Chapter 38
“Man, that was a BLAST!” Grim said with a grin.
Kalim smiled at him. “I'm glad you enjoyed it. Goodness, though—it's already dinnertime.”
Jamil came down the hallways and stopped in front of them. “Kalim! You're finally back. I'd like to review something before dinner. Could you join me for a moment?”
“Sure thing” Kalim nodded before he turned to look at the trio. “Riddle, Roxana, you two and Grim can just make yourselves comfortable in the lounge.”
*SCARABIA DORM – LOUNGE*
“I'm famished. What's for dinner tonight?”
“Our special training today was rough, huh?”
“Kalim's a real pal ain’t he ?” Grim commented.
“Is everyone present? The housewarden has an announcement for you before we eat.” Jamil said.
“He does?”
“Oh yeah, Kalim was talking' about that.” Grim said. “He's calling' off the special training and letting' Scarabia have their winter break. I bet the students will be overjoyed. Too bad I can't keep feasting here over the holidays, though!”
“I can still make you food” Roxana said.
“Yeah ! But I want these foods ! I never ate something like this” Grim said.
“I know how to make this type of foods too” Roxana said.
“......” Kalim stayed silent for a moment before he opened his mouth. “I decreed that the students of Scarabia would stay in the dorm over winter break for a voluntary six hours of daily studying if you recall. But I've realized something. That's nowhere NEAR enough!”
“Huh?!”
Jamil looked shocked. “Kalim? I thought you were going to send the students home.”
“That's practically the complete opposite of what you said before!” Grim screamed at Kalim.
“Did you lie to us ?!” Riddle turned red from anger but was forced to sit down by Roxana.
“Riddle…look at his eyes, don’t they seem…weird to you ?” Roxana asked.
Riddle frowned and looked at Kalim.
“A mere six hours a day won't be anywhere near enough to close the gap between our dorm and the others. We must work twice—no, FIVE times as hard as the others to drag ourselves out from dead last in grades! Starting tomorrow, I'm tasking all of you with five hours of study time and four hours of practical training each day.” Kalim ordered.
“His eyes…did they always looked like that ?” Riddle mumbled to himself.
“You're giving 'em NINE HOURS of training a day?!” Grim screamed.
Kalim glared. “There will be a defense magic training drill after dinner. Eat up and ready yourselves!”
“Y-yes, sir!” The students cowered in fear.
“Riddle, Roxana, Grim—since you three are visiting, your participation is mandatory! Is that clear?!”
“Whaaa?! Why do we hafta join in?” Grim complained.
Roxana casted a notice-me not charm around the three of them while leaving illusions in their place.
“For now we stay hidden and observe” Roxana said.
“Are you sure that you’re illusions will stay ?” Riddle asked.
Roxana huffed. “Of course ! They are solid enough to be mistaken for the real thing ! I am not an amateur, and besides it’s not the first time I’ve done this.
They stayed the night while observing Kalim, and the next morning was fine for a bit…till Kalim had the idea to make everyone walk ten kilometers to the eastern oasis.
Riddle panted. “I…hate…every second of this !”
Roxana scratched her leg where some black scales can be seen. “The temperature is messing with my cycle.”
Riddle turned to look at her. “What cycle ?”
Roxana hissed something but Riddle didn’t understand, the woman looked a bit embarrassed.
“…I don’t want to know anymore” Riddle said.
“Everyone, halt!” Kalim said.
Grim sat down on the sand and sighed. “Phew. We made it at last!”
“We will take a fifteen-minute break. Then we march back to the dorm.” Jamil said.
“Finally, some water... Wait. What kinda bizarro oasis is this?! It's empty!” Grim said, hopes for water gone.
Kalim perked up at that. “Water? You say you want water?”
“Uh, duh? My throat's dry as a bone.” Grim rolled his eyes.
Kalim grinned. “Then water you shall have...and I'll make it cool and refreshing for you! Respite in the scalding sands, a never ending party. Dance! Sing! Oasis Maker!”
“Noooooo” Roxana groaned as it rained on them. “At times I like I hate being a snake !” The itch in her body became worse because of the sudden change of temperature.
