Aranea jumped up and down, feeling a little bit nervous. Impatient One has requested the use of one of many warehouses for the challenge, ignoring the furious looks from Scorpio. The black wyrm tried to stop the challenge, going so far as to try and order Aranea and her opponent to stand down. Eventually, it was he who was forced to stand down after Alpha had called the Dynast directly.
The liege has made his will clear. The challenge may happen. But both warlords must survive and recover to their fullest. The state needed all its servants.
Despite all complaints, the shamans themselves emptied the spacious warehouse, leaving the workers with free time. Impatient One then painted a circle with her blood, six meters in radius. Leaving behind splashes of blood, Alpha has come. The warlord was devoid of any clothes, her wounds were still fuming with red. Svetlana was by her side, both scolding the warlord and trying to offer her assistance. Alpha’s broken leg was trembling, her steps was a painful limp instead of a terrifying tread. When the warlord tried to assist in removing the crates, Svetlana pulled a tranquilizer gun on her, accompanied by several dozens of guards.
Several hundred wolfkins were here, making the space feel cramped. In accordance with tradition, there was no discipline here. Aranea’s pack was busy cheering her up, howling and waving their paws, Olesya’s pack had started a game of cards, and Annie’s pack was busy fooling around and teasing the other wolfkins.
Finally, Impatient One had a look around the hall, nodding in approval.
"Sisters! Brothers!" The shaman roared, forcing everyone to look at her.
Shocked by the roar, Svetlana jumped in place and accidentally shot Alpha with a dart. The warlord tore the projectile off her body and threw it into her jaws, chomping it down.
"Poor trigger disciple, medic," Alpha grumbled, "You’re lucky I am busy with Velka. Or I would’ve made a warlord out of you."
"Warlord Aranea demanded a change through challenge!" Impatient One beckoned with one paw, and Aranea strode forward, taking her place in the circle. "The challenger demands an end to all culling of the elderly!" The shaman raised her paws to the ceiling. "Spirits! Pray, look down upon this challenge, and let us know your will!" The shaman looked at the crowd. "Warlord Annie! Will you fight?"
"No, honored shaman." The warlord walked forward, stopping at the edge of the circle. Like Aranea, only the bone totems covered her body, allowing everyone to see her numerous scars. Annie lowered herself onto her knees and touched the metal floor with her nose. "Aranea is my sister and my friend. And I too came to believe in her ideals."
"Admirable honesty. Blessed be. Warlord Olesya! Will you fight?"
Olesya walked forward nimbly like a dancer. No bone totems were on her body, her metal legs produced no sound upon connecting with the floor. Like Annie, she lowered herself outside of the circle, showing the back of her neck.
"No, honored shaman. Aranea is my best friend, and I agree with her idea about the change!"
"Amazing dedication," Impatient One said, biting her own wrist and drenching the warlord's head in blood. "I can sense your doubts, warlord. The Spirits had not abandoned you, their voices had simply been muffled by the steel. Their love is still with you. Blessed be."
"Thank you, shaman." Olesya replied quietly.
"Divine Warlord Zero! Will you fight?"
"No, sister dearest!" The sole figure wearing the power armor laughed with a ringing voice, throwing up and catching Ashbringer. "I need to keep an eye on the little one."
"Stop it!" Ashbringer squeaked, trying to evade the gauntlets and escape, "Stop it, or I’ll throw up!"
"Oh, sorry!" Zero caught her and started cradling the cub on the elbow. "We don't want you to repeat what you did in Houstad."
"It was you who threw up back then, Zero!" Ashbringer tried to roar with her mouse-like voice. "Not me! You! Slanderer! Liar! Tell the truth!"
Her outburst caused the small gathering to burst into good-natured laughter, ignoring Ashbringer’s promises of punishment. Almost all joined them: Svetlana, Lacyone, the normie guards, the shamans. Even Alpha allowed herself to grin, leaning on a wall with her shoulder to help herself stand. Svetlana noticed this and immediately jumped to offer a shoulder.
Ashbringer was officially demoted. The warlord still had her entire memory, the medics were itching to run tests to find out just what had happened to her, but one thing was undeniable. The former warlord slowly acted more and more like a cub. The biological processes of her body made her act rashly, the smaller brain somewhat robbed her of agency. In a few years, Ashbringer will grow old enough to return to her competent self, but it will take decades before Ashbringer can reclaim her rank.
"Peace, sisters, peace!" Impatient One made an unnatural smile. "Warlord Valerye! Stand up for our honor!"
"Of course." The warehouse shook.
Valerye Red Streak walked toward the circle, her each step a thundering stomp that left the metal floor trembling. The warlord wore a ritual mask shaped like a wolfkin's head on her head, revealing only her eyes through the narrow lids. The bone totems around her body hit each other after every step, filling the sudden silence with their sound.
Aranea swallowed, dropping into a stance. Valerye still suffers from the pain in her head. The narrow lids of her mask won’t allow her to track my movements fast enough. Her muscles are impressive, but she lacks any claws, and her fangs are pathetic. The thoughts raced through Aranea’s head while she tried to come up with a plan. The halfbreed was under no illusion that she could match Valerye in combat. Not blow by blow, anyway. No, she must turn the situation around and use her own advantages to overcome the foe before Valerye turns her limb by limb.
