In which Bodush resolves a moral dilemma

It was not fair. Then again, as far as Bodush could recall, it was never fair, was it? First there was that whole impending death by goblin horde, followed by his compatriots overly heroic intervention. Then, without his guidance, they managed to cut a deal with an insane Hill Giant to facilitate some sort of unsavoury deal between it and some sort of psychotic dwarflike creatures. In fact, the more Bodush found out about this deal, the more he wanted to throw up.

The Derro were getting to him. There were not many things that Bodush hated with anything resembling passion. Orcs, on general principle, but Bodush had great practice in suppressing this hatred, and could easily put it aside when needed. The Derro, however, were just offensive, it was as if by their very being they offended his view of the world. Ever since they found the prisoners, Bodush had felt shaken to his very core by these creatures, his senses completely unbalanced. Bodush suspected that his idiotic foolhardyness in the arena, trying to take on the Savant, must have been caused by this momentary mental instability.

Bodush grumbled to himself, mulling over this. How could it be? How could he, who prided himself on his amoral, non-judgemental attitude to life, be possessed by this thing resembling righteous anger? Next, he would be preaching the virtues of universal law and retribution.

Bodush scratched his beard as he cast a resentful glance in Eolar's direction.

That must be it! It must be the exposure to the sanctimonious ravings of the cleric! Obviously, he had almost fallen into a trap of looking at the world as a place where things happen for a reason, where the role of mortals is to serve this reason, and where there is such a thing as right or wrong.

The Derro were not an abomination after all. They were merely another source of insight and power. Bodush took a deep breath and gathered himself. Still, the power that these stunted humanoid horrors had over his mind should not be ignored. If such a strongwilled superior being as himself could so easily be knocked off-balance by mere exposure to these, wicked, yet mundane horrors, what about those with less powerful minds?

Perhaps there was a way of replicating or transmitting this horror in others. That would be a very useful thing indeed. Bodush smiled to himself, his mind unlocking patterns of magic as he continued walking down the corridor.

Under his breath, he whispered a prayer to the only god he deemed worthy of notice. Some sort of thanks to Boccob was needed for this lesson. Slowly reciting the Litany of Manipulation, he continued on his way.....

"Naught that is, is right or wrong. All that is, is in flux. All in flux, is bent by will. Will is always justified."

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And in case you are wondering, Bodush did not take a level in Cleric....