chapter 8: Survival class
He feigned Indifference as she walked in. She didn't even spare him a glance, her eyes danced across to Rey. She Bowed in respect. Rey smirked. "Times are beginning to change, miss Darkfrost." Noelle barely flinched at his words. She was already over people knowing everything about her. He smiled noticing her mood.
"Now Noelle why did you join this class?" Rey asked. Quinn shrugged, yet deep within he wanted to here this too.
Why did the self righteous Darkfrost chose a class I was in? Noelle inhaled.
"Power is useless if you're too dead to use it. The Console eats the arrogant first." Noelle shrugged. Quinn swallowed, to Rey that was a sharp answer, but to Quinn it was more trouble.
"Anyways, now let's get to the basics of survival." Rey started. He closed his eyes, the air became warm. Quinn's breath hitched, his chest was already hurting. He gazed at Noelle from his side eye. She wasn't even responsive to the heavy atmosphere. Rey continued, slowly increasing his mana outlet. Quinn slammed his eyes shut. Noelle shrugged at the mana. Rey opened his eyes, Quinn winced at the tremors of air current that had gathered him. "This is called Mana Overlay." Rey began. Before he even continued Noelle chimed in. "Used to track other mana signatures around, pinpointing the exact location and level of beasts and virus." Quinn maintained his cold gait, his eyes scanned the duo. Rey smirked.
"Correct. This is the first thing you should learn. If you can know the exact location your predator is attacking from, you will survive." Rey smirked. Quinn's mind flashed back to the bird in the console first trial. Somehow, he felt he needed not to know where his predator was, he could feel it. "Now you try. Close your eyes and locate the exact location that this egg is." Rey smiled. He stood up, extending his palms as the egg floated off. Quinn stood first, his eyes slammed shut. The darkness swirled in a mist around him, instead of releasing his mana. Fear scorched up his veins. What if the silhouette found him. What if it appeared again? He clenched his fist at the thought of that happening.
Quinn was still focused on his own thoughts, he barely noticed that Noelle had released mana. Pressure forced into his chest. Sweat raced down Quinn's forehead, Rey watched them. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. The air grew cold and still. Tremors filled the atmosphere as he watched the girl. Her back arched as if preparing for a run. Her legs left orbit, force slammed into the surrounding nearly throwing Quinn off balance. Noelle was gone, her hands caressed the egg. Cradling it with her eyes tightly shut. Quinn opened his eyes, his eyes narrowed at the girl before him. No smile of triumph. She handed it back to Rey, turning to squat back.
Quinn returned his gaze back to professor Rey. Her eyes remained on him.
"You seem to be good at mana overlay already." Rey smiled. Noelle barely flinched at the remark. Her arms crossed on her chest. Rey's gaze fell to Quinn.
"You did well, but you are still slow." Rey remarked. Quinn gave a slight nod. Rey tightened his lips and returned to the class.
"Survival isn't just about knowing your surroundings. It's been one with the environment ." He smiled. Quinn zoned deeper at the lesson. Rey spread his palms. A book appeared.
"Memorising every scent, every plant species, every habitat of all animals is giving you an advantage." Rey said. Species began to float around them. Quinn gawked around, memorising every animal habitat, the marsh of the mud vipers, the heart shaped leave of the heartbane tree. Quinn looked around, Noelle wasn't amused, her expression was rather calculative.
"I will give you an assignment, study the habitat of the striped tarantula, it's behaviour and weaknesses." Rey smirked. Quinn struggled a groan. The sound of homework caused his head to ache. Noelle sat indifferently. Her eyes watched with intent. Rey stood up and moved to the other extreme end.
"Now, a short beginners test will proceed. You are to survive in this beginner console environment. Together." He stressed the last word after watching the coldness between us.
"All your challenges are real and you are to gather the shortest information possible about your opponent within thirty minutes." Rey said.
He pressed some switches on the simulation tablet. The room slowly melted away from view. The polished scent replaced by muddy scent of a marsh. Quinn stared at his legs, the ground was murky green. Sinking his feets slowly. The scent of methane scorched his nostrils. His face flushed from the acrid heat. He looked around, Noelle had already unsheathed a long blade he didn't notice earlier. Her eyes closed. Slight tremors mixed with the heat wave of the marsh. Quinn gawked at it. She was truly a prodigy. His eyes snapped to her feet, she was sinking fast. And his shadows were feeling energised.
