6.70 – Harkvalen


    As Zoey went through her exnation, Astrid eyed her with an interesting mix of emotions. That ''cultural bluntness'' seemed to extend into being easy to read: Zoey had little difficulty deciphering what she was thinking by her expression despite having just met the woman.


    First up was curiosity and possibly even apprehension, undoubtedly thanks to Zoey''s divine cement onto Rosalie''s team. Zoey had been wrapping her head around what her circumstances meant these past few days, socially speaking, especially with the uing birth of her temple, but she doubted she''d ever fully adjust to the fact that Ephy''s blessing made her in a real way something more than ''just'' human. As was reinforced by the look Astrid was giving her. Not awe or worship or anything that ridiculous, but … still something. She hoped it would go away as they got to know each other. It was an awkward first impression, in Zoey''s opinion, being seen as a goddess''s chosen.


    There was also more mundane interest in her eyes as Zoey exined her ss. That interest morphed to disapproval as she followed up with herck of extensivebat training. Perhaps Enzo had already mentioned that, because she didn''t seem surprised, only disapproving. Clearly, Astrid saw no excuse for Zoey''sck of lifelong vignce toward bing a warrior, and perhaps even she had silently lost some respect because of it. Zoey supposed she could empathize with the viewpoint. Astrid didn''t understand what modern life had been like for Zoey, that even self-defense skills hadn''t been all that necessary to learn, much less the sort ofprehensive training <em>she''d </em>undergone. And Astrid seemed to be from a warrior society even more intense than the average wayfarer, which was saying something.


    There was also, finally, an appreciative look Zoey caught once or twice, idle nces that didn''t seem intentional. A subtle signal that maybe her ss''s requirements might bepatible with Astrid. Though the looks were subtle, maybe even imagined, only there because Zoey was hoping to see them. In either case, Astrid wasn''t <em>overtly </em>interested; it was a barely perceptible thing. And even admiration for her curves and a preference toward the softer sex wouldn''t necessarily mean <em>they </em>werepatible, on an individual level. Still, Zoey found it promising.


    Delta and Maddy gave overviews of their sses and skills next. Sharing abilities wasn''t all thatmon upon first acquaintance, but this was no regr wayfaring team-up: they were owed a basic level of privacy, but arranging one of the prominent teams of their generation meant typical customs went ignored. They went further in-depth about their sses than most candidate teammates would.


    Afterward, practical demonstrations took ce. As was natural, Astrid and Rosalie were the first to step into the training area with their weapons bared. They would, after all, have a particrly close dynamic, with Rosalie''s newest skill granting notable boosts when she fought alongside Astrid. And each of them was eager to get the other''s measure simply as a matter of their natures.


    With the two girls being the center of attention, Zoey had an opportunity to ask questions.


    "So," she said to Maddy, who, as a Sovereign''s daughter, was as close to as well-informed as Rosalie herself, perhaps. "The Harkvalen?"


    Maddy stole a nce at Zoey, attention mostly upied on the fight in front of them, in which the red-haired berserker was wielding her enormous dragon''s scale as both defensive implement and weapon. The fight had broken out without hesitation. "Oh," she said. "Right, you wouldn''t know of them, would you? Hm." She pursed her lips. "The Fractures are filled with more than just the two Highguilds and the Sovereign. Those three are the three major yers, I guess you could call it, but there are smaller entities like the Harkvalen n. Their territory is only a single fracture, but it''s one of the biggest known—tens of dozens times the size of Mantle''s."


    "Oh, wow," Zoey said. Mantle was already arge fracture, a decently sized realm in and of itself.


    "It''s mostly ice and snow there," Maddy said. "And crawling with dangerous monsters. Nearly as dangerous as a shard, depending where you go, or so I''ve heard. I''ve never been." She hummed thoughtfully, eyes tracking the rapid movements of the two fighters ahead of them. It was quite the show; Zoey nearly lost focus on the conversation too, jolting back only when Maddy continued after her long pause. "The Harkvalen themselves are known for their bloodline, mostly. It''s a really, really strong ability that almost all of their warriors get to varying degrees. It''s not a surprise their culture shaped the way it did when berserking is foundational to their n." She stirred as if realizing something. "I''m sorry, were you asking something in specific, or did you just want an overview?"


    "Just an overview," Zoey said. "Or anything you think I might need to know. It''s obvious she''s …" she paused as she considered how to phrase it. "That we have cultural differences," she finished.


