Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 15

A great din rolled up from the valley, permeating the air with the roars and shouts of urmah Kisher. Goro’s ears lay flat at the sight – or perhaps the feel – of the ongoing battle.

“Il-Enhorshr,” he said, “you must pull the tribes back and restore order.”

The Urmah Lord stood on a flat boulder roughly halfway down one of the contested approaches. He looked down at Goro.

“Why?” Il-Enhorshr’s tail swished lazily, “We’ve seen a few reversals, but the tribes are holding their own. The Undead army must be down to half of what it was before.”

“They have yet to commit their strongest forces,” Goro told il-Enhorshr. “We haven’t even seen what controls this army yet.”

Above them, the Bone Vultures still made their lazy circles and the Blood Meat Hulks that their scouts had spotted as the Undead advanced southeast were nowhere in sight. The hordes of weak Undead had grown sparse, but stronger ones were starting to join the fight.

A streak of light flashed from the edge of the bushes.

“There!” Il-Enhorshr pointed excitedly, “Is that one of the Elder Liches?”

“That’s a Skeleton Mage, il-Enhorshr,” Goro replied. “A Magic Arrow spell from an Elder Lich would have more projectiles.”

Shortly after the spell hit some poor fellow in the front, a group of four figures tore their way straight through to the offending Undead caster. They snuffed out its existence before returning to friendly lines.

“Oh. Well, it’s gone now. The warriors of nar Ki’ra live up to their reputation.”

“They are wary of significant threats to your people,” Goro said, “but there are limits to what they can do. This chaos makes it all the more difficult for them to perform their duties.”

Even as he said so, a discoloured bruise appeared in their right flank. The bruise slowly grew and a growl filled Goro’s throat.

“I’ll return shortly,” he told il-Enhorshr. “Don’t get your head snatched off by a Bone Vulture.”

Without waiting for a response, Goro ran forward to remedy the problem developing in the line. He leapt over the heads of the milling crowd, pouncing on one of the newly-raised Wights clawing at the tribespeople nearby. His momentum carried him forward and he slashed a circular path through the dozens of Undead Beastmen wedging open a crack in the front.

He released a long breath as the Urmah surged forward to fill the gap, then flicked his ear as he observed the combatants swarming around him.

In short, they were out of control. Beastmen such as the Urmah could be confronted and intimidated, but, once any fighting started, their primal instincts would drive them to fight and eliminate challengers to their dominance. When it came to conflicts between living things, this behaviour tended to serve them well. The Undead, however, cared nothing whatsoever for the behaviour of the living.

The reasons for which the Undead fought were as unnatural as the Undead themselves. More often than not mindless and fuelled by hatred of all that lived, they would stop at nothing to see the living destroyed and the land corrupted. If not held in check, they would spread their evil to the ends of the world. The threat of injury or destruction did not deter them, nor did the strength and resolve of their adversaries.

Another set of Wights appeared and he cleared them away before they could slay anyone and create more of themselves. Once again, the tribesmen surged forward to take advantage of his actions, though it was the opposite of what he wanted them to do.

“Get back!” He roared, “We need to get back to the ridge!”

His words fell on ears that heard but did not care. The front continued advancing.

“Goro!”

He turned at the sound of a female’s voice. Thurgakhr appeared before him with three of her fellows.

“These people are idiots!” She complained, “What can we do to make them listen?”

“A good, solid thrashing would set them straight,” Goro replied, “but the master of this Undead army is far too shrewd. They are playing the Urmah like drunken Minotaurs!”

“Did you spot any of the Elder Liches?” Thurgakhr asked, “If we cannot stop the Urmah, maybe we can end the fight for them.”

“If they’re around, I didn’t notice. They don’t even need to show up…il-Enhorshr for some reason believes that they are obliged to confront us directly as if this was a fighting pit in the cities. If this ‘Katze Plains’ is as vast as the Humans claim, they could simply withdraw and come back with the same number of Undead minions as before.”

