[app] for Babylon Wood
The Player
User Name/Nick: Heather
User LJ: calluna
AIM/IM: thefirstnotes
E-mail: heather.roleplays[@]gmail.com
Other Characters: Fletcher Hadley
The Character
Character Name: David Stutler
Character Journal: merlinianblood
Canon: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Age: 22
From When?: Approximately 2 years post-canon. Dave is about to graduate college and enter the world as a full-time, mostly-trained sorcerer. Little does he know, this also means his mentor-slash-master Balthazar, like a momma bird, is going to push him from the nest and stop helping him. Little do either of them know, this is happening at the worst possible time: Horvath, the evil Morganian sorcerer that Dave thought he defeated 2 years ago, is ready to return.
Abilities/Powers:
MAGICAL
Dave is a sorcerer. The sorcerers in his world can perform magic through the manipulation of matter down to the atomic level; they do this by channeling energy into their bodies from the world around them. A short list of Dave’s powers includes:
- Temporal manipulation: Dave can speed time up and slow it down. He can’t, however, time travel.
- Levitation
- Elemental manipulation: Fire, air, water, earth, light, plasma, the chemical elements, etc.
- Bewitchment: He can bewitch inanimate objects to do his bidding. You know that scene where Mickey nearly drowns after the mops go crazy on him? Yeah.
- Object manipulation: Some people would call this “telekinesis.” Dave does not.
- Physical manipulation: Dave can change his physical appearance, as well as the physical appearance of others, if he so wishes. This is a complicated and draining thing to do, though, and he’s not yet mastered this ability.
- Spiritual possession/soul fusion: This is frowned upon, usually. There have been times in history where one sorcerer drew the soul of another into his body, for some reason or another-Dave learned how to do this, but he was explicitly told NEVER to use it.
- LOTS OF OTHER STUFF.
Sorcery in Dave’s world is more focused on creativity than on learning spells. Spells do exist, but Balthazar taught Dave to work with his own imagination rather than wasting time memorizing and practicing things that might not come in handy. That said, if Dave can figure out a way to do do something, it’ll probably happen.
PHYSICAL/MENTAL
Dave doesn’t have many physical abilities; he’s a scrawny little twig of a human being, more threatening in intelligence than anything else. To put it simply, Dave is a bit of a genius when it comes to physics; Balthazar attributed this to the fact that Dave is a sorcerer, which is probably true, as sorcerers are born with an innate understanding of the laws of physics-even the ones that haven’t yet been discovered. He’s also very good at building things: his underground lab is full of homemade Tesla coils that Dave once programmed to zap in tune with music.
If needed, Dave could probably punch someone in the face, but he’d probably break a knuckle.
Power Limitations: Dave’s magic won’t have any effect on the Wood’s magic. He can still do all the things listed above, but if he tries to do anything to the magical elements of the Wood, nothing will happen. He can’t change the Wood’s reality, or any of the magic the Wood brings into itself.
Inventory
- 1 pair of leather shoes that look way too old for anyone Dave’s age to own
- 1 pair of black socks
- 1 pair of blue and white striped boxers
- 1 pair of dark blue jeans
- 1 white undershirt
- 1 red American Eagle t-shirt
- 1 gray NYU hoodie
- 1 black coat
- 1 ‘Wealthy Star’ Swatch watch
- 1 wallet, containing:
-NYU student ID
-$30.78 in various bills and change
-MTA MetroCard
-NY drivers’ license
-Visa card
-Bank of America debit card
-Photo of him & Becky, taken in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in 2011
- 1 white iPhone
- 1 dragon-shaped ring, kept on a clasp-less sterling silver chain around his neck
- 1 pair aviator sunglasses, kept in his inner coat pocket
Personality: Dave, in essence, is a socially awkward bag of nerdbits who just happens to have something epically awesome going for him. This does not mean he’s ready to start calling himself Captain Awesomepants or anything like that; Dave is still very much a victim of his past, and he has trouble letting go of that, no matter how much Balthazar tries to push it out of him. Though he went to therapy as a child, he never really got over the humiliation he faced that day at Arcana Cabana (see history) and his subsequent nervous breakdown. This is what happens when an entire metropolis thinks you’ve gone mad. This is also what happens when, ten years later, all that therapy is voided by the realization that you’re not.
