Flame became slightly agitated at his words, recognition of this magnitude setting her heart aflutter at the mere thought of there being stories which carried her name, the contents of which were unknown to her at this point in time. It offered relief, however, in the sense that she couldn't have been evil or corrupted by power unlike Tori. Such a fate would've been worse than anything she could imagine, a lifetime of causing pain and suffering even when at the time she seemed to be nothing more than a sorceress aiding an angel in his desire for freedom.

Slightly shifting on the spot, her toned abdomen flexed this way and that as it was for everyone to see, the picture perfect skin unusual to these parts though the illusionary clothes gave her such a sensual appearance. She blushed at the same time, taken aback by what other details her name conveyed to the public though if she hadn't known any better one might've thought Whitney was flirting with her.

A smile crossed her features by the time he finished. "You flatter me, sir. I was unaware that even in a place such as this people would recognize my name." Unlike the orcs he didn't thirst for her at least, not that she desired to think that he might though seeing the business just outside Jamal's residence it wouldn't have surprised the busty red head. "I'm already spoken for I'm afraid, but like a good wine some men only seem to get better with age .."

At last she decided to remain playful in that regard, taking no offense while the sweetness of her voice trailed off. He went on to mention her father, spiking an interest in the formidably endowed lady since she couldn't recall his business in J'zar unless he was part of the resistance or had a few acquaintances there. Realisation ruined the moment before she could indulge any further in the matter, the time constraint of their mission making a meeting rather unlikely.

Oh, but what he must be thinking of his daughter! Hearing stories like that which gave men vivid images of her bodily charms, he must've been outraged! "We won't be around for more than a few hours at best so we'll probably move on long before having the chance to see him. We're already running on a tight schedule, but I'm sure he'll understand if I explain it in great detail another time."

Somehow she had recognized the scriptures, the gist of their meaning and purpose so perhaps nothing was lost after all, simply buried far beneath whatever spell concealed her memories with occasional bits breaching the surface. "I'll consider meditating when we have some time to spare, thank you."

The description of the demonic presence, however, brought forth a frown to her previously determined face. "That does seem a lot worse than what I imagined .. We were planning on keeping the demon occupied while one of us makes a run for the object, preferably me seeing how I can't harm it with flames though what you described makes it seem a whole lot less likely that we're going to succeed with that strategy unless we dispose of it first."

Roc carried the dagger given unto him by Mog, didn't he? With Spencer in tow they'd essentially have two effective means to harm the demon, that is if he was willing to hand it over considering that his main task had been to get them from one Shadow to another though perhaps he might be willing to negotiate a trade of sorts? "Enchanted weapons won't be a problem, but still .. Do you think it'd be inadvisable to proceed without killing it?"

For a moment she diverted her gaze to the ground, crimson eyes lingering on the floor as the trap was revealed. "Another demon .." She thought out loud, as if the challenge of getting that far to reach it wasn't enough, but Nicodemus did say that he trusted they'd be able to obtain the feather which at least gave Flame a glimpse of hope in the face of a new threat. "It must be worse than the first considering what is required to get past the initial two barriers protecting it .. Any idea what the creature is? What Shadow it is being summoned from?"

Briefly her thoughts were led elsewhere, possibly avoiding the risk altogether yet her knowledge on these things had been extremely limited. "Would you know, perchance, if there's any way to disspell the trap before taking the object?"

Whitney had not been afraid of her she had realized when he recalled her name Flame had realized though he had seemed surprised by it. Yet he said nothing to it's effect as if he were keeping attention away from her at the moment.

But he was not aware of her lost memory or to the extend that it was at and there were always going to be those means in which she was going to be able to pick things up on. He gazed at the busty red head and smiled upon her.

“As if that would be something that I would forget, even if I were to become senile." He watched her as she returned his compliment with one of her own.

“As I would expect. Though at my age you would be wasted. Even if I were younger I doubt that I'd be able to keep up with the legendary Flame.”

He shot her another goo natured smile. He had lived his life and such a good one that it had been, complete and full.

“I am sure he will understand. After all he did send you away so you would not get caught up with our little drama. Of course one of your lineage was expected to become the head o the temple and the Keeper of the Sacred, the commander of the Flame Serpent.”

Whitney considered the question for a moment. “Probably not. At least one of you would have to deal with the Demon and with it's ability to cover distances in a blink of an eye all you would be doing would be weakened to the point that the Demon would get to take one of you out then the other far easier I'm guessing then if he had to deal with both of you at once.”

He brushed his cheek then. “The second Demon changes things a bit but I'm still confident.” Roc glanced at Flame then back at Whitney. “I can call forth the Stone Serpent."

That seemed to surprise Whitney a little as if that was quite impressive though he soon moved on. “Probably the Shadow of the Abyss. Worse than a Torment Demon … there are a few that are stronger and while I do not know what sort of Demon the Efreeti tied to the spell I can venture a guess base on the various elements. Stronger than a Torment Demon … with their affinity to flames a group of Efreeti could probably bind a Fire Demon, one of the strongest Demons outside of Demon Lords that is.”

Some might regard their minor, suggestive notions as indecorous in face of their brief acquaintanceship if one were to also bear in mind their evident age difference, especially with Roc by their side. Despite not being entirely considerate of the presence of the dwarf, these small compliments achieved a great deal in easing Flame further into the conversation, her mood gradually improving seeing how she wasn't quite as nervous anymore as was the case when they first set foot into the settlement.

