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''I guess he let his teachings rule him over. I don't think he's dead, but he hasn't moved.'' As she glanced at Hassan nervously.

Hassan went back to observe the body of Morlia. Until the man was burned to ashes and buried six feet under, Hassan wouldn't trust the man was dead.

Murat sighed and rubbed his burned arm. "Look, he's out for now. If we leave now, perhaps we can get back before he awakens and finds where we've gone."

''The swarms still here though?...''

"They've calmed down a bit, I think," Murat said, eyeing the birds that lingered but were no longer attacking.

And then his gaze flickered over to Hassan who suddenly yelled and stumbled back.

"What is it Hassan?"

"Get him off!" Hassan yelled, kicking and flailing at the hand that gripped him.

Mori held on tight, opening his eyes and yanking Hassan down before staggering to his feet and bleeding. ''I'll kill...You.'' He chokedm wavering a bit, his spear bent in two.

Cass growls, standing beside Murat as Turrents watched Hassan.

Hassan went down hard, landing on his back as he lost his balance. He looked up at the staggering Morlia and fear shone in his eyes. "Don't do this, Morlia. You don't want to do this." In his flailing attempts and the sudden trip, Hassan lost his grip on the sword, and it was out of reach.

Murat yelled and started to run towards Hassan, fumbling for his sword.

Mori growled and pointed his hands at Hassan. Fire weakly starts to form on them, but it wavers and goes out as he pinned his ears back and looked at Murat with a scowl and charged at him, still stumbling.

Murat yelps as Morlia tackles him, but he's a little faster given that he has a sword and is not wavering on his feet. He brings the hilt down heavily on Morlia's head, trying to knock him out.

"Get off!"

It hits with a clink and Mori's knocked out cold again. His mouth bleeds a bit after he bit his tounge, and he fell limp with a thud onto the sand close to Murat. His armor still bore the old symbols for the knights, even loose scrawl from Murat when he was younger.

"I wonder if it's the armor," Murat wondered aloud. "Hassan, can you help me strip his armor off? If we can get rid of it, maybe he'll turn back to normal."

Hassan got up and headed over to help Murat do precisely that. "Why not just lop his head off and bring it back to reclaim the bounty?" he muttered.

Once the armor was removed one could see Mori bore several wounds and had several gashes across his body overall. The hole from the lance was seen under his right arm. and his neck had teeth marks from Cass.

Hassan stepped back. "The man should be dead several times over by now."

Murat poked Morlia with the tip of his sword. "I'd really rather not have to desecrate the body by removing his head... Hey, Cass? Could you maybe turn him into sand or something?"

Mori jerked awaked and shot steam from his mouth, but couldn't shoot a fireball.

''Thats because I've figured out he's not alive at all. He's the desert phantom!'' Cass shouted.

"Desert phantom?" Both Murat and Hassan made the sign against evil as they scurried away from Morlia's steam breath.

"How do we kill it then?" Hassan asked. "There's no way we can find the body in a desert this big."

''It's said he'll appear wherever his body is if you 'kill' the form he take when you find him. Just spear his heart and it'll kill the spirit body. It'll come back at where he's buried. No wonder the bounty was so high! He's a phantom kitsune!''

Hassan moved to strike Morlia's heart, effectively ending the man's agony and curse, but as the killing blow descended, the clang of metal on metal rang out.

Hassan flinched and looked at Murat, who had driven his lance into the sand between Hassan and Morlia. "What are you doing, Murat?"

"If you kill him now, we'll never find the body!" Murat said. "We need to find his actual body before killing the spirit--or else find something to help." He turned to Cass and Turrents. "Do either of you know where his body lay? Or is there a way to find it?"

''His body is located within your city, Murat. It's cover was disturbed and as angered the spirit causing it to become angered and restless. Everyone walks across its grave without realizing it.'' Turrents replied. ''Even now people sometimes get the chills when they cross the ground it's buried above. It's covered by a mural depicting the phantom...''

''But over the years the mural has become weathered, and its pieces have been scattered around so only a few originals remain at the burial site. Have you not seen it while you traversed a your hometown occasionally? Made of colored glass, yet it shines dimly if you pour oasis water over it.''

"Well, it's been a while since I've been home, but I vaguely remember a place like that. I don't think I've ever poured oasis water on it, but there's a superstition saying it's....haunted." Murat's eyes widened. "Hassan-"

Hassan nodded, his dark eyes glittering. "Got it, Murat. We can go back and make sure this ends once and for all."

Mori hisses and tries to attack the two again violently, but is headbutted back into place by Cass,

''So Mori is buried at your hometown, Murat?'' Cass asked. ''And from all this he's been upset and is trying to kill others for ruining his rest, right?'' She whimpered, looking at the phantom kitsune sadly. ''B..But he looks so friendly for being so murderous towards us. What a shame..'' She said, shaking her head sadly. ''We have to put him to rest, forever.''

Hassan whistled sharply and then quickly mounted his camel when it approached. "You guys stay here then and keep an eye to Morlia. I'll go back and make sure he rests in peace."

Murat looked up at Hassan. "Do you know how to do that?"

Hassan hesitated. "I'd imagine getting a priest to rededicate the spot and then redesign the plaque would help?"

"Maybe Turrents should go with you."