After an educational night, Alptraum is almost relieved to find the crystal heart clear of iron contamination in the morning. The clarity does, however, show the spiderweb of flaws and larger cracks within the crystal. His right hand no longer burns from touching it, while his left hand feels the faintest of tingles – possibly the residual necromantic contamination Azrael spoke of.

Saying his farewells (for now) to Dr. Twig and Igorina, Alptraum begins the long journey to the town of Gromit, which is quite a distance away. The most direct route takes the Eeee through places with names like The Howling Hills and The Cold Marshes, where his only interactions with others came in the form of hunting for animals. Passing once more back into Draco County lifted his spirits considerably, if only because of the greater availability of Inns along the way and the occasional farmer's daughter working in a field to tempt him.

It takes several days before the familiar spires and perches of Gromit come into view – but it looks like the town is being invaded! Lines of wagons line the road, awaiting entry while banners announcing the annual Flower Festival flap in the wind. Despite the crowds, Alptraum is able to find his way to the sign of the Vampire Pickle and Buxom Pumpkin Woman that marks the Gromit Inn.

The tavern part of the Inn is crowded, full of humans, Korvs, Eeee and a smattering of the other Sylvanian races. It seems unlikely that there is going to be a room available, but there's no harm in finding out.

"Great, just great," Alptraum mutters to himself as he makes his way through the crowds, "As if I wasn't sore enough after leaving Sturmdrang, I won't likely get a room here, either!" After a few more minutes of apologies and squeezing, Alptraum makes it to the main part of the Inn. He raps his knuckles lightly on the wooden desk to get the attention of the keeper.

The overworked looking human innkeeper finishes wiping out a glass before turning to the Eeee. "Yessir, what'll it be?" he asks.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, I know you're busy. I also know it is probably hopeless to ask this, but are there any rooms available? I'll be in town for a few days on business. I'm actually not here for the festival. What is the festival, anyway?" Alptraum asks.

"Oh, sorry… all full up, but I can put you on the waiting list," the man offers. "And… you come to Gromit but don't know about the Festival? It's when the blooms from the Wallace Woods are harvested and sold, sirrah. Goes on for a week, and you've come smack in the middle, I'm afraid. Hope it doesn't interfere with your business though."

"Those horrible flowers? Ugh. Why would anyone want to collect those things?" Alptraum says and makes a face. "As for the list, go ahead and put me on it. I'm Alptraum Reisender. And … you wouldn't happen to know of another place I use as a place to stay? I'm not particularly proud. I can sleep just about anywhere."

"Lots of wagons, I daresay," the innkeeper says, taking out a ledger and adding Alptraum's name to a long list. "Care for something to eat or drink though, sir?"

"Hm. What do you have?" Alptraum asks as he looks back into the crowd. It's unlikely, but he looks to see if there is anyone he recognizes.

"Well, we've got blood porridge, if you're of a vampiric bent," the man says, as the bat scans the room. Nobody jumps out as being familiar to him though.

Alptraum nods as his attention swings back to the Inn Keeper. "That will do," he says. "And forgive my curiosity here, but what are the flowers sold for?"

"Oh, for uses in medicines and potions and perfumes, depending on their effect," the man says, and calls back into the kitchen for someone named 'Molly' to come serve a customer.

"And I imagine that ghastly cheese will be used for collecting them?" Alptraum asks next and almost loses what little appetite he has. "And oh! strange question, but I have to ask … ever see a small jar with a dragon painted on it?"

An apple-cheeked human woman comes out of the kitchen, wearing traditional Sylvanian 'bar wench' clothing and carrying a steaming bowl on a platter. She she sees Alptraum, however, her face takes on an expression of surprise.

"You mean Dragon Spice, that really hot curry?" the man asks.

"Uh, maybe? I was asked to get a bottle with a dragon painted on the side. I don't know much more than that. I'm also supposed to visit a sacred spring somewhere near here," Alptraum explains to the Innkeeper. The woman gets a smile from his as he says to her, "Oh, no need to be worried, ma'am, I don't bite. Well, not often and not unsolicited… " He grins.

"Wha'?" the woman asks, then blinks and says, "Please don't think me forward, sir, but might I know your name?"

"Me? Alptraum Reisender," Alptraum offers. "I doubt you've heard of me."

"Oh! You're the one!" the woman says, breaking out into a big smile. "Please come with me, sir – you're expected."

"Wait, wait. How can I be expected?" Alptraum asks, "No one knew I was coming!"

