After they earned some reprieve from the initial assault, they took two actions. Argrave and Anneliese set to work charting out more of this land. Argrave used blood-infused electric eels to deliberately carve out areas of the Shadowlands, and Anneliese worked to replace what he burnt away. The terrain that took place before them was a land of vast canyons, mesas, and valleys with treacherous falls into places where Argrave was certain Shadowlanders lurked. It remained devoid of color.
According to Roland, who could mark lifeforms he saw and keep track of them, the horseman and the dragon both lingered on the outside edge of the shadow, retreating as necessary where Argrave revealed more. To that end, Argrave made it a point to clear out a near-perfect circle around them so they couldnât be snuck up on as Argrave had with his life-or-death encounter with that rider.
The heroes of old, meanwhile, set to work fortifying this plateau that theyâd found themselves stranded atop. It was slow-going at first, but eventually they all delegated their responsibilities efficiently and created a formidable perch that was closed off to the outside world. It wouldnât last long against the Shadowlanders outright assault, but it was only meant to give them timeâor at the very least, an advantage if another battle was soon to come.
Eventually, progress stalled at clearing away the surroundings. Something was pushing back against Argraveâs efforts to burn it awayâreplacing what shadows were lost. It was near the location where that tower had been, confirming it wasnât mere coincidence that place had been reclaimed. It had been the only fragment of civilization Argrave could see from the Shadowlanders, and that likely meant it was important. Still, with a sizable area translated into something they could comprehend, Argrave and Anneliese joined the others inside of the fortress. Bhaltair used his undead to watch the ground, while the Archchiefâs wyvern kept a handle on the skies. For now, threats came from neither.
âAt present, we are troops cut off from our supply lines,â Anneliese explained to everyone, her amber eyes standing out in the darkness of this fortress. They had elected to forego their code inside this base, giving everyoneâs voice equal weight. âDespite that tremendous show of prowess, we spent more energy than we absorbed from our foes. And Iâm sure that you all can feel something rather acutely, being spellcasters.â
âThereâs no magic here,â someone answeredâhard to tell who. âThe only way that we can recover magic is through Anneliese.â
âAnneliese and me,â Argrave added. His eyes were gray, and seemed part and parcel of this strange new world. âTo recover, I have to killâspecifically, I have to kill with blood magic. And on the subject of our enemy⊠Anneliese has verified that they have a hierarchy binding them by some mysterious power. Thus far, weâve determined only four strata. The lowest are those we killed. Higher up was the dragon. Above the dragon was that horseman. But the horseman had someone above him.â
âAssuming they do have a hierarchy, that means that theyâre organized. And if theyâre organized, great leagues of them will be arriving soon. During the age I fought Gerechtigkeit, Shadowlanders of similar strength appeared endlessly,â Felipe I said.
Voices clamored out in agreementâsome expressed unease at the fact they were lingering for so long in this fortress when beings as powerful as the horseman roamed around. No one necessarily agreed, but most saw the benefit of planning.
âIt is strange we didnât see those âendlessâ numbers immediately,â the Archchief said, his golden eyes flickering open and closed as he concentrated on what his undead wyvern saw as it flew above, scouting. âBack when they fell upon us, they erupted forth from their breaches as though the land was an overcrowded mess. I expected to meet walls of them, not a mere eighty-seven on the ground and a few dozen in the air.â
âTheir numbers on the mortal realm could be explained by their haste to leave the area causing them to crowd,â Ghislain pointed out, his green gaze sharp. âRegardless, we waste time discussing the why of the matter. Whoever said that leagues of them may be coming had the best pointâwe are tested for time, here. We need to develop a strategy to hunt down Traugott now that weâve assessed the lay of the land. If we donât have a solid strategy, weâll be nothing more than blind men fumbling about through the desert.â
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Argrave thought of Durran. They had chosen to leave him behind because he hadnât been able to develop the combat ability the Fruit of Being bestowed. Now, however, the hunting blessings bestowed by Stout Heart Swan might lend them the power they needed to track down the shadowy bastard even in this place. Argrave briefly considered if he might have made a mistake⊠but Durranâs life couldnât be risked with it tied so closely to Garmâs power, and he might be needed to protect against enemies in Argraveâs absence.
Still, the problem remainedâthey lacked a way to easily track down Traugott in this abyssal realm. None of them had expected this place to be as strange as it was, nor to remain so wholly difficult to conquerâArgrave had thought Traugott would be easily found with the skillsets of those present, then perhaps heâd flee or be forced out of the Shadowlands where their proponents on the mortal realm could finish the job. Perhaps that had been endlessly na?ve. As the situation was, they were humans hunting a lone dolphin in the oceanânamely, out of their environment, while hunting something in its environment.
Bhaltair proposed that his undead all be unleashed and equipped with blood magic to comb the place, but even with their added numbers it remained a difficult prospect to find the needle in the haystack. Mistislav and his considerable mastery over earth magic proposed clearing more and more land so he could then detect any and all living things wandering the surface. That remained in consideration, but it wasnât foolproof.
âWeâre all forgetting a rather key detail,â said Balzat, amber eyes looking between all. âThat horseman spoke.â
People went silent for a few moments. Another interjected, âHe spoke nonsense. None of what he said made any sense.â
âNot to us. Not yet. Maybe it is nonsense, or maybe itâs something more that we donât understand. But he did speak,â Emperor Chu countered. âAnd heâs clearly intelligent. He thought of a plan of attack, and specifically targeted Argrave of everyone after seeing the style in which we fought.â đđ«đđđđđđđšđđđ.đ°đšđș
âNot to mention Annelieseâs claims of a hierarchy places him at the relative top. Failing attempts to communicate or pry information from him, we could use him merely to follow it up the chain,â Balzat expounded on his proposal.
âFollow up the chain? Given the trend, you want us to pursue greater enemies? That sounds utterly ridiculous,â Aurore disagreed harshly.
âWe lack direction,â Argrave spoke loudly. âEveryoneâs presented good ideas thus far, but they lack one thing in commonâdirection. Seeking the hierarchy solves that. Perhaps it helps us gain a better grasp on our enemy. Perhaps Traugott is the king of all things evil, sipping wine on his throne of skulls while his Shadowlander slaves hunt us all. Either way, it helps us learn more about this strange realm. Right now, thatâs the most important thing. So, Balzatâs rightâwe chase after the horseman, dangerous though it might be.â
Argrave could tell there was a little bitterness left in the air, but they had all agreed to follow his lead. In the end, assent followed shortly after. The only complication remained how they might snare such a fearsome foe without killing him outright.
The abyss stared out at this scene so foreign to its realm. Its fabric was not repeated indefinitely, as it was supposed toâinstead, there was a great tear in its being, a chasm in its foundation: light. The light spread more and more, bringing whites and grays that before had only been something the abyss would expel its detritus upon. There was land where it had never before existed, and there were mortal laws of existence dictated on that which was not mortal. It was wholly wrong, and needed to be remedied.
An individual that was part of the abyss stared upon this scene with especial disdain. Though he had discovered he was capable of restoring the abyss back to its rightful glory, the fact remained that they had been pushed back. Their strength was not what it could be. The cycle was not at its zenith, and the Hopeful could not embolden them as he often did. And worse yet, they fought on multiple fronts.
In this place, the individuals comprising the totality of the abyss could not speak as mortals did. But whether here or there, his authority and force of will remained strong. He called some of those beneath him, and they appeared as quickly as they were bound to. To them, he gave a command. In that command was a report to a superior. It bore a simple message.
The Manumitter may not be alone. The threat is more than existential. Communication is possible, but ill-advised. Advice: use extreme force.