To Quora's surprise, Lord Stragor opted to infiltrate Dreamford to release Eramus and gain his help. He outlined his plan to her, where he would enter Dreamford in his human form, posing as a refugee. Citing his lack of reliance on magicks, entering the dungeons would be a simple affair; anywhere with shadow could be traversed with little risk of detection. Stragor reckoned that convincing Eramus would be more difficult than finding him.
Quora nearly questioned why Stragor, if infiltrating the city was so easy for him, wouldn't disable the magickal shield surrounding the city himself. She thought it more cathartic that a man betrayed could be the cause of the city's downfall.
In the meantime, Stragor ordered his general, a human called Blacktalon, to push his armies toward the ports along the shores of the lake surrounding Dreamford and capture them. The denizens of the Shadowsteppes did not need ships in their homeland and had no skill for shipbuilding nor the time to learn the fundamentals. Dreamford had plenty of ships, to say nothing of the merchants and private vessels plying the lake. Stealing ships was the ideal option.
Quora was asked to accompany Blacktalon on one of these attacks, as the port he would be committing himself to attack was a major trade hub and thus heavily defended. Quora protested, saying her presence at the siege of Dreamford would have maximum impact if she were not seen until then.
"Can't you transform?" she was asked.
Oh, I can transform...
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Port Westrim was a bustling place, more so because of the army of shadow creatures that was apparently known to be waiting outside its walls. In her bird of prey form, Quora found a tree branch to perch herself upon to observe the army that Blacktalon was leading. She expected the goblinoids to be a disorganized mob, but the hobgoblins formed ranks, and their regiments wielded different arms to support one another. The frontline hobgoblins held their heavy blades, and the ones in the backline held great bows. The diminutive goblins seemed disorganized in comparison, maintaining a loose formation to make their numbers seem larger than they already were.
Blacktalon wore plated armour with tattered black cloth tabards over his waist and legs and a heavy choker around his neck, but nothing else covering his head and muscular torso. He was a human with very short blonde hair and carried a bow of pure darkness. Most striking was how half of his body was covered in pitch-black shadow, turning one of his eyes into a flashing white mote. He spoke to his underlings in a language that sounded like hissing. There was something familiar to Quora about his scent.
Blacktalon looked in Quora's direction and seemed to stop when he saw her. He raised his bow at her and drew.
What is he doing?!
Quora felt the arrow fly past her as she scrambled to get clear. She dropped to the ground in her human form and worked an enchantment to carry her faster as she sprinted to close the distance between her and Blacktalon. He fired one more shot at Quora, grazing her flank with a spray of blood before he was within reach. She grabbed him by the throat and forced him to the ground. She conjured a dagger of raw magick and pressed it to Blacktalon's throat when she felt a cold bite on her own. Blacktalon grinned widely.
"Go ahead," he taunted, "Kill me. I'll get to see her again."
His voice...
Quora let her dagger dissipate and grabbed Blacktalon's wrist. He struggled to resist her strength as she brought his dagger up and carved it into her cheek. His grin faded, and now she was the one smiling as the wound regenerated before his eyes. She released him.
"Why did you shoot me?" asked Quora. Blacktalon leapt to his feet.
"Why did you try to stay out of this battle?" Blacktalon retorted, "I saw right through your disguise. Myrellian Crag Rooks don't occur outside of that region."
Clever.
"And how would you know that?" asked Quora.
"Because I used to be a hunter in Myrellia," replied Blacktalon, "Stragor found me after my sister died. I've been serving him ever since. I'll have my revenge against the one who poisoned her, and I'll have the strength to take it."
I'd like to see him try.
"Wait a second..." said Blacktalon, "You're the sorceress who restored her favourite toy. I'd know those eyes anywhere."
"And?"
"It meant a lot to us, you know," said Blacktalon, "I might have buried Julia with that toy, but I'll never forget what you did. I...owe you an apology."
