Wild Adventures

Chaos erupts instantly. Ruben recalls the frogs’ eyes turning red, eerily similar to the mimic they had encountered before. Kroak also remembers the strange black substance Daiki had been cleaning up—oily, thicker than swamp water, almost gooey.

The creatures loom where the table once stood, now broken beneath their sudden size. Chairs splinter under their weight, debris scattered across the lounge area.

Ruben hovers. Thoughts race through his mind. Remembering the professor’s lectures—how could you battle something without investigating first?—Ruben forces himself to look around rather than immediately attack. He scans the room quickly, searching faces among the gathered students. Is anyone pleased about this, Anyone not shocked? Students begin scrambling away, preparing to flee. Also the person who had grabbed Nymri looks desperate to get out. Panic spreads across the crowd.

Ruben calls out insightful, “Can someone dispel or remove a curse?”

Lana, farther away, begins moving towards the chaos. She does not look particularly shocked as she approaches.

One frog lashes its tongue towards Daiki, attempting to swallow him outright. The strike misses, the tongue snapping through the air just short of him.

Another frog lunges towards Sszethik. Ruben quickly shouts at the creature, waving his hand. “Shoo!” He pours a bit of luck into the moment, hoping to distract it. It doesn’t help enough. The frog’s tongue whips out, wrapping tightly around Sszethik’s arm before biting down hard.

Nearby, another frog snaps towards Nymri, but she manages to avoid the attack while screaming. A purple-hued frog leaps towards another student but also fails to connect.

The room fills with shouting, overturned chairs, and scrambling feet.

Kroak watches in alarm as Ruben is attacked and Daiki barely avoids a bite. Ruben’s arm already looks badly injured. Acting on instinct, Kroak reaches for the crystals hanging around their neck.

“No. BAD frog.” They crush one crystal in their hand. Energy rushes through their arm and into the frog’s tongue as they attempt to channel the spell through it—but the magic fails to take hold.

Daiki, meanwhile, panics. “No, I just had nightmares about the fucking slaadi and now we have kind of slaad-like frogs!”

He darts upward, disengaging from the melee and flying over the surrounding students. Hovering nervously, he fires a prismatic burst of sacred flame towards one of the frogs.

The creature barely reacts.

Floating anxiously above the scene, Daiki calls towards the bar, “EllinaEllina!Ellina, we’ve got a problem!”

Lana strides calmly towards the chaos. As she approaches the yellow frog in the oversized top hat, she points directly at it.“You with the top hat—let the owlin go.”

She attempts to command it, but the frog does not respond. Whether it cannot understand or simply refuses, the order has no effect.

Nymri and Sszethik disengage along with other students. 

Amid the chaos, Ruben is trapped. The frog’s tongue grips his arm tightly, blood soaking through his feathers.

Yet Ruben remains strangely fascinated by the situation. Even while grappled, he looks at the creature with analytical curiosity. Finally, he focuses his glowing yellow eyes and raises his voice. Radiant power gathers above the frog in the top hat. Inspired by his studies of Mount Hotenow’s eruption in Neverwinter’s history, he calls down a rain of lava-like radiant energy.

The light crashes down onto the frog, shrieks and convulses, spewing more of the oily black slime across Ruben’s wounded arm. The tongue remains wrapped around him.

The frog tries to bite again, but as its jaws snap shut, a shimmering shield abjures around Ruben’s arm, deflecting the attack.

Another frog finally succeeds in grabbing a small halfling student with its tongue. The student cries out in terror as the creature drags them closer, the tongue coiling tightly around them.

Kroak watches Ruben still struggling against the frog and sees the golden glow of his magic fading.They rush forward again, placing both hands against the frog and channeling their magic once more.This time the spell connects.Necrotic energy spreads through the creature’s body, leaving it heavily wounded.

Seeing his dormmate still trapped, Daiki flies closer and shouts, “Yeah! Let Ruben go, meanie!”

A blazing prismatic beam erupts from his mouth and slams into the yellow frog. The radiant blast is devastating.

Ruben feels intense heat surge through the frog’s tongue as it shrivels instantly. The enormous creature rapidly shrinks back towards its original size, vomiting black oily slime across the ground before collapsing.

With the yellow frog effectively neutralized, Daiki redirects his magic towards another frog, blasting it with a smaller burst of sacred flame.

Behind the bar, Ellina finally emerges, and immediately begins guiding panicked students away from the fight towards safety.

Lana glances back at Ruben and sees the terrible wound in his arm—flesh torn away, feathers soaked in blood. She steps beside him and lays a hand on his shoulder.Divine magic flows through her as she casts Cure Wounds. The torn flesh knits itself back together instantly, new feathers growing in where the wound had been. When the healing finishes, not even a scar remains.

Ruben flexes his arm in surprise.“Thanks, Lana. I’m glad you joined us.”

Across the room, the remaining frogs continue their rampage. One lashes its tongue around Sszethik’s arm again, biting him as he struggles to escape. Another manages to swallow the halfling student entirely.The sight is horrifying.

The halfling’s scream cuts off as they vanish into the frog’s mouth. Other halflings in the room panic even more, running away as fast as their short legs allow.

Kroak reacts immediately. Launching themselves into the air with a quick hop, they land beside the frog that swallowed the student.“No. Bad frog.”

Their Witherbloom pendant rises from their chest, glowing with dark magic as they cast Witch Bolt.

Lightning crashes into the frog with shocking force—far stronger than Kroak expected.

Energy ripples across the creature’s body. As it begins shrinking, a strange shape bulges inside it like a balloon being squeezed from within. The frog continues shrinking until it cannot compress any further—

—and suddenly it bursts.

Black oily slime sprays across the floor as the halfling reappears where the frog once stood, covered head-to-toe in tar-like goo. The student screams in confusion and terror, barely understanding what just happened.

The frog is dead.

Kroak rushes forward and immediately forces a healing potion into the halfling’s mouth. “You’ll be fine. Drink this, drink this!”

Nearby, Daiki attempts to reposition in the air, but as he tries to fly away another frog’s tongue lashes out and wraps tightly around him.The creature yanks him back mid-flight and bites into him.Pain shoots through Daiki as he dangles from the frog’s tongue, bloodied and panicking.

