There was a certain degree of catharsis in violence.  The movement, the expression of power, the harm done to those who’d provoked such anger…  Leon didn’t revel in the death, but he relished bringing ruin to the pirates who’d attacked Artorion unprovoked.

The pirates had been so busy sacking Alhamachim that he’d been able to approach completely undetected.  Granted, his stealth enchantments did a lot of heavy lifting, but when he and his small band of followers came down through the clouds, the pirates couldn’t have been less aware of their presence.

Until it started raining.  Until lightning struck their arks.  Until their arks and mages came falling from the sky.

He, Red, Eva, Cassandra, Maia, and Anastasios rampaged throughout the city, felling arks and cleaving through the pirates.  There were a couple remaining tenth-tier mages among their number, but none of them fought together, leaving all to die separately.  Blood ran freely through the narrow streets of Alhamachim, and as Leon struck another pirate frigate from the sky, the Hamachoi survivors began to push back against the pirates who’d invaded their city.

Thankfully, the Hamachoi were easier to distinguish from the pirates.  Both wore armor, but the pirates had no unifying design, with all members of their marauding fleet apparently coming from distinct cultural backgrounds—not too dissimilar to their arks, Leon noted.  The Hamachoi, on the other hand, generally wore similar clothing and armor, notably featuring the same garish colors that Asa had worn during his introduction mere days prior.

With Leon and his small group obliterating the pirates at every turn, the Hamachoi found it easy to push back throughout the city, liberating the prisoners taken by the pirates and killing those few Leon’s group hadn’t yet seen to.

Leon, meanwhile, after killing the last tenth-tier pirate in the city that he could sense, moved on to eliminating the pirate arks that had landed within its walls.  One managed to take off, and Leon used his darkness magic to order Anastasios to intercept it.  None of the others managed the same feat before Leon reached them and slaughtered their crews.

As he’d expected, each of these arks had been loaded with Hamachoi prisoners, mostly women and children.  He broke chains where he could, but other than that, didn’t stop to help anyone.  Doing so would be pointless before completely securing the city, and the freed citizens seemed more than capable and willing to run when he released them anyway.

He noticed as he was securing the arks that they were quite heavily damaged.  It was gratifying enough to see, though it put quite the damper on his desire to ask for them in exchange for rescuing the city.  A couple of the arks in particular looked like they weren’t even going to be lifting off the ground, though the pirates apparently weren’t of the same opinion since Leon found many prisoners aboard those arks, too.

In total, sterilizing the city took the better part of four hours.  Leon found the battle itself to be quite illuminating—arks had an indispensable place in taking and securing territory.  They were powerful weapons platforms and tools of transport, greatly expanding his ability to project power.  However, when faced with a small group of powerful tenth-tier and post-Apotheosis mages, the arks could do little.  He and his group were too small, too quick, and too powerful.  A few shots were fired from the arks’ main cannons, but none hit their mark, even with the icy fog their exploding boulders made doing its best to home in on any targets around it.

When the night broke and the Origin Spark above began to brighten, Alhamachim woke from a nightmare.  Corpses were strewn through the streets, fires had destroyed much of the city, the fields were plundered, the villages on the terraces had been sacked, and much of the city’s treasure had been stolen.  The people were going to have quite the time putting the pieces of their city back together.

In the interest of maintaining good diplomatic relations with the city, Leon had his people regroup around what appeared to be the city’s capitol building, a large temple-like structure at the highest point on the ridge the city had been built upon.  A large open forum lay in front of it, and Leon remembered how beautiful it had looked mere days before.  Now, all of the greenery had been burned, statues had been toppled, and anything shiny had been carted off.  In the place of the looted decorations were dozens of men—Leon could only assume them to be the city’s leading men—who had been crucified.  Nails had been driven through their wrists and ankles, attaching them to bits of stone and wood, and put on display.

