With all the same rage that brought them there, the three Valkyrie burst through the golden double doors of Valhalla, the same doors they swore they just saw her slip into.
Yet, as the entrance hall stretched out before them…
"Fuuucckk…" Helm heaved, stepping further inside, the magic around her fists dimming, "Where did that bitch go!?"
She was nowhere to be found.
Ort slumped slightly, her full body heaving as she panted, "S-She…She couldn't have gotten far now…come on…!"
Grim huffed, the least winded of the three, yet even still, she wasn't starting to feel the burn in her legs and magic power reserves.
It was a wild goose chase straight from the start. She had taken off in a random direction, and no matter how much they tried, no matter how much they fought, they couldn't even touch her.
They were always just out of arm's reach. Their spells never even so much as nicked her hair.
But they were persistent, very persistent, and it thankfully didn't take too long before she visibly seemed to slow down.
Grim became fairly certain then about the speed she was showcasing before. It was some kind of enhancement spell that was precast before their encounter. She's pretty sure the others would agree with that assessment.
Because as soon as it wore off, she turned almost immediately and made way straight for Valhalla.
Grim is also pretty sure she knows why.
"You two," Grim called, beginning to bark orders, "spread out. Look for her, but be careful. We did enough damage on the way here, last we need is the Captain to get on our asses over destroying the hall, too."
Helm huffed and grumbled, while Ort shivered and began panickedly ranting, "B-But we avoided torching like, the houses and stuff, right? We kept our blasts contained, and to the roads, so it should be fine, right!?"
Grim rolled her eyes. "There's still going to be fines for that, Ort."
"O-Oh…Gods…" Ort slumped further, her entire body quivering, "I'm going to have to take out a third loan, aren't I!? And pick up another job! I-"
"O-kay!" Helm slammed a hand over Ort's mouth, "Shut the fuck up. Please. We'll think of something together, besides," she slowly let Ort's mouth free, "we've got to deal with something a little more important right now, don't ya think?"
"...R-Right!" Ort nodded after a moment, taking a quivering breath as she tried to calm herself down.
"While you two do that," Grim continued at last, "I'm going to go keep the Captain company. Just in case."
Both Helm and Ort looked back at Grim at her words, their eyes slowly widening as what she said settled upon them.
"You don't think…?" Helm trailed off with a snarl.
"R-Really…she'd go to the Captain?" Ort muttered in disbelief and horror.
Truly, Grim doubted the possibility. While she wasn't personally sure about how their Captain would react to her showing up, she could also say with fairly high certainty that Rossweisse telling on them wouldn't amount to much.
It never really had in the past, after all. Somehow, Grim doubts it'd mean much now.
Still, the possibility is there that, now that she's no longer part of the Squad, she'd try and spin the events of this night somehow, or try something with the Captain specifically, to try and get out of this or put them in far more trouble…
Yeah, Grim won't be risking that.
And she says as such, with a shake of her head, "Maybe. Maybe not. Better not risk it."
"Damn bitch…" Helm clicked her tongue, "Well, it's not like there's any need to worry about it, we'll find her, won't we, Ort!?"
"Huh? Oh! Y-Yeah!" She stammered, yet nodded resolutely.
With that, those two Valkyries ran off, and Grim began making her way toward the Captain's office.
So fast they did, in fact, that none of them even noticed the three magic circles springing into existence right where they once stood.
~ A New Sun ~
As Grim approached the Captain's office door, she couldn't help but admit internally that she was more than a little nervous.
Unlike pretty much every other Valkyrie, the Captain, the Brynhildr, she's…well.
She's professional. Professional to an absolute fault. She doesn't gossip, she doesn't joke, Grim can't recall her ever smiling, or even attempting to have fun.
Especially during the job. Never during the job. And even when she isn't on the job, Grim doesn't recall Brynhildr doing anything besides work.
Or training.
But then again, she is the strongest Valkyrie of their generation. Of course, it wouldn't be easy keeping and maintaining that name.
Right. Brynhildr isn't even her real name; it's the name she inherited when it was determined she was the strongest, and that was some time ago. Grim doesn't even know her real name!
So, all in all, if she thinks about it, she's sort of screwed.
But it's not like the other two would have better chances of dealing with her, considering Helm's borderline constant delinquency, and Ort's ever-present nervousness…
Yeah, those two would be more liable to get them in more trouble rather than helping here.
