Reaching for the Stars

Chapter Seventeen

He finally drags me through the doors, and I force myself to walk inside, already feeling the curious gazes of what I assume to be professors, there were five of them, and before I entered, they seemed to have just been idly talking because there were no other testers in the room. Though I could guess why they had little to no students, because of their crazy entrance test.

"What can we do for you, young lady?" I think for a moment of just saying I lost my way, but then Orpheus sits down beside me, lightly brushing his tail against my leg, as if a reminder that he wouldn't let me leave even if I wanted to.

"This is where the entrance test for the Herbalism division is taking place correct?" My heart shuddered saying the words, though I made sure my voice stayed firm, that the nervousness I was feeling inside wasn't shown. Valenian's were renowned for their bravery, they would not look kindly on my fear. "I hate you." The words are hissed mentally at the fluffy vermin sitting calmly by my feet.

"It is a good thing I don't need you to like me to force you to do what I want then, isn't it?" I tried to hold back the anger his words made me feel, once again a little reminder that he was so much stronger than me, and where strength ruled this world, I could do little to fight against him.

"Is that a temporary city pass on your waist?" I nod, stepping forward and passing it to the elder who asked about it, he looks it over and nods. "A student from another empire, how rare. This is the last day we had open for testing, you arrived just in time. Finius, I believe it is your turn." He looked me over curiously, all of them seemed extremely curious that I had decided to take the test here, but I couldn't tell them anything, because I didn't really want to be here, I was being forced, not that I could tell them that, the professor he must have been talking to, nods and gestures forward with a hand towards a pedestal with a bowl on top of it.

"Very well, you may blindly select a rock from the bowl here, it will have a number on it that corresponds with the poison you are to consume. Completely random so that there is no possibility of cheating." I nod, silently walking over to the large metal bowl, seeing all the rocks in it, I can't help but swallow nervously, were there even two rocks missing from here, or had nobody else been crazy enough to attempt their luck on this entrance test?

I reach down and pluck one at random, not knowing what the number corresponded to which poisons, it didn't really matter which one I chose, the poison would likely kill me all the same. I look it over but there is no number on it, one of the professors clears their throat, and I glance up, seeing him standing right next to me with his hand out, my cheeks heat in embarrassment and I hand over the rock.

He takes it and directs some spirit energy at the rock, and I watch as golden letters float off the rock. "Number fifty-seven. Interesting." Evidently, he knew which poison was in that bottle, why couldn't I be a mind reader and just pluck the answer from his head. With a wave of his hand, he plucks a bottle off the shelf with the number fifty-seven on it, there was about a hundred of them on the wall, I hoped they replaced the bottles when they dwindled too much, because if they didn't then only three students had taken the test before me.

He holds the bottle up to a nearby torch, double checking that the wax seal was still in place, when he examines it to his satisfaction, he turns towards me again, placing the bottle on the nearby table that I hadn't even noticed yet, so nervous that I apparently hadn't even noticed the other half of the room, that was evidently used for testing, it had a full table of herbalism apparatus, of good quality but nothing like what Nero had left to me.

Not to mention the many boxes of herbs and other ingredients stacked up on shelves behind it for almost one hundred feet, there were about a dozen shelves, stacked to the brim, how was I supposed to find anything before this stupid poison killed me. "You may drink half the poison in the bottle, the other half is to use if you cannot identify the poison based on symptoms alone, using what it looks or smells like can be helpful tells." I am glad the professor chooses to impart those tips to me, because I had literally no idea how to identify a poison, with his tips, maybe I could at least start with a little bit of an idea as to what to do.