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Despite her new appetites, Leon managed to get away from Cassandra enough to be with his other ladies. He’d finalized his trip to Kataigida for two months after his marriage to Cassandra, and he wanted to spend as much time with his family as he could since he was going to be leaving half of them behind.

Of great importance, as well, was preparing for the journey. Not simply provisions, for his people were by and large strong enough to not need much in the way of food or drink, but weapons, armor, and other gear. He’d had a few small modifications done to his MALL design and then had three new prototypes built and tested, just in case. Getting his people trained on using the mobile Lances took a fair couple weeks, as well.

In addition, he’d be bringing the Iron Needle with him, not wanting to leave it behind even with Nestor keeping watch over the thing.

The last thing of paramount importance, however, was the finalized designs for his modified transformation enchantment. It had been modified to work with any Inherited Bloodline that used it, he’d been told, and while he had no reason not to trust what he’d been told, it also brought up a question that had him feeling some type of way.

‘Wouldn’t such an enchantment work for both of my bloodlines?’

The question was one he only silently pondered. He’d spent a great deal of time frustrating the Thunderbird with his striving for the Great Black Dragon’s power while taking hers for granted, and while that attitude was one he was trying to correct, he couldn’t help but grow excited at the thought of transforming into a massive dragon at will.

Whenever he used the enchantment, though, he only ever turned into the silver and blue Thunderbird. He could still turn into the copy of the Thunderbird herself using the original enchantment she’d given him, of course, and for that, he was grateful, for he couldn’t imagine how useful it would be to win over support within the Ten Tribes if he were the actual image of the Thunderbird in the flesh.

However, he also couldn’t help but wonder just how far this new enchantment could take him. Unfortunately, the new enchantment had never once brought out any sign of draconic features. He wasn’t sure why, and he had to admit that he was almost afraid to ask.

For the time being, he decided to simply accept that it wasn’t working with his draconic bloodline for some reason, and focus instead on his Thunderbird bloodline. That was what would win him followers in the Ten Tribes. That was the basis for the Jaguar’s offer of a crown. He was claiming the mantle of the old Storm Kings and the power of the Thunderbird.

The dragon would wait for the Thunderbird, in this case.

What would also wait, it seemed, would be his new sword. While there had been a few storms in the weeks following his marriage to Cassandra, none of the power and ferocity had appeared that would be conducive to another attempt at sky forging. He’d just have to practice using the Iron Needle without the weapon or contemplate attempting to return it to his family’s current blade and just making do if he had to. Neither prospect was particularly appealing, but he didn’t always find himself in the position to be so choosy with his methods.

He\'d gotten all of these ducks in a row fairly quickly, leaving the remaining weeks before he departed to be filled more with coordinating with his allies and spending time with his family than preparing. At least when it came to physical materials, he figured that he was about as prepared as he possibly could be.

---

“The Keeper won’t attack again,” the Director declared. “The Lord Protector has, despite your frustrations with him, Leon, fulfilled his bargain and ensured his border is protected from such breaches. If the Keeper were to move against you while you’re gone, the Lord Protector would know immediately and be able to move against him almost immediately. You can rest easy with that knowledge, at least.”

“Yes. Reliance upon Anastasios. Very comforting,” Leon sarcastically replied. “I’m more comfortable with the Grand Druid’s protection, honestly. I can’t see her ever letting the Keeper do so much as spit in Cassandra’s direction, let alone attempt some kind of violence against her.”

The Director hummed in agreement.

“What of the Sunlit Emperor?” Leon asked. “His diplomats at my wedding passed along an invitation he extended to me to visit his Empire. It’s… I don’t much want to. Getting my hands dirty in Imperial politics isn’t something I want to do at this stage of the game.”

“I don’t blame you. These things can be messy. What I do know, though, is that apart from the bare minimum the Emperor has done to prosecute the war against the Sky Devils, he’s been most taken with his own personal project, something that not even I have been able to uncover any details about. Whatever he’s doing is important to him, and he doesn’t want anyone else to know about it.”

“And he just sends me an invitation when he’s so taken with other things?”

“It’s possible he was just being polite, he didn’t hide that he was trying to poach you from Occulara, did he?”

Leon shrugged. “No, he did make it clear that he would welcome me in his Empire if I decided to move there.”

“Then I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The Sunlit Emperor has other things on his mind and likely just wanted to remind you of his position on the matter of your residence.”

“My answer to him hasn’t changed.”

“That’s encouraging to hear.”

“As for invitations…” Leon murmured, hesitating for a moment before he began to get into the Grave Warden’s offer. It took some hefty tangents that turned into long conversations on their own since Leon realized that he’d never actually told the Director about the Divine Graveyard and what might be buried here on Aeterna or the other planes in this planar cluster, but he eventually managed to get around to the Grave Warden’s offer. By the time he did, though, the Director looked like the two of them had just finished going twelve rounds against each other, no holds barred and no magic forbidden.

