Valkyrie's Shadow

Empire in Chains: Act 6, Chapter 33

Empire in Chains: Act 6, Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Something isn’t right.

The thin thread of thought followed Ludmila as she cut into the right flank of the main Demihuman force. She could see from the looks of her foes that many immediately understood they could not stand against her. Her Ring of Nondetection should have blocked any direct attempts at gathering information about her, but she supposed that didn’t count for much when someone suddenly appeared and sliced half a dozen people in half. They faltered and scrambled to get away, pushing into one another to find a more likely opponent.

Even so, she didn’t hesitate to cut them down. So long as their will to fight remained – so long as they intended to bring harm to her allies – those who had come to do battle would fall to her blade. It wasn’t usually their way, nor was it usually her way. Usually, there were signs; warnings: a clear message that, if a certain line was crossed, there would be no quarter granted until that line was respected again.

When conflict grew beyond the sphere of individual stakes, however, individuals were consumed by its indiscriminate blaze. On this nameless wilderness plateau, the fires of war had been lit. Not one that she had asked for; nor did they – it was one sparked by the Empire: a child accustomed to getting things their way.

At least that was how it had started. Awareness and understanding had seeped into the ranks of the Imperial Army; enough to have her believe that their future efforts would not be so catastrophically tragic for all involved. Now, all that was left to do was to force the blaze to burn out.

With their crude equipment and lack of Martial Arts, the rank and file could not challenge her – no, could not even hurt her – yet she killed them all the same. They screamed in fear and desperation; cried out to their friends and comrades for help. Some even cast tear-filled looks at her, pleading to be spared. And then they died. Every stroke paved her path with new corpses; every step on that path brought her within measure of more.

As she gouged her bloody way towards the heart of the Demihuman army’s right flank, something changed in the way they reacted to her. Fear gave way to loathing; desperation, to hate. As if understanding that those who had committed themselves to the fight would be offered no quarter, their attitudes transformed. She was no longer a fearsome monster to be avoided: she was a threat to their very existence – one that had to be put down at all costs.

Hundreds of rocks and arrows bounced off of her like grains of sand swept up by the wind. She kicked away a Troll who flung itself bodily at her, eyes rimmed with rage. Goblins swarmed toward her as she recentred herself, thrusting their makeshift spears at her with mad screeches. Ludmila swept aside their attacks, cleaving through them with her reverse stroke. Another Troll came roaring in, uncaring of the allies it trampled in its charge.

No, not uncaring. Everyone that faced her knew that they were dead. They knew they would be dead unless she died first.

A Blossoming Iris blasted the Troll away, sending it tumbling over dozens of its fellows. Yet, still, they came: an endless swarm that screamed for her blood.

Was this the storied ‘savagery’ of the Demihuman tribes? The behaviour that set them apart from all other foes described in the tales told to civilised society? She could understand how those who witnessed it could mistake it as such.

It was not so much a specific action or event as it was a place – one where the rules that bound everyday life unravelled; where existences had become irreconcilable and a violent resolution was demanded of them. A place where survival hinged on the death of one’s enemies and everything was allowed. Be it the survival of an individual, their family or their entire society, that ‘savagery’ – the fight for life – was the same.

But it didn’t have to be that way. It was something to be forced upon others when the balancing forces of the world were not being observed.

She split an Ogre across the waist and blinked as she came across an unexpected sight. A smile grew on her face.

“Found you.”

“How the–kill this bald ape!”

The already-frenzied Demihumans in the vicinity surged towards her at the Hobgoblin’s Command. Ludmila lightly stepped back, stabbing at the wave of Goblins that scurried towards her with flint daggers and stone spears. A part of her rued the fact that she hadn’t yet mastered any Martial Arts that dealt with large numbers of opponents, but she had other options. She continued retreating, eyeing the Hobgoblin as the distance grew between them.

?Ough, he’s open!?

Thudding steps sounded from her left as the Mountain Troll and his entourage stormed through the gap created by the Hobgoblin’s desperate Command. The Human-sized Goblinoid let out a shriek before it was flattened by Ough’s tremendous overhead swing. Three Mountain Trolls to his right turned to clear away the hundred or so Demihumans caught between Ludmila and them.

