The Battle of Valaya's Gate ended with the gradual retreat of the participating armies. In the end, the expeditionary forces successfully held Valaya's Gate, repelling the attacks of the Greenskins, Skaven, and undead. Though the losses were heavy, the strategic objective was largely achieved, making it a costly but undeniable victory.
Belegar's dwarf army, originally five thousand strong, suffered only about eight hundred casualties due to Valaya's protection, leaving over 4,200 fully intact. Dwarf runesmith Slude the Honest was promoted to Rune Master and Rune Lord, becoming another Sanctuary-level powerhouse.
For the human forces, the knights and their squires' casualties were relatively acceptable. Of the 4,000 knights who participated, fewer than 1,000 were lost. The squires suffered over 1,800 casualties. The Old Guard, which started with four battalions and 1,500 troops, was reduced to only 1,000 men. The most devastating losses, however, came from the peasant infantry regiments, which had originally numbered fifteen but were reduced to fewer than eight. The total casualties among the 16,000-strong peasant infantry amounted to nearly half, leaving less than 8,000 alive.
Among the mercenaries, Kislev's Seaguard was wiped out, and Leonardo's Leopard Company was scattered. Leonardo himself fled with over 200 survivors, guarding the eagle standard, without entering Valaya's Gate.
The rangers lost about 30% of their forces.
After tallying the casualties, the expeditionary army, including Belegar's 4,200 dwarves, had been reduced from 35,000 to around 20,000.
Skarsnik and his Moon Clan had started the battle with 60,000 troops but retreated to Eight Peaks with fewer than 25,000. The Moon Clan suffered heavy losses among its Big'uns and Boyz warbands, and the powerful Arachnarok Spider swarms were nearly wiped out. The Troll regiments were also left behind in the tunnels. However, the cunning Skarsnik had not committed his elite Black Orc units or his personal Night Goblin guard, the "Eight Peaks Lunatics."
The Skaven of Clan Mors, led by Queek Headtaker, also suffered over 20,000 casualties. Five Stormfiends and six Warp Lightning Cannons were destroyed. Queek had already requested reinforcements from his territory in Karak Vlag.
Neferata's once-innumerable undead army had been decimated, leaving her with only a handful of Lamian vampire sisters when she finally escaped Kalida's pursuit and returned to Silver Peak. As for Kalida and her Labaras army, their losses were minor, but that is a tale for another time.
At this moment, Ryan and the others had no time to dwell on the fates of Kalida and Neferata.
Two hours later, deep within the quiet and ancient dwarf tunnels...
Behind Valaya's Gate lay a new network of dwarf tunnels. Despite the passage of countless years, the tunnels behind the gate had not been affected by any invasion or earthquake, and many ancient runes were still operational.
At the top of the tunnel, under the guidance of Rune Master Slude, ancient rune stones began to glow, revealing a grand underground fortress ahead. The fortress was relatively small, consisting of a main keep and two smaller keeps built inside a deep mountain cave, covering less than a hectare. Two towering statues of Valaya, one of the three chief deities of the dwarves, stood before the underground fortress. The statues depicted a short, stout dwarf woman.
One statue showed the dwarven mother goddess wearing a tall, horned helmet and sporting two large braids. She was clad in a breastplate and chainmail, fully armored, holding a runic battle axe and a shield.
The other statue showed Valaya in a loose robe, cradling a baby and feeding it beer.
It was very dwarf-like.
Belegar Ironhammer led the Angrund clan dwarves in kneeling to honor their great mother goddess. Without her divine guidance and protection, they would never have survived such a brutal war with only 800 casualties.
The human army could only stand in respectful silence. The knights, their armor battered, bowed alongside their king, paying tribute to the dwarven ancestor god. Valaya's power had not only protected the dwarves but had also helped the humans. Neferata's fearsome necromancy had been weakened, unable to raise the dead under Valaya's influence, which had been a great boon to the human army.
A 200-meter-long bridge stretched to the gate of the fortress, lined with glowing stones. Newly promoted Rune Master Slude the Honest led Ryan and Belegar forward, introducing them to the place. "This is the Great Temple of Valaya, also known as the City of Valaya. It is a masterpiece of ancient dwarven runesmiths, the only surviving temple of the three ancestor gods not built within the mountain kingdoms."
