Score
Every week, Noah and the other cadets were put through the revelry exercise, and each time, a different class would take place in the slums. Word of Noah's agility had reached the teachers, so he was always picked to be a runner, and unlike in Sir Kiev's class, he and his fellow cadets were armed. He spent the frosty mornings and dark afternoons running among the shacks and dodging his pursuers. He had maintained his winning streak so far, but the margin was shrinking. The cadets became more accustomed to the environment and tactics with each passing week.
Today had been his archery class, and his usual bad luck with arrows had decided to rear its ugly head. Just like the academy's spears, the arrows had blunt ends, but the pain of being shot was on par with a paintball, and he had already accumulated several bruises by the time class ended. He was glad to finally return to the academy, more so when he reached the bathhouse. He wanted badly to soak his bruises and head to dinner, but he was stopped before he could reach the door.
Five cadets clustered in front of him, three he recognized from the barracks and two from the mid-level dorms. All five of them had nervous looks, sheepish.
"Hey, Noah, we hear you're a pretty sneaky guy," the apparent leader said.
Noah was hesitant to reply. "In what regards precisely?"
"The runner drill, you're uncatchable. Everyone knows it," one claimed.
"That's why we need your help with something."
"Something that can only be spoken of quietly? That should be your first clue not to ask."
"Listen, we have a golden opportunity, something that might interest you. You know that closet around the corner from the women's baths?"
"I think I know where you're going with this..."
"The back wall isn't actually a wall. It's a door leading to a hidden passage that runs behind the bathhouse wall. Some of the stones in the wall of the women's bath aren't actually stones. Supposedly, they're special windows that you can look through if you're behind them. We're about to give it a shot. We figured you could help us out."
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to pass. You guys have fun."
They seemed disheartened, and one of them even got defensive. "You're not going to rat us out, are you?"
"I don't care personally or morally enough to do that. Now, if you don't mind, I have some bruises that are crying for hot water."
They scurried off, and Noah made his way to the men's baths, but his hand stopped before he could open the door. An idea had just popped into his mind. True, ratting on them wouldn't be very entertaining, but sabotaging them would be. He usually abstained from these things, but he couldn't ignore such an easy justification. He cast his invisibility and went after the five cadets, finding them in the aforementioned closet. To his surprise, the passage did exist. The sidewalls of the closet were stone and brick, just like the rest of the academy, but the back wall was wood, and they had busted through into a hidden compartment that ran the length of the women's bath.
He could hear them in the dark, whispering and complaining that they couldn't see anything. Standing outside, Noah reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small book. He flipped it open to a particular page, where a snakeskin had been glued to the paper. It belonged to the blue viper, a snake commonly found further out west and known for its loud warnings, extreme aggression, and horrifying venom. It was the perfect field test. He summoned an illusionary serpent with the skin and piloted it into the hidden passage. Getting it to hiss like a real snake was the tricky part, but the five cadets got a bigger thrill than they expected.
Meanwhile, in the women's bath, Alexis had just gotten comfortable and was lucky enough to be joined by Sophia.
"I heard we're having fish stew tonight," said Alexis.
"Ugh, I hate fish stew. Either it tastes terrible, or it's nothing but bones."
"I know, right? How do they mess up fish that bad? They only use maybe four ingredients, and it somehow tastes the exact opposite of fish."
"It's not even fish. It's like boar testicles soaking in goblin blood."
"It's mushy barnacles seasoned with the tears of children."
"It was probably concocted as a way to torture prisoners."
"I bet that stew was mentioned in someone's suicide note."
"Marauders eat it before a raid to kill their conscience. It's... Wait, did you hear that?" Alexis asked.
"Hear what?"
"I thought I heard a noise. It was coming from--"
THUMP!
Both of them heard it, coming from the nearby wall. It was followed by a third and fourth and even the sounds of muffled voices. As it continued, the other women in the baths began to notice, especially when the voices turned into outright screaming and the wall itself began to shake. Many instinctively grabbed towels to cover themselves, a wise choice, as the wall finally crumbled from a poorly-executed spell and the five cadets tumbled in.
One of them, Cadet Higgins, looked up and found himself the recipient of countless angry glares. "There uh... there was a snake..." he stuttered.
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Autumn had progressed around the academy, and this morning was more than a little frosty, making it unpleasant for the cadets who had to stand at attention. Normally, they'd be running laps, and at that moment, many wished it was just a typical day. The entire academy was observing the five cadets, tied shirtless to logs staked into the ground. They could be seen shivering from both the cold and their fear.
With sunlight now a valuable commodity, Commandant Ford didn't waste any time. "You five cadets have been found guilty of the crime of voyeurism, as well as damaging academy property. You have shamed yourselves, your families, and this institution, and will each be punished with fifteen lashes. Be grateful I don't expel you after. Sir Kiev, if you would please..."