So, it's up to her!
Before her sat an ornately crafted office door. As with everything else in the hall, it was made of gold, but uniquely, the door featured entirely different decoration.
Figures. It was covered in images of people, Valkyrie, to be more specific. Though their faces were blank masks, from the top, all the way up to the bottom, each woman looked different in some way, even if minor.
Whether it be body shape, hair style, or even the type of weapon they used, you'd be able to tell each one was their own person.
And at the topmost part of the door? A plac, etched with a single word, a name.
Brynhildr.
She hasn't been here often, and when she usually is, she's dreading the visit, so she's never really had the time to take in the exact design of the door. Hel, why would she? It's a door.
Yet now? She can't help herself. Each one of these figures were a past Brynhildr, a past Captain of the Valkyrie Squad, and there were so many.
It puts it into perspective just how far away they are now from that golden age.
"Enter."
She's shocked stiff from her thoughts as a mature, feminine voice beckons her from the other side of the door.
Grim really shouldn't be surprised, of course, their Captain could sense her coming.
As there was no point in hesitating anymore, Grim stepped forward, pushing the golden office door open as she did.
Only to be greeted by more gold as she stepped in. Typical. It is Valhalla, after all, even the office spaces must be covered every inch in as much gold as feasibly possible.
Except, office space it may be, the gold here was noticeably more…muted, in its shine. Here, the gold was far darker, almost rustic. Truly, just how old this single room was was apparent with that one slight difference.
As such, dark golden bookshelves and file cabinets lined the walls, and wherever there was space in between, frescos and paintings of battles and warrior women past were slotted in to take up the space.
The center of the room is where all the action lay; a large, dark, golden office desk sat, stacked with papers and parchment, and the only thing brightly gold colored compared to the rest of the room.
A computer, something Grim heard was called a 'Mac' by the Humans down in Midgard. Supposedly, such machines were developed here for Asgard, but according to some rather baseless rumors, Lord Odin himself merely purchased the machines and brought them here, before painting them gold and claiming the former.
But as mentioned, those are baseless rumors at best! There's no way Lord Odin would lie like that!
In the end, however, none of that stuff took Grim's attention, no, it was the woman behind the desk that did.
Clad in a form-fitting black suit, with long light blue hair, and piercing eyes of the same color that were already set on her, sat their Captain.
And judging by the unamused look on her face, Grim was pretty sure she wasn't in a great mood to begin with.
Joy.
The moment the door shut behind her, Brynhildr began.
"Grimgerde." Her name slipped through her Captain's name like a number, nearly making her wince, "Excellent. I was going to call you and your friends here in the morning, but I suppose we can do this now."
…Huh?
Seeing as she didn't respond, Brynhildr continued, her gaze never moving off her face, "You, Helmwige, and Ortlinde." She began anew with a list, "I just got a report that you three were throwing around combat magic in the streets."
Brynhildr set one hand over the other, her gaze becoming a glare as she looked at her, "Would you care to explain your and your friend's actions?"
Well. Fuck.
How the hell is she supposed to get out of this one!?
If she already got the report, somehow, then shouldn't she know already the why?
In which case, this is a trap, isn't it?
She can't just lie directly to the Brynhildr's like that! She can't say she'd survive the punishment!
Letting out a shaky breath, Grim stood straight and began, "Ma'am, we were chasing…Rossweisse, ma'am."
Brynhildr rose an eyebrow, "Chasing…Rossweisse, hmm? She's back in Asgard, then?"
Grim could barely pick up the hint of curiosity in Brynhildr's tone, something not at all surprising…considering she personally taught Rossweisse her magic.
To this day, Grim couldn't say whether such special tutelage is another source of pity or jealousy toward the young former Valkyrie.
After all, Brynhildr's spars with the girl weren't private, and calling them 'spars' is a little…off the mark.
Regardless, Grim nodded and answered the question given to her by her most high senior, "Yes, yes, she is ma'am."
Brynhildr let out a low, tired sigh. "Of course, she shows up, and immediately someone gets into it with her." Without another word, she reaches out, picking up three separate file folders, and tucking them under a larger stack of them, "The Gods will handle you three on this matter, as you were off the job…and Rossweisse isn't employed here anymore anyway."
Grim barely got a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Now then. Grimgerde?" She continued, far too quickly, "Since I presume you didn't come here for all of that, I must ask, what are you doing back here so late?"
