War Begins

Carson Beach in Boston, Mass., is where we find Minerva, one of the lead Judges for the Order of Justice and currently one of the trainers for Esmeralda von Krauss’s new batch of Judges known as the Valkyries. She is dark-haired and pale-skinned in a one-piece jade swimsuit as she sits on the beach and watches as the moon rises. 

Working with the Valkyries has proven to be tiring as they are learning how to defend themselves from scratch before they learn how best to assault someone. Tyr has been a help, but he has also been adjusting to the modern age. So, a place away from everyone to unwind is nice. The beach is empty, being nighttime, though the air is still heated. 

She picks up a smartphone beside her and turns on the camera facing her. She holds it over her shoulder, capturing the image of the five people approaching her.

Minerva - I wondered if you would come.

Patrick Lussier and four henchmen stand about ten feet behind her as she drops the smartphone and stands up to face them. 

Patrick Lussier - One of the greatest Judges in Esmeralda’s employ? How could we ignore such an easy target?

Minerva narrows her eyes, keeping her sight on Patrick.

Minerva - You are the one who killed Birthe and Dagny. 

It wasn’t a question; it was an accusation laid at the man’s feet. Patrick just smiles. 

Patrick Lussier - And they were mine to slay. Traitors all of them for leaving my mother’s generous employ.

Minerva - No one deserved the treatment that they were forced to endure. Your mother is a monster for allowing it.

Patrick begins to slowly walk toward Minerva, his henchmen flanking him, two on either side of him.

Patrick Lussier - She has been called worse, Minerva. 

Minerva - I see you know my name. I would ask yours, but the dead need no names. 

Patrick Lussier - Call me…Hector. Kill her. 

The four henchmen all rush at her. Minerva ducks under a wild swing from the nearest henchmen and draws a silver dagger from her right ankle. She shoves the blade into the underside of the man’s jaw before ripping the blade out through his face. She turns and hurls the blade at another close man, the hilt sticking out through his left eye socket. 

A henchman grabs Minerva from behind and gets her into a full nelson hold while the other remaining henchman walks over and begins laying into her with punches to the midsection, chest, and face. The henchman holding her laughs while he holds her.

Henchman - Kill her with her own blade, Karl! 

Karl quits punching her, seeing the bruises beginning to already form and blood trickling from a gash on the side of her face. 

Karl - Yeah, that would serve her right.

Karl walks over to the dead henchman and pulls the silver dagger from his face, taking the eyeball with it. He wipes the eyeball off onto the man’s clothing and turns to Minerva with an evil grin.

Karl - This won’t hurt for very long…

He walks up to her and draws his arm back, but as he thrusts with the blade, Minerva raises her arms and slides down to the ground out of the man’s grip. Karl stabs the other henchman in the heart instead. He looks at the man with wide eyes.

Karl - Sam? SAM! 

Minerva reaches up, grabs the dagger, and rips it from Sam’s chest to spray blood everywhere as Sam’s heart pumps out his life’s blood. She stabs Karl in the crotch before cutting down the inside of one thigh and up the other to sever the arteries down there. Karl falls, his hands going to his crotch as blood pumps out through his legs to kill him in seconds. 

Minerva stands up, covered in blood, and looks over at Patrick.

Minerva - Are you going to fight too? Or is this where you run? Come on, Hector. Make a stand.

Patrick begins walking toward Minerva with a wide grin that seems too wide for a person with far too many teeth showing. Each step he takes, he seems to grow bigger, more muscular, and more…ugly. His hair changes to red and grows until it is nearly waist-length while he grows taller, his skin taking on a bruised purple, and his fingers ending in claws. His clothing tears along the seams as he expands. Minerva watches as he advances for a moment, her jaw hanging open in shock.

Minerva - What…what are you?

Patrick Lussier - The dead need no answers. 

When Patrick stands before Minerva, he is nearly nine feet tall, his clothing in shredded remains hanging loose on his purple-skinned body. 

Minerva - Shit…

Minerva slashes at Patrick’s hand as he reaches for her. He draws his hand back quickly, but only a mild scratch drips dark blood onto the sand. He lunges again, knocking the silver blade from her hand and grabbing her up into a bear hug. He laughs as he squeezes her tight, feeling her ribcage start to give and her spine pop from the pressure. Minerva headbutts him in the nose hard enough to make it bleed, and he drops her to the sand so that he can hold onto his bleeding nose. 

