Seriously though Tank said Why are you worried about your teacher She’s a grown wizard who can take care of herself True Aleetha said She went to the lava pits of Gornash to gather data for her research project on the fire lizards that live there It’s hatching season and she is counting their population Sounds like fun I said I know Aleetha said totally missing my sarcasm I made a mental note to work on that She was supposed to be back yesterday but she hasn’t returned I’m still waiting for the part where this becomes something to worry about I said Aleetha turned to me I know this is hard for you to grasp Fizz but some monsters actually like school For them it is fun I’m not even going to try to grasp that The little guy does have a point Aleetha Tank said Your teacher is a bit late returning from a research trip What’s the big deal The big deal is the Wizards Summit Aleetha said It starts today Wizards from all over Rockfall Mountain have come to the Shadow Tower Professor Lasalan is supposed to be there 6
Maybe she’s just late I said She’s still counting baby lizards or something Aleetha shook her head slowly I don’t think so Something isn’t right Yesterday I got this in the mail She pulled a small metal cylinder from her wizard’s robes I ducked behind a rock Mages like Aleetha can do strange stuff with the things they pull from their robes Like turn goblins into rock slugs It’s all right Fizz Aleetha said with a chuckle It’s I stepped out from behind the rock Then what not a spell is it I don’t know It arrived yesterday with my name on it It’s from Professor Lasalan The cylinder was about as long as Aleetha’s hand the color of muddy water and round at each end The surface was completely smooth with no markings or writing Maybe it was a gift I said Some sort of magic present I don’t know what it is Aleetha said I’ve cast every spell I know to identify it and I keep coming up with nothing 7
That’s because it’s not magic Tank took the cylinder from Aleetha and looked at it closely She smiled at both of us This is an example of high quality troll engineering Aleetha got to her feet and stepped back It’s technology Nothing but the finest Tank said It’s a Holographic Express Message Tube or HEMT for short Message tube I said It seems your teacher has a soft spot for trollish tech Tank wiggled her ears at Aleetha A wizard use technology Never Aleetha scowled Okay let’s not start another magic-versus-tech nology war I said Tank what does your amazing HEMT do Stand back and I’ll show you Tank put the tube on the ground You just have to press the button on the end Button Aleetha said I didn’t see a button That’s because you’re not a troll Tank’s ears wiggled again 8
