Gi woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. The feast had been just what he needed to loosen up after their raid into Myshk. He had plans for Igna and they all started with the Assembly that day.

He pulled himself out of the bed in the Control building and saw otters everywhere. The buildings that were here when the Dragon Pike Progenitor had reigned was more than enough to house the current size of his clan, but they'd apparently just fallen asleep wherever they lay.

The only moving otter other than himself was Tiria. She sat at a chair, writing in her notebook. When he walked over, she lifted her head. "Are you prepared for today?"

"As ready as I can be. It all depends on other monsters for now."

"May I ask your plans?

They hadn't had much of a chance to really talk which was a shame since Tiria was his Subgenitor. They should be on the same page. "Of course, I should have told you sooner honestly. It's simple enough.

"Our primary goal is to get more worshippers for Danna and expand our power to do that. We need to increase the number of clans underneath us to increase our gold income and then we need to put ourselves on the next level."

"Next level... You mean a Sky Clan?"

"That's right. That's why the Assembly is so important. I need to see if any other Sky Clans will target us if we start causing waves. I'm hopeful the Faithful will back us, but I won't know more until I can feel it out."

Tiria stared at him and started chewing her lip. "I could start having some of the clan with [Religion] giving classes in the Underbridge?"

Gi smiled. Tiria always had good ideas. "That would work well. You know the budget better than I do. Any ideas that can increase our income or improve Danna's view to the non-believers, let's do them."

She nodded. "I'll think of more ideas, Progenitor."

Gi clapped her fondly on the back and said his farewells. The Assembly was before mid day, but as early as he'd awoken, he still had some time. He headed to the surface, thinking he'd head to Rocky's ahead of time and see what he knew.

That plan was dashed as he saw Krayli waiting underneath the bridge in the grey light of morning. The sky-ocean above still had that heavy rolling quality that it had had for weeks. The beams of light coming out of it moved with its rolling waves, causing the ground to practically sparkle in the low light.

Krayli kicked off one of the pillars of Underbridge and approached him. "You remember our deal?"

Gi rolled his eyes. "I don't think anyone is likely to forget agreeing to kill a god."

"I don't see you doing anything to get us closer to that." Krayli's glare could have cut through an unascended heart, but Gi's Heart of Crossroads didn't even flinch. It didn't hurt that he was a Stage above Krayli now. Gi spread his arms wide to show that he'd become a Classer.

"I've been making myself stronger and building my clan for the goal. What have you been doing?"

A look of disgust passed on Krayli's face, but she didn't say anything for a moment. She hated Gi after he'd killed her adopted father/Progenitor, Hillin. Though, the old golem had asked Gi to do it. He'd also asked him to keep Krayli safe and to kill his god. The golem had asked a lot of him.

With how much she hated him, the promise to keep her safe was starting to chafe, but Gi felt compelled to keep his word to the old golem. Danna had given him the understanding of being a father after all. He could empathize. The killing of his god just happened to align with his goals for Danna. It made it a win-win situation.

Krayli grunted. "I'll be a Classer soon so don't grow complacent thinking I won't kill you. I found the information we needed though. The list of clans who worship Noctua Dominus."

"Which ones? Are any of them strong?"

"You could say that. The first clan is our old friends the Illusory Goblins. Them and the Brain Goblins are Ground Clans under the Angelic Mice. All three worship Noctua."

"The Angelic Mice? Fuck. They're a good resource to have. I doubt many clans will be happy if we take them out. I suppose the list could be worse so-"

"I'm not done." Krayli studied him for a long moment. "The Ash golems are another Ground Clan and they are directly under the Fighting Drakes. Both worship Noctua Dominus."

"The Fighting Drakes... That means..."

"Queen Siht herself is one of our targets."

"Shit..." A silence lingered between the two of them and Krayli's expression turned angry.

"You're not backing out now, are you?"

Gi sighed. He was pretty confident that Krayli would rather have an excuse to kill him than actually try and complete Hillin's goal. As much as Krayli's new information surprised him, it didn't fundamentally change what he'd planned to do already.

