Chương 447: The Thunder of Two Thousand Hooves

The thunder of two thousand hooves hitting the hard, frozen ground was deafening. Harmony rode at the front of the herd next to a Taco wagon pulled by sprinting Contract Workers. Her fellow Couriers were spread throughout the herd of horses, increasing morale and augmenting their speed. The one-legged Shepherd held the herd together from his perch on top of the cart as they thundered down on their foes. They had been pursued for miles by the creatures of Winter.

Lone snarlfangs, packs of white wolves and winter weasels, and shambling Ice Walkers tried and failed to keep up with the fast-moving herd. All the creatures had been outrun, but they followed behind, cutting off the lines of retreat. When the herd's way was blocked by three snarlfangs ridden by Rime knights and a host of Ice Walkers there was no turning back. Harmony had looked at Rolly, who grinned and pointed his staff forward.

She nudged her horse to greater speed, taking the lead as she drew her sword and it burst into flames. Beside her flew a nightmarish butterfly with a ten-foot wingspan, its silver-tipped claws and wings glinting like razors in the cold air. Firebolts, Ball Lightning, and Blinding Rays of Sunlight were cast by the Couriers with a flair for spells. Others produced magical weapons and shields, spurring to the front of the herd.

The spells were directed at the Rime Knights in the center, as were potions flung from the Taco Wagon as it got close. Harmony's sword took a Knight in the chest as she ducked the swing of a frozen weapon. Squirmie hit the other two, her talons leaving three poisoned gashes on the flanks of the snarlfangs while her wings took off the heads of the knights, her razor-sharp wings hitting with precision. Myrna breathed a continuous stream of fire from her wagon into the Ice Walkers, ending their half-lives forever.

Then the bulk of the herd hit and momentum took over as five hundred horses knocked over everything in their path and trampled over them. They lost thirty-one horses to broken legs and the ferocity of the snarlfangs, but emerged victorious on the other side of the shambling mass of Icewalkers and kept moving. Minutes later, as the herd walked to regain its strength, pursued by the remaining shamblers, a warm wind blew and the sun came out. Winter's minions cried out as their power faded.

The beasts fled northward while the Ice Walkers began to fall apart, becoming corpses as they thawed. Rejoice! The Emperor's Forces are Victorious this Day over the Army of Winter and the Ice Devil, Shurdhi Without the power of the mighty Cyclone, the season of Winter is banished from this part of the Empire. And, the lands where Winter's chill winds still blow have grown warmer. Winter is not over, but it has been dealt a harsh blow. But the Empire has not escaped damage.

The twin towers of the Arcane College of Runecasters and the Fallowstone Sanitarium have been destroyed. War will always end in destruction, sometimes with no winners! Well, except a few people who fought valiantly! Lots of BIG WINNERS in that bunch. -Surviving Fire Mages of the College have earned 5000 experience and 50 Enhancement points. -Members of the rescue expedition have earned 3000 experience and 30 Enhancement points.

-The ' Herd of Thundering Death' have each earned 2000 experience and 20 Enhancement points. -Those brave enough to face Shurdhi in battle have earned 30 Enhancement points and their choice of Resistance to Ice, or +10% damage when using Fire, Smoke, or Heat against a creature of Cold, Frost, or Ice. -Everyone gains the Enhancement Option of paying 5 Enhancement points to gain Resistance to Cold at Rank 5. -A lovely Ash tree grows where the Ice Devil was slain and will be full grown in one day.

Under its boughs will be gifts for everyone. After tending their wounds and feeding the horses, Harmony turned the herd back to where the rest of the army would be waiting. Rolly insisted on bringing back the rib and loin portions of the snarlfangs for the Butcher to smoke. Myrna took other choice pieces to cook. Squirmie ate what was left before changing back to her normal form of a dainty princess with a full belly.

She napped on the way back on Rolly's lap as he sat and ate anything Myrna handed him, trying to regain enough health to regenerate his missing leg. Ben met them partway, flying on Mudhead. He circled and landed next to where Harmony was riding, his mount losing its wings as it touched the ground.

"Howdy, Ma'am. I was sent to make sure you were OK, but looks like you have it all under control."

"Your horse has wings!"

"Sure does. And I must say, it's a lot less dusty up there. Mudhead made the decision to grow a pair of wings, not me, but I'm certainly in favor of his choice."

"Benjamin! I want a story out of you." He smiled at her, "So does Harmonia. You know she'll be mad if I tell you first."

"Probably, but Grandmother isn't going to be the one drinking wine with you tonight under the moon. And if you tell me the story now, it will save so much time later on, when it's just the two of us."

"A very valid point. Promise to keep some secrets? And some secrets aren't mine to tell. But the tale starts in a ghoul-infested dungeon..." Ben had just enough time to tell a somewhat redacted tale of ghouls, fairies, and the downfall of a Fae Duchess. At the end of it, Harmony patted her mare, "Sounds like I need to find more trouble or pick more fights. And maybe hang around you more. You seem to have no problem finding trouble, exceeding even normal family expectations."

