Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 10

So many Dragons…will we be running into them everywhere beyond the Theocracy’s influence?

Ludmila and Ilyshn’ish departed the huge Beastman city by the lake, heading off to see how far the country extended to the south. After an hour of flying over misty jungle carpeting low mountains carved into countless ravines and valleys, the skies cleared and the landscape below started to turn arid. Ludmila found what she could only describe as an ocean of sand, barren plateaus and maze-like stretches of badlands. Ilyshn’ish noted that it was the domain of many Blue Dragons, so they avoided crossing over the dry mountain ranges and made their way along the Oriculon basin’s southern border.

Along the way back west, the Frost Dragon swerved around the domains of several Brass Dragons. She claimed that they were the most annoying Dragons in existence and that being caught by one was to be avoided at all costs. After that, she pointed out that the row of fiery mountain peaks further south was Red Dragon territory.

“Red Dragons are the Dragons all those Human tales use as a model, by the way,” Ilyshn’ish said.

“So they’re evil, covetous, prideful, foul-tempered and belligerent?”

“They’re also one of the largest and most powerful of Dragon species, and they breathe fire. Plus they have a taste for the flesh of young maidens. Also, while they’re usually cast as brutes in mortal legend – which isn’t wrong – they’re highly-intelligent brutes.”

“I can’t figure out how some of that ties into the rest,” Ludmila said. “Their preference for the flesh of young maidens, for instance. How in the world did they end up with that? Is it only Human maidens, or those of any race?”

“I don’t think it’s Humans in particular,” Ilyshn’ish said. “Human princesses, noblewomen, innocent virgins and what-have-you appear in the stories you’ve heard and read because Humans just like hearing about themselves. They want to ‘relate’, ‘empathise’ and otherwise vicariously live through characters featured in the narrative. It’s pretty silly if you ask me.”

“The lore of the world is so rich and varied, yet Humans tend to only be interested if it ‘matters’ to them. Singing about Kii’leeirel the Koalinth and his adventures in the Yolorek Sea drums up little to no patronage. If you turn all the characters into Humans, change the Yolorek Sea into the Yolorek Empire, add some Human-style romance and so on, suddenly it becomes worth listening to. This tendency is also one of the things that makes Humans dangerous.”

Ludmila frowned at the sudden turn.

“I’m not sure how it went from silly to dangerous.”

“It goes back to what we spoke of before. Humans divide the world into what matters, and what doesn’t. More importantly, they divide the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’. Stories from other cultures and races are not simply entertainment: they offer insight into what the world beyond one’s direct experiences is like. But Humans reject the opportunity to gain those insights because of the aforementioned tendency. It reinforces the way that Humans and Human society divide the world, amplifying biases, stereotypes and hatred. The only tidbits that tend to stick are those that can be taken as information about potential threats, which falls into what matters to Humans.”

Ilyshn’ish’s observation seemed unerringly correct. All of the lore that she had heard or read revolved around Humans and delivered things from a Human perspective. Any tales that didn’t have Humans in them at all focused on singular events that conveyed information about possible dangers.

“As for why Red Dragons have a taste for the flesh of young maidens…” Ilyshn’ish said, “efficient population control? If one eliminates nubile young females, it cripples a race’s ability to multiply.”

“So you would be seen as a particularly large and delicious food item?”

Ludmila smiled as the Frost Dragon’s wingbeats picked up and she gained altitude.

“If they’re everything that you say they are,” Ludmila said, “we may need to fight them one day.”

“What! Why? You’re as averse to fire as I am, plus you’re a young maiden yourself. You’re stuck as one, too – I’ll at least grow to a venerable age.”

“We’ll have to see what their region looks like, first. If they threaten our expanding trade network, the Sorcerous Kingdom will have to do something about it.”

“Then they should send someone immune to fire after them,” Ilyshn’ish told her. “They’re making us work like crazy as it is.”

“You’re not at all interested in their hoards?”

“Of course I am, but that doesn’t make me interested in being set on fire. Plus, they put their stuff in the most uncomfortable of places.”

A crosswind buffeted Ludmila in her saddle as they made their way closer to the Draconic Kingdom border. Ludmila’s gaze went from north to south, and she frowned at the stark difference in weather on either side.

“Can you explain this weather to me?” Ludmila asked, “This doesn’t match how it works at home at all.”

“It actually does,” Ilyshn’ish answered, “your problem is that you only have a very small part of the bigger picture. Weather systems are huge, involved things. What drives the wind in Warden’s Vale is this very same belt of desert here.”

“That was a ‘desert’?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve read and heard about them before, but I still had no concrete idea of what they were.”

