After Arcaion’s surrender, Leon wasted no time at all in leading his Tempest Knights onward.  True to the Commander’s word, every fortified location for dozens of miles gave up without a fight.  Some were even abandoned—presumably by those who didn’t wish to surrender since Leon could sense thousands of Sunlit soldiers fleeing northward.

Arcaion, before Leon had ventured forth to secure his most desired strategic asset, had informed Leon that he commanded fifty thousand combat soldiers, and another fifty thousand support troops and auxiliaries, including certain Pegasi naval assets.  Those Pegasi ships didn’t surrender, and Leon estimated that at least a third of his Sunlit troops abandoned him instead of surrendering, too, and made up the initial bulk of Imperials fleeing north.

As these units fled Arcaion and encountered other units, they informed them of what had happened, and those units invariably fled as well, not wanting to stand on their own against a strong advance of the Tribal army.  Most of the static defenses the Imperials held on the Sword were concentrated in the region that Arcaion had just given up, after all, so those units were in no position to resist Leon’s advance anyway.

Fortunately, Arcaion’s fortress, where the Thunderbird destroyer and its complement of five supporting Imperial arks were located, was still held by troops loyal to Arcaion, and they surrendered as soon as Leon’s Tempest Knights appeared.  Leon took the fortress and all the arks with little fuss.

Leon stopped only just long enough to accept the surrender of the local commanders before approaching the second destroyer he’d now come into possession of.  His Tempest Knights quickly secured the vessel and the other arks while his central army soldiers handled the rest of the fortress.

As he walked in, followed closely by Anshu and several other Tribal soldiers who were by now getting fairly well acquainted with Thunderbird control schemes, he felt a subtle probe of magic come from the ark.  This, he now knew from his time with the first destroyer, was the ark’s method for bloodline identification, dispensing with the need for him to channel his magic as he’d had to do with his family’s archives in Teira.  And, much like with the first destroyer, no wisp appeared.

So, as Leon made for the bridge with Anshu and the rest of the selected bridge crew, he ordered Gaius and several others to head down to the wisp chamber to ascertain what was going on.

Unfortunately, even after taking complete control of the bridge and getting the destroyer’s systems activated, no wisp appeared.  It wasn’t until the crew barely managed to get the ark into the air that Gaius made his way to the bridge and gave Leon the bad news.

The ark no longer had any wisps.  All of the wisp crystals were empty.  As a result, this destroyer would remain underpowered compared to the first, at least until Leon managed to replace the missing wisps.

Still, even an underpowered Thunderbird Clan ark was more powerful than anything the Imperials or the Ten Tribes could build, and they’d managed to seize other Imperial arks as well, so this was hardly a loss, but Leon couldn’t help but feel some measure of disappointment.

He pushed that feeling down as far as he could.  Accepting the surrender of tens of thousands and getting his hands on so much valuable equipment wasn’t a loss in any way, even if he had to remind himself of that.  He was now flying away with another destroyer in hand while his troops were pushing north and east, forcing those Sunlit troops under other commanders to retreat or face destruction…

‘This is no loss,’ he silently said to himself.  Then, he quietly chuckled as he wondered how Sunlit was taking this before his expression darkened with worry about Iron-Striker’s fate…

---

Sunlit sat behind his privacy screen among his top commanders, numbly watching with his magic senses as the barbarians pushed even farther north.  The room was dead silent, a mortal could’ve heard a pin drop.  The other commanders were nervously watching each other and glancing at his screen, while also conspicuously eyeing the several empty seats at the table, but Sunlit paid little attention to any of it.

He could only stare at the way his forces were crumbling before the onward push of the Sky Devils.  Without Arcaion’s troops in position manning their defenses, just about the entire Sunlit army was left vulnerable, save for those troop concentrations around the major northern ports which were still arriving.

“We… should…” one of the generals began, his voice strong, if hesitant, “consider retreating from the island…”

“What cowardice is this?!” another general shouted.  “This is only a temporary setback imposed by a traitor and a coward!  Arcaion has dealt us a massive blow, but we gained that ground once and we can regain it again!”

“Yes!” another boomed after a quick glance at Sunlit’s screen.  “The Devils might push all the way through these western plains, but their means of advance over land will grow tighter further north!  We can cut them down with ease in the hills and mountains!”

“We won’t be able to do that if our troops continue retreating,” the first general stated, more iron in his voice now that it seemed Sunlit wasn’t going to say anything yet.  “And with thousands of troops continuing to disembark in the ports, we risk them being surrounded, cut off, and stuck in those ports under Sky Devil siege.”

“Those fatherless bastards can’t challenge our ports!” a fourth general declared.  “Our navy and air forces are too strong!  If they try, they’ll be incinerated like the leaves on a tree when it’s struck by lightning!”

“If we can’t stop this retreat,” yet another general argued, “then we’ll lose all ground save for these fortified ports!  We have to do something to get these men to hold their damn ground and resist the Sky Devils!”