Leon grimly frowned when he sensed magic coming from the nails, realizing that they were designed to create gruesome lacerations and to prevent blood from clotting around the wounds.  Those crucified died fairly quickly, but they made for bloodier and ghastlier displays than they might’ve.

Through this grisly forest, Leon walked, calmly examining each of the men so hideously tortured to death.  He didn’t recognize Asa Hamil-Untar among them, though several had been so dreadfully tortured that there weren’t many recognizable features remaining.  Still, Leon saw enough that he guessed if Asa had been captured, then he wasn’t among those crucified.

When the others met him in the forum, Leon embraced Maia and Cassandra, while stoically nodding to Red, Eva, and Anastasios.

“What a fight!” Anastasios exclaimed with a wide grin once all of the terse greetings had been said.  “These past few days have done wonders to remind me of the strength in my old bones!”

“I feel two hundred again!” Eva added, apparently in similar spirits despite their grim surroundings.  Her face fell a moment later, though, when her eyes drifted to the crucified aristocrats.  “We should cut them down.”

Cassandra was the first to move, wasting not a second after Eva’s statement before swinging Sunlight and sending motes of light flying through the forum and striking the nails holding the men up.  A moment later, all had fallen to the ground, filling the air with the sounds of breaking bones and leaving Cassandra looking just a little sheepish.

“Maybe… I should’ve waited?” she whispered.

“They’re down,” Leon responded as he projected his magic and arranged the fallen aristocrats together in more respectful poses.  He couldn’t do much about the damage they suffered after falling from their crucifixes, however.  “We saved this city.  I think these people will find it in their hearts to forgive a well-meaning mistake.  If not, then—hey!  Hey!  Red!  Stop that!”

Red, in her wyvern form, was sniffing around many of the corpses in the forum.  Not all were of the crucified city leaders, but the red wyvern didn’t seem to be discriminating all that much.  She froze when Leon called out to her, her mouth starting to open as her head approached the body of one of the stronger pirates killed in the fighting.

“Please don’t eat people,” Leon implored when her eyes flickered in his direction.

Wyvern faces weren’t particularly expressive, but the way Red snapped her empty jaws shut and slunk away made her look like a sullen teenager in Leon’s eyes.

[We have visitors,] Maia stated, drawing Leon’s attention.

Leon followed her gaze, though he kept his magic senses around Red just in case she decided that she wanted that little snack after all, and sure enough, a group of local mages were rushing through the ruined streets in their direction.  They were only a few blocks away, now, seconds away from entering visual range.

The leader was a handsome man with a tanned face and a well-trimmed beard dressed in tattered golden robes, trimmed with red velvet and covered in green embroidery.  From what Leon could tell, that green embroidery had featured some kind of animal with curved horns, though the man’s wounds and the holes in his robes made parsing the embroidery difficult.

This group was only one of many, though the vast majority of armed groups roaming the streets looked to Leon’s eyes like they were concentrating on securing vital streets, checkpoints, and the arks that Leon had cleared out.  Prisoners captured by the pirates were being liberated all over the city, leaving only this one group heading toward the forum alone in its apparent quest.

When they arrived, neither the sight of the dead filling the forum nor Leon’s resolute group slowed their gait; led by their seventh-tier mage, they marched right up to Leon’s group, halting only thirty feet away.

“I,” the seventh-tier mage apparently in charge began, speaking in an identical accent to Asa, “am Tauri Prest-Jahan, Voice of the Fifth District within our Assembly and Secretary of the Treasury of Alhamachim.  On behalf of the citizens of Alhamachim, allow me to tender our thanks to all of you, our saviors.”  He nodded his head and took a few steps forward, extending his arm in obvious invitation.

Leon hesitated only long enough to make sure his armor’s defensive wards were still active, then he walked over and clasped Tauri’s forearm, seemingly taking the man by surprise a bit.  With a quick expression of magic, he pulled his helmet back into his soul realm and said, “My name is Leon Raime, King of your newest neighbors.”  He nodded in his city’s direction, gratified to see realization in Tauri’s eyes.

