The Revelers (Serial 1)

Act 1 - Chapter 22: Ari

This woman wants to test me, showing herself off in a set of black valkyrie armor, adorned with black and white feathers, broad shoulder pauldrons, and white glowing trims. Just like her armor, ornamental engravings decorate her triggerblade.

"I'm always up for a challenge," I say, pointing forward at Gunhild.

Three triggerblades float in front of me, their tips pointing downward, and all recognizable.

The left triggerblade is my custom WarGames-approved weapon. It's light, simple, and durable. The explosions are predictable, allowing me to maintain my dexterity while in the heat of battle. However, it has seen little action outside of a WarGames match. While it required a bit more effort for that weapon to make sense during the escape from T. F. Roth Stadium, I'm not sure how well it could stand against someone like Gunhild.

The middle weapon is my experimental triggerblade. Rowynn used it on a target dummy, and it produced larger explosions at the cost of physical reach.

The third one is Rowynn's Lawbreaker, an ornamental cutlass-style triggerblade capable of producing chains of explosions while doubling as a traditional sword. It's heavier than my standard triggerblade, but the weight may also aid in shielding against Gunhild's attacks.

And considering how Gunhild looks versus how I look — a punk virgin with a green unbuttoned shirt, gray baggy knee-high jorts, and white sneakers against a dark armored valkyrie Chad — yeah, I think Gunhild's intention is to bully me around.

I extend my hand and grab on to the black leather-wrapped hilt of the Lawbreaker. The other two triggerblade disappear in a flash, dissipating into the ether.

"What an interesting choice," Gunhild says, rubbing her chin with her finger. "I did not expect you choosing that weapon."

"I've considered my options. I have no regrets."

"Then we shall begin." Gunhild engages in a relaxed stance, her attacking arm low and triggerblade's tip nearly touching the gravel.

Her birds play an upbeat tune on her rebec. Yet the music sounds more like a symphony comprising many instruments instead of a single instrument. Some parts orchestra, some parts heavy metal. While the melody is fast and aggressive, causing the adrenaline to rush through my body, I pay no attention to who's playing the additional instruments. Perhaps it's Gunhild's magic filling in the blanks, or maybe the other birds. It doesn't matter to me.

I rush in, unleashing a few quick slashes. The blade's turbocharger spools, readying for a burst.

Gunhild lifts her blade and parries each strike with swift precision, sparks flying from the intense friction of the blades. She counters with a charging riposte, leaving a trail of bluish purple flame from her rush.

I juke to the side and crack a whipping stream of explosive bursts from the Lawbreaker. The turbocharger continues spooling, charging for a heavier blast. Gunhild hops backward, evading the bursts.

The dark armored Valkyr strikes with a spinning slash, unleashing a swirling wave of light and dark energy. Her movements swift and breathtaking.

I block the energy waves with a parrying strike. The waves deflect and strike a nearby tree. A thought hits me. What if she shoots out more energy waves? It seems Rowynn's triggerblade has a reflective property against energy attacks, something my original triggerblade doesn't do except to physical projectiles.

Gunhild dashes forward and delivers an upward slash, scraping the pavement with her triggerblade, causing a wave of explosive sparks to fly.

The sparks blind me somewhat, but I quickly recover.

She then follows with a heavy horizontal slash.

I duck under the slash and rocket myself toward Gunhild, engaging the trigger on the blade. The turbo revs and unleashes a flaming burst, propelling me with the butt of the blade thrusting square at Gunhild's abdomen.

Gunhild's body skids backward, but the heavy dark iron greaves on her feet keep her stable. She regains her composure and lets out a wide grin. "Quite agile, I admit, even when wielding such a heavy weapon."

"Gotta make the best of it somehow," I say, grinning back, while re-spooling the turbocharger.

"You're right. You have yet to see the full capabilities of my power, but I think it would be too much for you to handle. I heard you enjoy eating. So how about a hefty sample?" Gunhild's triggerblade glows, preparing to unleash a powerful attack.

I ready my stance.

Gunhild smirks. "What a bold decision to stand than to run."

"I believe one of your birds said you should test me. Well, come test me, bitch." I let out a rude hand gesture.

"Very well." Gunhild's triggerblade glows a brilliant whitish purple hue, and her eyes glow a vibrant green. With a violent scream, Gunhild scrapes the tip of her blade on the gravel and unleashes a powerful upward slash. A devastating wave of energy coming my direction.

I prepare my triggerblade; the engine charged and ready to ward it. A wave collides with my blade as I swing like a baseball bat. The force is much stronger than the previous energy waves but still manageable. I engage the turbocharger, revving it to the red line. Then I pull the trigger. The blade slashes through and deflects the energy wave, sending it right back at Gunhild, like a batter striking a home run, except the ball aims itself back at the pitcher's face instead of outside the stadium.

The wave of light and darkness crashes on to Gunhild's body like an angry meteor making contact, breaking off one of her feathered shoulder pauldrons, and incinerating the fabric parts of her armor. The tall Valkyr still stands with dark iron plates still attached to her body but with her midriff exposed, revealing her rock solid six-pack.

The turbo on my triggerblade seizes and the spooling stops. Black smoke puffs from the turbo. Looks like that spinny boy gave it all he's got in repelling that blast.

Gunhild drops her triggerblade and the birds stop their music mid-score. With her opposite hand, she places the palm on the top of her lowered head. Then she lets out a low chuckle and, after slowly raising her chin, progresses on to a louder maniacal laugh. "Perhaps I was wrong about you, Arizona. Oh, you have improved so fast."

"What do you mean by that?" I ask, my voice guttural and angry.

Gunhild lumbers towards me, her stature still intimidating, yet her triggerblade remains on the ground. She points at my cybernetic eye, the point of her pointy, dark armored finger just mere millimeters from poking it. "Do you ever wonder how you got those scars on your eye, and why you have a cybernetic augment there instead of an organic eye?"

I never put a lot of thought on it since it happened so long ago, when I was maybe four or five years old. "I've always thought it was some freak accident or something. At least that's what the doctors told me. What that accident was, I don't remember."

Gunhild smiles back. "You're a strange child, but I can feel a flame burning inside you. I like that. It shows promise, but you have a lot more to learn." The Dark Iron Valkyr pulls back her finger. Then she swings her blue cloak and walks away. "The threads of time will set its course, Arizona. Soon you will know the truths beyond the lies."

The owls and ravens depart, following Gunhild deep beyond the realm of dreams.