Nightshade Academy | Episode 6 | The Underground (Audio)

I vow to defend Imperial Doctrine with my life [Music] the morning Bell told stirring Yoshi from slumber when he felt himself sinking deeper into the Cozy Embrace of his pillow he tore the blankets away and rubbed his eyes open oh it doesn't look like home the ceiling that normally greeted him every morning was made of wooden panels but this one was seamless and decorated with thin outlines of four petaled flowers he pushed himself into a seated position and spotted a second bed across the room perfectly made without a single Wrinkle in the blankets right I'm at the Academy now the floor chilled his feet and he pulled his knees up in confusion his morning routine was so mundane that even the simplest of changes threw him off guard leaving his bed unmade Yoshi changed into his uniform he frowned at the side of his disheveled hair in the mirror Rogue strands fighting to escape no matter how much he tried to flatten them with his hands they refused to obey Oven far too Reckless if I keep applying and sneaking around the Guardians will lose trust in me he brushed his teeth in the restroom with toothpaste that tasted sweeter than sugar cane a soft bristled brush steered his hair into its rightful place father was right about being patients if I'm going to keep an eye on the Guardians I need to do so for my distance without drawing unnecessary attention to myself he splashed his face with water like any other morning but the water here wasn't cold it was lukewarm and strangely unrefreshing when he entered the lobby he found Vel and KO sitting next to each other on a sofa okay so for the last step you bring it up through the big loop and then push it down through the small Loop then you just wiggle around the top part until it's tight enough he demonstrated with his own tie KL what you're explaining this horribly well how am I supposed to explain it tying a tie is one of those things that you just have to do you know Yoshi closed the door behind him catching their attention morning Yoshi morning KO waved his hand in the air bringing vel's eyes back to him do you need me to show you again I can remember thanks Yoshi was about to head to the staircase when the door to room 2 swung open Sana trailed behind quacks entering the lobby that's the strangest thing Sana shut the door behind him I can help you look for it if you want no no don't bother it just doesn't make sense I've never lost my marbles before he's been on about this all night hey quacks maybe someone stole it just to hear you say that you lost your marbles very funny quacks crossed his arms and his eyes jumped from KO to the girl sitting next to him well you did it did what her face didn't read as guilty or oblivious quacks pointed to her tie and Yoshi grinned your tie KO helped me I saved her is what I did you guys see Commander Ross yesterday he looked personally offended when he saw her without a thought there's probably some kind of unresolved trauma thing also Vel I wanted to apologize for the sparring match yesterday I should have let you win I already earned my pin so it's not like I had anything to lose I just didn't think it threw beforehand don't worry about it Yoshi chuckled and Quack squinted at him what nothing no what's so amusing yashi are you laughing on my eye the humor drained from Yoshi's face of course not I feel awful about your eye fact I think you should probably have Dr blimery take a look nah that's not a bad idea it is a bit more swollen than yesterday are you in pain I'm feeling just fine Sana thank you I'm just waiting for Yoshi to explain what he finds so funny I said it's nothing did you take my marble again with the accusations let's not jump to conclusions now how would he even do that Quacks quacks approached Joshi and stood tall looming over him the life drained from his eyes until they resembled his sisters with one disdainful stare quack sent Yoshi the message that he didn't belong in the program that he couldn't win because he wasn't in the game at all Yoshi could no longer suppress his own resentment did you do it or not I'll answer your question if you tell me how you got that black eye vel's footsteps knocked Yoshi and quacks out of their staring contest she made her way down the staircase Yoshi shot quacks a final glance before rushing from the lobby hey Vel wait when he caught up to her halfway down the staircase she wouldn't look at him is something wrong I can handle myself Yoshi descended the stairs eyes on his boots quacks just it was ironic how he was acting all condescending towards you when you're the one who stole his marble he can think whatever he likes don't you think you're letting him underestimate you for no reason this may be a shock to you but we are not all here to play games Yoshi paused at the bottom of the staircase watching her long hair sway as she walked ahead of him into the dining hall he waited a few moments before following her inside their first breakfast consisted of eggs with melted cheese on a bed of rice as he grabbed a tray Vel headed toward an empty table clearly intent on eating in isolation he scanned the room for a different lone trainee to sit with and his eyes locked on his roommate although he wasn't keen on sharing a meal with pinto after hearing his thoughts on dice avoiding him might make things awkward between them in the evenings so he swallowed his pride and joined him where were