As Alex was heading toward the dining hall, Lenard approached.
"Alex, I need to talk to you." Checking the area to make sure they were alone, Lenard continued "I don't know what you're trying to do with the Shaman, but it needs to stop. Having you cross the line is not something I can allow anymore. That piece of filth should never have been accepted to the school; much less been elevated by the staff. So, I'm telling you now, you will stop being seen with him, sparing with him, eating with him, or having any other contact with him. I've been covering for you so far because you're a Paladin, but it's over. That fucking Shaman is dead to the student body. That includes you. Do you understand."
"The only thing I understand is how shallow and petty you really are. And how arrogant. You have no authority over me, and I'll do what I want. Which includes choosing my own friends. I don't care about your stupid game."
Lenard's face went scarlet. "What, you think you get special treatment just because you're a Paladin? That you're better than me? I'm the son and heir to Baron Silvercrest, Lord of the Starshine Keep. What do you have that makes you better than me?"
"Skill at arms, for one. And Thomas," Alex deliberately used the most hated name in Lenard's world, "is better than both of us."
"That asshole couldn't beat me if I tied one hand behind my back! And neither could you!"
"Check the records, Lenard. I've beaten you three out of the last five times we've been paired to spar. Thomas has beaten you five times out of six matches. And we're both fighting with one hand tied, as you put it. Neither of us is allowed to use our skills or magic in fights. Once all matches become open, your ranking will plummet. So far, the only first year in the melee training I consider a rival is Thomas. And in case you've forgotten, we fight in open matches, where he beats me three out of five times. So, how do you think you'd fare?" With that parting shot, Alex continued on to lunch, brushing past a pale faced and still fuming Lenard.
Lunch was held in the school's dining hall. The hall was really a separate building sited between the barracks, the temple, and the tower. The building was constructed of brick for the rear third, which housed the kitchens, and wood and plaster with a tiled roof for the rest. The dining hall took the entirety of the remaining space. Wooden tables and benches, each eight feet long, were aligned in three rows of six tables each down the center of the hall, with a four-foot aisle between the rows. Bronze reflectors, mounted on the sturdy wooden beams, cast the light of the torches across the hall. At the head of the hall, windows built onto the brick kitchen's wall served as serving stations. Except for them, there was no passage between the kitchen and the hall.
After getting his tray of food from the kitchen, Alex went to sit by Thomas. As usual, Thomas was sitting alone at one of the benches in the center of the hall. All the tables surrounding Thomas' table were completely deserted. Looking around, Alex saw the remaining tables were crowded to overflowing. Alex wanted to sneer at the stupidity of it. Being seen near Thomas was becoming close to social suicide. Anyone who was thought to have had even casual contact with Thomas was being targeted by their fellows until either Cecilia or Lenard decided the punishment was enough. That decision could take weeks to arrive.
Thomas was aware of the situation. That was why he always took a table in the middle of the hall. The second- and third-year students were unwilling to be crowded at their tables by the first years, and had decided that since the first years didn't want to sit next to Thomas, that is where they should sit. So, the senior students took the tables at the front and back of the hall, leaving the first years to fight for room at the few socially acceptable tables that remained.
As Alex was about to sit down across from Thomas, a nervous voice spoke up behind him.
"Excuse me, Mr. Mason. You really shouldn't be sitting here. I'm sure the second years over there would be willing to share their table with you if you asked." Alex turned to face the speaker. It was a young slender Priestess from one of Alex's spirit magic classes named Sara. "If you continue getting close to him, the rest of the year is going to begin bulling you too. You are too good to be friends with that Shaman."
Finally fed up with all this injustice, Alex snapped. "I will decide who is worth being my friend. I think a man who can handle all this bigotry without allowing it to affect him is worth more as a friend than a dozen people who ostracize someone for no other reason than to ingratiate themselves to a self-serving narcissist." Alex pointed a damming finger at the visibly shaken priestess, "I'll ask you, what has Thomas done to deserve all this? Has he even once tried to laud over any other person in this school? Perhaps he's been bulling the weaker students? Has anyone even tried to justify this? I am a paladin. I know injustice when I see it, and I will not add to it." Alex held the gaze of the priestess until she looked away. Continuing in a gentler tone, "You know this is wrong, yet you are too afraid to stand and say so. That is not an attitude that will serve you well whether you join a guild or not."
