The five of us continue our walk with Professor Fillion Drake as we follow him too the third years building.
Crossing over from our building too the second year and the third years it felt like a eternity had passed.
"Quite a walk?" Jericho says to Fillion Drake.
"Indeed it is." Fillion responds.
"Great exercise for stamina." Ezekiel adds.
"Why couldnt he just do it himself doesnt he have a pocket space" I thought too myself as I cautiousily walked behind him."
Someone nudges my arm.
"Why did you agree with this" Erielle whispers.
"Too get information."
"Information? Dont you remember what Professor Carmen told us?"
I notice Bianca fall back behind a slow down.
"Bianca you alright?" I ask.
HUFF
HUFF
Her breathing starts to become heavy, her cheeks flush red, "A-am fine just a little tired."
She slowly falls forward about to hit her head.
VOOSH
Just before anyone could react Fillion Drake catches her and put her in his arms.
"So fast."
"The reaction time" Jericho comments.
"It appears too be taking affect faster than I anticipated. Good thing were close by" Fillion Drake comments.
"What are you talking about?"
"Hurry follow me." Fillion Drake demands as he begins to run with Bianca.
The four of us run and follow him.
He takes a sharp turn left as he stops.
PUSH
He enters a room pushing the door using his back.
The four of us arrive at the door as the room is dimly light we almost little to no light source.
"Uhh. Not suspicious at all" Jericho says sarcastically.
"Be sharp everyone." Erielle says.
Ezekiel begins to casually walk forward.
"Hey" I pull him back.
"Together I said as I start to notice ficklers of small flames from a light source that seems too be moving. As the four of us move closer and closer into the room objects start to become more visible.
We continue to make our way too the room as a foul stench that smelt like rotten eggs the smell grew stronger as we make our way too the room.
"Ugh that goody smell." Erielle says.
"Hell." Jericho says in discomfort.
"This room smells l just like my-"
I put my hand over Ezekiels mouth.
"No dont finish the sentence."
With our mouths and nose covered we finally entered the room.
The moving lights that we saw illuminate the room in a orange hue with a warm and cozy feeling.
"Fireflies." I said. "These were very different fireflies that I saw in the realworld they were orange almost close to red that illuminated a cozy and nice tone.
"Such a interesting way to provide light." Erielle comments.
"Cool" Ezekiel taps on the bottles holding the little insects.
"Hey dont do that." Jericho smacks Ezekiel hand.
"Come on in. Come on in. Just leave the things on that table in the far left." Fillion Drake says as he tells us from another section of the room.
Oddly enough the layout was neatly setup as each section of the room was dedicated too something.
A rectangular shaped room with all different sized flasks in every nook and crany with filled with Vials and flasks with liquids and particles of various hues and textures make up this expansive and intricate factional distillation equipment. Several bins of dead insects and reptlies with various parts from other creatures that have been shoddily grafted onto them are located behind them.
I examined them more there seemed to be five that caught my eye centipede, snake, scorpion, lizard, and toad.
"What in the world?" Jericho says.
"Is that a frog?" Ezekiel asks.
"And the staff wonders why he probably got an illness." Erielle comments.
A large cauldron that could make a a weeks worth of chicken soup. Inside a purple liquid sturs with multiple test flasks nearby.
"Wanna try some Ezekiel" I tease.
"I would. What would I get."
"He's just joking. Is he always like this?" Jericho asks.
"Yup he makes us laugh. Sometimes it gets too a point." Erielle says in a tired tone.
We past the cauldron and lay the goods on the ground in the far left.
"Easy. What is that?" Ezekiel said as he walks too the a wooden box.
Lastly in the far left corner of the room theres a big wooden box with the words "Gullibility test #001" written on the lid. Please take the wishing ring out of the box and make a gold wish.
"Hmm" Ezekiel reaches for it.
GRAB
"Are you mad Ezekiel? Dont you have any clue what that could do too you?" Jericho yells.
"Its clearly a trap" Erielle warns.
"Coming from me dont open it." I plead.
"I've seen too many movies and tv shows where the dumb character makes a dumb decsion drastically affecting the parties mission." I thought.
"It's just a test what can it do?" Ezekiel quickly opens it and grabs the ring.
"No!" we all yell.
CLANK
BZTTT
"AHH" we all brace for a explosion.
The box opens.
"Huh?"
A medium sized wooden box with the words "Gullibility test #002"
"What. What happened?" Jericho asks.
"Are you okay? Injured anywhere?" Erielle asks.
"Did that thing just shock you?"
"Yeah just a little pinch. I got the ring."
CRUMBLE
We all share a look of defeat as the ring crumbles into dust.
"Did you make a wish?" Erielle asks.
"Please tell me it was worth it?" Jericho adds.
"I just thought. I was hungry now am not hungry."
"Written on there. Explains itself." Jericho says.
"It surely does." Erielle adds.
The three of us give Ezekiel a blank look as we turn around and find Fillion Drake.
In the back right section of the room it looked like the infirmary but with just two beds and couch and desk.
The beds where neat and clean as we as the equipment and everything around it.
"I misjudged his room. Its a very organized and clean place besides the part with the dead insects in the begining."
Bianca lies there with her eyes closed.
"Bianca?"
"What did you do?" Erielle asks.
All of us tense up.
"No need to worry 1st year students. She's resting I did you all a favor."
"What." I said.
"What favor? What did you do?" Erielle asks.
"I gave no permission for this?" Jericho says.
"Is the favor useful?" Ezekiel asks.
"Yes it will be quite useful to help you guys gain a upperhand in the Magus Exam." as he sits on his little rolling chair. "You see when you all walked in here. What did you smell?"
