Chapter 85

Chapter 85

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The process to move the imperial palace to Nan Yanoi turned out to be a bit more time consuming than Neleh had initially thought. As the imperial guards, the Legion of the Phoenix had to move along with the palace. As a result, Neleh had to gouge up a fair bit of the area surrounding the palace, because it was necessary to take all the buildings belonging to the Legion as well. This included housing, training grounds, barracks and a whole slew of other buildings. At that point it became obvious that it would be easier if she moved the administrative buildings for the empire as well, which further complicated things.

It wasnt really a problem of lifting more buildings, as once you had the strength to rip a piece of the city large enough to house the palace into the air, the additional buildings didnt really make a difference. No, the problem was the politics and logistics of selecting which building to take, which people would be willing to move to Nan Yanoi and so on. Incidentally the Legion chose to move as a whole with not a single dissenting voice raised. These were the elite that had chosen to dedicate their life in the protection of the empress, and as such would go wherever the empress went. The bureaucrats hemmed and hawed for all their worth though.

Since it had already taken four days without actually getting things done, Neleh just finally cast the spell giving anyone in the area 40 seconds to get clear if they wanted to stay. The sight of bureaucrats running around was deeply satisfying to everyone else. Neleh figured that she already had a well-trained and decisive group at Nan Yanoi who could take over their duties, and she didnt want people unable to make decision anyway. She even voiced this opinion getting an evil grin from the surrounding guards.

As the now floating island shook while rising into the air, Neleh thought to herself that it was actually a very good thing that the Legion was coming along with the palace. The Legion was the only group of soldiers that could rival the Order when it came to the skill of its members. While the training for the Order was exceptional and gave them an edge, it was hard to compete with the dedicated members of the Legion. Where the Order took in almost anyone and molded them into professionals through the breaking training, the members of the Legion trained their whole lives, dedicating themselves to their task. In addition the Legion only accepted the best and the most talented. It was simply impossible to bridge the gap of hundreds of years of dedicated training and consummate talent.

That said, the Legion was not a battlefield force despite its name. While the Order could field full armies, and in a few years would be millions of brothers and sisters strong, the numbers of the Legion had never crossed five thousand. They had one job, and that was to give their life in the protection of the Empress. They had only failed once throughout their long history, and were very good at what they did. On the other hand, they didnt get trained in battlefield tactics as that was not required of them. They could probably do that as well, but that was not their purpose. So far Neleh had used members of the fifth Order for protection, as that protection was not really required when she was stronger alone than the entirety of the fifth Order combined.

However, Neleh knew that her freedom would be much more limited once she took the position as the empress. She would forever be followed by a group of guards, and she would no longer be able to go off gallivanting into the lands of the other races. She did mourn her loss of freedom a bit, but she also recognized the necessity. It had already been a bit on the borderline of civility to have the Chosen of Elune going around, but an empress would be too much. There was also the fact that she would most likely regain much of that freedom when the storm came, as she would be needed on the battlefield.

As they drew close to Nan Yanoi, Shiori raised a question that had been bothering her for a while now. Neleh, didnt you say that youre unable to make a doorway on one of these floating islands? Yet were supposed to connect the palace with the city through one of the arches. Mind explaining that bit to me?

Neleh looked surprised for a moment, and then a bit thoughtful. Woops. She finally said.

Shioris face was twitching a bit from several conflicting emotions. Thats it? Woops? We already moved the palace!

No need to get so agitated. I can make mistakes too. Besides, it only needs a small adjustment. How much do you remember about me explaining the problems of teleportation magic? Neleh asked with a reassuring smile.

Most of it, but humor me anyway. I recall you said it was possible in theory but too complex in practice. Shiori asked trying to remember details. Even for her it was a little challenging, because she had lost interest in the subject because it wasnt really possible to do.

Free teleportation is pretty much impossible, except over very short distances, and then it takes enough power and time that it would be faster to just run. That said, it does become a little easier between two fixed positions, because theres no need to make the necessary calculations more than once. We could create a fixed portal between the city and the island with a portal that is constantly open and the power supplied by a couple of high quality Sources. Ill need to cast the spell only once, and even if the portal closes for some reason, its much easier to open again between the same points. We have to keep the distance pretty short though. We cant keep the portal open if the distance grows too much. Ill have to probably use spells to fix the islands position in place through spatial magic. Otherwise we cant connect my bedroom with the mansion in Nexus. Thats going to be a real pain. That will probably take me days. Neleh mused thoughtfully.

