They followed Master Nimikel in a disorganized crowd, going deeper into the sparse forest. Their path lay towards a clearing, spacious enough to accommodate them all. In the middle of it was a mossy stone boulder with a flat top; about twenty more smaller boulders surrounded it in a semicircle. Not enough for everyone to sit down, but this was not a problem: the yusmes and the drowes preferred to hide in the shade of the spreading trees growing at the edge of the clearing; others comfortably settled right on the grass behind the sitting ones, thus hiding from the watchful eye of the teacher. After some thought, Tim settled on the right edge, where flowers resembling pansies peeked out from the thick grass. Their color was, however, slightly different, and they smelled unusual.

  Next to him was the freckled boy who had been sitting at a nearby table in the dining room yesterday. The perfect occasion to know who he is!

  "Hello! What country are you from?" Tim started and stopped when he looked at the boy's hands.

  His palms were four-fingered.

  "From Khidoki. And you?"

  "I'm an earthling."

  "Not one of us, Lycoses, then. It is a pity. Guess you can't turn, either."

  "In what way?"

  "It's very simple: you just have to wish for it in your mind. I, for example, can turn into a kangur (an animal by description is closest to terrestrial leopard). And Meikli," he pointed at the freckled girl on the other side of the clearing, "can become a birigog (a strange animal looking like a giant newt)."

  Werewolves! In the books Tim read and the movies he saw, meeting with werewolves often ended in tragedy. But there were exceptions, and sometimes the ability to transform was even saved in difficult situations. Probably, it depends on the specific personality and the motivating reasons. Tim looked at the boy questioningly, but the boy interpreted his look in his own way.

  "Only don't ask me to show you how it works. It’s not as simple as you may think."

  He didn't have time to tell more: Master Nimikel took the floor and the noise around quickly died down.

  "I see you took your wands and grimoires with you," she nodded approvingly as she looked around at the students. "Very good. But in druidism studying primarily you will need the ability named Living Nature Sympathy. One who possesses it can feel the pulse of life around him - to understand what the wiiks are singing about, where and why the swift-footed olcunts rushed, and whether or not seed of the yearrax thrown into the ground will sprout. The gift of Sympathy is inherent in most of my compatriots - the elves, but let the rest not despair: love for nature will help you to develop it, to understand how the world around us is arranged, feel yourself a part of it. It is enough just to get out of the stone walls and enjoy communication with plants and animals. Or meditate, not only replenishing mana reserves, but also developing Sympathy. The local forest is vast enough for anyone to find a place in it."

  The question immediately followed: how far does it extend and what is there, beyond the mountains.

  "Quite far. It takes at least a day's journey to get to its far ends, since there is no direct road there, only roundabout paths. In some places, there are completely impassable thickets. Rocks surround it on all sides, protecting it from the outside world, where there are very dangerous creatures which a novice magician cannot cope with. But here, inside the stone ring, there are none. At one time, the druids cleared the plateau of predatory animals, poisonous insects and carnivorous plants. The only thing you should be seriously afraid of is not having time to return home before sunset. Therefore, if you feel that you accidentally got lost, try to find a hill or climb a tree. The mountain inside which our school is located is the highest in the area, you can't go wrong."

  Judging by the expressions on students' faces, the prospect of spending the night in the forest didn't particularly upset anyone. If there is no danger, then what the problem is? You could even have a picnic - especially if ghosts weren't hanging around here. At least, Tim hadn't noticed a single one during his entire time outside the stone walls.

  "Do you want to check if you have the ability to Sympathy?" Master Nimikel suddenly asked.

  "How?" Gook-Luk, another peirot girl, turned out to be the most impatient. Master Aerg would probably have given a edifying lecture in a situation like this about how badly those students behave who dare to interrupt teachers, and how it could all end. But the elf teacher only smiled in response.

  "You'll see now!"

  And almost at the same moment, a yellow-furred animal with a long fluffy tail jumped down from the lower branch of one of the trees. It resembled a terrestrial squirrel, but a little larger, about the size of a cat.

  "This is a paamph. Now I will mentally ask it to go around everyone in turn, and let each of you carefully touch it. From the animal's reaction, you will see how strong your craving for living nature is."

