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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sialia" data-source="post: 1944952" data-attributes="member: 1025">Dylrath sank into his chair weakly. This wasn’t the way he had planned things. Teliaz was supposed to have found something, if not good, at least reasonably neutral to do with his eternity. The Outgrabe was supposed to help him find it--something amusing, something distracting, something exciting, something possibly lethal to Teliaz even, but something non-Evil for heavens’ sake. Velendo’s blessing was supposed to keep both of them away from messing with Evil things. “You know that position you turned down as First Worshipper--it’s been claimed,” the Outgrabe rattled on cheerily. “Some other guy claimed the Lord High Flunky gig. But Teliaz could still make you a high priest or something . . . if you’ve changed your mind?” “Umm. No.”  “Or a lich, maybe. Heyyyy, I could be your phylactery--I’ve already got part of your soul--there’s plenty of room for the rest of it in here. You’d be indestructible--nobody’s ever going to lay a hand on me, right? I’m Regalia. Did I tell you about the Regalia part? Teliaz owes you that much, I’ll bet. You probably wouldn’t even have to go through the ritual. All you’d have to do is ask him--simple as that. He’s feeling generous just now, and I’d put in a good word for you.” Dylrath recalled the only lich he personally knew: Hagiok. Hagiok, the demented professor who literally went on forever. The Defenders had found him standing before a classroom of dry, dust covered skeletons--not the animated kind--teaching magical theory in a classroom that had long since been buried by the ages and the dungheaps of Oursk. “I don’t want to be like Hagiok,” he said, backing away. “He was mad. He taught students who were beyond learning anything. Way beyond.” “So who says you’d have to? You’d still be you, just forever. And anyway, you want to teach, we’ll get you a classroom full of students who won’t fade out on you. Vampires, fer example. Nobody said dead has to be unattractive, right? Professor Dylrath, lecturing for all eternity to eager and immortal classes on the Doctrine of Teliaz. I’ll bet those girls’d do just about anything to pass their exams. And hey, you’d get to write the exams, so who knows what they’d have to do to pass anyway?” Dylrath tore his mind away from that vision. “Uh . . .. Just what is the Doctrine of Teliaz?” “‘Being nigh indestructible is a hoot!’” Dylrath’s lips repeated the phrase soundlessly. He felt, just for a moment, as if he finally understood what Arcade had been going through as his own mentor all these years. “Bare minimum,” the Outgrabe continued confidentially, “it beats moping around about the total destruction of your career plans.” “How did you know about that?” “Try hanging out with Mr. Omniscient a while, and you’ll get the hang of actually knowing what’s going on for a change.” It was hard to argue with that kind of logic.  At least, hard to argue with it on an empty stomach.  Dylrath still felt lightheaded with hunger. If only he had . . . a simple glass of tomato juice. Just that . . . or some red wine. Or . . . he licked his lips, unable to let the word for what he really wanted speak itself in his mind. He buried his head in his hands. Ah, Calphas . . . . I was supposed to go with Teliaz to get him on the right track, and I sent the Outgrabe ‘cause I didn’t want to go myself . . . . I almost deserve this. I’m going to have to make this right. Myself this time. ‘Anything worth doing is worth some effort’ he thought. Master Arcade won’t approve, but I never did get his lessons just the way he meant me to. He stared at Kelsey’s body. I wish you were here, he thought. I wish I could tell you about why I’m doing this. So somebody would know. I wish I had explained The Plan to somebody from the beginning so there’d be at least one soul that knew that this wasn’t it. “I’m hungry,” he said simply. “So eat,” said the Outgrabe, simply. “He’s not going anywhere.”</blockquote>

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