Chapter 12: Am I Blue?

"You summoned me, my Emperor?" Jade dropped to his knee as he entered the throne room. Zog waved him up.

"Stand, Jade. Nobody else is here... there's no need for the formalities." He stared off into the distance, smiling faintly. "Do you remember the old days... the days back when we were just plain old Zog and Jade? Prince Zog and Sir Jade when our parents were around... but to each other, we were just two kids who were going to make sure the world never forgot them..."

"Ah... yes, old friend. I do..." Jade coughed uncomfortably. "But those days are long gone... forever. We must deal with the present now."

"Indeed..." Zog sighed regretfully, then straightened up "Yes, that is why I called you here. What is the status of the Tiamat Unit at this time?"

"The Blue Alchemist, as you know, is preparing to engage the Light Dragon Ryu and his company, if he has not already." Jade reported. "He should be calling in very soon now; Silver is watching for that. The White Assassin has been dispatched to the Island of Tunlan, to recover the Time Key. The Red Dreammaster and Black Warrior are up north today, investigating rumors of the location of the Sky Key. They'll be back in time for dinner, I believe the saying goes. And I, your faithful Gold Lord, am right here."

"Excellent." Zog nodded in approval. "I'm glad to hear it, Jade... I knew the Tiamat Unit would not let me down like the others. Speaking of which, what's happening to our remaining officers? I haven't seen them recently..." He asked, curious. Jade laughed mirthlessly.

"I decided to treat them to a little lesson on 'How to do the damn job right.' Since you commanded them to obey all our orders unquestioningly, I took them down to the baths and had them all go for a swim in full armor. They were all pulled up after three minutes. I'm told the survivors were very appreciative of the lesson."

"It's not like they'd be useful against our current enemies." Zog nodded. "Not even Cean was able to beat them."

"Well, that's what the Tiamat Unit is for, my emperor." Jade reminded him. "Special cases like these. Don't worry; Cort knows what he's doing. He'll handle it." The Gold Lord blinked. "Well, speak of the devil. Silver tells me he's calling in right now."

"Can she take it in here?" Zog demanded, and Jade nodded. A moment later, a flash of light signified Silver's arrival. She held up a bottle of green liquid that was glowing brightly and poured it onto the floor. In the pool on the floor, a familiar face appeared and smiled at them.

"Ah, hello there, Silver... Lord Jade... your majesty!" He quickly saluted.

"Report, Cort." Zog and Jade said simultaneously. This cause the Blue Alchemist to laugh a little, but he quickly stifled it.

"Ahem... assuming control over the fortress here went off without a hitch. General Targ's things are being shipped back to Scande... at least I think they are. Might have accidentally sent them to Gramor or something instead. Oh well." He shrugged. "Once that was taken care of, I immediately began setting up several defense measures in case of attack from, ah, a certain party of interest to us all."

"And did this attack take place?" Jade inquired. Cort nodded.

"Indeed it did. Just this morning, as a matter of fact... came up here, killed the guards and blew up a couple of my experimental monsters. Not bad at all, but then he ran into me." He smiled with all the warmth of a glacier. "Needless to say, things went quite downhill for Ryu and friends then."

"Dead?" Zog asked. Jade frowned, but Cort shook his head.

"Not quite, I'm afraid, but the fight was quite one-sided. They're currently on the run... I think they were heading towards Prima. But they'll come back, I assure you... and when they do, the issue will be settled. Permanently, with any luck."

"Make sure it is, Blue Alchemist." Zog commanded sternly. "And when you do, take those Goddess Keys as well."

"As you command, my Emperor." Cort's eyes closed as he bowed. Those in the throne room were unable to see him do it, but the motion made it evident. "Believe me, I am still completely aware of the neccessity involved in reclaiming those Keys. I will complete my task, or die trying."

"See that you do." Zog nodded in approval. "If that's all there is to report, dismissed." The puddle evaporated, taking Cort's face with it. Silver turned and bowed to her Emperor before disappearing with the customary flash.

"Blue can handle it, old friend." Jade assured the Emperor. "I brought him back to Scande for a reason, just like the rest of them. And the talent I saw in him... in all of them... has served us well this far, has it not?"

"I'm not doubting them, Jade." Zog smiled. "I know Cort can do the job. And once he has, and he and the others have brought back the Goddess Keys... then we will be exalted above all others. We seven will release the Goddess Myria, and we shall return this world to the state it should be!" His mad eyes shone. Jade nodded.

"As it should be, my Emperor. As it was destined long ago." He bowed once more. "I am afraid I must be going now... pressing business."

"Go then, my Gold Lord." Zog nodded. Jade left, walking through the halls of the Scande Palace until he reached the Tiamat Unit's quarters. Jade preferred walking to where he had to go, as opposed to the more flashy methods of travel used by the rest of the Tiamat Unit. It wasn't that he was unable to do such things; he just preferred to walk, despite how much longer it took. Jade knew, better than any, that necessary events would take place when they were supposed to, and not a moment before. As he locked the door behind him, Silver rose from where she had been leaning against a wall, motionless. The green puddle was on the floor here now, and Cort's face was still inside it.

"All right, Blue." Jade smiled. "Now, for the rest of the report. How are they?"

"Not quite there yet, but it won't be long." Cort said matter-of-factly. "They took down my Rogues, including one on a new extra-strength formula, like they were nothing. I haven't seen Ryu transform yet, but observation of his behavior seems to indicate that he's only recently come from the second Dragon Shrine."

"Ladon will probably arrange it so that he'll pass by the third without visiting it at first." Jade predicted. "If he goes to the third so soon after the second, he'll probably kill himself the first time he transforms, and that'll dump everything straight down the chamber pot."

"Is the aftereffect from a dragon transformation really that bad?" Cort inquired. Silver shuddered and spoke once.

"Worse."

"Glad I never had to go through that." Cort shook his head. "Well, when he comes back here, I'll make sure to test how he copes with a second-level transformation. I've got just the thing for the purpose... wanted to test it in combat anyways." Jade nodded.

"Think you'll be able to get back another report before you take them on yourself again?"

"I'll try." Cort promised. "I'll see you then, Lord Jade... Silver." The potion evaporated, for real this time, leaving only a faint smell in its wake.

"This looks like about the right area." Gobi decided as he pulled up on a beach and reverted to his normal form. "All right, everybody, spread out and look for a cave."

"Right over there." Nina yelled, flying a good fifty feet upward and pointing to an opening in the side of the mountains to their east.

