_________________________________________

Leo

As Leo watched the group of cowed trespassers fly off into the distance, he couldn't help but chuckle, as hopefully the corroboration of more than fifty dragons could properly deliver a message.

Fel sauntered exaggeratedly up to him with an expression of smug satisfaction, while her tail traced its tip along the ground purposefully. “So, now that you've successfully repelled the council's strike force with their tails between their legs, I think you've promised something to put between mine.” She said while biting her lip and tracing a finger across his chest.

“How long were you holding on to that one…” He questioned with a judgmental tone, deadpanning at the obviously practiced and forced act.

She immediately dropped the act and threw her hands up in frustration. “Four months and you just fucking ruin it! Can't you just go with it for once?” She scolded the very blunt man.

Leo crossed his arms and scoffed, letting his staff aimlessly float in the air next to him. “You mean like how you did with my saddle bit? Because if I recall, you burst out laughing the moment I was done.” He finished while giving her a critical look.

The dragoness couldn't suppress a snicker at the memory. “Okay, to be fair, it was pretty funny.” She remarked defensively.

The comment drew out an over exaggerated offence from him. “Funny? To who, the saddle? It was meant to be a-” He lost all the will to argue at her unrestrained laughter. “You know what? Puddle time.” He finished while lifting Fel up into his arms, and the giggling dragon snuggled into his hold as they skated back to his home, his staff following close by.

Before the two even got to the porch, they were stopped by one of the noble's entourage, resulting in the human groaning irritably. “Lord Leo, I am a messenger for her highness, Anasslia Cobri the Eleventh. Her majesty requests your audience at Selaria's capital to discuss the demands you have put forward.”

The annoyed man furrowed his brow as his passenger huffed impatiently in his arms. “I thought that the queen had no real authority? How would she ever enforce the dissolution of the nobility?” He questioned with a little confusion, remembering that the monarchy in Selaria were supposed to be figureheads.

“I regret to inform you that I am a simple messenger, but if I had to guess, due to the total trade collapse, we are going to be experiencing our worst winter yet. The worst estimate is that a tenth of our population dies, and seeing as how the nobility has thus far failed to persuade you, I believe her grace wishes to take matters into her own hands before the worst does come to pass.”

The scope of oncoming death elicited grimace from him. ‘A tenth, seriously? I really don't have much of a choice then... Hopefully the queen is someone competent, or this might just be another attempt to kill me...’ Either way it was a good opportunity to move things along, rather than have them send another overly ambitious idiot and have tens of thousands needlessly die.

Fel sighed, leapt out of his arms, and twirled around to face him. “I think we both know what you have to do. So we'll have to hold off on our engagement…” She said with a tinge of disappointment that he felt in equal measure.

Suddenly both mentally and physically frustrated, he let out a long and resigned breath before snatching his staff out of the air. “Yeah I know. It's best to deal with this first, too many lives, and the nobles obviously don't give a damn.” He paused to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“I thought that they would send at least one noble who would see past their own title, but I was wrong. Surprise surprise, the majority rules when trying to keep power, so they won't send anyone like that until their own small territories start revolting en masse, and by then I'd be surprised if half the kingdom is still alive to see the end of it… Damn...”

A somber expression crossed over his partner's features before she perked back up. “Well, seeing as how you're leaving Telnar, I think it's best that I stay to watch over the town, and you can even launch your first deployment of the sentries in case those dragons come back. Doesn't matter if it's over a thousand, that weapon you made can even let a peasant kill one, and we've had a few weeks to train a portion of the guard to use it.”

He gave her a simple nod, as not much more needed to be said between the like minded individuals, before turning his attention to the heavily dressed messenger. “Alright, I'll accompany you back to the capital tomorrow, I need to prep some things today before I leave. You all can sleep in the servants quarters, not even half the rooms are occupied, so just pick one for the night.”

…

Leo was flying over to the town that was beginning to grow into a prosperous trade city, after telling Fel to fill in Elaria and everyone else about his hopefully little trip.