The generals continued arguing, but Sunlit tuned them out.  Lightning sparkled around his fingertips, drawing his attention.  He raised his hand and consciously conjured a tiny bolt of lightning around his fingertips and watched as the golden bolt danced around his digits.  With a disgusted scowl, he severed the flow of magic power and clenched his fist.  His eyes turned back south, to the second Thunderbird destroyer that Leon Raime had stolen from him.  Cold fury burned within him, along with no small amount of disbelief.  His envoy was dead, or worse, and he'd been betrayed by a man who’d sworn himself to him.  If Sunlit ordered his death, then he should’ve died.  That was the only right and proper thing to do.

His fingers twitched as his fury finally began to mar his scarred face.  As his thoughts turned to the tenth-tier prisoner he held in the city’s most secure prison, he felt like he knew the perfect way to vent…

---

“So,” Leon said as he took a seat, “I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that I have some questions.”

He sat across a table from Arcaion, who’d been given fairly comfortable quarters along with most of his officers in the Ten Tribes’ southern base.  The rest of his surrendered forces were going to be scattered around the island, and some were even going to be shipped back to Kataigida with the transports that were offloading Tribal reinforcements.  It was just too risky to hold so many prisoners, some with strong magic, in one place in such numbers.

Arcaion was given his quarters almost immediately upon arriving, and Leon had gone there almost immediately after bringing the new destroyer in to land beside the first.  He’d paused only long enough for the Tribesmen monitoring Arcaion and his officers to explain their defensive wards to him, and only after he was assured of their power and effectiveness—they were mostly antimagic, so Arcaion and his people were essentially powerless while confined in their quarters—did he enter.

Now, he was in Arcaion’s quarters, having as private a conversation as he could with the man, which meant their words were being listened to by at least several dozen other people, including the guards and Leon’s retainers who joined him in Arcaion’s room.

“I will answer to the best of my ability,” the ninth-tier Imperial mage responded.

Leon nodded respectfully.  He sat in a fairly relaxed posture, crossing a leg and noticeably leaning on one of his chair’s armrests, hoping to get Arcaion to relax and speak more openly.  It didn’t seem to be working since the ninth-tier mage sat rigidly straight and kept his hands visible at all times.  Leon appreciated the nonthreatening gesture, but he felt a bit uncomfortable to have the man so clearly stiff and wound up.

“Then let’s jump right in with the most obvious question,” Leon said, and though he hadn’t thought it possible, Arcaion stiffened even more.  Leon gave the man a consoling grin and asked, “How… have you found your treatment so far?”

Arcaion blinked in surprise, giving Leon a blank look.  “Your… Majesty…?” he hesitantly began.

“Your treatment so far?” Leon repeated.  “Have you any concerns to bring up with me?  Any complaints?  I know that it hasn’t even been a day, but that’s at least long enough to get a first impression, right?  How about these rooms?  I know they’re a little small, but if you find them inadequate, I can see about trying to find some solution that can ensure your needs are met without compromising security on my end.”

Arcaion sighed and took a moment to think.  “Your Majesty’s… treatment has been more than adequate.  I have no complaints, I only hope to remain in some kind of contact with the rest of my officers for the duration of our stay.”

“I’ll make sure of it,” Leon replied.  He wasn’t intending to keep the prisoners tightly controlled, and fully intended to let them socialize with each other.  Given the security they were under, it would take quite a bit for them to escape or cause any damage, and besides, they willingly surrendered so he doubted they’d do anything too untoward so long as they weren’t mistreated.

Arcaion formally thanked him in response.

“Now, then,” Leon continued, “shall we continue with the next most obvious question?”

A ghost of a smile appeared on Arcaion’s lips as he nodded, though Leon noted the slight clenching of his fists.

“Why did you surrender?” Leon asked.  “You had a good defensive position and plenty of support, so—”

“I did not,” Arcaion interjected before an apologetic look crossed his face.  “I apologize, Your—”

“No, please, continue.  Don’t let me ramble on and just satisfy my curiosity, please.”

Arcaion gave him a thankful look before his expression turned to a shallow frown.  “I… I am a loyal man,” he wistfully stated.  “At least, such is how I’ve always viewed myself.  Even just a month ago, doing something like this…”

He trailed off as his eyes unfocused and he seemed to stare for a long moment at something a thousand miles away.  Leon just patiently waited for him to come back to reality and resume.

“I… I apologize, that isn’t true,” he said.  “Or…”  He sighed again before his posture collapsed and he slumped down in his seat, suddenly looking decades older, by mortal standards.  “Surrendering to an enemy during a war was never something I contemplated, until a little less than a week ago.  I’ve always considered myself a loyal servant of my Empire and my Emperor.  But… that same loyalty was not… returned by my… by the Sunlit Emperor.”

Arcaion’s expression turned a little contemplative and he stared at the table as he continued. “I have known him for a long time, though never closely.  Only ever in passing.  But I knew him enough to know that he was unrestrained and driven by vice.  Despite this, he steadfastly did the best thing he could possibly do for his Empire and left its administration to those who were more suited to the task.  He never interfered too much with the bureaucracy or the military, leaving us to do our jobs as best as we could.

