The Black Gate skipped a beat as if in response to its deadly benefactor's demise. No longer able to keep a steady beat, the pulse slowed down and the greenish-red glow dimmed.

Madeous patted the elemental dragon, "Time to finish this. Keep your eyes open. My experience tells me, there is a final boss we haven't seen yet."

Both Irzen and Birch scanned the area with their weapons at the ready in case of an attack.

Captain Lion scouted ahead while Quake slowly climbed down the rock face with her passengers. Once down on the same level as the Black Gate, Madeous dismounted and drew his weapon. The light illuminated the entire cavern from end to end.

Captain Lion saw an image of his lovely wife and sons all celebrating the death of the vampire king.

The vampire king was the reason Captain Lion and his family fled Earth with their lives because his power was too great to overcome. As much as he wanted this to see his family return home, he knew in his heart it was not possible....

The gunslinger drew his pistol and fired. **BAMM!** The illusion dissipated. The sound echoed throughout the cavern around the Black Gate freeing him from temptation.

----

Madeous saw a portal open and Celestra walked through.

The platinum knight and the golden lady embraced each other with a passionate kiss.

Madeous pulled back and blinked, "As much as I want to believe that you are free, you are not who you claim to be. I know for a fact that Venger is still the Force of Evil. That he has not been redeemed, otherwise all that he has done would of been freed of all the curses and spells he used over that last 2,000 years."

The image of the golden lady faltered and frowned, "Curse you, platinum knight!"

The platinum knight drove his sword into the hard cavern floor forcing back the mist, sanctifying the area with radiant energy. A terrible shriek rang out from the gate.

----

Quake saw her brother being born finally.

The elemental dragon meets Razorlink on an island where all four elements come together sharing stories and tales of adventure.

Razorlink reared up suddenly and attacked Quake. "I was first born. I was created first, not you! You are not worthy of the lady!"

Quake snapped out of whatever daze she was in and used her sheer size to overwhelm the other elemental dragon and snapped his neck. "First of all, the Lady brought me to life first because it was necessary. Two, we haven't been near the coast long enough for her to bring you to life! Three, my brother doesn't speak in common, only in draconic or telepathically."

----

Prince Birch sees his wife giving birth to their first born child.

"What? What is this?" Prince Birch asked no one in particular.

Birch sees himself doting over his first born child singing songs of praise and joy.

"But--but--Cauladra is not with child! At least, not yet." Prince Birch half-whispered to himself.

The sounds of the new born's laughter echoed throughout the palace for a minute but then turned to a wail and a scream as the princess fought desperately against an a shadowy assassin.

Without a moment's hesitation, Prince Birch immediately sprang to his wife's aid. Slicing to and fro, the Elven Prince savagely attacked the shadowy assassin.

The shadowy assassin vanished into mist. The princess stood there holding the first born child and embraced Birch. The babe's cries died down to a cooing noise that turned into a vicious biting and sucking sound. The image of the princess and the babe merged into one singular form of a beautiful elf maiden. "Atar, lle caela tul a ie' tella. Saesa don't kela amin ndu sinome e' i' huine."

Translation:: "Father, you have come at last. Please don't leave me down here in the darkness."

"You--you--you are an abomination!" Prince Birch stammered as he backed up, "Away with you before I smite thee!"

"Don't lle mela amin, atar? mani caela amin done a' earn lle ire?" The child pleaded with Birch.

Translation:: "Don't you love me, father? What have I done to earn your ire?"

"You--you--you are not born of my blood!" Prince Birch snapped back, "Away with thee! Begone from my sight, monster!"

----

Irzen sees his long dead wife very much alive and aches to be with her.

"This? This is impossible!" Irzen hissed as he drew forth his sword.

The lady drow, a fierce Necromancer and loyal to the cause of wiping out the followers of Lolth surviving the aftermath. Her red eyes locked with Irzen, "Ussta ssinssrigg! ori'gato udossa celebrate lil' elghinn de' udossta phlithus foes! neitar zhal nind plynn vel'bol's rightfully udosst! zil natha gordo! zil natha akana fuma!"

Translation:: "My love! Let us celebrate the death of our hated foes! Never shall they take what's rightfully ours! As a whole! As a ruling family!"

"Lu'oh ph'dos ghil, 'chev?" The Swordsman replied uncertainly as his grip on his blade loosened, "Usstan kyor dos rei altho l'thalack. Usstan zhahus gaer vel'drav dos tois!"

Translation:: "How are you here, beloved? I saw you fall during the war. I was there when you died!"

