Supreme Magus novel Chapter 3514

Jorl took deep breaths, using Invigoration to purge his body from the numbing poison of the alcohol and regain clarity of mind.

"Enough wallowing in our misery. Tell me the real reason you are here."

"I’m done being a victim." Orpal put the bottle of Red Dragon away. "I have a plan to take back my honor and life but to do that, I need your help. Teach me how to use Life Maelstrom and I’ll pay you handsomely."

"You mean in booze?" Jorl nodded at the empty bottles.

"No." Orpal shook his head. "I mean-"

"Hold that thought!" Jorl rushed behind one of the mountain crests.

Soon the sound of a gurgling river and the pungent smell of ammonia filled the air.

"Much better." Jorl returned after a few minutes. "Continue."

"I mean I’m willing to teach you the secret of the violet core." Meln conjured a pulse of darkness magic to purge the humid stench that now wafted throughout the valley. "Isn’t that what you want?"

"More than anything." Jorl sighed. "But to what end? Even with a violet core, I would still be banished from the Kingdom. I would get nothing but a death sentence if our affiliation were to be exposed."

"All more the reason you should accept my offer, then." Meln nodded. "If you have nothing to lose then you have no reason to refuse to take my blood as well."

"Your blood?" The Storm Griffon echoed in confusion.

Orpal explained Jorl how he could infuse his bloodline abilities inside his followers, turning them into Upyrs just like Lith created Demons.

"As long as my essence flows into your veins, you’ll be one of my own. A unique being free from the chains of the Griffon bloodline. Once you become a Upyr, you can return to the Griffon Kingdom unnoticed and reclaim your possessions.

"It will be my final gift to you."

"Are you sure?" Jorl pondered the offer.

"Of course." Orpal lied through his teeth. "How do you think I’m still alive? Salaark and Leegaain want me dead but they can’t find me. My Dragon and Phoenix blood are eclipsed by the power of the Vurdalak."

Meln was far from being important enough for the Guardians to care about him. He assumed his blood would mask Jorl’s bloodline but it was just a hunch.

"Then we have a deal." The Storm Griffon extended his hand and Orpal shook it. "Fulfil your end of the bargain and, if you are telling the truth, I might even join your cause."

"Are you sure?" The offer excited and worried Meln in equal measure.

A Griffon would be a powerful ally but if becoming an Upyr wasn’t enough to cloak Tyris’ senses, Jorl was bound to betray Orpal in exchange for mercy.

"I’m sure." The Storm Griffon nodded. "I’d rather die infamous as a criminal than be remembered solely for my failures. Even if it means taking one of your gods-damned prisms."

***

Trawn Woods, Outskirts of Lutia, the following day.

Once they were done with the power core, they could rewrite the rune patterns as well.

The crystal bonding process came last so that when forming their side of the mana circulatory system, the crystals could adapt to the new configuration of the power core and optimize their performance.

The artifact provided them by Menadion was relatively simple but they had yet to succeed once. Working on Davross alone was hard and each additional rune pattern and mana crystal made it even harder.

Runes had to be kept from returning to the metal or they would sever the connection between the armor and the core. Crystals, instead, had to have their circulatory system removed and resetted without leaving any trace.

Otherwise, upon restoring the bond, the crystals would find their old pathways and hinder the new enchantments.

It took Lith and Solus several tries and hours to succeed and even longer to do it ten times out of ten. By the time they were done, the sun was about to set.

"Does this mean we have learned tier five Creation Magic?" Solus panted.

"No. Only that you have reached a level of understanding deep enough to develop your tier five spells." Ripha shook her head. "Start reviewing your old Creation Magic spells. Fixing your mistakes will be a good exercise and help you understand how off the mark you were."

"She’s right, Solus." Lith tried and failed to stand up, needing more time to catch his breath. "We worked so hard yet this thing is a toy compared to the artifacts we usually craft, let alone my Ragnarök and your Fury."

"Still, this was amazing." Solus said with a dazzling smile. "Thank you, Mom."

"Don’t mention it, sweetie." Menadion ruffled Solus’ hair and immediately regretted it, finding them damp with sweat. "I’ve learned a lot by watching you. I think I’ve gotten most of the runes I need to work on the modern version of my Creation Magic."

"That’s great." Lith panted. "You go home first, Solus. There’s something I need to ask Ripha."