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Almost, you reply with a wry grin, but it’s still kickin’!
“... I have no idea what that means.”
You have a few more questions, you explain as a mildly impatient sigh leaves the Professor’s lips! It’ll be quick! Probably!
“... Very well,” She mutters, “But speak quickly–I have other matters to attend to… and our absences will be noticed if we linger for much longer.”
Trier, you begin softly, who… what <span class="mu-i">IS</span> he, exactly? Lis’tat blinks at your question like a rock on the side of the road.
“He’s the Archmage.” She answers plainly. “Defender of Umberal, Headmaster of Trimbault…”
Yea, you gathered, you interject with a groan, you wanna know what he is! Where did he come from? He seemed a bit off when you had the ‘pleasure’ of meeting him….
Lis’tat’s eyes flicker in growing recognition. “Being alive for thousands of years will do that, yes…” She purrs, downing the remnants of her glass. “Care to partake?”
Sure, you shrug, prompting her to return to the corner, what is that stuff anyways?
“<span class="mu-s">MIILIG.</span>” She answers, as if that explains everything, “A spirit distilled from <span class="mu-s">MILLWEED</span>. From <span class="mu-s">THE WHISTLING CLIFFS</span> in <span class="mu-s">CHUUTRA-LEY</span>, to be exact.” Two fresh glasses clink in her claws. “For special occasions. And this qualifies, I think.”
<span class="mu-s">CHUUTRA-LEY</span>, you repeat, taking your glass from her claw with a quiet ‘<span class="mu-i">thanks</span>’, that a Chytree place?
“<span class="mu-i">THE</span> Chytree place, yes.” She nods as she takes a polite sip. You bring the beverage close to your mouth and nearly gag at the scent–shampoo mixed with peanut butter… and maybe a bit of mashed-up cricket? “But I won’t bore you with Chytree politics. Too far to matter, in my opinion.”
Your tongue cautiously pokes at the liquid in the glass like an IED. Curiously enough, the odor doesn’t match the flavor–in fact, the drink is remarkably <span class="mu-i">watery</span> aside from a vague kick near the end… like cucumber juice spiked with hot sauce!
It certainly wakes you up!
“Where do we begin…” Mutters the teacher as she returns to her perch on her desk corner. “I suppose we should start with his name–accounts are spotty, but ‘Vikalous Trier’ is most certainly not his original moniker.”
You didn’t even know his first name!
“As for <span class="mu-i">what</span> he is, well… despite his aversion to public appearances, we have reason to believe he is–or rather <span class="mu-i">was</span>--a <span class="mu-s">NUUGAL</span>... one of rather high esteem in the old Empire, I would imagine.”
She doesn’t sound very <span class="mu-i">certain</span>, you mutter, eyeing her cautiously as you take another swig.
“Because I’m not.” Answers Lis’tat with a sudden sharpness in her tone. “Every now and then a new tidbit surfaces on the Archmage–we know he appeared shortly after <span class="mu-s">THE FINDER WAR</span>--”
Oh, you know that one! That’s the one between the Chytree and the Coagulations, right?
>CONTD.
