Dodge: Serial 35

Losha learns of an unusual connection she shares with Koter. Govan plots the demise of the Wolf of Sventa.

Serial 35: Seer

December 23rd, 32 S.D. 13:04 Sventa, Central Plains

    Tami shook his head as he sat down. “I do not believe this,” he said, gently touching his temple with the fringe of his fingers as he sat down. “Frankly, this sort of thing is unheard of.”

    WOLFWIND was stationed in their quarters that afternoon, a dormitory of a sort. While the barracks were usually where the fort housed the bulk of its soldiers, officers were afforded compartments on the second floor’s northern wing. Losha didn’t know if she qualified as an officer; in fact she wasn’t exactly sure what her true rank was; she only knew she was an agent of Boz. She figured though that given her past performances, no one was willing to object even if they didn’t technically belong there.

    “Yega, Faima, tell me you two know of the stories,” Tami implored. Faima nodded while Yega answered for himself.

    “Of course, everyone knows about the tales. Well,” he turned for a moment, looking over to Losha. “Except you apparently, no offense implied.”

    Losha frowned as she too took a seat. “I am afraid I honestly have never heard of the folklore you all are referring to,” she said. “Do remember, I did spend most of my life outside the Central Plains.”

    “Sa, but even I have heard of them,” Faima chimed in. She stood by the window, leaning against the wall, holding her arms in her hands as she stared out into the snowfall. “And I was hardly raised around these parts either.”

    After Losha had reported the results of their latest mission to Boz, she had filled her teammates on what had happened that night once they had parted ways. Specifically, she retold her encounter with the Henron officer, Koter, the Velhast Hound. As she’d been informed by Boz, Koter was part of an elite unit within the Henron orders, a sort of three-member cell known and revered for their unique battle prowess as well as their seemingly inexplicable abilities. She forgot what Boz had called them, but it was some other eight character moniker. At any rate, Boz had been very impressed by her recent feats, especially her survival against one of Henron’s most skilled soldiers. For her comrades, however, they saw greater meaning in her trials.

    “Be that as it may, I have still never heard of them. What exactly is the idea behind the wolf and the hound?”

    “Shrieks, I cannot believe I have to explain this,” Tami laughed shortly. “Well, no matter... Sa, the wolf and the hound. It is not so much a single story so-to-speak; it is more like a category or a series of stories that share the same theme.”

    “And there are a lot of them.” Yega pointed out. “I doubt I have read all of them myself. Are you certain you have not even heard of at least one?”

    “I am positive. If you will, Tami.”

    “Sa. The wolf and the hound tales tell the rivalry between these two animals. Some give one or the other the advantage, but only for a particular episode, and neither actually ‘wins’ their overall, almost timeless struggle.”

    “What sorts of things take place in these stories?” Losha asked.

    “Hmm...” Tami mumbled, stroking his chin. “All types of misadventures. I recall one where the wolf leads its pack out of danger, despite receiving bad information about the weather from hound.”

    “Or that one where hound warns a village that wolf, bear, and fox were stealing stores of food,” Yega added.

    “Or when both have to work together to escape a forest fire,” Faima said without moving her gaze from the glass.

    “Hold on,” Losha said, raising up a hand. “Are these stories really that well-known? My mother read me all of the same books everyone else heard. Why am I only just now finding out about these?” Tami and Yega shrugged while Faima, unbeknownst to the others, cracked a rare smile to herself.

    Losha sighed aloud. “Sa, it is no matter now. So why are the wolf and hound so important all of a sudden? Before I told you that I was unfamiliar with the tales, you all seemed awfully excited about something else. What is the connection that I am not getting?”

    “Come now,” Yega said. “What is there not to get? You are Losha Holvate, the Wolf of Sventa. And you just fought-”

    “Koter Henron, the Velhast Hound,” Losha interjected. “I understand that we seem to symbolically represent the wolf and the hound from folklore, but what precisely does that honestly mean?”

    “Think of it as such, if you will,” Tami offered. “The wolf and the hound are two constantly opposing forces, eternally vying to overcome one another through schemes, tactics, and combat. If you ask me, Losha, it seems very telling.”

    “Telling of what?” she inquired.

    “That probably is not going to be your final meeting with Koter. In the stories, each side always manages to make a comeback, regardless of how bad things got. Even as the wolf and the hound try to avoid each other, fate always has a way of intersecting their paths.”

