Ice frosted over the trees, shattering when Dino crashed through them. Yareli yelped as ice gathered around her feet, tearing herself free before it could engulf her.
"Astonishing," her father said, eyes sparkling with interest. "His power has evolved even further. Fenrir isn't the only person with a unique connection to her Uhyre key."
A pang of grief struck Yareli as her father avoided using her true name. She pretended it didn't bother her, but that was a lie. Memories of their lives together flooded her mind, both joyful and sad.
The remembrance that stung the hardest was when her mother passed away. She'd only been a small pup then, barely older than five. She'd never forget her father's tortured expression when he explained her mother wouldn't be coming back. Her young mind hadn't understood the implications, certain her father had been mistaken. Hadn't her mother promised she'd be right back after grabbing something from a nearby convenience store three blocks away? And gang violence hadn't been as fierce back then. Her father hadn't been the same since. Had that simple tragedy driven him to turn his daughter toward the gym?
Wilson's rooster eyes lit with pleasure. "You continue to astound me, Dino Rizzo. Show Fenrir Ymir's full might. I'll play with this one. Valkyries, return for repairs. I can't afford to allow you to receive any more damage."
"If you're sure?" Abbey gave Yareli a weary sidelong glance, reluctant to abandon the battle, but her armor moved sluggishly. Jörmungandr's poison had ruined its power system. With pieces of their armor exposing flesh, it was too dangerous to continue the battle.
"I agree. That's an order." Halvorsen crossed his arms, giving a glare that demanded obedience. The Valkyries acquiesced, retreating into the manor. Only ID-01 lagged, removing her helmet and staring at Yareli with her typical, unreadable expression. Moments later, she vanished, leaving the big guns to fight amongst themselves.
"Just creepy. I can't imagine staring at someone with my own face." Dino shook his monstrous bear's head, somehow conveying uneasiness.
Pain lanced through Fenrir's belly as Wilson unleashed an energy bolt into her, giving an irritated grunt. "Forget it, do your duty."
"You got it, boss." Though Dino threw Yareli a sympathetic smile. "Ready to play?"
With dazzling speed, she darted around the wave of frosty fog to slash at her opponent's exposed back. But intense cold coursed through her arm as the blow connected, freezing her arm in place. Agony struck her as Dino backhanded her, shattering the ice and several trees. Yareli's legs faltered as she struggled to stand.
"Come on, little pup. Don't tell me you're quitting already?" Jörmungandr asked, his tone taunting. With surprising deftness, he slipped behind Wilson. The rooster monster, however, intercepted the backstabbing blow with Yareli's sword.
"Never." The rage settled in Yareli's stomach, black as night, demanding blood and vengeance. The scales in her arms rippled as she grabbed a nearby tree with both arms, tearing it free, roots and all. It whipped toward Dino's head with her animalistic strength.
Dino cursed as the trunk shattered into splinters on impact. While pieces had frozen, it hadn't been quick enough to stop it completely. It staggered him, but the blow only annoyed the bear monster. Yareli skulked around her larger prey, predatory instincts sniffing for weak points.
Jörmungandr's luck wasn't proving any better. The Midgard Serpent's sword trailed purple lines in the air as his frantic swinging drove Wilson back. The Ymir president wasn't taking any chances, knowing the slightest cut from the serpent's venom-tipped tooth sword would spell his doom. The rooster monster refused to make it easy—a stone wall smashed into pebbles as a sonic cry caused Jörmungandr to careen through it.
"You're undisciplined," Wilson said, standing at the hole's precipice. He pointed Fenrir's gun toward Jörmungandr's head. "You can't win. This battle is pointless. Why are you even fighting against me? We don't need to be enemies. I can make it worth your while if you join Ymir. We need capable men like you."
Before the Midgard Serpent could reply, Wilson jerked in surprise as something charged him from behind. It was Anderson, key in hand. He ran with a noticeable limp, favoring his right leg. It, however, made him no less determined.
"Terrorize!" As the detective's features changed, becoming more fox-like, Anderson threw his arms around Wilson from behind.
"Pointless." Wilson's head twisted around, Anderson staggering from an elbow to his elongated fox nose. He released Wilson, leaving him open to a point-blank sonic cry. The part of Yareli's mind that still retained its humanity grieved for her brave, foolish friend. But restraining Wilson hadn't been the fox's intention—a rivulet of blood oozed from a sudden slash on the rooster monster's sword arm. Fenrir's weapon plopped onto the rain-soaked grass.
"Yareli!" Her waiting hand grabbed the weapon midair as Anderson scooped up and threw it. Agony filled his fox-like features as he received a blow to the head, the mud soaked with his blood as his transformation failed.
