Author's note: This fantasy story contains very little sex, and the sex it does have is more romance than erotica. There is no sex in this chapter!
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Damn. Did you know, demon cloaks of darkness STINK? Yeah, Rune didn't either, not til that very night.
She coughed and sputtered, trying to get the stench out of her nose and the taste out of her mouth as the villagers came out of their houses. It was smoky, too, and it made her eyes sting and water. And it seemed to CLING to her skin with an oily feel. Gross.
More importantly, HOW had the creature shrugged off a killing blow like that? She'd SKEWERED that demon, and it had run off into the night, bellowing its promises of revenge when it should have been DYING.
Rune replayed the evening's events in her mind. When Bjorn had FINALLY returned with the keys to release her from the cuffs, shortly before the demon arrived, Rune had had just enough time to plan her attack. And it had gone PERFECTLY. She honestly thought she'd be on her way back to Valhalla by now!
Noting the foul beast's overconfidence, she'd used it to good effect. Now she had to admit to herself that SHE had been overconfident, too. This mission was not over! And her quarry was much tougher than she was used to fighting!
At least she'd gotten some good intelligence out of the exchange. The demon had said it was going to slay the ruler of the kingdom! The fiend had a specific TARGET! Since when did demons have plans that involved? It was good to know, but it was also worrisome.
Rune frowned, considering what it meant, as the people surrounded her. So intently was she assessing her situation that it took her a moment to realize that the reaction of this crowd was decidedly mixed. Some were jubilant at her apparent victory in driving the demon off! A few wanted to know if she was OK. Others were scared because the demon had promised to kill them all for their betrayal.
"Who let the girl loose??? You've killed us all!!!"
"Did you see how she stuck that thing like a pig? It's dying out in the forest right now, you can bet on it!"
"Did that thing hurt you?" (that was Bjorn, looking like he was in love and noticing her still-barely-dressed body)
"Great hit! You saved us!"
"You DON'T know that, you fool! Didn't you hear how it raged? It promised us death! If being stabbed like that won't stop it, what WILL?"
"We should chain her back up and beg it to forgive us! Don't let her get out, this time!"
"Don't be silly, the shieldmaiden is our best chance of stopping this thing!"
But fear is contagious, especially when demons are involved. Rune saw their terror beginning to take hold.
She spoke to the whole village, her voice commanding and rising above the din of the crowd.
"NOBODY is getting chained up and sacrificed. ESPECIALLY ME." The villagers fell silent at her assertion as she casually waved her glittering blade around to emphasize her point. After seeing how she'd fought, they knew she wouldn't be easy to subdue a second time.
"Didn't you hear it? It was going to keep right on killing you all after it was done with me. You cannot trust the demon. Do you UNDERSTAND??? You have only two choices. Run and hide, or fight. I know what I will be doing. I'm going after the demon. Now."
As she spoke, the young Valkyrie stripped off her sheer white gown, standing there naked in front of them all, her pale skin glimmering in the night air as she started slipping back into her warrior gear. As you know, Valkyries are not given to being overly modest. But every villager, male and female alike, stood entranced at the sight of her.
Finally, the nubile girl realized they were all staring at her. "What is it," Rune asked, wondering if she was injured and hadn't noticed it, yet.
"What are you, maiden," a man finally asked in wonder. "Have you been sent to us by the Gods?"
This question drew Rune up short, her armored bodysuit only half on as she turned her gaze to the man. Some of the humans were guessing at the truth! If they continued, it wouldn't be long until someone put a name to what she was.
Rune knew this wasn't good. "Don't let them know you're a Valkyrie. They will be frightened of you," the warrior remembered being told before she'd left Valhalla.
Oddly, it still didn't often occur to the Valkyrie that people were also beguiled by her beauty.
"Of course not," she replied, resuming getting dressed as quickly as possible. Clothing shielded her body's glowing angelic aura, somewhat.
And she continued with a smile. "I'm a shieldmaiden. I've come to kill your demon for you!"
Much of the crowd now cheered her. Even if she were only a shieldmaiden, at least she looked like a badass shieldmaiden! And a lovely one!
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Now, Rune left the small village, following the demon's path. She only had to cast her danger sense out and follow the most dangerous path she sensed. Even without her power, the Valkyrie could have followed without difficulty, as the foul demon had broken tree branches all along its way. And it was headed straight towards the main village of the kingdom!