In the surrounding area, the Demihumans seemed to lose heart at the death of the Hobgoblin. Their ferocity abated somewhat, hesitation filling their movements. Ludmila waved Ough and his Trolls over.

?Good work – gather and hold your positions for now. Catch your breath while we reorganise our lines.?

Ludmila took inventory of their surroundings, trying to get a sense of the battle’s progress.

The surviving Demihumans on the enemy’s right flank – perhaps numbering around a thousand – were withdrawing towards the centre and the left flank of the imperial battalion advanced in their wake. General Ray had preemptively placed his staunchest defenders in the position that he believed exposed to the greatest risk and they emerged from their holding action in relatively good condition. The battalion’s centre, however, was crumbling and his right was out of view behind the stony outcropping.

Fireballs, Lightning Bolts and other evocation spells lit up the night not twenty minutes previous, but they were absent now. She didn’t imagine that the battalion’s Clerics were doing much better on mana.

Ludmila raised a hand to her left ear out of habit, looking toward the battalion’s centre.

?Zahradnik here.?

?My lady, that was a timely entrance. Was the collapse of that flank your doing, as well??

?Yes, Your Excellency. We found a Hobgoblin near the back centre here. How is the rest of the battalion doing??

?We took a huge beating when they charged but we’re holding for now. My right is in shambles. I’ve shored them up with support from the Dragoons and my Rangers. Hopefully, we can break up the enemy centre before my right has nothing left.?

?I’ll rejoin the fight shortly. Was there anything of note that you’ve observed??

?Not really. There are Demihuman Lords mixed in with these enemy groups, but they’re not far above the rest. They’ve been trying their damndest to kick us off of this rock so what they have here should be their whole strength.?

For all of his battalion’s troubles, General Ray still sounded upbeat. His forces, however, were very much beaten down. Then again, surviving at all was probably a questionable outcome.

Her forces remained intact. More than intact, somehow. Ludmila and Ough’s Trolls acted as the vanguard while her wall of Ogres allowed the Goblins behind them to rain arrows over the field without interruption. They were long out of ammunition from the Imperial Army, but, with so many dead Goblins in the enemy forces, their usual stone arrows were essentially unlimited. All they had to do was advance and salvage the quivers of the dead as they went along.

Pressure on their shield wall was relatively light with the Trolls fighting in front of it. If one of the Trolls sustained significant injuries, the shield wall opened up so they could rest and regenerate in safety before rejoining the battle.

It was a set of simple steps that her company could follow, yet it appeared to be extraordinarily effective. In light of this, Ludmila could only wonder what an advanced Demihuman nation was capable of.

?Break’s over! Ough, lead everyone around to the rear of their centre. I’ll be going through from this corner here.?

Ludmila made her way over to the deadlocked ranks of imperial heavy infantry nearby, breathing in the emotions extracted by the events of the battle. Her steps slowed before she reached them.

Something isn’t right…

Fear. Hate. Desperation. Anguish. Sorrow. As the dark maelstrom of emotions flowed into her, she suddenly realised what was happening.

It’s not something that isn’t right. It’s someone. Me.

She was absorbing the nearly-intangible traces of negative energy left upon the land as the battle raged on and death collected its due.

But why? This wilderness was not her demesne. Nor was it anywhere near it. Though she could sense them, the small, slowly-dissipating patches of negative energy generated throughout General Ray’s campaign did not interact with her being.

Ludmila forced herself to move forward again; to focus on the task ahead of her. Her glaive bit into the Demihuman forces, which had stabilised from her assault on their right flank and were now trying to draw in and envelop the renewed push of General Ray’s left. The Demihuman ranks recoiled from her sudden movement and the nearest imperial soldiers let out a cheer.

A hundred metres ahead, Ough and his Trolls started bashing their way into the rear of the enemy centre. Ludmila activated Ability Boost and Wind Stride, maintaining them as she incorporated Slash and Pierce into her attacks, trimming down the extended edge of the Demihuman flank.

