"God damn you Urd!"
The words froze the goddess in place, halting mid-swing and staring in horror at the door in front of her. It had been Keiichi's screams that had first alerted her to the fact that something was wrong. Keiichi who'd thrown her into a rage, smashing one fist after the other against the magical barrier that covered her door, denying her the freedom Urd so desperately sought. Keiichi who sent her howling in rage and fear, demanding, begging to be released so that she might aid the young man who'd become such a part of her family.
And now his curse, filled with grief and sorrow, paralyzed her. It froze her throat and halted her fists, and something dark and jagged burrowed into her heart. "Keiichi..." The goddess whispered, at a loss at what to say. Than her eyes narrowed to slits, and her assault on the door grew more savage. "Keiichi! Keiichi Morisato, don't you dare forsake me!" She roared, feeling warm tears of pain and rage trickle down her cheeks. "Do you hear me boy? I'll not have you cursing my name! I'm a goddess, do you hear me? Not some damned demon!" Her firsts grew red and raw, and as the pain grew too much to bare, the bronze woman instead moved to lean against the door.
"I'm only trying to protect my family!" The words came out a plea, and Urd grit her teeth. "Please." The words were softer now. "Please Keiichi...don't give up on me now!"
Yet the man did not respond. Only his further screams, now harsh and ragged, met her ears. The goddess squeezed her eyes shut at the sound. Begs. Pleas. Curses. Until even those faded away, leaving the woman in a silence that terrified her.
Urd didn't know how long she stood there, leaning against the door in that silence. It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. There was only an overwhelming sense of loss and confusion, one that puzzled her even as it weighed on her chest. It felt as though she'd failed somewhere. At some point during the past weeks since the whole affair had begun, since meeting two demons on a roof and going mad, it felt as though Urd had failed somewhere in the time since.
Keiichi's words only seemed to drive the nail deeper. Belldandy was sick. Her family was hunted by demons. She was locked away and guarded under tooth and nail by Valkyries. And now, though he spoke not, somewhere, Keiichi was suffering.
The guilt ate at her, and Urd turned her back to the door, sliding to the floor and drawing her knees to her chest. Elbows resting on knees, Urd ran her hands through her hair. "What the hell am I doing?" She asked aloud.
What you think is right.
It was not her own thought, and Urd felt imaginary arms wrap around her in a gentle embrace. You acted as you thought you should have, just as you've always done. World of Elegance whispered. You cannot be faulted for such actions.
Urd allowed herself a grim smile at the angel's words, for all they resonated in her head. Her magic bound, her mind was the only place her angel could roam unhindered, incapable of emerging by the same restrictions that halted her magic. "You don't hate me then?" She asked, more in jest than seriousness, and in her mind's eye the angel scoffed.
Do you hate yourself? For even with the foolish moves you've made in the past, I'm no more capable of hating you than you yourself. She scolded, and Urd could almost see the finger wave that would have accompanied the words. Pity is unbecoming of you, Dearheart, now stop playing a fool and pull yourself together.
Urd winced. "You almost sound like that woman when you talk like that." She grumbled, never the less climbing to her feet with a grunt, the forlorn feeling of hopelessness fading with her angel's words.
Do I now? World of Elegance asked. Than perhaps I am not so much your angel as the subconscious voice of your mother...
Any residual feelings of pity vanished at those words, and instead a bright flush lightened her cheeks. World of Elegance laughed. Now come. Surely, amongst the items you own there is something that can null the effects of a simple ward the likes of which aligns your door.
"And if not that, a potion." Urd muttered offhandedly, stepping away from the door with a sense of purpose in her stride.
It was as she was rummaging around in one of her many drawers that Urd heard and audible click, and, the sound resonating from a place other than the drawer she was digging through, the goddess looked up, ears twitching ever-so-slightly as the bronze woman turned towards it's source.
It was from her door, and Urd watched in interest as the bright seal of magic shimmered briefly before fading away. "What the hell?" The goddess straightened, walking quickly back to the wood and reaching for the handle, only for the door to slide open on it's own.
Urd jumped.
Her reflection smiled back.
And just as quickly as she came, her double vanished, turning and sauntering down the hallway towards the exit.
"A doppelganger?" Urd croaked. "Here?" The goddess bolted out into the hallway, surprise further dawning in violet eyes that fell on first the Valkyrie, than the demon that trailed after her look-a-like. "Mara?" The silver-haired woman made to grab the demon by the shoulder, and as her hand rested on the silk of the demon's uniform, the blonde turned to her.
"No." Mara shook her head, a look that alluded Urd resting in red cat-eyes. "Not here. Not now." She whispered, jerking her head in the other direction. "Keiichi and that other Valkyrie need help." The demon brushed Urd's hand off her shoulder before continuing after Urd's double.
Urd could only gape at the demon for a brief moment before Mara's words sank in, and the woman turned and bolted the other direction, Keiichi's name on her lips that died in her throat as she came upon the man. Instead came a gasp, and from where Keiichi sat, his hands pressed hard on the back of the fallen Valkyrie, the man looked up. His eyes were red and puffy and looked hollow and void, and when he spoke his voice was flat and defeated.
"Damn you." He whispered. "Get the hell away from me. I'm not going to let you finish what you started."
