"A trapdoor? What is this?"
Arthur knew a trapdoor would lead to an underground area, but what could be down there? He was expecting some kind of basement, but what he found was something incredible, and also unexpected.
He opened the trapdoor and went down through a staircase. Then, he saw an entire underground area with many buildings, libraries, shops, and anything one could imagine.
"Is this the real school?"
The students of the Blood Spear school lived in the underground. Arthur sensed nothing at all back when he was on the surface. A magical barrier protected the underground from not only attacks, but from scouting as well.
One of the impressive things Arthur saw down there was the roof. It was translucent, meaning one could see the sky from the underground, yet anyone outside would see nothing.
"Impressive work!"
Almost all the students were asleep, but some stores were still open, though Arthur was not sure if he would want to explore it.
The new students did not know that place existed, and if he went down there, and someone recognized him, then the question of how he entered inside that place would appear.
They would know he went inside one house without permission, and that would bring the anger of many students. Arthur knew he would eventually get some attention because of his strength, but getting unnecessary attention was just dumb.
For the time being, the best move was to avoid going inside that place.
"We are newcomers, so no wonder none of us knew about this." Arthur thought.
Since there was nothing he could do down there, Arthur explored the rest of the upper area of the school.
Compared to what he had seen in the underground city, the surface left something to be desired. Just a few huts and that was it.
"On the surface, the only decent places are the two mountain peaks, where the principal and the blood council are."
With nothing to do, Arthur returned to his temporary home where he found Lucas and Liz, who were talking about various things, mostly about magic.
"You've already made so much progress in just one day, Lucas. How envious! I wish I could conjure spells..." Liz said, looking down with a downcast face.
"Don't feel that way, Liz. I'm sure you'll be as good as me!" Lucas said, trying to cheer her up, even if only a little.
"What are you two lovebirds talking about?" Arthur said.
With just one sentence, Arthur made both of them's cheeks flush.
"Small talk. What about you? Found anything interesting?" Lucas said, trying to divert the subject.
"Well, you won't believe what I found."
Arthur held a dramatic pause, making them both uneasy.
"Spit it out. What could be so amazing about this place that only has bushes and wooden huts?"
"An underground city! I broke into another student's hut, found a trapdoor, and when I went inside, I saw it! A beautiful underground city with lots of buildings and stores and people walking and everything."
"You what? You think it's right to break into another student's house?" Liz said.
She was more focused on the breaking and entering part, while Lucas was fascinated because the school had an underground city.
"Tell me all about this place. Actually, can't we just break into another house and go there? It shouldn't be dangerous since we're on school grounds."
Liz looked at them both, and whispered, "men..."
"We can't go there. The students won't enjoy having their homes invaded by us." Arthur said.
"Also, I'm sure they'll introduce us to this underground city when we get a decent strength. From what I could tell down there, that underground area is the actual school!"
Arthur knew it was only a matter of time before they could enter that place, so Lucas didn't need to be agitated and anxious about it.
"Well, it makes sense. We entered school recently, so there are a lot of things we don't possess knowledge about yet." Lucas said.
After hearing what Arthur had to say, he calmed down and saw that there was no need to hurry. Not only them, but twenty new students had entered the school, and surely others would soon find out about the underground area.
"We can wait and see what happens to those who seek to know more about it before the right time. If nothing happens, then let's go there with no fear!" Arthur said.
With everything settled, the trio went back to doing their normal everyday things. Well, Arthur wanted at least a respectable log cabin, so fetching wood was the first thing he did.
Experience was something he was not lacking, especially for surviving in the wild. Arthur could see trees that were good for building, and also use his magic to handle the materials, thus building a hut with no major problems.
In just three days, Arthur had not only a small log cabin with a roof, but a bed as well! Lucas and Liz were amazed to see such dexterity and mastery, and, of course, Arthur offered to help them build their own huts.
With that, they all now had a better place to live, and no matter how small it was, it was something that mattered to them.
"Look at that! I can say I built this hut with my own two hands." Lucas said, standing in front of his newly gained hut.
"Well, Lucas, it's not like Arthur built much of that hut of yours, right?"
"Hey, easy there Liz. Don't belittle a man's work. Right, Arthur?"
"Why do you talk as if she's lying? I actually built that hut of yours myself!"
"That's unfair! You two are teaming up against me!"
Lucas said that and left immediately after going into his cabin. Liz and Arthur laughed at the situation, incredulously.
"Is he really mad? He can't be..."
"That's what it looks like... Well, let's find something for lunch and see if he calms down..."
The days were quiet inside the Blood Spear school. Arthur, Liz and Lucas spent the early hours of the morning meditating in their huts, slowly increasing their magical power.
But all good things are short-lived. After a month, the time of peace was over. Some students came knocking on Arthur's hut door, and he knew exactly who they were.
"The idiots I cursed at by the river that time? Well, it won't hurt to teach these youngsters a few things." He thought, walking out of his hut as soon as he heard the first scream.
It took them by surprise. In their minds, there was no chance of Arthur leaving, and they were already wondering how to make fun of him for being a coward.
But that didn't happen in the end, and Arthur came out of his hut completely pissed off.
"Hey there, you little shit. What do you want now? I will not fuck your mother today. I'm too busy!
The last time, Arthur also spoke about their mother, and he saw it was a sensitive topic for them. So, he did the same! If they wanted to piss him off and look for troubles, then he could not be merciful at all!