“Well, Aarav, you are free to go. No more duelling please, at least not unsupervised!” She quickly ushered them all out for crowding her space, even though Aarav could see there wasn’t anyone else there. With a nod of thanks they left quickly and quietly.

“Can someone explain how that whole situation happened? I was asking him what the problem was and he just challenged me!” Aarav asked, still not having received a satisfactory answer.

“You didn’t bow down and watch as they walked past.” This was Bundi that spoke. “They took offense that we continued talking when the rest of the cafeteria quieted as they came down the stairs and walked past. At least that what I think it was.” Bundi simply shrugged as his final words but Aarav just looked on with shock. He had almost died because of something and idiotic as that?! All the slime could do was splutter and cough in indignation at the situation. Unbelieveable! These idiot nobles really are spoiled beyond belief! The ridiculous thing was that if they had known who Boren was none of this would have happened, and he was supposed to be protecting the Prince but at the moment it seemed he was too weak to protect himself even, how was he supposed to do anything for the Prince?

Okay, stop it Aarav! He needed to get out of this funk before he spiralled again. It was enough that this insolent kid had got the better of him and his lack of understanding despite two decades of life was annoying at the least.

“Aarav, no point in worrying about it now.” Badru muttered.

“Yeah, and we will crush him once we have enough strength, that’s what the Academy is for.” Formica muttered darkly almost too quietly for Aarav to hear. He only picked it up because of his proximity to her and because her voice was higher pitched than the rest.

Honestly, the tone of her voice made the Slime shudder, he thought he had a bone to pick with the nobleman but she was out for blood.

Badru gave his sister a look that said she needed to calm down, he was clearly used to these outbursts but Aarav couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to them to elicit such a reaction from the girl.

“Whatever, Bad.” Formica just rolled her eyes at him but her demeanour instantly returned to relaxed and carefree. The change was as startling as it was fast. This girl…

Badru then addressed the rest of them. “Where are you guys staying? Do you want to keep hanging out with us at our place? We are in the regular sized rooms, Dorm 5. You’re welcome to join us there. I’m guessing you’re in the small dorms so we’re close to you.” He looked at Aarav as he said this last. Boren and Aarav both exchanged glances and acquiesced at the same time. They really didn’t have anything better to do and they both got a good feeling from these people. They had taken Aarav to the clinic when he hardly knew them, possibly gaining the ire of the nobles.

Their dorms were across the way, passing by the garden and the assembly area to get there. “Hey, that there is the garden labyrinth.” Bundi whispered, as though worried he would be overheard. There was no one anywhere near them after what happened in the cafeteria and word spread. “It is rumoured that ever year at least one person goes missing in there never to return.” Aarav snorted at that, of course there was a conspiracy theory about it.

“Okay, so it is just a story but pretty awesome thing to have right! And right in the middle of the school where anyone can walk in! Apparently it shifts and changes and there are some monsters in there as well, probably nothing too deadly. Though, there is a prize for the first student in the year that can get to the centre and claim the stone in its centre!” Bundi continued, now he had built a head of steam. “That is not a rumour, our guide told us about that! Isn’t that right?”

“Hmm.” Donny confirmed, though he was normally stoic this seemed to have ignited something in him. I guess the prize is something good then.

“What have the previous prizes been then?” Aarav had to ask, Bundi really knew how to reel people in. “It must have been something impressive for people to really want it this badly.”

“Well…as to that, no one knows. It is a closely guarded secret, that.” The conspiracy in Bundi’s voice seemed to echo in the grounds. “Not to mention, the last time someone made it all the way to the middle was more’n ten years ago!”

“So how do you know it’s good?” Aarav asked, allowing a little of his scepticism to leech into his voice.

“Because it was made by the King!” Bundi said in exasperation and excitement. “The prize left in the centre and the prize that you get if you find it was left by the King, and the maze was made by him as well, when he made the Academy!”

It was Boren’s turn to look sceptical now. Aarav could clearly see the conversation happening in the prince’s head. Could it be possible? I’m only 9-years-old and father has been King for hundreds of years. He did build the Academy…

The Prince seemed undecided and Bundi took his expression as unbelieving. “I promise you! I am not lying. That is what the tour guide said! Badru, Donny, back me up!” The dwarf was incensed now, adamant to prove his truthfulness.

“Yeah, he‘s right.” Badru confirmed. Donny simply nodded. “Bundi might like to tell stories but he hasn’t lied yet.” Badru laughed at the playful scowl on the dwarfs face. Aarav forgot his anger for a moment as he marvelled at how familiar they seemed after only a few hours together.

“Well, I pay attention to things that people tell me and I can’t help if I find it interesting. I have been wanting to come to Academy since I was 6! My older sister came here you know!” Bundi’s enthusiasm was infectious and soon everyone was listening to what he had to say. It was all fascinating.

He talked about the maze in a little more detail, about the dangers it supposedly harboured, then the Assembly area, that it was used sometimes for duels and to settle agreements between students but most of the time those things happened in the melee training area. The fight in the cafeteria was highly unusual.

Next he talked about some of the research and development that was going on in the Academy, he didn’t know much about any of it, aside from that the research division existed so that topic was exhausted quickly. Then he moved on the melee and ranged training areas. These excited Aarav for some reason and he had visions of holding a sword the size of a tree and cutting his enemies down in droves. That was a fantasy at the moment considering his current size but a Slime could dream.

Finally he explained the layout of the dorms and the admin building and library. Their locations and what they were for. Mostly the one-year students were not really required to know about anything but the dorms but it was still fun to learn about. It turned out the Academy Library was famous which Aarav suspected and it was also free for people to access as the King believed in the freedom of knowledge.

That tracked with what Aarav knew of the king but of course some sections would be out of bounds or restricted. After all, he doubted that the King would want information on the Berserker Class to just be available to anyone that wanted to know about it.

Aarav chuckled as Bundi wound down, even his inexhaustible mouth slowing as he concluded his explanation. It was possibly the most thorough explanation that anyone was likely to give to a student and somehow the dwarf remembered all of it.

They all thought he had finished but when he started spouting dates and names of the founding fathers of the school everyone groaned, it was really too much information too quickly and Aarav was already have trouble keeping track of what he had already said, and that was with an Intelligence Stat of just over 100!

“Okay Bundi! We get it. You know a lot of useless facts about this school! Let it go man!” Franco’s voice cut through the noise like a knife. Everyone turned to the boy that hadn’t said much so far and then turned back to the situation at hand.