Naruto: Valkyrie
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Norse Mythology
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
…And another unplanned chapter. I want to thank Solvdrage for inspiring parts of this one. This chapter takes a little detour back to the Land of Vestmar. Here is chapter 5; enjoy!
…
Last Time:
Sasuke closed the four hundred year old book. 'So it's sleeping in the wreckage of the castle of the Old Kingdom of Alta. It sounds like that Prince Gaara was a weak minded fool to kneel to the will of a piece of metal and this Orochimaru should have been a court jester instead of a court magician. What a damned coward…I will master that blade and avenge my family…'
…
Somewhere in a ruined castle a metallic laughter rang out…
…
Asgard, The Halls of Valhalla
The beautiful Valkyrie Captain Temari awoke from her slumber to the sounds of the metallic laughter ringing in the back of her mind. "So it is finally time again." she thought aloud. "This time I will see you destroyed Dreyrugr and my family will be avenged!"
…
Dvergr-Heima Inn
The elven maiden Elska watched longingly as Lord Naruto went to bed. She was in her tiny fairy sized form as she watched Hinata and Naruto talking animatedly before they both laid down to sleep. 'That Valkyrie doesn't even know the prize she has in her hands! I've been spying on them all day and she could have him all she wanted but instead she makes him suffer alone in a separate bed. She isn't good enough for him and is in my way. I could please Lord Naruto and bring him happiness unlike this Hinata woman. But Lady Freyja favors her. How am I going to remove this obstacle from my path? I wouldn't stand a chance fighting against one of the Choosers of the Slain. What should I do?'
…
Chapter 5
The Land of Vestmar
Choji was sitting and wondering how it had come to this. He and his friends Shikamaru and Ino were supposed to perform a morning bandit patrol here in Vestmar….or 'The Killing Fields of Vestmar' as the Choza's Army had labeled them. The losses here had been so appalling that many warriors had a form of shock and refused to leave their tents. Several attempted to desert just to get away from 'accursed' Vestmar. To be honest General Choza had been far more lenient with his men than he normally would have been. He disciplined the would be deserters but rather than putting them to death he sent them away from the front lines to recover their senses.
When Choji asked his Father why he hadn't been more harsh upon them Choza had taken Choji back to his tent in private and explained that he'd come face to face with a Valkyrie and that she was both the most beautiful and terrifying thing that Choza had ever seen. Choji remembered Choza's words well. "She swept down over me on her winged horse and landed near the body of Lord Minato's son. I had personally gone there to retrieve Lord Naruto's body so we could build a proper pyre and honor him to appease the Gods. She looked at me with long black hair whipping in the wind and the face of a Goddess but her green eyes were cold and hard as a glacier. I think she must have been some sort of Captain as the others seemed to defer to her and obey her commands. As I got closer she drew her saber and turned into a black phantasm that froze me in terror. She said, 'You shall not pass General Choza. Lord Minato's son is ours.' She swept her blade in my direction and the grass at my feet burned. I backed away slowly but it took every ounce of courage I had not to run away screaming."
Choji shook his head. It was scary stuff and Vestmar was defiant even in death. Not a single person from the oldest man to the youngest infant was taken alive. They fought like berserk savages and as long as they could draw breath they fought and killed members of Choza's Army. Those that couldn't fight were said to have jumped to their deaths into the sea. It was horrifying to hear about but to see it….Choji and his friends hadn't arrived until days later and all three of them got sick at the sights of the masses of bodies littering the battlefields. The losses were so incredibly high that there simply were not enough men left alive to take care of the dead. Just as bad was the fact that men were still dying of severe wounds from the battle in their tents so the suffering was still far from over…
It would be another three days before General Inoichi and General Shikaku's Armies would arrive to relieve Choza's beleaguered troops. The various patrols and occupying forces were more of a pretense really. Word had rapidly spread far and wide during the last four weeks that the land of Vestmar was accursed and was some kind of passage to Niflheim. Even the bandits that likely would have looted the bodies held left the borders as fast as they could. For all intents and purposes the land was dead and the blood soaked soil attested to it.
