“The Unclean Clans don’t actually call themselves that, of course,” Thozgar said, his goblet still swirling. No matter how many sips he took, it never seemed to run dry. Unlike the smoothies. “They have dozens of names for themselves, though most change their names as often as they change their clothes. Their leaders and borders aren’t much more stable. For convenience, we refer to them by the animals they bond. Only way to keep tracking of the drowned barbarians.”

He took a long swig from his goblet, shaking his head. “Usually they spend their time fighting amongst each other. Yet the death of Sarpit and the young Panther lord… his father has used his grief and rage as a tool, unifying them with common purpose. An impressive accomplishment, if it weren’t built on promises of plunder, rape and slavery.”

“Unpleasant. How many do they have beyond third tier?” I asked, grimacing. “Long as there aren’t too many, we should be able to hold them long enough they’ll turn on each other. If they’re as prone to infighting as you’ve said.”

What I didn’t mention was that if they were only as strong as Vaserra, Nexxa could likely break them in an afternoon.

“There are three who have reached the fourth step on the bonded path,” he said, tilting his goblet in my direction. “The Panther lord is the most dangerous of these, faster than most can see, and with powerful fire magic. His primary rival, the Serpent lord, is said to be unusually honorable for a man who binds serpents. Which, from what my people have scried, means that he will warn his targets before killing them in the night. The warnings often take the form of a particularly exquisite meal that highlight exactly how he will strike.”

“And the third,” Bevel asked, leaning over me, the race above us forgotten for the moment. “Are they bonded to a giant eagle, ready to descend and rip out the eyes of any who looks upon them?”

The savage glee in her question was a little unnerving, and I pushed her shoulder slightly, giving her a small frown. She gave me a crooked smile that implied she was only partially sorry.

Thozgar didn’t comment on the byplay, simply answering her question. “The third is the Bear lord. Normally a very honorable clan. They reside to the far west of the Unclean clans’ lands, and prior to their alliance, I wouldn’t have included them in their number. It is surprising that the Panther convinced the Bear to join in their invasion, since they don’t fight for loot or slaves. Unfortunately, my scriers can’t observe their conversations directly. It is most vexing.”

Not as vexing as the fact Nexxa won’t be able to just blast them into oblivion.

Well… probably not, anyway.

“And what about… what did you call the fishy folk? The Savvy-men?” Bevel asked, her not-so-subtle grin telling me she’d gotten it wrong on purpose.

Thozgar snorted, chuckling as he shook his head. “The Sahevin are the furthest thing from savvy men I have ever seen,” Thozgar corrected, though not unkindly. “Sea devils is the more common name for them. Highly genocidal, have litters in the millions. Don’t negotiate, which isn’t a surprise, since they barely communicate. Yet they produce ensouled as often as any sapient, one in a thousand. Which means thousands per litter. Never a true mage, of course, and its vanishingly rare they ever survive long enough to make it to Astral soul. But as they say, quantity has a quality of its own.”

He shifted, turning to look up at the race for a moment. “They’re no threat to a properly prepared spell city, such as Spellford, but for an unprotected village or settlement… We root out their nests where we can, yet even Dragon-souls have failed to return after venturing into the Sahevin warrens beneath the Everstorm.”

“So, they’re going to be a constant threat, coming from beneath the waves,” I said, tapping my chin. Not just a threat, though. If we established a few controlled routes up that passed close to Conflict and the wyvern peaks… How many materials could be harvested from the carnage? But best I don’t get too greedy. Killing them was the important part. So it would be best if we could turn the climb itself into a killing field.

“Aye, and with you being snuggled up so tight to the Everstorm, you’ll draw more ire than the rest of the coast combined, I suspect,” Thozgar said, taking another sip. “While both the clans and the Savevin might give you headaches, it’s the Foresthalls you should be most wary of. With the refugees you’ve been taking in, it’ll be impossible to keep out their spies.”

“Spies are annoying,” I agreed, thinking back to all the problems they’d created already. “Though we’re getting a little better at handling them.”

I was also getting tougher than most ensouled at Pegasus would be, so assassins wouldn’t have a free pass either.

While Tender’s daily trials were mostly increasing my agility, which was already doubled over my base, that was just the focus of my efforts. Even without taking a trial to increase them, my Resilience and Vitality had both already ticked up by several decimal points. Strength hadn’t budged, and I was more than fine with that.

I might need to start turning my door into solid stone though. That’d give me a decent warning, at the very least.

“Perry, look! Best part’s coming up,” Tamrie called, pointing up at the screen, drawing our attention back to the race.

The Surgers were racing through a set of colliding streams, like giant X’s. Each time they passed through one the crossed currents pulled them off course, and they’d have to dive through the stream and out the other side into open air to get back on course. Several of the X-shaped crossing streams followed the first, and by the end of it, every single one of the Surgers was completely drenched.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Which was when I realized their white outfits became nearly transparent when wet. It reminded me of the wet t-shirt contests that were sometimes held before the fights my old man dragged me to. I’d never really understood the allure, but he’d never allowed me to miss them.

Real men always, something, something.

There was a slight difference here, since there were both male and female contestants, and they were all muscled instead of curvy.

Tamrie let out a whoop of excitement, notably after the actual obstacles had been cleared, causing Arizar to laugh softly beside her.

“Ah, the passion of youth,” Thozgar said, a gentle smile on his face. On the screen, I could see a lot of others calling out their appreciation to the racers as they passed. Mostly younger men and women, I noted. “They’re getting into the final stretch.”

