“You know I'm surprised you didn't have Carises join us on this little diplomatic excursion.” Marizhel quipped as he, Walden and Cedrik trudged through the forest. “It certainly would make sense to have another man of great skill along with us if this did turn violent like you fear it could.” He tapped his breastplate to punctuate his point. They all were armed and armored, Cedrik was unsure just how violent the bogloggers would be but with the attacks recently, he was certain there would be a misunderstanding at the very least so it was expected that they show up ready to force peace. Marizhel wore his black metal plate with his red tabard he had used in training with a longsword strapped to his side, his offhand casually resting on the straps. Cedrik wore a similar black plate but no tabard as his status didn’t merit one quite yet, he had his shield slung on his back and an arming sword sheathed to his side, honestly Cedrik thought the two by themselves walking through the forest would be quite the imposing sight if they weren’t dwarfed by his uncle.
Walden was another story entirely; he was quite frankly, ridiculously large. He stood at seven feet tall with large white wings, even whiter than his beard, across his back that faintly emanated wind force and magic. Walden was a Valkyr, an ascended human, said to have been blessed by Kaul himself some years before Marizhel was even born. While he may be old he still has the strength of his younger self, through the chainmail and padding underneath his armor it was clear that he was incredibly muscular. He wore large plate armor atop the chainmail and padding that looked as bulky as it did ornate, it was master crafted obviously but bore the scars and marks of dozens of battles that were not yet repaired. It was emblazoned with a sigil that had two eagle wings on the chest and knee plates and it held the wolf and gold chevron, the symbol of the might of Yaröl, on the pauldrons and on his own red tabard that was draped over top the whole ensemble. He had no weapon on his person but likely employed some trick that Cedrik was not as of yet aware of.
Cedrik hadn’t realized it but he had never seen his uncle armored for battle, or at his full height now that he thought of it, it was both amazing and intimidating. The most intimidating thing however did not come from sheer strength but his current facial expression, with his uncle's normally jovial face replaced with one of calculation and a notable coldness more so than even Marizhel. Cedrik thought it was odd and honestly didn’t suit him, he looked better as the happy grandpa, but a happy grandpa doesn’t help in a fight so Cedrik would have to get over his thoughts.
“He is a skilled healer after all.” Marizhel continued, unaware of Cedrik’s wandering mind. “If you are worried it would have been beneficial to bring him.”
Cedrik waved off Mari's words. “There is no need to bring Carises along. He is but a guest in the village, it would be rude to press him into service so soon after arrival.”
Walden scoffed and chuckled to himself. “Wouldn’t be like Cari to miss a fight.”
Cedrik ignored his uncles self musings and continued. "He is also skilled at magic and healing so he’s indispensable to the guard and militia if Rickten suffers an attack. Besides, I am not the one who is worried, uncle Walden is. However if the bogloggers attacked like uncle said then I’m sure we could take them head on with minimal effort.” He pointed at the towering man’s wings which caused Walden to scoff.
“I am not worried, I am being careful, seeing as how dozens of bogloggers have attacked Rickten over the past month. I’m worried about you. Marizhel, I thought you smacked Cedrik into shape. Honestly boy, what have these last few months been for?”
Marizhel’s brow furrowed slightly toward Cedrik. “Well I certainly have made my best attempt.” he dryly quipped. “Youth in the capital will do that to people, father, you know that. I’d blame Uncle Armen, but I know he tries his best.” This received an uncomfortable chuckle from Cedrik who could think of nothing to say. Marizhel continued, pressing a finger into Cedrik’s shoulder. “Cedrik, I have said it time and again but it seems I must reiterate. Do. Not. Underestimate. Your enemy. Any enemy could be your last, be it a Boglogger, a Grak, Pixie, Harpy or even a fucking ratling, do not underestimate them. Kaul’s beard.” He exhaled, exasperated.
“But… we could take them, couldn't we?” Cedrik asked pleadingly, trying to escape the awkwardness of his relatives grilling him.
“Of course.” Walden answered. “But don’t think you’re hot-shit because you or I can kill unascended half-sapient monsters in the forest. Any moron with his friends can get a sword or eight and head out and kill a few, it’s the hubris of thinking that just because you are a human, that the beasts can’t challenge you. Trust me, with enough of them they would pose a threat to anyone. Worse yet, if any gained enough power to ascend mid-battle, you’re fucked. Though that’d be a considerable amount.”
