After the run-in with the cultists, Sara, Loki, and Fen returned to the village.
As they entered the village, they passed by two of the militia members who were keeping guard. The guards greeted Sara with a sharp nod, but we're shocked when Loki and Fen walked past, covered in blood.
"I guess that was a satisfactory workout," Fen grunted stretching, "it really loosened me up after such a long nap,"
"Much messier than the training hall on Asgard," Loki said automatically
"You talk about this 'Asgard' a lot," Sara noted, "if you don't mind my asking, what is it?"
"It's our home," Fen replied, with a wistfulness in her voice, "Asgard Tower, our little slice of heaven."
"Sounds nice," Sara sighed, trying to picture such a place
"Well, I don't know about you but I could use a wash," Loki grinned, gesturing at her soiled form, "went a little overboard on that bloodbath,"
"I need to convene a meeting with the other elders," Sara decided, "first a dragon horde, now f@£king cultists? What's next? An inquisition?"
"Oh yeah, can I keep this?" Loki asked, producing the forbidden book from her inventory.
"It's yours by right," Sara shrugged, "no one else would even be able to read it anyway,"
"Alright," Loki said before trotting off towards the bathhouse.
The bathhouse was free this time of night, and after Loki helped install a pump and water heater, she had near unlimited access to a hot shower.
It wasn't anything special compared to the rejuvenation waters of Asgard's hot springs, but it felt great all the same. Her living mantle was self cleaning, so laundry wasn't really a concern.
Loki's mind drifted to the cultists, what had directed them to the site of the former double crypt? How did they even come across such a forbidden book?
She looked at her hand, which still trembled, the lingering effects of her penalty from using a Skill Break, she had felt like her body was tearing itself apart at first, but now it was down to a dull ache.
There were too many questions and not enough answers in Loki's mind, she may not know much about herself currently, but she knew she hated not having the answers she wanted.
She was so lost in thought, she didn't notice the second presence enter her shower stall until she felt a pair of breast press against her back.
"Found you, Lokkun." Fen cooed into her ear, as she grabbed Loki's breasts,
"Kyaa!" Loki yelped, she'd never made that sound before, it was so unlike her.
Turning around, she found Fen naked, aside from the thick veil that covered her face. Her body was coated in soft gray fur and needed constant grooming. Her arms, from the upper arms down, were completely solid black shapeless silhouettes; an effect of the cursed chains she possessed. It was because of her arms that Fen was the Black Wolf
"You were taking forever in here, I thought you were being naughty," Fen said with a playful smirk on her lips,
"I wish," Loki sighed, then leered at Fen, "although, the sight of my black wolf all naked and wet does get me quite aroused."
"No fair, you know I love it when you claim me like that," Fen pouted, "now I want to monopolize having you all to myself, before the others start showing up."
"Alright," Loki said with a smirk, "why don't you start by helping me wash my back?"
"My pleasure," Fen grinned
She grabbed the soap and a washcloth and went to work scrubbing Loki's back, paying extra care around the large scars, since those were sensitive.
Loki allowed Fen's hands to stray past her back, giving the faintest whisper of a moan as the lycanthropes deft hands went to work over her arms, shoulders, thighs and chest. Once she was done with her body, she lathered up Loki's long luscious hair using scented oils she had procured from her own inventory.
"I never thought I'd get to do this again," Fen sighed contently.
"What?" Loki asked with a chuckled, "wash my hair?"
"Be truly alone with you," Fen said softly, "it hasn't been just the two of us in such a long time, not since before you made the other Valkyrie."
Loki stiffened. Fenris was the first of the Valkyrie? And she had been by Loki's side the longest? Why had she only just remembered that now?
"I know, Fen," Loki said, "you've been with me ever since... when was it?"
"What, don't tell me you've forgotten?" Fen asked, her tone playful. "That would just hurt my feelings,"
"Sorry, my memory isn't what it used to be, I guess," Loki shrugged
Loki then found herself being turned around, and looking into Fen's worried eyes, her veil pushed aside. Fen's face was definitely beautiful, but it had to be covered up due to her cursed evil eyes. Loki was immune to the curses, so she was the only one who could appreciate the beauty of Fen's real face, even when creased with concern.
"Lokkun, you're not joking, are you?" She asked, "what happened to your perfect memory?"
