Appearance of the B Movie Monster

Across the river, Stojan looked at the injured scout with a frown. Another fourth-year was providing emergency first aid to stop the heavy bleeding.

"A snow shark this far down the Havrevel? Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes! I've seen one with my father when he took me fishing in the Ural Bay. It was definitely a snow shark. I wouldn't have even noticed it if that streak of light didn't appear."

"Thank you for your service. Get some rest for now."

Stojan stormed out of the tent. He was not angry with the scout, but with the entire situation. When that roar pierced the morning's calm, one of their scouts was monitoring the other camps. He immediately investigated only to caught up in the frenzied rage of the magical beast.

Fortunately, the scout lived. The magical beast ran off before reinforcements could arrive. Only the scout had seen the creature. The situation was dire if that was an actual snow shark. Native apex predators of the Ural Bay, snow sharks lived in the salty, icy water. They had the ability to live in snow like it was water.

Historically, the brutal creatures had decimated villages along the coast of the Ural Bay before they were hunted to extinction in the shallower waters. Any sighted snow shark was destroyed with extreme prejudice despite being on the international endangered creature list. Their iceberg and glacier habitats were destroyed as well.

The Olafssey camp was built in a low laying area on top of thick snow drifts. If the snow shark had the opportunity for a sneak attack, the results would be catastrophic. It was highly possible for even the professors to perish, let alone students.

How could such a creature find its way into the training area? Even if Chinebar wanted to play a dirty trick, they wouldn't choose a creature that would be so obviously out of place. The Olafssey professors weren't too stupid to notice. Unless, it was those people.

Stojan narrowed his eyes. Tigurum and Nafriton had accidents on the first day and night. Olafssey avoided theirs by a stroke of luck, twice. That shark was still out there, and a threat to all three teams. CNU was farther away. With so many humans gathered nearby, the shark wouldn't go out of its way to attack CNU.

He heard that CNU was having a difficult time, but what if that was a cover story? CNU would have a lot to gain if all the other teams died during the training exercise. It would be too obvious if CNU wasn't targeted as well.

The professors would stop by for their morning check in soon. They had much to discuss.

**********

Aayla quietly left the scene of the crime, making sure to hide the entrance and her footprints. She just decided to take a walk for a bit, that's all. Those angry roars had nothing to do with her. Absolutely nothing to do with her at all!

The Nafriton camp was swarming with activity when she arrived back at her campsite. Before she could even say hello, some fourth-year quickly dragged her back into the Nafriton camp. Internally terrified that her role was discovered, Aayla put on a confused face.

"Slow down please! What's going on?"

"A snow shark appeared. Captain Parlow has ordered me to escort you back to our camp."

With grim faces, the fourth-year pulled on her harder. Aayla held back a chuckle. That sounded like some monster from a B movie that she saw back on Terra.

"A snow shark? Like a shark that lives in snow?"

"Yes. As ridiculous as it sounds one has been spotted nearby. Normally they live in the most remote, frigid regions of the Ural Bay and the Grand Ocean. Technically, its possible for one to live in the Havrevel."

"But we're so far away from the river."

"The hill top is isolated from the snow drifts below. Still, adult snow sharks can swim for tens of miles in snow and easily jump up here. Captain wants the snow cleared away and everyone inside the walls."

A shark that can swim through the snow for miles and jump at least forty feet? That definitely sounds more like a B movie monster than an actual shark. Even with magic that shouldn't be possible.

Aayla secretly sighed in relief after the fourth-year dumped her inside the walls. Looks like no one suspects her involvement. She just had to mess around and shoot a deadly magical beast that shouldn't even be here! Eh? Wait, if it wasn't supposed to be here in the first place then how did it arrive?

The doors of the camp were soon shut tight. The entire team gathered in the center. Students mumbled in small groups wondering what was going on. After waiting for several minutes, four professors flew down from the sky. Two students wearing the emblem of a nearby team followed them.

"Captain Tassiades extends his greetings."

"So does Captain Voronov."

One of the professors waved her hand. "Let's skip the pleasantries. Is Olafssey sure that the magical beast was a snow shark?"

The murmurs stopped. Everyone wanted to know the answer to that question. The Olafssey messenger nodded. Several of the students gasped and the crowd nearly broke into a frenzy.

"SILENCE! What exactly did the scout see?"

"He was scouting along our camp's borders next to the Havrevel River. A flash of light struck a snow drift nearby. Then, something sleek with a gaping maw exploded out of it in a rage. From what he saw, the magical beast was a snow shark. The scout barely escaped with his life."

The Tigurum messenger interjected. "Does Olafssey have any idea what that light was?"

"No. The scout felt something emitting ice element mana flash by him just before the snow drift exploded. Something narrow, thin and high density. That should have been the source of the light. Nevertheless, if that flash of light didn't enrage the beast, then it would have continued to lurk unnoticed."

"Has your team discovered what that light was?"

"Not yet, but it should have come from the lower ridge of this hilltop. The side away from Tigurum's camp."

Aayla kept her head down in a thinking pose. So, it was her arrow! … Let's just keep that part quiet. She had a feeling that keeping the bracelet's new form a secret would be best for now.

The Nafriton and Tigurum teams confirmed what the Olafssey team said but with less detail. A snow drift had suddenly exploded followed by a resounding roar. They didn't know why the magical beast ran off. The professors talked in hushed whispers for several minutes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here's what we are going to do. The training exercise is ending early. All students will remain in their respective camps. We will send a message back to the main camp. Two professors from each school will soon arrive to accompany you. As soon as the location of the magical beast is found you will be escorted back to the main village."

The Nafriton professor took out a telefact, a smooth handheld magical communication device. The rest of the professors left to find their own students. Aubrey kept the students assembled until the Nafriton professor finished sending their message.

"We have multiple accounts of that light coming from the far end of this hill. Does anyone know anything about that?"

The students looked amongst themselves and shook their heads. They had barely gotten started for the day before the roar. However, one student remembered something. When he glanced at Aayla, so did his friends. Then the people around them. Eventually, everyone was looking at her.

"Ms. Glowery, do you have something to say?"

She really couldn't lie under the eyes of the professor. Aayla put on her best 'I-am-innocent-and-just-as-confused-as-you-are' look.

"I normally stay near my campsite, which is right outside of the Nafriton main camp. This morning I went for a walk, and decided to practice near the end of the hill. I stayed a bit later than intended, so I was done there when I heard the roar.

"I was climbing down the hill at the time, and the loose snow above fell on top of me. I didn't see anyone else down there before, during or after my climb. When I looked towards the roar, it was too far away for me to see anything distinct."

The professor nodded, but still seemed a bit skeptical. "Are you sure that you didn't see anything else? What about mana?"

Aayla thought for a moment. How to convince them without lying? She nodded and held up the New Moon Bracelet.

"Honestly, I was too distracted. I had pushed a boulder over the edge to punch a hole in the top of the snow below to release the ice elemental mana. It's not as pure and concentrated as the stuff on the other end, but I was too busy climbing and focusing on that mana when everything happened."

"So, you have no idea what could have happened?"