Valkyrie's Shadow

Stone and Blood: Act 4, Chapter 12

Stone and Blood: Act 4, Chapter 12

Chapter 12

8th Day, Middle Fire Month, 1 CE

“All hail Falagrim Felhammer,” Agni’s voice carried from the dais to the far end of the great hall, “King of Khazanar!”

“Hail to the King!”

The voices of thousands of Dark Dwarves shook the air around Florine. King Felhammer’s coronation seemed a bit premature, but the success of his campaign to reclaim Khazanar was all but set in stone.

And drenched in the blood of millions.

It was imagery that was most suitable for Dark Dwarves and their cruel ways. Except, in this case, the achievement was in no small part made possible by the Sorcerous Kingdom.

After realising her blunder, Lady Shalltear hurriedly sent her Hanzo escorts out to collect any powerful Gazers they could find in hopes that they had some useful information about the powerful Warhammer in Xulgorinairiar’s possession. As a result, the tyranny-induced cohesion of the Gazer hive completely collapsed and it fragmented into a multitude of factions that immediately turned on one another in each Gazer’s respective bid for dominance over all others.

Needless to say, the result was a trivial challenge for Clan Felhammer to clean up. Complete victory over the invaders was merely a matter of time.

As for Florine, she had more than her fill of Dark Dwarf society. She couldn’t wait to get back to her work in the Abelion Wilderness where people only killed other people because they needed to eat. The coronation ceremony made for a good point where she could gracefully part ways with her hosts.

The proceedings were as characteristically brief as one might expect of Dark Dwarves. Nearly all of the attendees immediately left to return to their work as soon as it was over. Florine rose from the plain stone bench near the front that had been reserved for foreign dignitaries, taking an inventory of who was left. Even Queen Baerwynn went straight back to her office. Florine was fairly certain that the woman had joined the crowd on the way out. The King’s son, Uldun, hadn’t attended in favour of remaining at his command on the front lines. It was admirable, but in a way that only Elder Liches could fully appreciate.

“Where to now?” Velgath asked as she came over to join her.

“I was thinking that my work is done here, Your Royal Highness,” Florine replied.

The Dwarf woman’s lip curled.

“I’m glad you’re getting lost if you're going to start calling me that.”

“Hah! Don’t let that sour act of hers fool you,” Lord Deepingstone rolled up to join them. “I’ve never seen the girl stick so close to anyone before.”

“That’s because it’s my job, you fat bastard,” Velgath replied.

Florine lowered her head in a curtsey.

“Lord Deepingstone,” she smiled, “It’s a pleasure to see you alive and well after what happened in Grimmantle.”

“Deepwardens are tough buggers,” Lord Deepingstone replied. “It’d take more than that to put us down.”

“I take it that means you’re returning to the front?”

“Uh-huh. Though after everything’s settled, I may just go on a little adventure.”

“…an adventure, my lord?”

“I was thinking of going south with a bunch of my kin,” Lord Deepingstone told her. “If Falagrim can take Khazanar the way he did, I figure I’d take the old Hill Dwarf country the same way. Since they’re all dead, that makes me the heir to the place, yeah? I’ll be counting on your Sorcerous Kingdom for the muscle.”

“The gate to the Hill Dwarf realm isn't far from my office in the Abelion Hills,” Florine replied, “so I would be delighted if you paid us a visit.”

When the last of the Dark Dwarves that remained after the coronation – they had all done so for work purposes – left, Florine made her way over to King Felhammer on his plain stone throne.

“I’ll be returning to the Sorcerous Kingdom, Your Majesty.”

“Got what you came for, huh?” King Felhammer said.

When she had popped back up at Clan Felhammer’s base camp in Grimmantle, no one asked a single question about how she had survived. She got a disgusted snort from Velgath and that was about it. It seemed, however, that they did suspect that she had the ‘Felhammer’ in her possession. Maybe they didn’t confront her directly over it because they thought she would give them a whack.

“I can’t say that I was very happy with what I found here,” Florine said, “but it was…educational.”

“I suppose that I should thank you for not trying to impose your strange ways on us,” King Felhammer said. “I can only hope that things will stay that way.”

“The Sorcerous Kingdom hasn’t meddled in the cultures of other nations, as far as I know.”

