Chapter 23 - A Proposition

"Is it done?" Dean Petticoat asked Professor Kal as he watched that latter walk out of a portal that appeared in his office.

Dean Petticoat wasn't surprised in the slightest to see him barge into his office. He knew that he had something he wanted to discuss with him, but was interrupted by everything going on with the Royal family. Although Professor Kal had only been a teacher here for a short time, he had already grown accustomed to his crass attitude.

"Sure is." Professor Kal said, closing the Warp Gate behind him and sitting in a chair across from the Dean's desk.

"We're going to have a new king here pretty soon." Kal said dismissively.

"WHAT?!" The Dean shouted out.

"Oh yes, it was very moving, you should have been there."

"The Queen… I thought she.."

"No, the King put his foot down, making the sacrifice himself. Other than that, everything went smoothly." Professor Kal said, interrupting the Dean's train of thought.

The King sacrificing himself was a huge deal, Dean Petticoat almost couldn't wrap his head around it. He really didn't know how to process it. The current king had brought peace and stability to the country, he was beloved by all. Now, with his pending death, he didn't know what would happen. He didn't know much about the First Prince, he couldn't say how he would be as King. He just prayed that he would be like his father.

While the Dean seemed to be lost in a fog, Professor Kal took this opportunity to pose his idea. "In this uncertain time, many dangers are behind every corner. The First Prince being cursed is just one example, that is why I want to teach my class about real world magic, not just the theory they have been taught so far."

"What do you mean?" The Dean asked, being pulled back into reality.

"The practical uses of magic, how to cast it more efficiently, how to defend themselves, how to react to unexpected circumstances. The best time to teach them this is when they are young, while they are malleable." Kal said, listing off the reasons on his fingers.

"How much danger could there possibly be? There are no wars being waged, hardly any monsters are roaming the wilds." The Dean countered, not liking the idea of putting children through his 'special' classes.

"Well, just yesterday a few students were just walking through the forest when they were attacked by a small pack of dire wolves. Wouldn't you say that is dangerous enough?" Kal asked him, staring deep into the Dean's shocked eyes.

"Dire wolves? Why wasn't I informed about this? Are they alright? How do you know of this? Dean Petticoat said, his voice almost in a panic as he stood from his desk.

"Don't get all worked up, they're fine, but the way they reacted to the situation left one wanting greatly. They hardly fought back at all, just turtling up, waiting to be eaten. Frankly, it was embarrassing" Professor Kal said, glossing over his own role in the attack.

Dean Petticoat's face was pale, visions of dead students and their irate parents danced in his head. There hadn't been a student death here at the academy for well over two-hundred years, to have one, let alone many, on his watch would be the death of his career. To see Professor Kal so undisturbed by the fact that students were almost killed made him wonder about the man's sanity.

"Minie! Get in here!" Dean Petticoat yelled out, ignoring Professor Kal's advice to relax.

His secretary opened the door, timidly peeking her head inside. Whenever her boss yelled that way she knew that he was in a poor mood, she didn't want to be the target of his wrath.

"Write up a posting. No students, under any circumstances, are to go to the forest surrounding the capital! Got it?" He said, the veins visible on his neck.

"It was just a few wolves, more like dogs than anything else." Kal said, mumbling out loud, shaking his head at the Dean's 'overreaction'.

Dean Petticoat glared at Professor Kal, sitting back in his chair. "Dogs? They were dire wolves! You said so yourself! And they attacked CHILDREN! Children have no chance against regular wild dogs, let alone dire wolves!"

"Exactly! All the more reason to allow me to teach them some actual magic, not just alchemy!" Professor Kal didn't miss his chance to plug his idea again, and to change the subject.

Dean Petticoat started to rub his temples, slouching in his chair. His stress was getting higher and higher, he was about to start drinking. Professor Kal looked at the Dean expectantly, waiting for some kind of answer. The Dean let out a long sigh, straightening up his posture.

