>>5556366“Oh?” you ask, innocently.
“Yeah,” the man smiles uneasily. “I mean, you know. Being dead an all…”
The woman glares at him again, and then looks to the Novice pleadingly, one female petitioning the other to forgive her boorish mate. Your companion offers no gesture or word of understanding, let alone forgiveness; you suspect that she is inwardly enjoying the other female’s discomfort, if she feels anything for her at all.
“There isss power beyond Death’sss veil,” you say, reflecting on the white hot core of magical potential which you draw upon from the Red Dragon King’s subsumed spirit.
“You mean, like… Necromancy, and demonist stuff?” the woman asks fearfully, before realizing she has spoken aloud and covering her mouth in embarrassment.
The man eyes you both with curiosity, and he shifts as if readying to rise. You can practically hear the big, clumsy thoughts rattling around in that head: maybe he has travel the road, find a Paladin or some other civic authority, and make mention of these strange lizard-like Southern demonists walking the hills before dawn.
“Not exssactly,” you say, holding up a hand. “We honour Godsss, not the dead or devilsss… Just asss your race doesss.”
The man settles down a little more calmly once more, curious to hear more. The woman, too, seems to be a bit more at ease than a moment ago—these people truly fear the Dark Arts, more even than unknown species of dragon-like lizardmen and looming snake-priestesses.
“So it’s true, then?” the man asks. “Not that demon-dealing bit, but… That the darkmen from the Southlands have gone and allied themselves with some kinda’ magic lizardmen? They say… begging my pardon an’ all, but they say that adventurer done caught one of y’all spying or something, for the South. Then again… How’s a lizard spy on people? They said he was usin’ magic to hide himself, but you two don’t exactly look ‘hid’ to me, ya know?”
