Bjorn took the lead as they traveled across the valley towards the looming mountain. He had become quite proficient at detecting monsters while he was alone in the Chaos Lands. They weren't moving leisurely, instead they traveled at a pace that would make a horse jealous.
None of them complained. After weeks spent either underground or isolated in hostile lands, the pull of civilization was a powerful motivator.
By the time they reached the far end of the valley, they were well clear of the Chaos Lands proper. The ambient mana had thinned and purified, the familiar taint of corruption fading until it was little more than a memory. The sparse trees gave way to a sharp talus slope, bare stone and loose rock cascading down the mountainside. Each step sent a crunch of gravel beneath Bjorn's weight as they scanned for a route upward.
Climbing a mountain for people with mage bodies would be more an inconvenience than a journey ending alteration. However there was a path that the kobolds said their people used to travel across the mountain range. It didn't take long for Bjorn to spot the start of the path. A thin metal shaft jutted from the scree like a lone toothpick embedded in the mountainside, half-buried but unmistakably deliberate.
"I see the post." Bjorn said, each head contributing a different word in sequence.
It was getting easier on his vocal cords to talk but it was still uncomfortable.
The path itself was narrow, carefully laid with flat stones. Each bore a single rune scratched into its surface. Bjorn paused, studying them, but he didn't recognize the symbols. No one else commented, which told him enough: either they didn't know or didn't care to know.
Beyond the marker, the trail rose into a crude staircase carved into the slope. It was a narrow path made for kobolds who were less than half Tanisha's size. The steps twisted back and forth, disappearing upward into the stone.
Still it would be the safest way up, so while it was awkward they filed behind one another. This time Bjorn in the back as they slowly made their way up.
"No, they aren't crossbows, I told you that." Tanisha said with a loud sigh. "It is a type of weapon that shoots out smaller projectiles and it is loud, like really loud."
She was holding the communication disk and presumably talking with Signe. Tanisha didn't normally have to actually vocalize to use the device. She didn't seem to notice she was speaking. A look of annoyance wrinkled her brow like it was a subject she had talked about in length only to get the same questions.
"You can't get rid of the cartridge! That is holding the powder." Tanisha said incredulously. "In order for it to work each projectile has to be held tightly by the cartridge and the substance ignites pushing the projectile out of the tube."
There was a moment of silence then.
"Yes, I know that explosive magic could work but then it would just be a weird staff. The point of the gun was to give magicless people weapons… uhuh… no it won't work on a trained mage unless the projectile is big and fast. Just wait, we are on the way to the Force Isles. I will give a few to whoever is meeting us there so you can take them apart to study. Just don't look into the tube while it is loaded whenever you get it. I will also leave the formula for the explosive catalyst."
Another pause, this time longer as Tanisha stopped in place. Bjorn felt a series of emotions come through the bond. Disbelief, confusion, and a little bit of uncertainty. She started and stopped a few unintelligible sentences before finally she turned back to look at Bjorn.
"Everything okay?" Fuyumi asked.
"I-uh, well it looks like Aurelius's family aren't the only one we will see in the Force Isles." Tanisha said. "Looks like my former brother and sister are there."
"Oh… oh. The ones that were part of the nobility thing you mentioned?" Fuyumi asked gently.
"Yeah. They aren't there for you right?" Aurelius asked.
"No. Looks like they are going to the academy there for some reason." Tanisha said. "Signe said there was some change of Heir for my family. My little sister defeated my brother and decided she wanted to go to the academy in the Force Isles."
"The academy we have to talk to about the monster tide?" Aurelius questioned.
"Yes." Tanisha said.
"It has to be a coincidence," Fuyumi said.
"I agree," Tanisha said after a moment. "Sorry for holding us up. Let's keep moving."
They resumed their climb, the narrow path forcing them close together. Bjorn lengthened his stride and stepped up beside Tanisha. One of his heads gently rested against her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Bjorn asked.
"Not exactly thrilled about the news," Tanisha admitted, her gaze lowering as her thoughts turned inward. "Maybe we won't even see them."
"Maybe they won't recognize you," Bjorn offered.
"That's true," she said with a faint smile. "I'm a horned, hydra-tailed warrior sage now. That's a pretty big change from the timid person I used to be." She reached up and petted his cheek. "And you've gained a few more heads. My family didn't even know what you were when you only had one. With five, they definitely won't assume you're the same creature."
"If anything happens," Bjorn said quietly, "I'm here Tani."
"I know, Big Man," she replied softly. "I know."
***
The throne room was vast, built to receive both domestic petitioners and foreign envoys from the many nations that passed through the Fort City's trade routes. Its elegance was unmistakably wendigo, not ornate, but deliberate. The space was open, uncluttered, and honest, with uninterrupted sight lines that allowed the ruler of the Domain to observe every approach without obstruction or concealment.
Smooth wooden floors stretched across the chamber, their surfaces plain to the eye. Beneath them, layered enchantments regulated temperature, dampened sound, and lay dormant in defensive readiness, capable of hardening, restraining, or repelling intruders should the need arise. Nothing announced these protections; they did not need to.
The chamber was illuminated by suspended arcane orbs, each one floating in fixed, precise positions. Their pale, steady light filled the room evenly, casting no harsh glare and leaving no corner fully dark. The glow carried no warmth or flame but still responded subtly to movement and presence, as if the room itself were aware of those who entered.