"Well sir… uh, I was asked to look out for you," Molly notes. "Tall Eeee, silver eyes, black fur and white hair, named Alptraum," she explains, and then turns towards the stairs leading up to the guest rooms, still carrying the platter with Alptraum's porridge on it.

Alptraum's eyes immediately narrow suspiciously. "Who asked you to look at for me?" he asks as he follows after the woman. His ears flick forward and about, trying to listen more intently, even with all the chaos … just in case.

Things are much quieter in the upper hall, since everyone is out flower shopping or dealing with other business during the day. Molly heads down the hall to a familiar door: the same room Alptraum stayed in during his last visit. She knocks politely, her smile unwavering until there isn't an immediate answer. "You don't know?" she asks the bat.

"Well, I've met lots of people when traveling, so no, I don't know who would be expecting me here," Alptraum admits. He then blinks and peers at the door. "Wait, this is the same room I stayed in some time ago," he remarks. "Who is staying in it now?"

"Someone who I thought would actually be in it," Molly notes with a bit of frustration. "Here, could you hold this for a moment?" she asks Alptraum, and holds the serving platter out to him.

Alptraum takes the serving platter from the woman. "Whomever this is told you not to mention his or her name, didn't they?" the Eeee asks.

"Oh no, only that it was worth 20 shekels to me if I brought you here, should you show up," the woman says, taking out a big key-ring and opening the door. "I assumed it meant you were just meeting up and all." Molly pushes the door open and walks right in. "So, you must be supposed to meet up, right?" she asks from inside.

"Ah, not to my knowledge," Alptraum admits as he sticks his head through the door frame and looks around.

The room is much as he remembers: a four-poster bed with perches between the high posts, a small fireplace and an old-fashioned 'sit up' bathtub, along with a small table near the door and a chest at the foot of the bed. The window is shuttered, leaving the room pretty dark. There's something on the bed – a simple canvas traveling bag.

Alptraum enters the bedroom and takes the tray over to the table. He sets it down, then actually sniffs the air in the room. "Was the person male or female?" he asks Molly as a suspicion starts to grow. It's also then that he knows he probably shouldn't … but he heads towards the traveling bag.

"Can't really recall, oddly enough," Molly says, already heading back to the door. The bag is the satchel variety, without any sort of lock on it, and is plain black canvas.

"Pale skinned human?" Alptraum asks as he starts opening the canvas bag.

Even in the dim light, Alptraum can make out the outlines of – manacles. Several pairs, with iron-wood chains and rabbit-fur lining. He's recently become quite familiar with them, after all. "Not sure if they were human… I remember gloves… anyway, you wait here and I'm sure it'll work out!" the woman says cheerfully, just before closing the door and locking it after she leaves.

"I wonder if the door can be unlocked from the inside without a key," Alptraum wonders and heads towards the door to check it. He also brings along one of the pairs of manacles to examine. Specifically of they actually have locks and show signs of use.

They could be brand new, as far as Alptraum can tell. The door has a latch handle on the inside, so opening it probably unlocks it as well. The manacles don't smell of anything either – although the smell of the blood porridge could be overpowering anything subtle.

Alptraum heads back to the porridge. May as well eat and wait a bit to see if this mysterious person shows up, though he does suspect he knows who it is. He sits down in a chair near the table and before eating he tries on one of the manacles on his left wrist to see if they're sized to fit him.

The porridge is nice and tasty, with hardly any clotting. The manacle he tests is too small for his left wrist, but not by much.

"I'll have to check the others to see if they're the same size," Alptraum mutters to himself. For now, though, he focuses on eating the porridge.

Just before the last of the porridge is gone, a key rattles in the door, followed by the click of the latch.

So … Alptraum spins around leans back against the table, and tries to take on an expectant air about as himself. An unconcerned aura, if you will, as if everything were completely under control.

The door opens and a dark figure slips in, quickly closing the door. A mason jar filled with blue flowers is set on the table by hands wearing black gloves. The figure doesn't seem to notice the bat yet, but given how dark the room is perhaps their eyes just haven't adjusted. The gloves come of, revealing bare white hands, and then the cloak is unbuttoned and hung on a peg, revealing an equally bare, alabaster skinned woman. Dark glasses are set down next, and pink eyes finally notice the Eeee. "It's about time you showed up," Sister Toadstool says with a smile.

"I didn't know I was expected," Alptraum remarks and waves his right hand a bit. Still he has to grin back now as he adds, "The shutters gave you away. Once I saw the light level I figured this was your room. Now, that all said, why were you expecting me? And … why are you staying in my old room?"

