Chapter 22: Inferno

[Lovvorn & the Night's Bloom]

"By the gods!!" gasped Hars.

In the arena-level of Damion VonSinterbourne's headquarters, seven men stood in awe and watched as the unconscious fire-drake swelled and grew before their very eyes. The lizard's hot, scaly hide had already split and re-grown several times, each time revealing a creature that was much larger than it had been before. In just a few minutes, the drake had grown to three times its previous size, and now its scalding hide was squeezing against the metal bars of cage that would soon cease to hold it. Portions of the cage were already glowing red hot from the contact.

Then, without warning, the terrible lizard opened its eyes. It lifted its huge head from the floor and shrugged.... the cage exploded into a rain of searing fragments. With a roar that shook the entire building, the drake belched forth a blast of fire that washed over the stone floor and leapt up the brick wall on the far side of the room. Behind it, the beast's tail whipped back and forth through the air, repeatedly slamming into the sturdy walls. The building vibrated violently with each impact. Each tremor was stronger than the last, and soon the walls were marred with the huge scorched craters that were left in the deadly appendage's wake.

All the while, the creature's hide was still splitting apart and falling away... The drake was still growing.

Hungry, the drake sought out anything that could assuage its enhanced appetite. It's reptilian eye caught site of a tiny human, seemingly frozen in fear. The beast swung its head towards the man and let loose with a blast of heat and flames that incinerated the guard instantly. Undaunted, the beast turned toward the group of humans standing off to one side...

"Lovvorn!" shouted Hars. "Can you kill that thing?!"

"ARE YOU INSANE!?!?! We are OUT Of Here!!!"

With a flourish, Lovvorn raised his arms just as the drake's jaws fell open. Fire shot forth...

---

[Zade]

"ZADE!!!" Damion rounded the dark corner and nearly collided with his bodyguard. Zade was standing in the hallway just outside the alchemist's door.

"I thought I told you not to come for me..." she said through clenched teeth.

"I know.... I just-" Damion realized that he and Zade were not alone. Standing just inside the doorway was a man. It wasn't the alchemist. The intruder was huge, over 6'5" tall, with a head full of white-hair. His skin was deathly pale, although Damion thought he detected a slight blue tint. His eyes, however, were unmistakably blue. The color of a cold, winter sky. He stared at the pair of Damion and Zade with a face that radiated menace.

"YOU!" shouted Damion. "You killed Fletcher!!!" Damion drew his rapier and swung it quickly around towards December, stepping between him and Zade.

"Damion, NO!!" cried Zade, but Damion had already lunged forward, foolishly trying to sink his weapon into the frozen crimelord's throat.

December responded by dodging to one side, moving with the quickness of a man one-forth his size. His blue eyes flashed as he made a block with his hand. His palm slapped at the blade. The metal made an odd squeal that ended in a sharp twang as the weapon froze and snapped in half, leaving Damion with just a hand-guard and a short metal stick.

As the ruined rapier fell to the floor, December stepped forward and grabbed Damion by the throat and forced him back against the wall.

"Step away from him!!" Zade rushed forward and was rewarded with a fierce back-hand that spun her completely around and nearly dislocated her jaw. She slammed into the wall and fell to her knees... her face felt as if she had ran full-speed into a block of ice the size of a barn. Her vision blurred...the dim hallway was spinning...

"You forget your place, Zade." said December. He effortlessly held Damion against the wall with his right hand. "You have not survived this night yet. My business here is with your soon-to-be former employer, not you."

"...uhhhh...." Still dazed, Zade tried to rise but failed. Dropping down on her hands and knees, she blinked and shook her head. Her senses felt scrambled... for half-a second she thought she smelled smoke... There was a strange sound... muffled, yet still close at hand...

Damion squirmed and kicked at his captor, but December's cold hand tightened around his neck and he felt himself being lifted off of the floor. He looked into December's eyes and ceased his struggles immediately.

"The Potion. The Formula."

"I- I- I don't-"

"Now."

Damion felt the sub-freezing cold spread from December's fingers into his neck. His skin felt as if it were on fire, and then suddenly there was no surface sensation at all. The underlying tissue throbbed painfully and began to grow rigid...

"The formula."

