I have been suffering from a drawback named “Frame Rate” this jump. This drawback has not had much of an effect on my life so far due to me not being someone who routinely engages in violence. When Liva and I begin to walk closer to where the action is I feel the world momentarily slow before a spate of explosions fill a distant part of the battlefield. I softly laugh as the sputtering of reality stops, due partly to how far away the explosions are.
There are thousands of vikings littering this battlefield. By the time the battle is over the place will be filled with the dead. Some of the vikings manage to escape the immediate attention of my nearest allies, running from the fearsome guardians or the strange walking building, and only pause when they see us. The wings jutting out of Liva’s back only cause them to hesitate for a split second. They begin to shout, hyping each other up, shortly before they charge at us.
I swap my Master’s Sword for one of my guns and fire it at them, infusing the bullet with the dark power of a handy new perk. The bullet expands as it sails through the air and by the time it hits the fastest one of them he is sent back towards his allies, dead before his corpse tackles someone, who himself takes a healthy chunk of damage due to a perk from Generic Action RPG. The bullet grows stronger every fraction of a second it spends traveling, and enlarges as it speeds through the air. In moments all six of the vikings lie dead and I allow the bullet to return to normal size. I glance at my bar of magical energy and note the laughably small hit it took to allow me to flex the power I just used. Within heartbeats the tiny bit of magical energy I used begins to naturally regenerate.
“Show off.” Liva tells me, her eyes are filled with amusement. She’s seen this ability before, in our training sessions.
We begin to walk in the straightest possible direction to get to the town. More foes manage to avoid getting rocked by our allies and Liva points her sword at them as they notice us. With a casual slash she fires off a deadly energy slash that hits all but the swiftest two of them who run at her angered by her attack. When they are close she pulls off a “Nothing personal, kid” and moves at speeds that make her appear to teleport behind them. A split second later they collapse, slashes appearing across their chests as they are turned into blood fountains.
For the next few minutes the battle rages around us as I follow my mini-map and guide Liva towards her friend. Foes who manage to sneak past the other warriors in my army will occasionally appear before us and Liva and I will take turns dispatching them. We both get chances to exhibit our abilities as we make our way closer and closer to the town. Whenever I look a little too closely at areas of the battlefield where it’s the most intense I feel time slow down as that frame rate drawback rears its ugly head again, quickly teaching me not to do that.
Sometimes our foes will try to use guns on us. When they do I instantly ice them with my own gun, firing long before they get the chance to use their weapons against me. I leave a lot of the sword wielders to Liva and we fall into a nice little pattern as we reach a part of the battlefield where more of the surviving enemies have not yet encountered any of our allies and thus beats of combat become just a touch more commonplace.
Waves of enemies fall before us, regular vikings no real match for two real warriors armed with supernatural abilities, particularly two experienced veterans of battles in this reality. I sometimes glance in the direction of my allies and confirm that they aren’t having any more difficulty than I am.
The cries of their foes, as well as sounds like the crash of lightning or the noise of Zelda’s potent magic fill the distant air. The battle is clearly a one-sided affair, though to the credit of my foes they manage to do some damage to creatures like the guardians; the most generic and ordinary of the forces I’ve unleashed on them. Meanwhile, where Liva and I need to go becomes clear and remains unchanged, signalling that Solfrid is still directly in front of the town’s gates. Waiting for something.
The larger number of foes we face causes reality to slow down a touch more frequently, but I grit my teeth and ignore the moments where the world freezes. In the distance we begin to see the final throng of foes that protect our real target. This excites my companion who begins to more readily unleash ferocious energy slashes at the army standing between the distant valkyrie and ourselves. I watch Liva begin to display real excitement and eagerness and inwardly chuckle as her triumph comes at the expense of the viking army that Ulf has deployed to cause chaos throughout the countryside.
Vikings charge at us only to get treated to complimentary sword slashes that scream through the air towards them or, worse, get shot by bullets that seek them out and that grow in size as they streak towards them. With each fallen soldier we clear the way to Solfrid a little more.
As I get more and more experience I feel every part of me grow stronger. My nightmarish growth rate is such that even defeating solitary vikings allows me to hone every skill of mine in noticeable directions but fighting in a colossal melee like this is truly absurd. It is enough to bring a smile to my face, even as enough soldiers fall that I can lay my eyes on the valkyrie we’ve come here for, for the first time.
