Blood

Chapter Twenty Six: Into the wild

We joined up with the others, trying to look casual about our late arrival. Alistair wasn't impressed. He folded his arms, giving us a look like we'd just walked mud all over his perfectly clean floor.

"Nice of you two to finally join us," he muttered, eyebrows raised. "In the field, lateness gets you nowhere—except maybe dead."

I shot Galen a look, but he just grinned like it was a compliment. Alistair sighed and went on, explaining the day's mission.

"Today, we're testing your adaptability and teamwork," he announced. "I'll be assigning you to groups. Each group will be working together to retrieve an item from the center of the training grounds. The terrain is unstable, full of magical traps, and will change periodically, so be prepared for anything."

A murmur went through the group. Great, we were basically thrown into an obstacle course without any clue what would happen.

"Since he has more experience than the rest of you," Alistair continued, "Aiden will be working alone."

Aiden shrugged nonchalantly, already looking like he knew he'd ace this whole thing. I rolled my eyes, but there was a small part of me—a very small part—that was impressed.

"Kaelin, Ethan, and Lira, you're a team," Alistair continued, nodding at us. "Riona, Galen, and Isolde, you're together. Remember, this is not only about completing the task but also about working as a unit."

As we made our way to the starting area, Kaelin glanced at me, looking worried. "I hope you have some kind of plan."

"I thought that's what you were here for," I replied, trying to keep my tone light. "Galen's got his smirk, Aiden's got his 'experience,' and I… I'm here for my natural charm."

Kaelin rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was smiling.

"Just don't get us lost," Lira chimed in with a smirk. "I know you earthlings have a thing for getting distracted."

"First of all, rude," I said, putting a hand to my chest like I was offended. "Second of all, if anyone's getting us lost, it's going to be Kaelin, right?"

Kaelin shot me a glare. "I'll have you know I'm a master of directions."

As if on cue, the training grounds began to transform before our eyes. The ground shook a little, and the terrain stretched and twisted until we were surrounded by thick forest on one side and steep hills on the other. A thick mist rolled in, cutting visibility down to a few feet ahead. Somewhere in the distance, I heard a low rumbling noise that could have been some sort of animal. Or… something worse.

"This'll be fun," I muttered, trying not to let my voice shake.

---

We set off, trying to keep quiet so we wouldn't attract anything lurking in the mist. Kaelin took the lead, occasionally looking over her shoulder to check if we were still behind her.

"You know," I whispered to Lira as we followed, "if I don't make it out of this, tell everyone back home that I bravely sacrificed myself in the line of duty. None of that 'he tripped and fell in the mud' nonsense."

"Noted," Lira said, stifling a laugh. "But maybe try not to trip in the first place?"

We hadn't gone more than a few steps when we encountered our first obstacle: a massive wall of thorny vines blocking the path ahead. The vines were alive, shifting and curling like they knew we wanted to get past them.

"Great," I said, crossing my arms. "What's the plan? I'm open to all suggestions, especially the ones where I don't end up scratched to bits."

"How about burning through?" Lira suggested, inspecting the vines closely. "If we could just…"

"Or we could be a little more subtle," Kaelin interrupted. She extended her hand toward the vines, and they began to shudder, untangling just enough to let us through.

"Show-off," I muttered as we stepped through the gap, trying not to look too impressed.

"Your sarcasm isn't helping," Kaelin said, not even bothering to look back at me.

---

As we moved deeper into the misty forest, the terrain grew even trickier. The ground began shifting underfoot like it couldn't decide if it wanted to stay solid. I nearly lost my balance at least three times, which Lira seemed to find endlessly amusing.

"Maybe if you took fewer risks with your 'charm,' you'd stay on your feet," she teased as I stumbled yet again.

"Listen, I'm a master of controlled falls," I replied, attempting to save face. "It's all part of the technique."

We reached a clearing where the mist parted slightly, revealing what looked like a small temple ruin in the center. Kaelin's face lit up.

"That's it! The target should be inside," she said, already moving toward it.

"Not so fast," I muttered, catching a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye. "We're not alone."

Before I could finish, something lunged at us—a shadowy creature with claws like jagged rocks. I barely dodged, dropping into a roll as the creature missed by inches.

"Plan?" I gasped, getting to my feet.

"Survive!" Kaelin yelled, sending a blast of energy at the creature. It stumbled back but then reformed, its shadowy shape knitting back together.

"That's… not helpful," I muttered, taking a defensive stance as the creature turned its focus on me.

Lira pulled me back just as the creature swiped again. "Can we all agree this isn't the ideal moment to crack jokes?" she said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, if I stop joking now, I might actually start panicking. Can't have that, right?"

---

We managed to take down the creature after a few close calls, mostly thanks to Kaelin's quick thinking and Lira's sharper aim. As we made our way to the temple, the adrenaline still buzzing, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride. We might not have been the best team, but we'd made it this far. And hey, we'd avoided any embarrassing falls.

We were almost at the temple when we saw Aiden casually walking back from the opposite side, a small orb—the target—in his hand. He looked us over, not even slightly out of breath.

"Oh, hey. Took you guys long enough."

I exchanged a glance with Lira and Kaelin, and they looked about as thrilled as I felt.

"Of course he got it first," I muttered, crossing my arms.

Aiden just shrugged. "You're welcome for the warm-up," he said, smirking as he walked past us.

"One of these days," I grumbled to myself. "One of these days, we're actually going to beat him."

"Keep dreaming," he called back over his shoulder.

"Gather round children." Alistair said. "Team A: Galen's team. Your coordination was okay but your team work wasn't anything to write home about. You guys kept arguing all the way. Team B: Kaelin's team. Your team work was good but coordination? Not so much. I think a little experience will do you good. As long as no one died. I think we're good for the day. And Aiden, excellent work today. You should be out of here and protecting your realm in no time if you continue like this."

Well at least we're done for the day. Aiden really showed us that two heads or in our case maybe three aren't always better than one.