you this morning Professor Ember said something about a library on the third floor I woke up early to do some research Pinto swallowed a bite and raised his chin giving him a clear view of his sickeningly dull face yeah she nearly dropped his spoon you look a bit tired today I'll feel better later I'm not a morning person that's all then why did you wake up before the Bell because I'm a motivated person it's truly a cursed combination and to make matters worse the coffee in the dispenser is so weak it might as well be jasmine tea Pinto finished his eggs and slid the bowl aside leaving the rice untouched if the Guardians had a problem with caffeine dependent trainees they could just say so they don't have to play cruel mind games with me Bento raised his ceramic mug to take a sip only to discover there was no coffee left he set the mug down with a sigh sorry I'm being ridiculous aren't I to be honest with you I couldn't sleep a wink last night I kept her playing Belle's match from the yesterday in my head and I couldn't figure out how she managed to get that marble out of his pocket so discreetly I thought I'd read a book in the library about pickpocketing to ease my curiosity but apparently it's not something you just find written tutorials for why does it bother you so much I have no idea sometimes I come across things I don't understand and I feel this itch to figure out what I'm missing and the puzzle is all I can focus on that probably doesn't make any sense but no it does I know exactly what you mean the wooden floors and Furniture in the lecture hall gave the space a more rustic feel than other rooms in the building 10 desks each with two chairs faced a blackboard at the front of the room above it hung a framed portrait of emperor vikoi and beneath it was a long desk behind which Professor Ember stood Yoshi he halted with a Flinch you're in the last row far left thank you professor he made his way down the aisle and sat next to kwax's freckled roommate looks like we're stuck together it's Yoshi right from the lobby earlier yeah that's me you gave him that black eye didn't you yeah she cringed I well I figured but it's all right I won't tell the bell rang good morning I'm glad to see everyone found their way here on time please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance the chairs scraped the floor as they stood and locked their eyes on the emperor's portrait Empire Professor Ember nodded and they took their seats again there's a stereotype in the Guardian Force that professors are stiff and pessimistic which is true and rightfully so those qualities are necessary for the Empire's safety to prepare for the worst case scenarios we must First Imagine them and live with the unfortunate knowledge that they are possible today we'll be discussing our potential worst case scenarios involving the underground our biggest threat since the atheros war this Eastern Rebel organization goes against the very core of our Imperial Doctrine our division has been tracing them in the 12 years since the war and we believe they're planning something unimaginable she paced back and forth behind her desk The Remnant specks of white chalk on the Blackboard resembled stars and the image of Professor Ember floating in the night sky mediashi chuckle a few boys glanced at him killing his humor Professor Ember came to a stop Yoshi you seem to be having fun back there and I have reason to believe that you're extremely talented at imagining worst case scenarios why don't you brainstorm a potential problem we might face with the underground Yoshi folded his hands in his lap I mean they're still stand he stood they're still loyal to speak up limbo chuckled from across the room the rebels in the underground are still loyal to Emperor atheros despite his death during the war so maybe they're playing a strike back in his name and what might that entail some theorize the easterners and underground are the same easterners who rated our towns during the war if they really are one of the same then we can assume they might rate US again and what did the Eastern Raiders do during those raids she asked the question as though the answer weren't painfully obvious what what did they do Yoshi I well he's spineless Pinto shook his head Professor do we really need to quiet everyone Yoshi I I don't know but you do I don't answer the question Sana looked up at him just answer her yashi okay um during the war a group of easterners traveled West to radar towns they didn't kill anyone but they always left the mark Professor Ember crossed her arms what kind of Mark I don't what kind of Mark Yoshi iced they break into homes and gouge out people's eyes Professor Ember smiled lightly thank you you may be seated yeah she scoffed and took a seat get you she definitely is the war may be over but we can't let our guards down we are never in a state of Peace as long as the underground exists no one should have to face an Eastern raid again and we must prepare for the worst case scenario where I don't think it's just a worst case scenario Professor hindo stood of his own will what else will the false conference be channeling information to the east for the underground is plotting something horrible and it's only a matter of time before they take action if they took my eye last time they could be planning something even worse next quarks turned in a seat to face Pinto the false converts that situation was wrapped up years