Few men would've been able to resist the unmatched charm of the sorceress, showing off more skin than usual though her enchanting yet innocent smile would've drawn his attention as he showered the young woman in the delightful words of an eminent, knowing flatterer. Flame hadn't found his remarks to be revolting in any sense of the word, appraisal of the form did little more than summon forth her bashful side after all. He wasn't unattractive either when she truly thought about the matter, briefly grazing the portion of the mind which gave birth to the vivid images assailing her then and perhaps if Nicodemus wasn't her object of desire, he might've had a real chance with the well endowed sorceress considering his charming nature.

"I'll keep that in mind, Mayor." As it were Whitney indulged in rather incidental teasing, the red head eventually departing that road as it was not to be discussed with an acquaintance of her father, be it a troublesome relationship or not and least of all with someone else by their side.

Flame nodded when he adressed her father, the man a stranger to his own daughter for she couldn't recall what he looked like, not even remotely and it would've been impossible to recognize him in a group of three even if she'd chosen the right person by chance.

Still, her purpose in the world went hand in hand with the ability to summon the Flame Serpent, a privilege it seemed though neither the notion of a temple nor her lineage allowed for any memories to return, causing her to drop the matter for now. If they were successful she'd have a chance to remember with a little help of her angelic lover or the aid of the Faerie Dragons, there were more pressing issues at hand however that lowered her interest in those aspects of her life.

Initially Roc surprised her with the assurance of being confident in his abilites to fight the fiends awaiting any intruders from the outside. His most powerful magical force, which she knew for a fact had been hidden from his memory, was returned to him somehow though the reason for his silence on the matter eluded her thus far as it was an important detail to be aware of.

Maybe he'd remembered not long ago, the spell slowly wearing off yet it occured to Flame that he might've considered his companion as not being entirely truthful, suspecting that she may keep secrets from him regarding their destination and retained some of his own though the nubile woman herself refused to think along those lines. He was his choice, after all, the most loyal of the trio at her disposal before leaving Carrion behind.

"I hope your confidence in the Stone Serpent isn't misplaced, not just you and I depend on it.", she spoke as her eyes laid unto the dwarf, concealing these thoughts well before turning back to Whitney.

She let the old man finish, briefly tasting from the tea before placing it down on a nearby surface, the glass more than half full still. "But its presence in our Shadow is temporary, correct?"

"With any luck we'll manage to leave the cave before getting caught up in another heated battle or stall the creature long enough for it to vanish, but I'm assuming the demon will posess most if not all of the former guardian's qualities and even surpass him in some."

"I gotta ask .. Would a Fire Demon be able to withstand the strength of the Serpent? If not, would it be slowed down, at least?" She wondered, running from a demon on foot would be insane, but so was the idea of defeating one of the most powerful demons any hellish legion had to offer.

The scrolls wouldn't be of much help either, she figured, unless they somehow revealed more about the Efreeti and their binding rituals or caused more of her memories to return though she planned on skimming through a few of them if Whitney permitted it when they finished.

Whitney would have been pleased to know that he stood a remote chance though given their vast age differences this thought had not even crept into his mind though he would have welcomed it should it have happened.

He would have probably be seen as a crazy old man if it did happen for who would believe that well past his prime he would have managed to bag the biggest catch in his life. So, he kept things light rather than playing the part of a dirt old man it was as a teacher that he approached her as and that had been to his benefit for he had no idea before introductions had been made that this was Flame and desired to show no disrespect.

His words were simple flatter her and there but did not cross the line into lewd behavior after all. Nothing suggestive but honest compliments that she could appreciate.

“The Stone Serpent has never let me down in the past though given the sheer destruction it can bring I rarely use it. I doubt that I will be able to manifest it's full power in those caves least the mountains come crashing down upon us.

Either way, I can manage the one Demon, the two with the Stone Serpent at my side.”

Whitney nods to Flame's question. “That is correct. The spell lasts only for so long, the greater your power, the longer you can expect it to last. One strong enough to call a Fire Demon, for instance may last several minutes.

“Playing defense is probably best since the summoning spell will eventual dismiss it and the pressure is on it to kill all intruders in a few minutes but with the Stone Snake this should not be as challenging as I had believed for you based on his power levels and your own. Together you can even invoke cooperative magic.”

That was the first she heard of it from what she recalled. Roc fielded this without the need for her to ask. “As you are aware two or more Elementalist can work together. Several Air Elementalists could generate a hurricane or tornado though as long as you are not trying to work with the opposition element you can generate various effects, Earth and Fire grant against to the para-element of Magma while Fire and Air generate Smoke.

“Such joining of magics let an Elementalist draw upon other aspects of other elements … sorry, you know all that, I guess that's just the teacher in me,” Roc covered knowing of the holes in her memory so that she did not have to admit to not knowing this of course.”

“Quite alright. I can certainly use a refresher course as it's been far too long. But I know just a smidgeon of magic … Janni magic.” This apparently meant something as Roc's eyes widened in surprise. “Decades ago I saved the life of one of them and in gratitude he taught me some of the basics before we parted company. Of course without the instruction of a Janni I could not advance and since what I can do is fairly minor I gave it up years back.

“And yes, you are correct Flame in your assessments though a Fire Demon lacks many of the spell effects I mentioned but has other, far more devastating effects and the ability to control flames”

He gave the matter some thought as if he were playing out the encounter in his head. The Fire Demon was immune to fire and could control flames but it could not control sentient flames like fire elementals.

