<div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/4IltC5z.jpg)</div><br/>It wasn't often Zerxel was unnerved for any reason, but upon seeing Xara's demise before being transformed, her soul was anyway, into the well known soul fruit, to be used or given away as she saw fit, the rogue couldn't help but feel a cold spike go down her spine.  While the simple fact that could have been her played a part in her understandable fear, it was the remembrance that, while rare, death was still a possibility in the Dungeon.  While in some cases that was preferred to corruption and insanity, in this instance, she would have preferred a good, clean death over being enslaved to the Fiend, although that didn't stop her from picking up the soul fruit and rolling it between her fingers.  While yes, she had planned to give the item over, and thus Xara, she still had a part to play, but she needed a moment to gather herself after that rather pointed reminder that there was still a chance she could end up dead.<br/><br/>In a way, it only enhanced her performance since it appeared she was giving the choice, and its consequences, serious thought, but Zerxel looked up, licked her lips slowly to get at some of the juices still decorating her face, and took a knee, her dexterous fingers still wrapped around the fruit.<strong>"And deny you a chance to remind my people of the power your kind once enjoyed because of our former belief in your otherworldly strength?  Besides, any power I'd hold over her wouldn't last forever, and I'd rather put my money on a far safer bet than trust my fate to an opponent I've already beaten, who would waste little time in trying to exact revenge the moment her forced servitude ended.  No, our deal still stands, and I honor my bargains, especially when they're as generous as you've been already, Lord Malefactus.  Take the traitorous necromancer, and let her be the example for the rest of our kind.  Your power should once more rival the very gods themselves, rather than the pretender that would claim that title for herself."</strong>Having said her peace, Zerxel would hold out the soul fruit as far as her arm could go and open her hand, palm up so that the jewel was facing Malefactus.  Now the rest of their little show was up to him, but she was pretty sure she'd done a good job of keeping up appearances.  If nothing else, her less than subtle jab at Pandora had tasted almost as sweet as Xara's defeat.  If all went well, she'd be putting those words into action, but she still had a long way to go before that came about, if it ever did.