Dead Ends

Morning arrives quietly in the dormitory. Everyone has managed a full night’s rest.

Ruben takes precautions before going to bed the night before, drinking water and trying to avoid a miserable morning. He even asks Kroak if they might have something that helps. Before finally turning in, he scribbles a few notes in his book: Professor Talos? Doll? Divination magic? Then he sleeps.

The next morning, despite the drinks from the night before, both Ruben and Kroak feel surprisingly fine.

Ruben is not the first awake, but when he enters the common room he finds Kroak already up. Daiki is there too, sitting quietly on one of the sofas.

Ruben steps in looking unusually put together, his feathers neat and carefully arranged. “Hi, good morning everyone. Did you collect your books? I think we have a new day ahead of us.”

Kroak hesitates for a moment before speaking again. “Hi… I wanted to apologize for last night. I may have said some things to you that were not very nice.”

Ruben tilts his head. “I have no active memories of anything that would need an excuse, but thank you. Do I need to apologize as well?”

“No. I think we’re all good.”

Daiki rises from the sofa and begins getting ready to leave, saying nothing for the moment.

Kroak studies Ruben for a moment, wondering whether he truly means it, but he seems sincere enough.

Soon Lana joins them. “Good morning everyone. Have you slept well?”

“Yeah,” Daiki answers.

“Yeah, I guess,” Kroak adds.

Ruben smiles. “Yeah. How’s for you the morning after the concert?”

Lana shrugs. “Well, I had a pretty fun evening. Except for of course all the mephits, but yeah. I slept pretty well. The room did not turn for any of you when you went to bed?”

“Oh yeah, it did,” Kroak admits. “It was weird. It’s been a while. But then you know—you just close your eyes and drift on the waves.”

Lana suddenly brightens with an idea. “You know actually, Kroak, you can make your own moonshine also from potatoes, right?”

“Really? You know how to—do you know how to do that?”

“Yes, you can. I’ll have to look it up, but I believe my grandmother did that kind of thing.”

“Grandmother recipes are always the best ones. Please go look it up. We can maybe make a special PP moonshine.”

“Exactly. I didn’t write to my parents yet, although I really wanted to do that. But I could maybe ask for the recipe, because my father runs an inn.”

Daiki listens to the conversation for a moment, reassured that everyone seems to have settled any tension from the night before. Then he speaks up.

“Okay, well I’m glad everyone is okay and ready to go. Should we go to class? Where is the mephit, by the way? Where did we leave him last night? I was off to work.”

Kroak thinks for a moment. “Put them in a pot, I think. Do you remember, Lana? Did you have the pot?”

“I believe you put the mephits in a pot and sat on it, and then you took it with you.”

“It’s in our cupboard,” Ruben says calmly. “On the second shelf on the left.”

“Oh perfect, thank you.”

“There you go, Daiki. It’s on the shelf,” Kroak confirms.

Lana adds, “I just took a flask. A flask of the liquid. Like the stew and the balm and the old balm—I did take that. But I also ate from that pot, so what does that say about me? Do I have Eldritch Balm inside my body now? I—”

“It makes you strong, right?” Kroak suggests.

“I don’t know.”

“Did you eat—” Daiki begins.

Ruben looks at her thoughtfully. “Did you always have red eyes, Lana?”

Lana stares back at him with her usual arrogant expression. She scoffs softly and looks away.

---

The group soon heads toward class. As they walk, Ruben brings up the investigation again. He suggests they continue looking into what happened—into the professor, the strange doll, the divination magic, and whether any of it might connect to the Eldritch Balm.

Their first class that morning is Basic Magical Auras with Professor Ventrax. The professor launches into one of his usual detailed lectures, wandering through explanations and repeatedly asking “why” until everyone understands the fundamentals. The class passes surprisingly quickly, and before long the group heads toward Witherbloom for their next class with Professor Lang.

After the lesson, they approach her to report what happened in the kitchen.

She is immediately intrigued. “Oh, exciting. You found what’s up? Can I see the specimen?”

