Lilianna had, of course, heard the rumors. She knew that some lesser beasts dwelled deeper in the forest, the kind most mages would have nothing to fear from, but the stories of giant monsters, child stealing elves, and cultists performing dark rituals were rampant among the common city folk. Lilianna didn’t believe any of it. At least, she hadn’t, until she’d stepped foot into the forest itself. The stories made a lot more sense now, especially this late in the evening. The trees seemed to exert an odd pressure as they walked deeper and deeper.

As unsettled as Lilianna was, Nadrina was far worse off. She was practically clinging to Lilianna, her eyes darting around furtively. Lilianna had thought her friend too intelligent to believe such stories, but then remembered that Nadrina was from a small and remote village. She’d probably grown up believing these stories after hearing them almost every night.

The rest of the class had varying looks of nervousness and worry. Codrin and Volmar seemed to be the only exceptions; Volmar had the same dopey smile he always wore, no matter the situation. Codrin looked like he was daring the forest dwellers to attack him, directing a challenging frown at their surroundings. Lilianna wondered if it was bravery or stupidity. Maybe both.

Professor Aldric was leading the way as casually as could be, like he was going for a stroll through the park. If anything, he looked cheerier than usual. Lilianna did her best to take some sort of comfort from that.

“Alright! This should be far enough for tonight,” the professor called out, causing everyone to flinch at the loud noise. “Feel free to drop your packs. We’ll be setting up camp here.”

“What?” Nadrina squeaked out. Lilianna shared the sentiment.

“Now you guys get to figure out why we’re all out here!” Professor Aldric exclaimed with far too much cheer. “The headmaster has decided we’ll be testing out a new curriculum. Congratulations, you’re the guinea pig class... again.”

He gestured expansively to the trees surrounding them. “For the first part of your assignment, you’ll be making camp, complete with lodging and firepit. I’ll be nice this time and provide rations, but firewood and building supplies will be limited to whatever you can find and gather. Anyone who can’t complete their part, besides having a pretty chilly night to look forward to, will take a zero for today.”

The entire class stared, dumbfounded. Lilianna was having a hard time keeping up. He expected them to actually sleep out here?

“Oh, right, I forgot the best part!” the professor leaned forward conspiratorially, his smile looking absolutely evil in the fading daylight. “You can’t use any magic. Get to it! You have less than two hours and counting until sundown.”