“That… is quite the story,” the Director whispered. “You’ve touched on some of this before, but… I’ll need some time to process this.”

“Then, for now, tell me what you think of the Grave Warden’s proposal.”

The Director sat in silence for a short moment, his eyes vacant as what Leon had just told him bounced around his mind. Eventually, he said, “It’s… not one easily refused. You’ve said that you would bring every Sky Devil with you to the Nexus if you could. This could be your chance to do that.”

“Indeed. But how much it’s worth this mission that Ambrose gave me… I can’t say. I don’t know what the Sky Devils might have to contribute in that respect—I may not even need the Grave Warden’s help, in that case. And yet…”

Leon trailed off, and after a moment of silence, the Director nudged him and gave him a prodding look.

With a grimace, Leon said, “I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on ‘Primal Beings’. But I have some meager experience with one. There are few things I desire less than to see one freed. They are reportedly hostile to human civilization and were locked away for damned good reasons. Knowing that one of those responsible for keeping them sealed has gone missing… weighs heavily on my mind. Some might say that this is not my business, but when it comes to the universe itself, I’d rather say that this is everyone’s business and that we all have a vested interest in seeing these beings of a bygone era remain imprisoned.”

“In that, we can agree,” the Director whispered, to Leon’s surprise. The Director apparently noticed his surprise, and added, “I hope you’re not thinking that I’d seek these creatures out! I worked with vampires because I thought I had no other choice! Such immensely powerful things as ‘Primal Gods’ is so far beyond my ability to control that seeking out such creatures will never be on my list of priorities!”

He was emphatic, more so than Leon usually saw him. But he didn’t detect any deceit in the old man’s voice, despite this.

“Please, forgive me,” Leon whispered. “My surprise was uncharitable.”

“Your surprise was justified,” the Director grudgingly conceded. After another moment of silence, the Director said, “I have business to see to. So do you. Focus on what’s in front of you. ascend to the tenth-tier. Then decide on the ‘Grave Warden’s’ request.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“I’ve long had to learn how to compartmentalize, being in my position. One can’t focus on everything, so focus only on what’s in front of you and work through it as best as you can. Solve one problem at a time.”

“You’re right. You’re right. I’ll leave you to your work. I have a few weeks left until I leave for the south. I’ll be spending those weeks with my family. Talal will have my duties until… well, I don’t know what might happen after this. I can hardly take up my old post if I’m King of the Sky Devils, now, can I?”

“For now, you’ll remain officially in that position. You won’t be King just yet, and you’ll return now and then, to maintain appearances. You’re not leaving permanently, so don’t act like you are.”

“Look at that, you’re right again.”

“Spare me the sarcasm, kid, get out of here. I’m not the one you should be spending your time with.”

Leon gave him one last grateful nod and then departed. Even if he was planning on returning frequently, he didn’t know how long he would have once he arrived at Kataigida. Or if he even would arrive there at all.

---

“… and what did it turn out to be? A giant fucking serpent statue! Identical to the other dozen we’d found by then! All that work for just another damned snake!” Cassandra cried, her obvious frustration undercut just a little bit by the wide smile she wore, and the laugh she let out once she’d finished.

Leon was sitting next to his new wife in one of his villa’s private living rooms. Elise was with them, too. He’d decided that, since Maia and Valeria were going to be accompanying him south, he would spend as much time as he could with those who weren’t rather than those who were. Valeria and Maia weren’t exactly happy about that, but they understood.

“That must have been disappointing,” Elise said. “I can’t imagine spending that long at a dig site only to find what amounted to statues.”

“It was fine and quite worth the effort, looking at it from a more objective standpoint,” Cassandra said with a sigh. “It’s just that nearly every place I’ve found that predates the arrival of the Thunderbird Clan has had some kind of link to what I and my people call, ‘the Serpent Cult’. It’s strangely widespread.”

“That it is,” Leon agreed. “Horned serpents were viewed as demonic figures to the Valemen north of the Bull Kingdom, but were worshipped in the Serpentine Isles. I’ve even heard stories that Great Horned Serpents used to ply our plane’s oceans, and that the skull of one such creature can be found at Serpent’s Fall.”

“Blech. Ew. Gross. I hate snakes,” Cassandra exclaimed.

“After everything that happened with Jormun, I don’t have fond opinions of the creatures, myself,” Leon agreed.

“They’re fine, so long as they’re small,” Elise pouted. “They keep vermin away from crops.”

“They also scare the living shit out of workers responsible for those crops,” Leon countered.

Elise shrugged but didn’t argue her point.

“I… still have some mixed feelings about your dealings with the Sky Devils, Leon,” Cassandra said, “but at least they’re better than snakes.”

