Chapter 10 - Fólkvangr
A few months had gone by and Bo finally got to go on her first mission, a stake-out mission - with Tamsin.
As they were loading equipment and supplies into their car, Bo complained, "how is that wherever I go now, I'm stuck with you?"
Tamsin shoved a suitcase into the back trunk, before she straightened her body and huffed at Bo. "You think I want this? I'd happily take any other Einheri, if I could find one who was old enough to drive."
"So, in other words, no adult Einheri would want you?"
Tamsin rolled her eyes. "There aren't that many adult Einherjar here. Besides, most of them already have a partner."
"So, in other words, not a single adult Einheri wanted to pick you as their partner?"
Tamsin slammed the trunk shut and gave Bo a fake smile. "In other words, I'm just too damn good for anyone."
Bo laughed, before she went into the car and fastened her seat belt. "Why aren't there a lot of adult Einherjar in Valhalla anyway?"
It was a question she had pondered for a while, for she saw herds of Einherjar daily through training and other occasions but would rarely encounter any adult Einheri.
"I mean…do adult Einherjar just…leave Valhalla or something?"
"Some do. They get sent to Valhalla posts in other states or foreign countries. A small number of them would…just leave and wish to have nothing to do with Valhalla, because…well, they've got their reasons. But…."
"But what?"
"Valhalla used to have plenty of adult Einherjar and Valkyries on campus, until a few years ago."
"What happened then?"
"Valhalla was under siege and a lot of them died."
Bo gasped slightly. "What?! Under siege? By who?"
"By the evil organization that sent those evil agents."
"You mean the…the organization who sent Spinner and Antares and…all the other bitches?"
"Mhm, they call themselves Fólkvangr. Their organization is basically a mirror version of Valhalla. They search for Einherjar and Valkyries and train them, just like what we do."
"Fólkvangr…" Bo practiced that name a few times. "So they are like Valhalla but…evil?"
Tamsin went quiet for a while as she tapped the steering wheel with her index and middle finger. "Honestly I don't know if they are truly evil evil. I don't think they kill people for fun. I think they kill for a purpose. Hell, I think everything they do is solely for that purpose, and they will do whatever it takes."
Bo nodded. "What's their purpose then? Just…hunting down potential Einherjar or something?"
Tamsin shook her head. "No, it won't be that simple. Remember my conclusion, that they killed that doc and all those chicks because they might be looking for a particular patient of hers?"
"Right, you think that particular patient was me."
"It could very well be you, but a partial name on a piece of burnt paper is just not enough…we need to know a lot more."
She let out a small sigh. "Whatever. Enough questions. Time for us to go."
Almost six hours later, Bo and Tamsin arrived at their destination - a distant tourist town near the mountains. Since it was the off season, the whole place was practically dead.
They drove through the town and all the way up the mountains to a small, run down cabin.
Carrying things into the cabin while ignoring the reeking mold smell, Bo asked, "I was told that you'd give me all the mission details once we get here. So what are the details?"
"We are gonna spy on that place," Tamsin pointed at a resort hotel under them, which had two buildings and a pool. From where they stood, they had a clear view of the entire place.
"And specifically, closely monitor the presence of these Fólkvangr agents." With that, she handed Bo a folder, before she went to set up surveillance equipment by the window.
Bo browsed the files inside the folder. "Agent…Feline?" She frowned as she stared at the first page. It had a vague photo of a woman in the woods and the title "Agent Feline" beside it.
"Nobody actually knows their exact code name until they are dead and naked in front of you, genius. It's just a broad description given based on the type of Fylgja they have."
"So we have agent Feline, agent Swan, agent Ferret and…agent Mask?!" Bo's frown got deeper. "Like…this person's Fylgja is a…Mask?"
She shook her head immediately because that idea was too ridiculous. "Wait…do they actually mean Musk as in musk deer?"
"No, it's Maaaaask," Tamsin drawled. "It's because this chick's always wearing a mask for whatever reason."
"What about her Fylgja then?"
"No one has observed her Fylgja yet. She might just be one of the late bloomers, like you," Tamsin teased with a grin.
"So we are just gonna…watch them? Why would they be coming to this resort anyway?"
"Valhalla believes that this place is a Fólkvangr base. Recently, these four agents have been sent over frequently. We need to document their appearances, whom they meet or come with, things like that. It would be great if we could figure out why Fólkvangr sends them, or where they come from."
"Ummm…I thought they came from Fólkvangr?"
"Yes, but we don't know exactly from what place. Valhalla had spent extensive resources trying to figure out where Fólkvangr's headquarter is but to this day, no one has made any significant progress on that."
"Wait, so lemme get this straight. Fólkvangr has gone so far as almost conquering Valhalla headquarters, while Valhalla doesn't even know where Fólkvangr headquarters is? Whoa…maybe I should switch sides."
"Yeah, like Fólkvangr would want you…." Tamsin murmured. Then she mouthed "and your dung beetle" to Bo.
