Shouldn't get too drunk around little Bevan. There was a deeper green tint to her cheeks now, perhaps the Orc equivalent of blushing. She finished her mead then upended the mug, disappointed that it was empty. What was fact a hundred years ago becomes legend, then in another hundred it's forgotten.' It's no wonder ye forget so much, ye don't live long enough to pass it on. Truth be told I can't believe how fast men die, ye get like sixty years at best, then yer spent. 'That's nice of ye kid, givin' this old Orc a compliment. She grinned and nudged him with her elbow. 'How can you be so old? You don't look it.'

Has knowledge of magic really fallen so far behind in the kingdom of men? I remember a time before those walls were put up and Paladins started patrolling, looking to slay whatever they deemed offensive to their Gods.' If he had been asked to guess, he wouldn't have assumed that she was a day over thirty. There were no wrinkles on her face, her body was firm and strong, her muscles so defined that they might have been the product of a sculptor's chisel. Not even the gnarled old oaks in his family's gardens were that old, and they had stood since the founding of his house. She must be lying, no living thing could possibly exist for that long. But if ye must know, I'm going on three hundred and twenty.'Д«evan looked at her in awe. 'A gentleman never asks a lady her age, ye little shite. Elves ain't warlike, so they had no choice but to pack up and scram.'

'Menfolk needed farmland, so they cut down most of the forests. 'Driven off,' she said as she took another gulp, more mead spilling down her chin and wetting her ample chest as Bevan struggled to keep his eyes on her face. Men might have forgotten all about 'em by now, ain't been any Elves round these parts for a good few hundred years.' 'Elves?' Bevan asked, curiosity overcoming his embarrassment. Born with a touch of the supernatural in us, keeps us going a good while.'

'Orcs live a long time, not as long as those poncey Elves, but we're what ye'd call magical creatures. I've been around a long time, kid.' She took another draw from her mug, her face contorting as she swallowed down the harsh beverage. 'If yer wonderin' how I got ye painted, it's because I've met plenty of Paladins in my life, and killed most of 'em at that. She had him figured out, why did she know so much about him? Was he that transparent? Or was she just that much more experienced than he was? It annoyed him, and it made him feel oddly vulnerable, like she could see right through him. He opened his mouth to reply, then shut it, staring into the flames. Ye probably ain't never had a real friend, have ye? Did ye even know the names of any of those Paladins ye fought with? Ever exchange a word with 'em outside of battle doctrine or scripture study?' 'It's ok for friends to get close, ye know. She released him with a chuckle, peering down at him with her yellow eyes, A smirk curled her lips as she watched his face burn, Bevan scooting away from her and averting his gaze.

Velvet and furs warband