“Directly no though the force of it's attacks are fire based the serpent also uses concussive force to inflict damage, tossing the Fire Demon, dropping it from a height, even smashing it with a tail since there is a weight behind it, a force mostly that the snake projects though the Demon should ignore things it will be slowed down and can even be killed by it with a bit of difficulty. For instance the Fire Demon still needs to breath, the Flame Snake is more a spirit and doesn't have too. It burns like a real fire and thus can use up all the oxygen in an area.

“The Fire Demon can Teleport too but this requires concentration on it's part and there are spells like Dimensional Lock and Dimensional Anchor where it cannot use such abilities is exposed to them so that may help.”

He would permit her to look over the scrolls once they had been finished her of course but he waited to see if either had any questions first.

Truly regrettable that their chances of romance were close to non existant, the sublime and voluptuous woman straddled atop his exposed lap at night whilst crying out to the heavens above in the throes of passion, her sensual voice carrying his name for so few could match the grand pleasures brought forward by his lifetime of experience, profoundly stored within his memory until such beauty came along where the slightest glance stirred even the most reserved men into action. There Flame was, hips bucking as though she were an untamed mustang as an orgasm rippled through the bountiful crimson haired temptress, these heavy orbs trembling, its abundant tit flesh jiggling as the unearthly climax tore through her at once.

Alas, little time nor attention was spent regarding the images flowing past her inner eye for not even an entire second seeing to her love for Nicodemus, her focus then drawn elsewhere as their discussion continued.

As much as Roc reassured her with his unquestionable confidence in the Stone Serpent, once cooperative magic was mentioned she had been downright stumped, ashamed for not knowing much beyond the very basics of anything even in her own specialty despite being told that she was the strongest of the imprisoned group. Why she prefered to keep silent, Flame couldn't tell, but perhaps out of fear that she was seen as nothing more than an ordinary woman biting off more than she could chew, who lacked the strength to carry out their mission unless the essential parts of her talents were returned to her.

She made a mental note to thank the dwarf later for not spilling anything regarding the memory loss, her gratitude growing by the second although once they were in posession of the object and he'd see that it wasn't the ring they came for .. There was no telling whether the situation would escalate, especially if they were using combined forces to slay the demons.

Janni magic, another piece of information Flame couldn't properly digest though it seemed to have more of an effect on Roc than anyone else. Perhaps when all their affairs had been resolved she could return here, Whitney appeared to be a knowledgeable scholar after all and might be able to teach her more than her suppressed memory would offer.

"It can control flames?" Not that it came by surprise, she'd expected something of the sort as the element was in its name, but thankfully he cleared that up shortly after. "I'm relieved .. any more interference with my powers and I would've felt utterly worthless."

She smiled, however, noting that with the affinity to flames she'd been at a disadvantage by herself, but combining Earth and Fire was going to give them an edge against the dangers ahead and all that stood in the way of success was the lack of her respective memories.

"You wouldn't happen to know if we could learn those spells within a day, would you?", she asked, shaking her head shortly after as she was obviously joking though if Roc knew either of them they'd surely come in handy. "That'll be all the questions I have for you, I'm afraid, but I'm glad we haven't skipped our visit here in favor of time. The knowledge of the trap alone is worth a lot to our undertaking .. You've been a great help to us and I doubt I could repay that debt anytime soon."

It was then Flame got up and briefly pointed at the scrolls. "May I take a look at some of these for a moment before we depart? It seems ages since I've laid my eyes on fables on the Efreeti." Once granted permission she beamed at the man, eager to peruse the vast selection of scriptures at their disposal in search of one that would uncover details that she needed although meditation would likely follow later as a result of that method not working out. "Thank you."

"I feel that it might help me recover faster." She explained to Roc in a lower voice, her attention returning to the scrolls as she carefully examined box upon box, occasionally unfolding those that caught her interest whilst conversing with Whitney as a means to pass the time. "What exactly were you looking for before we arrived, anyway? Was it anything important?"

Did he think of it? Hell, yes. He wasn't dead after all. Though she having the abundance of youth would have the top position using up all that youthful energy or perhaps he would come at her from behind with a slow languid pace.

It was an impractical thought he realized, the dreams of an old man so he kept things light as they exchanged information with the guess. He did not hold back anything and if he did it had been the vestiges of forgetfulness settling it.

Other interference?

Whitney picked up on that, he picked up on both her interest and concern but he did not get to be so old because he asked ceaseless questions. He actually listened rather than spending the conversation ogling her tits or ass learning to keep focused. Besides she would tell him if she had want of such. He would probably find out if she were trying to hide something on him. Probably though there was no guarantee there.

“In a day?” Roc shook his head. “I'm afraid not.”

“Maybe not for you dwarfs and elves that live much longer than us humans but yes, probably only simple matters though. Why, what did you have in mind? Oh, there are the para-elemental spells, they're not spells in the true sense but based on partnership and formed through vision and will. The longer you've known someone the easier it is to enter such a state with others.

“Oh, sure,” he glances to a box of the scrolls, Roc nodding as Flame explained. “Oh, nothing in particular though something told me to look up the stories about the City of Brass the other night. I could have sworn I had more information on the origins but I was mistaken."

Was it Divine province that guide him? A Janni ability he learned? But the box of scrolls had been quite useful as she red of Ignan, the Shadow of Elemental fire where the City of Brass sat and the sultan of the Efreeti resided.

There was a coup by his son which lead to the banishment of the would be usurpers after their leader was beheaded … yes, that was important. She knew this story, knew it in greater detail. The Efreeti wandered the Shadows until they eventually founded the settlement of J'zar here falling into warfare with the City Within the City.

