Story (c) 2000-2004 by Hikaru Katayamma/Keith Dickinson. All rights reserved. The character Sheila Vixen (c) Eric W Schwartz. Throckmorton P Ruddygore, Poqua, Lakash (c) Jack L Chalker. Jack (c) David Hopkins.Mary the Mouse © Mary Minch. All other characters are (c) Hikaru Katayamma.  This story contains adult situations and language. By reading it the viewer agrees not to hold this or any other person responsible for any content they may find objectionable. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Hecate watched as Sheila tucked the tanto under her left leg. "I thought you were going to stop dragging that thing around," the ebony elf asked with a frown.

"I was, but when I got back to the room the other day, I noticed that someone had been fooling with it." Folding her dress so that it covered the scabbard and handle, Sheila started to wheel herself towards the door. "I'd rather not have anyone screwing around with it while I'm not about."

"It was probably just one of the students taking a look at it. It's not like they get to examine a real celestial artifact every day you know," Hecate commented as she held the door open. "I'm sure they didn't mean any harm."

The vixen gave a small shrug as she rolled down the hallway. "Maybe not, but it still bothers me. Besides, it's not like I'm going to get into trouble for having it, right?"

"True," the elf replied as she followed behind the wheelchair. They first checked Ruddygore's study before heading to the grand foyer. "Ok. I'm going to go find Poquah and see if the RT's gone down to see Arden yet. You hang out here in case he comes by."

"All right," the vixen acknowledged as she wheeled herself over to the door leading outside. It was a beautiful morning with a hint of dew still clinging to the plants. Here and there, small fairies flittered about, tending to the plants while small, gnome-like elves tilled the soil, uprooting any weeds that may have invaded the fertile soil. Sheila took a deep breath, inhaling the scents on the early morning breeze.

"It is a glorious morning, isn't it?" came Ruddygore's booming voice as he stopped next to her chair. Placing his cane directly in front of himself, he leaned on it with both hands. "The kind of day that makes one glad to be alive, eh?"

Sheila smiled up at the big man. "Very much so." She paused for a minute to take in the morning atmosphere before looking back up at him. "Are you on your way down to see Arden again?" She paused as he gave her a silent nod. "Do you think you might ask if it's OK for me to come visit?"

"I'll ask," the big man replied, frowning slightly. "However she's quite exhausted from her ordeal, and I'm not sure if she's feeling up to having visitors quite yet. To be honest, I'm surprised that she's survived this long at all, considering."

Her eyes pleading, she gave him her best 'puppy dog' look. "Still, I'd appreciate it if you'd ask… Please?"

The big man chuckled. "I'm afraid that won't work on me, my dear. However, I will ask, as there is no harm in doing so. The worst she can do is say no. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd best get going. I have a full day today."

"Thank you," the vixen called to the retreating form as she watched him go into the apprentice's quarters. She let out a long sigh and frowned. "He'll never agree to see me."

"You know, you don't exactly need permission," came a voice from behind.

Turning, Sheila saw Lakash leaning against a pillar next to the doorway. "Lakash?" She frowned at the man as he tipped his derby hat to her. "What do you mean I don't need permission? He said he wanted to be alone and I'm not about to go where I'm not invited."

Lakash chucked as he squatted next to the wheelchair and looked at the pregnant female. "What if I told you that you already had implicit permission to enter?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, giving him a dubious look.

"Simple. He took very specific precautions when he cast the spell on the door so that they wouldn't affect you. In fact," he continued, glancing conspiratorially around, "the spell is designed so that you and only you can approach the door and open it without being challenged."

"Bullshit," the vixen vehemently spat back.

Giving her a wounded look, Lakash put a hand over his heart and raised the other towards the heavens. "I swear by the maker, on Heavens and Hells name both, and all that I hold dear and sacred, that what I'm saying to you is the truth. Should I be lying, may the maker strike me down here and now!" He looked around impatiently for a minute before relaxing. "See? No lightning."

"Hah!" the vixen barked derisively. "Like that's any proof. People say shit like that all the time and they're never stuck down by lightening."

He nodded in agreement. "True. True. But how many of those people were of divine creation? Their existence born upon the breath of the creator personally and their every action tied directly to his consciousness?" He paused as he allowed that statement to sink in. "How else do you think he monitors us and ensures that we obey the rules of the game?"

Sheila's jaw dropped. "No shit? God really watches everything you say or do?"

