Flames, hot and blistering licked his flesh harmlessly as Abdul stood near the flames. He stroked his chin as he regarded her with those glowing spheres though it was as if he had been contemplating giving her those answers that she had requested.

“Your memories have been suppressed, yet subconsciously you could still reach out to call me here. Power without understanding … there is a lock on your power, it can be remove though it may be too much all at once.

“You need it urgently?” He considers. “It is crowded in her as it is but I suppose it will do no harm to add one more daughter. I shall remain and unlock these seals. I will asset you in controlling the Flame Serpent until you can handle it on your own once more. I sense that these areas are tougher to unlock.”

He sees that she is concerned with those answers. “Why does any parent have a child? To pass off their legacy, to leave a mark on history in that they actually existed. Your purpose has always been and always will be your own. Unlike most Golems you are different my ear, so very very different.

“Observe,” he gestures and a curtain of flame flares up and settles down where she can see a scene unfolding before her eyes, the two of them watching on as matters play out.



She observes Abdul in a library reading various tomes. He is in a familiar library, a wing in her home that she recalls has various magical treatises as well as non magical ones. Watching on she sees him in the lab, various bodies being sculpted magically, the fire elemental spirit is bound to each and each body is destroyed as the energies consume it.

What she watches is a montage of failures as it is obvious that he is attempting a new spell as he seals the elemental spirit in artificial body after body that he fashions. In the end though she sees her father, frustrated as he moves down the city streets of J'zar.

A warm wind sweeps down the streets and there is a large tower at the center of the settlement were J'zar's black tower resided, the Efreeti founder of the city by the same name. She watches as a figure falls from the tower, a figure that Abdul notices. Using his magic he arrests her fall … a woman that looks much as sh does today.

She is in tears, this woman and from quick snippets she sees that the woman, Chloe, had been a street walker, apparently being with J'zar was the last straw in her miserable life. She decided to end it all then and there, upset that Abdul would save her.

”If you wish to die then at least have you life have meaning ...”

Flash ahead a few years. Abdul continued his research and even took the woman in. She served as a minor apprentice. Research continued on his spell …



“The elemental spirit burns too brightly, have you considered another element?”

“It has to be fire.”

“What about an infusion of two spirits, fragments of each. You are trying to merge an elemental spirit with a human body … this Golem is to be new Abdul. You want it to possess features of the living with that of a Golem. Why I cannot fathom.”

“I have my reasons, I may be an immortal creature but I will not live forever. Who else will I pass on knowledge of the Flame Serpent too? I do not trust it in the hands of another and have no heirs.”

“But then why free will? I can get the need for a fire elemental now but what if it says no?”

“She,” Abdul corrected. “And if she does not do it then so be it. I will create another, and another and another until one does. Passing the torch so to speak cannot be forced after all and I am in no rush as I am in no danger of dying. All craft vessels will have this form now, I like it.”

“Surely a child would be easiest.”

“Efreeti don't sire half breeds and there are no female Efreeti that I trust enough not to betray me. A half breed would be much easier but not possible.”



Flash ahead and Chloe perished, a disease the Abdul's magic could not save her from. Curing disease was the realm of priests after all. But by the time she passed on he had been on the cusp of a discovery, of making a merged soul work.

The essence of a Fire Elemental and Chloe's spirit.

Good morning father ...

She was this infusion. Neither spirit her own but rather each sustaining the magical aura of her body. The Elemental allowing her to tap into fire magic with ease with the human spirit assisting her day to day judgments, of being human.

The images fade and Abdul glances at her. “Does that help you?”

Abdul stood several feet above Flame as they spoke, their conversation faintly reminiscent of lectures in the past no doubt when he taught his daughter the very basics of life, detailing aspects that mattered to either of them at the time as it was the student whose curiosity brought them together once more.

"Preferably within the hour ..", she uttered lowly in awe of her father, an astonishingly incandescent giant surrounded by flames that could cause him no harm. He spoke of the spell and the unknown, of course, said that she was different though the body beneath his own staggering presence didn't fully understand it.

As if picking up on that stream of thoughts he guided her attention to a scene he'd prepared, her hand briefly shielding her eyes from the heated flare of the fire before they settled down in unison. Yet .. adding one more daughter? Did she have sisters?

What Flame witnessed soon became apparant when she laid eyes on Abdul, an immortal being and thus his unchanged appearance didn't surprise her. It must've been a memory of his though the young sorceress recalled a few details herself, contents of the library he found himself in and while those remained blurry she watched on, drawn in by what course of events he'd chosen to pursue and what they may lead to.

Another alteration in scenery bestowed a sight which could easily be distinguished through what she knew as it was the process of her birth they observed next, or so she thought, although something about it felt off. The entire procedure seemed raw, undefined as every attempt resulted in catastrophic failure, the vessel destroyed each and every time which explained why she hadn't looked anything like those in the sequences of his memories before he inevitably paused in his actions.

The familiar streets of J'zar passed by, their recent trip granted such clarity and while everything they saw had already happened, her entire body tensed up when she watched the figure fall only to be saved by Abdul. It was as if they were watching Flame herself being saved, the woman a near identical reflection of the sorceress today.

Before them the vision shifted again, several years later it seemed where the two of them continued his research and their dialogue held various bits of key information. A golem capable of free will .. on the grounds of mistrusting the females of his race which gave substance to the reason for her creation and the purpose he offered while she was free to refuse.

In time it became clear that Chloe succumbed to some sort of fatal disease, the woman serving as his apprentice the closest Flame would ever have to a mother who'd perished before she was even born. "She died .." Her voice rang in the air, disheartened in knowing that she passed away before seeing the fruits of their labor whilst a slim film of moisture accumulated before her crimson eyes. ".. and you used her spirit to assist in my creation .. so that I inherit traits of both elementals and humans."

