A Purple World Of Mages and Magic

White fluids & needles

"He has a point " Frank said, speaking for the second time.

"It's not a good point." Liam said. "I didn't think you were a scaredy-cat Jodge. I think we should split up, that way we can be done before the time is up. "

Jodge seemed impatient enough to come back at Liam, but then he quelled. "I am not scared, but if you guys insist, then let's go our separate ways"

" Who is taking this one then?" Glenda asked.

There was silence among them for a brief moment, as they looked anxiously at each other.

"I'll take it" Lance said. "You guys move on"

They all nodded and headed out in opposite directions.

"Alright. It's me and you dear Liburnum. You better treat me right " Lance muttered when the others had gone off.

He exhaled deeply, then crouched beside the plant.

It was small in stature, slender and beautiful, almost docile.

How could such a thing be that deadly?

But it's teeth were long and colorful needle-like spikes, and could reach as far as even the receptacle.

And what was even the point of plucking it at the receptacle if the needles could reach there.

Maybe they didn't, and that was a safe base. He would have to find out anyway.

In his own world gloves would have prevented such a thing.

Gloves.

Where was he to get such? when he was running out of time.

Did Golredot even know what they were? as this place seemed archaic enough.

This was obviously a time that corresponded with the 1800s.

He touched the base of the stem where it was rooted to the ground, the teeth snapped quickly in the direction he had touched, as he expected, nothing happened.

That was goodnews.

Maybe he could do this without even breaking a sweat.

He moved his hand slowly up the stem, almost arriving the green cup-like base that held the flowers, and the teeth kept snapping without reaching him.

Right. Almost there.

He just needed to pay focus.

He could see if he looked closely, to his dread, a tiny white fluid was at the tip of the needles.

He touched the base of the receptacle and the needles swung again for him, but didn't get him.

He could pull it from here. This was close enough.

He gripped the receptacle more firmly now, when someone close by shouted and jumped, making Lance jump too.

The chestnut-skinned girl next to him had been stung by the flower and she clutched her hand and frantically attempted to suck out whatever poison had entered, but her teammates held her still.

Lance still startled, felt a throbbing pain on his finger, and he looked at it, the pin-prick of blood. His heart caught in his throat.

He had been stung.

The girl, still panicking, was carried off to get treated.

Jodge and the rest were coming back then with their own flowers dead and yellow in their hands.

Everything he had been trying to avoid now was going to come upon him. This was the moment, his doom had come.

He hid his affected hand in his robe pocket.

"Hey, what's going on, you ain't plucked yours yet?" Glenda approached him first, worry beginning to register on her features. And she raised a brow, the others mirroring her curious look.

But he didn't have to tell them. They were not supposed to know. It'd end up hindering the group from the spell lessons they still had coming up.

After all, there was hope, he didn't have to fret so much because there was a cure. All he had to do was get treated on time.

So he'd wait it out, and finish the fire lessons first,

"No, I'm just..I guess I'm slower than you all" He responded, composing himself the best he could.

"We have our scaredy-cat, alright" Frank said.

"Don't worry, let me do it " Jodge said.

And in no time, he had plucked it free from it's stem, the last Liburnum they needed.

Back at the classroom Miss. Eloise had instructed each group to start their own preparations of the Nummix potion.

So the students clustered around different desk in their different groups and began the potion making, amid a cacophony of noises and pestle on mortar.

Lance and his group were at the desk by the edge of the wall, closest to the cupboard.

Glenda crushed the Liburnum leaves in a small mortar while Frank scooped some black clay from the cupboard.

Miss. Eloise strolled around the groups, observing. "Making this potion is actually another lesson of itself. And it is one of many potion making lessons you'll be learning. And you have quite a lot for your curriculum. "

When Glenda had finely grounded the flower, Lance poured in the required amount of lime water, fully aware of the increased throbbing in his hand that had begun shooting waves of pain up his arm.

Then Frank brought in the clay and soon their mixture was done, black and puddling.

Glenda poured the mixture into their group's glass jar and set it along with the other jars already bottled and placed on the Dias.

When all groups were done submitting their jars, Miss Eloise nodded and surveyed the classroom."I hope everyone who got stung has been taken to the medicals? Is there anyone here that has been affected? Pls it's necessary you go get treated now, you can still learn this later.

Lance heart thudded heavily in his chest and for a moment fear threatened to overwhelm him but he reminded himself he didn't need the attention that going to the medic will bring to him. He'd find a way to get treated on his own.

A moment passed and nobody came out, and then the lessons commenced.

They were instructed to apply the potion as ointment on their arms, and faces.

Soon enough everyone was looking like a charcoal mannequin of some sorts.

Exercises were given out and the training commenced.

"The key is to breathe in and keep the fire vivid in your imagination. Then move your hands in the pattern I showed. " Miss. Eloise instructed loudly.

Lance followed suit, trying to block out the fearful thoughts in his head. Thoughts of his impending death, being heralded by the pounding in his head now. Except he was already dead. The thought of being killed in the car accident was still vivid, the transmigration into a world of purple, of what his--

"You're not focusing" Miss. Eloise voice startled him, and he popped his eyes open to see her glaring into his face.