Yes, she knew this. Knew that J'zar was evil. Knew that his aide grew tired of being evil for evil's sake … what the tales did not mention was the artifact that he found … or how he saved a life … the life he save, these tales were incomplete tid bits, fragments about the history of Barnes that later became the City Within the City, the attempted usurping of the City of Brass, the founding of J'zar, Abdul the Efreeti that found the artifact, that saved the mayor from an Efreeti assassination attempt and shrank the city only to hide it … Whitney, Whitney was the one saved …

But Abdul … oh God it was rushing back, she could feel the pulse of fire flowing through her veins. It wasn't all there yet but some how, some way … the scroll that contained an Efreeti word sealed the deal … Abdul, Abdul was her father!

Over time Flame found that she was quite adept at making excuses, if he considered asking her about the slight slip in speech she allowed to occur regarding her memory loss then chances were she'd come up with something harmless in the blink of an eye that'd cover up these minor, temporary deficiencies or keep his suspicions at bay at the very least.

"Anything that would impede its ability to teleport, for example.", she began to explain, though learning spells of that nature within a day may be very demanding or downright impossible. "I was joking, of course, something of this magnitude in one day seems highly unlikely. I'd rather try and strenghten my focus through meditation so that we won't fail in our attempt to combine forces."

Flame treated his personal scriptures with utmost care, their age and value unknown as they passed through her tender hands one by one, obervant eyes skimming through the first few lines as to discern their meaning and contents before placing them at the back of the remaining documents and proceeding with another though his response did seem strange for some reason.

"Perhaps you should've tried to categorize them, then?", she replied jokingly, a soft smile splaying over her full, ripe lips as she gathered up another scroll from his small yet abundant library of knowledge. That one seemed different somehow, stirring something within the sorceress as she read through a passage depicting Ignan and the City of Brass amongst other things, causing her to clear some space on the nearby table by cautiously removing the objects there before unfolding the document to its full size.

The way she remained before indulging in an oddly familiar story didn't truly require any further invitation to observe each and every alluring curve her body posessed, slightly bent over the table as her thoughts went adrift at the growing insight to her past, generous hips in combination with a lavish, pillowy bottom molding against the baggy pant from below which attempted futilely to hide her bodily charms whilst her arched back put on display the voluminous breasts straining the cloth wrap around her chest. Not that anything would happen with the dwarf by her side, but it certainly gave sustenance to the more carnal streams of thought as she unknowingly presented herself to the eyes of the public.

Things were coming back in hazy bits, gradually becoming clear as she absorbed line by line of the scripture beneath and discovered that somehow several pieces of the story weren't mentioned which she knew for a fact had happened in the past. Flame couldn't control what exactly came to her and thus processed whatever her mind recovered, recalling the banished Efreeti who later went on to found the settlement of J'zar and become hostile to what she came to know as the City Within the City, or to be more precise, the City of Barnes.

The single Efreeti to oppose the others, he was the one to save Whitney from those that sought to assassinate him and to shrink the City of Barnes to what she found herself in right now. Perhaps that's why he treated them as well as he did, the daughter of the one to save his life coming to meet him and seeking advice although why he chose to look for these scrolls in the first place, she could not tell.

However, the single truth that crushed down upon her as though it were a tidal wave struck her like lightning, a surge of vigorous fire flowing through her veins which caused the red head to shudder in response, crimson eyes closing in hopes of being given the final step she needed yet only Abdul pulsed through the inner mechanisms of her mind. Abdul, she'd heard the name before even setting foot into J'zar, perhaps back at the prison, but something .. there was something else. He was an Efreeti, she was sure of it! But more, someone more dear than that far, far into the past .. he was her father!

How Flame remembered didn't matter as long as she did, the thought of how one of these giants could impregnate a human female for that's what her mother must've been proved another mistery, no memories regarding her though Abdul came back almost entirely and crystal clear save for his image. Maybe he was the reason why she'd managed to rise to the very top of the ladder, a mistress of the flames who could rival those far older and experienced than her with the sheer strength of the magic at her disposal, but all that mattered little for as long as she couldn't recall how to summon the Flame Serpent.

"My father .. he won't be back anytime soon, will he?" She cast Whitney a hopeful gaze, wary that he may be the key to unlocking the seal to these memories, but she was confident that even if not, meditation would do the trick.

They departed at noon, a few hours spent in the Warrens before meeting up with Spencer. Night time had yet to come which meant they'd have a day at most if Nicodemus managed to stall Tori long enough. It had to come to her until then or their chances were a whole lot worse, the Stone Serpent alone could possibly dispose of both demons though Flame prefered to play it safe.

While he did not ask she seemed to pick up on her own slip and his attention shifted to the task at hand. Since it was related to what they were speaking, and fire magic was of limited use it had only made sense not that he had been given long to be suspicious.

Such magic was of an intermediary level though. Roc might know it even though he had little use of it and fighting Demons and other such fiends wasn't a daily occurrence his longer life might have caused him to learn it and shelf that knowledge … IN CASE OF FIRE BREAK GLASS …

“Oh, well no … not unless you could freeze or loop time ...” Whitney theorize though with power such as that such transposition of Demons would be easy to deal with, and before you reach such lofty heights of spell casting you'd probably learn the intermediate stuff along the way if there was any interest there … “Four or five days to learn that.”