The words cut like a knife and Urd recalled her reflection, smiling at the goddess with a mischievous twinkle in her eye with Mara and the other Valkyrie, Eir, close behind. Rage replaced the hate, and it burned dully in her chest as Urd approached the man, slowly and carefully. "Keiichi." she murmured, struggling to keep her voice steady and calm. "That wasn't me. That was someone else." She spread her hands out and open in earnest. "Let me help. I can help her. I can save her."
The goddess moved to rest her hands on top Keiichi's, and the man jerked back as though burned, his hands leaving the bloody shirt on the Valkyrie's back and allowing Urd to take over. As her palms grew wet and sticky Urd allowed her senses to spread outward, her eyes half-closing as she searched for the soft glow of Herja's life force. "She's still alive." It was small, but still there; a tiny flame wavering violently as it fought to hold it's strength. "I can help her, but I'm going to need you to trust me. Help me save her, Keiichi."
Urd didn't so much see Keiichi move closer as she felt him. There was a hesitation to his actions filled with a distrust that stung, and once more Urd found herself forced to push the feelings away. "I'm going to tell you everything I'm about to do, understand?"
The young man didn't respond, simply looked at her, his face gaunt and eyes accusing, and suddenly Urd wanted to smack him, to grab Keiichi by his naked shoulders and shake him, scream at him that it wasn't her that had caused so much to befall the Valkyrie, but someone else. Someone that wore her face and spoke with her voice.
The goddess pushed the thoughts away. "Alright. We're going to need to move her to my room and than get some hot water and some matches. I can't use my magic, so I'm going to need to cauterize her wounds some other way. She's lost a lot of blood already and can't afford to loose anymore. Understand?"
A grunt from Keiichi was the closest she got to an affirmation, and with hands already growing sticky and slick with blood, Urd licked her lips. "Right." Urd swallowed nervously. "Let's do this."
The night was dark with chaos.
A wolf with a rattle-tipped tail howled as it launched itself at a woman with silver-blue hair. Armed with an ax, the Valkyrie chopped and lunged at the beast, her movements fast yet the beast's faster still. A distance away, a black haired woman danced with a black bird the size of a man and garbed in a Lord's dress. The woman with a longsword and the bird with a saber, they darted in and out of range, striking at weaknesses and darting out of the range of opposing steel. High above their heads a winged hound circled, it's howls loud and booming and echoing through the forest.
Had Skuld been told earlier that day she would be privy to such events she'd have laughed openly. Yet somehow, someway, here she was, scrambling away from a demon that had burst into a living flame.
All I was trying to do was get a glass of water. The child thought miserably, ducking as the burning demon tossed a fireball at her. And before I know it I'm following a bunch of Valkyries after the big, bad wolf. The man brought his heel into the ground, and Skuld did her best to scamper away as the earth beneath her feet exploded in dirt and cinder. Debris rained down upon her head, hard and uncomfortably hot, and Skuld darted further away.
A grimace on her face, the child dug into her blouse, withdrawing the small bombs she stored in a small pocket dimension stitched into the inside of her shirt. "Here!" She snarled, tossing one, than two at the burning man. "You like explosions so much, eat these!" The projectiles bounced off the demon's chest before he thought to dodge, exploding in his face and propelling the man backwards.
The man skidded to the ground a distance away, leaving a light furrow of dirt in his passing. He finally came to a halt a short distance from where Lind and the snake-wolf dueled, and the man raised his head to look at her from the black pits that had become the burning man's eyes. Snake-wolf howled, and Fireman rolled to his left as Lind's ax came down upon his form. The weapon lodged itself in the earth, and momentarily stuck, the burning man hopped to his feet and lunged at the woman.
Lind managed to pull her ax from the ground with just enough time to guard against his heated hands, yet the demon's weight and momentum sent them both to the ground. Together, Valkyrie and Goetia rolled, fighting for control of Lind's ax and leaving scorch marks in their wake. The wolf pulled back, baring its fangs in a snarl as it looked to the two.
"Hey! Don't count me out just yet!" Skuld cried, racing after the fiery demon and instead gaining the attention of Lind's prior opponent. The wolf released a howl so deafening Skuld had to cover her ears, and as the two warriors tossed and tumbled on the ground the beast leaped over them, racing towards the young goddess with ivory fangs gleaming. The child froze in her tracks as the beast stampeded towards her. "Shit."
Turning, Skuld started back the way she came, the wolf chasing after her setting off the most basic fight or flight instinct in her, sending the lass off like a rabbit. Such an act only seemed to encourage the creature, and before Skuld could withdraw another bomb from her blouse, a great weight collided with her back and knocked the girl to the ground.
Skuld released a pained grunt as her body impacted the earth, and she could feel the pinpricks of the wolf's claws dig none too kindly into her back. The wolf's breath panted in her ear, and as Skuld looked up the youth saw little 'sides a muzzle filled with gleaming fangs grinning down at her. Two of its largest canines looked hollow, and from them came a substance that held too much an unnatural hue to be saliva.
Poison. Skuld struggled from beneath the beast, yet all it earned her was an irritated rattle and a threatening growl from the creature. Fear wrapped painfully around her heart, and still staring up into those gleaming jaws, Skuld froze once more. Almighty, don't let this thing bite me. She whispered in her mind. I don't want to be poisoned.
It seemed somebody, somewhere, was listening to her prayers, for the wolf did nothing aside from pin her to the ground. In fact, the creature went so far as to make itself comfortable, releasing a large yawn before laying down atop the girl, effectively pinning the goddess, hands, legs, feet and arms, beneath its mass as the fighting continued on around the two. Oh, now what the hell is this? Skuld screamed in her head, the wolf's weight enough to make the girl wheeze as she fought to expand her chest and fill her lungs.