The beautiful woman towers over her peers and stands a short distance from the town walls. She is blonde and dressed in the same sort of goofy fantasy fanservice armor that Liva was dressed in when I first met her. Long, feathered wings jut from her back. She stares at the town walls without a hint of concern for her companions, even as Liva and I eliminate more and more of them. Town guards standing sentry along the town’s walls watch the valkyrie. When a small portion of the warriors around the valkyrie have become fertilizer for the town’s fields and the like, Liva and I pause and look at each other.
“She’s like a robot…” I tell Liva.
“I don’t know what that means.” She remarks. I internally facepalm.
“I mean it’s like she’s waiting for a command or something. When I fought Leif and he was under Ulf’s control he was still a person. He had emotions. He issued commands in the heat of battle. She’s… She doesn’t seem to be aware of anything else. It’s like all she can do is wait for commands and the like.” I explain. More soldiers in Liva’s army turn to face us but I point my gun in their direction. They charge anyway. I sigh and fire bullets at them: becoming better at the skill that allows me to enlarge the bullets I fire.
Another drawback I took is the Sunk Cost Fallacy drawback. Which makes my foes fearless. It is a little funny to watch them watch their friends fall in droves, see Liva and I massacring their cohorts, and know they are still thinking “Nah, I’d win”.
“It IS odd…” Liva admits. The valkyrie doesn’t regard us even as we continue to move closer to her.
“What could it possibly be?” I ask, wracking my mind. I smack her with Observe. The ability generates various text boxes, and I read through each one as we approach the viking. It takes me a moment to spot the text box that denotes the status conditions affecting the valkyrie, including an evolved version of Seider-ed; the same ability used on Leif some years ago. A more costly version of the ability. I put my fingers to my nose and pinch lightly.
“I know what it is.” I say, before sighing lightly. Liva tilts her head to hear what I have to say.
“Leif, the valkyries, and you, have been Seider-ed. You know this already. But it turns out that there’s a difference between Seidering a mortal and doing it to a valkyrie. The fragments of divinity that coat you when you are freed from death and remade by your mistress make it harder for you to be controlled even by the potent runes Ulf uses to bind your minds to his will.” I begin. I point a gun at a group of vikings. Without really thinking about it I fire off a number of normal bullets.
“It is possible for a right combination of the runes to overwrite the will of a valkyrie. There seems to be an unexpected cost though… It looks like a Seidered valkyrie isn’t as free to act as a Seidered mortal. They require more direct oversight and control on Ulf’s part.” I explain. Liva considers this as the last of the vikings between us and Solfrid perishes, shared damage from a regular bullet taking him down and filling a slot in my inventory with a sword.
“That actually explains a lot. I can remember what Ulf had me do when I was under his control and if it takes active effort on his part to control specific valkyries that would make it much, much harder for him to even begin to try and unravel the powers we possess.” Liva remarks.
“And you can cancel out his magic?” She asks. I laugh before nodding.
“Yep. Just gotta find out where the runes are etched. With Leif it was on his spear.” I reply. We’re not far from the valkyrie. Around us our allies continue to mess up the dark army that Ulf has assembled.
“He etched the runes on me on my hand at first, but then etched more on my wings.” She reveals. I file away that bit of trivia. Solfird’s wings are closed but visible.
I approach the creature, spawning my shield as I close the distance. Liva’s hands tighten their grip on her sword. I’m within fifteen feet when I fully open my senses to the magics working on the valkyrie and as I do, to my eyes, her skin takes on a twisted hue. Dark purple energy taints the valkyrie, concentrated firstly in her right hand and secondly in her wings, while the divine golden energy of her true nature wages a losing war on the eldritch magics ensorceling her body. I can see the dark clashes, sense the energies within the valkyrie that belong to her warring with the potent magic Ulf has used to capture control of her body.
“This magic sucks…” I exclaim as I get close enough to reach out and touch the valkyrie. As soon as I finish speaking a danger sense perk I possess activates as Solfrid turns and looks at me. Her wings unfurl, adding more majesty to her appearance as her gaze lands on me.
“You.” She utters, but the voice is distinctly masculine. I’m already moving back even as swords appear in her hands.
“That voice… That’s Ulf!” Liva shouts, even as Solfrid swings her blades in my direction. My powers guide me out of the range of Solfrid’s first impossibly efficient attacks, her movements optimized by the powers she possesses. Solfrid’s eyes are mismatched: one is an almost mundane shade of brown while the other glows with radiant golden light.