All of a sudden, Grim found her mouth dry and her throat closing up.
Yeah, she really didn't think this one through at all, did she?
Her knee-jerk explanation was that she came back to find her spear, but that stupidity was quickly tossed out when she remembered she could summon the thing at any time with her magic!
That left her mind blank for a second.
Until she remembered that hint of curiosity in Brynhildr's voice earlier.
"Ma'am," she began, slowly, to word this right, "I just came to tell you about Rossweisse, in case you cared to know?"'
Brynhildr gave her another eyebrow raise, though her face not changing beyond its stoic mask didn't give her any other hint to how exactly she felt about her words.
For a moment, Brynhildr didn't say anything at all, and during that small window of time Grim was fairly certain she was screwed.
How? She didn't know. Just screwed.
Then Brynhildr finally said something, and it nearly gave Grim the whiplash of the ages, "How was she doing?"
It was four simple words, yet not only did Grim never expect such a question from the Captain's mouth, the way she said it…
Melancholic. Even though her face didn't change, if it did, Grim could almost imagine her sporting an almost sad smile.
"Well," Grim began, clamming her petty jealousy deep down so it doesn't show, "she was out with a…guy. At Hildr's new workplace. So, presumably, good."
Despite her best attempts, her seething still seeped out a little bit at the end there.
Thankfully, Brynhildr didn't seem to notice it, or, if she did, she didn't care.
As she was too busy looking visibly shocked.
"T-Truly?" Brynhildr stammered, not entirely unlike Ort, "Little Rossweisse?" She reached up and rubbed her chin, looking almost contemplative.
Also, Grim could hear it, she knows the feeling and tone as much as any Valkyrie does after all.
But Brynhildr's last word there? Unmistakably bitter.
Grim has no idea what to do with this new information, but she must admit that internally, her perspective of Brynhildr has cracked a little bit.
If not even she, the Strongest Valkyrie of the generation, can escape the loneliness, then what hope do the rest of them have?
Fortunately, she's not allowed to ponder that thought.
Behind her, outside the office, sounds begin echoing through the walls.
Brynhildr perks up, but Grim turns to face the door as the sounds get louder.
It almost sounds like the roar of a…shockwave?
The office door promptly flew open with a thunder crack.
Grim barely had time for her eyes to widen, for her to sense the unmistakable feeling of Helm's magical power, and recognize that the shockwave was likely one of her Norse-style magic boxing ones.
Then it hit her, and she was in the air.
For barely a second, as her body slammed into something far harder than any wall.
A sky blue Norse magic barrier circle.
Brynhildr's barrier circle, cast so quickly she didn't even sense or feel it being summoned until she had struck it.
The shockwave broke apart as it crashed against the barrier, leaving Brynhildr's desk untouched, and Grim to slide down the barrier and onto the floor.
The magical barrier winked out a second later.
Then, her voice came, once again, speaking her name.
"...Grimgerde." No longer spoken like a number, one of many Valkyrie, but instead with a dangerous askance.
And Grim saw exactly what she meant, as the office door hung open, and they both saw into one of the many golden halls of Valhalla.
Specifically, the now trashed Golden Hall of Valhalla. With decorations blasted and fallen over, golden tiles cracked and flung, and other doors stretching along the halls broken open…if on their hinges at all.
A sword was suddenly held right beneath Grim's chin.
Her gaze flickered down. What struck her first was the ornate Norse runes inlaid across the center of the blade; what struck her second was just how old and nearly worn it looked.
Third? Who was wielding it?
Brynhildr, who now somehow stood right next to her.
Her wrist flexed.
The runes of the sword glowed, and the sword ignited into a blade of flames.
"What. Was. That."
Grim's eyes shot between the flaming blade and Brynhildr's, her stoic face now replaced by one of absolutely simmering fury, and she realized something.
Now they're absolutely screwed.
~ A New Sun ~
Next to use, the Voyalkyrie collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
"O-Okay! T-Tha…Hah-!" She gulped, then gagged, and nearly doubled over, her entire body caked in sweat and looking like she was going to throw up and pass out at the same time, somehow.
Rose was quick to kneel next to her, rubbing her back soothingly, a reassuring smile on her face despite the sweat dripping down her brow. "There there, Schwert. You did amazingly, well done!"
Well, not just reassuring, she looked damn near ecsastic even.
