Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 8

With the rest of the Undead out of the way, Ludmila resumed her aerial assault on the Blood Meat Hulks. Her first move was to separate one of their number from the others. Now that the plaza was clear, there was plenty of room to work with.

It didn’t take long until she isolated her first target. One flight of Bone Vultures occupied each of the Blood Meat Hulks, leaving two flights to spare. As with her opening attack, the first flight of three Bone Vultures dove and scored raking blows over enemy flesh. They did not stay to continue attacking, however – instead using the momentum of their dive to speed away and regain altitude. The Blood Meat Hulk turned in a futile attempt at retaliation, and another flight came down to attack it from the other side.

As one wing regained altitude, the second dove to attack their distracted target while the third readied their next approach. She couldn’t exactly call it an advanced tactic, but it was effective and consistent. Over the next minute, the Blood Meat Hulk was shredded to ribbons, its regeneration unable to keep up with the ceaseless assault.

The Sorcerer King stepped forward to dominate the twitching remains.

“I was surprised at the degree of control you had over that Wraith,” he said, “but I now see you’ve had practice with flying creatures. While it might be the case with the Empire’s aristocracy, aerial tactics are not something a Noble of Re-Estize would know. Did you develop them recently or learn about them from somewhere?”

“I did employ quite a few Bone Vultures in the spring,” Ludmila replied, “but my appreciation for them at the time was more for their ability to keep an eye on my territory and move small loads through the air. I left them to their own devices when it came to combat until Dame Verilyn entered into my service. She is a master of aerial combat – particularly in ambush tactics and hit-and-run attacks.”

“Dame Verilyn…”

“The one she pushed down onto her bed, Lord Ainz,” Lady Shalltear offered. “You’ll have to tell me about that in detail one of these days, Ludmila.”

Following her liege’s contribution, His Majesty fell silent. The crimson points of his eyes wavered between focusing on Ludmila and looking away.

“N-nothing happened, my lady!” Ludmila protested against the innuendo, “At any rate, Dame Verilyn is a Frost Dragon who I’ve learned much from.”

“Just how large is your bed…wait – you knighted a Frost Dragon?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” she frowned at his incredulity. “Was I in error?”

“Not at all,” the Sorcerer King replied. “It’s just that you appear to be full of surprises, Miss Zahradnik. Offering a title to a Dragon is not something Human aristocrats would think of. Hmm…if the Sorcerous Kingdom has a Dragon as a member of the gentry, does that mean we have an opportunity to improve relations with the Argland Confederation? Or…”

His Majesty’s words trailed off into what must have been grave matters of state. The Argland Confederation was a nation bordering the northwestern portion of Re-Estize, and it was presided over by a council that included five mighty Dragon Lords. Unwilling to interrupt his unfathomable thoughts, Ludmila turned her attention back to the fight in the plaza.

Without new directions, the Bone Vultures continued to circle out of reach of the remaining Blood Meat Hulks, holding them in their assigned positions. She called the freshly dominated Blood Meat Hulk to take its position in her company, then isolated the next. As more and more of her Bone Vultures were freed up to join in offensive operations, the less their regeneration could extend the time required to ‘capture’ them. Fifteen minutes later, all six had become a part of her new heavy infantry line.

Rather than stay to examine her new soldiers, Ludmila made her way over to the fountain in the centre of the plaza. She stepped over the edge and walked across the ancient layers of blown soil, her eyes fixed on the pedestal in the middle.

The base of the broken off-statue remained, but there was no sign of the rest of it. What looked like the soles of a pair of weathered stone boots were left fixed there.

So it really was Humans that lived here…

That was what appeared to be the case, at least. As long as the statue had been fashioned with lifelike accuracy, they were not the feet of a Dwarf or an Elf. Dwarves were squat and their posture reflected that, while Elves were slender and balanced themselves more lightly than Humans did.

Her eyes travelled down the pedestal, looking for any script or image carved into the weathered marble. Halfway down, she clenched her fist as a wave of slow anger started to rise within her.

“What did you find?”

Ludmila stepped aside, and the Sorcerer King came forward to examine what she had found.

“Why?”

The single word was all she could manage before she had to swallow her anger. Letters had been carved into the pedestal, but they were all defaced. What looked to be intricate carvings were also damaged beyond recognition.

