XX | DOCTOR BLUE
The cries of the students sitting at the very front of the classroom were the beginnings of a growing panic among the students of Class 1: Group A. Somehow, Kael wasn't surprised that Nox had simply released three blighters into the classroom without a care instead of demonstrating whatever he was trying to teach with them in the cages.
"What should we do?" Fadhia said with her hands over her mouth in shock. "Do you think this is a test?"
More panic seemed to spread when red sirens blared, turning the room into a mess of epileptic flashing. Students stood, chairs toppled over, and the excited atmosphere seemed to encourage the blighters to move around sporadically.
Bars fell over the door, leaving the students trapped inside. The first student that reached the door grabbed the metal bars and cried out helplessly.
"We need to do something!" Kael shouted over the chaos.
By this point, everyone was on their feet. Kael felt someone tug him to the side. His eyes widened when a blighter's tentacle stuck to the desk behind him, inches away from his face.
"Thanks," he said, stumbling back to be in line with Rita.
"Don't mention it," Rita growled. "What the hell are the teachers doing?"
The blighter that attacked Kael swung forward, using its tentacle like a grappling hook, and landed on Kael's desk. It was small, only about twice as large as Kael's fists. Kael figured it must have been a mouse or some other rodent. Still, as a blighter, its size was the last thing he cared about.
"Uh oh," Rita said, as the two backed away. "This is bad. How are we supposed to kill it without casting?"
Her question was answered when a large book slammed down on the blighter. Black gunk splattered on Kael's desk, and he wasn't happy to see it stain his papers - and all his notes.
"That'll work."
"And there goes all my notes."
"Nice job, Tyra," Fadhia cheered. Wynt had somehow ended up next to her. Judging by the he rubbed his head, Kael guessed he'd been pulled over his desk and had fallen to the ground on their side.
Tyra picked up her book, stretching the blighter's slimy body until it snapped in half to release the thick volume of text. She didn't seem to mind, however, as she simply tucked it under her arm and turned to look at the expanse of the classroom.
Nox was simply leaning against the chalkboard, yawning into his hand while Darron took charge in getting the students at the door in order. The other two blighters still flitted around - one was probably a bird and the other some kind of rodent.
Before they could even blink, a blur of blue, red, and gray whooshed into the air and struck down the flying blighter. With an otherworldly screech, the blighter's tentacles went limp, and it fell to the ground with a wet splat.
Garun landed on a crouch next to it, the ends his red scarf fluttering down to the ground. He stood, twirling a long pole in his hand before sticking it through a scabbard-like covering on his back.
Kael didn't even realise he had stepped ahead until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced over and saw Rita's concerned expression.
"Where are you going, duke?" she asked. Her hazel eyes seemed to darken in concern.
"I, um..." Kael's gaze flicked over to Garun before going back to Rita. He shrugged. He had wanted to help, but he didn't know what he was going to do. "I'm not really sure."
"Kael watch out!" Wynt's warning caused Kael to whip around just in time to see the final blighter leaping on desks and heading towards him.
On instinct, Kael pushed Rita back and shot forward. The blighter had just landed on a desk, readying its tentacles to haul itself in the air once more when Kael smashed down with a clenched fist.
He grit his teeth in pain. The blighter squealed before its flapping tentacles limply fell. The blighter's tar-like body splattered around Kael's fist, and he could feel a fiery pain shoot up his arm. It was the worst on his knuckle.
"Ow," he groaned, cradling his injured hand.
Nearly all of the students were in front of the door, somehow in order under Darron's yells. Their panic had subsided somewhat with the blare of the alarm turned off and the bars raising. They seemed to have all fallen silent while watching Kael squash the blighter.
"That was stupid of you to attack a blighter without a weapon," Darron said, emerging from behind the bodies of students. "Now, all of you, git back in your seats! If you've been blighted come to the front. I'll take you to the doctor." He shot a glare at Nox. "You crazy ol' bastard. You did it again. Teach 'em somethin' useful while them blighters are still in the cage. I better not find any of 'em out when I get back."
Nox grinned. "What can I say? It's easier to teach this way. You see what you learned, kids? When you don't use magic, blighters just splatter all over the place, and their aura doesn't do anything but stain the surface."
The students slowly walked back to their seats, avoiding the splatter of black gunk from the blighter Garun had killed. Kael felt tears of pain prickling at the corner of his eyes.
"Kael!" Rita's shout rang in his head. She stomped over to him with reddened cheeks. "The next time you decide to push me, ask! You could have avoided getting hurt if you didn't stop me from using my knife."
She held up her hand, showing Kael a small hunting knife. She slipped it into its scabbard before dropping it into the front pocket of her overalls. "You're an idiot!"
Kael winced. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking."