Irzen's beloved came over to him, her eyes still locked with his. Her voice lulled him to lower his guard, "El? siyo jhal ap'za decreed usstan zhahus needed dkinosse'vel'klar, ussta ssinssrigg. Doer xuil uns'aa lueth jous nindolen vile kivvin nind k'lar. Pholor nind la'uren lueth begging udossa ulu ori'gato nind dro lueth kla'ath, xor el!"

Translation::"Die? Yes but fate decreed I was needed elsewhere, my love. Come with me and show these vile surfacers their place. On their knees and begging us to let them live and serve, or die!"

"Nindol zhah naut ditronw!" Irzen snapped viciously as he re-tigthened his grip on his sword, "Dos ph'naut ussta 'ranndi! Il orn'la neitar izin natha kivvil au ilta ori'gato maglust ulu kla'ath ilta! Il orn'la inbal elggen natha kivvil pholor ml'aen! Takata, seke'olath, lu'yssraim uns'aa nau mzild!"

Translation:: "This is not right! You are not my wife! She would never allow a surfacer near her let alone serve her! She would have killed a surfacer on sight! Begone, shade, and plague me no more!"

The image of Irzen's beloved vanished into mist and joined the figure standing in front of Birch. As did the other three from Quake, Madeous and Captain Lion.

The powerful illusion of temptation slowly crept up from behind the party. No one was safe. Now standing before was the guardian at the gate. Beautiful, deadly and hell bent on staying.

"Birch! What are you doing?!" Irzen cried out to the prince, "Snap out of it!"

The pleading turned into a smile. A wicked smile and evil laugh, "Mwhaa! Ha! Ha! Ha! This is so much fun! It's been an age since I've had this much fun! All of you succulent mortals coming into my lair for me to feast upon. Regardless of origin, I will devour all of you, even you vampire because you have a soul!"

The illusion melted away to a four armed, twelve foot, armored demon with multiple eyes and rows of jagged teeth. "NOW I SHALL FEAST!!"

"Feast on this, jerk wad!" Irzen cut loose with a barrage of crossbow bolts as he moved to Prince Birch's side to back him up!

+++++

The Bronze Man grumbled, "For someone of your renown and lineage, Sudestren, how could you be so naive as think it was just another vampire nest?"

"I take offense to your words, Grand Cleric of Bahamut!" Sudestren snapped back at Lazheros, "Yes! I know who you are. Your fame precedes you even here. By all appearances East Port was infected with a nest of vampires! By all appearances it seemed to be nothing more and nothing less than that! And by all appearances I, along with the others of my calling, believed that this problem was well within the hands of our prince and princess to deal with. If they needed our aid, they needed only to call upon us to give with. No Cleric, Paladin, Champion or Sage who resides within East Port would have refused them. So do not question me, Dragon, on matters of East Port's security--something of which you know nothing about!"

Lazheros narrowed his eyes at the haughty elven sage. "It is unwise to raise your voice in the presence of royalty. Wouldn't you agree, Princess Calaudra?"

"Her Majesty is no longer here, Grand Cleric," Sudestren replied evenly as he mockingly shook his head, "She has gone to find a messenger to contact Sylvus Kiltani about your request. But I am sure she will be more than happy to answer your question upon her return."

The elementalist came over to the sage in an very calm multi-voice said, "Mmmhmm. Making assumptions always gets one into trouble, mortal. We've have been where you are now and know this despite your arrogant response to a simple question that can and will get you killed or worse, turned by one of them, Sudestren. Perhaps, you need to see it for yourself."

"Show me what you will, my lady," Sudestren encouraged Alyson, "I will neither shrink away nor resist."

"Very well." The elementalist reached over and placed a hand upon Sudestren's shoulder. She looked at the Bronze Man for a moment. ~Something tells me the grand cleric knows a lot more going on in the city than he's letting on. Be careful, Lazheros.~

The Bronze Man let out a heavy sigh and left to find the princess.

Princess Cauladra was walking back up the stairs towards the room when she spotted The Bronze Man coming towards her, "Grand Cleric, I have sent for our counterpart. He is not far away and shall be here shortly. He had just finished vespers when he received my summons. By the by, where is Lady Alyson and Noble Sudestren?"

"It seems the sage took offense to my inquiry and demanded that he see the entrance himself. The elementalist agreed and thus they have left for the journey below the city, Princess. Cauladra." Lazheros told her.

"My apologies, Grand Cleric, I should have warned you that while Sudestren is very wise he is also quick to take offense," The princess confessed, "He takes ill any comments about his competence. Upon their return, mayhap, an apology on your part would go far to cool his anger?"

Lazheros shook his head, "Very well but I suggest you take caution about the Grand Cleric, Sylvus Kiltani. If the elementalist is concerned about him and his whereabouts or his intentions on the matter of vampires. It begs to be prepared."

