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Double-Edged

The long awaited (I think) conclusion to my 'Shades of Grey' series. I deeply apologise to my readers...I hope you can forgive me for the huge gap in submissions.

Samiake and his group of like-minded companions continue their search of the Deadlands for Shayde. Once they meet up with him, they start to plan their return to life. But after an evil villian from their past steals the power of the Death Dragon, they must put aside their plans to help return the stolen power, before it's too late. __________________________________________________________________________________

This story continues on from Deathly Threats, and contains cameos from DS-Rio, Tomgreen, Brian, Chris, and Zeng. All rights to those characters belong to their respective owners

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Shayde woke up in his own bed. He lay there for a while, enjoying the simple pleasure of lying on something so comfortable. In his years, he had stayed at many a dingy, flea-ridden inn, and he'd almost forgotten what sleeping comfortably was like. He put it down to a perk of living with his dead parents.

Shayde was also dead. He had been killed not long ago, and found himself in the Deadlands, a mysterious alternate reality, ruled over by the benevolent death dragon, Nocturne. Nocturne's power kept all who resided in the Deadlands free of injury, leaving them all in a state of peak health...apart from being dead. That was one thing Nocturne couldn't do; restore life.

Shayde had found his parents, killed many years ago, and had settled into 'life' here. But part of him knew he didn't belong here. Part of him yearned to live again, to feel real wind in his fur, the warmth of the sun, the touch of the living...

But he knew he couldn't do much. That was up to Samiake. He had recently been reunited with his childhood friend, an otter with a powerful ability. It was only when Nocturne explained that Samiake was a Necromancer, that Shayde understood the origin of the power. It was Samiake, and only Samiake, who could bring Shayde back to life. Although he swore he wouldn't inhibit the otter's plans, Nocturne continually warned the Labrador that a price needed to be paid. What that price was, Shayde didn't know.

Groaning softly, the 23 year old black and yellow Labrador struggled out of bed, twisting his lithe, yet well-muscled, frame to work out the kinks. He sighed happily, then got up. Tugging on his black pants, and tying on his red bandana around his neck, he made his way out and downstairs to the kitchen, where his mother was cooking something that smelled obscenely good.

Amanda was just putting two plates on the table when Shayde entered, eying the bacon with a dangerous glint in his blue eyes.

'Mmm...smells good, Mum,' he said.

The slender yellow female Lab smiled. 'Probably tastes good too, dear. But go and get your dad first.'

Shayde groaned along with his stomach, then went outside into the watery sunlight, where he saw his father, a slab of muscle covered in midnight-black fur, practicing sword strokes beside a patch of dead grass and trees.

Shayde grinned, and tiptoed up to his father, hoping to surprise him. He was right behind him when the black Lab spoke up.

'You need anything, son?' Shayde drooped. Clearly, he still had a long way to go until he was on par with his father. 'Mum says to come inside...breakfast is ready, and it smells so good...'

Kibroy turned, flashing a white smile that seemed to shine from the middle of the black fur. 'Okay, I'll be in soon.'

He made a few more passes, before striking so fast the air hissed, sinking his white bladed katana into the dead tree before him. Giving a light grunt, he tugged it free, sheathed the blade, then turned. Shayde was looking at the tree.

'I didn't know trees died here,' he said. 'Doesn't Nocturne's power keep everything...alive?'

Kibroy turned back to the tree. It was a miserable looking object, gnarled and twisted, not a speck of green on it. The grass and flowers around it were similarly devoid of life. 'Dunno,' said the older Lab. 'I'll talk to Nocturne when I see him next.' He shrugged slightly, then turned to walk back into the house, leaving Shayde alone outside, his curiosity unable to be sated.

He approached the dead ground and poked it gingerly with his katana. Nothing. It was simply dead earth. He hummed slightly, wondering what could cause it. He'd never seen anything like this before, He remembered that Nocturne had been standing around here when he'd watched their duel,...maybe prolonged contact with the dragon caused things to...wilt?

He shrugged and turned back towards the house. He'd find out later, when his dad asked Nocturne

---

In another part of the Deadlands, a motley group of furs were making their way through the grey-tinged landscape. The group consisted of a brown and white splotched mouse, a red and black wingless, anthro dragon, a sleek yet burly tiger, a moderately muscled beagle, a black and grey otter, and a red and white husky.

Xani was looking around, intruiged by the environment.

'I didn't think the Deadlands would be so...so...' She struggled to find a fitting description.

'Beautiful?' supplied the beagle, Ace.

Ace was right. Though everything seemed covered in a veil of light grey, the land was pristine and beautiful. The sun still shone, it's muted light still warming them without becoming unpleasant. The wind still tugged at fur and clothing, and the smells of the land still drifted through noses.

'It's like the real world,' said Zeng, the tiger. 'But...not.' He looked around, the perpetual snarl on his face lost in the face of such stark beauty.

The mouse, Chris, was looking around as well. 'I'd imagine Nocturne wants to keep the dead as comfortable as possible, and makes sure they are in familiar environments.'

'Kinda like a collector?' asked Rio, the dragon. 'He...sort of collects the dead, and puts them in their own habitat, and watches them to make sure they're happy.'

They all turned to the otter. Samiake was on point, for the simple reason he was currently the only one at full strength. Being a Necromancer, walking through the land of the dead filled him with energy. If it weren't for the silver armband clamped on his bicep, acting as a limiter to his powers, the area around him would probably warp to his will.

'You're all right,' he said. 'Nocturne does try and make sure everyone is happy here. Except those he deems to have done bad things in their lives. For those, he generally makes things unpleasant for them for a while, and then, when they have fully understood the mistakes they have made, he gives them a peaceful existence.'

'What about those who don't? What if someone so arrogant, so unrepentant of their crimes, never lets go of their sins?' asked Xani. She was thinking of one individual in particular. Glayce the frost dragon had caused a lot of pain and misery to herself, and she had been there when he'd died.

Samiake frowned. 'I'm not altogether sure,' he confessed. 'I don't think there has ever been someone like that.'

Meanwhile, towards the back of the group, Ace was quietly talking to Chris.

'Do you think Shayde will come back with us?' he asked, something akin to fear in his green eyes, so startlingly different from the usual chocolate brown of his breed. 'I mean...his parents would be here, right?'

The group had been filled in on Shayde's past by Zeng and Xani, the only two who'd known about his past; Xani through asking, and Zeng from being around when the Lab was younger and fuelled by rage against tigers, blurting out his painful past before recklessly attacking the supieror warrior.

Chris cocked his head. 'I'm...not sure, Ace,' he said slowly. 'He may wish to stay here. He died...he died in a very painful way, and he might not want to return to that. He might just want...to stop.'

'The guy lost his parents way too early,' said Zeng unexpectedly, falling back to butt in on the conversation. He was even forgoing his usual scorn towards the beagle.

'I know what it's like to lose everything so young. True, I didn't lose my parents...but I kinda know what he went through. Seeing his family again, after all this time...I dunno.'

Rio was now talking to Xani and Samiake, his bright yellow eyes surverying the area.

'It's funny,' he said slowly. 'Nocturne said we might have some trouble with past foes, but I haven't seen anything for ages.' He reached down and gripped his katana, making sure the blade was easily drawn.

Xani saw the movement, and frowned a little. 'You know that's not going to help in the slightest, right?' Rio looked surprised. Xani sighed. 'We can't touch them, remember? Nocturne said we're like ghosts here. You could hack and slash at whatever you want, and it'll just pass right through.'

'So...we're pretty much defenceless out here?'

'Yep. Well, not all of us,' she replied, indicating the otter. They watched Samiake as he made his way confidently down the path, following silently behind him.

---

A little while later, they group stopped by a small pool. All but Samiake sighed with relief at the chance to rest weary paws. All weapons were dropped, and they all went to the pool to drink the strangely sweet water.

'How much further do you think we need to go?' asked Chris.

Samiake looked around. 'Not much further, I think. We should be getting close by now.'

Zeng was about to retort, no doubt sarcastically, when they heard a noise not far from them. The group instantly sprung into action, gathering up their weapons and standing ready. They stood in silence as they listened. They heard a stifled curse, an odd, barking whine, and then from the bushes stepped a jackal.

The jackal was covered in coal-black fur. Clamped onto his wrists were gold-coloured braces, and he was dressed in shredded dress-pants. His ears were lowered, and he wore a pained expression on his pointed face, eyes squinted as he battled with something invisible and obviously painful.

Samiake knew this jackal as soon as he saw him. It was his old partner from a few weeks ago...Yampii. Yampii had framed the otter for murder, and learned of his Necromantic secret. Samiake had killed him to protect himself, but he hadn't felt any joy in it.

Yampii shook his head rapidly. 'Damned...buzzing...can't...ARGH!!!'

He swung out in rage, the gold cuffs on his wrists glowing slightly, and the ground before him exploded violently, showering the area in dirt and tiny pebbles.

Samiake was reminded of Yampii's ability. His cuffs could produce powerful bursts of repelling energy. He could deflect a bullet, hold people down or, as just demonstrated, produce highly dangerous concussive blasts.

Yampii looked up, saw the group, then blanched. He took a step back, then stopped.

'What the..? Who..?' He scanned them all, then stopped on Samiake. His jaw fell open. 'You! I...was right! You...you're a Necromancer! You killed me!'

Samiake looked at him coldly. 'Yeah...what about it?'

Yampii swallowed. 'It's because of you I'm stuck here,' He suddenly smacked his head, just below his ears. 'with this thrice-cursed RINGING in my ears!'

He clamped his hands to his head, funnelling a burst of energy at his skull. Chris gave a slight gasp as the energy crashed into the jackal's head, flexing it far off the norm. The top of his head stretched out from his neck, but this didn't seem to bother him. The burst faded and he was back to normal. He gave a single sigh of relief, then gave another odd cry and clamped his paws to his head, the ringing obviously back.

Zeng swooned slightly where he stood, and Ace wasn't too far behind him. Chris and Rio looked a little squeamish, but Samiake and Xani didn't flinch.

'I guess...the dead can't be affected by things like that,' muttered Chris

'That, or he doesn't care,' said Ace quietly.

Yampii looked across at them. 'What are you doing here, anyway?' he asked of Samiake. Evidentally, his death had loosened his tongue...the otter couldn't remember when his erstwhile partner had said so many words at once.

Samiake snorted. 'It doesn't concern you, buddy.' He walked past the jackal, but suddenly found himself on the dirt, tripped up and held down by an invisible force. He cursed and craned his head back to see Yampii crouching behind him, his palm held out. A grin split the jackal's pointed muzzle.

