Faluel and Ajatar used tendrils of Spirit Magic to lock it again, yet the moment the delicate balance that kept the Fomor's body together faltered, both Ekidna and the Harmonizer exploded.
Blood, guts, and metal shards filled the room along with the multi-colored sparks that until a second ago had been her mana core.
"What? Why did she do that? We needed her as much as she needed us." Faluel was flabbergasted.
"What do you mean why? I told you her story! Calling her a subject was something so insensitive that not even I would have done it." Morok said in outrage.
Even though he had known her briefly, he was aware that the Fomor had lived the same life that he would have if Glemos didn't abandon him as a kid. After his father's death, Ekidna was the closest thing to a relative he had left.
"At least I didn't call her a monster." Faluel replied with a sneer.
Morok was about to answer that it wasn't an insult, just how the Balor's race was called when he realized how Ekidna must have felt being called that way by the only person she still trusted.
'We should have helped her. Ekidna was no different from me, just less lucky. If I ended up in the hands of someone like Glemos or Xedros and after killing them you treated me like we did to her, I would have taken my life as well.' Solus said, making Lith feel no better than Morok.
'That's not true. There was no proof her version of the facts wasn't just a sob story while you could have fused our minds to prove your good faith.' He replied.
'I would have never let one of you imprint me because it would have meant becoming a slave again.' She shook her head. 'Let's get out of here, please.'
Meanwhile, the argument between Morok and Faluel had come to an end.
"Gods, I hate it when Dragon blood turns us into insensitive jerks." The Hydra said. "That poor girl was just a victim, yet I was too blinded by the prize in front of my eyes to give a damn about her."
"You and me both." Ajatar replied. "What's done is done. Let's save the last Harmonizer for when we have devised a better spell. Also, we'd better check your mine before leaving.
"According to the early report, Glemos had put Harmonizers around the crystals and there's no telling what their destruction might have caused."
After cleaning themselves from the remains of the Fomor, Faluel and the others returned to the corridor where the fight had taken place. As Ajatar had predicted, Glemos' demise had triggered the self-destruction of all the Harmonizers.
Without them, the small red mana crystals that were growing in the already mined areas had exploded as well, leaving a large part of the mine barren.
On the other hand, however, the remaining crystals were still either violet or white. The destruction of the artifact had inflicted them minimal damage that would self-repair thanks to the abundant energy from the mana geyser.
Also, based on Locrias' description of the place where the Fomors had Warped Glemos' share of the mined crystals, Faluel was capable of retrieving it.
"My gains are way inferior to my losses but it's still better than nothing." Faluel sighed. "Let's get back home. We all need some time to think."
Morok would have liked to joke that at least he had gotten rid of his father and could now go out with Quylla without the worry of Glemos trying to capture him, but his heart was still heavy.
'Even though he was a jerk, Glemos was still my dad. I wanted him out of my life, not dead. Also, now I'll never know what he did to me and what the heck the voice inside my head is. Brain?' He asked, yet this time no reply came.
The group reached the upper corridors in a few minutes by flight and then Warped directly inside the Hydra's lair. Ajatar and Morok left immediately while Friya and Nalrond first had to return to Lith the equipment they had borrowed.
"I can't get the image of the exploding Fomor out of my head." Friya said while handing him Thundercrash. "She just wanted to live, yet we treated her like a bloodthirsty monster."
"That's because all the other Balors we met tried to kill us." Nalrond replied, returning Sunder and the Adamant Scalewalker armor. "As Lith said, we had no way to be sure that her sob story wasn't just a trick to gain our sympathy and jump the bandwagon the moment the tables turned.
"I feel bad for her as well, but I don't feel responsible for her choice. In her shoes, even if we acted friendly, the moment I learned that I would have been forced to spend decades alone in the mines, I would have committed suicide anyway.
"Being the last member of your species is already hard. Not having any freedom or hope would have just been too much. I speak from experience."
"Thanks. Listen, about our date-"
"I'm sorry for what I said on the spur of the moment." The Rezar cut her short. "Let's pretend it never happened."
"I was saying, give me a couple of days because I'm not in the mood now." Friya said.
"Wait, you were serious?" Nalrond was happy that the thick yellow scales that covered his body kept her from seeing how shocked he was.
"You can bet your scaly ass I was. Call me." She waved goodbye to the others before Warping away.
"Oh, shit!" The Rezar turned around, glad that Morok had already left and that Lith was still there. "I have no clue where to take her nor how to not make a fool out of myself. What do you say about a double date?"
"That it's the worst idea ever." Faluel replied. "You two have already known each other for quite a while. You don't need to break the ice, only to see whether you can be more than friends or not.
"I doubt that either of you would manage to open up in front of your esteemed teacher."
"Damn, you are right. Lith, can you give me some advice?"
"Not now. I need to unwind." Not wanting to be dragged into someone else's personal mess, he Warped back to the Trawn woods to set up the tower while Solus's words still echoed in his head.
She felt his distress and turned into her human form.
"I wasn't blaming you for what happened, I was just sad for Ekidna."
"I know, Solus." He ruffled her hair. "The problem is that I feel sad as well and our bond is creating a loop that I'm afraid will make us both depressed."
"I can stay in the tower." Solus shrugged. "A bit of distance will help us to sort out our feelings."
"And leave you alone while I'm surrounded by the warmth of our family? Not even I am that big of a jerk." Lith hugged her, to let her know how important she was to him. "Let's go home. It's better to be miserable together than happy alone."
"I couldn't agree more.." Solus returned the embrace, glad for those words.
