Ethan could not believe that this was happening. The professor was clearly behind the whole thing. Ethan looked around and saw that the demi-humans were not scared like before. Ethan stood before Wendy and Lucy, ensuring he acted as a barrier; the bear kin stood beside him. The two groups eyed each other, and Ethan could see out of the corner of his eye that the professor was getting a kick out of this.
The nobleman with the purple wand wanted to say something, but Ethan interrupted him.
"Alas, a duel with all of you for your pride."
The noble with the purple wand pointed at him again, his wand in his hand.
"Do you know who that is?"
He pointed at a big man. Ethan recognised him; he was one of the students who enjoyed using the untrained demi-humans as training dummies. The man stood at six feet one inch and had a solid build. He handled himself well, indicating that he had been tutored and might also be an adventurer. Ethan spotted nine students who had experience regarding how they moved and acted.
The purple wand was pointing and poking towards Ethan's face again. Some lessons were hard to learn before they sunk in.
"He is the son of the top adventurer in the city. They have wealth and prestige, standing at the top of society. He is a good friend of mine. I hope you three have made peace with your loved ones. Your lives will end here today."
The turd grabber stepped forward, and everyone stepped away from him. Ethan could see that his hand was still smelly as hell.
"This dual is for pride. You will learn your place before you die, and we will ravage your two slaves before your eyes."
Footsteps could be heard to their left as a woman walked out of the woods. The person wanted to be seen and heard. Ethan looked to his left, and it was Professor Lara. She looked terrific, and everyone looked relieved except the fourteen students and the professor hiding behind a tree. The professor, now peeking out from behind the tree, scowled.
Lara's graceful walking showcased her strength. She looked like a tiger on the hunt, her movements smooth and sure. The bear kin lowered his head to her in respect, and the other support carriers did the same. She stopped at the edge of the half-moon and looked at each side, her eyes ablaze with excitement.
"Let us compete in an artefact hunt. If the demi-humans win, they can train here as much as they want. Should they lose, then they will leave and train somewhere else."
The professor who hid behind the tree walked out full of bravado and pomp.
"Well said, Lara. This sounds like an excellent idea. Your rabble against my elites."
Lara gave him a withering stare.
"Professor Eldin, we accept the challenge. We will meet at the Enchanted Forest tomorrow at dawn. The dean and the student council will facilitate this competition."
Lara stood next to Ethan, her arms folded. She had scored a victory here. Eldin turned pale at the mention of the dean. Ethan formed an opinion of the man. He would lie, cheat, and steal his way to victory and be the type to fawn at the rich and influential. Lara pointed her finger at the student with the purple wand.
"You there call one of the student council members to come here."
The student looked at Eldin, and he nodded. The young man walked towards the academy buildings. Eldin had a nose in the airway about him. He even spoke in that annoying "I am rich" tone.
"Lara, you and I should have a bet as well. If I win, you will become my bride and leave the academy. If you win, I will step down and leave without a word of complaint."
Lara squinted at the man she was deep in thought. She pulled out a scroll from her handbag with a pen.
"I will agree to leave, but I cannot agree to be your bride. You know my uncle; talk to him if you desire me that much."
Eldin paled at the mention of her uncle. He must be a powerful man, Ethan thought. Now that he thought about it, she was gorgeous and almost thirty years old, so why was she still single? Eldin waved his hand as if to say forget it. Lara placed the parchment back in her handbag.
Gunther appeared down the walkway with the young man with the purple wand.
"I say, Professor Lara, how are you? I hear there will be an artefact hunt tomorrow. I will need four hours to get everything ready. Might we start at ten in the morning so as not to leave room for mistakes?"
Eldin paced around, glaring at Gunther, his fists clenched. If his stares were arrows, Gunther would undoubtedly be filled with arrows. Gunther turned to Professor Eldin and feigned surprise.
"I say. Sorry I did not see you there, old boy. Are you the challenger in tomorrow's artefact hunt challenge? We will draw up the documents in your office. Please follow me, Professor Lara."
Gunther did not acknowledge Eldin at all and ignored the absence of stares that bore into his back as they walked away. It was clear to Ethan that Gunther respected Professor Lara but despised Eldin for unknown reasons. The fourteen students walked away—the student with the Smelly hand at the head of the students looked around with a sinister stare. Ethan turned to the bear kin.
"Alas, what might your name be."
Ethan had just learned the students' names, and they did not fit his plan to find the Skinwalker. The bear kin turned to Ethan.
"Growl, Kuno."
Ethan placed his hand on his shoulder and took him to the side, out of hearing distance. He had realised that the catkin could hear quite well, and he did not want to spread rumours.
"Alas, tell me, Kuno, do you think Eldin and his students might cheat tomorrow."
"Growl, they will make it as hard as possible for us to win."
Ethan walked back towards Wendy and Lucy, Kuno on his heels. He thought as much, and Professor Eldin did look like a rat. He wanted Lara for himself and would go to any length to get her. How would this challenge work, and how many people would compete?
How would the other team cheat to make them fail? Ethan had many questions that would only come to light tomorrow at the challenge. Ethan looked at the shocked students as they milled about.
"Alas, let us train. We still have a morning of training to complete."
Ethan had them pair up, and they practised their new skills against each other. By lunchtime, Ethan could see that they had improved a lot, and he felt confident that if they continued to train, they would easily survive in the dungeon. They walked to the cafeteria, stomachs growling. The training was intense. Lucy rolled her shoulder.
"Squee, the shield becomes heavier the longer you use it. My hand felt like it only wanted to hold the sword; opening my fingers took effort, making them stiff."
Wendy had the same complaint, and Ethan laughed. He knew that when you held a sword the whole day, your fingers just wanted to stay in the shape of your sword hilt, and using them after that was painful. He sympathised with them as he patted their shoulders for comfort.
They ate their meals and had milk, but Ethan could not wait to go to Thompson. There would be clues for them to follow up on, which could give him the edge to get this Skinwalker before they cause too much havoc in this realm. They take the portal to the city, and twenty minutes later, they walk into Thompson's office.