'Listen otter...I really don't like you, and quite frankly, I'd be most happy if you'd die. You killed me...in a very gory way.' He bore down, and Samiake sunk a few inches into the sand. He gasped and coughed, a tiny spray of blood spattering the sand.

Chris gasped. 'He's...he's crushing him! He must be using those braces!'

Rio frowned, drawing his blade. 'That's not very nice of him. As my friend, I can't let anything bad to happen to Sammy...or my dream will be broken!' With this mildly confusing statement, the others watched as Rio dashed over and skidded to a halt before the jackal. Yampii didn't look up, but grinned and continued to push Samiake into the dirt.

Rio rasied his blade, and Xani called out.

'Hey, Rio...you do know-'

The dragon swung down with his blade. The shining steel slid right through Yampii, striking the ground with a ringing clash. Yampii didn't even blink. Instead, he flung out his other arm, and a pulse of energy smacked Rio in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs and propelling him into a boulder behind him.

Xani winced. '-you can't touch him, remember?'

Ace tilted his head. 'Oh yeah...I remember. Nocturne said we're like ghosts here. They can touch us, but we can't touch them.'

'So what...we're supposed to just...let him squash the otter into the dirt, like a bug?' queried Zeng scornfully.

Before any of them could react, a knife suddenly sprouted from Yampii's chest. The jackal reeled back howling in apparent pain. He looked around for a second, trying to find his attacker, but he couldn't see or hear anyone.

Suddenly, a shape loomed silently up behind Yampii, and a sword was pressed to his throat. The jackal froze instantly.

'Wise move,' said a voice. Xani's ears perked up...she knew that voice...

'Now, how about you go far away from here, and leave these...guests...alone. Or do I have to carve those instructions into your throat?'

Yampii shook his head, and the blade was withdrawn. He snarled a little at Samiake, just picking himself up out of the dirt.

'You won't get so lucky next time, scum,' he spat. 'He won't be able to save you twice!' With that, he loped off, still muttering curses.

The group turned to survey the newcomer, and Xani's heart leapt. She hadn't seen that face in almost 2 years. His eyes were still crystalline blue, full of mischief, but with an overtone of dead seriousness.

'Hey sis,' said Brian. 'Never expected to find you here...'

---

Glayce felt confident, a tiny smile on his face for a change. He had some help now...expendable help. Once those two had served their purpose, he would do away with them. But first...he needed to put his plan into motion.

He, Firolf and Slate were approaching the great stone disk that served as Nocturne's 'home'. The swirling grey mist was as thick as ever, cloaking the area around the disk and making it impossible to see far.

Firolf gave an apprehensive shiver as he looked at the dais. Curled up in the middle of the stone circle was the Death dragon himself. The ex-sand dragon hadn't forgotten his encounter with Nocturne, and he had hoped to never see him again. But he had to admit...Nocturne looked a lot less intimidating when he was asleep. His wings were folded over his head and body in makeshift blankets, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest betrayed only calm and serenity.

'Are you sure about this, frosty?' hissed Slate, hugging himself and sideling a little closer to Glayce, so he could feel some of the warmth emitted by the frost dragon.

Glayce responded with a snarl. 'Of course I'm sure, dog. I've been watching him for a while now. I know his patterns...he will sleep for half an hour more. We move now.'

With that, the great blue dragon stomped forward and onto the stone circle, with Slate and Firolf just behind. The closer they got to Nocturne, the more apprehensive Firolf felt. No-one knew the full extent of Nocturne's power...it stood to reason he was incredibly powerful, by virtue of his realm-wide omniscience and almost instantaneous healings. But what else he could do...

By this time, Glayce was right next to Nocturne. He sneered down at the sleeping dragon, resisting the urge to slash him to pieces. Maybe later...but for now, he needed to act.

He looked around for a sign on the ground. He knew the rough location of it, but it still took him almost 10 minutes to locate it. The switch was hidden in a rune, almost under Nocturne's snout. He carefully touched the rune, and a slab of stone simply vanished.

'Neat trick,' drawled Slate, unimpressed by the vanishing act. Glayce scowled...the sooner he could do away with the wolf, the better.

Beckoning the others to him, he made his way underground, following a short flight of worn stone steps. Light glittered from the walls, illuminating the way. At the bottom of the steps, an archway opened into a yawning cavern, far higher than they had gone down, and lit by candles. More evidence of Nocturne's unknown limit of power.

Glayce strode on, heading in a purposeful direction. He knew it was close....and then there it was. Sitting at the back of the hall, suspended by gold chains from the ceiling, was a great black orb. Its shiny exterior glittered in the many candle flames, and it crackled with an inner power. A hum reverberated from the ball, setting teeth and scales on edge.

'What is that thing?' whispered Slate, in awe despite his best efforts.

Glayce never took his eyes off the orb. 'It is the power of this realm,' he said. 'With it, one can rule this place...bend it to his own will.'

Firolf stared at the orb. 'That....that's Nocturne's power?!'

Glayce nodded. 'Correct. He draws his power from that...without it, he is weak...' The frost dragon gave a wide, predatory grin, and stepped forward.

---

Xani was swept up in a fierce hug, and she found herself in tears. She had missed her big brother dearly. Ever since that horrible day, almost a month ago, when Glayce had shattered his frozen body, she had missed him. She felt responsible for his death, even though there was no way of telling if he had still been alive. But now she had him back...her brother.

'I missed you too, sis,' he murmured, holding her close and letting her tears fall. He still remembered the last time he held her, just before he'd gone to sleep. She still looked the same, if a little worn down. He also loved the fact he could choose to touch her...a nice little perk to being dead and in Nocturne's good books.

'Your collar is gone...you freed yourself?' he inquired.

Xani shook her head. 'N...no. I had some help. A guy named Shayde...I kinda roped him into helping me.'

Brian held her away from his chest, a funny look in his eyes. 'Shayde? Labrador? Tall, good looking and a bit of a doofus?'

Xani gave a snort of laughter, while Ace gave a little frown. The others joined in with the chuckle. 'Sounds like him, alright,' said Zeng

Brian gave a little grin. 'You fancy him, hmm sis?' He chortled at the blush in Xani's cheeks, then winced when she thumped his shoulder. 'Ow! Hey, watch it little sister...I don't have to let you touch me, you know.' Xani folded her arms and poked out her tongue, grinning at the juvenile behaviour.

'Well, you certainly know how to pick 'em,' he continued. 'apart from the fact he's dead.'

Xani nodded looking down a little. 'That's why we are here. We want to bring him back with us.' She waved a paw at Samiake, who was talking with Rio and Chris about Yampii.

'He's a Necromancer...says he can bring Shayde back to life.' She gripped Brian's paw, looking up at him with a painfully hopeful expression. 'Can he? I mean...will Nocturne allow it?'

Brian held his breath, tilting his head a little. 'I'm...not entirely sure. He has-'

'Rules,' finished the younger husky, 'we heard. We just can't seem to find out what they are.'

'Well, I'm sure Nocturne will allow it.' Brian said reassuringly. He gave his sister another hug, then turned to the group.

'So everyone...you're here for Shayde?' General consent from everyone. 'Well, it just so happens that I know where he is. His parents have been quite nice to me on a few occasions. He should be there.' He smirked at Xani again. 'Hehe...you get to meet the parents.'

---

Shayde staggered back, panting hard. He was in a dojo behind his parent's house, training with his father. Kibroy was still proving to be more than a match, but Shayde could tell he was getting better. Why, not long ago, he'd spotted what looked suspiciously like a drop of sweat trickle down his father's obsidian nose.

He was working on the new trick Nocturne had suggested. He found he could move in a rapid burst of speed, and could slice up a foe with a blow so quickly, it took a few seconds for the pain to register. As such, the dojo was littered with broken training dummies, and he was sweating hard through his fur.

'Very good, son,' said Kibroy, clapping Shayde on the back. 'You've really got the hang of it now.'

Shayde nodded, panting a little as he looked at the blade in his hand. The silvery metal glittered a little, throwing back an almost perfect reflection.

'I only wish I had this attack before...I could have gotten rid of Jade before...'

'Never mind, Shayde,' said his father softly. 'You didn't know what would happen...things just happen sometimes, and we have to go with it.'

Shayde nodded slowly. He knew his father was about to say "It was your time," but they both knew that was incorrect. Shayde wasn't supposed to have died that morning, according to Nocturne, at least. Which was the main reason he still had a chance of returning to life. He knew Samiake was on his way, armed with the power to do just that.

'Dad,' said Shayde slowly. 'What's...what's the rule Nocturne has, for bringing back the dead?'

Kibroy gritted his teeth and looked away. 'I'd hoped you'd never ask that question...' He heaved a sigh. 'The price is simple, but enormous; a replacement. Someone needs to take your place here, to allow you to return.'

Shayde gaped. 'What? So...if...if Sammy saves me...he has to die?'

Kibroy nodded. 'That's the rule, son. And your friend knows it. This is another reason there are virtually no Necromancers left...they all paid the price to bring back the dead.'

Shayde fell silent as he tried to come to terms with this revelation. Sammy was sacrificing himself...to save him. It couldn't be true...surely he could find a way to keep the otter alive, AND return to life...

At that moment, Amanda poked her head in. 'Shayde dear...you have some visitors. They seem quite eager to meet you. We'll be out in the yard when you two muscle-brained mutts finish hitting things with sticks.' She smiled and withdrew.

Shayde tilted his head. Visitors? Why would there be more than one visitor? He grabbed a towel and dried off the sweat from his fur, sheathed his blade, then pushed through the door with his father right behind him.

---

'So you're the one who has stolen my son's heart?'

Amanda sat opposite Xani, smiling softly. Xani nodded mutely, her eyes not meeting the older female.

'Don't be shy, my dear. I don't mind at all. He's very lucky to have won the heart of such a beautiful canine. And Brian has been chewing our ears off with tales of your strength and tenacity.'

Xani smiled a little, looking up and finally meeting Amanda's bright blue eyes, so like her sons.

While the girl-talk was going on, the rest of the group had broken up. Samiake and Chris were investigating the dead patch. Rio, Zeng and Ace were sitting on the grass, swapping insults and stories about life in their various countries.

Eventually, Zeng turned to the beagle, noticing for the first time a glint of silver under his shirt. He pointed.

'What you got there, Acey?' Ace gave a small smile and pulled out a dagger. It was silvery grey, long and sharp, with a heavy-looking hilt.

