Valkyrie's Shadow

Stone and Blood: Act 3, Chapter 5

Stone and Blood: Act 3, Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Is it truly so easy to lease Undead?

Florine knew the process inside-out, yet she was still compelled to ask the question as Falagrim Felhammer submitted his order. The Dark Dwarf, while having the various documents that she had lent to him translated, could not fill out the forms himself so he ended up dictating what he wanted to one of the junior officials.

“I’ll take two of Set A with some Elder Liches on the side,” the Dark Dwarf said.

“Two Country Destroyer sets,” the Elder Lich repeated the order as its pen scratched over its clipboard. “How many Elder Liches would you like?”

They really need to change the names of those package deals…

Supposedly, they were meant to sound impressive or inspiring, but since they could literally perform as advertised, all that the names of the various sets did was inspire fear…at least when it came to normal people.

“Could you explain these two promotions near the top?” Falagrim pointed at his form.

“The Office Despot and Rural Tyrant deals come with three Elder Liches trained for accounting, warehouse management and recordkeeping tasks.”

“What’s the difference between them?”

“Office Despot comes with three Death Knights to assist with menial tasks. Rural Tyrant comes with three Soul Eaters for long-distance coverage.”

We definitely need to change those names.

“Why are they more expensive than the security bundles?”

“They require extensive training that is outside of an Elder Lich’s natural aptitudes,” the Elder Lich replied.

“I see. Just four of the Labyrinth Lord deals, then.”

“This one proposes that, rather than four Labyrinth Lord deals, you should upgrade to the Evil Cabal set. In addition to the same number of Elder Liches, a Death Priest is also included for no additional charge.”

“Sure.”

Falagrim waited as the Elder Lich filled out the form. So far, he had ordered ten infantry squads and twelve Elder Liches ‘on the side’.

“Since you appear to be entering an active combat area where delivering replacements may be difficult,” the Elder Lich said, “would you be interested in our Power by the Hour program?”

“The auxiliaries won’t fight, will they?”

“No. They will perform maintenance in a secured location, but their presence will facilitate optimal performance from your front-line units and greater campaign endurance.”

The Power by the Hour program was a new concept introduced by the Sorcerous Kingdom that went hand-in-hand with the leased Undead. After seeing action in the Baharuth Empire and the Draconic Kingdom, it was noted that protracted conflict against adversaries that fought in certain ways or were simply above a certain level tended to run each squad’s Death Priests out of mana. Most countries, of course, didn’t have anywhere near the number of magic casters with the appropriate spells to perform maintenance on the Undead. Even if they did, they neither had the systems to support the Undead nor did they have enough mana to support continuous operations.

As with any industry, if proper maintenance wasn’t possible, then operations came to a standstill. The Sorcerous Kingdom’s answer was to offer additional ‘maintenance crews’ that would keep the leased Undead in optimal condition.

For the time being, the program came separate from Undead leases, but Liane noted that this sort of performance-based product support represented a revolutionary new method that could be optimised and applied to other industries. Rather than selling machines or vehicles and earning recurring revenue through parts, maintenance, and other services, they could sell ‘performance’. That was the only thing that most customers cared about, after all. They wanted ‘a thingy to do a thing’ and everything else didn’t matter until it mattered, at which point it was usually an expensive and time-consuming inconvenience.

This would not only offer a simplified client experience, but it would also create a new industrial sector that employed skilled labour from the Sorcerous Kingdom. To top it all off, doing things that way made it easier to collect performance data and keep technological secrets as the products being used remained the property of the company running the program.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” Falagrim said.

The Elder Lich added the option to the order. After reviewing the terms of the lease with the Dark Dwarf, the Elder Lich raised a hand to a temple as it submitted the order via Message.

“One would think you’ve done something like this before with how casually things went,” Florine said.

“Some people like being hands-on when picking out their slaves,” Falagrim said, “but this isn’t much different than ordering from the Refinery.”

“The Refinery?”

An explanation didn’t appear to be forthcoming. Florine couldn’t for the life of her imagine what a person coming out of something called a ‘refinery’ might be like.

“Falagrim,” someone called from outside the tent. “I brought Loar.”

The Dwarf Lord turned to leave the pavilion that Florine had ordered set up weeks ago. It was meant to entertain guests, but Falagrim coming over to place his order was the first time it saw any use.

