“Excuse me, uh ...”

"Please, do not mind me" said Machronus to his companion, feverishly turning the pages of his book. “I may be a little distracted, but I am still fully capable of... Uh ...”

“Talking?” Robert suggested.

“Yes exactly. Uh ...”

“Why didn’t this ... Um, this woman, not die with the rest?”

“Well... Please give me a minute, resurrection of insects ... Of animals ... Resurrection of giant spiders, that's it. You were saying?

“This undead woman.”

“Ah yes! It is the spokesperson of our friend Zamioculcas. I kept it in reserve in case he and I needed to talk. Speaking of it, I think he hears us at this moment.”

“Machronus, you despicable son of a whore!”

"Pleased to know you can hear me, dear colleague," said Machronus after closing his book.

“How dare you use necrophagoi? And you pretend to fight evil, you miserable, hypocritical vermin!”

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“That's what I do, I assure you.”

“So why do you use revived corpses and those disgusting insect-eating filths? Did you raise your zombies by asking them politely!?”

“Well, technically, I did not raise them. Necrophagoi appear spontaneously in cemeteries off the corpses of cursed people, I have only cast Domination of ...”

“Do you take me for a damned apprentice? I know very well what a necrophagos is! It does not mean that you aren’t a necromancer, despite the airs you give yourself. You are only a pretender who uses the same magic as I do. And those cursed spiders ...”

“Speaking of spiders, they obey me because I have a contract with their queen-mother ...”

“I do not care! If you wanted to stop a necromancer, you should have started by killing yourself.”

"I believe, dear colleague, that necromancy has a noble purpose at its origin. I believe that necromancy spells should aim to help each being find his death as late as possible, in a way that suits them best. And I also believe that I must help you find your own.”

"I'll never die, Machronus," Zamioculcas said softly. “This is the goal I have been pursuing for so many decades. I will not let you take it away from me. You will meet your death much sooner than you expected.”

“I know exactly when and how I will die, Zamioculcas. I'm afraid that's all I had to tell you.”

Machronus snapped his fingers, and the talking zombie fell into dust.

“You have been alive far too long, old man” he murmured before turning his head to his companion. "Very well, my peasant friend” he said with a tired smile. “Get ready to do exactly what I am going to tell you. Now we’re getting down to business.”