"What about the MRE scores? ", inquired the Dean from across his desk.
�
"Acceptable.", responded Zen. "I checked with the MRE Advisory Staff Director, Dr. Pearl. As far that particular score is concerned, she belongs here.", answered Zen standing firm to direction.
Dean looked Zen straight in the eyes, "Do YOU believe she belongs here?"
�
"I can't answer that."
�
"Why not, Zen?"
�
"I don't have enough valid observations to stake her career on. It is simply too early to tell."
�
"But her test scores, " the Dean held up a piece of paper. "These test scores certainly do NOT reflect one with a record MRE score! They are...are AVERAGE!"
�
Zen paused and thought for a second, "Maybe she's withholding her full potential..."
�
"If that is the case, then she is making a mockery of my university! When The Great Walk comes, we can't have any mages unsuited for the task. We should expel her without delay!"
�
"That is assuming your hypothesis is correct. If you are wrong, and then make The Great Walk, the people will not trust you."
�
The Dean leaned back in his chair in thought. Zen stood attentively. After a pause the Dean said, "A test. We need a test to determine her magic intelligence."
�
"That seems logical. What are you suggesting?"
�
The Dean leaned forward and said quietly, "I have....a beast in my favorite garden...."
�
"Yes...I am familiar with it."
�
"Have Christine dispose of it. If she can kill the beast, she stays."
�
"And if she can't?"
�
"Our problem is eliminated either way."
�
Zen turned to leave the office and paused for a moment as if he was going to respond to that last comment.
�
"Don't....Zen. Don't. Just do what I tell you."
�
"Yes, sir."
�
Bat was flapping outside the office waiting for Zen to come out. "Well, what are you going to do?"
�
"What I have to do."
�
Bat sighed.
�
In the meantime, Christine was asleep in the pursuits of hidden desires found only in dreams. The best kind of dreams that hit a person when he or she is most ready to wake up. And the subject matter was none other than the one person she had hidden in her subconscious the most.
"But Zen. I can't cut it here. This place is too big for me!"
�
Zen placed a warm hand over Christine's. "I believe in you. You're doing your best.",
�
Christine took her hand away. "No, I'm alone....and I don't mind it. You can't help me!"
�
"But you want me to help you.", Zen leaned in closer. "You want someone to understand...", Zen's cheek touched Christine's. It was fuzzy.
�
"When did you grow a beard?"
�
"I know what you want Christine. You can't deny anything in your dreams. You want me to MEEP YOU!!!"
�
"WHAT?!!!!"
�
"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! VAAAA-VOOOOOOOOM!"
�
Christine suddenly awoke from her dream. Upon opening her eyes, she noticed a blue piece of fluff in front of her face with eyes gazing directly into hers.
�
"MEEEEEEEEEP!!!! VA- VOOOOOOOM!", it noised in a high pitch.
�
Upon that moment there was a scream which nearly shook the dormitory off its foundations! "Bap!!! BAP!!!! There's a blue...THING on top of me!!! BAP!!!!"
�
"Uhhh...what?", moaned Bap from the lower bunk. "*YAWN* Oh, it's just blue."
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"I can see that!!"
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Bap leaned up over Christine's bunk. "No. No. Blue's his NAME! Come here Blue!", the blue fuzzball meeped cutely and jumped into Bap's arms. "Good boy! Now, don't you bother Christine while she's sleeping!"
�
"It's your...pet?"
�
"Well, sort of.", Bap fiddled under her bed looking for something. She pulled out a queer looking short staff with a pom-pom crammed on the end of it. "What do you think? Pretty neat, huh?"
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"Uhhh...it's interesting..."
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"INTERESTING?!! This is the coolest staff in the world!!"
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"Oh it's a STAFF!", thought Christine to herself with a chuckle.
�
"It has just one small flaw...", Bap nuzzled the blue puffball. "It can only summon these weird puff ball creatures."
�
"Maybe summon is the wrong word.", Christine cutely poked Blue and it let out a playful meep. "I've never seen anything like it!"
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"Isn't just the most precious, cutesy, loveable, ubbi-doobie-ubbi-doobie...", Bap went off into some unintelligible baby talk while snuggling Blue.
�
Christine sat up and stretched. She had been awake long enough now to just get up and be done with it. "If you can only cast one small spell, why keep the staff?" Christine jumped off the bed, grabbed a brush and started brushing her hair towards a mirror on the wall.
�
"Christine!!! This staff is ME! Sure it may have a few flaws, but I could never use another staff. It just wouldn't be the same! It wouldn't be me!"
�
Christine continued to brush her hair. "I suppose I can understand that." Christine suddenly noticed through the mirror that Zen was standing in the doorway. That's odd, she didn't even hear it open.
�
Christine turned around but Bap hadn't noticed yet. "AND it's like ZEN would say," Bap stood up stiff and straight like an army cadet and lowered her voice imitating Zen. "Make your staff a reflection of yourself!!!"
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"Umm...Bap...",Christine pointed to the doorway where Zen was standing. "Behind you."