Minerva lies on the ground, holding her ribcage and knowing with almost certainty that more than one rib was broken. She grabs her silver blade as Patrick wipes tears from his eyes as a result of the headbutt. She drives the blade into his belly with both hands, burying the blade to the hilt. She tries to rip the blade upward, but the blade remains stuck fast in the wound. Patrick lets out a howl of pain and swipes at Minerva with his claw, catching her across the chest, tearing through swimsuit and flesh while knocking her back a few feet, blood flying through the air as she falls. 

Patrick Lussier - You little bitch! 

He reaches down and grabs her by the leg, swings her up through the air, and slams her into the sand. He then leans over her and grabs her by the shoulders. He lifts her up and slams her into the sand a few more times. He then stands up and swings his fists high up into the air while leaning over and goes to slam those fists into her, but she manages to reach up with a foot and kick the pommel of the silver blade, jamming it into his body totally! Patrick gasps in pain and bucks up a few steps, thus giving Minerva some breathing room to stand up. 

The top of the swimsuit, torn through by claws, flutters down to her midsection, revealing her wounded breasts. She chases after Patrick and brings him down with a drop toe hold. She plunges her hand into the wound on his midsection and rips free the silver blade, the blade and her hand covered in dark blood.

Minerva - Now you die, monster!

Minerva leaps onto Patrick’s downed form, intent on driving the silver blade through his skull when Patrick lifts up a hand in defense. The blade goes through his palm so that he can twist his hand and take the blade from her hands. He then hits a palm strike with that hand to her forehead, striking her with the hilt of the blade! She staggers backwards until Patrick strikes her with the back of his hand, using the blade to slash her from left hip to right shoulder. 

Minerva sighs softly as her innards spill from the wound. Patrick sits up with a dark laugh.

Patrick Lussier - I guess you will die by your own blade! 

Minerva - And I’ll take you with me! 

She dives at him to land both feet against his chest to knock him back to a lying position. She grabs her own small intestines and wraps them around his neck to begin strangling him with her own guts. 

Minerva - Die, Hector! DIE!

Patrick tries to grab at the guts wrapped around his throat, but they were too slippery for him to grab onto with his large hands. Instead, he slams her in the side of the head with the silver blade embedded in his hand. Minerva’s eyes go wide, and she falls limp onto him. Patrick breathes a sigh of relief, knocking her off of him, pulling the blade from his hand, and slowly shrinking and changing back to a human form. He picks up his smartphone, which had been dropped when he began to change, and dials a number. 

Patrick Lussier - Mother. Minerva is dead. Cost us four fighters and nearly me, but I killed her in the end. I will leave her on the beach as we discussed. Thank you, mother. 

Patrick holds onto the silver blade as he puts away the smartphone. He looks down at the slain Minerva with a grin.

Patrick Lussier - Best of the Order of Justice…defeated. 

**********
At the Four Seasons Boston in the meeting room, the remaining Valkyries are lined up in the luxurious room with Tyr pacing the floor in front of them. 

Tyr - Today, Minerva is going to attack each of you one at a time, and you are going to use the lessons that you have learned so far to defend yourself.  

One of the Valkyries looks around with a confused expression on her face. Vivian is her Valkyrie name. She is blonde-haired and blue-eyed in a red bodysuit. 

Vivian - Might I ask…where is Minerva? She hasn’t come in yet. 

Tyr - I don’t know. She’s been normally down here before me. Maybe someone can go up and check her room. 

“There’s no need, dahling.”

Esmeralda von Krauss walks into the room in a lovely emerald dress. She has her smartphone out to a news application. 

Tyr - What is that device?

Esmeralda von Krauss - It’s a phone, dahling. I would go into it, but we don’t have the time. A woman matching Minerva’s description was found dead on the beach. I am going to go down to the morgue and see if the body that they have is really Glinda Hall.

When no one seems to recognize the name, Esmeralda frowns. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Oh. Minerva’s name before she became one of my Goddesses. 

Tyr - And you want me to continue their training while you are gone? 

