They headed back to the golem’s crash site. Mina was able to walk normally, her bleeding staunched and her bruises nearly gone, thanks to the much stronger healing potions administered by the medic. She did seem uncharacteristically quiet, saying little as they were hauled out of the abyss on long ropes.

     Delara stared up and down the battlefield, noting how much had changed in such a short time. Technically the battle wasn’t over, she supposed, as there was still a substantial number of zombies milling about. But there was no organization or intensity behind their movements. They simply shuffled slowly towards the nearest live targets—groups of hoplites in loose skirmish lines, methodically drawing the zombies out and dispatching them, one by one, without much stress or effort. Delara saw the hoplites joking and laughing with each other, as they went about their grisly task. 

     Down by the skydock, the portals to Amazonia had been reopened, and they were busy with activity, exhausted troops heading home while fresh ones poured in. Teams of oxen were being lashed to the shells of the seed lances to drag them back where they came from, though the hull shields still found use, as a line of the fresh soldiers, mostly stalkers, marched up the hill to muster outside the compound. Nearly all the Korchra Reapers had perished in the battle, surely. But the Amazon Nation hadn’t remained secret and un-invaded for thousands of years by taking chances. The compound would be searched, room by room, top to bottom, to make sure no enemies or witnesses remained.

     On that note, Delara witnessed another grisly sight. A line of captured mercenaries, heads bowed, kneeling, hands bound behind their back. But only the back half of the line was like that. The front of the line contained headless corpses, pitched over on their stomachs. And at the halfway mark was the axe-bearing Amazon executioner, readying herself for the next strike. Delara could only see the backs of the prisoners waiting their turn, and it seemed like most of them were awaiting their end quietly, slumped and defeated. But Delara saw one of them shaking, and she realized the man was actually sobbing. 

     It was a grim scene, but Delara didn’t see what else there was to be done. A quick death was the only mercy slavers and invaders could expect to receive from the Amazon nation. These men had been preparing to enslave, rape, and kill her and her Amazon sisters. Even the crying one—Delara had to wonder if he was genuinely sorry for what he had done, and what he’d been planning to do, or if he was just sorry for himself, now that it was time to face the consequences of his actions. Because those were two very different things.

     Delara shivered in her armor, really feeling the cold now that she no longer had the exertion of battle to keep her warm. She was greatly relieved when Lance Commander Eza strolled up and took the reports from the medic and rescue team. It gave her something else to focus on, besides the executions and the temperature.

     “At ease, Hoplite Delara clan Perone,” said Commander Eza, before scowling. “Not you, Stalker Mina. I’m going to deal with you in a second.”

     “Sir,” they both said in unison.

     “So, Hoplite Delara,” said Commander Eza. “Finally got your first taste of real battle. How was it? Did you earn your Blood Stripes, finally?”

     “Sir,” said Delara, as she rewinded the events of the day through her brain. “The battle was nothing like I expected, Sir. And I regret to inform you that I did not earn my Blood Stripes. I killed one zombie and one gigantic spider. No people, Sir.”

     That had been a personal goal for herself, and she’d failed, but she was astonished at how little she cared. Why had those stripes seemed important again? Something about her pride, but just trying to remember made her feel embarrassed now.

     “What?” said Mina. “That’s not fair. That giant spider should count. It’s a war mount. It’s not like a wild animal. It’s not the same as hunting—not even close.”

     “Rules are rules, Stalker Mina,” said Commander Eza. “Take it up with the tribal council if you don’t like it. But, that’s just the way it goes sometime.”

     Commander Eza slapped Delara affectionately on the shoulder. “That was some damn fine work fighting that spider monster thing. You’ll get a commendation for your bravery, just not a Blood Stripe. Don’t worry, you’ll get it next time, to be sure.”

