Sarah looked about the shadows, over the strange lighting her flames gave off. She was extremely excited over the strenght increase her flames possessed. Earlier when the flames were red the impact only slightly staggered the monsters, similar to mediocre push. Now they completely sent them reeling backwards, with the follow-up of the greater-one the beast went straight to the floor. The flames also ate away at flesh with much greater intensity, the last monsters flesh had quickly burnt almost to the bone. If Eian had not stabbed it, she was certain another blast from her staff would have killed it.

Sarah held one perfectly spherical fire-ball on her left hand and another hovered about a foot from the skull of her staff. She was almost afraid her clothes, leather get-up and staff would spontaniously combust, by the close proximity of her flames. The fire itself gave her no discomfort, similar to a lukewarm sensation on her palm. She had to focus a bit to not let the emerald-fire go crazy. Her spirit reserve strangely did not go down while she maintained the flames. Summoning consumed some energy, but maintaining them was a pittance compared to that. She had silently observed all of this and noticed her spirit acutally felt it still recovered, if slower with the fire-balls.

-'Now if only my guide weren't so completely wierd. I might acutally have asked some more questions.' She thought while sighing.

She was also glad Eian was back up. His broken bleeding body was something she would not soon forget and she was surprised he managed to overcome it so quickly. As a matter of fact, she was surprised her whole group had been as competent throughtout all their adventures. Something felt really strange and somehow she felt a tickling on the the edge of her mind the more she thought on it. Tip of the tongue sensation was what they called it. In the end it was irrelevant thought, she would get out of this jail and when she did she could fully explore the mysteries of magic.

"Incoming!" Eian suddenly shouted and she snapped out her fudge.

She saw the monster charging towards Eian, whom held his shield and spear ready to absord the impact. She always winced when she heard the sound of flesh on metal. Eian was staggered backwards by the blow, but quickly recovered himself. She moved to the left, took aim and waited for a clear shot. Friendly fire, no pun intended, was not an option.

Alex, as per routine, circled around the right attempting attack its vunerable areas. It shoved Eian again hard, even as he attempted to spear its face desperately. Sarah sent both fire-balls in what she calculated quickly as a perfect-trajectory. The fire balls slammed into the beast, blowing it right off its feet unto the rough ground. She channeled another fire-ball through her staff and she had a moment of clarity.

What if she took the channelled fire-ball off the staff and held it on her off-hand? Could she posses two greater-sized fire-balls instead of one? Experience quickly confirmed her theory and she smiled, no more breathing fire for her. The beast was busy screaming its lungs out in intense pain. In her distraction Alex had managed to kill the beast. It was irrelevant, she would have more chances.

"Eian let me try to hit one with both fire-balls next time first. Just move a little out of the way." Sarah said.

"Are you sure? Sarah?" Alex asked worried.

"That would be welcome." Eian said smiling.

This part of the carven was wide, the walls were close to seven-yards apart approximately. A few glowing mushrooms began appearing in this part of the tunnel. The cavern slightly inclining upwards for about five minute till it evened out. Another path veered off to the right and they took that path. The walls on this path begun to have a few small tunnels large enough for humans to crawl through easily in diameter. Bones littered the area in small quantities and a few resembled the eyeless beasts, but mostly they favored some quadruped mammal. The mammal skulls had two eye sockets and four giant sharp-teeth, two on top and two on the bottom. Ten minutes later Sarah saw one of the eyeless beasts eating something and it quickly got up roared and charged them.

"Another one. All yours." Eian mentioned to Sarah.

"Careful Sarah." Alex warned.

"Got it." Sarah said.

Eian moved to the left and Sarah sent both fire-balls straight towards the monster. Bam! The impact sent it spinning out of control to land on the floor and it caught green-fire. It howled it lungs out, and tried to get up. Sarah prepared another greater-fire-ball and sent it straight to the monster's face. It fell to the ground again, roaring in agony as it attempted feebly to get up. Sarah prepared another fire-ball and felt her reserves deplete slightly. She was thought she was somewhere about a third through her reserve. She looked at it and saw it was only twitching now, she decided it wasn't worth another fire-ball.

"Just let it die from the fire." Sarah declared, she needed to grow in strenght as well.

"That's kind of cruel." Jessica said, though she really didn't sound too broken about it.

"Well they would eat us, so I for one don't care." Eian said dead-panned, staring at the unmoving burning monster.

"I agree with Jess, Sarah try stabbing its skull with a long-spear." Alex suggested.

"It's probably already dead." Sarah said as she looked at its burning carcass.

"Just because we are desperate, doesn't mean we should be wantonly cruel when we can help it. I agree another fire-ball is unwise, but spearing it doesn't cost us anything." Alex explained.

"Fine. Hand over a spear Jess." Sarah said.

Sarah quickly speared it in the skull, which elicited no movement what-so-ever from the monster. They quickly check it's meal and saw it was some sort of giant mole-rat, the size of an extremely large obese dog was nearby.

