Chương 93: Chapter 91 – Oops, All Havoc

"You two," Chelsea said, looking seriously at Suffering and Passion. Would you like to force target to become your love thrall? Y/N Chelsea froze for half a second as the message appeared. That was not what she had expected. Oh, that's right she hadn't talked to Passion yet with the charisma gear on.

"You will not whisper a word of what you heard," she said carefully, trying to keep her voice steady.

"She does not know what she is saying." Then she turned to Deceit, still moving too quickly to think the situation through.

"You as well, sweet Erica. You will not even remember she said anything, right?" Deceit's expression shifted at once. Her irritation faded, replaced by something far more unsettling. She looked frustrated..

"I don't care about her," Deceit said. Her eyes fixed on Chelsea with alarming focus.

"Chelsea, let's run away together." Passion let out a snorted laugh. Chelsea stepped closer before Deceit could say anything else. She lowered her voice and spoke as gently as she could.

"I'm so sorry. I'm already involved with someone.." Deceit blinked. For a moment, confusion crossed her face. Then her eyes widened and color rushed into her cheeks.

"What? Havoc… or Chelsea. What did you do to me?" She swallowed, looking deeply uncomfortable.

"I was wanting to..." Her voice trailed off. Chelsea did not have time to address that yet. She quickly used The Eyes on Freedom, needing a name before she made this even worse. Felicia, the Valkyr of Freedom"One moment, please," Chelsea said to Freedom. Before the larger woman could object, Chelsea hurried closer to Suffering and lowered her voice.

"Hey, are Valkyr allowed to be together romantically? I need a serious answer, and I need it quickly." Suffering's eyes shifted awkwardly toward Deceit.

"Yeah," she said.

"Deceit and I are."

"Good." Chelsea returned to Freedom, who was watching her like a hawk. Chelsea moved in close and gently pressed a hand to the larger woman's cheek. Freedom leaned into the touch.

"Felicia," Chelsea said softly, "I'm so sorry. I'm already involved with someone, but it sounds as if you may have already found someone. You two should talk about not hiding it." Freedom's eyes closed, and for a moment she nodded along with Chelsea's words. Then her eyes shot open.

"Why did I tell you that!?" Chelsea immediately wrapped her arms around Freedom's neck and pulled her down into a hug.

"It's my fault," Chelsea said.

"I have never had anyone tell me a secret like that before. I am so, so sorry, Freedom. I would understand if this is unforgivable."

"No," Freedom said quickly. Her hands gripped Chelsea's shoulders.

"No. You can't tell anyone. None of you can."

"We won't," Passion said at once. Suffering shook her head quickly. Deceit rubbed at her eyes and looked between them, genuinely confused.

"What secret?" Freedom stared at her, then looked relieved despite herself. Suffering turned back to Chelsea with obvious caution.

"Havoc, what was that?" Chelsea released Freedom and took a small step back. Everyone was watching her now. Even Passion looked uneasy.

"That was the terrifying power of charisma," Chelsea said.

"I can push mine into absurd numbers, and paired with Attract, it causes problems. I did not intentionally force anything on you. That was just the passive effect." Deceit's face tightened.

"Passive?" Chelsea grimaced.

"Yeah."

"Why didn't we react that way?" Passion asked. Chelsea glanced between her and Suffering, then gave a helpless little shrug.

"Spooky demon magic works in mysterious ways."

"That was terrifying," Deceit said. Before Chelsea could properly apologize again, Freedom reached out and snatched the hat from her head. Chelsea's hand shot up a moment too late.

"Freedom, don't." Chelsea quickly yelped. Freedom had already activated The Eyes. Her face twisted in confusion as she held the hat out in front of her. Then the confusion deepened. She turned it slowly, examining the damage only The Eyes seemed able to reveal. The hat was in shreds.

"What the fuck?" Chelsea lifted both hands.

"Stop. Everyone stop what you are doing." Freedom did not lower the hat.

"Why is it destroyed like this?" Chelsea looked at the hat, then at Freedom. Passion had gone wide-eyed and pale, staring at the ruined hat with a level of fear that did not help the situation.