'I've been practising with this for a while. I've gotten pretty good with it.' He shook back his sleeve, revealing a silver wristband. 'This acts as a sort of magnet. I can recall it when I throw it, so I don't have to go hunting for it.'

Zeng nodded approvingly. 'You guys have some pretty cool ideas here. Might not be magical, but helpful all the same.'

At that moment, Shayde walked around the side of the house, and suddenly found himself face to face with a collection of friends and, in the case of Rio, friends of friends. He stared for a few seconds, startled by the number of faces.

Then Xani stood up. She stared at Shayde, then dashed forward. Before Shayde could react at all, Xani was next to him...then through him. She hit the dirt behind him with a dull thud. Shayde whirled around, his ears folded back a little.

'I'm...I'm sorry. I...er...I'm still not too good at this.' He reached down and gripped Xani's arm, pulling her back up. She responded by flinging her arms around him and pulling him into a kiss.

Shayde blushed hard as the other's wolf-whistled and jeered. The kiss lasted a few seconds, then Xani pulled back, swinging her fist and colliding with Shayde's chest.

'THAT'S for doing something as stupid as running in front of a blade!' She smiled as Shayde winced and rubbed his chest.

Shayde looked around at the group. He recognised everyone but Rio and Brian. The red dragon strode forward, a paw extended.

'Hey there,' he said. 'I'm Rio. I'm a friend of Sammy's.'

Shayde nodded and shook his paw, then looked around. Samiake stood there, grinning widely.

'You know, you don't make getting to know you an easy task, Shayde,' said the otter. 'One could draw the conclusion you don't want to know me.' Shayde gave a laugh and hugged his friend. He moved through the group, nodding to Brian, Zeng and Chris, then stopping at Ace.

Ace looked down, a slight blush staining his white cheeks.

'Hi, Shayde,' he mumbled to his toes.

Shayde hugged the beagle, patting him on the shoulder. 'It's good to see you again, Ace. I...um...I kinda figured out that you feel strongly towards me. I'm...I'm sorry, buddy.'

Ace nodded a little. 'It's okay,' he said. 'I'm sure there will be someone out there for me.'

'That's the spirit, Ace...keep your chin up.' Shayde said.

He clapped the beagle on the back again, then stood back. He turned to Samiake, frowning a little.

'So, Sammy...I know about the rule...you shouldn't do this. Not for me...surely there is another way?'

Samiake shook his head. 'No...no other way. It has to be done. Besides...this bunch of crazies need you.'

Shayde looked at the group...so willing to come into death just to save him. But then he looked at his family. His parents, whom had been taken from him far too early. He had felt so...at peace with them.

His confusion evidently showed in his eyes, because Amanda gave a little cough.

'You don't have to decide right now, love,' she said softly. She wrapped an arm around Kibroy. 'But know that your father and I will respect your decision...whatever it may be.'

He turned to Samiake again. 'How soon until I need to choose?' he asked

Samiake shrugged. 'Dunno. About as long as it takes to get back to Nocturne. Once we get there, you will have to decide.

Shayde nodded slowly. He needed to do a lot of thinking between now and whenever they returned to the dais.

He was about to ask a question, but all of a sudden a loud noise echoed through the air. It sounded like the clang of a gigantic bell as it fell from a great height. Kibroy, Amanda, Shayde and Brian all cried out in apparent pain, clutching their ears and dropping to the ground. Samiake felt incredibly ill all of a sudden.

This phenomenon lasted a few seconds, and then everything went still. The four deceased canines struggled up off the ground, and the living group came forward to support them. It was only when they were all holding up one of the stricken four that they realised something was different.

'Hey,' said Zeng. 'We're touching you...are you letting us?'

Kibroy shook his head slowly. 'No...'

Rio prodded Shayde's shoulder. 'What's going on? I thought we couldn't touch you guys...'

Samiake looked around, suddenly nervous. 'Something's wrong. Something has happened to Nocturne.' He walked up to Shayde and lightly poked his cheek with a metal claw. The dog winced as the metal pierced his flesh, and they watched a trickle of blood ooze out. The wound didn't heal.

'This...is bad,' said Brian. 'I feel...weird.'

'Guys, something's happened to Nocturne,' said Samiake again. 'We need to get back there right now. This isn't right...his influence is gone...I feel weak and sick.' He turned to head back to where they'd come from. 'You guys stay here...I'll be back soon.'

'Like hell,' said Rio. Chris nodded as well. 'We're coming with you.'

Zeng and Ace nodded and moved to stand with the otter, dragon and mouse. Xani looked at Brian.

'What do you think, brother?' he asked. Brian grinned.

'Miss out on the potential of a fight? I'd rather die. Again.'

Shayde turned to his parents. 'I have to go with them,' he said. 'Please...stay here. We'll come back after we've sorted things out.'

Kibroy nodded. 'We can't go with you anyway. We can't go near that place...it kind of has a bad effect on the long dead.' He shook his son's paw. 'Good luck, Shayde. Make sure you return in one piece.'

Amanda came forward and hugged him. 'Be safe,' she whispered. 'I couldn't bare it if something happened to you here as well.'

Shayde nodded and kissed her cheek, then walked to his friends. He looked back once more, then followed the group down the path, and out into the Deadlands.

---

They reached the dais after about an hour's walk. The first thing they noticed was a crack running the length of the circle, top to bottom. A curious white mist clouded the area, and they all shivered.

Lying in the middle of the cracked disk was Nocturne. He was breathing shallowly, curled up tight. The group approached him, and Shayde walked up to the dragon, looking into his eyes.

Nocturne looked in bad shape. His eyes, already a clear ruby red, had changed to a deep blood-red, as if the blood vessels in his eyes had burst. His breathing was laboured, and his hide had lost its lustre.

'Nocturne...what happened?' asked Shayde quietly.

The death dragon looked at him, his gaze almost fevered.

' Someone...someone has upset the balance of power...' he replied weakly. He struggled up onto his chest. ' My power...has been severely depleted. I feel...weak.'

He looked at Shayde and Brian. ' You two...you are in danger now, as much as your friends. I...I cannot protect you from harm. You are...as mortals again.'

Samiake came up and kneeled beside Shayde.

'What happened to you? Who did this?' he asked.

Nocturne sighed, his eyes sliding shut. ' I...I fear it was...the demons from your past. The frost dragon, Glayce, the wolf, Slate, and the sand dragon, Firolf. They...they have stolen my power...I believe they plan to use it to take over the Deadlands...make it their own.'

Xani shook her head. 'No way. That's not Glayce's style...he wouldn't share that much power. He's up to something...'

'What can we do?' asked Brian, looking around the dais uncertainly. 'Is there any way we can help you?'

Nocturne cracked open one eye, looking as uncertain as the husky. ' Well...there is a chance...such a vast amount of power would take a little time to be absorbed. If it is any consolation, Glayce is probably in vast amounts of pain right now.' He gave a tiny chuckle and opened both eyes. He looked slightly better. ' The power of the Deadlands is simply too large for any one body to contain. Why, even I cannot do it. Which is why I split the power. Most was in that sphere, but a tiny portion resides in this.'

He tilted his head back, revealing a small black orb on his throat. ' This is all the power my body can sustain. It draws on the larger portion when I need it. It also sustains my life...without it, I die. Ironic, really...

' And so, to answer your question, yes you can help. You must find Glayce and prevent him from absorbing the power.'

Shayde nodded grimly and stood back up. 'Where is he?'

' He has left this area...I think he has retired to his wasteland. But beware...his cohorts are with him, and he has instructed them to delay you for as long as possible. As residents of the Deadlands, they are now as...'alive', as you. Defeating them should be easy for warriors of your calibre.'

Samiake stood up as well, dusting his paws. 'This should be fun. I can't use my powers here...all hand-to-hand combat.' He grinned a little, flexing his metal-tipped fingers. 'Should be fun, though...I get to play with Firolf again.'

Nocturne grinned. ' Just remember...they don't like you as much as you don't like them. Be careful. Now, I can send you to the wastelands...that much I can do. I will try and join you when my strength returns.' He closed his eyes again, and a jet-black hole appeared next to him. ' Go...and I pray you are successful. For all concerned.'

They all nodded, and one by one, leaped through the portal.

---

Glayce was in his cave, shuddering with pain. This pathetic ball was proving to be a hard pill to swallow. He had tried smashing it, but only bruised his paw. Freezing it was similarily useless. But then he tried simply touching it. For once, brute force was not the answer. He felt the power flow and shift, gradually transferring itself to him. But it was not pleasant...he was feeling more pain than he'd ever known before. But he put up with it...a little pain was worth it for the power to rule an entire realm.

Slate and Firolf watched as the big dragon shuddered and moaned softly. They could see the thin black tendrils flow into his body, slowly draining out of the black sphere.

Slate gave a little chuckle. 'Doesn't look like he's having too much fun...'

Firolf shook his head. 'No...I guess the death dragon had a lot more power than he was letting on. Still...it will be worth it. I hope...'

'I don't see what all the hype is about, myself,' said a voice from just outside the cave. 'I doubt he can actually do it.'

Yampii was outside, watching for the inevitable arrival of the good guys. He had been 'recruited' by Glayce not long after they had taken the sphere, with the promise that the frost dragon would cure the incessant ringing in his ears. Yampii wanted it gone, no matter who did it. So he agreed to help, starting by keeping watch.

'Shut up, and keep your eyes open!' snarled Slate, hunching down a little. He was still so cold...he'd thought that as soon as Glayce took the ball, he would feel better. But apparently not...he was still shivering enough to rattle.

Outside, Yampii rolled his eyes and continued to look out. He actually hoped he'd meet the otter again. It would be a pleasure to crush him into dust. And now that the death dragon had no power, neither did the otter. No shadow-manipulation...the jackal grinned; excellent.

It was at that moment he saw something on the horizon. He narrowed his gaze, and was able to make out a large group of creatures closing the distance. Even from the considerable distance between them, the jackal could still make out the prominent dark coat of Samiake. He smiled and rose, walking back into the cave.

'We're going to have company soon,' he said lightly. Slate growled and stood up, tightening his knife belt. Firolf stood as well, cracking his knuckles. In the back of the cave, Glayce turned his pain-streaked eyes to them.

'Fend...them off...at all costs.' He growled to himself. This was taking far longer than he'd anticipated, and was far more painful. Every time a tendril soaked into his body, it sent a harsh jolt of pure energy through his body. This became a lot more painful as the process continued, and he'd come close to passing out several times.

The three minions nodded and left the cave, standing as they watched the group approach.