Bo had not known that a stake-out mission would be this boring. For the entire day, she and Tamsin had taken turns to basically…stare at the resort through binoculars for hours while writing down everything that they saw.
During her shift, she had seen a couple having sex in the swimming pool twice, a girl having a fight with her boyfriend in their hotel room, two old guys fighting for a parking space and the guard cat calling a resort guest. None of what she had seen was even remotely related to her mission.
When Tamsin took over, Bo went into her sleeping bag and closed her sore eyes.
She inhaled the fabric softener, the moldy cabin and the cool mountain air. Among them, there was this subtle, soft scent.
It was Tamsin's scent. It wasn't just her perfume, or her lotion, or any type of cream she had been using. It was just her.
For some reason, ever since her first bonding heat, Bo became aware of Tamsin's scent. She'd constantly notice it, and as embarrassing as it might sound to herself, she found it…pleasant. She found it soothing, and at the same time, enticing.
She also became increasingly aware of Tamsin's presence. They seemed to be spending more time together, even just in their apartment bickering about the least important thing in the world.
She found the blonde annoying, but strangely, her presence seemed…comforting.
Just like right now, when the night was young and the room was dim, when the Valkyrie sat there quietly fidgeting her pendant….
A strange feeling struck Bo: somehow she had done this before, looking at the Valkyrie when the Valkyrie wasn't aware of her stare (or maybe she was but she just decided to let her).
Something vaguely came to her, but Bo was too exhausted to focus. She fell asleep, dreaming things that she'd completely forget when she woke up.
And when she woke up, it was already morning time. She let out a light sigh, and Tamsin turned to her.
"Good, you are awake," Tamsin grunted. "Get your cute little ass up and get to work!"
"Can't we at least go to town and get some fresh coffee?" Bo dug herself out of the sleeping bag slowly. "We've been stuck here for two days now…."
"Well, if you really want to be more convincing, at least mention a stop at a liquor store."
"Fine, liquor store it is. I think I saw one right by the gas station when we came over. Can we go now?"
They stopped by the coffee shop and then the liquor store that Bo had mentioned.
Just as they finished paying, Tamsin gave Bo a sudden nudge and whispered, "agent Feline, outside, eleven o'clock."
Bo immediately ducked behind the checkout counter and took a peek at the Fólkvangr agent who seemed to be gassing up her motorcycle.
Tamsin watched her closely, and sent her raven after the agent as soon as the agent left the gas station.
"Come on," she told Bo before she rushed out.
They tailed the woman by following the soaring raven. About half an hour later, they had arrived at the trailhead of one of the walking trails, where the agent's bike was parked.
Tamsin watched Knut's flying pattern for a few seconds, before she got out of the car and headed that way.
Excited that finally there might be some actions, Bo followed Tamsin immediately into the wooded trail.
She had barely walked five minutes, before she was hit with an intense headache.
She bit her pain back and struggled to keep up with Tamsin, thinking that the headache might soon stop.
Not only it didn't, her vision also started to become blurry.
She had to stop because breathing had become difficult now. She leaned against a tree, trying to catch her breath.
"What now?" Tamsin hissed in a whisper as she had one eye on Knut and the other on Bo.
"I don't know...I don't feel...I don't feel so good," Bo muttered, fisting her hands. Her legs were about to give out.
"Oh no, you are not having bonding heat again!" Tamsin growled.
"No…" Bo shook her head weakly. "It's…it's something else, I think."
She swallowed hard and described, "I'm having this headache and my vision is-I can't see things clearly. What's wrong with me?"
"Damn it…" Tamsin grunted as she pulled Bo into the woods beside the trail. She examined Bo briefly and concluded, "it's probably just an intense pre-dawning episode."
"What is that?"
"Your Einheri pheromone level is rising and your body is adjusting to the cognitive boost brought by the pheromone. A little discomfort is very normal."
"Can you make it stop?" Bo bit out and held her head. It was as if her head was being sawed in half.
"You need to make it stop, Bo," Tamsin answered. "The more anxious you are, the worse it'll become."
"I can't… I can't make it stop!"
Tamsin took a deep breath, for it somehow hurt her watching Bo in pain. She held Bo by her waist and spun her around. Then, she folded Bo's arms and placed them in front of Bo's chest.
Wrapping her arms around Bo's body and holding her firmly from behind, she commanded, "close your eyes."
Bo did as she was told, as she was soaked in cold sweat now.
"Focus on my voice."
"I can't…." Bo admitted weakly.
"You will have to try," Tamsin said and held her firmer. "Now, follow my breath pattern, in, in, then long out…."
Bo inhaled, despite her pain. She inhaled again, even though her lungs were protesting. Then, she let that breath out slowly.
Suddenly, Tamsin's body heat and her soft scent was all Bo could sense. Then, there was her heaving chest pressed tightly against her back.
In. In. Out. In. In. Out….
They were breathing in sync, like they were one.
In. In. Out. In. In. Out….
Bo heard her own heartbeat. She heard her own nervous heartbeat in her ear. She felt it on her fingertips.