"No. Taking over Igna was always the plan. It just might provide complications if Siht takes the stage before we're ready." Gi rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. "It's time we move to the next stage. We need you to start killing random jobbies. Make sure they all feel unsafe in Igna."

"Start?" Krayli snorted with derision. "Where did you think I was hunting? I've killed over a thousand already. Maybe you should start spreading your rumors."

Gi's initial surprise that he hadn't heard of her actions fell away pretty quickly. Igna was huge and monsters spawned in every few seconds. A thousand was just a handful among compared to that. "I can do that. Maybe make the next ones as gruesome as possible so it gives monsters something to point to and fear."

Krayli grunted. "Yeah, all right." She glared at him for a moment and then walked away without another word. Gi was starting to question if keeping his word to Hillin was really worth the effort of working with her. Having someone outside of the clan for this step was convenient though.

Gi looked up to try and gauge the time, but it was difficult to tell with the dark, rolling waves of the sky-ocean that continued to disrupt the light. Getting there early is better than being late he supposed so he rushed ahead. Like usual the Commons and the Bazaar were a flurry of activity with monsters everywhere.

He arrived at the Fort, its thick brick walls butting up to an overhang before opening up into the clear sky. Some goblins guarded the gate, one of which was Classer by their size, and it reminded him of when he first met Jalx here. After drinking with Doyle, he was feeling a bit more reminiscent about that meeting, but he didn't have time for that now.

Captain Mesano, the chimera type monster, watched over a group of giant toucans that had netting wrapped around their torsos. The toucans were talking animatedly between each other, but Gi knew his bus when he saw it. He walked over to the group and Gi noted that Writ, the Brain Goblin, that worked for Captain Mesano was there as well.

As a follower of Noctua Dominus, he'd need to die.

"Progenitor of the Underbridge Clan!" Captain Mesano's voice boomed across the fort and a few jobbies stopped their training to look at him. "Your rise has been swift! Good work on taking out the Ferrous Clan and carving a place for yourself. The First One favors the strong."

"Thanks," Gi said. Talking with Captain Mesano was always a chore. "I'm heading to the Assembly. Can you give me a lift?"

"OF COURSE!" Mesano yelled then added quieter. "Writ, handle it."

The Brain Goblin took a note before pointing to one of the giant toucans. "Svelt, take the Progenitor to the Assembly Hall."

The toucan in question did a strange side shuffle before doing a side bow with his wing at Gi's feet. "Howdy, my lord. I can take you right up there straightaway."

Gi shook his head and then hopped up onto the toucan's back, crouching low and keeping one hand on the net with his good hand. Svelt waddled forward before jumping much higher than Gi would have expected and then its giant wings beat once, catching their descent and sending waves of wind pushing through the courtyard of The Fort.

Two more beats and they cleared the Fort and were flying outside of Igna proper. Svelt flew out and then circled back in. Gi was sure that the monster was jabbling to him, but he couldn't understand him over the wind. Besides, Gi's attention was completely upon the Flight Tiers.

The lowest tier that could be reached only by air was The Breeze. This housed the barracks of the Fighting Drakes and it was almost completely controlled by Siht's faction. Even now, the dragonlike monsters flew in and out of the The Breeze constantly.

Svelt kept them outside of the bulk of the Fighting Drakes and up towards the next tier - The Sky. Whereas the Breeze and most of the ground tiers were rough and monochrome, the Sky was anything but. Gleaming towers dotted every inch of the tier, each of them tipped in a dazzling display of various gemstones. Instead of the red bricks that many of the buildings below were made of, these were made of a light grey stone instead. He knew that The Sky was where the wealthiest clans or those in favor lived. He expected that to be where they stopped, but Svelt continued on.

There were only two tiers left in Igna and the former volcano had narrowed upward. The Sun was the second to last tier and it housed a giant colosseum of pillars in that same grey rock that the towers below were made of. The colosseum took up the majority of the tier, but Gi could see a few other buildings that were tucked into the side as well as entrances into the mountain itself.

The last tier was the Throne. Whereas the last two tiers looked rich and almost gaudy, the Throne was not. It might have looked like one of the circular hives from the Commons if it wasn't a hundred times the size. The entrance to it was huge, but an unnatural darkness clung about the entrance to the cavern and Gi couldn't quite see inside.