Walden then stuck out his palm and stopped the party in a small clearing. “Halt.” Cedrik’s face ran into the open palm and Mari stopped dead in his tracks. “This was the scene of some kind of… torture session.” He looked around the clearing to what was some kind of terrible mix between a gathering spot and a beating. The grass and rocks were stained with dried and fresh blood; teeth could be seen scattered across the ground along with some dislodged bones, too many to belong just to one person. There was a river that intersected their path and the clearing, near it they could see multiple desiccated corpses with little more than skin flakes on their bones. “It seems that many had come to this place to receive some kind of punishment.” He looked at Cedrik. “This may not be that diplomatic mission you were hoping for.”
Cedrik looked horrified at the scene before him. “How could they do this to their own kind? This is barbaric.” He made sure to not step on the bones as he made his way past the grizzly scene.
“They are bogloggers Cedrik, barbarity doesn’t get pushed out until their ascended self learns how to write. Until then they are little more than beasts who know how the sharp sticks work.” Marizhel said whilst kicking a pile of ribs from the footpath.
“Now who's underestimating their enemy, Marizhel?” Walden chided his son before one of his wings twitched involuntarily in surprise. He looked around in confusion as Marizhel said some half baked comeback. Kaul bless the man but he was never very witty. Walden’s vision settled on a small pebble near a more recent blood stain, maybe a day or two old. Mari and Cedrik were looking around the scene as Walden knelt down to examine this seemingly insignificant rock, he truly couldn’t care less but it… pleaded for him to acknowledge it. He picked it up.
[Pebble] would like to form an alliance with you! Do you accept?
Walden’s eyes widened in utter confusion. What was going on? Why would a rock want an alliance? Was the rock alive? No, that’s preposterous, and yet he was just propositioned. “Why should I?” He asked, before realizing just how absolutely insane it was to talk to a rock. In response the stone merely emitted a soft blue glow, indicating some kind of higher magic potential, he felt insecurity and pleading come from it. “And what do I get out of it?” The stone vibrated slightly and emitted another glow, worried promises and more pleading emanated. Walden could tell the stone was some kind of high magic item, so he decided it would be best to err on the side of discovery and accepted the alliance. “Fine, but you stay in my pack for now.”
Alliance with [Pebble] is forged! Kaul smiles upon those who help the helpless!
Well at least he knew Kaul approved of this as well. He felt a wave of happy emotions come from the rock as he put it into his satchel on his belt.
“Find anything father?” Marizhel asked while examining a boglogger skull that had been rented almost in two.
“Nothing important as of now.” He stood. “Come on then, we have more important matters to attend to than the corpses of greenskins.”
***
Stephen was not a very strong man, he was a pious man, a diligent man, even a magically gifted man due to the inborn nature of his mana, but he was not a strong man. Just a few days ago he was chatting to the clergy about how the High Bearer from Rotfeld, Carises Heilende, complimented him on his shrine that he had built in Rickten! Now he and almost half the village stood ready to fight, farmers, fishermen, smiths and yes even the clergy stood around with the town guard near the river. He would do anything for Ricken and Yaröl at large should his Kaisir demand it, but he never knew the new Protector, Cedrik, would conscript him before setting off on some sort of parley with forest monsters that saw fit to attack the village! Well it was Marcus, Captain of the town guard who conscripted him but he was basically following Cedrik’s orders. While he complained inwards, he didn’t truly have a problem with his being forced into service, that’s just how life was, the Yaröli way of life was struggle and conflict even for a weak man like Stephen. Saying that it was still jarring to think just yesterday he had been baking to help Sherry fill out bread orders around the village, she has just had triplets and can’t walk very well, bless her soul.
Stephen looked up from his daydream to see his wife giving him a peck on the cheek which he returned with a smile. They had positioned themselves facing the forest where the Boglogger’s would arrive from, should Protector Cedrik fail in his diplomacy. Not that the men were necessarily worried but it irked so many to have a whole day seemingly wasted on such a small issue. Only a quarter of the village was suited for the militia but Stephen spied roughly a hundred more, including his wife, that milled around and took this opportunity to make inroads with men they’ve never really met before. The scene was quite humorous to him, Stephen even participated, speaking to fellow Flame Bearers he had scant spoken to since he arrived in town just a few years ago. He was having a rousing conversation about mathematics but was interrupted by a loud complaint.