"hhhhh....hhhhh...." Breathing was becoming more and more difficult.

Off to one side, Zade got to her feet and blinked away the dizziness.

"Tell me while you still can."

"hhhhiiii dnnnt nnnnoo."

"Most unfortunate for you." December frowned and forced even more of his power into his rival. Damion's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

Zade reached for her whip, but then she paused. The smell... The sound... Smoke and Flames!

"We've got to get OUT of here!" she shouted. "The building's on FIRE!!"

December his head turned toward her.

"Your foolish attempt to distract me will not delay the inevit-"

Suddenly, the building shook with such violence that Zade was nearly thrown to the floor once again. Just in front of her, a heavy wooden beam snapped loose from the ceiling and slammed into December's right shoulder.

"ARRRGH!!!" December was fell backwards and hit the floor.

Damion had collapsed into a twitching heap, but Zade was already in motion. She leaped over December just as he was getting to his feet. She grabbed Damion without slowing down, and literally dragged him several feet before he managed to regain his footing.

"h-h-h-h-h-h" hissed Damion. The words would not come... his vocal cords were frozen... useless.

"COME ON!!" Zade guided Damion at a full-run towards the short stairwell leading to the exit. Smoke was already beginning to fill the corridors, and the temperature was definitely rising. The walls which bordered on the main arena room were smoldering, and some had huge sections of bricks broken out from some enormous impact. Every few seconds, the building would shake as if it were being knocked about by angry giants. They were only a short distance from the exit when the building shook once more, this time with much more force. And then again.

"What the HELL!!"

Another quake put both of them on the floor. As Zade stood, the ceiling collapsed directly in front of them. Debris filled the corridor, blocking the exit that had been so near.

"DAMMIT!"

"h-h-h-h!"

"Back! Back to the main stairwell!!"

Grasping Damion by the arm, she led him once again through the maze of passages. She hoped beyond hope that no other hallways had collapsed. Conditions were worsening by the second, and the building was still lurching about like a drunken bard. The heat was incredible; making their way toward the main stairwell was like running through an oven. The smoke was so thick that Zade was soon navigating more by memory than by sight.

They burst into the main stairwell just as a section of wall caved in behind them, ceiling them off from the way they had just come. Flames shot into the hallway and quickly spread along the walls.

I wonder if December's still in there... she thought as she pushed Damion up the stairs. The air was a little clearer in here, but not much. Zade's sensitive nose burned. Her throat clenched.

They mounted the steps as fast as they could, and then emerged onto the main level. Fire was everywhere. Heat from below had risen and ignited the wooden furniture. Flames shot up from the floor in places, and thick black smoke was gathered at the ceiling... hanging down to just below head-level. The corridor looked like an express tunnel directly to Hell.

Zade yanked Damion out of the stairwell despite his resistance.

"The front door is just down this hall!"

"N-N-N-N!!!"

"How ELSE do you plan to get out!?! It's a straight shot... when you hit the wall, turn left and head for fresh air!"

"N-N-N!!"

"YES!!!"

Zade pushed Damion out in front of her and the pair of then ran. They leapt the shooting flames and ducked low to avoid the hot smoke. Even still, breathing was like trying to inhale burning ashes.

In seconds, visibility was down to almost nothing, but both Zade and Damion continued forward.

They were close to the door... they HAD to be. The corridor wasn't this long, was it?

"MMMMM!!!" mumbled Damion. He pointed ahead... "MMM!!"

"Door....... run..."

Damion had taken two steps when the building shook with such violence that it completely dwarfed its previous tumults. Zade fell to the hot floor, while Damion stumbled and disappeared into the thickening smoke. As the last of the tremors faded, the ceiling above Zade collapsed. Something heavy landed on her back across her shoulders, and pinned her down.

"unngh..."

More debris fell. Something smashed into her hand. Zade struggled, but her limbs were forced into odd positions that left her with no leverage. The object on her back was heavy, but it hadn't crushed her... she could lift it if only she could position herself properly.

Zade strained, but her efforts only caused the debris on top of her shift, trapping both her arms. Zade couldn't move at all now. The heat around her doubled. She felt fire against her flesh... her skin drew tight and began to blister in on her back and extremities. Beneath her, heat from the lower level was causing the floor to smoke and crackle. She struggled again, but her all her battle-hardened muscle was worthless. She could have the strength of a god, but with no leverage it as would all be useless.

