JUDICATOR JANE 6 - CHAPTER 26 (Patreon)

March of the Horde

Garbed once again in her black Emberwing Inferno Gown, Jane gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the reins of the Emerald Drake undulating beneath her. The creature was massive—nearly twice the size of her old horse, Ebonheart—and far more unruly. Its muscled frame twisted and surged with every step, forcing her to constantly shift her weight in rhythm to stay upright. The Pitwarden, Maevlor, strode alongside, occasionally walloping the beast when it veered off course.

“He will learn his place soon enough, mistress,” Maevlor growled, giving the drake a pointed glare.

Jane didn’t answer. Her focus was on staying balanced, muscles burning as she swayed with the creature’s movement. Well, I can’t use The Drawn Veil without immobilizing the entire army. This is better than nothing, she thought, briefly recalling her first, awkward time on horseback. Got used to it then. I’ll get used to this now too. At least riding horses or animals isn’t an Advanced Stat.

Ahead, Balostroze and several of the larger demons were clearing a swath nearly twenty feet wide through the forest, their weapons and powerful skills turning trees into splinters. Behind them, a thick river of demons marched in orderly columns, winding through the mountainous terrain in a near-endless line.

Melindra rode up beside her, astride her own Emerald Drake—managing it with far more grace and control. “According to the map, the Terrazene Labyrinth sits in the center of the northern woods,” she called out. “If we march straight south, we’ll land directly between the competing Mandalas.”

Jane nodded. “Right. And the two closest are Power and Humility, according to the dragonkin we caught.”

Melindra hesitated, glancing ahead. “Are you sure you don’t want to angle east or west? Might avoid a war on both sides if we move through just one Mandala instead of marching the gap between them.”

They’d had this debate several times. The most direct path to the Dirthian city of Integra was straight south, a line that would cut between all eight Mandalas like a blade. But from what she’d learned—from Xian the Pirate and again from the captured dragonkin—this entire stretch of land was embroiled in war. Not fought by dragonkin directly, but by humans—each Mandala waging its own campaigns using enslaved or coerced armies influenced by strange dragonkin Resonances.

“No,” Jane replied. “Detouring through a Mandala means we’re caught in its field of influence longer. It’ll take more time, and there’s no guarantee it’s safer anyway. A straight shot south keeps us inline with the valley and simplifies the logistics.”

Jane wasn’t afraid of conflict, but their food and provisions came entirely from the valley, and if they were cut off, it would be a big problem. Yiw’drog and the other more mobile demons would guard the supply lines as long as they could, though it wasn’t really practical to stretch that across the entire continent. Still, she hoped it would be enough for the bulk of the journey.

“I hope the villagers will be alright,” she muttered. Turning their lives upside down hadn’t been part of her plan, but dragging them south into the impending chaos would be even worse.

“They’ll adjust,” Melindra said. “Living without an active Resonance will be strange for them, but they’ll make due. Change can be difficult, but oftentimes it is for the better.”

Jane winced as her drake scrambled over a set of splintered tree stumps. The valley they left behind was known as the Mandala of Fortitude, at least according to their dragonkin prisoners. Supposedly, each dragonkin was born tied to a Resonance—Power, Beauty, Courage, among others. But those affinities weren’t permanent. They could change, and that instability formed the root of conflict between the Mandalas. In these times, few of the dragonkin paid any mind to the distant and small Mandala of Fortitude set against the ancient Terrazene Labyrinth.

But Resonance was still very important. Boosted by their Harmony stat—it created an ambient field that manipulated how others felt in their presence. Jane had experienced it firsthand. When near the dragonkin aligned with Power, she’d been sharp, focused, energized—like downing a triple shot of espresso. But the one from Humility made her nauseated, foggy-headed, and aching with a headache that wouldn’t go away. Alazore and a few other demons were guarding the prisoners now, seemingly unaffected.

Hopefully we can get through the Mandalas fast and reach the Dirthians before any of them realize what’s happening. She had no interest in the dragonkin’s fractured politics or their philosophical wars over Resonance. And despite the ridiculous stakes of the Loremaster’s crazy quest, she wasn’t about to sacrifice the demons back in Arcadia just for a couple of thumbs.

