Renjiro looked back up at the two figures cloaked in black. His eyes narrowed slightly on the frail-looking old man wielding the bone scepter.
"So," Renjiro stated calmly, "that necromancer is a high-level threat, then?"
"Yes!" Elaria confirmed her grave expressions.
Renjiro just offered a small, confident smile. "Don't worry too much, Elaria. High-level or not, it makes no difference. Even if a stronger one came here to challenge me, in my presence, they would kneel!"
Elaria still looked worried. "Even so, Your Majesty, please be careful."
Renjiro gave a slight nod, then asked curiously, "This Gate of the Underworld... does it actually open a path to the land of the dead?"
"No, Your Majesty, that's just what it's called," Elaria explained quickly. "It works more like a magical doorway. It lets the necromancer pull specific undead servants from somewhere else, not from the true realm of the dead."
