Valkyrie's Shadow

Stone and Blood: Act 2, Chapter 6

Stone and Blood: Act 2, Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“Lady Albedo has replied to your correspondence.”

Florine eased her Soul Eater to a halt. She looked over her shoulder to stare into the night. The Dark Dwarves had long parted ways with her, and she was already on her way back to the local administration’s ‘central office’.

“What did she say?” Florine asked.

In response, Isoroku held out a sheet of parchment. In contrast to Lady Shalltear’s elegant, flowing cursive, Lady Albedo’s handwriting was concise and economical. Florine’s eyes scanned the page, wondering whether the timing was good or bad.

Investigate their industrial and economic potential, but prioritise your work in the Administrative Area. Immediately report any significant military risks.

“Did our army liaison note any significant military risks?” Florine asked.

“Define ‘significant’,” Isoroku answered.

“Hmm…enough to hamper domestic activities?”

“Unknown. Reports from the liaison often include caveats noting tribal tendencies to conduct asymmetrical warfare. Incorporating the Miq into the Area’s patrols will potentially mitigate the effect of the types of strategies that the region’s tribal populations tend to employ, but it is thus far speculation. We lack the data to arrive at any decisive conclusions.”

“…are you saying that potential risks are present?”

“Potentially.”

The tentatively-structured response would have been unthinkable for any of the Elder Liches a year ago. Over that time, the administration was made to realise that the world didn’t work in the neat and tidy way that they believed it should. While some people desired unwavering confidence from those they considered experts, Florine thought the shift in Isoroku’s attitude was a positive thing.

“How about the Dark Dwarves?” Florine asked, “Were they strong enough to cause trouble?”

“Any conjectures made concerning the individuals in question come with a low degree of confidence,” Isoroku said. “Based on their interaction with you, our initial assessment is that their level of development falls under ‘Type A Human’.”

“Does that mean the Abelion Wilderness follows Type A Tribal?”

“No. Observations thus far indicate that eighty per cent of the population may be categorised under Type A Tribal, while the remainder fit under Type B Tribal.”

“That should explain much of what’s presented in the materials…”

“Indeed.”

Over the winter, the Sorcerous Kingdom’s analysis of the nearby region had grown exhaustive enough for them to begin categorising the different societies that lay within it. Of course, the categories were as much threat assessments as they were measures of a civilisation’s progress.

‘Type A Human’ was what the Humans of the region considered ‘normal’. It was a civilisation where all but the chosen few lived mundane lives in nearly every sense of the word. Job Classes saw minimal development; Skills and Abilities were wrapped up in superstition and tradition. Institutions were considered rudimentary and the result of mundane practical realities.

Re-Estize, Baharuth and Roble were all considered countries that followed Type A Human. The Empire would have probably protested being lumped into the same category as their long-time rival had they known about it, but, to the Sorcerous Kingdom, there was little difference between them. What the Empire considered its leading-edge institutions were all exclusive and the common citizen of the Empire was essentially the same as the common citizen of Re-Estize, making their industrial and economic base fundamentally the same.

The Draconic Kingdom was one of the two countries thus far that fell into the Type B Human category. Due to their situation, they didn’t have significant martial or magical development, but the institutions of their country incorporated the entirety of its citizenry. Those institutions incorporated methods that displayed a strong – if indirect – understanding of the Job Class system and how to ‘game’ it, which was evident in the way that they were able to power through their recovery.

The other ‘country’ that fell into Type B Human was that of the Wyvern Rider Tribes and they had gone in an entirely different direction with it. The Kingdom of the Azerlisian Mountain Dwarves was also a candidate, though it was yet to be seen how much they could reclaim of their former glory.

There was also a Type C Human, but it hadn’t been applied to any country. The only place that sported the label was Warden’s Vale and Liane continued to assert that Ludmila was a cheater. Florine wouldn’t call it cheating, but she knew where her friend was coming from. There were still less than two thousand citizens in Warden’s Vale, they were buried in resources, and their liege was keenly aware of the relation between culture, institutions, and Job Class development. The weirdly on-the-mark dogma of the Faith of the Six also gave her people an undeniable edge.