     “Thank you, Sir. I did have help, Sir,” said Delara, though her mind was going over the part about “next time.” When would that be? In another five years? In ten? She’d finally got to see some of the outside world, and, while it had been exciting, it was rather dark and dreary and remote. She wanted to see the soaring towers of the shining city of Xembala, walk down a busy shopping arcade in the Matsutaka Shogunate, sit in the stands of the Grand Colosseum in the Polonic Imperium, and even visit Bergisam, or some other shardworld where knights and castles were actual real things.

     “Sir, actually I was thinking, about maybe doing more for the Amazon Nation,” said Delara. “Something more proactive—like, maybe joining the Intelligence Division. So I could—“

     As she spoke, Commander Eza cracked a smile and let out a small chuckle, and Delara fought down a twinge of annoyance.

     “Something funny, Sir?”

     “Ah, while your enthusiasm is commendable, Hoplite, I’d say it’s misplaced. Someone as forthright and honest as you wouldn’t last a day as a spy,” said Commander Eza. “You’re far more valuable to us right where you are. As I said, just be patient, and you’ll get your chance.”

     “If you say so, Sir,” said Delara, swallowing her disappointment.

     “And, as for you, Stalker Mina clan Ukawa,” said Commander Eza, her tone shifting drastically. “Once again, you disobeyed a direct order and left your unit. And, as a result, you nearly got yourself killed, twice, yet again—and you endangered Hoplite Delara, who had to run to bail you out. The fact that you survived all this is a minor miracle. Do you have anything to say for yourself, Stalker?”

     “Um, okay, sir,” said Mina, “I know I ignored the regroup command and all, but it’s just, when Delara vaulted up on that spider’s back, she bonked into this invisible guy and knocked him off. And, he was this bald bearded guy in black robes with a skull staff and a bone necklace and stuff, so I was like, ‘Whoa, necromancer! I bet he’s the one controlling the zombies.’ Because, you see, when he fell off the spider all the zombies chilled out, like, right away. But, before I could point him out to everyone else, he turned invisible again!

     “That’s bad, right? Because he could sneak away and hide somewhere, or maybe set a ambush in the compound or something. Like, he might wait for a phalanx to be all bunched up and be like, ‘BAM! Fireball,’ or ‘BAM! Cloud of Death,’ or whatever. I thought, ‘I can’t let that happen,’ but I had to move fast, ‘cause he was invisible, but I could still kind of hear where he was, big ears and all.”

     Mina pointed up to her head, and Delara realized that those cat ears might really be useful for something besides being cute.

     “And, well—I didn’t know if anybody else had seen him, or could track him, so I just felt I had to be the one to bring him down, or at least light him up so other people could see where he was—though frankly, I didn’t expect such a blatant kill-steal, Sir.”

     “Well, Stalker Mina,” said Commander Eza, looking more than a little smug. “If that’s a concern, I’d recommend not missing your shot in the first place.”

     “Well, he was all flailing around and screaming from being on fire, Sir,” Mina complained. “It’s tricky when they don’t hold still. Sir.”

     “And yet, Stalker Commander Halfrid made her shot, under the same conditions, from much further away. What do you say to that, Stalker Mina?”

     “She’s… very talented, Sir,” said Mina, through gritted teeth.

     “She is at that, Stalker Mina,” said Lance Commander Eza. “And you need to recognize that. In fact, I’d say that’s your entire problem, Stalker. You made a bunch of assumptions, that you were the only person who saw what was going on, or had plans to deal with it, so you just had to do things your way.

     “Stalker, that is not how an army works. You need to trust in the chain of command, that the people above you know what they are doing and to follow your orders accordingly. Because if every single soldier starts thinking they’re smarter than everyone else, and starts doing their own thing in the middle of a battle, you know what happens?”

     “Uhh—“

     “Chaos, Stalker,” snapped Commander Eza. “Total breakdown in discipline and coordination. You stop having an army and start having a mob. That sound like a good idea to you, Stalker? Is that what you want?”

     “No. Sir,” said Mina, staring at her boots with droopy ears.

     “Couldn’t quite hear that, Stalker.”

     “NO. SIR,” she said, snapping back up to attention.

