CHAPTER 1245: LEAVING VOIDSHORE

After meeting with Ramin, Leon’s party stayed in Voidshore for only two more days. Ramin himself was eager to move on, though Leon found himself enjoying the city well enough with more time to stop and walk around. Archelaus showed him to a few exotic parks and restaurants, all of which specialized in sights or cuisine from places Leon had never even heard of before.

One park he and his wives explored was small, but made of black stone and obsidian with rivers of molten stone running through it. Along the banks of this red river were various glowing warm-colored flowers basking in the heat of the lethargic flow. Leon even spied red and orange lily pads on the river’s surface, around which were growing thin stalks of some pale gold grass-like plant, while frogs leaped around boulders and lily pads and fish swam in the molten stone, both with shiny, metal-like skin.

Another park was almost the exact opposite, and was so alien to human life that it had to be contained in a huge dome of enchanted glass. The interior was cold and devoid of air, keeping out everyone below the seventh-tier or so, but currents of icy mist flowed freely throughout the dome. Rock-like growths twisted up from the ground like tree branches, and from those growths sprang glowing, many-hued mushrooms. Flowers as large as elephants seemed to watch his family as they explored, always turning in their direction, never allowing them to see with their physical eyes what lay below their green, armor-like petals. Small felines leaped between the growths, and lizards of many sizes flitted through the loose dirt and gravel that crunched beneath their feet.

It was relaxing to see these tiny snippets of distant planes, each one more alien and unrecognizable than the last; Leon couldn’t wipe the smile off his face if he tried every time they stepped into a new, unfamiliar environment. A large part of him wanted to find these planes and spend a few weeks living in them with nothing but the clothes on his back and a bow over his shoulder. Unfortunately, he was a King, and that meant considerable responsibilities, as his frequent run-ins with other Nexus Lords reminded him.

Fortunately, nearly all of these Nexus Lords were either Strategoi or Despots themselves, and had witnessed his duel with Triyr, so all were at least polite if not friendly. It seemed to Leon that Voidshore was almost unique in the universe for how much it catered to the post-Apotheosis mages who visited, and that he ran into these Lords just walking the streets was a testament to the power and ability of the Sun King to have built such a place.

Aside from exploring the city, Leon also spent some time with Gwarim and a few other Lords he’d grown acquainted with in the few days since his arrival. Gwarim managed to cajole him into a duel, which neither of them won, and had to end when Ramin arrived looking for Illum and Archelaus. It was only a few hours after that Ramin insisted they continue their journey to Belicenion, and so Leon and his people bid Voidshore their fond enough farewells.

The group moving on from Voidshore wound up being of considerable size. Archelaus and Illum, being sworn to Ramin, each traveled with him—Archelaus boarding Ramin’s flag ark while Illum rode in his own. N’chezzar joined them, too, and several dozen Strategoi and Despots of the Storm Lands decided to join them. Among these Lords were Gwarim and Nuertis, as well as Realiz and Jors-kil, the latter of whom joined Archelaus in hitching a ride with Ramin.

Leon was thankful for their company. Nuertis was pleasant enough, and Realiz was an energetic companion, but Gwarim was the one he felt a real rapport with. Regardless, he was more than happy to build up a friendship with all three.

Now, a fleet of more than fifty arks pushed off from Voidshore’s docks and into the Void itself. Leon watched it all from Storm Herald’s observation deck, marveling at the differences between many of the arks slowly assembling close to Voidshore’s huge teleportation gate. It would take a couple hours to finish assembling and properly depart, which gave him plenty of time to gauge the power of his fellows in the large caravan.

Gwarim’s arks were about what Leon expected: large, straight as arrows, and sharp as blades. If arks were compared to blades, Gwarim’s were the perfect models as his flag ark looked like a sword without a handle, and his two destroyer-sized escorts like knives in comparison. Much like N’chezzar’s ellipsoid, Leon couldn’t see any conventional weapon hardpoints on any of Gwarim’s arks, but he didn’t doubt that they were more than capable of defending themselves.

Nuertis’ were, like Gwarim’s, all harsh, straight lines, but whereas Gwarim’s arks were angled to have tiny front profiles, Nuertis’ five arks threw their brutal designs in the face of the viewer; his flag ark was an enormous cross-shape and made of black metal that perfectly blended into the Void behind it. Red lines burned brightly along lines that both created a false silhouette and might serve to intimidate anyone who beheld it. It even had more robust enchantments that scattered magic senses when they washed over the vessel, preventing Leon from easily seeing how or even if the ark was armed.

It also gave him some ideas to pursue when it came to ark building, as while the scattering of magic senses wouldn’t permanently hide an ark, it might help keep one from being targeted. Storm Herald had some similar enchantments, but given she was designed to be seen, to project the power of the Thunderbird Storm King, attempting to hide her as Nuertis did his ark would defeat that purpose.

