Legacy of the Valkyrie

by Archibald Bradford

  “If I do as you say, you won’t hurt him?” She asked, turning her gaze up to the man, resolve in her voice.

  “That’s what I said.”

  He roughly grabbed her by the hair while his men hooted and hollered, some of them openly stroking themselves in anticipation of their turn with their prize.

  “Open wide bitch and look up at me with those pretty eyes of yours while you suck my cock.” He shifted his hips to waggle his hardening member in her face.

  Nameless whimpered from the ground, utterly helpless as Ophelia grimaced at the unwashed man’s stench. The brute gave her head a shake, and she swallowed again before doing as he said, placidly opening her mouth, resigning herself to what was to come.

  He laughed as he inched his cock towards her lips, clearly wanting to take his time and enjoy himself.

  Even dazed as he was, seeing her treated this way was sickening to Nameless, and he had never been so angry with anyone in his life.

  Neither had Nina.

  There was a crash from one side as a pair of trees were toppled and, still clutching the Flutterby’s head, the man turned just in time to see the mighty Gigas bring all of her wrath down on him.

  He was pounded into the rocks under the weight of her hammer. She had leapt into the air at the edge of the trees and brought it down on his head with such force that it didn’t stop moving until it hit the ground with a wet splat, his body reduced to a pulpy mess.

  Everyone present was frozen in shock at the gory sight; his arm had torn free of Ophelia’s scalp, taking a few of her hairs with it.

  It was one of the few pieces of him still intact.

  Nina’s red eyes were wide as she shouted at the other men, her voice an earth-shaking roar.

  “You think that you can take from the mountain?!”

  In stark terror, one of the other men brought his own weapon to bear on the Gigas, firing several shots at her, each hitting her with the same concussive thump before exploding.

  After the smoke cleared from his volley he saw that not only was she still standing but her murderous glare had shifted to him.

  “You think the mountain won’t claim its due?!”

  She roared again before leaping straight at him and swinging her hammer in a one handed grip into his side.

  The weapon didn’t slow in the slightest as his broken body was flung into a tree, his limp form now impaled on several broken branches ten feet in the air.

  Two men, terrified of sharing their comrades’ fate, tried to flee into the woods but were greeted by Jan’s teeth and Kala’s spear.

  Neither lasted long.

  A third man leveled yet another blaster at the new arrivals but collapsed to the earth with a gurgled scream when a trio of familiar blades sprouting from his neck and face. He struggled to rise but was trampled underfoot by an enraged Milly who charged out of the trees and made a beeline directly for her master.

  With an aggressive low she shouldered another man aside, knocking him into a painful cartwheel that ended with him upside down and unconscious against a tree nearly twenty feet away.

  As the men scrambled in the ensuing chaos, metallic pops and cracks sounded all around as little lost-tech canisters landed at their feet, some releasing noxious gas that caused them to double over wheezing while others blinding them with searing light.

  Nameless couldn’t take his eyes off of Nina, even when she had killed the man-eater she was more annoyed than anything. Now he glimpsed the true power of a Gigas and his heart pounded in primal terror.

  She laid into the men with all of the inevitable fury of an avalanche.

  Fearful cries and burst of broken flesh split the air as she pulverized them with her hammer and with one bare hand, all the while cursing and roaring out her rage.

  “Come here you puny little fuck!”

  She seized one man by the ankle and repeatedly swung his entire weight into the ground until there was nothing left to swing, his body bursting apart into bloody chunks. Another fled from the stinging smoke only for Nina to similarly grab him by his knee, her grip instantly crushing the joint as she hurled him with incredible force across the lake, his shriek cut short when he collided with the solid cliff near the waterfall at least eighty feet away.

  Meanwhile Milly wrapped herself protectively around him and Ophelia, oblivious to the gore that covered them both.

  Some of the remaining men had crude weapons but all of them were too afraid to use them. Jan, Kar and Nina were taking them down methodically as they were boxed in by the smoke; several tried to flee into the water only to be taken out by massive stones hurled by the enraged Gigas.