     “Hmph,” said Commander Eza, circling around Mina, face inches away from her. “And, that’s just accounting for your actions prior to falling over the chasm. Apparently, you didn’t wait by the marking torch Hoplite Delara threw down in order to find you, and instead wandered into some strange structure buried inside the chasm wall. Care to explain that to me, Stalker?”

     “Uh, well—it’s like you said, Sir,” said Mina. “I hit my head when I fell, so I was pretty dazed—not thinking clearly at all—so I guess I just wandered off, looking for some shelter, until Delara found me, fed me my potion and hers, and then my mind cleared up, so we headed back.”

     Delara felt her eyes go wide at that, so she forced herself to blink, and concentrated on keeping her face neutral. Mina was straight-up lying now. What was she thinking?

     Lance Commander Eza wasn’t buying it either.

     “Stalker,” she said. “I heard from the medic that, in addition to your head wound, you had a fractured shin and that Hoplite Delara was carrying you, because you were, in fact, unable to walk. And yet, you expect me to believe that you ‘wandered off’ to a point a good sixty yards from where you fell. Explain this to me so it makes sense, Stalker.”

     “Uh, I really don’t remember, Sir. Like I said, I was super dazed,” said Mina, absolutely straight-faced. I must’ve crawled, or maybe I hopped. I have very good balance, Sir.”

     “You crawled… or hopped… sixty yards to find shelter, while too dazed to remember doing it? Do you really expect me to believe that, Stalker Mina clan Ukawa?”

     “Um… yes, Sir? Because it’s what happened?” said Mina. “I don’t see what’s so hard to believe here. I feel like my record shows that I’ve done way weirder things than crawl sixty yards, Sir.”

     That actually made Commander Eza stop and pause for a second. 

     “Stalker Mina, that’s the first thing you’ve said that makes any damn sense,” she said. “Well, tell me about this hidden compound you found. How big is it? Was it occupied?”

     “It’s just some old ruins, Sir,” said Mina. “I only saw three rooms in there. All empty. Some ancient, abandoned storeroom, probably. Sir.”

Delara continued to keep her face blank. Mina was hiding the existence of the goblins. That’s why she’d torn off her bandage and splint, too—so she wouldn’t have to explain how she’d gotten them. But why was she doing that?

     A scream rang out from across the battlefield. The executioner had reached the sobbing mercenary, and his nerve had failed. Two hoplites had seized him by the arms and shoulders, and were forcing him back to his knees, while he begged and pleaded for mercy. But it was all futile. All he was accomplishing was increasing the chances that the executioner might not get a clean stroke on the first hit. But this merc was beyond caring, facing his end with zero dignity, as the axe fell, silencing him forever. 

     Was that it? Did Mina think the goblins would be lined up, just like that, if their existence was discovered? Surely not—it was obvious that they had nothing to do with the Korchra Reapers. They were just innocent bystanders.

     But, even as the thought crossed her mind, doubts began to creep in. The orders for this mission said to leave no survivors or witnesses. And those goblins had just witnessed two Amazons. What’s more, she couldn’t know for sure that the goblins had no connection to the Reapers. Even if it was something innocent, like venturing up to the compound to beg for food, would that be enough to be seen as allies in the eyes of the Amazon commanders? 

     The Amazon Nation had not been kept hidden for thousands of years by taking chances, or leaving loose ends. And this whole operation was the one of the most serious threats to the motherland they’d faced in centuries. It stood to reason that the commanders would be ruthlessly thorough in their response to it. That’s what Mina clearly believed. And she was willing to lie to her superior officer to protect the goblins who’d helped her.

     And Lance Commander Eza could tell something was up.

     “You’re telling me that the ruins were empty, Stalker?” she said. “Then who the hell closed the door behind you?”

     “I dunno, Sir,” Mina said. “We must’ve tripped some sort of ancient mechanism on our way out. I’ve heard all sorts of weird shit can happen in those pre-Shattering ruins, Sir.”

     “I can see some weird shit going on right now, Stalker, and it has nothing to do with ancient ruins.”