Meanwhile, everyone else had their hands full incorporating the Sorcerous Kingdom’s new systems, had tens of thousands of people packed into their limited land, and were still a long way from shedding the ‘baggage’ that the people had brought with them from Re-Estize’s common culture.

The Demihuman tribes of the region had a different set of categorisations, and, though they used the same, rough nomenclature as the Human societal categories, each was something of a diagonal step to the side. This was owing to the fact that Demihumans could get by purely through being Demihumans, while Humans built societies of specialists from the outset.

Type A Tribal could be found all along the fringes of Re-Estize and Baharuth. As such, they were the Demihumans that ‘everyone’ tended to think of: primitive, disorganised, and the staple diet of the common Adventurer. Due to their lack of sophistication, they were considered brutes by their Human neighbours, though Florine found their simplicity a pleasant thing when she was dealing with them.

Type B Tribal was not quite analogous to Type A Human. Demihuman societies of this type formed rudimentary polities, though they could be quite expansive. Their mystic traditions became formalised as nascent institutions and caste structures appeared as they discovered Job Class specialisations. The influence of trade also grew and they became more connected with their neighbours – often by way of violent relationships.

The Frost Giants of the Azerlisia Mountains were the first society of this type that the Sorcerous Kingdom encountered, though, considering where they had come from, the Goblin Army that invaded the Upper Reaches was probably the actual first. Ludmila asserted that the Gnolls of The Blister were also a part of the category, but they had been wiped out by the Empire. The Beastmen of Rol’en’gorek were the most recent group that they had encountered and the numbers they could muster against their enemies beggared belief.

Now that she was working in the Abelion Wilderness, however, Florine’s concerns didn’t revolve around any form of warfare, but around the practical realities that gave rise to the various Type A and B tribal societies that could be found in the Abelion Wilderness. The notion that so many different peoples fit into these broad categorisations – or, rather, the fact that the categorisations were the result of studying so many different societies – lent to the notion that there were commonalities that put them all on the same general path.

Her task was to identify those commonalities and how they interacted with one another to act as foundational and transformative elements of society. Through that understanding, she needed to create protocols that the denizens of the Abelion Wilderness could all adopt. The product of the protocols was otherwise known as culture, and the different cultures that resulted from their implementation needed to be conducive to achieving the policy goals of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

It was the same thing that Ludmila was doing in her demesne, but Florine had to do it on a country-sized scale. How many decades would it take?

No, it’s something that has to be managed indefinitely.

The world changed, so culture had to change along with it. For the time being, she needed to come up with some basic ideas and see how they worked out. Lady Albedo may have not given her a deadline for the ‘project’, but it didn’t mean that no results were expected along the way.

Florine’s lips turned down at the thought of the Prime Minister. Her assignment was characteristic of the way that Lady Albedo operated. As with most of the Sorcerer King’s inner circle, Class Levels factored heavily into her perception, judgement, and decision-making. Their faith in that system was no less certain than that of a common Farmer’s faith that the sun would come up every morning.

In her governance of the Sorcerous Kingdom, Lady Albedo applied the system to every aspect of the realm. Unlike many an authority figure who might get it into their heads that they could improve upon things by sticking their noses into the business of those working for them, the Prime Minister was confident that every individual would act according to their role, which was defined by their Job Classes. She assigned the individuals of her choosing to a variety of tasks, using them to generate data and innovate new processes that she could evaluate and implement in other areas.

The fly in the ointment when it came to this approach was that the vast majority of individuals in the region were only harnessing a fraction of what their Job Classes made them capable of. Furthermore, Lady Albedo speculated that over ninety-nine per cent of the population was no higher than Level Five.

This put the Royal Court of the Sorcerous Kingdom in the surprisingly normal situation of being starved for talent. As they were wary of spreading the knowledge of Job Class levels, their pool of capable agents consisted of those already considered the greatest experts in their fields and those with a working knowledge of the Job Class system. The former were extraordinarily rare and courted by every nation that knew of them. The latter were rarer still, consisting of those who were made aware of the system in the early days of the Sorcerous Kingdom and the chosen few who were allowed to gain that knowledge after it was suppressed for security reasons.

