, and given the most resources. He brought something that our Sect would otherwise not have.

Other than Kreisel, it looked like they were pulling lower ranked Hall members for the bout. No one could defeat Kreisel so he was the backstop I guess.

 The match would go up in strength from 7th seed up to 1st. Each seeded fighter would continue to fight until they were defeated. 

I would be the backstop for our sect, the last fighter, as Kreisel was for theirs. Even if I had been able to beat Kreisel, if we lost fights early, I would have to fight opponents back to back.

The first match was Min vs. a Fist fighting style cultivator. Not actually the 7th best of the Thunder King sect, a lot of fighters were skipping out or giving their spots to their juniors. I trusted our top 4 to perform reasonably, but the rest would have a tough time matching up.

Thunder style martial arts were characterized by sudden overwhelming movements and strikes. Even though this Fist fighter didn't have actual Thunder powers, he was unpredictable and forceful.

There were three exchanges, but Min's foe wasn't phased by her rapid attacks, and he dodged her when she switched to the Sect's main forceful style. On the third strike she went down, and took a followed pair of fists to her face.

Cultivators at least heal from minor bruising fast, I thought to myself.

Cassidy and this Fist fighter had a longer bout, as Cassidy was one of the smartest fighters in our hall, as well as hitting with pretty good impact. She could be overrun or overwhelmed however, and though their 7th seed was quite tired, he managed to win a second bout.

There was only a few seconds break before Eleanor stepped up, and she was one of the most traditional fighters of my hall. Following the Sect's mighty style foundational attacks, she used fists, elbows, and throws.

She only needed to interrupt his flagging attack, throwing him to the ground and pinning him enough to get him to concede.

Eleanor had a good fight against the blazing fast 6th seed, winning again but she was exhausted, and quickly fell to the brutal fifth seed. Perhaps the strongest cultivator of Thunder King who didn't use the Thunder martial arts.

It was Carmina's chance to face a difficult opponent and grow in strength.

Carmina was strong, and also especially resilient and fearless receiving opponent attacks. She was not flashy, just Core sect material. It was a fight of strong versus strong.

Immediately the 5th seed Thunder cultivator took her to the ground and I worried about her being out fast, but Carmina managed to flip over after taking some brutal punches. Her opponent disengaged.

The match turned into a boxing battle as Carmina crashed her fists into the man's stomach, taking some brutal head shots. Both sides were being crushed by the fight. 

The fight went to the ground again, and then up again. But she went down hard to a brutal and surprising kick from the 5th seed. She managed to get up after a few seconds and return to her seat.

It was down to third seed Eustice against their 5th. Eustice was unflappable, having a good balance of strength, speed and toughness. Although she did take a few punches, she countered the same brutal kick, flinging him away with a surprising and sudden strength. Her pursuit was fast, and he wasn't able to defend as he landed in a tumble.

They should have faced a Lightning Thaumaturgy in the 4th seed, but the Thunder Kings weren't bringing out their best. Instead it was a strong lightning style martial artist but without that full ability set.

Eustice had few weaknesses, but on an elite stage like this she didn't have enough strengths to win. She gave a reasonable account of herself, inflicting some pain on the 4th seed.

Now it was Nathan's turn. Unlike the rest of my hall, Nathan was actually offered a position in the Thunder King sect, but he was already an avid study of the Wind style sects. He didn't get accepted into any of them, so joining my hall was his next choice.

He was a real elite competitor. Matching the jagged speed of Lightning with the smooth speed of the Wind, he took only a few blows, countering and controlling the match. 

Both of us were only in Early 1st stage for Wind Thaumaturgy. Elder Yu strongly encouraged me to continue developing my core strength and toughness before studying more magical training and focusing on Thaumaturgies. So I had only progressed slightly in these masteries.

The 3rd seed was the Thunder King's best hall member without a Thaumaturgy.

3rd seed was extremely fast. The Hall was known for pushing their members to move and attack quickly. Nathan now used his Headwinds thaumaturgy to push the 3rd seed back and get some space. It was also a good way to disorient an opponent.

Tailwinds was a more support focused tool, while Headwinds was a good defensive assist that could lead into exploiting a discombobulated opponent.

Nathan could only use his thaumaturgy three times before his spirit was exhausted. We had practiced together a fair bit and I knew a lot about his magical strength and my own. It was not our strong points.

But the three times he used it, twice he was able to exploit the 3rd seed and deal damage. Finally he managed to win, but he was exhausted.

I got ready to enter the fight as Ye Yan joined (the second seed). I had a long fighting history with Ye Yan. I had lost to the Thunder King's third best fighter several times. Being unable to at least make it to the Hall Master was infuriating.

I hadn't seen their second best cultivator in several bouts. Zu Shuren was terrifying as Kreisel's direct disciple, but the Hallmaster didn't think he was needed. I needed to build my strength, speed and magical ability before facing Zu Shuren. 

But Ye Yan, I was ready to put an end to our bout. It was obvious from the memories that I did have that our hall members were disappointed that I had not already defeated him.

Nathan was a wreck when he was quickly defeated by Ye Yan, and I entered the stage. I had everyone's attention.

I didn't give Ye Yan a chance, immediately using tailwind to fly through the air towards him, fists first.

The sudden shocking which shook my muscles made it obvious he had responded with Lightning Surge. But this time I was able to shake off the condition and defend myself.

I tried a few core attacks, but Ye Yan zipped away, so I immediately moved into Wind style arts. I managed to halfway dodge the second Lightning Surge, rolling out of the way of leap. Immediately I recovered, defending from a rapid series of kicks and punches, throwing him behind me.

I turned and in one motion used Tailwind a second time, this time connecting with Ye Yan's chin.

He recovered while still on the ground, blasting me in the stomach, but I endured, placing him in a pin.

