Chapter 2

"Three whole vials of this wretched potion?" Zal muttered in dismay, gingerly prodding his scarred neck. "We'll be lucky to still have all our limbs by next lesson."

Jay flipped open his book, sighing at the dense pages filled with intricate details on magical ingredients. The first section began with components starting with the letter 'A':

Abalone Cap - The flat mushroom tops from this rare golden-hued fungus found clinging to trees in enchanted forests. Used to counteract poisons.

Adder Tongue - A bright green, forked-shaped herb with healing properties. It neutralizes venom and draws out infections.

Allspice Berry - Tiny crimson berries from the ancient allspice shrub, known for their spicy flavor. Powdered allspice berries can amplify the strength of a potion.

The list ran on, each entry overflowing with crucial preparations, harvesting methods, and reactions. Jay's shoulders slumped under the staggering amount of memorization their intimidating teacher expected.

Groaning loudly, Jay turned to his sympathetic friend Zal. "Rothard clearly aims to bury us in homework before the first month ends," Jay complained. "Want to sneak out early and grab a custard bun? My brain is fried after inhaling all those toxic fumes."

He longingly eyed the classroom door. "We could stretch our legs in the gardens."

"Let's hurry before someone sees us leaving early," Zal whispered, ducking down to avoid being spotted by other classmates. The last thing they needed was someone reporting their truancy to Rothard.

The pair swiftly exited the tower and raced across the open campus grounds. Making their way to the western garden, they chose a secluded bench partly hidden by sculpted hedges.

Finally stopping to catch their breath, Jay and Zal sank onto the cold marble seat. "Whew, I think we're safe here for now," Jay said, mopping his brow. He carefully placed his heavy tomes aside, removing a parchment scroll from his pocket.

"So what's next on your schedule today?" Zal inquired casually, scanning the area to ensure they were truly alone.

Jay unrolled the parchment, reviewing his upcoming lessons. "Let's see...I have an hour-long lecture on advanced assassination techniques, followed by Dimensional Theory 101."

He glanced over at his friend. "What classes do you still need to attend this afternoon?"

Zal grimaced, thinking of the lengthy half-day session ahead. "Ugh, I have Beast Handling lab next, then a double period of Remedial Spell Casting. We're still working on properly enunciating incantations." He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Honestly I should just drop that one, I can never get those blasted pronunciations right."

Jay's suggestion of grabbing more tasty custard buns before parting ways made Zal's mouth water. "Good idea - I could use the sugar rush before wrangling magical creatures all afternoon," Zal agreed.

The pair snuck out of the secluded garden and made their way over to a popular bakery bordering the campus. Luckily the shop had just pulled a fresh batch of the gooey pastries from their massive oven.

Zal and Jay happily paid for two extra custard buns each, savoring the warm sweet dough melting on their tongues. Zal devoured his first pastry in just three huge bites, leaving a smear of custard on his cheek.

"These never get old," he mumbled contentedly through a mouthful of bread. Waving goodbye to each other, Jay turned south towards the Ivory Tower's left wing for his lessons in stealth combat techniques. Meanwhile Zal trotted off to the east valley paddocks for his beast handling course.

Weaving through the crowds of students rushing every direction, Jay polished off the last shreds of pastry from his fingers. The southern tower entrance lay just ahead, an imposing archway of carved white stone.

The advanced assassination techniques class was held in the basement of the southern tower, as assassins tended to prefer dim settings. Jay made his way down the worn stone staircase, one hand trailing along the rough wall to guide his path in the dim light.

As he reached the last step, Jay felt a sudden tap on his shoulder and flinched slightly. He turned quickly but to his bewilderment no one stood on the stairs behind him.

"Jumpy today, aren't we boy?" a gravelly voice chuckled from the shadows ahead. Jay peered into the gloom and made out a tall, slender figure detaching itself from the darkness. The man stepped forward, features thrown into relief by the flickering torch bracketed on the wall.

It was Jay's instructor Mr. Talon, clad in dark leather armor that allowed him to nearly vanish into the background when motionless. The middle-aged assassin was perpetually disheveled, with overlong salt-and-pepper hair partially obscuring his eyepatch.

"You ought not spook so easily if you aim to master stealth combat tactics," Talon admonished Jay with a crooked grin. "I suggest mindfulness exercises to calm those nerves."

Jay flushed, both embarrassed by his skittish reaction and impressed that his teacher had managed to sneak up on him so effortlessly. "Yes Mr. Talon, I will be sure to work on that," Jay replied deferentially.

Talon clapped Jay on the back. "Now quit dawdling, we have much to review regarding proper garrote techniques today." Jay followed Mr. Talon into the cramped underground training room, gazing around at the other students who had arrived before him. He recognized Andrew, a lanky boy around his age known for his nimble movements and stealthy maneuvering during lessons.

There was also Amy, the only girl in their advanced cohort. What she lacked in size, the fierce young woman made up for with lightning quick reflexes and clever improvisational tactics. 

Besides Jay, Andrew and Amy made up the entirety of the tiny class. Given the obscure nature of their focus on assassination abilities, few students proved daring or skilled enough to be admitted to Talon's intense training sessions. Jay went to change his clothes to something that was flexible enough to be used, the clothes provided to them were black with a scarf which nobody really used as all four of them, even Mr. Talon felt it too cringy. 

The grizzled master assassin preferred to work with just a handful of dedicated apprentices, pushing them to their utter limits through relentless drills, endless critique of form and technique, and practical exercises staged across the sprawling academy grounds testing their impromptu problem-solving skills.

"Right then pupils, let's get straight to business," Talon announced gruffly, striding towards a weapons rack laden with sinister implements ranging from garrotes to blow darts. "Today we'll be honing proper choke hold methods utilizing both wire and chain devices..."

He tossed an armful of wicked looking metal links and cords towards his students, who caught the implements reflexively. "Keep in mind, you won't always have the convenience of a garrote wire or chain when the need for stealth takedowns arises," Talon lectured. "You must train to improvise weaponry from everyday objects."

He paused, scowling as if dredging up an unpleasant memory. "Why once, I found myself weaponless and grappling a marksman on a remote mountain pass. With only seconds to act before he could draw his arrow, I was forced to desperately rip out my own hair to fashion a makeshift strangling cord."

Talon grimaced, one hand unconsciously rising to rub at his receding hairline. "So I impress upon you - always hone versatility in utilizing your surroundings. Your environment can prove the difference between an assassin's triumph and their doom when stripped of traditional weapons."

He stared hard at each student in turn, as if to impress this crucial tenet into their minds. "The key is improvisation, no matter how unconventional. Train yourselves to turn any innocuous object into a deadly instrument at a moment's notice. Yourneuron alacrity may one day save your life."

Satisfied the lesson hit home, Talon turned abruptly back towards the weapons racks. "But for now, let's move on to selecting appropriate weapons."

"Arm yourselves then pair up to practice. Mind your partner's signals and go slowly at first," Talon instructed. He moved amongst them, carefully observing their handling and offering pointers. "Choke holds require precision and timing...that's it Andrew, adjust your grip..."