"We are treading in very dangerous waters right now," Chelsea said, looking back at Passion. Suffering followed Chelsea's gaze to Passion. Freedom did the same.

"This?" Freedom asked, holding up the hat.

"This is like the big secret?" She wiggled the hat. Chelsea saw the opening and took it.

"Yeah!" Freedom laughed.

"Adriane Wixx threatened the Valkyr because of a shredded hat?"

"Yes," Chelsea said immediately.

"She did not want any of you to know about the hat. Please do not tell a soul." For one precious second, Chelsea thought the lie might hold. Then Deceit's eyes narrowed.

"No," she said slowly, studying Chelsea's face.

"That's not it." Chelsea kept her expression pleasant.

"It's something to do with the hat and the towel." Passion stopped breathing.

"Do you really want to know that badly?" Deceit did not answer. Chelsea continued, keeping her voice calm and polite.

"Is your need to know outweighing your survival instincts? The threat is very real. Adriane will descend on Valhalla riding a greater dragon and skewer everyone who learns something they are not supposed to know. She takes Wixx secrets very very seriously."

"The back of a greater dragon?" Suffering asked, giving Chelsea a flat look that made her skepticism of the threat very clear.

"Okay. Okay. The night has gone off topic," Passion said, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"Tonight, we are here to welcome Havoc." She said the title slowly, watching Chelsea as if expecting her to correct it. When Chelsea did not, Passion continued with a satisfied little smile.

"Havoc, formally, this is Freedom. Freedom, this is Havoc."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Chelsea said. Since she was still wearing the dress, she gathered the fabric properly and gave Freedom a true curtsy. Freedom placed both hands against her own cheeks and stared at Chelsea with visible distress.

"You're so nice it like hurts." Chelsea was not entirely sure how to respond to that. She had them turn around once more and quickly changed back into her sleep-wear.

"So," Passion said, reclaiming control of the evening, "we are here to help our newest rear Valkyr settle into her new life with us." The others began gathering pillows and blankets from around the room. Within a few minutes, the floor had been transformed into a comfortable little nest, with each woman claiming her own section among the blankets. It reminded Chelsea very strongly of a slumber party, though the comparison became more difficult to maintain when she looked at the women around her.

They were grown, powerful, intimidating Valkyr who were arranging pillows with complete seriousness. Once everyone had settled in, Chelsea tucked her legs beneath herself and looked around the group.

"I know Passion has been a Valkyr for four years. How about the rest of you?"

"Eleven," Freedom answered.

"Eight," Deceit said shortly after. Suffering stared off for a moment, her brows pulling together as she worked through the question.

"If Deceit has been here eight, then..." She nodded to herself while counting silently.

"Fifty-one years." The number caught Chelsea completely off guard. She furrowed her brow and looked Suffering over again.

"How?"

"Wait," Passion said before anyone could answer. A smirk spread across her face.

"Let's see how long it takes her to figure it out." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Chelsea stared at Suffering. Figure what out? She did not look old. Not even close. Chelsea activated The Eyes again and focused on her. Lily, the Valkyr of Suffering Lily. For a brief moment, Chelsea thought of Lilith, but that did not seem right. Suffering was not demon-like at all.

Curious, Chelsea leaned a little closer and took a careful sniff before the answer clicked into place.

"Ah. An elf! So that is why my Attract skill did not work you." Deceit's eyes narrowed.

"Did you just sniff her?"

"Not her specifically, no. I smelled all of you. I'm not getting the same delicious smell from her, though. She's more of a smell void. No offense."

"No, none taken," Suffering said, looking more fascinated than insulted.

"That's actually very interesting. And you don't eat elves, but you do eat your elf consort?" Chelsea needed a moment to understand what Suffering meant. When she did, heat rushed into her face.

"Oh. Uh… uh…."

"How long were you two together?" Deceit asked, saving her from the embarrassing question.

"Officially, just over two weeks? But we were dancing around each other about a month ago" Chelsea replied.

"Two weeks?" Suffering asked, her teasing expression softening into surprise.

"Oh, you two were so fresh. Was she your first?" Chelsea's hand slipped into her pack and found the stuffed animal without her really meaning to. She rubbed her thumb over it and looked down.