“I'm too lazy for that,” he returned with a good natured smile before looking around. “I'm old and am better spent doing other matters seeing how wasting time is a thing for the young. Of course I could have everything ordered in about a month doing it little by little unless you'd like to come back to be an apprentice sage.”

The last was a joke really, the glorious Flame, a mere sage, as if! Though most things were in order save for the recent mess but it was a lot, some of those scrolls she was looking at now had been hard to find, his memory not as good with how he once categorized things.

Roc raise a brow as she unfolded the scroll on the City of Brass. He knew of some of the history though he might have forgotten most of the names … sultan, vizier he was uncertain who ruled the fable city now, he had no business in Ignan but seeing how it was a Shadow of fire he could see the interest.

“The City of Brass … the home of the Efreeti though I never knew if all of them on that Shadow lived there or if just a lot of them did. It's a big place from what I learned.”

Yes, they all lived there save for those that were summoned or exiled to other Shadows Flame knew … and the city was big, anything could be found there at the bazaar ranging from a particular slave or a pair of lucky socks you had … all lost goods seemed to turn up there. These were things that she just knew.

Such an enticing sight before him, Whitney had entertained those youthful thoughts, even knowing her origins. He was unaware that he was the only one in the room with knowledge spanning back those two decades or so. Was it two decades? Time marked on and he got older … if he hadn't, if the dwarf wasn't present could he fight the temptation as a young man in pushing her down on the table as she filled her mind with information he would be filling that lovely body though a question shook him from such stirring thoughts.

He shook his head. “I do not think so but in the past he has popped up without announcement. Still, he has been away a little longer.”

Efreeti used Ignan for their native language and script and Roc brought her attention to that scroll, he assumed that she could not read it. “My Ignan isn't too strong but I think that word translates into doll ...”

“Close,” Whitney looked at the text. “It's Golem. Do you need me to read it?”

But she could read this script. Whether by herself or with Whitney's add she would get the information here. It was more or less information that came flooding back to here.

Golem … Frankenstein was a Golem … was … was ….

Good morning father ...

Her first words as her crimson eyes opened. That was why she didn't have memories of a mother … but she ate, she felt pain, she knew magic, was sentient … Golems were elemental spirits bound into a vessel, how then, father would no, Abdul would know …

Her knowledge of sex … both never having done so … did Nicodemus know? Who knew that she wasn't human, wasn't even a half breed? Just father … no, maybe …. this opened up more questions, did Nicodemus know, would his thoughts on her suddenly shift if he found out?

“Are you alright?” Roc asked her as he looked to her, concern on his face.

Becoming a sage, there was a thought she'd considered earlier, finding a new purpose in assisting Whitney for a while, perhaps years when Flame thought back on what life had in store for her as the commander of the Flame Serpent. Nothing about venturing the vastness of the Shadows appealed to the young sorceress despite having gained a reputation if one were to believe the stories, a feisty young woman whose instincts encouraged her to oppose the goblins and then her jailor upon imprisonment although she never thought of herself as that sort of person. Being a sage would be a rather calm existence where neither demons nor evil witches mattered yet the City Within the City had its own enemies.

Thus she pressed on, her attention drawn to Roc as he spoke of the City of Brass. "Everyone except those that were summoned or exiled to other Shadows reside in the city from what I remember." She gave away that much, the memories flowing back to her though there were other times when she could exchange stories with him as promised back during their first meeting.

It was mildly saddening to find that Abdul wouldn't return in time, his prolonged absence offering a chance to see him as he was probably on his way back if he'd stayed away longer than usual. Flame sighed, straightening from a most alluring pose as she prefered to stand instead at that revelation. "That's alright .. Could you please give him my regards next time you see him?"

Before long those crimson eyes laid on something which Roc seemed interested in, another passage or writings seeing how she hadn't been able to recover more from the scroll unfolded before her.

Somehow the writing made sense, the initially foreign tongue solving itself naturally as she skimmed through the first line which allowed the red haired vixen to read the text without any problem whatsoever, as if the language was imbued into her mind like the many others she recalled to have known but lacked understanding at the time due to memory loss. She could have read it out loud if somebody asked her to do so, without a doubt.

"Good morning father .." Flame couldn't wrap her head around it, those memories couldn't be true, hallucinations or visions perhaps, but the actual truth?

No mother because there wasn't a birth to begin with, merely a spirit bound to a shell, a vessel which allowed her to interact with the physical world. Whether it was a fabricated vessel or originally belonged to someone else, someone alive, Flame didn't know, didn't want to know nor cared to know at this stage for how cruel would it be to discover that the latter was true?

But why, why did she get hungry, had to eat and drink to be well and what would happen if suddenly she stopped doing so? Would she ever grow old with anyone, ever die considering that the shell might wither yet the spirit survived? She slept, had dreams and recovered strength through it, how could she not be human?

Pain, every punch and kick let her experience pain and damaged the physical body if the applied force was strong enough while at times Flame gained pleasure through just the right amount, even spilled blood as Nicodemus had proven time and time again. There was lust, the arousal procured by touch and her masochistic tendencies fuelling the desire flowing through her veins, her knowledge of sex despite her parent lacking such .. She couldn't explain it.

Oh, Nicodemus .. What would she be to him, to anyone if they knew what she was, truly was beyond the facade of a voluptuous beauty? Could they even have children? That thought had crossed her mind in case he accepted her still. Keeping that secret from him would be unforgivable, there was no way around admitting to her true nature if they were ever going to be happy together.

