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And So It Goes	By : Rezalda Category: +S through Z > Valkyrie Profile Views: 1321 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Valkyrie Profile series. I am not making any money from this story.

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Fauxnel awoke to the sensation of water all around him, frigid and wet, entering his mouth and nose and soaking his clothing. He fought against the relentless current, struggling to reach the surface before he ran out of oxygen. But his eyes were shut against the water, and he had no idea how close he was to the air he needed so badly to survive...
"Stop struggling. You're already dead, remember? You don't need to breathe."
Fauxnel's eyes snapped open at that sharp yet distinctly feminine voice. Where had he heard it before?
But she was right. Once Fauxnel stopped thrashing, he realized that he wasn't breathing--and did not need to.
"Ha! That was kind of fun to watch. Too bad you had to end it, Valkyrie."
He recognized that voice, too, and now that his eyes were open, he was able to see all the other einherjar the Valkyrie had gathered.
Valmur and Nicolas were not the only einherjar who had died because of Fauxnel. Lieselotte, one of the girls who had worked with him at the royal court, stood before him with a smirk on her face. Rosea, the other girl, stared demurely at the mud beneath her feet. Alongside them were two men Fauxnel didn't know, both heavy warriors. And along with Valmur and Nicolas stood the first man Fauxnel had ever killed: Sir Cennair, the former Court Archimagus himself.
"It's been a while, Fauxnel," he said, smiling gently.
"It's like a reunion, isn't it?" Lieselotte sneered. "Almost all of us are dead because of the one standing in front of us. This must be like your own personal little hell, Fauxnel."
"Well, he's one of us now. Lady Valkyrie must have found some part of him to be redeemable."
"Ah, so you're the infamous Sir Fauxnel, eh?" The older of the two strange men stuck out his hand. "Glad to finally meet you! Valmur and the others have told us everything."
"Everything...you say?" Fauxnel had never felt more humbled in his entire...existence. He felt as though he stood naked before a jury. "I...I don't know what to--"
"It's alright," the younger stranger assured him. "Thyodor and I don't have anything to do with you, so you don't need to feel awkward around us. I'm Ancel."
"Hello." Fauxnel could not have felt more awkward as he shook Thyodor's hand, then Ancel's.
"Aw, jeez," Lieselotted sighed. "Can you stop looking so gloomy? It's making me depressed. How long are you going to keep feeling sorry for yourself? What's done is done. We all have a different objective now, and if you keep this up, you're just going to hold us back."
"She's right," the Valkyrie agreed. "You must leave your worldly cares behind, and that means accepting what has already happened. If you are truly repentant, then focus all your energy on fighting as an einherjar. Do you understand?"
"Y...Yes, my lady." For once, Fauxnel was grateful for Lieselotte's bluntness. "I understand."
"Good. Now that I have you all assembled, we are going to split up. There is a great number of undead in this river. I believe their leader is about two miles upstream."
Ancel groaned. "Upstream? Are you serious, Valkyrie?"
Thyodor laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Come now. What kind of einherjar complains about a little swim upstream?"
"I never even learned how to swim as a human," Ancel grumbled. "It's so much work. And all my movements are slow underwater."
"That's true," the Valkyrie admitted. "The mages will have to pick up do most of the fighting. Rosea, Lieselotte, and--"
"I'm no good," Lieselotte interrupted. "I can use non-offensive spells, but the water's going to interfere with my fire spells. And if I cast any lightning spells, the water will conduct the electricity and everything in the river will die. Including us."
Cennair laughed. "That's not going to happen, Liese. If lightning spread throughout every body of water it hit, there would be no fish left anywhere in the world. And not even your spells are powerful enough to kill all of us in one hit." He frowned and scratched his cheek. "Still, a lightning spell would do enough damage to render most of us incapable of fighting at full strength. I agree that you'd better stick to support spells."
"What spells do you know, Fauxnel?" the Valkyrie asked him.
"Oh, I...I'd rather not use my magic," Fauxnel stammered. "I've been...I'm a swordsman now."
Everyone stared at him.
