Chapter 20 – The Grand Plan

  Kaelin arrived at the designated meeting spot – a quiet corner of the academy’s courtyard, tucked away behind a row of tall hedges. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long golden rays over the training grounds, and a cool breeze rustled through the trees.

  Lena was already there, sitting on a stone bench with a small notebook in her lap. Zephyr, of course, was late.

  Kaelin crossed her arms. “Did you tell him the right time?”

  Lena nodded. “I even wrote it down for him.”

  Kaelin sighed and sat down beside her, drumming her fingers against the stone. It wasn’t like she was eager for this team meeting, but the sooner they figured things out, the better. The monster subjugation was in two days, and they needed a plan if they wanted to get through it unscathed.

  Finally, Zephyr strolled into view, hands in his pockets, his usual expression of detached amusement firmly in place. “You’re both early,” he said.

  “I’m pretty sure you’re late,” Kaelin shot back.

  Zephyr gave a slight shrug as he sat down across from them. “So, what’s the grand plan?”

  Lena, ever the peacemaker, ignored the tension and flipped open her notebook. “I took notes on potential threats we might face. Now that I think about it, I don’t think we’ve told you yet…”

  “Told me what?” Zephyr asked.

  “Well… Kaelin might have pulled a few strings and got an early tell on the location of the event.”

  “Oi, I didn’t do any of that. My club supervisor told me. I didn’t even ask!” Kaelin retorted.

  Kaelin leaned forward. “Anyway, from what I’ve found, there are 4 main monster types in the eastern forest area. Dire Wolves, Great Boars, Salamanders and Purlovia. From these, I’m hoping we get to hunt the Great Boar. It best fits our team. Second, I’m thinking Dire Wolves or Purlovia since they’re of equal difficulty. If we get stuck with the Salamanders, we might be in trouble. They’re small, about the length of a horse, but only up to our waists. Dire wolves are fast and hunt in pairs, so we’ll need to be careful about getting flanked. But compared to the rest, they’re pretty dumb. Great Boars have tough hides and are resistant to fire, poison and whatnot, but they’re sluggish, so it shouldn’t be too hard to catch and kill.”

  Zephyr listened quietly, his sharp gaze flicking between them. “Who’s taking what role?”

  Lena tapped her quill against the paper. “I’m not too bad at close combat, but I’m best at providing support from the backline using defensive walls and the like.”

  Kaelin nodded. “I’ll handle close combat then. I didn’t train this body up for nothing you know! I use to keep up with most of the kids in the village even without magic, I’m sure I’ll be even better now I have it.”

  Zephyr exhaled through his nose, the closest thing to a laugh Kaelin had ever heard from him. “Figures you’d want to fight up front.”

  Kaelin smirked. “And you?”

  Zephyr’s expression turned serious. “I’m an all-rounder. Having 3 affinities sure makes it easy. I can fight up close and far with the Nature threads, time helps me keep my distance when needed, and I can help support with mind, although I’m pretty shit with it. I focused most of my time learning the other two. This time at the academy was meant to help me get to grips.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Lena made a note. “Here’s what I’m thinking. With great boars – Both of you fight up front, I’ll try keep it’s focus while you attack from the sides. Dire wolves and Purlovia – lets have Kaelin and I up front, Zephyr you stay back and try help with mind magic while firing off some long ranged shots. If, god forbid, we have to fight salamanders: I think we’ll just have to improvise. From what I’ve heard, they’re too unpredictable to get a good strategy.”

  Kaelin chewed on her lip. It was a good plan – one that maximized their strengths. But it might not be enough for the salamanders.

  She thought of the books hidden under her bed, of the forbidden spells she’d read late into the night. There were spells in those pages that could make them untouchable, that could ensure they not only survived but dominated the event. And yet...

  She glanced at Lena, who was scribbling details with a determined expression. At Zephyr, who watched them both with unreadable eyes.

  “Kaelin?” Lena asked, tilting her head. “You went quiet.”

  Kaelin shook her head. “Just thinking. It’s a solid plan.”

  Zephyr studied her for a long moment before leaning back. “We’ll see if it holds up in the field.”

  She forced a grin. “Guess we’ll find out.”

  They continued refining their strategy, discussing escape routes, potential complications, and backup plans. But the entire time, Kaelin’s mind kept circling back to one question:

  Would she use the knowledge she had stolen?

  It might not be humans she would be testing them on, but if she used it once, what’s to stop her using it again?

  ***

  Kaelin stood in front of her locker, adjusting the straps on her travel bag. The academy had provided them with essential supplies for the subjugation task – rations, medical kits, and emergency flares.

  Across the room, Lena excitedly went over their strategy, flipping through a small notebook filled with careful notes. “I looked over the possible targets again, just in case. All the monsters in the forest are apprentice rank, but they’re still dangerous.

  Kaelin nodded, barely listening. Her mind kept returning to the book’s pages, the spells with consequences far worse than a simple injury. These monsters were no joke. Would using just one spell be so bad?

  Zephyr entered the room without a word, dressed in dark travel gear. He slung his bag over his shoulder, his expression unreadable as always. Lena glanced up at him before turning back to her notes. Kaelin, however, studied him. He looked… tense, but not in the way she expected. Not just battle-ready, but like something deeper was bothering him. Maybe he was finally feeling the weight of the mission.

  “We should get moving,” Zephyr said, his voice even. “Our transport leaves in ten minutes.”

  ***

  The carriage ride to the eastern forest was quiet, save for the occasional sound of the wheels crunching over gravel. Kaelin and Lena sat on one side, Zephyr on the other, the space between them thick with unspoken thoughts. Outside, the terrain slowly shifted from the structured academy roads to wilder, less traversed lands. Occasionally Kaelin noticed Lena look up from her notebook and take a peek at Zephyr, his shiny black hair flowing in the wind.

  Lena tried to lighten the mood. “This will be a great chance to test our teamwork! I mean, we all bring different skills. Kaelin, you’re unpredictable, and Zephyr, you’re…” She hesitated. “Well, you’re really powerful… And after all it’s not like this will be the last time we work together.”

  Zephyr didn’t react. He stared out the window, watching the landscape blur past.

  Kaelin smirked. “I like how you skipped over my actual skills.”

  Lena laughed. “You know what I mean.”

  For the first time in a while, Kaelin felt a bit of the tension ease. Even if it was temporary.

  ***

  By the time they arrived at the forest, the sun was just reaching its peak. Each of the teams gathered in a group around Professor Alden, about to give a speech.

  He raised his hand to silence the crowd.

  “As you will have noticed, today we are at the eastern forest. There are 4 types of monster present here. Dire Wolves, Salamanders, Purlovia, and Great Boars. Each group will be assigned one type to hunt. This is the minimum for a pass. Should you succeed in your assignment, you may go and hunt the other types.”

  The crowd murmured. It’s not that no-one had expected this kind of thing, but it was only just starting to properly set in.

  “Finally, the points system. Other than passing, you should all be looking for a high placement. For your first kill of each monster type, you will get 10 points. Each subsequent kill will only award 2 points. So it is advantageous to try go for the rest of them, even after completing the one you were assigned. I will call out the name of the person who registered your group, followed by your target.”

  He started down the list, many people being given each of the four.

  Finally he reached Kaelin’s group.

  “Zephyr. Purlovia.”