Frank

Deep in the catacombs of Cramum's library, four sorcerers gathered. They were the most gifted mages amongst the clan, an impressive feat for four dragons not born of the arcane flight. Each sage specialized in a different school of magic: Shathrax of animation, Ganix of voodoo, Sorcery of conjuration, and Magic of illusion. They gathered here often to compare and combine spells. Today, the subject of animation was on everyone's minds, and naturally Shathrax was leading the discussion. Each dragon had brought a handful of objects to test their proficiency on. A scarf, a pair of gloves, scraps of old paper, a bit of everything was there.

"Is everyone ready?" asked Shathrax. The others nodded. "Then let us begin. See if you can keep up." And with a flick of his wrist he made a stack of old papers fly through the air like stingrays in the ocean.

Ganix scoffed, "child's play!" before making the gloves scuttle across the floor like spiders. "I could do this in my sleep" he teased.

"It's not a competition" Shathrax smirked.

Sorcery tried to make a boot dance but could barely make it budge. She pouted as she watched the two imperials effortlessly bring objects to life. Then she had an idea. She conjured a simple foot and slipped it into the boot. Up and down it hopped, producing a booming clang that echoed throughout the library.

"Hey! That's cheating!" exclaimed Magic, as he struggled to lift the matching boot.

"It is NOT! You're just jealous you didn't think of it first." replied his mate.

"You know what? FINE!" Snapped the skydancer as he conjured a foot for his own boot. Together, the two golden boots made quite the cacophony, ringing loud and clear throughout the library.

Shathrax and Ganix both laughed as they watched the couple bicker. These two were always a good source of entertainment.

Their fun was short lived however, as a furious imperial soon barged into the room. "This is a library, keep it down!" yelled Cramum over the noise. "You're driving my patrons away!"

Startled, the four sorcerers dispelled their magic, dropping their objects with yet another loud clang. Cramum winced at the sudden noise. His ears rung in the echoing chamber, but he left satisfied that his library would once again have blissful silence, at least for the moment.

"That guy is no fun" said Sorcery. "Hardly anyone even comes to this place except us." She looked to her partner for affirmation.

Magic shrugged. "Maybe we could be a little more quiet."

Sorcery pouted, "he worries too much."

"Enough of that," said Shathrax. "Shall we continue?"

The four magicians resumed their study, although with less vigor. Sorcery quickly grew bored and increasingly irritable. She never did have a talent for animation.

She tried to move the boot again, her frustration nearing its peak. The boot rose slightly, then her magic broke. The boot fell to the floor with a sharp clang. Sorcery's frustration turned to anger as she filled the object with more of her magic. It was unwise to cast magic when upset. The golden boot jerked about erratically, nearly striking Magic's snout.

"Careful!" cried Magic, as he leapt back.

"Sorcery, stop! You're going to hurt someone." snapped Ganix.

"You're losing control!" yelled Shathrax.

Sorcery gave out a sharp yelp as she lost control. The boot shot up toward a bookcase and knocked a scroll to the floor.

"I told you to stop" hissed Ganix as he picked up the moth-eaten scroll. He smirked as he read its contents. An ancient animation spell adorned its paper. "Perhaps you need a tutor. Try this on for size."

"I don't recognize this spell" said Shathrax warily. "It looks like a spell for making some kind of golem."

'A golem?' Sorcery thought. 'That sounds somewhat adjacent to conjuration.' Not wanting to let Ganix win, she snatched the scroll from his claws. "This looks simple enough" She said, poorly hiding her embarrassment. She gathered their belongings in the centre of the room, lit five candles, and nervously read the chant.