Chapter 105: Alpha
The next morning, before the sun obliterated the still-lingering mist.
One after another, twenty-one aspirants assembled before the academy gates, each carrying a light pack, a waterskin, and the weapon of their choosing.
Garret stood at the front, lazily leaning upon his twin axes as though the expedition were nothing more than a stroll through a garden.
"Everyone here?" He covered a yawn with his hand.
A senior instructor counted heads. "Twenty-one."
"Good." Garret scratched his scar. "If anyone dies, I’ll have to write reports."
Thane frowned. "You’re worried about reports? Dumb damned pervert."
Garret retorted without an ounce of regret, "You don’t know jackshit about them. They’re more annoying than you."
Athenok emerged from the academy, dressed not in ceremonial robes but in a simple traveling cloak. Beside him walked another instructor carrying a rolled map.
"I’ll accompany you as far as the White Forest’s entrance," the principal said. "After that, Master Garret assumes command."
Garret saluted lazily. "If they survive, I’ll bring them back."
"It’s your duty to bring them back safely. There are no ifs."
Garret picked a remnant of his last meal from his teeth and spat onto the dirt. "There are always ifs."
The gates opened.
Their small procession wound through the capital’s northern district before finally reaching the open countryside.
The city’s noise slowly faded behind them. Stone roads gave way to dirt paths. Houses became farms, and farms became rolling hills. The world seemed much quieter beyond Bentram’s walls.
Nearly two hours passed before another group appeared on the road ahead. There were only three people: a middle-aged carriage driver, a young man, and a young woman.
The boy couldn’t have been older than seventeen. His auburn hair stuck out in every direction, and his eyes seemed unable to remain still for even a heartbeat.
The girl walking beside him looked to be a year older. Long chestnut hair framed a delicate face that remained lowered toward the road. She walked with both hands folded before her, quiet, reserved, and timid.
The carriage stopped beside Athenok. The principal greeted the driver with uncommon politeness. Garret also straightened up, an action that alone surprised several of the watching students.
The young man noticed the aspirants immediately. Then, his eyes landed on one particular giant.
His entire face lit up. "You’re Thane Ironforge!"
Before anyone could react, he hurried over to the giant. "I knew it! I told my sister it’d be you!"
Thane was completely dumbfounded. "...Do I know you?"
"No!" The answer came so enthusiastically that even Garret looked amused.
"I’m Edwin." He extended his hand energetically. "You fought Donovan Young and Etno Kamsi, and you won the second trial! I heard you punched Donovan’s jaw completely apart! Was it really one punch? How strong are you? Can you really lift two men? Do you actually swing axes with one hand?"
The questions poured out so rapidly that nobody had any time to answer.
Thane scratched his cheek. "...I don’t even know where to start."
Edwin laughed. "I talk too much."
"You do," Thane agreed without hesitation.
Edwin looked slightly embarrassed. "I know."
He immediately reached into a leather satchel hanging at his side, causing several strange metallic parts to clink together. "I make weapons."
Now Thane’s interest was fully awakened. "Weapons?"
Edwin nodded proudly. "My father says I’m wasting good iron, but I disagree."
He produced a beautifully crafted folding knife. Its locking mechanism clicked smoothly into place. "I designed this."
Thane’s eyes widened. "...That’s cool."
"I’ve made crossbow triggers, too, and lighter spearheads, and..."
He stopped only long enough to inhale a quick breath.
Thane smiled broadly. "I like you."
"So do I!" The boy’s eyes brightened.
Conor whispered toward Max, "They’re the same person. One of them is simply smarter."
While Edwin excitedly discussed forged steel, balance, and counterweights, his sister remained several steps behind, quietly watching the conversation.
Thane happened to glance toward her, and their eyes met for a brief instant. Her cheeks immediately turned a bright red, and she lowered her gaze at once, pretending to study the grass beneath her boots.
Sky noticed the interaction instantly. "...She’s incredibly shy."
Conor smirked. "Very."
Edwin looked back over his shoulder. "Oh. This is my sister, Evelyn."
She offered only a tiny, hesitant bow. "...H-Hello."
Her voice was barely louder than the passing wind.
Thane smiled innocently. "Hello."
She looked away again.
Before the introductions could continue, Athenok quietly stepped beside Garret. He leaned close enough that none of the students could overhear, whispering only a few brief words.
Garret’s lazy expression vanished completely. "...What?"
Another whisper from the principal, and Garret’s eyes widened. For perhaps the first time since the students had met him, the lazy instructor looked genuinely surprised. He glanced toward Edwin, then toward Evelyn, and then back at the principal.
Athenok merely nodded once.
Garret slowly exhaled. "Understood."
When he approached the siblings again, his attitude had subtly shifted. He remained relaxed, still smiling and making sarcastic remarks, yet there was unmistakable respect underlying his voice.
"Lord Edwin, you’ll stay near the center of the group."
Edwin blinked. "Sure."
"And Lady Evelyn, if anything happens, remain behind me."
She looked up, startled. "...T-Thank you."
Max frowned. He had noticed the shift, and so had Conor.
Once they resumed walking, Conor quietly leaned toward Max. "Did you see that?"