"...help...!" she murmured. The weight on her back prevented her from drawing a full breath. "...help..."

"h-h-h-h!"

"who's there? Damion?"

Damion VonSinterbourne crawled out of the smoke and kneeled a few feet away. His face was red and blistered, and his eyes were wide with fear.

"...get this... get this off of me..."

"n-n-n-n-n!!"

"it's not h-heavy. Just lift it.... just free my arms-"

Damion crawled forward cautiously...

The building shook. There was a sound like thunder as something LARGE gave way on the level below. And then what sounded like the roar of some enormous beast. A fresh wave of heat burst up from the already-burning floor. A wall of fire sprang up in the hallway just behind Zade.

Damion stopped and drew back...

"...hurry..."

He turned around and quickly headed back into the smoke... back towards the front door.

"...damion... damion help me!"

The smoke swallowed him...

"no! damion! help! help me you bastard! i'm burning up!!"

Damion was gone.

[...meanwhile...]

"aaaaaaAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHHH-"

The terrified screams of six men were cut short when they suddenly realized that they were NOT being burned alive.

"You DID it, Laverne!" shouted Hars.

"That's Lovvorn," the mage was panting slightly. "And of COURSE I did it. What'd you expect?"

Lovvorn and the remains of the Night's Bloom attack force had materialized in the street just outside Damion VonSinterbourne's headquarters. Together, the men watched in silent awe as the building before them shook violently from the fire-drake's rampage. Smoke began pouring out of the upper-floor windows, and was soon joined by flames that grew steadily larger as the fire spread throughout the building. The smell of burning wood washed over the men as the crackle of the fire grew more intense. Every few seconds, the night was torn by the explosive rattling of the building as it was shaken from the inside. Barely audible over the cacophony was the enraged roar of some enormous beast.

"Where's December?" said Hars.

"And Eric!" Lovvorn pushed his way to the front of the group and eyed the inferno with a worried expression. He reached into his pocked and pulled out a silver coin with an intricate rune carved on its surface. He studied the coin for a second, then pushed up the sleeves of his robe, revealing his pudgy, tattooed arms once more. "I think they're both still in there. I can't get a fix on Eric... December is... so much smoke... I can't see... I'm going in after them."

"Are ye daft!" replied Hars. "Ye can't just teleport on in there... you don't know what's safe and what isn't!"

"Who said anything about teleporting?" Lovvorn rubbed his fingers across a rune just below his left shoulder. The tattoo pulsed briefly, and the fat mage shot straight up into the air. He rose to a height of about eighteen feet when his ascension stopped. Lovvorn then began floating quickly and steadily toward the burning building, his robe billowed behind him. As he drew near, the mage touched another rune on his arm. The air around him began to shimmer and glow slightly. He consulted his coin once more, and then descended rapidly toward the side entrance, where flames were shooting up the stairwell and out into the night air. Lovvorn floated through the fire unharmed; his force-field turning the heat away from his delicate skin. He entered the building and was quickly gone from sight.

"By the gods..." mumbled Hars.

[Zade]

"...help..."

Zade's feeble cries were lost in the crackle of the flames all about her. Through all the danger she had endured in her life, Zade never once thought that she would end her existence being burned alive. Yet, here she was... trapped. Trapped and alone.

"...h- help... somebody...."

She knew there would be no response. Anyone else in the building would already be dead. The flames behind were drawing near, but Zade figured she would already be cooked by the time those flames got to her. The debris that was pinning her to the floor was on fire. She felt the searing heat through her thin armor, and yet the floor itself, heated from the inferno below, was doing much more damage. Her leather clothing was sizzling against her skin. Her hair wasn't aflame yet, but it would only be a matter of minutes. Maybe seconds.

"...help..."

Her ears detected a sound... footsteps. Light, yet very rapid. Approaching from behind... through the fire?

hallucination she thought. I'm dying...

She heard another sound, and then suddenly the beam that was pinning her to the floor was lifted away.

Zade quickly scrambled out from under the load. Crawling on her blistered hands and knees, Zade looked behind her...

"t-thanks Blaymore-" she started to say. But her savior was not the blue-cloaked assassin.