Struggling helplessly, he tries to fire his magic while thrashing in the air. Small reddish-orange dragons swirl out of his mouth as he unleashes another frantic blast towards the red frog.

The attack goes wide.

“I’m scared!” Daiki shouts as he flails, the tiny dragon-shaped flames scattering harmlessly across the room.

Ruben steps forward quickly. Inspired by the commanding tone he has heard from Rampart before, he reaches out and grabs Nymri’s arm, pulling her back slightly. “Nymri, my dormie, join the fight!” he says firmly.

Nymri looks around wildly, clearly terrified. For a moment she seems frozen, but then she forces herself to breathe. “Okay, okay, okay… you’re right, you’re right,” she says, trying to steady herself as she prepares to jump into the fight. Something about Ruben’s commanding presence makes her hesitate just long enough to gather herself. She glances around the room, trying to judge where the most immediate danger is. Her eyes settle on Daiki, and since she feels closest to him among the group, she decides to help him. She steps forward—perhaps a bit too close—but still within range, and sends a simple fire bolt streaking forward.

Daiki sees the bolt flash past him and yelps, “Ah! Don’t hit me!”

The fire passes just behind him, striking the frog instead. “Kill it with fire!” Daiki cheers.

Sszethik moves next. Though he is still caught in the chaos around him, he focuses on the red frog—the strawberry-colored one.

A sickening beam of energy lashes out from Sszethik towards the creature. The magic strikes the frog, and the energy spreads through it like poison. The creature collapses under the assault. The magical glow around it fades, its body shrinking as it dies.

“Wow,” Sszethik says, still half-grappled.

Nearby, Daiki is still trapped in the tongue of a massive frog. Lana steps forward, determination replacing hesitation. She speaks a few words—arcane phrases that perhaps only Kroak could properly understand—and divine light bursts from her hands. A radiant sphere flashes around the frog as she casts Word of Radiance.

For a moment the frog is completely enveloped in glowing light. But when the light fades, the creature remains unaffected.

“Damn it,” Lana mutters. “This battle is awful. I can’t do shit.” She exhales in frustration. Still annoyed, she watches the frog closely. Inwardly she makes a silent decision: from now on, she will carry her weapons everywhere. Strixhaven is clearly more dangerous than expected.

Meanwhile, the rest of the students in the room are scrambling towards the exit. “Fly, you fools!” Daiki shouts.

Ruben watches the scene unfold. He sees Nymri join the fight. He sees Sszethik destroy the red frog. And he sees Daiki still struggling in the grasp of the other monster.

“Thanks, Nymri, for joining in,” he says before turning his focus to the threat. “What now…”

He calls out, and rubble begins falling towards the giant frog as stones crash down upon it from above. The frog is struck, though it still stands.

Daiki sighs. “No… I’m doomed.” Then the frog strikes. It lunges forward, its enormous jaws snapping shut.Daiki barely has time to react before the creature clamps down and swallows him whole.

“Oh no,” Ruben says.

The room goes quiet except for the awful crunching sound as the frog devours its prey. Ellina’s head snaps around at the noise, her eyes widening as she sees Daiki disappear into the monster’s maw.

Inside the darkness, Daiki’s thoughts race.

“My last thoughts?” he mutters weakly to himself. “I’m super scared of frog-like things now for the rest of my life. I’m scarred for life.”

Kroak looks towards the frog and then towards the halfling they had been helping earlier. With a frustrated sigh, they dump the halfling gently into Ellina’s lap. Then Kroak turns, fury in their eyes, and unleashes a spray of poisonous magic at the frog.

The spell strikes. The creature recoils, its body now bloodied and oozing, though it stubbornly refuses to die.Kroak runs towards the monster helplessly. “Daiki! No!”

Inside the frog, Daiki endures the burning acid of its stomach.

Then Sszethik acts again.“No, Daiki,” he says under his breath as thorny vines lash out from his hand. The thorn whip wraps around the frog’s neck, digging deep into its flesh. Sszethik yanks violently, the thorned vines cutting through the creature’s throat like a vicious saw.

Blood sprays. The frog convulses.Its magical glow fades as its body begins to shrink.The frog’s skin stretches grotesquely until it can stretch no further.

With a sickening burst, the body splits open.Daiki’s charred form tumbles out onto the floor.He lies there motionless, blackened by acid burns, not moving.

Ellina rushes forward immediately. Kneeling beside him, she pulls a potion from her bag and quickly pours it into his mouth.

Lana approaches and places her hands upon Daiki, channeling healing energy into him. Her expression is concerned—relieved, but also slightly annoyed.

Daiki winces. “I’m sorry, Lana. But thank you for—ah! The burning stopped.” He exhales in relief. “Never going near frogs again.”

Nearby, Ruben remarks calmly, “All the frogs are gone. Well… two are gone and two are reduced to normal size.”

“We should capture them,” Kroak says.

With some effort, they corner one of the remaining frogs and catch it.

Kroak hands one to Ruben. “Here you go.”Soon Ruben has secured the frog in a teacup covered with a dish.

Meanwhile, Daiki wanders to the bar and grabs a napkin. Carefully, he begins drawingthe entire battle—big frogs, flying shapes, explosions, glowing figures, and stick figures going from X-eyes to happy smiles.

He hands the napkin to EllinaEllina. “Can you pass this to Mina please? If she wants to talk with us, she can talk with me. I will tell her the story of the terrible frogs.”

EllinaEllina nods and takes it.

“Am I excused from my shift?” Daiki asks hopefully. “Your shift was almost over anyway,” she replies. “Relax. Take the afternoon off, Daiki. You need some rest.” “I could use some rest,” he admits.

Ruben claps his hands together. “We should go to the Witherbloom campus swiftly. Professor Lang is expecting us.” as he informs them after sending a Message through a second-year student. 

Ruben looks at Lana with genuine gratitude. “I think you saved us.”

“I did,” Lana replies bluntly. “It was your mess and I cleaned it up. Still, I need other things, because my magic only is not enough to save everybody. I’m much more—how do you say that—efficient with my sword.”

The idea seems sensible to the others. Lana nods once. “So yes, I will accompany you to Witherbloom. But I will go quickly to my dorm, get my stuff.”

