Villainous Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 23: Survival Camp(2)
CHAPTER 23: SURVIVAL CAMP(2)
The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
The moment we landed, everyone got to their feet, checking their gear. No serious injuries—except Felix, who was groaning while leaning against a tree.
Julien stretched. "Well, that was a fun drop."
Mira dusted herself off. "Could’ve been worse."
Felix groaned louder. "How?"
Garrick adjusted his pack. "You could’ve landed on something sharper."
Leo sighed. "I already regret signing up for this school."
Wallace scanned the surroundings. "Less whining, more thinking. We need to move."
He was right. Standing around made us an easy target.
I took a slow breath and looked around. The trees were thick, the air damp. The ground sloped downward, and the narrow path from earlier led deeper into the ridge.
"We need to find a good spot to set up," I said. "Somewhere defensible."
Julien glanced at the cliffs. "Higher ground?"
"Not unless you want to climb."
Mira kicked a rock down the slope. It tumbled into the trees before vanishing into the undergrowth. "We need cover."
Garrick nodded. "Water source, too."
Wallace pulled out a small map—one of the few things we managed to grab before leaving. "There should be a river southeast of here."
I glanced at the sky. The sun was still rising. That gave us a few hours before it started getting dark.
"Alright," I said. "We head for the river. Stay alert. No unnecessary noise."
Julien grinned. "You say that like Felix can be quiet."
Felix scowled. "I can—"
"Shh."
Mira’s voice cut through the conversation. She was crouched, eyes locked on the underbrush.
Something moved.
The leaves rustled, then stilled.
For a second, no one spoke.
Then Julien whispered, "Please don’t tell me that’s a bear."
I slowly reached for my knife. "It’s not a bear."
Then, from the shadows, the creature stepped forward.
It was low to the ground, covered in dark, matted fur. Its eyes were yellow in colour.
A stone rabbit. Low-tier beast. Tough hide, weak against piercing attacks. Barely worth the effort.
It wasn’t a threat. Not unless we were complete idiots.
The rabbit’s yellow eyes locked onto us. Its muscles tensed, like it was ready to lunge.
"Garrick! Smash it’s head." I shouted to Garrick who were nearing near a pretty large rock.
Garrick didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the rock with both hands and hurled it down with all his strength.
CRACK.
The stone rabbit twitched once, then went still.
Silence.
Julien let out a low whistle. "Damn. Brutal."
Mira nudged the corpse with her foot. "Efficient."
Felix exhaled. "I swear, everything in this forest looks demonic."
Wallace crouched beside the corpse and knocked on its hide. "Tough. We could skin it if we had the right tools."
I shook my head. "Not worth it."
Because stone rabbit meat is not edible and it was an annoying monster to hunt.
"Let’s keep moving," I said.
The others didn’t argue. We walked towards southwest instead of southeast and Wallace noticed that.
He narrowed his eyes. "We’re going the wrong way."
"We’re taking a detour," I said without breaking stride.
Wallace adjusted his grip on the map. "Why?"
"Think about it? If we went straight to the river, then we will surely meet with other students and professors. Anyone of you want to happen that?"
Silence.
Julien snorted. "Yeah, no thanks."
Mira crossed her arms. "Avoiding the competition, huh?"
"More like avoiding unnecessary problems," I said. "Some of them might play nice, but others? They’ll see us as easy targets."
Garrick grunted. "So we set up somewhere quieter first, then move when we’re ready?"
I nodded. "Exactly."
Felix groaned. "Great. More walking."
Leo sighed. "At least we’re not running for our lives. Yet."
Wallace frowned but didn’t push the issue. He was smart enough to know I had a point.
We kept moving, following the stream through the forest. The air felt heavier the deeper we went, the trees pressing in like silent watchers.
Eventually, we found a small clearing near the water, half-hidden by thick brush. A good spot.
Julien dropped his pack. "So, do we officially call this home?"
"For now." I looked around. "Start setting up. We need shelter, a fire, and a watch rotation for the night."
Mira cracked her knuckles. "I’ll handle the traps."
Garrick started gathering firewood. Wallace studied the area, probably already planning escape routes.
Felix, as expected, just sat down.
I sighed. "Felix, at least pretend to be useful."
He groaned but got up. "Fine, fine. What do you want me to do?"
Julien grinned. "How about finding something soft to sleep on? You’re good at lying around."
Felix muttered something under his breath but walked off to gather bedding.
The sun dipped lower. Shadows stretched longer.
It was almost time to us secretly borrowing the stuff from the other class.
As night settled, we got to work.
Julien and Garrick built a fire pit while Wallace worked on a rough perimeter. Mira set up traps, and Felix, after a lot of complaining, managed to gather enough bedding for a half-decent sleeping area. And Cassandra was looking at the fire.
I kept watch.
The forest wasn’t completely silent anymore. In the distance, we could hear faint movements—branches snapping, leaves rustling. Nothing close, but it was enough to keep us on edge.
"We should take turns keeping watch," I said. "Three-hour shifts."
Julien groaned. "Of course you’re making us work."
"Would you rather wake up to something chewing on your leg?"
He shut up after that.
We ate what little food we had—mostly dried rations. No fire yet. Too risky. We’d light it only when we needed to cook or stay warm.
Then came the next step.
I stood up and dusted off my hands. "Time to get supplies."
Mira smirked. "You mean ’borrow,’ right?"
I shrugged. "Same thing."
Wallace adjusted his glasses. "You already have a target?"
I nodded. "Class A set up camp near the river. They’ll have extra food, maybe even better tools."
Felix looked horrified. "You want to steal from them?"
"Borrow," Julien corrected. "And yes, obviously."
Felix groaned. "They’ll kill us if we get caught."
Leo sighed. "Only if you get caught."
Felix muttered something under his breath but didn’t argue.
Mira leaned forward. "So, what’s the plan?"
"Simple," I said. "We go in, take what we need, and leave before they notice."
Garrick cracked his knuckles. "Sounds fun."
Wallace frowned. "Risky."
"Only if we’re dumb about it," I said. "We move quiet, we move fast. No getting greedy."
Julien grinned. "Alright, let’s do this."
Mira stretched. "Who’s going?"
I looked over the group. "Me, Mira, and Julien."
Felix raised a hand. "I vote to stay here."
"No one asked."
Leo leaned back. "I’ll keep watch here. Make sure no one follows you back."
I nodded. "Good. Let’s move."
We slipped into the shadows, heading toward Class A’s camp.