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Leon’s return to Artorion couldn’t have come quickly enough.  Leaving Alhamachim to its own devices seemed the best way to maintain good relations with his new vassal.  Allowing them their autonomy was a good trade to gain the tribute they had to offer, as far as Leon was concerned.

Work on the city continued at a rapid pace.  Since most of the most needed infrastructure had been completed, most construction efforts thus went into their defenses, focusing almost entirely on building fortresses at the northern and southern pass, the wall along the top of the ridges outlining the valley, and all of the towers along its length.  Since speed was of the essence, Leon stipulated that there were to be no grand architectural flourishes, all of their defensive infrastructure would be simple and practical until their workforce was less constrained.

Leon focused so much on getting everything done as quickly as quality and safety standards would allow because, after those few weeks following the pirate raid, he was quietly convinced that something else was going to go wrong.  In defiance of his expectation, however, aside from the submerged arks maintaining a presence off the southern coast, nothing of note happened.  He was able to relax with his friends and family while seeing to his duties and breathing down the necks of anyone slacking off too much.

While he saw to more domestic matters, Icarius, Penelope, and Clear Day were hard at work outside of the Artor Valley.  Icarius in particular worked quickly, interfacing first with the markets in Alhamachim before moving further afield to locate needed strategic materials.  He sent a detailed report back to Leon of his findings two weeks after Leon’s return to Artorion.

In short, Lumenite from Alhamachim would satisfy about a quarter of Leon’s immediate needs, leaving the rest to be sourced elsewhere.  Thankfully, of the three most important materials he needed, Lumenite was the most easily procured.  Aurichalcum was rarer, but after leaving his daughter in charge of sourcing Lumenite from within Archelaus’ domain, Icarius left the region for the remote cities far to the north.  The largest and most powerful of these cities was Shatufan, a city of several million people on the longest of the Finger Lakes, which was the only source of Aurichalcum that Icarius could find outside of monopolies in Archelaus’ domain which Leon wouldn’t be able to access.

Fortunately, the Finger Lakes were easy to reach, relatively speaking.  They jutted from the northern tip of the same mountain range that Leon now called home, and the river that ran through the Artor Valley flowed from several of these lakes.  If the river could be secured, then the river could facilitate trade.  As far as anyone could tell, the only downside was the sheer distance of the journey—the Finger Lakes were about twelve thousand miles away from the Artor Valley.

For Aurichalcum, however, the journey would be worth it.  Shatufan, Leon decided after reading that report, would be the first of the northern cities he would officially contact.

Of his needed strategic materials that could be found in the Nexus, that left only Titanstone.  Titanstone, unfortunately, couldn’t be manufactured, only mined, and like Aurichalcum, Archelaus and his Strategoi had issued monopolies on the mines they had in their land.  Leon wouldn’t be acquiring any Titanstone from them any time soon.

So without a good way to purchase any, he was left with one option: he had to find some.  While most of his earth mages were working with his magic engineers and architects to build his city’s defenses, he sent as many as he could spare to the mountains to the north and west, and the fields and forests to the south and east.  These earth mages would conduct more in-depth surveys of the land with a focus on locating any sources of Titanstone that might lie near the Artor Valley.

Leon wasn’t too hopeful if he were to be honest; Titanstone was rare even in the Nexus, so there might not be any in his lands, despite the enormity of the territory Archelaus had effectively left to him.

As for more bespoke materials, he was already working on preparing the Artor Valley to begin production.  Space was already allocated for thunder wood groves and Hesperidic Apple orchards, and once his nature mages were finished getting some local farms up and running, he’d have them see to these spaces.  He was determined to make sure the western reaches of the valley were ready and waiting for Tikos to move right in when the time came.

As this was all proceeding, however, snags inevitably arose.  For the most part, Leon’s subordinates were more than competent enough to handle them, but it didn’t take long after his return from Alhamachim and Archelion for a new problem to come up that demanded his input…

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Of the two fortresses that were being constructed to control the northern and southern passes into the valley, the southern fortress was being built more quickly given Leon’s worries about the King’s Ocean to the south.  It was also planned to be larger since the pass was wider and more easily accessed from the southern and eastern plains, whereas the north was much rougher land.  Given its size, the Jaguar quickly moved his staff into the fortress once enough had been built, intending to use the fortress as the central command building for Artorion’s military for the foreseeable future.

These twin fortresses, despite being far from complete, had already been named by those building them: the Talons.  Liking the name—it reminded him pleasantly of the Bull’s Horns—Leon made it official.

Nearly a month after his return, Leon was pulled away from his work creating wisps to solve a dispute at the Southern Talon—Marcus and the Jaguar had run into a disagreement that Leon had to mediate.