"Ever since I woke up in that crypt, things has been... different, I've been different." Loki admitted, "My mind is not as it was, I can hardly remember who I was before stepping out of that vault, but I get these flashes every now and then."
Fen just listened as Loki spoke about everything she's been through since first waking up.
"Something is up," Loki said, "events are in motion beyond my control, and I fear you and the others are just pawns in some grander game."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Fen demanded
"I didn't want to worry you," Loki said, "I may not be sure who I am anymore, or what happened before I woke up, but the one thing I know for sure; you and the Valkyries are all I have left in this world."
Fen studied her face for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her.
Loki was surprises, she knew Fen liked to flirt, but didn't think that they were this close.
"You really are different," Fen said, licking her lips, "the old you would never have let me get away with that,"
"I think that was my first kiss," Loki commented, her cheeks flushed.
"Well, I'm very happy to have been your first," Fen beamed, before running one of her black formless claws down her chest and across her nipple.
Loki felt her heart quicken, as a deep blush spread across her face. It took a moment for Loki to realize that she was actually getting hotter... and not in the sexy way. She suddenly keeled over, clutching her chest. Her body was enveloped in a burst of green flames. Fen just calmly backed away and let the process run its course.
When the flames subsided a minute later, Loki's body was steaming under the water, once more a male.
"I think that's as far as we should go for now," Fen said with a sigh, "don't want you getting too excited, or you might set the whole village on fire."
"That might be a good idea," Loki said, steadying his breath
"I don't know what caused this sudden change in you, or what you've gotten mixed up in, Lokkun," Fen said, stepping forward, "but I am your Black Wolf, now and forever. My place is by your side."
"Thanks, Fen," Loki grinned, "now, I believe it's time I washed your back?"
"Be sure to really get in there," Fen said, "gore really gets tangled up in my fur."
They continued their shower, unaware that just outside, Tetra had secretly been listening in on them.
The next day, Loki and Fen met with Hughs and the elders.
"Welcome Loki, Fenris," Sara greeted as they entered the hall, "Loki, nice hair,"
Fen had done Loki's gray hair in a long french braid, with a green ribbon tied at the end.
"You wanted to see us?" Fen stated tersely, her arms crossed. If not for this summons, she'd still be in bed with Lokkun.
"We wanted to discuss your altercation yesterday." Hughs began
"Alright," Loki said,
"We encountered some cultists. We killed most of them, a few got away. End of story." Fen recited with little interest.
"But what were they after?" Sara asked, "that book you found, there was something divine about it?"
"Sounds ominous," Hughs commented.
"Mortals," Fen scoffed, shaking her head, "you've done some stupid s#!t in the past, but something like this? This is top-tiered idiocy."
"What is that even supposed to mean?" Sara asked,
"The book reeked of the celestial, but that's not necessarily divinity," Loki corrected, "although I can see why you would confuse the two."
"What's the difference?" Sara asked,
"It's not really something I can describe to you, I just know that there's a difference between the two." Loki explained, "The easiest way I can explain it is that, that book is not of this world."
"So, it's alien?" Sara asked,
"Yes and no," Loki said,uncomfortably, "it was made on this world, but the power it calls is otherworldly, beyond what you would call 'divinity'."
While Sara paused to digest what he had just explained. Hughs looked over at Fen.
"So, Loki," Hughs began, "Sara told me that the great ancestor Fenris was some sort of... familiar of yours?"
"How rude," Fen huffed, "do I look like something to be summoned by a f@£king skill to you?"
"The Valkyrie are like my companions," Loki explained
"That's right; we chose to serve Lokkun as our lord and master," Fen stated, "he gave us new life, and earned our undying loyalty and allegiance. Only he has the right to our devotion."
"That's good to know," Sara commented, "because creating life from nothing with a skill sound impossible, like something only reserved for the gods," she looked at Loki with uncertainty
"Rest assured, I'm pretty sure I'm not a god," Loki said with a grin,
"I don't know if that makes me disappointed or relived," Hughs grinned, "however, the frequency of these recent events poses a risk."
"What do you mean?" Loki asked
"The discovery of a vault, the dragon assault, the appearance of a double vault, the return of one of the werebreast great ancestors, and now these cultists with a book of weird alien power." Hughs states, "all these happenings are inviting too much unwanted attention to the village."