He’s prone to strong bouts of self-doubt and shyness, especially when facing something bigger than him (either physically or metaphorically so). Dave has never considered himself an especially strong person in any way aside from his intelligence, and he still doesn’t; he knows what he’s capable of and, over the years, has built up stronger defenses, but he’s easily overwhelmed by things that fall outside the realm of academia. There are still times where he lies awake in bed at night, wondering if he’ll wake up the next day and not have any powers, and everyone will think he’s crazy all over again.
He most often tries to compensate for all his negative traits through self-deprecating humor. He’s completely aware of his own awkwardness, and he sometimes tries to use that to his advantage, though it doesn’t always work. He’s also been known to do the occasional Stupid Thing as well, mostly to prove to himself that he’s not that abnormal-like the time he went to a frat party and got more than a little tipsy and accidentally turned the boar head mounted on the wall back into a real boar-only to have Balthazar sit back and say, “I told you so.” Dave’s been labeled “different” his whole life; even though he knows it’s completely true, a small part of him wishes he wasn’t. The thing he most dislikes about being the Prime Merlinian is the amount of responsibility resting on his shoulders; he already saved the world once and he knows he’ll probably have to do it again. That’s a lot for a 22-year-old to think about.
In spite of all these not-great things, Dave does have some positive attributes going for him. His occasional stupidity, while responsible for most of his near-death experiences, is also responsible for his most heroic acts. Dave is pretty selfless in the face of danger, more worried about protecting others than protecting himself. In that way, he has grown since becoming a sorcerer; he started off worried that he would die. Now, he’s more worried that he won’t be able to save everyone else. He’s also extremely loyal and dedicated. Even though he didn’t want this “job” in the first place, he’s since grown to realize that he is, in fact, the ONLY person on the planet who can do it. And that’s kind of cool.
Making friends isn’t difficult for him, but it’s not something he actively does. He’s a bit of a loner, and the people he tends to attract are those who want to change that. His best friend and roommate, Bennett, likes lecturing him about wolves and packs and things. Dave doesn’t always pay attention.
His biggest fear is losing his power. Dave would not be able to Deal With It if he ever lost his magic, because his brain would immediately switch from “hey maybe I can be awesome” to “ALL I’M GOOD FOR IS BUILDING TESLA COILS.”
History:
740 AD: One of Merlin’s apprentices, Maxim Horvath, joined forces with the evil sorceress Morgana le Fay. Together, they mortally wounded Merlin and stole a page out of his book of spells-the page for a spell called “The Rising,” which raises people from the dead. Merlin’s other two apprentices, Balthazar Blake and Veronica Gorloisen, showed up just in time to catch Balthazar and Morgana in the act, and a battle ensued. Veronica saved Balthazar’s life by pulling Morgana’s soul into her own body, and Balthazar saved Veronica’s life by trapping her and Morgana’s soul inside a nesting doll-shaped prison called the Grimhold.
Moments before dying, Merlin gave Balthazar his ring and instructed him to find the Prime Merlinian-his blood successor-with it. Balthazar made this his life’s quest and throughout history, while seeking the Prime Merlinian, he continued to trap evil Morganian sorcerers within the Grimhold’s layers.
2000 AD: While on a field trip with his 4th grade class, 10-year-old David Stutler gave Becky Barnes a note. It read: “CHECK ONE: [ ] FRIEND [ ] GIRLFRIEND.” She chose, but when Dave went to retrieve the note, a strong gust of wind blew it away. He chased it through the streets of New York City and eventually into a strange antiques shop called Arcana Cabana. The shop’s owner, Balthazar Blake, decided to test Merlin’s dragon ring on Dave’s finger. The moment it came alive and settled down on the young boy’s digit, Balthazar knew he found the Prime Merlinian.
Dave, who did not seem to know the meaning of the words “don’t touch anything” did just that and accidentally released Horvath from the Grimhold. Yet another battle ensued and Dave scrambled for cover as the two fought and eventually trapped themselves in a magical urn; during the mayhem, something wet spilled on Dave’s pants. When he left the shop and found his teacher, he frantically tried to explain what happened, but when his teacher went to inspect the inside of the shop, it looked as perfect as it did when Dave first entered. One of his classmates then realized Dave’s pants were wet, and that was that. He tossed away the Grimhold, was forced into therapy by his parents, and eventually had to transfer to a different school. “Pulling a Dave Stutler” became the new way of explaining nervous breakdowns.
