Chapter Seven - I receive some unwelcome guests
Leon spent the following day creating an area beside his home to become a garden. He tilled the soil until loose then used scrap pieces of wood, from the small open shed beside the hut, to border several patches. In one of these patches, he transplanted the wild herb and in another he planted seeds he had obtained from wild berries. He could not do much beyond this at that point for he lacked what he needed to create a garden of substance. He decided that he should probably visit the library soon. One of the early diaries contained a map and he had already identified a route that he could take and not be spotted by others.
Sadly, even if he wished to avoid other students, it seemed other students did not wish to avoid him.
"I don't remember it being so difficult to find," a boy with a substantial girth complained, as he approached. Leon found his body beginning to shake and could only assume that it had memory of this fellow, even if Leon himself did not.
"We have not been here in awhile," a tall, blond haired boy reminded him. There was a third boy, short and sly following the pair.
Was eight days really so short a time, Leon wondered, his body still paralysed, even though his mind had quickly identified the trio. They were those who had left this body near to death. He assumed the fat boy, who wore robes not much different from his own, but cut from better cloth and pristine not a speck of dirt upon them, was Caprian. He also had an elegant hair pin and crown securing his dark hair into a topknot upon his round head. That would make the tall one Tor, he may have saved Leon by feeding him the pill, but his demeanor seemed as if he was cut from ice. Though he had not caught the name of the third, the diary had mentioned the short lackey as being called Virgal. He was a bootlicker and underhanded. He had probably acted as lookout that day, so he could claim his hands were clean.
"Ah, Leo, you still live then,"Virgal snickered as he saw Leon watering the transplanted herb. Leon felt his muscles unfurl and placed the bucket and ladle down, less he drown the plant before it could grow. He stored the fact that this body held a name similar to his own to the back of his mind.
"Why are y-you h-here," he found himself stuttering. He could not tell whether this was from fear or a physical quirk. He had not spoken a word since arriving in this body.
Caprian frowned. "Did the last beating ruin your brains?" He sneered. "You know why we are here!" Leon shook his head though he could guess. They were after more pills and potions. His fingers nervously grasped and pulled at each other, his bones cracking. "Don't just stand there, hand over the pills you've made this week!"
"C-c-can't," Leon said, honestly. Caprian took great strides over to him and grabbed his collar. Leon squealed and instantly felt ashamed by his reaction. He was a grown man, surely he should not be so fearful of this brat! But his body did not agree and began to tremble. "D-don't have any! I have n-no m-m-more herbs!"
"Pfft, what a joke," Virgal laughed. "Poor excuse, you would have restocked from the seniors by now!"
Leon shook his head. "N-needed to heal!" He said, not pointing out that such was their fault. "B-besides, I h-have no more p-pills to swap for h-herbs."
Tor placed his hand on Caprian's shoulder. "We did take all of his pills, so that is probably not a lie."
The fat boy tossed Leon backwards, causing him to trip over his bucket and spill its contents over the skirt of his robes. He then turned to look at Virgal. "Go get him some herbs!" He demanded of the boy.
"Hey, why mine?" The sly boy argued, but scampered off when he saw the angered look upon Caprian's face.
"I will be back in three days!" The bully said, before he and Tor walked back towards the compound.
A large bundle of herbs were thrust into Leon's arms later that day. But Leon did not attempt to create pills, for one thing, he did not know how. Instead he spent the whole night making talismans and charms in order to calm his frazzled nerves.