Before the Storm: Act 6, Chapter 8

Before the Storm: Act 6, Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The first thing that Ghroklor did after his meeting with the town leadership was send runners to call for reinforcements from the previous town. Next, he sent another set of runners to confirm the status of the adjacent territories on the frontier. After that, he busied himself organising the towns defences, as he had little other choice but to wait for the outlying warbands to report in.

In all, it was a reasonable response for an experienced Commander, but Ghroklor clearly wasnt satisfied with his limited options.

Have you ever wished that you could fly? He asked.

I cant say that I have, Ilyshnish answered.

Truly? Ghroklor seemed genuinely surprised, I think about it all the time. Imagine soaring above the land with the ridiculous senses of a Dragon. Youd be able to see everything; respond to any threat with unparalleled swiftness. If it wasnt for their constant infighting, our world would be a very different place.

I just thought Id mention this, Ilyshnish said, but youve been referring to Green Dragons as if they represent all of Dragonkind. Theyre not all the same, you know.

Ive only ever fought Green Dragons, Ghroklor said. Of course, I know of the Blue Dragons in the Great Lut and the Red Dragons far to the southwest, but they seem just as bad, if not worse. What sort of Dragons does your homeland have?

White Dragons, Ilyshnish replied. The locals usually call them Frost Dragons.

That sounds terrible, a note of sympathy rose from the Nar. Do they cause you much trouble?

Once in a while, though less often recently. Speaking of which, does the Worldspine not have resident populations of White Dragons? It seems like the ideal home for them.

If there are any, our lore says nothing of them.

The fact that there werent any of her kind around was one of Ilyshnishs greatest worries about the region. She was confident that she could avoid an unfavourable fight with the Green Dragons if necessary, but she had no idea what awaited her in the Worldspine. There was nothing to suggest what was keeping them from moving in; no Frost Giant Citadels, traces of other types of Dragons, or anything else. In her imagination, unimaginable terrors lurked in the massive mountain range and the fact that she literally couldnt imagine what they might be made them all the more terrifying.

Throughout the night, the local warbands arrived to join Ghroklors rapidly growing defence force. To the Nars frustration, none had information related to the attack earlier that day.

The mountain tribes probe the frontier for weaknesses every day, one chief said. It has been that way since the snows started.

You havent noticed any Dragon activity at all? Ghroklor asked.

A chorus of soft responses filtered through the air as the assembled chiefs sounded their negatives. Ghroklor scratched the back of his neck as he considered the absence of useful information.

An anomaly? No, the Dragons are probably only meddling in our battles if they think the mountain tribes have a good chance of breaking through. Are there any locations with major tribal movements aside from the village we just lost?

Thats difficult for us to keep track of in this situation, one of the chiefs said. Our hunters are busy watching for incoming raids.

Then are there any areas where raids have been more frequent? Ghroklor asked.

Aside from the area around the village that was just attacked, no.

Ghroklor sent his gaze around the gathering, waiting to see if the other chiefs had anything more to add. He took a deep breath after no one did, releasing it in a long sigh.

Then our course is clear, he said. We win back the village and destroy as many of the invaders as possible. Once thats accomplished, we go on the offensive. The enemy camps in the area must be destroyed before they learn how to collaborate with those damned Dragons.

What if the Dragons interfere with our offensive?

Then they do, Ghroklor said. But I doubt it will happen during the opening moves of our counterattack. That village had nowhere near the number of warbands we have with us now and the Dragon that appeared wasnt confident enough to join the fight.

What about ambushing the invaders when they advance again? It will be difficult to coordinate warbands of every race. Well be able to make most of the Nar and Urmah forces if we have them lie in wait.

Im not averse to the traditional approach, Ghroklor said, but theres no guarantee that theyll move as we wish. If we form a net, each warband will be increasingly vulnerable to a Dragon attack the longer they remain in the same position.

It took another thirty minutes for the Beastmen to settle on a battle plan. Ilyshnish could only shake her head over how complex it had to be. Each race had its strengths and weaknesses and it was the weaknesses that seemed to dictate what was possible rather than their strengths.

Before dawn the next morning, the warbands gathered at the northern edge of the town. Ilyshnish went looking for Vltava, finding him buried under a small pile of Beastman cubs. Several of them tried to bite her as she fished Vltava out and shook the cubs loose.

Were leaving now, Ilyshnish said. Do you even know whats going on?

What is, is.

Technically, he wasnt wrong. Vltava could probably ignore whatever was out there just as easily as he could the pile of cubs she had just pulled him out of.

