Chương 1189: 1219 - A Clan United

Leon's return to Artorion came much earlier than expected, but the celebration was just as bombastic as his last return—in fact, as Storm Herald landed at its designated arkpad close to Flash Fortress, the celebrations had already begun. Word had been sent back before Storm Herald and the rest of the ancient arks had even made it through the Lion's Portal that he was returning and bringing back word of victory. But Leon didn't pay the celebrations much mind.

He was far more concerned with what he'd gained in the Ancestor Gem and what it personally meant, as well as getting back to his wives. All else, in his view, was secondary. Still, when he disembarked from Storm Herald, he did so with Daryun and Zhang, among others, with him—most notably Lucianus, who carried a large heavily warded lockbox containing the Ancestor Gem.

Daryun, of course, had been to the Nexus once before, but it was Zhang's first time, and he stared at all that had been built in the Artor Valley in awe as they descended Storm Herald's ramp.

"Quite something, isn't it?" Leon quietly asked him.

"You had all of this," Zhang replied, "and you still desired Jiaxing?" The question took Leon completely off-guard, and he failed to respond before reaching the small welcoming party on the arkpad. Ceremonious greetings were had, and Leon then took to the sky along with his followers and Tempest Knights—only Anshu and Red stayed behind to see to the armada's maintenance. As he flew to Westmount, Leon let the jubilant sounds of his people below him push Zhang's statement out of mind.

Besides, his wives were waiting for him in his largest courtyard, and he didn't want to focus on the negative implications of Zhang's question at such a celebratory time. When he landed in the courtyard, his people applauded so loudly that they competed with Artorion itself. He raised his fist as his feet touched the courtyard's dark marble and shouted, "Victory! We were victorious!"

The assembled crowd, made up not only of his wives and their servants but also of his ministers—including Iron-Striker—many visiting Chiefs and elders from Aeterna and the various provinces within his Kingdom, and representatives of the northern cities, all cheered even louder. Several Lion elders even took their Ancestor's form and roared, their exultation carrying to every corner of the Artor Valley. Leon could feel the eyes of his wives upon him, and he wasted no more time on theatrical proclamations.

Instead, he locked eyes with all four of them, smiled, and began walking as quickly as dignity allowed toward them. They responded in kind, save for Cassandra who threw away all consideration for dignity and launched herself like a Lance bolt at him. He easily caught her and spun around several times to bleed off her momentum, her lips finding his as he did so.

Their kiss lasted long enough for Leon's other three wives to reach them, and Valeria almost pried Cassandra off of Leon so that they could get kisses of their own. Throughout this display, the crowd kept cheering, and only once it was over did they start to calm down. Leon nodded to his followers and dismissed them, with Marcus and Clear taking charge of showing Zhang around and making sure he had adequate quarters.

Daryun and Anzu, meanwhile, walked in Helen, Anna, and Eirene's direction, likely to handle some business with the Royal Beastmaster or at least just to render polite greetings. Leon, for his part, gestured for Iron-Striker as Elise captured his attention.

"Husband," she whispered to him, her tone low and sultry, "however can I show you that I'm happy to have you back?" Before Leon even had a chance to respond, Maia boldly interjected. [Mating,] she said, her tone brooking no argument. Elise's demeanor cracked slightly as she almost laughed.

"I support that plan!" Cassandra declared loudly enough for others to hear them and quiet down even more quickly, while Valeria simply offered a shallow smile and dignified nod in clear agreement.

"We'll get that soon," Leon said, "but for now, there are a few things that I have to handle. First off, where's Nestor?" Iron-Striker, having reached them, immediately answered, "Prince Nestor is where he always is: his lab. Were it not for the constant requests for new materials, it would almost be forgivable to think he'd left without telling anyone." Leon softly chuckled.

"Unsurprising. Send him a message: I want to see him right n—" He caught himself as he glanced at the looks his wives were giving him.

"I want to see him tomorrow morn… tomorrow afternoon. I made a surprising discovery that we need to discuss." Iron-Striker bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"Of course, my King." The older man's eyes seemed to twinkle as Elise started to stare at him with considerable impatience and Maia doubled down on that with near-hostility, the unspoken command to hurry it up received loud and clear.

"The state of your Kingdom is strong and unified. I look forward to giving you my report at your earliest convenience." As he bowed again, Elise lost patience.

"Your loyalty and ability are commendable, Chancellor. Please keep things running, I need this man to see to the matter of succession." Without waiting for a response, she grabbed the front of Leon's shirt and began dragging him away from the courtyard. Cassandra and Maia took their cues and took Leon's hands into their own and dragged him alongside Elise, all while a subtly embarrassed Valeria followed just behind.

Leon wasn't that surprised to hear the cheering and applauding only increase in volume at the sight, and he quickly fell into step with his wives, slowing only to glance over his shoulder at Lucianus and shout, "I want that box, Luke!" With apple-red cheeks, Lucianus followed silently, and Leon deflected his wives' curious looks with a smile and shake of his head.