“Are you okay ?” Riddle asked seeing her obvious discomfort.
“Am alright.” Roxana said.
“Oooh! Sweet, merciful rain!” Grim sticked his tongue out.
“I was feeling like a withered husk for a minute there, but this water's refreshing me from the inside out!”
“Ahhh... I needed that.”
Kalim smiled. “You really like it? If water's all you want, then I'll produce enough to fill this whole oasis. That's my signature spell, Oasis Maker. It allows me to expend a little bit of magic power to produce large volumes of the finest water.”
Grim looked at him. “Y'know... Making a bunch of water seems really low-key for a signature spell. There are plenty of other spells that let you conjure water...”
“I beg to differ.” Kalim grinned. “The point of Oasis Maker is its efficiency. It produces a lot using a very small amount of magic. Back before the advent of running water, one would have had to draw their own water and boil it to sterilize it. A spell like mine would have been a tremendous boon back then. But I guess you're right. Now that running water is a widespread service, it's not the most useful of spells. Aha ha! But hey! I'm still confident that the water I conjure is the finest, most delicious water in all the land.”
“Now that you mention it, it's basically the perfect temperature. Not too cold to drink, but not lukewarm, either.” Grim said. “And it goes down all nice 'n smooth, like fresh spring water.”
“Still colder than the temperature of the desert…” Roxana said under her breath.
“Since when are monsters water affection?” Jamil raised an eyebrow.
“Hey, I resent that! I've got a discerning palate for everything!” Grim crossed his arms with a pout.
“I figured! I was right to hope you would appreciate the difference.” Kalim smiled. “Here, have a cracker as a treat.”
“Erk! I'm hungry, sure, but this ain't the best time for dry and crumbly foods!” Grim said before Kalim shoved the cracker into his mouth.
“He's acting differently than he was before we set out.” Riddle said to Roxana. “I think the spell he was under dispelled.”
“We still need more time.” Roxana said.
“Hm? Did you say something ?” Kalim asked the both of them.
“Kalim, our fifteen minutes are just about up. Let's assemble the students and get back to the dorm.” Jamil said.
Kalim looked a bit surprised. “Already? A little more time to catch our breath wouldn't hurt them any.”
“The sun will rise higher if we take too long. The hotter it gets, the worse our trip back will be.” Jamil said.
“You've got a point. Okay, guys! Let's get back to the dorm and have breakfast! Back to marching!” Kalim said with a grin.
***
Breakfast passed fine with Kalim stuffing Grim’s mouth with food.
That was until he did a 180 personality again.
And again Roxana used illusions so the three of them won’t have to do anything but sit around.
“At this point someone will Overblot” Riddle said. “I myself make the students of my dorm train with their magic but not like this ! This is ridiculous !”
“Nee ! Nee ! Roxana ! Stop scratching that spot ! It’s not good for you skin !” Grim said as he pushed Roxana’s hand with his paws.
“Is that a scale ?” Riddle asked looking at the black scale that just fell on the floor.
Roxana gave them a pitiful look. “Riddle please don’t.”
“I am sorry, but I have to ask is this normal ?” Riddle asked.
“…yes, now drop it.”
The next days were a repeat like samsara, Kalim is a tyrant a minute, nice the next, and repeat.
“*Pant* *Wheeze* I think I've got a whole desert's worth of sand in my throat. Kalim, gimme some water!” Grim asked Kalim.
Kalim glared at him. “How DARE you take that tone with me.”
Grim flinched. “Eep!”
“I am not your faucet. If you want water, draw it from the oasis yourselves.” Kalim said while pointing at the dry oasis.
“You mean the one that's bone dry? How?”
“This is going beyond tyranny...”
“Seriously, what's wrong with the housewarden?”
“Don't worry, I came prepared for this. We've got camels loaded with water. Offload it and share it amongst yourselves.” Jamil said.
“Thank you. If only you were housewarden, Jamil.”
Roxana listened in more at that.
“Perish the thought. And don't vocalize it. What if Kalim heard you?” Jamil chastised the student.
“But it's true!”
“Even before Housewarden Kalim started acting like this, you were the one doing most of his duties, Jamil.”
