Bond Master

Gathering Tide (2)

Ren nodded, appreciating the diverse toolkit their small, accidental squad was beginning to form. "So, we've got a super strength axe user, a durable vanguard swordsman, a magic caster, and me with my spiked gloves. That's a solid balance for a newly awakened group.

It looks like the academy teachers deliberately designed this drop-off trial to force us to group up and fight our way to the gates as a unit. Not that it's been an incredibly tough fight so far—it feels more like a practical joke organized by the senior students to mess with the freshmen. But we need to stay sharp. There might be something more troublesome like Water Moles or Quill Beasts waiting in the next field."

After a short, restful breather to let everyone's racing pulses return to normal, the squad stood up and prepared to leave the safety of the hedgerow. This time, they decided to move forward without pulling the heavy coats over their heads. If there was a more dangerous breed of magical beast lurking in this next section of the training reserve, they needed a full, unobstructed field of vision to see it coming rather than being blindsided in the high grass.

Ren allowed his senses to expand naturally, his eyes scanning the undulating green terrain ahead. The field appeared deceptively quiet, the tall blades of grass swaying gently in the midday heat. To a common observer, the landscape looked entirely empty and easy to pass, as if whatever wild creatures inhabited the sector were currently sleeping or going about their daily business, completely unaware that a group of human initiates was about to invade their territory.

"Hey, do you think we should move through the trees instead?" the dark-haired mage asked, pointing her wand toward a dense, dark forest line that bordered the right side of the grassland. "The treeline would shield us from view and lead us straight toward the main academy grounds without having to cross this wide-open field. We just need to veer to the side a little bit."

Ren paused, tracking the edge of the forest line. He shook his head firmly. "We can't take the trees. There are at least two Iron Tusk Boars nesting inside that treeline. Look closely at the trunks near the edge—you can see where the bark has been freshly torn and scraped at two different heights. It might be a slightly different local species than the wild boars we have back in the valleys near my home sector, but those deep tusk gouges are unmistakable."

The woodcutter's son squinted toward the trees, nodding in agreement as his experience in the forests kicked in. "He's right. Those are boar markings, and judging by the depth of the gashes in the wood, those things are massive. Fighting an armored boar in a dense thicket where we can't dodge is a death sentence for a group as green as us."

"Then onward, valiant scapegoats of the freshman class," the woodcutter's son laughed, lifting his heavy axe onto his shoulder with a rugged grin. "Let's give our seniors a good show and get ourselves inside those front gates before the sun drops."

The squad moved forward at a fast, deliberate walk. They kept their footsteps light and even, intentionally avoiding any heavy, rhythmic stomping that might send deep vibrations traveling through the soil to disturb whatever territorial beasts were nesting beneath the loam. At the same time, they didn't want to waste precious minutes lingering in the open, allowing the chaotic crowd of students struggling back in the mouse fields to catch up and draw a massive wave of aggression toward their location.

So far, none of the other student groups had managed to cross the first hedgerow into this second field. Most were still resting back by the railway tracks, nursing their bruises from the gravel pelting, while others were completely paralyzed by a lack of courage or stuck in endless arguments about who should take the lead.

A few fractured clusters had decided to take the long, winding path around the outer perimeter of the reserve, assuming that the direct route across the grasslands was a blatant trap. Ren figured those groups probably weren't wrong about the trap, but that didn't mean the longer, unmapped routes through the swamps or the ravines were going to be any safer.

They were halfway across the expansive field when the silence was suddenly shattered. A large, uncoordinated group of initiates from the train had finally broken past the Earth-Mice and came jogging loudly into the grassland, their heavy boots thudding against the turf as they hurried to catch up to Ren's leading squad.

The sudden, chaotic vibration immediately woke the field up with terrifying activity.

The ground beneath their feet erupted as thick, thorny green vines burst out of the soil like striking serpents. Within seconds, the aggressive vines wrapped tightly around the ankles of the trailing group, trapping them in place and violently pulling several screaming students down onto the soft dirt. Loose, whip-like tendrils lashed out through the air, striking wildly at their arms and faces. It was some sort of subterranean plant monster—exactly what species, Ren couldn't tell from the textbooks—but the loud, careless footsteps of the larger crowd had clearly provoked its hunting instinct.

Several vines began to twitch and break through the soil near Ren's feet, their thorny surfaces glistening with a sticky, clear sap.

"Keep moving gently!" Ren commanded his group, his voice dropping into a low, steady tone as he stepped carefully between a pair of writhing roots. "The main core of the plant hasn't targeted our squad directly yet; it's just flailing blindly because of the noise behind us. Keep your movements light, don't panic, and we can slip out of its primary reach without much trouble. Do not attack the roots unless you are completely trapped, and whatever you do, do not step directly on the center vines!"

"You're the boss," the dark-haired mage whispered, a wry, rueful smirk cutting across her face as she hurried along his exact footsteps, holding her wand ready. "But if we end up tangled and stuck in the absolute middle of this crazy weed patch, I am completely blaming you."