Valkyrie's Shadow

Stone and Blood: Act 4, Chapter 9

Stone and Blood: Act 4, Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“…what are you doing?” Velgath asked.

“Escaping reality,” Florine answered.

Sitting at the end of a pier in the recently-occupied Grimmantle port, Florine held the tip of a Kraken tentacle in each hand. Boobeebee, Isoroku and the Vampire Bride stood nearby, as did Velgath, who had resumed her duties as Florine’s attendant, much to her very visible dissatisfaction.

Squish, squish, squishy squish…

Nearby, the Kraken’s Deepwarden watched her with a frown. After what happened upon their arrival, Florine didn’t want to interact with any Dark Dwarves. Instead, she walked out along the longest pier and she coaxed one of the Magical Beasts guarding the port to come over and play with her.

“Where do these Krakens come from?” Florine asked.

“From the ocean to the west, probably,” the Deepwarden answered. “That’s where the Great Flow comes from. There are probably some underwater tunnels that lead to Lake Khazanar.”

“Don’t rivers usually flow into the ocean?”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of that,” the Deepwarden replied. “Around here, water goes in the direction of the falls.”

“Where does the water go after that?”

“It disappears into the stone at some point, but it should continue flowing east. Underground rivers don’t necessarily all come out in one spot, but if you know of a place with plenty of cold springs or unusually-large rivers, there’s a good chance that’s where some of the water is going. Or it could just end up in a big lake or another ocean.”

She still had no idea where Khazanar was relative to the surface world that she was familiar with. Since Prince Felhammer’s Merchant company was trading in the Abelion Hills, she surmised that Hardar Gate was somewhere nearby. But while that might have been true for the surface exit, it might not be for the underground. All she knew was that she went through the stone and popped up on the surface, so it was probably less like a real gate and more like the Gate spell that the Sorcerous Kingdom employed.

Or maybe it’s like that spell that Lord Mare casts on trees to get around, except this one is on stone.

Florine was far from knowledgeable about magic, however. Lady Nigredo was there to investigate Hardar Gate when Florine went to speak with Lady Albedo, so maybe she would have a better idea.

“How long are you going to sit there playing with tentacles for?” Velgath asked, “Your hands are going to smell like squid.”

“Who knows?” Florine answered lightly, “Maybe forever. Unlike you Dark Dwarves, animals are nice and comforting and they don’t murder babies.”

“How do you know that this Kraken didn’t eat that baby?”

“You didn’t eat the baby, did you?” Florine asked the Kraken with a pleasant smile and sweet voice.

In response, the tentacles withdrew and the Kraken vanished under the lapping waves. Florine sighed.

“I don’t get why you’re so upset,” Velgath said. “Babies die all the time. That one in particular was a political obstacle. I bet Humans do that sort of thing, too.”

Florine stared glumly out across the dark waters. Velgath wasn’t wrong. Emperor Jircniv had seized the throne as a child himself and had dozens, if not hundreds of his half-brothers and sisters killed off. Not a single one was spared – babies included. Yet, despite his bloody reputation, his subjects saw him as the greatest Emperor in the history of Baharuth. Prince Felhammer appeared to enjoy that same popularity amongst his people even after being away for over a century.

“That doesn’t mean it’s right,” Florine said.

“And who decides what’s right?” Velgath replied, “If you bring up some ridiculous Human religious beliefs, I’m going to laugh in your face.”

“Doesn’t your religion promote behaviours that are beneficial to society?” Florine asked.

“Sure does,” Velgath answered, “and it says nothing about sparing the children of your enemies.”

It wasn’t as if Florine could force Velgath to see things the way that she did, so she watched the transports unload their troops in silence. Immediately after taking the port, Clan Felhammer wasted no time fortifying their position and taking the fight to the Gazer invaders. The tunnels were mostly defended by slaves sent to finish off Clan Grimmantle, so the Undead advanced swiftly.

A flight of Elder Liches landed on one of the piers and made their way to the keep that served as Prince Felhammer’s command post. Florine rinsed her hands off in the warm lake water and went over to see what they had to say. The prince was standing at the head of a table in the keep’s great hall before an assembly of lords and army officers.