Sadly for everyone in House Franklin, the trip back was uneventful, and they spent the time discussing the best uses of the windfall of Enhancement points. The option of gaining Resistance to Cold was taken by all of them. Winter wasn't gone, and there would be more battles. General Themis would find she had no lack of Franklins volunteering for scouting duties. As soon as the herd arrived, the cavalry riders of the Legion and the Red Banner happily took over the care of their mounts, grooming and feeding them.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Preparations were made to return to Stoneburrow the next day when the horses were rested. The Contract Workers spent the night digging out the wagons and getting them ready to travel. The load was lighter this time, with many of the barrels of sausage, smoked meat, and grain emptied. Injuries were light, the barrels of healing potion taking care of most wounds and frostbite cases.

Myrna was passing out hot food to anyone who dared to try her cooking. More than one soldier was silly enough to try a ' Gus Special' and later ran to find a snowbank to stick their head into or ran for the barrels of Healing Beer to erase the burning ache in their tongues. Ozzie took the snarlfang ribs from Rolly and got to work cooking them over slow heat for the next day's breakfast before they left.

He put MacDonald's Tripe Pot over a fire to simmer, and dinner was augmented with enough nourishing tripe soup to feed two hundred of the soldiers most in need of healing. General Themis and Claudia accepted bowls of soup from him. They sat nearby, eating, and stared around the camp.

The Duchess casually asked, "So, what is your arrangement with the Baron of Gadobhra that he was able to instantly supply a wagon train of food, high-level teamsters who can dig like a battalion of siege specialists, and his best mages and warriors? Not to mention siege engines and horribly effective enchanted ammunition."

"One hell of a bill is what my deal with him is. When the Emperor says go, I go. I needed supplies and Baron William had them. Gus, you, and Carl can figure out who pays for all of this. But I'd say the money was well spent." Claudia didn't disagree, "Our casualty list is light, the enemy routed or destroyed, the Mages are rescued, and somehow we won a fight against a damnable monstrosity from the elemental planes. I look forward to anyone arguing about paying Baron William what is owed him."

"But you know they will. Bean counters hate having their beans taken away from them."

"As I know only too well, but things have been remarkably better lately. The gnomes scared the shit out of everyone with that lawsuit over the taxes Gus owed. Holy shit, but that was something to watch. I think anyone heading to Gadobhra to talk taxes with Baron William will be more cautious this year. And Sedgewick is exempt for now. That legendary item more than covers any taxes a small village will owe, even with a dungeon. The mayor is absolved from paying taxes for last year, this year, and the next."

Themis looked at the barrels of potions and enchanted food.

"Now that is going to be interesting. You'll notice how much of these supplies came from Sedgewick and not Gadobhra. The Baron and Baroness aren't fools. But taxes and who pays them aren't my problem. I wish more nobles had warehouses of supplies ready for me when needed. Wars don't wait on paperwork and armies don't march on empty stomachs. And the Baron will have more for us next year. He's turned hundreds of refugee farmers into landowners who provide for themselves and sell him the excess.

He plans on opening up more acreage next year, turning wilderness into grain." Claudia remembered when the Baron had sent his people to help the refugees from further south. She needed to visit the Barony of Gadobhra and see for herself how things stood with them. And she had a lot of questions.

"Speaking of grain, how the hell is he growing such high-quality grain? The horse feed he sent along is better than any of the farms in the southern baronies are producing."

"I was curious about that myself. He's got incredibly good land that wasn't being used until he built the new hamlets, and he's using his dungeons to get all of his farmers past the first tier. Better farmers, better crops, more money. He doesn't seem worried about the taxes he has to pay. And the unicorns help. Damn things are all over that part of his Barony now."

"Unicorns?"

"Yeah. Little ponies with horns, eat flowers, love kids, shit all over and make the ground fertile." Claudia wasn't sure how much Themis was joking, "I'm coming for a visit when I get a chance." Jon and Cham had grabbed a barrel of beer, two mugs, and a bucket before leaving camp to sit by a snowbank. They were moving slowly, their barklike skin blackened from being so near to the Butcher. They handed the bucket to the snowbank who took it between a thumb and finger like a dainty teacup.

The Jotun was slowly growing a new leg from the ice and snow that the two Forest Princes had piled where his missing leg should be. The giant planned to lay there for a day and then carefully walk home to the north, keeping his word to Ozzy. The Butcher showed up, setting down a half rack of ribs for Jon, Cham, and himself, before handing a much larger chunk to Brogthall.

"Try this, I used as little heat as I could and imbued it with cold smoke. Might be a bit of the rare side, but it won't melt your tongue."

"Much obliged, I am. Both for the hospitality and for not melting me. It is always refreshing to meet reasonable people when playing the mercenary game. Not all employers respect the rules and far fewer foes. And such a bonus! I got a front-row seat to an interesting fight. Most of Winter has wondered if a cyclone could be killed. The answer seems to be 'Yes, but with great difficulty, and a lot of fire.' Ozzy looked at the spot where the core of the Ice Devil had been chained.

It was a glassy crater twenty feet wide and two feet deep. Molten rock, endless fireballs, phoenix fire, and the heat from Chainey had combined to melt the ground, while the cold and winds instantly cooled things again.

"Yeah, that was a lot of firepower and not something I want to have to do again."

"Ah, that saddens Brogthall. I was hoping to watch you fight the bigger one as well." Ozzy waited for the punchline but saw that the Jotun wasn't joking.

"Well, shit." Jon looked at Cham, "Hopefully there are flamethrowers under that tree for us tomorrow."