"Fight with your humanity," Anderson's coughing, choking voice said. "Don't lash out—think. You're not a monster!"
Yareli stared at her weapon as if she'd never seen it before. What had she been doing? She'd surrendered her mind to her animistic fury too easily. Her father had trained her better than this. With a calming sigh, Yareli placed aside her existential troubles for a later date. She couldn't allow any more distractions. The ice shattered as Yareli switched her weapon to gun mode, shooting herself free.
"Thanks. I needed to hear that."
"Round 2, then?" Dino's bear-like face broke into a delighted grin. "I thought it was getting too easy."
With claws raised to strike, the earth boomed as Dino charged with full force. Yareli didn't miss a beat, firing a barrage of bolts into the bear's face. Dino flinched, throwing a wild slash at his opponent. She pirouetted away, but the frigid air froze Yareli stiff. Her body screamed in pain as his next claw swipe flung her across the lawn.
Yareli changed tack, pivoting to fire upon Wilson instead. While it hadn't caught him off guard, he hadn't been quick enough to dodge. The Ymir president stumbled in place, leaving him wide open for Jörmungandr's deadly blade to leap forward and bite at him. Its tip slipped past as Wilson's sonic cry flung himself to safety. The uncontrolled launch sent him barreling into the nearest building, shattering wood and almost collapsing it.
"Damn." Yareli grimaced, watching the top floor of her childhood home get demolished. Little of her father's study remained intact, his books and computer smashed. She hoped Rebecca had finished her business.
"Tricky little—" The Midgard Serpent grunted in annoyance before joining her side, readying his blade against Dino.
"Who are you?" Yareli peered at the other Ragnadriver user in suspicion. "Why are you helping me?"
"Ymir's destruction works to both our benefit. Isn't that enough?" Jörmungandr replied.
"We'll work together, for now."
"Sure thing, little pup." Together, they charged Dino, attacking from either side. Jörmungandr's sword bit the bear monster's neck, but the ice stopped it millimeters short. But Yareli's energy bolts shattered the ice, allowing the tip to slice a thin cut through Dino's neck.
"No." Dino coughed, grabbing at his neck. Yareli grimaced as the white fur and skin grew sick and dead, dying before her eyes. Dear God, she hadn't expected Jörmungandr's poison to be that dangerous. She stood stunned, not meaning to kill the man.
"Don't look so surprised, little pup," Jörmungandr said, unperturbed as his poison worked its deadly magic. "Remember the ancient legends? The Midgard Serpent's poison killed the mighty Thor—a god!"
While difficult to notice with his monstrous features, Dino looked sick and pale, the life draining from his body. Yet Dino forced himself to his feet, roaring in defiance.
"Idiot, move!" Jörmungandr dragged Yareli back as a claw swipe almost took her head. The Midgard Serpent readied for another round of combat, but Yareli's desire to fight had wilted away. Her actions had gotten another person killed.
"Don't think I'm dead yet!" Ice gathered in Dino's twin claws. With two wild swipes, he unleashed a barrage of ice spikes.
Yareli blasted several from the air, but they were too numerous to defend against. One survivor slammed into her midsection, and she collapsed to one knee. Jörmungandr wasn't so lucky, howling in pain as he suffered the full barrage. His armor shimmered before disappearing, reverting to his untransformed state. The well-dressed, dark-haired man shivered as ice gathered around his body, freezing him to the ground.
"Who?" Yareli's words became slurred, her remaining strength waning. Her transformation failed, reverting her to skeletal form. Much to her surprise, she'd regained her humanoid appearance.
"Sten Simensen?" Wilson said, also returned to his original form. He stepped from the broken remains of her father's house. "Why am I not surprised? Come to remove the competition with stolen technology?"
"Heh, we almost beat you," Simensen said with a coughing laugh. The ice continued to spread across his body, turning him into a human slab of ice.
"I won!" Dino's words hurt as he spoke, yet he remained overjoyed at his victory. His body convulsed, and his transformation shattered, revealing a sight that twisted Yareli's stomach. The poison had spread across his neck to his chest, reducing his skin to a sickly black. He collapsed, rendered unconscious by the pain.
"Valkyries, you're needed." Wilson reached for a pulse on Dino's right wrist. After a beat, he nodded in satisfaction, relieved his subordinate still lived.
"Sir." The taller Valkyrie, Abbey, appeared, landing from the air.
"Miss Lange, this man requires medical attention! God-killing poison or not, I'm not losing him so easily." Wilson's voice contained more urgency than Yareli had expected.
"And her?" Abbey swung her helmeted head toward Yareli.
"I'll handle her. Get going." Wilson's voice brokered no arguments.