"Or, just do it that way, yeah." Gobi grumbled. Nina grinned as the group walked into the cave she had seen. As soon as they entered, they heard a constant chorus of ribbits echoing off of every wall. The cave was definately what they had been looking for. Lining the walls were individual dwellings that had been carved out of the rock. Covering the floor, completely unafraid, were the owners of the cave. Frogs. Bright green, dark green, blue-green, bright blue, even a few in strange colors like pink, all at least two feet wide. One of them, bolder than the rest, approached the strangers.

"Ah, 'ello! I assume zat you are, 'ow you say, friendly?" The frog asked, speaking with a strange accent. Nina giggled.

"We're friends, yes." Ox smiled. The frog clapped with his back flippers.

"Ah, good! Is zere any particular reason you 'ave come 'ere?"

"We need some help for a friend." Ryu explained. "A medicine..." He frowned. "We don't know exactly how this works, but apparently, we need some... Frog Oil?" Jacques blinked, but continued smiling.

"Ah, fear not, mon... er, my friends. Zis is a matter for ze king! Come, come wit me!" He led them to the back of the cave, where an electric blue frog, largest of all, was lounging. "King Louie, zese people need some of ze Oil."

"Oil?" King Louie harrumphed, fixing them with a beady eye. "Nonzenze, Jacques! You know zat ze Oil is forbidden from outsiders!"

"But your majesty, we need it! Medicine, for a friend!" Karn tried to plead, but Gobi grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out of the way.

"Hold it, kid. This is my area of expertise." He grinned at King Louie. "Your majesty... forbidden? Such a strict, unmoving word. Not friendly... and not appropriate. You see, in my experience, there's always something. Forbidden is never absolute. You can't tell me there's nothing you wouldn't trade for some Oil? Come on... anything?" King Louie's eyes grew devous.

"You know much, fish. Zere is one ting. A Gold Fly."

"Gold Fly?" Bo blinked. The King nodded.

"Ze Gold Fly... ze king of insects. Zey are very rare, but very strong... a fly of shining gold, ze size of one of us. I have long dreamed of tasting Gold Fly. Bring me one, and I shall give you zome Oil."

"We'll do that, then." Gobi rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Excuse use, your Majesty." The group, with Jacques in tow, left. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it? Admit it, I'm a genius."

"Uh, Gobi." Karn sighed. "One problem. Where do we get a Gold Fly?" Gobi's face fell.

"Um... anybody know?" Nobody reponded.

"Ze Gold Fly is one of ze most rare animals in ze world." Jacques said apologetically. "Ze King is zaking unfair advantage of you. Zey say zere are only a few in ze world at any zime."

"Where's Uncle Specs when you actually need him?" Ryu groaned. "He knows things like this."

"Or that one guy we met in the GrimFowl Woods." Ox shok his head. "But neither of them are around, so we'll have to try something else. Maybe Deis knows."

"Worth a shot, I guess." Ryu shrugged. "Back to Gust, then."

"Good luck!" Jacques called after them as they left. "I 'ope you are successful when we meet again!"

Fortunately, thanks to Gobi's high-speed swimming, the trip back to Gust only took a day, despite that it was on the other side of the world. As they were about to enter the town, they saw a heavyset, balding man angrily jumping up and down while screaming at a cave.

"What's up with YOU?" Karn asked rudely. The man glared at him.

"This stupid fly stole my lunch! Huge bugger!"

"Huge fly...?" Ryu blinked. "About two, three feet wide, bright gold?"

"That's the one!" The man angrily agreed. "I hate flies! Grrr!"

"You don't think." Nina said as they all exchanged glances. Ryu shrugged.

"Only one way to find out. Did it go in this cave?" The man nodded. "Right then. Banzai!" They dashed inside. The cave was strangely long and winding; almost like a one-way labyrinth. At the end, the fly was buzzing over a large chunk of cheese. It was at least two feet wide, and shining gold.

"Blech, I hate cheese!" It whined. "There's got to be something else to eat around here... ah, here we go!" Its compound eyes fixed on the group. "Puny mortals... maybe you'll do!"

"Funny." Ryu smirked. "We're here on behalf of a fella who'd love to eat YOU. Shall we see who gets to be lunch, then?"

"Feh! You'll be regretting those words soon, weakling!" The Gold Fly laughed. Lunging forward, it bowled into Gobi, who went flying like he had been tackled by Ox. "Huh! You must be high-grade weaklings... that should have splattered him like an egg!"

"Bug, you have no idea!" Ox bellowed, trying to smash it with his hammer. The Fly nimbly flew out of the way.

"Clumsy oaf! What are you trying to do, fan me?" Ryu frowned.

"How about this, then! Bo, Karn, knock him out of the sky!" They obliged, filling the air with arrows and throwing knives as Ryu helped with his boomerang.

"Yawn! I could do this all day!" The Gold Fly laughed. "Eh?" Nina suddenly appeared above it, attempting to skewer the bug. Quickly backpedalling, the Fly flew downward. "Whew! Close, but no cigar, bir-aw, no." It groaned as Ox's hammer smashed it flat. Pulling it back, Ox peeled their quarry off of it. It was flat as a pancake, but otherwise undamaged.

"What a pain." The big Builder Clanner shook his head. "You okay, Gobi?"

"My pride may never recover, but otherwise, I'll live." Gobi stood up, wincing. "Man, I wish I could sue bugs. I'd be rich. Come on, let's get this thing back to King Louie." As they lef the cave, however, somebody came out of Gust and glared at them.

"HEY! What are you doing back here? Do you have the Oil?" Deis yelled as she slithered up to them. "What are you doing, playing around with bugs! Nicholie's groaning back there! He could wake up soon, and you know what'll happen then!"

"We're trying!" Karn defended them. "The Frog King said he wouldn't give us Oil unless we brought him this Gold Fly!"

"Oh, really." Deis' smile was like an ice cube as she took the Fly. "Why don't you take me to this King Frog? I'll deal with him. Come on, let's go, King Carp!" Gobi blinked, looking offended.

"King CARP? Excuse ME!" Despite his huffiness, the group made it back to the Frog Cave in another day. Jacques was waiting to greet them.

"Ah, my friends! Did you find ze..." His voice trailed off as he stared at Deis. "A... a... SNAKE!" The ribbitting further inside became frenzied. Deis blinked, then frowned.

"Well, not exactly... but what's wrong with snakes, anyways?"

"Snakes eat frogs." Nina reminded her. Deis slowly smiled.

"Hm... this may be easier than I thought. I assume this one's a good guy?"

"Jacques?" Karn nodded. "Yeah, he's cool. Come on Jacques, this snake's with us. She won't eat you. Take us to the King." Jacques hesitantly complied. King Louie was shaking as they approached.

