In the meantime, Ardrin, after having delivered Athar to Irun and Kalia, found himself being summoned to the depths of Pyrdredd. As he stepped through the protective barrier that helped keep the creatures contained, he felt an immense surge of mana pulse through his entire body.
I know this feeling. He's devouring cores to regain his strength, isn't he? he thought as another pulse rippled through the air.
As he turned the corner, he saw the corpses of dozens of large creatures transformed into a single mass of flesh, fur, and scales strewn across the floor. He swallowed dryly before fully entering the summoning chamber.
"You called for me, my lord?" Ardrin asked, entirely unbothered by the smell as he stepped over a large creature's unidentifiable head. "I did, Ardrin. Why did you not answer my call earlier?" Nexis asked bluntly, flicking the guts and blood from his hand. "I had some business to attend to. I knew you would be busy regaining your strength," he replied dismissively, receiving a subtle grunt of displeasure from Athar's once-familiar form.
After having received so much power from the cores of the creatures now laying in a pulp of flesh and guts, some of the more bestial features had overtaken much of his former apprentice's. Black, talon-like nails sprung from his fingertips, as a pair of darkened, bloodshot eyes with tendrils of dark mana racing across sickly green irises.
"And what business was that?" Nexis asked bluntly. "I had to make sure that the hegraphenes of the Iron Plume Clan and those of the Deathwhisperers knew of your return and that they were to await your summons," Ardrin replied quickly, hoping his ancestor would be satisfied with the explanation.
"I see. And what of your pet?" Nexis asked idly as he moved towards one of the cages containing a royal ochelon. "I delivered the useless alternate to the Iron Plume Clan, as they have a deeply rooted hatred for them. He's probably being tortured and killed for sport as we speak," Ardrin said with an uncaring shrug.
"Good. That is good. Yes, I'm glad you were finally able to see that he no longer served either of us any real purpose," Nexis began, leading the royal ochelon out of the cage using a controlling rune that appeared on its forehead. "Although, I will say that you did an excellent job of training this body to use mana. It's even better than I'd hoped it would be," he continued as he began to reform the claw that once belonged to the Nethersong Mask.
Its once vibrant red was now even more corrupted with a mixture of his own dark and Leech mana, as only a few striations of its original color remained. As quickly as it was formed, Nexis quickly dug it into the ochelon's chest and ripped out its core with little effort. Crushing the core within the claw's grip, he absorbed the power swiftly as the contents began to pour over the claw-like honey over bread.
Ardrin, already having much experience with this type of process, instinctively put up a small ward in front of him to block the imminent explosion of body parts that soon followed. A rogue tusk flew in his direction, though shattered against the ward as the smaller chunks sizzled and burned away.
"Ah, that's better," Nexis said in an altered voice, taking on only a few of the features from the royal ochelon. "Now we can begin," he said cryptically. "Are you sure that's wise? You haven't regained your full strength yet, and if the Wardens find out…" Ardrin trailed off as another pulse of mana transported him directly in front of his ancestor, who glared at him.
"You think I don't know what they're capable of?" he seethed, looking down on Ardrin from his altered height. "I don't think I need to remind you who sealed me away here in the first place, Ardrin," he growled. "You don't, but if they find out about what you're trying to do before it's ready, then all of your plans will have gone to shit," Ardrin replied calmly.
He still needs my help to build the fucking thing, after all, he thought, shielding his thoughts.
Nexis sighed angrily, knowing Ardrin was right. "Then that is why we'll just have to use the dome to build it in time," he said, stepping back from Ardrin. "Those creatures won't agree to this, and you'll end up losing your alliance with them," Ardrin warned with a shake of his head. "Once I can regain my full strength by drawing from the Ethereal again and unleashing the Autarchica Primaria, I won't need them anymore," Nexis began.
"They're only useful to me right now because of their innate abilities to wield kataki, an ability both you and I will need if this plan is going to work. Their understanding of mana is what got them exiled here by the Wardens during the Great Partition, after all," Nexis explained, tilting his head with a wry smile.
You selfish bastard, Ardrin thought privately.
Nexis raised an eyebrow, noticing the slight shift in his features. "You should be more mindful of your thoughts, Ardrin. You no longer have your mask to hide behind, making your expressions much easier to read," he warned, stepping towards Ardrin.
"I know for a fact that your perspective on those creatures has changed since you've begun spending so much time with them. It's just a shame that you couldn't learn from their culture of strength and know when to bow your head in the face of someone mightier than you," Nexis said in a disappointing tone of voice.
Ardrin scoffed and looked away as he shook his head, prompting Nexis to look down on him in disgust. "I spared your pet and have granted you the powers you once asked for that are far beyond the reaches of those in the Between. You owe me, Ardrin. Whether you agree with my plan, you are still in my debt regardless of your personal feelings," he said, turning away from his servant.
"I'm aware," Ardrin said dismissively, waving his hand in front of his face. "I told you that I would hold up my end of the bargain, it's time you've held up yours," Nexis replied gravely.
I'm sorry, Lady Kalia. I hope that Thoma can live up to both of our expectations, he thought, without the inherent shift in his features.
Ardrin turned to face him with a stoic look on his face. "Very well, then. When do we start?" he asked bluntly. "Right now," Nexis said with a wicked smile on his face.