Rousing shouts rose from behind her while screams of terror attracted her advance. Silver arcs flashed in the moonlight as she cut a swathe through Goblins and Ogres with equal ease. Though she felt perfectly tranquil through it all, Ludmila wondered how she appeared to everyone.

Was she inspiring? The image of grace and beauty on the battlefield? Or was she a fearsome spectre of death; an executioner that scythed her way through a field of bodies as easily as a Farmer cut down stalks of grain? A part of her didn’t want to know the answer.

?Zahradnik! Fifty metres ahead and to your right!?

Her gaze shifted at General Ray’s notification. A clump of Trolls and Ogres froze as her eyes fell upon them. Above the din, the harsh orders of a Hobgoblin organised the Demihumans nearby. Their ranks were notably thinned, however, as many had been diverted to hold back Ough who was pressuring their rear.

?I see them.?

Ludmila headed their way, dispatching a dozen Goblins in swift succession. The Hobgoblin and its bodyguard pushed in the opposite direction, trying to create distance. More Demihumans flowed around them and towards her, threatening to wash her away. She focused on the retreating Hobgoblin even as her glaive worked to slaughter his subordinates.

?Surrender! You cannot win – preserve the lives of your subordinates!?

The Hobgoblin levelled an incredulous look at her. A long moment passed as the battle around them seemed to fall into a lull.

Then a massive tentacle slapped him out of existence.

Ludmila lowered herself into a defensive stance as another tentacle whipped in, its broad tip flattening one of the Trolls in the former Hobgoblin’s bodyguard. The two tentacles swept the remaining Demihumans into the air, sending them crashing into their ranks a dozen metres away.

A huge midnight-black form leapt into the light, its long, bestial figure seeming to shimmer into multiple images. Guttural growls filled the air as smaller versions of the Magical Beast tore in from the west, sending Demihumans scattering in all directions.

Amid its multiple images, Ludmila’s Truesight made clear its true form. Further examination revealed that it was not a Magical Beast at all – it was a true Monster.

A powerful feline form of seven metres was carried on six legs rather than four. Two tentacles sprouted from its shoulders, ending in broad tips with bone-spiked pads on one side. Eyes like fiery emeralds glowed malevolently over the fanged maw of a great cat.

I suppose I was looking out for one of these…

The monstrous feline twisted in place, its tentacles whipping out to kill scores of Demihumans with every lashing strike. It was stronger than her; stronger than Ough…and she was fairly certain it hadn’t come to help the Imperial Army.

Ludmila ruefully thought back to her discussion with General Ray. Some powerful beings simply didn’t care for any side and could just as easily destroy every side. Another lesson for the Imperial Army to take home.

?Zahradnik, what is that?!?

?I have no idea. The Lord of a Monster pack is my best guess at the moment. How many followers does it have??

?We can’t tell. They’re tearing into the Demihuman army from the west, but they have some sort of Ability that casts multiple images of themselves. One of my War Wizards says it’s like a Displacement spell.?

Displacement was a Third-tier arcane illusion that caused observers to perceive that the target was in a different spot from where it was. It had the effect of total concealment, causing attackers to miss as often as hit their mark. Ludmila ‘saw’ where the spell wanted her to see the Monster, but, at the same time, she knew its true location.

The question was whether foiling its ability made it easier to fight than it seemed. Or perhaps that wasn’t a question at all. No rule dictated that Monsters, Heteromorphs and Demihumans were to adhere to some arbitrary standard of fairness.

Ludmila supposed that this applied to her as well. She couldn’t abandon her allies, so all that was left was to discern the difference between them. Backing away quietly, she turned her attention to her tribe.

?Go on the defensive! Quit the battlefield without attracting attention when you have the chance, but do it together! Ough, come back here when they’re safely away.?

By the time she looked back at the new entry to the battle, it had cleared a fifty-metre wide space around itself. The Pack Lord’s guttural growl filled the air as it surveyed its handiwork. Ludmila gathered her steps as she carefully came forward, testing to see if all of its thrashing about had rendered her concealment effective against it.

