Valkyrie's Shadow

Winter's Crown: Act 6, Chapter 12

Winter's Crown: Act 6, Chapter 12

Chapter 12

?Another one here.?

Ludmila stepped back from the Goblin lying unconscious on the dried leaves of the forest floor. After a brief examination, she decided that it wasn’t Nob – the one that she had wrangled into collaborating with her. Before sending him on his way, she had strongly advised him to take the first opportunity to flee the Goblin army and hide somewhere, encouraging the other natives of the upper reaches to desert as well. There was no guarantee that he did or was even able to do so, but it was the best that she thought he could probably manage.

A Shadow Demon slipped out of a nearby tree to scoop the fallen Goblin up in its arms. With a flap of its translucent wings, it darted away through the undergrowth.

She took a deep breath and relaxed for a moment before stalking onwards to track down her next target.

In the half-hour after the battle of the western pass, adjustments were made to her ongoing plans based on what she had learned there. She instructed the Elder Lich assigned to the Lizardmen to remain at the pass to coordinate movement between the upper reaches and the Vale while sending the two administering the fortified villages to return to their respective posts. While she thought them too vulnerable for direct combat against the surprisingly strong Hobgoblin forces, they could still assist in rearguard duties and made for excellent defenders when placed in a fortified position.

In addition, they were capable of summoning Undead of their own, so she was able to add twelve Skeleton Archer variants – each roughly as strong as a Gold-ranked Adventurer – in an attempt to balance out her decidedly melee-heavy contingent. Nonna, who was stronger than the other Elder Liches, added four Wraiths. The incorporeal Undead would be problematic for the Goblin army to deal with, for, while the Hobgoblins at least appeared to possess fine equipment, it did not have the look of being enchanted.

Nonna, along with her Death Knights and their mix of Zombie forces, were hidden in the forest a fair distance away from the encampment. For the past hour, Ludmila and her two Shadow Demons had been carefully moving around and knocking out the Goblin skirmishers set as pickets in the forests around it. Each one was delivered to the awaiting Death Knights to be converted into Squire Zombies. After two rounds around the encampment, however, they appeared to have run out of Goblins, so she returned to the dry gulch where she had positioned her Undead contingent out of sight.

“How many new Squire Zombies did we end up with?”

“Fifty-two,” Nonna replied. “Will we be proceeding to the next phase of the attack?”

“Have there been any problems here?” Ludmila asked.

“None,” the Elder Lich answered.

“Then yes,” Ludmila said. “But we will have to move our main force closer before we begin.”

She led them out of the gulch, then winced at the stomp, shuffle, and clank of the painfully unstealthy Zombies and Death Knights.

“Pack these guys in closer,” she told the Death Knights, then turned to speak to Nonna. “Can we cover them with a Silence spell?”

Nonna eyed the tightening column.

“Three casts of Silence should be sufficient to cover them all.”

“How much mana will you have after that?”

“Plenty,” the Elder Lich snorted derisively. “Two Fireballs, three First Tier charm spells, a few minutes of Fly and a single Summon Undead V barely makes a dent. Skeletal Mage-types have a far superior mana pool to that of your Human casters, and nearly half of what was used has already recovered during the wait.”

“Then do it,” she said. “The way around should be shorter than the duration of the enchantments, but let them expire on their own anyways.”

The sounds of the forest around them abruptly ceased, and Ludmila went ahead to check if any noise was leaking out as they continued to advance. Satisfied at the result, she led them through the dense woods behind several ridges and eventually arrived at the southern end of the camp.

?Hold.?

Ludmila held up a hand. The column stopped. Ahead, something was moving through the trees. She snuck forwards, eventually making out a dozen Goblins walking north towards the distant encampment. They were divided into pairs, hefting litters over their heads that carried what looked like food and various odds and ends. The procession proceeded single file, up a winding game trail that had widened with frequent use.

