The Storm King

It had been altogether far too long for Leon’s liking since he’d last lain in his own bed. Despite everything that needed to be done, Elise made her desires known almost as soon as Leon stepped through the Lumenite gateway, and he couldn’t help but move to fulfill them. He’d left Carver with the Jaguar to work on integrating the Iron Order warriors with the rest of the valley’s defenders, and Leon took his wives back to the portable villa on the nine-peaked mountain. He, Valeria, and Maia had had some fun while away, though, so the two of them had decided to let Elise and Cassandra have some alone time, and chose instead to take some time to themselves.

Several hours later, Leon found himself feeling exhausted and tempted to get some sleep, and it was only Elise in his arms keeping him awake. Though they had just worn themselves out indulging in the other’s body, she still traced the lines of his muscles with her finger, while her lips lightly brushed against his neck and chest.

For his part, Leon’s hands were roaming almost of their own accord, and Elise reveled in his touch. As his hands brushed over her ass, she flexed her legs and said, “Keep going like that and I’ll be taking you this time…” She already had a leg over his waist, Leon knew it wouldn’t be hard for her to mount up, so to speak.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” he responded. Elise had been both the first and last of his wives that he’d taken, and every time he had, he’d practically pinned her to the bed. If she wanted to go again with a more active role, he’d hardly complain.

Elise redirected her attention to his face, giving him several feather-light kisses before pulling away and making a face of disgust. “You need to shave.”

Leon snorted in amusement. He hadn’t been that diligent in shaving during his few weeks away, and he’d sprouted a rather thick beard in that time.

“Let him keep it,” Cassandra said from a nearby chair, not a stitch of clothing on her, an open book in her hands—an adventure-romance novel, if Leon guessed correctly. “It looks good on him.”

“It's rough,” Elise retorted. “I don’t like it rubbing on my cheeks. Or other places.”

Leon immediately began nuzzling her, rubbing his cheeks on hers, and she began playfully writhing in his arms, trying to get away.

Horns were sounded in the distance, and Leon paused. Given the situation, horns were sounded quite frequently in Artorion. This was only a signal to swap watch shifts and didn’t require him to do anything, but hearing it still gave him pause.

“It’s fine to take a break sometimes,” Elise said as she settled back into his arms. “You’re the King, and you have heavy responsibilities. You need rest.”

“Everyone needs rest,” Leon stated.

“Not everyone’s a King,” Elise replied.

“Leon,” Cassandra said as she snapped her book shut, “shut up and take another couple of hours. You’ll do no one any good if you’re burned out.”

“We’ve already taken a few hours,” Leon pointed out. “Since when were so replete with time that we could rest whenever we wanted?”

“Those soggy shits outside have been trying to blast their way in for weeks, to no avail.” Cassandra nodded to the shield, which even now was standing strong under Diluvian bombardment. “You’ll make bad decisions if you’re not rested. So rest.”

“If you don’t, I’ll be upset,” Elise added as she dug her nails into his side. “Don’t you dare leave me right now.”

Leon sighed and did his best to relax, even as horns continued to sound, and Ocean arks continued to discharge their weapons ineffectually into the shield protecting Artorion.

After several seconds, he said, “Fine. Fine. I’ll rest.”

“Don’t make it sound like it’s torture,” Elise scolded as Cassandra practically jumped back into bed with them.

“If you want it to be, I think we can make it so,” Cassandra stated.

Leon dismissed their playful words for the moment, stating, “Look, it just doesn’t sit right with me, to be here, happy, two of my wives snuggled up with me, while the warriors loyal to me, who are keeping Artorion safe, are not free to similarly indulge.”

“Again, you’re the King,” Cassandra said. “Such are privileges you shouldn’t feel guilty about taking advantage of. Your role is more important than a tower guard’s.”

Leon bit back his response. It was hard to argue against her point, but it didn’t do much to assuage his guilt.

Instead, he asked, “How many arks are out there?” He’d not had much time to get a full picture after returning, but Cassandra and Elise had been making sure to make the Royal Family’s presence was felt—Cassandra had toured the defense towers and spoken with many of the soldiers there, and Elise had frequented the healer stations, using many of her own potions and grown herbs to augment their medical supplies. They’d both received daily briefings from the Jaguar as to their state of affairs and could answer his questions as well as his Marshal.

Elise smoothly rattled off her answer, sounding almost bored as she laid out the strategic picture. “Forty-eight frigates, forty-two destroyers, thirty light cruisers, twenty-six heavy cruisers, and eight carriers.”

“And that flying pustule Terris has been jerking around in,” Cassandra venomously added.