Wait, spatial magic? Theres magic like that? And if youre fixing the position in place for doorways, then why not make a normal arch then? Shiori asked a little confused.

Well, for one we dont want to give too free an access straight into the imperial palace. Although the Nexus has plenty of countermeasures against hostilities, thats still a risk we might want to avoid. Besides, it will take me days to cast the necessary spells to fix the position, after which the island will be rendered immobile. I dont have several days of free time before the festivities start, thanks to the bloody bureaucrats wasting our time. We need the portal in place in time for the event, and itll take me less time to make a stable portal instead. And yes, theres such thing as spatial magic. I did mention that this world hasnt discovered all the elements, did I not? Neleh said, satisfying herself with the plans she was making. She could make a really ornate portal just for the theatric effect as well. Something shaped like a phoenix perhaps?

Neleh gave a similar nod in a return greeting. You honor me with your presence. It is not often that the Eldest of all dragons makes an appearance. This brought another shock.

They certainly had not expected the young looking woman to be the Eldest of the dragon kind. Neleh and the Eldest were actually quite similar in many ways. Both looked extremely young but had this ageless quality about them. They both also had eyes that told of countless ages they had seen. Yet another patch of theories and rumors were formed this day about Nelehs origins when people later on remarked on the similarities.

Please call me Malystryx. I heard that there was a party and I do like to attend parties. I expect the party to be worth my time. The Eldest said with a small smile.

It turned out that the dragons were not the highlight of the proceedings. As the dragons retreated back to make ready for the celebrations, ten hazy figures suddenly appeared before the throne. One of the figures looked eerily like Neleh. The people gathered held their breaths as recognition dawned on them.

On behalf of myself and my chosen race, I congratulate you on your ascension my Chosen. The gruff voice belonged to Satai, who still managed to look a little disinterested.

All the other major gods made their own greetings, the two others besides the major gods being of course Loki and Aphrodite. They didnt waste time on elegant speeches; they simply expressed their approval of her new position. Elune was the last to take her turn.

Congratulations my love, Im proud of you. I hope you will lead our chosen race to great things and shelter them from the storm. May your rule be long and prosperous. The ever amused goddess gave a small conspiratorial grin and gave a fake whisper in a voice that was heard by everybody gathered. And do visit me again. I quite enjoyed the last time you did.

Neleh almost facepalmed at the thought of all the trouble and rumors that little whisper was going to cause. As it was hard for the gods to manifest themselves, they disappeared straight after completing their purpose.

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Neleh did the customary procession through the city to show herself to everyone, despite the people already having seen everything through the illusions. The following celebrations lasted for a full month as was planned, during which all the food and drinks were free. Neleh had gone to great lengths to acquire the best this world had to offer, and then topped things off with delicacies from other worlds. Even as a Destroyer her skill in life magic allowed her to create enough meat, fruits and various delicacies and drinks from the other worlds to satiate the most important quests who all wondered on the origin of their meals. The mages made various spectacles with their spells, mimicking fireworks only better.

Neleh herself decided to make a grand gesture herself, although she thought the effect would be somewhat dampened after the appearance of the gods. When the first day of the celebrations drew to a close, Neleh changed her form in the full vision of everyone gathered. For a small moment, she once again assumed the form of the majestic bird of flame, covering the entire sky above Nan Yanoi with her form. She maintained the form just long enough to make a small screech of victory, while controlling her flames so as to avoid damage.

That small moment was the limit of her ability to hold the form, and she was completely drained afterwards. Of course she didnt mention that part to anyone else. After she had bid goodnight to the gathered people, and gotten away from their eyes, she actually collapsed from exhaustion and had to be carried to bed by Shiori who knew how much that little stunt had taken out of her. Interestingly, this brought an emotional salute from the members of the Legion that lined the way to her bedroom. They didnt help because they knew she didnt want to be helped. They instead considered her actions to be a great honor for them, as she had taken the form of the being they were named after.

And thus began the reign of Empress Neleh Khalidor.

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A/N: This was a bit odd chapter to write. The next one should be a bit longer as there's a lot of ground to cover. I also suspect it will be something that will cause discussion, and might even be a bit divisive, but should also be one of my better ones judging by the thoughts I have for it. Yes I'm leaving a cliffhanger in an author's note. I'm just that mean. Look forward to it. :)