Just a few feet away, J'Hasp held the flaming wooden beam high above his head like a pile of feathers. His pale skin was marred with scratches and bite-marks, but surprisingly few burns. December's pet tilted his head to one side and looked at Zade curiously for a second. Then he dropped the pile of debris and leapt off into the flames, heading back into the doomed building.

"...wait..."

The building began to shake. Zade turned and crawled out of the building. She rolled out into the dirt and gasped the relatively fresh air. She hazarded another look behind her, and saw the hallway where she had just been freed collapse in a storm of fire and debris.

Zade knew the danger wasn't over. Still too weak to stand, she crawled as fast as her burned limbs could taker her... trying to get as far away as possible before the pain and shock overwhelmed her.

She didn't get far.

[...meanwhile...]

Now a full forty feet from snout to the base of the tail, the frenzied fire-drake still struggled to free itself. The entire arena was a sea of fire. Everything capable sustaining a flame had ignited long ago, adding to the waves of flame sent forth by the drake's own breath. The heat was incredible, yet the drake felt none of it. Its scales were glowing bright orange, radiating heat with such intensity that it overwhelmed that of the inferno around it. The air, however, was another matter. The flames were rapidly eating away at the oxygen and replacing it with deadly smoke. Driven by an insane rage and a sense that it's demise was eminent, the beast had been slamming its super-heated body repeatedly against the stone walls, tearing them down only to reveal the maze of flaming corridors behind them.

The beast paused briefly when it's eye caught sight of the fat human floating rapidly through the air beside it. It belched a torrent of flame at the annoyance, but the human simply shrugged off the attack and continued along its path, although now moving at a much faster pace.

Incensed, the drake redoubled its efforts to bash through the walls. Finally, it leaned its reptilian head back and roared. A column of white-hot fire shot upwards, blasting through the ceiling, the remaining floors of the building, and then out through the roof, destroying everything in its path. The building's structure, already weakened, finally gave way completely. The floor caved in beneath the drake's feet, dropping it into the sub-basement. Then the walls collapsed down on top of it, burying the lizard under ton after ton of flaming debris.

[Night's Bloom]

"What the HELL!?!?" Gasped Hars. A column of white fire skewered the building from below and then shot skyward, releasing a wave of heat that was scalding them even at a distance.

"Get Back, Lads!" shouted Hars. "It's coming DOWNNN!!"

The men all turned and ran as VonSinterbourne's gutted building collapsed into a raging bonfire of flaming rubbish and debris.

When they had reached a safe distance, Hars brought the men to a halt.

"Gods! December and Lovvorn were still in there!" exclaimed Rivus.

"No we aren't." said a weary voice from behind him.

Everyone turned and saw Lovvorn and December approaching from where they had materialized just a spit-second before. Neither looked as if they had just escaped from a burning building. There wasn't a burn on either of them, although December's clothes were torn in a few places.

Lovvorn was sweating profusely, and breathing as if he had just ran a marathon with a thirty-pound weight shackled to his foot. He was swaying slightly as he mopped his wet brow with the sleeve of his robe.

"I don't think I'll be... doing this again... any time... soon."

"wha-? how?" stuttered Rivus.

"Said I wasn't teleporting IN... Didn't mention how I was getting OUT."

"Next time I would advise you to me a little more expedient in your rescue." said December.

"Sorry, boss," said Lovvorn. "H-Had to get THESE guys out first."

"N-not that we're p-putting our safety ah-head of yours... sir."

"Of course you were, Rivus." replied December. "The building was on fire. Of all of us, I was in the least amount of danger."

"uh-yeah. I knew that."

"Sinterbourne. Did you see him leave?"

"Saw someone crawl out a few seconds before the building came down."

"And you did not detain him?

"Whoever it was didn't get far. Crawled a little ways and collapsed right over..."

Rivus pointed, and then frowned.

"Where'd they go?"

December sighed, which caused Rivus to inch slowly away from him.

"Where is Mr. Hood?"

"Eric... he was...I didn't have time to... I mean..." Lovvorn gulped and started looking very frightened. December glared at him. Despite their proximity to the still-raging fire, the air around the men started to grow very cool...