"It's the absolute truth. If any of the others were about, they'd tell you the exact same thing. There are rules that we must abide by and if we break them, there are severe penalties including, but not limited to, total oblivion." He passed to look around and smiled. "Personally, I'm not about to take a chance with being obliterated, especially as my goal is to prevent Armageddon and ensure that the game doesn't end. I can't very well do that if I've been destroyed, right?"

"That sounds pretty convincing, but to be honest, I don't believe you." Crossing her arms, she again scowled at the man. "You'll have to do better than that."

"All right," the man replied, gesturing to the dagger under her leg. "The dagger is the key to your entry. That's why Arden told you never to let it out of your site. It's designed to defend whoever possesses it from hostile magic and the spell on the door can't affect it. That's the truth. Arden designated it to be the key to bypassing the wards on the door. "

Sheila took the dagger out from under her leg and examined it for a moment before replacing it. "I'll think about it."

"As you wish," the fallen angel stated as he stood up. "But you and I both know that Arden thinks that you're still the pain-in-the-ass bitch who's been giving him such a hard time ever since you brought him back. Think about it all you want, but you know he's not going to want to see you because of it."

"Listen, assho…" Sheila started to reply then realized she was talking to empty air. Lakash had vanished. Letting out a low growl, she took a few deep breaths to try and calm down as she finished watching the sunrise… Just about the time it had finished clearing the horizon, the vixen gave a deep sigh. "Damn it!" she cursed angrily as she turned the wheelchair to the ramp that had been installed along the side of the building and started to glide down it, braking with her hands. Reaching the bottom, she turned and started across the way to the apprentices' quarters. It was a bit of a pain to get the chair over the lip of the doorway, but she managed it on the third try.

Now inside the building, she took a moment to let her sight adjust to the dim interior before she proceeded in. Pausing at the first intersection, she watched as one of the apprentices approached. "Excuse me, but which way to the chamber with the dragon in it?"

"Eh?" the young man grunted, looking up from his book. "Oh! The arena? Down the hall behind me, fifth door on the right. Look for the one with all the skull and crossbones." He paused to glance down at the pregnant vixen. "You aren't going down there, are you? The master's declared that place off limits."

Sheila gave the young man a smile. "Thanks for the warning, but the dragon's a very close friend of mine and I'm expected. Thanks for the directions."

"Ok," the young man said with a shrug as he walked away.

Sheila followed his directions until she came to the door with the signs on it. There was a large sign covered with symbols and numerous skull and crossbones symbols. "This must be it," she commented as she reached for the knob. There was a sudden electrical 'snap' as her hand got close causing her to jerk it back. Cursing, she took the dagger out and pointed the blade towards the handle and started probing with it. There was a flash as the spark jumped from the knob and to the dagger repeatedly before the spell weakened and died. Hesitantly Sheila reached out and cautiously touched the knob. Certain that she wasn't going to get another shock, the vixen kept the dagger in front of her as she opened the door just in case there were any more surprises waiting.

Pausing in the doorway, Sheila hesitated before going down the black hallway. "Don't these people believe in light?" As she said that, the dagger began to glow. "That's a handy trick," the vixen commented with a chuckle. "One of these days I'm going to have to ask Arden to give me an owner's manual for this thing." Holding the dagger between her teeth, she used her hands to control the speed of the wheelchair as it glided down the passageway. As she came to the bottom of the switchbacks, the floor leveled off so that she now had to work to continue ahead. A few seconds later, she spotted the door that would lead to Arden's lair.

Hecate walked through the door leading from the grand foyer and out to the front steps. "Where the hell could she have gone?' Looking around, Hecate spotted one of the students walking from the dorm to the main building. "Hey!" the elf shouted as she jogged down the stairs. "You seen a fox in a wheelchair running around here?"

"Fox?" he replied nervously. "Yah. She was in the dorms. Asking how to get to the arena." He flinched as the elf cursed.

"You moron!" Hecate shouted at the top of her lungs. "How could you let her go down there?"

"Hey! It's not my job to baby-sit her!" Tossing his hands up defensively at the demoness' deadly glare, he backpedaled both physically and verbally. "Look, I warned her it was dangerous, but she said that the dragon was a friend and was expecting her! What was I supposed to do?"

Ignoring the apprentice, Hecate took off at a full run, hoping that it wasn't too late.

