The Empress of Beasts, page 61
part #13 of The Wandering Inn Series
He shook his head.
“There’s no point to being a [Warrior] if you’re a Fraerling. Not if you want to do anything with the tall folk. Oh, you can turn the tides and we have ways of dealing with huge foes, but it’s just a waste of levels when you get down to it. A Level 60 Fraerling [Warrior] can kill even a Griffin, but they’ll still die if you stomp on them a few times.”
“What about magic?”
Umina offered that uncertainty. Niers snorted.
“Ever seen a [Fireball] cast by a Fraerling [Mage]? Size isn’t everything where magic is concerned, but it matters. There’s this book by a Drake that goes into body mass and magic. Grimalkin—I think there’s a copy in the library. Anyways, that can be better, but Fraerlings are still too small. It’s literally too hard for us to weave larger spells; we can throw tiny [Fireballs] all day, but that’s not exactly what you need, is it?”
He shook his head.
“No. Fraerlings have to hide because we’re in danger. We can protect ourselves from rats; our [Warriors] can hack through a colony at high levels, but those are small threats. Big ones? No Fraerling can match an adventurer from another species. I knew that, growing up. I couldn’t stand with other species as a [Warrior] or a [Mage]. I didn’t want to be a [Crafter]. But there was one class that didn’t care how big you were. And that was…”
“[Strategist].”
Both his students exhaled. The Titan’s lessons were often circular, but they always came back to the point via story or example. He nodded, his eyes flashing.
“Exactly. It was my dream to leave my village. To be more than someone who had to hide from a stray housecat, or live in terror of an errant boot! And [Strategists] can affect any number of people! So I became one.”
“Just like that?”
Niers looked vaguely offended.
“We need [Strategists] in Fraerling villages too, Wil. Here, pass that bottle, will you? The Drake one. Thank you. Put it there. Yes, we need [Strategists]. And I was good at my job! I helped clear out this damn hornet’s nest on my first campaign, and I pushed back a boar herd.”
He saw his students chuckling and raised his brows.
“Oh, you laugh! But imagine fighting them with an army of people one foot tall at most? I was a higher-level [Strategist] than anyone else my age by the time I turned twenty! And when I left the village to go to an Adventurer’s Guild, I could have stood toe-to-toe with any of you in my classes now. Think of that!”
Umina did. She stopped laughing. Wil leaned forwards.
“You would have been an asset to a team, Professor. But I imagine it was difficult.”
Niers nodded.
“Oh yes! A [Strategist] buffing a team of adventurers? Giving them orders? I knew I could be invaluable. But no one wanted to take me on. They just laughed at the tiny Fraerling or tried to humor me. I spent three years going from team to team until I met a team that welcomed me. Foliana was a loner, then. We joined up and when I found a group that would actually listen to me—well, the rest is history.”
He spread his arms. Umina nodded. She’d read of the Titan’s adventuring days. She edged forwards, picking at the dates as Niers continued. He was good at storytelling; it suited his personality.
“First we were Bronze-rank. Bronze. I wasn’t, and neither was Foliana, but our companions were just starting out, hence them being willing to take orders from me. But we weren’t that way for long. I was leveling fast, using my abilities to make my team take on bigger challenges. We became Silver-rank within the month. And we hit Gold the next year! Before we knew it, we were Named Adventurers.”
“You were a Named Adventurer.”
You forgot that, sometimes. But the Titan had been one. Was he still one? His fame had eclipsed that rank, but there were so few Named Adventurers in the world. The Fraerling corrected Umina.
“A team, not individual ones of course; no one would ever make me a Named Adventurer on my own. But I dare say we were some of the best of our generation! Thirty strong!”
“Thirty?”
Wil paused, looking surprised. Niers grinned.
“Why not? It makes sense! Numbers, if used efficiently, are strength! True, most teams can’t sustain numbers higher than…a dozen at best. Most are around four to five. It’s not hard to understand why; maintaining a semblance of equality and balancing your income against maintaining families, gear, potions? Not to mention all the personalities you find in adventurers! Mine was different though; as a [Strategist], I could hold them together and get them to work on multiple missions at once. We were stronger than your average guild, in fact!”
