++++

Spencer grinned and dropped a Draw Two down for Maxim. "You know kids are fast learners, mate."

"We sure are!" Serna grinned as she reinforced Spencer's statement.

The first officer grimaced as he picked up two more cards. Then another and another until he found a yellow card and placed it down. "Why thank you for that astute observation, Spencer."

"Hey now! Wait your turn lass." Sir Gonagle eyed her suspiciously, "It's our turn then yours less one of us decides to put down a Reverse card like so."

Serna giggled as she placed a Wild Draw Four on Maxim. "Blue."

Maxim grumbled again and picked up four more cards and dropped a Skip card down.

"Oh, I see how it is." Spencer rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "that can't be good. Watch your hand everyone. Maxim always finds a way to win at this game."

"We'll see!" Serna gave a mischievous grin as she studied her cards, "Heh! Heh! Heh!" The Shield Maiden then pulled out a Reverse card.

Sir Gonagle dropped down a random blue card.

Then Spencer grinned and dropped a Skip card down, "Let's see if you beat Maxim, Serna, who I might add is undefeated."

"Not for long!" Serna played a Blue Reverse card before she held up a single card, "UNO!"

Maxim placed a Wild DRAW Four on Spencer this time, "Green."

The smile on Spencer's face turned upside down now and placed a Reverse card down to Maxim who dropped a Skip card to Sir Gonagle who shook his head as he placed a random green card down.

Maxim smiled again, "Young miss, you'll have to improve your skills if you want to beat me."

"I agree!" Serna chirped, "Out!" The Shield Maiden dropped a Green "4" card.

Spencer and Sir Gonagle burst out laughing.

"Well played," Maxim laid down his hand, "Well played, young miss."

"Thank you, Maxim, thank you!" Serna smiled at all of them, "Anyone want to try another round of UNO?"

*****

"IIIIII'MMMM BBBBAAACCCKKK!" War Scribe reappeared in their midst, "Who seeks knowledge from the ALL wise, ALL powerful, CHIEF Chronicler of the Realm?!"

"We need a Victous Candle to mask our presence to the undead which I believe you are able to acquire one, Chronicler." The platinum knight stated a matter of factually.

"And I need to be flayed alive but I don't see any of you stepping up to do it!" War Scribe replied back in pure consternation, "Damn it, Madeous! I'm a Chronicler not an Archaeologist! I retrieve INFORMATION in the form of books, scrolls and tomes for people who seek KNOWLEDGE not items of power for greedy Adventurers. Try again!"

"For someone who can travel among the planes and other worlds at will, Chronicler," Madeous brought his sword up with the blade pointed at her, "DEATH is the only one who can give you a Victous Candle. It will appear with you upon your return."

"But that would mean that I would have to die!" War Scribe replied in glee.

The platinum knight swung his sword around in a fluid arc suddenly and cleaved War Scribe's head from her shoulders.

War Scribe's body collapsed in a heap as her head rolled off to the side.

Both Quake and Captain Lion remained silent as they watched the platinum knight take off the Chronicler's head in a blink of an eye.

"--THE HELL?!" Irzen turned towards The Platinum Knight, "Madeous, I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Lawful Good isn't lawful nice. In the early days of my adventures when I spared the assassin Venger sent after us, she told me of a candle that DEATH can only give. Naturally I scoffed at the idea, however, we were at an impasse that could only be solved by one of us dying. Seriah volunteered to die and thus when she returned, in her hands was the Victous Candle." Madeous replied.

Irzen said nothing as he took in the entire story and nodded his approval.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Prince Birch exclaimed in pure disbelief, "You slew one of our allies IN COLD BLOOD! You slew one of Irzen's kin IN COLD BLOOD! THIS IS MURDER MOST FOUL! By what right do you spill innocent blood, sir?!"

"Chroniclers are immortal, Prince Birch and this one in particular likes to experience a 1,000 ways to die. My niece is teetering on the threshold between LIFE and DEATH, so I will do anything to help her. So tell me, what would you do if your beloved was in her position?" The platinum knight said in a calm tone.

"Anything and everything." Prince Birch replied in a calmer and more reflective tone of voice.

"Stake me!" The elder vampire shrieked in terror as the platinum knight dropped the Chronicler, "Stake me now, mortals! PLEEAASSssssssssseeee!"

"SHUT UP!" Both Irzen and Prince Birch snapped at the elder vampire in unison.