"I was going to mention that," the Valkyrie said slowly. "I will tolerate none of this foolishness. I intend for you to fight as a mage. You have neither the strength nor the skill to fight with a sword. On the other hand, your skills of sorcery are quite good. Why would you refuse to use them?"
"But..But I thought I was good enough with a sword!" he could not help arguing. "I used it successfully a few times!"
"I saw you attempt to wield it before you were killed. Your stance was entirely wrong, and your reaction speed was slow. A proper swordsman would have been embarrassed to watch you."
"Ouch," Ancel muttered next to him.
"I...I was a mage when...when I did all those things," Fauxnel whispered.
"This conversation if over, Fauxnel," Valkyrie informed him. "You will fight with magic, or you will not fight at all. And I have no use for an einherjar who will not fight."
"Fauxnel, it's okay." Rosea finally spoke up, gripping her staff in front of her body, as though to protect herself. "I...I did bad things, too. So did Liese. And we're still fighting with magic. You're good at magic, Fauxnel, and we need your help. Please fight with us."
In spite of his anxiety, Fauxnel felt himself trying not to smile. Rosea's words were awkward and not at all sincere. But she wanted to make him feel better, and that meant something, at least.
"Well, it's not like I have a choice," he said. "Alright. I know earth-based and dark magic and a few support and disabling spells. I should be able to carry them out underwater."
Valkyrie nodded. "Valmur, your arrows should work pretty well underwater, if with less speed. Nicolas, the same goes for your spear. Keep a good grip on it and don't throw it; the current might carry it away."
"Wait," Fauxnel said suddenly. "Liese, what is your staff made out of?"
Lieselotte frowned. "Wood. What else would it be?"
"Hmmm...That won't work. Sir Ancel, let her use your sword."
"My sword?" Ancel blinked in surprise. "Why?"
"Just do it. What's it made from?"
"I dunno...Metal, I guess."
"Silver," said Valkyrie.
"Good, that will work," Fauxnel said eagerly. "Liese, try holding his sword out in front of you as you cast a lightning spell. A weak one."
Rosea's eyes widened with understanding. "I get it! Silver is a good conductor of electricity!"
"Right," Fauxnel said, nodding his head. "It will work like a lightning rod. Of course, you'll have to make contact with whatever you want to strike, so it may not be very useful. But if you cast a spell while striking an enemy with the sword..."
"It's too heavy," Lieselotte complained. "I can't work with this."
"Here," Nicolas offered, holding out his spear. "This is lightweight. You should be able to hold it, and it's longer, too."
"All right." Lieselotte took his spear and looked around for a target. "I'd better hit something big, in case I miss." Her gaze fell on an enormous flatfish resting at the bottom of the river. "This should work...Ha!" She released a lightning spell and struck the flatfish with the tip of the spear. The ill-fated creature was immediately fried to a crisp. "I didn't want it to suffer," she explained afterward.
"Whoa, that's cool," Ancel marveled. "Not bad."
"Fauxnel, I'm impressed," Cenair said, patting his former pupil on the shoulder.
"I don't know if this is really workable, though," said Lieselotte. "I'd have to get close to the target, and it's awkward to hold my staff and Nicolas' spear at the same time."
Fauxnel shrugged. "Still, it might work in a pinch."
The Valkyrie nodded. "It is better than nothing. All right, that's enough. Lieselotte and Rosea, I want you to go with Valmur and Nicolas. Cennair, Thyodor, Ancel, and Fauxnel will stay with me. The river forks here, and I want each group to take one branch."
***
The monsters they encountered were pretty weak, and Cennair dealt with most of them with his holy magic. It would have been much easier if they could have cast lightning spells, however.
"I don't care how many times we see it," Ancel grumbled. "Those fishmen really freak me out. I feel like they were once human or somthing. Then they got shot with some weird cannon that opened a portal to another dimension where humans didn't exist, so they had to turn into these creepy fish with legs."
Lenneth sighed. She had intentionally placed Fauxnel with a group of people unrelated to his life (except for Cennair, who had forgiven him), but he still hadn't spoken a word since they began fighting. Drawing out his potential as an einherjar would be even more difficult than drawing out Valmur's.
