This damned snake is proving to be far worse then the boorish ingvarr. Why does she need to be so clingy? Why does she need to insult me so? Why doesn't she have any sense of personal space?!

And her grip is so tight, too? Why?! What part of this situation made her thing this was acceptable!? Did she [i]have[/i] to pat me on the head with her tail!? I'm not a child!

And that ingvarr just keeps making it worse. Every single word out of her mouth---!

"If you don't let me go, I'll---"

... Hmph. She's lucky that someone else has intervened. Especially given what the Lady Mage and the other adventurer have just described.

I press my lips together, narrowing my eyes. It's not as if I'm familiar with every livestock malady that a farmer may have to deal with, but it doesn't sound like anything as simple as that. Weeping sores producing a black ichor, and fear at night? Both of these combined imply something beyond a typical illness.

Besides, at least these people seem to appreciate my station.

"That doesn't sound like an ordinary ailment," I respond, as I attempt to at least free one of my arms from this stupid snake's grip, "It sounds like something much fouler is afflicting the animals."

As a paladin, it's only natural that I have learned about the evil spirits that inhabit dark places in this world. Wicked things, born due to evil deeds of the enemies of all life, in a far bygone era. The kinds of fell spirits that lurk in the darkness, away from the light of the Sun and Moon, and proliferate in shadow.

It's not immediately clear what sort of presence could be affecting the livestock just from hearing the symptoms, but the fact that it's inflicting them with some sort of blight does narrow it down, somewhat.

"Of course, as a paladin," I begin, refusing to allow the stupid snake's grip to hold back my pride, "I will gladly assist in purging whatever wickedness lies on the farmer's lands! ... Can you let [i]go[/i] already?"

I shoot the lamia a glare over my shoulder, as best as I can manage. Ugh, she did say she was interested in coming along, didn't she?

I'm not about to let that dissuade me from cleansing an evil presence, but it doesn't mean I'm happy about it.

[@Rune_Alchemist][@HereComesTheSnow][@Octo][@ERode]