Kroak presents the pot containing the captured mephit. The professor carefully places it inside a sealed inspection box with thick gloves built into the side so she can examine the contents safely. She opens the pot.

A puff of steam escapes.

But nothing else.

She peers inside, frowning. “It was supposed to be in here, no?”

Kroak looks equally confused. “Yes.”

“Where is it? Did it escape?”

“I don’t know. I’m just as confused as you are.”

Ruben considers the situation. “I mean, I think with the frogs they turned to normal frogs, right? There were no mephits used for cooking. So if it was just normal boiling water, then now it’s water again. So it’s perfectly in line with the previous encounter.”

Professor Lang nods slowly. “Hmm. Yes. But I still cannot investigate this. We still don’t know what’s happening then, no?”

Daiki quickly remembers something. “But we did take vials, right? I pointed yesterday before going off to work that there was like a smudge in the pot.”

“Yes,” Ruben confirms. “It was collected.”

The professor accepts the vials and runs them through a series of magical analyses. After a moment she sighs, puzzled.

“It is normal Eldritch Balm again. I do not know what’s going on.”

Lana asks, “There is thick Eldritch Balm and there is thin one. So it’s two types, but apparently it’s the same substance. One is old and one is new. Can you see the difference or not?”

“Yes,” the professor says, heating the sample slightly. As the temperature rises, normal Eldritch Balm drips from the substance. “This material releases the balm with heat. When enough heat is applied, it activates.”

“So it gets activated,” Daiki says thoughtfully.

Ruben shares a theory. Perhaps someone placed the Eldritch Balm on the pot in advance, then cast a divination spell in the room to observe what would happen. The mephits appear, chaos erupts, and somewhere someone watches the results like a spectator enjoying a show.

Then Ruben adds one more idea: “Would Professor Talos be up for this?”

Professor Lang stiffens immediately.

“That is quite an accusation from a first-year,” she says firmly. Professor Talos, she insists, is a highly respected member of the faculty.

Ruben quickly clarifies that it is only a theory. To prove he means no harm, he even burns the note where he had written the suspicion.

The professor relaxes slightly but continues to emphasize that accusations require evidence. At Strixhaven, she reminds them, claims must be supported by proof.

Eventually the discussion shifts. Professor Lang explains that Professor Talos teaches Introduction to Archaeomancy at Lorehold and is responsible for arcane containment—likely the reason he had dealt with the strange doll.

That is enough for Daiki.

“I will go there,” he says.

The others hesitate, suggesting it might be wiser to investigate more before approaching a professor. Lana warns that asking questions too aggressively could create suspicion. Kroak agrees that confronting someone without proof might not be the best idea.

Daiki shrugs off the concern. “I think you are taking it way too serious. I’ll just go ask. The professor seems to like me so far.”

Ruben eventually agrees to accompany him, though he insists they only ask about the doll and make no accusations.

Professor Lang tells them they can likely find Professor Talos at his office in the main building on the Lorehold campus.

After thanking her for her time, Ruben and Daiki leave.

---

The Lorehold campus is vast and imposing.

As they approach, the landscape shifts into a wide desert dotted with enormous towers and floating stone structures. Massive pillars rise into the sky, and the open space feels grand and ancient.

Instead of crossing the bridge on foot, Ruben and Daiki fly over . From the air the campus looks even more impressive. The central structure towers above everything—a colossal hall filled with endless shelves of books and artifacts. It feels as though even a thousand lifetimes would not be enough to read everything stored there.

Students fly between levels, teleportation circles flash quietly in the corners, and mechanical archivists move books from shelf to shelf.

But the two of them are not here for the library.

They ask around and are directed toward the faculty level. Instead of climbing stairs, they try the teleportation circle, focusing their thoughts on the office of Professor Talos.

In an instant they arrive on a high floor lined with faculty chambers. One of the doors stands before them—large, elegant, and clearly belonging to an important professor.

Daiki flies forward and knocks.

From inside comes a voice.

“Come in.”

Daiki opens the door and enters, Ruben besides him.

Behind a desk sits a stern-looking man peering over his glasses.

“What can I help you with?”

