Chapter 31: The Hunt Begins

Chapter 31: The Hunt Begins

After the Damien problem had been dealt with temporarily, everything seemed to quiet down for Silas for a while. His classes went well. He was achieving high marks in two of his three classes.

Arcane theory was throwing him for a loop. Most of the concepts went way over his head. He was more an action person than an analysis person, he learned.

Tiffany put off the Combat and Magic I outing for a while to give Silas some room to breathe after the duel with Damien. Which was a big deal. Professors didn't generally cater to individual students, but Tiffany was built different.

She cared for every student in her classes like she did a child. That and she didn't want to see her star student wash out. Washing out generally meant you died.

Today was the day of the outing to hunt magical beasts. Silas got up like every other day, put his eyedrops in, petted Steggy, and chatted with Jace until Rowan finally got out of bed.

Before class, they made their way to the dining hall for breakfast. Silas, Rowan and Jace loaded up their plates and sat down.

"I'm so glad they have coffee here. My mom always used to make it in the mornings, and it smelled amazing." Silas said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I still can't get over the fact that all of the new trends, technology and even food were started by your mother," Jace said, pouring an obscene amount of sugar and cream into his coffee.

"I can. These potatoes are great!" Rowan said, stuffing his mouth. "What did you call these? Hash browns?"

"Yeah. My mom always used to make them on special days. Birthdays, holidays, graduations." Silas said.

"I will say that calling them fried potato shavings doesn't have the same ring to it," Jace said.

"Yeah, that just sounds weird," Silas said.

"I don't care what they call them, as long as I get to eat them everyday," Rowan said.

"Is that how you're always packing on more muscle? Potatoes?" Jace said.

"I guess," Rowan shrugged.

"Alright, let's see what we can find," Silas said, adjusting his gauntlets.

They set off into the underbrush, their senses heightened and weapons at the ready. The air was thick with the scent of wildflowers and the hum of insects.

Suddenly, a rustling sound caught Silas's attention. He held up a hand, signaling the others to stop. They crept forward, peering through the foliage.

There, in a small glade, was a patch of vibrant flowers, their petals shimmering in the sunlight. But as they watched, the flowers began to move, their stems twisting and writhing.

"Watch out!" Lyra cried as the flowers lunged towards them, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Silas leapt back, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of a carnivorous bloom. The others scattered, drawing their weapons as the flowers advanced, their petals flaring with predatory intent.

Rowan summoned a group of deer with glowing antlers and spots. The deer charged forward, their antlers glowing with magical energy as they tore into the carnivorous blooms, ripping petals and stems with their teeth.

Jace's daggers flew through the air with precision, each one finding its mark in the center of a carnivorous bloom. The flowers writhed and thrashed as they were pinned to the ground, their deadly petals fluttering uselessly.

With a grim determination, Jace strode forward and crushed each bloom beneath his feet, ensuring they would not rise again. He then retrieved his daggers, wiping the sap from their blades.

Lyra raised her hand, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she focused her magic on the carnivorous blooms. Time seemed to slow, then stop entirely for several of the flowers, their petals frozen mid-lunge.

With a flourish, Lyra drew her rapier and darted forward, the blade flashing as she sliced through the immobilized blooms with surgical precision.

Nadia nocked an arrow to her bow, the tip glowing with a blinding intensity as she infused it with her lumomancy. With a steady hand, she let the arrow fly, watching as it streaked through the air like a miniature comet.

The moment it struck a carnivorous bloom, the flower burst into flames, its petals curling and blackening as the concentrated light incinerated it from within. Nadia continued to fire, each arrow finding its mark with deadly accuracy.

Silas gripped his war hammer tightly, channeling mana into the weapon until it thrummed with power. With a roar, he charged forward, bringing the hammer down on the nearest carnivorous bloom. The flower exploded in a shower of petals and sap, its stem crushed beneath the weight of Silas's blow.

He moved through the glade with practiced ease, smashing the flowers left and right, their remains splattering against his armor. Silas stomped on the fallen blooms, ensuring they would not rise again.