Shae''s eyes glowed with fire, the cold air cackling as her pulsing heat pushed it away. She stared at the Aquarions, "you are ruining my reunion with him. Leave now or else."


    The nine Aquarians who at been attacking immediately ported away. The members of the Souza ord had nowhere to go.


    "Shae, please excuse this group. I came here to help them." Given her personality, Nix felt it wiser to say he was helping them. As soon as he saw the Smander, he realized why the Ice Spirit was suffering. There was a Lord ss fire beast in its domain. He quickly slipped off his limiter ring.


    She nodded and extended a finger, instantly his aura lit up and her eyes went wide with pleasure. "So beautiful."


    Nix looked down at his bare arm, the mesing off him were alternating between blue, yellow and orange. Of course, his clothes had instantly burned to ashes. He nced at the Aquarions, "wait here, please. I will get you to safety."


    Zhava looked like he wanted to talk, but he had a water-creatures healthy fear of Smanders. "Very well."


    The Aquarions watched as the Smander grabbed his hand, two naked people who were bathed in mes walked away,pletely oblivious to the trail of melted ice and snow they left behind.


    She took him to a small cave that she had undoubtedly made by walking into the rock, a ratherrge piece of red skin wasying on the cave floor.


    "Did you shed your skin?" Nix pulled his hand free and knelt to look at the red smander skin. "It''s beautiful."


    Shae watched him, a smile ying on her lips. She seemedpletely unconcerned that she wasn''t wearing clothes. "You can have it if you like.


    Nix picked up the smander skin.


    [Convert Smander Skin into Smander leather?]


    "Yes."


    [37 Lord ss Smander Leathers have been added to your inventory]


    Shae ced a hand on his arm and slowly the mesing off of their bodies burned out. "You found me... even in this deste ce." She sighed happily and embraced him, she rose up on her tiptoes for a kiss.


    Although it surprised Nix, he found that he didn''t mind. "I am d to see that you are doing well Shae."


    She kept both hands on his shoulders, quietly looking up at him. "You have beautiful eyes, like the sun."


    Nix returned her smile. "That''s very sweet. You can''t stay Shae, you are causing serious harm to the Ice Spirit who resides here."


    Shae nodded in agreement, "I want to find somece safe where no one will try and capture me."


    "We''ll have to disguise you. If I made you some clothes, would you wear them?"


    She nodded before standing on her tiptoes for another kiss. "They burn off sooner orter. The Guild that imprisoned me would often try to put clothes on me while I was in this form."


    "I can try to make you something." He sent her a friend request.


    [Shae Balefire has agreed to be your friend]


    "We are definitely friends now Nix," her voice was filled with humor.


    He decided to use the Malu Aquatic as the model for his attempt. In the second slot, he added a brimstone splinter needle. The third slot was Lord ss Smander Leather. In the fourth slot, he added fine asbestos thread. He would use the bodysuit design with a ceramic zipper down the back.


    To attempt to make this recipe required five hundred credits per attempt.


    "Damn, that''s a bit spendy." He started clicking the ''attempt recipe'' icon. Fifty attempts, one hundred attempts, three hundred attempts. Finally, on the four hundredth and fourth attempt, he was notified of his sess.


    Nix swallowed hard, two hundred thousand credits gone like that.


    Lord of Fire: Primal [Elemental]


    Description: This red bodysuit is


    immune to mes from within.


    It''s light, flexible and can be worn


    under any kind of clothes or armor.


    it has a ceramic zipper in the back for


    easy removing.


    He set up the queue to make two, one for Shae and one for him.


    [Customer] Shae, [Item] Lord of Fire


    He activated the process and then added two standard red dresses as well. She could wear them over the bodysuit, they''d be fine if protected from her mes. They also look less conspicuous if she was near people.


    "I have a question Shae."


    "You want to know how I hade to be in such a weakened statest time we met?"


    Nix nodded, "if you don''t mind talking about it."


    "I was wounded badly by a Water Lord. A small guild called Ravenous found me and nursed me back to health. At first, I lived there peacefully, then one day I woke up surrounded by a half dozen water mages. They bound me to an elemental stone and then began to harvest my energy."


    Nix frowned, "I haven''t been here long, but I''ve never heard of a guild by that name."


