Clouds filled the night sky and blocked out the moon. It would have been impossible for a mortal to navigate in such utter darkness, but Gust’s cultivation improved his senses such that his remaining good eye was all he needed.

A bright light appeared behind him just as Gust found the path to his home. He clenched his teeth and unfurled his mana sense as he spun around, expecting to find a Mage Hand or a stream of leaves.

Instead of Isaac or one of his friends, however, there was Jonas. He held a bright blue stone in his hand. Gust’s mana sense revealed a thin stream of mana leaving Jonas’s palm as it fed the light.

As Gust reached down to his bag of holding, Jonas spoke up in a soft voice. “Stop! I’m not here to fight.”

The Demon remained in a ready stance, however. Jonas wasn’t armed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a few surprises hidden in his robes. “Then what do you want?” Gust asked abruptly. After losing more than a few sparring matches to this mage, Gust held no fondness for him.

“You uh… what were you reading today?” The mage asked awkwardly.

Gust only answered after his mana sense probed the immediate area and confirmed they were alone. “Just studying the school’s cultivation paths,” he shrugged. Then he asked, without any real curiosity, “What about you?”

Jonas nodded, “Oh, I was rereading some of Mistress Dyonelle’s alchemical journals. Do you dabble?” Gust shook his head. “It’s just… I heard you speaking with Lyth earlier. You found some goldenseal and twinleaf?”

“Yeah, what of it? I was on a mission for Master Ephraim.”

“You mentioned that earlier, but I check the mission board often and there was nothing related to twinleaf. I thought you might have plans for it.”

When Gust shook his head, Jonas’s heart began to race. It was a light thumping sound, like a car passing by with its bass turned up. Gust had never noticed anyone’s heartbeat before, but the quiet night provided little impediment.

“If you…” Jonas started, then he took a deep breath to calm himself. “If you would give me some of those herbs, I’d be willing to tutor you. In alchemy, I mean.”

Gust made a dismissive gesture, “No thanks. I have too much on my mind as it is. Someone will need twinleaf eventually, I just need to wait for the right mission.”

As Gust turned around, Jonas spoke more firmly than before. “I need it.”

The Demon raised an eyebrow. “How much are you willing to pay for it?”

The mage spread his hands. “See, I don’t actually have spare mana gems, nor merit points to trade for it.”

Before he could continue, Gust cut in. “Well, if I could find twinleaf by accident, I’m sure an alchemist who knows what to look for would find them far more easily. Ask Theo for a map.”

“I could, yes… but that would involve leaving the school. Exploring the wilds.” He paused, but evidently Gust didn’t give the reaction this boy was looking for. “Did you not fear for your life?”

“Didn’t have much reason to,” Gust replied. There had been a moment, however, where he did feel such primal fear. His mana sense detected the arrow leaving Philo’s bow, but he knew he wasn’t fast enough to dodge it. Luckily, the projectile had been blunted.

“Well, maybe you just don’t know what’s out there,” Jonas offered.

Gust sighed. “Sure, I do. Beasts, spirits, lions, tigers, and bears. Oh my.” He rolled his eyes. “I spent almost an entire day in those woods and nothing tried to eat me, so I think you’ll be fine. You beat me, remember?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The other mage grimaced. “Yes, I remember. You may have avoided danger, but not every student is so lucky.” He pulled up one of his sleeves and revealed a few long scars running along his forearm. “When I first joined the school, I wondered why everyone spent so much time cultivating when a single pill might provide more mana than they could absorb in a week. But cultivation is simple. Alchemy requires countless hours of study, and that work doesn’t bear fruit until you have the right materials to work with.

“When I saw you this morning,” he continued, “it got me thinking. If you can survive out there, and I can keep studying and producing potions… perhaps we could come to an arrangement.”

Gust relaxed, but he was still skeptical. “Why don’t you just find your own herbs?”

