Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 4

17th Day, Middle Wind Month, 1 CE

“What’s a ‘breeder’?”

Tira nearly spat out the straw in her mouth.

She’s opening with that?

From the shadows of a nearby alley, Tira monitored Liam and Saye’s progress as they investigated the situation of the town and the disposition of its people, which included hundreds of displaced rural folk from the west.

To her annoyance, the town and its surrounding lands were ruled by a clan of Gao. Fortunately, they were a civilian clan and they lacked the extra keen senses of the warrior clans’ hunters. She could at least loiter near crowded areas without being pestered.

The three women Saye was speaking with exchanged worried looks.

“Where did you hear that from, dear?” One of them asked, “Was it from one of those Beastmen?”

Saye nodded wordlessly. The dark-haired woman in the middle of the trio raised a hand to her cheek, looking Saye up and down.

“Have you bled yet?” She asked in a low voice.

Saye visibly hesitated, looking around with just a hint of a blush on her cheeks.

Not bad…

The girl nodded. Another one of the women clicked her tongue.

“Those damn dogs,” she grated. “We can’t ever–”

The speaker jerked suddenly. She turned a cross look at the woman who had elbowed her, then quieted down as a group of Gao walked by.

“There’s nowhere to run,” the woman said after the Gao went out of sight. “Just…just try to hide it for as long as you can.”

“Did it happen while you were asleep?” Another asked, “Make sure you burn your sheets if so.”

“Anything with blood on it,” the third woman added. “And make sure you keep everything washed good and clean. They can’t tell exactly how old you are, so you can probably keep them from sending you for at least a little while.”

Saye’s eyes went from speaker to speaker. She wore an unknowing expression as if she were trying to guess at their implications. Seeing this, one of the women started to weep quietly, holding a hand over the bump on her belly.

“Saye, why’d you stop?’

As if on cue – or likely on that cue – Liam came up to them. Saye’s mouth worked as she avoided his gaze.

“Um…”

“It’s nothing,” one of the women smiled. “Is she your sister?”

Liam nodded.

“Where did you come from?” She asked.

“Closer to the big river,” he answered. “They made us leave our village…is what they’re saying true? A-about the Undead. We didn’t see anything like that.”

“None of the other people I’ve spoken with have,” the woman replied. “It makes you wonder…”

“About what?”

The woman looked up and down the street before leaning in closer.

“Maybe it’s almost over. Maybe the Theocracy’s come.”

Tira held in a snort.

Well, that totally slipped my mind.

With the Beastmen acting the way they were, more than a few people would suspect that they were retreating from something. Well, they did state what they were supposedly keeping the people safe from, but an ‘Undead horde’ had never managed to get through the Deadmarch before. Not many would believe the Beastmen’s claim without seeing it firsthand.

What the people were accustomed to, however, was having the Theocracy drive the Beastmen away during major incursions. That history would guide their assumptions to a Theocracy counteroffensive being underway.

But was that a good thing, or a bad thing? It was good in the sense that these people were more than willing to believe that help was on the way…but that help wouldn’t come in the form that they expected. Trying to convince people that the beings who were believed to devour their souls would be coming to deliver them from those who devoured their bodies was a loooong shot to take.

“Wouldn’t the Beastmen just eat and run?” One of the women said, “That’s what’s happened every other time. Why’d they move people around like this?”

“They’re looking to settle this time, yeah? We’re not prey anymore, we’re livestock. If something bad was coming, you’d hide your chickens, too.”

“Not that we have any chickens left.”

A snort followed the woman’s comment, and a short round of laughter rose into the afternoon air. Even the one that was weeping just moments before joined them. Only in the Draconic Kingdom could the common people be so cavalier about their situation. Maybe when the Undead came around to drive away the Beastmen, they’d just stand in the streets and cheer for the Undead.

Liam bobbed his head to the women before leading Saye away. They disappeared around the street corner and reappeared on the far side of the alley, walking up to Tira.

“Why’d you go and ask that?” Tira eyed Saye.

“To make them feel bad for me,” Saye replied with a straight face. “They all have babies on the way, so it puts me on their side. Otherwise, I’d just be a random kid. After I said what I did, I was a kid that needed to be protected from what they were forced to go through.”

What kind of monster are you raising, Ilwé?