In response, the girl first gives Alptraum a light punch on the shoulder. "You should have showed up earlier, so that I wouldn't have had to go out into that mad market during the day," Snow complains. "And I was expecting you because the Seer at the Hidden Temple told me you would show up to help me with my mission. And what do you mean, this is your old room? You've been here before?"

"Yes, I've been here before. Tulani, Arkold, and I passed through a while ago," Alptraum notes as he rocks playfully from the punch. Of course the Eeee then tries to take hold of Snow's arm and fit the manacle on her. "Now what is this about a Seer? What Seer? And what mission?"

"Hey!" Snow complains as the manacle clamps down. It does fit her, but a bolt would need to be tightened to actually hold the clamp shut. "The Seer! She's just the Seer. She's been at the Temple for as long as I can remember. She sees things!" Snow explains. "And I'm on a mission of mercy, to help someone with a terrible affliction that only I can … wait, why are you here?"

Alptraum tries to gently pull Snow's other arm behind her back and put the other manacle on that one. Why? He's Alptraum, he does strange things. "I'm here to take a crystal heart to some sacred pool and have it cleansed of necromantic taint," he explains as if nothing unusual at all were going on. "But I don't have any strict deadline on my quest, while yours sounds like it does. What sort of affliction is this and how can I help?"

"Aha, so you are here to help me," Snow says, not putting up any resistance. "Now that I have advanced in my abilities, I was sent to pick up a girl suffering from Fairy Lace Syndrome, and take her to the Sacred Spring of Purification," she says, pronouncing each capital letter.

Alptraum lightly pulls the now (not by much), manacled woman to the bed. There he sits on the edge, then pulls Snow into his lap and drapes his wings around her. He's actually surprisingly gentle while doing so, as he remembers she's easily harmed. He rests his chin on the top of her head now and asks, "What is Fairy Lace Syndrome?"

Snow wiggles a bit, and even noses Alptraum's throat before saying, "It's like an allergy that some humans have, I think. The Lace Moss thinks the person is a dryad, and attaches to them. It causes a lot of problems, but the symptoms vary… "

"Ah, the stuff from Panzu River," Alptraum says, "I remember that. What problems does it cause? What symptoms does she have?" Of course it's also about then she can feel something oily and cool squirm over her as he extends his shadow cloak over her entire body, save her head and neck. Well … at least she's protected from anything rough now…

"I don't know, just that I can help… what are you doing?" the albino girl asks suddenly, shivering from the cool touch.

"Well, I remember your skin is a bit sensitive. I'm buffering it from me in case my clothing irritates it," Alptraum explains and lets his wings fall away so that she can see her completely black (and oddly shiny) body. "Don't worry, it will pull away when you get up. So … how can you help her?"

"All I know is that it must be with my new abilities," Snow says, looking down at the slick skin-tight surface. "You know, this somehow makes me feel more naked than ever – what is it?"

"My shadow cloak," Alptraum explains, "The flesh of a shadow dragon. And I have to ask … and I'm not complaining … but why are you carrying manacles?" He grins.

"Oh, in case the victim needs to be restrained, and also to practice with," Snow says. "Not that I've really had a chance to yet… "

"Practice with how?" Alptraum asks. "And I must admit I'm not sure how exactly I'll be helpful. My skill is dealing with the undead. Well, and manipulating flesh itself on some level."

"Like how you were able to heal those bites and scratches on me?" Snow asks.

"I can do quite a bit more than that if I have enough magic stored up," Alptraum admits, "Like … I could make you look like an Eeee, a Skreek, a Sphynx… " He then shrugs. "Where is this victim? Should we go to her soon? Do I need to look more official?"

"Official?" the girl asks, giving a shrug, which also makes the shadow-skin pull up on certain things. "I was going to leave to see her tonight, once it's dark and I get my wagon out. I'm not used to being up doing the day you know."

"I could fix that by changing you," Alptraum offers, "But I do rather like you as you are."

Alptraum looks towards the shuttered window and hmms, "Is there anything you want to do before nightfall? Do you need me to get anything from town while you rest? Do you want me to just stay and keep you company?"

"I wouldn't mind getting in some exercise, now that you're here to help," the girl admits. "But if you just got here you're probably tired, and I don't want to keep you from anything… "

"I'm not tired," Alptraum says, "What sort of exercises do you want to do?"

"Well, I need to extend the time I can stay active for casting my lure," Snow notes, "and also have a chance to practice my empathic skills. Now I can separate the two parts of my lure, and I'm learning how to run them in reverse, but haven't anyone to practice on. So all you'd have to do is take the manacles and tie my limbs to the bedposts, and then just see how long you can keep me aroused before I can't take anymore."