"Yeah. I know two weeks does not seem like a long time, but..." She stopped there, because she did not know how to explain it in a way that would make sense. Two weeks sounded small when said aloud. It did not feel small.

"No explanation needed," Freedom said. Chelsea looked up at her. The larger woman's voice had lost its sharpness, and for a moment, there was no teasing in her expression at all. Chelsea appreciated that more than she knew how to say, so she gave a small nod and let the subject go. After a short silence, Chelsea glanced toward Freedom.

"So you and Principles?"

"We are not going to talk about that," Freedom snapped.

"Okay," Chelsea said at once. She lifted her hands slightly, keeping her voice gentle.

"We do not have to. But if you ever need to, I am sure any of us would be happy to talk about it with you." Freedom stared at her, then let out a frustrated growl.

"Stop, like… being so nice about everything. You're supposed to give me shit. Or something. Not this." She shook her head.

"The last three Havocs were nice but still ruthless. This, like, hurts in a weird way." Passion scooted a little closer to Chelsea.

"That's just how she is." Suffering shook her head.

"Freedom is right. The last three were not nearly this nice." Chelsea frowned, because people kept saying that as if it explained anything.

"Okay, moving on from me being weirdly nice to everyone, which, for the record I don't think I am. When do I get to pick one of those servicer things?" The question left her mouth before she fully considered it. A moment later, she remembered what the servicers actually were, and her eyes went wide.

"Oh." Freedom, Suffering, and Deceit all developed very large grins. Deceit was the first to speak.

"Havoc really is your pair. Asking about a servicer on day one is true slut material." Chelsea covered part of her face with one hand.

"That is not what I meant."

"Of course not," Freedom said, clearly delighted.

"Don't worry. Your hollowed out pair knows the man who sells them by name. She is also the first Valkyr I have ever heard of breaking one, let alone like… twenty? How many are you up to now?" Chelsea lowered her hand and looked between them. The teasing was embarrassing enough, but she disliked the way they were talking about Passion even more. Before she could decide whether to say something, Suffering raised a hand.

"You two stop," Suffering said, though she was smiling as well.

"Passion needs her private time. Speaking of servicers, yours are in our room." Chelsea's face was hot from embarrassment, but anger was beginning to crowd in with it. She looked toward Passion, expecting to see hurt or irritation. Instead, Passion looked back at her with an amused smile. Passion leaned down and whispered into Chelsea's ear.

"You don't need to be angry at them for me. They're friends, and we give each other shit." Chelsea pulled back enough to look up at her. Passion smiled again and gave a small nod, silently assuring her that it was fine.

"Aww," Suffering said from across the blankets pressing her hand to her heart.

"I love seeing fresh pairs interacting." They seemed to be trying to embarrass her with praise. Chelsea did not know what to do with that. Insults were easier to understand. Compliments, especially ones delivered in front of three women who were clearly enjoying her discomfort, left her wanting to pull one of the blankets over her head.

"Yes, I will take you to get a servicer," Passion said.

"If you need one tonight, you can..." She hesitated, then winced.

"I was going to say you could borrow mine, but mine are all male."

"Oh no," Chelsea said shaking her head quickly.

"I don't need one tonight."

"Moving on before Havoc melts," Deceit said. She shifted where she sat, pulling one of the blankets across her lap as her expression became a little more serious.

"You were asking about Valkyr dynamics. We are basically split into three groups. Highs, mids, and rears." Chelsea gratefully accepted the change in subject and focused on Deceit.

"The highs are Truth, Virtue, Freedom, and Principles. Their role on the battlefield is to assess a conflict and make sure honor is being upheld by both sides. Most of what they do happens before the rest of us even hear about the battle. They also command small specialized platoons." Deceit gestured loosely with one hand, then continued.

"The mids are Justice, Duty, Law, and Absolutes. They are our main fighting force and make up the bulk of the military. Then there is the rear. That would be us. We provide support." Chelsea glanced between Passion, Suffering, and Deceit as the explanation settled into place.

"Passion's branch gives army-wide enhancements as well as full army direction," Deceit said.

"Suffering's crew reduces pain and heals across the battlefield so our soldiers can keep fighting. I run the spy network, though once again, I have not actually done anything yet." Her eyes shifted back to Chelsea.