ago and what other schemes could be operating without our knowledge for all we know most of them are undetected now's not the time to risk letting converts like dice into the academy the trainees shifted in their seats their attention drawn to dice in the yellow bandana wrapped around his head he smiled sheepishly before glancing over his shoulder and meeting yashi's gaze as they stared into each other's eyes Yoshi felt a strange certainty that dice knew he was a convert too but he couldn't be sure if it was just his imagination after all easterners and westerners didn't look any different when he had never spoken to dice before Yoshi broke eye contact with the convert to glare at Pinto shaming dice behind his back was one thing but to humiliate him in the middle of class was another foreign he was malicious and he used that pathetic eye patch to justify his behavior and if there is a comfort amongst us so what the Guardians are thorough the spies haven't dealt with let's defend ourselves from the underground not our own people Professor Ember leaned against the Blackboard with a grin reveling in their argument well I sure know you'd never last in the research division you're far too trusting oh really I'm too trusting perhaps you should consider how you're currently rooming in a quarter with your worst enemy pinzo closed his mouth every trainee except him turned to face the back of the lecture room where Yoshi sat next to Sana dumbfounded he wasn't sure what bothered him more that Pinto finally knew the truth or that quacks had revealed it as Professor Ember went over the different roles in the research division Yoshi waited for Pinto to look back at him but he never did easterners from the atheros Empire had raided his home during the war and perhaps one of Yoshi's distant relatives had done the gouging they could never know for sure hey Sana tapped Yoshi on the shoulder if it makes you feel any better my best friend back home is a convert too stand wherever you'd like a two per table that's the Only Rule located on the highest floor of the academy the glass encased lab was more of a rooftop Conservatory than the sterile room Yoshi associated with the word lab the transparent dome-shaped ceiling Blended smoothly into the glass walls allowing light for the morning clouds to nurture the many potted plants inside a massive tree rooted in the floor towered over Dr blemery's desk at the opposite end of the room as Yoshi admired its blossoming red flowers he couldn't help but feel as though the tree deserved to grow freely in the woods far outside of this glass entrapment he planted himself behind one of the empty lab tables at random the ten tables were taller than the desks in the lecture hall designed for standing not sitting wow quacks that eye is looking impressive today you'd better put some ice on that thing let me grab some from the Infirmary thank you doctor as Dr blimery left the room a trainee appeared next to Yoshi hey I'm dice hi yeah she offered him a brief smile before returning his Focus to the tree not in the mood for a conversation Enzo has never been easy to get along with oh dice tightened the bandana around his head do you know what part of the Easter father is from he doesn't really talk about it a moment passed before Yoshi faced him with raised brows wait why my father huh why my father specifically Dr blimery returned with a bag in his hands I've secured the eyes can you catch it quacks raised his bombs I can try the trainees gasped as Dr blimery chucked the bag of ice across the room oh it's coming fast Clarks caught the bag easily whew nice one I'm surprised you saw it coming with an eye like that quacks lifted the cold bag to his face shut it KO Dr blimery walked down the aisle and came to a stop at his desk all right let's get to business who can tell me what the medical division does any hands he took a seat how about you with the patch Pinto flinched and a few boys chuckled oh uh the medical division is tasked with the responsibility to preserve life they managed the largest hospital on the island which is located in the heart of okoy city it's also where all the major medical discoveries and advancements are made if it weren't for the medical Guardians dozens of the royal family members would have died young including several of our late Emperors students grew Restless says Pinto blabbered relentlessly about the medical division thou leaned forward with her chin in her palm and dice started to tap his fingers against the table in an irritating pattern limbo rubbed his bird tattoo with a scowl I hate this class already his brother scolded him keep your voice down dice why don't you ask about my father just forget it Yoshi pinzo paused for a breath before continuing medical is also responsible for all right so I'll cut you off there thank the Stars dice laughed at limbo's comment and Pinto huffed I may look ridiculously young but believe it or not I worked in the vukoi city hospital for over 30 years before transferring to teach here at the Academy the medical division is the most important Guardian division there is all three divisions are equally important they work together I was joking lighten up kid Dr blimery flashed Ben to a disturbed look before smiling at the others like Pinto explained medical runs our Hospital in vikoi city but they also assist with tool production and developments take this dagger for example he reached into his Overcoat to