“Ah!  You came here personally!” Tauri exclaimed.  “You have my thanks again, King Leon.  I… I would offer you my city’s hospitality, but as you can see…”  He appeared flustered, though Leon was understanding.

“I’m no stranger to such landscapes, I’m sorry to say,” Leon stated.  Figuring it was better to be diplomatic, he decided to channel every ounce of diplomatic acumen he’d accumulated over the past half-century.  “Don’t worry about a thing.  These pirates were our problem too several days ago, so dealing with them now was only right and proper, as a good neighbor ought to do.  Had my people suffered fewer losses of our own in our initial clash, we might’ve been quicker in our arrival.  I’m sorry to see how many we were unable to help in time.”

“Swollen would be their numbers had you not arrived when you did,” Tauri stated conciliatingly.  “That you came to our aid at all is far more than we could’ve ever hoped for.”  He paused and subtly shifted his weight around, looking a bit awkward.  “Was… this intervention requested by anyone?”

Leon cocked his head and narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing perhaps some sly maneuvering on Tauri’s part.  Not that he cared that much, breaking the pirates utterly was reward enough for him.

“No,” he freely admitted.  “I simply couldn’t stand by and watch a potential friend being so ravaged.  Think nothing of it.  Though my people have our own problems to deal with right now, I will speak to them when I return to see if any further aid can be rendered.”

A smile passed over Tauri’s lips.  “Difficult we may find it to repay such kindness, but we will accept any goodwill from our new friends that comes our way.  I…”  He sighed and glanced around the forum, his eyes flitting from one dead face to another.  “Alone it seems I am, of those among our Assembly who survived.  Absent is our Speaker, so hope may yet remain that I am not, but until that can be verified…”

Those who’d followed Tauri to the forum immediately took a step back in unison and faced him, almost as if it had been rehearsed.  As one, they ceremoniously declared, “We recognize Alhamachim’s Speaker!”

While Tauri looked appropriately surprised, Leon shared a quick knowing grin with Eva, Anastasios, and Cassandra.  He doubted heavily that Tauri was as surprised as he seemed.

Leon opened his mouth to address Tauri as the Speaker, lending him whatever legitimacy he could for the sake of stability in the city, when the doors of the structure behind him burst open, revealing Asa there, looking much worse for wear given his upper body was bare, revealing a soft belly and little muscle definition despite his tenth-tier aura.  His body had some signs of mistreatment, such as a few burns and bruises, but compared to the crucified men Cassandra had cut down, he looked positively glowing.

“What treason is this?!” he roared.  “You wish to take advantage of our moment of weakness to attempt a coup?!  Stand down, the lot of you!  Or I will have you thrown from Leth’s Rock!”

Those around Tauri immediately loosened their rather formal formation, while Tauri glared up at Asa.  “Where have you been?” he demanded.  “We have been fighting for our lives out here!  Why were you not out fighting?!  Such is demanded of those who Speak for our city!”

“I was captured, you thin-skulled fool!” Asa shouted back.

“And yet you were not on these crosses?!” Tauri angrily retorted.  “What did you give these Thel-sent raiders that they spared your life?!”

“Slander!” Asa shouted back, his aura rising hand-in-hand with his anger.  He stomped forward, his aura rising quickly.  Leon, however, noted that his killing intent was surprisingly weak for his tier, though the expression on Asa’s face showed that he was still furious.

Leon quickly interposed himself between the two bickering bureaucrats, his eleventh-tier aura suppressing them easily and lightly enough to prevent any violence from breaking out.

“There are more important matters in need of tending to, surely?” he whispered, hoping to inject a little calm into their disagreement.  “A city to see to?”

Tauri continued glaring at Asa, but he replied, “Yes, King Leon, there is.”

“There is much rebuilding we must see to,” Asa likewise stated.  However, he added, “There had better not be arguments over who’s in charge, Jahan, I am still the Speaker.”  Though it was his title he spoke to, he also flexed his aura in a clear attempt at intimidation.

