The Soul Gem slowly floated into Marasmus' hands. He silently observed his choice in depth and nodded with satisfaction when he saw its quality. This must've belonged to a lich who had lived for at least, 20,000 years.
The former owner didn't die because the Soul Gem became faulty, but because their soul hadn't been strong enough to keep on existing. This meant that Marasmus could go for a minimum of 12,000 more years assuming his soul was similarly 'fragile'.
Greatly pleased by his choice, Marasmus turned to face Darius once more. The fellow himself was retrieving the two items he put down and brought out another three.
"Lord Marasmus, one the second topic of whether I can gain your esteemed friendship and trust, please see if one of these three items can suit your taste."