“What do you have for me?” Falagrim said.

“We checked the closest places,” the grungy-looking Dwarf Ranger replied. “They’re still draining out.”

“Then what’s our best bet?”

“Off the top of my head, there are a few places in The Neck.”

“That’s days away,” Falagrim said. “What about Dur-orogh?”

Loar sucked in his lips, pounding a fist lightly against his thigh.

“It’s guaranteed to be dry,” he said. “But it may take days to fight through.”

“We’ve got plenty of muscle,” Falagrim told him. “Get our people packing.”

“Are we going to bring the inmates, as well?”

“Of course not. Find some good boulders to chain them up to out in the field. The artisans can pick them up for work every evening.”

“Wait,” Florine frowned, “you’re just going to leave them to bake in the sun all day?”

He mentioned that they were criminals, but that didn’t mean everything that happened to them was justified.

“Seems that way,” Falagrim said. “Unless you just so happen to have a bunch of jail cells conveniently on hand.”

“Keep them in one of the stall areas, at least,” Florine said. “The posts supporting the roofs are sturdy enough to hold them.”

“…you’re not going to charge me for using up the space, are you?”

“No!”

Falagrim nodded at Loar, who turned and jogged off in the direction of the Dwarf camp. They returned to the pavilion, where the Elder Lich patiently awaited them.

“Your order has been confirmed,” it held out a receipt. “It will arrive with the next cargo delivery.”

Florine checked her pocket watch.

“Isn’t that right now?” She asked.

“Yes,” the Elder Lich answered.

They left the office area, heading north to the cargo lot. Along the way, they came across Falagrim’s order. At the head of the column of Undead was Lady Shalltear, dressed in her usual black ballroom gown. Florine lowered her head in a curtsey.

“Good evening, Lady Shalltear.”

“Good evening, Lady Gagnier,” Lady Shalltear said. “It appears you’ve already landed your first sale.”

“It wasn’t through any effort of my own,” Florine replied. “This is them, then?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Lady Shalltear raised a sheet of paper in front of her and cleared her throat. “Two Country Destroyer sets, one Evil Cabal set and the maintenance crew for the Power by the Hour plan. Please confirm that there are no problems with your order.”

Falagrim and Agni went around to inspect the newly-arrived rentals. Shalltear’s crimson gaze lingered on Agni roughly two seconds longer than it did on Falagrim.

“Why is this place so horribly unsexy?” Lady Shalltear said, “Remind me to get you assigned to someplace filled with Elves or something next time.”

“I would say that attractiveness is least on my list of concerns when it comes to the Dark Dwarves, my lady.”

“Why, because they’re evil, callous, cruel, and utterly bleak? All they do is work and work and work. Speaking of which, the Royal Treasurer asked me to remind you to send any interesting items you find his way.”

“The Royal Treasurer always asks for ‘interesting items’,” Florine rolled her eyes. “Since you said all of that, have you met any Dark Dwarves before?”

“No, but that’s what they’re supposed to be like, right?”

“We don’t have any tales about them at all, my lady,” Florine said, “so I wasn’t sure what to expect. He even got mad when I compared him to the Mountain Dwarves.”

“That sounds about right,” Lady Shalltear stuck a hand into her inventory. “They hate everyone and everything. Even each other. Here’s something for you, by the way.”

Florine retrieved the folded slip of paper proffered between Lady Shalltear’s fingers. She couldn’t help but frown as she glanced over the content.

“Lady Albedo wants me to go with them?”

“She’s really stretching with what falls under your assignment here,” Lady Shalltear muttered.

“But they’re going to fight some sort of war,” Florine said. “Wouldn’t Ludmila be more suited to this sort of thing?”

“I’m sure she would be,” Lady Shalltear replied. “Nevertheless, you are the one being assigned. I believe Albedo has a list of tasks written there.”

She sighed and read the Prime Minister’s missive again. In addition to observing the Dark Dwarves and assessing their civilisation, Florine was to explore potential relationships with any other races that they encountered underground. While it was true that she might be a better fit for the task than Ludmila, she didn’t think they would be on some leisurely trip to wherever they were going. Maybe she could take note of everything and revisit them later.

“Will you be coming with us, my lady?”

