After some time, far from the Overlord Clanās Shelter, the fortress lowered a massive platform.
The metallic groan of gears echoed as the lift descended, touching the ground with a heavy thud.
"Time to go," Shane said calmly as he looked at the group.
He had already delivered his warning to Lancelot. No ports, no shelters near the eastern sea.
That was enough for now.
Shinja, Sylas, Taylor, Earl, and Elandor followed him onto the platform.
As for Asad, he still had a secret mission he had to complete and couldnāt join them yet.
Soon, the lift rose slowly, carrying them back toward the Floating Fortress.
From above, the fortress began to drift, its engines rumbling as it turned away from the Overlord Clanās shelter.
Its destination was the Waterfall Shelter.
The Waterfall Shelter was not far from here, nestled in a valley where waters provided both natural defense and abundant resources.
It was where Katrina, the Animal Summoner, had taken charge.
She had joined Shaneās Eclipse Revenant Clan in exchange for protection for the thirty people she had been safeguarding. Shane had agreed, and now those thirty survivors were to be relocated permanently to Blue Haven Shelter, his new stronghold near the sea.
Of course, Blue Haven was already guarded by Tundra and others, but more residents meant more strength.
As the fortress glided through the skies, Shane finally allowed himself a moment of ease. He turned to his generals and couldnāt help but smile after seeing them again.
It had been quite some time since they had gathered together.
"Feels good to breathe after all that," he said, leaning against the railing.
Taylor, the Iron Paladin, chuckled with her shield strapped to her back. "Is that really enough? I thought you were about to order Elandor to burn half the shelter down."
Elandor, the Elven Archmage, just laughed as he looked at his staff resting across his lap.
"I was ready. One word from Shane and the Overlord Clan would have been ash."
"Good thing he didnāt," Sylas said dryly... "Merchants, travelers... innocents. They donāt deserve to be caught in clan wars." As an expert Assassin, he was actually able to assess the situation of the shelter and learned about the people living there.
Shane nodded. "Exactly. We fight their leaders, not the helpless survivors. Thatās the difference between us and them."
The group fell into a comfortable silence for a moment...
Then Shane glanced at Taylor and Earl, with a faint grin on his lips.
"You know," Shane began, "I remember that the batch of recruits you two came in with... Taylor, Earl... and Olivia, right?"
The three of them were Legendary Recruits of Layla. Shane could still remember when she summoned these three.
Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Olivia? Sheās not here."
"Yeah," Shane said. "Sheās pregnant, isnāt she? I heard the news. But I never asked... whoās the father?"
The group turned to Earl, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, and he cleared his throat. "That... would be me."
Shinja burst out laughing while sipping a bottle of alcohol. Needless to say, this alcohol was the World Treeās Brew, crafted by Bart!
"Earl! You sly bastard! I didnāt think you had it in you! Iāve been away for some time... I didnāt think you were already making a family.
Taylor slapped Earl on the back...
"Thatās what heās been sneaking off during training sessions. I thought at first that heās just lazy."
Elandor nodded. He was also aware of the situation of the elves and knew that the elves were starting their procreation.
"A child born in the Eclipse Revenant Clan... interesting. Perhaps one day, theyāll wield talents greater than ours."
Sylas smirked... "Or perhaps theyāll inherit Earlās habit of disappearing when things get tough."
"Hey!" Earl protested, his face red. "I donāt disappear. I... reposition."
The group roared with laughter, even Shane chuckling as he leaned against the railing.
"Reposition, huh? Well, youād better not reposition when Olivia needs you. Fatherhood isnāt something you can dodge."
Earl sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know. Iāll be there. I want to be there."
Shaneās grin softened into something warmer. "Good. Thatās all I needed to hear."
Right now, he was considering lightening Earlās daily task in order to help Olivia.
After all, Oliviaās child would be the first baby of their shelter.
Just like that, the fortress continued its slow journey, the waterfall valley was soon coming into view in the distance.
Even the sound of rushing water grew louder as they approached. Still, there was mist rising from the cliffs.
Shinja stretched his arms on the deck as he felt that this area felt so comfortable.
"You know, I miss the days when battles were simpler. Just swords and shields. Now itās fortresses, cannons, talents, artifacts... feels like weāre fighting gods."
This was his honest opinion. He was a warlord and used to battle using just a sword, spears, and arrows.
However, it was completely different now since he had to keep in mind the various superpowers of the enemy he could be facing.
Taylor nodded. "True. But I like it. Every fight pushes us further. Makes us stronger. And besides, when else would I get to clash with someone like Percival? That manās defense... I want to break it."
Sylas chuckled softly. "You and your obsession with shields. Not everything can be broken with brute force."
"Maybe not," Taylor replied, grinning. "But Iāll keep trying."
Elandor shook his head as he heard this. "Leader Shane... If possible, I want to be assigned next to the World Tree in the Eclipse Domain. Living in the Floating Fortress bores me to death."
Shane looked at him, nodding. "I can arrange that... But thereās another tree in the new shelter. Blue Haven is by the sea, already guarded by Tundra. Itās becoming one of our strongest shelters. Everyone can check the place later."
The generals nodded in agreement. They had no clue how Shane was getting the mystical trees, but they all wanted him to continue doing that.