Enzi's Irregulars Act II - The Storm Front Arrives Page 4

  “This tale starts with one of our females,” Ritter said, “Her name was Freya Soulforge. She was the greatest smith of her time and was to be married to the heir of the clan. Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. The great hall of Velindre was assaulted as giants broke through the great mountain walls. The terrible giants battled the warriors of the Soulforge clan and were quickly driven off. All seemed well. However, the great heir to the clan was missing, He had been kidnapped.”

  “The clan leader had several sons, however, and named his second son to be heir. If his first son had been captured, he would certainly die at the hands of the giants. Their first priority was to rebuild the mountain wall that protected the city, to make it stronger than ever. After that, vengeance would be sought against the giants for the attack and slaughter. Freya's marriage would now be to the new heir. This did not sit well with her, however. She had fallen in love with the first son. She would not give up on him. There are few things in this world as unstoppable as a Halz woman with a goal.”

  “I find it hard to believe your people would just give up on him and attach Freya to a different fiance,” Eurysa hissed.

  “This was when giants ruled the world above the ground,” Ritter replied, “Militarily we were not match for them. What little we even knew of them meant we believed they kidnapped people in order to eat them. Our people felt that any lost were already dead, as any that tried to rescue them were slain or captured as well. Our vengeance was meted out in strategic raids, especially using our engineering skills to act as sappers on their buildings.”

  “As for a new fiance, that is not unusual for a female Halz. Even in those times when we were at our most fertile, only one in ten children was female. Keeping the population from shrinking was important to our kind, and most Halz women spent most of their young lives bearing children. A Halz who could no longer bear children often was too old to join in more youthful activities. Most end up as leaders of various sorts. Our teachers for most subjects are our women, their knowledge is invaluable. Those who are more physically inclined become the hearth guard, warriors who protect our youngest from harm. They are widely considered to be among the best warriors of the Halz.”

  “We had lived all our lives in the mountains, we knew nothing of how the world above ground worked. We were about to learn. Freya pulled out her personal armory. She had crafted the finest of weapons and armor for herself to hone her skills. Nothing like them existed anywhere in the world. She had perfected the art of steel, far stronger than our iron or bronze armaments of the time.”

  “Bronze?” Eurysa asked, “This must have been quite long ago.”

  Ritter nodded, “It is true. Although we do sometimes make ceremonial armors of bronze even now as a tribute to our past. The clan leader was determined that Freya would not leave, that it was too dangerous and would only result in the loss of another Halz. The fact that it was someone who was both a woman and with such excellent craft skills only made the desire she not be lost even stronger.”

  “The attempt to lock her in her room until she came to her senses failed. The guards were found unconscious the next morning and Freya was long gone. The great clan hold went into mourning for her loss. Her death was assumed as there was certainly no way to catch her. She knew all the secret ways, and even if she did not, there was a massive hole to the outside that the giants had created.”

  “Freya followed the trail of the giants. She found their encampment and saw her fiance alive in a cage. He was not the only creature caged there. She understood the tongue of giants, many of the Halz had learned it so that we could better defend against them. It is far easier when you know what your foes words and plans mean. She overheard that the giants did not eat people of any kind, they were using the various people they captured as labor. The Halz were valued for their engineering expertise.”

  “Even with the power of steel, Freya knew she was no match for the giants. Yet the news that her love was valuable to the giants and would be treated well meant that she had time to rescue him. Thus she began a quest to find people who would aid her in her quest. She visited the clan halls of the other Halz. Most thought her tale insane. As the creativity and inspiration of the Soulforge clan were quite often mixed with madness, Freya was easy to brush off in their minds. However, there were those in each hold who held out hope that their relatives remained alive. She slowly gathered a few boon companions to follow her.”

  “There was Gunther Goldbeard for one. He was a portly Halz who had turned to drink when his son had been stolen. He was not much use as a warrior, but Freya admired his determination. He gave up his drink and traveled with her on the quest to rescue his son. By his reckoning, he was of no use to his people as he was. The hope to see his son again drove him.”