Ruben stands before the professor’s desk, trying to compose himself. “Well, Professor, I’m not sure if you— I’m Ruben Titalba, as my friend Daiki already introduced. We heard you were— you are—”

“You are in my class,” the professor interrupts calmly.

Daiki nods confidently beside him. “Yes. He’s prepared.”

Ruben clears his throat, still unsettled by the familiarity. “Yes. Professor, we look very much forward to the introduction—first course in archaeomancy. And I’m not sure if you heard already, but after the chaos of the doll the kitchen was infested with… yes… crazy steam mephits. Professor Lang helps us with the investigation because this is now the third accident already, and with eldritch balm involved. We were curious if—well—to investigate, to help prevent these mysteries.”

Daiki nods along. “Yeah.”

Ruben continues, “And we’ve heard that you were responsible for taking the doll away. And we think that might be— the doll might be related to the setup of these terrible problems.”

The professor studies them for a moment. “I think we have to take a bit of a step back. You as first years are over-eager, but you do have to realize that you shouldn’t confuse access to a problem with the responsibility for it. I have heard about your escapades on campus, but I cannot say that I would endorse it. It is a dangerous business.”

Ruben nods respectfully. “Yes, I agree with you, Professor. And well—somehow, and I’m not sure how this reflects on us—but it happened while we were there. I mean, I have not seen anything strange with our dorm being ever present. But yes… if this happens again and we are accidentally there as well, then—well—I would as a school investigate why this group of students is there all the time.”

Daiki sighs. “Yes, Ruben, you talk and apologize way too much. Professor, sorry for blurting out, but there was divination magic detected over there. Do you have any idea what that could be?”

“Divination magic? Interesting,” the professor replies. “There are various angles for divination magic, of course. What do you—”

“Go on, Ruben. Just tell what you think happened,” Daiki urges.

Ruben nods and explains, “Well, with Professor Lang we investigated that eldritch balm is used in the escalation of events. For instance, with the mimic we found traces of eldritch balm. It seemed to be ordinary eldritch balm, but there’s another component. The same with the frogs. Under the influence of eldritch balm and something else, they turned into giant frogs. And now we had a cooking pot boiling off delicious—delicious—rat ratatouille, I have to admit. And there was eldritch balm as well.”

He pauses, thinking carefully. “We found no traces of something else with my detect magic, but I found divination magic. And I think someone might have set up this havoc and then could, you know… like a weird type of voyeurism… look into the havoc that these creatures create.”

“That’s quite an interesting theory,” the professor says thoughtfully. “So far what I hear is that you have three seemingly unrelated incidents. The only connector being you—and some eldritch balm substance.”

“In crowded places,” Daiki adds.

“Crowded places,” the professor repeats. “If you were to cause havoc, of course it would be in a crowded place.”

“Yes. Why?” Daiki asks.

“How do you maximize damage?”

Daiki hesitates. “Uh… not— it’s not nice to do maximum damage.”

“All right. If you don’t want to do any damage, do it in an uninhabited place. Clearly not where this is happening, is it? So what does that tell us about the incentive of the suspect?”

“It wants to damage,” Daiki concludes thoughtfully.

“Well,” Ruben adds, “it definitely enjoys seeing the havoc. If it’s really about destroying this—creating chaos, creating distrust—between students and maybe between faculty members, I don’t know. But yes, there could be different motives. I think it’s not a benign motive.”

“And what of the doll?” the professor asks.

“Oh,” Daiki mutters.

Ruben answers, “Well, we think that eldritch balm was applied some hours before the event. Then the bartender mentioned that there was a doll insulting people. And you were there to save the day as the keeper of artifact incidents—enchanter and chaser. And then we thought, well, maybe you want to know about this firsthand for your investigation. Or maybe you saw something that might be ordinary but, with our story, is less ordinary.”

Daiki shrugs slightly. “Yes, it may be above our heads. But doing nothing… it doesn’t feel right.”