Merging her spirit with the essence of a Fire Elemental made the project a success at last. Perhaps that method bestowed a portion of Chloe unto their daughter, the vast knowledge of sexual intercourse if not other personality traits which were part of her being transfered to Flame in the process.

"It does clear up a few things.", she finally managed after swallowing the sorrow flowing through her veins at the loss of life depicted in his memory. Lowering her head, she was hesitant to press on since what followed next would be a confession and the chance to crush her spirit in one. "But, father .. I .. I'm afraid of what my future holds."

"I've learned a lot these past few days without memory of my former self, seen the best and worst in people during my travels, even made a few friends, good friends at that which aren't far from me right now, but all throughout I was convinced that I was in fact .. human."

Flame briefly argued whether or not to explain further, maybe he wouldn't like to hear what she had to say seeing how he sent her away from J'zar in the first place and she sought out the resistance regardless. "We went to see Whitney not long ago where I recovered some of my memories. I discovered there that I was not human and it was .. it is hard for me to cope with considering what I've done."

Then she looked him in the eyes, firm in her stance and full of hope and joy though the latter gradually slipped away the longer she went on. "I've fallen in love, father, with another man I met shortly after my memory functioned again and he seems to love me in return. I'm not sure anymore if it was wise or not to do so, knowing who I am .. what I am now, but it is too late to undo what has already happened and it simply leaves me with more questions."

She paused, her gaze momentarily drawn elsewhere as she thought of how to best convey the next thought, to her father no less! "Can I .. pass off my legacy? Leave my own mark on history with the body you've given me?" Genuine concern riddled the tone in her voice, the desire to have children reshaped to match his own explanation for having created offspring of his own. He'd given her a human body, that much was certain, an artifical one however which may or may not allow for at least some of her dreams to come true.

She wouldn't age for she recalled having been this age on the outside all along which merely gave reason for concern. "Would I live longer than my children? Will I ever die? These are the questions I need answered .. please."

“Within the hour,” he rubbed his chin, already knowing what was expected of him. He had commanded the Flame Serpent before her and though that inheritance had been past on he would control it once more through her before he departed from her mind.

Her subconscious had reached out to him as they had been linked in a way. Creation and creator. While he could block his own empathic connection with her he would forever be aware of her emotional state at least.

She was able to conceal her thoughts, for sure but he would always know her emotional state. That need for answers, that confusion. While her collar had been on her he could not sense her. Nor when she had been on the Shadow of Carrion but here he could and here he came. It wasn't a magical summons on her part but it was the quest for clarity, that confusion that he had sensed in her so many times in the past and thus he had assumed that he was needed to clarify things for her.

It had been ages since she seemed so uncertain though and while it had taken him some doing to deal with what he was doing before he could come he made the trip into her mind. As any good parent would do he came to her in her time of need.

Abdul nodded. “All mortal creatures died. But a fragment of her lives on … it was her wish and as a Genie I could fulfill it. Some of that essence, that spark of life. Some of her memories exist within you daughter.” He regarded her for a moment.

“Though her spirit moved on this sliver remained behind to assist me. In the end she lived her life but she knew that one day that we would be parted. It was her wish that a small part of her remained behind.

“You possess both traits, though I think it is Chloe's will that suppresses the elemental spirit from consuming you, her desire to assist me was strong and even after her death that will was great enough to subdue the spirit of the elemental inside you. Thus you are unique, I have not mastered a technique. Without Chloe you would have resulted in another burned out husk.”

He had not seemed disappointed that she came back to J'zar for he gave her free will after all. But her concerns brought a small smirk to his features before they relaxed.

“Anyone can create a construct with enough training,” he announced. “My aim was to craft a living construct. Perhaps there are those that would say that I had the desire to play God but I was partially successful at least …

“You were created in my image. Unless slain you will not die and killing you would be a challenge. You are human for most practical purposes, in fact I sealed away any suspicion that you weren't, that your your perpetual youth was the result of a spell. I realized after time that it was best to give you greater free will so you did not see yourself as a doll or any different from those that you dealt with. But whatever magic has sealed away your memories weakened what I had in place.

“Initially reproduction was not seen as necessary. But in my quest to perfect you I eventually added it. It had taken me the search of a Priest as discovered through Whitney but you can love, you can have children, you can pass on your legacy though you will retain your immortality daughter.”

He would avoid getting into the Necromantic magics that allowed her to “clone” life in a sense when given a genetic sample for life giving magic had gone beyond his expertise. Being a Priest and fueled with the Blessings imparted by Divinity rather than learned or inherit magic went a little beyond his understanding. He knew the basics of it though.

“It is somewhat random though … the chances are more minute than an average human's but not to far removed either.

“I hope Whitney is doing well, I have had to be away longer that usual this time and if not for these concerns I would have assumed that everything was alright with you so in a sense you did summon me with such concerns.

“I can remain for the next sixteen hours or so. Will that be enough time for the use of the Flame Snake? It is fire, I could nudge your mind in unlocking that talent … even if you do not recall everything the knowledge is there. Push yourself and it will come back sooner.”

It came as a surprise that Chloe would wish for a part of herself to remain behind, as if she suspected that it'd be an essential part in the creation of Flame or eternally unspoken feelings where involved where she desired that Abdul retained a fragment of her life's essence in memory. Whichever the case, the sorceress could only be grateful for even in the face of death she'd managed to bestow life unto someone else and the knowledge that went along with it, a woman she aspired to be as well if it ever came to such an untimely demise.