  “Another was Ulf Silveraxe. He had no one to rescue in the most literal of senses. His family had been slain in a raid by giants. He was out for revenge. He had honed himself into a deadly warrior. Without Freya intervention, it was likely he would have gone on a suicidal attack. He was wise enough to recognize that as a team, the group might actually effect some real vengeance on the giants.”

  “Then there were the twins Barnard and Barrett of the Orcdoom clan. Like many of the Orcdoom at the time, they one one of a large number of offspring. They wished to prove themselves on an adventure, or at least to prove one or the other was the best. They had long been in competition with each other, as well as all their older siblings.”

  “Perhaps the most intelligent of the group was Klaus Stonehammer. He was a student of many fields and he leapt at a chance to study and document the giants. He figured that anything they could learn about the giants could eventually be used to defeat this ancient enemy. He was enormous for a Halz but had never believed in violence. Still, Freya valued his wisdom and his keen tactical mind.”

  “Dietrich Diamondheart promised a small retinue of warriors to aid the cause, but that he needed to see the situation for himself before he would commit his resources. The Diamondheart clan had long suffered some of the worst losses to the giants. If this was an opportunity to strike at the giants in a way that would cripple them, then his clan would certainly provide enough warriors to give the giants pause.”

  “Otto Platinum was the last of the Halz to join the cause. At first it seemed that none of my clan would join Freya. We had never been attacked by the giants and felt quite safe from their depredations. Otto had the wisdom to see past the politics of hiding. He had long felt that the isolationist tendencies of my people caused more problems than they solved. As Freya was leaving our great hold, he made a stealthy escape to join the company.”

  “Freya dared not return to her own clan hold. She feared they would capture her and try to hold her for her own good. All the other clans had deemed her words likely the ravings of the insane, only her status as the female of another clan kept her from being imprisoned by any of them. The rarity of our females meant a great many codes that protect them from harm, persecution, or prosecution by other clans unless there was a direct threat of harm to the people of that clan. Even then the role of justice was merely to capture the female unharmed and return her to her home clan for restitution.”

  “However, eight Halz with few warriors among them was not enough to rescue the heir to the Soulforge clan. Freya's first goal was to take the group through the land and show them what the giants were truly up to. Then she could have aid from the Diamondheart clan at the very least. All of the Halz were quickly shocked at how easy it was to travel through the land without being attacked. While each giant was mighty, they were relatively few and could not be everywhere.”

  “The group studied the giants and their movements for many months. Then in the far south they spotted something odd. The giants had taken prisoners, but they were not Halz. They were a race we had never seen before. It was the elves. Freya had found the potential for new allies in her quest. Finding the home of the elves would be impossible for Freya, but the elves fo
und us first. They were suspicious of Freya, especially as our only common language was that of the giants.”

  “However, as they had lived above ground for all their lives, they had seen the giants take other Halz as prisoners. They agreed that being able to deprive the giants of their captives was a good plan. They wanted their own people returned as well and promised to mobilize a great many elves to aid the cause. For now they sent a mere three with the group to scout out the situation and to help convince the Halz to send more soldiers. The elves saw our great clan halls and met our people.”

  “They were astounded by our knowledge of smithing and engineering. Our people were amazed by their knowledge of nature and of the lands above. Even the Soulforge clan sent representatives. Soon Freya was leading a small army of Halz. They were joined by a small army of elves. Freya led a mighty attack on the fortress that stood near here, the ruins we now call Center Point. Most of the slaves were kept there. The battle was ferocious, but the giants were not expecting to be attacked.”

