Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 5

“That’s a joke, right?” Chimali said, “Tell me you’re joking.”

“I’m joking,” Ilyshn’ish replied.

Chimali glanced at Pebble and Pinecone, who had already each loaded a bullet into their slings.

“Then why does it look like they’re preparing for a fight?” Chimali asked.

“Because there’s a Green Dragon flying this way,” Ilyshn’ish answered.

“But you said that you were joking!”

“You told me to tell you that,” Ilyshn’ish said.

What did he want? At first, it sounded like he wanted to hear a comforting lie. Now, he was accusing her of lying.

While Chimali and his associates continued to panic, the silhouette of the incoming Green Dragon grew large enough for even the Merchants to spot. The captain roared out orders to his crew, most of which sounded practically useless.

“W-Winter Moon,” Chimali grabbed her arm and shook her desperately, “what do we do?!”

Panic escalated into terror as a wave of Dragonfear washed over the crew. Several Beastmen jumped into the river while the rest remained paralysed, waiting for death to take them.

“Well, first,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “The Dragon flies in.”

“A-And then?”

“And then it dies.”

A loud crack snapped through the air, followed a second later by an ear-splitting shriek as Pinecone’s bullet shattered the Green Dragon’s wing at the shoulder. Their would-be attacker’s menacing dive turned into an uncontrolled plummet, creating a column of water as she hit the river several dozen metres ahead of them. Roars sounded from the distant shores as the Beastmen in the trees cheered their victory.

“Mind the water hazard, captain,” Ilyshn’ish called out.

“Um, right.”

Their barge ponderously manoeuvred around the grounded – watered? – Green Dragon as she floated toward them. She still looked thoroughly confused about what had happened to her when Ilyshn’ish gave her head a whack and stuffed her corpse into an Infinite Haversack.

“Tell me there aren’t any more of those things flying around,” Chimali said.

“Are you asking for another comforting lie,” Ilyshn’ish asked, “or would you like to know the truth?”

Chimali blinked up at her for several seconds.

“The…the truth, please.”

“There are plenty more lurking about,” Ilyshn’ish wrinkled her nose at the telltale odour of aqua regia drifting on the wind. “A few dozen, perhaps? I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary aside from Green Dragons…well, no, that’s wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Green Dragons are native to jungles,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “It’s the lack of them in Rol’en’gorek that’s out of the ordinary. You could say that something like this was inevitable.”

“I don’t understand how you can claim that,” Chimali said.

“It’s not exactly a difficult concept to grasp,” Ilyshn’ish told him. “Dragons are Heteromorphs that grow stronger with age. The Jorgulan Commonwealth is ruled by Green Dragons. All they have to do is breed and grow and they’ll eventually overwhelm Rol’en’gorek.”

It was about as common sense as one could get. Rol’en’gorek had two options: conquer the Jorgulan Commonwealth in a bid to exterminate the Green Dragons or lose to them after a few centuries. It appeared that their time was nearly up.

“The way you explain it makes Dragons sound like flying scaled rats,” Chimali said.

“Accurate,” Vltava bleated.

Unable to say anything as she was, Ilyshn’ish could only silently glower at Vltava.

“Do we continue on our course?” The captain asked.

“We can’t fail this job,” Chimali answered. “At least we know we can defeat any Dragons that come after us.”

“Not necessarily,” Ilyshn’ish said. “The Green that attacked us just now was a Juvenile.”

“That was a Juvenile? How big do they get? What are the chances that a more powerful Dragon will show up?

“That depends on what sort of game they’re playing.”

“Game?”

Chimali looked like he was about to accuse her of lying or something again, so she begrudgingly elaborated on her answer.

“Green Dragons fancy themselves expert schemers and masters of intrigue,” Ilyshn’ish told him. “And, to be honest, they are about as good as one can get at that sort of thing. Much like how Beastman parents might encourage their children to sharpen their hunting skills, Green Dragons encourage their young to plot and scheme against everyone around them, including others of their kind.”

“But what does attacking our ship have to do with that?” Chimali asked.

“The Green Dragon that attacked us was likely one that was pushed out of the nest, so to speak,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “The first thing they’ll do is scout out territories to lair in. Once they settle on a new home, they then begin asserting their dominance over the area and pick out suitable tribes to serve as their minions.”

