Honkai Impact 3rd: Don't Die For Me/ Book 3 Paradise

Chapter 19 Routine

As the sun dawned over Luton, Kallen rose from her slumber. She yawned and stretched while hanging from the tree branch with one leg. She had slept well enough. No eye bags shadowed her eyes and her mind was working perfectly. Once she removed the few leaves stuck to her long straight hair, she unhooked her leg. Like a cat, she landed softly on her feet. She honed in on her sense of hearing, assessing the state of her troupes. A few were rousing just like her. They were battle-ready, just like her. They were disciplined and professional. Unfortunately, the rest were bottle-ached. They had drunk too much mead and partied too hard. Kallen could hear Eleanor and her quill scribbling away. Her vice-captain was writing accounts and assessing the state of all Valkyries. Employer punishments were written down for those who couldn't beat their drunken stupor.

Packed dirt rows and revealed a shuffling of steps. Kallen sighed. Of course, there was the drunken Valkyrie that had fun with a villager. It was a decision that would only be costly. The only case fun cases that could be appealed in the case of a successful pregnancy. Though the church encouraged marriage and child-making, it also preferred that they be loyal and safe.

Kallen marched along the beaten road until she stood before the inn. Her Valkyries stood ready in uniform but some were unsightly to look at. Kallen narrowed her eyes to blur out the stains and vomits on some uniforms. Eleanor stood at command, her horns glistening in the morning sun.

"Attention!"

The Valkyries stomped in unison. All held their weapons at the ready. It was training that was engrained into their souls. Discipline was one of the hugest contributors to the survival of a Valkyrie.

"Did all of you have fun last night?"

Nervous shivers ran through her Valkyries. Kallen's squinting eyes would have been cute in the eyes of Otto and Sakura but to her legion, they conveyed wrath and tyranny. No answer came, they stood there guilty and afraid. Some prayed to the Lord. They hoped Kallen wouldn't slave drive them after such a display.

"It's okay to have fun as long as you control yourselves." Kallen continued. She started to pace back and forth, hiding her nervousness. "How many of you are still recovering from last night? Raise your hands, be honest. You know that the first day in a town is the most important."

Hands rose in obedience and shame. They'd typically adhere to discipline but a mixture of a pleasant surprise and stress from an exponentially more difficult country patrol had rocked their sense of calm.

"Good. All of you will have the day off."

Some of the Valkyries collectively exhaled a sigh of relief. Eleanor noted their names and scribbled more lines in her reportbook.

"Don't celebrate. You're not in the condition to fight. You will lose a day's pay and you will clean up the mess you've made in the inn. But before all that you will clean your uniforms. For the remainder of the expedition, none of you can drink."

Eleanor nodded, she could see the gears shifting in Kallen's mind. They were creaking and perhaps this was the limit of Kallen's intelligence, but she was fair. It was dangerous to overindulge. In the past, Kallen wouldn't bother with the conditions of her Valkyries as she alone was enough. Decent decision-making was the start of earning her subordinates' trust once more.

"For today's operations, we'll investigate in a smaller ring around the village. Remember to mark spots of potential energy so I can neutralize them. Slay any beasts you come across and report back at noon. Vice Captain Schariac will organize you. I'll check around the village."

Eleanor flipped a page of her records journal and proceeded to read and assess the data. In minutes the working Valkyries departed to inspect the area surrounding the town. Eleanor remained behind. Something puzzled her mind. The cursed cube had not only given her horns. It had also enhanced the sixth sense all stigma wielders awakened, the sense to perceive Honkai energy.