  “Freya had won the battle to free her love, but the war had just begun. The madness of the Soulforge clan had been manifested fully, but it was not in Freya. There is a reason I have not used the name of her love, the long lost heir to the Soulforge clan. It is because I do not know it. His name was scrubbed from all records and he was cast from the names of the Halz for all time. His madness had led him down a dark path. The attack on the Soulforge clan hold had not been random.”

  “He had led the giants there and they made a distraction so that he could escape. He had no love for Freya or his fellow Halz. His sole love was in creation. As heir to the clan leadership, he would have no time for engineering and construction. His duty would keep him from his true love. With that knowledge, he snapped. There were many paths he could have taken to flee his duty, but in his madness he chose the one with death and destruction. He wanted not just freedom, but to destroy his shackles without mercy.”

  “Madness runs deep in the Soulforge clan it is said. Learning of the betrayal of her love broke Freya. It is said the roar she unleashed that day could be heard across the continent. That is where this tale turns dark indeed.”

  Enzi's Irregulars #0027

  Ritter continued his tale, “Freya's axe cut through giant after giant as she sought to reach her fiance. Her brave companions fell one by one as they sought to keep her alive. Finally she reached the one she had loved. It is said that blood poured from a hundred wounds. The villain was unharmed and ready for her. With a simple swipe of his weapon he beheaded the fair maiden. What was left of the small army retreated. Of her closest companions, only Barrett Orcdoom survived.”

  “Ulf Silveraxe carried her body away from the traitor and the giants, despite the wounds he took as he could not defend himself. The elves then rescued Freya's corpse and took it to be honored among their people for her work in freeing the elven prisoners. The Halz retreated, most of their forces destroyed in the great battle. Trade relations began with the elves and the Halz began to build a great army to honor Freya. Eventually an elven delegation arrived at the Soulforge clan hall with a magnificent coffin that held the remains of Freya Soulforge.”

  “She was honored there and her treacherous love had his named stripped from him. It was with this that the elves and the Halz became allies. The relationship was sometimes rocky as they were not Halz and we did not entirely trust them. Yet eventually our two armies joined forces and together we could fight off the giants. Life became much easier, especially as steel became common for both sides.”

  Kava snorted, “So where is the elven evil in this?”

  Ritter sighed, “For many years we thought little of the ramifications of the incident. The trade with the elves brought rare materials to us and we provided iron ore to them. We did not think much of their quick mastery over iron and steel. We took many generations to perfect it. The loss of Freya's knowledge had delayed our perfection of the process for quite some time.”

  “After the elves betrayed us, our historians discovered many things. We had not paid much attention to the one thing that was missing from Freya's remains. Her armor and weapons. The elves had kept the steel to analyzed it with their magic. They kept a relationship with us so that we could provide the raw materials. They had many motives for aiding us. The release of the enslaved elves and the weakening of the giants we knew. Yet they had other plans from the start. They wanted to learn our technology and use our resources. Certainly we would have aided them if they asked. Yet they not only did not ask, they did not provide us with the information they had learned from Freya's equipment. The Halz could have mastered steel much sooner if they had been willing to share.”

  “That really isn't that evil,” Kava replied.

  “No,” Ritter said, “It was just the beginning. As they learned more of us, they found more important things they wished to harvest from us. This was just an example that even when our relationship was at its most honest and pure, they still had a secret agenda.”

  ***

  Enzi's wagon sat near the Tarvo Forest. It was close to Hirkan territory. As spring had come, the Hirkans had begun to head southwards, following the great herds of Snow Elk as they migrated. Only the permanent trading center known as Kanea kept any Hirkans in the north. Those Hirkans stayed to protect their forest from being logged. Enzi was already in discussion with one of those Hirkans.

  The Hirkan was quite large, as far as humans went. Most Hirkans were quite powerfully built. He was no match for Aldebaran, but the Hirkan towered over Enzi. The Hirkan had ragged blonde hair and was sparsely dressed. The Hirkans were used to colder weather, so any that remained further north as spring and summer came often shed as much as their clothing and armor as they could spare. It was one of the things that gave them a reputation as savages.