Kroak suddenly remembers something and reaches into their belongings. “Speaking of your things, I have ten gold for you here, for the bet.” Lana immediately shakes her head. “I don’t want any part of this stupid bet.” “Oh no, but we bet money, remember. I bet for you—that’s okay.”“Not—” “Yeah, but I can take—” Daiki begins. “I also have ten gold for you,” Kroak adds to him.

Ruben accepts the wins without hesitation. 

“I can take her part if she doesn’t want it,” Daiki offers.“I put it in your hand, Daiki,” Lana says firmly. “I don’t need this Eldritch Balm money.”

“It’s also hers to give away,” Ruben adds.“Ten gold pieces,” Lana says, handing them over. “Thank you, Kroak, I highly appreciate it. But this is not my money. I will just give it to Daiki. I don’t want to be associated with this bet.”

“You don’t?” Kroak says as they enter the dorm. “But it was a good thing we did.” “It was a very good thing,” Lana admits, “but I don’t need to get paid for saving people.”

“No, no. It was not for that. It was because we won the race.”Lana sighs. “Like I said, you saw me sitting in the café, right? I did not want to see the race.”

“You don’t have to see the race to get paid if you made the bet.”

Suddenly a loud scream of excitement erupts from the sleeping room. A moment later Daiki bursts outside, beaming. “Yay! I passed the hundred gold pieces!”

---

Together they head for the Witherbloom campus, Ruben begins carefully reconstructing the story. As they walk, he tries to record events in his usual meticulous way, asking Lana questions so he can keep the account factual. The journey feels strangely alive. The paths seem slightly different from before, curving in unfamiliar ways. Water arches differently through the swampy terrain, and the swamp-cats lounge in new places. Everything shifts subtly, as if the campus itself is breathing.

As they travel, Lana quietly reaches out to Kroak through her mind link.

“Were you able to feed on frogs or whenever there was any blood? I am making sure that you are—”

“Fed right now?” Kroak replies.

Lana clarifies, “Just checking if you have been feeding or if you need feeding in the foreseeable future.”

Kroak reflects for a moment about the passing days and their feeding schedule.

Eventually the group arrives via a floating chariot-like transport that glides smoothly through the air. It is open, long, and bus-like, stable enough that wind and movement barely register. While the others sit, Kroak summons a small block of wood onto their lap and begins chiseling into it, carving a new rune to replace one that exploded during the earlier fight.

---

At last they reach Professor Lang’s room.It is less a classroom and more a laboratory. Jars filled with murky liquid line the walls. Floating eyeballs, coils of intestine, and other strange specimens drift silently in glass containers.

“Come in, come in,” the professor says.

Lana steps forward first. “Thank you for receiving us. We have been through a great ordeal again.” She begins explaining the events—the racing frogs, the chaos—carefully leaving out certain magical details.

Before she can finish, Professor Lang interrupts eagerly. “Before you continue—do you have the sample? I would like to inspect it.”

“We even brought the frogs,” Lana says.

“Frogs? Excellent!”

As Lana tells the story, occasionally glancing at Ruben to confirm details, the professor eagerly collects the frogs and places them inside an amphibian container. She examines them closely while also pouring samples of the strange substance into glass vials and laboratory equipment.

She listens, but her focus is clearly on the specimens.“Most peculiar,” she murmurs.

Sszethik watches closely beside her, trying to follow every step of the process. Sometimes she gently pushes him aside to make space.Eventually she turns back to the group. “So—what do you think?”

Daiki answers immediately. “I think frogs are scary.”

Ruben considers the evidence. “Last time we had the mimic, which might have been an object brought alive. This seems to be a living creature. That might mean the Eldritch Balm can also enhance living beings.”

“Isn’t a mimic also a living creature?” Kroak asks.

“Yes, but we didn’t find any guts,” Lana says.

“We found wooden remnants only,” Ruben adds.

The professor beckons them towards a strange laboratory contraption. “Tell me—what do you see?”

Inside several vials of separated substance, one stands out. Crystals are forming in it—an unexpected development in what should be an oily mixture.The crystals look unmistakable like sugar. Daiki grins. “I know my sweets.”

The group studies the vials.

“So it seems like someone added something to the balm,” Kroak says.

“Is the sugar hiding another effect?” Ruben wonders.

Professor Lang shakes her head slightly. “The spectral analysis shows it is just balm and sugar. Something disappeared.”

Daiki raises his hand thoughtfully. “When I got swallowed by the frog, I tasted something sweet inside.”

The professor nods. “That is an excellent observation. Natural beings would not just eat anything—and yet everything tasted sweet.”

Ruben demonstrates the glowing red eyes the frogs had shown earlier using a minor illusion.

“It would have been great if you brought them while they were glowing,” the professor says regretfully.

Lana raises an eyebrow. “Without any disrespect—how would you think we could bring a giant frog?”

Eventually the discussion circles back to what might have triggered the transformation. The professor suggests many possibilities—spells, rituals, potions—but nothing certain.

Daiki suddenly brightens. “I got an idea. Why don’t we ask the frogs?”

“I know some people can speak to animals,” Ruben says. “I just can’t.”

Sszethik steps forward. “Yesss,” he says calmly. “I can ssspeak to them.”

He begins a ritual, his voice filled with hissing syllables as the spell forms. Eventually he leans over the amphibian container, towering over the frogs as he speaks with them in awkward, snake-tinged croaks.

After a long exchange, he turns back to the group.

“Interesssting,” he says.

The frogs had been hopping around the Witherbloom campus when they found a small puddle—an oily substance that smelled sweet. They tasted it. A student soon gathered them. After that, they began glowing, grew larger and larger, and everything became “so tasty,” though it also hurt terribly.

Professor Lang sighs thoughtfully. “Eldritch Balm would not normally gather in puddles. It would be stored in vials. If it was on the ground, it would not remain like that.”

“Maybe we should go look for puddles,” Lana suggests.

Ruben grimaces. “I’m not investigating the swamps of Witherbloom looking for puddles.”

Daiki wonders if plants or fungi might know more, but the professor explains that asking every plant on campus would take far too long.

“If there are glowing frogs again,” Professor Lang says, “please bring them while they are glowing.”