Ancel clearly sensed the awkwardness and was trying desperately to dissipate it. "Hey, I bet there's all kinds of treasure down here," he said, beaming. "From old pirate ships or something."
"Pirates sail the ocean, Ancel," Thyodor reminded him. "This is a river."
"Well, who says there can't be pirates on rivers?" Cennair suggested. "I mean, there are ships on rivers, right? So naturally there could be pirates."
"Man, I've never seen an ocean before," Ancel said. "Hey, Valkyrie, there's gotta be some undead in the ocean, right? Let's go there next!" He turned to Fauxnel. "Hey, have you ever seen the ocean before?"
Fauxnel shook his head. "Artolia is a landlocked country. I never had reason to leave it, either."
"I've seen it," Cennair said proudly. "I was in Gerabellum when a ship from Hai-Lan was wrecked on the coast. Ushio was the only survivor. It's too bad you never got to meet him, Fauxnel."
Fauxnel cringed. "I did," he said softly. "About a year ago."
Cennair fell silent. About half a minute passed, and then he asked, "Did he find out?"
"No. I was afraid to tell him. We didn't talk much. We just both fought with the same young man. Wylfred was his name. He was the only one who knew about my crimes."
"Wylfred, huh?" Thyodor grinned. "That's my son's name. Last I heard, he was about to return home after defeating a terrible demon. Ancel helped him out with that."
Fauxnel looked surprised. "A demon? You don't mean Garm, the guard dog of the underworld, do you?"
Ancel nodded, grinning. "Yeah, she was crazy. She didn't look much like a dog, actually. She was really big and freaky-looking."
"Then you must be...that friend he..." Fauxnel paused. "...spoke of."
"Yes," Lenneth said. "Fauxnel, Ancel was in the same position as Valmur once. He was sacrificed by a close friend, and that friend was Wylfred."
Thyodor looked from Lenneth to Fauxnel. "Did I miss something? Fauxnel, so you...You fought together with Wyl?"
"Yes." A small smile appeared on Fauxnel's face. "Sir Wylfred gave me hope. I had planned to take advantage of his status as the son of an einherjar to promote a military campaign to end the fight between Prince Langrey and Prince Kristoff. I thought I would have to manipulate him into fighting for me. But he generously offered his assistance, and civil war was avoided. He did a great service to his country, and he saved my soul as well. Had it not been for him, I would have continued to dirty my hands, and I might not even have had the chance to be an einherjar."
Ancel patted Fauxnel on the shoulder. "I'm sure you helped him, too. Seeing what you had become, he must have decided that betraying people wasn't the way to go and decided not to sacrifice any more lives for the sake of revenge."
"What I had become..." Fauxnel cringed again. "You do have a way with words, Sir Ancel."
"So tell me about Ushio," Cennair said, changing the subject. "How was he doing?"
"He was deeply saddened and angered at your passing," Fauxnel answered, avoiding Cennair's gaze.
Cennair laughed. "I know that much. Fauxnel, you don't have to worry. I already know that he was present when Rosea and Liese killed each other. Don't hide anything from me."
"Well, I wasn't there when that happened," Fauxnel said cautiously. "But he did give up on avenging your death. And I guess he was doing alright when I saw him last. He's staying in Artolia for the time being, but wants to meet up with Sir Wylfred again."
Lenneth began to walk again, satisfied that Fauxnel was beginning to come out of his shell. The voices of her einherjar faded into the background as she focused her spiritual concentration on hunting down the undead.
Low-class monsters and other "natural" undead were one thing, but Lenneth never could understand why a human would willingly join their ranks. She knew, of course, that many humans became undead unwillingly, through a magic spell or a vampire's bite. But she had also heard tales of humans who had become undead of their own will. It was rumored that Brahms, Lord of the Undead, had been one of those humans. Power, revenge, immortality...Were any of those truly worth the sacrifice of one's soul?
She remembered how she had told Valmur he could become undead if he desired revenge against Fauxnel. Her reasoning, of course, was that a truly noble spirit would refuse such a notion. She knew that Valmur had the makings of a fine einherjar--next to Thyodor and Ancel, he was the most worthy of recruits.
