“Meeting you was just the icing on the cake. We are here on behalf of Juria, I mean Orion. He begged us to save his daughters and we accepted.” Tessa said.
“Do you have a plan? Because just looking around randomly for Phloria so far didn’t pan out for us. By the time we get wind of her position, the Dragon Knight has already moved out.”
“Now I do.” Lith nodded while offering them his hands for another mind link.
He shared with them part of his past with Phloria, the golden lily pendant, and War’s ability to mess with the slave array. Then, he showed them his fight against the Golden Griffon.
“My problem isn’t dealing with the Unwavering Loyalty array but creating an opportunity to rescue Phloria. I can’t safely restrict her while also dealing with the academy, the Divine Beasts, and the Forgotten.”
“Until now.” Tessa nodded. “I like you, kid. You put together by yourself all the pieces of the puzzle you could and you didn’t hesitate to share with us a few of your secrets in order to maximize your odds of success. I respect your dedication to your cause.”
“Thanks.” Lith nodded.
‘I bet that Salaark is already regretting having turned down the secrets of the War series.’ She said to Fyrwal via a mind link and the Hydra nodded.
“I like you too, Lith, but for a different reason.” Fyrwal patted his shoulder. “You have protected Elph- Solus and Menadion’s legacy. Also, I thank you for bringing the old gang together and creating a bond between our new generations.”
“As I see it, the situation is dire but not impossible.” The Titania started pacing around the house while filling in the blanks in Lith’s plan. “You have powerful allies that we can use to create an opening.
“Those Eldritches will be of great use to us and they’ll be safe as long as they stay away from the Golden Griffon. If we add you to the When All Are One array, we get Light Mastery, bloodline abilities, and Domination.
“We still lack two members, though.”
“What about me?” Faluel said.
“No offense, Fanny, but you are weak.” Tessa shook her head. “If you give the Hands to Filly, she can use them better than you.”
“What about me?” Solus said.
“You are even weaker and we have no idea if my array can even bring you to violet.” The Titania snorted. “Anyway, you’ll take Lith’s place once he takes care of Phloria so we still lack two people.”
“What do you mean, replace Lith?” Solus asked.
“You can’t be so dumb that you expect him to capture Phloria in the middle of a warzone! The first step of my plan is to hit Thrud’s army so hard that she will be forced to deploy Phloria.
“At that point, Lith takes her away to a safe location while we buy time for him.” Tessa replied.
“It makes sense.” Solus whimpered, making herself small on her chair.
“I was thinking about Friya.” Fyrwal patted Solus’ head to cheer her up. “Her Dimensional Ruler spell was really good and it would avoid the risk of the enemy learning Domination. Also, her Gravity Magic was amazing.”
“But, Mom, she’s my apprentice and a youngling at that. How can you pick her instead of me?” Faluel asked.
“Because of When All Are One, child.” The Elder Hydra replied. “I want you with us on the battlefield, but not in the array. You are just like me but weaker. You add nothing to the formation. I’m sorry, sweetie.”
“I see.” Faluel clenched her teeth but said nothing more.
‘If Faluel got turned down, I’ve got no chance.’ Tista though. ‘I have no control over most of my bloodline abilities and I’d only risk putting everyone in danger.’
“We need as many bloodline abilities as we can.” Tessa pondered. “Do you know a Divine Beast who’s willing to help us?”
“I wish- Be right back.” Lith bolted into the children’s room, returning a few seconds later with a honey badger in his arms.
“Rude! I was having a- Hello, there.” Crank’s annoyed attitude changed the moment he saw the two guests.
They had a bright violet core like him and were old enough to be interesting. He cleaned himself with a quick darkness spell and started licking his fur straight.
“A Hyperion.” Fyrwal nodded. “I would have preferred Life Maelstrom, but Mana Body works just fine.”
“There’s so much more than mana in this body, sweetheart.” He stood on his hind legs, leaning against her knee. “Before I shoot myself in the foot, what is the topic at hand exactly?”
“Help us and I’ll rock your world.” The Titania gave him her best seductive smile while offering her hand.
“Whatever it is, I’m in!” Crank shook it with both paws, his blood flowing to the wrong brain as he enthusiastically shot himself in the foot.
“Then we have a deal. You face Thrud army with us and if we manage to rescue Phloria Ernas I’m all yours for one hour.” Tessa nodded.
“Oh farm! Farm! Farm!” The Hyperion’s family-friendly cursing made those present laugh. “I accepted the terms and conditions without knowing the mission. And the reward is one flimsy hour!”
The handshake was a sacred covenant between all kinds of beasts. Going back on his word would have destroyed Crank’s reputation and made all deals people stipulated with him invalid.
“Five minutes seemed more than enough, but I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.” Tessa shrugged.
“Ha-ha! Very funny. Don’t add insult to injury, Fae!”
“Or what, Divine Beast?” The Titania crossed her arms.
“Or nothing! I’m screwed and we both know it. Learn to win with dignity.”
He sat down on the floor, pouting.
“Okay, the When All Are One Array is complete.” Fyrwal said.
“Maybe not.” Solus chimed in. “I think I should go with Lith. Together we can more easily restrain Phloria and I’m the only one who can follow him unnoticed.”
Thanks to the previous mind links, Fyrwal and Tessa knew who had been entrusted with Solus’ secret and who, like Crank, wasn’t made part of it.
“Yeah, but you heard what Phloria told us and Quylla. She considers you the third wheel in our past relationship. If she sees you or suspects your presence, the lily pendant might not work.
“Anything I say would be poisoned by the doubts that we know Phloria has about your influence on me.”
“Never mind. The When All Are One array is complete, then.” Solus sighed.
“Hold your Dragons!” Crank snapped out of his self-pity trip. “When you say When All Are One array do you mean the legendary magical formation that kicked so many Council asses that it established the borders of the continents even to Awakened?”
“Yes.” Tessa nodded.
“And I’m going to be part of it?”
“Yes.” Tessa nodded again. “I’ll be the Highmaster, Fyrwal the Tower, Lith the Spear, Friya the Shadow, and you the Shield. You should be honored to play the same role as Juria. She-“
“And you invented it?” The Hyperion cut her short, not caring one bit about lore.
“Yes.” The Titania snorted in annoyance.