"Snake... why 'ave you come here?"

"Oh, no reason..." Deis remarked offhandedly. "I just heard there was a deal going on here for some Frog Oil."

"Never!" The King swore fervently. "I make no deals wit friends of snakes!" Deis smiled evilly.

"I think you're lying, my friend." She licked her lips, and the King squeaked. "You know, there's an old saying. Some people think snakes eat frogs. The way I see it, though, they only eat the bad ones... the ones who, say, renege on deals they made... or try to cheat people who need their help..." As if on cue, her stomach rumbled. At this point, the King looked like he was about to faint. "Yes, those kind are supposed to taste the best... even better than Gold Flies like this one." For the first time, the King saw the Gold Fly she was holding.

"You... 'ave eet?"

"Have what?" She smirked. "Thought there was no trade."
"No... nonsense! 'Ere, ze Oil is right 'ere!" Hastily, the King pulled a large bottle out from behind a stalagmite. Deis gravely accepted it and handed him the Fly.

"Well then, a deal's a deal. At least one of us will eat well." She sighed. "Such a shame... but oh well, maybe we'll meet again!" She laughed and turned, slithering out of the cave. Jacques turned to the others, visibly relieved.

"Ze snake... would she 'ave really...?"

"We never really know with Deis." Karn shrugged. "Well, we should be going before your King decides to lynch us. See you, Jacques."

"Hey, Jacques." Gobi turned around as he was leaving. "You know, your people could probably come right out and declare yourselves a Clan. You seem like sentients to me, and I'm sure the other Clans would be happy to accept you."

"Oui, we 'ave considered it." Jacques agreed. "But not quite yet... we do not wish to draw attention to ourselves while ze, ah, Dark Dragons are so strong. Perhaps once zey 'ave been defeated." He shrugged. Ryu smiled.

"In that case, start making plans, Jacques... won't be too long now."

"You did a good job on that guy, Deis." Bo complimented the Sorceress as they walked back towards Gust from the shore. "Never knew you were skilled at that sort of thing."

"Well, I've known a lot of people over the centuries." Deis shrugged. "You pick up certain things... some good, some bad. That was actually kind of fun... haven't gotten the chance to do THAT to somebody for quite a while now." Nina raised an eyebrow.

"It can't be that long since you threatened somebody. What haven't you... you know what, I don't even want to know what you're thinking. It'd probably warp my mind."
"Wise choice." Deis laughed evilly. "Come on, there's the town." As they approached, they heard a shriek, followed by the roar of a beast. Immediately, they began running. As they entered Nicholie's house, they immediately took in the situation. Nicholie was still mostly human, but his skin was red and scaly. Tina darted towards them, eyes wide with fright.

"He's...!"

"No time, girl!" Deis snapped. "Quick, the mix we made up!" Tina nodded and grabbed a bowl of some vile concoction off the table. Deis poured a generous portion of the Frog Oil into the bowl, then flung it over Nicholie, dousing him. Tina almost screamed, then stopped; Nicholie had returned to normal, and his eyes were opening.

"Uh... the flower..."

"Nicholie, are you okay?" Tina asked, kneeling next to him. He tried to rise, but she stopped him. "You can't... you were turning into..."

"No time..." The bridge-builder mumbled, looking at the group. "Are you... Ryu?"

"That's me." Ryu nodded. "Something you need us to do?"

"The flower... he planted it south of the base. It's... making the townspeople crazy. The pollen's bad, but if it actually spreads its seeds... the whole world..." He groaned again.

"The world?" Bo cursed. "Damn... right, we need to kill that shrubbery NOW. Come on, let's go." Deis wasn't moving; she was still staring down at Nicholie, shaking her head.

"No... this isn't good..."

"Something up?" Ryu asked. She bit her lip.

"This isn't right... he should be recovering better than this. Unless..." She swore as well. "He must have used that flower of his... if I'm right about how he made the potion that did this to Nicholie..." She shook her head. "This is just a temporary cure."

"Is there any way to make a permanent one?" Tina demanded. The Sorceress slowly nodded.

"Yes. Good thing I didn't use all the Frog Oil. We'll have to make another batch of medicine... with one alteration in ingredients. Ryu, when you kill that flower... bring me one of its roots. Not a big one... just a small one will do."

"Can do." Ryu nodded. "I assume you'll be staying behind to watch him?"

"Me... and Nina." Deis decided. "No telling if Nicholie'll go ape again... and if he does, I'll need her to help me subdue him." Nina slowly nodded.

"All right... Ryu, be careful..."

"Aren't we always?" Karn winked at her, pretending to trip over Gobi. "Come on, let's go." Ryu nodded and led the guys out of the house.

"You ready to go Dragon on this thing if you need to?" Bo asked.

"Yeah." Ryu clenched his fist. "I'm good. You think there'll be trouble?"

"Cort'll be waiting for us." Gobi growled. "And even if he doesn't feel like brawling, I've got a bad feeling about that flower. Without our best magic-users... we better be ready." All five kept tight grips on their weapons as they left Gust. Nearing the fortress, they soon saw that Gobi's prediction was correct. Cort was standing next to the flower.

"Hello, hello, hello..." He drawled. "So good to see you all again. I do note, however, that the lovely ladies don't seem to be here."

"They had other business." Gobi answered. "We're here for the plant, Cort. You want to fight us now, or will you let us kill this thing and live a few more days?"

"Such violence, as always..." Cort closed his eyes in despair, then smiled. "But in actuality, this is rather good timing. I was just wondering where I was going to get some plant food." The earth shook, and the heroes stared as the pink flower wrenched itself out of the ground. Holding the main blossom upright like a head, it waved smaller buds on the ends of long, thorny vinelike tendrils. Roots crawled out of the dirt and held the mass of plant life up, crawling like insect legs. Through this, Cort continued his diatribe. "You see, my pet here is a modified version of a species of carnivorous plantlife normally found in the southwest. They are known as the Death Flowers, but I named this one the Flower-X, being as how it is special... improved. As such, it needs better than average prey as well. See how you fare!" Laughing, he melted into the ground, and the Flower-X stalked forward without a sound.

"KNEW this wasn't going to be easy!" Bo yelled as he fired multiple arrows. The Flower-X lazily moved its vines aside so that the shafts missed, almost as if by accident. Less easily dodged was the horribly cold blast of frigid air that came from Ryu the Ice Dragon. The deadly plant recoiled, still silent, as frost formed on a few vines. Then, amazingly fast, it thrust its "arm" buds forward together, hammering Ryu on the snout with a double blow. The Ice Dragon staggered, dazed, and the Flower-X moved in for the kill, only to be stopped as Karn and Ox dashed forward, slicing and smashing. It appeared to think for a moment, then thrust its arm-buds forward again, this time releasing a noxious purple gas into both their faces. Coughing, they retreated, faces paling.