The Valkyrie stared at Yareli for several long moments, expression unreadable under her helmet, before taking to the air, Dino's unconscious body in tow.
"Now, to deal with you, too." Ymir's president stared down the barrel of Yareli's gun without flinching as she pointed it toward his head with a shaky hand.
"Real or not, I applaud your efforts, Ilma. You are strong, like your father," Wilson said. Yareli stayed silent, continuing the staring battle with her enemy. "I apologize that I'm required to kill you."
"I'm not finished yet." Yareli fumbled with her key, her skeletal hands weak and clumsy, but reinserted her wolf key regardless. "Henshin!"
"Good. We should finish this standing up. Terrorize!"
Rain pelted against the two combatants as they stared each other down. Wilson stood tall and imperious, arms crossed and standing like an unmovable mountain. Yareli, in contrast, could barely keep her legs from collapsing beneath her. She kept a tight grip on her weapon, waiting for her opponent to act first.
Instead of attacking, Wilson took pleasure in remaining in their standoff. "You truly are your father's daughter, Fenrir. Stubborn to the last."
Somewhere, Fenrir's hearing detected Halvorsen watching from the shadows, eyes intent on the ultimate outcome. If Yareli fell, would her father grieve for his daughter a second time? Despite the contention between them, Yareli loathed putting him through such heartache. Her hand strengthened on her blade, her weariness forgotten. She would win this.
Without warning, Wilson opened his beak for a sonic cry. The burst of high-frequency destruction came as expected, but Yareli enacted her counter-plan. Her weapon glowed with power as she inserted her Uhyre key, shooting beneath her.
"Dead Spike!"
The blast reduced the lawn to a smoking crater, but the explosion blew her over Wilson's sonic cry. Her body was flung wildly through the air, but she recovered quickly. Bolts crashed into Wilson's face from above, staggering him. Pain lanced through her body as she landed heavily behind Wilson. Yareli momentarily lost control of her limbs, almost dropping her weapon from her nerveless fingers. After regaining control, her opponent readied another sonic cry.
With a shaky hand, she clawed around for her gun and reinserted her Uhyre Key. Yareli only had moments until Wilson brought his sonic cry to bear. Her weapon switched to sword mode, and she stumbled the short distance between them. But her hand remained steady, blazing energy gathering around her blade as it trembled with power.
"Torrent Fang!" Its edge met Wilson's chest as he turned to unleash his own final attack. The full force of Yareli's ultimate attack crashed into the Ymir president, cutting short his sonic cry. Energy sparked from his Angra Armlet as it overloaded and exploded in sparks. Wilson collapsed behind Yareli, his body morphing to its original form, blood gushing from a gash in his chest.
"I did it. I won." Yareli collapsed to one knee, her transformation flashing away.
"Unbelievable." Halvorsen stared, eyes widened in shock.
"As expected. Not so great now, eh, Wilson?" Anderson stumbled toward her, helping her stand. "I'm not expecting any more trouble?" He gave Yareli's father a pointed glare.
"No, she isn't going anywhere," ID-01 said, appearing from behind a tree, sword ready in her grip. Yareli didn't miss a beat, switching her weapon to gun mode and pointing it at the doppelgänger's head. Despite the Valkyrie's damaged armor, ID-01 seemed ready to resume the violence.
"No, ID-01. Let them escape." Halvorsen gave a stern shake of his head. "I'm not prepared to lose you too. Besides, in her condition, I doubt she'd be much of a threat to our plans."
"This isn't over, Fenrir." ID-01 sheathed her sword and watched her prey hobble toward a nearby alley. Yareli kept her weapon ready in case they attempted anything, but they left without incident. Her head jerked as she remembered something, glancing back to search for the other Ragnadriver user. Unsurprisingly, the snake had slithered away during the ensuing conflict. Shaking her head, they entered the detective's battered old car and drove off.
---
"Not a threat to our plans?" Wilson raised a speculative eyebrow, hunching over his desk. It bothered his injured middle, so he lightened the pressure.
"Fenrir and her Jotnar allies are in rough shape. I doubt they'll cause any trouble for the time being. Our plans have almost come to fruition anyway." Halvorsen gave a faint shrug.
Wilson studied his old friend for several long moments. "Are you relieved we lost?"
"I don't know." Halvorsen's body sagged, his face aging by decades in moments. "I only pray she doesn't become more of a bother."
"She's your daughter. I doubt that's likely." Wilson noted that his old friend didn't argue against Fenrir being his daughter. "Still, I don't mind losing. In my book, humility is a useful lesson. And Dino Rizzo obtained an even greater power with his Uhyre key."