"You want to practice using the lures on me and keep my mind in a more, ah … bestial, frame of mind?" Alptraum asks, "And see how long you can maintain it?"

"Oh no! I don't intend to use the lures at all," Snow says, smiling. "See, the idea is to be helpless and aroused and not let you become too aggressive."

"Hm. All right," Alptraum agrees, "On one condition."

"Well, two," Alptraum corrects.

"What are they?" Snow asks, looking all… innocent.

"The first, you allow me to ken you completely," Alptraum says and grins, "The second, you promise to practice with me in strengthening my resistance to lures such as yours while we are here. It does not have to be today."

"Oh, okay," the girls agrees, smiling. "That's like when you washed me with your tongue, right?"

"Which I fully intend to do again," Alptraum notes and grins. "Now close your eyes."

The girl gives Alptraum a curious look, but then closes her eyes as requested.

A moment later, the shadowy liquid around her neck surges upward, engulfing her head! She finds herself floating in inky darkness. But the darkness isn't just around her, she feels it oozing inside of her through every pore and opening it can find. The shadow then starts to withdraw, but as it pulls out of her, the sensation is like being licked, all at once, from the inside out. As her senses return slowly, she finds the shadow cloak is completely gone and Alptraum is releasing one of her wrists from the manacles.

Snow wobbles, her eyes unfocused. "Wow," she says. "If I could do that, I could tame any monster… "

Alptraum lightly pats her butt. "Up and onto the bed. Get comfortable and I'll get your training gear," he says.

Snow gets to her feet shakily, then fetches her cloak and throws it over the top of the bed like a comforter, with the rabbit-fur side up. She practically oozes across this, first onto her side and then her back. "I still feel tingly," she notes.

"While I held you like that, I could have re-molded your body into something else," Alptraum notes as he goes to the canvas bag and pulls out four sets of manacles and then locates the bolt-lock tool for them. He pauses and checks to see if she brought any sized for anyone else, just because.

"And you know you are rather trusting of me," he adds, "I mean, you've seen that I am a monster, sort of."

All of the manacles are of the same size, it seems. "Oh, I know how to deal with monsters though, so I feel much safer with them than with regular people," Snow suggests. "And I thought you found me attractive? Why would you want to change me?"

"I don't. I like you as you are," Alptraum agrees as he walks over to the side of the bed and then sits on it. He takes Snow's left hand and secures one of the manacles around it and even tightens the locking bolt before attaching the other to the post and locking it as well.

"I've never done this before," Snow admits. "The other Shrine Maidens didn't want to help."

"Why didn't they?" Alptraum asks as he leans over to secure her other hand. This, of course, puts his chest-scar right over her eyes.

"Well, they usually don't want to help me anyway," Snow admits, getting an eyeful of Alptraum's chest. "I guess the way my gifts work disturbs them."

"Why? Your abilities aren't that bizarre. Do you want me to have a talk with the other maidens?" Alptraum asks as he sits back. He now rolls up onto the bed himself and straddles Snow's body, facing her feet. All she can see is his back and butt. He works on securing the left one first to the lower post. The manacle is set, the bolt locked, and then the other end secured to the post.

"No, I think I like having you as a partner anyway," the monster-baiter claims. "You're a lot more cooperative than the tentacle monster, and a lot more fun too!"

This gives Alptraum pause. He looks back over his shoulder at Snow and asks, "Are you asking me to be your official partner?"

"What do you mean by official partner?" Snow asks. "Do you mean going out and doing Reaper and Trapper stuff together all the time?"

"Not exactly. I mean available to be called upon when you want help or company. Or you need a monster you know you can train safely with," Alptraum says. "I doubt you need help most of the time."

"Oh, sure… is there stuff I can help you train for?" Snow asks, wiggling her toes.

"Resisting lures was the one I mentioned," Alptraum says as he rolls off Snow, "Plus you hear more about issues with necromancy than I do. I would appreciate you forwarding those to me, as I do have a duty to deal with those." The Eeee pauses and looks at the human now and runs his chin consideringly. "You know, I could just keep you like that for a week. Maybe feed you once in a while."

"I have a mission though!" Snow protests, and twists and wiggles to see how much play she has with the manacle chains.

"And … on a more serious note, I want to meet your Seer," Alptraum says. Snow actually has very little range of motion; Alptraum seems to have made sure she really would be helpless.

"Men aren't allowed in the Hidden Temple though," Snow says, looking aghast at the suggestion.

"Not even an important one?" Alptraum asks.