"Look!" one of the Night's Bloom shouted. "Some...uh... body's coming!"

A shape emerged from the behind the far side of the fire and began to approach. As it drew near, the form resolved itself into *two* shapes... one carrying the other.

J'Hasp hefted Eric Hood's body over his bony shoulder. He joined his master and the Night's Bloom, and then gently lay Eric down on the ground.

"J'Hasp find."

Eric's naked body was a tapestry of second and third degree burns. As the back of his head hit the ground, Eric's eyes fluttered open.

"He's alive!" Lovvorn clapped. "But... uh... is it Eric?"

"of course it's me... you...clown." Eric whispered.

"He's Back!"

"i'm hurt.... don't feel so good...boss...wha...what happened?"

Eric's eyes closed once more before anyone could answer.

"Lovvorn, stabilize Eric's condition and teleport him to the nearest healer."

"But I don't-"

"There was one at the Pan-Demonica," offered Hars. "No questions asked... go there and ask for Clussh."

"Yes sir." Lovvorn kneeled over his friend and began mumbling something unintelligible.

"Well done, J'Hasp."

J'Hasp nodded.

Suddenly a commotion arose from the collapsed building. The huge pile of burning brick and wood shifted violently, throwing up a billowing plume of dark smoke. The ground shook as if a giant trod nearby... and then everything as still for a moment. Small stones began to roll down from the top of the pile, followed by successively larger pieces of debris. Then the entire burning pile shifted again..

Everyone turned their eyes to Lovvorn.

"It isn't ME!" he mage protested. "I couldn't do that now even if I wanted to."

"Well what is it-"

Behind them, the ruins exploded into a fiery inferno as a second column of white-hot fire emerged from its center. Flaming debris was thrown great distances in all directions as something huge blasted its what up from its blazing prison.

"Gods!" exclaimed Rivus. "It's not DEAD!"

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the fire-drake burst from the ruins and pulled itself out onto the street. The beast was over fifty-feet long now, and each of the thousands of huge scales on its hide glowed like a miniature sun. The drake's tail snaked triumphantly through the air as it drew breath and roared. The ground shook.

[Zade]

Her senses returned. First was the smell of smoke. Then the ground vibrating beneath her. She heard something... a thunderous roar.

Zade opened her eyes. She couldn't recall exactly when she had passed out, but she was sure that it wasn't too long ago. She was still out on the street, although in a different place from the last clear thing she remembered. Her body must have continued crawling after she lost consciousness.

Can people DO that? she wondered.

Zade got to her feet, surprised that she was even able to stand. Her wounds weren't nearly as severe as she remembered. All of her bones and muscles ached, making movement painful, but her skin was well on its way to being healed. The burns were still present, but they looked about a week old, even though she had crawled out of the burning building just minutes ago. Her lungs, which must have been scarred from breathing the hot smoke, felt perfectly fine.

What's happening to me?

Her thoughts were scattered as she remembered the sound that had awakened her. Zade turned and saw the huge fire-drake standing in the street like a triumphant gladiator. The scales were glowing so brightly that she couldn't look directly at it. She was off to the side and slightly behind the beast, which was a reasonably safe position. For now. The drake's attention was drawn by something in front of it...

Across the street, vagrants poured out through the doors of and old abandoned building. They had been watching with fire from the windows, but when the giant drake emerged, they realized that this was not a place they wanted to be. The drake saw them as they ran into the night like ants streaming from a damaged nest. The beast opened it's mouth and spat out a long arc of bright orange flame that incinerated them all in one brilliant swoop. Fire crawled up the front of the building, forcing out a few remaining stragglers. They died just as their predecessors. In a fit of rage, the drake took a deep breath and belched out a column of fire that was so dense that it was almost solid. It sheared off the top half of the abandoned building like a giant, flaming sword. Then the beast caught sight of another crowd of insects gathered nearby....

"J'Hasp protect masster!" J'Hasp jumped in front of his master and curled his prehensile tail around December's lower calf. He bared his fangs at the immense beast that was swinging its head toward them.

"I think not, friend. Lovvorn! Get us out of here!"

"I need another minute to gather my strength! I don't think-"

The drake opened its mouth and inhaled deeply...

"EVERYONE BEHIND ME! NOW!"