2010 AD: The urn that trapped Horvath and Balthazar had a 10-year-long spell on it; with the 10 years up, both sorcerers escaped and went to look for the same person: Dave. Dave, meanwhile, was preoccupied with trying to woo Becky all over again, as they were reacquainted in a physics class Dave was TA’ing in.
Unfortunately, Horvath found Dave before Balthazar did. He narrowly escaped death when Balthazar swooped in on a steel eagle and rescued him; he then explained to Dave, once again, what his powers meant and what he had to do with them. Dave initially refused to help, but they struck a deal: as soon as they found the Grimhold, Dave could give up the ring and his powers and go back to his life. After defeating one of the sorcerers released from the Grimhold, however, Dave realized that he enjoyed having those powers and he agreed to become Balthazar’s apprentice.
While Dave and Balthazar trained, Horvath enlisted the help of Drake Stone, a sorcerer known for his stage magic. Together, they stole the Grimhold and set out to release Morgana. Dave didn’t know exactly what he was up against until Horvath told him the truth-that he was the “Prime Merlinian.” Once Balthazar explained what that entailed, Dave gave up again, convinced that he would fail to kill Morgana and stop her from completing the Rising. When Balthazar set off to fight her on his own, Dave dove back in, determined to save his master (and the rest of the world). With the help of Becky, Bennett, a little science, and a lot of magic, he did it. Morgana was killed, Veronica was saved, and though Balthazar nearly died, Dave saved him by jump starting his heart. Shortly after, Dave discovered Horvath’s hat on the ground, but no one knew where Horvath was.
2012 AD: Dave is ready to graduate magna cum laude in the Spring.
Horvath, who has been assembling a group of Morganians in London, is ready to show up at Dave’s graduation.
First Person Sample: So, hi.
This is weird. Um. What am I supposed to say?
Hi. My name is Dave, and I’m a really freaked-out sorcerer who doesn’t belong here.
[Mimicking a response:] Hi, Dave!
…okay, no. This is the part where I wake up, right?
Balthazar...?
Prose Sample: In the darkness, Dave shivers.
"Really, man? Is this necessary? I'm already freaked out. The fog's a nice touch, but come on-"
A tiny plasma ball flies past his head and he promptly claps a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming. Somewhere in the forest-that-isn't, Balthazar is smirking.
Dave glares. "Wow, okay. Nice. Trying to kill me again. Thanks."
"Dave." The proximity of Balthazar's voice-directly behind him-makes him jump. "Focus," his mentor says. "Calm down, lose the sarcasm, and focus."
He inhales; the air that fills his lungs is damp and heavy, appropriate for London in autumn, but tinged with something dark and foreboding that leaves a bad taste in his mouth. As Balthazar moves away, the sound of crunching leaves and twigs growing more distant, Dave can't help but bitterly wonder how he's supposed to focus when it feels like he's just licked something long dead.
That, he guesses, is the point. Learn to function in unpleasant circumstances. "You won't be as lucky as you were with Morgana," Balthazar had warned him, not too long ago. "She's not all this world will throw at you. You need to be ready."
In the pit of his stomach, Dave knows that Balthazar is right. (Balthazar would argue that he's always right, which isn't entirely true. Balthazar wasn't right about the milk being spoiled the other day; it was only half-spoiled. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. But, I digress.)
Something in the distance chitters. It's an unearthly sound that makes the hairs on Dave's body stand on frightened end, but in spite of this, he readies himself: feet shoulder-width apart and firmly set on the ground, knees slightly bent, hands resting at his side but ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice.
As the sound grows closer, rustling up some leaves as it moves, Dave feels that old, familiar feeling of wait, wait, you've got the wrong guy, I'm not who you think I am, I'm not a sorcerer, I can't do this-
And then he thinks of Morgana's face as she tried to break free from the deadly bolts he'd so cunningly wrapped her in, and he thinks of Balthazar's face as he opened his eyes for the first time after Dave pulled him back from the brink of this world and the next, and he thinks of Becky's face and how she beamed so brightly at him when it was all over.
The voice in the back of his head gives way to another train of thought: I can do this.
He flicks his wrists, bringing two fireballs into his hands from thin air, and heads for the noise waiting mere feet away from him.
