Chapter 921 - Valkyries

Leading the group of three Valkyrie that had lined up to receive Vahn was the same Brynhildr that Vahn had met previously. The other two were Valkyrie he had never seen as they hadn't been present when he took down the larger 'flock' after arriving at the City of Heroes. Though not nearly as strong as Brynhildr, both had the strength of a Level 7 with the same dark-grey wings as other Valkyries. What set them apart was that, unlike the onyx-grey hair and stark blue eyes of their sister, the taller of the two Valkyries had light-grey hair and pale purple eyes. As for the smaller of the two, though she was still around 170cm tall, she had dark green hair and orange eyes, a rather strange combination that made her stand out with her fierce expression and well defined facial features...

Almost as soon as Vahn had landed near them, all three Valkyrie spontaneously kneeled, allowing their wings to perk up at their backs so they wouldn't dr.a.p.e on the ground. Brynhildr then took the initiative to say, "Vahn Mason, the Allfather had placed his trust in you before his untimely demise at the hand of the treacherous Heracles. As the person who had fought against our enemy and allowed our vengeance to be met out, we pledge our service to your cause. Be it our blades or bodies, you may use us as you will..." As the Valkyrie had been created for the sole purpose of serving Heroes, even in the capacity of lovers and companions, Brynhildr was absolutely serious when she mentioned Vahn doing whatever he'd like with them...

Seeing the three prompts, labeling the other two Valkyries as Sigrun and Hrist, Vahn gave a small nod as he accepted the three as Subordinates. He already knew about the Valkyrie after talking with Jeanne and Helen, including 'why' they had been created, and how they had been mistreated by Zeus for nearly a thousand years. Vahn had initially thought the loss of Odin was somewhat regretful but, after knowing the 'purpose' he had given his own daughters, part of him wished it had been his own blade to claim the god's life. Now, however, Vahn was content with providing a safe haven for the Valkyrie while removing them from Odin's influence. It would take a bit of time, but Vahn was confident he could help them find some semblance of happiness after coming to understand their nature and characteristics better...

Understanding his own 'role' in the situation, Vahn kept a stoic disposition as he said, "Rise..." in a commanding tone. Even more than the members of the Southern Tribe, the Valkyrie strictly followed a hierarchy and it was easier for them if he was decisive and firm. In response to his words, the three immediately rose to their feet and, instead of the 'fierce' looks from before, Vahn could see a bit of relief in their gazes as Sigrun and Hrist gave polite salutes, introducing themselves and their roles within the Valkyrie's ranks. Like Brynhildr, they were Captains, representing the leadership of the Valkyries while, beneath them, there were six Lieutenants, twenty Adjutants, and sixty Sergeants and two-hundred 'normal' Valkyrie. The remaining fourteen were the Support Unit of the Valkyries, possessing the ability to heal wounds and use 'rare skills' that could boost the strength of allies.

Vahn patiently listened to Brynhildr explain the composition of their small army, waiting until she was completely finished before saying, "Very good. Thank you for the explanation, Brynhildr..." As he spoke, Vahn performed an act that had shocked the three proud Valkyrie to the core, even though it was a very natural and casual reaction on his part. He had reached out his hand, gently stroking the top of Brynhildr's head as he sent calming energy into her mind and allowed his [Grooming] to take effect. Since rebuffing him went against every instinct Brynhildr had cultivated over the last 937 years, she just stood their blankly while 'obediently' receiving head pats from her Master...

Though she didn't show much outwardly, Vahn noticed that Brynhildr's Loyalty had increased slightly after he praised her, bringing a small smile to his face as he said, "Take me to meet with the others. I will explain what you'll be doing from this point onward." For a brief moment, Brynhildr had a slight pause before giving a proper salute, answering, "Understood! Sigrun, Hrist, let us alight." Her two fellow Valkyrie had also experienced a momentary pause after seeing Vahn casually stroke their elder sister's head. When she called out to them, they gave a loud, "Ha...!" while placing their fists over their heart in a curt salute before all three of them flew off towards the central region of Freya's Manor. They hadn't been allowed to stay inside and had instead made camp in the inner courtyard while Brynhildr, Sigrun, and Hrist had been waiting for more than seven days straight for Vahn's arrival...

