2535 Rites of Passage (Part 1)



"That's no Balor!" The Fomor representative said. "It has just five eyes so it's still inferior to us. Did you eliminate it as well?"

"We tried, but we failed." The orc shaman shook his head. "We were surrounded by the Council forces and we prioritized securing the food rather than wasting time fighting. I had no idea-"

"You did the right thing." The Hati King cut him short. "If Elder Urma hasn't left Zelex yet, bring him back here immediately. He has much explaining to do. He never mentioned demons during our treaties and I doubt that such creatures keep a low profile.

"If those things are not demons, he's bound to know what they are. If demons really are out there, instead, he better have a perfectly good explanation for keeping it a secret from us."

The undead re-entered the room less than five minutes after leaving. The guards pushed and shoved him around, showing how little they trusted him yet he did his best to keep calm despite the rude treatment.

'The Hati share a deep connection so whatever has upset their King it must be pretty bad to make them so scared.' The Nightwalker could smell their fear and it was delicious.

He pursed his lips and swallowed several times to contain his drooling.

"I'm sorry for the sudden change of plans, but I hoped that you could clear a few things for us." The King stood up, giving the undead a small bow in apology.

"You are doing me too much honor, King Ikara. I am at your service." Urma felt all the eyes on himself.

The hostility in the room was even worse than when he had bartered for the Harmonizers so he kept his best poker face and watched the projection in silence until the end.

"That was one pretty impressive fight." The Nightwalker clapped his hands. "But I don't see why you need my opinion. You are lucky Verhen underestimated you, kid." The Elder turned toward the young Fomor. " If you ever meet him again, I doubt you'll survive a second encounter."

"You knew him?" Eryon grabbed the haft of his weapon and many in the room did the same.

"Who doesn't?" The undead shrugged, smelling one second too late the mix of fear, panic, and outrage his word had drawn from the crowd. "He's one of the greatest enemies of the Undead Courts. I assure you we are no allies."

"Then why didn't you warn us about the presence of demons?" The King's hand slowly moved toward his blade while his eyes remained fixed on the Nightwalker.

"Do you really don't know?  Where have you lived until now? Under a ro-" Only then did the Nightwalker realize that the joke wasn't far from the truth and that he'd better avoid upsetting his hosts any further.

"Please, my liege, let me start over." Urma kneeled and raised his hands in surrender. "That's not a demon. At least, not the kind you believe in. That's just Lith Verhen, the Supreme Magus of the Griffon Kingdom.

"Coincidentally, Mogar itself named him the Father of all Demons, but he is no way related to the creatures of your stories."

"How can you be so sure?" The Hati sighed in relief, but he could feel the primordial deep-seated fear of their alleged tormentors still lingering in the senate. The coincidence regarding the Tiamat's name was considered by many as a bad omen.

"Because Verhen will be twenty in a few months. I have read his records from the White Griffon academy, I've met his parents in Lutia, and the Undead Courts had our thralls take part in social events he attended in order to study him." The Nightwalker replied.

"Also, some members of the Courts were there at the time of your species' fall and I can guarantee you that back then there was nothing like Verhen. As for the red one, she is his sister. It's normal for them to resemble each other."

'Damn, I feel like a wasted a golden opportunity.' Urma thought while looking at the faces in the room. 'Maybe if I fueled their ridiculous superstitions, they would have been more easily manipulated.

'On the other hand, maybe I did the right thing. While Glemos was here, no one took the legends about the demons seriously. They are falling back into their old habits only because their "god" is gone and their home is collapsing.

'They are already on edge, if I were to push them further, they would have a fit of mass hysteria and there's no telling what would happen to the Harmonizers. I need to keep them calm and compliant until I get what I want.'

"If that thing wasn't a demon, then why did you say that I might be wary of our next encounter?" Eryon asked. "I've killed him and only demons can rise from the dead."

"You? Killed Verhen?" Urma had a good laugh at the expense of the young Fomor. "Kid, even though he presents himself as a human, Verhen's a Divine Beast and his bloodline abilities are still a mystery.

"Do any of you know what it's like fighting one?"

"Lord Glemos always told us to avoid them unless there was no other choice." The orc shaman said. "Also, from the records of our ancestors, we know that killing a single Divine Beast takes time, preparation, and countless casualties."

"Everything you just said is correct, but know that Verhen is even worse." Urma nodded. "He has defeated two Horsemen, fought against the Mad Queen and her Generals, and taken down centuries-old Awakened.

"According to some rumors, he has fought against two armies at the Feymar mines, and not even that was enough to kill him. So, if you tell me that by sacrificing your companions you've stunned him, maybe even wounded him, I believe you.

"But killed?" The Nightwalker scoffed at the idea. "If the golden boy of the Kingdom was truly dead, no dimensional sealing barrier would keep my amulet from exploding due to the too many unanswered calls.

"The interlink would be in uproar and there would be countless discussions about his state funerals and the fate of the Kingdom now that it has lost its Supreme Magus before he could fully disclose his legacy."

"He's dead. I'm sure of it." Eryon clenched his hands at the memory of his fallen comrades, feeling outraged at the idea that their sacrifice was for nothing.

"Please." Urma laughed in the Fomor's face. "If a runt like you defeated a Divine Beast by himself, then I'm the fourth Horseman of Baba Yaga."

"How dare you mock our warrior?" The Fomor representative, Ymnar, jumped on his feet ready to teach the undead a lesson but the King held him back.

"Look, there's an easy way to quell your fears and prove you my good faith."  Urma gave the senate a small bow while moving on to the next step of his plan. "When I get out to discuss the new terms of our deal with the Undead Courts, I'll also ask about Verhen's whereabouts and his file.

"If your kid is right and Verhen is dead, you have my personal guarantee that the Undead Corts will reward you handsomely and they won't object to your new demands.