Her initial suspicions were correct. It was no natural disaster; no normal war waged. Someone wanted the society and people that had once existed in the Katze Plains erased from the annals of history. It was an injustice to the memory of the past, and the actions of the aggressors spoke of an injustice against the people who had once dwelled here.

Ludmila ordered her contingent to excavate the layers of dust from the fountain. Perhaps the remains of the statue were buried below. A name; a face; even a fragment of equipment rendered in marble – she wanted to find any hint of who these people were. They moved out of the fountain, watching the Undead company work.

“Emotions are unreasonable, are they not?”

“Your Majesty?”

With her anger receding, her response was nearly a sigh. Ludmila looked over at the Sorcerer King, who swept his right arm over the surroundings.

“This is what it is, yes? The product of hatred. Or fear. Whoever did this hated this place so much that they wanted its very existence lost to the ages; its lands left barren and impossible to reclaim. Or perhaps they feared that someone might discover some unwanted truth.”

“Which one do you think it is?”

Rather than answer her question, His Majesty posed another.

“Tell me, Miss Zahradnik. Why is the history of this region so unreliable?”

“Unreliable? What does Your Majesty mean by this?”

“One of my subordinates has noted that history may be placed under three broad categories, represented in written record, bardic tradition or folklore. This region of the world is no different in that regard.”

The Sorcerer King raised a pristine finger.

“First, there is the history that is agreed upon. For instance, no one refutes the existence of the Eight Greed Kings who brought low the Dragon Lords of old. No one denies that the Demon Gods appeared to bring ruin two centuries ago. No one challenges the fact that the Baharuth Empire was once a part of Re-Estize, or that the Karnassus City State Alliance was originally a single, great nation.”

A second finger uncurled to join the first.

“Next, we have the history that is disagreed upon. Every nation in this region has its own version of events, and each insists that theirs is the true account. People argue over the membership of the Thirteen Heroes, and whether there were only Thirteen of them. Like the Katze Plains, who exactly occupied the greater region in the past is also a matter of debate.”

“And the third?”

“They are the histories that don’t matter,” the Sorcerer King replied. “Or at least the histories that people believe do not matter. Yet a thousand minor accounts of the past can be woven together into a grand tapestry. The truth, hidden in plain view.”

Ludmila swallowed as he grandly topped off his list.

“Then has this subordinate already discovered the truth?” She asked.

“They’re still working on it,” His Majesty answered, lowering his hand. “If you have an interest in investigating the past, he wouldn’t mind a helping hand. He is someone with whom you are already acquainted, I believe.”

“I am?”

“Indeed. I am referring to Momon of Darkness. His work as an Adventurer was not only for the sake of helping the locals, but also to collect information related to his quarry.”

According to the rumours, Momon’s true purpose was the pursuit of a pair of powerful Vampires. He had chased them around the world, finally isolating and destroying one not far from E-Rantel.

“But this history is centuries old,” Ludmila noted. “Perhaps even older than that.”

“Undead beings have unlimited lifespans,” the Sorcerer King told her. “The Vampire that is his quarry may have traced her steps over this land a thousand times before. A dozen lairs may exist in this region alone, and discovering them could lead him to her. He may not be researching the same particular topic, but he is collecting the same history. An exchange of information would be beneficial, no?”

“Once I have something substantial to offer,” she said, “I will approach him on the matter. Thank you for letting me know about this, Your Majesty.”

With the Blood Meat Hulks set to the task, the fountain was emptied in short order. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the statue. Ludmila scanned the rubble strewn about the plaza, but one piece was much like the next.

“A shame,” the Sorcerer King said. “Fragments of that statue being buried in the dirt might have provided us with some relatively undamaged remains.”

His Majesty turned to look up at the now-cleared front of the garrison building.

“I suppose there will be a boss lurking in here somewhere…”

“I’m still not entirely certain how Your Majesty can make these predictions.”

“That’s just how it is, no? As you’ve noted, environments like these are a reflection of what they were in life. Since this is a garrison building of some sort, there should at least be ‘officers’. I also assume that there will be a ‘captain’.”

“If they get any stronger than what we’ve seen,” Ludmila said, “shouldn’t we start finding intelligent Undead?”

“That is my hope,” the Sorcerer King said. “I am most interested in the knowledge that such a being might possess. Of course, levels do not guarantee intelligence. There are plenty of mindless Undead over Level 20.”

Ludmila positioned her company roughly fifty metres in front of the building’s entrance. The wall to the right of the gate had collapsed, but she could see nothing immediately inside. She made her way to the stairs leading to the entrance. When nothing came out to greet her, she raised a hand to her mouth.