"There are always important men, but that doesn't matter," Snow claims. "It's Hidden. Nobody would send their daughters to learn how to be Shrine Maidens if they thought nobles or heroes could get to them, after all."

"And you don't trust me?" Alptraum asks, looking mock-hurt. "Then you will have to send her to me."

"That… well, I can ask her," Snow concedes, and rattles her chains again. "Why do you want to see her anyway?"

"I want to know why she's been spying on me," Alptraum says with a grin as he practically oozes onto the bed beside Snow. He then runs his mutated hand and palm over Snow's stomach lightly, then drags the chitinous claw tips against her flesh. Not hard enough to damage anything, of course.

"Eeep!" Snow squeaks, then gives Alptraum a cross look. "She doesn't spy on anyone, silly! She was looking into my future!"

"If you say so," Alptraum teases as his fingers splay. Out oozes the shadow cloak. He figures since he can't really feel through it, it keeps him from getting too aroused.

"That's not your tongue!" Snow squeals as the cool shadow spreads, causing her to squirm more.

"Not yet," Alptraum says, "You do, of course, realize I fully intend to bite you… "

"As long as you earn it first," Snow says. "And you'd better take your clothes off, just in case… "

Alptraum deliberately oozes the shadow back into her as if he were being kenned again and then withdraws it, to stimulate that full-body tingle again. He also uses the moment of distraction that follows to disrobe.

The girl is already wiggling from the tingles, and the coolness has other effects on her too – like goose-pimples!

Alptraum's true motive for what he did comes to the front. The cool tingle reacts quite strongly when the Eeee starts licking her. Slow, deliberate, and he combines it with shadow usage to keep the Shrine Maiden's skin tingling like mad. It seems the Eeee fully intends to push her to her limits.

It does take some time, with sudden 'spikes' whenever Alptraum feels his own ardor building – only to feel it mysteriously drain away. It's almost frustrating, as Snow squirms and squeals and pants and sweats (all over, in that bizarre human way) and seems to be enjoying herself immensely. But eventually she does reach her limit, and the Eeee is acutely aware of the exact moment, because all of the lustful feelings 'stolen' from him come flooding back with a vengeance!

It's at that point Alptraum's own mind seems to shut off and all the draconic urges that came with the shadow surge forth. By the time Alptraum's awareness returns to his surroundings, the sun has long set. The bed all around them has been shredded. Snow even didn't escape unscathed, she sports a very fresh bite mark on the right side of her chest. It's still oozing, in fact. The bite, he realizes, he vaguely remembers doing, if only because he had to force himself to not harm her … and he came dangerously close to failing to prevent how the shadow aspect really wanted to eat. His ears wilt a bit and he licks the wound lightly. "Sorry," he murmurs to the human woman. His own body aches as he reaches and fumbles with the locks on her.

Snow moans, and not in a very painful way. "That was way more intense than the last time," she mutters. "You can heal me up, right? I think we lost track of time and need to hurry now… "

Alptraum presses the palm of his right hand to the wound, then closes his eyes to concentrate on repairing the damage. It's actually good that he kenned her, as it should make the process easier.

There are other spots – scratches and abrasions, and bruising from the manacles and a few strained muscles, but in time Snow is fit enough to do her job. Luckily, her cloak bunched up underneath her and so escaped the damage done to the bed. "Can you drive a wagon?" she asks Alptraum as she finishes dressing. "I'll have to wash out my cloak again I see," she mutters.

"Or go naked," Alptraum comments as he dresses quickly. "I can drive a wagon a little. I'm no expert, though," he answers.

"Well, my Dromodon has lousy night-vision," Snow remarks, packing the manacle and the mason-jar full of flowers, then looking around in case she missed anything. "So one of us needs to be guiding it while the other keeps an eye on the patient," she explains, then asks, "Ready to go? If we hurry, we might make it to the Spring by daybreak."

"I can navigate in the dark easily," Alptraum agrees as he gathers his own meager belongings and verifies he still has the crystal. "Let's go get your patient. I want to see what reactions this stuff causes."

"I'm glad you finally showed up, Alptraum," Snow says, giving the bat a kiss on the cheek as she opens the door.

"I would have been here sooner had I known I was supposed to be here," Alptraum jokes and even ruffles up Snow's hair a bit. What he doesn't tell her, though, his how close he came to actually devouring her, shadow-dragon style. It's a sobering lesson for the Eeee and tempers the whole experience. But the bright spot is, he was able to prevent it, even in such an intense moment. That's a good sign that he controls the urges, not the other way around.