Aranea almost missed the moment when Impatient One raised her paw, announcing the beginning of the battle. The moment the paw fell, Aranea charged forward on all fours. She evaded a lazily looking punch that sent a shockwave strong enough to splatter several wolfkins behind Aranea across the wall with a feint attempt at ramming Valerye.
Aranea jumped to Valerye’s left, circling around the warlord. Assured in her victory, Valerye turned after Aranea, and in this moment the halfbreed stood on both legs, spreading her arms wide. She has made a quick hop to the right, escaping Valerye's field of view, before coming down on the warlord in full force.
Aranea’s paws bit down beneath Valerye’s shoulder blades, the unleashed claws tried to hook under the bone to try and hold. The claws on her legs slashed across Valerye’s legs, trying to cut the tibil arteries. And Aranea’s jaws closed on the small neck, she bit down with all her might, trying to force the opponent to surrender.
In vain. Aranea widened her eyes, feeling the blood on her lips. Valerye’s blood. She was chewing on the woman with all her force, and her fangs failed to penetrate the muscles beneath. Her claws had failed to reach the mark either. Red Streak’s body felt as if the muscles were forming another layer of armor beneath her body, one that was far tougher than even her power armor.
No! I refuse to give up! Aranea braced herself for pain when Red Streak began to fall. The two came down like a falling tower, sending strong tremors across the metal floor. Aranea quickly leaped off her opponent, checking the woman's wounds. Try as she might, the halfbreed had only seen the shallow cuts with barely any blood on them.
"I submit." Valerye looked at her with calm eyes.
I… won? Aranea stepped up, looking at the silent gathering. A genuine shock came upon Impatient One’s snout, Lacyone saluted Aranea with a "V" sign, the entire crowd stopped talking. Everyone was looking at her. And the warlord threw her right fist up, roaring to the ceiling: "The victory is mine! No more culling of the elderly!"
"Fakery!" Impatient One darted to Alpha, "Lies! Pretense! Cheating! They show no regard for our..."
"Enough, sister," Alpha almost tripped, allowing Lacyone and Svetlana to catch her. "The Spirits have spoken their word. Let’s ensure that at least someone respects the traditions here."
What? Aranea looked at the standing Red Streak with suspicion. Valerye felt indebted for life to Alpha. After her beating, the warlord followed after the strongest warlord like a shadow, often at her own expense. At the last Gathering, Alpha had to force Valerye to actually vote as she felt rather than blindly following her will. Surely someone like that would try to guard the pride of her master to the best of her ability, especially now.
Except… Alpha had liberated her. By forcing Valerye to accept Tiny, Alpha had severed that one chain that turned Valerye into an extension of Alpha’s will. If Valerye had to choose between Tiny and Alpha, Aranea could have sworn that she knew the choice the warlord would make.
By weaving around the orders’ borders, I try to do what little good I can without stepping out of line. Aranea remembered the words and looked into Alpha’s eyes for the answer. Just who is playing who right now? Could it be that Alpha’s brutish behavior was nothing more than a mask she wore?
Does it matter? Aranea’s other selves asked in her head. A win is a win.
You know what? You right! Aranea sent them a warm feeling of love and turned around to leave the circle.
She stopped when someone coughed behind her.
"A moment, warlord of the third rank," Valerye cracked her neck. "I am issuing a ranking challenge! Submit or fight for your rank! What is your choice?"
"You can't grow up unless you scale over the walls in front of you!" Aranea laughed happily, putting the right leg before herself and shielding herself with the right shoulder. "Come at me in full, siste…"
Aranea failed to finish. Valerye ran toward her, turning into the red blur. The crimson eye caught her movements, allowing Aranea to see the foe in slow motion. She wanted to take the first hit to her shoulder and counterattack with the left paw across Valerye’s neck. Valerye’s run stopped, she slid forward toward Aranea, her stance mirroring that of her foe.
Valerye delivered a quick jab with her left paw. The fist reached the halfbreed’s abdomen before she could finish speaking. She held her posture, releasing the claws to keep herself on the ground, while the force behind the blow had sent her backward, slamming her into the wall with enough impact to leave a small round crater in it. Valerie's every move was observed in detail by the halfbreed. And Aranea was still too slow to react to the woman in time.
"On a second thought, some walls might kill!" Aranea squeezed the words out of herself, feeling every organ vibrating. She lifted a trembling finger. "I submit, sister."
Valerye bowed to her and walked toward Tiny, this time calmly and elegantly. Impatient One looked into her back before bowing to both fighters and announcing the winner. Reaching Tiny, Valerye turned toward Alpha.
"Warlord. If I may ask, I would like to visit the med bay to get fully healed. Can you grant me this one request?"
"Fuck off." Alpha tried to wave her paw and nearly fell.
No, I am pretty sure that Alpha is just a perpetual asshole. No way she planned all this. Aranea thought. Valerye tore the mask off her head, hugging her daughter and no longer bothering to hide her ruined visage.
Aranea had fallen on one knee, grabbing her sides and trying her best to catch a breath. Sonya came to her, carrying a medical kit in her paws.
"By the Spirits," The wolf hag shook her head, "You actually did it, you madwoman. You won in your own way."
"Told ya!" Aranea smiled happily. "And just you wait! This is merely the start, Sonya!"