Fauxnel, on the other hand...Why had she chosen him? She had more than enough mages, and his connection to so many deaths would only distract them from their training. She wondered if spending so much time around humans had caused her to lower her standards.
In any case, there was something in his desperation to make up for his sins that had drawn her to him. She sensed in him a great deal of bitterness and sorrow, even moreso than in Lieselotte or Valmur. Yes, that was it. She had pitied him and, knowing that recruitment as an einherjar would give him the chance to work through the darkness of his heart, she had chosen him.
The presence of the undead was becoming more concentrated. Now monsters were mostly congregating in a cave near the river's source.
"Be careful," she warned her men. "I believe this is where their leader is."
"Any idea what kind of creature it is?" Ancel asked.
"I sense a powerful force similar to that of a Dragon Zombie. It's probably a sea serpent or a cold drake. Both can move swiftly underwater, and serpents have a strong affinity for magic, so do not let your guard down."
***
Fauxnel had fought a Dragon Zombie once, many years ago. He remembered that most of them had a single elemental weakness, most commonly lightning or holy magic. He wondered if Lieselotte was actually wielding Nicolas' spear as a lightning rod. He tried not to smile as he imagined her swinging it around like a hyperactive knight, jabbing undead left and right and turning them into fried fish.
"So how do you think little Liese's doing?" Cennair asked, as though he had read Fauxnel's mind.
"Not bad, I guess," Fauxnel mumbled. "She was always good at looking after herself, so..."
"Ah, that's not what you used to say about her. You said that if you let her alone for a moment, she'd bring the whole court down. Do you remember that?"
"I suppose." Cennair's comments on their life together made him uncomfortable. "I don't think a lot about those times anymore."
"No, I suppose you wouldn't." Cennair smiled sadly, then added, "You know...Lieselotte and Rosea also share responsibility. It was not your hand that killed them."
Fauxnel nodded without looking at him. "I know that. But still...oh, dear gods...!"
The area guardian was the biggest fish Fauxnel had ever seen. It was a deep reddish color and positively hideous, with a pronounced underbite and what looked like overgrown warts all over its body. Its eyes were sunken and lightless, but it was staring at them with unmistakable menace.
"What is this?" Ancel asked, his face drawn with disgust. "It's so ugly!"
"It is a Synanceia," the Valkyrie informed them. "Be wary--those spines are poisonous. Unfortunately, it is resistant to all forms of magic except lightning. Thyodor, Ancel, and I will need to take it down with our swords. Fauxnel, Cennair, cast some support spells on us. Disabling spells will not work on it."
Fauxnel sighed. He really only knew two support spells, and neither of them looked as though they'd do much good. "Prevent Sorcery!"
"Might Reinforce!" Cennair shouted, aiming his spell at Thyodor.
The battle moved slowly, and the enormous fish didn't even seem to notice the blows the three warriors were inflicting upon it. Gradually, it began to open its mouth.
"Look out!" Fauxnel warned. "It looks like it's going to bite!"
Cennair began to cast Guard Reinforce on Ancel and Thyodor, who were closest to the monster's mouth. Then, without warning, the fish released a deafening belch that knocked all combatants off their feet.
Fauxnel's head was pounding, and he was certain he'd gone deaf. Something was wrong with his balance, too. And his magic...
He tried to speak, already knowing it was useless; he'd been silenced. He staggered to his feet and turned to Cennair, who was shaking his head and patting his throat. He nodded.
Ancel was still sprawled on the ground, but Thyodor had recovered and was aiming his sword at the inside of the Synanceia's mouth. The Valkyrie moved to stop him, but was too late. One of the poisonous spines flew at Thyodor and embedded itself in his neck.
Thyodor's mouth stretched open in a silent cry of pain, and he stumbled back a few steps. The Valkyrie turned to look at Fauxnel and Cennair, but both of them shook their heads.
"Normalize!"
A white light surrounded Thyodor's body, and the barb disappeared. Rosea swam over to the group, beaming. "We made it just in time!" She cast two more Normalizes to enable Cennair and Fauxnel to cast magic again.