“Well, thank you for mentioning this to me,” the professor says. “I’ll make sure to take it along in the investigation. But if every curious first-year just tries to follow every cursed trinket into where it’s stored, then we would run out of attics. There would not be enough places. I will take care of the investigation from now on. You should focus on studying and prepare for the coming block.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Ruben says quickly. “My roommate Kroak and I look very much forward to archaeomancy. And yes, I would love to maybe be a member of Lorehold campus once.”

Daiki frowns slightly. “Yeah… I am confused though.” He begins speaking again. “I mean, Professor Ventrax really wants students to speak up and be vocal about it, and we try to follow his instruction. Do you disagree with his instruction?”

“Disagreeing is part of the scientific way,” the professor replies dryly. “I vehemently disagree, of course, with Professor Ventrax. I think his methods are rather crude and unenlightened.”

Daiki tilts his head. “Shouldn’t science be like open access and retraceable by everyone? I don’t know, I’m not really a science person, but science seems boring if you do it all alone.”

“Science should,” the professor answers. “But this is a case more like history. It gets thrown out into the public discourse.”

“I fully agree,” Ruben says. “And that’s why we went to Professor Lang, who helped us with the first investigations. After her recommendation we thought to see you—if you were interested in that.”

He bows his head slightly. “But we will leave you to your investigation, Professor. Sorry to have bothered you. And again, I look forward to the course next semester.”

Daiki lingers for a moment while the conversation ends. Quietly, he begins sensing the magical energies around him—sniffing, tasting, feeling the subtle auras in the air the way Professor Ventrax once described.

The room hums softly with magic. Clockwork archivists buzz through the air, retrieving books and returning them to shelves. The ambient energy seems tied to their motion, to the systems that keep the office functioning. Beyond that, there is nothing unusual—no lingering presence of the doll, no strong magical well. Just lighting enchantments and everyday magical utilities.

“Well, in that case…” Daiki mutters before straightening. “Thank you for your time, Professor. I really appreciate you talking with us. We won’t bother you anymore. Perhaps Ruben and Kroak will when they take their lessons. See you.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Ruben adds as they leave.

Daiki flutters upward and sneaks a glance back into the office, peeking at the papers on the professor’s desk before darting away again. One line catches his eye in that brief glimpse.

A location: Captain Dapplewings Manor.

Outside the office, Ruben frowns thoughtfully. “How normal is it that such a professor would know the name of a student entering his course a semester after?” The thought lingers with him. It is unusual—yet this is Lorehold, where scholars trade in knowledge and memorize endless facts. Perhaps the professor is simply that well prepared, able to see the full picture by studying what has already happened. Ruben feels a surge of admiration. He is impressed, and silently resolves to follow that example.

---

Daiki flies out to meet Ruben again. 

“So… what do you think of the professor?”

“Well, I think he’s quite esteemed,” Ruben says thoughtfully. “And right—it is rather dangerous. Maybe we should just stop investigating it. He’s on top of this, and we have better things to do. Maybe it distracts us from studying. I’m just very impressed. What about you?”

Daiki grins. “You forgot the first lesson of exploring adventuring. You always have to investigate—even when people tell you not to investigate. I found out something.”

“As we were leaving I found a location on the papers he was looking at. Something like… Captain Dapplewings Manor. Do you know what that is?”

Ruben raises an eyebrow. “So you read his document?”

“Well, he was reading it and I was just taking a little peek and flying away.”

After thinking for a moment, Ruben nods slowly. “Captain Dapplewings. A very known mage on the Strixhaven campus. A military veteran. Quite an example among campus figures.”

“It’s the military? Like an army?”

Daiki looks puzzled. “Why would Strixhaven have a military… military something?”

“I mean, why not?” Ruben shrugs. “It’s about strategy, right? Strategy is quite important. And it’s part of the diverse community at Strixhaven.”

“Okay. Is he like part of your dragon’s chess as well? The dragon’s chess pieces all have historical persons, right? Do you have Captain Dapplewings in your Dragonchess club?”

“I think this captain is not part of the Faerûn famous history,” Ruben replies. “Not the Sword Coast famous history.”

Daiki nods. “So we should share this information with Kroak and Lana, right? Or do you—actually I have to go to work too, so you can share it.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Ruben glances across campus. “Maybe I’ll linger a bit here. I feel inspired.”

