Casper adjusted his stance, his sword angled slightly downward but still ready to strike if needed. Seth, on the other hand, kept an arrow nocked but didn't aim the crossbow just yet. His heartbeat quickened, meeting others could either increase their chances of survival or put them in even greater danger.
The rustling grew louder until finally, figures emerged from the dense foliage.
Two trainees stepped into view, their expressions wary as they took in Casper and Seth. They were armed- one wielding a sword, the other a spear. Their clothes were dirtied, their faces worn from exhaustion, yet their eyes remained sharp. One was a slim girl with an oval-shaped face and hazel eyes. She wore leather armor that only protected her torso, leaving the rest of her body unguarded. Her short, dark brown hair complemented the color of her eyes perfectly.
The other was a short boy, standing around five feet tall, with blonde hair and gray eyes. He wore an iron plated armor, marking him out as nobility.
A tense silence filled the air.
Then, the boy with the spear spoke first. "We mean no harm," he said, though his grip didn't loosen on his weapon. "We saw the fight with the dire rats. You two seem capable."
"We just wanted to-"
"Young master?" the girl behind the noble boy spoke
"Emily." Seth mouthed subconsciously, surprised by her sudden appearance.
"We can't linger here…" Casper voiced pointing at the dire rat's corpses
Seth barely had time to process Emily's presence before Casper's words snapped him back to reality. He nodded, knowing the corpses would soon attract more predators or worse, other trainees looking for an easy kill.
Emily pulled away slightly, her hazel eyes scanning him for injuries. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.
"I should be asking you that," Seth replied with a small, relieved smile. "I've been worried sick."
Emily grinned. "Please, you know me. I can handle myself."
Casper, however, wasn't interested in prolonging the moment. "We need to move. Now."
Without argument, the four quickly gathered their things and disappeared into the trees, leaving behind the carnage of their battle.
As they moved through the dense foliage, Seth stole a glance at Emily, still trying to believe she was really there. Relief washed over him, but deep down, an uneasy thought settled in his mind.
The first day of the trial had already shown him how merciless Thornspire was. And he had a feeling things were only going to get worse.
*****
Fleeing the site of their battle with the dire rats, the newly formed group of four stopped to take a break. Seth was assigned to keep watch, as his keen vision allowed him to see better than any of them in the dimly lit forest.
As they rested, they took the opportunity to introduce themselves.
"I'm Jacob Fyer, from the Fyer merchant household…" the short noble boy said.
"And this is Emily." He gestured toward Emily, who had unconsciously moved closer to Seth.
Nodding in acknowledgment, the other boy simply said, "Casper, that's Seth."
Stuart was momentarily taken aback by the blunt introduction. He had expected a more formal exchange, especially between nobles. The casual indifference was not what he was used to.
Nightfall arrived swiftly once more, bringing with it a sobering realization for every trainee in the Harrowing Forest. To them, nighttime signified two things.
First, it marked the end of another day, a milestone that meant they were one step closer to surviving the trial- kindling a flicker of hope among them.
Second, it signaled a rise in danger, as most creatures that lurked within the Thornspire Forest were nocturnal.
It was a paradoxical feeling- on one hand, they edged closer to survival and the promise of returning home; on the other, this night could very well be their last.
As the group sat on the thick patch of dried leaves they had gathered as a makeshift mat- offering some relief from the cold, unforgiving ground they decided to share their experiences with one another. It was the least they could do to distract themselves from the distant howls and eerie sounds of the creatures lurking in the night.
Other than Seth, none of them could see in the dark, and any source of light would mean certain death. In the suffocating blackness, the sound of each other's voices, even in hushed whispers, provided a small sense of comfort. Anything louder, and they wouldn't need a fire to draw the attention of the beasts that prowled the forest.
Casper was the first to share his experiences, recounting his first day in the forest- a tale strikingly similar to Seth's. The key difference was that Casper had managed to kill the creature that attacked him with relative ease.
He then went on to describe his encounter with a beast that had hunted him after he made a fire on his first night. The creature, a serpentine beast roughly thirty feet long, had been drawn to the flames. It attempted to coil around him, its strength so immense that it left a dent in his chest plate- damage that would have been inflicted on his ribcage had he not been wearing armor.
Fortunately, he had his sword in hand at the time. With sheer desperation, he managed to stab the creature, the sudden burst of pain causing it to loosen its grip just enough for him to break free. Without hesitation, he escaped into the cover of the nearby trees.
"Others in his position would've died," Seth thought. With his night vision, he could see that Emily and Jacob shared the same sentiment.
When it was Emily's turn, she recounted her experience, revealing that she had faced two dire rats on separate occasions- managing to escape from one and killed the other. Unlike the others, she hadn't made a fire on her first night, not out of caution, but simply because she had no means to do so. Instead, she had endured the bitter cold in silence.
When Seth's turn came, he detailed his own encounter with the dire rat and everything that followed. However, when he reached the part about his close brush with the Owlbear- something Casper had strangely omitted. Emily and Jacob failed to hide their terror. Though the darkness concealed much, their expressions were clear to Seth, whose night vision caught every detail.
Somehow, the already dreadful night in the forest felt even more harrowing.