Florine turned to address Agni, her tone turning sympathetic.

“I’m sorry to hear what happened with Raellor, High Priestess.”

“Our gods are a practical lot,” Agni replied. “Since Raellor's resurrection was refused, I can only believe that he served his purpose.”

“I see. Forgive me if I committed any offence.”

Her only answer was a grunt.

Cruel gods for a cruel people.

The only good thing she could say about the Dark Dwarves was that everything about them was consistent. It was that quality in a culture that distilled the realities of the world into rigid societal forms that were probably the source of their success as a civilisation.

But we can do better.

She had no doubt that they could. The Sorcerous Kingdom was in a position where it could show a world full of abhorrent practices a far better way. As unpleasant as her time in Khazanar had been, she had come away with all sorts of information that would aid in that cause.

After making sure there was nothing left behind in her state room, Florine took the rail network to Hardar. Velgath accompanied her party through the gate, which led to the same, unknown mountain valley from before. Isoroku’s hand went to its temple and he cast a Message spell.

Florine stretched and took a deep breath of crisp air, liberated from the oppressive sensation of being kilometres underground.

“You should come and visit us whenever you have the chance,” Florine said.

“No thanks,” Velgath said. “The surface makes my skin crawl. I don't know how anyone can live up here without having all of their hair fall out.”

A Gate opened a few metres away. Lady Shalltear stepped through, accompanied by a pair of Vampire Brides.

“Lady Shalltear,” Florine lowered her head in a curtsey, “Good evening.”

“Good evening,” her liege replied.

“I have the pleasure of introducing you to…”

Florine’s words died in her mouth when she realised that Velgath was already gone.

“…never mind,” she said.

“You, you, you, and you,” Lady Shalltear pointed to Florine’s companions. “You’re going back to the Abelion Hills.”

“What about me?” Florine asked.

“You’ve been summoned by the Royal Court,” Lady Shalltear answered. “Albedo wanted to see you as soon as you got out.”

Liolio started making distressed noises once he realised that they were going to be separated. Lady Shalltear charmed the Miq and told him to sit on Isoroku’s head before sending them through another Gate.

“I could have just convinced him to wait for me in the Abelion Hills,” Florine said.

“Dominating people is far faster,” Lady Shalltear told her.

“That’s beside the point. I don’t want him to hate you, my lady.”

Lady Shalltear was so blunt about things that only Ludmila would consider her courteous. Still, their liege managed to keep up her façade of high aristocracy with the other Nobles through her sheer haughtiness.

The cool mountain air was replaced by residual heat coming off of the pavement as they stepped through another Gate to E-Rantel. As usual, the garden gazebo was surrounded by relative silence, with the bustle from the main promenade competing with a handful of insects chirping under the garden lamp posts. Florine stopped in her tracks after they stepped out onto the street and Lady Shalltear went off in an unexpected direction.

“Are we going elsewhere, my lady?” She asked.

“No,” Lady Shalltear replied. "I was in the middle of a delivery when you called. The Royal Court is holding audience at the Royal Villa as usual.”

Whether her liege was pleased or displeased about not being able to attend, she couldn’t tell. Knowing her seeming obsession with doing work for the Sorcerer King, however, it was probably the former.

Upon entering the Royal Villa, Florine found Lord Demiurge just inside the main doors. A blush crept onto her cheeks as the handsome Devil smiled in greeting.

“Lady Gagnier,” he bent forward slightly. “As always, it is a pleasure to see you.”

“Lord Demiurge,” Florine smiled brightly in reply. “It has been far too long.”

Their steps echoed down the corridor as they made their way to the villa’s great hall. Florine fought to keep herself from fidgeting nervously as she walked beside Lord Demiurge.

“This might sound a bit silly, my lord,” she said. “But I never considered that you’d take the same way to the court.”

Her blush deepened as Lord Demiurge’s light laughter joined the sound of their footfalls.

“It would hardly be appropriate to crawl in through a window wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, of course,” Florine joined him in his mirth. “I suppose that there are so many wondrous things about the Sorcerous Kingdom that I can’t help but think that there’s always something more.”

