"Who ..are ….you? " Amirah asked in an expressionless tone. Reinhardt's hopes vanished and he hung his head in defeat, despite his rash, almost suicidal, dive into the Styx, he was too late.

"I am Reinhardt," he said at last. Underneath the muck that still clung to her, he saw a runed covered amulet around her neck, and recalled seeing mortals use similar items to survive harsh realms. He guessed that was the reason she had survived so long in the Styx, but even then her ooze covered body looked frail and weakened. He hadn't seen her in sixty years, but her body had the drained look about her, similar to the look of victims of undead attacks. As he gazed upon her, he wondered if all his efforts were in vain. If so , he could at least eat her head right? Would that ease the pain in his heart, or at least the hunger in his belly?

"Errr….how about you not bite her head off," gulped Fiawa in a shocked tone.

Reinhardt slapped his hand to forehead. It was an old habit of his that he thought he had gotten over, vocalizing his thoughts. His ability to project his internal dialogue via telepathy was very powerful, but he would sometimes get things crossed up and speak his thoughts outloud, regardless of how embarrassing they were. He hadn't done it in decades, and he wondered if his short swim into the Styx had unravelled his training in avoiding it.

"Help me get these shackles off of her, " croaked Fiawa as she attempted to ignore his past statement. She began scraping the mud off of Amirah, careful to use a piece of loose wood as to not get any of the deadly liquid on her. Reinhardt at that point didn't care about the Styx or its effects, she was still resting on his lap, her head leaning on his now bare chest, as he intoned a simple knock spell to open the locks. The Aasimar was arched slightly backwards from her bondage and seemed to curl up instinctively against him when released.

"She needs a healer right away," wrote Fiawa as she examined Amirah's weakned form. "preferably a high level cleric or priest, " she added. Reinhardt nodded in agreement. Even though the Lillend had forgotten all about her former friend, she still cared enough to tend to her needs. Reinhardt wondered if it was knowledge that Amirah use to be her friend and she simply wanted to do what was expected of her, or did the Lillend truly care for such victims regardless if she knew them or not. For Reinhardt himself, he would have acted that way to 'cover all the bases' so to speak, since acting benevolently for all was ultimately an exercise in futility. There was simply not enough resources and compassion for all the victims in this harsh world.

"We'll take her back to Trevvan and find one there."

Fiawa shook her head. "No, I doubt the tieflings there would have anyone skilled enough to heal her."

Reinhardt frowned but had to agree upon further thought. "The trip back to Arborea will take too long. I have access to ….open a planar gate, or even teleport, but we both know such power is useless here in Carceri, the prison plane. The gateway back to Arborea is days from here on foot, I could fly her there, but I need you with me. I won't attempt to enter Arborea by myself due to my ..obvious racial heritage."

Fiawa shook her head again as she scribbled into the journal. Reinhardt passed the time by gently stroking Amirah's mud caked hair. He encased his fingers in a thin sheet of ice to protect him from the liquid, but she didn't shiver or anything at his cold touch.

Bragi peered over Fiawa's shoulder but shrugged when he realized she was writing and not drawing any pictures. The troll seemed to have recover from his brief dive into the Styx. Reinhardt was pretty sure it had drained his memories and thought, but the troll was more defined by his instinct than memory so it affected him very little. Reinhardt recalled seeing lobotomized trolls at a slave auction once, and noted that they didn't act that different from normal trolls.

When she was done Fiawa presented her writing to Reinhardt. "The Order of the Husky is nearby. Their hidden fortress is on Cathrys, the second level of Carceri. When I was still a member of the Huntsman of Arborea we stayed there often and accepted the aid of the knights and priests there. I've heard that their lord, the Demonhands the Master of Dragons now resides within its walls, and he's a master healer, though I've never met the man myself. It is only a short journey through a hidden path and I can take Amirah there. She's one of my people, I will take responsibility for her from now on. Your burden is over. "

Reinhardt had never heard of the Order of the Husky, but he had heard rumors of this Master of Dragons and he remembered the two dragon knights from earlier in the day. "The Knights of the Red dog? " he asked.

"Yes I believe that's what the locals call them," wrote the Lillend.

