Ivan looked at Marcus. His face was cold and serious.
"Let's see how you stay in the forest without a camp," he said. "Shall we?"
Marcus stared at the red firework in Ivan's hand. His face was a mix of anger and disbelief.
"No," Marcus said, his voice low. "You won't."
"Are you sure?" Ivan asked. He took a small step forward. His thumb was on the fuse.
The other students behind Marcus took a step back. They looked nervous. They looked at their camp, then back at Ivan.
Marcus hesitated. His jaw was tight. He was thinking. Ivan could see the struggle in his eyes. His pride was fighting against his brain.
Finally, his brain won.
"You suicidal bastard," Marcus growled. "Fine. We have a deal."
Ivan let out a small breath. He hadn't realized he was holding it. He lowered the firework.
"I'm glad you made a decision," Ivan said. "It took you long enough."
He gestured to the fish and water on the ground. "Now, enjoy the food. I'll be going before it gets dark."
He looked Marcus straight in the eye. "Be a good partner. Don't send anyone to follow me."
Then Ivan turned his back and walked away.
It was a power move. He didn't look back. He just walked to the edge of the rock and started to climb down.
'He's probably going to send someone,' Ivan thought. 'He's too proud to just let this go.'
He didn't trust Marcus at all.
Once he was back in the forest, he didn't go straight back to his camp. He walked in a big, wide circle. He moved from tree to tree, stopping every few minutes to listen. He was paranoid. He was careful.
After a long time, he was sure. No one was following him.
Then he ran. He sprinted as fast as his tired legs could carry him, back to the safety of the cave.
---
When he got back, the sun was starting to set. The fire was burning low. Orion was sitting by the entrance, trying to sharpen a stick. Romana was still tied up, sitting against the rock wall.
"Yo," Ivan said, trying to sound casual. "Anything happen while I was gone?"
Orion looked up, relieved. "No, we were just chatting."
Ivan looked at Romana. "Marcus cares about you, huh?"
Romana looked at him, her eyes full of hate. "Hm?"
"He told me to keep you here," Ivan lied. "He said to feed you well."
Romana's expression changed from hate to confusion. "What do you mean, keep me here? You came back in one piece. That means you made a deal. Now let me go."
"No," Ivan said simply. "You're staying here."
"And what?" she shot back. "You're going to keep me tied up all night?"
"Exactly," Ivan said.
"Hey, man," Orion said, standing up. "At the end of the day, we're just academy mates. There's no need to take it to the extreme with her."
Ivan looked at his friend. "Yeah? Tell her that when she was about to kick my ribs in. I'm not letting her go."
Orion wanted to argue more. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ivan grabbed his arm and pulled him a few feet away, so Romana couldn't hear them.
"Listen to me, Orion," Ivan whispered, his voice intense. "I lied to her. If she goes back to Marcus, he'll probably beat her up for getting caught. And for us, it would be the end. She would tell him where our camp is, and he would bring his whole team here to finish us."
He was exaggerating a little, but he needed Orion to understand.
"She's useful to us right now," Ivan said. "As a hostage. Let's make good use of her."
Orion looked at Ivan. He looked at Romana. He didn't like it, but he nodded slowly. He understood.
Ivan walked back to the fire and sat down.
'I wonder what else is waiting for us in this test?' he thought. 'I'm sure it's not just about staying in the forest.'
They set up their camp for the night. They had two small tents. They put Romana, still tied up, in one of them.
Ivan poked his head into her tent. "Are you comfortable, Romana?"
"Fuck you," she said.
He turned to Orion. "I guess she's fine."
They had to share the other tent. It was small and super uncomfortable. They lay side-by-side in the dark, listening to the sounds of the forest.
Orion fell asleep quickly. But Ivan couldn't sleep. His mind was racing.
'How can I make the most of this alliance before it breaks?' he thought. 'Marcus won't trust me for long. I need to make him dependent on me.'
An idea came to him.
'There are wild tobacco plants in this forest. I remember seeing them. The leaves aren't strong enough to be a real drug. But if I mix a little bit into the food I cook for them... it might make them feel relaxed. Calm. They might start to look forward to my food deliveries.'
He thought about it for a long time. it was cruel but effective
---
High above, on a floating platform hidden by the clouds, Commander Valerius stood with several other instructors. They were looking at a large, magical map that showed the entire forest. Small lights on the map showed the location of each student.
The night was dark.
"The first day is over," one instructor said. "And no one has been eliminated yet."
Commander Valerius nodded. He walked over to a set of large, iron cages. Inside the cages were beasts. They looked like large, muscular dogs, but their eyes glowed with a faint, hungry light. They paced back and forth, growling.
"Let's release some dog-beasts into the forest," the commander said, his voice calm. "Let's see what our dear students are capable of."
He reached through the bars of one cage. He patted the head of the largest beast. Its growl turned into a low rumble.
"Time to play," he said.