“That has changed in recent months.  Unrestrained, erratic, emotionally unbalanced.  He’s ordered the deaths of many loyal men, some of whom I’ve known for a long time.  One I even considered a friend.  I’ve been contemplating resigning my commission for weeks, but doing so in the field when fighting a war would’ve been taken as mutiny.  In the Emperor’s current state of mind, I easily foresaw him having me executed.”

Arcaion paused a moment and seemed to need a minute to gather his composure and steady himself.  Leon gave him all the time he needed.

“Discontent has been growing in the ranks.  Loyal men have been executed, to be replaced by those who’ve mastered the art of kissing ass and neglected their actual warfighting skills, if they ever had any at all.  With their commanders being replaced by less competent and less attentive men, morale in the lower ranks has been plummeting, exacerbated by the recent stalemate and casualties taken by our failed offensives.

“My… My morale has not been great for a while.  The Sunlit Emperor… when he had Caydin executed, I was in shock.  The others he’d executed, I suppose I accepted, but my friend, a man I’d known for many decades, whose loyalty and skills I knew firsthand, was being executed by the Emperor for disloyalty and incompetence.  I couldn’t believe it.  I needed time to mourn and process, time which I didn’t receive.”

Arcaion’s voice was starting to waver, but he kept himself from stuttering or choking up, though it sounded a bit like he was fairly close to doing so several times.

“My disbelief came to an end after our last battle.  I was in charge of our latest offensive.  My Emperor wanted an offensive on short notice, so I put together what I had and did my best.  With the time we had to prepare, I think we did quite well.”

“You failed to gain too much ground,” Leon said, “but you certainly gave us a black eye.  There were some who wanted me to have you immediately killed for the casualties we suffered repelling your offensive, though I argued against it and personally guaranteed your safety.  Within reason.”

Arcaion nodded first in gratitude, and then again in understanding.

“I would understand… if you decided to end my life,” he said.  “It seems that, for my failure, my Emperor decided that my reward was death.  He’d taken the lives of many good men in high-ranking positions.  I had my doubts of how much those executions were deserved, doubts that were magnified by Caydin’s execution, and solidified when my Emperor’s envoy arrived at my fortress with my warrant for execution in hand.”

Leon gave the ninth-tier mage an incredulous look.  “Who was this envoy?  Just walking in and demanding your head seems… unwise…”

“I can’t say what was going through his head,” Arcaion said.  “He never gave us a chance.  He was ninth-tier and had his orders; he demanded my head upon his arrival at my fortress.  My men and I subdued him, but I… I ordered him released after I sent my offer of surrender to you.  I don’t know where he went after that, but he wasn’t seen moving in the direction of the Emperor.  I have a faint guess that he might’ve fled after failing in his task.”

Arcaion seemed to cringe slightly as he prepared for what Leon guessed was a furious response, but Leon didn’t hold that against him.

“I… can understand not wanting to have that envoy executed,” Leon said.  “Even if your Emperor ordered your death, you are a loyal man, aren’t you?”

Arcaion slowly nodded.  “I… I try to be.  It’s… im-impossible under… under these conditions.”  His voice cracked several times as he did his best to maintain his composure.  “It was clear… It was clear to me that… my only course of action left was to either flee or throw myself upon your mercies.  You know which I chose.”

Leon smiled reassuringly.  “Why not run?” he asked.

“My men,” Arcaion quickly responded.  “I couldn’t leave them to the Emperor.  They would’ve been punished.  Or some of them, at least, those who helped me fight off his envoy.  I couldn’t just abandon everyone, but I couldn’t launch a rebellion, either.  If I did, you would’ve hit us in the flank, or my fellows would’ve killed us when we tried to march against the Emperor.  This… seemed the least of all evils.”

“I hope you look back on this moment in a few decades as one of the best decisions of your life,” Leon replied.  “At the very least, I will ensure that you won’t have any reason to remember this poorly due to any mistreatment on our end.”

Again, Arcaion nodded in gratitude.

“Now,” Leon continued, “my forces are pressing against Sunlit forces.  I’m quite interested in hearing about any other men in your army who might be feeling some discontent, because if we can get them to surrender too, then my forces will face significantly fewer dangers as we press forward.  Your people will also face significantly fewer dangers if they surrender since my people won’t be trying to kill them.”

Arcaion frowned for a moment before his eyes found Leon’s.  He stared at Leon for several long seconds before a hard look crossed his face and something like determination gleamed in his eyes.

“There are… some,” he whispered.  “One or two, in particular, could even deliver the entire Empire.”

Leon cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward.  “What do you mean by that?”

“The Emperor… has few blood relatives,” Arcaion explained.  “His forebears weren’t too keen on leaving their brothers and uncles be when assuming the throne.  But there are… some who married Imperial Princesses.  Some can trace their lineages back to some Sunlit Emperor generations back.  If given proper support, they may be willing to launch a coup.  What happens after that, I can’t say.”

Leon immediately conjured some paper and writing implements.  With a grin, he said, “Give me some names.  However we manage it, the Sunlit Emperor is going to die if we win.  But the chances of you and your people being allowed to return home, I think, will depend on whoever takes power after that.  So make sure to give me some good names…”

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