Reinhardt wasn't sure what to say. The last thing he wanted to do was travel deeper into this realm. Trevvan was generally safe enough and far enough for most travellers. Carceri was called the prison plane for a good reason. Eons ago the mighty Titans waged war on the gods and lost. They were cast down and were the first prisoners in these world, a set of nestled planes that nullified travel magic. Only certain gates and paths could allow you to 'escape' to a higher plane, but these were progressively more difficult and guarded the deeper you go. The demodands were the prison guards here, and given the fact that Reinhardt almost killed one earlier, he doubt they would be pleased to see him. Also, the Knights of the Red dog, or Order of the Husky, or whatever those do gooders were called, they were probably considered warriors of light. While tieflings were probably tolerated at best, devils and specifically greater devils would probably be killed if discovered. Reinhardt had his illusions and his non detection spells but he was sure there were paladins amongst them, and given their infamous and relentless evil scouting gaze, he was sure his guise would eventually be found out.

"I'll escort you there," he blurted. The Lillend seemed as surprised as he was when he said the words.

The Lillend began scribbling again. "We both know you aren't a mere tiefling that you pretend to be. I don't know what you are, and honestly I don't care. However, I can guarantee you that the Order of the Husky will find you out. They will probably challenge you or attack you, " read the tiefling outloud.

"Bragi fight knight if they attack boss, or snake woman, or vegetable girl," said the troll thumping his chest.

Reinhardt appreciated the sentiment but ignored his bodyguard. He considered the Lillend's warning and then looked at poor Amirah lying on his lap. Sixty years it took to find her, sixty years of pretending he didn't care while following every rumor and scouring every slave market he could find. This woman helped him defeat Vilehorn, and probably saved his life in the process, and now she was a blank shell and empty slate. He owed nothing to her after his brash heroics earlier, but he still couldn't just walk away. "I will go with you as far as I can. If these knights attempt to kill me, well ….let's say they are certainly welcome to try."

Fiawa cleaned up Amirah pretty thoroughly as their raft sailed back to town. The Assimar didn't say a word but at least she appeared conscious as he spotted her eyes slowly scanning the surroundings. Reinhardt thought she looked even more frail and helpless without the muck than with it. He knew they had to hurry.

After they made it to shore and then back to Trevvan to rendezvous with Tragi, Reinhardt was shocked to see a crowd of the local militia swarming over his cart, even attempting to open it. There was no sign of his troll guard, except burnt bits of green flesh hanging off the cart.

"What…what happened?" demanded Reinhardt to the official that appeared highest in rank.

The tiefling in charge wore a simple black and grey chevron tabard like his fellows but he did have a pentagram on his chest and oddly enough the most prominent horns. He looked at the bare chested Reinhardt and scowled. "Is this your cart! It was attacked, that's what happened. An elven warrior and a pair of big Cambions killed the troll guarding it as well as a few bystanders, and then attempted to ransacked it. Some of my boys tried to intervene but they got butchered as well before those three left! Are you involved in some type of gang war son? Well are you? " he shouted.

Another, obviously lower member of the militia came up behind the older official and whispered something in his ear. Reinhardt couldn't hear the exact contents of the message, but he did hear …slave auction…Shator….. frozen. At that point, the official had heard enough and began bowing profusely before him and the rest of his militia beat a hasty retreat. While Reinhardt hated showy displays of power, he did admit it came in handy sometimes.

Reinhardt was a bit surprised to see the Lillend shed actual tears for the slain troll. Tragi died doing what he liked best, and that was fighting, and judging by the way his burning bits were scattered all over the place, he must have put up a grand struggle. While he admitted he would miss the troll, it was more like missing a loyal pet than a friend. It didn't seem necessary to make a big dramatic scene at his death like the Eladrin was doing, but Reinhardt guessed that it was common for the Celestial races to be a bit over emotional.

"Poor Tragi," croaked Fiawa.

"My name is Bragi not Tragi," noted Reinhardt's sole remaining troll.

"I'm talking… about your brother…. that died," corrected Fiawa as she gulped her words.

"I have a brother? And his name Tragi?" said Bragi with a blank stare that looked even stupider than normal. "What a dumb dumb name. "

"Okay enough," interrupted Reinhardt. "You'll never talk any sense into a troll of all things. What's more important is that this Oberon character that attacked you earlier, has obviously found out that you were rescued and has tried to finish the job. If Amirah wasn't in such a dire condition I would send you one way while we head off in another, but unfortunately you are the only one that can lead us to this Order of the Husky or the Red Dog or whatever they call it. As well as you are probably the only one that they will let past, the need for a guard is more important than ever. So let's head out quickly ok?"

