wardenraime

1174 - Yer Awake

Waking up after a long time asleep felt strange.  He’d gone so long without sleep that he’d almost forgotten what it felt like to wake up.

Consciousness returned slowly, fading in, leaving him aware enough to know that he was awake without quite remembering what he’d been doing before… falling asleep?  Or being knocked unconscious?  The ache in his bones certainly supported the latter claim, but his memory was foggy at best, and he could barely remember anything a...

1173 - Blank Canvas

Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

Waiting.  Leon disliked waiting.

Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

His finger tapped a metronome on the arm of his chair, the only sign of his impatience.  His companion, however, seemed barely able to restrain her excitement.  She practically bounced in her seat, beaming with such luminance that the Origin Spark far above dimmed in defeat.

Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

In front of them sat a large comm s...

1172 - Goodbyes

There was no small amount of anxiety among Leon’s family as they entered the portal to Miuna’s palace.  Anything at all could be awaiting them on the other side, and once they crossed, there wasn’t much they could do to resist ambushes and the like.

However, Leon wasn’t that concerned about being attacked.  Sure, he felt like the Princess might take his rejection a little harshly, but given their negotiations, he didn’t think she was going to attack him.  Still,...

1171 - Artorion's Consolidation

Leon’s return to Artorion was rather subdued.  His fleet was much smaller since many arks were chasing down the survivors in Krizos’ hinterlands, and others were at Lancefoot aiding the clearing and reconstruction effort.  With them gone, Artorion was quiet and lonely.  Thousands were still present, guarding the walls, repairing the damage from the war with Terris, and otherwise settling into Leon’s new capital, but their relief at his return was hardly a grand triumph, t...

1170 - Krizos and the Lake

When Leon arrived at Lancefoot, he found the people fairly easy to convince to swear themselves to him.  Pilos, the man who had shown Leon hospitality, was the only remaining Azadan in the city, the other four having died in Mountainfall or had left the city in the meantime.  In gratitude for that hospitality, Leon recognized Pilos’ rule over the city, naming him the Exarch of Lancefoot.

There was much to do to rebuild the city, but for the time being, it was enough to promi...

1169 - Beginning the Last Push

When Leon returned to Kaifa and Nora’s cells the day after making his recruitment pitch, both signed on with an eagerness that he didn’t quite expect, but wholly appreciated.  Still, he wasn’t going to give them any unearned privileges, especially after proving that they weren’t above providing his enemies with weapons, so he decided to assign them a guard of a dozen Tempest Knights who would keep them under control in Shatufan until they could be escorted to Artorion.

With...

1168 - Sen'uus

Nora and Kaifa Sen’uus.  The names ran through Leon’s head fairly constantly ever since learning of them from Drusis.  Such alchemists in his territory could prove to be a great boon, if he played his cards right.

However, he wasn’t able to personally play his cards given the demands of politics—and not just the negotiations with Drusis and Soraya.  Clear had come through, pushing a generous offer from Leon and getting both envoys to come to a tentative agreement....

1167 - Bringing Order to Shatufan

Shatufan had suffered quite a bit in the past year.  Jamshid’s coup and the riots that ensued, followed by the usurpation of the self-proclaimed King, and then Manuchehr retaking the city had all left their scars on the city, but when Leon finally got to his feet and turned his attention outward, he was startled at the devastation.

Some districts had been heavily damaged in the previous incidents of civil strife, but they had largely been cleaned up and were under reconstruction ...

1166 - Manuchehr's Hypocrisy

The thrum of the magical engines could be felt throughout the entire ark, proving surprisingly calming for Leon.  It was a reminder of how far he’d come in so short a time.  No longer on the defensive, he now had the strength to assert himself over the cities of the Far West.

Not too far ahead, he could see the forces of Shatufan scrambling to prepare for his arrival.  He’d reach the city’s suburbs outside of its walls in less than an hour, and civilians had already...

1165 - Tyrios' Decision

If you have a moment, please visit Royal Road and leave a rating or review! Every one this story gets helps immensely!

---

---

The land around Sentudon was remarkably pleasant.  The weather was warm and dry, while the lake and the river system that fed it ensured productive fields all around the city.  The fields closest to Sentudon were dominated by picturesque fiel...