Upon reaching the Royal Apartments, Leon had Lucianus leave the box on a table and then dismissed the secretary, who left as quickly as his legs could carry him, leaving Leon alone with his wives. No more time was wasted. Elise, Cassandra, and Maia practically tore Leon's clothes off of him, while Leon did his best to return the favor. They worked together, however, and picked him up, carried him through the apartments, and threw him onto his large bed.

"Really?" he said, his tone playful since he didn't mind such treatment.

"No bath first?" Elise, sans clothes, straddled one of his legs and leaned over him, pressed her nose into his chest, and took a long breath. When she straightened up, her emerald eyes glittered with desire.

"You smell like a man," she declared. Cassandra took a spot on his other leg in a similar state of dress to Elise and instead of verbally responding, she let her hands wander below Leon's waistline, making sure he was ready to go. He'd only been gone a matter of weeks, but that was long enough that he didn't need much encouragement on her part, stiffening under her tender, if bold, touch. Maia was perhaps the boldest of them; she lay down beside Leon, took his right hand, and pressed it between her heavenly legs.

He took the hint and curled his fingers upward, and Maia rewarded him with a moan of pleasure that she immediately chased by leaning down and running her tongue over his chest. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. In stark contrast, Valeria quietly took off her clothing, folded it up, placed it on a nearby dresser, and then sat in an armchair with a fantastic view of the bed.

She smiled at Leon as his eyes flickered in her direction, her hands lying on her thighs, which were shut tightly even as they quivered with need.

"Val!" Cassandra called out.

"There's more than enough room for you!" She smiled back, her expression somewhat frozen.

"I… don't mind watching," she replied.

"I can wait, don't wait for me." Cassandra frowned lightly but that only ceded the initiative to Elise, who crawled past her to straddle Leon's waist. Her womanhood slid against his as she rocked back and forth, not quite allowing him inside of her yet.

"I have… missed you," she moaned, a beatific smile gracing her face as she stared down at him.

"As I have, you," he replied as he brought his other hand up to his first wife's hip. His hand only lingered there a moment before moving upward, stroking her skin all the while. She shivered as he reached her soft, swaying chest, and then froze when he lightly pinched the peak. She cried out when a pair of hands slid under her arms and grasped her more boldly.

"You stole a march on me," Cassandra pouted as she squeezed just hard enough for Elise to moan again and almost collapse. But Leon's fire-haired wife laid her hands down over his toned abs, steadying herself as she increased the speed with which she slid over his manhood. Judging by what he was feeling, she wasn't just ready, she was craving him… However, his view of what happened next vanished as Maia moved up and swung a leg over him until she had mounted his face.

Leon wasted no time feasting upon the offered meal, and in less than a second, Elise's moans of pleasure were joined by Maia's. Quietly, Leon wondered if the time he'd given Iron-Striker would be met. His wives needed him, and he wasn't going to stop seeing to those needs until they'd been fully satisfied—and now that they had started, he didn't think satisfaction would come for several days.

Not that he was going to complain; he reveled in his wives' bodies as much as they reveled in his, and he needed no time at all to settle in for a long campaign…

"So, how are you feeling?" Leon asked. The Thunderbird frowned as she closed her eyes, silently evaluating herself. She didn't feel any different from the last time he'd spoken with her in his soul realm, but given how being brought out into the physical world had seemingly drained her, taking the cautious approach was something he supported wholeheartedly.

"Hmm. I'd say ten minutes in the physical world would require a day in the Mists of Chaos to recover. I can stay for no longer than an hour. That is a hard deadline." Leon frowned in turn.

"Do you know why that is? The Great Black Dragon didn't seem to have that restriction…" A deep scowl carved its way across the Thunderbird's olive-toned face.

"I have… his Clan is larger than mine." She glared pointedly at Leon." For now. This prolongs his existence. This gives him more soul realms to visit. More mist to absorb." Leon nodded his head in understanding.

"We'll work with the time we have, then. Are you ready?" She scoffed.

"I'm always ready." Leon returned to his Mind Palace's throne, and from there, to his physical body. He awoke in a private chamber in the Royal Apartments, in which his wives, Anzu, and Nestor awaited. His entire family in Artorion—as much as he hesitated applying that label to Nestor, he did apply it—there, with the Ancestor Gem on the table in front of them.

"Hurry up, boy," Nestor growled, his metallic voice resonating slightly through his golem frame.

"It has been too long since I've been able to converse with our Honored Ancestor." Left unspoken was how long he'd waited—Leon arrived back in Artorion nearly a week ago, but his wives had monopolized his time. Nestor, however, had been brought to Westmount exactly when Leon asked for him, only to have his time wasted as Leon was too busy then to meet with him.