No, she hadn't changed .. She remained Flame, after all, it was all a matter of perception, wasn't it? .. Yes .. Abdul would know .. He held the answers to her existence for he created the crimson haired sorceress as they saw her today, the reasons for her creation unknown unless they had time to converse. She and Roc had work to do, for the time being however, their task the same as it was before.

It seemed as though Flame had been in a trance as she blinked in recognition of his voice, wide eyes growing considerably calmer as she eyed the dwarf, any balance within her mind in a turmoil as those thoughts inevitably assailed her.

"I'm .." She felt compelled to answer something along the lines of not being human, anxious and on the brink of an identity crisis when stumbling upon the discovery that all she was looking forward to as the person she thought she was would be in jeopardy because of it. ".. Some fresh air would be nice .. I'm feeling rather dizzy right now."

Roc seemed to consider the City of Brass some. He had been uncertain if there was a ground on Ignan at first though there had to be one for a foundation to be settled. He doubted there was any water there and he had considered how the Efreeti ate.

They were genies, evil powerful genies and could easily conjure what they had needed. “Thanks for the info … you never know when something will be useful.”

Whitney nodded though when Flame mentioned her father he nodded once more. “I shall pass those regards on myself,” it was a small thing after all.

Surely her father would know what was the truth of the matter. Was she ageless? What construct aged, was she always this age …

Good morning father ...

She was perpetually this age. Perhaps as innocent as a chile when this all began, when she was first created though now it was clear that she had learned a good deal about the world and had master things. Perhaps she took to fire magic because of her father's affinity to it. He had to have taught her though a Golem capable of wielding magic? Perhaps that was the trade off, Golems were immune to most effects right? Hence why there were some Golems there on Carrion.

Perhaps the very matter in making her useful in these arts made her vulnerable as she recalled at Nicodemus' hands. Those strong masculine hands …

But there were many questions that she hoped would come back in time or with a protracted discussion with her father.

Good morning father ...

Then Roc's voice called her from her thoughts and memories. “Yes, I'll see you there,” even if she stepped outside she was technically still inside until they left Jamal's home. Unless Flame just expressed a desire to gather her thoughts he would bid their host farewell for the time being and thanks for the tea and information. And if not well he would wait here as she collected herself.

Outside she was not alone though. Spencer was there. He was whispering and yet he was so loud. “So did you discover anything worthwhile here? Shall we rest here or in the Efreeti city or press on to get things done with as soon as possible.”

It was an excuse to get out and collect herself, to find a moment of solace in being alone, but the troubling thoughts might've given the nature of the recovered memories away as she asked to step outside and get some fresh air. Maintaining a certain amount of decency proved harder as she approached the entrance to his home, turning around at the last moment.

"Thank you for your hospitality, I truly appreciate what you've done for us today." With a smile on her face she cast him one last warm glance, bowing slightly in appreciation. "Until we meet again."

With that Flame stepped outside, rounding a corner to her right as to elude their eyes before stopping dead in her tracks, heart pounding against her chest at an urgent pace as the smile began to melt away. Hands clasped over her face she'd been close to tears, inhaling deeply whilst noting the shaken breaths she was drawing through barely parted lips, the entirety of her body shivering as though she were caught up in a near constant cold breeze amidst the vastness of the desert.

That damned witch and her atrocious plans, robbing her poor soul of these memories when surely it wouldn't have made much of a difference if she recalled them with perfect clarity all along. She found that her hopes and dreams developed over these few days were nothing but wishful thinking, crushed by the curse that was her true nature. Never before did she wish to collapse on the spot, just give up in face of the pointlessness of her being if it wasn't for Spencer who ensured that she knew he remained by their side.

"Ah .. I .." Taking another deep breath she hoped to at least stall these emotions, they had a task to complete and freeing an angel was an accomplishment beyond what most mortals could achieve even if they weren't going to be together at the end of their adventure. "We've gathered information on the cave and the demon, of course .. There is also a trap, triggered upon touching the artifact we've come to recover which will most likely summon a Fire Demon .. It certainly paid off coming here before moving on."

For a moment she considered, suppressing the urge to whimper like a helpless child. "I felt something stir inside me while browsing the various scriptures, perhaps my abilities that surfaced through the power of the spell on me .. I've yet to figure out how to utilise these powers, but it feels like they're there and all I have to do is reach out and take them."

Flame held out her hand, an open palm as she recalled having summoned a simple flame back at the prison, but such minor conjurations weren't enough to aid Roc in his efforts to slay or delay the demonic menace they were going to oppose.

At last she shook her head, contemplating their plans from this point onward. "Maybe we should rest in J'zar and not here. We'll stay there an hour or so before we depart to the cave which should give me some time to meditate on what I don't remember. Who knows, maybe it'll come to me as we walk instead?"

The dwarf was strong, his long life had proven that as did the various tattoos which adorned his body. Even if she wasn't capable of fighting the demons head on, her part could be done with the enchanted weapons at their disposal and for one she hadn't cared if that might be rushing things for she sought to finish what they started quickly. Maybe if she wasn't caught up in memories of the past she would've been more cautious, staying with Whitney might help though she decided against it in fear of recalling more than she did.

"I'd prefer not to stay overnight for .. certain reasons." Lecherous gazes cast upon her body at day, the uncertainty at night as to whether anyone would try to abduct the precious female from her quarters only to own or sell Flame and the question if Roc could intervene. Then again she was an object of sorts, a spirit bound to such a beautiful vessel which cut deep into her self worth, they only had use for the shell after all and wouldn't care what the thing inside desired. A common practice among slavers, perhaps.

