Lady Cnet had waited at the portal to greet us and escort us through the town that had built up around the Sithern and the World Capital. From this point forward there would be no skulking in the shadows, no attempt to hide who I was or what my goals were. I had too many guards with me for something like that.
A platoon of Slaugh, tentacled nightmares of destruction, Roane, Knockers, Kelpie, all those that I had touched, that had made a treaty and joined the Tuatha de Danaan faction had demanded they accompany me as my honor guard.
And I had had to allow it. I was a Ranked King now. And that meant there were certain expectations incumbent upon the position. It would have been as unseemly for me to appear without a protection detail of Powers as it would have been for me to use a skimmer instead of Meala for transportation.
I thought the number of people that had formed part of my guard detail excessive. Hundreds of guards were not a show of Rank, it was a show of force. But Queen Uie finally convinced me that the Seelie and Unseelie would only treat with me if I could display that I had the means and the people to present that show of force.
I had donned armor made of Silinium, well-crafted, and enchanted for my specific archetype. Able to not only withstand the fire and ice that were mine to command but infused with protections that defended against the other elements and affinities. A stylized set of gear that was as beautiful as it was functional. Silinium inlaid with whorls of gold and precious gems that had been laced in runic patterns that boasted of my lineage as well.
The armor should have been useless, nothing but tissue. Silinium, on its own, didn't have the highest tensile strength when hardened and formed, that was part of what made it unique, the ability to be remolded and reshaped. But it's the ability to be enchanted on the micro-level meant that instead of one or two enchantments inscribed on each piece of armor, there were tens of thousands. An interlocking system creating scale armor that supported and empowered one upon the other. Each scale, each link in the chain adding to the power of the enchantment, a microscopic matrix of enchantments that were applied to the armor like the scales of a dragon.
The armor had been part of the King's Regalia I had received as System rewards. It was a feature of the [Necklace of Justice].
[Necklace of Justice]: Part of Kings Regalia: Set Piece (1of 4)
[King's Justice] – When activated, the target will have their rank and level reset to Rank Peon Level 0. Justice is permanent, the target is unable to re-gain lost levels and rank. (Note: Can only be used once.)
Increases all stats +5.
Increases defense +10.
Health regeneration doubled.
*Note: Transformative - The Necklace of Justice had been enchanted to be worn as either a necklace or a Suit of Armor. User restricted to House Teigh or those that possess both Beleros and Cyronax bloodlines.*
(Warning: If [King's Justice] is applied against an innocent target User gains [Despot Debuff]: Faction members lose confidence in User.)
It would have been impossible for anyone, no matter their level of skill to duplicate and create something that had both the versatility and the item's unique ability. [King's Justice] was a powerful temptation, only the limitation of a single-use tempering my idea of using the skill against the entire Seelie and Unseelie Monarchies.
The city seemed well maintained, but I noticed a dearth of guard details. Just as there was no bureaucracy in place to document and control those that made use of the Portal, there didn't appear to be anyone that was patrolling the streets of the capital. The lack of guards was confusing. The Seelie could have increased their presence, even if the Unseelie opposed that idea. At least in those quarters of the city that had been.
That might have been deceptive, magical monitoring was an effective deterrent, and considering the mixing of factions, there was probably more than one system deployed. The Seelie and Unseelie would never trust each other enough to depend on the other for accurate information. It was this distrust that led me to believe the lack of guards was counter-balanced by a magic system, someone was monitoring our progress from a Seelie and Unseelie command center.
Still. They didn't know who we were or what we intended, and the number of people included in my guard detail should have alerted someone that something was happening. Our presence should have triggered a response, at the least a challenge to identify who we were. Instead, we were completely ignored, no challenge was issued, no one asking for our identity or purpose. Not until we reached the demarcation point between city and Sithern did we encounter anyone that might be tasked with protecting the city and the Courts.
And even here the response was laughable. Four guards. Knight Ranked. Two Seelie. Two Unseelie. A token force deployed reluctantly. Any need to worry about the Sithern and its defense long forgotten. The lack of any real conflict between the Seelie and Unseelie had stretched for eons and had allowed an ennui of neglect and complacency to take root.
The Seelie and Unseelie only had four guards posted, because they were certain of their superiority. They were so entrenched, so certain in their belief that the Seelie and Unseelie were Powers that no one would dare confront that they saw no need to guard against any kind of incursion. They had come to believe their own dogma, the propaganda they told their faction members.
They were idiots.
Stolen story; please report.
And if I had intended to attack the Sithern, I would have had a clear path to release destruction that would have been too late to guard against. The only thing standing between me and my retribution was four Knight guards. Four guards that I and my party ignored completely despite their demands; we halt.
We barreled past the insignificant guard station that had been placed before the Sithern instance and transitioned inside. And as we did the Sithern responded, sending out tendrils of awareness to test and taste my intent and mana signature. They had again been negligent. No permissions or restrictions were needed to enter or leave the Sithern. They had not attempted to bar the Tuatha de Danaan faction from entering.
