Chapter 74 – Excellence Camp – Outcast II

Veiled Forest - Outer Section, 25th of Brightforge, year 315 UC

Sabrina groaned as she spat out dirt, the earthy taste lingering unpleasantly on her tongue. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, leaving a smudge of soil across her cheek.

"Who decided to put traps in the middle of a forest?"

She demanded, glaring up at the rim of the hole she'd fallen into.

It was embarrassing enough that she was the only one who'd stepped into the trap, but at least no one was laughing. She brushed dirt from her uniform, wincing as she felt twigs tangled in her hair.

Then Christopher chuckled.

She pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I hope you break your leg."

"I doubt it."

Christopher replied, tapping his calf with his knuckles.

"I've got pretty strong bones."

Alexander peered down at her.

"There's no need to be upset."

"No need to be upset? No need to be upset?!"

She gestured wildly at her head.

"Look at my hair!"

Her carefully maintained braid had come completely undone, her coffee-brown hair now a tangled mess full of leaves, twigs, and dirt. She'd spent twenty minutes on it this morning, and now it looked like she'd been dragged backward through a hedge.

"It's fine, just wash it."

Alexander offered helpfully.

Sabrina grumbled under her breath. He didn't understand. Of course he wouldn't—his blonde hair was cut short enough that it didn't matter what happened to it.

Bryan looked down at her from the edge of the pit.

"It's not a big deal. Don't make a scene—we don't want to attract more monsters."

This was all his fault. If he hadn't insisted on hunting those Thorned Boars, she wouldn't be in this situation. The beasts had led them on a chase through the densest part of the forest, and in her haste to keep up, she'd missed the signs of a trap.

The trees rustled overhead as leaves drifted down. Farrah dropped from a branch, landing with a soft thud on the forest floor. Her dark curls were still perfectly intact, Sabrina noted with irritation.

"There's a river up ahead, about a ten-minute walk."

Farrah reported, brushing off her hands.

"We shouldn't have a problem."

Bryan nodded, turning to face them.

"We'll move out in two, so get ready."

Sabrina climbed out of the pit with Christopher's help, then looked around at the eight dead Thorned Boar bodies scattered across the small clearing. Their corpses had been cut open, the cores already harvested.

"Where's my sword?"

She asked, scanning the area.

"Over here."

Alexander called, picking up her weapon from beside a dead boar near the hole.

She grabbed it with a grateful nod.

"Thanks."

Alexander didn't release the sword immediately, his attention caught by something in the thick bushes beyond the clearing.

"Did you hear that?"

Sabrina squinted in the direction he was looking.

"No. Maybe you're hearing things."

"Yeah, probably."

He agreed, though his eyes lingered on the bushes a moment longer.

She patted Alexander on the back as they turned to rejoin the others.

"Let's go before they get lost."

Alexander laughed weakly.

"We wouldn't want that."

"No, we wouldn't."

She agreed, adjusting her sword belt.

As they walked to catch up with the group, Bryan called back without turning.

"Pick it up."

"Pick it up."

Sabrina mimicked in a low voice that only Alexander could hear, making a face behind Bryan's back.

Alexander laughed lightly.

"He's not that bad."

"Nope, but he's still an asshole."

She countered, stepping over a fallen log.

"But he's a lot better than when we first met him."

Alexander pointed out.

She had to concede that point.

"That's true."

Christopher, who had lagged behind to wait for them, fell into step beside them.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Bryan."

Sabrina replied.

"So nothing new."

Christopher observed dryly.

Sabrina shrugged, picking a leaf from her tangled hair.

Christopher motioned with his chin toward Bryan and Farrah, who were walking several paces ahead.

"So you think those two..."

"Oh, most definitely."

Alexander nodded.

"Something's happened."

He turned to Sabrina.

"Do you know?"

"I don't."

She said, stepping around a thorny bush.

"And why would I?"

"Girl talk?"

Alexander suggested.

Sabrina snorted.

"You think Farrah and I talk about you guys?"

"Well, what else are you going to talk about?"

Christopher asked.

"Neither one of you, that's for sure."

She retorted.

Her mind drifted back to her conversation with Farrah yesterday. She'd asked where Farrah had gone after the duel hall, and Farrah had claimed she'd met up with her mother and younger brother. But when Sabrina mentioned that Bryan had also disappeared, Farrah had blushed slightly.

She suspected the two of them had gone on some sort of date, but couldn't understand why Farrah would hide it. Unless she wanted to keep their relationship a secret?

Honestly, the whole thing was weird to Sabrina. Bryan, of all people? How did Farrah like that guy?

Sure, Bryan was cute. His features were unique, and the way he spoke with confidence and not one care about anyone else was interesting, in a way. But after getting to know him? Nope, she wanted nothing to do with him.

She had gotten used to his way of talking, but he still pissed her off at times. Especially during fights when he seemed to refuse to even use his spells, relying instead on brute force.

The fact that he'd once declared himself better than them still got on her nerves. Just thinking about that day made her angry. Who did he think he was? He wasn't some god. There were plenty of people better than him—just none of them were present at this school.