"Then there is Havoc." The way Deceit said the title made Chelsea sit a little straighter.

"You are in charge of..." Deceit sighed.

"Our berserkers." Suffering frowned and looked toward Chelsea before Deceit could continue.

"You said you're a diplomat?" Chelsea nodded.

"I've never heard of a Havoc being that."

"What have they always been?" Chelsea asked. Passion's expression softened, and some of the humor left the room.

"The last resort," she said quietly.

"From what I've heard, Havocs go into a bloodrage and lose the ability to tell one army from the other. They kill everything in their path. Enemies, allies, each other." Chelsea looked down at her hands.

"Your unit has," Passion glanced at Suffering, "how many people right now?" The elf shifted uncomfortably and gave a small shrug.

"Not many."

"Because of that," Freedom said, taking over the explanation, "Havocs usually don't last very long. The last one only survived three battles." Chelsea tapped a finger against her chin as she considered that.

"Bloodrage? I do have an ability called bloodlust. Is that what you mean?" The others looked at each other in surprise. Chelsea's voice grew quieter as memory pressed in.

"It kicked in when I massacred those bandits. Killing them felt good. Eating the heart while it was still warm felt amazing. Their blood was everywhere, and the taste..." She stopped herself as a low sound escaped her throat, leaving her startled and embarrassed. Her eyes widened as she looked around the blanket nest.

"What the hell was that?" The others were watching her with knowing expressions.

"That was it," Passion said gently. Chelsea swallowed.

"I hate admitting this, but I loved that feeling." Suffering nodded without judgment.

"I know. It sounds similar to what pain is for me, though yours seems to manifest differently than the other Havocs I've known. I've only ever seen blood abilities turn Havocs and berserkers into rage. Maybe it's different because you are a demon." She leaned back on her hands, thinking it through.

"For me, accepting pain has always felt good. Not in a normal way, but it does." Chelsea looked at Suffering with sudden interest.

"I'm curious." She pulled out her axe, Vi, and all four women reacted at once. Passion leaned back. Freedom stiffened. Deceit's hand shifted as if reaching for a dagger. Suffering, however, only watched with bright curiosity. Chelsea opened her palm and drew the blade across it. The cut appeared cleanly, but there was no pain with it. Blood welled against her skin.

"Can you take the pain from this?" Chelsea asked. Suffering scooted forward, her excitement obvious at first. Then confusion replaced it. She leaned close to Chelsea's hand, studying the wound as if proximity would change the answer.

"I don't feel anything."

"Interesting," Chelsea said, turning her hand slightly to examine the cut herself.

"So you are reacting to pain, not injury." Suffering looked up at her.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't feel pain because I no longer seem to have the part of my body that produces it. The injury is real, but the signal is missing. If your ability removes pain from others, then it likely interacts with that signal rather than the wound itself." Suffering stared at her. Passion let out a quiet breath.

"This is the Havoc I'm actually terrified of." Chelsea looked over.

"Because I don't feel pain?"

"No," Passion said.

"Because of how intelligent you are." She glanced toward the others.

"Did you three know she is the highest ranked person in the Merchant's Guild?" The other three looked skeptical.

"Her?" Freedom asked, which came off surprisingly rude.

"Actually," Chelsea said, lifting a finger, "that is not completely true. I am the highest in Junstruce. I still have to take the four other exams in the other kingdoms before I can be the highest overall." Deceit's skepticism shifted into something sharper.

"So you really can read? And use The Eyes?" Chelsea smiled.

"Yes. If any of you ever want something in your stats read, I can do that. I can also switch titles around for you." Freedom looked offended by the idea.

"Why would we ever switch titles? We're Valkyr!"

"Because titles are tools," Chelsea explained.

"They have different effects in different situations. If I wanted to carry someone while flying, I would use my Flying Transport title. Valkyr of Havoc does not help me with that." Freedom frowned.

"But how would people know you are the Valkyr of Havoc?" Chelsea tilted her head.

"Most people can't read anyways, so what would it matter?" Suffering pointed at Chelsea as if the answer had settled something important.