“It’s bullshit is what I fucking think!” Yelled a fisherman in response to someone, stifling almost all conversation in the impromptu town gathering. “Pulling us all away from our work! Wasting a whole fucking day like it’s nothing! The Protector is supposed to be the one protecting us, not ordering us around like he’s the lord of the land or something.” Stephen definitely understood the sentiment but it was quite another thing to voice it out loud. He didn’t think Cedrik had ill intentions, just poor situational awareness of these things.
Stephen commented. “Now Arggie, we are to be conscripted if the village is in danger, we may not enjoy it but that is how it must–”
“Shut the fuck up Stephen!” Arggie shouted, pointing a large modified harpoon at Stephen. “Did I ask for your opinion on the matter? If I wanted the thoughts of the local town softarm I’d go to your services.” He spat on the ground to punctuate his point.
This drew many scornful looks at the fisherman and Stephen’s anger. “It isn’t only your day being wasted! We are all here as well, if something should happen, we will fight alongside–”
Arggie snorted at the declaration. “YOU!? Fight alongside us? Wolfshit! All you and the rest of the robed softarms are going to do is stand in the back and throw bolts of wind or fire at the threat. You aren’t real men! Not true warriors like us!” He gestured to the rest of the men who would make up the front line and got no warm reception from them.
Through the mild torrent of jeers Arggie received, a younger man in weathered overalls put out his hands in defense of himself and the others. “Hey man, don't lump us in with you. Normally when a man wants to fight, especially weak ones, we welcome them into battle.”
The bickering was stopped before it could begin in earnest as the guard captain, Marcus strolled to the sight of the confrontation. “Ah yes Argile! I’m certain that ruining morale before a fight will certainly improve our odds against a force that has already attacked us before!” He shouted in Arggie’s face. “We know that they have ill will, so we must be ready! The Protector and his kin have ventured forth, but we must prepare for schemes. I will not have you insulting the Magiers.”
“But what about my catch today! I need to fish to keep my family fed and for money to keep them housed!” Arggie complained in return. “Cedrik and his family have fucked my whole revenue today. Are you going to repay me?!” He pointed at Marcus accusingly.
Marcus looked flabbergasted. He head shot back in an almost comedic fashion that made it look like he had just taken a punch to the face. “Wha-?! YES! You moron! That’s how the militia works!” Silence permeated the whole militia.
Ryka, from the back of the crowd could be seen in a form fitting archer-dress combination with her bow; a young Zaerthold in a baby pouch strapped to her back just above a quiver on her waist. She took this time to add nothing of import and simply giggled at Arggie’s expense.
“Oh…” Was all Argile could mutter out.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
The crowd kept quiet even after Marcus’s outburst, the air tense with the needlessness of the entire interaction sinking in, unnecessary wounds before a battle. Stephen, the rest of the clergy and even some men with bows stared daggers at Argile the entire time while the rest simply milled about staying silent.
Carises made himself know as he approached the crowd, sounding conciliatory. “Come now boys, there is no need for any of that.” He arrived alongside Stephen. “We are all warriors of Yaröl. There is no need for any of this bickering that does nothing.” He pressed his hands together and a soft orange glow flowed from it to engulf the entire crowd. “Guide Through Battle!” The glow was drawn into everyone present and after it had completely dissipated, everyone seemed far more animated. Some began to chat again and the mood seemed to return to normal. “There we are, a nice boon before the storm. I suspect we will need as many as we can.”
Marcus strode from Arggie and joined the High Bearer. With some trepidation he asked, fearing the answer. “Why do you say that?”
Warning to all in Rickten: Invasion imminent!
All froze as they saw the words in their minds. Non-combatant family members dispersed and fled to their homes as the men began to shout as they tried to see where they had to form up. From nearby, a dark presence could be felt, and a hideous laughter filled the air as the militia scrambled into their places.
Carises’s face grew a terribly dower expression. “Battle comes to us after all, and it shall not be as simple as I thought. Kaul preserve us.”
