Chapter 4090: Winning Without a Fight (Part 1) "It seems that Verhen isn’t the only man of the hour. Someone got famous." Erion tapped on a message as he stared at Jorl with malice. "Or maybe I should say, infamous." The full-body hologram of Jorl appeared, along with his physical description, those of all his known aliases, and the price the Griffon clan had put on his head. "Look at this. Verhen stole Orpal’s spotlight, and now you’re competing with the Dead King as the most wanted criminal in the Griffon Kingdom." Erion said with a laugh. "For this reward, I’m tempted to turn you in myself." Unlike Dragons, Griffons didn’t sell or exchange Life Maelstrom. They were afraid that someone might kill them using their own powers, or worse, that a skilled Forgemaster might replicate Tyris’ Royal Fortress armor. The artifact itself produced Life Maelstrom, making its wearer a one-man army capable of taking on a Divine Beast. It was the reason the ten full-powered bolts of silver lightning that the Griffons had put on Jorl’s head as bounty were so alluring. Whoever brought the Storm Griffon dead or alive to his clan would receive Life Maelstrom ten times, no questions asked, anytime and anywhere they wanted. The offer was enough to make any warrior and Forgemaster salivate. Yet the real kicker was the opportunity to share communication runes with the Griffons and establish a long-lasting relationship. All kinds of Divine Beasts were mostly a myth even for Awakened, and meeting one usually resulted in death if one wasn’t properly introduced. Griffons were the mightiest of Divine Beasts, and there was no Awakened bloodline that wouldn’t have given anything to get one in their family. Where the less ambitious focused on the rich bounty, everyone else saw an opportunity to achieve a perpetual supply of Life Maelstrom. Jorl knew all those things and was so horrified by the implications of such a reward that he didn’t punch Erion once for his bad joke. "Shit!" It was all Jorl managed to say. "Give me your amulet, and I’ll break the news to the Dead King myself." ’I’ll never understand why someone as powerful as Jorl needs Orpal, nor the reason he’s so respectful towards him.’ The Jormungandr thought while placing the artifact in the Griffon’s extended paw. Erion had no idea how frail discipline and morale were in the Dead King’s army. Jorl was its general, but he needed Orpal to create more soldiers, just like Orpal needed Jorl to keep them in line. Without either of them, the Upyrs’ threat would end as quickly as it had formed. Moreover, Jorl needed to appear loyal to placate Orpal’s paranoia until Uragar and Salanoth contacted the Black Throne. Even if the Dead King’s ambitious plan failed, Orpal would still have Night and Moonlight, while his followers would die a dog’s death. "Akhton, with me." The Storm Griffon said. "I might need a hand." Jorl was lying. He didn’t need Akhton’s help. He just wanted the Bastet to witness with his eyes how unstable Orpal was and remind him that they needed each other if they wanted to dethrone the Dead King and live to tell the tale. The Storm Griffon showed Orpal the bounty on his own head first. His reaction was just what Jorl expected. "Welcome to the club." The Dead King laughed as if it were the best joke ever. "I know very well how it feels when your family wants you dead. Too bad that, unlike me, you’re not a Horseman. "You can still die of something trivial like a punctured heart or decapitation." Orpal stared at his alleged prey with a wolfish smile. "From now on, I expect you to behave and show me the gratitude and respect I deserve, Jorl. You need me more than ever." "What a coincidence." The Storm Griffon shrugged. "I was about to say the same thing." Orpal frowned at Jorl’s aloof attitude. He was willing to see the Storm Griffon bluff, but he changed his mind when he started to read the news about the Indech. "Another form?" Orpal’s voice became shrill. "The human equivalent to a Divine Beast? What about me? What about us?" He ripped his shirt, staring at the black crystal protruding from his chest as if it had betrayed him. "Still one." Night’s voice came out of his mouth, proving to him that he didn’t even have control over his own body and enraging him further. "You are a Vurdalak. The human appearance you wear is just a disguise. "Judging from the development of your life force, I don’t think anything will change once you reach the violet. You are this close to the breakthrough, and there isn’t a single sign of improvement or increase in complexity in your life force." "What did you say?" The Dead King snarled, almost foaming at the mouth in outrage. "You heard me." Night replied. "Whatever this Indech is, you don’t have it more than I have a second steed. Deal with it." "Fucking Leech!" Orpal screamed, trashing his room and smashing the furniture. "I fought so hard to get my hands on Dusk’s crystal. I went through unspeakable pain to get Life Maelstrom! Why does Leech get it for free? It’s not fair!" "Calm down, Orpal." Jorl raised his hand, and something in his tone kept the Dead King from charging at the Storm Griffon like a mad bull. "We already have enough trouble with recruiting as it is. "If someone hears you scream like that, the thralls will believe everything I just read to you and desert your cause. After all, they are not full Upyrs, and their families have yet to mark them as traitors." He said, and Orpal nodded for him to continue. "We can’t risk the thralls selling *our* heads for a quick coin and a pat on the back from the Council. Keep calm and discuss the matter openly if anyone asks." "And what do you expect me to say?" The Dead King gripped his head in desperation. "Add nothing of your insecurities and stick to the facts." Jorl replied. "This is all hearsay. The only thing we know for sure is that Verhen can turn into a six-winged human. Compared to a Tiamat, it’s no big deal. "His claim about the pseudo-Life Maelstrom being unlimited is also suspicious. Is there any bloodline ability or spell you can use that has no drawbacks?" "No." Orpal shook his head. "Origin Flames can cripple even me if I abuse them. Doom Tide can’t be used many times in a row, even if I’m right above a mana geyser. As for Life Maelstrom, you know how it works better than I do." "Exactly." Jorl nodded. "We can’t do anything about those who’ll believe this crap and not join us, but we can still recruit more people to fill up our ranks. If they don’t come to us, we’ll go to them." "We can’t launch another attack with our current forces." The Dead King pondered. "Most of our soldiers are Thralls and would run out of blood in the middle of the fight." "I’m not proposing an all-out war but surgical strikes for shock and awe." Jorl replied. "We’ll use our remaining forces to conduct coordinated attacks on targets of strategic importance."