Esmeralda nods, texting the limo driver to get ready to take her for a ride.

Esmeralda von Krauss - I need these girls to be ready for the threats that they will be facing in the coming days before I have vanquished them. Be careful with them, Tyr. 

Tyr bows his head solemnly. 

Tyr - I will take care of these Valkyries. They will be slaying their targets in no time at all.

Esmeralda von Krauss - Good. I knew it was wise to have freed you. I am your only true ally after all; otherwise, Heimdall would have found you for Odin a long time ago. 

Tyr - The thought had occurred to me while I spent my years languishing away.

Esmeralda von Krauss - Listen up! I leave you in the capable…hand…of Tyr while I go to check on the fate of poor Minerva. Once you are all ready, we will begin to go on the offensive!

Esmeralda walks out while Tyr begins to train the Valkyries.

**********
The Boston Morgue.

Esmeralda von Krauss walks through the room with a certain grace as Chief Medical Examiner Kevin Kharon walks ahead of her. He walks over to a table where a body is covered. He places a hand on the cover by the head before looking back at Esmeralda.

Kevin Kharon - Are you sure that you want to do this? Looks like she was beaten, mauled by an animal, gutted, and then stabbed in the side of the head. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - I am most certain, dahling. I need to know if my friend is gone for sure. She had no family other than me. 

Kevin nods and begins to slowly pull the cover back to reveal the head and shoulders of the body. Esmeralda gasps in recognition.

Esmeralda von Krauss - Though I would have wished otherwise, that is Glinda Hall. 

Kevin recovers the body with a sigh.

Kevin Kharon - Yes, we never wish death on our loved ones.

Esmeralda von Krauss - Though…did you say that an animal mauled her? Claws? Teeth?

Kevin, who had started walking away from the table with Minerva on it, walks back to her. He grabs the cover and pulls it back to the crotch. All of Minerva’s various wounds are on display. Esmeralda looks down at the claw wounds across her chest in particular. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - What could have caused these wounds?

Kevin Kharon shakes his head.

Kevin Kharon - The claw marks match no animal that I know of. Maybe a bear? Or if you’re into such things, a Jersey Devil could have done the damage. I don’t really know for certain. I certainly don’t believe in cryptids. The other damage looks to have been done by a thin blade of some sort and fists. She certainly struggled with whoever did this to her, but she was found washed up on the beach, so no idea if she got anyone else’s blood on her, as she was clean. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - No other bodies found?

Kevin Kharon - No. Why? Are you missing more friends?

Esmeralda von Krauss - No, I was hoping that if she was murdered, then I would have hoped that she would have been able to take out several attackers with her.

Kevin just shrugs.

Kevin Kharon - Oh, that is a possibility. The body seems to have been thrown into the ocean so that it could be cleaned before washing back up on the beach. Whoever attacked her just cleaned up as best as they could and let the tide do the rest. 

Esmeralda grits her teeth as Kevin covers Minerva back up. 

Kevin Kharon - Listen, if you have any idea who might have done this…the Boston police would be very interested in hearing from you. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - I will go there next to talk about who could have done this. Thank you for your help. 

Esmeralda walks out of the morgue and back to the limo. Once away from the chemicals, she gets out a green foot-long cigarette holder and puts an imported Egyptian cigarette into the end before lighting it up. She takes her seat in the back of the limo as she takes a long drag from the cigarette and blows the smoke out into the air.

Esmeralda von Krauss - Take me back to the Four Seasons, dahling. We have much to get ready for…

**********
Back at the Four Seasons meeting room, Esmeralda von Krauss walks in while the Valkyries are testing each other in combat. Tyr sees her first and shouts to get everyone’s attention. The Valkyries quickly line up before Esmeralda’s gaze. She looks at each one in turn, her concern for the next phase of what is about to happen showing on her face for a brief moment. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Minerva is dead. 

She lets the announcement sink in to the girls. Some gasp, some cry a little, all of them look gutted. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - First they took two of our number and then beloved Minerva. This will not go unanswered. I’m sure that some of you might know a bit more about the network that Madame Lussier owns. We will begin striking at her through her assets, destroying them one at a time until we get to her personally. Go get some rest. I will be calling on you all individually to see what you know. Tyr…you’ll stay with me. I still have a wrestling match to prepare for, even in these trying times. 

