บท 7: Chapter 7

---6 hours later---

*yawn* *scratch*

All the children woke up from their sleep. They all stood up and started their stretching routine they did everyday when they are still inside the institution. Habits are hard to die they say.

Sunlight penetrated the front window where the control room and the children all slept. The submarine also stopped from moving and has change its controls into parking mode upon reaching its destination. 24 started to scan the outside surroundings of the submarine. Through the use of monitor and scope of the ship, she saw that they are in the bay of the forest where the river meets the sea. As they are surrounded by greeneries she started to go to the exit door of the ship along with 2 more children with her to hunt their breakfast.

They all were amazed at the feeling of the grass on their feet and the light from the sun and fresh air. 24 only read this from the book about the outside world and the knowledge transferred to her. Sure they all went outside of the institution but it is for the training purposes. They cannot enjoy the feeling of being at rest outside or the warmth of the sun as they were always on a run and alert for the sudden attack of different beasts and people. All they do is combat and to survive. So the feeling of inhaling the fresh air and the feeling of cold water on their feet is something new to them. There is no mission, or training. Just surviving into the new environment is their new target.

"Guys I will scout the area so that we know where we are. This is flare stick I found in one of the submarines cabin. Break the green ones if you are already at the vicinity of the base and the red ones for danger. All right?", asked 6 as he handed the colored sticks to 18's group. 18, 24, and 7 nodded their heads in understanding. "I'll be back", said 6 before running away.

"So... what are guys going to do?", asked 30. All three of them looked towards each other and nodded at one another.

"I will be in charge of gathering sticks and woods for making fire, 6 and 18 will be in charge of hunting foods while you stay here and guard our meeting point. Here break this up if you or the base is in danger", said 24 and gave 30 one of the two red flare given by 6.

30 nodded and went back inside the ship in the control room where many monitors can be seen for monitoring the vicinity for any intruders. While 24 and the rest started to part ways and doing their tasks. 24 gave the remaining red flare to the other two for hunting. While she kept one of the two remaining green flares. She does not need to go deeper into the forest to find sticks. She is near the bay so gathering sticks will not be a problem. After a while 24, 7 and 18 came back to the temporary base. 24 started to set the camp fire while 7 and 18 skinned the rabbit-like magical beasts they found for breakfast. 30 came out of the submarine to help them clean, prepare and cook for the breakfast while 24 went beside of the flowing water to wash the eggs they got from hunting.

After a while 6 came back and they started to eat their breakfast. While eating 6 said that he saw a small town near by their location 3 kilometers from their location. The town seemed prosperous because of the ships docked and the people there were wearing classy clothes. 30 took out the map that he got inside the ship and placed it beside him. They were just below the Grisaia's capital, Androeia where the royal family resides. Three towns and two villages are the places which separate their current location to the capital. The town they were in was just the second last town before the end of the south where the main docking station is located. The town near their location is known for its fish and seafood catch and their cuisine.

Before the sun set at 12 noon, the group decided to hide the submarine inside one of the caves near the river bank and turned the ship's camouflage making it invisible to the naked eye. They packed the things needed for the long walk towards the said town. They will also gather some meats, wild magical beasts's cores and herbs to sell into the town. They currently have no money and only their experience and adaptability is at their disposal.

After 3 hours of walking in the forest, they stopped to rest. Unlike the cold and harsh environment in the facilities of the institution, the forest they are in now is humid and hot. It is currently in the middle of summer season which will make the fish caught by the town will increase. While some of the more adapted magical beasts survives the climate some will travel to other place to avoid the weather in the south. Also, beasts inside the forest will increase for the fishes provided by the seas and rivers will flock together and the water level of the said locations will experience low tide.

The children were sweating. They were not use to the climate in the south. As they freshen up 24 and 18 started to look for a river to fetch some cold and fresh water. As they fill in the last bottle with water, the bushes at the back started to shake. 18 sensed two beasts before the bushes. He and 24 got into their fighting stance just in case it is something they could not handle and preparing to run. They heaved a relief sighs after they saw a cute baby bear coming out of the bushes.

"*Phew* I though it is something like the Spider or Gorilla beasts we have encountered", said 18. His experience with those types of monsters were not quite good. And monsters off their caliber is hard to take down. It will take 3 level 4 mages and 5 level 3 warriors to take down such beast. And they as a children no more than 15 years facing it will be like courting death. Their current level were not enough to defeat let alone escape the grasp of the level 6 beast. They will likely pay their way out or worse be killed.

"Wait!", shouted 18. 24 looked at him urging him to continue what he was saying.

"If this is the cub, then where is the mother?", nervously asked 18 to 24 without breaking their eye contact towards the said baby bear who were sitting in their front. 24 widened her eyes in realization and look over the tall bushes behind the cub. 'Why didn't I run earlier when 18 sensed two beasts coming our way?', regretted 24 as she gulp her saliva and her knees started to shake out of fear for the monster that is about to show up.

Then suddenly the ground experienced a quake. Heavy foot steps can be heard behind the tall bushes as if a large animal is heading their way. The nearby small trees started to fall on the ground. The fallen trees' logs could be heard breaking as if someone heavy is stepping on it breaking it with a loud sound. 18 started to pack all the bottles they filled up and look at the baby bear in their front of them. While 24 touched 18's shirt hemline to pull him backward slowly not to agitate the little creature in their front.

The baby bear look innocent and cute. It sat in front of them as if they were some tasty treat. The cub's height is the same as 24 which seven year old child have. Then they look behind the tall bushes as if expecting something to appear.

"This is your fault", blamed 24 to 18 without taking her eyes off the bushes and preparing to run off to God knows where.

"Why me?!", shouted the panicking 18.

"Fuckin jinx it!", said 24 who started to sweat nervously.

Then suddenly a huge shadow swallowed their own shadows and loomed over them. Both children went to look up their heads to see the humongous brown bear. Its sharp teeth is showing while its saliva is dripping to the ground. Its red eyes eyed its cub and the cub pointed its forefinger towards the two children as if asking for its mother to catch the tasty treats it saw. Then the big red glowing eyes of the brown bear stared at them while its claws started to grow longer than its original size and growled. 24 and 18 gulped down their saliva. The beast in front of them is much higher than the ones they have encountered. Both of them looked at each other and prayed for every God and Saints they know.