"Divine Arrow!"
There was a brilliant flash of light, and a blazing arrow shot through the water from above, striking the top of the Synanceia's head.
"Now, Lieselotte!" Valmur shouted as he swam a safe distance away. "Quickly!"
"Right! Hark! Lightning that rides within the ashen depths, descend now as a storm upon my foes! Gravity Blessing!"
Upon hearing the beginning of Lieselotte's incantation, the Valkyrie and all her einherjar began to swim away as fast as they could. The crackling of electricity sounded throughout, and small flashes of lightning were now flickering intermittenly. As soon as Lieselotte said the word "Blessing," several balls of lightning struck the arrow, delivering a devastating shock to the weakened stonefish. The Synanceia did not even release a death cry as its life ended. In fact, were it not for the unmistakable smell of burning flesh and the fact that the fish's thin eyelids now covered its eyes, Fauxnel might have thought it was still alive.
Lieselotte winked at Fauxnel. "Thanks for the idea. Although I have to admit, it was kind of a leap of faith that an arrow made out of pure energy would work as a lightning rod."
Rosea sighed. "It was an enormous risk using Great Magic as well. One slight miscalculation, and we all woud have been hit."
"But we were not," the Valkyrie said, and smiled at Lieselotte. "Sometimes one must take risks in order to accomplish something. You did well. And Rosea, your quick thinking saved us. Thank you."
"Oh, no..." Rosea blushed and waved her hands in front of herself as if attempting to fight off the compliment. "I didn't do anything important."
"Valmur," Valkyrie said, ignoring Rosea. "Your technique is improving. In fact, it will not be much longer before I have nothing left to teach you. You will make a fine einherjar."
"Yes, Lady Valkyrie. Thank you, Lady Valkyrie," Valmur said, and bowed.
"Hey, what about me?" Nicolas demanded.
Valkyrie looked at him with a odd smile, almost as if she were teasing him, Fauxnel thought. "Did you do something worthy of praise, Nicolas?"
"Sure did." Nicolas beamed proudly. "I gave Liese my crack ring!"
"Nicolas, I gave you that crack ring so you could break enemies' guards more easily. Lieselotte has no use for it."
"I know, but it just suited her so nicely." He held up Lieselotte's hand to show everyone. Lieselotte's face turned red, and she looked uncharacteristically shy. Fauxnel couldn't believe what he was seeing. He searched Valmur's face for any expression, but he avoided Fauxnel's eyes.
"So what do we do from here?" Ancel asked Valkyrie, who was searching the area for any remaining traces of undead.
"This river has been purified," she said after a few moments. "We will return to the surface and find another place to fight undead."
"No new souls yet?" Fauxnel asked. "How often do you gather souls, anyway? With so many humans dying every day, why do you only have eight souls with you?"
The Valkyrie sighed. "I can only be in one place at one time, and I can only train so many einherjar at once. Furthermore, not every soldier who dies has the qualifications of becoming an einherjar."
"Why is there only you, then?" Fauxnel persisted. "There should be other valkyries, too. Isn't it a little unfair to make you do everything?"
"There are others," she said hesitantly. "However..." She stopped what she was saying, and her eyes grew distant. "It is none of your concern. Return."
At those words, Fauxnel felt his body fading and his soul moving toward the Valkyrie at a rapid pace. Gradually, his sight, hearing, and sense of touch faded until he was nothing more than a thought. It was a very odd and unsettling situation.
What is this?
Don't worry, he heard--no, it wasn't hearing, more like feeling--Cennair say. You get used to it after a bit. We are inside the Lady Valkyrie.
Inside her? What do you mean?
This is how we exist when we are not called to fight--as purely spirit. It requires a great amount of divinely materialized energy to sustain our flesh-and-blood forms. When we're in this form, she can focus her spiritual concentration on the voices of the dying and the undead.
So we're only our thoughts? Can she hear us like you and I can hear each other?
More or less. I think the "louder" our thoughts are, the more likely she is to hear them.
What do you mean, "louder"?