“Well, now you do. Anyway, these hot, dry regions send air upward, and that sucks in the air around it, creating wind. Cyclonic currents are generated, and those currents carry moisture that delivers rain or snow, depending on the conditions of the area that the current is travelling over. In the case of the jungles between the desert to the south and the mountains to the north, they also generate their own rain that contributes to the cycle.”

Ludmila looked over her shoulder at the no-longer-visible desert. She couldn’t see anything that resembled what Ilyshn’ish had described. Not that she expected to.

“It’s weird how you somehow just know all that.”

“No, it’s not,” Ilyshn’ish scoffed. “Frost Dragons are masters of the weather. One day, I’ll be powerful enough to innately control it.”

“Don’t you already do that in your demesne?”

“Governing a domain and controlling the weather are two different things. Any Dragon can govern a domain suitably sized to their strength.”

“Since we’re on the topic, how does the presence of a Draconic domain affect the environment in general?”

“It’s more that Draconic domains enhance the already present environment. It’s not as if the desert back there formed because Blue Dragons moved in – it was already there. Similarly, the jungle we crossed didn’t need Green Dragons to grow. I suppose the best way to put it is that we are an existence that reinforces or enriches the environments specific to each species of Dragon.”

“So you ‘enriched’ your domain by making the mountain more…mountainy?”

“It’s something that takes a while,” Ilyshn’ish said. “In my case, it will eventually increase the diversity and competitiveness of life wherever my domain reaches. Elemental energies are also involved, which you’d visibly note as the abundance of ice, water and its moderating influence on the weather nearby. The Krkonoše mentioned something about abnormally hot and dry weather last year, so I naturally acted to compensate for it. Miss Gran also suggests that some…magical things might happen.”

“What you’re doing already seems magical enough.”

“Well, there’s magic, and then there’s magic. In this case, I’m referring to the primal energies of the world rather than Tier Magic. You’re doing the same thing if you didn’t notice.”

“You mean with negative energy.”

“Yes. Negative energy and positive energy are among the primal energies that govern the growth and development of our world. In draconic terms, Warden’s Vale is your ‘domain’. I can’t sense it as a draconic domain, though, so you’re obviously not a Dragon.”

“…I think I already knew that I wasn’t a Dragon. Hmm, what does that mean for the Draconic Kingdom? Queen Oriculus’ domain is tangible to you, but I have no idea what effect she has on it.”

“Well, you mentioned that she is the descendant of a Human union, so probably something along those lines. Her domain appears to be the perfect environment for Humans, so she likely has a hand in that.”

She wondered if the Queen would humour her with an explanation if she brought up the topic. The Draconic Kingdom still had many inexplicable mysteries. Queen Oriculus might not be aware of what was going on at all, but what Ludmila knew of her strongly suggested that it wasn’t the case.

“Let’s drop closer to these mountains,” Ludmila told Ilyshn’ish. “There aren’t any draconic domains here, are there?”

“There is.”

“Really? What is it this time?”

“The Black Scale Dragon Lord?”

“Oh.”

Ilyshn’ish shed altitude, dropping to under a thousand metres over the rugged mountain ranges of the Draconic Kingdom’s southern provinces. Ludmila leaned forward with interest, noting the countless trails and roads connecting the hundreds of settlements nestled in the valleys.

“There’s a lot more here than I imagined,” she said. “The people I questioned about this area made it sound like a desolate wasteland.”

“Compared to their riverlands, it is, but it’s only a degree less verdant from Warden’s Vale when I first arrived there. We’re at the tail end of their dry season, so it should be close to how your home is in early autumn. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“I wanted to see what the situation of the Humans here was like, but I barely see any activity at all.”

“It is nighttime. As for the situation, there are plenty of Beastman tribes out here. The Human settlements are built on or near sources of water, and the Beastmen have moved in.”

“What type of Beastmen are there?”

“Con and Urmah. There’s plenty of activity from the Con.”

“Do you see anything like a company on the prowl? We don’t have any information about the behaviour of their warrior tribes.”

“I’ll let you know if I see anything like a Demihuman warband. Which way am I flying?”

“Southwest. There’s a port city by the name of Foca Bay out there somewhere.”

The grey of dawn started to seep up into the eastern horizon by the time they found the southernmost city of the Draconic Kingdom. Foca Bay lay at the end of a long bay where a river joined the sea. The valley along the river was developed into agricultural land and a paved highway stretched northwest, following the river along its course. A small fleet of ships was anchored offshore, too distant for any attempts by Beastmen to sink them.