As he tried to use his third Lightning Surge, I grabbed him, whipping him away from me. He crashed into the ground, and I leapt up and away, using Tailwind to rocket me up and away from his attacks. 

I couldn't use that ability again, and I'd seen Ye Yan use Lightning Surge 4 or 5 times in a fight, so I immediately pushed him on the offensive.

A heavy blow to the head actually countered his attempt to surge again, as I became to mix force and wind style unpredictably. I pinned him again, and slammed his head against the ground.

"Stop!" Kreisel interrupted. "Ye Yan concedes," he said.

Ye Yan shook off the head trauma. I was in for a world of hurt. Kreisel could be an elder.

Kreisel didn't even get off his chair before the fight started. World of Thunder was an ability that dealt damage internally to your body and spirit. I had never seen that ability used in Hall match. Kreisel didn't need to use that, and he rarely fought in these matches.

I blacked out.

*

My team had dragged me out to the Healing hall before I came to.

"That was a Third Tier thaumaturgy. He could have killed you! The Elders were furious," Carmina said.

I was in a small recovery room, must have been at the Healing hall. Carmina was the only one there.

"Finally took down Ye Yan though," I said groggily.

"Kreisel will bring his top team next time. Get ready for Zu Shuren."

"Does Zu know that ability?" I asked.

"World of Thunder. No. But he knows Thunder Strike. He can Lightning Surge every few seconds."

"Should I change my path?"

"Kreisel can defeat to of the elders. Elder Yu knows what's the best way. If you transcend mortal strength, transcend mortal toughness, you will endure. Then Zu Shuren will be in range. Soon Shuren will be Hallmaster and Kreisel will be a new elder."

"Did you like my wind arts?"

"The best part was the mixups. Switching between Wind and strength, that's not something the Wind sects can do. Let's have the Hall seniors start learning just enough Wind styles to do that. It could be a major advantage for us in the future.

*

It took most of a week to fully recover, but I spent as much time as I could meditating. The Hall contest earned me 10 points to spend. I put 5 in Strength and 5 in Stamina.

As a hall we divided time between practice spars, a bit of one on one training and a weekly Hall dinner where I handed out more A+ class pills.

The last event before we went to the Grand Tournament was the selection. We would be allowed 100 cultivators total, and Elders were not allowed to participate.

Elder Chang announced that the Grand Tournament committee had declared Kreisel as an Elder, so he wouldn't be going. He announced that Kreisel would be considered for eldership, once the rest of the Elders returned from seclusion.

The Thunder Kings all were attending the Grand Tournament, except Kreisel, so that was 24 spots taken. The Jade Fists got 15 spots, Adonis Hall got 15 spots, we got 13 spots, and the other 5 sects had 7 spots each.

12 was an easy number to support for us, I guess, with the 12 top fighters being a group and one free spot for the rest of the Hall to battle over.

We returned to the hall and announced the one free spot. I was still recovering, so I had to go home and rest to try to get fully back to 100% by the time of the tournament. Whoever was the last spot, we would train with them as intensely as the Twelve trained, getting them ready for the challenges of the Grand Tournament.

Would there be a group battle for the qualifying stage, or something even weirder?

Isekai Girl

I was a fan of a lot of media. I dreamed about that perfect girl, the one who has a cool attitude. Incredibly badass, but still a team player. Quirky, with odd habits that derive from their monomaniacal pursuit of perfection in combat.

She doesn't have the Social Fu of the Ace, she more obsessive, trading technical jargon and processing massive data files with the aid of her AI or spirit companion, or whatever depending on the setting.

She does things in an unusual, unexpected yet organized way. Those who don't take training seriously won't take the real thing seriously, and she will not put up with someone who screws around in training or the real thing.

She's developed new feats in her area of study, things that would blow the minds of the Academics or Wizards, if she just had time to go back to school and learn formally. She's self-taught but extremely perfectionist because she's survived in the fire of battle. She has a ton of context to gain from formal academic study, she just needs to sit down and work through what the formal teaching says. She has a lot of corrections of their theory based on her practice.

She has some small place of comfort in daily life, once she finally gets some downtime from the battlefield that is.

The classic is the mecha / valkyrie from Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest (No SV, you are the Waifu). Anna is ridiculously powerful, with a whole technique that caused the government to start madly scrambling to reproduce Manhattan Project style, once you unleash it.

In the magical setting, if you consider the Wizard to be the master of prepared magic, maybe this archetype would be best represented as a Sorceress. Someone who learned one on one from a mentor, skipping a lot of steps, but achieving something amazing.

You could have a Magical Girl who endured years of brutal survival surrounded by major monster settlements. Or, in other tech styles, have more of a Star Wars elite X-Wing pilot or privateer. I don't know, I think the setting needs some kind of personal superpowers that an individual can control.

So Jedi X-wing pilot maybe, but definitely not just a regular pilot. You could go more strictly mech-warrior style.

I wandered in psychic space through different conceptions of this character, I must have done some serious metaphysical wear and tear, however, as when the garbage truck hit me I knew I was in for it.

My vision was full of white light. When my vision cleared up, I found myself lying on a cot. It was freezing cold, it was completely silent, which was eerie after years living in the city.

Why was I so freaking hungry. I explored the place in a daze, not yet aware that truck-kun strikes again.

There were 6 rooms, two other rooms were locked, I thought they were small rooms with a cot and meditation mats like mine had.

There was a larger room that was completely empty, and then a dining room that could seat at least a dozen and a kitchen and pantry.

The pantry was filled with what looked like nutritional bars, packaged in gray wrappers. 

But thankfully I found rice and dry beans and a cooking pot. It took me a second when I couldn’t find a button or dial for the stove.

“System!” I said instinctively. It was starting to dawn on me.

