It was still far from over. A real battle isn't a computer game. So what if I captured their leader and crushed their plan to eliminate command structure? Heavy fighting was still raging in the distance, especially on the northern front near Mago.
One of the Isma shamans — Isai, his grandson — informed me of everything.
"Great Artax…" he said, fighting back tears. "Take command! Save our tribes!"
Not even for a moment did the serious expression leave my face. My second head was still devouring an orc, while the third was scanning the surroundings ominously, ready for battle. What nonsense! I felt like I was going to shit myself from fear! Hundreds of eyes were drilling into my body like a drill.
The stench of feces. The howls of the wounded and pools of blood. What a mess, what madness must have taken hold of them to make them kill their own kin? And for some fool who sold them into slavery and groveled to those sadistic orcs!?
A necklace made of green fingers around the neck of one of the fallen said more than enough.
"Listen up! Impale the great orc's head on a spear and ride out to announce their defeat across the battlefield! Let it be known far and wide that Artax — the Messenger of Zod — has returned!"
"Yes, O Great Devourer," the young shaman replied. His yellow eyes were teary, and the marks of yellow grass were mixed with blood and mud. "Forward! For the glory of Zod! For the glory of the queen! Follow me!"
I watched them rush on wolves straight into places where the battle was still burning at its hottest. I, meanwhile, stayed with the wounded, my companions, and several dozen goblins guarding over 200 prisoners. I had to act fast. Every moment of delay cost more green lives.
"I don't fully understand what's going on, but let's have some fun! Let's show them what lizardfolk can do!" shouted San'Xa'Hu, and many echoed him.
Jo'Xa'Jaru silenced them with a single hand gesture and turned to me:
"Let San'Xa'Hu stay here with the wounded and the medics. They'll have enough work, and keeping this rabble in check is better left in good hands," he said, casting a stern look at Koshia, who was writhing and struggling.
I nodded and moved out first. We had already wasted enough time. Banyak followed us, even though arrows were still stuck in his body. Who would've thought that brat would become useful? No wonder they used to sacrifice people to minotaurs in mythology! Who in their right mind would want to fight such a mass of muscle?
From everywhere I could hear the sounds of battle. I found Gyrd, who was still standing by Borg's corpse and had no intention of letting it be dishonored. Riders announced victory, and upon hearing of Koshia's defeat, shields with a red serpent devouring its own tail fell to the ground. Large masses of enemies began fleeing east, toward dense forests, just to get away.
"After them! Don't let them escape, warriors of Zod!"
Jo threw a spear from maybe thirty meters away and pierced an enemy goblin who was about to strike one of ours lying on the ground. He rushed forward and roared:
"Forward! Let the earth tremble! Let the God of the Sword guide your blades!"
Gyrd dodged a spear thrust, rolled to the side, and then, pushing off like a bowstring, drove her dagger straight into the enemy's throat. "Take that, you freak!"
I could feel thousands of auras in the distance. I saw the enemy lines breaking. The orange sky hung above me, the forest growing darker and wilder before my eyes. The air trembled with anger and fear, as if the earth itself sensed that this was only the beginning of something much greater. And then I saw her…
In the distance, above the collapsing front line, I saw her. Valeria — wearing a white crown placed on her by Isma — was sitting on the back of a gigantic black wolf, larger than any I had ever seen. Its eyes burned with wild fire, and each leap tore the ground apart beneath its paws. Around her swirled hundreds of goblins, fighting side by side with her beast, as if her very presence suppressed their fear and ignited their will to fight. Her figure was calm, almost motionless amid the chaos — and yet wherever she looked, enemies died. I sighed heavily. Right… my vampire girl in a crown, riding a giant wolf, commanding an army like it was a casual afternoon stroll. Seriously, does she ever do anything normally?
The battle ended. The last enemy officers surrendered. Those who didn't flee gave up. A few fanatics were killed. The last squad — maybe thirty hobgoblins — rushed toward me, Red Serpent symbols on their armor, but Jo'Xa'Jaru, wielding a captured glaive, cut down three of them in a single swing. Banyak roared and smashed the shield of a young goblin foaming at the mouth, breaking his arm, then the hoof of a bull crushed his face, ending him.
Arrows from all sides, relentless attacks, and the charge of an enormous, energetic goblin army from the rear! How could we possibly lose now?
I don't know how she did it. I don't know how they endured a full day of fighting under such odds, or how she gathered hundreds — if not thousands — of eastern goblins willing to fight, not to mention entire units dropping their weapons at the sight of her!
The black wolf banner with red eyes dominated the battlefield. It was done.
"The Alliance has won! Glory to Zod! Glory to the God of the Sword!" roared voices tearing through the sky.
Hah! Damn superstitions. Thank that pale skinny girl. Without her, even those few dozen lizardmen wouldn't have changed the outcome. Not to mention me with level 31 and the one-horned minotaur, still wounded after the arena battles.
"Great Artax! Thank you for your arrival. Your help was invaluable!"
A young goblin whose face looked familiar spoke to me with full seriousness — dirty, exhausted, holding his shoulder as blood flowed from it.
"Take me to the queen, brave warrior! Let our forces spread the news of our victory! The Alliance blessed by ancient behemoths could not lose to heretics. To traitors of mighty Zod!"
My voice, though theatrically composed, was slightly breaking. Where is Zoggo? Where is that scrappy goblin good with a spear? Just thinking that Doirak lay gravely wounded, Isma was dead, Borg, Shoma, and Nut… it made me weak. Humanly speaking, I felt sorry for them.