"Poison!" Ryu cursed. "Damn, I wish Nina was here!" Bo concentrated, and a lance of lightning smashed out of the sky into the Flower-X. It barely slowed it.

"Wish Deis were here too... my stuff can't cut it!"

"If wishes were fishes, the economy would crash, my friend!" Gobi grunted, darting in under the arm-vines and thrusting with his pike repeatedly. As the Flower-X turned towards him, Ryu leapt forward with another ice storm, this time breathing right into the main blossom. The Flower-X turned blue and ground to an unmoving halt. Gobi examined it critically.

"Think it's dead? YAH!" He yelled as both arm-buds struck him, knocking him into a tree. Bo growled and prepared another spell.

"This thing isn't dead until it's been slagged completely!" Flames covered the Flower-X's main blossom, then spread to the rest. Silent even at the end, it lurched towards the Forest Clanner, a burning wreck, and then collapsed. Gobi quickly grabbed an unburnt root and snapped it off. Cort emerged from the ground once more and stared at the remains of his pet with a look of despair.

"My Flower-X! What have you done to it?" He shook his head. "Don't answer that, by the way... it was a rhetorical question. I'm not going to lose my temper over this." He smiled. "As a matter of fact, I'll let you go for now... unless I'm mistaken, you need to get that root back to Master Nicholie, don't you?" Gobi slowly nodded.

"Yeah... we do. But why do you care about that?"

"I want to know if it will cure him too." Cort explained. "You'll be helping science as much as you are him. Besides, it's still not time for OUR real confrontation... almost, but not yet. There's..." He stopped talking suddenly, staring behind them. Ox turned around.

"Huh? What are you doing here?" It was Tina.

"Nicholie... he's changed back..." The healer was breathing heavily; she had ran all the way up. "Come quickly... they're trying to-" She saw the Blue Alchemist, and she froze as well. "...Cort? Is that you?"

"You... know each other?" Karn asked. Cort began shaking violently.

"No... argh! Who are... I don't..." Clutching his head, he melted into the ground and was gone. Ryu frowned, not reverting.

"We need to talk, miss, but not right now. Come on, back to Gust!" By the time they were back at Nicholie's house, however, the battle was already over. Nicholie was lying in his bed, groaning, and the women were sitting in chairs nearby, looking flattened.

"Nina! Deis! You okay?" Ryu yelled as he burst in, ignoring the screams from the townsfolk. Nina smiled wanly.

"It was touch and go for a moment, but then Deis remembered another one of her spells, and that took care of him."

"Did you destroy the Poison Flower?" Deis asked sharply. Gobi handed her the root by way of response. Acting quickly despite her exhaustion, Deis crumbled it into a bowl of clear medicine. Instantly, it thickened and became the vile-smelling glop she had administered earlier. "Already put the Frog Oil in... here goes!" She dashed the bowl over Nicholie. The bridge-builder's eyes opened, and he looked around.

"Whoa... where am I? Home...?" He held up his hands and stared at them. "I'm normal again! I'm cured!"

"Hey, looks like it worked." Deis smiled. "I'm a genius, all right."

"Nicholie!" Tina embraced him. "You're safe... oh, thank Ladon!"

"Well, that's one problem down." Nina sighed. Ryu nodded, finally reverting to his humanoid form.

"Yeah... but now, I think there's some talking to be done... miss Tina?" Tina slowly released Nicholie and turned around to look at them all.

"Cort... I had no idea he was the one doing all this..."

"You know Cort?" Deis asked sharply. Tina sat down in a chair next to Nicholie, who was watching her as intently as the heroes.

"I... thought I did. It's been years..."

"Can you tell us everything you know?" Bo asked gently. She nodded.

"Yes. We... were both born in a town further south and east of here... called Spring. It's one of the largest towns in the West... a beautiful place, no matter what season it is." As she spoke, her eyes grew misty, as if she was seeing the memories reenacted before her. "We used to say that Spring had been blessed by nature herself. It certainly seemed that way; nothing was ever really wrong there. We were part of the Empire, of course, but they never really bothered us more than they needed to. I loved it there... I had many friends my own age, and one ten years older."

"Cort?" Nicholie guessed. She nodded.

"He was a young man then... and from what my parents told me, he had been destined for science from birth. One day when I was little and he was an adolescent, my family were visiting his, and I wandered into his lab. It seemed a place of wonder for me... so much going on there that I couldn't understand, but wanted to. Cort found me, of course, but he wasn't angry... as a matter of fact, he started explaning things to me."

"Doesn't sound like the kind of thing he'd do..." Ox grunted. Gobi gave him a look.

"I'm not so sure... and besides, he was a lot younger back then."

"From that point on, I started going back there all the time." Tina continued. "I think he was happy to find somebody else who really understood what he was interested in. As we both got older, I became his lab assistant. Then, in my fifteenth year, it was all over in one day..."

"I'm going over to Cort's, mom!" Tina yelled as she ran by her mother. The older woman smiled and grabbed her daughter by the collar.

"Without even having breakfast? I think not, missy. At least take some bread and cheese with you."

"Yes, mom." Tina gratefully grabbed a large chunk of each off the table. Her mother sighed and shook her head.

"Take some for mister Cort, too... if I know him, he'll have forgotten to make himself anything to eat since yesterday. I don't know how he ever convinced his parents to let him live by himself... that young man may be the smartest person in this town, but he's the most absent-minded. No wonder you dash out of here without eating after spending so much time helping him." Tina just smiled and took some more food; she knew her mother meant well with her occasional nagging.

"Yes, mom. See you later!" Running down the street, she passed another group of adolescents. One of them called to her.

"Hey, Tina! Wanna join us? We're gonna go hunting monsters!"

"No thanks, Bert!" She called back. "I've gotta go help Cort today!"

"You're helping old Cort every day!" Another one laughed. "You're never gonna get into the army like that!"

"To heck with the army!" Tina laughed back. "I'm going to be a genius scientest too, just you wait!" Reaching Cort's house, she walked in; the door, as usual, was left unlocked. It was fortunate that nobody would ever dare to even think about stealing from the scientest. Not even bothering to check the rest of the house, Tina immediately went down into the basement, where Cort's lab was. Pushing open the triple-reinforced door, she found the town's genius hunched over a series of test tubes, each with a liquid of a different strange color inside. Cort was a tall, thin young man of about twenty-five, too lanky to really be considered handsome, with pale skin from a lack of direct sunlight. His hair was a black mop, and he wore a plain white coat. His sole concession to vanity was a monocle of ruby; even though his eyes were both fine, he wore it because, according to the little girl who had given it to him five years ago, it made him look cool. That same little girl had entered the lab without him noticing, and was now standing next to him, smirking. Looking up, Cort saw her at last.

