Valkyrie Black

Chapter 14: Dark Angel, Reaper of Souls

Val closed the notebook and stood. She wondered if Desmond would be done yet and decided to make her way back to the training hall. As she walked, trailing a hand along the blue lines in the walls, the color brightened and shimmered, giving her a sense of being home. When she arrived at the hall she noticed several people milling around a large table. She made her way over and found a huge 3D model of the world.

“Can I help you?” a woman asked. Val spun to find a thin lady not much taller than herself with long brown hair braided down her back.

“I am waiting on Desmond.”

“Ah, then you must be Desmonds little pet project the whole place has been talking about,” she said, considering Val and taking in her appearance. The lady then pointed to the large table before her and asked, “Do you know what this is?”

“Not really. I guess it is Parcia?”

“Close,” she chuckled, “This is all nine realms. The world is much larger than you think. I am Lauren Brennen, the missions and investment manager for Fort Loreleis. Here, have a look.” Lauren pushed a stool over to Val who quickly clambered up to peer down on the map.

“Here you have our mountain range, separating the territory of Suria from the rest of the realms. To the north is Vintas and to the east is Emre. South east is Parcia, where I believe you grew up. As you can see our own territory of Suria has three major areas around Krellis, the capital. Are you familiar with any of them?” Lauren asked.

“I think so. I was living in Dockside, part of Durres. I also was in Surret for a while.”

Lauren laughed. “There is plenty of activity in each of those cites. But they are in Parcia, not Suria. Let’s see, according to my records, Durres was a haven for Shadows until about four years ago. There is still a decent bit in the main part of the city but Dockside was all but cleaned out. You wouldn’t have had anything to do with that now would you?” Lauren smirked at Val’s squirming.

When Val didn’t respond she continued, “I see. Well, when you are trained and make it to at least level two, perhaps we can direct your talents a bit more. There are elements in that city that if not controlled, will continue to wreak havoc on the populous.”

“Most of them are controlled by a man who goes by the nickname of Dragon who runs the whole syndicate of organized and not-so-organized crime. He is in the capital of Parcia, Caradon, but he has a lieutenant in each city. Durres is controlled by a ruthless bastard who goes by the name Raven.”

“We have been working on overturning his control for some time now, but frankly, Durres is small time for many of our operators. They have their work spread across nine territories, and this little city just doesn’t hold the same interest for them.”

Val looked over the map and asked, “My mother invested with you, didn’t she?”

“Your mother?” Lauren asked with curiosity. She looked over Val again, taking in her hair and looks.

“Celeana, I am guessing, based on your hair. I was only a girl myself when she was here, maybe twelve or fifteen years ago. But I can check the logs. It would have been Gregor that had my position then.” Lauren stepped away and went behind a desk, flipping open a dusty logbook. When she returned, her face was aglow with excitement.

“When an agent is away, their earnings on various missions are normally rolled into new missions automatically until their return. Celeana has been gone for nearly twelve years, so she has an extensive investment with the Order. Her leger was mostly mission-based investments, but she did invest in a textile mill that is now doing quite well.”

“We don’t allow our members to invest too heavily in direct projects unless they have personally been to the town, but in your case, being you have been to Durres and likely spent some time there, I think we can roll your mother’s credit into your account and let you begin investing.”

“How… How much did she have?” Val asked, curious about her mother.

“According to the tabulation done yesterday, she has one million five hundred thousand dret on file. She also has the major investment in a textile mill which is producing an additional five thousand dret a month, and investment in a merchant group which is also producing around seven thousand a month.”

Val thought about it for a moment, before saying, “There is a bakery near the docks. Can I invest in the buildings there and help keep the tenants?  Maggie has been so good to me.”

Lauren smiled. “I will see what I can do. For now, I will start a new account for you. Many of her investments are ongoing so that money is not all accessible and it might be more harmful than good to end those suddenly. Now, I see Desmond waiting for you. After you get settled and start your training, come visit with me sometime. I am, after all, one of the best trainers for economics and investment.”

Val turned to see Desmond waiting for her, and hurried over to him.

“I see you have met Lauren. Good. She will be a valuable asset for you and you should learn all you can from her. She knows more about the various underworlds, business deals, and political maneuverings than anyone else. Once you are able to take missions of your own, she will be able to help guide your talents and show you where the weak points are.

Desmond looked at Val with a contemplative stare. “Val you are young. I want you to train here and at the other forts until you are of age. Suria is a strange land steeped in politics and many will try to curry favor or outright manipulate a spark blessed as young as you. Once you can defend yourself both mentally and physically, the council will want to meet with you and see where you might fit in society.”

Val nodded. She liked the idea of learning. Every free moment she had over the past few years she had spent in the Dockside library to learn new things and explore new worlds through the pages of the books. Now she had a chance to hone her physical skills as well.

Desmond continued, “In two to three years, the next rotation of Suria silverblood youth will be through here for schooling. Let’s see where you stand and how much we can get you trained up before you have to meet them. If you are ready, we can begin your training now.”

Val smiled and followed Desmond to the center of the arena.

“Your first lesson. The only rule that matters, is knowing what a person can do, and what they cannot do. Never underestimate an opponent. You may think people are bound by moral codes, social norms, or some sense of greater purpose. However, in the end, they can all break those if the right pressure is applied. Never be lulled into thinking money or power can save you from a knife to the back.”

Val frowned but continued listening.

“Sometimes, the only sure way to end a threat, is a permanent solution. However, with every life you take, you must weigh the consequences.”

“Such as Brayden, the gatekeeper?”

Desmond chuckled, “Yes. I told you to leave him alive. He may yet be a threat to you, but killing a member of the Order can have serious repercussions, even for a Spark. More so because as gatekeeper, he does have deep political connections and if you had killed him and the case went to trial, being a Spark blessed is not likely to save you. The council could order your spark removed, which would likely kill you in the process.”

“Here at the fort, we can teach you everything from stealth and agility to business and commerce. How you chose to use it, is up to you. As a society, Surians trust the Sparks to guide where needed. Yours, the Dark Angel, has a mysterious history that is known by a scarce few, mostly historians. What records we have indicate it only finds a host when the criminal elements need to be put in check. It has only bonded with a vessel five times in our records, but those were each bloody times.”

Val mind flashed to her own blood-covered hands four years ago, when she had taken her first life.

“Know this. While the records indicate the Dark Angel tends to rule the night from the shadows, the day for the populous tends to be brighter, and better. Sometimes, a few must live and work in the dark to keep those shadows at bay.”

“The question is, Dark Angel, reaper of souls, do you possess the constitution to go as far as is needed to return balance to the word?”

Val looked up at Desmond trying to digest his words. She thought about the boys who had attacked Emma, the men who had killed her mother. How far would she go to repay those debts?

“Now, show me what you can do.” Desmond tossed a flexible practice knife to her. she caught the blade deftly, spinning it over the back of her hand before catching it in a backward grip.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Show me a kill shot. You score on me, and I will pay for all five levels of any skill you want to master.”

Val looked at the situation and frowned. “I don’t normally attack anything from the front. When I do, it never ended well.”

“Good. You are aware of your size. Fine. I know you are coming but…” he pointed to another hall. “In there is a confined space training area. Go hide, and I will be in there in ten minutes. There are fake buildings, allyways, and anything you might find in a town.”

Val grinned. THAT is what she was good at.