Norok peered into the dark woods before him. The dark silhouettes of trees loomed high above him, all rising in the shadow of the tower.
Before they had separated, Will had gathered his squad close and given a low warning-- “I don't trust that this is as cut and dry as Lotsvatinus says. Be on your guard, and don't let your partners out of sight.”
Norok's partner, in this case, was the infamous traitor Leka. Her uniform was haphazardly thrown on over a set of yellow silk pajamas, with a matching bonnet keeping her hair secure. She clutched her bow tightly with both hands, hugging it closer to her chest every time she nearly tripped over an exposed tree root.
“We can go back,” Norok offered. “Give you some time to change.”
“If the sergeants were really in danger, we wouldn't have time for that,” Leka said stoically. Norok rolled his eyes, groaning as she tip-toed daintily over a fallen log.
“It's not like we know where we're going anyways,” he argued. “Everyone just picked a direction and ran. No one would notice if we doubled back.”
Leka stopped, turning on her foot to face Norok. “Look, I get it. I was a big-time recruit too. I know you think you're the greatest, you're the biggest mouse in the den and nothing's ever gonna bring you down. But this shit is serious. This bootcamp determines the rest of your life. So stop acting like you're above it.”
Norok scoffed. “You're the one tripping over your own pants here. I was just trying to help you out.”
“Well, do us both a favor and stop.” Leka shivered, continuing to move through the winding wood. They walked in annoyed silence, the occasional sigh shared between them. The air grew colder the longer they walked, but the ground below remained unfrozen. Instead, Norok found himself beginning to sink lower with each step, trudging through a downward muddied slope.
“Leka, I--” Norok suddenly yelped, something coiling around his right foot and yanking him through the mud. His arms and legs were completely submerged. He lifted his chin high, his chest quickly sinking with the rest of him.
Leka held her arms high above her head, her bow raised with them. “Can you lift us out of this?!”
Norok grunted, trying to move his arms. But the dirt seemed to be beginning to solidify, keeping them locked in place at his sides. Up, he thought desperately, get out of here!!
His magic fizzled inside of his gut. He felt suffocated by his own panic. Norok knew he wouldn't die here-- someone, Pultz, Judith or maybe even Cowell would surely come and pull them out once the trial was over. But the thought of his squad leering at him, covered in the dirt of failure, that was worse than death. He could already hear Irina's grating voice, calling “Aww look. Tadpole plays in mud, like real frog.”
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Leka fumbled with her bow. It strung itself with a crackling, golden light. Quickly, she fired off a white-hot shot into the trunk of the closest tree. Once the arrow burst through, it left a braided rope of metal wire connecting to the center of her bow. She plunged her left arm into the mud, worming her way towards Norok's waist.
“What're you doing?!” He shouted, feeling her arm slowly wrap around him.
“Getting us out of here,” Leka replied. She pulled Norok close, her eyes sparking with electricity as she tried to pull them forward. Slowly, the ground began to give, allowing her to inch them closer and closer to the side.
But Norok felt something below him surge upwards. Leka cried out, her arm tugged away from Norok and pulled her shoulder downwards. The bow sank with her, the side of Leka's face the only part above ground.
In an instant, Norok's mind cleared. The thought came to him like a song, slipping past his lips before he fully processed the notion. “Your burdens are mine to vanquish. Your weight is mine to lift.”
Leka's body began to slowly push itself from the mud. The incantation was incomplete, and rudimentary to boot. Leka wasn't even able to fully free herself; the mud still claimed her legs, but her upper body was free, giving her the leverage she needed. She lurched upwards, staggering out of the mud’s reach.
“Thank you,” she gasped.
“No problem,” Norok replied. Then, he tilted his head forward. “Do you think you could--?”
“Oh! Oh,” Leka quickly scrambled over, carefully pulling him out with all her strength. Once they were safely on the side, Norok gave her a curious look.
“No offense,” he started, “but why are you always in the back if you're that strong? I'm a pretty heavy guy, and you just pulled me along like I was nothing.”
Leka gingerly tucked her stray curls back into her bonnet. “Just because I'm in the back doesn't mean I always will be. I have to keep my body as versatile as my magic.”
Norok tried to hide how impressed he was, but Leka smirked at him knowingly. “Don't worry, big guy. I won't carry you back or anything.”
“No one said you were going to,” Norok grumbled, then turned to look at the ravenous path. The mud showed no signs of change. “What was that, anyways? Judith's magic?”
Leka shook her head with a frown. “No, definitely not. This is way too messy for her. If anything, it's probably the tower.”
“But the tower’s an object,” Norok replied, raising an eyebrow. Leka put her hands on her hips, staring at him in disbelief.
“Objects can carry magic too. It's called residual magic. If enough mana is used in one location, sometimes it creates environmental anomalies.”
“Great. So more traps.”
“More traps,” Leka confirmed. “But that means we're probably getting closer to the sergeants.”
Norok let out a heavy sigh. “I'm so going to push Pultz and his damn ice things into the biggest mud pit I can find.”
“Cheer up,” Leka said, shooting him a condescending grin. “I got us out of this one. You keep doing your thing, and I'll keep saving us.”
“Thanks,” Norok replied sharply, glaring at her back as they continued on. It was going to be a very long night.