     “Sir?” said Mina, her face the picture of innocence.

     Delara struggled to maintain the same level of composure. Mina was going to put her in a terrible bind in just a second or two, because she’d decided that she knew better than their commanders about what to do about the goblins. It was the exact same mistake she’d made with the necromancer.

     But, had it been a mistake, though? Delara ran back through her memories of the battle. Right before it happened, she’d had an excellent view of the field, and she didn’t remember seeing anyone besides Mina even remotely close enough to stop the necromancer from sneaking away. Even Stalker Commander Halfrid couldn’t have made that shot if the necromancer had remained invisible. Even she wasn’t that good. So, Mina had made the right call.

     Of course, Commander Eza had to chew her out for it anyway. Making sure soldiers followed orders was her job. And what she said was generally true. Everyone had to respect the chain of command, or else the army simply wouldn’t function.

     But, just because something was generally true, didn’t mean it always was every single time. The world just wasn’t that simple. Commanding officers weren’t perfect people, and sometimes they gave bad orders. Sometimes soldiers on the ground might see something the brass missed, something vital. On rare, extreme occasions, a soldier might decide to creatively interpret her orders, pretend she didn’t understand them, or never got them, and save lives in doing so. But was this one of those rare times?

     They didn’t know for sure that those goblins had nothing to do with the Reapers. For all they knew, their lair was part of a vast catacombs that connected to the basement of the Korchra Reapers’ compound. Or at least, there could be mercs hiding out in the rooms they hadn’t checked. And, besides which, she didn’t know for sure that Amazon command would really be ruthless enough to murder a bunch of goblins, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

     There was way too much about this situation that she didn’t know and couldn’t know. The question was what seemed most likely, and whose lives was she willing to risk?

     “Stalker Mina clan Ukawa, I think there’s something you’re not telling me,” said Lance Commander Eza. “But, in the interest of fairness, I’ll give you one last chance. Right now, I’ll let you ’remember’ anything you’ve ‘forgotten,’ no questions asked. That jog your memory any?”

     “No, Sir,” said Mina. “Nothing comes to mind. That I haven’t already told you. Sir.”

     “Hoplite Delara clan Perone,” said Commander Eza. 

     “Sir!”

     “Did you see the insides of those ruins, Hoplite?”

     “I did, Sir.”

     “And?”

     Delara thought back to the host of poor goblins staring up at her. Something about the way their eyes reflected her torchlight struck her as familiar. They reminded her of badgers.

     “Sir,” she said, clear-voiced and with no hesitation. “The ruins were completely clear of any threats. Or of anything else interesting. Just a couple of empty rooms. As Stalker Mina says, Sir.”

     “Huh,” said Commander Eza, nonplussed. She looked from Delara to Mina and back again. 

     “Well, if you say so, Hoplite,” she said, shrugging. “I suppose it’s a relief. We’ve already got more than enough of a mess to clean up without going dungeon-delving on top of that. Friggin’ vampires. We’re going to have to find and destroy every one of those coffins, just to make sure. Someone in Intelligence really screwed the pooch, to miss that detail about ol’ Grigore.”

     “Did they include the part about him being such a whiny little bitch, Sir?” asked Mina.

     Commander Eza snapped her head in Mina’s direction, and Delara braced for another lecture, but was astonished to see her crack a smile instead.

     “It’s very easy for us,” said Commander Eza, “who live our entire lives in Amazonia, in the bosom of the Goddess, to forget how special and privileged our situation truly is. Most of the other gods are either dead, missing, or sleeping. Because of the Shattering. And the ones that are still active tend to be stretched rather thin, or so I hear.

     “There aren’t many armies left that could field this many priestesses and holy warriors in a battle group this size. Hell, I’d bet our buddy Grigore had never even seen that many in one place at one time. He had no idea who he was dealing with, and by the time he did it was too late.”