“I still don’t get what that has to do with this ‘game’,” Chimali said.

“They play the game as rulers might. Most of the time, the tribes do their bidding, expanding the influence and wealth of their overlords and fighting endless proxy wars with the minions of other Green Dragons nearby. Green Dragons themselves won’t personally participate in such conflicts unless they’re reasonably certain that victory is assured or their influence is so pitiful that they have to do everything themselves.”

“Which one was that attack on us?”

“Probably the latter. Most societies portray Dragons as nigh-invincible monsters, but most aren’t anything of the sort. Young ones are closer to strong Magical Beasts in power.”

Everyone remained silent in the wake of her words, seemingly digesting the information that she had shared with them. Once the last of the ship’s crew was fished out of the water, they resumed their journey upriver. The next few hours showed no signs of imminent attack, though the behaviour of the local shipping was telling.

“Everyone’s sticking close to the riverbank,” Chimali noted. “They must have hunters hidden in the trees to fend off attackers.”

“I noticed a few patrols,” Ilyshn’ish said, “but it’s deterrent enough.”

“Should we follow their example?” The ship’s captain asked, “It’ll be slower going, but much safer according to what you’ve said.”

“That would undermine the precedent we’ve just established,” Ilyshn’ish replied.

The captain exchanged a confused look with several members of his crew.

“Precedent? What precedent?”

“I think I understand what Winter Moon is saying,” Chimali said. “We just made a decisive show of force. Scurrying to safety will cast our strength in doubt…but is it worth the risk?”

“There’s hardly any risk,” Ilyshn’ish scoffed. “If anything, the ships hugging the shore would be attacked first. Unless a far more powerful Green lurks between here and Ki’ra, we’ll remain unmolested for the remainder of our journey.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

“It’s just how Greens are. I mentioned that they were very good at plotting and scheming, but that also means that they’re very good at thinking themselves into pointless circles. The ships travelling along the shore are safe because the Green Dragons imagine risks nearby that may or may not exist. We appeared vulnerable since we were sailing far out of range of potential shore support, but all of the Greens that watched their sibling or whoever get turned into crafting materials understand that we’re an overwhelming threat. Our ship is now something that they’ll ignore as potential prey, and anyone having second thoughts may take weeks to make up their minds about attacking us.”

“…that seems stupidly convoluted,” the captain said.

“Someone once told me that thinking makes you dumb,” Ilyshn’ish said, “and that’s evidently the case here.”

As Ilyshn’ish had predicted, they reached the long lake below Ki’ra without a peep from the Green Dragons patrolling the skies overhead. Even the bravest of them wouldn’t come within a kilometre of the ship. Several river barges called out to them to get to safety, but they were pointedly ignored.

“The shores are teeming with Merchant traffic,” Chimali said. “It doesn’t look like they’re fighting a war at all.”

“The Jorgulan Frontier is still hundreds of kilometres from here,” the captain said. “I know we’ve been invaded and all, but the invasion can’t have gotten so far in so short a time.”

“Someone tell the Dragons that,” Chimali muttered.

Much like the rest of the Oriculon’s course, the floodwaters had reached into the surrounding jungles. The way through the trees was mostly unnavigable for Merchant vessels, so they anchored themselves offshore while dugouts came to bear their cargo away. For the most part, the people seemed to be making do.

“The degree of organisation here is far greater than what we’ve observed on the rest of our journey,” Ilyshn’ish said.

“That’s nar Ki’ra for ya,” the captain said. “Their seat on the High Council isn’t just for show.”

“But cracks are still showing,” Chimali said. “Things may look like this, but trade is barely being pulled eastward. That should mean they don’t have the resources to import goods for the war effort.”

Ilyshn’ish swivelled her ears from ship to ship, focusing her hearing in an effort to catch any useful conversations. If there were any problems, however, they weren’t being discussed.

“If there are so many Dragons around,” Chimali said as they rounded the bend of the lake, “why don’t they attack us all at once?”

“Blue Dragons would do exactly that,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “But Greens are so wrapped up in their scheming that they don’t even trust their own siblings. Any suggestion of cooperation would be immediately seen as suspicious – as would any agreement to cooperate.”

“How do they sleep at night if they’re like this all the time?”

“By establishing vast information networks and highly defensive lairs. Dozens of them. Even if you wanted to catch one while they’re sleeping, your chances are slim.”

