Chapter 68 - Talking To A Friend

On his way back to the well, Professor Kal played an impromptu game of fetch with Trist. He'd throw a bone he'd received as a donation from an unlucky skeleton, then she would rush off to retrieve it, her tail wagging enthusiastically the entire time. He found it entertaining for a minute, but quickly grew bored. He was never one to particularly like pets, he just could never devote the time they required.

Finding himself before the well once again, with his new companion running circles around him, Professor Kal began to strip off his black robe. His goal was to simply find out what was at the bottom. The stagnant water acted as a perfect mirror, reflecting his haunting visage back at him. His two eye sockets flickered with flames of red, blue, and a black that absorbed the others. Trist, with her front paws on the lip of the well, whined as she watched him slip beneath the surface.

…..

With a splash, a gaunt figure hauled itself out of the poisoned well situated in the middle of the Plagued Village. Fetid water dripped from its bones, large droplets splattering on the flagstone lip. Conjuring a sharp blast of wind, the figure dried itself as well as blowing away the stench given off by the water. Barking happily and running around in circles, a decaying dog greeted the figure as it jumped down from the edge of the well.

"Well, that was a colossal waste of time." Professor Kal muttered as he covered his bones with the black robe he'd taken out of his storage ring.

"Woof!" Trist said in reply, happy to see him finally come out of the well. From her perspective he had been gone for an eternity.

He had actually not made it all the way to the bottom of the well. He let himself sink for quite some time before aiding the process by taking out a heavy mana stone from his ring and holding on to it. Even with the increase in his speed he never reached the bottom, he finally gave up after about an hour of free fall. The pressure was so great at that depth that he had to manipulate his mana into a protective layer around his bones in order to keep them from imploding.

"C'mon, let's get moving, there's nothing here that interests me."

…..

"Is there truly no way I can convince you to stay?"

"No, I'm sorry, my mind is made up. There's a little cottage in the mountains waiting for me, I cannot keep it waiting any longer."

Two men were having tea together in an almost completely packed up townhouse deep within the noble district of Lenova. Nailed shut crates lined the halls of the exquisite property, the pictures had been taken off of the walls showing the different shades of paint hidden behind them. They were seated in the only two remaining chairs, watching the snow gently fall outside of a large bay window.

"I implore you to change your mind. Duke Hutchens has put into place such draconian policies within the academy that it should carry the army's seal. I'm sure it has something to do with the upcoming war, which is another matter where I could surely profit from your wisdom."

"Now, now, Mage Petticoat, begging really doesn't suit you. You're a man of great stature now, I doubt you truly need the help of a washed-up mage such as myself." Mage Reginald gave Royal Mage Petticoat a weak smile as he took a sip from his tea after refusing the request.

"Washed up? I highly doubt that. I still do not know the reason His Majesty decided to replace you, but I'm certain that it's not because you have lost your touch. You are the most powerful mage within the Kingdom..."

"Powerful!? Ha! What do you know of power!" Mage Reginald shouted out, his amiable expression suddenly turning into one of reverent fear. "If only you knew, if only you've seen what I seen..." Mage Reginald trailed off, never finishing his words.

Mage Petticoat was deeply concerned about his friend, seeing him behave this way made him incredibly sad. He had always known the man in front of him to be strong, both mentally and magically. He would always rise to meet any tribulations that would befall the kingdom head-on, without faltering in the slightest. But now, now what was sitting before him was a feeble old man, running from something that he refused to talk about.

"What happened to you? Will you not tell me, your old friend?" Mage Petticoat asked as gently as he could, afraid to cause the old man anymore mental distress.

Some semblances of clarity returned to Reginald's eyes that had been staring off a thousand yards away. They focused on his own eyes, staring directly at him. Reginald began to fidget with the hem of his robes, looking reluctant to say anything. Not wanting to ruin the small chance of breaking through to him, Mage Petticoat remained silent, waiting for him to answer.