“Then what–”

Thurgakhr’s tongue stilled. Goro’s whiskers trembled with a low, steady vibration that pulsed through the cacophony of battle.

“Work,” Goro said. “These ones might not be so easy for the Elder Liches to replace, so maybe something will pop up in response. Or maybe we’ll get Fireballed. Take the one on the left.”

“We hear you, Goro.”

Thurgakhr and her companions turned to confront their approaching foe. Brush was crushed and small trees toppled as a group of lumbering figures emerged from the darkness. For the first time, the Urmah backed away of their own accord, cautiously eyeing the approaching Blood Meat Hulks.

The steady thumping of their footfalls picked up. Goro sprinted forward, intent on stopping them before they trampled the Urmah lines.

“「Ability Boost」, 「Stone Claw Stride」!”

Power surged through him. Goro’s steps grew firm as he collided with the first of the Blood Meat Hulks. His claws sunk into the flesh of the Undead construct as he twisted and hurled the two-tonne mass of rotting fat and muscle into the backs of the two others that had run by. They fell forward and tumbled to a stop before the Urmah tribesmen, who immediately pounced upon their prone foes.

The claws of the Beastmen were highly effective against the naked flesh of the Blood Meat Hulks, though their Undead opponents’ regeneration and sheer durability made destroying them a daunting prospect for civilians. Goro released his Stone Claw Stride and approached the closest of his thrashing foes.

“「Crimson Tiger Claw」!”

Five lines of fiery red trailed after his powerful slash as it raked over the length of the Blood Meat Hulk. It rolled over, bringing its meaty fist to bear in a tremendous backhand. He caught the ponderous attack and tore the abomination’s arm off at the shoulder. With its regeneration disabled by his fire element-imbued attacks, a series of swift strikes finished it off.

A minute later, he stood over the rapidly-disintegrating forms of the Blood Meat Hulks with the Urmah celebrating around him. Thurgakhr came over from where she and her group had finished off their opponent.

“You mumble so much about being old,” she said, “but your claws haven’t dulled a single bit.”

“Oh, they have,” Goro replied. “It’s just you youngsters that are so easily impressed these days.”

He swept his gaze over the front, searching for significant threats. Other Blood Meat Hulks had appeared, but the groups of nar Ki’ra interspersed throughout the line dealt with them promptly. Since they had destroyed a not-insignificant number of strong Undead minions, a part of him hoped that the masterminds behind the Undead army would expose themselves to eliminate the nar Ki’ra warriors. Unfortunately, the Undead army’s controllers appeared as elusive as ever.

The Bone Vultures above still hadn’t been committed to the battle, so did it mean that there was far more yet at the Undead army’s disposal?

“Still,” he muttered, “this behaviour is strange.”

“It’s not strange at all for urmah Kisher.” Thurgakhr sneered at the front lines, which had advanced once again, “They are lizards who think themselves Dragons.”

“I meant the Undead,” Goro told the young warrior. “Even if there are Elder Liches controlling them, they are being far too patient.”

Though the Undead wouldn’t fall victim to uncontrollable bouts of emotion, all intelligent beings had their own sense of pride. With the Undead, it was something like a sense of ownership or accomplishment. Mummies fastidiously tended to their tombs and temples. Vampires carefully selected their covens and cultivated their underground societies. Elder Liches threw themselves into research and created armies to defend their labyrinthine libraries.

Generally speaking, Elder Liches were fairly straightforward in their tactics. They wore down their opponents with waves of weak Undead, then finished them off with more powerful minions and some well-placed spells. Goro couldn’t imagine them expending Blood Meat Hulks so frivolously, as they were fairly rare to come across.

“Are you suggesting that something’s controlling the Elder Liches?” Thurgakhr asked.

