The Laboratory of the Wizard Frogmilker
This small chamber was most certainly once a part of a traditional dungeon. The cell bars may have been removed, but the mounting points on the walls for manacles or other restraints persist. One of the reasons for a wizard to have such a dank and musty lab is clear from the incessant croaking and chirping of frogs and toads, which line the walls in deep enclosures and individual tanks. Some are in jugs, even. Aside from the amphibians, there are the usual wizardly accouterments: tables covered in glass vials and complex tubing filled with colorful fluids, bookshelves with dusty old tomes, skulls for candle holders, a stuffed crocodilian suspended from the ceiling. A big rune-covered staff mounted in glass case on the wall is labeled: In Case of Demon, Break Glass.

After his bath (assisted by Mave), Alptraum smells nice and fresh. Along with some clean clothes, he's just about to hit the town with Lilith when a messenger arrives summoning them to see the wizard.

"I swear people are conspiring against me. Here we were about to go out and we get a summons," Alptraum grumbles to Lilith as the pair enters the strange chamber. He looks about to stay more, then just stops. Eyes growing huge, he looks around the strange room. The case with the sign causes a double-take, then a cough.

"Well, wizards like to be surprising," Lilith rationalizes. "It keeps people on their toes."

"Well, I hope this doesn't go too badly. I was looking forward to going out and just being a bit silly and in the company of a lovely woman," Alptraum whispers to Lilith. "One who isn't plotting against me!"

"You mean Tulani?" Lilith asks in jest, winking at the other Eeee.

"Tut! You wound me," Alptraum replies to the white Eeee. "… Remind me to return the favor later. Rowr." He grins.

As for the Frogmilker, the wizard is seated at one of the cluttered tables, making careful notes in a ledger while sipping at a mug of something hot at the same time. Upon hearing Alptraum's and Lilith's voices, the hooded head turns in their direction and one of its wasted hands beckons to them. "Come, come, I don't have all day to waste!" the familiar, husky voice complains. There is a pause, then the wizard continues, "And neither do the both of you, I am sure." There is another pause while the figure shakes its head and takes another long swallow of the contents of the mug.

"Ah, no, of course you don't and of course we don't!" Alptraum says quickly. To Lilith, he says, "Why don't you find a place to sit someplace … er, safer. It might stab you next!" He pats the white Eeee's backside, then hurries away before she can swat him.

When Alptraum gets closer to the wizard, he asks, "So, I guess you uncovered a few things already. With the urgency of the request to come, I hope it's nothing bad. Or, er, did you need more, ugh, samples?"

A snort of amusement issues from underneath the hood. "Only if you enjoy that sort of pain, young man," the Frogmilker replies. "No, no, I commanded your return because I have some information for you now. My researches have been able to turn up a few things that may be of use to you." As the wizard speaks, it gestures to a chair at the table across from its own. "Sit if you like – just mind the papers on the seat. You might as well stack them on the floor, that's where everything else seems to end up around here!"

Is it Alptraum's imagination, or is the figure's voice getting… higher?

Alptraum slips around the table. He gathers up the stack of papers and sets them on the floor. There's only a slight bit of hesitation during the move and his ears flick towards the strange rodent when the difference in voice pitch catches in his sensitive ears.

Alptraum doesn't ask anything quite yet, though. So, now with the chair clear, he settles down into it with a thud. His normal fingers interlace with his plated ones and he rests his forearms on the table before him. "So … you found a few things out? You seem either fascinated by what you found, or that it was at least moderately interesting," the bat notes, trying to remain calm this time.

The wizard takes another sip of its drink (which gives off a rather sickly-sweet scented steam, now that Alptraum is closer to it) and nods. "I was right when I said that you would be my most interesting examination of the day. The blood that I collected from the chitinous section of your arm," the Frogmilker continues, nodding at a still-bubbling experiment off to one side of the table, "shows signs of spirit contamination."

Alptraum nods at that. "That doesn't surprise me, given I was spirit infected in that hand. But, I had thought I had eliminated that. What can you tell me about the contamination that is still there? What sort of spirit contaminates my hand? And, can you tell if it's spreading?" His eyes flick to the bubbling experiment.

"Mmm, but if you were completely untainted by any such infections, would you be showing signs such as this?" the Frogmilker says, gesturing at the Eeee's transformed arm. The wizard's tone is not unkind; it sounds as if it is merely trying to make a point. And the voice is definitely higher and milder that it was before.

