You set out early... And run into the paladin anyway.

You awaken early, largely out of habit. You remember that when you were young, you enjoyed spending time in the library with your... damn. The memory is already gone. You glower at the wall, then sigh and stand. If you want to avoid spending any more time with the goblin or the paladin then necessary- which you most assuredly do- you needed to get going. You gather your somewhat meager possessions and set out after bidding a polite farewell to the red-haired elf lady that was also up. You're not sure why she was holding to the shadows, but that's her prerogative.

Of course, two hours later you hear an unwelcome, booming voice. "Come, companion! The cowardly fiend can't have gone far! And we shall enact JUSTICE upon him for meddling in things no mortal should touch!" By soul and shadow, the Paladin found you. Of course they'd drop everything to chase after you. Of course. Your life was too easy, so the gods just had to throw something like this at you.

"... Couldn't we just leave him alone? He was nice. And polite. And didn't stare." A soft, melodic female voice answered him. "If we have to go after someone we spent time in a neutral zone with, why aren't we going after the goblin? The crazy priestess of a **** goddess?"

"Bah! An obvious distraction! The Necromancer was obviously in league with her, and the mastermind of the outfit! You saw how they looked at each other, did you not?"

"... Yes, I saw a grown man highly disturbed by the crazy cultist in a child's body wanting to jump his bones."

The shrubbery to the side of the road rustle as the two come out onto the road. It's the paladin, all right. And, surprisingly, the elf. Who is much taller then you thought, now that she's standing. Nicely muscular, in an amazonian way. And you can tell why people would stare. The reasons were obvious. Both very generous reasons.

... You've made a good impression on one person who doesn't have the Monster tag, no reason to fuck it up by staring at her now. No matter how gorgeous she is. Especially not with a Paladin trying to kill you. You glance at the floating IDs above their heads, now that you're in a non-warded area, and suppress the urge to curse. Either one alone would give you trouble- going up against melee characters without minions is a fast way to get yourself killed.

Ser Jhondoe The Brave, Level 3 Human Paladin

Lyrissa <<of Evergreen>>, Level 3 Elf Ranger

... Wait. Was the Paladins' name really 'Ser'? And The Brave? Not as titles, but as part of his name? Were his parents crazy or something? Or did he name himself in a fit of ego?

"AHAH!" Ser bellows upon seeing you. "You see? An ambush! They were obviously in league!"

You sigh in exasperation. "I heard you on your way here, actually. You were not exactly quiet. Given you ignored a cultist who literally worships **** to come after me, I don't suppose I can talk you out of trying to kill me."

"I did indeed ignore your underling! While your attempt to have her distract me from your escape by throwing a fit over it was clever, I saw through it with ease! Now, face the wrath of Mariel!" He gestures towards you, only for a popup to appear in front of his face. "... Smite Failed? Can only smite evil targets? What in the blazes... He's a necromancer! I'm not even sure this game has an alignment system!"

You sigh again, then turn to Lyrissa. "... I take it he didn't really give you a chance to say no."

She shakes her head. "Not at all. He seemed decent enough for a PUG, but now I can't leave his party, we're far enough out that only our teamwork is keeping us alive. He's quite good in a fight, no matter how little he thinks outside of one. Though I am beginning to wish I'd just taken the respawn penalty, never mind the quest to clear the tower..."

You blink. "You're... not that far out. As long as you have at-level gear and..." You trail off as she blushes nearly as red as her hair. "Oh. Well. I'll not pry."

"It's not that big a deal..." She denies, though the redness of her face implies otherwise. "There was this rogue with a deck of exploding cards that went off whenever anyone but her started to win. Talked me into a 'friendly game'..."

"Oh. Her." Your face scrunches up in distaste. "I think I still have burns from my encounter with them."

"Can you please not trade life stories with something we're going to kill?" Ser The Brave interrupts, exasperated. "Even if he's not evil, he's obviously affiliated with the shades in the tower! Necromancer, undead! Two peas in a pod!"

You suspect that you and Lyrissa share identical looks of disbelief as you stare at him.

"... You do know necromancers fight all the time, right?" You're the first to break the silence. "Assuming we all get along is kind of like assuming every druid gets along. Or every dwarf. Or every human." Wait, back up. "... Did you call me something?"