Chapter 71: First day on the field

Frost looked towards Ava, then back at the sea. The thought was difficult to shake now that it had occurred to him, though he supposed a teleportation platform could have brought them almost anywhere.

They might have been hundreds of miles from the base for all he knew.

"Is the base underwater?" he asked.

Ava glanced at him. "What makes you think that?"

"The walls, the machinery, the lack of an exit..."

"And...? We used a teleportation platform to get here, after all."

Frost paused.

"That doesn’t mean I’m wrong."

"It doesn’t mean you’re right either," she replied, stepping down from the platform. "Come on. You can spend the afternoon guessing where you sleep after you’ve finished training."

Jarek gave Frost a faint smile as he passed, while Corin followed Ava without appearing particularly interested in the answer.

Perhaps the others already knew, or perhaps they were simply less bothered by the possibility of having spent the past several weeks at the bottom of the sea.

Frost took one last look at the water before following them.

A short distance from the platform, several long storage cases rested beneath a simple shelter. Ava opened one and began handing out equipment, checking each recruit’s weapon before moving on to the next.

Corin received a broad shield and a short sword, while Nessa took a spear and immediately tested its balance. Jarek selected a bow, leaving Lyne with a sword and a smaller shield.

When Frost’s turn came, Ava held out a short sword in its sheath.

He accepted it, feeling the unfamiliar weight settle into his hand.

This one wasn’t made of wood.

"Put it on," she said, then handed him a shield similar to Lyne’s. "You’ll stay beside Corin. Don’t wander ahead, and don’t try anything you haven’t practiced."

Frost fastened the sheath at his hip and adjusted the shield’s straps around his forearm.

The equipment was plain and showed signs of use, though the blade was clean when he drew it a few inches to look.

Ava waited until everyone was ready before leading them through the trees towards the beach.

The sand shifted beneath Frost’s boots, making him adjust his steps. After weeks of training on firm floors, he hadn’t expected something as simple as walking to feel different, but every soft patch seemed determined to steal a little of his effort.

Corin moved beside him, his shield held comfortably at his side.

"First time training here?" Frost asked.

Corin nodded. "I’ve been outside with another group, but not along this stretch."

That explained why he looked less overwhelmed by the surroundings.

Frost tried to keep his attention on where they were going, though it was difficult when the sea glittered beside them, and unfamiliar creatures kept moving among the rocks.

Something flat and purple clung to a stone near the water, folding itself closed as a wave washed over it.

Ava stopped before they reached the open beach.

"This area is used for training, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous," she said, turning towards them. "You’ll stay together, watch where you’re stepping, and tell the others when you notice something. Don’t assume they’ve seen it simply because you have."

Her gaze moved across the five of them before settling briefly on Frost.

"I’ll be nearby. That doesn’t mean you should wait for me to solve every problem."

He nodded with the others.

"And don’t go into the water."

Frost looked towards the waves again.

He hadn’t been planning to, but her tone made the idea considerably less appealing.

Back on Earth, the ocean was said to hold far more mysteries than even space itself. He wasn’t curious to find out whether that was true for this place as well.

They continued along the edge of the beach, keeping the trees to one side and the sea to the other.

Ava walked a little behind them now, allowing the recruits to set their own pace while she watched.

Nessa moved ahead just far enough to study the ground, and Jarek kept glancing between the rocks and the patches of vegetation farther inland.

Frost tried to do the same, though he soon discovered that looking for danger everywhere made it difficult to notice anything in particular.

"There," Lyne said quietly.

Everyone stopped.

She pointed towards a low mound near a cluster of dark rocks. Frost studied it for a moment, seeing nothing beyond sand and a few broken shells, until part of the mound moved against the wind.

A narrow limb pushed out from beneath it, quickly followed by another.

The creature that emerged looked like a crab someone had stretched in entirely the wrong directions.

Its body was long and low, covered by overlapping plates of mottled brown shell, and six jointed legs lifted it clear of the sand.

Two forelimbs extended from its front, ending in hooked claws large enough to make Frost tighten his grip on his shield.

It was roughly the size of a large dog, though considerably wider. Its eyes rose on short stalks and turned towards them.

Frost waited for Ava to say something.

She didn’t.

Corin raised his shield. "I’ll take the front. Frost, stay on my right."

"Nessa, left side," Lyne added, moving back to give the spearwoman space.

Jarek was already reaching for an arrow.

The creature made a scraping sound, its forelimbs dragging briefly across the shell beneath its head.

Frost drew his sword, suddenly aware of how much he had relied on knowing that his practice partners intended to stop short of seriously hurting him, but this thing wouldn’t.

It rushed them.

Its legs moved with an ugly, uneven speed, throwing sand behind it as Corin stepped forward to meet the charge.

Frost nearly moved backward, but caught himself and followed, bringing his shield up just as one of the hooked limbs swept towards him.

The impact jolted his arm.

His boots slid through the loose sand, and for a moment, his guard rose high enough to block his view.

He heard Corin grunt beside him, followed by the sharp scrape of Nessa’s spear against shell.

"Keep looking!" she called.

Frost lowered the shield enough to see.

The creature was pressed against Corin, one claw hooked over the edge of his shield while the other dragged against Frost’s. Its mouthparts worked beneath the front of its shell, producing a wet clicking sound that made his stomach lurch.

He thrust towards the gap beneath its forelimb. His sword struck the shell and skidded aside.

The creature twisted towards him.

Frost stepped back, this time deliberately, pulling his shield clear before the hook could catch it again. Nessa jabbed from the opposite side, drawing its attention to create an opening for Corin to shove it away.

An arrow struck the upper shell, and at the same moment, a rough amber triagram flashed above the creature’s back. A darker sheen spread across its plates, and the arrow glanced off, spinning into the sand.

"It’s hardened its shell," Jarek called.

Frost stared at the fading triagram for half a second too long.

The creature lunged again.

Corin caught most of the charge, but Frost had to bring his shield across to stop a claw from reaching around his companion’s side. The hooked tip scraped over the rim, then caught beneath it.

Frost pulled, and the creature pulled back. He suddenly had the absurd feeling that it was trying to take his shield away from him.

"Don’t fight its strength," Lyne said, coming closer on his right. "Turn it!"