‘I'll ask Elaria if she wants to come along when I get back, but she probably wouldn't want to leave me alone for that long anyway. I think my first stop should be the base to fill in Sel and Vesta, then I will see if Allis can come along, since she would know how to properly deal with the people there. Hopefully she'll be the scalpel to my very blunt stick.’ Sel, the selarin leader of Telnar, had not been too subtle with how impulsive he was in that regard. Which was fair…

‘After that is the hotel. I need to ask Kesl for rations. It would be dumb of me to trust anything to eat over there, because I don't feel like dying from poison. Oh right, I also need to inform the guild, so we can start supplying aid to Selaria's people when a deal is made. Hopefully it's an uneventful trip.’

A frown crept across his face as he started to approach the city.

“Why do I feel like I just tripped another event flag…”

_________________________________________

Sel

Paperwork. Paperwork. And more paperwork!

Sel had been in a near continuous paper sea of trade deals, law enactments, zoning approvals, supply requisitions, resource management, ambassadorial requests, general information updates, and even hordes of marriage requests, many from high status women asking her to join their family.

Now though?

A prideful smile crossed the dull yellow scaled selarin's face, as for the first time in weeks, she had finally managed to clear her desk of the offending stacks of what Leo called bureaucracy. That smile soon faded as another stack was brought into her office, and she slumped back into her chair in total defeat while staring at the small tower in front of her.

“Gods, fine, I should take Leo's advice and delegate specific work to a… Now what did he call it again?” She thought aloud in complete resignation, as a chuckle sounded from the doorway.

The man in question walked in at an irritatingly perfect time. “It's called a cabinet, and yes you definitely need one. Actually I'm shocked that you've managed to go this long without one.” He remarked while leaning against his floating staff.

Utterly defeated, she sighed and rubbed a hand across the scales on her head. “Alright I admit it, you were right. I wanted to carry the burden, but this is way too much work for a single person. I think my scales are even starting to flake from the stress.” She paused to glance over at Leo, who looked a little sympathetic.

“But I get the feeling that this isn't simply a friendly visit with you being two days early for your usual check in.” She sighed. “Guess that means I'm not going to be relieving some stress either.” She finished by casually gesturing for him to speak.

Leo let out an exhausted breath and leaned off his staff. “Yeah, I'm taking a trip to Selaria's capital. Got an invite from the queen and I figured that it's about time to get off my ass to finally deal with them, before too many innocent people start dying from their thick headed rulers.” He remarked a little bitterly.

Sel huffed in amusement, the idea of him dealing with those entitled nobles bringing a smile to her face, which morphed into a frown when she remembered the reason she had been side lining all of them to Leo to begin with. “I was wondering if you were just going to hold up in your estate forever. You did say that you would help with dealing with other kingdoms, and assist me in hammering out a proper government.” She ended with an irritated glare directed at him, because a non-monarchical system was his idea, one that she agreed with.

The human crossed his arms. “Hey, it's only been a few months, and if I recall, you keep shooting down my ideas for the election system.” He said defensively.

She let out a groan and leaned back in her chair. “That's because these campaign's would belittle and trivialize serious issues, turning the whole process into a spectacle. Don't get me wrong, I still want the people to have a hand in choosing, but not like that.”

The man opened his mouth, probably to argue a point, but after a pause he clacked his jaw with a wince. “You… May have a point… Anyway, I want you to deploy the sentries while I'm gone. I'm hoping that I will only be for a few days, but it's better to be on the safe side, especially after I sent over fifty dragons packing.” He explained casually.

Sel closed her eyes and sighed. “Right, I'll fill out the order aft-” She cut that sentence short and shot up from her desk in shock. “Wait, what do you mean fifty dragons!?”

A crooked smile accompanied his smug expression. “Well, I had to kick a dragon strike force off my lawn before coming here, but Fel will fill you in on the details, because I need to get a few other things done today. And don't worry too much about it, since we have more than enough firepower to deal with even larger problems.” He paused to turn on his heel and leave. “I'm heading out tomorrow morning. I'll let you get back to work. Bye!” He finished as quickly as he left.

