Chương 107: Chapter 104 - Old Enemies

On the stairs, Chelsea realized she had skipped breakfast in all the excitement. She pulled a heart from her pouch, removed her helmet, and began eating as they descended. The familiar taste helped settle her nerves, though not by much. The briefing below meant battle. People did not ask for Havoc because they wanted a clean, honorable skirmish. Most of the other Valkyr were already downstairs. A few turned at Chelsea and Passion's approach, but none reacted strongly.

At this point, they were used to Chelsea doing and wearing strange things. No one batted an eye at her shimmering armor or the fact that she was casually eating a human heart on the way to a military briefing. Chelsea decided that meant they were finally accepting her for who she was. Behind them, Law was arguing with Suffering about something Chelsea did not catch. Law appeared frustrated. That seemed normal enough.

"That's everyone," Truth said.

"Sit." The Valkyr took their usual seats around the table. Chelsea settled between Passion and Absolutes, placing her helmet on the table beside her while keeping the heart in hand. The atmosphere was different from breakfast or feast nights. No one looked relaxed. Even the Valkyr who usually seemed eager for battle were quiet. Truth remained standing.

"This is a bit of a strange one. We don't have a lot of information. The king of the Nordrak empire wants to meet with us prior to traveling to the battlefield. While it's not unheard of, it is unusual as he has requested to speak with specifically Havoc. We declined his request to speak alone. Passion you will be joining her in this." Chelsea stopped chewing for a second. Some random king wanted to speak with her alone.

"The battle seems to be over some trade agreement gone awry." The whole table groaned. Chelsea looked around, waiting to find out why that was apparently groan-worthy.

"Then why are we taking part?" Duty asked.

"Squabbles between two…" Truth looked toward her before she could finish.

"Because the other kingdom has broken the rules of engagement. They have attacked medical tents and there have been bombings inside of the Nordrak empire killing civilians. These were attempts at disrupting supply lines. They reached out to restore honor to this conflict." Chelsea lowered the heart slightly. The earlier groaning faded into something harder. Even the Valkyr who had seemed irritated by the trade dispute looked more focused now.

Medical tents and civilian bombings seemed like egregious dishonorable battle tactics. The supply line thing though? That seemed like a basic battle strategy. Chelsea didn't know the politics of Nordrak or the other kingdom, but she understood enough. Someone had crossed lines the Valkyr cared about. And for some reason, the king had asked for Havoc. There were still annoyed grumbles from the rest of the group. The reaction spread around the table in low voices and shifting armor.

Chelsea could not tell whether the Valkyr were annoyed by the trade dispute, the lack of information, the broken rules of engagement, or simply the fact that someone had managed to turn a political mess into their problem. Truth did not seem interested in sorting out which complaint belonged to whom.

"You don't have to like it. Just do your jobs and get out." Truth replied to the dissatisfaction.

"Havoc, you and Passion will head to the castle with a teleportation card as soon as possible. Once your business is completed you will meet us on the battlefield. Do not take forever. We need Passion."

"Understood," Passion replied.

"Of course," Chelsea said with a smile. Truth looked around the table one last time.

"Everyone will receive more detailed instructions once we are on the field." The Valkyr nodded, some more reluctantly than others. Chairs scraped against the floor as they stood. Truth walked over and handed one card to Chelsea and another to Passion..

"Hurry up in there," Truth said as she turned to follow the other nine girls out. Chelsea looked down at the card, then toward Passion.

"I haven't used it yet. Where's the teleporter?" Chelsea asked. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Follow me." Passion led her away from the main table and through one of the side passages. Once they were out of earshot of the other Valkyr, her voice dropped.

"Any idea what he wants? I assume he's going to request you to try and avoid killing as many of his soldiers as possible."

"Oh!" Chelsea felt a bit of the tension leave her shoulders.

"That makes total sense. I couldn't think of a re… oh it's just right here?" she asked, walking up towards the pedestal.

"Guess I haven't explored this place as well as I'd thought." The teleporter sat in a recessed chamber off the hallway, much plainer than Chelsea expected for something that could move people across enormous distances. The pedestal itself was smooth stone, circular, and carved with shallow lines that matched the pattern on the card in her hand. Chelsea pulled her helmet back out and put it in place. The world narrowed slightly behind the protection of the Pundukarack helm.

It made her feel less like a nervous girl being sent to meet a king and more like the Valkyr of Havoc. She stepped onto the teleporter. The activation was immediate. The Hall vanished. Chelsea appeared in a small stone room with an older man in armor standing in front of her, flanked by two soldiers. None of them looked hostile. Their hands remained away from their weapons, and their posture was formal rather than aggressive, so Chelsea did not see a need to attack. A heartbeat later, Passion appeared behind her.

"We were told a meeting was required by the King and the Valkyr of Havoc?" Passion asked while stepping down.

