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and slash DHQ. Xavier and I stumbled back into his workshop, covered in dirt and dust,

with nothing but bruises to show for our effort. My first mission to restore balance to the

multiverse had not gone at all as planned. His former apprentice had kicked both of our

asses. They'll punk-learned a few new spells, I'll give him that. The old sorcerer said,

as he sat down heavily on a stool beside his cluttered workbench. Like a lafster, an old

couch in the corner in my back aching from the fight. I thought you said that he was the

dumb one. The one who would be easiest to beat. This wasn't easy at all. We almost died

back there. Thinking back, all I could picture was the hoard of rats, Derek, at some end

at will. His spies, he called them. He really communicate with them too.

How the hell was he talking to those rats anyway? It's like they were his own personal army.

Xavier looked at me and shook his head. He still don't understand. Your infinite worlds

out there, connected by the all-world tree, infinite. Is there one with telepathically

controllable rats just waiting for a child master to command them? There was. Not anymore,

because he just emptied it out. What do you mean emptied it out? The old man looked at

me quizzically as if wondering if he had explained this before. It was a look I was becoming

all too familiar with. Look, look, I get that you've had a lot of apprentices before

me Xavier. I mean, I get that. You're a thousand and eight years old, but let's just pretend

...