?Wraiths and Shadow Demons, get above them and wait for my attack.?

On the way back to the column, she reached into her quiver, pulling out two arrows: one broadhead, the other bodkin. She held up the bodkin arrow.

?Nonna, can you enchant this with silence? Normal radius.?

The Elder Lich pointed a finger at the arrowhead, then nodded. Ludmila crept away again, closing on the Goblins and their cargo. From a hundred metres away, she fired an arcing shot that planted the Silence-enchanted bodkin point into a sack sitting on the litter. She waited for the Goblins to react, but they continued on their way, seemingly unaware of what had happened. With a frown, she crept closer. Fifty metres from the trail, she nocked the broadhead arrow and drew its fletching to her cheek.

Her attack found the calf of the leading Goblin, and it tumbled silently to the dirt of the trail. The Goblin holding the other end of the litter stumbled forward, and the procession stopped. Another broadhead arrow found the Goblin at the back as the four Wraiths and two Shadow Demons descended on the group.

Ludmila continued releasing arrows into the silent melee, downing two of the Goblins that looked like they were attempting to flee. Since her arrows were unenchanted, they passed straight through the attacking Wraiths and Shadow Demons in the way to find their targets. Within half a minute, the dying and incapacitated Goblins were delivered to the column to be converted into Squire Zombies, and Ludmila made a brief pass over the area to see if there was anything else on the way.

Finding nothing, she returned to the dropped litters and marvelled over the stroke of good fortune. If these Goblins had arrived while the main attack was underway, they would have probably fled. It was likely that at least one of them would have returned to the previous camp and reported what was going on. Instead, they had provided a dozen additional Squire Zombies and an interesting opportunity.

She instructed the Death Knights to order their lines for their attack, then turned to the Wraiths and Shadow Demons overhead. After having Nonna cast a small sphere of Silence over each of them, she issued her orders.

?Start with the ones sleeping inside tents and under blankets, then those that have obscured themselves from the others. Do not try for the ones resting in plain sight unless you think you can kill them without being noticed.?

Ludmila motioned for one of the Shadow Demons to come down to her. Reaching into her Infinite Haversack, she produced a single glass arrow.

?This arrow is filled with Alchemist’s Fire. Once you’re just about done killing all of the resting troops, find a pile of supplies near one of their fires. Break the arrow and spill the contents over the supplies – after exposing the contents, a handful of seconds will pass before it ignites.?

She placed the glass arrow into the Shadow Demon’s outstretched hand, then turned her attention back to the group.

?Once the fire starts, cease your attacks and withdraw to the perimeter of the camp. I want all of their attention on the fire. Once you are out in your new positions, kill anything that makes it out of the encirclement during the battle.?

The Linum sisters would begin doing something similar with Alchemist’s Fire during the day. Most of her glass arrows containing the substance were gone, redistributed to the Shadow Demons working under Wiluvien and Lluluvien’s direction. In addition to their continued work scouting the Goblin army, they would occasionally start fires in stockpiles of supplies. The Shadow Demons were instructed to have the fires appear as the result of negligence in the hot, dry weather that was plaguing the upper reaches.

In E-Rantel, Germaine LeNez was tasked to keep up production of Alchemist’s Fire – though the new batches would be delivered in vials rather than glass arrows. They would be able to continue sabotaging the enemy’s camps for as long as she had materials to make more.

With her instructions fully issued, she sent the Wraiths and Shadow Demons on their way and turned her gaze back down at the fallen cargo litters. Following up on the opportunity that had occurred to her, she went and picked out the dozen new Squire Zombies and returned them to their places. They went and picked up their old cargo at Ludmila’s orders, and she examined their overall appearance.

“What do you think?” She asked Nonna.

“What are you asking?” Nonna asked back.

“These supplies are expected, so we might be able to sneak them into the middle of the camp just before we attack with the Death Knights. These Hobgoblins rely on the order and discipline that they have cultivated, so creating as much chaos as possible should help us in general.”