Well, when you have a body, you don't say everything you think, right? You choose what you want others to hear. And some thoughts are too quick, or too vague, to take the form of the spoken word. It seems to be like that even when we only exist as thoughts in her soul. If we could all hear each other's thoughts, it would be far too chaotic for her to concentrate. So there seems to be a "barrier" of sorts between the thoughts we choose to let others hear, and the thoughts we keep private.
None of this made any sense. What about before? Fauxnel asked. I just sort of...went to sleep last time she took me into her. At least, I think that's what she did. Why didn't I feel like this before?
Who knows? But it's happened to all of us, especially immediately after she recruited us. Maybe we were exhausted from the shock of death. Maybe she needed us to calm down so we wouldn't overwhelm her in our confusion.
Why haven't you tried asking her anything?
Ah, I have. So has almost everyone else. But her answers are always elusive. I think there may be a lot that she does not even know about herself. She may be a god, but even she has a master to whom she must answer. In any case, it may be best if you not ask her anything. I don't know why, but she doesn't seem as cold as when I first became an einherjar. Nor does she seem as--well, I hate to put it this way, but she seems less lofty. Less sure of herself. I don't know what that's about, but I think it might be a good idea if you stop asking her questions about her duty and her nature.
I see. I never thought about it that way, but perhaps I was being a tad nosy.
But the more Fauxnel tried to keep his mind on other things, the more he found he wanted to learn about the Valkyrie. Why had she stopped talking about the other valkyries? Where were they? Or did she not know? Why had she looked that way? Those deep, steel-blue eyes...
Stop. It was Cennair again. I know what you're thinking, and I'm warning you now, don't even think about it.
Think about what? Fauxnel asked, even though he knew what Cennair was going to say.
Falling in love with her. It is absolutely out of the question.
Fauxnel felt embarrassed, which always made him angry and defensive. I can fall in love with whomever I want. And I'm not in love with her, anyway.
No, but if you keep thinking about how beautiful she is, you will. I have seen it happen many a time, to those who came before you. If it happens to you, training will be much more difficult. And you cannot afford to fall behind on your training.
It's not any of your business, Fauxnel muttered.
It is if you don't keep such longings to yourself. Desire is a very loud emotion, and I assure you that everyone heard it. Including the Lady Valkyrie.
Now Fauxnel was mortified. No one had told him that being an einherjar entailed such little privacy. You're mistaken. That wasn't desire. I just noticed the color of her eyes, alright? You can all stop laughing at me, now. It was ludicrous. What was he thinking? He had no proof that any of them was laughing, yet he knew Lieselotte enough to--
I'm not laughing, she assured him. I'm just acknowledging how awkward this must be for you.
I thought you said they could only hear what I wanted them to hear! Fauxnel said to Cennair.
Cennair sighed--or at least, it felt like a sigh. To an extent. But the less control you have over your emotions, the more likely that others will hear you.
I don't see a problem, Thyodor spoke up from his "corner" of the Valkyrie's soul. I think Lady Valkyrie has heard far worse thoughts. Most of us are men, after all.
It's not just men, you know, Lieselotte pointed out. We women also think about stuff like that. Right, Rosea?
Rosea's silence spoke much more loudly than anything she could have said.
Fauxnel quickly withdrew from the conversation, but he knew it was useless now. His secret was out.
But what secret? He knew he was not in love with the Valkyrie. He was used to desiring women without loving them, or without actually taking them to his bed. At the royal court, he had rarely had time for such things. And he knew from his religious studies many years ago that love could not exist between humans and gods.
Who did Cennair think he was, anyway? He had been that way when alive, too--always assuming, always butting in where he wasn't needed. Always saying things "for your own good."
It occurred to Fauxnel that although he felt "desire" for the Valkyrie, he had no body to desire her with. It seemed that lust--he cringed at having to use such a vulgar word--had a spiritual component as well. What was it?
I sense an evil presence coming from the Anglican Forest. That will be our next destination, the Valkyrie announced.
Now that his desire had awakened, Fauxnel realized that focusing on his training as an einherjar would not be easy. No, not easy at all.
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And So It Goes