Valkyrie's Shadow

Stone and Blood: Act 2, Chapter 3

Stone and Blood: Act 2, Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Pip!”

“Pip!”

“Pip!”

Liolio’s calls drifted through the trees as Florine and her entourage made their way through the sparse woodland of the northern Abelion Hills. According to the avian Demihuman, the calls were ‘normal’ – an instinctive behaviour that communicated the Miq’s wariness to the surrounding environment.

Others who shared the same environment – namely the Ylii and the various animals that were killed or driven away by Jaldabaoth’s occupation – all had an instinctive understanding of the Miq’s simple vocabulary of calls and reacted accordingly. The periodic call would have probably been fine from a distance, but Liolio was standing on her head.

“Pip!”

“Pip!”

“How long do you have to ‘pip’ for?” Florine asked.

“Pip! Everything is new–pip!”

Did that mean he would be making that sound the entire time? Once she finished speaking to the Miq, Liolio insisted on coming with her. She initially agreed, thinking that it was a good chance to get to learn more from him.

Asking him not to make his calls was like asking a Human not to flinch whenever something randomly came flying at their face, so it seemed that her only choice was to bear with it. A strange-looking tree; a squirrel in a bush; a suspicious shadow – it all warranted a ‘pip’.

“We are approaching the perimeter of the Orc village,” the Elder Lich sergeant said.

“Is it safe to go in?” Florine asked.

“No squatters have been observed,” the Elder Lich sergeant answered.

Squatters…

The local Demihumans probably had no concept of a ‘squatter’. They lived on the land and fought for territory if they required more. While the powerful might receive tribute, there was nothing like the tenant agreements or rent. An empty village in an unclaimed territory was a ready-made home waiting to be occupied. All they had to do was fight to keep it.

Liolio’s peeping picked up as they came within view of the abandoned Orc village. Since it was just north of her and close to the planned route of the highway, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at how the Gan Zu Tribe once lived. At first, Florine couldn’t find the homes, but then she realised she was staring at their roofs. She stepped around the buildings at the perimeter of the village and walked onto the well-worn lane that wove between them.

As the Orcs had stated, their homes were made from sod. They weren’t the homes that new settlers on the frontier might construct, however.

How long did they live here for?

Going by where the entrance of the nearest home was, over two metres of earth had built up on its original rooftop. Many had trees and shrubs growing out of them. The mounds containing each dwelling were sizable, forming rows together with the other homes that flowed along the contours of the slope.

A wide wooden wall made up the front of the house, which came complete with a door and three windows. In addition, an odd-looking chimney came out at an angle, which she supposed made sense given how thick the roof now was. Opposite the lane was a garden plot that had become overgrown from lack of care. It looked like a large animal had come in and broken one section of the wooden fence.

Were they raising livestock? Or were they growing herbs? She couldn’t tell at a glance.

Florine turned the handle of the door, finding the interior undisturbed. A layer of dust coated everything, but what she found wouldn’t be out of place in a Human home. The main living space was divided into a kitchen and a spacious work area, both of which were amply furnished.

Pegs for tools, pots, and pans stood uncovered in a lonely row on the wall. In the work area was a wooden loom still partway through weaving some brown cloth. The shelves nearby that probably stored bolts of fabric had been emptied and the simple wooden table beside the loom had a single candle holder caked over with wax.

The house had four rooms in addition to its main living space. One was what she assumed to be the master bedroom, which was placed at the entrance of a short corridor. Another was thoroughly ransacked, though it looked like many of the former inhabitants’ belongings remained. The other two had pairs of child-sized beds and a few toys were strewn about the floor.

In all, it looked like they had left in a hurry, carrying their most useful things along with them. Going by what she had heard from the Orcs in Warden’s Vale, many of the villages were overrun by Jaldabaoth’s forces before they were warned of his coming. This one looked like it had gotten lucky…or was it luckier to be captured, subjected to all manner of unspeakable tortures, and then eventually rescued?

Florine left the home, gently closing the door behind her before continuing her inspection of the village. The next house over had a yard with tanning frames. She passed several more tanners and tailors before coming across a crude smithy. It was half collapsed and dark stains covered the stones of the furnace.