Choji, Shikamaru and Ino had been friends since they were toddlers and they all agreed that the silence in Vestmar was stifling. It was as if their footfalls left echoes as they walked it was so quiet. The three friends stopped at a wrecked fortification that (thankfully) had no bodies too close to it so they surveyed the area and had some water before readying themselves to go out again. That's when Ino whispered, "Wait." Ino was descended of elven folk and could sense things others could not. The normally sassy and talkative blonde turned to her friends. "I sense something is watching us. It's moving around."
"Can you sense what it is Ino?" asked Shikamaru. He too was descended of magical people and could bend the shadows to his will.
"There are several of them and they are surrounding us." whispered Ino. She looked in the distance and her blue eyes got huge. "Shikamaru, Choji; it's the bodies!"
Choji pulled out his war hammer. Like his friends he had magic running through his veins but he was descended of giants and had tremendous strength as a result. The three watched aghast as the corpses slowly started to rise and gravitate towards them. The undead things moved incredibly slowly but they had numbers and that's what had all three young warriors worried. "Have the spirits of the people of Vestmar risen up to fight us even in death?!" asked Choji in shock.
"No, there are some of our own people as well." pointed out Shikamaru. "One thing is certain; we need to get out of here and report this."
The undead continued to move towards them and the three warriors managed to withdraw after cutting down several of the slow moving bodies. It seemed to them that the battle was never ending as more even bodies rose up after the three warriors had cut them down. Acting as the vanguard Choji led Ino and Shikamaru by simply crushing his way through the lines of bodies. Unfortunately the three were cut off and ended up near a major battlefield where ten times as many bodies were rising up. "It's the land of Vestmar itself!" cried out Ino. "There are far too many of them for us to bust through!" Ino suddenly sensed a different presence and pointed at an empty space near Choji. "Choji! Strike there as hard as you can!"
Choji turned and struck hard with his war hammer right where Ino had pointed. His weapon stopped midair with a loud clanging noise. A gorgeous woman with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared. She had blocked Choji's crushing blow with a simple parry of her sword. She had winged headpiece but her most noticeable feature aside of her otherworldly beauty was her tremendous bust. As she pushed Choji back effortlessly with her blade she said. "You would do best not to cross one of Odin's Battle Maidens but I suppose you didn't know any better." Her beautiful face changed into a phantasm with burning eyes and the entire army of undead fell back down like puppets with their strings cut. Then her visage turned back to the three petrified friends and she said coolly, "The Land of Vestmar is not attacking you but an annoying Necromancer is afoot. My sisters and I are hunting him or her."
Ino kneeled and said through chattering teeth, "T-thank you for saving us Lady Valkyrie." Shikamaru and Choji also kneeled.
The Valkyrie said, "It is not your time yet. I am Samui. Stand up." All three of them stood up at attention as Samui made a bird call.
Seconds later another Valkyrie on horseback appeared and asked, "What is it sister Samui? Are these mere mortals an issue?"
Samui looked at her comrade and said, "No Karui; inform Captain Shizuka that I've found a mortal that seems to possess the third eye." She explained as she pointed at Ino, "I believe she can help us locate this Necromancer that is disturbing the order of things."
Karui looked keenly at Ino. "You are of elven descent girl?" Seeing Ino's nervous nod, the red haired Valkyrie said, "Good, you are hired." Turning to Samui she said, "I'll inform Captain Shizuka." With that she went skywards on her horse and vanished.
Ino said, "I'm hired? W-what?"
"You possess the third eye or you would never have been able to sense me." said Samui. "You will help us eliminate this Necromancer and we Valkyries will see to it that you and your two friends arrive safely back at your camp….Provided Captain Shizuka agrees to this of course."
"And if she doesn't?" asked Choji worriedly.
"Then you are on your own." answered Samui in a flat tone.