“If they don’t want to risk themselves, they could still send the tribes under them to fight…”

“I believe that’s what’s happening here,” Ilyshn’ish said. “Except it’s not in the way that your people are accustomed to. Everything that their minions will do serves the purposes of their masters.”

“You mean to say that it’s all part of this ‘game’ you speak of…”

“Precisely.”

“I wonder if the warrior clans use this to their advantage.”

“I know a certain warrior lord who would have the time of her life in a situation like this,” Ilyshn’ish said.

“Really? Do you think you could convince her to help us?”

“I’d have to go all the way back to my territory to ask, or at least close to it.”

“Oh.”

Chimali’s momentary excitement faded away, but then it came back again.

“Surely she’d be interested in a mutually beneficial relationship with Rol’en’gorek? I know that we seem like primitives to the outside world, but Master Leeds said that we have much to offer in the way of natural resources. Il-Enxoc would be more than happy to establish a relationship–”

“I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while now,” Ilyshn’ish said, “but are you authorised to speak on il-Enxoc’s behalf like this? I understand that you have your propensities as a Merchant, but shouldn’t you be consulting with your lord before trying to forge any international ties for Rol’en’gorek? Even the nicest of the lords that I know of would skin anyone who tried doing what you’re doing.”

“I-Is that so?” Chimali looked away from her, “Master Leeds says that opportunities are best seized when fresh and I don’t think he’s wrong.”

“I hope these warrior clans of yours don’t think the same way. They’ll be falling into every little trap that these Green Dragons set for them.”

While Ilyshn’ish believed that her mistress would consider the conflict with the Jorgulans entertaining, she also knew that she wouldn’t just abandon her duties to play around with some jungle tribes. Considering that the Sorcerous Kingdom had just finished slaughtering upwards of a million Beastmen, Ilyshn’ish wasn’t optimistic about Rol’en’gorek’s prospects when it came to enlisting its help.

It wasn’t long until they cleared the bend in the middle of the twenty-kilometre-long lake, revealing the city of Ki’ra at its eastern end. The city was structured similarly to those that they had seen along the way, though its position – which was carved into a narrow peak by the confluence of two major rivers – lent the clanhold an especially stark vertical relief. While it would have been a pain for Beastmen to get from place to place in the city for everyday tasks, the decision to make a highly defensible settlement had paid off when it came to mitigating the impact of flooding.

Unlike the cities that had come before it, only the harbour on the lowest tier of the city was submerged. Everything else stood high and dry. Their ship was directed to a berth along a temporary pier by one of the harbour officials, who came up to them with a leather scroll in hand.

“I will speak to the master of this vessel,” she declared in rolling basso.

Chimali and the captain exchanged a glance. The Ocelo Merchant stepped onto the pier to stand in front of the Nar official.

“This vessel is the property of ocelo Pa’chan,” he said. “My name is Chimali, the Merchant overseeing its cargo. What can I do for you?”

The official didn’t immediately respond, her gaze travelling up the length of the vessel. It paused at each member of ocelo Pa’chan’s warrior escort before settling on Ilyshn’ish and her companions.

“Who are they?” She asked.

“Guests from the world beyond,” Chimali answered. “I believe they come from a place far to the northwest of here. They’ve been in Rol’en’gorek for months now, travelling from west to east.”

“And your cargo?”

“I was charged to deliver this directly to nar Ki’ra,” Chimali replied. “We appreciate your clan’s regard for our circumstances in Ghrkhor’storof’hekheralhr, but we still mean to contribute what we can.”

“Speak plainly, Merchant,” the official growled.

No beating around the bush here, I suppose.

It was a strategy that would be considered unacceptably rude in civilised circles, but one had no choice but to fall in line here. Chimali’s conversational tactics would be severely restricted in Ki’ra, limiting his negotiation capabilities in an already unfamiliar battlefield.

“Artisans under ocelo Pa’chan have been commissioned to produce equipment,” Chimali said. “Our lord, il-Enxoc ocelo Pa’chan, has decreed that this equipment is to be delivered to nar Ki’ra to gird its newly-proven warriors.”

The official loomed over Chimali, looking like she might devour him at any moment. After one last glance at the barge behind him, she turned and gestured to the sentries nearby.

“Get this cargo offloaded and secured,” she said. “Double the harbour watch. You, you, you and you: this way.”

