They spent the next hour hunched together on the edge of their narrow, hard cots, tenderly rubbing their smarting faces while plotting a vengeance that would be proportional to their pain and spectacular in its execution. Jabar's mind was sharp with anger, his suggestions brutal, but Zelnard....or ‘Z’ as Jabar affectionately called him....was the architect of the truly grand design.
They focused on Dunstor's most ingrained and vulnerable habit: his nightly ritual. Every single night, without fail, Dunstor made a final, lingering visit to the water closet just before the lights were extinguished and the late-night silence settled over the academy.
It was the perfect opportunity, especially since Zelnard had been secretly practicing a particularly advanced and powerful water spout spell. It was a technique Master Borna, Zelnard’s water powers elemental instructor, had noted Zelnard showed a peculiar, almost preternatural strength in. Master Borna had often remarked that Zelnard's connection to water felt as strong as an ocean tide.
The plan was cunning and relied on exploiting a rarely used, archaic architectural feature of the academy. They would use the upstairs water closet....a private, stone-vaulted room usually reserved exclusively for the older students and masters residing on the upper floors. Crucially, this specific water closet was situated in a cantilevered section of the building that jutted out directly over the churning ocean below. It had a large, open stone chute leading straight down to the sea. The sheer drop was meant to be an ultimate hygienic barrier but it would now provide a direct conduit to elemental power.
The boys knew that when Dunstor entered that room, he would be at his absolute most vulnerable....trousers down, mind on other things. They planned to strike precisely at the moment he was least expecting it, catching him literally with his pants down. The following night, the atmosphere in their shared dormitory was filled with anticipation. After their final call to retire for the night had been given, Jabar and Zelnard expertly feigned sleep, and instead they waited, hearts pounding a nervous rhythm as they passed the time until they heard the distant, familiar call signaling the older boys to finally head up stairs from the communal hall.
Moments later, they heard the tell-tale creak of a specific floorboard from the corridor above...Dunstor's unmistakable tread. Zelnard began and rushed to the window that faced the ocean with his power crystal in hand and in his head ran his silent countdown, picturing the bully’s actions with unnerving precision. “Pants undone, sitting down, and in three, two, one…”
The moment the count reached zero, Zelnard snapped his eyes open, a fierce, blue light briefly reflecting in them. He didn't just cast the spell; he summoned the power of the deep. He focused all his elemental strength, his pure rage and desire for justice, channelling a powerful, focused wave from the very ocean rushing far below.
The result was cataclysmic. The water surged up through the ancient stone opening with the explosive force of a geyser. It wasn’t a gentle stream; it was a pressurized cannon of seawater that roared through the vaulted space, instantly creating a violent foam and spray. When the column of water hit Dunstor, it didn't just splash him....it lifted his considerable teenaged body, stink and all, clear off the seat, sending him flying momentarily airborne in a chaotic mix of saltwater, foamy brown effluent, and shock.
The sheer velocity of the water as it erupted through the large, round opening of the stone toilet bowl was so rapid and violent that it scoured the fixture completely clean. The putrid mess of foam, water, and other unsavory matter, having served its purpose of elevating the recipient, splashed back down onto the cold, hard stone floor, spreading rapidly. The unmistakable, echoing roar of the water blast and Dunstor’s subsequent, high-pitched shriek was so loud it was clearly audible even in the lower corridor outside their dormitory, confirming the spectacular success of their perfectly timed vengeance. The foamy mess continued to stream out from the water closet door, running down the corridor floor like a dirty, frothing river.
Zelnard and Jabar had stifled their laughter with hands over their mouths and dashed back to their cots , feigning sleep when Dunstor’s furious yells echoed through the monastery. The next day, the incident became the talk of the entire monastery, following Dunstor as persistently as the stench that now clung to his skin.
Why was this vengeful act measured and fitting for Dunstor? Explain in a Thy Quests to continue.