    Losha again remembered her ordeal with Koter. Now that she could re-examine the circumstances in a more educated light, she found that there was a most curious clue buried in her recollection. Koter had said something about the dog finally beating the wolf. Had he been alluding to the very same stories? In a way, she felt as if she were returning to the Central Plains all over again, questioning how she could call the land her home when she knew very little of it. How had she missed such a rooted part of her culture? She shook head and began talking once more.

    “But he and I are not these animals from children’s stories. I think you all might simply be looking too deeply here.” Despite her denials, she had to admit she could see their point of view. Koter himself was uncannily canine by some strange nature of his; if he were not the very embodiment of a human hound, she could think of no one else. Furthermore, ever since their meeting, Koter had seemed drawn to her with an affinity that exceeded simply being a worthy adversary. It were as if he’d marked her. Given how neither side had won their battle, one could say they’d been evenly matched, just like rivals... Yet was she herself truly a wolf?

    “If you read the stories yourself, I have a feeling you would probably see things differently.” Tami said as he reclined. “The similarities are striking. Almost too poignant to be a coincidence.”

    Losha chuckled slightly. “What, do you think it is destiny or something?”

    “Who can say?” Tami replied. “However, I would not dismiss this Koter fellow. I think it very likely you will meet him again.”

    “He fell into the Sholat River though,” Yega pointed out. “Could anyone really survive that?”

    “Of course he will, if he is the hound!” Tami pronounced.

    “Sa, sa. I get it,” Losha said. “Why are the wolf and the hound always so at odds though? What is the legend behind that?”

    “Good question; allow me to elaborate.” Tami crossed his legs before continuing. “There are some variations floating about, but basically the wolf and the hound used to be quite close. One day the hound stumbled upon a village and took a liking to the people. Eventually, the hound leaves wolf’s pack. The hound insisted that the wolf come along, but the wolf refused. In its eyes, the wolf thought that only the will of the wild needed to be obeyed and that people where not trustworthy. The hound, however, felt that there was a higher calling, one that could only be fulfilled in aiding people. Shortly thereafter, they parted ways, but a grudge persisted between them. Each vowed to someday prove the other wrong, that their choice, their way of life was the correct one.”

    Losha nodded for a moment. “Sa, that tale explains the domestication of dogs... It also paints a lovely picture of freedom to oneself versus loyalty to others. That is all very interesting, but I still cannot see where Koter and I fall into things. Nominally we are like the tales, but strictly in that regard alone.”

    Tami shrugged pleasantly enough and gave her no argument on the subject. “Fair enough, but do not be surprised if your ways cross once more.”



    Ever since the armed engagements had begun against Sventa, the Henron, it seemed, sustained loss after loss. First, Lisk had suffered at the ends of their new weaponry. Vitna then had fallen to the incredible might of a young witch they commonly referred to as the Wolf of Sventa. Now, yet again, she had struck. Though it were through sabotage, it was a blow just as devastating as any battle. A full day after the incident, Govan Henron had arrived to the Henron base where their third order had established a base near the border. Quietly, within the reaches of a pensive mind, he stood before the lot where their cannons had once proudly sat, his arms folded.

    None dared to disturb the Prime Lead as he stared over the ruin of all their efforts. The storehouse had been blasted to the ground. Their metal-works survived, but half of its facade remained ripped and exposed; the equipment therein was inoperable. Many of the cannons themselves had been torn and mangled by the explosion. The ones that were the most structurally intact had been thrown meters away, charred beyond all repair. Casualties, however, had been minimal and superficial, thanks to an adequate warning about the storehouse blaze. Still, it represented a major setback for their forces.

    Govan had always known their battle with Sventa would in no way be an easy one. He had expected a challenge fit to strain the most brilliant of his strategies, and thus far he was not yet disappointed. At each turn, he seemed to be overwhelmed by powers he could not quite understand. Vitna should have - and truly would have - crushed the enemy with his Agnan Walls. Even so, the notorious Wolf - bearing abilities beyond both belief and comprehension - had outright flattened them. Hoping to smash them from afar with conical projectiles of a greater sort, Govan had commissioned the development of their own special artillery. However, this Wolf, this Losha Holvate had once again struck at his plans, wiping them out as if they were nothing.

