Location:Mid Ring, Vel'thari Containment — Fortress / Dead Spot Base
Date/Time:Emberrise, 9942 AZI — Day 128, 237 days remaining
Realm:Lower Realm, Doha
Jayde started with the crossbow.
She didn't lecture. She sat on the fortress courtyard floor, laid out the components — limb, riser, rail, cams, string — and built one while they watched. Hands moving with the economy of a woman who'd assembled two dozen of these and could do it blind. The students stood in a semicircle, seven faces ranging from intent concentration to the glazed bewilderment of cultivators being asked to pay attention to a piece of wood.
"Each of you builds one," Jayde said. "Today. From parts I've pre-made. By tomorrow you know this weapon the way you know your cultivation technique. Better, because this weapon won't get you killed by broadcasting your position."