"Well, it could have been a reaction from the Shadow contact; it can modify flesh," Alptraum points out, then shrugs slightly. "My main concern is, if it's dangerous to me, or if it's spreading at all. I can live with my hand like this, if it's not a threat to my life. It's safer than messing more with it, if it's ultimately benign. What does the infection in the blood look like? What is happening to the blood in my hand?"

The wizard leans back in its chair and clasps its hands together, settling them in its lap. "True enough, Alptraum – the contaminants I found in your blood could be residues from your contact with the Shadow of Amena. They could also, however, be residues from the Black Heart that infected you. I am not yet certain of which is the true culprit, but if it is the Black Heart… well, I am sure you know the risks as much as I."

Alptraum nods. "It could return in time. Or something could activate it. And if that happens, I'll likely have a return of the zombification that I experienced the first time," he says, looking none-too-pleased about that. "So, I'm guessing from this, then, that the black liquid is, well, some sort of undead blood?"

The Frogmilker's head turns towards the cages that line one of the walls. "I took the liberty of injecting a bit of your blood sample into one of my less-worthy frog specimens, to check for any signs of a zombie state. The results were… unattractive, but not undead. So you have nothing to worry about on that score. Yet."

"Uh, can I see what happened to the frog?" Alptraum asks as his ears flick back a bit. He looks towards the cages on the walls.

The figure shrugs and rises to its feet. "As you wish. But do not say I didn't warn you." It then crosses the room and selects a cage that is sitting off to one side from the others. Bringing the cage back to the table, the wizard puts that down in front of the Eeee and returns to its seat. From between the tiny bars of the cage, Alptraum can see something lying within that is definitely not frog-like. In fact, it appears to be a melted puddle of green, gelatinous goo. Not a webbed foot, or eye, or mouth is to be found anywhere on the thing.

"Heh," Alptraum mutters and leans forward to examine the creature. "It looks like what a Shadow Dragon does. A sort of formless thing," he notes, "So that means what is in me is likely the Shadow Dragon's blood, or close to it. Which might imply I may be partially a Shadow Dragon in biology now; at least my right hand is." He glances up to the wizard and asks, "Can I touch or hold it?"

"I don't know if you would want to hold it – the slime it sometimes oozes is hard to wash off. Just touching it might be more palatable. However, it is your choice." As the Frogmilker stands again and undoes the latch on the cage, it remarks, "The flesh of the thing is warm and I think I was able to discern a tiny heartbeat. So it is definitely not undead."

Alptraum nods at this. He carefully reaches in with his right hand. He touches it once, then scoops it up into the palm of his hand for closer inspection. His middle finger curls down on top of it and rests lightly, trying to feel for a heartbeat. "Has it tried to eat anything?" he asks the wizard as he peers closely at the former frog.

The Frogmilker shakes its head. "I haven't had time to try feeding it yet. Other distractions were more important… plus, it is rather hard to feed something that now has no mouth!" Clucking its its tongue disdainfully, the wizard snaps, "What a waste of-" Suddenly, it breaks off again to take another drink from the mug. Once this is done, the figure's shoulders discernibly relax again.

Alptraum continues to check for a pulse … and any sign of movement, really. Occasionally, he nudges it with his middle finger a few times. "Well, maybe it doesn't need to eat. I hope this doesn't mean I'll eventually turn into a formless blob too," he notes, then glances towards the Wizard. "You never answered my question on if it seems to be spreading or not?"

Although Alptraum can't see it, he can almost feel the wicked smile spreading across the wizard's face. "The only way I would be able to check for that, young man," the Frogmilker says, clearly amused, "is if you submitted yourself to a… full examination. Is this what you wish?"

"I'd like to see that," Lilith comments from outside the cell.

Alptraum looks ill at the thought. "As much as I want to say no, I should have it done," he grumbles as he sets the rather inert blob back into the cage. Turning towards the door, he calls to Lilith, "You've already seen me naked! More than once, I might add!"

"But I've never seen a proper magical-medical examination," Lilith counters. "Should I get the others? Although Phlagaea's probably seen stranger things back in her old temple… "

"You're not funny!" Alptraum calls back to Lilith. "I thought you were my friend?"

"Well, I'll give you moral support while the eels are being stuck into places," Lilith promises.

"And now you're making things up!" Alptraum grumbles towards the other Eeee.

The Frogmilker sighs audibly. "That's quite enough from the both of you!" the wizard says testily. "For the sake of my patients' feelings, I conduct all of my complete examinations without an audience!"