Turning back to Thomas, Alex waited until the stifled sobs of the priestess had retreated before beginning his lunch. "A few more speeches like that and you'll destroy your popularity more completely than being seen with me ever will," stated Thomas.
"Very funny. Are you planning on doing anything after classes Friday? I'm not working this weekend, so I was hoping to go hunting for ores or something."
"I suppose you can come along if you want. But you'll need to be ready for a lot fighting."
"If it's safe enough for you to go alone, it's safe enough for us to go together. And I've been thinking our sparing sessions have been becoming a little too routine. Maybe a bit of field work will do me some good."
"OK. Stop by the Shaman dorm after classes."
After classes Alex accompanied Thomas back to the Shaman dorm. The hedge had been tended, no longer completely overgrown. Thomas had added a trellis over the path leading to the rest of the school. The trees had also been tended and the lawn had been trimmed.
Inside the dorm, the books had been returned to the school's library. "What a late fee that was," thought Thomas as he passed through to his room to collect the gear that he wanted Alex to bring along. The dorm's common room was furnished with enough sofas and armchairs to comfortably seat about forty students. Along the walls were maps and pictures of famous Shamans. Instead of the oil lamps used to light the rest of the school, the chandeliers were set with brightly glowing crystals. On the shelves were collections of Totems and enchanted items left behind by many generations of students.
Over the hearth was the most detailed map of all. It depicted the area around the school from the Copper Pass (Upriver from where Alex and Thomas had hunted ores) and out to the sea. The Dark Pine mountain range inclosing the delta plain was steep and craggy. Only the Copper Pass was open year-round. Dwarf Tower Pass and Griffin Peak Passes were only open during the hottest months of the year.
Alex was examining the map when Thomas returned dragging a carved wooden chest. Opening the chest, he began to remove the battered equipment he had assembled for Alex. As he laid out the gear, he explained where it came from. "Most of this armor was almost ruined when I got it from a scrap dealer, but it should serve you well now that I've been able to work with it some." He handed Alex a mismatched set of armor. The breastplate was battered steel, and had obviously been recently repaired. The boots were armored with iron scales, while the leggings were steel scales, but appeared to have been put together from two damaged sets. A new set of pauldrons made of bronze, and a bronze helmet patterned after the Greek hoplite helmet completed the set.
"I figured you would want to get used to this armor before wearing it in combat," Thomas explained. "I've been able to repair this stuff, so it will serve you well enough. Still, I'm sorry it looks so haphazard."
"It definitely won't win any beauty contests. But armor is supposed to protect, not look pretty. I'll deal with the embarrassment. How much will it all cost? And I won't accept this as a gift."
"OK. Let's say one gold crown, 37 silver to cover the cost of the items and repairs. I got them for cheap, so it's fair." After receiving a nod of agreement from Alex, Thomas continued. "The Headmaster has given me permission to explore the school's dungeon. Apparently, the students are usually taken down there by their mentors to get practical experience. Since I do not have a mentor, I've been learning as a self-study exercise. Most of the early areas are easy enough to go solo, but the second layer is geared toward small groups. I've been able to clear some of these areas solo, but working with a team is what these areas are designed for."
"I see. So that's why it has been so hard to find you during the weekends. I'm slightly jealous. I'm not allowed to enter the labyrinth yet."
"That may be a problem. I have a key to the door, but the actual operating system needs your student token to activate. I'll see if I can get you early permission, based on your excellent record and my need for a partner to continue my training."
"Wait, why do you have a key? I thought only the dorm heads reci… Oh! You are the dorm head for the shamans, aren't you?"
"Yep. and I think there is a provision in the school rules to request early access to the labyrinth." Thomas retrieved a small book with the school's crest on the cover from its place on the table beside his chair. Quickly flipping through the pages, he showed Alex the relevant procedure. "Looks like we'll need a request letter, your dorm leader's recommendation, and a teacher's approval. I think Mr. Ericson will support us, especially if we use the 'Thomas needs a partner' approach."