"Late is better than never, Nestor," Leon sniped as he moved to the Ancestor Gem and placed his hand upon it. He called upon the power he'd inherited from the Thunderbird, backed it up with origin power, and channeled it into the gem, which soaked it up so readily that it seemed almost like an unlimited storage medium for magic power. Lightning flashed beneath the gem's surface, and the monochrome form of the Thunderbird resolved into being beside the table almost without fanfare.

She stretched, cast her gaze about the room, and smiled at all who were there to greet her.

"My, it has been too long since I last breathed in the air of the Nexus. It's almost a match for the purity of Minos."

"Honored Ancestor," Nestor hurried before anyone else could speak, "I am deeply moved to see you again. I hadn't thought I ever would." The Thunderbird grinned and shot Leon a cheeky grin.

"You and Leon are still working on the possibility of building you a new flesh-and-blood body, are you not?"

"That is… there are many issues to overcome," Nestor swiftly answered.

"Indeed there are." The Thunderbird walked over and stood before Nestor's towering form.

"Bend down, boy, I do not like looking up at others." Nestor immediately complied, dropping to a knee.

"There you are," the Thunderbird practically cooed as she laid her hands on either side of Nestor's faceplate.

"A proper Prince of the Clan. A dutiful son and supporter of the Clan."

"Always," Nestor said, "even if some others take issues with me from time to time."

"You always give me cause," Leon retorted. The Thunderbird smirked as she moved on from Nestor. Anzu was the next she addressed.

"Young Anzu," she said, and the griffin-in-human-form straightened up, his demeanor deadly serious.

"No finer brother for my Leon could there be. I am proud to have you in my Clan." Anzu didn't say anything, but he scrunched his eyes closed as tears began to flow. The Thunderbird brought him in for a loose embrace before leaving him be, surprising Leon with just how physical she could be through the Ancestor Gem. Next, she turned to Leon's wives, addressing them in the order of the beginning of their relationship with Leon.

"Elise, my darling, my lovely girl, come here." Elise complied, beaming all the while. The Thunderbird took her into her arms and held her tightly.

"A fine Queen, dutiful and loving." She then turned to Maia.

"Naiad. Come here, my dear, my Leon's most ferocious defender." Maia grinned even as Cassandra frowned lightly. She shot forward and the Thunderbird embraced her, too.

"Make sure to bring strong daughters into this world, worthy of my power." Maia nodded quickly, her smile almost threatening to split her face in half. Next, the Thunderbird addressed Valeria.

"Valeria. My icy Princess, Leon's steadying rock, my sweet daughter-in-law, come here." Valeria did as bid, with a smile that rivaled Maia's though with more grace. The Thunderbird's arms wrapped around her, and she whispered, "He loves you dearly. Your family— our family—will be whole." Valeria could barely keep her smile to herself as she was released and the Thunderbird finally turned to Cassandra.

"Hey," the blond Queen said with a challenging smile.

"Who am I?"

"You're Cassandra," the Thunderbird responded, meeting her challenge head-on.

"Who else could you be?"

"No one at all," Cassandra replied, her feet remaining planted right where she was, her ruby eyes glimmering in amusement.

"You are a challenge to my Leon, stoking his ambition and pushing him onward."

"Sometimes with an actual push," she smiled at him.

"Come here," the Thunderbird said with open arms, and Cassandra remained where she was for only a moment before embracing Leon's favorite Ancestor.

"Beautiful, confident," the Thunderbird whispered, adding several more affirmations that had Cassandra grinning like a mad woman when she was released. Once that was over, the Thunderbird stepped back and addressed them all.

"I, as you are all aware, am the Thunderbird, progenitor of this Clan, first to bear the power bestowed by the Iron Needle and the Storm Diamond. I reigned at the pinnacle of power during the Primal Age, and my descendants made my Clan the strongest in the universe following that Age's end. And I am very pleased to finally meet all of you."

"As we are to meet you!" Elise immediately replied, beaming as brightly as the sun.

"I can hardly believe it!"

"It is a true miracle," Nestor added in a far more business-like tone.

"I can hardly fathom it. When Leon told me what he'd found, I didn't think it was possible…"

"Look upon me and know the truth, Nestor." The Thunderbird proudly posed with her hands on her hips, a defiant smirk plastered on her face.

"I would also like to have at least a few more minutes speaking with each of you before you and Leon start studying this gem, so have some patience."

"Of course," Nestor stated, though only reluctantly. For his part, Leon could only smile and relish this meeting. He listened to the Thunderbird practically quizzing his wives on their duties as his Queens, both official and unofficial. After almost ten minutes, the Thunderbird just gave him and Nestor a look, then took his wives and brother off into another room, letting them 'get to their business without us'.

He considered the possibility of maybe being insulted, but as soon as they were gone, Nestor launched himself at the Ancestor Gem like a ravenous wild animal at the first carcass that they'd stumbled across. Leon simply joined him in trying to tease out the gem's mysteries, and hopefully, maybe see if it was reproducible…