“But why did you quit? What happened to the others?”
Umina had heard all sorts of rumors. And here, at least, the Titan’s openness wavered. He paused, and his expression grew bleak.
“Well, many joined the Forgotten Wing Company. If you’re asking where all of them are now…many passed away. On our final mission—or after we started our company. In battle, from disease, time…it’s been fifty years, as I said.”
He looked around, tired. Umina and Wil sobered. After a moment Niers shook his head.
“Not all of them died; some just quit. In the end, it was just a handful of us left, the Forgotten Wing Company’s original officers. And then…it was just Foliana and I from the adventuring days. So if you’re asking how I got from a Fraerling village to here—it was because I wanted to interact with the big people. And being a [Strategist] means I can order anyone about. The rest of it? It was just natural progression.”
He fell silent, and took another drink from his thimble-cup. Niers looked up.
“Any more questions? Remember, the floor’s open. Or table.”
Umina and Wil hesitated, looking at each other. They had another big one, but…Niers tapped one foot.
“Go on. I told you, nothing’s off-limits. If I don’t want to tell you, I just won’t.”
He smiled lightly, as if he could see right through them. And perhaps he could. Umina felt like the first day she’d ever sat in his class. Awestruck at meeting a legend in person. And he was so small. Until you looked at him and realized he was far larger than his actual body.
“If I may, Professor? I have to know this. Would you—tell us about your battle with Queravia?”
Wil broke the silence at last. Umina exhaled slowly. Yes. Of the big questions they had, that was the last one. Niers slowly raised his head. He stopped smiling.
“Ah. My famous battle with the King of Destruction’s [Strategist]. Queravia, the Gambler of Fates. You want to know how it went, I suppose?”
“You’ve never told us in class. I mean, about the battle, but never the specifics. Does everyone ask, Professor? Everyone who comes here?”
The Fraerling nodded, grinning.
“Of course they do! They want to hear it from me. And to be fair, it’s a tale worth telling. It’s just not one I care to tell to the public. You know all about it, of course?”
Umina nodded. She’d heard Foliana give her speech about the famous battle three years in a row. The Squirrel Beastkin didn’t even change her words, but it still got her applause each year with the retelling. But she had never heard the Titan telling his version of it.
“Was there something secret about the battle?”
“No. Yes—damn. Let’s go from the beginning.”
“Another lecture, Professor?”
Umina teased the Titan. He scowled, and then grinned.
“No, this isn’t a lecture. Well, perhaps it is. We’ve gone over the King of Destruction’s tactics and the way he was able to so effectively crush his opponents with grand strategy. Everyone knows that. But I want to tell you some of the information I don’t share about the end of the King of Destruction’s rampage.”
Umina and Wil exchanged another look. Secret information? They edged even closer, rocking the table. The Titan nearly lost his footing.
“Careful! My wardrobe’s over there! Yes, secret information. Alright, scoot in. This is what I don’t teach in my lessons. Part of it is due to caution; it could land me in trouble if I were accused of spreading rumors. And the other reason is because, frankly, there’s little to learn. First, let’s talk about the war. He’d taken Chandrar and was splitting up his armies to invade both Izril and Baleros at once.”
“And that’s where he failed, right, sir? The Minotaurs ambushed his fleets at sea and killed one of his Seven. The Blighted King sent an army from Rhir and defeated Takhatres while the Walled Cities stalemated his armies. And in Baleros—”
“I killed Queravia.”
Niers put his cup down. He stood, looking from face to face.
“Yes. And after that, the King of Destruction entered his slumber and his kingdom collapsed. But it wasn’t that simple. You see, we teach that he was overextending, overconfident, and naturally he lost. But in truth, he was close to winning. Or at least, his strategy might have let him throw two continents into war.”
