"Your memory?" asked Isis the amazon. "Are you suffering from amnesia or something?"
"I think so," said Freyja to Isis. "I can sense an abnornal disturbance in the flux patterns of this man's soul energies. In fact I sense a strange link between his energies and those of the old man whom the two Cathayan healers had resurrected."
"Wolfram is indeed suffering from a loss of memory," confirmed Chun-Li. "And it is to be feared that my healing abilities are of no avail against such a malady. Only the Third Eye of the Golden Dragon can cure that -- unless Wolfram recovers of his own accord first."
"Then let us first attend to what we can do something about right now," suggested Natalya. "Such as that weird bloke with that big silver sword and that face on one of his hands. Couldn't you do anything to save him?"
"I tried," replied Chun-Li. "It was no use. Somehow he just couldn't be returned to life. The large pool of blood -- if it was indeed his physical remains, of which I'm not sure -- just failed to respond to both my spells and my brother's. I can think of only two reasons: one, that he's in fact an undead, or at least partly an undead; two, that he in fact hadn't died, merely been brought elsewhere..."
"Ah, well, guess there's not much we can do about him, then," commented Natalya dryly. "But for now, has anyone found anything else?"
"I have indeed," answered a voice. It was Du-de-es-ta, who held up two crystals in front of everyone. The crystals shimmered erratically with all the colors of the rainbow, and somehow there was something repugnant, something putrid about the peculiar hue and shade of the colors. Looking more carefully, everyone could see several tiny and vaguely humanoid shapes darting about within the crystals.
"I have imprisoned the spirits of no less than a dozen of those vile demons within two of Wolfram's elemental cysts," explained Es-ta with triumphant satisfaction. "Now we can interrogate these spirits as to the exact purpose of their evil work and just who the mastermind is!"
Freyja's face broke into a wide grin. "Friend," she said to Es-ta, "I still don't know your name, but you truly are a man of genius!"
"Thank you," replied Es-ta with a smile. "But for now..."
Es-ta directed his gaze into the two crystals. "Speak now, hateful servants of evil!" questioned Es-ta in a stern voice. "Why did you go about doing what you did? What were your intentions? Who's your leader and what is his plot?"
"We won't tell you!" came a number of barely audible squeals from within the crystals, which shimmered in sync with the voices.
Es-ta walked to Chun-Li and took from her the Right Eye of the Golden Dragon, holding it near the crystals while still glaring sternly at the humanoid figures in them. "The Right Eye of the Golden Dragon has actually served as a purgatory for the spirits of countless evil beings," he said. "For millennia they remain locked within its crystalline depths, there to endure the endless torture of purification by mystic fire either throughout eternity or until they are purged of all evil. Shall you join them or shall you tell me what I desire to know? Choose, now!"
"We'll tell you!" replied the squealing voices, now filled with horror. "We'll tell you! Just don't lock us within the Eye, please!"
"I think so," said Freyja to Isis. "I can sense an abnornal disturbance in the flux patterns of this man's soul energies. In fact I sense a strange link between his energies and those of the old man whom the two Cathayan healers had resurrected."
"Wolfram is indeed suffering from a loss of memory," confirmed Chun-Li. "And it is to be feared that my healing abilities are of no avail against such a malady. Only the Third Eye of the Golden Dragon can cure that -- unless Wolfram recovers of his own accord first."
"Then let us first attend to what we can do something about right now," suggested Natalya. "Such as that weird bloke with that big silver sword and that face on one of his hands. Couldn't you do anything to save him?"
"I tried," replied Chun-Li. "It was no use. Somehow he just couldn't be returned to life. The large pool of blood -- if it was indeed his physical remains, of which I'm not sure -- just failed to respond to both my spells and my brother's. I can think of only two reasons: one, that he's in fact an undead, or at least partly an undead; two, that he in fact hadn't died, merely been brought elsewhere..."
"Ah, well, guess there's not much we can do about him, then," commented Natalya dryly. "But for now, has anyone found anything else?"
"I have indeed," answered a voice. It was Du-de-es-ta, who held up two crystals in front of everyone. The crystals shimmered erratically with all the colors of the rainbow, and somehow there was something repugnant, something putrid about the peculiar hue and shade of the colors. Looking more carefully, everyone could see several tiny and vaguely humanoid shapes darting about within the crystals.
"I have imprisoned the spirits of no less than a dozen of those vile demons within two of Wolfram's elemental cysts," explained Es-ta with triumphant satisfaction. "Now we can interrogate these spirits as to the exact purpose of their evil work and just who the mastermind is!"
Freyja's face broke into a wide grin. "Friend," she said to Es-ta, "I still don't know your name, but you truly are a man of genius!"
"Thank you," replied Es-ta with a smile. "But for now..."
Es-ta directed his gaze into the two crystals. "Speak now, hateful servants of evil!" questioned Es-ta in a stern voice. "Why did you go about doing what you did? What were your intentions? Who's your leader and what is his plot?"
"We won't tell you!" came a number of barely audible squeals from within the crystals, which shimmered in sync with the voices.
Es-ta walked to Chun-Li and took from her the Right Eye of the Golden Dragon, holding it near the crystals while still glaring sternly at the humanoid figures in them. "The Right Eye of the Golden Dragon has actually served as a purgatory for the spirits of countless evil beings," he said. "For millennia they remain locked within its crystalline depths, there to endure the endless torture of purification by mystic fire either throughout eternity or until they are purged of all evil. Shall you join them or shall you tell me what I desire to know? Choose, now!"
"We'll tell you!" replied the squealing voices, now filled with horror. "We'll tell you! Just don't lock us within the Eye, please!"