Quora shook her head and looked to Port Westrim, "Don't worry about it. I was hoping not to be seen until the siege of the city."
Blacktalon scratched his head, "Then, I don't know...Change into something less revealing. Cripes, it's like you want everyone to know you're pretty!"
Quora smiled. She looked to the line of hobgoblins nearby and thought of an outfit that resembled them - with a few personal touches. She tied her hair into a ponytail and then worked her magicks upon her clothing. They glowed white and started to change. Tight jet-black cloth wrapped around her and showed off her form. She ensured her navel and cleavage were still visible through the fabric. Covering her face was a horned silver metal mask with ten eye holes, one crossed through, and a wicked jaw of fangs attached in a way that moved when she spoke. She looked at Blacktalon menacingly.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Okay," Blacktalon uttered, "Very scary. You'll need a weapon. That orange stuff will give you away in no time."
A hobgoblin broke ranks to offer Quora its blade. She took it. The hobgoblin offered her a white flower. She turned away the flower, asserting she was much too old for the hobgoblin. It nodded understandingly and returned to its rank, a replacement blade being brought for it.
Blacktalon pointed at the walls of Port Westrim. Dreamfordian soldiers were forming along the battlements, and a small force was sallying forth from the walls. They seemed to be led by a powerfully built warrior with a two-handed axe.
"Perfect," said Blacktalon, "If we advance now, we can catch them before they can properly form up."
He turned to his army of goblinoids, "Forward!"
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Captain Lucinda Beck hefted her giant axe on her shoulder, her armour and weapon nearly humming with magickal energy. She was covered head to toe in full plate, silver with blue trim, and a blue tabard with a white hippocampus. Through her thin visor, she watched the horde of shadow creatures advance toward her. A timid soldier approached her.
"A-are you sure about this, captain?" he asked, "There's a lot of them..."
"Relax," she replied with a gruff voice, "Hang the fruit low enough, and these things'll be eating out of your hand. You're gonna be fine."
The soldier gulped, "What makes you so sure?"
"The king's given us some new toys. Sit back and watch."
Lucinda reached two fingers beneath her helm and whistled loudly.
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The men on the battlements opened fire upon the goblinoids, and they were faced with a barrage of magickal bolts that exploded on impact. Hobgoblins were tossed about like ragdolls, and Quora erected a barrier of sorcery to keep her and Blacktalon from being blasted. A loud shifting of wood was heard behind the walls, and arcane fireballs flew up, arcing down toward the line of goblinoids.
"Loose formations!!!" Blacktalon shouted through the noise, "Push forward!" he looked to Quora, "Deal with those fireballs, quickly!"
Quora looked to the sky and saw three fireballs falling toward her and the goblinoids. She called upon her magicks and conjured powerful winds to push aside the fireballs on the flanks, sending them falling harmlessly awry. As for the one heading directly towards her, she seized control of its magickal flames and forced it to fall directly down, catching the fore of the Dreamfordians in a horrendous blast that barely caught their commander, sending them flying.
"We have to move faster!" Quora shouted.
Another barrage of arcane bolts came screaming from the walls of the port town. Quora cursed as they impacted the lines again, and she saw hobgoblins looking at each other with uncertainty, and goblins scampering away. She called upon more of her sorcery and conjured a mighty tailwind at the army's back. Advancing much faster, the morale seemed to return to the hobgoblins.
"Good idea!" shouted Blacktalon. He drew his bow and shot at the men on the walls, unerringly picking them off one by one, "Quora! Can I leave their commander to you? I need to silence those weapons!"
Quora nodded curtly and hastened her advance far ahead of the shadow army, making a beeline directly to the axe-bearing warrior.
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"Of course, I picked the day they decided to hire sorcerers..."
Things were not going as planned for Lucinda - had those catapults landed, the goblinoids would have easily been routed. Instead, the Shadowsteppe forces had made the catapults detrimental and nearly killed her. She picked herself up, her body still smoking from the blast, but otherwise unharmed. But an opportunity presented itself - the sorcerer responsible for mucking everything up was charging at her with a heavy blade raised.