A look of surprise swept over her features upon hearing the notion that children were a realistic expectation, surprise replaced with heightened amounts of happiness shortly after for it had always been one of the few things that she was looking forward to the most in what little time she lived in utmost ignorance of her own nature, the unbelievable pleasure of assisting them in times of need as her father did then and to watch and guide them along the path from birth to adulthood. Circumventing the odds could be easily achieved through attempting it more often, a detail which presumably her father understood though refrained from commenting on it.

Immortality on the other hand could be either gift or curse, any children of hers that entered the world would inevitably grow older, leave their home and have families of their own before being bound to perish at the end of their natural human lives as would any other member of any generation that followed. Flame wasn't certain how things were going to play out since she'd never been involved with someone else either, how to best touch upon the subject with Nicodemus though having one or several children would be a dream she sought to fulfill sooner or later.

Not just family but also friends would wither away in the face of time for what was a lifetime when one had an eternity to look forward to? Regarding the latest additions to her acquaintances it'd be a simple matter to tell that Whitney and Spencer would die before the others, but the chain always continued which was a challenge she had to deal with for the rest of her life, however long that may be.

For a split second she wondered if they were her friends, not that it mattered since if they weren't the red head was hoping they would be eventually because once matters were resolved there would be plenty of time to traverse the Shadows and visit them if she had the means to walk between realms.

Yet with power and immortality one could change the world, for better or for worse leave a more distinct mark and while Abdul spoke of the desire to play God, that didn't always have to be a bad thing considering what he'd created in the process and his daughter didn't strive to commit her life to evil deeds.

"Thank you so much, father!", she beamed up at him and yet resisted the urge to step forward and embrace him, wary of the flames despite him having thought of reproduction, as he put it ever so eloquently. "You can't imagine how important that was to me."

"Whitney is quite well as far as I can tell.", she continued. "Unfortunately we arrived uninvited and stumbled upon an unorganized pile of scriptures in his home, but he helped us a great deal nonetheless. I believe it is only thanks to him that we're properly prepared for our undertaking and that the two of us are speaking to each other right now."

Flame smiled warmly, the given time far more than enough to do what needed to be done. "It will be enough. I was actually hoping to remember how to utilise the Flame Serpent myself before heading to our final destination, but now that you're here to help I doubt it'll take us more than a few hours to pull through with our plans. In the meantime I will push myself of course and draw upon the knowledge I already remember to hone my skills and perhaps in time my memories will return to me if I focus on what comes closest to summoning the Snake."

With that said he might've meant something else by telling her to push herself, but Flame was certain that she'd be corrected if that were the case. At least their chances were greatly improved, despite Roc's faith and continued assurance she had her doubts as to whether or not he could deal with the threat on his own and risking lives when they didn't have to would be a waste of caution they couldn't afford.

She fell silent for a moment, contemplating what else to tell her father before departing from their private discussion. "We're headed for a cave not far from J'zar where I intend to combine forces with an Earth elementalist. We are going to slay the demons inside if necessary although killing them isn't our foremost concern." She paused. "We've come to retrieve the object they're guarding, the fragment of an angel's power I'm told."

He could see the surprise on her features given that he had taken pains to see that she could pass on her legacy as he did with her. Granted it wasn't something he had considered at the start though it was only through his work with Meringue that he had even thought of it. Leave it to a woman to bring up those things, while he had been concerned with physical pain, with blood, emotion and other aspects of life he had over looked the fundamental matters.

Of course, Meringue might not have known what sort of project he and her husband had been up to and it was an offhanded commented … he had always suspected that she knew some of what they were up to, particularly since Cain spoke in his sleep.

Naturally he had suspected that Cain could pass off most of what he said as nonsense or part of a dream though there was little doubt that he had to reveal some information from time to time and could not conceal everything.

“You are most welcome daughter though I must profess it wasn't something I considered initially. There were a great many challenges and I'm still not sure on half of what Cain did. It was through his work and diligence though. He was faced with a challenge and used his divine gifts to make it work so for many of the functions that simulate life in some way you would have to ask him about. I gave him a blue print in a few areas and he worked with me a bit. Granted, their were some Necromantic aspects I excelled at though for such miracles as you bestowing life had been his doing.”

He regarded Whitney with a grin cracking his lips. “That old coot is still alive? He was always big in his studies though I thought he might have had a heart upon seeing you though nothing can kill him I see.” Abdul mused over the matter.

“Remember that you can command flames, that the elemental spirit within you allows you to shape and even generate flame. The Flame Serpent is both spirit and flame, it is an expression of your will if you focus it enough you will shape it just as you were able to call me here, with enough focus you can draw the Flame Serpent to you. There are some exceptions of course. You wouldn't be able to call it forth in a region that fire cannot exist so out in the middle of an ocean won't work and if you call it to a point where there is combustible material then it will incinerate it on contact, such as a ship.

“Your will needs to dominate it and I will assist you here for the next few hours.

“Ah, so that is where Tori has hidden it. I was aware that she had the Efreeti guarding something of great power. Why are you seeking this feather? I can make the logical assumption to return it to it's owner.”

"I see, the miracle of birth .." At least she got the gist of what Abdul spoke of, necromancy another aspect of life that Flame had to learn once again though she shook her head before pressing on as if dismissing that thought for the time being. "There are a few things I need to take care of first such as the recovery of my memories, but when these matters have been resolved I'll seek out Cain and maybe get some answers from him personally."

