《Angel Blade - Cry of a Valkyrie》 Chapter 1 - An Angel Named Sera Tonic On the planet Avalon, continent of Dawez, sometime in the autumn, the backwater village of Maria is making preperations for the annual harvest. Among them, a farmer''s daughter, Sweiza Serif is making the yearly pilgrimage to a temple up north in the mountains to pray for the annual harvest. Reaching this area involves crossing treacherous swampland, paying fares to other worldly creatures, and otherwise being protected by knights amongst other travelers on the pilgrimage. Sweiza is one of seven others; all female, that make the yearly voyage. It was sometime in the evening that the five knights were assembled; their main ensemble would be the three young women they''d be transporting over treacherous terrain. The village was assembled en masse, although everyone was not present. Many of them knew each other, some lived as recluses. Different backgrounds, however, came together with a singular purpose - the village was otherwise surrounded by swampland, enchanted creatures and other barriers which kept outsiders out. The goddess of the harvest was the sole thing keeping the village land fertile and the inhabitants living here; legends speak of the land drying up should they lose her favor. This was not just a tradition, but also a coming of age and right of passage for those involved - they would be adults the following year. --- "The food wasn''t that great; dinner was daft as usual; some are blaming it on the pligrimamage last year. I''m hoping this year things will change. I have high hopes of becoming a hand maiden - it is a high honor in our society. I heard some of the knights talking the night before - they are rabblerousers of the lowest sport. One of them is actually cute. - Sweiza" "SWEIZA!" Sweiza jumps. Her journal and the pen drop from her hands. She turns around. There was one of the knights staring down at her; his helmet is up. "Didn''t mean to frighten you Sweiza. You should get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." She doesn''t have time to answer. "You should probably put that thing away." She looks down at the diary. It has big hearts in it and a picture of Lester. "Prying eyes abound." The knight walks off. Sweiza resists the urge to stick her tongue out. --- Sweiza wakes up again. This time several of the knights are talking. She distinctly hears gossip about one of the villagers. She rolls her eyes falls back to sleep. --- It was sometime in the night again. This time she wakes up. Sleep does not take her this time. She''s stuck looking up at the sky. Thoughts start to fill her head. "Was sleeping at the edge of the village really necessary?" "Sometimes traditions can be so stupid." "I wonder if they''re naked under that armor..." "Lester better not be sneaking around naked again..." Sweiza then hears an owl hooting. It''s head slowly turns around in grotesque fashion; it then darts and disappears outside of the moonlight. Sweiza hears something shriek in the distance. She is left to look up at the sky again. At some point sleep overrides her senses. --- Sweiza wakes up one more time; she sits up and looks around. Everyone is asleep. She attempts to fall asleep, but nothing. She starts counting the stars. She remembers counting until the sky slowly turned red. --- Sweiza woke up to voices and the village bell. It was time to get moving. She immediately bolts up. She goes to to step forward, but feels a tug on the blanket. She turns around; it''s Lester. "So, I guess you''ll be going then." "You weren''t here last night." "I was busy." "What were you stealing this time." "Preferably a kiss." He winks at her and puckers his lips. "Forget it!" Her hand covers his mouth. "Sweiza!" A voice shouts from behind her; it is one of the knights. She turns around back to Lester; he quickly hands her a note. "This is for you. Good luck." He bows and scurries off. She saves it for later. --- The path they set forth was one not normally travelled by her people. It lead to a shrine some two weeks distance away. The path was surrounded by trees, no prairies would be seen as they headed into the foothills of the mountains. On either side of them would be either boglands and swamp or desert. Desert was also to the far south, but prairies and farmland were to the west. There journey was mostly silent. Perhaps it was because they were at attention. One night was on point at all times, while another would lag back about every fifteen minutes. One travelled in the middle, two to either side would walk at pace with the ranks and widen down the path. The knight on point stops. He waits for the group to meet up. They were in swampland now. It was about half a day''s journey from the village. He sticks his sword into the swamp. Nothing happens. He does so again. This time bubbles appear at the water''s edge. Reeds start to move and the water turns slightly red. He pulls his sword out of the water. It is covered in blood. This time he takes his sword and stabs it in the water; he removes it and a fish is attached to it. He shows it back to the others and simply says, "Do not fall in." From here on out their journey becomes more treacherous. The knight from before walks up to Sweiza and flips his visor up. "So how did you get to be named Sweiza anyway?" Sweiza stops to the knight. "I was so-named, oh knight; because my father and mother wanted a boy." She sees his armor shake ever so slightly. "Don''t worry; you may call me Sera after my last name if it pleases you." "Okay then, Sera it is." She bows and turns around. "Aren''t you going to ask my name?" She stops and turns around again. "Speak." "What is your name, oh knight?" "Derek." "Just Derek?" "I dont have a family; I was-" They suddenly notice the other knights and young women were surrounding them. "We must keep moving." There''s some giggling from a few of the girls. Sweiza''s face turns red as they reassemble into their previous formation. A few hours later... When ''Derek'' comes by her with a sweeping flank, she breaks formation ever so slightly and trips him. As everyone else walks past ignoring the two; Sweiza finishes their conversation. "Oh knight; you embarrassed me back there." "I, um, I; said, well that, um..." "Your crush needs to stop." "Um, yes, but, I-" "I have a boyfriend." "Oh." He regains his composure and stands up stiff in his coffin; he regains his dignity and marches back to formation. She lets out a snicker and follows quickly behind. The group around them says nothing. --- It starts to rain overhead. One of the girls lets out an ''you cannot be serious.'' A few of them had umbrellas; one of them walks over to shield Sweiza from the rain. Two of the girls did not have anything and a knight unhooks his mantle and throws it at them. They grab the cloak and cover their heads upright. --- The day passes on and the lead knight stops. He faces the group. "We can set up camp here. Two of us will stand guard in two hour shifts while everyone else sleeps." They used a combination of rope, secured branches, the knights''s mantles, and smaller trees to create a makeshift leanto. It fell apart and had to be rebuilt several times during the night; greatly hindering their sleep and stamina the next day. As morning approached their group did not move, but rather settled in further as the rain lessened and gave way to mild drizzle. Sweiza woke up once during mid-morning, saw two knights standing guard and at once went back to sleep. She wakes up again and walks up to one of the knights; he turns around and she motions for him to come closer. She whispers something in her ear. He looks at her in disbelief. "Well?" "Well what?" Her face flushes red. She walks from the group and he follows. He is the only just visible through the trees in the distance to the other knight. They both walk back to the group. She gives a slight bow and goes back to the leanto. The other knight walks to the other knight. "What was-" "She had to relieve herself and needed a bodyguard." The other knight says nothing and resumes his post. --- They left in the afternoon, delayed by more heavy rainfall. --- The Temple for the Goddess of the Harvest --- Valkyrie appears and the knights (all male) stand to attention. Valkyrie decrees that three of them will be knighted valkyrie in training for the upcoming battle. Sweiza was left to congratulate her comrades at having passed their test. They were knighted Valkyrie in training. Their presence was shown with the temple flashing gold, gold flames everywhere and Valkyrie standing before them. The four young girls that failed the test would be considered keepers of tradition and make the yearly trek to pray for the harvest; much to Sweiza''s disappointment. Valkyrie tells them that they may stay for the next three nights to gain favor with the goddess of earth and otherwise bless the harvest. Sweiza, being a farmer''s daughter and not much for the way things are going, decides to camp outside tonight. A figure, more of a shadow, appears before her in the middle of the night. "Who are you?" "I am Valkyrie; why do you camp outside young maiden, you should be with your friends." "They are not my friends." "If they are not your friends, then why do you travel with them so?" "To gain favor with the goddess of earth and bless the harvest." "This is a tradition you respect, is it not?" "Yes it is." "Do you know why it is a tradition?" "Alas, the scrolls of old have been lost and it is but mere legend; we live here out of tradition and rumor that the land is foul. The land is riddled with death and the goddess of earth blesses the land so that we may continue the cycle of nature." "A wise proverb, recited throughout the ages. I will leave you to your slumber child." Sweiza barely recognizes the figure, but distinctly hears the sound of ironclad footsteps walk in the distance; she last remembers the howl of a wolf as an omen and the moon overhead before sleep overtakes her. That night she appears in the dreamworld in a confused state; black space and starscape surround her as she attempts to move and only floats aimlessly. The god of the dreamworld appears before her. "It is the Zenith. Your test is about to begin child. Are you prepared?" "No." The god of the dreamworld, a trickster, now appears before her in the guise of a wolf. "You come on the annual pilgrimage, seeking favor and fertility with the land and you are not prepared? This is most amusing. Tell me more." Sweiza says nothing. "You are aware of the punishment that may ensue for stirring the wrath of a god, do you not?" Sweiza says nothing. "Very amusing indeed. You have surely heard of me indeed." The starscape changes and a field of ice and tundra appear before her. The biting cold nips her ears and otherwise teases her senses. Above her is the aurora and the the distinct shine of their planet''s second, but distant sun "Angol". A giant throne of ice appears before her; the trickster god crosses his legs and waives his hand; Sweiza is forced to her knees by sharp wind. "I am Demi; trickster lord, god of nightmares, servant of death and he that rides the wind of night. I control the winds of fate; state your desire child and they are yours." Sweiza says nothing; but a smile creeps across the demi-god''s face. "You wish to be servant of Valkyrie and heir to traditions of old, long and forgotten." The bitter wind nips her face; her face flushes red and she wells back the tears. Her most private wishes had been violated; and now she stands at the humility of the god of tricks and nightmares. "Prestigious you want to be, and held in high esteem of your village. You wish to be a servant of good and otherwise protect the peace." The tears well; her chagrin peaks and her tears burst forth as her voice echoes cries of violent emotion. "What do you want?!" "The better question, Sera, is what do you desire? What are your deepest and darkest fantasies?" If it was a trick, it was lost on the pestilence before her. The demi-lord was now tempting fate and how far he could induce Sera''s tantrums and most selfish of desires. In a strange twist of fate, an icycle appears in her hands and she dashes at the demi-god. "You cannot be bloody serious. Of all of the accursed things, you choose this?" The ice, of his own creation, was her desire; it had appeared in her hands and she dashed with it straight into the god. She pushed it deep within his chest cavity. Blood, as cold as ice, had come forth and frozen. Her face is now inches from his and she gives him those bitter words, colder than his own ice. "Go to hell." He rolls his eyes and waives his hand. She''s pushed backwards, into a heap; he pulls out the ice shard and heaves it to the ground. "The punishment for attacking a god, is death. You''ve chosen your fate." As she turns around, she feels the pain of several cold needles pierce her skin. Her fate was obvious, she stirred the wrath of a god and suffered the punishment as such - thousands of ice shards had formed into several large icycles that pierced her body. As the blood rushes from her body and she slowly loses consciousness; the laughs of the demi-god echo in the distance. She awakens in the middle of the night. She is sitting next to the outskirts of the temple, facing the mountains further up north. The moon shines through the trees and her peripheral vision picks up a figure standing next to her. "You had a bad dream." Sweiza was not impressed by the words of the figure before her; it no longer mattered if this was a dream or not. Sweiza struggles to get to her feet as the figure approaches her. "Your trial is not over Sweiza." "Wait!" The broadswide of Valkyrie''s lance swings into Sweiza''s neck and she crumples to a heap on the ground. Sweiza awakens in a golden hall; brass lamps and gold flame illuminate the cathedral composed of otherwise golden granite; a rug points the way to the exit. "On your feet elf." She freezes. "NOW!" She stands to her knees; she is facing the exit. "Turn around." She turns around, there are two thrones; one has a young man, another has a more matured woman. "Youth and beauty," says the man, "age and wisdom," says the woman. Seconds feel like an eternity. The man speaks up. "You fail Sweiza." "A fate far worse than death awaits you." The woman''s words echo the cathedral; Valkyrie steps from the shadows. The woman snaps her fingers and Valkyrie removes her helmet. A skull stares back at Sweiza. She starts backing to the door; instead her legs buckle from under her and she''s brought to her hands and knees. She tries to move; her hands fill with great pain; when she looks down to them, her hands are missing flesh and are only bone. They move. She screams. She wakes up from her dream again. Again Valkyrie stands before her. Her lance points to her chin. "It would do you well not to stir the wrath of the gods, you are but an elf and a child in the cosmic scheme of things. Do you know what fate awaits you as Valkyrie?" "I don''t want to be Valkyrie anymore!" Valkyrie removes her lance. "That is too bad." Fear now fills the girl. For the first time in her life, she felt real fear. The figure before her was not as benevolent as the tales of her youth and kinfolk had told her. "Valkyrie is a warrior." Valkyrie turns around and sheaths her lance. "Do you have any questions for me?" Sweiza passes out. She awakens in a strange hall; as if composed of sword and stone in the shape of a palace; lights and torches adorn walls and chests. Strange shapes animate themselves across tapestries adorning the walls. Stars appear in the windows, but they are unfamiliar to her in this strange castle. Near one of the larger windows, facing a terrace, is a man viewing a telescope. He wears a strange hat and even stranger trenchcoat. He notices her presence and approaches. "Ah yes, young lass. What brings you here?" "Should I be afraid of you?" He straigtens his glasses and scowls. "What have those morons been doing to you anyway?" She didn''t know what to say to that. Valkyrie suddenly appears before him. She swings her lance and he catches it with his hand. "That wasn''t called for." His other hand lights up with fire and he launches it at the ironclad warrior; the smell of burnt armor and oil fills the air. Valkyrie bows and sheaths her lance. She remains present. She whispers something into his ear. He blurts "Sweiza" outloud; this has Sweiza''s attention. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "What the hell kind of name is Sweiza?" Valkyrie says nothing. He turns to face Sweiza. "You''ve been through a great deal already. Eight trials?" Valkyrie corrects him, "Three." "Three is it? That''s a bit out of order, normally I''m closer to the last of the roundup." His speaking was odd to Sweiza; he spoke casual with some kind of familiarity and otherwise wasn''t phased by what was going on. "Well then, I''ll try and make this brief; you are in for a very long night Sweiza." Her mouth drops into a small o-shape, and her disbelief at what was going on. This man acted like some kind of benevolent god compared to what she''d been through. He leans into Valkyrie and his random questions escape Sweiza; they take the form of whispers. He turns around to Sweiza, smiles slightly, asks more questions to Valkyrie and otherwise turns around again and gives her this ''oh god'' face. "You''re an idiot." Sweiza pretty much shrinks in place at the comment; she still said nothing. "I''ve had about two or three like you before; they weren''t to be Valkyrie though. Normally they become like a priestess or something. Valkyrie, you can leave. I''ll help this girl." "Thank you sir." Valkyrie bows and walks into the fade of oblivion. The man walks up to Sweiza, and extends his hand. She has no idea what he wants. He grabs her hand with both and shakes it. "You don''t know this yet, but you are undergoing the trial to be Valkyrie." She shrinks further in place. "Don''t be so shy dear; everyone has a profession they choose. I simply chose the role of scientist and scholar. Although I''m quite good at fireworks." Flame instantly appears around his hand and disappears just as quickly. "I can''t read your mind my dear; so if you want to know something I suggest you speak up." "Who are you?" "Douglas, Scholar of Adavan. Chief Scholar really." "I don''t understand you." He shakes his head and smiles. "It has been so long since I have gotten to lecture someone, but I''ll give you a rhythm." He starts pacing back and forth and goes into an intellectual monologue. "You are from the Dawez continent, village of Maria; rather backwater if I do say so. You have no education system to speak of, everything you believe or understand is passed down through tradition. Compared to others in the world, you are an idiot, a bonafide idiot. She shrinks again, and keeps her mouth shut. "Yes, yes; you would do that. You do not know about the trial of Valkyrie. You have angered the gods and they are punishing you through your trial. I assume if you pass you become Valkyrie." She shakes her head in frustration. "I don''t want to be Valkyrie anymore! Just send me home!" "That''s too bad my dear. You have only undergone three of twelve trials. You will undergo nine more before you are released from your duty." There was just that look on Sweiza''s face like she was being beaten into the ground. "It is your humility that they want." "Just please send me home." "I can''t do that; I haven''t had company for some time and I so rarely get to brag about myself." Valkyrie appears to the side and between them. "It would seem this trial is over. If you have any other questions..." Nothing comes to Sweiza''s mind. "So be it then. Goodbye." He turns around and walks towards a window. "Shall we be going?" "What? I-" The ground shatters beneath her and she falls for a time. --- A massive city, white limestone and towers plentiful, with gardens and other planets (noteably creeping ivy) either adorning the towers or draping over the walls; was ever present as far as the horizon appeared. Sweiza had heard of this city in legends; some of her people had been to it. Valkyrie appears before her. "Do you have any questions for me - oh young Valkyrie in training?" The title did not amuse, nor did it impress Sweiza. "Why don''t you kill yourself?" "I gave up the right to death in the name of Valkyrie." Sweiza''s tone changed. "That''s not what I..." She changes her tone again. "Seriously; kill yourself. Your worthless. Get me out of here, NOW!" "A fate far worse than death awaits you with this attitude - cautious you should be." "I don''t need your help!" "Fine then; suit yourself. You are on your own." Valkyrie does not bow. This time she gives a look of disgust at the young girl and walks off. "Bitch!" She sticks her tongue out at Valkyrie as she fades into the distance. She mutters to herself, "I don''t care if I''m stuck in this place." She crosses her arms and lets out a snort. "Such a rude little girl." "What?" She turns around and feels a great pain her thigh. She feels the scuffle of strong hands grabbing her and more pain hitting her body. She is pulled to her feet before she passes out. The last thing she distinctly hears is, "You are hardly innocent." --- Some say that there are horrors far worse than death. For as long as she could remember, life was stern, stubborn, but innocent and full of duty without remorse; that was until the night she was caught by a band of thieves. She was repeatedly beaten, gagged and whipped that night until she willingly gave sex. The rape of Sweiza marked the night she was stripped of any remorse for rejecting tradition and wanted to die. Towards dawn Valkyrie appears inside Sweiza''s cell. A half-conscious Sweiza recognizes Valkyrie, but just barely. Admist her half-coherent words, Valkyrie distinctly hears, "kill me"; Valkyrie turns around and feels a tug on her mantle. "Please." Sweiza wasn''t distressed, but begging. Valkyrie gives a weak smile. "You will experience a fate far worse than death, oh young Valkyrie in training. You will be more cautious in the future and listen to your elders, yes?" Sweiza nods. "Please wait here, I have a matter of some urgency." Sweiza sees a flash from Valkyrie''s lance; Valkyrie walks through the large gash in the wall and former door. Sweiza hears the screams of men in the distance. Reality slowly fades, she is left to mull her fate. She was a priestess in training, but had committed the ultimate taboo of losing her purity and innocence before five pilgrimages time. She would lose the pride and respect that came with it; most likely in addition to the pride and respect that would be so showered by her people. This day, was a nightmare, in Sweiza''s mind; far worse than death. Valkyrie reappears and Sweiza loses consciousness. Her last words were, ''help me...please''. --- Sweiza is in a massive garden. She recognizes the temple for the annual pilgrimmage of her village. Trees sway in the wind and massive ferns and other shrubs block her path. They willingly part as she walks forward. A woman, of plant flesh, leaves and vines of hair, wearing plant clothing and what was most definitely boots made of tree trunk; sits from her throne of vines and thorns. She speaks to Sweiza. "Humility is your virtue; humble in your traditions and those that pass before you; blasphemous to any outside your own beliefs. You are a stubborn child not worthy of priestess of tradition; nor are you worth much as a hand-maiden to the same." It was clear. Sweiza drops to her knees. She speaks; the goddess interrupts her. "Blasphemous to any outside of your traditions. Passionate you are; but humility you must endure." "Wait! Forgive me, I didn''t mean to-" "You are banished from my garden and temple forever. Never show your face again." "But, I was-" "Leave, NOW!" Sweiza scrambles to her feet and bows, hands together; chagrin hidden, but clear: "I am not worthy of hand-maiden; I have offended the goddess of my people; I am a weed in your garden and not worthy." She turns around, lets down another bow and leaves. The shrubs and hedges before her close as quickly as they part. In the distance, the trees and other plants hear her cries of dismay as the tears do not stop. Three years of her life had been wasted to get to this point. --- Reality distorts and many landscapes form, but fail to take shape. Reality shatters like glass and reforges the same. Sweiza at one point feels as if her body was something else. She slips in and out of consciousness. She finally comes to in a chamber of ever changing square and rectangular form. A sphere whirs in from the distance and pauses in front of her; it lets out a hum as it hovers. "Do you have any questions young one?" "I have been rejected by the goddess of fertility. I am a waste and not worthy." "Perhaps, but there are many events in the grand scheme of things which are quite small. Do you have any questions?" "No." "As you wish." The orb picks up momentum and whirs off. Reality finally takes shape around Sweiza in a new environment. --- Sweiza appears seated at a table. It is empty. A voice rings through the hall. "Do you hunger?" "No." "Do you thirst?" "No." Food, water and feast all appear before her. The empty hall adorns itself with tapestries and the like. Another voice; a familiar one - Valkyrie; sounds behind her. "Eat child; you''ve earned it." Sweiza''s head turns around to Valkyrie. "I''m tired." "Do not make demands of the powers that be." Valkyrie stands behind Sweiza in silence as the girl stuffs her face in a less than dignified fashion. Her wounds and chagrin disappear as if by some unseen force. Her mind reverts to a giddy child by the time of the last bowl; she stops and turns to Valkyrie. "The iron-clad warrior is hungry?" Valkyrie says nothing and the scenery fades. "Wait." Valkyrie appears before her again. "You were hungry, right?" "Sometimes." Valkyrie fades again. --- Sweiza appears a few feet from the ground below her; the ground looked weird - shiny rock - much like the steel swords she''d seen before. She drops to the ground and dusts herself off; once on her feet she is greeted to lightning and thunder in the distance. Lightning strikes overhead and hits a large mast; it repeats the procedure around the enbankment. All she could see was clouds all around her. She walks to the edge of the platform expecting ocean, instead all she sees is more clouds. There was interestingly enough an aurora further in the sky still. Her assumption was that they were up in the sky. She buckles to her knees at first and finally regains her landlegs. She''d been on ships before, and this platform did rock and sway every so slightly, but not enough to gain much notice. There is no one there to greet her. She wanders the platform a bit, finds several closed windows - among other things; but finds no entrance. She sees glowing lights on the doors, hesitant to touch them at first; she finally gives in with no other choice - she hadn''t been killed yet. The door slides open. Inside is a family at a table; they turn in surprise at the girl. One of the members of the family looks at her, lets out a shriek and hits something next to the door - it slams shut in Sweiza''s face. "I didn''t mean it." She says it to the door and no one else in particular. "If that was your intent, than no harm done." "Valkyrie, I wish you would not sneak up behind me." "I cannot appear before you when your face is to a door." Sweiza turns around; her face flushed red again. "Young Valkyrie in training will accompany me to central control." "Where are we?" "A weather station; one of many that helps control the world''s weather." "Are we in the sky?" "Yes." "Is this where you live?" "No." "Why am I here?" Valkyrie stops and looks down at Sweiza. "One would think it was obvious by now; you have passed inauguration as hand-maiden; you are being escalated to Valkyrie as origially invested." "I don''t want to be Valkyrie." Valkyrie says nothing. They approach a stairway shaft. An orb, similar to one as before, appears before them. It emits a red light at Valkyrie. It lets out a chirp; it whirs to Sweiza, lets out a red beam and lets out a buzzing noise. "She''s with me." The orb lets out another chirp; it sounded almost puzzled. It jumps and darts in front of Sweiza a few times and then sends out another red light. It lets out another buzz. "What''s going on?" Valkyrie looks down at Sweiza. "There are some things you are not meant to understand from this one''s mouth. You may ask later." "I want to know now!" The orb lets out another red scan and buzz and finally sents out an electrical current at Sweiza. She jumps; but it overloads her senses and she passes out. "Absolutely brilliant." --- Sweiza finally comes to. She sees strange stars housed in chambers. A few golems were walking about. She jumps up when she sees them. Several orbs whir by her; they emit the same red light; this time they let out a chirp as the light appears. Whatever it was, was now over. Valkyrie approaches. "It is easier to approach you if you do not pass out." Sweiza sticks her tongue out at Valkyrie. "Due to the nature of this trial and the fact it was the orb''s error; you have been granted an automatic pass. Those that assist central control appologize for the inconvenience. They also want you to have this." Valkyrie hands Sweiza a slip of paper. "What is this?" Several orbs appear, let out a pop and confetti flies around them. Valkyrie rolls her eyes. "Keep it safe; but now is not the time." The orbs whir on the ground to clean the confetti up. It took all of ten seconds. "Why are they..." Several dozen orbs fly around her; Valkyrie backs up. "Your next trial Sweiza. Fair thee well." "Wait, I don---" She feels an electrical current pulse in her body; not strong as before, but enough to jostle her loose and into unconsciousness. --- Before she regains her senses, Sweiza is on a strange ship. It was made of the same material of stone and sword; yet it also moved under its own power in the water surrounding them. A multitude of these ships, thousands, moved in formation. Above her similar, but smaller structures boar the sound of thunder as they plowed the skies. The sound was deafening. She hears metal greaves behind her; it was definitely a knight of some sort, but it looked weird. His eyes glowed yellow. Only, when it spoke it sounded more like a sword; more clanging of sword came from its mouth. It finally spoke in a strange voice that sounded like thunder, only weaker. "You are one of three chosen of twelve; defended by three and chosen for twelve. You will accompany us." She didn''t say anything. This creature was almost romantic, but terrifying at the same time. "You will come with us, or force will be used to bring you forcibly. As future Valkyrie you have little choice in this matter." "Are you a sword?" The creature answers; "I am both sword and sentinel; human. I am here to escort you to our leader. You have business as future Valkyrie. You will comply or be subdued." "Okay, okay." She winces at this foreboding creature; but comes along anyway. They step onto a strange light emitting emblem on the ground and Sweiza suddenly finds herself next to another ship. They walk along a multitude of these pads and jump from one ship to the next. "Do you have a name?" The sentinel stops and his head turns. "I am one of seven of the third fleet of naval origin. I have been assigned as your escort. Please continue, we have a long way to go." He does not wait up for further questions. Two hours elapse as they move from ship to ship. "One of seven of third fleet of naval origin... wait! WAIT! STOP!" The sentinel stops once he hears her voice. "One of seven of third fleet of naval origin... I''m tired." "I will never understand you humans; you cannot recharge your internal metabolisms as you move. You need to shutdown for seven hours each night. You are indeed a strange species." "This wouldn''t be a problem if we could jump straight to the ship." "Be that as it may; I am also capable of transforming and taking us there." "What?" He transforms into a strange flying machine that hovers from the ground. "Why didn''t you do this sooner?!" She walks up and punches him; pain rings through her hand. This was clearly a mistake, but the sentinel is unphased. He transforms back into a bipedal knight. "Because, you did not ask - and because I am forbidden when future Valkyrie undergoes her trial." Her face shakes red and violent. "You are to understand the hardships of each trial or learn from your mistakes accordingly." "Why do you talk so?" The sentinel answers. "I so rarely get company; I speak frequently and almost non-stop with my own kind. I rarely get to see humans..." "I''m an elf." "Pointed ears or no; you are still human; you share a common ancestor." "What? Wait. Do you know the history of..." "Time for this in the future and a different place; human." "We will meet again?" There was hope in her voice; although she tried not to show it. She liked this knight. "Time and fate permitting; I will submit an application to my superior." Her eye twitches. "Also; I like how long you take to say my name - my kind says this with a single chirp." He lets out a chirp; which is presumably his name. "We oscillate different notes and waveforms to dicate our name. We are however, at an end to this conversation. A pity." They were before a large tower on one of the larger ships. Sweiza had not been paying attention; they had been walking again - but she was too enthralled by this knight. "I bid you farewell human." He transforms and a large burst of magic, the light of a torch; jumps from what should have been his boots. He literally lunges into the sky and disappears. He was a strange creature indeed. The door to the tower opens. She walks in; several stairs leading in different directions, both up and down await her. Another sentinel appears before her. "To your left and up." She looks up at the sentinel. His arms were crossed and his foot was tapping. He was growing impatient; he points up and to the left. "Up and to your left miss. You must hurry. You are delaying me and several others by standing here." "Yes, but..." "Up and to your left please." He walks forward and starts nudging her; he finally pushes her and she starts walking. He continues following her as several other sentinels also follow behind. "Why are they following us?" "They are not; they have business elsewhere and are on duty." The rest of the trip is spent in silence; the sentinel however, lets out several consistent chirps along the way. Sweiza trips at one point and the sentinel grabs her to her feet. "Your servoes appear faulty. I recommend you get them upgraded." Sweiza says nothing; he makes no sense to her. She was beginning to feel like her backwater village was more than just backwater in the scheme of things. They stop at the throne of the tower. This throneroom was different - weird archiecture was before her; the controls of a ship most definitely, but there were many instruments, almost like a compass that were before her. Windows surrounded them on all sides. Swords hilted next to many of the compasses were also all about. She lets out a squeak when a hand rests on her shoulder. The sentinel points to her right at a sentinel in the distance; it was larger than the rest. It was red and had a distinct beard and moustache. "What the hell?" She mutters to noone but herself. "He can be." "What?!" She turns around at the sentinel; that seemed to be smiling. "He is on holiday when he is drunk." "What the f--" The sentinel escorts, rather pushes her forward and then backs away. She turns around, but he is gone. Instead she is before the great sentinel. He does not move, but rather his voice is louder than the other sentinels before. "Young Valkyrie; what is it you wish?" "I am not a Valkyrie!" "Soon to be, young Valkyrie; what is your wish?" "Will I get to see one of seven of..." "Your application has been submitted and will not be approved without due process. What is your next wish?" "What are you?" "I am a machine." "Are you male and female?" "We are seven." "What?" "One is a gender. Two is a gender. Three is a gender. I am three of seven of..." "Oh..." "Our society is determined by social caste." "What?" "Each gender has a role they serve for life. One of seven is what you know as both a male and a knight; he is considered what you call a scout..." "And you are...?" "You interrupt too much." "You are too long winded old-man." His laughter fills the tower. Several machines stop what they are doing. Clicks and chirps surround the room. The master sentinel lets out a roar of thunder and they all stop clicking and chirping and proceed back to what was presumably their duties. "In your tongue you are too impatient; but trust me; these machines around you are far long winded than a lifetime of your longest winded scholars." He lets out another roar of thunder. The machine says nothing; he finally smashes his hand on his chair-arm. "Ask your next question." She seems puzzled. "Why are you so..." "One cannot get enough of your kind. So rarely we run into you; you communicate only as you need to or simply do not at all - and always to the point." "WHAT?!" Her face flushes red. "These rusty nails around me spend a life time communicating and never get to the point. I am probably the best communicator here." Her flabbergasted coughs finally escape. The machine lets out another thunderous laugh and more clicking and chirping takes place. This time it doesn''t stop; nor does the master sentinel stop them. She finally gets it. "I''m tired!" "We do not have what you call beds. We are solar powered and driven by batteries in times of need." "I''m hungry!" "Mech-fluid is not for sentients." "What?" "We are sentinel; you are sentient. This is very amusing." Her face flushes red again. "Do forgive me; but we have kept you long enough from your next trial." Sweiza''s red face doesn''t deter him. He points to her right; she looks over and sees Valkyrie. "Valkyrie wait! I don''t want to go!" It was half whimsical and pleading, half begging and enthralled. Valkyrie shakes her head at the sentinel. "The sentinel lets out a chirp at Valkyrie. She says nothing. He lets out more laughter as reality shatters around them. --- When Sweiza wakes up she sees the night sky and several shooting stars. She frantically looks for her hands and finally seems them under the moonlight. Her hands are once again flesh and bone. She lets out a sigh of relief. The clouds overhead lift and she can see she is in the middle of a town. However, the structures are aged and dilapitated. She is left alone, but can hear the rustling of something in the distance. She hears footsteps behind her. She turns around, but nothing. She turns around to face the rusting and still sees nothing. This goes on for several minutes as her pulse and blood pressure jump. She feels it skyrocket when the clouds once again part and she hears an owl in the distance. She doesn''t know what to do and wants to cry herself to sleep; only this foreboding seems very real. Fear overrides intelligence and she''s left to run. The town stretches on forever and she finds herself right back where she started; only it was slightly different. "A maze?" She didn''t understand what this was. "Valkyrie?! HELP ME!" Valkyrie appears before her and bows. "What is your desire young one?" "What is this?" "You are in the ghost town of a once great civilization. They performed experiments on themselves a long time ago to prolong long life. They succeeded at the expense of being turned into creatures of the night." "Gargoyle?" "Yes, and then some." Sweiza is left in silence. "They are mindless creatures of the night. Some, if their will is strong enough, will take the form of man. However, none approach. You were never meant to undergo this trial at night young one." "What?" "Pass." It was all Valkyrie said and everything goes black. "Valkyrie, wait." Valkyrie appears before her again. "Please don''t go. I''m scared." "Alright." --- "An inferno?" It was desert most definitely but a strange one; to her right was nothing more than volcanoes and magma lakes with lava rivers flowing here and there. She was in the sand and at the edge of this borderland; to her left seemed a great civilization was or bits and pieces of one was here and there. To her left statues, pyramids and strange structures littered the distance. Cliffs with moving sand waterfalls were here and there; the air was either humid or dry depending on the direction of the wind - it seemed to change frequently. This strange land left Sweiza confused. "Our world''s greatest civilization built from nothing." "Valkyrie, is this hell?" "I will walk with you for a time. We must hurry; these outskirts are prone to acid rain. You will be burned and risk death if you are out here for too long." Sweiza could smell brimstone. "Valkyrie, are we in hell? Why am I being punished?" "The answer to your question; both, is no." "Valkyrie, why would anyone live here?" "You can see that for yourself." Sweiza didn''t know what she meant. "They are here because they are here." Her answer made sense, but not quite. Valkyrie was not going to explain herself further. They walked in silence for what seemed an hour crossing several bridges - the first with a magma river; and then another with sand. "How is it that the sand flows so well here?" "It is a form of water, mud and sand mixed into one. Beyond the dunes is a jungle." "What?" "Beyond that jungle is your home. You pray to the goddess of the harvest for prosperity in that region." "And beyond that region is this..." Sweiza was in wonderment. This was quite the opposite of what she was used to. She was now glad her people made the yearly pilgrimage. Thunder arose in the distance; they were quickly approaching a massive crystal structure. A gate drops before them and they enter. Sweiza turns around to see sand falling in the distance; more importantly the gate was rising. She could hear the ground around her rumbling. She looks at Valkyrie. "Whats going on?" "We are sinking beneath the sand." "I don''t want to die!" "This civilization lives above and below ground depending on the area and weather. Gaze in awe young Sweiza." Valkyrie smiled for once; she was clearly more than just a foreboding creature from above. They pass several rooms; statues beside each entrance along a great violet rug - they make their way to a grand hall in the distance. The area is familiar and seems to be much like the gold hall she was in on a previous trial. She realizes she is in the midst of another trial. A man on a thrown claps at her arrival. "Well done." Is all he says. "What?" The floor beneath Sweiza shatters and she falls into oblivion. --- Valkyrie appears yet again next to Sweiza and asks her if she got the answers that she needed. This time Sweiza does something different - she steps forward and dashes the Valkyrie. Her lance was at the ready. "Your time isn''t yet - young one." Sweiza doesn''t have enough time to react; instead, she gets sucked into the void that Valkyrie''s lance rips open. Sweiza''s screams exit the void as she free falls into oblivion. "Your journey is only beginning." Valkyrie disappears into the distance. --- After free falling for what seems like forever, but roughly only thirty seconds; Sweiza''s fall slowly lightens and she remains suspended in air. Slowly, lights illuminate the distance. Streaks of light speed by her, lights in the distance strobe, and strange patterns slowly strobe and illuminate the distance. Before her, stands a great building, slowly revealed with the light to be a giant statue. It''s voice fills the void as if thunder. "Ask your questions young one." Sweiza says nothing, but thinks better of it considering the being before her. "Return me to my village, NOW." Valkyrie appears beside her. "Odin will do no such thing young one. You have been chosen, as have two others from your village. You will do the bidding of Odin." Odin; the accursed one and most powerful god in the Universe. The one with full knowledge to manipulate space and time and he was here before her. "I don''t want to die!" Sweiza breaks down crying. Odin''s mechanical and ominous laughter fills the distance and switches to something far more electric. "You speak as if I''m punishing you." Sweiza doesn''t say anything. "You''ve passed young one." Valkyrie smiles at her, bows at her lord and walks away. Complete confusion sweeps over Sweiza. She had just been through hell, surely this malevolent being before her was going to punish her more. "What do you want from me?" "Your dedication, loyalty and devotion - Young Sweiza Serif of the backwater village. You are full of angst and represent this emotion well - show it to the world in servitude under me. "You ass!" More of his laughter rumbles into the distance and a grand city of strange stone and metal architecture appears. "Since you have no questions - I will tell you of your place in the universe. You are before the god Odin; I am the supreme being and ruler of the Universe. I am the accursed one that hung from the tree of life Ymir; I have the knowledge of everything from the fruit of wisdom. Your job as per your traditions of your backwater village and choice made by y-o-u-r-s-e-l-f is servitude under me. You will comply." "You are no god; you are an ass of the worst sort! You take young maidens and punish them for your own amusement - You are nothing but a joke and will return me to my village NOW!" More malevolent laughter reverberates and echos throughout the distance. "Perhaps you have changed your mind." "I have." Valkyrie was standing next to her again. "You are a very selfish girl Sweiza." "I didn''t ask to be punished - Valkyrie." "Oh? And here I thought Valkyrie was a knighted maiden, brave and strong - she gives the world truth, virtue and justice while bringing good deeds to the people of the planet. She is the chosen one by Odin." Sweiza faces Odin. "Why don''t you go f--" The statue''s eyes glow red and his voice thunders in the distance. "I would watch your tone child. I can show you what real terror is. The trials you have undergone are only a test of what you''re going to endure." "I don''t want to be Valkyrie." Two of the chosen maidens of ten appear along side her. Knighted as Valkyrie; they are clad in armor, but of different design and color than the Valkyrie the village was accustomed to. Their voices chime with clairvoyance and understanding. "Sweiza is a child." "You are a disappointment to your village." Sweiza does not challenge her own kin. Odin''s voice rings throughout the distance. "Young Sweiza Serif has loyalty after all." "My loyalty is to my village." "Then so be it." Dark indigo and black armor adorned with gold trim appears around her. "Your name henceforth is ANGST. Now begone." "I d-..." Sweiza''s body is pushed out of existence. She reappears on the outskirts of village. Was it a dream? She looks down. It was no dream; she was still in the armor. On her shoulder, now catching her attention, was the name Sweiza; on the other was "ANGST". Valkyrie appears before her. "You will perform basic sentry for your village. You will look back on this and realize how stupid you were to defy Odin." "I will do no such thing. My duty is to my village only - that''s what I chose." "It is what you chose, isn''t it?" Sweiza feels a great electrical energy fill her body and she yelps. "If you move beyond the borders of your village, you will understand what true pain and agony is." Sweiza charges Valkyrie with her lance; Valkyrie steps aside and swings the broadside of her lance at Sweiza''s backside; Sweiza topples to the ground, but when she turns around she is frightened by a far more sinister sight - Valkyrie''s lance points down at Sweiza. "Do you have any questions young Valkyrie?" Sweiza turns away from the lance. "No..." "You defy Odin and lie to Valkyrie." "I''m not li..." Valkyrie''s lance inches closer to Sweiza. "I will be performing sentry duties with you. Should you have any questions during that time I will be at your service. I suggest you get some sleep - you have been through a rough day. Good night - Angst." "My name is Sweiza!" Sweiza nearly trips as she scrambles to her feet. The armor was heavier than it looked. She did have on question; she frowns while she says it. "What is your name?" "I am known as ''Strife''." "What?" Valkyrie''s mood lightens; she knew damn well where this was going. "You are the Valkyrie known as Angst; I am known as Strife. I am pleased to both work and meet with you Sweiza." "No, that''s not wh-" "If you want to know my name; earn my respect first." "Well, I..." "I am so tired after today, Angst. Please allow me to sleep." "I will." Valkyrie bows and hands her lance to the ground before Angst. "Thank you." Valkyrie walks up to a tree, slides down the trunk and slumps to the ground. Her eyes were fast asleep. Sweiza didn''t know what to think at this point. "Absolutely ridiculous." --- There was one last order of business though. She opens the note from Lester. "YOU!" It was a drawing; Lester was holding the peace sign asking for Sweiza''s autograph. --- "Dear diary; today I have met the god of creation "Odin". Odin is not as menacing as legends describe; he is far more malevolent with his sense of humor. I have been given no choice as to my fate - I have chosen my fate based on the traditions of my people. Instead, I have been given a sick sense of irony at the hands of my ''creator''. Strangely enough; Valkyrie, when she is being personable, is as legend describes. It would seem as if my punishments do not end and I am branded with the name ''Angst''. I hate this name as much as I hate the ritual of Valkyrie. It is not fair that I should be adorned with these duties and rights of passage at the hands of a spell that wasn''t described by tradition and legend. This is not the fate I want, I want out. Yet when I choose my fate according to my will, I am in fact a slave to a supreme authority. I am at least a slave to assisting my village. However, there have been no threats for the last two centuries. I suppose this is why. I can only wonder what fate and ''Odin'' have in store for me. It however, looks as if Valkyrie will be my friend. Lester had better be taking care of my shit while I''m gone! Love Sweiza." Chapter 2 - Friend or Foe At some point in the night Sweiza had fallen asleep and her deepest and darkest desires soon surrounded her. She was back at her village; several of them had surrounded the large group from the pilgrimate. Sweiza was in a priestess''s clothing, having won the favor of the goddess of fertility. There were several others around them; the knights and the maiden''s whom had been knighted Valkyrie. There were several cheers from the village. However, Sweiza''s merriment turns to horror as their body''s turn to grey skeletons chattering and laughing at her. What was once their clothing, turned to ash and fell to the ground before it was swept away. Their clothing became old, worn with holes in them. She turns around to see her friends were all in armor still, but their skeletons were all that was left. One finally speaks. "Sweiza is a child, spoiled and rotten in her arrogance." Her face wells up. "That''s not true!" Another points its finger at her. "You choose to be a maiden and want to protect your village." There is more chattering. Another points its finger at her. "You cannot be a maiden serving a goddess and protect your village." "Yes I can!" "You are not a warrior." Her face turns red. She goes to swing her lance, but she realizes it is not in her hands. In fact, she remembers she isn''t even in her armor. "What the hell is this?!" The skeletons of the village people turn to ash and the wind wisks it away. She turns around to see the skeletons of her friends also turn to ash; the wind does not carry it away. Their armor drops to the ground. "Perhaps it is their armor that you seek." "Who..." The village suddenly spins out of reality; yet the trees and ground remain. The stars in the sky also change orientation and leave star trails from their previous position. The sky turns white and an aurora appears; again the sun ''Angol'' appears in the sky. The trees suddenly flatten backwards circling her position and the ground turns white and blue. Snow and ice cover the distance. An icey blue thrown appears ten feet from her. Sitting in it with his legs crossed and his head resting against his hand resting against the thrown arm; was demi. "YOU!" "Yes it is I. I am Demi, trickster god and servant of nightmares. I see your darkest desires shine through the wind of the night; I serve no one but my own desires and I see yours shine brighter than our first star Lokul." An large ice shard appears in her hands again; she goes to charge with it, only this time Demi''s lips cross a smile and he stars down at the young girl as she cannot move. She tries to move forward, but her feet will not move. She looks down to see ice has surrounded them and frozen them to the ground. She looks up to move her hands but sees they have frozen to the ice shard. She lets out a yelp and jumps backward. She twists her leg and feels her ankle move in a way it shouldn''t. Pain fills her body as she falls backward. Pain pulses throughout her leg. Her hands move to crutch her pain laiden leg, but the ice shard also follows them and she scrapes her knee. Her face wells up and the tears come. She hears his voice in the distance. "The young one has failed in her mission. Most sad." "Leave me alone!" His voice is now closer "No." As she lay crumped backward on the ground, she hears a figure walk up to her. He stands over her looking down at her. She lets out several wimpers in front of him as she attempts to twist her body away from him. He pulls his lips inward towards his mouth and his eyes widen at the sight before him. "Absolutely powerless before me. Even your darkest wishes can''t save you. Any la..." He feels a sharp pain impale him from behind. As before a large shard of ice has impaled him. However, this time there is no blood. He snaps his fingers and there is a blinding light. The world warps out from beneath them. She feels the pain in her legs subside as the ice suddenly disappears. She scrambles to her feet and notices they are in a forest. Demi is still standing mere feet from her. She turns around and breaks into a run. She hears his voice in the distance. She runs for what feels like an eternity and sees Demi''s backside approach in the distance. He turns around and there is this absolute look of delight on his face. He snaps his fingers and large monstrous totem poles pop from the ground and rise in the distance. Their backsides were towards her, but they slowly turn around and their faces start to chatter and clang with wood that fills the distance. Sweiza turns around to run, but she feels her body is frozen in terror. She hears Demi behind her. "You cannot escape; accept your fate!" She can feel the tears welling up again. She tries to call out to Valkyrie, but nothing comes from her mouth. Her lungs refuse to take in air. She struggles and struggles and it is no use. She finally feels her will give up and suddenly the terror in her body releases and lets out a yelp as she drops to the ground; she gasps for air as she tries to get life back into her lungs. "That was most amusing." She turns towards the voice and sees the form of a white wolf. It was Demi''s voice, so it had to be him. "I haven''t had that much amusement in some time." She feels it as a subconscious desire for another ice shard to appear, but nothing happens. "Don''t bother young one; your wishes only work as much as your surroundings and fate permit." Several vines appear around her wrists and ankles and pull her to the ground; another one pulls itself around her waist and does the same. She lifts her head up as the wolf walks towards her and slowly morphs into a red and black cloaked human. It was Demi. "This is your first lesson from me. Remember it." Sweiza stares at him in indignation as his hand waves and she is pushed out of the dream world. --- It was sometime in the night and a voice rouses Sweiza from sleep. "Wake young child." Sweiza rustles in her sleep, her armor clattering about against the tree''s trunk. "Young Sweiza, awaken." Sweiza''s breath comes to and life fills her tired eyes as she looks up at Valkyrie, whom is standing up and behind her. "It wasn''t a dream was it?" Her voice fills with dismay as the events of the previous day dart around her mind. "I am afraid not dear." Sweiza uses her hands to push herself to a sitting position and then tucks her hands around her legs, which are curled close to her. The metal of her armor clanks slowly against itself as she does so. This time, the tears do no come, instead her face frowns at the fate she knows is before her. Valkyrie is silent behind her as she waits patiently. What feels like an eternity, but was only a few more seconds, leaves Sweiza to slowly climb to her feet. Her armor again almost silently reverbs with metal. Standing, she turns around to face Valkyrie, whom was waiting for her patiently. Valkyrie wears no look on her face as she waits for Sweiza to determine the mood, almost as if wearing a blank expression. "Valkyrie..." "Yes dear?" "I have questions." "As you should. Ask." Valkyrie''s voice was less distant and more pleasant, although ''motherly'' might be pushing it. "What is to be my fate through Odin''s grand design?" Sweiza was doing her best to put on a polite and respectul attitude; Valkyrie responds accordingly. "Did you not learn anything from your tests from yesterday''s approach?" Sweiza''s lips purse up and she shakes her head. She really didn''t know or understand. Valkyrie is silent for a time as she approaches the tree from before and sits down; her hand now rests down on her lance from before as she looks down to the grass before them and then up to Sweiza. "Angst, what would you say of yourself?" "It''s SWEIZA." Her voice fills the air with her ironclad determination. Valkyrie''s lance is in her hand and flies at Sweiza''s feet and trips her. Sweiza falls forward as the ground clangs with her armor. She winces in pain throughout her arms and neck as she tries to climb herself back to her feet. As she gets to her feet and tries to push grass and dirt off of her armor... If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "What''s the big idea?! Why did you do that?!" Valkyrie''s lance comes flying towards Sweiza''s feet again. Sweiza falls again as before. She feels pain throughout her body, almost as if the direction she had fallen had been intentional to cause it. "You are a very slow learner young Sweiza." "Please stop punishing me." "If you would behave and show the proper respect you wouldn''t be punished." Sweiza let''s out a slow, but silent sigh. Valkyrie waits patiently, looking up at the sky now. "Valkyrie, I don''t want to endure it like this! I can''t stand it! It''s bothering me and making my life hell." "It is part of your knighthood, Valkyrie in training." "Valkyrie, please send me back to my village. I don''t want to do it like this anymore. I''ll live as a disgrace instead. I''ll accept not being worthy. Just please don''t make me do this anymore.... please... I don''t want this. I was never sup..." "Young Sweiza!" Sweiza stops. "Stop your mindless chattering at once." "Yes ma''am." "You are clearly lost." Sweiza nods. "You will learn through your humiliation if you cannot show the proper respect and behave yourself, is that understood?" Sweiza nods again. "Now sit yourself up in a dignified fashion so that I may speak with you as my equal." "I don''t underst..." "Now." The order was abrupt, but not mean. Sweiza turns herself up off the ground, pulls herself into a squat and sits herself down on her knees and puts her hands on her knees. "Sit up straight." Sweiza stiffens. "You are not a robot Sweiza." Sweiza''s posture slackes ever so slightly. Her heart didn''t obey and continues to beat fast. She didn''t want the lance again. Silence sits between them for what feels like ages. "Valkyrie?" "Hmm?" "You are my friend right?" The Valkyrie''s face finally breaks from it''s non-existant expression into slight disbelief. "I do not like being long winded young-one." "I don''t understand." "You truly are confused?" "I am." Valkyrie stands with her back leaning to the tree, facing Sweiza, and her arms cross as the foot of her right greave rests against the tree. "I will tell you, but pay attention." "Yes ma''am." "Do I have your attention Valkyrie so-named Angst?" She said it in a pleasant tone that unnerved Sweiza. There was some kind of sarcasm in there and she knew it. She holds back her distate for the name ''Angst" and simply nods. "Very good." There is a pause between them. Again what seems like ages, but is only a few minutes passes between them. Sweiza dares not to open her mouth. "Very good young Sweiza, I see you are learning after all." "Yes ma''am!" Valkyrie''s eyes dart to Sweiza. Sweiza''s face stiffens as she silences her enthusiasm and comes to attention. "Sweiza, I don''t like being long winded. But your failure to grasp the obvious leaves much to be desired." "I can''t help it! I''ve been tra..." The finger on Valkyrie''s gauntlet taps her elbow quickly and repeatedly. Sweiza again silences herself. "Very good Sweiza. Now pay attention to what I''m about to tell you. You seem to have a grasp on how to act around authority... provided you agree with it. What I''ve noticed is that you regularly speak out and speak your mind when you disagree with authority; you speak very highly of yourself when things are going your way; you also speak negatively about things you do not enjoy and look at others as being beneath you when you disagree with them. You have gone so far as to challenge Odin himself. I dare say you act like a child and this is a problem." Valkyrie waits. To her, a very pleasurable look of Sweiza''s humiliation adorns the girl''s face at having just had her faced rubbed into her own mannerisms. Sweiza''s gauntlet covered hands also tighten around each other. "So what should I do?" "I am here to assist you, as will your training." "But I d..." Sweiza stifles herself again. "Do go on Valkyrie. Please excuse my arrogance." Sweiza bows on her knees with her hands on the ground before she raises herself again. "You will accept humbleness and humility in all things." "Yes ma''am." "You will disregard your arrogance, privilege and above all else your childish spirit." "Yes ma''am." "You will behave yourself in front of authority and show the proper respect. Understood?" There was no answer. "Understood young Valkyrie?" "I don''t understand. What is the proper attitude if I can''t be myself?" "You will be sculpted and learned in the ways of Valkyrie. Your heart will be full of courage, but your mannerisms will be that of the graces of a lady until such time as needed when you must act as a warrior." "And then what of myself?" "What do you mean?" "Do I have to give up being Sweiza Serif?" "No dear. But as with all things, there is a time and a place to act as yourself. During your training, I expect you to learn and act as the young Valkyrie in training known as ''Angst''." "Yes ma''am." "If you wish to act childish, do it on your own time. As you have already experienced, you will be punished and humiliated as you speak out of turn or demonstrate your own freedom of will." "Yes ma''am." "You will be expected to function within a team of other Valkyries and function on your own as a Valkyrie; but all of that will come much later. For now, there are a number of formalities to endure and your training to Valkyrie is far from complete. Understood?" "Yes Valkyrie, I understand." "Good. Now, I believe you had some questions for me?" Sweiza lets out a sigh and looks down to the ground and away to Valkyrie before meeting her gaze; her hands still tightened in her lap. "Valkyrie, I don''t deserve it, but please tell me your name." There was a look of surprise on Valkyrie''s face. She was not expecting Sweiza to stop acting so boisterous so quickly. "I see you are learning after all... Sweiza. I am very proud of you." Valkyrie waits for Sweiza''s mind to procure the results. Sweiza looks down at the ground. Her face turns red and the tears start to well up again. In all of its glory, Valkyrie saw it. "Sweiza Serif, I am speaking to you as your friend and ally. For now, I will forgive you for your earlier mistakes provided you continue to mind yourself. My name is Verdandi." Sweiza looks up, her lips pursed and her eyes watered up. Her gaze meets Verdandi''s. "You should also know, ''nobody'' likes Odin. He is also as you put it, an ''ass''. I suffered a fate not unlike your''s." Sweiza was about to open her mouth. "But I am not content with discussing it at this time." Sweiza''s mouth closes. "Understand that I am your mentor Sweiza. I have been charged with training you and assisting you as such when you need it. When I am your friend, it is Verdandi. When I am training you and your mentor it is Valkyrie Strife; understood?" "Yes Valkyrie, I understand." "Good. Now, I''m sure, that you no doubht have more questions?" "Have I truly offended the goddess of fertility?" "No dear. You have her favor." Sweiza looks up in surprise. "What? Really? Why?" "You are protecting the realm within her kingdom... you are doing so as a Valkyrie. She could ask for no higher honor to have you as her ally." "I see. Please let her know I never meant to disrespect her." "She already knows dear." Sweiza''s hands loosen in her lap. "Was it to be my fate as Valkyrie?" "Your attitude put into motion the series of events that lead to you being knighted as Valkyrie." "I don''t understand." "You chose to camp outside of the temple putting your own thoughts and beliefs before those of whom should be your friends. You may agree with your village''s traditions and be determined to uphold it; but you were doing so for all of the wrong reasons." "Oh..." "However, you do display an ironclad will and have a strong spirit. You are also not so easily humiliated unless it is your fate that is toyed with and snatched away from you. Odin enjoys this kind of thing and takes great delight in toying with victims of his bad taste in humor. You do understand don''t you Sweiza? You are not the first, and will not be the last." "Understood!" Sweiza''s demeanor and mood finally perk up. "You were chosen as a Valkyrie for your arrogant pride. It is true, we as Valkyrie have every right to be proud, even arrogant to the point others are not worth our time. This is precisely why we are chosen by Odin." "I don''t understand..." "Odin has a sick sense of humor and loves the irony of us having to be humble while acting with humility over our position." "I see..." "However, we as Valkyrie have a reputation to live up to. We do not do this for Odin''s sake. We do this for our own sake and for the sake of others. We do this to be better than Odin. Understood?" "Completely." "Very good! I am very impressed with you Angst. "I am your humble student Valkyrie and wish to serve my fellow Valkyrie." "Very good Sweiza. However, from now on, you are to address me as Strife and not ''Valkyrie''. Do you understand?" "Yes Strife. I understand." "Very good." "As for the rest of my questions Valk... I mean Strife?" "And those are?" "What is my fate?" "You will serve with loyalty and respect to the will of Odin; our supreme leader. You will also serve the same to his whims and desires; no matter how petty and childish." "Yes ma''am." "Valkyrie..." Strife face looks with a curious look down at Sweiza. "I mean Strife; what was the point of those trials?" "In reality there are about five hundred or so trials; the ones most specific to a Valkyrie in training are the twelve that they must endure. Those situations where they are most needed, the places where they would be best tempered as Valkyrie; are the places that begin their fate. As you experienced, as I have experienced, and so many Valkyrie-kin before us." "How many of us are there?" "Roughly fifty-four over the last one hundred years." "I see. How did Odin arrange all of this?" "Odin is a god you see. He has seen through Ymir the knowledge of the future in ways we could never understand. Whether we are slaves to his meddling, or free will to make our own fate, I do not know; I try not to concern myself with it. My fate has been chosen, as has yours. I suggest you just accept it and enjoy what freedom and time you are given and be done with it. Odin''s word is law." "Understood." "Because of your stubbornness, you did not become acquainted with your initial trials, or some simply eluded you altogether. The situations changed to match the personality and attitude you demonstrated. You effectively chose your fate according to Odin''s design." "His bad sense of humor?" "Yes, but there is a point to it. You will understand at the appropriate time." "I see." "You seem to do better with people that act as your friend and ally in serious matters." "Yes, this is true. I would rather get to know the people around me; it makes it easier to understand and work with them." "As you have demonstrated. You are also more willing to listen to people you know that respect you as their friend. I suggest you tread with caution, as this will be a strength and a weakness in the future. Not all of the people you have met in your trials want to be your friend. Some of them need your talents, not your personality or friendship. Understood?" "Understood." "When in those situations they act with your friendship, you my act as Sweiza. When they require your talents, you act as Valkyrie Angst only; understood?" "Yes Strife; I understand." "Very good." "Strife, I..." "That is enough for now Sweiza. The night is young and I am tired. I will see you in a few hours? Good night then." Strife unfolds her arms and leans her back against the tree as she slumps down to a sitting position and closes her eyes. "Good night Strife." Sweiza stands up and turns around with her back to Strife; her mission resumes to stare off at her village in the distance. "And Sweiza..." Sweiza turns around to see Strife looking up at her. "Yes?" "Take heed of what you write in that diary of yours. Others may be reading it." "I don''t underst..." "I will see you in the morning Sweiza. Good night." Strife''s head turns over and slumps against the tree. Sweiza is left with confusion at what Strife meant; but it soon became clear. --- "Dear Diary, Valkyrie Angst has chosen to show her spirit and angst to Odin and has been so named accordingly. Despite her initial arrogance, I see great potential in her future once her spirit and will have been tempered and honed accordingly. She will make a great Valkyrie, of this I am certain. Sweiza, fight! I know you can do it!" Sweiza looks down at her journal in disbelief and sees there is a gap between the middle of the entry; there was more to it. "Sweiza, you also display an unrivaled affection for food. Part of your training will involve learning how to cook and serve others. We will hone this healthy appetite of yours yet! Look forward to it!" Sweiza slowly closes the journal and sets it on the ground. As she stands up her arms cross; she looks down at Valkyrie, then quickly turns her head away towards the woods. She looks up at one of Avalon''s moons and pushes her lips together in disgust. "What the hell is this shit?!" Unbeknownst to her, Strife heard her, and couldn''t help but give a discreet smile before she drifted off to sleep. Chapter 3 - Sweizas Training Sweiza found herself gazing at her village for sometime. If there was ever a more grueling and boring task, it was this. The only thing more aggravating about it, was the potential friend and playmate whom was just a short distance from her, sleeping up against a tree. To pass the time, Sweiza chose a number of activities: staring up at the different moons, wishing to the stars above to bypass her fate, staring off into the woods and checking on the village. She would make faces at the Valkyrie in front of her, but the only motion of life within Strife was when she''d occasionally rustle or stir in her sleep. A few times Sweiza thought she would awaken, only to see Strife shift her position. When she chose a more serious approach, she would walk a paremeter of about twenty feet within the tree. When the boredom finally got to her, she would pace to-and-fro extremely slowly. At one point she finally stamped her foot on the ground and her armor gave a distinct vibration. Past midnight, Sweiza finally gave up and let herself slump up against the tree that would put her in a position to keep guard of the village and the nearby woods well within her sight. She gives one look over to Strife and mutters, "I really do hope you''ll be my friend someday. I don''t mean to cause a mirade of problems; I''m still young and stupid." She lets out a yawn as the sweet embrace of sleep takes her on her journey to the dream realm. She thought she heard Strife''s voice, but it was already too late. --- "Valkyrie Angst, wakeup." Her eyes open slowly as he body forces a deep breath and then a yawn; almost on instinct she twists her shoulders and her arms stretch. She felt good despite recent events. She finally lets out a sigh and her gaze fixes on the greaves and leg armor of someone standing over her. She looks up to see Strife with her left hand supporting her right, with her right hand supporting her chin. "Sweiza Serif, did you sleep well?" "Marvelous." "Good. Your training starts now." "Wait, what? I..." "Miss Serif, on your feet." "But I..." Strife''s voice gets sharp as she shoots Sweiza a look. "I will not ask you a second time." Strife''s hand appears and a sword appears in it. "At least let me dust my..." "Angst, this is called a bastard sword. You will be training with it. I expect you to become well equipped and aquainted with it. It is going to serve you well." Sweiza lets out an involuntary sigh as she holds out her hand. "You are going to learn to control your behavior and those outbursts, do I make myself clear?" Sweiza''s eyes shift away as she lets out a nod. "Angst, look at me. Now." Sweiza looks over as Strife hands her the sword. It was strangely light. "Now pay attention." Sweiza nods. "As mentioned, this is a bastard sword. It is so named because it is the bastard of all swords. This weapon can be weilded one or two handed. You can swing or stab with it depending on the situation; there may come a time you have to hold the blade in your gauntlet and club someone with it. If you look at the grip..." Strife shoots her another look. Sweiza looks down at the grip on command. "The two protrusions between the blade and the grip are the guard. They will be used to stop incoming swords, blades and all manner of weapons. This can be done while a weapon is sliding along the blade or done forcefully by pointing the blade and guards at an incoming weapon. Sweiza, do you understand?" "Strife, what weapon do you use?" Strife shakes her head as she approaches Sweiza. Sweiza insinctively braces her body for another punishment, but it never happens. "Sweiza, put your right foot in front of your left as if you were walking." "Why?" "Do it." Sweiza complies. She holds the sword down by her left side with her left hand. "I see you hold it with your left hand. You are left handed, yes?" "I''m very proud to be left handed, so fe..." "Angst, less chit chat." Sweiza''s face turns into a frown. Strife stands next to Sweiza and her head leans within a foot of her face. Sweiza again stiffens up expecting a punishment; instead she jumps and lets out an instinctive, but silent yelp. Strife places hand on her shoulder. Unexpectedly, Strife gives her shoulder several playful nudges. "Sweiza, I know it''s hard." Sweiza''s face again holds a frown as her body shakes in disgust. "You need to know how to do this. There is going to come a time when you need to attack an opponent and defend yourself. You don''t want to be caught unprepared." Sweiza''s body slackens, "Yes Strife, I understand." Strife gives her an encouraging smile, "I knew you would. Now, before we continue..." Sweiza finally looks over at the Valkyrie standing on her right side. "...we will have plenty of time to chit-chat about silly things later." "What?", Sweiza''s face turns to surprise as her mouth turns into an o-shape. "I..." "But for the time being, I am speaking to you as Valkyrie mentor and trainer. It is my committment to turn you into a warrior fit for battle. I want your solelm oath that you will give me your full committment and attention on this." Sweiza remains silent for a moment, and mutters, "Okay." "Good." Strife gives her one more playful nudge, "Now back to work... Angst." "Now, as you''ve mentioned, you are left handed. I want you to change your position to hold your left foot out instead of your right." Sweiza complies and changes position with her left foot in front of her right. "Because you are left handed, your scabbard will be belted on your right side. You will unsheath with your left hand, and if you must walk while unsheathing, you will also walk first with your left foot. Understood?" "Yes, Strife." "Angst, unbuckle your belt. You''ll find a loop on your sword''s scabbard; loop it around your belt, taking care to make sure the loop is faing outward and the scabbard in." "I don''t understand." "What part don''t you understand?" Sweiza holds the sword up, "What is a scabbard?" "It''s the leather and wood covering held over your sword while it is sheathed. You do know what it means to sheath right?" "I don''t." Strife walks up to Sweiza again, whose body once again stiffens; Strife''s head shakes. "Honestly Sweiza, you are not a statue. Quit acting like one." Sweiza lets out a puff of air and her body slackens. "Hold up your sword." Sweiza does so. Strife puts her right hand to Sweiza''s left and tilts the sword to its side. Strife then places her left hand onto the scabbard and pulls it apart. Sweiza''s mouth drops to a surprised o-shape again as she sees the sheath expose the sword. "This is what it means to unsheath. When your sword is sheathed, the blade is not exposed and can''t hurt you. That isn''t to say the scabbard can''t be used as a weapon, but that will come later. Also, if you don''t watch your footing at points, your sheath can be an obstacle. Now, I need you to unbuckle your belt." Strife pulls Sweiza''s sword out of her hands as Sweiza fumbles with her belt. Once unbuckled, she pulls it from her side and it slackens to the Earth. Strife takes the sword and loops it, scabbard facing in, to Sweiza''s belt. "Now put it back on." "Yes, Valkyrie." "Angst, you will no longer address me as Valkyrie, it is Strife." "Yes Ma''am." Strife shoots her another look. "Strife." "Better." Strife leaves Sweiza behind and walks several feet in front of her. "Where are you going?" "Nowhere. Only a safe distance from you." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Safe for..." "Sweiza, take out your sword with your left hand." Sweiza pulls on the grip, except she pulls the sword out backwards with the bottom of her hand and the blade faces the ground. "Angst, the blade needs to be held upward." Sweiza uses her right gauntlet to grab the base of the blade and reposition it in her left hand. "We''ll ignore the fact you don''t grab it that way. If you pull it out properly by turning your left hand upside down, you won''t have that issue. Now, I want you to hold the grip with your left hand on top and your right hand on the bottom." Sweiza complies again. "This is called two handed style and gives you more power as well as more control over the blade. If you have a preference for that or if you prefer to use it one handed, you may do so. However, right now I want you to use the two handed style first." Sweiza nods. "Resheath your sword, using only your left hand. Use your right to guide the blade; if you have to, use your thumb to do so." It took several attempts, but the sword was finally sheathed. "Angst, from a standing position, I want you to unsheath your sword with your left hand and walk forward with your left foot." Sweiza hesitates. "Do it." She walks forward and then unsheaths her sword with her left hand. "Good. Resheath your sword and do it again." She does so and lets a snort. "This is easy." "Don''t worry, we''ll fix that later. Now, do it again; only this time, I want you to do it one hundred more times without being instructed." Sweiza''s eyes close and she lets out a forced sigh before resheathing her sword and repeating the steps as instructed. Strife stands there watching, ever so carefully. By the one hundredth unsheathing and stance, Sweiza was panting. Strife''s hand passes through her hair and then to her chin as she went into though. "Take a break." Sweiza finally resheathes the sword and lets out a sigh before attempting to drop to the ground in a huff. Her attempt was to sit crosslegged, but the attempt was foiled by the belted scabbard hitting the ground. Sweiza topples over to the ground and lets out a moan of dismay. "One of the options you may use if you desire your scabbard to be an obstacle." Sweiza rights herself up while positioning the scabbard to sit behind her. She sits crosslegged. "Really Angst, that is such an undignified position for a Valkyrie. "You said I could take a break!" "I suppose we''ll let it slide for now. You get ten minutes; then your training starts again." Sweiza''s face again frowns. "And Sweiza, quit frowning at me. That look is getting to be as old as I am." Sweiza looks up in surprise, "How old are you?" "There will be chit chat later. Right now I want you to focus your mind on what you just learned." "Yes, Valky... Strife." As Sweiza sits, Strife paces randomly, but slowly. Her left hand supporting her right elbow and her right hand supporting her chin. "Strife, what are you doing?" "Thinking." "About? "Your lesson plan." "Great." Strife gives her a cheaky smile, "I knew you would think so." Sweiza sticks out her tongue at her, but Strife ignores it. Ten minutes pass... "Angst, resuming your lesson from before. Once you unsheath your sword and step forward with your left foot, I want you to take one more step with your right. While you are doing so I want you to hold your left hand on the top of the grip and use your right hand to brace the bottom. You should be able to do this in two swift motions. One hundred times, begin." Sweiza complies yet again. This time drawing the sword with her left hand and walking forward with her right foot; then ending the motion with her right foot and both hands on the sword. "Angst, faster and harder. You need to be able to do this at a moment''s notice." After one hundred times of this, Sweiza found herself breathing hard again. "You''re not used to this, it''ll get easier; but don''t worry, we''ll make it harder for that reason." "Right." "Take a break for now; minding where you position your scabbard this time. I also want you to give a slight, but quick bow with your head ever time you acknowledge a training manuever." Sweiza was about to give the indicated bow, but is interrupted. "Also, I want you to sit yourself down this time, gracefully. Not quickly like a wreckless person. We''re going to iron that out of you. You may be taking the training of a warrior, but you will act as a lady. Understood?" Sweiza gives a slight bow and then slowly lets herself to the ground, this time making sure to place the scabbard behind her; again she sits cross-legged. Strife walks up mere feet from her, looks down at her, closes her eyes and looks back up. Her hands craddle themselves around her waist and she slowly lets herself down with one foot to sit with her knees forward and her feet under her. She puts her hands in front of her in her lap. Sweiza''s face again turns to surprise. "How did you do that with the armor?" "Practice my dear. We''ll give you the same ability, don''t worry. And Angst..." This time Sweiza interrupts Strife, "Strife... thank you." "You''re very welcome dear." It was in that moment Strife knew that Sweiza had finally been won over, at least in part. The two of them sat that way in silence, Sweiza staring at Strife''s elegant seating position. For the duration of roughly ten minutes, Strife''s eyes remained closed as she faced Sweiza. After the ten minutes, her eyes open and she raises herself to her feet with her legs unassisted by her hands. "Angst, your training is to resume." "Yes Strife." Sweiza gives the appropriate bow before pushing her hands into the ground and climbing to her feet. At this point, she couldn''t help but feel like a backwater swamp monkey compared to the more elegant Strife. "Angst, the rest of your training for the day will include working on your form with different cuts, stabs, thrusts and swings. We''ll conclude with different stances to block an attack. Let''s begin." Sweiza nods. --- The training lasted from early morning before sunrise, to just before noon. Part of the repetoir included cuts to vital areas of the body such as the neck, joints, arms, legs and groin. Different stabs and thrusts to hit vital areas on unarmored opponents, as well as reaching vital joints between the armor of an opponent. The shorter, but latter part of the training included different stances, thrusts and swings to potentially block, and potentially parry an opponents attack. Each method was done one hundred times and after each a ten minute break. The period before noon rolled around quickly, and by that time Sweiza was panting and breathing hard. "Strife, how much longer?" Strife was leaning against the tree from the previous night, "Hmm? Oh. You''re done for the day Sweiza, well done." "What, but I thought...?" "That it would be all day? No dear. That comes later when I will be training with you." Strife lets out a weak smile, "For now, your training is concluded. You will train like this for one week. From just after midnight you will be on guard duty until early morning where you will train with different uses of your sword. Eventually we will move onto another weapon. But for now, your training is completed. I have no complaints." Sweiza gives a bow, "Thank you Valk... Strife." "Sweiza..." "Yes, Strife?" "You are released from training and as Valkyrie for the rest of the day." Sweiza was taken aback, "What?" "Go home to your family. They''re probably worried sick about you." "Strife, with all due respect..." Strife''s gaze was focused on something in the distance, but not quite there, "Hmm?" "My family knew I would be at the Shrine of the Goddess of Fertility. The group that took the pilgrimage wouldn''t be back yet." Strife''s left hand passes through her hair once, "Oh, that. It''s been two weeks." Sweiza lets out a gasp as her face and body turn to one of surprise, "How?" "Your tr?ials took up a number of days as you were wisked around the contintent. You''ll get used to it." Sweiza winces and nods quickly. "Also..." Sweiza''s attention was again had on the Valkyrie. "Is Sweiza your given name, or is it a nickname?" "What?!" "Sweiza, honestly, don''t act surprised. That is a boy''s name and I''m sure you know it." "My parents wanted a boy to help with farmwork and to carry the village''s honor. Instead they had me. Everyone calls me Sweiza." Strife now approached the young woman before her, "You do have a given name then, yes?" Sweiza''s eyes and head shift away from Strife momentarily before looking at her, "My given name is Starla Serif. Everyone calls me Sweiza; some people shorten my lastname and call me Sarah." Strife''s left hand again passes through her hair, "What a beautiful name for an intriguing beautiful young woman. Very well then Starla Serif, that is what I will call you." "It''s Sweiza! Sweiza!" Strife gives her a cheaky smile, her hand still in her hair, "And so you were named Angst by Odin." "You''re teasing isn''t welcome!" "Oh for the love of Midgard, lighten up Sweiza. It''s not all that bad." "That''s what -you- think. Starla is a terrible name!" "Maybe for a roughian," Strife''s teasing continued, "But we''ll change that." Sweiza''s face again turns into a frown. Strife''s left hand moves from her hair as she approaches Sweiza and her right hand again approach''s Sweiza''s shoulder. Two more nudges, "Starla is not as bad of a name as you think." Sweiza''s eyes close as she sticks her tongue out at her. Sweiza couldn''t discern if Strife''s cheerful laugh and smile was fake or not, but it came off with an elegant demeanor; it clearly wasn''t meant at her, but with her. "Either way Strife, please refrain from calling me Starla." "Sweiza Serif, before we part company for the day, there are two matters to attend to." Sweiza''s face looks dead on to Strife again, but her curiosity was mounting, "Such as?" "Do you have a favorite color?" "Why?" "Look down." "Sweiza looks down to see her armor had disappeared. In its place was a more rustic leather extierior; predominantly tan, with green color secondary, with brown stitch and trim. The leather armor came in the form of short underwear, a long dress, two-piece blouse and light-coat covered by a very short mantle, wrist-length gloves, and thick leather boots. The boots have a belt and large buckle to tighten them around the ankle, as do the gloves. The large sword belt, scabbard and sword remained. "Leather?" Sweiza was quite surprised. "I see your favorite color is green. So will be your armor then." "I like it... kind of." "It will grow on you." "But how did..." Strife was now walking partially circular and adjuscent to Sweiza''s front and left side, "If you will it, you can switch between the armor depending on the setting. Also, as you''ve noticed, I can summon my lance at will. You can do the same with your sword. It will not always be a sure thing while you are training, but with pratice it will be an absolute. Use these abilities to summon your articles and weapons wisely." Sweiza gives another bow, "Yes, Strife." "For now, I suggest you leave your appearance and weapon as is. You''ll need to learn to walk this way." "Yes, Valkyrie." "Sweiza, it''s Strife." "My appologies Strife." "As for the last matter of business." "And that is?" "I heard you last night when you said you wanted to be my friend. I wholeheartedly agree. Kinship is a grand thing and not to be taken lightly. However, I expect you to appreciate that same kinship with other Valkyrie." "Yes Strife, I understand; and thank you!" "You''re very welcome dear. However, that isn''t what I meant." "Then what did you mean?" "Verdandi is my last name; Alice is my given." "What?!" "I''m sure you are well aware of the Verdandi family name in your village." "They all become knights, including the women." "Correct." "But wait, doesn''t that mean you are from my village?" Strife''s hand goes through her hair one last time as she nods, "Correct. If you want to know more about my lineage and me specifically, you can check the record section at the village''s library. Your boyfriend is studying to be a mage isn''t he? I''m sure he can help you." Lester while not there, evoked a serious mage holding a goofy peace sign; her face braces itself with a mix of frown and cringe rolled into one. "For now young one, this is where we part company. Go home to your family, let them know of your good fortune. We will resume your training in early morning after midnight; make sure you are well rested." Sweiza gives one last bow, "Thank you for everything Strife." "You''re welcome. I am happy to have changed your outlook on becoming a Valkyrie." Strife nods one last time, "This is where I depart." She says it sharply and turns around. As she walks, her form slowly fades as if by some other worldly force. Sweiza is left bewildered to stare the direction Strife was heading; but it just lead to woods. Rather than stand there like an idiot, she walks briskly to her village. Her attire caught a few bewildered, if not surprised looks. She gave it no attention as her goal was imminent, her parents'' house. Once there... She gives a sharp knock at the door. Her mother was there to greet her, "Sweiza, were have you been? Your father and I have been worried helpless!" "Mama, I''m alive and well, I most regretfully appologize for my absense." "Sweiza, where have you been?" The new voice catches her attention. Sweiza''s eyes tear up when her father, whom had been sitting at the table, came to the door to join his wife to see what the commotion was about. She rushes into the doorway past her mother to hug her father. His hand rests on her head. "Judging that you came back after the main group, I''m guessing you had quite the adventure getting back. What happened, and why are you wearing that outfit?" Sweiza nods to her father and pulls away from him to bring her attention to the both of her parents. She tries to say it calmly, but the tears break through her emotional dam as she finally breaks down. Her mother tries to counsel her, "Sweiza, maybe you should sit down. Tell us everything, from the beginning." Sweiza nods between the tears, "Mama, papa. I''m so sorry for having worried you. But I regretfully have the most terrible news to report." Her father also counsels her, "Sweiza, whatever it is, we''ll help you through it." "Mama, papa... The Verdandi lineage has knighted me a Valkyrie." Chapter 4 - Sweiza Unhinged Sweiza looks up to her whom has entered the dining area with a plate of food. She sets it down on the table in front of Sweiza. Sweiza¡¯s lips tremble and her tears well up again, her face turns into a pout as she turns back to her father. ¡°Sweiza, maybe you should tell us from the beginning.¡± Her father says it with encouragement, but uncertainty as he looks over to his wife. Sweiza looks over to her mother and then her father and the tears finally break. ¡°Papa, mama; they did terrible things to me.¡± Her father looks at her with his full concentration, ¡°What -kind- of things?¡± She crosses her head on the table and lays her head down in shame. Her words come out between the sobbing and the tears, ¡°The-y; they- took, my¡­ purity.¡± Her father¡¯s hand comes up from the table and he waves it slightly at her, ¡°Sweiza, what do you¡­¡± ¡°Tars!¡± Her mother gets sharp with him and then points her finger inderectly at him and above his shoulder and gives the same motion to their daughter and then pulls it away, ¡°Honestly! What mattered to her more than being a Shrine Maiden for the village?¡± Her father looks up at his wife and it hits him. ¡°For the love of Odin¡­¡± He says it as he looks back at his daughter and the realization enters the room. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. She looks up at him, ¡°Papa¡­ Odin is a terrible person¡­¡± Her mother looks from her daughter to Tars. Her father doesn¡¯t know what to say. Sweiza¡¯s tears come out again as she looks away from him. ¡°Papa¡­¡± Her mother interrupts before he can say anything. ¡°Sweiza, you look like a mess. Go take a shower and change your clothing. You stink of the swamp. Get some sleep - you look like you need it.¡± ¡°Mama, I¡­¡± ¡°Starla Serif!¡± Her mother says it sharply and Sweiza flinches. Sweiza regains her composure as she stiffens her stomach and her the tremoring of lips slowly turn into a lesser emotion, but still determined frown. Her head sinks into her shoulders slightly as she looks again from her mother to her father. She gives a small head nod to no one in particular - but almost between them. ¡°Yes, Mama. Yes, Papa. I am sorry for having worried you.¡± ¡°Sweiza, that¡¯s a good girl. We¡¯ll help you deal with it.¡± Her father finally knew what she meant. ¡°But get some sleep. You look like a wreck.¡± Sweiza gives one last nod towards her father as she regains her composure again and her emotions finally stop. She pushes herself from the able and her chair back as she lifts herself up to her feet. She does so silently as she walks slower than normal to the stairs. Her parents could see it. One of her silent anger spells that cooperates, but rebels when she doesn¡¯t get her way. The kind that silently retreats when she knows older wisdom is stacked against youthful ignorance. Her parents hear the slow creak of the wooden stairs under Sweiza¡¯s feet as she climbs the stairs. Sweiza takes one last look down over the railing towards her parents in the dining area, and then slowly faces upwards before her feet disappear from view. Her mother looks from the stairs to the uneaten food at Sweiza¡¯s chair. She looks to her husband. ¡°Tars¡­¡± ¡°Melda, we¡¯ll help her through it.¡± Her father says it, -not- facing his wife, but looking at the solemn emptiness and despair that followed Sweiza up the stairs. Her mother nods towards her husband. Chapter 5 - Little Sprite Words escape her, but the thoughts don¡¯t stop. She curses her existence at the turn of events. Her life upside down, she lifts herself with each footstep, trudging up the stares; she does it slowly as if she is leaving her fate ahead of her, behind her and down the stares. At the top of the stares, she looks out briefly through the window, but gives it no attention. She passes the first door, also not giving it much attention; it is the family shower, and she has no interest in it - at least not yet. Instead, she slowly walks to her room, her mood changing, slightly. She sees the familiar door, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and slowly opens it as she exhales; she walks in and lets the door behind her close. She focuses her attention on her surroundings and then her bed. She slowly trudges towards it and lets herself fall forward. Her faces reaches the pillow and then the tears usher forth. She knows it is unavoidable, but chooses to let it work its way out of her system. After several upsets, the final stream ends and her lip ends it with a quiver; still on her bed, she sets herself upright to a setting position and focuses her attention with her eyes closed, to the ground. She makes every attempt to regain her composure and control her mood. ¡°Well that was quick.¡± Her body flinches as she turns her head towards the open window. A small blue and green figure floats their hovering, its wings flapping every so often. Despite the blurry vision from her upset tears, she recognizes the figure and voice. ¡°Little, sprite!¡± She says it in a low tone of contempt; she pulls her lips into a frown and narrows her eyes at the sprite. He flutters in and deliberately spins around her head slowly and assumes a position the opposite of her head, which makes a poor attempt to track him. Her head finally turns back to her left and she locks eyes with him, just under two feet from her face. Her expression changes to something more relaxed as her eyes close again; she looks away from him a look of guilt and yielding humility to him. ¡°It¡¯s good to see a friend.¡± He crosses his arms as his wings start to beat repeatedly; he bobs up and down slowly as he does so. ¡°You¡¯re the one that didn¡¯t want me to come with!¡± His wings stop beating as he hovers in place; he throws his right hand towards the ground and leans forward as his voice changes in pitch. ¡°Sweiza, I mean it! Don¡¯t you ignore me again, or I¡¯ll fly back out that window!¡± She turns her head towards him again; again the two of them lock eyes about two feet apart. She gives a fake, but apologetic smile. ¡°I¡¯m really happy you waited for me Dewey.¡± His arms cross one more time as he twitches his right lip at her and turns his head away. Both eyes are closed, but he slowly opens one eye and casually turns his head slightly, pretending not to notice her or her mood. ¡°Yeah, well. There was nothing to do¡­¡± His head turns towards her again, ¡°¡­and it¡¯s hard to find any good food in this village.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. She looks at him in disbelief, ¡°You mean any food that they weren¡¯t watching for any would be thieves!¡± He lets out a ¡°hmph!¡± and crosses his arms and cocks his head away from her again, ¡°If someone had stuck around, I wouldn¡¯t need to steal anything!¡± He feels a finger poke him from the back. He flinches and cocks his body around at her. She sees a small light shimmer from his hand as it shoots towards her and disappears. ¡°And another thing¡­!¡± He throws his hand to the ground again. Both of them turn their head abruptly to the door as it slowly opens. Both her mother and father are standing there; however, she notices there is someone slightly taller behind them. She recognizes the light blond hair. She feels her body tighten as it tries to pull away from the perceived threat. ¡°Sweiza.¡± Her father grabs her attention, ¡°Lady Strife would like to speak with you when you are free.¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy right now.¡± She says it without hesitation. ¡°As you wish Ms. Serif.¡± Strife bows her head slowly and thoughtfully, before turning towards the stairs. Sweiza sees her mother, and then father disappear from the door. She hears them speaking amongst themselves, but it slowly fades to nothing. ¡°Sweiza, who was that?¡± He looks over at her curiously. Before she can answer, he perks her with another question, ¡°Why was she wearing Valkyrie armor?¡± He zigs and zags away from her, and settles several feet in front of her, and he once again speaks before she can answer. ¡°Why are -you- wearing Valkyrie armor? Are you crazy?!¡± She sits up from the bed and casually walks towards him as if nothing is bothering her. He knows what is coming next and narrowly dodges her gauntlet as she attempts to swat him out of the way. ¡°Not funny, ¡®Ms. Serif¡¯.¡± He bobs up and down repeatedly as he crosses his arms in his new position two feet from her left ear. She turns around and slightly walks away from him, ¡°I -didn¡¯t- choose this!¡± She turns around and points her left finger at him, ¡°That woman, made me! She¡¯s the one that made me do this!¡± She turns her attention and left finger to the door. She turns back to the sprite and pulls a determined frown at him. ¡°Okay, okay, I believe you.¡± He hovers in front of her, bobs once and then zips back and forth before hovering in front of her again. The gesture gets met with approval, ¡°Thank you sprite.¡± He then crosses his arms and supports his mouth with his right hand. ¡°But there is still the matter of why you were gone for two weeks.¡± He darts from his current position to a few inches from her face, ¡°Did you have an adventure?¡± She looks down and slightly away, ¡°Something like that.¡± He casually flies into her field of view, ¡°Tell me, I want to know!¡± Her eyes look down at him; she resists the urge to boil over at him. She turns her attention towards the door, ¡°Later.¡± She starts walking towards the door; the sprite follows her. He jolts to a stop when she stops and cocks her head slightly to her left. ¡°I wreak of swamp, I want a shower¡­ badly. Don¡¯t follow me.¡± He respects his friend¡¯s wishes as she heads towards the door. He sees an odd sight as her armor disappears and her Fertility Festival clothing reappears. This perks his interest, but he chooses to bite his tongue. Despite wanting to help his friend, he knows full well from her mood she wants to be left alone. The only thing he can do now is wait. Suddenly, his head turns towards the door and he slowly flies towards it while flapping his wings. He stops just outside the door. His wings begin to flutter furiously. ¡°Did you at least bring back any food?¡± He says it with an eager of enthusiasm. His head jolts back at the resounding, ¡°NO!¡± ¡°It was just a question. Sheesh.¡± He mutters it to no one present and flies over to the bed. He lands, yawns while stretching, lies down and curls up on his left side. He looks up one last time and out through the window up to the moon of Lokul. He soon finds himself asleep and in the land of dreams. Chapter 6 - An Unexpected Guest ¡°Dewey Herschel.¡± The murmur stirs the sprite, but he otherwise curls back up and stops moving. Unimpressed, Sweiza crosses her arms and looks down at the sprite. ¡°Dewey Herschel!¡± He moves slightly, but otherwise remains still. Sweiza leans over as she moves her head closer to him; now just inches from the creature. She contemplates the best way to wake him up. She puts her fingers up next to him, ready to flick him, but decides against it. Instead, she draws in a deep breath and lets it out. ¡°DEWEY!¡± The sprite¡¯s head jolts up; he sees her inches from his face and then startled, he jumps into the air and darts towards the ceiling. He spins around with his breath catching up to him as his wings flutter every so often. Such thoughts as impatience, mean spirited, crazy and childish run through his mind. His heart still going, he watchers her calmly ignore him as she turns around and sits on the bed. She then lets her upper body drop on the bed and her arms spread out to either side of her. Her eyes closed, she lets open and she looks up at the sprite. He notes she is in neither her armor, nor her Fertility Festival robe. Sweiza lets out a sigh of contentment. ¡°Showers are always the best.¡± She says it with a joyous enthusiasm. Dewey remains where he is. ¡°You can come down now¡­ Sprite.¡± She says the last word with sarcastic intent - as if he¡¯d just messed up on something and should feel sorry for his naughtiness. He turns his body and sight towards the window, then looks back down at her. She rolls her eyes at him and he darts out the window. ¡°What¡­ever.¡± She says it again with sarcastic intent. She waits patiently for what seems like a few minutes and the sprite comes flying back in. He lands on her right knee and puts his hands on his hips. ¡°Sweiza, that¡¯s not nice.¡± He says it with proper sophistication - as if he is an adult. Sweiza lifts her head slightly and looks up at him. She frowns. ¡°Wait. The Valkyrie is back.¡± ¡°What? Where?¡± He turns towards the door as he says it. It is enough to distract him. In one fell motion, Sweiza uses her right hand to assist her as she raises her boy to a sitting position; meanwhile she bounces her right foot to pop him in the air; she grabs him with her left hand. She turns her hand and the sprite towards her; she loosens her hand just slightly for him to turn around. She tightens her hand again so he can¡¯t move. ¡°Sweiza!¡± ¡°Sprite.¡± The standoff between them continues until Sweiza hears her mother, ¡°Sweiza, dinner!¡± Both her and Dewey turn their heads from the direction of the sound out the door and towards each other. A big grin crosses her face. She lets him go. He jumps a foot into the air and looks up at her. ¡°Food!¡± He says it with enthusiasm. ¡°Agreed.¡± She says it back to him. She realizes she can¡¯t remember the last time she at, save for when she was with Valkyrie Strife. ¡°Coming mother!¡± She says it towards the door as she rushes towards it. The sprite chases after. ¡ª Heads turn towards the stairs as quick footwork is heard. She bolts to the floor at the end of the stairs and quickly orients her body around and towards the table. She freezes and her enthusiasm disappears when she sees the Vakyrie at the table. ¡°What is -she- still doing here?!¡± Sweiza says it with stern contempt as she slowly approaches the table. ¡°Sweiza, your manners! We have a guest!¡± Her mother returns the stern contempt, but for different reasons. The Valkyrie says nothing. Melda¡¯s head turns towards the sprite behind Sweiza. ¡°And take that thing outside or upstairs. You know how we feel about him in the house!¡± The sprite ignores the comment as he flies up to the table. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Her mother pulls up a large spoon from one of the dishes of noodles. The sprite freezes. ¡°Mama, can¡¯t he eat with us? Please?! He hasn¡¯t eaten for two weeks!¡± She says it, as if it were the truth. ¡°I highly doubt that young lady. He¡¯s probably the reason food has been going missing in the market.¡± The sprite flies over to Sweiza and behind her for protection. She turns around at him, puts her right hand on her hip and points her left finger at him. ¡°Sprite, is this true?!¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He looks away from her. Just then the Valkyrie speaks up, ¡°It¡¯s not a bother really.¡± Strife keeps her eyes closes as she pulls up a cup of tea and a saucer under it; she continues to ignore the two causing a scene and waits for the parents to make up their mind. Tars and Melda look over from Strife at each other. Melda look from Sweiza to Tars. ¡°Maybe just this once Melda.¡± Tars says it looking at Sweiza, not wanting to further the commotion. Sweiza and Dewey look towards Sweiza¡¯s mother eagerly. ¡°Well hurry on over then. This food won¡¯t eat itself.¡± Sweiza bows. ¡°Thank you mama.¡± The sprite darts over to the mother and in place bobs up and down while he does a quick bow, holding both of his hands in front of him. Melda makes a quick quip, ¡°I¡¯m surprised it has manners.¡± The sprite jolts and then darts over to Sweiza. It lands down next to her plate. ¡ª ¡°As I was saying before, Miss Serif has agreed to be a Valkyrie and¡­¡± Strife doesn¡¯t get a chance to finish. Sweiza¡¯s fork drops to the table as she pushes her chair up and stands up; both her hands arms cross sharply. ¡°It isn¡¯t true; I never agreed to any of it!¡± ¡°Sweiza.¡± Her father says it calmly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a Valkyrie.¡± She says it to her parents and frowns her mouth in determination at the Valkyrie. ¡°Sweiza.¡± Her father says it again, a little louder and less calm. ¡°I said I didn¡¯t want to be a Valkyrie, I never agreed to it!¡± She says it again, this time at her father and louder. Her intent clearly isn¡¯t being heard and she readies her next volley to argue. Instead, her father interrupts her, ¡°Sweiza! Calm it down or go to your room. It¡¯s your choice. We act civil at the table when we have guests. It¡¯s time to act like an adult. Understood?¡± She feels her body jolt as shes her shoulders jolt up. She sits down and pulls her chair and herself back under the table. Her confidence gone, she turns slightly and away from the three people at the table. Her gaze falls to the sprite to her left. He is looking up at her, but says nothing. ¡°If I may continue?¡± Strife says it again, having just taken a sip of tea. She sets the teacup and saucer back down to the table. She turns her body slightly and her head moreso towards Tars and Melda. ¡°As I mentioned before, I believe some years ago Miss Serif here, came out to the old tree at the edge of the village. You know the one.¡± Her head switches from Sweiza to Melda and Tars. Both Tars and Melda nod, seriously. The tree is well known throughout the village, namely due to its placement at the edge of the village; but more known is that a Valkyrie in the village is known to frequently guard said village at said tree. ¡°Fate brought her to me under the full moon of Lokul. She rejected her new role as a woman and informed me of her plight to be a knight.¡± She looks over at Sweiza. Sweiza¡¯s face flushes red - knowing full well what Strife is referring. ¡°To keep a long story short, she agreed to be a Valkyrie when the time was to come some years later. I am here to make good on that.¡± She turns her attention to the teacup in front of her and takes another drink before setting it down. She continues, ¡°I warned her it wouldn¡¯t be an easy path and she took it anyway.¡± She says it with sharp eyes at Sweiza, whom sinks in her seat. Strife turns her attention back to Sweiza¡¯s parents. ¡°I will be assuming guardianship over her as her mentor and trainer in one week¡¯s time. Do you have any objections?¡± Melda looks from Strife, to Sweiza, then pauses on Tars and then looks back to Strife. ¡°Really, Verdandi! Is this really necessary?¡± Strife turns her attention from Melda to Tars awaiting a response. He answers. ¡°I agree with Melda on this. She was just a kid back then. She probably had no idea what she was agreeing to, let alone what a Valkyrie is.¡± Sweiza sinks further into her chair. Dewey flies up from the table to her shoulder and quickly whispers in her ear, ¡°Now you¡¯ve done it!¡± She turns her head slightly at him to say something, but the sprite jumps up level to her face, ¡°I¡¯ll be upstairs. I¡¯m stuffed.¡± He flies off towards and up the stairs. No one else gives him much attention. Sweiza turns her attention back from the stairs over towards the table. All three adults are staring at her. ¡°Well Miss Serif?¡± Strife again sets down her cup and looks her sharply in the eye. ¡°I said no!¡± She leans foward, anger on her face and her eyes glassed over. All eyes are on Strife. ¡°I think it would be best if I left for now.¡± Strife says it as she pushes her chair back. She bows to both Tars and Melda. She says nothing else and ignores everyone as she heads towards Sweiza¡¯s direction. Sweiza feels her shoulders raise and her body tighten in fear as she tries to pull her body behind herself - with nowhere to go. The Valkyrie stops just behind Sweiza, her body pointing towards the door leading to the hall and the house exit. ¡°Miss Serif. I will allow you one week to get your life¡¯s affairs in order.¡± Sweiza looks over and behind her towards the Valkyrie, ¡°But why?¡± Strife turns her head slightly to her left and behind her at Sweiza, ¡°We will be leaving for Valhalla.¡± Speechless and taken aback, Sweiza¡¯s gaze still rests on the Valkyrie. ¡°I suggest you pack anything that might be considered essential.¡± Strife turns her head towards the door again. She continues speaking without moving, but her voice chances to less stern and more kind. ¡°I suggest you also bring anything personal that you view as sentimental or important; you will most certainly need it for what is ahead.¡± Sweiza turns her head from the Valkyrie and looks towards her parents and then stares down at the table. Again, she is speechless. Strife turns once more to the table. ¡°Melda, Tars, thank you for the meal. It has been a pleasure as always. I now depart.¡± She turns towards the door and walks off; the metal walking of her greaves grows fainter as she does so. Melda and Tars look at each other and then to Sweiza. Sweiza looks up at her parents. ¡°Mama, papa, if I have done anything to offend you or show disregard for this house, I truly am sorry. I truly mean it when I say I didn¡¯t agree to becoming a Valkyrie. There is nothing less that I want right now than not to be one.¡± Her face twists into upset, but the tears do not come. She sets her head down on the table and covers it with her arms. ¡°Sweiza, you have no idea what you¡¯ve gotten yourself into, have you?¡± Her mother says it, more curious than anything. Sweiza lifts her head from her position and looks up at her mother. Sweiza shakes her head. ¡°Sweiza.¡± Her father speaks, ¡°Lady Strife is well known as the protector of this village.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head turns to her father, she seems more shocked than anything at this point, ¡°You mean that she¡¯s the one that¡­¡± Her father nods to her. Thoughts fill Sweiza¡¯s mind. She knew them as monsters, specifically forest creatures and swamp demons, but the occasional bandits weren¡¯t unheard of. Her school lessons mentioned a sentinel that patrolled the village and gave protection from those monsters. She¡¯d also heard talk among some of the adults about a Valkyrie that guards the village near a specific tree. Some of the thoughts come back to her, not many, but enough to know she is now responsible for a decision and agreement she made years ago. She stands up from her chair and pushes it back; she faces her parents. ¡°Mama, papa, I will bring honor to this family, or at least try.¡± She bows to her parents. When she lifts her head, her eyes glass up and sadness hits her face. ¡°I now excuse myself for the night. Goodnight.¡± She bows slightly and leaves the table without waiting for any response. Her mother looks at her father. ¡°I hope she¡¯s ready for this.¡± Her father looks down at her mother and says nothing as he turns his gaze back towards their daughter, whom is slowly climbing the stairs with her hand on the banister for support. He mouths something towards her, but without vocalizing the words, ¡°You¡¯re going to need it kid.¡± He knows full well that the realm of the adult is not an easy one, not for anyone, by any means - but especially for their daughter and a Valkyrie at that. Chapter 7 - A Fateful Meeting ¡°What do you mean?! I¡¯m going to be stuck with this for the rest of my life?!¡± The girl motions down towards her abdomen and then she shoots a nasty look towards her mother. ¡°Sweiza, it¡¯s not as bad as you think. It¡¯s a right of passage for all women.¡± Her mother tries to calm her down. ¡°You¡¯re a woman now. Aren¡¯t you proud? Perhaps you should try some tea, it will help with¡­¡± ¡°You know what?! FUCK YOU!¡± She turns around from the kitchen and storms towards the stairs. ¡°Sweiza!¡± Her father tries to call for her, but she ignores him. She makes sure her parents feel her indignation as she stomps up the stairs; every step becomes an indication of her wrath. They hear her voice in the distance, ¡°FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!¡± Her fury is felt throughout the house as she opens and slams the door to her room with every profane word. Down in the kitchen her mother and father turn their attention to dishes on the table and on the counter. They vibrate and move slightly with each slam of their daughter¡¯s door. Her mother turns towards her father, ¡°Tars, perhaps you should handle this. I doubt she¡¯s going to listen to me at this point.¡± Her father nods and hurries up the stairs. Upstairs he sees his daughter inside her room, just shy of the doorway. She looks at him wide eyed, fear evident in her eyes it quickly turns to anger as he approaches the door. She slams it in his face and remains silent. ¡°Starla, you need to calm down.¡± He tries to say it in as calm a voice as he can. She doesn¡¯t listen, ¡°I hate that name! You know I fucking hate that name! Don¡¯t call me that!¡± She opens the door again for good measure, looks him over once, and then slams it while letting out another, ¡°FUCK!¡± She starts screaming and cursing in her room. Her father thinks better of opening the door. He hears footsteps from the stairs behind him. He turns around to see his wife by his side. ¡°Maybe we should just leave her alone.¡± He tries to say it as if it¡¯s a good thing. His wife shakes her head. ¡°She has elven blood Tars, you know that.¡± She looks over from him to the door. Tars lets out a sigh. Melda jeads towards the door. ¡°Melda, is it me or has it gone silent suddenly?¡± Tars looks towards his wife, then rushes towards the door. Melda already has him beat to the door and opens it; they both rush in. To their shock they see the window has been open and the curtains are fluttering slightly with the wind. ¡ª After her initial string of profanity, she has a feeling her parents will enter the room. A thought crosses her mind. She turns towards the window of her room and opens it and crawls through it. Once through, she jumps down to the roof and crosses it a short distance to a tree and makes her way down. Once down she looks at her surroundings to decide which direction to move. Her thoughts tell her not to move anywhere too far from home; people might say something if she is seen swearing up a storm for reasons unknown to them. She thinks of a few of her favorite hiding locations, but she feels it. -That- pain was back; that annoying pain that wouldn¡¯t go away. She reaches up towards her ears and feels the tips of them once while she curses her existence. She again cringes when she feels a sharp pain. She gives one look up at the moon Lokul and mouths a silent, ¡°Fuck you.¡± At it. She takes one more look around and decides on where she would go - one of the neighbor¡¯s gardens. Not too far, but far enough to get some peace. It is a favorite hiding spot of hers from when she was really young. She can still remember many good moments of hide and seek there. She makes it a point to avoid the main dirt paths and instead takes the back areas behind houses to get there. Several minutes pass and she finds herself in the garden. She thinks this place is perfect; angled with several hedges that hide the main path with an outlook of the forest at the back. She slowly lets her body down against one of the hedges until she is sitting and sits cross legged. She feels the sharp pain again and lets out an ¡°Oh.