She laid down on the cot in the strange wagon. It was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, and she reasoned it was some sort of interdimensional magic. Despite its spatial warping properties it still felt crowded from the rows of jars, souvenirs, and oddities that lined its shelves.

She had no memories save one , but all her knowledge remained oddly intact. From where they found her , and the way she was shackled she guessed she was thrown into the River Styx as some sort of ultimate revenge. They called her Amirah but that was an empty name, it didn't mean anything to her. She heard they wanted to heal her drained body, which was possible, but she doubt her memories could be restored. Only ancient the ancient magics of the Archons or Devas could do such a thing, and doubted this so called master healer was that powerful. She wondered what she did in the past that would warrant such a cruel punishment. Was she a great hero, finally defeated by a vile villain? Or was it the other way around? Judging by her rescuers, she wasn't sure.

There was the Lillend named Fiawa. A creature that was easily identifiable as a creature of light save her monstrous voice. She didn't seem too proud of it though, and she often wrote in a journal to communicate. Trolls were often seen as destructive creatures that ruined the environment, and fiendish versions of them were even worse. Yet, the brute Bragi seemed more stupid than malevolent. Finally there was the albino Tiefling Reinhardt that walked around bare chested. He was certainly handsome, with his well-groomed hair and cropped beard, as well as his rock hard athletic arms and torso. Somehow she could sense that he wasn't a tiefling but something much more sinister, but she didn't mind it when she rested her head on his chest. She had to admit, while she was sure he was the most dangerous of the three, she found his company the most comforting.

As the cart rumbled forward to whatever healer they were supposedly going to, the Lillend named Fiawa slipped into the back of the crowded wagon.

"Is everything ok Amirah? Can I get you anything?" Fiawa wrote on the journal.

Amirah still had trouble identifying with that name. She shook her head. While the Lillend was the most obviously friendly of the three, her reactions to her seemed forced or even fake. Not that Amirah blamed her, since she knew her ordeal in the Styx probably wiped the Lillend's memory of her. She might have been her best friend once, but after prolonged exposure to the dark river's forgetful waters, she was probably nothing to her. Amirah thought she should be thankful that Fiawa would risk so much for a stranger, so she returned her own forced smile.

Fiawa seemed satisfied and looked around the cart. "Ughh….hezrou tadpoles," she croaked in surprise as she spotted a large sealed jar with three black proto fish in them. The Lillend dropped her journal as she leaped backwards and knocked and scattered items around the tent. Amirah guessed that it was most likely used as food for the tiefling and his troll and not a torture device but nodded in agreement. "Savages," she croaked as she quickly left the wagon.

A short while later, the red troll Bragi squeezed into the cart. "Mud girlie ok?"

"Yes, " she whispered.

"Goodie, me grab some grub," replied the troll. Amirah noticed he reached for the tadpoles then reconsidered and grabbed some sort of dried spiky fish instead.

"Bragi, I want to apologize for your brother's death. If you and your friends weren't out rescuing me, then you might have saved your brother," Amirah said as the troll attempted to back out of the cart.

Bragi stopped and laughed, "Trolls strong. Tragi died, so he was weak. So no big loss," he shrugged.

Amirah shivered at his indifferent reaction but guessed that was the norm for his primitive and brutal society.

Later still the bare chested albino Tiefling entered the cart. It was hard to tell if the cart was moving, since it was enchanted in such a way to ignore bumps, but she could see the swamps slowly move past when the door was ajar. Amirah put away the book she had found and smiled to greet him.

"Sorry to intrude, but Fiawa told me to put some clothes on. She said I'm ….distracting her," apologized Reinhardt.

Amirah suppressed a giggle as she agreed with the Lillend's thoughts. The tiefling certainly appeared handsome, and had a heroic quality to him despite his fiendish background. Some instinct or sense she possessed told her that he wasn't what he appeared but she felt her heart jump as he approached her cot.

Reinhardt then removed a small chest under her cot, and took out a folded silk white robe with a simple violet border. "Are you feeling better? Has your memory returned?" he asked with genuine concern.

"It's easier to breathe, but my body just doesn't feel right. I don't think I can walk, or even stand. And my memory….."

Reinhardt leaned closer his eyes widening.