"The ferry will be here in two days. You will be ready to go by then?" Ruddygore asked, sitting on a simple, yet comfortable chair as he faced the dragon.

The prostrate dragon just blinked. "Yes. I should be recovered enough by then."

The large man frowned as he studied the dragon. Before it had appeared healthy enough considering the amount of damage that it had endured, but now the thing was looking absolutely gaunt. "Are you sure you don't need anything? Gold? Some cattle maybe? A dancing girl or two?"

The dragon chuckled. "No dancing girls, please. I am worried about Sheila. How's she doing?"

"Quite nicely I must say. She is in very good spirits and has been nothing but a pleasure to deal with." Shifting his position in the chair so that he leaned forwards slightly, the large man smiled. "In fact, she was asking this morning if I would ask you for permission to visit. What should I tell her?"

"What?" Rising up, the dragon took a step towards the sorcerer. "What do you mean she's in good spirits? Did you or one of your lackeys put a spell on her?"

"No! No spells!" Ruddygore replied, waving his hands towards the dragon to deflect the accusation. "One of the girls gave her a bath, trimmed her fur and generally got her cleaned up, but that's it."

The dragons head hovered over the big man for a minute, studying him through the slit of his one good eye before she relaxed and returned to her resting spot. "You know, that actually makes a twisted sort of sense for her. I probably could have avoided a world of trouble if I'd just taken her shopping a few times."

Relieved, the sorcerer chuckled at the humor. "So should I tell her that it's OK to come down?"

"Please," the dragon responded, the impression of a smile on its reptilian mouth.

Ruddygore stood up and turned to leave. "Fine. I'll bring her on my next visit."

"No need," the dragon replied, stopping him. "Sheila can come down any time. The spells on the door won't respond to her."

The sorcerer paused and gave the dragon a curious look. "So you wanted her to come down here all along?"

Again the dragon chuckled. "No. I just assumed that she would even though she was told not to. Besides, the last thing I want is to risk her getting hurt. When all is said and done, I swore to ensure no harm came to her."

Sheila locked the wheels on the chair, flipped up the footrests then leveraged herself up to a standing position. She paused for a moment to ensure that she wouldn't become dizzy before removing the dagger from between her teeth and holding it in her right hand and studied the door that sat approximately ten feet away. "All right, dagger, so what now?" she asked, looking at the blade. Not getting an answer, she took a deep breath and let it out as she slowly crept forwards.

As she got close to the door, she could see the detail of its construction. Similar to most of the heavy doors around the castle, it was wooden with iron bands that held it together. She paused as she noticed a latticework of what appeared to be glowing black crayon scribbles across the surface of the door. As she moved the light away, they faded only to re-intensify as she brought the dagger closer again. "I wonder what these are," she mumbled as she moved closer to examine the door. "They look like…"

Hecate came barreling around the final corner just in time to see the glow of a light that illuminated Sheila and the door leading to the arena. The elf started to yell out, but it was too late. There was a bright flash of light that blinded her for a moment followed by a horrendous scream. Hecate watched in dismay as a torrent of energy leapt from the door and walls around it towards the hapless vixen. Squinting against the pyrotechnic display, the elf could see Sheila as she stumbled backwards, the dagger clenched in her hands and held before her. The dagger, it appeared, was absorbing or deflecting much of the energy being thrown at the vixen, but it couldn't stop all of it.

On the other side of the door, Ruddygore and Arden were also busy deflecting odd bolts of energy that flew from the door. Arden rushed forwards, reaching for the door both with magic and with her hand as she began to weave a spell that would allow the energy coming from the door to harmlessly ground itself in the stone.

Ruddygore winced as a bolt of energy ricocheted off of several walls only to wind up nicking him in the arm. "My god," the sorcerer thought to himself, "What kind of madman would create a spell like this." He watched as the dragon tried unsuccessfully to do something to the spell on the door. "What's the problem?" he shouted.

"Something on the other side of the door is interfering with the warding spell, causing some kind of feedback loop. I'm trying to defuse it, but…." As she worked, she saw the magic that had been woven into the door begin to cannibalize the structure of the wood itself, converting the potential energy of the wood into a useable form. "What the hell? I never designed it to do any of this!"

The sorcerer was moving in a surprisingly agile fashion for a man of his stature, as he continued to dodge bolts of energy. "Can't you disable it? Disarm the damn thing?"

