Our prey, as the masters finally deigned to reveal, was a large pack of beasts commonly called Horde Wolves. Like many magic beasts, they possessed a strong resemblance to their non-magical counterparts, albeit growing larger and heavier. A small adult would weigh at least three hundred pounds, while the largest would top five hundred.

In addition, they were faster, stronger, and more robust than their size suggested, their mana augmenting their muscles and bones. Individually, each wolf was dangerous enough to pose a threat to an apprentice mage, or an unprepared soldier. However, their greater danger lies in their incredible ability to work as a pack.

Each wolf possessed rudimentary psychic abilities, which linked them mentally with the rest of their pack. This allowed them to coordinate attacks, respond to threats and communicate great distances. More frightening was that the larger the pack grew and the more minds added to the fold, the higher their overall intelligence.

A pack of a dozen was not a significant threat, even with their increased physical abilities. But a pack of twenty to thirty wolves could be problematic, even with the masters assisting us. If the scouts were to be believed, the party we hunted was over twenty strong. And so, the masters had come up with a plan for our attack on our target, to minimize injuries.

Apprentices would separate into two groups, half on foot and the other half mounted. The pack should be drawn into attacking the apprentices on foot, in an attempt to defend their territory, and when they moved, we would use ranged magic to pick them off. The mounted apprentices would remain further back, to intercept and kill any surviving beasts that attempted to flee.

While we took care of the weaker ones, the masters would seek out the most powerful wolf. Magic beasts grew more potent as they age, and the oldest wolf directed their pack mind. If they were killed, it should confuse the rest of the wolves and leave them disoriented. More importantly, if the alpha escaped, it might form another pack, which was unacceptable.

The first two days of searching yielded nothing but a grisly trail of corpses, the remains of the pack's meal. As we rode, I kept my mana senses open, noting with satisfaction that my range continued to expand with every day.

"I still don't understand why they would drag us along on this trip, if we are going after such dangerous prey," Simon complained to us, after we set up camp for the night.

Glancing around to make sure no one else was within earshot, I replied, "I thought it would be quite obvious now. I am sure you have figured it out, right, my lady?"

At the end of my sentence, I turned to Sophia, who paused, the ghost of a smile crossing her face, before nodding.

Leon looked confused, but Sophia explained, "Theron Cytos is not a teacher, but a battlemage and a dangerous one. He specializes in suppression and battlefield control magic. And the red-headed woman is Athura Tolth, his long-time partner and an expert water mage. They're infamous, with fifty years of combat experience between the two of them. I don't recognize the others at a glance, but it makes sense they would also be combat experts."

Leon's eyes flicked between us before asking with a hint of annoyance, "What the hell are you both talking about?"

I paused before replying, "This trip serves two purposes. The first is backup. A pack of Horde Wolves is dangerous, and even for experienced masters like them, there's a chance it could go poorly. A very slim chance but still a possibility."

"Then why wouldn't they bring along more experienced apprentices, or even fully trained mages? As far as I can tell, all the apprentices here are first-years." Simon asked, biting his lip.

Sophia replied instead of me, stating, "They want to see how we react in life or death scenarios. If all they wanted was backup, they would've recruited soldiers or journeyman mages. But their true purpose is to throw us into battles to test who are naturally predisposed to combat. You can't seriously believe you and those other apprentices have reflexes better than a masters?"

Leon scratched his face, a hint of a blush coming to his cheeks before he replied, "I thought maybe they have gotten slowed with age or got caught off guard. Wait, but what if one of us died?"

"The wilds are dangerous, and it is not unheard of for a student or two to die out here. However, I am sure they would have intervened if needed. If only to avoid the scandal." I replied, crossing my arms and leaning backward in my seat.

Leon looked pale at the thought that the masters would be risking the lives of apprentices as a test, which almost made me chuckle. Leon was arrogant and occasionally selfish, but he was also morally upright and loyal to his friends and followers. While these were admirable traits, they did not always make for a productive or pragmatic leader.

On the morning of our third day of searching, as we gathered our supplies, I decided the time was right to make my move. Pulling aside the Esttons, I made a show of looking down and biting my lip. Before now, my instincts had always been to lie to the Esttons. Despite their kindness, I was unsure who I could trust, and I had to make sure I did not fall into the same path as my visions.