"Indeed, please follow me," the older man said. He turned and led them out. The teleportation chamber was not much larger than a storage closet. There were no banners, no guards stationed in ceremonial rows, and no polished stone meant to impress visiting dignitaries. Once outside, they entered a dark hallway made of plain stone. The air was cooler than Valhalla, and the corridor carried the faint smell of dust, metal, and old mortar. Chelsea followed quietly, but unease settled into her with every step.

Something about the place felt familiar. They approached a doorway with a man standing on the other side. Chelsea recognized him immediately. The elevator operator. The same terrified man from when she had first arrived in this world.

"He will take you to the floor with the meeting room to have your discussion with King Paul. The door at the end of the hall on that floor." Chelsea stared at the man. She had been tricked. The realization struck hard enough that her hand twitched near her weapon cord. She had fled this country because she feared being killed here. Now, somehow, they had lured her back under the authority of the Valkyr. Whatever this was, it was not an accident. She was not the same little demon girl who had left.

She was the Valkyr of Havoc. If they tried anything, they would pay for it. Chelsea entered the elevator with Passion at her side. The metal grate, the enclosed space, the familiar operator, all of it pulled old fear back into her chest. She forced it down. The man in front of her did not deserve her anger.

"Charles," she said simply. The word made him freeze. Chelsea kept her voice calm, though she was seething beneath the helmet.

"I hope you have been well." With her helmet on, she knew she had to look monstrous. The tiny demon girl he remembered had been replaced by something much harder to understand. Charles closed the grate with shaking hands.

"Y-you know m-my name M-Miss?" he asked with a serious stutter.

"A few months back there was a little demon girl. She was being followed around by a certain S-rank adventurer." Charles turned back toward her, eyes wide.

"M-Miss Chelsea?" Chelsea removed the helmet.

"One and the same," she said, giving him a smile. Charles' eyes somehow went wider. Passion began laughing. Chelsea looked at her in confusion until Passion pulled out a cloth and began wiping at Chelsea's chin. Only then did Chelsea realize she still had blood there from breakfast.

"Oh gods," Chelsea said.

"Haven't done that in a long time."

"Y-you're a Valkyr now?" he asked.

"Havoc. Yeah." The elevator began moving down. The old motion of it brought back more memories than Chelsea wanted. The first time she had ridden in this thing, she had been newly summoned, confused, and terrified. Adriane had been beside her then. Now Passion stood there instead, and Chelsea wore armor strong enough to make the old castle walls feel like paper.

"T-that's the scary one! Whu-I-uh meant no offense by that Miss Chelsea please forgive me." Chelsea and Passion laughed. Passion leaned against the side of the elevator with a grin.

"The only thing scary about this Havoc is her love life." Chelsea gasped at Passion.

"That's just rude! Ivy and I are just fine, thank you. How are you and servicer 3 and 4 getting along now? Oh I'm sorry you had to replace 4 didn't you?"

"That wasn't my fault and you know it," Passion said. Charles looked between them, some of the terror finally easing from his face. He still looked nervous, but no longer as though he expected Chelsea to tear the elevator apart.

"I'm sorry Miss but this is not at all what I expected the Valkyr to be like." Chelsea smiled at him.

"Expecting every other word we say to be honor?" Chelsea asked with a smile. Charles gave a nervous little nod, his hands still gripping the elevator controls too tightly.

"Actually, yes Miss," he replied. Chelsea shrugged and put the helmet back on.

"Sorry to break that illusion. We're just people like everyone else." The helmet settled into place, cutting off the easier warmth of the moment. Charles looked at her differently once her face disappeared behind it. He still knew she was Chelsea, but the armor made it harder for him to remember that without effort. The elevator slowed, then came to a stop with a faint jolt. Charles opened the grate and pointed down the hall.

"It's that door, Miss." Chelsea stepped out first. The hallway looked smaller than she remembered. The stone walls were the same. Halfway down the hallway, Chelsea turned to Passion.

"This is the kingdom that summoned me." Passion looked at the door, then back at Chelsea. She did not seem surprised. Her hand rested near her sword, not on it, but close enough.

"I figured it was something like that based on the conversation with that Charles guy." Chelsea faced forward again and took a deep breath.

"OK. Let's go." She pushed open the door. King Paul sat inside, older and more worn than Chelsea remembered. Beside him stood the mage who had overseen the summoning. Alexi, or Eluxi, or something close to that. Chelsea had never properly cared enough to remember. Both men stood when she and Passion entered. Their eyes moved over Chelsea's armor, her wings, the Pundukarack helmet, and the cords tied to sticks. They breathed in deeply at the sight of her. There was fear there.

Chelsea could not blame them for either.

"Would I be wrong in welcoming you back, Miss Chelsea?" the king asked. Chelsea remained standing near the door, Passion beside her.

"You were considering killing me the last time I was here. Not sure how welcome I feel," she replied.

"Ah," King Paul replied.

"Please sit."