NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78: Entering the Forest
"And if we encounter something we can't handle?" Lucas asked.
"Then we will retreat to camp, regroup, and then decide whether to engage with full numbers or avoid the area entirely," Damion said. "Pride isn't worth getting extracted and failing."
Before Lucas could respond, a commotion near the front of the students drew their attention. A group of students had gathered around someone.
Professor Hendricks appeared on the path leading into the forest, his voice amplified by magic. "Students! Form a line and receive your equipment!"
The crowd organized itself into a rough queue. As each student reached the front, they were handed an emergency talisman, which was a small crystal disc attached to a cord and a navigation crystal that glowed faintly with internal light.
When it was Lucas's turn, Hendricks looked him over and said. "Remember, Mr. Estellan. Survival first. Don't do anything foolish."
"I'll do my best, Professor," Lucas replied, accepting the equipment.
As he looped the talisman cord around his neck and pocketed the navigation crystal.
Once all seventy-nine students had received their equipment, Hendricks stepped back.
"The examination begins now," he announced. "You have forty-eight hours. Good luck."
The students surged forward into Arvsen Forest like a wave breaking against rocks.
Within minutes, the group of seventy-nine had fragmented into dozens of smaller teams, each heading in different directions with their own strategies and goals.
Lucas's group moved northeast, Damion leading the way with Zacard close behind consulting his map.
Celeste walked beside Lucas, her hand wrapped around his, while Lydia and Garrett brought up the rear, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.
The transition from academy grounds to forest proper was gradual but unmistakable.
Within twenty minutes of entering the forest, the canopy had thickened enough that direct sunlight became a rare commodity.
Instead, the luminescent fungi provided most of the illumination. They grew in clusters on tree trunks and dangled from low branches, casting everything in that eerie blue-green glow Lucas remembered from the game.
It was even more disorienting in person. The light played tricks on his depth perception and made shadows seem deeper and distances harder to judge.
"Eyes sharp," Damion said quietly. "Even this close to the edge, there are threats."
As if summoned by his words, something rustled in the underbrush ahead.
The group froze. Lucas's hand went to his weapon as a creature emerged from between two gnarled roots.
It was a Steel Hare. It was about the size of a large cat, with mottled brown fur and a ridge of sharp quills running down its spine. Not particularly dangerous on its own, but Lucas knew from the game that they rarely traveled alone.
"Steel Hare," Zacard identified unnecessarily. "Low-tier monster. Worth five points if we can harvest the quills intact."
Three more hares hopped into view, their noses twitching as they detected the students.
"Formation," Damion ordered.
Lucas and Celeste moved to flank positions while Lydia stepped back. Damion, Garrett and Zacard held the center.
The largest hare attacked.
It moved fast, faster than a normal rabbit had any right to move. But Lucas's enhanced agility made it seem almost slow. He sidestepped the charge easily and swung his sword to score a clean cut along its flank.
The hare squealed and tumbled and its momentum carried it past him. It tried to right itself, but Celeste was already there, her sword ending the creature with a precise thrust.
The other three hares scattered, but they didn't get far. Zacard dispatched one with a thrown knife, while Damion caught the last one with a overhead slash that was probably more force than necessary.
"First blood," Zacard said, crouching to examine one of the corpses. "Clean kills. The quills should be intact."
"Not bad," Damion agreed. "But let's stay sharp. That was just a warm-up."
They continued deeper into the forest, encountering more creatures as they went.
A pair of Moss Vipers, whose green scales blended perfectly with the fungal glow until Lucas's enhanced perception caught their movement.
A pack of Bark Beetles, each the size of a fist, their mandibles capable of shearing through leather armor if given the chance.
By the time the sun had moved to indicate early afternoon, they'd accumulated a respectable collection of monster parts.
Steel Hare quills, Moss Viper fangs, Bark Beetle carapaces, and various other components that would earn them points.
"We should be far enough east now," Zacard said, checking his navigation crystal against his map. "Time to head deeper and find our camp location."
The forest grew denser as they moved away from the edge.
The fungal light seemed brighter in compensation, whole sections of bark covered in glowing patches that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
Lucas found himself constantly comparing reality to his memories of the game. The layout was similar but there were differences too.
*This isn't a game anymore,* he reminded himself. *Stop expecting it to follow the same rules.*
They'd been walking for another hour when Lydia suddenly held up her hand. "Wait. Do you hear that?"
Everyone froze. Lucas strained his ears and filtered out the ambient sounds of the forest like the rustle of leaves, the distant calls of birds or the ever-present drip of moisture from above.
Then he heard it. Water. Running water.
"There's a sream," Lydia said. "That way." She pointed slightly north of their current heading.
They found it ten minutes later: a clear stream, perhaps six feet wide, burbling over smooth stones.
The water looked clean, and more importantly, the banks were relatively open. A large, flat stone sat near the water's edge, and several sturdy trees formed a natural windbreak on the far side.
"This could work," Damion said, looking around. "Defensible position, water source, decent sight lines in most directions."
"The stone would make a good fire pit," Zacard added. "And those trees are old so their roots will be deep. Less chance of something burrowing up underneath us at night."
Damion nodded. "I guess it's decided then. We'll make camp here. Let's get set up before we lose what daylight we have."