Another day went by, Survival class was next. Maps were distributed among the squads to study. It was the most updated model chartered by the recon units at the expeditions. A digital version was also provided and given to their Scribes.

  Avryn in particular spent a lot of his free time studying over the map. His thoughts swirled and darted. He was never good with directions anyway. He spent the time learning the ins and outs of the Scribe.

  Days in the library were well spent. He used those sessions learning what he could about Sir Iver. He only shared a half hour conversation with him. Much of the books described his bravery and general sense of do-gooding, contrasted by his combat abilities. One book claimed that he wiped out several packs of Corpses by himself. Avryn raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

  He wondered to himself whether Iver pulled his punches in their duel. He poured through a couple more books on him. None of them went into detail of Iver’s origins. It seemed to be some well guarded secret.

  A few things he learned from these sessions were: Sir Iver was a powerful knight, even moreso considering his lower rank in the Order. He never hesitated to do the right thing in any situation.

  He leaned back on his chair. Books were one thing, but the best way to find the man behind these stories was to talk to the people close to him. The only other person he knew was Rinna’s mother. She was a busy woman, given her responsibilities as the grand judge. He looked upon the gunblade, the weapon he inherited.

  “If only you could talk. You’d probably have plenty of stories to tell of him, huh?” He ran his hand over the side of it.

  Chimes from the academy bell signalled for lunch. Avryn finished up, returned the books in their proper places, and prepared to meet up with his squad. Next class was Survival class.

  Kelinald was also the instructor for it. He welcomed everyone into the Simulation room. The dead, gray grass spread forth. Decayed trees sprouted up, capped off with a crowd of thorny branches and pale purple leaves. The skies above them loomed over like a perpetual storm. Far away cries of distant Corpses occasionally broke the almost sheer silence of the dead. The only homely thing was the sea’s smell of the nearby shore.

  “Welcome, students, to the real Lost Lands,” The instructor gestured around him.

  Tvira knelt down to feel the grass below her feet. It was dry and almost sharp. Several blades easy broke off when she clumped it together. Kelinald proudly recalled the history of this place. It was once the cradle of civilisation, he said. Avryn raised his hand,

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  “If it was the cradle of civilisation, how’d it all become…dead?” He asked.

  The instructor eyes looked down, a sadness settled for just a moment,

  “The Downfall,” He replied.

  A catacylsmic event as a result of One who waged war against the old gods. It caused a great plague and near extinction of all life and magic on Eyur.

  “To think this place was once full of life,” Harver chimed in.

  “It was such a tragedy. No one knew why it happened,” A slight frustration seeped into Kelinald’s voice. “Why so much life had to be wasted away.”

  It was through the Old Gods’ sacrifice that Eyur’s total annihilation would not be realized. Hrenvar was the only god left in the pantheon, and named as their successor. This earned a few eyes on both Avryn and Rinna. Kelinald caught that,

  “So how was it, lad. How was meeting god himself? I always wondered what he was like,” He asked.

  Avryn shrugged,

  “Well, he did save my life, so I can’t complain,” He simplified it.

  Kelinald nodded. He went to business, and shifted the topic right back to the main part for today’s class. A simple tracking test. He showed a drawing of a Corpse deer. The students must track and capture it alive. This particular creature was modified to be more aware and cautious. One squad would be assigned to track one deer. They must use their knowledge of the region to quickly find it.

  Since there were no questions, the test started. Several deers were summoned and scattered before them. They all bore specific colors, and left tracks with a fainter version. Those determined the deer the squads must find. Avryn’s squad was assigned to track the blue deer.

  “Right, Tvira and Valoche, you two will be in charge of tracking it. Me and Rinna’ll back you up,” Avryn gave his orders.

  “Do your best to keep up,” Tvira teased before charging into the forest.

  The terrain was rough, but manageable. They just needed a few minutes to adapt. Tvira stopped and squinted her eyes. An air of confusion got to her. She called for Valoche’s help, who was just as confused.

  “Something wrong?” Avryn came up.

  “Take a look at the tracks,” Valoche pointed.

  They overlapped several times over. Traces of the blue deer’s hooves were also found on the nearby trees. They remember Instructor Kelinald’s words on how the deer had modified behaviors. Rinna whistled to them.

  “I found our deer,” She pointed to the river.

  “I noticed something else, too,” Valoche spoke up. “I don’t see enemy Corpses.”

  It was true. They had been traversing the land for just around twenty minutes and covered a couple miles. Faster tracking or a more secure route, that was the crossroads they arrived at. The others looked at Avryn, waiting for his decision.

  “Our mission is to track our deer. The less we have to fight, the more time we can use for finding it,” He reasoned.

  He looked to Tvira and nodded. She led the hunt once more. The deer proved elusive. They went around the edge of the mountains, and went further north. The air around them had become colder. A thin layer of snow dotted the dead landscape. Tvira’s heart skipped a beat as they entered this region. She paused and surveyed the land. What was this familiar feeling she had? She could only wonder.

  “Something wrong?” Valoche placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “Nothing, I thought I saw something,” She assured him.

  Fortunately, there still was a lot of visibility. A few more minutes of tracking and they found their deer. Tvira crouched down and pulled out a special arrow. Its tip was modified with a special magic crystal given by the instructor. Another routine shot later, the deer was taken down. Avryn and Valoche tied it up for capture.

  A voice in the sky boomed,

  “Ah, congratulations. You lot are the first squad to find their deer,” Kelinald praised.

  The rest of of the squads finished up. Kelinald commended Avryn and Leifren’s squads as the first and second squads to found their deer, respectively. They earned some extra credits for their efforts.