Before he could try to make out anything in the gloom, Svelt banked again, aiming directly for The Sun. He landed at a set of stairs that led up into the Colosseum proper and only now staring up at it, could Gi tell how large it truly was.

Gi leapt off and Svelt waddled to the side. "I'll just wait on over there for you, my lord."

"Good talk...," Gi said and then headed up the stairs. From the top of the stairs, he could see that the Colosseum funneled to the center area. At the lowest level were cushions where some monsters already sat or lounged nearby. Gi didn't have all the Ground Clans memorized, but since he could see both the larged headed Brain Goblins and the mottled coloring of the Illusor Clan goblins, he knew that's what they were.

Surrounding the lowest platform was a raised dais where there were seven places for each of the Sky Clans. Three of these had steel chairs, three had large cushions, and the last simply had a giant log that was elevated by a steel column. None of these were occupied.

Outside of the center, other monsters wandered about, many of those seeming to be retinue of those already here, prepping to sit in the stands that surrounded the center space. Gi was about to make his way down to wait when a kobold wearing the distinct white mask with painted red claw marks of the Faithful stepped up to him.

"Kukdi,"Gi said, providing the sign of the Mother. It was difficult to tell from behind the mask, but Gi could tell the kobold was appraising him. Kukdi nodded.

"It's good to see that you're no longer an Adolescent. Having such among the Ground Clans was an embarrassment."

"...Thank you?" Gi said, not sure how to take the compliment and insult.

"It was simply an observation. The First One values power. Always." Kukdi again stared down at him and Gi decided to simply wait with only a small glance towards the Colosseum where he'd be expected. "Do you have your tithe for the Faithful?"

Though it grated on him, Gi withdrew the pouch that contained the gold he'd received from Galvina. "Of course."

Kukdi took the pouch from him and opened it up, shaking the contents around, before stowing it inside his blood red robes. "If this isn't a hundred gold, there will be consequences."

Gi hadn't considered counting out the gold, but if Galvina was to be believed, she wanted him to take over all of Igna so he doubted that she'd stumble over a simple task. "It's there."

Kukdi grunted and then looked towards the Colosseum which had filled with the rest of the Ground Clan as they'd spoken. "It's time."

The kobold left and Gi hurried down towards the Colosseum and took the only open place which was, of course, beside the Illusor Clan. Like all of his clan, the Progenitor had the mottled white and black skin except the colors of the Progenitor were somehow richer. The colors seemed to meld between the other almost like camouflage made for a world of static instead of the monochrome red of Igna.

The Illusor Progenitor spoke with a barely constrained sneer. "Gi, Progenitor of the Underbridge Clan. Owner of the late Ferrous Clan's bordello and breeding site as well as providing protection to merchants, brickmakers, cleaners, spies, tunnels, and runners. The only difference from Ferra's meager holdings being the lack of butchers due to a certain monster's lack of control."

After learning that the Illusor Clan worshipped Noctua Dominus, it didn't surprise Gi to have his clan's affairs spelled out so plainly especially by his technical rival in business. "And all I see is another goblin among many."

The Illusor Progenitor grit his teeth at Gi's casual racism and he had to hide back a smile. Goblins were seen as little more than fodder by most of Igna's other residents and it appears Gi's instinct that such a fact might be offensive to this one was true. "Only an idiot wouldn't recognize a clan rival. I am Yultir of the Illusor Clan, the most profitable clan for breeding in all of Igna! Knowledge is power, Gi."

Yultir emphasized his name as though he had the upperhand by knowing his opponent. The goblin wasn't completely wrong, but Gi wouldn't let him know that. "No, power is power. Only weaklings think otherwise."

His words echoed something that Kumo had said recently to the twins and it seemed appropriate here if for nothing else than to get under the goblin's skin.

Gi turned his head, but not before seeing Yultir grit his teeth again. Perhaps the Progenitor was intelligent, but his emotions were the primary driver. Thinking back to The Father yelling at the dopey follower when his fish had died, Gi understood that he would have found the goblin's display pathetic.

Before Yultir could snap back, the Sky Clans arrived.