The sword wasn’t sentient, yet it seemed to have been imbued with the vicious feelings Orion had experienced while crafting it, if not even inherited part of the spirit of its creator.
Whenever they practiced with War, she could almost feel it craving for violence and the fact that Lith had to shed blood just to put it away was really creepy. Orion didn’t lie to him, War refused to leave his hand without being fed first.
Giving it a blood sheath was the only way to soothe the blade’s fury. It was one of the reasons why he left it inside his pocket dimension most of the time. The main reason, however, was witnessing what happened when someone who wasn’t Lith or Solus touched the blade.
Even though it had happened only once, the memory still haunted Solus’s sleep.
They were back in the Kellar region, doing their patrol. Everything was quiet ever since Dawn had been chased out of the Griffon Kingdom. The Undead Courts were too busy dealing with the Master’s Organization and trying to bring the Bright Day back into their fold to bother the Kingdom.
Lith could feel it in the air, something big was going to happen. It wasn’t just the bards telling the tales of his adventures everywhere he went, the criminals also seemed to have gone into hiding since he didn’t receive calls except for those related to social events.
There wasn’t much time left before Lith’s honorable discharge, so he had accepted Xedros’s invitation and was going back to his place. The Wyvern was the Emperor Beast in charge of the region and their deal was still in place.
Lith didn’t trust him, but even if now he could count on Nalrond to teach him Light Mastery, the Wyvern was still the only expert he could consult about Origin Flames. Also, if Faluel was right, Lith might need his help to deal with the Council.
After so many months, Lith assumed that Xedros was back at his peak condition, so when the Wyvern sought an audience with him, Lith asked to meet in a neutral place.
The two hadn’t met often since Lith had treated Xedros’s condition. Their trades had continued, earning the Ranger a few tips about Origin Flames and the Wyvern a few new ingredients, but nothing more.
If possible, their relationship was even worse than after their first meeting. After risking his life so many times, Lith had become more than just paranoid. His battle instincts had become so keen that over time he had managed to perceive an odd kind of bloodlust coming from the Wyvern whenever they talked.
A greed that shone in Xedros’s eyes so intense that it was visible even through his hologram. Because of that, Lith communicated the drop spot only after leaving the goods and asked for tips via long-distance calls, never in person.
He arrived at the convened place an hour early, scouting the area for traps and arrays. Only when he was sure there was nothing ad no one lying in ambush did Lith land.
Much to his surprise, Xedros arrived shortly after he was done and performed a thorough inspection as well. The Almost Wyrm, as he was mockingly called by some and respectfully by other lesser Dragons, couldn’t afford to underestimate Lith anymore.
‘First, he treated Tyris’s curse, and then he survived a tussle with the Horseman of Dawn. If what I heard is true, this might be my chance to get my hands on an omni pocket and the secret to become a Dragon at the same time. I cannot make a single mistake.’ Xedros thought while landing.
“I asked you to meet me in Zantia.” Lith caressed the hilt of War, ready to unsheathe it the moment he even suspected Xedros would attempt something funny, yet cautious to not unleash it at the same time.
The blade had a bloodlust of its own and Lith didn’t want the Wyvern to mistake his intentions and attack in self-defense.
“Why do we have to meet on a plateau? Are you afraid of humans?”
“Me? Afraid of those pathetic meat sacks?” Xedros’s voice was full of venom. “It’s just that I don’t know how to shapeshift. Body Sculpting is not an easy subject to study.”
“After all these months you still have to master tier five Healing magic? Isn’t it the very same light magic you use for your constructs?” Lith was flabbergasted.
“Yeah, and isn’t it the very same light magic you used to heal me? Yet I doubt you can shape the simplest of constructs.” Xedros sneered.
“I spent all this time holed up in my cave, reading and practicing healing magic, but without a master, it’s not easy to improve. On top of that, shapeshifting requires altering your own life force. A single mistake can lead to death or worse, like losing my powers.”
Now that they were close enough, the Wyvern’s detection array allowed him to scan the hybrid properly. Xedros was hoping that the stories he heard were fake and that the reason why Lith had survived was that he had submitted to Dawn.
It would give Xedros the perfect excuse to kill him and get his hands on one if not two omni pockets. He could sell the second for an astronomical price that would allow him to make up for the almost two years lost due to Tyris’s wrath.
Unfortunately for him, Lith still only had a single dimensional aura surrounding his body and the array revealed no cursed object. Lith had once again left Solus nearby to prevent the Wyvern from spotting her.
“Let’s get to business, shall we?” Xedros said with a low growl, baring his teeth and making a few drops of his venom sizzle on contact with the ground.
“What do you want?” Lith had no idea why the Emperor Beast was so pissed off nor did he care.
“You are an incredibly lucky man, Lith Verhen, and I would like you to share that luck with me. In exchange, I’m willing to help you face the incoming storm and maybe even your enemies.” Xedros said.
“Me? Lucky?” Lith didn’t laugh only because he couldn’t afford to lower his guard. “Read my reports. I almost die on a daily basis.”
“Stop pretending with me!” The Wyvern snarled, uncaring for the appearances anymore. “You possess an omni pocket, you somehow defeated the Horseman of Dawn, and you met a fabled creature, so yes, you are damn lucky.”
“I have indeed sent the Bright Day running, but must I must plead ignorance about the rest. What’s an omni pocket and what creature are you talking about?” Lith shrugged.
Xedros wasn’t the army, so Lith had no reason to play modest, quite the contrary. He didn’t need to make a good impression on the Wyvern to get help from the beasts’ Council. Scaring the crap out of them worked just fine as well.
“You really don’t know?” Xedros opened his eyes wide and his mouth agape, staring at Lith as if he was the biggest fool on Mogar. Then, the Wyvern burst out laughing. Yet it was a cruel laughter devoid of joy and filled only with contempt.
“That’s good news, at least for me. It seems you really need an honest friend since your dear master Faluel keeps you in the dark.” The Almost Wyrm stopped laughing and wore the soft smile of a predator who has spotted the weakest member of a herd.