Rita shook her head. "Just go. You'll need an elixir for touching that blighter. Honestly, I've never seen anyone jump headfirst to hit a blighter barehanded. No one's ever been that dumb."
Kael sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Sorry. Anyway, I'm gonna go now. See you later."
He made his way down to the front of the classroom. Most of the students who sat at the front sported a blight or two on their limbs.
"All right, kids," Darron said. "Let's go."
He opened the door and let the students go ahead of him. When Kael passed him, Darron put a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't know if you were bein' reckless or brave, but next time, think before you stick a hand in a blighter, 'cuz you just might be letting it eat you. You're lucky the blighters that idiot brought in were the least harmless of the bunch."
Kael nodded with a gulp. In the spur of the moment, he had forgotten that he would probably be blighted by touching the corrupted lifeform, and he hadn't even stopped to think about the possibility of the blighter being the kind that could swallow him.
"All right. Get going." Darron gave a slight push and followed. The students were waiting outside for him, and he led the way down the hall. Kael counted ten other students who had been hurt by the chaos. He vaguely recalled Darron saying the same thing had happened before. Curious, he sped up until he was next to his teacher.
"So, um." Kael paused when a shock of pain crawled up his arm. He hissed and cleared his throat, ignoring the sheen of cold sweat that formed on his skin. "Has this happened before?"
Darron grunted. "It's happened before, an' it was worse than this. Last year, a student was nearly trampled to death."
His tone indicated he didn't want to talk about it, so Kael refrained from asking more questions. The pain was getting too harsh for him to care anymore, anyway.
As they turned a corner, they met a tall, lanky man who looked like he was ready to tear something apart. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the eleven injured students and scowled.
"The collateral damage?" he asked, though he sounded like he already knew the answer.
Darron nodded.
"Honestly," the man said, pushing up his glasses with a finger. "This is getting out of hand. Did you help him again? After what happened last year? You're just as bad as that dimwitted dolt."
Darron shrugged, propping a fresh cigar into his mouth. "I can't say anything. He talked me into it again, but it's a good thing he did or there'd have been more damage. Damn fool didn't even lift a finger."
The man clicked his tongue. "Right, then. I'll go talk some sense to him before returning to my research. You go do what you have to do."
"Good luck with that." Darron murmured, clapping a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Don't touch me," the man said, wiping his shoulder like Darron had somehow contaminated it. He fixed his tie for good measure. "You know I don't like it."
Darron rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Lux. You ain't always gonna be clean. Still can't believe you're related to that slob. Go on, now, an' take care of that crazy ol' buffoon."
Lux sniffed. "I will. Good day. And send my regards to Doctor Blue."
As he passed the students, his eyes met Kael's. He seemed to falter before fixing his eyes straight ahead and striding past like he was the most important person in the halls.
"Come on, kids. We ain't got all day." Darron began to move, and the students scrambled to follow.
After going through the garden and into the administration building, they finally made it to the infirmary, where the students were given a cot to rest on while waiting for the doctor.
Darron disappeared to the doctor's office, leaving the eleven students to sit awkwardly in silence. The ticking of the clock echoed in the room, and even the slightest rustle of blankets seemed to be magnified.
Kael opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it when his hand throbbed.
"So..." a girl sitting at a bed next to Kael said. All heads turned to her, and she flushed. "Um, nevermind."
Again, the clock generated the dominant sound. The students nursed their injuries while waiting. Muffled voices built up volume from behind the door, becoming loud and clear when the barrier swung open.
Kael couldn't even look up to see the doctor. He clenched the wrist of his injured hand with the other, watching the brown blistering skin turn black from corrupt infection. The pristine shiny white tiles were blurry in his vision until something green stepped into his line of sight.
Confused, Kael lifted his gaze. He opened his mouth, though whether it was because he wanted to say something or because of sheer surprise, he did not know. Considering how his voice was caught in his throat, it was probably the latter.
Before him, just barely taller than Darron's knee, stood a bright green, fuzzy bear wearing a small white coat and adorning a stethoscope around its neck. The bear's eyes were made of flat, black glass, yet somehow it could blink. Its ear twitched as it examined a clipboard and marked something down with a pen. Kael was sure he'd gone mad from his blight when the bear actually spoke.
"State your name, please," the bear said, its stitches somehow revealing a mouth in its pastel green muzzle.
Speechless, Kael could only muster a strangled gurgle.
Darron laughed. "I take it you've never seen a Twarlan bear before?"
Kael shook his head, still staring at the bear's moving arms with wide eyes. It furrowed its felted, green brows and gazed up at Kael with what the boy could only interpret as annoyance.
"Well, get on with it. What is your name?"
"K-Kael."
"Full name. I don't have all day. If I want to prescribe you the correct elixir, I need to look at your records."
"Kael Smaradine."
