2580 Square One (Part 4)
"Glemos had prepared an Awakened Fomor wife for me and he strongly believed that our child would have gained an independent Spirit Eye like Lith."
Morok didn't mention Garrik, preferring to keep him a secret from both the Council and the Hati Queen. The former might demand custody of the child due to his unique condition and Morok didn't want his half-brother to trade one prison from another.
The latter, instead, might have harmed the young Fomor in case the negotiations went awry.
"Talk about envy." Raagu clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Are you telling me that Fomors can really Awaken? Where is she now?"
"Yes, they can and their bloodline abilities are further strengthened as a result." Morok nodded. "Sadly, she died. Due to their unstable life force and core, Awakened Fomors can't survive without a Harmonizer, not even while above a mana geyser."
"I can vouch for that." Ryla said. "Glemos established the order of the high priestesses to try and mix the two bloodlines. He achieved several partial successes and he was still working on it when he died."
The Hati Queen's eyes went wide at those words, suddenly feeling deep compassion for the Warlord at the thought of what might have happened to her and her children.
"I see." Raagu was clearly disappointed. "Still, it's good news. It means that Fomor can Awaken and become full members of the Council. We only need to find a cure for them. Feela?"
The Behemoth felt hurt and shocked by the manipulation of the Tyrant bloodline.
To make matters worse, Raagu's newfound zeal irked her to no end. The human was shamelessly asking her for help in a deal that would make the beasts lose a powerful bloodline.
"I haven't changed my mind." The Behemoth snorted. "The warg and Hati are still under my protection. Also, I propose not to reveal the truth about the Tyrants until we have a solid lead about how to further human evolution.
"Otherwise beasts would reject the Tyrants and some of your kin might look for a shortcut. We have had enough Forbidden Magic with Thrud for a lifetime and we've already lost too many people.
"We can't afford an internal struggle that might further reduce our numbers. The colonization of Jiera is nigh and we need to act as a united front. Any internal division would favor the Undead Corts and ruin the hard work done so far to eradicate them."
"Agreed." Raagu enthusiastically nodded. "I'm sure that with a little persuading Lotho will vote with us to protect the ogres. I was also thinking about keeping all Balors and Fomors in Garlen to keep them safe.
"After all, their reproduction cycle is slow compared with other monsters.""Thanks, but no thanks." Urhen stepped forward. "Our colony survived only because we shared our talents and resources. Without Balors, trolls would age quickly and goblins would be little more than cannon fodder.
"To you, we are different races descending from beasts, elves, humans, and even Odi, but to us, we are all the same. My people have already enjoyed preferential treatment under Glemos and I won't let the others fight and die for us."
"Damn, I've known you for just a few minutes and I already like Balors more than humans. Involution my ass. What they lack in magic they more than make up for it in spirit." Feela clicked her tongue while glaring at Raagu.
"Too bad that spirit doesn't fill your belly nor does it save you from a powerful spell." The human representative countered. "If there isn't anything else we should know, I'd like to hear from Bytra about the results of her analysis."
No one said anything so the Raiju took it as her cue to speak.
"It's really an amazing device. As you know, life force is the natural vessel for the mana core and it's due to their symbiotic relationship that mana doesn't disperse until the moment of our death.
"The Tyrant bloodline found a way to exploit their bond so that by altering the life force of their test subjects, it would cause changes in their mana flow as well. The Harmonizer works akin to Accumulation but with a few major differences.
"First, the flow of world energy is constant. There is no breathing rhythm so once inside the body, the world energy is turned into mana and consumed to fuel the different enchantments of the Harmonizer.
"Part of this energy forms a sturdy external layer of mana that acts as a scaffold for the changes in the life force.
"Second, unlike Accumulation, there is also a continuous internal mana flow that the Harmonizer employs to counter the flaws in the core instead of strengthening it, making it reach a perfect and stable form.
"Third and last, the Harmonizer contains a Body Sculpting spell that has to be tailor-made for its wearer. Unlike regular Body Sculpting, the spell exerts a slight but constant pressure that complements the internal mana flow.
"To make it simple, regular life force has a predetermined shape and rejects changes that are perceived as illnesses. The spell imbued in the Harmonizer loosens the structure of the life force enough for it to adapt to the changes in the core and keep the mana from leaking.
"That said, the process is complex and even a small mistake in the settings can cause the patient's death or permanent damage. The external layer of mana works as a safeguard, preserving the life force's overall shape and countering the pressure exerted by the internal mana flow.
"In other words, the life force of those wearing a Harmonizer is constantly altered by two opposing energy currents that act as a mold and that need to be fine-tuned at all times.
"If the internal flow exceeds the external, the wearer of the Harmonizer explodes akin to someone who failed to Awaken.
"If the external layer is too strong, instead, the life force is compressed too tightly to adapt to the changes in the mana core and the mana starts leaking, resulting in death. Also, the Body Sculpting spell suffers from the same issues.
"Too strong and the mana core can't reshape itself, leading to a build-up of energy that can cause unpredictable consequences. Too weak and the life force can't keep up with the changes in the mana core, leading to leaks.
"It's a three-layered problem that requires a specific solution for each different race it has to be applied to. I wish I could say more, but with my limited knowledge in Healing magic I need to speak with an expert first."
"You can tell all this just from a cursory analysis that lasted barely for a few minutes?" Syrah's shock was understandable since she had no knowledge of the Forgemastering arts nor about what a Ruler of the Flames was.
Seeing the same expression on Faluel and the Council members, however, made Lith wonder how much of that was due to Bytra's talent and how much was thanks to the resources and knowledge the Master had imparted to her.
'Are you really sure we don't want to apply for an apprenticeship with her?' Lith asked. 'I mean, even if Bytra were just to teach us the modern version of Menadion's methods, our technique would improve by leaps and bounds.'
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