    Through the snow, with the faint sound of crunching footsteps, someone from behind approached him. Govan prided himself on knowing his subordinates, thus he did not turn to see who it was; he could already tell.

    “The outlook of this war is grim for us, is it not, Liveta?”

    The Core Lead halted and gave a short bow, even as her commander faced the other way. “Forgive me, Govan. This disaster is a failing on my part, one that could have been prevented.”

    “Humph,” Govan said, tossing his head to the sky, letting his arms fall to the side. “You know I was never one to suffer such unreasonable apologies. There is no blame that can stand against you. We were simply dealing with an enemy whose strength wildly extends over our own.”

    Liveta walked closer to Govan, coming right beside him. “I doubt Heigon Henron will see things so lightly,” she said.

    “Indeed. This makes it three times the Sventa have bested me, and by a wide margin no less. Having been vested with authority over all of Henron’s finest, it seems it is I who have not maintained my duties.”

    “Yet who could have foreseen that a champion of that sort would arrive? Surely our lordship will understand the circumstances we find ourselves in. The way that Sventa fought, nothing like it has ever been recorded in history.”

    Govan looked down back at her as he spoke. “I can think of one such individual who might have known of Losha beforehand, but alas, she saw nothing on the matter.” He shook his head for a moment. “Regardless, Heigon specifically chose me years ago because he has seen how I can conquer even the most formidable predicaments. You remember the conflict of Balaros five years ago? I daresay that event alone played a role in my eventual promotion. He believes that fire and manpower can always be overcome, so long as one has the vision to see the proper solution. He expects me to think our way out of this. And I will.”

    “But, what happens, Ver Govan, when the enemy cannot only overpower you, but outwit you as well?” said a voice from behind them. They turned around to see Koter come from the crumbling side of the metal-works. He looked to and for, laying his eyes on the wreckage strewn everywhere. All the while, he twirled that same engraved knife he usually holstered to his thigh, spinning it leisurely about the ring just at the handle’s end. Out of all of his subordinates, Govan found Koter the hardest to detect. The very nature of his presence ever seemed like a shadow.

    “She is good,” Koter said as he walked up to them. “A thousand soldiers or just one; throw as many as you like at her, and it will be the same. She is crafty too.”

    “Crafty enough to slip away from an experienced hunter like yourself?” Liveta asked.

    “Of course, Ver Liveta,” Koter answered. “She is just that type of foe, a true, living champion. I too must explain myself to the Prime Lead, and to you, Core Lead. I was unable to stop her; my actions were insufficient and unsuccessful. Ver Liveta, to you I must personally ask for excuse; the Wolf somehow managed to get a hold of your prized Izel.”

    Liveta frowned at the mention of her once cherished horse, the white wonder that had been the envy of so many eyes. “Do not be harsh with yourself, Koter,” she said. “It is merely another one of her offenses against us.”

    “You said you managed to injure her, sa?” Govan queried.

    “With a crossbow, but she survived.”

    “You know this how?”

    Koter whirled the blade rapidly a bit then caught it upright all at once. He pointed the tip at himself, as if it were his thumb. “Instinct.”

    “Tell me Koter,” said a female voice in the distance. “Was it also your instinct that let her get away from you?” Coming from the base, a woman in her mid-thirties walked towards them. She wore a white cloak draped around her, covering her body just until her knees. Her hair was pure black and pulled into a high ponytail. Most curiously, over her eyes, she wore a thick, wide, leather strap that buckled at the bridge of her nose, not unlike a blindfold. Despite this seemingly impractical, almost nonsensical style of hers, no one questioned her choices.

    “Suvla Teni Henron, the Olta Fox,” Koter said aloud shaking his head before he whipped around. “What would you know about that night? You were all the way with the first order, with Core Lead Ano.”

    Suvla stopped for a moment before reaching them. She swept out a long arm across the plains, as if tracing something. “That one, the Wolf, she came from here, creeping along until she reached the cannons. Then she stalked along that row, unseen and into the basement. Sa...,” she paused for a bit before directly turning towards Koter. “You chased her; you both crossed the Sholat River, a reckless jump on your account, but then you were surrounded, six Sventa soldiers on horseback. Then you fell...”

    “Hmm...” Koter said, narrowing his eyes as he smiled bemusedly. He sheathed his knife “Guess your readings are still as accurate as ever, Suvla. To get all of that without even being debriefed no less.”