The four escorts beside Nuertis’ arks followed the same design trend, though instead of crosses, they were T-shaped. If the false red lights hadn’t extended upward, Leon might’ve even missed them, given how dark their hulls were and how much they were overshadowed by Nuertis’ flag ark, which also gave him ideas…

Realiz’s ark was, perhaps, the most unconventional of them all. Instead of a vessel that was so obviously wrought by human hands that to consider otherwise would’ve never been considered, it seemed he preferred something more natural—his ark had been built into what looked like a small mountain, complete with trees and plants and a palace at the summit. It was similar to Westmount, in a way, if Leon could figure out a way to make Westmount fly instead of just float, as well as harden it against the Void.

This, Leon knew, was but a taste of the strangeness he might see on Belicenion, where at least half of all the Lords of the Nexus would gather. As wowed as he was, it didn’t take him long to get his fill and check in on the rest of his party.

Elise was whispering with Maia, gesturing animatedly at Voidshore and many of the arks they were leaving behind. Valeria and Cassandra, meanwhile, were sharing vindictive words about Triyr and especially Morui, neither of whom had fulfilled the terms of the duel. Leon was irritated himself, but he put their conduct out of mind for the moment. Dwelling on it wouldn’t help him in the short term.

Anzu, like Leon, was more captivated by the arks of their fellows than Voidshore, the upcoming Games, or impugned honor. He, Marcus, Alcander, and Alix were pointing at every ark in their convoy and not only admiring their designs but also estimating their power based on size and what little they could sense from the outside.

Anna and Clear, meanwhile, were busy speaking about the many invitations and missives sent to Leon since the duel with Triyr. Most were merely introductions as far as Leon knew, but a few were of more consequence, such as Jericho confirming not only his intent to trade for storm crystal but also his desire to visit Artorion in the ‘near future’. What that meant for an immortal was hard to say, but Anna and Clear were already on it, so he felt comfortable not focusing on that matter for the time being.

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Leon’s remaining Paladins he located standing as on their own as they could manage in the room that had become Leon’s unofficial command post—and that was staffed accordingly. Daryun and Zhang were standing together, but neither were speaking, so he meandered over, joining them in watching the many varied arks come together like the universe’s strangest school of fish. They acknowledged his arrival with a flickering of their auras, but neither said a word, apparently waiting for him to speak.

It took him long seconds to give voice to his thoughts, and when he did, his question was simple.

“What do you two see when you look at this spectacle?”

Silence was his immediate answer, though he could tell they were thinking about the question. Zhang was the first to answer.

“When I was young, I yearned to join the Void Wolves. To join the soldier corps that manned the greatest machines of battle that the Empire had ever built, and to bring my liege glory on battlefields I could never imagine. My life took me in a different direction. When I swore my spear to Emperor Yun, I had long given up on that dream, content with merely the occasional ride if my liege were to ever leave Jiaxing to visit one of the other planes our fathers and grandfathers had conquered.

“Now… here I am. The Void surrounds me. Arks of different people surround me. Power unimaginable to me packed into forms of metal and magic; enough to destroy the Empire I served for so long with so little effort… The universe is so much bigger than I thought, and yet so similar. And still we’ve seen so little of it…”

Leon nodded along, and when Zhang had finished, he added, “We’re about to see a lot more, all packed onto a single plane. We journey to Khosrow’s Fane, a place of pilgrimage, and from there, to Belicenion.”

“Do you expect those we meet next will be much different from those here at Voidshore?” Zhang asked.

For a long moment, Leon thought over the question. “… No,” he said. “Achieving Apotheosis, even if it makes some people strange, doesn’t change the fact that we’re all human. And humanity, no matter where we are, is the same in so many ways… I imagine we’ll find ourselves amidst arks and cities beyond imagining, all crewed or inhabited by people who are disappointingly mundane in manner or appearance.”

“I’d agree,” Daryun stated. “Even in the months I’ve served you, I have found the environment quite similar to Ke—to Demetrion. Nobles and magistrates, powerful mages throwing their magic around to get their way, those with too much ambition and too little sense picking fights they shouldn’t…”

Amusement tugged at Leon’s lips. When he cast a sly look Daryun’s way, however, he asked, “I’ve heard Zhang’s thoughts about our new companions out there. What’s had you staring so pensively out of these windows?”

Daryun again went quiet, but he didn’t need as long to speak as Zhang had the first time Leon had asked the question.

“I… The Sylphians commandeered many arks and forced many laborers to build more. The Lord Reaver ventured into the Void and captured still more whenever and wherever he could manage it. I thought it was entirely due to greed and a personal desire for power, and while I don’t think that was an incorrect assumption… I have to wonder if there wasn’t something more there. Demetrion has all anyone could ever need, and almost all of what anyone could ever want. Was it only power that drew the Sylphians into looking up? Is that why they conquered not just Demetrion but the entire planar cluster? Or was it some shared desire to see the Void, to see all of this? Some manic dream of the Lord Reaver to establish us as our own power in the Void?”