User Name/Nick: Heather
User LJ: calluna
AIM/IM: thefirstnotes
E-mail: heather.roleplays[@]gmail.com
Other Characters: Fletcher Hadley
The Character
Character Name: David Stutler
Character Journal: merlinianblood
Canon: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Age: 22
From When?: Approximately 2 years post-canon. Dave is about to graduate college and enter the world as a full-time, mostly-trained sorcerer. Little does he know, this also means his mentor-slash-master Balthazar, like a momma bird, is going to push him from the nest and stop helping him. Little do either of them know, this is happening at the worst possible time: Horvath, the evil Morganian sorcerer that Dave thought he defeated 2 years ago, is ready to return.
Abilities/Powers:
MAGICAL
Dave is a sorcerer. The sorcerers in his world can perform magic through the manipulation of matter down to the atomic level; they do this by channeling energy into their bodies from the world around them. A short list of Dave’s powers includes:
- Temporal manipulation: Dave can speed time up and slow it down. He can’t, however, time travel.
- Levitation
- Elemental manipulation: Fire, air, water, earth, light, plasma, the chemical elements, etc.
- Bewitchment: He can bewitch inanimate objects to do his bidding. You know that scene where Mickey nearly drowns after the mops go crazy on him? Yeah.
- Object manipulation: Some people would call this “telekinesis.” Dave does not.
- Physical manipulation: Dave can change his physical appearance, as well as the physical appearance of others, if he so wishes. This is a complicated and draining thing to do, though, and he’s not yet mastered this ability.
- Spiritual possession/soul fusion: This is frowned upon, usually. There have been times in history where one sorcerer drew the soul of another into his body, for some reason or another-Dave learned how to do this, but he was explicitly told NEVER to use it.
- LOTS OF OTHER STUFF.
Sorcery in Dave’s world is more focused on creativity than on learning spells. Spells do exist, but Balthazar taught Dave to work with his own imagination rather than wasting time memorizing and practicing things that might not come in handy. That said, if Dave can figure out a way to do do something, it’ll probably happen.
PHYSICAL/MENTAL
Dave doesn’t have many physical abilities; he’s a scrawny little twig of a human being, more threatening in intelligence than anything else. To put it simply, Dave is a bit of a genius when it comes to physics; Balthazar attributed this to the fact that Dave is a sorcerer, which is probably true, as sorcerers are born with an innate understanding of the laws of physics-even the ones that haven’t yet been discovered. He’s also very good at building things: his underground lab is full of homemade Tesla coils that Dave once programmed to zap in tune with music.
If needed, Dave could probably punch someone in the face, but he’d probably break a knuckle.
Power Limitations: Dave’s magic won’t have any effect on the Wood’s magic. He can still do all the things listed above, but if he tries to do anything to the magical elements of the Wood, nothing will happen. He can’t change the Wood’s reality, or any of the magic the Wood brings into itself.
Inventory
- 1 pair of leather shoes that look way too old for anyone Dave’s age to own
- 1 pair of black socks
- 1 pair of blue and white striped boxers
- 1 pair of dark blue jeans
- 1 white undershirt
- 1 red American Eagle t-shirt
- 1 gray NYU hoodie
- 1 black coat
- 1 ‘Wealthy Star’ Swatch watch
- 1 wallet, containing:
-NYU student ID
-$30.78 in various bills and change
-MTA MetroCard
-NY drivers’ license
-Visa card
-Bank of America debit card
-Photo of him & Becky, taken in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in 2011
- 1 white iPhone
- 1 dragon-shaped ring, kept on a clasp-less sterling silver chain around his neck
- 1 pair aviator sunglasses, kept in his inner coat pocket
Personality: Dave, in essence, is a socially awkward bag of nerdbits who just happens to have something epically awesome going for him. This does not mean he’s ready to start calling himself Captain Awesomepants or anything like that; Dave is still very much a victim of his past, and he has trouble letting go of that, no matter how much Balthazar tries to push it out of him. Though he went to therapy as a child, he never really got over the humiliation he faced that day at Arcana Cabana (see history) and his subsequent nervous breakdown. This is what happens when an entire metropolis thinks you’ve gone mad. This is also what happens when, ten years later, all that therapy is voided by the realization that you’re not.
