Nightshade Academy | Episode 17 | Just a Bunny (Audio)

I vow to trace and execute criminals who committed confirmed acts of treason in the early hours of the morning the academy Guardians called a meeting in the common room most trainees arrived in their pajamas their hair disheveled and their eyes half shut they noticed Yoshi's bandages in the absence of dice but didn't ask any questions Commander Roz broke the Silence with the dreary announcement entire Bayan family including dice went missing last night we believe there may be false converts spying for the underground where lucky yashi saw dice through the window last night if he hadn't confronted him dice would still be here hiding amongst us still the 12 remaining trainees were speechless it became clear that the stress of their sparring matches and exams at the Academy were minuscule in comparison to the stress they would face as full-fledged Guardians the underground truly was always one step ahead of the force the rebels were Brewing something terrible and the five graduates would be responsible for facing it most of them barely remembered the atherospore and had grown up watching Guardians work during an era of Peace but during war would the job be as desirable and glamorous would the family pension and bonus infrastructure Revenue possibly justify the personal cost Pinto didn't show up for breakfast Yoshi and Val assumed he needed time alone to process the news but his absence during their morning classes worried them they skipped lunch to stop by the lobby and those living quarter rooms of instruction the infirmary and finally the common room he was nowhere in the building so they headed outside the courtyard and field were empty they combed through the surrounding Woods for about 10 minutes before they spotted him finto was sitting on the grass his back against the exterior wall of the staple he stared at the woods his face sickeningly pale Val sat next to him what's wrong you can go he nearly said more but his trembling lower lip stopped him he gripped the fabric of his vest as he lurched forward sobbing silently the underground had infiltrated the forces selective military program proofs that they were planning to strike it was eye gouging last time what next you don't have to push us away Vel wrapped her arm around him you can let us care and doe inhaled a few stifled breaths before leaning into her shoulder he cried as though he had lost his eye right then and there as though he were reliving the memory Val ran her hand along his curls but Yoshi could only watch for the next week Pinto spent his Recreation time in the woods shooting arrows at trees for hours he volunteered to perform first for their primary tool filtration and Commander Roz explained that he would have three chances to hit the bullseye Pinto drew his bow and stared at the Target as though it were a traitor the arrow struck the bullseye and Yoshi flinched wonderfully done a boy named brush or Mars failed the filtration butchering the moves in a dual sword sequence Commander Roz had assigned them unlike those filtered before him rashford smiled and said goodbye to the 11 remaining trainees he patted Yoshi on the shoulder as though they were friends but they had only spoken briefly once or twice Yoshi speculated that Brasher had botched the sequence on purpose as he had seen him perform it perfectly during practice the day before has Bento ate dinner Yoshi watched him like a hawk his shoulders tensed up whenever Pinto met his gaze Yoshi left the table without a word and headed to the library where he paced back and forth between two bookshelves instead of questioning where my parents were from dice question where my father was from he also recognized the sky weeps with us but strangest of all he knows that father didn't want me to accept my selection if there's a link between my parents and the Bands father can be in serious Danger and I'd be dragged right into it he thought of their criminal matching filtration and shivered the door creaked open Yoshi he stepped out of the aisle and waved something wrong Vel made her way toward him why do you ask he ran off during supper I understand why Pinto's been acting strange but I never expected this from you you've been so distant lately well I didn't mean to be I'm just stressed stressed about what talk to me Yoshi wished he could tell her everything but he knew the consequences of speaking his mind recklessly he had come too far to fall back into Old Habits it's not worth it so instead of telling her about dice he hugged her thank you but really I'm okay he hoped that somehow she could tell he was lying despite Pinto's daily inquiries Professor Ember never provided any new information about the Bands vels attempts to encourage him to move on only added wood to the fire they had seen the side of pinto before appearing for scattered moments here and there but this was different his frustration had taken over him completely 32 days passed before Dr blimery wield the second cart of rabbits into the lab he slid one box in front of each trainee as he made his way down the aisle Professor Ember trailing behind him with her chin held high I know the recent weeks have been a challenge for you kids it's clear that the underground is planning something but moping around isn't going to fix that in today's filtration we'll be testing your restraint Guardians face challenges that require a quick yet thoughtful Solutions to make the right moves under pressure it's crucial to resist emotional interference