�
Bap turned around upon seeing Zen immediately fell to her knees as though he were Althena herself. "ZENNNN!!! What are you doing here?!!!.....Dorm inspection? Right? RIGHT?!! See? Our room's nice and clean!!! You find it acceptable, right?", Bap bowed up and down on her knees like a tribal worshiper. "Sir. Advisor. Leader. King!!!" Christine was thoroughly embarrassed.
�
*Click to view.*
Zen was likewise embarrassed. "Um.....rise." Bap rose. "I'm here to talk with Christine."
�
Bap nudged Zen. "Right! I gotcha!" Christine turned a deep red. "We'll swap gossip stories sometime Zen. I've got some doozies for you!" Zen passed an annoyed glance at Bap. "....then again...maybe I'll just grab my clothes and go change in the women's bathroom." Bap hastily grabbed her things. "I...needed a shower anyway." Bap ran out of the room.
�
"Wait outside.", said Christine in Zen's direction.
�
Zen was confused. Her giving commands to HIM?! Christine started again, " You DO intend to let me change clothes? Please. Wait outside."
�
"Be hasty." Zen waited outside the door which promptly closed behind him.
Minutes later upon Christine's exit from the room, Zen outlined everything. He explained that he required Christine's assistance to take care of a beast within the Dean's garden.
�
"Why me?!!"
�
"Special requests from the Dean look good on your record. He is showing benevolence for your high MRE scores. You feel unworthy of the task?"
Christine didn't want to let Zen down. "Not after he had helped me before..." she thought to herself. In reality, she wanted to make a good impression on the one she had a crush on. "Refusing this date might make Zen think I don't like him....", she pondered.
�
"Well?"
�
"SURE!"
�
"Then it's settled. Check out the appropriate camping supplies and meet me at the gate. 2 hours. Don't be late."
�
"Yes, sir." Once Zen had walked out of sight, Christine jumped for joy! "Camping?! And we'll get to go camping? This MUST be a date!" Christine spent the next two hours getting everything together, but by the time she was ready she only had 5 minutes to get to the gate. "Drat. Don't have time to tell Bap. I'll leave a note." Christine left a note on Bap's bunk saying, "Going out with Zen, be back tomorrow! -Christine"
�
Christine found Zen waiting for her at the front gate. Without a word she followed his quick step out of The Academy. They walked along the dirt path in silence, until they came to a forest. Christine followed Zen into the forest, but only briefly when he stopped. "Here is where we teleport to the garden."
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"But I don't see any circles of transport."
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Zen put his hands together in a praying stance and a teleporter materialized next to a tree.
"You have seen this before."
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"Yes....YES! This is like the teleporter I used to first get to The Academy!"
�
"Yes.", Zen began to input some data in the terminal next to the pad. "There are many teleporters scattered throughout the Blue Star, but only I have access to them. Without my verifying hand-print, you would not have been able to transport here."
�
"No one else has access? Not even the Dean?"
�
"That is correct. Without me, he can not operate the pads, although he is currently close to extracting a "key" for himself through my DNA."
�
"And then he won't need you anymore?" Zen looked annoyed. "...to access the teleporters, I mean." Zen's face went complacent again.
�
Zen continued to punch various colored buttons. Christine started walking past the teleporter to look into the depth of the forest. "I wouldn't do that.", said Zen.
�
Christine immediately smacked into a flat surface and fell backwards....but there was nothing in front of her. She got up and examined the situation again. "That's right. ", said Zen looking up. "It's a forcefield."
�
"Did The Academy make it?"
�
"No. It is speculated to be an ancient gift of Althena. For what purpose, I do not know."
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"What gift blocks you off from your own world?", asked a puzzled Christine feeling the flatness of the invisible barrier.
�
"These teleporters lead to various areas around the Blue Star. I have visited many different lands, and conversed with many different people. The forcefields keep the people from interacting, so every land I visit has a different society structure. One day, the mages of Vane will head out across the Blue Star through these transporters and attempt to lead each society towards a global unity. This is called The Great Walk." Zen finished inputting the rest of the code and stepped upon the pad. "Come. It's ready."
Christine stepped on the pad and immediately both mages were transported to a different spot. Although, it looked exactly the same to Christine. "Did we...move?"
�
"Yes. This is the garden of the Dean. It is part forest. The Dean loves greenery."
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"That's some garden!"
"The Dean claimed this section for his very own. Only he is allowed within it. I am also allowed within it, but I have little time to relax in a garden. My studies consume my time. However, you will certainly find The Garden quite beautiful." And Zen was right. As they walked, violets were abundant and beautiful white flowers hung from vines in the trees. Yes, it was a forest, but a truly beautiful one.
�
Eventually, Zen and Christine exited the forest and stopped about half a mile outside of it close to an isolated tree. "This is a good spot to wait." Zen proceeded to take off his pack.
"We'll set up camp here and wait
for the beast to come to us." Zen agreed to set up the tent to give Christine
a chance to explore the area. Although, he cautioned her to take her staff,
just in case. Christine must have walked the rest of the day. She was taken in
by the vastness of beauty around her. The solid blue skies with birds flocking
overhead, beautiful streams, and open meadows