So far, so good…

Ludmila drew closer to the massive Monster as it seemed to savour the fear of its lessers emanating across the battlefield. She eyed its dark length, trying to figure out where a solid strike would do the most good. With the difference in apparent strength between them, it was an attack that could possibly determine the outcome of their fight.

At ten metres, the hard snicks of crossbows being loosed filled the air. A throaty snarl filled the air as bolts rained down all around Ludmila and her target. Roughly half of them fell in the vicinity of their target, mostly bouncing off of its dark hide while the rest fell far off the mark. A handful bounced off of Ludmila’s deflection enchantment.

What are you doing?!

She shot forward as the Pack Lord gathered itself to pounce, aiming herself at a point ten metres before it. Arm drawn back, she readied a Blossoming Iris. Wherever it hit, it hit.

The Monster launched itself at the heavy infantry line and Ludmila’s Advanced Strike Art hammered it squarely in the middle right shoulder. The creature roared in surprise, skidding sideways through its interrupted charge. Ludmila centred herself to face her adversary as it twisted to examine its wounds. Blood flowed freely from three deep lacerations but the wiry limb prevented her from reaching its vital areas. She wasn’t sure whether her glaive’s Ability Damage had stuck.

As for herself…her brow furrowed as she realised that she hadn’t taken as severe a backlash as she should have. With Ability Boost and Wind Stride reserving two focus stages, she should have only had one to spare. Blossoming Iris was a Third-stage Strike Art and going two over should have resulted in significant punishment. Her regeneration, however, was well on its way to mending all of the resulting damage.

I have four focus stages now?

If so, the fight might have become far easier. She held the Monster’s baleful gaze, applying intimidating pressure to her own. The imperial soldiers on the other side shifted away nervously, but her opponent only glared back at her as it tried to size her up. With the effect of her Ring of Nondetection, its only measure of her was probably her powerful opening strike.

“What are you doing here?” Ludmila asked.

The Pack Lord narrowed its eyes, then seemed to give her an evil leer. One of its tentacles lashed out to the side, brutally crushing a half-dozen heavy infantry where they stood. The surviving men of the battalion’s left flank cried out and scattered back.

Oh, you didn’t just do that!

Ludmila darted forward. The second tentacle darted to intercept her, filling her vision with a metre-wide pad of serrated barbs as long as her hand. She twisted her grip, facing the blade of her weapon upward as she thrust directly towards it.

“?Invulnerable Fortress?!”

The tentacle was stopped by the tip of her glaive. She deactivated the Defensive Art, raising her polearm in an upward Slash. Its blade whistled through the air as the Monster drew back its tentacle and the second swept in to smash into her right side.

Her vision tumbled chaotically. She activated her hairpin, using the enchantment to twist herself in midair. Ludmila’s boot heels slammed into the base of the stone outcropping and she immediately launched herself back at her opponent, feet tapping along the forest floor as she added Strengthen Perception to her focus reserve.

As the tentacle that struck her aside drew back, the other whipped forward. Ludmila activated Evasion and her form blurred around the attack. A flick of her wrist sent the blade of her glaive towards the inside of the overextended tentacle, yet the Monster still managed to draw the appendage out of the way.

Well, that was just a bonus anyway.

Ludmila continued forward, driving her weapon into the toothy maw of her opponent. The massive feline head twisted away in response, causing her weapon to exit from its left cheek. She twisted her grip again, pulling a Slash in the opposite direction.

Steaming blood spattered the forest floor as Ludmila ripped open the Pack Lord’s opposite cheek. Unfortunately, she didn’t get the cat’s tongue.

A clawed paw as wide as she was tall swiped out at her. Her Fortress blocked the attack, but then a tentacle rolled in from above and flicked her away. With her Fly item still active, she flipped backwards in a controlled arc. Then the second tentacle slapped her to the ground. She righted herself just in time to catch the first tentacle with another Fortress.