Not that it was bad: agents like Ilwé – and apparently Saye – were worth more than a thousand muscle-brained thugs in most situations. Assassins were experts at deception and infiltration, but very few focused on that side of things as much as they did. Even Tira only used the various techniques and skills in that field as a supplement to her more violent way of accomplishing objectives.

They retreated deeper into the alley, returning to the darkened dead end that they currently called home. Tattered lengths of patchwork caught the water dripping from the eaves. Most of the citizens being moved back from the front lines opted to gather at the makeshift shelters raised around the town, but a private place to confer was required for their work.

“Is that a Ninja technique, big brother?” Liam asked.

Oh, so you won’t call me sister, but brother is fine?

“It’s an Assassin technique,” Tira replied.

Currently, she didn’t appear as a young woman, but as a wiry man in his late teens. As long as she evaded the direct notice of the local Beastmen, they wouldn’t bug her about not being pregnant or mark her as their next meal.

“Is it magic?”

“Yep. Fits under Spiritual-category magic or whatever. Magical researchers lump Assassin techniques and Ninjutsu in with talismancy, geomancy, and all of that ‘eastern’ stuff.”

Not that it mattered. What mattered was that it worked.

“Does that mean Assassins and Ninjas are from the east?”

“I think so. My great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather came from somewhere out east with Platinum. I guess he got nice and cosy after the Demon Gods and decided to set up shop here instead of going home.”

“Can I use Assassin techniques yet?” Liam asked, “Aside from ‘studying’.”

“Yep,” Tira answered. “You’ll have to study for it, though.”

“Why does everything lead to studying?” Liam muttered.

Tira grinned and plopped herself down against the wall. She rummaged through the pack she had stashed away there for some lunch.

“I don’t think it’s the same as studying under Director Alpha,” Tira said. “You can use any techniques that you learn as long as you have mana. You’re not going to forget them. The weaker version is illusion-school magic that works off of your regular appearance. It’s just like any other illusion though: observant or powerful people might be able to see through it. Won’t work so well on people that don’t rely on those senses, either. When you get stronger, there’s a transmutation-school version that can physically alter your appearance into any creature of the same type – any humanoid, in our case. That’s the one I’m using right now.”

They settled down for their meal, which fortunately hadn’t gone soggy from their long trek through the rain. Liam and Saye’s first ‘test’ interaction felt like it went well enough, so they would go ahead with their investigation after lunch.

“So,” Tira said, “what are you going to ask about next?”

“The breeder thing,” Saye replied.

Tira shifted at her response.

“…look, I know that you’re probably getting to around that age, but that’s a pretty weird thing to get interested in. Just saying.”

She took a bite out of her bread, trying to work some saliva into it. Kids these days were just…

“But it’s a problem, right?” Saye said, “The way those women acted when I asked about it…they’re probably being bred like livestock too. What happens to them once the Royal Army takes this place back?”

Tira’s chewing slowed, then stopped. How many people did they say were on the Beastman side of the line again? Most of them would be women with how the Beastmen ‘managed’ the Human population. If what Saye was talking about was happening everywhere, the Draconic Kingdom had nearly two million pregnant women to deal with. If the ‘breeder thing’ had been happening since the beginning of the occupation, most would be on their second kid.

“It can’t be that bad, right?” Liam said, “They can’t…they can’t just…”

“They could,” Tira said. “Threats would work on most people in this situation. ‘Get pregnant or die’ or ‘get her pregnant or we kill her’. Not everyone has the same boundaries, either. Some are little better than animals when it comes to that sort of thing. Others might just give up and go with the flow when they realise that they can’t get themselves out of it.”

Ultimately, it had little to do with the upcoming operation by the Royal Army, but the Draconic Kingdom would probably appreciate a bit of forewarning.

『Chiyome, this is Raven’s Nest. Report.』

The dry voice of an Elder Lich rasped in her head. Tira raised a hand to her ear.

『We’re in. Just starting to sniff around, though. Any additional orders?』

『None. However, be advised: a general advance may begin in three days. Prioritise your tasks accordingly.』

『Got it.』

The Message ended. Its range limitations aside, she couldn’t figure out why it was taboo for most places to rely on the spell. There was no way Gatenbarg could have happened so easily.