Florine was a member of the latter, and her selection for the work in the Abelion Wilderness was predicated on her role as a Noble and the idea that Nobles possessed a certain set of capabilities. Many of those things had been formalised by the aristocratic establishment and how it educated its scions. Leadership, territorial management, economic acumen, legal expertise, diplomacy, accounting, language skills, and an appreciation for the arts were all part of being a Noble, though some Nobles cared more for some things than others – or didn’t care for them at all, in a few cases.

She had been able to extend those things to the management of Demihumans to a rudimentary degree, yet that rudimentary degree was still far in advance of the other members of the civilian aristocracy. Additionally, she was a Baroness with a small, highly developed territory, and that gave her a lot of free time. A part of her suspected that the reason why she hadn’t been granted more land and promoted was so that the Royal Court could keep her busy with tasks outside of her territory.

Boobeebee looked like she was practising outside when Florine and her escort returned to the administrative office. They watched her strange, undulating movements for a time before she stopped and turned to bob her head towards Florine.

“Welcome back,” the Zern hero said. “Did anything interesting happen?”

“It depends on what one considers interesting,” Florine dismounted from her Soul Eater. “If I recall correctly, the Zern aren’t much for trade, are they?”

“The Zern have no need for it,” Boobeebee replied. “Other races appear to have an appreciation for trade, however.”

“There are many benefits to trade beyond the exchange of goods and services,” Florine said. “For instance, it is a major source of news, information, and ideas in most places. One can gain much from what others have to share.”

“Is that not what Travellers are for?” Boobeebee asked.

“…do the Zern have Travellers?”

“Not that I know of. We Zern do not stray far from our homes unless necessary. Usually, it is to wage war – preemptively curbing a developing threat. Travellers are known amongst the other races, however.”

She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to know how the Zern knew about that, but the notion that the tribes of the Abelion Hills had Travellers presented an interesting avenue to explore. It was a pseudo-institution that many tribal societies recognised and one that she could potentially exploit to expedite the exchange of ideas in the Special Administrative Area.

“In that case,” Florine said, “where do you see your people in the future? Do you plan on staying in the Thousand Sinkholes forever, isolated from the world?”

“It would be nice if it were possible,” Boobeebee said. “I have mostly lived that way for the last hundred fifty years.”

“You’re a hundred fifty years old?”

“I am,” Boobeebee twisted her long head slightly. “If the peace that your Sorcerer King promises holds, then it is likely that I will live for far longer.”

“How long do the Zern live for?” Florine asked.

“That is unknown,” the Zern hero answered. “The oldest was our former King. He lived for many centuries before being killed by Jaldabaoth. Though we can be long-lived, the continual need to defend our territory sees most dead before a century has passed. Even a hero such as myself would eventually meet their end at the hands of another hero or some other powerful being. That is simply the way of things.”

The Zern dossier listed them as an insectoid Demihuman species, but Demihumans usually didn’t live for long. Frost Giants were the longest-lived that she knew of.

Florine returned to the main pavilion, taking a seat at her desk to record the information that she had gained from the Dark Dwarf Merchants. Isoroku’s assessment of the Dark Dwarves as a Type A Human civilisation was supported by the fact that she had commanded her negotiations with them from start to finish. They were all over a century old, but age only meant one had the time to accrue Job Class Levels – it was not a guarantee and their time dealing with the relatively primitive Demihuman tribes of the Abelion Wilderness meant that their development as Merchants was slow compared to those who operated in a more competitive environment.

That being said, there were a few things that were too difficult to coax out of them. The location of their home was one of them, as was any information that might make their home vulnerable. Possibly the most interesting tidbit was that Falagrim, the caravan master, was actually an exiled Prince.

“This is going to affect my writing, isn’t it?” Florine sighed.

“Apologies, Lady Gagnier,” the Vampire Bride said. “This one does not understand your question.”

“I was just talking to myself.”