The office was silent as Sel was still stuck on processing what he said.

“Over fifty!?”

_________________________________________

Vesta

If someone told Vesta five years ago that she would be the general of an army that serves a small independent territory that seceded from Selaria, she would have put down the fifth mug of ale she was on and called them drunk.

Yet, at this very moment, she was both ecstatic and upset, because she had been wanting to use her new found position to start liberating town's all across Selaria. But that feeling was more emotional than smart, as there would be way too big a mess to deal with afterwards.

Therefore she would be resigned to having her troops continue to protect the nearby villages, patrol the border, and assist in the town's expansion by constructing more infrastructure. That last one was Leo's idea, as it would keep her soldiers busy, give them the labor to keep in shape, make them invested in their new home, and let them earn a little more coin from the guild. Which was a great idea, as her previous army of a couple hundred grew into thousands of fresh faces, all looking for work from Selaria's mass exodus.

She had to admit that the little thorn was growing on her, and if she was a little younger she might have tried to take a shot at him. But those days were well behind her as she had more important things to dwell on. Or that is what she would say if she wasn't stuck in her office with nothing to do, as everyone already had their orders, and things were usually solved before they reached too far up the chain of command.

The large selarin let out a sigh as the boredom weighed on her mind. “Maybe I should check up on the patrols, or the construction efforts on the fortress, might want to make sure that they are following that strange star shape design… Very practical for range though.” She thoughtfully mused as there was a knock at the door, and she called for them to enter.

Leo walked in with his staff, something that Vesta noticed he did whenever he was going around working, probably for show considering how he literally ripped Rak a new one without it. “What's the problem now, little thorn?” She ended with a smirk.

An equally playful expression crossed his face. “Well, yes and no, major.” He finished smugly.

The old soldier frowned at the title, but was unable to deny it, because with how many were under her command, he was technically right. “Alright let's hear it. What strange new thing are you bringing into our world?” She questioned with an exhausted breath, as her army had been divided up into many civilian jobs. Not a great position if they were to be attacked, but it was more than needed to speed the small city's development.

Leo shook his head. “None today, came by to tell you that I'm heading to Selaria's capital. Someone worth a damn is willing to talk, so I'm off to try and work out a deal so people don't starve, and I can start dealing with other kingdoms without having that issue in my backyard.”

Vesta winced and gave him a pitiful look, knowing how those kinds of negotiations could go. He could either be gone for just a few days or a few weeks, dealing with certain types. “I do not envy you… I'll raise the number of patrols then, I assume you have that communication orb from the guild, so if something happens we'll have time to call for you to get here. Has Fel taught you teleportation magic yet?”

Leo let out a nervous chuckle while looking away shyly, reminding her of Fel when the dragon had neglected certain tasks by Yez when they first met. “Well… We may have been a little busy with…other activities…” He answered sheepishly, while the end of his staff seemed suddenly more interesting to him.

Vesta let out a disapproving groan, seeing that the demeanor also matched the reason. “You've had months t-” She stopped herself from scolding him and sighed, as it would be a waste of effort. “Never mind, thanks for the heads up. I won't keep you since I assume you have a few other things to get done before you go. Just check in when you're back.” She finished with a dismissive wave of the hand and he gave her a mock salute before leaving.

‘Even after seeing it, I still can't believe he's as powerful as a god…’

_________________________________________

Kesl

Kesl missed the slow and quiet mornings at his inn, but he would be a liar if he didn't say he felt like he was on top of the world with how successful he was, and it was all thanks to Leo.

His little friend bought out the adjacent buildings, expanded them, and helped connect them to the inn, giving him the space to house and serve a few hundred patrons. The connections also massively expanded the first floor, so he could serve just as many in the now go-to restaurant of the small city. But such a massive increase in capacity meant he needed more hands and more kitchen equipment, which Leo was again more than happy to provide, along with even more delicious recipes.

This time Kesl demanded that Leo take a cut of the inn's profits, as he wouldn't accept that much generosity without paying it back somehow. But even though Leo relented, he told him to just give the cut to the town coffers, which would eventually make its way back to him as the town grew into a proper city.