Loki had to admit that the village was being exposed to a lot of unusual occurrences ever since he woke up here, and now with the forbidden book, there was an added risk.
Loki held out his hand and the book materialized in his hand. The gathered elders gasped and murmured at the sight of the object.
The faint humming returned to Loki's ears, originating from the book.
"Can I take a look at it?" Hughs asked
"I wouldn't recommend that," Fen huffed, folding her arms, "whoever wrote it was quite the petty drama queen."
"What does that mean?"
"This book is essentially cursed." Loki held up the forbidden book, "whatever power went into making it left quite a nasty side effect,"
"So it curses all who open it?" Sara asked
"Those who don't meet a certain requirement," Loki said, "if any of you opened it, you'd have been infected. Fen and I just so happen to be immune to most curses."
The part Loki didn't tell them, and why he was so interested in the book, was that the really interesting bits were written using the star-script, the celestial language. However, the scribbles in this book were crude and incomplete, which was likely the cause of the particular nasty curse on the book. Bad things happen when you mess with the celestial script. Even crude, the writing still held power enough to attract both Loki and Fen from quite some distance away.
From what he could decipher from the book, he guessed it was some sort of summoning ritual, it might even have something to do with the double vault.
For now, Loki knew too little about this cult or how they came about this book, but he needed to get up to speed. What was particularly troubling was that this book was just a cheap copy, something that was incorrectly transcribed from an original, an original that was still out there.
* * *
Elsewhere, within some old catacombs, a group of cultist met in secret.
At this meeting, the four survivors from the massacre by the site of the double vault are reporting to their superiors.
"W-w-we couldn't stop them," one of the survivors trembled clutching themselves, "they slaughtered everyone like it was nothing."
"They were monsters beyond anything we've ever seen before," another recounted, "and their rage was unparalleled,"
"So these two werebeast women reacted to the chants from the book?" Someone asked.
"Yes high priestess," one of the survivors said, "they used skills I had never seen done individually. We didn't stand a chance."
The other cultists in the chamber murmured among themselves
"And they now have the book?" The priestess demanded
"I'm afraid so," another cultist reported,
"That book was priceless," the priestess sighed, "there are only precious few copies of it in the world. But it appears to be a necessary sacrifice."
"What do you mean?" A cultist asked, "our assumption was wrong, the vault was not there."
"When we arrived, all we saw was a crater," the survivor reported, "though, the area was restless with disturbed anima,"
"Our summoning was a success," the high priestess declared, "if the two that attacked you reacted to the chant, that means they knew the the ancient words. We have done it; outer gods now walk among us."
That caused excited murmuring among the gathered cultists
"Sh-shouldn't we retrieve them, then?" Someone asked, "what if they are discovered?"
"Not yet," the priestess decided, "we only summoned them, but didn't succeed in binding them, and since they have the book, it will be impossible for us to complete the ritual now."
"So what do we do?"
"Select our best spies to observe the area, grant them skills to avoid detection." The Priestess declared, "in the meantime, I will go and meet with the city lord; things have been set in motion and we need to be ready."
"Do you not think it is best for us to lay low for the time being?" Another cultist asks, "others may have already noticed our recent activities, they could take action against us if we appear too bold."
"We have nothing to fear from the holy knights," the preistess said confidently, "my contacts around their monastery will keep them distracted long enough for us to make our move."
She then stood from her throne, addressing the whole congregation "The time of promise is almost at hand, gather your strength and spread the word. Our sacrifices have been answered, our lords walk this world, and when the time is right, they will soon lead us to glory!"
The congregation erupt in cheers as they chant her name.
"Hail high priestess Yara Clawthorne! Hail the Ragnarok Cult!"
* * *
Elsewhere, in the city of Nüjaven, an emergency meeting is taking place with the top officials of the city.
Three impossibly massive surges of anima were detected in exactly the same spot over the last few weeks, a frighteningly short interval.
"The timing and location can't be a coincidence," one minister speculated
"Didn't we receive a notification of a new vault in that area," another minister said, "and the sudden migration of rouge dragons through that region should also be taken into consideration."