“Either that or the objective of this Undead army is not what we assume it to be,” Goro answered. “I sent Hhrolhr already, but…Thurgakhr – take your party and deliver what we’ve learned to nar Torokgha. Warn the clans along the way, too.”

The young warrior took a step back, her whiskers drooping at his instructions.

“We…we can’t just quit the field while we’re still contracted to urmah Kisher!” Thurgakhr protested, “It would be a stain upon the honour of nar Ki’ra!”

“I know that it’s difficult,” Goro said, “and it will be even more difficult to carry out your task. But what is happening here threatens all of the clans. The wise will understand this. I will be advising il-Enhorshr to withdraw, as well.”

Thurgakhr exchanged glances with the members of her party.

“And what will you do if they refuse to withdraw?” She asked.

“Then they won’t withdraw,” Goro answered. “At least not until they break. But I have a feeling that this fight will end very soon regardless of what they decide. You won’t be missing much.”

The young female let out a sigh.

“Fine. You had better make it out, too. I don’t want to explain to Hhrolhr why I survived while you perished.”

“Even when things have become like this,” Goro chuckled, “my grandson is still on your mind.”

“Sh-shut up!”

Thurgakhr dashed away. Her companions scrambled to keep up with her. The nearby tribesmen didn’t even note their departure, so focused on the battle they were.

Goro looked around and located il-Enhorshr. The Urmah Lord had advanced another fifty metres down the slope.

“Il-Enhorshr!”

“Goro! I saw your fight. The rumours of your strength have been proven far from idle boast. You are an inspiration to the brave warriors of urmah Kisher!”

Oh, so you’re warriors now, are you?

“I do what I can,” Goro replied. “On that note, I highly recommend that your clan withdraw from the battle.”

“This again?” Il-Enhorshr flicked his ear, “Even after demonstrating your dominance over these Undead, you would call for a retreat?”

“Well, yes,” Goro said. “One would think that continuing to call for a retreat despite such a display would mean something. The behaviour of this Undead army suggests that the worst is still yet to come.”

“Yet to come? How can that be? Those Undead that you fought must have been as powerful as veteran warriors! The world would be in a dire situation if it were so easy to produce such strength on demand.”

“That line of reasoning holds only if one thinks in the moment,” Goro told him. “The lands beyond are unknown to us and we have no idea how long these Undead have been around. For all we know, they could have been gathering their forces for centuries. They are too prepared for us to be treating them as a random Undead horde, so we must withdraw and reevaluate the situation. This is the first thing the warrior clans would do upon encountering what we have. There is no shame in it.”

Il-Enhorshr’s claws sheathed and unsheathed as he watched his tribespeople fighting the Undead streaming out of the woods.

“If we withdraw now,” he said, “many will be lost for nothing. The other clans will see it as a defeat.”

“It’s better than losing everyone for nothing,” Goro told him.

The Clanlord took a deep breath, releasing it with a resigned expression. His roar carried over the clamour of combat.

“We’re done here for now! Gather your tribes and pull out of the valley! Pull–”

Goro leapt up and swatted away a pale shadow falling on il-Enhorshr’s head. The Bone Vulture shattered and scattered into pieces over the ground. He grabbed the Clanlord and hurled him down as three more Bone Vultures swooped down to rake the air where he once stood with their talons.

Shouts rose all along the front as the Undead in the skies overhead fell upon the Beastman lines. Goro dispatched six more Bone Vultures that had all gone straight for il-Enhorshr. A curse seethed out from between his teeth.

“They were waiting for this! The moment you called the withdrawal, those Bone Vultures attacked you and your Lords. They’re trying to keep us here!”

“What?! But why?”

“Why?” Goro snarled, “It’s obvious: they’re trying to exterminate you all at once! Keep calling the retreat – I’ll guard you as best as I can.”

He downed three more Bone Vultures while il-Enhorshr’s roars resounded over the valley. Little by little, urmah Kisher started to pull back.

“Faster, dammit! We need to leave now!”