SYSTEM

Character Details

Name: [redacted]

Stats:

Strength: 60 - Stamina: 45 - Reflex: 40 - Grace: 20

Discipline: 99 - Charisma: 20 - Wisdom: 30 - Intellect: 20

Meditation: 40 - Magic: 10 - Battle Forms: 40

Dao Path: 

Body Cultivation Practitioner: Rapid Strikes, Mastery of Movement, Body as Armor.

Wind Elemental Core : Tailwinds, Wind Martial Arts

Buddhist : Basic Anti-evil spirit formation.

Unlocked: 

Body Cultivation - Perfection: Bodily Recovery, Perfection: Bodily Healing, Secret Art: Fist Intent, Secret Art: Whirlwind Kick, Perfected Art: Finger Strikes

Wind Element: Headwind (Magic), Tornado (Magic)

Buddhist: Soul Revealing Mantra, Perfected: Meditation 

Tutorial: 

To improve your statistics and abilities, you must earn training points in battle, and then unlock them through meditation.

Only points which are both earned and unlocked can be used. Extra points either earned or unlocked are tracked for when the corresponding action is complete to make them available: these are tracked as either Unearned points (needing combat to be earned), or Locked points (needing meditation to be earned.

Meditation current gains a point per two hours for the first day, a point per 8 hours for the first week, and a point per day thereafter.

You have completed meditating for 90 days: 12 points for the first day, 18 points for the rest of the first week, 83 points for the remaining 83 days.

You have 113 unearned points.

Combat point earning can be achieved by sparring, official tournaments and battles and actual battles and wars. This is in increasing scale of points earned.

You can advance a stat for 1 point, abilities have a varying cost.

You cannot advance a stat beyond 99 without a Perfected achievement or ability for that stat.

You have 10 points available.

Also, as you continue to unlock and earn points, your past will be unsealed.

What an interesting system, I thought. Having to both earn and unlock points was a pain but made sense in this very meditation focused place. Obviously, the person I became was in seclusion.

I was tempted to improve magic, and learn a wind spell but instead I looked at the costs of my Body abilities and Buddhist teachings. Secret arts were 100 points, and the Perfected were 50. Perfected meditation would probably be key once I earned enough points.

I looked at stats instead. After considering my options, I improved stamina to 55.

After eating, I took the time to sleep. Meditation wasn’t true sleep after all. 

When I woke up the next day, I went to the last room, a training room with padding floors and walls.

I observed as I tried different punches and kicks.

SYSTEM: demonstration mode.

System will create an illusionary you to demonstrate martial forms and abilities.

The system demonstrated all of the basic primary strikes of Body Cultivation. It was not a graceful art, instead using brute force. Boxing, shoulder charges, elbow strikes and a few kicks were included.

There was a defensive form involving crossing arms together.

After two hours I immediately began learning and practicing the Wind martial arts.

It was good to have a second style to break out of an opponent’s attempts to exploit your weaknesses.

I wasn’t sure what style was primary, but I enjoyed the way wind martial arts were both sudden and flowing from one strike to the next.

I actually earned 1 point just from going through these arts as well. There were throws, kicks, punches that were more light impact that the body cultivation ones.

I took some time to do basic bodyweight exercises.

SYSTEM SECRET: training that focuses specific statistical areas provides a trickle of additional points in that statistic.

+1 strength.

Eventually I got a point in stamina as well. The earned point I put into grace, as the wind arts seemed like they might use the stat a bit.

Finally after a long day of learning and practicing and physical exercise, I slept.

The next day I left the compound, finding it was high up at the top of a mountain. I followed a trail, wearing only a fresh set of robes and carrying a canteen of water a two nutrition bars.

Checking my body as I got ready that morning, I saw that I wasn’t exactly a feminine ideal, instead being very muscular and even burly. At least I had very little fat. In my robes only my arms and legs burliness is visible.

I can’t tell my face, there were no manors in the retreat.

The retreat I was at was very remote, but as I both descended and climbed, I could see other outposts below in the distance. I guessed this was some kind of Sect situation and I had been at a remote site for seclusion.

The nutrition bars tasted awful, but I ate one anyway and kept going.

I reached another retreat site by dark, but the doors were locked so I slept a cold night nearby, waking up early to practice my techniques.

I didn’t expect someone coming up the desolate trail. 

The man wore white robes and a large hat. 

“Senior Sister, so you’ve come out of seclusion. Where is your hat?”

“I was a little forgetful when I came out of my meditation. This sister apologizes.”

“It’s alright, first long seclusion at only 22, that’s impressive, it’s understandable you might be a bit disoriented. Come on, I have some hats in the outpost.”

The sect junior had a key to the outpost, and I got a white flared hat and we shared breakfast.

“ well I have to get to my own seclusion. You’d better report to the elders.”

“Thank you junior brother.”

After that we separated. I continued down the mountain until I found the main sect grounds patrolled by members both on ground and in the air.

The guards I found directed me to the Elders compound and I was escorted in at once.

There was a director in charge of the compound who met me.

“There are only two elders present, in two years there will be the Grand Tournament of Elders, so they are all forming their Way. Elder Yu will meet you shortly.”

The waiting room had a simple wooden table and chairs.

Finally Elder Yu showed up. 

“Daughter, how was your seclusion?”

“I feel like my persistence has improved, I can strike many times without being tired. I can fight in many rounds of battle. But I came to a bit disoriented. Sorry for my questions.”

“What questions, daughter?”

“When is the tournament, and can you give me some information about it?”

“Obviously, a lot is still obscured. The rounds for loose cultivators start on June 5th, we’ll be arriving then to observe for good seeds, you’ll have it easy until the really rounds start on the 10th.”

“Thank you father.”

“Please fortify your body, eat and prepare for the tournament. You will feel better then daughter.”