But now, I saw that honesty, to a point, had the potential to be more useful than deception.

"My lords, I am afraid I have to be honest about something," I said, taking a deep breath and raising my eyes.

Sophia raised an eyebrow, and Leon's face became concerned.

"What is it, Vayne?" he said, crossing his arms.

"Well...in my spare time, I have begun studying some basic spells for self-defense. I know that traditionally, sponsored apprentices are discouraged from developing skills in combat, but in truth, I think I can do more good if I became skilled in battle. If nothing else, it would allow me to assist both of you on and off the battlefield. And truthfully, I would like to have the ability to defend myself." I said, looking between the two of them and making eye contact with each.

Sophia's eyes narrowed, and I saw a trace of satisfaction, but Leon looked upset.

"Vayne...I did not expect you to lie or hide something from us. I thought we were friends. Friends don't lie or deceive one another, and you should know that we aren't unreasonable." he said, pursing his lips.

"I know, and I apologize to both of you. When we return to Volaris, I would like to offer my apologies and confess to Duke Estton and Girem and do whatever I can to earn your trust." I said, bowing low to both of them.

Leon and Sophia glanced at one another, before Leon turned back to me and nodded once, "I understand. Thank you for your apology, Vayne. But frankly, you will need to convince my father of your sincerity, not me."

I nodded, and although the betrayed look in Leon's face stung, I was relatively satisfied with this outcome. Sooner or later, someone would discover the truth, and by confessing now, I may be able to minimize the damage. And hopefully, this confession would abate some of Sophia's suspicions of my motives.

Now, there was just one more step to my plan, and if it went well, I should be able to sway the Esttons to allow me to learn more combat skills with their blessings.

As we prepared to head out, there was an almost palpable buzz in the air, and I was confident today we would find our targets. Leon, Sophia, Flynn, and several others would be on foot, while Simon and I, together with eight other apprentices, would remain mounted.

It was midday when we came onto the pack, as they lounged in the long grass of a field. We were in the open, which was uncomfortable, to say the least, but the masters seemed more concerned with killing the wolves than watching for potential predators.

When we came within a few hundred feet, most of the pack rose, growls came from their throats, and several took a few steps forward. Each was massive, larger than a man, and in the center, I spotted an enormous brown wolf that stood as tall as a horse. The masters circled the pack, their eyes locked on the alpha as they moved.

Suddenly, several of the smaller wolves moved forward, charging the nearest apprentice with incredible speed. Leon loosed an arrow, and Flynn released three blades as they approached, intercepting the closest two, who both fell to the ground in matching sprays of crimson.

The remaining two continued, leaping at the apprentice who screamed, before surrounding himself in a sturdy Mana Shield. Bouncing off, they circled, fangs bared as they searched for an opening. Even as these two attacked that apprentice, most of the pack began moving forward, two or three targeting the closest apprentices.

I observed from a distance, using both my eyes and mana sense to scan for any stragglers. For the most part, it was a slaughter, and I watched as Leon and the others killed the wolves with little difficulty. Although the pack moved with unnatural efficiency, and almost immediately adapted, focusing their attacks on the weakest apprentices, the difference in power was too significant.

Further off, the masters had engaged the alpha, who moved with a speed I could hardly imagine. The beast leaped dozens of feet through the air, the ground tearing from the force of his muscles, and I watched as chains wrapped around its body were shattered with ease. A gout of flames that turned the grass around it to white ash barely slowed it down, and the cuts on its skin from metal spears had already clotted.

However, none of the masters had taken an injury, and the wolf began to slow under their assault. Attacks that it dodged before landed, and it took a second longer to shrug off the effects of spells. It was apparent that it was losing the battle, and would eventually fall. Despite that, I still marveled at its physical might and found myself envious of the strength of a magic beast.

Breaking me from my thoughts was a yell, as one wolf charged us, making for a gap in our ranks. Simon was closest, but as the creature ran, he froze, and the beast slipped past, continuing into the underbrush.

Swearing, I pulled hard on the reins, breaking into a gallop as I chased after the beast. It had a lead on me, and moved quickly through the underbrush, but my horse was faster and ate up the ground in lightning-fast strides. Glancing behind me, I was already hundreds of feet away from the party when I came within range of the beast.

