n

n

n

"What do you mean she's gone?

" Nix took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. After making sure that Tai'Qui was doing well, he decided to visit the Temple of Flame to ask Deidra about fire seeds.

nPon watched the interaction between Nix and Deidra, fairly certain that it was going to end with the Inferno Leader activating his Dread Form.

"Before either of us could say anything, Shae cast her flames into the cylinder and disappeared. It's no one's fault, Nix.

"

nNix scowled at the cylinder in question. Shae hadn't mentioned that she was going to refine her flames, but then it may have been a spur-of-the-moment decision. He decided to let the matter drop.

"Do you need anything from me?

"

nThe Temple of Flame was nearly identical to Tai'Qui's Earth Temple. The statue of a dragon marked the underground entrance; almost nothing else was visible from the surface.

nUnlike Tai, Deidrea has changed into her natural form. The dragon stared at Nix for a handful of moments.

"Nothing else, Nix. Since this is a private seed world, I will forego the customary Acolytes and Temple champion. I have no use for either of those.

"

nNix turned his attention back toward the cylinder.

"Do you plan on refining your flames also?

"

n

"Yes. However, I will wait until Shae returns; besides you, she is the only one I trust to guard my nursery during my absence.

"

nUnlike Tai's central chamber, this one was made of white marble with gold veins that glittered in the torchlight.

nDeidrea changed forms suddenly; her large dragon body morphed into the coldly pale beauty that Nix was used to. She walked past Nix and took a seat on what could only be called a throne.

nNix glanced around the room; although both Dragon Temples were cut from the same mold, the Flame Temple seemed to be a bit more flashy.

"Why are there two thrones?

" Remembering the Earth Temple, Tai'Qui also had two thrones.

nDeidra shrugged as if unsure.

"Did you want something, Nix? It isn't like you to linger.

"

n

"Yes. I need Fireseeds. Perhaps as many as fifty, strong enough to function for the next few months.

"

nDeidre smiled slightly, her pale feature showing amusement.

"I can make those; come back tomorrow.

"

nNix glanced at Pon, who seemed like he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

"Fine, I'll do that. Notify me at once if Shae returns.

"

n****************

n0400 hours, Haven Ranch

nNestled comfortably between two warm bodies, Nix was sleeping peacefully with no intention of getting up any time soon.

n

"Nix...

" Shae's voice whispered from the doorway. As soon as she opened the Master Bedroom door, both Fajii and Hyai looked up.

nThe Inferno Leader mumbled a protest when he was gently nudged from two different directions simultaneously; his eyes blinked open when they repeated the process. He immediately spotted the ringleader at the door; his sleepy frown faded into a smile.

"Back safe and sound?

"

nShae nodded.

"Back safe and sound,

" she agreed.

"Your Fireseeds are on the kitchen island, ready to go.

"

nNix took a few moments to extricate himself from the warm comfort of his companions and sleepily got dressed next to the door. A tired Shae shamelessly assumed his spot in bed, smiling at him when he exited.

n

/Inferno: Nix: Life is unfair...

n

/Inferno: Darsi: Did you get Fireseeds?

nNix temporarily ignored the question as he opened a small box on the kitchen island. He recognized the work as one of Sinfaya's temporal boxes.

n

/Inferno: Nix: Yep. Do you have something to house them in?

n

/Inferno: Darsi: Check this out.

nThermocule (Pronounced Ther-Mock-U-Lee)

nElemental Container: Fire

nDescription: Fire seeds placed inside of the

nThermocule are amplified by fifty percent.

n

/Inferno: Nix: I'll meet you at Ravine's House.

n

/Inferno: Darsi: See ya there, Trip-7.

nWhen Nix arrived at Madam's Ravine's House of Pleasure a few minutes later, Darsi was waiting patiently inside. The Inferno Sniper looked like she'd stayed up all night crafting. She handed him one of her creations.

nNix turned the Thermocule over in his hands. It was made from ceramic, with one end having a baseball-sized sphere and the other ending in a sharp spike. It was nearly a meter in length and weighed just over a few pounds. When he touched the sphere, it opened up.

"Fire seed goes in here?

"

nDarsi nodded.

"Push the stake into the ground and place the seed in the sphere. When you activate the Thermocule, the sphere will close and start pushing out the heat.

