Aimes grinned at Alex, and he knew exactly what the tanned boy was thinking. Having a map to look at would be a huge advantage for getting back to the classroom. So, even though he only had one snapshot, right now felt like the best time to use his power. For it to be useful, he would need to get closer to the map. From where he was standing right now, he couldn't see the map clearly, and that was needed for this plan to work.

  "Do ya wanna do it now?" Aimes asked.

  "No, I need to get closer. Looking back at a snapshot, it will be like I'm viewing the place again from exactly where I took it. I can't see the map clearly from over here."

  "Gotcha. Wanna risk running up while he's gone or do ya take it when we're making our pack?"

  "Better not risk it. He's not gone long when dropping off a pair."

  "Right, better to play it safe. Don't wanna get caught. Not by him. Gives off a bad vibe, ya know."

  Alex snickered at Aimes words. He knew exactly what the farm boy meant. Even though he knew Zeth would never do him any harm, he couldn't shake that first meeting with him. No matter what he did, he was always going to be the assassin who placed a blade against his throat.

  "So, do ya want to go next, or still wanna discuss our pack?"

  "No, I think we mostly got it. And I trust you to grab what we need while I take the snapshot." Alex hoped using his power wouldn't be too visible. But even if it was, Zeth had said nothing about not allowing the use of powers.

  Aimes nodded, and they moved closer to the front of the group, hoping to be picked next. Ghel and Hyntia were currently at the table making their pack. Alex could see Ghel staring intently at the map on the board while Hyntia grabbed what they needed. Like Alex and Aimes, they must have assigned roles for when it was their turn at the table. Their pack made, Zeth placed a hand on each of their shoulders, and in a cloud of black smoke they disappeared.

  Like before, Zeth reappeared alone a minute later. He scanned the remaining students until his eyes settled on Alex and Aimes. As they had hoped, he called them forward as he refilled the table with new items. Alex swallowed nervously as they walked up. This was it, the first use of his power. In his mind, he knew how to use it, but to actually do it was still something different.

  By the time they arrived at the table, Zeth was placing the final replacement item on it, a vial filled with a red liquid with swirls of gold in it. Alex had no idea what it was, but if he was going by what playing video games had taught him, it was a healing potion.

  "That a vial of Helene's Recovery?" Aimes asked, eyes wide as he looked at the vial Zeth had just placed on the table. From the name Aimes used, Alex guessed he might have been right in thinking it was a healing potion.

  "It is," Zeth confirmed. "Pick five items. Put them in here. Then you're off to the woods."

  Zeth placed a simple backpack on the table alongside the rest of the items. Alex nodded towards Aimes before turning his attention to the map. He studied it for a moment, taking in the most important information just in case his power didn't work. He already knew most of the campus by now from all the times he took courier jobs, so he focused on any landmarks he could find in the woods themselves.

  Two rivers ran through the woods, so finding one of them would be important. There were a couple of buildings in the woods marked on the map as well. Most of them were temporary shelters that hunters or foragers in the academy's employ could use. Other than those, there was also what looked like a place of worship and even a classroom in the woods.

  Having taken in what he could, Alex prepared to use his power for the first time. His heart started beating faster from nerves. He felt a warmth from the Silver Pearl's mana reserve and sent it to his eyes. A slight pressure built up behind them as he felt the mana gather there. He blinked, and the pressure was gone. In its place was now a small window floating in front of him.

  "Done staring?" Zeth asked as Alex dismissed the window.

  Alex nodded and looked toward Aimes. In the time he had been studying the map and taking the snapshot, the farm boy had packed their backpack. He held it open for Alex to see. Inside was most of what they had discussed earlier: a waterskin, a knife, a rope, and a bundle of jerky. The fifth item Aimes had taken was the vial of Helene's Recovery. Alex wasn't sure how useful that would be, but he trusted Aimes' judgement. He just hoped the woods wouldn't be so dangerous that they would need it.

  "Happy with the choices?" Zeth confirmed one last time.

  Both of them nodded, and the assassin placed a hand on their shoulders. Alex knew this was going to happen, but the cold touch of Zeth's hand still sent a shiver down his spine. He closed his eyes as he whispered to himself that it was going to be fine. When he opened them again, the classroom was gone, and they were standing in the woods.

  "From here on, you're on your own. Make your way back to the classroom. I have people out in the woods keeping an eye on you, and will occasionally check in myself. Good luck," Zeth said, and then he was gone again in a cloud of black smoke.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Almost as soon as Zeth was gone, a window pops up in front of Alex. He had seen them before, but it was still a surprise. Not wanting to reveal his Otherborn nature to Aimes, he acts like it's not there.

  Last time he had seen the quest log pop up, his insufficient mana network had corrupted it. Now that he had a Power Pearl and thus a functioning network, it seemed to work as intended. The primary objective of the quest was clear, but the optional objectives surprised him. For now, he ignored them and focused on just getting back to the classroom.

  Large oak trees mostly made up the woods around them, with the occasional willow here and there. Compared to the bustle of the campus, it was eerily quiet, but there was something relaxing about the serenity of it all. Leaves fluttered on the tree branches as a cool wind blew past them. Alex turned to his partner and saw that he had already put the backpack on his back.

