Chapter 4041: Weak Link (Part 2)

Lith let the living take care of the living, focusing the efforts of his Demons on repairs and building temporary houses.

"What a disaster." Menadion didn’t like being away from Solus, but after the relief efforts had started and Menadion had shown no interest in helping, her daughter had started to glare at her with the intensity of an ice age.

"You don’t say." Lith scoffed, using Invigoration to scan the wreckage of a half-collapsed house to understand what went where before fixing it with earth magic. "By the way, thanks for joining us."

"There’s no reason to be rude, kid. I’m here now, and that’s all that matters." Menadion grunted before muttering, "Not that I had much of a choice anyway."

’What did you say?’ Solus asked telepathically.

"Here goes nothing!" Menadion rushed to say as she struck a house with her Fury.

Instead of crushing the wall, the Davross hammer produced a silvery sound that reverberated through the air. Menadion’s mana formed a magic circle around the house, connecting it with its debris via countless blue tendrils.

Small and big pieces of stone floated off the ground, finding their original place before fusing with the house. Alas, some of the pieces had been scattered by either the wind or the fight, leaving several gaps in the structure.

"Apologize with the Royals on my behalf, kid." Menadion hit an already broken stone block in the road, pulverizing it.

Pebbles and dust flew into the gaps and filled them until only the difference in color betrayed the house’s repair. A second swing of the hammer fixed the roof, but many tiles were missing.

"I can’t do anything about that." Menadion sighed. "That’s going to cost you a bit of money and a roofer, Lith."

"What? How can you be this quick?" He asked in disbelief.

He was still scanning the debris while Menadion was already moving on to another house.

"Didn’t you create the self-repair enchantments for your home?" She replied.

"Of course I did."

"It’s the same thing." Menadion shrugged. "Just add a spell that analyses the structure of the house, mirrors the missing parts, and allows you to set the parameters for what you can’t mirror. Easy peasy."

"No, it’s not." Lith grunted.

"Sorry. I forgot I’m the resident genius Forgemaster." Menadion imparted her spell to him via the black chains.

’Mom, don’t be a jerk!’ Solus rebuked her. ’First, Lith is still shaken. Second, he’s a great Forgemaster. The only difference between you and him is that he’s twenty with no mentor, and you are over 300 and studied under Aunt Loka.’

’So many words just to say I’m the better Forgemaster.’ Menadion telepathically clicked her tongue.

’Mom, either you start to behave, or I’ll use the O-word.’

’Not that! I’m not old!’

Meanwhile, it took Lith the time of that mind link to convert Menadion’s old runes into modern ones and then adapt them to his own Forgemastering spell.

"Thanks, Ripha. Much appreciated. Do you mind if I share it with the other Demons?"

"Well..."

’Mom, this is my final warning.’

"Of course not." Menadion said. "As long as they promise to keep it to themselves."

In the blink of an eye, most of Lutia was back to its previous state, except for the roof tiles. The Fire Dragons took particular care of the Voidfeather Dragon’s statue, making it stand out above all others for its craftsmanship.

"I never thought the day would come when I’d be happy our tavern is in a dead part of Lutia." Oshek, the owner of the Drinking Wolf, said.

"I told you it was the Great Mother’s grace shining on us." Hida, his wife, replied. "First, we met Supreme Magus Verhen. Then, he advertised your beer. And now this."

She pointed at the sign depicting a seated wolf drinking beer that was hung outside the unscathed tavern.

Not one brick was broken nor a tile missing. If not for the Upyrs’ stomps causing a few glasses and plates to fall to the ground and break, the Drinking Wolf tavern would have suffered no damage.

Orpal had ordered his minions to leave Lith’s house alone, so no one had bothered with that part of the outskirts of Lutia.

"You’re right, Hida." Oshek nodded. "Let’s share the Great Mother’s blessing with the others. I bet there are lots of people who could use a warm meal and a cold drink."

***

"Thanks for staying behind." Faluel said while healing seven people at a time in her hybrid form. "I’ve heard your turf has been heavily hit as well."

"It’s not a big deal." Ajatar was still recovering from the Blade Spell. Even shrunk in a human-sized form, he looked emaciated. "The other regional lords are covering for me, and it’s not like I have friends who need me there."

"And here you do?" She asked in puzzlement.

"You heard your mother and Lotho." Ajatar replied while conjuring a quick Hush spell. "If you Hydras want to get that seat in the Council, you need a trump card. Me."

"What do you mean?"

"As you said, my region and all others have been hit." The Drake sighed. "Hard. We can’t afford a long internal squabble while Narchat keeps killing us like flies. I refuse to let the Emperor Beasts become the weak link in the Council.

"Not when I can fix everything with a single move. All I have to do is get back to work and finish my research on Dragonhood. If I succeed, the rest will fall into place by itself."

"That’s ambitious and very risky." Faluel narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"I’m sure." He nodded. "If I become a Dragon, no one among the Emperor Beast will have a reason to resent you Hydras, and will start fawning over you. It will prove that you aren’t keeping the Harmonizer research for yourselves and allow the other Lesser Divine Beasts already involved in the project to step forward.

"Once they reveal that anyone can benefit from the Harmonizer, things will get much easier for your mother, especially with a new Dragon coming from another bloodline.

"If you think about it, your delay due to Friya’s pregnancy is a blessing in disguise. Had you turned into a Dragon, giving two new Divine Beasts bloodlines to the Hydras, there would be no turning back at this point.

"Now, instead, I can balance things out, and while everyone will focus on trying to learn my secret, they won’t have time or reasons to oppose Fyrwal’s candidacy."

"It’s indeed an excellent plan, but it puts you in a bad spot." Faluel replied. "You only have one shot at this, and you can’t rush something so important. What makes you think you can complete your research in time without endangering your own life?"

"I have my ways." Ajatar weaved at the too many prying eyes and ears, and despite the Hush Zone protecting their privacy, he refused to say more.

***

Blood Desert, Starry Lagoon village, a few hours later.

"I’m deeply ashamed of my incompetence and can only ask for your forgiveness." Salaark gave the Verhens and the merfolk representatives a deep bow. "You are all my guests, and I’m your host under the sacred laws of hospitality."

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