'I want the dogs,' Slate whispered hungrily. 'I want revenge. I want to tear them limb from limb...and maybe even play around a little with them. Especially...' he grinned predatorily and licked his lips, 'that female.'

Yampii rolled his eyes again. 'Whatever. Samiake is mine. Killing him will be so easy.'

Firolf gave a small shudder. He was glad Yampii had claimed Samiake...he'd already experienced what that otter was capable of, and had no desire to repeat it. 'I'll take the others, then. The mouse doesn't seem too much of a threat, neither does that beagle.'

They all nodded, and split up. At all costs...they each wanted Glayce to succeed for their own reasons, and each was willing to do whatever it took.

---

Rio lowered his binoculars. 'They're splitting up, and coming this way. I think they are acting as diversions while the big guy does his thing.'

Shayde nodded. 'Okay then, we'll have to push through. Remember, they're also like me and Brian...mortal. But the upshot of it...they probably don't know. Glayce wouldn't tell them something like that.'

They all nodded. At least they had something. They looked ahead at the cave in the distance, where they knew Glayce was hiding.

They continued forward, each making final preparations to the inevitable fight. The sword-wielders unsheathed their blades, shaking out arms to loosen muscles. Ace checked his daggers, and Samiake tugged his gauntlets on harder. While he didn't have his power anymore, the metal claws still could rend flesh from bone, and his unnatural strength was all his...being powerless didn't take that away from him.

Shayde looked forward. He saw Slate, and his hackles rose. He held a deep grudge against the wolf still. He also saw a yellow dragon and a dark jackal...Firolf and Yampii, apparently. He turned back to the others and saw that Xani and Samiake had stopped a few feet away, and appeared to be arguing. Xani was looking furiously stubborn, and Samiake looked a little worried and distraught. They split abruptly and rejoined the group.

'What was all that about?' asked Zeng, standing next to Shayde. The lab shook his head, mystified. He cleared his throat.

'Okay guys. Let's get them! We have to break through these losers to get to Glayce. Nocturne says it will take him a while to absorb the power. As long as he doesn't absorb it all, we can reverse it.

'These guys are tough. You all know that. They are also determined. But they can be hurt. They can be defeated. Do whatever you can to beat them, and move forward! Oh...and don't die.'

Everyone nodded a chuckle or two rising from Samiake and Zeng. Shayde grinned, and then turned to face his foes. 'Let's go!'

They nodded and ran forward. Shayde, Xani and Brian grouped up, as did Samiake and, surprisingly, Rio. The red dragon grinned down at the otter. 'Just like before, huh buddy? Let's go round two on that sandy-assed dragon!' Samiake grinned and nodded.

That left Zeng, Chris and Ace together. Zeng rolled his eyes a little as he saw his companions. 'Great...I get the beagle...' Ace growled a little, earning a raised eyebrow from the tiger. "I can fight, dammit!' the beagle snarled. "I might not be a muscle-brained moron like you, but I can fight!'

Chris smiled. 'You tell him, Ace. Big things come in small packages, ya know.'

Ace smiled a little, nodded his thanks.

Up ahead, they saw the three foes split, and they each split up as well.

'See you all at the cave!' shouted Shayde. He heard various calls back, and grinned as he saw Slate approach.

---

Shayde, Xani and Brian stopped about 5 metres from the wolf. Slate wasn't panting at all; finally, being cold all the time was coming in handy...he didn't feel the heat from running.

'Well well well...' he whispered. 'It looks like everyone is here again.' He looked from each face to the next. All three were determined, and the wolf grinned, unsheathing his knives.

'I think I'm gonna enjoy this...' he growled.

Shayde drew his katana, a snarl lifting his lips. He hated Slate with a degree of loathing he usually reserved for tigers. Slate had attacked him seconds after meeting him in a dingy inn, attempted to grope and rob him before Shayde had almost killed him. The wolf had appeared later and almost killed him, had it not been for Xani's timely arrival.

He hadn't met Slate since he'd been killed, and now he was looking forward to fighting the wolf again.

Xani swept forward at a blistering pace, swinging wide with her staff and cracking the wolf on the head. She didn't have time for lengthy displays of male posturing...they had to get to Glayce as quickly as possible...while still causing grievous bodily harm to those in their way.

The staff rang with a pure note as it struck the wolf's skull. Slate howled and reeled back, clutching his throbbing head. He blinked stupidly as he tried to clear his eyes.

Brian gave a hoot of laughter.

'Damn, sis...you really got an arm. I can almost see the stars twirling around his head.'

Xani grinned and raised her staff again. Slate gave a growl and backed off a few steps. 'You....you little...you bi-'

Suddenly, a blade was against his throat, and Brian moved his muzzle up to the wolf's ear. 'Don't you even DARE using that word about my sister.' It was said softly, calmly and with enough malice to make Slate gulp. He pressed his blade into Slate's neck, and a drop of blood oozed out. Slate gave a strange whine.

'Oh...so your little puppet-master hasn't told you?' asked Shayde. 'You know how he's gone and stolen Nocturne's power? That means we don't heal up any more...we're virtually mortal again.'

Slate looked at the Labrador, trying to work out if he was telling the truth. The blood dripping from his neck was strong evidence.

Brian pulled away and backed off. 'You two can handle him, right? I'm gonna go and find Glayce.'

Before either of them could argue, the husky was gone. They watched him bound off, then Slate turned and chuckled darkly.

'Who cares...Glayce can easily handle him. One dog isn't a threat...and it's not as if I'm gonna let you two get through.'

The wolf drew his daggers and spun them around a few times, grinning like a loon. 'Just like old times, hmm?' He chuckled again, then leapt at them with a snarl.

Shayde reacted instantly, dodging in front of Xani and blocking the downswing. He heard Xani separate her staff, a dull 'thunk' and a howl of pain; Xani had used the blunt half of her staff to crack Slate on the knuckle of his other paw. Slate retreated slightly, clutching paw to chest.

Shayde gave a small smile. 'We're both a lot stronger than before, wolf. We've trained...what have you done since arriving here?'

Xani nodded. 'And faster. You don't stand a chance, Slate. Give up, or suffer.'

Slate growled low, then leapt again. He managed to get under Shayde's guard, slicing a line through his arm. Shayde grunted and twisted away, and waited somewhat hopefully, for the wound to heal. Nothing happened...which convinced him that Nocturne was right; he was practically alive again. He shrugged; he'd had worse than a cut before.

He looked up in time to see the wolf land a blow on Xani. She snarled and lashed out, smashing her staff onto Slate's collarbone, then hacking into his arm with the blade. Blood welled out of the wound, and Slate howled in pain again, stepping back to recoup. He waited for his arm to heal, but, like Shayde, nothing happened.

'Wh...what's...going on?' he asked piteously. 'Why...aren't I healing?'

'Because you're an idiot,' Xani shot back. 'You can't expect to steal Nocturne's power and there not be any consequences.'

'As long as Glayce has that power, none of us- you, me, everyone dead- can heal.' Shayde confirmed.

Slate looked at the bleeding wound. This wasn't right...he was supposed to be healing. He was supposed to be warm again...that's what the dragon had promised.

He gave a wild howl of pain and outrage, then flew at the dogs, attacking with wild and vicious strikes. Shayde and Xani blocked mutely, trying to find an opening with which to end this.

'I think we upset the poor cub,' said Xani lightly, reconnecting her staff for extra reach.

Shayde nodded. 'He's been dead for a month or so...must be a bit of a shock to feel pain again.' He grinned tightly and opened a bloody line on the wolf's snout. Slate responded with a gash to his paw. Shayde growled low...Slate was being annoying now. They needed to get rid of him, so they could help Brian.

'Xani, force him back onto those rocks. I have a plan.' Xani nodded and switched to offensive, barraging Slate with a flurry of overhead strikes. Slate was struggling to block, and kept moving back or risk being cleaved in two. Eventually, the husky pushed him back to the pile of boulders behind them. He looked back, then forward again to keep blocking.

Shayde took a breath and focused. He blazed forward with that unnatural speed he'd unlocked, raised his blade and thrust forward at Slate's chest.

He felt the blade bite and sink into Slate's body, the treated metal shearing through Slate's ribs, before sliding out through his back and plunging into the stone behind him. Slate stiffened and gave an odd gurgling cry. Shayde let go of the blade and stepped back. Slate remained pinned to the rock like a bug. He writhed and howled in pain, trying to remove the blade. Shayde knew he wouldn't die...he was already dead, after all. The blade remained firmly embedded in the rock, the hilt pressed against Slate's body.

Xani stared in shock. 'Where'd you learn to move so fast?' she whispered.

Shayde half-smiled. 'My dad taught me.' He looked at his blade remorsefully. 'Only now, I don't have a weapon.' He sighed, then shrugged. 'At least he won't be bothering us anymore. Let's catch up with your brother..see if he's as good as you say.'

Xani laughed and shouldered her staff, walking past Shayde. '10 gold says he's already beaten that dragon.'

Slate cried with pain, every movement sending bolts through his body. 'Please...you...can't leave me like this! Don't leave me here!'

Xani stopped, and turned to look coldly at the wolf. 'I really don't care about you anymore.' She smiled and patted his cheek, then continued on with Shayde towards the cave, leaving Slate alone with his everlasting pain.

---

While this was going on, the others were hurrying towards the cave. Ahead, they could see Yampii and Firolf. Rio and Samiake smiled at the anticipation of beating the sand dragon again...but before they could split off, they saw Yampii raise his arm. Samiake knew what was about to happen.

'HIT THE DECK!' he roared, dropping instantly to the rough terrain. A microsecond later, he felt a blast of energy ripple his fur, and heard a collection of yelps as those too slow were launched backwards. After a few seconds, he looked up.

Yampii stood alone in front of him, grinning a very wide grin. 'Well...looks like we get to play again, otter...'

Samiake looked behind him and saw, a little way off, a tangled mess of limbs. Rio, Zeng, Ace and Firolf had been too slow to dodge, though the otter was curious as to why Firolf had been hit.

Chris, however, had easily dodged the attack; his short stature made it easy to duck. He staggered to his feet and drew his blade.

'Mind if I join in, Sam?' he said with a grin. Samiake returned the smile. 'Oh, not at all Chris. The more the merrier.'

Yampii snorted his derision. 'Like that's gonna help you. I know what that frost dragon did. You're as powerless as Nocturne.'

Samiake cursed. He'd forgotten how insightful and intelligent the jackal was. However, he still had his...rather _un_natural strength.

Chris stood beside Samiake, facing their foe. 'Okay Sam...what's the plan?'