There was a spark of seeking to make her parent proud when she thought about it, the ability to teach the teacher upon making discoveries which her father hadn't despite his own immortality and thus the red haired sorceress beamed up at him, a soft smile upon her lips as she regarded the giant before her. "I'll share my findings with you if you'd like to hear about them later on."

Whitney seemed to have taken a place in his heart judging by the way he talked about him. "Alive and well.", she corrected. "For a man of his age he seems to have quite an abundance of spirit left, especially when it comes to his studies."

Or the opposite gender, she thought, whatever the outside may imply he had ways and means to touch upon the hearts of young women such as herself if they looked beyond the facade given his venerable age. Unless the relationship with Nicodemus worked out as desired by the mind and body and whatever dreams she had floating around in the back of her head, Flame wondered if he'd be open to the idea of seeing the fiery vixen a little more often. "He was quite charming, actually. I look forward to seeing him again."

When he adressed the Flame Serpent further on the other hand, she took a firm and determined stance for she'd desired not to misuse the immense powers she was given, preferably for protection only and not offense unless absolutely necessary. Whichever parent laid the foundation for her morals, they seemed to be shaping up nicely. "I understand, father. Rest assured that I won't be careless in its use should I ever have to summon it."

But the reason for seeking the divine feather brought a subtle crimson shade to her cheeks, matching the color of her hair when her father expressed his desire to discuss what they were after. "Y-yes .. yes, of course.", she spoke lowly and hesitantly, a sheepish yet sweet smile splaying over her lips. "Nicodemus is his name and he's the one I've fallen for, father."

Perhaps he'd heard the name before, Flame couldn't tell and while the story might cause Abdul to be concerned, she deemed it necessary to disclose certain details to him. "Allow me to explain .. Yesterday, when I first started to remember, I found myself to be a prisoner on the Shadow of Carrion. Tori had called for my capture as was the case with several other elementalists capable of summoning the Serpent of their respective element in order to access the Blue Shrine. She was also the one who had our memories suppressed indefinitely so that we were less likely to escape until our services were needed."

With Tori in mind and her business with the Efreeti, Abdul might've had use for the information provided by his daughter and if not then it'd make things clearer as to where she'd been the past day or two. Even then she didn't know where he sent her off to in order to keep her away from J'zar, but surely in time these missing puzzle pieces would return.

"I discovered that our jailor was a Fallen Angel through my attempts to defeat him in a duel .. though it is safe to say I lost he still revealed his true identity to me." She smiled a bit at that, knowing what had happened back then before returning to the events that followed. "We spent most of our time together, in private .. we talked for a while .. However, he soon offered me a chance to not just regain my freedom as well as those of my cellmates, but that he would strike down Tori if I managed to recover the final fragment of his power from the cave we're headed to right now, so .. here we are."

Granted, lies and deceit paved the road they travelled, but certainly good intentions would make up for it. "I .. I thought that returning an angel's freedom would be a good deed although I'm not exactly proud of myself when I consider how I've managed to come this far. But .. It would be the right thing to do even if love wasn't involved or you had to use a white lie to convince others to follow you, wouldn't it?"

“Yes, Cain will have those answers and Meringue still makes those pies you are so found of. Of course back then you were naïve to the things that we were doing but not once did you complain of even get bored. Such a good child."

He nids reflecting in the Necromancy that Cain used “Gladly, I can understand and appreciate Divine magic and can use a smattering it myself, all Efreeti are born with inherit gifts after all but never with the understanding or connection to the Divine Ones in the same way even though he can connect with the Flame Elder Elementals."

He had been close to Whitney, even save him from that assassin and he was always pleased to know that the “old” coot was still alive though time held no meaning to him he had figured out over the years that it had meant something to others.

“He has always been one to toss himself into his studies. He doesn't know too much about anyone thing but a little bit in all areas.”

“Is that so?” Abdul grinned as he looked at his daughter. Did he follow her thoughts? He did not draw any sort of conclusions there. As an ageless creature he could understand dalliances with young and old alike.

Cradle robber, regardless of how old these mortals were, had been something that would follow him like a label at least amongst other immortal creatures for regardless of how old these people were he was that much older. Of course, his daughter would have to face that herself one day and figure out how best to handle the matter.

“The Flame Serpent is one of the eight dragons in a manner of speaking. I will regale that story to you another time, it will not help you save for providing some rich detail to the origins behind it and the others.

“I have done well in selecting you and my efforts in your creation had been well worth it. I could not pass on the Flame Serpent to someone that would have used it indiscriminately or for evil for that matter. You might consider that I am ageless, that there is no need to pass it one but I have my reasons and one day you will have yours.”

Initially he did not recall the Angel. Then she mentioned the witch, he knew of her, weaker then her sister Sable on the Shadow of Llyndoria but she was the one a century or so back … ah yes, the Angel.

“I see. Tori's Pet, and as long as she maintains that feather she maintains that leash that binds him to her. She's trying to access the Blue Shrine ...” Abdul paused as he considered this for a moment. How was Tori going to access it. He considered this and it seemed obvious as to how she was planning on entering the vault.

“An Angel is an ageless creature,” Abdul gave a nod of his head. “How all that works I am uncertain … Cain would probably know,” he spoke that last part more to himself though he compared the two now.

A Golem and a Fallen Angel … interesting. “Tread carefully, daughter. He could be using you just to get the feather back though I doubt it. If you retrieved the feather then you instead of Tori would gain command over him, nothing stops you from hiding the feather and as long as it is in your possession, not necessarily on your person so this entails a great deal of trust on his part for he could be swapping one Mistress for another.”

Abdul considered that for a second and he shook his head a little. “Do not allow him to move against Tori if you love him. Not until he has had a chance to recover his full power. There will be almost no doubt that he would manage it then though it probably still will not be easy.

