Chapter 6

Dave takes Becky down into his lab. He took an hour to explain and go over the physics that Becky had a hard time within class. Then he frantically moved his tesla coils back into position to where they were prior to Balthazar's arrival along with its wirings.

"Okay, enough with the studying. There's something I want to show you."

Becky looked up at the coil, "What are these things?"

Dave ran over to the safety cage and started to flip switches and plug cables in. Apparently, Balthazar's magic had also undone his work here. He would say something to Balthazar later about it. His mind focused on getting things set up for Becky, "Tesla coils. I was using them to generate something called plasma. The thing is, I got so fixated on the technical aspects of it that I almost didn't notice something kind of beautiful."

He entered his safety cage once everything was all set. Dave reached out his right hand toward Becky and tried not to be cheesy while saying, "I think you'd better step into my cage."

Becky raised an eyebrow, "Okay, it's definitely the first time anyone has said that to me." Becky took Dave's hand and entered the cage.

"I'm not surprised." Dave quipped, "Just hold on to this bar, please." Becky points at the bar in question, "Both hands." Becky does as he asked. "Yep. Okay." Dave turned a switch to dim the lights before typed a command into the computer while Becky waits in anticipation, "Okay, hold on tight and uh… enjoy the show."

Becky was startled by bolts of electrical plasma leaping back and forth between fired-up coils and the top of the cage around them, then awed upon realizing they make a mix of classical and funky music as they move. She looked around in amazement, "Oh, my gosh. How is this possible?"

"The coils are firing at such a high frequency that the sparks literally create soundwaves as they fly through the air. Which is nerdy." Dave took a deep breath. Moment of truth. He typed a different code, changing the basic song to one he had been listening to from Becky's latest radio show on the other day, a song titled Secrets by One Republic.

Becky finally recognized the coil's current song after listened closely. She smiled happily at Dave, playfully hitting him in the chest, "You were listening! I played this song the other night."

"These coils are my life. Two years I'm down here working with them, and they're making their own music and it was lost on me. I was never able to appreciate it until I met you and heard you talking about music on your radio show, and…" Dave groaned, "I'm sappy."

Becky smiles in content as she and Dave enjoyed the Tesla music show.

A while later, the two go to New York University where they stopped at the yoga class, the class Becky going to attend, "This is me."

"So, do you want to meet up later? 8:00? My lab?" Dave asked, hoping that he had amazed her enough to warrant another outing.

Becky smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, that would be great."

Dave looked at Becky with surprise, "With me?"

"With you? Yes."

"Making sure."

"I got to... Yoga."

"Yeah, I've got to go to the bathroom." And with that, Dave practically ran out of the awkward ending to a perfect morning.

About ten minutes later, Dave was in men's bathroom, oblivious to Drake ominously entering, "I got a date with a girl 'cause I'm awesome." Dave sang badly. Oh, Arya would laugh at him if she heard him now. But he was too happy. He finally got the girl of his dreams!

Drake leaned against the wall coolly before addressing Dave, "So, you're the one."

Dave raised his head while zipping his pants, "Excuse me?"

Drake walked towards Dave, "Prime Merlinean, eh? You don't look like much."

"Uh, I don't actually know what you're talking about." Dave was absolutely befuddled. How could this guy know who he was? Only Balthazar and Horvath knew about his magic, right?

Drake smirked, "Cool. Makes this easy." He turned around and kicked his stylishly booted foot towards the hand dryers on the wall, turning them both on with a loud roar of air much to Dave's surprise, "Can't have anyone hearing your girly cries, right?"

Dave took a step back, "I... I don't actually know who you are."

Drake was stunned. He was used to everyone knowing who he was, "Really, you don't recognize me?" He asked vainly.

"Are you in Depeche Mode?" Drake suddenly shoved him against and up the wall before magically hung him there. Dave looked down at his feet, which were not touching the ground, in puzzlement, "What... What...?!"

"What do you weigh, like a buck 20?" Drake turned away in frustration.

"Whoa! What the…" Dave raised his hand with a frustrated sigh, "This is high school all over again."

Drake snapped his finger to release the telekinetic binding, causing Dave to fall, "All right, I tell you what. Hit me with your best shot, your most powerful spell." Drake spread his arm to make himself an easy target to hit. Dave fumbles for the Dragon Ring in his bag and quickly equips it, "Get the ring out. Put it on. Good boy."