  Within a few minutes, all of the men lay dead save the one Milly had rendered unconscious.

  Nina was panting, not with exertion but with rage. The fire of battle still in her blood, she wheeled around and looked for something to kill. She held her gory weapon at the ready as she scanned the bodies of the men, searching for any hint of life.

  Her bloody clothes were in tatters, and the blaster had left several odd scorch marks across her body, the puny weapon not strong enough to pierce the flesh of a Gigas.

  Nameless felt sick.

  He clung to Milly, Ophelia doing likewise, both of them too shocked by the grisly turn of events to form a coherent sentence.

  “Well, that was a thing.” Miranda said grimly, emerging from the trees with Erica and Jezebel in tow; “Everyone alright?”

  Jan and Kala quickly nodded, both warriors surveying the carnage that Nina had inflicted, respect on their faces as they cleaned the blood from their weapons, Kala with a piece of a dead man’s shirt, Jan by merely licking her bloody chops.

  Milly was too busy frantically licking at Nameless and Ophelia’s faces to answer.

  Nina didn’t seem to hear her, her gaze had fallen on the unconscious man and her eyes narrowed as she stomped towards him with deliberate intent.

  “Nina! Alive! I need to question him!”

  Miranda placed herself between Nina and the downed man, but the Gigas simply walked through her.

  “Dammit Nina, I need him alive!” She stumbled back from the giant, tripping over the uneven rocks.

  Nameless wiggled free of Milly’s grasp to see the tiny giant with her hammer raised, prepared to crush the helpless man.

  “Nina! Stop! Please!” He all but sobbed at her, his head pounding from where he had been struck.

  His voice was the only one in the world that could have given her pause at that moment, and even then she considered ignoring his words.

  Reluctantly, she lowered her hammer to her side.

  There was a collective sigh. Nameless was pulled back into Milly’s arms.

  After recovering her knives Erica joined them, her own anger had been a match for Nina’s and just as Kar had told her, she didn’t hesitate.

  “Wh-wha-” Ophelia dazed voice emerged from Milly’s breasts.

  “Don’t look lover, it’s not pretty.” The Katje said quietly as she caressed the Flutterby’s hair.

  “These men hurt our master, I-I will not mourn for them.” Ophelia’s voice was thick with emotion but despite her brave words she paled at the gory surroundings.

  “Nor should you.” Miranda muttered and then glared at Nina, arms crossed in front of her; “I told you to wait on my order.”

  Without taking her eyes off the unconscious man the Gigas pointed towards Nameless with her bloody hammer.

  “I wait on no order but his. These men earned their deaths, I was happy to oblige. Wake this one up and ask him what you will Miranda, then he gets the same.”

  Ophelia was clinging to Nameless now, her breath coming in gasps as she tried to come to grips with what almost happened and what had happened. Erica and Milly both were bathing her face with their tongues, comforting her the only way they knew how.

  “Shhh, lover you are safe, Master is safe. Nina saved you.”

  “You’re both okay.” Milly added, as much for her own benefit as for he
r bond-sister’s.

  Erica leaned back suddenly and licked at her lips, recognizing the taste.

  “Lover, what were you two up to?” She purred at the Flutterby who looked a bit sheepish, her shaking subsiding somewhat.

  Ophelia leaned in for a hug and whispered in the Katje’s ear.

  “Oh you naughty bitch!” The pair giggled together, though Ophelia’s laugh was tinged with hysteria.

  She had regained some of her composure faster than one would expect, certainly faster than Nameless did: the only thing keeping him sane was his concern for her!

  “Let’s get you lot cleaned up and dressed and get away from this mess, leave these fuckers for the buzzards.”

  Miranda had sifted through the belongings of the men and gathered up each of the three lost tech weapons. Two were broken by Nina’s hammer, but the third was intact and she frowned before bundling them all together in a spare blanket and strapping it to Kala’s bag.