Leon made an awkward face and replied, “You know, I think there might actually be a Serpent Tribe amidst the Ten Tribes… Maybe I’m wrong but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is.”

“Wipe them out, women and children too,” Cassandra immediately said, though nothing in her tone indicated seriousness.

“I’m not wiping them out,” Leon responded as he playfully pushed Cassandra away from him. She bounced right back into the crook of his arm as he added, “Not for no reason, anyway.”

Cassandra brought a hand to his face and brought his face down to meet hers. “I don’t want you to leave.”

“I’m not fond of the idea of leaving, either. But this is an opportunity that I can’t pass up. To reclaim some of my Clan’s old vassals and build a proper network of support… Besides, they’ve kept the Empires at bay for so long, their magical expertise and skill at arms can’t be ignored.”

Cassandra crossed her arms and looked away in a huff, but again, Leon sensed no actual seriousness in her demeanor.

“I don’t want you to go, either, husband,” Elise said, drawing his attention. “I want to stay with you as much as I can. It… It doesn’t feel good to always be left behind like this. I know that my skills don’t lend themselves well to violence, but I do sometimes wish you had less of an adventurous streak.”

Leon warmly smiled as he pulled her closer. “I would not have myself far from your arms, either. But I would rather have all my limbs chopped off than allow you to so much as chip a nail.”

“My nails are hardly so valuable,” Elise said with a dismissive wave. In an objective sense, Leon knew that to be true, but he also knew that Elise spent quite a bit of silver on making sure that her nails were perfect at all times. “Besides,” she added, “I’d rather not make a habit of regrowing your limbs.”

Leon’s left arm twinged, and he felt Cassandra twitch slightly under his arm.

“I’ll be careful,” he said.

“And we can spar while Leon’s gone!” Cassandra declared.

“Uh, what?” Elise asked as Cassandra sprang to her feet and moved around Leon to kneel before Elise and pull her into an embrace.

“If one is being left behind for not being a good warrior, then the only thing to do is become a good warrior!”

“I… I… that’s not… I’ve tried, but I just don’t have the knack for it…”

“Nonsense! I’m sure you’ve just been too busy running this house while Leon spends all his free time in his workshop with that dead-man-in-a-golem! If you spent a little more time in the training room, you’d be a great warrior in no time! I guarantee it!”

Leon laughed as Elise struggled to turn the Princess down. Technically speaking, Cassandra outranked Elise, socially. But they were still in Leon’s family, and in that respect, they were completely equal.

“I would… I don’t think that’s… the worst idea ever,” Elise sputtered, and while Cassandra smiled and hugged Elise a little tighter, Leon knew that Elise likely wasn’t going to become a great warrior just because she trained with Cassandra. Elise was a city girl through and through, lacking the quality that allowed Leon to kill easily.

Hardly a bad thing, in his opinion, having only the barest hint of killing intent, and it was even quite good that she understood both what she wanted to do with her life and what her limitations were. Fighting and killing were not going to be skills in her wheelhouse, and that didn’t make Leon love her any less.

“Leon,” Cassandra said, pulling his attention away from Elise, “you believe in multiple bad afterlives, don’t you? ‘Hells’?”

“Not really,” Leon replied. “The people of the Bull Kingdoms do, and I just talk like them, I suppose.”

“There are unlimited hells in Bullish tradition,” Elise explained. “One tailor-made for every person who deserves one. Those who deserve better and greater go to join their Ancestors, watching over their still-living kin.”

Cassandra frowned slightly before looking Leon in the eye. “If you head south,” she said, “and wind up dead. I will force open your personal hell—or whatever afterlife you end up in—and personally kill you for leaving me like that. Do you understand?”

Leon burst out laughing. She said it so seriously, so earnestly, but he found that he couldn’t take her words nearly as seriously as she did. However, as she rained light, painless blows down upon him in retaliation for his laughter, he said, “I won’t be leaving anyone like that.”

“You’d better fucking not,” she growled. “I’m a newlywed wife, I’m too young to be widowed.”

Leon felt a pinch in his other arm, and when he turned he found Elise glaring at him with a similarly smoldering glare. He kissed her on the tip of her nose and said, “I have plenty of ways to run away if need be. No one’s killing me down there, though I suspect there’ll be plenty who try. How about, instead of worrying about what will come, we instead focus on the here and now?”

Cassandra socked him again and turned away in a huff, but she obviously had to hold in a laugh as pulled her back to him, whereas for Elise, all he had to do to lighten her mood was to tighten their embrace.

“I can’t stand this,” Cassandra grumbled. “If there’s adventure, I should be heading out to meet it, not waiting around like a helpless maiden in a tower!”

“Next time,” Leon promised her. “Next time.”