Chapter 2987 A Disciple’s Struggle (Part 1)
Xenagrosh and Bytra wore the second-best cloaking device, reducing their magical aura to a deep-red core and hiding their Eldritch aura. Lith wore one cloaking ring and Solus two, making them appear respectively as a cyan and a yellow core.
The five members of the Hand of Fate were invisible to mystical senses thanks to their Darwen-coated armor. That plus Unanna's Silencer device that enveloped everyone, canceling their footsteps and keeping their smell from spreading.
Maergron would have never noticed the intruders if not for the pressure they exerted on the ground as they walked. The ceiling of the tunnels was low and narrow, making it impossible to fly or float.
Due to the asperities on the ceiling and the irregular downward inclination of the tunnels, their sight would be limited to just a couple of meters forward, making the Awakened blind to any incoming threat.
The massive amounts of world energy running through the rock blinded Life Vision and Fire Vision couldn't see past dense rock. Xenagrosh had neither, moving with ease only thanks to her keen sense of smell and the experience of centuries.
Bytra needed someone sharing Fire Vision with her via a mind link to not stumble every other step and that someone was Lith. Solus felt that a telepathic connection was too intimate and didn't want to talk with Bytra unless strictly necessary.
Using a light spell would have been dangerous. It would have made them visible from a long distance while they would only see within the cone of light. nove(l)bi(n.)com
"Whoever the other four are, I bet they are not to be underestimated. The Council would never hire goons without a good reason. The real question is if these people are here for me or if they have stumbled into the Garden by chance and are exploring it.
"Only one way to know." He leaned back on the throne, letting the Ears fully connect with it and putting on hold the ongoing experiments.
Maergron would devote his full focus on the intruders until they had either gotten out of his house or joined his army.
***
"So far so good." Zoreth said to break the eerie silence of the tunnels. "Our mark uses this path often. His smell is so intense that it's impossible to miss."
'On the one hand, I'm glad Ripha was so secretive. Otherwise my old crazy self would have probably gone insane faster and done something even worse than she did. On the other hand, Menadion was a bitch.
'She made us compete for everything. She rewarded us with her attention and then rubbed her superiority in our faces. She always used the full set whereas an apprentice could consider himself lucky to have access to one piece of the set.
'Ripha was...'
Bytra bit her tongue, realizing how rude and ungrateful her words sounded.
'Please don't tell Solus I said that. I don't want her to think I'm trying to tarnish the memory of her mother to justify my actions.'
'My lips are sealed.' Lith replied and it was the truth.
His lips didn't move, it was his brain relaying the conversation in real time. Solus flushed in anger at those words, wanting to give Bytra a piece of her mind. Yet a little voice in her head reassured Solus that the Raiju was telling the truth.
A deep-seated annoyance from a past she couldn't remember made Solus nod in agreement before she could even notice her own reaction.
'What else can you tell me about Menadion?' Lith baited Bytra, hoping to help Solus regain more fragments of her memory.
'She was the best person I've ever met. She was a great mentor, a caring friend, and the loving mother I've always wanted.' She and Solus inwardly sighed in relief. 'But once she stepped inside her Forge, Menadion disappeared and only the Forgemaster remained.
'She was cold, demanding, and whenever you made a breakthrough, she would point out the flaws in your technique instead of congratulating you.
'Every time I discovered something, she would pat me on the back and give me enough hints to understand it was nothing new for her and that I was just scratching the surface of the matter. It was infuriating.
'I know she did it to push me forward, but Ripha always made me feel inadequate.' Bytra said and Solus instinctively agreed. 'Just like keeping me from the other pieces of the Set made me feel like she didn't trust me. I'm a terrible person, I know.'