“And we haven’t even started talking trade,” I said, leaning back.

“There will be a great deal to discuss. I’m afraid Spellford has taken in far too many refugees. I would prefer being able to send them to your lands instead of letting them attempt to join the scattered settlements along the coast,” Thozgar said, shaking his head.

“Not against it, on principle, but we’re already struggling to keep up with everyone coming in from the east. Even more people…”

“As I said, there is much to discuss. I will not simply ship them to you, though I shall not stop them from booking their own passage either,” Thozgar said, his gaze distant, not watching the Surgers above - who were soaring down a set of spirals of water that’d been created just for the race - but looking into the future.

At least, that’s how it felt.

“We will need to draw up plans for where you wish them to settle, and how many Shapers I can spare to build shelter where we can. And I would like to set aside some of the heartwood I purchase from you for some of your greenhouses. A truly splendid design.”

“You want to pay me to put up greenhouses on my own land?” I asked, more than a little surprised.

“Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just build stuff here?” Bevel asked. “You’ve got oodles and oodles of room.”

“We have room to house them. And food to keep them fed,” Thozgar said, smiling sadly. “But we don’t have the room to let them live. And having them here will strain my people unfairly. If I had years to build the proper enchantments… yet it is not a simple thing to build new holds, nor can we expand inland and maintain the spells that keep our city safe. Too much relies upon the mana-well.”

“So, that just leaves the matter of Worlds materials. If we have more people coming, I’m going to need more than I was planning,” I said, grimacing again. Plus getting more Waygates online apparently meant making it harder for people to scry on us.

It made me wonder what would happen if we could rebuild the whole network. Would the entirety of Cape Aeternia be veiled?

A man could dream.

Before we could get into the details, the Calming Run calm to a dramatic finish, with one of the Surgers barely beating out their competitor by the tip of their outstretched fingers. Consider she was shorter than her competitor, who’d also had his arm stretched out, it made for quite the dramatic pose as it was caught with some spell.

Thozgar, swept imaginary dust off his robes as he stood, once more dropping his illusion to reveal his silvery hair and blue and green eyes. Then he disappeared. The screen shifted, focusing on him as he appeared on a marble podium near where the Surgers were gathering in the wake of their race.

A cry went up from the Surgers when they noticed him, and they all started paddling towards him.

“Another Calming Run has come to its close,” Thozgar said, his voice emerging from the screen at the perfect volume to feel as though he was projecting without being loud.

I only half listened as he brought the contestants up on stage, congratulating each of them by name. Instead, I was thinking about what we’d need to do to solve… well, everything. There were already ideas starting to percolate, but I’d need to run them by others.

After he was done his speech, Thozgar returned and we started talking over the terms of everything he’d offer in exchange for my heartwood. Unfortunately, there was a limit on how many Worlds materials he could provide, though that was a limit imposed by how few he had access to. The longer we talked, the more it felt like he was bartering more and more in my favor.

Yet considering what he was asking, it didn’t feel as unreasonable as it might’ve. He didn’t just want me to take in his people, he wanted me to keep them safe and provide them with opportunities. He was also hoping we’d set up farms to ship excess food back to Spellford, helping them break free of the Foresthalls.

It was going to be a lot.

“Which is why I believe Arizar should go with you,” Thozgar said, after I’d mentioned that we didn’t exactly have people experienced with the sorts of population he was talking about.

“What?” Arizar demanded, shooting to her feet off the couch where she and Tamrie had been quietly talking. “He’s already betrothed father, why should I-”

She cut off when he raised a hand. “I’m not sending you permanently, my dear. Just to help them get set up and to guide the Shapers. You know how difficult they can be if they don’t respect the Ensouled in charge.”

Arizar’s face twisted into a grimace, though it lasted for only a second before it smoothed. “And obviously you can’t go.”

“Obviously,” he agreed, nodding in her direction.

“Very well, so long as I’m back before the Tide Run,” Arizar said, still not seeming pleased, but accepting her father’s wishes.

“It’ll be right exciting,” Tamrie said even as Arizar settled beside her.

“Exciting. Right,” the blond woman said, giving Tamrie a half-smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“You’re sure she needs to come?” I asked, my tone low. Didn’t exactly want to have someone who was going to be in a critical position who didn’t want to even be there.

“She is the best choice. My daughter has spent decades studying the ins and outs of city management. She had hopes of founding her own Spell-city, before this disaster befell us,” Thozgar said, shaking his head. “And if she didn’t want to go, she would’ve held firm. I may make suggestions, but my daughter is her own person. I’m no Kingdomer.”

“Decades?” Bevel asked, focused on the important details, as always. She pushed on my leg as she levered herself up to squint at his daughter.

“Ah, yes, Arizar is nearly at her thirty-fifth Summer Tide,” Thozgar said, smiling warmly. “Despite my stubborn insistence that she should follow her own path after she awakened, she just as stubbornly insisted on following mine.”

“Why’s it so hard to tell how old old people are,” Bevel grumbled under her breath.

Ignoring her other than to ruffle her hair, I asked, “How long would that take, normally? Setting up her own Spell-city?”

“Decades, I’m afraid,” Thozgar admitted, shaking his head.

“What if… she already had a city, and she just needed to touch it up a bit?” A rather obvious solution striking me.

Not just to her problem, but as to where I was going to put all the refugees.

We had an entire underground city waiting. All it needed was a little bit of love and the people to live in it.

Overflow B had plenty of room.