It’s been years, hasn’t it? Perhaps. Although he would forever remember the black screen he spent years staring at. he knew it by heart and could operate it with his eyes closed. Every menu. Every sub menu. Each keyboard shortcut it provided… Joe knew it all and laughed flipping between the cards. Not the best IDE there was but the best his past employer could afford.

It had decent source control and auto completion while the code snippets and auto formatting took care of the most mundane tasks. It did the job.

Again he read through what he saw on the screen. Most of what he remembered was there. Make, compile, check for errors, debug. All the formatting tools were there. Though, not everything remained the same. Instead of applets and controls, his library contained all the body parts and materials he had inside his inventory while the main window held a file opened.

Savila.dds Was it all she amounted to in this insane world? A file? A file divided into two tabs. One for body one for the soul. Joe flipped between the two. The body part offered both graphical interface and pure source editing in something like XAML on steroids. Nothing he ever saw before but it seemed logical enough to make it work. Or he might just as well drag and drop parts from the toolbox.

Now the soul tab baffled and fascinated him at the same time. It gave off an eerie vibe of a bastard child of Java and PHP with Assembler thrown into the mix and written in multidimensional, hieroglyphic script that changed every time he read it.

A tiny voice at the back of his mind whispered he should not be messing around with it.

He swapped back to the body tab, graphical view, and begun clicking around with element tool inspector.

Missing this, missing that. Broken this, broken that. Burned this, bleeding that. What an utter mess she made of her body. He removed the remaining armor off her body and one by one started clearing off damaged parts. Some of the upper torso could be salvaged. Her left arm needed a new bone. Her muzzle lacked several teeth. One ear had a hole and must be patched and, well, everything below her belly button no longer occupied that space.

Suddenly a group of goblins passed through the rubble to his right and entirely ignoring his presence, run by. One of the goblin females caught his eye. He had never seen a face such as this. The living terror and eyes full of despair.

Joe gulped down their last remaining Elixir and several other potions. Whatever lurked out there he had no intentions of meeting it. Waiting for the effect of the potion to take place he returned to the editor. Using the grid size slider, he adjusted the number of the regions dividing the demi's body and one by one begun replacing the missing parts.

Ear patch, teeth, and bone turned out to be the easy ones. Goblin teeth after some filing fit perfectly and one of the bones taken from the agnu deer they’ve captured earlier had the proper length just for her arm. When it came to the legs and lower torso, only the newly acquired human remains came close to what he needed. He chose one leg with the girly parts still attached, one leg that had entirely different skin tone and lacked most of the foot. Replacing the foot with one build on animal bones, human skin and night howler meat took less than he thought it would.

Curious thing those night howler muscles. Just by adding a foot made with those, Savil's body got +2 strength. There was quite a bit of those left. Joe toggled the layers, switching to bone and muscle view. What if...

Selecting all the muscle tissue, he swapped it for the one coming from Night Howler. For a moment everything froze yet seconds later a “transfer complete” message popped up while the meaty silhouette change from its light reddish color to deep dark, almost black. The body also became heavier and thanks to well-placed pockets of fat, certain features were now more pronounced. He swapped back to the skin layer and… added bit more fat for good measure. And then even more to satisfy his own desire. A bit of a trim to waist and hips followed.

Out of nowhere, the ground shuddered, sprinkling his head with dust. Whatever happened up there on the surface, he wanted no part in it. Stuffing the demi with some goblin intestines and a murder-bear stomach, he compiled his creation. The screen buzzed and whirled.

*DING*

The selected modifications require a substantial amount of Soul energy. This process will consume 10 of your currently possessed Levels and mana based skills won’t be available for the next 72 hours. Do you wish to continue? Yes No

Joe confirmed.

Blood ran in his mouth as true heal bound his creation into a working body.

*DING*

You have lost 10 levels. You receive -20% penalty to all stats. Effective until lost levels are recovered. Mana based skills disabled.

That hurt more than the damage he took.

With shaking hands Joe returned to the screen and equipped the new body with an old set of armor. Thankfully they haven’t sold it.