Max nodded. "Garret changed. He never calls anyone ’Lord’."
"No," Garret interjected from up ahead, "and certainly not ’Lady’."
Conor glanced toward the siblings. "...Who are they?"
Max narrowed his eyes slightly. "I don’t know. But whatever the principal whispered changed Garret’s opinion instantly."
The road gradually narrowed as tall pines replaced the rolling fields, and the temperature began to drop rapidly.
Ahead, the White Forest finally appeared.
Unlike the infamous Black Forest of Bentram’s northeastern frontier, the White Forest possessed an entirely different kind of beauty. Its trees wore pale bark like polished ivory, and many of the leaves shimmered silver instead of green. White moss covered the fallen logs, and thin streams reflected the clear sky like glass. The forest seemed almost untouched, peaceful and sacred.
Garret stopped the line. "This..." He gestured ahead. "...is the White Forest. It stretches roughly thirty miles. No cursed beasts live here."
A student sighed in deep relief.
Garret immediately pointed an axe at him. "Don’t smile, shitheads. Normal beasts kill fools every single year."
The student’s smile vanished instantly.
Thane breathed in deeply. "It’s cold."
Sky shivered, pulling his gear close. "I hate this already."
Simon rubbed his hands together briskly. "My fingers are freezing."
Conor pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders. Only Thane seemed completely comfortable in the dropping temperature.
Garret noticed. "You alright, Gay?"
Thane nodded. "This reminds me of home."
"The north?"
"Yeah. We get much colder winters than this."
Garret grunted. "Figures."
The group entered beneath the vast white canopy. Snow-colored leaves whispered softly overhead, and the air smelled clean, carrying a sharp, almost sweet edge to it. Even their footsteps sounded softer upon the pale forest floor.
Then, out of nowhere, a long howl echoed somewhere ahead of them.
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Another howl answered the first, then another. They were long, wild, and primitive cries that bounced between the pale trees until it became impossible to judge their true direction.
Several first-year students instinctively tightened their grip upon their weapons.
Sky swallowed nervously. "...Wolves?"
Garret listened carefully to the fading echoes. "Likely."
They continued forward, moving far more cautiously now. Every snapping twig drew wandering eyes, and the slightest rustle of a bush caused someone to flinch. Even Edwin finally stopped talking.
Nearly half an hour later, Garret abruptly raised one hand.
Everyone froze instantly. The lazy instructor’s sleepy expression had vanished completely. His eyes slowly scanned the dense green and white scenery, his posture leaned forward. With his twin axes lowered, he was completely ready.
Thane’s instincts kicked in right away; he noticed the change too. "What is it?"
Garret answered quietly, "...We’re being watched."
Silence lingered over the group as the wind passed softly through the canopy.
Suddenly, a white snowy shadow darted between two trees, but in the next moment, it was gone. Another appeared on the opposite side.
Conor whispered, "I saw one."
"Another one here," someone else added in a hushed tone.
Garret’s voice remained perfectly calm. "Circle."
The students instinctively obeyed the command. Those carrying shields moved outward to form a defensive perimeter, while the archers quickly stepped behind them. The instructors spread themselves evenly around the edges of the formation.
A low growl drifted through the trees, followed by another. They were creeping closer with every passing breath.
Branches crackled and silver leaves trembled. Pairs of glowing amber eyes slowly began to appear between the pale trunks. One pair, then three, then seven, until dozens surrounded them.
The wolves emerged from the brush almost soundlessly. Each one stood nearly as tall as a grown man’s waist, with massive shoulders rolling beneath thick, snow-white fur. Long fangs glistened with saliva, and their yellow eyes never blinked.
One particularly enormous wolf stepped forward from the pack. Deep scars crossed its muzzle, and its ears were heavily torn.
The alpha stared directly at Garret.
The instructor smiled faintly. "There you are."
He rolled his shoulders as the students instinctively backed closer together. No one spoke; no one dared to break the silence.
The alpha released a deep, rumbling growl. One after another, the entire pack answered the call, their haunting chorus echoing loudly through the White Forest.
Garret slowly drew both of his axes, the steel whispering quietly against the leather loops. He didn’t look frightened at all; he looked excited. After all, he was a 3-Lined Blessed.
Without taking his eyes off the surrounding wolves, he spoke only three words to the class.
"Don’t break formation."
The alpha took one deliberate step forward, and the rest of the pack immediately followed its lead. Their silent advance tightened like a heavy noose around the students.
With a fierce growl, the alpha bared its fangs.
---
{Editor’s Note: For the past week things have been chaotic for both myself and The_Novel_Man. My work schedule is a mess for starters. I also got my book contracted, so I had to postpone other projects to be able to keep up with my editing tasks. I know the last 10 or so Chapters were not in their best form, nor were they the quality I should usually let pass. Still, we both are under too much strain with so many changes happening and had to postpone a lot of things.
Hope things move for the better, and I hope things didn’t get too disappointing for the readers. I still went through all the Chapters I failed to keep up with, so if you check them again, they’ll be in much better shape. We’ll also attempt to increase the Chapter count instead of these overly long Chapters that have come out recently.
Wish us luck.
Cheers!
-CynicGray}