Vane ran through possible options in his head but in none could he see a path to victory. He wondered how close help was. And as if the creators heard him, a man stumbled through the bushes, his suit torn in places and his monocle cracked.
"It seems I got here just in time" Head Instructor Caldan Rhel said as he appraised the situation. "Get back to the Red Tree, I'll take it from here."
Vane didn't argue, he slung an unconscious Kiren over his shoulder and bolted. But Thane was in front of them in and instant. He stretched out a hand to grab Vane but suddenly he doubled over. Blood seeped from underneath his wolf mask and Vane watched, confused. Sand suddenly trickled out from gaps between Thane's armour.
"Earth Magic." Vane noted. Instructor Rhel nodded, "Sand manipulation is my specialty."
He stretched his hand towards Thane and closed his fist. More blood leaked out from gaps in the armour as Thane tried in vain to defend himself. It was almost cruel to watch. Almost.
Lyra appeared beside Vane, her eyes wide and alert. "I heard the explosion. What happened?"
"Later," Vane replied.
Lyra stretched out her hand but before Vane could take it, Thane took off through the trees. Vane moved to chase after him but Lyra placed a hand on his shoulder. "You need to rest." Vane sighed as a light feeling washed over him and they appeared at the Red Tree. Or where the Red Tree once stood. All the surviving students were gathered as the instructors argued amongst themselves.
Instructor Rhel pushed through the crowd, "What's going on?"
Another Instructor turned, his expression panicked, "The gates aren't working. None of our portals are opening."
Instructor Rhel looked around. His gaze sharp, 'That werewolf is still out there. But if the gates aren't working, we can't leave. The Wolf must have snuck in with the students. But he didn't kill any of them. It was that beast, I don't see why he would kill them now.'
He sighed deeply as he turned to address the students, "Unfortunately it seems we are stuck here for the time being. For now we continue as planned..."
The crowd erupted in complaint as Instructor Rhel spoke. Their voices carried fear, disbelief and even anger. "You can't be serious" Someone shouted from the back. "Get us out of here" another yelled. Instructor Rhel raised a hand as slowly the crowd calmed.
"We do not intend to put any of you in danger. I'm sure you have all heard rumours of what happened to your fellow classmates and for that I am sorry. We did not take account of the fact that creatures greater than we expected would be lurking in these woods. But do now fear because the creature of the forest has been slain and the Red Tree is fallen. We will deploy instructors to guard each student camp and have speed and spatial mages on standby for quick extraction if it ever comes to that."
A hand went up and the crowd parted as Instructor Rhel got a look at the student. He was a short, boy with low brown hair. He looked around nervously as he asked his question, "They say the creators themselves made that tree. Is it okay that we just destroyed it?"
The crowd shifted uneasily. "The story of the Red Tree is a myth and nothing more" Instructor Rhel assured. Instructor Rouke chuckled, "Inspector Rhel is right, nothing but fairytales."
Inspector Rhel cleared his throat, "Thank you instructor Rouke, and trust me students, your safety is our primary concern. So we shall resume our activities but remember... be on high alert. Thank you!"
The crowd dissipated with murmurs following and soon, the only ones remaining where Instructor Rhel, Rouke, Vane, Lyra and an unconscious Kiren who's body had fully grown back.
"Are you sure the werewolf won't attack the students?" Vane asked.
Caldan Rhel shook his head, "He will recover and come for ur friend again. We need to be ready."
Vane nodded. "But for now you need to continue with the evaluation as well as everyone else." Instructor Rhel said.
A groaning sound was heard as Kiren tried to make it to his feet. Vane sighed and stretched out a hand. Hauling Kiren up, he was truly amazed by the werewolf's regeneration.
"We continue." Kiren said defiantly.
Vane looked at him, "You realise the danger you are in. And by extension, the danger you're putting me in."
Kiren didn't respond, but his eyes met Vane's and they held conviction. Vane didn't know why this test was so important to Kiren but for some reason he wanted to see how it would all end.
Vane sighed, "I'll watch things play out for now. We continue with the evaluation."
Lyra nodded, even though she hadn't witnessed the fight, she and probably the whole forest had felt the raw destructive power. Who ever they had fought must have been very strong. But with Vane, Kiren and her magic evolving, she felt she could deal with it.
Instructor Rhel nodded, "I commend your bravery." He turned to Lyra, "If you are to encounter the werewolf again, find me."
And with that, Vane, Kiren and Lyra returned to camp. And in a cave nearby a man sat, his body was scared and bleeding but his eyes shone like twin lamps. "You won't get lucky a second time, Kiren."