“So,” Leon said as he sat down in a comfortable armchair, “tell us everything you know about Despot Archelaus.”

Around him were the rest of his team, sans the Tempest Knights.  Clear Day, Cassandra, Valeria, Gaius, Marcus, Alix, and Red had joined him.  This wasn’t the most powerful team he could’ve assembled, but he didn’t want to leave Artorion completely defenseless.

Tauri met him several hundred miles away from the city, along with a welcoming party of several other Assembly members and other city bureaucrats.  Leon was warmly welcomed back to the city, and shown straight to the building that had been set up as his Kingdom’s consulate.  They wouldn’t be staying long in the city—especially since Archelaus’ representatives were waiting for Leon in the city to escort him to Archelion—but after nearly a week of travel, it was good to get some time to rest and strategize.

“I’ve never met the man personally,” Tauri admitted.  “As far as I know, few people have.  Archelaus is a distant ruler.  He passes decrees down to his Strategoi, and they fulfill them.  He does not show himself to the public, nor does he need to.”

“A good ruler would’ve come here to handle this matter personally,” Cassandra scoffed.  “Those that wait for the world to come to them oft find that they wait longer than they can afford to.”

Tauri laughed a little nervously.  “That’s… an interesting perspective.”

“You disagree?” Cassandra challenged, a smile growing across her face.

“It is a sign of power when those you summon appear before you,” Tauri stated.  “Unless Basileus Ramin were to show up in the Despotate, Archelaus is unchallenged within his domain.  None can stand against him.  None can afford to anger him.”

“The world is replete with idiots who don’t understand the concept of self-preservation,” Cassandra dismissed.  “Normal, rational people wouldn’t challenge a mage so much higher in power, but what about the irrational?  The deluded and the insane?  Or those who are quite simply too tired and done with life to keep on going?  Or those whose minds are clouded by anger?  The pirates that attacked your city were led by an eleventh-tier mage, whom my husband defeated before the fleet came here.  Is Despot Archelaus truly so powerful if such cretins believe themselves able to attack us like they did?”

Tauri raised his hands in conciliation.  Repeating himself, the Speaker said, “I don’t know the Despot personally, Queen Cassandra.  I only concern myself with the well-being of this city.  How the Despot rules his domain is not for me to judge, so long as we are left to our own devices.”

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed then, but it was Marcus who next spoke.

“This city acclaimed Leon of House Raime to be their King.  You express an… interesting attitude before your King.”

“I mean no disrespect—” Tauri began with a hint of panic in his tone, but Leon quickly cut him off.

“I’m not one to shy away from debates on political philosophy, but we’re here for a purpose.  If we could focus on Archelaus instead of Tauri, then we’ll all benefit.”

Murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the room, while Tauri, Marcus, and Cassandra looked suitably chastened.

“Then,” Leon continued, “we have to settle on a strategy before we meet with this man.  I have my own thoughts, but I want to hear everyone else’s, first.”

Cassandra started first since she was practically bursting with passion.  “We can’t be servile!  Archelaus may be stronger, but we are not sworn to him!”

Valeria responded, “Offending him may be a bad idea…”

“So is bowing and scraping to him!” Cassandra retorted.  “We’re already coming when summoned, like leashed dogs!”  She groaned and pouted.  “I hate it.”

“That much is obvious,” Valeria smirkingly added, eliciting a heated, though unserious, glare from Cassandra.

“I agree with Queen Cassandra…” Marcus chipped in, before adding, “… to an extent, anyway.  While it’s true that we shouldn’t act like vassals, we also can’t ignore his power over this region.”

“Everything can die,” Red argued, her red eyes narrow with displeasure.  “This human, while strong, is not strong enough to demand so distantly!”

“He… has the backing of Basileus Ramin,” Tauri gently reminded the room.  “Even if… even if the Despot were to be killed, such an event would not go unnoticed by those higher than him.”

“We’ll kill them too,” Red stated like it was the easiest thing in the world to do.

“Continue with that attitude, and you’ll eventually come against something you can’t kill,” Clear Day whispered, though his voice carried throughout the room despite its softness.  “Nonviolent solutions would be ideal in this case, especially since we’re new to these lands, and diminished.  Perhaps we are a match for this Despot if we throw our all into the fight.  Perhaps not.  We’re certainly not a match for a thirteenth-tier mage, however.”

Leon finally spoke, “Killing the Despot is not on the table unless our hands are forced.  Khosrow’s Law has created a great chain of relationships in an attempt to give order to the universe.  Breaking one part of the chain will only draw the ire of those further up.  I do not want to start a vicious cycle of killing a Strategos and enraging a Despot, then killing the Despot and enraging a Basileus, and so on.  If that were the case, then we would not now be discussing our next steps in this city, we would be back in Artorion preparing for battle.  Now, let’s get back on topic.”