***
The trio finally exited the forest into a small clearing that had paths and crude structures, they had found the Boglogger village. Walden felt the pebble in his satchel shake slightly in… fear? Walden was unsure, but it felt like fear, which raised more questions but that was not for now. They all emerged from the forest now to gain a better view but saw not a single soul.
Cedrik was the first to break the silence. “Where is everyone?” He looked all around, hearing some noises of work far off in the distance, but seeing no inhabitants. “Did they flee?”
“Unlikely.” Marizhel interjected. “They couldn’t have all just left. The attack was yesterday. This village is the closest to Rickten and it has over two hundred Bogloggers. It would take too long to retreat from here.”
Walden huffed at the scenery. “They could be hiding. Let’s search around, see what we can find.” The three spread out and head to the nearest structure to try and find someone. Walden enters a small hovel, which has a few improvised bedrolls, a flimsy table and a stack of odd orange roots piled high in a corner. The pile was almost as tall as Cedrik, but had no discernible meaning for being there. Walden picked up one of the roots and smelt it but it was odorless. Walden couldn’t make heads or tales of it, then, he remembered an old trick. “Winds of Magic! I beseech thee! Divine the true nature of this… uh, thing!” He cursed himself. “Smooth Walden, ‘this thing’ Kaul’s Beard, such an amateur-” Very smooth indeed as his prayer was answered.
Divination request [Accepted]! Please wait; divination in progress.
“In progress eh?” Walden eyed the tuber for a few seconds, before he heard yelling coming from outside. “Oh shit.” He quickly stuffed a few more into his pack and made his way outside to find Cedrik and Marizhel faced with a group of twelve armed Bogloggers, though saying they were armed would be generous. Only four of them actually had good steel weapons and crude banded armor and the other eight looked as if they were pulled from some hut and had sharpened sticks with no armor to speak of. They were all covered in fresh blood, not either of his companions though since they were as of yet unharmed but this required some questioning. Walden stepping from the squat hovel into the open and standing at his full height was enough to frighten back the force that surrounded them. He felt an odd force in the air and looked around as he felt the winds of magic change ever so slightly. His thoughts were interrupted by the tallest well armored one stepping forward and leveling his sword at the party.
The Boglogger spoke terrible Yaröli. “So! Why iz youz ‘ere in da clan! Pinkies ain't a'lowed. You try'na die pinkie!” His voice was like sand scraped against glass and it took all of Walden's strength not to wince at the mere sound of it. Mari and Cedrik however were not as strong as their faces looked absolutely disgusted.
Walden ignored his questions however and looked to Cedrik. “Where’d these ones come from?” His thumb pointing backwards. “They look pathetic.”
Cedrik rubbed the back of his head and had Marizhel glaring at him. “We were checking some kind of abandoned granary then heard yelling from up the way. I called out to see if anyone was hurt and these are who came to greet us”
“Oh Cedrik.” Walden said in a compassionate but disappointed tone. “Never reveal your position to the enemy. Come now, you should've learned that in the academy.” Cedrik simply looked on in shame at this comment. Shaking his head, Walden took control of the situation and turned back to the Bogloggers. “Your warriors attacked our village. Why?”
The leader, whom Walden named ‘Glass’ spoke again, angrier than before. “I’z the one ashkin questins ‘round ‘ere pinkie! Get lost ‘fore I gouge ya one in da eyez!” He pointed to Walden’s head now before looking to his wings. “Or maybe I’ll ‘ave me some chikin tonight!” He bellowed a laugh at his own joke which the other armored Boglogger joined in on, the unarmored ones did not and looked even more scared.
Cedrik ceased their laughter by unsheathing his sword. “Enough! Why do you attack us! Speak!”
Glass simply continued to laugh at them while the rag wearers seemed to be losing their cohesion; some started visibly shaking. Before they could break however Glass, while half laughing; lazily pointed towards them. “Kill ‘em!”
Walden sighed in annoyance as the eight stick-wielding ones charged them. Cedrik had pulled his shield and Marizhel his sword. Walden however had only his fists at the ready.
Three made their way to Walden and Marizhel while two rushed Cedrik. “Diplomatically now, boys.” Walden called to them before turning his attention to his attackers and proceeded to, without moving, punch the shit out the first one sending his shoes flying off of his feet and shooting him backwards into the dirt. The second screamed in terror but still charged Walden before stopping at once as Walden grabbed his spear, broke it with a wrist flick and kicked him in the gut, sending him a few feet into the air before he crashed back to the ground. The third stopped in his tracks before Walden shook a finger at him. “Now now, they took their licks, you get one too.” He then smacked the poor bastard in the face making him fall like a rock, out cold in a split second.
