Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 24

Following his audience, Captain Iškur led His Majesty aboard Ruin’s Wake for a tour. After inspecting the ship, the Sorcerer King lingered to take a longer look around, and Ludmila took the Elder Lich aside to allow Lady Shalltear time alone with her liege. Ludmila retrieved a folded crimson banner from an Infinite Haversack, presenting it to the captain.

“What’s this?”

“Something for Ruin’s Wake,” Ludmila replied. “I am uncertain what a Ghost Ship might like for her adornment, but I thought she should at least fly an ensign.”

Under their feet, the floorboards seemed to glow more brightly as the captain stared down silently at the precious fabric.

“Thank you, my lady,” Captain Iškur held out his arms to receive the flag of the Sorcerous Kingdom. “I believe I owe you my life, as well. I-I don’t know what came over me. One look at His Dark Majesty and all I could think of doing was grovelling at his feet. Until now, I’ve always thought those mortals’ notions of gods foolish and nonsensical. Do…do you feel the same way when you look upon him?”

Though he became quite excitable around the Sorcerer King, Ludmila highly doubted that an Elder Lich harboured the same feelings and physical sensations over His Majesty as she or Lady Shalltear did…or did they? It didn’t seem that way with the captain, at any rate.

“It’s something that will take time to grow accustomed to,” she said. “Regardless of how you feel, it would be best if you defer to His Majesty as a sovereign.”

The Elder Lich turned to regard her curiously. He was still adorned in the garb lent to him for his audience. The Sorcerer King had permitted him to borrow it until he could find a suitable replacement.

“Would it not be better to address him as a divine being?” He asked, “As far as I understand, a god is in a much higher position than a mere King.”

“His Majesty has chosen to style himself the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown,” Ludmila answered. “So that is who he is. Perhaps, in time, you will come to understand why he dwells amongst us in this fashion.”

“…you have achieved the level of insight required to grasp this great mystery?”

Ludmila couldn’t exactly call it a ‘great mystery’. It was more that the reason was so pure and simple that one could not truly accept it unless they realised what it was on their own. Those not of her faith would probably have an even more difficult time wrapping their heads around it.

“Perhaps,” she replied with a slight smile. “More importantly, any insight on this matter will not change how things are done in the Sorcerous Kingdom. Your behaviour is passable for common interactions, but you will need to work on your formal conduct. It is something that all Merchants are well-versed in, and is especially important when dealing with aristocrats and royalty.”

“Aristocrats, as well? I understand what would have happened to me if not for your having put in a good word, but you didn’t seem offended at all when we spoke before.”

“I wasn’t,” Ludmila told him, “but it was within the bounds of acceptable conduct in those specific circumstances. There are different expectations for different settings. I believe you realise how fierce loyal vassals are when it comes to upholding the dignity of the crown, and the vassals of noble houses are no different when it comes to the dignity of the house that they serve.”

“So if something similar happened with Lady Shalltear, you would have destroyed me on the spot?”

“If the breach in decorum was severe enough, yes. Additionally, there are fates worse than death – especially for those with a limitless lifespan.”

An audible swallow issued from Captain Iškur’s nonexistent throat. After a moment, he raised a hand to scratch his head.

“In that case,” he said, “I suppose I should learn a few things before I meet with this Countess Corelyn.”

“Once you know and understand the rules,” Ludmila said, “you’ll find that they’re not unreasonable. It’s stepping into pitfalls stemming from ignorance that tend to land one in the greatest amount of trouble.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, my lady. Thank you, once again.”

The Elder Lich bowed slightly before heading off with banner in hand. The glow of the deck intensified beneath him.

“Yeah, yeah,” Captain Iškur groused, “keep your skirts on!”

Ludmila watched with a bemused smile as the Elder Lich floated up with the Ghost Ship impatiently awaiting its new ensign. She returned to her vessel to prepare for their departure. The Sorcerer King and Lady Shalltear returned a half-hour later, and Ludmila looked up in surprise at their unexpected arrival.

“Did something happen, Your Majesty? I thought you would be travelling aboard Ruin’s Wake.”