“Tori is aligned with the Efreeti, Genies that can bestow wishes albeit Efreeti bestow perverse wishes even those can have incredible power, if she gets too desperate she may use one. Of course, without the Efreeti to draw upon things could still benefit her if she could some how get into the Blue Shrine things could tip in her favor again but head to head Tori should not stand a chance with him Nicodemus at full power.”

Flame shrunk back into a more reserved state as though she'd been caught red handed, the grin splaying over his features causing his beautiful temptress of a daughter to shy away from the shrewd gaze he bestowed unto her albeit briefly as she cast him a sidelong glance, a distinct heat rising to her cheeks which might've been indicative of her intentions without any need to inquire further as the skin there assumed a more intense crimson shade.

All the things she'd do to the old man, an abstract amassment of unequivocally sexual ideas which were virtually endless in the sense that they were simply limited in exercise by the minor nuisances of life such as running out of stamina whilst temptation would arguably never cease to exist in their personal quarters.

"Well, he does have an extensive collection of rare scriptures I'd like to memorize.", she managed to push out of her mouth, a poor excuse considering that there had been a minor pause between her change in stance and eventual response. Surely he perceived these reactions for what they truly were even though Abdul merely registered her emotional state, that her spirit lit up at the image of Whitney and yet even more so in the case of Nicodemus it made little difference for her desires were almost exactly the same in either case.

Moving beyond the subject of her potential partners Flame had to agree that thirst for knowledge would drive her existence for several years to come, perhaps more though circumstances could always change and in light of the situation at hand they couldn't afford to dedicate any more time to non-essential matters.

"I have considered that he might be using me for his personal gain." Nicodemus and she were barely more than acquainted at best even though there were intense emotions in play, fondness among them as he protected her from Murk, a ravenous beast although she refused to believe that these thoughts were more than fleeting affection for the angel.

She shook her head. "I doubt it, too, but even then I won't deviate from the path I've chosen .. Rarely anyone if anyone at all deserves to be held captive for almost an entire century based on the one mistake they made, no matter the severity or consequences and if he uses me solely to regain his power and freedom, then so be it as long as he won't be serving Tori any longer."

Perhaps he simply grew tired of his never ending curse, the voluptuous red head couldn't have been the only woman to ever come across their jailor after all though she had faith in that their relationship would withstand any suspicions thrown at it. "I'll do my best to keep him out of harm's way until he's ready, you can count on that."

"At least initially Tori shouldn't suspect anything. Nicodemus is currently stalling her by claiming that we've escaped and need to be recaptured which should essentially prevent her from accessing the Blue Shrine seeing how elementalists play a vital part in her plan and I doubt there are a great many capable of summoning a Serpent of their own. It took her four days to capture the four I was part of so it seems more likely that she'll depend on our inability to escape the Shadow of Carrion and look for us there."

"We've ensured that our departure would leave a minimal amount of clues and not even a handful of people even know where we're headed. The retrieval of the feather was thrown together at the last possible minute so surprise should be on our side for the time being although someone like Tori certainly wouldn't have survived nearly as long as she did without a certain degree of wit."

"Nevertheless, I'll exercise caution once we press on.", she concluded. "Thank you for filling me in, I realize there are many things I'm not aware of due to my recent memory loss which might make me seem a little naive at times."

The sorceress briefly set an index finger inbetween the subtle valley of her lips in thought, crimson orbs scanning the ground subconsciously as she contemplated their next move before returning her attention to Abdul. "Perhaps it would be prudent if we continued our conversation at another time? Time is of the essence and I wouldn't want to risk losing any more now that we have your help."

Exposure for that matter worried the red haired vixen as well, with Jamal and the Efreeti all around J'zar wasn't a safe place to be considering who they were up against. "When I've taken care of everything, can I reach you through meditation once more?"

He certainly did not mean to embarrass her though he saw that it was cute the way that she did color. He was more open about these things and for certain she was a rather complex design given that the had included everything to make her as human as possible.

She may have been a construct but a living one that could heal and self repair as an organic, even be effected by spells though blushing was something Efreeti did not do. But he knew all about that state of being as he had been alive for so long now.

He had figured that there had been a good chunk of Chloe's personality influencing her, traits that she had eventually got a handle on but for now she had been subject to those same impulses. Chloe seemed to get a handle on them though Abdul suspected that such thoughts had never gone away completely in light of this. This was a personality that was driven near the end of Chloe's life rather than the beginning of it.

“He does have a good deal of scrolls,” he agreed allowing her to safely navigate from the topic so as not to embarrass her further.

“interesting,” he states as he brushes his chin, the glowing embers of his eyes settled on her. He had followed her selfless thought process here, one that was far removed then that of the one that typical Efreeti would have entertained.

“Even if he is using you then good comes of it b removing him from Tori's side. This is good, this is not a simple blind sense of doing something but rather a thought out process. I approve, provided that you are aware of the potential pitfalls along the way.

“To be precise only eight individuals can summon serpents. Provided that she has already gone through the trouble of rounding up half of them, no easy feat, she would probably seek recapturing escapees sine there are few ways off Carrion and as you have said without your memories of harnessing the serpent of your element dealing with someone that lacks that power opposed to one that still can use it.”

Abdul thought for a moment. “I suppose Tori does have some merits, from what I understand her elder sister if far more resourceful but Tori has the alliance with the Efreeti and of course a full fledged Angel. Without these I am sure she should be easier to deal with, she is strong though but not overwhelming so … perhaps for one person she may seem so but you have others to draw upon so.”