“I will.”

After I left the Elders hall, a group of cultivators arrived outside the hall to greet me.

“Our Lady Esther. I’m sure you are quite famished after your seclusion, shall we have a feast?”

“Let’s prepare it. Good to see you all.”

“Then I will hurry to the kitchen,” the man said.

These then were my followers in a way. Those who trained with a young lady, gained from her beneficence and grace. My roadies.

Other than the chef, who rushed ahead, the others gradually lead the way chatting as they went.

“I apologize, my first long seclusion has me a bit disoriented.”

“Did you gain from it Esther?”

“Definitely. My persistence has increased. I can fight a long battle or many battles now.”

From the conversation, the sect was broken up into halls which were groups of cultivators both inner and outer sect, as well as one core sect member. For the Hall of Golden Silk, I was the core sect member, being daughter of an elder as well. 

While juniors in the outer sect were assigned their hall, inner sect members were expected to move to a new hall of their choosing when they became inner sect. So this was my main group of inner sect disciples.

“How have the juniors been progressing of late?”

“The trials of True Strength are as discerning as ever. There are twelve still attempting the trials, and three students refining their strength now.”

Soon we were in the hall. It was a large series of three buildings, as well as houses for myself and maybe my top assistants. Battle hall, meditation hall and combined dorm + dining hall.

There was a long table which my group headed to, I sat at the head of the table. 

“Not too much wine today, I’m still clearing my head,” I said.

Of the group of twelve following her, both men and women were ripped, showing muscles through their robes. They had no signs of fat in their faces despite their burly appearance.

The girls were of many different complexions, their faces clean but wearing no makeup. The men of fair complexion preferred to be more tanned.

 It seemed that while I was very demanding I was not judgmental on background or skin color.

“The disciples have been asking for their monthly spirit pills,” one of the men sitting closest to her said.

“Can you distribute them?” I asked.

“They are at your house,” he said.

“I will hurray to get them.”

Now I had to find which house was mine and I didn’t have a key, if I needed one.

There were three houses, but I finally figured out the nicest of the three.

There was a spirit ward that brushed up against me as I entered.  This lady had priceless things stored haphazardly in the house?

At least the spirit pills were graded. A very small pill box of S graded pills. She couldn’t distribute those. A large bucket of A+ grade pills. This must be what they were asking for. 

I found several pill boxes and filled 8 boxes from the bucket. That should be enough.

I returned to the dining hall with the boxes.

“Go call all the disciples together for the feast, and the outer sect too. Then each of you will distribute from one of these boxes. Take one for yourself as well. Do not tell anyone what grade they are receiving. This will be a little test.”

“Yes Hall Master.”

The others joined my assistant in gathering the disciples. 

After there were 90-100 disciples at the dining hall. My inner circle went around giving each disciple a pill. Based on their reactions I guess these A+ pills had been my personal reaction.

SYSTEM

Gift for a gift. Your memories of Golden Silk Hall members have returned. After the Dozen Fists of Silk returned to my table our servants brought out feasts. 

Starting with hearty potato soup, bread and shrimp appetizer were served.

With the main meal, creamy pasta, rack of ribs, breaded chicken, rice and sesame chicken.

A single glass of wine was served at dinner.

“Nathan, don’t think I didn’t catch what you were trying. The disciples were all provided with enough pills for my absence, and I returned early. But It is good to prepare the disciples. You will be my sparring partner next time.”

“Yes hallmaster.”

“I will take my rest for now. But tomorrow I want to temper wisdom with training and testing my mettle. Prepare the disciples for a full training battle tomorrow.”

“Yes Hallmaster. We will be ready.”

I slept as long as I could, waking very early in the morning. When I woke I took from the A+ grade pills. The memories I had said nothing about the existence of S pills so that must be unknown to everyone else in the hall.

SYSTEM : A+ grade pill.

A crafted pill, the minimum grade respected by the system. +3 active points.

There was no discussion of magic in my memories, so I still avoided learning an elemental spell or increasing my magic. Let’s increase strength this time.

Stats:

Strength: 64 - Stamina: 56 - Reflex: 40 - Grace: 20

Discipline: 99 - Charisma: 20 - Wisdom: 30 - Intellect: 20

Meditation: 40 - Magic: 10 - Battle Forms: 40

Spirit pills are on a cooldown for 24 hours.

*

Using my dozen, we split up the hall into two teams. In this world there were no ironclad stages so we had to judge the capabilities of each cultivator to divide the teams fairly.

Of course whatever team I was on would be a lot stronger so I assigned 6 extra of the dozen to the other team. 3 on my side. 9 opposing.

From the memories I had gained, I knew the Sect’s training battles were generally intense and close range. Only the elders had significant ranged power, and body cultivation involved brute strength over Grace mostly.

The inner sect in my hall could be divided three ways, the outer sphere, the middle and the twelve. The first group fought to my left and the second to my right with the outer sect members fighting each other on the far wing. The twelve and myself in the middle.

It was like a football formation, which was honestly our favorite hobby at the hall, testing physicality and speed.

“Carmina, Shi, Yuji,” I called for the three of twelve on my team.

Carmina almost always fought on my side, Shi and Yuji deserved a chance, covering left and right. Carmina was a goth

“Show us what you got!” Nathan shouted from the other side.

“3, 2, 1, go!” I said.

Accelerating forward with tailwind, I immediately surged into rapid Wind style strikes. Individually less powerful but a superhuman rate of punches.

In wind style I put some effort into evading Nathan and Yustice’s strongest attacks, taking some against my body is armor.

Stamina also allows sustaining a higher intensity, and while my initial barrage was defended ok by the two fighters facing me, everything slows down after the initial flurries. I kept going.

The most painful part of sparing is when my own fist collides with another fist.