She had planned on adding an exotic exiled prince as a character in Dreams of Red. He was supposed to be a darkly handsome fellow that tickled the fancy of those who might want to nurse his emotional wounds and bring joy back into his life. Now, she could only think of Lord Grumpy of the Grump Dwarves. Exile might be an embittering experience, but there was no point in letting it dominate one’s outlook and personality.

Their grumpiness aside, Dark Dwarves were distinctly different from their Mountain Dwarf relatives. While they had full beards, they had no hair on their heads. Their skin tone ranged from ashen grey to a bluish-black. They had a small pantheon of gods and work appeared to be the only thing that they valued.

The last point might have explained their fixation on trading in slaves and a part of their refusal to consider Undead labour. Employing the Undead might be considered ‘cheating’ in a sense, adding another layer of aversion to the usual reasons the living abhorred the Undead.

Florine spent the next hour recording the information and reviewing it before submitting her report. The adamant refusal to accept the Sorcerous Kingdom’s initial overtures was a default expectation at this point, so the news of their refusal would be seen as business as usual.

What next…

“How are the Miq accompanying the convoys doing?” Florine asked.

“The consensus amongst the servitors is ‘noisy’,” Isoroku answered.

“Is that a problem?”

“Assuming that they are functioning as intended, no.”

“Have the tribes asked any questions about them?”

“No.”

“Have there been any developments at all while I was away?”

“No.”

She rose from her desk, walking over to look at the map on the central table. Her next excursion would take her northwest along the Abelion River, visiting the few tribes that they had passed on the way to the Orcs. Florine had no idea what the Dark Dwarves were going to do, but she would be close enough that she could return within an hour should her presence be required.

“In that case,” Florine said, “let’s get ready for our next trip.”

Before dawn the next morning, they accompanied another convoy up the river. Florine reviewed the information she had with the upcoming tribe.

Y’y’yioy? How do you even pronounce that?

The dossier said that they were a race of Xerini Beastmen. Florine wondered how closely they resembled the ground squirrels that could be found all over Re-Estize and Baharuth. Like all Beastmen, they were obligate carnivores and historically waged war with all of the tribes around them. She couldn’t quite imagine a tribe of ground squirrels doing that.

As she had with the Miq, Florine stayed behind with the shipment of Beastman corpses left on the riverbank. She sent Isoroku, Boobeebee, and the infantry squad away, leaving herself, the Vampire Bride and Liolio, who seemed to have made himself at home on her hat. The minutes passed with nothing but the sound of the wind and the river accompanying them.

“Pip!”

Florine scanned the brush along the riverbank, but she didn’t notice anything.

“Pip!”

“What do you see, Liolio?”

“Sixty sets of hungry eyes, staring from the leaves, pip!”

At least he was using his ‘wary’ call. She wasn’t sure how many attackers the Vampire Bride and her Shadow Demon could handle at once, but sixty seemed like a bit much.

A few minutes later, however, Liolio’s calls escalated by one degree.

“Many more come,” the Miq said.

She still couldn’t see any of them.

“Did we do something?” Florine said, “We’re just standing here, aren’t we?”

Liolio’s calls deescalated as Boobeebee came from across the river to join them.

“This is dangerous,” she said. “The Y’y’yioy are the type to grow bolder as their numbers increase.”

Is that how you pronounce it? I’m not sure if I can make that sound…

“But we’re not doing anything to warrant aggression,” Florine said.

“Merely standing here warrants aggression,” Boobeebee told her. “I understand that you are not a warrior, but, from your behaviour, I can also see that Humans are a race whose instincts are dulled. I thought it might be the case in the Holy Kingdom, but the ones I saw there were more sensitive to danger due to their situation.”

Was the situation Florine was in that dangerous? She couldn’t sense a thing. If anything, it was a bright and pleasant morning.

“I still don’t understand why they’re becoming aggressive,” she said.

“Because that is the way they are,” Boobeebee said. “In your terms, some races are more reasonable than others. To the races that you may consider unreasonable, you are the one being unreasonable. What is acceptable and unacceptable varies from race to race.”

“But there must be a way to come to a mutual understanding.”