"Have you ever been close to death?"

Mage Petticoat paused for a moment, thinking on the question he was asked. "When I served in the Mage Corps., a mage had misfired a spell, the only reason I'm still alive is because I had tripped over a root sticking up out of the ground. If I hadn't tripped, I would have been obliterated by that mage's fireball."

Shaking his head, Reginald let out a sigh. "No, no, not a mere brush with death where you only catch the glint of the scythe as it passes over you. No, not that at all…... I've seen death, I've stared into the black abyss that is its eyes. Its icy fingers clutched my heart, toyed with my soul, I fear that I will never rid my mind, my... dreams of his dreadful face."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

A small smile spread across Reginald's tired looking face. "I pray that you never will." Wiping his mouth with a white cloth, he continued. "I've had enough of such dreary topics. Tell me more about Duke Hutchens, perhaps I could write His Majesty a letter as a last favor to a friend, although he may not listen to what I have to say."

Pushing down the urge to remain on the subject he was so curious about, Mage Petticoat shifted in his chair before he spoke. "I do have to compliment the man's acumen when it comes to navigating bureaucracy. He has effectively neutered all of the safeguards put into place protecting lower class students. Those awarded a scholarship to attend the Academy have had them rescinded, forcing them to either pay the entire tuition fee or be removed from the rolls."

"Hasn't he sworn to not change any policies for at least a year, that is what you told me, isn't it?"

"That's the thing." Mage Petticoat let out a sigh. "He hasn't changed any policies, he has just exploited every loophole possible, many I have never noticed before."

A small chuckle left Reginald's throat. "Please, forgive me. I do not mean to make light of the situation. It's just that you have always been a force to be reckoned with as a mage, only to end up being pressed up against a wall by a paper pushing noble."

The look on Mage Petticoat's face was anything but jovial. Reginald awkwardly cleared his throat before continuing. "As the previous Dean, I'm sure you're more than aware of the independence that the Academy boasts."

"I am. Although Duke Hutchens was still able to usurp my position."

Reginald nodded his head. "Yes, there is that. But you know how it works, the most effective way to rid yourself of someone is to promote them out of the way.... As far as interfering with how he is administering the Academy, it will be difficult. Do you know of anyone willing to discreetly document the ongoings inside the school?"

Mage Petticoat nodded in the affirmative. "Professor Auveco has penned me several letters protesting the treatment of the lower-class students. Although, nothing he's described so far could be interpreted as 'illegal'."

"I'm afraid that without Duke Hutchens clearly violating some law within the Kingdom, there is little either one of us can do." Reginald said, putting his fingertips together. "Although I will suggest you have Professor Auveco continue to document everything. Knowing Duke Hutchens, it's only a matter of time before his ambitions will carry him over the line."

Mage Petticoat slowly nodded his head. There was only so much he could do to affect an institution he was no longer affiliated with. As bad as it sounded, he would have to hope that Duke Hutchens's treatment of the poorer students grew bad enough to warrant action from the crown.

"There's one other topic I would like to touch upon before I take my leave." Mage Petticoat said.

"I'm listening."

"Professor Kal has been let go by Duke Hutchens over a trifling technicality. I owe it to the man to inform him myself, unfortunately I was not told to where he, and the students he brought with him, had traveled. I only know that they were sent by the crown, but His Majesty will not divulge the information to me."

"And there is good reason!" Reginald shouted out. "... I'm sorry, it's just that there are things best left alone. Please, I beg of you, forget you ever met the man. I'm sure you've heard the rumors spreading throughout the city."

Mage Petticoat narrowed his eyes, beginning to put the pieces together of a much larger puzzle. "I…... have. Although I find them hard to believe. I thought them retaliation from Duke Hutchens over the whole incident involving his son."

"Well, and I'm only telling you this as a friend, but what you've heard is true.. Mage Kalcifer is an extremely dangerous man, and a practicing necromancer."