"

nNix didn't have to pretend to be impressed.

"You made fifty of these in one night?

"

n

"Yep.

" Darsi grabbed the Thermocule from him and stowed it away.

"It will be easier to stake them in the ground if you warm things up first.

"

nWhen they exited the House of Pleasure through the back door a few minutes later, Nix instantly morphed into his Phoenix form. He took to the air and started making loops around the house. They planned to heat Market street and the area around Madam Ravine's House.

nAfter Nix's 4th lap, Darsi started staking the Thermocules into the ground. They had to be placed at least five meters away from anything that might burn. Although they wouldn't contain an open flame when activated, the glowing device would be unapproachable by anyone who wasn't an advanced fire user.

n

/Inferno: Darsi: I've got Ravine's staked out. Time for those Fireseeds.

n

/Inferno: Pon: Hey! Did you guys start without me?

n

/Inferno: Nix: Yes...

nNix changed back into human form and placed one of the Fireseeds inside the ceramic sphere. When it closed a moment later, he received a message asking if he wanted to activate the Thermocule.

"Yes.

"

nThe device glowed bright red and started radiating heat in all directions; the amount of coverage was fairly impressive. The frosted windows on the rear of the House of Pleasure immediately started to melt.

nOver the next few minutes, the trio place four more warming devices around the business. It seemed like a bit of overkill to Nix, but at least the girls wouldn't have to worry about the cold anymore.

nNix turned the remaining Fireseeds over to Pon before returning to his Phoenix duties. He would heat the Market street while Pon and Darsi placed the remaining devices. In all likelihood, they would finish before any of the shops started opening.

nPlacing the rest of the seeds took less than an hour; most of that was due to the windswept streets being completely frozen. However, after a half dozen fly-bys, the streets started to soften enough for the stakes to be pushed in. The street Thermocules were placed in the center of the road and pounded down until it looked like a glowing ball sitting on the ground.

n

/Inferno: Pon: All finished with the House of Ravine and Market street. However, we have two left.

n

/Inferno: Nix: Place them around the front gate, near the guardpost. Those guys have been freezing long enough.

nVic quickly left his home and hurried toward Market street. On most days, the cold morning air was enough to take his breath away; however, today, something had taken the edge off of the brutal cold.

nWhen he was half a block away, he started to feel the warmth. Was the Phoenix already making his flights? The Store Keeper stopped a few meters away from the corner where his business was located. All of Market street was lit up with orange light. The boardwalk was already free of Ice, and none of the shop entrances were frozen over. He sped up his pace and headed toward his store. Many of the shop owners had brooms out and were sweeping puddled water into the street. He unbuttoned his heavy coat, smiling widely. Market street was warm.

nBy mid-morning, Nix was sitting across from his dad, Madam Ravine and Vooni, while sampling the afternoon's first batch of AF soup.

n

"What's the plan here, Nicky? This place is a brothel, after all.

"

nNix nodded and slurped loudly, immediately echoed by Vooni, who was clearly trying to make a louder noise them him. The two grinned at each other and continued their competition.

"I know. First, let's get people coming back into the doors. The entertainment part of this business can wait until we are all long gone. For now, this will be a place to sit and enjoy a drink in relative comfort.

"

nRico glanced around the room. Most of the girls were heading out to serve lunch in the streets. A few stayed behind on cooking and cleaning detail.

"You really think people will come here?

"

nMadam Ravine gestured toward the comfortable couches where four men and two women were already seated.

"That's half the city council.

"

nNix considered her words for a moment.

"Sorry... What is your first name?

"

n

"Maybe it's Madam.

" Madam Ravine smiled slightly.

"It's Lana... I know, Lana from the City of Lana.

"

nNix shrugged as if finding nothing wrong with the statement.

"Go talk to those people. This is your place; make sure they know that. Inferno is here to build your reputation, not ours.

"

nLana looked unsure of herself but stood up anyway.

"I guess you are right.

"

nVooni slurped the rest of her bowl before pushing her chair back.

"I'll back you up. Just say the word, and I'll toss them into the street.

"

nWhisper: Nix to Vooni Make sure they mind their manners. It's okay if you have to slap a few of them around.

nVooni smiled at the Inferno Leader and followed Lana toward the group.

n