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"How long can he live in this state?"

"A few moons, perhaps a year"

Valindra continued to marvel at the process as she watched this Asherous The wrappings went tight around his belly, circling up to his chest, to his neck She wondered about his head and face--how co hair as the treated umber hulk hide wrapped around him showed her, for when the slave dwarves were done, only Jestry’s eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth re up to the transformed warrior, for now the aboleth had to focus completely on Jestry, she realized, had to deceive the ony and hold to his purpose

One of the dwarves cao in the other cave for a bit," he explained "It’s to get loud in here, don’t ye doubt"

Valindra looked at hilided out into the antechauards waited

"Where is Jestry?" one woony ca in tone frory cry to a roar of utter defiance

"What have you done to hirily

Valindra stared at hi for e, shrank back frolare

"Would you like to learn first-hand the answer to that question?" Valindra calmly replied, and the ness to die for his cause, shrank back evenin the other room at last abated, and the servitor arrived at the door to infor" was co stiffly, rolling his hips to throw one leg out in front of hiasps, and his eyes showedhe’d exploded runted a response that sounded affirmative

"And you are?" the lich pressed

"Jestry, Slave of AsLady Dahlia," came the si the words, then clarified with si"

Behind Valindra, that sahed in apparent disapproval

"Show me," Valindra bade Jestry "You claim to be a champion I would see proof"

Jestry tilted his head, curious

Valindra ment of Lady Sylora," Valindra explained She smiled widely when she saw the Ash "He thinks you have done her a disservice by becorunted and faced the Ashmadai directly

"I don’t question Jestry!" the man pleaded "I questioned the source of his pain-wracked--"

"He thinks you too weak to suffer the torment of the transforue that point as well, distancing himself from any criticism of Jestry, but he needn’t have bothered, for when Valindra, the confidante of Sylora, added, "Show hie, setting his spear-staff tight on his hip to intercept the leaping Jestry--and indeed, Jestry’s chest slaainst cloth armor, leather armor, even sturdy chain ht before it began, with the spear tip plunging into the attacker’s chest Against Jestry, though, against the umber hulk hide that had been treated by artisans and wizards alike, the spear couldn’t penetrate The force of Jestry’s charge fully overwhel hi est of the Asher by far, and much heavier than a nor just his weight and one arrasped the Ash down on the man’s cheek

The mummified warrior had no idea why he did what happened next Never would he have considered such an action prior to that day

He didn’t even realize what he’d done, hardly even heard the screa on the floor in front of hi the spot where his ear had once been

That ear was in Jestry’sthe taste

Across the way, Valindra laughed

Jestry had been given ift of the aboleth ambassador, Valindra realized even if Jestry had not, that would prove thebeyond a mere warrior

Noithout inhibition

Noas bound by nothing but the need to gain victory

Noas possessed of a hunger that could not be sated