Nightblade (Darkest night)

Winter was rapidly drawing near, and with it, the initiates' excursion into Tenebris.

A few days had passed since Norgan had encountered the strange old man in the gymnasium.

The memories afterward were hazy, but when he'd finally come to, he was back in his room.

Lucian had told him about how he'd passed out.

At this point, Morgan had already chosen his specialities.

He had decided not to take up the combat classes, choosing to train on his own.

Morgan decided to dabble in weapon smithing, poisons, and culinary skills.

" We'll spend about a month in Tenebris, I figured that it'd be best if I knew the basic things about how to cook and prepare meals just in case." He told Lucian.

Lucian stared at Morgan like he was seeing him for the first time.

" That's actually quite surprising. I figured you'd opt for combat training instead."

Classes had ended for the day, and they were lazily lounging in the academy's parterres.

The day had been quite eventful.

Lilia Snow, the poisons professor, had allowed the class to observe the process of shadowbane extraction from Ochrabloom.

The alchemy laboratory resembled a mad scientist's chamber straight out of a science fiction movie.

Different plants of all shapes and sizes were preserved on shelves and in glass jars, scattered around the chamber.

Several sophisticated glass tubes adorned the work stations, some bubbling and frothing over with unknown concoctions.

" Is this supposed to be some kind of horror movie?" Morgan whispered to Lucian.

Since Professor Lilia's lecture on Ochrabloom, Morgan had become avidly interested in Shadowbane.

After all, what was the point of fighting creatures or people for prolonged periods of time if you could simply take them out of the fight with poison?

" A victory is still a victory. At the end of the day, the last man standing wins."

And that was how Morgan had ended up taking Alchemy and poisons as his second specialty.

Evidently, other aspirants didn't believe in his ideal because the turnout for the lecture was surprisingly low.

Despite the dismal numbers, Talia Varas and Emily Whizen were curiously in attendance as well.

Professor Lilia arrived heavily decked out in a protective suit and helmet.

She handed out gas masks to the few students in attendance, then led them deeper into the laboratory.

The inner chamber turned out to be more meticulously organized and cleaned.

" You'll observe the process from behind this glass partition." She said.

" Wear your masks, as a precaution. Shadowbane vapour is quite light and easily spreads through the air." She stated.

She entered the glass compartment, shutting the compartment's partition behind her.

She produced an oIchrabloom flower, holding it up in front of the class.

" It looks quite harmless from here," Morgan thought.

" Usually, if it were another flower, we would first dry it and prepare it extensively, but the ochrabloom is distilled whole."

She began to gently grind it, then added a few drops of an unknown fluid.

" This is dragon's bane. It's also found in Tenebris. It's necessary to preserve the potency of the mixture."

The mixture turned a milky colour. She carefully transferred it to another flask, then gently heated it until it turned colourless.

Then she slowly distilled it into a round glass bottle.

" The process is quite simple, but the poison itself is quite dangerous."

***

Next, they'd had culinary classes.

It was unlike anything Morgan had imagined.

Morgan's comlink beeped.

He frowned slightly when he read the message.

"The culinary class will take place in the forest behind the academy. Please keep time."

When he arrived, he was mildly surprised by the sight that awaited him.

Despite it being the middle of the day, a light mist rolled through the forest, giving the place an eerie feel.

Moss-covered rocks and undergrowth covered the forest floor as far as the eye could see.

The instructor in charge of the class was waiting for the class at the forest's entrance.

He was a bear of a man, towering over them like a giant of myth.

Massive untamed locks of hair flowed down his back.

In contrast, the man next to him was lithe and looked incredibly agile. His long black hair was stylishly slicked back.

" I'd like to welcome you all to the Black forest." He said, spreading his arms wide.

"My name is Remus Woldemar. But you may address me as Instructor Remus. I'm a novice and I'll be conducting this culinary class. This is my Talented counterpart, Professor Emmett."

Remus' eyes gleamed savagely, sweeping over the gathered students.

One of the girls raised a hand.

" Sir, if this is a culinary class, why are we out here in the woods?"

He grinned darkly.

" That's a very simple question, really. We're going to get what to cook."

" And how exactly are we going to do that?"

A beastly looking, talented face palmed, rolling his eyes sarcastically, then he shook his head.

" We're going to hunt," Cassius snarled. " Am I right, Instructor Remus?"

Remus nodded in amusement.

" What's your name, kid?"

Cassius' eyes narrowed, suspiciously, glancing at Emmett.

He slowly nodded.

" Cassius, Cassius Wulfric."