“There will be elections soon,” Tauri responded, anger practically dripping from his voice.  “Soon!”

“We must stand united!” Asa shot back.  “We have more important matters to attend to right now than holding elections!”

“The Assembly is dead!”  Tauri waved at the men cut down from the crucifixes.  “How can we rebuild anything if we have no government?!  And how can we do anything when our Speaker is—”  He cut himself off, though it seemed Asa was successfully provoked.

“When what, Jahan?  Your thought, finish it!”

“Elections will be held, ‘Speaker’!”

The two continued bickering, and Leon shot a look of extreme exasperation at the rest of his people.  Maia and Red looked like they couldn’t care less if they tried, but Anastasios and Eva looked almost nostalgic watching Tauri and Asa getting into each other’s faces.

Then Anastasios turned his pink nebulous eyes toward Leon, and Leon felt a light touch brush against his mental defenses.  Opening himself up to this touch, he heard Anastasios’ voice in his mind.

[Young Leon, I know that this is against your usual nature, but consider this an opportunity.]

A questioning look passed over Leon’s face.

[You are a King,] Anastasios pointed out.  [This is an opportunity to expand your Kingdom’s influence.  Choose which of these two to support, or force them to get along.  Influence them.]

[I don’t want to get involved in their horse shit,] Leon replied after an almost derisive look over his shoulder, noting that Asa and Tauri were now practically chest-to-chest, shouting in each other’s faces.

[You already did,] Anastasios said didactically.  [It’s too late to back out now.]

[No it isn’t,] Leon stated with great reluctance and resignation.  In spite of his reply, he still turned to the two arguing civil servants and flexed his aura, pulling them apart.

“That’s enough of that,” Leon growled, his words punctuated by a few lightning strikes from the sky around the forum.  With his aura settling around everyone’s shoulders, Asa, Tauri, and Tauri’s entourage all paled and backed off, not daring to cross him.  “It seems to me,” Leon slowly said as he examined Tauri and Asa closely, “that you both have a point.  Work has to begin, but you also need a government to coordinate and fund that work.  Now, let’s not lose sight of the reason why that work needs to be done, and how critical it is that it be done quickly.”

Leon paused, letting the ambient sounds of Alhamachim echo throughout the forum, which largely consisted of terrified cries of man and beast alike, interspersed with frequent cries of pain, shouts for missing loved ones, wails as the dead were discovered, and all too rare cries of joy as friends and families were reunited.  It seemed to have the intended effect.

“Will you two play nicely?” Leon asked, increasing the pressure on Tauri and Asa’s shoulders to emphasize his unspoken threat.  “I would be delighted to have a stable neighbor, and decidedly not delighted to have an unstable one…”

“I will see to our needs,” Asa quickly promised.  After a glare sent Tauri’s way, he added, “All of our needs, including the need for representation.  I am still the strongest man in the city; this is my responsibility.”

Leon’s expectant gaze turned upon Tauri.

“So long as our elections are held and our people can make their voices heard,” Tauri said, “I will support all efforts to quickly rebuild our city and ensure our people can recover from this disaster.”

“Wonderful,” Leon stated with exaggerated happiness.  “Now, with that settled on, I’m going to leave.  But… let no one forget that I can easily see what’s happening in this city, and I’m going to be very upset if this place descends into chaos.”

“As would we,” Tauri added.  His expression softened when his eyes turned back to Leon.  “King Leon, you again have my thanks for your timely assistance.”

“Though it wasn’t needed,” Asa insisted almost comically given the bloody crucifixes not ten feet behind him, “I, too, give you my thanks, King Leon, and wish you a speedy return to your own city.”

Leon gave Asa a thin-lipped grin, and then wordlessly rose into the air, with the rest of his group lifting off behind him.  As they flew away, though, Leon had a sinking feeling that he was going to have to come back much sooner than anyone wanted…

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