Her pain was gone, replaced by a bittersweet longing that she was suddenly too afraid to name.
"You are doing great…" Tamsin's voice came to her again. The Valkyrie was practically grazing her ear with her lips.
"Okay, I think I'm good now," Bo announced abruptly as she freed herself. The lingering body heat made her shiver.
"Alright then," Tamsin stepped back and cleared her throat as she looked away.
They resumed their journey, heading towards where Knut was hovering in circles. The raven led them to a small, shallow cave behind a row of wild blackberry bushes beside the trail.
"You lost her?!" Tamsin exclaimed after having found no one in or anywhere near the cave.
Knut raised his head high and looked away, pretending that he did not hear Tamsin.
Tamsin let out a frustrated growl, before she told Bo, "let's split up and canvas the area."
Tamsin tried to make Knut tell her where exactly that woman had gone, but the raven wasn't being helpful at all.
She examined the surrounding area but found nothing useful. It was as if the agent had just disappeared into thin air near the cave.
Just as she pondered where agent Feline could have possibly gone, she heard a sudden scream from Bo.
With her face shoved into the ground and her arms locked behind her back, Bo coughed and gasped while attempting to free herself violently.
She gritted her teeth and arched her back, trying to push her attacker away, but was pinned back down immediately.
She tried every trick that she could remember from Valhalla's close combat classes but to no avail.
It was then that she heard Knut's loud cry. She couldn't see anything beyond the muddy ground and the rotten leaves beneath her face, but from the sound and the loosening grip on her wrists, she figured that Knut must have distracted her attacker.
She rolled on her side and got up, finally getting a good look at her attacker.
It was a woman in hiking gear, who had similar body build and height as her. The woman's face, however, was completely hidden behind a mask.
It wasn't a medical mask or a carnival mask. It was a mask of a cartoon character that Bo wasn't familiar with. It had pointy ears, a grinning mouth, two holes for her eyes and then another for her to breathe.
For reasons that Bo could hardly explain, she found that smiley cartoon face creepier than anything she had ever seen in her entire life.
Agent Mask. Bo thought as she wiped her bloodied nose and pulled out her dagger.
The agent tried to capture Bo again, but the raven kept taunting her. Enraged, she pulled out a small knife from her waist belt and launched it at Knut.
The raven took off, but the knife was too fast. It hit him right in his left wing.
Knut let out a scream of agony and fell, which made Bo's heart stop. Suddenly all the deaths of Einherjar and their spirit companions that she had witnessed came to her vividly, and it made her seething.
Letting out an angry shout, she pounced at the masked woman, punching her in the face while completely forgetting that she had a weapon in her other hand.
She had to bite back the crushing pain on her knuckles, for the mask must have been made with hard metal.
Fuck. Bo thought as she jabbed the woman with her dagger.
The woman stumbled back. Instead of fighting, she tilted her head slightly and stared at Bo. There was fear and confusion in her eyes.
Before Bo swung her dagger at the other woman again, the masked agent turned around and fled.
Bo rushed to check on Knut. She was seized by fear when she noticed that the black bird was just lying there lifelessly, with a bleeding cut on his wing.
Then, the bird pried its eyes open. When he saw Bo, he mumbled something and rolled to stand up. After yelling at Bo with a few loud croaks, he started to preen.
"Well, he's mad at ya," Tamsin's voice came.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Bo asked, worried.
"He's fine."
Knut snorted.
Tamsin shook her head as she glared at Bo, from her streaked face to her swollen knuckles. "I just can't leave you out of my sight, can I?"
She looked around, before she asked, "where did she go?"
Bo pointed to the direction to which the masked agent had fled. Together they followed her trail, but just like agent Feline, the masked woman's trail went cold near that same cave.
Tamsin examined the cave again. This time, she discovered a small knife by the cave wall which seemed to have been dropped carelessly.
Bo took a look at the knife and gave Tamsin a nod, confirming that it was the same type of knife that had injured Knut.
Tamsin frowned hard, before she started to check for hidden compartments inside the cave. To her disappointment, everything inside seemed to be solid. There were no secret chambers, nor were there hidden doors.
"Where the fuck did they disappear?!" Tamsin complained loudly.
"Maybe they have secretly developed some sort of…teleportation device?"
Tamsin rolled her eyes at that suggestion.
"What? Do you have a better explanation, hmmm?" Bo challenged her.
"Whatever, guess it's time for us to go back to that moldy hell hole again…."
They bickered as they left the cave. Neither of them noticed a brief dim glow from a small rock right beside where Tamsin had found the knife.
A/N: I should have finished this chapter a lot sooner, but I guess I spent way too much time on Diablo 4 lately...
In Norse mythology, half of fallen heroes would go to Odin's Valhalla, while the other half would go to Freyja's Fólkvangr. Fólkvangr roughly translates to "field of people". I thought about giving the organization another name that might be easier to read and remember, but couldn't find a proper one, so...Fólkvangr and Valhalla.