It would have been a wasted effort, I thought. The System had announced the city was being reorganized to allow for a third co-equal Ruler. But they should have set restrictions for exiting. It would have kept my spies nicely trapped inside the Sithern if they had. And it was something System would allow, I discovered.
There was a heaviness, a passage of time that personality from Cathair-bhaile Sithern exuded that Soar didn't. A sluggishness to respond, an almost fatalistic belief and disregard for the people that inhabited its domain. The Sithern felt like it was dying. It was still powerful, but it didn't have the vitality of Soar.
As it tested and tasted my signature it discovered the link between Soar and me. It sent out additional feelers, tweaking those tendrils as it began trying to send emotions and thoughts along the magical connection found.
[Cathair-Bhaile Sithern is attempting to establish handshake protocols to connect with Saor o Shlabhraidhean. Would you like to allow and stabilize this connection?
[Yes/No]
I saw no harm, but I queried Soar first, my Sithern wasn't as emotionally mature as Cathair-bhaile, but emotions of happiness and anticipation were relayed when I made the request. Clicking Yes to allow the communication protocols to form, I was blasted with additional System Prompts.
Prompts that I answered as they appeared.
[You have established communication between Sitherns, would you like to establish direct passage between the two locations?]
[Yes/No]
Yes.
[Would you like to set restrictions on who can use the passage between Sitherns?]
[Yes/No]
Yes. Set restrictions to House Teigh
[Cathair-bhaile has examined the throne room you created within Saor o Shlabhraidhean, would you like to recreate that space in the area set aside for the Aingeal Geamhraidh Monarch?]
[Yes/No]
Yes.
[Cathair-bhaile is failing. New vitality is required or the Sithern will completely cease all functions within one million years. Would you like to donate vitality?]
[Yes/No]
Yes.
Blood calls to blood. It was the most powerful precept for the Sidhe. Blood was used to make the crops grow, to anoint the battle goddess, and to welcome life into the world. And Cathair-bhaile had been denied blood. The ancient covenant between the Sidhe and the Sithern had been forgotten over time. The Seelie and Unseelie too vain to honor a bargain made by their parents, parents, parents.
The flow of blood was a trickle at first. The metaphysical tendrils that had teased and tested my group replaced by brambles, briar, and thorns. Plants meant for protection and weapons pierced our skin and began to draw heavily on our life's blood.
Every member of the Tuatha de Danaan donating life energy and restorative blood. My ability to rejuvenate and regenerate blood was tested, the Sithern so thirsty for the infusion of vitality that is barely controlled the draw. But I endured. Seconds became minutes. Minute after minute, our blood was sacrificed, our gift to Cathair-bhaile accepted.
I activated [Beleros Aura], extending the healing grace, the ray of light the God Beleros first shined on the body of Danu as she and the planet became one. I allowed the aura to blaze at full intensity, determined to allow my people to endure, to sustain the blood loss the Sithern required without a loss of vitality or strength.
And as the infusion of energy and vitality restored those functions that the Sithern had long abandoned, as the power of what a World Capital Sithern should be was restored, the Tuatha de Danaan Gods noticed.
The Pantheon in Sleep stirred in their slumber and blessed Cathair-bhaile once more.
[World Announcement: King Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax has restored and honored the covenant between Sidhe and Cathair-bhaile. The Gods have noticed even in Sleep. Members of Faction Tuatha de Danaan enjoy increased favor within Cathair-bhaile. The Sithern is more likely to respond to their needs, shaping rooms, and shifting passages in gratitude.]
[Faction Announcement - Tuatha de Danaan: Sithern Buff – [Passage] is active within Cathair-bhaile Sithern for all faction members. Sithern will ease passage, transforming walls and hallways to allow for faster travel. (Note- Changes to floor plans are temporary and will return to the previous configuration once passage has been made.)]
Once the last announcement was made, once Cathair-bhaile had slaked its thirst, I tested the connection between the two Sitherns. The link was robust, a harmonious sharing of information. I decided that I would add any Sithern that was formed using the Seedstock from Saor into this network. Cathair-bhaile had been lonely for too long, and I would not see the children of Saor suffer the same fate.
The Sithern satisfied, the thirst for blood and vitality appeased, the tendrils and weapons of the plants were withdrawn. A heady perfume of fresh-turned soil and spring rain filled the passage in the wake of the withdrawal. Motioning to Lady Cnet to continue we discovered exactly what the [Passage] buff meant.
One step was all it took for the halls to move, the walls to fall, the doors to open, and for my entire group to arrive in the dungeon where my people were being kept. I had no intention of petitioning Queen Mab, King Lugh, or Prince Puck for the return of those that were mine. I would deal with the Seelie Court after I had freed and healed my people.
House Teigh would apply a new maxim to be followed as we ruled. Our people were what would make us great, and we would honor their dedication, sacrifice, and travails by remember to rule honorably and justly. The greatest resource for the Ranked were the people. All Sidhe, regardless of faction, were irreplaceable and priceless. We would honor that worth.