December stepped to the front, shoving J'Hasp behind him. He faced the beast directly and spread his arms straight out to either side, presenting as large a target as possible.

The beast spat forth a storm of white fire that swept quickly towards December and the Night's Bloom who were scrambling to get behind him.

"GATHER IN TOGETHER AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN!!!"

The flames hit them less than a second later. December's hands were clenched into tight fists as he forced his power out, away from his body. Wave after wave of intense cold pulsed forward and out to the sides. They faded after just a few feet, but it was enough. An aura of preternatural cold surrounded him. The stream of flames parted and flowed around it like running water around a stone. When the two elemental forces met, the flames died. Clouds of hot steam arose but was quickly swept away by the continuous jet of fire from the drake

Behind him, the Night's Bloom scrambled over one another, struggling to stay within December's shadow. They were surrounded by fire on every side, yet cold, arctic air washed over them. Hars, the largest, stood in the center, straddling the unconscious Eric Hood. Lovvorn and Rivus were grasping him from either side, while the rest were holding on by clasping hands and pulling each other inward as tight as possible. Those closest to December were shivering and growing numb... freezing to death from the same power that was saving them. Near the rear, a single man was hanging on the very edge of the safe zone. Though the flames were not touching him, the heat was unbearable. His clothes were smoldering.

"...hellllp!!!!" he cried as he felt his hand slip away from his comrade.

"Hang on, lad!" shouted Hars. "That demon can't keep this up for much longer!"

"I can't-"

The man lost his grip and fell into the flames. He was consumed in the blink of an eye; even the bones were reduced to ashes.

"Lovvorn!" shouted December. He had turned his head to the side to address the mage. His voice was barely audible over the roar of the fire. "Get these men to safety. Take J'Hasp with you!"

"What about you?"

"DO IT!"

Lovvorn trembled as he summoned the last of his magic, hoping beyond hope that he had enough left to teleport such a large group.

The air shimmered... the men saw the scene around the fade, and then snap back to horrifying solidity. Lovvorn tried again... and a second later they were gone.

The flames died an instant later as the giant drake's lungs emptied themselves. When the smoke and steam cleared, December stood alone... a single unharmed man amidst a field of devastation. The ground surrounding him was black and smoking, except for the small area immediately below and behind December... most of which was frozen solid.

December scowled up at the beast, which immediately let loose with another blast of fire. Again flames engulfed him, but, no longer having to protect his men, December merely walked through them and emerged off to one side. He approached the beast, his clenched fists radiating intense cold...

"Were you an intelligent beast you would realize the futility of your-"

December's voice was drowned out in a third volley of superheated fire, much hotter yet shorter in duration than the preceding attacks. The fire never touched him, but the force of the rushing air pushed him backwards several steps. Finally, December had to turn push through at a right angle to the drake's flames. He emerged unharmed once more just as the flames died.

"Enough of this, beast!"

The drake took aim at him once more...

"What the hell are you doing!" A female voice behind December. "You're leading it right towards ME!"

December turned and saw Zade, burned but very much alive. She was on her feet, but just barely. It was obvious that the speed of her limp would not carry her to a safe distance before the drake struck again.

"Stand Still!!"

Zade froze. December ran and reached her a second before flames hit.

"GET DOWN!"

Again, December extended his arms and created a protected zone behind him in which Zade could safely crouch. Flames parted and poured around them, encasing them in fire. Shivering, She looked up at December... facing the roaring flames completely unharmed, a thick layer of frost on the ground beneath his feet.

"What the HELL are you!" she shouted.

December ignored the question. When the flames vanished, December made his move. He ran towards the beast, trying to get close enough to put his power to a more offensive use.

"Watch out for the-"

The drake's tail whipped through the air towards December. He jerked backwards and tried to dodge, but he was an instant too slow. The deadly appendage slashed him across his broad chest. The blow would have snapped a normal man in half, but December's dense flesh managed to keep his organs on the inside of his body... barely. December felt his feet leave the ground as he was thrown violently to the side by the force of the blow. He landed hard on his already injured shoulder, and then rolled over onto his back. His chest had been ripped open... icy blue blood poured from the deep wound, but it quickly turned a very normal shade of red. He felt the ground shake beneath him as the drake began walking towards him.