"Valaya gave me a vision, bringing me strength and courage," Slude said as they crossed the long bridge to the fortress. Slude activated the runes, and with the sound of gears and dust, a vast hall appeared before them.
The expeditionary army began setting up camp within the empty fortress. The exhausted human soldiers quickly found places to rest, eating simple meals of water and rations before falling into deep sleep. Some were so tired they didn't even remove their armor before collapsing on the floor.
Ryan was also heavily wounded. After arranging things, he bathed and cleaned his wounds before seeking rest in a side chamber.
The dwarves, still full of energy, took up patrol duties to let the human soldiers rest. Valaya's Gate was a key point of defense, but Belegar's rangers soon discovered that the collapse of the Hall of Ancestors had triggered a massive cave-in throughout the surrounding tunnels. It would take decades for the Greenskins, undead, or Skaven to reopen these tunnels, making further attacks unlikely for now.
Belegar personally led a group of rangers on patrol. The King of Eight Peaks felt a wave of emotions. He knew how much Ryan and his army had sacrificed, and if not for Valaya's blessing, the dwarves would have suffered much heavier losses.
After hours of patrolling the deep tunnels, Belegar returned to the City of Valaya, where he was met by Slude the Honest and dwarf clan leader Berrik Northstar, along with his Ironbreakers.
Berrik was in high spirits. "Your Majesty, we inspected the tunnel leading toward the Titan's Gate at Eight Peaks. Fortunately, the ancestor runes are still functioning. Whenever we need it, we can open the path to Eight Peaks. If we don't, no Skaven or Greenskin will be able to find the runic gate in the smooth rock walls."
"Good, it seems we have a safe haven for now." Belegar's face was stern. "Has Brother Ryan woken up?"
"Most of the humans are still resting, but King Ryan and the noble Grail Knights are already awake," Berrik replied with deep respect.
The knights had earned the respect of every dwarf through their valiant efforts.
"We need to discuss how to proceed with Brother Ryan," Belegar said, walking toward the fortress.
In a corner of the City of Valaya, the Grail Knights had gathered. Two of them had fallen in battle, returning to the embrace of the Lady of the Lake.
Ryan, already awake, knelt before the belongings of the fallen knights. Due to the hasty retreat, many knights' bodies had not been recovered or given proper burials.
"Sir Aristide, Sir Frouard, Count Durin, Baron Lopus... Our knight brothers who died in this battle, along with the Old Guard and peasant soldiers who gave their lives for this expedition, their sacrifices have won us this hard-fought victory," Ryan said softly, closing his eyes in sorrow.
Behind him, more than twenty Grail Knights, led by Karad, Fedemond, and Antelm, knelt in unison, paying their respects to the fallen heroes. Among them was Old Guard commander Bertrand. The knights spoke in low voices, "Never forget! Never forgive!"
"Vengeance!" Ryan clenched his hand around the hilt of the Vengeful Goddess.
"Never forget! Never forgive!" the knights shouted again, their eyes burning with the fire of vengeance.
After a brief moment of mourning, Ryan stood up and pulled out a weapon. "Do any of you know who this sword belongs to?"
"This is Blackheart Reppe's sword, Blood of Valor," Karad sighed. "Blackheart Reppe... has also fallen."
"He was a noble warrior. I saw him bravely fight Queek Headtaker, the Skaven warlord, to buy us time," Fedemond added. "He was eventually overwhelmed and killed."
"A noble warrior," Antelm agreed. "I am willing to declare on behalf of the knights that past grievances will be forgiven. He and his independent regiment have earned our respect."
"A noble warrior!" The knights all nodded in agreement. With Blackheart Reppe's death, the knights chose to let past disputes go, recognizing his contributions and the status of his independent regiment.
"After Blackheart Reppe died, his lieutenant Durant tried to recover his body but only managed to retrieve this," Ryan gestured toward the door. Durant, bandaged and limping, entered with a wooden staff. He took Reppe's sword from Ryan and broke down in tears. "Commander!"
Everyone remained silent.
The losses in this war were severe. The knights had fine armor and shields that offered significant protection, but the peasant infantry lacked such defenses
. Greenskins, Skaven, and undead creatures had limited armor-piercing capabilities, but the peasants were far more vulnerable.
Reclaiming Eight Peaks was destined to be a grueling war. To think it could be done in a few decisive battles was naive. If that were the case, Belegar wouldn't have failed three times to retake it, even with the support of the High King's 10,000-strong army.
