“I’m not one of them. I don’t care about their stupid rules. As I told you in Verendi, we follow the Abomination way. We don’t hide. We don’t cower. Most importantly, we don’t turn our back on our own.” Zoreth put her cup and the plate down before she crushed them with her grip.
“Are you telling me that you want to help me rescue Phloria?” Lith asked while Jirni and Orion held their breath.
“She’s important to you so she’s important to me as well.” Zoreth nodded. “If you need help teaching Thrud’s cowardly Divine Runts a lesson and laying waste to her army, you just need to ask.
“When I call you my brother, it’s more than a word to me. I’m with you.”
“We both are, if you’d have me.” Bytra stared at the ground. “I’m not as good as Zor at breaking stuff, but Solus and I make a great duo. My speed complements her strength and vice versa. Also, my assistants would help us.”
“What assistants?” Solus asked.
“I work mostly in the lab, not in the field. Nandi and Theseus are my assistants so they go where I go. I already asked them, and they agreed to help us. Nandi because he cares about Baba Yaga and Theseus to thank you for your help.”
Lith’s lips curled in a cruel smile at the thought of four monster-Eldritch hybrids fighting by his side. Zoreth would more than double his destructive power, Bytra would become Solus’ legs, and Nandi would allow them to use the full power of the tower even in the absence of a mana geyser.
As for Theseus, if he had finally gotten the blood madness under control and mastered his Meneos side, there was no telling how powerful he might have become. Yet something was off.
Zoreth was one of the most powerful creatures he had ever met, yet Lith could smell her worry.
“I can’t speak for Solus, but I don’t need time to think. I’m grateful for your offer and I accept it.” Lith replied.
“Me too.” Solus nodded. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be friends, Bytra, but I’ve already forgiven you. Being close is still awkward for me, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in fear. I must face my demons, just like you.”
“Not so fast.” Zoreth raised her hand, asking them to let her speak. “There are two things that I need to make clear before sealing our alliance. First, even though there’s nothing that I’d love more than be your shadow and fight this war until the end, I have a job to do.
“I can’t go down into the details but just know that if not for me, the Undead Courts would have screwed the Kingdom already. There’s no point in winning a few battles together just to lose more ground than we gain.
“I’ll be there for you whenever I’m free and if you call me when I’m not, I’ll do my best to reach you as fast as I can.”
Lith understood her position and nodded for her to continue.
“Second, you must realize the consequences of your choice. Until this moment, I’ve always operated in the shadows. The Kingdom has no idea who the mysterious Shadow Dragon is because my only public appearance was back when Night attacked Zinya.
“Once I become a constant presence on the battlefield, it will only be a matter of time before someone recognizes my real form. At that point, you won’t be the Supreme Magus calling upon a mystical Dragon.
“You’d be a crazy man who sides with an infamous butcher. If people saw you acting all friendly towards an Eldritch, they’ll consider you just as bad. Your reputation might go down the drain and with it the respect you worked so hard to gain back.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” Zoreth asked.
“Three years ago, I made Phloria a promise.” Lith replied. “I told her that the moment she needed me, I’d discard my duty and my honor if it was what I needed to do in order to be by her side in her time of need.
“I intend to uphold that promise. I don’t give a damn about my reputation or about what a bunch of strangers thinks about me. I can rebuild my reputation, but I can’t bring back a dead friend.
“I accept your help.” Lith offered the Eldritches his hand and they shook it. “Just one question, what about your father?”
The whole conversation had happened in front of Jirni and Orion. They had met Zoreth several times at Vastor’s home.
“Don’t worry, Dad gave us his blessing. He is so enraged for the kidnapping of a student of the White Griffon who’s also your apprentice that he would join us if only he could.” The Shadow Dragon said.
“As for your friends here, they are his friends too. Dad said that Jirni has been poking around to discover the source of his strength for a while now and that it’s only a matter of time before she finds out.
“Well, Lady Ernas, now you know. We are the answer you have been looking for.” She pointed at herself, Bytra, and Tezka.
Suddenly the return of the Suneater and his care for Zinya’s children made sense. Jirni dug up in her memory, recognizing the Fourth Ruler of the Flames and Rune Magus.
Despite her years of training, her knees would have buckled at the idea of sharing the room with so many legends at the same time. Luckily for Jirni, she was already sitting so her reaction looked as stoic as her face.
“Tell your father that I won’t betray his secret as long as he doesn’t betray mine.” Jirni nodded. “I don’t even care if I turn into his accomplice. Just bring my daughter back.”
“We will do our best.” Bytra said. “We’ll break every single law of the Kingdom if we have to.”
“Thank you.” Orion shook their hands. “I’ll be forever in your debt.”
He didn’t care about his honor or the nature of his unexpected benefactors either. A trifling thing like morals could wait.
“Well then, you have my rune.” Zoreth stood up and moved toward the door. “Sorry for leaving like this but the more work I do now, the more free time I’ll have once you need me, Lith.”
“Same.” Bytra shapeshifted into a humanoid Raiju while her wife turned into a Dragon.
They left the house in the same way they had arrived to not raise suspicions about what had happened inside.
“Thank you very much, Lith.” Jirni said once she found the strength to stand up and sit at his side. “What that woman said is true. Your reputation might take a huge blow yet you didn’t hesitate to put it on the line for my Little Flower.
“I’ll never forget what you did today. The promise you made to Phloria I now make it to you. Whenever you need me, whatever you need, just call me and I’ll come.”
“And so will I.” Orion nodded while inwardly gritting his teeth.
‘Gods, I hate myself. Maybe if I didn’t nag at Lith and Phloria so much, maybe today things would be different.’ Orion thought while looking at Kamila.