¡± in pain as she winces. She lets out a groan as the pain slowly escapes her. She lets out a conscious and intentional shudder at her situation. She finally lets out a sigh and determines one thing - she¡¯ll sleep it off. And that is what she does - she finds rest and some sanctity, if not for a short time. How long she was asleep, she is not certain, but light had become dark and stars had come out. She looks up towards the sky, looking for that accursed moon. She can¡¯t find it. Instead, her attention is caught towards something else moving in the garden. Barely visible, she can see something reflecting the moon. Her eyes dart up and she sees the moon Lokul had been hiding behind one of the clouds, but is now visible. Her eyes dart back down to the object in question. It isn¡¯t very big, in fact it is quite small, possibly about half a foot in size. Her thoughts and curiosity get the better of her. Using every silent footstep she can muster, she stalks up to the object. As she gets closer, she sees it is light blue as opposed to the original silver from before. It isn¡¯t reflective like she had thought. She thinks Lokul has been playing tricks on her again - as if to add insult to injury. She sets her sights to the task at hand. This one, will be hers. As she stalks up to it, it shows no attention to her. Rather, it¡¯s attention was solely focused on gorging itself with one of the garden¡¯s tomatoes. Sweiza notes the evidence of other tomatoes which had been bitten into, but not eaten in full. As she gets closer to it, her eyes widen. It still hasn¡¯t seen her yet. A grin can¡¯t help but escape her face as she tries to stifle it. If she is lucky, this creature would make a good ¡®pet¡¯. Almost on top of it from behind, she stops. She pulls out her hands to her sides. It looks around at the last second as it sees a pair of hands cup around and grab it. It lets out several whistles and clicks as it struggles to break free, but she maintains a good grip on it. She gets a good look at it, or the part of it that is visible at least. It stands about six inches high, has varying shades of light blue and dark blue fur, more noticeably it had pointed ears, a set of wings and a tail. Giddiness crosses her mind and a grin crosses her face. The creature continues to struggle to get away. Sweiza tightens her grip on it slightly; firm, but not super tight. She pulls it up to her face and lets out a big smile. She has it¡¯s full attention as it stops struggling and lets out several chirps and clicks at her. ¡°You¡¯re a sprite aren¡¯t you?¡± Her smile gets bigger. The creature starts to struggle again. She tightens her grip again. ¡°You can understand me can¡¯t you?¡± She looks down at it with curiosity as she fills with enthusiasm. It pays her no attention as it continues to struggle. She looks down, still with enthusiasm. She gets an idea and lets out several chirps and clicks at it. It looks up at this human making really bad noises. It lets out the first signs of communication as it says in a calm, but serious manner, ¡°Please let me go.¡± Her surprise at the young male voice almost gets the better of her as her grip slackens; the creature tries to move and her hands clasp shut again. ¡°You can speak then.¡± It says nothing as it looks up at her a blinks a few times. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± A smile creeps onto her face, but she quickly removes it and gets serious again. Her curiosity remains fully on the small creature. ¡°If you won¡¯t hurt me, then let me go.¡± It says it with the same calm, but serious tone as before. Several thoughts and emotions cross her mind. ¡°If I let you go, please stay.¡± It continues staring at her without moving, it gives no other communication. Her depressed face says it all as she sighs and loosens her grip. It flies up six feet beyond her head and starts off in the other direction. It jolts to a stop and looks back when she yells, ¡°Wait!¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I said I wouldn¡¯t hurt you!¡± Her right hand goes to her mouth to enhance her voice as she waves her hand at it to get her attention. ¡°For which you are very kind.¡± It says it in another calm voice. ¡°Please wait! Won¡¯t you stay for awhile?¡± She tries to distract it. ¡°I really must be going.¡± It turns around and again stops when Sweiza shouts at him. ¡°Please wait!¡± She again manages to get its attention as it looks back at her. ¡°I just want to talk.¡± She tries to calm her voice down and stifle her dismay at the thought of the creature leaving. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± It looks down at her sternly. An idea flashes across her mind. ¡°You want food don¡¯t you?¡± In only a brief second it is down at her eye level, but stays well beyond her reach. Its arms cross as it looks at her with anger. ¡°I want food. Something sweet. Something better than those red things.¡± He points at the half eaten tomatoes. ¡°They¡¯re called tomatos¡± She gets serious as she says it. ¡°I can leave.¡± It shoots her as mean a look as it can. ¡°Wait. Do you like sugar?¡± She tries to remember where her family keeps it. In one of the cupboards she thinks. ¡°What is sugar?¡± It says it with some curiosity and intent, its attention clearly on her as it flies a little closer. ¡°It¡¯s white and looks like sand, but it is very sweet¡­ it¡¯s almost like pure sweetness...¡± She doesn¡¯t have time to finish or muse about it as the creature surprises her by darting a few feet from her face. ¡°Show me, and you had better not be lying.¡± Its left hand goes to its hip as it points a finger at her nose. ¡°If I show it to you, will you stay for awhile?¡± She looks at it, trying to sound as nice as she can. ¡°Maybe. But no promises. Where to?¡± It flies up a few feet above her and starts looking around. ¡°You¡¯re a sprite aren¡¯t you?¡± She says it while looking up. ¡°Food first, talk later.¡± It makes the demand and she nods at it. She takes off back towards her house, making sure to take the backways behind houses again. The sprite follows her at a cautious pace, noting that she looks behind at it several times to see if it is following her or not. ¡ª The front door to the house opens and she heads towards the kitchen. Unexpectedly her parents are there. She ignores them and heads for one of the cupboards. ¡°Sweiza.¡± Her father tries to get her attention. Her parents¡¯ attention switches to the odd sight of her digging and rummaging through cupboards and pulling open drawers. ¡°Daughter, what are you doing?¡± Her mother says it with intent as if Sweiza has a purpose for her odd behavior. ¡°I need sugar.¡± Her father is the first to answer, ¡°Upper cupboards, second from the right, lower section.¡± Sweiza inhales involuntarily at the thought as she rushes to the target location. She quickly opens it and sees the prize, several small bags of sugar. She grabs it and turns around. ¡°Where are you going with that young lady?¡± Her mother¡¯s hands go down to her hips as she says it really sternly at her daughter. ¡°It¡¯s a secret. I¡¯ll pay for it. Take it out of my allowance.¡± She turns around and ignores anything else from her parents as she heads towards the door. Her parents try to call out for her, but she doesn¡¯t catch what they say. Tars is the first to see the odd blue creature flying near the doorway. ¡°That daughter of ours.¡± Melda turns her attention to the open drawers and cupboards and shakes her head. She approaches them to close them. ¡°Melda, did you see that blue thing hovering at the doorway?¡± He says it with some curiosity towards her as he approaches to help close everything that was opened. ¡°I saw something, but it didn¡¯t look important.¡± Melda pays little attention to it, continuing with the task at hand. ¡°It could clearly fly, but it hovered and didn¡¯t move like a bird. I¡¯m guessing she was also getting sugar for it.¡± He says it again with some thoughtful curiosity. ¡°Your point Tars?¡± She says it with unimpressed seriousness. ¡°We may have to contend with an animal in the house.¡± He finally wins in anchoring her attention. Melda looks at him annoyed. ¡°Tars, you made that rule. You clean up after it.¡± She doesn¡¯t give him time to say anything, ¡°Help me get this mess cleaned up. She¡¯s knocked over everything.¡± ¡°Yes dear.¡± Tars knows he¡¯d lost, but he still wonders about the creature, silently to himself. ¡ª Outside Sweiza holds up the bag of sugar at the sprite, but pulls it away and motions for the creature to follow her. She heads behind the house. ¡°I want to see it.¡± He says it in another calm voice. He dives for her hands as she holds the bag up. The first thing he does is attempt to bite into it. He lets out several chirps and clicks in annoyance as he struggles to break the exterior of the bag. He flies a few feet away when he sees Sweiza¡¯s other hand come up for him. His assumption is wrong as her hand rests on the bag. ¡°Like this. See?¡± She opens the top of it carefully. The sprite dives for the bag and lands on the inside of it. His first instinct is to grab the powdered white sand and hold it up to his mouth and take it to his tongue. He flutters up instinctively as he lets out a moan of pleasure. He flies back down to the bag and in uncivilized fashion kneels down and takes his mouth to it. He lets out several shudders and clicks. To Sweiza, he is clearly enjoying it. She sets the bag down to the ground and hovers over him and watches his movements. He pays her little attention as he proceeds to gorge himself. After several minutes of scooping up sugar and eating it, he finally lets out a satisfied shudder. He turns around and looks up at her. ¡°If I show up tomorrow night, you will bring me more of this, right?¡± He says it, his interest and curiosity perked. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know, maybe I won¡¯t. Maybe you¡¯ve eaten enough.¡± She says it with light sarcasm. Her attempts to hide the thrill in her voice do not go unnoticed by the sprite. ¡°Wait. Do you have a name?¡± She asks it thoughtfully. The sprite flies up into the air about twelve feet. It looks down at her. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow. We can talk then.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± She stammers as it leaves. It stops as it looks back down at her. ¡°My name is Sweiza Serif. I¡¯m pleased to meet your acquaintanceship.¡± She bows. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± It flies off. Sweiza feels her dismay kick in at the realization her knew friend is gone. She curses her luck as she walks towards the main street. She knows she came outside earlier for a reason, but she can¡¯t remember what it was. She concludes it it must not have been that important. She takes one more step forward and feels the pain in her gut and lets out a groan. ¡°Oh right. This.¡± She realizes she was simply distracted by the sprite-creature from before. She heads towards some houses towards the edge of the village, determined to be by herself for awhile. She has one location in mind. A specific tree that is a tradition in her village. When people go there to think or be by themselves, they are left to their own devices. It takes her some seven minutes for her to make her way there. The tree, a large oak, is in plain sight. She walks over to it, with only one intent in mind - sitting down next to it and thinking about miserable things. At the tree she sets her hands on it and turns her back to rest on it and then lets her body slide down. Midway through the motion, she hears a voice. She hadn¡¯t noticed the figure that had been in the vicinity. ¡°Very few come out to visit with this one.¡± Sweiza¡¯s attention snaps towards the female voice from the other side of the tree. She hadn¡¯t seen the figure earlier and can barely make it out. As if donned by fate, the minute she sees the figure, moonlight from Lokul shines down and illuminates the figure¡¯s armor. She gasps when she sees it is a woman. ¡°To what do I owe this pleasure?¡± The woman asks her again, in a curious, but thoughtful voice. ¡°You¡¯re a knight. I want to be one!¡± She says it to the ¡®so cool¡¯ figure in front of her. ¡°I am no knight. I am Valkyrie. It would be wise of you to treat me as such.¡± ¡°Do you have a name?¡± She says it with eager enthusiasm as she approaches the woman. ¡°I am known as Lady Strife. You may address me as such.¡± ¡°Lady Strife, please tell me how I can become like you. You look so cool.¡± She says it with earnest. ¡°Again, I am not a knight. You do not want to get caught up in my affairs; I suggest you head home and forget what you saw today. It is late as it is, and your parents are probably worried.¡± The Valkyrie says it with sharp seriousness at the girl before her. Sweiza finally snaps and her angered chagrin comes out. ¡°Why? So I can carry on tradition?!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Lady Strife says it with some due interest as she makes a note of Sweiza¡¯s distress. ¡°I grew up playing with the other boys.¡± Sweiza says it with sure confidence. ¡°And?¡± Lady Strife says it with intent. ¡°I suddenly get this¡­¡± Sweiza motions both hands down towards her stomach, ¡°¡­and then my mother says I should be proud to be a woman¡­ I¡¯ll get to have children.¡± Sweiza cringes and Lady Strife makes note of it. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be stuck inside cleaning house. Why should I?¡± Her distress and upset ushers forth, ¡°I want to help other people, I want to protect them. I want to go adventuring. Why should I have to change just because I bleed?¡± Lady Strife raises her eyebrows slightly as it finally clicks and comes together. ¡°Oh, you mean¡­ -that-.¡± Lady Strife says it as she approaches Sweiza and stops five feet shy of her. ¡°I can grant your wish young one. But understand, it is a very miserable affair and you will not enjoy it.¡± She says it weak and broken. ¡°Anything. I don¡¯t want to be a woman.¡± Sweiza stammers as she says it and stamps her right foot on the ground. She tightens her fists as she does so. It comes out as a stammer at squawk at the Valkyrie. ¡°As you wish young one. But, do tell me, I am curious, what moon are you tied to?¡± She says it, now three feet from Sweiza. She looks into Sweiza¡¯s eyes, dead serious. ¡°Lokul.¡± Lady Strife closes her eyes as she nods once. ¡°Do you have elven blood by chance?¡± ¡°Yes, I do. Why?¡± Sweiza says it, very distrusting. ¡°Most people tied to Lokul have elven blood. Their periods are quite painful, or so I¡¯ve heard.¡± Strife backs up to the tree and she slowly lets her back rest against it. ¡°What is your period tied to?¡± Sweiza says it with curiosity; almost as if she has made a new friend. ¡°Miss Sweiza, I will thank you not to pry into my personal life.¡± Lady Strife says it sharply. ¡°Sorry.¡± Sweiza says it as she kicks the ground once. ¡°Child, I¡¯ve heard your cry. I will make you a Valkyrie when you come of age. Understand that it is not a pleasant journey.¡± Lady Strife says it as she slowly slides down the tree to a sitting position. ¡°Now if you would kindly leave me young one. The night is long and I have duties to perform.¡± Sweiza flashes a forlorn and depressed face at the Valkyrie. Lady Strife ignores it. ¡°Also.¡± Lady Strife looks back towards the village, ¡°If I can get your assurance that you will return home to tell your parents of what has happened, I would be grateful.¡± Sweiza attempts to speak, but stammers when the Valkyrie interrupts her. ¡°Child.¡± Lady Strife¡¯s voice starts calm and patient, but she quickly changes it and booms it at Sweiza ¡°Leave my presence and do not stir my patience further.¡± Sweiza jolts and hurries away several feet. She stops and turns around. ¡°Lady Strife?¡± Lady Strife looks up again, ¡°What?¡± Her voice clearly shows she is no longer impressed with the annoyance in front of her. Sweiza bows, ¡°Thank you.¡± She turns around and hurries away. Lady Strife looks up at the moon of Lokul and mutters something about children to herself. The night would be long, far too long for her liking. Chapter 8 - Chores Around the Village ¡°Dear Diary, I come of age and I now must make do with the unfamiliar. Luck is not on my side, and so I begin my trial. I expect this to be a miserable affair. I count my blessings that I am like this and the way I am; I am lucky to have experienced what I did. I will carry these memories with me forever. ¡ª-Sweiza¡± ¡ª Upstairs Sweiza moves towards her room. The door is open and she walks inside. Inside she sees the sprite asleep on her bed again. ¡°Dewey¡­¡± She says it in a low tone and with disbelief. No matter how many times she¡¯d seen him do this, warned him, they go through this same process relentlessly. He looks up at her and lets out a yawn. ¡°It¡¯s always nice when your parents let me eat at the table. Especially those noodles~!¡± He says it in a chipper voice and follows with several clicks and whistles. Rather than shoo him away, she walks up to the bed. He looks up at her. Sweiza lets out a slight grin and then turns around and plops on the bed. The sprite is launched up several inches. Caught off guard, his wings flap several times to catch air. They stop and he hovers. His hands go down to his hips. ¡°Once again the giant terrorizes the weak¡­ How original!¡± He sticks his tongue out at her. Her eyes close and she shakes her head side to side, small smile on her face. ¡°There is more where that came from Sir Herschel¡­¡± She says it up to her friend, but looks down towards the ground, ¡°¡­but I¡¯m not sure for how long.¡± The sprite takes one look at her as he settles back to the bed covers. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He looks up at her. ¡°Strife says I will be traveling with her to Valhalla in one week¡¯s time.¡± She lets it out forlorn with dismay. ¡°Oh.¡± His head drifts down towards the ground. He knows what this means. He will be drifting around the village and scavenging food, if not outright stealing it. It could also mean worse - having to leave the village and fend for himself in the forest, not a good thought in his mind. ¡°I suppose at that time it will be goodbye. But for how long?¡± He hovers up to her and then sits himself on her shoulder. ¡°Goodbyes are not forever you know.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± She turns her head towards her friend. ¡°Strife didn¡¯t say. I assume it will be awhile, if not several years. Perhaps I will not be allowed to come back. Mayhap I will not want to come back, as if I would like my new life there.¡± She rolls her eyes with sadness at the thought. ¡°At any rate Dewey¡­¡± She looks at her friend, now sitting on the bed with her, ¡°We still have some time together, at least a week.¡± She takes her finger and presses it against him lightly and then removes it and makes a flicking motion at him. ¡°We should make the most of it.¡± Normally he would be quite hard to get along with (deliberately), and at points he could be sarcastic if he felt like it; but his eyes shift up at her, ¡°Agreed.¡± He launches into the air again, just outside of her head. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± She looks over at him, ¡°As long as I am in the village, I will still have chores¡­ and I have been absent for about two weeks, or so my parents say.¡± She lets out a huff of air at the thought. ¡°So?¡± He darts in the opposite direction of her head and then back to his original position; she follows his movements accordingly, but just barely. ¡°They will probably not be happy at my disappearance, or at least will be worried. I believe I will have my work cut out for me.¡± ¡°They should be glad you even help!¡± His hands go to his hips and he removes his right hand pointing it in a gesture like ¡®as a matter of fact¡¯. He opens his eyes and his head shifts to his friend not paying attention to her. ¡°Sweiza?¡± He doesn¡¯t get an answer. Instead he follows her gaze to the mirror on her vanity. There is an envelope on it with a violet seal. ¡°What¡¯s in that?¡± Sweiza looks down at her friend and shrugs, ¡°I don¡¯t know. It wasn¡¯t there earlier. You didn¡¯t put it there did you?¡± He shakes his head. He moves out of the way as Sweiza lifts herself off her bed and heads towards her vanity. She grabs the envelope with her left hand and gives it a once over, the violet seal catching her eye. She notes it looks impressive with the circle and multiple brush-like strokes pointing away from it and coming to a point; it has what looks like a ribbon underneath it. She doesn¡¯t recognize the character marking inside of it. She only thinks it looks impressive. She slowly rips it open and pushes the sleeves of the envelope apart. Inside is a letter, which she slowly removes. Her eyes slowly glance it over - a light pink color letter with extremely well made penmanship. ¡°To Miss Starla Serif, You are to be hereby drafted into the Valhallan Army. You have one week to get your affairs in order. At which time, I shall accompany you to the capital Midgard city of Valhalla, whereby which you will begin your training under my tutelage. Your training will be lengthy and rigorous, do not expect it to be a comfortable affair. However, as with all such things, hard work makes the end result worth doing. Based on descriptions and accounts by both your parents and fellow villages, you will fill the role of a Valkyrie Guardian; that is to say, you will assist to protect and help others. This shall be contrary to my role as a Sentinel, which requires the dispatch of evil that may plague the land. That isn¡¯t to say that there may not come a time in which you have to kill. You¡¯re parents have very much told me you abhor violence in any way shape or form. You will find yourself in conflict at points in your new role. As a Valkyrie¡¯s life is not an easy one, our very namesake means, ¡°Choosers of the slain.¡±. My understanding, as your parents and villagers have informed me as such, you have chores you regularly do around the village. There is certain work which has gone undone for the past two weeks time. You first duty as Valkyrie is to complete these duties as you would yourself normally. Might I suggest also, to go above and beyond your normal abilities to show that you are more than capable in your new role? Just a thought. I have no doubt you will do quite well with your duties in your new role. Also, find enclosed to the specific amount of $500 marks in equivalent gold for your first duty as Valkyrie. This position is not without reward. This day of Odin, you are hereby sworn in as Valkyrie Guardian. So says I, Alice Verdandi. May the spear of Gungir light your path.¡± She reads it slowly as she walks back over to her bed. Her sprite friend watching her carefully. ¡°Well?¡± He bobs up and down in rapid succession as he folds his arms. She gives him little attention as she reads it. She turns around and sits down on the bed. Dewey darts to the side to avoid getting hit. ¡°Sweiza!¡± He raises his voice. Her head darts up from the letter and she looks over at him. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°The letter, what does it say?¡± He flies to her side and props himself on her shoulder. She looks down at him, her eyes focused on him. He flies in front of her and turns his back to her as he reads the letter. She makes no attempt to move it away from him. ¡°Are you done, Sprite?¡± He turns around to face her and nods. The darts two feet in front of her and waits patiently. She lowers her head back to the letter lost in thought. Dewey knows she hasn¡¯t fully read it yet - her eyes continually moving while the letter raises ever so slightly. She finally lowers it. She looks up towards the door and then the vanity. ¡°Well?¡± He asks again. She gives him no attention. ¡°Sweiza!¡± He raises his voice again to get her attention. He sees she is clearly lost in thought. She lifts herself from the bed and folds the letter back into the envelope and places it back on the vanity. ¡°Dewey¡­¡± She turns around towards her friend. He jumps to attention at the name - normally she would call him ¡°Sprite¡± or Little Sprite¡±; to be called Dewey meant she wants to be taken seriously. ¡°Yes Sweiza?¡± He says it straight and to the point. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this letter.¡± She gives him a sharp look. ¡°Absolutely.¡± He doesn¡¯t quite know why, but he knows better to honor the request. ¡°And Dewey¡­¡± Her hands go to her hips. She then waves her left hand in a ¡®move¡¯ motion, ¡°Please move away from the bed.¡± He zips out of the way without a second thought - he knows what is coming next; Sweiza turns her back to the bed and allows herself to fall - the bed catching her. She lets out a faint, but dreamy sigh. Her mood has changed for the better, and Dewey suspects it is either the letter, or more specifically the money included. ¡°Hey Sweiza¡­¡± He flutters one foot above her chest, but directly in front of her face so she can see him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Her closed eyes open towards her friend. ¡°I can stay here the night right?¡± His eyes widen in curiosity. ¡°Why?¡± She looks at him suspiciously. He points towards the window, ¡°It¡¯s going to rain tonight.¡± She looks over towards the window and the direction where the moon should be. Instead, she sees clouds covering the sky and moving in fast. She looks up at him and rolls her eyes, ¡°Whatever.¡± He darts too-and-fro at the request and gives several rapid, but deep bows. ¡°Just don¡¯t make any noise.¡± She raises her left finger up and points it at him accusingly, ¡°And no begging to be let out until morning.¡± His arms cross and he quickly turns his head and part of his body away from her, ¡°Who men? No. Never.¡± ¡°I mean it Little Sprite. No noise! None!¡± She points her finger at him again and gives a mock flick of her fingers one foot in front of him. He says nothing and sets himself down crosslegged on her pillow. It is going to be a fun night as far as he is concerned - he doesn¡¯t have to stay out in the rain. ¡°Oh and Sweiza¡­¡± He looks up at her. Her head shifts over to him. ¡°Hmm?¡± Her eyebrows raise slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± She shifts her body fully onto the bed and plants her head down on the pillow; Dewey instinctively jumps up from the pillow and flutters his wings for a moment while Sweiza pulls the covers over herself. He flies down to the covers and plants himself down belly first, assuming the position for sleep. She reaches her left hand over to a small dresser next to the bed and grabs a candle holder; she brings it up close and blows it out before setting it back down on the dresser. ¡°Goodnight Sprite.¡± She says it expecting a reply, but hears nothing. Her friend is already fast asleep. Many thoughts fill her mind, such as what her future will entail and what she will be like when all is said and done. The thought of Lady Strife appears in her mind, but before she can think about it, sleep soon takes her. ¡ª She looks around and sees an alien landscape - different from what she is accustomed to. Gone are the fields, greenery and shrubs that would make up areas around her village. No mountains, barely any discernible structures. No signs of civilization, and for that matter, no signs of life. Instead, she sees a barren landscape; dry ground all around. In front of her, is a single crevice in the ground, not quite a canyon, and not quite a crack. Inbetween it is a ten foot river. She looks over at it and sees there are shrubs and treets dotting the distance, but they are all dead. Up towards the horizon the sky is black with stars out - that isn''t unusual in and of itself. However, in the direction where the crevice and river flows, the sun sets sending out blinding rays of light. They are a distinct red. As the sun sets and blackness engulfs the land before her, she hears a voice behind her. "What is it that you desire young one?" She spins around and loses her footing. Indeed she trips, and notes she is in the air, seemingly on some kind of invisible platform. She looks up at the figure. A large and foreboding bear stands upright in front of her. It lets out a howl and Sweiza is overtaken by fear as her body shakes with fear. It looks down at her. It says nothing and continues to stare at her. This goes on for some minutes as Sweiza''s fear is finally subdued by her will. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "What do you truly desire?" The unknown figure has a surprisingly familiar voice. "Demi!" She frowns with iron determination. This time she wouldn''t be playing this thing''s games. The bear lets out a smile - as odd for one of an animal can give. "Why do you want?" She says it accusingly and approaches him slowly, but cautiously. It extends a claw and points it towards the air like a finger and then at her, "The better question young child, is what do you want?" "You think I''m going to be terrorized by the likes of you?" She points an accusing finger at him. She lowers her finger quickly and lets out a yelp of surprise as the bear stalks up to her; it drops down to all four feet and gazes at her at eye level. It is bigger than she had anticipated. However, she puts her hands on her hips and turns her head away from him. Her assumption at this point, is that thing thing stalking her in her dreams merely wishes to be a bother, rather than have any form of malicent intent, or so she hopes. It appears she is correct. "I asked you first young one. What do you truly desire?" It continues to stare her down as an animal would, but it makes no other movements. "And if I answer you, then what?" She yells it at him. She suddenly snaps to, and realizes they are on the ground. She does a double take pulling her attention from the bear and looking in either direction to her right and left. "It would be wise not to turn your attention away from an adversary on the battlefield." It says it in a darker tone. Sweiza crosses her arms and deliberately keeps her head turned away from the bear. "Do not ignore me child, you will regret it." She turns her head towards him and barks at him, "I regret nothing!" "So you say. However, my time is almost up. We will meet again." It turns around and walks off. "Hey!" Her attention focuses on him and his defiance - worse than hers. She notices the red aurora moving in wisps over head. "Why is..." She looks up at it as everything fades to black. ¡ª The crowing of a rooster is the first thing to rouse Sweiza from the realm of sleep. She gives an involuntary yawn while stretching her arms and arcing her back. She lets out a groan as she pries her eyes open. The dawn sun shines in through her window. She pulls herself up at the realization. ¡°Sprite?¡± She looks towards the bed where he was last night, but doesn¡¯t see him. She gives her room a once over and doesn¡¯t find him. She gives a sardonic ¡°Hmph¡± and lets herself drop back to her pillow. The first thought on her mind was just a few more minutes - or an hour or two of sleep if she could get away with it - this being her first time being back in two weeks. ¡°Sweiza!¡± She rolls her head over towards the window at the foot of the bed. Dewey stands there with his legs spread and his hands on his hips. Several water drops drip down from his wet body hair as the sun shines behind him. It illuminates him in almost a blinding light. Sweiza turns her head away from him and pulls the covers over her head. ¡°Sweiza!¡± He lets out the chant again. He crosses his arms and taps his foot impatiently. He gets no answer from her. He makes his next move. Sweiza lets out a yelp and an uncontrolled laugh as something starts to tickle her feet. She attempts to kick him away. She pulls the covers off her head and peaks straight towards her bent knees, but sees nothing. She feels something skirt underneath the covers and feels it brush against her right arm. Dewey appears next to her right ear and lets out a whisper, ¡°I want sugar.¡± She lets out a puff of air at her hair and pulls the covers back over her head, attempting to pull them fast enough to catch Dewey. He darts out just as the covers come down. ¡°Another hour or two Dewey. Come back later.¡± She lets it out softly as sleep attempts to take her. She feels something plop on the top of her covered head. The weight lightens and then plops down on her again. She throws the covers from her head to her stomach and captures the sprite in the process. The top of the covers jump up and down as he attempts to break free. ¡°Gotcha Sprite!¡± Muffled noises come from under the sheet. Sweiza pushes her ear up to it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t hear you Sprite, speak up.¡± More muffled noises come from the covers. Sweiza playfully pokes the covers and in turn the captive inside for a few moments. The noises stop after a few seconds. Sweiza lets the covers down. Sprite stands there, arms crossed, glaring up at her. She lets out a grin at him. He sends a puff of air at her in defiance. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for waking me up Sprite!¡± Her grin intensifies and then disappears. Sprite turns his head away from her as if it didn¡¯t bother him. He looks up at her, ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Feed me!¡± ¡°In two hours.¡± Sweiza pulls her covers over herself as she lays back down. One eye pops open as she jerks the covers hard under sprite. He fails to catch himself as he falls back. He sticks his tongue out at her. She lets out a smirk before her eye closes and she slowly drifts off to sleep. Sprite gets back up, puts his hands on his hips and gives one last defiant look at her before laying himself down into a ball. Sleep soon over takes him. ¡ª It is sometime around noon when she finally rouses from sleep. She pulls herself up and lets out a yawn while stretching. She feels really good. She lets out a yelp and her head jerks towards the sound of lighting as it clashes in the distance. She notes the heavy rain outside and pulls herself out of bed; she rushes over to the window and closes and then locks it. She makes a mental note that Dewey stayed the night and scans the room to make sure she didn¡¯t lock him outside. She jumps again at the sound of thunder outside. She turns around and sticks her tongue out towards the storm and jerks her body around while giving a ¡°hmph!¡±. Satisfied, she goes back to the matter at hand. She doesn¡¯t see him around the main part of the room. Instead, she looks up towards a small bookshelf. As she thought, he in his secondary sleeping location - a small makeshift bed the size of a cigar box made out of a small wooden giftbox. ¡°Sprite!¡± She says it while looking up at him. He doesn¡¯t respond. ¡°Whatever.¡± Is all she says. Her gaze turns back towards the window. It is raining outside, and quite heavily. The thought that Lady Strife would make her perform chores out in pouring rain was a real possibility; however, with the lightning, it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. This was going to be a day she got to spend inside. She purses her lips and maintains the satisfying thought. However, she hears her stomach growl. She turns her attention to the alarm clock on her nightstand. It reads roughly twenty-two past noon. Her eyes widen and she realizes she overslept. Her first priority was food. She heads towards the door. She stops and then looks up at the bookshelf. Thinking better of just banging her hand on the wall to wake him, she picks up the wooden giftbox and starts to gently blow on it. Sprite lets out a yawn as his eyes slowly open. His looks up bewildered at the big face looking down at him. ¡ª "I wish you would leave that thing outside or at least up in your room." Her mother Melda says it cross with her, but quickly changes the subject, "But it looks like you have once again gotten out of village chores. Lady Strife will be disappointed." "She sure will!" Sweiza says it with a spoon and oatmeal in her mouth. She quickly removes the spoon and grabs for a glass of milk. It hadn''t taken her long to dash down the stairs and to the table. Her Sprite friend, despite how her parents felt about it, was also hot on her heels and at the table. For her it was oatmeal, for him sugar cubes. Somehow they had both gotten what they wanted - out of chores, and out of the rain. "Did you have any plans on how you were going to spend your day? Verdandi will be disappointed." Her mother says the second part as if asking a question and gauging her daughter''s reaction. "So let her. I''m sure she has plenty to do that is none of my business." Sweiza grabs for an apple. Her mother clears her throat. Sweiza looks up to see Melda''s hands on her hips. Sweiza grips the apple and closes her eyes into a frown of disbelief as she lets out a sigh. Her body tremors ever so slight in agitation before she regains her composure. "It''s not like her life revolves around me." Sweiza takes a bite of the apple while focusing her eyes on the table and away from her mother. "Sweiza, if you are a Valkyrie as she says, then she probably has some special training for you." Her mother taps her foot impatiently. Sprite bites into another sugar cube, oblivious to the conversation at hand with each heavenly bite. Her mother crosses her arms, "You should probably head over there; she will be impressed at your enthusiasm - no matter how insincere Sweiza." Sweiza ignores her mother as she continues to eat at the apple. Her mother walks up to her daughter''s chair and nudges it with her hand, "She could use the company." Sweiza closes her eyes and looks down at the bowl of oatmeal in front of her. She grabs another bite with her spoon. She hears Sprite let out a moan after finishing a sugar cube. "Starla Serif!" Her mother barks it at her, "You go over there as soon as you are done eating." Sweiza drops her spoon of oatmeal and jumps, as does Sprite whom drops a sugar cube as he darts the opposite of Sweiza''s side facing her mother. Melda''s eyes narrow at the Sprite. Her mother silently walks towards and then by, and away from Sweiza, almost oblivious to her; she walks towards the exit of the kitchen. Her mother turns around at the exit. Sweiza feels her hair stand on end. "You can spend the day there. You better not come back until dark unless you have a good reason." "Yes mama." Sweiza says it in submission and a low tone of voice, knowing her mother''s word is law. "Daughter, do you understand?" Her mother says it with her hands on her hips (again) and cross with her daughter. "Yes mama." Sweiza says it knowing full well what could happen if she disobeys her mother. "That''s a good daughter of mine." Her mother says it in a more pleasant tone and walks off. Sweiza grumbles to herself. The last time Sweiza disobeyed her mother concerned village chores. It was two years ago and late fall and cold. Her mother as bad luck would have it, went shopping at the same time Sweiza was neglecting her duties and window shopping the village market. Sweiza still remembers the stearn lecture by her mother as well as the sharp pain in her right ear as her mother pinched it. Sweiza was further embarassed when her mother dragged her back to their house by hand. Sweiza had to sleep outside in the back woodshed attached to the house. It had rained later that night, and then turns to drizzle. Sweiza still remembers the msiery and cold of that night and had no love lost on it. Sweiza snaps to and shoots Sprite a dirty look, "Sprite, have you no shame?" Her Sprite friend managed to shove a whole sugar cube in his mouth and was attempting to shove another one in. He looks up at her sheepishly and lets out as best a sile as he could muster. "Sir Herschel, will you be coming with me to Lady Strife''s house?" She says it in as serious as a tone as she can muster. "Maybe." He manages to say it with his mouth full chewing on the first sugar cube. He has given up on eating two sugar cubes at once. Once he swallows it he flies up to Sweiza. "But she is a Valkyrie. You now how I feel about them." "Understood." Sweiza and Sprite finish the rest of their meal together in silence. When finished, Sweiza walks by the stairway and grabs an umbrella. She passes by the door to the living room and notes her mother. "Mama?" She says it with intent. "Yes, daughter?" Her mother looks up from her book and chair. "Where does Lady Strife live?" Sweiza says it uncertain. "You cannot be serious..." Her mother says it with disbelief. ¡ª Sweiza stands outside of the house in question. She knocks at the door and stands back. She puts her hands in front of her. Her Sprite friend sits on her shoulder rather curious. They hear a voice, ¡°Just a minute. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± The door opens and Lady Strife appears, without her armor. She is in a typical garb of anyone from Maria village. Sweiza attempts to speak, but Verdandi beats her to the punch, ¡°You honor me with your presence Angst. How may I be of assistance?¡± Sweiza¡¯s mouth drops to an ¡®o¡¯ as she attempts to speak, but the words do not come. Her Sprite friend looks over and up at her and refrains from snickering at her. ¡°I see you have brought your Sprite friend as well. Is he your familiar?¡± This time the Sprite¡¯s mouth drops to an ¡®o¡¯. ¡°All the same, please come in. It will not do you any good to stand out in the rain.¡± Both bewildered, Sweiza¡¯s eyes shift down to her Sprite friend, whom looks up to her. ¡°Is she always like that?¡± Sprite says it with some confusion. ¡°I think she¡¯s doing it deliberately.¡± Sweiza says it equally confused. Both say it low enough Verdandi doesn¡¯t hear it. Sweiza with a moment of hesitation, steps inside and closes the door behind her. She closes the umbrella and sets it next to a coat rack. She attempts to walk forward and Verdandi interrupts her, this time her voice less polite. ¡°Miss Serif, if you would be so kind as to remove your shoes.¡± Sweiza looks down, then back up at Verdandi. Sweiza lets out a slight bow and then removes her shoes. She walks forward towards Verdandi. ¡°So¡­¡± Verdandi says it without finishing. She turns around and heads towards a stove. Sweiza stands there and observes. ¡°Won¡¯t you have a seat Miss Serif?¡± Verdandi shifts her head and eyes behind her, giving her a stern look. Sweiza complies and pulls up a seat at the the table. Verdandi returns her attention to a teapot on the stove. She pulls it up and then moves with it to the table. She starts pouring herself a cup of tea. ¡°Miss Serif?¡± Sweiza¡¯s whom apparently spaced out, pulls her attention up from the table to Verdandi, ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Do you like tea?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Verdandi sets the teapot down on a plate on the table. ¡°Help yourself Miss Serif.¡± Sweiza does nothing. ¡°So¡­¡± Verdandi says it again, with her eyes closed and her eyebrows raised. She does so while stirring her cup and then takes a sip. Sweiza again says nothing. Verdandi assesses the situation one last time and sets her teacup down. She finally speaks. ¡°Do you have any idea what you have done?¡± She says it sternly. Sweiza shakes her head and then looks down and away. ¡°Right now you have created a commotion within the Valkyrie that has not been seen for several hundred years. Very few Valkyrie have the gall to defy Lord Odin and speak to him the way that you have.¡± Sweiza tenses up; Verdandi¡¯s body language and eyes bore through her. ¡°You were warned about becoming a Valkyrie, in your foolish youth you voiced your commitment. When I presented myself as your superior, you not only defied me, but you attempted to back out on your commitment. You were warned. You have angered me as Valkyrie and disrespected me as your superior. Odin¡¯s sick humor may be stirred, but you risk his wrath.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± She continues looking down and away. ¡°You are lucky enough to move about freely. I dare say you are lucky to be alive.¡± Sweiza says nothing. ¡°Look at me Miss Serif.¡± When Sweiza doesn¡¯t comply, Verdandi sets her cup down calmly on the table. She raises her right hand and and her gauntlet appears. She smashes it down hard on the table. The dishes on the table rattle as Sweiza jumps. She sinks her body into itself as she looks straight at Verdandi. ¡°Such punishments as being chained up naked in a cold dungeon are not out of the question. You might have been whipped repeatedly, doused with cold water hourly, or simply tortured before you were executed. Do you understand this?¡± Sweiza shakes her head back and forth slowly. Verdandi glares an angry frown at the girl. ¡°I have spoken with Lord Odin and secured your freedom. ¡®I¡¯ am the reason you are allowed to move about freely. ¡®I¡¯ am the reason you are not whipped or beaten for your insolence. However, my services do not come without a price.¡± Verdandi lightens her expression as she pulls up the cup of tea again. ¡°You really should try it Miss Serif. I find it helps.¡± Sweiza looks down at the cup in front of her, but says nothing. ¡°Suit yourself. If you want to make your life miserable, that is up to you. However, because of your insult to me and other Valkyrie, in addition to your normal training, you will begin your days with one thousand cuts. In addition, you will perform extra tasks as I see fit. You will do this at my behest everday until I am satisfied you have atoned for your insolence, or at least until I see you are remorseful. Feeling sorry for your current situation does not excuse you. Do I make myself clear?¡± She sets the cup down again and glares at Sweiza. Sweiza again sinks into her body and says nothing. ¡°I will continue to give you a heavier workload if you continue to show me the proper disrespect. Do I make myself clear?¡± Sweiza nods slowly. ¡°Valkyrie Angst, I asked you a question, I expect an answer.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Sweiza says it straight forward. ¡°Are you going to make up for your stupid insolence?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Sweiza says it again. Verdandi refrains pulling up her cup again. She sits there in silence staring at Sweiza. Sweiza finally musters the courage to speak. ¡°Strife, I¡­¡± Verdandi barks at her. ¡°But nothing. Right now it seems fate has been kind to you with rain. You may have gotten out of chores, but you most certainly have not shown my wrath respect. You can deal with your shame and parents when you get home. Is that clear?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Sweiza bows her head slightly and slowly pushes her chair back. She had nearly forgotten about her Sprite friend sitting in her lap; he was hidden under the table. He looks up at her with concern. Sweiza says nothing and slowly pulls herself up and pushes the chair back under the table. Her Sprite friend takes flight at the earliest convenience. Sweiza slowly walks towards the door, her mood bruised by Verdandi. ¡°Oh and Miss Serif¡­¡± Verdandi follows it with silence. Sweiza turns around and winces at Verdandi¡¯s voice, ¡°You may have gotten out of chores, but you owe me one thousand cuts. You can do them in your bedroom or in the rain for all I care. You haven¡¯t earned the right or privilege to do them in my house. I¡¯ll take your word on it for the next week only. Until then, I don¡¯t want to see you in my sight until we are ready to leave for Valhalla. Now get out.¡± Visible anger adorns Verdandi¡¯s face as she deliberately turns her face away from Sweiza. Sweiza continues on her way towards the door. She turns around once towards Verdandi and lets out a bow, before turning around and putting on her boots and pulling up her umbrella. She proceeds on her way out the door. Once the door is behind her, she continues in the rain back towards her house with the rain beating down on her umbrella. She walks in silence, occasionally looking down at her Sprite friend, whom she can only assume is glad to be flying under protection from the rain. Sprite looks up at her, ¡°Sweiza¡­¡± Sweiza stops with the umbrella and looks down at him, ¡°Hmm?¡± He flies up to her face and deliberately smiles, ¡°She was a ¡®Grade A¡¯ bitch!¡± Sweiza cracks a smile at him and continues on her way. While Sprite¡¯s words may be true in her mind, she will have a much larger foe to deal with when she gets home - her mother. Mother¡¯s words were very clear, ¡°Do not be home before dark.¡± The current situation may warrant it, but her mother will not be happy. Chapter 9 - One Week of Training It is the next morning. It takes a moment for reality to set in. Sweiza does not stretch, instead her attention focuses on the window. Rain continues to patter away at it. She looks over next to the night stand for Sprite; he isn¡¯t there, nor is he at the foot of the bed. Her attention goes up to the wall mounted bookshelf. Sure enough, he had jumped up there during the middle of the night. She doesn¡¯t have a chance to sigh after the events of yesterday, and especially last night. Hunger hits her. After much heated anger from her mother, she agreed to go to bed hungry if it was suitable discipline. It, however, did not mean that Sweiza was getting out of dealing with Lady Strife. Her mother¡¯s exact words were, ¡°You go over there first thing in the morning and you apologize to her and make up for it.¡± Sweiza isn¡¯t going to argue this time. She looks up at the ceiling and silently asks herself, ¡°What did I get myself into?¡± She lets out a whistle in the direction of Sprite. Sprite feels himself come to. His eyes open and he looks up at the ceiling. ¡°Sprite, wake up!¡± His arm pulls itself over the wooden frame of his makeshift bed and he pulls his head up slightly as he looks to his side down at Sweiza. ¡°Unless it¡¯s for sugar, I¡¯m going back to bed.¡± He turns his his whole body on his side facing the wall; he pulls the covers up and over him - he makes sure to lift them high enough that Sweiza can see them. This was it, his statement was final. Sweiza purses her lips at him and then walks towards the door. She doesn¡¯t say it, but rather thinks it, ¡°He can go hungry for awhile. I have more important things to be doing.¡± As she walks down the stairs the statement shoots through her head again as she asks herself, ¡°Is this really important? Why am I doing this when I didn¡¯t make the choice? Why should ¡®I¡¯ have to apologize to her, Strife is the rude one.¡± However, the thought of her mother comes to mind. Sweiza cringes and shudders at the thought of her mother with one hand on her hip and her other hand holding a spoon shaking it at her. ¡°And where are you going young lady?¡± Sweiza turns towards the voice from the kitchen. She sucks in a breath and holds it tensely. Her mother indeed holds a spoon with her other hand on her hip. ¡°I¡¯m going to Strife¡¯s house.¡± ¡°Oh no you¡¯re not!¡± Her mother shakes the spoon at her. Sweiza winces. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten since last night. You come to the table and get some breakfast. Bacon and eggs to get you started.¡± Her mother goes back to the kitchen counter and proceeds to mix up some concoction unknown to Sweiza. Whatever it will be, it will most likely be a type of bread. Sweiza does as her mother told her and proceeds to the table. The food is already made. Sweiza has no trouble wolfing it down, hiccuping halfway through it. The commotion gets her mother¡¯s attention briefly, but she otherwise ignores her daughter. ¡°Thank you mama.¡± Sweiza drops her fork and chugs the milk glass in front of her. She is out of her chair and out the door just as quickly. Her mother stares at the doorway, ¡°Always in a rush.¡± She mutters it to herself. She notes a rapid tapping of feet returning to the door; it bursts open, Sweiza looks in the direction of her mother, and then to the coat rack. She grabs her coat and umbrella and returns out the door. It quickly closes behind her. Melda shakes her head. ¡ª Outside of Alice Verdandi¡¯s house, Sweiza takes a deep breath, knocks on the door and steps back. There is no overhang to protect her from the rain, but thankfully she has an umbrella. There is no answer to the door. Sweiza lets out a look of disappointment. She looks over at the street and directs her attention back on the door and knocks on it again. No answer. She finally pounds on the door. There is a small commotion inside the house and a voice, ¡°Just a minute.¡± There are footsteps towards the door and it opens slightly, Verdandi¡¯s face appears, ¡°How can¡­¡± Verdandi blinks a few times, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± Sweiza is utterly shocked at her appearance. A lavender robe and braid thrown into her hair. ¡°You look¡­¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t have time to finish. Verdandi lets out a scowl at her, ¡°It¡¯s not going to do you any good to just stand outside. Come inside. Close the door behind you.¡± Verdandi heads towards her kitchen table and takes a seat. ¡°Let us try this again Miss Serif. I would like it if you would join me for tea.¡± Sweiza¡¯s heart lurches as she sits down across from Verdandi. ¡°Um¡­ Strife?¡± She says it, nervously and raises her left finger to make a point. ¡°Hmm?¡± Strife looks up from the table at Sweiza and her eyebrows raise. ¡°I don¡¯t like tea, it¡¯s too bitter.¡± Verdandi refrains from wrinkling her nose in disgust. Sweiza stares blankly awaiting a reaction from Verdandi. ¡°Miss Serif, drinking tea is an art. It is an acquired skill, much like drinking straight tea. You are also not the first student to state as such. Besides¡­¡± Verdandi pushes a small bowl of sugar cubes towards Sweiza, ¡°I never drink it straight.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too bitter.¡± Sweiza¡¯s face turns to disbelief. Verdandi takes a sip of tea. She closes her eyes and lifts her head relishing the taste. She sets the teacup back down on the saucer and pushes a bottle of creamer towards Sweiza. Sweiza clenches both of her hands between her legs. She knows she isn¡¯t getting out of this, lest she stir Verdandi¡¯s wrath. Therefor, she grabs the teapot on the table and pours it into the glass in front of her. Verdandi gives her little attention as she takes another sip of her tea. Sweiza reaches for a sugar cube with her fingers. ¡°Miss Serif¡­¡± Verdandi jostles her teacup back down on the saucer as she crosses her voice, ¡°We are not barbarians in this house.¡± Verdandi grits her mouth with disgust. ¡°And what are ¡®sugar tongs¡¯ supposed to be? You don¡¯t even have any here!¡± Sweiza¡¯s frustration finally gets the better of her. Verdandi lifts her right hand and points to a set of silver mini-tongs next to the sugar bowl. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sweiza feels heat on her face from embarrassment; she can online imagine what it looks like to Verdandi. However, Verdandi continues back to drinking tea. She gives Sweiza little attention. Sweiza looks down at the sugar cubes and the mini-tongs. In her mind this whole affair is stupid, a waste of time when she could be tending to other affairs. Further, she never had to use tongs when feeding sprite. As far as Sweiza is concerned, Verdandi and herself are complete opposites. Sweiza lifts the tongs up and grabs two sugar cubes. She lets them drop into the cup. She grabs the creamer and pours in a small amount. She sets it back on the table. She proceeds to bring the cup to her mouth, but flinches as she is interrupted again. ¡°Miss Serif!¡± ¡°What now?¡± She moans it as she sets the teacup back down. ¡°We are civilized at this table, we do not hoard the sugar tongs from others.¡± Sweiza looks over to where she had set the mini-tongs down. She looks over at Strife, then back to the sugar bowl. ¡°Oh.¡± Is all she says. The picks them up and puts them back next to the sugar bowl. ¡°Sorry.¡± She musters it sheepishly before setting her attention back to the cup in front of her. She looks up at Verdandi and thinks twice about how she¡¯ll pick up the cup. She picks up the saucer with her right hand and pulls it off the table; she grabs the teacup with her left hand. She lowers her head to the teacup. She stops and looks up at Verdandi, whom is watching her intently. Verdandi lets out a light, but high pitched, ¡°Hmph!¡± at being upstaged. ¡°And it serves you right!¡± Sweiza says it defiantly. She looks back down at the tea. She closes her eyes in a mock gesture to Verdandi and lifts the teacup and saucer to her lips. The smell makes her stomach lurch. She ignores it and forces herself to take a sip of it. She doesn¡¯t finish. Even with sugar and creamer, the taste is nasty and bitter to her tongue. She involuntarily gags and spits out whatever made it into her mouth. She drops the cup and saucer to the table as she coughs and attempts to remove anything from her lungs; she then pounds on her chest for good measure as she feels her stomach lurch once more. Verdandi raises an eyebrow at the amusement, ¡°It isn¡¯t as easy as it looks, is it Miss Serif?¡± Sweiza is unimpressed and her face flushes red. She lets out a stifled, but angry grumble at her. If there is one thing that is going to happen, she isn¡¯t going to let Verdandi get the better of her. ¡°There is a washcloth on the counter next to the sink. You can clean up your mess when you are done.¡± Verdandi says it cross at Sweiza. Sweiza crosses her arms and turns her head away from Verdandi. ¡°Miss Serif, did you hear me?¡± Verdandi pushes her chair back and stares at Sweiza dead serious. Sweiza¡¯s face flushes red. She quickly pushes her chair back and stands up sharply. She slaps her right hand down on the table and bends forward while she points her left finger at Verdandi. ¡°You look here you witch.¡± Verdandi interrupts her. ¡°I¡¯m a witch now am I?¡± Verdandi says it with slight, but disinterested amusement. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take your tea and shove it up your ass?!¡± Sweiza barks it at her. Verdandi cracks a smile. They both know she has just won. Sweiza¡¯s body shakes in anger. Her hands tighten into fists. She takes in a deep breath and prepares to shout. Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows raise and her head tilts ever so slightly awaiting the outburst. It never happens. Sweiza¡¯s body trembles as she attempts to stifle her anger. Sweiza stares at Verdandi saying nothing. ¡°Is something the matter Miss Serif?¡± Verdandi says it quizzically, but it is more of a rhetorical gesture. ¡°Not at all.¡± Sweiza cocks her head and nose up. ¡°I¡¯m merely waiting for you to tell me what to do. Since you seem to like that kind of thing.¡± Sweiza says the last part loud and with enough contempt to make her point. Verdandi lets out a chuckle as Sweiza tries to compose herself. ¡°Very good Miss Serif. I believe that is enough for today. You are excused.¡± Sweiza¡¯s body takes in an involuntary breath of air. She about faces and takes two steps towards the door. She turns her head around. Her eyes are closed and she sports a frown, but attempts to say it with a lack of arrogance and as much sophistication as she can muster. ¡°Verdandi, thank you for tea.¡± Verdandi cracks a weak smile as she tilts her head into a bow. Sweiza turns around in a huff and marches towards the door. ¡°And Miss Serif¡­¡± Sweiza freezes, but does not turn around. ¡°One thousand cuts Miss Serif.¡± Sweiza grimaces her face and wrinkles her nose. ¡°You also owe me one thousand cuts from yesterday.¡± Sweiza bolts her head around and her eyes narrow at Verdandi. ¡°Screw, you!¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands tighten into fists again as she turns in place marches to the door. Verdandi says nothing. Sweiza grabs her umbrella and pulls the door open hard. She deliberately leaves it open as she walks outside. A few seconds later she walks back in. She gives one look at Verdandi, then turns around to grab her coat. She puts her coat on in a hurry. She is about to walk out the door again and stops shy of it. She goes to turn around to face Verdandi, but a picture on a table catches her attention. A young man, someone she assumes to be Verdandi¡¯s husband or boyfriend. Sweiza pushes the split-second thought from her mind and forces her gaze at Verdandi. Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows raise waiting for the reaction. Sweiza pops her tongue out at Verdandi and then walks out the door. Verdandi smirks at the display as she lets out a ¡°hmph.¡± Sweiza appears a few seconds later, sticks her tongue out at Verdandi again and then slams the door shut behind her. ¡°Really?¡± Verdandi says it with unamused contempt before focusing her attention to the mess on the table. Sweiza had done better than she expected. She thinks to herself that tomorrow shall be better, she will see to it. ¡ª Sweiza appears before the door of her house. She goes to open it, but it is locked. She knocks on the door and it opens. Her mother¡¯s face appears behind it. Sweiza sticks her foot in the door before it closes completely. ¡°Let me in.¡± ¡°You are supposed to be over at Verdandi¡¯s.¡± ¡°She sent me home for the day. Now move.¡± Sweiza pushes the door in and her mother steps back. ¡°Uneventful?¡± Her mother asks with some enthusiasm and curiosity. Sweiza glares indignation at her mother and throws her coat on the floor. She chucks her wet umbrella to the coatrack. She hears her mother mutter something and ignores it as she storms up the stairs to her room. ¡ª Sprite is startled to a loud kick and then a door slamming. He yelps and darts up from Sweiza¡¯s bed. He circles the room once and finds the source of the commotion. He softly lands on the bed and looks wide eyed at Sweiza. She is soaked from water. ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring and umbrella?¡± He asks with roused curiosity. Sweiza slams the door behind her. She walks over to Sprite. Tears are in her eyes. Her facial expression changes. ¡°If you are going to be a pest, you can go outside.¡± She points at the window to make a point. ¡°You always make that threat!¡± He says it with a smile knowing she is goofing around. ¡­However¡­ She grabs him with her left hand and walks over to the window. He realizes the situation. ¡°Wait!¡± She looks down at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it!¡± He says it pleading. Sweiza uses her right hand to crack the window open. She looks down at him again. ¡°Honest! I didn¡¯t mean it!¡± Sweiza opens her hand and lets him fly up. ¡°Sprite, I¡¯m going back to bed.¡± She kicks her wet boots off towards the room door. Rather than fall into her bed, she pulls herself in and pulls the covers over the back of her head. She stares blankly at the window. Her sprite friend flies in front of her gaze. ¡°Something happen?¡± He says it with curiosity. She doesn¡¯t answer. ¡°C¡¯mon!¡± He tries to get her to answer, but she turns her head. He lands on the bed and hunches over with his hands on his knees, ¡°Was she that much of a bitch?¡± Sweiza nods with tears in her eyes. He crosses his arms in thought and taps his foot while doing so. He looks up and then the idea comes to him. ¡°Sweiza, I¡¯m hungry!¡± She says nothing as sleep takes her. ¡°Sweiza! Sweiza!¡± He lets out several clicks and chirps in frustration as sleep takes her. He starts hovering and slaps his body into her several times to no avail. ¡°G¡¯ah!¡± He lets out a grumble of frustration and finally gives up. With the door closed and the window just open barely, he won¡¯t be getting out of the room until Sweiza wakes up. ¡ª ¡°Sweiza, wake up! Sweiza!¡± Sprite says it frantically. He raises his voice at her, but it does little to rouse her from sleep. He finally starts flying flying up in the air and dropping on her face. She comes to. ¡°Sprite, you know how I feel about you waking me up.¡± She says it with a grumble as she sits herself up. ¡°Nevermind that.¡± He says it frantically, ¡°That Valkyrie was here.¡± She takes a sharp look at him. He nods repeatedly. ¡°Sprite, if this is some kind of trick¡­¡± ¡°She was here!¡± He points towards the door repeatedly. Sweiza looks over at the door and sees it is wide open. This has her attention as her eyes widen. She tosses the covers off her legs and runs towards the door, nearly tripping over her boots in the process. Upstairs the aftermath leaves her sprite friend making muffled noises underneath covers as he attempts to get out from under them. Sweiza runs down the stairs and looks directly towards the kitchen. Lady Strife is sitting in a chair across the kitchen table from her mother. Sweiza scowls. ¡°Mother! Why wasn¡¯t I informed we were having guests?¡± She snaps at her mother. Her mother stares at her and then to Verdandi blankly. ¡°Miss Serif, I am a guest here because I invited myself. We have business to attend to.¡± Verdandi looks from Sweiza¡¯s mother to Sweiza. ¡°What kind of business?!¡± She snarls it at her in disbelief. ¡°I dare say we haven¡¯t been getting along so far.¡± Verdandi says it with dismay. Sweiza can¡¯t tell if it is genuine or fake. She wagers on the latter. ¡°I wonder whose fault that is.¡± She snaps it again. She turns around to face the top of the stairs and walks back up to her room. Verdandi looks over at Melda and then to the stairs. Verdandi makes up her mind and pushes her chair back. ¡ª Sprite sits at the window when he hears footsteps from Sweiza¡¯s door. He looks over to see her standing at the entrance. ¡°That bitch! Who does she think she is?! This is -my- house!¡± She snarls it as she walks towards Sprite. He attempts to answer, but with alarm his attention focuses on the door. ¡°If I am a bitch¡­¡± Sweiza turns around sharply towards the door. ¡°¡­then so be it.¡± Verdandi says it without care. ¡°You¡­¡± Sweiza attempts to speak, Verdandi interrupts her. ¡°So far, this hasn¡¯t been working.¡± Verdandi says it as she approaches Sweiza. ¡°I wonder why?¡± Sweiza says it with sarcastic contempt. Verdandi¡¯s tone changes and her armor appears. ¡°Starla Serif, I hereby take guardianship and custody over your person. You are hereby bound under Valhallan law as Valkyrie. I will not tolerate disobedience any further.¡± ¡°You know what, I¡­!¡± Sweiza attempts to speak and stammers. Strife smacks Sweiza¡¯s right shoulder hard with her gauntlet. Sweiza reaches up at the sore spot. She says nothing, part out of uncertainty, the other at fear of consequences if she does. ¡°Your punishments will vary as I see fit. You defy me, you will be punished accordingly.¡± Verdandi says it sharply at the girl. Sweiza says nothing and glares in defiance. Verdandi again raises her gauntlet and smacks Sweiza on her shoulder¡¯s already sore spot. Sweiza lets out another yelp and restrains the tears forming in her eyes. ¡°Just go away!¡± She says it gripping her shoulder attempting to massage it. Verdandi turns around towards the door. Her head turns behind her towards Sweiza. ¡°I will be going away in the next few hours. You will be coming with me.¡± Sweiza glares, but says nothing. ¡°We will be going to the hotsprings at Mount Surt. As it will be just the two of us, it will allow me to supervise your training personally without distraction and interruption. This will also allow us to become better acquainted with each other. We will be mentor and student for some time Starla, so I suggest you get used to it. And wipe that look off your face.¡± Sweiza leans her head forward with a glare and sticks out her tongue. Sprite snickers. ¡°You think this is a game?¡± Verdandi uses her right hand to pull hair away from the left side of her head to show her left ear. Her left ear is elven, but the tip has been cut clean off. ¡°I implore you, do not make the same mistake as me. Odin took my child and husband for my disobedience.¡± Verdandi says it sharply. She covers her ear with her hand. ¡°And your ear?¡± Sweiza says it, barely caring. Verdandi nods, ¡°This was also part of my punishment.¡± Sweiza crosses her arm and turns her head. ¡°Hmph! Serves you right!¡± ¡°If you appear before Odin with a disobedient attitude, it means I have failed in my role as Valkyrie. I suffer no punishments at the hand of Odin for your abysmal attitude.¡± Verdandi changes her tone to more serious, ¡°If necessary, I will lop your whole ear off. Am I clear?!¡± Sweiza yelps and lets out a nod quickly as Verdandi snaps the last part. ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad we are in agreement.¡± Verdandi raises her right hand and grabs a strand of hair and then flicks it, ¡°You have a few hours to get your affairs in order. Melda informs me you have a rucksack. I suggest you pack what is important to you. You will not be back here for sometime. Might I suggest with a change of clothing?¡± Verdandi motions towards the floor. Liquid sits at Sweiza¡¯s feet. Sweiza closes her eyes in embarrassment. Verdandi finally got to her. Verdandi raises her left leg sideways slightly, and then brings it down clicking her heels together. She changes her tone and mood as tilts her head and bows slightly. She turns around briskly and heads for the door, her greaves making metal clicks on the ground as she walks away. However, she stops just shy of the door. ¡°Concerning that pest.¡± She looks her head back behind her towards the sprite, ¡°I find it odd you would be friends with such vermin.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The sprite jumps up from the window. ¡°Your mother has informed me that he is in fact, -not- your familiar. I find this stranger still. I will allow him to come along to be trained as your familiar, if you so choose.¡± Verdandi turns around sharply to face Sweiza and she snaps her head at the Sprite. ¡°If you make a pest out of yourself, I will kill you.¡± Verdandi clicks her heels together again and turns around and walks towards the door. She exits. Sweiza¡¯s sprite friend flies up to counsel his friend. She shakes her head and ignores him. She wipes the tears from her eyes as she walks towards the closet. Her belligerence is finally defeated. Her sprite friend says nothing as she goes for her closet and pulls out her rucksack. ¡ª ¡°..try with a hair less sugar. It loses its bite when you do it like that.¡± Verdandi is interrupted by a footsteps at the stairs. Melda looks over from Verdandi to Sweiza. Verdandi sets her teacup down and looks over towards Sweiza. Sweiza makes a face at both of them; she holds it a little longer (quite deliberately) at Verdandi. Verdandi gives it no attention. ¡°Bitter tea is the work of the devil!¡± Sweiza says it high and mighty and then sticks her tongue out at Verdandi. Verdandi flinches and quickly sets her tea cup down. She lets out several rapid coughs to mask her chocking. ¡°Really Sweiza¡­ We have a guest. Can¡¯t you show a little more respect?¡± Melda says it, stern but quick to forgive. ¡°Sorry mama.¡± Sweiza bows from the stairs. ¡°Miss Serif, one of your first tasks will be to refer to Melda as ¡®mother¡¯, not ¡®mama¡¯. This is something children do.¡± Verdandi turns her head back over at Sweiza. Sweiza turns her head away. ¡°It¡¯s quite alright Verdandi.¡± Melda says it without regret. ¡°Miss Serif is now a Valkyrie. She needs to carry herself like one.¡± Verdandi looks down and takes another sip of tea. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± Sweiza tugs at the supports on her rucksack and walks down the stairs. Melda¡¯s eyes widen at the sprite sitting on the top of the rucksack. ¡°Verdandi, are you really letting her take that thing along? Concerning your history with them¡­¡± Melda says it with some concern, still eying the sprite. ¡°The¡­ ¡®Sprite¡¯, will make an excellent familiar once the two of them have been trained to work together.¡± Verdandi says it, taking another sip of tea. She pays no attention to Sweiza. Sweiza in turn, spends little effort ignoring Verdandi. Instead, she pushes her feet into her boots, throws on her coat, and picks up her umbrella. ¡°Are we leaving, or are you going to continue absorbing that nasty¡­¡± Sweiza is cut off by her mother. ¡°Sweiza!¡± Melda snaps it at her. ¡°Verdandi stifles a smile as she finishes her tea. ¡°Thank you for the hospitality Melda. I must be going now with Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi pushes back her chair, stands up and bows at Melda. ¡°Stop by anytime Alice.¡± Melda says it respectfully and tilts her head into a humble bow. However, she does not push herself out of her seat. Verdandi clicks her heels together and turns around. She walks towards Sweiza. ¡°Miss Serif, are you ready? Sweiza turns towards her friend on her rucksack. The both of them look at each other. Sweiza turns around to face Verdandi. A little bewildered, Sweiza lets out a nod. ¡°We shall be going then.¡± Verdandi opens the door. ¡°Miss Serif, after you.¡± ¡°Excuse me?!¡± Sweiza lets it out disgruntled. Verdandi says nothing. Instead, Verdandi grabs Sweiza by the shoulder and shoves her out the door. ¡°Hey!¡± Sweiza lets it out disgruntled again. Verdandi looks up at the sprite, whom jumped off the rucksack at the incident. ¡°I expect you to behave yourself at all times sprite. Miss Serif will have my same expectation.¡± The sprite nods. Verdandi turns her attention towards the door and walks out. The sprite quickly follows after, but he makes sure to keep some distance from Verdandi as he moves alongside her. He quickly catches up with Sweiza. The two of them start to chatter. ¡°Miss Serif, we will be going towards the Nor¡­¡± Verdandi is cut off by Sweiza. ¡°I know the way.¡± Sweiza turns her head back from Verdandi and turns her attention at the mountain in the distance. Verdandi says nothing. While being stuck with Verdandi is a bad thing in Sweiza¡¯s mind, going to the hotspring is a rare treat that only occurs about twice a year. The fact she will be there for several days made it even better. Sprite coming along for the walk would make it a piece of cake. Sweiza grins at the thought. She quickly hides it and looks back at Verdandi. ¡°Hurry up slowpoke!¡± Verdandi¡¯s eyes widen and her eyebrows raise slightly, but she says nothing. Sweiza looks up at the sprite following her, he looks down to her. Sweiza cracks a smile. She¡¯d finally won. And if she has anything to say about it, it will only be the start of many more victories against Verdandi. ¡ª- It is about an hour later and the rain continues. Sweiza lifts her umbrella in annoyance. She looks over at Verdandi whom is soaked. ¡°Verdandi, didn¡¯t¡­¡± Sweiza is interrupted. ¡°When we are on assignment it is ¡®Lady Strife¡¯, Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi says it nonchalantly. ¡°My apologies. Lady Strife¡­¡± Sweiza stops and thinks twice about it, ¡°Nevermind. It¡¯s not important.¡± ¡°That¡¯s odd coming out of you Miss Serif. You normally have a lot to say.¡± Verdandi eyes Sweiza¡¯s reaction. It hits its mark as Sweiza bolts her head back forward. At this point Sweiza isn¡¯t about to be outsmarted. She says nothing concerning Verdandi¡¯s lack of an umbrella. Sweiza¡¯s only concern after the moment is her Sprite friend, he hates the rain. Sweiza was gracious enough to let him park himself in one of her coat pockets. She looks down at him to ensure he is secure and continues on her way. ¡°We still have a long way to go Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi says it to her, without pushing the issue. Sweiza looks over, ¡°Sixteen miles to go.¡± ¡°Shall we pick up the pace then Miss Serif?¡± Verdandi starts to walk briskly leaving Sweiza behind. Sweiza walks foward and her pace slows until she stops. She stands there several seconds alone. ¡°Hey! Wait up!¡± Verdandi stops and looks back at Sweiza. Verdandi cracks a smile and looks forward again, this time picking up her pace, faster still. Sweiza lets out a surprised expression and hurries up, nearly dropping her umbrella in the process. Her pace barely keeps up with Verdandi. Sweiza can feel herself panting. In the back of her mind, Sweiza can¡¯t figure out how this woman can move so fast. ¡ª Half an hour passes by¡­ ¡°Verdandi!¡± Sweiza drops her umbrella. She stoops over, resting her hands on her knees. Verdandi turns around, ignoring the fact Sweiza is off point with her name - again. ¡°What is it dear?¡± ¡°Can we slow down? I¡¯m not used to walking like this.¡± Sweiza looks up at Verdandi, hope in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it dear. For now I¡¯ll ease up on it. In the meantime, let¡¯s rest a bit.¡± Verdandi walks over to Sweiza and picks up her umbrella. She holds it up above the both of them. ¡°For now I will be your shield.¡± Verdandi says nothing else. ¡°Thank you.¡± Sweiza lets out a sigh. Verdandi can be nice after all. ¡ª Some hours later¡­ Sweiza is actually ahead of Verdandi, whom is walking at a slower pace. ¡°Strife!¡± Sweiza stops and turns around and then bows at Verdandi. Verdandi knows what is coming. ¡°What is it child?¡± Verdandi uses her right hand to support her left hand as her left hand grabs a strand of her hair just shy of her ear. ¡°You said you had a husband and child.¡± Sweiza says it with some enthusiasm and eager curiosity. ¡°So I did.¡± Verdandi knows she isn¡¯t getting out of this one, no matter how uncomfortable the topic. ¡°What happened to them?¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°That¡¯s a rather difficult topic Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi twirls her hair around her finger and lets it go. ¡°I see. Understood.¡± Sweiza bows again, turns around and hurries forward. Verdandi¡¯s eyes widen once in surprise at Sweiza¡¯s respect. She flicks her left arm once and continues forward in the rain. This girl as her student might not be as bad as she first encountered her. ¡ª It is towards twilight when they reach the summit of the mountain. ¡°Miss Serif, we will setup camp here for the night and continue in the morning.¡± Verdandi says it with intent. Ignoring Sweiza, Verdandi turns around to pick a good area hidden from view, but still near the main road. There wouldn¡¯t be anyone else in the area, or so she hoped. With that in mind, she wants an area that will be easy to defend against wild animals - or worse, monsters. ¡°If we hurry, we can still make it to the springs!¡± Sweiza turns around to continue towards the summit. Verdandi halts her camp plans and looks towards Sweiza. ¡°Valkyrie Angst, stop!¡± Verdandi says it as a command. Sweiza turns around unimpressed. ¡°After all that, you ca¡­¡± ¡°Miss Serif, mind your tongue.¡± Verdandi says it, eying the area. ¡°We will camp over here.¡± She motions towards an open area just outside of the main path. Most likely others had camped in this exact area in the past. Sweiza wrinkles her nose at her. Sprite peaks up from her coat pocket and pipes up, ¡°Sweiza, we really should stop here for the night.¡± Sweiza looks down. ¡°Quiet you. Don¡¯t you dare take her side!¡± Sprite flies up face level with Sweiza. ¡°After all that walking you are surely sore. Resting it off will make the springs more enjoyable.¡± Sweiza looks at him at him in disbelief, he is right. ¡°Fine.¡± She grabs him, his attempts to dart away failing. She stuffs him in her coat pocket. She makes ever attempt to be gentle, but she does it in such a way to make her point. Sprite says nothing else as he peaks his head back out of the pocket. He glances over at Verdandi. ¡°Perhaps he is different from his kind after all.¡± Verdandi says it thoughtfully, scanning the area. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The sprite pipes up, Verdandi ignores him. Verdandi walks over to one of the trees in the clearing and lets her body drop to it in a huff. She slowly slides down the trunk, letting her weary body finally catch up with her. She refrains from groaning, her body is sore from the trek. She looks over at Sweiza, whom seems to be unaffected and quite energetic from the trek. She thinks that perhaps Sweiza¡¯s stamina exceeded her own, but more strenuous activity was her (Verdandi¡¯s) domain. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Sweiza stoops over with her umbrella towards Verdandi and points her finger at her and then away. ¡°I¡¯m not staying in the rain.¡± Verdandi says nothing as Sweiza folds up her umbrella and sets it to the ground. She pulls off her rucksack and sets it lengthwise on the ground. She pulls up rolled up fabric from the bottom of the sack and unfastens it. She unfolds it and pulls a small rope from it along with four metal spikes. She scans the area for two trees and finds two suitable ones. She proceeds to take the rope and tie it between the two and then throws the fabric over the rope. The pegs are soon in metal holes in the fabric; she uses her foot to push them in. Verdandi watches her the entire time. Sweiza opens her rucksack and then pulls out a small blanket. She chucks her rucksack to the base of the tent and then kicks it inside. She sets herself on the ground and gives one last look to Verdandi before entering the makeshift tent. The blanket is soon over her. Her sprite friend leaves her pocket just as she covers herself with the blanket. His prefered area is always on top of the blanket. ¡°Goodnight Dewey.¡± She says it, but he is already fast asleep. For someone that spent most of the day in her pocket, she can¡¯t believe he falls asleep so fast. Before sleep takes her, Sweiza gives one last thought about a soaked Valkyrie against a tree and then quickly dismisses it. She falls fast asleep as the rain continues to pour outside. ¡ª An hour or so later¡­ ¡°Miss Serif¡­¡± The voice rouses her slightly. ¡°Miss Serif.¡± This time Verdandi says it louder. It rouses Sweiza further than before. ¡°Miss Serif!¡± Verdandi says it sharply and Sweiza wakes up. Sweiza lets out a groan. ¡°Wha?¡± Sweiza lets out a yelp as lighting arcs across the sky. ¡°If I may so boldly ask, I would like to spend the night with you.¡± Sweiza looks up and her eyes widen. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°Miss Serif. I humbly and respectfully request that you allow me to sleep with you. I have been in the rain for hours and I am drenched. I would like a dry shelter for some time.¡± ¡°Negative.¡± Sweiza says it without further thought or restraint and then closes her eyes as she pulls the covers over her face. She hears the sound of distant thunder and refrains from jumping. Verdandi clicks her heels together. Sweiza attempts to ignore it. She feels a hand grab the covers from her face. Verdandi stands bent over her. ¡°Miss Serif, I would like shelter from the rain.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be calling me Sweiza if you do.¡± Sweiza says it as she turns her head and body away from Verdandi. Sweiza hears movement against the tent as it flaps in the wind. She also feels the covers pull up; she lets out a shiver as something cold and wet brushes up against her. She feels the covers pull once again. Sweiza turns herself around to see Verdandi lying down, but facing her. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Sweiza stammers at her. ¡°Our body heat and breath will keep each other warm. If you can tolerate it for a bit, I will dry off throughout the night. I thank you for your hospitality¡­¡± Verdandi pauses and then says it thoughtfully, ¡°¡­Sweiza.¡± ¡°Fine, whatever! Just stop bothering me and go to sleep!¡± Sweiza barks at her in frustration and turns her body sharply away from Verdandi. Verdandi remains silent. Sleep soon takes the both of them as more lighting and thunder dominate the sky. ¡ª Sometime in the early morning¡­ Verdandi lets out an involuntary sigh as she rouses from sleep. She pulls the cover over her body tighter. Upon realization that there is more fabric than there should be, she turns around where Sweiza should be. She quickly claws at covers to get them off and attempts to scramble to her feet. She hits the top of the tent and rebounds to the ground - it is shorter than it looks. She crawls out and the first thing she sees is a makeshift firepit with burnt wood, smoke slowly rises from it, the fire still smoldering. She notes the ground is wet and that it is lightly misting. She looks up at the sky to see that it is still dark, but morning light is slowly breaking the horizon. She scans the camp area and sees no sign of Sweiza or the Sprite. In fact, the only thing she does see is the firepit, what appears to be a leftover rodent guts (squirrel she thinks) and the tent itself. She pauses to think about it for several seconds. Maria village is in the opposite direction and quite the trek; Sweiza is unlikely to leave a personal possession like her tent behind to someone like herself (Verdandi) after coming all this way. Verdandi about faces and heads for the small temple and outcropping near the springs up the mountain. Sweiza will most likely be there, or so she thinks. ¡ª It takes about fifteen minutes for Verdandi to get to the summit of the mountain. It takes her another ten to get to the springs. Contained here is an outcropping where a small stone temple houses the actual springs. It isn¡¯t large by any means, simply a series of three rooms consisting of an entrance, terrace and the actual springs themselves. Stone pillars adorn either side of the steps that climb up to the temple itself. It takes thirty steps to climb them. Verdandi finds herself at the entrance. Futhark and images of generations past are carved into the walls and floors, all made of limestone. She pays them no attention. She hurries herself towards the middle of the temple and sees a large pool where the spring water collects via a small passage leading through the wall. Verdandi¡¯s left hand goes to her hip and she scans the room, and sees nothing. Surely the girl would have left her rucksack or some clothing or some such. She walks up the stairs to the left and immediately sees the girl sitting in a much smaller pool, her clothing and rucksack at the edge of the pool separated by an indented divider. The sprite on top of her head is also of note. Verdandi stands several steps below the entrance to the terrace. Sweiza and Sprite don¡¯t notice her. At the entrance, Verdandi lightly clears her throat. When the two of them fail to notice her, she scrapes her boots against the ground and then clicks her heels together. Still nothing. Verdandi finally clears her throat louder. The Sprite is the first to notice her. He starts patting on Sweiza¡¯s head. She turns her head away from the balcony and morning sky in the distance. Her relaxed attitude and smile quickly reverse directions when her eyes widen at Verdandi. Sweiza says nothing. ¡°Miss Serif, yo¡­¡± Verandi is finally the one to be interrupted. ¡°You agreed to call me ¡®Sweiza¡¯, ¡®Miss Verandi¡¯.¡± Sweiza says it cocky and haughty. She puts emphasis on ¡®Miss Verdandi¡¯ to rub it in. ¡°Why so I did. As for the reason I am here.¡± Verdandi stiffens her body as she raises her heels one inch off the ground via the front of her feet. She drops and then clicks her heels together. ¡°Valkyrie Strife at your service.¡± Sweiza lifts her head signaling to Sprite to get off and meet her gaze. He does so without thinking twice. He hovers about two feet from her face to her left in direction of the entrance. After she looks at him blankly, he shrugs. The two of them look over towards Verdandi. ¡°Is this some kind of joke?¡± Sweiza snorts it at Verdandi. ¡°You presume to boss Valkyrie around. You don¡¯t even know the proper protocol and how to act. You tell me what is laughable here.¡± Verdandi says it as she approaches Sweiza. As Verdandi approaches Sweiza, Sweiza immediately stands up from the pool. She takes one step back. ¡°Stay away!¡± She says it with some uncertainty and forced confidence. As Verdandi continues to approach, Sweiza takes another footstep back. She trips over the center divider and her Sprite friend darts out of the way as she falls backwards and hard on her butt. She lets out an ¡°Oh!¡± as a groan and starts rubbing the sore area. ¡°See what you did!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I did nothing of the sort Miss Serif. You brought this on yourself.¡± Verdandi says it with her left arm supporting her right hand supporting her head in thought. She points at the girl with her right hand and flicks her finger. ¡°However, coming here was part of the plan, so I suppose it is dismissable¡­ this one time.¡± Sweiza pushes herself back to her feet and lets her body sink into the pool. She looks over at Verdandi, now at the edge of the pool. She lets her clothing droop. Sweiza lets out a deliberate ¡°Eep!¡± at the scars on Verdandi¡¯s body. Verdandi enters the pool. At that moment Sweiza sinks her eye level underwater, closes her eyes and lets out several bubbles from her mouth. She hears Verdandi mutter something akin to, ¡°Such a child.¡± She gives it no attention. Done blowing bubbles and having a moment she raises her eyeline and sees Verdandi sitting on the far left of the pull opposite of Sweiza. She faces the skyline and terrace. ¡°So then ¡®Sweiza¡¯, please tell me about yourself.¡± Verdandi says it nonchalantly, leaning her arms against the center divide. She stares blankly and in surprise at Sweiza when the belligerent girl says, ¡°As if!¡± Verdandi turns her head away, eyes closed and with dignity. She will not be had by the girl in front of her. Then Sprite snickers. Verdandi turns towards him and her face turns red; whether from the spring¡¯s heat or the embarrassment of the two of them double teaming her composure, she can¡¯t tell. ¡°Fine then, I¡¯ll start.¡± Verdandi says it as she faces the two with dignity as she regains her composure. ¡°I was knighted Valkyrie at twenty-six. Your turn.¡± Sweiza and the Sprite look at each other. Sweiza goes to speak, but the Sprite interrupts her. ¡°Why did you wipe out my kind?¡± Verdandi clenches her jaw and stares at the Sprite seriously; not a question she wants to hear. ¡°Odin¡¯s decree. I was tasked with leading the charge as they ¡®were¡¯ native to this area.¡± She waves her finger to the Sprite, ¡°It seems my suspicions were right when I missed a few.¡± Verdandi looks at them squarely, ¡°That¡¯s two you owe me now. Your turn¡­ ¡®Sweiza¡¯¡±. Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen. The Sprite pipes up again, ¡°No, I mean ¡®WHY¡¯ did Odin give the order?¡± He flies up from Sweiza, a few feet closer to Verdandi, caution, curiosity and suspicion in his voice and movements. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you yourself have known¡­ What was your name again?¡± She says it leaning back into the water, the heat from it soaking her sore body from the previous day¡¯s walk. ¡°His name is Sir Dewey Herschel.¡± Sweiza crosses her arms as she says it with pride and contempt. Verdandi just shakes her head at the interruptions and exchanges between the two. ¡°Well then, ¡®Sir Herschel¡¯. I¡¯m sure there has been more than one instance of Maria villagers chasing you away from the village market¡­ or dare I assume out of someone¡¯s kitchen a time or two?¡± Although hard to see through his facial hair, Sprite¡¯s face turns red. He stammers and when he can¡¯t think of what to say, he flies behind Sweiza. ¡°You take care of her.¡± He points at Verdandi and crosses his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sure that should answer your question than.¡± Verdandi says it pleasantly having finally won. She quickly dismisses the Sprite, ¡°As for you Sweiza. I¡¯d like to know more about you.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± Sweiza adopts the same pose as Verdandi and leans her back and arms against the pool¡¯s edge divider. ¡°Must everything always be a guessing game with you?¡± Verdandi finally crosses her arms, her dignity slacking. ¡°Must everything always be brutal misery with you?¡± Sweiza sinks her body into the pool again above eye level and lets out more bubbles. Verdandi rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh. ¡°As your mentor Miss Se¡­ Sweiza, it is easier for both of us we know things about each other. It will assist with your training. But you need to provide it willingly.¡± Verdandi says it without an air of contempt. ¡°However, if that is how you feel about it, that¡¯s your choice. Regardless of how you feel, the sun is rising if you¡¯ll chance it.¡± Sweiza glances over at the sunrise. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡± Verdandi says it, switching her gaze from the sunrise to Sweiza. Sweiza¡¯s gaze fixes on the sunrise; Sprite takes this opportunity to land on Sweiza¡¯s head. ¡°I think so.¡± She turns her head, meeting Verdandi¡¯s gaze. ¡°This is a sacred place you know. We shouldn¡¯t be arguing.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Verdandi pulls herself up from the water. ¡°I see you took the opportunity earlier to hunt. I have yet to eat, so I will do the same. Do as you like, but do not leave the vicinity. I would suggest going back for your tent, however.¡± Verdandi pulls herself out of the pool and puts her clothing back on. Sweiza notes she is more muscular than she initially thought. It might explain why Verdandi is so strong; she figures it is from training as a Valkyrie and would apply to anyone that acted as a knight. ¡°Do whatever, I¡¯m staying right here.¡± Sweiza splashes the water with her hand in Verdandi¡¯s direction. Verdandi looks at the girl wide eyed and gives a nervous bow before she excuses herself. Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen at the display. She looks up expecting Sprites reaction. He has no part in it. She looks back down at Verdandi¡¯s original direction. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± She says it gruffly while fixing her attention to the sunrise. Her attention goes back to the direction that Verdandi went. Her lips purse and she lets out a stifled, but defiant and involuntary sigh. Her body shakes from the reflex. ¡°You do like hunting with others don¡¯t you?¡± Sprite says it a few feet from her face at eye level. ¡°Pfft! As if! Not with her!¡± She cocks her head in the opposite direction of Verdandi¡¯s exit. She opens one eye at the door. ¡ª It is about ten minutes later as Verdandi is heading down the stairs of the temple when she hears the rush of distant footsteps and then Sweiza¡¯s desperate plea, ¡°Hey! Wait up!¡± Verdandi turns around as the footsteps get louder. Sweiza finally catches up and lets out her breath, huffing and puffing. She tries to speak and her lungs burn as she gasps for air. ¡°So you did decide to come along afterall.¡± She says it with amusement, ¡°I¡¯m guessing you like hunting.¡± Sweiza attempts to say something, but her lungs still burn. She looks from Verdandi to Sprite and then motions at Sprite and then to Verdandi with an odd finger gesture. Sprite immediately sticks his tongue out at the Valkyrie. Verdandi covers her mouth to hide her surprised lips. ¡°Oh, Freya!¡± Sweiza lets out the curse as she takes the Goddess of Fertility¡¯s name in vain. She does so while still gasping for air. Verdandi waits patiently for the young girl¡¯s breath to catch up with her. Her Sprite friend bops up and down patiently, also waiting it out. When Sweiza¡¯s breath catches up with her, her Sprite friend interrupts and starts laughing at her. ¡°You two do have something in common!¡± Sweiza swats at him and he dodges the same. He starts laughing uncontrollably and starts darting in different directions in front of her, provoking her as she tries to swat at him. ¡°You can just stay right here¡­ Dewey!¡± She puts emphasis at the last part as she storms down the temple stairs. Sprite hovers there confused and follows her. Verdandi looks with concern and keeps a note of the behaviors of the two for future reference. ¡°Miss Serif, let us make our way down to the camp. We¡¯ll need your tent for later.¡± Verdandi says it, walking alongside the girl. Sweiza nods, ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Sweiza, what are you doing?¡± Verdandi questions the girl as Sweiza pulls off her rucksack and fishes for a certain item. She pulls out a small cylinder and slides the rucksack back onto both arms. She smacks the cylinder once to loosen the outer tube cover and unscrews it. She makes a clicking noise and Sprite grabs the cylinder as she chucks it up to him. He turns it upside down and she catches the three pieces of wood that fall out; two of the pieces are connected by a string of sorts. Verdandi guesses it is some kind of portable short bow. Her suspicion proves right as Sweiza takes the two thinnest pieces of wood with attached string, and jams both free ends into a longer thicker handle. She pulls at the string once and gives a nod of approval. Sweiza gives another click and Sprite stands to attention. He hovers with the cannister into the backpack and drives into the backpack with it. He jumps out and winds the cord of it and then pulls a flap over the top of it. Sweiza gives out another click, but different in tone. Sprite again tenses to attention and dives at the rucksack, only this time he does it towards a cannister belted to the left side of the pack. This cannister has a much simpler style with a cork at the end. He pulls and pulls and struggles to get the cork out. Sweiza lets out an irritated chirp. Sprite continues to struggle with it. She lets out the chirp repeatedly, her irritation grows as she speeds up the chirping. She raises the bow with her left hand and reaches her right arm under her left. She shoos Sprite away without looking at him. He dodges and gives out a disgruntled chirp at her. She grabs the cork with her right hand and uses her fingers to fish out three arrows. Verdandi flanks Sweiza¡¯s left to observe the cannister - roughly ten arrows left inside. ¡°Did you make this Miss Serif?¡± She questions it looking back up at the girl. She flinches when she sees Sweiza looking up with the wood of the arrow in her mouth. ¡°Miss Serif, that is so undignified!¡± Verdandi says it with shock as she shakes her head. Sweiza simply nods. She takes the remaining two arrows in her right hand and lets the tips slide into an oppening of the thick middle piece of the bow. The back of the arrows stick well above the thick piece as the tips hit the bottom. Sweiza takes the last arrow out of her mouth and lets out a chirp as she chucks the cork up. Sprite dashes towards it and grabs it. While he flies to the arrow cannister on the rucksack, Sweiza takes the arrow in her hand and pulls it tight against the bow¡¯s string. She takes in a deep breath and lets out a sigh of approval. She points the arrow and bow just offset from Verdandi¡¯s shoulders. Verdandi raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms. Sweiza points it down the stairs and then at the sun. She pulls the arrow and straightens it against several marks on the thick end of the bow. She points the bow towards a clearing just beyond the summit; the trees lighten in the surrounding area and dwindle towards the horizon of the clearing opposite the summit. ¡°Five hundred yards roughly. It¡¯s about three hundred yards from camp. It might be easier to go that way and grab the tent.¡± Sweiza¡¯s normal belligerence gone she says it to Verdandi. ¡°I guess there is something you are good at!¡± Verdandi says it with surprise and pride, ¡°You surprise me Miss Serif. Nice work!¡± ¡°Whatever!¡± Sweiza shakes her head as she takes the final arrow and puts it into the bow¡¯s makeshift quiver. She quickens her pace towards the camp. Sprite flies around Sweiza in a very specific pattern. Occasionally he flies above the tree tops, then flies back down to her shoulder. He flies left or right of her position about twenty feet before returning; he repeats the same motion behind her. He finally circles around her about ten feet. He pauses for ten seconds and then repeats the motion. Verdandi makes note of this. Verdandi follows them at speed for a time, but then slows her pace ever so few footsteps. Sprite notices this when he flies behind Sweiza. He stops his pattern and then doubles back to face her. He flies up to her. He waits for it. Verdandi finally opens her mouth, ¡°She has you trained well.¡± Sprite ignores it and flies back to Sweiza. He whispers something in her ear and then repeats his pattern. Sweiza looks behind her and says in a hushed voice, ¡°You are disturbing the hunt. Animals might here you.¡± ¡°I thought we were going back for your tent first.¡± Verdandi reminds her of their first goal. ¡°We still might see something on the way.¡± Sweiza says it again in a hushed tone, ¡°¡­and keep your voice down.¡± Verdandi bows, ¡°My appologies. Carry on.¡± Verdandi says nothing more as they continue towards the campsite. Sadly, as fate would have it, the trip there is uneventful. ¡ª At the campsite Sweiza readies her tent back into a roll, spikes thrown into the center as a base. She refrains from having Verdandi help her. ¡°You seem to be quite self sufficient when it comes to the outdoors.¡± Verdandi mentions it quite deliberately. Sweiza gives it no attention. Verdandi twitches her eyes once, ¡°You seem to be quite capable out in the woods Miss Serif.¡± ¡°I¡¯m from Maria village.¡± She says it to the point as if Verdandi will understand. ¡°However, you seem not to care if you talk about yourself.¡± Verdandi sees her chance. ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡± Sweiza holds the tent roll in her right arm. She pauses to address Verdandi¡¯s concerns. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, you are more capable than you let on - or want to talk about for that matter. You seem to also be fiercely independent.¡± Verdandi says it leaning against a tree, watching the girl. ¡°We have a hunt to focus on, let¡¯s go.¡± Sweiza says it to the point, again. She uses clasps on the bottom of the rucksack to reposition and secure the tent; she throws it back over her shoulders and about faces from Verdandi. She looks up towards the path at the summit and then tries to remember where the next clearing was. She points towards the path again. ¡°It¡¯ll be easier if we double back. There was a clearing that leads to it. It¡¯ll be easier than traversing brush and trees.¡± Sweiza doubles back and walks past Verdandi towards the footpath. Sprite follows her. ¡°I see, very good.¡± Verdandi says it to no one but herself, and stifles a smirk all of the same before turning around and doubling back and following them. ¡ª About an hour later they are beyond the clearing. To Verdandi¡¯s dismay they are behind schedule. At her urging to skip breakfast, Sweiza would have none of it. Verdandi looks up top the tree that Sweiza has herself sitting in. She is sitting above the tree¡¯s largest low hanging branch. She has been sitting there for the last fifteen minutes eying something in the trees some fifty feet away. Verdandi saw it minutes before. A bird, a rather large one. All she can do is cross her arms while leaning against the tree. She pushes her eyes to the left of her head with ridicule and boredom. ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± She mutters to herself. She suddenly hears a commotion and then the tug of a string and the launch of an arrow. There is a quick peg and loud squeak as it hits its mark. She looks over to the direction of where the bird should have been in the tree. It is gone, and instead Sprite is fluttering in it¡¯s previous sitting location. She watches him suddenly scurry towards the ground. ¡°Lookout!¡± Sweiza suddenly jumps from the branch to the tree trunk and lets herself slide down. It isn¡¯t long before Verdandi sees the reason why. Sweiza scurries over to the vicinity of Sprite. Verdandi calms her nerves as she slowly approaches. Sweiza holds up the still flailing bird. It is big. ¡°Delicious.¡± Is all Sprite says up towards the still approaching Verdandi. Sweiza takes one look up at Verdandi, then to the bird. She drops the bird to the ground. To Verdandi¡¯s surprise, as well as her delight, Sweiza¡¯s greaves appear on her feet. To her dismay, Sweiza¡¯s intent is to crush the bird¡¯s head. The bird stops flailing the minute contact is made. The greaves disappear just as easily. ¡°You don¡¯t have a fillet knife on you, do you?¡± Sweiza asks with some enthusiasm. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not my dear.¡± Verdandi opens her palms face up at the girl and shakes her head. Sweiza takes both of her hands to her cheeks and claps them twice and regains her composure. She kneels down to pick up the bird by the legs and looks up at Verdandi, ¡°Don¡¯t you carry a knife behind your armor? I seem to remember it.¡± Verdandi cradles her hands under her elbows, ¡°That was the plan before, but you seem to be equipped for hunting. If there isn¡¯t a need to¡­¡± Sweiza jumps to her feet, the bird shaking in her left hand, she pulls her right hand towards Verdandi as if to take an offering, ¡°You wanted togetherness, so hand it over.¡± She makes a grabbing motion with her right hand. Verdandi closes her eyes and reaches behind her as her armor appears momentarily. It disappears the same as she unsheathes a blade rather large for a knife. She flips the blade in her hand and offers it to the girl. ¡°This is not a toy, and it is most certainly not a knife. It is a backup shortsword called a gladius. You are to treat it with the same¡­¡± She doesn¡¯t have time to finish as Sweiza pulls the sword from Verdandi¡¯s hand. Verdandi quickly retreats her hand, eying it up and down, noting there aren¡¯t any cuts. She flexes her fingers a few times before she lets her hand down and shakes her head at Sweiza in disapproval. Her eyes widen at the girl not paying attention to her; instead, Sweiza already has a plate out of her rucksack and is at work on the bird. She makes no elegant affair of it as she trims it and leaves guts everywhere, blood included. Verdandi shakes her head. She approaches the girl about the time she is finished. Sprite flies up to Sweiza¡¯s face. He starts shaking enthusiastically. ¡°Later.¡± Is all she says. He lets out an annoyed chirp. ¡°Later.¡± Is all she says. She hands the shortsword back up to Verdandi. Verdandi grimaces as she grabs the blade, still full of blood. She grabs a few leaves from a nearby tree and uses them to clean the blood off the sword. ¡°You could at least give me the dignity of cleaning my weapon.¡± Verdandi says it nonchalantly. Her armor appears again momentarily as she sheaths the sword. Sweiza looks up at her and wrinkles her nose as she smirks at her. Verdandi shakes her head again. However, the trouble of the girl is worth it at the amount of meet. Complemented with any fruit or vegetation they find along the way, it will last for several meals. ¡°Do you intend to cook it?¡± Verdandi asks. Sweiza nods enthusiastically. She grabs some nearby leaves from a tree and uses them as a makeshift towel as she wipes the blood from her hands. Verdandi closes her eyes and shakes her head again. ¡°Watch the food. And make sure no animals¡­ or obnoxious sprites, get to it.¡± Sweiza says it looking back at the Sprite. ¡°Hey!¡± He says it with his hands on his hips. Verdandi¡¯s eyes widen as her hands also go down to her hips. In her mind she is on guard duty at the girl¡¯s behest. She is soon starting to regret restraining authority and superior. She reminds herself that this ¡®togetherness¡¯ is only temporary until they depart for Valhalla. She crosses her arms as Sweiza and Sprite move too and fro gathering leaves, twigs, branches and anything on the ground that could burn. ¡°Can your lance cut through tree branches?¡± Sweiza again speaks with enthusiasm. Verdandi nods. Sweiza motions her head for Verdandi to do it. ¡°It will only work on smaller branches dear.¡± Verdandi¡¯s lance appears in her hand and she lets out a jump as she swings at it with both hands. It cuts through a three in branch of the nearby tree. ¡°Perfect!¡± Sweiza goes to grab it. However, she stops as Verdandi cuts it into smaller logs. Once finishes, Sweiza throws them into a pile. She reaches into her rucksack and pulls out two blocks and clips them together near the makeshift firepit. She clips them together again and sparks fly. Several attempts and several dry leaves catch fire. Sweiza uncorks her pack¡¯s quiver and holds out an arrow for Verdandi. Verdandi looks at it with surprise and confusion. Sweiza takes it and stabs the meat. She points at the firepit and then offers it to Verdandi. Verdandi with some trepidition takes the offering and sticks it into the fire. ¡°I¡¯m surprised it doesn¡¯t burn the arrow.¡± Verdandi says it thoughtfully after eying the arrow and the food. Sweiza pulls her own arrow and food from the fire, ¡°They¡¯re made out of imported wood. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t like losing them. They do, however, resist burning in fire for some time. I can always make more out of normal tree branches if necessary.¡± She finishes her statement and takes a bite of the food. Sprite appears before her, hovering up and down with his arms crossed and lets out an annoyed chirp. Sweiza ignores him. He lets out several more disgruntled chirps. Sweiza looks up at her viewpoint (at nothing in particular), let¡¯s out a sigh and offers it to Sprite. In one motion, he darts for it, grabs the meat, and flies off with it. Sweiza stabs the arrow into another piece of meat on the plate, repeating the process as before. Sometime later, Sweiza throws a preservative spice on the meat and throws it into a small skinned sack. It goes into her rucksack. She gives one triumphant nod to Verdandi. ¡°Where to, oh great one?¡± Verdandi¡¯s face twitches several times as she maintains her composure. ¡°We will be heading several miles up the mountain and then we will be traveling to the left summit after our business there.¡± ¡°The harbor is to the left. Why are we heading up? There is a dragon over that way.¡± The questions from Sweiza do not stop, nor does her confusion. ¡°Exactly. We have business with him.¡± Verdandi says it with a bright smirk on her face as Sweiza shakes. Verdandi turns around and heads for the mountain path. She turns around when she does not hear Sweiza¡¯s footsteps. ¡°Stand there if you like, but I¡¯ll drag you up if necessary.¡± Verdandi approaches the girl to make good on her threat. Sweiza immediately follows towards Verdandi; Sprite soon jumps from his hiding spot in the trees and follows after. They make there way up and to the left of the mountain. ¡ª As they make their way up the mountain summit and past the temple, Verdandi is the first to break the silence. ¡°Miss Serif¡­¡± Sweiza immediately interrupts her, ¡°Sweiza!¡± ¡°My Appologies, Miss Sweiza¡­¡± Verdandi bows and nods her head in one motion in apology, ¡°It pleases me that you are so well prepared for the outdoors. You surprise me with your readiness.¡± Sweiza escalates her pace as she nervously walks by Verdandi, ignoring her. She hastens her pace as the distance between the two of them continues. Verdandi goes to open her mouth with her hand next to it to channel the voice, but Sprite flies by her quickly and chases after Sweiza. Verdandi shakes her head and follows along, enough to keep the young girl in sight, but enough to keep some distance between them. ¡ª An hour or so passes. Sweiza walks with a greater pace, not as fast as before, but enough to keep Verdandi on her toes. Verdandi keeps up with her, trailing behind by ten feet. Sweiza seems to ignore her, as she makes a commotion here and there, pointing out out different things to her Sprite friend, whom seems to do the same. He darts readily back and forth, grabbing different flowers and other items of interest, both of his accord, and when she points out the object. Verdandi shakes her head in disbelief, but not out of contempt, but something more akin to relief and possible nostalgia for years gone by. It has been awhile since she has had a student, let alone someone so energetic. In her mind, this ¡®student¡¯, might turn out to be a good thing. Time will tell. ¡ª Fifteen minutes pass. Sweiza¡¯s energy spurt subsides and she walks at a normal pace, Verdandi walking abreast with her. They have walked together since the last conversation, in silence. Verdandi finally breaks the silence. ¡°So Miss Sweiza, do you have any other talents that you are good at?¡± She says it with curiosity. Sweiza smirks and then beams and pushes her body as well as her face towards Verdandi. Both of them stop walking. ¡°Of course. I am good with the lyre and to and somewhat the harp.¡± She pounds her chest with her left hand. ¡°Oh really? I¡¯m sure Odin would like to hear it.¡± Verdandi says it smugly, ¡°Perhaps it will help in forgiving your belligerence and disobedience to him.¡± Sweiza¡¯s mood tanks as she purses her lips. Sprite starts laughing at her. ¡°Let us hurry.¡± Verdandi turns back towards the upside of the mountain and continues on her way. Sweiza instinctively follows, knowing she will not get out of this, regardless of her mood. ¡ª A half hour passes, the trio remain silent. Sweiza finally pipes up and breaks the silence. ¡°So¡­¡± She slows her pace, walking abreast with Verdandi. Verdandi looks over, slowing her pace as well, but she keeps her silence. Her face looks kinder, as it also gives away Verdandi¡¯s intent to listen. Sweiza attempts to speak, but falls silent and stammers. Verdandi waits patiently. Sprite hovers directly over Sweiza¡¯s head. Sweiza attempts to speak again, but stammers once again. She curses her luck. ¡°Oh, Freya!¡± ¡°Sweiza!¡± Verdandi says it sharply and in surprise. Sweiza¡¯s face flushes red. She hears Sprite snickering behind her. She turns around, grabs him and launches him some distance away from Verdandi and herself. He maintains his position for a few seconds and then flies up to her. Sweiza faces Verdandi once more. ¡°I¡­¡± She quickly turns her head away when Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows raise. ¡°I see. As you wish Miss Sweiza. Speak at your leisure.¡± Verdandi bows her head and about faces. She continues on her way and leaves Sweiza there to contemplate what just happened. Sweiza¡¯s body tremors as she forces a deep breath and follows Verdandi. ¡ª ¡°Dear Diary, Verdandi has a history. This is to be expected, she is over two centuries old. Valkyrie apparently have long lives. I would assume this means the same for myself. However our first meeting might have fated itself together, we appear to be getting along better. I wonder how many friends a Valkyrie can make after just a century? I don¡¯t like adventure. I fear I may end up with a history similar to Verdandi. I would like to keep my ears if at all possible. More importantly, I am remembering these odd nightmares about a demon named ¡®Demi¡¯. -Sweiza¡° ¡°Whatchya doin¡¯?¡± Verdandi says something out of character for her. Sweiza jolts and drops the journal and pen. She scrambles to pick up the open diary and closes it against her chest all the same; she looks around quickly for Verdandi, but doesn¡¯t see her. She quickly finishes writing the rest of the entry as suspicion fills her at Verdandi¡¯s absense. She quickly deposits the journal and pen in her rucksack. She has an ¡®aha¡¯ moment and spins around to see Verdandi behind her. ¡°You really like writing in that thing, don¡¯t you?¡± Verdandi says it inquisitively, questioning the practice. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡± Sweiza angers up and walks straight up to Verdandi and gets in her face, ¡°¡­and don¡¯t ever let me catch you writing in it again!¡± ¡°¡­the bit about food?¡± Verdandi muses to herself and smirks again. She interrupts Sweiza before she can counter. ¡°What are these nightmares you have been having?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Sweiza questions whether she wants Verdandi privy to this information. ¡°Sweiza, if I am offering advice or trying to help you, it means I feel it would be beneficial.¡± Verdandi says it as a matter of factually speaking, more so for her (Verdandi¡¯s) own sake than Sweiza¡¯s. ¡°As if. You are so full of yourself!¡± Sweiza dares to inch closer to Verdandi¡¯s face, but the Valkyrie holds her composure. ¡°Getting angry isn¡¯t going to help your situation, and it probably isn¡¯t helping your nghtmares, if not making them worse.¡± Verdandi leaves her there as she continues along the path. Sweiza hurries after her. Alongside her she mutters, ¡°Fine!¡± She resumes a normal speech pattern, ¡°I have reoccurring nightmares about some kind of dream spirit. It manifests itself differently each time, and the scenery is always different, but it always asks me what I desire. It calls itself ¡®Demi¡¯.¡± Verdandi looks up at the sky and then to Sweiza. ¡°Oh, one of those.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sweiza¡¯s curiosity perks. ¡°Have fun with it.¡± Verdandi closes her eyes and smirks at Sweiza. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sweiza walks in front of Verdandi and partially blocks her path as they walk. Verdandi stops and looks down at the girl. ¡°That¡¯s for you to figure out Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi uses her right arm to push the girl out of the way and continues on the path. A stunned Sweiza is left to figure out what just happened. She looks over at Sprite and he just shrugs. ¡°Hey! Wait up!¡± Sweiza hurries after Verdandi. ¡ª- Ten minutes pass. Sweiza speaks up again. ¡°Verdandi, what I meant earlier was¡­¡± Sweiza trails off again. ¡°Yes?¡± Verdandi stops walking. Sweiza marches forward a few steps and then stops. She turns around. Sweiza takes a deep breath and spits it out as a jumbled mess, ¡°What I meant earlier, I mean if you wouldn¡¯t mind answering, is if you could tell me about yourself, I¡¯d like to know more about your family, why you became a Valkyrie, and if you acted different before you became one.¡± Sweiza feeling light headed, takes another breath. She cuts Verdandi off before she can speak, ¡°You also said you were punished by Odin, why?¡± Her last statement more demanding than the others. Though not in sight because of her hair, Verdandi instinctively reaches her left hand up to her left ear. She pulls and flexes her fingers on her hair in that vicinity. ¡°That¡­¡± Verdandi pauses as she lowers her hand and looks up at nothing in particular in contemplation. Sweiza tenses up. Verdandi looks back down at her. ¡°I would say our relations are coming along. You¡¯re not as rude as you were before.¡± Verdandi crosses her arms in thought. ¡°But that last part was a bit demanding. Do you really need to know that?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Sweiza freezes and stammers in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s not nice.¡± ¡°What isn¡¯t?¡± Verdandi reaches her hand up to grab a lock of hair and fingers it once before releasing it. ¡°Stop dodging the issue!¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands go to her hips, she points her left finger up at Verdandi and tosses it up and away from her. Verdandi cracks a pursed smirk. ¡°Very good Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi¡¯s smirk broadens at Sweiza¡¯s unimpressed reaction to the words ¡®Miss Serif¡¯. ¡°Let us walk and talk.¡± Verdandi continues on the footpath as before, ¡°As I mentioned¡­¡± She faces Sweiza as they walk, ¡°¡­I was knighted Valkyrie at twenty-six. My history, as well as my punishment are complicated, but they are all related.¡± Sweiza puzzled, watches the Valkyrie, waiting for more words. Verdandi finds the nearest tree off the path and leans on it. She turns around to face Sweiza. ¡°For starters, I am of noble birth from Valhalla.¡± Verdandi crosses her arms, waiting for the surprise on Sweiza¡¯s face, it doesn¡¯t come. ¡°You strike me as more of a ruffian than nobility.¡± Sweiza walks up alongside the Valkyrie, Sprite follows quickly behind, eager not to be left out of any action - or better still, gossip. ¡°So it would seem that many people from Maria Village are backwater. Maria village is¡­ or was my family¡¯s vacation home. I live between the two.