Such a meeting wouldn’t normally go unnoticed by the Empress and those loyal to her, but this was anything but a normal time. With the beasts at the gate and the people’s unrest, there was a lot for her and her people to do.

She spent the day meeting with the leaders of certain groups, speaking with them openly and plainly about what was happening and what could happen from this point on. While she thought she was doing the right thing, she never would have guessed that some of these people were already plotting against her.

As for Laz, while he wanted to help out Tamesis with her task of setting up the fortress for the short distance move, he had to spend time with his Death Walkers, getting them equipped and back into fighting readiness as they had new recruits, but not nearly enough to make up for the ones who had fallen. The fortress was massive and housed tens of thousands of people, but their supplies and room to train wasn’t nearly so large. What’s more, the volunteers this time weren’t exactly the most fit and capable of serving. Some were way to young while others were way to old. While they could reject most of those still, some had to be allowed in just to get their numbers back up.

"What kind of training do you think we can give them in two days?" Seven asked, watching the new ones struggle to even keep a shield upright.

"Whatever we can so that they will survive. We don’t have many options left," Two said as he watched the same situation unfold.

Laz frowned, knowing that this wasn’t a good idea, but not having anything else to go with.

I’m not expecting they will have to fight in a few days, but it’s better to be safe than sorry," Laz said, think of the other plan in place for escape. While he stood there, Nagi came up to him and crawled up his side, making him hold her like a daughter wanting attention.

"Daddy... You’ve been too busy lately," she complained as Laz took to rubbing her back like it was second nature.

"I know. I know. Lots of things to sort out," Laz explained while not explaining.

"I still want to help," Nagi said, making Laz remember that he promised she could help him when it came to luring the Shadow Dragon out of hiding. Of course, at the time, he had never really thought that an option. While she might have been a god, she was also a child and there was no way in hell he was going to actually put her in harms way. Therefore her mentioning it again was the first time he had been reminded about that idea in a while.

"Hopefully we will have a way out without needing your help darlin. But that’s assuming everything goes right with what we are doing..."

"And what are we doing?" Nagi asked, eyes wide.

"Not yet darlin. I’ll tell you when the time comes," Laz said to a pouting Nagi. He then just held her close as she hugged him in return, resting her head on his shoulder. Soon, she fell asleep, seemingly at peace with the world for the first time in a while. While she hadn’t been acting up or even a problem for the maids Hera had taking care of her, Eris had been busy lately with her own work while others too were doing all they could to keep the fortress running, so while Laz was away fighting, Nagi had been left mostly alone. Since Laz knew of all this, he didn’t even bother putting her down. He just took her with him on his way for a while until she was deeply sleeping before handing her off to a maid to lay down in bed.

He knew she wouldn’t be happy to wake up without him, but he had a lot to deal with as well.

Nesha was next to him at one point while he was going off to find Tamesis and couldn’t help but ask,

"Is this going to work?"

"You want my honest answer?" Laz responded back.

"Yes."

"I have no idea. If Tamesis and her people can get this fortress to blink or whatever they call it, then we should arrive right where we need to be. If not... then while we aren’t screwed, surviving will be hard. Not impossible, but hard."

"So it’s not all bad?"

"No. Not really. What we are trying to do now is to save the most lives and if this works, then everyone here should be safe. If it doesn’t work, then we will have no choice but to fight, but a fighting chance it better than no chance."

"Is there a third possibility?"

"Yes. And in that one, we are well and truly fucked so lets not talk about it," Laz said before bidding Nesha goodbye to hurry up.

"I need more of those positioning seals drawn. I don’t care if we have too many but if we end up having too few, I’ll cut your head off myself," Tamesis yelled at her assistants who were busy following instructions, drawing runes on paper, mapping out the fortress and doing some rather lengthy calculations.

"How’s it going?" Laz asked as he walked in.

Tamesis looked startled, then stopped what she was doing and took a deep breath.

Everyone seemed to hunch over as though preparing for her outburst.

"How’s it going?"

"HOW’S IT GOING?"

She wheeled around and then noticed it was Laz and her anger subsided... just a bit.

"It would be going a lot fucking faster if people stopped showing up here and asking how it was going..." She then said, her face and lips tight as though holding back her anger.

"Since when did you learn how to use the word ’fucking?"

"It was actually one of the first sort of new phrases I learned when I wanted to express my anger in a way that you people could understand and I like the way it rolls off the tongue."

"Fair. Can I help?"

"Sit there and don’t fucking say a word..."

"Yes mam!"

"Don’t call me mam!"

"Yes...?"

"Call me Tama... my dad used to call me that...oh fuck..." Although Tamesis had kept her voice low enough for only her and Laz to hear, she hadn’t meant to mention that her dad used to call her that nickname. She had just suggested it as a way they could get closer but now it seemed like she was laying her kinks out there for Laz to mock her for.

Laz was surprised to notice that when she blushed, her entire bald head became a bit red as the blush seemed to extend all around.

While Laz had gotten what she had said, he had no intention of mocking her for it. Instead, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear,

"Want me to make you call me daddy?" He said in a voice that was both soft and deep.

Tamesis could only blush more.

Laz only had a small smile on his lips, but couldn’t believe that it seemed like no matter who the race of people are or where they are from, there are always females with daddy issues.

’I wonder if in a matriarchal society, if young men would have mommy issues? Wait... yeah. Yep. Never mind. That’s already a thing. And besides which, I’m not exactly one to talk either... but it’s not like Hera or Pooja had ever been the mother type around me... more like the hidden lover type or the slightly older woman with her young stud type? Holy shit... I’m that guy from all those stories, the one who steals the bored house wife and cucks the dads. But Pooja never mentioned a husband... then again considering her people, she probably doesn’t even know who the father is? Or if she does, he’s probably dead already, right? So... can’t exactly cuck a dead guy? Then there is her daughter, Nesha’s mother... fuck.... I’m on track to fuck three generations of demons... I really need to step back and figure out what I’m doing before I become a meme or some shit. As if these people even know what meme’s are, right? I wonder if there would be an equivalent? Like a lifestyle inspired cartoon? I mean this whole Greek and Roman vide they got going on here didn’t have things like this, did they? I’m not sure I ever studied the ’darker sex’ side of these empires back in school. And why the hell not? I mean, it’s part of the culture, right? So why does school never even speak about the sexual and sociological aspects of these ancient cultures? Would it even be the same? I mean, this is but is also clearly not, right? Does school really not think that if they ignore sex, it won’t happen? How do you explain the rise of teen pregnancy in the 80s and 90s without even touching on the failings of school? I mean, blaming the parents? You’re suppose to learn shit at school. Who wants to hear their parents talk about fucking? But thinking of some of my old teachers talking about it? That would just be... fuck no. But if they invited in younger teachers and had them talk about it? Maybe some hot ones worth looking at? Would that be discrimination if they had to be hot to take on the role? Wouldn’t it just be a job requirement? Like having to be able to lift thirty pounds in order to take a job? Wouldn’t being hot be the same thing? Then again, what one person thinks is hot may not work for someone else. And for those with foot fetishes, wouldn’t they then have to require the teachers to go bare foot or wear sandals?’

"JUST FUCKING LEAVE! I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT, BUT IT’S FUCKING EVERYONE UP!!!" Tamesis screamed at Laz who had been quiet, but who’s aura was causing everyone to be unable to focus.

"I’ll go as soon as you call me daddy..." Laz said without thinking as his thoughts became words before he could stop himself.

Laz had to run to avoid the flying pens and ink wells Tamesis shot at him.