A group of five, consisting of four boys and a girl, walked down the grand academy hallways, which were adorned with pictures made of stained glass panes. These pictures were of many kinds of beasts and animals, ranging from the mighty dragons, to the fierce wolves, to the proud lions, to the pathetic, tiny mice. The walls, floor, and arched roof were made of polished limestone that reflected the surroundings like a clear pond, producing a feeling a calm of serenity, but also the vibe that the academy's construction had a degree of quality in it. The group of students strutted through the hallway as if they owned the place, laughing and giggling to each other loudly— four of them at least, loud enough to draw attention from other students. The largest boy, who stood slightly over seven feet tall with huge muscles, blue eyes, and long, smooth blonde hair, noticed a boy, who was only about five feet and four inches, walking their way, directly in their path.
"Move aside, punk," the large boy said to the short boy, barely glancing in his direction before turning to his friends to continue talking. However, moments later, the large boy's legs bumped into something, causing him to stop and look down at the short boy.
"What's your problem? Don't you know how to move those legs of yours?" the large boy said with an agitated tone, crossing his arms across his chest.
"I didn't like the way you spoke to me, so I decided I didn't want to move my fucking legs," the short boy said plainly. The short boy, who wore a dark red jacket lined with sherpa on the inside (unzipped, revealing a plain black shirt underneath) and long black pants, didn't even bother to look up at the large boy, as if telling him, "you're not even worth looking at." The boy had smooth jet black hair, paired with jet black pupils lined with red irises. His skin was a very light brown color, and he had a relatively average-looking face. His hands were in his pockets, appearing to be fidgeting around.
"Small guy, big attitude. Why don't you scuttle along before I turn you into a small guy with a huge medical bill?" the large boy said, raising a fist in front of the boy's face.
"I'm so, very, very sorry, you piece of shit," the short boy said, looking up and staring into the large boy's eyes with no hint of fear, despite how much the large boy towered over him. He produced a grin, which unnerved the larger boy slightly. "But I don't like your fucking attitude, so I think I'll stay right here."
"That's one foul-mouthed little boy," the girl, a brunette with smooth long hair and pretty brown skin, standing at five feet and seven inches, said, giggling as she swept her hair off her face. "That's kind of cute, I suppose. A small guy trying to be tough."
"Last chance, punk," the large boy said, retracting his fist to cracking his knuckles. "Or you're gonna get it."
"Oh, fuck off," the short boy said with a tone of unsettling glee, his grin turning into a smile. His right fist rocketed forward from their previous position of his jacket's pockets, smashing right into the large boy's groin, sending a shockwave of pain through him as the short boy continued to drive his fist forward. The large boy cried out in pain as he fell onto his back, clutching his groin. His fair white skin turned deep red as he rolled on the ground, unleashing repeated screams of pain and drawing some attention. "Bitch. So much fucking talk from that worthless mouth of yours, and you couldn't even take one hit from me."
The short boy delivered another kick to the large boy's groin without mercy.
"AHHHHHHH! FUUUUUUUCK!" the large boy shouted, tears pooling up beneath his eyelids.
"What do you think you're doing?" shouted one of the other boys in the group, who had curly black hair and stood at five feet and seven inches. He was not nearly as muscular as his friend, but was larger than the short boy nonetheless. He quickly drew his fist back, ready to punch the short boy in the face. With blinding speed, his fist shot forward at the short boy's face, stopping only a hair's breadth away. A bluff. The short boy flinched backwards, causing the group, minus the large boy still crying in pain on the ground, to laugh. The short boy's smile disappeared, turning into a soul-piercing stare.
"You're just a damn chicken. Must've have scared you so silly with that fake-out that you pissed yourself, huh?" the curly-haired boy said with a grin, beginning to lower his fist. The short boy almost unnoticeably peeked around the curly haired boy before looking back at the group, his frightening smile returning. Suddenly, the short boy threw himself backwards, followed by a loud thump once he hit the ground. The short boy then unleashed a soul-piercing shriek of pain, attracting the attention of all the students around them.
"FUCK! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the short boy shouted, clutching at his face as blood dripped down his cheek, to his chin, and then down to the ground.
"What the fuck is going on?!" the curly-haired boy shouted, before someone behind him spun him around. The boy found himself face to face with a masked man in bright red robes who wore a hood, whose mask covered all but his eyes, which glowed orange.
"What are you doing, son? How are you already fighting on the first day of school? I'll make sure to have this written down in your records, boy," the masked man said, piercing daggers into the curly-haired boy. The group of four (large boy still incapacitated) stared in shock once they realized the masked man had a badge belonging to the school's enforcers pinned onto his robes: a badge with a specter carved onto it.
