Julia walked to the second cage, her steps echoing ominously, amplifying the terrified screeches of the mouse within.
"So," she began, her voice slicing through the tension, "the time it takes for the poison to take effect is too long. Stronger poisons might work faster, but they come with their own costs. Nonetheless, almost all the poisons you will encounter in your life won't act instantly."
A student raised her hand, and Julia nodded at the girl with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses.
"How about increasing the dosage, miss?" the girl asked, her voice steady despite the tense atmosphere.
"That will be our second experiment. How much time do you want to shave off?"
"Eight minutes, please," the girl responded confidently.
"And how much do you think we should increase the dosage?"
"A third, miss."
Julia paused, considering the suggestion, then moved behind the curtain, her gaze sweeping over her students.
"This time, observe the mouse closely. I will use double the amount instead of a third."
She reopened her poison pouch and spread the dust into the second cage, using twice the quantity from the first experiment. The students, more attentive now, watched intently. Seven minutes later, the mouse collapsed, though not as completely as the first. The students hesitated, unsure of their observations, some glancing at Jack for a cue.
Jack, engrossed in his thoughts, hadn't spoken yet. He knew Julia's choice to double the amount wasn't due to ease of measurement. She understood that to cut the time by three minutes, it required exactly double the amount. This small experiment opened up many questions about the Maester's progression and its challenges. Jack couldn't help but smile in excitement.
"Well?" Julia's voice broke the silence.
"Eight minutes, miss," the brown-haired girl answered promptly.
"Correct. Doubling the dose, as you can see, only shortens the effect time by less than a third. This margin will decrease further, making additional amounts increasingly wasteful."
Julia stepped closer to her students, her gaze sharp.
"So, why is this? And why was Jack's assessment of the Maester's damage output, much to my dismay, correct?"
The boy next to Patrick raised his hand.
"Pascal?"
"Because of the saturation of the poison in the air, miss. Even though you were close to the mouse, most of the poison dispersed."
"Exactly, and that's why we use this curtain. The poison has dispersed into the air. Don't worry! Inhaling it won't make you unconscious, just a bit tired. But I'd rather not hear complaints from your parents."
Pascal sat down, a satisfied smile on his face.
"So, we've learned how time, concentration, and distance affect the effectiveness of powdered poison. The question now is how to increase its overall effectiveness without wasting it."
Whispers filled the room as students discussed possible solutions. Jack's mind raced, considering weapons like throwing knives and crossbows, but another idea emerged, a skill that made the wound on his left shoulder ache anew.
"We shoot it," Patrick blurted out, his voice rushed as if afraid someone would steal his answer. "We compress it like a small bullet and shoot it at the Grim Mouse, eliminating the issues of concentration and distance, thus increasing its effectiveness."
Everyone turned to Patrick, who wore a smug smile. Pascal, sitting next to him, looked down, his cheeks flushed with frustration. Jack, impressed by Patrick's quick thinking, shook his head. Pascal reminded him of Manuel, a poor bard who had to adapt quickly to survive, though Pascal had a master. He wouldn't thrive under Patrick's shadow.
Julia clapped her hands in approval, her eyes shifting from Pascal to Patrick.
"That is precisely what we're going to do with the third Grim Mouse."
Julia produced some powder, compressing the particles into a small ball with mana. She aimed at the mouse and fired. The tiny bullet struck between the mouse's eyes, exploding into a dust cloud. The mouse inhaled deeply, panicked, and began to frantically bite and scratch at the iron bars, realizing too late the foolishness of its actions.
Julia didn't need to instruct her students to pay attention this time. She waited in silence, arms crossed. In less than two minutes, the mouse collapsed, and half a minute later, it was fully unconscious.
Jack's eyes lit up, marveling at the technique and the result. Manipulating a cobblestone was child's play compared to compressing tiny poison particles. He immediately began devising a way to practice this skill.
Julia signaled her assistant to close the mouse cages. He pressed a button on the curtain rod, and tiny holes appeared on the cylinder as the curtain was sucked back with a whoosh. The assistant cleaned up, bowed to Julia, and left the classroom.
"That concludes today's lesson. The poison has been cleared. You've grasped the basic combat principles of a Maester. I will teach you the compression technique, but not today. Any questions?"
Jack's hand shot up immediately.
"Jack?" Julia hesitated.
"When I said manageable, I meant in terms of the Maester's opponent, not the Maester themselves."
"And I didn't ask for that clarification. I asked for a question."
"Then, when facing a fast opponent, like a Warrior with a knife, doesn't this technique become irrelevant? They could dodge and toy with the Maester, and a single knife strike could take them down."
Julia frowned. "That is indeed a weakness of the Maester. Therefore, a Maester should prepare poison bombs, traps, and necessary equipment."
"As can the opponent, right, Miss Julia?"
Julia's frown deepened. "If you're asking such a question, there must be some crazy idea in your head, right?"
Jack smiled and nodded. "Risk it all! Close the distance and shoot the poison directly, or perhaps surprise them with a knife."
The class erupted in laughter, Patrick pointing at Jack and shouting, "Dumb ass!"
Jack shrugged, remaining silent. Thomas and Agos could only cower in embarrassment.
Julia raised her hand for silence. She couldn't deny that her laughter stemmed from agreement with Jack. Her experience had taught her that sometimes a Maester had to risk everything. It wasn't uncommon for someone to sacrifice limbs for a chance to poison the enemy, though it was too extreme to discuss openly in class.
From now on, Julia considered keeping Jack's ideas in check, as she struggled to keep up with the wild thoughts racing through his mind.