Dr blimery stopped the cart by his desk boxes open yeah she opened the box in front of him inside was a rabbit and a dagger you kids know the drill you fail this test we sent you home Dr blemery clicked a button on a stopwatch you have five minutes to kill a rabbit Yoshi's face burned but he had no right to be angry he knew the Guardians dealt with the most dangerous criminals on the island a responsibility which required composure but despite this knowledge he had never fully processed the fact that the Guardians sometimes had to kill four minutes as Yoshi grappled with this heavy realization limbo made the first move lifting the rabbit out of his box it was trembling and drooling injected with Belladonna for an effortless kill Yoshi watched in horror as limbo pinned the rabbit down with one hand and raised the dagger with the other after taking a deep breath he brought the blade through its neck Yoshi's stomach churned as blood dripped from the table forming a puddle around limbo's boots Sana looked away for the love of I'm gonna be sick limbo yanked the dagger out of the rabbit he turned to Professor Ember and Dr blimery his grip on the handle tightening there is that what you want thank you limbo you're welcome professor you are so welcome for mindlessly taking a life Dr blimery looked up anxiously from a stopwatch but he said nothing thank you limbo you're dismissed excuse me you're filtered from the program I'm filtered for what not killing a bunny with a smile on my face I'm filtered for showing even an ounce of empathy this rabbit isn't a traitor to the fukui Empire it's not a spy for the underground it's just a bunny Professor that's true it's just a bunny you can't filter him he did what you asked drop it Salem you know what I'm out I'm filtering myself from the program if this is what it means to be a guardian then I want no part of it you've been filtered a guardian is waiting in the common room to escort you home leave now limbo don't test me limbo tossed his dagger at the floor with a grunt trainees scuffled away as he stormed down the aisle leaving a trail of scarlet Footprints behind him please Professor one more word out of you and you'll leave with your brother when Salen opened his mouth to further protest limbo cut him off you heard her not another word he stopped at the door and looked back at his brother if this is your path then by all means follow it but it's not mine and with the slam of a door limbo was gone the dripping of blood from the table echoed in the silence three minutes limbo's filtration had proven that to pass the test they must not only complete the task but also remain calm while doing so yeah she held a blank expression as he removed the rabbit from his box and grabbed the dagger he brought the blade to the animal's neck but despite his determination his arm stopped against its will as though someone had snatched it just a bunny the bunny did nothing wrong struggling to make the kill Yoshi took a breather to observe the others he saw Pinto decapitate his rabbit and cringe his blood spilled over his palms next to him Val located her rabbit's heart and stabbed it quickly removing the blade with her Palms clean when quacks punctured his rabbit's stomach it struggled in pain but a few extra stabs finished the job two minutes if you completed the task wash your hands in the infirmary and enjoy a break before lunch Salem looked back he closed his eyes with an exhale before swiping the dagger from his table and impaling his rabbit behind him Sana set his bloody dagger on the table post-kill struggling to study his breaths the task had moved him but not strongly enough to fail the filtration one minute yo she stood tall knowing what he had to do I won't let a bunny stop me from winning with a firm push he brought the blade through the rabbit's neck and warm blood began to cover his hands like a pair of mittens foreign trainees including limbo had failed the restraint filtration due to losing control of their emotions or refusing to kill their rapid only seven trainees remained in the program and of those seven only five had the willpower to show up for lunch the dining hall felt emptier than ever Vel didn't bother testing Yoshi's Belladonna detection skills she took a few bites of her bread roll before leaning back watching raindrops race down the window it was storming outside the clouds darker than charcoal Yoshi nearly asked her if she was feeling okay when Pinto broke the silence look he's out there again the rain made it hard to see but in the distance the trainee was pushing a cart of wooden boxes across the field he's been slipping hasn't he it was only a matter of time teo's voice brought Yoshi's attention to the only other occupied table quacks we should talk to him at this rate he'll get himself filtered maybe it's better that way let's face it Senna doesn't like the program he never has without thinking Yoshi jumped to his feet and so when Val questioned him as he ran from the table but their voices muddled together and he didn't hear a word he bolted into the common room out the front door and around the building when he caught up to Sana in the field he dropped to one knee and dug into the wet dirt with his hands helping him deep in the grave Sana took the first box off the cart and removed the dead rabbit inside his face contorted as he began to cry and Yoshi bit his lip to keep on crying too not for the rabbits but for Sana he understood how awful it was to go down a rabbit hole asking questions no one else did