"Okay." Dave said confidently and tried to hurl a spell against Drake only for nothing to happen.

"Ow!" Drake fakes being blast before shrugs, "No, I'm joking." He said sarcastically.

Dave looked puzzled at his hands. It had worked before with Balthazar in training. Why wasn't it working? "Nothing is happening."

Drake rolled his eyes, "Have you cleared your mind?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I got nothing happening. I'm new at this. The ring's on."

"That's nerves and it's the pressure." Drake nodded, "Take the ring off."

"Take off the ring?" Dave looked puzzled. What was happening?

"Take it off."

"Yeah, it doesn't help me-"

Horvath finally entered the bathroom in annoyance, "Enough, you idiot. Watch the door." Drake pouted but was smart enough to see the expression on Horvath's face and he left to guard the door.

Drake looked at Horvath in fear. His enemy was in front of him and he had no backup, "You." Dave bolts for the door only to be pulled by Horvath's telekinesis back in, "No!"

"Hello, Dave."

"Hi."

"So, Dave." Horvath cornered the science nerd against the wall.

"Oh, man."

Horvath whispered deeply," I'm going to kill you. Oh, yes, right here in this dismal bathroom. It's not very classy, but there you go. But before we get to that unpleasantness, you're going to tell me where the Grimhold is." He changed his tone to a calmer one, "Where is she?"

Dave looked confused, "She?"

Horvath raised an eyebrow at Dave. Finally, something that he could use to sow distrust between his old friend and Dave, "He hasn't told you, has he? The truth about who's inside the doll?" Horvath refers to someone else while looking away, "Sweetheart, you've put your faith in the wrong man." He glances back at Dave, "Tell me, have you ever been in love?"

"I…."

Horvath smiled wickedly, "Yeah. You're in love right now. I can see it in your eyes. No, no, no, no. Don't deny it. I wonder what would happen if you lost her." Silences Dave with his cane's diamond on the latter's mouth with a glare, "Shut up. You'd be no better than the rest of us." Horvath returned to business, "Where is the Grimhold?"

Dave hesitated for a moment before blurts out, "I don't know."

Horvath smiled sarcastically, "Oh, Dave, you really are the most dreadful liar."

"That's what I keep telling him. Want your guy back?" Dave noticed that Balthazar and Arya had entered the bathroom. Balthazar held Drake suspended by telekinesis. He hurled Drake against Horvath, prompting the former Merlinean to evade with little time to hold Dave hostage or something, leaving the Morganian celebrity crashed against nearby lockers, damaging them.

"Arya! What are you doing in the boy's bathroom?" Dave yelped as he watched Drake get flung through the air.

"Is that what you're going to focus on right now?" Arya yelled, making her way slowly toward Dave as a fight ensued between Balthazar and Horvath, "If we're going to talk about anything right now it's about how stupid you were by leaving your protection!"

Balthazar placed his ringed hand against a nearby mirror to booby-trap it with a spell before engaging his nemesis in a brief physical brawl. Grabbing Horvath by his coat, Balthazar attempts to wrestle him against the bewitched mirror.

Horvath looked up in a mix of contempt and shock upon recognizing the mirror's enchantment, "It's been a while since I've seen the Hungarian Mirror Trap." He slams the back of his head against Balthazar and hits him with his cane before trying to push the Merlinean against his own spell.

"I guess I'm just old-fashioned." Balthazar quipped back. Another physical brawl before he and Horvath attempted to push either of them into the mirror.

Dave saw Drake already returned to his feet and about to hurl an air blast, "Balthazar, look out!"

Balthazar moved out of the way, leaving Horvath got blasted into the mirror and disappears. He then flicked his fingers to send Drake into stall No. 2 with a loud crash, again startled Dave. After making sure Dave is unharmed, he addressed the science nerd, "What are you doing here, Dave?"

Arya punched Dave in the shoulder to which Dave responded with an "Ow!" and rubbed it, "Why?"

Arya glared at Dave, "That was for being stupid.

Balthazar, Dave, and Arya returned to the underground workshop. Dave was trying to explain what had happened to lead to the attack in the bathroom. But he suspected that his argument was falling upon deaf ears, "Horvath was trying to kill me." He protested.

"His moral compass doesn't exactly point north."

"Yeah, well, what about yours? Huh?" Balthazar stopped in his tracks, "You haven't been completely truthful with me. Now, I'm not doing anything else until you start being truthful with me about what's going on. Who is in that Grimhold?"