“It looks like the city is still under Human control,” Ilyshn’ish said. “Beastman camps are lining the valley a kilometre upriver.”

“Focus on the Humans for now,” Ludmila told her. “How active is the city? What’s the condition of the citizens and the defences?”

Ilyshn’ish banked into a lazy circle over Foca Bay. Ludmila could make out the general features below and even the Humans dotting the walls and streets, but it wasn’t anything close to what a Dragon’s keen senses would discern.

“It doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with the city. People are waking up and coming out to do their morning routines. The sentries on the wall are well-equipped and alert. Let’s see…there are posters all over the city offering bounties for Beastman heads. Also some notices about public health and sanitation.”

Foca Bay appeared to be holding out spectacularly well. Ludmila scanned the buildings, trying to figure out why that was.

“Do you see their Adventurer Guild?”

“It’s at the northwest corner of their central plaza. Some Adventurers were chatting outside of it.”

“Ranks?”

“Give me a moment for a better angle…all Silver and above. The highest in that bunch was Platinum. I believe they’re planning a morning raid.”

“That’s different. The Draconic Kingdom has been on the defensive everywhere else. I wonder what their secret is…”

Due to the geography of the bay, the Beastmen probably couldn’t intercept shipping effectively, which would explain the city’s decent supply situation. It didn’t answer where they were getting their supplies from or why they hadn’t sailed around to Oriculon, but she doubted that Queen Oriculus would voice any complaints.

However, if Humans were successfully resisting the Beastmen in the south, then the Royal Army’s plans would have to change accordingly. The Undead sweeping in and mysteriously only attacking the Beastmen in the chaos would be a dead giveaway as to what was really going on.

“I’ll have to report this to the Queen and see what she has to say about this,” Ludmila said. “Let’s finish up our look at the south. We’ll head to Blighthold after that.”

They followed the highway leading northwest out of the city. Ludmila silently tallied the number of Beastmen camps in the valley. The fortress at the top of the pass to the Oriculon Reach looked unoccupied, so she had Ilyshn’ish turn westward over the mountains again.

“The Humans are coming out of their hiding places,” Ilyshn’ish noted. “It looks like they’ve been using all the caves out here. Ah–a raid.”

“Where?”

Ilyshn’ish dipped lower, banking to follow one of the upper valleys. She slowed down as they passed over a small village with a mineshaft nearby. A half-dozen Con lay felled by arrows on the perimeter, yowling in pain. Several Humans moved behind the rocks and bushes a hundred metres away. Ludmila examined how the Beastmen responded to the ambush.

『The Beastmen are going to lose a mystic.』

『Huh? How do you know that?』

『Watch.』

A few moments later, some Beastmen came up to the casualties along the perimeter. One sporting the accessories of a mystic ran up to a young Con, kneeling to administer treatment. It sprouted eight arrows a moment later and collapsed atop its patient. The Beastmen accompanying the mystic tried to drag it to safety, but fell to more arrows along the way.

More Human raiders appeared, sending volleys into the village. The Con went to the buildings for cover, but not before dozens more were slain by the torrent of arrows. Panic and confusion rose as they shouted to one another, trying to make sense of what was going on.

『It seems that they don’t respond well to being ambushed.』

『That’s a general rule amongst ambush predators. We don’t like getting stalked or ambushed.』

Combined with their singular mindset, it created a deadly weakness for the Con. They were frozen where they were, trying to figure out what to do to little avail. The few who went berserk and charged the ambush lines were focused upon by the Human archers.

Assailed from all sides, the Beastmen who remained outside gradually succumbed to their attackers. Once the village lanes were cleared, the Human raiders moved in and set the buildings aflame one at a time. The Con who jumped out were subsequently slaughtered.

『Now that’s terrifying. Anyone that goes around lighting people on fire can’t be a good person.』

“Clear!” A deep voice carried across the village, “Withdrawing, now!”

The raiders ceased their frenzied bout of looting and filed out of the village. More Humans emerged from the mineshaft, carrying nondescript sacks over their shoulders.

Humans raiding a Human village to kill Beastmen and take off with their own resources…

They were well-practised at it, too. The southern provinces weren’t subjugated – they remained hotly contested.

『Should I follow them?』

Ludmila eyed the columns of smoke rising from the village.

『Stay over the village. I want to see how the Beastmen respond.』

『They’re pretty dead, if you ask me.』

『There are other tribes in the vicinity. It can’t be so one-sided or there’d be no Beastmen left.』

The predicted response came thirty minutes later. A dozen Con came running up the valley, led by a particularly large Lord. They spread out to check for survivors. A few minutes passed before they gathered around the Lord, shaking their heads.

