Day 19
Night had settled over the forest clearing with an almost grateful softness. After a full day of hunting, exhaustion clung to all of them like a heavy blanket. The campfire crackled at the center, throwing long reddish shadows over the logs where the group sat. The air smelled of smoke, raw sap, and the meat Emma was trying to cut with a precision she absolutely did not possess. It was a moment of truce, one of those instants where danger felt distant, maybe even imaginary.
Jhon was the first to shatter the calm.
"Please, Emma… don't do that to that poor piece of meat," he said, as if witnessing a ritual crime.
Emma looked up, both offended and amused.
"As long as it's edible, it works," she shot back, stabbing the knife at an angle that violated every known culinary law.
Marcus let out a short laugh.
"You don't cut that well either, Jhon. Don't come acting like some holy chef."
Jhon gave him an indignant stare and lifted the stone knife at his side, Raylan's forced gift.
"This knife is a personal insult. How am I supposed to cut anything properly using this? Raylan carved it like a kid having a tantrum with a rock."
From his spot, Raylan only raised an eyebrow, which for him was the equivalent of yelling.
Emma continued hacking at the meat, if that chaotic motion could be called cutting. Jhon watched each movement like she was dismembering a corpse for the first time.
"Look at that. She's destroying fibers, textures… emotions," he complained, pressing a hand to his forehead.
Emma snorted.
"Do you want to do it, then? Come on, master slicer."
"I would, but some of us weren't blessed with weapons designed by a blind cat," he replied, lifting the stone knife as evidence.
Marcus leaned closer, smirking.
"So if the knife is that terrible… why complain about Emma? It's not her fault you couldn't cut through butter."
"Because," Jhon said, raising a finger with mock authority, "someone has to maintain a minimum standard of dignity."
"You?" Marcus asked.
Emma burst out laughing, nearly dropping the meat into the fire.
"Listen to him. Talking like he's the emperor of knives."
Jhon frowned, but a smile forced its way onto his face anyway.
"I'm no emperor. I'm just the only one here who respects the culinary arts."
"'Arts,' he says," Marcus muttered. "If you saw how you cook…"
"I cook excellently."
"You cook like you're fighting the food," Emma added.
Raylan nodded silently. That small gesture alone made Jhon feel like the entire universe was mocking him.
The argument rolled on with the kind of natural rhythm that happens only between people who've spent too much time together and survived too much. Emma defended her wild chopping style as if it were an ancestral tradition. Jhon complained about every detail, exaggerating dramatically just to have the upper hand. Marcus threw sparks into the fire, laughing whenever one of them rose to the bait.
For a moment, the atmosphere felt light, carefree, as if points, monsters, ambushes, and murderous classmates didn't exist. These days in the forest, hunting , eating and sleeping together has really created a strong bond.
Liora was the one who finally cut through all of it.
"That's enough," she said, not annoyed, but with the calm firmness she used whenever things drifted too far off track. "We need to go over the important stuff."
Their voices faded instantly. Even Emma stopped tormenting the meat.
Liora inhaled deeply.
"We're staying together because we can't risk Victoria jumping one of us alone. Adrian's been trying to locate her all day, but it isn't working. She's moving too quickly or she knows how to avoid him. And I don't want anyone getting comfortable."
Adrian, sitting near the fire, lifted a thumb to show he was still trying. His sharp hearing was useful, but even he had limits.
Liora went on:
"There's another issue. I know someone who could very well be in the top one right now. I won't say the name because it doesn't matter, but this person is extremely strong. Victoria is probably sitting at number two. And only three make it to the final top."
Raylan nodded.
"I've already made an agreement with Liora. I'll give her my points. I just want to pass."
Marcus looked at him and nodded, accepting the decision without debate.
"That leaves Liora and you," Raylan said to him, "as the only ones in this group who can realistically reach the top three."
Jhon let out a long breath.
"I'm more worried about the other guy. You know who I mean. That lunatic shouldn't even still be in the competition after what they did to him."
Marcus rested an elbow on his knee.
"Duke."
Liora nodded. The firelight made her expression sharper, more serious.
"One of the academy's best. His first Trait is practically a secret. No one talks about it. But what we do know is that he lost both arms… and still wasn't eliminated."
"It's because he doesn't feel pain," Marcus joked.
Jhon shot him a look.
"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. That guy doesn't react like a normal human."
Liora lowered her gaze to the fire.