"That region is the werebeast reserve, it is not under your jurisdiction, my lady." another minister said, "however, they are within your domain, also making them your subjects,"
"Those werebeast villages do not have the capability to fight off a single wild dragon, much less a horde," another mused, "even if they refused to ask for aid, we should consider lending our assistance regardless. We may even offer to take in refugees."
The city lord considered all this, "The treaty we signed with the werebeasts allows us emergency access, so I see no problem in us sending aid."
"What kind of aid, my lady?"
"The biggest threat is the dragons that would have settled around the vault, so we will send a squadron of soldiers to deal with them and determine the fate of the villagers."
"Sir, since we are dealing with a horde, we would need the help of dragon slayers." Another minister mused, "we can send word to the holy knights to help,"
"There is no need to call holy knights," the lady replied, "we already have a dragon slayer in our midst. I am authorizing the release of Prisoner 404."
This caused a stir among the gathered ministers.
"Is that wise, my lady?" One asked, "even with her bound, controlling that monster is quite the challenge."
"Was it not for situations like this that we had her bound in the first place?" The city lord asked, "she is a living weapon, let us make use of her."
Sometime later, the lord was in his meeting room, assembled around were the different nobles and ministers of the great city. The large doors at the end of the room opened and the sound of rattling chains could be heard. All eyes turned to the entryway as what appeared to be a woman shuffled forth, escorted on either side by armed soldiers.
She had dark skin and a mop of wild silver dreadlocks. She was completely drenched, with water dripping from her with every step, as if she had just been removed from a well... which she had. She wore a simple prison frock that clung to her slender figure, and leaving little to the imagination. Her limbs were mechanical, complex configurations made of a dark material, similar to the device embedded in her chest, nestled right above her cleavage, though her left arm was missing, broken off at the elbow. She wore shackles on her feet that were linked by a length of chain, limiting her movement, and her right arm was bound behind her back.
She was marched under guard until she stood right before the city lord, then for the first time she raised her head, looking around with her glowing white eyes.
"What's all this, then?" She asks drowsily, tilting her head, the water running off her pooling around her feet on the expensive carpet.
"Prisoner 404," the city lord's aide began, "our lord has seen fit to grant you temporary parole in exchange for serving his domain."
"Oh, cool," the woman shrugged, passively, "but once again, this one isn't my master either. Only one person has that right."
Suddenly, the collar around the woman's neck triggered, releasing a pulse of energy that set her nerves alight with pain. She drops to her knees, her body convulsing, the assembled group watched her writhe, and grunt, and... moan?
On closer inspection, from her flushed cheeks and panting breath, the woman appeared to be enjoying herself. She was aroused by the pain of the Dominator? Disgusted, the lord snapped his fingers and the collar stopped it's torment, prompting a groan and sigh from the woman's pursed lips.
"And it was just getting to the good part, too," she huffed struggling to her feet
"Cease your vile prattling or you shall suffer far worse," one of the guards threatened.
"Ooh, now we're getting kinky," the woman smirked, winking at the lord, "if you want to punish me, go ahead; I've been a very naughty girl."
"Enough," the lady demanded, "I've called you here because I have a task for you,"
"Pass," the woman said, "not that I don't enjoy being out of that well and breathing a little fresh air ever now and again, but why shouldn't I just fry you all where you stand for what you did to me?"
"Because we have found you a more worthy challenge," the Lord informed her, "a dragon horde was sighted in the west, and there may be other dangers waiting."
"Really?" The woman said, her eyes betraying her interest.
"You will ride west with a squadron of soldiers to investigate a strange surge of anima and it's connection to the dragon horde or whatever else may be there," the lord ordered, "of course, because of the severity of the threat posed, you will also have your weapon with you,"
The lord gestured out the door to the courtyard, where a large warhammer had been embedded into the ground in middle of the garden. As no one had been able to move it in decades, the hammer was overgrown with vines.
"Alright," the woman said, stretching and snapping her restraints, causing an uproar from those gathered. She then held out her hand, and the warhammer crackled with electricity before shooting off the ground and flying through the doorway, into the woman's hand.
As soon as she held it, a burst of electricity surged through her. Her eyes glowed bright, crackling with power, similar to the device in her chest, and the head of her hammer.
"Well then, if you're desperate enough to let me out of that well, then I suppose this dragon horde, and whatever else is out there will taste the wrath of Thor the Storm Bringer." She declared with a confident grin.