A haze of bluish light rose from the radiant azure liquid as
Rhiannon poured it into the channels carved into the heavy stone table. The
liquid slowly flowed to the edges of the table, forming a network of eerily
glowing blue runes when viewed from above. Rhiannon put the beaker down and
carefully studied the patterns. Everything was going smoothly so far. All
that remained was to begin the enchantment. He picked up a piece of fine
black leather, then placed the supple material in the center of the table. A
faint blue glow instantly surrounded it, and became brighter as the glow of
the runes on the table dimmed.

	All was going smoothly, yet the full enchantment would still take a
considerable amount of time to complete. The magics for increasing strength
and agility were quite simple, but the healing and alteration magics were
too alien to Rhiannon to be easily imbued. Unless he found a way to either
increase the efficiency of the life energy transfer or find a more potent
source of energy, the task could take as long as several months.

	Yet there was a solution within his grasp. That woman, Lola,
possessed the ability to heal plants by drawing power from the earth. If he
could somehow find a way to harness that power and channel it into himself,
he would have more than enough life energy to finish his project. Perhaps
he might even be able to turn her into a weapon to serve his Master.

	He suddenly sensed a small disturbance within the laboratory.
Rhiannon calmly brought both his hands in front of him. An orb of white fire
appeared between them. "STARGLOW," he said, as he clapped his hands
together. Bright white light filled the room, exploding outwards from
Rhiannon's hands, outlining the dark figure attempting to shield himself in
the corner. Rhiannon grimly strode over to the figure and brought Razor up
to the figure's throat.

	"You dare to spy on me, Kharazz?"

	Kharazz remained cloaked in shadow despite the brilliant light
illuminating the rest of the room. He met Rhiannon's gaze, smug and
unrepentant. "I heard you tried to betray our Master again," he hissed. "I
thought it might be wise to keep you under observation."

	Rhiannon's eyes narrowed. "I am completely loyal to our Master. You,
on the other hand, might want to consider your ambitions carefully. One day,
he will assign me to track you down and destroy you. And we both know your
powers of shadow are no match for my Zodiac magic."

	Kharazz laughed mockingly. "Perhaps. But I still fail to see why our
Master continues to keep you. Humans are so feeble and so much trouble."

	"He 'keeps' me because I am superior to you or any of the other
fiends. You are limited by your element. I, on the other hand, am far more
versatile." Rhiannon withdrew Razor and sheathed the blade. "You are
interrupting my work. Leave."

	"As you command, 'Master'," Kharazz said. His shadowy form coalesced
into a swirling ball which dwindled away to nothing. Rhiannon walked back to
the table and dispelled the Starglow spell with a wave of his hand. He
sensed another familiar disturbance as it entered the laboratory. "Report,"
he said.

	"Lord Meylith," the wraith said. "We have detected another demon
leaving Figaro. It appears to be after your target. It can take the form of
any other being, and its power greatly exceeds your own."

	"So Livouf Takar wants her dead. Why? Her abilities are hardly a
threat to one as powerful as himself."

	"Lord Meylith?"

	"I will deal with this personally. Continue to observe, and ask
Jardek to meet with me shortly."

	"Very well, Lord Meylith." The wraith floated out the doorway and
sped down the corridor.

	"You may have great power, Livouf Takar, but it is only of use when
employed wisely," Rhiannon said. "The enemies you have created by your
actions will prove to be your downfall." He turned back to the table and
began to trace glowing red runes on the leather with the tip of his finger.