“Or if there’s a mimic,” Daiki adds helpfully.

Ruben sighs. “Maybe we need one more event to complete the puzzle. The mimic, the frogs… perhaps a third pattern will appear.”

“What if something happens tomorrow at the big concert?” Daiki wonders.

Lana frowns. “I should hope not.”

The group eventually thanks Professor Lang for her time.

---

Later, some of them head back to the Firejolt Café to speak with Mina about publishing the story in the Strixhaven Star. Lana declines to join them. According to her, the previous article had exaggerated things too much, turning the events into a heroic spectacle she isn’t comfortable with. Instead, she retreats to practice and study for the coming test.

Ruben plans to study at the Biblioplex and gather the books he still needs. Lana eventually joins him there to prepare for their classes, particularly Basic Magical Auras.

The next morning arrives quietly. The day of the orchestra performance has come, though the concert itself will not take place until the afternoon.

Kroak rises early, as they often do. Their new shop requires attention, and they also tend to the unusual potatoes they have been managing. Over the past few days, some of the potatoes have appeared with odd bites taken out of them. Curious, Kroak begins rummaging through their robe where they keep several of the potatoes. They pull some of them out, inspecting the surfaces and checking whether the bites match what they have seen before. As they search, their fingers suddenly brush against something soft, squishy, and slightly pointy.

Kroak pulls it out. The strange little creature is sticky and oddly shaped, a small pest from Witherbloom.

Kroak studies it for a moment, then smiles faintly. “Well aren’t you cute.”They watch the creature crawl along their fingers.“I think I’m gonna call you Harold.”

From somewhere in the dorm, Ruben stirs slightly, but Kroak reassures him quickly. “No, no. It’s okay, Ruben. Sleep.”

Ruben had not been particularly fond of keeping the frogs in their room. So Kroak decides to take the frogs with them to the shop instead. “Don’t eat nor pulverize. Collector’s item. Run if glowing.”

A knock suddenly sounds at the dorm’s door. Lana finds two letters slid beneath the frame. One is addressed to her, The other to Ruben.

“I received a letter back from my parents,” he explains after dressing up. “They say they’re proud of the adventures and hope I’ll pursue a major in Lorehold or Quandrix.”

Lana listens quietly. She realizes something in that moment—Ruben is younger than she had assumed. Nineteen, nearly a decade younger than she is. It reminds her that she herself wrote only to her mentor, not to her own parents.

At the Firejolt Café, Daiki is hard at work as part of the concert preparation crew. The café has been closed temporarily so staff and student workers can rearrange the space. Tables are shifted aside, and seating is organized carefully so the audience will have a clear view.

Daiki throws himself enthusiastically into the work—cleaning, organizing, and decorating. When he thinks about where the string section might sit, he decides to add extra decorations there. He crafts small floral ornaments shaped like musical elements—trumpet-like flowers and blossoms that resemble musical notes. 

After all, he knows Lana will be playing there.

Later in the afternoon, Lana arrives at the café through the back entrance to join the other members of the orchestra. 

Lana notices the string section immediately—and also notices that it has been decorated far more elaborately than the rest.

Alix is already seated there.

“Are you ready?” he asks. “I am,” Lana replies. “How about you?” He smiles slightly. “Is this more or less the crowd you’ve ever performed for?”

Alix gestures around the room. “This is our day. We get to show how good we are.”

“It depends on how well we perform for the next show,” Lana says.

He nods. “That’s true. Don’t you want to go to the other orchestra eventually? The one that performed during orientation?” “The A orchestra?“I guess if it’s not perfect, you should label it,” she replies dryly.

Alix chuckles. “I think music isn’t about perfection. It’s about expression.”

“Exactly,” Lana agrees. “But that probably doesn’t suit the way Aurelia looks at it.”

At that moment, Aurelia herself approaches. “That’s the only right answer,” she says sharply. “Did you practice?” “Of course,” Lana replies. “You told me to practice every day, so I did.”

Aurelia nods. “Good. Let’s hope it is enough.”

“Thank you for those inspiring words,” Lana says with a small smile.

Eventually Aurelia gathers the ensemble and directs them away from the stage area. The orchestra will wait offstage while the audience enters.

Meanwhile, Daiki moves to the front entrance as the doors open.

Students stream into the Firejolt Café, filling the room quickly. The lighting has been dimmed, with floating candles and shimmering magical lights drifting through the air. The room glows softly, creating a cozy, magical atmosphere.

Daiki enthusiastically guides people to their seats, beaming when he spots his friends.

“Come, come, come!” he calls, ushering them towards a table he secretly reserved with a napkin marked “Reserved.”Ruben smiles as he sits down. “Thank you, Daiki. That’s much appreciated.”

The crowd grows quickly—far smaller than the massive orientation concert, but still a very respectable audience. Many of the students from the dorms have come as well, including Sszethik. Pell is notably absent.

The crowd is larger than the audiences she used to play for back in her hometown church. Younger, livelier, and buzzing with excitement.

One by one the musicians walk out, instruments in hand. 

Aurelia steps forward last. She bows to the audience, then turns and produces a slender crystal baton.

With a small motion, she begins the count. The orchestra swells into its first piece.

At first Lana feels the pressure of the large audience. She plays correctly—every note precise—but something about her playing feels slightly mechanical, as though nerves have tightened her movements.

The crowd applauds warmly when the first piece ends. As the next songs begin, Lana gradually relaxes. The orchestra finds its rhythm. The music begins to flow more naturally, the musicians connecting with each other and the performance.

During the performance, a woman enters the room not unlike Aurelia.

 looks more relaxed, standing quietly with a faint smirk as she watches the performance.

From the stage, Lana glances towards the conductor and then towards the back of the room.

For a moment, she wonders if they might be twins.

Meanwhile, the real Aurelia on stage eventually notices the figure as well. When she turns to bow after one of the songs, her gaze briefly flickers towards the back of the room—almost as though seeking approval.

he final piece ends, the audience erupts in applause, and the orchestra bows. The musicians adjourn backstage.Lana approaches Aurelia.

“Who is the person who looks exactly like you in the back of the hall?” she asks.