To think that all of this started because of our ideas with Valeria — about being chosen by a cataclysm beast and creating some kingdom — makes me feel sick. Everywhere I looked, there were corpses and the cries of the wounded and dying, so loud and horrifying they tore at the heart. Each of them had a story. Each of them paid a huge price today…
All because of our inventions.
My heart was in my throat. I saw her gaze. Her two-colored eyes, and the first sign of uncertainty on her face, quickly hidden behind a smile. She dismounted from the giant wolf — maybe four times larger than normal! — and wiping her black blade on a cloth, she walked over corpses straight toward me. She had something about her… You could feel she wasn't a normal NPC. She didn't walk. She strode. Every movement was like it had been trained, wrapped in something called grace. Her long hair flowed in the wind.
"Brave warriors of the famous Black Wolf tribe. Here comes Artax the Great Devourer. Messenger of Zod and my most loyal servant. The right hand of the kingdom and the one who fulfilled his mission and returned when the time came to save this battle!"
Clever girl. The riders of Gyrd must have already told her everything. Otherwise she wouldn't have come up with such a speech on the spot. Some goblins were stunned. They knelt and bowed, looking between her and me.
Troublesome bunch. One elder with a beard braided into three plaits, level 42, one bald youngster with a missing ear and an eye patch, level 44, and that damn wolf I have no idea where she got! It was longer than the others, with grey-tipped fur on its face and legs, almost lion-like mane! And that massive triple tail and fangs like knives. Not to mention level 76! MADNESS!!!
"As you commanded, my queen! I went west to seek the help of the mighty ray lizardmen for the war! During my journey I performed an ancient ritual and asked the spirits of these lands for omens of war! They were favorable. Great warriors arrived, and I myself experienced evolution. The battle has been won, and the day of Zod's arrival draws nearer! Glory to Queen Valeria Nocturne! The Great Unifier!"
Clashing weapons against shields! Joyful cries and wolf howls. The entire earth trembled.
"From today, all goblin and hobgoblin tribes south of the White Stone River will follow the chosen one of the ancient behemoths. Traitors will be punished! Enemies destroyed! For the glory of the green race!" shouted a hobgoblin with a three-braided beard, a massive shield, and black armor — old and damaged.
Valeria kept playing her role to the end, though I could feel her aura fluctuating. The little queen was stressed! I could barely hold back a snort, but the giant grey-aura wolf walking past me and staring at me brought me back to reality. What is that!? How did she… Oh right! She probably hypnotized him.
"What do you command, daughter of Varyn…" a deep voice, like it came from stone, echoed from the black-gray beast's jaws. "Time is short… Soon humans will come from the coast…"
He spoke directly to her like a counselor. Like someone completely obedient to her and… hmm… like someone intelligent? He didn't say anything extraordinary, but his tone alone told me he wasn't born yesterday. The others didn't dare oppose him.
Soon we headed toward the hill. Hundreds of goblins ran across the battlefield, searching for family members, rescuing the wounded, performing rituals for the fallen…
The ground was filled with an awful stench of smoke, feces, oils, and perfumes. For someone with a sharp sense of smell like mine, it was pure torture. All three of my heads suffered, and even the second — red-eyed — hadn't eaten anything in half an hour, not even a blade of grass!
Valeria ensured Doirak was cared for. "I forbid you to die," she told him when he briefly regained consciousness. Mago arrived from the north and received orders to march west with a third of the remaining forces, to ensure the remnants wouldn't raid the capital. Gyrd, meanwhile, was to go east with about 300 riders to maintain order. Time was critical. Full annexation of these lands was approaching. Only the rebellious villages remained to be subdued and victory proclaimed.
Eventually, darkness covered the land. Cold winds from the east shook the tents and flags of dozens of tribes. The field hospitals were overcrowded, and the troops had no strength left to celebrate. The lizardmen were gathered in a large tent made of Black Wolf tribe hides as honored guests. Jo'Xa'Jaru was treated almost like a god, and many wanted him to join their tribes, though he refused outright!
As for me, I was thinking about what would come next. I had vanished almost without a trace. I had nearly died in the undergrounds and seen things no one here would believe. And she — my "friend," huh — hadn't spoken to me more than once in hours…
I stood in front of her tent. The giant wolf slept nearby. Two guards — one with three Yellow Grass marks on his shield and another with a black wolf insignia — sat struggling to stay awake.
I decided I had to go in and explain myself. My heart was pounding like crazy. I felt like I was back in elementary school, when a group of guys had arranged with a girl to expose me as a peeping Tom, and I had to stand in front of the teacher's office and explain myself as an innocent person to everyone's amusement.
I had grown, I had become a bloodthirsty lizardman killing and tearing enemies apart, and yet inside I was still that shy, useless guy… sigh.
The giant wolf glanced at me sideways, studied me, nodded, and went back to sleep. The two guards stomped their feet, greeted me, and stepped aside. The entrance to the queen's tent was open.
I swallowed hard, calmed my two remaining heads, and feeling the restless aura around me, I knew groms were about to fall on me…
I forced myself, and went in.
"ARTAX!!! You idiot!!! I thought you ran away! That you left me alone because I scolded you back then!!! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she cried, throwing herself around my neck. A powerful vampire girl crying like a child! Not what I expected! But I enjoyed it nonetheless...