Dorin and Seb sat in the lecture room with the rest of the students as the judges went around to see the photos.
"What do you think will win 1st prize?" Dorin asked Seb.
[Hard to tell.] Seb answered, [We might have our favorites, but it would depend entirely on the judges' discretion.]
"But if you were to choose, which one would you pick?"
['Shadow lace', How about you?]
"I like that photo of the moving lights, I'd like to capture something like that soon..."
[Hmph. Something like that is already common here in the city. Shadow lace is more interesting. The composition is unique and the lighting was perfect.]
"I guess so... How about my work? What do you think about my brick oven?"
Seb looked at the picture, the flames dancing inside the oven, the steam from the newly baked bread. [It's good, looks fit for a bakery commercial.]
"Commercial?" Dorin looked at him, questioning.
"Oh, the judging has begun!"
(*▽*)☞ Don't forget to vote and follow!
The small group made it to the Magic Dorm's outer kitchen just before 5. The cook, Mrs. Cooper, let them in the cafeteria but was on the way out herself. "Professor Dupont," she greeted the teacher, "It's been a while since you came by." "Hello Mrs. Cooper!" replied Professor Dupont, "I just came from a class and heard that Dorin here is quite the cook, I decided to try some of it out myself." The cook laughed. "Well, if he could keep himself from blowing up my kitchen, I'd say he's quite the good cook!" Dorin looked embarrassed. "Get in the kitchen boy," she added, "you can start peeling the potatoes while I go out to buy something." [Perhaps I can be of assistance?] Seb showed her his slate. "Not unless you have some baking soda up your sleeves." Seb was silent for a while, then shook his head. [I can buy it for you] he writes. "No thanks. I know how high your 'service charge' is..." Mrs. Cooper waved him off.
The three finished the food and were served some apple crumble with custard for dessert. The canteen was full by then, and both Dorin and Johan had joined them by the counter. "How do you like the food?" Dorin asked the professor. "Very enjoyable!" replied Dupont. [I liked the roast, medium rare] wrote Seb. "The apple crumble was my favorite," said Mar. "Oh, that was Johan," said Dorin. Johan merely frowned at them and continued eating. "Don't tell Mrs. Cooper, but he's got this way of keeping the temperature of the old brick stove at a certain level..." "How did you find--" Johan blurted out, but cut off and returned to frowning at his plate. "Don't worry, I don't plan to rat on you," said Dorin defensively, "I'm just amazed at the kind of control you have on the fire, back at home, I had to bind a spell on our brick oven to keep the temperature level and to time my cooking the way the cookbooks asked for," he added, "
PreparationsIn the end, Professor Dupont decided to walk Margarette half way to the Military Department. She was against it at first, but the good natured professor convinced her that he had been planning to drop by the Science and Technology Department to visit Professor Newton. Johan simply waved as they parted, while Dorin accompanied Sebastian to see his aunt Althea in the Infirmary."Well, the arm seems to be healing nicely, nothing to worry about there." Althea said after checking up on Sebastian. "The burns might take a while to fade though."She took some patches and placed it on top of the burnt wounds after applying some ointment on it, then wound bandages around his arm. "No need for a sling, just keep it clean and dry."[Thank you professor Althea.] wrote Seb, inspecting his right arm."And as for you..." she said, addressing Dorin, "Here's the other charm I told you about." She handed him another translu
"Rise." Dorin said under his breath. The ground before them rumbled and jutted out, breaking the concrete walkway, before it rose to make an alcove, 6 feet high, covering the 2 from the advancing flames. "Earth magic..." Seb thought to himself, looking at Dorin. He pulled out another bottle and hurled it at the 3 attackers. The glass hit one of them, shattering, and enveloping one of the weapon bearers in a thick layer of crystal. "That's one down..." he pulled out yet another bottle, but before he could fling it, Dorin raised his arm once more. The ground spiked out and rushed towards the captured attackers crushing the crystal into pieces. Blood splattered on the earthen alcove covering them. The other two ran in opposite directions, but the spikes split as well and went after them. One climbed up a tall tree which shook as the spikes nearly lifted it out of the ground. The other one ran some distance before facing the spikes and driving hi
The mage defended with his staff as his golems crawled back to him, their legs and arms crumbling from the blasts of lightning overhead. "You..." said the mage with gritted teeth, "Who are you? Where are you from?!" Dorin flew back up as the golems near their master. "How could a powerful elementer be unnoticed all these years?!" he asked. "I'm not an elementer," Dorin simply said. "I just study hard." Water bubbled from beneath the mage's feet which made him jump. "I just use what is already there." Dorin snapped. Lightning crashed from the heavens and travelled through the wet ground. The mage was trapped in a cage of electric volts, connecting the ground to the sky, but the golems jumped at the cage, covering their master and smashing themselves at the process. Without warning, the Hawthorn mage hurled the top of his staff at Dorin. The concealed blade within it struck Dorin's shoulder, sending a bolt of dark energy through the young man's body. Do
"Damn that beast man! Damien! Lift your spell!" Yelled Major General Marcus Muller to the trees in general. "What is going on in there?" The path that connected the East Dormitory to the Magic Division's Infirmary had been ruined. It looked like a bulldozer went through the area and tried to dig a pool in the middle of it." "Isn't the Chancellor here yet?" asked a black skinned professor wearing a pair of silver spectacles. "Not yet, Professor Morell, they were in a late meeting with the rest of the University heads..." another professor answered, this one an elderly woman with lilac hair. "Does anyone have any idea who the people in the woods are?" Professor Althea asked the rest of her colleagues. She has a bad feeling about the situation. "Are there students missing from the dormitories?" Something tells her she knew the answer to her own question. "From the magic division's East Dorm, there are still quite a number of students who
- 24 -Out in the woods, deep in the forest, where the trees get so dense that the undergrowth has never been touched by the rays of the sun, there, beneath the roots of an ancient oak tree, lies a mound covered by a thick layer of dried leaves. Hidden among the ancient roots is a small opening. At first glance, one might think it’s just a small burrow, a lair where bears spend their winter, but looks can be deceiving, particularly when enchantment is at work.Damien Wolfsbane entered the burrow. At his height, you would expect him to bow down, but instead, anyone who had seen would say that the cave opening stretched up to let him in.He stepped into a spacious cavern, its entrance illuminated by countless flames floating in midair. There are several pathways in front of him. He took the third one to the left and entered an area with a hearth burning in a corner, inside was the centaur, putting away some bowls. He turned to
- 25 - Dorin woke up and stretched one arm, then the other. He slid back on the soft furs and nuzzled the warm body beside him. The scent was familiar, nostalgic. He placed an arm over it and got a moan. A painful moan. He looked up, still half asleep, and strained through sleepy eyes at the curled up figure beside him. Short black hair and very pale skin."When did mother get a hair cut?" he thought sleepily, before noticing that the body was smaller. He sat up, looking closer at the sleeping person beside him. The sleek black hair was loose, it covered half of the face, but it was certainly Sebastian sleeping beside him.Remembering what happened the previous night, Dorin quickly pulled his arm away from Seb's hip.He looked at the boy’s body, but could find no wound or swelling. The supple skin was smooth and flawless; no sign of injury what so ever. He turned him over, spreading his arms to check fo