“Really? But his decision to split his armies—”
“It was intelligent. Risky, but he knew the world was coming for him. And like the Goblin King in decades since then, we’ve seen that few people can fight every army at once. So the King of Destruction changed tactics. Rather than let Chandrar be invaded and fight a defensive war, he, or perhaps Queravia, devised a bold strategy. Occupy two continents in war and force the battles to happen there.”
“But how would he fight on two fronts?”
Wil was perplexed, trying to see ahead of the answer. So was Umina. She blinked.
“Wait—was it—the Gnolls?”
Wil and Niers looked at her. The Titan’s eyes glittered.
“Full marks. Yes. That’s what I believed at the time. The King of Destruction had declared war against the Drakes. But I thought—perhaps he would reach out to the Gnoll tribes. Ally with them. Izril is divided. He could have reached out to the Humans too. And on Baleros? Look at our divided continent! Who might he have reached out for here?”
Neither student had to think.
“Selphids.”
“Half-Gazers too.”
Niers Astoragon inclined his head.
“Exactly. All the species who don’t have power. Who are shunned, by most groups. I employ Selphids in the Forgotten Wing Company, but if Flos Reimarch offered them a chance to take back power? Their land? Gnolls. Selphids. Half-Gazers. Maybe even the Minotaurs, before they decided to oppose him. He would have been their champion. But you know what terrified Wistram and Rhir?”
Umina and Wil inhaled sharply. Wil finished the thought.
“Demons. But he wouldn’t have allied with the Demon King. Surely not!”
He looked appalled. Niers didn’t answer at once. He looked around, meeting both student’s gazes.
“This is why I don’t teach this openly. But yes, he might have. Who knows? It’s just speculation. But I’ll wager you diamonds to dust that Wistram used that to move the Blighted King to send an army against the King of Destruction.”
“So that’s why Rhir sent an army.”
“Wistram is dangerous.”
That was just a fact. Both students nodded. Niers went on.
“So that was his strategy. And it might have worked! You’ve heard Foliana’s speech. Queravia landed with one army, separated from the King of Destruction’s vanguard after the battle with the Minotaurs. She was cut off, but she made a stand and crushed an army sent by two Great Companies! She was waiting for reinforcements, daring all of Baleros to take her on. And she won.”
Umina watched Niers walking back and forth slowly. His eyes were bright and glittering in the room, lit only by mage light.
“If she had kept going, he could have won. He lost one of his Seven against the Minotaurs, yes. But six remained. Amerys was fighting on Izril, holding down an entire Walled City! The Gnolls might have rallied if the King of Destruction had landed more armies there. And on Baleros? With more time, how many companies would have embraced Flos for a chance to rise in power? He could have done it.”
“But for you.”
“I saw it coming. And I took an army. Queravia had crushed one, but there was still a chance to defeat her. I gathered every force I could in a thousand miles and marched on her. Even so—her army had leveled from her victories and she had his elites. His Dreamers as well. I was facing the best of Chandrar’s forces, and cut off as they were, I knew it was a gamble. But I had to risk it. And that day I put myself against the Gambler of Fates. [Strategist] vs [Strategist].”
And he won. But Niers didn’t look proud. He shook his head.
“You want to know what happened on that day, Umina, Wil? The truth was that when we joined battle, from the first twenty minutes, I knew I was losing.”
“No.”
He nodded, staring backwards through time.
“Oh yes. Queravia was a genius. As gifted as I’ve ever seen. But it was her unique style that threw me. I realized in the first engagement why she had beaten two Great Companies. It was down to her Skills. Her…personality. Her luck. Let me give you an example.”
The Titan paced down the table. He came back with a chessboard Umina recognized. She inhaled as she saw the glowing magical pieces. They were in the middle of a game. The Titan carefully put it down and picked up two pawns. He showed them to her and Wil.
“Let’s say there was a matchup. Not a chess board; we know the outcome of each piece, but a real battle. Two units of…pikes, say, charging each other. The odds are incalculable who’ll win. You’re too busy as a [Strategist] to analyze their levels or makeup; you just see the opportunity to clash or withdraw. What do you do?”
