"What does that make me? Well boy, from where I'm coming from, it makes me God Almighty!" Sandal bellowed out a hearty laugh, and it almost felt as if the entire landscape shook and vibrated with each breath. Kiara stared at Vincent's outstretched hand before finally taking it. Standing up, she dusted the sand off of her coat.

"So, we're just stuck here for all of eternity then? With you?" Another laugh. Kiara frowned. This was getting repetitive. But the man finally calmed himself before fixing his unblinking stare at the both of them. 

"Yep, pretty much."

"And you're just gonna keep laughing at us then? Forever?"

"Sounds about right."

". . .that's it?"

"Glad you're catching on Kiara Bastion!" Sandal turned to Vincent. "Your partner here seems a bit dense. Tell me Vincent Asher, how many drinks did she have?" Another roar of laughter as Kiara crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Oh yeah, this is gonna be a [i]fun[/i] eternity. . ."

Sandal scratched his head. "Hey, it's not that bad. Honestly! I mean, look at all the sand here. You can make sandcastles, bury each other. . make bigger sandcastles, cheat death, bury each other agi-"

"What was that?"

"Hmm? Sandcastles?"

Kiara raised an eyebrow in interest. "No, the other one. Something about cheating death?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, that. Yeah, I'll give you two a second chance. No big deal. Me and the Big Man Upstairs have it all planned out anyway. You just got a little favor to do for us, right?"

Kiara's eyes lighted up at the prospect of returning to the living world. "And? What do we have to do?" She smirked. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Not too hard, huh? You're right. It's not hard at all. All you have to do is hunt down the Devil himself and his twisted little assistant before they set the entire west to flames." The smirk evaporated form Kiara's face, and both travelers were met with another round of sarcastic laughter.

"Sandcastles it is then. . .you got a shovel Vincent?"