When Leon arrived at the fortress, he was shown through its plain, undecorated halls into a private meeting room where he found the Jaguar, Lana, and several other officers on one side of a table, and Marcus and several secretaries on the other side, Marcus wearing a pin on his tunic’s lapel that signified the rank Leon bestowed upon him after their return—the Exarch of the Artor Valley.

Given their respective positions, Marcus and the Jaguar had been meeting frequently to ensure a smooth construction process, and that civilian and military infrastructure complemented each other.  As far as Leon knew, the two had a good working relationship, but when he entered the room, he found both the Jaguar and Marcus looking rather heated, and a chaotic series of plans drawn over a map of the Artor Valley and its surrounding regions.

As soon as he walked in, everyone straightened up and then bowed.

“Relax,” Leon ordered as he and Gaius walked over to the table, leaving half a dozen Tempest Knights outside.  “I was making needed wisps when I received your request for clarification.  What was so important that I had to come all the way out here instead of simply using a comm lotus?”

Picking up on his mild irritation, Marcus jumped in with his answer before the Jaguar could get a word in.

“We have a strategic disagreement, Your Majesty.”

Leon’s eyes flickered to the Jaguar, who stoically nodded in agreement.

“All right,” Leon replied, “what’s this disagreement?”

“Our immediate plans for defensive fortifications have already been made,” the Jaguar hurried to answer before Marcus could.  “It’s what comes afterward that needs clarification.”

Leon glanced down at the map, noting the ridge wall, the fortresses, and the countless towers.  These were the agreed-upon fortifications.  From what little he could tell of the many chaotic scribbles on the map, there were other towers scattered over the map, concentrated mostly in the south along the river.  There were also multiple notes next to the wall that he identified as a list of capabilities the wall’s enchantments needed.

While Leon examined the map, Marcus explained, “Our biggest unknown right now is the King’s Ocean to our south.  Out of our confirmed threats, we also have Djoser in the east, though we have quite a bit of strategic depth in that direction.  We also have the portal that we used to enter the Nexus, and which the pirates used to follow us.  We need to think about securing it.”

The Jaguar interjected as soon as Marcus paused.  “I believe our focus should be on fortifying the valley as much as we can.  This is our core territory, our new Kataigida.  All else that we build is lost if we lose Artorion.  Our efforts should be concentrated here.”

Marcus scowled.  “We have so much land, and we should use it!  Defenses along the river to the south, watchtowers in the north and west, and a secured line of fortifications linking us with Alhamachim!”

“These are secondary concerns,” the Jaguar stated, a hint of weariness in his tone that suggested to Leon the two had been arguing in circles over this issue for a while.  “They’re needed, but not right now.”

“So if Djoser or some new bastard were to wade out of the ocean, you would leave us with no other option than to turtle up behind our walls!”

“These defenses you push for would only be effective if we have the people to man them!  If we can’t hold that territory, then we shouldn’t try!  If we can’t hold these fortifications, then they shouldn’t be built!  Our resources, human and magical, are too constrained!”

“Only if you’re thinking purely defensively!  Even a few towers along the river to the south could mean all the difference if we’re attacked!  Strong points for Lances or long-range enchantments!  Triage centers!  Our scouts can keep a close eye on the sea!”

“None of which are needed if we focus on fortifying the valley!  The Imperials struggled to reach Kataigida, and no other power on Aeterna was able to reach us!”

Marcus inhaled with clear intention to continue his argument, but Leon tapped a knuckle on the table and flexed his aura.  He didn’t let it get too weighty, but it was more than enough to silence the two and draw their attention back to him.

“I can see the merits of both strategies,” he diplomatically stated.  “I suppose it comes down to which would be the safer strategy over the next few years, doesn’t it?  We’ll eventually have the resources to enact both, but for now… we have less than twenty-thousand people.”  Leon made eye contact with Marcus as he finished his statement, and Marcus sighed and bowed his head.

Continuing, Leon said, “We already have river nymphs in the river watching our southern flank.  Should anything happen down there, we’ll have plenty of warning.”  Looking to the Jaguar, he asked the golden-skinned man, “Are you thinking of putting a veil around the mountains?”

“Yes,” the Jaguar confirmed.  “We lacked the capability to replicate the feats of our Ancestors until we consulted with Prince Nestor.”

Leon internally cringed at the title he gave to Nestor but allowed it.

“With the abundant magic power within the Nexus, we’ll be able to create one that enshrouds the entire valley in impenetrable fog, from which we’ll be able to strike outward with impunity.  This valley will become a fortress that no enemy will be able to take!”

Leon smiled, though he couldn’t help but douse this fire a little.  “We have no idea what kind of foe we’ll be facing in the future.  Our defenses will never be perfect.”

