“Hmmm… I *think* I’m gettin’ the picture" Murdock says, scratching his shabby dwarf beard. "Hyenus, the others mentioned ye vanished 'out of thin air'. Can ye explain that?”
"Oh! Suwe thing!" You were waiting for a chance to speak, and you do so by standing up and addressing the whole crowd. It takes lots of energy and effort to do so due to the wounds you sustained in the fight. “Okay, lemme expwain what happened. I know you'we aw vewy cuwious, so wisten cawefully, cause this may not be easy to digest. It isn't fow me." You clear your throat. "Ahem! The thing is, I *tewepowted* inside the dwawf's souw and faced his demon in diwect combat. Yes, it may sound weiwd, but it's exactly what happened, and pwetty much the weason I disappeawed from evewyone’s sight. Tewepowtation, baby! Uhm... you guys fowowing so far?”
The crowd returns a confused-as-hell stare as you give them the explanation. You’re not sure if they believe you, or even if they understand what you’re saying. Regardless, you continue. It’s better than saying nothing. “I wouwdn’t have succeeded in kiwing teh monster without Anu’s hewp, Daitza’s… and youws, Muwdock.” You smile at him. “Youw intewvention weakened the demon. Fenk u again.”
Murdock nods, a subtle smirk visible beneath his thick beard. “Don’t mention it. So… you *teleported*, huh? Y'know, the Champion is said to be able to set foot in people’s souls, but I never figured it would be so, err… literal. Thought it was a metaphor for leavin’ a strong mark on others. Heh. Well, maybe it goes both ways...” He shrugs and grins. “Anyway, what matters is that ye’re clearly the saviour we’ve been waiting for. Which is great news, of course.” He turns around and speaks out to the crowd. “May this be proof for all of ye that this gnoll – the chosen of Anu – has a good heart and is willing to help his fellow men, like a true Champion would!"
The moment he says those words, the tension in the hallway blows up. The humielets gasp in surprise, but otherwise say nothing in return. All they do is murmur to each other, expressing disbelief and unacceptance of Murdock’s claims. The only ones not doing that are George, Kholgarsh and the other members of the clergy – all of them stoic and stern, refusing to speak for or against the lone priest.
"A gnoll, the chosen of Anu?! That's ridiculous!" The mother who kept making wild accusations against you voices her thoughts again. "Who’s to say what happened here wasn’t a ruse by the dogs?! Maybe they're working with demons to make us think they're on our side! Oh God, it's SO obvious! How could none of you see it before?! They planned to possess Sharpaxe a long time ago!“
Unsurprisingly, most of the crowd agrees with the woman. “The gnolls possessed Kholgarsh somehow! None of this was his fault!”
“A 'saviour' my hairy ass! Those two are demon hounds like the rest of their kind!
(cont.
>>5257981 Yes)