This expedition was no easy task, and the difficulty of reclaiming Eight Peaks was a testament to the rich rewards promised for its success.
"We will rest here for now," Ryan ordered. "Supplies are sufficient for the moment, and the army needs time to recover. Let everyone settle down and heal their wounds. We'll discuss our next steps with King Belegar."
"Yes!" The knights dispersed.
Ryan turned away, exhaling softly, lost in thought.
The commander of the rangers, Estelle, had also perished. This news came only after the army had retreated into Valaya's Gate. It was only when the final headcount was made that they realized the half-elf had not returned. He had left no final words, and no one knew how he had fallen.
The sacrifices of the expedition weighed heavily on Ryan. Though he had anticipated the difficulties before setting out, knowing the infamy of the Eight Peaks expedition, facing the reality of loss was still painful.
But the rewards of this bloody battle were substantial. After enduring such a brutal conflict, over a hundred knights had ascended to the Legendary rank. One Grail Knight and one expedition knight had even broken through to the Sanctuary rank.
Ryan himself was on the cusp of breaking into the high-level Sanctuary rank.
Among the Old Guard, 73 soldiers had also ascended to the Legendary rank.
The sound of high heels echoed from afar as a graceful figure embraced the knight king from behind. The scent of rose perfume filled Ryan's senses as a soft voice whispered in his ear, "My dear, this wasn't your fault. You did your best. You took on both Neferata and Gjöll, achieving what was thought impossible."
"Veronica..." Ryan turned and hugged the Garland witch. "Is there something you need?"
"King Belegar asked for you, my dear," Veronica said, standing on her toes to kiss him lightly on the lips. "There's a new discovery in the main temple."
"Alright, let's go together."
Ten minutes later, at the Great Temple of Valaya.
The grand and solemn hall was adorned with thousands of glowing ancient runes. The towering statue of Valaya stood at the center of the hall, over 40 meters tall. Ryan and Belegar walked side by side, while hundreds of glowing stones illuminated the hall under the power of the runes.
The people entering the hall seemed minuscule as they passed through golden arches and radiant corridors, listening to Rune Master Slude's explanations.
"Valaya foresaw, long, long ago, that one day the dwarves might face unprecedented disaster, and the glory of the mountains would fade. So she chose not to place her great temple within the mountain kingdoms but instead buried it deep underground, ensuring that our civilization might survive in times of crisis."
The doors of the temple's armory were opened, revealing row upon row of dwarf rune-crafted equipment that stretched as far as the eye could see. Slude proudly declared, "The temple stores enough rune gear and weapons to equip several dwarf regiments. The ancestor runesmiths selflessly crafted these weapons and armor, along with many fine war machines, to be used when the time comes. I have already started having the young beardlings modify some of the rune equipment. Brother Ryan, these weapons will certainly help your cause... our cause."
"Indeed!" Both Ryan and Belegar couldn't hide their excitement, nodding eagerly.
"There's also a dwarf forge deep within the fortress, stocked with three doomsday anvils, hundreds of tons of meteoric iron and mithril, countless stores of steel, and a fully functional dwarf weapons workshop. We can repair our broken equipment, forge new armor and weapons, and craft new war machines right here," Slude continued, pressing a rune in front of the ancestor statue. "Many functions of the fortress remain to be explored. Although ancient, I must say these technologies far surpass those of the current mountain kingdoms."
With a rumble, a massive platform rose from the center of the hall, lifting everyone to the second floor of the Great Temple. On this level, a map of the dwarven mountain kingdoms and countless murals depicting the deeds of their ancestors glowed under the light of glowing stones and the divine aura of the dwarf ancestors. Ancient dwarven music and hymns filled the air, telling the story of the kingdom's past glory.
With a voice full of pride and sorrow, Slude said, "We are standing on the creation of the dwarves' most glorious era. Back then, our civilization was like the brightest Grimnir meteoric iron, illuminating the mountains and the universe."
The dense network of underground tunnels was displayed in full on the map of the mountain kingdoms.
"All the information on the tunnels has been updated. My king, Brother Ryan, now we can prepare our next move under the guidance of the ancestors," Slude concluded.
"Excellent!" Belegar's voice was filled with excitement. The King of Eight Peaks tightened his grip on his holy hammer. "With this fortress and Valaya's blessing, we will surely reclaim Eight Peaks and restore our homeland!"
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