Chapter 359: Beasts, Blood, and the Cost of Survival

Chapter 358: Beasts, Blood, and the Cost of Survival

Garron’s final words still hung in the air when movement rippled through the gathered trainees.

They broke formation in an orderly flow, boots crunching against snow-dusted ground as they filed past the gates and into the open clearing just beyond the pack’s boundary. The forest loomed ahead—dark, vast, patient—but for now, attention shifted to the tall wooden board mounted between two carved posts.

The postings.

Sophia slowed with the rest of her team, eyes lifting to scan the neatly arranged list burned into the wood. Names and descriptions. Sketches too, for visual reference, and point values etched beside them in bold strokes.

This was the scale by which they would be judged.

This was what would decide who moved forward—and who stayed behind.

A cold breeze passed through, tugging at cloaks and hair as trainees leaned closer, murmuring quietly as they read.

At the top of the list were the lowest-tier beasts.

Virelop — 5 points

A small carving showed a round-bodied creature with long ears and hollow eyes. Harmless-looking. Deceptive.

Sophia’s jaw tightened slightly. Five points meant she’d need at least twenty of them to pass if she relied on Virelops alone.

It was a simple choice, but she doubted things would be that easy. One thing Orion had told her about Virelops was that if she continued hunting them, they would go into hiding.

She didn’t dwell on it, but she stored the information away. Below the Virelops—

Gravehart — 10 points

The carving showed antlered elegance twisted into something wrong: hooves split with claws beneath, a mouth lined with serrations.

She’d need only ten of them, but she doubted she could carry that many remains.

The list continued.

Riftmaw — 15 points

A beast resembling a massive hound with a split jaw that opened far wider than its skull should allow. Known for ambush attacks and crushing bites. Territorial.

Ashclaw — 20 points

Feline-shaped, lean and long, with talons darkened as though perpetually burned.

Mirelurker — 25 points

A thick-bodied creature that lived beneath snow-filled earth. Its skin was slick and mottled. Slow on land, it attempted to pull prey below for a quick kill. Known for sudden lunges from beneath the ground.

Sophia read carefully, committing each name and number to memory. She could almost hear Orion’s voice in her head—Know what you’re facing before you ever draw a blade.

Lower down the board, the point values climbed sharply.

Bloodstag — 35 points

Larger than a Gravehart, its antlers were said to be sharp enough to pierce armor. Aggressive. Rare, though not as rare as a Skylur. Often encountered alone.

Frostbound Reaver — 50 points

A towering beast with thick fur crusted in ice, its breath freezing the air around its maw. Powerful, relentless, and notoriously difficult to bring down without coordinated effort.

The murmurs around her grew louder as eyes drifted further down.

At the very bottom of the board was a single entry, carved deeper than the rest, its name framed by warning symbols.

Tidebreaker Korrath — 80 points

Sophia felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold.

The illustration showed a massive creature with a broad, powerful frame. Black hair coated its body, broken by stark white stripes that ran along its flanks and shoulders like scars of frost. Two long, curved teeth protruded from its upper jaw—reminiscent of a Skylur’s fangs—jutting downward like ivory hooks.

Walks on land and in water, the description read.

Extremely fast. Highly territorial. Engages without warning.

Sophia swallowed. How was it that there was a thirty-point difference between the last beast and the one before it? She had never encountered most of these beasts, and the ones she had encountered weren’t even on the list. She swallowed nervously.

Around her, reactions varied—some trainees scoffed nervously, others stared at the name as though daring it to look back at them. A few laughed, sharp and brittle.

"No one’s actually going to try that," someone muttered. "I’d rather try to catch twenty Virelops than a Tidebreaker Korrath."

Sophia said nothing. She knew better than to underestimate desperation.

Five minutes.

That was all they were given.

Teams clustered together instinctively, voices low as they whispered strategies, weighed risks, and pointed out routes on the rough map etched beneath the board. Sophia stood with Team Six, listening more than she spoke, her gaze flicking between the list and the treeline beyond.

Holly stood slightly apart, arms folded, eyes narrowed thoughtfully at the higher-point beasts.

Joren leaned toward Sophia. "Are you thinking of going for the Tidebreaker?" he asked.

Sophia shook her head. "I’m not sure. If it’s worth eighty points, there must be a reason. I doubt it would be easy to take down. And even then, it’s just eighty points—we’d still need something else to reach a hundred."

Joren nodded. "But if someone manages to kill it, they’d be more than halfway there."

"If," Sophia said. "Tell me—have you ever seen one?"

Joren shook his head. "I doubt any trainee has. Or even encountered most of these beasts. We don’t leave the pack like the professionals do."

Sophia nodded. "If any of us comes across something like that, I suggest we observe first. Rushing in would just get us killed. We’ve been taught to scout before charging headfirst—especially with unfamiliar beasts."

Joren nodded. "We’ll probably do the same for all of them. Just because the Virelop has the lowest points doesn’t mean it’s harmless. I think it’s there because they know most of us will go for the easiest kill."

Another trainee from their team overheard the conversation and joined in, nodding. He was broad-shouldered, his hair shaved close to his head. Sophia recognized him as an archer.

"That’s true," he said. "I’m Uther, by the way." He looked at Sophia. "I don’t think we’ve been introduced."

Sophia shook her head. "I’m—"

He waved her off with a laugh. "Everyone knows who you are. Not just because you’re Alpha Orion’s mate, but because you’re the one who gave us the opportunity to take this test. Thanks for pushing Alpha Orion out of that circle."

Sophia laughed and waved him off. "Honestly, that was luck."

"Still doesn’t change the outcome," Uther said, and she nodded as they all turned back to the postings.

"Like Joren said," Uther continued, "this list could be meant to mislead us. I doubt things will be as straightforward as they look. I was thinking about going for a Virelop or a Gravehart, but after hearing you both... I’m rethinking it. I don’t think even catching a Virelop will be that easy."

Sophia nodded. "And there’s also the fact that most of these beasts hunt in packs—just like we do."