"Oh, Tina. You're here. What's that you have?"

"Breakfast." She handed him the bread and cheese. "My mom sent it... said you'd probably need it. She's probably right."

"Hey, you know how it goes." Cort shrugged, taking a bite. "Science waits for no man. But give your mom my thanks; this is good." Tina gave him a look. "What?"

"No thanks for me, for bringing it?" She asked. Cort returned the look.

"Knowing you, she had to remind you to take some for yourself, let alone bring me any."

"Hey, you know how it goes." She returned what he had said. "Science waits for no woman. So, what's the plan for today? We going to continue working on that slime golem prototype?"

"Not right now... that's on the backburner after a discovery I made last night while analyzing some chemical compositions." Setting his meal aside, Cort handed Tina some notes. "Here, look at these. See anything interesting?" Tina's eyes slowly widened as she scanned the papers.

"This is... if these are correct, you could take a common Tri-Marble that's sold in any general store, and change it into..."

"Into a powerful adrenaline addition for combat purposes." Cort nodded. "In layman's terms, it'll at least double the strength of a soldier who takes it temporarily. And all it takes is to dunk the Tri-Marble in a certain combination of chemicals." Tina narrowed her eyes.

"What's the catch? It's not that easy... it never is."

"The catch is that it might be dangerous." Cort explained. "Some of the chemicals used... well, I just hope I'm right about this." Tina placed the notes on a nearby table.

"I'd try to talk you out of this, but I know it wouldn't do any good... and besides, I want to see how this turns out too. What can I do to help?"

"That's my assistant." Cort grinned. "Come on, let's start the double-check. We'll have to break down the Tri-Marble for this..." For the next hour or so, the two of them busied themselves with preparing for the experiment. Finally, everything was ready. The metal tub was full of a dull purplish-brown mixture, and Cort held a Tri-Marble in his hand.

"You ready to take notes?"

"Yup." Tina nodded, holding some paper and a quill pen. Cort took a deep breath and smiled.

"For science... and go." He dropped the Tri-Marble in, and both of them related expectantly. "If I did this right, when it floats to the surface, there should only be two spheres... a Bi-Marble, if you will. A stronger formula may be able to produce an even more potent one in the form of a single, but that's for later..." However, nothing was coming to the surface. Instead, the mixture was becoming a more clear, bright red. Tina frowned.

"Should it be doing that?"

"No, it shouldn't..." Cort muttered, biting his lip. Suddenly, the tub began rumbling ominously. Cort instantly spun around. "Tina, move! We need to get out of this house, NOW! I messed up!"

"I'm coming!" Tina yelled, running up from the basement alongside him as she felt rather than saw an indescribably bright light growing behind them. As she dived out the front door of Cort's house, the entire structure exploded with a titanic boom. Strange, blue smoke was everywhere. As Tina staggered forward, coughing, she saw many people gathered around. Her father pulled her out of the smoke and clasped her tightly.

"Tina... thank Ladon you're all right..."

"Cort..." She moaned. "Where is Cort?" Turning her head around, she saw movement, as her friend staggered out of the smoke. Everybody gasped. The genius of Spring had not made it out without consequences; whether by the smoke or something else, his skin and his hair had both become a dark, indigo blue. He stood for a moment, then pitched forward, unconscious. His own parents rushed forward and picked him up.

"Very interesting..." Tina heard somebody say. Looking to her left, she saw a man about Cort's age and a woman who looked only a couple years older than Tina herself. Both had long blonde hair, and both were clad in expensive-looking armor and white capes, marking them as high-ranking Dark Dragons. The man was staring at Cort as if he had seen a ghost, and the woman was examining a piece of paper; it was Cort's notes. Tina tried to protest, but what had happened was too much for her, and she blacked out.

Tina and Cort spent the next several days in bed at their parents' homes, being tended by the local doctor. Upon awakening for the first time, Tina discovered that her hair had been changed by the disaster as well, turned a lighter blue than Cort's. It was a week before she could leave her bed, and she immediately went to see Cort, only to discover that he was up already, and... packing his bags.

"What are you doing?" She demanded. Cort didn't look at her.

"I'm leaving, Tina."

"What?" She was stunned. "Where? Why?"

"A couple of... people saw the explosion and found my notes." Cort explained, tying a knot. "Lord Jade and General Cerl... both from Scande, the Empire's Capital. They offered me a position... said my talents would be highly valued there." He stood and turned, and Tina flinched, not at all used to his new colors. "I can't stay here, Tina... some of the townspeople have already started talking about this... saying I'm a danger, that I'm a nutjob, that I should be run out of town."

"They can't!" Tina cried. Cort shook his head sadly.

"My parents and yours would stand against them, but they can't do much against everybody else... and after what happened, I can't blame them. If I had made that formula any stronger... it doesn't bear thinking about. In Scande, too, the facilities are amazing... infinitely more than what I had here. And with Lord Jade and General Cerl backing me, I'll never lack for funding. There are... other things, too..." His eyes became strange, behind the ruby monocle. "Things I saw in that explosion... things I never even dreamed of... that I can't tell you. I have to do this, Tina... it's best for everybody."

"I'll come with you!" She vowed desperately.

"You can't." Cort shook his head again. "You're only fifteen still... and Scande's the Dark Dragon capital. It's no place for you, Tina. Nobody in Spring blames you for what happened... your place is still here. I..." He struggled with the words for a moment. "I do... almost wish you could come with me. But you can't. I'm sorry, Tina."

"Cort..." She whispered, eyes dripping. The blue-skinned scientist embraced her once, then walked past her with his bags.

"Goodbye, Tina."

"That was the last time I saw him..." Tina said sadly. Nobody else had spoken for a long time now. "We heard things sometimes, about how he was becoming famous, how the Tiamat Unit was formed, and him the Blue Alchemist... but he never sent word or came back himself. Then, a few years later... Spring was struck by a plague. The town that had been blessed by nature was cursed by it. I tried to stop it... by that point, I had become a healer, using what Cort had taught me in combination with lessons from the town doctor... but I couldn't stop that plague. I told everybody that Cort would come back... that he would hear about the plague, and that HE could find a cure... but he never did. After my parents, and his, all died from it... I couldn't take it anymore. I left Spring... and I came here, and met Nicholie." She smiled at the bridge-builder. "Some of the kids gave me grief about my hair at first... but he dyed his the same color, and nobody said a word after that... with his help, I was able to move on and start a new life here... I never expected to see Cort again, especially not in Gust..." She shook her head. "I don't see how he could have done all this... he must have changed more than I could ever imagine in Scande."