"Will there be eels though?" Lilith asks, just to be sure of what she's missing.

Again, there is that feeling of a smile unseen. "It depends on how much he fidgets."

"Hah, told you there'd be eels!" Lilith says in triumph, then is quiet once more.

"I hate all of you," Alptraum mutters. "I think I'll go to some other county."

At this, the Frogmilker actually laughs… and the sound is clearly quite feminine. "Calm yourself, Alptraum. I have not had to subdue anyone with an eel for many, many years now. Somehow I do not think you will be the one to break that streak." The figure then turns back to the cage on the tabletop and re-fastens the latch. "In fact, to show my goodwill, I will make you a present of this blob of frog. Perhaps you will be able to see if it eats or not, mmm?"

Alptraum eyes the cage dubiously. "Or if not I can give it to Phlagaea. She likes green," he mutters. With a shake of his head, he adds, "Can I pick it up later? I have to take Lilith out and put her in line, er, I mean show her a good time! Yes, a good time."

The wizard inclines its head. "As you wish. Let's say that you can take it with you after you've had your examination?"

"That works for me. I guess if does anything bad, I could just allow my right hand to devour it, anyway," Alptraum comments with a small shrug, "When do you want to do the examination?"

The figure now peers into the distance at Lilith. "Your friend made all of your prior appointments for you, perhaps she can make the next one, as well?"

"Okay! Does he need to have an empty stomach or anything?" Lilith asks.

"And! She has spent a lot of time around dragons. Perhaps she needs a complete examination, too," Alptraum says, grinning impishly.

Alptraum gets the feeling that the Frogmilker is eying him. "You wouldn't be allowed to watch her examination, you know," comes the light reply. "Does that make a difference?" To Lilith, the wizard says, "No, that isn't necessary… although I wouldn't advise eating a full meal beforehand, either!"

"Oh, I don't have to see it. Just knowing she's suffering too is enough," Alptraum quips.

"Alright, no big meal beforehand!" Lilith agrees.

To this, the robed figure simply shakes its hooded head. "Then if Lilith wants an examination, she will have to make her own appointment. Now, leave me in peace, the both of you! I will see you again soon enough!" The wizard makes shooing motions with its hands, then turns away and walks towards the wall of cages, the interview clearly over.

Alptraum stands. "Uh, bye," he tells the wizard, then glances down to the blob in the cage. He taps on it with a chitinous claw, then tells it, "And I'll see you later." He turns, then heads back out to join Lilith. "Why do you hate me?" he asks the white Eeee.

"You thrive on adversity!" Lilith says with a toothy grin.

"And I think you're trying to flirt with me," Alptraum counters and taps her nose with one of his mutated fingers. "So, shall we go have some fun?"

"If you insist," Lilith says, then scrunches up her nose and starts wiping at it desperately. "Oooo, that was the finger you poked the blob-frog with wasn't it?!"

"No. But thank you for the ideas you just gave me on what I can do with that frog," Alptraum retorts with a playful grin. He slips his arm around Lilith's waist and leads her away from the creepy laboratory. "So, one question for you, then it's fun time … do you think Melusine … Draco's Shadow Dragon, would consent to me examining her? I haven't gotten a chance to really examine one up close for more than a few minutes."

Lilith looks uncertain. "Err… she's a shadow… I mean, what is there to examine, exactly?"

"Well, how she feels when touched. Heck, what she tastes like if I licked her," Alptraum ticks off, grinning. "If she's ticklish… "

"She's thousands of years old you know," Lilith says. "Would you ask the same of the Countess?"

"Ask the Countess if she's ticklish? I'm sure I'll find that out eventually," Alptraum points out, then shrugs a bit, "Hey, I'm trying to look at all this without being morose about it. If I try and think about the dragon as a regular person, it's a little less scary." He then quirks a small grin and glances sidelong at Lilith, "And … can I examine you? I bet you're ticklish. I bet if I licked you… " Alptraum's eyebrows waggle.

"I'd smack you?" Lilith finishes, tauntingly. "I suppose I'm the only normal Eeee woman you even know," she says.

"You're not that normal, Miss Eels," Alptraum points out, then noses her cheek, "I'm trying to lighten up, I thought you wanted that. Come on, let's head into town. I promise I'll behave."

"Well, okay then," Lilith says. "I know a glove maker… "

"Want to cover up my ugliness before your date begins, eh?" Alptraum comments to Lilith, then nudges her. "Well, let's go have some fun!"