“Find their trail,” the Lord said. “These fires just went up.”

『Those Humans are so dead.』

『I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Wait, how strong does that big one look to you?』

『Respectably strong, I guess? About entry-level Adamantite, by our Adventurer Guild standards.』

Ludmila lifted her right hand, palm-up in front of herself. She sensed that the Con Lord was weaker than her, so she assumed he was somewhere in Mithril.

『In that case, how strong do I look to you?』

『How should I know? You have that Ring of Nondetection on.』

『Sorry. How about now?』

『A bit stronger than that guy.』

She put on her ring again. When did that happen? Her work in the Empire did have its challenges, but she didn’t think she had become that strong as a result. Using a bar of steel to test her strength was apparently no longer enough. She needed new measures to track her growth. Maybe she was close enough to the Death-series servitors to notice a tangible shift whenever she levelled.

“We got it,” a voice said from below.

“Lead the way. I want these monkeys dealt with before they hit another one of our tribes.”

The Con ran off in the direction that the Human raiders had retreated. Ilyshn’ish silently glided after them.

『Is this how Dragons always see things?』

『Pretty much. I used to watch the tribes in the Azerlisian Mountains raid one another all the time.』

『Did you ever intervene in those raids?』

『Once. The target had something nice and I wanted it for myself. But when I got home, my father took it away.』

『I wonder how many Frost Dragon raids were averted by your father showing you that you wouldn’t be able to keep any valuables…』

『…that’s an interesting way to look at it. The area around the Azerlisia Mountains would be a very different place if he hadn’t done that.』

Their quarry closed with their quarry in short order, making no attempt at staying concealed. The Human raiders noticed their rapid ascent up the mountainside from half a kilometre away. Black flecks flew down at the Con pursuers as they closed the distance.

“Futile!” The Con Lord swatted an arrow out of the air, “I’m going to strangle you with your bows!”

The Human raiders transited a narrow defile. Rather than charge through after them, the Con Lord seemed to grow cautious at its entrance. The distance between the Lord and his quarry grew as he sniffed the path in front of him.

Looks like he’s been caught by the raiders’ traps before…

Ludmila called her glaive to hand and rested it over her lap. She produced a vial of Gigant Basilisk Venom and applied it to the blade. After putting the vial away, she gripped her weapon and checked the progress of the pursuit below. The Con Lord had chosen an alternate path, going around the southern face of the mountain. Ludmila snorted as he set off a trap anyway.

『Can you drop me over that Con Lord?』

『Drop you?』

『Like the Imperial Dragoons. You were watching them in The Blister, right?』

『I was, but, hmm…give me a moment to figure this out. If I go like this, then do this…alright. Dropping you.』

『Hah?』

The world turned upside down as Ilyshn’ish banked into a vertical dive. Yellow sandstone and alpine brush filled her field of view.

『Alright, we’re falling in his direction now. Let go of the saddle.』

Ludmila loosened her legs. Ilyshn’ish slowed her descent and levelled out, leaving Ludmila to plummet towards her target. She activated her hairpin, using its flight effect to correct her course toward the charging Con Lord, who had resumed his pursuit. Panicked Human cries rose as arrows bounced off of the rocks around him. The few that did find their mark bounced harmlessly off of his hide.

The Con Lord pounced with a roar. The roar was followed by a loud crack as Ludmila’s glaive pierced him squarely in the back and punched into the stone. The sound of unsettled pebbles bouncing down the slope was the only thing that accompanied her as she straightened from her kneeling posture.

Human and Con alike stared at her in shock. She produced her shortbow and loosed an arrow into the closest Beastman’s face. Two more arrows found their marks before the remaining Beastmen fled. She got two more before they disappeared around a nearby crag.

『Ilyshn’ish, can you take care of those runners?』

『Sure.』

Ludmila put a smile on her face and turned around, looking up at the Human raiders.

“Good morning,” she said.

A piercing roar echoed over the mountain, followed by shrieks of undistilled terror.

“I’d like to speak with your company’s Captain…hello?”

One of the men in front of her blinked. He looked around before calling out to a man further up the slope. He was half a head taller than she was, with a trimmed black beard and brown eyes. His weathered, but still-handsome face suggested a man of middle age, which was rare in the Draconic Kingdom.

“You’re the Captain of this company?” Ludmila asked.

“In a manner of speaking,” he said with the deep voice that had been issuing orders from before. “General Saroukhanyan.”

“The Commander of Foca Pass.”

“And you?”

Ludmila raised a hand to her breastplate in salute.