“I will never stop striving for perfection,” the Jaguar declared.  “For my Clan.  For my Tribe.  For my King.”

Leon gave him a more genuine smile and clapped his oldest Tribal ally on the shoulder.  Then he glanced at Marcus, who looked content at least, if not satisfied.  “Our defenses will extend down to the sea in time.  We just need more people first.”

Marcus acknowledged his order with a quick nod, but as he opened his mouth to say something, Leon’s comm slate was pinged.  So too were Marcus and the Jaguar’s slates, which lay on the table.  A moment later, as Leon conjured his comm slate and everyone went quiet as the implications set in, Gaius’ slate illuminated as well.

Everyone answered the calls, and the information received unsettled the agreement they’d reached barely a few seconds before.

Titanstone had been discovered about a thousand miles away.  Hardly an insurmountable distance, but the problem was that it was found along the southern coast, embedded in cliffs at the foot of which the waves of the King’s Ocean lapped.

---

The cliffs of the southern coast cut quite a beautiful picture.  Made of white chalk, they shone brilliantly in the light of the Origin Spark.  Capped by bright green fields and with the clear blue water below, the imposing cliffs were practically paradisical.

They also presented quite an obstacle to potential aggressors from the ocean, being nearly a thousand feet high at the tallest, though ranging from six to eight hundred feet on average.  The cliffs stretched over more than five hundred miles of coast, though that amounted to less than a tenth of the coastline stretching between Artorion and the Bolt Mountains in the east, where Alhamachim dwelled.

Leon was grateful that there was some natural protection there, though in the face of a Strategos, let alone Despots or even more powerful mages, such an obstacle was barely more than a bump in the road.  Even worse, the cliffs could turn from advantage to disadvantage if earth mages were involved—Leon’s first thought upon arriving at the cliffs to inspect the potential mining site was a memory of Bull Kingdom soldiers loyal to Octavius using earth magic to sap beneath the fortress that protected the hilly Eastern Territories where August had fled during the Bull Kingdom’s civil war.

Making matters worse, the land atop the cliffs was flat, which while conducive to construction, also meant that only weapon emplacements at the cliff’s edge could control the water.

He didn’t need long at the cliffs to know that any Titanstone mine there would require a huge garrison relative to the size of the mine, and he didn’t have enough soldiers for a garrison that size.

Not for the first time, he cursed his lack of resources.  To even gain additional resources, he’d have to stretch what he had to the breaking point.

As he landed upon the cliffs, he turned his eyes from where his surveyors had established themselves down to the water below.  There were a few stretches of sand below in nooks where the cliffs bent inward, and under any other circumstance, the clear water and soft sand might’ve been eminently inviting.

Now, however, all that he imagined down there were threats unseen, monsters and greedy humans ready to rise and take what he’d claimed.

The surveyors didn’t need long to confirm the presence of Titanstone within the cliffs, and the deposit they found was larger than any back on Aeterna.  An enormous amount of wealth and power lay in the cliffs if only they could get to it.  All the Titanstone his people would need for the near future…

Without deciding whether or not to begin mining the Titanstone, Leon ordered everyone back to Artorion.  He’d need a few days to weigh the risks and needs involved.

Upon his return to Artorion, he found additional news—Clear Day had finally made contact with Shatufan, and the Presiding Magus was traveling down the river from the Finger Lakes to Artorion.

If nothing else, Leon was glad for the distraction.

---

Out within the King’s Ocean, Leon’s arrival did not go unnoticed.  Eyebrows were raised, orders were given, and arks were dispatched to patrol the coast of the Storm Lands.  With the Ocean King’s attention captured by distant oceans and rebellious Anakes, raids into the Storm Lands had slowed considerably.

However, the land cleared of people was always watched.  Weeks passed, and in the aquamarine halls of underwater palaces, just outside of which sharks feasted on fish, whales upon the sharks, and unspeakable leviathans on the whales, calls to force Leon off of his claimed land intensified.

“We will be seen as weak if we allow these zones to be resettled!” some claimed.

“We invite the wrath of the Storm Lands when we can ill-afford to weather it!” others responded.

“The mages of the Storm Lands are just as distracted as we are,” still others pointed out.  “The newcomers are not numerous, but if we attack them, the Storm Lands may unite long enough to strike back.”

“Or they won’t care!” the first group frequently responded.

Upon his throne of rainbow coral, the Despot of the region off Leon’s coast favored a wait-and-see approach.

That, however, changed when word was brought back of what the surveyors found.  Though they took pains to keep their work secret, it wasn’t that hard to figure out what they’d found with surveyors of their own, acting under the invisible cover of light mages.

A lake of Titanstone, just waiting for a powerful mage to claim it.

And the Despot, so far patient, began to look upon the coast with greedy eyes…

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