Daiki flies off, while Ruben spends the day wandering the Lorehold campus—studying in new places, observing students, trying to feel like he belongs among them.

Days pass.

---

The campus grows warmer as summer settles in, green spreading across the central grounds. During that time, more incidents occur: a display case snapping shut on a student, eldritch balm found on its hinges; a music stand in the grand orchestra coming to life and attacking a violin player. The stories circulate through campus like uneasy whispers.

Then one morning Nymri bursts in, visibly excited.

“Guys—I think I finally found the doll. I think I finally know where it is.”

Ruben sighs slowly. “I’ve been ventilating for a while that we were not present at the bookshelf incident and the orchestra event. I’m not sure we should get involved again. I was getting suspicious of ourselves.”

“I just feel unsafe,” Nymri argues. “You said that guy would pick it up—but nothing has happened. Do you see anything happening, Ruben? I see nothing.”

Ruben shakes his head. “This is beyond the novice eyes of us. The professor is taking this up—”

Daiki suddenly flies in front of him and clamps his beak shut. “Shut up. Just let Nymri talk.”

But Nymri is already frustrated. “Well I don’t know if Ruben wants to hear. I go through all this effort, talk to everyone on campus, try to figure out what the hell this doll is—and now suddenly he’s not interested?”

“I still want to know everything,” Lana says calmly.

“See? Lana knows what’s up.” Nymri nods eagerly. “I think the doll is in Captain Dapplewings Manor—the faculty retreat. I’m pretty sure they keep it in the attic there.”

Lana frowns. “But where is this retreat?”

“Central campus,” Nymri answers. “That old manor of the snooty mage who died a while ago.”

Ruben immediately stiffens. “I’m not breaking into an attic.”

“Okay, then we go without you,” Nymri snaps.

“They’re not saying we’re breaking in,” Lana replies carefully, trying to reason through the situation. However, quickly it becomes clear that the Manor is off limits to students, and the break-in will have to take place in the middle of the night. 

The discussion quickly grows heated. Ruben insists he cannot be part of a crime. Lana agrees that breaking rules could endanger their positions at the university. Nymri argues that waiting means more people could get hurt.

“Do you want to be a hero,” she challenges them, “or do you want to be a nobody who just sits on the couch and studies in a book? History is written by those who act.”

Ruben shakes his head firmly. “I don’t want to be part of this. If they investigate, I will tell the truth. The naked truth.”

Lana nods. “I agree with Ruben.”

Kroak hesitates, caught between both sides. “For what it’s worth… I think Nymri might be onto something. But I don’t want to go without the group.”

Eventually the tension breaks.

Ruben walks away.

Lana follows him.

Kroak returns to the dorm later, while Nymri storms off in frustration.

In Ruben’s room, Lana leans against the wall while he speaks anxiously.

“I’m not allowing that doll anywhere near this room,” he insists. “I don’t want to be part of it. It could destroy my career prospects.”

“Yes,” Lana agrees quietly. “We should beat them fair and square. Use the rules. Make the rules work for us.”

Kroak arrives shortly after and tries to reconcile the situation, confused by how quickly the group’s stance has shifted.

But the decision has already been made.

“We’re not going,” Lana says firmly.

“Good,” Ruben replies.

“Good,” Kroak echoes, though the uncertainty still lingers.

Eventually Ruben sighs. “I think I’m going to study in the Biblioplex.”

He leaves the dorm, while Lana and Kroak remain behind, the tension slowly dissolving into quieter conversation. Meanwhile, elsewhere on campus, Daiki quietly considers following Nymri anyway—perhaps not entering the manor, but at least watching from the bushes to see what might happen.

Daiki sits in his room, feeling something he hasn’t quite felt in a long time—conflict. The group has been here for many ten-days already, long enough that it once felt like they were a real party: adventuring together, sharing moments, belonging somewhere. But now the adventure feels gone, and with it the sense of belonging. To Daiki, it feels as if the group has moved on without him. During the last big fight they seemed to have fun without him—at least, that’s how he experienced it.