“The captain insisted on going ahead to prepare for our arrival,” the Sorcerer King replied. “Maybe he has a mess to clean up.”

She wasn’t sure what His Majesty meant by that, but he seemed to say so in good humour. They watched as Ruin’s Wake sailed on ahead, its keel floating a good metre over the surface of the river.

“That ship is strangely tall,” Ludmila remarked.

“I believe it’s meant to be an oceangoing vessel,” His Majesty said. “A good part of it should be below the water.”

If it had not been a Ghost Ship, Ruin’s Wake would have been unsuited for navigating the upper half of the Katze River. Once it disappeared into the mist, the Sorcerer King disembarked to inspect the dredged-up wreckage along the shore. They landed near where her Undead company awaited. A long line of dripping hulls stretched off into the mist.

“This is a lot to go through,” His Majesty said. “I’ll have Cocytus send a few survey teams over for a thorough investigation. Still…these ships are unlike Ruin’s Wake in appearance.”

From what she could make out of their remains, they were all smaller than the huge Ghost Ship. Many appeared to be designed for deeper waters, but they lacked the larger vessel’s distinguishing features.

“Ruin’s Wake is a warship,” she said, “while these are civilian vessels.”

“What brought you to that conclusion, Lady Zahradnik?”

“I don’t think a Merchant would name their ship ‘Ruin’s Wake’,” she smirked. “Its construction also suggests that it was built for combat. The vessel is very long compared to these ones, and the interior has armour plating behind those ports lined up along its middle deck. I could imagine magic casters or archers stationed at each.”

“Then why are there so many of these other vessels along this stretch of the river? Another desperate battle involving civilians as we saw before?”

Ludmila shook her head, frowning out at the dozens of broken wrecks that they walked by. She couldn’t be absolutely sure due to their rotting structures, but they did all appear to have gaping holes torn into them – perhaps by the same creature that had left the gouges in the university’s walls.

“I think they were trying to flee upriver,” she said. “The existence of the Ruin’s Wake shows that the people who lived here had substantial maritime capabilities. I doubt they only had a single warship, yet this is the first ‘graveyard’ of ships that we’ve come across. My guess is that this territory was attacked from the south – possibly starting from the sea and going up the river.”

“I see…if that is the case, there should be a graveyard filled with warships south of the capital where they fought to bar the advance of their enemy.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Ludmila nodded. “These ships were probably trying to get civilians to safety, but they were sailing upstream against the wind…they didn’t make it far. From the attacker’s perspective, commencing their assault from the south was tactically sound.”

“One must wonder how often this sort of thing happens.”

She looked up at His Majesty, curious over his musings. Shouldn’t the Sorcerer King be aware of major, world-influencing events such as these? Or did an ascended god not perceive time and events in the same way as those with a temporal existence? It might also be that His Majesty was purposely concealing what he knew for some unfathomable purpose.

“If what little history we have of the distant past is any indicator,” Ludmila said, “powerful beings appear every century or so. The Six descended 600 years ago, the Eight Greed Kings, 500. The Demon Gods appeared 200 years ago, and Bohdan – my old village priest – mentioned that the Theocracy was preparing for something a century ago. And now…”

“And now, us,” the Sorcerer King finished for her. “I wonder if other powerful beings have appeared…or if other powerful beings remain from the past. This area of the world can’t be the only place where it happens.”

“The centre of the Eight Greed Kings’ power is actually quite a distance away from here,” Ludmila noted. “Far to the south – perhaps half the world away. It is a floating citadel over a vast desert that I think might be the same ‘sabaku’ that you described being a habitat for Mummies. According to local legend, however, the Eight Greed Kings are all dead and only their legacy remains.”

“What sort of legacy did they leave behind?”

Ludmila paused in thought, sorting through the little that she had heard.

“Most of their history is shrouded in legend,” she said, “though more accurate accounts may be found nearer to their former centres of power. Perhaps, like The Six, they have left descendants of their own. The only somewhat concrete thing I can think of, however, is the fact that Weapon Masters specialising in swords will make pilgrimages to that area to secure some famous type of sword.”

“What sword is that?”

