I will call this chapter...

The Monk
The Necromancer
And an altruistic, completely naive Paladin!

"Are names so important?" the strange man asked.

"Yes. They are symbols that represent a person," Amon responded, adopting a strange tone of voice. "And allow reference back to them. They allow people an identity to attach to a face and reference within the mind."

The man smiled weakly. "That, is true. Your answer is real, thus you are real." Amon tilted her head to the side, but behind her Oocho just looked baffled, sneaking a glance at the Paladin. In turn, the paladin was just looking at the strange man, puzzled. Then Amon moved, coming up to the man and bowing her head lightly in greeting.

"Did you dispose of the fallen here?" she questioned. "Or anything to that effect?"

"That depends on what you mean by 'dispose'," he said, smiling weakly again.

"Are you the reason that- at least to my perception- the fallen are no longer here?"

"Yes… that is the right question to ask… I am indeed the source of the leaving of the Fallen from this area. I am here to warn any who wish to enter that this is not child's play."

"Oh good," Amon said, relieved, "you don't look like a child or that you're playing. How 'bout you come with us? You can supervise 'Chair' over here." She jerked her thumb at the paladin, grinning beneath helmet and hood.

"To follow another's foot-steps is a decision not easily decided. I decided upon mine a long time ago."

"You know, if you really wanted to, you could walk at the head of the group instead." He smiled weakly, and she laughed softly. "So, you coming or not?"

"Perhaps you should ask your question differently," he offered. She crossed her arms, pondering to herself.

"How about this: Would you like to join us in the purging of the Prime and Lesser evil's minions from within this singular grouping of caverns?"

"There such a thing as evil?"

"Hey, I didn't say they were evil, I was just calling them by their names, you've got no argument on that." She smiled lightly. "But if you really want me to change it, I can say the Prime and Lesser entities obsessed with the consummation and destruction of this world and all its populace, commonly referred to the Prime and Lesser evils."

"That is better understood."

"So are you coming or not?"

"Yes… I will come."

"Thank you for your assistance . . Fried quill rat?" She offered him one such rat.

"I do not feed upon such things."

"Kay."

"Those things are… Frivolous…"

"Frivolous? Define your usage of the word."

"Why must one feed upon let us say steak? When all he really needs is but a bowl of gruel."

"Because protein builds muscle and stimulates mental activity, and protein is easily obtained from meat. And sometimes people don't really like the taste of gruel, preferring the juices and flavors of meat. Besides, steak provides a wealth of vitamins and minerals that gruel cannot hope to contain. Different likes and tastes give us different characteristics and make us individuals."

"OH WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP? GEEZ! WE COULD HAVE CLEARED THE DEN BY NOW! Come on!" Oocho called from her position in the caves with the paladin behind her. The monk smiled slightly, and Amon nodded.

"Looks like we're going to have to discuss philosophy later. Now is the time for my stealth," at which point she faded into shadow and ran to the head of the group. The man laughed lightly, and followed, walking without any type of weapons about his person.

Oocho simply rolled her eyes, her bow taunt and ready. Mathias could see fine in the gloom of the cave, walking alert behind her, and the monk came last.

"Ugh, that was the longest wordiest conversation I've ever been forced to endure," Oocho muttered. "And I've had to hear Amon talk like that a lot." The monk laughed lightly.

"Then we will not get along," he said softly.

After some time, they came upon the bodies of two Fallen with their heads cracked in half, and Amon poked Oocho gently in the ribs.

"Big room filled with Zombies ahead," she announced in a whisper. "Make sure 'Chair' here stays in the doorway so he doesn't get surrounded by them. Those things pack a punch."

"Were you referring to me?" the monk asked innocently.

"No, Pally here. He got sat on in the last battle."

"… I can take care of myself, thank you," Mathias said back.

"Just stay in the doorway, okay? Don't go into the room."

"…Fine." Amon went silent again, and eventually the party did come to a room overloaded with very, very many, very, very dead zombies. Immediately, the monsters smelling the living flesh of the party, and turned, lumbering toward Oocho.

"FOUR!" Announced Oocho, starting to pick them off one by one.

"Thanks for the warning this time," Amon picked up, dashing forward and picking off Zombies that were ahead of the bulk. As the majority of flesh-eating undead brutes got closer to the door, she backed up and allowed Oocho to continue picking them off.

Behind them, the monk was simply looking around, not getting involved in the fray. In front of them, Mathias stood in the doorway, and beat them off easily. And then, slowly, the man behind them slipped into a side hallway.

Amon came up behind Mathias, kneeling down and putting one hand on his calf. "Hey, I'm right here sitting down behind you, don't back up." At which point she began stabbing the brains out of any Zombie that fell to the ground and didn't stop moving. Mathias obeyed her, standing firm and beating off any Zombie that got near him. And eventually, said Zombies, coming at him like cannon fodder, were entirely mowed down by one of the tree companions. Only a few managed to thwack their powerful arms at the paladin, bashing his armor.