The youth struggled beneath the wolf, yet nothing but another warning growl escaped the beast's throat. This is no battle for children. A voice, male and rough, resonated in her mind. I will let no child of mine participate in such a thing. A hissing rattle roared above Skuld's head in emphasis, and the child flinched.
Father away, ignorant of the fate that had befallen the child, Badb Catha continued her duel with the bird lord, parrying a sweep aimed at her left side before countering with a diagonal slash towards the demon's right shoulder. The black bird sidestepped the attack, bringing his own blade up to block. The steel shrieked as metal ground against metal, and Badb Catha bore her weight down on the Goetia. The demon shifted his weight and slid back, allowing both weapons to slide to the ground.
Not allowing the demon to gain the advantage, Badb Catha stepped into the downward swing, one hand falling from the hilt of her blade and balling into a fist of concentrated black energy. The woman launched her fist at the Goetia, and though the demon ducked to her right, the Valkyrie still managed to graze his wing. Black bolts of electricity danced up the wing and onto the demon's body, and the bird released an agonizing shriek as it recoiled.
Lind seemed to be fairing less successfully than her commander, having only just regained control of her weapon despite the fiery demon's best efforts. Yet the stony woman had her work cut out for her, for though her blows seemed to keep the burning Goetia at bay, it left her open for the attacks of one of the demon's comrades. And the winged hound wasted no time in its attacks against the Valkyrie either, unleashing bark after howl of spells that summoned darts from thin air, glowing a gold that reflected the beasts eyes as they launched themselves at Valkyrie and Goetia. The magic seemed to hold little regards for who or what lay beneath the canine's wings, and the darts fell from the sky in a hail of metallic screams, forcing those below to duck and dodge the projectiles lest they be skewered.
This wasn't fun anymore. Skuld wanted the whole thing to stop. She wanted this damn snake-wolf off her and she wanted the demons gone. She wanted Lind and her Valkyries to leave her family alone and she wanted Belldandy healthy and smiling again. Get off of me! And now she couldn't even help Lind protect her family.
Something-several somethings, in fact-darted out from her home, and Skuld watched in bafflement as Urd and Mara ran into view, making a beeline for the trees. The pink-haired Valkyrie that had threatened to kill her from before was a short distance behind, yet when the demon and goddess passed the dueling Valkyries and Goetia, the younger warrior instead shifted towards her comrades, forgetting the duo she pursued in favor of aiding her fellows.
Urd and Mara seemed not to notice, and as the duo continued their dash towards the safety of the trees, they younger Valkyrie-Eir, Skuld thought- leaped for the hound in the sky, a scream tearing from her throat and mixing with the howl of the canine as a large halberd appeared above her head. The youth grabbed the weapon, and with a roar brought it down upon the beast, knocking it from the sky as the blade came down upon it's back. There was a sharp, pained whine from the demon as blade met fur, and then the creature was flying to the ground.
Its whine did not go unheard, and as the dog's body went crashing towards the earth, Lind and the burning man separated from their own fight, dodging towards opposite ends of the battlefield as the winged canine crashed into the spot where both warriors had fought moments ago. Eir followed the beast down, halberd raised menacingly, yet before she could finish the beast with one final strike, the snake-wolf on top of Skuld sat up.
A long and haunting howl reverberated from its throat, seeming to echo across the battlefield that had once been a shrine's courtyard and gain the attention of one and all. Eir's blade fell short of its intended target, yet the hound beneath her seemed not to notice, its gaze focused on the wolf with a rattle for a tail. Lind and her burning man both came to a sliding halt, near colliding with each other from their charge towards one another while Badb Catha and the bird lord paused in their duel, blades locked as they tried to force steel on their opponent.
Now the wolf rose to its feet, and Skuld managed to scurry out from beneath the demon's legs as another howl, this time backed with the hiss of a rattle, echoed through the courtyard. It was a sign. For suddenly their came a flurry of motion. The burning man's flames went out, and where once a fiery demon stood a red haired man took its place. Without warning he turned from Lind, his prior opponent, and ran for the trees. The bird lord's feathers regressed into it's body, leaving once more a man, this one with layers of black hair in its place. He broke the lock of his swords with the War Crow and chased after his comrade. The hound rolled to its feet and loped after the men, easily passing his companions and disappearing into the cover of trees.
Finally, only the snake-wolf was left, his howl dieing into nothing as the others disappeared from the makeshift battlefield. Shakily, Skuld picked herself up, eying the wolf warily and taking a step back, one hand reaching towards her blouse to withdraw a bomb. Yet the beast seemed to smell her plan, wheeling on the girl with a snap, his jaws, large enough to engulf her head, snapping down on her arm like a vice.
Skuld screamed and jerked her arm back, yet the jaws were strong and held no give, and so instead the child slipped in the dirt and fell to her rump. The girl hit the earth with a grunt, and from one eye, red and slit like Mara's, like a snake's, the wolf glared at her. Stop this foolishness now, Child. The voice from before echoed in Skuld's head. It is time for us to depart. The wolf tugged at her arm in emphasis, and at that moment Skuld realized that while the grip was painful, it was not the agonizing pain of a wolf bite.