“As much as I could go for a good massacre these days,” Lady Shalltear replied, “I’m still stuck to this schedule. Speaking of which, I must be on my way. Don’t get caught by Brain Eaters while you’re down there.”

With that, her liege went back the way that she had come. Florine was left with yet another unsettling term that she had no idea about.

I need to go and get ready.

“Are you coming with me?” She asked the Vampire Bride standing silently at her arm.

“Of course, Lady Gagnier,” the Vampire Bride replied. “Shall I prepare your things?”

“Please.”

“How long will you be away for?”

“…I don’t know.”

Florine went looking for Falagrim, finding him and Agni on the other end of the column. She watched him quietly for a moment, wondering if he looked the same when he was inspecting slaves.

“Master Falagrim.”

“Hm?”

“How long will it take for you to reach your home?”

“Depends on the condition of the underway. Without the dead weight we’re usually dragging around, around three or four days if we don’t run into any problems. Why?”

“Didn’t your daughter say that you only had a few days to reach your people?” Florine said, “Why take your usual route?”

“Because we’ll never find the entrance,” he said. “The gates are occupied by the enemy.”

“I think I’m missing something here…”

“The entrance isn’t something you can just stumble across,” Falagim said. “Why do you think no one knows where we live? Even if one knows exactly where it’s supposed to be, if the gate controller doesn’t want them to find it, they won’t.”

Perhaps putting them on the same level as the northern Human countries was grossly in error. Never mind not hearing about something like that before, that it could exist would have never crossed her mind.

“There a point to your questions, girl?”

“I…was ordered to accompany you,” Florine’s gaze turned down. “Sorry for the imposition.”

The Dark Dwarves frowned up at her for all of three seconds before returning to their inspection.

“It’s your funeral,” Falagrim told her. “We’re not slowing down if you fall behind or get lost.”

Florine fumed as she rushed back to her tent with the Vampire Bride. Why did he always have to be so unpleasant? Since Lady Shalltear described Dark Dwarves exactly as Florine had observed of them, perhaps they couldn’t help being that way. However, even if it was normal for them, their behaviour still made her feel miserable whenever she interacted with Falagrim and his people.

At her tent, Florine found Isoroku waiting with her escort. The infantry squad almost looked spirited.

“Did you receive instructions from the administration?” Florine asked.

“Indeed,” Isoroku answered. “We have been ordered to accompany you on your journey. This infantry squad has been charged with your protection. Do keep in mind, however, that the Death Priests cannot heal the living.”

“I brought plenty of restoratives with me,” Florine said. “I’ll hand some out to everyone just in case I’m unable to use them.”

“What’s going on here?”

Boobeebee and Iliky’ie came from nearby with curious looks. Florine handed her bag over to the Vampire Bride so she could start packing.

“Falagrim’s home is in danger,” Florine said. “We’re going with him.”

“I would not recommend this,” Boobeebee said. “Though I know not where the Dark Dwarves dwell, I do know that it is somewhere underground. Even the Upper Realms are not a place for Humans.”

“The Upper Realms?”

“The Realms Below are divided into layers,” Boobeebee told her. “The Upper Realms are the topmost layer, sitting just below what some may simply believe to be a deep cave. But, then, that cave goes deeper and deeper. Eventually, one that follows it down will realise that they have entered what may as well be a different world. A world that has never known the light of the sun. One that often follows different rules from that which a surface dweller is accustomed to. It is at that point where that one has entered the Upper Realms.”

“Wait,” Florine said. “I thought you said that the Realms Below were past the Great Flow.”

“A matter of perspective, I suppose. There is always something below. Just as there is always something above. To surfacers, the Realms Below would be everything under the earth that you stand on.”

“So the Zern inhabit the Upper Realms?”

“We barely scratch the top of it,” Boobeebee replied. “For the most part, we try to keep ourselves separate. There are far more dangerous things below than there are above. I suppose, for the true inhabitants of the Realms Below, people like the Zern and the Y’y’yioy would be considered surfacers.”

“What is the place below the Great Flow called?” Florine asked.

“The Middle Realms,” Boobeebee answered.

“That implies there’s something under that.”

