CHAPTER 191: MAPPING THE WESTERN QUADRANT

The morning came with a steady breeze drifting across the basin, carrying traces of cold moisture from the distant cliffs. Arios woke before the others, sitting upright in his tent while listening to the quiet rustling outside. The island was loud at night but strangely calm at this particular hour, as if the ecosystem had taken a brief pause before the day’s activity resumed. He dressed and stepped outside, checking the clearing the teams had secured the previous day.

The campfires had burned low but still released thin streams of smoke. A few students from other classes moved around, some preparing breakfast, some inspecting their gear for the day’s assigned tasks. Arios mentally reviewed Phase Three’s guidelines again. The academy had officially declared this stage to be a mapping operation. Each team needed to document the terrain, sketch accurate layouts, and mark possible hazards. The basin was large enough that splitting the tasks made sense, though the faculty’s intention was obvious. They wanted to see how each group adapted when forced to operate over a wide area without clear escort supervision.

Lucy approached from behind him, already fully dressed and tying her hair back with a simple ribbon. Her expression told him she had slept well, though the slight stiffness in her movements also showed that the previous day’s battles had taken a toll. She stood beside him without speaking, watching the camp settle into its morning rhythm.

"Breakfast is almost ready," she said quietly. "Liza said she’d bring ours once she’s done trying to organize the mess the other groups left with the supplies."

Arios nodded once. "Good. We need to move early. The western quadrant will take the most time to cover."

Lucy shifted her stance, glancing toward the distant tree line where the basin sloped downward. "It looked dense from the cliff yesterday. If the academy wants the entire area mapped, they expected this stage to take multiple days."

"That’s likely," Arios replied. "The south had rivers and terrain changes, but the west looks like thick vegetation and multiple elevation dips."

Lucy didn’t disagree. Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned her shoulder lightly against him, simply resting there for a moment. "It doesn’t matter. We’ll handle it."

Arios didn’t move away. "We will."

Liza arrived before either of them could say anything else, balancing three plates and showing a level of irritation that wasn’t aimed at them. "I swear some students don’t know the meaning of sorting supplies. Everything was shoved into the crates like someone wanted to mix food with rope intentionally."

She set the plates down on a nearby crate and huffed loudly.

Lucy laughed once. "At least it’s done now."

"It is, but I’m not helping them again," Liza responded. "They can eat dirt if they keep messing up."

Arios sat on the crate and took his portion. They ate without rushing, letting the warm food settle their bodies after the previous day’s exertion. Other groups kept glancing toward the three of them, though none approached. By now, word had spread that Arios’s group had been deep inside the basin’s southern region and fought several monsters along the way. Their reputation wasn’t aggressive, but it was intimidating enough to make other students cautious about interrupting them.

Once breakfast was finished, Arios stood and tightened the straps around his gear. Lucy and Liza mirrored his movements with the casual coordination that had formed naturally between them over the year. There was no need to discuss roles anymore. Each of them knew exactly how the others moved, thought, and reacted.

When they were ready, they left the main camp and walked westward. The path narrowed quickly, forcing them to go single-file as the trees closed in. The humidity increased the deeper they went, causing a thin sheen of moisture to gather on their clothing.

"This is definitely thicker than the other regions," Liza said as she used her spear to push aside clusters of leaves.

Lucy looked at the ground carefully. "The soil here is softer. It might hold footprints better. That will make tracking easier."

"That will also mean other things track well," Arios added from the front. "Stay alert."

The western quadrant introduced itself slowly but consistently. The trees were large and closely spaced, forcing the group to move carefully. The sunlight filtered through in fragmented patches that shifted constantly as the breeze pushed the branches above. Arios marked the first segment on his map board, drawing straight lines and notations in a clean, organized format.

Every hundred meters, he added additional notes: elevation shifts, notable tree clusters, small animal trails, and subtle indentations that could signal larger creature paths. He paused once and knelt beside a narrow trench in the soil.

Lucy crouched beside him. "Something heavy passed through here."

"Multiple times," Arios added. "The soil isn’t fresh. It’s been used as a path."

Liza planted her spear into the ground and leaned forward to see better. "Do we follow it?"

"No," Arios said. "Not yet. We need a full outline of the quadrant before pursuing any deeper paths."

They continued deeper until the trees opened slightly into a natural clearing. The ground here was firmer, though still damp, and multiple fallen logs had gathered along the far end of the space. Arios marked the area while Lucy inspected the perimeter.

"There’s water nearby," she said. "The smell is faint, but it’s there."

