Chapter 77.
PART 1.
It is a peaceful weekend. Birds are chirping, the rain has recently stopped, so the temperature is quite pleasant, and the glare of the sun is not very harsh. A soft breeze ruffles people’s hair, and puppies are loved everywhere. I did not get paid enough to narrate this.
Some couples are even out on the ground, strolling around the stream, or resting (read: flirting) under the trees.
This peace is disrupted by a horrible sound which is enough to evoke primal fear in any creature who is smart enough to recognize the incoming danger. However, the students on the ground couldn’t rise from their peaceful fog fast enough. A cloud of bees comes, and a stampede starts to get away quickly. Suddenly, the sun has left the sky, the breeze seems not so soft anymore, and innocent puppies are kicked everywhere. And I’m paid a lot to narrate this.
The students do remember that they are mages, and no bug is going to threaten them. As soon as they take out their foci, and begin to cast spells, the bees leave for the forest from the other side of the ground. The paranoid ones suggested that this must be someone’s plan, but the normal people dismissed it as nothing more than a freak occurrence. Though they do give sympathy to those unlucky ones who received the sting of the bees.
PART 2.
Hatori halls the bucket in which he collected the juices of the flowers from nearby. The queen gave him the list of flowers, the juice of which she wanted in advance. He didn’t have any problems finding those flowers, since the list was transferred to his mind directly. He still doesn’t understand how exactly this entire thing works.
The colony seems to be buzzing quite actively today. As he stops on the edge, maintaining his usual distance, the queen greets him. “I see you’ve collected more juice than I asked for.”
For a moment Hatori thought about asking how did she know that, she couldn’t have calculated that with just a glance, from wherever she is in the hive (most likely in the very center) but he instead decides to ask a different question.
“Is there something special going on today?” he asked.
“Yes indeed. Quite perceptive of you to pick it up just by the sounds of our wings.” Said the queen. “The wasp queen is here to sign a new business deal with me. She will join us in a few moments.”
A few moments later, the wasp queen joins the conversation. “Ah, thanks for connecting me to the conversation,” Hatori notes the difference in the voice of both queens.
“Anyway, can we conclude our deal?” asked Hatori.
“Of course. You’ve collected what I wanted, and you got what you wanted.” Said the queen. “Is there anything else?”
“Well, I was thinking. I could collect more juice for you, but I need your soldiers again.” Said Hatori.
“That is why you collected more juice, didn’t you? It is true, you humans are quite good at business.” Said the bee queen. “Very well, I accept this arrangement.”
“Yes, and we would like to be a part of this arrangement as well.” said the wasp queen.
“Okay. Do tell me what other items you need. I suspect you don’t need this flower juice.” Said Hatori. “Though I warn you, this could be dangerous. Your soldiers can die.”
“That is fine.” Said both queens. “We accept that danger each time we send them outside anyway. Besides, a colony cannot grow without risks.”
After the new deal was struck, Hatori walked away clutching his head. Having this mind conversation thing with two queens simultaneously can be quite painful.
In the night, Hatori sneaks into the Academy, where most students are busy stuffing their faces in the mess hall, while he has to make do with whatever he could get in the forest. Tamping down on his resentment, he is dismayed to find that some students have decided to forget the food and study their subjects in the library. Luckily, no one looks at him in the library carefully enough, due to the low light which is usually present in the room, and due to the general busyness of everyone else.
Hatori finds some body modification runes. These were supposed to be taught to them by their fourth and fifth years in conjunction with the rituals which went with them. But Hatori does not have time to follow the standard curriculum. He needs power, and he needs it now. The queens have agreed to supply soldiers for him to experiment upon since the loss of a few hundred wasps or bees is no big deal to them. the colony produces thousands of them by every day, given the season of monsoon going on right now.
Copying the booklets, Hatori finds some texts on earth elements just for good measure. All the works were in public, so no nasty effects struck him for copying these texts. Sneaking out of the library, he goes to his room and finds the new set of clothes. These are the last pair of clothes he has. Once they are gone, he might need to contact Zeko for help. He is not certain whether the Academy will interfere if he decides to help him or not.
Sneaking out of the Academy, he cut close. Everyone has eaten dinner, and they are now looking forward to walks or other things which people do after eating dinner. Hatori never understood the point of making a group, and then going for a walk, chatting about mindless things. ‘Give me time. They’ll have a lot to chat about.’ He promised himself.
He takes a look at the notes. Maybe he could have asked Raven to bring him these, but this operation did two things. First, it let him know that he can come and go into the Academy whenever he pleases; and second, there are no effects for going there. ‘I’ll find the kitchen next time.’
PART 3.
Shin has made himself part of the underground delivery business. For now, he is nothing more than a delivery boy. But he plans to gain influence through this position slowly and take over the entire operation. Currently, he is going to find out why exactly one of the people in charge has called for him since they do not meet directly. Lucky for him, today is the day of the Sun, so he won’t have to worry about skipping his classes or his training for this meeting. Not that classes are that important, apart from the music one. Hatori has turned them into such bad kids.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Yo boss!” he said, opening the door of this room, which is currently in use by the older student of the syndicate, who has generously given this place for the current meeting.