Four massive pillars supported the high ceiling. Upon two hung the banners of House Tujewli, the noble family to whom the First Princess had originally granted the domain. Their presence here was a matter of record, not permanence. The former heir of Tujewli had since been appointed to found a new noble line, and the remaining pillars bore the green banners of House Jewel, marking the transition of authority with wendigo bluntness and clarity.
At the far end of the chamber stood three thrones. One was raised a single step above the others, but none bore the ostentation common to human courts. They were carved entirely from ancient wood, shaped with flawless precision by master wendigo craftsmen. Broad, stable, and immovable, they were built to endure centuries of use rather than to impress at a glance. Arcane sigils ran along the backs and arms, etched so cleanly they appeared grown rather than carved. The symbols pulsed faintly, heavy with layered wards, protections, and the authority to command and activate the enchantments woven throughout the Fort City itself.
Behind the thrones hung the banner of the First Princess, gold and black, stark against the stone and wood. It marked her dominion and her faction, the Visionaries, without flourish or apology. It did not demand attention. It assumed it.
Signe approached the thrones. The two lower seats stood empty, unoccupied and unadorned. The highest throne was claimed by First Princess Sigrun, her posture relaxed but absolute. Thorfinn stood at her left, already deep in quiet discussion with her. Signe took her place at the Princess's right, stopping at a respectful distance.
"It is good that you were able to join us," Sigrun said, her gaze never leaving Signe. "You requested a private audience in this chamber. That suggests what you've uncovered is not trivial."
"Yes, Your Highness." Signe inclined her head. "I believe you will find it… significant. Princess Tanisha is alive. And if we accept her account as truthful, then we are facing existential threats that cannot be ignored."
A notebook appeared in Signe's hand, conjured with practiced ease. She stepped forward and offered it with a bow. Signe remained silent as Sigrun took the book and began to read, turning page after page with measured precision. Only when the Princess paused, one brow lifting slightly, did Signe speak again.
"That is why I said if we take it at face value," Signe continued, skepticism sharpening her tone. "An ancient human civilization, thousands of years more advanced than any known record. The origins of humanity. A war between humans and their True. A long-running machine in their homeland generating the Mana Hurricane. And the presence of two separate True, both contesting the core of that civilization."
"The Monster Tide," Sigrun said quietly. She turned another page, slower now, with something close to reverence. "It sounds impossible, like the oldest tales of our people. The stories our ancestors told of King Hjalmar Kinshalbur, fighting beside the Forest Father during the Liberation from the Stone Druids." Her fingers traced the edge of the page. "The myths of Founding King Hjalmar and the First Warlord Astrid. The settling of Hjalmardalr. I often wondered what it would have been like… to live in an age where legend was still being written."
"Your Highness?" Thorfinn said carefully.
Sigrun looked up.
"This is proof," she said. "Proof that Tanisha is blessed beyond measure." She rose from the throne as she turned another page. "The Visionaries do not predict the future. We prepare for it. And I will ensure she either rules after me… or grows strong enough to kill me and take the crown."
She closed the notebook with finality.
"For now, we prepare. If the Queen of Riots and the Great Serpent are truly walking the world again, then violence and upheaval will follow. Riots always herald change. A Monster Tide will weaken our defenses, and the Druids will not hesitate to exploit that weakness in their crusade for the Holy Land."
Sigrun stepped down from the throne.
"What should we do, Your Highness?" Signe asked.
"Signe," Sigrun said, already moving, "continue your talks with Tanisha. Extract everything you can… carefully, and from her perspective. The trail of her demon adoptive father went cold a year ago. Send additional agents. I want to know why."
She turned to Thorfinn.
"You will remain here as Head Administrator. Keep the Jewel Patriarch in line. He is young and impulsive, but his intentions toward the Domain are sound. Do not let enthusiasm become excess."
"And Freyr Salstar?" Thorfinn asked.
"Two years old is too young for training," Sigrun replied. "He will remain here under the care of the nannies."
"Where are you going?" Signe asked.
Sigrun's expression did not change.
"I am going to end this Holy War, personally," Sigrun said, her voice carrying finality rather than anger. "We cannot afford division with a Monster Tide on the horizon."
"Sig—Your Highness." Thorfinn followed her down from the dais, abandoning protocol in favor of urgency. "You cannot be considering the front lines now. The Jewel Domain is still consolidating. If anything happens to you, the Traditionalists or the Reformers will move to claim it."
"My brother's factions would hesitate before making any attempt on this domain," Sigrun replied without slowing. "The Salstars are bound by a non-aggression alliance. Their son remains here, and they received the Sword of Salstar in return. They will not risk breaking that pact."
She continued calmly, as if reciting logistics rather than discussing civil war.
"The remaining Traditionalists lack the strength to take Lavi before I recover. As for the Reformers," Sigrun paused to think. "Baldur's faction is not worth consideration."
"He may lack noble support," Thorfinn said carefully, "but his influence among the common people is growing rapidly. Faster than expected. In numbers alone, he may already rival us and Arnar."
Sigrun stopped in her tracks.
"Is that so?" Sigrun said.
"Yes." Thorfinn inclined his head. "They are not trained soldiers, but devotion counts for something. He is being called the Most Loved in Creation. His seat of power is already being referred to as the Broad Splendor."
For a moment, Sigrun said nothing. "I see, send additional observers. Quiet ones. I want to know how he speaks to them, what promises he makes, and who listens most closely." She turned away again, resuming her path. "It does not change my decision."