Ashton's nails extended as she faced Schiam. "Guess you haven't learned yet; I don't give up."

Schiam studied her carefully. "I see you've been practicing."

"Always am." said Ashton. "Now enough talk snake man, let's do this."
Schiam kept approaching for a moment before he stopped walking towards Ashton, and put his hands in his pockets. "I'm not gonna fight you."

Ashton looked confused, but still stood her ground. She didn't know if this was a trick or not. "What are you talking about?"

"You're not dumb Ashton, I'm sure you understood what I just said." said Schiam. "I'm not gonna fight you, I see no reason to."

Ashton set her stance partly at ease now. "Are you serious? What about the pay Dragon Lord is giving you?"
Schiam smirked slightly as he looked away from Ashton. "I don't need it. I live in the rainforest of my dimension, live in a tree, eat whatever jungle rodents I find, shield myself from the rain with the large leaves; you know how it is. Solitary, just like I like it."

"You're serious." said Ashton in disbelief.

Schiam nodded.

"What gives?"

Schiam looked at Ashton for a moment. "I take orders from no one. I refuse to do something I just see no reason to do, for something I really don't need. Just don't ever get in my way." He then began walking away.

Ashton looked after him, still in disbelief.

Schiam then stopped for a moment. "And besides, you've found something that I still haven't found, and will be searching for, for the rest of my life. May lightning strike me dead if I try and take that from you."

Ashton didn't get it at first, then realized what he meant. She looked at him with disbelief in her expression.

Schiam turned around just long enough to catch her expression, but just turned away.

Ashton watched him walk off into the shadows. After she looked off in his direction for a while, she heard a horn blow, and realized that the train was getting ready to leave.

"Oh man!" she exclaimed. She then sat back on her legs before sprinting forward to the train station.

Ashton reached the train just as it began moving. The Turtles had the door open waiting for her. "Thanks y'all." she said as she sat down.

"What took you so daggone long?" asked Raph as he closed the door to the traincar.

Ashton sighed deeply. "Long story, lets just say, Schiam's not gonna be bothering me anymore."

"What?" asked Leo.

"You beat him didn't you?" asked Cori.

"No, its hard to explain." said Ashton thoughtfully as she thought of what Schiam said to her. "He's like I was, until I found you all."

The others looked confused, but Venus, reading Ashton's mind, understood all too well.

Ashton sighed deeply, then sat back as she relaxed for the long train ride back.

That night, Schiam went to Dragon Lord's fortress.

Dragon Lord sat at his throne going over a checklist with Wick.

"That seems to be everything majesty." said Wick.

"Capital." nodded Dragon Lord.

Just then, they felt a breeze come through the room.

"Schiam." said Dragon Lord as his eyes narrowed slightly.

Schiam grinned from his corner of the room. He then stepped up to Dragon Lord's throne.

"What are you doing here?" asked Wick. "You should be out destroying that feline creature!"

"Or have you destroyed her already?" asked Dragon Lord curiously, and somewhat hopefully.

"On the contrary, I haven't." said Schiam coolly.

"What is taking you so long to do so?!" asked Dragon Lord impatiently.

"I've been thinking." said Schiam as he looked away for a moment, then turned back to Dragon Lord. "I've decided not to destroy her anymore; I see no reason to."

"What?!!" asked an angered Dragon Lord as his eyes glowed bright red.

"You incompetent snake!" complained Wick.

"Call me what you like, I'm no longer destroying her. You can keep your money; I don't need it." said Schiam.

"Oh, you have made a terrible mistake." said Dragon Lord darkly. Then he snapped his fingers.

A group of warriors standing nearby surrounded Schiam.

Schiam glanced around at them and smirked. "Really now. These poor pathetic-excuses-for-warriors can't subdue an adolescent feline, and now you expect them to subdue me?" Schiam chuckled.

Just then, in a flash, he attacked the whole rank that surrounded him, and exited the lair just as quickly as he had come.

Outside, Schiam looked back at the fortress as Dragon Lord bellowed out loudly and angrily. He smirked, then walked off. "Time to go home."