"It already was disarmed! The damn thing should have been as dormant as a doorknob. Something's causing the problem from the other side!" Arden roared as several bolts struck her in the side. She reached out with renewed determination, calling on the full magic available to her and summoned a sphere of utter and complete darkness, which floated towards the door. Energy that was arcing from the door began to curve towards the sphere, striking it and vanishing into the void. As the ball reached the door, there was a bright flash of light followed by a moment of absolute darkness as both the door and the sphere vanished.

The flash momentarily blinded Hecate as she rushed towards the hapless vixen. She staggered for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the only light coming from the room beyond the now empty doorway. The elf skidded to a halt as she saw Sheila's smoking form laying on the ground with small worm like arcs of energy coursing over her prone form. Dropping to her knees near the vixen, Hecate watched as the tendrils of energy burrowed into the vixen and vanished. She looked to see Ruddygore as he rushed into the tunnel with the dragon's head peering through the doorway behind him.

"What happened here?" the large sorcerer demanded as he dropped to his knees and reached out to examine the wounded female.

Arden's heart skipped a beat as he saw Sheila lying on the ground, her fur singed and still smoldering in places. In her hand, the tanto's glow slowly faded. "Sheila!" Her world shattered at the sight of the mortally wounded vixen, causing him to momentarily loose control. Pain followed quickly as torrents of energy flowed through the connection he had with Lakash, sending the great wyrm into convulsions before finally falling unconscious to the floor.

Arden became aware that she was awake, or more properly put, she simply became aware. Lying on her back, she could see the doorway out of her good eye. Ruddygore seemed to move in slow motion, a ghost like trail following behind him as he walked through the door. It took what seemed like an eternity for her to realize that the large man was upside down and even longer to figure out why.

"Arden" echoed the sorcerer's voice through his head. "Arden!"

Focusing her eye on the big man, Arden tried to reach out to him, but her clawed hand fell short. "What's happening?" she thought to herself through the cottony fog that occupied her mind.

Ruddygore paused and studied the dragon. He had seen what had happened to her and understood instantly what was being done. Now it was up to him to see how much of the situation he could rectify, if any. He stroked his beard as he contemplated how to begin and settled on dealing with the physical issues first. Casually, with an almost second nature ease, he waved his hand at the great dragon, causing her shape to blur and shift as it shrunk down to roughly the same shape and size that Arden had been when he'd first arrived.

Satisfied with the results, the sorcerer now delved into the injured psyche of the dragon now turned into a man, examining the damage that the attack had caused. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow as he painstakingly tried to repair the neurological damage caused by the energy as well as to the badly damaged psyche. After more than an hour, he finally took a deep breath, letting it out as he examined his handy work. He reached out to lend a helping hand as Arden tried to sit up.

"What happened?" the scarred man asked, wincing at the sound of his own voice.

"Take it easy," the sorcerer directed, as he helped Arden turn to lean against the wall. "Something happened when Sheila approached the door and it caused a feedback loop between her and the ward. After you destroyed the door, I saw some sort of energy burn its way out of you from the inside. It almost killed you."

"Sheila!" He grabbed the sorcerer's lapel with his hand, clenching it in a white-knuckled fist. "Is Sheila OK?" Ruddygore's expression turned solemn, telling him everything he needed to know. His face was filled with horror at the realization at what must have happened. "Oh god! Please! No!"

Lucifer, dressed in his usual black pinstriped business suit and using an umbrella for a cane, stood once again with the tall, silver and gold armored angelic figure by his side. Both stood off to one corner of a room deep inside of Castle Terindell, unseen by its two other occupants. The fact that one of the occupants was lying on a padded table and covered with a sheet up to her neck was the reason both had manifested here.

"Lakash has overstepped his bounds," the angel declared angrily as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Lucifer sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. The dagger was created in his realm, and as such he has domain over it. He can modify it any way he wants to and we can't touch him."

"I don't care," the angel stated flatly as he turned towards his temporary ally. "This action was inexcusable. She was an innocent third party, not a pawn."

"When are you going to learn there is no such thing as an innocent party in this game!" the devil demanded, startling his angelic companion. "She's just another tool to push Arden around." His head snapped around as he reached out to grab the angel's arm. "Speak of the devil. 'He' is here."

Hecate stood next to Sheila and watched the unsteady rise and fall of the vixen's chest. Occasionally, the unconscious female would moan and shift in pain from the spells, which had burrowed deep within her body. She reached out and took the wet compress from the vixen's forehead, dampened it again and replaced it gently. Her hands unconsciously balled into fists as she tried to find some way to undo the damage, but only became more frustrated as she realized that this was way out of her league.