“A blade that can carve through steel like mud. Even when unenchanted, they are superior to enchanted blades of a different make. Something about being folded a thousand times…?”

“Oh. That sword.”

“Such swords truly exist, Your Majesty?”

“They exist, but the rules we went over about equipment durability and hardness still apply. Even if some unknown crafting methods are being used, those swords should still function within the same mechanical framework.”

The Sorcerer King slowed his steps, turning to walk over to a wreck that appeared to be in somewhat decent condition. He cast a spell and four Large Water Elementals appeared before him. They moved according to his unspoken orders, using their bodies to purge the hull of silt and debris.

As they worked, His Majesty quietly scanned their surroundings. Once it seemed that no threats would arise from their activity, he turned to address her.

“Lady Zahradnik,” he said. “Take your company and clear out a yard to store the salvage from all these wrecks. The survey teams are already on their way, but I’d like to go through a few of them myself.”

“It will be done, Your Majesty.”

She jogged away, leaving Lady Shalltear to attend to the Sorcerer King.

Despite moving into ever-increasing concentrations of negative energy, there was still no sign of intelligent Undead manifesting on the plain. As she cleared the already familiar Undead from the area, it occurred to her that they might have not come across any Elder Liches, Vampires or other types of cognizant Undead because they had better things to do than stand in one spot forever. Their chances of just happening to cross paths with one right when they manifested were infinitesimally small.

An Elder Lich might dominate several dozen of the local mindless Undead for personal protection before leaving to find a suitable lair. A Vampire would probably head out to locate a favourable feeding ground. Both appeared semi-frequently in the Adventurer Guild records, so it may have been that they were all originally from the Katze Plains or other negative energy areas. It wasn’t as if they were obliged to draw attention to themselves when they left their place of birth.

Upon her return to the shore, Ludmila found a variety of articles arrayed in front of the wreck. Most appeared to be from broken containers: contents rotted into an unrecognisable state.

The Sorcerer King held a small ironbound chest in his hands, cocking an ‘ear’ as he shook it experimentally beside his head. Lady Shalltear had her Pipette Lance at the ready, as if expecting some world-ending threat to emerge.

After several shakes, the bottom of the chest fell out and its contents spilt to the ground.

“Ah–”

“Look out!”

Lady Shalltear threw herself bodily at His Majesty. The chest flew from the Sorcerer King’s hands, and together they rolled away.

Ludmila walked up to the fallen chest and its contents, bending over to pick up a gold coin. Strangely enough, it was one familiar to her: a gold trade coin. They were twice the weight of a Re-Estize gold coin and accepted in every nation that she knew of.

Turning the coin slowly between her gauntleted fingers, she mused over the fact that these coins were also a piece of history that stretched beyond the 200-year ‘wall’ created by the Demon Gods. Trade currency had no known origin – they had seemingly always been around. Even if one part of the world was destroyed in some calamity, trade would inevitably flow back in from the rest of it as lands were resettled and civilizations rebuilt themselves.

She drew her skirt under her as she squatted to sift through the coins on the ground, looking for one that she did not recognize. It wasn’t long until she found something unfamiliar. The profile of a Human figure was minted onto a gold coin of roughly the same weight as a trade coin.

“What have you found?”

Ludmila looked up to find the Sorcerer King returning to the chest. Shalltear hovered around him, frantically brushing off the dust he had picked up from tumbling over the ground. Ludmila rose to her feet and offered His Majesty the strange gold coin.

“I’ve not seen a coin with this figure before,” she said. “The other coins appear to be gold trade coins commonly found in circulation to this day.”

The Sorcerer King raised the coin in front of him. After a moment, he produced an identical coin from his inventory.

“It appears that we have a connection,” His Majesty said, “though not a specific time period.”

“Where is this coin from, Your Majesty?”

“There are thousands of them in the royal vault of Feoh Berkana,” he replied. “According to the Dwarves, they are from the Human nation that once occupied the entire area around the Azerlisia Mountains.”

His Majesty returned the coin to Ludmila, pressing it into her palm.

“Keep it,” he said. “It may be of use to you in the future.”

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