    For the most part, the people she''d met had been fairly sensible, at least when moderating her expectations to a semi-medieval fantasy world. The homogeneity was likely thanks to sticking to ''civilized'' parts of the Fractures; the Deepshunters Guild was, in a way, a single particr empire in which she''d met both Delta and Maddy. The Harkvalen n seemed like something different, based on Astrid''s bluntness, ent, and form of dress.


    "Hm," Maddy said. "I think you''ve gotten the picture from how she introduced herself. And I don''t know the particrs either. The Harkvalen aren''t <em>super </em>important, after all. And mostly they''re warriors, they haven''t put out a single notable mage. So my family wasn''t interested in them, and thus I didn''t learn much." She chewed on her lip, sending a nce her way. "We can talk more about itter, I''m sure."


    A slight intonation of her voice told Zoey that there were things she wanted to mention but couldn''t, not with Enzo standing nearby, also watching the fight. The man had separated himself from her, Maddy, and Delta, but was well within hearing distance even for a regr man.


    And Enzo could probably hear across the city, right? Maybe not, but senses did improve the higher advancement a person climbed, and Enzo was eighth. So trying to sneak a whispered exnation next to him would be a bit stupid. An attempt to use an illusion to covertly mute their conversation would be equally ridiculous. Enzo was no mage, but Zoey doubted he couldn''t sense magic or see through it if he wanted to.


    She wondered what exactly Maddy was omitting, but she''d find out shortly. Likely, it had to do with her ss. Or maybe the Harkvalen''s perception of sex? Were they more prudish than other cultures? It could be a number of things, so there wasn''t much point making a thousand guesses.


    She might have mused over the topic more anyway out of curiosity, but her attention was grabbed by the escting fight. It had started slow and exploratory, the two participants testing each other''s guard and movements, but now the spar had worked into a full heat. Perhaps fittingly, Rosalie yed the aggressor and Astrid the defender, and however furious and precise her spearwork, her expert maneuvering always resulted in the ornate d''Celestin heirloom being caught face-first or pped away by the dragon scale.


    On rare asions, Astrid would sneak in her own attack, shifting the weight of her shield minutely beforeshing out like a viper with the sharp tip aimed at her opponent. Rosalie, of course, dodged those attacks easily, but the two girls actually seemed evenly matched, something Zoey hadn''t seen until this point.


    "Damn," Delta muttered. "She''s good." The statement sounded begrudgingly admiring.


    And of course she was good. That had been a given for the person Enzo chose to apany his daughter—particrly the one given the position of <em>guardian</em>, who would be responsible for keeping her safe. But seeing a world-ss talent demonstrate their hard-earned skill was always a breathtaking sight, and two of them at once was another matter altogether.


    Another sense of surreality struck Zoey. How had <em>she </em>ended up with women like these on her team? She''d been getting that sense of insecurity less often, but it still arrived on asion. She had a long way to go before she could stand shoulder to shoulder with Rosalie—or any of her teammates.


    Finally, skills started to join the mix. Astrid''s eyes darkened from their emerald green, gaining a tinge of what Zoey assumed was red, even if the minor calling of her bloodline only resulted in a dark green. A misty red bubble appeared around her which physically repelled Rosalie''s attacks, allowing Astrid to go on the offensive. Rosalie started to rely on Reach, her spear bending and distorting in odd ways, attacking from angles that didn''t quite make sense. A use of Impale shattered Astrid''s Crimson Barrier, but the berserker was wise enough to not have relied on it: Rosalie''s spear soared through the defense, but Astrid had positioned herself to deflect the blow, and not just that, follow up with an attack of her own.


    The fight carried on for nearly a full minute, before finally, both of them tiring, Rosalie scored the first decisive blow. Her spear streaked out for Astrid''s throat, the woman barely failing to deflect or dodge for once.


    And then Enzo was there, Zoey not even having seen him move, holding both spear and shield in either of his hands, stopping the spar as both girls mmed to a halt, weapons frozen in time by the grip of the strongest man in the world.


    "First blood to Rosalie," Enzo said, sounding pleased by the result.


    He let go of their weapons, and they pulled back. Astrid seemed furious, eyes dark green, but despite that anger, she said in a calm voice: "Excellent. You''re as good as I''ve heard."


    Rosalie inclined her head cautiously. "You as well."


    Astrid took a deep, stabilizing breath, and Zoey wondered how potent the mind-influencing grasp of a berserking skill was. How altered was her mental state, right now? And what did a lifetime of training even <em>look</em> like, when it came to such a thing? She was, despite the fury on her face, speaking with easy calm. It was a strange sight.


    "Now," Astrid said, attention turning to the three spectators. "Demonstrations from the rest of you?"