Captain Lion snapped the neck of the elder vampire paralyzing him. Reaching from within his cloak, he pulled out a stake and drove it through the elder's heart. Then the vampire was no more as the ashen remains fell to the floor.

"Thank you, Captain Lion, that guy was seriously beginning to disturb my calm." Irzen looked over to War Scribe's head.

Quake walked over and picked up the drowling's head and placed it onto the severed body. "Shall we take bets on how long she'll be back?"

"I've got five gold that says she'll be back in two minutes." Irzen replied without missing a beat.

The elemental smirked, "I bet seven gold that she's back in one minute."

Madeous knelt down beside the lifeless body of War Scribe, "I know you can hear me, Chronicler. So if you don't mind, we'd like to have that candle sooner rather than later."

"I'd advise you step back, Madeous," Irzen cautioned the Platinum Knight, "War Scribe's ressurections are always hard on the ears."

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"Justice and Good above all.
Honor and Fealty to the King.
Honor and Respect to Righteous Innocence.
Honor and Duty to the Balancer (Lendys), to Her Mercy (Tamara), and to the Justicemaker (Bahamut).
Honor and Protection to the Lesser Races.
Honor and Correction to the Enemies of Justice and Good.
Honor and Forbearance for oneself."

The dreadful feeling he sensed was gone as the room filled with a radiant light.

The Chronicler teleported away from the trio.

While Princess Cauladra bathed in the radiant light though she shielded her eyes to avoid its more powerful and blinding effects.

The holy aura pulsed out from Lazheros in a three hundred sixty degree radius like a heart beat.

"It is so beautiful! So warm! So wondrous!" Princess Cauladra spoke in a distant tone of voice, transfixed by the holy aura which encompassed all around her.

Lazheros walked over and stood behind Alyson's head where she lay on the table. His armor was dragon like in appearance rather than that of Madeous's armor of the platinum knight. The metal was a mix of platinum with blue hews and bronze. "This armor was given to me by Grand Cleric, Seraxiosazzai the Radiant. It was once his before he passed on from the Prime Material to join Bahamut in Mt. Celestia. It is said that light of this armor can pierce the skies of the Seven Heavens to the edge of the Nine Hells. For the moment, though it is keeping out the corruption and darkness within her soul at bay, Princess Cauladra."

"Thank goodness, Grand Cleric, I hate to imagine whatever harm Lady Alyson could do were you not here to check her and whatever harm she could do to herself." The princess replied evenly.

"We must have faith in what we believe. Mine is in the others and Bahamut that they will have the strength and perseverance to overcome and defeat whatever evils dwell in the deep places beneath East Port." The bronze man reached over and took Alyson's hands in his.

"My faith is in my husband, our allies and in Labelas Enoreth himself," Princess Cauladra replied as she walked over to the Grand Cleric and placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

++++++
++++++

Death was shaking her head going over the list of the recently deceased. Going down the list of names she checked off the ones who crossed over to their final destinations of the beyond. A familiar presence popped up behind her, "War Scribe. Been awhile since you were here, so what's my favorite best friend in for this time?"

"DEATH!!!" War Scribe squealed in glee as she tackled her best friend, knocked her to the floor and gave her a bone-crushing hug, "I've missed you, Death! You're my bested best-friend in the whole wide Realm! Oh, I've missed you so!"

Death laughed, "Same 'ole War Scribe. So, what does Validor's Chronicler need of me? Surely you're not here for a long visit and strangely enough someone sent me a message that you were coming for something. Something that only I can give which I might add is very, very, very rare."

Leaning upward, War Scribe looked down at her friend as she sat on Death's stomach and gushed, "Oh, Death, I REALLY don't need anything from you! All I have ever wanted was to be your friend. I love you just the way you are. After all, you're Death! You have a nice smile, a warm personality and a fashion sense that is out of this Realm. What's not to love about you?"

"But my fifth bestest best friend in the whole wide Realm needs your help," War Scribe added as she gently brushed some of Death's raven black hair out of her face, "Madeous Khyng, the Platinum Knight, has sent me to you to ask for a Victous Candle. He wants to use it to close the Black Gate beneath East Port and save his niece, my fifth bestest best friend in the whole wide Realm, Alyson Khyng, from a blood mage."

The Drowling looked around the dark domain, "So, I don't suppose you have one of those candles lying around here, do you?"