How To Kill A Necromancer

The second group of students had clearly been filled in on the latest news from Jase’s morning class. They filed to their seats as Jase greeted them, with only a few asking how he was feeling.

Jase was in the middle of explaining the way that weather and changes in the environment could have different effects on ingredients used in alchemy when Zendron yawned. Jase paused for a moment then continued talking. Zendron yawned again, and Jase couldn't hold back a yawn of his own. A few students in the class giggled amongst each other. Jase shook his head and continued his sentence, unamused.

“Forget droughts, your lecture is dry enough to change the potions on its own." Zendron commented.

He turned to the board to sketch out a diagram, when Zendron yawned a third time. Jase turned his back to the classroom to yawn into the crook of his arm.

When he turned back, a student had raised their hand.

“Yes, Corben?” Jase asked, trying to stay patient.

“Did you fall asleep in your office again?” he asked, and a couple students around him laughed.

“No one can stay awake in the lectures, not even the professors.” The student sitting next to Corben said as he stretched back in his chair with a loud and overly-dramatic yawn.

Jase put his hand to his mouth as he yawned, and Zendron snickered at him along with the other students. “No, I did not. I just had a stressful few days recently. I appreciate your concern, Corben.” Jase clapped his hands once, startling a few other drowsy students. “Tyriq, perhaps you would suggest that we all need to take our notes standing up in order to stay awake?”

“I’m alright, Professor. Sorry.” Tyriq responded as those around him shot him warning glares.

"Your class is boring." Zendron said, ”If you were trying to teach magic in a way that makes it seem so… uninteresting, you’ve succeeded."

Jase frowned, unable to argue with Zendron while his students were watching. With some difficulty focusing, Jase wrapped up his lesson and returned to his office.

The moment he closed the door he set his papers down and stood in front of the window, staring pointedly at his reflection in it.

"Excuse me, if you can't be bothered to pay attention in my class then at least amuse yourself some other way so we don't start dozing off." He said to Zendron.

“What do you expect? It’s mind-numbing material."

"It's a lecture class! I know it's not particularly exciting but it's knowledge that is essential to the school of alchemy."

"Even reading books is more fun than listening to you drone on and on, at least I can read and try out the spells at the same time."

"That's incredibly foolish - and even dangerous!"

"What's the use in learning about whether a lightning storm causes murkroot to be more potent or not-"

"- Which it does-"

"-When you don't see where or how it's supposed to be applied?"

"They apply it in their lab classes." Jase countered.

"All you’re letting them do is sit, listen, and take notes - and all they are getting is boring fact after boring fact."

"I'll have you know that I am a respected professor at this academy and-" There was a knock at the door and Jase cut himself off. "We'll discuss it later," he said. Jase walked over and opened his office door. A student stood just outside, stepping from one foot to the other as he waited.

"Oh hello, Devadin," Jase said, recognizing the student from his previous class. “Can I help you?”

"Hello sir," Devadin said shyly, "I was wondering if I could have a summary of the lesson you gave right before you left? I missed it and I meant to get it from you earlier but then you were busy."

"Of course. Come right in." Jase said. He gestured towards a chair at his desk.

“None of the other students had notes?" Zendron scoffed. “I was wrong, all they’re doing in your class is just sitting and wasting their time."

Jase brought over a large board with a scroll attached, which he pulled down and started writing on it. "We've been working on the chapter about the minute details you need to make when creating potions. Last time I covered how the materials used in heating the potion can have different effects on potions. An example would be how one alchemist attempted to use wood that wasn't fully dry and the added smoke caused the potion to -"

"Wouldn't it have been neat to actually try lighting a fire in class and see how that works?" Zendron wondered.

Jase ignored him, "- to blacken and become viscous. Anyways, you should remember we covered the brewing methods in an earlier class. There are lots of different ways to cook and brew potions. Magical fires, wooden fires, even fires created by magical creatures-"

"Do you think that includes a wood fire that's lit by a magical creature?"

"- can have different effects that can be very beneficial to expert alchemists. However, the fuel is often overlooked by beginners. It can mean the difference between a perfect potion and a subpar one - or even a disastrous one."

“Disastrous? Now that’s a topic I could get hooked on."

Jase quickly scratched down some points onto the paper, "Excuse me for a moment, Devadin, while I deal with a distraction. Go ahead and finish writing that into your notes."

Zendron laughed, "Am I the distraction? I thought we agreed that you shouldn't talk to me while there are other people around. You can't tell me to shut up while that student is right there."

Jase moved the small burner from his desk to a counter and set the kettle over it.He pulled down a box from one of his cupboards and set it down gently. Inside was a delicate teacup and a collection of jars.

"Ugh, tea again..." Zendron groaned. “You're obsessed with that disgusting stuff."

"Devadin, have you ever heard of Shrew Bush tea?" Jase asked as he pulled out a jar and held it up to look at.

Devadin looked up from the desk. "Uh... no sir?" he said, pausing from his writing.

"You're just making tea to spite me now?" Zendron said sarcastically, "How petty."

Jase measured out some of the Shrewbush leaves from the jar. "It's quite an acquired taste." he continued, "In fact, most people have described it as…" he paused, "well, as the worst thing they've ever tasted," Jase said with a smirk.

"Oh HELL NO."

“It took me some time to find and I just had to add it to my collection.”

“It was probably so hard to find because No One Likes It!" Zendron emphasized.

“Its sour taste is something not many are fond of, and it's rated amongst the most bitter teas ever invented.

“I bet you don't even like it, you only bought it because it makes you feel soooo intelligent, doesn't it?"

Jase shrugged, "But its effects on health and magical reservoirs in the body are astounding. I like to consider tea as a rather simplified form of alchemy," He said, still casually addressing Devadin.

"You're so boringly book-headed and…" Zendron trailed off on his insults as Jase methodically poured the kettle into the teacup with a small smile. "Don't do this to me. You know how much I hate tea,"

Jase thought he heard Zendron's voice crack. He calmly put the kettle down and swirled the leaves around.

"Okay fine! I'll shut up, okay?"

Jase lifted up the cup to drink.

"Jase-!" Zendron was cut off as Jase took a sip, "-Blech!"

Jase took a long, slow drink to finish off the rest and set it back down. The Shrew Bush tea tasted like unripened lemons and pine needles, but for some reason he enjoyed this particular cup more than usual.

"ack- it's disgusting! Blegh- I'd rather be drinking horse piss. Ugh… the worst part is I can't even gag right now." Zendron stammered.

"Alright, let's get back to work, with no more distractions," Jase said smugly as he returned to the board.

"You absolute monster..."