“Xenagrosh doesn’t have to worry about the Decay produced along with the Chaos because her black core feeds upon it whereas you would have to worry about both of them. Know that neither Guardians nor white cores use cursed elements.
“The only species that can safely conjure them are the Abominations and the Liches. Abominations for the reasons I just explained and Liches because their phylactery makes any kind of damage, even those to their minds, just temporary.”
“I see.” Lith decided to forget about Chaos magic unless he discovered something new and drew a comparison between Nalrond’s and Xenagrosh’s body.
‘Maybe making Nalrond’s cores overlap like hers might be the first step to wear down the barriers between his human and Rezar life force.’ He thought.
After a nice helping of ice cream and giving the recipe to Xenagrosh as well, they all turned back in their respective human forms to enjoy a glass of Red Dragon.
Sinmara wore now a red blouse and black pants.
“I know that Mom probably wants you to join the nest, but if you enjoy your freedom as much as I did during my youth, you’d better turn her offer down.” She said while slowly drinking the alcohol so strong that it could make a Guardian drunk.
“I would still like to take a look at the job. The Griffon Kingdom is full of problems and I’d like to have a place where to fall back if everything goes south.” Lith said.
“Don’t worry. The next time I have a mission from Mom, I’ll bring you and Xenagrosh along so that you can see what kind of threats a high officer of the nest must face.” She said.
“I’m sorry, what do you need me for?” Xenagrosh asked.
“I can’t focus on my job if I have to protect pipsqueak here.” Sinmara chuckled. “I need you to ensure his safety.”
“Then you can count on me.” The Shadow Dragon replied.
On the one hand, more work was the last thing Xenagrosh needed. On the other hand, the opportunity to keep an eye on Lith and to learn the spells of a white cored Phoenix was too good to turn it down.
***
Trawn woods, Faluel’s lair, that same day.
Having her class more than halved allowed the Hydra to kick her disciples’ asses while also conducting several experiments at the same time. Protector had reached the bright blue for a while now and he needed to start learning Spirit Magic.
Aside from him, only Quylla and Nalrond took part in her classes. Being the only non-Awakened students, they needed to fortify their bodies to handle the power of true magic for their respective ends.
Quylla wanted to make sure to survive the Awakening process she was developing while Nalrond hoped that by making the physical prowess of his human body come close to that of the Rezar, the barrier separating them would weaken.
Friya had left for the desert already and Phloria was focusing on improving her mana core while also resting her body from the events of Urgamakka. The use of her blade tier spell combined with the Chaos energies she had withstood had taken a heavy toll on her.
“Excellent work like always, guys.” One of Faluel’s seven heads said while the others were quarreling about some complex magical equations they couldn’t agree on.
“Since training is pointless without some real action, I’m sending you all into the field tomorrow.”
“What?” Protector was in his Skoll form and growled his words in outrage. “Our deal was to let me spend more time with my family and not sending me on more missions until I had improved my skills!”
“Don’t be a Lith and listen until the end before complaining!” Faluel’s words made everyone laugh, Protector included. “It would be a simple matter of two days tops. Also, I’m not breaking our deal since you won’t work for me this time.
“Ajatar the Drake has requested my help and I couldn’t refuse after all he did for me.”
“What’s the matter?” Quylla asked.
“He has only one disciple and he’s afraid that Morok alone might not be enough. On top of that, Ajatar is worried that Morok’s father, Glemos might make a move the moment our Tyrant friend is far away enough.” Faluel said.
“Is he using us as helpers or as bait?” Nalrond asked.
“Both. Ajatar and I will be ready to intervene since one of us might not be enough to face an Awakened as strong and old as Glemos.” Faluel said.
“At the same time, however, we must make sure that he’s really lurking around Ajatar’s territory. That’s why he needs our help. If Glemos has left, then you’ll just be Morok’s backup.
“If he’s still around, however, your task is to buy enough time until we arrive.”
“You can count on me.” Quylla said while burning with anger.
Morok’s father had put him in the same situation Deirus had forced upon her for months. The Tyrant was a prisoner of his own home, fearing that his estranged parent might snatch him away the moment he stepped in the open.
“I can use spending a bit of time with him.” Nalrond nodded.
“Two days tops. After that, I’ll go back home, no matter if the mission is finished or not.” Protector said as the memory of his children asking him who he was made him shudder.
It had just been a horrible prank that Selia had arranged back when he had returned from his last autumn mission to teach him a lesson. Yet the kids had played their role so well and made the charade last long enough that it didn’t hurt any less than if it was real.
“Are you sure that Quylla can come with us?” Nalrond asked. “She has recently gone through some bad stuff and she’s the weakest among us.”
“Thanks for asking.” Quylla unleashed Bloodbind, the mystical Adamant chains that Orion had crafted for her.
They darted from her sleeves faster than a snake, wrapping around Nalrond before he had the time to shapeshift. When he tried to switch bodies, the chains were already so tight that they almost crushed his expanding ribs.
On top of that, Quylla needed but a thought to slam him left and right on the ground like a dirty rug. The strength behind the chains came from their enchantments and was fueled by her core, not her muscles.
“Okay, I give up.” Nalrond said the moment he felt her darkness spell traveling through Bloodbind and seeping directly inside his body.
“I may be weak, but I’m almost a true mage.” Quylla said. “I already mastered fusion magic and all spells up to tier three. On top of that, the equipment that my Dad made for me is state-of-the-art Royal Forgemastering.”
Two metal wings came out of her back, allowing her to fly without the need for magic and revealing her clothes to actually be the latest version of Orion’s Featherwalker armor.
“Human Rangers like Acala have single-handedly dealt with missions like that for centuries now and even if I lack their physical prowess, my artifacts more than make up for it.”
“Indeed.” Nalrond sighed in envy as his clothes ripping from a simple love tap revealed to be nothing but regular clothes.Â
