Into The Wilderness I
It didn’t take long for all the students to enter the bus and get seated. So soldiers also entered and hot into their designated spots while the bus driver, a grizzly man that had arms half as big as Osho’s waist.
Despite his large size, though, he seed perfectly capable of handling the controls as he fiddled with gadgets Osho didn’t even try to na.
The students started chatting excitedly, which lasted about 5 seconds as Mrs Jane stepped inside and everyone shut up imdiately.
She looked at all of them from the front of the bus, then she looked at the bus driver and they shared a nod before the engine started.
The other buses did the sa along with the vehicles in charge of protection.
Osho watched as the juniors peeked from their classes and watched them leave. The more bold ones ran out of their classes and started cheering for them as they left the school as if they were going to fight a war.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he watched this. His relationship with the juniors wasn’t particularly good or bad. But he did find their antics amusing whenever he paid attention to them.
Soon, the convoy was out of the gates, its imposing presence causing many vehicles to move out of the way.
"Alright everyone, we’ll be at the walls in about 1 hour. So be well-behaved until then. I don’t mind you lot talking, but don’t let it get rowdy or too loud." With that, she took the seat next to the bus driver.
"This should be fun." Ellie nudged Osho in the side with her elbow and he rolled his eyes.
"Nerve-wracking is more appropriate." His response caused her to snicker.
"Aw, is the stoic Osho scared?" She teased but he just snorted.
"Hardly, but be real, we’re entering the wilderness for the first ti. There’s bound to be so form of anxiety." Osho was telling the truth. While he wasn’t particularly scared, the knowledge that he’d be entering the wilderness, a place painted as one filled with unbelievable dangers since his transmigration, was daunting.
It wasn’t the controlled environnt of the Citadel where one could expect what to happen for the most part. No, the only assurances they had were the soldiers and their teachers. Granted, Mrs Jane’s presence served to comfort them a bit, but she still said that the possibility of dying was real.
If they were in a dire situation, there’s a high chance there wouldn’t be anyone for them to call. If the teacher got there in ti, good, if not, then they either dealt with it themselves or died trying.
"Hm, I see your point." Ellie nodded.
"Question. Do you feel like this is necessary?" Osho raised a brow at the sudden question.
"The exercise?" He tilted his head and she nodded.
"I an, why didn’t they just get beasts from the wilderness to make us fight? We’d still be in danger, but at least the environnt would be far more controlled and the chances of accidents would reduce significantly." At this, Osho was silent for a mont before speaking.
"I think that’s the point." Ellie arched a brow.
"Think about it. A controlled environnt is just that, controlled. Sure, we will be safer, but the wilderness isn’t gonna give us controlled battles. It’s random, and it’s gonna throw things at you that make whatever plans you have aningless. If we go into the wilderness thinking we’re only gonna face things at our level, the mont sothing beyond our level appears, there isn’t a lot we can do about it. I think this exercise is ant to remove such a ntality from us. To let us be prepared for everything and expect the unexpected." When he finished, Leiie tilted her head thoughtfully.
"That’s not all." Mrs Jane suddenly said. She’d been listening to their conversation.
Everyone turned to her at her voice as she continued speaking.
"It’s also to test and train your adaptability. As my obstacle course let you all know, beasts aren’t the only thing you will need to face. The environnt is also a key factor. Sotis you might encounter a beast that you should be able to deal with ordinarily, but due to the environnt, it has a large advantage over you. In that case, you’ll need to think of ways to go around that advantage or make it pointless. Other tis, you will be running away from a beast, and if the environnt is unfavorable, or the beast can manipulate the terrain, you will need to think quickly." She looked at all of them.
"Not all expeditions into the wilderness are about fighting beasts either. Sotis, you will need to obtain a sort of rare resource, like a herb or sothing similar. If that resource is being protected by sothing powerful, fighting it head-on isn’t an option, so you will have to figure out a way to get what you want without fighting. Or in another case, big expedition parties with a goal tend to ignore all other beasts unless they are attacked. This is to save energy and prevent injuries so that when they reach their final goal, they are in the peak states and can fight at the best of their ability." She sighed.
"In short, there is no single way to handle the wilderness. Guides and lessons are good, but there’s only so much they can do, especially when you’re in a dire situation. Your split-second decision skills and sharpness will help you greatly. That’s the main point of this exercise. To help you train these skills." When she finished, everyone who’d been talking fell silent as they considered her words, Osho included.
Indeed, the intricacies behind going into the wilderness went beyond just finding a beast and killing it. There were so many factors one needed to take into consideration, too many in fact, and morizing all of them while simultaneously preparing for all of them was simply impractical. So it was more ideal to prepare the best you could, and if you ever fell into an unexpected situation, your adaptability would do you wonders.
’How interesting.’ Osho thought and looked at Gale who had made himself into a ball on Osho’s shoulder, his beady eyes looking out the window with curiosity.
’This will be a lesson to Gale too, I suppose. He’s talented, but that’s all he is. If I can’t bring out that potential, then he’s gonna feel the burn in the future. He needs to face hardship.’ Such hardship would arrive soon.
As the bus drove, Osho chatted with Ellie while taking in the Citadel. He hadn’t explored the entire thing since transmigration, and he sure as hell hadn’t gone to the walls before. So this was a new experience for him as well.
Ellie seed to know this as she pointed out various things he seed curious about, like important landmarks or buildings.
In hindsight, Osho should have probably felt embarrassed about soone explaining things to him in the place he lived, but he was a bit more shaless than most.
As such, the ti seed to pass relatively quickly despite the tension in the air.
Soon, the walls ca into view, and Osho couldn’t help but marvel.
As far as his eyes could see, the massive walls stretched on in a curve as they surrounded the entire Citadel.
The official asurent for their height was 60 ters (196.850 feet). They were incredibly thick, thicker than all of the buses in the convoy lined up.
As they neared it, the number of Military convoys increased significantly. Despite their convoy being of militaristic origins, the soldiers who were ard to the teeth weren’t taking any chances.
Osho found it interesting that the soldiers had their beasts out. Moreover, not only were they all clad in specially issued armor, but they were also of the sa type. Specifically a hound-type beast he recalled being called the Tibetan Shepherd. They were taller than Osho despite being on all fours.
They all had slight variations in them, however, which confird the idea that every beast was different even if they had parents of the sa species. It was sothing Osho would forever find intriguing.
The Shepherds which seed to have an acute sense of sll sniffed out each bus thoroughly and the drivers from each one had to give them identification as well as the permit needed to go on this expedition in the first place.
The entire thing took about 20 minutes, but not once did the teachers of soldiers in the buses seem perturbed. They were sure there was no reason for them to be worried.
They would be correct in their surety as the checks were completed, and the buses were allowed to approach the massive gates in the wall.
It was like a tunnel with how long the hole was, moreover, there were platforms near its ceiling were automatic turrets watched everything then ca in and went out.
But once more, there was no issue, and soon, they crossed the walls.
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