This thing is too smart to be dumb…

It was aware enough that it knew to keep her at the end of its seven-metre measure and dexterous enough to avoid strikes meant to remove that advantage. The thing was spiteful enough to strike out at the Imperial Army, so flying out of range to fill it with arrows would probably lead to it running around and killing everyone else.

She had long confirmed that she had four focus stages available and between holding Ability Boost, Wind Stride and Strengthen Perception, it felt like she was able to at least keep up with her opponent’s pace. Getting hit by the tentacles hurt, but her damage reduction made impacts with the ground negligible.

The Monster did not appear to have any regeneration but neither did it appear to be suffering from any fatigue. Ludmila suspected that slowly working it down would only lead to it running away and it was far faster than she. This would be an acceptable outcome except she didn’t know whether it would simply come back and ambush the battalion later.

Ludmila took a step forward. Her opponent raised its tentacles threateningly. She released her Wind Stride and advanced.

Two steps later, a tentacle snapped towards her. She sidestepped the attack with Evasion and took a stab at the broad end that slammed into the ground. Predictably, it slipped away without so much as a nick. Her Fortress stopped the follow-up swipe by the second tentacle, which then drew away from her follow-up cut.

She took a step forward. The Pack Lord nimbly hopped back, resetting the distance between them.

Annoying…

For all of her admonition to the Adventurers who struggled against her polearm’s measure, she herself had not learned Shukuchi thinking that it was lower on her list of priorities. It didn’t help that it didn’t seem to be a part of her school of combat. Now, she was the one being out-measured by her opponent. Unfortunately, Challenging Shout only focused her target’s attention on her and they could still attack using any method that they chose.

Ludmila stepped forward again, this time more aggressively. The Monster’s first strike was parried by a Fortress, as was the next. She continued advancing, testing the limits of its endurance and searching for patterns that she might be able to take advantage of.

A few exchanges later, movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention.

?Ough, get that kitty!?

She activated Wind Stride again, dashing forward as the Mountain Troll thundered in. The Pack Lord’s feline head went back and forth in bewilderment. A five-metre long quarterstaff slammed into an empty spot on the ground. Ludmila frowned.

?Not there, there!?

Ludmila ran left around their adversary, dodging another tentacle strike. Its second tentacle went the other way, ripping Ough’s face off. The Mountain Troll cried out in rage, swinging blindly every which way. Ludmila used the opening to drive a Blossoming Iris into the Monster’s front right shoulder, hopping back to avoid the retaliatory swipe of its claws. It turned its attention fully on her, attempting to drive her out of range again.

?Grab it when you can see again.?

She returned to a defensive posture while Ough regenerated his face, noting that the Pack Lord’s attacks had grown weaker. It seemed that at least some of the ability damage had gotten through.

The Mountain Troll stopped flailing wildly about, stepping in the rough direction of their opponent. Overhead, a tentacle turned in Ough’s direction.

“Nope,” Ludmila said. “Over here.”

She evaded the attack that whipped in in response to her Challenging Shout. Ough wrapped his arms around nothing in particular. Ludmila shook her head as she continued to force the Monster’s attention on herself – it seemed almost random as to whether he would finally get his hands on the right Monster.

He eventually did, however, leaning forward to grab their opponent around its midsection and lifting it from the ground. The giant six-legged cat thing flailed furiously, its roars shaking the air.

Ludmila released her Wind Stride and Strengthen Perception, flipping her glaive around. A Blossoming Iris thumped into the Monster’s belly, driving the wind out of it. Since the Advanced Strike Art effectively hit three times, the Ability Damage effect of her glaive piled on rapidly as she continued to attack. Using Third-stage Martial Arts in rapid succession, while not physically tiring for an Undead being, was still mentally draining so she switched to whacking their grappled opponent with mundane attacks.

The Pack Lord grew weaker and weaker until Ough was finally able to shift his grip and snap its neck. Ludmila let out a breath, planting the base of her glaive on the ground with her left hand.

“Well, Ough,” she looked up at the Mountain Troll. “How do you feel about a new cloak?”