Back at the gathering of the warbands, Ghroklor was looking more eager than anxious. The Con, Lup, and Gao warbands had already departed, screening the way ahead and setting up checkpoints for the rest of the army to follow. It would take most of the day for the Nar and Urmah warbands to reach their destination, making for some very awkward manoeuvring on their forces part.

Is it always like this?

Like what? Ghroklor asked.

The movements of your forces are quite disjointed, Ilyshnish answered. It makes me wonder if having combined forces is worth the trouble.

The answer to that question is no, Ghroklor told her. Not on this scale, anyway. Usually, the warrior clans field entire armies and those armies collaborate with armies of different races, playing to each others strengths. That is neither here nor now, however. We simply must make do with what we have available.

How do you usually deal with the Green Dragons?

Usually, we have elite warbands interspersed throughout an armys theatre of operations. Those elite warbands are powerful enough to take down an Adult Dragon. A threat like that is usually enough to keep the Dragons at bay. Now, however

Orders rang out, going from warband to warband as the predetermined time of their departure arrived. Without a warband of his own, Ghroklor assumed a spot at the head of the columns winding their way up the foothills.

However? Ilyshnish prompted.

Its said that people rise to face the challenges before them, Ghroklor said. That saying has proven to be true to an astonishing degree. The escalation of our conflict with the Jorgulans has seen with it a surge in the strength of our forces. Warriors both old and young are achieving heights of personal power rarely seen amongst those outside the main branches of the warrior clans. Its even happening to those useless louts from the cities once they manage to get over themselves.

So thats why you said what you did back in Kira.

Indeed, the Nar replied. A bright future awaits even the lowliest recruit from the cities, but they must first embrace their identity as warriors. Far too often do I see them cling to the expectations of life that theyve cultivated in their former homes.

I think most of those expectations revolve around survival, Ilyshnish noted. Many accomplished warriors would say that fear is a useful tool.

And I dont disagree, Ghroklor said. The problem is that the recruits from the cities have twisted priorities. Sometimes, it feels like they do almost everything for the wrong reasons.

What do you mean by that?

Hmmhow should I describe it? They are accustomed to being alone, I suppose. Living with immediate family, at best. Their behaviour is more in line with that of a lone predator or a mother raising cubs alone. Even when theyre given their meals, its like they expect someone to come along and steal their food from them. In general, theyve grown accustomed to behaving in a way that isnt very beneficial for life in a warband. I only wish there was a way to quickly break down those behaviours and rebuild them into something better.

It seems that many mortals face this problem.

Once again, the warrior clans of Rolengorek displayed certain similarities to the martial cultures of Human society. Unlike the Beastmen, however, various Human martial institutions already had methods for dealing with the problem that Ghroklor described. The Imperial Army put all of their recruits through basic training to strip away undesirable behaviours and values, putting desirable ones in their place. Lady Zahradnik expressed similar concerns over bringing the right migrants to Wardens Vale.

Dragon!

Dragon!

Dragon to the southeast!

Ilyshnish tilted her head curiously, wondering what the new arrival had in mind. Ghroklors forces were too strong for a common Adult to handle. The warbands were already taking up air defence positions around the village, so unless they forgot to imbue their attacks with enough magic to bypass the Dragons defences, the Dragons demise under a storm of thousands of bullets was pretty much a guarantee.

Steady yourselves, Ghroklor called out, weve got a special feast delivering itself towait, where is it going?

Long before the Green Dragon dropped into the range of Ghroklors hunters, it banked into a graceful turn and glided north. The end of its dive was punctuated by an intimidating roar that echoed off of the valleys slopes.

Get me eyes on the north! Ghroklor shouted as he scanned the village, What in the world did that Dragon just dive on?

On us! Came a voice from the northeast of the village, The warbands that were supposed to seal the north side of the encirclement arent here!

As if to confirm their situation, a chorus of Haugrarl screeching mingled with Beastman barks and roars sounded from the north. Ghroklor hopped down from the stony den he was using to survey the surroundings with a curse.

Fortify our position! Toss our supplies into the houses. We hold here!

What about our allies? A chief asked.

After that flyover, Ghroklor answered, theyre probably on the run. Send a few hunters out to bring in who we can, but dont stray too far.

The Nar Commander looked around before he moved to the villages central platform. He dug his claws into a Haugrarl corpse, dragging it off the wooden floorboards to clear a space for himself.

You seem quite confident about what youre facing, Ilyshnish said.

