The Storm King-Chapter 982 - Flying South
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Leon spent much of his time on the flight back south conferring with his advisors on Kataigida. Nothing of great importance was discussed, but he wanted to be kept informed on the progress of certain projectsโmost notably building arks, manufacturing potential golem bodies for the stone giants, the process of acquiring rare materials for use in building new arks and repairing the Thunderbird arks Leon now had in his possession, and finally, the continued expansion of the bureaucracy.
On that last point, Iron-Striker wasnโt running into any trouble ensuring that the Tribes paid taxes, keeping the newly-named Thunder Kingdom solvent even as the administrators that were needed to run the Kingdom were hired and trained. Leon fully expected that the number of bureaucrats working in his Kingdom to double in just a matter of years, though even that was unlikely to be enough. Iron-Striker had estimated that to build a proper Royal government that could rule over the Ten Tribes would take at least ten years, and while Leon was a little skeptical of that time frame, he still accepted that his administration and military forces were going to take a few more years to fully build out.
On the acquisition of rare materials, Leon had gotten in contact with Tikos again, requesting an update. When Leon had departed Kataigida, Tikos had indicated it was working on some secret project, but the tree sprite was so far unwilling to explain much, reasoning that it didnโt want to set unrealistic expectations.
Leon was confident that if he pressed the issue, Tikos would tell him what he wanted to know, but he trusted the tree sprite and decided to give it the freedom it wanted to work. He just hoped Tikos would be ready for a more detailed update once he returnedโฆ
Titanstone was another material that Leon desperately needed to begin repairs on the arks the Director had dropped off. He needed other rare materials that even the Ten Tribes couldnโt get their hands on, like Aurichalcum and Lumenite, but Titanstone was the one they needed most of all. Fortunately, the Tribesโmostly the Spidersโwho operated the islandโs Titanstone quarries in the far southeast were doing what they could to increase production. That Titanstone would have to be processed, too, and increasing refinery output required investment and buildout of the relevant facilities, which all required more time and money.
As for the stone giants, Leonโs talks with Nestor indicated that the dead man had set up a relatively small golem production line in Stormhollow with the aid of some Ravens, which would be operated by the inhabitants of a large Hawk hallโabout two hundred people. Nestor was a bit upset that he had to devote his time and attention to this when he wouldโve rathered spent his time with Storm Herald or any of the other Thunderbird arks, but Leon insisted. He expected results from the dead man upon his return.
All-in-all, Leon was fairly satisfied that enough was getting done that after a couple days of taking care of business remotely, he turned his attention back to his personal affairs. Elise, Maia, Valeria, and Cassandra did their best to monopolize his time, but he made sure to spend plenty of time with the rest of his retainers.
And, perhaps just as importantly, he jumped out of Silver Spear and popped over to Cassandraโs arkโฆ
---
โI apologize again for the accommodations,โ Leon said with an embarrassed grimace as he took a seat in the arkโs largest room. Despite the roomโs relative size, Rakos still had to curl up quite a bit so that it could fit.
โDo not apologize for that which gives no offense, Divine One,โ Rakos responded about as quietly as its boulder body could manage. Arks, especially from the inside, could be sensitive to vibration, so the stone giant had to be careful with its speech.
โYouโre too gracious,โ Leon said. โYou have your entire species bottled up inside you; itโs fine to be a little selfish, you knowโฆโ
โThere is never an excuse for such behavior,โ Rakos replied. โWe will endure any hardship to return to the Thunderbird Clanโs service. And this is hardly a trying test.โ
โIs that soโฆโ Leon murmured. โIโll admit that I was wondering about thatโฆ How is it that so many giants have managed to fit themselves into your body? Such a vast concentration of power seems like it ought to be more unstable, given the circumstancesโฆโ
Leonโs eyes wandered over Rakosโ compacted form. The rubies glittering along its surface were relatively small, hardly up to the task of holding even a single wisp, let alone dozens of stone giants apiece. And yet, while Rakosโ aura with its entire species hitching a ride in its shell was dense, it was also remarkably stable. Leon could tell that there was no more danger of cataclysmic explosion than if he were playing with a regular magically-charged ruby.
โWe are incorporeal beings by nature,โ Rakos explained, its cadence slowing slightly. โOur shells are prepared to contain us during our reproductive cycle. There is much stability to be had in stone.โ
โHuh,โ Leon softly grunted. He wasnโt quite satisfied with that answer and asked, โWould you allow me to examine you more closely?โ
โThis is no problem at all, Divine One.โ
Leon grinned. He hadnโt expected Rakos to turn him down anyway, but he had to ask.
Getting up from his seat, Leon approached Rakos and ran his hand along the giantโs arms, brushing his fingertips against some of the rubies embedded in the shell. He examined them closely with his eyes, his hands, and his magic senses, trying to determine just what was going on with Rakosโ body that mere stone and relatively unremarkable gems could hold such power.
It didnโt take long for him to discover a โcurrentโ that was pulling magic inward. The sheer amount of power contained in twelve thousand-ish golems was certainly immense, and all of that power seemed like it wanted to explode outward, but this current pulling that magic in had created an equilibrium that kept everything stable.