“That may be true in some aspects,” Lord Demiurge said, “but, in others, not so much. I’m sure you’re more than well aware of that by now, my dear Baroness. Indeed, I’m certain that many of the steps that you follow are ones that I, too, have taken before.”

He’s so nice.

Lord Demiurge was by far the nicest of the Sorcerer King’s courtiers. Many of them were aloof, cold, and even condescending, but he was always a joy to interact with and never failed to assist her whenever she sought his aid. It wasn’t just her, of course – Liane had also benefited greatly from his knowledge and expertise in various matters.

A pair of Undead opened the way to the court chambers and Florine found Lady Albedo already present. Additionally, the Royal Treasurer was present: a curious fellow in a mustard uniform who went by the name of Pandora’s Actor. She wasn’t sure what race he was.

Florine took her place at the table across the floor from the throne at the head of the Hall, laying out her materials in preparation for the audience.

“Thank you for your hard work, Baroness Gagnier,” Lady Albedo opened in the custom of the Sorcerer King’s closest confidantes.

“It is an honour to serve His Majesty,” Florine lowered her head toward the empty throne at the head of the hall.

She pushed a stack of three identical binders forward to the table’s edge. Lady Epsilon, one of the Sorcerer King’s senior Royal Maids, came to distribute them to the attending courtiers. Florine opened her own copy, flipping past the cover page to the index of her report.

“Is there anything you’d like to say before we begin?” Lady Albedo asked.

“I must apologise in advance for my lack of military knowledge, Lady Albedo,” Florine said. “Much of my report concerning that aspect relies heavily on the feedback from our Elder Lich sergeants. On that note, I'm concerned about the losses sustained by our leased security forces.”

It was a mind-boggling number, comparable to what they had lost in the Draconic Kingdom. If one was told that the Sorcerous Kingdom had lost dozens of country-destroying Undead over the course of a single, brief campaign, they would wonder what sort of world-ending threat they had faced.

“It should be the expected outcome, no?” Lord Demiurge said, “Going by the reports from the Elder Lich sergeants, I’d estimate that the Gazer named Xulgorinairiar was over Difficulty Rating One Hundred Sixty by Adventurer standards.”

“That’s still a shocking number, my lord,” Florine said. “It implies that there are unknown entities as powerful as the Demon Gods lurking somewhere beneath our feet. Xulgorinairiar was fleeing before a ‘great shadow’ rising from the Lower Realms, so there are things even more powerful than that.”

“According to my research,” Pandora’s Actor said, “no one actually knows where the Demon Gods came from. Almost every credible account states that they appeared without warning. Coming from underground would not conflict with that narrative.”

“So beings like Xulgorinairiar appeared on the surface in the past, becoming what we know as the Demon Gods? And this ‘great shadow’ is something like the Demon God King?”

“An intriguing prospect, isn’t it?” Pandora’s Actor said, “The histories of this region have clearly been distorted in various ways; shaped according to limited perception and cultural biases.”

“In particular,” Lord Demiurge added, “the Humans of this region are curiously wilful when it comes to their interpretation of events. What does not fall in line with their understanding is forcefully made to do so, becoming demons, gods, or whatever else they fancy. But we digress. His Majesty will decide how this matter will be addressed.”

“The matter of Undead losses does merit consideration, however,” the Royal Treasurer said. “Khazanar’s losses are more than easily sustainable, but, attractive as the revenues might be, having a thousand clients doing the same thing would be untenable.”

“Servitors are created to be used,” Lord Demiurge seemed to shrug. “One could also say that this is the best way to use our Death-series servitors. The Sorcerous Kingdom cannot be everywhere at once. Clients like Khazanar double as an early warning system against threats that demand our attention. I would dare see this as one of the reasons that Lord Ainz wishes to distribute the Undead far and wide.”

“We should still ensure that the leased Undead aren’t wastefully employed,” Lady Albedo said. “The Elder Lich sergeants are a safeguard against that, but they will still do their best to carry out the commands of the client. The existence of fools that would throw away their own soldiers, never mind the Undead, for frivolous reasons is guaranteed, so we should consider additional clauses to the lease agreement to safeguard against them.”

Florine nodded silently in agreement, recalling her unpleasant encounter with Lord Reynaldo at her Roble border.