To give them time to prepare, Vahn enjoyed a casual stroll with Jeanne and Fenrir, giving them a brief tour of Freya's Manor. She normally didn't allow outsiders into the premise, other than to clean and maintain specific areas, but Vahn was allowed to bring whoever he wanted along with him. Freya made quite a few 'exceptions' when it came to Vahn, a behavior that he found increasingly adorable with the passage of time. Though she still wasn't allowed to enter the Hearth Manor, much of the antagonistic feelings towards Freya had diminished somewhat. She often worked alongside Loki and, though it was still relatively uncommon, the other goddesses in the Manor would sometimes meet up with Freya for tea and play dates with the other children.

After their brief tour had come to an end, Vahn, Jeanne, and Fenrir made their way to the inner courtyard where the Valkyrie had already formed up into three different groups. Each was fully adorned in their battle attire as they stood in perfectly spaced columns, standing at attention as they awaited his arrival. Because he was used to dealing with the HDF, Vahn wasn't caught off guard by their display of military bearing. He unhesitantly made his way to the front of the three formations, prompting Brynhildr, Sigrun, and Hrist to all salute simultaneously. Following them, like a thunderous chorus, the other Valkyrie all gave their own salutes, allowing their metallic gauntlets to strike their b.r.e.a.s.tplates. This created such a loud sound that it echoed through the relatively spacious inner courtyard as Vahn gave a small nod and said, "At ease."

Vahn had only intended to have them relax and adopt a more casual stance so he was surprised when the Valkyrie, as one cohesive unit, widened their stance and placed their hands behind their backs, wings unfurled slightly. Fortunately, with both of his 'split' ego within one body, Vahn was able to remain entirely unperturbed on the outside as his secondary thought process was thinking about what to say. He had already decided what he wanted the Valkyrie to do in the future but, depending on their own desires, things could change drastically in the very near future...

Deciding to put their 'conviction' to the test, Vahn cast his gaze over the three-hundred additional Valkyrie, saying, "This will be the one time I will afford you the opportunity to leave freely and pursue your own happiness. If you do not wish to serve me, and the ideals I represent, then please excuse yourself now, knowing that those who remain will not be allowed to treat you in contempt. It is the right of every sentient creature to seek their own happiness and, so long as it does not infringe upon the right of others, I will not restrict you from doing the same...if you choose to stay, you must be willing to work for the shared happiness of others. We will work together to build a better world where all peoples have basic inalienable rights and freedoms, allowing the generations that follow to reach greater heights than their predecessors. If you can support this ideal of mine, I welcome you to stand at my side and, in exchange, I will bestow upon you even greater power than you currently possess...!"

Almost as soon as he finished his words, Vahn was barraged by a total of three-hundred system notifications simultaneously. With the nature of the Valkyrie, he wasn't remotely surprised that they had all chosen to follow him. As he was speaking, there were almost no fluctuations in their auras whatsoever, each showing resolute and stoic expressions. Having lived as long as they had, every Valkyrie had tempered themselves to the point that most of their basic emotions had been buried deep within their hearts and minds. One day, Vahn knew he would be able to help them open up once again but, for the time being, just having their support for the future was enough. Now that they were all his Subordinates, their perception would slowly change based on the actions he took. So long as he desired their happiness, the Valkyrie would almost instinctually seek out the same thing for themselves, all out of the feelings of Loyalty they possessed toward him...

With the inclusion of so many powerful individuals amongst the ranks of his subordinates, Vahn noticed that his domain had spread considerably, reaching 3,204 meters. Though he rarely let it grow to that extent, it was still very useful to have the option of thinning out his domain for ease of use with his other skills and abilities. One such example of this functionality was like now, as he extended his hand slightly and sent petting and invigorating energy through his domain as he adopted a pride-filled smile and said, "From this moment onward, we share the same dream, the same future. I swear, I will do my best to make sure each of you is able to obtain the happiness you deserve. You may have already been sisters before, but now you are my family as well...as strange as it may seem to you, my first order is also my most sincere desire. I want each of you to reflect on your own futures and think of what you need to become happy. When you find the answer, share it with me and, so long as I am able to help, I will spare no effort in doing so. If I can't even guarantee the happiness of those that follow me, how can I expect to create a world where everyone is able to seek happiness for themselves...?"