Before Aurelia can answer, the woman herself steps forward and smiles faintly.

“Ah. So this is my little sister’s orchestra.”

Lana looks between them.

“And who are you?”

“Isolien,” the woman replies calmly.

Issolien folds her arms casually. “I conduct the Grand Strixhaven Orchestra.”

“The A orchestra?” Lana asks.

“Of course.”

She glances around the room with thinly veiled disdain.

“They need a lot more practice.”

Lana stiffens slightly. “Those things you’re saying are quite hurtful. Especially after such a concert.”

“Constructive criticism,” Issolien replies.

“No,” Lana answers calmly. “You’re just stating it was bad without giving any pointers.”

Isolien shrugs.

“This is the B orchestra after all. Can you even call it an orchestra?”

She gestures dismissively towards one of the musicians.

Lana’s expression hardens.

“If you are attacking your sister,” she says, “you are attacking the orchestra.”

Issolien merely smiles faintly. Then she turns and walks away.

After a moment, she mutters quietly to Aurelia,“Your sister is kind of a bitch.”

The curtain parts, and Kroak steps in.

Aurelia has clearly lost her patience. She snaps at the orchestra. “I think we just have to practice harder. This longer piece makes it very clear that we’re not—” She turns sharply towards the theremin player. “What are you doing? This…” she gestures with her hands, “means LESS volume!”

Aurelia continues, pointing angrily at the sheet music. “In the first part, in the middle—we did a bridge so many times. There is a fucking CODA sign! You know what that means, right? Do you not know how to read sheet music?” Her frustration fills the entire room.

Kroak slowly raises their hands. “Is this a bad time? Should I, you know… come back later?”

“Come back later please,” Lana says immediately.

“You did great,” Kroak adds quickly before retreating.

Meanwhile, Daiki watches the situation carefully. Aurelia is a regular here; he knows her order by heart. Without hesitation he returns with a drink and approaches her.

“Please calm down,” he says gently, offering the cup. “Here is some tea.”

Aurelia accepts the raspberry tea—similar to the strawberry drinks served here—and simply blows on it for a moment before sipping. Slowly, she tries to relax.

“We practice harder,” she murmurs after a while, frustration still lingering. “We do more.” But beneath the frustration she mostly looks sad.

---

Afterwards, Daiki approaches Lana.

“Oh my god, Lana,” he says enthusiastically. “The first song was meh—but later there was this… and I really loved it. I felt like you were way more, I don’t know, into it? Whatever you do with music, I loved it. I shook it—what do they call—”

“Thank you, Daiki,” Lana replies warmly. “I was quite happy with it. And indeed the first song was a bit off, but later…”

Ruben suddenly steps forward holding a rose.

“And I have a rose,” he announces, presenting it to Lana.

Lana laughs softly as she accepts the rose. “Thank you. Thank you so much. That’s very kind. You shouldn’t have—but it’s very nice.”

“We shouldn’t?” Ruben asks, confused. “Oh, I thought it was nice. It is what we do in Daggerford”

“No, it’s very—like, it’s a saying. Like ‘oh you shouldn’t have.’ It means it wasn’t necessary but I appreciate it.”

“Oh. Okay. Thank you.” and they all leave the cafe.

---

At Kroak’s shop, the atmosphere is completely different.

The place is packed.

An employee is already helping customers browse potion ingredients and supplies. Some ingredients are sold at razor-thin margins—obtained through Bram and resold with only minimal profit—but the potions Kroak brews themselves provide much better income.

The recent campus incident, along with coverage in the Strixhaven Star, has brought even more attention to the shop. Students stream in, looking for prophecies, potions, and magical ingredients.

Kroak beams at the crowd.

“For everyone who buys a potion,” they announce, placing a small notebook on the counter, “you get to put a name suggestion for one of the two frogs. Buy a potion, get to name a frog.”

Many students happily purchase simple potions just for the chance.

Seeing the long line, Ruben raises an eyebrow.

“If there’s a big queue,” he says, “I could jump in if necessary.”

Kroak immediately nods. “I’ll happily accept.”

Ruben moves behind the counter, glancing at a simple sheet listing all the prices.

“Exactly,” he says. “Just like a normal bar shift.”

“Perfect,” Kroak says gratefully. “I’ll give you one gold at the end of the day.”

---

Classes continue, exams loom, and campus life settles into a rhythm. Spring deepens around Strixhaven; the campus grows greener and more vibrant as the days pass.

During that time, Ruben begins searching for additional work, recommended by his parents. His spellbook needs new spells, and spells require materials—materials he cannot easily afford.

Eventually, an interesting opportunity appears: a position preparing magical specimens in a laboratory connected with Witherbloom. Ruben’s eyes light up when he hears about it. He decides to take the job part-time—only a few shifts each ten-day cycle—earning a modest amount but gaining valuable experience.

Meanwhile, Kroak’s store continues to flourish. Inspired by advice from the entrepreneurial club, they decide to expand operations.

“If business is booming,” Kroak explains, “I’d like to hire two more people. The store should be open all the time while I focus on prophecies, crafting new recipes, and researching ingredients.”

---

A couple of ten-days later, Daiki approaches Kroak with a thoughtful expression.

“Well… we know each other better now,” he says. “And I think you have grown so much. I want to help my friend more than just working at the Firejolt Café.”

“I’ll give up the free sweets and the income. I can switch jobs—delivery boy for you, or working in the store. Whatever you want.”

Kroak considers the offer.

“Right now the store is the priority,” they say. “I need people covering shifts so I can focus on the interesting work—creating recipes, researching ingredients. All the menial tasks? Others can manage those.”

Daiki smiles.

“Then I’ll switch. After my next pay.”

---

Eventually, exam season arrives again.

Afterone particularly stressful test on Basic Magical Auras, the atmosphere in the exam hall is tense whenhe professor reviews their work.

For Ruben, he gives a small approving nod. “You did better this time.”

Daiki, however, receives a more measured comment. The professor emphasizes that practical understanding is just as important as theory.

Lana fares poorly on the theoretical section. “Everything on the theoretical part was just—no,” the professor remarks bluntly.

Lana sighs. “I don’t do well theoretical, you know.”