    Shae shook her head, "having a bound Fire Lord in your guild gives you fire enhancements and bonuses that other guilds don''t have. Eventually, they became a strong guild and changed their name to Smander."


    "That guild I do know, I''ve worked with them in the past." Nix patted her head softly when she looked rmed. "How did you escape?"


    "I sacrificed part of my core seed to break my bonds. It was dangerous and left me quite weakened. The rest you know."


    Nix nodded, "I''m friends with Semmi Dow and Jun Li. I assume you know the names?"


    Shae frowned, "I know them. Semmi would spend a lot of time talking to me. She would often get mad at Jun Li for not setting me free."


    "I will take you somece safe."


    *************


    A whileter Nix and Shael returned to the spot where they had left the Aquarions. Shae was smiling from ear to ear. Her red hair hung down her back, and she wore a slim-fitting red dress over the top of a red bodysuit. She had ignited several times at Nix''s suggestion to test her clothes. They had not burned.


    Zhava had been sitting with his group, he stood up when they approached. "Thank you both foring to our aide earlier."


    "I have a mission here that I must finish, please wait." He nced at Shae, "point me to where the Ice Spirit is."


    Shae pointed to the direction he had originallye from. "There''s an ice cave less than a half-mile that way."


    "I''ll be back shortly, please get along."


    The ice cave was located about fifty feet up the side of a rock wall. Nix made his way up slowly on the icy path. Thanks to the blessing of the temple, his cold immunity was still intact. His breath crystallized into vapor each time he exhaled.


    The ice spirit sat on a gray rock, her white hair floating around her. She wore a white robe much like the one that Cyan had. Her human form was that of a small girl. When he approached she opened her eyes. "Why are you here?"


    "I have been sent by Priestess Cyan to take the Fire Lord away from your domain."


    "Her presence draws power from me, with each day I grow weaker."


    Nix knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, "She will be gone once I leave this ce. Will you be able to recover?"


    "Yes. I am Shi. I know you Nix. When you revived at my Temple, you had been killed by ice." She stood up andy a hand on his bowed head. "Never again will Ice be your enemy."


    [You have received the permanent blessing of Ice.]


    ************


    He returned to Shae and the Aquarions a few minutester. "Sorry for the wait, time to go."


    Nix activated Deep Blue and chose Sea World."


    The beach was crowded with Aquarions when the small group appeared next to the cottage. Mina spotted them first, her face lit up with joy when she recognized her friends.


    For a moment he thought Mina was going to hug him. "Where did you find Zhava and the rest?"


    "They were in the domain of the Ice Spirit Shi. A dozen Aquarions were trying to kill them when I showed up."


    Mina stared at him and then nced at Zhava who only nodded. "It seems that I owe you thanks once again Nix."


    He shook his head and pulled Shae closer. "This is Shae Balefire, she is the one who saved your people."


    "Shae Balefire?" Mina took a step back, "a Smander?"


    Nix nodded, "she has decided to visit us for a while. Shae this is Mina, a friend, and an ally."


    Shae looked around, "so much water Nix." She caught sight of the beach cottage, "is that our home?"


    Nix shook his head, "I think it''s safer for you to make some new caves in those rock walls."


    She smiled, "it''s like you don''t trust me Nix."


    Nix returned her smile and nodded in agreement, "it''s just like that. Don''t burn my house down."


    "Fine." She flipped her red hair at him and flew toward the rock wall above the cottage.


    *********


    A few hourster Nix sat on the beach with Zhava and Mina. Most of the Aquarions were busy making an underwater vige. The Aquarions have a ss called Weavers. Weavers could grow and form all sorts of underwater nts into shelters. Although Aquarions could thrive onnd and sea, most of them preferred the sea.


    Soup paddled slowly out of the water and ced her head on Nix''sp. Like the other turtles, she was curious about the new inhabitants.


    Zhava watched Soup''s interaction with him, "that''s a beautiful turtle."


    Nix nodded and nced at the rock wall overlooking the cottage. It had glowed bright red for nearly an hour. He could only assume that Shae was making herself at home.


    Mina followed his nce, Nix seemed to have a wide assortment of friends. "Are you going to look for the Beast-Master now?"


    "Yes, tomorrow morning I''ll take up the hunt."