The wolf's grip was strong and pinching, yet she could still see her arm in the creature's maw, the flesh still whole and the cloth solid, held away from the long canines that even now, still glistened with a serpent's venom.
Skuld gaped at the creature in disbelief, wondering at the strange display of behavior and just what the beast wanted her to do.
Ears laid flat against its head and a growl rumbling in its throat, again the wolf tugged at her arm, a silent urge for her to move, and a prisoner to jaws that could crush her arm, Skuld obeyed. Carefully, she picked herself up off the ground, and when once more the snake-wolf tugged she stepped towards it. The tail swayed dangerously once, the rattle shaking lazily-what did that mean? Did she do something wrong? Something right?-and the wolf pulled back, half-leading, half-dragging the young goddess.
The demon made it perhaps five feet before the forgotten Valkyries descended upon it.
"Release her."
Skuld knew that voice; she'd come to know it very well over the last several hours. It came from above, and when the child looked up, her gaze fell upon the owner of the voice and those she'd descended with.
Lind did not look happy.
A hissing growl rose from the demon's throat, and when Skuld looked back to the wolf, she witnessed red eyes flash in rage. Its rattle hissed ominously, and its jaws parted enough to release Skuld's arm. The girl yanked her arm from it's maw faster than she'd thought possible, and sensing the oncoming battle, scrambled away from the wolf. If the beast noticed, it paid her no mind, its gaze too heavily focused on the trio of women hovering above its head.
Lind lashed out with her ax, the movement so swift Skuld was unable to follow it, and seemingly just as fast the wolf struck, rows of sharp teeth snapping down on the ax pole even as the blade buried itself in the ground before the beast. The sky-haired woman did not hesitate though, and with a roar she lurched her weapon from where it lay buried, sending blade and pole and wolf skywards.
The beast released its grip upon the ax pole, and momentum thrust the beast above the heads of the Valkyries sky bound. Before Lind could retaliate with another attack, the creature's maw parted and a great burst of flame spewed forth, spreading down upon those beneath the wolf in a blanket of red.
A trio of cries arose as the flames descended, and the wolf twisted its body in the air to angle its descent away from the burning Valkyries. As soon as its paws hit the ground it was off in a gallop, racing towards the trees much as its brethren had and pausing only to look back as it approached the tree-line. The fire was clearing from around the warriors, and smoke wafted up from a pair of spectral-black wings that emerged from the Mad Crow's back, raised high above the heads of the trio of females and protecting them from the dying flames.
Skuld stared in amazement, her gaze darting from the Valkyries to the wolf at the woods, who panted and howled, pacing between the safety of the trees and the openness of the courtyard. Its gaze never left Skuld's.
"Lind!" Eir shouted, and Skuld jumped as the Valkyrie in question flew towards the wolf-snake. The wolf snarled at the pale-haired woman, and with one last look to Skuld, it bounded off into the shelter of the forest, vanishing into the darkness. A murder of crows took to the air in a mass of shrieks and caws at the beast's departure, and as the birds descended upon the courtyard, Lind came to a sliding halt.
The woman looked back to the two Valkyries and Skuld, and the child watched as the many black winged birds moved to settle on the ground of the courtyard or the roof of the shrine, some even moving to rest upon the red tori that arched over the staircase to the base of the shrine. The massive audience regarded the women with beady red eyes, an intimidating mass that caused even Lind to pause in her doings.
The warrior's eyes darted from the many eyes to Badb Catha, who watched the younger woman with a frown. The two locked gazes, and from Skuld's perspective, it seemed as though some silent message was passed between the two. Finally, after a long moment of silence, the sky-haired Valkyrie dropped her gaze from her leader. With one last look back to the trees, the goddess turned and jogged back to the the small group, ignoring the aggravated squawks from the many crows that hopped and fluttered out of her path.
A white-gloved hand thrust itself into Skuld's view, and the girl looked up into the red gaze of the Mad Crow, the woman's gaze calm yet curious. The dark-haired lass grabbed the offered hand and allowed the warrior to hoist the youth onto her feet.
"Thanks." Skuld muttered, and the woman tilted her head to one side in question. Taking a wild guess at what the action meant, Skuld said, "I'm alright. That...wolf didn't really hurt me or anything." She held her arm, still wet with the wolf's saliva, out for the dark woman's inspection. "See?"
Badb Catha gently took the arm, inspecting it with lithe hands that felt as light as the feathers of a bird against her skin. When the Valkyrie was satisfied that Skuld had been telling the truth and was uninjured, the red-eyed woman released Skuld's arm once more.
"Lady Catha." Eir approached the duo silently, and when the lead Valkyrie turned to regard the younger warrior, Eir looked down. "Lady Catha, we need to go back inside. Herja is...she's been..." The pink-haired woman trailed off, and a look of remorse settled on her features.
A deep frown marred Badb Catha's face at the words, and as Lind approached, the woman settled it upon the ax-barer. The woman nodded, a grimace on her face. "Understood. Let's go see Herja."
Urd leaned back against the wall of her room with a sigh. Exhausted, she allowed her gaze to drift to Keiichi, who leaned across from her, propped up against her bed. A blanket covered his bare shoulders, and in the bed he leaned against, the still form of Herja rested. The woman was alive, but just barely. I don't think she'd have made it if Keiichi hadn't reacted the way he did.
