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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1609160" data-attributes="member: 1210">Dexter's Choice; and, Dexter's VoiceDexter, Malford, Lochenvare and Ingen Jagar continued their adventures together.  Ed, for reasons of his own, decided to quit the group for a quieter life.  “Risking my life just about every day is fun for a while,” he told them, “but sooner or later my luck will come up.  I’m ducking out now, before that happens, and after I’ve made a few gold.”Wishing him well, the others prepared to move on from the Isle of Gloom.  Dexter spent a good deal of time by himself, thinking.  The scar on his forehead itched or burned sometimes; it was never long without a reminder of its presence.  He thought of his soul, consigned to the darkness of Bleak, and of the terrible torments he was bound to face once he died.  He contemplated his young life, and what he had so far done with it- not much good, that’s for sure.  Not much at all.  I’m only seventeen, he thought miserably.The snake demon lunging for him returned to his thoughts.  Son of the Light, he called me.  And he was after me, specifically- not Malford, not anyone else, me, Dexter Nadly.  He shuddered.Heaving a sigh, Dexter raised his face to the setting sun.  The sky was filled with orange and pink clouds- a gorgeous example of the beauty the sun can bring forth.  All right, he said silently.  All right.  I’ve turned from Bleak to You, and he knows it and he’s pissed.  He’s coming for me, and eventually- in the end- unless I can come up with something awfully tricky- he’s going to get me.  Galiger, some other priest, Bleak himself- somehow he’ll get me.  But not without a fight. Dexter, for the first time in his young life, stood with his back completely straight and his head held high.  The warmth of the sun was invigorating him in ways he’d never been invigorated before.  He could feel it spreading through his limbs like the warmth from a stiff drink.  But instead of drunkenness, it brought him a strange lucidity.“Galador,” he said aloud, “if this is how it’s going to be, then this is how it’s going to be.  If I have turned from Bleak to you, let me do it completely.“I want to be your cleric.”And bowing his head, Dexter prayed- really prayed- for the first time.***The change in Dexter was not immediately obvious.  He wore the same simple garb, and he still wielded the staff of combat in battle.  But philosophically, he had turned a corner.  No longer would Dexter be morally wishy-washy, easily pulled from one position to another or persuaded to a new belief.  He declined requests for the use of his psionic powers, stating that he had to remain focused on other things.  Slowly, haltingly, Dexter started to speak about peace, and to declare that not all other religions were deceived followers of Bleak.  It was only a start, and he had not yet discovered that he was possessed of the Voice of God.The group sailed to Forinthia, where Dexter would for the first time meet High Priest Spadron, the Voice of Galador on Cydra.It was a combination of his reputation- nobody had forgotten his telepathic deception and murder of the clerics a year and a half earlier- and the heresies that he was preaching that brought him to the attention of High Priest Spadron, but it was not until he showed signs of telepathically deceiving others again that Spadron called for Dexter to be brought before him.***Upon disembarking in Port Lofrax, the group sought lodging, but everywhere they went Dexter protested the price.  Finally, they settled for renting rooms in a drafty, ramshackle place in the slums.  While they were in the common room, a priest of the Light was haranguing the crowd, trying to convince them to give up whatever heathen, idolatrous or backsliding ways they might have.  He ranted on for quite some time, first arguing against Bleak, then against moral lassitude, then against druids, as they were agents of Bleak.  It was then that Dexter first spoke up on Forinthia, arguing with the other cleric, who eyed him askance.  And then Dex became aware of the Voice when he spoke.”Not all things that are not Galador are Bleak.”A gasp arose from all around him, including his own throat.  The other cleric’s jaw dropped.It was the Voice of Galador.  Everyone present knew, without a doubt, that the voice that had issued from Dexter’s mouth was far more than merely his voice- it was voice of their God.  The crushing weight of the voice’s nature was inescapable.  It could not be denied.  Galador spoke through Dexter.Lochenvare shrugged and took a drink.  “Never took much with religion,” he muttered, but he was clearly shaken.  Malford gaped at the young friend he’d taken it upon himself to protect.  What have I gotten myself into? he wondered dizzily.***Upon hearing of the incident in the slums, the High Priest called for the immediate arrest of Dexter Nadly.  Psionic trickery, he thought grimly.  Well, we’ll see how tricky he is faced with me.Next Time: Dexter and High Priest Spadron meet for the first time!</blockquote>

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