For Kroak, the feedback is similar. “It’s not just about practical skills,” the professor tells them. “Focus more on the theory.”

Kroak nods slowly. “Right. I’ll ask for some help.”

Outside the exam hall, the group gathers again.

“We could study together,” Ruben suggests. “But I still need time for my own studies and my lab work.”

“That’s fine,” Kroak says. “Honestly, the questions were just… ambiguous.”

Despite the stress of exams, campus life moves forward.

Kroak’s shop continues to thrive. Ruben settles into his specimen-preparation job, his pendant gradually taking on a stronger Witherbloom influence whenever he returns from work. Daiki prepares to transition fully into helping at the potion shop.

Lana notices that things with Ari, the fourth violin, still have not improved. The tension lingers during rehearsals, small inconveniences adding up. She keeps her sheet music close, always removing it from the stand if she leaves for a moment, but sometimes other things go missing. More than once she cannot find her rosin when she needs it, and the sound of her violin grows rough until she has to borrow some from Alix.

“I really love the people that get into this ensemble,” he says. “They’re not doing it for a job. They just love making music. It’s experimental, not so formal like the other orchestras.”

He seems genuinely interested in helping Lana draw out the skill he believes she already has, guiding her through techniques and encouraging her to play with more confidence.

Later, when the group gathers back at the dorm and Daiki hears that Ari might be sabotaging Lana, he reacts immediately. “Stupid girl. You’re a stupid girl, Ari.”

Then he pauses and adds, half-serious, “Is there a way we can help with this? Maybe we pick her up or bully her or something. I don’t know.”

Lana laughs it off slightly but admits that if the sabotage continues she might need advice.Daiki suggests a simpler approach. “Maybe Alix can act like your bodyguard or something. You both play violin, right? He’s next to you most of the time. Maybe he can keep an eye on things.”

Kroak offers another solution entirely. “If you want to take care of things yourself and not ask Aurelia or Alix, let me know. I can make a potion. I can get rid of that.”

“Turn her into a frog,” they add quickly.

“No, not a frog,” Daiki replies.

---

Around this time another topic becomes impossible to ignore: Kroak’s feeding habits. Kroak does not hide the fact that they need blood regularly. Every few days they disappear to feed somewhere off campus, and in their room they experiment with creating artificial blood. Fangs occasionally show, sometimes even with a bit of blood.

Ruben eventually speaks up about it. He explains that he once had a bad experience with vampires in his village, which makes him hesitant.

“I would appreciate it if you don’t feed on me,” he says firmly. “And if anything goes wrong… I would definitely not appreciate it if you target humanoids.”

Kroak nods. “I try not to. I’ve never bitten anyone. I will try to make sure nothing happens.”

“I think trying is not enough,” Ruben replies. “You have to prevent feeding on humanoids. Period.”

“I’ll try to do so.”

Daiki does not involve himself in the discussion, but he quietly notices Kroak’s pattern: every three or four days the hunger returns. Without mentioning it, he begins leaving small piles of napkins outside Kroak’s door on those days.

Ruben, for his part, often makes sure he is not in the dorm on nights when Kroak goes out to feed. Instead he studies elsewhere—sometimes in the library, sometimes with Sszethik.

When Kroak asks about his past experience with vampires, Ruben explains that it was similar to the story he once told at the Historical Society—an attack in his citythat left a deep impression.

Kroak clarifies that they are not actually a vampire. Lana supports that perspective as well, explaining to Ruben that she understands the situation from another angle.

“Victims make victims,” she says gently. “We try to prevent that there will be victims of Kroak.”

Ruben even helps keep track of the schedule, sometimes reminding them in the morning.

“So you feed today,” he says occasionally, trying to prevent problems before they arise.

---

Meanwhile Lana’s work with Alix continues to pay off. The two practice frequently, and Alex begins teaching her advanced violin techniques—complex wrist movements and rapid passages.

“It’s all in the wrist,” he explains.

Thanks to the extra practice, Lana gains a noticeable improvement in her musical ability and the recognition that comes with it.

Not long after, Ruben decides to follow up on an offer from Professor Ventrax about an honors program. Curious, he visits the professor’s office.

Ventrax welcomes Ruben and explains that he has noticed his talent in magical auras.

Ventrax explains that the honours program will indeed focus on magical auras and detecting them in greater depth. The normal class requires reading one book a week; the honors program adds an extra book.

“The regular classes will still be interesting,” Ventrax assures him. “But honours students like yourself may also take an advanced second-year elective at the same time.”

Ruben thinks about it for a moment before answering. “I would really like to try this, if you think I’m good enough. And it would be nice to meet other honours students.”

Ventrax nods approvingly and tells him he will enroll him after the next exam period.

---

Soon after, exam day arrives. The students face tests in Basic Magical Auras and Magical Physiologies. The magical physiology class focuses heavily on the biology of creatures—complete with diagrams of claws, eggs, and transformation methods.

Ruben, who has already helped prepare some lab materials, assists during class by setting up slides and instruments.

Later the group gathers again in the dorm, talking about Ruben’s new opportunity.

“Oh, congratulations, Ruben,” Lana says warmly. “It’s just an extra book each week,” Ruben explains modestly. “But it should help deepen my understanding of magical auras.” Kroak raises an eyebrow. “That sounds great, but you also took a new job. How is that going to fit into your schedule?” “I think it should be okay,” Ruben says. “I like studying at night.”

---

Life in the dorm continues to settle into a routine. Kroak introduces everyone to Harold, the small pest creature they have begun keeping around. Harold seems particularly fond of potatoes and happily crawls towards them whenever one appears.

Some of the roommates are less enthusiastic. Serafina insists that pests should not be kept in the dorm, while Nymri simply calls it disgusting as the creature crawls across the table leaving a faint trail behind it.

Ruben, fascinated, launches into a scientific explanation about pests and their regenerative abilities, explaining how they can replenish a life source if properly extracted.

Despite the occasional oddity—blood schedules, strange creatures, and dorm debates—campus life slowly settles into a rhythm. Students attend classes, study late, work jobs, and prepare for the next performances and exams.