The man obviously had no medical experience. What, if any, he might have had probably came from safety classes from his own motor club, where accidents were prone to happen at any time while working on any one of the many vehicles that came to them. Yet still, he'd had enough sense to try and halt the blood flow, and it had only been just enough. Even still...she needs to get out of this dimension. I'm not a doctor. I can't operate on her. The most I can do is stop the blood and bind her wounds. Maybe give her something to ease the pain. I can't heal her with how injured she is now.
The woman ran her hands through her hair, closing her eyes and tapping one foot in thought. This wasn't Belldandy. Poisons were easily taken care of with the right potion. This was a woman who had holes larger than Urd's fist in her back, someone who no doubt had damaged internal organs. It was a miracle Herja was still breathing right now.
Violet eyes opened once more to regard Keiichi, finding the young man staring intently at her. The mechanic had yet to speak to her despite the numerous amounts of poking and prodding the goddess had done, trying hard to get some sort of explanation out of the man. All attempts had been proven failures, unfortunately, the woman receiving at most a grunt from the man. Perhaps he was still in shock? Whatever the reason, at least he no longer thought she was going to kill the poor Valkyrie. Keiichi had allowed her to work on the fallen woman to the best of Urd's ability and had responded to any of her needs, yet still they remained tense around each other. Keiichi was still seeing the one responsible for the attack as the woman before him and Urd herself was unable to forget nor forgive his hostile attitude towards her, in particularly the cursing of her name. A gap had arisen between the two-one that would doubtlessly remain with between the two of them for a good long while yet.
Urd licked her lips nervously, disliking the scrutiny from the mortal before her. "Come on." She said. "Let's let her rest. She's stable for now and I think the others have a right to know what happened."
The silver-haired woman rose with a grunt, dusting her self off in the process and watching as Keiichi rose as well, the blanket still clutched tightly over his shoulders. The dark-haired man looked down at the woman who'd taken over Urd's bed, and for a moment a look of hesitation dawned in his dark eyes. Urd could already see the direction his thoughts were taking him, and before Keiichi could dwell further on the matter the goddess spoke once more.
"Keiichi...we've done all we can for her. There is nothing more either of us can do. Let's leave her be for now." Whether she lives or dies, there isn't anything we can do. Watching her sleep isn't going to anyone, especially Herja, any good. "Besides, I'm certain Belldandy would like to see you again. Especially after that ruckus you and the others caused. I'll bet she's twitching with worry right now."
A look of guilt spread upon Keiichi's face at the mention of Belldandy, and again Urd could only guess at the thoughts running through the young man's mind. I'll bet he's forgotten all about Belldandy with what's happened to Herja.
"Belldandy..." Keiichi muttered mournfully. The man glanced one last time to Herja, than to Urd, as though asking if it was alright for him to leave the wounded woman's side. Urd smiled wanly before approaching the man, gently resting her hands on his shoulders. The smile grew larger when Keiichi didn't flinch at her touch as he had earlier, perhaps to distracted by the thought of Belldandy to remember his misgivings towards the goddess.
"Come on. I'd recommend a shirt before seeing her. The Almighty knows how Belldandy will react to you bare-chested in her current state. I'll explain Herja to Lind and the others." Carefully, she guided Keiichi out of the room, Keiichi offering minimal resistance as they exited the room and entered the hallway. It was Urd who sent one last glance to the resting Valkyrie before finally sighing and shutting the wood behind her. We've done all we can. She reminded herself, the smile she'd displayed to Keiichi falling. Herja's fate lies within the Powers That Be now.
The hallway was still a mess from whatever it was that had created the injures on Herja. Urd did her best to ignore the burn marks and bloodstains, watching as Keiichi did much the same and made a beeline for Belldandy's room, Urd's words prior all but ignored or forgotten in his current state. A treat for Belldandy than. She thought. An unwanted one in her state, but I don't have the heart to try and keep Keiichi away from Belldandy after everything he's been through.
Further down the hallway Urd heard the front door slide open, and as Keiichi disappeared inside Belldandy's room, Urd took a deep breath. Time to face the Inquisition. The goddess squared her shoulders and walked down the hallway towards the entrance.
She was almost barreled over by the pink-haired youth she'd seen with Mara and her doppelganger, and the young Valkyrie jumped back as though the silver-haired woman was poison. What the hell. Does everyone view me as so despicable or did one of those demons bomb me with some sort of people repellent? Urd thought moodily to herself. I'm getting really tired of this shit...
Ignorant of the thoughts running through the dark woman's mind, Eir backed away, her mouth parting in shock as she pointed at Urd. "But you-the barrier-and then-"
Lind and the Mad Crow appeared behind the youth, and behind them Urd spied Skuld peaking around Badb Catha's back. Urd cut the young woman off before she stutter anything else out.
"Would you believe me if I told you a doppelganger let me out?"
Lind raised an eyebrow. "You didn't run."
A statement more than a question, Urd shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "What good would it do? There's no place I could run to, and..." The bronze woman grimaced and looked back behind her towards the hallway. "...And Herja needed my help.
The group fell into a silence, and when Urd looked back to the pack of Valkyries, Badb Catha had taken Eir's place. The red-eyed woman rested a hand on Urd's shoulder, and the grip was tight and painful, and the expression on the woman's face was drawn and urgent.
"Where is she?" Lind's voice was soft, but if they were for Urd's benefit or the Catha's, Urd could have just as easily told the woman to save her breath. The Mad Crow may not have had a voice, yet her actions proved words enough for Urd, and without a word of her own Urd turned back down the hallway.