“Again,” the Zern hero replied. “There is always something below. Our tales only speak vaguely of what lies there, however. The deeper one delves, the stranger things become from what lies above. Familiar and long-forgotten primordial forces alike dictate what is and what isn’t, demanding a different logic from what we operate under. I have heard of vast oceans that lie beneath other oceans and the creatures that lurk in their depths. Rivers of magma that flow through fields of ice formed from the eternal battles between armies of Elementals. There are unfathomably powerful Dragon Lords and other beings who essentially exist separate from the surface world and have been around since the world’s infancy.”

How much of that am I supposed to believe? What if it’s all real?

Boobeebee’s words went far beyond what was presented in even the most fantastical of Human legends. Human legends didn’t even mention the Realms Below. Caves featured prominently enough, acting as places where treasure was hidden or monsters laired, but the stories that she knew never took a step beyond that.

“But nothing so extreme will happen in the Upper Realms, right?” Florine asked.

“Things are less strange,” Boobeebee answered, “but strange nonetheless.”

“Since I’ve been ordered to go with them,” Florine said, “I’d like to approach everything with a more adventuresome attitude. Will you be able to come with me?”

“My king sent me to accompany you,” Boobeebee replied. “I’m not sure if he foresaw this, but I will come.”

“What about you, Iliky’ie?”

“I don’t think I’ll be of any use to you in the Upper Realms,” the Y’y’yioy said. “My people live underground, but, like the Zern, our tunnels lie close to the surface. I would only be a burden.”

“You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you wish,” Florine said. “If you’d like to go home, you can accompany one of the food shipments there.”

The Vampire Bride emerged from Florine’s tent and instructed the nearby Undead to help dismantle it. Florine looked to the edge of the crater, hoping that Falagrim hadn’t left her behind.

“How does the Dwarf plan to penetrate the Upper Realms?” Boobeebee asked.

“He said something that sounded like ‘dur orok’,” Florine answered.

Boobeebee and Iliky’ie fell still. She felt Liolio rising from his perch on her hat.

“Dur-orogh…that is a cursed place,” Boobeebee said.

“What is it?”

“The capital of the Dwarf kingdom that once lay under the Abelion Hills. Now, it is merely an almost-forgotten tomb.”

“Was that kingdom in any way related to the Dark Dwarves?”

“Only by the fact that they were also Dwarves,” Boobeebee replied. “Dur-orogh was the capital of a Hill Dwarf kingdom.”

“What happened to them?”

“The Demon Gods came for them,” Boobeebee told her, “but they were intercepted here in the Dale of Defiance by the great coalition of heroes. After that victory, however, so much strength was lost that the monsters once held in check by that strength ran rampant, creating a second bout of chaos that raged over the region.”

“…but if you cooperated to defeat the Demon Gods,” Florine said, “why not band together to defend yourselves against those monsters?”

Boobeebee seemed to shrug.

“Is it not as my king said? When great evils rise, so too do the people in common cause. Then the people quickly grow apart. More often than not, it is the lesser evils that fell great nations. In the case of the Hill Dwarves, they were destroyed by some threat from below. No one knew that they were gone until we became curious why none showed up to peddle their wares for years.”

And we’re going there? What if whatever got the Hill Dwarves is still around?

Once the tent and all of its contents were back in her Infinite Haversack, Florine left with her companions in search of Falagrim. She found him speaking to the artisans he was leaving behind while a few other Dwarves were attaching chains to the posts where their inmates would be ‘accommodated’ while he was away. Nearby, his newly-leased Undead were waiting in neat little columns.

When he finished speaking, he walked right past Florine and left with his people. Florine steps picked up to keep pace with him.

“I heard that Dur-orogh is the former capital of a Hill Dwarf kingdom,” she said.

“What of it?”

“Someone mentioned something about it being cursed…”

Falagrim snorted.

“There’s nothing cursed about it,” he said. “It’s just infested with Undead.”

Florine glanced at Isoroku.

“Did any of our patrols encounter Undead?” She asked.

“No,” the Elder Lich answered.

“I bet none of your patrols ‘encountered’ a whole damn Hill Dwarf kingdom, either,” Falagrim said.

How did the patrols miss a whole kingdom? The locals knew about it, too.

Rather than subject herself to any more of Falagrim’s caustic responses so early in their journey, Florine settled on looking at the scenery. Unfortunately, the sun had already set. The silhouette of the hills in the twilight and the emerging stars above was all she could see beyond the range of her Darkvision item. They had left the Dale of Defiance on a northwesterly path, but she wasn’t certain about their direction anymore.