"That's a mighty ugly way to die if you ask me," Lakash stated casually as he appeared, leaning against the opposite wall.

"Lakash!" the elf spat vehemently. "You son of a bitch! What did you do to her?"

Lakash looked around in confusion, his face declared his innocence as he held a hand over his heart. "Me? You think I did this? I'm not the one who cast the ward on that door."

The demoness stormed around the table to point an accusing finger at the celestial being. "No, but you had something to do with it. You've wanted nothing more than to screw over Arden, and now you've found a way."

"True," he replied as he crossed his arms. "However, I had nothing to do with the ward. That was all Arden's work. I'm not allowed to interact with anything created in this realm unless invited to." He uncrossed his arms and pushed himself away from the wall and walked over to the table. He looked sadly down at the vixen as he talked. "No, I'm not the one to blame. It was Arden. He knew she'd come down there."

Hecate grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. "He'd never hurt her!"

Again, he feigned surprise. "No? Then consider this. The ward on the door was inert. He'd disabled it when Ruddygore came to visit and hadn't re-armed it. Anyone could have walked up to that door and gone through it without a hitch." He stepped forwards, invading the elf's personal space. "So why did it react to her? Why Sheila?"

Taking an involuntary step backwards, Hecate shook her head. "I don't know."

"The dagger," he stated, pointing to the scorched blade that lay on a nearby tray. "Anyone, even Sheila would have been able to walk up to that door, but it responded to the dagger. It would have attacked and tried to kill anyone carrying the dagger." Again he stepped forwards, forcing the elf backwards until the wall stopped her. "So tell me, what was the one thing that Arden told her about that dagger?"

"Never let it out of her sight," she replied, her eyes wide with understanding. Her expression changed to rage and hate as her hands again balled into fists. "That son of a bitch knew she'd be the only one carrying it."

"Exactly," he said with a smile as she stepped away, her back towards him. "He knew you were supposed to be watching over her. Who better to blame for her death than you? He'd say that it reacted to your presence." He smiled as he watched the enraged elf abandon the rational magic that she'd studied so hard to master and gave herself to her demonic side, summing forth such raw, elemental power that it formed a flame-like, crimson aura about her. "Are you going to let him get away with that?"

Hecate's head snapped around as she heard the door open. Her eyes locked on Arden as he began to step through the door. Drawing her dagger, she launched herself towards the man, taking him by surprise and pinning him against the wall, her dagger to his throat. "You fucking bastard! How could you do this to her?"

Ruddygore reached out towards the demoness. "Hecate!"

Her head snapped around towards the sorcerer who saw the murderous intent in her eyes. "Back off! This is between me and him!" She looked back at Arden and snarled with rage.

"Hecate," Arden managed to choke out. "You know I'd never hurt Sheila!"

"Then explain why your ward attacked her!" she demanded, pressing against his throat even harder with her arm. "Explain why it reacted to the dagger you told her to always carry. Explain why it tried to kill her!"

"No! You have it wrong," he declared, staring her in the eyes. "The ward was supposed to ignore anyone with the dagger. It was supposed to not react!"

She dug the point of the dagger into his chest. "You expect me to believe that?"

Her accusations turned his face into a mask of fear and horror. "I swear to God, Hecate! I'd never hurt Sheila. You know that!" He glanced down at the knife, over towards Lakash and then back at the enraged elf. "Hecate, you know how I feel about Sheila. If you truly believe that I would intentionally cause her harm, then kill me. But before you do, I want you to think real hard about where you got your information and then if, if you really believe that I did it, kill me."

The ebony female paused, seeing the tears in his eyes for the first time. She glanced over at Lakash and saw a smug smile on his face before looking back into the grief stricken eyes before her. The aura around her flickered then faded as she stepped back and turned to face Lakash. "Bastard! You manipulated me!"

Lakash shrugged. "Oh well. It was worth a try."

Arden's expression changed to anger. He walked over to the tray with the tanto on it, picked up the blade and examined it. "Son of a bitch!" he declared as he walked over to Lakash, the dagger held up before him. "You screwed with the dagger so that it would create a causal feedback loop!"