Zade's face appeared above him.

"You're HURT!"

"I have survived worse." December staggered to his feet.

"What are you doing! Why didn't you leave with your men?"

"Left unchecked, this beast will destroy the city."

"What do YOU care?!?"

"I am not finished with Montfort. I will not see it destroyed... yet."

"DOWN!"

On Zade's shout, both she and December ducked. The drake's tale sliced through the air above them, leaving a wave of scalding air in its wake. Zade hissed as the air burned her skin and threatened to ignite her hair.

"Close to me!" ordered December. Zade stepped in close. The remaining hair on her arms and legs stiffened as she went from searing heat to freezing cold. Another blast of fire washed over them, but Zade's teeth were chattering...

"Well if you're going to do something.... DO IT!" she shouted above the roar of the flames.

"I cannot affect it at this range. I need to get closer. I need to touch it."

"I don't think it'll let you!"

"You distract it while I move in for the kill."

"WHAT!?! I'll be killed!"

"There is no other way. If I had my gems..."

"You mean THIS?!?"

Zade reached into the pouch on her belt and pulled out December's blue gem... the one he had tried to try and kill her with .

"Take it!"

December grabbed the gem. When the flames died once more, he drew his arm back... and pain shot across his chest and injured shoulder.

"Arrrgh!!!" December winced and fell to one knee. "I cannot throw."

"I'll do it! Gimme!"

Zade snatched the gem from December's grasp...

"Wait until it opens it's mouth!"

The drake was quick to oblige. The drake cracked its jaws to again attempt to toast the fleeing insects.

"UUNNGH!!" As soon as its teeth parted, Zade drew back and hurled the cold gem with all her strength, nearly dislocating her shoulder in the process. The glittering jewel arced through the air and lost itself in the drake's gaping, hot maw.

"Nothing happened! It didn't wor-"

Suddenly the drake jerked backwards. Its jaws slammed shut and the beast hissed. Jets of pressurized steam shot out of its nostrils and through its tightly clenched lips. The drake's head, formerly a brilliant orange, suddenly darkened to a deep red. The discoloration spread quickly down its neck, and then deepened further to a sickly brown. The drake's eyes widened, and then went blank and glazed over. Neck muscles bulged as it tried in vain to open its mouth and expel the blizzard that was freezing it from within. Bolts of concentrated, supernatural cold jabbed into its flesh, reaching down deep into its throat as well as far up into its skull. The jaws, which seconds ago were hot enough to melt steel, were frozen shut. Steam continued to pour out of the beast as its own heat fought back the cold. The fight was futile; the beast was being overwhelmed. Soon it was lost in a billowing white cloud. Zade and December could still hear the beast's death throws... it's thick tail was slamming into the ground, reptilian claws twitched and scratched at the scorched earth all around it.

"I can't see!" said Zade.

"It is dying." replied December.

"Noooo... do you think?"

Zade watched December as he slowly got to his feet.

Wounded, she thought. It would be so easy...

"I would advise against that." said December.

"What? You read minds, too?"

"No. Just eyes."

"What's that supposed to-"

December turned and walked away, heading into the white steam that was beginning to engulf the entire area. Zade started to follow, but stopped when the steam reached her skin. It was hot... not scalding, but just below the burning point. Hot enough to discourage Zade from following. Instead she listened as the drake's convulsions grew less and less violent, and then finally faded away into silence.

"I hope that thing is dead and not just asleep." she said.

Zade slowly made her way back away from the scene. People would be arriving soon, and it would probably be best if she weren't around. Then there was Damion... he was around here somewhere and she had to find him. He owed her money, but her reason for seeking him now had just switched from strictly business to something very personal...

[December]

Feet crunching on the crisp, black earth, December emerged on the other side of the steam cloud and stood before a familiar scene. The empty building that had been the drake's first target was still burning, just as Damion Sinterbourne's had been destroyed a short time before. The top half had been completely obliterated, and the remainder was being consumed quickly. Smoke poured out of the structure and rose up into the night sky, illuminated by the inferno below. December stood and watched.

"Flames." he said to himself. His voice sounded far away... "How long has it been...?"