The Valkyries followed behind the goddess in a train, and as they approached Urd's room, the silver-haired woman paused. She looked back down the hallway and her eyes landed on Skuld, whose gaze darted this way and that at some scorched piece of wood or the heavy droplets of red that marred the surface of other areas.
"Skuld." The child looked up at the sound of her name, brown eyes large and wide, filled with an emotion that took Urd a moment to realize was fear. "I want you to go check on Belldandy for me, okay?"
The girl hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty dawning in her eyes. "But...I want to see Herja too. Eir said-"
Urd cut her off. "I don't care what Eir said." She snapped, and the girl flinched at the older woman's tone. Urd grimaced before continuing, her tone softening. "Herja...she's not in the best of shape right now, Skuld. I don't want too many people crowding around her right now, and I need someone to go and make sure Belldandy is okay. Keiichi's with her right now, but he's only human, and right now I think he needs to be watched just as much as Belldandy."
A part of her hated herself for throwing Keiichi to the wolves like that, but at the same time she acknowledged that the man was barely in his right mind after witnessing the events that must have lead to Herja's downfall, and the idea of another goddess, even if it was Skuld, watching over him and Belldandy was better than nothing.
Besides, Skuld didn't need to see Herja in her current state.
"Listen to what your sister tells you." Lind shifted to rest a hand on the girl's shoulder, and Skuld looked up with a frown. "Before the Goetia attacked, it had been Herja's job to watch Keiichi for any signs that his immune system might fail. We still need someone to watch him. Will you take Herja's place for us while we check on her?"
Skuld bit her lip. "Will you let me know how Herja's doing if I do?"
Lind nodded, and Skuld sighed. "Alright." She crossed her hands over her chest. "I guess someone needs to make sure Keiichi isn't doing anything pervy to Belldandy anyways." The girl scowled and Lind removed her hand from her shoulder, allowing the child to depart into Belldandy's room.
It wasn't until Skuld had shut the door and the wood remained shut for several seconds that Urd returned her attention to the Valkyries before her. The goddess chewed the inside of her lip before beginning. "Listen, I don't know the details about how Herja got this way, but here's what I can tell you about her condition...
Belldandy looked up at the sound of her door once again opening and closing. This time, it was Skuld who appeared,the girl's expression one filled with worry and unease. A different variety from the look that had adorned Keiichi's face upon entering, still the look twisted Belldandy's heart painfully.
"Skuld." Belldandy croaked, her throat still raw yet not causing her the pain it had upon first awakening. It was a sure sign that Urd's vial potion was doing it's work, and though the goddess grimaced at the sound of her own voice, Belldandy decided that she could tolerate it well enough.
A ghost of a smile flitted across the child's face, gone as quickly as it appeared, and Skuld approached her sister. "How are you feeling?" The youth asked, moving to sit next to Belldandy's futon.
Belldandy smiled. "Better." The brunette scrunched her nose up in displeasure. "Though one would not know it by the sound of my voice." Her words had the intended affect as some of the tension eased from Skuld's shoulders and a more honest smile, small though it was, appeared on her face.
"That's good." The child's eyes drifted around the room, and Belldandy followed the gaze as it came to settle on Keiichi, resting against the opposing wall from Skuld. The man leaned propped up against the wall in an uneasy sleep, his face displaying his agitation even in his rest and Urd's blanket still resting wrapped around his shoulders. "...What's wrong with Keiichi?"
"He's exhausted himself." Belldandy responded. "From what he was able to tell me, Keiichi expended all his energy saving Herja, and it's left him exhausted on every aspect of his soul." The man hadn't been able to withhold his despair when he'd entered Belldandy's room. He hadn't awakened her-the screams from earlier had done a fine enough job of that-yet it wasn't until the Norn had gently prodded him that Keiichi had unburdened himself on Belldandy.
The goddess had never seen him in such an emotional state before, perhaps the only instant that came close being with the threat of Belldandy's death in the realms of Niflhiem. The Norn had comforted the man the best she could in her current state, and when finally he'd finished, Keiichi had almost collapsed upon her.
The knowledge he'd shared with her had disturbed Belldandy, and perhaps sensing something of a related subject growing within her younger sister, the goddess chose her words carefully. "Keiichi did a good thing, Skuld. A very good thing. Keiichi and Urd both."
The elder Norn lapsed into silence as Skuld shifted her gaze to her sister. "It's Herja, isn't it?" The girl asked quietly. "Eir said something bad happened to her. She said two demons tried to kill Herja. She said Keiichi was trying to keep her alive, but..." The girl trailed off, her gaze falling to the ground. "I don't really like Eir. Not after the way she threatened me and Urd. But...Herja's not that bad. Even though she and Urd fought, Herja stopped Eir from hurting me. She let me go back to Urd, even though it was Urd she was after. She's got a pretty singing voice, too. Kind of like yours, but different. And it's weird that she sings when she fights, but still..."
The child's hands clenched into fists, gripping the cloth of her pants tightly. "Eir-she's lying, right? A Valkyrie wouldn't fall to a pair of demons like that, would she? Valkyries are supposed to be strong, they aren't supposed to be beaten like that! It's not like she was fighting Hild or anything, right?"
Belldandy shifted to rest a hand on top of Skuld's. Has this woman had such an affect on you child? Or is it the possibility of her death that scares you so, dear child? "It's hard to say, Skuld. For all that we view the Valkyries as the warriors they are, they are not invincible. They bleed, just as we, and hod the same fears and dreams that we have."
