Morning came and went, and to my annoyance, I was unable to sneak away from the group. I doubted I would get many chances to practice my drills without anyone noticing, but real combat would hone my skills either way. At the very least, it would help drive away some of my fears and nervousness of battle.

The trees and forests had long fallen off, giving way to open fields and plains. While still technically a part of Ferris, few people chose to live within fifty miles of the wilds' borders. The only significant settlements this far out were border fortresses, meant to repel any magic beasts who entered Ferren lands.

Considering the road we followed, and our planned expedition into the wilds, I had already surmised we would arrive at Fort Farhaven, the easternmost of these border fortresses. It lay at the end of the Sunrise Way, and it was one of the largest and most well-known of its kind, which made it a logical destination.

The fortress stood on a hill large enough to overlook land for miles away, and every hour of the day had spotters on watch. Girem had once told me the ground underneath was hollow, and filled with all the supplies and resources the soldiers within would need. I doubted I would have the chance to verify his words, at least not today.

The castle itself was large and well fortified, with a massive, iron door and high walls. The stonework looked sturdy, with smoothed faces worn by the wind. On top of the towers, I spotted several archers and what looked like ballista facing outward towards the wilds. At the top of the gate stood two guards, one of which followed our party with watchful eyes.

Stopping at the gate, the masters rode forward and greeted the guards with shouted words.

"We seek an audience with Commander Reford, by order of Archmagus Alexandria!"

The guards paused, speaking with one another briefly before giving a single nod. Several seconds later, with a horrific grinding noise, the gates inched open, allowing us into the fortress.

As we rode inside, I saw several dozen men and women drilling on dummies, or sparring against one another. The men and women looked dangerous, with cold eyes and well-toned bodies. Near one wall, a half dozen shot arrows from massive longbows, each projectile landing near the center of the target.

"Damn, they're quick." a voice said, next to me, and I turned to see Leon watching the warriors practice, an appreciative glint in his eyes.

Coming to a halt near the inner gate, the masters turned to our group, and Master Cytos shouted, "Wait here, students. We will return shortly, after we meet with Commander Reford."

After the masters dismounted and entered the keep, I turned and examined the soldiers training, pulling my cloak closer to guard against the chill carried on the wind. They seemed to no longer care about our presence, and had returned to their drills. I watched with interest as two began a sparring match, both wielding swords and rounded shields. Much like the archers, they moved with incredible speed and precision. If I had a chance in the future, I would love to try and practice with them myself.

Eventually, the masters returned and called us together. When we had assembled, and the chattering had mostly stopped, Master Cytos moved forward and looked around the group.

"Commander Reford has informed us that a pack of magic beasts have made several attacks on this fortress, killing several dozen of his men. This pack continues to grow stronger with each attack and is rapidly becoming too great a threat to allow to continue. We have agreed to track and eliminate these beasts, and as our charges, you will assist in this mission." he said, crossing his arms.

Murmurs broke out among the apprentices, and I saw more than one look uncomfortable at the prospect of facing beasts. However, several looked eager, Flynn Sion, in particular, looked thrilled, with a massive grin on his face as he glanced over towards the gate.

"Are there any questions?" Cytos continued, looking around at all of the apprentices. When no words came, he nodded and began riding towards the gate, which opened as he approached.

The first few days came and went without incident, though fraught with tension. Several times, the masters called a halt to our group, and each time I felt them gather mana and scan the horizon, on the lookout for beasts. Once, one of the masters had conjured a massive shield of mana around the entire group, and we halted in place, standing for ten minutes without movement. Only after another master had nodded did she drop the shield, and we continued on our way.

While the other apprentices likely lacked my ability to sense mana, they saw the tensed muscles and darting eyes of the masters, and responded in kind. Groups huddled together, drawing staves and wands, and murmuring under their breath. Even I felt the tense atmosphere, and I always rode with my left hand on the hilt of my weapon.

If the days were tense, the nights were even more so. Each night, the masters spent far long preparing defenses, and I would swear I felt a buzz of mana in the air from the collected spells. They would switch off watch duty, and at least one was awake at all times during the evening. Once, when I slipped out of my tent to relieve myself, I heard a roar in the distance, and nearly fell over scrambling to return to the shelter. From then on, I held my need until morning, when I was more confident I would be safe from any nocturnal predators.

The third day, as we rode past a small cluster of trees, we finally encountered our first beast.

It dived from high above, a screeching sound similar to a hawk's cry piercing the air. I grimaced, looked up, but found myself blinded by the sun and clumsily scrambled for my sword-staff. Before I could grab my weapon, the beast's cry cut off suddenly, and a loud slam came from a few dozen feet to my side.

Turning my head with one hand now on the hilt of my weapon, I examined the beast that thrashed close to me. It was a massive bird, with a body as large as an adult man and wings that looked to be twenty feet across, at least. Its eyes darted around, and talons gnashed, ripping into the ground and leaving furrows a foot deep.

Despite its attempts to attack, yellow chains as thick as my wrist and made of mana wrapped around its body, and prevented most movement. After a few seconds, the creature stopped, and I watched as its body strained, the chains cracking before shattering into pieces. The beast suddenly leaped at me, sturdy legs and wings carrying its small jump into a fifteen-foot lunge.