  Ritter pondered that point. The Feergrus often went with very little clothing, but were not considered savages. However, he guessed that it was only one thing and that every culture had at least one thing different about them. Otherwise he assumed all of them would just all be the same country. The Hirkans certainly had a great many other reasons that people considered them savages. They did not build towns for one thing. Their attitude towards possessions was another. Since they did not believe in owning things they could not carry with them, that led to a great many misunderstandings where they would take things that were laying around. They were often called thieves and scavengers.

  Enzi soon returned to his mercenaries, “We have a job.”

  “I hope we get to hurt something,” Kava croaked.

  Mayitso snorted. He kept giving glances towards the forest. He was uncomfortable about something, but it was hard to tell what it exactly was. The lycanthrope's communication skills were poor, especially since in wolf form he could not even speak in a human tongue. Eurysa and Aldebaran calmly sat and listened. Eurysa's calm came naturally to her. The minotaur's calm was practiced. He breathed carefully and kept his focus. Aldebaran kept himself under control as much as he could. He made it a habit.

  Ritter had heard many hints that the minotaur had a terrible past because of his anger issues. He wondered if he would ever get the chance to hear the story. For now, though his curiosity disappeared as Enzi began to describe the Hirkan job. It seemed they were having problems with the Vashimi for a change. They were used to dealing with the normal threats from the Disputed Lands and arguments with the Tarvoni, but the Vashimi usually stayed hidden in their swamps.

  This was definitely a mission for Kava. She knew the Vashimi and their swamps. The Marsh of Vashim was her home. The five mercenaries soon trudged off into the woods as Enzi remained behind with the wagon and the Hirkan. Being this close to the Marsh of Vashim also meant the group was quite close to the borders of Feergrus. Ritter wondered what that land was like. What he had heard of it was that it was mostly dry and barren. This made for quite a contrast with the Marsh of Vashim. Obviously the whole country could not be that dry, it made no sense as it was bordere
d by the ocean, a river, and a marsh for three of its sides.

  As the trees of the Tarvo forest shaded Ritter from the powerful star Feras, he felt the chill of the spring. Summer would come soon enough but the group was headed southwards. Until they neared the swamps, he expected the temperatures to continue to drop. The evergreen trees that made up the Tarvo Forest held the chill well. The group traveled for several days until Ritter noticed the trees begin to change. The warmth of the marsh allowed for very different breeds of trees to survive. Deciduous trees were the first clue they were nearing the swamp.

  Kava took the lead. Her caution was a warning to the rest of the group. Ritter was used to her rushing into situations. Yet here the vodyanoi was peering at every leaf as if it might jump out and attack her. It seemed it was for good reason. Spears flew from multiple directions as Kava rolled out of their path. A dozen Vashimi leapt out of every hiding place imaginable. Some came down from the trees. Some came out of bushes. Others leapt through the ground, obviously out of pits they had dug and camouflaged.

  The Vashimi were extraordinarily pale and gaunt. While some had mistaken Mayitso's human form as Vashimi, seeing the real thing up close left a very different impression on Ritter. He could clearly see their veins working beneath the surface of their nearly translucent skin. It was ghoulish. Mayitso's human form was certainly far more pale than a Tarvoni or Hirkan, but not to the same level as a Vashimi. The Shimese people were just unnerving. It did not help that their noses were flattened, giving the a resemblance to a pig.

  As the Vashimi that attacked were usually from the cannibal tribes, that also meant they would be adorned with horrifying mementos of their victims. These Vashimi were no exception to that. As they screamed, Ritter could see that they had filed their teeth into murderous points. It made them look like monsters. Ritter felt a few thrown spears bounce off his armor as he charged into battle. His foes wore no armor and used primitive weapons. Metal was rare among the Shimese people, reserved for their leaders and greatest warriors. However, that meant this battle was wildly lopsided.