He nods though. “Take care of these matters daughter. You can get back in touch with me though meditation. While I am here doing so will be easy for the next sixteen hours or so. Beyond that you'd have to be suffering great duress for me to pick up on our mental state and arrive, concern or the like.”

He steps back into the flames, his body being engulfed by them as he vanishes. Her eyes open back up to find herself in her room, all is quiet save for the sweeping sound of a distant broom in the hall probably by a maid of something.

Contentment at his words thrilled the red head standing before Abdul beyond simply having done as taught or ordered, the depiction of her thought process akin to praise as though his already sophisticated creation managed to exceed any expectation, ranging from selflessness to logical thinking. He would've been hard pressed to express any disappointment in his daughter these past few days aside from several unfavorable exceptions she had to make such as lying to Roc, but even then she had her reasons and if nothing else it did make Flame the slightest bit more human.

Unless somehow ascending to the state of a deity she wouldn't ever be infallible and therefore prone to making mistakes, pitfalls as he described it which were details or paths she hadn't picked up on yet or how their situation would unfold in the long run though for the time being they lacked an alternative and had to press on toward their destination.

"Let's hope I won't seek you out with that state of mind.", she added with an enthusiastic smile, glad to have him by her side. "I wouldn't want to worry you any further than I already have."

With that in mind Flame bid Abdul farewell, most of their past hidden underneath an almost impenetrable blanket of obscurity and yet for some reason she felt that they shared a more profound bond, that they were dearly beloved father and daughter as she watched him disappear amidst the all consuming flames. Then her eyes snapped open, returned to the familiar sight of a furnitured inn room as they scanned her surroundings for any signs of intrusion.

She breathed out in relief, blinking several times whilst not moving as reality returned to the voluptuous sorceress, both environments had felt as if they were actually real and considering that Flame rarely had any similar experiences to compare whatever she just went through, she decided to take things slowly.

Something outside, perhaps in the hallway caught her attention as she rested among the comfort of nearly half a dozen supple pillows, the swell of her magnificently ample breasts rising and falling with every deep, soothing breath that was filling her lungs though whatever noise rang through the air hadn't appeared to be of any alarming nature. Likely the only establishment in town to provide rooms for the crowds left the assumption that the floors were kept clean to a certain degree with the desert right outside their doorstep, even if a portion of the local townsfolk were less than pleasant to be around so the distant, rough scraping sounds of a broom didn't exactly set her off.

Aside from that, the silence was deafening. It was daytime after all and while Roc would've surely retired to his own quarters to indulge in meditation, other guests probably were out on the streets so nothing seemed out of the ordinary as far as she could tell.

Flame slowly sat up, the illusionary garments making a show of her smooth abdomen as it flexed in accordance with the motions of her body, a perfect combination of flesh and muscle giving her an enticing, feminine body many would strive for. She tidied up what she could, flattened the sheets and placed the pillows where they originally were before heading for the door, checking up on the scimitar attached near her waistline before departing.

They had what they needed and once Roc would be ready to leave, all that remained would be the recovery of their playful companion before they had to face what they came here for.

She may not ever be perfect in the sense of the word but if she were that would have meant that he had failed for the aim was to make her as human as possible. There were going to be mistakes along the way; lies, deceptions, the choice between the lesser of two evils though it had been more the strive to excel on the path that she walked now that had given him high hopes.

Flame walked a very similar road to what Abdul walked and stopping for a rest along the way wasn't so bad as abandoning that road for another altogether.

Abdul nodded at his daughter. No doubt she would figure something out in calling him back. Their respective distances had been too far, getting her in person would have been too time consuming but he could connect with spells such as this to bridge those gaps quickly. Of course there was Teleportation magic though currently this was the best he could do seeing that he was in an area that thwarted such magic and thus he had to be inventive and project himself mentally but this work fairly well he though.

“Yes, I do not enjoy you being in such a state. Though I grew relieved when I could sense you again … until a short while back I could not sense you through our empathic bond and thought that you were destroyed.

“Whatever blocked your use of magic blocked the link as well but once I sensed it again I was no longer in a position to even contact you like this until I resolved matters.”



With the room straightened up retrieving Roc was easy. He had been in meditation and assured her that she had not been bothering her. Entering into that state seemed natural to him though. Now Spencer had been a bit more problematic …

“It's my fault, I should have known better,” Roc may not have dealt with Fae too often but he knew of most of the different types and while he knew next to nothing about Fairy Dragons he knew a few things about Pixies.

“He told us that his people lived with Pixies right? Well Pixies are pranksters that love pranking dour people over gracious sports though it is said that if you take to their pranks they reward you.

“This place are full of dour types; Orcs, Half Orcs … Efreeti … it just didn't dawn on me.”

Thus they had to look for their diminutive companion. But how do you find an invisible Faery Dragon? Fortunately Roc knew a spell to perceive invisible things at least so they weren't totally blind.

They searched and of course vendors tried hawking their wares though it was in the bazaar that Spencer was found, his mouth had been rung with blue berries and he was munching on a bit of pie as he was flying from the scene of the crime … now that struck Flame as odd … the way people were reacting, the way he was flying to avoid people would indicate that he was invisible but she could see him as plain as day. Roc had not noticed him yet scanning in the opposite direction.

As expected Roc would be in his quarters, easily allowing himself to slip into a state of meditation that she had trouble achieving in the first place, but when faced with the absence of Spencer it was as though they'd swapped out one problem for another, a prankster let loose upon the masses which certainly weren't interested in dealing with any sort of mischief.

"We better find him quickly before he does something rash and gets himself caught.", Flame suggested in a somewhat agitated manner whilst they departed, not quite in a hurry as of yet though eager to catch him before anyone else did. "So far we've managed without causing an incident, we should keep it that way."