Each ‘you’ was accompanied by a gesture of the official’s claw, indicating Chimali, Ilyshn’ish, Vltava, Pinecone, and Pebble. Everyone else appeared to be nonexistent as far as the Nar was concerned.

Following Chimali’s lead, Ilyshn’ish silently followed the official. They were led up through the levels of the city, eventually arriving at the clanhold occupying the forested plateau at the top of the mountain. Nar hunters were stationed around the perimeter at regular intervals and she spotted just as many lurking in the giant branches overhead. Going by the defenders’ average strength, Green Dragons like the Juvenile that had attacked them in the morning had no chance of penetrating nar Ki’ra’s defences. Even the survival of a regular Adult was in doubt.

Even the way this place is constructed is a counter to Green Dragons.

She sensed the currents of air as they flowed through the area. When faced with a highly defended position, a Green Dragon would simply unleash its breath weapon overhead, allowing it to settle on the victims below. However, there wasn’t a single place where the poison gas could pool long enough to choke out the clanhold’s inhabitants.

“Wait here,” the official said.

Ilyshn’ish looked up at the weathered stone gate marking the entrance to the clanhold’s central complex. So far, everything she had seen in the clanhold was relatively new. The structure before her was out of place compared to the other buildings of the city and the clanhold, but it didn’t have the same feel as the ruins of ocelo Pa’chan. Maybe it was a last-ditch effort by the survivors in the region to salvage the memory of what existed before the Demon Gods. A futile imitation that ultimately did nothing to hold back the darkness that engulfed Rol’en’gorek in the aftermath of its destruction.

The official returned several minutes later in the company of a much more powerful individual, though he was still a regular warrior by appearance. He almost addressed Ilyshn’ish first before visibly checking himself and looking down at Chimali.

“Vogroth nar Ki’ra will receive you in the main hall,” he told them.

Chimali brightened upon hearing the newcomer’s words. If Ilyshn’ish recalled correctly – and there was no doubt that she did – Vogroth nar Ki’ra was the person in charge of the convoy that had come to pick up reinforcements in Ghrkhor’storof’hekheralhr over two months previous.

The fellow in question awaited them in the aforementioned hall, seated behind a long stone table piled high with what passed for records in Rol’en’gorek. The locals didn’t have a formal writing system, but they did keep track of things in various ways. Unfortunately, the materials that they used didn’t last very long in the jungle, so even the most well-kept of those records were eaten by vermin or rotted away within a few years.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Vogroth said once they stood in a row before him, “you four were part of the group accompanying Enxoc ocelo Pa’chan when I spoke with her in Ghrkhor’storof’hekheralhr.”

I guess some of them do take note of non-warriors.

“The harbour authority mentioned that she goes by il-Enxoc ocelo Pa’chan now, Vogroth,” their escort said.

“Well, at least someone is doing well for themselves,” Vogroth rose to his feet. “Would you care to explain this development…Chimali, was it?”

For once, Chimali was at a loss for words. He was standing before a member of the ruling clans and the idea that one could arbitrarily jump ranks as Xoc had was a ridiculous notion whether one was in Baharuth, Rol’en’gorek, or anywhere else with a formalised hierarchy for its ruling class.

“It was necessary,” Ilyshn’ish said.

“Hoh…the outsider speaks,” Vogroth’s emerald gaze shifted to Ilyshn’ish. “Necessary according to whom?”

“Necessary according to the realities of the situation,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “Il-Enxoc’s influence has already grown far beyond that of a minor lord. Not only have Ghrkhor’storof’hekheralhr and its surrounding territories fallen under her direct rule, but the nearby cities also look to her for leadership. It’s true that your confederation’s High Council hasn’t officially recognised her, but that hardly matters at this juncture. She is rallying the central territories and preparing them for the long war that has only just started, which serves to increase Rol’en’gorek’s chance of survival.”

“I can’t say that there’s anything wrong with your reasoning,” Vogroth said, “but your lord will still have to deal with the High Council’s reaction to her unorthodox…manoeuvring.”

“She isn’t my lord, but does that mean you personally approve of what she’s doing?”

Vogroth let out a snort before retaking his seat.

“I am not my father,” he said, “thus I have no right to speak for the High Council. Do not take any of my words or actions as an indication of such. Now, let’s get down to the business at hand, shall we?”