"Only useful if he survives."
"He will. Dino is strong, too." Wilson's enforcer was in the emergency ward of the local Ymir-owned hospital, treated by the world's best doctors. "Like Fenrir, he's developed a curious connection to his Uhyre Key. Their connection will defeat the poison attacking his system."
"That's good news." A buzz came from Halvorsen's pocket, and he checked his text messages. "Better news. We completed the third Rangadriver. I'll have it delivered to your office shortly. Excuse me, I must be going."
Wilson nodded in acknowledgment, watching his friend's back as he left. Poor Halvorsen. Fate was cruel to him. His dark mood evaporated as Lauper entered with a silver-backed suitcase.
"Is that it?"
"It is." Lauper opened the case to reveal a curious alteration to the Rangadriver's design. They had fashioned it into a gun, not unlike Fenrir's powerful weapon. The runes on its surface glinted in the light. In the foam casing next to it was a new Uhyre Key, emblazoned with a skull—one half black, the other white.
"Not a belt?" Wilson asked, plucking the device from the suitcase. It had a surprising amount of heft, but was well-balanced and comfortable in his grip.
"No. This version offers less strain on its user. Anyone can use it, but only with a compatible Uhyre Key," Lauper replied.
"Shame." Wilson had been eager to try his Uhyre Key with the device. They'd developed a powerful bond. It seemed a shame to abandon it. His instincts told him the device didn't belong to him—but Wilson didn't mind, placing aside his disappointment. "We'll begin the test run tomorrow. One of the Valkyries can try it out. Pihu Anand seems like an excellent candidate. She has a good head on her shoulders."
"I'll tell her." Lauper exited the office, leaving Wilson alone with his thoughts. With the newest Rangadriver's completion, his goals could finally come to fruition. The peaceful future he dreamed of would become a reality.
A knock at the door interrupted his musings.
"Sir?" Reine said, poking her head into his office.
"Reine! How are you?" Wilson said, wearing a broad smile, always pleased to see Ymir's premier idol.
"Okay, I guess." The Ymir idol rubbed at her arm. "The Valkyries were involved in a huge battle, but they didn't allow me to help. It was against the skeleton monster, right?"
"Fenrir, yes. I realize you're a member of the Valkyries, but she's a dangerous foe. I only meant your membership to be a publicity stunt, never to participate in actual battles. Still, I'm glad you lent Ms. Lange your armor. It saved a life."
"It's alright. I'm only an idol. I could only watch from the sidelines." Reine gave a self-deprecating laugh. Her eyes trailed toward the Rangadriver on Wilson's desk. "What's that? May I?"
"Go ahead," Wilson said. "That's our newest project. It will change how warfare is conducted forever."
"Really?" Reine's eyes expanded into saucers, examining the gun-like device in her hands with reverence.
"It will ensure Ymir will be the world's leading corporation for many years."
"I'm afraid that will never happen," Reine said, ice creeping into her voice.
"Sorry?" Wilson froze as Ymir's famous idol pointed the Rangadriver at his chest. From her expression, this wasn't a playful joke.
"What are you doing?" Wilson backed further into his chair, causing his chest wound to ache. The weapon pointed toward him made that a minor concern, however.
"I can't tell you how much I despised being your pet—playing dress-up for your amusement, being displayed on live TV like a pretty, empty-headed doll." Reine's face twisted into a cruel smile. "But it was worth it for this moment alone."
She inserted the Uhyre Key into the slot beneath the Rangadriver's grip. "Henshin." With a twist of her wrist, she jabbed the barrel into her left arm and fired.
Wilson flinched as light consumed his office, Reine's body glowing with brilliant radiance. A dark fire erupted from her right palm, consuming half her body. Armor formed as the white and black flame dissipated.
Her armor had two halves, echoing her previous Valkyrie design. One side was blackened, corroded, and dying—metal rusting away. The other was regal and queenly, glowing white with intricate runic etchings. Half her helmet seemed melted, revealing a bleached skull beneath. Atop her head rested a golden crown, magnificent and gleaming.
"What do you think? Worthy of a god? Hel seems appropriate. It fits me."
"Why?" Wilson's mind raced. What was happening? What was her game?
"Why? Because you killed my sister!" Venom spat from Reine's usually lovely voice, twisting it into something monstrous. "Your ridiculous experiment got her killed."
"Mallory Cotillard?" Wilson said, the details falling into place. Cotillard was an orphan. An only child. Wait—didn't Reine also come from an orphanage?
"Now that I know everything, I can enact my vengeance on everyone involved in her death." Behind her helmet, Wilson could hear the cruel smile in her voice as she fired a volley of bolts into his chest.