Currently, Kesl was manning the bar of the new and exclusively alcoholic section of his hotel, as Leo called it, and was serving a variety of beer, ale, wine, cider and mead. ‘It may be a little more crowded, but at least I'm doing what I love.’ He mused to himself as a familiar face took up a seat at the bar.

The partially cloaked figure used his magic to pull a glass from off the shelf, and then used more magic to fill it with water and ice. “Nothing beats a refreshing glass of haych-to-oh.” He remarked with a smirk before taking a sip of the cooled drink.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Kesl barked a laugh as he crossed his arms, his muscles flexing naturally at the action. “I can take a guess about what you're referring to, but since you don't like the harder stuff, you should at least try some of the wine I've recently stocked.” He offered the unusually abstinent summon.

A resigned sigh escaped the younger man as he set down the glass. “Maybe next time. I have…duties that I need to attend to, and being inebriated would only inhibit my sharp focus.” He finished with a high and mighty act, but a crooked smile broke through the small performance.

A slightly judgmental expression crossed over Kesl's face as he looked down at his close friend. “Oh? Do those duties involve fucking multiple women into comas?”

“No…” Leo let out an awkward cough. “Not this time at least…” He muttered. “Anyway, I'm here to ask for provisions. I'm going to Selaria's capital to negotiate with the queen, and I don't trust that whatever I ate wouldn't be poisoned. I'll need something that's long lasting, so probably some dried foods. Don't know how long I will be gone, so pack me something that will last me at least two weeks.”

The large selarin grimaced at some unpleasant memories surfacing, of scraping by in the less wealthy part of Selaria's capital. “The queen huh? Good luck with that, but I hope for your sake that your time there doesn't last long, because the capital has a lot more to be worried about than the high-class nobles and royalty. The slums are a lot larger than most would want to admit, and those whose hands control that city call it home. Work out a deal quickly if you don't want to be caught up in something else.” Kesl warned with genuine concern, his little friend arching a brow at the cautioning information.

“Okay. Duly noted. Moving on to a less ominous subject, how are you doing here by the way? Seems like things are still going smoothly.” He inquired earnestly.

Kesl snorted, as such a small description didn't come close to properly illustrating the immense success of his hotel. “Ship is filled with merry men and piles of gold, but you might want to check in with Tissa at some point. She has been going through those men faster than she could care to admit, I'm pretty sure you ruined the poor girl.” He intoned with pity for the young woman.

The human frowned deeply and scratched the stubble on his face. “Remind me when I get back to give her a magic wand, and before you ask, no it's not an actual magic wand.” He finished with a snicker.

The titan of a man joined him with a deep bellied laugh. “Oh I've heard the rumors about those and your fapkins.” He gestured for one of his employees to start packing Leo's provisions. “We're a little busy at the moment and I don't want you to leave with something hastily put together. I want to go over it myself, so stop by in the morning and pick it up before you go.” He finished with a prideful overtone, before they said their farewells for the day.

Kesl's expression became a little grim as he watched Leo exit the inn.

‘If you thought the massacre was bad, then I pray to the gods that you stay out of the slums...’

_________________________________________

Sciesch

Sciesch was handing over more schematics for the city in the merchants guilds lobby. The design styles were mixed, as many of her people were making the move to Telnar, and a few selarin's wanted the exterior design of a tiefling because of Leo's preference. She also became accustomed to selarin architecture, which gave her a near constant amount of work as she had been creating sketch after sketch to sell to the city as it continued to rapidly expand.

As she noticed her kind start to pop up in the town with a little more frequency, she could only assume that they were either spies or fanatics that were looking to see Leo. The Archive was still, and probably always will be, an object of desire for her people. And with the arrival of an actual human summon, it's no wonder that many of her people are starting to make the move here.

An amused smile crossed her face. ‘Even though Leo matches the level of power they preach, he actively hates the fact that people see him as an actual god. I still can't get over seeing a few of them groveling at his feet, and the agitated and embarrassed look on his face when he tried to explain the truth to them, only for them to start worshiping even harder.’ She thought with a slight giggle, before noticing a familiarly cloaked figure entering the guild.