1164 - Another Offer

The skies cleared rapidly over Sentudon as the fighting died down.  There would surely be pockets of resistance left in the city, but the most important areas had already been seized—the city’s gatehouses, docks, and the capitol.  Leon surveyed the results of the conquest from above as horns sounded around the city, continuously signaling the defenders to surrender—or so it seemed.

Regardless, the ships out on the lake had already surrendered.  Leon had made quite t...

1163 - Battle of Sentudon

Sentudon was a flurry of activity—scouts had told them of the movement of a large fleet of arks moving up from the south.  It was clear that the fleet of Leon Raime was on the move, and as the southernmost city of Shatufan’s new league, it was obvious where the King’s first stop would be.

As the fleet progressively drew closer, the city’s defenders readied themselves as much as they were able.  There would be no resistance out in the hinterlands—there wasn’t much i...

1162 - League of Desperation

The atmosphere in Shatufan was morose.

Only a few weeks ago, when the usurpers and false King were thrown out, the people were jubilant, thrilled to have won their independence back, to have thrown off the shackles that some self-important Azadan had wanted to impose upon them.

Manuchehr, riding high off of his triumphant return to the city and landslide victory in the subsequent snap election, was eager to add to his glory with a successful military campaign.  He’d even el...

1161 - Prince Numa

The second wave of colonists from Aeterna entered Artorion to much jubilation.  The entire valley shook as the remaining defenders turned their arms and voices to the skies, shouting and stomping and letting their magic run wild in the air; even the more reserved Harts and Ravens got in on the celebration.  Those of Inherited Bloodlines transformed and flew or ran through the streets and cleared fields in the eastern half of the valley, baying and howling and roaring in joy.

L...

1160 - Second Wave

The sky was clear and the light of the Origin Spark freely shone down into the Artor Valley.  Leon was sad to see Mir’s storm clear up, but after receiving some concerns about life in the valley with such a permanent storm around it, he ventured to the top of the nine-peaked mountain and asked Mir to relax.

For its part, Mir didn’t require much persuading.  It mostly used its power to protect itself, deterring most people from attempting to visit.  With Leon personall...

1159 - King Numa

The prison holding the captives taken during the war with Terris had been empty for weeks, their temporary occupants having been ransomed back to Miuna.  The prison itself remained, Leon not seeing much of a need to have it demolished, especially with all the rebuilding that demanded his available resources.

Now, after soundly defeating the expeditions sent by the cities of the Far West, the prison had new occupants, though they numbered few.  For the most part, Leon had sent ...

1158 - Silver-Blue Reaction II

The mood among the contingent sent from Shatufan started quite positive.  All those sent on the expedition were eager to avenge their city from the depredations inflicted upon her by Leon Raime, despite the risks involved.

Brave men, all.  Waraz was proud of each and every one of them.

Of all the commanders to send, in his humble opinion, he was the best in the city.  He wasn’t the strongest mage in the city at only the eighth-tier, but he was relatively old, and ...

1157 - Silver-Blue Reaction I

The confluence of the river that emptied the Tyrant’s Lake and the Blue Feather River connecting Artorion, the King’s Ocean, and the Finger Lakes was a large junction.  The Blue Feather River wasn’t small before, but once joined with the river from Tyrant’s Lake, it became truly massive.  At its narrowest point after that confluence, the Blue Feather River was almost half a mile wide.

The land around the confluence was relatively flat to the east, while to the west wer...

1156 - Forcing the Hand

“Manuchehr has retaken control in Shatufan,” Icarius informed the meeting room.

Leon sighed.  The Shatufan problem was messy, and it was a mess largely of his own making.  He didn’t regret his actions, but dealing with it was going to take some doing, especially now that Krizos and Rolor’s Highcastle were both officially on Shatufan’s side.

“How?” Leon asked.

“Sentudon, Krizos, and Rolor’s Highcastle joined forces with loyalists who ...

1155 - New Coalition

With a satisfied smile, Leon ran his hands over his bedmate’s body.  She purred in delight at his touch, reveling in how much he desired her.  He didn’t do much more than that, however, their actions over the previous night having sufficiently slaked his thirst, but that didn’t stop him from just one more indulgence.