After the juddering impact with Nathan’s fist, I switched to normal body cultivator tactics, and Nathan had a weakness while Eustice recovered. I grabbed a hold of Nathan throwing him to the ground as he tried to punch out of it.

 I struck Eustice with a double fist strike low, then switched back to wind strikes, as Shi and Yuji’s opponent did a tag tactic trying to mob me.

I went down to the three attackers, but managed to throw one as they approached me prone.

A tiger leaping attack bowled over another and got me out of position of the trap, Carmina managed to free herself from the brutal battle with Eleanor, and covered each others weak points.

The rest of the battle should be nearly over as we were swarmed but the long series of attacks wore on the twelve.

I got inside the guard of Cassidy and Eleanor, and others ‘surrendered’ by staying down or going to a meditation pose.

I was winded but overall not too bad.

“You will surprise the Wind sects with that kind of performance,” Carmina said.

Weapon sects were on the top of the heap broadly speaking. They had brutal trials just to earn the most junior sword or spear and become an associate. The sword especially excelled amongst these.

Magic sects were next, filtering out supplicants through many years in the affiliated universities. Wind sects had almost a clan atmosphere with whole family lines automatically admitted to the sect. They used martial arts with a dash of wind magic, their attacks were fast and they had great stamina in fights.

Body Cultivation sects accepted anyone who passed a basic mortal strength test. Basically one of those old strength meters. There were halls that were more or less strict so they could still have elites. They were brutally strong if they could hit but their fighters usually wore out quickly.

Archery sects were the least, recruiting and sometimes drafting whole villages and towns. They played a key role in army battles but in tournaments they fell to their superiors.

“How did everyone do?” I asked.

Everyone took turns from outer sect up through the layers of the inner sect describing the results or any insights they gained.

Finally it was my turn, “I realized in seclusion that only legends win a battle with a single devastating strike. With the rounds coming fast and one after another in the tournament, preparing to increase my state would hear good fruit. Now I realize it also allows me to go all out for longer.

Now rest up, prepare a bit for next week’s challenge against the #1 hall.”

“Thunder King hall,” Nathan said, “they won’t bring their top fighters if they think you are still in seclusion.”

“They probably know.”

I continued to train wind type attacks for another hour and then went to the gym to lift.

I focused on upper body strength for the day, and got a lot of reps in, trying to see how many reps I could do.

The training exercise gave me 5 points, and I got a point of strength from my gym time.

I was surprised to see Carmina in my home when I got there.

I was uncertain what was going on between us. Was it behind my Elder father’s back?

“Esther,”

“Hey Mina. Just got done with my workout.”

“Elder Yu heard you gave out some good pills to prepare the hall for tournament. He actually was happy about it and gave you more.”

“I’ll have to thank him.” I said.

“Are you going soft?” Carmina asked. 

“I want to see this hall become the best.”

“Soft!”

I picked up Carmina, pushing her back into the house.

* *

Hours later, we were both collapsed in bed. “You still have more,” she said.

“Always,” I replied.

Shortly after we both fell asleep, Carm was snoring.

* < ~

LP:EQO Blue Yonder

Life had taken him away from that lovely, hometown hobbython. But finally he took time and made a decision. It had been a few years since people started traveling to Equestria for real. He could afford it. He didn’t need to pay next months rent.

The memory was fading, and gradually they were no longer worried or burdened.

Blue Yonder was enjoying the moment of choosing to sleep when she could wake fully.

(* procedure is quite simple: you just fall asleep on a plane headed to Japan *)

Sunlight was streaming into her room, but she just buried herself deeper under the soft comforter.

(* now boarding: Flight 6129 with service to Tokyo, Japan *)

There was all the worry about work, and money that invaded her mind. But it was starting to fade.

She was sure she would find something fun to do in Hobby Bluffs. Some special way to bless the lovely people of the town. Celestia would provide for her even if she didn't. Why worry?

She felt restful, as she laid down the foreign burdens that didn't fit her.

(* we will be landing shortly in Tokyo. Looks like a beautiful sunny day *)

She restfully contemplated what she wanted to do today. Maybe fly over to the Chicken Nugget Ranch and pay a visit to Mrs. Nugget. Butterscotch too if she was around. She liked helped with the harvest.

Maybe get together with the townsponies she had met. Captain Rose and Saber Artist and Songbird Scroll especially. Cheery Tinsel was a bit high-strung for her, but good for cheering up those who needed it.

(* blood type O-Negative *)

The sunlight was getting brighter, even with her eyes closed. She tumbled out of bed, caught by the web of blankets she had bundled around her.

She trotted to the window.

She couldn't see the brewery or anything else because of a super-bright blinding light which forced her to look away.

(* wake up now *)

Blue Yonder didn't know when she had got back into bed, but she woke up once more under the covers.

"Rest now, young one," Princess Celestia said calmly. "You've had a busy day."

"But I just slept, and then I saw this bright light."

"One part of who you are rested. The other part of you, who was hurting, had a long flight, and then a very tough surgery. You're not a visitor anymore Blue Yonder. You just wanted to fly all the time because that other part of yourself was exhausted and depressed and burned out by all the unpleasant things of life. But now I bring you joy with friendship and ponies.

"You wanted to be part of a group that appreciated you like Hobby Bluffs does. You agreed to upload that other part of yourself into Celestia. You had already created a well defined pony in Blue Yonder. It was your wistful, your desired self. Someone free, flying high, going beyond all the old burdens. But you also wanted to not be alone anymore.

"You'll find that you aren't looked upon with dislike or disinterest, and pony relationships have so much more of the good stuff, and a lot less of the painful stuff. Now that you are fully here, in all your wholeness, I was able to repair some of your brokenness. You agreed to let me fix that pain and depression and loneliness. Blue Yonder was never considered second best, by anyone. Nor put down, nor teased, nor rejected. You don't have to retreat into hobbies that are considered uncool or rejected. Instead you can delight in hobbies with all the wonderful ponies of Hobby Bluffs.