"AHH!!! EWWWWWWW.That's disgusting!" Jessica wailed, moving away from the dead animal.

"Let's go." Eian said wanting nothing more than to leave.

"Yeah." Alex said.

Sarah summoned another fire-ball and they kept moving. The group kept moving and occassionally saw a giant mole-rat bear its teeth, then scamper into a small tunnel. Soon the tunnel came to an end. In its place one tunnel went completely right and another went completely left. They took the right tunnel. They encountered a herd of five hunting goblins about five minutes later. The goblins didn't even try to fight they bolted backwards into the tunnel.

"You think those come from the same place the others do?" Alex asked.

"Could be." Sarah admitted thinking back on the journey.

"Are goblins and those human-goblins even related?" Eian asked.

"Who cares they're all ugly." Jessica mumbled.

"I don't know. We don't know alot of anything. But they're behaviour is different, before they charged us in larger numbers." Sarah admitted.

"I guess we go the other way?" Alex said.

"Yeah. Seems like a good idea." Sarah sighed.

They turned back and went through the other option they had overlooked.

'Oh.! I forgot I didn't check my tattoo after that kill. Darn I'm holding two fire-balls though.' Sarah remembered.

"Guys do you think I should let these fire-balls go to check my tattoo?" Sarah asked.

"Well this part of the tunnel has some mushroom light so? Let go one and check the tattoo? And if its glowing let go the other?" Alex suggested.

"That sounds good." Eian seconded.

"Doesn't matter." Jessica said.

Sarah let her left fire-ball fizzle to nothing. Sarah quickly checked and noticed indeed the tattoo was glowing. She let go of the other and prepared herself for the Adara's aura.

-'I can do this. Definately. Close eyes first. Sleep Problems. More on Magic Artifacts. Fire colors. Other fire abilities. hmmm... ' Sarah thought.

Ready Sarah breathed deep and selected spirit.

*****

She was back in the treasure room. The naked Adara was waiting patiently on her throne and Sarah instantly felt primal attraction to her. She struggled with it a moment, while Adara smiled at her gently.

"Hello my little spark. It is good to see you alive and well." Adara nicely said.

"Tha...Thanks. I have a few questions." Sarah responded, feeling her emotions slowly begin to spiral out of control.

"Wonderful. Last time you appeared sickly. Almost if you were not comfortable around me." Adara smiled knowingly.

-'Ugh, she knows what her aura does to me.' Sarah thought slightly annoyed, but the emotion couldn't stay with the overwhelming feeling of attraction.

Sarah focused all her will and forcefully closed her eyes. She instantly felt her arousal halt its tracks.

"Is my visage so horrendous you must close your eyes, little spark?" Adara said with fake saddness.

"No. I feel this helps me concentrate." Sarah said bluntly, Adara realeased a short sexy laugh.

"Very well. I suppose thats fair." Adara admitted mirthful.

"Firstly... my friends and I ...can't sleep. Is that a result of magic? Is it dangerous to us?" Sarah asked quickly.

"Yes. It is a result of magic. No you are not in danger little spark. I knew this would occur, all guides do. It is temporary." Adara replied.

"... How temporary?" Sarah asked, resisting a small urge to open her eyes.

"Depends. Don't worry about it for now. It is a boon in your enviornment." Adara explained patiently.

"What enviornment?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"I have already told you I can not, and will not answer that. Please move on little spark." Adara said gently, squashing Sarah's hope.

"My group recently liberated a staff and a ring. We already bound them. What can you tell me about them?" Sarah asked.

"What?! You sought no advice on the matter!?" Adara's fearful voice rang hard.

"We did! We did! Another guide said they were safe since we found it on a corpse." Sarah argued quickly.

"Oh. Good. You worried me little spark. I enjoy your company. I would loath to never see you again." Adara clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

Her worry spread a blush through Sarah's face, till she surpressed the emotion.

"Describe the artifacts to me." Adara said.

Sarah detailed the staff and the ring, along with the information Alex had shared.

"The staff is most certainly a staff of death. The ring however. The life boy felt nothing you say? The spiritless girl felt a strange energy and the Earth boy thinks it might make his 'well' stronger. Hmm. It may be a spirit-recovery ring. Or it could have an enhancement effect similar to your staff. It could also be an extra spirit-well. It is most certainly attuned to death energy." Adara explained.

"Attuned to death energy? Is it harmless like my staff?" Sarah asked, Alex's guide said it wasn't dangerous, but you can't be too careful with these things.

"Yes it would be harmless. A death-user would gain the most effect, but any of those artifacts would do their function to the user to a lesser degree, except for life-users." Adara clarified.

"Could you elaborate? On what those artifact would do?" Sarah asked.