Further down the slope, she found a larger lane that led to a large open space. At its centre was a raised platform fashioned from timber beams and planks. Thick pillars were arranged in an octagon around it, fitted with holders for sconces.

“The village square, probably?” Florine murmured, “I wonder how many people lived here…”

“We estimate roughly a thousand individuals,” Isoroku said.

Rather than a village, it was more like a town. Maybe the Orcs didn’t have a word for a settlement larger than that. Additionally, going by the way things were laid out, the ‘Orc Village’ was about one-quarter the area of E-Rantel.

“How come none of this information was in the materials?” She asked.

“The settlements were deemed unremarkable,” Isoroku replied. “Our surveyors found nothing of note.”

It felt quite rude to say so, but, in a way, it was true. Her assessment of the goods hastily left behind marked them as roughly the equivalent of a rural family’s winter crafts. From the administration’s perspective, that made them ‘nothing of note’.

“It’s still a problem,” she said.

“Elaborate,” the Elder Lich raised its clipboard.

“Compared to the tribes around the Azerlisia Mountains,” Florine said, “they’re very advanced. But that ‘nothing of note’ is going to be a problem in E-Rantel. The Royal Court’s domestic policies encourage the Sorcerous Kingdom’s citizens to pursue the professions they excel in. ‘Nothing of note’ suggests that there’s nothing they excel in.”

While mostly reasonable in her expectations, Lady Albedo was also very keen on ‘optimising’ the citizenry. Having yet another group of Demihumans with no specialisation in particular wouldn’t please her in the slightest. The racial strengths that allowed the Orcs to compete against their neighbouring tribes meant little to nothing in a civilian setting. In E-Rantel, they were in pretty much the same boat as Ogres.

No, that wasn’t right. Ogres weren’t especially bright, so they were perfectly happy just earning enough to eat and maybe buying something interesting or useful once in a while. Orcs, on the other hand, seemed every bit as intelligent as Humans. As far as Humans went, that usually meant one wouldn’t be satisfied with what they had once one grew accustomed to their new environment.

Without a racial specialisation, however, they were forever hampered by their Racial Class Levels. They had to work harder to achieve the same results as a Human artisan and their cost of living would be higher due to their diet. In all honesty, they would have been more competitive if they had stayed in the Abelion Hills where they only had other Demihumans to contend with.

“Has the escort come across anything?”

“The area is clear,” the Elder Lich sergeant said. “The location of this territory is adjacent to other abandoned or downsized territories. Lady Albedo instructed us to keep these lands unoccupied for the pending construction.”

“I see.”

That was one way to keep people from complaining about having a highway built through their territory. Not that any Human would complain about something like that. High Nobles would clamour over one another for such an economic boom. The local tribes probably only saw it as a disruption to hunting and damage to their environment.

“I’ve seen enough,” she said. “Let’s move on. I’d like to arrive at the next place before dark.”

She returned to her Soul Eater. Liolio somehow stayed on her head as she mounted. The Miq refused to sit on the Soul Eater as they travelled, but he was perfectly fine sitting on her head while she sat on the Soul Eater.

The next territory was roughly fifty kilometres to the west – a land once populated by a species of Goat Beastmen locally known as the Baafolk. Florine idly wondered if all Beastmen with the appearance of one particular animal all counted as the same.

They followed the river that ran through the village upstream until it ended at a bubbling spring. Her escort led her past it, going over the ridge beyond and entering the next valley. Partway down, they came across a set of grisly markers driven into the slopes.

Each one was painted a garish red and adorned with multiple skulls. Strings of bone and feathers held together by coarse twine clattered in the breeze. Florine stared up at the fetish-like objects with wide eyes.

“Pyap!” Liolio cried, “The Baafolk lie beyond–pyap! These are the lands of the Grand King of Destruction, Buser!”

“My notes said that he was the Lord of the Baafolk clans,” Florine said. “Was he actually a king? Was this a Baafolk kingdom?”