"Guilty as charged," he replied with a smile. "Although I couldn't have done it without Hecate's help. She got Sheila to leave the dagger in her room one morning, giving me plenty of time to modify it." He paused to let the information sink in. "Pretty easy work considering she wanted the secret to crossing the Sea of Dreams to other realities."

Arden turned his gaze to Hecate. "Is that true? You helped him?"

"No!" the elf replied as she held her hands up in front of her. "I mean, yes I suggested she leave the dagger, but it had nothing to do with Lakash. Hell, I didn't even know he'd be able to screw with it!"

His anger getting the better of him for a moment, Arden took a step towards Hecate then stopped and turned back towards Lakash. "No. You're responsible. I'm not going to let you distract me. I'm not going to let you get away with this."

"I don't see what you're going to do about it," the celestial arrogantly stated. "You have no power over me any more, and nothing you can do can cause me permanent harm."

Arden grabbed the man by the lapel and slammed him against the wall with the dagger held to his throat. "Maybe I can't do permanent damage, but I can kill your avatar, leaving you without access to this realm."

Lakash nodded. "You can do that if you want, but it won't accomplish anything. Sheila will still be dying and you won't have the power to heal her."

"Oh, I'll have the power. You're in violation of the bargain. You either restore my access to the power or you lose."

"Actually, no," the dapper dressed man replied calmly. "You're entitled to use the power when and where it will advance you towards your ultimate goal. You've been squandering the power on everything but. Healing your bitch won't get you any closer to you goal than if you let her die. She's not important to the quest."

"She's important to me!" Arden declared, sliding the dagger so that it caused the outer layer of skin to part. He grinned at Lakash's discomfort. "Either give me the power to heal her or heal her yourself."

Lakash's eyes narrowed to slits. "You want her healed, heal her yourself."

"I don't have the power!" the scarred man snarled.

The small man snarled back. "Then use the lamp!" He watched as Arden blinked in surprise. "That's right. A properly stated wish will not only cure her, but return the both of you to your home reality."

"But…" Arden stammered, his resolve broken by confusion, "but that means abandoning the quest."

"It's one or the other," the celestial smugly declared. "You want the bitch alive, you give up Nanuk. It's your choice."

The confusion faded from Arden's face as it became a mask of pure hatred that surprised even Lakash. "If that's my only choice, then I choose neither! I'd rather destroy you and to hell with everyone else than giving you the satisfaction of making me choose!" With that, he reared back with the dagger and drove it between Lakash's eyes, through his brain and into the wood beyond so that the tanto supported the twitching corpse.

Turning away, Arden walked over to the table where Sheila lay and took her hand. "I swear to god, I'll destroy them all if he lets you die."

In one corner of the room, a small sparkle of light appeared, quickly growing onto a bright man-shaped luminescent being who's radiance was blindingly bright. Hecate crouched, bared her fangs and claws towards the light as she hissed, before turning to flee from its presence. The light pulsed and faded leaving a tall, blond-haired angelic man wearing silver and gold armor, complete with halo and wings, standing there.

"Son of a bitch," Arden muttered to himself as he moved to the tanto and yanked it from the wall, causing the dead avatar to disintegrate into a cloud of dust. "I'm getting sick and tired of you assholes!"

The angel spread his hands and smiled at the angry man. "Be at peace, Arden Eastridge, for I am here to help."

"I don't need your help!" Arden shouted. "I neither want nor need anything from your kind! All you've done is push me around like a pawn, destroying everything that I loved or cared for! Well I have news for you, I'm not going to take it any more!"

"Be at peace," the angel said again in a calm and soothing voice. "I'm not your enemy."

"No. You're not my enemy," the scarred man replied with a snarl. "I know your kind. All you ever do is sit back and watch. You refuse to take a stand, preferring to sit on the sidelines and watch the action."

"And yet I am here," the armored being stated, as it glided towards Arden. "Is not my presence here enough to prove that we can no longer sit and watch?"

Some of the anger seemed to leave Arden as he listened to the words. "Maybe and maybe not. What do you want in return for your help?"

"We don't work like that," the creature said, placing a gentle hand on Arden's shoulder. "You of all people know that we ask nothing in return."

Anguish and loss replaced the rage that had chiseled Arden's face. "I'd like to believe that. I really would."

He gave the man's shoulder a compassionate squeeze. "But?"

"But…" he started to say and then turned away to lean on the table. "But I lost my faith in your kind a long time ago."

"No, you didn't," the celestial stated as he moved to stand next to the table. "You lost your way, but you've never lost your faith. If you had, you wouldn't be here now."