"But why did he react that way to seeing you?" Bo frowned.

"Who knows..." Ryu shrugged, his face dark. "Tina... I hate to say this, but it's likely we'll have to fight him soon..." Tina nodded sadly.

"I know."

"Before that, though..." Nicholie sat up. "I owe you all... majorly. I thought I would never be cured. And you're going west, right?" The heroes nodded. "You'll need the bridge fixed, then. I'll take care of it."

"But won't the Dark Dragons capture you again?" Nina asked.

"I don't think so." Gobi shook his head. "Cort's an odd bird, but I'm starting to get how he thinks. At this point, he won't bother us until WE leave the town... Nicholie doesn't matter to him anymore. And when we do go on, he'll come for us himself. Nicholie should be fine."

"It will take a few days, though." Nicholie cautioned them. "Do you mind waiting?"

"We'd have to anyways." Ryu groaned. "I'm starting to get used to these second-level transformations... slightly. But I still need some time to recuperate."

"Great, then!" Nicholie grinned. "I'll get the bridge done as soon as possible!" Tina held his hand.

"I'll come up with you... I don't know anything about bridges, but I should be able to help a little." Deis nodded.

"Good... hey! I've got an idea!" From somewhere nobody could see, she pulled out a crystal ball, about the size of an apple.

"Hey, is that one of those things that lets you see the future?" Karn asked, excited. The Sorceress nodded.

"You got it. Let's see here..." Holding up the crystal ball, she squinted into it. "This should be giving some sort of reaction on what'll happen... YOW!" Everybody stared as the crystal ball exploded violently, sending shards everywhere and releasing a puff of smoke that covered Deis' head. When it cleared, she was looking quite annoyed, and her face was coated in soot.

"Well." Karn commented after a moment of silence. "THAT's not a good prize."

"It COULD be seen as a bad omen, but I doubt it." Deis grumbled, brushing her face off. "That ball was a piece of junk anyways... I bought it at Crazy Pachinko's Discount Everythings."

"Hey, Crazy Pachinko was an ancestor of mine!" Gobi smiled. Deis rolled her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised by this. At any rate, we'll be fine. Come on, let's get back to the Inn and give the lovebirds some time alone." Tina and Nicholie both blushed furiously as the heroes left, amid a few sly winks and whistles from Bo, Karn and Gobi.

The next few days were a time of relaxation. The townspeople of Gust were all incredibly grateful for being rid of the Flower-X. The ones who had been stricken by the pollen hadn't yet been cured, but those who remained were optimistic, and insisted on various gifts. One young man even gave them a flute of incredible beauty that had been made by his grandfather, a craftsman of true talent named Maestro, before the old man had been hit by the pollen. Despite the protests of the others, Karn accepted the flute, skillfully evading questions about what they would do with the thing at all. The young thief also discovered, to his delight, that another one of the surviving Fusion Clanners was hiding in Gust. He quickly tracked his kinsman down and devoted his time to learning another technique. Nicholie and Tina, true to their word, went up every day to work on the bridge and came back weary but unharmed, proving Bo's prediction to be true. The heroes enjoyed theirselves, rested up, and generally had a good time.

They all knew it wouldn't last.

On the fourth day since the fight with the Flower-X, the group agreed to Karn's urges to visit the shore; it seemed his new Fusion only worked while underwater. When they were all below the waves, the Thief Clanner turned to them.

"Right then, selecting for brains and brawn here. Gobi, Ox, come here."

"Aw, not again... Gobi groaned. Ox frowned.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Not bad... just wierd." The fat Maniro advised him. Bo nodded.

"He's right. Be warned, you'll never look at fish the same way again."

"All right, let's go." Karn stood between them. "Ahem. Fusios Karn Pisces Gobi Taurus Ox! Fusios Debo! Debo!" There was an explosion of blinding light, like with the Shin spell. Floating in its wake was what appeared to be the most bizzarre fish ever created. Possessing both Ox's muscle and Gobi's girth, it had the Maniro's head with his used-weapon-salesman grin above Ox's heavy beard. The Builder Clanner's arms flexed, and the lower body, which was a fish-tail of an inexplicable bright purple, thrashed.

"All right!" The fusion laughed. "This is great!"

"Debo, was it?" Bo asked. The fusion nodded. "All right, Debo. It looks great. But we should be getting back to Gust, so if you wouldn't mind reverting?"

"Spoilsport." Debo grumbled. "Oh, all right. Revertus!" The three seperated.

"Oog." Ox shook his head groggily. "See what you meant. That was bizzarre."

"You get used to it after a while." Gobi shrugged, polishing his pike. "Too bad we won't be using that one very often, eh?" Karn frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it can only be used underwater, right?" Gobi explained. "But whenever we go underwater these days, I just go Great Fish and take us wherever we need to go. So it would be kind of counterproductive." Karn's face fell.

"Well... yeah, I guess. Rats."

"Ah well, let's get back to Gust." Deis shrugged. The heroes nodded and walked back, Karn muttering to himself the entire time. It was sunset when they arrived back. As they entered, one man ran up.

"We've got trouble, sirs! Nicholie and Tina haven't come back yet! They said they'd finish their work today, but..."

"Cort." Gobi cut him off. "Has to be. If they've finished the bridge..." Ryu frowned.

"Yeah. Everybody ready? This is it." Everybody nodded. Without another word, he led them up the trail. As they neared the completely repaired bridge, they saw three people on the far side of it. Two of them were sitting in front of it, bound and gagged; Nicholie and Tina. The third was watching them approach, a smile on his face. The sunset reflected off of his monocle.

"Hello, hello, hello." The Blue Alchemist greeted them. "I was wondering when you would come up. We've been waiting here for quite a while."

"You'd even do that to her?" Nina growled. "You disgust me." Cort looked, if anything, more amused.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about... true, the girl does seem familiar, but it matters not. Whoever she is, she means nothing to me. To business. I think you know why I've called you here today."

"You want to throw down." Deis smiled darkly. "Well, sounds like a plan to us. Let's party, then."