He looked down at his bloodied shirt. His wound was still bleeding, but less than before. He would need medical assistance soon, but not a regular healer. His frigid flesh held too many secrets... N'Doki would have to be summoned from whatever hole he had retired to.

A sound caught December's attention. A child's voice... a scream just audible over the roar of the flames. December followed the sound around to the side of the burning building, where a large window was set in the brick wall. The glass was broken, but metal bars had since been erected by the building's previous owners.

The scream came again... from inside. Stepping into the searing heat, December walked over to the bars and looked in.

The girl was there. Katerina.

The room was small, possibly an abandoned larder or storage room. The door was opposite the window, but the flames had already cut off that avenue of escape. Though sheer luck had allowed her to survive in the inferno so far, the girl was now trapped with no where to go. Flames were closing in, and the heat was already blistering her reddened skin.

The child jumped up and down frantically, screaming for help.

December watched in an extremely rare moment of uncertainty. His cold, logical mind stumbled over it self...

Katerina spotted him and recognized the man that had helped her before. The girl ran over to the wall and then screamed as her hands touched it. The bricks were hot. She was too small to reach the window.

"HelpMeHelpMHelpMe!!!"

Could N'Doki have been right all these years? thought December Is it really you? Or is this some kind of trick...

"PLEEEEEASE!!!!"

"Stand Away from the Wall!" ordered December. The girl continued jumping around frantically. December had just instructed her to move back towards the fire, she had no intention to complying.

"MOVE BACK, GIRL!!!"

The girl stepped back in shock.

December grasped the metal bars in his hands. The hot iron, which would have seared the flesh off of a normal man, simply grew cold at December's touch.

December's eyes glowed as he gathered his power. The waves of cold shot down his arms and into the metal, then out through the bricks. It only took an instant for the mortar to begin cracking from the temperature rapid change in temperature. Despite the roaring fire, frost began to gather on the bricks and the iron bars. December continued pouring power into the wall, which took on a dull white sheen as the frost thickened. More power... colder.... colder...

With a fierce yank that reopened his chest wound, December tore the frozen bars away from the window. A huge section of the wall, weakened by the extreme cold, fell outward, showering December with frozen bricks.

Ignoring the pain in his chest, December reached into the building and grabbed the child. He picked her up and she threw her arms around his neck.

"c-cold. c-cold. cold...." she mumbled.

"Better than the alternative, child."

Still carrying the trembling child, December moved away from the building. At a safe distance, he placed the girl on the ground. She was shivering even more violently than before... but she appeared to be unconscious.

"Shock." said December.

The girl was going to die. December looked around... behind him, the burning building had begun to collapse. The remains of Damion Sinterbourne's headquarters still smoldered some distance away. And just in front of it, the corpse of a huge lizard lay cooling in the street. Zade was gone. There was no one around who could help. No one at all.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his coin. Lovvorn had stretched his magic to the limit, he would not have the strength to return so quickly. N'Doki.... could N'Doki be trusted with this young girl?

Absolutely not.

He put the coin back into his pocket.

"It appears I am going to lose you once more."

"Massster?"

J'Hasp trotted out of the darkness and blinked inquisitively at his master and the young girl.

"What are you doing here?"

"J'Hasp come back. J'Hasp protect masster."

"The girl. Take the girl to a healer."

"But masster hurt... Masster bleeds."

"Quickly, J'Hasp."

J'Hasp scooped the little girl up in his long, wiry arms and scampered away. December sincerely hoped the girl did not regain conscious while J'Hasp's was transporting her... the site would surely stop her young heart.

Alone, December looked up at the sky and took as deep a breath as his wounded chest would allow.

A few stars were visible through the plumes of steam and smoke, tiny points of light twinkling in the darkness.

Sinterbourne was probably on his way out of the city by now. No matter... he still needed to be dealt with. The arena was gone, but the remainder of Damion's organization now by rights belonged to December. His 'clients' and other contacts needed to be informed of the change in management. Then there was the REAL reason for all of this... the potion. The secret of the Damion's berserker potion was locked within the two pages of gibberish December had secured from the alchemist. They appeared to be nothing more than meaningless symbols...but somewhere in this city, someone knew how to unlock their secret. They would have to be found, and their services secured... by force if necessary.

But that could wait until tomorrow.

December sighed and slowly made his way toward home.