Balthazar stood alone in the alchemy laboratory. Water vapor was rising from multiple stills as he refined multiple plants.
For a teacher's aide, Balthazar was quite wealthy, being the son of a baron, he had in his possession 433 gold coins right now. As a comparison, the monthly salary of a teacher at the academy is 15 gold coins and that is an ample fund to research and develop spells for most.
Balth had just bought a few plants and alchemical ressources from the academy to refine some potions, anticipating whatever could happen tonight.
'I don't know what will come or happen, but for now I need to live through it, I don't need to get rid of it for now, I still have saturday and sunday, I should focus on making proper preparation to get as much information as possible. Also, it is possible it just doesn't happen if I don't sleep, but does it sense that I'm sleeping ? Or is it just watching over me ? Or does it happen at night whether the target sleeps or not ? Considering none of the student realized anything when they woke up, it is unlikely that the phenomenon occurs when the target is awake, or is it due to a group being present ? Hah, I'm really lacking info right now.'
The three potions finished their distillation after a dozen more minutes.
Two had a red, almost ruby like color, while the third one was translucent, having for slight coloration only a green hue.
'Two potions of minor healing, those should be able to cure most of the wounds I could get. And a Medium Grade Magical Fertilizer. I have all I need on that front. Let's head back to my room.'
Balth had a slight smile onto his lips as he opened his door and locked it behind him. He placed the potions onto his desk and hid them under a cloth in the case he would be spied on.
He opened a small chest and grabbed a light crossbow, which he loaded with one of the bolts and fired at a pillow.
Thump!
'Still working. Father's gift never fail me I guess.'
Balthazar checked his pocket watch. 10pm, 2 hours before midnight.
Balthazar arranged one of the plants in the room and placed it in a bag, one that he could transport on his back without trouble.
Finally, he cast the [Alarm] spell in the room, to wake up in case of intrusion, and didn't lock the door. He placed the loaded crossbow next to his bed and went to sleep, still in robes, but hidden beneath the covers of the bed.
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Alarm was a first circle enchantement spell. The effect was basic, upon casting, the user defined a small zone, and if any creature entered the zone, the sound of a small bell was heard. It was loud enough to wake someone up easily, especially if one was aware of the spell's presence.
In the dark of the winter night, a chill passed throughout the hallways of the academy, quickly escaping toward the outside gardens. It circled the place without any sound, all the while making his way to the staff's quarters.
Those were separated from the academy by a few hundred meters and further subdivised in multiple categories. The wind carried itself to the building where the teacher's aide were housed. There wasn't many rooms occupied here, few were interested by this work.
It floated around the building, looking through each and every window, before it stopped, gazing right through the obscured glass. It seemed to exhale, but despite the coldness of november, there was no condensation which formed on the window.
At once, it threw itself against and through the glass.
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Ding! Ding! Ding!
Balthazar quickly opened his eyes and threw the cover on the side as he turned to face the door!
Shhhh!
He felt a cold touch, in the middle of his back.
'Shit, it must have come through the window!'
He turned, feeling the freezing grasp on his back disappearing, his eyes landed onto it.
It appeared as a man whose skin had long fallen off in long stripes, empty eye sockets laid upon his ravaged face. Yet, the being was slightly transparent, giving a blueish, ice like light, an ethereal air whirled around it.
'A specter ? Shit, I was prepared for zombies or skeletons but not for that !!'
Specter were a tier higher than other mindless undeads, zombies, or skeletons, while dangerous as many monsters, didn't have much of the abilities of specters.
Those included the etherealness, making them able to pass through physical nonmagical object, as well as their touch, which was known to sap life energy from targets.
Balthazar grabbed his crossbow and the pouch still on the desk, slosely dodging the specter's hand, as he rushed for the door and outside.
'Is it following me ? Yes, yes, good ! That at least means its acting basing on instinct or it would have just went back through the wall and ambushed me outside. I'm pretty sure I can outrun him for now!
How do we kill specters ? Magic is effective and silver weapon right ? Enchanted weapons must do to. Fuck, I prepared those health potion for zombies not that sort of thing!'
Balthazar ran outside and toward the gardens, the specter still flying through the air, only a few meters behind him.
He quickly arrived in the verdant fields, this section was a huge french styled garden. Symmetrical shapes and structures, geometrical placement of trees and plants.
He passed through a gate of marble and turned, choosing this moment to go on the offensive !
"[Magic Missile]!" Balthazar's fingers moved swiftly through the air, drawing three small arrows which bolted right at the specter's torso and head!
Not having expected the sudden counterattack, the specter took the hit head on and screeched in an otherworldy tone as its fingers made contact with Balthazar's chest!
They dug slightly into the flesh as the glacial snesation seeped in at once. Balth's face distorted under the pain, the frostbite which he suffered was quite severe as he felt his heart beat louder than ever.
Rolling and fumbling backward onto the ground, to create distance between him and the undead, Balth grasped a healing potion, uncapped it and started to drink it all the while he ran as fast as he could.
'Fuck, the pain is worse than I thought...' he spat a few drops of bloods, a minor cut he just got from running with the glass vial in his mouth, he crushed it under the stress and now had a shard in his tongue.
He removed it.
'Well, it slowed it down it seems, was it beacause it was surprised ? I can't waste time, I must hurry !'
Turning a corner, Balthazar took a few steps and dropped on one knee. Unpacking his backpack, he quickly took out the plant he had brought and grasped the crossbow with one hand, the other getting ready to drop the Medium Grade Magical Fertilizer onto the small orchid.
"[Flame]!" As he cast the spell, the tip of the bolt was engulfed in a flame, the size of half a fist, reddish in color and sole sourec of heat in the night.
'I don't have much more mana, two more spells at most, it better work or I'll have to get to the academy or the teachers' dorm for help.. Fuck! I won't even get to blame anyone if I die today!'
Shrieeeek !
The specter made the turn, now having three holes in its body, its gaze locking onto the man's determined eyes as it flew toward him faster than ever !
'Now!' Balthazar dropped the fertilizer on the orhcid, which started to grow multiple centimeters each second, quickly reaching a good 80 centimeters tall and being full of life.
"[Soul Flame]!" The flame, which had now started to mark the crossbow black, suddenly changed to a deep blue color.
Click! Shoo!
The bolt flew through the air, carrying the Soul Flame as it passed by the orchid, consumming it in the blink of an eye as it doubled in size ! It lodged itself in the center of the specter's chest !
It shrieked but was undettered as its long arms clutched Balthazar's body, all the while burning in the blue fire!
An exhale, a breath, to snuff the living and the dead alike.
Blackness came in the garden as no source of light reamained.
The man laid, burnt and smoking against the cold hard ground, its eyes closed.
But he breathed at last. A breath that one who listens closely would here a small, dying echo from.
A shriek.
Still uncounscious, a smile creeped unto the lips of the young man with an old soul as he licked his lips.
"Levistross, I was Levistross."