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"I'm a Dragon Knight? Cool!" Rath paused momentarily. "But... where's my dragon?"
Cesia sighed. She had been trying to explain things to him for nearly half an hour, but he kept interrupting with so many inane comments and questions that she had barely made any progress. "You left it at the palace."
Rath wrinkled his nose. "Why would I do that?"
Because you hate being a Dragon Knight. "Beats me."
Rath opened his mouth as if he was about to pursue the line of questioning further.
"You've got a sword," Cesia said quickly. She knew that Rath's current line of questioning would eventually lead to questions about his demon side. And she didn't want to try to explain the particulars of his demon heritage when she wasn't completely clear on them herself. She might know what he was, but that didn't mean she knew how such a thing had come to pass.
"Where?" Rath looked around eagerly.
Cesia poked the bell on Rath's belt. "There."
Rath looked at the bell, then at Cesia. "You're kidding, right?"
"Just take hold of it and wish for it to turn into a sword."
Rath did as she was told and nearly fell over backward at the result. "Holy crap, it worked!"
"Of course it did. I designed it to," Cesia snapped.
Apparently oblivious to her mounting irritation, Rath studied the sword and then turned it back into a bell. He focused his intent gaze on Cesia. "So... who exactly are you, anyway?"
Cesia could swear she felt veins popping out all over her forehead. "Rath. I already told you that."
Rath shook his head. "No, you told me your name. That doesn't tell me who you are."
His statement gave Cesia pause. Could he really be interested in her? Not as a means to an end but purely for the knowledge itself? The idea seemed completely contrary to how Rath would have behaved under normal circumstances. But then, he had no reason to know that now, did he?
Rath spoke again, interrupting Cesia's train of thought. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... are you my girlfriend?"
"WHAT?" Cesia yelled. So much for his curiosity not being a means to an end.
Seeing that he had obviously made a mistake, Rath began to backpedal. "Umm... wife? Sister? Friend? Acquaintance?" With each new guess, Cesia grew even more irate. Rath finally seemed to catch on to this when Cesia picked up a large branch off of the ground. He stood to his feet and began to back away. "What are you doing?"
"Planning to beat you bloody."
"I thought so...."
Rath turned and rushed into the forest. Cesia followed close on his heels, wielding the stick as if she were an Amazon warrior.
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Kharl the Alchemist leaned back in a dusty armchair and thought. Garfakcy was gone so often on his little Faerie hunts, Kharl didn't have much else to do.
Oh, but that was about to change, wasn't it? He had a plan that, if successful, would increase his power a hundredfold. It would also enable him to finish Left Bird, which would in turn enable him to resurrect his master. Then he could proceed with his revenge on the Dragon Lord and....
All in due time. Before all that, he needed to finish the first step toward his goal. He rose from his chair, descended a flight of stairs and entered one of his labs.
Lain out on a table, naked and gaunt, was the corpse of a demon -- a demon for whom Kharl had a particular plan. Because, while it was currently dead, Kharl had no intention of letting it stay that way.
The process was almost complete. Kharl had been mixing up potions and powders for weeks now, reciting incantations to prepare the body and prevent it from decay. The final step seemed almost anticlimactic in a way. He threw a handful of ash into the air over the body and uttered one simple word.
"Revive."
For several minutes it seemed that nothing was happening. But gradually the corpse began to gain a little color, although it still looked far from healthy, or living for that matter. Muscles began to spasm and then the whole body arched upward as if struck by lightning. Clawed hands sliced at the air and an anguished scream passed over parched lips.
Kharl laughed. "Very melodramatic. Hardly worth the show, though, I must say."
Hollow, pain-filled eyes turned toward the alchemist. "I'm... not supposed... to be here." The creature frowned as if the proper word momentarily eluded it. "Dead."
"Yes, you were. Still are, as a matter of fact. But we can't let little things like death separate us from our duties, now, can we?"
"Why...." The demon trailed off, again unsure of itself.
"Why did I bring you back? Because I have a job for you to do, you pitiful little wraith. You may have failed me in life, but in death I have no doubt that you'll be one of my most loyal servants. Or in your case, slaves," Kharl said with a sneer.
"What... do you want?" The question came out more like a howl. The demon was obviously trying to contest Kharl's control.
"I want you to find Cesia and Rath Illuser. I'd prefer at this point that you bring them back alive... but it is not an absolute necessity."
The demon's howl of tortured misery brought a twinkle to Kharl's eye.
"Oh, come now, do you honestly think you can fight me on this? You've been dead for quite some time; your will is virtually nonexistent. And besides, my hold on you is too great. I'm surprised you managed to circumvent me last time."
The demon writhed on the bed for a time, then stood up, the fight gone from its eyes. "Where... are they?"
"Oh, you'll be able to find them. They leave behind a trail of chaos and demon corpses wherever they go. You should know that from personal experience."
Kharl gestured for the demon to follow him. He led it up the stairs, through a maze of corridors and finally to the front door. The minute the door was opened the demon leapt outside with an unearthly shriek. It transformed into a cloud of black dust and was swept through the air by a powerful wind.
Kharl watched as it disappeared from sight and whispered, "Good hunting, Bierrez. I know you'll find what I seek."
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Muahaha. I got to fit in two of my favorite bad guys, Kharl and Bierrez! Wanna know what's gonna happen next? Then you're gonna have to wait for the next chapter to find out. Heeheehee, I'm so evil....