Leon pressed his senses further into Rakos, though he remained cautious of disturbing this equilibrium. If he lessened this current at all, the consequences would be disastrous, potentially up and including the destruction of Cassandraโs ark along with everyone on board.
He slowly probed deeper, feather-light tendrils of his magic power gliding through the boulders of Rakosโ shell, following this current of power. Eventually, however, it led him into Rakosโ torso, and Leon wasnโt willing to proceed quite that far, where Rakosโ true lightning body resided. However, with his magic senses already enveloping Rakosโ limbs, Leon settled in to examine in great detail just what he was perceiving.
Focusing on the current, Leon realized that he could sense tiny tendrils of magic both within and surrounding the current, magic that felt remarkably like ancient runes. Leon immediately redoubled his caution, not wanting to accidentally activate any potential ancient runes that could be in operation here by โpluckingโ these strings of power.
โAre youโฆ using enchantments?โ Leon asked even as he took in all he could of the current and the thin, nearly imperceptible tendrils of power that seemed to be controlling it. As he spoke, he also retrieved some paper and writing utensils and began taking notes.
โI but invoke my power; no more, no less.โ
Leon exhaled in amazement. The more he examined these tendrils, the more they resembled the power of ancient runes. And that would mean Rakos was either lyingโwhich he doubtedโor the giant was somehow using that kind of power naturally.
However, as much as Leon wanted to know more, he refrained from pushing any deeper with his magic senses. Unfortunately, while this meant that Rakos wasnโt being put in any danger, it also meant that Leon was unable to see just what these โancient runesโ were doing, other than drawing the magic power of twelve thousand giants deeper into Rakosโ shell.
โIs that power flowing into your soul realm? Doโฆ stone giants even have soul realms?โ
Rakosโ answer came after a long pause. โNo.โ
Leon waited a moment for further explanation but was disappointed when none came. โNo to the first? Second? Both?โ He supposed โnoโ to the second was also โnoโ to both, but there was room for nuance there, though.
โBoth,โ Rakos replied.
โThen where is all that power going?โ Leon wondered.
Again, Rakos was silent for a long moment before answering again. โI donโt know. My people are safe and weโre returning to our creators, thatโs all that matters.โ
With a pronounced sigh, Leon let the matter drop for the moment. He and Nestor would speak more on this front; he wanted to know just how Rakos was compressing all of this power, and if that was even what it was doing.
So, moving on, Leon retrieved the blue gemstone that a giant had used to grant him knowledge of the giant language. It was a smooth and polished stone, defying his ability to identify it, yet resembling dark turquoise more than anything else. What he found more befuddling, however, was that the gem was perfectly smooth, with no sign of enchantments anywhere on the gem, preventing him from intuiting how to use it.
โHow do I use this?โ he asked. โI was hoping to let others learn your language so that we wouldnโt be dependent entirely on me to translate.โ
โThe Rumble Stone vibrates in tune with the holder. Push magic through it and it will sing in your tones.โ
Leon frowned for a moment before doing as instructed. He pushed his magic into the stone and immediately felt the stone vibrate for a fraction of a second. The power he felt enter the stone he sensed took on the darkness element, and he had to channel that element to control it.
โFor others to learn our language,โ Rakos said, โone of us will have to use the Rumble Stone. For you to use it, it will only vibrate in your tones.โ
Leonโs frown deepened slightly. โSo it will only impart the language of the wielder?โ
โYes.โ
โThatโฆ reduces its use just a bitโฆ but I suppose expands it, too.โ
Leon knew that the Thunderbird Clan spoke a common language in the Nexus and that they brought that language to Aeterna when they conquered the plane. That language was still in common use in the Bull Kingdom and Kataigida, but most places spoke other languages amongst the common people. He counted himself fortunate that the language that the Thunderbird Clan brought, and which he still natively spoke, was still used as the common language on the plane despite the general feelings toward his Clan following their fall.
Leon didnโt have much business left to discuss with Rakos, but he did take some time to elaborate on what he was hoping the giants could do for him down in Kataigidaโnamely, interface with arks and act as the control wisps were supposed to.
Rakos had no idea if that was even possible, but it promised Leon that its people would do what was required of them.
After expressing his gratitude, Leon left Cassandraโs ark.
---
Leonโs training sword clashed with his opponentโs, easily withstanding the power of their strike. The enchantments in the relatively large training room activated, ensuring that the two powerful mages didnโt upset the ark despite the strength they packed into their blows. They didnโt have as much space to move around as Leon wouldโve liked, but at least they werenโt going to knock the ark out of the sky.
Despite his style favoring aggression, Leon didnโt press his strength advantage. He wasnโt sparring for himself so much as he was to get a good idea of how his opponent was doing.
And he wasnโt that encouraged.
Anna lunged forward, her blade moving so fast that it appeared to be little more than a flash of light. However, Leon easily blocked again, noting as he did that it wasnโt even close to as fast as Anna was capable of, even with the handicaps they both took due to sparring inside Silver Spear.
As she fell back a bit, Leon advanced, knocking her weapon out of her hand and sweeping a leg out from under her. He moved almost insultingly slow, making sure that his eighth-tier retainer could easily dodge or block if she wanted to.