A familiar vibration thudded through the air. With it came a sight that encouraged the Urmah to back away more than any amount of their Lord’s shouting.

Like great boulders formed of flesh, a line of Blood Meat Hulks appeared from the shadows of the trees. Between the dozens upon dozens of Undead constructs came hundreds of bone-white figures, their round shields and curved blades gleaming in the moonlight.

Skeleton Warriors…? But there must be well over a thousand of them…what in the world is going on here?

Between the Bone Vultures and the newly-appeared Undead was might enough to match one of the warrior clans. If one added the Elder Liches that must be controlling the mindless Undead army, five or six warrior clans would be needed to defeat them in a conventional battle. And then there was whatever might be coordinating the Elder Liches…

A large formation of crimson-hued Skeleton warriors appeared at the centre of the advancing enemy ranks.

Red Skeleton Warriors now? What’s next? Wraiths? Vampires?

Goro’s ears swivelled towards a new commotion in the rear. He turned to see silhouettes of Beastmen being cast into the air.

“So this is it…il-Enhorshr, you must flee this place! The Undead are trying to close this trap.”

The first of the Undead to reach them from the ridge above was no unknown abomination, but one in the form of an Urmah tribesman. Goro slashed its torso open, sending it tumbling to the side. He flexed his claws in thought.

This sensation…not a Zombie? It was too strong to be a Wight…

Another Undead Urmah lunged at him. Goro’s claws came together to crush its head. His foot lashed out to kick it away when it kept coming for him.

Definitely not a Zombie. But what are they?

Many Undead perished when their heads were destroyed, but there were also many that persisted even after substantial portions of their bodies were destroyed. Some could even move their dismembered parts around.

A rush of movement to the side caught Goro’s attention. He barely acted in time to intercept one of the new Undead heading for il-Enhorshr.

“I told you to flee, il-Enhorshr!” Goro snarled.

“You did,” the Clanlord agreed.

Goro’s lip curled at the response. Were they already trapped?

No, there are still many ways out. Wait…

Il-Enhorshr wasn’t the only one behaving strangely. Dozens of Urmah in the vicinity simply stood in place while the Undead approached. They roared in panic and disgust when their claws reached them, but they did not fall back even as they were torn apart.

An oppressive feeling pressed down on him, heralding the approach of a powerful foe. Recognition of the figure in its black plate armour instantly dawned upon him.

Great. Never mind Vampires, we skipped right up to Death Knights.

A Death Knight had appeared, using its area taunt ability to keep the nearby Urmah from fleeing. The identity of the unknown Undead attacking them was made apparent as well: they were Squire Zombies.

The situation went from bad to incalculably worse. Death Knights were too powerful for Elder Liches to control. At the same time, Death Knights couldn’t lead mindless Undead aside from the Zombies that they created. A Night Lich being the leader of the Undead army became highly likely…or perhaps it was a coalition of intelligent Undead. Either way, a great evil had stirred and now threatened the entire region.

Was this truly incited by us, or did we simply happen to find ourselves in the way of their plans?

They may have simply used the Beastman occupation as a cover for an invasion of their own. With the apparent cause clear for all to see, no one would question why the Undead had come unless they directly saw what was going on and who was involved. The thought he had shared with Thurgakhr echoed in his head.

The master of this Undead army is far too shrewd…

Night Liches were known for their vast intellect, but that intellect was supposed to revolve around more studious pursuits. They were not known for any feats of strategic mastery, and neither were Undead in general. Were they collaborating with the Humans, after all? Or was it some unknown type of Undead orchestrating their movements?

Another Squire Zombie approached. Goro tore it apart. This time, the Death Knight took note of his actions and stomped in his direction. He splayed his claws and lowered his stance, a low growl rolling from his throat as he bared his fangs. The Death Knight did not falter in the slightest at his display. It brandished a massive flamberge that pulsed with an evil light, raising it high over its head as it charged.

