Autharyx feels his chest puff up with pride at the deluge of compliments and interest. It is exhilarating to have Viltez show admiration and curiosity towards, well, [i]him[/i]. It makes him want to preen and gloat and show Viltez exactly how beautiful and powerful he is. And he will, just not quite yet. 

Even through his pride he realises that 'actually I was talking about myself the whole time' is probably not the best way to go. It's not even about whether Viltez will believe him- of course he will. It's more that... well, that will be putting their acquaintance in a bit of a different light, won't it? It will mean owning up to lying up until now, and it will probably mean the end of this sense of... equality that they seem to have going. Autharyx would have never guessed he would prefer equality to lording over someone, but that's the position he finds himself in right now. Best to take a bit more time to let Viltez get to know him, and then when he does show his true self it will be a bonus rather than a shock!

"Sadly, it hasn't interacted with humans directly in many generations," he says in response to the beast-man's enthusiastic questions. Pretending he spent a lot of time talking to himself felt like stretching the 'lying by omission' a bit too far. Instead he chooses to talk as truthfully as he can manage, carefully talking around all the bits that would reveal more than he is willing to part with right now.

"The shrine has fallen into disrepair over the ages, and in the end I did not want to be chained to a place rooted in a past gone by when there was a world beyond the lake for me to explore. I do intend to go back eventually, of course. I suppose in the end I will always be tied to that place." He turns to glance out the window in contemplation, the sky looking small and distant from this still-unfamiliar perspective. 

"It seems the world is no longer one of dragons and spirits, as it was long ago."