"As you wish, great lady! You broke the curse on Nicholie here, but you won't break me!" Laughing, Cort flung his arms wide, revealing hundreds of small bottles attached to his robes. Taking one in each hand, he began tossing them over the gap. As they hit the ground, they exploded in flaming goo. The heroes hissed and stepped back. Cort grinned devillishly. "Here's how it goes. You try to cross the bridge, and I try to stop you. If you make it across, you get the hostages back, unharmed. Oh..." He wagged a finger at Nina. "And no flying across, Princess... that's cheating, I'm afraid, and I'd have to take action against our young friends from Gust." Tina's eyes widened, and Nicholie's narrowed as he yelled muffled imprecations. Bo's face darkened.

"You really don't remember... we'll just have to MAKE you, then!"

"Interesting threat there, old boy, but talk is cheap!" Cort taunted, throwing another bottle. "See if you can back it up, then!" The heroes danced around, dodging each bottle as it landed.

"Damn... what can we do?" Ryu wondered. "We'll be sitting ducks if we cross that bridge, but he's got enough of that stuff to keep us here forever!"

"If anybody has a plan, now would be a good time for it!" Karn agreed.

"Funny you should ask that." Gobi dodged a bottle easily. "I just happen to know exactly how we can win."

"Then stop yakking and tell us!" Deis yelled, narrowly avoiding a nasty tail burn.

"It's simple, really. We go on across the bridge." Gobi explained. "Bo stays back here, and each time Cort throws a bottle, he shoots it out of the sky before it hits us." Bo nodded slowly.

"That just might work."

"You serious?" Karn blinked. "I mean, I know you're good, Bo, but those things are tiny, and look how long that bridge is! Plus, you'd need to hit them when they weren't over the bridge at all, or they'd just burn through it! You guys sure about this?"

"Yeah, we're sure." Gobi nodded. Bo fired off an arrow as a demonstration, and a bottle that was halfway over the gap burst, dropping flaming goo into the ocean below. "Besides, do we have any other choices?"

"Not really." Ryu agreed reluctantly. "All right, let's go." With Karn in the lead on account of his speed, the group dashed across. Cort smiled.

"Gotcha!"

"I think not, 'old boy'!" Gobi yelled, as Bo increased his arrow fire to a blistering rate. Not only were Cort's bottle taken down, but the Blue Alchemist was forced to dodge as well, lest he be hit. One or two of the bottles came dangerously close, but none of them actually landed, and the heroes grew closer. Finally, Karn jumped towards Cort, knives flashing, and the Blue Alchemist was forced to melt away into the earth, reappearing on a hilltop a short distance away.

"Good, good!" He cackled. "Very well, you win. Excellently played, Merchant of the Sea. The hostages are yours, and the Forest Archer can join you over here." Nina and Ryu quickly sliced apart the ropes and gags on Nicholie and Tina as Bo crossed the bridge.

"Cort, why are you doing this?" Tina demanded, as soon as she was free. "What did they DO to you in Scande?" The Blue Alchemist stopped laughing.

"You... I can't keep thinking I know you from somewhere..." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Whoever you are, girl, I am the Blue Alchemist of the Tiamat Unit. We have no past, and no future."

"No past?" Tina demanded. "What about Spring, then?" Cort's eyes widened.

"Spring...? Where I... what? What did I do there?"

"You don't remember..." Tina's face was sad, but resolute. "You don't remember Spring? What about the people there... like your parents, Theo and Carla?"

"My parents..!" Cort growled, clutching his head. "They were... no! Stop this at once, girl!"

"Or what about the other people there?" Tina pressed on. "Bert... Freddy... Mayor Donald?"

"I said, stop!" Cort was in visible pain now, sweat running down his bald head. "I don't want to... argh!"

"And my parents, too... Mary and Joseph!" Tina was shouting now. "The ones who always made breakfast for you when you were too caught up in your work to remember by yourself... or old Ernie, the healer who everybody said first got you started?" None of the heroes were moving, and neither was Nicholie; they were all watching the Blue Alchemist and his ex-assistant.

"Please..." Cort grated, his teeth clenched. "No more... I don't... want to remember..."

"Cort... don't you even remember me...?" Tina's voice had dropped, and now she was almost begging. "Your lab assistant... Tina?"

"AAAAIIIIIEEEE!" Cort's scream was like a mortally wounded animal. He jumped from the hill, and at first, the heroes thought he was trying to kill himself... but then he began glowing, and many beams of golden light blasted out like spears.
"He's transforming!" Deis yelled. "I don't know what you did, missy, but it drove him over the edge! Get back, you two!" Nicholie and Tina obediently retreated. There were explosions in the air as the remaining bottles of flaming goo exploded, but Cort seemed completely unharmed. The impact as he hit the ground sent them all flying. When they looked up, a monstrosity like nothing they had ever seen before was waiting for them.

"Ladon's teeth..." Ox swore, slackjawed. The beast was huge and flat, an amphibian with heavily muscles rippling under damp orange skin. Four ponderous legs with green bands ended in long, sharp claws. Along its back, six titanic horns protruded from pulsing orifices, like curving stalagmites. Most frightening, however, was the face; slitted yellow eyes with green rims glared evilly from above a gaping purple mouth that was filled to the brink with grinning razor teeth.

"Elder Khel's intelligence wasn't kidding about what these guys could do..." Karn muttered. Ryu was the first to recover.

"Come on, people! We knew this would be rough... we've got no choice now! Take him down!" Jumping up, he transformed into a mighty Dragon of a blue as dark as Cort's skin had been. Before he could take flight, Cort moved, leaping hundreds of feet into the air and falling onto Ryu with startling speed. Ryu buckled under the weight, then recovered, gouging with teeth and claws as the Blue Alchemist responded in kind. The two of them rolled around on the ground, tearing at each other. Ox and Gobi dashed forward, hammer and pike at the ready, but Cort's huge back horns kept them from getting close enough to hit. Nina, as usual, rained power-up spells upon them all to begin, as she yelled to Deis.

"Now would be a really good time for that spell you remembered to use against Nicholie!"

"Good call!" Deis agreed, raising her staff. Dozens of lightning bolts fell from the sky like javelins, piercing both beasts. Ryu was largely unharmed, but Cort was different; screeching, the horned toad threw the Lightning Dragon at the sorceress. Both went down, and Nina rushed to heal them. Cort made to jump upon all three, but now that he was standing upright, Ox and Gobi acted, smashing and stabbing at his two front legs. Recoiling, the beast reared up and struck downward with his claws, and both were forced to back off with terrible slashing wounds. Karn winced and threw a throwing dagger towards Cort's face. It lodged in the rubbery skin below his left eye, and the monster turned towards him, only to get several arrows in its side. Changing its target even as it leapt, it came down hard on Bo. Cort bent down to rip his head off, but before he could, he was attacked again. The entire area was filled with a network of interlaced electricity, all of it pumping into the horned toad. Thrown back by the sheer force of the blast, Cort went flying over the edge of the gap, down into the ocean. Ryu smiled.

