Chapter 3940: Snakes in the Grass (Part 1) ’I am the perfect host! I refuse to believe I’m inferior to Leech. Even if you made a mess, not everything is lost.’ Orpal thought. ’Dusk is one of the greatest experts of life force on Mogar. ’After we kill Leech, Kelia will be next. Once we have Dusk’s final shard, we’ll have the means to improve my perfection. Until that moment, I’ll keep trying on my own.’ *** Meanwhile, in a different wing of the fortress of Talgor, Jorl assembled those he hoped would become his inner circle. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining me." He gave Uragar, Salanoth, and Akhton the Bastet a polite nod. "You said it was urgent, and anything is better than suffering the presence of that pathetic Jormungandr." Salanoth said, still angry about her defeat. Doom Tide had severely crippled her enchantments, and Ice Soul had done the rest. Uragar had held his ground longer thanks to the many Spirit Spells stored in his pages, but his martial prowess as a Divine Beast was amateurish at best. Despite his bluster, Erion was one of the best fighters in Orpal’s court, which made his absence from that assembly weird. "Why is Erion not among us?" Akhton didn’t like the Jormungandr, but he respected his strength. "He is part of the Dead King’s triumvirate. Unless, of course, you plan to replace him with these... things." Even the most charming cursed object was regarded as a snake in the grass. They were almost impossible to kill, possessed great powers, and had the habit of turning their hosts into empty husks. Uragar’s and Salanoth’s personalities weren’t much better than Erion’s, hence no one among the Upyrs would choose their company over the Jormungandr’s. "Our bodies may be made of Davross instead of flesh and blood, but we are living beings just like you, Akhton." Uragar said. "Your mind too inhabits a mortal vessel that will turn into an inanimate object upon your death. We are not ’things’ more than you are." "There’s a huge difference between us, thing. I’ve been born, whereas you’ve been crafted." Akhton spat on the floor in disgust. "I am my own person, while you are a parasite who needs a host to thrive." "How dare-" "Enough!" Jorl raised his voice, nipping the quarrel in the bud and drawing the attention to himself. "I’m not planning to replace Erion, Akhton. The triumvirate still stands, and it will keep standing until I decide otherwise." He gave his guests the time to ponder his words. "Which brings us to the reason I called you three here." The Storm Griffon resumed. "Over a month has passed since the defeat of Ruugat of the Earth, and none of our associates succeeded in calling forth a new aspect of our life forces. "I can only take my pure Griffon form and that weird hybrid we call Upyr." "I can shapeshift into my Divine Beast and Upyr forms as well. Everything else is just Body Sculpting." Akhton nodded. "Regular human and Upyr." Salanoth said. "Turning into a Divine Beast only changes my size and gives me Orpal’s known bloodline abilities. I suspect we are inferior copies of the original." "I reached the same conclusion." Jorl replied. "Also, considering the humble nature of our lord and master, it’s safe to assume his prolonged secluded training brought him nowhere." "That’s for sure." The Bastet scoffed. "If Orpal had figured out so much as a hint about how to wipe his own ass better, he would never let us hear the end of it. He’d use his discovery to remind us that we are nothing without his enlightened rule." The cursed objects reluctantly agreed with a nod. "To make matters worse, after Kazam’s death, no one has yet mastered Fire Soul." Jorl said. "Don’t get me wrong. I know it’s only a matter of time before someone, maybe even one of us, does. "At that point, there will be only two bloodline abilities left for our ever-growing army to learn." "Then why do you say it like it’s a bad thing?" Uragar asked. "Because it is." Jorl said, taking everyone aback with his sincerity. "Once the Dead King masters his powers, we’ll go on the offensive. Even with his limited talent, Orpal still possesses a mage tower, the might of two Horsemen, and the body of a Divine Beast. "With our support, the Dead King will kill Verhen and exact his revenge on his family. After that, there will be no one to stop him from conquering Garlen." He took a pause to gauge the reaction of his audience, and they didn’t disappoint. All three of them shuddered, exchanging worried glances despite their mutual spite. "Allow me to be candid." The Storm Griffon straightened himself to tower over the others. "When that happens, we’ll have only two choices. Eternal servitude or death. Or rather, that will be your choice. "I’m going to die anyway. I know too much, and my power is too great for Orpal to let me live. I might be able to beat him one-on-one even if he uses his tower, but I know for certain I stand no chance if the other Upyrs fight by his side." "Why are you telling us?" Salanoth leaned forward. "What stops us from sharing this conversation with the Dead King? You can’t kill us, Griffon, and you know it." "The answer to all your questions is the same, Ring of Space." Jorl replied. "I called you here and shared my worries with you because you three have as much to lose from this inevitable chain of events as I do." "Why should Orpal kill me?" Akhton raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Maybe he won’t kill you, but if you believe for one second that Orpal will leave you alone, you are a naïve fool, Bastet." The Storm Griffon said. "Your dream is to be the Valeron of Verendi and unify your war-ravaged homeland under your banner. "Tell me, Akhton, do you think Orpal will suffer the rise of a second Upyr king? One Orpal will claim owes everything to him? A king who will rule a bordering continent?" "I see your point." The Bastet rubbed the fur on his chin. "Orpal would give me part of his army to conquer Verendi and then demand my fealty as a price for his contribution. I would be a regent at best and a puppet at worst. "A puppet he can replace at any time with another more servile and less ambitious." "What about us?" Uragar said. "What do we have to lose from Orpal’s victory?" "Your perfect host." Jorl replied. "Think about it. We now know for certain that a Vurdalak’s greatest asset is his ability to create Upyrs. It’s an amazing power, but one we Upyrs do not possess. "We don’t even know if our offspring will inherit Orpal’s blood or if it will die with us. A Tiamat, instead, possesses several bloodline abilities and multiple aspects. Knowing Orpal and how much he hates losing to his brother, he will exterminate the Tiamat bloodline, including Verhen’s children. "Children who, after losing their beloved parents and growing up on the run from a bloodthirsty tyrant, would do anything to gain the power to strike back at Orpal. Even bonding with you, Uragar."