"is still gone….it's infuriating. I think I was some sort of demon hunter before I was tossed into the river. I can recall such obscure facts that Balors explode when they die, that Molydeus demons use vorpal axes, or Ice Devils regenerate from even fire….but I still can't remember who I am."

Amirah noticed Reinhardt flinch slightly at the mention of Ice Devils. Given his white skin, she wondered if he was actually a disguised half fiend that was sired by one, or if he had the misfortune of encountering one of those foul creatures in the past.

"…..did we know each other in the past? Were we friends? Is that why all of you are helping me?"

Reinhardt paused and sat next to her on the cot. He seemed both thoughtful and confused as he struggled for words.

"We don't know each other at all. We only briefly met, roughly sixty years ago, fighting against a common foe. I'm sorry to say , if we met on other circumstances, we probably would have fought each other instead," he admitted sadly.

Amirah didn't expect such an answer from him. Given the gentle way he had treated her, and how her own heart raced when he was near, she thought they must have shared something special, or had some type of bond between them.

Reinhardt brushed his rough hands against the top of her hair, and then ran his fingers down till they touched her chin. His touch was cold, almost frozen, but Amirah didn't mind. "I'm sorry this has happened to you. That you lost your memory. That the world has forgotten about you. However, I'll do my best to get you to Fiawa's healer, so swears Reyzenhart."

With that the tiefling made his way back to the door. Amirah felt something torn from her as he left, and didn't want him to leave.

"Wait….I have a question," she gasped.

Reinhardt stopped and turned to face her, confusion once again evident on his thoughtful face.

"When I was in the mud, everything I knew was gone. However, there was one thing that kept me sane. That was a kiss. Were you the one that kissed me?"

The tiefling breathed deeply and nodded. "Yes, that was I."

"Were ….were we lovers?"

"….no…..as I said we only met briefly…"

Amirah paused as she saw the pained look on his face. She didn't want to continue but she had to know. "That kiss sustained me through the darkness of the Styx. I don't know my past, but it clearly meant something to me. Did it mean the same to you?"

Reinhardt returned to the cot and sat once again next to her, thought this time it was much closer to her head. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. Amirah eagerly returned it, but was disappointed at how plain it felt. She had hoped that a tide of emotions would rush in and overtake her , but there was nothing behind it.

Reinhardt held his hands up before his face, and formed his fingers into pincher shapes. He began snapping them quickly before he lowered his head and faced Amirah once again.

"I'm sorry for that. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Maybe if I was some handsome prince, I could break the enchantment on you with a kiss. The truth of the matter is far …uglier," sighed Reinhardt. " I searched for you for sixty years. Pried every rumor, and went to every slave auction I could. Just for a hint, or affirmation that you were still alive, but I found nothing that helped me in finding you. I convinced myself that you were dead after a few decades, but I still searched anyways. It was just a stroke of circumstance that I found Fiawa a few days ago, which lead me to you. I should be overjoyed right now, but I'm not. I don't know what I was thinking, but I haven't been completely honest, not then when we battled back to back against the Balor Vilehorn, and certainly not now, during my crude attempt to play dashing knight to your maiden in distress."

"I won't lead you on anymore, even if you have your memory lost to you. The truth is, I'm not a tiefling at all, but a fiend from the pit. Not some common Barbazu or Orthon, but an exiled General of Stygia. A giant chattering insect, that could snap your head off, or sting your heart full of poison. I don't know what type of warped mind game I've been playing with you or myself, but it ends here."

"After I lead you to this Order of Husky, Bragi and I shall return to Trevvan to continue our business. I fully expect the Lillend to reward our efforts when she returns to Arborea, else she face my frozen wrath," he warned with a grim look on his face. At that he stood up, and marched forcefully out of the cart.

Amirah was stunned. Was she trapped in a nightmare? Was she still stuck in the mud of Stygia, and being tormented by these random phantasms of her memory? Was this some sort of Carerian punishment or prison? Did the demons of the dark water, take the one thing that held her to reality, and warped it into something so twisted and vile?

No.

The kiss was real. It was true. She didn't remember a thing of her past, but she knew it was the most honest thing she had ever felt.

Yet….Reinhardt seemed pretty adamant about his intentions. Her feelings might have been pure, but his certainly didn't seem so. It might very well be that whatever she felt, wasn't what he felt. He sounded confused, but she knew that all fiends were slightly insane or delusional. They revel in their carnage and corruption, yet always think they were in the right. Was she a victim of such a deception?