He’s prone to strong bouts of self-doubt and shyness, especially when facing something bigger than him (either physically or metaphorically so). Dave has never considered himself an especially strong person in any way aside from his intelligence, and he still doesn’t; he knows what he’s capable of and, over the years, has built up stronger defenses, but he’s easily overwhelmed by things that fall outside the realm of academia. There are still times where he lies awake in bed at night, wondering if he’ll wake up the next day and not have any powers, and everyone will think he’s crazy all over again.
He most often tries to compensate for all his negative traits through self-deprecating humor. He’s completely aware of his own awkwardness, and he sometimes tries to use that to his advantage, though it doesn’t always work. He’s also been known to do the occasional Stupid Thing as well, mostly to prove to himself that he’s not that abnormal-like the time he went to a frat party and got more than a little tipsy and accidentally turned the boar head mounted on the wall back into a real boar-only to have Balthazar sit back and say, “I told you so.” Dave’s been labeled “different” his whole life; even though he knows it’s completely true, a small part of him wishes he wasn’t. The thing he most dislikes about being the Prime Merlinian is the amount of responsibility resting on his shoulders; he already saved the world once and he knows he’ll probably have to do it again. That’s a lot for a 22-year-old to think about.
In spite of all these not-great things, Dave does have some positive attributes going for him. His occasional stupidity, while responsible for most of his near-death experiences, is also responsible for his most heroic acts. Dave is pretty selfless in the face of danger, more worried about protecting others than protecting himself. In that way, he has grown since becoming a sorcerer; he started off worried that he would die. Now, he’s more worried that he won’t be able to save everyone else. He’s also extremely loyal and dedicated. Even though he didn’t want this “job” in the first place, he’s since grown to realize that he is, in fact, the ONLY person on the planet who can do it. And that’s kind of cool.
Making friends isn’t difficult for him, but it’s not something he actively does. He’s a bit of a loner, and the people he tends to attract are those who want to change that. His best friend and roommate, Bennett, likes lecturing him about wolves and packs and things. Dave doesn’t always pay attention.
His biggest fear is losing his power. Dave would not be able to Deal With It if he ever lost his magic, because his brain would immediately switch from “hey maybe I can be awesome” to “ALL I’M GOOD FOR IS BUILDING TESLA COILS.”
History:
740 AD: One of Merlin’s apprentices, Maxim Horvath, joined forces with the evil sorceress Morgana le Fay. Together, they mortally wounded Merlin and stole a page out of his book of spells-the page for a spell called “The Rising,” which raises people from the dead. Merlin’s other two apprentices, Balthazar Blake and Veronica Gorloisen, showed up just in time to catch Balthazar and Morgana in the act, and a battle ensued. Veronica saved Balthazar’s life by pulling Morgana’s soul into her own body, and Balthazar saved Veronica’s life by trapping her and Morgana’s soul inside a nesting doll-shaped prison called the Grimhold.
Moments before dying, Merlin gave Balthazar his ring and instructed him to find the Prime Merlinian-his blood successor-with it. Balthazar made this his life’s quest and throughout history, while seeking the Prime Merlinian, he continued to trap evil Morganian sorcerers within the Grimhold’s layers.
2000 AD: While on a field trip with his 4th grade class, 10-year-old David Stutler gave Becky Barnes a note. It read: “CHECK ONE: [ ] FRIEND [ ] GIRLFRIEND.” She chose, but when Dave went to retrieve the note, a strong gust of wind blew it away. He chased it through the streets of New York City and eventually into a strange antiques shop called Arcana Cabana. The shop’s owner, Balthazar Blake, decided to test Merlin’s dragon ring on Dave’s finger. The moment it came alive and settled down on the young boy’s digit, Balthazar knew he found the Prime Merlinian.
Dave, who did not seem to know the meaning of the words “don’t touch anything” did just that and accidentally released Horvath from the Grimhold. Yet another battle ensued and Dave scrambled for cover as the two fought and eventually trapped themselves in a magical urn; during the mayhem, something wet spilled on Dave’s pants. When he left the shop and found his teacher, he frantically tried to explain what happened, but when his teacher went to inspect the inside of the shop, it looked as perfect as it did when Dave first entered. One of his classmates then realized Dave’s pants were wet, and that was that. He tossed away the Grimhold, was forced into therapy by his parents, and eventually had to transfer to a different school. “Pulling a Dave Stutler” became the new way of explaining nervous breakdowns.