"One of the worse smells" Jericho says.
"Unclean and dirty. Following that smell." Erielle says.
"Rotten eggs." I said.
"My farts." Ezekiel said.
"Haha. Alright love the reactions thats what they all say. So do you smell it now?"
We all take sniff.
"Come to realize none of us complained about the smell. Only when we first stepped in."
"No." I said.
"It just smells like any old classroom were usually in." Jericho says.
"It no longer smells like me." Ezekiel says.
"How did you do that?"
"Its a simple aroma. Simpling inhaling this aroma will give the person a low resistance to toxins/bacterias. This will be extremely helpful for the first stage of the Magus Exam where you will thrust into the Greater Forest of Aiz. There will be many various foreign plants and other odteties within that forest this will help you. Although I was given were brief answers as too what type of rules will be implemented into this first stage I gave you guys a huge hint."
"Thank you?" I said.
"Thats a huge help." Jericho says.
"That means we basically got a cheat we'll be one up on the others. Awesome!" Ezekiel.
Erielle remains silent.
"Second favor here. I helped your elf classmate." Fillion Drake reveals a spot on Erielle left forearm that was covered by her uniform. "This was caused by a toxin that affects the body. Am surprised usual victims who get hit by this become paralyzed on the spot, and others get a fever or very sick. However, in her case, she's an elf with high manapool, so her body was able to withstand the poison for twenty-four hours. She will also be immune to another layer since she was exposed to this poison already."
Jericho and Ezekiel smile and nod our heads as we continue to listen.
"But why do all of this?" Erielle questions.
"Eri, he's just-"
"No," Erielle says in a serious tone. "With all that has been going on. The Phantom Order. This sickness. Your arrival. The traitor. It's all too fishy."
The room goes tense as Erielle takes a stance.
"Erielle," I said.
Jericho walks over. "I understand where you're coming from, Erielle. I dont think we should-"
"Shut up," she interrupts him.
"Haa," Fillion Drake lets out a sigh as he stands up.
Erielle follows every move he makes.
He lifts his shirt up.
"Huh"
A giant purple mark on his left ribcage pulses like a heart as it spreads to his underarm. His veins turned glowing purple every other beat."
"I have no reason to be the traitor. Am on a lifeline," He stands up and heads over to his desk.
OPEN
He opens one of the compartments in the desk, and he reveals a little pill that looks like a Tylenol in my eyes.
"I only survive by taking these on a daily I cannot miss one dose. In this room, I create medicines that can cure any diseases that healing magic can't cure. Not announced but tomorrow a cure for this "illness" will be distributed by me. Not even the Federation's Squad 4 Captain Okina Tenmu can create something like this." He walks over to a cabinet by his desk. "Am just a man knocking on death's door every day. Always finding a solution for everyone's problem except for my own. What a twisted fate the world bestowed upon me."
The room remains silent as we digest what was said to us.
He opens the cabinet to reveal a familiar coat.
"Thats a Federation," I said.
"Yeah i was the captain of Squad 9," he responds.
"So you knew about my dad."
Fillion Drake looks down with a face of guilt. "I couldn't save him that night. I was a minute too late. You were already out on the floor. I was able to heal your wounds and get the poison out of you. I didn't even have the balls to face you and your mother at his funeral. When I saw you earlier today, I didnt know what to say."
"Its okay, Fillion than you for everything that you've done and been doing." as I give him a handshake and hug.
"Thank you, Valerus. You and your father are what drives me to what I am doing today."
He closes the cabinet door and sits back on his chair.
"You said that you were a captain of squad 9. What happened?" Jericho asks.
"What was the reason for the Federation to drop from 10 to 8?" Erielle asks.
"Well, that story is quite long and complicated," Fillion says
"Uhh."
"Hey guys, Bianca's awake," Ezekiel yells.
The four of us crowd around her.
"Why didnt you tell us you were sick?" Erielle says in a concerned voice.
"Am sorry I didnt know it, just seemed like a little bug bite," she responds.
"Bug bite?" Jericho examines her mark that is subsiding. "No, it looked to be something withprecision. Thin. A needle?" he thought.
"At least you're okay now," I said.
"Haa." Fillion Drake stares at a picture frame on his desk.
"Professor Drake," Erielle says with a sincere voice.
"Yes."
"Am sorry for my actions earlier. I just didnt know your side. And what your dealing with."
"Its fine I understand that you were filled with many conspiracies about me but now youknow."
"Thank you professor. May I ask how you obtained that wound?"
"It was from a very hard-fought and emotional battle that took a toll on me. I'll let you knowsome other time."
"Okay," Erielle says as she smiles and continues to talk with Bianca, with the others by her side.
Professor Fillion smiles as he looks at the picture frame again. "They remind me so much ofyou guys," as he looks at an old photo of himself with five other mages. "Hey, you five feel free to stop by anytime, I can help you guys prepare.
The five of us smile back at him.
—----------
Undisclosed Location.
A hooded person sits on a tree branch looking at a photo.
"Your still looking at that photo." a voice says.
"Why I cant?" the hooded figure responds as they put away the photo.
"You actual look like a person in there. Now?"
"What do you mean were still the same?"
"Yeah sure."
SLITHER SLITHER
"Get your snakes away from me."
"They are attracted to body heat."
"Argh"
"Hey watch the webs."
"Sorry."
"Is he back yet?" a male voice asks.
"Just got back."
"Forze your late. What took that meeting so long?" the male voice asks.
"Just getting things straight."
"I bet you were just chit-chatting." a female voice says.
"Whatever you want to believe, our access has been granted, just wait for the day." Forze says.