“「Ability Boost」, 「Evasion」!”

Goro sidestepped his opponent’s shield, appearing on its right side. He reached out with his left and grabbed the Death Knight’s wrist, aiming a vicious slash at its elbow.

“「Twin Tiger Strike」!”

His attack landed solidly. A screech filled the air as his claws raked down the Death Knight’s vambrace.

So hard!

The point of the Death Knight’s flamberge crossed behind its shield, forcing Goro to release his grip and leap away. After a glance at its arm, the Death Knight raised its shield and approached again.

Goro dashed forward, closing inside the Death Knight’s measure. Its broad shield loomed before him. This time, he did not evade.

“「Penetrating Strikes」, 「Rending Claw」!”

His attack slammed into the wall of black metal. The flat of the Death Knight’s flamberge slid over the top of its shield, sending its wicked point at Goro’s forehead.

“「Reinforce Hide」!”

The sword stopped and Goro leapt back again, examining his handiwork. Unfortunately, the result was not as telling as he had hoped. With the sundering attack that could rip steel to shreds with a single blow, only four small holes from his right claw marred the shield’s surface. How many attacks would it take to break down the Death Knight’s defence?

To his surprise, the Death Knight stepped back, glaring at him with its baleful crimson gaze. Goro narrowed his eyes. Had it grown cautious over the condition of its equipment?

He took the initiative, lunging forward to direct a barrage of attacks against his opponent’s shield. It appeared to be at a loss: blocks and parries only served to fulfil Goro’s objective of destroying its equipment. The Death Knight danced backwards on awkward steps as Goro pressed his advantage.

Something struck him in the back. He disengaged and twisted around to see what it was. A coruscating ray hit him full in the chest and he staggered. Before him floated five Elder Liches.

Oh, now they come out.

“「Maximise Magic – Ray of Enfeeblement」.”

“「Maximise Magic – Ray of Enfeeblement」.”

“「Maximise Magic – Ray of Enfeeblement」.”

Three more coruscating rays lanced out from three bony hands. He evaded two, but the third caught him in the leg.

“「Hold Species」.”

Goro hardened himself against magic, shaking off the effects of the paralysing spell. He took a step forward, but then something grabbed him by the shoulders from behind. He looked down to see the black gauntlets of the Death Knight.

“Dammit! Let me go!”

“「Maximise Magic – Ray of Enfeeblement」.”

“「Maximise Magic – Ray of Enfeeblement」.”

Unable to dodge, Goro steadily weakened under the Elder Liches’ repeated magical assaults. Eventually, his strength left him entirely and he slouched powerlessly in the Death Knight’s cold grip.

Thurgakhr ran. Shame filled her as she did so, but she ran nonetheless. She and her companions dashed over the fallen left in the wake of urmah Kisher’s advance, their claws throwing up clods of bloodied mud as they dashed up towards the valley ridge. The sounds of battle followed them from far below, echoing off of the walls of the rounded gulch.

“How will we tell them?”

“I don’t know!”

She didn’t mean to snap at the question. It was one they would eventually have to find an answer to. A set of warriors caught fleeing from battle would not be received very well. They would be branded as cowards and scorned; no one would pay their words any mind. It wouldn’t surprise her if they were attacked.

This was the reason why Goro told them to inform nar Torokgha. The other clans occupying the Human lands were not of the warrior castes and had become drunk with pride over their ‘conquest’. They thought themselves greater than they were and would not hesitate to visit judgement upon what they would see as a group of unworthy warriors.

At the same time, there was fear. All knew that there wasn’t enough food to sustain them. They feared the coming famine and they feared losing territory, making things worse for their people. They feared a future filled with uncertainty and, if they felt cornered by the news Thurgakhr and her comrades bore, they were even more likely to lash out at them.