Whitney bid the pair fair well, that departing glance was something to remember of course and he wouldn't mind if either of them returned at a future date. “You are most welcome. I will be sure to pass on those regards to Abdul when he's here next.”

What dreams that Flame had hoped for could have been for naught and while she was trying to keep it altogether, she had been on the verge of defeat when she recollected herself, hearing, yet not seeing, the Fairy Dragon as he spoke. His tone louder than before … was that because she was smaller?

Thinking back, one could only target what they could see with magic so when she and Roc shrank it was clear that Spencer, invisible at the time, had no shrunk along with them.

“Then it was good that we had deviated. It was along the way any how and while there was a slight risk in coming here it was not much of one.”

He considered a moment. “I am glad though I did not like the looks Jamal was giving you. We should leave quietly I think. You are powerful? But vulnerable given that you are shrunk down so small. Return to the park, we could us the privacy, if anything changes I will let you know.”

But nothing had and when they arrived he became visible, those orange-yellow scales stood out … he was enormous, as big as the biggest buildings and while Roc was puzzled why they weren't just waiting for Jamal it was easy to inform him what was going on.

When the pair had mounted he went invisible and by extension they did too being in contact with him. There ware few that could say that they rode a Faery Dragon though Spencer drives them away from the model using a little Prestidigitation to open and close a window though he did not let them disembark until they were closer to the inn where they became visible once they ceased contact with him.

Roc Restored their height in that back alley and while they were not saying the night they still had the decision of separate rooms or sticking together. Roc opted to stick together though he would not be insulted if she wanted her own room either. It was only for a small while after all, the last chance to freshen up before the remainder of their journey.

Naturally Jamal sought to make the sinfully alluring sorceress his own, his loyalty questioned despite having aided them in their efforts for one in his place wouldn't be easily swayed to simply let either of them go after spotting an object of desire among the two. His fondness of beautiful women became apparant when they first stepped into his domain and while some may or may not tower over the red head in several ways, her beauty would be without question another trophy in his collection.

"You're right .. We should leave quietly.", she replied to Spencer, lowering her head in thought for a moment. It hadn't occured to her that he retained his original size, accompanying the shrunken duo through the city that way considering how silently he was tagging along. "We'll wait for Roc and meet at the park, then."

Their trip was riddled with silence, mostly because she thought of the dwarf as being quite reserved or that he might've been considerate in regards to her unusual reaction shortly before leaving Whitney. Flame herself had been preoccupied with the same questions over and over, growing restless searching for a solution to a problem nobody in their right mind would ever expect to deal with.

Before long they were gone, clinging to the Faerie Dragon as he moved at a pace normal for him which in turn would be much faster for the shrunken couple as the air swept past them, at last fallen off the grid since Jamal must've been convinced they were in the model at the time. Being affiliated with the Efreeti there were more or less likely going to be repercussions when he discovered their absence, having snuck out rather than approach him directly which might lead to a manhunt of sorts or reports to Tori herself, but getting wound up in his home once again would probably be just as bad.

The farther they got the more at ease Flame seemed to be, saddened and desperate on the inside while on the outside she acted as if nothing had affected her. The air was fresh at least, filling her lungs to the fullest though it did little in terms of soothing the spirit.

"I remembered a lot, so much at a time that I had to step out, but nothing that would allow me to aid you with the Flame Serpent.", she explained when he restored them to proper size, hoping that would satisfy the dwarf for now although when asked about rooms she'd settled on taking one for herself.

Flame needed the peace and quiet to focus, the sudden turbulence caused by these memories demanding her body and mind to rest though in reality she simply wanted to be left alone in order to cope with the truth. They couldn't give her the comfort only a few select people in the world could bestow unto the red head, their presence more than likely to disturb the way she dealt with those issues and if she broke down they would only strenghten the idea that she was too weak to help them, an unreasonable thought and yet it resided there in the darkest corners of her mind.

How they would pay for the rooms had been beyond her, perhaps an illusionary payment, but they'd get off the streets swiftly and wouldn't be seen by many if word ever got out that they somehow managed to leave Jamal's residence without leaving a trace of their departure behind.

It was merely a precaution on his part but Spencer felt that they shouldn't take any chances. Not with those lustful looks that made it quite obvious to him (and he was of different species!) that he wanted to mate with the sorceress.

That was all well and good but he surmised with all the women around that Jamal was a collector of sorts and wouldn't allow Flame to leave without an incident that the three of them could avoid. After all if they needed to come back they could always sneak in.

The explanation worked for Roc, not that he was searching or even expecting one. It seemed that he was as patient as the stone and did not push her. He also seemed to step in to cover for her when appropriate.

He nodded in response to her excuse showing no signs of knowing the truth or expecting that she was deceiving him. Had it really mattered to him?

“I was not counting on the Flame Serpent. It would have been a nice addition but I did not count it in with our assets given your memory at the moment.”

Getting her own room allowed her to get some privacy. Roc had paid, a simple spell he knew, well it was not so simple but was for one of his power for in addition to power over stone, he had power over the metals that were found in it. He could transmute on alloy to another, what others sought to do with the power of the legendary Philosopher's Stone transmuting lead into gold Roc could do so with a bit of concentration that took several minutes.

Turning a few stones into minor gemstones had been child's play for him and if he were not a monk he would have probably been fairly wealthy indeed, or maybe dwarfs did not have that astectic approach to life and he was quite wealthy.