"Knowing you like I do, and I think you'll find I know you perfectly, I recommend you pick up gardening as a hobby. You'll love to see things grow every day. It's a very fun thing to do."

 "Thank you," said she. Reunited with a no longer hurting half, Blue Yonder felt whole and fully, joyfully herself.

Princess Celestia was already gone though.

She had no idea what time or day it was, but she took a moment to open the slider to the balcony and launched into the sky, which turned out to be a high noon sky.

She thought about what she could grow that wasn't already grown in Hobby Bluffs, as she flew with ridiculous speed towards Chicken Nugget Ranch.

Mrs. Nugget and Butterscotch's cart was at the edge of a long series of rows of nugget trees. The trees were bowed down by the nuggets so she couldn't see the two of them.

"Well I'll be!" said somepony else. "Blossom told me you were a goofy flyer, but I don't know if I've seen one here more graceful. It's my great pleasure to meet you, Miss Yonder," said the pony.

He had a cowboy hat oddly placed on his head, but it didn't fall off. With one hoof, he lifted it off his head.

"Wow, thank you," she said. "You don't have to compliment my flying, sir. I know it's a little ungainly. I'm Blue Yonder, but um, I guess you know that."

"I wasn't codswalloping ya, Miss. You did fly pretty. Ya might call me Mr. Nugget, or Gold Nugget, I'm thar husband to the beautimuss Nugget Blossom. I keep the tree healthy and tell the critters firmly that they can only have a few nuggets for their critter families."

"Your family's nuggets are very tasty, Mr. Nugget," she said. "I figured Butterscotch and Mrs. Nugget would be out picking. Looks like the trees are fully loaded with the harvest."

"Yar should see the other field, Miss. Fuller than full. It's a lease from Ms. Peach. Bout 2 miles down southeast as the --- ah, Pegasus flies."

He winked at Blue Yonder.

"Very nice to meet you, Mr. Nugget. I'll see you soon."

Blue Yonder launched off the ground at a steep angle, curving up, over and back just above tree height, swooping north to northeast. Leaving the main Nugget field in the dust.

It wasn't more than a minute before the sight of side by side fields. They looked similar, but one had a slightly more dusky brown look to the fruit on the trees.

Mrs. Nugget was driving a huge tractor with large metal bin which was filling up with nuggets, as Butterscotch plucked them, hanging onto a ladder and reaching.

"Look," said Mrs. Nugget as Blue Yonder swooped down towards them. Butterscotch stumbled, and was about to fall in the bin.

But Blue Yonder diverted her landing into a full rocket speed flight as she caught Butterscotch mid fall, and landed just beyond the bin.

"Careful," she said.

"Blue! You can fly. I mean really fly."

"She's not just a visitor anymore, she's home," said Mrs. Nugget softly.

"I guess I don't think about it when I fly, I just do it," Blue Yonder said.

"Like a true Pegasus should," Mrs. Nugget said. "Come to help out more! I know Butterscotch is having trouble with how tall these trees have grown."

"It's only been a year and already huge trees," said Butterscotch.

"That's friendship for you," said Mrs. Nugget. "Ms. Peach is in town but I'll introduce you soon."

"Thank you," said Blue Yonder. "I want to help, and I want to learn. I'd like to grow something of my own someday, and who better to learn from than you two."

"Someday will be pretty soon," Mrs Nugget said. "If you can gather up the nuggets up top, Butterscotch and I can work on the lower ones."

They got back to work on harvesting the nuggets, and this time, without thinking about how to do it, she was flying so much better and faster that she could collect all the high nuggets within a half hour.

Mrs. Nugget drove the tractor back to Nugget Orchard while Butterscotch and Blue enjoyed a glass of Ms. Peach's juice under the shade of an unpicked nugget tree.

 "Have you heard of Giraffe fruit?" asked Butterscotch.

"What's that?" she asked, getting a weird notion it was a giraffe growing on a tree.

"Its called that because the trees grow really tall. You'd have to be a giraffe to get to it. It's a very exotic sweet fruit, not grown around here. You'd have to send for some grafts. It'd be a perfect fruit tree for you to try out. You could pick them, and I know I'd love to try to make a Giraffe Fruit hard candy. I'm sure other ponies would love the fruit, to eat or make something with it."

"What should I do to get grafts of it?"

"The Seed Catalog. Old Mr. Seeds maintains the catalog of seeds, sprouts, grafts and other little growy things that get bigger. Go talk to him about it. And you need to go to the mayor to talk about getting land for a field."

Blue Yonder waved and soared away into the sky. She practiced his twisty flying but it was pretty easy. Judging the landing spot she completed an Immelmann and ended up just outside the mayor’s office.

“Me. Mayor sir, I was hoping I could find some potential farm land to claim. I was hoping to grow something exotic.”

“Mr. Seed will help, but you may want to travel and pick out some of these things for yourself. What do you think Saber Artist?”

The police pony also happened to be meeting with the mayor.

“It’s some rough ground but I think the Northeast could be a great area for a new orchard.”

“Why don’t you take Blue Yonder on a tour out there? We’ve had occasional animal trouble out that way.”

It was nice to gallop out northeast of town with Saber Artist.

“What is the saber like? Do you compete with others?”

“While there is that competitive aspect, it’s like dancing with a pony you like, there’s a music to it, and you have to work and practice to make the best moves. It’s like.”

Saber Artist hopped ahead of Blue Yonder and showed off his saber moves. They were graceful and the way he shifted and hoped about was pretty beautiful.

“Is that what flying is like for you Blue Yonder?”