  Master Nimikel fell silent, closing her eyes, and silence reigned in the clearing. The little animal, rising on its hind legs, listened attentively to something that only it could hear, and then, comically waddling as it ran, rushed towards the students sitting on the right edge. Therefore, Tim was one of the first to appreciate the softness and velvetiness of its fur. Tim did this carefully, not wanting to be too rude. In response, the little animal sniffed his palm and hurried on - to get acquainted with the other students. In most cases, the acquaintance looked similar, but sometimes the paamph lingered longer, even jumping on the shoulder, and in other cases, after touching, it immediately ran away. You don't need to be a great seer to figure out who will have problems with mastering druidism. In general, the animal is cool, Tim would not mind having one as a pet. It is interesting what it eats and whether it can be tamed? Most likely yes, but it will take some effort: he isn’t an elf and doesn’t have any experience in it; at home on Earth there weren’t any pets besides aquarium fish.

  "Ow! Damn it, it bit me!" the scream of one of the drow girls distracted him from his thoughts. Tim only managed to notice how the frightened little animal quickly ran away, hiding in the thickets.

  "Unfortunately, it was your own fault," Master Nimikel said sadly. - You shouldn't have taken the paamph into your hands against his will, especially so rudely. Calm down, there is no poison in his teeth. Put your bitten palm on the grass, and I will cast Natural Healing."

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  The drow, who found herself in the center of attention, had no choice but to obey. Under the spell, the wound healed almost instantly, and soon only a barely noticeable scar remained about the incident.

  "Drow should not be allowed anywhere near animals. Teaching them Green Magic is like casting pearls before swine," the elf sitting in front of Tim said indignantly. And although he said it quietly, addressing his neighbor, the teacher still heard him.

  "Love for nature lives in the heart of each of us, but there are not always conditions for its awakening. I hope that staying at our school will help with this. After all, we are all an integral part of the world around us, and no person can develop harmoniously in isolation from it. Moreover, there are places, being in which can heal mental and physical wounds, similar to the magic I used. Animals are able to instinctively find them and come there when they are sick or wounded. There are several such places here on the plateau. One of them is the clearing where we are now. As for the rest, I think you can find them yourself, when you gain a little experience."

  "It's very simple: you just need to follow where the elves go," Mez'A'Shib, who was nearby, whispered mockingly. Tim didn't notice how he appeared; he wasn't there a minute ago. It was not for nothing, then, that he boasted of his ability to move silently; during the night walk, if not for Fingor, they would have passed by and not noticed him.

  "You're really good at moving completely unnoticed."

  "A very valuable skill in our world - if you don't want to bend your back in front of everyone who is stronger than you or higher in rank. And isn't it like that in your world?"

  "Partly yes," Tim answered after thinking.

  "So you'd have to have some knowledge of Twilight magic, too. Too bad it doesn't work on ghosts, only on those with eyes. Are we going tonight? I've got something for the kobold!"

  And Mez’A’Shib secretly demonstrated a blue cube clenched in his fist.

  "Cool! We only came across balls and tetrahedrons. If it's no secret, where did you find it?"

  "Where it was, it's not there anymore. Just kidding. I moved aside one of the stones near the obelisk. If you dig deep enough, you'll probably find more! Too bad, the place is crowded, you had to be careful."

  "And if you lift the obelisk, there'd probably be a whole bunch of these crystals under it."

  "Why waste time on trifles, it's easier to search the dwarves' storeroom," the drow appreciated the humor. "That's where the gold mine is! Our dwarves drag in their pantries all that isn’t nailed down. It is unlikely that the local beard-faces changed their habits!"

  The mention of dwarves brought to mind another, less pleasant thing - after class, the five of them would go to Rugud. Moreover, the teacher had already glanced in their direction twice, so they had to end this conversation, otherwise next time it would be a reprimand.

  "All right, when it gets dark, knock on the thirtieth."

  "Agreed," and when Tim looked back again, Mez'A'Shib was no longer there.

  Meanwhile, Master Nimikel decided that theory was enough, it was time to move on to practice.

  "And now, guided by the wise saying that it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times, I will demonstrate to you the effect of the spell Triumph of Life."

