“Me?” The concept seemed incomprehensible, mostly because the emperor could have easily done so any number of times. There was no rule against it as far as Dallion knew.

“You’re surprised?” Even while held by the throat, Tors managed to smirk. “You grew too fast, made a deal with the Order of the Seven Moons and took control of the Alliance.”

From that point of view, the emperor’s gears made sense, if it wasn’t for the small detail regarding order of events. Dallion had made a deal with the archbishop back when the Order and the emperor maintained good relations. As for Eury, their union had taken place after the dragon had been sighted. Unless the whole hunt was nothing but a pretext for Tamin to kill off everyone who could challenge him within the empire.

“Who else is after me?” Dallion squeezed harder.

“I don’t know! The emperor called me!” The Elazni struggled, holding on to Dallion’s arm with both hands. “Archduke! He promised he’d make me archduke.”

That much was clear. There was no other way for someone with Tors’ competency to earn the title otherwise.

“All I had to do was make it that you die. The dragon didn’t matter.”

“Sleep!” Dallion ordered. The overwhelming presence of his music skills, combined with his grip round Tors’ throat, quickly made his cousin to lose consciousness.

There was no reason to leave him alive. Anyone in Dallion’s position would have killed off the threat here and now. Still, for better or worse, he had made a promise to Duchess Elazni. He was going to see to it that her great-grandson made it back alive.

Leaving the unconscious noble to the ground, Dallion walked to Abla. The duke had seen better days, his armor covered with blood and scorch marks. Only the dragonblade remained in a flawless state, its surface gleaming, apparently immune to dragon fire.

“You heard that, right?” Dallion asked.

The duke looked at him.

“What’s your level? Your real level.”

“Over a hundred and twenty,” Dallion replied. Killing the great dragon had earned him a new achievement, though not as generous as he had hoped.

“You say it as if it’s nothing. The emperor was right to fear you. Otherworlders are a different breed.”

That was true. Things might well have been different. Dallion always knew that sooner or later he’d have to clash with the emperor, but this made it personal. Now he had no choice but to take matters further.

“Call the rest of your Order,” he said loud enough so that Tors could hear as well. “Take Tors with you and return to the capital. Claim the glory for wiping out the nest. When the ceremony is over and you’re called to have an audience with the emperor, tell him that it’s over. The next time he goes after me, I’m striking back and will rip the Tamin Empire in two.”

Not once did Dallion raise his voice, but the threat was obvious. War had been declared. Because of the nymph threat, Dallion was willing to create the impression that everything was fine—something the imperial capital had done for years. However, he had his limits and, at present, the strength to do something about it.

For a moment Dallion hesitated whether to summon the Moonstone from his realm and break off for Abla. After everything that the noble had been through, he deserved at least as much. Yet, everything given to the empire would sooner or later make its way to the emperor. It was said that only the strong could afford to have principles, so could Dallion afford to keep them?

Dallion extended his arm. The large crystal emerged in it. Without any effort, he broke off a small fragment and tossed it to Abla.

“For the inner sanctum,” he said, then glanced at Tors. “Except him.”

Not waiting for a reaction, Dallion cast a new flight spell, zooming into the sky. The Moonstone was back within his realm, bathing it in orange light.

Veil, Dallion said. Sent a message to the Order.

Which one? The overseer asked.

The Seven Moons. Tell them I want to see the archbishop. In person.

Huh? Why not? The last time an archbishop met, a few hundred sagas were composed to mark the occasion. That was back during the coronation of the second emperor, or maybe the third.

Tell him that I’ll bring him a Moonstone.

Some could call this an attempt at a bribe. They would be very much right. From Giaccia’s memory fragment, Dallion had seen how appreciative the Order was of Moonstones, especially large ones. The treasures were somehow involved in the creation of awakening shrines, and likely a lot more. There was bound to be a positive reaction to the offer, and if not, Dallion had an idea of the grand citadel’s approximate location.

I guess that’s the last we’ll be talking, dear boy, a saddened Adzorg said. I suspect the emperor is already aware of your declaration of war.

It’s not a declaration of war. At least, for now, it wasn’t. And I intend to get you.

No doubt, but might I suggest one thing before you continue down your path of suicidal conquest? Maybe bring back Vihrogon while you have a chance.

I will. For now, I want you to make a Moon vow not to share anything regarding me to anyone.

You’re putting me in a very difficult position. How does one choose between a mentor and an apprentice?

A difficult question, and one Dallion was glad he didn’t have to make.

I vow not to tell either of you anything about the other. The old mage reached a compromise. That should be fair.

You sly old fox, Dallion thought. That way, Adzorg got to enjoy the best of both worlds, at least until it came to actual clashes.

The barren, moss-covered terrain continued all the way to the horizon. Hours passed without change, and no response from the Order of the Seven Moons. Maybe Dallion was indeed a bit too optimistic that they would respond.

One by one, clouds formed in the distance. All of them were white, so that wasn’t a matter of concern. Natural clouds tended to be abundant this far north, even if the imperial furies constantly and persistently removed them from the capital’s skies. In a few minutes, the first signs of anomalous behavior were noticed. All the clouds, large and small, tended to float in one specific direction regardless of the wind—towards the imperial capital.

