After the end of their shift, Vastor and Thorman went back to their quarters. Vastor waited until they were alone, before expressing his hilarity.

“Thorman, old friend, I would have never imagined you had it in you. Helping your student like that. Technically, that’s against the rules.” Vastor tone of fake indignation wouldn’t have fooled a deaf man.

“I did no such a thing. I just used the spells that I considered best for the situation at hand. If she ended up copying me, how is that my fault? Are you going to report me?” It was a rhetoric question, Thorman already knew the answer.

“Are you kidding me? Your student ended up saving mine. The least I could do is gifting you that bottle of 50 years aged Blue Flame you keep eyeing every time you enter into my office. I’m glad you loosened the stick up your a*s.”

*****

In an underground maze, several kilometres away from the castle, another kind of conversation was taking place. After slaughtering its way through the nest, Scarlett was facing the Brood Mother.

It was the creature responsible for the abnormal spawn rate of the Clackers. Every single one of them was one of her children. Its abdomen was that of a giant spider, with eight long longs, but in the place of the head there was a human-like figure.