“What did they say?” Liam asked.

“Just the routine check-in,” Tira answered. “We need to focus on getting the info the army needs, though – something might happen in a few days.”

“But you can’t ‘hurry up’ with this kind of work,” Saye said. “It’s not like we know exactly who has the right information. And if we ask too much of the same thing, we’re going to get noticed.”

“You’re right,” Tira said, “but we still have to do what we can. Fieldwork is rarely nice and neat, and ‘perfect’ never happens. Let’s go.”

They left the deep alleys and returned to the main streets. With the weather as miserable as it was, their options for gleaning information were limited. Both the Draconic Kingdom’s citizens and the Beastmen appeared to share the same custom of shutting themselves in during the torrential rains of the season, making the job that much more annoying.

In a normal situation, the usual option was talking to people visiting the market, but they couldn’t loiter since the season made one grab what they needed and go back home. Another was to visit the shelters raised around the town. Finally, they could eavesdrop on people. Since Tira was mostly free to operate, she could do the latter, which included spying on the local Beastmen. She was still concerned about how Liam and Saye would do, however, so she stuck around them for a while longer.

Liam’s – or rather, Saye’s – next destination was a sheltered area raised on the northern end of the town. It was essentially a collection of tarps strung out between the buildings on either side of the street. Groups of people divided the space for limited privacy, but most preferred to mingle with those nearby when they weren’t resting.

“You two new here?”

The tallest out of a group of young men standing at the ‘entrance’ of the area looked down at them.

“We just got here,” Saye said.

“Just the two of you?”

“We came with our big brother, but he…he got lost in the rain.”

Wait a minute…

“Lost, huh,” the man sighed, then stepped aside. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.”

That little…she just killed me off! I’m your boss, dammit!

Saye sniffed and nodded. She and her surviving brother shuffled past the men into the shelter.

Did she plan on staying there? Tira recalled the reports of her work in the Holy Kingdom. When Saye was given an assignment, she went deep. Her work in the safehouses in Helama and Phelegia was frighteningly single-minded. Was that Ilwé’s influence as well?

Tira looked around, trying to figure out how to get an ear on their conversations within. So far, the Royal Army’s reconnaissance rated the Beastmen’s detection ability as broadly low, with no notable individuals that could foil her concealment. This wasn’t a surprise to her, as she already knew that Demihumans tended to pay for their physical superiority with deficits in skill compared to their Human counterparts. Without exceptional scouts of their own, detecting a Ninja in the realm of heroes would require them to literally step on her.

Let’s not get stepped on, then…

She scaled the wall and made her way along the rooftops. As usual, the ‘thieves’ highway’ was devoid of travellers. Not that anyone would have enjoyed using it in the pouring rain.

“You two look absolutely miserable! Here, have some leaf sarma.”

Liam and Saye were about a quarter of the way into the shelter. They were standing under one of the larger covered areas, which appeared to be a communal kitchen. A plate was handed to each of them, loaded with stuffed grape leaves. Given their situation, they were probably filled with beans, ground grains, and the early fruits of the season.

Despite having just eaten, the two children wolfed down the steamed rolls. A woman smiled and placed some more on their plates.

“A-are you sure?” Liam stared at the food.

“Of course!” the woman responded warmly, “There’s always more.”

“If anyone’s going hungry,” another woman said, “it’s the Beastmen. They have to ration, while we feast every week!”

Smug grins appeared around the tables.

“They should’ve let us keep our livestock,” Saye said.

“I’m sure everyone everywhere told them that,” someone said, “but they had their own ideas. If there’s something this whole occupation’s taught us, it’s that predators make for poor Farmers.”

“Still a shame, though,” another woman shook her head. “It’s gonna take a long time getting our flocks and herds back to the way they were when this is all over.”

“When’s it going to be over?” Saye asked.

“I’d say soon,” one of the few men answered. “This big hubbub must mean something. I wouldn’t be surprised if Angels come diving out of the sky any day now. Even if it takes longer, we just have to look on the bright side of things.”

“I don’t see any ‘bright side’,” Saye frowned.

“Well, it’s mostly adult stuff. You’re too young to need to care about it. The Beastmen don’t charge rent or collect taxes.”

“But they eat us,” Liam said.