feeling alone in perspective and thought you wouldn't wish that on anyone they packed the hole with cold rabbits blood covered their calloused Palms but it had to be done someone had to do the Dirty Work when they completed the burial their clothes were covered in mud they stared down at the heaping pile of dirt as rain washed the blood from their hands do you ever wonder if you'd be happier back home when Yoshi turned to face him he was almost certain he was staring into the eyes of a ghost after lunch Commander Roz called a gathering in the lobby to announce their updated living arrangements with only seven trainees remaining and 10 available quarters there was no need for roommates anymore Yoshi stood in the middle of his quarter his clothes still muddy and damp if you watched Pinto clear out his drawers and stack his fresh uniforms preparing to move into one of the empty rooms ever since dice ran off Indo had been drifting further and further away and Yoshi couldn't help but feel as though this was the grand finale and though stopped at the door and looked back are you okay I'm fine I felt bad for Sana that's all Enzo nodded before leaving their shared quarter for the last time Yoshi showered and changed into a fresh uniform when the bell rang for defense class he waited for the footsteps of his fellow trainees to disappear before entering the lobby he sat on a sofa plucked a pawn from a chessboard and rolled the wooden piece between his thumb and forefinger it was only a matter of time before the Guardians would trace the bands and Yoshi couldn't shake his paranoia about their potential connection to martu what could I possibly do it's not like I could leave the grounds to speak the father about this a corridor creaked open while she looked up at Val who seemed equally surprised to find him skipping class her eyes were red hi Yoshi raised his hand in a brief wave Val took a seat next to him he set the pawn down and when he faced her again she quickly wiped a tear from her cheek her hands trembled as she folded them in her lap I can't do this any longer Yoshi frowned what do you mean I'm filtering myself from the program Vel leaned forward using her hair to Shield her face I'm done hey I know that the bunny this isn't about that Yoshi there's a reason why I have so much knowledge about Belladonna you've read about it in books not just books without enough money for my mother's medicine my father and I took Desperate Measures Villa Donna only grows in a city Hospital's lab you can find it elsewhere if you know where to look or who to ask for a certain type there's an element of thrill to the plant's effects when I read about its medicinal benefits my father made some connections and bought a few potted plants from a drug dealer Vel traced a finger along the lines in her Palm as she recalled the memory while my father worked I skipped classes to stay home and take care of my mother I read every medical book I could get my hands on and started to experiment with the plant as you know even our skin absorbs the toxins it caused rashes at first but eventually nothing she finally faced him again I've been unintentionally building a tolerance all this time Phil why were you selected you can't repeat this to no one ever I promise Val nodded affirming that she believed him someone reported my father we never found out who it was selection season at the time so Dr blim was available to investigate he burst into our home unannounced and caught me with Belladonna berries in my hand he could have detained my father and I that day but when he saw my mother in bed he started to ask me questions about her condition then about Belladonna and general knowledge of Medicine it was like he was testing me he gave me this long stare and then he just left a few weeks later I was selected Dr blimery broke protocol and even vouched for my selection shouldn't have done that if anyone finds out it's game over Val's eyes widened before she buried her face in her hands muffling her voice I'm sorry I shouldn't have I shouldn't have said that yeah she wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer there was no hesitation unlike his choice to kill the rabbit he had done so without thinking and it shocked him how naturally he had chosen to support fell despite the treasonous information she'd revealed he could have easily turned on her and Dr blimery but the idea appeared only as a ridiculous afterthought it's okay I'm on your side all right Yoshi recognized that he and Val had both been paranoid and it was threatening their success in the program they were allowing fear to take over their choices filtering yourself isn't the answer well you've already made it this far without anyone finding out and I won't tell a soul not even Pinto is especially in that Pinto Yoshi closed his eyes bracing himself I have something to tell you too it's about ice and my father Belladonna book one Nightshade Academy written and narrated by Mel Tori 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 GW speeda azri theme song composed and produced by James Sinclair Stott starring Jason Brown Anthony Andreas echeveri Philip krainov Melissa white Alex Bowie Patrick verzbach Julia risto David John bores Connor Blanc Cody Keel Ellie Chua Ben Autry Walter Mack [Music] with us if it's really true that true that rules featuring the voices of Gwyneth Evans Jeff Rosenau Lucas Hensley Levi Titus Angie Eggers Willem dagar Allison Prophet Maria palmo Nightshade Academy is produced in association with Lost Island press