"Do you think the Grand Cleric is in league with the vampires?" Princess Cauladra gasped, "Labelas Enoreth would not stand for such evil being displayed by someone in such a high position of authority."

*******

Both Alyson and Sudestren vanished in a flash of light and reappeared down below at the cavern's entrance. The boulder that the sage spoke of was only pushed aside but cracked as if someone with incredible strength flicked it aside. Just then a handful of vampires rushed out towards them. "Stay directly behind me, sage. Don't move no matter what happens!"

"Unbelievable!" Sudestren cried out in pure disbelief as he moved directly behind Alyson, "How can so many vampires do that to a rock so big! Even someone wearing Gloves of Troll Strength would have been hard pressed to move that boulder--let alone crack it."

"Troll strength? Ugh, the greatest pair of gauntlets one can attain are the Gauntlets of Storm Giant strength." The elementalist raised both hands as the gauntlets appeared and seized a vampire in each of her claws burning them to ash. The remaining vampires tried to flank them and went up in flames from the fire aura of the red dragon's helm. Just to make sure there weren't any more vampires, the elementalist cut loose a torrent of flames into the cavern interior. The subtle shrieks of lesser vampires perished hiding the darkness were reduced to ash.

"Impressive! Most impressive!" Sudestren stared in pure disbelief.

"A blood mage can move it, Sudestren. One of them has the power to do so at the expense of others willing to 'donate' their blood." The elementalist said in a hushed tone as the cold stamped out the sudden warmth that the flames laid down in the cavern.

"So I see." Sudstren gasped, "Then perhaps it is best that Grand Cleric Kiltani and his acolytes take charge here. The sequestration of The Black Gate is their responsibility and I am sure they will be more than happy to seal it up once again once they know that it has been disturbed."

"Is that fear I smell from you, elf?" Came a sinister male voice inside the cavern. A figure made of liquid blood walked to the opening and stopped. It looked at the elementalist for a moment before turning its attention back to the sage, "Come now, Sudestren, Sage of East Port, have you not encountered my kind before?"

"Not like this!" Sudestren replied evenly casting his gaze downward, "I have interviewed vampires before but never, never like this!"

The elementalist's form glowed with bright light and intense to keep the blood mage away.

"Soon, you will become one with us, sage. Time is meaningless to us. All of East Port shall be consumed and the black gate will burst open fully!" The blood mage's form grew into a large form of a multi-eyed demon that towered over the two of them.

Sudestren said not a word to the Blood Mage. He merely hid behind Alyson and said a quick prayer to his deity, Labelas Enoreth, begging him for aid.

******

***BLINK!!!***

In a flash of bluish-white light within the captain's cabin on the airship, Caliaphy appeared. The light was so blinding, that left everyone seeing spots for the next few minutes. Sir Gonagle barely managed to put his goggles on in time. Spencer and Maxim fell out of their chairs and Serna found a very tired Kurori asleep on her lap.

When Serna's eyes recovered their focus, the Shield Maiden looked down to see Caliaphy asleep in her lap.

Caliaphy clung to the girl's tunic in her sleep, snuggling up against her chest.

Maxim and Spencer rubbed their eyes in disbelief while Sir Gonagle merely shook his head. "Well, are we going to play or not?"

"Let's not!" Serna replied as she dropped her cards and wrapped her arms around Caliaphy, "You guys can go elsewhere and play. Whatever Caliaphy was called upon to do has clearly exhausted her. She needs her rest. Okay?"

Sir Gonagle let a sigh and gathered up the cards placing them in the case. Spencer stayed where he was, "I'm gonna stay with Serna for a bit."

Maxim got up and nodded, "Very well. Sir Gonagle and I will do our rounds on the airship."

"Thanks, guys, I really appreciate it," Serna smiled at all of them, "And when Caliaphy wakes up, I'm sure she will appreciate it too!"

Spencer got up and poured himself a drink and one for the girl, "Here. I can't imagine what your friend did to expend so much magic. That's gotta take a toll."

"Thank you, Spencer," Serna took the drink and gulped it down eagerly, "I don't know what she did either, but I do know this, a little rest could do her a realm of good."

The young gnome poured another for Serna, "Well to be honest, I will be glad to head back to Asylum after all of this."

"Oh, so you're from Asylum," Serna smiled, "It would be good to return there. I would love to see how my friend, Neven, is doing now that he has settled down there."

Spencer adjusted his shirt a bit and looked at her, "You're welcome to come with us, Serna. I'm sure the captain would be delighted to have you aboard."

"Captain Lion wants to adopt me as his daughter!" Serna replied honestly, "He likes me and I like him. But I am not ready to give up life on the road or the company of my friends. Do you have any family, Spencer?"