"I just can't shuffle around the curriculum more than halfway through the year. You should know how much hassle that would be, plus you would have to get the parents' permission. I'm sure they would have something to say about it." The Dean said, hoping he would give up.

"How about on the weekends, think of it as an extracurricular activity added on to their regular classes." Professor Kal proposed.

"I can't force them to spend their free time learning from you." He paused, thinking.

"But if they volunteer, then I don't see an issue. You will have to have them get permission from their parents though."

"That's fair enough." Professor Kal said, standing from his chair.

"I'll mention it in my next class. I'll write up a formal request then, with everything I have planned as well. You should have it by the end of the week." He finished saying, before opening up his favorite mode of transportation.

"Do you ever walk anywhere?" The Dean asked him before he walked through the portal.

"Not if I don't have to."

…..

Waking up, he opened his eyes. The searing pain was gone, almost like it was never there in the first place. He noticed that it was pitch black, but at the same time it wasn't. The candles had long burnt down, turning the once long sticks into a hard puddle of wax on the ground. Slowly sitting up, memories of what happened flashed through his mind.

He had successfully lured the young mage out into the open practice field above where he had set up his lab. Once bringing him down underground, he sedated him and began to drain his blood. He'd discovered the boy had an affinity with death from when he threw the stone at the practice dummy. He couldn't believe his luck, his blood was the perfect ingredient for the summoning.

Everything was going smoothly, the summoning was a success and a high demon had entered into their world. Then he remembered the lich, he instinctively looked over to where the undead creature was standing. He had only ever read about liches; they were listed under the greatest supporters of the Undead King. What was one doing here, in his lab of all places? Did he know about the summoning he was attempting?

He shook his head, that was almost impossible. He didn't even know if it would work, let alone have such an outstanding result. No, there was another reason. Then he thought of the boy and his affinity, that must have been it. The Lich must be after the boy, that had to be it. It must be after the young mage for some experiment or something, that was the only plausible explanation.

It didn't matter, it had nothing to do with him. He was just lucky the Lich let him live after he abducted his target. He slowly got to his feet, feeling the changes in his body. He felt stronger, much stronger than he had before. He held up his hands, looking at the pale, smooth skin covering them. His fingernails were much longer, almost like well manicured claws. Thinking about them, they started to slowly grow longer until they were about six inches long.

"What did the demon's blood do to me? I passed out before he could tell me everything." He said to himself.

He would have to take some time to get used to and discover everything that had changed within his body. One thing was for certain, the thought of taking his anger out on his family no longer just made him excited, no, there was another feeling along with it. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. It was a familiar feeling, just not one you would associate with killing, hunger.

…..

Professor Treffle was slowly, but surely, getting into a better mood since yesterday. So far she hadn't heard any rumors going around about what happened in the woods, that meant that the students must not be talking about it. That was good news for her, she most likely would not have any punishments handed out to her.

A small smile crept onto her face as she thought this. She would just have to make sure to stay away from Professor Kalcifer, he seemed to not care about the consequences of his actions. She walked up to the bulletin board, looking for any news or other postings. Meetings or anything of importance could always be found here. It was always wise to check at least once a day so you wouldn't miss anything important.

As she was scanning the board, she came across a recent posting that was in comically large lettering. Her stomach dropped as she read each letter. The Dean knew! He must know about the incidents in the forest! She panicked slightly. She really didn't want to lose her position here, she really enjoyed it.

It was much better than traveling and experiencing danger almost everyday. It was close to home and paid very well, she wouldn't be able to find another job like it. She decided to nip it in the bud, go to his office and explain everything before he had to seek her out. Maybe she could even push the blame over to Professor Kal, it was his fault anyways, so it wouldn't be like she was making things up.

She was lamenting the fact that Professor Auveco had ever stopped to talk to her. If he hadn't, she probably would have never thought about seeking the new professor out. Although she did find out that he was an extremely powerful mage, that revelation wasn't worth losing her job. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she turned around on her heel and started off towards the Dean's office.. Her improving mood was completely ruined.