“The enemy response to our aerial offensives continues to be ineffectual,” one of the Elder Liches said. “However, the same can be said for our attacks. Most of the defenders have relocated to underground areas.”

“Is that something we can take advantage of?” One of the Dwarf Lords asked.

“How strong has their defensive response been?” Prince Felhammer looked up at the Elder Lich.

“They consist of Watchers that happen to be nearby. As ordered, we’ve been destroying them with summons before they can come close enough to identify us.”

“What about their patrols?”

“They are the same Watchers that we have been engaging.”

Prince Felhammer stroked his beard in thought.

“It’s too risky to send soldiers directly to the city layer,” he said, “but keeping the patrols busy should make the lifts usable. How far are our forces from the overseer post directly above us?”

Lord Deepingstone pressed his rotund belly against the stone table, stretching out to point out a section of one of the maps found in the keep.

“We should be about here,” he said. “Our forces have a stranglehold on the underway’s central access shaft, but the side tunnels still need to be cleared. We’re already past the elevation of that overseer post.”

“Send a runner to the central access shaft,” Prince Felhammer told an officer on the wall to his left. “Have five companies and two Undead infantry squads occupy the overseer post and clear the area around it. At the same time, we’ll fly up four Undead infantry squads to storm the post from the chasm before they decide to do something annoying like break the lifts.”

“Yes, sir.”

The officer jogged out of the hall and Prince Felhammer sent the Elder Liches on their next sortie. Then his gaze fell upon Florine as if expecting her to say something.

“Will you be relocating your base of operations, Your Highness?” She asked.

“Once it’s been secured, yes,” Prince Felhammer answered. “The closer we are to the front, the more responsive our army will be. That was probably the council’s biggest mistake when they attacked Felhammer.”

“Weren’t they well on their way to conquering Felhammer?”

“Sure, but it cost them dearly before that. It cost them even more after we arrived. Their command was divided into two parts: Dirgehall on the front and their headquarters back home. The army’s lines of communication were so long that our resistance resulted in a week’s worth of council reinforcements. Then, those reinforcements were devoured by us because they had no one to turn them around after they lost their foothold. I’m not even sure if they realised what was going on before getting trampled by Undead.”

Florine had witnessed something similar happen in the Draconic Kingdom when the Sorcerous Kingdom’s forces fought against Rol’en’gorek’s warrior clans, so she had a sense of what he was saying. It felt odd that most people would stress the raw power of the Undead while military minds tended to focus on everything else. Even when that strength was brought to bear directly, it was merely one component of a complex tactical formula where strength alone didn’t necessarily win battles. If anything, the opposing Commanders did everything that they could to prevent that strength from being put to full use in order to prevail.

“I’ve been wondering about something…” Florine said.

“What?”

“The situation that the council’s forces got themselves into is understandable in hindsight, but I fail to see why the Gazers would simply allow your forces to do whatever they want. Do they not employ Commanders of their own?”

“Those Directors that you saw with Uldun are their Commanders,” Prince Felhammer told her. “But I suppose the real answer lies with what they are as a race. Gazers aren’t Humanoids that easily come together to create complex societies – they’re powerful Heteromorphs that dominate their territories. A Director isn’t a Gazer that receives military training: they’re Standards that evolve into a certain role…and that role is to sit on top of the pile of slaves and lesser Gazers that make up their ‘armies’.”

Fulgrim’s words seemed to mirror what Florine had gained a working sense of, though she was almost certain that he wasn’t aware of the specific details. Most people believed that the general weakness of Humanoids caused them to band together to survive. What most didn’t know was that Humanoids lacked Racial Class Levels and were thus forced into various specialisations. This combination wove the fundamental fabric of Humanoid society with all of its complexities.