  From the folds of her dress, she took out a small box, inside which were pale pink oblong seeds the size of a small bean.

  "This is ultia, one of the fastest growing plants in this world. In just one day, it can rise from the ground by a whole elbow! But even this speed is far from optimal for us. Therefore, I will use the mentioned spell - you will see how it works."

  She bent down, stuck one of the seeds into the ground and, saying “olpikki dunt immier”, touched the spot with her wand. A second later, a sprout emerged, soon growing almost as tall as a man. And if the Master had not cancelled her own spell, saying “leefor stoleng”, it would probably have risen above the crowns of the trees surrounding the clearing.

  "Impressive? The most powerful druids are able to create a blooming oasis even in the middle of a barren desert! If anyone wishes to master this spell, they can take a few ultia seeds and practice in their free time."

  There were so many people who wanted to take them that the contents of the box were barely enough for everyone. Tim decided not to be greedy and took only three pieces for himself – enough for a start. That was the end of their class – the teacher wished them success and disappeared in a blinding flash of instant teleportation.

  "What textbooks will we need?" one of the elves belatedly interested in. But his mates advised him to chill a little: don’t stick your head out, they’ll inform us when needed.

  People began to wander off one by one or in small groups - some to look for crystals, some to experiment with seeds or just to take a walk around the area. Tim would have been happy to join the latter, but alas - first they would have to pay a visit to the storehouse manager. And it would be better not to put it off .

  Rugud met them at the threshold with a gloomy face. Probably he expected a dirty trick from their company.

  "I… about my punishment...," the gorgon babbled.

  "Let’s check it," with an air of importance the dwarf got from his pocket the notebook with shabby pages. "The student Chilajt? Yes, she is on my list. Sixteen hours? Quite a lot! Pulsok’s head was knocked by your brick, eh? Well, it’s not my business. But what did the others come here for?"

  "We are her friends. We'd like to ask you to cancel her punishment."

  "Why would I do that?"

  "She found herself in a situation where she had to use magic. But only for protective purposes!"

  "Wizards' affairs are none of my business," Rugud brushed it off. "I do not assign punishments or cancel them, I only ensure that they are carried out in a timely and accurate manner. However, it seems that you declared yourself to be friends of this young lady? A wonderful opportunity to test how strong your friendship is."

  "In what way?" the students looked at each other in bewilderment.

  "Very simple. In order to work sixteen hours, she will have to come here several times - it is forbidden to work more than four hours a day. However, if you all take on the task together, you will manage to do it this evening. Of course, no one is forcing you," the dwarf added with a sly smile.

  "But what will we have to do?"

  "Follow me and you'll see!"

  Through an inconspicuous door on the side of one of the shelves they entered a semi-dark corridor that led them to the kitchen. Or rather, the section where the washing up is done. Piles of dirty dishes on the tables, several sinks and a box with simple cleaning products like soda and liquid soap - it is not hard to guess what they will have to do.

  "As you can see, the magic that creates food was invented, but the magic that allows you to clean the dishes after eating turned out to be more difficult," Rugud dispelled the remaining doubts. "So someone needs to do it. And in this case, it is you! Wash all the dishes, and you are free. Kruda!"

  An elderly dwarf woman in a worn apron appeared from one of the neighboring compartments.

  "Here are your assistants for this evening. Their task is to make sure that not a single dirty plate or spoon is left here! Monitor the process, if they need anything, give it to them. When it's ready, report back!"

  And with a sense of dignity, he left.

  They had to roll up their sleeves, put aside their wands, grimoires and textbooks, and take in hand sponges and soap. Some of them had to do this for the first time in their lives, but Tim already had experience – from the same time when he began to make his bed. Kruda helped them as best she could, not only with advice, but also by folding and taking away clean dishes. And sometimes by telling funny stories about school life. From them, among other things, Tim learned why it is unreasonable to tell the ghosts to go to hell or intentionally ignore them: they possess the magic of subordination (and the sensations when using it are not the most pleasant). She didn’t tell much about the teachers, saying – you’ll see everything for yourself and form your own opinion. And she couldn’t say anything about what the school Principal was like.

  "He never dropped in on us. And why would he? He has everything he needs, and if he needs anything else, Pulsok will take care of it."