"It seems to be on a mission, for sure," the girl thought, moving as fast as she could on the ground. "I better hurry to catch up!"
Rune was fast, but the demon was faster, it seemed, and she struggled to keep pace with it, her danger sense of its passage fading as the distance between them increased.
In growing frustration, the young woman finally took to the air, her big, bright wings unfurling and lifting her majestically atop great WHOOSHES of air. She'd been warned not to fly, again lest the humans recognize her as a Valkyrie and fear her, but she needed to make up time. Rune worried for the main village, knowing the demon would be there soon!
Soaring above the tree-tops along the path to the King's village, Rune knew at least she was closing the gap, as she started to feel the increased danger of a more recent passage by the demon. The forest cried out against the creature's very existence here. It wasn't hard to follow at all. Especially THIS demon.
As she slowly cut the distance between herself and the spawn of hell, the girl warrior pondered how the beast had shrugged off the impaling blow of her blade. "I should have blasted him, too," she thought. "If that's how he reacts to being run-through, I'd need to do that to him five times to seriously hurt him."
In contrast, demons seemed downright allergic to her heavenly fire. Presumably, this one was no different! Next time - hopefully very soon!
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It was only a few more minutes until Rune could see the clearing of the main village of Bollurgard coming into view. Considering how best to enter the place, the Valkyrie prepared to land and then enter the little town subtly. In a moment, however, she could hear screams of terror and the sounds of things being broken, and she knew the demon's attack was already underway! No need for stealth!
Landing right in the middle of their common area with her blade drawn, the young woman looked around. The bodies of villagers lay strewn about the place. It looked like they'd tried to mount a strong defense, but the demon had overcome them, anyway. At least not that many of them looked dead.
The demon wasn't in view, but It was easy to see where it had gone. Both the path of destruction and her danger sense pointed at the largest, most fortified house in the village. The King's house, with its strong front doors broken and leaning drunkenly, had two more guards laying on the ground in front of it. More noises of fighting and screaming came from inside.
As Rune prepared to enter, blade at the ready, she felt a palpable wave of fear that stopped her in her tracks. Whoa. Inside that house, pain awaited! And death! What was she thinking? Why was she here AT ALL? She should just return to Valhalla and report that she'd been too late. The demon had killed everyone and left. No one had to know the truth!
The Valkyrie was horrified as the image of the demon flashed through her head. The way it almost laughed off her killer blow! She couldn't do this! It was insane! A cold rush of adrenaline flowed through the girl's body in moments. She was terrified.
Rune stumbled back as if she'd run into an invisible barrier, almost falling. As she did, moving back from the door, her mind started clearing, the debilitating fear dissipating, and she shook her head.
"What was THAT?" she said aloud to no one. This demon was full of surprises. Every demon until now that she'd fought was all about talons and teeth. Maybe a sharp tail with a stinger. Vicious? Yes! Terrifying? Certainly! But... "magical?" No way.
This thing put out darkness and shadow. It somehow emitted a field of debilitating fear!
As Rune considered all this in wonder, it came to her. The demon was like HER. A demon with other uncommon abilities and powers!
The damn thing was a match for her. Was this why the Allfather had sent her? Did he KNOW?
"By the Gods, maybe a little warning, next time," the Valkyrie muttered, gathering her resolve. Not going in was not an option, and she took a few deep breaths... and plunged back through the doorway to the King's household.
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Walking through the hallway inside, Rune felt the darkness closing in around her immediately, like a living thing. The fear was stronger here, too, and the warrior had to work to keep herself calm.
Taking a moment, she looked inwards to the source of her power, and she willed it to pump up the glowing light coming out of her. As Rune got brighter, her angelic glow pushed out against the dark and fear. She could feel the effects receding, and she was able to move forward more confidently.
After only a few more steps, she saw an opening on her left with two more double doors broken and shattered like the ones at the entrance. They were stoutly made and had been barred, to no avail: the beast had broken them asunder.
Peering in, Rune couldn't see much past the small circle of light her glow created, but she didn't sense any IMMINENT danger. And she entered the room, which gave her the impression of being a large-ish hall, perhaps the main meeting room and throne room of the King.
Right inside the entrance, she found a guard down. He looked dead. Stepping around his body carefully, Rune heard soft, muffled weeping, and after a moment she could see a girl, huddling over another woman, holding her hand tightly. Both looked lightly injured, and of course, terrified, but the younger girl still held a sword defensively in her free hand.
