"What do you think you're doing here? Are you trying to contaminate our water?!"
That was what greeted us when the rest of the students saw us enter the heated baths on the ground floor.
"We just want to take a bath, seniors..." Elliot said, his head hang low.
"No way, just look at the color of your skin!" laughed someone from the crowd of students blocking our way. "Black boars are better off wallowing in the mud"
The place was spacious with two large pools inside. Heated water was pumped out of hanging tubes and faucets shaped like lion heads. There was even a separate washing area as well as a locker room at one side. All we could do was stare, though, for they flatly refused to let us in.
"Just look at you lot! One's covered in welts, another looks like an overdone steak, and the other looks like he just crawled out of a grave!"
"Do you really expect us to bath in the same water as you freaks?!"
"Get out of here!" they shouted.
"Get your own pool to wade in!"
Thus, there was nothing left for us to do but to leave.
"Damn those bastard! Keeping me from my beauty regimen! And it didn't seem like the seniors were the only ones laughing at us!"
I admit, some of our fellow neophytes where jeering at us as well.
"If my skin gets any dryer, I'm gonna curse them all to have warts at the end of their long, snobby noses!"
I looked at Arman's supple skin and wonder if he could actually curse anybody.
"You know how to curse people?" Cat asked aloud.
"Of course not!" he sniffed. "I'm not an oath breaker, after all."
An oath breaker.
A person of magic who has broken their oath with the goddess and have gone to the darkness. Otherwise known as a warlock.
"Perhaps we could put something in the water when nobody's looking?" Elliot rubbed his hands together as he gave us an evil grin.
"I wouldn't stoop so low!" said Arman with a pout. "I wish I could do something about those poor neophytes, though," he added. "Did you see how they were rounding them up in the bath?"
I did.
They had all the freshmen in one pool and were separating the good looking ones from the mediocre. Some were even fornicating on the spot. In fact, I still can't believe they were treating the whole academy as a whore house and doing what they want with the rest of the students.
"Perhaps we should plan something," I told my companions. "Who knows how many more students are going to be forced against their will tonight?"
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," said Elliot. "There's actually a magic spell inside our rooms, it tells the professors if a student is missing in their assigned area, that's why everyone goes back to their room at lights out and makes sure their rooms are locked from the inside."
"Lights out is 10 in the evening, right?" I asked him.
I just heard the clock tower chime eight while we were headed for the main baths.
"Yeah, though there's nothing they can do about the students invited to the crown prince's private residence," added Elliot with a frown.
"Where is this crown prince's chamber anyway?" Arman asked with interest.
"It's a separate building at the west from the main hall," said Elliot who seems to have an answer to all our questions. "They say only his invited apprentices and his close friends and vassals are allowed inside this palace, and anyone caught breaking in would be lashed a hundred times."
"Huh, he can have his palace!" Arman shivered. "At least now, I know which place to stay away from."
"So, do we go back to the third floor to take a bath?" asked Cat who had been silent for some time now. "Or do we think of a way to save the rest of the students?"
I looked at him and saw an unusually serious expression on his face.
"Is there a problem, Cat?" asked Elliot who seemed to have noticed the same thing.
"It's just that... I'm really glad that I'm lucky enough to be with you and Pat," he mumbled, "but thinking about all those other students... I can't help but feel that it's not fair for me to be having so much fun with you guys..."
Cat's voice trailed off. He kept his face down, his eyes shining with tears.
"I told you about my friend Lycan, right?" he asked as Elliot and I nodded. "He used to be bullied a lot too, just because he was merely the son of a poor knight under our service. But he was always nice to me, and always plays with me, so I always chase the other kids away when they bully him!"
"Didn't you say that he was older than us?" Elliot asked.
"Yeah, he would be a 4th year by now, but he used to be really shy and everyone kept teasing him because he was real skinny when he first came to our estate with his father."