"I don't know," he whispered as tears dropped onto Sheila's furred arm. "It's one thing to know God exists, but it's something completely different to have faith in him, knowing that this is all just one big game. Knowing that we're just ants in a glass jar to him. That all this," he said, waving his arms to encompass everything, "is just a fucking game and that he couldn't give a shit about us one way or another."

The angel sighed and shook his head sadly. "You know that's not true. He cherishes all of his children. He only wants the best for you, but each person must decide for themselves how they'll live their life." He paused to look at Ruddygore who stood transfixed in the doorway then back at Arden. "Yes, this is a game, but it's much more than just a game. Far more. And you have a critical part to play in it." He paused as Arden looked up at him, their eyes locking. "You have a destiny, Arden. You can choose to fulfill that destiny, or you can deny it. The choice is yours. If you fulfill it, then the nature of the game will change, possibly for the better. If you fail, Lakash wins, the game will take a turn for the worse and people everywhere will suffer for it."

Arden nodded and looked back down at Sheila. "How can a god, any god, expect me to be willing to give up the first true love I've ever had?" He reached down and caressed the vixen's hair. "How am I supposed to give up growing old with her, raising children and grandchildren? What kind of god would ask someone to do that?"

"A compassionate god." He paused until Arden looked at him with a confused expression. "I can't tell you how, but I will tell you this, and you know that I cannot lie to you or anyone else: There is a way for you to come back once you've accomplished your destiny."

"That's impossible," Arden declared, frowning. "I've seen my futures in the eye. My soul will be completely consumed. There's no way back."

The angel gave a kind smile again. "Were you looking into the eye to see your future afterwards, or simply how to achieve the goal?" He paused as the question hit home. "I've seen the future beyond that event. I've seen you returning to Sheila. I've seen you together, raising your kids and grandkids. I can't say how, just that you managed it, but I know that you have a spirit that is unique. If anyone could manage it, I believe you could."

Arden turned towards Sheila again as his mind raced over the possibilities. His hand clinched hers as she shuddered and moaned. "All right. What do I have to do?"

Again, the angel placed a hand on his shoulder. "All you have to do is ask."

"Ask?" Arden echoed in disbelief. "All right. Please. I beg of you. Please, in God's name, heal her!"

"Your prayers have been heard," the angel replied. He reached out and placed both hands on Sheila's body and concentrated. A pure white glow started around his hands and spread to encompass her entire body for a moment before fading.

"Sheila?" Arden held her hand tight as he caressed her forehead. "Sheila? Honey? Wake up!"

The vixen groaned and opened her eyes. "Can't a person die in peace around here?"

Unable to speak, Arden began to cry tears of sorry, joy, loss, regret and too many other emotions to count as he looked down at the female he loved.

"Hey, hey! What's all this about?" she asked, reaching out to wipe the tears from his face.

Closing his eyes, he gasped for air. "Oh god, Sheila. I thought I'd lost you! Please! Can you ever forgive me?"

Not quite understanding what had happened, Sheila, too, began to cry as what he said hit home. "Forgive you? You big lunk! I'm the one who should be asking you to forgive me!"

"You don't understand," he pleaded as he held on to her hand with a firm grasp. "I always said that I loved you, but I never knew, deep down in my heart and soul, knew for a fact that I loved you until I saw you dying. Please, can you ever forgive me?"

"All right," she replied as tears still rolled down her face, "but on one condition."

"Condition?" Arden echoed, suddenly confused.

"Yes. You've gotta stop blubbering all over me," she replied with a smile.

Arden laughed even as he continued to cry. "Done."

Behind them, Ruddygore turned to leave the two lovers alone. He ran his hand through his thick, silver-gray hair and muttered, "I'm getting too old for this stuff."

Once again invisible to those in the mortal realm, the angel strode purposefully back towards where Lucifer stood with a large, shit-eating grin on his face. The angel pursed his lips at the devils expression and frowned. "Don't say a word! Not one word!"

"Oh, I wasn't going to say anything," Lucifer replied smugly, a hint of a laugh in his voice. "But since you brought it up, don't you think the Voice is going to be pissed when he finds out you performed a miracle without getting permission first?"

"You know, you're not making this easy for me," the angelic creature replied.

Lucifer guffawed. "You know what they say," he chided as they walked further and further from the room, passing beyond the reality they had just been a part of. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."