The child grit her teeth, and when Belldandy moved to pull Skuld into an embrace, the youth did not resist. Held within Belldandy's arms, Skuld buried her face in her elder sister's nightgown, and Belldandy rested her chin on top Skuld's head. The girl released the pent-up anxiety in her chest then, and as the sobs came, muffled as they were, Belldandy stroked her head, fighting back against the tightness that clung black and ugly in her breast.
The idea of death, especially when it was so close, was never easy. While not unfamiliar with it-few gods of her age rarely were-Belldandy was uncertain on how to deal with it. Herja might die, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. When faced with such a grim truth at a younger age, Belldandy had always turned to Urd, to Celestine, for guidance.
Yet Celestine had passed on in what had come to feel like ages now, Urd bearing the weight of responsibility explaining the very situation Belldandy was at a loss with to Lind and the others. Were it that I was as strong as either of you in such a fearsome presence. And now she'd come to find herself in a position that had once been Urd's to bare, trying to explain death to a younger sibling.
On the other side of the door, a howl, long and mournful, shattered the silence of the shrine.
Urd's world exploded into stars as her head connected with the wall. The goddess grunted, and through the dots of light that littered her vision, the Norn saw Badb Catha. A snarl adorned the woman's face, and flecks of gold flickered in enraged red eyes. The silver-haired woman grimaced and tried to speak, finding her voice betrayed her. Probably has something to do with the hand around your throat. Urd thought dumbly, the stars increasing even when she blinked and a steady beat resonating in her ears.
Something slipped from Urd's fingers, and violet eyes drifted to see what it was. Ah, that's right, the black scarf she'd grabbed when the Mad Crow had snapped. I'd forgotten about that scar. A pair of arms wrapped around Badb Catha's torso, and Lind's head appeared above one of the Crow's shoulders, shouting something in the older woman's ear. The thrumming in Urd's ears had grown so loud the woman couldn't hear what was said.
Eir was next, the smaller girl slipping expertly in-between Valkyrie and goddess and prying away at the fingers so content to cut off Urd's supply of air. The young woman grabbed the Crow's wrist with one hand and slammed her arm down on the bend of the elbow with another. Badb Catha gave a mute snarl, and her hand popped free from Urd's throat.
The goddess dropped to the ground coughing, and she took a deep breath as the precious air that had been denied to her filled her lungs. The bronze woman gasped, choked, and coughed some more as the stars in front of her eyes slowly faded from sight. She could still hear the beat of her own heart, but even that slowly began to fade, and in its place the shouts of Lind and Eir took its place.
"Lady Catha, calm down! It isn't Urd's fault!" Together, Lind and Eir dragged the heated Valkyrie away from the goddess, and slowly, Urd crawled to her feet. Now, her wits returning to her, Urd kept herself pressed firmly against that wall, eying the Mad Crow warily as one hand tenderly touched her throat.
"Eir's right, Badb Catha. Urd can't be held responsible for what happened." Lind adjusted her hold on Badb Catha, better securing the dark woman. Her gaze darted from Urd to where Herja rested, and Urd was not blind to the flash of pain that dwelled within those light orbs when the gaze returned to the Norn. "I'm certain Urd did everything in her power to ensure Herja survived-"
The Valkyrie's head lashed back into Lind's face, and stunned, Lind's grip on the older woman faltered. Badb Catha broke free of woman's grasp, and before either Valkyrie could react, grabbed Eir by both the girl's arms and threw her into one of the many cabinets that adorned the leftmost wall. The pink-haired youth released a shout as her body collided with the wood, and above her heads the many lines of potions and ingredients that lined the shelves trembled warily. Some even fell to the ground, bouncing and rolling on the floor, none the worse for wear.
Urd didn't even notice, launching herself away from the wall she was pressed against even as the Mad Crow lurched towards her. Blinded by her own anger, the Crow's swipe at the Norn missed, and Urd dropped into a roll that allowed the limb to fly harmlessly over her head. Have to get out. Herja's-
Urd howled as a metal boot collided into her shins, and the goddess hit the ground hard, rolling to her side and wrapping her arms around her wounded leg gingerly. Her shin burned and throbbed, and the Norn grimaced, looking up to her assailant and finding Badb Catha reaching for her once more. Magic, dark and threatening, sparked and snapped across the Valkyrie's hand, and Urd flinched away.
Of all the times for my magic to be sealed! Urd snarled in her mind, the metal around her wrist pressing coldly into her thigh. She couldn't even feel the presence of her own magic, the bind was so strong, empty of the warmth that had always been present, even when Urd had drained herself entirely.
The Valkyrie moved to grab her by the collar, and Urd screamed as the alien magic assaulted her form. The elder Norn lashed out in pain, surprising herself when, rather than pull away from the tug, Urd instead moved with it. A snarl as beastial as any demons escaped the silver-haired woman's throat, and Urd's mouth snapped down on Badb Catha's wrist.
The goddess bit down where the end of the Valkyrie's sleeve met the beginning of the glove, an area where the cloth was thin and the flesh beneath delicate, and as the Crow's magic coursed across her body, Urd's bite only grew more violent. The woman thrashed and twisted against the magic, and her teeth seemed only to burrow deeper into the opposing woman's flesh.
