"I never thought I'd see you here, Master Lai Leonafa..."
The elderly Epic Mage bowed his head to the Skeleton King.
"You don't look well," the Skeleton King told his student from over two hundred years ago. The man looked even older than he did.
The Epic Mage sighed. "I have no hope of reaching Legendary, and the Gods no longer answer me..."
"You came to find me because you want to become like me?"
"Quite the opposite. I have no desire to become Undead. Liches lose their emotions, and becoming a spirit takes luck..." The Epic Mage looked like an old man who no longer cared about death.
"They sent me. Those people want to find out why you're with the Princess's knight."
"I owe him a favor, but Oddities are natural counters to the Undying..." the Skeleton King replied. "That's why I came to you."
"They won't intervene, Master," the Epic Mage said. "An empty city doesn't matter. We only need to make sure the Oddities don't spill out."
The Skeleton King had a reason that might persuade them to intervene, but he had promised Annan not to reveal it.
"I have a question..." The Skeleton King's soul fire burned dimly.
"Who spread the news about the Princess in the first place?"
Stereotypes were inaccurate, but they usually reflected a sizable group of people.
Take the Tatuun people. They were called Barbarians because they were stubborn and fond of fighting, but many of the Tatuun people Annan knew had no such taste. Could anyone imagine Dean Bu Lai Breichim keeping a wall of his enemies' skulls at home?
Elves, too, were associated with arrogance. Annan had met two delegations, and few of their elves had looked down their noses at anyone. Most had settled into Free City