“Moving on,” Lady Albedo said. “Your report places a heavy emphasis on the workings of Khazanar’s institutions and the societal mechanisms that maintain what they establish. Are you certain that their methods can be adapted to the Sorcerous Kingdom?”

For some reason, the image of Director Alpha brandishing a whip popped up in her head. It was strangely fitting, considering her usual approach to instruction, but she didn’t think many people would survive it.

“While many of their methods would be unacceptable – and outright illegal – in the Sorcerous Kingdom, my lady,” Florine replied, “I believe that the broad concept of national institutions that they’ve implemented is sound. It is far more promising than the route taken by the Baharuth Empire. If anything, the Empire’s methods are mostly the same as everywhere else and what sets them apart is extremely wasteful when it comes to harnessing the full potential of a population.”

This was especially the case for the Sorcerous Kingdom, which was currently trying to convert the majority of its citizenry into a labour force for secondary industries. There was absolutely no way that hundreds of thousands – millions if one counted the tribal Demihuman population – could ‘rise on personal merit’ when the educational infrastructure didn’t exist to facilitate it.

“This is an expensive proposition,” the Royal Treasurer said as he flipped through the report. “You’ll have to ensure that your curriculum is effective before we can fund it on a national scale. Are the facilities constructed in Corelyn Harbour sufficient for the task?”

“They are, my lord,” Florine nodded, “but Countess Corelyn projects that our methods will take decades to refine and what we implement on a wider scale will be incremental. The bulk of our focus is on primary education to address our poor literacy rates and lack of mathematical knowledge. This is probably one of the major points where our system differs from all others that we’ve come across. Every other place focuses on producing productive individuals as quickly as possible.”

“That does seem like the most efficient route. Why have you decided to deviate from what the countries in the region have settled on?”

“Countess Corelyn did most of the planning for our new curriculums,” Florine replied, “but we’re mostly agreed upon the rationale for her decisions. First and foremost, high literacy rates make the transmission of ideas easier. This helps us not only with educational standards, but will also allow us to communicate more effectively with our students throughout their lives and cultivate a national character for the Sorcerous Kingdom that transcends racial boundaries.

“Secondly, the way that the current known systems force individuals onto a specific career path is fundamentally a gamble. For instance, it assumes that the child of a Merchant will naturally also be a Merchant. This is already problematic in the sense that our inheritance laws leave spares with uncertain futures. Our time in the Sorcerous Kingdom has also opened our eyes to the reality of how things work. Incorporating what we do in our primary education will allow our students to explore the possibilities that are available to them.”

More than anything else that came with the Sorcerous Kingdom, Florine felt that this was the most revolutionary concept. The things that were included in their curriculum’s ‘primary education’ were formerly only afforded to the privileged few. Together, they represented a next-to-unbreachable boundary that separated one world from another.

“Your optimism blinds you to the problems that come with education,” Albedo said. “Knowledge opens doors that are difficult to close. Knowing where one stands in life can be a source of discontent among mortals. At worst, it can be used as a weapon against those in power.”

“If the Sorcerous Kingdom offers the highest standard of living in the world,” Florine said, “there can hardly be any reasonable justification for what you warn against. The benefits of an educated population will far outweigh the detriments in every aspect.”

“I agree,” Lord Demiurge said. “The degree of happiness that those under His Majesty enjoy relative to the rest of the world will be made evident eventually.”

“We shall see, I suppose,” Lady Albedo leafed through the pages of the report. “Of more immediate interest are these logistical innovations you observed in Khazanar. You seem to focus far less on technological aspects than societal ones.”

“That’s because their implementation is relatively simple. As with our other logistical innovations, they are pieced out of concepts that we already understand. I know that Countess Wagner will vehemently disagree with me over the technicalities, but that’s how most people will see things. We can even come up with reasonable predictions for their economic effects. Staying ahead of the societal changes that these innovations bring is far more difficult and infinitely more important.”

“You almost sound like Countess Corelyn,” Lady Albedo said.

“She’s not wrong,” Florine told her. “Even the most progressive of Nobles are highly sensitive to those aspects of society. Countess Corelyn also believes that culture is central to advanced Job Class development.”