Having grown particularly close to the human in more than one way, a mischievous smile drew across her face as she snuck up on him in a vacant hall to spook the situationally unaware man.

He jumped three feet into the air, and she couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. “Damn it! Stop doing that!” He demanded of the giggling misfit.

The tiefling held down her amusement long enough to retort. “Hey, you're the one sneaking around like you're still hiding from the dragons.” She snickered, while the top of her tail curled in self satisfaction.

The other-worlder pinched the bridge of his nose, and groaned irritably. “Seriously, do all tieflings get like this after they've fucked someone?” He questioned disbelievingly.

Sciesch leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek. “Doesn't have to be from sex, we tieflings just let our hair down with those we've become accustomed with. Though due to our true personalities being very far from our more professional front, we rarely seek relationships with other races. We act dignified and respectful to those we've just met, or have a passing acquaintance, but when we pull a one-eighty we get left high and dry.”

Leo gave her a critical once over before he smirked and ruffled a hand through her hair. “I'm okay with anything else but the jump scares, and I'd like to point out that it's not the smartest idea to do that to someone who could kill said dragons with little effort. I did just send fifty of them packing earlier today.” He told her as she finally swatted his hand away.

Fixing her messy hair, Sciesch gave him a devilish grin. “Oh I can think of plenty of other things to do, but most of them involve the bedroom and my tail…” She said in a sultry tone while taking a step forward.

Taking a step back, Leo looked at her with apprehension. “I told you before, that back door is a one way street.” He remarked while eyeing her tail distrustfully, and Sciesch let out an impish giggle as she swayed it playfully.

Visibly shaking the uncomfortable thought from his mind, he seemed to recall why he was at the guild in the first place. “Right, well I'm here to check in before I leave for Selaria's capital to negotiate, so you're going to have to wait until I get back for any more fun.” He told the feisty woman, who bit her lip and darted their head to either side of the hall.

Sciesch stepped forward to wrap her arms around Leo, and kissed him deeply before leaning into his ear. “Well then you're going to have to take me back to your place for the night, because I want a little taste before you go.” She finished with a bite of his ear, and as the corner of her lip sharpened he seemed to realize her attempt to snake something down the back of his pants.

Leo quickly grabbed the unwelcome intruder, eliciting a sound between a moan and a squeak from the impish woman. “Exit. Only. And alright you can send me off, but just so you know, you'll have company. You're not the only one who wants a piece before I go.” He finished before she gave him another peck on the cheek and left to get her equipment.

‘Gods I'm glad I took his job!’

_________________________________________

Kessa

Kessa was in her office going through deal after deal, making edits or approving them before sending them back out.

Shortly after the massacre, the guild found itself with a destroyed branch, one employee, and a ban on slavery in the region. But none of that mattered to them in the slightest, because as far as they were concerned, those were acceptable losses in the face of doing all they could to trade with a summon.

In fact they were so generous, the last word one would ever associate with the guild, that they offered to aid, yet another unfit word, in the development of the town turned city.

As for Kessa and the branch itself, she was put in charge of it and given full authority in how to manage the branch, minus the slave collar. She knew the promotion wasn't because she was the last one alive, but for being close to Leo, as well as making the first deal with him in the first place.

But even though the promotion was mostly an opportunistic move by the guild to get into Leo's good graces, Kessa made the most of it by making deal after deal to prove to herself that she was worthy of the position, and to honor its previous holder.

‘Pursue. Profit. Prosper.’ She sighed at the thought just as her receptionist peeked into her office.

The young selarin wore a nervous expression. “Um, miss Kessa. Lord Leo is here to speak with you.” She told her hesitantly, Kessa giving her employee a simple nod.

The skilled arch-mage was sitting on the side of his staff as he floated into her office. “Your waiting area sucks.” He remarked bluntly.