Just once, she wanted to see him get his ass kicked. But she sighed, knowing that was unlikely to happen.

She felt like she was falling behind, slightly. The words Bryan had said that day were etched into her memory. She could forgive him, but she'd never forget how he'd called her useless in front of everyone.

Sabrina clenched her fist as she walked. She wasn't useless, but time and time again, fight after fight, she found herself relying on physical combat rather than her spell. She'd improved, reducing her casting time from three seconds to two, but it wasn't enough.

She needed to cast instantly, or as close to that as possible. While casting, she was a sitting duck—she'd witnessed it during every fight she'd had after the second week. The other students kept getting stronger and developing counters to her spell.

Two seconds seemed like a short time, but in combat, it was an eternity. Even Alexander had managed to unlock a second spell, while she still only had one. Christopher had started with two, lucky him. Farrah had two as well and was probably well on her way to unlocking a third.

And Bryan? He had at least three now, after that wolf thing he'd done at the duel hall. Three spells was a crazy amount, especially at their age. Having two spells at fifteen was normal—anything more was rare.

"Are you alright?"

Christopher's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Huh, what?"

She blinked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Doesn't seem that way."

Christopher frowned.

"That's not like you."

"I'm just a bit tired is all."

She shrugged, adjusting her sword belt.

"Three hours of walking can do that."

Christopher nodded.

"We just have to push a little bit longer."

Sabrina nodded, kicking a small stone out of her path.

"Hey, when did you get your second spell?"

She asked, changing the subject.

Christopher's lips quirked in a half-smile.

"Oh, I was getting my ass beat."

"What?"

Sabrina looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, my brothers were beating me up because I 'ruined' Jerald's chance with a girl I can't even remember back in Itha."

He explained.

"Seriously?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, my younger brother joined in because he thought it was fun."

Christopher continued.

"I don't really recall how it happened, just that one moment I was getting kicked, and the next, stone started covering my body."

He laughed.

"My brother said I should thank him."

"What an asshole."

Sabrina muttered.

"It wasn't all so bad."

Christopher shrugged.

"Itha's to the south, bordering Al-Thar, yeah?"

She asked, pushing a low-hanging branch out of her way.

Christopher nodded.

"So it's true then?"

She asked.

"What, that the people from Al-Thar are all beasts?"

Christopher clarified.

Sabrina nodded, curious.

"Yup."

He confirmed.

"I've never seen one."

Sabrina admitted.

"Not too many people travel to Vale since it's cold most of the time."

"They aren't that special."

Christopher shrugged.

"Just hairy, and a bunch of nudists."

"What?"

Sabrina's eyes widened.

"They have fur, so they don't like to cover themselves up much."

Christopher explained.

"So you can see everything?"

She asked, both horrified and intrigued.

"No, it's covered by hair."

Christopher replied.

"But you can imagine what it might look like."

He lowered his voice slightly.

"They're all crazy too, every last one of them."

"I wouldn't expect anything else given what I've heard."

Sabrina shuddered.

"You shouldn't worry about them unless you plan on joining a combat team."

Christopher added.

"Then you might encounter them in duels."

"I wonder if any will join the academy."

Sabrina mused.

"I wouldn't expect them to."

Christopher replied.

"Even in Itha, there are only a few who've joined academies."

The leaves rustled to their right. Sabrina caught the sound and paused, turning to look.

"What's up?"

Christopher asked, stopping beside her.

"I heard something."

She said, her hand moving to the hilt of her sword.

"I didn't hear a thing."

Christopher frowned.

"That's what I told Alexander."

She muttered, then froze.

"Wait, shit, where's Alexander?"

Christopher turned, scanning the path behind them.

"He was right there."

His expression shifted as he realized Alexander was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, that might be a problem."

Out of the leaves, a black horned rabbit appeared, hopping cautiously into view. It spotted Sabrina and Christopher, freezing in place. A second later, a long tongue wrapped around the rabbit, yanking it back into the bushes with a rustle of leaves.

"Farrah! Bryan!"

Christopher called out, his voice echoing through the trees. There was no answer.

"Alexander!"

Sabrina shouted, her heart rate accelerating. Still no response.

"Seems like we're on our own."

Christopher muttered, drawing his sword.

Sabrina's stomach tightened with worry. What had happened to the rest of their team? Surely she and Christopher hadn't been walking that slowly. Her fear was that Alexander was injured or worse, dead.

"We need to go."

She said, turning to Christopher.

"I think it's a bit late for that."

He replied grimly, pointing ahead.

A large Conspirator Purple Bullfrog emerged from the underbrush, its skin a deep purple with yellow stripes down its back. Five smaller bullfrogs followed, spreading out in a semicircle around them.

Sabrina's mind raced. What had Lock said about these creatures?

"One C-rank, five D-rank."

She assessed quickly.

"What do you want to do?"

Christopher pulled out his sword, the blade gleaming in the dappled forest light.

"We might as well get rid of them."

Sabrina nodded slowly.

