6.69 – Bloodlust


    Astrid grunted in acknowledgment.


    "Yes," she said. "That is me."


    She spoke with an ent that, despite its heaviness, was surprisingly pleasant to the ear—even pretty. Matching her expression, she sounded interested but reserved. Confident as a matter of personality yet uncertain how this encounter might go.


    Zoey tried to ce the name Rosalie had used, the ''Harkvalen'', but came up with nothing. That wasn''t surprising, since her knowledge of geography and sociology when it came to this new world was fairly weak. She hadn''t been here long, all things considered, and the limited time she had for training and learning went mostly to aspects directly rted to her ss. Many mundane subjects like the nations and peoplesposing this world had been, while not outright ignored, certainly set as a far priority.


    "Well," Rosalie said, her surprise still visible in her posture, and the way she took a few seconds to gather her words. "It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I must admit, I hadn''t expected one of the Harkvalen to be interested in teaming. Much less the Chieftain''s daughter."


    "Unexpected opportunity," Astrid grunted. "You four are rising stars of a generation, allegedly. Worth considering breaking tradition." The ent was even thicker in the longer sentence, and Zoey briefly wondered how ents even worked with the trantion magic given to her. There had been others with regional dialects and such, but with Astrid, it almost seemed as if she wasn''t speaking her firstnguage.


    Her green eyes swept across the four of them. There was some dubiousness in the look as she took them in, undoubtedly focused less on Rosalie and more on the less … well, world-famous wayfarers. Rosalie had not just her father''s reputation and that of her family name, but her own as well. Maddy less so, Delta even more, and Zoey not at all.


    "It is worth a trial, I think," Astrid finished. "Even if I have my doubts."


    Rosalie pursed her lips at that, and Enzo smiled.


    "That''s my heir you''re speaking so doubtfully of," he told her.


    Astrid nced at him. "Daughter of Guildmaster. Yes." Her eyes flicked to Zoey, Delta, and Maddy. "Means expectations are high. So, I am doubtful."


    Enzoughed. "I do love the bluntness," he said. "You take after Valgard."


    "I hope not," Astrid said. "Too much air between the old man''s ears." The words had no bite, despite the insult. Was Valgard her father? Enzo and he knew each other in somewhat of a personal manner, Zoey assumed, by the fondness in his words.


    Enzo simplyughed again, finding the statement amusing. He didn''tment, though, and so Astrid''s attention fell back on Rosalie.


    "You need a shield-bearer, specifically," she said inly. "I am one. Of simr advancement, and in circumstance where I can ept. Perhaps it is fated we are to team."


    "Perhaps," Rosalie said. "Did my father make an offer to the Harkvalen''s Chieftain?" she asked curiously, and a bit cautiously. "I''ve never heard of one of you teaming outside of your n."


    Astrid shrugged. "I''m certain there were discussions, yes," she said. "Maybe bargains made. But is irrelevant to me. I care only if you are suitable warrior."


    "In that, at least, I believe I can meet your expectations," Rosalie said after a moment. "You know the rest of us?"


    "The Guildmaster spoke of them briefly." Astrid''s eyes lingered on Zoey. Maybe for obvious reasons, if she''d been given an overview of each of their sses. She was a heavens-blessed priestess, a disciple-of-sorts to a literal goddess. "Unusual circumstances, some of you."


    "That''s putting it lightly," Rosalie said.


    "Madeline, Zoey, Delta." Astrid pointed them out in turn. "Yes?"


    Maddy waved, Zoey nodded, and Delta gave a "Yep," telling Astrid she''d gotten them right.


    "The Guildmaster told me some," Astrid said, "but I wish to hear fighting styles and sses from your own mouths." She nodded to herself. "I will go first."


    She grabbed her shield, stood, and hefted it up.


    "This is dragon''s scale," Astrid said. "Very strong, unbreakable. And sharp. It is both weapon and shield. Heirloom of my father''s, of entire Harkvalen n, given to me because of my ss, because I am strong warrior." She spoke the words with pride. As Zoey thought she should be. She might not know who Astrid was, but she had drawn Enzo''s attention, which was enormous praise in its own right.


    "I am not typical guardian," Astrid continued. "But still capable protector. Also healer."


    "Healer?" Rosalie asked, eyebrows going up.


    "Works through link. Can change easily. When I hurt opponent, ally is healed." Astrid hummed. "Not very strong effect," she admitted. "But no healers among you, I have been told?"


    "There isn''t," Rosalie agreed. "So even a weak healer would be nice."


