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  Though he was slight of frame, the uniform he wore was widely respected, the Aegis having high standards for the people they let into, and keep within, their ranks.

  Indeed, the first week of training had been a nightmare for the young man; he did more push-ups in those seven days than in his entire life, it always seemed like everything he did was wrong and the instructors weren’t shy about telling him so, loudly and frequently.

  He had taken some comfort in that he wasn’t the only one struggling or being yelled at, there were twenty-five other recruits in his class that started their training when he had, not including their own monster girls, and with few exceptions they seemed to fare just as well as him.

  They were now down to fourteen.

  Without his bond-mates, he doubted he would have been able to go on.

  Whenever they felt his resolve wavering, or felt the sensitive young man’s emotions getting the best of him, they would flood his mind with their own determination, usually accompanied with thoughts of recent love-making.

  With that intense portion of their training behind them, not to mention having finally figured out how to properly stand at attention so as not to get yelled at, the real work for the cadets was about to begin.

  The white uniform Nameless now wore was therefore an impressive achievement, and people knew it.

  Many in the street who would otherwise not give him a second glance were openly smiling at him, some even nodding their heads in respect.

  And that was aside from the company he kept, because as impressive as his new uniform was, the residents of the city of Garland were in complete awe of Volka Gundrsdotter.

  Word had long since spread of her battle with Evadne in Divinity Square, though details were a bit sketchy as to who and what the reclusive Chimera was.

  Most knew that the Valkyrie and a small group of Amazons had fought... something, and that Xalanth had interceded, breaking most every window in the city when the Dragon breathed on Jonathan and the dark monster.

  Any complaints that might have been aired about the catastrophic loss of glass faded to nothing when people saw the state of their beloved city center.

  Evadne’s magic had left a multitude of deep circular holes all around the cobblestones square, while Xalanth’s destructive contribution was a blackened swath of rippled and glassy-smooth stone near the statue of the Aegis and the last Valkyrie.

  Meanwhile vibrant moss, roots and vines had sprung up all over the corner nearest the Bastion where the Dryad groves had tended to the wounded, including Nameless.

  So needless to say when people saw the Valkyrie in the street they took notice, even Nina drew less attention, despite how rare Gigas were on this side of the Sansee.

  With little understanding of where she had been or why, the local monster girls would stop whatever they were doing to take a moment to welcome the angel back, tearful hugs abounded the first few times that she went into the city.

  Initially the humans were more reserved, nervous in the face of the angelic warrior, but that tapered off once they got a taste of her easy laughter and the warmth of her spirit.

  Not to mention her sense of humour; word soon spread about her proclivity for silly pranks.

  It was like she had been set loose on an unsuspecting population; no one was safe, even Margaret Bloom, the scar-faced councilwoman in charge of overseeing the entire academy, woke up one morning to discover that her entire bed had been moved right next to one of the Undine training pools, with her still in it.

  No one knows how the angel pulled that one off. Though they would all remember the sight of the furious woman in her drenched nightgown as she stormed back to her chambers.

  None of Volka’s activities could ever be traced back to the mischievous angel, though Nameless would often contend that he got more push-ups than anyone else due to her games.

  Today was no exception in terms of the attention that the Valkyrie drew, but walking beside her with his crisp new uniform, Nameless no longer went unnoticed.

  Chapter 3:

  Potential

  Erica had split up with the others, heading back to the market quarter on her mystery mission, while the rest accompanied Ophelia to the boarding school on the edge of the city of Garland.

  Given the chaos the arrival of the eclectic group caused amongst the children the first time they had visited, most of them ended up staying outside, waiting on Nameless and Ophelia.

  The school was a trio of enormous stone building, three stories tall, with dozens of children and teachers living there.

  Due to it being situated on the edge of the city, from the upper stories of any of the buildings the inhabitants could look out over the stout stone walls to see the valleys and mountains that surrounded Garland.

  Having never been to any sort of school, Milly was fascinated with the place, and spent some time just wandering the grounds and looking about with curious eyes.

  The laughter of children soon drew the monster girl’s attention to a little hedge-maze that abutted the eastern-most building.

  For the briefest of moments she caught sight of an angel’s wings between the snow covered hedges.

  Curious, she moved to investigate.

  As she got closer she heard youthful voices, strung together with her bond-sister’s mature words.

  Well, mature sounding anyways.

  “-and if you finish the knot like this, your teacher won’t even notice until it’s too late!”

  “Whoa!”

  “Cool!”

  Milly rounded the corner of the maze entrance to spot Volka amidst a group of schoolchildren, holding a tied bit of string between her fingers.

  The Valkyrie looked up to meet Milly’s puzzled expression, then smiled wide and drew her audience’s attention to the Minotaur.

  “Uh-oh, busted! Quick, hide me!”

  She crouched low and folded her wings over herself, the children immediately getting in on her game by standing in a huddle between her and Milly.

  “Nothing to see here!” One of them said.