---

Ruben, meanwhile, had spent months absorbing information and sharing what he knew at the historical society. Over time his techniques became more refined; he began finding information much faster and with greater precision. His knowledge of history expanded dramatically, to the point that he effectively advanced to another level of expertise. Even compared to the other students—one human and one dragonborn—his progress felt remarkable.

His enthusiasm only grows. The more he studies, the more inspired he becomes, especially when connecting different domains of knowledge. He links the histories of Faerûn with biological histories—the creation and development of creatures—bringing in the insights he gained from his Witherbloom studies. The result is a rapid advancement in both skill and confidence.

Others notice as well. His dedication does not go unseen, and Rampart in particular is impressed by Ruben’s love for history and the effort he pours into it.

---

That evening in the dorms, after everyone finishes their shifts, Daiki gathers the group together.

“You know, we know each other for a while now, right?” he begins.They nod.

“I have an idea, and I would love it if you would come with me. Every ten-day I go away, and I actually want to show you where I go every time. Because I feel like you really are my friends, and I want my friends to know where I am.”

He mentions that he already asked Sszethik earlier between study sessions and that Sszethik will be coming too.

“Do you want to come with me? We have to meet at nine in the morning at the teleportation circle.”

Ruben immediately asks the practical question. “Where will you be going then? Is it dangerous?”

“No, no,” Daiki assures him. “I can spoil it already, but I actually want to try to surprise you guys. It’s totally safe.”

“And how should we dress up?” Ruben continues.

“Just whatever you want. But I understand, Lana—the last few weeks were more like ‘I have to be prepared.’ Being prepared is always fine. The place is safe… but it might be unpredictable.”

Kroak suggests bringing all their weapons anyway.

“I don’t think you need weapons,” Daiki says.

“We’re bringing them,” Lana replies firmly.

She hesitates for a moment before accepting the invitation. “You do get why I’m a bit skeptical. I don’t want to be late… but I also want to join you.”

“I promise,” Daiki says solemnly. “I’m a fairy. If I make promises, I always make sure.”

Lana reminds him that the first time they met, he had not exactly been on time.

Kroak mutters that promises can be broken once.

Still, Lana eventually nods. “Thank you for the invite. I will happily join you.”

The next morning they gather as planned. The teleportation circle lies about twenty minutes from the dorms, so they leave early to be safe.

At the circle, Daiki gathers them together.

“Come here, come here. We have to hold each other’s hands and make a circle—just like the song we did on our first day when we met each other.”

His tattoo begins to glow faintly.

Clouds gather. The air crackles. A bolt of lightning descends from the sky, and in an instant the world tears open around them. The sensation is immediate and overwhelming, as if they are being pulled upward by the lightning itself.

Then everything changes.Moments ago it had been morning, the sun only just rising. Now they stand in a valley surrounded by towering mountains beneath a sky tinted deep red by the sun. Torii gates dot winding paths. Ponds stretch across the landscape, crossed by elegant red bridges. Cherry blossoms bloom everywhere, their petals drifting through the air, while wisteria vines cascade from strange angles.

Some trees grow upside down. Waterfalls flow upwards along one side of a mountain and downwards along the other. Mist drifts lazily through the valley between the peaks.

For a moment the others simply stare.Daiki takes a few steps forward, orienting himself. Then he turns back towards them, grinning widely.

“Yay! Welcome! Welcome to my home.”Ruben looks around in awe.“Is this… the Feywild?”

“Truly,” Daiki says. “Welcome to Fujimura. It’s a place where I live. Not my place—it belongs to Jinlin. Maybe you will meet Jinlin. I don’t know where Jinlin is.”

Ruben admits quietly that he knows very little about the Feywild, his ancestral plane. He gestures towards the strange landscape.Lana is equally stunned, staring open-mouthed at water flowing upside down.“What the fuck is this?”Daiki shrugs lightly.

“Time flows differently here, just like the water and everything you see. Don’t worry—we will be back in time.”

As he says this, Lana suddenly feels something tugging at her leg. Looking down, she sees a tiny glowing figure no larger than her hand. The little creature wears a miniature red kimono and radiates a faint orange light.

Another appears on someone’s shoulder—this one glowing blue and dressed in indigo.They chatter excitedly about the group’s clothing.

Daiki laughs.“These are my friends. At the school where I study now. Look—this is Lana, and we’ve got Ruben, and Kroak, and Sszethik, and Nymri.”He bows slightly.

“Konnichiwa. That’s how we say good day!”

The tiny sprites are introduced as Akari and Hikaru—childlike spirits glowing softly in orange and blue.

Ruben studies them curiously, wondering aloud whether they truly are children or simply resemble them.

Meanwhile Kroak looks around the valley.“Do you live here? It’s your home?”The sprites chatter excitedly.

“What do today, Daiki? Let’s race! Lantern race! Do you see the torii gate?”

Daiki smiles. Normally he comes here to study because time moves differently. He might spend three days here only to return and find that an hour has passed at the university.

Lana tries to process that.“So that means time moves faster here than it does in Strixhaven?”

“Sometimes,” Daiki admits. “Sometimes it’s messed up and then I come back late.”

Kroak asks what domain this place belongs to.Daiki answers proudly.“We call it Fujimura.”

“And it belongs to who?”“To Jinlin,” Daiki says simply.

The conversation drifts across the strange landscape of the Feywild as the group tries to understand where exactly they have ended up. Kroak mentions that some Fey realms are well known—places like Prismir—but Jinlin does not seem to ring any bells for most of them. Ruben references courts of the Fey, wondering if it might be something like that, but the general conclusion is that Jinlin is unfamiliar territory.

Their small sprite guides, Hikaru and Akari, are fascinated by the visitors. One of them had already been tugging at someone’s clothing earlier, inspecting fabrics and details with childlike curiosity. Now they flit closer again, hovering around shoulders and ears, poking and prodding while chattering excitedly. One of them even lands briefly on Ruben’s shoulder and tugs at his ear.

Ruben shrugs helplessly. “I only have Fey ancestry. I’ve never been to the Fey Realm or whatsoever. But it’s interesting.” When the sprite starts tugging at him, Ruben mischievously reaches up and starts tugging back, trying to grab the tiny creature’s earlobe in return.

Daiki, meanwhile, seems perfectly at home. He gestures broadly around them. “Let’s go over there where you said we should go. We can go on an adventure. I will just show you around. Come, come, come!”