Samiake grinned tightly. 'Plan? Hehe, that's funny. He hit him hard and fast, and hope he doesn't hit us! We can die, remember...he can't.'

The mouse considered this. 'Good point.'

He was about to continue when the jackal directed a blast of energy towards them. Chris was hurled backwards, and only halted his motion by stabbing his blade into the ground. Yampii smiled a little.

'You see...you two are powerless here. So, what...I might not heal, but I still have the power to crush you both where you stand!'

He thrust his arms out, sending a blast of energy at Samiake. The otter hunkered down and dug his claws into the ground, his fur rippling, but only shifted back an inch or so. Yampii lowered his arms, a little less cocky at this defiant display of immovability.

Samiake smiled and charged forward suddenly. Before Yampii could react, he'd closed the gap, and slashed forward with his metal-clawed gauntlets. The cold metal bit into Yampii's coal-black fur and tore five ragged lines in his flesh. Yampii seized up and gave a yell of pain, swinging out and smashing Samiake in the chest with a blast, sending him rolling away like a tumbleweed.

Yampii covered his wounds, hissing slightly. His eyes sparkled with pure hatred when he looked up.

'You...filthy....you dare...touch ME??! Necromantic SCUM!' He howled his rage and fired off a volley of sharp-edged blades of energy. These blasts snicked through Samiake's fur, peppering his body with wounds of varying depth. He winced and staggered to his feet, struggling under the attack. Yampii howled again and increased the ferocity of the attacks. His eyes gleamed with madness and hatred, and it was all Samiake could do to hunker down and fend off the worst of the blows, shielding his eyes with his gauntlets.

Meanwhile, Chris had approached from the side. He'd recovered from the blast, and made his way wide around the jackal. Yampii was so focused on killing Samiake that he didn't notice the small mouse. Not until Chris raised his blade and sunk it deep into his side, that is.

Yampii froze up and staggered back slightly. His barrage halted immediately as pain lanced through his body. He looked down at the short, razor-edged blade in his side, gasping slightly from the pain. Chris held on grimly and pushed harder, until the hilt was flush with Yampii's side. He gave it a little twist, then withdrew.

As the blade slid free, Yampii staggered back further. He clamped his paws to the wound, his paws stained deep red in seconds. He stared down at Chris, who stared right back, defiance shining in his eyes.

'But...you...you're...just a...mouse...' the jackal whispered. 'I can't...I won't...be...beaten-'

He was about to continue, but Samiake had recovered. He seized Yampii by his throat and lifted him up. His red eyes bore into Yampii's coppery eyes.

'That's your problem, Yampii...' he hissed. 'You underestimate everyone.'

He gripped the jackal tighter, then hurled him head-first into the rocky ground with a sickening thud. Blood oozed from under his head, trickling into the cracks in the rock. Yampii gave a single twitch, then lay still.

Samiake panted hard and sunk to the ground. The gashes all over his body, plus the constant blows and the physical exerts, had taken their toll on him. Chris hurried up and quickly worked on the otter's wounds, using the last of his healing chemicals and wrapping his bandage around the worst of the wounds.

'Yampii?' he questioned.

Samiake grinned a little. 'He'll be fine. He might have a really bad headache, but he can't die, remember.' He flopped back a little, grimaced and moved his tail out of the way. 'Thanks, Chris. Without you, I would have died. And then...and then all of this...would have been for nothing...'

Chris was about to ask more, but the otter fell asleep. He sighed, and started cleaning the blood from his blade.

---

Ace, Rio and Zeng all groaned and started picking themselves up. Rio's long-than-average tail had wrapped around them all, Zeng had his nose filled with Ace's foot, Rio suddenly had a close-up view of Zeng's tail, and Ace had a mouthful of Rio's sail-like ears.

Zeng struggled, then snarled and detangled himself, dumping the other two as quickly as he could. To their right, Firolf slowly picked himself off, shedding glass motes as he did. He was sure Yampii had hit him on purpose, and was now a little annoyed at the smarmy jackal. He grunted and picked a shard of glass from his leg, then looked up.

Rio was grinning, a glint in his luminous eyes. 'Hey, you remember me? I totally knocked the wind from your sails about a year ago...when you tried to kill my friend.' The humour had vanished from the red dragon's voice. 'You're lucky you're already dead, or I'd kill you myself.' A puff of reddish black flame issued from his mouth.

Firolf tried to look unconcerned, and looked at the others. He didn't recognise the beagle or the tiger...though the way the tiger was staring daggers at him, suggested he knew him, or held a personal vendetta against him.

Ace's green eyes roved over Firolf, sizing him up. He looked into his eyes and saw...something. He wasn't positive, but...was the dragon sad? A longing for something he couldn't have? Ace almost sighed...he knew that feeling.

Rio stepped forward, checking the chamber of his Smith & Wesson revolver. 'Well, looks like the odds are in our favour this time...no sand for miles...'cept maybe a sprinkle or two.'

Firolf's face twisted into a mix of rage and longing. 'It wouldn't make a difference anyway,' he said sadly. 'Ever since I arrived here in this god-forsaken hell-hole, my power has been reversed. I can't...I can't touch sand without it turning to glass!' He ran his tail through a tiny patch of sand, demonstrating the vitrifying effect of his warped power.

Zeng growled and unhooked his great-axe, spinning the haft of the heavy weapon as if was made of helium. 'A sand dragon who can't touch sand?' he chuckled a little nastily. 'That's pretty pathetic, ya know. Guess that'll make beating you so much easier.'

All three charged forward at once, blades and, in Rio's case, gun, out and ready to attack. But before they reached him, Firolf held out his hands in supplication. 'Please! Stop...I don't want to fight.'

Zeng snorted. 'As if! I've never met a dragon that doesn't want to fight.'

Rio frowned and poked the tiger in the back. 'That's a bit of a generalisation, ya know. We don't all want to fight. You're just biased cause you're a dragon-slayer.'

They would have kept bickering, but Ace cut across.

'Hey!' he barked. 'Can we focus, please?' He turned to Firolf after shaking his head slightly. 'Why don't you want to fight?' he asked.

The yellow dragon sighed. 'I've...done bad things, in the past. I know that now, and I regret them. I don't want to do anything bad again...I know it won't bring life back to me, but it WILL bring peace. That's all I want...and to feel the sand again...'

Rio studied this distant cousin of his. 'I believe him,' he said decisively. 'He wants to be forgiven.'

Zeng was in danger of snorting his lungs out. A few flecks of mucus actually hung from his whiskers with his latest snort. 'Yeah, right. Dragons don't change...I'll believe it when I see it.'

Firolf thought for a moment. 'I could help you. I've...had a lot of experience playing the double-agent...why not one last time, but for good? I know you're after Glayce...I could help you bring him down.' He walked towards them, then past them, keeping his back turned. 'Go. Get to Glayce before he absorbs too much power...he'll be invincible then.'

Ace, Zeng and Rio huddled, consulting each over. After several emphatic outbursts from Ace and Rio, Zeng agreed. He growled and pointed his axe at Firolf's back. 'You better come through, dragon...or I'll bury my blade so deep in your back you'll taste steel for months!'

Charming, Ace thought. He waited until Zeng and Rio were a little ahead, then doubled back to Firolf. 'I hope you get what you want...some...some of us aren't that lucky.' He hurried back to the others as Firolf turned to look at him, thinking about the beagle's meaning.

---

Shayde and Xani entered the cave, each visited by a sense of déjà vu. The last time they'd entered a cave, it was also to fight Glayce. They'd both almost died...

'Do you think Brian has already beaten him?' asked Shayde. In his brief time here, he'd heard good reports about the husky's fighting prowess. Kibroy had considered sparring with him before Shayde turned up.

Xani tilted her head slightly. 'I...don't know. It all depends on how much power Glayce has been able to absorb.'

Shayde nodded and they continued further into the cave. Like before, clouds hung in the air. Though this time, they were composed mainly of steam. It smelled like hot, wet concrete...a by-product of a frost dragon suffering in heat. Shayde smiled a little; Nocturne sure knew how to reward the bad guys.

The source of the steam was sitting at the back of the cave. His curse was in full swing, the dragon's body shedding steam and frost in almost equal measures. He sat sphinx-style, his lethal talons gripping a large orb of black smoky substance; Nocturne's power. Tendrils of the stuff floated from the surface of the orb and drifted into Glayce's open maw. He hissed in pain every time this happened, and the ball shrunk slightly. Glayce's ice-blue hide had darkened slightly, giving evidence he'd absorbed a fair whack of power.

Standing a few feet away, sword drawn and apparently paralysed, was Brian. Shayde and Xani approached cautiously, but Glayce didn't notice. As he approached, Shayde felt a curling in his stomach...a slight ripple of nausea.

Xani shook her brother lightly. 'Hey, Brian!' she hissed. 'What's wrong? Why can't you move?'

Brian's eyes swivelled around, and he inclined his head slightly. So he wasn't totally paralysed, thought Shayde.

'I dunno,' said the husky. 'That ball...Nocturne's power...I think Glayce has taken a lot in. I think he was able to sense me, and forced me to stop. I can't move my legs...my arms...anything.'

'Glayce can do that?!' asked Shayde, a little worried. If the great dragon could command Brian to halt, with only a portion of Nocturne's power, what else could he do?

'Of course he can,' Brian replied, a little scathingly. 'Nocturne could do it, too. You're forgetting just what we're dealing with here. Nocturne was...is...the Death Dragon. His power is absolute here...if he wanted to, he could warp the very fabric of this reality, and destroy every inhabitant of this realm.'

Shayde felt a little sick. If Nocturne could do all that...he was very glad the black dragon was benevolent. If he was as violent as Glayce...Shayde shivered. Glayce wanted to obtain that power...

A noise behind them sent the two dogs whirling. Shayde thought of his blade, buried in Slate's chest, but fortunately, the arrivals were his friends. Rio came first, carrying the almost unconscious Samiake, Chris a step behind. Ace brought up the rear, a strange look on his face.

'What happened to Sam?' hissed Shayde. Chris explained what had happened, and they all looked a little uneasy. Samiake was their trump-card. Even without his shadow powers, he was still very strong...

All this time, Glayce hadn't moved an inch. Having a knowledge of various things, Chris reasoned that the dragon was in a trance, and it was the presence of so much death power that had caused Brian's paralysis and Shayde's nausea.

'We need to attack now, while he's distracted...' mumbled Samiake. He tried to stand and managed it, however shakily he stood.