Drawing my weapon and activating it with a mana pulse, I threw forward one hand and sent an Arcane Beam at the beast. I had aimed for the back of its head, but my accuracy still needed work. Rather than killing it, I sliced through the muscles of its upper back and front leg.

With a yelp, it stumbled before falling to the ground in a heap. We continued past it, and with another muttered swear, I brought us to a stop, turning my mount around to face the wolf, who had now risen to its feet.

We were now far enough that I doubted anyone would even see us, which meant I could fight it without issue. And I knew I needed to kill it fast, before something more dangerous came upon us.

Keeping all of this in mind, I pulled my mana into my legs and cast Flicker Step, teleporting a few dozen feet to its right. Even as I popped into the air, I held out one hand and sent another Arcane Beam towards it, which carved a deep furrow into its side.

Snarling, it leaped towards me as I landed onto the ground, and I was barely able to gather the mana to cast Mana Shell in time. Despite the spell's strength, I still felt the force as its jaws bore down on my forearm. With my right arm in its mouth, I stabbed forward with my other hand, gripping my sword-staff and aiming for its vulnerable underbelly. Although I lacked the strength to cut deeply with only one hand, I still felt it sink a few inches into muscle.

Stumbling backward and growling, the wolf slowly circled, far more cautiously this time. I kept back a dozen feet, taking stock of my channels conditions and smiling in satisfaction. Casting multiple spells in a row took a toll, but I should be able to finish off this beast before it became an issue.

Suddenly, I felt something slam into my mind, and I froze for a moment, a headache blooming into existence. It ended almost as quickly as it came, but in that moment, the wolf closed the gap, jumping again and grabbing my arm in its mouth.

Like last time I cast Mana Shell, but in my panic, I failed to properly form the spell. Slamming into my chest at full speed, I fell backward with the beast on top of me, and I felt its razor-sharp teeth dig into my arm, slicing through leather and deep into muscle and bone. As my spell faltered, its claws dug into my chest, not as deeply as its teeth but still drawing blood.

Yet even as it sliced me open, I felt the hot pouring of blood onto my bare skin from the wolf. When it jumped, I had held up my sword-staff more by instinct than rational thought. The same leap that knocked me over and tore through my armor also drove the weapon deep into its stomach and heart.

Even now, its attacks grew weaker, and my blade pushed deeper into its chest with each thrash. Soon, it released my arm, and I shoved the beast off my chest with a grunt, slowly rising to my feet and staring down at the defeated creature.

It looked up at me, whimpering softly in pain, and I felt a touch on the edge of my mind, the same psychic sensation it, or rather she had used to attack me. I knew it was female, though I had no idea exactly how I was so sure.

And it was afraid. I felt the sting of fear as I stared down at it, mixed with pain and sadness at failing its pack. The feelings were strong enough that I hesitated for a brief moment, struggling with what needed to be done. After a second, I took a breath and pushed down the feelings of sadness, before stepping forward and aiming an Arcane Beam with my uninjured arm.

This time, I did not miss my intended target.

Straightening, I looked around, checking for both other apprentices and magic beasts, before moving to my horse. I needed to move quickly before my absence became too significant. First, I drank a healing potion, feeling the bleeding of my wounds immediately begin to slow. I had hoped to take an injury or two out here, to make my case for learning more combat magic more reasonable, but this was worse than I intended.

Grabbing several empty vials, I sliced into the corpse, filling each glass to the brim with blood before storing them again. Cortos' sanctum had several recipes claiming to improve cultivation, with the main ingredient being magic beast blood, and I intended to look into them when we returned. Finally, I sheathed my sword-staff before drawing Leon's sword and stabbing the corpse several times to coat it in blood.

Mounting, I made my way back to the group, who by now had finished off the pack. The alpha lay in a heap, covered in hundreds of wounds, while the others had been killed by a dozen different spells. Another apprentice looked to have just returned, with several gashes on his face, and he gave me an appreciative nod.

"Vayne, are you okay?!" Simon shouted as he rode up to me, scrambling in his pack and retrieving bandages, holding them to my bleeding arm.

I nodded, smiling despite the pain beginning to radiate from my wounds.

"Never better, Simon."