“Fifty-two other arks are present, as well,” Elise continued, “though they seem to be dedicated to logistic and support duties.”

Leon resisted the urge to facepalm, his hands locking around Elise and Cassandra as the urge hit. His side had Silver Spear, Bolt in Shadow, and now Bright Intent, as well as two heavy cruisers, one carrier, a destroyer, and two frigates. All of the newer arks were damaged, some barely managing to stay in the air even after weeks of critical repairs. It had been gratifying to hear of those repairs when he checked in, but the situation was still grim. They were almost comically outnumbered.

There was some saving grace in Nestor putting the Aurichalcum brought back by Icarius to immediate use—nearly all of the defense towers had had their Lances replaced with the new models, though not yet all of them. Given their extensive damage, the arks likely wouldn’t be getting their armament upgrades until all of the towers did, unfortunately. Nestor had also repeatedly emphasized that he and the Ravens were building quickly, and since there wasn’t a more robust production line set up, there might be some quality control issues with the new Lances.

Regardless, the extra firepower was needed, and Leon was grateful for it. Even without the shield over the valley, the misty veil ought to be enough to hold off the Diluvian arks long enough for the new Lances to bloody them quite a bit, but that wasn’t a guarantee of victory. If Terris had brought all of these forces here, then Leon could only assume that meant that Terris was fine with losing all of these forces.

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He also couldn’t say how many more reserves Terris might have. It would be incredibly demoralizing if they managed to accomplish some miracle and destroyed all of Terris’ forces, only for an even greater force to arrive. He also didn’t know if any other Ocean Lords might get involved if he managed to defeat Terris, either. He was struggling to hold on against a single Despot; what if multiple others, or even a Basileus were to get involved?

A finger pressing on the tip of his nose brought him back to the present.

“You’re not thinking about me right now, are you?” Elise asked when Leon went cross-eyed to focus on her finger. “I think we’re going to have to fix that…”

She made a move to straddle him, but Cassandra squawked in alarm.

“I don’t think so, Eli!” Cassandra shot upright and wrestled Elise down. “It’s my turn!”

Elise started to protest, and Leon smiled and sighed. This, at least, was a problem he could deal with right now. While it looked like Cassandra was willing to fight for her claim, and Elise was getting sulky, Leon took advantage of their distraction and tossed them both down onto the bed. He then positioned himself above them, pinning them where they lay, right next to each other.

“Hmmm,” he murmured as his eyes wandered up and down their fit forms. “I think I’ll have both of you for the next round…”

Elise and Cassandra smiled.

“If you think you can take us right now,” Cassandra said with great confidence.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Elise challengingly added.

Leon grinned wolfishly. “I guess we’re about to find out…”

---

After disentangling himself from his family, Leon’s first priority was to see to the defense of the city. To that end, the most impactful move he felt he could make was simple: plant Mir at the top of the nine-peaked mountain.

To that end, he flew alone to the top of the mountain, leaving his advisors back in his portable villa out of fear of Mir not taking kindly to their presence.

Once he reached the rocky top of the mountain, he paused for just a moment. Once Mir was planted, it was unlikely that he’d make his way up there that often. As the place where he’d first staked his claim to the valley, where he’d announced the name of the city his people would build there, the highest peak held a certain degree of meaning to him.

’I suppose it’s fitting that this will be Mir’s place,’ he thought as his eyes swept over the valley below him, and the mountains on the other side. Further up his eyes traveled, running over the wall and its towers, and then the misty veil even further out. The clouds above, the rumble of distant thunder, and the constant flashing of lightning… It was a peaceful place, with an unparalleled view.

He lingered there for only about half a minute before rising back into the air.

“I hope you’re ready, Mir,” he whispered as he reached into his soul realm for the lance.

A moment later, the lance appeared above him in a flash of light. He held it aloft with magic, not wanting to touch the lance with his fingers, and once it tasted the air of the physical world again, it shivered slightly, its vibrations creating a pleasing humming sound.

With a widening grin, Leon asked, “Are you ready, Mir?”

His question was simple, and Mir’s response even moreso.

“Yes.”

Without a moment of thought, Leon swung his arm downward, willing his magic to speed Mir on the lance’s hopefully final journey.

The lance plummeted from the sky like a meteor, its head shining like a star all the brighter for the stormy gloom enshrouding the valley. It struck the mountain peak with spectacular force, shattering the peak and penetrating the rock with ease, even for how much power Leon put into the throw—the rock seemed almost to part around the spearhead. Cracks spiraled down the thin peak, and stone fell away in huge chunks to roll down the mountain.

