Zhu grunted as she pushed herself upright.
"Ouch… ouch… ouch."
Nothing like running for your life to aggravate the sprained ankle you got from almost drowning, is there? she muttered bitterly, wobbling as she struggled to stand.
"Were you always this sarcastic?" the voice asked.
"Were you always this nosy?" Zhu shot back, limping in a random direction.
"Who knew oak trees were so sturdy?" she added to no one in particular.
"Furniture makers, for one."
Zhu blinked—then a sharp laugh burst out of her. The moment it did, her insides screamed in protest.
"Ahhh—!"
The pain nearly buckled her knees. "Shut the hell up, voice, and tell me this plan!" she snapped.
The voice remained as calm and unbothered as ever. "Very well. But first—you are going the wrong way."
Zhu froze. "Motherfu—" She caught herself, inhaled sharply, and forced the words out through clenched teeth. "Will you stop telling me irrelevant things and only telling me the important things when it's too late?!"
Her frustration spiked. She was still wet, exhausted, hurting, and barely held together by anger and the voice's power.
"I understand," the voice responded steadily. "You need to head due east."
"Where is east?" she demanded.
"Turn to your right. Follow the cassava trees."
She made a three hundred and sixty degree turn, all the trees looked the same to her. "What's a cassava?"
"It is a starchy tuberous root—"
"Never mind. Wrong question." Zhu rubbed her forehead. "How does the tree look?"
"It is large, typically dark green, with palmate leaves—"
"What's palmate?"
"Hand-shaped, growing on long stems at the branch tip—"
"Alright, shut up." Zhu cut the voice off impatiently. She spotted the plant easily enough and began limping toward it—then hesitated, eyes narrowing.
"Is there a monster or a cliff or poisonous something in that direction?"
"Yes. This is a very dangerous forest fraught with treacherous things." The voice paused—wisely—before she could explode. "However, none of those things will affect you. I am concealing you with my power."
Zhu closed her mouth and kept walking. "…Alright. Back to the plan."
"Very well," the voice resumed, perfectly composed. "Censortins are terrified of fire—which is reasonable, since any blaze could wipe out their fields. We need to set a fire. That will create a large enough distraction to steal some flowers petals."
"Alright, solid plan." Zhu exhaled. "Where do I get the fire from, though?"
"Nipfrees. There is a nest nearby," the voice said. "Gather some twigs and dried leaves and place them in small piles around the Censortins' field. Make sure each pile connects to the next—when one ignites, the others will follow like a domino effect. Once the Censortins rush to put out the blaze, gather as many flowers petals as you can."
"Alright, solid plan. But how do I get the Nipfrees to cooperate? And… what are Nipfrees?"
"Nipfrees—also called fire-bees—are roughly the size of your thumb. Their bodies are compact and oval-shaped, covered in shimmering scales rather than fur. Mildly aggressive, but if threatened or annoyed, they release a burst of heated vapor—a flash of burning flame from the stinger at the end of their abdomen. The burn is painful and irritating, but not lethal."
"You are just a treasure trove of knowledge," Zhu said dryly.
"Thank you," the voice replied, unbothered. "As to how we get them to cooperate: through a simple trade. You give them nuts. They give you fire."
"Ahhh. And where exactly do I get the nuts?"
"You are standing under a Forestdew nut tree."
"Oh." Zhu looked up at the cluster of nuts hanging high on the thick, broad-barked tree. Each shell was fist-sized, shaped like a coconut with pale silver streaks running along the surface. "Convenient. So I just… pick some and offer them?"
"Yes. But you must open them first. They love the jelly inside but are too weak to crack the shells themselves. This is why they will be willing to trade."
"Okay, okay. Let's crack some nuts."
Zhu searched until she found a decent-sized rock with a pointy edge. Five minutes later, she cursed loudly.
"These things are fucking impossible to open!"
"Hm. You are a very weak human," the voice observed with clinical indifference.
Zhu nearly choked on her own rage. "You want to give it a try?"
"Not particularly."
"Then shut the hell up."
Fueled by spite, she kept smashing until the first shell cracked and the round nut was exposed. By the time she opened three nuts, she was sweating, panting, and ready to collapse.
"Very good, girl," the voice praised.
"Shove your praise," Zhu snapped. "What now?"
"Get a pointed stick. Walk twenty meters to your left. You'll find a smooth-barked tree. Pierce it—the sap is highly flammable and burns like a torch. Use it after the Nipfrees give you fire."