Also, cute nickname. Still going to use mine!
"Tha-Than…Ah-..." She couldn't even thank her without gasping for breath, that's how out of it she was now.
It didn't take a genius to guess what exactly was wrong with her, so I did just that, "Run out of magic?"
Rose gave a confirming nod, "Pretty much. Exhausted it with powerful, unfamiliar magic. Even I felt the blow to my reserves as well there." Rose let out a breath. "Still, it all went according to plan." Her smile grew wider even, "Better, even!"
I looked out from our watchpoint, a building looking straight out at Valhalla, the massive, pure golden mead hall that Rose had trained at to become a Valkyrie.
"So they did more than just trash the place?" I asked, curious.
After all, I didn't understand magic mambo jumbo, and I certainly didn't understand Norse magic mambo jumbo. To me? All I saw was them playing DJ with magic circles.
All I know is the plan. That being? Lead them here, then, Rose and the Voyalkyrie here were going to create magic duplicates of the Valkyrie Mean Girl squad, and use them to get them in big trouble with their Captain.
Now, since they're trying to duplicate something other than themselves, the 'clones' can't do much of anything, really, besides basic movements and such.
The Voyalkyrie's job was to give them more lifelike movement, in case anyone saw them, via whatever magical telekinesis she uses to control her swords.
Rose, meanwhile, cast the actual magic through them that was too destroy a bunch of stuff.
Rose came back up on her feet, shaking her head, smile still brimming, "No, they still did that, but! Due to them throwing around so much magic on the way here, I was able to take the 'signature', or feel of their magic, if you will, and throw that around as the duplicates went around trashing everything."
I raised an eyebrow, "Then that means, like, anyone who checks the damage will sense their signature on it from the magic?"
Rose shook her head at that, "Such small-scale magic won't leave a detectable trace. No, what it means is any spells that those duplicates cast? I was able to put their signature on it, so if someone is in the presence of the magic, they'll sense that person's signature."
"Ah…" I smirked, "I see, I see! So then, the Captain?"
Rose mirrored my smirk. "Yes."
Valhalla flashed.
I don't mean the building itself, no, I mean from within, a flash that broke through the windows and lit up the evening darkness around it like a small sun.
Rose recoiled, almost instinctively, damn near slamming into me.
Even from here, we could hear the screams from here. Very, very pained girlish screams.
Rose let out a sigh of relief, "Perhaps too well. That was Brynhildr starting to do her job. We should…probably move."
I pat her on the back, "Are you sure you don't wanna stay and watch the fireworks?" I ask.
Rose thinks for a moment before shaking her head, "I know what's going to happen to them now. That's enough."
That's ominous.
"Well, alright." I pat her on the head, unwilling to fight her on this. All of this was her idea. If she's satisfied? So am I.
Then I blinked, as a thought occurred, "Wait, how are we going to pay back Hildr?"
I just realized, we never really made a plan for her? It kind of all got focused around those three.
Rose looked up at me, blinking in realization, a light dusting of pink marring her cheeks in embarrassment.
"Oh. Right. Well, that should be easy…if Schwert is up for it?"
Said Voyalkrie heaved out a slightly choked gasp.
"Yeah," I chuckle, looking toward the poor girl, "I'll take care of it. Tell me, what'd you have in mind?" I asked, looking back down at Rose.
The dusting across her cheeks grew deeper as she leaned up on her tiptoes to mutter into my ear.
I snorted soon after.
"That simple?"
"Y-Yeah." She confirmed, her gaze hardening, "She doesn't deserve much thought, does she?"
I grinned and simply nodded at her. I can get behind that?
It didn't take much effort to make a little under half a dozen clones.
Rose didn't drop a bead of sweat as she cast a single spell on each to spoof the magical detection of the restaurant, then teleport the small group there.
Then, I got to watch once they were done.
As each one got there, and walked right on into the place, with no one to greet them.
As each one turned into our former Hostess.
And finally, as each one took turns flinging open every single curtain, practically tearing the things down as they did.
They made sure every single occupant saw who they were before vanishing, poofing one after the other.
By the end of it? The hall was filled with the sounds of very angry, very exposed couples, whose couplings were all cut short.
Have fun dealing with that, bitch! Those yelp reviews are going to suck.
A shame I won't get to see her face dealing with all that, but oh well.
She was just a footnote, after all.