Confused, Jake pondered how the old hag had injured herself. The gash looked as if it had come from being struck by a large melee weapon, such as a sword, as there seemed to be no burn marks present on the wound. Instead of thinking about how it happened, he thought he had better go to class. He was currently far behind in all of his courses.
Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, Jake walked to his first class of the day, which happened to be his favorite: Alchemy. Walking down the aisle, he conversed with his classmates, catching up on what he had missed during the two weeks that he had been absent.
He learned that during the exams, one of the Balrogs decided to cheat but was caught because his cheat sheet caught fire underneath his armpits. He learned how Mr. Lauderin managed to create a semi-sentient foam that lasted for only a couple of minutes.
But the most worrying news he had heard was that a student from his class, Tulli, a floxie, had gone missing. She was last seen walking down the street, leaving school. Someone reported having seen her with a dreamy expression, as if she were under some sort of curse. Her parents have reported her missing to the school and the relevant authorities, yet no traces of her could be found.
This worried Jake, yet he dismissed the issue, having complete faith in the power of the authorities. What concerned him the most was that he had missed a lot of lectures, and if he did not catch up on time, he would be retained for another year. Oh, the horror!
As he reached the classroom, he bumped into Mr. Lauderin, who was attempting to open the door with both hands full. Seeing Jake approaching the class, Mr. Lauderin called out, "Hey, Jake! Could you please help me open the classroom door? As you can see, I'm clearly occupied." Rolling his eyes, Jake nevertheless helped him. "Thanks for helping. What could I do without you?" Holding the door with his shoulders, he entered the class with his equipment. Just as he was about to close the door, Jake discovered that his left shoulder had burnt flesh peeking out from the bandages wrapped around it.
Curious, he tentatively asked Mr. Lauderin, "Umm, sir, what happened to your arm?" Confused, Gilde followed Jake's gaze, landing on his wounded arm. "Oh, this? I was attacked by a female robber. She packed one hell of a punch." Wincing in pain, he lightly rubbed his arm, pain evidently radiating from it.
Concern growing, Jake asked, "Do you need any help? If so, you can tell me, and I'll do it." Eager to help his favorite teacher, Jake promised to help with whatever difficulties Mr. Lauderin had. Shaking his head, he smiled gently. "No need now. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is passing this class with the highest grades."
Pouting, Jake entered the classroom. Unbeknownst to him, from the doorway, Gildersome Lauderin gazed at Jake, sinister intentions gleaming through his eyes.