"What would you like to do then?" I asked Cat who looked up at me with his bright blue eyes.
"I want to save everyone!" he told me. "I promised Lycan that I would always look after him when he left for this academy three years ago. I want to be able to keep that promise, even if I still don't know where he is right now. At least by doing so, I might reach Lycan as well."
"You still haven't found your friend?" Elliot asked him.
"No... I looked around the dining hall and peeped inside the main baths, but there's no sign of Lycan anywhere."
"Well, perhaps he's in another building–" said Arman who quickly fell silent.
After all, there was only one place left we haven't checked.
I was about to ask Cat about his plans again, when I heard someone approaching.
I looked back at the direction of the main baths and signaled my friends to stay quiet.
"Good evening, Lord Patrick."
It was Rian, the senior from the dining hall who apologized to us for Turin's unruly behavior.
"I believe you were chased out of the main baths?"
"Is he trying to pick a fight with us?" Arman whispered from behind me.
"Yes, we were told not to enter," I answered Rian. "And please don't call me lord. Patrick would suffice."
"Patrick, then," he gave a slight smile and a little bow. "If you don't mind, Patrick, the bath on the 5th floor is not being used right now, and it is heated as well," he continued. "If you hurry, you still have about half an hour left to use it."
"Thank you, but I don't think we need a –"
"Oh, thank you so very much, senior!" Arman quickly interrupted.
"We'll be on our way, then, since there's not much time left, senior!" Elliot said while pulling me and Cat along.
"Thank you again, senior!" called Arman who can't seem to wait to take a bath.
Five minutes and an exhausting climb later, the four of us lay soaking in fragrant, hot waters in the 5th floor baths.
It seems that half of the dorm's roof deck also had rooms on it, and opens up to a wide balcony next to this heated bath house we are currently bathing in.
"Ahh... I had no idea there was a 5th floor..." Elliot mumbled.
"I'm surprised there's something you didn't know!" Arman told him as he floated in the water in his birthday suit.
"Please stop staring..." I told Cat who had been gaping at my torso ever since I took my clothes off.
I think he keeps losing count of my ribs.
"Are you sure you're not really ill?" he asked with concern.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure. Was I not able to support you when you jumped on my back earlier?" I reminded him while adjusting the towel around my waist.
"But you were wheezing really badly when we were racing up the stairs!"
"That's because we were racing up the stairs," I pointed out. "Vigorous exercise is different."
"You really look like a dried up parchment wrapped around a pile of bones right now, Pat!"
I tried to laugh at the joke, but Cat looked genuinely worried about me.
"Don't worry, Cat, I'll fatten Pat up in no time!" said Elliot, placing an arm over his shoulder.
"And I'll be the one fixing that pallid, dried up and wrinkled old parchment skin of his!" said Arman.
"I didn't say that much!" said Cat with a pout.
"I'll be giving you a haircut tomorrow as well!" Arman continued. "Just a little trim to straighten its length and even it out, so it won't look like a goat ate the rest of it!" He quickly went out of the large circular pool we were wading in and went to a stall were he left a large bag he brought to the bath with us.
"Come here for a bit, Pat, let me put some herbal oils on your hair."
"Wow, that smells like maple syrup! Can I have some too?" asked Cat.
"Of course! I have enough for everybody! And Elliot, I have this fabulous cream that would do wonders on your acne problem!"
Arman was still fussing over us when we heard someone clear their throat from behind.
"I hate to break your little party, but it's already 9 o'clock," said Rian who stood by the alcove with an amused smile in his face.
I guess we didn't hear the clock tower chime the time.
"Oh, my gosh!" exclaimed Arman. "I still need to wash the conditioner off my hair!"
"No need to hurry," Rian said again as he walked closer. "I have already informed the professor in charge that you are taking a late bath."
"That's great!" Cat said with a big smile on his rosy pink face. "I'll go wash my hair in the next stall."
