They arrived on the main academy grounds after about 15 minutes. The hot summer air dried Talin’s clothes somewhat, but he was still rather damp. An immaculately groomed lawn spread out on either side of the trail. Ahead, the trail met up with a road paved with cobble. The road weaved around several buildings and houses along the outskirts of the academy, various paths splitting off going in various directions.
Talin was exhausted and really wanted to go back to his dorm and lie down, but he knew the sooner he got the Vermillion-veined Heart Grass out of his hands the better. He and Rodrick split ways. Talin headed off to his cousin's dwelling in the alchemy and medical department. A little while later he arrived in front of a small house.
Talin went up to the front door and knocked. Talin heard feet padding up to the door on the other side before it swung open, revealing Talin's cousin, Jessup Greymarch.
Jessup was tall and somewhat lanky, but his face was rather handsome. He had long dark blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and a pair of round glasses with slightly thick black frames, giving him a somewhat scholarly look.
"Oh, Talin, it's you. Come in.. Come in." Jessup looked Talin over briefly before gesturing him inside.
As Talin made his way over the threshold, Jessup held out his arm and stopped Talin mid-step. Jessup's face loomed close and he took a deep sniff.
"Is that Vermilion-veined Heart Grass I smell? No wonder you look wet, you must have just got back from the lake. Tsk. I thought little cousin came to keep me company, but he just wanted to use me." Said Jessup in mock despair.
"Hehe, that's right I just want to use you, so hurry up and make this pill."
Talin was used to Jessup's nonsense, and gave tit for tat. He thought quite well of Jessup though. He was one of the few members of the Greymarch family that had always treated Talin well. He pulled out the burlap containing the Vermillion-veined Heart Grass and handed it out to Jessup.
"Oh, you wound me" Jessup laughed as he took it.
Jessup opened the bag and pulled out the grass. He ran his hands over the vaguely heart-shaped red veins near the base of the grass tuft before gently breaking one of the smaller roots and sniffing.
"Perfect," he said. "Good quality, fresh, maturity isn't too bad either, probably about 10 years old. It is a bit of a waste to use one this old for a Gathering Spirit Pill, but when I tried to requisition one for this pill they were all out. Many in the Alchemy department are probably refining these pills for first year students. I was worried the lake might have been picked clean as well. Were you searching for very long?"
Talin smiled bitterly, "All yesterday afternoon and since first light today. I read that the Gathering Spirit Pill you were making needed a Vermillion-veined Heart Grass of at least 5 years maturity to reach high quality."
Jessup made a face, "Little cousin, I am good, but making a high quality pill is somewhat.." He trailed off. It had taken him a year of study before he could make medium grade pills and potions and still he was considered a top notch talent for that.
Talin smiled, "That's okay. I just wanted to make sure you had the best chance. The better the pill is, the better my chances are as well. Besides, I know my great alchemist genius of a cousin won't let me down."
"Pah, you really know how to put pressure on a guy. Alright, just watch this genius make a high quality pill." He bragged.
After chatting a bit more with his cousin and finding out the pill would be ready in the morning, Talin decided to head back to his room to clean up. He did not mention what had happened at the lake to his cousin. He had seen Richard get away with all sorts of bullying before and was not sure what the limit was on what he could get away with. It was just his word against Richard’s and he did not want to get his cousin caught up in that.
Along the way he passed through the Drake District situated in the center of the academy, where the administration was housed as well as certain resources that were restricted to first years. The landscape was meticulously cared for by a combination of magic arrays and golems controlled by the various spirits contracted to the academy. He made his way through the building heading to the Wolf District where he was housed.
Unlike the students in the Alchemy Department, who needed the extra quiet for delicate and sometimes dangerous experiments, the regular students did not get private housing, but were all in the same building where they had separate rooms off the inner courtyard. He entered the courtyard as usual when he heard someone calling for him.
"Talin Greymarch!"
A tall man of medium build with a shiny bald head stormed over to the courtyard entrance. He had a cold look in his eyes and his bushy mustache bristled.
"Professor Mordheart." Talin clasped his hands across his stomach and bowed slightly. It was a basic gesture of respect.
Professor Mordheart didn't seem to notice. "How audacious you are! Stealing from a fellow student. Not that I expect better from the worst student in the academy."
Talin was confused, but then felt his face flush in anger. He wasn't talented by any means, but was still far from being the worst student in the academy. At the very least his grades were good.
"Professor, I am confused. What do you mean about stealing? I haven't done anything like that." Despite his anger at the false accusation and insult, Talin remained level headed. He had dealt with the machinations of his family since young and knew how important it was to stay calm until you knew all the facts.
"It’s no use lying to me young Greymarch! Do you deny that you beat your fellow student and stole his Vermilion-veined Heart Grass?"
Suddenly, Talin understood what was going on. He looked around and saw Richard, Doyle, and another one of Richard's cronies he recognized near the courtyard. He had not raised a complaint for what they had done to him, but instead they had inverted right and wrong and accused him first!
Doyle had a few bruises on his face that had not been there earlier, obviously he had suffered to make the cover more convincing. Talin immediately thought back to what Richard had said about bruises leaving evidence and letting him go and everything made sense. He had planned this from the start. Talin may have witnessed quite a few schemes in his family but how could he compare to Richard who had been in contact with the Royal Court. They were both very young, but he learned to be so scheming.
"Well out with it!" The bald professor demanded. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
"I," Talin paused. What was he going to say? Any excuse he tried to make would surely be overridden. Richard had a better background, people to back up his story, and bruises for evidence. Even though the academy claimed to stay impartial in student affairs not all the teachers complied. He began to feel indignant. Mordheart was clearly taking Richard’s side.
He spoke loudly, "I did not steal from them, they tried to steal from me. When they could not get what they wanted, they drug me to the lake and forced my head under water repeatedly while questioning me. Look, the water on my clothes has not fully dried, and Doyle is wet too. He was the one pushing me in the water on Richard's command. Those people are sick. Richard is a maniac!"
Talin decided to blow things up. He hoped that the professor might back off for fear of nearby students spreading rumors and hurting his reputation, but Mordheart didn’t have the best reputation anyways so he may not care.
Professor Mordheart paused. What? They had really done that? Were these really eleven year old kids? Children gifted with stronger souls were always more advanced than kids their age and all the students at the academy were gifted in some regard, but this was too much.
He knew Richard was lying, of course. Richard was a natural schemer, but for someone of the professor's capability it was easy to tell if a person was lying. He shifted uncomfortably under the gazes of the nearby students who had stopped to see about the commotion. If he did not handle this well and it was seriously investigated he might lose his job. The upper management may not care about smaller affairs but once their reputation was under threat they would go crazy! Impartiality to student background wasn't just some saying, much of the schools prestige was built around that fact. It was why they were able to keep attracting the best talents from all over the kingdom and beyond.
Then things got worse. A voice he recognized was heard:
"What exactly is going on here?!"