Balthazar was quiet for a moment then let out a heavy sigh, "Morgana."

Back to men's bathroom in New York University, Horvath, who is trapped in the mirror, knocks to gain the attention of the dark-skinned student who just enters, "Wake up that moron in stall number three for me, would you?"

The students fainted and Horvath rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Oh, for heaven's sake."

Balthazar presented Arya and Dave the Encantus' medieval rendition of Morgana who prepares for The Rising, "Morgana." He flipped to a page referring illustration of The Rising conducted by an unnamed Merlinean in the past with aid of a wand-like stave and a conjured Merlin Circle in the air, "She was making preparations for The Rising, something that would enable her to enslave mankind by resurrecting dead Morganian sorcerers."

"So, after the witch girl," Dave stated, referring to the witch in yellow the layer, "There's another doll that contains the greatest evil the world has ever known?"

Balthazar nodded, "She's in the last doll." He sighed and continued, "As I told you yesterday, Merlin had three apprentices. I was one of them. He cast a spell to keep us from aging until we found the sorcerer who would inherit his power." Balthazar nodded at the ring on Dave's hand, "And his dragon ring." Dave glanced at his equipped Dragon Ring, then to Balthazar, "Some part of you, no matter how small, must share the same blood."

"As Merlin?"

Balthazar began his speech, "Great men have always been called. This is your calling." He stood up, "Merlin said, 'The Prime Merlinean is the only one who can kill Morgana. And the only one who can protect the Prime Merlinean is The Protector."

"So, I'm supposed to save the world?" Dave sat back, stunned, " I... I just don't think I'm up for that."

Balthazar snapped, "Do you think I've been teaching you magic tricks for some little girl's tea party?" He stepped into Merlin Circle, activating it in a burst of fiery Mana, "When you stepped inside this circle, I told you there was no going back." He pointed at Dave, "You took an oath!" He approaches Dave, "I have been searching 1,000 years for you. Fighting Morganians, protecting the Grimhold. You're going to set me free. You have to become the Prime Merlinean. And I'm not asking."

Dave looks back at his Dragon Ring, with realization upon his destiny etched on his face.

"What I think Dave's saying is that you never fully explained why the ring chose him. This is a bit much to spring on someone who just yesterday thought that magic wasn't real."

"Fine. He'll have an hour to think. Horvatha's attack at the university just proved that we need more time to train."

Meanwhile, Horvath managed to get out of the mirror trap with Drake's assistance sometime after Dave and Balthazar's departure from the campus. We see them walk towards NYU's administration booth to inquire about the booth's present admin, a young Indian student, more information pertaining Dave with the former posed as a teacher.

Horvath gently taps the NYU admin's computer with his cane to get his attention, "I have a student who's failing my class. I need his file."

Unnamed NYU Admin briefly glances back at his monitor before looking back at Horvath, "First, I'll need to see your faculty identification card."

Horvath gave a wicked chuckle before raising his glowing cane to hypnotize the NYU admin, "You don't need to see my faculty identification card."

Unnamed NYU Admin sees the cane's glowing diamond and falls into a trance at once, "I don't need your faculty identification card."

Drake smirked and waved his hand in a dramatic fashion a'la Obi Wan Kenobi's Jedi mind trick, "These are not the droids you're looking for." He chuckles at his own joke as Horvath glared at him.

Unnamed NYU Admin showed Horvath and Drake Dave's data which includes the address for the science nerd's lab while still under the trance, "Here it is. He has an unauthorized lab space."

Dave had completed another magical training, "Okay, so, how will I know when I'm it? The Prime Merlinean?"

Balthazar was still focused on something in his study before turning on Dave as he explains, "The Prime Merlinean will become so powerful within; he no longer needs his ring to cast magic. When you can do that, you're ready to take on Morgana."

Dave nodded uncertainty until he noticed his bulldog pet licking on something among the cables) Tank! What is he doing here anyway?" Balthazar gestures for Dave to come as he wanted to show him something, "This should be good."

Balthazar showed Dave the schematic of Human Fusion Spell, "Schematic for a fusion spell. The merging of two souls into one physical body. I've only ever seen one sorcerer successfully pull off human fusion."

"And Tank is here for…"

"Practice."

Dave looked appalled, "Are you telling me you're trying to possess Tank?"