Leon was momentarily concerned about avalanches, but the mountain rapidly widened, so the falling rocks and boulders came to a swift halt.

Enough stone had been blasted away, however, that the haft of the lance was left once more sticking out of the stone, almost identically to how it had upon Kavad’s Lance.

Barely enough time passed for Leon to take a single breath before the wind around him began to pick up, soon turning into a fierce gale. He weathered it, however, his magic keeping him steady and motionless in the air even as the wind tore at the peak like the claws of a dragon.

The lance’s power spread swiftly, pushing outward like the wind of a hurricane. Despite its ferocity, however, little damage followed in its wake. Leon sensed the lance’s power wash over the valley, the city, and the wall and towers, adding to the misty veil on the far side of the mountains. He could hear the wind and thunder intensify, the lightning strike with greater power and frequency, and the mist thicken.

He grinned savagely for a moment, realizing that the misty veil was vastly increasing in power. He doubted that even one of Terris’ carriers could pass through the misty veil now, even if they were able to try without being utterly lost.

His expression hardened, though, at the thought of these defenses being tested in less than a week, when the shield protecting the valley would likely collapse. His expression hardened even further when the nine-peaked mountain violently shook. A tremor, strong enough for him to see, traveled from the lance all the way down to the roots of the mountain. The land around the nine-peaked mountain cracked and quaked, and to his surprise, began to rise.

The entire mountain, apparently tired of adherence to terrestrial norms, lifted into the sky, clearly at Mir’s behest.

“By the Ancestors…” Leon muttered. As large as Kavad’s Lance was, the nine-peaked mountain was larger, if only due to its considerably greater width if not for its height. Still, Mir apparently had no trouble lifting the mountain away from the inner surface of the Nexus.

Leon shot away from the mountain as it quickly rose to meet him, the dangers this may present were not lost on him. There were dangerous things beneath the Artor Valley, and when he gained enough distance and the mountain gained enough height, he was able to see that his fears were well-founded—beneath the now hovering mountain were jagged cracks in the earth, through which he could sense the Aesii, and see the pale white mist of the great cavern down there seeping up into the titanic pit left behind by the raised mountain.

Panic hit him like a speeding ark; that mist was poisonous and could harm even him with prolonged exposure. He channeled his darkness magic to inform some of his people about the development, but he began to breathe a little easier when he realized that the mist was moving upward slowly, and even then, soon reached a point where it stopped.

In fact, it almost looked like beneath the nine-peaked mountain there now lay a small lake of mist, from which emanated an aura of such deathly danger that Leon’s stomach felt like it was spinning until he tore his eyes away.

‘If it’s not going to keep spreading, then we can deal with it later,’ he thought.

The mountain was now floating in the air, much like Kavad’s Lance had been. However, the wind around the mountain was much gentler, and there didn’t seem to be other flying islands being ripped from the ground to join the mountain. He could see that the flora blanketing much of the mountain remained intact, as was his portable villa, aside from a few broken plates and glasses that hadn’t been properly stored during the quakes. Everyone inside it, while startled, appeared to be fine. He could see them looking around in wonder, and his wives and Anzu had already taken to the sky to explore the changes to their home.

This wasn’t going to change his plans for his future palace much—in fact, he rather enjoyed the change. He would truly have a sky palace now…

As Leon’s heart rate stilled, he took a moment to admire Mir’s work before turning his attention elsewhere. He had much to do, and Mir, at least, he felt he could trust enough to do its job.

---

As the Jaguar led him around the walls, Leon was satisfied, if not impressed with the extent of the repairs and upgrades. The new Lances were installed in nearly all of the towers, ready to defend the valley from Diluvian attacks. The Lances that had been in those towers before were taken down to the damaged arks to replace damaged weapon systems, though some adaptation was needed.

The soldiers were more important, however, as far as Leon was concerned, and after the raising of the nine-peaked mountain into the air, morale was improving—and it hadn’t even been that bad to begin with, despite the situation. He was surprised but gratified to see it. While the shifts were long, the soldiers were largely rested and recovered from the fighting weeks ago. Now, the boredom had gotten to many of them so much that they were almost anticipating the shield coming down so that they could fight again—fighting, after all, was at least something, and that made it preferable to sitting around not doing anything at all.

Leon found their attitude pleasing. Morale could drop easily if too many casualties were taken when the shield came down, but he was more confident seeing it still this high.

With their new weapons and defenses, even if Terris took the valley, he’d be paying a heavy price—and Leon wasn’t even done evaluating his gains and integrating them into his defensive plan. His next stop would be Nestor’s lab...

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