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He’s barricading the city, Dallion thought.

There was a chance that all this was a reaction to the war, but the timing was too perfect.

Adzorg, I know you vowed not to tell me anything about the emperor, but is there a reason for him to be afraid of me?

As expected, there was no answer.

When it came to traits and equipment, Emperor Tamin clearly had the upper hand. Could it be that there was more about the awakening level than Dallion knew? Given his victory against the dragon, he was tempted to outright attack the distant cloud forts.

No, Dallion thought. He’d have the option after he saw where he stood with the Order. There was a non-zero chance that new alliances might have to be formed, and Dallion didn’t want to burn all his bridges just yet.

Veil, Dallion said as he turned to the east. Any news?

I’ll tell you what Eury told me, the overseer replied. You’ll know when I know.

So, that’s how they want to play.

I know you consider yourself in their good books, but they’ve got a habit of ignoring nobility. For all we know, they might have agreed to it, but it’ll be days before some cleric finally decides to convey their message.

We’ll see about that.

Dallion flew straight down to the ground. Already familiar with the costs and benefits of random domain creation, he knew the pointlessness of establishing a settlement here, or all places. What he had also come to know was that the land of a domain was by far its least benefit.

REALM CREATION

Name the Land you wish to create.

“North Point,” he said.

You have created the Land of NORTH POINT – Level 1.

You have full control of the Land of NORTH POINT.

A reflex dragon has been made the land’s guardian.

Defeat the guardian to change the land’s destiny.

The guardian choice was only slightly ironic, although, given the location, maybe it was normal.

The creature was male—which excluded Aquilequia—and roughly the same size as Dark when Dallion had met the dragonlet for the first time.

PATRON’S INFLUENCE

(+5 Empathy)

You’re the first to create a realm in the north, expanding the influence of your patron Moon. Score for the Green team!

EMBRACE OF FATE

(+2 Empathy)

Your empathic nature has attracted the interest of one of the former inhabitants of the area. Keep in mind that dragons are like cats—they tend to mess things up if you stop paying attention.

The achievements were a welcome surprise. At his current level, Dallion didn’t expect for there to be any left. Accepting them graciously, he waved through the green rectangles, then focused on what he really had in mind. Since the emperor had made the first move, retaining a presence in the capital was no longer warranted.

Reaching out, Dallion grabbed hold of his mansion in the capital and pulled it out. Naturally, he checked to make sure that Taem or the usual gathering of leeches wasn’t there. From the point of view of the local inhabitants, it seemed like the building had vanished even more abruptly than it had appeared, leaving an empty lot behind. Inevitably, there would be days of gossip on the matter, but Duchess Elazni and the emperor were going to see to it that all uncomfortable topics were quickly erased from everyone’s consciousness.

Initially, Dallion had planned to move the building directly to Alliance, then destroy the temporary settlement he had created. After receiving the achievements, he felt compelled to have both remain here. A lone house in a flat moss-covered wilderness was the stuff of horror movies, but it could also prove useful in the long term.

“Flash,” Dallion addressed the dragon guardian, granting him a name. “Take good care of this place.”

The dragon coiled up on the ground, just like a cat would… if a cat had the same scaly features.

“Ready to gain a few levels?”

The instant the question was asked, the dragon flashed into action. Before any red rectangle could appear, it had extended its neck, aiming to bite Dallion’s head off.

The response was even faster. Without the use of weapons, Dallion punched the dragon in the forehead with a spark infused point attack, causing the creature to dissolve into a cloud of orange particles, before reappearing again.

COMBAT INITIATED

TERMINAL STRIKE

Dealt damage is increased by 1000%

Two red rectangles emerged, catching up to events. They were followed by another marking the realm’s improvement to level 2.

“Nice,” Dallion said with the semblance of a smile. “You have initiative.”

Three more clashes followed, each sharing the same outcome. Eager to earn its win, the dragonlet kept attacking several more times with no effect, until Dallion ordered it to stop. Even if only a moment would pass in the real world, this was no time for fun and games.

“Just stay here and protect the house,” Dallion said, petting the underbelly of the now larger creature. “There will be time for more later.”

“Spoilsport,” Flash grumbled, then flew off to the mountain that represented the mansion within the realm.

Dallion suppressed the chuckle as he examined all the monasteries that had been recently given to him. Each had a substantial number of people, though only one held an actual bishop.

In the span of a moment, Dallion moved from the forbidden north to a wooden settlement in the eastern forest. His arrival was marked with a minor scare as he emerged within the monastery’s main prayer hall. Dozens of acolytes jumped to their feet, their emotions ranging between fear of attack and hope that one of the Moons had made an appearance in person.

“I’m going to see the archbishop!” Dallion said in a voice brimming with authority. His focus was a tall thin man in cyan robes, standing right next to an awakening altar. “And you’ll tell me how to get there.”

“Of course, Count Dallion.” The man turned around with the confidence of an imperial tax collector. “A ship is waiting for you on the eastern coast. I’ll lead you to it right after the service is over.”

“A ship?” Dallion didn’t like the sound of that.

“Not what you expected, I’m sure, but the safest way to travel, despite the current tensions. You’ve nothing to worry about. The archbishop has foreseen you reaching the grand citadel safely, just as he foresaw you coming here.”