Leon waited a moment, and when Daryun’s pause seemed like it was going to stretch on for a long time, he pressed, “Have you come to any kind of conclusion? Or were you just idly musing about an old, defeated enemy?”

A chuckle broke past Daryun’s stony exterior. “The Sylphians have taken up the majority of my attention since I was old enough to focus on singular problems. It took an alliance between me and Imak to make a final push into Sylphia and end their threat for good. I… had never been in their heartlands before. I didn’t take much time to appreciate it then since our triumph was muted by your arrival, but looking back on it… The Sylphians were proud and ambitious. They conquered our plane and launched themselves into the Void. Amazing feats, but their ambition and greed were their downfall. I have a better idea of what they were trying to build now that I am here, seeing all of this with my own eyes, but I don’t regret what Imak and I did. Mere ambition cannot excuse their tyranny. When you defeated the Lord Reaver, the Sylphians were broken back here, unable to hold onto their Empire. So it disintegrated, and despite their attempts, their people will never again attain what they once had.”

“That’s a lot to mull over when just looking at arks,” Leon said.

“I’m glancing at Voidshore every now and then,” Daryun cheekily replied.

Leon grinned. “All right then. I’ll leave you two to your musings.”

“Wait,” Zhang said just as Leon was turning away, so Leon halted, and when Zhang looked momentarily horrified by his demanding tone, Leon gave him a permissive look. With a more level and slightly apologetic tone, Zhang asked, “Might I ask about your thoughts regarding our traveling companions?”

Leon slowly nodded and turned back to the window. He looked at Nuertis and Gwarim’s sharp-angled arks. “Those are built not just for war, but to project strength. They look strong enough to make others hesitate.”

His golden eyes traced the lines and curves of Ramin and N’chezzar’s personal behemoths.

“Those demand power to construct beyond what a single plane can feasibly muster. Their mere existence is a more powerful statement about the strength of their owners than just about anything the arks could do on their own.”

Then, he looked at Realiz’s flying mountain.

“One way to show mastery over oneself is to show mastery over nature. A mountain, imposing and immovable, made to fly and slaved to the will of a Lord. What would any non-Void power think upon seeing that beast arrive above their home? What power is so great that it can make a damned mountain fly? And should they not surrender to whoever did that?”

He paused, both to gather his thoughts and to give both of his Paladins an expectant look.

“Every ark out there is a statement about the power of their Lord. Don’t fight me, you’ll lose, so do what I say. Some advertise their message more clearly than others. Looking at some of them, they even sacrifice some level of practicality in order to communicate that aesthetic message.” Leon’s eyes were drawn to Gwarim’s incredibly thin arks, which had to seriously limit power, weapons, and internal storage just to achieve that blade-like look.

“In your opinions, which is better for a predator? To look dangerous, or to hide their danger? What about a predator that forgoes all sense of aesthetics and concerns itself entirely with practicality?”

He let the question hang, and again, Zhang was the first to respond.

“A tiger will stalk its prey and might even abandon the hunt if discovered. Advertising itself only puts its prey on edge and makes the hunt more difficult.”

“A mountain bear,” Daryun responded, “is all muscle and claws. They can hunt just fine even while lumbering around, knocking over boulders and starting avalanches. They have no need to hide themselves or their power.”

“A bear? Unless bears are different on Demetrion, they can still ambush their prey. And to ambush their prey, they need to be quiet and have a sense of stealth.”

“Not always. They can easily force their prey into disadvantageous positions. Corner them against a cliff or force them into rivers. The prey will run when they see the bear, and if the bear can predict that behavior, then they have the advantage.”

“Not everything is predictable. It is better to hide one’s danger and strike at an opportune moment than to challenge something head-on.”

“Being too subtle can induce something else to attack. This might not map well to a tiger, but if another predator senses weakness, then they sense an easy meal. If they sense danger, they might not chance the hunt if they feel the meal isn’t worth the cost.”

The debate continued, and Leon enjoyed listening to it. After several minutes, however, he left them to it as they got more and more into the discussion. But the question still lingered in his mind about what kind of statement his arks would make if he had complete control over their design. Naturally, aesthetics were always a concern, but he didn’t want to compromise on an ark’s power over its appearance. Going full practicality was an option, and that brutal simplicity was itself a statement…

In the end, it seemed nothing more than a thought experiment. Leon didn’t think he’d ever be at a point where he’d be forced to design his own ark. He felt like he could if he had to, given his lessons with Nestor, but there simply wasn’t a need with Raven engineers already set to the task. But he still let the thought of what an ark he designed would be and what it would look like consume him as he waited for the convoy to finish assembling and for their appointed departure time to come.