    “Which is why I can say for certain that the Wolf, this Losha Holvate, is still alive and well. I have seen her... I can also say that she would not have gotten away had you brought more soldiers with you.” Koter frowned and growled, but he merely turned to the side. All the same, he eyed her sharply while saying nothing. “You know, you are a Field Lead. You would do well to lead men more than mutts.”

    “Spare me the lecture. Until you have fought her yourself, you cannot know what it is like battling those kinds of powers. Even your ‘gifts’ will not comprehend them until it actually comes to combat. Other units would have gotten in the way.”

    “Sa, in the way of your precious hunt. You are doggedly persistent, true, but you could stand to learn a thing or two from your so-called pack, namely obedience. You were expressively put here to ensure the safety of our weapons.”

    Koter tossed his head over at Suvla and snarled. “I tackled Losha head on. I came at her with all the might I had. I pursued my obligations as far as I was able to.”

    “As I have said before,” Govan cut in, his deep voice splitting even this strenuous tension. “We are against a foe whose abilities far surpass our own. Even the slightest glimpse of success would be a happy accident. None of you is truly at fault; the Wolf is merely at a greater level than we.” He took two steps forward, raising his fist before them. “But we will not submit to the status quo. Everyone has a weakness, even champions.”

    Though her eyes remained beneath the likes of her band, Suvla turned her head all the same as if she were glancing at him. “What do you have in mind, Ver Govan? Sa... wait... never mind. It is clear.”

    “Not all of us can peer into your thoughts so easily,” Liveta said. “Do explain, Prime Lead.”

    “This wolfish warrior is the bane of our current situation. She must be dealt with first. She alone might dispense all of our entire orders, given time.”

    “And how are we to do this?” Koter asked.

    “We must dispose of her. She is not immortal; she is scarcely more than a girl herself. Koter, you were able to fight evenly with her, even harm her. That is more than can be said for all of the hundreds she has already defeated. Though Losha’s powers are contentious, it is apparent that those with unique abilities of their own may yet challenge her.”

    “You mean the TRIBLADE unit?” Koter posited.

    “Exactly,” Govan said with a nod. “Koter, you need to recover, therefore I shall not ask for your participation.”

    “Ver Govan!” Koter exclaimed, throwing one hand to the side while he clenched another tightly to his chest. “I am fit for combat,” he reasoned, but to no avail.

    “The Sholat River is easy on no one. Through your own extraordinary efforts, you survived. However, your orders are to fully recuperate yourself.”

    “Sa, Prime Lead,” Koter said as he lowered his arms.

    “Avil the Noven Hawk is currently situated too far from us, and Ano could use his talents, so I will transfer him to the first order. Suvla, that leaves you.”

    “Sa,” she said. “As I had seen...”

    “No matter how great a fighter she may be, the Wolf cannot possibly occupy two places at the same time,” Govan declared, folding his arms as he stood in front of them all. “We will attack on two separate fronts. Suvla, yours will be the one to handle Losha.”

    “Govan,” Liveta spoke up. “How do we intend to gain the upper-hand if, say, the Sventa along with the Wolf attack our other front first, then promptly move on to Suvla’s group?”

    “The trick here is to draw Losha away from the rest of the Sventa army. We have seen for ourselves that they are willing to send her off by herself if they deem it worthwhile or urgent, and as their most valued tool, she will be the first they choose for any significant threat. We will send Suvla and her lot to the Talimer Forest. That will spark them to move with great haste; it is, after all, the original source of this conflict. They will not hesitate to send their best soldier to stamp out the threat. They will also want to use her to make a statement. Suvla will cut her off from any support and eliminate her.”

    “Meanwhile,” he continued. “Liveta, you shall launch a strike from the border north of here, along the Ganglan Pass. The terrain will offer you much protection; their rifles should pose no issues, even without Agnan Walls for defense. You must move now, however. I fear they want to strike at this base while it is still vulnerable. We abandon this site at once and move on to other operations. With this, you must begin immediately.”

    “Understood,” Liveta said, clutching the sword at her side as she began to move off. “I shall make our preparations straight away.”

    As she went went along, Suvla seemed to track her, although Suvla herself bore no expression as she watched the Core Lead. “For one who cannot see as I do, Ver Govan, you surely know how to read people and situations quite accurately. It is almost as if you too know of what must come.”