Balthazar looked over to see Tank continuously licking while letting out loud farts at the same time, prompting the former to change his mind, "Yeah. I'm not so sure it's the best idea, either."

Dave shook his head in agreement, "No." He saw the clock that shows it's already 07.45 PM, which doesn't help by his lab's currently messy state, "Oh, man. Um... Becky's coming now, and I'm standing in a puddle of pop. I need to stop and clean."

"We're not done training."

Dave gave Balthazar a pleading look, "Balthazar, I've been waiting for 10 years to see this girl again. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

A mixed expression like the one he showed when leaving Dave and Becky alone on the other day is etched on his face as he eventually nods and points at Dave, "When I come back, you better be focused." Balthazar left.

Arya looked around, "Do you want help? I'll skedaddle after Becky arrives."

Dave turned toward Arya who was putting her sword on a table after completing her exercises, "That would be appreciated."

The pair began cleaning up Dave's lab by clumsily taking some cleaning equipment including a broom and wooden mop. Arya and Dave start by mopping the floor and removing the offending soda can, but it seems the mop cannot get the spilled soda off the floor; it just pushed the sticky liquid around more.

"This is really sticky." Dave commented.

"Mmmhmm." Arya responded, concentrating on cleaning the floor.

Dave looked around to see the scope of the mess proved too much for him, which doesn't help by the fact that he only has 10 minutes before Becky's arrival, "I'm doomed." After three days of magical training the lab is in shambles; Balthazar's candles and take-out cartons are strewn across his desk, a pile of pizza cartons. One of which has its half-eaten contains sticking out) can be seen among his scattered electronic equipment.

"This." Dave began, then the final insult came in the form of Tank peeing near the pile of cables he licked some time ago. Dave throws his mop on the ground, exasperated, "Thank you. Thank you." He notices the Encantus Balthazar left behind at his study seemingly on purpose, which gives him an idea; with instruction of Cleaning Spell as the guidance, "Hmm."

Arya leaves her mop lying against a table, "Are you sure you should be messing around with that?"

Dave pointed at the cleaning spell, "Balthazar left the book and let it open to that page. What else am I supposed to do? Becky will be here in," Dave looked down at his watch, "Eight minutes." He looked back to Arya, "This needs to be clean. I need to get this right."

Arya caved, "Okay. Fine. Do the spell."

Arya stepped back as Dave activated Merlin Circle to focus his magic and equipped Dragon Ring as medium and catalyst for casting the spell, Dave focuses his will on one of the wooden mops first, gesturing it to life as an animated mop that immediately begins its work. He gestures a straw mop to life which then "kicks" the other awake to work, assigns another wooden mop to clean Tank's mess, and finally gives the life to sponges on the sink to handle dirty plates. With the cleaning seemingly under control, Dave runs up the stairs, "I'll be 5 minutes! Less!"

Arya laughed in amazement as she watched the room get magically clean. "Go get clean you loser!"

Dave laughed before running up the final stairs and into the locker room shower to make himself more presentable.

It had been 5 minutes and Dave still wasn't back. At this point, Arya was clutching her sword and standing on top of the table, watching the underground lab fill with water. She had screamed for Dave but he hadn't heard her.

The spell's influence had spread out to remaining brooms and mops as well as the rest of the cleaning supplies in the lab, bringing them to life as an army that joins their brethren in their task. At first, the animated cleaning supplies continue the instruction Dave gave to them and even give Tank a comfortable bath along the way. The animated cleaning utensils have flooded the room, with ankle-deep water-threatening electronics in the lab. Not even the Tesla Coils are safe from such mess.

Arya saw Dave run back into the room and into the Chaos, "What the hell happened?"

"I'm not the one who did the spell then left DAVE! I should be asking you what happened!" Arya yelled back.

Dave dramatically raised his ringed hand at his creations as calmly as possible, "I command you to stop!" The cleaning utensil army stops for a moment before a floating spray cleaner bottle sprays his face in defiance as a signal for them to continue in fervor. "Oh, no. Man."

"Well, that didn't help." Arya retorted sarcastically.

"Not helping Arya!" Dave yelled back. He tried to regain control over the situation starting from wrestles with animated mops one by one to no avail before goes for the overflown sink. He attempted to stop the flow only to be suddenly attacked by one of the mops. Dave retaliates by grabbing the mop and pins it against the nearby desk as he brandishes a nearby emergency ax. As he does, the camera moves to his silhouette where Dave appears to hack the helpless mop into pieces only to reveal he's too clumsy for the endeavor, allowing the mop to avoid his blows as if it's a child's play.