"Probably a stream," Arios replied. "The map shows a depression in this direction."

They moved again, following Lucy’s sense of direction until the faint sound of flowing water reached them. A narrow stream cut through the terrain, lined with smooth stones that glistened from the steady current. Liza approached first and dipped her fingers into the water.

"It’s colder than the river to the east," she said.

"That means it comes from the cliffs," Arios noted. "The flow is strong enough to indicate consistent supply."

Lucy pointed at a small patch of flattened reeds near the water. "Look there."

Arios walked over and examined the area. The reeds had been pressed down recently, and the imprint was shaped roughly like a broad torso. He pressed two fingers against the soil. "Humanoid weight. Not a monster. Someone sat here."

"Another group?" Lucy asked.

"Probably," Arios said. "But the direction of the tracks leads toward the deeper west, not back to the basin."

Liza frowned. "Why would anyone go deeper without finishing the mapping?"

"Curiosity," Arios answered. "Or stupidity."

"Or orders," Lucy added quietly.

Arios didn’t respond, but he didn’t dismiss the possibility. Some class groups operated under instructions from their captains or from students like Chase who preferred to influence things indirectly. If someone had gone deeper without authorization, it could complicate their progress.

He continued mapping the stream’s path for another hundred meters before marking it clearly on the board. Liza walked slightly ahead, keeping her eyes on both the ground and the surroundings. Lucy maintained the rear, watching for anything that might trail them.

The forest’s density shifted again as they moved, the trees gradually widening to reveal a sloped ridge that overlooked the deeper parts of the western quadrant. The elevation change was moderate, but it gave Arios a useful angle to update the map.

He stepped forward, kneeling at the ridge’s edge to sketch the terrain below. The layout was rough but manageable. Several flowing lines indicated possible stream branches, clusters of trees marked potential hazards, and faint open patches might serve as transit routes.

Lucy stood beside him, wiping a small bead of sweat from her cheek. "This will take us all day."

Liza nodded while adjusting her grip on the spear. "At least it’s straightforward. No monsters so far."

Arios didn’t relax. "The south was quiet at first too."

They continued down the slope with controlled movements, each step taken with the awareness that unstable footing could cause a slide. Once they reached the bottom, the terrain flattened, and the atmosphere shifted again. The air felt heavier, as if the humidity had concentrated here.

Lucy paused and sniffed the air lightly. "There’s a smell. Faint, but something is here."

Liza looked around. "I don’t see anything."

"It’s not close," Lucy clarified. "But it’s present."

Arios scanned the ground until he found a small trail of broken twigs leading deeper into the forest. The direction matched the disturbance near the stream, though the tracks were older.

"Something passed through multiple times," he said. "Not human."

Liza tightened her grip. "Monster?"

"Possibly. Stay cautious."

They followed the trail until it widened into a compacted path that curved around a hill-like formation. Arios marked the structure on his map, sketching its approximate height and the direction of the incline. The hill wasn’t large enough to be a significant obstacle, but its presence shifted the terrain layout significantly.

Lucy crouched beside a rock near the hill’s base. "Markings. Claw marks."

Arios joined her and examined the grooves scratched into the stone. They were shallow but consistent. Whatever creature made them had likely marked its territory or used the rock for sharpening.

"It’s not recent," he said. "But it belonged to something that lives nearby."

"Should we follow the marks?" Liza asked.

"Not unless it reappears on the path," Arios replied. "For now, map first."

They resumed their steady pattern of exploring, marking, and noting. The sun rose higher, warming the air and lighting the forest in shifting layers. Arios adjusted the map’s orientation several times, verifying their direction and ensuring no segment was left undocumented.

As they approached another clearing, he paused. The ground here had been disturbed by something heavier than the previous creature. Soil had been pushed aside into uneven mounds, and several deep impressions were visible.

Lucy touched one of the impressions, measuring the depth with her fingers. "This is bigger than the wolves."

"And far heavier," Arios agreed. "At least twice their weight. Possibly more."

Liza scanned the treetops. "The undergrowth isn’t trampled heavily. Whatever it was moved carefully."

Arios nodded. "Which means it was intelligent enough to avoid leaving unnecessary trails."

They marked the area thoroughly before continuing. The path eventually led them to a small rise with partial visibility of the basin’s central region. Arios took the opportunity to update the map with long-range estimations, drawing clean lines and adjusting earlier segments with more accuracy.

Lucy approached him while he worked. "We’ve covered nearly a third of the quadrant."

"Good," Arios said. "But the deeper section will be harder. The density increases."