Conversely, often independently strong Heteromorphs were in the opposite position. They weren’t stupid – in fact, it was usually the opposite – they just didn’t need to create civilisations. When Florine asked Ryurarius about it, he said that he was perfectly content living his immortal life ruling over his little ‘kingdom’ in the Great Forest of Tob. The Frost Dragons created their little tribe in the Azerlisia Mountains only because they had dangerous rivals in the form of the Frost Giants. Even with that threat, it took the will and strength of an Ancient Dragon to bring less than a handful of them together.

“In that case,” Florine said, “why do these Gazers exist as ‘hives’?”

“Because it’s the closest word we have for what it is,” Prince Felhammer told her. “It’s not a hive in the same way that insects have hives. It’s more like a chain of egomaniacs and personal strength determines the dominator and the dominated.”

“…do they have any true society to speak of?”

“That’s society to them.”

“So how do these specialised roles come about?” Florine asked.

“They just do. We’re talking about a race that can dream up other members of their race. Those Watchers come into existence because bigger Gazers dream about lording over lesser Gazers and they wake up with a batch of them flying around. If you think they have anything like a caste system or something resembling a bureaucracy, think again.”

She wondered if any Gazers dreamed about being nicer Gazers. Hearing their side of things would be useful.

“Since Gazer society is structured the way it is,” Florine said, “couldn’t you just negotiate with the one at the top to stop the war?”

“It’d be easier to just kill them,” Prince Felhammer replied. “Which is what we’d like to see happen sooner rather than later. With how large this hive is, though, there are bound to be multiple Spawners. Maybe even one for each principality.”

“You mentioned that Gazers can reproduce by dreaming up more Gazers, so why is the one in charge called a ‘Spawner’?”

“Again, it’s the closest word we have to what they use. We used to call the Hive Mothers, but those things are asexual.”

“How is it that you know so much about Gazers?” Florine asked.

“Torture,” Falagrim shrugged. “It’s not the first time we’ve encountered them.”

The hours passed as Clan Felhammer’s forces progressed up the Grimmantle mines. Clan Grimmantle’s survivors taking refuge in the harbour city were still being shipped off as slaves by the time Prince Felhammer relocated his command.

Grimmantle’s overseer posts weren’t much different than the ones Florine had seen during the battle for Felhammer. Roughly the size of a small town, it served as an office, workshop and barracks for the area of the mines that it was responsible for. While the Gazers hadn’t used the place for anything, their slaves had and the signs of their relatively brief stay were strewn about everywhere.

Florine took advantage of the freshly-conquered state of the overseer post to gain insights into what life might be like under the Gazers. Upon entering the first cleared-out home – an apartment built into the cavern wall, making it a former Dwarf dwelling – she was shocked to find a doll lying in the corner of one of the rooms. She picked up the vaguely-humanoid object, which had been painstakingly fashioned out of coarse Nuk wool. Dark Dwarf children didn’t have toys, so it had to have come from one of the Gazer slaves.

She continued around the room, counting bedding for eight individuals. The former occupants were Goblins, going by the smell. Few belongings were left behind – or perhaps they didn’t have many in the first place. Somewhere above them, a family was fleeing the Sorcerous Kingdom’s leased Undead…if they hadn’t perished already.

“I never considered how slaves might live under the Gazers,” she murmured. “Do you know anything about it, Velgath?”

“They don’t invest anything into their slaves as we do,” Velgath replied, “so I guess the slaves just do whatever they want unless a Gazer sends them off on some task.”

The Dwarf woman’s tone suggested that she was disgusted by the Gazer’s practices, though, knowing her, it was more about the potential productivity going to waste.

“So they just live as they usually did when they weren’t slaves aside from that?” Florine asked.

“That’s a reasonable assumption,” Velgath answered. “An invasion like this probably wouldn’t be much different from a mass migration. The Goblins that moved into this place were probably pretty pleased.”

“I’m struggling to grasp how this works, logistically speaking,” Florine put the doll into her Infinite Haversack. “The Gazers have millions of slaves, yet they do nothing to care for them. They just order them around. How does everyone just not starve?”

Khazanar required incredibly advanced logistical systems – in both a technological and conceptual sense – to support its massive population. The Gazers, however, had none of that.

