by Shodan
Ailrun is a valkyrie, a psychopomp whose duty – whose purpose – is to usher lingering souls through to whatever afterlife awaits them beyond the Gate. Though, in practice, that’s more of a side hustle than anything else. Her actual day job sees her toiling as an assassin and enforcer on behalf of an occult criminal organization. Not exactly willingly, but... well, it is what it is. Ailrun has long since given up any hope of freedom. Not to mention that, after a decade spent committing atrocity after atrocity, is there even anything left of her worth freeing? After a mission ends in disaster, however, she may not have a choice either way, especially as events conspire to knock loose the delicate status quo that’s been holding the world together for the past three thousand years. ♦♦♦ What to expect: - Depictions of depression and suicidal self-loathing – not necessarily as the focus of the story, but hanging in the background like a guillotine with a fraying rope. - MC is not a close combat specialist, so fighting head-on is rarely her first choice. She prefers to look at the world through a rifle scope. - Reincarnation, of a sort, but not in another world, nor in another time, so MC’s past is still very much relevant. - Urban fantasy on a near-future (quasi-contemporary) Earth. - Characters die. Often violently. - Sexual content, but fairly rare and restrained. ♦♦♦ [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] New chapter every weekday during Writathon.