Amirah wanted to run after him and confront him, but her legs were numb. She wanted to scream in frustration, but was too frail to do so. Her body wasn't only weak, but it felt wrong. She felt she should have running, or even flying with the wind, but she couldn't even manage to get out of the cot.

She felt cold tears run down her face. She wanted to throw something, but only Fiawa's journal was at hand.

Reinhardt returned to the front of the wagon, a new robe on but a haggard look on his face.

"How much longer till we reach this secret portal of yours," he demanded as he took the reins of the stench kows.

Fiawa seemed a bit surprised at his tone. She attempted to write something down, but found herself looking aimlessly for her notepad.

"Soon," she croaked when she realized she had somehow misplaced it. "It's very close."

"I'll take you as far as I can go, but you two will make the last leg by yourselves," he ordered.

Fiawa nodded. "I understand, " she gulped." They won't take kindly to you."

Reinhardt scowled and looked at his hands again. He put his fingers together and shaped them into the form of crude claws. Why was he continuing with this façade? He could destroy all of those paladins and clerics of the Order of the Husky, regardless if their so called Master was leading them. Why was he playing nursemaid to this annoying Lillend and Assimar? He could snap both their necks off and sup on their brains. He had destroyed armies of demons and devils in his prime, and now was reduced to this pathetic wreck. All for what? Some crazy fairy tale notion that he could earn the love of the assimar in his cart. That this 'love' would fill that empty void in his heart? Ridiculous! He was the frozen death, he was the winter that crushed all hope. The only thing that could warm his frozen heart was the steaming hot blood of his victims poured over it.

"Err bosss…." Interrupted Bragi. Reinhardt glared at the troll, as the creature waved its clawed hands above its head, and then slowly radiated them out before repeating the action.

Reinhardt slapped his hand towards his forehead again as he realized he once again had vocalized his thoughts.

"Err…..I could carry Amirah and walk from here, " croaked the Lillend as she shuffled well and away from the faux tiefling. "We don't want to inconvenience you." Even with her distorted voice Reinhardt could sense the tangible fear in her voice.

"I'm sorry for that …mental outburst. I shouldn't have frightened you like, " he apologized deeply. " It's just…. It's just… I want to be something, someone that I can never be. I don't know how to explain this. It's like finally climbing an impossibly high mountain, and realizing it's just a foot hill."

Fiawa calmed down slightly, but didn't close the distance between them. "I understand. You care a lot for Amirah. I don't know your past, and neither does she, but obviously you love her. How else could you hold onto her memory when everyone had forgotten, and why else would you jump into the Styx to rescue her. I know Eladrins , especially Lillends like myself, throw around the word 'love' a lot, almost carelessly even, but I do know a man's deeds reveals more than his words. Mentally projected or not. I don't know what obstacle that you think is between you two, but after she's healed, I hope you two will try to resolve your differences," croaked the Lillend. Though her voice was destroyed by the Hezrou tadpole, her words seemed poetic and almost musical to Reinhardt.

*CLAP CLAP*

Reinhardt stopped at the sound. He turned to the side and saw an elf in golden glittering armor floating above the muck of the swamp. Flanking him was a pair of black armored ebon Cambions, and above him the gargoyle like horned devil that they had met earlier.

"It seems that even without your voice you are still quite the orator, Fiawa," applaud the golden elf. Reinhardt had to partly shield his eyes as waves of radiant energy seemed to emanate from the man. Even without introductions he knew this must be Oberon, the fallen Tulani. One of the most dangerous caste of spirits from Arborea.

"There's too many to fight, " croaked Fiawa. "I'll surrender to them."

Reinhardt scowled. "No. This Eladrin noble won't want anyone knowing his deed. They'll kill us all to maintain his secrecy. I'll hold them off, while you steer this cart to this Knight Order of yours."

"But..but….they will tear you apart! " protested Fiawa.

Reinhardt laughed as his features changed and grew before them. His smooth skin became a thick chitinous carapace, while his hand turned to rending claws. Even his mouth was warped into horrible razor sharp mandibles as he grew a long sinuous tail ending in a wicked barb. As his horrifying transformation completed an iron spear coated with ice materialized into his hands.

*Click, click, clack, click , click " hissed the Gelugon before it leaped towards his opponents.

Fiawa flinched from the sight as Bragi guided the cart away. "The boss say's not if I tear them apart first, " declared the fiendish troll with a smile.