Its obviously another mountain tribe, Ghroklor replied as he shoved another corpse off of the platform.

Reinforcements?

Ghroklor stopped to look at her for a moment before resuming his work.

We call them the mountain tribes, he said, but they arent part of a confederation like we are. They fight each other as much as they fight uswell, its more like they fight whoever borders their territories and that includes the ones we usually dont encounter. This is a case of very bad timing on our part. The incoming tribe was planning to attack the ones that occupied this village; we just happened to get to beat them to it. Our warbands positioned in the north got caught by their vanguard, and then that flying green asshole came over just to add to the confusion.

What about the incoming tribes strength?

They have to be strong enough to defeat the tribe that we just destroyed. Otherwise, they wouldnt attack at all. We came down on these savages here with three times the number, so

What if theyre stronger than three times the number?

The Nar Commander chuffed in amusement.

The Worldspine isnt so bountiful a place, he told her. These mountain tribes can only get so large before they outgrow their valley homes. Rationally speaking, our new enemies cant be that strong.

I see.

Ghroklor turned away to address several chiefs. Ilyshnish turned to regard the Krkonoe behind her.

What do you think? She asked.

I think that weather will alter his outlook somewhat, Pinecone answered. How well can these people fight in a blizzard?

Thats a good question

Far to the north, an impressive wall of dark grey clouds was rolling over the landscape in their direction. The chances of the second attack coincidentally occurring at the same time as the incoming storm seemed rather slim. At least it looked like something interesting was about to happen.

Ilyshnish settled onto her haunches near the entrance of a nearby stone den, munching on a strip of Nug as she watched the Beastmen rush about making their preparations. It didnt take long for them to notice that a storm was on its way, but they decided that it was better to hold their superior defensive position rather than get caught retreating up the pass without shelter.

The first of Ghroklors pickets arrived thirty minutes later with several wounded comrades in tow. Ghroklor jogged over to the edge of the village to question them.

More Haugrarl? He asked.

Yes, sir, a Con hunter answered. They came screaming into us just after that damn Dragon came from behind. The chiefs didnt get a chance to harden us against the dragonfear.

Did you get a count of the Haugrarl?

Not a useful one, the hunter replied. It was pure chaos with everyone running everywhere. Im not even sure how many in my warband survived.

Alright. Good work getting back to us. Have one of the mystics fix you up. This fights far from over.

The hunter limped past Ghroklor, finding a free mystic within seconds. That was one major advantage that the warrior clans of Rolengorek had over any other military she had observed in the region. Druids were so common in their tribal society that dying or even being crippled was near impossible unless one died outright. During the Blister Campaign, the Imperial Army had to set up sprawling camps for conventional recovery despite having planned for the conflict months in advance.

Incoming!

Ghroklors head snapped toward the source of the warning. A lone Haugrarl charged up the slope from the river below, red eyes bloodshot and beak opened wide. Cracks snapped through the air as the nearest hunters let loose with their slings, putting the Demihuman down in a clear case of overkill. An eerie silence fell over the village in the aftermath.

Thats it? A chief asked.

More are on their way, a hunter said, but

Another Haugrarl emerged from the bushes by the river, its drenched feathers making it look thoroughly miserable. This time, the nearby hunters were a bit more conservative with their ammunition.

Whats going on here? Ghroklor muttered.

Fat flakes of snow started to drift through the village. More and more Haugrarl appeared, though they lacked the coordination or numbers to make any headway against the Beastmens defensive lines. A veritable wall of corpses started to form below the villages northern perimeter, leaving the defenders increasingly confused. Ghroklor brushed away the snowflakes sticking to his face as he leaned over one of the villages cobblestone walls, peering at the carnage beyond.

Are they even attacking us? He said, then looked to his right flank, Hold your shots for a moment.

The crack of the defenders slings abruptly ceased, leaving only the exhausted wheezing of the Haugrarl and the sound of the howling wind. They watched as the invading Demihumans ran along the wall of their dead. Once they reached the end of it, they resumed their climb.

Theyre going past us, Ghroklor breathed. Theyre not attacking theyre running from something.

What would that many Haugrarl be running from? A nearby chief asked.

The answer came with the next frigid gust of wind. Ilyshnish took a step back as a shard of crystal ice sliced through the air and decapitated one of the Beastmen nearby. The Gaos body wavered for a moment before being blown over by the growing gale, its blood freezing solid before it could pool on the rocks. Startled shouts rose when the shard of ice righted itself and sliced into another Beastman.

Well, Ilyshnish said, that is quite interesting.