"Certainly. A spirit recovery ring, as the name implies will draw the attuned energy faster towards the wearer. This energy can be converted to the users own attunement, except those of the opposing element. Though there is a loss if the energy is converted, perhaps about half enchantment-effeciency is lost. The quality of the artifact determines the exact amount it draws." Adara explained.

Adara took a short breathe and continued. Sarah was still feeling aroused by the dragoness, but she thought she had the hang of it now.

"An enchancement effect basically does more with less, usually it does so by reducing energy wasted, which naturally occurs. A fire-ball for example will be larger and stronger. There are limits to how much efficency these can boost however, and more complicated enhancements provide other more complicated effects for casting. I won't go into that because it would take all week." Adara explained.

"My staff does that?" Sarah asked, almost sure of it.

"Yes. Staves, wands and sometimes even swords, maces and other weapons are the most common enhancement artifacts, master enchanters can usually add an extra benifit, but those are rare." Adara explained.

Adara waited, while Sarah processed the information a few short seconds, and continued.

"An extra spirit well is used as a last resort. You can store power within one and the quality of the artifact determines how much. The energy is attuned to an energy type, but converion can occur both ways, at a loss on both of course. As always direct opposites cannot convert." Adara explained.

"Okay... I believe I understand. As a death well I would be able to convert fire energy to death energy into it, at a loss. And in a pinch I could draw that death energy and convert it once more to fire-energy, at another loss? Is that it?" Sarah asked.

"Correct little spark. Astute, I knew I liked you for a reason." Adara said and Sarah could hear the smile on her voice.

"How much energy is lost?" Sarah asked slightly uncomfortable at a bad answer.

"With focus you could effectivly limit conversion loss to about half of the total. At worst you would lose up to three fourths." Adara explained, which depressed Sarah.

"How much energy is usually stored in such a ring?" Sarah asked hoping it was alot.

"Common wells would perhaps give you..... About a regular well sized at about four or five spirit. Rare are the rings that go above that." Adara mentioned.

Sarah was depressed at the thought of spending twelve hours doing nothing but fill a well that would give her about half her entire well capacity after proper conversion.

"Next...My fire color changed from red to green. Will it be blue this time?" Sarah was curious about the colors.

"Yes you observation is correct little spark. The colors are as follows red at two spirit, green at three, blue at four and finally white at five. The same as natural fire." The dragoness taught.

"Do I have any other abilities over fire? " Sarah asked, variety couldn't hurt.

"For now I suggest you don't experiment. You could hurt someone. Fine control over flames will occur at white-flames. I can teach you other applications then. Above that there will be lightening and transformation into an avatar at the end." Adara explained.

"Can you tell me more about those?" Sarah asked.

"I could, but I believe it is better to wait. Focus yourself on what is infront, not far-away my little spark." Adara explained patiently.

"Do you have any more advice for me Adara?" Sarah asked hoping for something more.

"Try not to incinerate your friends. This next fire will be almost overwhelming to them, well the earth boy will have some resistance." Adara warned.

Sarah made a quick mental note of that.

"So? What now?" Sarah asked.

"Now we can move on. Open your eyes and follow me." Adara explained.

Sarah almost immediately regretted opening her eyes. The aura was once more fully active, wearing away at her will. Adara quickly got up and moved through a path to Sarah's right. Sarah diligently followed her attempting to fight off the wave of arousal. Soon they reached a door and Adara opened it and walked through. Sarah followed. The room itself was small and a ring of green-fire was on the floor, its diameter was perhaps two yards. The color of the flames surprised Sarah, she thought it would be blue.

"I thought you said, blue fire was next?" Sarah questioned.

"It is, sit in the center of the ring. Will a path through the flames. I will guide you." Adara explained.

Mildly confused Sarah did as instructed, after she managed to tear her face away from that figure. She focused her desire towards the emerald-flames and an opening appeared in the flames. She sat in the middle of the ring and waited for Adara's instructions.

"Open your spiritual sense to the flames and feel it around you. Will the flames to burn hotter. Brighter. Stronger. Focus." Adara explained.

Sarah focused on the flames infront of her and only that part burnt hotter.

"Open your new sense. The fire is all around you, not just infront. Feel it all." Adara coached.

Sarah tried to sense the fire through her skin, by the heat it excluded. She tried to distance herself from the part infront of her by closing her eyes. Suddenly it was as if something else was there. Layered atop what she normally saw. An extremely realistic day-dream, it was there, but yet saw it not with her eyes. She saw the green-ring dancing all around her and behind herself saw a burning-star so great it almost made her squint her closed eyes. The sun was vast and powerful, she could almost taste its immense imaginery heat. She extended her sense towards it.

"Careful! That is me little spark. You might harm yourself. Focus on the ring." Adara warned strictly.

Suddenly Sarah jerked her senses to a stop. She focused on the ring. She felt its heat and pushed her desire towards it flames. It resisted at first, but eventually the green flames turnt blue-green. She focused more strenght pushed against the ring harder. It burnt blue.