“And if they are caught prematurely?”

“Then it will be our signal to attack with the main force,” Ludmila said. “They will not be going in until the fire starts, so hopefully they will make it inside the camp with no one paying close attention to them. If they are caught early, they will probably be overwhelmed, but the Death Knights will already be on their way to raise more.”

“There appear to be few downsides to this amendment of the plan,” Nonna said. “Though I question if it is truly necessary at this point. Each encampment is reported to have roughly 1000 Goblinoids stationed within, and we’ve already removed 292 of them through the battle at the pass and the removal of the picket forces guarding this camp. After the resting individuals are dealt with, we should be close to parity by numbers alone.”

The Hobgoblins divided their watches into thirds, meaning that roughly one-third of the encampment’s forces were most likely resting. If they could get them all, Nonna’s assertion would be close to what she said. Between everything at her disposal for this battle, they had roughly 300 Undead, plus Nonna, the Shadow Demons, and herself.

“About one-third of our number consists of weak Zombies,” Ludmila told the Elder Lich, “one good whack and they die. The armour they were raised in might help, but I would not count on them much. This first encampment is crucial: they’ve already made moves against us and can report the information back, plus we are using them to fill out our numbers. I am creating as many advantages in our favour as possible, and they do not cost us any additional time.”

Rather than racing against time, her new strategy was to turn time into her ally. An army marched on its stomach, and the pressure exerted on the Goblin army’s supplies would grow beyond the parched basin’s capability to sustain. She was certain the enemy commanders would notice their situation, but they would not be aware that things were being purposely exacerbated. In the best-case scenario, it would catch up to them before they could react appropriately and they would turn on one another in desperation.

In the worst-case scenario, the enemy commanders might decide to uproot themselves all at once and march north into the Sorcerous Kingdom. Ludmila’s current efforts were to dissuade them from doing so for as long as she thought she could.

Silencing the encampment that had sent forces north was the first step. Though their advance was most likely reported, a follow-up report to their superiors was probably not expected for at least two days. Deliberations over the lack of a report might last another day, and a request for information to the silenced camp might take another one or two days – not that any courier would survive the journey north. Crippling their ability to communicate and gain any information would in turn slow down their ability to react to developments, and every day that passed was another day that their supplies dwindled.

A pillar of black smoke started rising in the night sky, though Ludmila supposed that she was the only one who could see it from a distance. She set her ‘Goblin’ supply train in motion, then started issuing instructions to her Undead forces.

“Will there be any issues with those orders?” She asked Nonna after issuing her orders.

“They are fairly close to standard Death Knight tactics,” Nonna replied. “As long as its opponents are shaken by it, the Death Knights will have their attention drawn when it uses its Skill. Therefore, the Death Knight will prioritize targets that have been overcome by their fear, as it has effectively lost control of them.”

“That is good to hear,” Ludmila said. “Remember to stay airborne at maximum range, using the trees as cover when you begin your bombardment.”

“They will know where I am the moment they see a Fireball streaking down at them.”

“They will know that a Fireball came from your location,” Ludmila told her. “They will not know what is casting them, or where you are if you relocate between spells beyond the range of their Darkvision. There is no need to launch streams of Fireballs at them anyways – they are more for dissuading our opponents from getting too close to the edges of the encampment, so you will need to remain mobile.”

Ludmila went to her place at the head of the Undead lines, then moved closer to the encampment. Past the barricade of sharpened stakes along its edges, she could see hundreds of Goblinoids milling about. They worked to throw soil onto the flames, but the measure was not very effective. The dried earth flew up in clouds of dust that were scattered by the wind, or large chunks that failed to smother the growing fires.

She took note of which Hobgoblins appeared to be in charge – mostly by the amount of shouting they did and how many others listened – as well as identifying what appeared to be several magic casters. After about half a minute, it appeared that they had given up on the fire and started moving the supplies away instead.