It probably wasn’t, but it would have been nice if the local tribes had some familiarity with systems of monarchy. As far as Florine knew, however, Buser had achieved his position as an absolute ruler through personal merit rather than any hereditary succession. It wouldn’t be wrong to call him a warlord.

“A king!” Liolio said, “Years ago, he unified the Baafolk tribes through his mighty feats. A mighty king who conquered the tribes all around!”

So basically a warlord…

Then again, House Vaiself forged Re-Estize through a violent unification after the Demon Gods’ rampage. The Baharuth Empire, too, rebelled and maintained its independence through the force of arms. However, she was pretty certain that ‘King’ Buser’s kingdom would have fallen with him had he and all of his people not been killed in the war with the Holy Kingdom. Any progress he brought his tribes would have likely been erased by the next tyrant as they reshaped the clans in their own image.

“My materials say that the Baafolk are all gone,” Florine said. “Can you confirm this?”

“The patrols passing through this area have noted no Demihuman activity,” the Elder Lich sergeant said.

Going by his continued calls, Liolio didn’t believe them. Florine rode forward anyway, frowning down at her map.

This seems awfully convenient…

Every tribe standing in the way between the Great Wall of Roble and the Sorcerous Kingdom’s planned highway had been destroyed or displaced by Jaldabaoth’s activities. The Orcs had been convinced to stay in the Sorcerous Kingdom, though they had wanted to flee regardless.

The trees grew more crowded as they travelled west and had to take several detours to avoid a few small canyons and falls. Two hours later, Liolio’s cries rose sharply in alarm.

Florine eased her Soul Eater to a stop. Liolio hopped around wildly on her head, then stopped when a rustling sound came from the bushes all around. What emerged was strangely well within Florine’s expectations.

Maybe it was because she had met Lord Cocytus and his vassals before. Six insectoids with glistening dark blue carapaces appeared in a semicircle around them.

“You have entered the territory of the Zern,” one told them with a female voice. “We recognise the Sorcerous Kingdom’s forces, but this formation is unknown to us…”

“I am Baroness Florine Kadia Dale Gagnier, a Noble of the Sorcerous Kingdom. I arrived recently to assist with the administration of the Abelion Wilderness. This is a courtesy call, I suppose. I’d like to get to know the people I’m working with better.”

The short feelers protruding over their heads waved lightly in the air as she spoke.

“A…courtesy call, is it?” The Zern who had spoken first said, “Very well. You and your escort may enter. We will send messengers ahead to inform our King of your coming.”

Another king?

“The last I heard,” Florine said, “your people had a prince.”

“Yes, Prince Beebeezee is now our King. He was the only surviving royal, after all.”

Maybe they used a system of government close enough to the Sorcerous Kingdom’s to relate to. Unlike the Miq, they appeared to be at ease around both Florine and the Undead.

The Zern were much shorter than they, crawling along the ground under the brush, so a Death Knight went ahead to clear the way for Florine. Eventually, she was forced to dismount in the rugged terrain. Liolio pip’d in warning every time they entered a clearing, each of which appeared to be created by a hole in the ground. Thirty minutes later, they found themselves before one that was much larger than the rest.

“This one should fit your kind,” the Zern said. “If you don’t mind, please leave the Undead behind.”

Florine leaned forward, looking down into the darkness. It was enough for her to fit into, but a Death Knight would probably have problems. The Soul Eater was out of the question.

“Very well,” Florine reached up and gathered Liolio into her arms. “Everyone else wait here, please.”

The Miq grew very still as she carried it into the hole.

“Ah,” the Zern’s voice came from ahead of her. “If I recall correctly, Humans cannot see in the dark.”

“I’m fine,” Florine replied. “I have an item that confers Darkvision.”

Her nose twitched as the heavy scent of mould and mildew was carried past her on a gust of humid air. As with the underground area of the Demihuman Quarter in E-Rantel, the deeper they went, the warmer it got. It was as hot as a sweltering summer day before the tunnels levelled out and started branching into many chambers. Curious Zern poked their heads out as Florine walked by, her boots squishing over the spongy ground.