“Shhh. It's fine. It's my family's honora…actually no, it's MY honor to serve the Asims.” Jamil said as he shook his head. “Drink your water and rest up. It's getting hotter now that the sun's high in the sky. The march back will only be worse.”
“Jamil...”
“All students, assemble! Break time is now over. Form ranks, and no lollygagging!” Kalim glared at the students.
“Jamil, I... I can't take another day like this.”
“I'm done following the housewarden, too!”
“Why are you still obeying him, Jamil?!”
Jamil looked away. “It's because... He's Kalim Al-Asim.”
Once they returned to Scarabia Dorm, Grim went to complain to Jamil and tried to convince him to beat Kalim ‘because his magic isn’t as threatening as Riddle’s’.
Riddle would have already beaten the monster cat for what he said if it wasn’t for Roxana who told him not to.
“Gah, that's nightmare fuel! So how'd Kalim get picked to be the head honcho of Scarabia?” Grim asked.
“He was nominated by the previous housewarden. Through his prior work and virtues, he cultivated a reputation as the most befitting in the dorm.” Jamil said. “I'll never forget how proud I was at his nomination.”
“But he wouldn't have half that record if you hadn't been helping him! Everybody in the dorm knows it.”
“Why didn't the last housewarden choose you instead?!”
“Don't blame him.” Jamil shook his head. “For a relative of the Asim family to choose me over the main house's heir would be... Ah!”
Ah… Something finally clicked in Riddle’s mind. I see…
The red head turned to look at Roxana, a message was passed between the two of them.
Grim groaned. “Seriously? AGAIN with this Asim family stuff?”
“So that's what was going on. I had no idea. That sounds like blatant nepotism!”
“Man, the Asim family plays way too dirty!”
Jamil ‘panicked’. “Please, I implore you. Forget what you just heard.”
“Night Raven College is known as a big-name school precisely because it's a meritocracy. Getting special privileges because of your parents is something that shouldn't fly here!”
With a headmaster like Crowley, I am not surprised that this school if full of mini-villains. Roxana thought.
“He's right, Vice Housewarden. We won't stand for this!”
“Social status and wealth aren't supposed to matter here on campus. We're all supposed to be equals!”
Jamil tried to stop them. “But, ah...”
“Scarabia is a dorm built around the Sorcerer of the Sands' spirit of mindfulness. I've always felt that someone thoughtful like Jamil deserves the seat of house leader way more than Kalim.”
Would you still praised the seven if you knew their true story and what they have done to try and achieve their goals ? Goals that they failed in achieving I mean. Roxana snorted. Mindfulness my beautiful British arse, the only one that I could excuse is Maleficent, because not inviting her was a political issue, I would have cursed the parents instead of the baby tho.
“Slow down. I'm not special or superior to anyone else.” Jamil said denying their claims. “My grades are dead average. On a scale of one to ten, mine are fives across the board. I'm not fit to be housewarden.”
Please, if you can fake your personality then you can fake your grades too.
“Magical talent isn't what decides who befits the dorm's spirit.”
“What do you guys think? Who's the most suitable housewarden out of everyone here?”
“Oh, it's Jamil, no question!”
“Yeah. Jamil is way more fit to be Scarabia housewarden than Kalim!”
“We can't just accept an incompetent housewarden because he was born into a rich family!”
“That's right. Scarabia's got no use for a leader who can't lead!”
“Scarabia won't suffer an incompetent housewarden!”
Kalim entered in that moment. “What are all of you doing, gathered together at this hour?”
Everyone stopped the moment Kalim entered.
Grim hid behind Roxana. “Gah! Busted!”
Jamil looked panicked. “K-Kalim...”
“Morning training clearly wasn't enough for you, if you still have energy to burn.” Kalim glared at them. “Jamil! Take the students out to the courtyard this instant.”
“The courtyard, sir?” Jamil said shocked.”
Kalim’s glare was now directed to Jamil. “We'll do magic training until their bodies give out.”
“That's ridiculous!”
“Do I need to repeat myself? Hurry up!” Kalim screamed.
Jamil gave up and he sighed. “...Fine. Come on, everyone. Out.”