“Perhaps,” Boobeebee said. “Jaldabaoth took the most aggressive races with him on his invasion of the Holy Kingdom. None of them returned.”

If a ‘non-aggressive’ race is being aggressive toward me for just standing here, what were the aggressive races like?

Liolio’s cries rose by one notch again.

“What do we do?” Florine asked.

“You may escalate,” Boobeebee said, “or you may withdraw.”

“I just want to talk,” Florine pouted.

She looked out at the riverbank supposedly teeming with unseen Demihumans.

“I just want to talk! I’m not here to fight!”

Florine’s words received no reply. Liolio’s cries continued.

Neither escalating nor withdrawing were desirable options, but withdrawing was the worse of the two. An official of the Sorcerous Kingdom couldn’t be driven away by anyone in their own territory, be they brigands, uncooperative visitors, or aggressive Demihuman tribes.

?Isoroku, come out and join me. Bring everyone there with you.?

Her Undead adjutant and escort rejoined her. and Liolio's calls deescalated again. Would the Y’y’yioy gather more? There probably weren’t enough of them to stand a chance against a full infantry squad…assuming that they were being rational about their chances. The way that Boobeebee described them felt that it wouldn’t be the case.

“My name is Florine Kadia Dale Gagnier,” she called out to the foliage along the riverbank. “A Baroness of the Sorcerous Kingdom. I’ve been assigned to assist in the administration of the Abelion Hills.”

A few moments later, one of the Y’y’yioy slinked out of the bushes. To Florine’s surprise, its appearance matched the one in the dossier. It looked like a metre-and-a-half-long ground squirrel with three black stripes and two white ones running down its back and up its tail. Except…

It’s so cute–ohmygoodnesswhydoesithavesomanyteeth?

The Y’y’yioy stopped several metres in front of her. In its otherwise cute-looking face was a mouth filled with three rows of long, pointy fangs. Florine did her best not to recoil in fright, returning its toothy expression of unknown meaning with a calm smile.

“The Sorcerer King sent you to rule over us?”

“No, I’m just here to assist in the administration of the territory…”

The Y’y’yioy stared across at her wordlessly. It occurred to Florine that their society may not have any concept of an ‘administration’ in the bureaucratic sense that Human countries perceived it. The closest thing in their tribal society to ‘administering’ would be something like ‘ruling’.

“This isn’t the correct term,” she said, “but you might consider me something like an elder that helps to lead the tribe. Except, in my case, I’m helping with the entire region.”

She stood there silently as the Demihuman looked her up and down.

“You do not seem very experienced,” it said, “but you are wearing bright colours. Are you a mystic?”

“…would you believe me if I said that I was a Lord?”

“No.”

It was an immediate reply that left no room for interpretation.

“I thought not,” Florine sighed. “Anyway, whether you believe that I’m a Lord or not doesn’t change the fact that I’m here to help everyone become accustomed to their new lives as citizens of the Sorcerous Kingdom. To do that, I need to get to know your people better.”

“What does the elder need to know?” The Y’y’yoiy asked.

“It will be a long discussion,” Florine answered. “Perhaps we could speak in your village?”

The Y’y’yoiy regarded Florine with its gleaming black eyes, then sent a pointed look at the long row of Beastman corpses behind her.

“Iliky’ie will do this,” the Demihuman said. “But, first, might her people take their food? They grow more ravenous by the moment.”

“Of course,” Florine smiled. “Please don’t hold back on our account. I look forward to getting to know you and your people.”

She cringed as Iliky’ie let out a high-pitched squeal. The bushes along the riverbank seemed to come alive as hundreds of her tribespeople emerged and came forward. Florine gestured for the Undead to make way.

Groups of six Y’y’yoiy each picked up a Beastman between them, carrying the corpses back the way that they came. Others came forward with skulls in their hands, making a great pile before her.

I hope they’re not meant for me…

It was a scene that was both cute and terrifying at the same time. A ridiculous part of Florine imagined her sitting on a throne made of their grim offerings. Liolio was still sitting on her head, too.

Once the last of her tribe was away, Iliky’ie turned to Florine.

“Come,” she said. “I will bring you to our new home.”