"Whatever the truth is, we need to take him into account. Him, Victoria, and the unknown one I mentioned. Those three are real obstacles.
Just as Liora was ready to continue
The notification hit all of them at the same time. A sharp chime, a brief flicker in the air, and then the glowing text unfolded in front of their faces.
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: THE ANT MOUNTAIN
A colossal hive has surfaced. Thousands of Rock Ants inhabit the mountain, defending their Queen with relentless aggression.
Objectives:
• Defeat Rock Ants to earn points.
• Slay the Queen for a large point reward.
• Retrieve the Queen's Egg for an exceptional point reward.
Only one group or individual can claim the Egg.
Event begins at dawn.
The light faded. The silence didn't.
Emma let out a soft whistle.
Jhon muttered something that could have been an insult or a prayer.
Raylan leaned forward, elbows on his knees, analyzing the text like it was an equation.
Liora was the first to break it down properly.
"A mountain hive… that means the nest is layered. Surface soldiers, inner defenders, elite drones, and the Queen at the core." She tightened her ponytail, her eyes narrowing with calculation. "The Queen's Egg is the key. Whoever gets it jumps to the top three. Maybe even to the top one."
Raylan nodded slowly. "Rock Ants aren't just big insects. They grow stone plates on their exoskeleton. Their nests fuse into the rock. And if this hive is big enough to be classified as an event…" He looked at Marcus, then at Liora. "The point rewards will be huge."
Emma poked the fire. "Great. So basically a mountain full of angry rocks with legs."
"No," Jhon corrected, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "A mountain full of angry rocks with legs and jaws strong enough to snap bone." He glanced at the fading notification as if it might return. "And we need the Egg. If someone else gets it, we're done."
Liora exhaled slowly. "This event changes everything. The top three isn't about survival anymore. It's about who's willing to climb that mountain first and who's willing to leave others behind."
Marcus didn't react immediately. He just stared at the fire, jaw tight, shoulders still. Something in his expression was shifting, like a door closing.
Liora noticed it first. "Marcus. You're thinking something."
Marcus nodded.
"Yeah."
Liora straightened. "Say it."
He looked up, and the firelight carved shadows beneath his eyes.
"I'm leaving the group."
Emma froze mid-movement.
Jhon's frown deepened.
Raylan didn't speak, but the muscles in his jaw tensed.
Liora stayed still, waiting.
Marcus continued:
"This event isn't like the others. If we stay together, we split opportunities. You want the top three. I want the top three. Raylan already gave up his points. Emma and Jhon aren't chasing rankings. Adrian has his own limits. But you and I…" He paused, voice steady but low. "We're rivals now."
Liora didn't deny it.
Marcus went on.
"If we climb that mountain together, we'll slow each other down. We'll hesitate. We'll try to cover each other instead of going straight for the objective. And someone else will take advantage of it." He looked toward the dark tree line, where dawn seemed impossibly far. "I can't risk that."
Jhon shook his head. "Going solo into a hive of rock-armored ants? That's not brave. That's—"
"Necessary," Marcus cut in.
Emma clicked her tongue but didn't argue him.
Raylan folded his hands. "You've made up your mind."
"I have."
The fire popped sharply, scattering embers upward.
Liora finally spoke. Her voice sounded steadier than the others expected.
"You think you can get the Egg."
Marcus didn't brag or explain.
He just said " I don't give up easelly"
"And you think I can too," she added.
He nodded.
"That's why you need distance."
Marcus leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "You're strong. Smarter than most. And you don't freeze under pressure. If we cross paths in the hive, neither of us will hesitate. But if we stay together now, we'll hold back later, even if it's just instinct. I can't afford that."
The flames flickered between them, painting both faces with the same tense glow.
Liora's lips curled in something that wasn't quite a smile. "I was thinking the same thing."
Marcus breathed out, a hint of relief slipping into the tension.
Raylan glanced between them. "So this is it."
Emma poked la tierra con un palo. "You two planning to murder each other on that mountain?"
"No," Liora answered. "We're just not planning to save each other."
Adrian nodded once, accepting it with the calm of someone who had already see it coming.
Marcus stood.
Liora did the same.
They stepped closer, the fire burning hot behind them. Their expressions were serious, sharp, resolute.
"This is a competition," Marcus said.
"And we'll treat it like one," Liora replied.
They extended their hands at the same time.
Their handshake was brief, firm, inevitable.