AXIUM

EPILOGUE

The Golden city of Varinheim gracefully floated up to the edge of Shantopia the two massive structures casting long shadows over top of the broken ley line far below.

They grey city of Shantopia was drap and boing looking in comparison to her city of Crystal spires flowing waterfalls and hanging gardens, XRenia thought as she leaned back into her throne. But then again Shantopia's base wasn't made by two of the most powerful people in the world endeavoring to make a spaceship large enough to evacuate an entire nation like hers was.

"Docking procedures engaged," Zach said as he watched two of the many screens floating in the air of her throne room.

XRenia waved her hand enlarging both of the screens showing the large docking clamps that were installed on the very edge of her city just four days ago. Slowly Varinheim pumped up against Shantopia and the clamps latched on.

"Docking success, all ports and wires connected properly," Hendrick the fat monk looking like man and official overseer of Shantopia exclaimed.

Lord Shan breathed an audible sigh of relief and sat down in his own throne. XRenia raised an eyebrow at him through the scrying connecting their two throne rooms together.

"Unlike some I do not have infinite resources to repair the mistakes of my engineers, this joint venture of ours has been quite costly." Lord Shan said in answer to her unspoken question.

She leaned farther back into her throne and guffawed at his pointed statement. After the complete annihilation of the coalition's army at the hands of the devourer or mouth rather the seven nation's had no choice but to bow their knees to her grandfather and while he allowed them to retain their own governments he was now in all but name the de facto ruler of most of the world. This fact for unknown reasons to her didn't sit that well was Lord Shan however what he didn't know was that besides the space craft base that her city floated upon she had gathered all the resources and built everything by herself with only the help of her citizens. So this was also a very expensive risk for her as well.

"Initiate energy synchronization?" Zach asked.

She nodded and he tapped on one of the screens. Varinheim hummed lightly then in the scrying's the cleansing force field produced by Emundans slowly expanded over Shantopia.

That's a nice added bonus, she thought to herself as she watched the black gunk of the broken ley lines burn away on Hendrick. The fat fellow stared at his hands and lightly touched his face as if it was the first time he was able to touch his own skin in months.

"It seems as if your own citizens much prefer the natural state of my city," she teased Lord Shan.

Shan glanced over at his overseer. "Ah yes, it's a pity they are denied such niceties, if only someone would accept my offer they could have them all the time."

XRenia rolled her eyes Verin had been gone close to half a year now yet still Lord Shan proposed to her every chance he got despite her constant rebuffs. "No need for that. If all goes well today all you have to do is fly your city over this region for them to have such niceties."

"If all goes well. Neither of our previous attempts have," Lord Shan said referring to his two previous attempts and to her one that had nearly resulted in her death. Her grandparents had explained to her how they had healed the Badlands broken ley lines and she had attempted to do so with their instructions but as it turns out the damage here was far worse than in the Badlands thanks to the devourer of that time actively destroying the land so it could drink of the Earth's magic.

"This time will be different," she reassured him then turned to Zach and said, "Extend mining arrays."

Giant antennas emerged from the bottom of the joined cities then swiveled to point at the land far below.