“Unpack.”

In a flash of bright light, Savile appeared next to him.

“… shitty master or not, I enjoyed… wha-whua?!”

Perplexed she stared at her own, new body and full HP bar. Just a moment ago her not quite dead corpse spread a puddle of blood everywhere but now, she flexed her fingers, not even the slightest ounce of pain remained.

“What the hell happened?! I was… how?!”

Her face turned into a mask of fear.

“Awesome duct tape jutsu.”

Joe coughed out some blood.

“You can admire your new ass later after you get us out of here.”

Another tremor shook the entire place. This time he could swear something akin to a howl resounded as the ground shook. Savil’s ears flapped and turned.

“Oy, shitty master, you heard that?”

“I heard something. You know what it is?”

She picked up his body, slung it over her shoulder and started running. A familiar musk of a terrified demi tickled his nose. Neira would often reek of it after one of her nightmares.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a dragon. Very pissed off dragon, fighting against something. And whether it wins or loose…”

“…we don’t want to be anywhere near.”

Joe finished her thought.

“Precisely.”

They stopped at cross-section with multiple tunnels leading in several directions. Savil closed her eyes. Her nose flared as she sniffed for the right direction. Getting hold of whatever guided her, she ran into one of the corridors, continuing her breakneck pace.

In a similar manner, they made several more turns before a collapsed tunnel blocked their way. The demi put him down under the wall and started digging. Joe knew his girls had a much superior sense of direction but digging through all that?

“Shouldn’t we try a different one?”

“Fresh air is seeping through those rocks. There’s an exit nearby.”

She grabbed a boulder and shoved it aside. Unfortunately, instead of an exit, the boulder hid a pair of legs and a butt, stuck under more rubble. He moved his eyes from the armored butt back to his demi.

“Yours?”

Savil shrugged her arms and tugged at one of the legs. Apparently still connected to their rightful owner, the legs started flailing and a muffled “UA Awa aah” reached them from the other side of the rubble.

“Sounds like the knight I met before. If she’s still alive then that wall shouldn’t be too thick.”

A howl of thousands murdered souls froze their blood while the shockwave that soon followed, collapsed the tunnel behind them.

“Dig or we’ll end up like her.”

Or worse. Joe’s mind went over several possibilities as he drank another potion. His ribs were killing him though, so far, Death did not appear. Perhaps they still had a chance?

Somewhere above his head, a beam holding the ceiling snapped like a dry twig. As if in slow motion, Joe observed the falling rocks. One, the size of a truck, aimed straight for his head. This would probably be a moment when his whole life should run past his eyes but all he saw was a clawed hand grabbing his shirt and a blink of an eye later, he stared at the floor of an old staircase while a dust covered demi huffed and puffed beside him.

“Good girl.”

He pat her leg and in response got the middle finger. Just where did she learn that? He left that topic for later.

“Get up, you’ll rest later.”

Savil grabbed his sorry ass and like before slung him over her shoulder then picked up the knight with her free hand and begun bouncing up the stairs. She skipped several steps at a time, flying up as if her bodies weighted no more than a feather.

“Aim for the lake after we reach the surface. There’s a road there that should take us away from here in relative safety. ”

Worst case they would go looking for their raft. Joe planned their retreat as they pass through the gate onto the backyard of a keep when Savil's ears picked up a woman's scream.

Not a cry of fear. Not a pleading for mercy. Rather, a warrior screamed at the top of her lungs, just before she would land a finishing blow.

White flash of a thousand suns blinded them just a heart beat before the shockwave leveled the town.

***

“After so many years, we meet again. Haah. Too long I have traveled the realm of humans. I have become weak. To let myself be bested by such… thing.”

The dragon looked up into the dawning sky.

“INDEED, THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED. I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION OF ANY PREVIOUS DRAGON KINGS LAYING THEIR LIFE FOR A HUMAN SOUL.”

“Hrumph! As if I would do such!”

“AHA. SO THAT HUMAN COWERING UNDER YOUR WING GOT THERE BY COINCIDENCE?”

