Serna got to her feet, walked over to the stack of books and selected one tale of adventure from The Realm. "This is neat! The pictures are so beautiful but you know what, I can read. The Baroness required it as part of our service to her. She always said that a smart servant is an able servant. She also believed it gave her an advantage during negotiations with visiting diplomats. When we would clean up their rooms, we sometimes would find discarded papers or official documents, then we would read them and tell the Baroness what was on them. She was always crafty that way."

"I suppose any ruling sovereign would do that especially with visiting emissaries who might have a dour reputation and all." Spencer chugged down the cup of juice and poured himself another.

"The Baroness used to say that all was fair in love and politics," Serna replied as she looked up from the book she was reading, "I guess she really mean't it--at least as far as politics goes."

"Politics, meh. Not my thing." Spencer waved her off, "I prefer traveling and seeing new places on the airship. Being stuck in a city too long would drive me crazy."

"Kind of like me," Serna smiled at Spencer, "Don't get me wrong, I liked working for Baroness Meleranti but I LOVE travelling with my friends. We see new things, visit new places and we help people everywhere we go. And there is always something weird happening, its kind of fun!"

"Weird, fun, scary, great for us bad for the enemies. Nothing makes me smile when the baddies are on the run." Spencer gave her a thumbs up.

"Yeah, I agree!" Serna mused half to herself, "I wonder how the others are doing right about now?"

*****

The Chronicler scrambled to her feet, "Hey, guys, did you miss me?"

"Well, Chronicler?" Madeous gestured to her, "Did you return with the Victous Candle? Alyson's life depends upon our success in defeating the blood mage, so that she will be able to help us with closing the Black Gate."

"Of course, I returned with the candle," War Scribe jutted her breasts out to reveal the Victous Candle lodged in her bosom, "Anyone want to claim it? Muwha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Quake raised her hand and walked over to the drowling, "I'll do it since I'm the only single one here and have no mate to argue with. Now hold still...geez, War Scribe, you really like it TIGHT!"

"Well, of course I do," The Drowling quipped, "My clothing is tight and my breasts are tight. And if you REALLY want to free me of the Victous Candle, then you must twist it out to pull it free."

Quake found the end of the candle, twisted it and pulled it out with a loud POP. "You're lucky this kind of thing doesn't bother me but I think we've made the men here, uncomfortable. I mean just look at them."

When the candle came free of her breasts, War Scribe threw her head back, closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair all the while cutting loose with an orgasmic moan, "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmm! OOOOOOhhhhhh!"

Madeous coughed.

Captain Lion sighed.

Irzen rolled his eyes.

Prince Birch stood rock still in stunned disbelief. He simply could not believe that War Scribe--or anyone else for that matter--could be resurrected so quickly after such a brutal death.

"Well," Madeous cleared his throat looking over towards Irzen, "This reminds me of the scene in Spaceballs, where Dark Helmet and Lonestar got their schwartz twisted."

Irzen involuntarily coughed at that reference but did not say anything in response.

War Scribe looked at both Madeous and Irzen grinning from ear to ear, "What's a schwartz?"

"Nothing that concerns you for now, Chronicler." Madeous deadpanned.

"One Victous Candle, sire." Quake handed him the black candle with the green flame. She paused and looked back at the drowling, "No wonder it took me a hard time, all that wax practically fused it with her skin."

"I know!" War Scribe took a single finger, stirred it between her breasts, then popped her finger into her mouth and licked her lips, "Candle wax! Finger licking good!"

The inner chamber glowed in eerie reddish light and the streams of blood seeped up and over the bank into a puddle. Slowly it rose into a humanoid form of both sexes that was quite beautiful and deadly at the same time. The blood mage's face protruded through viscous liquid, "And to think I would have to wait another hundred years...it matters notttssss."

"OOOOOooooo! The main bad guy has put in an appearance!" War Scribe seized her tome and quill pen, "I MUST record this encounter for posterity!"

"Yeah, you do that!" Irzen confronted the Blood Mage, "You're a long way from home, pal. Why don't you go back from where you came from, never come back and we'll call it even. What do say?"

++++

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.

"...a Victous....candle." Alyson muttered suddenly in her current state.

Lazheros's eyes widened. He knew of it back when Madeous was younger and quested throughout the realm. He knew that if the platinum knight needed such an ancient relic, then things were more challenging and dire than he thought.

"A Victous candle?" Princess Cauladra gasped as she took a step back shaking her head, "I know tales of such things. A dark and terrible item of power borne of Death magic that allows the living to traverse the Realm of the Dead. No good can come from such a thing, Grand Cleric. Why did she speak of it?"

"It would mean that she's on the threshold between life and death." He muttered.

"Is there anything that I or my court can do?" Princess Cauladra asked, "We have excellent Healers in East Port. Individuals both old and wise who are proficient in their craft. Mayhaps something can be done to at least ease her suffering?"

Lazheros sighed heavily, "Princess Cauladra I appreciate your concern in regarding her present state but Alyson is used to the darkness. She understands that one cannot exist without the other. Her spirit and will is strong."

"I...am..not...going," The elementalist muttered in her sleep, "Anywhere."

"Who in the Realm is she talking to?" Princess Cauladra gasped, "She seems to be conversing with someone though I know not who."

"More than likely, us. She used to talk in her sleep when she was a child. Most of the time, they were dreams in which she felt she needed to be heard." The Bronze Man explained what was happening.

"I'm right.....here," Alyson's eye lids fluttered briefly as if caught somewhere between the waking world and that of the dreaming one.

"Lady Alyson, you're awake! Welcome back!" Princess Cauladra gasped, "Is there anything I can do to bring you some comfort?"

Alyson opened her eyes and rolled over to one side, "So...thirsty..."

Lazheros placed a hand on her skin. It was cold to the touch. He glanced towards the princess, "Do you have some wine, red wine, your highness? It will help her stave off the thirst that is growing within her. One of the affects of being bitten by a true vampire."

"I have as much red wine as you will need, Grand Cleric," The Princess left the room, found a servant and commanded, "Go and fetch a cask of our finest red wine and bring it to us without delay!"

A servant did as the princess wished and came back with a bottle of red wine called 'Marvee, a red-red wine noted throughout East Port.

"Thank you!" The Princess seized the bottle of wine and returned to Lazheros, "I have what is needed, Grand Cleric, although I recommend you bless it. I would not put it past these fiends we face to poison it."