The feeling didn't end there, the shadow loomed over the sinking marsh and he could see through it, something was approaching from underneath and their best option was to stay above ground level.
Before he could mutter Noelle, the beast shit out of the marsh ground. Marsh liquid sprayed the air, acrid air stung his nostrils. But his shock was just the beginning. Noelle bounced up from the ground, mana warped her body in flight, her sword slashed thrice at the air in complicated patterns. Several impeccable strikes bashed into the mud viper. An hiss was heard. Quinn trembled as the mud viper hit the ground again. It's scaly skin was impenetrable to her attacks, but dents had been made. Quinn stumbled to remain upright, his shadow steadied the floor underneath him reflexively. His eyes watched her with intent. Her fall slowed down, and as soon as she landed she cut her sword downwards, an attack loomed into the marsh floor.
Quinn saw the frantic movement of the mud viper as it tried to survive. But her attacks landed squarely at it. The mud viper had vanished, Quinn peered down through the shadows again. His eyes barely traced the mud viper through the camouflage of debris in the marsh floor. He could notice tiny beams of parasites wriggling in the mud and surrounding the mud viper. Noelle's mana overlay flared again. Heat rushed against her skin. Her eyes remained closed, her skin paled. The mid viper twirled sighting her again. Quinn's eyes snapped with realisation.
"It can't pinpoint our location." Quinn exclaimed in his thoughts. Noelle snapped her head upwards, her sword climbed up and stuck down with relish. As soon as the mud viper came into view. She sliced severally as the strikes clashed Into the mud viper. Blood sprayed upwards, and it was then Quinn realised , it wasn't just unable to pinpoint their location. It was blind. There were no eyes.
Noelle seemed to have figured this out as he sword stroke underneath the mud viper slamming into it's chest. Blood sprayed, the copper scent lingered in his nostrils. Noelle glanced at him. "Took you long enough." She shrugged, her sword sheathed in one fluid motion. Quinn's eyes fell.
"She knew all along." He whispered to himself. Saying she was a prodigy was an understatement. This was a walking library. This made Quinn wonder about her background. The room melted back into view. Professor Rey beamed proudly. "Took just five minutes." He smirked. None showed any sign of triumph or happiness.
"seriously what's wrong with you two? loosen up a bit, being marked isn't a death game." Rey snickered. Quinn feigned Indifference. It was different for him. His life even without the mark was a constant survival of the fittest.
"Well...what did you learn of the mud viper?" Rey asked. Noelle was the first to go. Her tone was cold and metallic, almost robotic. "It dwells in dark waters and camouflage with debris. It detects prey using their mana signatures since it can't see. They have strong defensive scales." She read as if a book was placed before her. Rey nodded turning to Quinn. Noelle seemed satisfied that she had covered all. Even if her face showed nothing.
Quinn's lips parted and he Began his own narration. "Mud vipers are excellent at defense, but with the advanced sword arts from Noelle their scales were easily dented and vulnerable." He started. Noelle held a cold face all along, she glanced not once in his direction.
"However, the mud viper doesn't just stay in dark marshes like these for camouflage." Quinn recited. A memory flashed- his father battling a mud viper at camping.
"Mud vipers are symbionts with the phaeo mundane bugs that allow them to heal when the phaeo mundane drinks their blood. Creating new exoskeleton for the mud vipers." Noelle's facade remained steeled. Her eyes cold at his words. Rey clapped. "I thought you wouldn't notice." He smirked. Noelle's gaze remained on Rey the whole time. No reaction from his superb eyesight.
"It would take years of practice to be able to see the phaeo mundane bugs with mana overlay. Your sight is really spectacular, is that part of your talent?" He asked. "I don't have one." Quinn answered. Noelle gazed at him with indifference. He yawned and called the class to an end. It was just 11:45 am meaning there was a short break before their other classes.
Quinn didn't know what class Noelle picked and he didn't care. As far as she stayed right away from his lane. She flailed her hair past her shoulder, hoping he wouldn't cross hers either. She bowed and walked slowly to the door. Quinn followed behind.
"Oh boy! This too are really cat and rat" Rey laughed.