As Leon stared down at the plane of Aeterna from Storm Herald’s observation deck, his reflections on this latest trip back to the Bull Kingdom weighed heavily on his mind. It had, at every turn, been a grim reminder that time waits for no one, and that immortality came with a significant cost.
He was at least leaving with a greater appreciation for his wives’ efforts in matching him in achieving Apotheosis. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost any of them for any reason, whether that be age or otherwise. Few were ever so lucky.
Beside him, his mother brooded just as heavily; her expression dour, her aura pulsing slowly with the weight of a mountain. Neither of them said much. As painful as the trip back was for them both, it was needed.
‘It’s always worth looking back when figuring out how to go forward,’ Leon thought morosely. His golden eyes glared down at the plane, the shimmer in the gold dimming slightly before he simply closed his eyes. ‘I’ll come back, Aeterna. Someday.’
Sparing only one last deep breath, he gave the order for them to head out. The Great Strand of Rhea was held by a thousand warlords, each fighting against the others to control their own small domains. Theron was out there, too, his cluster of twelve planes guaranteed to become part of his Kingdom once his fleets arrived.
Leon would have to find that cluster first, though, since his most detailed maps were still eighty thousand years out of date, and getting up-to-date maps of the Great Strands could be tricky at the best of times. Though the Nexus ruled over the universe—or at least, the human part of it—vast swathes of it remained uncontrolled, or controlled by post-Apotheosis mages who refused to join the ranks of the Nexus Lords.
The actual campaign was going to take titanic effort to coordinate. Leon doubted it would be launched even within the next decade. His scouts were going to flood through the Great Strand, though, and by the time he was ready, his people would know exactly where they were going.
And through it all, he would remain in the Nexus, ruling as King, waiting for his people to return with word of victory or defeat—if they returned at all. It pained him, but it was time for him to step back, to let the armies and fleets that his Kingdom had built operate without him constantly watching over their shoulder. He couldn’t be everywhere at all times, so they had to get used to this state of affairs at some point—it might as well be now.
With his mind refocusing on the great conquest before him, he turned away from Aeterna and gave the order for Storm Herald to get moving. He’d spent enough time on the past. Now, it was time to focus on the future.
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With gleaming armor and a grim countenance, Leon watched the great men and women of his Kingdom file into the chamber. All of those sworn to him were represented to some degree amongst the crowd, though only a handful out of hundreds had come from the Demetrion or Yun clusters.
They were in the highest hall of the Jaguar’s Den, the floating wing of Flash Fortress, the headquarters of Leon’s military. Having taken inspiration from the design of the headquarters of Heaven’s Eye on Aeterna, the Jaguar’s Den was the second most secure place in Leon’s entire Kingdom, losing out only to Westmount and his palace on the mountain’s southern slopes.
Just being within Flash Fortress was a solemn affair; the matters handled within any of the great fortress’ four wings demanded sober and measured attitudes. However, in this hall, and for this meeting in particular, the mood was humorless. Those who entered were elders, military officers of the highest rank, longtime bureaucrats, and more, and they all knew why they were here.
It was time to set the strategy for the upcoming conquests.
The highest-ranked men and women of his Kingdom sat at the table in the center of the room, which Leon himself sat above on a high throne. The hundreds of others in attendance crowded around the chamber’s edges, congregating either to Leon’s right or his left. This positioning was no coincidence, as he quickly realized.
Unlike the usual meetings that he held in this chamber, the table wasn’t clearly delineated between military and civil officials. Instead, his high officers and ministers sat according to their opinion on the matter at hand, represented by a handful of people—mostly the most powerful and prominent people in the room.
To Leon’s left sat Singer-in-Caves of the Heart-Stabbing Hawks, Chrysi of the Screaming Eagles, and Tillan of the Rock-Mane Bison. To his right sat the Jaguar of the Blood-Thunder Jaguars, Solomon of the Star-Tearing Tigers, and Menander of the Lions of the Plains. More than ninety percent of those in the chamber had shuffled around to make their positions known, aligning with one of these two groups.
Simply casting his gaze about the room, Leon made note of who stood with whom. Red and Anshu were on his right, while Marcus and Alcander were on his left. Gaius and Alix looked conflicted, but they were on his right, while Anna and Helen were more solidly on his left. Ipatameni broke with most of his Tribe by sitting on Leon’s right, while Clear stood to his left.
Perhaps more interesting than who was siding with whom was those who made it apparent that they were either undecided or simply weren’t going to make their opinions known. Iron-Striker sat in the center of the room, barely sparing a glance to the right or left. Anzu, Zhang, and Daryun stood around Leon’s throne, supporting him in whatever decision he wanted to make. Mari, Nestor, and most of the Ravens-of-Hail-Hall seemed more taken with chatting amongst themselves, attending the meeting only because Leon demanded it rather than out of any true interest in these matters, and hardly seemed aware of what was going on around them.
