Lith couldn’t spot any surveillance device, so either they were cloaked or he was within the range of the Wyvern’s senses.
Now that he was without Solus, his memory alone might not be enough to capture so many complex, unknown runes. Sure, she could access his memories, but just like for the technological blueprints he had studied during college back on Earth, a single blurred area was enough to make the whole thing useless.
It was the reason why they always took their time to copy unknown runes like they had done while flying along the mountain.
‘Xedros must be pissed off because I avoided all of his sensing arrays while arriving up here or maybe he helplessly watched me studying his workings.’ Lith flew inside, noticing that the energy gate reassembled right after his passage.
The tunnel split into two or more intersections several times, some going upward and others below, making him wonder if the entire mountain wasn’t actually hollow. Lith had no problem moving along the maze since upon his arrival only one passage was open while the others were sealed by mystical barriers.
The room he entered at the end of the road was nothing like he had pictured in his own mind. After visiting Gadorf’s and Faluel’s homes, after hearing so many things about a Wyverns’ greed, Lith would have never expected to find Xedros curled up in a completely bare cave.
The First Wyvern wasn’t much bigger than his late son.
If the creature stood on hind legs, Xedros would have been over five (16’5″) meters tall, with his long neck taking a quarter of his eight and ending into a long reptile snout as big as a barrel.
His tail was about 1.67 meters (5’6″) long, ending with a thick bone spike that resembled the sting of a giant wasp. Two golden membranous wings extended from his forelegs, connecting his little fingers to his hips.
The wings were a few shades paler compared to the scales that covered Xedros’s upper body and made it shine like a masterfully cut gemstone under the mystical lights illuminating the cave.
The raw splendor of the Emperor Beast almost made Lith fail to notice how Xedros’s gaze was filled with rage and envy.
Almost.
Envy because Lith’s wings came out of his back, like those of a true Dragon. Because the dimensional aura surrounding the Wyrmling was a clear tell that he possessed an omni pocket.
A treasure that the Wyvern had long coveted and yet it had always eluded him.
Most of all, Xedros was envious of the infant’s vigorous mana flow that betrayed Lith having a blue core despite his young age, whereas the First Wyvern had spent decades to achieve it.
Xedros’s rage, however, didn’t derive from Lith’s possessions or talents, but from the fact that the Emperor Beast blamed him for the pitiful state he had been stuck in for over a year.
Xedros had yet to fully recover from Tyris’s punch, his punishment for watching a forbidden magic ritual unfold instead of stopping it like his duty as Lord of the region required.
“You’ve become much stronger from the last time I’ve seen you Ranger Verhen.” Xedros’s voice was warm and gentle as if he was a teacher complimenting his dearest pupil, yet his words reeked of mockery.
“You can drop the act and take your human form if it makes you more comfortable.” The Wyvern clicked his tongue multiple times, wearing a smile that seemed more a pretext to bare the row of pearl-white fangs filling his mouth rather than a friendly gesture.
Lith didn’t move nor replied, more curious about the hostility he felt coming from his host rather than worried. He didn’t have Solus with him, but, according to Life Vision, Xedros probably had a weak purple core and a physical prowess way below Lith’s.
All the glitter of the Wyvern’s scales couldn’t hide the fact that his wings were bent at unnatural angles, nor that the Emperor beast had a bald spot on its abdomen the size of a woman’s fist.
The area lacked any form of protection, exposing Xedros’s soft flesh that pulsed at the rhythm of his breathing. The First Wyvern was doing his best to keep the weak spot hidden, but Lith’s trained Healer’s eyes were capable of following all the involuntary spasms in a patient’s body.
‘Below all of his bravado lies little substance. I can count at least four cracked bones beside the obvious ones.’ Lith wasn’t willing to challenge such an ancient being in his own home, but prepared a few spells, just to be safe.
“What do you mean human form?” Lith asked, curious to understand the reasons of such unwarranted hostility and what had given him away.
“Please, I’m not stupid.” Xedros’s attempt to perform a menacing cackle ended up in violent coughing. Judging by his grimace Lith estimated at least three cracked ribs.
“Ranger Verhen goes to Zantia, a Wyrmling appears, and even though Faluel sends her disciple to help his scaly friend, Protector ends up fighting alongside the Ranger. To make things even odder, said Ranger will coincidentally later become her disciple, creating a divide between the human’s and the beasts’ Council.
“Also, I’ve spectated your fight with those pesky Awakened back in Zantia and no matter what form you take, your energy signature remains the same.”
‘If he knows who I am, all my precautions are for nothing. Me being a Healer and a Forgemaster is public knowledge.’ Lith inwardly cursed.
“If you were there, why didn’t you help? As far as I know, stopping Awakened from employing forbidden magic is your duty.”
“Why do you think I am in such a pitiful state?” Xedros’s voice oozed venom, literally. His saliva sizzled on contact with the stone, each droplet leaving a hole as big as a marble.
“The Kingdom’s Guardian inflicted upon me wounds that can’t be healed normally before taking matters into her own hands. Now tell me what you want and then beat it.”
Lith didn’t know what was more shocking. The idea that Guardians could make healing magic useless, the Wyvern’s pettiness, or the revelation that Constable Tyris was a Guardian.
Even though Xedros didn’t mention her name, she was the only one that could fit the bill. Upon her appearance, she had put an end to the fight and opened a Warp Gate all by herself. It explained all the oddities surrounding her.
Lith spaced out only for a split second before making his request.
“I’m capable of producing Origin Flames, but so far all of my attempts to control them failed. I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction.” Lith didn’t waste time with niceties.
The Wyvern’s behavior made it clear to Lith that he had already overstayed his welcome.
“Origin Flames, you say?” Xedros said with a hiss. He had almost forgotten about that, making the reasons why he didn’t like Lith increase by one.
“Why should I…” The Emperor Beast almost bit his own tongue as Lith’s request finally reached the most rational part of his brain, past all the stress and pain originating from his wounds.
“Maybe.” Xedros said with an amiable smile, making the temperature in the room rise several degrees. “As you can see, I’m still wounded. I hear you are a competent Healer and I was wondering if there’s something you could do about it.”