"Okay, but what about the nuts?" She refused to let her hour of suffering go to waste.
"Cover them with a large leaf. Forestdew nuts have no scent—nothing will find them."
"Oh. That's actually cool."
"Set up the fire traps, then trade with the Nipfrees."
Zhu did as instructed, eventually reaching the clearing where the Purple Bayleaf Sunflowers grew. The flowers were beautiful and strange: thick, fleshy leaves spiraled at the base like elongated violet aloe blades, while the sunflower head above shimmered with iridescent purple-gold petals.
Censortins swarmed across the meadow and into the surrounding trees—tiny monkey-squirrel creatures tending the plants with surprising care. Zhu felt a sting of guilt, but survival took precedence.
She worked quietly, staying downwind as the voice instructed—Censortins had an excellent sense of smell. Once everything was prepared, she headed for the Nipfree nest.
The moment she approached, dozens of shimmering fire-bees landed on branches above her, watching in perfect, eerie silence. Suddenly, one larger than the rest flew down onto a low branch right in front of her. It released a sharp buzz.
Zhu froze mid-step.
She slowly reached into her pockets and took out the cracked nuts.
Suddenly, the voice spoke out loud, fully audible in the clearing.
"Greetings, Queen. My humble servant has come to offer you a gift."
Zhu raised a brow. Humble? Servant?
Although startled, she wisely kept her mouth shut.
The Nipfree Queen's voice rang out crystal clear, even though her tiny mandibles were only buzzing.
"It is a very unpleasant-looking helper, spirit guardian."
Zhu blinked. Did that haughty little fire-bee just call me ugly?
Still—silence. She chose life.
"I must apologise for her appearance," the voice said smoothly.
"We had a run-in with a Wendle."
"Hmm. Most unfortunate. That is why you should live in trees, human."
"Very wise and sage advice, Your Highness," the voice replied reverently.
The Queen let out a smug hum.
"Very well. I will accept this puny gift. What is it you want in return?"
"Your Highness, you are most kind. We request to utilise your firepower, if you would be so generous."
"Hmm. Our fire for such a tiny gift is outrageous! But for you, guardian, I will concede."
"As benevolent as ever, Your Highness."
One of the watcher Nipfrees flew down, snatching the cracked nuts from Zhu's hand.
Zhu raised the sap-coated stick. Another Nipfree zipped forward, hovered… then turned its butt toward her.
Its stinger glowed cherry-red.
With a sharp hiss—FWOMP—the torch burst into flame.
"Thank you, Queen. You are most generous."
Inside her head, the voice whispered calmly,
"Leave now. Back away slowly."
Zhu did exactly that.
Once she was far enough away, she hissed under her breath,
"I didn't know you could do that!''
"You never asked."
Zhu rolled her eyes.
"And I could understand the Queen, even though she was definitely just buzzing."
"A side effect of our souls being bonded," the voice replied.
"Okay, I have so many questions about this. But for now—if we can talk to animals, why not just trade with the Cens?"
"Censortins do not share."
"Oh. Well then I don't feel bad about stealing from them."
"Remember: only the petals may be plucked safely. Damaging the stalk causes the entire plant to wilt."
"Yeah, yeah—but tell me this: how are we supposed to get close to the piles we set up without that beacon-of-light torch giving away our position?"
"Simple. Use the Forestdew shell to cover the flame. They are flame-resistant."
"And why—"
"—you ate some of the Forestdew jelly? Because it will suppress your scent at the crime scene."
Zhu stared at the torch, incredulous.
"Who knew I'd enter the Hollowvail Forest and become a criminal?"
"We all do what we must," the voice reminded her, maddeningly composed.
The Plan in Motion
The smoke was the first warning that something was wrong.
Then came the sharp scent of burning.
The Censortins immediately went on high alert.
The energetic little creatures scrambled through the canopy and across the meadow, locating the flames—and panicking. The fire was too close to their precious Purple Bayleaf Sunflower field.
They mobilised in swarms, throwing everything into saving their plants.
None of them noticed the human slipping through the chaos, keeping low, moving fast, and—very carefully—plucking their precious petals.
The Escape
As soon as Zhu had a pocketful of petals, she ran like hell, never mind her swollen ankle.
When she was finally far enough away, she collapsed to her knees.
Her lungs burned, her muscles screamed, her heart was pounding—but she was grinning.
She did it.
The first mission was a success.