'I agree,' said Zeng. 'I've been after Glayce for years, ever since he destroyed my village. I'm going in...I can't wait any longer.' He stalked forward, closely followed by the others. He was right...why look a gift horse in the mouth?

As Shayde got closer, he felt even sicker. But he was determined to help. As he passed Brian, the husky called out to him.

'Hey...wait Shayde. You're not gonna be much help against him.' He grinned. 'Besides, you ain't got a blade.'

Shayde nodded. 'Yeah, I had to leave it in Slate.'

Brian grinned. 'A useful application for a blade, I must say. I'm sure you'll get it back, but until then, take the one on my back.'

Shayde hadn't realised Brian had an extra blade. Strapped to the back of his black stealth-armour was a katana. The scabbard was a pale dusty blue-grey, the hilt a solid grey. Shayde drew the blade, revealing its jet-black colour. It seemed to shimmer a little in the light.

'Nice,' he commented, noting the very sharp look of the weapon.

'Yeah,' said Brian. 'I actually got it from Nocturne...well, he loaned it to me. I'm sure he won't mind if you use it. And besides, it's too light for me...I prefer a heavier blade.'

Shayde nodded and strapped the new blade to his hip. 'Right. Let's finish this now. Before he gets too strong.' Everyone nodded, and took a step forward.

Unfortunately, this was the exact moment Glayce 'woke up'. He gave a roar of frustration and opened his eyes.

'Damn that thrice-cursed death-dragon to the deepest pits of HELL!' he snarled. 'He's kept something back...it's stopping me from-' He stopped mid-rant, noticing the group before him.

'Well, there goes our element of surprise,' drawled Rio.

Glayce gave a shriek of outrage and exhaled a wave of steamy air at them. They all dodged, with Rio carrying Brian out of the way. Shayde glanced at the dragon, and saw a fury burning in his eyes that made him shiver.

'YOU!' he roared, his orange eyes burning into Shayde's. 'You dare interrupt?! I'd heard a rumour you were dead. It's a pity...if you were still alive, I'd have the pleasure of sucking the life out of you myself!'

'Sorry to deny you your fun, then...' muttered Shayde. He raised his new blade and rushed forward. Glayce didn't move. He gave a snarl, and his eyes glowed a little. As they did, the pain in Shayde's belly suddenly intensified. He groaned and fell to the ground, his blade clattering away as he gripped his roiling stomach. 'W...what have...you...done...' he gasped.

Glayce chuckled darkly, swaggering closer. 'I may have been tricked, but I have still absorbed some of the death dragon's power. You are dead, and so I can inflict pain on you...I can do whatever I want with you. Ask that useless husky for confirmation.'

Every step Glayce took, Shayde felt sicker. It felt like his stomach was twisting up inside him. He groaned weakly, fighting the urge to throw up. He closed his eyes against the pain, curling up like a puppy.

Suddenly, Glayce gave a roar of pain. The twisting stopped, and Shayde managed to look up. The whole group, sans Brian, had swarmed the great dragon. Glayce snarled and lashed out, but they all managed to avoid the more damaging blows, only suffering minor hits.

Xani and Zeng seemed to be doing most of the damage, striking hard and faster than any of the other. It didn't help that they both had vendettas against Glayce. Both had suffered greatly at Glayce's claws. Xani hurled curses at Glayce with every hit she landed, driving the dragon wilder when he couldn't strike back.

Though Glayce was bigger and stronger, the number of foes attacking was too much. He was bleeding from a huge number of wounds, all over his body. He could only strike a few times, and even then, the attacks barely left marks.

Shayde could see he was getting very angry. He also noticed that he was no longer in pain...it seemed Glayce had to actively concentrate to hurt him. He grinned tightly and picked up the black blade and entered the fray.

He dodged under Glayce's slashing talons. The closer he got, the more he could feel the heat coming off the dragon's body. He wondered dryly how Glayce was coping with his curse...Nocturne sure knew how to hit where it hurt

He managed to avoid any blows, and came up close to Glayce. He realised he was standing in exactly the same place as before, when he'd stabbed Glayce in the cave...only a few weeks ago, it seemed.

'Déjà vu...' he muttered, then stabbed out at Glayce's chest.

The black blade easily slid through Glayce's hide. The dragon froze, then looked down. Seeing the blade lodged in his chest, he gave a shriek of rage and pain. Shayde tried to pull the blade out, but he couldn't. A wave of heat suddenly rolled down the blade and into Shayde's arms. He groaned as the heat washed through his body, as if he was absorbing the excess heat from Glayce. He panted hard as his core temperature rose, sweat popping under his fur. Without thinking, he redirected the heat through his feet, sending it into the ground. As he did, he felt cooler, his temperature returning to normal, and he found he could draw the blade again.

Glayce was almost silent, his vast chest heaving as he panted hard. Shayde could feel something different...cold. Glayce was exuding a cold aura again. His curse was gone. It took him a few seconds to get over it, and then he looked down, a grin of pure evil on his face.

'You'll pay for that, dog!' He arched his neck and exhaled a huge wave of frost at Shayde. Shayde yelped and hunkered down as the wave rolled towards him, steadying himself for the icy embrace.

It never came. After a second or two, Shayde looked up, wincing in anticipation. The frost coiled around him as it dissipated, but he was still the same.

Glayce blinked in confusion, then tried again. And again, the frost rolled over Shayde harmlessly. Shayde smiled weakly.

'Well, look at that,' he said, raising the blade. 'Looks like a double-edged blessing for you...get your powers back, and I'm immune to them!' He chuckled, then hurriedly blocked a strike from Glayce's talons.

'That blade REEKS of him!' Glayce roared. By this time, almost all his wounds had healed, thanks to his stolen power. 'Even as weak as a worm, he continues to DEFY ME!' He gave another loud roar, then snapped out with his tail. The attack caught everyone by surprise, and they all ended up at the far end of the cave in a groaning pile. Even Brian had been swept up...it appeared as if his paralysis had been lifted when Glayce hit them.

Glayce picked up the black orb and spread his wings. 'I've had enough!' he snarled. 'I'm finishing this NOW...tackle the problem at its root.'

With that, he took off, charging towards the cave entrance. The group tried to stop him, but it would have been easier to stop the tides. Glayce bowled through them and out into the wastelands. They followed him and were in time to see him take off.

Everyone traded looks. 'What did he mean by that?' asked Rio.

Shayde watched the receding dragon. 'It means Nocturne is about to have company.'

---

The group followed Glayce as best they could, but the dragon was simply too fast. They had no idea how far away Nocturne's dais was, but they knew they had to get there first.

Samiake led the way, keeping an eye on the dragon in the sky. He wished he still had his bow; he'd dropped it on a rooftop after shooting Glayce, and hadn't yet retrieved it. Even then, it wouldn't have been any use...without his Necromancy, he couldn't form any arrows.

'We can't...catch him...' panted Chris. 'He's too fast...there's no way...'

Rio gave a sudden snort of mirth. 'Excuse me? He's too fast?' He turned to Samiake. 'Chris just said someone was too fast...'

Samiake smiled, remembering Rio's speedy nature. 'I know you're fast...but that won't help us.'

Rio grinned. 'Oh, really?'

He stopped and reached down. Pulling up the legs of his pants, he unbuckled two metallic cuffs clamped just above his ankles. They hit the ground with a dull thump, sending up clouds of dust and punching twin craters into the craggy ground.

Everyone stared at the holes in the ground, then at Rio...or at least, the place Rio just was. He'd vanished, and in an eye-blink, they were somewhere else. Each member of the group seemed to pop into existence, each looking severely wind-blown.

Five seconds later, Rio appeared, the leg clamps back in place. He dusted his paws and grinned.

'That, little mouse,' he said, patting Chris on the head, 'is fast. That's my true speed. Those cuffs slow me down to a reasonable pace...but it burns up my Quintessence doing that too often.' He chuckled at the sea of stunned faces before him, then pointed behind them.

They all turned to see Nocturne's dais, up a slope and a few hundred metres away. Over the lip, they could just make out the tips of Nocturne's wings.

'He's still there,' said Shayde, heaving a relieved sigh.

A distant roar echoed across the terrain. Samiake turned.

'He's getting closer!' he called. 'We have to get Nocturne out of there!'

Shayde nodded and bounded up the slope. It took him a few seconds to realise that the thick black mist that had surrounded the dais was gone; more evidence of Glayce's actions.

Shayde clambered up onto the stone disk and approached the dragon. He was in virtually the same position as before. He opened one eye as Shayde approached, then lifted his head.

' Ah, Shayde,' he said, smiling a little, ' I can tell you were unsuccessful in your attempts to regain my power.'

Shayde couldn't detect any scorn or retribution in his 'voice', but he still hung his head in shame.

'I'm sorry, Nocturne...I tried my best...we all tried our best.'

Nocturne smiled a little wider. ' Do not worry. I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to stop him. But there is little damage done; he has only absorbed a very small portion of my power, and I thank you for stopping him when you did.'

'So now what?' asked Shayde. He pointed to the distant frost dragon. 'He's coming...he'll tear you apart to get that power. His...his curse is gone...his powers are back.'

Nocturne's eyes widened slightly. ' Oh? How did that happen?' Shayde explained about the black sword.

' Ah,' said Nocturne, a little sheepishly. ' I must confess...I did not see this outcome. Well, this complicates...and simplifies...matters.'

Shayde opened his mouth to ask, but Nocturne cut across him.

' Please do not argue, Shayde. I will explain later. But for now, you must hide. Glayce is close, and he will surely vent his wrath on whoever he meets.' He smiled softly at Shayde's concerned expression. ' I am most capable of looking after myself...go now.'

Shayde nodded once and then turned. 'Just don't let him win.' Nocturne gave a deep chuckle. ' No worries there, Shayde. I intend to make sure he never tries this again By the way, there is an overhang by the left side of this dais. Hide under it, and you might be able to watch.'

Shayde smiled and ran back to his friends. He managed to get them all to the overhang just in time; no sooner had Ace slipped up and scooched closer to Zeng (making the tiger growl a little), then a loud thud and a roar was heard.

Glayce had arrived.

---

Nocturne watched with mild curiosity as Glayce stalked closer. With clouds of frost rolling off him like an open refrigerator. Glayce bore down on the black dragon. As they were so close, it could be seen that Glayce was a little bigger than Nocturne.

The death dragon looked up the few inched needed to meet Glayce's snapping yellow eyes.

' May I help you?' he asked blithely.

Glayce snarled and lashed out, striking Nocturne on the jaw. The death dragon reeled, but said nothing.

'Give me my POWER!' Glayce roared. Nocturne smiled gently.