“That they do,” the man nodded. “But we get eaten either way. The difference is, when we’re under the Nobles, the Beastmen bash our doors down. When we’re under the Beastmen, they knock.”

Chuckles rose from around the dining area.

“He’s right,” a woman said, “there ain’t no such thing as living to a ripe old age.”

“So you’d rather be under the Beastmen?” Liam asked.

“Hey, now,” the man held up his hands, “I didn’t say that. I just said we have to look on the bright side of things. Under the Beastmen, we’re stuck. Worse than stuck. They’re all ass-backwards and we get dragged down with them. Pruning vines with your fingernails; ploughing a field with a stick; no draft animals to pull things around… Well, I shouldn’t have to tell you any of that, and it’s no good to complain about things you can’t change. It just drags you and everyone around you down.”

“I hope you’re right about it being over soon,” Saye said.

“We all do, kid,” the man said, “we all do.”

Liam and Saye finished their meal and went to clean their plates. The general positivity and resilience of the Draconic Kingdom’s citizens appeared to remain constant even in its long-occupied territories. There was something else expressed in their words and attitudes, however – something Tira had seen elsewhere that was common to many species.

These people are used to getting out of trouble.

As an Assassin, it was subconscious behaviour that she had learned to exploit to great effect – for both herself and her targets. In the Draconic Kingdom, it appeared to be the foundation of their insane resilience. All at once, the ‘weird’ behaviour of the country’s citizens suddenly made a whole lot more sense.

After overhearing several more conversations, Tira left Liam and Saye to their investigation. Despite Saye’s age, the people were defenceless against the young Bard. In theory, it should have been expected as the strong in the Draconic Kingdom were eliminated first, but it was still good to see it play out in practice nonetheless.

Tira made her way over the clay-tiled rooftops, occasionally stopping to take inventory of the town’s denizens and how they interacted with the occasional Beastman. Encounters were always initiated by the Beastmen. For the Humans’ part, they showed no outward signs of hostility, simply complying with the demands made of them.

Despite the citizens’ docile behaviour, the Beastmen always appeared in groups. This suggested that they had something to be wary of…or maybe they just naturally moved around in packs. They were something like dogs, after all.

An hour’s wandering finally had her settle in over the town square, near what looked like the ‘office’ that the Beastmen managed the town from. There, she waited, squatting under the eaves of a third-floor dormer, sifting through the conversations that floated up from the plaza. Several dozen Beastmen occupied the area and the town’s residents stayed well away, so she hoped she would catch something exclusive to the Beastmen’s side of things.

After several hours of listening to hundreds of mundane interactions, a group of especially-drenched Gao came in from outside the square. The leader shook his brown coat free of water before stepping in to stand before the local Lord.

“Those guys up north are complaining again.”

“Which ones…? Oh. Them. What’s it about now?”

“Too many Humans. With the warrior clans away, they’re worried that something might happen.”

“What are they, mice? It isn’t as if the tribes managing those Humans didn’t come along with them. We’re not even singling them out or anything – everyone’s got the same ratio.”

“I don’t see why we can’t send them further east. There’s plenty of room to go around. Ugh, why are we even working during the deluge? Even the Humans take a break.”

“You know their answer. Oh, those shipments we were talking about before came in.”

Tira leaned forward at the out-of-place tangent.

“You didn’t try the stuff out right away?”

“Nope. Not like we have any problems.”

“Can I test it? On them, I mean.”

“Be my guest. They said to mix it in with their water, so just dump it into one of the wells. Let me know how it works out.”

“Uh…if it goes into the wells, what do we drink?”

“That’s why I said one of the wells. It’s not supposed to affect us, but it doesn’t hurt to be safe.”

“Right.”

Tira detached herself from the dormer and shadowed the Gao and his party from above. They made their way to the warehouses a few blocks away from the town square, stopping at one with a pair of wide double doors. The Gao motioned to his companions, and they pulled them open.

A long, rusty squeal filled the air as the doors came open to reveal the mess on the other side. The doors’ locks were shattered and their bracings, splintered. The slots for the drawbars were broken open and their guides hung loosely from bent screws.

Someone needs to teach these guys how to use a door…

Three wagons loaded with burlap sacks were parked within. The lead Gao walked over to the first, sniffing curiously at the mysterious cargo.