¡± Verdandi closes her eyes and nods as a matter of factually. ¡°Oh really?¡± Sweiza¡¯s mock skepticism fires off. Verdandi gives her a look and pays no attention. ¡°You are familiar with the Muspell-Valhalla War?¡± Verdandi looks at the girl, waiting for an answer. ¡°Just barely. I seem to remember it happened about two centuries ago.¡± Sweiza says it, struggling to remember her history knowledge. ¡°The whole thing is stupid. Draco were changing their migration patterns due to the encroaching desert.¡± Verdandi looks back into the past, not inspired by it. ¡°And that is why we have the annual pilgrimage to Freya¡¯s Temple.¡± This one Sweiza knew all too well. ¡°Correct. Goddess Freya has much to do with this area¡¯s beauty, and so it has been for over a millenia or so. Regardless, Draco are not welcome in Midgard territory. Enough breaches of this knowledge lead to border disputes, which lead to skirmishes, which lead to a war.¡± Verdandi says it, straight forward, waiting to see if Sweiza is paying attention. ¡°What does this have to do with you?¡± Sweiza¡¯s lack of enthusiasm as she closes her eyes and shrugs is not met with approval from Verdandi whom pushes herself from the tree with her legs and walks up to the girl. She closes the gap and inches closer to Sweiza¡¯s face, barely a foot from her. Her eyes narrow and she becomes more serious. ¡°To keep this long story short so as it will fit within the scope of your short attention span¡­¡± Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows raise up knowing that she hit the mark. Sweiza flinches and Sprite snickers. ¡°I fell in love with and eloped with a soldier of the Muspell military, his name was Sigurd. He found himself in Maria village, sick from injuries. He died from them before we could elope. Odin caught wind of this, and despite Maria village being neutral territory, I was brought before him to be punished. I was set to fight in the coliseum and won. However, despite winning, my belligerent tongue cost me this¡­.¡± Verdandi reaches her left hand up to her left ear and pulls away her hair revealing the top of her ear had been cut. ¡°Odin revealed to me that my family perished during the war. I was left to my own devices after that. Seeking revenge, I sought an audience with Odin and I was to become a Valkyrie.¡± Sweiza trembles at the intimidating woman before her, but she says nothing. ¡°The war ended soon after. There isn¡¯t much to say beyond that.¡± Verdandi steps back and clicks her heels together, knowing her point had been made. She flicks her hair with her right hand and shakes her head to move it the same. ¡°I trust we are square as far as my history is concerned?¡± ¡°Quite.¡± Sweiza says it wide eyed with her eyebrows up. Sprite snickers again. She reaches her left hand up at the distraction and attempts to swat him, he darts out of the way. Sweiza faces the Valkyrie again. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had a daughter?¡± ¡°That is quite enough for now Miss Serif. Maybe later.¡± Verdandi waves her hand back and forth and then crosses her arms as she looks down at the ground, walking back towards the path. Sweiza looks up at Sprite, they both chase after her. ¡ª Most of the rest of the trip is spent in silence, with Sweiza and Verdandi avoiding talking to each other. It doesn¡¯t go unnoticed by Sprite, but Sweiza shoos him away when he chooses to inquire about it. Verdandi finally stops abruptly. ¡°Miss Serif, do you have any knowledge of personal defense or offensive comabat?¡± Sweiza looks up to Sprite. He looks down at her with that grin he is known to do. ¡°I am well versed in the bow staff and I have some intermediate knowledge of the steel tonfa for defense. I used to beat on the boys when I was younger. I also participate in the yearly sparring matches at the harvest festival.¡± Sweiza looks up, proud, if not arrogant. ¡°I believe their was a young girl that was kicked out one year for throwing sand in someone¡¯s eyes. Was that you Miss Serif?¡± Verdandi says it, reminiscing and musing the same. ¡°Hmph!¡± Sweiza crosses her arms and jolts her head in the other direction while closing her eyes. Verdandi walks up and puts her hand on Sweiza¡¯s shoulder. Sweiza looks over towards Verdandi, her head still turned away, but she opens one eye to get a look at the woman. ¡°We¡¯ll make a Valkyrie out of you yet.¡± Verdandi shakes Sweiza¡¯s shoulder several times. ¡°Come.¡± Verdandi sets back towards the path. ¡°Wait!¡± Sweiza says it to stop the Valkyrie. Verdandi stops, but doesn¡¯t turn around. ¡°How much longer?!¡± Sweiza says it with her hands on her hips. Verdandi¡¯s head turns just enough to turn her eyes and see the girl out of her vision, ¡°Do you see the clearing about two miles ahead?¡± Verdandi turns her head towards the face of the peak and points to an area several miles under it. Sweiza looks up. There is what looks like a large outcropping. ¡°That is our destination.¡± Verdandi says it and continues on her journey without remorse. ¡°Hurry. It will be twilight soon.¡± Sweiza rushes up to Verdandi, walking abreast with her. ¡°Why are we going there?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough child.¡± Verdandi says it, not divulging any details. Sweiza rocks her head back and forth and rolls her eyes. Sweiza follows along Verdandi, but paces much slower than her, some twenty to thirty feet. Verdandi gives it no attention. Sweiza talks and muses with Sprite. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she know there is a dragon in this area?¡± Sprite shrugs at the girl, but doesn¡¯t say anything. They both tag after Verdandi, keeping a pace of ten to twenty feet behind her. Verdandi again gives them no attention. The rest of the trip is spent in silence. ¡ª Towards twilight, the trio finds themselves at the mouth of a large cave at the outcropping. Sweiza grows impatient at the silence from Verdandi. Verdandi just stares at the mouth of the cave, not doing much else. Sweiza finally breaks the silence. ¡°What¡¯s so special about this location? Have you forgotten this area is dangerous?¡± Sweiza turns her back from the cave to Verdandi. Sweiza suddenly freezes when she hears a large growl and rumbling from the cave. She bolts her body around at the direction. She quickly turns back to Verdandi. ¡°We need to run!¡± ¡°I think not child.¡± Verdandi eyes the girl up and down. Her face remains expressionless as she turns her attention back to the cave. Sweiza¡¯s mouth gapes open at the Valkyrie. She turns back towards the cave. She sees the eyes. They were the first thing she sees. She bolts around, ¡°RUN SPRITE!¡± As she passes Verdandi, Verdandi¡¯s leg comes out and trips her. Sweiza falls to the ground. Sprite stops near her, takes one look up at the creature, and then flies back towards the path below them. ¡°SPRITE! Help me!¡± Sweiza says it in terror at the creature rumbling up to them. What happens next is something surreal and so fast that Sweiza¡¯s brain has trouble processing what she is looking at. A four-legged creature, a set of wings, a set of horns on its head, and definitely reptilian with wings. She has heard the legends. The creature stops short of Sweiza and Verdandi and rears up on its hind legs and then slams its front feet to the ground. Sweiza attempts to let out a scream, but nothing comes out. The creature inches its head towards Sweiza and lets out several times a forked tongue. It¡¯s eyes are catlike, and irises narrow. Sweiza freezes as she feels her muscles and lungs lock. She wants to panic, but her body won¡¯t let her. Sweiza manages to force her head to look up at Verdandi. Verdandi¡¯s arms are crossed and she looks up at the Draco with relief in her eyes. ¡°I see you¡¯ve shed your skin.¡± The Draco flicks out his tongue again and looks at the Valkyrie. His face remains expressionless. ¡°Why have you come here?¡± It¡¯s voice rumbles through its throat. It is quite deep. ¡°This girl was meant to be my current companion. But perhaps she would do better with you as a meal?¡± Verdandi says it to the dragon, while looking down at the girl. A big smirk crosses her face and her eyes light up. Sweiza¡¯s body tremors as she attempts to get new air into her lungs. The physical tension prevents her from screaming, as much as she might like to. ¡°You know the consequences. It is forbidden for you to be here. You should leave.¡± The dragon turns around on his legs, ignoring the two as he heads back for the cave. It flicks its tail. ¡°I am happy you are well.¡± Verdandi says it to the dragon, but it says nothing. The last thing Sweiza sees is the dragon¡¯s tail as it disappears into the cave. The situation finally processes towards her ignorance and her chest with her body trembling, finally takes in a breath. Verdandi¡¯s upper body-frame appears above the girl. Verdandi looks down at her. Sweiza trembles and shakes as she takes another breath. Verdandi grabs Sweiza by her left arm and yanks her up and pulls her to her feet. Sweiza lets out a yelp as she is planted back to her feet. Verdandi is clearly stronger than the girl first thought. ¡°Call your Sprite friend. He shouldn¡¯t have fled too far.¡± Verdandi eyes the girl once. Sweiza eyes the woman back. Verdandi claps her right hand on the girl¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Do it.¡± Sweiza flinches once from the action and barely nods. She lets out a shrill sounding whistle with her left fingers in her mouth. Sprite flies back up from the clearing. ¡°Sera, what w¡­¡± Sprite isn¡¯t given a chance to finish. ¡°That is Surt, the guardian of this mountain. He is the legal border of Muspell in this region.¡± Verdandi walks past the Sprite. ¡°We¡¯re moving out.¡± The Sprite and Sweiza are left to stare at each other. Sweiza looks at the cave and then to Verdandi. Verdandi stops about twenty feet in front of them when she hears the absence of their footsteps. ¡°Oh and Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi says it after turning around. Sweiza says nothing. ¡°That wasn¡¯t bad for your first time. However, you will do well not to wet yourself next time.¡± Sweiza looks down at her crotch region, as does Sprite. They both look up at each other. Sweiza¡¯s face flushes red and Sprite starts laughing uncontrollably. ¡°Oh you!¡± Is all Sweiza says to Verdandi as she ignores Sprite and leaves him there to his devices. Sweiza hurries past Verdandi in her direction of travel. The quicker she gets away from the giant lizard, the better. Sweiza promises herself to give her treacherous companions the silent treatment for some time. ¡ª It is several hours later¡­ ¡°Verdandi, how much longer?¡± Sweiza says it with depression, the day¡¯s events starting to wear on her and fatigue setting in. Her sore legs were not helping any. She stops, hoping to stall Verdandi for even a few minutes. ¡°You finally choose to speak to me, and this is what you choose to say, Miss Serif?¡± Verdandi continues walking without stopping. Sweiza does a double take and hurries after her. She hurries past Verdandi. Sprite follows quickly behind. He gives one glance at Verdandi, and then trails after Sweiza. Verdandi stops and looks up at the sky. Thunder heads loom in the direction of Muspell. Thunder perks her ears in the distance. She blinks twice as water splashes her in the eyes. She reminds herself better pay attention to the weather and her surroundings, despite the girl and her farmiliar being a handful. They were no longer in Midgard territory, but were walking in Muspell and while this is a safe region, monsters were known to travel through, despite the looming rumors of a certain Valkyrie and even more threatening dragon in the area. Verdandi scans the sky around her and notes the thunderheads are moving in fast. They would have to set up camp before they reached the nearby harbor. ¡ª¡ª Several more minutes pass and thunder crackles in the sky. Verdandi¡¯s closeness to Sweiza¡¯s position does not go unnoticed by the young girl. ¡°Is there a reason you are following me so close?¡± She questions her mentor, Verdandi looks at her with a certain enchantment as she raises her eyebrows briefly. ¡°Miss Serif, if you would be so kind as to have your umbrella at the ready.¡± Verdandi says it thoughtfully as she eyes the sky. ¡°Why?¡± Sweiza says it ignorant. Sprite races towards her and smacks her upside the head. She feels it as little more than the hair moving on her head. He swings in front of her. ¡°Pay more attention dummy!¡± He says it stooped over at her with his hands open. He jumps, as does Sweiza as lightning flashes and thunder cracks over head. Sweiza looks up. A few drops start to hit the ground. Sweiza reaches for the umbrella on the side of her rucksack. She has it out as a moments notice as the raindrops continue. Verdandi holds out her right hand. ¡°Miss Serif, if I may do the honor.¡± Verdandi motions her fingers and hand for Sweiza to give her the umbrella. She does so with some uncertainty. Verdandi has it open and held just above them. ¡°We¡¯ll have to walk together closer, but all three of us will be out of the rain.¡± Verdandi says it with certainty as she starts walking again. She stops and shoots Sweiza a look when the girl doesn¡¯t immediately follow. She looks at Verdandi blankly, then to Sprite, then follows Verdandi. It takes some seconds before they adjust their speed to match in unison. Sprite has other ideas as he seeks shelter in the hood of Sweiza¡¯s coat. Just enough to get some sleep, while being comfortable and out of the way. Verdandi gives him some attention and refrains from saying something mean. ¡°Miss Serif, you seem to get along quite well with your farmiliar How did the two of you end up together.¡± She says it, although fake, quizzically. Sweiza stares blankly at Verdandi for a few seconds. She looks over to where Sprite would be if he is following alongside of her, but he is nowhere. Verdandi motions with her free hand behind Sweiza at her hood. As if to look behind her, Sweiza¡¯s eyes and head turn towards her right and just over her right shoulder. She looks back at Verdandi. ¡°Why do you keep calling him my farmiliar?¡± Sweiza asks, ignorant again. ¡°One would think it would be obvious Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi ushers the two of them forward as she quickens her pace, hoping the young girl keeps pace with her. She does. Sweiza blinks several times, thinks about the question thoughtfully and then asks, ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± ¡°Miss Serif, honestly. We need to work on that attitude of yours.¡± Verdandi says it to the point, Sweiza¡¯s face flushes red. ¡°Not everything is an attack on your person, Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi continues, quite seriously. Sweiza¡¯s body tenses up as she takes in a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re doing it right now Miss Serif. Please control yourself. It is merely a simple question. Nothing personal intended.¡± ¡°Well it is personal!¡± ¡°Be that way then.¡± Verdandi turns her attention from Sweiza to the path in front of them. The harbor is still some twenty miles ahead of them. She focuses her thoughts on the task ahead, namely making as much progress for the day as they can. The further today they get, the easier the next day will be. ¡°Sore joints and muscles be damned.¡± Is exactly what she will say, but she keeps it to herself. There will be plenty of time to rest once they make it to the ship. Twenty miles isn¡¯t ¡®that¡¯ hard of a stretch. Her concern is the girl beside her. Verdandi knows full well she will get an ear full the longer and harder she pushes the girl. Verdandi silently curses her luck and winces at the thought of the inevitable. ¡°You can tell me at your leisure Miss Serif. However, make haste. We have a long road ahead of us.¡± Verdandi says it cautiously, knowing that the girl would retaliate in some way. She does indeed as she stops, turns around, sticks her tongue out at Verdandi and then pulls the bottom of her left eyelid down with ler left hand. She makes a ¡®byuuu¡¯ noise at her. Sprite starts laughing. They both high five each other and turn around, victorious. Verdandi closes her eyes and shakes her head. ¡ª It is some hours later and Little Sprite flies up to Sweiza. He lets out several clicks and chirps. She takes one look at him, turns her head towards the path, and ignores him. He darts in front of her, blocking her view. His hands on his hips, he waves his right hand in anger and lets out an annoyed whistle. She gives him a stern look and shakes her head. Verdandi distinctly hears the words, ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± from the little sprite, and a sharp, ¡°No! It needs to last until tomorrow!¡± from Sweiza. The sprite lets out an angry chirp and Sweiza ignores him by power walking away from him at greater speed. He hovers there, flustered. He lets out another angry click. Verdandi¡¯s arms cross as she follows them silently from behind. She minds her manners and minds her curiosity about the two of them. She walks past the Sprite and towards Sweiza. She chooses a more subtle method by clearing her throat at the girl. However, Sweiza pretends not to notice and entertains herself without her Sprite friend. The Sprite lets out another chirp at her and gets ignored. Verdandi sees her chance and lets out a whistle. The Sprite immediately alerts and on instinct flies around and turns towards the whistle. He tenses up when he sees it is Verdandi. Sweiza is oblivious to what is going on behind her, as she is twenty to thirty feet ahead of them at this point. In confusion the Sprite is left to hover there. Verdandi shoots her eyebrows up at him and chooses a half smirk as she walks by. His hands go to his hips, but not in anger, more out of confusion. Verdandi approaches Sweiza again and clears her throat, this time louder. Sweiza starts power walking again, acting oblivious to what is behind her. Verdandi hears a snicker from the sprite behind her. So far, her plan was working. ¡°Miss Serif!¡¯ She raises her voice just enough to get Sweiza¡¯s attention. Sweiza stops dead in her tracks and Sprite brakes himself in the air. ¡°Hmm?!¡± She says it shyly, just enough sarcasm to come off as sly. She has won, or so she thinks. ¡°Miss Serif, concerning what I asked you earlier.¡± Verdandi says it dusting her semi-damp clothing off as a mock display. ¡°About what?¡± Sweiza slows her pace as she walks around, behind and then to the other side of Verdandi. ¡°Miss Serif, please take this seriously.¡± Sprite lets out a chirp and Sweiza lets out a snicker. Verdandi opts to be more quick and serious in tone. ¡°Miss Serif, outside of personal defense and the brief training I gave you with a sword, have you been trained in personal combat or with any form of weapon?¡± Sweiza stops. She slowly crosses her arms behind her head as she nervously turns away from Verdandi. Sprite flies up and lets out several chirps and clicks at Verdandi. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand you little one.¡± Verdandi gives a mock smile as she says it. ¡°She was punished repeatedly for beating up the boys when she was younger.¡± Verdandi¡¯s left eyebrow raises as her head turns towards Sweiza. Sweiza says nothing as she lets out a nervous laugh. This does not deter Sprite, ¡°She begged the village knights to teach her martial arts. They refused.¡± He jumps when Sweiza snaps at him, ¡°Sprite!¡±. He sticks out his tongue towards her as he flies around Verdandi, putting her between him and Sweiza for protection. ¡°She turned around and went to the village elders for guidance. They said she is a girl and it violates tradition.¡± He gives an evil look to Sweiza. She pretends not to notice as she quickly turns her attention towards the path and leaves the two alone. ¡°Do go on little one.¡± ¡°Eventually her parents relented after enough whining. She was given two circles and shown and older style of dance and defense with them, or something.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Verdandi nods once at him and then turns her attention to the path. The Sprite flies in front of her, hovering. She stares at him blankly after a few seconds, and then walks around him. The Sprite lets out an annoyed chirp as she fails to acknowledge his request. He darts in front of her two feet and blocks her path. ¡°Can I help you out little one?¡± Verdandi attempts to be pleasant to what she consideres to otherwise be a pest. He bobs up and down as he holds out his hand and makes a come hither motion. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand what you want. I don¡¯t understand the language of the Sprite.¡± She again tries to be pleasant as she turns and attempts to circle around him. He darts in front of her and again blocks her path. This time Verdandi¡¯s eyebrow twitches. He attempts to click and whistle at her again. She wastes no time as her lance appears in her hand. She swings and circles it in her hand once and points it at him, the blade inches from him. He crosses his arms and sticks his face at her as he sticks his tongue out. He dashes towards the front of the blade, kicks it and launches himself doing a backflip as he flies off. He turns around and slaps his butt at her for good measure before he darts in the direction of Sweiza. Verdandi sighs as she again shakes her head. Whether she has made some influence with him, if not a future ally, has yet to be seen. ¡ª Some hours pass. Sweiza is walking side-by-side with Verdandi. The two exchange various forms of banter and information with each other. Sweiza continues to keep herself out of reach and Verdandi continues to find ways to pry. Sweiza¡¯s head turns towards Little Sprite when he flies up to her. He lets out a chirp different from his normal. Verdandi doesn¡¯t give it much attention, but Sweiza stops dead in her tracks. The Sprite lets out several chirps and clicks. Verdandi takes several steps forward, looks back at the two and then stops. She turns around. ¡°What could ever be the matter?¡± Her hands go down to her hips, her back towards their direction of travel and her guard down. Sweiza looks over at her wide eyed. ¡°He says we are being followed.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± She cocks her head, almost playfully. ¡°By what?¡± Sweiza points towards the sky. ¡°Something in the air.¡± Sprite flies between both of them. ¡°Two black birds.¡± Verdandi closes her eyes and lets out a smile as she cradles her arms. ¡°You only just now noticed? Let¡¯s get going.¡± Verdandi waves her hand and gives a gesture for the two of them to follow her as she turns around. She staggers her walk deliberately, if not for her own satisfaction as she lets her left arm drop and grabs her left shoulder with her right. She lets her head drop as she closes her eyes and looks at the ground and lets out a smile. She was wondering when the two of them would noticed. She thinks to herself that, ¡®Sweiza probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed if it wasn¡¯t for the Sprite.¡¯ Sweiza and Sprite glance at each other blankly. He shrugs. Sweiza shouts towards Verdandi, ¡°Hey, wait up!¡± Verdandi doesn¡¯t wait up, and the two of them hurry after her. Sweiza catchs up and walks towards the path, sideways, as her body faces Verdandi. She stares wide eyed and curious at her, ¡°What was that about?¡± Verdandi rocks her body as she walks and lets out a smile. ¡°The ravens of Odin, Huginn and Muninn. They are known as Thought and Memory; they perform recon for Odin.¡± ¡°And this doesn¡¯t concern you? That he is spying on us?¡± She says it with concern. ¡°Not at all. You are not the only one with a familiar dear. Come, let us go.¡± Verdandi quickens her pace as she follows the path. ¡°Wait!¡± Sweiza stops and shouts it at her. Verdandi pauses, turns around, tilts her head with intent and shoots her a look. ¡°Be mindful of what you say dear. Odin will hear of it.¡± Sweiza looks from Verdandi to the sky and the two ravens over head. ¡°What could possibly be so interesting about the two of us? We are not even in Midgard!¡± Verdandi supports her right elbow with her left hand and points her right finger up to her chin. ¡°Any new Valkyrie in training is always of interest to Odin; especially when they are in just outside the borders of Midgard.¡± Sweiza is not impressed by Verdandi¡¯s body language. ¡°Do you always have to do that?¡± ¡°Do what dear?¡± Verdandi clicks her heels together and then tenses her body before it slackens and she crosses her arms and holds it rigid. ¡°The deliberate body language.¡± Sweiza, not impressed by Verdandi¡¯s body language, puts her hands to her hips. Verdandi ignores the question. ¡°It is gratifying to know that Odin views a backwater girl and an unworthy noble as important.¡± Verdandi turns around. Her head cocks back towards Sweiza and she shoots her a look. Sweiza understands it and starts following Verdandi. She cautiously walks up alongside her, Sprite following behind them. Sprite finally darts between the two of them and flies unusually lower, lower than Sweiza¡¯s shoulder. Sweiza looks down, and then back up at the two birds circling over head. ¡°They must have been patrolling near Mount Surt¡­¡± Verdandi, cannot continue before Sweiza interrupts her. ¡°You mean after we spoke with¡­¡± Sweiza, this time canoot continue as Verdandi interrupts her for a change. ¡°Miss Serif. Do not speak of what transpired before then. Maidens in a spa are not for dirty old men that hang themselves from trees.¡± Verdandi says it with a smirk and certain level of contempt as she looks up at the ravens. ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± Sweiza, again must stop her question as Verdandi interrupts her again. ¡°Miss Serif. Enough. Be quiet. As your superior, I have spoken. Do not speak of this further and refrain from speaking to me or Sir Herschel until we have setup camp. Do I make myself clear?¡± Verdandi stops again and faces the girl. Sweiza looks at Sprite and then to Verdandi. She shrugs and bows to the woman. Relief floods Verdandi at the thought of the silence and peace, if not for an hour or two. They continue back on the footpath with the sun slowly approaching the horizon. With the two silent for nearly an hour, the two ravens make themselves scarce and then fly off. The sun slowly approachs the scape of trees in the forest. ¡°Miss Serif, let us setup camp, and let us do so carefully. I have lost sight of those two.¡± Verdandi scans the treetops. ¡°They may be hiding in the trees somewhere, but I digress.¡± Verdandi clicks her heels together again as she approaches a tree and turns around to lean on it. She crosses her arms as she observes Sweiza. Sweiza, following her instructor¡¯s command, busies her tent and a firepit. Her Sprite friend flies from Sweiza to Verdandi and hides between her back and the tree. Verdandi looks back and down once, but puts her attention back to Sweiza. She figures the Sprite is afraid of the two ravens for some reason. In about twenty minutes, a tent is propped up between two trees and twigs and branches burn inside of a small rock formation. Sweiza puts her hands on her hips and admires her handiwork. She claps and dusts her hands off as she picks up her rucksack and pushes it into the tent. She faces Verdandi. ¡°I¡¯m guessing Lord Rubbish will know at some point I can give a reading?¡± She says it while her attention turns towards the trees. She scans them, using her right hand to guide her view. Sweiza¡¯s plan to reinforce their togetherness fails as Verdandi lets out a snort. ¡°Are you asking to give me a reading? She lets her hands up and shakes her head side to side with her eyes closed. She turns to the girl and looks at her more serious. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you subscribe to such fanciful folly.¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± Sweiza says it as she heads for her rucksack and pulls out a familiar pouch. She pulls out a dried scrap of meat and lets out a chirp towards Verdandi. Verdandi looks back and down towards the Sprite. He is gone. He, however, does not make himself known. ¡°He must be afraid of those two.¡± Verdandi says it as a matter of factually to the girl. ¡°He is. He hates crows. He¡¯s especially afraid of ravens.¡± Sweiza says it, shaking the meat and looking around as she shakes the treat. She lets out several more chirps. She looks back towards the rucksack and sees movement and a set of familiar wings. She shakes her head. Verdandi looks over and sees the same thing. ¡°We should get some sleep Miss Serif, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.¡± Sweiza says nothing as she stares at the woman, blankly; she grabs a bite of the meat while doing so. Her head shoots up as she drops the meat she is holding and darts towards the tent. She reaches her hand in the rucksack and pulls out the Sprite. He has a piece of meat hanging from his mouth. It drops to the ground. She reaches her right hand into the rucksack and sees there are a few scraps of meat left. She gives him a disgruntled look. ¡°You pig! Shame on you! We needed that for tomorrow.¡± She shakes him with the hand she holds him. She chucks him to the side. He quickly darts back up to her shoulder. She crosses her arms at him. ¡°Verdandi, I¡¯m going to sleep. Sprite, you¡¯re lucky I¡¯m nice, otherwise I¡¯d make you sleep outside with those two vultures.¡± She shakes her finger at him as she heads towards the bed. He quickly darts after her, then past, and into the tent. Verdandi refrains from smirking. Her intent the entire time was to fast towards the ship; it is only an advantage that Miss Serif has hunting skills. ¡°Miss Serif¡­¡± Sweiza stops, but doesn¡¯t face her. ¡°There is plenty of food at the harbor.¡± Sprites eyes widen at Sweiza. She bolts her head from him and looks at Verdandi. ¡°So?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it. I¡¯ll also stand guard for a few hours. Good night.¡± Strife says it, leaning with one foot up against the tree. ¡°Whatever.¡± Sweiza says it with disdain and ducks down towards the tent. ¡ª- ¡°Dear Diary, Dirty little pig. Always a disgusting pig, and yet I love him so. ¡ªSweiza¡± ¡ª Sweiza awakens and fines herself in an odd environment. The ground is black. A ten foot split follows the ground towards the horizon. Between the split is a red glow; lava flows at the very bottom. There are trees, here and there, but they are dark. Stars, a great many of them, are in the skyline, some of them twinkle. The shadows of large mountains dot the horizon. Sweiza follows the ground fissure¡¯s lava flow. Once she turns in the opposite direction, she sees a large lava flow swelling around a caldera. She recognizes it as a volcano. Her mind turns towards Mount Surt as the only known volcano in the area. However, known to her were also the multiple volcanoes in Muspell, but they are on the far west coast and very far from the Midgard border. ¡°Hello young one.¡± A voice startles her and she looks up. She lets out a gasp at the creature of myth and legend, looming infront and above her. She recognizes it as the bipedal ram ¡®Baphomet¡¯ from her tarot cards; it represents the devil. ¡°Demi?¡± ¡°What is your desire?¡± A puzzles scowl appears on her face. She remembers Baphomet carrying a scythe. ¡°Are you to give me a reading?¡± ¡°You are getting smarter.¡± He slowly approaches her. Her body stiffens up. She attempts to run, but forgets she is suspended in the air. She realizes it is one of his gimmicks. She looks back at him, he has a scythe in his hands and raised. He swings it¡­ ¡ª Sweiza feels a jolt to her heart as her eyes open wide. She bolts herself upright in a sitting position. She looks around gasping for breath. The reality of where she is slowly comes into play. She doesn¡¯t see Verdandi in the tent with her. Her head pops out of the tent towards the tree Verdandi was leaning previously. The rain is the first thing to catch her attention. She refocuses, and looks around outside the tent, but sees no sign of her. ¡°Where is she?¡± She asks it to no one but herself. She looks back in the tent and sees Sprite sleeping on her rucksack. As much as she wants to grab her watch, she refrains from waking him up and opts to shake her head at him. She instead pops her head back outside the tent and checks for the position of the three moons. She shakes her head again as she remembers it is raining. She decides to let it go and consider it a lost cause. She moves back into the tent and repositions her coat that she was using as a makeshift pillow. She pulls the covers over herself again, but not before whispering goodnight to Sprite. As sleep takes her, she makes one vow, ¡°I¡¯ll be damned if Demi will get the better of me next time.¡± She lets out a snort as sleep takes her. Unknown to her, Verdandi is indeed outside the tent, but at the opposite end Sweiza has checked. Verdandi shakes her head the Valkyrie in training. Verdandi thinks to herself, ¡°She needs to learn more grace¡­ as well as stealth.¡± Verdandi dismisses it and continues to maintain watchful vigil for a few hours more before retreating from the cold and joining Sweiza under the covers. ¡ª It is early the next morning, shortly after dawn and the trio are on the last leg of their journey. At Verdandi¡¯s behest, they started out well before morning light so as to get to Muspell Harbor. After some hours, there is only one thing on Sweiza¡¯s mind. She turns her head to him as she walks. She shoots him a dirty look. ¡°Sprite!¡± ¡°I was hungry!¡± He tries to say it innocent-like, but the girl will have none of it. ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself; you are a pig!¡± She narrows her eyes and scowls at the creature. He opens his hands and arms at her in dismay. ¡°We don¡¯t have any food for breakfast and it¡¯s too early to hunt!¡± She snaps at him. The sprite flies up to her, letting out several clicks. Sweiza snaps her right hand and finger to the ground. He scowls once and attempts to fly up to her rucksack. She uses her hand to shoo him away. He lets out an angry chirp. Sweiza lets out a shrill whistle and he flies off. ¡°What was that about?¡± Verdandi says it with some curiosity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! I thought your type didn¡¯t like Sprites?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t, they¡¯re considered pests.¡± Verdandi continues walking without saying anything. The conversation is clearly over, but Sweiza is not in the mood. ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Then nothing Miss Serif. If you can¡¯t behave yourself, then why have a conversation at all?¡± Verdandi deliberately misses her (own) hair as she flicks it with her right hand; she then looks away from Sweiza at the ground and walks away. The girl is left there to stare at her. Sweiza can¡¯t figure out if she¡¯d been duped or if Verdandi indeed knew what the conversation was about. ¡°Were you going to stand there all day Miss Serif?¡± Verdandi¡¯s words snap Sweiza back to reality. She sees the Valkyrie looking back at her. Verdandi motions her hand back at the path. ¡°Muspell Harbor is just a few miles ahead.¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t move. She looks up at the sky. It looks like rain. ¡°Hurry. We want to get there before it rains if we are to get breakfast.¡± Verdandi continues forward, but looks back at the girl, ¡°I¡¯m buying. Make sure to call Sir Herschel back and inform him as such.¡± Verdandi continues walking and ignores the girl. Sweiza¡¯s hands go down to her hips as she walks Verdandi leave her behind. She squints her eyes and sticks her tongue out at her back. She hears a playful chirp behind her. ¡°Were you the whole time?¡± Her enquiry gets met with an enthusiastic chirp. He darts after Verdandi¡¯s direction. Sweiza shakes her head. A few footsteps forward and she looks up at the sky on instinct to see two familiar black silhouettes over head. She is fairly certain that Verdandi did not see them; at least she didn¡¯t show any concern over them. Sweiza gets a bad feeling at the two ravens. She doesn¡¯t much like the idea of Odin knowing her business, let alone when it concerns Little Sprite. The thought of throwing a rock up at them crosses her mind, but her aim isn¡¯t that good and it would probably miss. An arrow might hit them, but she thinks better of it. They might inform their master and then she would have something to answer for later; probably from Verdandi as well. She shakes her head and removes the though. There are more important matters for her to attend to, such as breakfast. Chapter 10 - Muspell Harbor; Leaving for Valhalla A few drops of rain here and there prick Sweiza¡¯s attention as it hits her skin. Sprite gets a few glares from Sweiza before he joins her under her umbrella. More chirps and clicks between them, this does not go unnoticed by Verdandi; she otherwise says nothing. More chirps and clicks occur between Sprite and Sweiza - their conversation specifically about Verdandi¡¯s behavior. Sprite brings up his private exchange with Verdandi from before. Sweiza is quite surprised at this. Sprite however, brings up his annoyance that Verdandi called him over without any food. Sweiza smiles and shakes her head. This time, the two of them notice that their behavior gets Vedandi¡¯s attention. She again says nothing. Their conclusion at this point, is Verdandi¡¯s curiosity is because she cannot speak Sprite or perhaps has little to knowledge of their behavior. The both of them conclude this might be useful for later. The trio doesn¡¯t say much as the rest of their journey to Muspell Harbor is spent in silence. Raindrops combine with mist turns to light rain. Verdandi pushes herself voluntarily under Sweiza¡¯s umbrella. At this point Sweiza is getting used to some of the woman¡¯s mannerisms. She is about to say something, but the trees break and they find themselves at the end of this leg of their journey. Muspell Harbor. Sweiza has heard of it, but has never been here Few people from her village left their lives to visit, most of them simply have no business there; village survival and crops were always top priority. More often news of the outlying lands came through travelers passing through the village coming and going from the harbor. It hits her. The smells. The delicious smells. She shudders as she attempts to control her body and emotions; it forces out an involuntary sigh. A smile crosses her face as her head jerks once. This is too much for her. She has always wanted to see the world, and if Verdandi was saying the truth, this will be the start of it. The next sight excites her. Actual brick buildings, and not just small bricks, but large ones. The entire harbor is covered with them, as is its floor. Nothing like back in her village. Her head darts all around. Wooden crates, shops, items of all kinds, but more importantly, travelers of all types from different walks of life congregating in a single location. This is a place she can have some serious fun. Her excitement is interrupted by Verdandi. ¡°I see you are delighted. Very good.¡± Verdandi lets out a smile as her her left hand up to the girl¡¯s right shoulder. Sweiza lets out an ambitious nod. Sprite flies up to the both of them and lets out a loud whistle, ¡°Breakfast, now!¡± The both of them look up to him as he hovers under the umbrella and above their heads. He starts flying hard as she jerks back and forth, ¡°FOOD!¡± ¡°I do believe he is hungry Miss Serif. Perhaps we should entertain breakfast with him.¡± Her statement gets an excited chirp out of Sprite. Sweiza simply nods. ¡ª Eggs, bacon, toast; buttermilk and honey on pancakes, sausage and biscuits with a side of milk and orange juice. A so-called Island Breakfast. Sweiza has also heard of this. One more thing to tick off of her experience list. She says nothing as she tries to take the time to enjoy her food. This mostly consists of wolfing it down. Her mannerisms are quite unlike Verdandi who shows dignity and poise as she eats. The woman shows grace as she attempts to savor each bite. Island Breakfasts are hearty, but expensive; Verdandi intents to savor each bite. Sprite on the other hand has other ideas. He doesn¡¯t care. He sits on the table with his legs spread out and grabs for a piece of bacon. His only interest is in the salty meat and perhaps a sugar cube or two. He does try some orange juice, but finds the drink sour compared to his normal palette. As the activity dwindles, Verdandi sets down her cup on a saucer and clears her throat with a cough. Sweiza looks up with toast in her mouth. Verdandi waits to continue while the girl quickly eats it. Verdandi again clears her throat. Sweiza looks up her puzzled, then around. No idea. Sprite flies up to her and lets a whisper in her ear. Sweiza eyes widen as she quickly grabs a cloth from the table and wipes honey from the side of her mouth. ¡°Well then Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi cradles her arms as she waits for the girl¡¯s response. Sweiza¡¯s mood has changed drastically with a full gut. She is happy. When she looks up at Verdandi, her mood and facial expression are entirely different from the stubborn girl from before. ¡°Hmm?¡± Sweiza feels at this point perhaps something good will happen. ¡°Life as you are used to it in a village is quite different than that of a ship. The boredom is tedious, even I will admit this.¡± Verdandi nods to herself at the words. Sweiza simply nods slowly and cautiously in acgreement. Perhaps Verdandi is about to set her up for something to alleviate said boredom. ¡°Therefor, I expect no objections as you help out around the ship. Miss Serif, is that understood?¡± Verdandi¡¯s eyes open. The air appears to change; Sweiza hasn¡¯t realized Verdandi¡¯s arms have switched to being crossed. Verdandi¡¯s index and middle fingers also tap slowly on her left elbow. ¡°Miss Serif?¡± Sweiza looks at Verdandi blankly. She shakes her head not knowing what to say. Verdandi continues to wrap her two fingers on her elbow. Verdandi¡¯s eyes close as her head tilts down. Sweiza again says nothing. ¡°Verdandi?¡± The request goes unacknowledged. Sweiza wants nothing more than to leave this situation. Perhaps Sprite will help her, but he is nowhere to be found. Verdandi lightly clears her throat. Sweiza jerks. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry! I won¡¯t do it again; I don¡¯t mean to mess up!¡± Her shoulders and upper chest tense as she bows. Verdandi¡¯s mood appears to lighten, as does her tone, ¡°Miss Serif, being able to speak of your own accord is a gift. When you do so sincerely and with earnest, I see no wrong doing.¡± Verdandi¡¯s arms uncross as she reaches for something in her pocket and places it on the table. She pushes her chair out as she stands up. Sweiza eyes the money ones. A generous offering. Her train of thought is interrupted. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving shortly. Come.¡± Verdandi waves her hand briefly as she heads towards the docking port. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Sweiza says it with disgust as she scowls with contempt. ¡°We will need to work on your ability to speak at the proper time and when to stay silent. Such as acting rude Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi¡¯s tone changes ever so slightly. The girl tenses up and quickly removes any quips and expression on her face. Sprite flies down from the sky, his previous position unknown. He flies close to Sweiza¡¯s face, really close, mere inches in fact. He lets out a snicker at her and sets himself down on her shoulder. Her eyes close as she attempts to control her emotions. Having done so, she calmly pushes her chair back stands herself up. With what little dignity she has after Verdandi¡¯s last comment, she slowly, but cautiously follows the woman, making sure to leave some distance between them. This might not be so bad if she can control her tongue, but that will be a tall order and more expensive than an Island Breakfast. ¡ª Verdandi¡¯s initial did not have much success with the young girl and her sprite friend. Rather, the duo decided to gawk and many of the merchant stalls and eye the windows of many more permanent brick and mortar buildings. At Verdandi¡¯s coaxing, Sweiza kept the previous money Verdandi had given her. The reasoning was that Sweiza would find better things in Valhalla to spend it on. Sweiza agreed and they were off to the ship. ¡ª The trio arrive at the ship. It¡¯s name is the ¡°Sterling Blue¡±. At the moor and onramp, the group stops for several armed guards. One of them holds out his hand; he simply says, ¡°Payment.¡± Sweiza and Little Sprite see Verdandi walk forward and speak in a hushed tone with the guard. The two cannot make out what they talk about. However, they hear the word ¡®Valkyrie¡¯ in a raised voice from Verdandi. The phrase ¡°Valhalla-Muspell Treaty¡± escapes her lips in a louder tone still. ¡°We don¡¯t believe you. You will provide us payment or you will be arrested for impersonating government personnel.¡± The guards behind him partially draw their swords at the tone of his words. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. As quick as they unsheath their swords to make a point, Verdandi¡¯s armor appears and her outstretched arm provides her lance. She swipes it in their direction, five feet out of range and harmless to them. She brings it around and stabs the air in front of them and points it at the guard blocking the ram. ¡°I am Lady Strife, one of the ¡®Knives of Odin¡¯. You are in violation of the Valhalla-Muspell Treaty. As per treaty rules, you will grant safe passage to my cohorts and myself. If you do not comply, I will decide your fate.¡± The guards immediately sheath their swords and step aside. The guard blocking the ramp steps aside and apologizes profusely. ¡°Forgive my insolence Lady Strife. We did not know there would be any Valkyrie this far out. Normally there are prearrangements and paperwork. You do understand that¡­¡± Verdandi clicks her heels together and interrupts him. ¡°I am Alice Verdandi, that girl is Sweiza Serif and her pet¡­¡± Little Sprite wrinkles his nose at that word, ¡®pet¡¯. Sweiza¡¯s lets out a snort and a stifled laugh; her eyes move from Verdandi to Sprite. When she faces him, she cups her hands over her nose and mouth in a mock gesture to him. She again lets out a stifled laugh. This does not amuse him and he spreads his legs out while crossing his arms. So help him, she will get an earful for this. ¡°¡­is Sir Dewey Herschel. We expect to be entertained as guests and provided accommodations the same. However¡­¡± Verdandi¡¯s head glances back at Little Sprite and Sweiza, ¡°This girl is also Valkyrie. She is young and strong and eager to assist with any ship related activities. I trust this will not be a problem as she wishes to be put to work right away.¡± Verdandi casually glances back at Sweiza and then looks back at the guards. It takes a few seconds for Sweiza to process what her ¡®mentor¡¯ just said. Her mouth drops before closing as her eyes narrow in disgust. She lets out a deep breath of contempt and leaves it at that; at this point she understands Verdandi is the one in charge. ¡°That will be no problem Lady Strife. I will inform the Captain of your arrival.¡± Verdandi clicks her heels together again; All guards stand to attention at either the guard stops talking. All guards stand to attention at either flank of the ramp. ¡°Very good.¡± Verdandi¡¯s takes one look back at Sweiza, ¡°Come along Miss Serif. You too Sir Herschel.¡± Verdandi motions with her head as she focuses her attention on the ramp. As she approaches her armor disappears. Sweiza balks at first, but quickly follows her. Little Sprite follows her at speed. The ramp is not particularly big and Sweiza watches her footing as she climbs it. Once on the ship, Sweiza breaks her silence. ¡°Verdandi, what was that back there?¡± Verdandi breaks from surveying the deck of the ship and turns around to face the girl, ¡°One of the perks of being a Valkyrie my dear. You¡¯ll find them out soon enough. Come, we must speak with the Captain to have our quarters prepared. In the meantime, get a good look at the deck of the ship. Be prepared to mop this as well as the rear of the ship daily for the duration of our journey.¡± Verdandi leaves the surprised girl speechless as she (Verdandi) heads towards the back of the ship. Sweiza purses her lips into a frown as Verdandi walks away. This is not going to be a fun journey. ¡ª ¡°So as you can see Captain¡­¡± Verdandi pauses and then motions with her hand, ¡°What was your name again?¡± ¡°Dillard.¡± The captain¡¯s quarters, like so many on ships, is quite extravagant compared to all other areas of the ship. However, this being a luxury ship, meant that it was extra luxurious. Sweiza is taken by surprise at just how good it looks. She knows her Sprite friend all too well and notes his head and eyes darting in multiple directions. She restrains him with left hand, albeit gently; he understands the gesture means to behave himself. Sweiza whispers something to him before letting him go. He shrugs before planting himself on her shoulder. The two focus their attention back to the conversation between Verdandi and the Captain. The entire display gets a brief notice from the Captain before he continues speaking with Verdandi. ¡°Captain Dillard, with respect, your most gracious hospitality on the matter is urgent; it will not go unnoticed by the government of Midgard. I will also see to it that Odin himself hears of this.¡± Captain Dillard crosses his arms while he stops to think about the matter. Verdandi¡¯s request is a heavy one - free passage on the Sterling Blue. However, it wasn¡¯t unheard of for civilians (read: merchants) and sometimes government personal to travel by this specific ship; it is one of the few that makes the voyage between Muspell Harbor and Valhalla. Once in a blue moon a Valkyrie or a Valkan might request passage on the ship. However, the key trait here is most of them have paperwork ready or some notice given well in advance. As with most ships, payment in some form is expected. Civilians must pay up front, government personnel are paid for by the Midgard government well in advance. Occasionally some of the government personnel, but more likely a civilian, will try to get free voyage. He remembers the last one as a conman that couldn¡¯t pay. The Captain personally saw him thrown in the ship¡¯s brig, and once in Muspell he again personally put him in the pillory after his trial. His ship, his rules. He lifts his head and leans back in his chair as he uncrosses his arms. He reaches for his drink on the table. Sweiza looks up at Verdandi and then steps forward to speak. Verdandi looks over at her as she does so and then puts her right hand in front of the girl, blocking her advance. Verdandi¡¯s attention focuses on the Captain once again. ¡°Perhaps some kind of arrangements can be made.¡± Captain Dillard closes his eyes as he sets down the drink. He down and then up again. ¡°You ask a very tall order of this ship and its crew. What kind of arrangements did you have in mind?¡± Verdandi has an ace gambit up her sleeve as she knows all too well what ships need more than anything else - a trained crew, or at least extra manpower with a properly trained crew. ¡°This girl is a Valkyrie in training. She is my charge.¡± Verdandi waves her hand to the girl. Sweiza looks at Verdandi and takes this as her cue to bow at the Captain. His head droops. He lets his left hand drop and rests his right hand on his lap. He knows where this is going. ¡°She is young and eager to learn Captain. However, so young is she, that is is rather shy when it comes to conversation.¡± Verdandi looks from the Captain to Sweiza, the Captain follows Verdandi¡¯s gaze to the girl. Sweiza looks at Verdandi clueless and then to the Captain. ¡°This girl has made it known to me that she has a passion for the ocean and the salty air that follows. As such her passion drives her to travel by boat. She has adamantly refused travel through the inner mountains.¡± Verdandi looks over at Sweiza dead serious. The girl again is clueless as to what Verdandi is up to. ¡°Captain, to keep it short and sweet, this girl would like the discipline of working on a ship. She is young and strong Captain. I highly recommend this experience for her training.¡± Verdandi looks over at Sweiza, Sweiza and Sprite look at each other. Sweiza looks at the Captain and then to Verdandi and then back to the Captain. She bows on instinct. Captain Dillard doesn¡¯t show hit, but his left hand flinches when he hears young and strong. One of his sailors is sick, but he doesn¡¯t mention it. This will be an excellent opportunity, however, this is too plain a request and he wishes to keep it interesting. ¡°Your request is granted. There is one condition, however,¡± He looks up and his eyes light up. Verdandi¡¯s head tilts ever so slightly at the Captain. ¡°Valhallan Brandy. Thirty year vintage I think, enough to last three months.¡± Verdandi tilts her head in the other direction, this time more noticeable. ¡°One month and a half.¡± ¡°Two months.¡± The Captain gives a counter offer as he reaches for his drink again. ¡°I think that sounds reasonable.¡± Verdandi looks over at Sweiza, the girl again clueless at what just happened. ¡°Valkyrie.¡± The Captain says it stern and serious. ¡°Yes Captain.¡± Verdandi says it as a statement, not a question as she stiffens up and clicks her heels together. ¡°You are familiar with the pirates?¡± The Captain puts his drink back down on the table. ¡°Yes Captain. Should the time arise, this ship will have the protection of Valhalla under the ¡®Steel of Odin¡¯.¡± ¡°Very good then. Please enjoy the accommodations of the ship for the duration of your journey. The crew will see to your quarters. As for the girl, she can begin work tomorrow.¡± At the Captain¡¯s words, Sweiza flinches. ¡°That will be all. You are hereby dismissed.¡± Sweiza becomes annoyed at the words ¡®dismissed¡¯. He waves his hand at the group and Verdandi ushes Sweiza towards the door. Once outside, Sweiza chimes in, ¡°What was that about?¡± Verdandi gives her a weak smile, ¡°As luck would have it, I overheard a conversation during our meal.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Again, Sweiza looks at her clueless. Verdandi nods, ¡°Indeed. I had mention of an entourage destined for Valhalla. One of their members is sick. There is only one ship that makes the voyage.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Sweiza says it looking down at the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fun.¡± Verdandi lightly and playfully nudges the girl. ¡°Provided you don¡¯t get see sick that is.¡± ¡°Come.¡± Verdandi motions for Sweiza to follow her. Verdandi sets off without looking back. Sweiza looks up at Sprite. He just shrugs. All she says is, ¡°Oh boy.¡± ¡ª- At the end of the night, Verdandi patiently eyes a young girl in a bed. Her attention is more on a small lantern with a candle in it than anything else. ¡°Are you almost done Miss Serif?¡± Sweiza folds the book up and sets it down on a table next to Little Sprite. She looks down at him, he seems rather comfortable in a makeshift bed (a matchbox) that she always brings on their journeys together. She resists the urge to pet him, as he doesn¡¯t like it much. ¡°Do you intend to sleep on the floor?¡± Sweiza says it with some concern. Unusual for the girl towards her mentor.¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± Verdandi says it without concern. ¡°But you said I could sleep in the bed!¡± Sweiza stammers. ¡°So I did.¡± Verdandi flashes Sweiza a devilish look before she blows out the lantern¡¯s candle. Sweiza lets out a bewildered look before the light in the room goes out. She suddenly feels the sheets move and something press against her. ¡°Goodnight Angst.¡± Verdandi says it in an ironic sweetness. ¡°Hmph!¡± Sweiza turns her body sharp towards her side of the bed and away from Verdandi. She pulls the covers on her side tight for good measure. Verdandi lets them remain slack on her side. ¡ª Dear Diary, Captain Dillian is a generous man. The ¡°Sterling Blue¡± will be my castle for ten days. However, Verdandi has volunteered me as servant and cook. I do not look forward to this. Soon I will be known as ¡°Angst¡±. I will lose myself and my name as I begin this depressing journey. Thankfully, I will not do it alone. Dewey has been with me for a long time, and I hope he will continue to do so for a long time. He looks very comfortable in his matchbox bed. ¡ªSweiza¡± *There is a noticeable sharpness to her signature due to Verdandi interrupting the girl¡¯s writing. Interlude - An Interview with Sweiza Author: Hello everyone, author here. Sweiza: And me Sweiza. Pleased to meet you all. Author: I''m sure everyone knows you after having read the main adventure Sweiza. Sweiza: But the whole story hasn''t even been written yet! The author pushes Sweiza away from the camera and gives a really weak smile and a very nervous laugh. Author: That is the whole point behind this interview; to gain some perspective on your up and coming adventure. Sweiza: ...and my award winning personality. The author hides his disbelief at her outgoing and ''award winning personality''. Author: Right, right; however, before we begin, we''ve brought a guest to assist us with this interview. Sweiza: Who? An ominous figure appears behind Sweiza. She feels her skin crawl as she hears a very familiar voice. Valkyrie Strife: It would seem you''ve gotten yourself into yet ''another'' predicament young Serif. Sweiza: Valkyrie! You scared me! Strife: As you should be Miss Serif; that is what happens when you let your guard down. Sweiza gives a humble bow. Sweiza: My appologies Valkyrie. I will endeavor to commit those changes. Strife smiles. Strife: At least you are becoming more ladylike and doing away with that rough attitude of yours. Sweiza gives yet another bow. Author: Anyway. Sweiza stands to attention, Strife does not. Strife: Sweiza, you are not a robot. Sweiza freezes. Strife faces the camera. Strife: As you can see. She requires a lot of work. I will make sure she... Sweiza gulps. Strife: ...has more training. Sweiza says nothing, having learned her lesson many times before. Two chairs appear behind them and the author motions for them to sit down. Strife sits with a type of grace about her, with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. Sweiza sits down in a huff; her legs are together and her arms are crossed. Strife shoots a look at her and she puts her arms into her lap. Sweiza looks up at Strife and then looks away. Author: So then, you two seem to have developed quite the relationship with each other. Could you tell us more about that? Sweiza: Absolutely, Valkyrie is... Strife interrupts her... Strife: In actuality, I am the one charged with training young Serif over here. I am flexible at points with her, and sometimse I let her negotiate some free time. Otherwise I maintain a strict training ethic with her. Isn''t that right, Miss Serif? Her eyes change to disbelief when she looks over from the author to Sweiza, whom isn''t paying attention. Rather, her gaze is focused on the sunlight reflecting through the window. Author: Ah, Miss Serif! No reaction from her. Strife clears her throat, but no reaction. The author turns his head away, knowing all to well what will happen next. He hears a yelp and turns around. Strife is mid-walk back to her chair and Sweiza is massaging her arm. Sweiza: You didn''t have to hit me so hard! Strife: A fate worse than death awaits you young one; so pay attention. Author: I''ve been meaning to ask, and I''m sure the audience is also wondering, what exactly do you mean by that? Sweiza: Yes, Strife! What exactly do you mean by that? Strife: I believe I say it to express this young girl''s naivete at points; although I dare say she is willingly ignorant as an idiot at points. Sweiza''s face flushes red. Strife stifles her laughter and the author pays their behavior no attention. Strife: In reality, Miss Serif has an interesting future history, but it''s one I can''t reveal yet, due to... If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Strife points at the camera. Author: Ah, I see what you mean. Sweiza''s head shoots blankly at Strife, then the camera and back to Strife. Sweiza: Valkyrie, I don''t know why you always have to be so mean. I thought we were supposed to be friends! Strife: Miss Serif, that is a plot spoiler. That hasn''t even been written yet. Sweiza: But it happens in the next three chapters! Strife shoots her a look, Sweiza''s eyes widen and her head shoots down. Sweiza: Sorry. Author: So clearly Valkyrie Strife is the more refined of you two and Sweiza is the energetic and enthusiastic one. Strife: I would dare say so. Her personality and mannerisms must be honed and tempered into an appropriate Valkyrie. Author: So would you say she is a bit odd for a Valkyrie? Strife: In some ways yes, in other ways no. Author: What do you mean? Strife: After all of the bad fortune that has fallen onto this young woman, she is still energetic and easily distracted. She has no sense of reponsibility unless it is rooted in tradition and then she has... those. Sweiza looks up at Strife. The author looks over at Sweiza. Sweiza: She means my ears. Author: Ah, that''s right. You are an elf. Sweiza: Just barely, I don''t have the long ears of my ancestors; they look more like these small nubs posing as seashells. Author: You sound like you don''t like them? Sweiza: Actually, I love them. I''ve always liked my ears and feel I''ve been blessed. You see, our village is relatively isolated and we don''t get visitors very often. However, we did get some elven visitors that chose to live there many years ago. Strife for some reason has never really cared for elves and she... Strife clears her throat again and Sweiza stiffens. She quickly looks down. Sweiza: My appologies Strife. Strife: You have a lot to learn Miss Serif. Sweiza: I don''t understand what I did! Why should I be the one to get in trouble when I... Strife looks down once and just as fast, her hand swings up and smacks Sweiza behind the head. Sweiza stiffens up again and shivers. She says nothing this time. Strife: Even now she insists on engaging in her training, I find it most impressive. I am so proud of her. Sweiza''s eyes half close at the remark. The author looks confused. Author: Moving on, can you give us some brief stats about yourselves? Sweiza looks over at Strife, almost as if to ask for her permission. Strife nods while her arms cross. Sweiza: I am eighteen as of this year. My blood type is AB+. I stand 5''3" and weigh 110lbs. I''m very athletic and I have some muscle on my body, despite my short stature and looks. My parents are farmers, although my mother is a merchant. I have one younger sister and one younger brother. My favorite color is green. I am best described as being very cheerful, energetic and very healthy. I like to help out others around the village whenever I can. My hobbies include dancing, writing and gardening. I hate spiders. Uh... I think that''s about it. Author: What about your name ''Sweiza''? You said your name is ''Starla Serif''. Sweiza: My parents wanted a boy to help with farmwork, they got a girl instead. My name is Starla, but they and everyone in the village have always called me ''Sweiza''. Author: Ah, I see. What about the elven ears? Sweiza: I don''t know. My great grandfather was supposed to be a full blooded elf. My mother and father have told me they were visitors to the village that chose to stay. Author: Why did they stay? Sweiza: I don''t know. I think it is because of the village''s natural beauty. Author: What do you mean? Sweiza: To the far west of the village is a dormant volcano and a hot spring. Just past the volcano are these beautiful trees of crystal. To the north is a large forest and river system; the river runs down the mountain and to the south. To the south and east of the village are the great forests and swamplands. Much further south are the grasslands. We are very remote from other villages, but also have splendid terrain and are in the middle of everything. We truly are blessed by the Goddess of Fertility. Author: You seem to hold her in very high regard. Sweiza: Indeed. It was always my desire that once I became of age, I would make the pilgrimage to her temple and win her favor. This is a very big deal in our village; she grants the land prosperity and blesses our annual harvest. We wouldn''t survive without her. Author: What do you mean? Sweiza: The terrain we are located at is very harsh. Our village legends speak of the land near the volcano being very dry, dirty and unforgiving to crops without the Goddess''s blessing. It is therefor my place to continue tradition. I only wish I could do more to protect the village. Author: What do you mean? Sweiza: There are supposedly ill creatures that patrol just beyond the village boundaries. The young males of the village get the honor of becoming armor-clad knights to prevent these creatures from harassing the villagers and destroying the crops. I want to protect the village like they do, but young women in our village do not become knights. Author: Or so you thought! Sweiza lets out a sigh and her head drops. Sweiza: I wish I never made that wish to that star. Author: What wish was that? Sweiza: I wanted to keep the village and the harvest safe. I wanted to be a protector like the men. I always envied them and their swordsmanship and thought it was really cool. Strife was silent up until now, but her distaste at the word ''cool'' is evident. Strife: What she means grand-author, is that she wanted more responsibility than just tending to fields as a shrine maiden. She got her wish. Sweiza: This isn''t what I mean! The author is about to say something, but Strife continues to speak. Strife: Sweiza here is a bit of a daydreamer, quite contrary to the rest of her family whom are very hard workers. Sweiza: I work hard! Strife: Furiously scribbling in a notebook doesn''t count as working hard, nor does bossing Lester around and having him do all of your chores count. Sweiza: At least I''d make a good wife! Strife scoffs to herself. Sweiza stammers. Strife: Her heart is in the right place and she has the right motif. Unfortunately, certain ''future'' events which are a big spoiler, I can''t reveal. Let''s just say Odin heard her prayer and knew of her ultimate future. Hence she is a Valkyrie to prevent it in others. Sweiza gets quizzical and puzzled, if such a thing were even possible. Sweiza: Valkyrie, what do you mean? What am I preventing? Author: Indeed. And what of Odin? Is he friend or foe? Strife: Time will tell on that one. And we''ll find out what ultimately happens to Sweiza, or what ''isn''t'' supposed to happen. Sweiza: Strife, I need to know! Strife shakes her head, turns around, gives a bow to the author and then walks just past Sweiza. She grabs the back neck cuff of Sweiza''s armor and pulls her from the chair and out the door. Sweiza tries to wrestle free, but to no avail. Sweiza: But there''s still an interview to do! Strife: I think we''ll end it here. Goodbye everyone. The author shakes his head as Sweiza waves her hands frantically goodbye. Author: She is indeed an energetic one. It''s just a pity Strife didn''t give us some of her stats. Strife''s head pops back in through the door. Strife: There is no need to say more than needs to be said; it''s in the back of the book in the character bio. Strife disappears behind the door again. The sound of Sweiza arguing and pleading also fades into the background. Author: Good grief. [Fade out] Chapter 11 - Verdandi Sweiza makes a muffled noise. She twists once. She lets out a ¡°mph!¡±, and quickly wakes up. She sees the ceiling of the room. At first she thinks she is at home in her room due to the wood, but it doesn¡¯t look the same. In fact, the room looks quite different. It is smaller and someone has moved all of her stuff. Sprite might move an item or two (if she mentions it, something she really needs), but nothing to this degree. Regardless she will have to have a talk with¡­ it then occurs to her. The ship, ¡°Sterling Blue¡±. She sits up in the bed and looks for a window. The moon Lokul is in the distance and the stars are out. She hears the ripple of water against the hull of the ship. She quickly removes herself from the covers and has to feel her way around in the room, it is dark, very dark, but just enough to barely see. She calls out for Sprite. ¡°Sprite!¡± She continues feeling around and knocks into something. It is wooden. She hears a clunk and a ¡°Hey!¡±. The whole room suddenly illuminates with light blue light. Sweiza¡¯s eyes strain against the light, but adjust soon enough. Her eyes dart to the area of the room where it is brightest. An odd aura surrounds the sprite, a light blue glow. It flows around him and manifests the light from before. A puff of the light appears as a flame and shoots towards Sweiza. Her eyes close as it hits her harmlessly. ¡°What¡¯s the big idea?¡± Sprite bobs up and down, very quickly, his heart racing. His bobbing slows as he calms down. It takes Sweiza a few seconds to think of what to say. ¡°Sprite, we¡¯re on the ship right? This isn¡¯t another dream by demi?¡± ¡°Who?¡± The light around him flickers and dims at the distraction, but it picks up in brightness soon enough. ¡°Sprite, I¡¯m glad you came along.¡± Sweiza reaches out her hand to pet him and he darts away. She smirks her mouth in disappointment at him and instead holds it out. He still refuses to come up to her. She makes a come hither motion with her hand and he still refuses. She lets out a chirp and he quickly obeys. He quickly flies in front of her knowing the routine - he illuminates the way. This isn¡¯t the first time he has been on some form of adventure with her. Sprite slowly moves towards the door, waiting for the girl to open it. Once in the hall, they find it is very crowded. Not what Sweiza is expecting from a ship, Sprite on the other hand has seen this before from his days wandering for food. ¡°This way.¡± He flies fast down the hall and past several doors. A pair of stairs, another hall. He hears a whistle. He halts and turns around to see Sweiza disappear behind a door just closing. He flies up to it and his wings flutter in annoyance. He hears a flush and rolls his eyes. As she comes out, she is greeted to him standing at eye level with his hands on his hips as his body slowly floats up and down. ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°Yes Sir Herschel.¡± She bows. He flutters his wings in anticipation and flies in the opposite direction down the hall. Another set of stairs and a smaller hall and they find themselves out on the main deck towards the rear. A few deck hands are busy cleaning the deck and working on rigging. The smell burning wood and sausage greets them. Sweiza whistles just as Sprite flies off and he quickly darts back to her. His body language showing he doesn¡¯t know what she wants; she simply shakes her head letting him know this is not the time. She scans the deck and sees a familiar sight - Verdandi in her armor. The woman is at the very front of the ship just offset the right side of the bow. Sweiza can barely make it out, but she has her arms outstretched holing a spyglass at eye level. Sweiza remembers the conversation with the Captain earlier and mention of pirates. She can only guess Verdandi is on guard duty for the night. Verdandi hears a set of footsteps from behind her, but doesn¡¯t give it much attention. Her focus is on the horizon with the spyglass. The dark night makes it hard to see, but thankfully the moon Lokul is almost in full bloom. A throat clears behind the woman and she lowers the spyglass and turns around to see Sweiza and Sprite waiting a few steps down from her. ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Sweiza pipes up with some enthusiasm. ¡°Miss Serif, if you are going to wander the ship you should begin your duties.¡± ¡°How long was I out?¡± Sweiza pipes up again, ignoring Verdandi¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Most of the day, as was I. It has been a long trek to get here. How do you feel?¡± ¡°Tired.¡± Sprite is the first to pipe up, finally getting some confidence around the woman. ¡°I wasn¡¯t referring to you Sir Dewey Herschel.¡± The Sprite lets out an annoyed chirp and quickly turns his back to the woman and crosses his arms. He looks back behind him at her and quickly snaps his head away from her. Verdandi ignores his behavior. Sweiza¡¯s hands come up to chest level as she folds them together. ¡°I was surprised it was nighttime.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you were. However, again as instructed before - if you are going to walk the ship with nothing to do, you have duties you can attend to.¡± Verdandi¡¯s hands finally come down to her sides and the spyglass brushes her leg. ¡°Can I help you with looking for pirates?¡± Sweiza shows more enthusiasm as she cracks her knuckles. In her mind, this is going to be a fun journey after. Verdandi pulls her lip to the right and raises her eyebrows in minor disgust. ¡°Miss Serif. You are not yet a full fledged Valkyrie. You have training ahead of you and this journey will take ten days. Training on a ship will be a good start for you. I want you to ask the crew if they need help with anything. Your other activity for the day is to perform one thousand cuts. The latter you can do daily.¡± Verdandi¡¯s arms cross as Sweiza¡¯s expression changes to disbelief and then disappointment. The girl goes to open her mouth and Verdandi cracks the spyglass against her greaves. ¡°Now Miss Serif!¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands go down to her hips in defiance. Her heart lurches as Verdandi steps down from the viewpoint at the bow. If ever her ears could droop they would. Verdandi becomes a formidable sight before the girl as she looks her straight in the eyes, mere inches from her face. Verdandi¡¯s eyes shoot over to Sprite as she points the spyglass up at him. He jolts and flies behind Sweiza. Verdandi¡¯s eyes shoot back to Sweiza. Sweiza continues her stare of defiance, visibly shaking. She lets out a yelp as she feels the spyglass make contact on her left hip, just barely touching her behind. ¡°Now!¡± Verdandi says it with annoyance. Sweiza tenses up and then bows several times and scurries off. Verdandi crosses her arms and shakes her head slowly at the girl. She lets out a sigh and steps back up to the bow. Again the spyglass is held outright as she scans the horizon. ¡ª ¡°Sprite.¡± Sweiza says it to him under the main mast of the ship. He flies in front of her and lets out a chirp. ¡°I suppose it would be assuming too much that if we give the ship a once over and see nothing wrong, then our tasks for the day are complete?¡± She says it with some joking enthusiasm, if not a little hopeful. ¡°She seems serious. She will probably be quite stern with both of us¡­¡± He puts emphasis on ¡®us¡¯, ¡°¡­if you do not do as she asks. You should probably learn to find your way around the ship before you ask any of the crew for help. You do not want to get lost or put anything out of place. I for one, do not want to incur that Valkyrie¡¯s wrath again; especially not because of you.¡± He lets out a chirp as a matter of fact at her as his hands go to his hip sand he thrusts his feet and head out at her. She frowns and gives a nod. His point made, he flies up to her shoulder and sits himself down. The two take their time as they explore the different areas of the ship. The total venture takes them about two hours, but Sweiza mentions that it is to ¡°learn the different areas of the ship, as well as kill a little time.¡± The two learn that the ship has three under decks - two for living, and a cargo hold at the bottom. Sweiza makes a point to see the inside of the hold at a later time before the end of their journey. Once above deck, they find there are three upper decks - the main deck of the ship from the bow to the rear, with a large cabin area housing the main galley and kitchen area, and then the Captain¡¯s cabin and ¡®special guest¡¯ quarters above that. Above the two decks is a third, which is effectively the helm area of the ship. At the helm, Sweiza immediately asks for permission to steer the ship. The helmsman informs her that she must get special permission to do so. The Captain sees no problem with it provided she is supervised the entire time. She finds the affair rather boring once it comes down to it - two hours of steering straight with the helmsman looking occasionally speaking into a series of pipes to either side of the steering wheel. When enquiring about their use, she learns they are used for speaking to various people across the ship. The helmsman explains that two particular pipes in particular, lead to the ¡®crows next¡¯ and the bow of the ship. Unable to resist and on instinct, she immediately speaks into the pipe for the bow of the ship and gets a rude answer back from Verdandi, ¡°not to waste time and to pay attention¡±. For good measure, Sweiza sticks her tongue out at the talking pipe. She gets no response back and cocks her head up while giving a ¡®hmph!¡¯. Sprite motions behind her, and when she looks behind her, she sees several of the crew watching her behavior. Her face flushes read and she quickly turns back to manning the helm. Over the course of the next half hour, the the pain of her feet standing and the doldrums of standing stiff and staring out at the ocean get to her. All she sees is clouds and blue hues all around. She lets out a yawn and feels her head slump once. As her head slowly nods up and down, she feels a tap on her shoulder to finally rouse her from her nap. The helmsman informs her that she has been asleep for at least two minutes standing. She lets out a gasp and quickly focuses on the horizon again. She speaks into the speaking tube for the crow¡¯s nest. She gets a simply answer that ¡°there is nothing to report at this time.¡± She lets out a sigh of dismay and continues holding the helm straight. She mutters to herself that she ¡°wishes she could sit down.¡± The helmsman has a chair ready for her and the girl gives a thankful sigh as her job gets a little easier. About an hour later, she hears a voice from the crow¡¯s nest speaking tube. ¡°Merchant vessel, due north, five miles.¡± Sweiza looks over to the helmsman whom wastes no time in walking up to her. He leans towards her ear and whispers to her, ¡°Respond with, ¡®confirmed, maintaining current heading¡¯.¡± Sweiza does as directed and hears a ¡°Confirmed, continuing lookout.¡± She lets out a sigh at the excitement as it turns back to doldrums and boredom. She makes due with rocking the steering wheel back and forth, making sure to maintain the same course at all times. The stiffness of sitting still, even in a chair, finally gets to her. She checks her watch and sees a little over an hour has passed. She thinks to herself that surely there is something more exciting than turning a wheel all day. Outside of the merchant ship, she only remembers having to turn the ship hard once, and that is simply because they were following the coastline, even if from about ten miles out. Having enough, she stands up abruptly, faces the helmsman and bows before excusing herself. He lets out a quick grin as she quickly scurries away. She has another goal in mind, something that might provide something interesting - the crow¡¯s nest. Climbing the rigging seems easy enough, but her motions attempting to wrangle her way up, catches the attention of several deckhands. They show her the correct way to climb up. She does so and finds herself at the top with the lookout. He finds some of her questions to be weird, her Sprite friend even weirder. However, Sprite pipes up that she is a Valkyrie in training and wishes to learn how to sail a ship. This brings some enthusiasm from the lookout, although it means Sweiza shoots Sprite a nasty look when the lookout isn¡¯t looking. Sprite just shrugs and grins at her. Sweiza¡¯s main question is how it is possible to see anything at night like it is. He explains that at any given time, they use the stars and constellations to navigate. He promises to show her how to use a star chart as well as a map at a later date - preferably outside of his ship. He goes on to say that there are various lights on ships, including the Sterling Blue, which signal their location to other ships. Further, there are different waypoints and lighthouses that frequently appear along the coast of Midgard to signal how far inland they are. He makes it a point to bring up that they are ten miles out due to the wind currents being better here; it will be better for them to avoid smaller pirate ships that prefer to lurk along the coast. He also shows her a spyglass, this one much bigger and larger than the one Verdandi is using. He explains this one hooks into different brackets to hold the weight, but the brackets can still be turned to aid in seeing from afar. During the day, they may only be able to see ten to twenty miles in either direction, but at night, they can see upwards of forty miles depending on how bright the lighting of ships and shore structures are. Sweiza simply lets out an ¡°Oh.¡± The lookout simply laughs at her expression and comments, ¡°Sailing isn¡¯t for everyone.¡± Sweiza spends an hour at the crow¡¯s nest before bidding the lookout farewell and climbing back down. This time she uses rope ladder she hadn¡¯t noticed before. It is much more stable and easier to climb down, namely being braced close to the mast. As she gets back down to the main deck, she suddenly feels squeamish in her stomach. Her gag reflex kicks in. She recognizes this. She has heard of it as sea sickness and knows what to do. She runs over to the side of the ship and repeatedly attempts to throwup, but all she gets is her gag reflex. This goes on for a few moments before she pulls herself back up over the side of the ship. She sets herself down to a befuddled cross-legged position. She finally props herself up with her right arm and lets out a shudder. She feels one more jolt from her gut before deliberately shuddering at her predicament. This is not going to be a fun journey after all. She staggers her way up to the bow of the ship. She asks how to alleviate the motion sickness from the ship¡¯s movements. Verdandi mentions that ¡°It will be a few days before your body gets used to it. Take a break or rest up as needed. You have ten days, so make the most of it.¡± Sweiza abruptly turns around and leaves Verdandi to her devices, not bothering to ask her for anything else. Sprite flies up to Sweiza and suggests that perhaps the crew can whip up something to aid her in her predicament. When she enquires as to what he means, he suggests something to dull her senses. It takes Sweiza a few moments to figure out what he is suggesting. She narrows her eyes at him, knowing full well he will want to ¡®sample¡¯ some of the beverage. She shakes her head and heads for the kitchen. In the galley she is surprised at just how big her mug of mead is. No matter, this special commonality of Valhalla will do just the trick. Sprite drops subtle hints and she refuses him. Eventually he lets out an annoyed chirp. She finally relents and he is served a small glass of it. She loses count of how many drinks between them. However, it helps with her gut¡¯s wretched feeling. Now she has to deal with being tipsy, but it is certainly better than the gag reflex. However, she seems to be unaware that her gut is lurching, it is merely dulled out. She lets out a sigh as she takes turns standing and then sitting. Several mugs down over the course of thirty minutes. In the meantime she does get to enjoy lunch with the Captain and a few other sailors. They have some fanciful stories for the girl, mostly about sea monsters such as squid and serpents. She doesn¡¯t give the ¡®crazy¡¯ stories any attention, as she feels they are just trying to amuse themselves by scaring her. The sea monstesr are one thing, but pays more attention when they speak about events from Muspell. The girl learns about the government and the merchant trade. When she asks about dragons and the war, one of the sailors informs her that ¡°Dragon do not normally venture towards Midgard. They stay far away from it and are further inland of Muspell.¡± She further learns they normally avoid the coast. She attempts to ask about the dragon at Mount Surt, but none of them know of what she speaks. Stories are swapped between them as the hour goes on. Sweiza¡¯s face flushes red as she is easy to amuse at this point. She stands up, almost trips on herself and lets out a bow. Her laughter joins the others in the galley. She sits down and more stories are swapped as merriment and laughter fills the galley. She finally bids farewell and heads for the bow of the ship to report to Verdandi. A little tipsy, Sweiza staggers on the deck. Her face is flushed pink as she looks up at Sprite and lets out several giggles. She finally sputters and lets out a laugh as his normal flight suddenly swoops too and fro. His form earlier in a drink glass was enough to get the laughter started. She normally doesn¡¯t like him drinking alcohol with her, as other members of her village also felt the same. However, this is a special occasion - or so it felt. The girl staggers up to Verdandi and lets out more laughter. Laughter from the galley can also be heard, if however faint. Verdandi takes one look at Sweiza¡¯s flushed cheeks and is not amused. She also interrupts the girl¡¯s annoying chatter. ¡°I see you have been enjoying yourself.¡± Verdandi says it tapping the spyglass to her free hand. ¡°Yes!¡± Sweiza lets out more sputtered laughter, not sure why she is laughing, but she knows she feels good. Verdandi¡¯s impatient foot tapping only makes the girl laugh more. Verdandi eyes Sprite as he swirls his flight path slowly to the ground. He finally hunches on all fours makes cough and then repeated gagging noise. ¡°I see Sir Herschel can¡¯t hold his alcohol.¡± Verdandi looks down at him with some amusement. The Sprite looks up and shudders. ¡°This is why he isn¡¯t normally allowed to drink with me.¡± Sweiza looks down at him and stamps her foot on the ground. The Sprite jumps but hobbles back down on all fours. Sweiza reachs down and picks him up and holds him with her left hand to her left shoulder. Sweiza tsks at him once, ¡°And it serves you right you weak pig.¡± Sprite lets out a quick and weak grin. He gives up his body strength and resigns to the girl cupping her hand around him. ¡°Miss Serif, I see you have been helping the crew. Very good. Your consideration and friendship with your farmiliar¡­¡± ¡°Friend!¡± Sweiza¡¯s mood quickly changes as she barks at Verdandi. ¡°Whichever you refer to him as is your business Miss Serif. However, I would like you to perform one thousand cuts. I will be watching you to check your form. Understood?¡± Verdandi again taps her foot patiently. Sweiza looks up at the woman, thinks back to before and thinks better of opening her mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t have a sword.¡± Maybe it will be enough to get out of it. She thinks wrong as Verdandi reaches down and to her side and her lance appears. ¡°Like this Miss Serif. Valkyrie weapons and armor are enchanted. You can summon them or rescind them at will.¡± Verdandi¡¯s lance disappears. Sweiza nods. The girl reaches her hand out and a shield appears in it. Verdandi raises her eyebrows at the girl as the shield disappears. Sweiza¡¯s armor appears as she holds her hand outstretched. Her sword appears soon after. Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows raise again as she nods her head slowly in approval. She mock claps slowly with the spyglass still in her hand. ¡°Very good Miss Serif. Begin.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Left cut. However, do it with the scabbard sheathed.¡± Sweiza looks up at her. Verdandi points to the spyglass and makes a very faint motion with it. Sweiza understands what will happen to her and immediately performs a cut to the left. ¡°Use your other hand Miss Serif¡­¡± Sweiza lets out a groan of dismay. Sweiza¡¯s form is repeatedly questioned. The awkwardness of having too much to drink makes it worse. Sweiza¡¯s armor works as a double measure, but the sheathed sword serves as protection enough from her awkward movements. Verdandi repeatedly stops the girl to correct her form. She shows the girl how to move her arms and legs in the proper position; when the girl gets adamant Verdandi forcefully grabs the girl and moves her into position. As time is lost to the girl, Verdandi suddenly lets out a single mock clap. ¡°Very good Miss Serif. Consider your duties for the day done. I suggest you retreat back to our room. You are going to want to be ready for tomorrow on a day schedule. You will probably have a nasty hangover from all of your merriment.¡± Sweiza lets out a contorted expression at the Valkyrie. Verdandi gives one nod of approval and then clicks her heels together. Sweiza lets out an awkward bow and turns around. Before continuing on she looks for Sprite and sees him about ten feet away, again on all fours. She cups her left hand around him and attempts to walk off. Verdandi clears her throat. Sweiza does not turn around. ¡°Miss Serif, do rescind your sword and armor.¡± Sweiza looks down at her attire, as well as the sword in her off hand. She gives a slight bow of her head after turning part of her body towards the Valkyrie. Verdandi looks at her with contempt. Sweiza¡¯s armor disappears and she staggers off. Her body feels tipsy, but she cannot feel much for pain. She knows she will most certainly feel it tomorrow. Verdandi turns around to hear a yelp and a thud. The girl has toppled over and half of her armor is on, half of it missing. Verdandi shakes her head at her before returning to lookout on the bow. ¡ª ¡°What is it that you¡­¡± It follows her into the dream world and she wastes no time in throwing up on him. ¡°You insolent¡­¡± What she desires is for it to end just as quickly and sleep again takes her. This round, she wins. And that is what she truly desires against her dream foe. ¡ª Sweiza wakes up with a smile on her face and a content feeling. However, it doesn¡¯t take long for the sun¡¯s rays to hit her. Then it really hits her. A headache, her gut feels nasty, her body aches, but especially her arms and legs hurt. She lets out a grown as she attempts to lift her body. She hears noise next to her, but it takes her a few moments to realize it is Verdandi clicking her heels. ¡°I see someone is awake. You were due to hours ago.¡± ¡°Wha?¡± Sweiza shields her sun from the eyes and tries to focus on the imposing woman. Instead to her surprise, Verdandi thrusts a tray next to her. ¡°Breakfast in bed Miss Serif. Nice work yesterday.¡± Sweiza makes a face as she looks down at the plate of bacon and eggs. She sees a glass of an odd color with liquid floating around. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± ¡°Old Valkyrie remedy. Guaranteed to deal with nasty hangovers.¡± ¡°And you stand by this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m standing next to you aren¡¯t I?¡± Sweiza looks up at her suspiciously and eyes the glass once. She closes one eye and keeps the other on the Valkyrie as she grabs it and thrusts it to her mouth. She gags on it as she attempts to force it down. ¡°I see you have some experience in these matters Miss Serif. Now if only you were this well mannered for tea time.¡± Sweiza looks up at her and just shrugs. She pushes the tray away. ¡°Thanks anyway. I don¡¯t feel so hot. I¡¯ll eat it later.¡± ¡°As you wish Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi sets the tray down on the table next to the bed. She turns around with her hands held together in front of her and bows. ¡°You did well for your first time on a ship. Spend the rest of the day recuperating. I will be at my post above deck if you need me.¡± Verdandi clicks her heels together and turns towards the door. It clicks behind her as she closes it. Sweiza looks at the door once, glad the Valkyrie is on her side after all. She looks over to the meal next to her as a familiar colored sprite divebombs her breakfast. Sweiza¡¯s hand is too slow to shoo him away. He snatches up a bit of bacon and flies off with it towards window. He flies outside for good measure. Sweiza shakes her head. ¡°SPRITE!¡± ¡ª Dear Diary, Sprite are known for how poorly they handle alcohol, but they recover just as easily. This is a curse for certain pests that lurk nearby for food. He took my bacon, the pig. This isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s done it¡­ and always my bacon! If he continues to make a pest of himself, next time I¡¯ll lace his sugar cubes with something extremely bitter. ¡ªSweiza ¡ª As the morning sun rises, the water is very calm and the Sterling Blue skims the water surface briskly. Sweiza on the other hand, is still feeling tipsy. Thankfully the ship is not rocking like it was yesterday. Her normal routine activities in the morning prove to be a bit of a challenge due to the hangover. Eating (what is left) of her breakfast, bathing, brushing her teeth and applying a gel in her hair to keep it out of the way somewhat. Her hairband helps with such matters. She has one recollection about how much mead she drank the night before. It didn¡¯t taste super alcoholic, but she was keeping up with the other sailors. ¡°I wonder¡­¡± is all she says to herself in front of the mirror. She dons her normal outfit of Maria Village and quickly makes her way to the deck of the ship. She has one thing in mind, ¡°ocean fishing¡±, something she has wanted to do the better part of her life. Her rucksack is quick in tow as she hits the last light of stairs. She is on the back deck and ready to drop her fishing line when one of the deckhands informs her to cast it out enough so as not to get caught in the rudder. She gives an ¡°Oh.¡± And does so. It goes out and she looks around the back deck. She sees what she needs, an unused wooded bucket. She flips it upside down and sits her her legs spread open. Her sole concentration is on the rod and her left finger under the line. About a half hour later she gets a bite. She is quick to reel it in. She takes one look at it, a variant of a small tuna. She looks around and does not see what she is looking for. She reaches into her rucksack and pulls out a rope. Unfortunately there is not a second bucket in sight. She jumps from her sitting position and ties the rope to the handle of the bucket and chucks it into the ocean below, before pulling it back up. Saltwater would do. The fish goes into it and she sets it back down. She throws her rucksack on top and makes due with it as a makeshift seat. Comfortable, somewhat. About an hour later she has caught four more. A half hour later she has six and calls it good. She starts skinning them nearby where she sat. She hurls the skin and guts over the side of the ship. The precious meat is again stored inside a pouch she has hidden away in her rucksack. She looks up waiting for it. Sprite should be nearby. He has not shown himself since he divebombed her bacon. She lets out a shrill whistle. Nothing. She pulls a small rod-shaped whistle out of one of the sidepockets in her rucksack. Looks up towards the crow¡¯s nest and blows into the whistle hard; she barely hears it. However, it is enough. She sees a brief stream of blue light one mast over near the second sail from the topmost. It is what she is waiting for - the blue figure gets slightly larger as it makes a beeline towards her position. He flies up and crosses his arms. A big smile crosses his face as he thrusts his head and feet forward, but his arms behind him. He lets out an enthusiastic chirp. She holds out one finger. He lets out an annoyed squawk. She holds up three fingers. He quickly nods. She holds open the thing he likes to see the most - her meat pouch. She holds out a scrap of meet for him. He flies towards it and darts off. She shakes her head. Several clicks of metal on wood approach her and a voice interrupts her. ¡°My, my. That was rather entertaining. Is he always that boisterous?¡± Sweiza¡¯s head bolts up to see Verdandi. She knows why Sprite flew off. ¡°He especially likes fish¡­¡± She thinks about whether she should say it or not, but she doesn¡¯t see any harm, ¡°¡­he especially likes honey.¡± Sweiza says it as a matter of factually. ¡°Oh really? Has he ever tried Valhallan Honey?¡± Verdandi cradles her arms as she does so and holds her right finger up to her cheek as she tilts her head in mock thought. ¡°I¡¯ll bet he hasn¡¯t?¡± ¡°He¡¯s only tried the stuff from Maria. I imported some Muspell Honey once. He said it was too spicey. It was a waste of a jar. He refused to eat it. But that was after he stuck his whole face in it.¡± Sweiza laughs and slaps her leg. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he is such a pig.¡± ¡°There is a reason sprite were expelled from the realm.¡± Verdandi says it as she cradles her arms again and then crosses them. ¡°They are pests.¡± Sweiza makes a face at Verdandi, Verdandi raises her right eyebrow slightly. She continues, ¡°However, as long as you keep this one under control I see no problem with bringing him into Valhalla. Especially if it is known that he is the familiar of a Valkyrie.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll follow me anywhere.¡± ¡°Even through the Gates of Valhalla and into Odin¡¯s castle itself? That will be most amusing indeed.¡± Verdandi cradles her arms again as she looks up. Sweiza smirks. ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Odin hates sprites.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°So?¡± Sweiza contorts her face and wrinkles her nose at Verdandi. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t hesitate to have him executed.¡± Sweiza¡¯s face becomes pale and almost disappears. ¡°However¡­¡± Verdandi continues nodding her headd and flicking a few strands of her hair, ¡°¡­as it just so happens Valkyrie are expected and encouraged to have a familiar of sorts.¡± ¡°What good does that do Sprite if Odin will have him killed?¡± Her mouth twists as she says it. Sweiza waves both her hands in frustration and stamps her left foot to the ground. A smile appears on Verdandi¡¯s face, ¡°Valkyrie are allowed to choose any particular mystical beast - regardless of whether it is allowed in Valhalla or not.¡± She takes her right hand and rolls another lock of hair with her finger, ¡°This includes sprites and anything deemed illegal under Valhalla law.¡± Sweiza grits her mouth. Verdandi lets out a barely audible laugh. She slaps her left fist into her right hand and nods at the girl. ¡°Your sprite friend is considered an essential part of your duties and is therefor under the protection of not just yourself, but ¡®all¡¯ Valkyrie. This has been a decree since the time of the first Valkyrie.¡± Verdandi gets more serious, ¡°Odin will not transgress that which is binding and considered sacred to us¡­ lest he stir the wrath of the Valkyrie and there is another rebellion.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sweiza twists her head once at ¡®rebellion¡¯. ¡°You¡¯ll learn about it soon enough Miss Serif. However, if you perchance should find a library on this ship, there may be something to do with the rebellion. However, you are on your own in that regard.¡± Verdandi lets out a laugh. Her own genius is enticing the girl, she is sure of it. Sweiza hears a chirp behind her. She looks to her left and sees Sprite. ¡°I seem to remember something about a rebellion some odd century ago. Say, more fish?¡± Sweiza shakes her head and points down to the pouch laying on her rucksack. He targets it and attempts to fly off with the whole thing. Sweiza grabs it just as his hands touch it. ¡°Two more scraps and that is all you get.¡± He makes a face at her. However, he relents and reaches into the bag and pulls out two meat scraps and lands on the ground. He makes no attempts to fly of this time. ¡°He is correct. However, part of your training involves learning things on your own without me having to spoon feed you everything.¡± Verdandi clicks her heels together and turns around. Her head turns back towards Sweiza. ¡°Good luck Miss Serif, and have fun!¡± She walks off. For once, Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows raise. She looks down at Sprite. ¡°Satisfied?¡± He nods. ¡°No more taking my food?¡± He tilts his head and uses one eye to look up deep in thought, Sweiza knows he it is a mock gesture. He looks up at her, ¡°I want honey.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do friend. HOWEVER¡­¡± She stamps her foot to the ground and bends to loom over him while she points her finger at him; her form blocks out the sun. ¡°¡­regardless of what happens, do not take my food anymore without my permission. Is that clear Sir Herschel?!¡± He nods. However, unlike as she would normally expect, he does not fly off. He flies up to her face. ¡°Actually, I was wondering¡­¡± Sweiza¡¯s face perks. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯ll be working together, that will make us partners. I¡¯d like you to refer to treat me with more dignity, such as calling me by my name.¡± He swings his left foot slowly back and foth. Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow but she quickly shakes it. ¡°I made that name up because you wanted one. Sprite don¡¯t have names¡­¡± Sweiza stops herself, ¡°¡­that humans can pronounce.¡± ¡°Right. Which is why I would like to be called by my name, ¡®Dewey¡¯.¡± He crosses his arms and shows her his pride. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Sweiza says it with some contempt. ¡°But you are becoming unusually brave and bossy lately.¡± ¡°We are out on our own for an adventure. You and me Sera. I don¡¯t want to be known as ¡®the Sprite¡¯ if we become famous. I want a name, and I want it to be served with honey.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands go down to her hips, she stands up straight and stamps her foot. ¡°Don¡¯t push it mister. I have no desire to be famous.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Sweiza stamps her foot again and then claps her hands in front of him, she does it hard and loud to show her annoyance. ¡°You know I hate that.¡± Sweiza wrinkles her face and sticks her tongue out at him. ¡°Fine. Stay bored without me.¡± He picks himself up in the air and flies off towards the sky. Sweiza looks up knowing she has made a mistake. ¡°Sprite! Sprite!¡± Her attempts to call him come to no avail. She lets out a whistle to summon him. This is their hunting call or when she needs him at her side. He stops and turns back to her. She can barely see his wide eyes. A thin stream of blue smoke bursts from him towards her. It hits her in the face and she coughs before the smell gets to her, rotten eggs. She gags. This is not the first time he has pulled this with her. However, it has always been simple, superficial stuff that was a want of his; most of it she has refused. However, his little stunt is his way of showing he is serious. He won¡¯t be speaking to her for awhile, and she knows it. He might come up to her to sleep or snatch food, but that will be it. He will ignore her and she knows it. This will complicate her trip, as the two of them normally entertain each other on trips like this. She looks up towards the sails, crow¡¯s nest and then the sky. She lets out a sigh. She can fix this, but she doesn¡¯t know how long it will take. She thankfully has eight days. ¡ª Verdandi hears a set of heels click. This catches her by surprise. She turns around and lowers her spyglass. Sweiza stands there with her hands held together below her waist. She places her hands on her thighs and bows. ¡°Very good Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi holds her spyglass in her arm while she claps lightly and briefly, before she folds her hands below her belt, ¡°But that is an old tradition that was rescinded over a century ago. I am one of the few who practice it. It isn¡¯t necessary of you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Is all Sweiza says. The girl nervously wiggles her fingers with her hands held together. ¡°Is something wrong Miss Serif?¡± ¡°How do you stay so focused without being distracted by others?¡± Sweiza does not let on her concern for Little Sprite, but it is directly related to her question. ¡°As a matter of fact Miss Serif, to be good at anything Miss Serif, it takes trial and error, practice, but more importantly, patience.¡± Verdandi says it without moving. In fact, she holds perfectly still. She doesn¡¯t show it, but she is very happy she can finally act as mentor. ¡°So if I have something bothering me, then what?¡± Sweiza says it sheepishly, trying not to look at the ground. ¡°I saw something blue let out smoke towards you. I assume that is a Sprite defense technique. Perhaps you said something you shouldn¡¯t have?¡± Verdandi says it on point and Sweiza flinches. Verdandi¡¯s suspicion is concerned, but she doesn¡¯t provoke it out of the girl. ¡°How did¡­¡± Sweiza¡¯s head leans forward as she considers what Verdandi says. Verdandi says nothing as she uses her toes to lift her heels off the ground momentarily and then she drops them. A smile crosses her face before she pulls the spyglass from her arm. ¡°That¡­¡± Sweiza looks from the spyglass up to Verdandi, ¡°You¡¯ve been spying on me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m your mentor Miss Serif. I have to keep an eye on you occasionally.¡± Verdandi takes the spyglass with her right hand and pats it in her right hand, ¡°As for your friend, give him time. Whatever it is, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll come around. They always do. I¡¯ve had issues with my own familiar on occasion.¡± ¡°You had a familiar?¡± Sweiza looks away in thought and then to Verdandi. ¡°I still do Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi says it proudly. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he with us?¡± Sweiza asks sheepishly, wondering if this is any of her business, as what goes on between Sprite and herself always felt ¡®personal¡¯, if not more. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t fit on the boat dear.¡± Verdandi makes footsteps and slowly approaches the girl. Sweiza says nothing and she feels her shoulders and head droop as Verdandi stands a few feet from her face. ¡°I don¡¯t think Odin would approve of him at the Gates of Valhalla either. Odin is afraid of dragons you know.¡± ¡°Who¡­¡± Sweiza says it afraid and confused. ¡°You are also afraid of dragons it would seem.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head shakes a few times. It clicks. She closes her eyes and gives a deliberate mock shudder. ¡°Very good Miss Serif. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I must return to lookout. Also, the library is at the front of the ship on the same level as the cargo hold. I¡¯m sure one of the sailors can show you.¡± Verdandi bows and then turns around to resume her duty. Sweiza however, has other ideas. ¡°How do you know where it is on this ship?¡± Verdandi doesn¡¯t miss a beat, ¡°It¡¯s not my first time sailing between Muspell and Valhalla. Now go, have some fun reading.¡± Verdandi uses her hands and pushes the girl towards the back deck. When Sweiza stammers Verdandi waves both her hands and shoos the girl away. Verdandi clicks her heels together, gives a bow and then turns around to resume her duties. Verdandi doesn¡¯t see it, but Sweiza lets out a bow to her mentor. Sweiza doesn¡¯t see it, but her Sprite friend has been watching her the whole time. He heard it all. ¡ª Sweiza makes her way down to the front of the ship on her own and finds the door marked as simple as ¡®Ship Library¡¯. When she enters, she lets out a gasp at how elegant it looks. Far better than any library in Maria Village or any of the surrounding villages. Her eyes dart from one book to the next. Volumes everywhere, many of them in sequence, encyclopedias, dictionaries, maps, the list goes on. She walks up to the first shelf she sees and moves her hand at a shelf that is eye level. She hears a noise behind her that sounds like a chirp. Her hand stops and she hears a noise before she turns around. She sees a blue figure flying off in the distance. She lets out a snicker before turning back to the shelf. She passes her hand over them to hold her concentration. Books about sailing. Three rows up all about maps. Two rows down, cooking. On the bottom are what appear to her to be a catalog of what is in the library. This is what she needs. Alphabetical order. She the one labeled ¡®V¡¯. She finds what she is looking for in it. Several shelves back. Midgard History. The Valhallan War, followed some years later by the Valhallan Rebellion. She peruses the text on the matter. It is a short but brief entry. Unrest between the military and government of Midgard. Strictly speaking, a number of Valkyrie staged a rebellion against Odin due to unethical treatment and decisions. Several Valkan¡­ ¡°What is a Valkan?¡± Sweiza muses to herself quietly, ¡°Is it some kind of ¡®familiar¡¯?¡± ¡­also joined the Valkyrie in the rebellion. A dragon joined them in the rebellion. They made it as far as Odin¡¯s Castle and there was a white light that enveloped everyone. It is said the dragon fled and many of the rebellion simply vanished. Those that were left behind were too disoriented and overwhelmed by Odin¡¯s forces to continue. Any remaining Valkyrie and Valkan in the rebellion were set as an example. Several were executed, others punished to serve as an example if it happened again. Several members of the rebellion were granted amnesty and allowed to continue within the ranks of Valkyrie and Valkan with restrictions. Sweiza continues reading through it. It speaks of one Valkyrie, very powerful in sorcery that had the power to kill Odin. It is thought that before she could strike the blow, Odin himself used a powerful spell to whisk her and her entourage away. As for the dragon, its whereabouts are unknown. ¡°Major bummer!¡± Sweiza looks at it wanting to know more. She will have to find a way to entice the information out of her mentor. She turns around towards the door. She looks her eyes back behind her once and makes a note that this library will be where she spends some of her free time. As she turns around from closing the door, she hears a thud against the ceiling. She looks up. ¡°Sprite!¡± His eyes widen in surprise. He darts up towards the sky and thuds against the ceiling again. He darts off in the direction of the stairs. Sweiza shakes her head. ¡°Oh you!¡±. ¡ª Verdandi is less than receptive towards Sweiza¡¯s questions on the rebellion. In fact, she gets a sharp smack on the thigh with the spyglass. Verdandi is also not amused by Sweiza inviting her to discuss it over tea time. ¡°As a matter of fact, you should be willing to discuss a great many things over tea time Miss Serif; and as you don¡¯t like tea and as you do not wish to discuss your personal life with me, it will be some time before I divulge such details. As it is, I fear that may never happen.¡± Sweiza simply sticks her tongue out at Verdandi. Verdandi gives it no attention and resumes her duty towards the horizon. When Sweiza turns around, she looks up towards the first mast and sees a blue figure looking down at her. He has seen the whole thing. She calls up to him and he flies away¡­ again. ¡ª- She has the day off, yet she can¡¯t wait to alleviate the boredom. She doesn¡¯t feel like fishing. Bow hunting birds is a waste of arrows when they can¡¯t be retrieved. She gets an idea. She walks back up to Verdandi. Verdandi turns around at the footsteps, but turns back to her post when she sees it is Sweiza. Sweiza clears her throat. ¡°Can I assist you Miss Serif?¡± ¡°Actually, you can.¡± Sweiza says it real sheepishly. Verdandi turns around with her eyebrows raised. Her body posture relaxes when she sees Sweiza is holding right hand and finger up with her left hand behind her back. There is a sheepish smile on the girls face. ¡°Angst, if this is some kind of joke¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been at that for some time, haven¡¯t you?¡± Sweiza says it again, putting her hands behind her back, clasping them together and swaying her upper body left and right a few times. She stops and wears a big grin on her face. ¡°If you are referring to doubting your pomposity, that is a given.¡± Verdandi holds the spyglass in her right hand and whips it to her left. She quickly moves it to her arm and resumes being relaxed. ¡°However, I assume you have some other errand.¡± She taps her foot slowly. ¡°I¡¯d like to take over your post for a time. You deserve a break!¡± Sweiza puts emphasis on the last part. A big smile crosses her faces as she says it. Verdandi looks up and to her left as if in thought. ¡°You are a very clever, but droll one. I accept.¡± Sweiza smirks. ¡°Good! As for that assistance I need¡­¡± ¡°Hmm! I¡¯ll think about it!¡± Verdandi walks off the bow, smacks the spyglass up against Sweiza¡¯s arms. The girl lets out a weak and muffled yelp, but quickly regains her composure and willingly grabs the spyglass. ¡°You are looking for any ships. Talk in to that tube¡­¡± Verdandi points to the one to the right of the bow, ¡°¡­if you see any ships and report it to the helmsman. Is that clear?¡± Verdandi stamps her foot to the ground. Sweiza looks down at it and then back up to Verdandi. Verdandi does not look very patient with the request, but rather serious. ¡°I¡¯d like to discuss a few things with you over tea¡­¡± ¡°Miss Serif¡­¡± Verdandi¡¯s tone changes in warning. Sweiza quickly changes her tone and gets nervous, ¡°¡­to better understand each other and avoid conflict in the future.¡± Sweiza quickly bows before Verdandi reacts. Verdandi¡¯s hands go to her hips and her foot starts tapping as she leans to her right side. The sun hangs over her partially indicating it is near noon. Verdandi stands straight up again and her arms cross as her right hand and then finger goes up to her chin. ¡°Is that all Miss Serif?¡± Sweiza grins again she closes her eyes in a squint, ¡°You don¡¯t know if this ship has any ¡®Valhallan Honey¡¯, do you?¡± She feels her request is a cringey one. Verdandi flinches in surprise and stammers for a split second before regaining her composure. ¡°Whatever for dear?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a personal request.