  "I can carry it, if you want? You already packed it," he offered. He was likely going to rely on Aimes outdoor experience, so the least he could do was carry the pack.

  "Nah, I got it," the tanned boy shook his head as he readjusted the pack on his back.

  "Just tell me if you want me to take over, okay?"

  Aimes nodded as he found a comfortable position for the pack. "Did it work? Did ya get a snapshot?"

  "I think so. Let me check."

  Alex closed his eyes and directed the mana towards them again. He could feel the exhaustion from the high mana drain that came with the power, and his hand moved towards where the Pearl had settled in his body. When he reopened his eyes, he was back in the classroom, staring at the map on the blackboard.

  Zeth was placing new items on the table after calling the next pair of students up. It was strange. It felt like he was standing back in the classroom, but he could still hear the rustling of leaves, even if the sound was somewhat dampened. He could see Zeth's lips move as the assassin talked, but no sound was coming out.

  "Alex? Are ya alright?" Aimes voice sounded far away.

  "Yes, I can still hear you, just a high mana cost. It worked. I can see the map clearly."

  Just as he said that, one of the students of the new pair moved in the exact same spot he had been standing in when taking the snapshot. His vision turned black as it was obscured. He quickly closed his eyes and dismissed the power from his sight. When he opened his eyes, he could see the woods again.

  "It did? That's awesome." Aimes grinned. Their plan had worked.

  "It did, right until the moment someone stood in the same spot I was standing in and blocked my vision."

  Alex knew there had to be limitations to his power, but that had been an aspect he hadn't thought of yet. Next time he had to take a snapshot, he would need to stand somewhere someone else wasn't likely to in the future. The idea of someone else occupying the same spot felt unnatural to him.

  "Still, it worked. Just means we might wanna wait till the rest of the students are here as well, or at least until we think they are."

  Alex nodded, but internally marked that they shouldn't wait too long. Even with the advantage of his power, if they waited too long, they might end up reaching the classroom last. He wasn't sure that coming first was what he wanted, despite it being an optional objective of his current quest. It would put even more eyes on him than there already were. But coming last was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. Not only would that come with a punishment, but just like coming first, it would put extra eyes on him.

  The most important thing right now was finding landmarks they could use. A map was useless if you didn't know where your starting location was. There were no buildings around that he could immediately see. Those had been the most prominent landmarks on the map, so that was a shame. His next idea was finding one of the rivers. There were two of them, so without any other landmarks it wouldn't be too helpful, but it was a start. He closed his eyes and listened.

  There it was, faintly in the background, the soft rushing of water. It was very soft, but it was definitely there. If it hadn't been for how quiet the woods were, he wouldn't have heard it. Probably about ten minutes walking from where they were.

  "So, what's the plan?" Aimes asked. "Anything ya could glance from the map that we might use?"

  "I had hoped for a clearer landmark, but I think I hear a river that way," Alex pointed in the direction he had heard the water. "There were two of them on the map, but it's better than nothing. Just hope it's the right one."

  "The right one?" The tanned boy raised an eyebrow.

  "One of them goes from the wall to the main building of the campus, the other from wall to wall."

  "So we need to hope it's the right one and that we walk the right direction," Aimes shrugged his shoulders. "Like ya said, better than nothing."

  Not troubled by their lack of a clear landmark, Aimes started walking in the direction Alex had pointed. Alex wondered how he could be so optimistic after having been sent out last class. Was it just that he felt at home out here? Or was it something else? Whatever it was, it was probably the right attitude to have right now. With a quick jog, he caught up with the muscular boy.

  Ten minutes had been a surprisingly good guess when it came to how far away the river was from them. Alex could see the river through the trees right now. There was just one problem. Between them and the river was a large drop.

  They were standing on a large hill, but instead of the normal gentle slope down, there was a sizeable chunk of the hill cut off by a landslide. Looking left and right, the cliff seemed to go on forever. If they wanted to reach the river, they would need to get down somehow.

  "So, how do you want to do this?" Alex turned to Aimes, hoping his partner had some idea for how to progress.

  "That's a hard one," Aimes scrunched his face as he thought. He moved closer to the edge to look down. "We could try climbing down. Still got that rope in the pack. What do ya say?"

  Alex moved closer to the edge himself. The drop looked steep. One misstep and they would go tumbling down. "Are you sure?"

  "Sure enough," Aimes shrugged as he looked around for something. "Just need to find a good anchor. This beauty will do." He slapped the trunk of a massive oak tree that was nearby.

  Alex looked down the cliff one more time as Aimes removed the backpack from his body and placed it on the ground. He wasn't too sure if this was the right idea, but the farm boy seemed confident. Confident enough anyway to convince him to try it. Just to be safe, he checked the map one more time to make sure there were no other obvious landmarks they could use and find a safer way to the campus.

  Alex closed his eyes, and he saw the classroom again. Zeth was placing new items on the table. That meant he was still sending out new pairs into the woods. Good, that gave them some more time. His attention shifted to the map, but there was nothing that stood out. Their best bet was still the river, at least until they found a better landmark.

  When he returned his vision to the woods, Aimes had bound the rope tightly around the massive tree. The tanned boy checked the knot one last time before turning to Alex.

  "Should be good to go. Do ya wanna go first or should I?"