“Doesn’t smell like anything out of the ordinary to me…maybe that’s why it doesn’t work on us?”

“What’s it supposed to do?” One of the Gao asked.

“They just called it a ‘suppressant’,” the leader answered, “so maybe the Humans will fall asleep. Hm…guess we shouldn’t use it all at once. Everyone, grab a sack.”

The pack moved to do as he bid. Tira stuck her head out from the eaves, trying to get a better look.

“Won’t the Humans know we’ve added something to the water?”

“Uh…the guy that came here to talk about it didn’t say anything about that. But he did say that the Humans would like the stuff.”

“Well, isn’t that nice. I hope they appreciate what we’re doing.”

Each Gao hefted a sack on its shoulders and left the warehouse. A few leaned into the warehouse door to close it shut. Tira dropped down behind the leading door as they did so, quickly retreating into the shadows of the interior. She waited for a full minute after the Gao left before coming out to check the wagons.

Let’s see…

She held a cloth over her mouth and nose, pressing down on one of the sacks with her free hand. Traces of dried vegetation wafted into the air. She narrowed her eyes at the familiar scent, drawing a dagger to work apart the seams of the sack. Her gloved hand entered the opening, pulling out what she expected to see.

Well, shit.

Tira checked through the other wagons to confirm their contents. She stuffed a few samples into one of her pouches before heading to the side door. After a quick scan of the alley outside, she left the building and returned to the rooftops.

It took her a few minutes to run across the town and locate Liam and Saye. A rare reprieve in the incessant rains had brought the citizens out to enjoy the evening, and Saye was near the centre of the growing crowd. Liam stood off to the side. She dropped down into the alley behind him, coming up to place a hand on his shoulder.

“Ti–brother?”

Tira’s fingers moved at her hip.

–we’re going. Grab your sister.

–what happened?

–just go.

She tapped her fingers on her waist impatiently as she waited for Liam to return with Saye. When they did, she turned and walked away without a word.

“Did I do something wrong?” Saye asked.

Tira stopped and stared up at the darkening sky.

“No,” she sighed. “You were doing great. I had nothing to complain about. Almost.”

“Almost?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m getting you two back to our side.”

“But why?”

“The Beastmen are worried they’re going to lose control of the Humans, so they’re ‘sedating’ the population. It involves poisoning the water supply, so it won’t be safe for you two to operate here anymore.”

They made their way over the wall and jogged through the waterlogged fields until the town disappeared over the horizon. A flash of azure briefly lit the darkness as Tira used a Message scroll.

『Raven Princess, this is Chiyome.』

『…I’m in an audience with the Queen at the moment. What’s the matter?』

『They’re using Laira on the citizens out here.』

『What?!』

Lady Zahradnik’s outburst rang in Tira’s head. She could swear she could feel the noblewoman’s ire all the way from Phelegia.

『It ain’t the cheap crap that they grow in Re-Estize, either. These people are getting the real stuff. They’re going straight to the moon.』

『How prevalent is its usage?』

『The Beastmen closest to the front just started getting deliveries of the stuff. It’s coming from further east, so they might already be employing it out there.』

『I’ll have the staff check with the agents deeper in. Why would they do this? I can’t imagine that they profit from it like some criminal syndicate. They already own everything.』

『It’s because of what Laira does. They treat Humans as Livestock. All livestock needs to do is eat, shit, and have babies, and Laira keeps Humans docile and compliant. Doesn’t matter if they turn as dumb as a brick so long as they’re edible. That’s why Laira entered circulation in the first place. It’s a product for markets that consume Humans.』

A long sigh sounded over the Message.

『How are the kids?』

『They’re with me. I’m bringing them back to our side before heading in again.』

『Good. Thank you, Chiyome. Oh, since it’s like this, I’m aborting your current mission. Pick up your equipment and head to Rivergarden. I’ll get back to you with the details later.』

『Sure thing, boss.』

The Message spell ended. Tira focused on the way ahead.

“Who were you talking to?” Liam asked.

“Captain Zahradnik,” Tira answered. “She was with the Queen, too.”

“What did she say?”

“Not much. She just asked some questions, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard her anywhere close to mad. Too bad you two won’t be around to enjoy the show.”

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