¡± Verdandi tilts her head in curiosity at the girl. ¡ª- Sweiza finds the spyglass to be an odd sight, and even stranger to use. She finds her vision is greatly amplified and she can see some ten to fiteen miles out. However, what she sees is rather boring. To the left of the bow she sees nothing but open sea. To the right she sees inland, however, it is almost entirely rock cropping, beach or trees. She makes a face to herself as she reminds herself why she is doing this. It, however, shouldn''t take long she concludes; and she is right, Strife is back after about thirty minutes. One of the crewman is with her. "Miss Serif," She remarks, "This deckhand is here to relieve you, however, this is only for brunch. After that it will be right back to scanning the horizon. You agreed to this, is that understood?" Verdandi points her right finger at Sweiza''s face, specifically her nose. "Yes ma''am." Sweiza says it with a sigh as she hops down from the bow deck and hands the spyglass to the crewman. He takes her spot and holds the spyglass up to eye level. Sweiza is thankful that she gotten herself out of the boring task, at least for the time being. Verdandi briskly wlks towards the back of the ship. However, rather than enter the Captain''s quarters as before, she chooses the lower deck where the mess hall is. She turns behind her and motions for Sweiza to follow. Sweiza does so, if not with some trepidition. Once inside, Verdandi picks the table furthest from anyone else in the room. Sweiza wonders why, but Verdandi seems to have read her mind, "Even if it is in front of others, I prefer some degree of privacy during tea time." Sweiza simply nods at the woman. Once seated, a waitress walks up to them. She bows. Sweiza looks from the waitress to Verdandi. Verdandi''s eyes gleam. Verdandi turns to the waitress, "Valhallan style tea with biscuits and rolls. That will be all." The waitress bows again before heading towards the kitchen. Sweiza''s eyes follow her as she moves behind a counter and is hidden. However, in an open area that shows the ship''s cook, she sees the waitress walk behind him and grab something. Her back turns to the girl as her arms make several movements. She turns around and lifts up a tray. It has what Sweiza is expecting, rols, biscuits, a teapot and ttwo teacups. Here she is hoping it would be more interesting. The waitress brings it over; as she slowly comes into view, Sweiza notes that there is a set of sugar tongs inside of a sugar bowl with sugar cubes. The waitress setss it down on the table. She makes a brief smile at Verdandi. Verdandi ushers her over and covers her mouth as she whispers something into the woman''s ear. Sweiza''s interest perks. However, Verdandi keeps it low enough that the girl can''t hear her. The waitress stops bending over and puts her hands in front of her and clasps them together. She shakes her head at Verdandi. "That''s too bad." The waitress bows and walks off. "So anyway, Miss Serif, you had some things you wished to discuss?" Verdandi''s elbows are soon on the table and her hands clasp together as they support her head. There is grin and odd giddiness about her, "Do pass the rolls, butter included please." Sweiza eyes wide frowns at the woman in front of her and grabs the roll bowl and pushes it towards her, butter soon to follow. Verdandi is quick to butter up the roll, not paying much attention to the silent girl. Some minutes pass by as Verdandi busies herself preping the tea. Sweiza assumes the woman merely prepares things for her, tea, rolls and biscuits included, simple because there is more than enough for one person. Verdandi looks up at Sweiza, "Well don''t just sit there girl, help yourself!" Verdandi quickly grabs a saucer and pulls up the tea to her lips. "It really could use a bit more sugar." Her hands reach for the sugar tongs and a few cubes drop in. For good measure the woman stirs it. Back up to her lips and the woman''s pacing slows, much slower than Sweiza is anticipating. Verdandi tilts her head back as she finally sets the teacup back down to the saucer on the table. Verdandi''s elbows come back up to the table as both of her hands rest on top of each other. If stars and happiness were ever a thing, Sweiza now sees it in Verdandi''s eyes. Verdandi says nothing, waiting for the girl to say something. "The...uh, honey, that I, uh... mentioned from before. Is there any on the ship?" Sweiza says it hesitantly and nervously. She feels her body cringing and shaking as she asks it. She thinks to herself, "I swear I will leave something bitter for him. Putting me up to this." Verdandi''s right hand comes up to a fist to cover her mouth as she closes her eyes and gives a light cough, clearing her throat. Sweiza stares at her wild eyed. "I''m sorry dear, the waitress said they do not carry any in the kitchen. The Captain and several of the crew do have some though. No doubt Sir Herschel has been snooping and spying on the crew." Verdandi looks up above Sweiza. It takes Sweiza a minute to realize what she is looking at. She looks up to see Sprite hovering above her. He takes one look down at Sweiza and flies out above them in an open window in the wall. "How long was he..." Sweiza turns back to Verdandi, a little less bewildered due to the distraction. "Long enough to know he is going to get some sweets. Just be a dear and not let him eat too much at once. I remember sprites back in the day loved Valhallan Honey and got sick off of it. We used it for what you already know." Verdandi tries to say the last part without coming off as rude. Sweiza''s eyebrows jump and her eyes widen again. She refrains from yelling at Verdandi for the extermination of something she holds near and dear to her; at least because of Sprite. Sweiza looks back up towards the window and then to Verdandi. "I''ll see what I can do about the honey and getting that pest under control." Sweiza shakes her head at the thought of Dewey getting hyper off of honey and his antics that will follow. "Verdandi lets out a cross between a giggle and a laugh; the cheerfulness causing discomfort in Sweiza and making an awkward encounter even more awkward (at least in her mind). "So about that other stuff you wanted to discuss... Sweiza." Verdandi says some emphasis on the last part and more serious. Again Sweiza is hit with bewildered. "So during tea time, I can call you Alice?" Sweiza blurts it out, assuming that is what the last part meant. Her guess is right. "Yes dear. But only during tea time. I''m a bit older fashion observing tea, but I feel we shed aside our identities for closer belonging during tea. It helps relieve stress and builds camaraderie you know." Verdandi says it with a weak smile on her face. Sweiza will have none of this. She stiffens up, while leaning forward and she slams both of her hands on the table. Verdandi jolts as several of the teacups on the platter rattle; several of the rolls and biscuits also roll. What they really hear is the silverware jumping. Sweiza blurts out, "You can''t be serious!" The kitchen falls silent of anyone speaking. Sweiza looks up to the waitress and several other patrons observing them. Sweiza''s form shrinks as her head shrinks into her body and her elbows pull close to her seeking protection from the embarrassment. Sweiza tries not to let her face turn red at the silliness of her outburst. Her hands reach under her chair and she pulls herself closer to the table. Her head leans down and forward, closer to Verdandi. "You can''t be serious!" Sweiza says it as best as she can under a whisper while still speaking in disbelief. "Except for outbursts like that Miss Serif. That will get people observing and saying things about you that you''d rather not here. I suggest you avoid it in the future." Verdandi''s hands come up and she shrugs and shakes her head slowly. "It really is your choice... Sweiza." "Verdandi, you can''t..." Sweiza is interrupted by Verdandi. "Please call me Alice during tea." "Whatever!" Sweiza blurts it out and sticks her tonuge at the woman. "Miss Serif, you are quite the rude girl." Verdandi rests both of her hands on her lap and then seeing there is no response from the girl, she pours herself some more tea. "You really should try it Sweiza." Verdandi offers the spout of the teapot towards the empty tea cup facing Sweiza on the platter. Sweiza makes a motion with a shakey hand for Verdandi to pour her some. Sweiza knows what comes next. Verdandi sets the pot down and Sweiza reaches for the cup. She makes no point to grab the saucer. Verdandi''s face contorts into annoyance, a smile and a frown rolled into one. She lets out a tsk as Sweiza quickly reaches the cup to her mouth. She flinches when it hits her tastebuds. She downs the tea as fast as possible and feels her gag reflex kick in. "It goes better with sugar dear." Verdandi says it pleasant. Sweiza simply nods quickly and sets the teacup down and motions with a shakey hand again for the woman to poor her some more. This time Sweiza reaches for the sugar tongs and grabs a sugar cube. Just as she is about to put it in her cup, she sees Verdandi suddenly looking up and above her. Sweiza lets out a sigh and holds the tongs with the sugar cube up at arms length. The next thing she knows, it goes as expected as a certain blue sprite dive bombs the tongs, grabs the sugar cube and then stops midair and darts right back through the open window. "You two are well aquainted?" Verdandi says it with some amusement. "He''s so predictable. It''s not the first time he''s done this." Sweiza looks up at the window and sticks her tongue out at it. Verdandi just laughs. "You don''t normally show this side of yourself Verdandi." Sweiza says it while grabbing a biscuit. Perhaps the taste will wash the nasty drink down, or so she thinks. It is rather dry for her liking. She quickly grabs a knife and butters it up. It goes down much better. "Well dear, as I mentioned, tea time is a great way to shed aside our masks and identities and get to one another. I feel this very much. It is the one time I can be without duty, even when on duty so to speak." Verdandi reaches for another biscuit. Sweiza assumes she hasn''t eaten breakfast yet. "Sure... Uh, I was wondering. Am I the first person you''ve trained as a Valkyrie?" Sweiza says it prefering the biscuit to the tea. She hopes she doesn''t have to drink it any time soon. "Part of my punishment as per Odin''s decree was to train seventeen Valkyrie. As it so happens, you are the seventeenth and last apprentice I will be training." Verdandi says it while cutting the biscuit open; she butters it and adds jelly. A little honey goes with it. All she says is, "Mmm, better." Not necessarily to Sweiza, but more to herself. "Punishment?" Sweiza says it wide eyed again. Now her hands are in her lap and she stares down at the tea. "Go ahead and drink it dear. Think of it as a training exercise to discipline yourself. It helps build character." "The same way it built your character?" Sweiza says it in a dirty and hushed tone, much lower than she normally would and still full of disdain for the woman. "Yes Sweiza, the same way I''ve built my character. Tea time is amazing and a special moment to exchange pleasantries. A reminder that there are things far bitter than ourselves." She says it eying Sweiza''s cup, "Perhaps you''d like cream and honey to go with it?" Sweiza pulls the left side of her mouth down. She points up. "Sprite, you can come out. I know you are eavesdropping." She says it with a higher pitched, but piercing warning. "Dewey! Call me Dewey!" He says it flying down just in front of Sweiza. "I''d like some honey... please." "It''s not Valhallan Honey." She says it again in a lower tone. "It doesn''t matter, honey is honey." He says it as he lands on the table. "Sir Herschel, then perhaps you would appreciate some of Sweiza''s tea that she has just overly sweetened?" Verdandi says it with a smirk on her face. The sprite looks up at her suspiciously and then to Sweiza. Sweiza shakes her head, "Get your own." "Hmph!" He jumps once and then lands to the edge of the teacup. Sweiza''s attempts to swat him away are met with failure. He quickly bends over and props his mouth to the liquid. Verdandi leans forward. Sprite drinks as much as he can. Sweiza''s eyes widen. The sprite suddenly bolts straight up and starts coughing. "You tricked me, that''s nasty!" He spits the tea out at Sweiza. She points over at Verdandi. The sprite sticks his tongue out at her. "I''m beginning to think I know where you got your bad manners from Sweiza. We''ll have to work on that." Verdandi says it pouring herself more tea. "Anyway, you mentioned a punishment..." Sweiza looks down at the sprite and shoos him away. He sticks his tongue out at her again. "I mentioned a rebellion. I trust you read about it in the library?" Verdandi''s tone changes to something more serious as she sets down her half eaten biscuit and looks Sweiza dead in the eye. "I was one of those Valkyrie that lead the rebellion." "WHAT?!" Sweiza half stands up in her chair as her legs hit the table. She gives an ''ow'' and drops back to her seat. The commotion does not go unnoticed by patrons and the wait staff. This time the trio gets stares. "You are not the only one unhappy with Odin''s decisions. However, I do believe that is enough revelation for one day. Now I have a question for you." Verdandi says it adding honey to her tea this time. She takes a bite of her biscuit while she waits for Sweiza to process the request. "Hmm?" She looks down at the tea cup again. She reaches over and grabs the small jar of honey and pours it into the cup. Verdandi pauses to watch the display. Sweiza pushes the cup over in Sprite''s direction and motions for him to take the offering. He flies down at it and looks up at Sweiza, then to the cup suspiciously. He points to a spoon. "Oh, right." She takes the spoon and stirs it up. The sprite completes his same motion as before, taking quite a generous amount this time. He coughs and then wipes his mouth. He nods in approval at Sweiza and then plants himself in a sitting position on the table. He turns to face Verdandi while sitting crosslegged. He crosses his arms for good measure and eyes her as serious as he can muster. The Valkyrie pays no attention to him. "What kind of question?" Sweiza says it dismissing it as harmless. What could she possibly ask. "Before you were knighted, I spoke with the Goddess of Fertility." Verdandi says it quite serious now. Sweiza''s heart sinks. "You said this wasn''t about being a Valkyrie." "I did. It''s not that kind of question. You separated yourself from your friends and chose not to meet with the Goddess. I want to know why." Verdandi says it, not giving her tea and biscuit any attention. "That''s none of your business." Sweiza says it in a lighter tone and her face flushes red. She turns away to try and hide her embarrassment. Sprite looks up at Sweiza. "Sarah, just tell her." "Are you against me too, Spr... Dewey?" She says it half weak and pleading as she looks down at him. Sprite from Verdandi to Sweiza and gives her an evil smile. "I want Valhallan Honey." "You wouldn''t! Don''t you dare!" Sweiza says it glaring down at him. "Honey! Now!" He says it knowing he has the upper hand. Sweiza pushes her chair back, stands up and bows to Verdandi, "Thank you for tea Alice. It was delightful. I must be going." "You didn''t answer my question Miss Serif." Verdandi says it as she grabs a bell on the platter and rings it. She stands up, turns towards the kitchen and lets out a double clap before turning back to Sweiza. Sweiza attention focuses on the kitchen as the waitress from before leaves the kitchen and heads in their direction. "I think that will be all Verdandi... or should I say Strife?" Sweiza says it with her tone lowering on her last words. "Whichever you prefer Miss Serif. I have my suspicions about why you separated yourself from your friends. Keep your secrets if you like, I won''t indulge you further. But I would like you to be honest and forthright on this and other matters in the future." Verdandi bows to Sweiza and turns around to the waitress next to her. Sweiza sees a slip of paper passed between the two of them. The waitress gasps a bit and looks up at her. "Really?" is all she says. Verdandi nods once and the waitress bows. "Thank you so much." Verdandi waives her hand at her and the waitress tends to the dishes on the table. Verdandi gives Sweiza no more attention and approaches the door. Sweiza scowls at the door as the Valkyrie exits. She turns to Dewey. "Well? You either smell it or you''ve found some. So let''s go." Dewey looks up at her approval on his face and stars in his eyes. "The Captain has some. I smelled it earlier. You may have to barter with him. Valhallan Honey is very rare in Muspell and this side of Midgard." He zooms behind her and assumes the position above her shoulder. She can hear his wings fluttering next to her left ear. "We''re not at ''this side of Midgard anymore" spr... Dewey." Her eyes dart to him and then the exit. "Whatever, let''s go. That smell...!" Dewey says it while chirping several times and clicking. This is a treat he rarely gets and one he needs right now. "Whatever." Sweiza stops just before she exits the door. "Oh and Dewey?" Sweiza looks over at her shoulder and then her eyes down to him. He looks up ignorant. "Don''t ever pull this stunt again. You promise me, or I may just look for a new playmate." She reaches her left hand up to him and pets him on the head. He sticks his tongue out at her. His gambit has worked and he has won, for now. --- The Captain is sympathetic towards Sweiza''s concern over her Sprite friend. However, the type of Valhallan Honey in his quarters is unsweeted and rather spicey as it is a variant his mother makes, Sprite would not like it very well, or so he gathers. However, that doesn''t deter Sprite. His constant begging and clamoring about it is enough to distract Sweiza from her horizon watching. "Why did I ever agree to this?" She mutters it to herself. Sprite tries to pipe up again, but she shoos him away with her hand. He flies up and over her head and to the other side of her head and flies up to her right ear. He whispers something into it. Sweiza lowers the spyglass and bolts her head towards Sprite as he flies out of the way. "I highly doubt that..." She hears footsteps. The two of them turn around to see Verdandi approaching them. She lifts her head to look at them. "I see why you two put up with each other." She lets out a laugh as she says it, trying to cover her mouth out of politeness, if not tradition. "What''s that supposed to mean?" Sweiza''s hands go down to her hips. However, Sprite''s eyes widen as Verdandi raises something up towards him. A jar of Valhallan Honey. He flies from his position at Sweiza''s side and flutters up to Verdandi. "How did you..." He eyes it suspiciously and then Verdandi with skepticism. He flies back over to Sweiza and then behind her. He whispers in her ear, "She''s up to something." Sweiza looks over at him and nods. "Verdandi, you''re not this nice unless you want something." Sweiza says it shaking the spyglass at the Valkyrie. Verdandi clicks her heels together. "I knew it." Sweiza says it as a matter of fact. "I spoke with the Captain. He knows about the disagreement between you two." Verdandi motions towards the duo, "He''s agreed to part with a jar of the treasure you seek." Sprite perks up at ''treasure''. "However." Verdandi points her finger at them, "This comes with a price." "I knew it." Sweiza says it with a lower tone and scowl. "The both of you..." Verdandi points her finger sharply at them, "Will be working in the kitchen for the privilege of this jar. That will be all." Verdandi clicks her heels together. She walks up to the bow and outstretches her left hand at Sweiza. On instinct Sweiza hands her the spy glass. Verdandi shoves the jar of honey into the girl''s hands. Sweiza knows better to object; instead, she bows at Verdandi, turns around and walks off Some twenty feet away, Sweiza looks down at the jar. Sprite has been hovering around it, eying it the entire time. Sweiza pulls the jar away from him. She frowns at him. "We have work to do you little shit, don''t even -think- of eating any of this until later." His eyes water up, but he otherwise says nothing. Sweiza takes this as meaning his compliance. She lets out an odd whistle and he clicks in response. His comprimise is inevitable if it means a jar of the good stuff. The two of them walk towards the cafe. What kind of work they will be performing, has yet to be seen. With any luck, it will be easy, or so Sweiza hopes. --- It is some hours later and Sweiza slumps down in a chair. Her work consists of assisting the cook and acting as a relief waitress. In her mind, it isn''t that bad. However, her body is starting to ache. She isn''t used to walking around or carrying things this frequently. Sprite is not having much luck either; his small size means he is relegated to smaller tasks. However, it is a sight to see him flying small cups, cutlery and other items around the cafe. Sweiza spends a good fifteen minutes sitting in the chair. She hears a bell meaning her break is over. She lets out a small groan. Sprite flies up next to her. His eyes grow big and wide and she shakes her head. He makes a face at her and flies back towards the kitchen. She is soon to follow. It at the end of her shift as Sweiza''s body aches, she walks towards the door. Verdandi stands just offset to the inside of the door cradling her arms, "Teatime Miss Serif." Sweiza groans inward. Sprite flies in front of Sweiza and crosses his arms. He gives her a defiant look. "Oh fine, go get it and join us. Don''t be long you little shit." He darts off. "Sweiza, -really-, you should consider treating him with more respect." Sweiza scoffs as she walks one table over. Verdandi joins her. Sweiza immediately picks up a teacup and lifts it to her lips. She doesn''t drink it however. She shoots one eye closed at Verdandi. This gets an eyebrow from her mentor. Sweiza says in her best mock tone, "It really could use more sugar." This gets another eyebrow from the woman. Sprite flies back in, struggling to hold up an object. He drops it with a thud on the table and starts moving in a frenzy to get Sweiza''s attention. "Honestly Sprite..." "Dewey!" Sweiza scoffs again as she opens the jar of honey. It is rather tight on the lip of the jar, and she has some difficulty in getting it to open. Sprite lets out several chirps when Sweiza goes back to ignoring him to tend to her tea. She looks up again. He is standing on the table pointing to a spoon. Sweiza looks at him in disgust. Verdandi lets out a snort. Sweiza shoots her a dirty look before grabbing the spoon and dishing out a generous amount of the honey into a teacup and shoving it towards the Sprite. He wastes no time in walking over to hit and sticking his mouth up it. His body visibly shudders the moment he does it. His wings flutter sporiodically outside of his control several times before he calms them down. He looks up at Sweiza and lets out a sigh; he looks happier than he has ever been. "Some people could only be so lucky to be spoiled so rotten you little..." Sweiza stops speaking as she sees Verdandi holding her lips up to her teacup momentarily. "It really could use more sugar." Sweiza rolls her eyes. "Do you always..." "Pass the rolls Sweiza." Sweiza takes her left hand and shoves them briskly at the woman. Verdandi pays no attention to it as she grabs a knife and proceeds to butter one of them. "Sweiza, I noticed you have elven ears." Verdandi says it while lightly putting honey on the inside of the roll. Sprite lets out a giddy moan out of earshot; the two ignore him. "If you want to call them that." Sweiza stuffs a biscuit in her mouth. She chews on it hard and swallows it soon after. Verdandi''s eyes widen at the show. "Miss Serif, you really should be less uncouthe." "I thought we dropped the masks during this facade." Sweiza snorts. Verdandi shakes her head and pushes her chair back and stands up. She bows her head at the girl and walks off. Sweiza watches her walk straight out the door. "What was that about?" She asks Sprite, but he is too busy gorging himself on honey to notice. "Sprite! SPRITE!" He continues to ignore her, his head half in the cup. "Do you always have to be so disgusting?! You''re embarassing me!" Sprite looks back up at her and then dumps his head back into the cup. Sweiza flinches at the realization at the meaning of Verdandi''s words. She closes her eyes and grimaces at her own behavior. Chapter 12 - Enchantment Not being one to let food go to waste, Sweiza helps herself to what is leftover. She excuses herself from the table as the waitress comes by. Before she can go, Sprite stops her and points to the jar of honey. She rolls her eyes and grabs it and seals it for later. Right now she has something more pressing to take care of. Once out of the cafe and at the bow of the ship, Sweiza¡¯s footsteps stop short ten feet of Verdandi. Verdandi gives her no attention. Sweiza clicks her heels together. Sweiza sees Verdandi¡¯s ears perk, but otherwise she ignores the girl. Sweiza stamps her foot on the ground and then clicks her heels together. This time Verdandi¡¯s head flinches and Sweiza knows she has gotten her attention, or so she thinks. Now the girl knows Verdandi is deliberately ignoring her. ¡°Strife.¡± Sweiza says it with some urgency. Verdandi does not answer. ¡°Lady Strife!¡± Sweiza says it again this time epxecting an answer. Verdandi¡¯s spyglass lowers and her head tilts at an angle as she looks behind her at the girl. Depression, unhappiness are written on her face, but she is also clearly miffed at the girl. Verdandi does not answer them. ¡°Angst and Sir Herschel reporting for duty!¡± Sweiza says it with her hands behind her back. Sprite stands to attention alongside of her. Verdandi¡¯s mood doesn¡¯t change, she does however speak behind her as her attention focuses again on the horizon, ¡°Miss Serif, you have the day off.¡± ¡°Understood, but I¡¯m feeling quite better from last night! In fact, I¡­¡± Verdandi cuts her off. ¡°Miss Serif, if you are so inclined, I expect one thousand cuts before the end of the day. ¡°Right, but what I¡­¡± Sweiza is interrupted and jolts as Verdandi interrupts her; Sprite flies behind Sweiza for good measure. ¡°Starla, if you want to make up for your lack of decency so badly, you can sleep in the hall at the base of the door to our quarters. Now¡­ -LEAVE-.¡± Sweiza flinches and cringes as her body jolts from the yell. She opens her mouth again against her better judgement. ¡°Strife, I really am sorry for earlier. Please forgive my youthful stupidity¡­ I¡­¡± She flinches again as Verdandi turns around. A look of understanding on her face, eyebrows up, eyes closed, she nods her head once in understanding. She turns around again and gives them no further attention. Sweiza is left to stand there in silence for a few minutes before she mentions something to Sprite about the two of them further exploring the ship. Towards the stairway¡­ ¡°You still have one thousand cuts to perform!¡± Sprite mentions it casually, but with an evil smile. ¡°Quiet you!¡± She swats at him and shoos him away. ¡ª The two spend the next few hours exploring the ship. A library, an jail (called a brig, which she found fascinating), some kind of shower system unknown to her, an adults only bar the two couldn¡¯t access, many cabins, the storage area, and some kind of laundry room. Several rooms are not accessible to them due to being locked. Sweiza wonders about what is in them, but she opts not to bother. ¡°You should probably get those cuts in Sera.¡± Sprite smiles weakly at her. He doesn¡¯t want her to get in trouble, he doesn¡¯t want his food source compromised. The better her mood the more likely he is to get fed. ¡°Yeah Sprite?¡± Her eyebrows cock up and she raises her hand out and her sword appears. ¡°I still wonder how that is done.¡± He stares down at the sword and what he can only describe as Valkyrie magic. ¡°No idea. But stand clear.¡± She raises her sword with both hands and performs a cut. Another, another, followed by another. At one point she accidentally nicks the side of the hallway. Sweiza¡¯s face turns to a quick frown and she quickly turns and ducks her head away from it. She hastens herself down the hall some thirty feet and continues her mentor¡¯s current assignment. Halfway through¡­ ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll believe me?¡± Sweiza looks up at Sprite. He shrugs. ¡°Maybe if it tires you out and you walk funny from it. You -aren¡¯t- used to that kind of work.¡± He laughs at her before flying in front of her. ¡°You still have five hundred cuts to do.¡± She squints her left eye and lip together and swings her sword at him stopping two feet short. ¡°HEY!¡± He flies out of the way. He stops right in front of her with his hands on his hips. ¡°You do that again and you are on your own!¡± ¡°No honey for you then!¡± He flinches and flies up to the ceiling for good measure. ¡°Start again!¡± She looks up at him and blows up at her hair. Five hundred more cuts pass the time. Sprite flies down to her upon the final cut. Sweiza has broken out a sweat and is panting and breathing harder than normal. She pulls out her watch from her pocket. A little over half an hour. ¡°How many did I do per minute Sprite?¡± ¡°You did¡­¡± Sprite looks up at her and his face turns blank. ¡°What?¡± She looks at him puzzled. ¡°My name isn¡¯t Sprite.¡± His hands cross. He will win this argument, honey or not. ¡°I¡¯ve always called you Sprite. You¡¯ve always called me Sera!¡± She says it with some disbelief and stress. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be hanging around you and other humans, I want you to call me by my name.¡± Sprite looks up at her with a grin on his face. It quickly disappears as she walks towards the exit of the hall. ¡°Wait!¡± He chases after her and she shoos him away. Up the stairs and to the deck outside. Her walking slows as she approaches Verdandi, whom is still at the bow of the ship. Sweiza¡¯s greaves appear at the last minute and her normal footsteps turn to metal on wood. A metal clicking noise and then metal hitting wood gains Verdandi¡¯s attention. She turns around and looks down at the girl. Sweiza rests her hands together in front of her legs and takes in a deep breath. Hopefully this will reset relations between them, if not smooth things over a little. Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows perk up slightly as she sees the girl breathing harder than normal; the sweat on the girl¡¯s face does not go unnoticed by the woman either. Verdandi¡¯s lip pulls behind her as they purse together, but she avoids frowning. She says nothing. ¡°1000 cuts as requested.¡± Sweiza bows to the woman quickly. She stands back up and to attention, however this time slightly relaxed. The apprehension on her face and in her body language is apparent. Sprite finally catches up to her. Verdandi looks down at the two with some skepticism. Her hands go down to her hips, her spyglass aiming behind her in her left hand. ¡°Oh really?¡± Verdandi¡¯s voice shows some contempt and skepticism. ¡°¡­and can you demonstrate some of these cuts for me Miss Serif?¡± Sprite stalls midair above Sweiza¡¯s shoulder. He catches the tailend of the conversation. ¡°It took her about half an hour. She did about thirty cuts per minute.¡± Verdandi¡¯s ears shoot back and her eyebrows slowly raise. Her face wears a scowl on it. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do better than that Miss Serif.¡± Sweiza takes in an involuntary breath, her eyes water up and her lips purse together. ¡°Hmph.¡± Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows shoot up briefly. ¡°So you did afterall.¡± Verdandi turns around towards the bow and picks up her spyglass again. She turns her head around momentarily at the girl. ¡°What are you doing just standing there? Make yourself useful and speak to the Captain about working as a rigging monkey?¡± ¡°A wha¡­?¡± Sweiza looks up to Sprite, the both of them puzzled. Sweiza¡¯s head bolts towards the direction of a foot stomping the ground and then a loud, ¡°Now!¡± Sweiza jumps and quickly bows at the woman, it goes unnoticed. She quickly hastens herself to the Captain¡¯s quarters. ¡ª ¡°Dewey! I hate this!¡± Sweiza says it with contempt as she inspects more rigging. Her task for the last few hours was to cross together rope to a certain measurement and then knot it together. However, she was informed that it would be used as spare rope for when the rigging would be replaced, which wouldn¡¯t be for another few months. It was boring. It gnaws at her attention and boredom, it feels painful to her. Sprite is not much better off. His task is to grab the end of the rope and move it around as Sweiza knots it together. However, several times the crewman in charge of ¡®rigging¡¯ (aka a rigging monkey) had her undo several of her knots saying they were not tight enough or the length for that particular cross was not long enough. At one point she send a glare at him and he beams a smile at her. Normally this task he was left to himself, but to have some help made it a little easier. He was free to check the rigging up top above the masts. Several times he came down to help her and give her some pointers. To be fair, the matter earned her some points with the crew as well as the Captain. Captain Dillion was flattered that she would offer to help with such a time consuming job. It left his rigging monkey to help with the masts¡¯s rigging as well as freed him up for other areas to assist on the ship. The Sterling Blue may be an old ship, but maintenance like this is what keeps her looking new and afloat. Captain Dillion explained this to her, but Sweiza just looked depressed at him and slunk off to find ¡®that¡¯ specific room she would be working. In total the task took her most of the afternoon. ¡ª In the late afternoon Verdandi hears a familiar set of metal footsteps and a familiar metal click. She turns around again and looks down at the girl. ¡°Sweiza and Spr¡­¡± Sweiza stops as Sprite flies in front of her. He darts several times in front of her from side to side. She knows that is his way of letting her know that she has messed up on something. Sweiza¡¯s face cringes as she turns away from Sprite. She regains her composure and looks at Verdandi again. ¡°Sweiza and Dewey reporting for duty!¡± ¡°Oh really? You¡¯re done already?¡± Verdandi¡¯s arms cross in contempt and disbelief. Sweiza walks up and shows her hands to Verdandi. They are considerably red, with part of her skin pulled on her right palm; her fingers have two blisters on them. Verdandi¡¯s mood lightens ever so slightly. She pays them no more attention and turns back to the front of the ship. She hears a metal click again. She doesn¡¯t turn around. ¡°Yes, Miss Serif?¡± Verdandi¡¯s voice is lower than normal. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for earlier.¡± Sweiza says it as genuine as she can. Verdandi says nothing. ¡°I¡¯m -really- sorry for earlier.¡± Sweiza puts more emphasis on ¡®really¡¯. Verdandi continues to ignore her. Sprite takes one look at Sweiza, then to Verdandi and darts over to Verdandi. Sweiza cannot make out what he is saying. However, she notes he is very close to the woman¡¯s ear. She sees Verdandi look over to Sprite, then turn her upper body over towards the girl and then back to the Sprite. Again Sweiza cannot make out what they are saying as they exchange some words. Finally, Verdandi barks something akin to ¡°Well she had better.¡± Verdandi waves her hand dismissively at Sprite and he slowly flies back over to Sweiza. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Is all he says to her. Sweiza looks up from Verdandi then to Sprite who flies off. She blinks several times at what just happened. Sprite stops and turns around. ¡°We need to speak with the Captain about fixing sails.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head gives way from holding it up right. She lets out a sigh as her body slumps. She trudges her footsteps after him, dragging her feet and arms as she walks. This is not turning into a very good day for her. ¡ª- The rest of the afternoon for the two is spent fixing sails with two other crewman called ¡°Sailmakers¡±. As she learns from speaking to them, most ships that plow the waters simply did not have them to save on funds. However, this left them vulnerable in case of a storm or if a sail rips. Consequently as a result, most ships have extra masts and sails. The ¡°Sterling Blue¡± is no exception, it has multiple masts and sails, more so than most ships due to its size and length. As Sweiza also learns, there are two sails (backup sails) that, while not necessary, are in need of repairs. It proves handy for the group fixing them that a certain Sprite can fly and move small materials around (much to his annoyance). He discovers another rip in a sail and it is dealt with. Despite the both of them being hungry, the strain of work and constantly moving around keeps them occupied. They lose track of the time and it is towards the evening hours. Sweiza makes a remark about the sun setting. Sprite says it looks like any other sunset. She looks at him and lets out a laugh. The crewman start to dissipate from the sails and work their way down the rigging. Sweiza looks down at one of them. He looks back up waves and holds his hand to his mouth. ¡°We¡¯re done for the day. It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± Sweiza and Sprite look at each other. ¡°Yes!¡± They both say it in unison while high fiving each other. Sweiza quickly makes her way down the rigging. Sprite simply follows her thanks to his ability to hover. Sweiza turns towards the bow to see if a familiar Valkyrie is still there, and probably with contempt no less. She doesn¡¯t see her. Sweiza turns around towards the cafe. She gives one last look at Sprite. He knows what he is getting for behaving himself; she motions for him to follow. They are already up at the counter in no time flat. The order of the evening is Muspell Toast with syrup and dragon meat, syrup all around. Sweiza wonders about ¡®dragon meat¡¯, but decides to try it anyway. She orders a simple milk style malt to go with her food, with some coffee on the side; the latter not a personal favorite, but after events of the day she will try it anyway. She orders extra syrup for Sprite. His eyes and wings go abuzz at the treat. While the two of them are eating, a familiar walks in towards the counter. She turns around and sees the two of them. For a minute the tension between them feels like an infinite silence - at least to Sweiza it does. Sprite is too busy lapping up honey to notice; the disgusting pig that he is, he uses his hands to scoop it up, sucking his fingers as he goes. The eternal silence is little more than roughly ten seconds. Verdandi slowly aproachs them. Sweiza freezes as Verdandi approaches the table. Sprite looks up with his eyes glazed over. He quickly sobers up when he sees Verdandi. He attempts to fly his wings, but honey is stuck in them. He trys to jump into a hover and falls over the cup he is sitting in. ¡°Is there room for one more?¡± Verdandi asks it pleasantly, giving a weak smile. Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen in puzzlement. She looks down at Sprite. He shrugs, honey dripping off of his arms. ¡°Your friend looks like he will need a bath after this.¡± Verdandi says it nonchalantly. ¡°Quite.¡± Sweiza says it in a high pitched voice, uncertain, but knowing Verdandi wants to sit next to them for a reason. She notes Verdandi is still standing there with her right hand on the chair. ¡°Uh, yeah. Sure. We weren¡¯t done anyway. I think we were both going to have seconds. Right Sp¡­ Dewey?¡± Sweiza says it looking down at him. He looks up sheepishly at Sweiza and then nods as he buries his body back into the cup. All Sweiza thinks is that he is disgusting and this is so typical of him. ¡°So what brings¡­¡± Sweiza stops and is interrupted by Verdandi using her hand to pull the chair it was resting on. She circles it quickly and sits herself down and scoots the chair forward. Sweiza can¡¯t see it but Verdandi¡¯s hands rest in her lap. ¡°Let¡¯s cut right to the chase Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi¡¯s words make Sweiza blink, then frown as her eyes widen into a frown. Verdandi¡¯s words speak sharply to her. ¡°You did me wrong earlier.¡± Sweiza simply nods several times, wearing the same face, eyes still wide. Verdandi¡¯s right hand comes up from the table and points at Sweiza, but above and to the right so as not to be too rude. Her finger motions several times as she does it. ¡°You and I are supposed to build trust and rapport with each other. However, you have also been quite belligerent towards my person as well as your duties. I¡¯ve been willing to let most of this slide.¡± Verdandi¡¯s eyes narrow and she stares at the girl sharply. Sweiza¡¯s body seemingly turns more narrow and she puts her legs together and her hands in her lap by instinct as Verdandi speaks. ¡°Tea time is something I find to be very sacred where I let my guard down around others; I expec the same.¡± Sweiza says nothing. She knows what is coming. ¡°Further, you chose to insult me during something personal. Being young doesn¡¯t excuse you from disregarding another person¡¯s beliefs or what they hold in esteem.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Sweiza says it clearly. She waits to get yelled at. Her body braces itself. Sprite looks up slowly with only the upper half of his head peaking out of the cup. Verdandi pauses. She feels Sweiza must be scared right now. ¡°Concerning your punishment Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi says it as her eyebrows raise. Sweiza takes in an involuntary breath. Here it comes. ¡°I think most of the work you¡¯ve done for today makes up for it.¡± Sweiza lets her breath out slowly, so Verdandi doesn¡¯t notice. The Valkyrie does notice. ¡°You will still be sleeping outside the door of our cabin tonight.¡± Sweiza¡¯s body takes in a short breath and her lips bunch up. She does what she can to restrain herself. The waterworks might come and this isn¡¯t the time for it. She assumes it will come, but it never does. ¡°Without covers. You can sleep with a pillow.¡± Verdandi says it, her voice getting sharper. ¡°That¡¯s not fair! It gets cold!¡± Sweiza says it stressing the discomfort of it. ¡°Your discomfort will be part of your punishment. Maybe you will learn its good to be close to someone while learning to hold your tongue.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°In addition to helping out the crew as you have today¡­¡± Verdandi pauses, making sure it takes effect on the girl. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Verdandi continues speaking, ¡°You will provide one thousand cuts as part of your training.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°You will also be cleaning the bilge and the brig throughout the rest of our trip. Is that clear?¡± Verdandi says it, no concern for what the girl has to say at this point. ¡°What is a bil¡­¡± Sweiza is interrupted by Sweiza. ¡°Sweiza, do not interrupt me.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Sweiza simply agrees with her, despite -not- having interrupted her. ¡°Lastly, unless you have something in regards to your duties as a Valkyrie or my mentorship over you, there will be nothing but silence between us.¡± Sweiza looks at Verdandi blankly, not sure where she is going with this. ¡°This is part of your punishment. You caused a grievance with someone when you are to hold yourself to a higher standard. You can live with this discomfort for awhile.¡± Verdandi says it, calming down slightly. ¡°For how long?¡± Sweiza say sit, her voice and tone dropping and becoming deeper, extremely uncertain. At this point Sweiza is starting to shake. ¡°For the duration of our trip to Valhalla. After that, I will consider our slate ¡®clean¡¯.¡± Sweiza stares at Verdandi blankly. Verdandi¡¯s eyes narrow at the girl again. ¡°As for that diary that you keep¡­¡± Verdandi¡¯s face turns to something nasty. Sweiza flinches and her body jolts backwards as Verdandi¡¯s voice sharpens and gets louder. ¡°You will bring it to me after dinner, and you will watch as I throw it overboard. You will not have an escape from your duties as a Valkyrie, is¡­ that, clear?!¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± It comes out, just barely, and in a lower tone as Sweiza stops shaking. Her diary means the world to her. ¡°You are -not- to have another one as long as I mentor you, is that clear?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Good, you are excused.¡± Verdandi pushes the chair back calmly, stands up and gives Sweiza a sharp look as she walks out the door. Sprite gives her a look, his heart beating fast. They sit their in silence as their instincts and bodies calm down. ¡°We should probably eat this before it gets cold. Sadly her nastiness does nothing to warm it up.¡± Sweiza looks away from him and keeps her head low to the table as she resumes eating. He continues to stuff his face with honey, albeit much slower and with less merriment. This is going to be a long journey for the both of them indeed. ¡ª At the bow of the ship, Verdandi holds Sweiza¡¯s journal. Sweiza bunches up her right cheak as Verdandi shakes the journal sharply at the girl and then flings it into the water below. Sweiza says nothing and clicks her heels together, slowly. Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows move up in retribution as she bows her head at the girl. Sweiza turns around and heads towards her room. She has a few hours to herself with nothing to do. Thankfully Sprite is along to keep her company. ¡ª The small lantern in the cabin flickers as its light dances on the room walls. Sweiza is on the bed holding out tarot cards performing a reading between her and Sprite. Sweiza simply translates the five cards in front of them as meaning difficulty before seeing the sunrise. Sprite thinks she is being silly and that ¡®it will be alright.¡¯ They laugh to themselves. It is cut short as the door opens. It opens slowly, much to slowly for comfort. Verdandi slowly steps in. She stands with her hands folded between her legs. There is an eerie silence as she looks at both Sprite and Sweiza. Verdandi slowly raises her left hand and points to the door. Sweiza¡¯s eyes close as she grabs her rucksack. She is halfway to the door and she looks back at the bed. Her tarot cards are still there. She turns around to grab them and hears metal stomp the ground. Sweiza closes her eyes, turns around and quickly hastens her pace as she walks past Verdandi. Once outside the room, Sweiza drops her rucksack to her right side. This will be easy. However, she hears the slow click of the door behind her. She finally can¡¯t control it. She cringes and her head slumps between her shoulders. She backs herself against the door and slowly lets herself sink to her knees and a sitting position. She wraps her arms around her legs and braces herself as she burines her face into her knees. She starts crying. The instinctive kind that can¡¯t be controlled. She shakes her head at it trying to regain control of herself, it doesn¡¯t work. She feels the phlegm in her nose. Finally, after several mintutes she lets out an exasperated breath and it stops. Her tears still fill her eyes and her mouth still quivers. Sprite tries to counsel her, but she shakes her head at him. ¡ª It is sometime in the night. Sweiza finally stirs. She is lucky the type of clothing she wears has a hood to cover her head. It helps to keep a little heat in her body. She had forgotten to grab a pillow and makes due with her rucksack. The vision of an angry Valkyrie pointing at her still haunts her. She pushes her hands against the floor and braces her back and head against her rucksack and the door. She looks around and sees that the it is dark, save for a lone lantern at either end of the hallway. She looks down and sees Sprite curled up on her stomach, still sleeping. How he trusts her this much, she isn¡¯t certain, nor is she certain why he has stuck around for so long. Some things never change, or so she thinks to herself. She muses to herself a little while longer, bracing a smirk on her face and slowly eases herself back to the ground. She slowly wiggles her body up against the wall so as not to wake Sprite, or make a future inconvenience of herself to anyone walking by. She doubts anyone will be up at this late hour. She looks up at the door and things better of banging on it. She will surely stir Valkyrie¡¯s wrath if she does. She finally lets her head tilt back and she turns her body so it is braced up against the wall and angled towards the other wall. This is not a pleasant experience to her, and it is colder tonight than it should be. She can just make it out, rain. She shakes her head and goes back to sleep. Watching the rain will have to wait. ¡ª ¡°What do you desire?¡± The voice rings over the ship. Sweiza realizes her eyes are closed and opens them. She jumps back realizing she is up in the air. Her arms reach to catch something as she backs into the side of the crow¡¯s nest. She feels slight vertigo hit her as she looks down at the ship below. It takes her a moment, and she stabilizes herself. She yells it, ¡°DEMI! YOU FOOL! What do you WANT?!¡± Sweiza looks in front of her but sees nothing. She hears a weird clicking next to her. She looks down and to her left. A raven on the ledge of the crow¡¯s nest. She gets angry and leans in towards it. It bounces and then crows at her. She lets out a startled yelp. ¡°Is this some kind of joke you facade?!¡± She yells it at the sky and a streak of thunder arcs the sky. It starts to rain quite heavily. Sweiza crosses her arms and covers her shoulders. She lets out a puff of air at her wet hair. She starts huddling and shivering herself to stay warm. She looks down again at the raven. It lets out a caw at her. She sticks her tongue out at it. The bird holds it¡¯s head high and it¡¯s beak moves as it lets out a loud laugh. More lighting arcs the sky. It caws some more. ¡°What do you desire?¡± It lets out another decrepit laugh. ¡°You know what, you -little- SHIT!¡± Sweiza summons her sword and takes a swing at it. The bird flies up, cawing and laughing at her. It flies away asking the same thing, over and over, ¡°What do you desire?¡± Sweiza pulls her left arm behind her. She extends her right arm. She pulls the arrow and the string tight. She points it at the bird. The bird asks, ¡°What do y¡­¡± It drops dead shortly after she releases the string. She places her right foot up on the crows nest and rests her right hand and bow across her knee. She looks down at the bird triumphantly. ¡°Serves you right Demi!¡± ¡ª Sweiza¡¯s eyes open. She bolts up and looks around. She soon realizes where she is. She quickly looks down at Sprite. He isn¡¯t there. She quickly checks behind her. Her rucksack is still there. She quickly clammers to her feet and grabs her rucksack and places it around her shoulders. She hears footsteps from behind the door. The door quickly opens. Verdandi appears. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I heard a commotion.¡± She looks around, half startled, half away. She looks bewildered at Sweiza. Sweiza has her arms crossed and is tapping her foot. She glares at Verdandi. ¡°What?¡± Verdandi says scoffing at the girl. Sweiza closes her eyes and sticks her tongue out at her. ¡°Whatever.¡± Verdandi turns around and closes the door. Sweiza sticks her tongue out at the door once more for good measure. The door opens and Verdandi appears again. ¡°And another thing¡­¡± Verdandi looks at the girl and her eyebrows shoot up. ¡°Cold without another person last night, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Sweiza crosses her arms and jerks her head away from Verdandi giving her a ¡°HMPH!¡± ¡°These belong to you.¡± Verdandi extends her right hand. Sweiza snathces her tarot card deck from the woman. She quickly puts them in her pants pocket. ¡°Those are enchanted, or so I gather?¡± Verdandi looks at Sweiza¡¯s pants pocket, half musing. Sweiza takes her hand and pulls her eyelid down at the Valkyrie. She sticks her tongue out while making a noise at her. ¡°You¡¯re forgiven. Be ready for breakfast.¡± Verdandi closes the door again. ¡°Stupid Valkyrie. You¡¯re the one who¡¯d best be ready for breakfast. I¡¯m going to rack up such a bill for you.¡± Sweiza extends her body forward, closes her eyes and makes another noise as she sticks her tongue out one last time. She turns around and walks towards the stairs to the upper deck. She is stopped by the door opening and Verdandi¡¯s voice one last time. ¡°Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi says it very powerful, yet cheerful and pleasant (and quite fake) and creeps Sweiza out. Sweiza turns around. ¡°Mmm?¡± Verdandi says it more efficiently, ¡°Don¡¯t take my grace for granted.¡± Sweiza smiles at her and walks towards the upper deck. In Sweiza¡¯s mind, these two could get along just yet. ¡ª- It is about half an hour later and Sweiza has been waiting for about ten minutes for Verdandi to show up. The door to the cafe finally opens and Verdandi walks through in her day to day outfit. Sweiza looks Verdandi up and down once, but quickly turns her head when Verdandi notes she is watching her. Verdandi walks over to and stops just short of Sweiza for a brief moment; she bows her head thoughtfully and continues on her way towards order area of the cafe kitchen. She speaks purposely with the waitress. Sweiza¡¯s eyes perk when the waitress looks over at Sweiza once, then to Verdandi; the waitress can¡¯t hide the fact her eyes look over at the girl once more. In Sweiza¡¯s mind, this can¡¯t be good. Sweiza watches them for a few minutes more. She hears a voice¡­ ¡°You never did know when to mind your own business.¡± She looks up and over to her right and sees Sprite. ¡°Dew¡­ Sprite¡­¡± She trips over her words. He bobs up and down slowly. She can¡¯t figure out if it is in amusement or not. She finally barks at him. ¡°Since when did you ever -not- pay attention to matters that didn¡¯t concern you?¡± He motions his right hand in a come hither motion. She knows what she wants. She reaches into her rucksack at the base of one of the table¡¯s legs. She pulls out the jar of Valhallan Honey. Sprite flinches at it. Sweiza quickly puts it back in her rucksack. ¡°You were a pig with this stuff yesterday.¡± She points an accusing finger at him and then flicks it and her hand away from him. He blushes and turns away. He knows in his mind he -was- a pig. ¡°You can help yourself to some -real- food for once. It¡¯ll give you a chance to recover from yesterday. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you weren¡¯t flying funny.¡± She widens her eyes at him (briefly) as she says it. He nods in approval and lets out a low click in compliance. He knows exactly what she means - this wasn¡¯t the first time he had pigged out on food. Some healthy food might do him good for once. Sprite jumps to attention at as the sound of metal footsteps approach. He quickly bolts behind Sweiza just as her head turns over to see Verdandi standing next to them. She folds her hands together in front of her as she looks down the girl in front of her. She has a look of of calmness, but longing about her. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Well then.¡± She bows her head ever so slightly as she grabs the chair adjacent to Sweiza. She sits down without a second thought. Her chair and body eerily facing Sweiza. Sweiza slightly frowns as she purses her lips. Verdandi¡¯s arms cross as she supports her elbows under the table. Sweiza says nothing. ¡°Well then Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi says it again, this time her right hand wresting the table, tapping her finger ever so slightly. Sweiza looks away from her. Sweiza feels a metal greave tap her right leg ever so slightly. Sweiza takes in a quick breath and tries to calm herself down. Her anticipation grows and lightly touches anxiety. Verdandi is having a good show of unnerving the girl. Verdandi¡¯s eyebrows perk again and then return to their resting place. Sweiza feels as if Verdandi stares at her for an eternity. Verdandi finally pulls both her elbows up to the table and supports her head with folded hands. ¡°So¡­¡± Sweiza says it quickly and clipped with doubt. Verdandi blinks her eyes deliberately at the girl. ¡°Would you stop it?!¡± Sweiza barks it at her. Verdandi drops the act. ¡°Concerning your punishment Miss Serif. ¡°I am to be punished then.¡± Sweiza says it with the doubt leaving her voice. ¡°Oh count on it.¡± Verdandi says it with contempt at the girl. Her mood suddenly lightens. ¡°However, in the spirit of you acting remorseful of your behavior yesterday, and then some¡­¡± Verdandi¡¯s eyes widen at the girl and return to normal. Sweiza shifts uncomfortably in her chair. ¡°I¡¯ll allow your Sprite friend to help you¡­¡± Sweiza looks from Verdandi over to Sprite. He opens and waives his hands at her uncertainly. ¡°¡­and rather than just locking you in the bilge, you will be allowed to come and go as you please. This is something that you may do as your liesure; that doesn¡¯t mean you are getting out of cleaning. Is that clear Miss Valkyrie?!¡± Sweiza can¡¯t hide her frown, if however slight. She nods her head. ¡°Wipe that look off your face Miss Serif.¡± Sweiza quickly complies with the Valkyrie. Verdandi points and shakes her finger at the girl sharply. ¡°You are lucky this time. Is that clear?!¡± Sweiza again nods. ¡°Regardless¡­¡± Verdandi closes her eyes as she speaks, ¡°The bilge is a duty -we- would be attending to at some point anyway. Therefor ¡®I¡¯ will also be assisting you, also at my liesure.¡± Verdandi turns her head slowly and gives her a sharp eye. ¡°If you were smart, you would do this together with someone to speak with to make it go by quicker.¡± It takes the girl a minute to process what was just said. This isn¡¯t much a punishment as much as it is a duty that would be assigned to her anyway; only it is made to sound like a punishment. Sweiza bites her tongue, then responds, ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Good. You will still be cleaning the brig as well as assisting the crew and performing cuts under my watchful eye.¡± Verdandi shakes her sharply at the girl in disapproval and then lightens her mood. ¡°Now do you have anything to say for yourself Miss Serif?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to make me pay the bill are you?¡± Sweiza feels her heart lurch as she asks it. Verdandi smirks and shakes her head lightly at the girl. Sweiza feels the blood return to her body. She lets out a breath of relief. The waitress behind them interrupts them. Verdandi looks over and behind her. The waitress has a large tray with several entrees : hashbrowns, with fish, fries, mashed potatoes and gravy. The waitress sets them on the table. She however, does not excuse herself. She stands there staring at Sweiza; her hands remain cupped together in front of her, just shy of the table. Verdandi slowly turns her head towards Sweiza. ¡°Oh yes¡­¡± Verdandi says it half jokingly and with light sarcasm, ¡°Miss Brynhilde is most intrigued, as well as gracious enough to decline a tip, providing you would of course, perform a reading for her.¡± Sweiza flinches at Verdandi. Her lips purse to a frown as her head turns from Verdandi to the waitress. The waitress looks at Sweiza longingly and hopeful. ¡°I don¡¯t normally perform readings for strangers. It¡¯s unorthodox.¡± Sweiza says it with disregard at the waitress. Verdandi clears her throat at Sweiza. Sweiza remains adamant and shoots a sharp and disapproving look at Verdandi. ¡°Then perhaps you would be willing to pay for our meals as well as tips for the duration of our trip?¡± Sweiza laughs nervously as she backs off. ¡°I think I can make an exception¡­¡± She looks over at Brynhilde, the woman still with hope in her eyes; she then looks over to Verdandi, ¡°Just this once.¡± ¡°That is very kind of you Miss Serif.¡± The waitress bows again before excusing herself. The rest of their breakfast goes as usual. For the first time an unusual amount of politeness and respect fills their words with each other. However, most of their meal is spent in silence as if to reinforce this fact. Even Little Sprite behaves himself (at least as far as he is concerned) as he helps himself to a hashbrown and then some coffee. Sweiza tuts at him when he barely has any; he knows what happened the last time he had too much. Sweiza¡¯s mother was -not- happy about the mess he made in the kitchen. Just as the two of them are finished, one of the decksman runs into the cafe. Flustered, he speaks to Verdandi, ¡°If Valkyrie Strife is so inclined, your presence is urgently requested at the bow of the ship.¡± Verdandi looks over at Sweiza, she looks back at Verdandi, ¡°I think we were just finishing up Valkyrie.¡± Verdandi nods as the two of them leave their meal behind. ¡ª At the bow of the ship a peculiar sight unfolds. A crowd of the Captain, his crewman, and several passengers have circled around something of interest. It takes Verdandi and Sweiza some effort to push their way through the crowd. As they finally make their way through, they see what is causing so much upset. A woman in a very minimal looking, but white dress. It appears to reflect the sunlight. There are five armed men on either side of her. They are clearly the same race, with pale skin and their hair a gradient of varying shades of blue and green. ¡°Undine¡­¡± Verdandi says it under her breath and to no one in particular. She forgets about Sweiza as she spends a few seconds in her thoughts, deciding what to do. However, Sweiza is more preoccupied with something else. Verdandi is suddenly interrupted and brought back to reality as Sweiza lets out a cry, ¡°My diary!¡± Verdandi watches bewildered (as do several others) as Sweiza marches forward to the group of Undine. Now oblivious to the guards, her attention is solely on something in the Undine female¡¯s left hand. Sweiza storms up and makes a nasty face at her. She grabs the woman¡¯s hand and holds it up in front of the Undine¡¯s face. ¡°This doesn¡¯t belong to you!¡± Sweiza shakes the Undine¡¯s wrist in front of her several times to make her point. She then uses her free hand and rips the diary from her hands. Sweiza mentally grimaces at the fact it is soaked in water. However, she preoccupies herself making a very nasty face at the Undine. ¡°Keep your hands in your own business, you worthless¡­!¡± Sweiza is however, interrupted by Verdandi clearing her throat. Sweiza realizes she has lost her composure and tries to stifle herself. She lets out a quick snort of disgust at the Undine. Sweiza quickly does an about face to meet Verdandi and then quickly bows, fear filling her. Verdandi slowly shakes her head at the girl. Sweiza flinches and then quickly joins Verdandi back by her side. By this time she sees at least two of the guards looking nervous at her. They have moved (further behind) from their previous position. She hopes she isn¡¯t the cause of them doing so. Sweiza turns her gaze back to Verdandi just in time to see the Valkyrie flick a strand of her hair. Sweiza assumes she has a plan of how to deal with this; she assumes right. Verdandi walks toward them. ¡°Which of you is in charge here?¡± She says it in a low, but personal tone. One of the guards, dressed in higher grade armor, lowers his spear as he speaks. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°To whom am I speaking?¡± Verdandi says it as she clicks her heels together. The guard¡¯s eyes shoot down to Verdandi¡¯s heels and then her. He seems rattled by the gesture, but otherwise remains unphased. ¡°I am Ira. I am here on business with this treacherous filth.¡± Woman in the midst of the five guards shuffles backwards as Ira speaks. Sweiza assumes he is referring to the woman. ¡°Of course. I believe the punishment is death, or at the very least, banishment, is it not?¡± Verdandi¡¯s face remains stoic, but she otherwise uses her left hand and flicks some of her hair near her left ear. Sweiza notes the gesture, and begins to wonder why she does it so often. Sweiza¡¯s attention shuffles back to the guard, but she is surprised when Verdandi turns around to face her. ¡°What do you think Miss Serif?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sweiza muffles it, still surprised. ¡°What do you think?¡± Sweiza shakes her head and shrugs. ¡°I don¡­¡± Verdandi stamps her foot on the ground. Sweiza stiffens up at the gesture. ¡°Miss Serif, what do you think of the crime of stealing another person¡¯s belongings?¡± ¡°You mean the same way you took what is -mine- and threw it¡­¡± Verdandi stamps her foot on the ground again, this time louder and more forceful. Sweiza gets the point. ¡°She should be punished!¡± Sweiza shakes her diary at the woman. ¡°This is mine, even if it is at the bottom of the ocean!¡± Ira steps forward. ¡°We do not tolerate human belongings in our world. You will¡­¡± Ira visibly grunts and drops to his knees. It takes Sweiza a second to process what just happened. Verdandi¡¯s blow to him wasn¡¯t a lethal one; however, she points her lance down at him. Verdandi speaks to Sweiza again, not taking her gaze off of the guard. ¡°Miss Serif, this woman will meet a terrible fate if you don¡¯t intervene.¡± ¡°Why should I help a thief?¡± Sweiza stamps her foot to the ground in defiance. Verdandi smiles at the gesture, still eying the guard. ¡°It is your duty; you are a Valkyrie and you choose the slain.¡± Verdandi inches her lance at the guard, terror filling his eyes as he looks up at the woman. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in killing.¡± Sweiza says it stepping forward killing. ¡°For the same reason you have no right to kill this man.¡± Sweiza says it, stepping forward. She shoves Verdandi¡¯s lance out of the way. To her surprise, the lance disappears and Verdandi¡¯s hand rests back at her side. Verdandi eyes the guard and speaks in a harsh tone to him and his entourage. ¡°This Valkyrie has spoken by Valhallan law. Leave.¡± The guard stands to his feet. He is about to say something until Verdandi barks at him, ¡°¡­or perhaps you would like me to invoke Valhallan law for trespassing?¡± The guard projects his composure and about faces and waves for his group to follow him. Sweiza gasps as they head towards the bow of the ship and dive overboard. She runs past the woman and Verdandi, up to the bow and leans over the rail of the ship. She looks down and sees nothing. She turns back over to and shakes her head at Verdandi. She approaches the woman left behind. Verdandi also takes a few steps towards her and speaks, ¡°Raise your hands.¡± The woman looks at her blankly. Verdandi barks at her, ¡°Now!¡± The woman complies. Verdandi is quick to raise her lance and clips one of the chain links, breaking it. ¡°I don¡¯t want any excuses out of you. I know what you are. Regardless, you are my prisoner. Is that clear?¡± Verdandi¡¯s words fill the woman, she visibly shakes, but attempts to nod. Verdandi speaks again. ¡°As such, you will wear those anklets and those shackles shall remain on until I see fit. In the meantime, you will use your abilities to clean every inch of the exterior of this ship. You will earn your keep, is that clear?¡± The woman nods. She walks over to the bow of the ship and falls over. Sweiza dumbfounded, shifts her head to Verdandi. ¡°Sweiza, come. I¡¯m sure you have questions.¡± Verdandi says it sharply at the girl. Sweiza is baffled at the hint of caring in Verdandi¡¯s voice. ¡°What just¡­¡± Sweiza is interrupted by Verdandi. ¡°Miss Serif, no more delay; we have breakfast to attend to!¡± Verdandi stiffens her body, clicks her heels together and about faces and marches to the cafe. Sweiza ignores the crowd and follows after her. Captain Dillon is also there. He goes to speak, however, Verdandi only passes by him and shoots a wry smirk at him as she walks towards the cafe. Sweiza walks by, stares at the Captain with a flustered look on his face. Sweiza opens her palms at him and shakes her head. They both say nothing and she follows after. ¡ª Once inside the cafe¡­ ¡°You pig, you were here the entire time?¡± Sweiza lets out a snort at the Sprite. He simply looks up from his sitting position on the table and grins at her. Verdandi looks down at him unimpressed. ¡°You have quite the appetite.¡± The Sprite looks up at her sheepishly and nods. Verdandi speaks again, ¡°Am I to assume right that most of what you eat is channeled into, ¡®magic¡¯, for lack of a better word?¡± The Sprite looks down at one of the hashbrowns and then back up to the Valkyrie and nods slowly at her. Verdandi¡¯s head turns to Sweiza. ¡°I would imagine that creature¡­¡± Verdandi says it to Sweiza who rocks her head at the word creature, ¡°¡­my apologies Miss Serif, your familiar¡­ He seems to be like a hummingbird.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that is far off¡­¡± Sweiza looks down at him with her eyes raised and unimpressed. ¡°Sir Herschel, magic and enchanted creatures are forbidden within the gates of Valhalla. However, as a familiar to a Valkyrie, there are certain perks and privileges that are entitled, especially when invoked by a Valkyrie. Is that clear?¡± Verdandi looks down at him, dead serious. He looks up at her, not sure what she means. ¡°So I can wait outside or hide in her rucksack.¡± He motions at Sweiza, then helps himself to another hashbrown, but drops it when Verdandi smashes her gauntlet on the table. It is enough to rattle him and make him jump from the table. He flies backwards slightly. ¡°No doubt Huginn and Munnin have graced Odin¡¯s castle by now, so listen well little one.¡± Verdandi says it sharply at the Sprite. He simly holds position in the air. ¡°Odin doesn¡¯t like your kind, and those ravens of his will have most assuredly squawked their wretched song to him. As long as you are her familiar¡­¡± Verdandi points her finger at Sweiza. Sprite looks from Verdandi, to Sweiza and back. Verdandi continues speaking after her point is made, ¡°Your presence will be tolerated in Valhalla. Do not make a pest of yourself within the gates, is that clear?" The Sprite tenses up a bit, but otherwise nods. Verdandi¡¯s voice turns to something more pleasant. ¡°Very good Sir Herschel.¡± ¡°Now then¡­¡± Verdandi puts her hand on a chair, ¡°Let us enjoy our meal and discuss events most recent.¡± Sweiza looks up to Sprite and shrugs briefly before pulling up a chair. This will most certainly not be a boring conversation. ¡ª ¡°She¡¯s an Undine?!¡± Sweiza stands up and rests her weight on her hands as she braces herself by the table. The chair pushes back in an irregular fashion. ¡°Indeed Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi waves dismissingly at the girl, ¡°If you could calm down and retake your seat¡­¡± Sweiza looks back behind her at the chair and quickly regains her dignity at the table. ¡°Now then, Miss Serif¡­¡± Verdandi waves her finger at the girl once, just as Sweiza opens her mouth, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt and let me finish.¡± Sweiza ignores Sprite¡¯s snickering. ¡°I¡¯ll keep a long story short. Undine in this region maintain an isolationist attitude. They were neutral in the Muspell-Valhalla War; since then they maintain non-aggression and non-intercourse treaty with both governments. Am I clear on this?¡± Sweiza shakes her head, not knowing what the woman means. Verdandi closes her eyes and sighs with a grumble. ¡°It means Miss Serif, that our interactions with them are to be kept to a minimum and only with government personnel. We Valkyrie easily qualify. However, I¡¯m sure as you have noticed, Captain Dillon is less than happy with having skirted our longstanding lack of relations with them.¡± Sweiza nods, understanding, kind of. ¡°Also, Undine are not allowed to possess human objects, let alone from Muspell or Valhalla. Does that make sense?¡± Verdandi leans forward and supports her elbows on the table and her chin over her clasped hands; a wry smile adorns her face. She waits for it to click with the young girl. ¡°You did that on purpose!¡± Sweiza stands up again, same motion as before, nearly knocking the chair over and bumping the table. Verdandi stifles a small, but giddy chuckle. ¡°Now Miss Serif¡­¡± ¡°No, you listen! You took something that didn¡¯t belong to you! That woman could have lost her life!¡± Sweiza slaps her hand on the table. Sprite jumps up from the motion and peaks near the ceiling for safety; Sweiza gives him no attention. Verdandi lets one of her hands drop and rests her head on her right arm and continues to prop it up with her elbow. Verdandi fakes a disappointed smirk at her. ¡°Were you done?¡± Verdandi uses her left hand to stir part of her drink. Sweiza drops to her chair, scoots forward and glares at the woman. ¡°Miss Serif, the Undine forbid any human objects in their possession. If she knowingly took something that didn¡¯t belong to her, that is on her. It is just their way.¡± Verdandi continues to stir her drink. She eyes ¡®Miss Serif¡¯ diligently, then reaches for the glass, closes her eyes and dips her mouth to it. She flinches. ¡°It really could use more sugar.¡± Sweiza mocks it in a disgusted and sassy tone. Verdandi ignores her. ¡°It really could use more sugar.¡± Verdandi sets the cup down and resumes lecturing the girl. ¡°Sweiza, pay attention.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Sweiza crosses her arms at her. Sweiza gets sharp with her, ¡°Regardless of how you feel about it, that Undine will make a powerful ally. I suggest you earn her friendship.¡± Verdandi adds more sugar to the drink. A certain Sprite flies up close and eyes the sugar cubes with hunger. ¡°Oh take whatever you want, you filthy thing. I¡¯m done with them.¡± She shoves the small bowl of sugar cubes towards him. He promptly divebombs them. Verdandi shakes her head at him. ¡°Is this all some form of plan?¡± Sweiza eyes her with suspicion. ¡°Miss Serif, I am a master negotiator and a great strategist. I may not be the best, but Odin keeps me around for a reason.¡± Verdandi says it hautily while grabbing a biscuit. ¡°You mean despite your treachery and your failure!¡± Sweiza grabs the whole plate of biscuits and muffins and dumps several onto her plate. ¡°That¡¯s quite enough Miss Serif.¡± Verdandi butters said biscuit, ¡°On both accounts. You will become a great Valkyrie by my hand. Most Valkyrie would face the coliseum itself if it meant being my student.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried for five years.¡± Verdandi turns around, and Sweiza looks over. The voice is that of Brynhilde. ¡°And if you weren¡¯t so self entitled, perhaps I would consider it.¡± Verdandi turns back around and ignores the woman. Sweiza stares between the two of them blankly. She looks up at Sprite. ¡°Are you two enjoying your meal and can I help you with anything else?¡± Verdandi flinches while stifling a laugh. ¡°I think that will be all Brynhilde. Thank you for your hospitality.¡± Verdandi sips the cup of tea, but is interrupted by Brynhilde clearing her throat. Verdandi sighs as she reaches her hand into her pocket. She pulls out a slip of paper and hands it to Brynhilde. Brynehilde¡¯s face changes to delight as she bows and then heads towards the kitchen. Sweiza looks at Verdandi blankly. ¡°What was that?¡± As if it never happened, Sweiza is distracted from their conversation before. ¡°She¡¯s been collecting those from me for some years now. Verdandi says it as a matter of factually. ¡°Whatever.¡± Sweiza wishes no further involvement in this and eats the rest of her meal in silence. Towards the end of their meal¡­ ¡°Miss Serif, concerning the ship¡¯s bilge¡­¡± Verdandi pipes up and Sweiza flinches. ¡°Good, I have your attention. You should consult one of the deckhands about a change of clothing. You wouldn¡¯t want to ruin that outfit of yours.¡± Verdandi motions at it and Sweiza frowns at it. The girl excuses herself and leaves with respite rather quickly. ¡°She¡¯s the one I¡¯ll be working with?¡± Brynhilde makes herself known again. ¡°Perhaps. Then again, maybe not. Thank you for the wonderful meal Svava.¡± Verdandi stands up and excuses herself. Brynhilde simply bows. As Verdandi leaves Brynhilde narrows her eyes at the Valkyrie¡¯s back; Brynhilde curses her luck. ¡ª The decksman are relieved at the changing of the guard; Sweiza is less than amused at the task at hand. They describe how to clean it. A water pump is the main device to operate, but mildew also needed to be scraped and scrubbed off the walls; then the actual floor of the bilge also needed to be mopped. However, what really gets her is the smell, pungent like it hasn¡¯t been cleaned for awhile. However, her outcry on the matter is that it always smells like that. She immediately leaves the bilge for a time to get different clothing on, finally heading Verdandi¡¯s advice. After a change of clothing, Sweiza spends some time down there. Thankfully, Sprite is there with her to help pass the time. The smell as he puts it, does not bother him. His enchanted abilities also make cleaning the bilge easier. How he doesn¡¯t tire from it, she isn¡¯t certain. At some point the Undine from earlier also makes an appearance. When Sweiza enquires, the Undine merely replies that ¡°I felt the ship¡¯s pollution in the water.¡± The Sweiza¡¯s surprise, the Undine offers to help; further to her shock the Undine can shoot jets of water from her hands and turn into a puddle and pull up debris and dirt from the ground. The Undine thinks it is nothing, and finds it odd that Sweiza herself, nor her Sprite friend, have such an ability. As Sweiza knows, Sprite has some water abilities however slight, but they pale in comparison to this being. Sweiza finally musters up the courage to ask the Undine her name. ¡°Uma.¡± As it turns out, Undine do not have last names, some have no names at all. It takes some three hours, but the bilge is completely cleaned, dried and pumped; further the air is less stagnant than it was before. Sweiza finally sits down on a clean spot, brushing sweat from her brow. The Undine walks up and deliberately jars the shackles together in front of Sweiza. ¡°I would like these removed.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t those enchanted? I¡¯m not sure I know how.¡± The Undine looks up at the ceiling and sighs in disdain. ¡°The Valkyrie from earlier¡­¡± The Undine mentions it casually. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather have lunch first?¡± Sweiza pipes up, realizing she didn¡¯t eat much for breakfast - her mentor being part of the reason. The Undine looks rather depressed at the thought. She clacks the shackles in front of her. ¡°Perhaps if there is a mage on board, you can take care of these for me?¡± ¡°Lunch first! Uma, I¡¯ll race you there!¡± Sweiza bolts up the stairs leading to the next deck up. The Undine looks up at the ceiling and puffs air at her hair. ¡ª As Sweiza just enters the cafe, she sees the Undine standing there in the center of it, looking around. ¡°Uma!¡± Sweiza approaches her. The Undine, startled, quickly dismisses Sweiza¡¯s disturbance and turns around. The Undine again clacks the shackles in front of the young Valkyrie. ¡°Maybe Strife can do that?¡± Sweiza muses about it, and then lets out a giddy frown at what she just called Verdandi. The Undine woman sighs and shakes her head and walks out the door, her ankle shackles clacking along the way. Sweiza¡¯s hands go to her hips. She looks over at Sprite, whom has followed her thus far. ¡°It¡¯s her loss.¡± Sprite looks to her and simply nods. However, his points over to the kitchen. ¡°Food.¡± He says it, it is all he says. Sweiza understands. ¡ª It is some twenty minutes later as lunch is finished and Sweiza and Sprite are chatting amongst themselves when a set of shackles is dumped on the table in front of them. The noise is enough to disturb them. Sweiza looks over and sees a very unimpressed Verdandi. ¡°The Undine,¡± Verdandi looks over back at the Undine behind her, ¡°My apologies, Uma as she calls herself¡­¡± Uma smiles at Verdandi, ¡°¡­has informed me that the Bilge has been cleaned, much ealier than I anticipated.¡± Sweiza wolfs down the piece of toast she was eating, ¡°Of course. You expected anything less? We didn¡¯t need your help either.¡± Sprite sticks his tongue out at Verdandi for good measure. Sweiza clamps her lips down to stifle a giggle. Verdandi turns around again at the Undine and sees her smiling an attempting to prevent herself from shaking. ¡°Miss Uma, may I ask what you are doing?¡± Verdandi¡¯s cocks her head slowly at the woman. However, she finally can¡¯t contain it anymore and bursts out laughing. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡­¡± The Undine continues to laugh. Sprite¡¯s snickering is quickly met with Sweiza¡¯s. The Undine finally covers her mouth and regains her composure. Verdandi shakes her head. She turns around to Sweiza and Sprite. ¡°Well done on cleaning the bilge. Your meal is free, this time. Next time if you are so presumptuous, you will pay for it yourself.¡± Sweiza¡¯s smile quickly disappears. ¡°Miss Serif, Dillon had already okayed it.¡± Verdandi¡¯s crosses her arms at the girl. ¡°However, I¡¯m sure Miss Brynhilde will forego a tip if you give her that divination later.¡± Sweiza looks from Verdandi to the kitchen nervously. Lady Brynhilde is there, eying them with anticipation. Sweiza simply waves, trying to posture herself and hold back her nervousness. She faces Verdandi, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°Very good Miss Serif. As for the rest of your punishment, you will be cleaning the brig. It shouldn¡¯t take to long with your entourage.¡± Verdandi motions her hand at Sprite and then to the Undine behind her. Verdandi clicks her heels together, about faces and walks towards the door. ¡°Oh, and Miss Serif¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Sweiza perks up from her food again. ¡°It is rather rude to have lunch without your mentor. I am the one negotiating our way on this ship.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Verdandi¡¯s greaves clicks the ground, quite deliberately as she marches out. Uma¡¯s gaze follows the Valkyrie as she does so. Her eyes widen in surprise and then she faces Sweiza. ¡°Is she always like that?¡± Sweiza nods. ¡°Oh my.¡± Is all Uma can muster. ¡°How about lunch?¡± Sweiza beams holding up a piece of toast at the Uma; the Undine looks rather dismayed at the offer. ¡ª The brig (as Verdandi called it) is nothing more than a jailcell. Sweiza scoffs at it and wonders why they don¡¯t just call it ¡®jail¡¯. Sprite shrugs at her musing. As it stands, cleaning the brig is a very easy affair. Uma like most Undine, has the ability to clasp onto walls and filter off dirt and other particles and well as Sweiza has already learned, shoot streams of water. However, as the Undine explains to the girl, the ¡®shackles¡¯ from before, greatly hindered her movements, as well as serving as a sign of humility amongst her people. Sweiza merely nods at the fact, trying to fake understanding - yet being still clueless. Cleaning the three cells and the adjoining hall to them within the brig takes about an hour. ¡°I¡¯m ready for my old clothing back.¡± Sweiza says it to Uma and Sprite. ¡°Old clothing?¡± The Undine looks at her curiously. ¡°I¡¯ll show you!¡± Sweiza jollily to the door and outside hall. ¡°Actually, I should speak with the other Valkyrie. I¡¯ll meet you by her.¡± Uma pipes up. Sweiza has just enough time to turn around and see the Undine turn into a puddle and sink beneath the floor. Sweiza walks over to Uma¡¯s original spot and bends over to see the cracks the woman has been using to move throughout the ship. ¡°So that¡¯s how she does it. That is so weird!¡± Sweiza says it to Sprite, whom simply shrugs. ¡ª It is some half an hour later and Verdandi and Uma are at the bow of the ship talking amongst themselves. Sweia appears behind them. They give her no notice. She she clicks her heels together, but they again give her no attention. ¡°Hey!¡± Sweiza raises her voice. The two stop talking and finally look over. Sweiza bows, now in her original outfit. ¡°Verdandi, I have completed my assignments for the day. ¡°Have you performed one thousand cuts?¡± Verdandi says it, now with her hands together in front of her. Sweiza jolts and freaks. She turns around and trudges off. Sprite looks between Uma and Verdandi. He however, does not follow after Sweiza. ¡°What do you want, young one?¡± Verdandi asks him with disdain. ¡°I was curious about the Undine¡± He says it, getting Verdandi to raise an eyebrow at him when he zooms up to her face. At his remark ¡®The Undine¡¯, Uma, now eyebrows up, closes her eyes while frowning. ¡ª It is some half hour later and Sweiza again presents herself to Verdandi and Uma. ¡°I¡­ did what¡­ you asked, Lady Strife.¡± Sweiza says it breathing heavily, she clicks her heels together, much to Verdandi¡¯s approval. ¡°Very good Miss Serif. Consider the slate clean.¡± Verdandi waves a finger at her, ¡°However, -don¡¯t- do it again.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen. She looks at Uma and then Verdandi, nervousness written on her face. ¡°As for the Undine, she is to have full reign of the ship. She may -not- enter with us into Valhalla. Is that clear?¡± Verdandi raises her head at the girl. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I should have to explain why?¡± ¡°Y¡­ I mean no, ma¡¯am.¡± Sweiza say sit shaking her head. ¡°Good. Miss Uma here has been banished from the Kingdom of Mantara law. Do you know what this is?¡± Verdandi shoots Sweiza a sharp look. ¡°I overheard something about death or banishment for being a thief.¡± Sweiza says it, looking over at Uma. Uma takes in a deep breath. ¡°Possession of human artifacts is a punishable offense to any citizens of Mantara. Most choose banishment, in extreme circumstances, such as -very- illegal contraband¡­¡± Verdandi darts her head at Uma and scowls at her. Uma¡¯s shoulders raise up and she sinks into herself as she cringes. Verdandi continues, ¡°¡­according to Mantaran law, is punishable by death. I have decided to grant her amnesty. Effectively she owes me a life debt. However, as I have no need of a servant, and and the contraband in question belongs to you, I am transferring her life debt to you.¡± Sweiza crunches up her right cheek at Verdandi¡¯s words. Verdandi planned this whole thing and is finally admitting it. ¡°You¡­¡± Sweiza is cutoff by Verdandi. Verdandi stamps her foot on the ground and raises her voice, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt your mentor. This life debt is a custom of Mantara custom. Once she has done enough service, she will be allowed to return.¡± Sweiza¡¯s face flushes red. She puffs up her cheeks as she bends forward and sticks her tongue out at Verdandi. ¡°Is she always like this?¡± Uma says it in a light voice at Verdandi. ¡°Uma, before you enter service to Miss Serif, could you be a dear and clean that diary of her¡¯s up? It has taken on a bit of water, and I¡¯m sure she has some unclever things she would like to write in it.¡± Verdandi sas it, darting her eyes once at Sweiza. Sweiza shakes as her face flushes red again. ¡°I can do that. Thank you for your gracious hospitality Miss Verdandi.¡± Uma bows gracefully at the woman and slowly turns towards Sweiza. Sweiza digs for something in her pocket and pulls it out. It is a biscuit. She holds it up to the Undine. ¡°I saved you part of lunch.¡± The Undine cringes. ¡°I can¡¯t eat human food.¡± Uma says it with discontent as she looks down at the biscuit. ¡°What?¡± Sweiza says it with confusion, also looking down at the biscuit. ¡°It¡¯s to strong for my stomach, I¡¯ll get sick if I do.¡± Uma says it, approaching Sweiza and ignoring the offering. Sweiza looks from the biscuit to Uma and then looks for Sprite. She doesn¡¯t see him. She shoves it back in her pocket. ¡°Your loss Uma. Come, you have a diary to repair.¡± She waves her hand as she sets for the stairs to the lower deck. Uma follows her, but she turns around once more at Verdandi and bows, before turning around again to follow the girl. Verdandi raises her eyebrows unimpressed. Sprite flies up to her. ¡°She is not going to be happy with your plans Sir Herschel.¡± Verdandi says as a matter of fact while looking up at him. Sprite simply nods his head. ¡°The item you seek little one, is a small room in the back left of the kitchen. There is no door. I suggest you find a safe place when you are done.¡± Verdandi raises her eyebrows at him when he nods, ¡°¡­I won¡¯t be held responsible for what you are going to do.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t. But perhaps I will get more say when dealing with her.¡± He darts off towards the kitchen. His plan will work, or so he feels his life will depend on it. Verdandi shakes her head and turns around, pulling out the spyglass again. ¡ª- Sweiza returns with Uma to the cabin. Uma looks around; in her mind it is a bare minimum of furnishings with a single bed, dresser, desk, table and some shelving. The closet next to the bed doesn¡¯t go unnoticed by her. Sweiza notices her looking around. ¡°Comfy?¡± She says it with some giddy curosity. ¡°Austere.¡± Uma says it in one word before facing the girl. It is not the response Sweiza expects. She ignores it, and instead heads for the closet. She slides open the door and pulls out her rucksack. It immediately has Uma¡¯s interest. ¡°These are your personal things?¡± Uma peers at it with more than enough interest to get Sweiza¡¯s attention. ¡°You mind yourself, do you hear me?¡± Sweiza says it, her tone changing. ¡°I meant no disrespect¡­ you¡¯re name was Serif, wasn¡¯t it? Verdandi called you that?¡± Uma says it with some level of earnest. ¡°My name, is Sweiza. S, w, e, i, z, a. Got it?¡± Sweiza¡¯s tone again lowers, her level of patience and enthusiasm waning. ¡°Understood. I meant no disrespect Sweiza.¡± Uma bows her head at the girl. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive it, if you can fix this.¡± Sweiza pulls out her diary from the rucksack. A smile pulls alongside the Undine¡¯s face. ¡°Is something funny?¡± Sweiza pulls the diary up to herself. ¡°Your book is enchanted.¡± Uma seems drawn to it and her hand reaches out towards it. ¡°Hmm?¡± Sweiza pulls the diary away from Uma further. Uma pulls her hand away, ¡°You can¡¯t feel it?¡± ¡°No?¡± Sweiza frowns at Uma. ¡°That book has an air about it, I can feel it.¡± Uma reaches for it again. Sweiza reluctantly hands it over, knowing she will have to do so anyway. ¡°Where did you get it?¡± Uma says it, reaching her hand over it and pulling open the cover. To Sweiza¡¯s amazement, when Uma passes her hand over the first page, it flattens as if it were new. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Sweiza says it, stepping closer and peering at the book. ¡°I am enchanted.¡± It is all Uma says, as she repeats the process to the next page. Upon closer inspection, Sweiza sees the page is dry and the writing legible. Sweiza mouths ¡®amazing¡¯, but it goes unnoticed by Uma, whom is distracted by the book and her task. It is some ten minutes later and Sweiza is stuck peering over the book as Undine continues fixing each of the pages, slowly and meticulously. Bits and pieces of Sweiza¡¯s life come back to life as she reads lore from her life. After some time, Uma finally speaks up, ¡°You have a very interesting life Sweiza.¡± ¡°You¡¯re reading it? Mind your business Uma!¡± Sweiza¡¯s tone again changes. Uma isn¡¯t phased by it, ¡°I¡¯m happy fate threw us together Sweiza.¡± Uma continues fixing each page. Sweiza mock smirks her left cheek in disgruntlement, but does so in a way the Undine doesn¡¯t see her. Sweiza¡¯s hands go down to her hips, watching Uma work what can only be described as magic. After roughly thirty minutes, the last page and cover is repaired and Uma hands the book back, gently to Sweiza. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll let me read your life story someday Sweiza.¡± Uma says it, bowing. Sweiza is taken aback by the gesture. She takes the diary and puts it back in her rucksack and sets it on the floor, scooting it back in the closet and sliding the door shut. ¡°I got the book from my grandmother. She gave it to me on my twelfth birthday. I was told to take good care of it. And I did¡­¡± Sweiza trails off staring at Uma. ¡°I see.¡± Uma steps closer, ¡°Did she know a witch?¡± A loud pop rings throughout the room as Sweiza raises her left hand and smacks Uma across the face. ¡°You piece of filth. Get out!¡± Sweiza raises her voice and points her finger at the door. A trembling Uma lowers her head and makes a shaky, but hasty retreat. ¡ª It is sometime later while wandering the ship that Sweiza finally has a chance to cool her jets. With little else to do she spends her time gazin out at the sea from the ''back'' of the ship. BVy Sweiza''s reckoning, she does not want to give Verdandi a reason to give her more work to do at the front of the ship playing lookout. However, upon reflection the girl realizes she may have a way to win th eValkyrie over. She heads down to the cafe and consults with VBrynehild. Indeed, as it turns out, reservations can be made at specific times for specific tables. However, it would require a payment up front. The deal is done and Seiza spends the rest of the morning looking for Sprite. She does not find him. All of the normal places she might expect to find him, and indeed the places that she normally saw him on the ship, are stragngely vacant. She wonders to herself were he could have hidden himself or if this was some form of punishment for her where he means to get his way. She scratches her head and then shrugs at the thought. Her main attention after an hour or two is Verdandi. The woman likes to have tea for brunch, so sweiza wants to be prompt about it, or at least to cut Verdandi off from doing so. Once at the bow of the ship, Verdandi again gives the girl no attention. Sweiza clears her throught. Verdandi''s eye twitches. She deliberately ignores the girl. Sweiza again clears her throuat, this time just a bit louder. Verdandi again ignores the girl. This time sweiza leans to the side and in front of Verdandi; her face blocks the spyglass and Verdandi frowns in contempt. "What do you want Miss Serif, cannot you see that I am busy?" Verdandi says it quite miffed, making it quite known to the girl how she feels about her interfering with her duties. "Strife, why are you alwas spending the bulk of your time at the bow of the ship scanning the horizon?" Sweiza says it curious, but enthusiastically. The tone is enough to lt Verdandi know the young girl is up to something. "Do you intend to relieve me MIss Serif" Verdandi finally rests the spyglass at her side. The girl shakes her head. "Then what, praytell could possibly be the matter?" Verdandi raises her finger at the girl and shakes it at her. "You should kno when to mind your matters. You are wearing on my patience." "Strife, tea will be avavailable for us shortly." Sweiza closes her eyes at the woman and smiles. "We shouldnt be late." "Miss Serif, I can''t leave this spot." Verdandi says it forlorn. "...and why not?" Sweiza says it disapproving. "The whole point of being granted passage was due to my superior negotiating skills. However, it comes at a price. I am to guard and protect the ship from any pirates; and if none show themselves, I am to function as a morale booster for the crew due to the notion that I -am- at least here incase such an event should occur. Do you understand?" Verdandi says it quite as a matter of factually speaking and quite serious. She hopes her tone will get through to the girl. It fails miserably. "Strife, I have tea reserved for us. I paid money. Money that you gave me. Surely you don''t want it to go to waste!" Sweiza says it leaning forward at the woman. Verdandi simply shakes her head and raises the spyglass up again. She raises her left hand and users the girl towards the cafe. "Miss Serif, all sailors are on duty; those that are not on dty either have the day off or are offduty and will not take my place. You should consult with me about these things before hand. You would make less of a burden and foolish choices of yourself. Go talk with Brynehilde. I''m sure she would love the chance to converse with someone of Valkyrie intent, if not =in training. I believe she might also like that diviniation that you promised her." Verdandi says nothing else. Sweiza stammers. Verdandi clicks herheels together and simply says, "Miss serif! GO!" Sweiza freezes and stands to attention. She about faces and power walks with haste towards the cafe. SsSweiza thinks that the Valkyrie mentor of hers can be quite scary when she wnts to be. Sweiza shakes her head at the thought. would she, herself (Sweiza) Become as scary and forebody as the woman called Strife? She tries to push it out of her mind as she approaches Brynhilde. Sweiza walks up to the waitress she knows as Brynhilde. Brynhilde tries to shoo heraway, but at Sweiza''s behest, she hears her out. Brynhilde begrudgingly agrees to ''assist'' Sweiza with teatime. Not that Brynhilde wants to be rude, but she has matters of her own to take care of. Her only interest in Sweiza, is to get a divination. --- Sweiza passes a biscuit to Brynhilde. The waitress, now temporarily offduty, takes a sip of tea before grabbing the biscuit. However, her attention is focused to how bitter the tea is. "It really could use more sugar right?" Sweiza asks it with some enthusiasm, remembering the phrase that Strife always uses. However, muc to her surprise, Brynhilde disagrees by shaking her head. "II''m not a fan of this variant of tea. I come from nobility, so ours is imported." Brynhilde squits as she takes another sip of the tea, attempting to keep her face straight and her composure fresh. "Strife is of nobility!" Sweiza say sit, not understanding Brynhilde''s words or her intent. Brynhilde refrains from disdain with the girl, but casally explains that Strife is a special case in Valhalla and her tastes are somewhat ''unique'' Enquiring on the matter simply gets ignoers aas Brynhilde refuses to elaborate further. --- After tea and the table is cleared, much to Brynhilde''s delight, Sweiza pulls out her deck of tarot cards''. Sweiza nonchalantly shuffles them. After cutting them and spreading them out ton the table, she asks Brynhilde the question that she (Brynhilde) has been waiting to hear. "What exactly do you want to be read?" Sweiza stares her in the eye intently, a certain giddiness to her. Brynhilde darts her body forward in her chair at the girl, "Will I have a great trial ahead of me?" And how soon?" Sweiza pulls from several piles. The cards get laid flat, four of them. Sweiza cocks an eyebrow and then reshuffles them into a single deck again. This goes on several more times with several iples piles and refhusffling the deck with the same cards drawn each time. Sweiza scowls and then affirms to Brynhilde that the woman will indeed have a great trial ahead of her. "SPleindid Miss Serif." Brynhild smiles before standing up and excusing herself. "Brynhilde, my name is Sweiza. I don''t know why Strife insists on addressing me as MIss Serif and having everyone the same." "Very good Sweiza. Consider your meal on me. Come by whenever you want to have a eservation and we''ll use your advanced payment to cover it. I''m sure Lady Strife would be more than delighted." Brynhilde waves her hand and walks back to the kitchen. Sweiza is in awe at the woman''s manners and speaking style. If only Lady Strife could be more like that; there would be less friction between the two of them. --- Sweiza has a gambit up her sleeve. While discussing tidings, happenings and whatnot with Brynhilde, the matter ofhow to win Strife came up. Brynhilde simply remarked that Sweiza needs to demonstrate her worth tyo Strife and she might consider giving the girl more leeway, if not a few more precious moments of her time. Sweiza doesn''t understand. Brynhilde had to explain that Strife is old, she has been alive for at least two centuries, most of that time as a Valkyrie and she has probably seen the world; Strife is probably very tired and unamused at the ramblings and enthusiasm matters of someone young. Sweiza was still confused. Brynhilde suggests that sweiza makes herslef useful to Captain Dillion and the crew and then report her (Sweiza''s) hard work to Strife as a first f foot forward in winning Strife over. --- Captain Dillion is more than willing to help the girl out. The helmsan has not hada break for several hours. Her first assignment is to steer the shi straight. A rather boring affair to the girl, but worth it if she can have some standing with ''Strife''. Sweiza begins to wonder if in fact Strife is named as such because she cuses others strife or not. She dismisses it and muses the time away, wondering where Sprite is. As a matter of import and praxcticality and to keep them from being slippery, the loer deck floors are not mopped unless it is bfore or after a voyager. However, Dillion will be most appreciateive if Sweiza will be kind enough to mop them; However, this comes with the added task of immeditaly drying any area of the floor, section by seciton, a li little at a time, while she mops. Sweiza happily agrees. Mopping the floors takes several hours. When summoned, Captain Dillion is delighted at the cleanliness. His next and final task for the girl is to fish (ship supplies provided) off the back of the vessel and catch as much dinner as she can for the crew. Thankfully they are biting. WHen she asks if she needs to clean or prep them, Dillion simply shakes his head. The crew will take care of the rest, ut the main reason behind her fishing was to save a little money. The Sterling Blue is a bi g ship and expensive, and even a few units of measure taken off of money concerns helps. Several bucket fulls brough tto the kitchen and Sweizas tasks for the day are done, or so she thinks. Dillion has one more task for her - go to the crow''s nest and play lookout for the next few hours. While it is true that Strife is playing lookout also, she is primarily at the front of the ship. Someone in the crow''s nest cn see just as far, if not farther, but Sweiza''s task has her looking out towards the back of the shilp. This goes on for several more hours before she fnally gieves up and is ready to cxall it a dday. Dillion approves of her work and willingly offers to leave a good word with Strife about Sweiza''s performance. --- Towards evening, Sweiza hurries towards the bow of the ship. This is the moment she is waiting for - Verdandi is swapping guard duty with one of the crewman. Sweiza watches as Verdandi bows her heda to the sailor and then heads towards the bow steps. Verdandi stops momentarily while she catches a glimpse of Sweiza underneath one of the masts. Verdandi''s pace continues shortly after and she appears (to Sweiza at least) to make a beeline towards her direction. Sweiza becomes more uncomfortable as Verdandi draws closer. She freezes as Verdandi is just a few feet from her, but is surprised as Verdandi seemingly ignoers her as she walks by. Sweiza takes in an involuntary breath and her body forces it out in embarassment. Verdandi stops about seven feet in front of the girl. Sweiza attempts to open her mouth, but her body locks up and she stammers. Her hands fall behind her and she leans forward as she tries to force it out to no avail. Verdandi''s left leg suddenly raises slightly sideways and then clicks against her right heel. She turns around ever so slightly to look behind her, her head doing most of the work. Her eyebrows shoot up in a way that Sweiza cannot tell if they mean to be approving or disapproving. "Well done Sweiza." Verdandi turns around and continues on her way ignoring the girl. Her destination appears to be the cafe. "Wha...wait!" Sweiza hurries after her. Chapter 13 - Seaswagging Miscreants --- At the start of dinner Strife explains to a young Valkyrie the meaning of willingness to do hard work without being reminded or told. There is also this thing called a talking tube that Sweiza seemingly has forgotten about; it explains why Verdandi knew about Sweiza''s work well before she had a chance to tell her mentor herself. "So..." Sweiza attempts to change the subject. "Hmm?" Verdandi''s eyebrows perk up. Sweiza''s eyes dart down to the bowl of sugar cubes. Her left hand reaches up for it and she pushes it over to Verdandi. "It will probably need more sugar." Sweiza says it as a matter of fact. Verdandi will have none of the change in routine. It is at this time Verdandi reaches for her teacup and saucer and moves both up to her mouth. Sweiza watches with big eyes and her head forward as Verdandi finally brings the teacup to her mouth. Her eyebrow twitches and she squints and flinches a face of disapproval momentarily. "It really could use more sugar." Verdandi sets the teacup back down on the table. Sweiza sees her mentor''s arms come back down underneath the table. Verdandi closes her eyes. Sweiza continues to stare at her. This goes on for roughly five minutes. Sweiza attempts to open her mouth to ask Verdandi, "What gives?", but Verdandi interrupts her and tells her to be quite and enjoy the moment. Sweiza slumps back in her chair in frustrating defeat. Verdandi lears her throat. It gets Sweiza''s attention, but the girl does nothing. Verdandi''s eyebrow twitches in annoyance. "I don''t know what to do!" Sweiza spits it out. A brief smirk appears on Verdandi''s lips before it disappears. "Miss Serif, as you know I am your mentor. There is certain information you will be made privy to as you prove yourself overtime. As you are a Valkyrie in training, I expect you to earn this information. Is that understood?" Sweiza grimaces in disagreement, closes her eyes and looks down at her lap. "Starla, you wanted my approval, you now have it... again. Don''t go losing it this time." Verdandi puts some degree of emphasis on the last part as she rasies the pitch in her voice. Sweiza looks up momentarily. "Then what more work do you have for me?" Sweiza says it, broken. "It is very simple Miss Serif. I have had a very long day staring out at nothing. This is a very fortunate matter for the ship, but it has done nothing for my mind, let alone my spirit." Verdandi says it, eying up the girl. Sweiza lets out a breath, but says nothing. Verdandi continues, "As you wish to be useful in my domain - I like my tea with two sugar cubes. Preferably one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of cream. Is that clear?" Verdandi couldn''t be anymore to the point with the girl. Sweiza eyes start to water and she closes them to hide it from Verdandi; her lip quivers. All she thinks to herself is, "Don''t cry, don''t cry, not now, please don''t cry. I won''t do this, not again, not here." "Sweiza! Come over here, now. Honestly. Put what I just told you into my teacup!" Verdandi raises her voice at the girl. Sweiza feels her chest bunch up as she stands up. A surprised Verdandi cannot tell if the girl will walk out or not. Instead Sweiza walks over, does as instructed, two cubes, one teaspoon of honey and cream and then walks back over to her seat and scoots it forward. She turns her head away from Verdandi. "If you want to show that you care, next time make sure that you have this ready for me, before I am off duty." Sweiza avoids eye contact for the rest of dinner. However, Verdandi looks at her the entire meal. There is an uncomfortable silence, perhaps more on Sweiza''s end; the intent of her unbeknownst to her at this point. At the end of supper, Verdandi finishes her biscuit and places her silverware crossed on her tray. She instructs Sweiza to do the same. The reason behind it to let the waitress on duty know they are done. Sweiza complies, but otherwise remains silent. Verdandi stands up from her seat, bows her head at Sweiza and walks past her. However, Verdandi places a hand on Sweiza''s shoulder; Sweiza bunches her shoulders up as a result and immediately turns her head in the opposite direction from Verdandi. "Starla your performance today was exceptional compared to your normal demeanor, well done." Verdandi nudges Sweiza in the arm. "Don''t be so shy. Experiencing new things is a must for any Valkyrie. Otherwise we grow old and stale." Sweiza''s head slowly about faces to meet Verdandi''s eyes. There is a kinder expression looking at her. "There roughly one hour after sunset. There will be fireworks and entertainment and a chance for merriment. I will be attending." Verdandi heads for the door and leaves Sweiza in silence. Sweiza''s eyes close and lips turn into a slight frown. Brynhilde walks over to relieve the table of dinner leftovers. "I couldn''t help but overhear. You will be attending, won''t you Starla?" Brynhild says it with unknowing of what meaning ''Starla'' has to the girl; however, she says it with cheer and some regard as Sweiza''s friend. Sweiza senses it immediately, but is stuck on the use of her name ''Starla''. A moment passes, but she speaks up. "Please call me Sarah. It is what my friends call me." Sweiza says it sheepishly with some sadness; her attention now on Brynhilde. "It would be a shame if you didn''t attend Sarah. The sailors will need dancing partners, and they prefer the to be women." Brynehild inches closer to her. She stoops over to retrieve a plate as well as meet Sweiza''s eyes. "I also play the violin." Brynhilde pulls herself away from the girl; she hums to herself while collecting plates. It is obvious to Sweiza that Brynhilde is deliberately ignoring her. Brynhilde walks off towards the kitchen with one hand flat holding trays above her shoulder and the other hand holding a tray of more plates and dishes at waist level. Sweiza mouths, "They need dance partners..." Sweiza''s knees suddenly bunch together and her face turns red; partly in embarassment at Brynhilde''s straight-forwardness in making up her (Sweiza''s) mind for her, and partly because she doesn''t know how to dance. She curses her luck at being a tomboy and always avoiding the dance-offs they have during the fertility festival at Maria Village. --- Sweiza has roughly a few hours to herself. She chooses it to search for Little Sprite. This time she adjusts her tactics; she asks various crewman if there was anything amiss, such as a rodent problem, missing supplies or perhaps a flying creature seen here and there onboard. It doesn''t take long for her to confirm that he was seen about a day ago. Further enquires, especially with Captain Dillion turn up suspicion of rats in the kitchen. She makes note to only tell the half truth and her real motives for asking her questions. She doesn''t lie when she insists she wishes to track down any pests or ''vermin'' that might be responsible, crawling, flying or otherwise. Dillion is delighted, as are several of the crewman; all knowing they can focus on their jobs at hand. Sweiza is thanked for her patronage towards the ship several times. She beams at the thought, but it quickly fades when she arrives at the kitchen. She sees Brynhilde playing a piano. "You are really good at that Brynhilde." Sweiza says it cheerfully with a smile. Sweiza hides the fact she has never noticed the piano in the cafe before. SHe makes a mental note to make a better understanding and survey of her surroundings in the future, lest Verdandi have anything to say about it. "Thank you Sarah. But why are you here? The kitchen is closed." Brynhilde turns away from the piano as she says it. Her hands sit comfortably in her lap, awaiting an answer from the girl. Sweiza gives it. "I''m trying to track down any pests or vermin onboard. There is a lead that they might have gotten to the kitchen storeroom. May I see it?" Sweiza says it, attempting to keep the truth half told again. "I don''t think they''ll mind." Brynhilde stands up and on instinct dusts her lap off. Sweiza notes Brynhilde has a key in her hand, most likely pulled from her (Brynhilde''s) pocket. Brynhilde motions for Sweiza to follow her to the store room behind the kitchen counter. Brynhilde unlocks the storeroom''s dooor and walks in, Sweiza soon follows. Sweiza is taken aback at just how big the store room is. She notes there are multiple shelves with rolling ladders to assist in procuring items. She scans the room, but doesn''t see anything. Brynhilde motions her hand to the right towards the far wall. In the corner, three shelves have bags with holes in them. Flour, sugar and various powerders and spices are leaking out of them. Several small containers also have holes in them, seemingly with what appear to be bite marks. Upon closer inspection, Sweiza sees handprints on the supplies and footprints on the shelves, all marked in footprints. "We''re not sure what caused it, but anything is likely." Brynhilde says it with a slight tone in her voice. Sweiza takes the hint. "I''ll see about finding out what or who caused it Brynhilde, rest assured." Sweiza bows and heads for the storeroom door once again. Upon turning around and locking it, Brynehilde stops shortly outside the kitchen counter. "Sarah, don''t be late for the dance." Sweiza stops, turns around once and looks back at Brynhilde. She lets out a mock smile and hurries off to the maindeck. Sweiza has a rush of thoughts. Sprite will be in so much trouble if anyone else knew; for that matter, people probably already have a suspicion that it -is- Sprite. Sweiza curses her luck, this is just the -bad- kind of luck she doesn''t need right now. If Verdandi finds out, it will be traced back to her (Sweiza) for letting Sprite on board. Dillion will not be happy when he finds out! Sweiza grimaces at the thought and shakes her head. She thinks to herself, "If I was Sprite, got into an argument with my friend, and then needed a place to hide after gorging on food, where would I hide?" Further matters to herself, Sweiza concludes he would be tired (as usual) from eating all of that sugar and flour. Therefor it would need to be a secure hidig spot. Sweiza only hopes he didn''t eat too much sugar to encourage his metamorphasis to his adult form; that will not be good as their journey on the "Sterling Blue" was slated to end in a few days once it reaches Valhalla. She remembers what listtle she knows on the matter about sprites. They will cocoon if they eat too much sugar - either by accident or deliberately. They need a place to hang upside down in order for it to happen, preferably in a safe and secure location, up and out of the way - emphasis on up. Sweiza places her hands on her hips and looks up at the masts. Those are a likely bet, but it is now too dark out to check. Her train of thought is interrupted by a sudden crack in the sky. Her gaze follows over to see fireworks that have suddenly shot from the back of the ship. "Shit!" She curses to herself and runs to the back of the deck. It takes about a minute, but as she gets to the top of the back deck, she sees a large deliberation of people surrounding several long tables. She tries to figure out how they got the tables up there, but her thoughts are interrupted by Dillion giving a speech. The words are dull and distant and Sweiza becomes more worried about her friend. This many people on the ship and noone knows where he is. Her mind races as to where he could be. Her thoughts are brought back to reality as she is jostled from a slight, but deliberate bump from behind. Sweiza turns around, ready to chew out the perpetrator. She stops and is starled to see it is Verdandi in something akin to a yellow dress; nothing too fancy, but a dress none-the-less. Verdandi dips her head, gives a bow of her body and lifts both sides of the dress up in a curtsy. "May I have this dance Miss Serif?" When she looks up, she sees a look of joy and happiness in Verdandi''s eyes; something the girl never expected to see, let alone thought the woman was incapable of. It is as if, all of her cares and worries have disappeared. "But...but..." Sweiza stammers. Verdandi slowly approaches her. Now inches from her, Verdandi''s hands reach down to Sweiza''s hands and she pulls her close. Verdandi leans her head just near Sweiza''s ear, "I''ll go slow, follow my lead.¡± ¡ª- Over the next half hour, Sweiza is stuck doing something she would rather not - dancing. At the behest of her mentor, she does indeed follow Verdandi¡¯s lead. Sweiza is taught a number of dances equivalent to a slow waltzes and tangos. By the end of the hour, Sweiza is not feeling it - dancing with another woman is weird. ¡°Strife, I don¡¯t like this.¡± Strife stops dead center as her eyebrows beam and a smile creeps on her face. ¡°Miss Serif, haven¡¯t you been paying attention? There are several suitors whom wish your hand in a dance.¡± Sweiza freezes and her head nervously shifts around the deck. There are a number of sailors with women, this is true; but there are also a number that are either leaning over the deck or waving there hands at their companions. She notes several of them are swapping dance partners before a new song begins. Sweiza gives a grimace, if not one of relief. She pulls herself away from Verdandi and heads towards a random sailor. His back is turned towards her; he appears to be staring out at the stars. Sweiza taps on his back. ¡°You, dance with me.¡± She says it as more of a command. He turns around. Sweiza is taken aback by the spyglass he is holding, but it appears much larger than what she is accustomed to seeing. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t miss. I¡¯m on navigation duty.¡± He turns around and points the spyglass at the sky. She looks down at his other hand and sees he is holding a map. Sweiza takes in a deep breath and grimaces. Her head lifts up and her eyes close. Her anger subsides. She turns around towards where she and Verdandi originally stood; Verdandi is dancing with another sailor. She gives a offshoot smile to Sweiza when she sees her, but otherwise goes back to ignoring her and dancing. Sweiza¡¯s foot begins to tap impatiently. Her arms cross, her eyes close and her faces flushes red. She is about to yell. She can feel it well up in her lungs. She¡­ ¡°That¡¯s not very lady like¡­¡± The older masculine voice catches her off guard. It¡¯s Captain Dillion. He leans forward and holds a hand out towards her. ¡°May I have this dance young lady?¡± Her head sways in confusion back and forth. She extends her hand nervously and gives an uncertain ¡°Sure.¡± ¡ª Sweiza is taken aback at Dillion¡¯s mild and softer form of dancing. While Verdandi couldn¡¯t be described as rough, she is a bit more to the point with her pacing, she also has a firmer grip than Dillion. In Sweiza¡¯s mind, Dillion is probably a proper gentleman. ¡°Are you married by chance?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m a man of the seas, young lady. I could no more fall for you than I could any of these brutes.¡± He makes a quick head motion towards the sailors. Sweiza¡¯s face flushes pink, but she otherwise tries to hide it and engages in conversation about this and that. ¡ª Time flies by and several hours pass. Several dance suitors join her; some of them sailors, others women. At one point she is with Verdandi again. ¡°Enjoying yourself Starla?¡± Sweiza simply nods. As she gets more comfortable with dancing these strange (to her) movements, it becomes a bit easier to enjoy herself. But what really made her night was the sound of Brynhilde¡¯s violin playing with a piano in the background. How this entourage of musician¡¯s can keep their music together is beyond her reasoning. But more importantly, when the music changes to something softer as fireworks light the sky, her night is done and made. Her last dance partner is Verdandi (again). Sweiza finally stops and gives an instinctive bow. ¡°I¡¯m done, my feet hurt.¡± Verdandi gives a nod of approval and understanding. ¡°As you wish Miss Serif.¡± Sweiza excuses herself and heads for the starboard railing. She leans herself forward onto her arms and simply enjoys the stars and some of the fireworks overhead. Her peace is not long as Brynhilde joins her. ¡°What did you think?¡± Brynhilde beams at her. She too joins Sweiza at the railing, but nothing so nonchalant as leaning over a rail; instead she simply stands with her arms clasped in front of her. ¡°Brynhilde, your violin is amazing!¡± Sweiza beams with excitement at her. ¡°Thank you Serah. But I was referring to the men.¡± A smile is still on her face. Sweiza looks over at her. It takes a few minutes to realize what she means. Sweiza shrugs. ¡°We have plenty of ¡®men¡¯ at Maria Village¡­ and I¡¯m taken.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad Starla.¡± A sly smirk crosses Brynhilde¡¯s face, ¡°We nobles so rarely get to meet such rustic men. They are fun to be around.¡± Sweiza gives her an otherworldly look and shrugs before turning back to the sea. ¡°Do as you like Brynhilde.¡± Another smile creeps across Brynehilde¡¯s face. She darts off quicker than Sweiza is used to and expecting¡­ almost as if the woman was skipping, but not quite. Sweiza looks up once as it dawns on her. She looks back towards Brynhilde, whom is now speaking with one of the sailors. Sweiza looks at her with some scrutiny, ¡°She¡¯s a noble?¡± Sweiza observes her laughing with the sailor, but then sees them just as casually walk off together. Sweiza frowns and dismisses it. She turns back to the stars. ¡ª About a three-quarters of an hour later, the music has toned down and the party is winding to a close. In fact, to top off the night, Sweiza has gotten into drinking with the men. They are amazed she can handle just as much alcohol as them; not unheard of for a woman, but lesser so from someone that can still pass as a young lady, or in some of their eyes ¡®a young girl¡¯. However, it comes soon enough that she feels tipsy as she joyfully beams and laughs with the sailors as they talk about this and that. Verdandi appears beside Sweiza¡¯s left and pushes Sweiza¡¯s mug away from the girl. ¡°Perhaps Miss Serif has enjoyed herself a bit to much and is becoming more than she should.¡± A smile is on Verdandi¡¯s face as she uses both hands to slowly pull the mug and Sweiza¡¯s hand away, it is firm, but gentle. ¡°Oh! Of course! Too much merriment!¡± Sweiza laughs. Her face is showing signs of the alcohol, but it is only a deep pink. ¡°Then, perhaps Miss Serif would care to retreat for the morning? We have a big day ahead of us, yes?¡± Verdandi says it while setting Sweiza¡¯s mug on the table. Sweiza watches the liquid inside slosh around slightly. It takes a few seconds (longer than it should), before the girl understands what Verdandi means. ¡°Oh! Yeah. Let¡¯s¡­¡± Sweiza stands up, but her, Verdandi, and the rest of the group still on deck are startled by a yelling coming from further up the lower deck. Verdandi is the first to head towards the lower decks, Sweiza joins her, as does Dillion and several sailors. More screaming. One of the sailors, still in uniform, comes rushing out through the starewell from the lower decks. He darts past his Captain and the group that has formed. He continues on his way towards the bow of the ship. Another scream comes from the starewell. Brynhilde soon appears. Her hair is a mess and part of her makeup is running; for that matter part of her makeup is missing. Her glasses too, are missing. To Sweiza¡¯s surprise, the woman has red eyes; her exposed skin also appears to be a very pale white. She doesn¡¯t have much time to think about it as Brynhilde comes rushing up to the group, a rapier in hand. ¡°Where is he?!¡± Brynhilde shakes, clearly frustrated, clearly furious. Verdandi¡¯s crossed arms remain that way, but her left hand¡¯s index finger shoots up and points to the bow of the ship. Brynhilde rushes to the front of the ship. ¡°You scoundrel!¡± Alarm washes over Dillion¡¯s face. He hurries towards the front of the ship, as do several other sailors. Verdandi looks over towards the bow and casually comments, ¡°Looks like we weren¡¯t the only ones having fun.¡± Sweiza lets out a half-drunk giggle and shrugs. Verdandi ushers her to the starewell. It has been a long night and it is time to retire for the night. ¡ª It is still sometime in early morning as Sweiza and Verdandi are roused from sleep. ¡°Lady Valkyrie, we have an emergency!¡± It is one of the sailors and he is breathing hard. Perhaps he ran from the upper decks. Verdandi, quick to pull the covers off and get to her feet; Sweiza rouses from sleep, groggy, but still manages to sit up. Her eyes hurt and she struggles to see in the dark; the lantern from the hall being the only light. ¡°Whatever would be the matter?¡± Verdandi ¡°Pirates!¡± ¡°Oh shi¡ª¡° Verdandi is quick to the door, her armor appears and her lance in hand. She darts back into the room, ¡°Miss Serif, summon your armor. It¡¯s time to put that Valkyrie training to use.¡± Sweiza looks towards the door dismayed. She looks over once towards the small matchbox where Sprite should be. He isn¡¯t there. She forgets why. ¡°Miss Serif!¡± Verdandi¡¯s voice get sharp and Sweiza is on her feet, armor on, and out the door. ¡°Please be safe Sprite.