"You going to be alright?"

"No worries."

Christopher replied as dark stone began crawling up his arm, spreading from his hand to his shoulder.

"I'm going to start casting."

Sabrina decided.

"Hopefully take some with the initial blast, then we can clean up the rest."

Where the fuck did everyone else go? She wondered as she began the familiar motions for Magma Burst. She hoped the bullfrogs would stay still enough for her to hit them.

As she finished casting, the ground erupted with a pillar of magma. The large C-rank bullfrog leaped aside, its tongue shooting out with startling speed. The appendage wrapped around Christopher's arm with a wet smack.

"I'm fine!"

Christopher called out.

"It hit my stone skin. I'll try to hold it off while you finish the others."

"Alright, I'll be done soon."

Sabrina promised, assessing the damage from her initial attack.

Three of the D-ranked bullfrogs lay motionless, their bodies scorched by the magma. Two remained, having been just outside the radius of her attack. She gripped her sword and dashed toward the nearest one.

The monster's tongue whipped out, and she tried to deflect it with her sword. The weight of the attack pushed her back—it wasn't as easy as she'd thought. The other bullfrog's tongue lashed out, and Sabrina was a beat too slow to dodge. The appendage struck her leg.

When she put weight on the limb, it felt funny, but she shook it off.

"Focus, girl, focus."

This monster had a mild paralysis effect—it should wear off soon. She started running again, cursing under her breath.

"Fucking Noctisara's tits!"

She glanced up at the sky for just a second.

"Sorry."

If only she could cast while moving—it would make this so much easier. As the bullfrogs attacked again, she rolled away. Both tongues struck the tree behind her, splitting wood from the trunk with a sharp crack.

She charged forward again, determined to try once more. Stopping abruptly, she began casting Magma Burst again. Both bullfrogs tilted their heads, watching her with bulbous eyes.

'Just hold on, you fuckers.'

She thought.

Both creatures leaped just as her magma erupted, the timing allowing them to escape the blast. Sabrina cursed loudly.

"A little help over here!"

Christopher called, his voice strained.

"Hold on!"

Sabrina yelled back, dodging another tongue strike.

"Easy for you to say!"

Christopher retorted.

"You want to switch?"

She challenged, slashing at a tongue that came too close.

"A bit hard—I'm kind of tied up at the moment."

Christopher replied, his voice muffled.

The two bullfrogs launched another attack. Sabrina dodged, frustration building in her chest.

"Come on, just one more!"

Her grip on her sword tightened as she raised her other hand.

"Do it, you bitch!"

"What?"

Christopher called.

Sabrina didn't turn to look at him—she didn't have time. Her chest felt hot, ether flowing from her core and coursing through her pathways. She felt powerful, like she was floating.

The tips of her fingers flashed red, and she made a motion as if crushing an invisible object. In her mind, she could see exactly what she wanted to happen.

She grinned as two charred balls rose from the ground, hovering two feet in the air before red cracks appeared on their surface.

"Bang."

She whispered.

Both spheres exploded, sending shrapnel in all directions. The two bullfrogs, caught in the blast radius, were thrown backward by the force.

Sabrina didn't have time to celebrate. She turned to find Christopher's entire body, except his head, wrapped in purple tongue.

"About time."

He muttered through clenched teeth.

"What happened to you?"

She asked, eyes widening at the sight.

"For the love of—"

Christopher began, struggling against his bonds.

"Just help me!"

Sabrina looked at the adult bullfrog and immediately cast Magma Burst. The creature, occupied with trying to consume Christopher, didn't move. Her spell connected with a satisfying burst of heat and light.

The tongue unwound from Christopher, whose body was mostly covered in stone armor. Green liquid dripped from the protective covering, sizzling slightly where it touched the ground.

Together, they finished off the adult bullfrog before collapsing onto the forest floor, breathing heavily.

"Congratulations."

Christopher said between breaths.

Sabrina smiled, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Thanks."

"What did you learn?"

Christopher asked, turning his head to look at her.

"Explosion!"

Sabrina replied, her eyes bright with excitement.

She pushed herself up on her elbows, looking around the clearing.

"What do you think happened to the others?"

"Them?"

Christopher gestured toward the tree line.

Sabrina followed his gaze to see Alexander smiling, Farrah waving, and Bryan leaning against a tree, arms crossed over his chest.

"What? Where'd they come from?"

Sabrina demanded, sitting up fully.

"They've always been here, just..."

Christopher trailed off.

"Just what?"

Sabrina pressed, suspicion growing.

"Everyone thought this was what you needed, and it worked out."

Christopher explained, not quite meeting her eyes.

"You bastards!"

Sabrina exclaimed as understanding dawned.

"You tricked me?"

Christopher laughed.

"I wouldn't say that."

"All of you were in on this?"

Sabrina stared at them, half-smiling, half-wanting to punch every last one of them. Her heart still raced from the battle, but her chest didn’t feel as heavy anymore.

Christopher nodded.

Sabrina fell back onto the ground, staring up at the forest canopy.

"Well, fuck me."