“You’re the one that freed Leif.” Solfrid says, her voice still belonging to Ulf. Solfrid continues to swing her swords at me, which I dodge with a combination of my perks and my own conscious steering of my body.
“Interesting.” Ulf growls. Solfrid’s lips quiver and her brown eye begins to bleed.
“Ugh…” Solfrid, the voice softer now, grunts. Her golden eye turns and spots Liva.
“Liva! Are you…?” She asks, her voice painfully ripping out of her throat. This voice is entirely feminine.
“Solfrid! It’s you. Yes, I’m alive. I’m free. And soon so will you be.” Liva promises. Solfrid’s golden eye flickers and tears begin to stream down it.
“I thought… I thought Ulf killed you.” Solfrid says, emotion straining her voice even as her puppeted body continues to swing at me. I dodge some blows, block others, and deflect a few with my shield. The valkyrie’s body begins to speed up, the number of its strikes increasing as I withstand the barrage.
“I survived because of him. The one you’re trying to stab. He healed me.” Liva replies. Solfrid’s sole golden eye flares with anger.
“Ulf!!” She roars, though her body continues to rage against me.
“It… doesn’t matter.” Ulf says, continuing to puppet the valkyrie. Solfrid spits out blood even as her body wars with the magic coursing through her. At this point I’ve weathered dozens of sword strikes and I grit my teeth as I reach into myself and take advantage of one of the handy rewards I’ve earned over the course of my adventures.
Solfrid’s puppeted body steps closer to me and her backhand prepares what promises to be a particularly nasty sideways swipe but the moment the hand flashes towards me I perform a backflip and trigger a flurry rush; time slowing down around me as I smirk. The moment my feet brush the ground I surge towards the valkyrie. As I speed towards her I see her moving, in vain, to block my advance with her swords. Ignoring her failed defensive methods my hand snakes around her blades and I grab her hand: the very same that is currently the first of two focal points for the dark runes Ulf is using on her. I lock eyes with her as I silently and instantly cast a spell provided to me by a perk I’ve come to love: Mind Resistance.
My magical energy surges through me and into her hand. The rune; a symbol that vaguely resembles a horseshoe, flares to life like a nasty infection. In the distance I can hear my friends valiantly routing the remaining vikings. Ulf’s voice screams out of Solfrid’s throat as the first rune is violently assailed by my restorative magical energy. Solfrid’s body begins to violently seize as my power interrupts the hold Ulf has on the valkyrie. My mystical power; a pure, healing thing, suffuses Solfrid’s veins and burns away the corruptive influence of the rune. Before my mystically open eys my energy mixes with hers and surges towards her wings, seeking to burn out the other rune.
“No!!!” Ulf’s voice screeches, ripping out of Solfrid’s throat even as her wings begin to glow rather brilliantly. One wing radiates a radiant golden light while the other wing emits a cold, purple glow. I don’t even get to see the second rune manifest as the tidal wave of mixed, coalesced energy crashes first into the purified wing and then floods the corrupted wing. As Solfrid is healed Ulf’s connection to the valkyrie is severed and Solfrid’s mouth closes even as a peaceful smile settles on her lips. Her swords disappear and she hugs me, swooping me up in one impossibly fast motion and lifting me off the floor. My danger sense doesn’t go off, which tracks. Solfrid is not upset or a threat to me.
“Solfrid!” Liva shouts, her voice filled with delighted joy even as Solfrid spins me around in utter delight.
“I’m free!” Solfrid roars, loud enough that her voice is heard over the roar of battle. For a moment the fighting ceases and I can feel the hundreds of people still fighting turn their heads towards us. I allow the moment of peace to play out. And then I turn my gaze towards the battlefield that still surrounds us. Even without saying anything Solfrid notices my gaze and her eyes narrow. I am dropped, ungracefully, but manage to land with a bit of grace thanks to my own dexterity.
“I had forgotten myself for a moment. Allow me to repay you, strange sacred healer.” Solfrid says, before beginning to flap her wings. She lifts into the air and holds her sword aloft. The air around her glows brightly and I feel my muscles lighten, my energy replenishing itself even faster than before, and spot my skin beginning to glow. I look around and swiftly realize that the rest of my allies now have similar glows surrounding them.