Tyr - Yes, mistress. 

Esmeralda and Tyr watch as the Valkyries file out of the room and head to their rooms, where they share several rooms. Esmeralda walks to the center of the room, where she pulls out her green cigarette holder and places a fresh Egyptian cigarette in the end before lighting it. She takes a long drag from the cigarette, blowing the smoke out with a sigh.

Esmeralda von Krauss - I should have had one of the Valkyries stay. They know what a cell phone is. It’s fine. I have this. 

Esmeralda takes her smartphone out and walks over to prop it up on a table and turns on Facebook Live. She walks away from the phone so that she is entirely in the frame.

Esmeralda von Krauss - The Chaos Championship. The same match stipulation isn’t to be used two matches in a row for this division. I enjoy chaos as much as the next person, dahling. This match is right up my alley for I bring Order to the Chaos. Now, for the first Chaos championship match, they are throwing enough stipulations at this to choke a horse. I find this most exciting to be perfectly honest. I will go through this match and bring each opponent down in increasingly dangerous stipulations. What are they? No idea beyond the first. We will just have to find out when the rules are being sprung upon us.

Esmeralda takes another drag from her cigarette, flicking ashes onto the floor.

Esmeralda von Krauss - I have three competitors in this match, so let us begin with the first, Azrael Caduceus. We fought at the last show. Did you enjoy the sensation of my body against yours, angel? I was decisive in this contest, but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t entertain you in my bed if it were to bring about the birth of a child. I am going to defeat you in this match again, but I want you to know. You are a beautiful angel, and we could possibly make beautiful and powerful children together. I want you to honestly think about it. I am immortal; you are an angel. What we would make goes far beyond mere nephilim. It would be…epic. But if you do not, that is fine. You will just be another victim in my path to glory. I will win the day, Azrael. Make no mistake about that. 

Tyr - Still on the sex thing. I admit that I do not know your true nature, but you and an angel would create something that would need direct intervention. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Let Him come for me! Where was he when I needed a witch to save my life after a Roman Senator whom I was having his child tried to slay me? Where? 

Tyr - I do not know. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - It was a rhetorical question… never mind you probably never heard of the concept. Moving on…

She takes another drag from her cigarette and blows the smoke out, this time with a bit of a frown.

Esmeralda von Krauss - Paul Freedom. I have followed your career a little. Here lies great potential that turned out to be a waste. It is rather unfortunate that you haven’t amounted to anything so far when you seemed to have such a bright future ahead of you. I’m not going to go on and on about how I’m going to extinguish that spark, dahling. That candle is already cold. I can’t terminate a bright future that is already dead. You could have been a rising star, now you are slinking around companies looking for someone to give you a break, but you are finding that you are unable to compete. I would tell you to retire, but you don’t have enough good sense to even try that. You’re going to go headlong into more and more dangerous situations to try to prove that you have what it takes to become a superstar. You don’t have what it takes, dahling. I’m going to show you the real way during the match if you bother to listen. You’ll go home with your tail between your legs, but you will go home with a new lesson burned into your soul. 

Esmeralda takes the last drag of the cigarette and plucks the butt from the holder. She drops it onto the floor and crushes it out with a chuckle. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - That brings me to Wade Moor. Dahling, you are a funny man. You come to the ring to fight like you have nothing to lose and everything to offer. What can you offer me? Can you offer me new curse words? I was cursing in a dozen languages before your entire lineage was born. Are you going to drink some beer and defeat me with skills that I have never seen before? Again, no. You hit hard I am told. Excellent. Hit me with all of your strength. I assure you that I will get back up and hit even harder than that. There is nothing that your age can show me that I have not defeated in the past. People might say that you are past your prime, but I think otherwise. To the common folk, you might be a threat. You would completely defeat the likes of Paul Freedom if I don’t wipe him out first. I will be the one taking home the Chaos championship belt. There’s nothing you can do to stop me. 

Esmeralda walks over to the phone and turns off Facebook Live. She puts the phone away and begins walking toward the exit for the meeting room. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Tyr, I think I’m going to go begin interviewing the girls. Would you like to join me?

Tyr - I would love to join you. 

Esmeralda von Krauss - Excellent, dahling.