¡± Sweiza mutters it to herself as she follows Verdandi and the sailor to the upper decks. ¡ª- On the upper deck Sweiza sees more sailors than she is expecting. To the left and to the right, ssees cannons lined up on the starboard side. She looks up to the upper deck and sees Dillion with a spyglass. He is speaking with several of the sailors; she assumes they are higher ranking, but she has little time to wonder as she near bumps into Verdandi. They are at the railing. Verdandi has her spyglass out and is looking in the distance. She hands it to Sweiza and points out in a certain direction. Sweiza struggles to see it. Through the veil of the night, hard to see with an absent morning light, is several lights. They are moving towards the Sterling Blue¡¯s very spot. ¡°Angst, above the lights, tell me what color flag they are flying?¡± Sweiza has heard of this. Different ships fly different flags depending on intent, as well as country of origin. An image of the Sterling Blue flashes in her mind, it is absent any flags. However, this ship in front of her is flying a red one. She lowers the spyglass and looks over towards Verdandi. ¡°It¡¯s red.¡± ¡°No quarter.¡± Verdandi says it with contempt. Sweiza shrugs slightly as she shakes her head. ¡°It means they will take no prisoners.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sweiza looks towards the lights in the distance, now looming closer and can be seen without a spyglass. ¡°So what do we do then?¡± Verdandi clicks her heels together. ¡°The time of the Vakyrie has come. We are the choosers of the slain!¡± ¡°I will fight with you!¡± Verdandi bolts around. ¡°You most certainly will not!¡± Sweiza turns around, surprised to see Brynhilde. The woman¡¯s makeup is completely off. Her skin is definitely a pale white; but her eyes look stranger still with her white hair. She has a rapier drawn and pointed towards the enemy ship. ¡°That isn¡¯t for you to decide Valkyrie. I may not be one of you, but I can most certainly fight alongside of you.¡± Bryndhilde says it defiantly. Verdandi stares at her skeptical. ¡°I may not be a Valkyrie¡­ yet¡­ but I am most certainly a capable fighter. I will -not- stand idly by while a bunch of ruffians ravage an embassy of Valhalla!¡± Brynhilde points her rapier from Verdandi to the sky and then to the pirate ship. ¡°As you wish Svava.¡± Verdandi says it nonchalantly. about to turn towards the enemy ship again, but her attention is on Sweiza. She grabs the girl by the shoulder and forcefully turns her around. Verdandi gives her a sharp look. Sweiza finally comes to attention. She hides her embarassment at having been distracted by Brynhilde¡¯s appearance. ¡ª What Sweiza is expecting is to be boarded, but Verdandi shakes her head at the girl. It is mentioned briefly, but the two ships would fight at a distance. If boarded, the Valkyrie sentiment would be reared at the pirates. However, the sound of shouting is drowned out by cannonballs. The shelling between the ships continues and the next quarter hour is a blur. To Sweiza, the cannonballs appear to bounce off the pirate ship. She looks at Verdandi, whom only explains it appears to be an ironclad ship. Sweiza can¡¯t see it, but the Sterling Blue has several holes in its side. The pirate ship has some damage to the wooded areas of the upper decks. Suddenly, one of the masts of the pirate ship topples and it takes the sales and rigging of another mast with it; it hangs diagonally with the other mast¡¯s rigging support it. Five more minutes pass. Captain Dillion walks up calmly, his spyglass in his hands behind him. ¡°Captain?¡± Verdandi says it concerned. ¡°We are taking on water.¡± Sweiza¡¯s mouth drops into an o shape. Verdandi¡¯s face looks grim. Captain Dillion continues, ¡°Too much water. Buckets are useless and we can¡¯t flush it with the pumps.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Sweiza interrupts. She knows that the bilge uses a pumping system. In her mind it surely could help. ¡°Miss Serif!¡± Verdandi snaps at her. Sweiza lets out a silent ¡®eep!¡¯ and stiffens up. Verdandi shoots another sharp look at Sweiza and then looks at the Captain, ¡°Do continue Captain.¡± ¡°The pirate ship is also taking on water; we damaged her more than we thought. As my men and I have gathered, they do not have lifeboats¡­¡± Verdandi can see where this is headed. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to give the order to abandon ship¡­¡± Verdandi grimaces. Sweiza¡¯s mouth remains closed, but her jaw drops and her eyes widen. ¡°¡­while we are still afloat, any available crew will man the lifeboats. If the pirates do have lifeboats and do want a fight, we¡¯ll give them one in close quarters. Can we count on you and your co-hart?¡± Dillion motions towards Sweiza. ¡°Absolutely Captain. But what about you? You can¡¯t tell me you would in all seriousness follow that rustic and outdated tradition¡­¡± Verdandi says it with some worry in her voice. Sweiza gathers these two go back some years. ¡°Absolutely not! I¡¯m not about to be outdone by seaswagging miscreants. However, if necessary, I¡¯ll send the Sterling into their ship and take them to their graves.¡± Dillion says it with his hands folded behind his back. Verdandi gives a grunt, snaps her heels together and salutes him; Dillion salutes back. ¡°If you haven¡¯t already¡­¡± Dillion looks more towards Sweiza as he says it, ¡°¡­I would grab any personal belongings¡­¡± Sweiza looks from Dillion to Verdandi. Verdandi gives a slight nod to the girl. Sweiza darts off towards the stairwell to the lower decks. Dillion gives Verdandi a ¡°That will be all Valkyrie.¡± Verdandi gives another salute and Dillion breaks off towards the front of the ship. Several passengers and crewman rush by, and rushed by Sweiza, as panic sets in. The ship is sinking. The first thoughts on her mind of her rucksack. She will be damned to Muspell¡¯s desert if any of those pirates will touch her personal stuff. In their sleeping quarters, Sweiza suddenly sees the matchbox with an absent Sprite. She grabs it an looks towards her rucksack in the corner. She closes her eyes and forces back the tears as she rips the rucksack open. She stares at the rucksack weird. It isn¡¯t bound together. It is opened. Curiosity, then a look of disgust. Has Verdandi been digging through her things? Was it Uma? Maybe Sprite? She opens the rucksack with her left hand, matchbox in her right. The matchbox drops to the floor. She grimaces a look of bitterness. A blue oval, translucent in some areas, and it has a glow from within; a distinct, but not-too-unfamiliar form is within it. Sweiza mouths, ¡°You idiot!¡± She shoves the matchbox into the rucksack. She ties the hood shut and swings one of the arm straps around her shoulder. The thought of having to use her bow an arrow as a weapon crosses her mind as she walks with haste to the upper decks. Other thoughts such as, ¡°This is a very bad day.¡± And ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is happening.¡± Cross her mind. ¡ª Sweiza meets Verdandi and several crewman at the lifeboats towards the port side of the bow of the ship. Brynhilde is with them. As Sweiza reaches them, she overhears Verdandi talking with Brynhilde. Brynhilde is not her normal demeanor, but acting very standoffish and defiant with the Valkyrie. It is hard to hear what they are saying, but Sweiza catches, ¡°¡­my place is with you¡­¡± from Brynhilde, and an ¡°You are not a Valkyrie.¡± From Verdandi. There is more talking with them. Sweiza sees Brynhilde look over at her. Brynhilde gives a scowl and stamps her whole body in frustration at Verdandi. Verdandi points towards Sweiza. Sweiza hears Verdandi give a sharp and distinctive, ¡°Go, now!¡± Sweiza¡¯s attention is cutoff by another cannon ball firing overhead. It crashes into one of the sailors. Sweiza bolts her head away; part of his lower torso missing. Brynhilde rushes over to Sweiza. ¡°We¡¯re leaving, now.¡± Sweiza looks over to Verdandi. ¡°Now Starla!¡± Brynhilde jerks Sweiza over; the girl nearly dropping her rucksack from the weight. ¡ª The last sight Sweiza sees is the deck with Verdandi on it rising as the lifeboat is lowered by several sailors. In total twelve people are on it. Sweiza looks up at the other lifeboats, they too were slowly lowering. At last she sees Verdandi heading towards one of them. ¡ª Several minutes pass. Everyone is quiet. Sweiza¡¯s eyes are on the Sterling blue, some fifty feet to the side of the lifeboat. Sweiza looks over to Brynhilde. ¡°Now what?¡± Sweiza asks, but Brynhilde frowns and shakes her head slowly. The both of them continue to look at the Sterling Blue. It has stopped shelling by now, but the pirate ship still fills the air with the sound of cannon balls. Sweiza can here the distinct sound of wood snapping as cannon balls hit the bow of the ship. ¡ª It appears in slow motion, but Sweiza sees a stray cannonball hit one of the nearby lifeboats. One of the occupants is hit and thrown overboard. Another liferaft is hit. The pirates were firing on survivors. Sweiza sees a distinct spark and flame from one of the cannons on the enemy ship. As if life stood still, there is silence and then a crack as their lifeboat is hit. It misses Sweiza, but hits one of the crewman. She is left gaping in horror at his missing head and shoulder. His body falls to the ground. Sweiza¡¯s eyes then dart to the bottom of the lifeboat. A hole. It had been punctured. It takes on water and begins to shake as several crewman attempt to avoid it as if it were some kind of poison. ¡ª Several minutes pass¡­ The Sterling Blue¡¯s form fades into the pirate ship, but not before the pirates did their damage. Most of the lifeboats have been destroyed, a large number of crewman and passengers lives with them. The few that are still afloat are scattered. A thunderclap in the distance rouses Sweiza¡¯s attention. She looks up and sees no stars. A thunderstorm perhaps? Worry fills her being. Could lightning hit the surface of water and kill them? Her grandmother used to tell her stories about foolish sailors, and yet here she is. Lightning flashes overhead. Panic fills in. She hears distinct murmurs from people nearby; thunder cracks. She now hears panic and then a scream as lightning flashes again. The malt from last night didn¡¯t agree with her. She feels her arms and legs heavier than normal. They start to cramp. The last thing she remembers is Brynhilde grabbing her arm to keep her afloat. Chapter 14 - Sentinel Island ¡°You seem to be in quite the predicament¡­¡± The voice is obnoxiously annoying and all to familiar. However, that isn¡¯t what catches Sweiza¡¯s immediate attention. Instead it is the black void all around her. She can¡¯t see. She can feel her arms brush along her body as she tries to move them. She feels her body¡¯s weight switch; she feels slightly sick to her stomach from the effect. Her body rights itself just as easy. ¡°Demi, what do you want this time?!¡± Sweiza says it, with no gullibility in her voice this time. Her arms cross, her eyes close and her face frowns. Her eyebrows shoot up with distaste, ¡°This had better be important, I¡¯m very busy at the moment!¡± ¡°So you are.¡± Sweiza feels herself falling, quite rapidly. It lasts only for a few seconds, but she feels her body suddenly come to a halt. The void underneath her comes towards her. She sees the distinct reflection of Lokul as it ripples through the water surface. She turns towards it, it is blocked slightly by clouds, but can be seen behind them. Crash! Lightning flashes in the distance. Her eyes narrow and her attention focuses on that one area. Lightning flashes again. This time it illuminates the water below her. Debris. Lots of it. What happened here? It dawns on her and she remembers. ¡°I was on the Sterling Blue.¡± She says it quizzically to herself, ignoring Demi. ¡°I was on a lifeboat and¡­¡± Lightning crashes in the distance. Thunder. ¡°We were attacked by pirates¡­¡± Sweiza looks helplessly at the black water underneath her. She feels desperation kick in. More lightning. This time it flashes overhead and streaks the sky. Sweiza sees her opportunity and scans the water. She sees white hair. A body struggling. It¡¯s Brynhilde. She¡¯s struggling with something. She¡¯s yelling. It¡¯s Sweiza. Brynhilde tries harder. She shouts to no avail. Her body appears to tire. Brynhilde¡¯s movements suddenly become livid. Then they start to slow and she sinks beneath the water surface. ¡°BRYNHILDE!¡± ¡ª Blackness. She feels it tugging on her. Pulling her down. Slow, then fast. Faster and faster. She feels the jolt. Something preventing her from breathing. Her eyes flutter open and she sees Brynhilde¡¯s body floating near her. Instinctively she grabs her. She drives her free hand and legs against the water. Not much around her. Just light from above. It flashes. Her head jolts up. Lightning. Slowly reaching the surface. That is the only thought on her mind, reach the surface. Her free hand and leg break the water, repeatedly. She struggles against the void calling her. She finally breaches the surface. Her lungs burn. She coughs out water. Floating. Finally. Her head jerks in several directions and her eyes dart around. It¡¯s hard to see. She can barely see anything. Lightning flashes. She attempts to pull Brynhilde up. Brynhilde¡¯s white hair and face breach the surface. Again Sweiza coughs out water until reprieve and atmosphere hit her lungs. The coughing continues. The only thought on her mind is Demi¡¯s voice, ¡°What do you desire?¡± ¡°Something to prop myself on. Relief. Anything¡­¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow and lock onto debris illuminated by lightning. There! She swims over to it, pulling Brynhilde. It is slow going. She makes it. She pulls Brynhilde¡¯s body over. She repeatedly tries to pull her (Brynhilde¡¯s) arm out of the water. She fails, several times. She feels her body burn. She summons she summons all of her might to pull Brynhilde¡¯s arm out of the water and prop the floating wood under her (Brynhilde) and herself. She grabs the floating wood and pushes it between Brynhilde and herself. It takes several more attempts for her to pull Brynhilde¡¯s other arm out of the water and prop the debris under it. Sweiza let out a sigh; half way through it she forces the air out. She isn¡¯t going to die here; not like this. Almost falling completely back into the water, Sweiza makes one last attempt with her burning muscles and throws her arms over the wood. It isn¡¯t perfect, but it will do. The immediate danger out of the way, Sweiza has a new problem, which direction to go in. Lightning illuminates the distance. She sees what looks like something in the far distance. She starts to kick water with her feet, albeit slowly. She heads for whatever it is in the distance. She feels something nag at her. It takes her a minute. Demi¡¯s words in her mind. What does she desire? Did Brynhilde drown? It is Brynhilde. How long has it been? ¡°Brynhilde?! Brynhilde!¡± Sweiza¡¯s voice shouts at her. No response. The thought of splashing water at her or slapping her hand across Brynhilde¡¯s face might be an option. No, it won¡¯t work. Sweiza curses her luck. ¡°Somebody, help me¡­¡± Sweiza says it helplessly, then with more determination, ¡°Somebody, HELP ME! I¡¯m not going to die like this!¡± It is then that the water near her puckers, ripples and forms into a half figure, torso and head above the water. Sweiza looks up. It¡¯s Uma. She sees something form in Uma¡¯s hand. It drives straight for Brynhilde¡¯s mouth. It then pulls away. Uma suddenly disappears beneath the water. ¡°Brynhilde?! Brynhilde!¡± Nothing. Again Sweiza curses. She looks up, willing everything in the universe ¡®to go okay¡¯ and her plea. As if to answer, lightning over strikes down. It¡¯s close. Sweiza swears she feels it jolt through her body, more of a tickle. However, Brynhilde¡¯s body jolts and her head jolts up and she coughs out water. Sweiza praises whatever higher power heard her. She looks around looking for whatever it was in the distance¡­ Lightning crashes overhead again and illuminates it. To the right is the direction. She chooses it. Uma¡¯s body appears, half torso above the water again. Uma points in the direction. ¡°Island. Hurry.¡± Uma swats the water and Sweiza suddenly feels power in her legs. She drives the water with every kick. This time, her body fighting the water with every kick. This will be a slow affair, but Sweiza¡¯s only thoughts focus on getting to land safely. This will be a long night, but for now Sweiza felt safe. She thanks the universe for hearing her plea, but Demi for more importantly bringing her back to reality. ¡ª- It is sometime in early morning, with the rays of the dawn sun just stretching in the distance. A tired Sweiza with cramped legs slowly appears approaching the shoreline with cargo in tow. A beach, not particularly big, is dotted with trees here and there. Further back between the tree trunks are other trees, more dense, but slowly fading into night. Sweiza gives it only a brief attention as her feet, still underwater, touch the sandy bottom of the lake. Her attention focuses on Brynhilde; she braces the woman¡¯s arm and attempts to pull her towards the shore. Out of the water, Brynhilde is heavier than Sweiza first thought. Regardless, Sweiza heaves with all of her might and pulls Brynhilde to the beach. The mission accomplished Sweiza¡¯s hands brace her calves and she drops to her knees breathing. Sweiza lets out a groan as she attempts to stand up. She feels the life attempt to leave her. She fights it, but ultimately topples over and passes out. --- ¡°What is it you desire?¡± ¡°I just want to thank you for earlier.¡± ¡°So be it.¡± ¡ª ¡°Wake up.¡± Blackness turns to an unusual shade of dark red. ¡°Sweiza, wake up.¡± She feels it, her neck pulls back, a low groan escapes her throat. Feeling returns to her body and she pulls up slightly and then falls slack. ¡°Starla Serif. Get up!¡± Sweiza feels a hard tap to her shoulder. Sweiza lets out an ¡°Ghmph.¡± Her eyes finally shutter open. Awareness returns. Her hands are quick to the ground and she bolts up. Her first reaction is to dust the sand off of her thinking it is insects of some sort. Realizing she is on a beach, her head darts back and forth real quick like. ¡°Sera¡­¡± Startled, Sweiza turns around towards the familiar voice. She lets out a sigh of relief to see Brynhilde standing there, hands on her hips. A stearn look adorns the woman¡¯s face as she shakes her right finger at the girl. ¡°You took your time with your little nap.¡± An alarm strikes in Sweiza¡¯s mind. Her first instinct is to look up straight at the sun. ¡°How long was I out?¡± crosses her mind. Her hand shields her eyes. She looks for the sun. It is in the distance, still covering trees, but most certainly not high in the sky. Sweiza looks over from the sun to the shore - an irritated Brynhilde with crossed arms - and then the direction of the ocean from their mishap earlier. She estimates it is about two o-clock, afternoon time. Her face drops into a deep frown. She turns back to Brynhilde; the woman now switching from irritated to agitation. Brynhilde¡¯s foot taps on the ground. ¡°Miss Serif¡­¡± Sweiza cringes. ¡°Sweiza, we need to¡­¡± Sweiza interrupts her, ¡°Brynhilde, are you alright? You were coughing up water last night and then¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite alright Miss Serif. Now if you please, we have work to get done. Sweiza stammers. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°You look here. I will -not- die on this island; especially not because of someone that is lazy and can¡¯t pull her weight. Is that clear?¡± Brynhilde points her finger from Sweiza to the ground and then away from both points of interest. Sweiza frowns again and nods nervously. Brynhilde speaks to her sharply- ¡°Good. Our first task is going to be to explore this island and get a bearing for where we are. Then¡­¡± Sweiza interrupts again, ¡°We¡¯ll need to build a shelter.¡± A surprised Brynhilde quickly regains her composure. ¡°Yes, Starla, we will need shelter. Then we will¡­¡± ¡°Svava, we¡­¡± Brynhilde¡¯s ears shoot back and she marches up to the girl. Her face now inches from Sweiza¡¯s. Her eyes narrow into a look of disgust. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever call me by that name, you poor excuse of a Valkyrie! Your poor attitude and drunken performance are part of the reason we are in this mess.¡± Sweiza visibly shakes at the reprimand. This can¡¯t be the same woman she had met on the Sterling Blue. Sweiza¡¯s mind races. Her drunken performance. Perhaps she drank too much last night? She remembers being tipsy. Her eyes wince. Brynhilde sees it. The woman¡¯s point has obviously been made. Her tone and posture change as she walks away from the girl. ¡°Now then. While I may want to be a Valkyrie¡­¡± Sweiza¡¯s head perks up at the word. Brynhilde¡¯s head turns back and shoots Sweiza a nasty look, ¡°You are the one with the training. Therefor you are the one that will be taking point.¡± Sweiza cocks her quizzically at Brynhilde. Brynhilde lets out a rapid breath, Sweiza knows what is coming, more reprimands. ¡°Summon your armor and weapon.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Sweiza looks down at her clothing. Her clothing isn¡¯t wet, but her shoes are. She does as she is told and summons her armor. It is strangely dry. Her sword appears a second later. Sweiza looks towards Brynhilde for direction. Brynhilde shoots her a dismayed, but still irate look, ¡°Sheath your weapon and lets go. You will be in front. We will go in that direction.¡± Brynhilde points straight into the dense foliage. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± Brynhilde waves her arm. Brynhilde strangely enough takes point, despite having told Sweiza to the contrary. Brynhilde comes to an abrupt stop when she hears Sweiza¡¯s voice. ¡°Brynhilde¡­¡± Compared to her normal demeanor, Sweiza says it quite soft and uncertain. Sweiza jolts and cringes when Brynhilde snaps at her, ¡°Yes, -Miss Serif-?¡± ¡°I remember I had my rucksack around your shoulder and¡­¡± Brynhilde shoots her another look of disgust; her hand and finger shoot out in a diretion several feet from them. Sweiza¡¯s eyesight follows it until she sees her rucksack. ¡°Brynhilde, would you be willing to¡­¡± Brynhilde¡¯s eyebrows shoot up as she grimaces at the girl. She walks over to the rucksack and slings it against her shoulder. It isn¡¯t too heavy. Brynhilde starts walking hurriedly towards the trees. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, we¡­¡± Sweiza again interrupts. Brynhilde¡¯s eyebrows shoot up again, this time into a scowl. ¡°Thank you Brynhilde, this armor is rather heavy.¡± Sweiza bows as she says it. When her body returns upright, Brynhilde eyes Sweiza once, then turns around and marches to the trees. Sweiza stands there dumbfounded. Brynhilde does not return. Sweiza suddenly remember¡¯s Sprite¡¯s cocoon shell. The realization sharps her to reality and she hurries after Brynhilde, the woman now no longer visible. --- Most of the trees prove to be problematic and several times Brynhilde barks at Sweiza to use her sword for cutting trees. At one point Sweiza finally sheaths her sword and angrily approaches Brynhilde. Brynhilde just stands there, not knowing what to expect at Sweiza¡¯s sudden confidence. The girl grabs the woman by the shoulder and turns her slightly to gain access to her rucksack. Brynhilde is more surprised than anything. ¡°Sera, what are you looking for?¡± When she feels the rummaging stop, Brynhilde turns around. Sweiza is holding up what looks like a small sword, but it is bladed on one side and has saw teeth on another. It appears to have several different grooves and saw teeth in it that Brynhilde is also unfamiliar with. ¡°Miss Serif, what is that?¡± Brynhilde says it, lost in thought. ¡°It¡¯s called a machete. Stand aside.¡± Sweiza walks towards and finally past Brynhilde, gently shoving her out of the way in the process. Brynhilde simply gives out a surprised ¡°Hey!¡±. Sweiza gives it no attention and continues towards the jungle of underbrush and growth in front of them. Her machete makes quick work of the trees. ¡°C¡¯mon!¡± Sweiza says it while turning around once and then continues in the direction they were moving in. Brynhilde is left to contemplate the moment, then looks down thoughtfully at the single rucksack strap holding it to her shoulder. She looks back at the direction of Sweiza¡¯s travel and quickly follows her. --- After some miles inward, with a clear path cut behind them, Sweiza finally stops dead center. Brynhilde almost knocks into her. This time Brynhilde says nothing. Sweiza shields her eyes as she looks up and beyond the treeline. The trees block out the sun, as they have for the last few hour or two. Brynhilde stares at her absentminded, but her attention draws to her fully when Sweiza¡¯s armor disappears; the girl jumps onto a tree and starts climbing it. Brynhilde walks to the base of the tree and stares up at Sweiza from below. It takes a couple of minutes but Sweiza makes it to the top. She makes a mental note of her body¡¯s light frame and muscular disposition; she thanks all the hardwork she always had to do in Maria Village. She misses it. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She shakes her head and refocuses back on the task at hand. She shields her eyes this time; this time determined with purpose. She sees the sun finally. It is lower in the sky than before and closer to the horizon. She starts jumping down the tree, and does so in a fashion that Brynhilde is not familiar with. Sweiza finally stops on the tree¡¯s lowest branch and sits there while looking down at Brynhilde. ¡°Are you afraid of climbing?¡± Brynhilde simply shakes her head. Sweiza finally jumps off the tree branch and hits the ground. Brynhilde notes Sweiza¡¯s landing incidates someone that has done this before. ¡°What?¡± Sweiza inches closer to the woman. She contorts her mouth at her (Brynhilde). Seiza finally raises her hand and knocks on Brynhilde¡¯s head. ¡°Helloooo!¡± Brynhilde finally snaps out of it and yells at Sweiza several times. Sweiza is let to shrink into herself, but just barely. Brynhilde walks forward to take point; she leaves the girl to stand there and mull what just happened. However, just as Brynhilde is a few feet in front, Sweiza asks in a shaky voice, ¡°Brynhilde, it¡¯ll be dinnertime soon¡­¡± ¡°So..?!¡± Brynhilde¡¯s hands are on her hips. Her composure back, she takes charge of the situation. ¡°You do know how to hunt right?¡± Brynhilde loses her composure again, her hands drop down to her side and her head slowly cocks sideways. ¡°Wha-at?¡± Brynhilde says it surprised. ¡°You cannot be serious.¡± Sweiza approaches her. Brynhilde is again left dumbfounded as Sweiza pulls the rucksack from Brynhilde¡¯s arm and starts rummaging through it. The girl makes no fashion statement about her sitting crosslegged on the ground; she rummages through the rucksack, pulling a few things out at a time. She pulls out the portable bow and quiver. Brynhilde is left curious at this, as she is several of the items she has seen in the rucksack, as well as those sitting on the ground; especially the glowing blue orb. However, she thinks better of saying anything. Items back in, rucksack on her back, Sweiza holds her bow in her right hand and pulls on Brynhilde¡¯s hand with her left. ¡°C¡¯mon Brynhilde. It¡¯ll be easy!¡± Brynhilde simply nods again, not sure what to make of this. --- It is towards evening and the two have set a location for a temporary basecamp. Brynhilde takes point (stands guard) with her back to Sweiza on the grounds that watching someone clean vermin (a rabbit in thise case) is beneath her. Sweiza has no idea what she means and continues with her task at hand. Within about an hour a fire is made, dinner is prepped and Sweiza¡¯s rucksack tent has been put up. Sweiza of course, cannot understand Brinhilde¡¯s grimmace when the girl hands her meat on a stick. To Sweiza it is a delight and one of the best parts about being in the woods. ¡°More for me then!¡± Sweiza says it holding up her empty stick and ready to stick more meat. Hunger for most of the day, and just a few minutes of watching the girl stuff her face is enough to sway Brynhilde. The woman takes what dignity she has left and turns away from Sweiza, food in tow. She looks down at it, eyeing it carefully. She grimaces at it in disgust. She turns the stick a few times. She finally raises it and bites into it. It doesn¡¯t take her long to finish it. She turns around to grab another piece, however Sweiza is standing directly behind her. ¡°Have you been watching me the whole time?¡± Sweiza holds her stick up with another piece of meat and holds it in front of Brynhilde. ¡°Hunger is the best spice in life!¡± ¡°Whatever. Give me that!¡± Brynhilde ignores Sweiza and eats with her remaining dignity in check. Sweiza on the other hand has a very bubbly and giddy expression on her face as she watches Brynhilde. --- It is sometime at night, the moon Lokul is high in the sky. While she has slept outdoors and roughed it on occasion or two, Brynhilde prefers the luxury accoutrements of a more civilized society. However, she isn¡¯t above dealing with the current situation. Unfortunately, along came Sweiza. ¡°Brynhilde, I was wondering, why are your eyes red?¡± Brynhilde whom has been staring at the top of the underside of the tent, is forced to stop reflecting on the days events. ¡°If I answer you, will you be quiet and go to sleep?¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t answer. Brynhilde is used to this kind of silence. ¡°If you really must know, I am an albino.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Not sure what to make of that, Sweiza turns her head up towards the tent. The conversation has apparently ended. ¡­or so she thinks. ¡°It means it affects my appearance¡­¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes are back on the woman. ¡°¡­along with a multitude of health issues it also means I have a number of social issues.¡± Sweiza blinks once, ¡°¡­such as?¡± ¡°Such as young girls that don¡¯t know when to mind there own business.¡± Sweiza shudders, just enough. Brynhilde sees her foot is in the door. ¡°That being said Starla, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what does an uncouth girl like you get out of being a Valkyrie?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Why did you want to become a Valkyrie?¡± This is not a question the girl is expecting. She stops to think about it for a second. ¡°Well?!¡± ¡°On the eve of Lokul, I cursed and rued my existence. I made a foolish wish when I met the village guardian. It was a mistake; I am still cursing and ruing my existence.¡± Brynhilde says nothing. ¡°Brynhilde?¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Serif?¡± ¡°Why do you want to become a Valkyrie?¡± Brynhilde¡¯s eyes narrow at the girl, ¡°Many reasons. One of them, the same reason you should be grateful you have the honor.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Your genetics will become less of a problem with time.¡± Sweiza is left to contemplate this, but says nothing. ¡°Brynhilde, we can be friends, right?¡± ¡°Good night Miss Serif.¡± Brynhilde turns her back to Sweiza. Somber, Sweiza is left to do the same. --- ¡°What is it that you desire?¡± The voice echoes. This time Sweiza isn¡¯t phased by it. Rather she wills herself to take form; she does the same for Demi. This time the trickster is taken aback. His appearance has been revealed. ¡°So you have¡­unhand me!¡± Sweiza wastes no time in seemingly appearing next to him. Demi is stuck in a hug. Not sure what to do he disappears from her grasp and appears behind her. She already knows where he is. A big smile is on her face. She doesn¡¯t give him time to speak. ¡°Thank you Demi, for both Brynhilde and my sake.¡± Suspended in air, the trickster sits crosslegged with his arms cradled and his eyes closed. ¡°Demi, I have a question!¡± Sweiza says it with imperative earnest. ¡°State your business with this one, child.¡± Sweiza winces at the ¡®child¡¯ comment, but ignores it having learned not to provoke this creature. More specifically, that is what her question is about. ¡°Demi, I was wondering, what are you?¡± ¡°A fantastic and wonderful question!¡± Demi disappears. Sweiza is left to look left and right at where he might go. She wills him to appear, but he doesn¡¯t. Instead, a copy of Sweiza appears twenty feet in front of her, same crosslegged sitting stance as Demi had before. ¡°Demi?¡± ¡°Indeed, I am you, rather a subconscious copy of you. You may think of me as your inner spirit, your inner child, spirited and untamed. However, I am more than this. I am the spirit of your armor and the embodiment of the Valkyrie that you will become.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you!¡± ¡°I know more about you than you know about yourself. However, I can¡¯t have you killing yourself or committing suicide. Is that clear?¡± Sweiza knows exactly to what he is referring. ¡°More importantly, if you die, I cease to exist. I can¡¯t have that. You will live, you have a strong desire to do so.¡± Sweiza takes in an angry breath knowing this to be true; however, she stifles herself. Demi has information she needs; rather, he seems to be aware of what is going on around her at points. ¡°Demi, I had another question.¡± ¡°Ask.¡± ¡°You seem to be ware of what is going on around me. How is this so?¡± ¡°I know you, better than you know yourself. You see me as a demon, someone that has stolen from you¡­ ¡°Your pointless imagination is why I -don¡¯t- like you.¡± Demi disappears and appears in front of her. This time as his true self again. His face is inches from hers. He is not happy. ¡°Silence!¡± Sweiza forces a gulp, ¡°Eep!¡± ¡°I am a lesser version of you, a demi-version. I am aware of what goes on around you, as much as you are; and then some.¡± ¡°Then you should know my next two questions.¡± ¡°Indeed. I choose a male form because it helps make a distinction between us. Your thoughts are your own; my thoughts are my own. However, you are easily confused.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°Oh stop it.¡± Demi turns back into Sweiza. This time adorned with her Valkyrie armor. ¡°The answer to your second question, you are on ¡®Sentinel Island¡¯.¡± ¡°What is Sentinel Island?¡± She tries to approach her doppleganger, but to no avail. She remains walking in place and stops at the futility of it. ¡°Ask your Valkyrie friend. Until then, when next we meet.¡± Demi lets out a laugh as he fades. Sweiza stammers as she tries to let out another question. Just who is this Valkyrie friend that he spoke of? Strife presumably perished on the ship or made it away on a lifeboat; the only other person with her right now is Brynhidle and an even lesser likely Sprite due to his cocooning phase. --- Sweiza¡¯s eyes open. She can hear different song birds making their music. She lifts her head. Her eyes lock on the horizon, or presumably where it should be. It is still dark out, but she can make out the shapes of trees. It must be sometime between early morning and sunrise. She hurries out of the tent, careful so not as to disturb a sleeping Brynhilde. Sweiza¡¯s objective is an important one. The previous day they -should- have set up basecamp at the beach; instead they were in such a hurry, rather Brynhilde was in such a hurry, to explore there surroundings. They should also have not walked as far into the forest as they had. It was a passing through in Sweiza¡¯s mind that they would need water. Uma had mentioned an island; assuming the Undine was correct, ocean water would not be acceptable for drinking. Thankfully Sweiza fancied herself a rugged girl and spent enough time outdoors and in the woods; she knows how to survive. Rainwater, mist and dew can be collected over a dipped darp covering a hole in the ground. However, the easiest and preferred method is to find a freshwater (preferrably large) source and boild it to kill bacteria; sometimes using a cloth to filter out much and other impurities not withstanding. To a lesser extent it is possible to desalinate and distill ocean water using multiple methods to make it drinkable, but it is an inconvenience and can be complicated. Brynhilde questioned Sweiza digging a hole last night, but otherwise dismissed it; she was rather insistent on getting to bed to recover from the event¡¯s earlier that morning, as well as get an early start on the next day. Yet, Brynhilde is the one asleep and here Sweiza is collecting water from her homemade water collector - a tarp. Simple dew setting, but it is enough. More foresight in outdoor survival means carrying a small metal pot in her rucksack. The water boils. Sweiza thinks better of pulling out her ladle and smacking it on the pot to wake Brynhilde. Instead she approaches the girl and starts to whisper her name in ever increasingly raises her voice until Brynhilde stirs. The woman¡¯s eyes shutter open and her head lifts. A yawn escapes her mouth. Realizing her display and being watched, Brynhilde¡¯s eyes widen and she bolts up, her head takes the small tent off of its support rope between two trees. There is a commotion from Brynhilde as she attempts to pull the tent off of herself. Her hair a mess from it, she finally pulls the tent off and throws it to the ground. Sweiza¡¯s laughing interrupts her; Brynhilde is not impressed at the girl¡¯s laughter. Sweiza quickly drops the comedy and tends to her task at hand. ¡°Very good Sweiza. I seem to have doubted how capable you are.¡± Brynhilde says it with her arms crossed. Sweiza feels she is finally in good standing with Brynhilde again; as they once were before. Kneeling down with her ladle, Sweiza looks over to Brynhilde, ¡°It¡¯s really easy. I learned outdoor survival from all the times mama kicked me outside of the house. I really started to take a liking to the woods and outdoors¡­¡± Brynhilde interrupts her to avoid any long windedness, ¡°I get the idea Sweiza. Your skills will be most useful later on I¡¯m sure.¡± --- About half an hour later, Sweiza enquires about the importance of ¡®Sentinel Island¡¯. Brynhilde doesn¡¯t answer. Instead, she rebukes Sweiza. Sweiza can earn her respect if she stays quite and learns to hold her tongue. Sweiza is left to summon her armor once more and take point. ¡ª Sometime after noon, the duo hit a beach and ocean. This side of the island has rocks on some outcroppings of the beach. Sweiza shields her eyes, noting it is noon. ¡°Before anything else. I want lunch.¡± ¡°And what praytell in that rucksack of yours will accommodate ¡®us¡¯ this time?¡± Brynhilde¡¯s face and lips are in an unimpressed frown. She shakes her head when the pieces of a fishing rod take shape. It takes an hour or two, but lunch takes place. Dinner is delicious. Sweiza wants to note it in her diary. But is forlorn when she can¡¯t find it. She takes one look at the sea, scowls and storms up to the water edge and kicks it with her foot. ¡°UMA!¡± Brynhilde hides her amusement by turning her head away. She does let out a mild, if not quiet laugh. ¡°UMA!¡± Sweiza wades out further into the water. Sweiza takes in a deep breath and pinches her nose. Brynhilde lets out a laugh when she figures out what Sweiza is going to do. Sweiza lets her whole body drop below the water surface. She lets out the biggest yell she can and screams, ¡°UMA!¡± She lets it out for as many times as she can muster before breaching the water¡¯s surface. Her hair a watered mess and her clothing drooping on her, she slowly wades back to the beach. She gives out a puzzled look at Brynhilde. Brynhilde tries to control herself. She sees Sweiza¡¯s face let out a look of indignation; it doesn¡¯t stop her, Brynhilde finally bursts out laughing. Brynhilde simply motions for the seaweed sitting on Sweiza¡¯s arm. Sweiza picks it up with one finger, smells it and makes a face. She holds it away from herself with her fingers and drops it into the water. Back on shore she makes her way to Brynhilde. Hands on her hips she narrows her eyes at her. Brynhilde is most certainly impressed and bursts out laughing again. Sweiza shakes her head. Sweiza is about to say something, but Brynhilde (now regaining her composure) motions behind her. Sweiza turns around and Uma is at the water¡¯s edge; she however, does not attempt to walk on land. ¡°Uma, get over here!¡± Uma¡¯s arms cradle and she shakes her head. ¡°This island is forbidden.¡± ¡°Uma, do you have my diary?!¡± Uma¡¯s eyes shift downward. ¡°You can keep it¡­ for now. Do not lose it.¡± Uma looks up, a weak smile on her face. Brynhilde is by Sweiza¡¯s side this time, she asks the Undine, ¡°Is this ¡®Sentinel Island¡¯?¡± Uma looks from Sweiza to Brynhilde. ¡°She¡¯s Brynhilde. Please excuse her manners.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows cock up as she looks from the Undine to Brynhilde. Brynhilde¡¯s jaw drops with her mouth closed. ¡°You two are friends?¡± ¡°Sweiza is an acquaintance of mine. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± The Undine looks at her. Realization sets in. ¡°You are the woman from a few nights ago.¡± Brynhilde nods. The Undine raises her hand and shrugs. ¡°This island is forbidden. We are not allowed to traverse its surface. I think it has something to do with Odin. I don¡¯t know much of anything else. I do feel some kind of powerful magic. It seems to be coming from the center of the island. That¡¯s all I know. I¡¯ve spread my essence along the coast if you need assistance. However, I shouldn¡¯t be here. Those -things- are known to fly around. Farewell. Oh, one other thing. My gift.¡± The Undine¡¯s form loses shape and she dips into the water. However, several fish seemingly dead or stunned (Sweiza can¡¯t tell which), breach the surface on their side. Sweiza wastes no time. It takes several trips, but she has them lying on her tarp. They would not need to hunt or fish for a day or two with this catch. Sweiza looks over to the sea and mouths, ¡°Thank you Uma.¡± --- Sweiza had a choice, either stay alone at the beach of follow Brynhilde. Brynhilde wasted no time making a beeline for what she felt was the center of the island. The choice was obvious and Sweiza was hot on her heels again. This time Brynhilde walks at an extremely brisk pace, not waiting for Sweiza to catch up. After much pleading (and whining), the girl¡¯s demands finaly reach Brynhilde. ¡°Yes, Starla?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Left hand to her hip, right finger out pointed at Sweiza, ¡°Magic is forbidden in Valhalla. The only time it is used is for official purposes and even then, only in special circumstances. I¡¯ve seen it used once. Do you know what Sentinel Island is?¡± Sweiza shakes her head. ¡°Sentinel Island is where Valkyrie go to undergo their ¡®Trial of Valkyrie¡¯, before they are sworn in as a full fledged Valkyrie. It¡¯s forbidden for anyone else to be here.¡± Sweiza just stares at her. ¡°In addition to magic, it is also forbidden for enchanted creatures to step foot in Valhalla. Don¡¯t you get it?¡± Sweiza again stares, this time with undesire. Brynhilde¡¯s voice shows a hint of excitement. ¡°Don¡¯t you know about Saint Elmo¡¯s Fire?¡± Sweiza lifts her hands and shakes her head. Brynhilde lets out a grumble and stamps her foot ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it the night of the attack?¡± Sweiza¡¯s shoulders slacken. ¡°Bry¡­¡± ¡°Sweiza, don¡¯t interrupt!¡± A sly smirk appears on the corner of Brynhilde¡¯s lips when Sweiza lets out a bored sigh, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be like that. Think about it. Surely Strife told you about the Valkyrie Rebellion; her involvement with Salmira?¡± Sweiza says it uninterested, ¡°She told me a little here and there.¡± Brynhilde¡¯s voice pitches up, her speaking quickens and she to full on excited, ¡°Well let me tell you something little girl; fate is surely on our side.¡± Sweiza attempts to speak and Brynhilde cuts her off. ¡°It¡¯s hard to get information out of Valkyrie, their sense of pride and all. Paying them off doesn¡¯t normally work; getting them drunk and a little loose is far more effective. They sometimes spill details.¡± Brynhilde awaits Sweiza¡¯s response. The girl attempts to walk past Brynhilde. Brynhilde stops her by putting her hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I need to be around Valkyrie, they have information I need, ways I need to act, etc, etc. Don¡¯t you get it Sera?¡± ¡°Brynhilde, if you¡¯re going to say it just spill it. I just want to be on my way. I don¡¯t want to be a Valkyrie. I¡¯d rather not talk about this. I don¡¯t wa¡­¡± Brynhilde lets out a grumble and cuts her off, ¡°Odin is -not- impressed by nobility and denied me as a Valkyrie several times. I¡¯ve been following Strife for the last five years hoping she¡¯ll take me as an apprentice. She¡¯s been giving me those slips in good faith. I collect enough of them and I¡¯ll be put under consideration ¡®in good faith¡¯. You appear as her apprentice, pirates and situation seemingly mad under Saint Elmo¡¯s Fire. Salmira¡¯s Aurora doesn¡¯t normally appear over Valhalla, but there have been sightings over the sea. Suddenly this spirit dream guide or whatever of your armor, Valkyrie in nature mind you, says we are on Sentinel Island and refers to a Valkyrie in your presence¡­¡± Sweiza stares blankly. ¡°¡­I had heard rumors that Valkyrie knight other Valkyrie through death¡­¡± Sweiza shrugs. Brynhilde closes her eyes; there is something she has always wanted to try. She holds out her right hand. She concentrates. Nothing at first. Her eyes twitch. Sweiza remains unimpressed. Sweiza¡¯s attention finally draws to the rapier and then the blade that extends in Brynhilde¡¯s hand. ¡°¡­I knew it¡­¡± The rapier disappears. ¡°Starla, we¡¯re going to undergo my trial as Valkyrie¡­ I won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡± Sweiza assumes this means she just got volunteered to help this woman do the very thing she (Sweiza) didn¡¯t want to do. Sweiza is about to speak and make a point, but she hears a female voice behind her. Brynhilde is the first to snap to. ¡°Lady Salmira, you honor us.¡± ¡°Demi, if this is some form of¡­¡± Sweiza bolts around. It isn¡¯t Demi, but rather a woman with red hair, red glasses, and a variant of a red, white and pink outfit. The clothing looks alien to Sweiza, but it appears to be some kind of uniform. The woman speaks. ¡°I am Salmar, the Salmare. Just as she will be undergoing a trial, so shall you.¡± Salmira¡¯s voice indicates Brynhilde and then Sweiza. ¡°Lady Salmira, what is the fir¡­¡± Brynhilde lets out a noticeable wince in body and voice as she feels a sharp pain in her gut. Sweiza sees her fade into wide and what is left is something that could be akin to the sparkle of a gem, but it also falls towards the ground, albeit slowly. It too disappears into thin air. Sweiza stands there frozen, staring at the woman. This ¡®witch¡¯ is responsible for trifling with Odin and living to tell about it. ¡°Starla Serif, I¡¯ve been watching you. I have a purpose for you. Your trial and destiny are about to begin. Please bear with it.¡± Salmira turns around and walks away; fading into nothing. Sweiza is left to stand there dumbfounded. She starts to see the scenery shift with a white light. She attempts to speak, but nothing comes out of her mouth. She suddenly feels as if she is falling and lets out a scream. It comes out as nothing as she too fades to white. The last thing she remembers is Strife¡¯s words, ¡°A fate far worse than death awaits you.¡± End Book One. APX - Character BIOs Planet: Avalan; Fourth in Angol and Tersha Binary System; Tertiary Star is Versas; four moons - Lokul, Mardin, Haydura, Mylaka Current Year: 3781 Starla ¡°Sweiza¡± Serif, Sera - Valkyrie Angst Age: 17 - Knighted Valkyrie - 17 Born: Maria Village Species: Human, Elven Blood Handedness: Left Weapon: Bastard Sword (Primary), Dagger (Secondary), Lance (Tertiary) Personal Skills: Bo Staff, Tengfu, Bow and Arrow, Crossbow, Harp, Lyre, Hunting, Fishing, Outdoor Survival Weaknesses: Fear of - Ghosts, Demons, Specters, Phantoms, Giants, Mythical Beasts Relations: Melda (mother), Tars (father), younger brother, two older sisters, Dewey, Lester (betrothed) Sweiza felt it was her fate from the time she was younger to become a priestess and serve under the goddess of fertility. This would have reinforced the traditions of her village and kept the village prosperous in an otherwise swampy marsh. Sweiza''s arrogant and childish demeanor would be the catalyst for her fate when she chose to seperate from her friends - and consequently avoid becoming a Valkyrie. In a paradox and switch of fate, Odin saw her future and changed it. So named ''Angst'' for the ordeal she would endure to reach her prime; Sweiza is naturally giddy, childish, acts willingly ignorant and is quite stupid at times. She is well versed in terms and traditions of her village and that is it. When extended into the rest of the world, she displays different language towards authority as long as she is respecting it; providing she doesn''t disagree with it, she won''t speak her mind and openly disagree with what she sees fit. Sweiza does not like people meddling in her life and prefers to leave things as they are or ''as they were planned''. Initially timid and unreceptive, as a Valkyrie, Sweiza''s fate is to change things for the better instead of leaving things ''as they are''; whether thse agrees with it or not. Sweiza prefers to agree with others and let them do the planning; she thinks in the moment and prefers to be surrounded by friends. She hates loneliness and only accepts it through sleep or when in a bad or melancholic mood. Sweiza''s weapon is a sword, although she will use a lance at Strife''s insistence. Sweiza prefers to use armor. Sweiza likes to stand out. When not in a group, Sweiza likes to do her own thing. Alice ¡°Alyssa¡± Verdandi - Valkyrie Strife Age: 226 - Knighted Valkyrie: 26 Born: Maria Village Species: Human, Elven Blood Handedness: Right This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.Weapon: Lance (Primary), Bastard Sword (Secondary) Personal Skilles: Flute, Multipiped Flute, Harmonica Weaknesses: Friendship, Sweiza, Sweiza¡¯s friends, authority Relations: Sigurd Verdandi (Husband, deceased) As a person, Alice Verdandi as actually kind, considerate and motherly when needed. This attitude carriers over into her Valkyrie persona. However, as a tempered Valkyrie she is intelligent, serious and very reserved. Consequently she hates being long winded. She was tempered as a Valkyrie due to her attitude towards fate. She was a rich girl with an arrogant attitude and felt she was better than everyone else when she became a mother; her children would become better than everyone else by her hand and family''s fortune. Odin changed that and her attitude has been tempered accordingly. She is very nice after two centuries, but as a Valkyrie she acts serious as needed. She now spends her times lonely in her endeavors and shuns friendship unless her role as a Valkyrie demands it. Her friends and allies from times past (except Valkyrie and Odin''s court) are all dead. Verdandi prefers to be a doer rather than use words. She prefers to blend in with normal swordsman attire and only dons her armor when the time is right; she feels armor is too flashy when not needed. Stardust Herschel, Stardew, Dewey, Little Sprite, Sprite Age: 16 Species: Forest Sprite, Honeydew Sprite Born: Sprite Forest/Aura Forest, Village of Southerly Handedness: Right Weapon: Earth and Water Magic, Environment, Moods Svava ¡°Sil¡± Brynhilde - Valkyrie Sylvia Age: 22, Failure to Knight as Valkyrie Five Years Running Born: Valhalla Species: Human Weapon: Rapier, longsword, shortsword, flail, morning star Handedness: Right Lester Wilheilm Age: 18; Became a Mage At: Studied His Entire Life Born: Maria Village Species: Human Handedness: Ambidextrous Weapon: Magic, Scrolls, Books (All Primary), Dagger (Secondary), Whip (Secondary) He acts dumb, cocky and cracks really bad jokes. Sweiza loves him anyway. They have been childhood friends as far back as the two can remember. ¡°Demi¡± Demigurt Age: Too old to count Born: Unknown Species: Dream Spirit Handedness: Varies Weapon: Magic, Reality Warping Salmira, Maria Sallastare, ¡°Salmare¡±, ¡°Salmar¡± - The Witch Age: Too old to count Born: Unknown Species: Superphotonic Transdimensional Entity Handedness: Ambidextrous Weapon: Chronokinesis, Photonickinesis, Chronosynthesis, Photonicsynthesis, Nth Kinesis, Nth Synthesis, Telekinesis, Teleportation, Reality/Time Warping Weaknesses: Odin Svavahild - Goddess of Fertility Age: Unknown Born: Unknown Species: Earth Spirit/Goddess Weapon: Earth magic Surter Age: 800 Born: Desert of Muspell Species: Firedrake Handedness: None Weapon: Firebreath, Claws, Wind Interlude - An Interview with Strife Note: This contains an important splot spoiler. It is left to the reader to figure it out, but hints and clues are given throughout the book itself. If you don¡¯t want the spoiler, skip this part. The second book will have most of this information as things playout. This interview is something I wrote simply for fun and to clear some writer¡¯s block. ¡ª- Author: Hello everyone. How did you like the first book? The first screenplay was written about seven years ago, and the main bulk of the book started to gain traction some three years ago during COVID. Writing is a lot of work, and sometimes writers block gets in the way of anything creative. That said, one way I like to alleviate this is to do something fun such as interviewing characters in the novel. Author: Speaking of which, we¡¯re here today with Valkyrie Strife, aka Alice Verdandi. For those just tuning in, she is the mentor of our novel¡¯s star, Sweiza Serif. Incidentally for those also not in the know, Lady Strife also lead the Valkyrie Rebellion against Odin some two hundred years ago. She is known for not saying much unless absolutely necessary and prefers to let her actions speak louder than her words. Strife interrupts. Strife: What the author really means to say is that I would rather be seen and not heard. Author: Yes, about that. Strife: It comes from carefully observing other people. I am am of noble blood after all. Author: Yes, you mentioned that you were a Valhallan Noble. Were you born in Valhalla or Maria Village? Strife: My family is from Valhalla; I was born in Maria Village. That is where I met Sigurd. Author: What is your history with Sigurd? Strife: He was a soldier of Muspell during the Muspell-Valhalla War. He was injured and found himself in neutral territory. Author: Neutral territory? Strife: That would be Maria Village. It is located on the Dawez continent, which is a subcontinent to greater Midgard. For all intents and purposes, it is still considered part of Midgard, despite part of it actually being in the realm of Muspell. Author: Interesting. One thing I¡¯m sure most people¡­ The author points to the camera. Author: ¡­would like to know is if Sigurd is still alive. Strife: Sadly no. He was taken from me. He was poisoned. As such things go, it was an act of war. I was willing to throw away my nobility to elope with a man I¡¯d barely met. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. However, once word came of my parents being killed on a merchant ship, I felt I had nothing left to live for. I was suicidal. Author: That is where Salmira came in, isn¡¯t it? Strife: Yes, she presented herself to me at that legendary tree that so many citizens of Maria Village know about. Incidentally, Salmira¡¯s original name is Maria Sallastare, but she doesn¡¯t share that with just anyone. Author: Does that mean Maria Village is named after her? Would that make it an important village? Strife: I¡¯d like to think so. I had heard legend of Salmira and her meddling with Odin. Supposedly she has been messing up his plans for several millenia, ever since she formed the Valkyrie as his vanguard. It seems the Valkyrie observe tradition, but also function independently. However, Salmira was finally removed from her station and removed from Valhalla. Author: ¡­for reasons of? Strife: High Treason. The same thing I am guilty of. I found out under Odin¡¯s watch my parents¡¯ and Sigurd¡¯s deaths could have been avoided. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Author: How so? Strife: Odin is the allfather and all knowing; he hung from the tree of Ymir, drank of its sap and gave up his eye in order to be able to predict the future. It seems he has two Ravens, among other things, that bring him all of the best news worth knowing around the world. In a word, he knew damn well what could happen. I suspect Odin had something to do with it, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have joined the Valhalla Military. That is part of the reason I helped stage the coupe. Odin¡¯s ways are not wise. He has gone paranoid because of that witch (Salmira). He can only predict the future so far, but she has the power to alter time. Author: Wasn¡¯t your excuse that Salmira made you do it? Strife: Yes. I was only given a light punishment; namely he lopped off the tip of my ear. Strife instinctively reaches up her left hand to preen her hair over her left ear. Author: About that, don¡¯t you have elven blood? Stife: Yes, and might I say so, creating that plot point with the moon Lokul is a bit much. Author: As in it could use more sugar? Strife: Yes, an old habit that I picked up because of ¡®her¡¯. Author: Who is ¡®her¡¯. Strife: My friend Vorkera. She is that mysterious girl that appeared one day. I came up with that name you know; she was hesitant to give me her real name for some reason, I¡¯m not sure why. She simply said that her friends call her Sera. I said that wasn¡¯t a proper warrior¡¯s name. So I noted she was Voracious, Tenacious and Careful. I see those words and the name Sera as being Vorkera. Author: Isn¡¯t that a major plot point? Strife: Maybe. Author: Speaking of plot points, you seem a bit more talkative than usual. Strife: Well, when engaging with people I know, I tend to revert back to how I was over two centuries ago: a bit more ignorant and naive about the world. Author: Ah. Speaking of naivety, how did Surt take your first meeting with him and your plan to overthrow Odin? Strife: The whole Muspell-Valhalla War began because of migrating dragons being driven further from the desert in Muspell and into the land of Midgard. Odin doesn¡¯t like enchanted creatures because they threaten his power. Large dragons are even difficult for some of the military machines. Surt was simply a creature that got caught up in it all. He is an actor of the stage of fate, a victim of it if you will; same as me. There was also the matter of trade being affected. You get the idea. Odin can¡¯t meet his grand plan; whatever that is. Author: Grand plan? Strife: He is supposedly building that large tower as an extension of his castle. He is concocting all manner of evil up in that planning room of his. I¡¯m sure having such a large tower helps him to see everything around him, even further than normal. I also seem to recall some kind of rainbow-like light that appears on occasion. I¡¯m not sure what that is for. Author: Ah, that sounds like the Bifrost Bridge. Strife: I have no idea what you are talking about. Author: The joys of being an author. Say, I was wondering, Salmira sent your child into the future. Doesn¡¯t that mean Salmira has the ability to alter everyone¡¯s fate? Strife: Yes. Valkyrie aren¡¯t allowed to have children. I was pregnant at the time I was knighted. I just wasn¡¯t aware of it. Salmira presented herself to me again and did me the honor shortly after she (daughter) was born. I hope to meet her someday, but Salmira being her crooked self, will not always twist fate to my desires. Author: What do you mean by ¡°Your desires?¡± Strife: If I could have my way, my daughter, parents and Sigurd would all be alive. I believe Salmira has the ability to make this happen. Also importantly, she might be able to remove some of these scars from my body; I wouldn¡¯t mind having the tip of my ear back. Author: He took the tip of your ear because it closely resembled an elf, is that correct? Strife: Correct. Author: Lady Strife, I was also wondering. You have elven ears and Sweiza has elven ears, do you think there is a connection? Strife: I believe we might be related, if however distant. Two hundred years is a long time for bloodlines to become diluted and that is about eight generations difference between us. Author: Wasn¡¯t there some verdict as part of your punishment that you would be granted amnesty from your rebellion as long as you served field loyalty to Odin? Strife: Yes, it is part of the reason I train young Valkyrie. Author: Incidentally, isn¡¯t the punishment for defying Odin, death? Strife: It is, but as I mentioned, I swore field loyalty to Odin. In exchange for being spared, I was allowed to stay alive. Author: I see. Now didn¡¯t something happen between you and Salmira concerning your daughter? Strife: That witch of a woman told me the last Valkyrie that I train as part of my punishment, would be my daughter. But it would be some two hundred years in the future. Author: Ah. So that means Brynhilde? Strife: Yes, I believe it to be her. She is of nobility and has the mannerisms. Author: What about Sweiza? Strife suddenly stands up as if the author hit a nerve. Strife bows, then stands up straight as she clicks her heels together. She about faces and walks out. Author: Well, there you have it ladies and gentlemen. She is quite to the point and gets to the heart of the matter. It¡¯ s just a pity she didn¡¯t give us any stats. Strife pops back in. Strife: My bio is at the end of the first book. Don¡¯t miss it. Author: It has some info that we didn¡¯t cover! Strife: Consider this your punishment for being so nosey! Strife clicks her heels together again, about faces and walks out. Author: Good grief. ANBLII: Chapter 1 - So Far From Home Angel Blade II - Mark of Vorkera ¡ª The world around her slowly comes back into view. It starts as a white light, but slowly fades into something darker as the word again takes shape. She is in a different spot than she was before. In fact, what she sees in front of her is a large building. She gapes up at it to see it towers above the trees, some fifteen stories by her reckoning. The wind rustles tree leaves and beams of light shine through them. Sweiza¡¯s eyes shift to the scattering light. She steps back and finally comes back to reality. She turns around. Salmira is there with her arms crossed. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sweiza looks from Salmira, up and behind her back at the building and back to Salmira again. Salmira lets out a smile as her eyes close and her head turns away from her, stifling a laugh. ¡°I meant the sun¡¯s rays through the tree leaves.¡± Sweiza blankly stares at her. Salmira approaches her. ¡°They name that star after me in the future.¡± Salmira, now mere feet from Sweiza, doesn¡¯t get a response. One of Salmira¡¯s eyes half close and she clears her throat. Sweiza feels a cry within her body to turn around and run. Instead, she visibly shakes as her body feels paralyzed and refuses to move. ¡°Ah.¡± Salmira¡¯s tone changes to something noticeably nicer. ¡°So did you want to know why you are here?¡± Salmira says it, her eyebrows shooting up. Sweiza continues to stand there, her body gradually shaking less. Salmira gives it a few moments. Sweiza¡¯s body has stopped shaking by now, however, there isn¡¯t much change in her posture or demeanor. Salmira¡¯s head tilts and her arms craddle. Sweiza¡¯s head starts to shake back and forth, as if her mind is being made up. Salmira¡¯s eyebrows shoot up. ¡°Oh fine. Be that way. I¡¯ll give you a reason to get that excessive energy out of your system.¡± Salmira¡¯s eyes widen and her mouth slowly turns into a creepy smile. Sweiza feels the urge to run, but her body doesn¡¯t respond. Salmira takes one step forward, almost as if by fate, her foot steps on a branch and it lets out a small crack. Sweiza lets out a scream and turns around and runs. Salmira¡¯s eyes shoot up at the sun and her arms cradle. Another smile creeps up on her face. ¡°She¡¯s definitely the one.¡± Salmira shakes her head and she disappears in the same falling gemstone-like sparkle that Sweiza associated with Brynhilde. ¡ª It is a game of cat and mouse. Sweiza¡¯s instincts and adrenaline drive her, Salmira appears here and there in different directions: meeting her face to face, appearing in the side of her vision, the occasional branch crack behind her. For some amusement, Salmira appears on occasion standing in the tree branches just ahead and above Sweiza. Each time she encounters the witch, Sweiza bolts in a random direction. This goes on for several hours. For a time after those few hours, Salmira does -not- appear. Gradually, the adrenaline and desperation wear off. Sweiza finds herself at a beach, nothing out of the ordinary and no cause for concer. Her breathing and body start to burn. Her fear subsides as she feels the exhaustion. She drops to her knees and then falls forward on her hants panting. She rolls over onto her back and does anything she can to alleviate her aching body. Her eyes finally close. Sleep quickly overtakes her. It is sometime towards evening when Sweiza hears a familiar voice. ¡°All rested and better now?¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes open. Salmira is standing over her. Sweiza attempts to jump upright and run, but she feels something holding her down. ¡°Okay then young one. We did it your way the first time. It didn¡¯t end well for you did it?¡± Sweiza blinks once and her head bolts away and to the side. She feels some force angle her head back up at the witch. ¡°Listen to me carefully. I wore you out because in most case scenarios you run from me. Without any adrenaline to get in the way you think a bit clearly. There are a few things I need to explain to you, and then there are a few things I need you to do for me. Nod your head if you understand this.¡± Sweiza¡¯s face grimaces as she nods at the woman. She feels the force on her let up. She quickly pushes herself to her feet and is standing. She gives Salmira no attention as she quickly turns around and attempts to run. She makes one step into a run before Salmira is in front of her by a few feet. Sweiza¡¯s body tighten to stop her run. ¡°I will be very clear on this. NO RUNNING. Nod if you understand.¡± Sweiza hastily nods, her body shaking ever so slightly. ¡°Now pay attention; while I have all of the energy and time in the universe, your time is limited and I need this as soon as possible. I need none of your normal childishness; I need you to act as an adult for this. Is that clear?¡± Sweiza says nothing. Salmira¡¯s eyebrows shoot up. Sweiza wrinkles her nose at the woman. A very angry face appears on Salmira¡¯s face. A smile creeps on Sweiza¡¯s face. It quickly disappears when a red aura, almost like a flame appears around Salmira. Sweiza quickly nods. Salmira returns as she was before. ¡°I will try to keep this short an sweet. I am being from another world. I am what you might consider to be yourself in the water swimming with fish. However, I am more of a vessel that carries myself, I am closer to a large boat in the ocean with many millions of minnows swimming about. But I am also like a fog that can become a cloud, I can shapeshift into different forms as I travel across many lands. I am very much like a bolt of lightning that can pass between earth, wind, water, fire and ether. Do you understand?¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Salmira¡¯s arms are crossed when she asks the question. Sweiza shakes and it comes out as a croak, ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Then may I continue?¡± Salmira shakes her head as she says it, as if to drive it into the girl. Sweiza says nothing, Salmira continues anyway. ¡°I have what you might consider to be a twin. Her name is Salyra. She had very different ideas, moreso than I did, about a fissue that opened in our world. We investigated it; things happened in both worlds that should not have. Salyra was sentenced to death; I was considered her accomplice. I defended her and got us a lighter sentence. Salyra was banished with myself to this realm, in a manner of speaking. I like to think that I succeeded in a lighter sentence for her, but she had other ideas.¡± Sweiza¡¯s breathing indicates contempt. Salmira¡¯s arms cross. Sweiza quickly snaps out of it and her body slackens. It comes out as another croak with a shaking body, ¡°What hapened then?¡± ¡°Not just banished, but we are trapped her. I¡¯m not refering to the planet. I¡¯m referring to something beyond this world; this world is part of many worlds you must understand. Just as there are kingdoms in the ocean and land, there are other lands and worlds beyond this one. They revolve around the sun you cal Angol.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true! The Angol revolves around Avalan!¡± Salmira¡¯s eyes narrow and a large spark snaps in front of Sweiza. Sweiza attempts to run, but she feels that same force holding her in place. ¡°¡­you will have to understand there are powers and forces at work, sometimes of beings that are stronger than you, smarter than you, and more ever present than you. I don¡¯t expect you to understand any of this now. However, this is something you need to know if I¡¯m to get your cooperation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to help you!¡± Salmira raises her right hand and motions her finger for Sweiza to come closer. The girl feels that same force lift her. She sees the landscape around her move as she is moved, albeit hovering, to Salmira. ¡°If I recall, the village you come from is backwater. I seem to remember you understand the moons of this world, revolve around it. That same force is what causes this world, and several like it, to revolve around Angol. This is the truth and the way of your universe. You just don¡¯t understand it yet. Also, this center of revolution is what is inside of a gravity well. It is more like a reverse gravity well and keeps other things out. The original plan was to build a device within this dimension¡¯s limitations and find a way to push out way out. My ship, the ¡®Accretia¡¯, was a colony ship; in reality a prison ship; they were banished with us you should understand. We settled down on the fourth world and would help their descendants thrive and flourish until at that time when the technology would be built to accomplish the original goal. Are you with me so far? Nod if you understand.¡± Salmira is aware of the girl¡¯s teeth gritting and her defiance in her rigid body language. Another spark pops in front of Sweiza; mere feet in front and between them, it doesn¡¯t seem to affect Salmira. Sweiza quickly lets out another nod. ¡°Salyra, had other ideas. She wanted revenge on our kind. She was going to build the very thing that opened a rift into our world and use it on them. I wasn¡¯t aware of this until she built the Star Fury. You should understand there were six moons around this world originally; I¡¯m sure you heard the legends about it¡­¡± Sweiza nods. ¡°The twin moons of Mecer and Mek, I heard of them as being like faeries in a streami that held hands and could move without swimming; they were¡­¡± Salmira cuts her off, ¡°They were based on legend and legend often is rooted in fact, if not stunted and distorted over time. You must understand there are ships that can fly. The Star Fury is one that could fly beyond this world¡­¡± Sweiza¡¯s face shifts to something unimpressed. ¡°¡­and regardless of how unimpressed you are young one; that ship was a weapon of unimaginable consequence. There was a battle, those two moons were destroyed. Salyra perished with her ship, or so I gather. One can only hope. Regardless, that brings us up to your time frame. Salyra and I had our own ideas about civilization. Salyra wanted technology, I wanted more science. She believed in progress, I believed in nurturing. The civilization as you know it, is a consequence of her wreckoning. Valhalla as you call it, was the center capitol of her ¡®kingdom¡¯¡­¡± Salmira puts emphasis on ¡®kingdom¡¯. ¡°She wanted to protect herself, so she created a vanguard of sorts. She also had a super computer built to do so. However, without her to control it, it has gone corrupt. Things in the world, as they are, are out of alignment and need to be fixed. I am not allowed to directly interfere or interface with this reality, but I have ways around that. Some of which you¡¯ve seen. It¡¯s easier to have other people do things for me in the form of errands or services rendered. I need your assistance in doing so. Nod if you understand.¡± Sweiza lets out a nod, but cuts Salmira off. ¡°What is a kom¡­pyu tar?¡± Salmira shakes her head. ¡°You are familiar with math and an abacus?¡± ¡°Yes. I learned to use them in school. In fact we¡­¡± Salmira cuts her off again, ¡°Think of a computer as being like a river that can be dug around and moved around; it can be used to count in the same way as an abacus. However, computers do this on a very small scale you can¡¯t see. They do this through the powers of lightning controlled in a very specific way. A computer has a mind of sorts, but it is very focused and functions only as you tell it to. It is similar to what you saw with those Sentinels; I think one had a moustache.¡± Sweiza immediately recognizes what Salmira is speaking of. Salmira continues. ¡°You are familiar with acronyms?¡± Sweiza nods. ¡°ODIN is an acronym, for ¡°Omnidirectional Intelligent Neuralnet. It is a vast array that can calculate many different scenarios, hundreds of millions in a fraction of the time it would take myself or my late sister. That is why it was built. It is one mind, one being, but spread out as if many. It is still configured to build the technology needed to pass through this plane of existence. Because it has Salyra¡¯s ideals, it follows them. But without her to control and guide it, it moves of its own accord - just like a mind. However, because it also knows that I and Salyra were at war, it sees me as a threat. I have continued to ¡®interfere¡¯ with this super computer¡¯s plans as it would call it; but in turn it has done the same to me. After having run for several millenium, it has gone paranoid and corrupt. It thinks I am out to get it. I can only assume based on the name, ¡®Odin¡¯, that it has built up this civilzation based on ideals and beliefs in times gone by. This isn¡¯t the first time that a culture based around gods and Valkyrie has existed. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Why does this have anything to do with me?¡± A concerned Sweiza shakes as she waves her hand slightly. Her arms then cross. ¡°Odin is building a weapon, it is the precursor to what I need. However, he will use it for his own ends. It is called Gungir Tower. It is at the center and heart of Valhalla. Amongst other things, he wants to use it to bring ¡®peace¡¯ to the world as he calls it, but he also wants to use it to attack my ship. As far as I¡¯m concerned, this has gone on long enough. Is that clear?¡± This time, knowing the alternative, Sweiza nods. ¡°Thankfully, Gungir Tower won¡¯t be completed for another two hundred years. Did I mention I¡¯ve brought you back in that much time?¡± Sweiza frowns and her face slowly shakes back and forth an affirmative, but uncertain, ¡®no¡¯. ¡°As I mentioned, you are going to help me bring things to a certain result.¡± Quick to say it, ¡°And if I choose not to?¡± Sweiza is left to wince as a spark pops in front of her. She slowly opens her eyes to the woman, now just a few feet, in front of her. ¡°I am personally not going to harm you. I don¡¯t believe in it. However, if you throw your sass at me, I will have to make things uncomfortable for you. Now is not the time to be acting childish. You are about two hundred years away from home, and I¡¯m the only way you are getting back. We both have work to do.¡± Sweiza suddenly feels the force around her disappear. Her mid-hover, stops and her feet drop to the ground. She rights herself up again. ¡°And what is the first thing I¡¯m supposed to do, oh benevolent one?¡± Swezia¡¯s eyes shut and she winces as she hears a loud pop in her right ear. ¡°How would you like to prevent the Sprite massacre and save the village of Southerly?¡± Sweiza stands to attention. ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°Good. Summon your armor.¡± Sweiza does so. She suddenly sees the world around her turning white. She hears Salmira in her thoughts. ¡°A fate far worth than death awaits you. Accept your role as Valkyrie.¡± ANBLII - Chapter 2 - Southerly Village of Sprite Valley As the white light subsides, Sweiza finds herself in familiar territory. The room, the bed, the vanity; she is standing in her room with the window behind her. She raises her hands up and lets out a yawn. ¡°I¡¯m finally home!¡± She is finally home, after nearly two miserable weeks. No Strife, no pirates, no sassy Brynhilde, no Sprite¡­ She walks forward towards the small table that his matchbox normally sits on. She remembers she doesn¡¯t have her rucksack. Brynhilde was last on Sentinel Island at the mercy of Salmira¡¯s desires; Strife was also last seen on the Sterling Blue. Sweiza can only assume the former has some perilous mission to accomplish (like herself, if not a bit of an exaggeration), and perhaps the latter perished with the Sterling Blue being sunk. Sweiza lets out a shudder at the thought. However, her thoughts quickly coalesce back to the present. Her bed. She looks up at her vanity and notes her armor; it quickly disappears at will. Sweiza turns around and lets herself fall on the bed - a brief smile of relief on her face. She deal with what is going on in her life momentarily; for now she feels she deserves some sleep. ¡ª ¡°What is it you desire?¡± Sweiza¡¯s focus is on the desert and rock formations in the distance. She looks down and sees the large rock formation she sits on; it juts out of the ground at a straight angle; some three hundred feet by her reckoning. She looks around. She realizes where she is. ¡°Demi, do you know of Salmira?¡± ¡°I do. She is like myself, but of a different nature and then some. She is part of the reason I exist.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Wha, wait~!¡± Sweiza curses her luck as everything around her dims. ¡ª Sweiza comes to and her first instinct is to stretch her arms and legs; one of her legs straddles the side of the bed, while both of her arms rub up against the headboard. Her eyes finally open. Her peace of mind is broken abrubtly as she notices Salmira standing on the left side of her bed. ¡°Do not take my generosity for granted young one.¡± Sweiza quickly scrambles out of the bed and to her feet. She doesn¡¯t get chance to ask much other than a confused, ¡°What do you mean?¡± As if to repeat her previous encounter with Demi, everything around her turns white as her room fades. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m not ready!¡± ¡ª As the white light fades and the landscape coalesces into shape and color, Sweiza finds herself standing facing a clearing. There is a village of sorts in front of her. It is, however, the houses and huts are smaller than she would expect normally. The village itself isn¡¯t particularly large, some three hundred feet (by her reckoning) inside the clearing of pine trees and various rock formations. Due to the small houses, she assumes that whatever lives here is in fact of a smaller stature. She steps forward, but is startled by a twig snapping behind her. She turns around and lets out a glare. There is bright white light that momentarily pops in front of her and she hears a pop in her right ear. ¡°Salmira! Stop doing that!¡± Salmira simply waves her right hand, it drops and her left hand cradles her right shoulder. Her left hand too drops; she then focuses on the village behind Sweiza and motions with her right hand the same. ¡°Do you recognize this area?¡± Sweiza looks around again, and notes some of the trees in the area are crystaline and a crystaline white with varying hues of blue, violet and pink. Still there are other petrified trees that appear to have been chopped down. What is living is pine trees and varying types of oak and maple trees. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of this area. Is it Stardew Valley?¡± ¡°In reference to your time, it would be called that. However, in this time frame it is known simply as Sprite Valley. In relation to both, it is still considered forbidden. Do you know why?¡± At this point Salmira is clucking her right arm with her left hand. Sweiza¡¯s eyes shift up at the sky as she thinks thoughtfully. Her mother and father allowed Sprite to live with her; but when it came time to investigate his homeland, she was quickly rebuked. Supposedly only death lurked in the area; and supposedly it was the reason why Sprite numbers had dwindled. Sweiza had always figured it was the dragon on Mount Surt that was responsible, or something similar. ¡°The dragon, or something similar?¡± Sweiza comes up with her answer. Salmira simply shakes her head. ¡°Did you not stop to consider that if that was the case, she wouldn¡¯t have taken you to Mount Surt?¡± Salmira¡¯s hands are folded in front of her hips at this point. ¡°I just don¡¯t know.¡± Sweiza having learned her lesson from before, doesn¡¯t argue with Salmira. Salmira¡¯s eyes close and she lets out a brief smile. ¡°As you know, the ¡®guardian¡¯ of your village is Lady Strife. She is the one that made that rule, and it exists for good reason. In this time frame, Odin has explicitly forbidden anyone to travel in this area and the transportation of any mystical beasts from this area; anything related to faerie in particular, and especially Sprite. You do know why?¡± Salmira maintains her current standing pose and calm demeanor. ¡°Because they are considered pests or unpredictable?¡± Sweiza looks up momentarily as she things about it again. ¡°Correct. Those crystaline trees and formations that you see, are the work of the Sprite. They secret that crystaline substance as a byproduct of anything they eat. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed the same from your Sprite friend. What did you call him? Sir Dewey?¡± ¡°Sir Dewey Herschel. I¡¯ve seen him do it a few times. It always looks like a light that shines from his hands and then it hardens to whatever he was focusing on or touching at the time. Mama and Papa were not amused the first time it happened with the plates and cutlery, they¡­¡± Sweiza stops and winces expecting a pop in her ears. Instead her eyes slowly open to see Salmira standing next to her and facing the Sprite Village. ¡°Sprites will consume anything if hungry enough, including the very substance they secret. Not that it is good for them, but that would also explain the petrified trees - they¡¯ve been eating them.¡± Sweiza grimaces at the thought of eating wood. She remembers Sprite doesn¡¯t particularly like anything vegetable related, especially when it is tasteless, bland or something like plant root. ¡°What wipes them out?¡± She asks it curiously, facing Salmira. ¡°For the very reason that they are pests in Valhalla, is the reason they are forbidden creatures in this time frame¡­ by decree of Odin himself. It is also by Odin¡¯s decree that the Sprite be wiped out. They pose a threat to Gungir Tower and the materials being used to build it. As I believe Lady Strife told you, she is the one tasked with wiping them out.¡± Salmira says it, staring hard into Sweiza¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is? Then why am I here if this village, ¡®Southerly?¡¯ that you called it, hasn¡¯t been destroyed by her?¡± She says it, again quizzically as she eyes the village and then Salmira. Salmira points off into the sky. Sweiza follows the witch¡¯s gaze and then her finger. She gives a heavy frown the minute she sees the Lokul moon, high in the sky. Dismay and concern fill Sweiza¡¯s voice, ¡°Why did you choose to send me here of all times? You do know what is going to happen don¡¯t you?¡± Sweiza becomes frantic at the thought. Every six months. That accursed moon. Her Lokul cycle. She feels it fill her mind. That damn moon, and then that thing that sometimes afflicts her¡­ Salmira cradles her elbows. ¡°Miss Serif, certain events must transpire in a certain order. In this case, this particular village must be moved to prevent extinction of the Sprite. You are tasked with convincing them to move. Lady Strife will be here in about two months. The Sprite will not just up and move due to the demands of an outsider, nor will they believe your plea; you are a Valkyrie after all - something you know they hate. They in fact, have a very low opinion of you. It will be your job to earn their trust and get them to listen to you. I am tasking you with guard duty for that reason. Good luck.¡± Salmira turns away from Sweiza and fades as she walks into the distance. Sweiza¡¯s face grimaces further into dismay. However, she snaps back to the present as she hears several voices and the familiar sound of Sprite wings beating behind her. She turns around to greet them. She eyes the flock of them which keep there distance some thirty feet away. She recognizes the body language and the look in their eyes; but it is their chirps and clicks that give it away. They are concerned, the same way Sprite was concerned when she first met her. However, now the Sprite in group unison seem to be more frantic about the ¡®invader¡¯ at the doorway to their village. Knowing they can understand her, she bows and speaks in high speak. ¡°Benevolent Sprite, please listen to what I have to say.¡± There is silence among them; their wings flipping and battering on occasion in bewilderment. Sweiza drops to her knees with her hands to her chest and her face to the ground. One of them finally speaks up, ¡°You are not welcome here.¡± ¡°Please listen!¡± Another speaks up, ¡°Speak and then leave.¡± Sweiza stands, and is frantic with her arms as she leans forward, ¡°A Valkyrie will be at this village in two months. She is going to destroy you!¡± There is clicking, chirping, and murmuring amongst them; then laughter from others. This is a silly sight to them; that a Valkyrie would concern themselves with their kind. ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡± One of them flies up to her. It beams at her as its eyebrows shoot up in amusement, ¡°We don¡¯t believe you.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Its face turns to horror as Sweiza¡¯s armor appears. With not knowing a better way to be serious, she clicks her greaves together and stiffens her body, ¡°Then I will be your shield until that time. I will watch over this village¡­¡± Sweiza stops momentarily and quickly makes up a lie, ¡°¡­to prove my sincerity.¡± The sprite in front of her flies back to the others. Several of them zip in front of her, eyeing her intent with their own. There is more murmuring and clicks and they fly off. ¡°Wait!¡± They don¡¯t listen to her and leave her to her own devices. This task, in Sweiza¡¯s mind, has just become harder. If not for the Sprite, then knowing she¡¯ll have to deal with an unhappy Strife, and then perhaps that accursed moon as well. Sweiza lets out an ¡°Oh!¡± in disgruntled dismay and turns her back to the village as she drops into a squat. Her hands come up to her cheeks and she frowns as she looks down at the ground. This is not what she meant when she wanted to be a knight. --- At first Sweiza simply tries standing there, then occasion a squat as before. However, the boredom, and ensuing doldrums do not take to set in. She readily attempts to pace the open entrance to the village and finds some relief. As the hours wear on, she alternates between these activities. It does not go unnoticed by the sprite. One, of varying pink hues and colors, flies up to her. Sweiza does not expect it to be a childish, but male voice. It flies up to her face and then thrusts its head towards her; it beams a childish grin and then flies off. Sweiza¡¯s head cocks to the side in thought at it, she never remembers Sprite acting like this, he normally had a sense of urgency about things - especially food. An idea sparks in her head on the thought of ¡®food¡¯, that might be the ticket. She quickly goes back to pacing the entranceway. --- Some hours pass and Sweiza gets bored patrolling the entranceway. She decides to circle the perimeter of the village and then walk through various areas, inspecting the different plants, crystal like trees and Sprite homes. Of course, the Sprites stear clear of her on the opposite side of the village at all times. A few of the braver ones fly up to her, chattering about her purpose here. The response is normally the same, ¡°Not wanted,¡± ¡°Go away,¡± ¡°Leave.¡± Having had enough of this, the next one to fly up and try it, a gold and yellow sprite, this time female, Sweiza starts clicking and chirping at it in their language. It simply jolts in surprise and flies off. Sweiza notices an immediate shift in their behavior when they find out she can speak their language. A few fly up to test out this rumor; they fly off after finding out the truth. One sprite does comment that she (Sweiza), doesn¡¯t speak the Sprite language very good. Sweiza simply wrinkles her nose at the sprite and shoos it away. Boredom creeps in again and Sweiza chooses something new. She makes a beeline for the center of the village and drops to a crosslegged sitting position. Her arms cradle her elbows in her lap and she closes her eyes looking straight forward. More whispers, clicks, chirps and murmurs from the Sprites at the behavior of the young woman. Some, rather, enough of their numbers, fly up to investigate the girl¡¯s behavior. Sweiza finally pops open one of her eyes at the sprites directly in front of her and gives out a simple, ¡°Boo!¡±. They dash off some distance away and then turn around giving angry clicks at her. Sweiza lets out click and chirp said in a way to mean, ¡°Your welcome.¡± The sprite are not amused. --- Sometime towards evening, Sweiza curses her luck at not having tent; for that matter, she wishes she had her rucksack still. Feeling vulnerable towards the front of the village she retreats towards a rear rock outcropping and a lower trench that is hidden from the front. Her best attempt at a pillow was to gather leaves from outside the village. The sprites as usual vacate the area she dwells. She gives it no notice and leans to her side as sleep finally overtakes her. ¡°What is it you desire?¡± A groggy Sweiza lifts her head. She hoists herself to a sitting position and looks around at her surroundings. She is in the small clearing of the Sprite village. Everything seems to be the same, except it is overcast and only the moon of Lokul provides light towards her surroundings. She can clearly see sprites are either flying here and there, or simply sleeping on the ground. ¡°What is your desire?¡± Sweiza quickly dusts herself off and brushes leaves out of her hair. She turns around to the voice and scowls. ¡°Demi, is this another one of your tricks?¡± Sitting there, up on the rock outcropping, Demi simply shrugs. He simply stares at her blankly. Sweiza¡¯s lips purse again. This time she fights the urge to give into his trickery and tries to muster some form of conversation. ¡°I really could use my rucksack. Are you capable of getting it?¡± ¡°Have you tried asking Salmira?¡± The world starts to darken and Sweiza feels the heavy urge to sleep overtake her. --- Sweiza suddenly comes to. Her eyes narrow at the pink sprite sleeping on top of her stomach. She has the urge to shout ¡°Hey!¡± at it, but refrains from doing so. Instead she shakes her head and looks up at the sky. The moon Lokul looms down on her. She scowls at and sticks out her tongue for good measure. Not to be outdone she uses both hands to give the middle finger at it. She really doesn¡¯t like Lokul and will not hestate to remind the moon of this fact. Again, the thought of hating an inanimate object plagues her mind; she shakes her head and dismisses it. Instead, she looks over to her side at the rest of Southerly. A few sprites here and there sleep in different areas - on the ground, on the roofs of huts, sometimes inside said huts. Not to be limited by day, a few sprites fly around doing nothing in particular - Sweiza can only assume they are socializing in some sort of maneuvers involving body language. Regardless of their location and intent, their glowing bodies illuminate the village much like fireflies, if not much brighter. To Sweiza, it looks like the glow of a full moon illuminating the ground, only the lights move. Sweiza finally looks towards the rock outcropping next to her. She mouths Salmira¡¯s name. Nothing happens. She lets it out as a whisper so as not to disurb the sprite sitting atop her stomach. Nothing happens. Sweiza looks back towards the sprite village. At least something is happening there. She looks back to the rock outcropping and resists the urge to shout Salmira¡¯s name. She looks back up and sees Salmira standing over her. Sweiza lets out a stifled ¡®eep!¡¯. Salmira shakes her head at the girl as she sets Sweiza¡¯s rucksack down next to her. Salmira disappears in typical fashion. Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows shoot up and she resists the urge to chuckle about it. Instead she mouths ¡°Thank you Salmira.¡± Sleep soon overtakes her. ¡ª The next day a commotion from several sprites alerts the village. They speak of a ground creature that sometimes chases them. It is back. Upon investigating it, Sweiza found nothing. A few days later the same thing occured, this time closer to the village. This time Sweiza takes up an attack posture with her bow and sits for several hours before unleashing an arrow at it. It bleeds out for about half an hour as Sweiza tracks it. The Sprites are not impressed when she brings it back to the village. The sprites refuse the offering of the beast as food, so Sweiza helps herself. Cutting and dressing the beast gets their attention. However, they are not impressed at the non-sprite that created a fire for the first time; her ¡®magic¡¯ was uninteresting to them. A few of them get curious at the ¡®cooked¡¯ scraps of meat that Sweiza eats. She makes no attempts to shoo them away. This gets the attention of other sprites; their begging doesn¡¯t go unnoticed as she chucks several scraps of meat to them; their flying and stealing from each other simply amuses her. Over the course of the week, the Sprites of Sprite Village become more acquainted with Sweiza and vice versa. Her normal patrols and sweeps around the village take form as she checks around different huts, keeping an eye on sprites, and otherwise checking different rock outcroppings and vantage points from the limbs of trees. Her sleep schedule becomes disjointed as she spends a few hours awake during the land of the living, and then jettisons back to sleep and wakes up after a few hours; come nightfall ¡°the land of the dead¡± (as she calls it), Sweiza repeats a similar schedule. To her benefit, she has a rucksack, so she can pitch a tent, but chooses to sleep out in the open as an act of good faith for the sprites. The ¡®fire¡¯ that they are so unimpressed by, does not keep them from experiencing its warmth, the same as Sweiza. At points she has to shoo them away to keep them from getting burned. --- Sometime later into the second week as Sweiza is midsquat with her her bow and arrow pointed at a bird in the trees, she is interrupted by a lavender and pink mix colored sprite flies up to her. Rather than making an amused display or attempt to fly up and then hide, it hovers about a foot from her face and lets out several clicks and chirps. She doesn¡¯t give it much attention. It then chirps and whistles at her. Her eyes dart to it once and back to the bird. It makes no attempts to show amusement or hide from her. Instead it hovers about a foot in front of her face. It lets out several clicks and chirps at her. Her eyes dart to it and then to the bird; she hurries herself to pull back the bow string and it lets out a squawk. As she is about to release, she hears a ¡°Hey!¡±. The bird is startled and flies off. Sweiza lets out a sigh as she stands up. Her bow collapsed in one hand and the arrow in the other, she eyes the sprite. ¡°Yes?¡± She says it, disappointed that her prize got away. The sprite lets out several excited chirps and then whistles. One more squawk and several sprites fly up to her. They seem very excited. The pink and lavender sprite speaks up, ¡°We¡¯ve been tasked by the elders to break down the crystal trees in the village. They¡¯re starting to look unruly.¡± Sweiza looks over at the crystal trees; they are starting to look thicker around the base, but especially around the branches. Her head turns back to the sprite. It lets out a chirp with a smile on its face. Her eyes look straight up and she blows up at her hair. ¡°¡­and in exchange for helping you?¡± The sprite shakes its head, ¡°In exchange for doing it for us, we¡¯ll keep watch for you while you are asleep.¡± Several of the sprites fly up to and crowd in front of Sweiza¡¯s face. Some smile, others give hopeful or mischievous eyes. She figures it is because she is bigger and can break the crystalline structures easier rather than them using their teeth and claws. Sweiza simply lets out a sigh and goes to work. She walks up to one and punches it. It hurts, but cracks slightly. This will not work. She remembers something from one of the rock outcroppings; walking up to it she jumps on it and almost falling on herself, but her weight does the trick and one of the loose rocks breaks free. She picks it up and turns around to her task. Several sprites are behind her and eying her with intent. She lets out a squawk at them and they disperse. She walks up to the crystalline tree and smashes it with the rock. It shatters. Several of the sprites fly up to the smaller chunks and start flying off with them. Sweiza shakes her head; they remind her of Dewey when he would fly up and steal shiny things from her. Most of the day is spent on this chore. Tired and exhausted, Sweiza finally retreats to her normal sleeping spot at the rear of the village. Sleeping longer than normal, and closer to nightfall, she wakes up. Now there are many different sprites sleeping around her, if not on her. She has to shoo them away. The realization doesn¡¯t kick in yet. Instead, her concern is her normal task at this point. She heads towards the front of the village to keep guard. However, an involuntary breath takes her and a smile creeps on her face at the sight before her. At least twenty sprites keeping watch at the front of the village. This job isn¡¯t looking so bad or boring to her at this point. ¡ª As the weeks go on, Sweiza and the sprites become better acquainted. She hunts for them, they help guard for her. Together they alleviate boredom and tend to the village, breaking crystalline trees and keeping them tidy amongst other things. Stories get swapped; Sweiza¡¯s seem to be more interesting to the sprites as she tells fanciful, but highly exaggerated fairy tales. Because of this Sweiza is designated village story teller. These good times do not go unnoticed by the moon of Lokul. Under its light, and with it high in the night sky, its effects slowly take hold of Sweiza. It starts as an ache in her pelvis - her curse of being female. Guard duty becomes harder as the starting week ¡®aches¡¯ on. With luck, she could avoid the other curse, but it isn¡¯t to be. Her eyes start to take on a hue of yellow, before becoming that very color. It starts out less noticeable, but her body becomes covered in hair. She can feel it as some kind of instinct taking over. She has a desire to fight anyone and anything - including the sprites. This fantastic and mythical beast in front of them only serves to win them over further - it is an outcast beast like them. They understand it as a werewolf or a human that suffers from wearwolf syndrome. Sweiza understands it as being afflicted by the ¡®berserkergang¡¯ or to ¡®become bear of shirt¡¯. During guard duty during the middle half of the second week, Salmira finally appears to Sweiza. Sweiza continues to sit crosslegged at the village entrance; but she shakes shakes and her voice comes out hollow and low as she looks up at the witch. ¡°This was part of your plan?¡± Salmira simply folds her arms in front of the girl and her head shifts towards the path in front of the village. ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly take down Lady Strife, she has had prior training and some experience as a Valkyrie for a time now. However¡­¡± Salmira looks over at the girl¡¯s face, clad in body hair, ¡°¡­you should find her quite agreeable once you exchange blows with her.¡± ¡°¡­and what is that supposed to mean¡­?¡± Sweiza says it forlorn. ¡°Oh, look at you. The effects of berserkergang will wear off once you¡¯ve had an outlet for it.¡± Salmira says it almost whimsical. Sweiza tilts her head to the side, frustrated, but having given up at her curse. Salmira bends over at the girl and brushes a strand of her ¡®normal¡¯ head of hair, out of the girl¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Your respite will come soon enough. Lady Sprite is just about an hour or two away.¡± Sweiza looks towards the path in the forest leading to the village. When she looks towards Salmira, the witch is gone. Sweiza stands up and runs to the center of village. She alerts them all about what is to happen. Interlude - An Interview with Sprite The setting is Valhalla at one of the local markets. The author did not choose this location. Rather it was Little Sprite that chose it. Sprite: ¡°Ahem¡± The author looks up at the sprite flying around him. His arms are crossed and his wings flicker in agitation. Author: Oh right, ¡°Sir Dewey Herschel¡± or was it ¡°Stardust Herschel¡±? The sprite snorts at him and flies off. The Author is left to contemplate what just happened. He continues on in the direction the sprite flew in. A few minutes later he finds the sprite sitting on a crate of watermelons. The watermelons notably have bite marks in them with some chunks missing. The sprite is happily helping himself, face and teeth first into the hides of said watermelons. The author walks up to him. Author: So about that interview. The sprite looks up, rather annoyed. He slowly flies up, his wings flick once and he launches into a direction further into the market. The author tries to follow him. The author finds him about thirty seconds later on a table full of tomatoes. The sprite is about to bite into one of them until he looks up at the sound of the author running up to him. The author is noticeably panting. The sprite plops down, closes his eyes and crosses his arms and legs. Sprite: Go away! The sprite turns around and grabs a small tomato. It soon has bite marks and a chunk missing. He tosses it to the side and goes for another. After the third one he turns around and looks up at the author, whom is still standing there, looking down at him. Sprite: Are you still here? Author: Yes, we¡­ Sprite: There is no -we-. Get lost! The sprite sees his demand isn¡¯t meant. He suddenly kicks off the table and uses his wings full rudder and launches into another direction. The author follows the sprite¡¯s blue blur further down the market. Some two minutes later there is a commotion as two stall keepers are chasing the sprite with a broom. There are several screams as he darts between different directions, under the legs of two patrons, and then lands on the head of one of them. He darts off again when a broom narrowly misses him. The author is hot on his heels. Somewhere on the other edge of the market, some thirty minutes later the author manages to find the sprite. Sprite is helping himself to a crate of apples, most of which have been eaten by this point. The author trails up to him and accidentally bumps his shoes into the create. The jostled sprite looks up. He attempts to fly off, but he doesn¡¯t move; his wings attempt to flicker, but it is in vane. Author: You ate too much again, didn¡¯t you. The sprite lets out a deliberate burp to clear part of his stomach. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Author: We did have an interview scheduled. The sprite stops to think about it for a second. He clears his throat and holds out his hand. The author looks down at him with a scowl. He produces a jar of Valhallan Honey. The sprite¡¯s eyes go wide as he attempts to fly, but comes crashing to the ground. Author: That¡¯s what you get for gorging on food. I¡¯ll give this to you later. The sprite looks up hopelessly and finally drops to his knees and rolls onto his back. With little else to do he agrees to an interview. Sprite: But only until I can fly again! The author eyes him square in the eye once. Author: You don¡¯t like listening to others, do you? Sprite: What¡¯s in it for me? Author: Is that why you left Southerly Village? Sprite shrugs. Author: No seriously, everyone would like to know. The sprite looks up and towards the direction of the author¡¯s finger. He follows it to a camera. Sprite: You¡¯re lucky I can¡¯t fly! Author: So is it true you if discharge waste in the form of a crystalline compound that grows into a tree? Sprite: Yeah. Author: So why don¡¯t you. Sprite turns his body away from the author. Author: You really are lazy when it comes to taking care of yourself aren¡¯t you? The sprite looks over at the author again and scowls. He bolts his head away again. Author: You certainly seem to get along with Sweiza. Sprite pushes himself to his feet crosslegged. Sprite: She¡¯s different. She feeds me. Author: Does she take care of you also? The sprite beams. Sprite: Yes. She doesn¡¯t make me clean up crystal. Author: Is it true if too much crystalline builds up that it makes you lethargic? The sprite makes a face. Author: I heard it is edible. Sprite: It tastes bland and isn¡¯t particularly good. Author: So if I were to make a few guesses, you left Southerly Village because you overate, didn¡¯t care for yourself and didn¡¯t clean after yourself. Sprite grimaces. Sprite: It¡¯s not my fault! They kept pestering me to clean when it wasn¡¯t my turn. Author: Is it true you also lie alot? Sprite: It¡¯s not true! Author: I heard Sweiza put a lot of training into you to set you straight. Sprite beams again. Sprite: I only stick around because she feeds me and puts my talents to use. Author: And yet you¡¯ve stuck around with her for nearly half a decade. Seems to be a bit more going on there. Sprite looks up toughtfully. Sprite: Sweiza feeds me sugar and honey. End of story. Author: It must be hard to come by in the wild. Sprite: It is. Author: So what is the deal with that matchbox bed? Sprite looks up at the author like he is weird. The author stares down at the sprite. Sprite gets nervous. He laughs nervously. Sprite: Her parents hated it when I was in the house. Crystal on this and that. They finally agreed if I stayed in her room only. That doesn¡¯t stop the few times I¡¯d raid the pantry. I thought a bed was neat. Sweiza offered to get me a matchox bed if I¡¯d stop stealing. I agreed. Author: That¡¯s the longest response we¡¯ve gotten out of you. Sprite: Yeah, well, it¡¯s personal. Author: You are a private individual? Sprite: These questions are weird. The author points at the camera gain. Author: It is an interview. Sprite lets out a squawk. Sprite: Others are watching this?! Sprite stands up bewildered. Author: Your kind seem to only squawk when they are upset. Is that true? Sprite stares at the camera, back to the author and then to the camera again. Sprite: Find someone else! I¡¯m out of here! Sprite lets out an angry chirp and kicks his feet off the ground. He hovers a few feet from and above the author¡¯s head. Author: Hey, wait a minute. What about being soul linked with Sweiza? Sprite: Too many nosey questions. Goodbye! Now high and above the author, the sprite flicks his wings hard and launches in a random direction, a blue stream of particles following him. The author uses his hand to cover his eyebrows and shield his eyes from the sun. His gaze follows the trail of blue from the sprite until it dissipates into nothing. The author faces the camera. Author: Well, that was rather disappointing. I guess he prefers to be by himself and do his own thing. At least unless something edible is concerned. Author: Tune in next time for when we interview Brynhilde. Oh the humanity of it all. Interlude - World Building People Sweiza - The rambunctious heroine of the story. She wanted to be a knight not a Valkyrie. Lady Strife had other ideas. Sprite - Sweiza¡¯s friend. He rejects the notions and ideals of other sprite and has chosen self exhite to explore the world. Strife - Valkyrie by name, held by Alice Verdandi. Mentor to Sweiza. Melda and Tars - Sweiza¡¯s parents. Goddess of Fertility - The goddess that blesses the land and prevents the encroaching swamp and desert regions from interacting with Maria Village. Brynhilde - Sweiza¡¯s friend and rival. Bryhilde has been rejected from becoming a Valkyrie for five years by Odin¡¯s judgement. She has her own ideas of how a noble and Valkyrie should act. Captain Dillion - Captain of the ¡°Sterling Blue¡±. Older man in his 40s. Rezra - A tigerfelk from the eastern continent that lives as a streetrat in modern Valhalla. Her execution is spared in exchange for her tale being cut off. Freya - Goddess of the elves, estranged wife of Odin. Odin - Chief of the gods and the most powerful. The allfather, the accursed one, the one with a bad sense of humor, the terrible one that hangs from the world tree (Yggdrasil). He hung there for a long time and exchanged his eye to gain the knowledge of the planet. He is considered all wise and all knowing. In reality Odin is a super computer created aboard the ¡®Ymir¡¯ prison ship. Due to being corrupted overtime it has assumed its name as well as the name of the ship, to literally mean it is the creator of civilization and therefor a god. It technically is. It exists through a massive neural network buried under Valhalla. Its name is an acronym for ¡°Omnidirectional Intelligent Neuralnet¡±. Huginn and Munnin - Odin¡¯s ravens ¡®Thought¡¯ and ¡®Memory¡¯. There is said to be two of them, but they many and akin to being a drone. They spy and perform recon missions throughout Midgard continent, prying into the lives of everyone and make Odin privy to their affairs. Gekki and Frekki - The wolves of odin, Gekki meaning ¡®ravenous one¡¯ and Frekki ¡®the jealous one¡¯. They accompany him on hunts. They are a species of Fenriswolf. Salmira - Her name in our world is Maria Sallastare and in our terminology she is a lawyer and arbitrator. Maria Village is named after her. She is the founder of the Valkyrie as well as being the first one. Millenia since the creation of the Valkyrie she was banished by Odin. She cannot penetrate the shield of light that circles Valhalla. Salyra - Her name in this world is Lillian Sallastare and in our terminology she is a researcher and scientist. A being like Salmira, but further stripped of abilities and further trapped in this dimension. She embraced technology to compensate for this. Technology in Valhalla and civilization as the planet Avalan knows it, is indirectly becasue of her. She had her own faction that rebelled against Salmira. She took her ship ¡°The Star Fury¡± and used it to destroy the moons Mek and Mecer. Her ship crash landed and she perished with it; so the legends state. Demi - A manifestation of Sweiza¡¯s armor that comes to her in the dreamworld. It is her spirit and then it is not. It (the armor) does not want its armor to die. Due to being a type of spirit it can sense things Sweiza cannot. Surtur - A firedrake from the land of Muspell. He makes his home on Mount Surter, away from Odin¡¯s prying eyes and away from the chaos of fellow dragonkin in Muspell. ¡ª Terms and Technology Viking - A type of pirate. They pillage and plunder true to their reputation. They typically target local coastal towns, villages and ships the same. They prefer easy targets. -kin - Suffix used to denote a type of group of people or creatures - e.g. Valkyriekin, Valkinkin, Dracokin, Mariakin, Spritekin, Sentinelkin. Vorkera - A name given to Sweiza because Strife thought Sera too strange a name for a Valkyrie. From the words Voracious, Tenacious, Careful Sera - Vorcera, becomes the more serious Vorkera. O.D.I.N. - Omnidirectional Intelligent Neuralnet; this is a super computer of unimaginable power and intelligence. It is not one unit, but many spread out throughout the underground of Valhalla. It has the ability to predict multiple events that could happen, as well as possible divergence in timelines. L.O.K.I. - Logical Omnidirectional Kinetic Intelligence; A super computer that performs calculations to create matter, move it around and otherwise shapeshift it. This computer is responsible for building most of the lifeforms and landmass on the planet Avalan as the civilization knows it. With less tasks to perform (with its main task complete i.e. its namesake) it has become corrupted like ODIN. The super computer was the first to become corrupted; it¡¯s many errors in calculations interfered with ODIN¡¯s calculations. It was therefor disconnected from ODIN¡¯s neural net. This would not stop ODIN from ultimately also becoming corrupted. T.H.O.R. - Tertiary Hyper Omnidirectional Reconsolidator; A super computer meant to transpose data and algorithms with LOKI and ODIN. If data is out of sync, the data would be neutralized. Understanding that it was facing imminent failure, the THOR super computer was rebuilt across many different beings known as Sentinels. Built with a similar computer structure, they perform as the entity instead, albeit spread out and throughout many individuals. The THOR super computer, rather ¡®super computer entity¡¯ is non-corruptible due to so many other entities (Sentinels) being able to perform backchecks on its current data and state. However, the THOR super computer is subservient to ODIN. Gungir Tower - Odin¡¯s weapon to hardness Nth technology. First stage is building the tower, second stage is a weapon that can be deployed (Nth Gun), third stage is teleportation (Bifrost Bridge), fourth stage is time travel (Nth Gate). Sentinel - A flying machine that can transform into a bipedal (humanoid) mode. They are Valkin that have proven themselves and had their mind transferred to a robotic body. They can live indefinitely. Bifrost Bridge - A mythical gateway between Asgard and Midgard. In more realistic terms it is a teleportation device based on the Nth Gate using Nth Technology. Only one is in existence - Gungir Tower. Nth Technology - Capable of ripping open a door through space and time and opening said door into another dimension. Can cause harm to beings such as Salmira or Salyra. Nth Gun - A spear of light out of phase with this dimension. Effects include high velocity impact over a high area. Can be deployed anywhere around the planet due to being able to change direction at will. Can be used off planet to hit targets in space. Nth Gate - The gate of time. Can travel forward or backwards in time in the current timeline; cannot jump to a separate or alternate timeline unless it is part of the current timeline (past, present or future). Can also be used to teleport in the present time. Based on Nth Technology. Nth, Oth, Pth Technology - Level of technology. Higher letter indicates higher technology level. Thor¡¯s Hammer - A legendary weapon (war hammer) that has existed throughout the ages. It is said to be indestructible due to how heavy it is; consequently it requires a gauntlet of might and a belt of strength to wield it. Unfortunately the secret to its forging and how to make it is shrouded in mystery and secrecy. One is known to have existed around two hundred years ago, but it has since been lost. It was said to be wielded by Vorkera. Eye witness accounts of the hammer have said that it was unusually large, with a very short handle and appeared to the wearer as a bolt of lightning summoned in the hand before taking shape. The hammer could be thrown into a spin like a boomerang and it would return to its owner¡¯s hand. The Vorkera Rapier - A mysterious weapon said to be capable of piercing through Odin¡¯s spirit. It is shrouded in mystery, but is said to have been imbued with the powers of lightning. It was wielded two hundred years before the present time by a Valkyrie named Vorkera. Nth Boomerang - A strange weapon said to be wielded by Vorkera. Normally worn on the back, it could be summoned by the glove that threw it. It can be summoned as a bolt of lightning. The weapon is said to be able to rip open the fabric of reality and teleport and change direction according to the wearer¡¯s will. Based on Nth technology. Shuriken Boomerang Yoyo - The Nth Boomerang recreated as a set of twin boomerangs fastened together as a large shuriken that is worn on the back. In addition to always returning to the owner, it can split into two boomerangs according to the user¡¯s will. Carries the same properties as the Nth Boomerang. Belt of Strength and Gauntlet of Might - A duo of items that increase the strength of the wearer. The Belt increases strength throughout the entire body, where as the gauntlet simply affects the hands and arms and things carried there of. Scriving Mirror - A two way mirror that allows the users to communicate over a distance. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Penchant - A talisman or enchanted item (usually a pendant) that can tell the mood of anyone it is aimed at. More effective when speaking with the target. ¡ª Locations Maria Village - Notable village between the Muspell and Midgard continents that was neutral during the Valhal-Muspell war. Considered a waypoint as a traderoute and the last village on the route to Muspell Harbor. Maria Village is technically Muspell territory due to the firedrakes that sometimes live in the area; however this is disputed as a Valkyrie lives here as well as several Midgard nobles. This village is considered a waypoint of Valhalla, but the area is not under Odin¡¯s control. Aura Forest / Sprite Forest - A forest inhabited by Sprites, located in a warm temperate region. This forest is most notable for the white crystalline trees that have a rainbow shimmer to them in the right light. Wind that passes through them lets off a weird air almost like a ghostly, high-pitched flute. The area is known for the continuous dense fog and the rainy season. There is almost always dew on the ground regardless of the time of year. Stardew Valley / Sprite Valley - An area inhabited by Sprites. The area is best known for the dew that is always on the ground regardless of the time of day. The area gets its name from the way stars reflect a rainbow glow off of crystaline trees left by sprites. The dew and fog in the area that rests on said trees is known to let off a ghostly aura of color. Village of Southerly, Sprite Village - The main village of the sprite. It is in a rather unexplored region south of Maria Village. Named by the elvenkin that passed through the area centuries ago. Valhalla - The chief and capital city of the Midgard continent. Is is the technological capital of the world as well as boasting the world¡¯s strongest military. Valhalla is also home to several gods, ¡°Odin¡± being among them. Midgard - Sometimes referred to as Mid Guard, Middle Earth or Middle Garden due to its location compared to other areas relative to itself. Midgard is supposedly where the world tree ¡°Yggdrasil¡± is. Muspell - The desert country ruled by the merchant class. There is no system of government, rather a merchant class and loosely associated guild that self polices its policies and agents through elected officials. Power is dicated by wealth. Mount Surt - A mountain north of Maria Village. It is named after the firedrake Surter that lives there. A temple is built in this region that harnesses the hotsprings. It is said to have healing powers. Regardless of the claim, residents passing through, as well as members of Maria Village, enjoy the soothing effects of the waters. Asgard - An island north of Midgard, legends say the gods hail from this area. It couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. The island is named for A.S. Guard - Air Superiority Guard, a type of flying machine better known as a Sentinel. This machine can transform between a flight and bipedal walking mode. Due to high technology being banned in Valhalla and most of Midgard, most of Valhalla¡¯s military factories, refineries and other military vehicles and vessels are located here. Aesirlund - Small island country northeast of Midgard and further north of Vanir. Only Odin¡¯s court is allowed here. No one may leave or enter without permission; this island is normally forbidden to outsiders. Vanir - Continent further east and north of Alfgard, east of Midgard.. Said to be where certain kinds of gods hail from. Unconfirmed, but winged humanoids are said to be from this region. This region is largely unexplored even by those from Alfgard. Alfgard - Elf Garden, east of Niffleheim, borders the east and south of Midgard. Elves and Tigerfelk hail from this region. Notable Asian influence. Jotunher (Jotunheim) - Bordering continent to the west through the south of Muspell, west of Svarta. Extremely low technology and backwater region. Giants, dragons, sea serpents, large fish and any manner of large reptiles (e.g. dinosaurs) are from this region. It is a popular hunting spot to natives and tourists alike. However, outsiders are not welcome. Svarta - South of Muspell, east of Jotunheim, west of Myrkvellir. Legends speak of dark elves (aka dwarves) that inhabit the region and live underground. The legend has been skewed overtime. Dwarves are known for their smithing techniques as well as the arms and crafts they regularly sell to Muspell. Myrkvellir - East of Svarta, west of Niffleheim, south of Muspell; borders the Yawning Gap. Myrkvellier literally means ¡°Dark Fields¡±. Dark Elves live here. Niffleheim - A long continent situated under Muspell, east of Myrkvellir and south of Midgard. It is considered to be the land of ice as well as the land of the dead. Supposedly the otherworldly demon ¡®Hel¡¯ resides here. Those who have seen her are said to die on the spot. Her servant is said to be the Grim Reaper and he ferries the dead on a boat to her (Hel) as their master. ¡°The Yawning Gap¡± - Better known as Ginnungagap, this is a region where hot desert air meets with glaciers and cold weather from the mountains in Niffleheim. Inbetween resides a river where life is said to have started. This area is known for its aurora, storms, as well as dense fog and heavy rain. Several branch rivers flow from the Yawning Gap. The Yawning Gap extends to the southern reaches of Niffleheim and forms part of the Abyssal Expanse. ¡°The Abyssal Expanse¡± - Sometimes simply referred to as ¡®The Abyss¡¯ or ¡®The Expanse¡¯. A region that lies to the south of Niffleheim. Borders into the subantarctic regions of Hel. Ships that pass through here are said to disappear into the land of Hel. Muspeller Sea - The area of inland sea that is contained by bordering Muspell, Svarta, Myrkvellir and Niffleheim. Makes up part of ¡°The Yawning Gap¡±. Helheim - Sometimes simply referred to as ¡®Hel¡¯ - Subantarctic to arctic region. South of Niffleheim, separated by the Abyss and the ocean. This region is cold and said to be the land of the dead. Few adventurers will go this far. Nth Dimension - A region in the sixth dimension that intersects the third dimension. This is the realm that Salmira hails from. Beings from this region can understand multiple time vectors, different timelines, as well as how different dimensions can interact with each other. The beings from this area exist as a nexus or matrix of sorts; it could be compared to pure thought existing as raw energy. ¡ª Supernatural Beasts Sprite - An experiment gone awry. These small creatures were meant to be a creation of flesh and nanites that is self sustaining. They are genderless despite having male and female traits. They are capable of ingesting most any kind of substance for food and promply dispose of it as a sort of magic show. Their waste looks like a crystaline mass that takes the form of trees over time. They are considered a pest and a parasite in the continent of Midgard. They were ordered exterminated by Odin some two-hundred years before the start of the story. Sentinel - An iron race from the Kingdom of Thor. They are tasked with protecting the continent of Midgard. They are sometimes referred to as ¡®the iron race¡¯, ¡®the iron clads¡¯, ¡®those things that fly¡¯, ¡®iron vultures¡¯; they are commonly and simply called ¡°Sentinels¡± among those in Valhalla. They seemingly have the ability to transform from a bipedal to a flight form. In realistic terms they are a robot that turns into a self propelled jet. Berserker - A member of the ¡®berserkergang¡¯ or to be ¡®bear of shirt¡¯, is said to become a supernatural creature. Under the light of a full moon they are said to sprout fur, gain super strength and their eyes turn a brilliant yellow. People understand this type of creature to be a werewolf or a werebear. These types of creatures will howl under the full moon of Lokul; they will bite at their swords and attack friend and foe alike. Once the berserkergang wears off they are said to be bedridden for days. Legends say berserkers are a result of breeding between bears, Fenriswolf and then humans; they are therefor sometimes called wearbears or wearwolves. Fenriswolf - A large species of wolf that has many subpecies. The lesser species are no larger than a normal wolf, the more remarkable are the size of an elephant. ¡ª Starscape The Accretia - Salmira¡¯s ship, one of the original expedition ships aboard the colony ship ¡°Ymir¡±. It is the only surviving one several millenia later, still functioning and in orbit above the planet Avalan. The Star Fury - Salyra¡¯s ship. It contained a destructive beam with the power said to destroy a star. In reality it could raze large portions of the planet. However, it did destroy two of Avalan¡¯s moons, Mek and Mecer. The Ymir - The original colony ship that was sent to the region of ¡°Dwaf¡±. In reality it was a prison ship that was meant to be dumped far outside the local galaxy. It fell into the Dwaf gravity well and found itself on the opposite side of a quantum singularity (blackhole). The current civilizations (Muspell, Valhalla, etc) are a direct result of this vessel¡¯s population. Star System Salmare - A triple star system with a red (Angol), orange (Tersha) and blue (Versas) star. It lies the opposite side of space and time of a gravity well where light is reversed from normal space and time. It is the prison of Salmira and so thus is named after her. Sometimes referred to as ¡°The Eye of Salmare¡± due to the nebula surrounding it looking like an eye. The Star Angol - SAL A - Primary and brightest star in the Salmare System. Red in color it has many planets in orbit, several of which (including a few moons) which can sustain life. Its gravity is the highest of the stars in Salmare. It orbits Tersha around a common barycenter (center of gravity) once every sixty years. The Star Tersha - SAL B - Secondary star in the Salmare System; not as bright as, but also orbits Angol around a common barycenter (center of gravity) that takes sixty years. It has several planets, mostly gas giants; none are capable of sustaining life. The Star Versas - SAL C - Dimmest star in Salmare; blue in color. It orbits Angol and Tersha, taking one hundred forty two years to complete one orbit. It has six planets, two of which are rock worlds, four of which are gas giants. The Planet Avalan - SAL-IV, fourth planet in the Eye of Salmare. This planet has four moons Lokul, Mardin, Haydura, Mylaka. Originally it had six moons, two of them Mek and Mecer, have been destroyed. They now exist as a ring system that circles the planet. Occasionally when the season is right, particles from the ring system hit the atmosphere and cause brilliant meteor showers. The Moon Lokul - SAL-IVe, A large moon composed of raw iron. It acts as a large magnet that interacts with certain kinds of nanites. Among other things it causes painful menstruation cycles to those born with elven blood; it is also known to spur werewolf or berserker syndrome. The moon has an orbit of six months. A dune world with an observed color of dull red and a base color of orange. Due to its atmosphere it has dust storms that sweep the entire moon; it is comparable to Mars. The Moon Hayduria - SAL-IVa, A moon with an atmosphere that sustains life. Cloud formations can be observed through telescopes from the surface of Avalan. The moon has an orbit of two months. The Moon Mylaka - SAL-IVb, A moon with a three month orbit period. Its base color is a dull grey, its observed color is a dull yellow. The Moon Mardin - SAL-IVf, A dead rock world with an eight month orbit. Its base color is a dull grey with an observed color of white. The Avalan Ring System - After the moons Mek and Mecer were destroyed, they exist as a dual ring system around the planet Avalan. Mek¡¯s (SAL-IVc) and Mecer¡¯s (SAL-IVd) original orbits put them between Mylaka and Lokul. Mylaka acts as a shepherd moon between the original single ring and creates a gap between the now existing two ring system. Particles from this ring system sometimes fall to the planet as brilliant meteor showers. The Moon Mek (SAL-IVc) - A destroyed moon. It now makes up the alpha ring in orbit around Avalan. A shepherd moon (Mylaka), keeps its orbit distinct from the beta ring. It originally had an orbit of four months. It was observed to be a dull orange, its base color was a dull grey. The Moon Mecer (SAL-IVd) - A destroyed moon. It now makes up the beta ring in orbit around Avalan. A shepherd moon (Mylaka), keeps it seperate from the alpha ring. The moon was volcanically active with a poisonous atmosphere. Due to the vulcanism on the moon it has an observed and base color primarily of red, orange and yellow. ANBLII - Chapter 3 - Voracious, Tenacious, Careful The Valhal-Muspell War ruined many lives. Its effects still felt throughout the land and then some. Some, such as Alice Verdandi, felt its effects more than others. Her parents in an unusual twist of fate, were drafted into the Valhal Military and subsequently parished in Muspell in one of the battles. The war is part of the reason she met Sigurd, a husband she chose to elope with. One of his injuries chose to be fatal, or rather he became sick; poison by her reckoning, perhaps some outside agent at work. She suspected some power of Odin at work. Outcast as a noble for having eloped with the enemy, she had little recourse left in Valhalla. She is left to contemplate her fate in her parents¡¯s vacation village of ¡°Maria¡±. Nuetral territory. She chooses to join the Valhalla Militia, and later the ranks of Valkyrie. As luck further strips her of her fate, she finds she is pregnant. Eloping had its benefits. Perhaps she could continue her lineage and nobility after all. Only Valkyrie and Valken are not allowed to have children. The eve of childrearing, fallen Valkyrie and now witch Salmira, presented herself to the woman. She made her an offer. She had the power to move objects in time and change fate. Her child would live, but not by her hand. She would give Salmira a number of years of service to change fate, in exchange for her daughter being spared the wrath of Odin, ¡®the terrible one¡¯. This fate continually haunts her, knowing it could be some decades or centuries before she sees her daughter again. She muses this to herself as she rides horseback with little else to do. Her journey to Southerly was a long one, so she entertains herself and plans her future in her mind. She trains herself, hones her wit and skill. She has so many things to do before she is dead, and thankfully now that she is Valkyriekin, she will have a long life to do so. However, this comes at a price. The allfather (Odin), was very clear on this. As part of his plan to subdue the Midgard continent, the pests known as ¡®sprite¡¯ would be erradicated. ¡°He plans to annahilate any supernatural foes that would jeopardize his power. How fitting to be called the terrible one.¡± Speaking of terrible ones, her horse suddenly stops dead in its tracts and attempts to rear while turning around. It spins several circles and lets out a whiny akin to a grunt. Strife knows the drill. Her horse can sense something she can¡¯t. It is soon roped to a tree as she continues down the barely worn footpath towards her location. A letter in her hand with orders by Odin himself, she will present it to the village upon their execution. It is her place to do so, she is the weapon and following orders, not the wielder, that is Odin¡¯s will. But more importantly, Odin would ¡®forgive¡¯ her for cheating her nobility and eloping if she completes this order. Her execution would be stayed. She has no choice. However, fate has other things in mind for her. At the foot path of the village she lets out a loud ¡°HAIL!¡±. Several lights form further down the footpath and towards the entrance. She understands them to be spritekin, faerie, faeriekin or simply ¡®sprites¡¯; they are the pests people hear about in fairytales. Long driven from Valhalla, this is one of their havens. Her goal is clear. She holds up the slip of paper, bearing the seal of Valhalla and another of Odin himself. ¡°By order of the high lord, this area is to be exterminated. Prepare yourselves.¡± Gripping the paper in one hand, she puts it away the paper nonchalantly. She looks up from her hand and sees a shape crossing from the far end of the village. She summons her sword. No manner of supernatural beast would stop her. The beast comes closer. Strife takes one step forward, but immediately stops and takes one step backwards, now holding her sword with both hands. She shakes once or twice and attempts to regain her composure. ¡°No manner of beast will save you!¡± It stops only to eye her sword once. Nervous, but undeterred, Valkyrie Strife charges into a run, gripping her sword overhead with both hands. She would use a faint and actually swing it and pierce the beast and slay it. She would keep its head as a trophy of her deed and a souvenir for Odin. His sick sense of humor in this regard would grant her some favor, perhaps. But perhaps not. The thought is wiped from her mind and she focuses on the task at hand. Strife easily recognizes it as a fabled wearwolf. They are uncommon. However, that not withstanding, one is here now. It lets out an unearthly howl. Strife feels it penetrate her senses, but only further enhances them. She will deliver this thing as a trophy to Odin and her fate would be alleviated. ¡ª Sweiza sees it. The familiar woman clad in armor. She thought she had died on the Sterling Blue. Wait. She thinks about it for a second. This is a younger version of Strife. She doesn¡¯t have time to ponder it as the warrior has her sword out. Sweiza¡¯s appearance must have broken her composure, as she took a step back. It doesn¡¯t last long, Strife has another step forward and begins charging. Her sword is out. Sweiza stands there. She knows how to handle this. Her only intent is to shield her face, but more importantly her eyes. She does just that with both hands. Strife is undettered by whatever petty tricks the ¡®monster¡¯ has in store. The distance between then shortens. Mere feet now. Strife lets out a yell. Strife swings her sword from an overhead two handed maneuver to a surprise thrust; she goes for the creature¡¯s heart. Sweiza is forced to take a few steps back as the tip of the blade connects with her thick berserker hide. Strife is taken aback as it doesn¡¯t impale the creature. Did she not penetrate it right, perhaps the creature is in fact wearing a hide and armor underneath? It doesn¡¯t matter. She fixes her mistake and attempts another thrust. Again she goes for the heart. Same effect as before. The weapon¡¯s tip connects, but it doesn¡¯t penetrate. Sweiza is oblivious to what is going on, shielding her face. She just knows she feels something lump up against her chest. However, it is the next blow that catches her attention. She feels the Valkyrie¡¯s sword graze one of her arms and the tip of the blade touch her throat. Her hands come down and her emotions take over as she lowers her hands to glare at the woman. However, strife is mid-swing for a decapitation. The weapon again rubs Sweiza¡¯s berserker hide with no effect. That maneuver pisses Sweiza off. She grunts and then bowls her hands into fists and stands with both legs in a V. Strife attempts another swing of her sword, another maneuver meant for decapitation. The weapon again makes contact with Sweiza¡¯s hide and has no effect. Strife notes this isn¡¯t working. The only possible vulnerable areas of the creature would be anything not related to its hide - nostrils, mouth, more than likely the eyes. No, its eyes might be protected by the eyelids. A direct thrust into the brain would be needed. Strife charges at maximum speed and attempts to thrust into the creature¡¯s face aiming for the mouth. Strife lets out a cry as the creature grabs her sword midthrust. The buttend of Strife¡¯s sword slaps into her armor. As the creature pulls the sword aimed at its face, Strife is left to look at it directly in the eye. It lets out a narrow eyed grimace to one side of its mouth at her. It rips the sword from her hands and chucks it to the side. Strife attempts a kick at the creature¡¯s knee. It is forced to drop from the pain. She takes the elbow of her armor and attempts to smash it into the creature¡¯s head. It has little effect as it connects with the berserker¡¯s head. Sweiza takes in a deep breath and lets out a hellish scream that leaves Strife frozen. Her body shakes from it. She tries to recompose herself, but it doesn¡¯t work. Anxiety steps in. The creature is up on its legs again. It grabs Strife by the underside of her breastplate and lifts her off the ground. A nervous Strife finally speaks with a different demeanor. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± At last, Sweiza¡¯s emotions subside (slightly) and she speaks, ¡°This village is under my protection. Leave.¡± Strife rebuttals, ¡°I can¡¯t leave. These pests are to be exterminated.¡± Sweiza grimaces at the Valkyrie again. She looks over towards one of the trees. Too mean. However, ¡®those¡¯ might work. Yes, indeed. She walks over to one of the crystalline trees and lifts Strife and smashes her into it. The crystalline isn¡¯t particularly hard, but it serves a point. Strife lets out a surprise grunt. Her hands come down to the creature¡¯s arms attempting to either restrain it, brace herself or regain control of the situation. Either way, Strife finds herself smashed into several more trees of crystal. Strife is finally left out of control of her situation as she is repeatedly smashed into more and more crystal. Grunt after grunt escapes her mouth. She tries to speak several times, but is interrupted by more crystal smashing. Sweiza has to refrain from finding this fun. After the last crystalline tree disappears from a rock outcropping, Sweiza walks to the center of the village and chucks the battered Valkyrie to the ground. Her armor is nicked and scratched and any markings and clothing worn outside of it are worse for wear. Her face as a bruise on one of her cheeks. Sweiza stares down at her handywork. However, several wings and bright lights in her peripheral vision get her attention. She looks around. The sprite have kept their distance, however, some inch closer. What gets Sweiza¡¯s attention is the huts that have been destroyed in the process. She lets out a growl. She picks up Strife by her greave and holds her upside down. ¡°Give me one good reason why I shouldn¡¯t finish yo¡­¡± Sweiza feels it like a stabbing pain hitting her nerves. She drops Strife and staggers backward. She looks down at Strife and clutches her chest as she feels another pain. Her arms cross as a feeling of extreme cold hits her. Her body feels thousands of needs prick her. She crouches down and tries to fan her shoulders in an attempt to warm herself up. She feels another stabbing pain. She looks from Strife, up to the moon of Lokul. She curses her luck as she feels the life being sucked out of her. She finally collapses several feet from Strife. Both participants have lost the battle, but as far as the Sprite are concerned, it is a victory. ¡ª It is sometime towards mid-day. Sweiza lets out a groan as her body experiences pain and aches all over. Her body twists and turns as she instinctively tries to shake herself awake from whatever bad dream is ailing her. However, the pain doesn¡¯t subside. Her eyes reluctantly open and she sees the midday sun shining down on her. Several wings of large insects hover over her. With each blink she sees they are infact wings attached to sprite. She tries to shift her head, but the brightness of the sun forces her to look in the opposite direction. She feels more pain and aches in her body. She lets out another groan. The sounds of very active sprite catch her attention, but she has to force her eyes closed. She tries to put her hand up to her face, but feels something tethered to them. It feels brisk against her skin. Rope! That is the first thought. She tries to figure out what is going on, but her senses feel extremely dull and a mental fog plagues her. She hears the sprites¡¯ squawks and chirps. They fade into the distance. She tries to rouse her senses, but they refuse. She suddenly feels rope against her legs as she tries to move them. She knows she is pinned down, perhaps in a bed. The thought of more hooligans having their way with her. Is Sprite nearby? She tries to remember her situation. He wouldn¡¯t be with her. She doesn¡¯t remember why. Other sprites? They are not that common. She has only seen a few per season and they usually run. Metal footsteps. They inch closer. She hears them click together. Then a familiar voice. Strife. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head shifts over to the greaves, and then the armor, and finally the face of the woman standing above her. Sweiza¡¯s face grimaces from the light. She can barely see Strife. Sweiza says nothing, the pain still affecting her. ¡°You seem to be a little worse for wear.¡± Sweiza tries jerking on one of the ropes. Ignoring Strife, her head shifts over to the end of the rope. Her hand is pulled tight with said rope to a stake in the ground. ¡°A precaution.¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows shoot up when Sweiza makes eye contact again. Sweiza tries to utter something, but it comes out muffled. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I see you are no longer ¡®bear of shirt¡¯.¡± Sweiza simply nods, albeit slowly and weakly. Strife circles her once, turns her back to her, crosses her arms, then turns around. Strife finally leans over her. ¡°You can thank Freya that our fates have been woven together. I¡¯ve decided to spare them.¡± Strife¡¯s eyes shoot to some of the Sprite watching them; her eyes quickly shoot back to Sweiza, ¡°I was surprised to learn that a Valkyrie was behind this berserker hide.¡± Sweiza looks over at her hand once. The realization hits her. She isn¡¯t a berserker at the moment. ¡°The legends say berserker¡¯s are bed ridden once the frenzy is gone.¡± Weakly, and begrudgingly Sweiza again nods. Strife stands up straight and looks up, then back to Sweiza. Strife¡¯s arms craddle. ¡°This village is no place for a person to recover. I¡¯ll take you back to Maria.¡± Sweiza simply nods. She again feels the life slowly draining from her. She forces herself to stay to. ¡°They¡¯ll¡­ ¡­ move¡­ right?¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows slowly raise. ¡°They¡¯ve been appraised of the situation. Sweiza only thinks ¡®damn it¡¯. She tries to speak again with the life force draining from her. Her body finally goes slack. Strife frowns at the girl on the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need a strethcer.¡± Strife¡¯s arms cross again and she taps her right hand¡¯s index finger against her shoulder. She looks up at the sky and closes her eyes in misery. ¡°Sigurd, what did I get myself into?¡± ¡ª- Sweiza finds herself in an unsettling, but familiar surrounding. It is Maria Village, however, something about it seems different. The buildings appear to be made entirely of wood with no fancy designs. There are multiple pathways leading up to the village center and the ever familiar water fountain, but everything has a peculiar ¡®rustic¡¯ feel to it. She decides to wander, but after turning around she is startled to a totem pole that pops up in front of her. Several of the faces move in randon directions; several of them also spin on there base. She is left to give a peculiar glance at it. She rolls her eyes and a stick appears in her hands. She raises it back and cracks them and hard. ¡ª Sweiza¡¯s eyes pop open to a ceiling. Her head shifts around. It is an unfamiliar bedroom. She slowly pulls herself to a sitting position. Her surprise is at the pink covers on her. She looks around. It is the vanity that gets her attention. It is an expensive one detailed with intricate carvings. Sitting on the shelf of the vanity is a picture of a man with dark brown hair, brown eyes and dark skin. Sweiza doesn¡¯t recognize him. Demi. The thought enters her head. She lets out a low brow grumble at the thought of him. At least if he is joking around in her dreams, it means she is safe and not in any immediate danger - or so her experience would provide. She shakes the thought of him from her head. She continues looking around. The bedroom walls, floor and ceiling all look reminiscent of typical furnishings and walls she would expect from any bedrooms in Maria Village. She looks around again, ¡°Just where the hell am I?¡± Her thoughts shift to the door. She is up on her feet. Her feet hit wood. It feels cold. She looks around for her shoes. They are nowhere to be seen. For that matter, when looking down at the ground she notices her normal clothing is gone. Instead she is in some kind of lavender outfit, some kind of nightie, but an odd one with a metallic sheen. This is one she is not familiar with. She shakes the notion for the time being. Right now she is in a foreign siguation and her safety is top priority. She slowly creeps to the door. Her second priority is finding her rucksack if possible; otherwise she will simply try to make an escape. She has a feeling she has been kidnapped or perhaps got too drunk last night and some suitor brought her home. She again shakes the thought of having performed some regretful actions the night before. Why can¡¯t she remember? There is a crack to the floor under her. She freezes. Some time passes, almost two minutes. She hears nothing and continues towards the door. It continually creeks as it opens. Sweiza freaks out and stifles her mouth. She hides behind the door. A minute passes and her head peaks out from behind it. There is no one there. All she sees is a small hallway with a single door (she assumes a bathroom or a closet). She slowly tiptoes over to it and attempts to open it. It does open. It is just a closet. She doesn¡¯t note any windows. She shakes her head and takes a deep breath. She turns around towards the stairs and drops to all fours as she slowly descends the stairs backwards. Her breathing is erratic as her body forces her to pull in air with each breath she forcefully holds. She can feel her heart beating. This can¡¯t be happening! She hears the crack of a fire. Her head shifts to the direction of the sound. There are spaces between the railing on the stairs. Indeed there is a fire. She sees a chair, a very tall one. There is a small coffee table next to it; there is an arm and a hand lowering a cup to the table. ¡°Hello?¡± Goosebumps all over her. She really feels them in her arms as her body tightens up. She mentally freaks out. How could she be so stupid as to announce her presence and say hello? She looks back up towards the stairs. Her first instinct is to bolt back up to the hallway. However, most houses in Maria also have the front door adjacent from the 2nd story stairwell. Sure enough, she sees it. As she turns back towards the chair, she freezes to see a head peaking from the left side of it. A woman, wavy hair, dirty blonde at that. It looks nice. The woman speaks before Sweiza can react. ¡°You¡¯re awake. Marvelous. You must be hungry. Will you join me for tea in the kitchen?¡± Sweiza holds her body from trembling. She realizes she has been caught in the act of escape; she also realizes she is still on all fours. She instinctively nods (albeit slowly and with concern) at her assumed captor. The woman¡¯s head disappears behind the chair again. She steps out from behind it and around the coffee table. Sweiza is not familiar with the style of dress the woman is wearing. It is a full body dress completely in purple velvet; it looks sophisticated and regal. There is some kind of darker and satin girdle on the upper torso of the dress. Sweiza is not familiar with it, she also doesn¡¯t believe she has ever seen that type of support before. It appears to be a bra if she ever saw one, but never has she seen one that is from the waist up. The woman gentley claps the book she was reading. She sets it with both hands in front of her. ¡°I would be honored if you would join me as my guest.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen and she simply lets out a dumbfounded nod. The woman turns around and motions with her finger and hand above her head. It is a come hither motion and oriented at the kitchen. What choice does she have? If this is her captor, she is certainly putting on a good show for her ¡®guest¡¯. Besides, Sweiza needs food, and now! ¡ª Some quarter hour later the table is prepped, tea has been steamed, sugar and cream are out in their respective containers and two bowls - one full of cinnamon rolls and another with French croissants. Sweiza is already at the table while Strife handles something in one of her cupboards. Sweiza sees it is a cup of water and an odd powder. ¡°Powdered butter.¡± A quick rise of her eyebrows and a brief smile (that fades all too quickly) disappears from Sweiza¡¯s face. Maria Village wasn¡¯t known for electricity, so the residents are always finding ways to take care of things; this one apparently is Strife¡¯s way. Butter on the table and body sitting in a chair, Strife¡¯s hands clap in a pray motion with her eyes closed for a few seconds. She is already helping herself to a croissant and stops when she sees the girl from across the table staring at her. ¡°Well don¡¯t be shy, dig in.¡± Strife says it nonchalantly. The girl blinks blankly and starts helping herself. Strife gives her no attention to her manners. Tea time in her (Strife¡¯s) mind is a time for people to take off their masks and show their true selves. Strife¡¯s manners, while dignified are a stark contrast to Sweiza. Sweiza can be compared to an uncouthe backwater girl with a brash demeanor. Strife¡¯s movements are far more graceful while Sweiza is a bit more wild. Strife fakes laughter with her left hand covering her mouth. Sweiza is mid-bite of her roll, but immediately stops. ¡°What?¡± Strife simply shakes her head, stifling more laughter. Come the actual tea, Sweiza¡¯s first reaction is to try and grab the teacup with both hands. It dawns on her it does indeed have a handle and is not to be used like a normal cup. The cup touches her lips and the taste hits her tongue. Her face suddenly winces and the cup is pulled away briskly. Sweiza makes a face and lets out a ¡®ugh¡¯ at it. Strife tilts her head at the girl. ¡°It really could use more sugar.¡± Sweiza says it looking down at the cup. Strife is already nodding, but gingerly pushing the creamer and sugar containers towards the girl. Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk once, but quickly settle; a brief flash of a smile, not unlike Sweia¡¯s from earlier, also adorns her mouth. Both don¡¯t last, but Strife knows the typical movement of young boys when they are impatient - they either fidget in their chair, or in this case with Sweiza, she is busy kicking her feet back and forth under the table. ¡°Uh, Miss¡­¡± Strife¡¯s head tilts again at the girl. ¡°I never did get your name.¡± Sweiza looks up, her eyes widen. ¡°I¡­¡± She looks away from Strife. ¡°I can¡¯t call you young one and young lady.¡± Strife says it with patience, but more to the point. Sweiza¡¯s head again shifts to the woman and their eyes meet. Sweiza feels this would be the time to lie, but she can¡¯t remember. For that matter, when she looks in her mind, she can¡¯t remember what she was doing the night before, or the last few days prior. Why can¡¯t she remember the last few weeks? ¡°My friends call me Sera.¡± Strife¡¯s head again tilts at the girl, ¡°That is an odd name for a Valkyrie.¡± Sweiza frowns. ¡°You will show me your armor won¡¯t you?¡± Sweiza¡¯s head sways from side to side. Strife stares at her. This girl is playing a joke, isn¡¯t she? ¡°Well don¡¯t be shy Sera, I¡¯m good company.¡± Strife says it for effect. To Sweiza it almost sounds like Strife has been jostled. Strife tries again. ¡°You¡¯ll at least tell me your Valkyrie name won¡¯t you?¡± Strife¡¯s attention follow¡¯s Sweiza¡¯s gaze; the girl is looking at the living room. This disheartens Strife. ¡°Miss Sera, for such a voracious appetite you certainly have little to say.¡± Strife tries again. Sweiza¡¯s eyes meet her gaze again. Sweiza fidgets once. ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± This time Sweiza spits it out. This isn¡¯t getting her anywhere. Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk, but she lets out a sigh. ¡°You were bedridden with the berserkergang for several days. Don¡¯t tell me you are having memory issues as well?¡± Strife says it with a bit of concern. Sweiza nods, ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Well then. In that case. I may be able to assist you.¡± Sweiza blinks rapidly, several times. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I am a Valkyrie in training myself. How would you like me to mentor you until you get your memory back? It will help keep busy and your mind off of things. It¡¯s also good to have a companion.¡± Strife says it with her hands steepled together and off to the side of her right shoulder. Sweiza blinks, ¡°That might be a good idea.¡± Strife¡¯s eyes close once and she lets out a smile, ¡°Splendid.¡± Sweiza nods. ¡ª Teatime ends soon enough. Strife has Sweiza clean the table, the girl has no objections, especially being a guest in someone else¡¯s home. ¡°You said I was berserkergang?¡± Sweiza says it holding a plate, halfway to the kitchen sink. ¡°Creamer container up in the second shelf of the open cupboard Miss Sera.¡± Sweiza turns her attention back to Strife and then looks to the sink and then sees the open cupboard next to the window. She does as instructed and puts the creamer up on the second shelf. Coming back for the sugar, strife continues their conversation. ¡°You were protecting Southerly Village in the Aura Forest. You were quite adamant about it.¡± ¡°Who was I protecting it from?¡± Sweiza is puzzled by the statement. She doesn¡¯t remember. ¡°Me.¡± Strife says it, and the girl is surprised by it. ¡°-You-?!¡± ¡°Yes Miss Sera. From you. You were quite tenacious in dealing with me, and I thought for sure I would have died. But you were apparently on the edge of your berserkergang and the bear left you. The Spritekin appraised me of the situation soon after.¡± Sweiza shakes her head and shrugs with her hands open. She doesn¡¯t remember any of this. ¡°I was under orders by Odin himself to exterminate the Spritekin. However, the Spritekin appraised me of the fact you were there as a Valkyrie two months before to stand guard. Apparently you gained their trust. I was very surprised.¡± Sweiza is standing next to Strife at this point. Strife slowly stands up from her chair and places a hand on the girl¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°I believe you when you say you lost your memory; I¡¯ve heard of it happening with those that have their bear in them. My thoughts several days ago are the same as they are now. You somehow knew that I would be there and were countering Odin¡¯s orders. This is of interest to me.¡± Sweiza looks over at Strife, ¡°How so?¡± ¡°For reasons I won¡¯t get into quite just yet. I do believe in the Valkyrie mantra of ¡®no secrets between Valkyrie¡¯, but I don¡¯t want you getting caught up completely in my affairs until you are ready; it might create more trouble than it is worth you must understand.¡± Sweiza blankly nods. Strife continues, ¡°I feel I should honor your cautious demeanor.¡± Sweiza nods again. ¡°Not to be abrupt Miss Sera, but much as my Valkyrie name is Strife, I do not believe you should be called Valkyrie Sera. It doesn¡¯t have a very strong sound to it.¡± Sweiza looks up briefly and her mouth opens to speak, but nothing comes out. ¡°Are you -sure- you don¡¯t remember your Valkyrie name?¡± Sweiza shakes her head. ¡°Then, with that in mind. We have a few details about you already. You are careful, but also voracious and tenacious.¡± Sweiza stares at her blankly. Strife looks away from Sweiza to the grandfather clock adjacent to the stairwell. Sweiza follows her gaze, then looks back to Strife. Strife is clearly spaced out, but is mouthing the words. She finally stops. Sweiza waits there for what feels like too long. She is about to say something, but Strife interrupts her. ¡°Voracious, tenacious, careful¡­¡± Sweiza looks to the grandfather clock, then to Strife, but Strife is still deep in thought. ¡°Sera¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Sweiza jostles once, then Strife turns her (still seated) body towards her. ¡°Voracious, tenacious, careful Sera. How does Vorcera sound?¡± Sweiza¡¯s head sway¡¯s from side to side. She doesn¡¯t know what to make of it. ¡°I see. Not your style. Perhaps you need something more akin to your tenacity? Maybe something harder sounding?¡± Sweiza tilts her head slightly. ¡°How about Vorkera?¡± Sweiza¡¯s blinks rapidly, while her head sways to the opposite side. She blinks several times in thought. ¡°I think so. That should work.¡± Strife is standing by this point, ¡°Splendind. However, as a Valkyrie, I feel you really should have something a bit more sophisticated than Sera. It sounds to childish, at least in my mind it does.¡± Sweiza blinks at her again. ¡°Vera would be a fitting nickname to go by, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Sweiza simply nods. It is close enojgh to ¡®Sera¡¯ so not as to jostle her mind or identity. ¡°Well then Sera, or should I say Miss Vera¡­ I so rarely get company these days, I¡¯m always beating the footpath or by myself. Shall we regress to the living room for reading hours?¡± Sweiza recognizes it as a variant of ¡®high speak¡¯, but it sounds older. Sweiza simply nods. Strife turns around and waves her hand above her head and motions for Sweiza to follow her to the living room. Sweiza can feel as if something significant will happen, but only time will tell. ANBLII - Chapter 4 - Camaraderie ¡°Dear Journal, I find myself in good company, her name is Alice. Her last name Verdandi, is in fact taken from her late husband ¡°Sigurd Verdandi¡±. Despite having lost my memory from the berserkergang, I find myself in good spirits. Alice has agreed that keeping a journal should help job my memory at some point. Until then, I have agreed to become her apprentice and companion to further myself as Valkyrie. She has also dubbed me the name ¡°Vorkera¡±, something she says is a shortened version of my demeanor combined with my name, ¡°Voracious, Tenacious, Careful¡± and then ¡°Sera¡±. My Valkyrie nickname has also been dubbed Vera the same. I have always found multiple names to be strange, but Verdandi informs me that Odin himself has over two-hundred.¡± Hugs and Kisses, Sera ¡ª Towards evening, Sweiza is treated to Strife¡¯s living room. It is in fact converted to a study of sorts with books all over. There is a small coffee table in the center with one large red chair next to it. A fireplace is adjacent on the wall with multiple book shelves around it. Sweiza remembers this is the same scene she saw sometime earlier in the morning. Sweiza is treated to a number of books, something Strife feels is among her most valued items. One book in particular has Sweiza¡¯s attention; it has a stylized looking cover. She can¡¯t figure out where the urge comes from, but she pushes the desire to steal it out of her mind. However, before she can set it down on the table, Strife tells her it is obvious the girl wants it and therefor she can keep it. Sweiza informs her that she wants to keep it as a journal, it might help her with her memories - Strife agrees. Hours pass. Sweiza is delighted at some of the tales that she reads. However, as evening passes and the fire dies down, Sweiza finds herself longing for sleep. She excuses herself from Strife¡¯s graces, but as she ascends the stairs, she finally stops. ¡°Alice?¡± Strife looks over from her chair. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Where is the bathroom, I don¡¯t remember seeing one.¡± A smile creeps up on Strife¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s under the stairwell dear.¡± Something approaching a puzzled blank expression adorns Sweiza¡¯s face. She looks over the banister and sees the door. Once downstairs again, the door is open and Sweiza is confused at what she sees. There is a small (and quite confining) tub in the lower end of the stairwell, and a combination sink/toilet on the higher end with a medicine cabinet attached to the wall. She turns back towards Strife. ¡°How did this get in here? It¡¯s so cramped!¡± Strife¡¯s eyes and head roll away from the girl in amusement. She stifles a laugh. ¡°This house was my parent¡¯s idea. I merely inherited it.¡± Sweiza¡¯s mouth drops slightly, ¡°Where are they now?¡± Strife looks back to her, more of a somber expression, ¡°They perished during the war.¡± Sweiza looks over at her and is about to say something. Strife interrupts her. ¡°Sera, perhaps it would be better for young curious girls to get some sleep rather than haunt her dreams with ghosts of the past.¡± Sweiza simply nods in surprize, choosing not to address the issue. She nods into a bow once, and then walks upstairs. ¡ª Later in the evening as Sweiza has completed writing in her ¡®journal¡¯, she has it under the bed. Through the window, the moon of Mylaka casts its dull glow across the bedroom. Sweiza has the covers over her, and feels the cold of the night air against her face. Events of the day fill her mind, including a number of the books she has read. Even if she never gets her memory back, with Strife¡¯s library at her disposal, she can most certainly keep herself amused, if not informed. Sweiza¡¯s thoughts are interrupted as she hears something behind her. She turns around (still in bed) and sees Strife standing over her. Her odd style of dress with corset is gone, and she is in something akin to a nightie, something similar to what Sweiza has worn most of the day. Sweiza has the sudden thought she will have to ask about clothing for herself, if not boring some of Strife¡¯s in the meantime. To her surprise, Strife pulls the covers up and she is in the small bed with her. Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows shoot up and she gives a confused frown. Strife shakes her head at the girl. ¡°Valkyrie eat, sleep, bathe and companion together.¡± Sweiza just stairs at her. This is a bit much. Strife¡¯s expression changes. ¡°No secrets between Valkyrie helps build comaraderie on the battlefield. You¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Sweiza says nothing. Her expression changes. She remembers the man on the vanity. ¡°The man on the vanity.¡± Strife¡¯s head shifts slightly in that direction and then it comes back with her eyes on Sweiza. ¡°His name is Sigurd. He is my late husband.¡± Sweiza is about to say something more, but Strife¡¯s finger comes up to the girl¡¯s mouth. ¡°Young girls should reserve their energy for dreaming instead of asking all kinds of questions. Good night Sera.¡± Strife rolls in position in the opposite direction. Sweiza is left to stare at the back of her head. Sweiza wears a confused expression. She is about to say something but dismisses it as something better to follow through with tomorrow. She turns around with her back to Strife. She looks up once out the window at the eerie dull glow of Mylaka. She looks down at the floor, but then nothing as the land of sleep takes her. --- Sweiza bolts up in a cold sweat with hear heart pounding and her lungs gasping for air. She looks around quickly at her surroundings. Nothing unfamiliar. However, her heart won¡¯t stop pounding and her body longs for air. She is up out of bed and pulls open the window to let cold air in. At this point Mylaka has her attention. It has moved in the sky some distance from where she last remembers it earlier in the night. By her reckoning six hours should have passed. The lake in the distance catches her attention as the light from Mylaka shines off of it. There are definitive waves rippling across the surface. She finally comes to attention to the wind and finally sets herself down to her knees and leans through the window. This is nice. She wishes she could stay like this for awhile, but her body still aches from whatever it is that hit her a few days before. She is still alert, but her breathing and hearbeat have turned to something more managable. She lowers the window and leave sit open just enough to let air in. Surely Strife wouldn¡¯t mind. Back to bed. However, Strife isn¡¯t there. Sweiza stops to think about it for a second. She dismisses it and then heads back to bed. However, sleep refuses to take her. That constant lingering thought that something is wrong. She is out of bed and hurries downstairs, at least as carefully as she can make herself in the dark. A window in the hallway does help illuminate a little bit of the stares due to one of the Avalan moons, but a actual lantern would be nice. She makes a note to get a lantern or ask Strife about using one. Downstairs in the kitchen she sees nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps Strife went out for a walk? She checks the door adjacent from the stairs leading outside; it is locked. She wiggles the door for good measure, it doesn¡¯t go anywhere. She repeats the same procedure to the back door in the living room. Locked with nothing out of the ordinary. She checks the stairwell bathroom; nothing is out of place. She can only assume Strife headed out for a walk or something has happened. Both of which she will not be able to conclude until at least morning; by her reckoning still a few hours off. With that in mind she heads back up the stairs and to bed. Hopefully some ill foreboding or nasty thing wasn¡¯t lurking in the shadows waiting for her. She shakes her head at the thought and tosses the covers over her head. Her feet stick outside the covers. In her mind it can grab her for all she cares, but assuming it is in her head, she doesn¡¯t want to see it coming; having cold air on her feet is also a nice feeling to get to sleep quicker. Sleep does just that. ¡ª The crow of a rooster. A deep breath and an involuntary action of the hands tightening. Sweiza¡¯s eyes shutter open. The mid-morning sun shines through the window. How long was she asleep? She should have checked the clock. Wait, where is the clock in this houes? She looks over at the vanity. There is no clock there. Was there one in the study or the kitchen? She has to use the bathroom. Down the stairs and about facing to meet the stairwell, she sees the grandfather clock. She shakes her head. Relief. Closing the bathroom door, she looks towards the kitchen table and then the study. She freezes. An image of Strife in her armor appears in front of her. She looks down and her arms are tightened into fists. Except they are hairy. The next thing she feels is the sword hitting her neck, but nothing happens. Sweiza snaps back to reality. She doesn¡¯t remember seeing Strife in armor. The harry arms. Was that the berserkergang? Strife had mentioned it; Sweiza has heard of it. Does Sweiza have the bear in her? No way, not possible. She tries to behave herself¡­ or is it from memory loss and she is actually naughty at heart? She shakes the thought. She is a guest in this house and wants to behave herself. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. She looks towards the study. She looks back and forth. She calls for Strife. There is no answer. Hunger hits her. She looks up towards the cupboards. She doesn¡¯t remember seeing a refridgerator. They tend to be spendy and not many people in Maria had them. She shakes the thought, food is top priority. She hurries to the cupboard and starts looking through the contents. Mostly unedible ingredients that need to be combined to make anything. She stops to think. Ah, cereal. She grabs it and pulls out a bowl. Powdered milk one shelf below. Perfect. She looks over to the bathroom and then to the sink. She remembers Strife has at least running water. The thought of eating at the study occurs to Sweiza, she dismisses it, again she is a guest in a person¡¯s house. She can¡¯t believe she thinks of so many naughty ways to take advantage of someone¡¯s hospitality; just what is wrong with her? Sitting in her chair from last night, she looks down at her bowl and closes her eyes and claps her hands together. The first thought is to be thankful to the ¡®Goddess of Fertility¡¯ for blessing the village. While cereal isn¡¯t the most savory of foods, it is sustenance and will do in a pinch. Food finally in her belly she looks up at the ceiling. Just how long will Strife be gone? She goes to put her bowl and spoon in the sink and promptly cleans it and leaves it in the adjoining sink and tray to dry. No sense in being a ¡®naughty¡¯ house guest. She tries to think back to last night. She woke up abruptly; was what she saw earlier the nightmare she had? Perhaps Strife left? In Maria Village it is considered a token gesture to leave a note on the door incase a person leaves abruptly for whatever reason. She does just that. A note is on the door. Reaching up for it, she reads it as follows: ¡°Vera - A vassal from a nearby village has dispatched and brought to my attention several livestock attacks in neighboring villages. As my late parents had ties to this area as a noble family, it is my duty to check up on it. I assume it is as simple as a wolf or some creature similarly there of, and is outside the scope of being a Valkyrie. As I do not know what your skill level is due to your memory loss, I have chosen to take this journey alone. I should be no longer than a few days. However, should I not return within a week, it may be a good idea to check up on me ¡®cautiously¡¯. Should it turn out to be a supernatural creature, I may very well need your assistance. Keywords being cautiously. Please enjoy the comforts of my domicile until at that point in which I return. Return everything where you find it. My books are also my most cherished possessions, please be kind to them. To the left of the door find what I assume to be your rucksack with your things. It was near a makeshift bed at Southerly Village. I now depart with haste, - Alyssa Verdandi¡± ¡°Alyssa?¡± She mouths the name to herself. Perhaps it is one of the different names Alice finds in fashion. She looks down and to the left of the door while curling the letter up. She sees the rucksack. The letter is stuck into one of the side pockets. Funny though, she doesn¡¯t remember the rucksack belonging to her. It also has a patch on it that says ¡°Sweiza¡±. The name sounds familiar, but is not a particularly savory name, it sounds almost boisterous and eccentric. She shrugs and walks off. Her first order of business is getting some actual clothing so she isn¡¯t seen unprepared. ¡ª In the bedroom Sweiza has her eyes on the vanity and the different clothing. Pants and a shirt is the order, nothing special. Three things weigh in on Sera¡¯s mind as she throws on some socks. ¡°How long will Strife be?¡±, ¡°Should I go to the study, check out Maria Village or rummage through that rucksack to jog my memory?¡±, but more importantly, ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember anything?¡± She decides to check out the rucksack first. She definitely knows what the different stuff is. Various things such as seasoning for wild game hunting, a compact bow and set of arrows for such a thing, a small set of chakrams for defense, a knife, a dagger, machete, several pouches, a tent attached to the underside of it, a small tarp, some kind of firestarter, a compact and expandable fishing pole, several pencils and a glowing orb. The dagger, glowing orb and pencils catch her attention. Whoever owns this rucksack is some kind of free spirit, an adventurer that likes to explore and hunt in the outdoors. She cannot quite figure out the glowing blue orb. She decides to leave it until she knows for sure what it is. It could be enchanted and dangerous for all she knows. She take the rucksack and detours upstairs to put her ¡®journal¡¯ in it and then slide the whole works under the bed. A goofy smile is on her face and she quickly runs down the stairs. She feels free. Wait. That¡¯s not a good thing. She needs to be more responsible. But the freedom~! Her next order of business is clear. Checking out Maria Village would satiate that urge to feel ¡®free¡¯. Is she imagining it, or is it jogging part of her memory? Checking out the front door, she sees that in fact there is an attached and enclosed porch to the house. She sees a few knick knacks, but nothing of interest. She checks out the walkway. It is a dirt path. The buildings look to be extremely rustic being composed of mostly wood. There is a definite pattern and design to the houses, but they lack paint. Most of the wood looks worn. Her memory perks and she knows where she wants to be, the center plaza where there is a fountain. She finds it. This is the central market place. There are a few stalls up, but she realizes she has no money. The idea hits her. Something about five hundred marks that Strife had given her. Yet she doesn¡¯t remember it being given to her. She reaches into her pocket, but finds the money isn¡¯t there. For that matter, there should be a set of tarot cards on her person in her other pocket. She doesn¡¯t see it. She walks here and there, to and from different locations looking around. She hopes she doesn¡¯t attract any unwanted attention, but it seems as if most people are just going about there business. There is one large store along the main path. There is a main street of sorts with a tavern. There is some kind of dance hall and grain storage area. She also sees the town hall. The rest of the buildings appear to be owned by the populace. They are nothing special to look at; some are larger than others, while others still are small. After about thirty minutes of walking, she finds herself at the end of the village near a small lake. A rather long dock flows from the shoreline to almost the center of the lake. She reckons the lake is about half a mile across. This is an excellent fishing spot. Rather than take mainstreet, she walks through some back footpaths. She finds herself lost. After scouring the village again, some of it looks familiar to her, but most of it looks of a different design than she is expecting. At the opposite end of the village opposite the lake, she finds herself around a familiar tree. That tree looks different somehow. Almost younger. She can¡¯t place her finger on it. Her priority after that shifts as she spends most of the morning trying to find Strife¡¯s house again. At last she does. After finding her way back inside, she leans up against the door and lets herself slide down to the floor. Her feet are sore and her body is tired. Hopefully Strife won¡¯t mind that Sweiza wore her clothing and a set of boots. The boots are soon off next to the door and Sweiza heads for the chair in the study. She intends to read up on the world and maybe gain some new skills while she tries to jog her memory. However, fatigue and sleep soon over take her and the book in her hand drops to the floor. ¡ª Some hours later, Sweiza finally comes to. Her back hurts. She sat funny in the chair. She goes to yawn. She feels something heavy on her body. Her arms are covered in metal, as is the rest of her body. Strife had said something about behing a Valkyrie. It must be Valkyrie armor. Sweiza wishes it would go away. To her surprise and more importantly convenience, it does. She goes to stand up with the lack of weight on her. However, she realizes she is standing naked. She lets out a cry at the sight. Strife will not be happy Sweiza lost her clothing. She needs to find it! The clothing suddenly reappears. Sweiza looks down again in surprise and confusion. Curiosity and a sudden impulse hits her. She walks up to the study¡¯s table and picks up the book Strife was reading the night before. ¡°Grimoire Furia¡±, it is a strange title, ¡°Grim Fury?¡± she thinks to herself. She attempts to tell it to go away, nothing happens. She tries to feel it in her body as an emotion to make it go away. It doesn¡¯t work. She then wishes it would go away to prove a point. It does. She shakes a bit from it. She attempts to ¡®bring¡¯ it back, but it doesn¡¯t. Anxiety hits. Strife will not be happy. It should come back the same as it does with the clothing. Again she wishes it would come back, but it doesn¡¯t. She stands there looking down at the table again. Grief suddenly hits her. This is too much. She¡¯ll deal with this later. She turns around and runs up the stairs escaping the study. She finds herself to the bedroom, jumps into bed with her face burried in the pillow and covers her head with covers. This day she will hide from, at least for awhile longer. ¡ª She wakes up, rather she feels her eyes shutter open and she is paralyzed to the bed. She attempts to move to break free of it, but it feels as if ropes are binding her. She shifts to her side. The moon Lokul hangs in the window. She hears a distant howl. She looks away from the moon to the front of the bed. She sees herself staring back at her. ¡°What is it you desire?¡± Confusion sweeps Sweiza. Her sight switches to the red and black haired wolf standing at the foot of the bed. Its eyes glow red as a red aura surrounds it. The last thing she hears the wolf growling and then a distant howl. She feels sleep suddenly take her and she passes out. ¡ª Sweiza¡¯s eyes bolt open and she pulls herslef to an immediate sitting position. She looks around the bedroom. It is night. How long had she been out? She makes her way back to the downstairs. Strife isn¡¯t back. She helps herself to whatever food she can muster. Strife keeps a number of canned and dry goods, but nothing that is readily edible. Does it all have to be made? She is forced to try her hand at making bread. It doesn¡¯t go so well. Flour, yeast, powdered milk and water mixed together. She knows enough to put it in the oven. She pulls it out several times taste testing it, but she feels something is missing from it. She forces herself to eat it anyway. Perhaps next time she will refrain from cooking. She then remembers that Strife has a study. Perhaps there is a book on cooking or recipes. That actually seems like a good idea. She puts the dishes in the sink and cleans them, then hurries to the study. She starts reading through the different titles of books, hoping to find the one she is looking for. What she finds confuses her. Multiple books as part of a series with the word ¡®tome¡¯ in them, one such set is called ¡®World Tome¡¯ She checks other titles, such things as ¡®arcana¡¯, ¡®mythics¡¯, and ¡®grimore¡¯ all appear in various titles. Her sight passes by two particular books, ¡°The Elder Edda¡± and ¡°The Prose Edda¡±. The latter two books she is familiar with, they were required reading back in school. ¡°The Prose Edda¡± in particular, is written by a one ¡°Snorri Sturluson¡±, and shows various ways to write poetry as well as containing different poems and legends concerning the gods (Odin among them) that created the world. Her eyesight and body take her through different titles; most having to do with enchangements, magic or some kind of sorcery. Just what kind of person is Strife anyway? At the bookshelf closest to the kitchen and a side exit, she finds the book titles change drastically. Everything from daily living, handwork around the house, how to fix things and then how to cook. That is the one she wants. She looks up once, remembering the grimoire book from earlier. If Strife is a Valkyrie as she says she is, she would know more on how to get the book back. In the meantime she starts looking through the book for the proper way to cook bread. She does find it. She shakes her head and curses her luck at the ingredients she had forgotten. She does have a few days to get it right before Strife returns; perhaps she can surprise her with a loaf of proper bread. ¡ª Checking through more of the books, Sweiza gets the idea that she might be able to impress Strife with her knowledge on some of them. The one titled ¡®FUTHARK - Ruins Arcana¡¯ gets her attention, it is the first one she will memorize. No sooner does she have it off the shelf, when a particular book catches her attention. It has no title. She pulls it from the shelf. It as no title on the cover. She flips it open. It is hand written. She switches to the first page. It reads ¡®Alyssa Verdandi¡¯. She checks through it. A number of entries with dates, all hand written. It is a diary. This is too good to be true! Sweiza shakes the thought and immediately puts it back on the shelf. She turns around briskly and shuffles back to the red chair. She attempts to read up on Futhar ruins, but her curiosity always comes back to the diary. Two hours pass and she can no longer contain herself. She sets the book on Futhark down and shuffles her way back to the shelf. She looks around for good measure to make sure no one is watching her. Maybe she can figure out some things about Strife and will be able to impress her further. Bah! That is just an excuse. She really wants to know what Strife is like. And so her nosiness gets the better of her. May Strife show leniency when she finds out! ANBLII - Chapter 5 - The Diary of Alyssa Serif ¡°¡­word in Valhalla is that Odin has a ring that can duplicate itself every so many days. I would wager this is where he has acquired his fortune to build up Valhalla. I wish I had something like that!¡­¡± ¡°¡­I broke up with my boyfriend Leif. That adulterous twat!¡­¡± ¡°¡­my friend Urd has confessed to Magnus. The school is all ears.¡± ¡°¡­market today. My parents say money isn¡¯t everything, nor is having top tier food. I agree. It leaves money towards other things. It doesn¡¯t stop us from checking out the higher end stalls and brown nosing with the higher vassals and nobles of Valhalla¡­¡± ¡°¡­Urd and Magnus are now an item¡­¡± ¡°¡­music lessons today. The teachers do not like my choice in the harmonica. If they didn¡¯t sound so much like a trumpet, perhaps they would understand why I like the flute so much¡­¡± ¡°¡­school is boring. My teacher ¡®Ms. Ingrid¡¯ is insufferable. She chooses to punish those of us that have a hope of decency and a life ahead of us. I can see why no men fancy that old crone¡­¡± ¡°¡­today I come of age. I am free to make my own decisions as per Valhalla Law. I have chosen to find my way as a lawyer. I will bring honor to this family as a vassal of Valhalla and an arbitrator. The studies will be rigorous, but I am prepared to take this journey. I will bring honor to Valhalla as I continue my way as Serif nobility¡­¡± ¡°¡­am seeking a man to continue the lineage. I want to be a caregiver. Father has warned me against seeing a man too early¡­¡± ¡°¡­there are rumors stirring about dragon migration patterns changing. There are disputes arising between the merchant kingdom and Midgard. Father says this will affect his business¡­¡± ¡°¡­Ms. Ingrid has actually gotten married finally. I have been invited to the wedding reception¡­¡± ¡°¡­Urd and Magnus have broken up. Magnus is as bad as Leif¡­¡± ¡°¡­Ms. Ingrid is now Mrs. Skanninge. Her personality is quite different when not at shool, but around her husband she is quite full of merry mirth. She has wished me the best in my studies. I was surprised. I can only wish the best for her¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have opted to remain with mother and father while I continue my studies. I am their only child. They confirm they appreciate the company after paperwork and visits all day¡­¡± ¡°¡­father says trade with Muspell has been hard due to the disputes. The market is still active, but certain stalls do not have as much food and merchandise¡­¡± ¡°¡­today at the docks, there was an unusually large entourage of ships. Father says that they are delivering some kind of secret cargo to the center of Valhalla¡­¡± ¡°¡­news is that Lord Odin intends to build some kind of tower that can transport people around Midgard¡­¡± ¡°¡­studying is hard. I wish I had a boyfriend to make these doldrums go away¡­¡± ¡°¡­my friend Skuld stopped by. She has decided to join the Valhalla Milita. She has given me her ¡®scriving mirror¡¯ as a parting gift. I wish her the best¡­¡± ¡°¡­ships from Muspell are starting to dwindle. There was only three in the harbor today. The market stalls are fairing no better¡­ ¡°¡­I received a letter from Skuld, she says she wishes to become a Valkyrie. It is a hard course to become one. ¡°¡­we saw a dragon flying overhead today. It left many people bewildered¡­¡± ¡°¡­there have been a number of dragons flying overhead. Lord Odin has assured us that these are part of the Valhalla Military¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have passed my first bench test to become a lawyer. I still have a number of years to go¡­¡± ¡°¡­Muspell ships have been barred from trade with Valhalla. Word is that it will soon spread throughout Midgard. No idea if the rest of the countries will follow or not¡­¡± ¡°¡­Muspell harbor has been empty for the last month. The stalls that were full in the market place have started to dwindle. Trade has affected other countries as well¡­¡± ¡°¡­supposedly a dragon attacked Muspell Harbor. The Merchant Guild has blamed Valhalla¡¯s new ¡®dragons¡¯ for the matter¡­¡± ¡°¡­Valhalla Dragons are actually a type of Valken, but they can fly. They are called Sentinels. I wonder what it would be like to marry one¡­¡± ¡°¡­there is growing tension between Muspell and Valhalla¡­¡± ¡°¡­Skuld has sent me a letter. It concerns the ¡®frontline¡¯. I don¡¯t know what she means. Supposedly there are some dark dealings between the Muspell and Midgard borders¡­¡± ¡°¡­dragons have continued to shift their migration patterns inwardly towards Midgard¡­¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t count all of them, but it was over twenty dragons that flew over Valhalla today¡­¡± ¡°¡­my parents have decided to vacation in Maria Village. I have opted not to go with them, I have studies. Father encouraged me to come, I declined¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have received a present from Skuld, it is an enchanted item from Muspell. It is an odd type of pendant that will change color depending on how a person feels about me. Sorcery at its finest¡­¡± ¡°¡­magic and sorcery have just been barred from Valhalla by Lord Odin¡­¡± ¡°¡­any type of talisman or enchanted items have just been made illegal by Lord Odin. What luck. I will not give up what is rightfully mine from my friends¡­¡± ¡°¡­my parents have returned from Maria Village with grim news. Emissaries dispatched from Valhalla have failed to reach an agreement with Muspell¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have completed my first credential to be an arbitrator¡­¡± ¡°¡­Lord Odin has barred any enchanted creatures from entering Valhalla¡­¡± ¡°¡­all forms of magic have been banned from Valhalla. Supposedly it will spread throughout Midgard. I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°¡­I was expecting another letter from Skuld, she is late¡­¡± ¡°¡­My friend Urd and I went down to the corner coffee shop to talk about this and that. She thinks anyone wanting to make a fortune should keep an eye on Muspell-Valhalla relations. Anyone wanting to sneak in items from Muspell would strike it rich. Then the topic of smuggling in contraband came in. Such a scandalous girl¡­¡± ¡°¡­I am following in my parents footsteps as a noble. Today I have to go to a meeting with my parents to a lodge, it concerns land ownership¡­¡± ¡°¡­my second credential as a lawyer. I am studying for my second credential as an arbitrator¡­¡± ¡°¡­father says I might want to consider learning to negotiate trade. He says there is a killing to be made due to shortages of supplies that normally pass through Muspell. It is necessary to find otherways to redirect trade. I don¡¯t know about his recommendation¡­¡± ¡°¡­Skuld has not sent a letter for awhile now¡­¡± ¡°¡­Urd and I have agreed to exchange news and tidings on a regular basis at the corner cafe¡­¡± ¡°¡­by decree of Odin, Valhalla is to be built up on a series of canals. Resources will be diverted to move houses. That is laughable!¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been confirmed that Valhalla will be built up on a series of canals. This is a zoning nightmare according to mother¡­¡± ¡°¡­Skuld returned today. We discussed this and that with Urd. The outlook between Muspell and Valhalla is not good¡­¡± ¡°¡­there was a dragon attack on the city today. The word is that they are defending their new territory¡­¡± ¡°¡­it was a matter of days before another dragon attack happened. This time Sentinels were dispatched to drive them away from Valhalla¡­¡± ¡°¡­work has started on the supposed canals. I don¡¯t know what Lord Odin is thinking¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sentinels patrol over the city daily. I can only assume it is to prevent being attacked again by dragons¡­¡± ¡°¡­Skuld has been dispatched towards the Muspell-Valhalla border. She wouldn¡¯t say why¡­¡± ¡°¡­Urd heard a rumor that Sentinels have been dispatched to the Muspell-Valhalla border¡­¡± ¡°¡­word from a vassal by way of Muspell is that dragons have been attacking ships¡­¡± ¡°¡­Urd has confirmed that Sentinels have been driving the dragons back towards Muspell¡­¡± ¡°¡­several Sentinels attacked Muspell ships. It isn¡¯t know why. Does it have to do with the dragons?¡­¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°¡­the rumor is war with Muspell¡­¡± ¡°¡­the Sentinels have started driving the dragons further into Muspell¡­¡± ¡°¡­Muspell has declared war. It was two days and Valhalla declared war in kind¡­¡± ¡°¡­work on Lord Odin¡¯s tower has begun. It has been christened ¡°Tower Gungir¡± after his spear. The reason is such that it will light the world the same as Odin¡¯s spear does¡­¡± ¡°¡­my family could not go out to vacation to Maria due to the war¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have gotten a letter from Skuld. It only talks about the war. It seems to be the only thing people talk about these days¡­¡± ¡°¡­Urd is thinking of joining the Valhall Militia. I hope the best for her whatever the outcome¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have my fourth credential. Two more and I can arrange to sell property and collect taxes¡­¡± ¡°¡­my lack of entries. I have been studying. There isn¡¯t much new to report except for the war¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been six months since the war started¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have my seventh credential. I can now follow in my mother and father¡¯s footsteps. They are pleased. I am ecstatic¡­¡± ¡°¡­Urd has decided to join the Valhall Militia¡­¡± ¡°¡­there was an odd light over the city today. It looked like a red aurora¡­¡± ¡°¡­a high emissary of Lord Odin knocked at the door tonight. There was shouting, I don¡¯t know about what. Mother was crying and father was angry. They wouldn¡¯t tell me what¡­¡± ¡°¡­mother and father have informed me they have been drafted into the Valhalla Military. I don¡¯t know what to think. I thought it was considered a high honor?¡­¡± ¡°¡­Urd and I talked about this and that at the cafe. This will be the last time before she deploys. I wish her the best. Maybe she will meet up with Skuld?¡­¡± ¡°¡­mother and father have found out the reason they have been drafted. They are familiar with Maria Village which is considered a key trade route as well as key waypoint for the war effort. Their knowledge of trade as well as the area is why. This is so stupid¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been one week since they were drafted. They have been deployed. Father and mother have said I will remain here and complete my studies¡­¡± ¡°¡­mother and father said they will keep in touch¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been four months, no letters¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have gotten a letter from Skuld. She and Urd may not be in the same platoon, but they are working closely together in the same area. What luck! They sent a picture. They seem happy! Skuld is working towards becoming a Valkyrie! I¡¯m so lucky to have such great friends!¡­¡± ¡°¡­there was supposedly a multi-ship battle between Valhalla and Muspell at the border¡­¡± ¡°¡­Valhalla has ratified that enemy cargo ships can be captured¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been six months, no letters from mother and father¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have received my eight credential¡­¡± ¡°¡­I received a letter from Skuld. Urd was on a ship that was attacked. No survivors. This can¡¯t be happening¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been eight months, still no letters from mother and father. I am beginning to get worried¡­¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have time for entries the way I used to. I am busy studying for my ninth and tenth credentials¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been over a year since the war started. Mother and father have not sent any letters. Skuld is late in sending one also¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have received my twelve credential. I can now function as a lawyer and arbitrator in full capacity. Father and mother will be pleased. However, in order to be fully ratified and function at full capacity to any length of degree, I will need to speak with the local magistrate¡­¡± ¡°¡­today at the local cafe a man named Magnus made himself known to me. He is charming and quite the looker¡­¡± ¡°¡­I will be taking up tutelage under one of Valhalla¡¯s vassals to get my proper license to function to any degree as a Valhalla arbitrator¡­¡± ¡°¡­why haven¡¯t mother and father sent any letters?¡­¡± ¡°¡­Magnus has been drafted into the Valhall Militia. So much for having a boyfriend¡­¡± ¡°¡­the market place is not what it used to be. There is a distinct lack of men in this area of Valhalla. There aren¡¯t as many people period. Even women are joining the war effort. I refuse. I will be a vassal of Valhalla and manage things on the home front.¡± ¡°¡­Lord Odin has now been dubbed ¡®Warlord Odin¡¯ by those that disagree with the war¡­¡± ¡°¡­red aurora last night must have been an ill omen of things to come. Today there was a knock at the door. An emissary of Lord Odin delivered a scroll. I will leave it at that¡­¡± ¡°¡­mother and father perished in the war. Screw this war!¡± ¡°¡­prospectors and surveyor¡¯s were here today. This house will be removed as my parents are no longer alive and I do not hold rights to this property. This is to make way for a canal. Of all the damn things¡­ ¡°¡­another emissary arrived with a scroll. Property is to be transferred to my name. However, the house has already been slated towards demolition. I have no place to go, only with credentials to my name¡­¡± ¡°¡­Magnus have left for the front line¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m using the authority of my late parents to have their things transferred to Maria Village. This will take some time¡­ ¡°¡­whatever little was transferred was spared being seized. The house¡¯s demolition has been sped up¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have opted to stay with the local vassal I will be training under. He seems kind enough¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been several days since I fled Valhalla. That vassal was screwy from the get go. I should have known. I would not sleep with him and he hit me. I¡¯m lucky I left when I did. I had heard from one of the servants that he chained up the last woman¡­¡± ¡°¡­I renounce being a lawyer and arbitrator. Screw this war!¡­¡± ¡°¡­screw Valhalla!¡­¡± ¡°¡­screw Odin!¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has taken several weeks to get to Maria. My parent¡¯s vacation house still stands¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have taken a tally of their things. Mother and father would probably approve if they were still with me¡­¡± ¡°¡­I am trying to make do with life¡­¡± ¡°¡­I like the fountain in the central plaza. There market place is small but also enjoyable¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have opted to act as a negotiator¡­¡± ¡°¡­I am getting better at negotiating¡­¡± ¡°¡­a soldier came in today from the frontline. His name is Sigurd. It turns out he is from Muspell. As I have learned, there are many innocent actors in this war that mush function through proxy for more corrupted individuals¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd has the most interesting stories to tell. Enchanting is a better word. He has seen most of the world. I would like to do the same¡­¡± ¡°¡­as it turns out Sigurd has an injury. He came to Maria Village due to it being nuetral territory¡­¡± ¡°¡­It is hard to keep my composure around someone so well informed and travelled as he¡­¡± ¡°¡­I think I have a crush on Sigurd¡­¡± ¡°¡­I think I¡¯m in love with this man¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd has healed¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd will be leaving within a few days time¡­¡± ¡°¡­I confessed my love for Sigurd¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd is a very gentle man¡­¡± ¡°¡­supposedly troops are coming to Maria. This village is neutral territory¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd will be leaving later today. He has stated he has reservations about reporting back to his commander¡­¡± ¡°¡­got to talking. We¡¯ve both decided to flee this war effort. Let politicians decide it. I renounce my former life in Valhalla¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd and I have decided to elope¡­¡± ¡°¡­six days now in Muspell¡­¡± ¡°¡­three months in Muspell¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd and I have agreed to get married¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd has been tracked down by an officer in the war effort¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd and I have opted to flee further into Muspell. It is mostly desert beyond the mountains¡­¡± ¡°¡­we had to run from the inn tonight. Sigurd has been branded a traitor¡­¡± ¡°¡­we¡¯ve been on the run for about a month now. Sigurd has come down with something¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd¡¯s health has gotten steadily worse throughout the day. It looks like the work of poison¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd doesn¡¯t look long for this world. His health has left him. I no longer see his attractive tan, it is a ghostly white¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd can barely speak. We are out in the middle of the desert. The heat isn¡¯t good¡­¡± ¡°¡­it is night. The last of our water has been used¡­¡± ¡°¡­in my arms.¡± ¡°¡­Sigurd has passed to a better place than this wretched existence.¡± ¡°¡­I am alive an well. I am lucky we were near a local trade route. Rather he gave me one last parting gift to send me on my way to a direction of a local caravan¡­¡± ¡°¡­there is nothing for me in Muspell¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been two months since Sigurd has passed. I do not know what to do with my life. I have made my way in Maria Village as a negotiator¡­¡± ¡°¡­by legal decree I am to appear before ¡®Warlord Odin¡¯ for consorting with the enemy¡­¡± ¡°¡­Odin was lenient in my punishment. I was thrown into jail for one week and whipped. This was not before he personaly took -his-spear-of-all-things- to cut off the tip of my left ear. It still hurts¡­¡± ¡°¡­for the second time I was detained and had to appear before Odin¡¯s court. I have been stripped of anything reminiscent of nobility and privilege. So be it, it is of no use to me anymore¡­¡± ¡°¡­the canals have been underway¡­¡± ¡°¡­I tried the corner coffee shop today. I find myself longing for those days with Urd¡­¡± ¡°¡­perhaps I can find myself in good company if I can track down Skuld¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have been detained and again am forced to appear in an audience with Odin. As for the rest of my punishment, it seems I am not off the hook. I can either assist the war effort or I will be executed¡­¡± ¡°¡­Valhalla Militia is not my cup of tea. I, have however, become acquainted with something called ¡®Valhallan Tea¡¯. It is rather bitter, but that is the way it is normally taken¡­¡± ¡°¡­through the grapevine I have learned that Skuld suffered a fate similar to Sigurd¡­¡± ¡°¡­through the grapevine Leif and Magnus have perished in the war¡­¡± ¡°¡­this stupid war¡­¡± ¡°¡­curse this war¡­¡± ¡°¡­screw Odin!¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have decided to make a difference. I will become a chooser of the slain. I am one person, but perhaps I can change the tide of the war¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have not had time for my normal tea at the cafe, nor for entries. I have been training for Valkyriekin¡­¡± ¡°¡­I am now a Valkyrie¡­¡± ¡°¡­my role as a Valkyrie is not unlike acting as a lawyer or an arbitrator¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have been assigned Star Sentinel as Valkyrie¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have found out I am pregnant. Perhaps I can regain favor with some of the nobles and my child can live the life I deserved¡­¡± ¡°¡­lucky I didn¡¯t talk about it with anyone. Through the grapevine and other Valkyrie I have learned that Valkyrie and Valken are not allowed to have children¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have requested transfer from Valhalla to Maria Village to act as an emissary on the front line¡­¡± ¡°¡­my transfer has been granted by an emissary of Odin. I was told not to consort with the enemy this time, or there would be consequences¡­¡± ¡°¡­I wish I could hide¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been several months since I¡¯ve arrived at Maria Village. Life is boring. I function as a negotiator for supplies. It seems I cannot escape fate¡­¡± ¡°¡­my daughter was born last night¡­¡± ¡°¡­I can only take my daughter out at night. Should word get to the high lord, we will both likely be executed¡­¡± ¡°¡­looking up from that tree in this village towards the night skies, I can only pray to the stars for a better future. The stars are always beautiful and leading us in the world of dreams. I have opted to name my daughter ¡®Starla¡¯¡­¡± ¡°¡­Odin¡¯s ravens Huginn and Muninn saw me with my daughter today. No doubt he will find out and I will be¡­¡± ¡°¡­I can only hope for a good fate¡­¡± ¡°¡­am I powerless to control my fate?¡­¡± ¡°¡­why is fate like this?¡­¡± ¡°¡­there was a red aurora above Maria Village. It was beautiful, but with the war, I take it as an ill omen¡­¡± ¡°¡­her name is Salmira. I have heard of her as a forsaken Valkyrie that fled Valhalla. Supposedly she trifles with Odin religiously. She presented herself to me with a plan to save my daughter. She would hide her from me, but it would be some years before I would see her again. I can only agree, I have no choice. If I am to be executed, than at least she may life on¡­¡± ¡°¡­Salmira has informed me she is known as ¡®The Witch of Time¡¯. I didn¡¯t have long to put two and two together. It was made known to me my daughter has been flung through time to live a good life. I will get to see her, but it will be some years of service under Salmira before I will get to do so. My life seems to be always on the line¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have learned through the grapevine there was a plan to release a delayed poison into multiple troops of Muspell. This was authorized by Odin himself¡­ supposedly¡­¡± ¡°¡­I am sick of the war and don¡¯t know what to do next¡­¡± ¡°¡­it has been one year since I have written in this thing¡­¡± ¡°¡­I hate writing about personal, only as a free spirited teenager was it ever good. I have opted to keep my writing skills towards scholarly works or when I negotiate legal contracts. As such, this will be my last entry. I can only hope for a good future. So says I, Alice Verdandi¡± The diary¡¯s entries end about three-quarters of the way through the book. The final quarter of the book is blank pages. ANBL II - Chapter 6 - To Strike It Out Roars and unearthly howls, it is all the guard remembers throughout the last week. That is how long they have had the berserker inside the makeshift cell. Not really a jail cell, but closer to a dungeon cell fortified with two foot brick walls and a ceiling the same to match. This style of cell is in fact a holding area for livestock, and unusually strong criminals; on the rare occasion it might infact harbor a supernatural fugitive. But really it doesn¡¯t matter at this point. The ¡®thing¡¯ inside that cell hasn¡¯t given him much time to be inattentive during his shift watch rotation over the last week. It has some animal characteristics, but unlike an animal, it didn¡¯t just whine or cry for help of the herd. This thing lets out grunts, yells incoherent words, and otherwise howls at night when one of the moons is overhead. There are times he can swear the thing talks, but it all goes up in smoke when he hears that unearthly howl; enough to use the cliched ¡®to make your blood run cold¡¯. The guard prefers it when the tigerfelk takes watch. It is more of a supernatural creature from the east with all of their odd ways. It would be more of a match for the berserkerkin being held only by two feet of brick. The guard can only be left to ponder about this twist of fate. Raiding villages is easy. But to have the strength of several tigerfelt in their entourage, they are already rare enough. A red aurora has followed them as they detoured to this small town. Everything was fine until the Valkyrie with the clipped ear appeared. She was easy enough to capture. She was tortured and interrogated for days. However, they did not expect her to be of berserkerkin. Berserkers are creatures of legend and an odd sight; their strength is unknown, but they soon learned when it took the entire entourage to take her down. It took down several tigerfelk before they could subdue it. A female, and a berserker! What a laughable thought! And yet here the guard is, left to cringe and shiver everytime it lets out one of those howls that pierces the night. He doesn¡¯t know what the leader is thinking, trying to break this things spirit and make it part of the entourage. Staying in one area as long as they have, is enough to draw bad vibes and bad attention from unneeded types. The creature lets out another grunt as it smahes itself into the confinement and shakes the very walls. The guard quickly turns around and hears another howl. Doesn¡¯t this thing ever tire?! ¡ª Strange things start to happen over the next few days. Food stores are suddenly unaccounted for. Arrows have been rumored and later confirmed to pass seemingly from random directions. Random snares and booby traps have been set and there are several injured and wounded. The bandits find they have a bandit of their own on their hands. They are put on high alert. Different guards working shift details around the clock around the village. None of them have been allowed to exit the village or face the wrath of their leader. There is word of dissent and possible execution for those that do. Rumors have been starting to spread. There is concern that the food might dwindle entirely. They¡¯ve been in one spot for too long. They need to head towards the next town over or find a new target. The leader insists on staying. Dissent continues. Food continues to disappear. There is concern for the creature in the makeshift cell. A few of the guards swear they have seen her. It is a woman, possibly young. She is always just on the edge of the village. Sometimes she ventures closer. A few swear she is brave enough to actually step foot in the village, but she only does it under the cover of nightfall. One of the bandits says he has seen her. She had tried to steal a loaf of bread, knocked into him and hit him with something akin to a bat. His description is a younger girl, possible an adult, brown hair, brown eyes and tan skin. Here ears are reminiscent of elven ears. She was also wearing a white cloak and outfit. She had boots and a rucksack. There was some kind of blue wisp following her, possibly a will ¡®o wisp. There are rumors of it being a witch. Distrust and paranoia starts to build. Could it be the witch Salmira? There leader isn¡¯t phased by it. Someone is deciding to take advantage of them, clearly a rogue bandit. They have traps of their own set, but she somehow manages to avoid them. On the sixth day she slips up. She is found in the loft of one of the houses. She is chased. She runs right down mainstreet with her cover blown. Ducking back into an alley she sees no way to escape. As they try to corner her in the alley, she is gone. On a roof, more people see her. She sees the torches and runs. Her shape distinctly holding her cloak over her head can be seen. She is on the edge of the village now. There are less guards here for some reason. She sees a guard who is asleep. She hears footsteps and loud voices in the distance. The building looks strange, but she has no choice. She ducks inside of it. She took the bait! They had been herding her here. The door slams behind her and she sees herself in perpetual darkness. She turns around and can see the guard¡¯s eyes illuminated by the lights outside. The door has a small slider drawer at eye level. He makes a comment in a different language she is unfamiliar with. She tries to turn around and force the door open, nothing. She turns around and looks at any sign of escape. It is dark. She can hear some kind of creature in here. Light footsteps! She finally sees it illuminated by one of the moons through a window with bars. She is familiar with it. The eyes. Those yellow eyes staring at her as it slowly crosses over. It seems they glow with a hue of their own until the light dissipates from them. Sweiza starts backing up until she feels the cold of the brick wall behind her. Escape is useless at this point. She sees it just mere feet from her now. Now inches. She starts to tremble. Why did she come looking for Strife? She slides down the wall to a sitting position as the beast towers over her. It leans over her. It¡¯s mouth opens and drool comes down. It¡¯s nose suddenly twitches and it freezes. It starts to back up from where it came. Sweiza is left paralyzed and with fear; she doesn¡¯t have time to think about what is going on. She loses track of the time as the moon of Mardin shows through the barred windows. Why hasn¡¯t the creature attacked her? Scared for her life more than ever, she can¡¯t help but feel adrenaline through her body. Time continues to march on. The creature is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it is safer in here than outside. She finally chances some sleep, hopefully she would bolt to the land of the living should something disrupt her slumber. --- ¡°What is it that you desire?¡± Sweiza awakens. She is in the makeshift cell, but it is daylight. She sees no signs of the creature. She still hears the voice asking her the same thing. She looks up at the direction it comes from. The creature is standing upside down. Her looks turns peculiar. She simply asks, ¡°Demi?¡± She suddenly feels the weight in her body shift and she crashes to the ceiling. Turns out she is the one that was upside down. ¡°Demi, I did what you instructed. This isn¡¯t working! I haven¡¯t found Strife! I¡¯m stuck in here with that¡­that thing!¡± The creature turns into something reminiscent of Sweiza, but more adult in appearance. Demi simply crosses his arms. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything you wanted.¡± Sweiza smirks and one of her eyes half closes, ¡°How so, oh terrible one?¡± ¡°You were the one that was bored reading books. You are the one that wanted her memory back.¡± Demi approaches her, now standing over the crouching girl, ¡°You wanted the way to hatch Dewey. You are the one that wanted to find Strife. I¡¯ve given you all of these.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess. I¡¯m not bored. Sprite is missing, and I still haven¡¯t found Strife!¡± Sweiza barks it at Demi, half fearful the being might turn malevolent - be it a being of her armor or not. ¡°She¡¯s closer than you think and more familiar than ever. Put your head of rocks to use for once.¡± Sweiza¡¯s left eye pinches and her mouth purses. She is about to bark again when Demi walks into the distance of the cell. He disappears completely and the scenery fades to black. This is getting annoying to her. She¡¯s going to impale him with an ice spear again if she gets the chance. --- It starts as a muffled voice. A groggy Sweiza finally comes to with a murmur and a groan. She doesn¡¯t feel rested. She feels the cold brick wall against her back. She immediately tries to push herself to her feet, but her legs faulter and she drops back to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s not a very dignified position for a Valkyrie.¡± The voice catches her attention. It is Strife. Sweiza¡¯s head turns to the voice. She looks up. The woman has been standing over her the entire time. ¡°How long have you been there?¡± ¡°Long enough dear.¡± There is something different about Strife. Her eyes are still a slight yellow, and she is in an inbetween state of the berserkergang. Her body is still covered in slight patches of fur it normally wouldn¡¯t be. Her voice is also deeper, but not much. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to teach you the grace and grandeur of being a lady. Perhaps an all girls school for the noble and prestigious would be in order.¡± Sweiza¡¯s mouth drops to a frown and she looks up at this woman. Sweiza ignores it at hoists herself to her feet. ¡°Do you not like the idea?¡± Sweiza dusts her shorts off. She starts looking around the cell. Strife¡¯s arms cross as she observes the girl. Sweiza starts by feeling the two barred windows. The iron bars are stiff and built in strong. She starts moving her hands around the door. It is mostly smooth save for the groves around the frame. She starts feeling the walls of the cell. A few of the bricks are loose. She wiggles a few of them, but the mortar has them still in firm. She turns around and walks up to Strife. ¡°Your nails should still be strong enough. Can you claw into that mortar?¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk up once. She doesn¡¯t object. Her fingernails, still part berserkergang, claws through the mortar after many, many failed attempts. At last one of the bricks comes loose. Sweiza grabs at it and shows the prize to Strife. ¡°Are we not going to dismantle the wall?¡± Strife says it curiously with her left hand to preen a lock of hair above her left ear. Sweiza gawks for a split second and shakes her head. ¡°We dig.¡± Sweiza moves to the corner of the cell furthest from the door. She stoops over and drops to her hands and knees. She starts using the brick to score at the ground. Strife comes closer. Sweiza stops scoring at the ground and turns up to the woman. ¡°Help me.¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk up. She stops preening her hair and drops to her ground. This is hardly dignified for a woman, but times call. She simply uses what last of the berserk is in her and starts clawing at the ground. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. There progress is slowed when they hear a commotion outside the door. Sweiza realizes she is stupid. One of them needs to stand watch over by that ¡®peek plate¡¯. There progress is further slowed, but over the hours they manage to dig underneath the wall. The brick and mortar holds firm. Both of them get a good day¡¯s sleep, if ever a situation could warrant it after a tired body. The only indication of their attempt against the bandits is a large pile of dirt in the corner, in the shadows and well out of view. However, one of them has opted to sleep lieing on the pile, the other as close to the hole as they can. Both blocked partially from view. It must have worked. The few times the plate slid open, the guard noted nothing out of the ordinary. What they did note was that it has been unusually quiet. Perhaps the berserker ate the girl and did them all a favor. Regardless, their leader said to give it a few more days. Food would no longer be an issue and the booby traps (while present) would not increase in any number. It was when the leader decided to check in on the prisoners with several of the guards. The prisoners are gone! There is a loud commotion as they search the small building. Claw marks in the ground, a missing brick, a hole dug underneath the wall and leading to the ground outside. How could they have overlooked this? The leader gives the order to find them. However, by this point they are long gone. --- It is sometime in the night. The two have been walking for about fifteen miles straight, amped up on anxiety and in some cases adrenaline. By this point Strife¡¯s berserkergang has receded and she looks human again. At one point Sweiza does note the woman has elven ears, more prominent than her (Sweiza¡¯s) own, although her left ear is clipped. By this point in time, Sweiza knows the exact reason as to why. She has wanted to ask about some of the things in the diary, but she refrains from it. So many burning questions, and she is not sure how Strife will take it. However, one in particular does escape Sweiza¡¯s mouth. ¡°Can we stop for the night? My feet are sore.¡± Strife stops and turns around at the girl. Her hands go to her hips. ¡°That is no way for a Valkyrie on assignment to speak, especially to her mentor.¡± Sweiza lets out a snort at ¡®mentor¡¯. Strife attempts to save face and maintain her composure, ¡°Irregardless of what happened earlier, I am quite resourceful. I would have found a way out.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows (for once) perk and her eyes widen, her face smirks up and her tone changes to mockery and laughter. ¡°You did a very good job of that!¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s what I had you for.¡± Strife turns around and continues through the footpath. Strife stops a few feet ahead and turns around. Sweiza is still standing in her former position. ¡°A few more hours and we can stop. We want to walk further than those ruffians can muster in one night.¡± Sweiza nods and forces her tired body to continue. ¡ª Towards midnight they are forced to stop just at the beach of the ocean some twenty one miles away from the village. This is a good spot in Strife¡¯s mind. Sweiza isn¡¯t so sure, Hayduria and Mardin illuminate the beach, but it still isn¡¯t too easy for either of them to see. Sweiza is worried about supernatural creatures, even if she doesn¡¯t remember hearing about any in the area. Strife simply placates her and says they are Valkyrie, they will handle it. Strife is checking out the beach. Pitching a tent in this area is not a wise idea, it is too open. Perhaps the trees would work better. However, in the meantime while they are awake, staying just on the outskirts of the beach with a fire is not a bad idea. ¡°Vera, the first thing we need is-¡± ¡°My name is Starla Serif.¡± Strife stops. She turns around. Her mouth shows distinct nervousness, as does her voice. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said, my name is Starla Serif. I read your diary.¡± Strife¡¯s hands flinch and she cradles her elbows while looking down and away; her body has stiffened as if she has heard terrible news. Sweiza sees it only briefly, but before she turned away, Strife¡¯s face clearly has a mix of grief and anguish on it. Sweiza walks to her side, but only looks in the distance. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for firewood and kindling.¡± Strife says nothing as she tries to cradle and massage her arms. Sweiza sees it only briefly out of the corner of her eye, but Strife is visibly shaking. ¡ª Sweiza retreats some distance in the woods. Her real venture lies here. She looks up. She lets outs a whistle. Nothing responds. She then lets out a chirp. Still no response. ¡°If you don¡¯t come out and show yourself, I¡¯m not giving you -your- share when I go hunting.¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t see what she is looking for. But she feels something tap her head. Her head reaches up and Sprite finally flies in front of her face. She blinks several times at him. He lets out a smirk at her. She is not impressed and swats her hand at him. He dodges it and then flies back in front of her hovering. His arms are crossed. He waits for her to try it again. However, her attention is now to his longer tail. He looks at her eyes. He looks down to the ground to follow her gaze. It dawns on him. ¡°Yes, I still want it docked. It¡¯s too long.¡± Sweiza tilts her head at him, ¡°But the stinger!¡± He flicks his tail with a notched hook at the end. ¡°I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s too long and it makes flying more difficult.¡± He flicks his tail again in agitation. Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen and she wears a ¡®hmm¡¯ expression as she tilts her head in the other direction. ¡°I mean it, sooner than later!¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± She waves her hands at him to calm down, an excited smile on her face. ¡°Just how many more secrets do you intend to keep from this one?¡± Her expression changes when she sees Sprite freeze. He takes one look over her shoulder and flicks his tails and wings and snaps in the other direction. Sweiza turns over her shoulder. Strife is standing some distance from them. ¡°Just how many secrets will you keep from -me- Strife?¡± Strife approaches them. ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± Sweiza nods in agreement. ¡ª They talk about this and that. A chance to catch up, a chance to get to know each other. Perhaps a few secrets would make themselves known. ¡­Sweiza is from Maria Village 200 years in the future; Strife is very stern with her in that time¡­ ¡­Sweiza is in fact friends with a Sprite; he recently when through a metamorphosis¡­ ¡­Strife prefers time indoors living out her old lifestyle, she doesn¡¯t mind going out and about as a vassal/vessel of Valhalla¡­ ¡­Sweiza -prefers- the outdoors¡­ ¡­both have knowledge to fit their lifestyle; Sweiza knows all about the outdoors and roughing it; Strife knows about trade, has become quite good at negotiating, and she likes to arrange contracts between people¡­ ¡­both hate Odin¡­ ¡­Sprite wants something sweet¡­ ¡ª- He lets out a chirp and their conversation is interrupted. Sweiza looks over with -that- look, Strife looks over, trying to show some tolerance. ¡°I want honey.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows shoot up. ¡°Go off and find some then, you pig!¡± He lets out a giddy chirp and flies off. Strife is left to preen her hair above her left ear as she thinks in thought at the creature. ¡°We really should get some firewood.¡± Strife is snapped back to reality. She simply nods. ¡ª It is towards evening and a fire and basecamp (if it can be called one) is created at the section where the trees become spars near the beach. Enough to be hidden, enough to see if anything might track them. Strife assures Sweiza that it is unlikely anyone from the bandit entourage would follow them. ¡°What are we going to do about them? I didn¡¯t see anyone that didn¡¯t have weapons in that village.¡± Strife shakes her hair over her shoulders. She pulls something from her own satchel she has been carrying. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Strife produces a small flip open mirror, Sweiza eyes it once. ¡°A gimmick to make men swoon.¡± Strife¡¯s eyes close as she looks away with a smirk on her face. She stifles it all the same. ¡°This is called a Scriving Mirror. It is used between holders to communicate over vast distances.¡± ¡°So what does that have to do with anything?¡± Sweiza¡¯s attention shits towards the fire. She takes a small stick and pokes one of the logs so it is further in. Strife raises her voice once so she has Sweiza¡¯s attention. Clearly the woman isn¡¯t amused. ¡°This enchantment only needs me to will who I wish to speak to. In this case, it is going to be a Sentinel.¡± ¡°Your diary mentioned them.¡± Sweiza¡¯s attention doesn¡¯t falter, but she really wants to poke the fire again. She hears an odd, but familiar voice come from the mirror. She remembers it from some time ago. One of the strange devices that could fly. They were the same thing? ¡°I have it confirmed with the other in my group. No survivors. Check the village, if they have weapons, raze everything.¡± There is a voice that says affirmative over the mirror. Sweiza¡¯s head cocks at the woman and her eyes blink. ¡°Are they going to do what I think you said?¡± Strife nods. ¡°There were no survivors dear. That bandit group probably slaughtered them all. I didn¡¯t see any. You confirmed it by only seeing bandits. The Sentinels will send a few of their group to confirm. If so then it is a dead village and is to be burned. This area may not be under the jurisdiction of Odin, but I am a sanctioned vassal thereof. As are you. We are the choosers of the slain, do I make myself clear?¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen, better not to argue. She simply nods. Strife¡¯s tone changes immediately. ¡°There was one other thing.¡± Sweiza looks at her blankly. ¡°Would you say that Odin is crazy, perhaps not a capable leader?¡± Sweiza shrugs while shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± ¡°Odin meddles in people¡¯s affairs and alters fate.¡± Sweiza looks up, not liking where this is going. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t people be free to choose their own fate?¡± Sweiza is really not liking where this is going. Strife has a different look about her, one of almost giddiness, the kind not of a child, but of an adult that is about to get revenge. Strife is busy preening her hair at this point and becoming a bit more lively. She is also motioning with her opposite hand. ¡°It is one thing for us to be enforcers of Odin. It is another for him to decree how we are to live our lives. Order to the masses is one thing; we need laws to prevent chaos and people continually taking advantage of each other. But to continually meddle in the lives of others for one¡¯s own gain¡­¡± Strife has a bit of a crazy look about her at this point. ¡°Alice, just say it already.¡± ¡°Just hear me out.¡± Strife has stopped preening her hair at this point. ¡°The texts say he traded his eye in order to hang from Yggdrasil. I don¡¯t even know if Yggdrasil even exists anymore or if it ever has existed. But he¡¯s lived long enough he¡¯s gotten old and crazy. Supposedly he is a seeker of wisdom and is all wise as a result. People always speak of him being able to see the future or at least plan it. Anywah, there were rumors he knew the war was going to happen or planned it altogether, I don¡¯t know. What I do know is that cargo was being seized, resources were being developed, and then he had those canals being built. We never needed them before. Then there is the matter of that tower being built. The ability to transport people all over Midgard? More like through the nine realms. He already has Huggin and Munnin and the Sentinels which can cover great distances in short time. Why does he need more control? For him it is always about control. Regardless, he always seems to have a motive behind something. He isn¡¯t stupid. But he has grown paranoid over that witch¡­¡± Sweiza interrupts, ¡°You mean Salmira?¡± ¡°You have been paying attention. But yes. Those two have been at it for some time. What she can do in the blink of an eye, he needs decades, centuries and possibly millenia to do. But when he accomplishes something, it becomes permanent. Her matters tend to be more temporary and in the moment, possibly long term. I don¡¯t know.¡± Sweiza shrugs and scoots herself closer to the fire. She again pokes one of the logs with her makeshift poker stick. ¡°Odin is the reason Salmira has brought you back. She¡¯s using you to meddle in his affairs.¡± Sweiza looks up, a look of irritation on her face. ¡°Alice, I just want to go home.¡± ¡°There is talk and dissent amongst Valkyrie about whether Odin should continue to rule or not. There are those such as myself that feel he really should only be a figure head to a system of government; it really is coming down to it like that these days. He¡­¡± Again Sweiza interrupts her. ¡°Strife, I have no interest in any of this.¡± Strife steps to within a few feet of her, ¡°No secrets between Valkyrie.¡± Sweiza looks up again in irritation, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me your history, and you didn¡¯t tell me your politics.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t ready. But I really feel we are on the same page.¡± Sweiza frowns. ¡°You only feel that because you think I¡¯m your daughter.¡± ¡°That too. But you came looking for me. That shows you can be trusted to some degree.¡± Sweiza looks up one last time. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡± ¡°Hear me out.¡± ¡°If it will shut you up and get me some sleep.¡± Strife¡¯s eyes perk and drop, she says nothing about the girl¡¯s rudeness. ¡°We¡¯re planning a rebellion. We need active participants. But we need weapons. Powerful weapons. Others are going to do the same as us.¡± Sweiza stands up and her arms go to her hips. ¡°I¡¯m being drafted?¡± ¡°What if there was a weapon that could take mortally wound Odin?¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands immediately cross and she looks down at the ground with her eyes closed. ¡°You mean he can be crippled?¡± Strife sees it has the girl¡¯s attention. ¡°You do want to see him punished, don¡¯t you?¡± Sweiza grimaces and looks up, her hands drop. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°The materials for it cannot be found in Midgard.¡± Sweiza sighs. ¡°Come with me Vorkera. Help our Valkyriekin usher into a new age; a Valhalla where we make our own decisions.¡± Sweiza grimaces. She does not accept the open hand that Strife is showing her. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed Strife. I suggest you do the same.¡± There seems to be something akin to delight on Strife¡¯s face. Be it an assumption or an omen, it looks like Sweiza does in fact agree with her. But how much she is willing to help has yet to be seen. For now, Sweiza doesn¡¯t think of the journey ahead. Instead, the land of dreams calls her. She desires nothing more than for Demi to leave her alone, so he does not show. Instead, she has sweet dreams about her future with Lester as a housewife and the prosperity of her village. Somewhere in there she also feels Sprite changes and turns a new leaf for the better. Maybe Salmira can play fate with her, or Odin himself. Time will tell for this young one. ANBLII - Interlude - An Interview with Brynhilde The scene is Valhalla in a random coffee shop. The au¡­ Brynhilde: Not just any coffee shop. This is the 1st Avenue Cafe where only the most prestigious of nobles visit. They serve only the finest of¡­ The author¡¯s eyebrow twitches. His pencil quivers and his notebook is suddenly closed. He¡¯s been dreading this one. Brynhilde: They serve only the finest of pressed ristretto. It¡¯s a special kind of esspresso that isn¡¯t as¡­ Author: As I was saying¡­ The scene is Valhalla in a random coffee shop. The auth¡­ Brynhilde: This is perfect for those like myself that have a flavored palette. I enjoy the lack of aroma and tart taste as compared to normal coffee. The esspresso also m¡­ Author: Uh, Miss Brynhilde? Brynhilde: ¡­means there is less liquid. It¡¯s for a more pure experience with a stronger match of caffeine. I prefer to¡­ Author: Brynhilde? The author is trying hist best, but Brynhilde seems to be ignoring him. Perhaps she doesn¡¯t know how an interview works. Brynhilde: ¡­to have just a pinch of creamer and sugar. It helps keep the experience more pure, much like Valhallan Tea. Author: Ah, Valhallan Tea comes up ofte¡­ At this point Brynhilde has stopped speaking, she pulls up her ¡®Ristretto Espresso¡¯ to her lips and simply closes her eyes. She barely takes a sip of it and sets it down. A napkin quickly goes up to her face. The author leans forward in disbelieve. Author: But you barely drank it! Brynhilde: The whole point is to nurse this cup for the next few hours while reading a newspaper, and chatting about this and that with other nobles. We do need to keep up you know. Author: Right. Brynhilde: Being a noble is a very important part of Valhallan society. Wouldn¡¯t you agree? The author blinks and his head cocks to the side. He turns to the audience. Author: Anytime now Sweiza. As if on cue, Sweiza bursts in. She¡¯s in her typical white attire. She bows repeatedly. Sweiza: Sorry I¡¯m late. Brynhilde: Starla, it is about time. We¡¯ve been waiting. Author: She had just a sip. Sweiza looks from Brynhilde to the Author and then to Brynhilde¡¯s cup. She stifles a smile at the author. Sweiza marches up to one of the waitresses. She is informed that she will have to wait. Sweiza doesn¡¯t comply. She gives her order then and there. Valhallan Tea, with lots of sugar, lots and lots of creamer, and lots of honey. She has this figured out by now. She marches over to the duo¡¯s table and sits down. She makes some effort to be a little more graceful about it. Brynhilde: Starla, you surprise me. Sweiza says nothing and simply looks towards the kitchen and makeshift ¡®coffee bar¡¯. Sweiza slams her hand on the table. Sweiza: Bring me my Valhallan Tea! One of the waitresses is taken aback and drops her drink. The author looks over at the waitress and then to Sweiza. Sweiza simply looks down at the table, eyes closed and with a smirk on her face. Author: You two are most certainly polar opposites. Brynhilde: I see her potential. Another sip of Valhallan Ristretto and another napkin to her lips. Sweiza takes one look from Brynhilde and looks up at the ceiling. Her eyes refrain from rolling, but they twitch ever so slightly. Sweiza: Well, originally she was only in it to be a Valkyrie. Thankfully fate puts her through enough tests that she actually outgrows this¡­ thing that she is. Something about Noble Oblige. Brynhilde lets out a deliberate giggle. It lasts briefly as her eyes close and her hand comes up to her mouth. Author: Isn¡¯t it true that Brynhilde is of noble blood? Sweiza goes to speak and Brynhilde interrupts her. Rather, Sweiza lets out a yelp as Brynhilde¡¯s heel dig¡¯s into the top of Sweiza¡¯s foot. Sweiza looks away and towards the kitchen. Brynhilde: I was borne of the Brynhilde family. We have certain relations managing this and that. Author: Could you be more specific? Brynhilde: My father is a salesman. He sells only the finest vehicles and vessels. Mother is a writer for the Valhallakin Chronicle. She covers only the most important events in Valhalla. None of that lowfested news that occurs in Midgard mind you. Author: I thought they were dead by the time the story took place? Brynhilde suddenly drops the act and gets more serious. Brynhilde: About that. That is a shoddy plot device. Author: Isn¡¯t it true you wouldn¡¯t have met Lady Strife otherwise? Brynhilde: Had my family not been killed in the war, I could persue more leisurely activities. Author: You mean not chasing being a Valkyrie? Brynhilde: I am going to become one aren¡¯t I? Sweiza looks over from Brynhilde to the author. Out of nowhere Sweiza pulls open the script for Angel Blade III. She starts reading ahead and lets out several snickers and laughs. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Brynhilde¡¯s act further drops. Now a worried expression crosses her face. Brynhilde: What? What¡¯s going to happen to me? Sweiza beams and tosses the script behind her. A big smile creeps on her face. A hopeless Brynhilde looks down at the script as it disappears once it hits the floor. Brynhilde: Are you two conspiring against me? Brynhilde realizes her mistake. She has lost her poise and composure. She quickly stiffens up and clears her throat. Again she makes with another sip of ristretto and a napkin to her lips. Brynhilde: Mmm, delicious. Sweiza looks at act in front of her. She¡¯ll have none of it. Sweiza: Waitress! Where is my order! Sweiza slaps her hand on the table again. The same waitress from before drops a platter; she is clearly shaken at Sweiza¡¯s loud boisterous personality. Sweiza looks to Brynhilde with a beam. Sweiza: You¡¯re not fooling anybody. You deliberately drink that tar because it is so bitter. Brynhilde flinches. She closes her eyes. Another cup of ristretto and napkin to her lips. She simply ignores them. These two are beneath her enjoyment. The author finally sees his chance. Somewhere in Valhalla, in a coffee shop located along First Avenue, he has setup an interview with¡­ Sweiza interrupts him. Sweiza: Waitress! One of the waitresses hurries over and starts bowing. Waitress: We¡¯ll have it out in a few minutes. We¡¯re having some trouble getting the ingredients. If we could ask you to be a bit more patient¡­ Sweiza quivers in agitation. Brynhilde lets out a chuckle as her hand covers her mouth. She maintains the same grace and poise as her composure cannot be shaken. Sweiza grins at her and raises her hand. She makes a mock slapping motion at Brynhilde¡¯s back. Brynhilde: Sweiza, behave. Sweiza: Not on your life. Author: Speaking of which, is it true that most Valkyrie die before they become Valkyrie? Sweiza: I think that is wh¡­ Brynhilde: I¡¯ve waited to become a Valkyrie for five years running. I will see my day in the sun. Sweiza: You can¡¯t even handle the sun! Brynhilde¡¯s composure drops again as she glares at the girl. Brynhilde: I was being rhetorical. Sweiza: Nuh-uh! You were being¡­ uh, what was that word? Pretendious? Author: Pretentious. Sweiza: Ah, pretentious! That¡¯s it! You were being the very thing you hold in contempt in others. Brynhilde raises her head. Her nose goes straight into the air, quite deliberately. Sweiza: What a snot-nosed¡­ Brynhilde: Sweiza, enough. Behave. Sweiza: No way! I finally get to treat you like the commoner that you are. Author: Ah, about that. Is it true that your family isn¡¯t as noble as you make it out to be? Brynhilde¡¯s body stiffens in anger as she fumes at the author. Her eyes close as she looks down at the table. Another cup of ristretto and a napkin to her lips. Sweiza hunches over and cocks her head to the side watching Brynhilde. Sweiza: Waitress! Hurry up! Author: You two are most certainly a stark contrast with each other. Sweiza: As I was saying, she only hangs around to be a Valkyrie. Just wait until what happens later. Sweiza stiffles a giggle and covers her mouth to mock Brynhilde. She doesn¡¯t refrain from pointing at Brynhilde. Brynhilde: What is going to happen to me? More than concern and worry fill her voice. Author: Oh, let¡¯s just say your self entitled personality gets a turn for the worst. Brynhilde looks from Sweiza to the Author. Brynhilde: Fine, whatever. I¡¯ll anwer your questions and you can make yourself. Author: Pardon? Brynhilde: Your type isn¡¯t welcome in a cafe like this. You aren¡¯t prestiged like some of us. Brynhilde looks over at Sweiza once. Author: What about her? Brynhilde: She is a Valkyrie. Author: Is it true you tried to become a Valkyrie for five years running and Odin rejected you each and every time? Brynhilde: That is what I have Lady Strife for. Lady Angst here¡­ Brynhide¡¯s eyebrows cock up with intrigue as she looks over at Sweiza. Sweiza is busy ushering the waitress over to bring over her Valhallan Tea - modified to her liking of course. Then there is the free bonus of croissants. Brynhilde clears her throat. Sweiza gives it no attention. The author slaps his hand to his face. Brynihlde coughs louder. Sweiza looks over with a croissant stuffed into her face. Sweiza: Hmm? Brynhilde: As I was saying, Lady Angst is my insurance that I become a Valkyrie. Sweiza wolfs down the croissant and smacks her chest a few times to help. Everyone is now staring at the trio. This girl clearly is not used to high society, least of all being in the presence of nobility. Sweiza: Lady Angst? What kind of title is Lady? I¡¯m a Serif and a Sera, that is all. Another sip of ristretto and napkin to the lips. Sweiza eyes her with some curious delight. She then helps herself to her own tea. Author: You two are quite the stark contrast between each other in both manners and eating habits. Sweiza simply nods. Brynhilde looks between the two. Brynhilde: Grace and refinement is a hallmark of the nobles. Author: I thought your parents worked hard and scraped to get by in their position. Didn¡¯t you earn what they did? Brynhilde smirks as her eyes close. She looks down at the table and says nothing. Sweiza: He means you are lazy. Brynhilde again flinches as she tries to maintain her posture. Brynhilde is about to say something when the trio notice a blue figure divebomb one of the croissants. Sweiza looks at Brynhilde and then the author. She pushes her chair back and chases after him. Sweiza: Come back here with that you pest! Brynhilde is about to say something, but Sweiza charges up and grabs her cup of tea. She quickly drinks it. She quickly bows to the author and to Brynhilde and charges off again. Brynhilde resumes attempting to speak. Sweiza comes back for a final time and grabs the plate of croissants. Author: How do you put up with her? Brynhilde looks wide eyes from Sweiza to the author. Brynhilde: You tell me. You are the one that wrote us. Author: I figured it would be an interesting pairing. There is sudden silence as an ominous figure appears at the cafe door. It turns out it is Lady Strife. Complete silence fills the cafe as she approachs from behind Brynhilde. Her heels click together. Strife: Valkyrie Sylvia. Brynhilde suddenly freezes and a smile crosses her face. Brynhilde: You honor me Valkyrie. Strife: I require your assistance. Brynhilde: Whatever for? Strife: I¡­ Strife¡¯s eyes and head follow the commotion near the makeshift ¡®coffee bar¡¯. Sweiza has captured Sprite, but there is a mess on the floor. Apparently several drinks have been spilled and another waitress has dropped an order. Strife shifts her focus to the author. Strife simply shakes her head. Her attention is back on Brynhilde. She leans over and whispers something into the woman¡¯s ear. Brynhilde quickly focuses on the author. Her eyes are worried. Brynhilde: What do you mean that happens to my sight? Who is going to take care of me? Strife covers her mouth and points towards Sweiza. Brynhilde: Wh-at? Why? What did I do? Strife refrains from pulling up a chair. Strife: A fate far worse than death awaits you. Brynhilde stammers. Strife: There is more to being a Valkyrie than just looking good. Brynhilde looks at the author. Author: I could always have you made a shield maiden. Just then Rezra charges in and up to the table. Brynhilde freezes. Strife just eyes her once. Rezra: Has anyone seen Sweiza? She was supposed to practice stances with me and¡­ There is a commotion towards the coffee bar. Sprite has stolen another croissant. Brynhilde: What in Midgard¡­ Strife: That little thief is just creating a distraction so he can get into the kitchen. Brynhilde looks up towards Strife. Brynhilde: Why did you let that thing in here? Brynhilde motions towards Rezra. Rezra half closes one eye at her. Rezra: Spoiled brat! Author: Okay, I think that is enough for now. We¡¯ll conclude this interview. Seriously. Why is it whenever I want to write the more interesting character¡­ The author, Strife and Rezra look at Brynhilde. Another sip of ristretto and napkin to her mouth. Strife simply nods. Rezra is curious and pulls the cup with both hands once Brynhilde sets it on the table. Brynhilde: Annoying. Rezra simply dumps it into her mouth. She makes a face. Rezra: Gross! Strife can¡¯t stifle her smile. Strife: Perhaps you should conclude this interview. Brynhilde: Wait, I¡¯m being interviewed? Why didn¡¯t you say so? Author: I think we¡¯ll wrap it up, we haven¡¯t accomplished anything with this group. As usual. Brynhilde: I¡¯ll get rid of them. Give me a second chance. I didn¡¯t know. Stife: Maybe if you paid more attention and were more proactive instead of focusing on yourself, you would be a Valkyrie by now. Brynhilde¡¯s eyes glass up. Author: Sorry folks. This appears to have been a waste of time. Tune in next time for when we interview¡­ The author holds his hans as if showing her off¡­ Author: Rezra, a tigerfelk from the east. Sweiza is over by Rezra by this point. Sweiza simply beams at her and ribs her. Rezra tries to hold her hands clasped in front of her in a dignified fashion. It looks terrible. She ends up laughing while Sweiza ribs her. Author: Why do I bother? Brynhilde: Wait! I¡¯ll behave! Maybe we can do this solo next time. I promise, I¡­ Fade out. ANBLII - Chapter 7 - Travel by Sun, Sea and Starlight Angel Blade II - Mark of Vorkera Subarc: S&S Valkyrie Saga - Sweiza and Strife ¡ª The village of Doris was always a peaceful one. It is rather unremarkable with a population of about 200. It is a also a bit out of the way, some thirty to forty miles south of Maria Village. They are mostly known for fishing the nearby rivers. The only thing that sets it apart from other villages is it is the closest in Midgard to ¡°The Yawning Gap¡±. Even then it is some fifty miles away. This wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, but legend across the lands state life began in this region. But who are a group of bandits to question legend? They are merely after areas to raid - namely something out of the way with a less than adequate population that can¡¯t sustain themselves. Some of them don¡¯t remember seeing the odd statue that is situated some distance from the village square and in the market place. But they rarely ventured to this area. It was one of the areas they raided on the first day and moved all of the food and valuables to another area, one that is what you might call more accessible. A few of the curious bandits would disappear in the vicinity of the statue. Their leader put a few on guard in that area to see what was going on. A few of the more intelligent ones investigated it. They too disappeared. One by one they were slowly picked off. When the sentinel had first appeared, it had approached from above. It¡¯s jets built into its wings allowed it to hover silently. This thing is enchanted, so it didn¡¯t worry about what lies before it. For that matter, it was heavily shielded and had weapons built in throughout its body. However, to investigate the area, it had to blend in. It transformed into a bipedal form and took a stance with one hand holding a sword, and then another shielding its eyes as it looked up at the sun. However, what the bandits didn¡¯t realize, is that this thing would slowly move its arms. Slow enough they wouldn¡¯t notice. A few did notice and would eye the thing with bewilderment. Some kind of arrow would launch out of its hands. Once struck they would disappear. A small group of three of them managed to run some distance before they fell into the same dilemma; some kind of arror or spear through the head. A quarter of them had been picked off before there was some caution blown to the wind; the statue is to blame and they were to avoid it. By that point it was too late. When it made its move, it didn¡¯t worry about their weapons. At best their arrows and metal armaments bounced off. The Sentinel made quick work of them; either impaling them with a spear built into its arm, or shooting out a long arrow that would do the same. A few of them saw it fighting, they tried to flee. It managed to find them. In the dead of night, it somehow could see them. They didn¡¯t know the Sentinel could see their heat signatures. The bandits finally dispersed, as did their leader. They fled the village. The village was back under control of Valhalla, momentarily. The Sentinel managed to track some of them up to ten miles away, at least one of them heading in the direction of the Valkyrie that had summoned it (the Sentinel). It was efficient in canvasing the area from a high altitude; it could see their heat signatures. The village was cleaned up after three days. A call was made to Asgard Island, to its superiors. Its orders were to raze the village due to no survivors. There was some momentary delay. This is an unusual order. It is unknown why it was given. The order was pushed up the command chain until it reached Odin himself. Odin demanded the same thing. Perhaps the Valkyrie knew that is exactly what Odin would want. Either way the Sentinel had its orders. Be it via a sword that cut clean through wood, or a built in flame thrower, the mechanized machine made quick work of the village in under two hours. It had one final order. To leave a flag of Valhalla and then a flag of Odin planted in the village square as a warning to anyone that would defy Midgard. Doris Village, at least where its remains now stand, is under the control of Lord Odin. Woe and wrath to anyone that would test his wisdom. ¡ª By this point they are walking through the bordering desert lands of Muspell. Desert shrubs are here and there. Strife would not say where they are going, but only that they were going to gather the materials to build an enchanted weapon that would defy Odin. Better still is the materials come from lands outside of Odin¡¯s control. Sentinels do not come out this way, and Huginn and Munnin are normally busy in other areas of the world to keep an eye on them. What a fortunate occurrence! At least that is what Strife mentioned to Sweiza. Sweiza¡¯s attention is on the mirror that Strife is holding. She had asked her if it was the same ¡®Scriving Mirror¡¯ mentioned in her diary. Indeed it was. The reason simply being that Skuld would not be allowed to have it; there is a ban of enchanteds of anysort inside Valhalla unless okayed by Odin himself. She showed her (Skuld¡¯s) name engraved in the side of it. Strife consideres it a keepsake from her friend. Sweiza agrees that it must be something special. Sweiza saw an opportunity to ask Strife about the pendant that could detect emotions and feelings,but Strife however, would not show her the strange pendant that could detect emotions and feelings; it was a story and item for another time. What Sweiza did get to see, is the strange statue like creature through the Scriving Mirror. She remembers a dream about one of them. They communicated in an odd clanging language that sounded like a bird, but it sounded more shrill. Strife simply communicated in their own (Strife and Sweiza¡¯s) native language. The Sentinel understood her. From what Sweiza gathered, the deed had been done and Doris Village was razed. It was now under the jurisdiction of Midgard. What a funny thing to do to a dead village, with no survivors. Why bother? ¡°To serve as a warning to future scum that might try such a thing.¡± It took awhile for Sweiza to understand Strife was referring to Maria Village. Perhaps destroying Doris Village was a necessary evil afterall. Sweiza keeps that thought in mind, but wonders if there wasn¡¯t another way. Regardless, they had a long journey ahead of them. Least of all not hampered by a certain little blue pest that kept begging to look along the path for beehives and honey. At the current time, all Strife would mention is that they were traveling as far West as they could. Their journey would need to be done by private ship in order to get there. Thankfully Strife is considered an emissary of Midgard and would be able to negotiate her way, or so she hopes. --- ¡°Dear Journal, Strife and I have struck out on our ¡®journey¡¯ as she likes to call it. We, rather ¡®she¡¯ has chartered a small private sloop. It is a funny name for a funny ship. It has a single mast and is built for only a few occupants. This one in particular, the Gigas Dura, or ¡°Mighty Giant¡±, is in fact a private tourist ship that is also used for fishing. Strife has a way with negotiating. I can¡¯t quite describe how she does it. But she has some spunk when it comes to Valhalla matters. More importantly, the owner of the ship, ¡°Lukas¡±, specifically wanted Valhallan Brandy. Once again in recent memory, Strife arranged for it. This time, however, she used her ¡°Scriving Mirror¡± to contact an emissary from Valhalla to make the arrangements and a proper shipment against something else in recent memory - ¡°The Sterling Blue¡±. Strife informs me we will be heading out towards Jotunher, ¡°The Land of the Giants¡±. This particular area goes by many names. Jotunher, Jotunheim, Jotuna, Jotuner, Jotunheimer, Jotunmeir, Jotunymir, and then the more pleasant ¡°Utgard¡±, but Strife tells me Utgard is in fact the capital of the continent. I heard ¡®Ymir¡¯ is in fact one of the original giants that helped create the world. Regardless, we will be sailing by sea to avoid having to deal with many of the inhabitants of Jotunher. I haven¡¯t had much to do accept write or muse myself with Strife and Sprite. Strife informs me that Drakes (Dragons), Fenris Wolves, Leviathans (Sea Serpents), Rockworms (Earth Serpents), Trolls, Goblins in addition to Giants (Jotun) are all native to Jotunheim. The only thing we have to worry about is Leviathans, but it is unheard of for them to stray close to shore - which is precisely what we will be doing. I had heard once that one sort of Leviathan is in fact the world serpent Jormungand that bites his own tail. However, when I asked her, Strife has informed me that Jormungand is just a species of Sea Serpent. Perhaps my friend Uma would know more on the matter. Strife also assures me that the word ¡®journal¡¯ is more adult like; for that matter she insists diary is something that children use. Whatever. Even with my memory back, I still have reservations about the word ¡®journal¡¯. It is impersonal, it isn¡¯t memory inspired, there is no sentimental value. It feels like a chronicle of events that is impassionate with no emotion. I hate it. I hate it as much as I was using the phrase ¡®hugs and kisses¡¯. It is not my desire to live as an entirely different person. That is to live a lie. -Sweiza¡± --- It is at another harbor in Southeastern Midgard that Strife negotiates with Lukas, the captain of a single masted ship known as the ¡°Gigas Dura¡±. Valhallan Brandy is of course the bartering chip, which Lukas happily accepts. A single month¡¯s supply will be plenty. Sweiza is not looking forward to sailing. She remembers being seasick for about half a day on the Sterling Blue. It wasn¡¯t pleasant. She seems to be able to stomach the sea for now, but further in she hopes she doesn¡¯t start throwing up. Sprite only snickers at her for her worries. Strife gives it no concern and casually lets Sweiza know that she clearly has too much time on her hands. With too much time on her hands indeed, Sweiza willingly takes Strife¡¯s mentorship. Unlike her future counterpart, the younger Strife willingly engages with and performs with Sweiza during her training. Multiple cuts, how to block and parry, how to perform thrusts, how to trip an opponent, force their weight against them and every other manuever that Strife is familiar with. This goes on for a day until they reach an area with a very dense fog. Sweiza has heard of this area, but it takes Strife to inform her where they are. ¡°The Yawning Gap¡±, an area where heat from Muspell mixes with the cold air from Niffleheim. This area is known for its aurora, storms, as well as dense fog and heavy rain. However, today it is just fog that lines the area. At the rail of the ship, Sweiza shields her eyes from a non-existent sun; perhaps more to be able to line up her vision. Strife¡¯s voice interrupts her. ¡°Ginnunagap, the Yawning Gap.¡± Sweiza''s eyes perk and she turns around. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of this place, ¡®the Giggling Burp¡¯, the heat from Muspell tickles the glaciers in Niffleheim and it belches it out as steam.¡± A big smile crosses Sweiza¡¯s face as her eyebrows perk up at Strife. ¡°Where ever did you here that nonsense?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a joke Strife.¡± Strife casually walks up to Sweiza and pushes against the railing before looking into the abyss, ¡°Vera, perhaps the joke is on you for believing in something so silly.¡± Sweiza wrinklers her nose, then closes her eyes while puffing up her cheeks at her mentor. She deliberately ignores her (Strife) and walks off. Strife looks up in relief, this girl can be a handful. --- ¡ª Day two¡­ ¡°Do it!¡± Sprite bites down into Strife¡¯s belt on loan from her. Strife looks towards Sweiza. Sweiza looks away holding the knife. She raises it. Sprite spits out the belt. ¡°I¡¯m the one that is supposed to close my eyes, not you!¡± Sweiza turns back over. Strife has the belt back in his mouth. Sprite looks away, ready to brace himself for the pain. Strife looks over at Sweiza. Sweiza¡¯s eyes go back to Sprite whom is restrained by both hands by both of Strife¡¯s hands. Sweiza¡¯s own right hand is holding down his elongated tail. For safety and measure to avoid the poison barb or getting cut from it, her right hand has her armor¡¯s gauntlet on. ¡°Okay Sprite, on the count of 1, 2¡­¡± The knife cuts through his tail at a marked spot before the countdown Sprite is expecting. He looks up with an exasperated pain that shoots through his body. The deed is done. His tail is normal length again. Tears fill his eyes and he strugges against his ¡®would be¡¯ tormenters. At this point in time his instincts attempt to cue in and he tries to sting them with his barbed tail. However it isn¡¯t there. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He lets out an angry cry. Strife isn¡¯t moved by the gesture; Sweiza simply looks away. Their captain and ship owner Lukas finds the display odd. He had thought that Sprite were normally woodland creatures that avoided humans. Perhaps there is more to Valkyrie than he initially thought. ¡ª- ¡°Oh come on Sprite! Come down! Please?!¡± Sweiza waves her hands in frustration at him. Again the Sprite stays towards the top of the mast. This display has gone on off and on for the last few hours. Each time Strife has kept an eye on her younger counterpart. The few times Sweiza makes an attempt to climb the rigging of the single mast, Strife continually grabs her by the shoulder or chastises her for not letting Sprite recuperate. Sweiza argues initially that he is her friend, but Strife warns her that, ¡°Even in friendship, sometimes things must be left alone. Friends do not always spend so much time together, no matter how much they may be bound at the hip. All good things come to an end at some point, so enjoy it while you can.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands go to her hips and she storms off. Perhaps there will be something to do below deck. ¡ª There isn¡¯t much to do on the ship. Sweiza whines about it. The first day was bad enough, but now her normal banter and playmate is gone. Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk up and she suggests Sweiza should swab the deck. When asked what that means, Strife simply says it means to mop the deck. Sweiza grudgingly obliges on the grounds it might be fun to pretend to be a pirate. Except Lukas doesn¡¯t normally clean the deck unless he is in port. The reason being he is never out for more than a few weeks at a time. Major bummer. ¡ª At one point Lukas lets Sweiza grab the steering wheel. It reminds her of the helm on the ¡°Sterling Blue¡±. Unlike the view on the giant ocean ship, there is more to see than ocean. The shore line continually moves through their view. Sweiza beams, but the fun wears off after a few hours. Lukas simply stands there most of the time with his arms crossed. He appears to be deep in thought. Sweiza doesn¡¯t ask what he is thinking about. Lukas does disappear on a number of occasions. When she asks, he simply says that he is checking things on or below deck - either taking a tally of supplies, making sure things work, or checking to make sure nothing needs maintenance. ¡°It¡¯s necessary on a ship this small without a crew. Not checking can have dire consequences.¡± Sweiza simply nods blankly. ¡ª Strife continually meditates when she isn¡¯t using her spyglass to check the horizon. Sweiza finds it annoying the woman can be so calm and composed without being bored. ¡ª On day three, Sweiza finally capitulates and takes to using a rag to clean the deck. ¡°Why are you doing that? It is a waste of time.¡± Lukas is quite gruff about it. ¡°Exactly.¡± Sweiza says it melancholic. This is getting worse by the day. Sprite however, seems to be a bit more receptive about at least talking with Sweiza. His tail hurts, that is to be expected. He won¡¯t come down until the pain subsides. ¡ª ¡°Dear Diary, By day three, we have cleared ¡°The Yawning Gap¡±. We follow along the shoreline in the Gigas Dura to avoid any unwanted sea serpents. I was hoping to see a Leviathan, but Strife tells me just the opposite, ¡°I should not want to see one, they can make passage difficult if they get in thew way.¡± I am told it is a three week journey to Jotunher. There is some kind of material or some legendary ¡®whatnot¡¯, that Strife wishes to acquire. Salmira put me in her graces, so I feel I don¡¯t have much of a choice. I haven¡¯t said anything about Salmira yet, but I do not know how Strife will take the news. There are still a few things I need to tell her, but I think I have a few days first. I have been wanting to ask Lukas about how to track our position. I remember hearing about how to navigate by stars from the sailors aboard the ¡°Sterling Blue¡±. I had wanted to travel the world at some point, but I don¡¯t think this is what I had in mind. More to come as usual, -Sweiza¡± ¡ª ¡°Well Madam Serif, traditionally I use the shoreline for reason¡¯s I¡¯ve already said. Sea Serpents inhabit the area, but they are not known to come to the shore. I¡¯ve seen maybe two and they tend to be skiddish towards ships this close to land.¡± Lukas¡¯s left hand is waving while he holds a knife in the other hand. Sweiza chose an odd time to ask him while he is cleaning fish. ¡°However, if you¡¯d like, I¡¯ll show you how to position any vessel in the sea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s be great.¡± Sweiza¡¯s voice turns a bit more exuberant and chipper at the idea of finally doing something ¡®new¡¯. ¡°There are a number of ways, so perhaps it will satiate that boredom and curiosity of yours.¡± Lukas simply nods at the thought, not waiting for Sweiza to respond. He is quickly back to cleaning fish. Sweiza is about to say something, but Lukas interrupts her. ¡°It¡¯ll take me about an hour or two to have this cleaned. Dinner should also be ready in that time.¡± ¡ª It is towards evening and a lantern illuminates the bridge on the ship. In Sweiza¡¯s mind the ¡®shack¡¯ is not much of a bridge. It has a small steering column for the helm, open windows on all sides (she hates the occasional mosquito), and then a table with several chairs. Sweiza assumes them to be shark jaws, but fish jaws line the walls where there are not shelves holding various knick knacks and fishing gear. Tools unknown to Sweiza also line the shelves. The floors are also lined with various supplies such as flour, wheat, sugar and the like. Lukas seems to be well prepared, as he has a small fishing stove. Sweiza prefers it below deck, where it has two beds. ¡°Curse Strife and insisting on sleeping together. But no, she gets the bed if I want the floor so badly. Why can¡¯t we take turns?¡± Sweiza¡¯s train of thought is interrupted by Lukas. What happens over the next two hours, much to the frustration of Lukas, the confusion of Sweiza and delighted amusement of Strife, is as follows: How to figure out what is meant by ¡®dead reckoning¡¯; as simple as plotting course, speed and for how long and where there future position should be. An LOP, or ¡°Line of Position¡±, is used to determine a location. At least two are needed through the use of a spyglass or binoculars, but three are ideal to chart an accurate position. A fix is three LOPs intersecting. A divider for judging distance, a circular plotter with ruler to determine current heading and bearing in relation to north, and then an alternative tool with two rulers that must be placed in a specific way on a map and then aligned with a circular bearing and heading mark on the map. The map of course was pretty self explanatory, but it has to be pretty straight on the table. The compass and globe next to the instrument panel was Lukas¡¯s preferred way of determining position. Sweiza can not make heads or tails of a sextant. A series of mirrors, aiming it up at the sky, and then moving a lever to tell the position of a celestial object in relation to the horizon. Lukas explains a proper altitude and time can be used to determine an exact location on a map. Most of this has Sweiza confused. Lukas does his best to demonstrate it. Strife is left to cover her mouth several times and stifle a laugh. Sprite finally comes in, the pain in his tail having subsided considerably. He plops himself down on Sweiza¡¯s head without her noticing. She finally stops dead in her tracks when he tells her to stop ¡®bobbing around so wildly like a dandelion seed in the wind¡¯. Sweiza freezes and a big smile crosses her face. ¡°Food¡±. Sweiza¡¯s head shifts encouragingly at Lukas. Lukas closes his eyes and shakes his head and points over at the leftovers of fish carcasses on a plate. It is meant to be cleaned later, but perhaps Lukas¡¯s job might get easier. Sprite wastes no time in devouring the leftovers. This is to Lukas¡¯s amazement. ¡°Sprite will eat anything, but they prefer sweet things.¡± Sweiza says it as a matter of factually speaking. Sprite nods enthusiastically. Sprite also darts over to one of the sugar bags on the floor. ¡°No. We need that for later.¡± Lukas is quite adamant about it. ¡°Valhallan Tea?¡± Sweiza grimaces at the words. Lukas simply nods. Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows perk up in surprise at a hand on her shoulder, ¡°I prefer it bitter.¡± It is Lady Strife with a glow on her face. Sweiza shakes her head. ¡ª Later in the evening, since Lukas does have his map and sextant out for once, he uses them to plot a course. He knows there location as he travels by this area often enough, but it is something to do. ¡°So Lukas¡­¡± It is the young Valkyrie again. ¡°Hmm?¡± Lukas looks away from the sextant which is pointed at the moon of Lokul. Sweiza eyes the moon once with disgust, but otherwise bolts her head quickly to Lukas. ¡°Do you know how to travel by stars based on the season?¡± ¡°All the time young lady.¡± Lukas says it quite light hearted. The stars are one of his favorite ways to travel. ¡°Aw shucks.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands slip behind her and she shuffles her legs as she walks past Lukas. Lukas simply shakes his head. Sweiza also knows how to travel by star light, as she often did it in relation to the moons, current season, as well as time of day. A much needed skill while out in the field or performing ¡®recon¡¯ while away from home. With little else to do, Sweiza retreats towards the ¡®small shack¡¯. However, one thing does catch her attention. An eclipse. Sweiza simply calls it ¡®Twin Moon¡¯, before retreating to the stairs leading below deck. Strife is already in bed. Sweiza¡¯s ¡®cold body¡¯ is enough to make her shiver and Strife makes a comment about it. ¡°We should start an exercise program before you go to bed. Perhaps it will help with your ¡®cold¡¯ demeanor.¡± Sweiza jerks the covers hard as she turns away from Strife. Sweiza hears a laugh and scowls. ¡ª Sprite¡¯s tail is still tender, but has otherwise started to heal on day four. By this point they have cleared the Niffleheim¡¯s tip and have passed through the narrow passage between Niffleheim and Muspell. Really it is a small region that many ships traverse, but Sweiza hasn¡¯t seen any. ¡°We¡¯re too close to the shore dear.¡± Is all that Strife said when asked about it. One of the sugar bags turned up missing. Sprite was warned not to do it again or he would be denied his share of fish from then on. Sprite reluctantly agreed. To pass the time, Sweiza resorts to fishing most of the day. It holds her attention. However, Sprite has other ideas. One of the many seagulls that fly high in the sky is his target. Resorting to something more akin to primitive instinct, he charges one of them and something akin to a small slice of wind hits it. Sprite has it on the ship¡¯s rail and is busy devouring it. ¡°You are disgusting.¡± Sweiza wrinkles her nose at the ¡®pest¡¯. Normally she doesn¡¯t see this side of him. But he is starting to get desperate for food without the much better tasting ¡®sugar¡¯ to tide him by. What he really needs is some honey. Perhaps he can pester Strife for some later¡­ ¡ª- On the fifth night a red aurora can be seen in the sky, well during the day, but it is a briliant and bright red flowing through crimson as night drives by. Lukas completely avoids going outside that day, Sweiza cannot understand why. Strife has her arms cradled most of the day. ¡°Is Salmira up to something concerning us?¡± Sweiza is pretty to the point when she says it. From her sitting position on a chair, Strife lowers the book she is reading. Sweiza gets a brief look at the intricate cover on it. ¡°Salmira made herself known to you?¡± Strife says it, but not in a happy tone. Sweiza nods. ¡°I suppose if you -really- are my daughter, then Salmira has a hand to play in it. I¡¯d rather not talk about her right now.¡± Sweiza is about to ask why, but she changes to the subject to the book in Strife¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing you with any books when we came on board. Does it belong to Lukas?¡± Strife closes her eyes and shakes her head. ¡°One of many Valkyrie perks. We can hold certain items ¡®within¡¯ our being so to speak. I like to keep a few books at the ready.¡± At that, Sweiza finally blurts out, ¡°I accidentally did that with one of your books in your study. I couldn¡¯t call it back like I can my armor.¡± Strife¡¯s head shifts up as do her eyebrows, ¡°What was the name of the book?¡± Sweiza struggles to remember, ¡°Grim Fury.¡± Strife thinkss about it for a second, ¡°You mean Grimoire Furia.¡± ¡°Yes, that.¡± ¡°It is the book of the hellhound. It covers the blackhound and their many variants. The hellhound in particular, guards the gates of Hel from all sides. I believe it is also known to appear in the southern regions of Niffleheim. Supposedly people that have lived an unsavory life, are known to see the hellhound if they die and then are resuscitated to describe the event. I¡¯ve never seen one.¡± Strife says it, slowly moving her current book from her knee. ¡°Well, I mean, you¡¯re not upset?¡± ¡°Miss Serif, you are a fellow Valkyrie and fate has thrust you in my path. If I was to deny you ¡®digging¡¯ through my things, I wouldn¡¯t be a very generous host, now would I?¡± Strife says it, almost pleasant. But it is the ¡®Miss Serif¡¯ part that really bothers her. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me Miss Serif. You did that in the future. You were, or will be quite cruel at points.¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows shoot up, but not in an amused way. ¡°I see.¡± Is all she says. Strife raises her book again, but she hears Sweiza stammer. Down comes the book again. ¡°How do I summon it? I can¡¯t summon it like my armor.¡± Sweiza is waving her hands, frantic by this point. ¡°Do you want to read it?¡± Strife says with some curiosity. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. I mean¡­¡± Sweiza is left to stand there sheepish. Is Strife playing with her? ¡°Vera, it is a yes or no question.¡± Strife is starting to grow impatient. ¡°I suppose I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± The book suddenly appears in Sweiza¡¯s hand. She isn¡¯t ready for it, and it drops to the deck one foot from where she is standing. Strife¡¯s eyes shoot from Sweiza to the book, then to Sweiza again. Sweiza follows Strife¡¯s eyes to the book and her face flushes red. She quickly bows in embarrassment and frustration. She excuses herself and then grabs the book. She quickly retreats below deck. This ability with the book may turn useful. Can she do it with other objects, maybe even something like Sprite? Maybe it doesn¡¯t work that way. ¡ª It is day six. Sweiza has taken to fishing using her collapsible fishing pole. Sprite begs her for the occasional fish. Most of them Sweiza simply throws back. Lukas gets some relief as some of her catches are adequate for dinner that evening. Lukas is definitely impressed by her fishing pole, but he prefers his much larger and rugged gear used for oceanic fishing. ¡°Where did you get that thing?¡± He asks with some curiosity. ¡°I made it.¡± She beams at him. ¡°Ah, you are quite talented.¡± ¡°I have many talents.¡± ¡°She has many talents alright.¡± Sweiza and Lukas turn to their left to see Sprite on the deck rail. He sits there with his arms and legs crossed. ¡°Sprite, you little pest, keep your mouth shut.¡± Sweiza is not impressed with what he has to say. She knows where this is going. ¡°How would that poor wannabe feel if he found out you were flirting with other men?¡± Sweiza turns back to Lukas. Her face is flushed red. Calmly stands up and walks slowly to Sprite. He knows what is coming. He is already in the air before she can take a swipe at him. She does a mock bow and arrow shot at him. His hands go to his hips. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell him how talented you are with Lester?¡± Sweiza¡¯s face flushes red further. Lukas is left to start laughing. He knows exactly what the little creature refers to. Strife on the other hand, has more to say on the matter. Her voice interrupts them. Sweiza looks over. Strife is still sitting in the chair as graceful as ever, but her book is again lowered. Her hand is clearly covering her mouth and then lowered. ¡°What does he mean by that Vera?¡± Sweiza looks up to Sprite and then back to Strife. ¡°Vera, to experience a man¡¯s warmth and love is nothing to be ashamed of.¡± Strife waits for the response. Sweiza stammers, her face still flushed red. The girl is clearly frozen. Strife¡¯s hand comes up to her mouth as she tries to stifle a laugh. Sweiza excuses herself with a bow to Strife and Lukas and quickly retreats below deck. Lukas looks from Strife to the Sprite. ¡°You don¡¯t have much respect for her, do you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s respect?¡± Lukas shakes his head in disapproval. ¡°I¡¯m surprised she puts up with you.¡± Lukas excuses himself back to the helm and Strife returns to her book. Sprite is left to wonder about the word. However, a seagull catches his attention. No fish? Too bad, seagull -is- still on the menu. ANBLII - Chapter 8 - The Legend of Lokisenna Day seven of their journey and Sweiza pesters Strife about the different books in her study. Strife finally relents. Ever since that day that her parent¡¯s house was slated, no commandeered and slated for demolition for Odin¡¯s canals, Strife vowed to get even. One of her ways of doing so is to study all manner of illegal enchantments no longer allowed in Valhalla. Odin himself maintains several double standards, including knowledge of the mystic ruins known as ¡°Futhark¡±. Sweiza doesn¡¯t get much time to respond when Strife produces a book on the matter. She gives it to Sweiza and tells her to keep it to study, but to return when she has memorized it. ¡°Why, what is so great about the ruins?¡± Sweiza is bewildered at the idea. Why should she learn something so¡­ superstitious? ¡°They are not superstition Vera. When transcribed in the right way, they serve as an enchantment. Odin himself uses them. He traded his eye to learn about them, or so the rumor goes.¡± ¡°What other rumors do you know?¡± Sweiza sits down crosslegged next to Strife. ¡°I know that certain nosey Valkyrie might be interested in learning about the occult, mysticism, pagan rituals, enchantments, arcana and other enchantments in the same fashion as her mentor.¡± Strife says it with some amusement. ¡°I highly doubt that. I like to do what is practical for my uses and experience.¡± Sweiza says it, quite arrogant as she closes her eyes and whips around. ¡°Even if it involves such things as to where we might be going?¡± Strife again says it with some amusement. Sweiza halts in her tracks and literally walks fast at pace backwards as she is side by side with Strife. ¡°Do tell.¡± Strife whips her hand out and produces a book. She hands it to Sweiza. ¡°Dragon Taxonomy - Spirit of the Dracokin¡±. Sweiza takes the book, then looks from it to Strife. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A book. Something to teach you about dragons. Take this one also.¡± Another one appears in Strife¡¯s hand. Sweiza with some curiosity takes it with her other hand. She looks at the cover. It says, ¡°Jotunher - The Land of the Giants.¡± Sweiza looks at the book and reluctantly takes it. She wills the other book in her other hand into her being. She is getting better at it, but it still takes a few tries to absorb it into herself. Her curiosity is on the book about Jotunher, that will be the location they go to. She closes her eyes, whips open the book faster than Strife¡¯s liking, and then she points at a random entry. She opens her eyes and looks at the entry. ¡°Lokisenna, the Verbal Duel of Loki.¡± Sweiza says it out loud. She looks up at Strife, ¡°Isn¡¯t he Odin¡¯s blood brother? I heard he was banished and not allowed to set foot in Midgard.¡± ¡°There are many rumors surrounding the shapeshifter known as Loki. I doubt it is a coincidence that entry came up considering that red aurora¡­¡± Strife points her finger up at the sky without looking away from Sweiza, ¡°¡­has been in the sky since it appeared.¡± Sweiza nods blankly. ¡°Will we run into him?¡± ¡°If it is not a random act, and it be an act of Salmira, count on it. Loki supposedly knows how Thor¡¯s Hammer is forged. We should find him closer to the realm of Jotunher. I¡¯m not sure of his exact location, but supposedly some of the inhabitants of Jotunher might be of some help. I¡¯ve also heard they might know how the hammer is forged, so perhaps we won¡¯t need his help. I don¡¯t know yet.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Lukas is out by this point. ¡°Pardon my interruption, but were you talking about Master Loki?¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk, Sweiza looks around. Sweiza is the first to speak, ¡°I heard he is a no good rabblerouser that causes trouble wherever he goes.¡± ¡°He is a legend in these parts, but perhaps that is because I¡¯m as far travelled as Jotunheim. I hear different things about him versus what you Midgardians might know.¡± ¡°Enchanting. Do tell.¡± Strife says it, curious. ¡°He has helped the gods many times. But he has also caused them just as much trouble. It is why he was banished. He is responsible for the death of one of Freya¡¯s sons.¡± Sweiza looks to Strife then back to Lukas. Lukas continues. ¡°Supposedly for what he did to Freya¡¯s son, Odin personally had him shackled as far from Midgard as he could; Jotunheim is considered the area by legend. He is shackled in a cave somewhere. A snake lies over his head that drips venom. He shapeshifts to avoid it most of the time, but the shackles hold him in check. When his powers as a god tire, his wife Sigyn holds a bowl to catch the venom. However, when it becomes full and while the god is still tired, the venom finally hits him. His trembling is what causes the earthquakes in Jotun, or so I gather.¡± ¡°Just how powerful is Loki?¡± Sweiza is intrigued by the shapeshifting. ¡°Not very dear. He is more of a trickster and tempter that runs amok or verbally insults people if he thinks he can get away with it.¡± Strife is quick to make that point before Lukas can speak. ¡°As a man of Midgard myself, I can agree with that statement. But I myself as a traveler of Jotun and Svarta, believe that the legends and hearsay of Loki¡¯s atonement are also at play. I¡¯m sure Master Loki wishes to atone for what he did to Baldr.¡± Strife is now standing. ¡°I doubt very much that Lord Odin would ever allow his bloodbrother back into Valhalla.¡± Now it is Lukas¡¯s eyebrows that shoot up. ¡°Perhaps. But Master Loki is well known for appearing to travelers to guide them on their way. I expect to meet him someday also. Perhaps I will make that fortune.¡± Lukas muses about it. Strife¡¯s arms cross. She looks at Lukas, and then to Sweiza, ¡°It will do you well not to concern yourself with such folly. From what I¡¯ve heard Loki is also known to guide people, rather I should say ¡®trick¡¯ them, on a path that might lead them to Niffleheim, or worse, Hel itself. There were rumors about this during the most recent war. I can only hope none of my friends were sent off to their fate by him.¡± Lukas visibly flinches. Sweiza tries to break the tension but Strife interrupts her. Strife eyes Lukas up once, ¡°It may be your ship, but she is my apprentice. I would prefer it if you did not discuss such fanciful nonsense as Loki and warp her mind. She is still young and foolish and has much to learn.¡± Lukas is about to say something, but Strife clicks her heals together. ¡°Do not stir the wrath of Valhalla.¡± Lukas nods and quickly bows. ¡°It was not my intent to discrupt a Valkyrie¡¯s business. My apologies. If you¡¯ll excuse me I must retreat to the helm and plot our course.¡± It is clearly a lie. Strife eyes him once. Sweiza quickly turns from the ¡®small shack¡¯ and back to Strife. Sweiza quickly changes the subject. ¡°So there are dragons in Jotunheim also? ¡°Vera, there are dragons on extreme ends of Midgard; those from Muspell and Jotunher, as well as those from Vanir and Alfgard.¡± Sweiza blinks several times. ¡°I thought I¡¯d heard that dragons were also out at sea.¡± ¡°You are thinking of Leviathans. They are wingless dragons, but part of the same family of creature.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Sweiza blinks once, but then enthusiastically pipes up, ¡°Dont dragons bring good luck?¡± ¡°Only those in the east. They are also a type of wingless dragon that can fly. I have not seen one personally.¡± Sweiza smiles, ¡°What about the dragons from ¡®our¡¯ area?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the legends about them being an ill omen are true, especially matters concerning the recent war.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Sweiza muses about it. ¡°Young apprentices should probably read books on the matter, rather than muse to their mentor. A better productive use of time I think. I would appreciate it if you would leave this one.¡± Strife sits back down on the chair at the bow of the ship. Sweiza mentions something about Loki. Strife sets her book down. One of her eyebrows cocks up at Sweiza. Sweiza gets the point, quickly bows and excuses herself to the lower deck. On her way there, she sighs. They have two more weeks of this to deal with. Hopefully she can avoid upsetting her mentor. For that matter, hopefully Lukas and Strife can keep the peace with each other. ANBLII - Chapter 9 - Jotunher, "The Land of the Giants" Time is marching on, except for a certain girl on a boat. The dolrums get to her. All she sees is ocean on the port (left) side of the ship, and the coast of Muspell on the starboard (right) side of the ship. Most of the coast is sand. She knew that Muspell is desert, but she had no idea it was this much. She had thought the lands of Myrkvellir, Svarta and Jotunher were in fact very close to Muspell; she now knows she is very mistaken. She doesn¡¯t know how to get through the next two weeks. Most of her time is spent moping around with nothing to do. When she gets bored enough she finally caves and takes to the training that Strife gives her. Different forms of cuts with a sword. Strife at points even participates. However, othertimes Strife pushes for the girl to take to reading, which she eventually obliges. Strife lends her different books and the two swap them when Sweiza is finished. Just how many books does Strife have anyway? Strife won¡¯t tell her. Sweiza begins to wonder about how many secrets does Strife have. Perhaps if she can¡¯t find out now, two hundred years in the future, a much older Strife would part with some of them. But then again, Strife might hold many more that she is unwilling to share. Sweiza finally does pipe up, but she does it a bit different. ¡°Uh, Alice?¡± A surprised Strife looks up from her book. She isn¡¯t ready to be called that name. ¡°That name is a bit to formal for our relations. Please call me Alyssa. That is what friends call me.¡± Strife folds the book and otherwise remains stiff. Sweiza doesn¡¯t see the point in this. She¡¯ll try the name later. However, there is something else she is curious about. ¡°Lady Strife, was there any particular reason you might consider a different weapon than a sword?¡± Strife looks up at her. ¡°Swords are very good all purpose weapons. However, I feel they are also a beginner weapon. Even though it is a sword, I¡¯ve been considering using a rapier. They are quite fast. But under normal circumstances they are limited against armored foes. I¡¯ve considered acquiring an enchanted one that might be able to do just that.¡± Sweiza twitches her right cheek at the words. ¡°No, what I meant was, in the future you use a lance.¡± Strife is standing now. ¡°Remind me to ask you about what other things you remember about me. But for now, yes, I have considered using a spear or a lance as a backup weapon. They have a great range, but are rather unwieldly unless in the proper trained hands.¡± Strife half circles the girl once, ¡°Vorkera, why are you asking me about my weapon preference?¡± Busted. Sweiza freezes and then spits it out. Rather she produces the sword she has been using and gives it to Strife. Strife seems hesitant to hold it. However, when she does, she flip it over and eyes one of the crossguards once. ¡°You¡¯re telling the truth.¡± Sweiza stares absentmindedly at the woman. Strife turns the sword around and shows the crossguards to her. She points to several notches in it. ¡°Each notch represents fifty years.¡± Sweiza blinks and tilts her head. Strife stares up in disbelief and hands the sword back to Sweiza. Strife pulls out the same sword. Wait, the same sword? Sweiza does a double take. Strife is most certainly holding the same sword. Strife turns it around and shows Sweiza the crossguard. It is missing the notches. ¡°This was Sigurd¡¯s sword. Perhaps I knew you were my daughter in the future.¡± Oh. That. Is all that Sweiza thinks. She simply nods at Strife. She bows, clicks her heels together and walks off. She feels stupid for having asked. ¡ª On the eighth day of their journey, it is in the evening, shortly after dinner, that Sweiza has volunteered to serve as a lookout. Granted there will not be much to see, but using Strife¡¯s spyglass, she should be able to find something interesting. In fact, she is¡­ ¡°Starla, prepare yourself!¡± Sweiza turns around. An ominous sight. Strife swings her spyglass around the girl¡¯s legs in the area behind her knees. She is tumbled backwards. This is not what she is expecting. Sweiza is left to look up at Strife staring down at her, spyglass in hand. She hands it down to the girl. Sweiza stands up and dusts herself off. The deck of this ship isn¡¯t exactly the cleanest thing in the world. She¡¯ll need to make a note to clean it later. However, there is the matter of Strife. ¡°Strife, that wasn¡¯t called for!¡± ¡°Vera, we are entering into unfamiliar territory. Being on guard for the worst is -always- called for.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes wince up and she chews the involuntary words with gritted teeth. She says nothing as her eyes narrow at the woman. ¡°If that is your answer Vera¡­¡± Strife clicks her heels together, about faces and turns around. She doesn¡¯t get very far. ¡°Valkyrie Strife!¡± Strife immediately stiffens, but is definitely perked with interest; Sweiza cannot see the latter. ¡°Prepare yourself!¡± Sweiza charges her with nothing but the spyglass. She swings it hard. It will hit her in the arm. Strife hear¡¯s the direction of her footsteps. She is half turned. The spyglass is close to connecting. Strife¡¯s gauntlet appears on her left arm to deflect the blow. Strife¡¯s other gauntlet appears with a short sword in hand. It is pointed at Sweiza¡¯s face. This stance is held for some seconds - spyglass to gauntlet, gauntlet and knife to face. This time feels like an eternity to Sweiza, especially from the expressionless face on Strife. Sweiza finally does the unthinkable. There is a puddle running down her leg to the deck below. Strife looks from Sweiza¡¯s face to the ground below. ¡°We¡¯ll need to condition and harden you for the better.¡± Sweiza sees an opportunity and knees Strife in the leg. Strife promptly drops the knife. Sweiza isn¡¯t much worse for wear as she feels pain in her knee from the maneuver. Strife is crouched down massaging her knee, Sweiza takes a step back and promptly drops. Sweiza¡¯s eyes fill with alarm as Strife reaches for the knife again. She expects another maneuver, but the knife disappears with Strife¡¯s gauntlets. Still cradling her knee, Sweiza watches as Strife stands back up and takes a slight bow at her. ¡°I look forward to more of these exercises.¡± Strife turns around and walks off; but she pauses momentarily. ¡°I hope we will -both- benefit from them in the future. Good day young lady.¡± Strife gives a slight over her shoulder look at the girl and walks off. Sweiza simply sticks her tongue out at her. Most of the pain gone in her knee now, she grabs the spyglass from the deck. If she knows Strife as well as she does from the future, her younger counterpart will have a thing or to to say if Sweiza does -not- do a duty she volunteered for. At least today was interesting¡­ ¡ª Dinner on the ninth night turns up an interesting conversation. It is during these moments that Sprite is finally granted access to sugar. Lukas remarks that the poor boy seems to have quite the appetite. Sweiza assures him the boy is a bottomless pit of the worst type. Word gets around between the four of them about marriage. Strife is a widow, Lukas has a family, Sprite is considered exiled and excommunicated, Sweiza has Lester. Sprite doesn¡¯t waste a beat. ¡°Those two were always edging each other into trouble!¡± ¡°Sprite!¡± Sweiza drops her fork and points an accusing finger at him. She doesn¡¯t waste any time drinking what is powdered milk mixed with water. She promptly slaps the mug down quicker than Lukas would like. His poor dishes! Sweiza stands up and glares down at him, wiping what liquid is left on her face. ¡°You lil¡¯ shit! You keep your mouth shut if you know what is good for you!¡± Sprite flies up from the table. ¡°This is why you were never allowed to sit at the table with Mama and Papa!¡± Sprite bobs up and down and then sticks his tongue out at her. Lukas grins at the display, but it is Strife giggling that gets everyone¡¯s attention. She is leaning with her elbows on the table, and her hands clasped together supporting her chin. The act is quite deliberate. ¡°Perchance Vera would entertain the prospect of a Guardian in her life instead.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head cocks at Strife hard; her eyes shoot daggers into the woman. ¡°A Guardian. You know, a Sentinel.¡± ¡°One of those monstrosities?¡± ¡°Oh, they aren¡¯t always like that my dear.¡± Strife waves a hand at the girl before clasping it hand to hand and under her chin again. Strife¡¯s head shifts to the side and the teasing continues, ¡°They do start out as men. Male Valkyrie, you know, Valken.¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms cross and her head cocks in the other direction. ¡°They¡¯re just so long lived Vera. They would be a good match for you. A troublemaker with a well behaved Guardian. Hand in hand, dagger in despair.¡± Sweiza turns around at the woman. She isn¡¯t sure to be upset, continue glaring at her, or to rebuke the woman. Sweiza is clearly wide eyed and nerved. However, she does something unexpected and chooses to diminish her anger and sit herself down gracefully at the table. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Lukas, could you pass the fish?¡± A big smirk crosses Strife¡¯s face. Lukas delighted, raises a plate of fish to her. The plate is promptly jerked away as Sprite tries to dive bomb it. He tries a second time and Sweiza catches him with her hand. She sets him down on the table, but doesn¡¯t release her grip; the plate tilts sideways as the remaining fish slice drops to her own plate. One of her eyes closes and she cocks the other open at Strife. Strife merely lets out a giggle at her. Lukas is clearly amused at this. The banter of two maidens is all the company he needs for this voyage. ¡ª The tenth day finally turns up something interesting. An excited Sweiza runs to the ¡®shack¡¯ and interrupts Strife and Lukas. ¡°Vera, whatever is the matter?¡± Asks a concerned Strife. ¡°A volcano! It¡¯s much bigger than Mount Surt!¡± She quickly points towards the starboard (right) of the ship. Lukas looks up and simply shakes his head. Sweiza grabs onto Strife and starts attempting to pull her out to the deck of the ship. Strife reluctantly looks at Lukas and finally follows the girl outside. Sure enough, there is a big volcano. Strife herself is both bemused and impressed by it. Sweiza simply gawks at it, then to Strife for her reaction. ¡°Yes, it is a rather large volcano. Supposedly the slumber of Surt is here as long as it is dormant.¡± Now it is Sweiza¡¯s turn to be confused. ¡°The giant that causes Ragnarok? I thought Surt was the name of the dragon at Mount Surt in Dawez near Maria.¡± ¡°Who do you think they are named after?¡± Strife says it amused. Sweiza is not impressed. ¡°What is the volcano¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Mount Surt of course.¡± Strife says it, expectations high in her reaction from Sweiza. It doesn¡¯t fail to disappoint. Sweiza just stares at her and the volcano. ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°There is more than one Mount Surt, there are at least four I believe, one in Midgard, Muspell, another in Niffleheim and then another in Vanir. This one, however, is of special interest to us.¡± Sweiza nods enthusiastically. Strife continues, ¡°If the legends be true, Surt is a massive giant with a large flaming sword that rains destruction from above. He will most surely bring about Ragnarok at some point.¡± Sweiza shudders at the word. Her people, and most people throughout the land know what the fabled ¡®Ragnarok¡¯ is. Sweiza is clutching onto Strife¡¯s arm at this point. Strife looks down at her bewildered and disapproving. She shakes the girl loose. ¡°Really young lady. You need to behave your enthusiasm and stay your boisterousness. Do you really want to wake Surt with your rambunctious and impulsive attitude?¡± Sweiza quickly shakes her head. ¡°Good. Now if we¡­¡± Strife stops the minute Lukas is out on deck. He has overheard part of the conversation. He gives it no attention, remembering full well Strife¡¯s warning from before. ¡°As it is, this is our first point of interest. We travel southwest to reach Jotunheim.¡± Lukas¡¯s arms are crossed. This journey is almost half over. He¡¯d have to wait while the maiden¡¯s did their thing, then he would head back to Muspell Harbor to collect his bounty and reason why he agreed to this frivalous journey. He merely doesn¡¯t tell them that. Valhallan Brandy is rather hard to come by in the western regions. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not familiar with this region; I¡¯ve only seen it on maps. Have we crossed the point of Svarta?¡± Strife says it, her arms and eyes closed in thought. ¡°Indeed Madam Valkyrie.¡± Sweiza just blinks. She¡¯s heard of the area, but has never been this far. She had always thought Jotunher, Svarta and Myrkvellir were bordering Muspell. She¡¯ll have to check the map in the ¡®shack¡¯ later. Lukas¡¯s affirmation is clear, ¡°In about four or five days we should reach Jotunher. However, there are no known ports. We¡¯ll have to anchor close to shore and take a dingy.¡± Sweiza is about to open her mouth, but she feels a nudge from behind her. Strife is slightly hunged over at eye level. Her eyes are peaking behind Sweiza¡¯s shoulder. Is this the same woman? Sweiza looks over at the direction of Strife¡¯s finger. It is pointing to a small boat on the starboard side. Strife is picking up on Sweiza¡¯s mannerisms and her bewildered questions it seems. Sweiza looks up in disbelief. She looks back to Strife. The woman has composed herself again. ¡°And Lady Vorkera, do be wise when we enter Jotunher. It is largely untammed country with all manner of beasts.¡± Strife says it with her arms crossed and eyes closed. That part doesn¡¯t bother Sweiza, it is that the woman is nodding matter of factually. Sweiza is about to stick her tongue out, but Lukas pipes up. ¡°Master Loki¡¯s influence can be felt throughout the three southern continents, but will become especially noticeable as we approach the giant¡¯s kingdom. Be sharp and weary for anything and especially in your dreams. As Odin is to Midgard, Loki is to Jotunher and her kin.¡± Lukas says it sharply to the Valkyrie, but especially eyes Sweiza. Sweiza simply nods. ¡ª- On day eleven, the most unfortunate of occurances has befallen Sweiza. She now must act as Valkyrie Angst, or as Strife calls her ¡°Valkyrie Vorkera¡±. A full training regiment, different cuts, thrusts, blocks, guards, using her body as a weapon. This is tiring, and she must do it for as long as she¡­ ¡°Strife, I can¡¯t handle this anymore!¡± Sweiza drops her sword down. Her hands are sweaty inside her gauntlet. She swears she smells. In fact, she hasn¡¯t had a good bath for awhile. She¡¯ll need to remember to go for a swim once they hit land. ¡°Oh? I thought there were certain Valkyrie that wanted a mentor.¡± Strife says it, serious, but her eyebrows perk up with the slightest playfulness. ¡°¡­and it will do you well to respect your¡­ assets, or rather, mine in the future. Whatever.¡± Strife seems stuck on what to say on the matter. What was her future counterpart thinking anyway? That sword is an heirloom. But perhaps that is the reason. Whatever. ¡°Strife. I stink! This workout is making me hot and sweaty! I really need to go for a swim if I¡¯m to continue!¡± Strife lets out a devilish laugh; the back of her right hand covering her mouth. Sweiza feels a chill run down her spine, she doesn¡¯t like where this is going. Some moments later, Sweiza is in the ocean, or rather as Lukas has recently corrected her, ¡°Muspeller Sea¡±. An amused Strife looks down at the girl who is quit drenched. ¡°It¡¯s not funny pushing me overboard Strife!¡± Strife gives it no attention. Her idea was to put a rope around the main mast and tie one end to Sweiza¡¯s foot. While temping to keelhaul her for all of the trouble that she causes her, Strife thought better of it. Instead she simply said she agrees the girl needs a bath¡­ then pushed her overboard. For once, Sweiza gets some ¡®playtime¡¯ in. Sprite is quick to join her. The two most certainly take their time. Strife gives it no attention. Something else requires her attention and direction. ¡ª- Paddling around the boat, Sweiza is interrupted by Sprite. He wears a big smile on his face and motions towards the deck. There is a rope ladder, but he blocks her path. Instead, he smiles again. He motions for her to go around to the otherside of the boat towards the front. She does as directed and follows him. He motions for her to stay out of sight. He then points to his ears and the deck above. She looks up. Strife is talking with someone. ¡°Yes, but you do understand. I can¡¯t call a Sentinel out this far. I mean, it is feasible and they would most likely grant the request, but Odin will have questions. I don¡¯t think the Asgard would likely appreciate the request either.¡± There is a muffled voice. It sounds like a low growl. ¡°Yes, but dragon fire is easier to dispense in your case. You also have some of the items that¡­¡± Strife stops. The muffled voice gets louder, it is quite upset. To Sweiza, it sounds like sand scraping. She remembers it from somewhere. She finally hears it. ¡°¡­this nonsense will be the end of you...¡± It sounds like Surt the dragon. She remembers her last encounter. Quite embarassing. ¡°She¡¯s my daughter! What would you do?¡± Strife says it quite distressed. The voice of the dragon is again muffled. ¡°Would you turn your back on family? We had a deal!¡± Sweiza hears the voice again, it is rather disgruntled but agreeable, ¡°Fine. Sway time. It will take time to get there.¡± Strife says something indistinguishable. The dragon voice says it loud and in defiance, ¡°That mess to the south is a human problem.¡± Sweiza hears Strife¡¯s heels click together and then her voice, ¡°I am in your debt. I won¡¯t forget this Surt.¡± There is more rustling of the sand voice. Sweiza looks from the direction of the voice on the deck and then to Sprite. Sweiza motions with her head to move. They move to the other side of the boat. ¡°I think she was using that Scriving thing again.¡± Sprite perks up at ¡°Scriving¡±. ¡°You mean ¡®Scriving Mirror¡¯? Those are expensive. If you can get one, it will let you communicate all over Midgard.¡± Sweiza also perks at the thought. She nods. She will have to get one. One of those ¡®Penchants¡¯ would also be nice. She¡¯ll need to ask, no ¡®pester¡¯ Strife to give up the secrets of one. Perhaps it can be made¡­ ¡ª The next four days pass by without incident. Sweiza has taken to her training regiment on the grounds she can get a saltwater bath - without Strife¡¯s meddling of course. Sweiza did hope to eavesdrop on Stife, but she has largely kept to herself and her reading. She does perk up if it means bossing Sweiza around concerning her studies of dragons and ¡®Futhark¡¯. Sweiza finally drops ¡®Futhark¡¯ as a curse, Strife is not impressed. That indent gets her thrown into the drink again with a laughing Strife. At least the woman¡¯s spirit isn¡¯t deterred. Lukas on the other hand, has kept to himself in the ¡®shack¡¯. He rarely comes out unless it is for fishing, something he has largely left to Sweiza at this point. The few times he did come out, he merely scans around the ship. When asked he merely commented about maintenance on his ship needing to be checked on. Sweiza simply nods. Is he concerned about Loki? On the final day, they see leaves in the wind. A wind? A rather chilly one. Jotunher is supposed to be cold, but it also looks like a storm might be brewing. When she is allowed to look through Strife¡¯s spyglass, she confirms what Strife has conferred with her. Land. Jotunheim is just off the bow of the ship. ¡°Finally!¡± Sweiza says it with some enthusiasm. Strife simply shakes her head at the girl. Sweiza cannot figure out the problem. It is only Lukas that confirms what Strife already knew. They will not be landing that night. It would be dangerous to do so. They will instead anchor for the night. Even then, the next morning Strife and Sweiza would be on their own and would take a dinghy to shore; Lukas would stay on the ship for the duration of their land travels. His ship, his rules, but more importantly it is a matter of safety. Traveling by foot to get back to the southeastern most harbor in Midgard would require traversing land across four continents, one of which includes Niffleheim. It is simply out of the question. Sweiza finds the anchor mechanism weird. A spinning mechanism via wood around the mast. It would explain what the spokes sticking out of the wheel were. The rope could be slowly wound up or released depending on the direction the spokes were turned. Sweiza volunteered. Turns out the rope ran under the floorboards through the ceiling of the lower deck and then joined to an anchor on the side of the ship - or so Lukas says. Sweiza still doesn¡¯t believe it, but it is a clever way of an anchor mechanism. Then again, she has no idea how sailor¡¯s do things, she only knows what she has learned. When the three of them return to the upper deck¡¯s cabin, they are surprised to see a familiar red haired woman wearing red glasses; her red, white and pink uniform is unmistakable. Sweiza and Strife recognize her as Salmira; Lukas has heard of her, but he says nothing. ¡°You humans and this need to make merriment while you eat. Perhaps it is for the better. I¡¯m here to warn you about Loki.¡± Salmira pushes up her glasses for effect. ¡°He is not what you think, but then he is as your thoughts believe; he is what you know and then some. Your thoughts will deceive you, as will he. Don¡¯t be surprised if he uses them against you.¡± Salmira is standing from her chair at this point. She continues to look at one of the shelves without directly looking at them. This is more for effect; she doesn¡¯t need to see them as much as she can feel and sense their presence. ¡°Why warn us about what we already know?¡± Lukas is the first to speak up. He isn¡¯t going to be trifled with on his own boat; legendary goddesses be damned. ¡°As much as they should be concerned about you, puppet of Loki.¡± Salmira faces the group. Her eyes are a distinct blue, but they flash red when she says puppet of Loki. Lukas takes several steps back behind Sweiza and then Strife. The Valkyrie might be able to protect him. Maybe. Strife isn¡¯t phased. ¡°Your aurora has followed us here and there since the harbor. State your business and begone.¡± Salmira¡¯s right cheek comes up, ¡°Loki is a super computer like Odin. He is, ¡®Logical, Omnidirectional, Kinetic, Intelligence¡¯ personified.¡± Sweiza catches the acronym, ¡°His name is an acronym like Odin?¡± Salmira taps her glasses, ¡°Very good. If Odin is to intelligence, wisdom and predicting events of the future, then Loki serves his own interests of being able to guide direction, shapeshift and set future events into motion.¡± Sweiza again catches something, ¡°Isn¡¯t Thor also the other god in our culture?¡± Salmira nods once. ¡°Is Thor one of those kom¡­pyuu¡­ters?¡± Salmira again nods. ¡°You guessed it kid. However, Thor¡¯s being was sacrified because of the likes of Loki. That essence has been spread out throughout what you call Sentinels. It is why that country is called the Kingdom of Thor.¡± ¡°And what of his hammer?¡± Strife says it more to the point. ¡°The art of creation of his hammer is lost on me. I only appear in times of need or in reference to things important. However, Loki is the one that gave him said hammer. It¡¯s material was melted down into a carrier for that iron race. However, another one can easily be forged.¡± ¡°Lady Salmira, how do we get to Loki¡¯s final resting place in that ¡®torture chamber¡¯?¡± Salmira shakes her head at the word ¡®torture chamber¡¯, ¡°It is in the furthest crest southeast from Midgard, but on the northwest tip of Jotunheim. You will have to travel into woodland several days journey. I can point you in the direction. He knows of your presence here, yet he doesn¡¯t know why. Use that penchant device of yours to follow his black heart to his ¡®torture chamber¡¯ as you call it. That will be all.¡± All three of them see their surroundings flash into a white light and then fade back to their normal colors. Salmira is gone just the same. All three of them look at each other, they have their work cut out for them. For now, their priority is getting a meal into their guts, setting up anchor and getting a good night¡¯s sleep for the day ahead of them. Strife keeps a close eye on Lukas. She already had her suspicions about him, but Salmira calling him a puppet also has her doubly concerned. However, she reminds herself that the two of them will need him to get back home safely. Hopefully she will not need for that backup insurance the requested from Surt. Time will tell. ANBLII - Chapter 10 - The Shackles of Lokis Treachery The dreamworld takes Sweiza peacefully. Despite their current ¡®mission objective¡¯, she feels completely safe. Perhaps it is because she is in good company. Speaking of good company, she is prepared for what awaits her in the dreamworld. She is sitting on the chair at the bow of the ¡®Gigas Dura¡¯. She sweeps the ocean and then the landscape with Strife¡¯s spyglass. Crystal clear skies all around; woods stretch clear up to the beach. Untamed country indeed. She smiles and muses to herself until she turns the spyglass to something blocking her view. She lowers the spyglass from her position of leaning over; she looks up. It is Demi. He doesn¡¯t speak. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me what I desire?¡± Sweiza says it half cocky. She turns her body away from him as she does so. Demi says nothing. Sweiza turns back around. She sees him gazing off into the woods. He turns around to face her. He looks as though he is about to say something, but he is shaking. Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow as she points his finger at her. ¡°You stu¡­¡± She stops. Demi motions at something behind her. She turns her head around. She sees it. White hair, and blackness where the eyes should be. It is slowly coming out of the ocean. She turns around to Demi for help, but he is gone. She turns back around. She quickly runs for the cabin. Where are Strife and Lukas? Wait, this is a dream. No, a nightmare! She sees it deep in her consciousness. The being slowly rising from the lake. It has an ugly long nose, its face looks flushed from drinking too much. It¡¯s hair is tied into a long pony tail. It continues to emerge upward. Sweiza feels the whole ship rock. She knows in herself that the whole ship has been picked up by the thing¡¯s hands. It¡¯s a giant! It¡¯s now waist high out of the water. It is covered in nothing more than an animal skin vest, wearing a necklace of wolf teeth. Are those teeth of the Fenris Wolf? She doesn¡¯t have time to mull it. The giant continues to emerge until the tops of its boots are just out of the water. They have a lining of fur on them. Maybe they are winter boots? Again she is jolted back to reality as she feels the boat rocking. She hides herself under the table. But she stifles a scream as she sees that terrible thing¡¯s black eye sockets looking through the cabin¡¯s window. It¡¯s hand changes position around the ship. She sees the view of his face raise above the boat; he must be lowering it. She sees his other arm and his legs moving. He is walking towards shore! She feels a huge jolt and things in the cabin are thrown about. She doesn¡¯t see it from the cabin, but she sees it in her own mind¡¯s eye. The giant has stopped. He looks down at his free hand. A chain appears on it. A giant and mighty chain. He tries to pull against it, but it holds firm. Sweiza sees something else. It is the eyes of an alligator, wait, no a serpent. A leviathan? Is it Jormungand? The thing slowly rises from the water at the giant¡¯s feet. It coils itself around his leg and his body. It¡¯s coils appear all over the giant. The boat is dropped in free fall. Sweiza sees in her mind that this is indeed the legendary serpent ¡°Jormungand¡±. It has wrapped itself around him entirely and leans its head above Loki. It¡¯s mouth opens and venom drips from its fangs. The giant cannot be seen, but the form of his body coiled by the massive serpent shakes and flails. The ocean moves with deliberation and swells and waves rock the boat and landscape. An earthquake, the ground is shaking! The chains stretching from the ocean to inside the coils of the serpent, begin to glow with a white and yellow light. The chain shrinks to within the serpent. A strange shape extends from the coil¡¯s of the snake. It appears to be some kind of boomerang, but a very strange lookig onen. It has a pole sticking out of it. Wait, no, it is a hammer. It¡¯s Thor¡¯s Hammer. It glows with a white light as it raises and crashes down into one of the coils of the serpent. Sweiza hears a scream¡­ And then a shuffle and commotion. ¡°Vera!¡± The voice rouses her attention, and she lets out a murmur. ¡°Vera!¡± She again murmurs. She feels something touching her shoulders. She feels a sharp pain across her cheeck. She snaps to and the surroundings change. Her eyes jump to alert status and she bolts up. As she hits her sitting position, her forehead narrowly misses Strife. ¡°Vera, you were screaming. Did you have a bad dream?¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen as the mental fog and the fogginess of her eyesight slowly come to. Sweiza simply nods. ¡°What was it about?¡± ¡°I saw a giant pick up the ship. He became ensared in a chain as he tried to walk with the ship towards land. He became caught in Jormungand¡¯s coils also. The giant¡¯s chains formed into what I think was Thor¡¯s Hammer and he brought it down upon the serpent and then I started to feel pain. Sweiza reaches up towards her cheek with her left hand. She narrows her eyes at Strife. ¡°You chose to stay in a bad dream and not the land of the living.¡± Strife stretches her fingers as she says it. ¡°What did the giant look like?¡± Lukas says it with some suspicion. ¡°A white pony tail, a long nose, his face was flush like he was drunk. There was blackness where his eyes should be.¡± Lukas¡¯s eyes close as he nods and his arms cross. Sweiza continues, ¡°He had an animal hide vest on with fur towards the neck cuff. His boots also had fur on them, but he was so large his boots were only just barely above water level. What else? He had a necklace of wolf teeth; I think maybe from the ¡®Fenris Wolf¡¯? His pants seem tanned like any other set I¡¯ve seen. Do you know of him?¡± Lukas opens his eyes and his face looks grim. ¡°That is Master Lokisenna. He knows we are here.¡± ¡ª Early that morning went as the two Valkyrie expected. Lukas refused to join them ashore; this isn¡¯t his mission, but more importantly his ship cannot move to far inland. Instead, it will need to be anchored while they take one of the lifeboats (dinghy as Lukas calls it) to shore. Then the two are on there own. And then they were on their own. Sweiza is the first off of the small boat. ¡°Vera, come back here, help me pull this ashore!¡± Sweiza turns back to her mentor. The boat is already ashore, why woul¡­ ¡°Vera, it¡¯ll drift off. Get back here!¡± With nothing better to do. Sweiza simply starts walking backwards. Strife is not amused. ¡°Vera, this is not the time to be doing this! This is wild country and Loki is about us. Stay vigilant!¡± Sweiza rolls her eyes. Loki is a forgotten legend chained up in a cave. Nightmares be damned. Strife is aleady out of the boat with her back turned to Sweiza. She doesn¡¯t catch the eyeroll. Sweiza does help her pull the small lifeboat ashore. Sweiza is ready to head off in the direction of the woods again. Strife readily grabs her by her arms. Sweiza turns around with her hand midswing to slap her across the face. Strife¡¯s gauntlet catches it. Strife hold the girl firmly restraining her hand; her armored gauntlet comes crashing into the girl¡¯s ribs. The girl has no time to be surprised as he body slackens and her arms come down to the tender spot on her ribcage. She looks up with her eyes watering at Strife. Strife is tapping her foot with her arms crossed; a deliberate and displeased expression adorns the woman¡¯s face. ¡°That nightmare of your¡¯s is a premonition of the future. I¡¯m not going to warn you again. Next time you can stay behind. I will not help you if you get into trouble.¡± Strife¡¯s arms drop. Her heels click together. She sets off for the woods without Sweiza. Sweiza is left to mull her bitter contempt. Then the thought fills her mind, a nightmare and a premonition? Maybe Demi? He has helped her before. Maybe a premonition of the future? And what of Loki then? Would this tricker give them visions of ill omen and ruin? Sweiza looks down. Her arms are craddled. The pain in her ribs has subsided. She quickly fushes up to Strife. One thing is clear. This Strife is just as potent as her older counterpart in the future. These confrontations will be avoided in the future. ¡ª Originally Odin was simply content to hunt with his Fenris Wolves Gerri and Frekki. They were well known for their keen sense of smell and always being able to bring him to a kill. While it is true they were loyal to a fault, they had one flaw. They names meant ¡®the ravenous one¡¯ and ¡®the greedy one¡¯ for a reason. They were relentless in their chase. Odin often had trouble pulling them back from their frenzy once they located his quarry. Once the spear of Gungir finished the hunt, Odin often had trouble controlling the reigns of the two wolves. More often he would have to give up one of his trophy kills in order to satiate them. Odin was content with this for a time. But he wanted more. The world was vast. It was his creation. There were nine realms to explore. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Within his domicile, at the top floor of the highest tower, a special chamber would be constructed to enhance vision and bring clairvoyance to the nine realms. A high seat would be created for the all father to sit in. No less enchanted, this seat would be constructed of wood imported from the land of Vanir. The world is a chaotic place, and Odin soon learned that amassing the world¡¯s news was a very chaotic and precarious affair. It was too much information. The land soon learned of his new pets, ¡°Huginn and Muninn¡±. They earned the nicknames of ¡®Thought¡¯ and ¡®Memory¡¯ for a reason. They could be seen flying over head, almost hovering at points, and nosing into the affairs of humans throughout Midgard. They would cross through the treachery of chaos and bring order to this knowledge. It would then be brought to Odin. During one of their travels, the ravens located one of the roots of Yggdrasil. Odin set out with his wolves. One week of misery and they found it. However, no sooner did Odin turn his back and the root disappeared. Perplexed, he put out a reward for anyone that may find it. It soon became legend that the Yggdrasil¡¯s wood was haunted, as the roots always disappeared the minute people left. Finally a special chain was constructed. Odin would have the root anchored down. However, when he turned his back, it too disappeared. Odin¡¯s forms became many as he grieved that something could elude his wolves and ravens. How could something outsmart a god? This went on for decades. Huginn and Munnin multiplied in number, but they were attributed to the same ravens. They found Yggdrasil¡¯s many appearances over the years. More people learned of its existence. The so called ¡°Tree of Life¡± or ¡°World Tree¡± was thought to be a legend. Odin hatched his plan. He¡¯d climb the damn thing! Supposedly the legends state that anyone that climbed the roots and then descended on another, would find themselves in a distant land. Odin wanted this knowledge for himself. However, others in other lands had beaten him to it. When he finally climbed the roots, he found himself in the land of Jotunher. With one of the roots inside a small lake, he found himself suddenly thirsty. He takes a sip and feels the knowledge of the world pouring within his being. He needs this for his moat and high seat. However, for the time being, he would ¡®bathe¡¯ in this enchanted water and imbue himself with it. However, no sooner does he fashion a bucket when he finds himself snared and hanging upside down and naked from the root of the world tree itself. The voice finally asks, ¡°Who trespasses in my well?¡± Odin¡¯s voice booms, but the giant isn¡¯t deterred. ¡°None may drink from Mimir¡¯s well without a sacrifice.¡± Odin thinks, he is the all knowing. His spear always hits its mark. Ah! He only needs one eye if he had the knowledge of the well. And so it was written into legend. The giant Mimir outsmartd the allfather and took out his eye for his own (Mimir¡¯s) purposes. Odin was allowed to drink and bathe to his soul¡¯s content. He knew about events that would transpire. Terrible events that would yield the destruction of the world. Known in the modern language as ¡°The Twilight of the Gods¡±, the Ragnarok would be the end of civilization. Odin would not allow this. He would predict a thousand events and outpredict a thousand events. But he needed more clairvoyance of forethought. Again at the ¡°Well of Mimir¡±, he needed water. Again a trade. Odin thinks. His beard is much too valuable. The Spear of Gungir could not be traded, it would violate something people see as a good open. Ah! What if he spared land of Jotunher his word as law? Perhaps a place untamed without his presence, a type of nature preserve. Mimir did not agree with this. Rather, it would be this and more. Odin agreed. Mimir¡¯s well would be outside of Odin¡¯s rule. Mimir would hold sole jurisdiction. However, from that point on, only Odin or Mimir would be allowed to use the well. ¡­and so his high seat with enhanced reaching vision. All was well, until his son Balder started having nightmares about his (Balder¡¯s) impeding death. This was impossible! Such foolishness! Baldr of all the gods was the most beautiful and favorite of said gods. How could anyone want to kill him? It was only a bad dream, but fate was set and Odin already predicted a thousand outcomes and predicted ways to prevent a thousand outcomes. He sat on his high seat for weeks at a time. He finally knew what would come of his son, but more importantly why it would lead to Ragnarok. ¡ª Frigg (Odin¡¯s wife) found it an odd question from the maid. Why were only certain plants allowed within the palace walls of Castle Gungir? Frigg didn¡¯t answer. The only fact that mattered is that just as Odin¡¯s word is law throughout Midgard, so too she held absolute authority within the castle. Odin himself could not compete. This lead to many games between the gods, often including wagers over fate. The maid learned of these games. She hatched a plan to reveal the truth. The fallen were only allowed to be male. They were the warriors, the women were the housekeepers. This was not fair, so explains the maid to Frigg that this was her (Frigg¡¯s) domicile and her word is law. Simply put, women, especially those born of godblood, should be allowed at the table of the fallen. Odin disagrees. However, the maid hatches another plan. A drinking contest between the fallen, warriors and civilian alike. The results didn¡¯t matter. What did matter was getting Frigg drunk and getting an answer out of her. Her son had been having disturbing dreams. She used Odin¡¯s knowledge of future events to understand why her son thought he would die. It was uncertain, but it was said to be the spear of Gungir itself. This made no sense. So instead, she would outsmart fate. All beings would swear field loyalty to Odin and swear a blood oath not to harm her son. However, there was one plant she overlooked. Not native to Midgard, it was unusual to find it to begin with. It was mostly confined to the continent of Jotunher. It was also in the lands outside of Odin¡¯s influence, so she ignored it. Surely Balder would be even more invulnerable than he was before. When the blind god Hodr raised his spear, it was a dazzling sight. However, the euphoria wore off as horror set in. The spear struck Balder. He fell. His health waned from the poisoned spear. It didn¡¯t take long, but the spear¡¯s tip was found to be made of Mistletoe. Loki was the one that handed the spear to Hodr and goaded him into throwing it on the grounds the blind god ¡®shouldn¡¯t feel left out¡¯. Further, there were suspicions of the maid being Loki. His mischief knew no ends. Balder¡¯s fall would be the first step in Ragnarok. His invulnerability was supposed to stay this. But as horror set in, Loki had fled. Odin¡¯s son Hermod mounted his (Odin¡¯s) eight legged steed ¡®Sleipnir¡¯ and traveled beyond the realm of Niffleheim to the underworld of Hel. A giant guarded a bridge, he answered her riddles correctly and was granted access to the queen of the underworld for which it was named, Hel. His plight was simple. Balder must be with the land of the living, otherwise Ragnarok would commence. Hel disagreed. Odin¡¯s law was not relevant here, this was her domicile and domain. However, Hel was not without grace. A great mourning within the land of Midgard to show his (Balder¡¯s) absence was felt and his presence was needed. Loki¡¯s guile and shapeshifting knew no bounds. As a giantess, as the leader of a growing cult of followers, there were those that did not want Balder¡¯s presence. Ragnarok should commence, and a new world order should arise. Namely, it would be Loki¡¯s influence. Known in legend as the giantess Tokk, in actuality a shapshifted Loki, she said ¡°Let Hel keep the damned.¡± Balder was forever cursed. Loki was not a welcome saint in the realm of Midgard, let alone Valhalla. However, Odin¡¯s word was law and he had sworn the two as blood brothers. Loki was to be unharmed. However, Loki was banished from the realm of Midgard. He was not heard from again until that fateful day when Njord held one of his famous feasts within his underwater halls. Loki crashed the ensemble. He was not impressed. Njord¡¯s underwater palace was well outside the limits of Midgard. In retaliation, he killed servant to the feast. He was ousted, but returned. Odin did recant. They were blood brothers. He was allowed to pull up a chair. But it was a ruse. His plan was set into motion. He stood up on the chair, planted one foot on the table and proclaimed his edict to all. His edict¡ª The goddess Gefjun slept with men for as little as a necklace; her compliments and prophecising were the words of a harlotte. Odin is guilty of practicing the magic of a woman; namely foretelling and prophecising. Odin is not a man, but a woman married to a woman (Frigg). Njord¡¯s walls were unholy; his mouth as foul as the unsavory naysayers that would urinate and defecate in it. Any of Loki¡¯s crimes he has committed were pale in comparison to the gods that would come to the feast of a god (Njord) who would sleep with his own sister to sire a son. The god Thor finally had enough and threatened Loki to shut his slander, otherwise his (Thor¡¯s) hammer would be brought to bear. Thor apparently was embarrassed by Loki¡¯s lips and the story of a glove. Loki finally left with enough threats as the gods grew angrier. He was finally banished from the realm and his existence as a blood brother by Odin denied. Odin ordered him captured. Thor and his legion of the slain (sometimes called the ¡®Fallen Warriors¡¯), found themselves with the trouble of the task of bringing the wily god to justice. Loki was as smart as he was crafty. In Jotunher, he constructed a house with four doors and four mirrors. They allowed him to see anything incoming, as well as any communication throughout the realm. He knew Thor¡¯s legion was coming. Now being a god, he didn¡¯t go without hunger. He wasn¡¯t smart as far as hunting, but he did know how to fish. So is his nature, he constructed an odd type of net to capture salmon in the nearby stream. From within his chamber of clairvoyance, Odin knew where Loki hid. But by the Thor and legion found him, they only found his campsite and the net. Thor knew of the wily shapeshifter¡¯s devices and threw the net into the stream. They caught him. The thundergod held onto the shapeshifter-now-salmon, and brought him to his final resting place in a torture chamber. As punishment, Loki¡¯s two sons were turned into a wolf and snake before his eyes. The snake and wolf killed each other. The dead snake¡¯s corpse was fashioned and enchanted into chains that bound Loki to a wall. The snake¡¯s head was fastened above him with its fangs dripping venom onto the mischief making god. His wife, while not rebelling from Valhalla entirely, agreed to help sooth the god¡¯s wounds by holding up a magic bowl with an endless bottom. Sometimes the bowl does fill up, and when it does and while she empties it, the venom from the snake drops down to Loki¡¯s face and he writhes in pain. Now these chains he is bound to are said to be indestructible, so when he writhes in pain and pulls against them, his might as a giant is felt throughout the land. These are where modern day Earthquakes come from. The chains have developed cracks in them over time, so the legend has become distorted. Eventually the god is said to break free from the chains and will summon (among others), Surt and his army to rain destruction throughout Midgard. The trickster god will finally have his revenge. ¡ª ¡°What did you think?¡± A curious and standing Strife says it, holding a stick with cooked game on it; A prize from their earlier hunt. Her form and especially face, lights up from the fire in a spooky form. Sweiza from her sitting position, simply continues poking the fire with a stick. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t paying attention. Sprite speaks up first. ¡°That was a stupid story!¡± Strife¡¯s head tilts forlorn. ¡°It¡¯s required reading for all Valkyrie. It would do you well to pay attention Vera, and -especially¡­¡± Strife points her stick with cooked game on it at the Sprite, ¡°¡­familiars of said Valkyrie.¡± Sweiza looks over at the stick. She looks away. She knows what is coming next. Strife realizes her mistake, but pulls the stick away too late. Sprite darts at it and takes off with his prize. Strife sees this as a learning experience, ¡°Much like my mistake with that pest¡­¡± She looks off and amused in the direction of the Sprite¡¯s flight path, but turns back to Sweiza, ¡°¡­you should pay attention to your surroundings. Loki is about us. This is his domain.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. Odin¡¯s rules don¡¯t apply here. Loki can change the realm as he sees fit, bla, bla.¡± Sweiza makes a face with her tongue, then points an accusing glare at Strife, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to punch me earlier!¡± Strife smirks. ¡°Maybe. But pain is an excellent motivator.¡± ¡°You were nice to me before!¡± Sweiza says it in defeat. ¡°Perhaps my future counterpart wanted to train you in an expedited fashion. Perhaps she knew terrible things would happen to you.¡± Strife says it with her arms crossed, a smirk of moral high ground on her face. ¡°That, that isn¡¯t true! In fact she¡­¡± Sweiza says it in dismay. ¡°It¡¯s a joke Sweiza. I thought you said I should have fun on occasion.¡± A smile slowly creeps on the Valkyrie¡¯s face. A wide eyes Sweiza simply tilts her head at the woman. She¡¯d been outsmarted by her mentor, again. ¡°I will see you in the morning Vera. Remember, no secrets between Valkyrie. If you have any strange dreams, you tell me about them. It make be a clue to Loki¡¯s location.¡± Strife attempts to walk off, but is interrupted by Sweiza. ¡°I still don¡¯t see how any of this has to do with forging Thor¡¯s Hammer.¡± Strife turns around, hands on her hips and a very creepy smile worn on her face illuminated by the fire, ¡°If legends be true, the very same chains that bind Loki¡¯s humiliation, are made of the same enchantment that were used to craft Thor¡¯s Hammer.¡± Sweiza tilts her head to the other direction, her eyes wide in disbelief. Her mentor smiles once and walks off towards their tent. Strife has won again. ANBLII - Chapter 11 - To Outtrick the Trickster ¡°Dear Diary, It is the eve of wedding with my betrothed. I have long waited for this day. Today I enchant with the grace of a woman. It will be sealed with a kiss. I could not be happier. I long for the days when we will at last have children. Thank you to fate for making this happen. Love Sweiza.¡± ¡ª It is down the wedding aisle in a white dress on her twenty-sixth birthday. In times past she would have reservations about this special day taking place in a church. However, she has fully accepted the newer movement of Christianity and converted. Her betrothed, Lester, waits for her at the altar with a priest. Vows are exchanged. The crowd cheers. Sweiza closes her eyes and leans in for a kiss. The warmth and tenderness of his lips. She pulls away and opens her eyes. A pair of yellow eyes stare back at her. She sees the green skin, the pointed ears. The ugly teeth hanging out of its mouth. She shrieks at the sight of the troll in front of her. She immediately bolts up from the dream. She looks down at Strife and starts shaking her. ¡°Strife! Wakeup! STRIFE!¡± ¡ª A groggy Strife lets out a grown. Sweiza¡¯s worried eyes stare down at her. Strife tries to roll over once and Sweiza starts pulling on her clothing. When that has no effect she nudges at her mentor¡¯s shoulder. Strife finally turns over to face the girl and then pushes herself to a sitting position. Her body and head tilt over -slowly- towards Sweiza¡¯s direction. A frantic Sweiza starts relaying her dream. Strife tells her, ¡°Go back to bed.¡± Strife huffs back down. It is going to be a long night. ¡ª ¡°Quite frankly Vera,¡± Strife takes a sip of coffee from what can only be described as a skin canteen. She winces at how bitter it is, all the better to wake her up in the cold morning air, ¡°There are all manner of goblins, trolls, orcs and ogres in giant country. The problem is, we don¡¯t know ¡®where¡¯ they are. They could be on the other side of the continent. Regardless, it would¡­¡± Sweiza interrupts her, ¡°do us well to pay attention to our surroundings. Loki is about us.¡± Sweiza says it in as high and mighty a voice as she can. She then looks down at her subjects in the dirt and stamps the ground with her boot for good measure. Strife half chokes on her coffee trying not to laugh. Sweiza¡¯s face drops into a surprised frown as she looks up. Strife pounds her chest once and twice and coughs a few times, ¡°Loki can feel our presence. He can feel the air disturbed. Sweiza cocks her head at her mentor, ¡°How do you know this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain it later. Let¡¯s go. We shouldn¡¯t stay in one area for too long. He¡¯ll probably launch more than one activity against us.¡± Strife¡¯s canteen disappears as she raises her arm. She walks past Sweiza. Sweiza¡¯s gaze follows her and her eyes narrow. Just how many items does that woman have within her being anyway? ¡ª Sometime during the day Sprite is some distance ahead of the two. His form glows a bright blue and his flight becomes erratic. It does not become unknown to Strife in so much as her eyes narrow. Her pace quickens, but she stops her paces when the blue Sprite makes a beeline for her and Sweiza. Strife¡¯s hands form a holding position as she takes one step forward; her sword appears in her hands. She raises her arms and the grip of the sword and lowers the tip slightly offset and behind her. Sprite comes flying towards them at a quicker pace. He seems to know what is going to happen because he flies straight up and past Strife and then slows and darts around behind her. Strife sees the small object trailing him. The broad side of her sword hits it and hard. A jar appears in her hand. She wastes no time in unscrewing the lid and propping it upside down on the ¡®thing¡¯. Sweiza takes one step forward and takes a look at the insect buzzing inside of it. She looks over at Sprite and Strife. ¡°Gadfly.¡± Sweiza looks at it quizzically. She has heard that term before. Her mouth betrays her. ¡°What the Frigg is a gadfly?¡± Strife looks up from her crouching position, her head turns and shoots Sweiza a nasty look. ¡°Lady Frigg would most certainly not be amused.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Sweiza turns her head and walks past Strife. She continues their previous direction of travel without another word. Strife shakes her head. She looks up at Sprite. ¡°Are you alright little one?¡± He has a welt that has formed on his shoulder, ¡°That nasty thing bit me!¡± Strife chuckles once and doesn¡¯t miss a beat, ¡°Perhaps you will consider not being so nasty yourself when you steal from others.¡± The surprised Sprite tries to regain his composure, it doesn¡¯t work. Instead he darts past Strife once. He turns around, pulls down both of his bottom eye lids with his fingers while sticking out his tongue; he bops up and down once and then flies off. A puff of air comes from Strife¡¯s mouth up to her hair. She looks up in disbelief, but in merriment, ¡°Horsefly.¡± The ¡®horsefly¡¯ flies up to the top of the jar in anger after Strife shakes it. She quickly lifts it and seals it with the lid. The jar disappears as she takes it into herself. This is one time she can bend the rules of transporting a living thing to her soul space. ¡ª- it is sometime later in the day. Strife is some paces ahead of Sweiza when she stops suddenly. Strife turns around to meet her student. "Vera, do you see that stag ahead of us?" Sweiza stops her footsteps and her gaze follows Strife''s hand. However, when Strife turns around to get her student''s feedback, she is less than amused. "Vorkera!" Sweiza''s attention finally snaps to from the strange pendant in Strife''s hand. Sweiza tries to think of what to say. She tries but nothing comes out. Strife scowls and pulls the talisman away. Sweiza feels herself drawn to it for some inexpicable reason. "Vera! Honestly, pay attention. Do not fall to the guile of this thing." Sweiza shake her head once and snaps to. "Strife, I don''t see any stag." Strife looks over to the former direction and location of the carribou stag. She repeatedly stamps her feet and her hands come to her head to grip her temples and alleviate her frustration. She finally lets out a groan of dismay. She shoots another scowl in Sweiza''s direction. Sweiza doesn''t understand what she did wrong. However, she finaly chances her original question. "Uh, Strife. I was curious abut tha..." Strife walks up to Sweiza. The girl finally shrinks. Strife holds up the pendant in front of her. Sweiza resists the urge to reach her hand to it. However, her eyes betray her. Strife finally raises it in front of her. The crystal in it shimmers white once and changes from a dull grey to green. Sweiza''s eyes shift over to Strife. Strife pulls it away from her. "We''ll talk about this talisman later. Understood?" Sweiza simply nods. "I try to avoid using this thing. It draws too mch unwanted attention and is nothing but trouble." Sweiza nods again However, her eyes again delve further than they should. The device''s crystal again flashes white ad turns green. Sweiza''s eyes stay fixed on the device. She is definitely enchanted by it. Strife pulls the device behind her ith a quick pull. Sweiza finally lets out an excited, but dismayed gasp as she takes one step forward and reaches out for it. Strife''s free hand shoots out and pushes against Sweiza''s shoulder and stops her. Sweiza looks up and sees Strife is shaking her head sternly at her. --- It is some hours of silence later and Sweiza slows her pace until she is aongside Strife. "What was the deal with the stag?" Strife stops, her arms cross and her eyes close as she looks down; her head instinctively nods. "Vera, have you wondered how I''ve known what direction we should move in?" Sweiza shakes her head. "This thing..." Strife pulls it out again. "Is a rather dangerous talisman. Are you familiar with it?" Sweiza shakes her head. Strife holds the device up to eye level in front of Sweiza. Sweiza''s eyes follow it as if hypnotized by it. Strife''s eyes narrow and she frowns her lips at the gir. Sweiza visibly shakes as Strife plls the device away. "Never fall under this thing''s spell! Is that understood Vera?!" Strife says it stern and distressed at the girl. I couldn''t stand the thought of fate snatching you away from me again" Sweiza stares wide eyed at her mentor. She knows what she means. She is refering to her as her daughter. However, her mind has wandered again. Strife puts her fingers in front of Sweiza''s face and snaps them several times. Sweiza''s attention snaps back to reality. "You read my diary didn''t you?" Sweiza nods. "Do you remember something about my late friend Skuld giving me an enchanted item before they became outlawed in Valhalla?" Sweiza nods. Strife holds up the pendant. She turns it to its side. It has the name ''Skuld'' etched into it. Strife holds up the front of the device to Sweiza''s eyes. It has has the half the side of a sun and moon etched into its face. Sweiza wonders where the crystal in it went. For that matter, she didn''t notice before that it looks very much like a gold watch. In fact, she hadn''t noticed that it was also attached to a gold chain in the form of a necklace. Strife almost knows what the girl is wondering a this point. She flicks the side of it with her thumb and the sun and moon emblem moves as the protective cover of the device swings to the side. Sweiza''s eyes blink once. She see for a split second a blinding white light from the device. She swears it is her imagination. She blinks again. It is indeed a watch, but it has multiple clock hands when it should have three at most. There is a crystal at the center. The crystal flashes white and then changes to a bright green. This time Strife holds it at the top of the chain and dangles it in front of Sweiza at chest level. Sweiza''s hands instinctively cup around it. She however looks up at Strife and her hands stop. The next thing she knows, the watchlike device drops in he hands. She again looks up towards Stife, then at the devcice as it slowly drops betwen her thumb and index finger; it pulls tight once the top of the string rests on her thumb. She holds it up to Strife. The embedded crystal flashes white then holds on a briliant yellow color. Strife''s voice snaps her to reality, "It is called a ''Penchant''. It is a device that can read a person''s fate by pointing out time, direction or the mood of the person it is pointing at." Strife''s hands are on her hips, but they are quickly crosses as she walks side-to-side it Sweiza. Sweiza doesn''t have much time to think as Sprite attempts to divbomb and fly away with the device. His attempt is met with resistence as the chain pulls tight froma Sweiza gripping it firmly. Sprite and Sweiza see the embedded crystal flsh white and hold on a light blue. Sweiza shoots a suspicious look at Sprite, then remembers what he did. She shoots a scowl at him. Strife clears her throat. Sweiza''s attention shifts to the woman''s eyes. Strife twitching her outstreched hand gets the girl''s focus. Sweiza looks up at her again. Hesitation. Sweiza looks doen again, Strife is shaking her hand again. Sweiza reluctantly hands over the device. She titls her hand and lets it drop to its original owner; the chain is the last thing to leave the girl''s hand. It quickly disappears from Strife''s hand and into her being. "Sit with me." Strife drops to a cross-legged sitting position; Sweiza does as she is told and follows suite. "So you are wondering about what this thing does?" Sweiza nods. However, her mind starts to wonder on food, just a bit. "The device is of an unkonwn origin, it was aquired by Skuld''s father. When he passed, it was given to her on her 16 birthday as an heirloom. Skuld gave it to me shortly before she deployed to the frontline. I''m sure she meant well - a symbol of our friendship if you will." "Indeed. It is most certainy an enchanting item. But you make it ound like it is a bad thing?" Strife nods one, her eyes getting serious. "Coming from nobility no to mention of Valkyriekin, you could say I have access to resources and information channels most people could only dream of." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Sweixa remains silent. "The device is called a Penchant. They are of a high manufacture cost and the sources to build them are of such-and-such of an obscure, but high quality, not many of them have been made." "So they are sought after then?" "In a matter of speaking. But that is just as a prize or a collector''s piece. Im sure that''s why Skuld''s father had it. But I can only wonder how he got it." Perhaps she should have hunted for more food, she is stll hungry. Whatever. Sweiza''s attention shifts from food. She simply snaps to and asks, "Why?" By now Sprite has landed on Sweiza''s shoulder and is listening in. He seems to be leaning it. Strife ignores this annoyance. "No doubt you read about my interest in becoming a lawyer and arbitrator..." Sweiza nods to Strife''s words. ...and it should be known to you that I am a Valkyrie that is of noble blood; I have also fought in a war..." Sweiza frowns. Strife knows it means to get to the point. "Shortly after I got the ''Penchant'' from Skuld, a ban was put into effect for all talismans. Any form of enchanted items and devices followed soon after. Naturally with Odin''s decisions countering my better interests, I decided to start researching arcane magic, enchanted devies, mystic lore, the occult and the like. No doubt you searched my library?" Sweia nods once, "I perused most of your books. Well, more like I skimmed them for any interesting bits. Why do you have suh a bi library?" "I don''t like Odin. I do not agree with anything controlling my fate but my own..." Sweiza perks up, "You mran like Salmira?" Strife flinches, "Yes, like her." Sweiza tits her head, "What''s wrong with her? She seems well to do." "So I too thought. But a time rolls on, I realize she is really only helping those that benefit herself. Granted, she isn''t as bad as Odin, or Loki for that matter..." Strife looks up at the approaching twilight, then she looks back down to Sweiza, "...they are all the same, either trying to twist reality to their fate, or trying to alter time itself. I do not approve." Sweiza stares at her blankly. This conversation is above her head. Sprite''s wings flutter once; this really doesn''t concern him, only the road ahead. Strife continues, "Many Valkyrie and some of the Valken of the Thorian share my belief that Odin is old and miserable. He would bring these older ideas, force them on others and make us miserable; all while he hoards anything and everything for himself when it could benefit civilization and greater society." "You said he was paranoid with grand plans. You sound the same." Strife stands up sharply and points her finger at Sweiza, "I''m doing this to preserve my kin, as well as my cmrads. Greater society and in turn, civilization would benefit from it. And quite frankly..." Strife''s hands come down to her hips, she looks down smugly at Sweiza, "...to preserve what little I have left. An rude daughter among other things." Strife drops to a crossegged position again. She takes her elbow and nudges Sweiza whom has flinched and lookedv away. Sweiza''s gaze slowly returns." "That aside, as fate would have it this device ties into all of that. After consulting different texts and rumors about watches and gemstones that change color, I slowly figure out what this thing does. As it turns out, it is a form of compass, but comes in the form of a watch. It points a person in the direction of their destiny. It functions as a time piece to that effect, assuring the endowed wearer when they will meet said fate. The watch hands are always changing direction. I still don''t quite understand it. However, the crystal is easier to understand, as I''ve tested it to that effct. It changes coor based on fate. Us mere mortals can really only tap into forces tha might affect our fate. Namely, the mood of others and how they feel about us or how they discriminate against us thereof." Sweiza makes a weird , "oo" noise, but then simply trails into an "Oh." "That thing feels evil." Sprite says it with his arms crossed. His wings spasm once quickly as if to address that effect." "Correct. It is a device designed by someone with evil intent, or so I gather. It is mrant to bring a user to ther enemie and nuetraize them. Wat better eay to alter fate. However, as you have shown Vera, it has a habit of drawing people into itself, as if it has a mind of its own. Almost as if it were alive and wants to change its fate or nuetralize eneies that would put itself in jeopardy." Sweiza blinks once, "...and you are using this ''Penchant'' on Odin?" "Strife shakes her head and crosses her arms, "No, Odin seeks suh a device due to his paranoid delusions. I intend to use it to follow Loki''s essence and locate his final torture chamber." Sweiza blinks and then perks up, "If it is Loki''s domain, doesn''t that mean he coud have been the Stag from earlier?" Strife finally stands up, "You are smarter than I give you credit. But had you not been drawn in by this thing, I would have been able to alert you to that fact sooner." Sweiza flinches again. She hides her embarrassment as Sprite snickers, Strife has won again. It now occurs to Sweiza that Strife my have a plan surrounding everything she does... or at least their current adventure against Odin and fate. ¡ª- Later in the day Sweiza suddenly stops. She faces her mentor. Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk up. Sweiza says nothing. ¡°What?¡± Strife isn¡¯t amused. Sweiza holds up her rucksack towards Strife. ¡°If I wanted to, I can do the same with this?¡± Sweiza says it, lowering the rucksack to her belly. It takes Strife a few seconds to understand what she means. Strife¡¯s look gets serious. ¡°Be weary of having your Sprite friend inside of it when you do so. I notice he likes to rest in there quite often. Never must a living thing be summoned to our soul space, or there are consequences.¡± ¡°Soul space?¡± Now it is Sweiza¡¯s turn to be baffled. ¡°Is that where our stuff goes?¡± ¡°In a manner of speaking. There is always a risk for the being in question to die or come back with a missing limb or worse. So don¡¯t do it.¡± Strife clicks her heels together once as if making a point and continues past the girl. Sweiza looks down at the rucksack. Sprite hovers nearby once. The rucksack disappears, then reappears. For good measure, Sweiza attempts to summon her bow and arrow. It doesn¡¯t work. She looks up once. All she says is, ¡°Hmm.¡± This might take some practice. ¡ª Sweiza has to often pause and stop to read the book she is perusing. Strife waits patiently, time and time again. Studies wait for noone, so must a person wait for them. Sweiza seems enthralled with dragons in particular. She looks up and around and sees Strife watching her. It is Sprite whom pops up from behind Sweiza¡¯s shoulder and then flies over to Strife. He lets out a chirp. ¡°Who would win in a fight, a dragon or a giant?¡± Strife¡¯s face smirks briefly. ¡°I do not believe a dragon would be so stupid as to be within reach of a giant.¡± Sprite crosses his arms, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡± Strife cocks an eyebrow up at him, ¡°Only those foolish or brave enough walk among the giants.¡± She shakes her head and walks off, leaving him to his devices. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Sprite flies after her. Did she mean the trio are stupid? ¡ª ¡°Vera!¡± Strife says it louder than normal, with some tone. Sweiza is about ten paces ahead. She stops and Strife catches up with her. Strife produces the jar with the gadfly in it. It buzzes around angrily. Sweiza stares down at it once. She pokes the jar. The fly again buzzes around angrily. ¡°Are you familiar with how the original story behind Thor¡¯s Hammer?¡± Sweiza shakes her head. ¡°Strife, please keep it short and sweet.¡± Sprite perks up at the word ¡®sweet¡¯. Strife smiles and shakes her head. ¡°Oh, very well.¡± Strife says it disappointed. ¡°As you know, Loki is a trickster and caused all manner of foolishness and problems in Midgard. One such manner of mischief involved him sheering off the hair of Thor¡¯s wife Sif.¡± Sweiza lets out a laugh, ¡°He¡¯s not a very smart god is he?¡± Strife shakes her head and smiles. She likes where this is going, perhaps her plan will work. She shakes the jar a few times for good measure. She continues speaking, ¡°When Thor caught wind of Sif¡¯s hair, he wasn¡¯t too happy. He found Loki and threatened with everyone one of his bones being broken. Loki may be a fool¡­¡± Strife brings the jar up to her face and eyes the gadfly once, it flies around even angrier, ¡°¡­but Thor is one of the few beings he will not trifle with. The story goes that Loki through his misadventures knew of a group of elven smiths, ¡®Sons of Ivaldi¡¯ as they were called. He had them forge a new head of hair for her, rather a beautiful and enchanted golden wig. Thor was pleased and let the god go.¡± By this point the gadfly has stopped flying. It seems to be sitting still. Strife eyes it with intent. She continues the story. ¡°The gods were most impressed with what Ivaldi¡¯s sons had produced. Gods are rather enchanted by mystical items you must understand. I don¡¯t know the specifics, but the elven brothers turned around and fashioned a fantastic ship. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of Freyr¡¯s flying ship that can catch a fair wind whenever the captain so chooses.¡± ¡°Freyr? Oh Freya!¡± Sweiza says it as quick as she can. Her smile and laugh is ended abruptly as Strife smacks her upside the head. ¡°One shouldn¡¯t use the gods¡¯ names in vane.¡± Sweiza refuses to cry. Her trembling body and watering eyes betray her. She winces from the pain. Sprite flies in front of her. ¡°Crybaby.¡± Sweiza sniffles once and stifles her tears. ¡°Regardless¡­¡± Strife walks in front of the girl and scowls at her. Her eyes remain narrowed and then her expression softens, ¡°Another such item was fashioned with a peculiar metal. This item is a weapon, I¡¯m sure you are familiar with the spear of ¡®Gungir¡¯?¡± Sweiza nods, her face red. Strife smirks at her and pats her on the shoulder. ¡°Walk with me.¡± Sweiza does as she is told and the two continue walking. ¡°Few have actually seen Gungir. Thankfully, I have been through Castle Gungir and seen it in Odin¡¯s war room. The spearhead, as the legends attest, is dotted in runes. I am sure they have some meaning, but I do not understand how such enchantments work. Odin forbids their usage in Valhalla and would know if a Valkyrie in Midgard dared to defy his will throughout the land. I did however, get the honor of meeting the high lord himself at one of the many festivals of the slain. The warriors fought as usual, and then they got drunk at the table. Odin was among them. Apparently the wood of the world tree was used to make the shaft of the thing. I would imagine it can repair itself if it snaps in two. No idea on the spear head.¡± ¡°Strife, please refrain from hitting me again.¡± Strife looks over at her, and merely stifles her smile. ¡°Perhaps. But Valkyrie must be able to endure pain and be intelligent enough to avoid such situations.¡± Sweiza does not appear to be wise to Strife¡¯s plan. Hopefully it is working. Strife shoves the jar in front of Sweiza and the girl takes it. Hopefully Sweiza¡¯s lack of dignity and grace will yield shaking the jar further. Strife stands in front of the girl so the two are face to face, ¡°I¡¯m sure as you know, elves and dwarves cannot stand each other. One is enchanted and graced with magic, they also come from a cleaner land. I think it is the eastern lands of Vanir and Alfgard. They tend to live an isolationist attitude and do not easily welcome outsiders. It¡¯s easy to see then, why they do not like the dwarven smiths that live underground.¡± Strife turns around and sharply looks at the girl, ¡°There is a point Vorkera, so quit making faces. Honestly.¡± Sweiza¡¯s tongue about faces and backs into her mouth quicker than it ever has. Sprite (whom is on her shoulder) simply lets out a snicker. ¡°It¡¯s rare to find either dwarves or elves outside their respective realms. Dwarves prefer to live underground, I think due to the proximity of Svarta to Jotunher, it is to escape Loki¡¯s influence. Regardless, the two races do not normally concern themselves with the concerns of man.¡± Strife pulls the left side of her hair away and reveals the sliced tip of her barely elven ears. ¡°Unless of course matters of courtship and love are concerned.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hand instinctively reaches up to her own ear. She has elven blood, but supposedly it is dark elven blood from Myrkvellir. She doesn¡¯t press the issue. ¡°When weapons of a superior craft were needed within the ¡®Halls of the Slain¡¯, Loki¡¯s guile landed him the job. He arranged for the Sons of Ivaldi to meet at the great hall. However, Loki also arranged for the two great dwarven mastersmiths Brokk and Sindri to meet also. When the two groups met, an argument broke out. Loki had gotten what he wanted. Loki bragged that no one could forge better weapons than the elves of Alfgard, Ivaldi¡¯s sons whom were the great masters. Brokk and Sindri did not take kindly to this. So a wager was placed. In addition to the new superior weapons, Brokk and Sindri would forge better items than Freyr¡¯s ship, Sif¡¯s hair, and Gungir itself. Brokk bet his own head to that of Loki, that the two dwarven smiths could forge something superior. While dwarves don¡¯t use magic for everyday items, they do use it for forging. Sindri had a magic endowed forge that was extremely hot. The billow wielded by his brother was also enchanted. This helped forge special items you must understand. The first of these special items was a living statue, a boar, to win the favor of the gods. It was gifted to Freyr. While it was being forged, Loki hatched his plan. He turned into a gadfly and bit the brother Brokk on the hand. Brokk was undeterred and kept working the billow. Again Loki tried during the forging of the second item, the ring Draupnir.¡± Strife pauses. She looks down at the gadfly in the jar. Sweiza looks down. Sweia looks up at Strife once. Strife¡¯s eyebrows raise; she is looking right through the girl¡¯s soul. There seems to be an understanding. Strife holds a mock jar and shakes her hands. Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen and she shakes the jar. The fly is bounced around angrily; the jar moved around even more randomly than Strife herself would have tried. Sweiza seems to be enjoying this as she keeps shaking the jar on occasion. Strife continues. ¡°I had once heard that Odin possessed a ring that could multiply itself every nine nights. After some basic research, it turns out the tales is true. The ring in question is named Draupnir. Put two and two together. You get the idea. I am under the impression this ring is how Odin has produced all of his wealth for his fanciful follies and adventures over the millenia. Regardless, during the forging of this item, the shapeshifter tried biting Brokk in the neck. This angered Brokk, but he billowed even faster. Supposedly this is why Draupnir produces eight rings per every nine nights, instead of just dripping gold into a single ring every nine nights. So the story goes.