Frowning, she tried to gauge how much damage had been done. Goblins were not very bright and would have probably kept trying to put the fire out, but the Hobgoblins appeared to be much more level-headed and could think of alternative solutions. After one or two Shadow Demon-induced supply fires, they would most likely work out the best way to save their burning stockpiles, and that procedure would become rote behaviour. The Shadow Demons would have to make their sabotage harder to deal with.

The Squire Zombies delivering the supplies came into view, and a Hobgoblin approached them. It spoke while gesturing, redirecting them to place their load in another location. Alarmed, Ludmila issued new orders to maintain their facade.

?Move to where he just directed you.?

They were not very far away, so they should have received her orders, but they didn’t move. The Hobgoblin scowled at them and stepped forward with fist raised.

Uh oh.

Ludmila ordered the Squire Zombies to attack, and they thankfully carried out her command. Her makeshift infiltrators dropped their cargo and set upon the unexpecting Demihumans in their surroundings. She turned around and ordered the Death Knights to begin their assault. A Fireball streaked down, exploding in the middle of the safely-relocated supplies. Maybe Nonna had a sense of humour – albeit twisted – after all.

Panicked Goblin voices filled the air as the four Death Knights smashed through the encampment’s wooden barricade. She called out to the last one that punched through.

?Hold on, flatten that section so the Zombies can get through more easily.?

It stopped and turned around, spending a moment to stomp down the sharpened stakes. Ludmila turned her attention upwards, ordering the Bone Vultures overhead to a lower altitude. Another Fireball streaked in, destroying a cluster of tents on the western edge of the camp. So far, she hadn’t noticed anyone leaving their resting places, so the efforts of the Wraiths and Shadow Demons appeared to be successful. With the section of barricade cleared, the various Zombies shuffled into the camp en masse, taking their places to encircle the interior.

Another Fireball fell on the north side, turning a group of Goblins attempting to flee in that direction into piles of char. Bone Vultures swooped down elsewhere to herd other Goblins back into the forming encirclement. Once in a while, a Wraith or Shadow Demon made itself known to kill an escapee outright.

Within five minutes, the ring of Zombies had shuffled into place, leaving the surviving Demihumans trapped inside with the four Death Knights. Ludmila made her way around the outside of the encampment, checking for any sign of unnoticed escape. Nonna floated down beside her.

“We are entering the final phase of the attack,” the Elder Lich said. “Did you have any additional orders?”

A shriek sounded from nearby as a Goblin attempted to get past the ring of Zombies. A new Zombie rose and took its place in the line. Ludmila examined what was left of the camp.

?Shrink the encirclement. Two paces forward.?

As one, the Zombies shuffled in. She had expected the crisp sound of hundreds of steps in unison, so it was vaguely dissatisfying. There were also a number of problems that came with the command.

The Zombies had moved according to her orders, straight into any obstacles that barred their path. Squire Zombies tore down or tossed aside any tents or objects in the way, but the weaker Zombies were incapable of doing so. They became entangled in the tents or tripped over bags and other articles.

A Goblin dashed towards a nearby opening caused by the clumsy manoeuvre, ducking under the grasping arms of the Zombies nearby. As it hopped over a fallen Zombie and through the opening that it made, Ludmila stepped forward and kicked it back into the ring. Bone Vultures started swooping down all around the encampment, attacking others who were attempting a similar escape.

After she fixed the encirclement, Ludmila glowered at the Zombies in front of her.

“That was such a basic problem that this result was unexpected,” she muttered.

“The regular Zombies are mindless,” Nonna told her, “while the Squire Zombies have the barest of what might be called intelligence. They all followed your orders exactly, but you did not provide them with supplementary instruction for obstacles. Therefore, only the Squire Zombies carried out your command in what you would consider an acceptable manner.”

“I see,” Ludmila said. “How would one control entire armies of mindless Undead at a time, then?”