Kroak tilts their head. “Do you actually live here? Do you have, like… a house? A bed?”

“I live like here,” Daiki says casually.

“You don’t have a house?”

“I don’t think I have a house. I just sleep in the trees or sleep in the grass.”

“What do you need a house for?” one of the sprites adds cheerfully.

Daiki grins. “You can sleep on a lily pad in the river or in the lake. Or you can go sleep on a cloud. Or whatever you want.”

Lana stares at him blankly. The disbelief is written all over her face. The thought running through her mind is clear enough: What the hell is with this guy?

Daiki continues happily. “We have some little shrines. If you want, you could ask the spirits to sleep in the shrine.”

Kroak sighs. “I’ve never been to the Feywild before.”

“It’s… a lot,” Lana mutters. “The fact that they don’t have houses and think it’s nice to sleep in trees—like for me that’s…”“You can sleep on a cloud!” Daiki adds brightly.

Kroak’s eyes light up. “Can I try?”“You can go fly on the cloud.”

Kroak immediately does exactly that. They rise into the air and land on the drifting cloud. It feels just as one might imagine—soft and buoyant—and they sit there with their legs dangling over the edge.

While Kroak experiments with cloud-sitting, Daiki excitedly starts introducing everyone. “Oh, by the way, did you see Sszethik? Sszethik also has scale skills like I do! I’ve never met someone with scales like these before. Shall we do a race?”Sszethik nods politely. “Hello. Nicsse to meet you.”

Soon Ruben gets restless. “Yeah, I like to race. How do we race?”“Race? Yes!” Daiki points towards a bizarre rock formation in the distance—a crooked stone shaped almost like something out of a strange dream, with an upside-down cherry tree growing from the tip. Its blossoms hang downward like a pink waterfall.

Somewhere nearby the sprites shout excitedly, “Three! Two! One!”

Ruben leaps forward, wings carrying him into the air. Others take off running or flying. Lana glances at Sszethik and Nymri and mutters, “Fuck that,” before sprinting.

Up on the cloud, Kroak sees everyone launching forward. “I’m not going to be last!” they shout, jumping off the cloud and diving down to gain speed.

They rush across the Feywild landscape—over strange streets and under a torii gate leading towards the hanging cherry tree. Lana pours enormous effort into running, focusing on beating Nymri and Sszethik.

Ahead of them, Daiki streaks forward on wide wings and reaches the destination first, diving gleefully into a pile of cherry blossoms.

The others arrive moments later, the sprites somehow arriving at nearly the same time despite their tiny size. Only Sszethik lags behind, running in a slightly awkward, crooked line. When he finally catches up, he laughs breathlessly.“That wasss so mucssh fun!”

Daiki beams. “Yay! That was fun!”Ruben grins. “That was quite fun.”

They stand beneath the strange upside-down cherry tree.

“Yes,” Daiki says proudly. “This is the Hanging Sakura. Sometimes we meet here and sing. Do you know ‘Do you come here to the tree?’”

Lana raises an eyebrow. “I know a version. ‘Are you coming to the tree… where they strung up a man…’”Daiki quickly shakes his head. “That’s a different lyric! We sing only happy songs.”

They linger there for a while, chatting and tasting nectar from the blossoms. Ruben samples some experimentally. The taste is strangely sweet and intoxicating, making him laugh uncontrollably for a moment before the effect fades.“This is interesting,” Ruben says afterward. “For your potion shop, Kroak. Maybe you should take some.”

Eventually Daiki suggests another activity. “If you want to relax more, we’ve got hot springs. You want to go to the hot spring?”

The idea is appealing, though Ruben seems hesitant. “How does that work?”

“We go undressed and go in the water.” “All together?”

“Yes. There are little baths separated with a wall if you want privacy. But there’s a waterfall between them so we can look at each other.”A sprite pokes out from someone’s clothing and giggles. “Are you shy?”

Ruben turns red. “I don’t know… I mean… what has been seen cannot be unseen.”

Daiki shrugs. “If you’re shy, we have a special leaf you can hold in front of it until you’re in the water. Or you can use a mask. Or a minor illusion.”

Finally they walk to the onsen. Near it stands a small tea shop with an old wooden structure. Behind the counter stands a calm woman with white ears and three silver tails—Shizuka.

The sprites greet her enthusiastically in Sylvan while she remains almost expressionless, responding calmly. She welcomes the visitors with a quiet “Irasshaimase.”

Inside, Lana whispers to the others through a telepathic mindlink, as she was looked at by Kroak – slightly nodding ‘no’. “Don’t take drinks from Feywild people. You never know what you’ll get.”

Ruben looks around in confusion, suddenly realizing he can hear her voice in his mind. “Lana… can you hear me?”“Yes.”“This is bizarre… and useful.”

They eventually head towards the changing rooms. Some hurry to undress and enter the baths. Ruben attempts to get into the water quickly and discreetly, while Lana calmly folds her clothes with complete confidence before stepping out towards the baths without embarrassment.

The water is warm and soothing. One by one the others join—Daiki swimming happily, Nymri relaxing nearby, and eventually Kroak arriving as well after chatting with Shizuka.

The group slowly relaxes in the steam and warmth, chatting idly. Daiki compares scales with Sszethik, fascinated by their differences. Ruben gradually relaxes too, though the situation still feels slightly awkward. He even enquires if there are onsen on Strixhaven Campus.

Eventually they leave the baths relaxed and revitalized and dry themselves over warm steam vents in the ground. Awkwardness returns for Ruben when he opens the door of the clothing room with Daiki and the spirits changing. The environment reacts to an even further increase in awkwardness when Sszethik enters the dressing room. Steam forms around Ruben to show only the contours of his feathered body. After dressing again, they all gather near the teleportation point.

Daiki waves enthusiastically to the sprites and to Shizuka. “See you next time! Tell everyone I said hi!”

“Arigato,” Ruben says politely.

With farewells exchanged, the group prepares to return—leaving behind the strange, cheerful world of Jinlin for now.

Only seconds have passed since their leave. They return to the Strixhaven teleportation circles seeing the persons walking around them putting just two steps. A full day waits ahead!