A tiny scrap of a human soul clung to the majestic chest of a dragon king and sobbed. Ripped to shreds by that abomination, truly a blessing he managed to get all of those pieces.

“What human? I see none… aaah, you mean that thing? Must have stuck to my foot as I clashed with that calamity.

“DID IT? I SEE. COME HERE HUMAN CHILD.”

Death unsheathed her sword. Meant for kings it should be enough for a hero.

“No!”

Carmelia or what left of her soul cried At the sight of the black unearthly blade seeping sharpness. Omnius blue glow spread all around it.

“don’t you have something more child-friendly…”

Death silenced him with a glare.

“HUMAN CHILD. THIS SWORD IS A PRIVILEGE, RESERVED FOR THOSE WORTHY OF SUCH TREATMENT. THERE IS NO SHARPER EDGE THEN THE ONE I WIELD. IT GLOWS AS IT CUTS ETERNITY DOWN TO THE INFINITELY SMALL CHUNKS OF REALITY. IT CUTS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. DREAMS, FEARS, SORROWS, AND HAPPINESS. IT CUTS ALL THAT EXIST AND ALL THAT CANNOT TAKE FORM. IT MUST DO SO TO SEPARATE A SOUL FROM ALL THAT BINDS IT TO THIS WORLD…”

“No!”

Like a spoiled child, the girl pressed deeper under the dragon's wing.

“WOW, THAT' THE BIGGEST DRAGON BOOGER I EVER SAW.”

Carmelia turned her head where the Death pointed. In that single moment, the sword made a cut. Reality swirled before the blade.

“huah?!”

The girl's body begun glowing gold as her form twisted, turned and changed.

“What did you do to me…”

“I SEPARATED YOUR SOUL FROM WHAT BOUND YOU TO THIS WORLD. AS FOR THE FANCY GLOW, THAT IS NOT MY DOING. HEROES IN THIS WORLD ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY. YOU GOT YOUR PAMPHLET WHEN WE MET A WHILE AGO. NOW, IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO GO. OUR BUSINESS IS CONCLUDED.”

“w-wait!”

Death flicked her fingers and the soul disappeared in a cascade of golden stars.

“Well, well, well. Times have changed indeed. You are no longer the cold bones I used to know. You have gone quite soft. Especially in the chest area.“

Death raised an eyebrow at him. A feature that came with this new body. Being the personification of death demanded a lot of flexibility when the image changed over the generations.

“DO YOU WISH TO BE REAPED BY AN OLD RUSTY NAIL? KING OF THE DRAGONS, THE BLABBERMOUTH.”

A long and bend rail nail appeared in Death’s hand. Rusted to the bone, the nail represented the epitome of bluntness.

“I’ll abstain.”

The dragon shuddered, covered in cold sweat.

“A SHAME. THAT COULD HAVE BEEN EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL.”

She cut him with her sword.

“OFF YOU GO PERVERTED LIZARD. THERE ARE WORLDS WHERE DRAGONS STILL RULE.”

“Until the next time.”

The king lowered his horned head in a curtsy bow then, beating his magnificent wings, flown away into the stars.

Death studied her surroundings, not a living soul hid nearby. There were no dead ones either. Unhurried, as she always walked, she came by an enormous, half baked, black tentacle. One of the several thousand tentacles she sliced off during her… friendly chat with darkness. Quite big this tentacle was.

“EHEM.”

Death cleared her throat.

“OH DEAR ME. SO CLUMSY AM I. THOSE THINGS ARE SO SLIMY. I MUST HAVE DROPPED IT AS I PASSED BY. I BETTER DISPOSE OF IT.”

She made a swift cut with her scythe, sending the half-burned unmentionable, back into oblivion. Underneath the tentacle, three bodies lied in a crescent shaped patch of black dirt and slime. Death poked one of the bodies with the butt of her scythe. It made a long and painful groan.

“NOT DEAD YET. A SHAME.”

She spoke loudly and walked away. Surprisingly, Joe’s HP still had some points left even though his health bar looked quite empty just a while ago.