Wandering out on the streets they had to take things slowly, regrettably merely one of them retained the ability to spot their invisible companion and walking among the masses that roamed the streets at day reduced any progress on their part to a slow, dragging pace. Considering where the highest concentration of the local populace would be found, it seemed logical to head toward the Bazaar first before looking elsewhere, cutting through several side streets along the way.

Flame politely declined any offers upon being approached by the various vendors that set up shop, but some were more insistent than others, sometimes even urging them to step inside their store when they weren't plain and simple market stalls in which case she responded with a firmer stance as she ushered the two of them along.

At last she laid eyes on the incredibly distinct color pattern of the Faerie Dragon, one that she could recognize among hundreds as his presence was noted through a cursory glance in his direction. She observed the happenings as if Spencer was a child living their dream, doing whatever they pleased without a worry in the world that they'd ever get caught as he ever so gracefully made his way through the crowd.

Strangely enough Flame clearly witnessed his crime, how he devoured what appeared to be the remnants of a slice of pie before moving along while in reality he must've been hidden for none of the people present tried to catch the devious scoundrel, nor did they look at him directly and instead watched in awe and frustration as their goods flat out vanished into thin air.

Initially she concluded that the spell allowed for her to see him as well, after all the fundamentals of sorcery had yet to become clear to the red head although mere moments of thought followed that sentiment whereupon Flame figured that it must've been related to Abdul and his presence, his mental connection rather which invoked such talents as he granted them to his daughter. Slightly more distant appeared to be the idea that it was in fact his daughter who posessed such gifts herself for one reason or another as more seals of the mind came undone over time though she was probably just getting ahead of herself there.

She cast an alarmed glance at Roc, laying a soft hand gently upon his back in order to guide his attention elsewhere for he hadn't discovered their third party member yet, guiding his focus where he was or disappeared off to without any further gestures as to not arouse any more suspicion than they already had.

"There he is.", she spoke softly, enough for him to hear yet not obnoxiously loud in a way that'd be audible for anyone else nearby. "Should anyone catch one of his kind in these parts, there's no doubt in my mind that these people will be asking a lot of questions .. and demand that we pay up for the stolen goods."

Her crimson eyes were briefly drawn to their garments, blending in with everyone else which didn't make things easier. "We look like everyone else .. Do you have any idea how we can let him know that we're here and ready to leave?" She paused for a moment. "I wouldn't want to head back to the inn and hope that he eventually had his fill for the day."

Her theories had been sound, her abilities could have been imparted by Roc's spell but as minor memories were unlocked partially with the presence of her father she recalled that the spell was personal in nature … nor had there been any sort of recollection that she had been afforded this gift of sight and thus concluded that it had to deal with Abdul's presence.

Perhaps it had to deal with him and her sharing senses though if this had been the case when his presence was gone completely she could find out easily enough.

Flame and Roc spent a good while looking for their companion and it had been when Spencer had been pointed out to her that Roc seemed puzzle. “You can see him?” He looked and saw the Fae now licking his muzzle clean of the incriminating evidence with the use of his long tongue.

Roc sighed disapprovingly. They had lost plenty of time here and while he was patient though they were under time constraints too. “Behind that stall there with the red tarp, we'll met there.”

He brakes off into the direction of the Fae, deliberately stepping in his path until the Fae recognized who it was …

“I'm sorry -” Spencer professed when they were behind stall, looking guilty as he had been caught with a claw in the cookie jar so to speak.

“There is no time for apologies, we need to get going.”

As patient as stone was it was unyielding as well. Once an avalanche was in motion it was impossible to stop and Roc seemed to get them back on track with them heading to the caves . Roc seemed more focused and less talkative and Spencer seemed o be behaving like a scolded child as they pressed on, not as cheerful or talkative as he reflected over what had happened and was afraid that he pissed off the dwarf though he spoke if spoken too.

Before long they got to the caves near J'zar, a warm breeze sweeping through they steadily like a heart beat indicating that there was probably areas on the other side that had exits that the air seemed to be blowing it.

It was a warn breeze that rolled over her disguised flesh. Roc paused and concentrated calling forth a small boulder like creature that rose out of the ground. He spoke to it in it's native tongue and the and the Earth Elemental sank into the ground after a confirming nod.

“Now we wait,” Roc mentioned as he gathered up some stones as the components for some of his spells and extracted the magical dagger. The spear all but useless he would leave her. “Do you recall the wards to protect against flame?” He didn't expect that she would though such magic seemed simply now, more had been unlocked it seemed with the presence of her father it seemed that a lot of flame based magic unlocked though this one might have seemed odd since protecting himself against magical flame was something that her father did not have to do though it was a simply enough spell that Roc knew as well in the event that Flame could not recall it.

Soon the Elemental returned relaying it's report. "It is as we were told, a sheet of flame is near the entrance and the Torment Demon is beyond, well it does not know what it is but gives a fair description of one. The corridor continues to a feather set on a pedestal, no ring, so are we here for the feather or is it that what we seek not here at all? It seems that the defenses in place are great for a simple feather.

“Also, the Elemental could not approach the feather so that spot at least could be warded against creatures, a defense that could be an era in our favor perhaps, it is your aim to acquire the feather, is it not?” Roc turned his attention to her as he waited for a response.

Little more than a confirming nod certified her ability to see Spencer before they split up, Roc presumably headed for him while Flame wandered toward the stall, their given meeting place which the fiery red head hadn't walked into without keeping an eye out for any that may find an opportunity to approach the sorceress all by herself though thankfully the others didn't leave her waiting for long.