  Studiously avoiding looking at the carnage around them, Ophelia, Nameless and Nina washed up in the water while Jez climbed up and brought down their mostly dry clothes. They walked a ways into the trees, Kala hefting the unconscious man over her shoulder before Nameless and Ophelia ducked into the privacy of the trees to dress, closely followed by Nina, Milly and Erica.

  “So, you got your first titty-fuck today Master?” Erica bumped her hip against his while he buttoned his pants with shaky fingers.

  Nameless was numb, he wanted to laugh, to cavort and play, to make love to his girls. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of helplessness he felt on the ground looking up at that man about to force himself on Ophelia. At the same time he was sickened by the brutality of the man’s end, the way Nina had utterly pulverized him.

  He began to shake again, so his Flutterby stepped in front of him and put her hands on either side of his face.

  “Dearheart, I am alright, the ordeal ended before it could even begin. Please, try to calm down.”

  He nodded and swallowed.

  “I’m s-so sorry.” He managed to stutter out while tears seeped out of his eyelids.

  She shook him, her grip on his head painful.

  “Don’t you dare!” Her eyes were wide as she snapped at him; “You are no more to blame for the actions of those men then I am!”

  Startled at her vehement response he was held in place by her stern look until he gave a shaky nod. She suddenly hugged him tight, whispering in his ear.

  “I was so afraid for you dearheart, please don’t make it worse by trying to take on the blame for all of the evil in this world.”

  “I won’t.” He promised, his voice muffled by her breasts.

  Nina wanted to say something, but didn’t know what, so instead she just finished changing into a pair of bloodless clothes, her eyes on the trees where Miranda and the others were waiting with the unconscious man.

  Once they were all clothed, Ophelia walked up to the Gigas who turned to meet her.

  “Nina, dearheart.” She knelt to bring their faces to the same height; “Thank you for saving us, for saving me.”

  Nina looked surprised, as if she expected a rebuke instead. Her surprise increased when Ophelia gripped her face just as she had Nameless’s and pulled her in for a deep kiss. After a few moments of kissing, her rigid posture eased somewhat.

  The Flutterby pulled away, and Nina’s lips following her of their own volition, not quite ready for the passionate kiss to end.

  “And I think that this has gone on long enough, don’t you?” Ophelia tilted her head at the Gigas.

  “What do you mean?” She breathed.

  “You failed to have sex with him one time, and that was weeks ago! We aren’t just going to give up on you. You deserve our master’s love just as much as any of us. And I for one am through waiting for you to act on that. You and Master: Tonight.” She declared with a note of finality as she got back to her feet.

  Nina was about to argue, and for that matter so was Nameless, but Ophelia actually stomped one delicate foot.

  “Tonight!” She repeated at the pair of them; “None of us sleeps until we figure this out!”

  Erica stepped up beside her and wrapped one arm around Ophelia’s waist.

  “We’ll help, with whatever you need lover.” She promised Nina.

  “That’s what bond-sisters are for.” Milly murmured, flanking Ophelia on her other side.

  Nameless stood apart from them, all of their attention on Nina. He pictured her as she was not fifteen minutes ago, covered in gore and raging.

  He shook his head, Ophelia was right. This had gone on long enough.

  Tonight.

  __________

  While the others got themselves clothed and sorted in the relative privacy of the trees, Miranda and her girls contemplated the problem of the unconscious man.

  He had groaned a few times while Kala carried him but was otherwise unresponsive.

  Miranda paced a bit while Kala and Jez poked, prodded and slapped at him, Kala with her hand, Jez with a stick.

  “You’re worried Mistress.” Jan said.

  “You’ve read the same reports as me.”

  Jan sheepishly scratched the back of her head.

  “I may have skimmed them a bit.”

  Miranda stopped pacing to give Jan a withering look that had no effect on the incorrigible Wolfen.

  “Barely a month ago we lost one of Lilly’s pack to a flamer, or did you forget?”

  Jan flinched, and then nodded, subdued at the memory.

  Miranda softened her tone somewhat.

  “Sorry puppy. I didn’t mean to snap at you, but this is something that the council is very worried about. It’s a growing problem all over the city states, and now here? In the middle of bum-fuck nowhere, we find not one but three functioning blasters?”