Leon’s golden eyes flitted across the room, silently reprimanding everyone present, even those yet to speak.  He was as willing as ever to fight, but until Artorion was established and they could get more regular and reliable transport between the Nexus and Aeterna, he just wanted to be left alone.

After all, he had decided to come to the Nexus before any of the outer planes because he needed strategic materials.  Once he acquired what he needed, it was those very outer planes that he wanted to turn his attention to.

Alix spoke next.  “We should present a strong front.  We’re not in the wrong here, Djoser is.”

“Djoser was given this region to rule,” Gaius pointed out with a soft smile as he held his wife’s hand.  “Archelaus may see our claiming of this city to be a challenge to his authority.”

“The people have spoken,” Alix responded, nodding to the city’s Speaker.  “What more is there to say?”

Marcus interjected, “What does that matter?  The people don’t have a choice in the matter; a twelfth-tier mage can wipe this city off the map with ease, what they say is law.”

Tauri visibly scowled at Marcus’ statement, but he didn’t try to argue against his point.

“It’s a foolish King who slaughters his own people,” Cassandra pointed out.

“Foolish or not, he has the power to do it,” Marcus said.  “And should he be sufficiently angered, I think it’s within the realm of possibility that he will choose to… put that power on display, so to speak.”

Tauri stated, “I have no memory of him having done so before.”

Marcus shrugged.  “Having the power to destroy a city also implies having the power to destroy a city’s ruling class.  Hang the traitors and spare the people, that’s what I would do in his situation if I deemed a city to have rebelled against me.  So… I think we should be careful not to make him think that violence is necessary.”

“It is a problem, isn’t it?” Clear Day said as he turned his dark red eyes toward Leon.  “Do you plan on bowing to him, Leon?”

Leon scoffed.  “No.  Worst case scenario in my mind is that we’re forced out of the Nexus.  Even if that comes to pass, I will not be bowing to him, or acknowledging him at all as my political superior.”

Clear nodded, looking pensive.  “Bold.  Dangerous, even.  The chances are high that he will interpret Alhamachim accepting you as its King as rebellion.”

“One option remains to us, in that case,” Valeria quietly said.  “We can’t bow, we can’t fight, we can’t leave.  We can’t leave, can we?” she asked Leon.  Tauri, too, shot Leon a questioning look, one mixed with a good deal of worry.

“No,” Leon definitively declared.  “I have accepted this city as my vassal.  It is under my protection.  I am not so fickle with my word.”

Tauri breathed a sigh of relief while Valeria stoically nodded.  “As I was saying, that leaves us with one option.  We have to present strength to the Despot, enough to make it clear that he cannot make a move against us without severe repercussions.  Make him think that if he were to attack us, he would suffer mightily, such that he loses the power to hold onto his other territories.  Make him think that attacking us would be so painful that he ought to refrain from doing so.  Even if he could defeat us, make the victory not worth the effort.”

“We have four eleventh-tier mages,” Alix added, “that’s enough to give even some distant twelfth-tier asshole pause, right?”

“Please don’t use such language in his presence,” Tauri practically begged.

Alix snickered but quieted when Gaius tightened his fingers around hers.  “Nothing will ever be a guarantee,” he said.  Turning his eyes to Leon, he continued, “No matter what, we’re going to be in Archelaus’ power.  If he doesn’t like what we have to say…”

“We’ll kill our way out,” Red declared with a mad grin and a spike of killing intent.

“If we must,” Leon agreed.  “And only if we must.”

After a moment of quiet, Marcus offered another opinion.  “I’m no coward, and I don’t personally think we should do this, but is it worth considering just not answering these summons at all?”

“An interesting thought,” Leon said, having grown a bit tired of just listening to everyone else’s opinions.  “Not showing up would certainly be a declaration of where we stand.  But I want to look this man in the eye, see what he’s like, hear what he has to say for himself.  Besides, we’ve come this far, what’s another forty thousand miles?”

Polite laughter filled the room.

Sensing a winding down in discussion, Leon asked, “Anyone have anything else to add?”

Silence answered him.

“Very well,” he said.  “Get some rest.  We’ll meet these envoys in three hours.”

---

[Are you ready, my boy?] the Thunderbird asked.

Leon halted a moment as he prepared to leave the consulate and meet Archelaus’ envoy.

[As I’ll ever be,] he answered.

[Good,] she replied.  [Confidence will serve you better than anything else you could bring.]

[So I’ve learned,] he replied.

A moment of silence followed.

[I’m curious about this Despot,] the Thunderbird continued.  [I was cold bones by the time Khosrow’s Law was truly cemented in the Nexus.  I stopped paying much attention to the physical world in what now seems like the early days of this era of humanity.]

[I’m curious, too,] Leon agreed.  [Khosrow’s Law seems too structured to me.  I wonder at his intention, if structuring the universe was his goal.]

