Chapter 4144  The Rulers’ Curse (Part 1)

The fourth rune pattern Lith and Solus had derived from the legacy left behind by the Fifth Ruler of the Flames, Tavar Sinak.

By itself, it looked like a bunch of complex and powerful runes that yet formed no enchantment. Yggdrasill wood had the ability to mix the energies and spells it was imbued with, so the fourth set of runes could be applied to all future spells.

By carving the most complex and time-consuming among the common runes on the Sage Staff, Solus wouldn't have to weave them when casting a spell. She only had to activate the fourth pattern and infuse the runes she needed with mana to conjure their power.

At this point, Solus could recognize the beat of her own mana flow mirrored in the one produced by the Balor's eyes and the elemental crystals.

"I remember Sinak." Menadion said. "A pompous jackass who never stopped bragging about making all the crafts of us previous Rulers of the Flames obsolete. The idiot had no idea that I just had to ask Yaga for a round of Creation Magic to reforge everything and incorporate his legacy in my works.

"That and the fact that he unknowingly contributed to my plans to save your life, Epphy, is the only reason I didn't join the other Rulers of the Flames when they went to kick his ass."

"Was he really such a pompous jackass?" Solus chuckled.

"He was." Menadion nodded. "Sinak was right, of course, which only made everyone much angrier. Especially Bytra and all those who had just bought a priceless artifact just to have to recommission it again."

"But he was not the only one, Featherling." Salaark replied. "Being a pompous jackass is the curse of being a Ruler of the Flames, and your mother is no exception.

"Sharing a majestic legacy with the rest of Mogar always grants a Ruler of the Flames lifelong bragging rights, which of course makes them pompous.

"They also become jackasses because they tend to rub their success in everyone's face, but especially in the other Rulers'. Your mother resents Sinak because he mocked her the most. Between Bytra and him, most of Ripha's legacy became obsolete."

Menadion's growl was all Solus needed to know that Salaark was telling the truth.

"Thanks for the funny anecdote, but I need silence now." Solus said.

The fifth rune pattern was something Salaark had never seen before, and which had no apparent purpose. It was a combination of Forgemastering and Healing runes that formed what looked like an oblong structure connecting the core of the staff to the nearest bark.

'Interesting.' There was no material or enchantment on Mogar that Salaark hadn't Forgemastered.

She needed only a few glances to understand what the purpose of the fifth sequence of runes was, and it piqued her curiosity. Menadion already knew about it and said nothing.

The sixth and last set of runes covered the entire Sage Staff, often overlapping with the other five. It was the best cloaking system that Lith and Solus had devised after studying those of all the artifacts they had scanned with the Eyes of Menadion.

It would hide the Sage Staff's energy signature and shield its structure and enchantments from every attempt to probe at it with Dragon Eyes, Invigoration, Life Vision, or Forgemastering spells.

Without a unique set of cloaking runes, a skilled Forgemaster only needed time and opportunities to steal the secrets of Lith's and Solus' workings.

"Do you need to take a break, Solus?" Lith asked once she was done, and all the rune patterns became invisible to the naked eye.

"Just a minute." She said. "I didn't consume much mana, but the focus to place the runes was no joke. The preparatory phase should now be complete.

"No matter how many attempts Forgemastering a perfect power core is going to take, we won't need to Dismantle the runes, crystals, and Balor's eye.

"Yet I can't judge the quality of my own work. What do you think?"

"A perfect job." Lith studied the Sage Staff for a bit before handing it over to the experts. "At least according to my standards."

"Flawless." Menadion nodded and passed the Staff to the Overlord. "You did everything according to our design, Epphy. If there's something wrong, then the three of us share the blame for it."

"Don't worry, Ripha, there is nothing wrong with this." Salaark said. "It's really a good piece. A little amateurish, but with less than eight years of experience as Forgemasters, I can say that Lith and Solus did an outstanding job.

"I'm proud of you, Featherlings. You'd make many old coots in the Awakened Council eat their hearts out if they saw the Sage Staff."

"What do you mean, eight years?" Menadion snorted. "I've taught Epphy since she was a baby, and I helped her and Lith to the best of my abilities."

"Too bad that Solus forgot everything, and your knowledge is outdated for over 700 years." Salaark snorted back. "Your contribution shows in the overall balance and the innovative design, but that's it.

"Even if you're now caught up with modern magic, that's just theory. How many hours have you spent in the Forge to put what you've learned into practice?"

"Not as many as I could, but as many as I wanted." Menadion shook her head. "I didn't come back to be a great Forgemaster and a poor excuse of a mother again. I'm here to be by Solus' side."

"And that honors you, Ripha, but doesn't improve your skills." Salaark nodded. "So, take the compliment and keep your pride in check."

"Easier said than done." Menadion sighed. "As I said, I wasn't an obnoxious prick. I still am an obnoxious prick."

"Stop moping, Mom." Solus said. "I don't care if this isn't a superb masterpiece. We have time to improve the Sage Staff together. We have time to do whatever we want, Mom. That's the only thing that matters."

"Thanks, Epphy. You're right." Menadion held her daughter between her arms so hard that she squeezed the air out of Solus' lungs.

"Also, we need your help for the next phase." Solus yelped, trying to escape the vise-like embrace. "Time to Forgemaster."

"You can count on me, sweetie." Menadion let go of her daughter, but not before ruffling her hair and peppering her face with kisses.

"Mom! Not in front of the others!" Solus whined, turning beet red in embarrassment.

"Not so funny anymore, is it?" Lith clicked his tongue. "That will teach you a lesson about laughing at my expense."

"Shut up and work." She grumbled.

They wore one Monocle of Menadion each, while Menadion donned the Hands, the Mouth, and the Ears of Menadion. She wasn't going to take part in the Forgemastering process directly and could handle the strain of using the three pieces of her set.

The Hands allowed Menadion to conjure extra world energy in case the one channeled by the tower wasn't enough. The Mouth granted her the ability to keep multiple Forgemastering arrays at the ready and switch between them with surgical precision.

The Ears, instead, would allow Ripha to study and record the energy flow of the Forgemastering procedure for future studies without compromising Lith's and Solus' focus.