“With broad instructions,” Nonna replied. “Aim for collective results, or set them to tasks where precision and independent thought is not required.”

“Are these Squire Zombies capable of controlling them?”

“It would be strange if they could not – they are the ones raising them, after all.”

She ordered several Squire Zombies into the encirclement to begin cleaning up the scattered Goblins and organizing the aftermath. After each new Zombie rose, it moved to join the others. Eventually, there were enough Goblin Zombies to close the line on their own, and she ordered the rest of the Squire Zombies to get to work. In the end, there were five dozen Hobgoblins packed together in the centre of the camp.

Unlike the Hobgoblins that entered the pass, they could only face outwards in the direction of each Death Knight. Not only that, they were more along her initial expectations for a well-trained Hobgoblin’s average strength. If it came down to brute force, the Death Knights would probably take only a minute to crush their formation.

Ludmila ordered a single Death Knight forward to test their defence. The first, experimental swipe of its tower shield knocked two Hobgoblins to the ground. The commander within the formation barked out orders, and the glow of healing magic washed over the fallen soldiers. They rose to their feet again. As if to mock their efforts, the Death Knight took another swipe at them, knocking down not only the two who had just recovered, but four more besides.

They possessed discipline but lacked strength. She imagined that the rank-and-file Imperial Legionnaires her father often described would suffer the same outcome. The question that remained was whether these Hobgoblins were an actual representation of the Goblin army’s strength rather than the ones who had come up the pass. She ordered the Death Knights to stop using their Skill and entered the ring of Zombies.

“I would speak to your commander,” she called out to them.

The Hobgoblins started at her voice as if noticing her for the first time.

“What the hell…” One of the ones she had marked out earlier spoke, “What the hell is a Human doing here?! How are these things not attacking you! Wait – you’re Undead? Y-you must be!”

Ludmila frowned at the unexpected accusation. In a way, she could understand why the Hobgoblin commander might have come to this conclusion, but she certainly didn’t look like any of the Undead that might commonly be seen outside of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

“I am a Human of the Sorcerous Kingdom,” she explained. “These Undead are under my command.”

“Liar!” The commander shouted, “These Undead monsters would never submit to a weak Human!”

Ludmila walked around to the north side of the formation, and dozens of eyes followed her.

“Do I smell like one of the Undead?”

She knew she had been out for over a day, but she was fairly certain that she did not smell like a corpse. The Hobgoblins sniffed the air in unison. She had never had so many Demihumans – or anyone, for that matter – sniff at her before. A part of her itched to start loosing arrows at them.

“You do smell like a Human…no, NO – this is a trick! You’re just some Undead creature imitating a Human!”

Why did he insist on her being Undead? She didn’t even have the ivory skin of the more Human-like Undead that she knew of. Ludmila met the gaze of another Hobgoblin standing beside the commander.

“Surely you have heard from the locals that Humans live north of here.”

“It’s a rumour with no proof,” the Hobgoblin answered. “A tale spread in fearful whispers, as if warning of a curse.”

“Even if you’re really a Human,” another added, “they say that the Humans here worship the Six Great Gods of the Slane Theocracy. If that’s the case, you must be a follower of their evil god of death.”

“Enough of this,” Ludmila snapped. “You have two options: surrender or die.”

“What,” the commander snorted, “so you can have an easier time sacrificing us to your evil god? We know we’re dead, but if you think we’ll just meekly let you do your thing, you’re dead wrong.”

“Look–”

“No, you look,” the commander cut her off. “Undead, Human, whatever you are – the outcome is clear enough to us.”

The commander bellowed out his orders, and the Hobgoblins charged towards her. Two Death Knights interposed themselves between the Hobgoblins and Ludmila.

?Fill out your Squire Zombie formations if you still need to. Let the Squire Zombies have the rest.?

The Death Knights and the Squire Zombies surged forward. It didn’t even take the minute that she had expected.