[It was,] the Thunderbird confirmed.  [Khosrow… as much as I despise him, I have to admire his ambition.  In the wake of the fall of the Primal Beings, the universe became chaotic, disorganized.  Khosrow wanted something greater, to create a place for everyone.  A place for every human, I should say.  He wanted a system that allowed upward movement, a system that rewarded power.  But he also wanted a system that ensured peace, a system that clearly defined everyone’s responsibilities and areas of concern.  In that respect… he failed.]

[That doesn’t surprise me.  Kamran apparently has vassals in the lands of other Elemental Kings.  I’m sure there are Despots or Basileis here in the Storm Lands that have sworn themselves to Anakes or Elemental Kings of other elements.  Especially after the fall of the Clan.  If someone sees it as more beneficial to go elsewhere, then elsewhere they will go, regardless of the Law imposed by someone long dead.]

The Thunderbird hummed in agreement just as Valeria and Cassandra walked into the room.  It was time to head out.

The walk to the Great Temple of Leth was short and done in relative silence.  The people of the city turned out to cheer as they passed, but the party themselves were largely quiet, the anticipation of the task ahead of them getting to most of them.

The envoy awaited them in the forum in front of the temple.  She was easy enough to pick out, being dressed in monochrome blue rather than the more colorful fare that Alhamachim’s people seemed to prefer.  She was also tenth-tier, her aura dwarfing everyone else’s within the city walls who wasn’t a part of Leon’s party.

Walking with purpose and confidence, Leon approached the envoy.

“You are Leon Raime?” she asked once he’d come into comfortable speaking range.

“I have that dubious honor, yes,” Leon confirmed with a neutral smile.

The envoy’s sharp features didn’t so much as twitch in amusement or derision.  “I will now ferry us to Archelion,” she stated without much inflection, and Leon watched her closely, his curiosity about how she intended to take them forty-thousand miles growing with every passing second.  She didn’t appear to have an ark with her, and he didn’t think that she’d come all this way alone, either.

From her soul realm, she conjured a crystal about twice the size of her fist.  It was a diamond-shaped octahedron, each of its sides polished to a near-mirror shine.  However, while Leon could see some reflectivity at the edges of each face, what he found more captivating was the brilliant amber-gold inner light that the crystal shone with.

[Ah, I see,] the Thunderbird whispered in appreciation.

Just as Leon was about to ask her what the crystal was, the amber-gold light intensified, spreading to include the envoy.  Several ancient runes appeared in the air around her, which were then connected by dozens of streams of thousands of modern runes.  Light shone all around her, emanating seemingly from the air itself.  The light brightened in both hue and intensity, until the envoy was almost lost in streams of radiant golden light that stretched upward, seemingly pulled first toward the Origin Spark until it bent eastward about a quarter mile above the city.

“Enter the light!” the envoy commanded, her voice sounding like she hadn’t yet moved.

Leon, despite his apprehension, strode forward undaunted.  He was soon enveloped by the light as well, as were his followers as they entered after him.

The light seemed to act almost like a teleportation portal, as Leon found the interior of the illuminated area to be about three or four times larger than what had been sectioned off by the runes.  He could still see outside the light, however, and noted that they were still standing in the center of the forum.  Far above, he could see the stream of light stretching farther and farther east, accelerating at a tremendous pace until the tip of the light stream moved faster than even he could at full tilt.

While it moved, Leon projected his magic senses, analyzing everything he could from the runes and the light itself.  It didn’t take him that long to identify it, having had experience with similar structures before.

‘This is a Lumenite bridge!’

The enchantment was complex and the crystal it came from quite small, so Leon wasn’t quite able to parse through how it was all working, but he could see plainly that this wasn’t going to be a permanent bridge like had existed in his Clan’s old palaces in the Sundered Lands; rather, it seemed like the bridge would only be temporary, designed to take them as quickly as possible to a single place.

It was a deeply impressive show of power, to use Lumenite in such a way.  Leon wasn’t sure if any of the substance would be left when they were through, and he didn’t know if saving all of it or letting it all go to waste on a single relatively short-range teleport was the larger flex.

It only took a few minutes for the strand of light to reach Archelion, and once it did, the light flared brightly for a moment, overpowering even Leon’s sight.

When it dimmed a moment later, they were no longer in the forum in front of Alhamachim’s Great Temple of Leth, but they instead stood in the front courtyard of a beautiful palace, surrounded by gardens and buildings further out.

They were in Archelion, having traveled forty thousand miles in mere moments.

Leon refrained from inspecting the city for a moment in favor of watching the envoy.  She stood still for several moments as all of the Lumenite that had formed the bridge smoothly flowed back into the crystal instead of dissipating.  There was a part of him that was relieved, seeing that such valuable material hadn’t been wasted just on a statement of power.

“Follow,” the envoy demanded as she spun on her heel toward the palace’s enormous front doors.  “The Eminent Despot Archelaus awaits.”

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