The Tutorial 3

"Where even are we?" asked Liam as he surveyed our surroundings.

"Nobody knows, but it's best if we all stick together," Ignis replied as she held her brother's hand.

"That's true," Elizabeth said as she went closer to a tree to inspect it.

I examined my surroundings. Looks like we were transported to some clearing deep inside the forest. No sound was audible except the occasional gushing wind. The wind carried the earthly smell of the woods. Greenery was the only thing that could be seen surrounding us.

"Are you sure that this is even a challenge?" Asked Elizabeth as she moved towards a shrub after examining the tree.

"We don't know what to expect. Plus we have to survive here for 7 days, we can't survive by just staying in this clearing forever." I replied.

"That's correct; it's best if we all stay at guard," said Ignis as she came towards me after wandering a little bit with her brother.

"So what did you guys find out about this place yet?" Asked Liam as he let go of his sister's hands when Elizabeth came closer.

Ignis glanced at Liam but probably thought it would be best to ignore him for now.

"This place looks just like Earth. The tree barks, leaves and even the small shrubs and bushes are exactly like those that can be found on Earth." Said Elizabeth.

"Indeed, even the smell of trees and the colour of the sky is the same as our planet," replied Ignis.

"But, it's best not to let our guard down. Most probably, this place was made like this so that we become overly comfortable. We still don't know what lies ahead." I said

"You are correct kind, sir! It's best if we keep our guards up in this unknown place," said Liam as he turned towards me.

Kind sir? Why was this boy calling me sir? Well, that's not the most important thing right now.

"Let's decide on the roles that each of us will play in our team," I said, motioning the three people to come closer.

I didn't want to be the team leader. It was too much work, handling people. For me, it was enough to become the team's co-leader.

Everyone's gaze turned towards me as if they were shocked.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Liam.

"The eldest in the group should be the leader." Said Ignis.

"Indeed!" Said Elizabeth, nodding her head.

A heavy sigh unintentionally left my body. Why me?

"Become the leader Elizabeth," I said as I glanced at Elizabeth.

"Nope!" denied Elizabeth without wasting a second to think.

This was pointless; not wasting any more time arguing, I asked, "So, who wants to become the co-leader?"

"I think Ms. Elizabeth should be the co-leader," Said Liam with a slight glint in his eyes as he looked at Elizabeth.

A slight irritation could be seen on Ignis's face, but she soon agreed.

"With that out of the way, let's discuss our team formation," I said

"Team formation? Why do we even need that?" Asked Liam

"We don't know what we are going to encounter in this forest therefore it's best if we plan simple things like formation beforehand," I explained

"I see," Liam replied, nodding his head.

I had extensively studied war formations and tactics when I was young, mostly because I had nothing better to do.

Quickly going through everything I had studied about formations, I said, "I think it would be best to perform a simple triangle formation with Liam in the middle."

This way, Liam could easily be protected, and since he was an archer, he could easily provide support to the rest of the team.

A glow of satisfaction appeared in Ignis's eyes when she realized that her brother would be safe from harm.

She must have been through some things to be overly protective of her brother. But, it was not my place to indulge in her past; quickly shaking these thoughts away, I looked towards my teammates to see if they agreed.

Everyone except Liam nodded their head in unison.

"But, I am not a little kid. I don't need to be protected," argued Liam. But, with a single glare from Ignis, his mouth shut tight.

We got into formation. With me at the front, Ignis at my left, Elizabeth at my right, and Liam between all three of us.

Even though I didn't trust strangers, especially Elizabeth, to protect my back, this was the best thing to do now.

Moving inside the thick forest, I surveyed my surroundings. The trees formed a vast canopy overhead in most places, denying most of the natural light from entering the forest. No breeze could be felt this deep in the forest. The chirping of a couple of birds was the only sound that could be heard.

Moving towards a tree, I examined it closely. The leaves were green, and the bark was brown. The tree was full of little crevices and holes here and there. Its roots covered the ground, and its branches extended towards the sky. This was indeed like a tree on Earth.