He doesn’t like being gloomy, but the feeling lingers. So he talks about it with Nymri in his room. He explains that he had wanted to go with the group and take part in what they were doing, but it seemed the others had different goals. He had made clear that he wanted to come along. In the end, though, nothing came of it. Daiki has his feelings. He’s not just the happy-go-lucky fairy that doesn’t care. He does care. Sometimes it feels like he’s taken for granted. He likes to please people and be there for them, but it often feels like Lana puts her voice in other people’s heads except for his, and everyone received potatoes as gifts, and he had to ask to get one himself. He gives gifts to people, but there was never really a big moment where anyone thanked him. During the big fight a few days ago he had to defend himself while others were drunk, and afterward no one really came back to apologize—only for the hurtful words that were said. He isn’t deeply sad about it, but he noticed. In the beginning, they had been one big adventurous group, and now it feels like it’s falling apart. That’s something he doesn’t like.

When the group reconvenes in the common room, Daiki shares his feelings with the group. 

Ruben listens carefully before responding. “Well… I’m sorry that you feel that way, Daiki. I think we started off really well together, and I would like it to be that way again.” He explains that there are different ways to approach problems. Daiki prefers chaos; Ruben prefers structure. Ruben can’t risk being dismissed from school by breaking rules he considers ethically unsound. Strixhaven welcomes many kinds of people, but Ruben simply can’t approach things in the same way.

“I understand,” Daiki replies. “But no one seems to ask for my perspective or wants to understand it. But apparently you do now, so that’s fine. I’m happy you’re asking me about it. That makes me feel seen.”

Ruben nods. He adds that it’s also about speaking up—not only being a bystander but actively participating. It’s a learning process for everyone.

Lana agrees. She admits she didn’t realize Daiki felt this way. She hadn’t picked up the signals. Maybe she should have noticed when he left earlier in the tavern or during other moments. She reflects on her own past: in her village she had often been seen as soft, so she had to become tough. Sometimes she forgets that other people have different emotional needs. She understands now that he felt unseen.

“If I had known your wish was so great to hear my voice inside your head… I mean…” Lana says. ‘ 

“I’m sorry” Daily hears inside his head. 

The tension melts quickly. Daiki’s mood brightens almost instantly. Soon he’s flying around the room again, cheerful.

“Well! What are we going to do today then?” he asks eagerly. “Are we going to study?”

The days pass quickly after that conversation. Daiki seems happier now that everything has been said aloud.

——-

Soon the twenty-seventh arrives—exam time once again. The students gather for their tests in Basic Magical Auras. Despite a few moments of frustration, the group performs remarkably well. In fact, they all end up acing the exam.

The lessons themselves have been memorable. They studied creatures like owlbears—their history, their massive razor-sharp talons, their aggressive nature, and the debate among scholars about their origins. Some believe they are the result of failed breeding experiments; others insist they come from the Feywild. They learned about their biology, their behavior, and even strange tidbits—like how owlbears seem to respond surprisingly well to cupcakes and muffins, perhaps due to some connection with acid reflux.

The second round of exams follows, combining Basic Magical Auras and Basic Magical Physiologies.  effort and preparation they all succeed.

To celebrate finishing this first stage of study, Strixhaven prepares something special. A festival is announced—a large celebration to be held on the Rose Stage. For several days the campus will be filled with performances and events. The LARP group, the Showband Association, the Arcanum Ensemble, the Great Strixhaven Orchestra, and the Drama Guild will all perform. There will even be improvisational performances where students and audience members can join in.

When Daiki hears about the festival, he becomes excited immediately. He begins decorating in preparation, gathering bright red roses and other colorful flowers.

But on the thirtieth, the Strixhaven Star publishes troubling news: a student has died after an incident in the Biblioplex. Some enchanted shelves apparently came to life and swallowed the student before anyone could stop them. The accident shakes the campus.

The moment Daiki hears the news, he stops what he’s doing. Quietly, he removes the red roses he had prepared. One by one, he discards them and begins again, crafting white roses instead.