Jonas’s hands shook as he gripped his scarred arm and his eyes focused on the ground. “After what happened last time… I can’t. Not until I’ve advanced.”

“Still, I’m far from the strongest mage around. Even within our level. Why make this deal with me and not someone like Isaac?”

The tall mage let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, so he can steal everything I produce? I don’t wish to be taken advantage of, nor do I want to do the same. I propose an even split. You collect the herbs, I brew the potions, and we split the results.”

Gust shook his head. “How do I know you won’t just lie about it? You could always just say a batch failed and the potion had to be thrown out.”

Jonas gritted his teeth. “But I won’t! If I want to climb the ranks, I need a lot more than one trip’s worth of twinleaf; I need everything you can find! Why would I burn a bridge that I would rather keep using?”

Gust nodded, but the situation made him deeply uncomfortable. Considering all the mages he’d met so far, he was inclined to agree with what Philo said: that they were self-serving bastards. Gust tried to be different, and he sought out others with a similar attitude, like Locke, Theo, and Alice.

As he spent more time in this world, however, Gust learned that he trusted too easily. He didn’t want to hurt his fellow students, even if it might help him advance, so it was difficult for him to protect himself against people he didn’t understand. He needed more than words, he wanted proof that he could trust this boy.

“Alright, let’s say I’m interested. Before I give you anything, though, I want something from you.” Before Jonas could offer the same complaints as earlier, Gust held up a hand to stop him. “Not payment, collateral.”

Jonas’s mouth curved into a slight smile and he nodded. A potion flew out of his bag of holding and into his hand, which he pushed toward Gust. “Here! This is a first rank mana potion. The very same I’ll use the twinleaf to create.”

Gust plucked the vial out of the mage’s hand. Its color matched what he received from Ephraim. He nodded and produced the twinleaf. A mound of green leaves and white flowers built up within his Mage Hand. “How much could you make with this?”

Jonas’s eyes lit up. He was practically salivating. “Considering the other materials I’ve already collected… at least ten of those vials. More, if you don’t mind some experimentation on my part.” As he reached toward the herb, Gust pulled it back.

“Or less, if those experiments go poorly,” he commented, remembering Mistress Dyonelle’s harsh words in the library. “If you could make ten vials with this, though, I’ll need more than one to hold onto.”

Jonas gritted his teeth. “I don’t have more! Is this how you deal with honesty? I could have lied, you know. Why don’t I just amend my words, hmm?” He cleared his throat and looked at the twinleaf as if for the first time. “I’m not sure this is enough for even one vial, never mind ten! If anything, you should be paying me.” Then he crossed his arms.

A pang of guilt struck Gust’s heart and he pushed the twinleaf toward the other mage. “Fine. You’re right. Sorry. I’ll just hold onto this for now,” he slipped the mana potion into his bag, “and give it back when you have my share of the ten. How’s that?”

“Perfect,” Jonas grinned as a stream of twinleaf flowed toward him. He bowed his head, “You won’t regret this.” But as he turned to leave, his smile broadened. The twinleaf he’d just received could produce twice as many potions as he’d claimed, and he might be able to create a second rank vial in the process.

One of the benefits of knowing so much about alchemy, was the fact that everyone else knew so little. Gust would receive five potions and be happy for it, while Jonas kept fifteen for himself. When he arrived at his home, the tall mage reached into a small chest that was filled with such potions, and plucked one out. He took a long gulp, then began to cultivate.

Gust sat in the center of his home, staring at a pair of mana potions. He felt terrible for not trusting Jonas sooner, as the young man was as much an outcast as himself. He only wished that there was a spell which might tell him when someone was lying.

Gust wanted to work with his fellow students, not against them. He’d always despised any form of cheating. Even minor forms, such as allowing a friend to copy his homework, bothered him to the core.

One of the ideas his father had drilled into his mind was that he should succeed upon his own merits. If he needed to take shortcuts, such as by abusing his friends, or even his enemies, then he deserved to fail.