“You appear to be unbothered by the underground,” the Zern guiding her said.

“I can’t say that I’m completely unbothered,” Florine replied, “but E-Rantel – the capital of the Sorcerous Kingdom – has an underground area. I’ve been to the kingdom of the mountain Dwarves, as well, and it’s much deeper than this.”

“Is that so? The Holy Kingdom of Roble has no such thing. Well, they do have those things called sewers, but that is, of course, not the same.”

“You’ve been to the Holy Kingdom?”

“Oh, yes. We Zern were forced to join Jaldabaoth’s army. But we only fought because he held our old King hostage. When the King was killed, our people rebelled and joined forces with the Holy Kingdom and the Sorcerer King.”

The tunnel sloped down again, then curved to the left. Florine had lost her bearings long ago.

“How does your government work?” Florine asked, “I hear you refer to your leader as a king, but I’m not sure if that’s because we don’t have a word for it or not.”

“Very few males are born to our kind,” the Zern answered. “Those who are become our royalty. Beebeezee was the last. I still shudder to think of how perilous a situation we were in.”

Alright, nothing like us at all…

Rather than their government being a legal construct, it was a biological one. Florine guessed that ‘prince’ and ‘king’ probably weren’t the actual terms they were using – they were just the closest approximation in her language.

Their path turned up again and they emerged into a large chamber lined with Zern. In the centre rear was an individual who looked unlike any of the other Zern Florine had seen. Its grub-like amethyst body had a regal bearing, and it pulsed and wriggled in place as Florine approached. For some reason, it reminded her of Clara.

“Welcome!” The purple Zern said in a distinctly male voice, “We welcome the…what are you, exactly?”

Florine lowered her head in a curtsey.

“My name is Florine Kadia Dale Gagnier, a Baroness of the Sorcerous Kingdom. I’ve been dispatched by the Royal Court to assist in the administration of the Abelion Wilderness.”

“I see, I see. I am Princ–erm, King Beebeezee of the Zern. We welcome our friend from the Sorcerous Kingdom! Our only regret is that you did not call ahead. I would have had something prepared, if so.”

“For that,” Florine said, “You have my most sincere apologies, Your Majesty. I thought it best to get started right away and I wasn’t familiar with any of the local customs.”

“Humu, I see. That is quite diligent of you, Florine Kadia Dale Gagnier.”

“Calling me by my title is fine, Your Majesty.”

“Your title? Which one is that?”

“Gagnier. Lady Gagnier. If not, Florine is fine.”

“Florine it is, then! In return, you may call me Beebeezee.”

“I am afraid that it would be improper of me to do so, Your Majesty.”

The maggot-like body slouched in its seat.

“Hmph. Well, if you insist. Hey, Boobeebee! Did you find that thing yet?”

“Just a moment,” a voice called from the far corner of the room. “I think I got it? I did!”

“Excellent!” The Zern King said, “Bring it here.”

A powerful-looking female Zern scurried over with a golden chalice held up in one claw.

“We received a set of these from the Humans in Roble during the victory celebrations,” King Beebeezee said. “Apparently, it’s a gift appropriate for royalty, but we had no use for such things until now. One moment…”

The King twisted in his seat and bit it with startling speed. It was then that Florine realised it wasn’t a seat, but a bear. Sucking sounds rose from the ‘throne’ as the King’s body pulsed like a giant leech.

He’s not going to spit that into the goblet and offer it to me, is he? Gods, please, no…

Florine’s mind worked to formulate a suitably polite refusal as King Beebeezee’s body started to bloat. Her eyes went to the goblet. Wasn’t that far too much?

“Here it comes,” the King said. “Hold it out!”

“Yes!” Boobeebee held out the goblet.

King Beebeezee didn’t spit out whatever he sucked out of the bear, but something came out of the other end of him. A clear liquid streamed forth, filling the goblet to overflowing.

“Ah…” The King said, “Please serve our Human guest over there.”

Boobeebee came over and held the goblet out toward her. She couldn’t make Human facial expressions and didn’t have anything remotely resembling a Human mouth, but Florine could almost swear the Zern was offering her brightest smile.