Remus grinned.

" I like that attitude, Cassius. Keep it up."

He led them into the forest behind the academy.

The trees towered above the small group, stretching into the sky.

It formed a thick canopy that covered the entire forest, blocking out the sun's light.

Small luminescent rays of sunlight peeked through the small gaps, illuminating the narrow path they were following.

The air was filled with the gentle scent of earth and pine.

The slight rustling of the bushes and undergrowth from time betrayed the movement of unseen creatures.

"There's a reason why very few of you become initiates," Remus spoke carefully.

" In Tenebris, might makes right. Food won't serve itself on a platter. So, I can say with certainty that you've all made the right choice in taking culinary skills as a specialty. Though calling it that is a bit of a stretch."

He paused, turning around to emphasize his point.

"Surviving a month in Tenebris can be quite tenuous, especially since there's no knowing when you'll have your next meal."

They headed deeper into the forest, the bird song slowly dying out.

" You've been taught how to deal with human beings, but in Tenebris, you must learn how to stalk prey and how to kill it. Animals have keener senses than human beings and therefore they can be surprisingly harder to kill."

The undergrowth shifted slightly, parting beneath their feet.

The group moved in silence, watching Remus' figure attentively for instructions.

Remus held up a hand, then quietly turned around, raising a finger to his lips, a signal indicating for them to stay put and watch.

He unsheathed a long, jagged blade, then slowly crept forward.

Morgan watched his movements intently, noting that his feet didn't make any sound.

Cassius scanned their surroundings, then quietly sniffed the air.

A sharp musky scent hit his nostrils, his eyes widening in realization.

"So that's it."

The group had happened upon a herd of deer in an open field that lay ahead.

One of the deer stood a distance off, quietly munching on some bushes.

It suddenly raised its head in alarm, looking around. Its ears twitched sensitively, turning in different directions.

Discovering nothing amiss, it began to chew once more.

In the next moment, a blurred figure shot out of the bushes, making a beeline for the lone deer.

The spooked deer jumped in alarm and dashed wildly, darting away towards the rest of the herd.

The herd stirred into motion, running in unison, heading deeper into the forest.

The blurred figure sped up, intercepting the straggler mid-sprint, then eerily passing through it.

Remus materialized some distance away, with an amused smile on his face.

Cassius' eyes narrowed, his keen sight zeroing in on the deer.

In the next moment, his eyes widened in surprise.

" Oh, shit!"

Morgan glanced at him in confusion.

" Why did the instructor stop?"

The deer kept running, then staggered awkwardly before coming to a stop.

It stood still neighing in alarm.

Remus gestured for them to approach. Emmett led the group to where he was standing.

The deer was trembling unnaturally.

" What's wrong with it?"

Cassius cast a furtive glance at the girl who had asked the question.

" It's dead."

Then Morgan saw it.

A thin red line that ran cleanly through the deer's neck.

The deer fell to the ground, its head separating cleanly from the rest of the carcass.

" Gather wood, everyone, we're going to have ourselves a culinary class," Remus said cheerily.

Remus drained the deer while explaining what he was doing and why.

He swiftly gutted it, skilfully removing its innards with practiced ease.

Morgan approached Cassius.

" You have really good eyesight. You were able to tell that he'd killed it before the rest of us."

Cassius grinned smugly.

" I'm a biological type, Talented. My ability enhances my senses even in my normal state."

" You're a what now?"

Cassius looked at him in puzzlement.

" I'm a biological-typeTalented. My ability allows me to transform into a beast."

A doubtful look flickered across Morgan's face. Cassius sighed.

"Here, let me give a practical demonstration."

Cassius activated his ability, his eyes glowing with an orange light.

In the next moment, fur sprouted across Cassius' arm, his nails lengthened, turning into curved claws.

The muscles in his arm rippled, then thickened.

Some of the aspirants backed away.

Cassius frowned, glancing at them in disdain.

" Man, that's so cool," Morgan exclaimed.

Cassius glanced at him in surprise.

" You're not freaked out, or anything like that?"

" Why should I be? I've seen way freakier stuff than this. Assassins are a freaky bunch after all."

" Mr Wulfric, if you're done showing off, stop disrupting my class and pay attention," Remus said in a stern tone that contrasted with the amused smile on his face.

Just then, a fierce roar ripped through the chatter, leaving silence in its wake. Everyone froze in their tracks, turning towards the source of the sound.

In the next moment, an impossibly large bear hurtled out of the forest into the field.

It snapped through the trees with horrifying ease, barrelling straight towards the group.