But even with the captured dragonkin, the information they’d gathered was limited. Each Mandala was its own micro-kingdom. What Power knew, Humility didn’t. And beyond them, there were six others—six more opportunities for something unexpected to pop up.

She shook her head, pushing the thought aside. For now, she had more pressing concerns: staying mounted on her level 122 Emerald Drake.

***

Boli raised a hand to shield his eyes, scanning the tree line as a pair of birds flitted overhead and vanished into the canopy. Behind him, Yin crouched low, fingers brushing the soil. They’d been moving northwest since leaving the village of Kantan, pursuing the vague “disturbance” described in the Loremaster’s quest. The forest here was denser, older—and the further they went, the quieter it got.

“You think it’s this far out?” Boli muttered, not expecting an answer. Yin rose silently and stepped beside him, fingers moving in practiced, fluid motions.

A lot of tracks. All headed the same direction. Away. Something’s got them spooked.

Boli glanced at the path worn into the underbrush, brows furrowing as he slung his massive mallet over one shoulder. “Spooked, huh…” He scratched his chin. “What in the Maker’s name spooks a level 100 Bugbear or a blasted Venomstrike?”

Yin only shrugged and pressed forward.

With a grunt, Boli followed, ducking under a low branch and squinting into the gloom. The forest swallowed sound, its trees gnarled and packed so tightly it was like walking through a tunnel of bark and shadow. Now and again, flickers passed overhead—shadows darting across the treetops that didn’t match any bird he knew. “What was that?” he muttered, pulse rising. This was deeper than they’d ever gone into the wilds—far beyond their usual range.

“Oi, don’t wander too far,” he called out. “Stay in eyesight, Yin!”

But Yin had already crested a low hill and passed beyond the undergrowth. A moment later, Boli stepped into a wide clearing and froze.

Yin stood motionless, arms out as if to hold back the world. His expression was hard to read, but his stillness said enough.

Ahead of them, a vast procession moved through the clearing—hundreds of dark, beastly warriors, marching in eerie silence. Each one was thickly muscled, armored in a mosh of bone, metal and leather, their bodies marked by the scars of battle. But it was the thing towering above them that stopped Boli’s breath cold.

A terrifying abomination, nearly fifteen feet tall, loomed like a nightmare given flesh. Tentacles writhing from its body slithered through the air, each tipped with clawed barbs. Its entire upper body was a bulging mass of muscle and chitin, and where a face should have been was only a gaping maw—lined with thousands of needle-like teeth, twitching and clicking in perpetual hunger.

Boli’s hand instinctively shot to his mallet as he triggered his General Identification skill.

Yiw’drog (Level 349)

Demon

“WELL, WELL. TWO MORE CAPTIVES FOR THE MISTRESS. THIS IS A FINE DAY INDEED.”

Without a sound, a segment of the beastly army detached from the column, falling into formation behind the towering, worm-like demon with mechanical precision—like extensions of its will rather than individual beings.

Bithnar (Level 97)

Demon

Torthrax (Level 65)

Demon

Hizrak (Level 81)

Demon

The list went on. Boli stumbled back a step, his heart hammering in his chest. He and Yin had survived more battles than he could count, some hopeless, a few barely winnable—but this... this was something else entirely. The towering worm-like demon loomed above them, its spined tentacles coiling with murderous intent.

Then, in a flash of desperation, a memory surfaced—the girl’s voice, cheerful but nervous.

“If you do run into demons, don’t fight them. Tell them Jane King sent you.”

“Jane!” he shouted, thrusting his hands up like a man clinging to a ledge. “Jane King sent us!”

The demon froze mid-rear, a tremor rippling across its chitinous flesh. “THE MISTRESS?” it rumbled, jagged teeth rolling in waves like a grinding millstone.

After a beat of silence, it turned, tentacles slithering along the ground. “THIS WAY, THEN.”

Without hesitation, a ring of demons formed around the two of them, nudging them forward with cold, wordless obedience. Nothing indicated the demon’s invitation was a suggestion.