"Dave stop messing around! The water's getting higher!" Arya yelled.

Dave was soon interrupted by loud knocks from the lab's entrance. Becky. He ran up to the door to stop Becky from entering. Dave opened the door to see her waits from the other side, "Hi." He stated, half nervous and awkward from the current situation, "Hi. You're on time."

Becky frowned, "You forgot?"

"No, no, no. I didn't – aaaah!" Two of animated mops tickle Dave from behind to get his attention, "…forget."

"Is everything okay?" Becky looked at him with concern as she saw Dave struggling with something behind the door.

"What, me? How are you doing?"

"I'm good. I'm good."

Dave turned to the offending mops, "Would you please stop that? Will you…." One of the mops impatiently heat-butts Dave at the rear in response. Dave looks back at Becky, "It's probably best for you to leave." He blinked and realized what he just said, "What am I saying?"

Becky was totally confused. First Dave asked her out, then he didn't want to go with her, "Okay. Okay, I will go."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm having issues." Dave closed the door in front of the now incredulous Becky. Frustrated, Dave puts his face in his hands as the satisfied mops comically mimic his actions. Angrily descends back to his lab, Dave's rage turns into one of downright horrors as the cleaning supplies now worsen the already disastrous mess with some of them attack the conductor of his Tesla Coils.

"Dave! Stop the spell!" Arya was now balancing on a desk which was beginning to get submerged underwater.

"My-my coils!" Dave yelled.

"Oh, worry about your coils!" Arya yelled/snapped back.

Dave climbed up the base of the conductor to swat his out-of-control creations away, oblivious to others who topple his safety cage nearby causing the water below him crackles with electric current — apparently, electronics within the cage, possibly his laptop among them, also fell into the water in the process.

Before long, the Tesla Coil conductor falls with Dave helplessly cling to it. Arya could only look on in shock and scream, "DAVE!" Only for Dave to stop in mid-air at the last moment before hitting the electrified water.

Arya looked up to see that Balthazar had just arrived in the nick of time, his hands dramatically spread, "DISPERSE!" At once every single one of the animated cleaning supplies drops to the flooded lab, inanimate once again. He then gestures to drain the lab and returned the Tesla Coil conductor back to its place leaving Dave falls to the still-wet floor with a thump.

The desk Arya was standing on thud to the ground and Arya slid off, exhausted and pissed off. But before Arya could yell at Dave for almost killing himself, Balthazar beat her to it.

"You have abused the sacred art, and you have abused the Merlin Circle. Magic isn't a game. No shortcuts! Falling in that water and getting electrocuted. That's how a sorcerer loses his power!"

Dave raised his hands in exasperation as Balthazar descends the stairs, "Well, wait, what rule is that? Fourteen? Twenty-seven? I can't even remember! What difference does it make if it's obvious that I can't even control a few mops?" Dave yelled back, frustrated. The spell didn't work, Becky probably hated him along with Arya and now Balthazar was yelling at him for an accident.

"The stronger the man, the stronger the sorcerer."

Dave frustratedly placed his face on his hands, "Thank you. Thank you for another useless motto!"

"I have another one for you: You will not control your magic if you will not control yourself. You need to stop your worrying and start believing in yourself."

"Is that what you do?"

"What I do isn't the point."

"I think it is. I'm convinced you exist purely to make my life a living hell."

"You don't know anything about a living hell." Balthazar said hauntingly. Arya kept looking between Dave and Balthazar like a tennis match, watching everything falling apart.

Dave looked away in disgust, too angry to care that he touched a nerve. Balthazar, on the other hand, takes a deep breath as the veteran Merlinean realized that he too, had his own share of errors in the past, "You're making progress."

Dave shook his head, "No, I'm not making progress." He unequipped his ring, "No ring, right?" He tried to telekinetically lift a nearby chair to no avail, "No magic. I can't move the chairs. I can't do it." He retrieved his rubber soles from the cupboard to replace the pointy shoes he wears in defeat, "It's not me, Balthazar. I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I'm not it. I'm not a hero. I'm not the Prime Merlinean. I'm just a physics nerd who looks really, really stupid in these shoes."

Dave took a look at the room, turned around, and stormed out, slamming the door in the process.