CHAPTER 41: CAPTURE THE FLAG (2)

Morning came too damn fast.

I blinked against the sunlight filtering through the trees, my body stiff from sleeping on the cold ground. Around me, the students were already stirring, some stretching, others groaning like they’d aged fifty years overnight.

Julien yawned. "I miss my bed."

Mira rolled her shoulders. "I miss not waking up in a death forest."

Felix grumbled something incoherent while burying his face in his arms.

I ignored their whining and stood up, stretching out the stiffness in my back.

Then the blue bird from last night reappeared, its wings glowing as it hovered above our camp.

The First Event: Capture the Flag will begin in one hour.

All professors, retrieve your designated flag from the marked location on your map.

The rules are: You can do whatever truck to get other class’s flag.

I stared at the glowing bird, its voice still echoing in my ears.

Did he just say whatever trick?

Julien rubbed his eyes. "Did... did the Headmaster just give us permission to cheat?"

Mira grinned. "That’s how I heard it."

Felix groaned. "That means the other classes will be thinking the same thing. We’re doomed."

I sighed, "Wallace take out the map."

Wallace fumbled through his belongings, pulling out the rough, hand-drawn map we’d been given at the start of camp. It was nothing fancy—just ink on parchment with basic landmarks.

I traced my finger along the map. "Our flag is here." A small red marker pulsed in a clearing not too far from our camp. "The other flags are scattered across the forest. Some are closer than others."

Julien leaned over, squinting. "So, what’s the plan? Do we go for ours first or steal someone else’s?"

Mira grinned. "Stealing sounds more fun."

I gave her a flat look. "We secure our flag first. No point in getting greedy if we lose before the game even starts."

Felix sighed in relief. "Finally, some common sense."

Mira patted his shoulder. "You’re no fun."

I ignored them and turned to the rest of the group. "We’ll split up. One team retrieves our flag. The other prepares defenses and sets up traps."

Wallace perked up. "Traps?"

I smirked. "I did say ’whatever trick,’ didn’t I?"

Julien grinned. "Now we’re talking."

Leo crossed his arms. "And what if another class comes at us in full force?"

I shrugged and take out a few polished stones from my pouch.

"Do you know what is this" I asked to them while holding up the polished stones, then everyone’s fave changed. Felix was having a panic attack after seeing those.

"Tho...Those are runes right?" Leo asked while shivering.

"Yes, these are my precious little babies. Don’t worry I’ll not use these on you for now."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "For now?"

Felix looked like he wanted to run. "Professor, please tell me those aren’t the same runes you tested on us last time."

I smiled. "Nope these are flash runes and smoke runes."

Wallace’s eyes lit up. "Oh, that’s clever. Those will be perfect for ambushes and escapes."

Julien smirked. "And chaos. Don’t forget chaos."

Felix groaned. "I hate chaos."

I ignored his whining and started assigning roles. "Garrick, Wallace, and Leo, you three will retrieve our flag. Get in, get out, and don’t engage unless necessary."

Garrick cracked his knuckles. "Got it."

Wallace nodded. "I’ll bring extra tools, just in case."

Leo muttered, "I swear if this turns into another disaster—"

"Then you’ll do what you do best," I interrupted. "Complain and survive."

Mira snickered.

I turned to the rest. "Mira, Wallace, and Felix, you’re on defense with me. We’ll set up traps around our camp and make sure no one walks away with our flag."

Felix groaned louder. "Why am I on defense?"

"Because you’d trip and fall into an enemy ambush within five minutes of running through the woods," I said bluntly.

Julien burst out laughing. "That’s fair."

Felix scowled but didn’t argue.

I pocketed the runes and dusted off my coat. "Alright, we’ve got less than an hour. Move."

With that, the students split off, some heading toward the flag’s location while the rest of us got to work turning our camp into a death trap.

We got to work fast.

Wallace started gathering thorny vines, his hands moving with practiced ease as he wove them into crude but effective snares. Mira, on the other hand, had a disturbing amount of knowledge about itching plants and how to spread their effects without touching them herself.

"I feel like you’ve done this before," I muttered as she smeared something from a crushed leaf onto a branch.

She grinned. "Let’s just say my brothers learned not to mess with my side of the room."

Felix stood off to the side, watching us with a mix of horror and resignation. "You people are insane."

I ignored him and started placing my runes in key spots. Smoke runes near the perimeter for confusion. Flash runes near the snares for maximum chaos. The rest, I kept in reserve. No sense in using all my tools before the game even started.

Julien returned after scouting the area. "No signs of other teams yet, but that won’t last."

I nodded. "Good. That means we have time to reinforce." I glanced at Felix. "Find something useful to do."

Felix muttered under his breath but started layering sticks and leaves over one of the traps.

Then, the blue bird returned.

The First Event: Capture the Flag will begin in ten minutes.

I felt the shift immediately. The students straightened, tension creeping into their posture. The easy banter faded as they glanced at the trees, knowing that somewhere out there, other teams were preparing their own ambushes.

Garrick, Cassandra, and Leo weren’t back yet.

That wasn’t ideal.

I turned to Julien and Mira. "Be ready. If another class comes before they return, stall."

Mira flexed her fingers, a small smirk on her lips. "Oh, I can stall."

Julien cracked his knuckles. "Time to see how dirty we can play."

Felix sighed heavily. "This is going to be a nightmare."

I just smiled.

It was about to get interesting.