Kessa wore an amused expression as she sat up, swaying her hips seductively while walking around the desk. “Considering that almost everyone else would need to schedule an appointment, there's not much of a point in making it overly comfortable.” She sat on the edge of her desk. “But I assume you didn't come by just to complain about our, accommodations.” Her dress tightened around her filling figure as she swung a leg wide over the other

Leo's gaze wandered over the provocative woman, who smirked at the attention. “You are correct as always. I'm heading to Selaria's capital tomorrow to work out a deal, and if all goes well, then I want this branch to start facilitating aid to the crippled kingdom. Paid for, of course.” He explained while exaggeratedly leaning forward on his floating staff to get a better view of her, playing into the simple game of tension that they both enjoyed.

Leaning back to prop herself up by her arms, her dress shirt strained to hold back her generous endowments. “Aw, how kind of you. A good boy like you deserves a reward for being so kind.” She paused for a few moments to give him a good show, but then let out a disappointed sigh. “It's too bad we don't have the time for it.” She finished while straightening herself up, much to his disappointment as well.

The human slumped on his staff and let out a resigned sigh. “I would ask you to join me tonight, but you prefer alone time with a partner, something that I definitely can understand.” He paused to hop off his staff and compose himself. “On a more professional note, how's my commission coming along? It should have been done by now, or is at least close to.” He inquired with a vested interest.

Kessa slid off the desk and walked back behind it to pull out some papers. “Yes, it's done and will be delivered to your estate…or you can pick it up at our makeshift depot. Also I just remember that I have a personal request from the guild.” She paused to read over one of the sheets. “Alright, they just want to recommend a new name for the pleasure-chiefs, as the name seemed a little plain for their higher class clientele, and the popularized fapkin name is too crude.” She let out a chuckle at the absurdity of it.

Leo snorted, being as equally amused while he tried to stifle a laugh. “I'd happily toss a gold coin to whoever came up with that one. Well what is it, can't be any better than mine or the people's.” He remarked with a bit of a crooked grin.

“It seems like they've also paired it with a motto, it's called The Mastur-Chief brought to you by the merchants guild, because we know what the ladies like.” She finished with an unimpressed tone.

Leo started laughing uncontrollably.

‘Am I missing something?’

_________________________________________

Allis

Allis was at the city's newly built hospital, overseeing its organization, and giving lessons on medical practice to those who were relatively new to medicine.

When she heard about the hospital, she was determined to have a hand in helping, because after the massacre she felt a new hollow feeling grow within her, completely unrelated to Taipa. She knew that it was partly because of the loss of her friend, but she also felt an intense need to aid those injured, especially after healing all those after the massacre. She just felt the need to help all those she could, a feeling that she thought was long dead after all that she'd been through over the years.

The healer had recently finished a mock demonstration on a few things that Leo taught her involving the heart, that there was a short window in which it could be artificially restarted using a technique he taught her called CPR. He really was a wealth of knowledge, though he warned her to keep much of what he taught her to herself.

‘If he didn't tell me how medical magic could be used to cause even more damage than it could heal, then I would have argued against hoarding such life saving information. But after using it that way myself… I completely understand the need.’ She mentally recalled with a grim expression as she slithered down the halls to check on some patients, but blinked in surprise when she saw Leo skating toward her.

The unbelievable man exaggeratedly slid to a stop just in front of her. “Evening Allis. How's it going?” He asked so casually that she couldn't help but chuckle at the display.

She smiled warmly at the only person she held as close to her heart as her sister. “I'm doing fine, how are you? It's been a week, so I assume you're here to check up.”

Leo sighed and shook his head with a beat expression. “Was doing fine earlier today, but had to deal with some rude trespassers, and now I have to go to the Selarin capital tomorrow. Need to finally try and work something out before lots of people start dying, which is the reason I'm here. As you may have noticed, when it comes to high noble etiquette, I tend to take the straight road every time. I'm going to need a chaperone who knows these people, and would stop me from causing a diplomatic incident in the middle of another kingdom's capital. So I hoped that you could fill the roll, if you're not too busy.”