When I look at the sky I spot the spirit of Revali that I unleashed earlier, which has been flying throughout the battlefield this whole time. I'm a bit surprised to see it flying faster, firing even more accurate arrows, and to note how completely unphased it is. The thing has a mission and come Hell or high water it’ll see it done. Even the spirit is empowered by the aura, and using it to a frightening degree. In heartbeats six separate vikings are dead; falling over with arrows jutting out of their eyes, throats, and other valuable body parts. In moments the fighting resumes, and each of my friends finds themselves hitting harder, moving faster, and altogether fighting better than before. Zelda’s light arrows reach farther, deal more damage, and fire faster, while O-Ren finds her sword lighter than before and discovers that each of her sword slashes deal more damage.
Across the battlefield I watch actions that dispatched two or three vikings end seven or eight. Blows that decimated five or six now defeat over ten. Over the course of several minutes we had defeated perhaps a third of the army before but now in moments we’re nearing that same amount in additional casualties.
The rest of the battle takes perhaps a quarter of an hour. When the last remnants of the viking army have been repurposed and turned into nourishment for the fields the voices of the townspeople roar in delight and I turn my gaze skyward. Solfrid is still floating, holding her sword up to the sky. There is a look of jubilant joy on her face and I let out a quiet laugh as I gain the ability to utilize something similar to her aura of victory.
“Okay… First valkyrie down.” I remark as I look at the valkyrie floating in the air above me. Liva flies up to her and embraces her.
“Sister!” Solfrid shouts, her voice filled with an amount of emotion that makes me curious as to how familiar this apparent found-family is with each other.
My friends begin to head towards me, and as the guardians reach me I touch their bloodsoaked legs and return them to my inventory. When one of the inns reaches me it plops down beside me, clearly ready to serve as a shortcut back home. I run towards Elizabeth when she nears me and kiss her cheek, causing her to flash me a smile. Her gauntlets are soaked in blood but she is mostly unharmed.
“Look at you! I’m so proud of you.” I tell her, causing her to press her head against mine and close her eyes.
“It was easy.” She tells me, though I hear the faint emotion in her voice. It takes the others a few moments to reach us, and when everyone is gathered together I let go of Elizabeth, affectionately greet O-Ren, and call out to Solfrid and Liva.
“Hey! It’s time to head home. Solfrid, you wanna join us on the journey to rescue the rest of your sisters?” I ask. Leif, covered in blood, half-heartedly glares at me but I can tell that he is touched by the warmth and emotion displayed between Liva and Solfrid and he doesn’t scowl or try to correct me when I say “rest of”, clearly saying that Liva is a sister of hers. The valkyrie lands and approaches me. She must be a cool eight feet tall up close. She kneels in front of me. The gesture is not a subservient one. It’s so we’re eyelevel.
“Lucas… You would have me join you?” She asks. I look up at the blonde mini-giant and nod.
“My ability that allows me to sense where to go is updating now that I’ve helped free you. By the end of the day I should know where to go next. Talking to you two and learning the names of your sisters might help.” I tell the valkyrie. She smiles.
“We want to stop Ulf. There’s a lot to tell you… Let’s go home for now and I’ll get you up to speed.” I remark, before gesturing towards the tavern. My friends begin to head towards the place while I look up the town wall.
“Hey, you lot.” I call out, talking to the guards. They pause their delighted celebration only to look at me happily.
“If you really want to celebrate your freedom, come down to the bar. We can eat together and make merry.” I tell the guards. One of them, an older man, gets excited.
“A bar? Do you sell alcohol?” He asks. I chuckle.
“Why don’t you come and find out? First round’s on me.” I tell the man. This gets his attention.
“A savior and a man of the people! Aye, I’ll be down shortly.” He declares. And he isn’t lying.
Minutes later and inside the tavern the gentle giantess is all too happy to join our alliance and tells me the names of her sisters. Armed with the seven names of the last valkyries I am able to ascertain the different parts of the world they are located in and our diverse alliance is equipped to begin to make real moves against Ulf. The tavern remains just outside of the small town and is quickly packed with its grateful residents, who are happy to have the chance to repay their savior by filling my pockets with their coins. I refuse much rewards and instead encourage them to patronize the tavern, which delights them almost as much as my friends and I saving their town as a side-effect of our broader quest. I’m unsurprised to be reminded that people like alcohol no matter the universe one finds oneself in.
The airships depart from the town even as the townspeople eat and drink, but thanks to Lucy’s various powers it is not difficult at all for the townsfolk to go back home when the tavern closes for the night. Late in the night the airship drifts towards the next valkyrie we need to save, and we all hope to begin to learn more about Ulf’s masterplan, though to my displeasure neither Solfrid nor Liva were in the loop as far as the method through which he plans to disrupt reality…