While his main body was speaking, Vahn's sub-process was watching the values of each Valkyrie in his Unit Management. He saw some of the numbers fluctuate downward but the vast majority had small positive increases. Fortunately, even for those who had lost some Loyalty, it was only a few points and wouldn't make a great difference. The fact it was such a small amount showed that they would undoubtedly follow his order and, with the passage of time, their Loyalty would continue to increase while they slowly opened up to him. He was serious about helping them seek happiness as, if those closest to the core of the Empire he was going to build weren't happy, then he was nothing more than a hypocrite spewing platitudes. This would also allow him to wrest away the influence Odin had over them as, after learning what kind of life he had prepared for his own children, Vahn felt both disdain and spite towards the onyx-haired god...

With various thoughts running through his sub-process mind, Vahn had continued addressing the Valkyries, saying, "For the time being, you will be training under the guidance of Jeanne on how to perform your duties as Knights in the future. Though there will be individuals that may exceed you in strength, I will help the Valkyrie become known throughout the entire world as the most powerful and noble force. You will become one of the central strengths of the Alliance and, in the future, serve as my Imperial Guard. There will be other duties expected of you, but that will wait until I am able to assess your strength and capabilities..." For better or worse, the Valkyrie were exceptionally skilled 'servants' and it was likely that they would become the standard for the Battle Maids that already resided in the Manor.

Before he knew about the existence of Valkyries in the record, Vahn had been helping Maemi and Emiru cultivate a similar mentality to what many of the actual Valkyrie already possessed. They were currently influencing the members of the Artemis Familia and the five Maids that had been provided by Freya. Though they currently called themselves the Battle Maid Squadron, most of the battle dress designs and weaponry that was being produced for their use was similar to the Valkyrie's own armaments. To avoid conflict in the future, the two groups would likely merge at some point and, when he had created his Empire, the Valkyrie would likely become synonymous with powerful Battle Maids that also served the role of Imperial Knights. Their numbers would expand to include races other than Valkyrie though, depending on the circ.u.mstances, Vahn also had the option of providing race changes and modifications to make every member match the descriptor...

Vahn spent the rest of the morning registering the Valkyrie with the various protective formations surrounding the Hearth Manor and other important structures. He also got to familiarize himself with some of their more prominent members, though anyone below the rank of a Lieutenant didn't seem to even think about approaching him on their own. During this time, many of the more friendly residents used the opportunity to interact with the Valkyries as well, including the majority of Vahn's children. As Knights, the main responsibility of the Valkyrie would be protecting the territory of the Alliance and, more importantly, the weaker residents of the Hearth Manor. So that they knew who they were protecting, Brynhildr had every Valkyrie memorize the name of each of Vahn's children before grilling them on the characteristics of each for the entire afternoon...

In the very near future, the Valkyrie would become the most publically identifiable symbol of power within the Alliance, the core members such as Vahn and other combatants excluded. Previously, the Valkyrie had been existences that were spoken of in rumors, many regarding them as possessing skill in battle that was only rivaled by their beauty. Since each Valkyrie was exceptionally beautiful, the common consensus was that they were also exceptionally strong, something which was proven very quickly when some of the 'bolder' men in the City tried to make advances against them. With even reputable First-Class Adventurers being quickly bested by the beautiful warriors, their reputation within the City spread 'extremely' quickly. At the same time, so too did another wave of rumors regarding Vahn's 'prowess' and his insatiable appetite for beauties, even though he hadn't actually made any moves against them. This was because the Valkyrie, when rebuffing their would-be suitors, always mentioned things along the lines of, 'I am only faithful to my Lord' and 'You cannot even compare to my Master'...

(A/N: Freya's Southern Manor is linked with the Hearth Manor through underground tunnels, so it isn't difficult for the goddesses to move the Vanir relatively safely. At this point, Terra's dominion has stretched to the five surrounding Manors, giving her the ability to watch over them and provide assistance during emergencies.)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Valkyrie are extremely dutiful','Vahn is slowly consolidating even greater strength','Vahn Mason, the Enemy(Envy) of all Men...')

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