Supreme Magus

Chapter 4382: Crippled Potential (Part 2)

Faluel also asked him for permission to teach the first dimensional rune to others and obtained the same answer.

"Dammit, you are right, Master Tezka." Faluel sighed. "I guess you won’t teach us how to apply dimensional crystals to enchantments, correct?"

"Nailed it in one." The Suneater gave her a thumbs up. "I’m done here. If you have any questions, speak now or wait until Filia and Frey come to play with the Verhen’s kids again."

"I have many questions, but not the kind you’d answer." The Hydra replied. "Gods, I have so much to do ahead of me that I need a vacation. First, I have to relearn dimensional magic from scratch.

"Then, I have to practice with my spatial awareness, or I’ll be a dimensional mage in name only. Lastly, I have to start researching a way to apply dimensional crystals to my Forgemastery."

"We can do it together, Master Faluel. After a long shower, though." Friya sniffed her clothes, wrinkling her nose at her own pungent smell. "And maybe that vacation."

***

There were still a few hours left before dinner when they returned to the Verhen Mansion. Friya and Faluel had a bit of energy left from their training, and showering allowed them to recover some more.

Master and Harbinger decided to take the rest of the day off, but while Friya could afford to spend some quality time with her loved ones, Faluel had family obligations to attend.

Not only did she have to inform Fyrwal of her breakthrough in dimensional magic, but she also had to be briefed about the recent events in the Beast Council.

During the past few days, Fyrwal had managed the Council business in the Distar Region in Faluel’s stead, allowing her daughter to focus on her training. Now that Faluel was done, however, she had to resume her duties as the regional lord.

"I didn’t expect to see you so soon." Fyrwal was in her true form, that of a seven-headed Hydra 25 meters (82’) tall. "Either your dimensional magic lessons went much better than I expected or they were so difficult that you gave up. Which is it?"

Each head of the Hydra had its own pile of paperwork and work communication amulet, dealing with a different matter and all the people related to it.

"I succeeded, Mother." Faluel extended her human hand and turned the white crystal it held purple.

At that sight, the many documents floating in the air fell to the ground, and the multiple conference calls ended abruptly as Fyrwal’s seven heads turned to stare at her daughter in Dragon Greed.

"I always knew you could do it, baby girl!" The Hydra trampled over her desks and coiled her necks around Faluel in a gentle embrace. "I am so proud of you."

"Is it because you believed in me that you asked me if I had given up, Mother?" Faluel clicked her tongue. "I’d also appreciate more joy and less Dragon Greed. It’s people like you that give Hydras a bad name."

"How can you say that to your mother?" Fyrwal roared in outrage.

"Mom, you haven’t looked at me once." Faluel snorted. "You kept your eyes on your paperwork when I entered your office only to stare at the dimensional crystal once I crafted it. Look."

The younger Hydra moved the purple crystal up, down, left, and right, and Fyrwal’s seven heads followed it like a dog presented with a tasty treat.

"Fine." Fyrwal grunted as she shapeshifted into her human form. "Happy now? I’m looking at you. Did you gain some weight?"

"I’ve lost some weight!" Faluel snarled. "I’ve done nothing but sleep and train for almost ten days. Here, take your gods-damn prize."

She handed the purple crystal to her mother, laughing at Fyrwal’s aghast face when it reverted to white a couple of seconds later.

"Sorry, Mom. I’m not skilled enough to hold the enchantment from a distance."

"That was mean." Fyrwal pouted like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away in punishment. "But I deserved it. Damn Dragon Greed. Come with me. We have many things to discuss."

Fyrwal asked as many details about Tezka’s lessons as Faluel was allowed to share.

"Don’t worry about the materials for your Forgemastering experiments, Fanny. Since the entire Hydra bloodline will benefit from your newfound knowledge, it’s only right that we fund your research."

"I don’t think many Hydra families will give me much." Faluel shrugged. "The research about their Dragon bloodline awakening is still on the line, and no one will care about dimensional crystals until every member of their family has become a Dragon."

"Believe me, they will." The Elder Hydra replied. "Especially when I let our dear relatives know that you’ll give the commissions priority based on contributions. Those who provide nothing will be stuck to the end of the line until everyone else is done."

"That will surely loosen their purses." Faluel chuckled. "If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Dragon Competitiveness is also a thing."

"All powerful beings are competitive by nature, Fanny. If they weren’t, they would let others surpass them, and soon they wouldn’t be powerful anymore. Believe me, we’ll have to keep this under wraps for as long as we can.

"If after awakening our Dragon blood the Hydras reveal to have someone who can craft purple crystals in their ranks, the other Awakened Households might form an alliance to suppress our influence across the entire Mogar." Fyrwal said.

Mother and daughter then discussed the recent events in Garlen and the Distar Region. Luckily, there was no trace of the Dead King, and aside from the usual petty conflicts between Awakened, there wasn’t much for Faluel to deal with.

"One last thing." Fyrwal handed her daughter a document. "After the news of our Harmonizer project spread, we’ve had a few late applicants. Here’s the list of those we allowed to join the early experimentation."

Faluel read the list of Lesser Divine Beasts and wasn’t surprised to discover that most of Fenagar’s and Roghar’s children had been excluded. Bodya was the only Nidhogg who had been admitted, and only because of his relationship with Tista.

Faluel wasn’t surprised when she read down the list and discovered that most Lesser Garuda bloodlines had been welcomed to the project. She agreed with the decisions made by the Hydra council, at least until a name caught her eye.

"What is an Ishara? I’m sure I’ve never heard this Lesser bloodline name before." She asked.

"They are the descendants of the lost Guardian of Evolution, and they are Divine Beasts, not Lessers like us." Fyrwal replied before explaining how the thinning of the Guardian blood over the millennia had brought the children of Selkis to their knees.

Without their foremother to give birth to new Ishara bloodlines, the Divine Beasts were forced to mate with the members of other races to avoid inbreeding. The appearance of a Lesser bloodline was supposed to be rare, but the Isharas experienced it with increasing frequency.

Whether it was due to bad luck or the lost connection with Mogar was impossible to say.

"Ishara." Faluel pondered. "It sounds familiar. Where did I hear this name again?"