Alaric was woken by the loud banging on his door. He knew that it was not yet time to get up for his daily exercise. He kicked his blanket and walked sluggishly to open the door. His eyes swollen and heavy with sleep. He was met by the bright smile from Rey. Alaric almost slammed the door on his face. He was now regretting ever showing Rey his room.
All the sleep he had accumulated disappeared as he angrily walked to his bed and sat still angrily. Rey did the same and sat next to him. Rey received a looked that asked "who said you can sit on my bed?" He stood and went to sit on the study chair bringing it closer to him.
"You know that that Mr. Dwarf's hair has grown longer again. It really grows very first," Rey said but the look he received just asked one question.
"Did you ruin my sleep just to tell me about such useless things?" Alaric asked feeling his temper rise.
He felt like clobbering his friend to death at the moment. Nothing was as important to a man than sleep. That was what Alaric had come to know. Though as one's cultivation progressed, one could stay for years without even sleeping a little bit or feeling sleepy. Though, sleep was known as the best method to rest. One could just use their energy to replenish themselves but sleep was better. Many who wanted to sleep could sleep for days or even months. Some would just go into a deep slumber in quiet place and sleep for thousands of years. Even those in the Foundation Plane would stay for a week without sleep so it was funny that Alaric was nagging over sleep.
"Good news or bad news first?" Rey asked. Alaric did not like many delays especially over things like this.
"Just speak. You know that even No news is good news right?" Alaric asked threatening to dismiss Rey.
" Sometimes you are no fun at all," Rey spoke his face showing disappointment. "Okay, I will start with the good news. The good news is that we are now almost free but the bad news is that Mr. Dwarf and the lazy gateman just threw away their responsibility to Madame.Pig," Rey spoke slowly observing to see whether there would be a change in expression but it was still deadpan.
Observing closer, he could see the building up range and the icreased breathing like a raging buffalo. His fists clenched and his eyes closed to a narrow slit. Rey shifted in his chair.
"Fuck!" He cursed and stood up like the chair had been subjected to sudden heat as his hands reached for the doorknob. He swung himself outside closing the door behind him. In an instance he vanished and locked the door to his room breathing heavily. Alaric truly was scary at times. Rey only took smithing classes so he was almost free all the time unlike Alaric who took Array and smithing classes. Rey climbed on his bed and after some minutes he fell asleep.
Alaric was enraged. He was shifting the tenth time since he had climbed in his bed. He was going to make sure Rey paid for this. It seemed that he was going to take his exercise early. He walked out of his room and found three pairs of eyes on him. They had a surprised expression. They had just experienced the shock of their lives. Was he not always cold to them and never spoke. How come he was noisy just a few seconds ago? Alaric looked at them as he rubbed his face.
"Is there something on my face?" Alaric asked confused but they just nodded refuting. He walked to the door and closed it behind him
"Did he just speak to us?" Oliver asked. The two nodded still carrying the same shocked expression. About an hour later the door opened and Alaric walked in all sweaty and his clothes wet. The three watched him walk in heading towards his room. He stopped again and faced the three.
"If that guy comes to knock again, don't let him in," he said and proceeded inside his room. They three just nodded.
"Did he just speak to us again?" Oliver asked his jaw dropping. They watched as he entered and came out of the bathroom and later as he walked out of his room ready to proceed to his first class.
***
To say that array was complex and difficult was understatement. When Alaric came for his first class, he had found around fifty or so members but at the moment there were only ten him included. To make matters worse, he was the only boy remaining. The array teacher was a lady around 5'6 with pink hair. She had pink eyes and her clothes never missed a pink. Even her arrays appeared to be pink. She wore a minidress that barely reached her knees. She was at grandmaster level of array.
Today she was going to teach bout inscriptions. Inscriptions were a major branch of arrays. It could even be studied separately from arrays because it was as broad. As arrays were better in battles, their use was limited. Arrays were often used to alter the laws of the universe. For example one would use an array to create things from the thin air. One could also use arrays to change the climatic conditions. One could use arrays for teleportation and also communication. Their use in battle was only in increasing ones speed or lowering their opponent's. Alchemists who studied array would have an easier way forward for array knowledge could be used to create plants out of thin air to be used in pill making.