"It’s fine," she said. "We’re keeping a good pace."

Liza stretched her arms. "I just want lunch. Everything is damp here."

Arios didn’t disagree. The humidity was draining, and the constant movement made the air feel heavier. Still, they continued with steady progress until the sun reached its peak, casting stronger light through the trees.

They stopped near a wide, shaded patch beneath a cluster of thick branches. Arios placed his mapping board aside and sat on a firm rock while Lucy distributed their food packs. Liza sat cross-legged on the ground, poking lightly at the ferns nearby.

"Once we’re done with this quadrant," Liza said between bites, "the academy will probably push us toward the northern area."

Lucy swallowed her mouthful before answering. "The north has the highest elevation. If the storms move in again, it could be dangerous."

"We’ll manage," Arios said simply.

They rested for several minutes before packing up again. Once they were ready, they resumed their exploration, moving farther west until the trees opened into a narrow valley-like formation. The incline here was shallow but consistent, and the ground felt firmer beneath their feet.

Arios marked the incline carefully. The valley extended farther than the initial map suggested, and its shape provided natural cover for various creatures. He scanned the length of the valley before deciding their route.

"Down the center," he said. "But stay close."

Lucy walked beside him while Liza covered the rear. The valley narrowed, forcing them to adjust their formation, but the path remained manageable. Arios paused several times to check the map, ensuring their direction stayed consistent.

They continued until the valley curved left, opening into a wide circular depression with several small boulders arranged naturally around the perimeter. The area was quiet — too quiet.

Lucy stopped immediately. "Something’s off."

Liza stopped as well. "I don’t like this place."

Arios stepped forward slowly, scanning every corner of the depression. No monsters were visible, but the silence felt unnatural. Even the distant sounds of birds and insects had faded.

He approached the nearest boulder and ran his fingers along its surface. The stone was smooth at first, but as he moved his hand lower, he felt a slight texture change. He crouched and inspected it more closely.

Claw marks again — but deeper, more defined.

Liza exhaled slowly. "This thing moves all over the quadrant, doesn’t it?"

"Or it’s territorial," Arios replied. "This depression might be part of its range."

Lucy looked around the perimeter before pointing at another boulder. "There are marks there too. The same pattern."

Arios walked to each boulder, confirming the markings. Every one of them had similar grooves: long, consistent, powerful. No sign of recent activity, but enough to confirm a pattern.

"We mark this area heavily," Arios decided. "It’s important."

He added detailed notations to the map, circling the depression and labeling it as a potential high-risk zone. Lucy glanced over his shoulder before nodding at the outline.

"Good," she said quietly. "We can report this area properly."

They left the depression carefully and moved toward the northern extension of the quadrant, where the terrain began shifting again into lighter brush. The forest felt more breathable here, and the sounds of wildlife gradually returned.

"We’re leaving its territory," Lucy said.

"Which means we might run into other creatures instead," Liza added, though she sounded more relaxed.

Arios continued marking the area, stepping over a fallen branch while adjusting the layout. They had reached the outer edge of the western quadrant when the sky dimmed slightly due to cloud cover drifting overhead.

The temperature dropped a little, but the air remained steady. Arios finished adding the last major feature before exhaling lightly.

"That’s the western outline," he said. "We’ll need to return later to detail the interior, but the perimeter is nearly complete."

Lucy smiled faintly. "It took longer than expected, but it’s clean work."

Liza grinned. "And we didn’t run into any annoying students today."

"Yet," Arios corrected.

They turned back toward camp, walking at a steady pace while following the mapped path. The forest didn’t feel as threatening on the way back, likely because they now understood its structure. Every tree, ridge, and shifting patch of terrain had been documented in some way.

By the time they returned to the main basin, the sun had lowered into late afternoon. Students were scattered around camp, some resting, others comparing notes. A few paused to watch Arios’s group return, but none approached.

Arios stored the map board inside his tent and stretched his arms briefly. Lucy took her seat on a log beside the fire pit while Liza dropped onto the ground with a long exhale.

"That was a full day," Liza muttered.

"It was productive," Arios replied. "We’ll review everything after dinner."

Lucy nodded once. "I’ll help organize the notes."

Liza leaned her head back. "I’ll help too. But after I stop feeling like a damp towel."

Arios didn’t smile, but he felt a familiar ease settle among them — the calm that came after accomplishing something challenging. Phase Three was far from complete, but this was a solid start.

Tomorrow, they would push deeper into the quadrant.

But for now, the day could finally end.