“You?” said Josh.
“You?” said Shin.
“So, you’re the guy in charge, huh?” Said Shin, taking a seat. His sensing is not as good as Hatori's, but he doesn’t sense anyone else in the room.
“Yeah. A big order arrived, someone wants some modification potions urgently.” Said Josh.
“Probably some power-hungry maniac.” Said Shin.
“Maybe. But we don’t care about that. if you do this successfully, and me vouching for you…” said Josh.
“Hmm. I like the way you think. Should I leave immediately?” asked Shin.
“Yes. Do be careful, the contents are very dangerous.” Said Josh.
“Got it,” said Shin.
Arriving outside of the ground ten minutes early, Shin waits. He has lost the fear of the outside by going to meet Hatori repeatedly. Not to mention, witnessing brutal attacks which are somehow worse than Zeko’s house. It also helps that he has grown strong, and crippling some older bullies does the confidence wonder.
Footsteps crunch on the dirt, and Shin is ready with his foci, and a song on his lips. The music lessons serve him well should the situation devolve. “Hatori?” he blurted out.
“I see your senses have improved.” Said Hatori, coming into sight.
“So, you’re the client?” asked Shin.
“And you are the delivery guy.” Said Hatori. “Here are the plants I promised to pay with.” He brings out a large sack of plants collected from the forest. Potions enthusiasts will pay with actual gold to get their hands on those ingredients; murder is also on the table.
Though trying to murder Hatori won’t end well. Shin hasn’t seen him for a while, since Raven is the one going to the forest most of the time. He described their friend as looking more and more wilder with each visit, but it has to be seen to be believed. Though his hair seems to be fine, not unkempt as Raven described.
“You don’t know how to sow, do you?” asked Shin.
“I tried, but I nearly punctured my thumb.” Said Hatori. “The needle was perfect though.”
“Yeah, don’t do that. You might get an infection out there. I’ll give you some sowing spells.” Said Shin. “And yeah, here’s your delivery. Nice to do business with you.”
“Likewise.” Said Hatori. “If your business needs a goon, drop me a call.” With those final words, Hatori departs.
Shin also understands what Raven talked about, when he tells them it gets harder and harder to leave him behind to the mercy of that desolate forest. Needless to say, he did not appreciate the feeling.
Getting back from the delivery, he presents an idea to Josh. “What do you think about causing a massacre in some safer areas?”
“To provide Hatori with a safe place, I assume.” Said Josh. “It could work. But did you consider one thing?”
“What?” asked Shin.
“Do you think Hatori will come to safer areas?” asked Josh. “He likes to polish his skill by putting himself in dangerous situations. And that place is as dangerous as it can get without the older students or the professors.”
“But…” Shin wanted to protest, but the words died on his tongue.
“Look, I’m sure he has a plan to come back and overturn this banishment.” Said Josh. “And when he needs our help, he’ll tell us. Until then, we can only help him indirectly.”
“I don’t have to like this, though,” said Shin.
“Yeah, me neither.” Josh agreed with Shin.
PART 4.
Aside from visiting Hatori in the forest, Raven has slowly formed a group of his own with students like himself who are not cursed like Shin, but who are not from the upper families. Currently, it is mostly of Suraj and his friends from the lower classes, and the Singh twins and some other students of the same years as them, just from different sections.
For now, this might not look much, but Raven is slowly collecting his pieces. They will serve him well in future conflicts. Of course, occasionally Maria and Liang also meet with this group, but they never associate with them in public.
‘This sounds like a badly written story with kids doing politics.’ He sighed in his head, while Ranveer made his next move on the board, while Bhavani and Suraj ran around trying to tag each other.
Ranveer is proving to be quite a strategist, challenging Raven not only on the board but beyond that as well, proving his talent does not lie only in solving chess problems. He can use those brain muscles to solve real-world problems.
Raven personally considers making the Singh twins join this group as a big scoop. The Singhs are a disjointed group, fierce like the lions, after which they are named, and equally brutal. Many times in the past, they have proven to be stronger than upper families, despite not being rich like them.
PART 5.
Elsewhere, a telepathic conversation is taking place nearby Hatori’s camp. if someone were to come at this moment and see the current scene, they will see a snake hanging from a tree, while an elephant looks with focus at the snake without moving.
‘You observed him. didn’t you?’ asked the elephant.
‘Of course.’ The snake sways in the wind. ‘I do think we should approach him. he already dealt with the wasps and bees.’
Both of them shivered. Never would they get greedy for honey.
‘And if he proves untrustworthy, I can always gore him with my tusks.’ Said the elephant while lumbering away.
‘Such a brutal man. no class at all.’ muttered the snake.
Their entire conversation is mental, for they do not have the right vocal cords to communicate these complex thoughts, not to mention, shrieking and hissing at each other, is so old fashion. Only humans with a lack of imagination can describe snakes hissing these days. After all, a snake does more than just hiss.
(End.)