  “Yeah!” Volka called from beneath her wings; “I can’t see you so you can’t see me! Nark!”

  Milly blinked in confusion.

  “What’s a nark?”

  In unison the children all laughingly pointed at the Minotaur.

  “You are!”

  “Yeah! The golden lady said so!”

  “Nark!”

  A little hurt, she put her hand to her chest.

  “I’m not a nark! I-I don’t even know what that is.”

  At the Minotaur’s pout Volka gave up the charade, unfurling her wings and standing upright again, her translucent golden feathers grazing over the heads of some of the taller children, causing them to duck and giggle.

  “Oh hello Milly, didn’t see you there. Everyone, this is my bond-sister Milly, and I can vouch that she isn’t a nark.”

  “What’s a nark?” Milly repeated with an exasperated stomp of one hoof in the packed snow.

  With a quick flap of her wings Volka sailed over the children who all whooped and shouted gleefully at the sudden acrobatics, their breaths cloudy from the cold as their faces tracked her flight.

  She set down in front of Milly and embraced her, whispering in her ear.

  “I’m not entirely sure. One of the children said it earlier so I was just running with it.”

  When she pulled away Volka noticed the Minotaur’s suspicious gaze on her.

  “What is it?”

  Milly’s scowl deepened.

  “Did you put something down my back again?”

  The Valkyrie drew her head back in surprise.

  “No, of course not.” She said innocently.

  But Milly’s expression remained distrustful as she checked herself over.

  It took a minute or so before she was satisfied nothing was amiss, all the while Volka watched her, working to hide a smile.

  “Is Ophelia ready to leave?”

  The cow-girl shrugge
d.

  “I don’t know. It has been a while though.”

  “Then let us go and find out.” Volka turned to the inhabitants of the boarding school; “It was nice meeting you, children. And remember what I said: a joke is only funny if everybody is laughing.”

  With her back to Milly, she made a shushing motion with one finger against her lips.

  Even with the angel’s warning, the children still giggled and snickered when the two monster girls turned to leave, Volka quickly plucking away the note that she had just pinned on the Minotaur’s back.

  “You really like children don’t you?” Milly asked as they exited the maze and headed back towards the stout school building where their master was.

  Volka put her arm low around her bond-sister’s waist, while the pleased cow in turn put her own arm over the Valkyrie’s to return the embrace as they walked.

  “I do. They are the truest measure of mankind’s potential for kindness. Ophelia sees this as well.”

  Milly sighed.

  “I haven’t been around them a lot. Or at all really, except for one time when Master first took me to Ophelia’s orphanage.”

  “That is a shame, but maybe one day we can correct that.” She shot her a speculative look as they walked along; “My dear Milly, you would make an amazing mother.”

  Milly turned pink at the praise.

  “N-no, I couldn’t! I mean, I wouldn’t know what to say, or how to say it!”

  The warm chuckle of the angel at her side chased away her feeling of awkwardness.

  “My own mother once said to me that motherhood was the only job in the world that you could never prepare yourself for.” She stood on the tips of her toes to kiss Milly on the side of her head; “You would be amazing at it. I promise you.”

  “You learned a lot from her.” Milly said slowly, a hint of regret seeping into her words.

  “I did.” Volka tilted her head up to consider her bond-sister’s wistful expression; “Milly, I don’t want to open up old injuries, but... have you considered looking for your mother?”

  The Minotaur stopped walking, shocked beyond words.

  She had not considered it, at least not seriously.

  Volka stepped in front of her, ignoring the whispering of some nearby people as they took in the sight of her glorious form.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you-”

  “You didn’t!” Milly said immediately, then repeated herself, calmer this time; “You didn’t, you just surprised me.”

  Not wanting to keep the others waiting they started walking again.

  It was only when they rounded the corner of the central building that Milly broke the silence between them again.

  “Do you, I mean, do you really think that would be possible? To find my mother?”

  Volka was slow to answer, wanting to articulate herself as well as she could.

  “Milly, I’m sure that if we worked together, we could find her someday. I am also sure that we would have no shortage of people willing to help.”

  Their conversation was cut short however when Nina pushed off from leaning on the stone wall by the front entrance.

  “Hey golden-tits, mind if I borrow our bond-sister for a moment?”

  She had been standing guard while Nameless and Ophelia were inside, her vigilance undeterred by the big city and the proximity of the Aegis.

  “Of course, oh Mighty Destroyer of Worlds.” Volka replied sarcastically.

  “Finally someone gets it.” Nina nodded in approval; “Come on Milly, we need to talk.”

  She walked briskly towards the main gate, the Minotaur closely behind.

  “What is it?” Milly asked when Nina turned to face her.

  The Gigas set her hammer down and leaned back against the wall, the noise of the children playing and learning within was much quieter outside the stone wall as she stared at her bond-sister.

  “Something I’ve been neglecting for way too long.” She answered finally.

  The Minotaur’s apprehension spiked at the giant’s grim tone.

  It took the little red monster a few minutes to gather her thoughts before she would explain.