retrieve it this tool was crafted by a guardian and on the bottom of its handle you'll notice a familiar emblem any Guardian tools marked with this four petaled flower are laced with a serum sourced from a rare plant grown in the lab can anyone tell me what plant I'm speaking of pinto raised his hand and Dr blimery side yes see you again you mean poison doctor incorrect terminology in medical poison implies detrimental intent we refer to it as serum or by the plant's name which is Pinto emphasized his raised hand anyone besides Pinto quack send a few other boys raise their hands next and Dr blimery dragged his dagger through the air as though he were writing calligraphy the blade pointed from one boy to the next before finally landing on Vel who hadn't volunteered to answer how about you what plant is the serum sourced from paladana the plant has beautiful flowers but every part is deadly Roots leaves petals berries with enough extracted poison on a blade even a small cut is fatal serum serum Dr blimery nodded as he tucked his dagger away and what would happen if you were to Simply touch the plant without gloves hmm I'm not sure I assume it wouldn't be fatal but it might irritate the skin cause a rash Maybe perfectly stated Belladonna is a powerful and discreet tool for defense but it's also dangerous in the wrong hands that's why it's imperative that only Guardians have access to it hence our academy's name Dr blimery stood grabbed departed plant and placed it on his desk this right here is a potted belladonna plant it doesn't look all too special right just an ordinary bush with Violet flowers and a few ink colored berries if you were to see this plant in the wild you might consider it harmless you might even be enticed to eat one of the cute little berries but this plant is a major two-faced liar eating about a dozen berries could kill a grown man and our concentrated serum does the job much more effectively he plugged a berry with his bare hands and held it up for everyone to see before I go over the different parts of the plant does anyone have any questions yeah she raised his hand without thinking yes Yoshi if Belladonna caused rashes why had Dr blimery touched a berry without gloves I can't help wonder why no I can't say that confronting the Guardians with too many questions would give off the impression that he still didn't trust them why watch never mind doctor I figured it out are you sure yes Dr blimery set the berry on his desk well all right then as the guardian introduced different parts of the plant gripping them with his gloveless fingers Yoshi's gaze drifted to Vel she was offering Dr blimery her undivided attention as though she were genuinely eager to learn as though she had joined the program for more than the family pension Yoshi grabbed a tray and marched toward quax's table when he reached them Keo was in the middle of telling his roommates the story I swear no one cared at all about me and the second I start training for my selection I'm an instant lady magnet it's like the stars are aligned against me he trailed off after noticing Yoshi's arrival hey Quacks I just wanted to say thank you what for Yoshi couldn't tell if quacks was asking the question genuinely or not look I spoke up because your roommate is a judgmental prick and that's all there is to it yeah she gripped his tray harder your piece of my past yashi I don't have the energy for any distractions right now I'm here to graduate Ko's smile morphed into a cringe ouch sanna nudged him in the side Quacks Quark scooted his chair away from Sana with a huff he broke eye contact with yashi jamming his spoon into a side dish of beans just stay away from me until you get filtered the room fell silent and Yoshi turned his back to quax's table that was too far he can take it dice gestured for Yoshi to join him and the brackle twins but he ignored the invitation and stormed to an empty table he slammed his trade down as he took a seat nearly spilling over a glass of beet juice chatter eventually filled the dining hall again trainees moving on from kwax's outburst yeah she took a single bite of salad before pushing his tray away when a shadow cast over him he raised his chin with widened eyes hey can I join you you don't have to ask Pinto's lip twitched before he took a seat across from him the roommates ate together in silence occasionally making eye contact but never speaking a friendship between Yoshi and Pinto went against all logic and yet for a reason Yoshi couldn't identify Pinto had chosen to share a table with him and Yoshi had chosen to be okay with it Belladonna book one Nightshade Academy written and narrated by Mel Tory Franca produced by Mel Tori Franca and Wilson Hensley edited and Mastered by Juan Pablo Diaz something went wrong we worked hard for this life that we don't want it all cover art by mad Studio score by G depita azri theme song composed and produced by James Sinclair stodd [Music] starring Jason Brown Anthony Andreas echeveri Melissa white Alex Bowie Patrick beersba Julia risto David John bores Connor Blanc Cody Keel Ellie Chua Ben Autry Walter Mack God with us [Music] if it's really true [Music] featuring the voices of Gwyneth Evans Jeff Rosenau Philip krainov Lucas Hensley Levi Titus Angie Eggers Willem dagar Allison Prophet Maria palmo Knight shield Academy is produced in association with Lost Island press [Music] if it's really true if it's with you it's really true [Music]