While he swiftly entered a state of meditation in his room and Spencer wandered off to get into some mischief as they rested she assumed, though he did leave under the pretense of keeping an ear out.

When Flame got around to meditating after sorting through her thoughts she found that it was far more difficult to do. Whenever she closed her eyes she had been surrounded by an inferno with the sounds of sex reaching her ears.

Whether it was her and Whitney, her and Nicodemus or even images o Murk as he tried to take advantage of her … each time she opened her eyes she was back in her room but closing them again brought about these images.

Eventually she could ease into it, standing in a featureless room without walls, or walls that were beyond the crackling fire that surrounded her. From the raging flames came a red skinned giant sized creature, crimson eyes blazing like the flames that encircled him.

He was topless though wore a scimitar by his side and looked quite fit. The toes of his shoes curled upward and his pants were white and baggy. This time she could not open her eyes.

The creature sported a thin mustache and had a beard only on his chin and two horns jutting from his skull. His hands ended in well manicured claws and his teeth were pointed and sharp.

“You summoned me, daughter.”

With his abilities it wouldn't seem far fetched to assume that Roc could amass a fortune given a certain amount of time yet taking into account his way of life as a monk he refrained or downright forbid himself to boast with such worldly riches it seemed, transforming plain stones into gems of actual value when needed and not wanted. Flame surely was impressed by the performance, that the mind could manipulate the materials at its disposal to such an extent akin to fantasy and not reality to the red haired vixen although it did little to distract her own thoughts for long.

She'd retired to her quarters once they paid with the recently created gemstones, preparing for the final step of their journey whilst Spencer did whatever his playful mindset demanded for she couldn't believe that he would seriously consider to keep watch.

In a matter of minutes she climbed on the bed found there, pillows arranged near the wall as to support her back whilst sitting cross legged on the mattress, facing the room in case anyone intruded upon her personally assigned accommodations. Unlike the dwarf she lacked experience here, attempting to shed all these worrisome memories and allow the mind to drift away, her focus on breathing steadily until it all came to her naturally.

It wasn't easy in the slightest, however, when she finally reached the desired state of mind. Her surroundings were chaotic, purgatorial fires raging all around on the verge of consuming the sorceress without ever actually doing so, an all too familiar melody of blissful pleasures penetrating these terrifying flames.

Several attempts were required to overcome the unreasonable fear to subject herself to the same scenario time and time again, snapped out of that trance only to find that she was still inside the inn, safe and sound. Thus Flame started over again, never backing down in her search for answers though she'd given up interpreting the scene before her inner eyes.

One of the voices must be hers, puncturing through the fabric of the realm of the mind almost as clear as day, the obscurity of her sexual partner which these sounds undoubtedly reflected somewhat enticing even with the worst of the worst.

They were unclear and yet she tried to put a face to these sounds, these groans of utmost delight. Nicodemus would've made sense, his image imbued into memory for she sought to be with him the most. Their lovemaking she wouldn't ever forget, the loss of her virginity in spite of the inexplicable vastness of experience she'd put on display that day, passionately indulging in physical pleasantries with someone she thought of both as her enemy and the most desirable man on the very same day.

Whitney on the other hand, what a pleasant company he'd been. Those sounds would've been alien to her and yet, considering that they did meet and spoke to one another, perhaps the mind simply interpreted upon any thoughts that came to mind when she recalled his compliments and added the missing pieces. His age hadn't mattered to her after all, he was quite charming and even if he would be spent faster, wouldn't fully sate the thirst of the younger generation, Flame pictured the two of them in stunningly breath taking ways that'd cause many men, both old and young, to be envious of him.

Murk left a mark on her the moment his pungent smell filled her lungs, such an abhorrent creature who dared tear open the shirt concealing her marvellous breasts, forcing pleasure unto her with these rough hands .. Strong, reigning hands no less, a monster that sought to dominate the busty prisoner and use her to please his bodily urges, the woman nothing but a toy to the ogre whose stench put the most disgusting beasts to shame, but something about falling victim to him if Nicodemus hadn't helped enticed Flame regardless, his wanton grunts and moans ringing through her ears in a pleasant manner.

Sheer will and denial got her through that hell, leaving her in an entirely new environment. The sounds were gone, the distress washing over her from before began to vanish as she took in these images, but she had no idea what to expect as something erupted from the flames.

It was an intimidating red skinned giant, recognized as an Efreeti the moment he became fully visible and usually it'd have caused her to fall back and scramble away on hands and feet, a nightmare that Flame needed to escape from but her eyes wouldn't obey, sealed shut as she was caught up in what little area the mind offered with that thing about to stand, to tower before the nubile sorceress. Left without any other choice she remained standing, somehow knowing that this was the moment she was searching for all along, the reason to meditate in the first place.

To her surprise it spoke and it immediately became clear who it was. "Abdul!", she exclaimed in relief, catching herself making a mistake there since he was her father. "I-I mean, um .. Yes. Yes, I have, father."

How long their meeting would last, she couldn't say nor how much time would pass in the real world, if the two were as one so she had to act on instinct. "I've come looking for answers .. About who I am, what I am .. Why you have created me and what my purpose in life is according to my father."

She considered briefly, they were in need of one thing and while the others were important to her personally, they could always wait. "But most importantly .. Someone suppressed my memories and it is vital that I remember how to summon the Flame Serpent."

Flame eyed the giant expectantly, hopeful since he was the only one who could help. "Are you willing to answer me?"