  “When you and Erica first wanted to learn to fight, why did you go to the Amazons instead of me?”

  Milly’s eyes widened and her mouth worked as she tried to find words.

  “Nina we-”

  But Nina answered for her.

  “I’m not complaining, just making a point. You did it because you thought I was out of your league, maybe you didn’t know it consciously but there it is. Same reason you would never have asked Xalanth.”

  The cow girl frowned, processing the giant’s words.

  “M-maybe?”

  Inside, they heard some more children making a noisy fuss over Volka, which distracted them both for a moment, until Nina continued.

  “Before Evadne, I was more than happy to let the Amazons train you. Even when we got home and I knew she was around, I focused on my own shit, in my head I saw her showing up and me standing between her and all of you.” The Gigas ground her teeth together as she remembered the sight of Milly slumped against the ruined Hornet hive; “I was so focused on making sure I was ready that I didn’t do a damn thing to make sure that you were.”

  Milly couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat so instead she fell to her knees, reaching out and hugging her strongest sister.

  Nina hugged her back, but the embrace was brief as she wasn’t done talking.

  “It’s time for me to do what I should have done months ago.”

  The Minotaur leaned back and tilted her head to one side in confusion.

  “What do you-”

  “It’s time I taught you how to fight outside your weight class.”

  Milly’s mouth fell open in surprise.

  “Neat hat by the way.” Nina added as an afterthought.

  Chapter 4:

  Running Wild

  It is often said that while Garland was a city of the old world, Algrade was a city of the new.

  The University City was founded over the richest lost-tech dig-site ever uncovered as some centuries ago thousands of people migrated there for work.

  Never before has the notion ‘first-come first-served’ proved so apt.

  For a few hundred years many fortunes were made on the technological wonders uncovered there, but eventually, perhaps inevitably, the most profitable sites were monopolized by the founding families.

  Today these families live in the city proper, with all sorts of lost-tech conveniences at their disposal, their wealth inherited from ancestors who struck it rich long ago.

  Meanwhile, people eked out a living however they could in the shanty towns outside the city; their own ancestors either too late or too unlucky to have made any significant finds, and now their descendants were either too poor or too stubborn to leave, convinced that all it would take to set their family up for life was one lucky find.

  A rare occurrence, but it happened often enough to keep people digging into the hills and mountains surrounding the city.

  In the midst of this bizarre juxtaposition of wealth and poverty intellectuals from all over the world flocked to the site to study the lost technology even as the hopeful diggers pulled it from the earth.

  Hence why it became known as The University City.

  Though it was certainly famous for its dig-sites, Algrade was also famous for its high society, boasting the largest population of elegant Flutterby anywhere outside of the wilds.

  Sitting at a much higher elevation than even Garland, it was also known for its winters: the locals typically measuring the snowfall in feet rather than inches.

  One such snowfall had taken place the previous night and had insulated the city with its icy blanket, enforcing a sacred hush on the city that muffled most sounds.

  All but the loudest.

  “Gangway!!”

  There were a couple of startled exclamations and even a shrill scream of alarm as a
Lapine did nothing to arrest her frantic pace through the narrow and winding streets that abutted the walled-off neighbourhoods of the city center.

  Her blonde hair had streaks of red dyed into it and was cropped close to her bunny ears, which were long and grey with numerous piercings running up the sides.

  “Look out! Hot-stuff coming through!” She said blithely as she deftly leapt over a startled busker and his cart.

  “Hey! Official courier, watch it lady!”

  A woman had walked into the street and obliviously blocked her path with a rolled up carpet over her shoulder. With no time for another leap, the bunny girl ducked under the rug in lieu of being clothes-lined, with one leg leading the way while the other folded beneath her to support her weight as she slid across the icy cobblestones.

  The woman yelped as the bunny girl cheekily slapped her rump on the way past by way of chastisement.

  “Oh! These blasted couriers! They’ll be the death of me I swear!” She complained as she did everything she could to balance the rug on her shoulders and stay on her feet.

  But the energetic young monster girl wasn’t listening, already having regained her footing and resumed her race through the University City. Another fifty yards, not to mention three side streets and a shortcut over the snow covered roof of a shed, and she reached her current destination.

  She rapped her knuckles against the wood frame of the door while using her other arm to unsling her messenger bag from over her shoulder, her breath coming out in icy puffs.

  “Algrade Courier Service! Delivery!” She called out.

  One bare rabbit foot thumped the ground anxiously, her cheeks were flushed with energy beneath her warm pink eyes, the cool winter air no match for the heat her vigorous run was generating in her body.

  “That you Becks?” A muffled voice came from inside.

  “Hullo Miss Abernathy! I have another parcel for you!” She called back.

  A minute or so later a woman of later years opened the door, pulling a woolen shawl tighter around her shoulders to ward off the chill.

  Both eyes were covered with a scarlet wrap but Rebecca had delivered to her many times and knew that she was blind, so she kept talking to help the woman find her way.