“See if it benefits me to take the charge, distract the opponent. If not, retreat?”
It wasn’t really a good question for a hypothetical. Umina shrugged uncomfortably. Niers nodded.
“Fair enough. Wear them down if it’s strategic, force them to spread out and fight. But if you keep getting those encounters, do you keep committing?”
“No, sir. That’s too risky. I’d always want a scenario where I can win, or delay at acceptable…”
Umina trailed off. Niers nodded. He pointed to the two pawns, then put them back where they had been.
“Exactly. No sane [Strategist] gambles with an outcome. We take calculated risks, but we always try to create areas where we win, sometimes at the cost of others. Pull in here, sacrifice this unit, but hammer the opponent where it hurts here. Don’t risk a pivotal outcome to chance. But Queravia—she was a [Gambler]. And—remember her title? She wasn’t just a [Gambler]. She was lucky.”
“You mean in general, Professor? Or with dice…?”
The hair was rising on Wil’s neck. On Umina, her scales were tingling. Niers shook his head.
“No. I mean everything about her was lucky. If there was any scenario where it was up to the odds…sixty percent. Six out of ten. That’s what I think she had.”
“Sixty percent?”
He nodded.
“If every time you flipped a coin, the chances were half and half of it being either side, Queravia had a sixty percent chance of it going her way. And that extended to uncertain matchups. She just had more luck than me. So if we met with two equal units—”
He indicated the pawns.
“Six times out of ten, she won. And sometimes, against impossible odds, her tactics would work. And that created a huge difference over time.”
Slowly, the Titan sat. And now his students could almost see the battle, reflected in his voice, his eyes.
“She was winning. It was like I was playing against luck herself. She’d send in a group of swords to charge a flank I was sure they’d lose and they’d cut through. Arrows would miss taking out a [Captain]. She lost, yes, but she was winning. A unit of pikes would cut through an elite group. And suddenly they were heroes on the battlefield. That was how she fought. She made heroes out of ordinary [Soldiers]. And they leveled with each victory.”
“That’s not fair.”
It flew against everything Umina had been taught. Niers raised an eyebrow.
“Fair? She just had an advantage on her side, Umina. An extra factor called ‘luck’. And she used it.”
The Lizardgirl flushed. Wil just looked at Niers.
“Then how did you beat her, sir?”
“At first I didn’t. I had more soldiers, and resources and she was defensive. But her luck kept equalizing situations. I dare say I was better in pure strategy by a bit. I like to think so, or I would have lost outright. But neither of us could win. We just…hit each other. Again and again. It was a slaughter, but she was slowly overpowering my army. I knew it. So, in desperation, I changed tactics.”
“What did you do?”
Niers looked up. Umina expected a grand plan, a speech, a lesson of strategy. But all he did was shrug.
“I created a scenario where she couldn’t turn the odds. I charged her front, tied up all her forces in an all-or-nothing assault. And in the confusion, I found her command. And I killed her.”
Both Umina and Wil waited. But that was all Niers said. He looked around and filled his cup with the strongest alcohol there was. Wil croaked and reached for his own cup.
“That’s it?”
He drank.
“That’s it. Nothing special. Remember when Cameral got you with an arrow in battle, Umina? He was losing the battle, but when you were removed, your force fell apart. That’s all I did. There’s nothing to teach; I just forced a confrontation and I won.”
It was anticlimactic. Umina saw at once how it made sense. But she knew why the Titan didn’t speak of it. There was something…Niers tossed his cup down bitterly. He looked past them and shook his head.
“I suppose I was the better [Strategist] since the attack on her command worked. It’s a valid tactic. The one that walks away wins. But that’s the irony of it. I teach you all that victory is what counts. But I can’t help but remember that battle with guilt. She outfought me, Umina, Wil. She had just one weakness and I hit it. To this day, I feel like I robbed the world of a truly great mind. I wish there had been another way. But I won. And the King of Destruction’s dreams fell apart there. That’s all there was to it.”