She returned the favor, feather-light touches exploring every defined line and muscle of his body.  She lingered along his abs and chest until Leon pul...

1154 - Survival

Had to go back and revise the previous two chapters a bit as I'd forgotten about the prisoners Leon had taken during all of this fighting.

tl;dr, they're being ransomed for half their weight in Titanstone.

If anyone sees any other continuity snarls like this, please let me know! =)

---

---

Frustration hit Sarjell the moment that the order to retreat was given.  And it was a ‘retreat’, despite how diplomatically the Princess’ order was rel...

1153 - The Lion's Answer

If you have a moment, please visit Royal Road and leave a rating or review! Every one this story gets helps immensely!

Thank you for your support! =)

---

---

The words spoken lingered in the air, seeming to echo far longer than they should’ve in such a lavishly appointed room.  Leon’s mouth went dry as a single question flashed repeatedly through his mind.

1152 - The Ocean's Desires

“I must make my protestation known once more,” the Jaguar whispered to Leon as a party approached the edge of the misty veil, with the leader once again bearing a sword that had been nailed into its sheath above her head.  “The Kingdom relies upon you.  Should we lose you, we lose everything.”

“Then I’ll endeavor not to be lost,” Leon murmured.  More seriously, he added, “Look upon our city and ask yourself: how much more can we take?  How many assaul...

1151 - Princess' Offer

“Remarkable…” Clear whispered as his magic washed over Leon.  “Truly remarkable…  I hadn’t thought you’d be back on your feet so quickly after such horrific injuries…”

Leon grinned.  “Just got tired of lying there, I suppose.”

“Sure, sure, we’ll go with that.  If you have any further pain, be sure to let me know.”

Leon clapped Clear on the shoulder.  “Thanks.  Go and see to the wounded, they’ll need your help more...

1150 - Early Clash

Terris didn’t charge alone, and neither did Leon; from behind both of them came their strongest warriors.  Two Strategoi followed Terris, as did dozens of other strong mages.  Behind them, in turn, came a dozen of Terris’ whale-shaped arks, pushing into the tunnel of cleared air that Terris had created.

On Leon’s side, Valeria, Maia, and Cassandra were already at his side, as were several Tempest Knights and Alcander.  The rest of Leon’s people were spread through...

1149 - Miuna

The Eye of Tyrus was a terrible thing to behold.  A hole in space that promised such untold destruction that even Terris shuddered at the mere thought of it.  He’d seen the profane thing lay waste to entire cities, end wars, and convince even the most recalcitrant foe to yield.

The thing that opened upon the brat’s leashed monster was only a pale imitation of the true Eye of Tyrus—the real thing was a weapon wielded by the Ocean King, and such was its power that no one e...

1148 - Terrible Weapons

The thrill of creation never failed to delight Leon, especially if the thing he was creating held as much promise as the Stormborn branch did.  The power contained in such a small thing was incredible, and harnessing it would take some doing, but from the moment Leon and Nestor returned to Nestor’s lab, they threw themselves into it wholeheartedly.

Over the course of a day, sketches were made, debated upon, and thrown out in minutes.  They ran through dozens of different var...

1147 - Sifting Through Treasures

“What a curious creature…” Nestor murmured as he inspected the enormous corpse of the monster Leon and Grandin killed around Kavad’s Lance.  He most closely inspected the forehead of the creature, where the strange rune could still be clearly seen graven into the bone.  “It displayed a measure of intelligence?” he asked.

Leon frowned a bit as he recalled the brief but brutal fight.  “Some,” he confirmed.  “Not like it was trying to talk to us, but I...

1146 - Guilty Rest

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.&nbs...

1145 - Return to Artorion

Watching the Seventh Iron Order ready themselves for battle was inspiring.  Even Leon’s most professional forces could learn a thing or two from the way the order’s warriors went about their tasks, handling their logistical needs and methodically servicing their kit.  They were an order with singular dedication, and it showed, their hands practiced in the ways of war.

Leon couldn’t help but wonder just how practiced they were, though—their familiarity and...