Supreme Magus

"Doesn't that mean the underground fortress of Stonewall?" Solus asked after Lith had stored his contact amulet inside the pocket dimension.

"Indeed." He nodded. "We have to move now, while it's still day in the Kingdom and most members of the Undead Courts are either slumbering or severely weakened. Also, I need time to prepare for the meeting.

"Our truce with the Undead Courts will hold only until it suits both parties. I don't trust Bhaz and until I'm certain he didn't switch to Meln's side for some idiotic reason, I'm going to consider this a trap and prepare accordingly."

***

The Stonewall Fortress owed its name to the fact that it had been carved out of a massive stone wall located in an underground network of caves located under the Feilun Region of the Griffon Kingdom.

The fortress was complete with lookout towers, battlements, a main keep, and an enormous gate made of Orichalcum. The entire length of the defensive walls was studded with enough mana crystals to light the entire cave despite it being over 60 meters (200') tall.

The carving alone, even though performed by undead skilled in earth magic like Ghouls had taken decades to be completed. The main body of the fortress was encased by the cave, visible from a distance, but protected against flying enemies.

It stood right at the center of a mana geyser and countless arrays and enchantments had been imbued in every stone block and bit of mortar so that very little world energy was left available to invaders.

That and the dozens of Stone, Orichalcum, and Adamant Golems standing at the ready in their recharge pods made it nigh-impregnable even if left completely unmanned.

Lith had a very low opinion of the Undead Courts and the convenient timing of the meet-up looked too much like a setup to come in such a place alone.

At the same time, he wanted to keep his allies out of that particular piece of business. If it really was an honest first step toward an alliance with the undead, going to Stonewall in forces would have only exposed Lith's best cards and put his hosts on guard.

Hence Lith made it a personal show, showcasing solely his own strength.

When he emerged from the tunnel leading to the Fortress, none of the patrols scattered throughout the network of caves noticed him. He was also accompanied by his own two Golems, Trouble and Raptor, and an army of three hundred six-eyed Demons armed to the teeth.

Ragnarök was sheathed but perfectly visible on his hip. Solus wore her battle armor and Lith's generals, Menadion, Locrias, Valia, Trion, and Varegrave, had their weapons out.

"That's a considerable display of forces." Bhaz opened the gates and walked towards his guests. "Is this a visit or the start of a siege?"

Just by looking at his guest, the Dawn King could tell that something had changed since his last meeting with Lith. Bhaz had met enough Divine Beasts to get used to the oppressive aura they emanated.

Their raw power and mass made them towering giants to his mystical senses even while the Divine Beasts maintained a human form. The Dawn King always felt like a man standing in front of a towering mountain when facing a Divine Beast and the Tiamat had been no different during his past visit.

Now, however, Bhaz could also feel a simmering heat burning at his pale skin. The mountain seemed to have turned into a rumbling volcano that was ready to erupt with devastating consequences.

"A visit, unless something forces my hand." Lith replied. "Your place of choice gives you quite the advantage so I hope you'll forgive me for evening the field."

"I understand your reasoning." The Blood Warlock massaged his temples, the red light of undeath in his eyes dimmed enough to reveal a gleam of their original blue color. "Do you want to discuss the matter out here?

"It can be done, but it will make things more complicated and less safe. I don't have your talent with holograms nor can I guarantee the wrong ears won't listen to us."

"No, we can get inside, but I'm taking precautions." Lith left Raptor outside as emergency fuel for the other Demons and had Locrias fuse with Trouble.

He, Trion, Menadion, and Valia followed Lith as he marched forward while Varegrave stayed behind to lead the Demons to the charge in case necessity arose.

Bhaz stared at Menadion with what Lith recognized as greed, especially when his eyes fell on her Davross and Yggdrasill hammer. It was a perfect replica of the old Fury but crafted with modern techniques.

"Lady Menadion, it's an honor and a privilege to meet you." He gave her a deep bow.

"The pleasure is all yours. I'll reserve my comments for after the meeting." Ripha replied. "Your kind already had a bad reputation back in my day and now it's even worse. For what I've heard about you, it's well earned."

"True, but we undead are always in dire need of a Forgemaster as capable as you. I hope that by the end of your visit, you'll have changed your mind about us and be willing to add us to the list of your clients." Bhaz gave her a second and deeper bow. "Please, follow me."

He guided them inside the Stonewall Fortress while keeping himself at arm's reach from Lith. The Blood Warlock was putting his eternal life in the hands of his ally to prove his sincerity.

The inside of the Fortress was as cold as the outside but much better furnished. Even the entrance was filled with warm carpets, fine paintings, and high-end ceremonial armors that a through examination with Life Vision revealed as more Golems.

The Dawn King didn't bring his guests deep into the fortress. After a single corridor they reached a large round room with a table at its center and many seats all around. Lith recognized the mana crystal embossed on the table as the standard holographic display that was used during military briefings.

"Ladies. Gentlemen." Cyrra Morghon, Banshee and current High General of the Night Court greeted them upon their entrance. "I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you again but that would be a lie. I hate being here no less than you do."

She wore a black armor similar to Bhaz's and an enchanted glaive rested near her seat. Cyrra had long copper-red hair that reached the small of her back and even redder eyes lit from the undead energies coursing through her body.

She might have been considered a beautiful woman, if not for her angry gaze and disgruntled expression. The Banshee looked like someone who had lost a bet and had been forced to go on a date with her worst enemy.

The rest of the seats was occupied by the Awakened Forgemasters hired by the Undead Courts to equip the Stonewall Fortress and its occupants with the best anti-Vurdalak weapons and enchantments Awakened magic could produce.

"First Ruler of the Flames, please give us your blessing!" Adria Yulat said and the other Forgemaster followed her, prostrating themselves on the ground.

The scene was unsettling by itself but it managed to become worse when Lith noticed that even Barham the Wyvern's forehead was touching the floor.