Shikamaru, Ino and Choji all thought in perfect synch, 'This woman is bad news.' as they looked at the busty blonde Valkyrie…
…
Dvergr-Heima Inn
Naruto sat at the crowded bar with Hinata on his left. They wanted a table for some privacy but the place was simply too crowded that morning. Naruto was having some meat pie that the place was supposedly famous for but the ale was too watered down for his tastes so he wasn't enjoying it too much. The empty chair on his right was soon filled by a man with a ukulele on his back and incredibly bad teeth. The man looked totally depressed. He turned to Naruto and said, "Hello dear friend; I am Bjorn the Blunt Bard and my lovely muse has left me for another man. I fear I shall never write another song or sing ever again! I feel so empty inside. Who might you be friend?"
The blonde shrugged and said, "I'm Naruto." That opened the teary floodgate to Bjorn's sad tale of lost love. The blonde cringed and said 'uh-huh' or 'mm-hmm' whenever it was appropriate but really was just looking to leave…Now Naruto had heard his fair share of men crying in their ale over lost love or other woes but this bard took the cake as he blathered on and on and on while slowly drinking mug after mug of ale. Naruto glanced over at Hinata and noticed she was eating in her normal stately and dignified manner. She apparently had completely tuned Bjorn out. 'I wish I had that ability…' lamented Naruto to himself. 'It must be a Valkyrie thing.' Naruto was pretty miserable listening to Bjorn the Blunt Bard bellyache.
About that time a lovely barmaid with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes came up and gave Naruto a winning smile. She leaned over a bit to give him a good view of her plunging neckline and generous cleavage before she said, "Awww; you look so down sitting there handsome. What's wrong?"
Naruto looked up and thought, 'Why does this woman seem familiar?' "Oh it's nothing; the ale is just a little weak this morning." That sounded better than, "Can you murder this bard here so he'll shut the hell up?"
The barmaid giggled and said, "I'll fix you right up good-looking!" About five minutes later she came back a sat a fresh mug of ale in front of Naruto on his right. "That's out of a fresh keg sweetheart; give it a try!" Naruto thanked her and she seemed very eager to see Naruto drink his ale. She almost looked giddy with anticipation which struck Naruto rather oddly. Still, he reached for his ale to take a sip just to make her happy. About that time, Bjorn the Blunt Bard (who apparently was left handed) reached over and drunkenly grabbed Naruto's ale by mistake and chugged it all in one go. The barmaid looked horrified as Bjorn's cheeks turned rosy and he got a huge smile.
Bjorn turned to Naruto and said, "Praise the gods! My spirits have been uplifted! I shall dedicate this song of love to the beauteous blonde oh so near me!" Naruto looked a little wide eyed at the suddenly excited man's bipolar mood change and the barmaid looked like she wanted to run. Bjorn pulled the ukulele off his back and strummed it. He sang:
"Sing it out, shout it out, the bend overture
Let me hear it my Naruto
You may think it's strange but I don't know why
Thou shalt be my ho."
The second verse was just as bad:
"I've just got do it one more time
Before I lose my mind
The answer's simple and it's straight to the point
You can feel it coming from behind."*①
Naruto's eyes were big as dinner plates as Bjorn the Blunt Bard serenaded him with his poem of love. The barmaid looked shocked to the point she would faint. Comments like, "Bjorn's being even more blunt than usual this morning." and "Yeah, I heard Bjorn's boyfriend left him for another guy." The observations of "For some reason I don't think that blonde guy he's hitting on swings that way." and "Bjorn's subtle as a rock hitting you in the face. That poor blonde guy looks like he wants to kill himself." kind of drove the final nails in the coffin.
Everyone in the bar stared in dead silence as Bjorn belted out:
"Second verse, same as the first!" (Even though he was on the third verse).
Naruto regained enough sense to punch Bjorn in the face and knocked him unconscious in front of the crowd watching. The nervously sweating blonde received a light round of polite applause from others in the bar before he left the bar at a hurried pace in total embarrassment…
Hinata had quietly been observing the whole situation with a clinical eye. The Valkyrie suddenly found that she'd lost her appetite. She sat down the gold on the counter for both her and Naruto's meals and said to the barmaid, "You really should be careful with love potions Elska. You never know what kind of trouble will occur."
