Chapter 44 - The Valkyrie

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I woke up on a wooden floor surrounded by sacks and chests of food, a pelt was over me to keep me warm. Instead of complete walls there were only short barriers that barely reached the waist of a standing person on three sides with a tent-like structure continuing over them and closing at the top like a vault. On the other side from me a person in full plate armor was sitting in front of an opening. The moving scenery outside of the opening and the rocking of the floor under me finally confirmed that I was inside some sort of carriage.

I looked at the person in front of the opening and smiled. “Good morning, could I get-” I couldn’t even finish that the person had already jumped off the wagon. “...some water.”

I looked around me to see if there was anything to drink and, in doing so, I realized that something was around my ankles and wrists. I lifted the pelt in a rattle of chains to reveal golden shackles, probably made of orichalcum, impairing my movements. At that moment I realized there was also something around my neck and I raised my hands to find a leather choker with various stones embedded in it.

The sound of metal on wood came from the opening and I saw the woman who was in front of the force that attacked the castle enter the wagon. She was still wearing her silvery armor, with a stylized sun painted on both her shoulders, while a longsword with almost no decorations except for the same sun symbol on the pommel was hanging from her waist. Her hair was red and fell on her back reaching almost to her waist, only a few strands falling on the front to her chest.

Behind the woman with red hair was another one wearing a simple brown dress, her hair short and brown just like her eyes. In her hands she held a leather folder tied with a string.

The red-haired woman kicked a crate in front of me and sat on it. She leaned forward, staring at me with yellow eyes. “Good afternoon, Hero Fortuna.”

“Good afternoon. May I know who I have the pleasure to speak with?” I said, smiling.

“I am Zeina, Grand Dame Abbess of the Order of the Divine Light, High Mistress of the Holy Inquisition, and loyal servant of Our Lady,” she said, her tone clear but completely devoid of emotions.

I bowed my head lightly before saying, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mother Zeina. As you already know, I am Fortuna Tullius. Now, may I know why you decorated my wrists with such lovely bracelets?”

“Of course.” She extended her hand back and the other woman gave her the folder. She opened it and took a few pieces of paper before giving it back to what seemed to be her aid. “You see, we asked the adventurers who were with you a few questions and some strange details surfaced. Because of those details we thought it was best to keep you…” she motioned at the chains, ”safe, let’s say, until we could confirm what happened. They told us that you made them inscribe an eight-pointed star on the ground before writing symbols they had never seen around it. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Very well,” she continued, “do you also confirm that an abomination about six to seven meters in height transformed, and I quote the reports, ‘in a pile of live ducks’?”

I chuckled a bit. “Yes.”

“Would you mind telling me how you achieved said effect?”

I grinned at her. “Yes.”

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I barely saw the armored fist that came my way before it crashed into my face. Punch given, her aid gave her a napkin which she passed over her gauntlet before throwing it at me.

I took the napkin and pressed it against my bleeding nose before saying, “it seems like you do not appreciate jokes.”

“You could say so. Now, explain what you did,” she said with her still emotionless voice.

I tried using healing my nose through magic but it seemed like the choker around my neck severely impaired my ability to use mana, making the regeneration almost imperceptible. I stopped using magic as there were little to no results and said, “the original plan was to build a barricade with earth magic and have me and another holy magic user keep up a barrier in shifts.” I spat out some blood. “The plan was impossible because there were no other mages in the group except for me so, seeing no other options, I tried using magic from my original world. I had never tried using that spell before but luckily for me it attuned to holy magic in this world.”

“I see…” she put a hand on her chin and pondered about it for a while before asking, “is it replicable?”

“For me? Possible, but unlikely. It was a bet this time around and I happened to win it. Also, as you have seen,” I looked at my body that was still pushed against the floor, “there was quite the backlash from it. For others? I would consider it practically impossible.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

“Magic seems to have different rules in this world compared to mine. It would be like a mute trying to teach a blind man how to write.”

She sighed before saying, “I will choose to believe you this time, Hero Fortuna. Be glad that there were still residues of holy magic where you used your spell.”

“I am much thankful for your trust. May I ask you a question myself?”

“Please,” she said, gesturing me to continue.

“I had two horses and a slave with me, what happened to them?”

“They are at the end of our convoy with our slaves and reserve horses. Do not worry about them, you will find them all well fed and in perfect health.”

“Oh my. I guess I have to thank you then.”

“You are welcome,” she said before getting up. She then gave the papers to her aid and told her, “see that she is freed and fed.” She turned towards me and gave me a quick smile. “We must take care of our hero after all.”

Her aid saluted her and said, “yes, ma’am,” as she jumped off the still going cart. The aid then turned towards me and gave me a light bow. “I am sorry for what happened, Hero Fortuna, but it is our duty to verify the characteristics of unknown magic. I hope you will understand.”

“Sure, don’t worry,” I said, giving her a smile through my bloodied face.

She gave me a light nod and said, “thank you, I will send you some of our women to free you from your chains and heal you soon.”

“Well, thank you.”

She just nodded before exiting the cart with a small hop.

It took only a few minutes for another set of women in heavy armor to enter the wagon, with them they had a small bucket full of water and a small sack. They put the sack and bucket down and one of them said, “please, hold still,” and, after a small nod from me, they proceeded to free me from my chains and remove the collar around my neck. After that, the one who had talked before used healing magic on my face.

“In the sack there is some food and a few pieces of cloth, you are free to use them as you want. The water in the bucket is safe to drink, and I suggest you do so. You have been asleep for over a day now, it will be bad if you become dehydrated,” the one who hadn’t talked yet said.

“Oh my, thank you very much for your care and concern,” I said in a sarcastic tone.

She frowned for a moment before saying, “we will now leave you. If you wish to go outside and wish for the cart to be stopped, please tell the nearest Dame so.”

“I will,” I said with a nod.

She just nodded before motioning to her companion and exiting the wagon much like the others before.

I tried to stand up but I was still weak from using my powers in a human body, so, after cursing a bit, I started crawling towards the bucket. I took it with two hands and drank a few large gulp of the fresh water inside.

(Human bodies suck.)

I passed my tongue over my lips.

(And this water tastes like fucking blood now.)