    Especially packaged into a guardian, which their team also needed—even more so than a healer. Unsurprisingly, Enzo''s choice was well suited to their party, even without hearing the rest of her ss.


    "Most important skill is the Harkvalen bloodline," Astrid said. She seemed to be speaking mostly to Rosalie, though her eyes flicked to the rest of them on asion. "You know of it, yes?"


    "Bloodlust," Rosalie said. "You grow stronger the longer you''re in a fight." She hesitated. "And grow less … cognizant of your actions."


    Astrid grunted, not denying the second part.


    So she was a berserker-type ss, Zoey concluded. A berserker-tank-healer? Interesting.


    Also, Zoey spared a moment to be amused that she herself had a secondary resource of ''Lust'', and it sounded like Astrid had ''Bloodlust.'' Maybe her spot on the team really was fated.


    "There are variations in our bloodline," Astrid said. "Mine builds slower andsts longer. Some fade and grow within a single fight, but mine willst across an entire shard."


    Rosalie hesitated at that, as if unsure whether to say something, and Astrid was instantly annoyed.


    "Speak, if you think something should be said," she said. "Don''t honey words. Ugly, soft trait of you people. I will return the favor."


    Zoey blinked. That was almost rudely blunt; she suspected based on that response alone there was a cultural preference toward honesty among the Harkvalen.


    "I would''ve thought the Harkvalen bloodlust an unwieldy power already," Rosalie said. "But that at least it fades quickly. But yourssts hours, if not days?"


    "It is de with no handle," Astrid acknowledged. "But one I have spent my entire life learning to wield. I can empty the bloodlust—use it to make myself more durable, for example. Armor and skin both. Can also control how much I give into it, how much it grows in a fight." She nodded. "Am fourth advancement. Not unblooded. Is not something you need worry about."


    "I see," Rosalie said. "But you can still be unstable, rtively speaking, in the middle of a fight, especially a difficult one. When you need to draw on that power deeply."


    Astrid seemed both pleased and annoyed, which was an interesting expression. Pleased that Rosalie was being blunt and questioning her despite the assurances, undoubtedly—but also annoyed for it. "It is a controlledck of control. I do not expect you to understand. Will prove myself."


    "I believe you," Rosalie said, and sounded like she meant it. Though there was some wariness. "A berserker, especially one serving as our primary vanguard, has heavy tactical implications, though. It''s worth discussing, perhaps in further depth." She inclined her head. "Later though. The rest of your ss?"


    "Bloodlust and shield are the foundations," Astrid said. "Other abilities revolve around them. I have active skill, Shield Bash. Can use often, stuns even durable opponents. Reinforcement, already mentioned, makes me difficult to kill, but spends bloodlust and leaves me offensively weaker. Should not be a problem, in offense-heavy team." Her eyes flicked to Delta at that, inclining her head in acknowledgment. "Also have Crimson Barrier. Spend bloodlust to create shield of protection. Works against magical attacks as well as physical. Can be used on self, or weaker version on ally. Only one at a time."


    "Useful," Rosalie said. "And versatile. An excellent arrangement of skills."


    "The heavens have blessed me," Astrid agreed solemnly—and this time, her eyes flicked to Zoey. Undoubtedly because she was the chosen priestess of a goddess from the heavens she''d just praised. Astrid didn''tment on that though.


    "Of course," Astrid said, "most of usefulnesses from training. Body, mind, and shield, as much as skills."


    "Of course," Rosalie agreed. Zoey knew firsthand that it wasn''t Rosalie''s <em>skills </em>that made her so prodigious, but her phenomenalbat ability. And the mind that had been keenly trained by the foremost wayfarer in the world.


    "That is me, in summary," Astrid said. "Talking only does so much. Will need to see me in action, as I you."


    She paused.


    "Would still like to hear exnation from your own mouths, before that happens," she said. "The Priestess first, if she does not mind?"


    Strangely, Astrid sounded more cautious addressing <em>her </em>than she had Rosalie, or even Enzo. In a way, that made sense, because where Enzo and Rosalie were peerless talents, they were still normal, in a sense of the word. Zoey was the chosen of a goddess.


    "Uh, yeah," Zoey said, with none of the grace Rosalie had been disying, even in her surprise at seeing one of the Harkvalen, who were clearly a known quantity in the Fractures, for all that the context of what that <em>meant </em>evaded her for now. "Sure. My ss."


    It was a shame Enzo was watching them, because Zoey would have to censor the details even more than she might have otherwise, had it just been Astrid. She could always fill in the specificster, though.


    Breathing in, Zoeyunched into an exnation.