We made our way over the burned ground and into the forest. In daylight the destruction was even more impressive. While I could see reasonably well at night, colours were hard to make out in the darkness. Now there was a clear contrast between the green grass and the burned stretch.

As we went deeper, some of the trees became massive. Surely they were over five metres tall. I kept scanning the branches, looking for threats. Nyx was wolf sized and walked beside me. She looked around but did not seem particularly interested in anything. Probably a good sign, so far her instincts had been great.

“If Torben had an accident, like tripped and fell into Nyx’ mouth, we could get his food.” Helena suggested.

“I can hear you!” Torben said from the front. “That sounds suspiciously like mutiny.”

“It’s just planning for a contingency.” Helena responded. “To make sure no resources are wasted.”

Cassie snickered.

“So, how well do you know this forest? Is the field training always here?” I asked.

“It does change but I was here too. Although, our camp was at a different location. There are certain requirements for what the academy wants to teach. Like enemies at the right strength. They probably get reports from local patrols and then choose a place that fits.” Torben explained.

“Movement!” Skadi said pointing in a certain direction.

We all looked towards a tree. Up there in the branches was… a squirrel. It stared at us.

“We could eat it.” Cassie suggested.

“It is cute and fluffy…” I would feel guilty killing it. Then again, it would probably taste a lot better than crackers.

While we looked at the squirrel a branch moved. No, that was a snake! A mouth opened and the squirrel was gone, swallowed whole.

“Let’s kill that snake!” I suggested.

Cassie was grabbing a potion from her belt. “Don’t burn the forest!” Helena warned. Cassie hesitated. Meanwhile, I was already focusing on my magic. A necrotic dart appeared and hit the monster. It hissed angrily as a black spot formed on its body. The giant snake dropped down onto the ground. It must have been at least five metres long.

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Skadi rushed it with her axe. Helena unleashed a bolt of ice. The magic slowed the monster and it failed to dodge the blade coming its way. The snake’s head was cleanly separated from its body with one swing.

“Good job.” Torben said. “But you hit it with death magic, that makes it inedible. Part of the snake has rotted.”

“Um.. sorry.” I said, blushing.

“You should work on your water magic. While death mana is great for killing, it does have its downsides.” Torben added.

Helena patted my shoulder. “It’s ok. None of us thought about that. We will catch something else!”

Meanwhile, Nyx was pushing the snake head around with her paw. She had simply watched the combat without interfering. But now she seemed amused by her new toy. Once we moved again she swallowed it, to no one's surprise.

We did not encounter anything else and reached the lake. It had gorgeous blue water. Most of the shore was covered in trees but there were some areas with grass and bushes. We picked a small open area and approached the water.

“The water here is better than in the Jinso. I would still boil it though.” Torben said.

“Are there any monsters in the lake?” I asked.

He scratched his head. “Not that I know of. But there is fish.”

“We could catch that!” Helena suggested.

“Do you know how to fish?” Skadi asked.

“Um… no.” Helena admitted.

“I don’t know either…” I said.

Cassie shook her head. We all looked at Torben.

“Sorry. Not something I have learned. We don’t have the equipment anyway.”

“Can’t you fish with a spear?” I asked.

“Yes. But that requires a lot of skill.” Helena said.

“What about Nyx?” Cassie asked.

She did eat a fish in the past. We all looked at her. She stared back. Her mouth opened and a purple tongue materialised. Then she licked her paw.

“Would that even work? Does her bite infuse death mana?” Skadi asked.

“I think she can bite normally. Using death magic as a weapon is not common in skeletons. The mana is contained in their bones. Eating them would be a problem. Of course, Nyx is special and can use magic. But she has control over her powers.” I reasoned.

“Pleeease help us Nyx, you are our only hope!” Helena pleaded.

“You would certainly be worshipped for years to come for such a heroic act.” Skadi said.

“I… I might even consider helping Koyuki with a salve that is good for your bones.” Cassie offered.

“That is a good idea. You help us Nyx, and we will get you something nice when we are back at the academy! I need a new project anyway, I am sure Horas can recommend something for you.” I offered.

“Um… she is your undead. You can just order her.” Torben pointed out.

“I could.” I admitted. “But she is my companion. I won’t force her unless it becomes absolutely necessary.”

“Nyx is a valuable member of the team.” Helena agreed.

My undead companion stared at me, tilting her head. She seemed to think. Then she moved over to the water. Maybe our bribe worked. Nyx was scanning the lake carefully.

While she was busy we unpacked our water containers and prepared a pot for boiling. Cassie prepared a fire. A large splash drew our attention back to the lake. Nyx had a big fish dangling in her mouth. For a brief moment I feared she would eat it. But she walked over to me and dropped it instead.

“Great job Nyx, you are the best!” I scratched her behind the ears. I did not know why a skeleton liked pats and scratches but she certainly did.

“Do you know how to prepare a fish?” Skadi asked.

“Oh no, I did not think about that…” Helena said, looking horrified.

“No worries, I can do it.” I said with a smile. While I was not trained as a cook, dealing with a whole fish was something I had actually learned. Of course, usually they were already dead. Thankfully, killing was easy. I took my knife and cut off its head. I gave it to Nyx.

“I guess we will take our lunch here.” Torben said.

He was a wise leader. He did not try to get between us and the food.