' I believe Shayde already restored your power, and gained one of his own. Therefore, I cannot help you.'

Glayce glared at him, his eyes glittering dangerously. 'You...you are a minion of this realm. I may not have it all, but I DO have the power to force my will on you!'

He glared harder at Nocturne. Nocturne blinked lazily and almost yawned. Glayce snarled and stared even harder, jaws clenched with effort. A tiny trickle of blood oozed from his snout.

'Why...isn't it...working?' he roared. 'You should be putty in my paws!!'

Nocturne stood up and stretched slightly. His eyes narrowed as he looked back at Glayce.

' You are very incorrect. I am not a minion of this realm...I am its ruler. You are the minion, for all your blustering and schemes. You are dead, and therefore, you have little say in this place.'

He raised a paw lazily, and Glayce flinched a little when his own paw rose. It likewise mimicked Nocturne as the death dragon placed his paw to his chest, his talons pricking his hide.

' Oh, and by the way...thank you so much for returning here with my power.'

He then casually dug into his chest, then dragged down. Glayce roared in pain as his own talons tore into his chest. Unlike Nocturne, however, he wasn't healing.

'W...what...is this trickery?!' he cried, half in anger, half in fear.

Nocturne's lip curled, showing a sparkle of very white, very sharp teeth.

' There is no trickery, you arrogant, self-absorbed waste of space. This is my land. You cannot come here and do as you like. You swan around and attempt to steal my_power...it was your own pigheadedness that made you return here. If you had stayed away, you might have succeeded in absorbing more of my power!_'

Glayce's chest heaved as he listened. Then, with a roar of rage, he launched himself bodily at Nocturne, biting, slashing and exhaling all the frost he had...he wanted the death dragon GONE!

---

From their hiding spot under the overhang, Shayde and the others could hear everything, except Nocturne's half of the conversation. The death dragon obviously wasn't interested in broadcasting his speech...that or he didn't remember.

Shayde was pacing the tiny space, almost pulling out his fur. He stopped suddenly.

'I...I have to help...'

Xani put a paw on his shoulder. 'You said Nocturne told us to stay here. I'm sure he is more than capable of defending himself.'

'I know Nocturne,' said Brian. 'He might be a bit of a pacifist, but when he gets going, he's almost merciless. Glayce doesn't stand a chance.'

'You're forgetting, though,' said Chris quietly. 'He's lost his power.'

This statement left them all silent. Shayde gave a tiny whine, then leapt out of the overhang, the black katana drawn.

Samiake watched him, then sighed dramatically.

'Well, we'd better follow and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.' He grinned and followed the Labrador.

The remainder of the group traded looked, then followed.

'Why can't things just be as simple as lopping off a head or two?' Zeng asked the air. Rio chuckled and threw an arm around the tiger.

'Us dragons, we don't follow the rules. We COMPLICATE them.'

---

By the time they'd caught up, Shayde had found a vantage point, close to the dais. From there, they could see everything. The sheer ferocity of the blows was staggering...Shayde had never seen such a fight. Both dragons' eyes blazed with fury as talons ripped hide, fangs bit muscle and wing membrane, and tailspikes jabbed tender nerve clusters.

Glayce might have only had a few inches on Nocturne, but that was enough to sway the fight his way. He delivered a constant barrage of slashes to Nocturne's head and neck, forcing the death dragon down. Everyone could tell that, without some form of assistance, Nocturne would lose.

And so, as before in the cave, the entire group attacked as one. Charging up the slight slope, they all yelled loudly, trying to distract the blue dragon.

It worked. For a split second, Glayce looked up to see where the noise was coming from. Nocturne seized the moment. He twisted around under Glayce's slackened grip until he was belly up. He then jabbed his hind legs into Glayce's chest, dug in his talons, and tore down towards the larger dragon's belly.

Glayce gave a piercing shriek of pain as his body was almost torn open, and responded with a vicious blow to Nocturne's neck, an attack that would have severed head from neck of any other creature. Nocturne went flying backwards and crashed into the ground, his head and neck flopping over the edge of the stone disk. His breathing was ragged, but still there.

Glayce was doing his best to keep his organs inside his body, waiting for the little power he had to kick in and heal the grievous wounds. He hissed and spat like an enraged cat as the group approached, and he kept them at bay with a cloud of snap-freezing frost.

Nocturne looked up and saw Shayde.

' Sh...Shayde...I need...your help.' Shayde nodded and approached.

' My power...is close. If I can get to it...I can finish this. I need you...to distract him...for a minute.'

Shayde nodded grimly again. 'You can count on me!'

He leapt at Glayce, safe from the dragon's icy power. He used the thick clouds as cover to approach undetected, then let out a wild battle-cry. He swung the black blade at Glayce, aiming for his slowly healing lacerations. The blade bit deep, slicing right through some of Glayce's stomach and showering Shayde in scarlet blood.

Glayce stiffened again and roared loud enough to shatter stone. He snatched Shayde up and tried to hurl him away, but Shayde decided to try his new power. He concentrated on the heat coming from the 'sun', and used it to increase his own core temperature again. Glayce yowled as his paws sizzled, and he dropped the hot Labrador unceremoniously. Shayde quickly returned his temperature to normal, instead transferring it to his blade. His eyes narrowed with hate, the blood-soaked Labrador hacked into Glayce, the heated metal cleaving through hide and flesh.

Glayce roared in pain then, with a sudden burst of strength, slammed a foreleg into Shayde's chest, knocking the blade from his arm and pinning him to the ground. He hissed and brought his snout close to Shayde.

'It will be SUCH a pleasure to tear you apart. You'll feel it all...you will continue to live all throughout it.' He grinned with savage cruelty and tightened his grip.

Shayde began to chuckle. Glayce halted, a little put off.

'What is this? Laughing at your fate? How poetic,' he huffed.

'I'm not laughing at MY fate, you overgrown ice-cube,' countered Shayde. 'I'm laughing at yours. Have you never heard of a distraction before?'

Glayce blinked, then looked up. His eyes widened in horror; Nocturne was a about 10 feet away from the great black orb that he'd (so stupidly, he now thought) brought back and left on the dais. In his very core, he knew that, if Nocturne reached that orb, it would be disasterous.

With a roar of desperation, Nocturne leapt off Shayde and towards Nocturne, murder in his eyes. The other's tried to hold him back...Samiake grabbed his tail and yanked back, but the dragon simply snarled and blew frost at them, forcing them to back off again. Shayde suddenly realised he'd let the penny drop too soon...Glayce was too fast and Nocturne was too slow in his weakened state.

With just a foot or so to go, Glayce suddenly screeched to a halt, roaring in pain again. He brought his paws to his eyes and rubbed fiercely, blood oozing as he did. Shayde looked around and saw, standing beside the orb, a yellow figure. A pile of what looked like dirty glass was before him, and specks of the stuff flew in a shimmering line towards Glayce's face.

'Hey,' said Zeng slowly. 'Isn't that...that dragon?'

Rio nodded, his eyes never leaving the yellow sand-dragon. 'Firolf...I didn't think you'd come through.'

Ace smiled softly. 'I knew it...'

Firolf glared hard at Glayce, keeping the stream of glassy shards directed at Glayce's bloody eyes. Glayce shielded his eyes and snarled at his much smaller kin.

'You pathetic excuse of a dragon!' he hissed. 'I will kill you again myself! No-one can DEFEAT ME!!!'

' Wrong! ' said a voice, deep and booming. It seemed to rattle all present to their bones. They all looked to see Nocturne, his talons mere inches from the orb. ' I advise you all to cover your ears.' They all did so, Firolf included. Nocturne touched the orb, and a bright flash of black light blazed across the dais.

Nocturne opened his mouth...and spoke.

' Glayce!' he said loudly. Glayce suddenly stiffened up in rigor mortis, every muscle locked in place. His pupils dilated and his breathing became fast and shallow, as if he was having a heart attack.

' You are a nuisance,' continued Nocturne. ' I should never have given you a second chance. I was a fool to think you could change.' His eyes flashed a deep red, and thick black mist started rolling in. It hazed around Glayce, twining around his legs and body, worming into his chest cavity through the ugly wounds inflicted by Shayde and Nocturne.

' You will never walk this realm, or any other again. I condemn you and your mindless minions to ultimate death, as is in my capacity as Death Dragon!'

And at Nocturne's words, Glayce, the mighty and powerful frost dragon, collapsed to the ground as a lifeless shell

Silence filled the area, and slowly, the group unblocked their ears. They all stared at Glayce's body, then at Nocturne.

'So that's what the power of the Death Dragon is...' whispered Chris.

Samiake raised an arm and watched some shadows twine around his gauntlets. 'Yep...that's what he can do. And not just to the dead...if we had our ears unblocked, we would be just as dead as Glayce.'

Zeng tilted his head a little. 'I...don't understand. Glayce was already dead. He can't die more, can he?'

Nocturne made his way over. ' There are two levels of death in this realm,' he explained, reverting once again to telepathy. ' There is this realm you see here, and the complete, or 'ultimate' death beyond it. Think of this place as...a sort of in-between. The dead can stay here for all eternity...but some do not deserve that. Some deserve to have their lives totally removed.'

'So...Glayce is...' asked Xani. Nocturne smiled and nodded.

' He is completely dead now. Nothing can bring him back. The same with Slate and Yampii. They were foolish enough to throw their lot in with Glayce, and so suffered the same fate.'

He turned to Firolf. ' But you...you made the choice. You broke away from the others...you assisted in returning my power. So, I shall return yours.'

Black mist rolled around Firolf. After a few seconds, it faded. Firolf stood there, breathing heavily. He bent down and ran a paw through a patch of sand. It remained as sand. Firolf looked up, his eyes shining with gratitude. 'Thank you! Thank you, Nocturne...' He grinned and leapt into the air, whooping with joy, then flew away.

Nocturne turned to the others.

' And now, I think it is time for you all to leave. I daresay you are all a little sick of this place, hmm?' He chuckled and spread his wings, allowing mist to envelope them all. ' But first, we need to visit some very important people...'

---

Amanda's hug was tight enough to snap Shayde's spine. She had burst into tears when they had arrived with the news they were returning. She sobbed openly when Shayde decided to go with them, but nodded her understanding.

'I know...I'm sorry. I shouldn't...I shouldn't be greedy. But...you're my son, and I...I never got to see you grow up.' She looked down. 'I hoped you would stay here with your father and I.'

Shayde sniffed. 'I almost did. It was a hard decision...but,' he looked over to his friends. 'They...they're my friends and...I don't think I could leave them.'