“Goblin economy, probably,” Velgath said.

“I’ve heard that thrown around a few times,” Florine said, “and not just in Khazanar. I don’t know if you use the term the same way as others do, but it doesn’t make much sense to me.”

“That’s weird, considering that it’s probably the dominant economic practice alongside slavery. In most places, it’s just a part of having Goblin slaves.”

“But it makes the people that the Goblins work for completely dependent on them for nearly everything. Why wouldn’t the Goblins just leave and start their own civilisation somewhere far away from their oppressors?”

Even Ludmila had a Goblin economy running in the Upper Reaches and Florine couldn’t understand why. Even more mind-boggling was that her Goblin subjects also accepted it as a right and natural thing.

“Because they’re Goblins,” Velgath said. “That should be self-explanatory. They’re weaker than Elves. Anyone and everyone can just take away whatever they build. Unless Hobgoblins start popping up but pretty much everyone knows to kill those on sight. Instead of stubbornly insisting on defending the indefensible, they just did something else. Everyone knows what a Goblin is and what they’re good for and the Goblins go along with it. As a result, they’re probably the most successful race in the world in various ways. No one’s wiping them out anytime soon because they’re basically welcome everywhere.”

Except for Human countries…

“I hadn’t ever considered it in those terms,” Florine said.

“Because you have this weird notion that freedom is some sort of ideal,” Velgath told her. “But being free also means that you have to fight your own battles. That’s incredibly difficult as a Goblin, not to mention a colossal waste of effort when they could just be slaves instead. Even if their side loses, they can just hop over to the other side.”

“Unless they’re being raised as Undead. Also, they’re fighting their masters’ battles here.”

“That goes for everyone. The thing is that they’re so prolific that there are always more. Ensuring that the next generation of Goblins has a place anywhere is more important than individual survival.”

“I don’t think Goblins consider things in those terms…”

“Maybe not those precise terms, but it’s pretty much instinctual to them.”

Florine wondered how advanced a ‘Goblin economy’ could get. Given the degree of freedom the Gazers’ slaves were allowed and the fact that there were a multitude of races, an enterprising individual could probably pioneer industries that were compatible with their existence.

There’s ranching and foraging…is mining possible? It takes a long time to move so many people around…

She continued her inspection, looking for evidence of tool use and industry in general. Then it occurred to her that anything that they did bring along with them would have probably been discarded in favour of what they gained from their conquest of Khazanar.

“What are the Gazers’ objectives, anyway?” Florine said, “As far as I can recall we don’t know of any demands or even statements from the other side.”

“I don’t know if you understand this,” Velgath replied, “but Khazanar is an extremely attractive location. It’s deep in the Upper Realms, in a highly-defensible location and we’ve developed the place to the point where it can support tens of millions. Any nearby power capable of taking it will make the attempt so long as they know that it exists. Speaking of powers…”

They stepped to the side as a company of soldiers marched by. In the midst of the column was a Dark Dwarf dressed in a mishmash of equipment.

“Captain,” Velgath fell into step behind the office at the head of the column. “Who is that Dwarf? He seems strange.”

“One of the officers at the front spotted him fighting for the Gazers and managed to capture him,” the Captain replied. “He claims to be from the Middle Realms.”

Upon hearing the Dwarf’s answer, Florine rushed over to join them.

“What else did he say?” Velgath asked.

“He swore to share everything he knew if we took him to someone who could guarantee his place here.”

“Interrogation?”

The Captain shook his head.

“If what he says is true, we don’t want to risk losing any information by messing with his head. He has the bearing of a warrior and the Deepwardens say he’s quite dangerous, but the prince told us to bring him over.”

“Looks like things have gotten a bit more interesting,” Velgath said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Florine looked over her shoulder at the bedraggled Dark Dwarf. Aside from his curious mix of attire, she couldn’t figure out how he differed from Khazanar’s citizens.

They found Lord Deepingstone awaiting their arrival at the entrance of the overseer’s complex. A pair of his men came and stripped the strange Dwarf down before leading him through the gate. Prince Felhammer was just inside, standing on a balcony overlooking the complex’s courtyard.