Boli swallowed hard, every instinct screaming to flee. By the Maker… what have we walked into?

***

Stretching her back and rolling her neck, Jane exhaled as her feet met solid ground. Riding the Emerald Drake was faster than walking, especially over the uneven terrain, but it came with a different kind of exhaustion—muscles sore from tension, eyes dry from the wind, balance always just on the edge. For now, a rest would do them all some good. Herself especially.

To her right, Veralaktus stood waiting, the pitch black Crown of Dominance nestled in her hands like a cursed relic.

“Veralaktus, pass the word—we’ll make camp here tonight,” Jane said, rubbing a knot out of her shoulder.

With a nod, the demoness closed her eyes and focused. Though the crown wasn’t a mystery now, Jane only practiced wearing it in the evenings when they stopped. Daylight training wasn’t feasible—not without crippling her army while it was on the move. She was still a long way from mastering it. For now, she simply wanted to learn how to avoid making a mess of things.

“It appears Yiw’drog has captured a pair of travelers,” Veralaktus said suddenly, her voice calm. “He’s bringing them here now.”

Jane blinked through a rising yawn. “Great. Maybe they can join us for dinner.” Behind her, Hellguards and Tormentors were erecting lean-tos for her and Melindra, staking them into the earth with practiced ease. Surprisingly, the rest of the demons preferred sleeping under open sky, as though the elements were a pleasure rather than an obstacle. Before she had always taken it for granted, but now she realized that sleeping outside a burrow for demons was actually a huge change. Jane chuckled, remembering Taltorius’s very first encounter with rain.

“FOOD FALLS FROM THE SKY?! WHAT KIND OF PLACE IS THIS?”

The approaching footfalls broke her reverie. Yiw’drog slithered to a halt in front of her, gesturing with a spined tentacle.

“MISTRESS, I FOUND THESE MEN SKULKING NEAR THE BACK LINES. THEY CLAIM YOU SENT THEM.”

He slid aside—and Jane’s eyes lit up.

“Boli! Yin!” she called out, beaming. She jogged over to greet them, waving. “Melindra! Over here! These are the two I was telling you about!”

Boli exchanged a wary glance with his companion. “Jane? What… what are you doing here? We thought you were headed to the coast.”

“I did go,” Jane replied, scratching her arm sheepishly. “And now I’m back.”

Boli blinked. “Back? That’s a month-long journey, at least!” He put a hand to his head. “You… know these demons? Are they from your village?”

“Not exactly,” she said with a sigh, glancing to her side as Melindra approached, her crimson gown billowing faintly in the breeze. “Think you could explain for me?”

Melindra looked the two men up and down with cool appraisal. “High levels. Interesting classes.” She turned to Jane, raising a brow. “Very well. The short of it is this—what you see before you is the near-entirety of the demon race, now fully in Alur. You’ve already met Jane—she’s the leader. Our goal is to reach the Dirthian city of Integra to the south, cutting directly through what we now know are the Mandalas.”

She folded her arms. “Now that you know this, I’m afraid we can’t allow you to leave. At least not until we’ve passed the first Mandala’s borders.”

Boli slowly turned, eyes scanning the growing field of demons assembling in every direction. “By the Maker…” he muttered. “This is an army? And you’re taking it straight into the heart of the Mandalas?”

He turned back to Jane, his expression torn between awe and disbelief. “You? You’re leading all of this?”

“Pretty much,” Jane said, shrugging. “I mean, technically, I did tell you that before. But yeah, I get that it probably didn’t sound believable at the time.”

She paused, then added, “Melindra’s right, though. Our presence here is still a secret. We can’t risk it getting out. You’ll need to stay with us—for now.”

Her eyes flicked to Yin’s rapidly moving hands.

If they plan to fight the Mandalas, I want to help.

Boli frowned, then signed a response. Let’s not be hasty. Doesn’t seem like we have a choice right now anyway.

Jane smiled, reading the exchange. She turned to Veralaktus. “See that they have a place to sleep, and have some food delivered.”

Turning back, she offered Boli a gentler look. “Really—I’m glad to see you both again. Join me for dinner? I’ll explain everything.”