The shocked elven woman almost lost her disguise as a barmaid and asked, "How did you know?! How?!"
The indigo haired Valkyrie shook her head and said, "My moonlight eyes see things that others cannot. You should go back to Freyja's hall and leave Naruto alone."
After Hinata left Elska was pouting and thought to herself, 'Curse you! I'm not beaten yet Hinata of the Moonlight Eyes!' She shook her fist at the door Hinata left through and then the elven woman turned ethereal and vanished.
…
The Land of Vestmar
Shizuka arrived and orbited Samui's position once before she landed on horseback. Choji saw her cold green eyes and knew this was who his Father spoke of as she stared down at the three. She nodded at Samui before she addressed the three friends. "Tell me your names mortals. I am Captain Shizuka, one of the Allfather's Valkyries."
All three shivered before Shikamaru said, "I'm Shikamaru Lady Shizuka."
"You have the blood of dark elves in your veins." said Shizuka. It was a statement; not a question. Shikamaru just nodded.
Shizuka turned to Choji and said, "You are General Choza's son, yes?"
Choji nodded rapidly, "Yes, I'm Choji. How did you know who my Father was?"
Shizuka said coldly, "When I made his life flash before his eyes he saw you and a woman who I assume is your Mother." They all shivered slightly at her tone. "Besides, I sense the same giant's blood in you your Father possesses." She turned to Ino. "That leaves you girl, I assume you possess the third eye due to your elven heritage? Tell me your name."
Ino was sweating profusely and said, "I'm Ino but I don't know what this third eye is!"
Shizuka looked at Samui who said, "She detected the enchantment of the bodies before they rose and detected me despite the fact I was invisible to mortal eyes under a glamour enchantment Captain."
"What kind of a deal did you make this third eye user for her help?" asked the Valkyrie Captain.
Samui answered, "I told her the three would be delivered safely back to their camp in exchange for helping us find the Necromancer….pending your approval of course."
Shizuka shook her head. "Damn, I wish our sister Hinata was here but I suppose this inexperienced third eye user will have to do." Turning to Ino; Shizuka said, "Do you accept the bargain presented to you Ino?"
Ino nodded, "Yes but do I really have a choice?"
Shizuka said in a matter of fact tone, "Not if you want to live."
'All these women are bad news….' thought the trio forlornly.
…
Dvergr-Heima
After mentally regrouping from Bjorn the Blunt Bard's horrid serenading, Naruto found Hinata waiting for him near Dvalin's forge. She said, "No doubt Dvalin is going to be busy at his forge today. He said the dwarf smith Alfrigg may have made this necklace I was given. I asked around and Alfrigg lives a few towns south of here in Styrifell. We could travel down there in less than a day at a good pace and come back here to Dvergr-Heima tomorrow. What do you say?"
Naruto answered, "Well, it would be better than sitting around and wasting time here. Maybe we can find out if this Alfrigg actually did make it. He would know how it's enchanted then."
The indigo haired Valkyrie nodded. "Let's go back to the Inn and get our travelling gear then. I'm getting restless staying in one place too long."
"I just want to leave this town for awhile." said Naruto in a haunted tone.
Hinata smiled and asked, "Are you afraid another bard will declare his undying love for you…?"
The young Lord of Vestmar glared at her and she laughed melodically at his expense. Naruto grimaced and said; At least one of us is having fun…"
…
The two young companions soon set out for Styrifell travelling along the main trails that passed through three villages before the long trek through open country to Styrifell. Neither of them was in a big hurry and were talking along the way and generally indulging their wanderlust that they had in common. It was at this point they both heard dogs howling and a group moving up the trail behind them. Hinata used her eyes to look them over at a distance and said, "There are five of them being led by two dogs. They are too well armed and armored to be typical bandits. Unless I miss my guess they are trailing us given their current pace."
Naruto growled, "We can't catch a break. They are probably bounty hunters from your description."