Indeed, Frode and Thyra seemed to be the only Ravens actually paying attention, and both watched silently as their Tribe appeared to refuse to engage with the purpose of the meeting from where they stood to Leon’s right. Joining them on the right was Sar and every single Ancestral Hart in the chamber.
While the unity among the Harts was notable, the other Tribes were hardly disunited in their opinions. The Bison, Hawks, and Eagles were on Leon’s left, while the Lions, Tigers, and Jaguars and Harts were on Leon’s right. The Ravens weren’t paying much attention, leaving the Booming Brown Bears and Ji Spiders making up the bulk of the undecided Tribal vassals. Of those in the chamber who didn’t belong to any Tribe, they seemed more concentrated on the left, though nearly half of the undecided group were made up of non-Tribal vassals.
It took some time for the entire group to assemble, separate as much as the chamber allowed, and for the doors to close, sealing them all in. An oppressive silence settled over most of them, save for the group of enchanters and engineers discussing jump drives. From what Leon was hearing, they were making good progress, so he just let them continue without rebuke. Instead, he nodded to Iron-Striker. It was time for everyone else to make their opinions known about their future course.
Iron-Striker slammed his hand down on the table several times and, in accordance with his position of relative neutrality, declared, “Let’s have everyone’s attention! We are here to discuss matters most grave! Soon, our great fleets and legions will fly out into the Void and expand this Kingdom’s domain! If anyone has not read their briefs on the matter yet, make it known now!”
Relative silence was his answer, indicating either everyone knew what they were discussing or they didn’t want to admit their own ignorance. Leon sincerely hoped there were more of the former than the latter.
“Good,” Iron-Striker intoned. “Then by our King’s leave, I will begin.”
Leon nodded, and Iron-Striker activated an enchantment in the chamber’s long table. A projection of the Great Strand of Rhea as they knew it appeared above it, hovering in the air for all to see. Ancient fortresses and other points of interest were marked, drawing Leon’s eyes. Eighty thousand years ago, those were the planes and clusters that were most important to the Thunderbird Clan in the Great Strand of Rhea. The Clan’s core territories lay further to the universal north in the Great Strand of Atreus, but that didn’t mean that Rhea was devoid of strategic locations.
How many of them were still around was yet to be determined, unfortunately. But their first bit of business would address that very point.
“I am pleased to announce, my King, that thanks to the efforts of the honorable Jaguar and Ipatameni, our scout formations have finished mustering! They can begin their missions at your leave!”
Leon smiled. Anzu had commanded his scout squadrons during his conquests before the Belicenian Games. As Anzu was now a Paladin, that job would fall to someone else—or rather, multiple other people, as the scout fleets were much larger than they had been, with the small scout corvettes now numbering in the low thousands.
“They are to be launched as soon as feasible once this meeting ends,” Leon ordered as he spared his Marshall and Steward grateful looks.
Iron-Striker bowed formally. “By your word, Your Majesty.” He then returned to addressing the room rather than Leon specifically. “While we yet lack details, we still have options open to us for expansion. Atreus. Ionis. Elsewhere. Unless we intend to delay the launch of this campaign for hundreds of years, however, we will only have the resources within the next century to focus on one direction! Make your opinions known now, if you have any.”
As he finished, he turned his gaze to the Jaguar, as one of the senior-most men in the Kingdom, in a silent invitation to begin.
“The direction we should focus on is clear!” the Jaguar declared. “Many of us regard Aeterna and Kataigida as our homeland, the land of our Ancestors! But we all know that this was not always the case! The planes of our Ancestors lie in the Great Strand of Atreus, alongside the home plane of the Most Venerable Thunderbird! The return of these planes should be our highest priority!”
Most on the right shouted and stomped their feet in support of the Jaguar, and Leon even noticed a handful of Ji Spiders moving to his right.
When the noise died down, Iron-Striker turned to Leon’s left, ensuring that a fair order was maintained. Speaking first for those on the left was, to Leon’s surprise, Clear Day rather than Singer.
“Reclaiming what has been lost is an honorable endeavor; no one can deny that. But are these planes in imminent danger? Is there a need to rush to reclaim them now? We have an opportunity to make a lasting alliance, one that can enrich the entire Kingdom! Should we ignore this opportunity just to reach planes faster that are in no danger of leaving? Should we alienate potential allies just to have the satisfaction of reaching ancient homes just a few years sooner? We do not exist in this universe alone, and if we intend to survive long enough to reclaim all that has been lost, then we should not ignore the offers we receive from men like Jericho! Those with friends will survive longer than those without!”
As with the Jaguar, those on Leon’s left started shouting and stomping their feet in support, clearly seeking to outdo those on the other side. Fortunately, they at least matched the other side’s willingness to end their show of support relatively quickly. During that show, however, Leon noted that Clear’s words moved fewer people than the Jaguar’s had.
Moving the debate along in an orderly manner, Iron-Striker next called for Menander to speak.
