The next day, they were ready to move before noon.
"Are you really sure you want to leave?" Hughs asked once more
"If the rest of the Valkyrie are out there I can't just wait," Loki said, she was dressed for travel,
"We're really gonna miss you," Hughs laughed, "the village has really improved a lot with you here, we're practically a town."
"Dont worry, if things turn out alright, we'll see each other again." Loki said,
"A shame we couldn't share a bed, I would've loved having you." Hughs quipped, he then looked to see both Fen and Thor glaring at him, though they shouldn't be close enough to have heard him
"Can they hear me?" He asked in a hushed tone
"Every word," Loki replied
"I was only joking," Hughs then says loudly, "I meant nothing by it, just me being stupid. There is no need for you two to destroy me."
"Relax," Loki said, "they're just giving you a not-so-friendly warning."
Fen was busy packing a wagon with supplies she had prepared.
"It was a pleasure having you here, great progenitor," Sara said as she helped
"You werewolves weren't as bad as I initially thought you were." Fen acknowledged.
"That almost sounded like a complement." Sara joked, to which Fen actually chuckled
"Thank you, for taking care of Lokkun when he first got here."
"I couldn't really leave him out in the forest now could I?" Sara stated
Fen then placed a hand on Sara's shoulder, and the werebeast woman felt a sudden warmth pass through her.
"What did you do?" Sara queried
"I gave you a reward," Fen simply stated, "it's nothing special, but it should help you as you continue to grow in strength."
Unknown to Sara, she had just received a brand new title, [Blessing of the Black Wolf], that would be of great aid to her later on in life to unite the werewolves of the continent. Fen also transfered about 100,000pnts over to her.
"Well, it looks like things will be quieting down around here now," Sara quipped to Loki as she came around.
"Well, any good guest knows when it's time to move on," Loki shrugged
"You were never just a guest," Sara told him, "you were well on your way to becoming a part of this village."
"As someone who doesnt have much memories of my past, that means a lot," Loki said, hugging the woman.
"Now, make sure to send a message my way, to let me know you're alright." Sara said, mothering Loki, making her laugh
"Why message when we can talk face to face?" Loki said, pulling a compact mirror from her inventory and handing it to her. "This is transmission mirror, you can use it to keep in contact with me so long as I have another one."
"What will you think of next?" Sara joked, "a flying ship?"
"Well, now that you mention it..." Loki started
Sara just laughed, "you're impossible,"
"Well that's not true, I'd say I'm more... highly improbable." Loki smirked.
"Take care of yourself out there," Sara said, pulling her into a warm embrace. The sensation of their breasts pressed up against each other was quite arousing for Loki.
"Well, we'd best be off," Loki said, "it'll take us about a week to get to Nüjaven."
Nearly the whole village stopped by to say their goodbyes to both Loki and Fen. When it was time to depart, the soldiers mounted their horses and they proceeded to leave the village. Before she left, Loki marked the location on her map, so that she would return some day.
Once the village was only an image in the distance, Loki sighed.
"So, are you gonna come out now or what?" She asked
Fen glanced towards her, then one of the heavy sacks shifted and from behind it, both Petra and Tetra squeezed out.
"How?" Fen demanded, she hadn't noticed them until just then
"We gained a new skill that erases our presence," Petra explained,
"[Nobody], huh?" Loki appraised, "it's quite impressive, similar to your [Stalker], Fen."
"But you sensed them?" Thor asked
"Well I could sense the veil of anima that hid them." Loki shrugged,
"They're going back to the village right now," Fen growled
"No," Tetra cried, "we want to come with you."
"I thought we had already talked about this?" Fen snapped
"We'll get stronger, we promise," Tetra assured.
"We won't be a burden to you," Petra added
Loki studied them, the were probably around level 19 right now, quite impressive considering they hadn't been users for very long.
"Alright," Loki decided.
"What?" Both Thor and Fen demanded
"You mean it?" Petra asked, her eyes wide
"Lokkun, I don't think this is a very good idea," Fen said, "they're not like us,"
"So train them," Loki said, "Fen, you are my most capable Valkyrie, but even you can't do everything by yourself. Take them in as your subordinates, train them up so they can be of use to you in your day to day."
"You do have a point," Fen said, "as things develop, I will get very busy. It would be nice to have some help I can count on."
"Hey, no fair!" Thor cried, "I want subordinates of my own,"
"You sheild us and break things," Fen said flatly, "what help would you need in the only two things you're good at?"
"F@£k you," Thor snapped
"You wish," Fen scoffed
"Uh, those two don't like each other very much, do they?" Petra whispered to Loki as the two Valkyrie started arguing.
"Yeah, they are the most dysfunctional pair," Loki acknowledged, "but you'd be surprised how in sync they can be."
The journey took about a week, but on the morning of the final day, they could see the great city of Nüjaven in the distance.
Loki was unsure how to describe it properly, it looked like a typical fortress mixed with an urban metropolitan area. The outer walls stood 10 meters high, with mounted ballistae along the parapet.
"Welcome to Nüjaven," Ezra announced as they rode towards one of the gates of the city walls.
Passing through was relatively easy, having an escort of soldiers expedited the entry process. Once they were through the gates, they found themselves in a thriving bustling city.
"Thor, where is this vault you came out of?" Loki asked
Thor pondered for a minute, looking around as if to gather her bearings, then pointed east. "That way, I think."
"Not very encouraging," Fen scoffed softly
"Fen, behave," Loki chided, "you know what to do."
Fen sighed, "Fine, we're just lucky it's sunny today,"
With a shadowy claw, she cut a small hole in the canvas roofing of their wagon, letting in a beam of sunlight. She then gave a distinct whistled and, from the beam, a wolf made of pure light jumped out. It was translucent, almost like a hologram, but Loki could feel the warmth of its breath as it nuzzled her.
"Nice to see you again, Skoll," Loki chuckled, petting the creature.
"Skoll, go find the double vault in that general direction, then report back to me," Fen ordered, "observe only, keep a low profile."
The light wolf bowed its head at Fen before jumping out of the wagon as a streak of light that instantly shot across the city.
"W-what the f@£k was that?" Petra demanded
"That was one if Fen's familiars; Skoll, the sun chaser." Loki said,
Unlike a regular conjured being, familiars were autonomous and could act independently, sharing information with their master telepathically, they also didn't need their masters anima to remain, though it did take specific requirements to summon one. They would also have access to some of their masters skills through their bond well. As a ranger and beast tamer, Fen had a considerable army of conjured beings under her command, but only two familiars. Such was their rarity and power.
"Skoll will let me know when it's found something." Fen said
"Good." Loki said, "Now, let's go meet this city lord."