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Epilogue

Nigelius walked along the corridors of his tower, eyeing the large stone archways covered in runes. His thoughts trailed to the Emerald Lady, the original owner of the tower, and his illusionary face scowled. Beside him walked a balding man with a hardened face, and earth brown eyes with an intelligence behind them that the undead creature respected. The man was clad in darkened leathers with dull metal studs lining surface. He had an energy crossbow slung with a worn leather strap around his torso. He kept with Nigelius' quickened pace, as he brought the man further into the tower. Nigelius had used the man and his mercenaries at his disposal numerous times over the years. They were always efficient at performing jobs that you needed done, without any questions being asked. That is what he liked most about them. They had even managed to procure numerous energy crossbows from the Lumarian military.

He would have attempted to contact the mercenary Garroth over Infinity's departure, but he was busy with some sort of mission for the king. So Nigelius was forced to contact the man in front of him, his name was Esham.

"So you want us to hunt down this escaped dragon yea?" Esham asked, placing a hand to his olive colored chin. "Sounds mighty strong she did."

"That she is." Nigelius replied, opening a door before them both. "She can regrow her heads into different colored dragons, and even regenerate from wounds that might inflict mortal injury to other dragons."

"Blimy...How do ya expect us to bring her in then boss?"

"See that is the trick. There are ways around her regeneration, and the head thing." Nigel pointed to his neck with a finger. "Don't cut off her head, that's a good way to prevent that little problem, as for the regeneration.." He opened a door to allow Esham to stride through and into the darkened room.

Nigel clapped his hands twice, the mana lanterns that were lining the walls lit up the area all around them. He had been told by the goblins that this place smelled like lilacs, mixed with the fresh scent of pine. Although lacking his nose he was unable to determine if the little green skins were actually lying to them. His eyes came to three tables made of birchwood, with numerous books of different colors, and vials containing different liquids of varying shades of lavender."

"I will provide you a flock my specially trained wyverns that I had raised." Nigel remembered how many times he had failed to try and get the breeding right on the beasts until he had gotten the right mixture to produce his special poison. "Their stings will slow down her regeneration, and allow you to stun her and bring her back to me."

"Well that will bring some cheer to the others of course." Esham replied with a smile. "We were always wanting to get out sky legs back into action." He thumbed his chest. "Usual feel for capturing a beast for you then?"

Nigel nodded, these mercenary types were all the same. Money spoke in volumes to them, and luckily he had plenty to spare. "You can rest assure I will pay you double what I typically pay you to retrieve the dragon."

"Wow." Esham's eyes widened. "You must really want her back."

"She is...important to my work." Nigel crossed his arms and looked passed the tables to a small circular enclosure of bubbling black liquid. "She was to be a key."

"A key boss?"

"Yes a key." Nigel hisses, his thoughts going to the temple in dwarven lands his minions had uncovered. It had spoken of needing a dragon of pure heart to open it. Now Infinity was not pure of heart, but he figured with her regeneration in place she would have least survived the opening of the ancient door. Or at least long enough for me to get inside and back out.

Esham strolled along, his eyes following the tables, and the various items scattered on them. He placed his arms around his waist, and held his head up to look Nigel in the eye. "I thought you had an apprentice. You was talking about him last time we spoke."

"Oh yes." Nigel sneered, "You must have meant Axton. He decided to throw his allegiance in with the dragon. He was the reason she was able to escape my capture and I am not forced to call upon you and your ment to hunt her down and bring her back.

"Shame that then. Shall we be bringing the boy back as well?"

Nigel sighed. "The boy did not leave with her. You do not need worry about it. I suggest you and your men make haste as soon as you're able. I must be leaving shortly for I have other matters to attend to."

"What if were late in getting her back then?"

"Than you don't get paid, for I will have to find another dragon instead. Hopefully one of pure heart."

"Does one of those even exist?" Esham raised an eyebrow. "I heard they just raid villages and capture woman and such.

"I have to hope so..." Nigel narrowed his eyes. "Or I will have to MAKE a dragon of pure heart somehow..." He trailed off, trying to wrack his rotten mind for a solution. When none came he waved the man away with his hand. "I take it you can see yourself out Esham?" He thrust a black scale into the man's hand. "Take this scale and track her down with the wyverns. Do this, and you and your men will all be handsomely rewarded for your efforts in this endeavor...Now begone from my presence. I await the arrival of the princess Nivra."

"Nivra?" Esham gasped. "As in the princess of Lumara? How did you manage this audience?"

Nigel chuckled in the back of his throat. "We go back a ways when she was a teenager training to be an accomplished wizard. She came and learned a few spells with me. We keep in touch now a days. It does pay to have friends in high places after all. Now do as I say, and begone. I do not wish to sully her presence with your rowdy group.

"As you say Nigel." Esham gave him a quick bow,before turning around striding over to the door,and closing it softly behind him.

Nigel just stood there staring at the black cauldron, thinking back to the last few days. He could feel the embarrassment building inside of him as he thought back to how Infinity had bested him in their little spell duel. It must have had been something from Emerald Lady that allowed you to redirect my spell back at me. He narrowed his eyes at the cauldron as a shape started to emerge. It was round and billowed out of the muck at a snail's pace.

"Well at least not everything was lost." He smiled, as the round shape suddenly grew two more circles of dripping black liquid. With a sudden shudder the two smaller circles burst open to reveal two icy blue eyes. They darted around the room, as if in a blind panic.

"Don't worry Infinity...I will have you again....and when I do...we have so much work to do..."