"Mister enforcer, that son of a bitch punched me in the face!" the short boy shouted as he slowly stood up, an unmistakable fury evident on his face. The curly haired boy panicked and tried to diffuse the situation, but he was utterly confused by the scene playing in front of his own eyes. And of course, you can't solve a problem if you don't understand it.
"M-mister, I didn't t-touch him at all! H-he fell back on his own and started to- uh," the boy said stuttered, clearly nervous and stressed out.
"Fell back on his own? Son, he's bleeding from his nose, what kind of nonsense are you trying to pull? You don't get a broken nose by falling on your back. Do you really think I'm that stupid?" the masked enforcer said. "I expected a boy of the noble Rowan family to be better."
"Now, wait a minute, I can attest!" the brunette girl said, attempting to stand up for her friend.
"What makes you think I'd take your word so easily? You're very clearly friends, and I have no reason to trust either of you— for heaven's sake, this boy," the enforcer scowled and pointed to the short boy, whose face was practically boiling with rage. "Is clearly injured. And what's with the big oaf on the ground, kids?"
"The small guy here attacked him!" the girl quickly claimed, pointing at the large boy rolling around on the ground. The large boy was still clutching his groin, crying in unending agony.
"Mister enforcer, that fat son of a bitch took my money, but when I tried to take my money back, he attacked me, so I attacked him back! Then this guy here punched me in the face!" the short boy shouted before the girl could say anything more, startling her into silence.
"Well, that gives me an easy way to see who's lying. If he's got the money, then this boy with the bleeding nose is telling the truth," the enforcer said. "How much money did he take?"
"Mister enforcer, he took exactly four silver coins! They should all be in his right pocket!" the short boy shouted, pulling his hand off his face, revealing bloody stains on his palm in addition to more blood dripping down his chin. The enforcer turned away, nose scrunched, somewhat disturbed by the amount of blood. The short boy's blood dripped to the ground, bringing a sigh out of the enforcer.
"The janitorial department won't be happy cleaning this mess. That's whatever. Hold still," the enforcer said to the large boy, reaching into his right pocket despite the boy's continued squirming. The enforcer pulled his hand out, revealing exactly four silver coins. The enforcer glanced over to the group of four students. "Got anything left to say, kids?"
Three members of the group felt absolutely bamboozled, their jaws dropping to the ground. The fourth member of the group (also the only one who wasn't laughing earlier), on the other hand, stood stoically with his hands in his pocket, gazing mindlessly down the hallway. He was a purple-haired boy, five feet and nine inches in height. He wore a suit and tie, and had spiky hair that shot in all directions. His skin was also a very light shade of brown like the short boy's.
"Keldran, say something, damn it!" the last boy of the group said, nudging his shoulder. The purple-haired boy, Keldran, didn't bother to turn around to his friend, who had snow-white hair and robes. The white-haired was only five feet and six inches tall, with pale white skin.
"Not worth the trouble. You can deal with it on your own," Keldran said, yawning and glancing at the enforcer. "Can I go now? I'm not involved with this at all and I'd rather not be."
The enforcer hesitated before nodding his head, concluding that the boy didn't seem like the type to cause trouble unnecessarily based on his behavior. He turned back to the remaining three members of the group, studying them.
"You have some pretty nice acting. That's a nice trick, I suppose, but you won't fool me," the enforcer said, flicking the silver coins back at the short boy, where they smacked harmlessly against his belly. The boy reached for the coins with his bloodied hand as they began to fall to the ground, narrowly managing to catch them before they clattered against the ground, groaning as he pocketed them.
"I'm gonna take him to the infirmary, expect yourselves to be called to the headmaster's office soon. I know who you are and where your dorms are because of your student badges, so don't try to hide," the enforcer said. The enforcer tore off a piece of his robes and handed it to the boy.
"Use this as a tissue to stop your bleeding and maybe clean up," the enforcer said.
"Thank you, mister enforcer sir!" the short boy said, putting the piece of cloth to his face.
"What is your name, son?" the enforcer said, putting a hand on his back and leading him towards the infirmary.
"My name is Red, sir. I've got no family name, and I came from the Southern slums."
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Common system: metal coins
Palladium > Platinum > Gold > Silver > Copper
1 Palladium = 100 Platinum
1 Platinum = 100 Gold
1 Gold = 100 Silver
1 Silver = 100 Copper
Most common people only have copper and silver coins.