It was Badb Catha who tore her grip away first, Urd perhaps incapable of releasing her hold in her spasm. The woman wrenched her wrist from Urd's mouth, and released from Badb Catha's attack, Urd dropped silently to the ground. As the Valkyrie clutched her wrist to her chest, the bronze woman picked herself up with a grunt, glaring at the Mad Crow from beneath silver bangs. She spat at the woman's feet, unsurprised by the red that landed on the toe of one boot.
Lind and Eir approached from behind the Valkyrie, and perhaps for that reason Badb Catha did not raise a hand against the goddess. Yet even still, the two younger warriors were not able to hold back the dark-haired woman's gaze; fiery, smoldering red. Ones that danced with molten gold, fading in and out of each other wildly and seemingly unable to decide on which color was dominant.
Urd had come across such a gaze only once. As a child, such a gaze had frightened her, yet now the silver-haired goddess found an anger of her own fending away any sort of fear that gaze might have held over her. "I did everything I could." Her voice came out in a low growl. "Keiichi did everything he could. She was alive. We managed to keep her alive. We...I...only stepped out for a second, just to find you and your troupe. She was fine, Badb Catha. She was alive." Urd slammed a fist into the ground in emphasis. It throbbed angrily.
"I don't know what happened. Understand? It could have been anything! Something I couldn't see, something that might have shifted incorrectly when Keiichi and I were trying to save her. Fuck, for all I know, maybe there was nothing we could have done to save her! But I lie to you not, Badb Catha. I did not kill Herja!"
Her words came out a scream, and as the denial left her lips, so too did an uneasy, tense silence descend upon the inhabitants of the room. Urd had given voice to the truth none of the others had wished to speak, and now the air thickened with tension. For a long moment, Urd and Badb Catha merely stared each other down, a battle of wills between the burning red-gold gaze staring hatefully down into piercing violet that danced with rage.
"I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we moved Herja to another room." Lind's voice was deafening in its silence, and gently she rested a hand on the Mad Crow's shoulder, bringing herself under the elder woman's scrutiny. The pale-haired Valkyrie did not flinch. "We do Herja a great dishonor, treating her like this. I know of no Valkyrie, no woman, who would wish to be fought over in such a manner. And in front of her no less." The younger woman swept her free arm out to where Herja's body lay resting, bundled tightly in Urd's blankets.
Both woman had enough decency to look ashamed at Lind's words; Urd being only able to look at Herja's body for so long before dropping her gaze, whereas Badb Catha stared long and hard at the Valkyrie's body.
"Badb Catha, I cannot say much for whatever you may think of a cur like Urd." The Valkyrie pointedly ignored the dirty look Urd sent her at the insult. "I myself cannot say much for her. However, when we were called away by a pack of Goetia, leaving Herja to whatever wolves attacked her, it was Keiichi and Urd who made the move to save her. It was Urd's quick thinking and potions that helped cease the blood flow. Urd's hands that bound her wounds. Urd who, despite the blood that no doubt coats her hands, managed to keep Herja alive for just that small bit longer." Lind pointed. "Look at whose bed she lies in, whose blankets she is bound securely in. If Urd were truly responsible for Herja's death, do you think she would have gone through half the effort you see before you? Would a guilty woman allow a dead woman to rest in her bed?"
The Valkyrie snorted before turning her gaze to Urd, who'd come to sit warily on her knees, eying Lind in mistrust. "Yet it seems you would be no better, provoking Badb Catha when you know she is in enough pain already. You know already you are a prisoner, that you are accountable for all your actions in our presence. Urd, are you intentionally trying to sentence yourself to a sealment? To something worse? Attacking a Valkyrie, even if done only in self-defense, in your situation will only further damn you in the eyes of the heaven's elite."
The Valkyrie moved away from her leader and towards Urd's bed, pausing only long enough to lean down and scoop Herja's body up in her arms. "Let us have no more fighting on either side." Lind said, turning and walking towards the exit of Urd's room. "For Herja's sake, if no one else." The woman exited the room with her fallen comrade, leaving the others in silence.
Eir looked anxiously between Badb Catha and the door, seemingly torn on who to follow before biting her lip and chasing after Lind. It left the Crow with the Norn, and Urd looked at the woman with hostile eyes. "Well? You heard your Wolf." She growled. "Go and follow your murder, Crow."
A snarl seeped into the elder woman's features, and those black sparks that had hurt so much before hand danced across the fire-eyed woman's arms. Urd tensed, the hairs on the back of her neck rising in alarm and her body tensing in preparation for the inevitable attack. Yet just as quickly as they appeared, the sparks dissipated, and with one last mute snarl, Badb Catha whirled around, following her troops and disappearing through the door as well.
Urd watched the woman go, her own anger raging across her face. "Damn it all!" The woman screamed, smashing a fist down into the ground she sat on. The woman grit her teeth, watching as her sight grew hazy through tears that couldn't quite bring themselves to fall. A high growl exited her throat, and Urd picked herself up, moving towards the bed Herja had one laid in and sitting on the bare sheets. "What am I supposed to do?" She asked aloud, her voice a whisper near-unheard in the quiet of her room. The goddess buried her face in her hands.
She never noticed the sizable dent in the floor, the effects of her rage brought to life.
Nor how it sparked with a red electricity.
Comments of a Madwoman: Crap, finally done. It took me a while to get back into the thick of things after spending the gods know how long on my part of the AGM Reboot. Anyways, don't think this means the updates will be coming faster-if anything, expect even slower updates do to my work.