"That seemed to work. Did I get him?" There was a huge splash, and Nina smiled.

"Seems like it. Good-"

"No!" Deis yelled sharply. "That wouldn't have been enough!" Immediately, the splash was heard once more, and Cort came sailing overhead. Again, the impact of him with the earth was like an earthquake.

"Damn it... just made him madder!" Bo swore. Instantly, the Blue Alchemist jumped again, landing on Karn this time. The thief went down under his weight and claws. Ryu screamed with rage and blasted him again, but this time Cort took it in stride, turning towards the Thunder Dragon. The horned toad's eyes rolled wetly in his sockets, and he gnashed his fangs, cackling.

"How the hell can we STOP this guy!" Gobi yelled.

"Maybe both at once!" Deis yelled. "Come on, Ryu!" Both mighty electrical spells lanced forth, covering Cort in smoke. The smell of burning amphibian filled the air. But Cort remained standing. His eyes turned to Bo, and he prepared to leap. Arrows flew through the air and hit him in the face, but he leaped anyways. Bo growled and kept firing.

"Bo, move!" Nina screamed. The archer from the forest ignored her. He just kept hurling more and more arrows upward as the horned toad descended. At the last moment, there was a blur of motion, and Gobi knocked him aside while sticking his pike straight up. Cort hit it-and Gobi-hard. All four claws smashed into him. And still Gobi attacked, pulling his pike out and thrusting into the open maw just above him. Snarling, Ryu dashed forward and hit Cort like a charging bull, knocking him off. Cort stumbled, then whirled around, still defiant. An arrow took him through the eye, and he screamed. Bo was standing up, still on the assault. Cort tensed, ready to leap again and finish the job, but then Nina was there, ramming her rapier into the eye socket. Deis and Ryu instantly knew her plan. Even as Cort swatted her down like a fly, the Lightning Dragon released the last of his power into the air. Drawn to the rapier, it went straight into Cort's skull.

"Uggh..." Cort groaned. He slowly turned towards Ryu, shaking slightly. Deis followed up, giving everything she had as well. Again, the lightining blasted through the rapier and the eye. Cort stopped. He began to fall, then jerked upright and flexed his legs. And then a pike, thrown up with the last ounce of Gobi's strength, flew up and was brought by gravity straight into the socket. Cort smiled. Cort shook.

Cort fell.

The horned toad hit the ground with one last quake, and skidded a good thirty feet before shrinking. The horrible horns and fangs and claws shrunk and disappeared, and the rubbery orange skin faded back to blue. A ruby red monocle rolled along the ground for a few inches at his feet and then stopped. Nobody spoke for a moment, until Nina slowly flew over to Gobi.

"Tell me you're still alive."

"Technically, yes." The Maniro winced, then smiled. "Hey... we got him." Nina rolled her eyes.

"Insane, all of you." She did her best to heal them all. When she was done, they could walk, but the wounds were still there. "Sorry... magic has limits."

"We can go back to Gust as soon as we're done here." Ryu assured her, then looked over at the fallen Blue Alchemist. Tina and Nicholie had rushed back over as soon as he had transformed back. Despite that he was back in his human form, Cort's injuries remained, and the blue robes were stained with blood. He was dying.

"Tina..." Cort whispered. "You... little Tina from Spring. I remember now... you weren't there when I went back..."

"You went back?" Tina asked hesitantly. "When? I left after the plague..."

"The plague..." Cort's eyes closed. "Yes... I heard about it, and did everything I could to make a cure... but even then, I wasn't fast enough. When I arrived, old Ernie told me my parents and yours had both died before I could get there... when I asked about you, he said you were gone too. I thought that meant... the plague..." He coughed up some blood. "I couldn't take it. Gave the cure to Ernie and went back to Scande... and made a potion to forget everything..."

"So that's why you couldn't remember her." Gobi realized, limping over by using his pike as a crutch. "Well, mostly."

"Mostly... but when I saw you again... well, no potion is perfect." Cort smiled, then grimaced with pain. He looked at Nicholie. "I... have a request to make of you. It may seem odd after what I did to you, but... please. Take care of her."

"That, I can promise... even to you." Nicholie agreed. Cort smiled, then looked at Ryu.

"Ahhh... this is still hard to believe. I thought I was stronger than this... but I suppose there is no arguing with destiny." Ryu frowned darkly, but before he could speak, Cort held up a hand. Inside were a few pink petals. "These are from... the Flower-X. Lightly brush the tongue of each person who has inhaled the pollen with a petal once, and once only... it will cure them." Ryu took the petals, face unreadable.

"I won't ask why you're doing this... it doesn't really matter at this point. But look... wherever you go, you can at least know you died doing your duty to Emperor Zog... for whatever reasons you serve him."

"Heh... not Zog." Cort chuckled, hacking up more blood. "I die... for Lord Jade. I had a past... after all... but like my comrades... I still have no... future." He shuddered convulsively. "Heh... this is the first time I've... actually helped people with my knowledge... in years. Feels nice... takes me back... to so... long... ago..." He shuddered again once more, and then he was dead. Tina was crying, and Nicholie was holding her. Deis silently came over and picked up the ruby red monocle, then placed it on the fallen Blue Alchemist's face.

"Sentiment for an enemy? From you?" Karn asked weakly. Deis shrugged.

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think. Come on, let's get back to Gust... we're all going to need some time in bed."

"What about Cort?" Nina asked as they crossed back over the bridge. "Shouldn't we bury him or something?" Deis' ears pricked up as they all felt a flash of blinding light behind them.

"I think it's being taken care of."

"Who...?" Ryu muttered as he turned around. Holding Cort's limp body was somebody wrapped entirely in grey robes that obscured everything about them. On the front of the robes was the same symbol that adorned Cort's; a six-headed dragon, each head a different color.

"Tiamat Unit?" Bo shook his head. "But it doesn't match the description of any of them..." The grey-cloaked figure watched them for a moment, then disappeared in another burst of light, taking Cort's body with it.

"Wonder who that was..." Ryu muttered. "We should be glad it didn't want to fight, I guess. If it was Tiamat Unit, we'd be dead meat."

"So let's get going before it changes its mind and comes back." Ox grunted. Nobody could argue with that, and bringing Nicholie and Tina with them, the seven heroes returned to Gust. Behind them, the Dark Dragons inside the lab continued their duties, unaware of what had taken place just outside, and waited for their master, the Blue Alchemist, to return.