"She's right. None of us can read. Virtue knows the letters, but she can't read." Chelsea's face brightened immediately.

"Would you like me to teach you? I taught Ivy her letters in about a week and a half." Freedom stared at her for a long moment.

"You. Little eighteen-year-old demon Havoc. You can not only read, but you would teach us?"

"Of course I would," Chelsea replied.

"I would be more than happy to teach all of you. I can't promise you will be reading novels in six months, but if you work hard, you should at least be able to read most basic things." Why had Freya not taught them all to read? She knew Freya was at least a college student back on Earth so she was guaranteed to know how. Passion stared at her for half a second before her whole face lit up.

Then she surged forward, wrapped both arms around Chelsea, and dragged her down into the blankets with enough enthusiasm that Chelsea barely had time to make a sound.

"I have the best pair ever," Passion said, hugging her tightly. Chelsea froze beneath her. Without her gear, there was no contest. Passion was larger, stronger, and far too solid for Chelsea to move. Chelsea felt the full weight of her, the effortless strength in her arms, and the complete uselessness of trying to push her away. It should have been harmless. Passion was happy and wasn't trying to hurt her. Everyone in the room knew that. Chelsea knew that too but her body didn't seem to care.

Panic hit before she could organize the feeling into anything sensible. Her hands were pinned awkwardly, and the only part of her that moved freely was her tail, which immediately began trying to pry Passion loose with embarrassing desperation. Chelsea let out a sharp, startled scream. Passion released her at once and scrambled back, all the excitement draining from her face.

"Havoc? Havoc, what's wrong?" The others stared from the blankets, not laughing. The three had different faces of confusion or pity. Passion looked over her shoulder at the others.

"You three, head on out." They hesitated, but only briefly. Deceit stood first and crossed to the door, opening it just enough to peer into the hall before nodding that it was clear. Suffering lingered a moment longer, her gaze settling on Chelsea where she lay red-faced on the floor with one wing pulled partly over herself. Then she followed Freedom and Deceit out, closing the door behind them.

"I am so sorry," Chelsea said the moment they were gone. Passion remained kneeling a few feet away, visibly lost.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. I grabbed you." Chelsea shook her head quickly, still half-hidden behind her wing.

"No. That is not why I screamed." Passion went still. Chelsea covered her face with both hands.

"I liked it, and then I panicked. I am so sorry." For a moment, Passion did not answer. Then understanding slowly settled across her face, followed by a small, careful smile that she seemed to be trying not to let become too amused.

"Oh." Chelsea groaned into her hands. Passion leaned back against the bed and gave her enough space to breathe.

"That makes sense."

"I embarrassed myself and you in front of your friends."

"Chelsea." Passion's voice softened.

"You didn't embarrass me." Chelsea lowered her hands just enough to look at her. Passion rested one arm on her raised knee.

"Those are my closest friends here. We have all seen each other at our worst, our strangest, and our least dignified. Believe me, this is not going to be the thing that ruins anyone's opinion of you." Chelsea sniffed once, still mortified, but the reassurance helped. Passion studied her for a moment, then asked gently, "Do you want to tell me what happened? Only so I do not accidentally do it again." Chelsea stared down at the blankets, her face heating all over again.

She rubbed at one eye and forced herself to answer.

"I have a thing about being completely overpowered. Not hurt. Not scared in a real way. Just... not in control." She swallowed, hating every word leaving her mouth.

"You are very strong, and I could not move at all, and my body reacted before my brain could remind it that I have Ivy. I like being in control too but I… like both I guess? Like…" She groaned and covered her face with a wing again, completely embarrassed.

"Okay," Passion said.

"I understand. I will not grab onto you like that again unless you tell me it is alright." Chelsea peeked at her from behind her wing.

"Thank you."

"And for what it's worth, nothing happened. You reacted to something unexpected, got overwhelmed, and told me. That is not a betrayal." Chelsea looked away because she very badly wanted that to feel true. Passion stood and offered her a hand, leaving it there without moving closer.

"Come on. We can go get my servicers from the other room, and you can help me make fun of how terrible the other rear Valkyr are at decorating." Chelsea sniffed again, then took her hand.

"That does sound fun."