Love Poison No Cure Needed

Stealth Exam 2.29

The meteorology exam was blissfully normal. Just a report on whether patterns and predictions are based on supplied images.

Thus, when Sorrel approached the peppercorn woods for the stealth exam he was feeling fairly relaxed. The group of students for stealth class lounged beneath the trees around the pond as they waited for Dr Alfair to appear.

“Congratulations everyone.” Dr Alfair appeared in the centre of the clearing and smiled brightly around at all the students. Immediately everyone straightened and focused on the teacher. It was never a good thing when the exam started out with an overly happy teacher.

“Since I realise that everyone hates exams I made a deal so you would have to do one less. This exam will be a combined exam for both Stealth Magic and Phys-ed.” Dr Alfair continued cheerfully. While the other students relaxed slightly Sorrel instead focused harder. He’s experiences so far suggested this wouldn’t be nearly as easy as it sounded.

“The exam is simple enough you go into the peppercorn forest and hide. I will hunt you and once you have been caught you have five minutes to get to the oval and perform the obstacle course.” Dr Alfair clapped his hands at the end while the other students stared at him with wide disbelieving eyes.

“Easy, you have to be kidding. The obstacle course is on the complete other side of the school.” One of the students called out.

“Correct, it's why it is the perfect test. Your all Other and so are faster than the regular humans so you need to be worked out a bit before putting you through the human test so the results are fair.” Dr Alfair continued to smile.

“I think I’d rather do separate exams.” The student muttered.

“Too bad, decisions made not time to get started you have five minutes to hide.” Dr Alfair clapped again as turned his back on the forest.

Sorrel dashed into the woods and brushed the trees slowly sinking up and then blending amongst the branches. His breathing slowed and his skin tone changed. A faint mist surrounded him as concealment, presence obscuration and sound muffling spells were cast.

As Sorrel settled along the upper branches he opened his nature sight to keep track of the teacher and the other students. As he watched he noticed that Kayad circled through the woods and then into the trees on the opposite side of the pond where he seemed to watch where Dr Alfair went.

When the time finished Dr Alfair started into the woods. He seemed to walk boldly but Sorrel noticed that the pair of students he was approaching had no real reaction. Sorrel contemplated for a moment then dropped his nature sight. As expected the teacher was invisible and Sorrel couldn’t even get a sense of his presence moving over the grass so Sorrel concluded that Dr Alfair was using the advanced concealment magic he had talked about being on the exam.

Sorrel shook his head, he had expected a bit of practical element for the exam but had actually also expected a writing component of the spell breakdowns. He was a bit annoyed about having practiced the breakdowns and then not needing them but he supposed if nothing else  the process had improved his understanding of the spells.

As Dr Alfair circled clockwise around the woods grabbing students and tossing them out Kayad moved ahead of him circling round to the entrance of the woods. As the students who were caught sprinted for the other side of the school Sorrel watched as Kayad jumped from the outside peppercorn onto the roof of the main building and lay down.

On the first pass through the woods Dr Alfair found two thirds of the students. When he walked directly under Sorrel he paused as he frowned and looked around before he nodded and muttered. “A third of the students actually managed to stay hidden. Very good.” With a resolute stride the teacher returned back to the centre of the woods and began a spiralling search outwards.

As he started around the pond he paused and then reached at the water. A spiralling cord shot from his hand and fished up the siren in the class before dropping him on the ground. Immediately afterwards the cord snapped and passed through a tree to drag out another student.

“Pass through is not bad.” Dr Alfair commented before gesturing for the two to head off. The pair bowed and jogged away. Dr Alfair continued around and caught three more. As near as Sorrel could tell only the Kayad and one other student remained. As Sorrel watched the other student snuck out of the woods and into the shrubs by the library.

When Dr Alfair finished his third loop he stopped and called out, “Sorrel, Kayad, Blain. You three are top scorers and will get a perfect mark if you can get over to and in the obstacle course before I catch you.”

Sorrel blinked and glanced at  Kayad who rolled sideways over the main building roof and dropped down onto the veranda roof before he crouched and moved out across the school.

Blain shifted in the shrub and started down along the side of the buildings. Dr Alfair waited a moment before he moved out of the peppercorn trees and then jumped onto the roof.

Sorrel contemplated for a moment and then decided that since the teacher didn’t expressly ban the use of familiars that he would take the expedient approach and let Sephy move for him. Reaching into his mind he sorted the tie to his familiar and made his request.