Liolio fluttered up to Florine’s head as she reached out and took the goblet tentatively.

“Your Majesty,” she asked, “what is this?”

“It’s honeydew!” King Beebeezee said proudly, “Fresh from the royal rear. I thought long and hard about what would best suit a guest from the Sorcerous Kingdom and I could think of nothing better.”

Florine glanced at the Zern lining the walls of the chamber. They were all staring at her…no – they were staring at the cup. Did they want some? Was it really that good?

After looking down at the cup for a long moment, Florine closed her eyes and gingerly took a sip.

It’s sweet? And it’s warm…no, wait, this is bear, isn’t it? Some people say that bears love honey, but can bears become honey?

She looked up at King Beebeezee, who seemed to be waiting expectantly for her opinion. Despite the taste, she still couldn’t reconcile with the fact that it had come out of his rear end.

“It’s very sweet, Your Majesty,” Florine smiled.

“Ohh…I knew you would like it! I didn’t know this until we went to the Holy Kingdom, but Humans seem to love sweet things.”

They did, but knowing what the source was would definitely ruin it. Florine held out the goblet.

“This is too much for me to finish on my own,” she said, “but the Sorcerous Kingdom appreciates your gesture of hospitality. We are pleased to know that we have such steadfast allies in the Abelion Hills.”

Boobeebee received the cup and walked off with it. She downed half of the thing in a single round. The other Zern females made incensed noises and went after her.

“Allies, hm,” King Beebeezee said. “His Majesty the Sorcerer King is so strong that one would think he didn’t need any allies.”

“There is more to the world than raw might,” Florine replied. “I, for one, would be most appreciative if Your Majesty shared the Zern’s knowledge of the region and its workings.”

In truth, the Zern didn’t need much from the Sorcerous Kingdom. Since they lived in a colossal hive under the thousand sinkholes in the northwest of the Abelion Hills, Lady Albedo decided it was too much of a bother to relocate them. Their neighbours had been destroyed by Jaldabaoth and their lands were left unoccupied, so hunting was plentiful. They were one of the only races in the area that didn’t require imports of meat from the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Florine needed more from them than they did from her, so she feared that they would be the hardest to convince to cooperate. Fortunately, their ruler appeared to be an amicable fellow.

“I would be pleased to be of assistance,” he said. “One of my royal stature doesn’t travel much overland, but my people have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge over time. For instance, I see you have a Ylii-Miq there?”

“Miq,” Liolio peeped sadly.

“Oh,” the King’s body deflated slightly. “You have my condolences.”

“I’m afraid that I’ll only find tragedies in the wake of Jaldabaoth’s evil reign,” Florine said. “I would like to learn as much as I can, in hopes that it will help me find a way forward for all of the survivors.”

King Beebeezee wriggled in his seat, looking nothing more than a grub that had been dug up and tossed into the sun.

“I must ask you one question, though,” he said. “Why?”

“Why?”

“Indeed,” the King said. “The Sorcerous Kingdom is so powerful that they could force anyone to do anything. Why use these roundabout means?”

“Because force alone achieves little in the long run,” Florine said. “And, besides, haven’t the people already had enough of it?”

The King remained silent for a dozen heartbeats. His body shimmered in the light of the fungus growing out of the roof and walls as he twisted and turned.

“You come across differently from the Humans in the Holy Kingdom,” he said. “It is filled with a kindness that is not known in these lands. Kindness and patience.”

“Maybe that’s what these lands need, Your Majesty,” Florine replied. “And weren’t you allies with the Holy Kingdom in the fight against Jaldabaoth?”

“Allies and enemies,” King Beebeezee corrected her. “And we have been enemies for far longer. Already, I can sense the bonds of camaraderie giving way to old hatreds. I often think to myself: ah, this is what it must have felt like to be one of the heroes of legend. A great crisis brought so many together, yet here we are now.”

“The Sorcerous Kingdom won’t let that happen,” she told him. “Unlike any ‘heroes’, we are here to stay.”