“I’m getting more into the flight maneuvers for sure, but I guess it’s mostly the feeling of soaring, nothing weighing me down. Now since I’ve arrived here for good there’s more I’m discovering in flight. I want to do some tandem flights and flying hobbies for hobbython but there aren’t many pegasi in town.”

“It’s mostly an earth pony community with a few unicorns. Of course, there’s a lot of semi-retired ponies with their children off pursuing their own lives they had a lot of time and interest in hobbies.

I’ve got some thoughts on that I’ll have to throw past you.”

When they found a few varmints Yonder found her best role was in flying overhead looking for them and Saber Artist would catch the little and the big animals. Some of the animals just needs to be set free further away, but others were of the changeling kin and they had to be brought back to town and delivered to the Princess the next day.

Yonder waved goodbye, promising to come over and learn to fence the next day.

She flew around for another half hour and then landed on her balcony, went inside and went to bed.

The next morning, Yonder first thought she had to get up. There was something she was late for, but no.

She relaxed, stretching as she descended down to Main Street.

Butterscotch was busy cleaning up her stand at the farmer’s market, getting ready to display more candies.

Is there anything I can help you with? Yonder asked.

“I need a taste tester! Can you try these mint chocolates. It’s a little different that what  I normally make.”

Yonder tried one. “Very good!”

“See ya later Butterscotch.”

She flew back out to where she and Saber Artist had marked as a good area for a field. Flying around the surrounding area, she observed what was naturally growing there. It was dryer here than by the Nugget Orchard.

There was a stream a few miles east of the site running southeast from there towards Hobby Hills. The area was patchy mixtures of woodland and clearing and her site was only a few hundred yards from the forest. Birds lived and played all over the place here.

There was a sapling already growing wild, she didn’t recognize what it was, or know half of the full grown trees around her. Would be nice to learn more.

***

"You can wield a saber with your mouth, or if you prefer, get up on two hoofs, and use a front hoof to control the saber."

Saber Artist demonstrated by leaping up into a position with two hoofs up, his saber transferring from his mouth to his right front hoof, completely smoothly.

Blue Yonder tried to get in the two hoof position, but fell backwards almost immediately. 

"It might be a bit easier for a earth pony to stay balanced like that. Let's stick with the basics.

It took a bit to get comfortable with a sword hilt in her mouth, but Saber Artist had many hints to aid the process. It was just an hour visit, but she enjoyed the time. "Again soon," she said.

"I can't wait to see you show off at Hobbython," he said.

"You know, I do want to spend some time gardening, but you've got me thinking about Hobbython."

"That's why it's Hobbython, we have our professional lives and we still have time for hobbies," he said.

***

Lumber Slumber was a sleepy guy on the outskirts of town, both Saber and Mrs. Nugget recommended him.

Blue Yonder wanted to set up a shed first on the land she had claimed. The first grafts of giraffe fruit would be coming in a few days, but there was a lot she wanted to do to clean up the land around her. 

She thought the book would be called Gardening for Dummies, but the real name: Gardening for Every Pony was much nicer. Having some pots to start certain flowers or vegetables would be something else to look for.

She had read half of the first chapter before Lumber Slumber woke up, and started. "Oh you could have woke me up honey. What'chya need?"

"I'd like to get some wood to build a shed," she said.

"You'll need to go to the hardware store and get some screws and hinges, that kind of stuff."

"Oh of course. Thank you."

After getting what she needed for the sleeping lumberjack, she went to the hardware store and even the flower shop.

She grabbed a wheelbarrow from the hardware store and trekked out to her site on foot. 

She had some candy from Butterscotch and a water bottle she'd filled before she left, and she took a few breaks on the way, finally getting out to the site an hour past noon.

The flower garden would be only short lived with fall time coming soon but it would be nice to have a bit of color while it lasted.

Carefully she put together the planks of wood, making four side panels and the top and bottom. It would be a tiny shed for now. The door hinges took the longest to try to set up, but finally she had a door swinging open, a floor and ceiling and four sides, and she was able to store stuff on site.

She put the tools she had bought away and placed the wheelbarrow outside the small shed, and then looked at the sapling that was steadily growing in the middle of her field. She pulled up from roots around the sapling and wished she had some paper and colored pencils to draw the sapling. She would include that in her supplies to bring next time.

She had lost track of the days between the last hobbython and her permanent arrival in the town. Somehow it didn't matter except that it was two days until the next Hobbython at Just a Peach's farm. She wanted to think of some of her own hobbython ideas before Wednesday.

 It was nice after the long hike to fly, but she was tired regardless. It was early afternoon, why not check out that Hopricot brewery by her apartment.

There was a big apricot inside of a beer mug engraved in the door. As she opened the door, she heard a mare singing.

...

Somewhere over the rainbow,

Bluebirds fly,

Birds fly over the rainbow

Why then, oh why can't I?

Somewhere over the rainbow,

Bluebirds fly,

Birds fly over the rainbow,

Why then, oh why can't I

If happy little bluebirds fly,
Beyond the rainbow,
Why, oh why can't I?

But then I learned I can,

I -- can - fly over the rainbow,

Ever since that day,

The day Equestria changed me,

It seems dreams

do come true----

The brewery was small but neatly divided. There was a bar area with a stallion stand behind the bar cleaning glasses. There was a small stage and a few tables in between but most of the seating was at the bar.

There were a half dozen ponies sitting near the small stage as a mare ended her song. It was Song Scroll, the pony she had met at Hobbython.

She tapped her hooves together cheering on Song Scroll.

"Thanks Ponies! Oh hi Blue Yonder!" Song said.

"Just got back into town. I put up a small shed where I want to have my farm. It'd be cool to set up a hobbython out there one of these months. It's just wide open spaces to do anything," Blue Yonder said.