     “Grigore was no pushover. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to command so many people, and build all this.” Commander Eza waved her hand, taking in both section of the Reaper’s base, the skydock with all the burning war wagons, and the main compound at the top of the hill.

     “But, our priestesses and champions caught him off guard and ganged up on him. They gave him no chance to recover and didn’t let up until they’d completely destroyed him. Team. Work. Teamwork, Stalker Mina. Something you’d do well to remember, unless you want to end up just like him.”

     Ah, so it did come back to a lecture, after all. Mina grimaced and sighed.

     “So, I guess I’m on latrine duty again, Sir?” she said.

     “Oh no, Stalker Mina,” said Commander Eza, her smile turning forced. “Today, you’re getting a commendation. Probably some kind of medal.”

     Mina’s eyes went wide. “Sir?”

     “High Priestess Xanthe clan Ganatas happened to see you light up that necromancer with your bombs. She ordered me to commend you for your ‘quick thinking and decisive action.’”

     “Oh!” said Mina. “Gosh, well that was real nice of her. Thank you!”

     That was right. The clergy of the Goddess coordinated with the army during military operations, and when they did, they were assigned high military ranks. But they weren’t the army, and, apparently, didn’t have quite the same views about discipline. It made Delara feel a bit better, to be reminded that the army way of thinking wasn’t the only way out there.

     “So, Stalker Mina,” said Commander Eza, her plastered-on smile so sharp that it threatened to crack her face. “Do you know what I do, when I receive a direct order from a superior officer?”

     “You… follow it, Sir?”

     “Exactly right, Stalker. I always follow my orders. So, congratulations,” and Commander Eza reached out to pat Mina on the shoulder, with the same forced smile, and the “pats” had a lot more force to them, enough to make Mina wince, even through her armor.

     “Thanks… Sir,” she said. “Say, does killing a golem count for a Blood Stripe?”

     “That’s a machine, not a person, so no,” said Eza, some genuine glee leaking into her fake smile.

     “Dangit, Sir!”

     Lance Commander Eza just stared at Mina, her smile fading. The silence stretched on, as Mina continued to stand at attention, thankfully restraining herself from piping up at all. Finally Commander Eza let out a sigh, and spoke.

     “Stalker Mina clan Ukawa, what am I to do with you? You keep disobeying orders, but the results you get are just good enough that you keep getting your punishment mitigated. And this time, you’re probably getting a fucking medal. So, what the fuck am I supposed to do with that? Any suggestions, Stalker?”

     Mina looked truly confused by this sudden change in tone.

     “Headpats?” she ventured, hopefully.

     “No, we will not be doing fucking headpats, Stalker Mina clan Ukawa,” snapped Lance Commander Eza, as she grimaced and rubbed her temples. “No—you know what? That one’s on me. I should’ve known better.”

     Commander Eza brought her face down to Mina’s level, so they were practically nose-to-nose.

     “Just know this, Stalker: keep on going like you are, and one day you’ll take a gamble that doesn’t pay off. And, when that happens, you’ll be lucky to only get drummed out of the army. Because that’ll mean that you’re still alive to get your discharge.”

     “That is all,” she said, straightening up and turning to walk away. “Dismissed, both of you. You’ve finished your duties for today.” 

     “Sir!” they said in unison, as they watched Commander Eza’s retreating back. Mina was the first to speak, once their commander had reached a safe distance.

     “Whew! That was hairy,” she said. “Good thing Lance Commander Eza was in such a good mood today.”

     “Good mood?” said Delara, her eyebrows nearly shooting off her forehead.

     “Oh, yeah. Normally she’s way crankier than that.”

     Well, that had to be a prime example of how different a person could be, depending on who they were dealing with. Delara was sure she didn’t want to witness a “normal” encounter between Mina and Commmander Eza.

     “So, um... about what we just—”

     Delara placed two fingers on Mina’s lips to silence her. 

     “Not here,” she said, with a solemn shake of her head. Mina looked a bit anxious at that, so Delara reached out, gently patted her on the head, and turned to head back towards the portal, gesturing for Mina to follow.