The eleventh-tier Lion thundered without restraint, “We have no need of such an offer! We are strong enough on our own! Look how we defeated Terris to the south! Look at how easily we seized the Yun and Demetrion clusters! Look to how our King handled the threats that arose during the Belicenian Games! I say we stand alone! Let this ‘Jericho’ handle his own affairs!”
Again, those on the right made their support known, though Leon noted that, once again, fewer people responded than they had for the Jaguar. Menander’s smile of anticipation didn’t waver in the slightest, however.
Next was Singer’s turn, and she did the moment Iron-Striker’s eyes fell upon her. “It is this Kingdom’s destiny to reassert itself among the planes and stars, as the Thunderbird Kings did in elder days, with our own Tribes playing their parts in that ancient Kingdom! Making friends with Jericho will further this goal significantly by giving us an alliance with a powerful Lord and significant territory besides!”
The group to Leon’s left roared their approval, louder than they had for Clear, and comparing favorably to the Jaguar’s first declaration. No small number of Bears even moved from the center to his left.
Next to speak was Sar, whose quiet tone silenced, if only for a moment, even the still-chattering Ravens.
“Anax Jericho made promises, that is true. But how much are his promises worth? We can trust that he intends to buy storm crystal, which would benefit all of us, but would he not do this anyway? Is not storm crystal that valuable, that he would want it even if we do not accept his offer of support? And what is the other cost of that support? He does not offer it freely, but instead for warring with another Lord! A powerful Basileus, a thirteenth-tier mage! And if we win, Jericho will ‘graciously’ transfer vassalage of three Strategoi to our King! But how can the integrity and honesty of these Strategoi be determined? Perhaps he offers us a poisoned pill, eager for us to swallow, only to be left vulnerable should he ever consider this alliance to be a liability! These Strategoi are loyal to him right now, and might still be even after ‘transfer’! Jericho’s offer relies entirely on his trustworthiness, and as far as I’m concerned, he is not trustworthy! What is his alliance worth if we must sacrifice thousands of our sons and daughters before he’ll commit to it?”
As the right side of the chamber practically exploded in shows of support, Anzu leaned over to Leon and murmured, “He has a point. How much can we trust Jericho?”
Leon grinned sarcastically. “Everyone is making good points, brother.”
As the noise died down, Tillos was invited to speak next. He kept it short, though his words were no less cutting for it.
“We can advance by reputation just as we can advance by the sword. If others see that we are honest, forthright, and willing to work with others, then they will be more willing to surrender to us. Our actions with Jericho are unfortunate, given how little we know first-hand about him, but this is still our establishing moment for our reputation. The direction we push in this campaign signals to the entire universe, not just to the Nexus, our intentions.”
Some support was shouted, but it was quiet compared to the response to Sar. However, Leon didn’t hold that against Tillon’s argument, as it still struck something within him. It was easy to get lost arguing over the tangible benefits of an action, such as the resources gained or the territory seized. But reputation was harder to quantify. Leon himself already had one, but now that he was more known in the universe at large, this was the time to show everyone what he wanted and how he wanted to achieve it.
How many might be willing to swear their fealty to him if he establishes an honorable reputation with Jericho?
It seems that very question struck a chord within the undecided, as more than half of the Bears and almost as many of the non-Tribal officials wound up heading to the left—though with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
The debate continued, but in the end, the two groups wound up being fairly balanced, which frustrated Leon to no end. He’d, at least in part, called for the meeting so that he could decide in line with what his people wanted. But if they couldn’t clearly decide, then the matter fell once more to him.
He remained quiet throughout most of the debate, but when he finally rose to speak, the chamber fell silent almost instantly.
“I have decided…” he grimly said, pausing a moment to let his eyes rake over both sides of the chamber, “… to advance in Jericho’s direction.” Those on his left looked quite gratified, while those on his right looked a little disappointed, but he didn’t see many who were genuinely upset by his decision.
He continued, “After the Belicenian Games, the eyes of the universe are upon us! It is time for us to show everyone the mettle that once shook the universe! The Great Strand of Rhea lies on our doorstep; now let’s seize it!”
With that, everyone in the chamber, even many of the Ravens, roared their approval such that Leon wouldn’t have been surprised if the floating Jaguar’s Den shook between the enormous triangular towers of Flash Fortress.
When they quieted down, Leon finished, “Our scouts leave immediately! Our fleets will muster and begin their push within the decade! More fleets will follow! We do not yet know what they will encounter! Monsters, beasts, and men will threaten them! We do not yet know what power they will possess! So it is expected of each and every one of you to train hard, and to encourage your people to train hard! There will be no room in my fleets for the lazy! To that end, I will be sharing a greater portion of ambrosia stocks with all of you to aid in this endeavor!”
Again, the room thundered its approval.
“Go now!” Leon ordered. “And waste not another moment! Rhea awaits!”
With his words, the meeting came to an end. His Kingdom now had its strategic direction, one that would determine its actions for centuries to come.
Leon didn’t doubt that he’d made the right decision, because even if it wasn’t the best choice, he was going to make it work.
‘And if anyone gets in my way, they’ll get a face full of black lightning!’
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