The bear paused, then nodded in approval. "Good, good." It moved on with its stumpy legs to the next patient. The students stared in wonder as the stuffed creature moved like it was alive. It was alive, but Kael couldn't figure out how it would be possible. Did the academy somehow figure out magic that could animate non-living objects? He just couldn't believe that stuffed bears like the ones he cuddled in his childhood could move on their own.
Once the bear had made its round, it stood in the middle of the room burying its face into the clipboard and flipping the pages as it read.
"All right," the bear said. "Stay put, all of you. I'll return with your elixirs."
It turned around, and Kael bit back a smile when he saw a fluffy round tail peeking out from under its doctor's coat. A small door within the original opened to let the doctor in.
When the bear disappeared, all the students simultaneously turned their eyes to Darron, silently asking him about it.
Darron seemed flustered; he scratched under his hat. "Er, I'm guessin' you kids are wond'ring what Doctor Blue is."
At their nods and expectant gazes, Darron pulled out a cigar. "Blue is what you'd call a Twarlan bear. He's from Twarla, a, erm, country, so to speak, located 'bout right in the middle of the ocean. Blue's from a district in Twarla. Yursa, I believe it's called."
"But he's a stuffed toy!" said a boy with a crooked nose. "How is he moving, talking, alive?"
Darron shrugged, lighting his cigar. "I ain't got a clue. You can ask him when he comes back. Personally, I don't care. He makes all the elixirs himself and he's a fine doctor. That's all me an' the academy cares about."
The harsh smell of burning rocco hit Kael. It, mixed with the sterilised infirmary and stench of medication, was nauseating.
Doctor Blue emerged from the tiny door with bottles in his arms. The bear seemed to struggle as it waddled its way to the patients. He put the elixirs down on the ground. A bottle toppled over and rolled. Doctor Blue caught it, putting it in line with his other elixirs.
His ear twitched. "Darron, didn't I tell you not to smoke in the infirmary. It's hazardous to the patients!"
"I'll be outside, then. Give me a shout when you're done."
Darron disappeared through the exit, leaving the students with the bear. Doctor Blue twisted the bottles until the white tags stuck on them were facing him.
"Kael Smaradine. Come get your elixir."
Kael slid off the cot and approached the bear. He hesitated before crouching down and taking the conical flask from the bear's...paw.
"Uh. Doctor Blue?" Kael couldn't help his curiosity.
The bear looked up from his clipboard. "Yes?"
Before he could control himself, the first question popped out of his mouth. "Why is your name Blue when you're green?"
Doctor Blue's ears twitched, and Kael gathered that it happened when the bear was annoyed. "I don't see how my answer benefits you. Why don't you take your elixir and rest a while? Deina Rashov, your elixir."
Feeling sudden pain shoot up his arm, Kael nodded and retreated to his cot. He swished the bluish liquid, cringing at the smell. He puffed out several breaths before holding his nose and downing the elixir.
The medicine left a bitter taste in his mouth, and the assault made him gag. The last student had just received her elixir. The other students had similar reactions to Kael's, wrinkling their noses in disgust or gagging at the distasteful substance. Doctor Blue went around to gather the empty flasks before toddling back to his office.
Kael sighed, laying down on the cot. The pain was still in his hand, but it had somewhat dulled. Or maybe it was because he knew he had taken the elixir that his body thought the pain had left.
No. The pain was definitely lessening. He watched in fascination as the blackness on his skin seemed to fade. He was sure it was nearly pitch black before, but now he could see some of his original colour seeping through.
Doctor Blue returned with slips for all the students. As it was, their next classes had already begun.
"In the next few hours, the elixirs will have taken full effect and you'll all be as good as new. You will feel quite lethargic, so I suggest you take this pill to keep your stamina running while you heal."
He went around handing small, white spheres to the students. Kael popped it into his mouth and was pleasantly surprised by its fruity sweetness.
"You are all dismissed. Don't hesitate to come back if you have any problems. Oh, and someone call Darron in please."
Kael stood from the bed, following the other students out of the room. He paused when he reached the exit, twisting around to take one last glance at the green bear scribbling something furiously on his clipboard before stepping out to go to his class.
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A/N
Yay! Another chapter!
I really had so much fun coming up with Dr. Blue. He's actually the third Twarlan bear that I came up with. Unfortunately, the first two won't be appearing in a while, but I do have plans for them to play a big part in the future. :3
This is actually one of my favourite chapters, so I hope you all enjoyed.
Seriously, though, I feel like when I'm done with the book, I should give you a little insight on how I ended up with this story because the first time I was brainstorming about it, it looked completely different. Like, to the point that it would be a completely different story with completely different characters and a completely different magic system. I still can't believe how far I came with this.
Anyway, toodles for now! :D
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