It was then that I realized that both Arman and Cat weren't wearing their 'mask of flesh'!
Afraid that Rian might notice, I quickly stood in front of them, trying to block his view.
"Senior!" I called out to him, when the towel around my waist caught on something and fell on the ground.
"Oh, my..." Rian stared. "I see you're quite... endowed down there."
"What?!" Arman suddenly jumped in front of me, his face quickly turning red!
"T-take cover first!" I hissed at him, throwing the fallen towel at his face.
Elliot seemed to have caught my message and quickly placed his towel over Cat's head.
"Hey! I'm still washing my hair!" he complained while Elliot tried to cover his manhood with both hands.
I tried to cover myself as well by squatting on the floor and hugging my knobby knees.
I watched as Rian laughed at us.
It sounded so genuine that some of my anxiety melted away.
"T-thank you for your kind consideration, Senior Rian," I told him, my face beginning to burn. I had never felt this embarrassed since my mother forced me to show myself in front of the emperor when I was younger.
"Of course, Patrick, I am glad to be of help to the famous recluse."
I looked back at him who observed me with interest.
I was about to ask him what the title meant and where it came from, when Arman pulled his towel off.
The burn marks were now back on his face, going down his right shoulder and spreading on his chest. He was about to crawl away towards Elliot and Cat when Rian called him.
"That's a very fragrant perfume you have there."
Arman stopped in his tracks.
"Can you tell me where you bought them?"
"H-his family sells them, senior." Elliot comes to the rescue, dropping another towel on Arman's bare back.
"Is that so? I wonder if you could sell some to me as well?"
"I-I'm afraid I only brought one bottle with me..." Arman mumbled. "P-perhaps, I could message my father and ask them to send me more when they visit..."
"I shall look forward to it then."
Rian held a hand towards Arman. Arman stared at it and touched it with his left hand which had several burn marks on it. Rian accepted his hand and helped him up to his feet.
"I hope you liked the baths here on the 5th floor," he told us as Arman made his way to a stall to put some clothes on.
"Yes, thank you again for the favor," I replied, knowing that nothing is for free, particularly in this academy. "I have been wondering though," I added, "why no one else seems to be using this place?"
"That's because only the royal princes and their close vassals stay on the 5th floor."
All four of us stared at Rian in horror.
"Don't worry," he said with a light laugh, "most of them take their baths early in the morning, and usually finish before seven, so you can use the place from eight to nine."
Oh, thank you very much!" sighed Arman. "No wonder this place is so different from the other baths, it even smells different!"
"But is it really okay for us to use it?" I asked to make sure. "I know you heard how they mocked us and called us names in the main baths."
"As I said, there's no need to worry, the water is changed every morning, coming from an aqueduct which is connected to a lake in a nearby tableau mountain."
He pointed at the top of several pillars as he told us this.
I could see the water from the ducts reflecting on the high ceiling.
"Wow, so the water in the whole building comes from up there?" Cat asked innocently, his whole body, once again, covered in hives.
"That's right, only the cleanest water for the highest nobles." Rian looked at me and gave another slight smile. "The water here comes directly from the main source and goes down to fill the rest of the baths below," he said proudly.
"Is that so..." I trailed off, still squatting on the floor.
"Now, I know you need to get ready for bed," he finally said. "Please take your time, I wish you good night and shall see you again in the morning."
"Hmm, I guess not all seniors are evil after all!" Cat exclaimed as soon as Rian left.
"Don't be so complacent!" said Arman. "You never know what goes inside a person's mind. That's why it's so much easier to judge appearances!"
"Huh?" Cat tilted his head to a side.
"Just remember not to trust anybody!" Arman said instead, "particularly the seniors. You saw what they almost did to me!" He shivered.
"Senior Rian is quite helpful, though," said Elliot, "at least we can finally bathe in peace!"
"That's not the only thing he helped us with," I said with a smile. "I now have an idea how we can help the rest of the students."