When the last of the undead horrors fell, Mathias rubbed his side lightly, not seeming very bothered by the fact that he had gotten brutally slugged by the Zombies. Amon just laughed, standing up. "The monk has wandered off. I hope he's doing something productive. You alright, Chair?" Mathias was fine, and he nodded slightly. "Augh, don't you ever get hurt? What am I going to do with all these healing potions that I used to have to waste all on myself?" He smiled lightly.

"Soon enough." She smiled up at him beneath her helmet.

"You're too dang tall. Like Oocho. The good news is that she's convenient- her general rate of fire goes over my head." Mathias nodded as Oocho continued.

"Save one time I nailed the poor stealthie in the rear."

"Yeah, and my arse still hurts."

"Oh be quiet, we all know you have regenerati-" Oocho cut off abruptly, stooping to loot the corpses, as Amon sneaked a glare back at Oocho. Mathias, fortunately, only looked at the two a moment and then began picking through the bodies himself. Amon lifted her head again, looking at the bodies and then blinking and looking at a ridge above them.

"Well I'll be o.O," she murmured. "Hey! Kaurian!" She dashed to the ridge, gripping the edge and looping herself up on top of it, drawing her sword and easily cutting through the wooden cage that was perched up there. Mathias blinked, lifting his head, to see a necromancer curled up in the remains of the cage, unconscious. Blood was smeared over the side of his face, and his countenance was drawn with pain.

"Who is that poor person?" he inquired.

"This is Kaurian. We thought he was dead O.o."

"Bring him down, I'll bandage his wounds."

"Its okay, I need to waste some of this surplus of healing potions." Gently she picked up the necromancer, cradling him and tilting his head back. She uncracked a potion and gently force fed him, pouring it down his throat. He stirred slightly, indicating he was still alive, and Amon smiled, jumping down beside her traveling companions. "He's a necromancer, a priest of Rathma. As if the skulls on his armor weren't indication enough."

"Well, that's good. At least he is not evil," Mathias said, looking down at the wounded human.

"Well… actually… never mind. He's not evil as much as he is… not exactly all up here." She tapped her temple with one hand to indicate the necromancer was an utter madman. Then she sat down, sitting the necromancer in her lap, and began to braid his hair.

Oocho sighed. "He's going to kill you when he wakes up."

"I can't help it, he has nice hair."

The archer shook her head and knelt by the necromancer, feeding him another healing potion. This one woke him up, and he blinked, cold black eyes opening. They were glazed slightly, not pure in color, and he looked a bit disoriented. But then his eyes fixed upon Mathias and he could only exclaim one thing: "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

"I am who I am," Mathias said with a small smirk.

"FCKING PRIEST OF ZAKARUM! DIEEEE!" He launches at the paladin, only to be tackled to the ground by Amon.

"Oh calm down. So you don't like paladins- that was a severe overreaction."

Kaurian blinked, turning his head and looking back at her. "… Amon? Oocho? I'M ALIVE .!" Mathias blinked. "Wait… GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HAIR!"

"Why exactly does he hate paladins?" the Assimar paladin inquired. Trying to get her to stop, Kaurian ignored Mathias for the moment, fighting against Amon despite the fact that one of his ribs was cracked. Amon laughed, getting off of him, and he groaned, sitting up and feeling over his hair, half of which was braided tightly. Then, finally, he turned his attention back to Mathias.

The necromancer's face was noble and proud, but pale white. And his hair reached down to his shoulder blades, straight and pure white. "Bigoted self-righteous monsters," he hissed out. "I've had enough of Paladins damning the teaches of Rathma, and proclaiming necromancy a demonic art!" To his credit, Mathias was far more a paladin then any of the bigoted, self righteous high council of the Zakarum, which fell so easily to demonic corruption.

"I do not damn the art of necromancy," the paladin said evenly. "My order fell because of such accusations. I wish to change that in paladins." Kaurian blinked and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the Zakarum priest. Then he snorted and stood up slowly, wincing and touching his cracked rib.

"So i'm not going to have to listen to you preach about how Rathma misleads all his followers, and the light this and the light that?"

"No. It would be wise for you to go back to the rouge camp…"

"And leave Oocho and Amon alone with you? No, Assimar!" This was surprising- as the necromancer could instantly tell what Mathias was, even with the paladin's helmet covering his unique hair and his eyes obscured. "That would be stupid!" But then he grinned shrewdly. "You don't even know, do you? You ignore it even though your senses scream it… Perhaps you are liberal, but you are an Assimar… You would never help them if you knew!"

"SHUT UP, KAURIAN!" Amon cried, tackling the necromancer into a wall and causing him to cry out as his ribs broke. Mathias blinked, looking at her puzzled. She was immediately sorry, not having known her own strength, and gave him a potion. He grunted and she helped him sit down against the wall. He set directly on a zombie corpse, not seeming to mind the squishy rotten flesh at all. Apparently there was only one thing that really bothered necromancers- annoying LIVING people. Like paladins.

At last, Amon turned back to Mathias and lowered her head. "We should keep moving. And we should stop screaming."