Their pace picked up to one that would have probably winded a healthy, seasoned Farmer before long and her attention shifted to the ground as they made their way over the rough terrain. Liolio pipped.

“Thinking too much,” the Miq said. “Trust Liolio.”

What does he mean by that?

Nearby, Florine noticed Velgath looking in her direction.

“So that was a Demihuman after all, huh.”

She’s initiating a conversation with me?

Was it because she was a woman? No, Agni was just as grouchy as Falagrim. Maybe it was because she was younger. It would be nice if she could make friends with at least one of the Dark Dwarves.

“Liolio is the first person that I met here,” Florine said. “He’s been with me ever since.”

“I see,” Velgath said with a thoughtful expression. “I didn’t know Humans could be tamed.”

I take it back. She’s just as bad as the others, if not worse.

“He isn’t taming me,” Florine said. “Isn’t that right, Liolio?”

“Pip!”

“Liolio?!”

She wasn’t being tamed. It didn’t feel like she was being tamed…except she didn’t know what being tamed felt like. Was it possible for a Human to be tamed? Ludmila had Ilyshn’ish. If something like a Dragon could end up as a pet, then a Human wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility…

“Silly Human,” Liolio said, “Liolio is not taming you. Liolio is guiding you as he has been from the beginning.”

“I believe he is referring to an ability analogous to a Ranger’s Trailblazing,” Isoroku said. “The servitors employing Miq in patrols and deliveries have noted similar improvements in performance.”

Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t recall having any difficulties traversing difficult terrain short of sheer cliffs.

“I never realised that you were helping me like that,” Florine said. “Thank you, Liolio.”

“Pip!”

A few hours later, they arrived at a small canyon with narrow, high walls that rose beyond the range of Florine’s Darkvision. There was little difference between it and any number of similar locations all over the region. Several of Falagrim’s Rangers went ahead of them, vanishing into the darkness of the narrow passage.

“Is this it?” Florine asked.

“Would there be any other reason why we’d stop here?” Falagrim muttered.

Florine stepped closer to one of the canyon walls, trying to discern anything that suggested the passage was artificial. As far as she could tell, the stone was completely natural and untouched by the hand of any artisan.

One of the Rangers reappeared several minutes later, nodding to Falagrim.

“Way’s clear to the entrance, boss.”

“Move in,” Falagrim said.

They followed the winding course of the canyon, footfalls splashing in the stream as the passage became so narrow that a wagon could barely squeeze through. The stars above vanished, replaced by the stone ceiling of a cave. Florine lost track of time as they made their way further and further into the hill.

Then, all at once, a sense of wonder filled her as the cave seemed to transform into the unmistakably exquisite form of Dwarven architecture. The passage widened and the stream was replaced by a pair of aqueducts that formed a long colonnade that looked like it had been carved straight out of the living stone of the Abelion Hills. At the end of the ‘cave’ was a wall of seamless stone polished to a mirror finish.

“Velgath,” Falagrim said.

“Got it.”

Florine was left blinking as Falagrim’s daughter stepped forward, vanishing into the stone. Several moments later, a circular seam five metres across appeared in the wall. She gaped wordlessly as the stone rolled away without sound or vibration. On her head, Liolio let out a cautionary pip.

“Registering Undead reaction,” one of the Death Priests said.

Her escort closed in around her, forming a fortress of black shields. It was only after that that Florine became aware of the telltale sensation of ambient negative energy. Falagrim, however, only strode forward, his Rangers sweeping ahead of him.

Aside from the colonnade that continued on the other side of the gateway, she could only describe Dur-orogh as an endless expanse of darkness. The interior was so expansive that it far exceeded the range of her Darkvision item. Florine’s escort settled into a more mobile formation as they had to keep up with Falagrim’s blistering pace.

“This spot looks good, boss,” Loar said.

Their procession stopped. Falagrim hefted his warhammer, banging it loudly against his body-length tower shield. As the sound echoed against the unseen walls of the city, countless points of crimson light appeared, turning the darkness into a vast field of bloody stars.

The Dwarf Lord turned to address his newly-leased Undead.

“Fill the ranks,” he said as the murderous wave closed in on them. “Dispose of the rest.”