Balon was surprised by Enly'air suddenly surging forward with some sort of conjured spear. She was moving fast, and by pulling herself down along the haft of his spear she had put him in an awkward position in which he wouldn't be able to intercept her with his shield. So Balon made a quick decision and did something that would no doubt be equally unexpected; his spear and shield clattered to the ground with a tremendous thud as he dropped them. Then, the giant fell straight forward like a domino, intending to crash down on his foe like an avalanche.

Since Enly'air was already darting through the water towards Balon, suddenly switching directions in the fraction of the second that she had would be difficult. Her instinctual reaction would probably be to raise her spear and let the giant impale himself on it, but Balon's massive chestplate was like a wall of bronze. However, being crushed beneath Balon would not necessarily be a sure death; the tunnel's floor was uneven and with the water to cushion any impacts Enly'air might find herself merely bruised and trapped between two bumps in the floor, with Balon unable to crush her.

________________________

Ifrit's poor vision was a mercy, for there were only haunting and cold things to be seen in spirit realm. Everything was as it was in the world of the living, only dead. Mounds of bones were strewn across the landscape, while dreary winds whistled between what dead, petrified trees. Not far away was the ruined version of Paterdomus. The mountain of rubble was hardly recognizable, and more resembled a cairn than a necropolis. The sky was bleak and grey, the sun itself dead in this world. The soft, sickly glow of ectoplasm was all that illuminated the landscape.

In this desolate plane, Shaige was at home. His form always yearned to be here; if it were not for the vial of blood that was his dungeon heart, Shaige would have little to anchor him to the world of the living and would no doubt end up trapped in this bleak world. Ifrit, however, did not blend in. This was a dreary, dead world of blacks and whites and greys. The vibrant oranges and yellows from Ifrit's raging flames could be seen for miles, and such colors and signs of life would attract the souls of the damned like flies to a corpse.

After a pregnant pause, Shaige responded to Ifrit with a simple statement, [b]"I saved you from the humans."[/b]

The Shadow took a few fleeting glances off into the distance, and seemingly saw something. Whatever it was, the Keeper did not share, though he was worried enough to raise his staff into the air. A cloak of impenetrable darkness now shrouded the two of them and their immediate surroundings. With Ifrit's light not visible it would take some time for any revenants to find him, though the warmth of the living would eventually lead them to their prey.

The Shadow's whisper came again from within the empty depths of its hood, [b]"I just spared your life a second time. We are in the spirit realm. Your light would have attracted unwanted attention, and you are not welcome here. You will have to leave here soon, or not at all. Tell me of yourself, and I will heal you."[/b]