2010 AD: The urn that trapped Horvath and Balthazar had a 10-year-long spell on it; with the 10 years up, both sorcerers escaped and went to look for the same person: Dave. Dave, meanwhile, was preoccupied with trying to woo Becky all over again, as they were reacquainted in a physics class Dave was TA’ing in.
Unfortunately, Horvath found Dave before Balthazar did. He narrowly escaped death when Balthazar swooped in on a steel eagle and rescued him; he then explained to Dave, once again, what his powers meant and what he had to do with them. Dave initially refused to help, but they struck a deal: as soon as they found the Grimhold, Dave could give up the ring and his powers and go back to his life. After defeating one of the sorcerers released from the Grimhold, however, Dave realized that he enjoyed having those powers and he agreed to become Balthazar’s apprentice.
While Dave and Balthazar trained, Horvath enlisted the help of Drake Stone, a sorcerer known for his stage magic. Together, they stole the Grimhold and set out to release Morgana. Dave didn’t know exactly what he was up against until Horvath told him the truth-that he was the “Prime Merlinian.” Once Balthazar explained what that entailed, Dave gave up again, convinced that he would fail to kill Morgana and stop her from completing the Rising. When Balthazar set off to fight her on his own, Dave dove back in, determined to save his master (and the rest of the world). With the help of Becky, Bennett, a little science, and a lot of magic, he did it. Morgana was killed, Veronica was saved, and though Balthazar nearly died, Dave saved him by jump starting his heart. Shortly after, Dave discovered Horvath’s hat on the ground, but no one knew where Horvath was.
2012 AD: Dave is ready to graduate magna cum laude in the Spring.
Horvath, who has been assembling a group of Morganians in London, is ready to show up at Dave’s graduation.
First Person Sample: So, hi.
This is weird. Um. What am I supposed to say?
Hi. My name is Dave, and I’m a really freaked-out sorcerer who doesn’t belong here.
[Mimicking a response:] Hi, Dave!
…okay, no. This is the part where I wake up, right?
Balthazar...?
Prose Sample: In the darkness, Dave shivers.
"Really, man? Is this necessary? I'm already freaked out. The fog's a nice touch, but come on-"
A tiny plasma ball flies past his head and he promptly claps a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming. Somewhere in the forest-that-isn't, Balthazar is smirking.
Dave glares. "Wow, okay. Nice. Trying to kill me again. Thanks."
"Dave." The proximity of Balthazar's voice-directly behind him-makes him jump. "Focus," his mentor says. "Calm down, lose the sarcasm, and focus."
He inhales; the air that fills his lungs is damp and heavy, appropriate for London in autumn, but tinged with something dark and foreboding that leaves a bad taste in his mouth. As Balthazar moves away, the sound of crunching leaves and twigs growing more distant, Dave can't help but bitterly wonder how he's supposed to focus when it feels like he's just licked something long dead.
That, he guesses, is the point. Learn to function in unpleasant circumstances. "You won't be as lucky as you were with Morgana," Balthazar had warned him, not too long ago. "She's not all this world will throw at you. You need to be ready."
In the pit of his stomach, Dave knows that Balthazar is right. (Balthazar would argue that he's always right, which isn't entirely true. Balthazar wasn't right about the milk being spoiled the other day; it was only half-spoiled. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. But, I digress.)
Something in the distance chitters. It's an unearthly sound that makes the hairs on Dave's body stand on frightened end, but in spite of this, he readies himself: feet shoulder-width apart and firmly set on the ground, knees slightly bent, hands resting at his side but ready to cast a spell at a moment's notice.
As the sound grows closer, rustling up some leaves as it moves, Dave feels that old, familiar feeling of wait, wait, you've got the wrong guy, I'm not who you think I am, I'm not a sorcerer, I can't do this-
And then he thinks of Morgana's face as she tried to break free from the deadly bolts he'd so cunningly wrapped her in, and he thinks of Balthazar's face as he opened his eyes for the first time after Dave pulled him back from the brink of this world and the next, and he thinks of Becky's face and how she beamed so brightly at him when it was all over.
The voice in the back of his head gives way to another train of thought: I can do this.
He flicks his wrists, bringing two fireballs into his hands from thin air, and heads for the noise waiting mere feet away from him.