But Anna hardly seemed to notice what he was doing until she hit the floor.
She rose with a sigh that told Leon further sparring wasnโt going to be that productive.
โYouโre distracted,โ Leon observed as he lowered his blade and dropped his stance. Obligingly, Marcus sent Lucianus forward to take the weapons from Leon and Anna, and Leon spared the younger man a brief smile of thanks.
In response to his observation, Anna shrugged and moved out of the center of the room, wordlessly accepting the end of their spar.
Leon frowned and followed her, though not before ordering Alix and Gaius to spar next. He made for the door and motioned for Anna to follow, which she did with a grimace. Once they were alone in the adjacent room, Leon asked, โIs there something wrong?โ
โNothingโs wrong,โ she responded with a sigh of resignation. โIโm justโฆ thinking about things.โf(r)eeweb(n)ovel
โThese things must be heavy to leave you so distractedโฆโ
โThe futureโs quite heavy.โ
Leon gave her a reassuring smile and said, โThen letโs talk about it. If thereโs some problem that I can help fixโฆโ
โNo, no,โ Anna hurriedly responded, โIโm justโฆ being a bitchโฆโ
Leon cocked an eyebrow, silently asking for elaboration.
Anna sighed again, took a long moment to compose herself, and explained, โItโsโฆ about Eirene.โ
โYour lady?โ
Anna softly chuckled. โYes, my lovely, too-good-for-me lady.โ
โIs everything all right?โ
โNever been better,โ Anna replied with a gentle smile. โIโฆ I think I love her. Like, a lot. Enoughโฆ that Iโm thinking aboutโฆโ She shifted with embarrassment while Leonโs smile broadened.
โYouโre thinking of taking things further?โ he asked. โThinking about the big โMโ?โ
Anna smiled in embarrassment before her expression fell. โWeโveโฆ been together a while. Andโฆ weโฆ theโฆโ
โTake your time,โ Leon said soothingly as Anna struggled to put her thoughts into words.
His beastmaster retainer went quiet for a long moment, her face scrunching up more and more in thought. Finally, she turned her eyes to his and said, โThis whole trip has really put it into perspective: our time on this plane will come to an end. Youโre going to achieve Apotheosis and lead us to the Nexus. That goalโฆ is starting to look more and more realistic, isnโt it?โ
Leon struggled to maintain his smile as he sputtered, โW-Well, you know, thereโs going to beโฆ uh, wellโฆ Sure, yes, itโs coming closer. I think weโre still a long way away from saying itโs plausible, but with the stone giants, new arksโฆ Weโll still have to rely on the Grave Warden, I think, but I suppose, yeah, our time on Aeterna will come to an end. Whether thatโs in a few years or a few decades, though, I canโt yet say.โ
โFair enough. Iโve just been thinking about Eirene. Sheโฆ Leon, youโve been good to me and my sister. I know Helen will follow you wherever you want her to go. I donโt think sheโd be quite as eager to say that out loud, but sheโs enormously grateful for the resources and patronage youโve given her. Sheโll follow you to the Nexus without a thought.
โI, thoughโฆ I was like thatโฆโ
โโฆ Until you met Eirene,โ Leon finished.
Anna half-grimaced, half-grinned. โWe have no family left on this plane. A few family friends, but until Eirene and Iโฆ Helen and I have no connections on Aeterna to miss us when we leave. But Eirene has a large family, and Iโฆ I donโt know if I can take her away from them.โ
Leon nodded in understanding. โYou love her and want to marry her, but you donโt want to make her choose between you and her familyโฆโ
Anna nodded. โItโs easier now with comm stones and lotusesโshe can get in contact with home whenever she wants, though with some difficulty. If she were to come with us to the Nexus, she may never see her family againโฆ How can I ask her to come with us? I donโtโฆโ She choked up, unable to finish her statement.
Leon wasnโt sure what to say as Annaโs eyes began to glimmer to unshed tears and her shoulders shook with barely-contained sobs. So instead of saying anything, he gently laid a hand on her shoulder, and after a moment, pulled her into a hug.
She smiled gratefully and returned the hug.
โI wonโt ask you to choose between me and her,โ he whispered. โDo as your heart bids. But know that weโre already moving billions of people to the NexusโI donโt think adding Eireneโs family to that group will present much of a challenge that weโre not already facing. Iโm not saying that we should make this offer flippantly, but know that we have options.โ
Anna whispered, โThanks, Leon,โ as she pulled out of his hug.
โTalk to her,โ he said. โGet a read on what she wants. If you want to marry her, sheโll be your partner in life, and youโll have to share these decisions anyway. So talk to her.โ He paused and gave her a stern look, though his lips twitched upward as he fought not to smile jokingly. โThatโs an order! I canโt have one of my retainers so distracted!โ
Anna laughed and replied, โSure thing, sure thing. Thanks for listening, Leon.โ
โDonโt mention it,โ Leon replied. โAnything for one of my people. For one of my friends.โ
Anna grinned, wrapped her arms around him in another friendly hug, and together, the two made their way back to the training room.