A gust of wind whipped over them as they made the top of the ridge, driving away the odours from the chaotic melee below. Thurgakhr stopped to catch her breath, gulping down lungfuls of cold night air. A few of her fellows took long draughts from their flasks and she flopped down onto the grass to cool herself off.

“We can’t stop for long,” one of her warriors said, “we–”

“Hsst!”

Thurgakhr raised a paw. The presence of the Undead already filled her with an unsettling sensation, but that sensation started to rise in intensity. She looked back down into the valley, but, even with the moon overhead, little could be seen beyond the range of her Darkvision. It didn’t sound like urmah Kisher was facing some terrifying new foe.

“Something’s coming,” she said. “Something worse than what we fought below. We need to hide.”

As they made for the tall grass, the sensation grew oppressive. Her fur rose on end and her eyes frantically scanned the surroundings.

“We should keep going,” someone said. “We shouldn’t stick around for what–”

A figure entered the range of their Darkvision, followed by another. They were about as tall as a moderately-sized Beastman, which also made them too tall to be Humans. Yet they moved like Humans and didn’t have tails sticking out of their black armour. Considering the Undead Army below, there was no doubt that they were some unnatural evil given form.

The oppressive feeling intensified as more came into view. In the end, fourteen in total entered the valley and vanished into the darkness.

“Goro was right,” she breathed.

“Can they win?” Someone asked, “Goro is still down there, yeah?”

“I…I don’t know,” Thurgakhr replied. “Goro is a warrior of great renown, but there are so many of those new Undead. Plus the Elder Liches haven’t appeared yet…”

She didn’t want to say it. The chances of survival were likely slim.

This in itself was unthinkable. How could the Humans stand against such a threat on their borders if they couldn’t even defend themselves against the clans of the commoner castes?

“Hey, what’s that?”

Thurgakhr looked up, following the pointed claw of one of her warriors. A nar Ki'ra hunter had appeared, running in the Undead column’s wake.

“Maybe they were running from her?” Someone mused.

“Run?” Another scoffed, “The Undead do not feel fear.”

“She’s trying to warn our people,” Thurgakhr moaned in realisation. “We set lookouts, but they’re useless if what comes is faster than they are!”

The Undead were tireless and even hunters could not sprint indefinitely. Whoever was controlling the enemy army was mercilessly exploiting every weakness of the Beastman tribes.

Every weakness…

Her eyes widened. Every weakness had not been exploited yet. There were those that the Undead could pursue at their leisure.

“We’re splitting up,” Thurgakhr told her warriors. “Get to the camps. We need to get the children out of here.”

No questions were asked. The stakes were clear. They went their separate ways and Thurgakhr ran to the nearest Urmah camp. At the centre, she found a circle of tribal elders. An old female with a broken fang peered at her with dulled eyes.

“Nar Ki’ra,” she said. "What are you doing here?”

“You need to evacuate,” Thurgakhr told the circle of elders. “Everyone must flee to safety.”

“Safety?” The crone replied, “Il-Enhorshr has assured us that we would be victorious. There is no need to evacuate.”

“You idiots! Save your children, at least! Ru–”

Searing pain blossomed over her shoulders as something dashed her to the ground. She snarled and twisted, lashing out against her assailant. The Bone Vulture was knocked into a tent. Shouts of alarm sounded in the camp.

Dammit, too late again!Why are we always late?It’s as if they’re waiting for our every move…

Another Bone Vulture swooped down in the moonlight. She leapt up and batted it out of the air, pouncing onto its back.

“「Crushing Fang」!”

A loud crunch filled her senses as she crushed the Bone Vulture’s neck in her jaws. Its body continued to thrash around until she pounded it into the ground a half-dozen times. She reached out and grabbed the legs of her first attacker, which was still tangled in the tent.

“「Ability Boost」!”

With a claw gripping each leg, she ripped the Bone Vulture in half. Breath heaving, she scanned the skies for threats until she realised that the elders were still staring at her.

“Why are you just standing there?” She screamed at them, “RUN!”

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