>>6307719Any enthusiasm the sorceress had disappears faster than an opened bottle of hooch outside of an AA Meeting! “Oh…” She mutters, giving her brother a baleful glance, “... W-well if I am to gain the power of <span class="mu-r">KHAN-SUULING–</span>”
She mentioned he’s tough to kill, you begin, speaking slowly so that <span class="mu-r">RED</span> can listen close! Simulacrum! Extra ‘lives’! You wanna know what she means!
“Was the conversation we had in my Pocket Plane not enough!?” Toppel groans as a chill drifts into the study! “Yes, he has countermeasures! People have tried to kill him before and failed, okay!?” The irritation in her tone fades a bit as she remembers something. “... though… the Simulacrum aren’t his ‘<span class="mu-i">lives</span>, per se…”
To his credit, Oti holds his tongue rather well as she continues to ponder. If that’s the case, you continue, then what about those extra lives she mentioned? How do those work? Toppel twitches under the questioning.
“It’s… hard to say…” She replies, each word creeping out from her lips like a rabbit in hawk territory, “Trimbault’s Staff Members had their suspicions, of course: it’s clear there’s Necromancy at work, but historically speaking that branch of magic requires a great deal of life energy and sacrifice to sustain…”
“And he’s been around for a very long time…” Oti muses, having finally managed to break free from his ‘gal pal’. “If he was operating under traditional necromancy he’d need <span class="mu-i">hundreds</span> of lives to sustain his current form…” He shakes his head. “No, he’s far too subtle. There must be something else to it.”
“He <span class="mu-i">is</span> old, yes…” Toppel agrees with a soft nod, “No doubt he’s aware of Ancient Magic we can only hope to imagine.” She blinks. “There… <span class="mu-i">was</span> some inquiry about his background at the academy, actually–the <span class="mu-b">KHORROZEH WING</span>. It wasn’t unheard of for Staff to, well, use that department to, well, study the Archmage a bit…” A wry grin slips onto her face. “... For the sake of understanding Khorrozeh Arcanology, of course.”
So if somebody discovered anything, you begin in a wary tone, it’d be there? Toppel nods.
“Where’s the best place to hide a secret from a Gnok? Right under their horn.”
Yea, you nod, you uh… you’ve totally heard that before…
“So that’s all, is it?” Oti adds, his tone still cold despite the promise of forbidden knowledge, “All that time in Trimbault and you know nothing of the Archmage?” Toppel flinches!
“I… It’s not like I was <span class="mu-i">ALWAYS</span> plotting against him!” She sputters! “I had my own projects to work on! L-like Obber! Look how agreeable he is now!”
“Indeed,” The Chytree replies thoughtfully, “He used to be <span class="mu-i">extremely</span> vexing…”
The Sanguiphage doesn’t react as he pours everyone a fresh cup of Sugar Tea...
>CONTD. 