"Oho!" Lucinda guffawed, "If I kill...her? Then this battle's ours!"
The sorceress came down hard with her blade, biting deep into Dreamfordian steel. Lucinda loomed over the sorceress while she tried to pry her blade out of her armour.
"You're a looker, aren't you?" said Lucinda mockingly. She raised her axe over her head but was startled when the sorceress managed to pull her blade free. Lucinda smashed down with the pommel of her axe, nearly catching the sorceress's head. The sorceress readied another great strike, but this time Lucinda was ready. Their blades collided, smashing the sorceress's blade like glass. Lucinda guffawed with laughter.
"Go on, little lady," Lucinda taunted, activating a magickal ward on her armour, "What will you do, now?"
Quora cursed under breath, but opportunity was a fair mistress this day.
"Leave her be, fiend!" the timid soldier shouted as he charged with his blade held high. Quora took advantage of the distraction and was upon him instantly. She easily knocked his sword out of his hands and saw a sidearm at his hip. She darted behind him, pulled out the dagger, and pushed it against his throat.
"And what will you do, little lady?" Quora mocked, "Lower your ward, or he dies."
"Scum..!" Lucinda seethed, "Fine. I'll lower the ward. We fight on your terms. Deal?"
Quora nodded but didn't release the soldier until she was certain the ward was down. Lucinda bowed her head expectantly, and Quora dropped the dagger. The soldier sighed with relief.
"What a shame," Quora lamented, "To throw away your leverage so freely."
Quora snapped the soldier's neck.
"You bastard!!!" Lucinda shouted, raising her axe and charging to Quora. Quora laughed dismissively and shoved back into Lucinda, sending the captain falling on her back. She menaced over the captain before her hands lit up with fire. She gently pressed her hands on the captain's chest before firing her rays of pure flame point blank, turning Dreamfordian steel cherry red. Captain Lucinda Beck's thin visor leaked steam as she was cooked alive in her armour.
All around them, the hobgoblins had smashed through the Dreamfordians and poured into Port Westrim. The day belonged to the goblinoids.
Blacktalon found Quora looming over the dead captain, and looked at her with disgust, "Quora, what the hell? I mean, I'll take it, but..."
"I dealt with her as you asked," Quora stated, "You don't get to choose how. Now, we have a fleet to steal."
Quora strode into the chaotic port town, with Blacktalon following close.
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Port Westrim quickly fell to the army of the Shadowsteppe, the soldiers garrisoned there surrendered after hearing their captain was lost. The capture of the port was almost bloodless, save for a handful of Dreamfordian marines who managed to scuttle a few ships before being sniped by Blacktalon and his archers. The civilians were allowed to stay in the port town, but the soldiers were rounded up, crammed onto a ship, and allowed to set sail for Dreamford. A few marines turned coat, noting their value as sailors to Stragor's cause. Blacktalon let these marines live and found ships to assign to each of them, having commandeered every vessel in port.
Stragor emerged from one of the inns in the port town with a mug of ale in hand, satisfied with how the seizure of the ships had gone.
"Excellent work, everyone," said Stragor as he took a long sip of ale.
In the distance, Quora looked at the capital city and saw that its magickal barrier was still active. Had the king of shadows failed?
"Is Eramus free?" asked Quora.
"Grab an ale and see-" Stragor's reply was cut off by Quora grabbing his ale. He frowned, disappointed but not surprised as Quora took her leave of him, "I suppose I should have specified where to grab an ale..."
Quora rushed to the end of a pier and sat at its edge, taking big gulps of the ale and watching the capital city in the distance. She wondered how long she would wait to see that pesky barrier disappear.
And then it happened. It flickered at first, but the barrier made the capital city's island appear like a snow globe vanished before Quora's eyes. She was elated.
The Bloodstar will be mine.