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“Dunno. I guess this is the trade off between different gods. Others want you to make sacrifices… Anu wants you to kneel fealty.”
“I’m… I’m not sure about this.” Daitza seems unhappy with the idea. “To bow before a god we barely know, right after we were betrayed by ours... it’s… it's strange, ya know?”
“Yeah… I get what you mean.” Your pal's got a point, though maybe she’s being a bit *too* distrustful. Must be because she didn’t see Anu with her own eyes like you did. “Look, you don’t have to join me if you don’t want to. I understand how ya feel.” You give her a smile.
“… … …” Again, your words are met with silence and a concerned look from her. She really, really doesn’t want you to pray to Anu for some reason. You wonder if it has something to do with her conversation with the dwarf priest, but she’d probably say so if that was the case...
“Datz, listen. The only reason I’m getting on my knees to ask for a boon is to make sure we make it out of the catacombs in one piece. That’s all there is to it.”
"It's just..." For a moment, she struggles to find the words. "It's just why can't Anu give us a boon for free, like he did with your other powers? Why must we worship him like we did with Gnolrek?”
“Not sure. I guess boons work differently..." You shrug. "But if praising him grants us more power to face the demons, then so be it. The Council jerks have got our hands tied pretty much, Datz. I don’t know about you, but I’ll set my pride aside for now to ensure our survival.”
“Pride…?” Daitza puts her hands on her hips and raises her eyebrows, an expression that quickly fades into a frown. “You're calling me prideful for not giving myself to a random god like YOU are doing?!”
“Shhh..." You point at the priests, who are a bit startled by her elevated voice. "Daitza. Calm down. Don't distract the dwarves..." Suddenly, the implication of her words hit you. It makes you *angry*. "Hey, I'm NOT giving myself to Anu. I'm just-“
”Yes you are, y-you idiot...” Daitza sighs, dropping her angry posture and looking worried again. “Look, if you're serious about this, it’s your call... just please, PLEASE be careful with letting too much of this... god inside you. Please." A sad smile grows on her face... "For the first time ever, we are free gnolls, Hyeny... free gnolls! Let's aim to keep it that way for a while... okay?"
“Daitza..." You calm down and give her another smile. "I'm just gonna ask for a simple boon to increase my powers. Nothing more. I promise that nothing bad will come out of this.”
She stares at you for a moment, then releases a defeated sigh and nods. “I hope so...”
With those words, you turn around to face the altar, putting your palms together to start praying. However, you remain put for a moment. Thinking. Reflecting on Datz’ words and your own feelings, which are as unclear as ever...
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