Then the unusual trio pressed on, abandoning the vile filth inhabiting the settlement among others casting their curvaceous female member blatantly lecherous gazes when they passed by. Before such became simple routine, the vast desert proved a sanctuary unlike any other when they finally made their way toward the nearby caves, invisible for none seemed to have caught wind of their affairs and except certain vivid fantasies of Flame within the minds of the less reserved beings they'd leave nothing behind.

Insistent in their cautious approach, first traversing several sand dunes where nothing laid in their path should they continue on only for them to alter their path with their initial destination in mind once vanished from sight of any who might be observing their movements from the outskirts of town. It was a precautionary move, whether warranted or not it required a negligible amount of time.

Flame conjured a minor flame amidst an open palm, flickering with the motions of her body passing through what warm breeze enveloped their skin, caressing it though the young woman sought to control the fire, steady it and possibly incite a mental spark in order to speed up the process of the recollection of her memories. The silence did her focus well, it seemed, not that she was truly upset upon looking back at what the Fae did though it'd surely keep them distracted if they were to discuss such pointless things as close as they were to completing their task.

Within moments the flame dissolved into thin air as they arrived at what must've been the cavern leading to the artifact, following suit in discarding the spear by her side for they weren't of any use against the demons and wouldn't be for the remainder of their journey. Needless to say the sudden summoning of an Earth Elemental still managed to steal her breath or at the very least leave the red haired woman impressed to the point where she stopped dead in her tracks, but these things apparantly were commonplace and gradually Flame was getting more and more used to them.

"Yes, I will lay them on us as soon as we're ready to proceed." In regard to such magic her response had been confident, certain that the memory of that spell lingered within the mind and returned to her or remained Abdul's doing, an odd thought considering that he himself had no use for anything of the sort.

Silence conveyed her feelings on the matter as Roc discussed matters with his summoned underling before adressing Flame, thoughts streaming through her head for there weren't many alternatives when it came to the outcome of the situation, whether it needed to be defused or would simply carry on by itself. At last the moment arrived in which her earlier choice mattered the most and while the dwarf hadn't called her out on the blatant lie under which he was acting all along, he was pressuring her with the truth that instead of a ring, they'd discovered a feather.

"We're here for the feather." Crimson eyes locked on his, stern and resolute though her facial features hadn't changed any, eyeing him in an attempt to foresee what he might choose to do. "It is no ordinary feather, not even in the slightest and while I felt that you'd rather seek to escape Carrion unless given an alternative that actually made sense as opposed to the truth, I decided to lie in order to get you all the way out here."

"For that I am sorry, I really am, but anything else I've said was nothing but honesty .. Are you willing to proceed now or do you wish for an explanation in greater detail first?" The elemental couldn't approach the feather .. how that worked in their favor puzzled the young sorceress although being partially made of the spirit of a Fire Elemental herself something compelled her to question the validity of that defense if she was prone to its effects.

"I recall how to command the Flame Serpent, so we should be able to dispose of the demons easily enough if we combine forces." A threat directed at him or mere strategical advantage, Flame herself couldn't tell though she was hoping for his cooperation even if being lied to throughout all this time may be hard to digest.

It was wise for them to hide their direction. They were being watched not by their enemies this time but by slavers that wished to get their hands on Flame, as attractive as she was she would fetch a fortune and dwarfs were known for both their gem cutting and metallurgy skills as well as their endurance so even Roc had good value.

These slavers were tracking them now though most people bought the simple rouse here. Though the three continued on, memories returning to Flame as they continued, the fire that she could summon seemed like simple child's play now and there seemed that there was no end to what she could do with the element as she recalled the plethora of spells involving it.

But those were not the only spells she knew. There were spells that shaped the other elements though most were intermediate at best and and water or cold based effects she could not perform, even the simplest of these.

“Spence, excuse us for a moment.”

The now visible Faerie Dragon looked back at the pair then nodded before drifting off and leaving the pair. Once done Roc returned his attention to Flame as he had listened to the offered explanation as he rubbed his chin.

“Escape is well and good, of course I would not abandon the others either, even Gale. If the means of getting free were a feather or ring it makes no difference to me, Flame. I suspected something being off for awhile seeing that we had to pass through a portal to get here and could have taken the others with us.

“The others may be sullen about it, I am not. I merely had to confirm that this was what we were risking our lives for. I shall proceed.” He nodded.

Roc probably did not find her ability to summon the Flame Serpent as a threat. In close combat he was probably by far greater than her and even if the Serpents were not evenly matched all he would need from his would be to keep her own occupied for a moment or two before dealing with it. After all he took down a Dragon …

“That is good, we may need it and while it's flames will be ineffective it can still inflict damage and distraction, every little bit helps. Now let us get that feather.”

Gesturing for Spencer to return the trio enters the cave finding it warm and bright. The crackle of flame shoots light around a corner and the closer they get the warmer it gets. Flame is able to protect them from fire and they proceed seeing the curtain of flame and passing through it. It's not long before they arrive in a chamber so massive that they cannot see the back of it. Stone pillars hold up a vaulted sealing and out of the darkness comes the first guardian.

The bound Demon came forth, green eyes glowing, his head canine-like and wolf looking with enormous teeth overlapping his muzzle. Arms were a pair of pinchers with a thick caprice on his back.

From his chest was the upper torso of a bald man also with green eyes and hands ending in wicked claws. The Demon was massive nearly fifteen feet in height though it wasted little time weakening the gravity in the area they stood sending the trio to the ceiling though it takes only a moment for Spencer to fly against the suddenly reversed gravity. And now it begun ...