    Govan frowned slightly. “I do not have your foresight; I can simply deduce the course of the enemy from experience. Have you had a vision recently?”

    “Indeed I have,” Suvla nodded with a smile. “Everything you outlined - the Sventa coming to this base, how they dispatch Losha to the Talimer forest, how only a member of TRIBLADE could match her - all of these predictions will come to pass.”

    “And what of your encounter with the Wolf? Do you know how that will fare?”

    “I do, but does that matter, Prime Lead?”

    “Suvla...” Govan said, tilting his head down briefly.

    “I go where you tell me, Ver Govan. I follow the mission. I follow the future.”

    “The future had best be your success and your safe return.”

    “We will all see, Ver Govan,” she said.

    Govan sighed as he shook his head. “I must aid Liveta in the move to the Ganglan Pass. This conversation of ours will resume tonight in her tent. We will discuss everything in more detail. Koter,” Govan said, looking over at the young officer. “You come as well. Share with Suvla any information that may serve her in her next battle.”

    “No need for that, Prime Lead,” Suvla spoke up. “I already know what he knows.” With that, she turned and took off. Koter scowled and paced about; his hand constantly flexed over the sheathed knife of his.

    “She gets into people’s heads, but I will be damned if anyone knows what goes on in hers.”

    “Have you two always had such an inimical relationship?”

    “She respects you, Ver Govan, not only as Prime Lead, but as a former member of TRIBLADE. Ever since I took up the unit in your place, however, it has been anything but love between us.”

    Govan grumbled. “A shame. It is something that you must work on... Nevertheless, only those of us with ‘Special Potentials’ stand a chance against Losha Holvate Sventa. Suvla is the most capable soldier available to us. She must prevail.”

    “And if she does not?”

    “We do not have her talents, Koter. The future is a mystery. Whatever the outcome, we can only judge her actions in hindsight.”

Author's Note

In the reaches of Aste, deep within the grasslands of the Central Plains, 14 warring clans mount constant warfare against one another. Through endless bloodshed, the people are forever rooted in a cycle of conflict. Returning to the place she once called home, Losha leaves Palostrol to go back to her family. Yet in their embrace she finds a world teetering on the brink of devestation. As King's words echo through her mind, she must decide if serialization holds the answers to peace. But are the consequences of failure are worth it? The path of the Continent's greatest struggle has only just begun. The Age of Serialization starts now.

The next installment comes September 10rd, 2014. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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* It would be very interesting to write the folklore mentioned in this serial, as well as other stories that form the backbone for many of the myths of the world of Dodge. Perhaps it would make for a nice side project.

* Gandian anthropologists recognize Astens based on several shared similarities: geography, language, common culture in the forms of art, literature, and music. Folklore, even across the various clans, is largely consistent, and surprisingly rarely individualized to favorably reflect the views of any one group. Despite how similar all Astens are on a high-level, many Gandians fail to see their lower-level differences and have a hard time understanding their divisions. Why Astens have such common and collective mythology and oral/written traditions yet are always at war with one another, at this point in time, remains a mystery to many Gandians.

* While Suvla and Koter address Govan respectfully, Liveta is more informal with him. They have actually been through a lot together in the Henron army

* These "Special Potentials" refer to people with extraordinary abilities, such as Koter's heightened reflexes and sense of smell, Suvla's power to "see" things without using her eyes. Suvla's talents not only extend to detecting things around her, but being able to see the future, and interestingly enough the past as well.

* TRIBLADE's members are Koter the Velhast Hound, Suvla the Olta Fox, and Avil the Noven Hawk. Their codenames are a combination of which animals they were deemed best to represent along with the location of their birth. Olta was a former village near the capital of, however, it has since grown into a minor trading hub for Gandians on their way to the Western Corridor. Noven is a rather unremarkable hamlet on the outskirts of some lowlands. Each member hold strange and inexplicable powers that cannot currently be understood in terms of the most advanced Gandian sciences or serialization. Because of that, they were all sought after by the Henron army. This unit reports directly to Prime Lead Govan, who in turn reports directly to Heigon Henron, the harsh autocrat of Henron. Govan was a former member before being promoted for his efforts.

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Any feedback is welcome. Just writing because I like it. Always wanted to make a weekly series, so I'm doing it.