Hinata raised her eyebrows, "What makes you think they are bounty hunters?"
"I've had a price on my head before and I know how they work." said Naruto. "They probably have a scout handling the dogs and three or four heavy hitters; sometimes with an archer mixed in."
Hinata focused on the approaching group again. "Yes, four armed fighters and a scout leading them along. They questions on my mind are why a price would be on your head in this region so far from Vestmar and why now? Most people probably think you are dead. Could they be trailing us by mistake?"
The blonde shook his head. "I doubt it. There's a slim chance of mistaken identity but I'd lay odds that whoever tried to kill me with that arrow knows I'm here somehow. Let's just set ourselves up in a favorable position and I'll take them out."
"You'll take the five of them out alone?" asked Hinata with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
"I've beaten worse odds." said Naruto with a feral grin. "Tell you what; if any get past me then you step in. How does that sound?"
The Valkyrie smirked. "It sounds like your blood is already rushing. Fine. Let's walk ahead a ways and find a place where they'll have to come uphill to fight us. I don't see an archer in the lot so it will all be melee fighting anyway. I may have to take their souls to the appropriate place afterwards though. I am a Chooser of the Slain you know."
"You already know how this fight is going to turn out don't you Hinata?" asked Naruto grinning.
"Mmmm….let's just say I have a good idea. Nothing is set in stone." repliedd the indigo haired beauty.
Thirty minutes later Naruto and Hinata were waiting on top of a hill with their weapons at ready. Naruto stood looking down at the bounty hunters with Hinata slightly behind him. He'd been in this position countless times before when he was a bandit. Someone had put a price on his head and these bounty hunters were aiming to shoot him down. Naruto smiled grimly and said, "So before you try to take me down, tell me who hired you. I just want to know before I go to Valhalla."
The lead bounty hunter was a hulking man with a two handed estoc type sword. He laughed and said. "It's a person who hates you a lot Lord Naruto of Vestmar. You wouldn't know them. Some kind of personal grudge I guess."
"That's no fun." said Naruto as he drew his sword.
The bounty hunters drew their weapons and the scout with the dogs took a few steps back. "Time to die kid!" yelled the one with the estoc. Naruto got in a ready position as the bounty hunters exploded into action.
The lead bounty hunter charged uphill and swung his estoc heavily. Naruto slipped under the big man's guard and slid his sword neatly between the man's ribs in a perfect assassination move. The man coughed a gout of blood as Naruto threw him back into his comrades and tripped them up. The second bounty hunter spun his spear at Naruto before he charged around the body of the fallen estoc user. Naruto deflected the man's initial lunging strike downwards and the spear dug deeply into the soft earth. The spear user's eyes widened as Naruto's blade cut through his larynx and blood sprayed everywhere.
As the other bounty hunters got around and over the body of the big estoc user that was hindering them Naruto took the offensive against them and charged downhill. An axe user blocked Naruto's strike and launched a counter strike. Naruto jumped over the axe counter strike and kicked the axe man in the jaw sending him tripping back into the pile again. Another charged in with two hand axes and Naruto swiftly jumped to the side sending the man careening due to his own momentum. He tripped up over the body of the spear user that was still clinging to life in spite of the fact he was bleeding out.
The bounty hunter who was their scout unleashed his two dogs to attack Naruto but the Lord of Vestmar was already upon him. The scout screamed as Naruto ran him through the heart before he could defend himself. By this time the axe user was back on his feet and Naruto beckoned him forth. The man let loose a war cry and attacked skillfully with his axe. He kept parrying Naruto's sword strikes but Naruto kept punishing him with punches with his free hand. The axe man was very bloodied from the repeated hits to his face. Naruto went for an eye gouge and the man jolted backwards and left his guard open. Seconds later the man fell with his entrails falling out of his stomach. Naruto quickly finished him off with a decapitating strike.
