Supreme Magus

Lith took a deep breath and let Life Vision fade away. He had used it non stop since he had landed on the hill and the built up fatigue had already reached the point of giving him a mild headache.

Despite it was one of the first abilities he had learned as a kid, using Life Vision still put a heavy burden on his mind and mana. Unlike normal spells, Life Vision evolved with Lithʼs core refinement.

The more powerful he became, the more details Life Vision revealed. He was now able to read the mana currents natural beings produced, see the runes which composed arrays even when they were invisible, and gather basic information about enchanted items from a distance.

Not only was the mana consumption high, but also it required great focus to avoid sensory overload. Everything on Mogar had mana, forcing Lith to filter the useless information.

The task was particularly hard when he was in the presence of lots of strong magical signatures. Studying his host, the room, and its arrays while keeping his guard up all the time had brought him on the verge of needing to use Invigoration.

Unluckily, he couldnʼt afford it. Lith had already used it once to recover after the fight against the perfect Carpenter and another to save his companions. With each use, Invigoration would grant him less and less energy.

ʼThe night is still young. First, I have to deal with the Dawn Court, then we need to rescue Manohar, and lastly take out the puppet master. Knowing my luck, Iʼll have to pave my way in blood, steel, and magic.ʼ Lith sighed.

”Thanks for your offer, but the Kingdom is capable of dealing with this threat on its own. I came to you hoping you could share with me everything you know. The Crown will adequately compensate you for your assistance.” Lith kept in mind the Queenʼs warnings and stalled for time.

According to Solus, since the last breakthrough, with every breath Lith would draw a bit of world energy. It allowed him to recover his strength faster than normal, even without using Invigoration.

”You seem to be unaware of Othreʼs situation. Our negotiations will not make any progress if you donʼt even know what we are talking about.” Sylla business attitude was a breath of fresh air now that she had stopped being flirtatious.

”The Dawn Court has little hold on Othre. Trade cities are of no interest to us aside from the merch they provide. Othre belongs to the Night Court, our presence here is a mere formality to protect our interests.

”If you want to know whatʼs happening, you should ask the Night Court, but they are unlikely to give audience to a mortal. Unless, of course, another Court backs their request and makes sure they get out of it in one piece.”

”Let me guess. The Night Court will require something in exchange for its help. Maybe something that only your people can provide. It would make us indebted to you twice.” At Lithʼs words, Syllaʼs ravenous smile returned.

She liked her prey smart. All that talking made her hungry.

”Exactly. While setting up a meeting is not a big deal, depending on their demands the Dawn Court might require something more exotic than money or magical treasures.”

”Then arrange a negotiation table, please. As you surely know, Iʼm on the clock. If the Night Court sets too high a price, I can turn them down with no consequences, right?” Lith asked.

Sylla nodded in reply and summoned the brown haired man.

”Caspen, you know what to do.” The youth gave her a small bow before leaving the room.

”Do you mind a personal question?” Lith pondered about his situation and the nature of his host.

ʼWorst case scenario, Iʼm not going back empty handed. Maybe the temple of Xhal hides a Warping array like the one that brought me here. If Iʼm right, it means that carving those runes leaves a permanent Gate that lacks a power source.ʼ He thought.

ʼItʼs incredibly ingenious, since in its depowered state it escaped even Solusʼs mana sense detection. With all those runes, itʼs impossible to understand which ones form the array and which are just gibberish.

ʼIt must be an ancient form of magic the undead have preserved.ʼ

”Sure, but I expect you to answer one of my own.” Her fluttering of eyelashes gave Lith the creeps. Sylla looked at him like Lith would at a skirt steak.

”You have a heartbeat and an almost human smell, so I was wondering, what kind of undead are you?”

”Iʼm a banshee.” She replied with a flattered smile, like he had complimented her attire. ”Caspen is my Vassal, but I canʼt grant him any power until he becomes one of us.”

Lith nodded, pretending he had an idea of what her words meant. Aside from those from the Gaelic lore, the only banshees he knew were those from Dungeon & Looting rulebook.

ʼShe sure doesnʼt look like a cursed elf maiden.ʼ He thought while staring at her perfectly normal ears.

On Mogar, banshees werenʼt just women. Anyone who had been cheated on by their alleged one true love could become one. They needed to kill with their hands the person who turned their love into hatred and then commit suicide.

If their rage and despair were strong enough, it would lure a nearby banshee who could then decide to turn them into one of their own. Outside the three Courts, it was an event as likely as being killed by a meteorite.

Banshees fed on the life force of the unfaithful. They could either just kill them, or slowly drive them into madness. Their vengeful nature made them skilled seducers. For a banshee there was no greater pleasure than feeding on those who fell for their temptations.

Lith being both faithful and an Awakened made him a world class buffet in her eyes.

”Do you have an ear fetish?” She asked while leaning toward him while sweeping her hair to allow him to take a better look at the alleged object of his desires. She was now so close that their lips were barely an inch apart.

”Not at all.” Lith moved his seat back to regain some personal space. ”I was afraid you would ask for something juicier. How long will it take to get the Night Courtʼs reply?”

Syllaʼs eyes turned black in anger when she realized her blunder. Hunger had got the better of her and made her waste her opportunity to force him to open up with her. Caspenʼs return helped her to regain her cool.

”Itʼs already done, please follow me.”

She led him through corridors filled with exquisite decorations. There wasnʼt an inch of floor or walls that wasnʼt covered by lavish carpets, golden embroidered tapestry, and paintings so beautiful that even someone as unappreciative of arts like Lith had no problem to recognize as masterpieces.

Sylla moved so fast that Lith could only steal a glance here and there before she opened a door and let him enter first.

The amount of mana filling the room almost blinded Lith, forcing him to shield his eyes with one hand.