“I've read her thesis on the subject,” Lady Albedo told her. “I believe that is all that we wished to cover for this audience. Expect further inquiries once your report receives a thorough review.”

Florine lowered her head in acknowledgement.

“Yes, Lady Albedo. Before I return to the Abelion Wilderness, might I inquire about the matter with Roble?”

“Foreign Affairs has dispatched several agents to take a closer look at what’s going on internally,” Lord Demiurge said. “They were dispatched shortly after the incident at the border, so it should be some time yet before we receive enough relevant information to draw preliminary conclusions with. On that note, may I ask how you inferred everything that you did in your report about the Holy Kingdom?”

“The signs were very clear to those who have the senses to perceive them, my lord,” Florine replied.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs exchanged looks with the Prime Minister.

“I suppose we’ll have to add that to our list of known Job Class abilities,” Lord Demiurge said. “It does make me wonder why Roble’s administrators haven’t noticed, however.”

“Without enough information to conduct an audit,” Florine said, “the ability is only useful when directly exposed to the problem. I don’t derive any joy from speaking poorly of others, but I can only think that the administrators that have been exposed to the problem are exploiting it to their own ends, exacerbating the worsening situation in the Kingdom of Roble.”

“How very unfortunate. This is something that I might have expected out of Re-Estize, but the Holy Kingdom? After everything they’ve gone through…”

Lord Demiurge sadly shook his head. He truly was a kind man.

“If I didn’t know any better,” Albedo said, “I would swear that the woman enjoys playing with fire. And that race change item…is it so hard to collect ten souls? She’s gone through two wars with millions of casualties each. Two!”

In the entry hall of Nazarick’s Guild Treasury, Pandora’s Actor walked alongside Albedo and Demiurge on their way to the inner chambers. He mused over how rare it was to see the three great minds of Nazarick’s NPCs together in such a setting, but the reason wasn’t exactly profound. They were simply going from one meeting to the next.

A chuckle rose from Pandora’s Actor’s throat as the Guardian Overseer’s tone grew increasingly vexed.

“Might I ask what amuses you?” Albedo asked.

“Ah, it’s just that, while you’re of the mind that Lady Gagnier is playing with fire, I, on the other hand, can only wonder how many times our dear Demiurge has come so close to being burned. That report of hers was written with uncanny accuracy – the specific details aside, she pretty much summarised everything that you’ve been up to in the Holy Kingdom of Roble just by spending a day at the border.”

The Archdevil’s face lit up into a smile as he seemed to join in on Pandora’s Actor’s mirth.

“I hope you don’t plan on doing anything…untoward to her,” Pandora’s Actor said. “She represents a substantial investment on Nazarick’s part, after all.”

“Perish the thought!” Demiurge replied, “On the contrary, I find myself growing fond of our earnest immortal-in-training. There are so very few who have developed a true appreciation for my work.”

Slightly ahead of them, Pandora’s Actor sensed a souring in the Guardian Overseer’s mood. He supposed it couldn’t be helped. While Demiurge was making all of Roble dance to his tune, Albedo’s work in Re-Estize seemed to be about as enjoyable as a swim in the Black Capsule.

As they entered the chamber where Pandora’s Actor originally stood guard, a sense of reverence fell over them. Albedo genuflected; he and Demiurge followed suit. Before them, sitting on the couch in front of the chamber’s lone table, was the Supreme Overlord of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown.

“Ainz-sama,” Albedo said. “Thank you for taking the time to see us on such short notice.”

“Umu.”

Pandora’s Actor raised his head, looking up in awe at his creator’s regal figure. He was surrounded by a dark, brooding air that suited him perfectly. In his skeletal hand, he held the warhammer recovered from Khazanar, which glowed with a cool light.

The mere existence of that weapon had put all of Nazarick into the highest alert status it had been in since its arrival in their new world.

In Yggdrasil, equipment was not categorised by level, but by total used data capacity, which was in turn determined by the materials used for the item frame. Put simply, it was not just Legendary and Divine-class items that were used by Level 100 Players, but also Legacy and Relic-class items if they weren’t as fabulous as the Supreme Beings.

The weapon in his Master’s hand was a Legendary-class item, which made being the former possession of a Level 100 Player a near certainty.