  “Yeah, I guess we should be worried.” Jan admitted.

  “We need answers, and this guy is our only lead.” She threw a thumb at the unconscious man, whose eyelids twitched slightly when she referred to him.

  Kala’s eyes narrowed and she began to speak loudly.

  “It is useless, he suffered a terrible blow and I doubt he will awaken ever again. Stand aside. I can at least spare him a lingering death in the woods.”

  She motioned Jez away then pressed her spear against the insensate man’s chest and prepared herself to drive the weapon home.

  “I’m awake!” The man stopped pretending at the Amazon’s threat.

  “Obviously.” Jezebel rolled her strange eyes: “Not gunna save you though, this time we actually get to kill a rapist!” She hopped in place excitedly.

  “Hey now! None of that!” He stammered out, trying to get to his feet.

  Miranda roughly kicked his legs out from under him.

  “Stay on the ground! Kala if he tries to get up again, go lethal.” She ordered.

  “As you say, my love.” Kala said, planting her spear on his chest again.

  “Hey, fuck off with that shit! You ain’t got no jurisdiction out here! This is the wilds!” He bravely declared.

  “Oh noes, we have no jurisdiction? We better let the attempted rapist go then.” Jan said in a falsetto voice, her hands on either side of her face and eyes wide in pretend fright.

  Jezebel halted her hopping in indignation.

  “What!? We can’t let him go! Just look what he and his friends tried to do!”

  The Wolfen gave her a long look, then leaned in and licked her from her chin to her hairline.

  “Jezebel, my sweet little froggy, how is it that we’ve been together for over a decade and you still haven’t mastered sarcasm?”

  Miranda pursed her lips, hiding a smile.

  “So wait, you aren’t letting me go?” The man was perplexed.

  Kala blew out a breath.

  “We should get the answers we need before the Gigas comes back. She won’t like seeing him awake.”

  He paled.

  “You’re right. So let’s get started. It’
s pretty clear to me that you lot are a bunch of wanted crims, maybe even escaped cons judging by some of the tattoos. Hiding out in the lowlands to avoid the Aegis and prey on any girls you can find out here, so the only thing I need to know is where the hell did you get the blasters from?”

  The man swallowed but didn’t answer.

  “I’ll go and get Nina.” Jan said, turning towards the trees.

  “Wh-who is Nina?”

  “Oh you met earlier, little red girl with the big hammer?” Jan tossed over her shoulder as she kept walking.

  “Wait! Wait, come on! I’ll talk!”

  “Well?” Miranda prompted.

  “We just had them for protection, honest!”

  “And for attempted rape. Don’t try to bullshit me! Tell me where you got them from! NOW!!” Miranda snarled at him, her patience gone.

  Kala pressed her spear harder into his chest, a single pearl of blood gathered at the tip and he winced in fear and pain.

  “It was Georgie! The one the little red bitch squished! He had the hook up!”

  “Give me a name!” Miranda demanded, not giving the man an inch.

  She knew that she had to keep him talking so that he didn’t have time to make things up.

  “He never gave us a name I swear!”

  “Then where?”

  His chest was rising rapidly as panic took him.

  “If I tell you, you have to keep the red bitch off of me!”

  “You tell me or I hand you to her myself!” Miranda countered.

  His eyes rolled with fear, his bravado completely gone now.

  “Oakridge! She was in Oakridge!”

  “She? You don’t have a name but you know it was a woman?” Kala hissed in disbelief and leaned some more weight onto her weapon.

  He squirmed in pain on the point of her spear.

  “He said she had great tits!” He all but howled, gripping the bladed edge of the spear in a desperate attempt to relieve the pressure, blood streaming from his hand.

  Miranda rolled her eyes.

  “He remembered her tits but not her name? Ugh, men!”

  “That’s all I know, please stop stabbing me!” He whimpered, still trying to dislodge Kala’s spear.

  “Kala, enough. Tie him up until I can figure out what to do with him.”