Even as I pulled my weapon free, and gathered mana to Flicker Step to one side, an arrow launched past my face, followed an instant later by a blade of pure white mana. I watched as the projectiles slammed into its head, one after the other, turning its leap into a stumble. I managed to pull hard on the reins, barely moving out of the way as the monster again fell to the ground.

Moving forward on his mount before leaping to the ground, Master Cytos held out one hand, muttered several words under his breath, and the creature became covered in a veil of yellow. It's movements instantly ceased, though a single bloody eye glared at me from under what I recognized as a stasis field spell. When I was sure it would not escape, I carefully lowered my still shortened sword-staff.

"This is a Razor-Beak, a fearsome ambush predator. Their claws are like swords, and their feathers are armored like chainmail. They dive at their prey faster than most humans could react and carry several hundred pounds for a meal. However, they have several weaknesses, which Apprentices Estton and Sion took advantage of quite well. Their head and eyes lack armor, and when their ambush fails, they lose much of their ferocity. Well done, the both of you."

I looked at the creature, who now glared at Master Cytos, although unable to exact its vengeance. After a second, another master approached, and with one flick of his hand, a spire of metal shot through the stasis field, piercing the beast's brain. When the stasis field fell, the creature collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

I almost felt sympathy for it, understanding that it was likely just hungry, but squashed that illogical sentiment after a moment. If this beast had the chance, it would have taken me as a meal, and not thought twice about it. Sympathy had a time and place, but this was neither.

Turning around to examine the rest of us, Master Cytos paused, his eyes stern, and his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"This creature is just one of many such threats out here, and far from the worst. I want you to look at this beast, and remember that outside of our borders, letting your guard down and become lax is a death sentence."

The group grew quiet, and several looked nervous about the prospect of continuing on our trip into the wilds. Still, we did not have much of choice, and the knowledge that we had the masters here to protect us lessened most worries. They were far more powerful and more experienced with these creatures, and the casual ease with which they handled the Razor-Beak gave us the confidence to continue.

As we traveled further into the wilds, we found ourselves ambushed several more times by beasts. Another Razor-Beak, smaller this time but still larger than most adult humans, attacked us the next day. This one managed to tear a chunk of flesh from one apprentice's shoulder, before Flynn sliced into its wings with one of his light blades.

When it hit the ground, another apprentice turned the field beneath it soft like mud, and the creature fell deep into the dirt and stone. After several seconds, Flynn followed up with another blast, this time aimed at its eye in mimicry of the masters attack that first day.

The next day, a lizard creature ambushed us, bursting from under the ground and charging the masters. Flynn attempted the same tactic, though this time, it failed to work as the blade deflected off the hard scales. As it came within range, Sophia stepped forward, a massive bolt of purple launching from her fingers and intercepting the beast.

While it did not kill the creature, it did slow enough that the rest of our group managed to recover. When it attempted to burrow underground again and escape, the same earth mage that trapped the Razor-Beak underground lifted this creature into the air with a hand that mimicked his movements.

However, after this, he seemed lost how to proceed, and several attacks by Flynn and Leon failed to pierce the lizards much harder armoring. One of the masters stepped in by this point, flicking her hand casually, and we heard a muffled pop as the creature fell still. When the rock hand dropped it to the ground, a nauseating purple liquid poured out from he now empty sockets that had once held eyes.

Two days later, a serpent launched up from the thick grass nearby and wrapped around one apprentice, a tiny, deathly pale girl who yelped shrilly at the attack. When it began to squeeze, she turned a bright red color, and since I was the closest, I moved my mount forward, gathering my mana in preparation to attack. I wanted to remain unnoticed, but I would not sacrifice an innocent girls life for that.

Before I could, the girl's body turned transparent, and I realized with interest that she had turned her entire body into mist. Without a body to grapple, the snake fell to the ground, whirling and spinning for another target. Even as it prepared to move on me, it halted in place, its body freezing before thrashing in horrific seizures.

Several seconds later, as bright red steam began to pour from the creatures mouth, ears and eyes, I felt my stomach clench. That innocent-looking girl had used magic to boil the snakes blood while still inside its body.

Every day, we seemed to encounter new and dangerous beasts, and each day I noticed a pattern. Several apprentices, the same half-dozen each time, reacted almost instantly and with clear focus and calm. They would attack with various spells, often adapting quickly to the situation as needed. If they failed to kill the beast, the masters would then step in, eliminating the foe.

After every battle, the masters would explain the nature of the creature, its strengths and weaknesses, and how we could better fight in the future. And they often would commend the apprentices that had reacted in time, commenting on how to improve their techniques. With each battle, I had begun to realize exactly what purpose these masters had, and what they wanted from us.

Despite my desire to test my spells against them, I refrained from entering battle myself. I needed to maintain an air of weakness for now, though I had come to an idea of how to convince the Esttons to permit me combat training next semester. And regardless, watching and observing the other apprentices still gave me opportunities to learn possible techniques to apply in my style.

A week into our trip, the masters gathered us at nightfall, with Master Cytos wearing a pleased grin.

"Excellent news, apprentices! We have found the trail of our target, and should catch up to them within two days. Take stock of your supplies and weapons, and make sure to get plenty of rest. And above all else, be ready for anything."