—☾—

“Hey, rotten skull-head, let go of me!” 

“Hhung?” the draugr holding Maya made a confused grunting noise, wondering what the struggle was about. It then got Maya’s head rammed into its jaw, dislocating it. 

But it held on to her, wrapping its arms under her chest and lifting her up. 

“Lemme go, you damned warrior! Go back to your pile of rocks!” Maya struggled, screeching like a banshee to free herself. “And let me do something!” 

“Maya. Stop. I. Can. Deal. With- Argh!” 

“Val!” 

An axe grazed Val’s collarbone, and she collapsed to her knees. The two draugr closed in on her. Val raised her head and spat blood at their feet. 

They retaliated by giving her the boot. 

“That’s enough!! Let go of me!” shouted Maya, squirming in the vice she was held in until she accidentally brushed with the shield against her captor’s skin. 

To her surprise, it let go, and she used the opportunity to smack it with a loud metallic bang across the face. 

It crumbled to its knees, holding its steaming face, and Maya stared wide-eyed at the wound and the shield. The draugr’s face was peeling off and disintegrating where she hit it.

“The shield, this is it!” Maya bonked it on the head one more time, incapacitating it for good. “Val, catch!” 

Throwing the shield like an Olympian discus athlete, Maya failed since she was never good at sports. 

It hit one draugr on the head and ricocheted against the other, knocking them out momentarily. 

Maya grimaced. “That was not what I planned, I swear, but it worked, didn’t it?” 

“Yes,” answered Val and touched the shield. It disappeared in a dazzling white light, only to reappear strapped around her arm. Val gave a smile. “Thank you, Maya.” 

Maya blushed at the words. Hearing Val speaking more coherently and standing confidently with her shield made Maya crack a smile. 

“Go get them!” she shouted encouragingly.

The draugr had recovered, but not enough to react against the Valkyrie’s attacks.

Val sent one of them flying with an uppercut from her shield and kicked the other against a tree, breaking its spine.

“That’s more like it! Woohoo!” Maya cheered for Val as she moved around gracefully in dives and jumps to avoid the attacks and struck the draugr. 

Hitting the draugr repeatedly with her shield, they soon turned to nothing but ash and dust. Maya clapped with her hands. Val couldn’t help but puff out her chest in triumph, though it soon dropped. 

Maya wondered what it was about and saw Val unstrapping her shield and hurling it in her direction. 

“Hgnh,” groaned the draugr behind her and staggered, still reaching out with its claws at Maya as the shield stuck against its chest.

“Woah, stay back you, or—” 

Maya was pulled back and into Val’s arms, who stomped her foot against her shield, pressing it against the draugr until it disintegrated for good. 

“Finally. Hate draugr. Annoying bunch,” grumbled Val and turned her head to Maya, who remained frozen in the embrace. “Thank you. For your. Help. Are you. Alright?” 

“Nope, I mean, I’m good, I’m Gucci,” mumbled Maya, turning red from embarrassment. “We might need to get you some new clothes, though. Not that I mind, but…” 

Val looked down at her borrowed shirt and the new window it sported, revealing her cleavage. 

Seeing how Maya was avoiding staring made Val laugh, hugging Maya tighter. “I agree. Though. I. Like it. The new. Look. And. Your reaction.” 

“P-please, don’t squeeze me so much,” Maya mumbled, turning red from how close they were. 

Val couldn’t help but draw her in closer and blow into Maya’s ear teasingly. “Can’t. Help it. You’re. Adorable.” 

During their affectionate embrace, they were unable to notice a shadow disappearing behind the trees. 

Biding its time to return.