“I am Prince Falagrim Felhammer,” he looked down on the disrobed Dwarf through the slits of his helm. “You claim to have information we can use.”

“Felhammer…?” The other Dwarf looked up in disbelief, “I see. So this is Khazanar.”

“I’m going to be less than pleased if you say that it’s been forever since you saw your home,” Prince Felhammer frowned.

“No, not at all,” the Dwarf said. “My name is Raellor Shadowshield. A Blackguard of Shadowgate.”

“Grakulstaz.”

Raellor nodded.

“Clean yourself up before we talk,” Prince Felhammer said. “Prepare a room and a fresh change of clothes for our guest.”

The prince turned and left the balcony. Florine and Velgath watched Raellor as he was led off.

“I didn’t know that your father could be so courteous,” Florine said.

“Didn’t he give you that huge suite?” Velgath frowned.

“He seemed a bit more flippant back then. I take it this place that Raellor’s from is important?”

“Grakulstaz is the empire that founded Khazanar.”

“Does that mean that the Gazers came all the way from there?” Florine asked.

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Velgath answered.

They joined Prince Felhammer in the hall of the complex, standing between the stone columns running along the right side of the room. Raellor appeared ten minutes later, dressed in a clean robe and looking significantly less grungy. He walked up to the guards standing twenty metres from the dais and genuflected before the prince.

“Let’s hear it,” Prince Felhammer said.

“Grakulstaz has fallen,” Raellor’s grim tone echoed from the walls and ceiling.

“I find it hard to believe that Grakulstaz could be defeated by this rabble,” the prince said.

“An alliance of empires to our south declared war on us,” Raellor replied. “We were on our fiftieth year of that war when the Gazers showed up and destabilised everything. Our enemies were quick to seize the advantage.”

“And how did the Gazers prevail against those enemies?”

“They didn’t. The Gazers cut across the northeastern corner of Grakulstaz, away from our front lines. They overran eight cities along the way, but they didn’t stay to fight the alliance. It’s been three years since then.”

“Hm,” the prince grunted. “Well, all that aside, you must have some information of value if you’re making demands of me.”

If Raellor felt anything about the subject of his homeland being brushed aside, he didn’t show it.

“I do. After seeing what you have at your disposal, I believe you have an opportunity to put an end to this Gazer hive sooner rather than later. All I ask for in return is a home in Khazanar and an honoured position in your temples.”

“That’s scarce little to ask if what you know does result in what you say.”

“I am a servant of the gods,” Raellor said. “There is little more that would satisfy me.”

He seems a lot better than the Dark Dwarves around here…

Florine still couldn’t believe that every Dark Dwarf somehow behaved the same way. Hopefully, she would have the chance to speak with the new arrival at some point.

“Done,” Prince Felhammer nodded.

Raellor rose to his feet.

“The leaders of this hive dwell above us,” he told them. “They dwell in the citadel of the clan that formerly ruled here. If you strike them down, the hive will fall into chaos.”

“Why would they all be here instead of making themselves cosy in different parts of the realm?” Prince Felhammer asked.

“Because they do not intend to stay here,” Raellor answered. “In my time with the Gazer hive, I have gained a sense of their motives. They never stop moving. Something is behind the hive, and they are fleeing before it.”

“Do you have any idea what it is?”

“No,” Raellor shook his head. “But I know that it’s there. We are being stalked by something that even the most powerful Gazers in the hive cannot see. The Spawners are as far forward as they are comfortable with, and they have resorted to relying on numbers for safety.”

Well, that’s not ominous at all…

The Gazers that she had seen were already powerful enough, so the leaders of the hive would have to be extraordinarily so. Would the leased Undead be sufficient for the task?

Prince Felhammer crossed his arms and leaned back on his throne.

“Tell us everything you know about the Gazer forces between us and those Spawners,” he said after several moments. “If we’re going to crush the leadership of this hive, we’re going to have to get through all of their defences, first.”