Perking up a bit, Allis nodded with vigor, as not seeing each other for over a week made her more than willing to put up with any noble if it meant spending some time with him. “Of course, I'd love to accompany you. I've just about finished establishing seniority, so things should more or less run smoothly without me now. Though I have to check around the hospital before I go, so just pick me up tomorrow.” She agreed happily, the tip of her tail swaying at the prospect.

Leo smiled as he stepped onto solid air so he could give her a peck on the cheek. “Then wait for me at Kesl's bar, I'm going there to pick some stuff up before leaving, so you can have breakfast before you go.” He finished before stepping back and skating away.

Allis smiled as he turned a corner, but felt something in her gut slightly sink for some reason.

_________________________________________

Leo

Leo walked outside the hospital to see that Sciesch was still perched on his floating staff. “So, are you done?” She asked curiously, but her tail whipped a little impatiently, drawing out a chuckle from him.

‘So much for good natured.’ He thought disappointedly, but after learning that the tieflings weren't a race created by the gods, coming from beyond the hell rift, then their demonic appearance and tendency toward an impish behavior with friends made a lot more sense.

It killed some of his initial checked boxes though...

“Nope. Got one more stop, then we'll head back.” He answered as he pushed himself up into the air, while pulling her along with him.

…

The two flew across Telnar till they arrived over a massive depot just outside the developing city, and he only had to glance over the area once to make out where his order from the guild was. A grin appeared across his face as he pulled them both down to his new future method of travel.

They landed next to a small mastless ship that was bottom capped with a sheet of metal, and had two long metal supports that ran along the bottom to prop it a foot off the ground.

“A ship?” Sciesch questioned as she hopped off his staff.

Leo spun on his heel to face the confused looking tiefling. “A schooner to be more precise! As well as my new way of traveling to other kingdoms.” He ended with utter delight.

The tiefling tag along looked at him with an even more confused expression. “You do know that most kingdoms are landlocked, Right? Including Selaria and Telnar?”

The man stared blankly at her and simply gave his floating staff a nod, and he could visibly see her make the connections. “You're going to travel on a flying ship!” She yelled in amazement.

A crooked smile crossed his face as he lowered his staff to step onto, before giving her a short bow. “I would like you to accompany me back to my estate madam, we do have a schedule to keep and I would hate to leave you behind.” He remarked humorously while offering her a hand.

Sciesch went wide eyed for a moment before she took on a whimsical personality. “Well, my lord! I would be delighted to board your vessel on its maiden voyage back to your home.” She paused as she took his hand and stepped up next to him on the floating wooden prop. “I hope it's as captivating as people say.” She ended with an expecting look as they were lifted onto the ship.

Leo stepped off the staff and onto the soon to be airship, and offered another hand to Sciesch. “My lady, the home just barely matches its brilliantly creative architect in alluring beauty.” He paused to kiss her hand as she daintily stepped onto the deck. “But…” He trailed off and pulled her into a close embrace, looking into her faintly glowing yellow eyes.

“She's also kind of a child.” He finished bluntly, as he grabbed a potential intruder from behind.

Sciesch huffed at her plan being foiled so abruptly. “I'm getting predictable now huh?” She pouted as she backed out of the embrace.

“Maybe come up with something that doesn't involve pegging me with your tail.” He shook his head with a chuckle as he walked up to the helm and grabbed the steering wheel. “But for now, let's see how well I can make this thing fly.”

Leo overlaid his flight spell on the entire ship and set the directional controls to the wheel, while he himself adjusted the level of push for movement. He smiled as he felt the cast go through while the ship slowly began to rise, but couldn't quite figure out why he felt that something important was missing.

“This is incredible! The- Um, what's the ship called?” She questioned casually, causing him to smack his head against the steering wheel.

‘Right, a name… I could name it after a fictional ship? No, that's a bit cringe. I'm in a fantasy world, so maybe something from human mythos. Naming it after a god relating to speed or travel is too on the nose… I'll probably be taking this thing to some pretty dangerous places. Well…dangerous for other people- Ah!’ He lifted his head to address Sciesch, exclaiming the name as a perfect reminder for himself.

“Icarus.”

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