Naruto braced himself to face the dogs or the hand axe user but saw the dogs were fleeing from Hinata's glare alone. She had a foot on the hand axe user's collarbone and had her saber at his throat. Seeing the terrifying visage of one of Lord Odin's Battle Maidens the man lost control of his bladder and fainted. By the time Naruto got back up the small hill Hinata was shaking her head in disgust at the bounty hunters. "Those men were pathetic. They certainly aren't worthy of going to Valhalla to join the warriors there."
"The guy with the axe wasn't all bad." said Naruto.
"He wasn't all good either." replied the Valkyrie. She scanned in the distance with her moonlight eyes and said. "Those dogs are still running in terror. Four of these so called bounty hunters are dead and the last one wet himself and passed out. I think I'll be dropping them all off in Niflheim."
"You are a harsh woman." said the blonde.
Hinata smiled and said, "Thanks!" as Naruto sweat dropped at her accepting 'harsh' as a compliment. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She took her phantasm form and went to each of the fallen men in a blur before she vanished entirely.
Naruto shook his head and stood guard over the unconscious one after taking the man's weapons. The blonde figured he could strip the bodies for spoils later….
The Land of Vestmar
Ino was a bit petrified running around with Shizuka. The Valkyrie Captain was a scary woman and was marching the blonde girl around like a drill instructor. Ino had been trying to find this hidden Necromancer all morning long and hadn't had much luck. Finally Shizuka grabbed Ino's forehead causing the girl to shriek. "Be silent girl! I'm helping you!" growled Shizuka and she cast an enchantment. "There; now you should be able to fully use the third eye. I may not be able to use it myself but I can help those who can."
Ino's eyes widened as her senses seemed to expand and the invisible became visible. "Wow; you're amazing Captain Shizuka!" said the blonde as Shizuka nodded immodestly. Ino saw lines of enchantment from several bodies all leading towards the same place. It was the wrecked Fortress of Vestmar. "This way." pointed the blonde as she took the lead.
Choji asked dumbfounded, "Why didn't the Captain do that hours ago?"
Samui replied in her usual cold tone, "We Valkyries usually aren't supposed to help mortals by granting them favors but Captain Shizuka was getting frustrated. Whether she allows your friend to keep her newfound power all depends on Ino's performance now."
"Didn't we go near here earlier?" asked Shikamaru.
"The enemy has been constantly on the move." said Shizuka. "They don't want us Valkyries to get near them because once we get close their glamour magics will be shattered and we will take them down."
Shikamaru's thought was, 'Captain Shizuka sure seems confident.'
He then heard Ino's voice in his head. 'Don't say that aloud Shikamaru! They'll kill you!'
'Great, now you can talk inside my head. You are such a troublesome woman Ino.' thought Shikamaru. He smiled when Ino mentally growled at him.
When they got close to the ruined fortress the three friends saw a mirage like effect over the castle and then Shizuka held out her right hand. She took her phantasm form and said "DISPEL!"
Suddenly the mirage effect bowed and flexed before it shattered like glass. Choji, Ino and Shikamaru all stood in shock as hundreds of the dead appeared to be guarding fortress and about twenty Valkyries appeared nearby. All the Valkyries drew their swords and released a magical shockwave that caused the bodies to fall back over because the enchantments over them were shattered. All that was left was a group of about twenty or so men and women wrapped in tattered gray druidic robes. It was obvious to the three friends that the group of Necromancers was utterly shocked at being caught.
As all of the Valkyries took a phantasm like form; Shizuka gave the command, "GLORY IN THE SLAUGHTER!"
The three companions were utterly terrified as the Valkyries charged into battle. They gave the Necromancers no quarter and no chance to surrender as they rode them down like cattle. The slaughter was so quick and so merciless that it was like the blink of an eye to Ino and her friends. One second the Necromancers were standing there trying to cast enchantments and they next their entrails were scattered all over the side of the fortress like a nightmare basket weave of intestines and every other body part imaginable. Frankly, the three would ordinarily have gotten sick at such a sight but they were transfixed in morbid fascination at the sheer horror in front of them.
Seconds later Shizuka reappeared in front of them and said, "Do any still live Ino?"
