| Indeed, Clara's left arm was slashed and bleeding a bit. She still wept for the loss of her beloved friend, even so much as clutching her hand as she lay on the ground by the bridge. Keilich, as he passed from one slain warrior to the next, performed his last rites, then gathered what he could find. As he turned over the body of the tiger, a single emerald-colored sphere dropped out of the pocket of his trousers, rolling toward Keilich's feet. "What's this?" he asked himself, picking up the ball. He examined it closely, then his eyes widened. "Clara! Come quickly -- I think I've found something that will help us!" Clara walked toward him. "How can you think about that now?" she sobbed. "Kat has been killed, my good friend and a child of S'Allumer, and you have shifted your attention to trinkets?!" "It's not just any object," Keilich said, standing up to show Clara the sphere. "Get that scroll of parchment out. I think that this may be the orb." "What orb?" Clara asked, obtaining the scroll and unrolling it. "The orb that would otherwise be fitted in the bottom of the handle of the sword," Keilich replied. The shaman held the sphere, which was approximately an inch in diameter, up to the page. He examined the item's description on the parchment. He then looked back at Clara. "This is what we were looking for," he said to the girl. "This is the Orb of S'Allumer." "It is?" Clara asked, looking into its dark green center. "What does it do?" "It can save Kat's life, that's for sure!" Keilich exclaimed, standing up, hobbling over to Kat's body. "It can? How are you sure?" "Legend has it that using the powers of heart and immense concentration, a mortal can trap the spirit of a deceased person inside. Once the spirit is sealed inside, anyone can travel with the orb and preserve the spirit of their friend." "But how will that bring her back to life?" "Kat will only be brought back to life when the orb is joined with the hilt. Until then, she cannot be physically with us. We can, however, communicate with her in complete ambient silence. Immense concentration is a must." "So how do we get her spirit into the orb?" Keilich examined Kat's body, then readjusted the position of her limbs so that she was lying with her legs straight out and her arms at her side. The bleeding in her abdomen had stopped by now, but blood had pooled on her belly. "She is able to be retained," Keilich said. "Quickly, Clara -- dip the orb in her blood. Make sure the entire surface is covered." Clara removed her right glove and, with thumb and forefinger, ran the orb through Kat's bloody abdomen. The pooled blood draped over the green ball like a velvet glove. Clara lifted the bloody sphere from her friend's belly, her fingers stained dark red. Clara cringed. "Now what do I do with it?" she asked Keilich, holding the orb up in front of her. "Put it into you mouth," he replied. "What??" Clara asked, astounded. "Are you mad?" "Do you wish to see Kat alive eventually or not?" he replied, with a strong tone of voice. "Put the orb into your mouth immediately." "What do I then do with it?" she asked. Keilich cradled Kat's head. "You must transfer the orb to her mouth, by means of a kiss." This is highly unusual, Clara thought, all the while frowning at Keilich. "I can't help but think you might gain pleasure by this--" "What are you waiting for??" Keilich asked, bluntly ignoring her. "Kat will survive if you continue. Now, make haste!" Clara approached Kat and knelt before her. She placed the bloody orb in her mouth, holding it between her tongue and palette. She then crouched down to Kat's waiting mouth, as Keilich held Kat's head to keep it from being caught in her throat. Clara finally inserted her tongue, still wrapped around the orb, into Kat's mouth, kissing her. Clara, as soon as she contacted Kat's tongue, experienced a slight chill in her spine, a nervous sensation of kissing someone she knew too well. Keilich watched intently as Clara moved her tongue through her friend's mouth, letting the orb slide down into it. Clara lifted her head to look at Kat from above; the orb was now lodged between her tongue and palette. She wiped her mouth, as some of Kat's blood, once on the orb, had washed down into her mouth and teeth. "Perfect," Keilich said, standing up with Clara to observe the lifeless body. "Now, watch closely." Clara and Keilich watched as Kat's body took on a heatless glow. The winds began to blow lightly, and energy began to focus on the orb in Kat's mouth. The sphere changed from blue to purple, and finally to red. Then there was a blinding flash; Clara and Keilich hid behind their capes to protect their eyes. Kat's body was illuminated with a great white light, which then traveled fast into the orb. After the light burned out, Clara and Keilich turned back to see what had happened. But there was nothing but the orb, lying on the ground, where Kat's body once laid. "What happened to Kat?" Clara asked, picking up the orb, putting her glove back on. "Where did she go?" "It worked!" Keilich laughed. "The salvage ritual worked! Kat may yet be saved!" "What happened to her?" Clara asked. "The orb absorbed her entire body," Keilich said. "When the sword is assembled, she will emerge exactly as you remembered her." "Are you sure?" Clara said. "I would give up anything just to see her again." "It's been done before, I swear. It's just been so long, so we must find the parts of the sword so that we may bring Kat back. You will be with her again, I promise. Now, take the orb, and keep it safe. Should it be destroyed, there is no hope that you will ever see her again, nor will the utopia that was our world ever be restored." Clara opened the sack, putting away the scroll and the orb, which she wrapped in a blanket so it wouldn't get damaged. While putting them away, she came across Kat's diary. "What's this book?" Clara asked, showing Keilich the diary. "I never saw this before." She examined the title Kat had written on the front. "An Adventure for Worldly Glory with My Beloved Friend Clara? She's been writing about our journey?" Keilich smiled. "She thinks of you quite a bit," he said. "You and her are such great friends, it seems as though you would die if you were apart." "But you and I will restore her life," Clara said. "She will be with us again. I swear it on my honor." "You have a good heart, Clara. Kat was fortunate to receive such compassion. Now, we must continue on. Neither of us are aware of how many more miles of forest are left to be traveled." Clara and Keilich continued on, focusing only on the road ahead. There was still much of the world to travel, and now a friend in need.... 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