Chapter 4548: Desperate Plea (Part 2)
Chapter 4548: Desperate Plea (Part 2)
The Titania’s fake magic Murder array matched the Hydra’s, letting the Eyes and the Grimoire cut the analysis time to under an hour.
The true magic version, however, used a different set of runes, and the Eyes classified it as a different spell.
"Ready or not, we’re done here. Let’s go, Filly."
"Please wait, Auntie Tessa!" Solus grabbed the Titania’s arm and managed to stop her. "I know I’ve been an absent friend, but please, allow me to make it up to you. Would you like to take a tour of the new floors?"
"Thanks, but too little..." Solus shapeshifted into her Vritra form. "Gods-damn! Fine, you daughter of a rude woman, I’m in. What is this thing, and when did you get it?"
"Do you promise you won’t get angry with me if I tell you the truth?" Solus staring at someone with her big, gemmed, vertical-slitted eyes would have been creepy to most people on Mogar, but not to a Titania.
"No, but I can promise I won’t hold it against you or add it to the long list of my grievances." Tessa replied.
"It was right after Forgemastering Faluel’s Blade Weapon." Solus replied.
"That was months ago!" The Titania snarled. "This is old news."
"Very old, since Faluel was there when it happened, and Fyrwal took part in the first tour of the restored tower." Solus threw the Hydra under the bus to save herself.
"Filly, you traitor!" Tessa said. "That’s why you were all sugar with Ripha and Epphy! You kept your door open while shutting mine closed!"
"Traitor is a big word." The Hydra tutted. "My position in the Council requires me to keep in touch with its most prominent members like Lith. He and Solus are Fanny’s apprentices, so they often ask for my advice and help.
"Also, unlike a certain recluse I know, I don’t wait to be called to pay my old friends a social visit."
"Yeah, right. Especially if you want something from them." Tessa replied, dragging Solus out of the door. "Let’s start the tour, Solus. I don’t want to hear another word from that lying snake."
"Hey, I’m a Hydra!" Fyrwal ran behind them. "Call me a lying lizard if you want, but snake is uncalled for!"
***
A full tour of the tower, a display of Solus’ life forces and forms, the promise to upgrade Tessa’s weapon with Creation Magic, and the formal invitation to Solus’ incoming birthday party appeased the Titania’s wrath.
***
Meanwhile, in the Mansion, Orion struggled to muster the courage to do what he had to.
’Racking my brain to find the right words will do me no good when dealing with someone who can read my thoughts.’ He inwardly sighed. ’If she wants to help me, she will, no matter what I say.’
Orion waited for Salaark and Scarlett the Sekhmet to put down the babies before approaching her.
"I’m sorry to bother you, Overlord Salaark. Do you have a minute?" He asked.
"My shift won’t end for sixteen more hours. I have all the time you want." She noticed Orion’s tension in his stiff posture and the slight tremor in his voice, but those things were hardly a novelty for a mortal when they addressed a Guardian.
"I mean in private." Orion cleared his throat while nodding at the Sekhmet.
"You should have led with that." The Overlord replied. "I don’t read other people’s thoughts while I’m on someone else’s turf, especially if they are fellow guests of my Featherlings."
’This is a great start.’ He inwardly cursed.
"I’m sorry about that." Orion actually said, giving the two women a polite bow. "Please, follow me, Overlord."
He led Salaark to the living room of his living quarters and invited her to sit for a cup of tea.
"You can spare me the pleasantries and cut to the chase." Salaark said, even though she accepted Orion’s hospitality. "We are not friends, and I don’t need any magical trick to know when someone wants something from me."
"Guilty as charged." Orion nodded. "Sugar? Milk?"
"Milk and two sugars, please." She replied. "What’s this about?"
"I need your help reforging Grimlock and Skywarp." Orion finished serving her tea and put the two weapons on the table between them.
"Quick and straight to the point." Salaark said. "It’s a good start, but it’s not enough to convince me. Why should I help you?"
"You have no reason to do it, and I have nothing to offer you." Orion looked her in the eyes. "We both know I’m not going to defect from my country or reveal the Royal Forgemastering techniques to you.
"Moreover, all the riches and knowledge I possess are of little significance to you, and are definitely not worth as much as I have to gain from your Creation Magic."
"Then why are we even here?" The Overlord asked.
"Because as a fellow Forgemaster and parent, I hope you understand my predicament." Orion replied. "I need to protect my family, but unless I reforge these weapons, I lack the means to do it.
"The mana crystals aren’t a big deal, and although rare, the Ernas Vault contains all the ingredients I need to forge another Grimlock and Skywarp, and more will be collected by me or the future generations over the years.
"The purified Davross, however, is an entirely different matter. It’s too precious, and my family owns too few ingots to afford crafting the same weapon twice and keeping the inferior model just for sentimental reasons.
"At the same time, however, Grimlock and Skywarp aren’t just tools. They are semi-sentient, and they might even learn to talk and reason like War did. They are like children, my children, and no parent would smother them in the crib just to save money.
"As you can see, I face an almost impossible dilemma. No purifying technique I know can allow me to recover the Davross without destroying what gives Grimlock and Skywarp a semblance of life.
"Even worse, no matter if I recycle the Davross or use what’s left in the Ernas’ vault, I can only be certain to obtain weapons with a power core. There is no guarantee they’ll also gain sentience, and the new Grimlock and Skywarp might turn out to be inferior to the originals.
"I have two options, and neither of them is good. No matter which path I choose, I can’t live with the consequences."
"It’s an almost impossible dilemma indeed." Salaark nodded. "And I am the ’almost’ in this equation. My Creation Magic is the only way you have to preserve the weapons’ potential and save several priceless materials for your children and the Ernas’ future generations."
"Exactly." Orion sighed. "I can’t ask Lith for help because he lacks the skill to undo my enchantments unless I reveal the details of the Forgemastering method to him. On top of that, Lith told me he can only do it for regular artifacts.
"He can’t preserve the semi-sentience of a weapon and needs your help to upgrade Ragnar?k. Is that correct?"
"It is." Salaark replied.
"Then, as you see, I have no choice but to ask you for help. Beg you on my knees, if necessary." Orion stood up and stepped in front of the Overlord.