Kibroy grinned and slapped his son's back. 'Don't fret it, son. Although I do hold a grudge to you...you're gonna leave me alone with this weepy female for all eter-' He was cut off as Amanda walloped him in the chest, and he fell back gasping and laughing.

Nocturne chuckled. ' I think I will stay away for a while, then.' He turned to the group. ' I am sorry to see you all go. But that is the balance...the living must live, and the dead must move on...with certain exceptions.' He smiled at Shayde, then turned and breathed out. A disk of black mist appeared and hung in the air. It slowly cleared, until they were looking through a window out into the real world, into the same clearing as before.

' You are all free to pass back into the realm of the living. Zeng, Chris, Xani, Rio and Ace...I thank you all for your help. Without you all, things could have been a lot more drastic then they were.'

Kibroy suddenly smacked his head. 'Wait! Son, before you go.' He hurried into the house and returned. He was holding Shayde's silver katana. 'I think you left this in a rock somewhere. It would be very ungrateful of you to leave it here.'

Shayde took the blade, then looked at the black one still on his hip. He turned to Nocturne.

' It is yours, Shayde. Consider it a gift for helping me. Also, look under your left arm.'

Shayde did so and noticed an odd mark almost burnt into his fur. The red pattern looked like a flame, or a water drop...he wasn't sure.

' It is a mark to show your efforts. It shows you possess an ability you didn't have before. Plus, it simply looks cool.'

Shayde laughed. 'I guess it does look cool. Thank you, Nocturne.' He sheathed the silver blade on his hip, right next to the new black blade.

' Now, it is time to go. The living, please go first.'

Zeng, Ace, Chris and Rio nodded and jumped through the portal, landing easily on the other side.

' And now...I am afraid it comes time to return you, Shayde. But, as you know, your situation is different. You cannot simply return.' The dragon sighed and looked sadly at Samiake. ' You knew the payment, young Necromancer. A life for a life...a double-edged agreement.'

Samiake nodded slowly. He looked saddened, but also as if he'd accepted this. 'I know...this is what I knew would happen. And I'm...I'm happy to do so.'

Shayde flinched back. 'What? You...Sam...you have to...take my place?'

Samiake nodded. 'That's why all the Necromancers died out...we all sacrificed ourselves to save people.' He took a step towards Nocturne.

'Wait!' said a voice.

Shayde and Samiake turned to see Xani. She was standing beside Brian, one arm tight around her brother.

'Nocturne...does...does the swap...have to come from a Necromancer?'

Nocturne tilted his head a little. ' ...no...I don't believe so. As long as a life can take the place, any will do.' He had an odd look in his eyes.

Shayde looked between the dragon and Xani, then at Samiake. It suddenly all clicked.

'No!' he whispered. 'No...Xani you can't. Please...don't do this!'

Xani turned to Shayde. 'Don't tell me what I can and can't do. I've...made up my mind.'

Shayde moved over to her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. 'Xani please, you can't leave like that! We...you said...you wanted to settle down.'

Xani smiled softly, her amber eyes swimming with tears.

'I know what I said, Shayde. I'm...I'm allowed to change my mind. I'm not...I'm not just doing this for you.' She looked at Brian. 'I lost my brother too soon, too violently. I tried so hard to get him back, but I failed.'

'You don't think I know what that feels like?!' asked Shayde, somewhat infuriated. He nodded to his parents. 'I'd love to stay with them but I...I...there's...'

Xani pressed a finger to his mouth. 'There are others in life that need you and care for you as well. That's what is different. You HAVE people there...I don't. My entire family is here...there is no-one left for me back there.'

Nocturne cleared his throat.

' If I may...Shayde, you have to know something about Xani. She was destined to die at the hands of Slate, around a year ago. I do not mean to sound harsh, but Xani has only survived since then because of you and Brian. You both protected her when she was going to die. So in a way, she is the perfect trade...she has been...'on the list', shall we say, to arrive here for many months.'

Shayde thought back to when he'd almost killed Xani in Glayce's cave, when she'd been under the dragon's control. A millimetre separated her from death. And then, against Jade...he'd thrown himself in front of his own blade to save her.

Xani embraced Shayde in a tight hug. 'Please Shayde, don't let it get you down. I have everything here. You have friends back home...friends who need you. And maybe...maybe when your true time comes, and you return here...then we can talk about settling down.'

She pulled back, then pressed her muzzle to Shayde's, just like before. She held the kiss for as long as she could, then pulled back. 'I do still love you, Shayde. You are the bravest, most stupid and foolhardy Labrador I know...but I love you. Remember that.'

She took her staff from under the folds of her cloak and handed it to Shayde. 'Here. Take this...as a reminder. I won't need it here. Use it however you like, and remember me.'

Shayde's eyes were streaming tears as he accepted the gift. He clasped the husky's hands once more, before she twisted out of his light hold, then stood beside Nocturne, Brian, Amanda and Kibroy. Shayde ran forward to hug them all once more, tears flattening his fur.

Samiake lightly gripped his friend's shoulder, tugging him gently towards the portal.

'Come on, buddy...it's time to go home,' he murmured. 'I'm sure she'll be fine here...I'm sure.'

With one last look back at his parents and Xani, Shayde and Samiake walked through the portal, and back into life.

---

Shayde blinked into the light. He breathed in, and tasted the sweet air. Everything was so different here, he thought. It felt...right.

He turned to see the others, all with wide grins on their faces.

'Well, how do you like that...' said Rio. 'We actually did it.'

Shayde chuckled, then felt a weight hit his shoulder. He heard the others gasp in shock, then a voice hissed into his ear.

'How are you still here?! This time, no mistake!'

And before he could move, Jade opened her jaws and bit down hard into Shayde's neck. Shayde stiffened up as he felt the razor-sharp fangs enter his body, and felt the cold burning as acid was injected into his bloodstream.

He staggered back and clamped a paw to his neck, watching dizzily as Jade flew off, crowing with success.

Rio, Ace, Zeng, Chris and Samiake surrounded him as he dropped to one knee. No way, he thought wildly. No way could he die again so soon...he hadn't even taken two steps yet!

And then, he felt something odd. Starting from his tail, he felt a cool wave roll over his body...as if he was being healed! He looked back at the portal.

Not all of his body was in the living realm. The last inch of his tail was still beyond the portal. Nocturne vanished, then reappeared beside him, giving an amused tut.

' You cannot even go two seconds into the living realm without trying to die,' he chided good-naturedly. ' Well, count yourself lucky...if you had taken even a half-step more, I wouldn't be able to help. Since you are technically still in the Deadlands, I am allowed to heal you.' He smiled as the acid hissed from Shayde's pores as a fine mist. ' There. Good as new. Now, I suggest you get rid of that pest before she tries something else.' He then vanished and reappeared back in the Deadlands.

Shayde nodded grimly. Jade looked back and almost fell out of the sky. Giving a shriek of rage, she flew in a dive-bomb at Shayde, coated in acid. Shayde didn't move until the dragoness was inches away, then unsheathed his silver blade and cutting in an arc over his head. The blade sliced through Jade's throat and sent her plummeting to the ground. She gurgled and tried to close the hole in her throat, but stopped moving in seconds.

Nodding slightly, Shayde sheathed his blade, watching as the black mist took Jade's body away. He turned to look into the portal, but it was gone.

He wiped his eyes once, then turned to the others.

'Come on, guys...let's go home.

Epilogue

Two days after the adventure, Zeng left to return home. He didn't say it, but Shayde could tell he was vastly relieved that Glayce was finally dead. They both had lost families to the frost dragon, and knowing he was gone made them both feel good.

'I'm going to tell everyone I know about this. You're almost a tiger, with all that dragon-slaying.' Zeng chuckled and slapped Shayde on the back. Shayde grinned and returned the favour.

'Good luck, Zeng. Don't get too lost,'

Zeng waved lazily as he walked away. Shayde watched the tiger until the trees swallowed him up, then turned back to home.

---

Rio had volunteered to take Ace home before he left. Shayde and Ace spent a few hours talking about Ace's feelings. The beagle still had feelings for Shayde, but he knew that things couldn't work out like that. Shayde was apologetic, and blushed hard all through the talk, but informed the beagle that there was more than likely someone out there for him. He wasn't sure if Ace believed him, but they parted ways as friends. Shayde hoped that the beagle would find someone who completed him.

---

Rio stood beside a very futuristic looking vehicle, ready to return to his own land. He was teasing and poking Samiake, flicking the otter's tail and pouncing on him at every opportunity. Samiake took this all with a smile...all good fun.

'Well, I guess I'll see you later. Shayde, you should try visiting my land some day. We could use someone of your skill.' Rio said before he left.

Shayde nodded. 'Maybe. We'll see what happens. Goodbye, Rio...and thanks for everything.'

Shayde and Samiake watched as the shuttle zipped off, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

---

Shayde sat out the front of a slightly ramshackle home. The door had been kicked in many years ago, and the wood had almost rotted away. The paint was faded and peeling, and the garden, once so carefully and beautifully tended, had fallen into a wild state.

Before him, three tombstones stood in the earth. There were no bodies under the earth that they marked, but they still left a message. He'd done this as soon as he could...he felt it only right to return to where it all started.

He felt a presence behind him, but didn't turn.

'Hey,' said Samiake. 'Thought I'd find you here.'

Shayde nodded mutely. He took the gold staff from the ground before him and broke it in half, settling the two pieces in front of the far-right marker. A wide-brimmed hat, he placed on the far-left stone, and a pair of age-stiffened kid-gloves rested on the centre stone.

Samiake sat down beside Shayde, wrapping his tail around his feet.

'Death is a funny thing, buddy,' he said suddenly. 'We know it's there, we try to accept it...sometimes we even laugh at it. But we are all scared of it. When push comes to shove, we are all terrified of dying.'

Shayde nodded again, trailing a finger through the loose dirt.

'But you saw it...you felt it. Death is...nothing like that. It's peaceful. Death only hurts the living.'

Shayde sighed and looked at his friend.

'I know. I'm sorry I've been a bit down. I guess it's going to take some time to readjust.'

Samiake stood up and hauled Shayde up as well.

'I know that. So how about we go do something fun. Take your mind off it. Why don't we go to the beach.' He grinned. 'I remember when we met at the beach...you almost drowned.' He chuckled suddenly. 'I remember your face when the water went over your head. You almost sh-'

Shayde tackled the otter to the ground, laughing as his friend's face hit the dirt.

'Come on then...let's go to the beach!'

THE END

For Now...