The city was still being rebuilt and the security was as tight as a drum but they let the DoLorean pass.
Seeing every single soldier give Lith the salute and even every civilian they passed wave at them, filled Raaz with pride and joy. As Baron Wyalon had said, Lith was always a hero to the north.
Even after his real nature as a Divine Beast had been revealed, to them, he was still the Ranger who had taken down two lost cities and the man who had put his life on the line to protect their beloved city.
Lith had him stop in front of Kamila’s condo and stored the car inside the pocket dimension.
The sight of the apartment that he had seen so many times in the holograms in the past moved Raaz. Lith’s second home was filled with pictures of his family and Kamila’s.
The building had been spared from Thrud’s magical storm and no one had lived there after the city had been seized. Everything was as Lith and Kamila had left it. On the walls, she had framed the articles of his exploits after having them printed.
“I’m not going to lie, son. Your life keeps getting weirder, but I’m proud to be part of it.” Raaz hugged Lith, hoping that the war would never resume.
***
Blood Desert, Heavenly Plume Palace, Solus’ Tower.
“Please, dear, don’t tell Lith that Salaark’s DoLorean is much better than the one he crafted for us. It would break his heart.” Elina said while adrenaline still coursed through her veins.
The Overlord had her artifact shaped like a muscle car, giving it a much cooler and leaner appearance. On top of that, after fiddling with it with Creation and Dimensional Magic, its inside was much bigger and more comfortable than the original.
Unlike the men of the family who were bound to Warp Gates, Elina, Rena, Tista, Solus, and Kamila had used the tower to Warp around Mogar and then driven the DoLorean to reach their destination.
They had breakfast in Jiera, lunch on top of Lochra Mountain after hiking until they were too tired, and then they had moved back to the beach house to enjoy the chilly breeze of the ocean on the veranda where they were dining.
“I won’t, but you have to admit that there’s no comparison between the work of a mage and that of a Guardian. Grandma cheats even more than Lith does.” Kamila said.
“True, but that doesn’t make it any less amazing.” Rena replied. “I can’t believe we outrun even Emperor Beasts.”
They had taken turns driving, exploiting empty areas to try out the DoLorean’s full speed and harassing all the creatures they found on their path. Humans and beasts had crapped themselves in surprise more than once.
“I get that Mom and Kami are pregnant and have cravings, but what’s your excuse?” Tista pointed at Solus and Rena who were stuffing their faces no less than the other women.
They had exploited the family trip to visit their favorite establishments and stock on dishes and sweets from two continents.
“I’m a big girl and I need food to keep my strength.” Solus pointed at the tower to avoid shortie counter-jokes.
“While you had fun with your magic, I’ve spent most of my life holed up in Lutia.” Rena replied. “Don’t you dare ruin my first adventure, young lady! I never get to do cool stuff and visit nice places so back off.”
Tista whimpered in reply. Rena had no magical power but she was a second mother to Tista. Whenever Rena called her sister “young lady”, Tista felt like a child.
“Thank you for the wonderful trip, Kamila.” Rena said. “I’ve seen more things in a single day than in the rest of my life. On top of that, thanks to your Guardian bodyguard, I could enjoy myself without the worry that something bad would happen.”
The memory of the family vacation in Jambel was tainted by the scare of the raiders that had attacked the city during the final days of their stay.
“Don’t thank me yet. Tomorrow we’ll travel again and we’ll keep doing it until Baba Yaga contacts Solus.” Kamila replied.
They had agreed on visiting Lochra Silverwing and were waiting for a reply. The Red Mother had offered to chaperone them and Solus didn’t trust the First Magus much so they were waiting for the schedules of the three of them to align.
“I really envy you guys.” Elina said with a sigh. “You can go with the tower everywhere you want whereas no matter if we stay in Lutia or in the Desert, I’m always stuck in the same place.”
“That’s actually your fault, Mom.” Solus shrugged. “With the Warp Gates and the DoLorean, you can freely travel two-thirds of the whole Garlen continent. If you wanted bodyguards, all you had to do was ask.
“Either Salaark or the Beast Council would have been happy to help.”
“You are right.” Elina slouched a little. “It’s just that listening to Lith recounting his adventures is exciting. Living them, not so much. After Night’s attacks on Lutia and what happened to your father, I’ve just been too scared to travel.
“Now, however, with most of the kids all grown up and with a big family to help me, I can afford to travel Mogar, but only if I find the courage.” It wasn’t just Sinmara and Surtr befriending the Verhens anymore.
After the conversation between Leegaain and Lith, Shargein’s birth, and the Father of All Dragons temporarily awakening the bloodline of Elina and her unborn child, the Dragon side of the family was warming to them as well.
They had offered Elina hospitality and protection, were she to visit them.
After a hearty meal and a heartier dessert based on Triple Threat with ice cream toppings, Solus and Kamila gave the others a tour of the new living quarters of the tower, starting from the nursery.
“Did Lith really do this?” Elina looked at the decorations, the holograms, and the switches that triggered different soft tunes.
“Yep, all by himself. Especially this.” Solus pointed at the changing table, where a baby-shaped doll lay.
“He’s practicing for the baby already?” Rena said in disbelief. “How kind of someone who never offered to help her poor sister with her own children.”
“Why is the doll wearing a turban on its ass?” Elina pointed at the baggy underwear.
“It was supposed to be a diaper, but Lith sucks at wrapping cloth.” Kamila blushed a little and lied through her teeth. That was her latest failure but she was too ashamed to admit it.
“It’s not that hard.” Elina shrugged. “At least as long as the baby doesn’t struggle or pees you in the face. You do it like this.”
She unwrapped the turban, turning it into a proper diaper with just a few moves.
“Can you do that again but slower?” Kamila asked while Solus wore the Eyes of Menadion to not miss a single detail of that miracle.
“Okay, now slower.” Kamila asked once Elina was done.
“Again. This time slow things another notch, please.”
“Are you sure that’s Lith the one who sucks at this?” Elina said while folding the cloth so slowly that she felt like she was drawing a painting.