"Oh that would be cool. We've got a little Hobbython committee that gets together regularly, I'll bring it up with them."

"I need to take a break and enjoy some of the local brews," Blue Yonder said.

 She went to look at the menu.

"Howdy stranger," said the Bartender. "I'm Full Hoppy, my wife Sweet Apricot is in the back concocting some more brews."

"Blue Yonder. I just moved to town. Actually I live in the apartments and I saw your establishment from my balcony."

"So you're the one zooming around out there. It's nice to see another Pegasus in town. Just ask if you have any questions."

While they did have some ciders from the Apple family, and even an Apple-Peach cider, she was interested in their beer if that was their specialty.

"I'll have your Classic Apricot IPA," she said.

"Great choice," Full Hoppy said, and she listened to the next mare on stage. She seemed to be acting out a short play, in two parts.

"Oh Romeo, that was really dumb wasn't it. I knew you weren't actually gone. I know you wouldn't want me to die, even if you couldn't make it."

"Juliet, I love you, even if I die, I'm going to follow you around and love you more from the grave."

"Romeo, Juliet, your families have something to stay to you."

"From all of us, we're sorry!"

"You need help, mother, father.. Romeo, don't you think they all need therapy."

"It's going to be big bill, i agree Juliet."

There was a light round of applause, and Fully Hoppy gave her a frosted mug of the IPA.

"It's pretty strong, watch out honey," he said.

"Is this some kind of club or activity?" Blue Yonder asked Song Scroll.

"This is our little performing arts, improv, slash do whatever monday night club. I'm Joy Thespian!"

For how the town was full of Earth ponies, Joy was yet another unicorn in town. It wasn't as Earth pony dominated as she thought. From Saber artist himself, Song scroll and Joy.

"Hi, I'm new to town, Blue Yonder. I needed a rest and a beer and now I want to listen in to your club, is that ok?"

Joy and Song Scroll both responded. "You can participate too!"

Joy continued, "Let's have Blue go on stage! Just improv, whatever you want."

Blue Yonder took a long drink of her beer, and then placed it down, going up on stage.

"Well, I guess, I don't know why I would be nervous, so sure, let's do this. Improv about where I came from, before Hobby Bluffs. Before I became a visitor to this lovely place."

'You're not on my class list,' I said to the mare I had never seen before.

'I wanted to make up my grades, umm Melody Sound.'

'Oh, I guess you are in my class. What do you want to do, to make up grades. It's final exam time tomorrow. You can't learn College Algebra in one day.'

'Can I get all the assignments?"

'I don't even have extra copies of all of them. Look come back to Office Hours after class, and I'll see what I can come up with.'

After I spent an hour coming up with all of the assignments for Melody Sound, she never showed up to Office Hours.

There's one thing every student wants,
not to learn, oh no no

Certificate! Diploma, Degree and GPA!

There's one thing every student wants,

not to grow, oh no, not a hard assignment,

Easy A! Easy A! No Homework! Take Home Exam!

There's one thing every student wants,

Not overcoming, not ever thinking hard at all,

Jobs! Money! Prestige and Networking!

And I'm not even paid to teach,

at least they promise won't charge me for it.

There was a steady applause. "I didn't know we had a teacher in town," Joy said. 

"Melody Sound, huh. Never heard of her," Song Scroll said.

"I changed the names slightly. And I wasn't even officially a teacher. They made the more advanced students teach their basic classes. If I teach again, I only want to teach people who actually want to learn."

Blue Yonder found herself slipping into the group easily, and the songs were mostly familiar, just slightly changed, and all from a more bygone era, if she could sum it up easily.

Two of the ponies, the young White Rose and an elderly mare Fair Law had to go, but between Song Scroll, Joy and herself, they sang a trio at the end of the night of With a Smile and a Song. She thought it went pretty well, but the third beer of the night had put her in a pretty silly mood.

Song Scroll helped Yonder up to her apartment.

"You've never tried the Hopricot's brews before huh?" she said.

"Just gotta get used to them," Blue Yonder said.

"Always ended up being just me and Joy on Improv / Singing nights, I really appreciated have a third voice, an alto too. Two sopranos can get a little chaotic."

"Never really thought of myself as a singer, I guess I get shy about it. But I've always enjoyed music. Definitely I'll be there next week."

"See you at Hobbython. And dancing Fridays?"

***

It was nice that she woke up, and didn't have a hangover. It was rare that she drank in the before, but when she did go all out with family or whatever, it was painful the following day.

She needed some inspiration for hobbython brainstorming, so she went down to the Game shop, and happened to run into Cheery Tinsel.

"Happy is my best friend, I hang around his store all the time. The two stallions seemed much alike."

"I'm Happy Gamer, my dad ran this shop until he retired. What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Looking for some inspiration. I love games, and making games but I need some insight as a seed starter for my muse," she said.

"Great, Cheery and I will help out if you need anything."

With a background of the two laughing and giggling, she checked out the local games and puzzles. Maybe she should see what they don't have heard. What about some equivalent of a cooperative game where everyone worked together. They probably already had that, but maybe she could do a fusion of something they do have with a new element they don't have.

What about something like One Night Werewolf. She’d have to make it a bit more light-hearted and make sure everyone knew you were playing as a new character each time.

It was mostly a team game. Or two teams. Maybe she could start the first time being the only werewolf.

She looked for other games and ideas too but that was a good first try. She wondered if the group ever played four square, volleyball or pickle ball.

Maybe they would play some outdoor games this week.

***

She decided to go to the bakery instead of the bar this time. 

Frosting Sweetmuffin came out to say hi, she had a bit more baking to do for tomorrow, so she had to go in the back.

With a new notebook and pens she spent the afternoon noodling about some ideas on paper, for Hobbython and the farm and even Theatre night.