The three that charged Marizhel would be dispatched similarly as one was knocked almost eight feet away with the flat of the sword into a tree, making a sizable dent. One was kicked in the jaw, sending him to the ground instantly with blood pouring from it, likely broken. The last was smacked with the sword pommel, breaking his nose in an instant and sending him sprawling.
Cedrik’s knockouts were the least flashy with him smashing both of his enemies in the face with his shield, eliciting cries of pain rather than instant knockouts but the result was more or less the same and after a few more swings, they too were out of the fight, though still conscious.
They had no formation and weren't organized in the least, they stood no chance. Walden began to walk toward the four remaining and spoke with a calm but annoyed tone. “Now then, can you answer some of our questions? I feel dirty beating the shit out of conscripts, unascended or not.”
Glass did his best to not look spooked and Walden. He was sure he was but he sounded just as angry as he did before. “I’Z ANSHERIN’ NO QWESTINS PINKIE! YOUZ GONNA HAVETA-!” Marizhel rushed forward and Glass would be bisected diagonally with a single strike. While Walden found monsters yelling at him quite insulting, he wasn’t ready to kill Glass yet, he even gave him a cool name… But Glass fell in two. The three remaining Bogloggers instantly screamed in terror, dropped their weapons and cowered in fear.
“Marizhel!” Walden exclaimed. “I could’ve gotten something out of him.”
“Unlikely.” Marizhel said dryly as he picked out one of the three and threw him to the ground in front of his father. “I’m sure he’ll know something.”
The creature, whom Walden named Spooked, looked a fair sight better than Glass. He had no gangly teeth and only a few scars. Spooked put up his hands and after some stuttering he choked out a vague threat. “You is not welcome! We is… uh strong! Y-yeah! Strong! Chief make us strong, make me strong too!” He didn’t sound convinced but his allies agreed with his words from behind.
Cedrik walked forward and drew his sword on the greenskin. “Who is your chief? Why does he attack Rickten?”
“Me ain’t tellin you nothin’ pinkie!” Spooked said, glaring. Thank Kaul he's far more articulate than Glass.
Walden however could not abide this line of thought and grabbed his wrist. “Right, so if you don’t stop with the time wasters and answer our questions, I will break your wrist.” Spooked was shocked for a second but then laughed.
“Like you can break me–” The winged man turned his hand at a 90 degree angle, snapping the Bogloggers wrist instantly. “AAAAHH!!! YOU BROKE ME HAND!” he fell to his knees and grabbed at his broken wrist. “ME TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT! NO MORE HURT ME! PLEASE!”
“Good man!” Walden said with a cheery grin. “Go on then Cedrik.”
The apprentice Protector was unnerved at how casual his uncle seemed but it was the way of things, he knelt down to the Boglogger. “What is your name?”
“Gub!”
Walden grimaced, “What an awful name.”
Cedrik continued. “Who is your chieftain?”
“Nuuf!”
Cedrik recoiled in slight shock at this revelation, it made sense since Ogog was quite friendly with Rickten, but it seems a coup has occurred, hopefully he wouldn’t have to exterminate the greenskins. “What happened to Ogog? I thought he was the chieftain?”
Gub began to ramble as tears streamed down his face. “Ogog die in forest! Killed by Nuuf like in old ways. Ogog family killed with him, mate, son, other son. All dead by Nuuf! Nuuf is stronger than Ogog! Nuuf become chief under shadow chief!”
His whole family dead too, barbaric. Cedrik felt disgusted, but had to learn more. “Did anyone oppose Nuuf? There had to be loyalists.”
“Ogog men taken, given angerbeets. Sent to the pinkie clan to die. Me with Nuuf, me live and be strong like shadow chief promise.”
“Who is this Shadow Chief?” Mari asked without taking his eyes off their impromptu prisoners.
“NO TELL!” One of the non-wrist-broken Bogloggers protested before Mari punched him in his gut sending him to the ground. “Me.. hurt..” The dumb sounding greenskin cried out from his new dirt bed.