Array master were not as feared but this array branch was different. Nobody wanted to have an inscriptionist as an oponent. Inscriptions were the weaponized versions of arrays. An inscription was used to create an attack of desired effect. If one was a lightning elementalist, their inscriptions would produce super amplified lightning. Fighting an inscriptionist was like fighting multiple opponents. An inscription was formed just like an array the only difference being that one could not form an inscription if they did no have enough array knowledge.
Alaric listened carefully as the teacher explained. He found array theory fun to study. The idea of creating something with a thought was very tempting. Then there was this branch which he found even more intriguing. If he could learn the two, then he would be untouchable. He would study array but he was going to keep it a secret as one of his trump cards. He had realized that one could fight multiple opponents at the same time and win thanks to inscriptions. The teacher taught more about inscriptions and after almost two hours the class ended.
"Starting next week we will start practical array classes. I hope each of you will have opened your first meridian set by then." The teacher said and dismissed them.
Alaric found his way go the smithing class. He went to the back and took a seat next to Rey who had arrived earlier and grabbed a seat for him. They sat patiently and quietly as they waited for Mr. Dwarf to make his entrance. If anyone heard them call him Mr. Dwarf they would face palm. Morgan was a very respectable man and everyone treated him with respect. Except for the two who saw him as a short man. Smithing classes were always fun especially if it was morgan teaching until these two anomalies found their way to his class. By the end of every lesson Morgan always came out slightly depressed. While everyone was usually busy taking notes, the duo at the back never paid any attention to his teachings let alone taking notes.
Morgan came in like five minutes later his long beard hanging on his chin. Since he heard that his mouth disappears when he stopped talking, he always shaved once a week but the beards would regrow in the span of the one week to the same height of about 30 centimeters. Today being the last day of the week his beards were fully grown. He walked in and started teaching and also adding stories about his smithing experience. Everyone enjoyed listening to his each and every detailed explanation but the duo just disdained it and dismissed it as show off.
Just like that, the smithing class ended with the two learning nothing. It was time to head to the library for their punishment. They had all been handed over to 'Madame Pig'. The two walked into the library and went to her and receive her orders. At a corner in the library, she pointed at two mops in a bucket. She did not say much and just told them to clean the floor. Everyone who saw them could only suck in deep breaths. Everyone was aware of the possibility of anyone in the academy having a powerful backing. To think that someone would have them do dirty work was terrifying. Were they not afraid. It took around thirty minutes before they finished the cleaning.
Their next task was dusting the books. It was funny dusting dustless books and shelves . They were then made to carry all books left on the tables and return them to their respective positions. They spent three hours here and were later allowed to leave. The two had also been banned from leaving the school gates until one year was over. Alaric's only regret was that he was not yet able to exchange the silver he had for bloodstones.
The two were walking leisurely across the pavements. Oftentimes laughing. Then a ridiculous thought entered Rey.
"What do you think the female dorms look like?" He asked. Alaric almost slapped him.
"If you want to spend you entire life cleaning the library then be my guest." Alaric completely dismissed the thought but Rey was not one to give up easily. Unlike Alaric,Rey begged. He had come to know that one thing Alaric hated the most was being begged such that he always gave in. The two reached the branching roads and Rey threatened to go down his knees and start begging Alaric to accompany him.
It was not illegal to visit the girls dorms it was only bad if you were caught there at night. Rey had repeated this line for the hundredth time. Alaric only sighed and followed his friend. What could possibly go wrong? Anyone who saw the two would only dismiss them with only one thought; "perverts". The two found their way to the female dorms which had similar naming and appearances to those of males. The two stood at the one abbreviated as "AF". Many could only shake their heads at the sight of the two kids trying to bite more than their mouths could chew.
"I wonder if the two can even erect..." One girl spoke as her two friends giggled.
"What was the name of the disorder you spoke about?" Another lady asked.
"Erectile Disfunction," the first lady spoke breaking into a fit of laughter