AXIUM

CHAPTER 14

They both froze and looked eastward in the direction the alarms were indicating. There on the horizon was a massive floating city coming towards them.

"What in the world?" Verin muttered. "I thought no one lived out here."

XRenia turned to face the flying city. "Well apparently someone does. And this is just a guess but I bet you that they are not happy about us building are palace here either."

As the city came closer it lowered four cages. The cages bottoms retracted dropping four beast that look like lions but had tails that were snakes and goat heads were grafted to their backs.

The beast spread out running at impossible speeds as they charged towards them.

"What are those things?" Verin asked as the beast surrounded their palace one on all four sides.

"Chimaeras," XRenia spat in disgust. "They're genetic abominations designed to be mage hunters."

Verin eyed the beast closest to them on the other side of XRenia shield. "Can we beat them?"

"Sure if we weren't both dead tired. Trying to fight them now would be like doing a swimathon right after running a marathon."

"I see your point. What do we do?"

She shrugged. "Wait and see what they want. I guess."

As if on cue a giant screen appeared over top of the city displaying a fat monk looking like man. "These lands belong to Lord Shan. Who dares build on his continent without permission?"

"His continent?" Verin asked with his eyes wide. "Wow seems like there someone else in this world who has just as big as an ego trip as you."

"I intend to make this continent mine. This Lord Shan whoever he is, is obviously just claiming it as his. Big difference."

The fat monk reached out of the screen as he said, "You have two minutes to reply before we obliterate you." Parts of the floating city rearrange themselves revealing massive gun emplacements.

"Looks like he has a bite to back up his bark." Verin observed. "So what do we do?"

XRenia gazed at the gun emplacements and estimated that her shield could last five or six salvos but after that it would definitely fail and they would have to contend with both the guns and the waiting Chimaeras. Sadly the weapons their new palace sported wouldn't help much against these odds either. "I don't know." She admitted.

"Maybe we should ask your family for help."

She turned her head and stared at him. "No way. I'd rather let this place be destroyed than have to run to them for help."

"Well if you're that adamant about it I guess the only option we have right now is for you to tell them who you are and hope that your name scares him off."

XRenia chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about Verin suggestion. "That might actually work. And if it don't worst comes to worst we teleport out to your sheep pasture get some rest then come back and avenge our palace."

"Sounds like a plan. Though the sheep pastures id the Dukes not mine."

"You're the rightful ruler of that entire nation so technically it is." XRenia said as she reached out and used her magic shove both the blueprint and the dragon claw or Emundans as her father referred to it as, in her dimensional inventory for safekeeping. Then she started to form a large hologram of herself.

"Was, was the rightful ruler of the nation. I denounced that earlier today."

She smiled at him then expanded her hologram sending it through her shield and high into the sky onto it dwarfed the city.