Were we still on Earth? It was a possibility that was supported by plenty of proof. But, it was only a possibility.

The forest was hard to move through. Roots of various trees covered the entire ground, some tree trunks lay on the ground, and the leaves and branches formed a thick wall in some places. I was forced to use my sword to cut down the wall of branches whenever they appeared.

Elizabeth moved closer to me and whispered In my ears, "Why did you choose the boy? There were a lot of other people who had a bow."

Did she not notice? Beckoning her to come closer, I whispered, "Observe his fingers, eyes and his breathing."

With a confused expression on her face, she looked toward Liam.

It was not a fluke that I selected Liam. His eyes were focused, and his breathing was calm even at a time like this. His hands were completely stable and didn't shake even a bit. During a time like this, when even adults broke down into tears, a boy like him was calm and focused. It could only mean that he had either lived a dangerous or a disciplined life until now. The fact that he had a firm grip right below the center of the bow meant that he had experience shooting one.

There were also adults who were similar to him. But the fact that he was still a boy compelled me to choose him due to his huge potential. Although his sister was unexpected, she, too, radiated the same aura of calm as her brother.

After some time of observing Liam, a smile appeared on Elizabeth's face, and she moved back into her position.

We had been walking for around 2 hours now. No clearing was in sight, and we were still in the deep forest.

"Wait! I hear something," said Liam as he came to a sudden halt.

A sound? What did he mean?

"A stream? I hear water flowing," Said Liam.

Water? I concentrated on the sounds surrounding me. The rustling of leaves, breathing of my team members, and water flowing. Indeed, Liam was right.

I moved towards the source of water.

After moving through thin gaps between trees and the damp mud for another half an hour, we finally encountered a beautiful sight.

A large waterfall with a long river originating from it. Trees and bushes surrounded the river.

Surrounded by various rocks and crevices, it wasn't very easy to get to the river.

Finally! Some water. Moving closer to the river, I examined the water. It was as clear as crystal. I drank some water, using my hands as a cup. Liam also came closer to the river to drink some water.

"Wait, Liam! Let's wait for 10 minutes and see if the water has any side effects on me," I said as I put my hand between Liam and the river.

Liam quickly understood what I meant and stepped back.

Even though I didn't trust my team members, it was my duty as their leader to ensure their survival.

10 minutes quickly passed. I felt no change in my body. Beckoning the team to drink the water, I drank some more.

Everyone soon quenched their thirst. Deciding it would be best to rest a little, I beckoned everyone to sit together. I sat on a rock beside the river, and the other team members sat on the rocks around me.

"We have been roaming aimlessly for hours!" Said Ignis in a frustrated tone.

"Calm down Ignis! Nobody of the 4 of us knows what is going on," I said, slightly raising my voice but not shouting.

It looked like Ignis was starting to get frustrated. I can't blame her for that. None of us knew what was going on.

"So what should we do about food?" Asked Liam

"Fruit is the only option, it doesn't look like there are any animals here. There are no fish in the river too," replied Elizabeth.

A long silence followed; nobody knew what to do. Everybody was deep in their own thoughts. After what seemed like 20 minutes passed, I got up.

"It's no use wandering in your minds," I said.

"Yeah, let's go find something to eat." Replied Ignis as she got up to her feet.

Just then, the crunching of branches and rustling of bushes could be heard. All four of us quickly looked in the direction the sound was coming from. Liam and Elizabeth promptly got up and put their guards up.

A wolf-like creature emerged from the thick forest. It had red fur, black eyes, and a bushy tail. Its muscles were strangely well-toned and could be seen even with the thick fur covering it. But, the thing standing out the most was the single horn on its head that protruded from the area above its nose.

The wolf was not alone; seven more like it soon came out of the forest.

Were they friendly or aggressive?

One of the wolves sprinted towards me with its mouth wide open, showcasing its deadly teeth.

Well, I guess these guys were not friendly.