“Me no know who Shadow master is. He show up, offer Nuuf to be strong! Nuuf tell all the boys, we all be with Nuuf to be strong. Ogog say we strong with pinkies, not alone, but old ways say we can be strong ourselves! Don’t need pinkies. Me sorry. Only wanted to be strong.” Walden let go of the Bogloggers wrist and he fell to the ground. “Shadow master call us dumb. He call me stupid and weak even when he say we be stronger now than with Ogog. Nuuf make deal with him to kill pinkies.”
This finally got the last prisoner to try something stupid. “You traitor to Shadow chief and Nuuf! DIE!” He grabbed his blade and lunged at Gub. Gub put his only good arm over his head but he needn’t not too as he once ally was caught by Marizhel. He caught him mid jump, clutching the back of his neck before sending him into the ground. With a stomp, the threat was neutralized.
“Very good, Marizhel! Excellent form!” Walden beamed a smile and a thumbs up. Mari cracked a small smile and gave a nod of his head.
“When are they going to attack Rickten?” Cedrik pressed. “Where is everyone that is supposed to be in the village?”
The next words sent chills down Cedrik’s spine. “They all attacking now.” The world was in slow motion for a moment as all three men stared at Gub. “Everyone that couldn’t fight was sacrificed to open the gate to the pinkie clan…” He pointed beyond the trees where he and his allies had first arrived and all three looked up slowly to see a portal opened up to the scenery of a block of men near a river, now with a block of hundreds of Bogloggers on the other side of it. A black sphere making its way into the portal.
“Holy shit!” Walden’s wings sprang from his back and he propelled himself toward the portal to try and catch it, but as he got close the black sphere cackled and the rip in space closed in an instant. Walden grabbed for it, but his hands had no purchase in the swirl of the dying magical power of the portal. As he looked at the dirt which only had residual flecks of magic dust he smelt blood, so much of it. He raised his head and the sight was horrible. "Mighty Kaul..." he whispered.
He gazed upon the sight of a whole village worth of mutilated boglogger women and children over improvised altars etched in terrible runes. Their bones placed in piles like children making tents with sticks, their blood drained into bowls and other vessels to be used to spell words in a language completely unintelligible to Walden. Piles of skulls bereft of their true bodies pilled high to make the pillars of the summoning portal. This was an evil sight, it was a horror show. It must have been over a hundred, no two hundred, too many to be just from this clan, it must have been more. Faces that hadn't been skinned for the ritual were frozen in sheer terror and anguish. Walden realized that Rickten must be under attack, his head snapped back to Cedrik and he flapped his wings and landed before the two and scowled hatefully at Gub.
“You were just distracting us! And I fell for it! This whole fucking venture has been a disaster!” He grabbed Gub by his armor and brought him face to face. “I will break every bone in your body then kill your entire army!”
“Me is sorry! I no mean it honest…” Gub began to cry again, which only pissed Walden off more.
“My grandson is in that village you useless puke! I will fucking dismember you for your transgressions against my family!” That shook Mari from his stupor and enraged him as well.
“Please!” Gub protested. “We was just doing what he told us to do! He says the Dark One told him he make us strong!” He shut his eyes in preparation for the end.
The Valkyr stilled and lost all anger, replacing it with a cold monotone inquiry. “The Dark One?”
Gub opened one of his eyes. “Y-yeah..?” Gub was dropped to the ground.
“We make for Rickten. Now.” Walden said coldly
“Uncle, we are almost an hour away, it will take–”
Walden’s wings unfurled at their full length and put out both of his arms. “We fly to Rickten! We will be there in five minutes with my mastery of the winds and the sky. On my shoulders NOW!” Mari and Cedrik complied; Walden took one last look at Gub. “Know that you live because of what you have told us. Should I ever see you again, you will die, goodbye Gub. May we never meet again.” With that Walden flapped his wings once and shot air and force magic behind him to reach liftoff in seconds. The boglogger opposite Gub who was still clutching his belly on the ground only had seconds to look at the wings before the magic and force of their ascent caused his body to be shredded into pieces. Meaty chunks and bones blowing away in the fantastical display.
Gub sat there now, alone. He cradled his broken wrist, sitting in a village now empty of all life. He stood wearily and fled away from that place. The place that would haunt his dreams for the rest of his days.