It took a moment for Chimali to realise that everyone was waiting for him to speak.

“Ah, erm…by our lord’s command, ocelo Pa’chan has organised a contribution to the ongoing war efforts in the east. The vessel we arrived in also brought with it a shipment of one thousand sets of leather armour. With them, our lord trusts that you will use them to help preserve the lives of the warriors who have recently proven themselves in our struggle against the Jorgulan Commonwealth.”

“Recently, you say…does that mean that these shipments will continue?”

“Not only will they continue,” Chimali replied, “but they will also increase in volume. Our lord intends to harness as much of Rol’en’gorek’s industrial capacity as possible and direct it towards supporting the war effort. Of course, ocelo Pa’chan will send reinforcements from our own ranks once they’re combat-ready.”

“I see,” Vogroth’s claws tapped rhythmically against the table. “Is there any particular reason that ocelo Pa’chan chose to deliver this shipment to Ki’ra instead of one of the cities closer to the front lines?”

“Several,” Chimali replied. “Nar Ki’ra is already aware of our existence, which helps us avoid any of the complications that we might experience with the other clans. Also, practically speaking, ocelo Pa’chan has no idea where the front line is. As a Merchant, it already feels outrageous enough that we were attacked by a Dragon not a day away from your city. As the individual responsible for delivering this important cargo, I wouldn’t dare risk carrying it any further.”

A low growl rose from behind the table. Chimali fell back a step.

“What happened to this Dragon that attacked you?” Vogroth asked, “Where did it fly off to? There were no reports of damage to your ship.”

“Rather than flying anywhere,” Chimali answered, “it fell into the river. Our defenders were able to put it down before it could reach us.”

“Do you have any proof of your claim?”

Chimali looked up at Ilyshn’ish. Ilyshn’ish looked around the hall.

“We never got a chance to dress our kill,” she said. “Is there a convenient place where we may do this?”

Vogroth glanced over her with a puzzled look, but eventually rose again to lead them back out into the courtyard. The residents nearby jumped in unison when Ilyshn’ish produced the serpentine corpse of the Juvenile Green Dragon and tossed it on the ground. A small crowd gathered to watch as Pinecone and Pebble moved to dress their kill, chatting excitedly among themselves.

“How many other Dragons were in the vicinity when you attacked?” Vogroth asked.

“A few dozen,” Ilyshn’ish answered, “but they were content to see whether the attack would be successful or not.”

“Good,” Vogroth said. “Once in a while, one of these things will decide that an apparent opportunity is worth the risk. This should give the rest something to think about for the next week or so.”

“Do you mean to say that attacks such as the one we experienced are already routine?”

“They have fallen into a somewhat predictable pattern, yes,” Vogroth replied. “The younger Dragons have little recourse but to involve themselves personally in the conflict to gain prestige in the eyes of their peers. Fighting on the front lines would be suicide for them, so they’ve infiltrated the skies safely past the war zone.”

“So you understand the nature of Greens.”

The Nar scion chuckled.

“We’ve been fighting them for centuries, so I like to think that we’ve at least gained some understanding of our enemies.”

“Then what about the changes to security once your official learned of our cargo?”

“Many of the Commonwealth’s races are aquatic or semi-aquatic,” Vogroth replied. “The lord of this lake won’t tolerate any Dragons dwelling in his domain, but he cares little about the camps of Jorgulan raiders that have moved in. Anything of value left unattended on the water tends to fall victim to their raids.”

“It seems that you have the situation well in hand,” Ilyshn’ish said.

“This is nothing compared to what’s happening further east. So long as the measures we’ve enacted are observed, things are not so different from before the invasion.”

“I believe that Chimali should be informed of these measures,” Ilyshn’ish gestured to the ocelo Merchant. “He’ll be responsible for relaying them to those managing the logistics between ocelo Pa’chan and nar Ki’ra, after all.”

Beside her, Chimali bowed slightly.

“It’s reassuring to know that you’ve already secured a route to Ki’ra,” he said. “I will ensure that our Merchants will comply with your protocols.”

“Indeed,” Vogroth raised his voice by several notches. “We have much to discuss. Too much to discuss just standing here. I will have my people prepare a suitable meal: tonight, we will hold a feast to welcome the rise of a reliable new ally!”