Ino gaped for a second at the beautiful Valkyrie Captain's sudden reappearance but then focused her thoughts. "One is left." said the young blonde woman. "I sense he's terribly wounded though. I –he seems to have vanished!"
Samui landed on horseback and tossed a severed arm to Shizuka who caught it effortlessly. Samui said, "That was all I could get of him before he teleported away. It seems Kabuto has escaped us once again. I would say that he would have escaped unharmed were it not for Ino pointing us right to his group." She gave a minimal smile before she asked, "What do you think Captain?"
Shizuka looked at the Necromancer Kabuto's arm before she turned to Ino and the others. "You three are interesting." said the Valkyrie Captain with a small smile of approval. Each of them felt a sting as a silver knob earring with runes engraved upon them appeared in their left ears. "If other Valkyries approach you those earrings will mark you as our allies in the future. You did well Ino; I will allow you to keep your newfound prowess with your third eye. You may find it handy someday. Samui; escort them back to their camp as promised. The bodies that litter the battlefield will remain unmoving as they should now." Shizuka quickly mounted her horse and said, "Fare-the-well Ino-Shika-Cho." She then took off like a shot and vanished as all the other Valkyries had.
Samui said, "Shall we return you to your camp as promised?"
…
An hour of travelling across the battlefields later Samui stopped at the edge of the Choza Army's camp. "This is as far as I go you three. Tell General Choza that the dead will trouble his army no more." She then vanished as her sisters and Captain did.
Shikamaru turned to his two friends. "This report to General Choza is going to be the most troublesome report in the history of mortal men."
…
The trail to Styrifell
Naruto was sitting by the now tied up prisoner who had awakened, panicked, tried to flee in terror and was in turn knocked out again by the blonde. After tying the man up securely Naruto had been bored and stripped the four bodies of any useful items. He now was sifting through the pile of items trying to decide what to keep and what to sell. The estoc was a mighty fine piece of work in his eyes but Naruto's style of fighting didn't lend itself to that kind of weapon. 'Shame, I doubt Hinata can use anything here either.'
Hinata reappeared in a flash of light a few moments later and said, "Sorry about the delay; it seems Lady Hel has high expectations of you to send lots of souls to her. She referred to you by name."
Naruto gaped at Hinata with wide eyes. Picking his jaw up off the ground he said incredulously, "You're rubbing shoulders with the Goddess of Death?!"
Hinata replied sarcastically, "Hello? I'm a Valkyrie. Of course I make regular stops in Niflheim." She shook her head. "It isn't like I'm friends with Lady Hel or anything but if something interests her then she will exchange words with us. You are in her Father Loki's favor after all so naturally she is curious. Besides, you sending her all those souls over time has made you quite popular with her."
Naruto sweat dropped. "Well, while you were socializing with the ruler of Niflheim I've been gathering up equipment to sell later." He motioned to the massive sword stuck in the ground beside him. "This estoc's pretty nice but I doubt it would suit either of us." The weapon was almost as tall as Hinata.
The Valkyrie walked over and drew the large two handed sword out of the ground single handedly before giving it a few test swings. 'I keep forgetting she's got superhuman strength….' thought Naruto sweating. 'Well better that estoc than her damned hair brush….'
While Naruto was cringing about the horrors of hair care Hinata thrust the estoc back in the ground and jarred him back into reality. She said, "No, an estoc is simply too cumbersome for my tastes. It lacks the speed and elegance of my saber." She suddenly looked absolutely giddy and said, "Naruto; what do you think my new saber will be like?! I'm so excited!"
'So instead of sweets or jewelry she prefers weapons. My kind of woman.' thought Naruto smiling. "I'm not sure Hinata but Dvalin's work is pretty astounding. Some of that stuff in his shop was unbelievable. The way he fixed up this ring is pretty amazing by itself. I'm sure it will turn out great. I'll bet that-" They both heard the tired a groan from the tied up bounty hunter from before. "Whoops! I almost forgot about you pal." Naruto said to their hogtied and gagged friend who looked quite uncomfortable.
