2499 Second Wave (Part 1) Im no Forgemaster, I'm no Awakened, and I've got no Adamant for my equipment let alone Davross. Even if I manage to achieve all those things, where the heck do I get a mage tower to counter Dawn's? More importantly, do I really want to spend centuries chasing after her? How on Mogar is Dawn more important than Friya, Selia, and my adoptive family to me? Nalrond had no answer to those questions. "Hello, guys. If someone died, please tell me. When I make an inappropriate joke, it must be on purpose otherwise I can't enjoy the moment." Morok arrived alongside Ajatar the Drake, putting an end to such morbid thoughts. "Did you resent your father for what he did to you?" Nalrond asked, needing advice from someone who had lived through a similar hurdle. "And hello to you too." The Tyrant snorted. "Yes, of course I did. Why?" "What did you feel when he died? Was it worth the wait?" "I didn't feel anything" Morok shrugged. "I despised Glemos but I knew that killing him wouldn't give me back my mother or anything I've lost over the years. To be honest, if it wasn't for Quylla and master Ajatar, I would have been lost after Glemos' death. "If revenge was the purpose of my whole life, achieving it would have also meant having nothing to live for anymore. Why do you ask?" 'Gods, that's exactly how I felt back when Lith and Solus defeated Dawn and I considered my grudge settled. I just resigned to die. Nalrond thought. "We'll talk about this later. He actually said. "Faluel, is there any news about the horde of mutated monsters created by the Harmonizers?" "No, but the Council has made a rough estimate of the time the resources they plundered should last. The Hydra replied. "If those monsters live above a mana geyser and they breed at a speed akin to the unfallen races, the food will last for several months since many of them died during the attacks. "If they are continuing Glemos' experiments, however, they'll need more soon." "How soon?" Nalrond asked, glad to have a more pressing matter at hand. "That's impossible to say." Ajatar shrugged. "There are too many unknown variables like the number of monsters who didn't take part in the pillaging, whether the children of Glemos are cultivating crops or not, and if they let their offspring develop at a regular or accelerated rate." "Then you've made us come here just to state the obvious? That we have no idea when and where the next attack will take place? The Rezar yelled in outrage. "No one can know the future, child." Ajatar rose an eyebrow at Nalrond's outburst, having no idea that his nerves were still shaken from the previous conversation. "Yet I crunched some numbers. "If we assume that the invading force was just half the monsters and that after seizing the resources they'll limit themselves to restore their original population, then their food reserves can last for another month tops. "While the forces of the Royals are stretched thin due to the aftermath of the War of the Griffons and the Council considers the monsters a minor annoyance, we know about the Harmonizers. "If we keep ready and close to a Gate at all times, the moment something happens we can be the first to respond. It will increase our chances to follow the monsters to their hideout and retrieve Morok's legacy. "That's why we've made you come here. To ask for your help and warn you to keep yourself available. No trips, no social visits, and no experiments until the horde appears. "If the attacks are as swift as the last time, even a few minutes of delay can make the difference between achieving our goal and being forced to help the survivors. Remember that no one else knows about what's at stake. "Chasing after the monsters without giving an explanation would ruin our reputation with both the Royals and the Council. On top of that, they would ask us questions we have no plausible answer for." "I see." Nalrond nodded. "So no babysitting alone for me. If I leave the kids unattended, Selia will find a destroyed house on her return and then she'll kill me. I apologize for my rudeness, Lord Ajatar "Apologies accepted. I can understand why this is so important to you? The Drake knew about Nalrond being one of the werepeople and his trouble with split life forces. "Thank you." The Rezar nodded. "If the Harmonizer works on me, it could give me a decisive clue to finally merge my different natures. My future rides on this." His eyes moved on Friya who was still holding his hand. "Same for me." "Tista was slightly pale, rubbing her shoulders from time to time as if she was cold. "My situation isn't getting any better and I'm afraid that the day when I'll have no longer a choice is nearing. "The Harmonizer might restore my life forces to their previous condition and reset the time I have left. Worst case scenario, I can just live over a mana geyser until I decide what the heck to do with my life! She clenched her hands so hard that they bled. "No offense, but there's no need for this drama." Morok said. "The choice you are facing is the same that every hybrid has to take. It's no big deal." "For you, maybe" Tista snarled. "You knew your whole life that the moment would come and had twenty years to prepare. I learned about the possibility just two years ago and I've been a hybrid for even less. "You have no idea what I wouldn't do to get rid of this stupid violet core and go back to how I was." Actually, Tista was angry with herself the most. I have plenty of role models for all sides of my life force. My brother for the Demons, Faluel, Protector, and Grandma for the beasts, my parents, and the Ernas for the humans. "Yet no matter what I choose, I'm going to lose something and the idea scares me to the death. If I make a mistake, I'll pay for it for the rest of my life.' She thought. While the apprentices moved to less vexing topics, Ajatar, Fyrwal, and Faluel discussed their plans. The Elder Hydra was there only as a consultant. Her daughter was adamant about not sharing the Harmonizers and Fyrwal in not getting involved without proper compensation. "Slaying the monsters is the easy part. The Drake said. "The problem is to find a way to follow them back to their hideout without being noticed while also not arising suspicions among our allies. "If someone follows us, the mission and its spoils will be compromised." "It's worse than that. Faluel shook her head. "The Council would slaughter the monsters and care solely about the Harmonizers whereas I want to save them both." "Why is that?" Ajatar asked. "If they can be reasoned with, it would be the proof that monsters can come back from their fallen state." Fyrwal replied. "It could be the first step in finding a solution to Jiera's problem with the monster tides.