“Captain Ludmila Zahradnik, of the forces of the Sorcerous Kingdom in the Draconic Kingdom. I saw that Foca Pass was abandoned, so it was a surprise to see you alive.”

“Oh, we’re still kicking. Since you skewered this fellow here, I assume you’re on the side of the Draconic Kingdom?”

“Yes, Your Excellency,” she produced her royal writ, holding it out to General Saroukhanyan. “I was reconnoitring the southern provinces when we came across your raid. Queen Oriculus will be pleased to learn of your survival.”

She reached out and grasped her glaive, then gave it a wiggle. An anguished howl exploded from the Beastman pinned to the mountain. The General and his men leapt away in fright.

“Might I know the name of the Lord that I landed on?” Ludmila asked.

“The worms take you, bitch!”

The Con Lord shuddered as he struggled to free himself. More blood ran over the stones as he did so. Ludmila reached out and snapped a set of necklace chains wrapped around his neck.

“…Adventurer plates?” She frowned.

“The Beastmen collect them as trophies,” General Saroukhanyan told her. “They’re personal trophies, so you took down some big game.”

She picked out an Adamantite tag, flipping it around to read the inscription on the back.

“Cerebrate ‘Fierce Flash’ – Crystal Tear – Oriculon – Paladin.”

Voices of dismay fell from the men gathered around them. Ludmila searched for more Adamantite tags in the collection, but there were none.

“I never liked the man, but…is Her Majesty well?” General Saroukhanyan asked, “This Beastman offensive wasn’t like any other we’ve experienced in the past.”

“If you call being trapped under a mountain of royal duties ‘well’, then yes,” Ludmila smiled slightly. “She’s somewhere between Blighthold and Orsport holding court at the moment.”

The previously dismayed voices rose in elation. General Saroukhanyan nodded and let out a sigh of relief.

“I assume that since you’re here, something’s about to happen.”

“We’ve cleared the Draconic Kingdom up to about Rivergarden,” Ludmila said. “Her Majesty asked us to take care of the southern provinces before pushing the Beastmen out of the Oriculon Reach.”

“‘Up to about Rivergarden?’” The General frowned, “How far did those Beastmen get?”

“They made it all the way to the coast and up to the Deadmarch,” Ludmila replied. “Oriculon was breached when we arrived.”

“What the hell…where was the Theocracy? Did they fall asleep?!”

“That’s one of the more popular questions these days, Your Excellency. Anyway, I should deliver my report to Her Majesty. We’re going to need to adjust our strategy now that we know what’s going on here.”

The General’s demeanour instantly shifted. His gaze grew sharp as he crossed his arms.

“What did you have in mind coming in?”

“Waiting for the rainy season to hit and picking off the Beastmen while they were paralysed by the deluge.”

General Saroukhanyan looked up to the brightening morning skies.

“If your forces can drop down on the Beastmen just like you did, that should still work.”

“There are other considerations,” Ludmila said. “We were instructed to liberate the south because Her Majesty thought everyone here was at the mercy of the Beastmen. How many more like this fellow are there out here?”

“He’s the head of the Cougar Beastman forces in the whole of the southern provinces. There are a few more strong ones, but none like him. The Lion Beastmen have forces here, too, but the Cougars are the far greater threat in this terrain.”

“How would our intervention affect your operations?”

The General gestured to the pinned Con Lord.

“We were doing our damnedest to avoid this guy for months, so we’ll be able to act more freely now. You may have just won the war for us here.”

“Does that mean you have more companies at your disposal?”

“More than just companies. We have hundreds of thousands of men and women playing cat and mouse all over the place.”

Ludmila reached into her Infinite Haversack, producing dozens of healing potions.

“In that case, don’t do anything too risky for now. I’ll consult with Her Majesty to see how she wants to proceed with the counteroffensive.”

“How long until you can get back to us?”

“Two days, at most. Just so you know in advance, my recommendation to Her Majesty will be to advance up the Oriculon Reach. The Beastmen’s headquarters appears to be at Corrin-on-the-Lake, so they may shift forces away from the southern provinces once we make our push.”

“That would be nice,” the General nodded. “Let Her Majesty know that I tentatively agree with that notion. I can’t imagine what the people under the Beastman occupation are going through right now. Thank you for your timely assistance, Captain Zahradnik.”

General Saroukhanyan turned his attention back to his company. Ludmila turned hers to the still-squirming Beastman Lord on the rocks. She emptied a healing potion onto him, watching his grievous wound attempt to close around her glaive. Her hand went out and gave it another wiggle, and the Beastman howled in anguish again.

“Now,” she said, “whatever shall I do with you?”

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