"Bring it up, men! Contain it as soon as you see the awful light!" Boris demands of his loyal servants.

Edger covers his eyes. The artifact was like the sun. Imposing. Awful. He cursed himself for ever bowing to it. "Boris, must we contain this thing within our castle?"

"MY castle, you fool!" Boris points his cane at Edger for the offense. "And we must! All these artifacts of sin must be contained."

"You told me yourself. There were people on this planet who wished to use it. Animals ADDICTED to the endless life it gave. This universe is sickening. Aliens left and right looking for a "cure" for death."

"Every vampwelf knows, feels it in his bones, to live after death is a sin!"

".............................."

"More artifacts of sin keep appearing. To think, that we vampwelfs are the only ones of sane mind. We tell those fools that no one should anger the old gods of death by stealing her prey away, but they will not listen."

"And what shall happen to something brought back to life? I have heard from some aliens that using artifacts of sin has been working quite well on other planets."

"A stupid question you ask me, and yet I cannot blame you, for you are a woman. You have not learned the history dug up from ruins and temples of old gods." Boris pulls out a tome, the cover ruined and its pages barely holding together.

"The fey, the blood beasts, the cackling serpents, and the Tall Ones in the woods? Where do you think they all come from? They were vampwelfs once, long ago! A house whose name has been erased from history found an artifact of sin just like this one. They would decide to live forever, and yet, while their bodies did not rot, their minds did. Turned into monsters we can barely comprehend."

Boris points accusingly at the contained artifact. "When the ground erupts into teeth and laughs, and steals a babe from her own mother's teat, this dreadful thing is to blame!"

"Aliens are fools. They believe that this thing will be their salvation. Their planets will become infected with horrors beyond their understanding."

"But don't take me for being kindhearted to these animals. We only do this so that if their sins finish devouring them, they do not come for us. If it was up to me, we would never have to see these disgusting vermin from the stars." Boris' rant is cut short, as another object is brought up.

"Ah.....when the captain was showing me the artifact, I do not remember this thing. Perhaps this is trash?"

"Never assume anything when it comes to artifacts of sin! Contain this as well! We will not take the risk of leaving aliens anything they can use for necromancy."

"Ah, yes, anyway.....about Gretel. The witch...uh, she cured her of her blind and deafness, but it has given her the power of speech. Maybe we should leave her here? Gretel that is. I know the witch of course, did not mean to give her such powers, but maybe it was a misfiring of magic?"

"Leave a talking nichtendrakk behind? Are you mad? Legends have spoken about such things, and you want to abandon her? Have you no love for the gift you were given?"

"A blind, deaf, nichtendrakk who was meant for nothing more than breeding?"

"Better than having nothing, which is what you deserve."

"My apologies. I do love Gretel."

"You best. She may speak now, but she is still YOUR nichtendrakk! A Drakken who abandons their nichtendrakk before it has died in glory is no Drakken of this house!"

"Of course. Until she has died in glory, she is mine and mine alone."

Edger leans over the railing of the boat as it turns to return to harbor. He had committed a sin most foul, but if he told anyone his status, his wife, his house, and his life would be taken from him. It was said that it took many years for a necromancy'd beast to begin to "rot." He would have time to solve this.