“Is anyone in?” She called out.

The sound of clattering bones over stone echoed out from the gate as a dozen Skeleton Warriors emerged from the garrison. She turned around and bolted back to her company.

“That’s not what I meant!”

More Skeleton Warriors came out in response to her shout.

As she sidled by her front rank of skirmishers, she ordered them to throw their rocks. The metallic clunks of stone striking metal shields sounded from behind her.

“Infantry, advance! Clear the way!”

After making her way to the rear of the company, Ludmila turned around to observe the handiwork of her freshly fleshed out formation. The rocks had not done much, though she could see a few Skeleton Warriors with broken legs pulling their way forward to the fight. The Blood Meat Hulks were doing as well against the Skeleton Warriors as they did with hers. Every massive swing destroyed one or two of them, and the dozens of Skeleton Warriors streaming out of the garrison were being rapidly thinned out.

The sight of a Blood Meat Hulk suddenly losing a quarter of its health in her Life Essence sent a new wave of alarm through her.

“Hoh…I was wondering if they would appear,” the Sorcerer King’s voice drifted down from above. “It looks like there were ‘officers’ in here, after all.”

Another chunk of health disappeared. The Blood Meat Hulk fell on its side, revealing what had amputated its leg. Ludmila called out for one of the Death Priests to heal her fallen soldier as she tried to discern what it was.

Visually, it was identical to a Skeleton Warrior, save for the deep crimson tint of its bones. She sensed that it was stronger than a Blood Meat Hulk – on par with a strong Mithril-rank Adventurer. What she couldn’t figure out was how it was doing so much damage.

The red Skeleton Warrior’s scimitar came across in a vicious arc, cleaving deeply into the Blood Meat Hulk’s flesh. She ordered the two adjacent Blood Meat Hulks to relieve the one that had fallen under the red Skeleton’s Warrior’s withering assault. Then she noticed two more coming out of the Garrison.

Ludmila called down her Bone Vultures to intercept them, nodding as she saw that their resistance to slashing and piercing damage was resulting in significantly less damage. Unfortunately, this was also the case for the red Skeleton Warriors, who received little in return from the talons of the Bone Vultures. Still, it was an acceptable equilibrium. She ordered one of the Death Priests to manage the health of the Bone Vultures and turned her attention back to the red Skeleton Warrior making a mess out of her heavy infantry.

Fortunately, the red Skeleton Warrior did not appear to hold any advantages aside from its increased general power and surprising offensive capability. It was taking big hits of its own, as it could not effectively defend against the three Blood Meat Hulks pummeling it from all sides with bludgeoning attacks. Just as it was about to perish, the fight stopped. The red Skeleton Warrior crawled over to join her ranks.

Ludmila blinked in confusion until she realized that she had ‘captured’ it.

“I assume you wanted these?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

She could make a study of them later. First, she had to get rid of the remaining two. A frown crossed her face when she noticed that the Death Priest’s mana had gone down more than expected.

Turning her attention to the fight, a loud, metallic crunch informed her of the cause. A red Skeleton Warrior had backhanded one of the Bone Vultures with its shield. The Bone Vulture flopped to the ground with a broken wing before being healed and flapping its way back into the air.

They’re using Martial Arts?

It should have been impossible. Martial Arts required extensive training, focus and presence of mind to enact. Mindless Undead might be able to ‘instinctively’ use what they manifested with, but they lacked the mind to enact Martial Arts.

Another Bone Vulture was swatted to the ground, and Ludmila ordered one diving to attack to crash into the offending Skeleton Warrior. Both of the Undead tumbled to the ground. She called in three more Bone Vultures to pick up the Skeleton Warrior, and they carried it up through the mists.

『Release it.』

A dozen seconds later, the red Skeleton Warrior smashed into the plaza, shattering into countless fragments.

“See what I mean, Lord Ainz?” Lady Shalltear’s voice chimed lightly from somewhere above and behind, “Imagine if these were living beings: her enemies would break in no time witnessing this.”

Ludmila frowned. It wasn’t as if she intended to terrify her opponents. She was just using the ground as an improvised bludgeoning weapon.

The next Skeleton Warrior was tackled and carried off. This time, she ordered it released from half the height. It survived with a third of its remaining health left, but was so broken that it couldn’t get up. The Sorcerer King dominated it shortly after.

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