The man did his best squirm around from his position on his stomach and cursed a bit through the gag but when Hinata came around into his field of vision he let out a sound somewhere between a screech and a squeal. Hinata stared into his eyes and said, "Good morning coward. Did you get a good rest? Because if you don't answer all of our questions I'm going to escort you to Lady Hel's front door in Niflheim personally."
The man looked terrified and started babbling through his gag until Naruto untied it. Once the gag came off the bounty hunter said, "I'll tell you anything you want! I never meant to mess with one of the Allfather's Battle Maidens! Please forgive me Lady Valkyrie! I don't want to die!"
Hinata looked furious. "Stop sniveling like a toddler you coward! You're in way over your head. If you didn't have information I want I would have killed you hour ago when you wet yourself in fear. I loathe cowardice!"
The man was white as a sheet and Naruto figured he'd better intervene before the man died of fright. (He also decided to never act cowardly or even frightened around Hinata. Apparently it was a pet peeve of hers).
Naruto said, "Let me talk to him Lady Valkyrie." Hinata's eyes flashed but then she nodded in agreement. Naruto came over to where the man could see him and kneeled down to look the man in the face. He said, "So what's your name pal?"
"It's Arvid." sniveled the now named Arvid. "Please don't let her kill me Lord of Vestmar."
"I'm a mortal man like you Arvid; I cannot control a Chooser of the Slain." said Naruto. "However, she might be much kinder if you answer all of our questions truthfully okay?" Arvid nodded rapidly. 'This guy's a pathetic basket case. She'll be able to tell if he's lying and then it will be all over.' "So tell me; why was your little group after me and who hired you?"
Arvid hesitated for a moment but saw Hinata glaring at him like an angry goddess over Naruto's shoulder. "We were sent to kill you and retrieve the ring of Vestmar for an older lady that claims her son is the rightful Lord of the Land of Vestmar. She says that you aren't the rightful heir."
'I wonder how many illegitimate brothers and sisters I have out there. Lord Minato even slept with Goddess Freyja at some point. I may have a demigod sibling….Oh well, could be any woman I suppose.' thought Naruto. "What is her name?" asked the blonde.
"Her name is Audhild and she says her son deserves the ring."
"Audhild of Bamble?" asked Naruto. Seeing the man didn't have a clue the blonde said to Hinata, "Audhild of the Bamble Village is supposed to be some kind of sorceress and a low Noble. Seems like the type to go after my old man." Naruto then asked Arvid, "Was Audhild a looker?" Hinata's eyes kind of widened at such an off the wall question.
Arvid nodded. "She is really pretty even though she's gray. She has a great rack. It wouldn't surprise me if she wasn't a real hottie back in the day." he giggled perversely.
Hinata was wondering whether she should smack Arvid around for being a lecher or Naruto for bringing up the subject of Audhild's looks to begin with….
Naruto nodded to himself. "Sounds about right for Lord Minato given his track record. What's her son's name?"
Arvid answered "Audhild said not to repeat it but I think she said it was Menma." Suddenly Arvid made a choking sound and his eyes widened. He mouthed out 'Help Me' and then his neck snapped as if he'd been hung.
Hinata sensed an enchantment and quickly pulled Naruto back and away from Arvid. Sensing the enchantment was gone she rolled Arvid's body over where she could view his neck. He had rope burns there that made it appear he was the victim of a hanging. "That's an interesting curse." said Hinata. "I don't think I've heard of that one. I'll take him to Niflheim and ask someone about it there." She turned into a phantasm and vanished with Arvid's soul.
Naruto just sweat dropped at the Valkyrie being complete unfazed by a man's death…
…
POSTSCRIPT:
*①: Oh god that was crass. These are parodied lyrics from an old Ozzy Osbourne song called "One up the b-side" and I'll probably burn in hell for ruining such a good song.
So the plot thickens and another with a legitimate(?) claim to the title of Lord of Vestmar may exist. The question is, was Audhild behind the cursed arrow as well or is she even connected to it? See you next time (whenever that is). Blue out. 1/20/16. Remaster 11/03/20