The weapon wobbled in his Master’s hand as Albedo sat down beside him and pressed herself against him. Pandora quickly went over to sit down and press in from the other side. Albedo glared daggers at Pandora’s Actor as she hugged Ainz-sama’s arm, but he refused to give up any ground.

An eternity passed in silence. A blissful eternity at Ainz-sama’s side. Then Ainz-sama rose and paced slowly about the room, tapping the warhammer on his palm.

“Have we detected anyone attempting to retrieve this weapon?” Ainz-sama asked.

“No, Ainz-sama,” Albedo answered. “There have been no overt signs of intrusion in the vicinity of Nazarick since the weapon’s arrival.”

“What about Shalltear? She should have been the last person seen with the weapon in her possession.”

“She’s been continuing her deliveries to the Abelion Hills without incident. If I may ask, Ainz-sama, how shall we categorise the threat? Since it’s a Legendary-class weapon, it should be a Player below–”

Ainz-sama stopped, placing the warhammer on the table in front of the couch.

“That would be foolish,” he said. “This weapon is built for a tank, and tanks prioritise their defensive equipment first. They could have a Divine-class shield, or Divine-class armour as you do.”

“Forgive me for rushing to conclusions, Ainz-sama.”

Pandora’s Actor could sympathise with her, somewhat. While Ainz-sama always claimed that it was possible, categorising a Player in the same bracket as one of the Supreme Beings still felt like blasphemy.

“What have you learned about this item?” Ainz-sama asked.

“It was in the possession of a Gazer,” Albedo answered. “According to Shalltear, it wasn’t very strong. We’ve interrogated a few of the Gazer’s associates and they only seem to know that it exists and only make guesses at its properties. There is another lead, however. The Dark Dwarves refer to the weapon as the ‘Felhammer’ and it appears to be the namesake of the clan that’s leasing Undead security forces from us.”

“Well, that is what the creator named it. How old is this Dark Dwarf clan?”

“They recall the Eight Greed Kings as an event that didn’t touch their territories, so well over five centuries old. They claim to have migrated from a Dwarven Empire in another part of the world.”

“Hmm…in that case, the wielder of this weapon should have died from old age. Assuming that they were a Dark Dwarf related to this clan’s founding.”

“In that case, shall we lower the alert level, Ainz-sama?”

“That might be for the best. At least it made for a good drill…what about the ‘shadow’ that was mentioned?”

“We have even less information about that than the weapon,” Albedo replied. “Troops have been stationed at the entrance of every known cavern of unknown depth, but we still have no clue where this ‘Khazanar’ is. Even after going to the entrance personally, Nigredo was unable to discern its location and only came away with theories about how it works.”

“Tell her to keep working on it,” Ainz-sama ordered. “That’s just the sort of edge Nazarick needs over other Players.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama.”

Demiurge rose from his seat across the table from Albedo.

“Ainz-sama, if I may speak?”

Their Master clasped his hands behind his back and turned to regard Demiurge.

“I will permit it.”

“Hah. The existence of this underground realm presents another vector that we must consider for Ainz-sama’s goal of world conquest. It presents various challenges that would drastically set back our current timetable if we devoted any resources to it.”

“And what would you propose?”

Demiurge let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

“I only meant to express my admiration for your foresight, Ainz-sama. The plan that you have in place is, as expected, more than sufficient.”

“My…my plan?”

“Indeed!” Demiurge grinned, “While I did expect some minor discoveries from the Dark Dwarves, I never fathomed where our association with them would truly lead. That you foresaw their need before we even encountered them – truly, your unfathomable intellect knows no bounds!”

Oh…

Pandora’s Actor looked up at his Creator, gaze filled with admiration. Their eyes met for a split second before sadly parting again.

“Umu,” Ainz-sama cleared his throat. “Speaking of plans, what will you be doing next?”

“I am currently still in the preparatory phases for several schemes in various places, Ainz-sama,” Demiurge straightened his tie. “If you desire something more interesting…ah, we are ready to push through Phase Two in the Holy Kingdom of Roble. I, for one, cannot wait to see how the pawn you’ve prepared for us there will perform.”

“…is that so. Well, be sure to keep me apprised of any significant developments.”