"Meln never lived in the Desert. If he's going to aim for a country, he'll set his sights on the Griffon Kingdom." Lith pointed out.
"My thoughts exactly." Salaark replied. "Yet that doesn't mean he won't mess with me. All he needs is to place a few thralls in a few key locations to deal a devastating blow to my Blood Desert."
"How?" Solus was flabbergasted.
"Think about it, Solus. An outlaw tribe attacks one of my Feathers, and two, maybe three of them, are Upyr thralls." Salaark said. "One sneak attack from someone with the mass of a Divine Beast is enough to kill a fake Awakened.
"My soldiers would slaughter the tribe, but my Feather would still be dead. Meln would exchange a pawn he created with a few drops of his blood for a mage it took me decades to nurture and train."
"By my Mom!" Solus' eyes widened in shock.
