Chapter 3658: Lesson in Humility (Part 1)

"As you can see, I have no choice but to accept your offer." Erion said. "My Council betrayed me, your Council destroyed my dreams, and I'm eager to even the score. Does this answer your question?"

"No one asked you the story of your life." Jorl sneered back. "You sure talk a lot for a Lesser Worm."

"How did you call me?" The Jormungandr's eyes burst with bright violet light.

"You heard me." Despite his weaker deep violet mana, Jorl overwhelmed Erion with his killing intent. "I wonder what's wrong with the water of all continents but Garlen. How can you losers around Mogar so easily forget what happens when your pathetic kind faces a Griffon?"

"Enough." Orpal stood between the two. "I can't believe this is happening again. This guy may be an asshole, but so are you, Locus. Adding one more to our team is not a problem."

Jorl noticed the improvised fake name and felt one of his rare tinges of appreciation for Orpal.

'He's not stupid enough to give my name away before the deal is sealed, but he's still stupid.' The Griffon thought.

"He is nothing like me, Dead King." Jorl calling Orpal by his self-appointed title instead of "you", "idiot", "Orpal", or a combination of them took him by surprise. "Yes, I am an asshole, but I never showed you this kind of disrespect on our first meeting.

"I treated Balderash the Wyvern badly because she was acting like an arrogant jerk. This guy is not only even ruder than Balderash, he's also much, much weaker than her."

Orpal had no idea where Jorl was going with all those lies, but played along.

"What's your point, Locus?"

"My point is that this guy accepted the invitation to join us too easily." Jorl replied. "He knows who you are and what your goals are, yet he needed no convincing. He didn't ask to witness your powers or discuss the terms of your deal.

"Which can only mean one thing: he doesn't care about any of that. And that's because he is not going to help you, but only to help himself. I bet Erion will desert us the moment he gets what he wants.

"He'll keep your powers and probably expose anything worthwhile he has learned about your plans to get himself a cushy position in Jiera's Council. As he said, Erion wants to rule over this continent, and the head of the Dead King would be a magnificent stepping stone."

'Is that true?' Orpal asked via his bond with Night. 'Is Jorl correct?'

'Of course he is, you numbnut.' The Horseman was groggy from exhaustion, but the Jormungandr's ploy was evident to her as she examined Orpal's memories with a mind fusion. 'That bastard is just like you.

'A bitter, scorned little man with the ego of a genius and no real skill to back it up. Would you trust yourself? Especially knowing we are going to enslave Jorl and Akhton if they ever accept one of my prisms?'

'No, I would not.' Orpal liked to think himself a great, chivalrous man, but whenever Night forced him to look himself in the mirror, what returned his gaze was anything but.

'Now, deal with this yourself. I'm too tired to babysit you.' Night's voice started to fade already. 'The fusion between my crystal and Dusk's was a success, but operating them both by myself takes a huge toll on my psyche.

'After we failed to capture Dusk's knowledge and enslave his mind, I have to operate his crystal without any idea what the various enchantments do while also keeping my own powers active.

'It's like jumping from one horse's saddle to the back of a wild bronco while they are both galloping. It requires focus, skill, and most of all, it hurts like a bitch even when I succeed.'

"What do you have to say in your defense, Erion?" Orpal's gaze steeled, and his expression soured.

He stepped aside, clearing the way for Jorl to do whatever he deemed necessary.

"Why should I say anything, o Dead King?" The Jormungandr gave Orpal a mocking bow, speaking his title like it was a joke. "What other choice do you have if I turn you down?

"Good luck finding anyone willing to listen to someone with your 'stellar' reputation. I'm your best, if not your only chance at learning anything about Doom Tide. Leviathans have no outcasts like your little friend Locus here, and once you kill me, no Jormungandr will believe a word you say.

"I've already alerted everyone I knew that I was being followed, and it won't take them long to understand you are the reason for my disappearance. The other Lesser Leviathans will pool their resources and join your much more successful brother in his hunt for your sorry ass."

"Assuming you succeed, of course. We are still on *my* turf, you idiot. This is my home, and we are surrounded by *my* arrays. I'm a bright violet core, while you two pathetic whelps are at the deep violet.

"I don't even need reinforcements to squash you like bugs, but I'll call for them nonetheless if you refuse *my* offer. It will do wonders for my reputation, and even with your talent for running with your tail between your legs, you might not succeed."

"We'll see about that." Orpal's Davross spear, Thorn, appeared in his hand, and Moonlight started to absorb the surrounding world energy. "Maybe I will be forced to run away, but I promise you that by then you'll be dead."

"Please, don't be stupid." Much to everyone's surprise, Jorl stopped the Dead King by placing his taloned hand on Meln's chest. "The bastard here is right. We need him, and killing him wouldn't solve anything.

"We came to this bastard because we know how greedy and ambitious he is. He's the filth of his own species, and he knows it. There is no other Jormungandr, Leviathan, or Fenrir desperate enough to follow you, or we wouldn't have come to Jiera to meet him."

"So, what are you suggesting? That we just let him go?" Orpal snarled.

"It wouldn't be that bad of a choice." The Storm Griffon replied. "Even if he recorded this conversation, if he shows it around, he's the one who's going to look like a dangerous traitor.

"This bastard loves the sound of his voice so much that he barely let you talk. In his hubris, he has revealed all his plans and ambitions. I can only imagine what would happen if the Jiera Council or Fenagar were to hear it."

"I have a name and I am no bastard." Erion hissed his fury, his body coiling like he was about to jump at the Griffon's throat.

"What name?" Jorl jeered. "We had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to learn about your existence. Also, all Jormungandrs must be bastards. Otherwise how can you explain that you are born as failures even though your sire is an almighty Guardian?"

Erion's eyes brimmed with mana while his body released a burst of bright violet aura.

'Is it Jorl, or are all Griffons this good at provoking people?' Orpal didn't know whether to be impressed or disgusted by his ally.

"That said, welcome aboard." Jorl ignored the Jormungandr's threat and extended his hand.

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