¡± Sweiza stops shaking the jar. Sprite flies up to it. He stares down at the fly. He figures out who the gadfly is. He pulls the corners of his mouth with his fingers. He then sticks his tongue out at the fly, points his finger and laughs at him and flies off. The fly buzzes around with a fury. It starts to glow. It isn¡¯t noticed by Sprite and Sweiza. ¡°And the third prize of this dumb story?¡± Sweiza says it, setting the jar down. Her hands go to her hips. Strife is looking at Sweiza with an amused look. ¡°Mjolnir was forged as the third gift. However, an angry and undeterred Lokisenna bit Brokk in the eye. He finally stopped using the billow to massage his eye. Due to less-than-optimal conditions and a change in the magic in the forge, Mjolnir became a flawed weapon. The handle became unusually short compared to what it would be originally. My best guess is that the weapon probably isn¡¯t as powerful as it should be either.¡± Sprite flies up to Strife¡¯s face, ¡°Who won the contest?¡± Strife shoos him away. He flies in front of her face again. ¡°Tell me!¡± Strife reachs up and grabs him. He lets out a squawk. She holds her hand at arms length and releases him. ¡°Good things come to those who wait.¡± Sprite darts to-and-fro once and sends a puff of enchanted blue air at her. It feels colder than normal. She is undeterred. ¡°When the god¡¯s finally judged the items, even with possible flaws in them, the gods judged the dwarven brothers¡¯s items as the best. In turn they won the bid, and in turn Loki¡¯s head. Using clever semantics, Loki¡¯s neck was not part of the bargain and it would be damaged if they took his head. However, Brokk was unimpressed. The elven sons of Ivaldi were equally unimpressed. Brokk said Loki¡¯s lips would be sewn shut with a magic string; the elven sons of Ivaldi sealed the deal with their magic. Loki was less of a threat from that point on, for a time anyway.¡± Sweiza looks down at the gadfly. ¡°This thing?¡± Strife nods. ¡°Remember, he is one, but spread out as if many.¡± Sweiza holds a ¡®pretend¡¯ makeshift hammer in her hands. This one clearly has a longer handle. She swings it like a large hammer through the air. She then holds it like it is a croquet mallet. She swings it at the jar. Strife cocks an eye up. ¡°No, Vera, like this.¡± Strife takes a running charge and kicks it. She offers her hand in that direction and turns towards Sweiza. Sweiza lets out a giggle. Strife also holds a makeshift hammer. Sweiza takes the bait. Strife¡¯s hands release, but Sweiza walks up to the jar one more time. This time there is a distinct red glow emanating from the jar. Sweiza walks up to it, undeterred by the gadfly¡¯s anger. She again holds her makeshift hammer (croquet mallet) at the jar and swings. There is a rumble in the distance. The jar bounces. Sweiza stops. Worried, she looks around and sees nothing. She lookes with concern at Strife. Strife makes another ¡®makeshift¡¯ mallet and makes a small gesture, a mock swing. A nervous Sweiza takes the bait again and raises her hammer. This time the ground tremors. It doesn¡¯t stop rumbling. The ground shakes and shakes. Sweiza lets out a shreak, ¡°Earthquake!¡± It lasts for about twelve seconds and then stops. Strife and Sweiza have been knocked to their feet. Sprite is alarmed, but safe in the air. They hear something in the distance, a small rumble. It gets louder. Strife knows what is coming next. She crawls to the jar. ¡°Strife!¡± Sweiza calls out to her. The rumbling gets louder. It happens only for a split second each time, and in series. At this point Stife is about ten feet away. ¡°Strife, are you alright?¡± Strife ignores her and grabs the jar. The fly¡¯s eyes are glowing a bright red. A red aura emanates from the gadfly, and so too the jar is surrounded in the aura. Strife closes her eyes and concentrates. The jar disappears into her beeing. The rumbling however, does not stop. It is getting closer, louder and quicker. It almost sounds as if it is¡­ Strife turns around, ¡°Vera, get r¡­¡± Strife stops midsentence. Sprite suddenly turns a bright blue and flitters behind Sweiza, his glow just barely visible behind her. Sweiza is shaking. She tries to say something. The rumble has slowed somewhat, but is still occuring in series and with a rhythm. Sweiza stammers. ¡°Honestly¡­¡± Strife refrains from walking up to the girl and slapping her across the face. There is a loud thud behind them in the trees. Strife still stares at the girl, whom has dropped to her butt on the ground. She shakes while her hand points in the air in the direction behind Strife. Strife raises her head and realizes she let her guard down. Sweiza¡¯s commotion distracted her. Strife turns around. She looks up. In the distance, in a clearing above the treeline. Blackness where the eyes should be, white hair in a ponytail, a pointed nose, drunken looking facial features¡­ Sweiza is pulled from her stammer and sitting position to her feet. Strife pulls her in the opposite direction of the giant. ¡°Vera, RUN!¡± Interlude - An Interview with Rezra It¡¯s the same First Avenue Cafe that the author used to interview Brynhilde. He is waiting patiently. He has no idea how Rezra is going to come onto the scene; she technically hasn¡¯t even been written into the novel yet. Perhaps this is a mistake. He worries a little bit. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have drank so much coffee. He appears to be a shaking mess. Author: Thankfully, due to the powers that be, I can simply write myself as not having drank -any- coffee. Let¡¯s roll with tea instead. The scene backs up about an hour and the author is enjoying himself with some Valhallan Tea. He makes a face after taking a sip. Author: It really needs more than just a little sugar. It needs a -lot- of sugar. ¡ª At the appropriate time what can only be described as a cat woman in a pink robe walks into the cafe. All eyes are on her. Not so much that she is dressed up, but the fact there is a tigerfelk in the cafe, let alone Valhalla. This one in particular has special graces and Odin¡¯s blessing to walk Valhalla unhindered, not so much that she is a welcome guest, but because she already paid the price by having her tail docked for stealing. Thank Valkyrie Angst (Sweiza) that her mentor stepped in at all to negotiate such a thing and stay her (Rezra¡¯s execution). At any rate Rezra is no stranger to this cafe. She walks in and scans the area. She sees the author and gives him no attention. Rather, she quickly turns her side to him and heads up to what can only be described as a bar. Coffee black. She takes the whole kettle. She walks it over to the author and pulls up a seat. Much in a similar manner as Sweiza, this girl has no manners. She doesn¡¯t bother pulling up a cup, but instead chooses to drink it straight from the kettle. She doesn¡¯t care what people think of her manners. She downs the whole thing before setting the whole kettle down. She wipes her mouth with her arm accordingly. The author is in disbelief at this display. Rezra: I gave up. People keep staring. Author: Isn¡¯t that hot? Rezra: It¡¯s cold. Author: You are going to get wound up from that. Rezra: It¡¯s decaf. Author: Anyway, how are things proceeding under the tutelage of Sweiza? A big exclamatory appears above Rezra¡¯s head. She looks up at it once and hisses. The exclamatory turns into a question mark and then disappears. Rezra: Why do you do that? Author: What do you mean? Rezra: Adding in those humorous bits that are meant to break up the interview. The author is a bit taken aback that Rezra has already broken the fourth wall. Rezra: Stop that! The author instead pulls open a notebook and attempts to get the interview back on track. Author: So, you are the equivalent of a street rat right? Rezra: Sweiza is a gracious mentor. I am happy she chose me. It was either under her or Strife. The author looks up once. His original question has been asked, but some time ago. He gives up. Rezra simply laughs. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Rezra: I don¡¯t know if I would like training under Strife. She seems to show more leniency to me than Sweiza. But perhaps I am gifted in the martial arts. Author: What do you mean? Rezra¡¯s finger¡¯s suddenly stiffen and a set of claws come out just past the second knuckles. The author is in awe. Author: Is it hard adjusting to active combat without a tail? The slits in Rezra¡¯s cat eyes narrow at the author. This seems to be a sensetive subject. Rezra: It is sensitive! How would you like having your leg removed?! The author doesn¡¯t know what to say here. She seems to be able to sense what he is writing. Rezra: Of course I can! We¡¯re more in tune with nature and the supernatural! Author: So how do you feel about Sprite then? Rezra: What about him? Author: I mean, he is well known as a thief and a pest, don¡¯t y¡­ Rezra: And I¡¯m not? Author: You seem to take being a thief with pride. Rezra: It was my way of life. I have to adjust to a new one now. Strife is forcing me to attend an all girl¡¯s school for the gifted and refinement. Author: Speaking of which, how do you feel knowing that Strife still has some sway over you? Rezra: It seems to be a Valkyrie tradition. A master Valkyrie (Strife) chooses an apprentice, but their apprentice can choose to train two others under her. The two lowest apprentices typically become shield maiden. I don¡¯t know how I feel about training with Brynhilde. She is such a brat. She has changed though. Author: In one way? Rezra: Ever since Odin blinded her, she hasn¡¯t been the same. She seems to be intune more with movement and the supernatural after that. I¡¯m not sure how she adapted. Author: Isn¡¯t that a spoiler? Rezra: Who cares? Plot twists and spoilers happen behind the scenes all the time. Author: Point taken. So has Sprite become jealous now that you and Sweiza are inseparable? Rezra: Lil¡¯ bugger enjoys causing mishaps between us. I give him honey and he leaves us alone. Rezra lets out a smile at that. Author: Two peas in a pod? Rezra eyes him confuzzled. Rezra promply snatches the notebook from him and eyes it up and down once. She lets out a mischievous grin that shows her fanged canines. Her claws come out and she slices the notebook and hands it back to the author. Rezra: You were really going to ask some of those questions? Author: Sure, why not? Rezra: Wouldn¡¯t those count as major plot spoilers? The author realizes he is being interviewed. Rezra pulls out a small beret, hat and pen from nowhere. This ¡®feline¡¯ appears to be having fun mocking the author. Author: So is it true that tigerfelk are unwanted in the streets of Valhalla? Rezra holds the pen up to her mouth once; she tilts her head for deliberate effect. Rezra: Tigerfelk originally come from the east through the valley between Alfgard and Vanir. A few of us migrated to Midgard eons ago, but there has been a caste war of sorts; tigerfelk have always been at the bottom. A few get a head, but most of us live as street rats or as we are more appropriately called ¡®Alley Cats¡¯. Author: Isn¡¯t that a racist term? Rezra: We wear it with pride. Just a loud commotion hits the bar area of the cafe. The author and Rezra look up and over. A blue ball is flying with a donut. The author knows what is next. Sweiza bursts in. Sweiza: Sprite! Come ba¡­ Rezra! Sweiza hurries over and hugs the feline. She looks at the author once and pays him no attention. Sweiza: Did he buy coffee like he promised? Rezra looks from Sweiza to the author. She shows him a toothy grin. The author looks up and sighs. He leaves one hundred marks on the table. Author: I can do that. Sweiza: Why can¡¯t I get more money? Rezra: Me too! Rezra makes a cutsey face. Author: I swear if Bry¡­ Brynhilde suddenly walks into the cafe. Brynhilde: Starla, we have training. Bring that thing¡­ Brynhilde shoots her eyes at Rezra once, and then back to Sweiza. Brynhilde: With you. Don¡¯t be late this time! Brynhilde nods her head up sharply once, turns around and leave. Author: You three seem to have quite the busy schedule ahead of you. Rezra: Speaking of which, we really should be going. Rezra pushes her chair back once, she nods at the author, and then heads for the door. Sweiza¡¯s face stifles a giggle at Rezra. Sweiza: She has quite the razorsharp tongue. Author: Isn¡¯t that why she has the name Rezra? Sweiza nods enthusiastically. Author: How do Rezra and Brynhilde get along anyway? Sweiza: Very carefully. Brynhilde¡¯s head suddenly pops back into the cafe. Brynhilde: Angst! Let¡¯s go! Sweiza suddenly bolts up, bows her head and walks off to the door without another word. The author look up with disbelief and relief. Author: These characters are starting to become a handful. Author: I still haven¡¯t decided if Rezra will appear in the past with Sweiza, or once the Valkyrie in training returns to Valhalla in the present. Time will tell. Author: This might be the last interview. I¡¯m not sure if I want to interview Odin¡¯s two hundred forms or not¡­ Interlude - About Angel Blade Angel Blade started out as a simple idea for a web comic for an older gaming website. During the prototype phase the webcomic was called ¡®Project Wildchild¡¯. The primary character ¡°Sweiza¡± was meant to be the website¡¯s mascot; the web comic would eventually be called ¡°ANGST¡± after her Valkyrie name. The original screen play ¡°An Angel Named Sera Tonic¡± was meant to be the rough draft of the web comic. The gaming website turned into too much trouble (more than it was worth) and turned into too much of a time consuming chore; labors of love sometimes end up this way. As it was, the web comic never manifested and Sweiza never appeared on the front page. The first draft never reached a refined state and still exists in the first draft, or ¡®screenplay¡¯ as I like to call it. The idea had always been there to finish the story so to speak. I¡¯m not very quick to move to working on things, so the years went. Once the main website was decommissioned, once I had a job with long hours, and once COVID hit, I had a lot of free time or time to think of story ideas. I started posting chapters to FictionPress, but was never happy with the website and eventually deleted my account. I switched over to an application called ¡°Scrivener¡± which is meant for novel authors. I had read some stories by self published authors on Amazon and wondered about publishing ¡°Angel Blade¡± as a novel. After a point I eventually found ¡®RoyalRoad¡¯ and the story, among others, looked like an actual option for an audience. The rest is history. ¡ª Some key takeaways: The original screenplay is on RoyalRoad as a oneshot. It was meant to be a draft. It serves as ideas for the novel series ¡°Angel Blade¡±. Because it was meant to be a draft and is used as a one shot, there are ideas in it that might be drastically changed or only loosely associated with ¡°Angel Blade¡±. I choose not to update the original draft because I feel it would be sacrilege to the novel¡¯s origins. While I could create a first chapter that is similar, it would also lock in future ideas that I might not be able to change; much of the novel is based on that screenplay, but not strictly. You get the idea. Angel Blade and the original draft were meant to be one novel written as a play. Roughly speaking it was supposed to be ninety nine acts. It was later split into three novels in chapter format. At the time of writing this ¡®about¡¯ text, the first novel has been written and I¡¯m roughly one fifth to one third of the way through writing the second. The original ideas for Salmira, the Salmar System and Cryborgs were tied to another novel. Ideas in that novel were from a much older idea from roughly over twenty years ago. However, I decided to make ¡°Angel Blade¡± take place in the distance past of that novel. The different ideas became a book series. I intend for there to be five sub series, with three books each for a total of a fifteen book series titled ¡°Ocean Salmira¡±. ¡ª In the original story, Salmira and Salyra are brought into this dimension due to an experiment gone awry on a space station. I still have the original draft for that novel. Right now it is in an ad hoc hiatus status until I can figure out how to rewrite it for ¡°Future Shock¡±. At some point there will be space ships and a space faring civilization in ¡°The Eye of Salmare¡±. At the time of writing this, it would be assumed to be fifty millenia before they break out of the original black hole which serves as their prison. Speaking of which, the black hole as a dumping ground for a prison and colony ship, is based around the British Empire doing the same with their prisoners and other social refuse to their colony of Australia. The war between Salmira and Salyra is about as old as their idea (over twenty years ag0). Sometime prior to the present, there are two scientists, they exist in different factions. One has a starship that is meant to extinguish a star. The idea was never fleshed out until recently. Now it is just a ship that blew up several of the moons and would have been used as an instrument of destruction to the continents below. Originally, Salmar was the name of the star as was Salyra the opposite star system over. Each star system had a symbol; Salmar used a V and Salyra an upside down V. Together they formed an X with both overlapping each other with a diamond in the middle. This forms the basis behind the Vorkera Boomerang and later the dual bladed boomerang that forms a shuriken. Speaking of which, the idea behind Salmar and Salyra was originally used for a star system in a novel I was working on back in 1996, it was called the ¡°Story Gazette¡±. Surprise surprise. Gazette was used from an episode in the PBS kids show ¡°Ghostwriter¡±. Vorkera was originally meant to be a villian for a Sailor Moon fan fiction sometime in 1998 or 1999, I forget. She was meant to be the Grim Reaper with a scythe. She is supposed to have a sister named ¡®Vorcery¡¯. Vorkera, Vorcery and Salmar, are all based off of names related to ¡®Sol¡¯, ¡®Solar¡¯, ¡®Mercury¡¯, ¡®Venus¡¯ and ¡®Mars¡¯. Eventually the idea for the names was reworked into Angel Blade. It only seemed fitting since they had a similar background. Overtime as ideas became fleshed out for ¡°The Story Gazette¡±, it became its own little world. I was into Star Trek at the time, so different worlds within the Salmar System were colonized. Starships were also plentiful, as were ancient relics from previous civilizations. You can¡¯t blame me for having an imagination and loving fantasy RPGs. At some point I wanted the heroes of the present to be able to time travel. I had read the phrase ¡°Unto the Nth Dimension¡± used in the short story that serves as the prelude to the game ¡°Starflight¡±. ¡°Nth¡± is something that represents the latest number in series; quite literally it could mean infinity. The name stuck. The ¡°Nth Gate¡± was born and heroes could travel through time. However, it was considered a relic lost to time unto itself. During my anime rpg days, Vorkera was introduced as a character that wielded a very powerful hammer of lighting. It formed in the hand as a bolt of lighting and could be thrown like a boomerang. It quite literally was based off of ¡°Thor¡¯s Hammer¡±. Incidentally, various elements of Norse Mythology had started to work their way into the story. Rather they were older civilizations. Norse Mythology? I accidentally saw a book for it at the library sometime in 1996 while about the same time I found the Japanese network ¡°NHK¡± on satellite. I was looking up language books and ran into Norse Mythology. It was quite coincidental, I was looking up information on Green and Roman gods. Norse Mythology was included in the book and some of it stuck. I started researching it some years later. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The name ¡°Angel Blade¡± refers to the Vorkera Boomerang; it is named after Sweiza¡¯s counterpart name ¡°Vorkera¡±. Angel refers to the original novel name ¡°An Angel Named Sera Tonic¡±, the blade the boomerang. During the original first few chapters, I didn¡¯t know what name to refer to as Strife. She was the Valkyrie of legend, but she needed to have a backstory. I had trouble with multiple names. Eventually I started shifting through them between writing it. The excuse has always been that the novel is written from Sweiza¡¯s point of view; names are her understanding of them. Multiple names? Characters are known to have multiple names due to the fact originally it was hard to know what to call them. Different characters have different facets, or rather they earned them or they were written over time. For some they were given them deliberately or I had issues with their facets at a later date. This is best described as how you can know a teacher as a student, but outside of work she is a different person, but really is supposed to be your teacher. Similar to how to your friend is your friend, even when he¡¯s on duty, but as a cop his job comes first (or it is supposed to). Sometimes there is confusion and overlap. I¡¯ve deliberately included this sometimes. Even characters in the novel have issues keeping track sometimes. As it just so happens, Odin has over two hundred different names and identities in the original mythology. Pure coincidence, but a useful one. Speaking of which, the original idea and first novel were only loosely rooted in Norse Mythology. I intended to borrow elements from it. This kept it nice and neat and I was free to write the world as I needed. Eventually I needed location information, different civilizations, character bios and the like. By the time the second book came around, Sweiza¡¯s world was thrown into full blown Norse Mythology. The idea behind loosely adapting the mythology and borrowing from it still stands. I try to keep it as true to the original as I can, but there is a caveat that I will explain shortly. Once Salmar was dumped to her final prison in a black hole, her counterpart or ¡®sister¡¯ was dumped there soon after. Salmar is a transdimensional being from the fifth and sixth dimensions that intersects our own. This lets her see multiple time vectors and see time branch out based on decisions made. To her, a million years is the blink of an eye. However, she is shunned by her people and left in our dimension and cut off from her own. Therefor she only has the ability to jump forward or back in the current time frame (the past, present or future). She can alter time, but only from that moment in time. She¡¯ll have to jump further back or ahead to alter things. In some instances in Angel Blade, she has already jumped further ahead and has some idea of different outcomes. She has also altered the past many multiple times. She is stuck in an infinite time loop. Regardless, her counterpart, her ¡®sister¡¯ is dumped into the blackhole with her. Salyra is tied to this dimension permanently. She is more or less banished here. She is technologically oriented. She is the one responsible for terraforming the planet. The story goes that the original prison ship is called the ¡°Ymir¡±. It has three computers, ¡®Odin¡¯, ¡®Loki¡¯ and ¡®Thor¡¯. These all make decisions and override decisions for each other. Odin plans the world. Loki builts the world. Thor enhances or changes the world. Loki eventually becomes sentient, but becomes corrupt. It is cut off from Odin and Thor to prevent the corruption from spreading. However, the damage is done. Ymir crashes into an area in the sea; a vortex is erected around it to protect it from outsiders. This area is known as the ¡°Yawning Gap¡±. The vortex pulls wind from Muspell and Niffleheim. Odin eventually became corrupt also. Civilization was built around what it understands to be an ancient civilization based on Norse Mythology. Odin has become corrupted over time, but continues to function, much like Loki. They now believe they are gods. The super computer ¡®Thor¡¯ was subservient to Odin at this point. It was also split up to prevent it from becoming corrupt. It exists as one through many in the form of ¡®Sentinels¡¯ in the island of Thor, better known as Asgard. Modern day civilization as we know it, is built up on the myths and legends created by these computers. However, myths and legends are rooted in fact. This lets the author get by with pulling from Norse Mythology, while it isn¡¯t always one hundred percent a transplanted copy in the novel. I prefer to borrow from it loosely and pay homage to it, rather than borrow directly. It keeps it original. However, if it makes a good plot point, it is included directly. After a point though, I wanted to include the major plot points of the Norse Edda¡¯s (Elder and Younger Edda) to also be part of the backstory. They eventually became one and the same with Angel Blade. However, if one of the Edda plot points interferes, Angel Blade takes precedence and I write it accordingly. The idea is to make it fit into a futuristic civilization. Norse in this case represents the land and history; Angel Blade represents the future plot that will become history for future novels. It becomes fun to tie together my novel with Norse Mythology, especially coming up with creative ways to do it! Incidentally, Odin is tied under Salmar and rebelled against her. Loki is closer associated to Salyra, but as far as the computer knows, Salyra is dead, so it is functioning on its own. At the start of the novel, Salmar is already considered a banished Valkyrie by Odin. Salmar cannot enter Valhalla, it is protected by a shield. Odin has also been working on experiments using ¡°Nth¡± technology. This technology can hurt Salmar and attack her ship in space. Therefor she is constantly blitzing around in time to outsmart Odin. She enlists the aid of a certain Valkyrie to help destroy the shield, prevent Gungir Tower from reaching completing, and otherwise thwarting Odin¡¯s plans. The rest is as you read it in the novel. All living beings and some inanimate objects (even the air itself) are infused with nanites on this planet (Avalan). These can help further strengthen an object or person and allow for magic by modifying molecules and in turn elements and in some cases energy. This allows for longer lifespan, the ability to use magic, and then some. This forms the idea of the ¡®Cryborg¡¯ in a later novel; it is effectively a robot fused with the organics of a human. In this case, and a good example, is a Valkyrie. A Valkyrie effectively must be killed in order to become one. This must be done by another Valkyrie. The Valkyrie¡¯s essence (nanites) are effectively transferred from that Valkyrie to the new one. As the Valkyrie is dying, their body undergoes a type of formatting; in this case they see it as their trial. When they are reborn, they have greater strength, the ability to use magic, and live a longer lifespan. They are effectively a genetically modified cyborg for all intents and purposes. ¡ª These are some plot spoilers, but many of them will simply not make it into Angel Blade, but will be shown in future novels. Some I might forget (humans are tricky like that). But it is nice to know how the current novel got to the way that it is. Incidentally, I write these interludes to flesh out ideas or to give them some backing when they are otherwise just ¡®intangible¡¯ ideas in my head. Often times when I am stuck on a current plot point, I also do this to take a break and prevent myself from getting burned out. I¡¯ll update this in the future if it is warranted. I¡¯ll probably rearrange it to be at the end of ¡°Angel Blade II¡±, when the novel is finished. -Daven Rogue ANBLII - Chapter 12 - Untamed Throughout Sweiza¡¯s lifetime, she remembers many times when she had to endure hardships or had an obstacle in her path. It wasn¡¯t just enough to be a farmer¡¯s daughter that could sit idly. She had to find a challenge and overcome it. -She wanted to be a knight, then had to practice to be a shrine maiden; then she had to do both. It turns out being an armored maiden has its perks; she may not be a maiden, but she is learning grace and refinement through Strife. -Disobeying mama and papa meant sleeping out in the woodshed; she finally ran away. To live in the outdoors was something she did not enjoy at first. She loved it. It turns out her parents were worried sick about her. The three learned to get a long better since. Sweiza also enjoyed sleeping out in the woodshed on occasion. -Her father may be a farmer, but he was also a carpenter. His family had just enough to get by. Sweiza learned to ¡®rough¡¯ it and also use her imagination. -Sweiza has a temper and fiery spirit; her boisterous curiosity and headstrong disposition also got her in to trouble. She knows how to find her way out of trouble and doesn¡¯t back down in an argument. It¡¯s still hit or miss on that last one. -It was unusual for weapons to be openly displayed in Maria Village unless it was by a knight or a certain village sentry (Valkyrie). The village frowned on her carrying a dagger around with her. She made a compromise. She learned to be good with a machete. The village¡¯s ceremonial chakrams were also known to be carried for self defense. Sweiza likes the circular oddities. Then there was the tonfa, which is useful in melee or vs swordplay. -Martial arts was also almost always taught to the boys. A few of the older women knew it. Sweiza peaked. She learned some basic stances; she wanted more. ¡­more. Always wanting more and getting into trouble¡­ ¡ª ¡°Strife!¡± Strife looks behind her as Sweiza lets out a shriek. Strife shakes her head once towards the giant hand reaching towards her. Her armor is already on. Sweiza ducks and crouches. Strife¡¯s concentration is on the outstretched hand almost on them. She doesn¡¯t have time to use a sword. Instead her lance is out and takes a slash at the giant. It prick¡¯s Loki¡¯s finger and the hand withdraws. This time it comes quicker. Again another slash. ¡°Vera!¡± Strife looks back at her young apprentice. Sweiza again cowers. Strife turns around once to see the giant¡¯s hand in a fist. It is coming at her. She doesn¡¯t miss a beat. The next thing Sweiza knows, she feel¡¯s Strife¡¯s hand grab her and hard. The woman literally pulls her from her sitting position and they fall to the ground. Sweiza lets out a groan. Strife feels her heart skip a beat as the hand and its shadow pass over them. Sweiza lets out another scream. She can feel the blood draining from her head. She feels like she is going to faint. ¡°Vera, this isn¡¯t the time!¡± Strife says it with urgency. Sweiza¡¯s head shakes groggy. She tries to pull herself up but her body doesn¡¯t respond. She feels as if something is lifting her. She feels Strife¡¯s arms under her. It feels almost as if she is buoyant. She raises an unsteady finger up at the giant that is now following them. Wait. They¡¯re moving? How? Sweiza looks to the side and sees the trees moving behind them. This isn¡¯t possible. How are they flying? Sweiza looks an unsteady gaze up at Strife whom is strictly focused with her eyesight on the trees in front of them. Sweiza then sees it, what appear to be a pair of wings in the form of a transparent red hued vapor trailing behind her. Her body is definitely horizontal with her legs partially behind her. How is she doing that? Just as they hit the trees, this action is too much and Sweiza finally passes out. ¡ª A flash of lightning. That¡¯s what it is. It transcends itself through a violet aurora; as it does so, both spark a rainbow of a thousand random colors. Another bolt of lightning. No, wait¡­ there is something odd about it. It is a mountain range. The sparks are emanating from something colliding with it. A hammer? Sweiza¡¯s eyes scowl. Her hand instinctively comes up to shield her eyes. She looks closer. She can barely see it, that same familiar clothing revealed with each familiar spark ushering away each shadow. Loki is working some kind of forge in the mountains. Does he know what they want? Just how tall is he anyway? ¡°We are within that thing¡¯s presence.¡± Sweiza blinks once and looks over. Demi is standing there next to her. Sweiza¡¯s emotions finally take over. Demi is taken aback when the girl hurries up and holds him in a tight hug. ¡°I thought he got you!¡± Demi tries to take a trembling hand and push her away. ¡°Don¡¯t forget I¡¯m you. The things you dislike, so do I.¡± It takes Sweiza a minute to realize what he means. She doesn¡¯t like being touched or molly coddled by others. However, she doesn¡¯t let go. Instead she leans her neck over Demi¡¯s shoulder and whispers something in his ear. ¡°If you¡¯re me, then why aren¡¯t you stronger in my dreams than that giant is?¡± Demi promply clears his throat. Sweiza finally lets go. ¡°I felt his presence the night we first met.¡± Sweiza scowls. ¡°You mean when you tried to assert control over me?¡± ¡°Oh please, you couldn¡¯t even control yourself.¡± Sweiza raises her hand to slap him across the face. Demi¡¯s ears shoot back. He shakes a disapproving head at her. ¡°You need to control your temper and listen to what is in your better interests.¡± ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡± Demi¡¯s arms cross. ¡°You also remember what happened that night you didn¡¯t listen to the one that knighted you Valkyrie?¡± Sweiza takes in an immediate and shaky breath. Her whole body shudders. What those bandits did to her. It is most certainly the reason she still has resentment for Strife, at least the future one. ¡°Strife?¡± Sweiza shrugs with her hands open. ¡°Yes, I believe you call her that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, she never revealed her name to me.¡± Sweiza raises a finger and opens her mouth to say something. Demi shakes his head at her again. Sweiza shrugs again and simply sits on the ground, her focus tends up to the sparking ¡®fireworks¡¯ some distance away. Demi clears his throat. Sweiza¡¯s attention focuses back on him. Demi¡¯s hands cross. ¡°I can feel your resentment towards her. It is unfounded. You were raped in a dream.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows shoot up. ¡°No way! I remember exactly how it felt!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sure you hated every second of it. But as I was saying before¡­¡± Sweiza scoffs at him. This time Demi walks up to her, crouches down and grabs her by the cuff of her shirt. ¡°You look here you little shit, I¡¯m trying to help you. Whether you want it or not is not my concern. I don¡¯t want to die. If you die, I die, is that clear?¡± Sweiza looks away from him. Demi pushes her to the ground. He stands up and looks down on her. ¡°You were raped in a dream, get over it. None of us dream mares ask to exist, it just happens. You were knighted Valkyrie, I became a dream mare of your armor. I can only speak to you in your dreams. There are certain things I can pick up on that you cannot in the waking world. Likewise, I need your help to relate anything to me in this void. Do you understand this reality?¡± Sweiza looks away with no regret. Demi keeps speaking anyway. ¡°I can feel some kind of presence around you. It feels like my own tied to someone that feels like you. I think you are of the same kin. Regardless, she wants you to live. However¡­¡± He trails off and turns around to look back in the distance. Another spark. He looks back to Sweiza. She is looking up at him, but then looks back to the mountain. Demi continues, ¡°I can also feel that things presence. He is trying to invade your dreams. If he keeps it up, you are going to become like the many fowl things that inhabit this area. He has control over them, I can feel it. This is not something you want to happen to you. Just so you know, I felt his presence and one other the night you became a Valkyrie. I think you call them gods. I felt their presence shift for some reason some time later, it has shifted again. I want you to ask your mentor about this.¡± Demi grabs Sweiza up by the arm. He is strong. Sweiza can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s using her dreamscape to enhance his being or not. Demi promptly dusts her off. ¡°Learn that there are people that want to be you friend. That one you call Strife is one of them.¡± He finishes dusting her off. ¡°Also, the longer we spend talking in these dreams, the harder it is for me to manifest, especially with that giant¡¯s presence. It is very draining and will affect you out in the waking world. Is that clear? He took a hit on me the first time and I¡¯m still feeling the affects.¡± His hands go down to his sides and his expression lightens, he is about to say something, but freezes. They feel several rumbles behind them. Sweiza can barely see it, but she sees the giant¡¯s face in the moonlight. He is moving at the breadth of the mountain, almost as if searching for something. Demi¡¯s voice becomes nervous, ¡°He¡¯s looking for us. He can feel our presence. I need to go, or he will find your real location.¡± Demi disappears. Sweiza hears a ¡®farewell friend¡¯ in his voice. Sweiza freezes when the giant turns around and his direction faces directly at her. ¡ª- Sweiza awakens to the sheer of thunder in the distance. She looks up. Stars. Several of Avalan¡¯s moons. A red aurora adorns the sky. Her head shifts to the left. Strife is there. She has a bruise on her arm and what look like several cuts on her face. Strife¡¯s expression is hard, but it softens when she sees the girl rouse. ¡°You¡¯re awake. Did you have a good sleep?¡± Sweiza looks up at her dumbfounded. ¡°Young ladies are wise to hold their silence than to act a fool, but I it wise in this case to give a pleasant answer.¡± Sweiza shakes her head. ¡°You didn¡¯t have a good sleep, or¡­¡± Strife freezes. There is an earthquake in the distance. It rumbles, but then stops. Strife is about to say something. She can hear more of the rumbling. It takes a rhythmic cycle. ¡°We need to move¡­¡± Strife says it with slow and serious intent. She grabs Sweiza by the arm and then pulls her up. Strife¡¯s strength surprises the girl. Strife pulls her into a brisk walk. She pulls out an animal hide canteen and hands it to Sweiza. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Drink. Hurry.¡± Sweiza hesitates. ¡°Drink dammit, we have a long walk ahead of us!¡± Strife shoves it in front of Sweiza. The girl does as she is told. The skin is flimsy and awkward to hold. Strife promptly grabs the base and pulls it up just as Sweiza pulls it to her mouth. Water spills all over her. Sweiza lets out several coughs after several gulps. The canteen disappears from the woman¡¯s arm. She grabs Sweiza by the hand and starts pulling her. ¡°Move!¡± This is going to be a long night. ¡ª Their brisk pace lasts about an hour and a half. Sweiza finally slows huffing and puffing. Strife slows to accompany her student. Sweiza finally stops and stoops over with her hands on her legs. She breathes hard from the effort. Strife gently massages her on the back. ¡°You did well.¡± Strife turns around and a snide look adorns her face. She remembers what Demi told her. She deliberately stifles her face. ¡°Weren¡¯t you flying earlier? Can¡¯t we both do that to escape?¡± Strife shakes her head. ¡°It¡¯s only for emergencies. Even then, once I return to Valhalla, Odin will want a full report. You should know a Valkyrie will be punished if it is misused.¡± Sweiza stands up, puffing just a little less. She is about to say something, but Demi¡¯s words ring in her head. Several ruminations and memories hit her. ¡°What can you tell me about Dreammares?¡± Strife tilts her head at the girl. A curious question. ¡°I would have thought I would have told you about that shortly after I knighted you.¡± Sweiza shakes her head, ¡°No such thing. In fact you seem to keep secrets.¡± Strife¡¯s hand goes up to a strand over her left ear. She flicks it once. ¡°Perhaps for your safety.¡± Sweiza is finally standing and then moving, her breathing somewhat normal, ¡°Blablabla.¡± Sweiza grimaces once and then rolls her eyes at Strife. Strife also mock grimaces at the girl, but it quickly quivers into laughter. Strife catches herself and stifles herself. She promptly stiffens up and clicks her heels together. Sweiza stares at her wide eyed. ¡°Okay, so as you know¡­¡± Strife starts circling her, acting overly pretentious for effect, ¡°Dreammares are a part of our being. They inhabit our armor. They pick up on things we cannot.¡± ¡°Mine said that it can feel the presence of Odin and Loki.¡± Strife stops and puts her hands on the girl¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Yes. They can feel the presence of enchanted or magical beings in the vicinity for some distance. The problem is communicating this information. They seem to be able to have premonitions about our future based on our current state. They are there to give us advice and warnings.¡± Strife let¡¯s go of Sweiza¡¯s shoulders. She taps her on the shoulder once. ¡°Did your Dreammare relate something?¡± Sweiza nods. However, she doesn¡¯t answer right away. ¡°Well? What did it say?¡± ¡°When I was knighted I underwent some kind of trial. It said that those were dreams.¡± Strife nods once, ¡°As your dreammares are born, a world is built up within you. This so to speak is your ability to hold weapons and items in your being. It is also your dreammare¡¯s way, or rather I should say your armor¡¯s way, of building up information about your surroundings. It seems to be tuned to the supernatural incase of the Valkyrie. To some limited degree they¡¯ve been known to predict the future.¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms cradle herself and she shudders. ¡°What?¡± Strife says it with some concern at the girl. As much as she would like to continue running, if a dreammare has something important towards there situation she wants to hear it. Sweiza looks away from Strife. ¡°Vera, no secrets between Valkyrie.¡± ¡°During my trials I was raped. It is one of my worst fears turned nightmare. My dreammare said it was a dream. He said it was my fault for not listening to you.¡± ¡°Vera, listen carefully. In order for a Valkyrie to be knighted, they must be killed.¡± Sweiza starts backing away from Strife. Strife approaches her. Sweiza backs into a tree. Strife is just one foot form her face. Her eyebrows perk at the girl. ¡°A Valkyrie is the chooser of the slain, that includes other Valkyrie. Valkyrie undergo their trial based on their background, environment and who knighted them. It all plays a factor.¡± Sweiza is clearly not impressed at this development. It¡¯s almost as if she refuses to believe Strife. Sweiza simply lets out an ¡°Oh.¡± She attempts to turn away from Strife and remove her back from the tree. Strife blocks the girl¡¯s retreat with her arm. ¡°There is one other thing Vera. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed your dreams have been odd lately.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°Let me go.¡± Strife removes her hand. Sweiza starts off with out her. Strife quickly follows her. ¡°You are not my friend! You¡¯re a terrible bitch of the worst sort!¡± Strife flinches at the word. She continues following Sweiza. There is no end to the girl¡¯s hurried pace. Sweiza finally breaks into a run. Strife follows. Strife tells her to wait. Sweiza turns once distracted and knocks into a tree. The girl feels stars and passes out¡­ ¡ª Sweiza sees it. Down below her a mountain range. There are several nearby villages. However, one of the mountains catches her interest. She somehow sees a close up view of it. A cave? ¡°That giant has been herding you.¡± Sweiza blinks once, then seemingly hovering, she turns around and sees Demi. An earthquake? The ground rumbles beneath her. ¡°The snake¡¯s venom does this when it drips on it. I can feel his pain.¡± ¡°If he has been herding us, what does he want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not good at reading other being¡¯s minds and I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s an ability I get¡­ Its also too soon for this, I¡¯m feeling weak. I can feel him¡­¡± ¡°Demi?¡± Demi fades as down Sweiza¡¯s surroundings fade to black. ¡ª ¡°Wake up!¡± Sweiza feels her body shaking. She then feels cold water splash her face. ¡°Wake up!¡± Sweiza lets out a cough and a groan. Strife shakes her shoulder again. Sweiza¡¯s eyes perk. She looks up at the woman groggy. ¡°He¡¯s been herding us towards his ¡®torture chamber¡¯.¡± Strife gives a light smile, ¡°I had a feeling.¡± ¡°Lets go.¡± Strife helps the girl to her feet. Sweiza staggers once. ¡°I think I owe you a few times. You keep looking after me.¡± Strife gives a brief chuckle, ¡°This is what Valkyriekin do¡­¡± She nudges Sweiza playfully, ¡°¡­and especially friends. Remember, no secrets between us.¡± Sweiza finally understands. ¡°Is that a tradition or something of you made up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an older tradition, but a little bit of both. I understood the importance of friendship once I lost them all. I wish more Valkyrie were so inclined, but the older ones can be stubborn if you catch me.¡± Sweiza blinks once. ¡°You were rather stubborn in the future.¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk as she looks down at her. She otherwise says nothing to the girl. Sweiza looks away. ¡°Sorry for being so much trouble.¡± She looks up. Strife has her hand offered to Sweiza. She helps her up and they are on there way. ¡ª It is some hours time and the two have been walking in the direction of Strife¡¯s (Skuld¡¯s rather) penchant. The logic is simple. Loki is chaotic and has malificent intent. Therefor when all the clock hands align in a compass in one direction with the internal crystal a deep black or purple color, that is there mark. Along the way they talk about this and that. -Valkyrie are indeed killed in order to become Valkyrie. A Valkyrie effectively chooses someone to be slain, either as an enforcer, someone to become a warrior, or to knight a Valkyrie. -There are roughly two thousand Valkyrie. One on average is knighted every two or three years. There are about five hundred Valken. However, there are many, many more fallen warriors that grace the Halls of the Fallen in Castle Gungir. -Odin has made questionable decisions as of the last three decades. The house of Strife¡¯s parents being demolished among other things, is why she resents him. All of the canals are there for a reason, but many houses were demolished in the process. For this reason and many others, are why many of the populace oppose Odin. -There is a secret order of Valkyrie that opposes Odin. They number some two hundred. -Starla is Sweiza¡¯s given name; Sweiza is more of a nickname. Strife wondered about the word ¡°Sweiza¡± on her rucksack. -Sweiza¡¯s life in the future; her chores with the village, her relation with villagers, the annual pilgrimage festival, how she deals with things on her own, how she met Strife, how she met Sprite¡­ ¡°Wait¡­ where is that little shit anyway?¡± Sweiza looks around and realizes she hasn¡¯t seen him for some time. Strife gives a quick gander around, but doesn¡¯t say anything. Sweiza lets out several clicks, then a chirp. Nothing. She finally lets out a really bad squawk. Nothing. Finally she inserts two fingers into her mouth and lets out a very loud and shrill whistle. Sweiza hears a faint squawk. She looks straight up. He¡¯s been hiding beyond the trees. Strife sees a blue glow above them. The glow disappears. ¡°He¡¯s pretty good at that. But this is not the place to be hiding above the trees. There are many predators above and below. We need to stick together.¡± Sweiza lets out another whistle, this time less shrill. The blue orb flickers once and then a small object comes straight for them. It gets bigger. It is indeed Sprite. He lets out a small chirp before landing on all fours on her shoulder. He is panting. ¡°Poor thing. He¡¯s probably been trying to stay hidden this entire time.¡± Strife looks down at him. ¡°What he probably needs is some food.¡± The sprite¡¯s wings flutter once. Strife holds out her hand and a small pastry is in it. Sweiza blinks at it once. Valkyrie can conceal food in their being? Nice! Sprite thinks the same thing. Sweiza comes back to reality and already sees he is greedily gobbling it up (her words for it). Little pig that he is. Sweiza shakes her head. ¡ª It is some hours time. The trees give way and they find themselves quickly approaching the village at the foot of a large mountain range. It is not too unfamiliar to the one in Sweiza¡¯s dream. From some distance away there is a large dark depression in the mountain¡¯s face at the furthest end of the village. It appears to be a cave opening. Strife finally holds her hand out and produces the penchant. It¡¯s hand point straight forward the cave; the crystal glows between black and a dark purple. Sweiza gazes from the penchant to Strife and then the village, ¡°Last one there is¡­¡± Sweiza attempts to break into a run, but she feels Strife grab her by the hand. There is a hard pull on her. Sweiza lets out a grunt. ¡°Hey!¡± Strife shakes her head and puts her finger up to her mouth. The universal ¡®quit being obnoxious¡¯ sign. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Look at the edge of the village¡­¡± Strife points along the perimeter. It is a wooden fort and embankment rolled into one. A water moat travels alongside the perimeter of the fortlike structure. Strife also points to the opposite sides and front of the village. ¡°I don¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°Look harder.¡± Strife comes alongside and behind Sweiza. She points her finger along her gaze. Sweiza squints once, then uses her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She finally sees it. ¡°The doors? A raised gate? ¡°Yes dear. This is most likely a well guarded village or a seat of government of sorts for this area. It might be a military installation. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the locals worship Loki if not having him outright control them.¡± ¡°How can he have control of them if he is a mischief maker full of malice?¡± Sweiza wrinkles her nose at the thought. Odin is bad enough, but Loki has followers? Strife¡¯s face brightens. She waves for Sweiza to follow her at a walking pace towards the village. ¡°They will most likely be civil, but show them nothing but respect. This is their country and it is a very untame one. Expect anything.¡± ¡°But what about Loki?¡± Strife stops. ¡°From what I recall, Odin prefers to be allknowing; he seeks wisdom from the many secrets in his travels through Midgard. He prefers the physical and to give wisdom. He wants to gain perception of and predict the future. Thor simply believes in establishing order and maintaining it. Loki prefers sparking events through simple acts that cause great change. Riddles and wordplay, lies, misinformation, mischief, mindgames, shapeshifting are all tools that he claims. I am hoping that the dream¡¯s I¡¯ve been having will confirm his penchant for the mind.¡± ¡°Why not just keep an explanation simple Strife?¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk, but her face drops into a frown, albeit a friendly one, ¡°So that you may learn Miss Serif.¡± Strife¡¯s eyes open wide. She looks at the girl in disbelief. Strife¡¯s hand quickly comes up to her mouth and she claps it lightly several times. ¡°My apologies, Vera. I forget you don¡¯t like that form of address.¡± Sweiza scoffs. ¡°You¡¯ve been having dreams?¡± ¡°Same as you.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands come down to her hips. ¡°What about no secrets?¡± ¡°I am the master. I make the decisions.¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk up. Sweiza is undeterred, ¡°No secrets!¡± ¡°Ah, whatever. In the dreams he knows I seek the hammer. He comes to me as a beautiful man. He promises fame and fortune in exchange for releasing him. Simply out of the question.¡± Strife muses at the idea. She has no interest in marrying a god, let alone the disgusting creature known as ¡®Loki¡¯. Really, a giant. How could anyone want to marry such a thing. What if Valhalla knew? Then there was Sigurd¡­ Strife snaps back to reality. ¡°Let¡¯s go Vera.¡± Sweiza amply follows along without further question. ¡ª At the gates of the village, they see there is a wooden bridge around a moat. The moat isn¡¯t clear, but is full of a disgusting brown murky liquid. Strife wagers it is sludge or some kind of waste. Perhaps they have plumbing. However, the crossed gate is closed. Strife walks up to the bridge, but stays beyond its perimeter. ¡°HAIL!¡± She says it in a loud voice. She can hear muffled voices from the upper part of the gate, but sees no one. She then produces a horn in her hand. She holds it to her lips and blows it. It lets out an ominous and deep earthy noise that reverberates throughout the area. Sweiza jumps at the noise. Sweiza looks for Sprite once, but sees he is staying well hidden. Her attention shifts to the gate. There are several figures now standing waist high above the wooden wall surrounding the village. They are most likely on some kind of platform. Sweiza shields her eyes from the sun again. She can barely make out their colors. They appear to be variations of grey. They look fat and muscled to her. One has a big belly. They are in some kind of armor and are holding spears. One is holding a bow. ¡°Ogres¡­ no¡­ they don¡¯t normally live in villages¡­ Orcs maybe? Most likely.¡± Sweiza mutters it to no one. Her mentor walks ahead several paces until she is on the bridge. Sweiza once again hears her mentor call out, ¡°Hail! We come in peace and wish to pay our respects to Lokisenna, our rightful lord and master of all nine realms.¡± The guards excitedly speak to each other. One of them finally bellows at Strife. It sounds like a low growl. ¡°You are far from Midgard. Why would a human woman bring herself to the Maw of Mischief?¡± There is definite suspicion in his voice. However, Sweiza is too busy wondering about the name. Is it a village, or perhaps referring to the cave¡¯s mouth? ¡°We are ousted Valkyriekin of Valhalla.¡± Strife clicks her heals together. One of the orcs flinches at the words ¡°Valkyriekin of Valhalla¡±. The same orc from before bellows again, ¡°Your kind isn¡¯t welcome here.¡± Strife remains undeterred. She clicks her heels together again. ¡°Tell your master that we bring ill tidings of Valhalla.¡± The orc bellows once more, ¡°You declare war?¡± Strife smirks as her hands come down to her hips. Her plan is working. ¡°Negatory. Odin has gone mad. There is talk of rebellion. We are outcast Valkyrie looking to raise an army.¡± This gets the guards excitedly talking to each other and nodding. They silence and another orc speaks. ¡°Master Loki will hear of this. You will wait here. If he does not seek an audience, you will leave, or we will declare war. Agreed?¡± Strife clicks her heels together then bows. ¡°Agreed.¡± Strife raises the horn once more and blows into it. One of the guards disappears. The others simply stand stiff as they watch Strife. The woman walks back to her apprentice. Sweiza looks at her wide-eyed. Strife¡¯s face brightens; she can clearly see the bewilderment on Sweiza¡¯s face. Strife¡¯s face shows delight, ¡°So far so good.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Sweiza says it as a matter of factually. She peaks her head around Strife up at the guards. They are watching the two closely. Sweiza¡¯s head slinks back behind Strife. ¡°What if they kill us?¡± Strife simply clicks her heels together. ¡°We are the choosers of the slain; a fate far worse then death awaits us.¡± Sweiza looks up once more at the guards with ill omen. Orcs, ogres, goblins and trolls do not mix with humans well. Looking deep into Strife¡¯s eyes, in Sweiza¡¯s mind, this cannot end well. The goddess (of fertility) only knows if they¡¯ll make it to Loki or not. ANBLII - Chapter 13 - The Raw Deal ¡°Dear Diary, Right now we wait at the gates of the city of ¡®Torres¡¯. It is established just outside the ¡®Maw of Mischief¡¯ where the trickster god Loki sits. The story Strife tells me is that he is the banished blood brother of Odin. We seek the enchantment of his chains. I do not know how Strife intends to do this, nor do I see how a god would agree with a lowly ¡®Valkyrie¡¯. The local people (if they can be called that), seem to be suspicious of us. However, I find I am in good spirits and good company. Sprite keeps himself hidden. He doesn¡¯t chatter as much ever since we saw the giant. We keep him occupied with food. I need to ask Strife how she does that. She seems to have an endless supply of items within her ¡®being¡¯. I¡¯d like to know more about it. Speaking of Strife, she assures me that she is nothing like her future counterpart that I describe with such disdain to her. However, she says perhaps that in the future she succumbs to the stubborn pride and arrogant self-centered mentality of other Valkyrie. Supposedly as the generations roll on, Valkyrie watch their friends die and rely more on themselves and each other. I see her point. I would like to see if I can change this. However, I do not understand how time travel works. Has this happened already through the course of time, or do my actions here affect things later? Perhaps only Salmira truly knows. It can¡¯t hurt to ask. -Sweiza¡± ¡°No¡­ no no. Like this¡­¡± Strife swings her hand out and a sword appears midswing. It is the same one that she gives Sweiza in two centuries. ¡°You try.¡± Sweiza tries again. This time the same sword, two centuries older, appears in her hands, but it flies out of her hands. Sweiza doesn¡¯t quite have the skill down yet. Strife walks over to pick it up and hands it back to her. ¡°Try again.¡± Sweiza stammers and grumbles. ¡°This is too hard!¡± ¡°It¡¯s always hard without practice. Practice makes that which is hard second nature and much easier. Much like your ability to live outdoors. You can¡¯t tell me you were always that capable.¡± The sword in Sweiza¡¯s hand suddenly disappears. She crosses her arms and drops to the ground crosslegged. ¡°You¡¯re not going to give up now are you?¡± Strife chuckles at her. A strand of her hair is flicked in anticipation. Sweiza closes her eyes and looks away. ¡°Well?¡± Strife tries rounding her up. It appears to work, if not slightly. Sweiza opens one eye and her head rocks once at the woman. She stands up again. ¡°I have a better idea.¡± Sweiza holds both of her hands out. Her rucksack appears with the straps in her hands. She opens it and flips it upside down. All of the contents fall out. ¡°I cannot summon my items if they are in a container, correct? It has to be the whole container?¡± Strife eye¡¯s widen at the display, but she otherwise nods her head. Her left hand is already up passing through the hair over her left ear. Slowly. That action annoys Sweiza. She ignores it. Each item is ¡®reabsorbed¡¯ into her being. She starts trying to summon each one individually. It works. ¡°I am to gather if it is an item I have an attachment to or feel some sentimental value towards, I can summon it much quicker?¡± ¡°Yes Vera. Just like that. However, practice with items you are unfamiliar with, can also give you such memories as to be able to summon them at will without hesitation.¡± ¡°Do you have this same issue with new items?¡± Sweiza takes a stance and her tonfa appear in her hands once. ¡°Initially. Sometimes I still have trouble. But it gets easier with time.¡± Strife has her sword out in an instant (again) and takes a swing with the broadside at Sweiza. Sweiza lets out a yelp and instinctively raises one of the tonfa on the backside of her arm. It blocks the blow. ¡°I see you have some practice with those. But your armor is enchanted and would be much better suited for blocks and parries.¡± Strife shakes her head once. Again that annoying action of passing a finger through hair and flicking it.¡± The tonfa disappear. ¡°Would you stop that!¡± Sweiza stands forward, her head leaning forward more. Her hands into fists, but it is her wrists which aim at the ground. She is clearly agitated. Strife rolls her eyes. ¡°We need to teach you more patience.¡± ¡°Whatever!¡± Strife looks away, ¡°Lesson concluded for now. Take a break.¡± Strife closes her eyes again and flicks her hair for good measure. Sweiza lets out another grumble. ¡ª It is sometime towards evening when Sweiza finally breaks her silence. ¡°Strife, the rebellion. It fails.¡± Strife blinks at her once. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Most of the Valkyrie are not proud consorts of Odin; they only back him because enough to not openly oppose him¡­. And with good reason!¡± ¡°Strife, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to change the future if you knew what was going to happen?¡± Strife¡¯s hand goes up to her hair again. Sweiza walks up. Strife¡¯s eyes widen. Sweiza grabs Strife¡¯s hand and pulls it away from her hair. ¡°This is a bad habit we need to fix. You do this a lot in the future too.¡± Strife giggles at the idea. It doesn¡¯t look very adult through Sweiza¡¯s eyes. ¡°Strife, I¡¯m trying to be serious!¡± ¡°So you are.¡± Strife puts her hand up to her mouth, balls it into a fist, taps her lips to her fist and clears her throat. ¡°And how do you propose we stop the rebellion from failing?¡± ¡°Can we not ask Salmira?¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands gesture in frustration. Strife doesn¡¯t answer her, but simply shakes her head. Sweiza scowls a frown and looks up, ¡°Salmira!¡± Strife walks up to the girl and puts her hand on her, she puts her finger up to her lips and shakes her head. ¡°That woman is foul business. Do not concern yourself with her.¡± Sweiza again says the name Salmira at the sky. Nothing happens. Both of Strife¡¯s hands are on the girl¡¯s shoulders now. She shakes her several times to snap her out of it. ¡°Salmira will only appear when it is convenient. She dances around fate and meddles in Odin¡¯s affairs as it suits her.¡± ¡°But she brought us together¡­¡± Sweiza looks her square in the eye. Strife releases her hands from the girl¡¯s shoulders. ¡°If this is something you will not take lightly, then perhaps I might suggest negotiation. It is a good skill to have, perhaps my own skills will rub off on my daughter.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°Vera, listen to me. The next time you see Salmira, try bartering with her. You can¡¯t hurt to try.¡± Sweiza¡¯s lips purse, but she nods once. ¡ª Towards nightfall, Strife has a small kettle over a small grilled table over a fire. Sweiza finally breaks her silence. Why didn¡¯t Strife do this before rather than have her do all the work? Strife doesn¡¯t answer, instead she perks her eyebrows up. Sweiza gets angry, again. Strife tells her she needs to learn a sense of accomplishment, and letting her do the work should give her something to feel proud of. Finally Sweiza asks Strife how much Strife keeps hidden. Strife blows a puff of air at her hair and says ¡®too much¡¯. Sweiza asks if there is a limit, and Strife merely complies with ¡°Is there a limit to your questions?¡± Sweiza is about to object, when Strife says that perhaps she should get some sleep. Not being used to being in an unfamiliar land can affect a person¡¯s sleep, especially if something ¡®exciting¡¯ might happen. Like a bitter child, she reluctantly agrees. She finally feels her consciousness dissipate from the land of the living. ¡ª Sweiza sees herself back on the ¡®Gigas Dura¡¯. It is at night in the middle of the ocean. She sees a shooting star streak across the sky. There is a red arurora haunting the horizon. She looks around. She jumps feels her skin tighten when a hand presses to her. She stifles her shriek with both hands and turns around in defiance. It is Demi. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± She raises a hand to strike him. She catches herself and reluctantly lowers her hand. She stamps her foot at him once and crosses her arms. Demi is not impressed by the display. ¡°You are learning some self control. This is good. However, there are those of us that do not display self control.¡± He points towards the small ¡®shack¡¯ (as she calls it) that serves as the dining area and bridge of the ship. Lukas walks out. He is holding something. It is Strife¡¯s penchant. ¡°HEY!¡± Sweiza yells it at him, but he pays no attention. She tries raising her voice again, he seems to be oblivious to her. She knows he has no business with that device. If he is going to be ignorant and oblivious towards her and Demi, then she knows what she must do. She wastes no time and charges him. Her hand is already out to snatch it by the string. She¡¯ll make a quick turn around and flee to shore if necessary. She passes through him and hits the side of the small ¡®shack¡¯ and is forced to the ground from the hit. She sees stars and recomposes herself. She jumps to her feet and turns around. She swings her hand and attempts to swat the device away from him, but her hands passes through the string. Her eyes widen in surprise. Demi appears next to her. ¡°He cannot see you. This is just a dream. However, I am here to warn you. Watch and observe.¡± He points to Lukas. Lukas is muttering something. It appears to be the same sequence of words, but they change in rhythmic fashion. Sweiza is not familiar with the language. What she does see is the penchant¡¯s crystal glows white. The hands start spinning in different directions. They eventually stop at different directions; she thought they only faced the same direction, perhaps they¡­ She is interrupted from her thoughts when a blue glow eminates from it. A sphere envelopes them. At the edges of the sphere appear to be dots and lines between them. She recognizes some of them as stars. However, there is a strange language written all throughout the sphere. Different whisps of the letters also pass through the sphere. She recognizes some of the whisps as looking like the continents she has seen on maps, but they look different. The penchant glows white again and a bolt of white lightning jumps to a specific point on the continent. It appears to be between Midgard, Muspell, Myrkvellir and Niffleheim. She recognizes it as ¡°The Yawning Gap¡±. Lukas again mutters something in the strange language. The crystal again glows a white color. The hands of the watchlike device whir around and then suddenly point in one direction at Sweiza and Demi. Lukas looks up at them. His eyes suddenly black out, and then his eye sockets turn black. Sweiza wants to scream and run, but feels something holding her in place. The penchant suddenly disappears. Demi holds up a hand. He says something in a strange language. A bolt of lightning reflects off of Sweiza¡¯s eyes as it quite literally ¡®zaps¡¯ Lukas. He shines and radiates a strange white light. His body¡¯s flesh melts off. Underneath is what she can only describe as a wooden doll. Several strings dart down from the sky and attach to him. Demi hurls his hand at the thing. An orb of flame illuminates his hand and then jumps to the doll. It begins to shriek and mutter that strange language again. It runs throughout the deck of the ship and then finally lunges towards Sweiza and Demi. It passes through them and falls overboard. Sweiza is left to look over at the side of the ship. Her eyebrows jump up, but they are unimpressed. She looks over at Demi. ¡°Why did you show me this?¡± Demi looks concerned at her, ¡°His true nature. Ask the one you call Strife. My time is short.¡± She feels the dream slowly fade into blackness. This is starting to get old to her. However, she simply mutters ¡®thanks¡¯ as she disappears from the land of dreams. ¡ª Sweiza is startled awake. She hears the crack of fire from a log. She looks over where she last saw Strife. She is fast asleep on the ground. Sweiza sees the pillow on the ground under Strife. She cannot believe this. She wrinkles her nose at her, but restrains herself from sticking her tongue out. She finally can¡¯t restrain herself anymore and closes her eyes and sticks her tongue out at her. ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± She looks over. Sprite! ¡°Sprite, you¡¯ve been hiding again!¡± He flies up and hovers in front of her. ¡°That woman conned me into keeping watch for a ration bar. She tricked me.¡± Sweiza starts laughing. She starts to get loud. Sprite flies up to her mouth and uses his hands to clamp her mouth shut. ¡°Keep it down.¡± Sweiza lets out some muffled words and nods. Sprite flies back in front of her. ¡°I think it has been a few hours. The moons have shifted some distance. I¡¯m tired. It is your turn to keep watch.¡± He opens his hands at either side of him, bops up and down once and flies off towards the side of the fire some five feet. He curls up and lays himself on the ground. Sweiza looks at the display in surprise. She guesses it is her turn to keep watch. She lets out a yawn and stands stiff in front of the fire. At least she¡¯ll keep warm! However, this display doesn¡¯t go on for long as her body starts to get sore from standing still. She makes it a point to change positions, stand, walk, and the like. She doesn¡¯t see any animals or monsters. For that matter, she doesn¡¯t remember seeing any animals since they hit the shore. Shouldn¡¯t there have been birds chirping? How could she be so foolish as not to notice this? ¡ª ¡°Dear Diary, I am a lone in the middle of the night and this is boring. Well, not really. Strife and Sprite are next to me, if not asleep. I am stuck waiting outside the gates of ¡®Torres¡¯ with nothing to do. Lady Freya help me if I make it through the night. I have noticed an odd peculiarity, I don¡¯t remember seeing any animals since we hit shore of Jotunher. I don¡¯t remember seeing any insects. For that matter, why did I hear no birds chirping? At night is one thing¡­ I¡¯ll need to ask Strife. Until then, I have an uneventful night ahead of me. -Sweiza¡± ¡ª It is sometime in the early morning. Sweiza hears Strife rouse from sleep. It is more of a groggy groan. ¡°Strife!¡± Strife lets out another half groggy groan. Sweiza marches up. The burning question. ¡°Did you no¡­¡± ¡°Vera, do you mind? I just woke up.¡± Strife stands up once and an odd bag appears in her hands. So does a cup for that matter. Soon her animal skin canteen is out also. The ingredients go into the cup, as does the water. Everything but the cup disappears; she soon shakes it and the contents are emptied. She looks at Sweiza. ¡°It is coffee. It helps.¡± Strife starts to stretch. Sweiza is stuck there staring at her. ¡°Well? You had something to ask?¡± ¡°Did you notice no animals in the trees?¡± Strife stops stretching. ¡°Of course. What traveller wouldn¡¯t. We¡¯re in Loki¡¯s realm. This area is under his control. You are surprised?¡± Sweiza fakes it and shakes her head. ¡°Very good Vera. You may dream if you like. I¡¯ll take next watch after some exercise.¡± Strife starts moving her hands and arms in odd positions while she twists and contorts her body while moving backwards. Sweiza makes a face. It does not go unnoticed by Strife that Sweiza tries to sneak by her. ¡°And what are you doing Vera?¡± Sweiza jerks with Strife¡¯s pillow in her hands. She sheepishly walks by Strife without saying anything. ¡°Oh whatever. Just make sure you return it. I only have one.¡± Sweiza gives a joyous nod. ¡ª Otherwise undisturbed, Sweiza sleeps soundly in the land of dreams until the crow of a rooster rouses her senses. Strife is already on her and nudging her shoulder. ¡°Vera, wakeup!¡± Sweiza lets out a groan. She turns away from Strife and grips the pillow. ¡°Just a few more minutes mother.¡± Strife cocks an eyebrow up at that. Does she mean her ¡°Strife¡±, or perhaps another mother? She doesn¡¯t ask. Instead her foot nudges the girl in the back. ¡°Wakeup! We have work to do!¡± Sweiza finally sits up. ¡°Coffee, please.¡± Strife walks over to the fire and simply picks up her cup from before and walks it over to Sweiza. ¡°There¡¯s still some left.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Sweiza eyes it once. She makes a face. But she knows the liquid will keep her awake. In one motion she puts the cup to her mouth and moves her head back. She makes another face at it and swallows with some difficulty. It is quite bitter. ¡°It really needs more sugar.¡± Strife says it with some amusement. Sweiza¡¯s mouth just drops and her eyes dart to the sky. ¡ª Strife has Sweiza perform various exercises to help rouse and stiffen her senses to alert. Strife then has Sweiza summon different objects from her being. Strife says the word of the item and Sweiza summons it and reabsorbs it accordingly. Sweiza gets better about pulling items familiar to her. However, she finally has to pull the sword out. It takes a few moments. The sparring between Sweiza and Strife begins. Strife wins all the bouts, if not by default due to a shaking an uncertain student full of doubt. ¡°You¡¯ll get better Vera, count on it!¡± Strife nudges her playfully. Sweiza simply lets out a nod, still not sure about this Valkyrie business. Perhaps Strife was like this at some point too? Maybe not. Sweiza remembers reading the woman¡¯s diary. She was hardened over time due to events beyond her control. To lose your friends is a terrible thing. This is something the girl knows well, but unlike Strife, she will return to hers in the future. Does Strife lose most of her friends as she outlives them? What a terrible thought! Will she (Sweiza) have the same fate? ¡ª It is towards midmorning. The two pass the time by talking about this and that. Sweiza does not talk about the dream concerning Lukas. She feels it can wait. They have current business ahead of them. Speaking of which¡­ A sound from just beyond the bridge gets their attention. The city gate is opening. The same grey orc from the day before walks up to them. Sweiza gets a better look at his facial features this time. His face is grey with a big black beard. He has black hair. He is in simple armor made from plates and head together with buckles. He is holding a shield and a mace. Sweiza has heard of maces, but this is her first time actually seeing the weapon. In her mind it looks like a very crude one compared to the pictures she has seen in books. The guard stops ten feet from their camp. ¡°Master Lokisenna has granted you an audience. Follow me.¡± Sweiza looks over at Strife, whom nods back to the girl. Strife readily grabs her cup and kettle from the grill-like table over the makeshift firepit; the items disappear when they hit her hands. Both of her hands touch the grill-like table and the same effect. Strife readies herself at Sweiza¡¯s side, whom is already following the orc from some distance behind. It is fairly obvious that Sweiza is nervous. Strife¡¯s pace quickens until she is side by side with the girl. She looks over, a forced and pursed smile on her face. ¡°You¡¯re not scared are you?¡± Sweiza looks over at her wide eyed. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t push the issue. But this is rather exciting for me.¡± Strife leans in towards Sweiza and whispers in her ear, ¡°If he¡¯s anything like Odin, he¡¯ll respond well to negotiating.¡± Sweiza turns towards Strife, the woman briefly winks at her apprentice and hurries past her to match pace with the orc. Sweiza¡¯s lips purse and her eyes widen. Can orcs be trusted? Strife looks back at Sweiza. Sweiza¡¯s eyes continue to stay wide. Strife perks her eyebrows. Her head motions for Sweiza to match pace. She does so. However, her attention also falls back to someone that is missing. She looks up to be safe. Sure enough, and as usual, Sprite is hovering above them. She lets out a chirp and Sprite flies down. ¡°What?¡± His arms cross at her. He tilts his head away from her. ¡°Please lookout for us, but stay out of sight. If you see anything suspicious, tell me, okay?¡± Sprite looks up at her, suspicious of her intentions. ¡°Dewey, I need you.¡± He lets out a chirp of acknowledgement and flies back into the sky. She is pretty certain the orc guards would have seen her, but there doesn¡¯t appear to be any above the gate like the day before. ¡°Whatever.¡± Sweiza says it to herself as she matches pace with Strife and the orc. ¡ª As they pass the gates, the orc motions towards other orcs above them. They are on platforms, but not high enough where they can be seen. There are definite lookout slits between the wood that makes up the city walls. Sweiza looks up as they use a simple rope and wheel system with pegs to open and close the gates. The ropes are around the wheel in either direction so that turning it either forward or backwards, opens or closes the front gate. Sweiza is definitely impressed. Strife leans over on her shoulder, her voice showing some amusement, ¡°Don¡¯t get too caught up in it. Keep your senses sharp.¡± Sweiza nods wide eyed again. The orc guard however, is not impressed. ¡°You act as if we are going to eat you.¡± ¡°Orcs don¡¯t eat humans?¡± Sweiza says it bewildered. ¡°I thought they did.¡± The orc¡¯s ears shoot back, ¡°Absolute nonsense. Lokisenna provides all of our food. He herds the animals here...¡± The orc eyes the two of them once, ¡°¡­and then some.¡± ¡°Is that why I never saw any animals or birds chirping on the way here?¡± Sweiza asks the orc with some curiosity. He doesn¡¯t answer. He instead waves for them to follow him as he walks on. The paths are what she expects from something of this sort. Wooden buildings, quite rustic surroundings, roads of dirt. To her they appear to be walking down the main street, which would make sense. What starts out as military in nature, turns more civilian in feel as they approach the center of the city. Towards the center she sees children playing games with a giant rock. She is not familiar with the game, but it involves tackling an opponent and running with it. Perhaps there is a goal somewhere? She doesn¡¯t have time to think about it as they walk past them. To say they get strange looks along the way is an understatement. She assumes they are the normal village folk and not guards. They wear simple clothing made of animal hide. She doesn¡¯t spot anyone naked. Perhaps they are more civil than she thought. Perhaps this is the seat of government for the area and outlying areas are in fact less civil. She doesn¡¯t know. Regardless, the stares and murmurs at them make Sweiza uncomfortable and she keeps her gaze forward. They cross through a market area. The shop keepers and shoppers give them little notice - their own lives clearly being more important. Their shops don¡¯t look unlike what they have in Maria Village or Muspell Harbor. The smells are what really get her, they smell so common as what she is used to. Clear smells of spices and meat that has been dried. Slowly, but surely the ¡°Maw of Mischief¡± looks into view. It stands much higher than Sweiza had expected, some one hundred feet in the air. Just how big is Loki anyway? Was the giant they encountered earlier an illusion? ¡°Uh, excuse me, you have a name right?¡± Sweiza walks alongside the guard and looks up at him in her most dignified, but innocent way. The guard stops and looks down at her. ¡°T¡¯lak.¡± His eyes focus in on her closer. He is about to continue walking when Sweiza stops him again. ¡°Was the giant we encountered out in the wilderness an illusion?¡± The guard clears his breath once and closes his eyes. This is clearly not a conversation he is expecting. ¡°Master Loki may take any form he wishes. He also projects himself as anyone and anything he pleases.¡± Strife gives the conversation some attention, but otherwise remains silent. In her mind, it is her apprentice¡¯s place to learn. As the master she will not interfere, at least not yet. ¡°Can he control people like a puppet?¡± Sweiza says this with more alert concern. ¡°Why are you asking these things?¡± The guard says it with some alarm. His eyes are a bit more alert on her now. ¡°I had a dream about a wooden puppet with strings. I had heard that Master Loki talks to us in our dreams on matters of importance, especially to strangers.¡± Sweiza catches Strife smiling behind the guard. Strife is clearly pleased at Sweiza¡¯s lie of ¡®Master Loki¡¯. The guard is a bit taken aback by the statement. ¡°Master Lokisenna provides us protection, food and shelter in this area. When he wishes to speak to us, he gathers an audience and the word is proclaimed to the townsfolk.¡± The guard suddenly rubs his shoulder nervously, ¡°He is known to communicate to us in our dreams on occasion; it is normally harmless mischief or comedy. The man does get bored.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows cock up at the word ¡®man¡¯. She gives a quick glance at Strife; Strife shakes her head at the girl. Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows drop just as quick and her attention is on the guard again. ¡°What about the puppet?¡± Sweiza tries to push the issue. The guard is clearly nervous about the matter. He grumbles. ¡°The Cult of Loki.¡± Sweiza attempts to speak again, but the guard interrupts her. ¡°I do not wish to discuss this matter further. I will not defy the master. Come, he awaits.¡± He waves the two on again to follow him. Sweiza gives Strife a look, the woman eyes her once and then follows the guard; Sweiza follows quickly after. She looks up and around to see if Sprite is nearby, she can¡¯t see him. Hopefully her little backup plan proves to be handy. Sprite will no doubt find interesting things to report regardless, especially if she bribes him with something sweet. They stop once at the maw. The guard turns around. ¡°No tricks, no weapons.¡± He stamps his foot down. Strife nods. She looks over at Sweiza and nudges her in the back with her elbow. Sweiza also nods. The guard once again motions for them to follow. Sweiza stares up at the gaping mouth of the cave. It looks more like the Maw of Ominous Intent than Mischief. Hopefully this is a good idea. Do they really need the enchantment that badly? ¡ª The cave seems to go on for some time. Sweiza notes there are torches along the walls every so many feet; they illuminate and cast a dull glow against the cave face. The walls are a distinct shade of tan where illuminated, otherwise a dull blue in the darkness. The ceiling to the cave is some distance above them, but she notes it is slowly getting smaller as they get further in the cave. She also notes that they are slowly descending. It is around several corners and some nine hundred feet in (by her count) that she hears running water. Wait, an underground stream? They finally round one more corner. Sweiza sees several trees and shrubs planted. There are what appear to be stone formations in the form of trees. Sweiza finally sees the underground stream. There appear to be several pools of water surrounding what appears to be an island of sorts. The island is directly attached to the cave face around the corner they passed. She sees it is all in a large chamber, but she thought there was Loki and his bindings, where is¡­ ¡°Master Lokisenna!¡± The guard lets out a gruff loud shout in the cavern. ¡°The Valkyrie that wish to see you.¡± The guard continues to stare at the tree and rock formations on the island. Sweiza tries to discern what it is. She looks over at Strife. Strife simply motions with her head to look at the island. What in the world would¡­ Sweiza lets out a surprised gasp. The rock formations start to move. Rather, what appear to be whisps of smoke and movement about them, in only a way she can describe as the rocks taking formation as sand expels itself around them. It appears to be a vapor of sorts taking shape. However, with each wisp the shapes become more human. She finally sees the glint of the chains. They pull tight as a hand pulls on them. The rock formation on the ground begins to take the form of a statue. There is another formation next to him. It appears to be holding something above him. A bowl? Another jagged formation above the two. It looks like a snake¡¯s fangs. Ah, she remembers the legend now! The shapes take effect as she would expect at this point. Loki appears laying on the ground in nothing more than hide clothing. He has a similar appearance as the giant in her dreams - white hair, necklace of wolf teeth, white hair in a pony tail, the long nose, he is missing the boots she remembers him wearing. What gets her attention is the eyes. There are definite eyes. They glow a dull pink. His skin is also a dull white. He appears to be an albino like Brynhilde. The statue holding the bowl above him takes shape. It is a woman. She is in simple clothing, a dress akin to a older style and a hood; she has a white apron on. She holds the bowl steady above her ¡®husband¡¯. Sweiza remembers the legend now. His wife Sigyn. She looks at the three watching them, but tends back to her eternal duty. One hand holds a cloth and is dipped soon enough into the stream around the island; the cloth¡¯s cool water sooths the wound¡¯s on her husband¡¯s face. There are clear burn marks on it. Sweiza assumes from the venom. Sigyn¡¯s other hand holds the bowl above a small rock crag. It is positioned in such a way to let liquid pour out of it and away from her husband. The liquid is a strange yellow color. It drips into an area downstream. To Sweiza this is smart thinking. Clean water in, help her husband with it, and then it also takes the ¡®venom¡¯ further downstream. The formation above them is definitely that of a snake. It takes form just as the two gods do. However, it stays closer to that of a statue. The god (Loki) is clealy in pain and anguish. His left arm pulls against the left chain. There is a thud in the cave, almost as if it reverberates, as he does so. Sweiza notes his legs are also bound by chains. The chains do not allow for much freedom of movement. Perhaps he is able to stand. However, he pulls himself to a sitting position. He looks into the distance, but does not look directly at them. Sweiza¡¯s eyes dart to his right arm. A shackle and broken chain hang from it. Has Ragnarok begun? No, nonsense. It will be some time. He has merely broken one of the chains. Is this what Strife meant? Sweiza jerks to attention again as Loki¡¯s right hand holds him up. What should be restraining his right arm, is hanging freely and dangles ever so slightly. It vibrates and sways from some kind of wind. She couldn¡¯t feel it earlier, but there is definitely wind. The god¡¯s eyes finally look at them. Sweiza sees the pink eyes flash red once as light reflects off of them. ¡°Leave us.¡± Sweiza looks from Loki to Strife. Strife doesn¡¯t move. The guard stands to attention and walks off. He eyes Strife and Sweiza wearily, but then continues out the cave. Loki appears to be forlorn and lets out a pained breath. His wife mentions something to him. Sweiza cannot hear it. She looks up at Strife. Strife jerks her head in a motion for Sweiza to pay attention. She looks back at Loki. The trickster and his wife finally stop speaking. Loki¡¯s hand reaches up towards the bowl and rock crag; his wife holds the cloth up to the snake statue¡¯s fangs. She wraps it around it. She nods once to her husband and takes the bowl and walks off with it. Sweiza squints at the cloth. Do they intend to absorb liquid? She starts thinking. Sigyn has walked off to empty the bowl no doubt. That must be hard work propping it and holding it. They surely have to change positions. Sweiza thinks, ¡®positions¡¯ to herself. She wonders if these two have ever made love after Loki was bound. She blinks once at the thought. Her imagination runs wild at the thought. Passionate lovers even when bound. She blinks again and comes back to attention when Loki speaks. ¡°Two elven Valkyrie mock Loki¡¯s illusions and outsmart him. You come here to gloat?¡± Strife looks down at the ground once. She immediately looks back at the trickster god. She drops to one knee and looks down. Her eyes dart over to Sweiza. Sweiza is still standing. Strife hisses a whisper under her breath, ¡°Vera, on your knee.¡± Sweiza looks over once. She hesitates. Strife looks over at her and scowls, she lets out another hiss, ¡°Show your respect.¡± It gets the god¡¯s attention, but briefly. He looks away from them. Sweiza is already on her knee in an undignified squat. This will take some getting used to. She pipes up, ¡°My appologies my lord. I meant no disrespect.¡± The man¡¯s eyebrows and eyes seemingly blink into themselves once. Sweiza swears she sees his eyesockets flash black, but his eyes stay there with their pink hue. He attempts to stand and lets out a groan. He doesn¡¯t have much walking space. He looks up in fear at the snake¡¯s fangs. ¡°You are here with purpose. Speak and leave.¡± The god¡¯s body trembles. Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow. She finally sees that he is in incredibly poor health. From the venom perhaps? Is he poisoned? Is that an effect? Can this happen to a god? Is he more man? Her questions do not stop. She forces herself to pay attention. ¡°My Lord. It is an honor to be in your graces. We are not worthy.¡± Strife says it in a tone that Sweiza can only describe as absolute humility and respecful. The god takes in a hiss of air, but he otherwise looks away. Sweiza can see this is not going well. The god looks at them and his voice booms, but it comes out weak, ¡°You are as worthy as this venom. Release me, and all will be forgiven.¡± Strife finally stands. Sweiza looks up at her, but Strife shoots her a stern look not to move.¡± ¡°Master Lokisenna, you are truly wise. But surely we cannot. The two raven¡­¡± Strife says it with absolute concern. Sweiza can tell the woman is faking it. ¡°¡­will know of this deed and you will be punished.¡± Loki¡¯s voice comes out as a croak, ¡°This fire god is most certainly wise to your tricks. You will have nothing from this one!¡± The god finally drops to the ground. His body clearly weak. He lets out a hoarse breath. To Sweiza, he sounds as if he is on his death bed. How does this one break his bindings ensuing ¡°The Twilight of the Gods?¡± The god¡¯s eyes look alarmed. Movement to her side gets Sweiza¡¯s attention. Strife pulls her hands together, an object appears in her hands. It is some kind of glass tube. It is filled with a pink liquid. Sweiza thinks it is called a vial, it has the associated cork in it. Strife drops her left hand and flicks her right hand holding the vial. She holds it with her finger tips. Loki¡¯s alarm drops. ¡°A temporary, but potent counteragent to the venom. So that my rightful master may regain some of his former strength. Is this not what you rightfully deserve?¡± His right hand reaches up towards the two of them, but more importantly the vial. Strife pulls the vial away. The trickster god¡¯s arm drops. His body slackens. He is defeated. ¡°You want the enchantment of my binding You wish to forge the hammer.¡± The god looks away. ¡°What other tribute do you bring?¡± The greed is evident in this one. Strife flicks her left hand. Another vial appears in it. But it seems to contain a powder instead. Sweiza winces when she sees the god¡¯s head jerk right at them. Strife pulls the vial away. The god¡¯s stiff body does not slacken. ¡°My Lord.¡± Strife drops to her hands and knees and kisses the ground. She places both vials in front of her. ¡°You are unfamiliar with the powder?¡± Sweiza sees it, the god¡¯s eyes narrow at Strife. Sweiza can also feel her knee. Is there a sharp pebble under it? She shifts uncomfortably, but tries to do it unnoticed. It seems to work. The god gives her no attention. ¡°Ground powder, two years ago, from nothing less than the Yggdrasil¡¯s pollen.¡± Strife says it. However, there is some weight to her voice. Is she negotiating? Sweiza looks over to her. She can feel her knee getting sore. So she does the only thing she can think of, she kneels forward on both her hands and knees. She looks at the ground. Sweiza out of the corner of her eyes sees movement from Strife. The woman is standing. Sweiza doesn¡¯t see it, but the woman holds both her hands out and a basket appears. She holds it up by the handle and removes the cloth. Sweiza chances looking over and up. Apples? What in Muspell? The god¡¯s body finally slackens. He is defeated. ¡°My Lord. Apple¡¯s from Idunn¡¯s orchard. These are as fresh as the day they were picked in spring. Surely My Lord and rightful Master deserves nothing but his youth and strength.¡± The god looks down contemplating this. He looks back up at the cloth. Sweiza follows his attention. The cloth has been stained yellow. It appears to be quite soaked. Doesn¡¯t the god cause earthquakes once the venom drips on him? How much time do they have? Shouldn¡¯t his wife be back with the bowl? The god waves his free hand, but just barely. His body stays slackened. ¡°You honor me My Lord.¡± Strife looks away while she says it. The two vials are in her right hand; the basket of apples in her left. Sweiza wonders about the pollen and apples. What are they for? They must be important. Wait. Why is Strife approaching the giant? She is left to squint as Strife walks into the distance. Distance? Loki and the small island are much further away than anticipated. The stream isn¡¯t too deep, only a few feet. Strife wades through it. It takes her some time to get to the island. It occurs to Sweiza at that distance he must be a giant at least fifty feet high. Definitely. She confirms it when Strife doesn¡¯t appear significant compared to him. Sweiza is surprised the god doesn¡¯t try anything. The vials and basket are on the ground. She sees Strife produce something. She isn¡¯t sure what it is. She hears the god and Strife speaking. She can¡¯t hear what they are saying. She does see Loki raise his right arm and the broken chain dangles freely from his shackle. The chain is soon in Strife¡¯s arms as she holds it steady. The device she holds appears to be a rod or some kind of sword. She starts rubbing the chain. Perhaps it is a file? Sparks jump from the device. Strife says something and drops to her knees. The god speaks again. Sweiza wishes she could hear it. The god lets out a laugh. His wife is back again. She has the bowl. Loki says something. Strife is still standing there. The woman lets out a laugh. All three laugh about something. The woman grabs an unsoaked end of the cloth and sets it on the ground. Strife starts forward. A sword in her hand? Why? She has the end of the giant cloth in her hand. She is cutting a section away from it. Why? Sweiza wishes she had come closer. She hears Strife speak once again. Sigyn holds the bowl back up over her husband and under the snake statue¡¯s fangs. Strife bows her head once. She turns back to Sweiza and starts walking towards the stream. Loki says something again. Strife turns around and says one last thing. She bows deeply. She wades through the stream at a quicker pace. She stops next to Sweiza, but continues facing the exit. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Sweiza looks towards the god and his wife. She looks back at Strife whom is already walking towards the exit. Sweiza looks back at the god and goddess and instinctively lets out a bow. Hopefully this worked. Hopefully they got what they came for. She thinks they did. They walk in silence at a hurried pace. Rather it is Strife that hurries along and Sweiza attempts to keep up. Sweiza keeps herself stifled. Any burning questions and Loki might hear; she has a feeling there are prying ears about the cave. Bats maybe, or some ill forgotten creatures. ¡®Whatever¡¯, is all she thinks to herself. Better them to stay in this drafty old cave than her. It is some six hundred paces by Sweiza¡¯s count, and she finally asks, ¡°We got what we came for?¡± Strife simply nods, but she whispers, ¡°Stay your tongue until I say otherwise.¡± She eyes the girl like she understands her. Sweiza nods. She senses something is off about this whole affair. It is towards the exit they run into the guard outside the cave. He is standing well outside the cave opening. He (T¡¯lak) speaks, ¡°You were successful?¡± Sweiza looks at Strife. Strife looks at the guard and nods. ¡°Few are so lucky.¡± T¡¯lak says it in a low voice. He doesn¡¯t elaborate. Sweiza blinks once and looks towards Strife. Strife doesn¡¯t give her any attention. She is fully focused on T¡¯lak. ¡°How long may our stay be here?¡± T¡¯lak blinks. He seems weary. ¡°One day¡¯s stay. No longer.¡± Strife bows. T¡¯lak blinks once at the display and lets out a grunt. He motions for them to follow them. Strife follows behind T¡¯lak. Sweiza follows along side her. She looks over at Strife. Strife seems to know what Sweiza is going to ask. Strife shakes her head. Sweiza¡¯s head darts back to looking straight ahead. They cross through the market place from before. They stop just outside the village center. T¡¯lak points to a building. ¡°That is Torres¡¯s main inn.¡± Sweiza looks over at it. There is a sign on it, but the language is unfamiliar. Is it written in Futhark? There is a picture of a dragon coiled around a sword on it. It is a strange, but nice design. She didn¡¯t know orcs could be artists. T¡¯lak faces them. ¡°You will pay for your stay. Do not sleep outside, something bad might happen to you. You have until after daybreak tomorrow to leave. If you don¡¯t¡­ well¡­¡± The guard lets out a grunt and starts in a walk. He turns around, holds his right arm up to his chest. His head seems to tilt to the side. He lets out another grunt and walks off. After he walks some distance, well out of earshot, Strife lets out a breath of relief. Sweiza sees that she (Strife) has been nervous up until this point. The Valkyrie did a good job of hiding it. Sweiza thinks it is a wonder, they were in the presence of one of the most dangerous gods of all time. He will start Ragnarok at some point! Strife blinks once at Sweiza, ¡°You did good.¡± Sweiza blinks once back at Strife. She doesn¡¯t know what she means. ¡°I¡¯ll explain after we have left. I need you to trust me until then.¡± Sweiza blinks dumbfounded. She frowns, but nods. ¡°For now¡­¡± Strife speaks with some impending urgency, ¡°¡­we are safe. Let¡¯s get some rest while the going is good.¡± Sweiza frowns again, but nods at the thought. ¡°Are we leaving early?¡± Strife nods quickly. She turns towards the inn. ¡°Let us go with haste. There are prying eyes about.¡± Sweiza looks around once. There are definitely people staring at them. ¡°Vera, let¡¯s go.¡± Sweiza is snapped back to Strife¡¯s attention. Strife sets off. Sweiza follows by her side. Sweiza does chance her question, but as a close whisper, ¡°What happened back there?¡± ¡°A raw deal.¡± ANBLII - Chapter 14 - Stonecold Inside the inn, Strife pays for a single room. It has one bed. Sweiza shoots Strife a look for this and Strife only cocks her eyebrows up at the girl. Sweiza overhears Strife and the attendant (female orc) speaking, the inn is called the ¡°Dragon¡¯s Cove Inn¡±. As it turns out, there is a nearby cove. They are close to the shore? Why wouldn¡¯t Lukas take them this far? Perhaps he didn¡¯t know? Then again¡­ Sweiza¡¯s thoughts are interrupted by Strife. ¡°Vera, follow me. We have a room.¡± The inn is pretty simple, being three stories tall. It has a good look over most of the city, if it can be called that. By the time Sweiza hits the third floor, she stops. She looks out a window. She looks down at the townsquare and the people moving here and there. A bustling city! She wishes Maria Village could be like this. The inn is bigger than Sweiza expected. By her estimate there are at least six rooms per floor. However, her attention shifts to Strife. ¡°How many people live in ¡®Torres¡¯?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know dear.¡± Strife says it with some thought to it, ¡°Perhaps the attendant or someone in the village knows.¡± ¡°I thought it was a city?¡± Sweiza says it blinking once. Hopefully Strife doesn¡¯t rebuke her. ¡°Vera, let us put aside some concerns for right now and get a nap in. We¡¯ve had a long journey thus far and I haven¡¯t slept in a proper bed for some time. Also, we¡¯ll have plenty of time to explore the village.¡± Strife waves her hand over her shoulder and Sweiza simply blinks once again. Sweiza is beginning to understand she¡¯ll have to get used to her ¡®mentor¡¯ telling her what to do. At least so as long as she (Strife) knows more than she (Sweiza) does! Once inside there room, Sweiza doesn¡¯t note anything out of the ordinary. There is a candle on a rather large desk, there is a lantern with another candle hooked to the ceiling, there is a small open closet with what appear to be wooden hangars, and then the bed has what she can only describe as hand knitted covers. The animal skin blankets are especially appealing to her. They are very outdoor and rustic to her. She walks up and pulls up one of them. It is lighter than it looks. Perfect for cold nights! What she does notice is the sheets underneath have also been hand knitted. Absolutely wonderful! Sweiza drops the animal skin cover from her fingers. She bolts her head back towards Strife and beams. ¡°This is really nice!¡± Strife cracks a smile at her before resuming her composure. ¡°Good night Vera.¡± Strife gives her apprentice little concern. Soon the mentor is under the covers with them pulled over her. She appears to be asleep. She (Sweiza) is not used to sleeping next to anyone with maybe the exception of Sprite, whom often sleeps nearby or on top of her. She has gotten used to him. She knows in the future she will have to get used to a man, specifically Lester, sleeping in the same bed as her. That is a different story. But a woman? This will take some doing. At least it is a tradition she is observing. Freya forbid anyone thinks she is a Lesbian. Then again, do Valkyrie display Lesbian tendencies? She figures a few would. She finally pushes away the idea and is about to drop herself out of her boots when she realizes something. She turns around and sits on the bed. She looks down at her boots and holds up her feet. She concentrates. They disappear with the intended effect. ¡°Thought so.¡± She says it to no one but herself. The covers are thankfully large as she pulls herself under them. She is soon reinforced on and understands the idea behind Valkyrie together in the same bed - body heat. She never expected that Strife was this ¡®kind¡¯ and knowledgeable in the past. She¡¯ll need to make a note to find out what changed her over the next two hundred years. Sleep soon takes her. ¡ª Her sleep is sound without a trace of Demi. She wakes up refreshed and lets out a stretch. The covers are half on her feet, but she doesn¡¯t feel cold. In fact, she cannot feel any temperature. It must be sometime in the afternoon? She pulls herself to a sitting position and sees that Strife is not in bed with her. Sweiza looks towards the room¡¯s window. She is out of bed and at said window in a few steps. She looks out and down. The town¡¯s people are still moving out and about. She tries to locate the sun, but she cannot see it. She looks down at the ground to check their shadows. It appears to be about five in the afternoon. Did she oversleep? She holds out her hand. She tries to make her watch appear. It doesn¡¯t. She concentrates. It still doesn¡¯t appear. She looks down at her wrist funny. Why isn¡¯t it working? She shrugs the idea off and pulls out her journal. Time to get writing! ¡ª ¡°Dear Diary, We got what we came for, but Strife hasn¡¯t filled me in on what. I assume it is for the hammer of legend. Supposedly we can use it to strike down Odin. I wonder who is going to wield it? Perhaps Strife? I think she prefers the sword or the lance, I remember her using a lance in the future. I don¡¯t ever remember her having the hammer? I had read in a book on the ¡®Sterling Blue¡¯ that the ¡®Valkyrie Rebellion¡¯ failed. Was the hammer destroyed by Odin perhaps? I can only wonder. I also get the feeling Strife knows or has noticed something about this place (Torres) and won¡¯t tell me about it. I¡¯m starting to trust her intuition and abilities, but I wish she would make me known to such matters. I¡¯m sure th¡­¡± ¡ª Sweiza¡¯s writing is interrupted to a tapping at the window. She looks up and sees nothing. She continues trying to write. However, she is startled to drop her pen when she hears a loud knock to glass. Shaken she looks up. Sprite is there. He is holding a donut. She sets her journal down and walks up to the window. He seems to be waiting patiently. She unhooks the glass pane and pushes it up. Sprite flies in and flies up level to her face and flashes a giddy look. He is bobbing up and down, but his wings are also fluttering like he is struggling to fly. ¡°You need to try these. I had one earlier. They are delicious.¡± Sweiza eyes him and the donut once. It appears to be frosted with clear frosting; underneath it looks like regular donut bread. There is an odd shimmer on it, like it has an odd spice. ¡°How sweet are they?¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands go down to her hips. ¡°Very!¡± He flies down to her hand and nudges the donut into it. She finds it odd that he is so ready to give up something so sugary. She holds the donut up to her mouth. One of her eyes close as she chews it. She eyes Sprite with her open eye. He bobs up and down with impatience. ¡°Well?¡± His arms cross and then uncross. She finds it odd he seems so insistent on the donut. She doesn¡¯t note anything odd about it. ¡°Sprite, it¡¯s okay. I thought you didn¡¯t like unflavored donuts?¡± Sprite lets out a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get another one!¡± He flies out through the window. Sweiza shrugs and sets back down to her diary entry. However, he is back again with another donut. He is just as giddy and insistent as before. She finds it an odd sight, but she is hungry. This one tastes more sugary. Sweiza gives up on writing her entry and waits patiently as this process repeats several times. The donuts appear to get more sugary as time goes on. ¡°Sprite are you deliberately trying to addict me to sugar?¡± She shoots him the same look as before. ¡°Well?¡± He seems just as inquisitive as before. ¡°Do they taste good?¡± ¡°Yes, Sprite. They taste good. Each one seems to get better. But what I really need is a drink. I don¡¯t know why, but I have a craving for coffee.¡± She says it looking down at the ground. She doesn¡¯t normally like the bitter stuff, but it does go good with donuts. ¡°I doubt you can carry a mug of the stuff.¡± Sprite simply cocks a smile and shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ll get some more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite alright. I¡¯ve eaten my fill.¡± She says it sitting on the bed with her arms crossed. Sprite seems taken aback, but otherwise follows her wishes. She has the journal in her lap with the pen up again. She is about to write when she seems Sprite is still hovering in front of her. ¡°Dewey, you know how I feel about you reading my diary.¡± She points the pen accusingly at him. He doesn¡¯t seem ample to fly off. ¡°Is something on your mind, Sir Herschel?¡± She says it half sarcastically, but otherwise gets that distinct feeling. ¡°You¡¯re coming along very nicely.¡± She looks up at him suspiciously. ¡°What does that mean?¡± He points down to her legs. She looks down. Her feet are stone. She does a double take and looks up at him. The last thing she remembers is a black sprite with pink wings and red eyes flying at her with a toothy smile. ¡ª Sweiza¡¯s eyes bolt open. She feels a pain in her chest. She rushes up to a sitting position. The pain in her chest is tight; she can feel her heart beating fast. Her breathing is fast. She can¡¯t control it. She tries her hardest to get her pulse and breathing under control. However, her thoughts flip to her legs. She whips the covers off quick like and sees her feet still have socks on. She pulls one of them off. She sees skin where she expects stone. She wiggles her toes. She feels a sigh come through her mouth, but it is hard to notice with her breathing. She continues sitting up in bed until her breathing returns to something manageable. She still feels the daze, and a little bit groggy. She tries to go back to sleep. Nothing. She pulls the cover over her head, a last resort tactic as a kid. Some minutes pass. She hears a tapping at the window. Her eyes widen in fear and she feels her heartbeat increasing. She whisks the covers off and jumps out of bed. She storms up to the window. Sprite is there, but he isn¡¯t holding the donut she expects. He hovers just outside the window. He crosses his arms when she doesn¡¯t open it. She turns around and walks off, but stops again when she hears more tapping. She sees him staring at her, still hovering there. When she doesn¡¯t open it, he taps the window again. He points to the window pane and makes a lifting motion. Her eyes narrow and she flips the window latch up and pops open the window pane. He flies in. He flitters back and forth in greeting. ¡°Don¡¯t you start with me Dewey. You are a very naughty Sprite giving me stolen donuts in my dreams.¡± He flies once to the side, ¡°Were they sweet?¡± ¡°Increasingly.¡± She says it tapping her foot. She makes sure it is loud enough for him to see her impatience. She finally breaks into a laugh. ¡°It was just a dream though, nightmare rather.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. He looks at her quizzically, but otherwise becomes a bit more concerned, ¡°Nevermind that. There is something weird about this place.¡± She tilts her head, ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been checking them out most of the day¡­¡± ¡°Swiping and stealing food no less¡­¡± She crosses her arms at him and then closes one eye; she blows a kiss at him for good measure. The sprite is not impressed. ¡°Anyway! There is something off about this place.¡± ¡°How do you figure?¡± Her arms uncross and her closed eye opens; her face turns to something more serious. His wings flutter as he zips about a foot in front of her face. ¡°I keep seeing the same people walking around.¡± ¡°So?¡± She tilts her head at him. ¡°That¡¯s not unusual.¡± ¡°They keep repeating the same motions.¡± He says it nodding to himself and bobbing in place. ¡°That¡¯s not too unusual if it¡¯s their job. Are they making deliveries?¡± She holds her hand out for him to land on. He gladly takes the gesture. Her suspicion is correct that he has been flying and hovering most of the day. He is clearly tired. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. Listen. I was checking out the market earlier. I saw people buying food and then leaving with it. I went to follow them and I¡¯d see them take it home. However, once inside a building, they would walk out with the same food and walk back to the market stall. They would set the food back and get their money back.¡± Sweiza notices some concern in his voice. ¡°So? Maybe it was bad food.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t just one person.¡± Sweiza looks at him thoughtfully. She doesn¡¯t say anything. She just nods her head. ¡°Sometimes I would see them walk around the village randomly. Othertimes I would see them enter a building and then leave. They always went back to the market place to buy the same food.¡± He says it a bit more frantically. ¡°You are sure of this?¡± ¡°I was looking for an easy meal and¡­¡± Sweiza shoots him a dirty look. He smiles nervously at her. ¡°I was looking for an easy meal so I started following some of the same people. They kept repeating the same movements in a pattern. I figured they might drop some food, but none of them did.¡± She perks up, ¡°You didn¡¯t steal then?¡± He shakes his head at her. ¡°No. But what I did notice is that these people were much quicker during the early morning. They¡¯ve been slowing down as the day marches on. Some of them are barely moving, but they are definitely moving.¡± ¡°In the same pattern?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He says it frantic, but assured. He seems insistent. She stops to think about the dream. She doesn¡¯t see the connection, and usually Demi appears if there is any kind of danger. She dismisses it. ¡°Okay, okay, I believe you. I¡¯ll check it out.¡± She doesn¡¯t see the attendant downstairs at the desk. She looks at it funny, ¡°Whatever.¡± Once outside, Sprite jumps in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± She snaps her fingers at him. He stiffens at the gesture. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time to get serious. I¡¯m going to do some exploring around the city. I¡¯ll follow some of the people around and see what is up. I won¡¯t stray far and I won¡¯t be long. Let¡¯s say in about an hour or two we meet up in the town square?¡± He salutes her. She claps her hands together and hunches over at him. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± They nod in unison. Sprite flies up into the sky and shoots off in a random direction. Sweiza summons her watch, not sure if it will appear. It does and she checks the time. It is roughly four thirty in the afternoon. Her first move is to head to the town square, check the lay of things, and then check out the town market. ¡ª Sweiza doesn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary in the town square. She in fact sees people walking around minding their business. Different people from different walks of life, even if they are of a different breed. She does note the children from earlier in the morning, are still playing with the same rock. Don¡¯t they get bored? She wished she had that kind of youthful energy again. She sits on a bench for a few minutes and observes passersby. They stare at her on occasion, but otherwise continue on their business. She gets bored after about ten minutes. Her notice finally sets up on the children. They are moving quite slow for children. Perhaps they are tired? After watching them for some time she notes they are repeating the same pattern with the ball. Lifting it, dropping it, or moving it; the same people are doing it. Some chase without ever picking it up. Odd. She gets up and heads towards the market. On the way there she notices someone is standing stiff like a statue. It looks weird. Once at the market she picks a random orc to follow. He is wearing animal hide in typical fashion, but it has been dyed a dull green. He is wearing a strange stocking cap. He has what looks like a cut of the leg of some kind of animal. He is already walking away from a stall. She follows him some distance behind so as not to be noticed. Well, in her mind she won¡¯t be noticed more than she already is. Her plan works. He doesn¡¯t notice her shadowing him. She hides several times while following him several blocks. Thankfully there are multiple buildings. She resorts to squatting behind one building at one point when he turns around. She is not sure if he notices her. She finally sees him enter a house. She assumes it is his. She is in the street and stares at the door. She suddenly sees it open. She ducks out of the way and hides. The orc seems unaware of her as he retraces his steps back to the market. She continues hiding while following him. Hiding in the market is much easier due to all the foot traffic and orcs walking around. She sees the same orc set the leg of meat back onto a stall. The stall owner gives him some money. The orc walks off. The behavior is exactly as Sprite described. She chooses not to follow him, he¡¯ll probably catch wind she is following him. Instead, she hangs around the area for some minutes. As she expects, he returns to the stall to pay the stall owner for the same leg of meat. She cocks an eyebrow up at him. He walks past her (almost knocking into her) without giving her much attention. She turns to the side just in time to avoid hitting him. She dismisses how rude it is. ¡°This is getting weird.¡± She notes it to herself and no one else. She checks her watch. It has been about forty minutes. She isn¡¯t convinced yet. She still has some time to kill. Sprite will also be able to find the time from the different clocks hanging from buildings around the town. She decides to shadow a few more people with the same procedure as before. However, she chooses to do so at different intervals, waiting some time between following them. She also chooses some distance between vendor stalls just to be safe. Othertimes she just waits on a bench. Exactly as Sprite has described. She finds this behavior odd. Further, she has noticed that people are indeed starting to walk slower as time rolls on. She notes there are a few people just standing there in the street, sometimes in a weird pose. Sometimes people will stop walking completely and adopt a weird pose, and then continue walking. She didn¡¯t notice this before. In fact, she doesn¡¯t remember anyone doing this in the morning. About an hour and in, she decides to sit on a bench in the market. She simply watches the same stalls. Sure enough, the same people come around. On the first pass they pay for a cut of meat or an item, then leave. The second pass they return with the item or meat and get their money back. The pattern seems cyclic, but odd to her. She knows there is a connection somewhere; she stops to think about it, but can¡¯t draw any conclusions. But why are people acting so funny? She finally heads back to the town square. She looks up at the monolith in the center of the connecting paths. It is an obelisk in nature, nothing out of the ordinary. It does have that strange writing that she cannot read. There is a clock near the top of it. It reads about six fifteen. She looks up and over at the sun opposite and behind her. It is not quite close to setting yet. Sprite should be by in about half an hour. She decides to pass the time sitting on a bench and watch the children playing. She notes some of them are standing in position. Some of them standing stiff were moving the rock around from before. She looks up and closes her eyes in thought. There has to be a connection. But what? Does it concern her dream? She doesn¡¯t remember anyone eating anything. There was also her stone feet. But she was normal when she woke up? She keeps pondering while she watches the children. Slowly but surely those not already standing still, start to slow down. She tilts her head and shifts uncomfortably. Some of the children barely move before they freeze in place. There are still several of the original, that are still playing with the rock. Is it the food? Her attention is snapped to when she hears an anxious squawk. He is hovering some five feet distance from her. He is glowing a dull blue and his wings are fluttering. He looks behind himself and then to Sweiza. He lets out another squawk, ¡°Strife was following me.¡± He frantically motions with his hands, ¡°She was behind me, I don¡¯t know where she went.¡± Sprite suddenly freezes. Sweiza hears a click and a stamp behind her. She turns around just as Strife clears her throat. ¡°I circled around just incase anyone was following me.¡± Sweiza looks over to Sprite; he looks over from Sweiza to Strife, Sweiza does the same. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone followed me.¡± Strife says it with some relief. ¡°What¡¯s going on with this place?¡± Sweiza says it with concern. ¡°You¡¯ve noticed.¡± Strife lets out a smile at her. She looks over towards the direction of the children. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Sweiza¡¯s gaze shifts from Strife to the children. Her mouth drops slightly. Several of the children are moving around very slowly, some still moving faster than others. She looks at the children that had been standing stiff or been holding themselves in an odd position. An odd rule of the game? No, the adults also were acting that way. She stops to think. However, her attention focuses on the children that were standing stiff. Their skin color has definitely faded from already dull colors to a very dull and drab grey. There is one in particular where the skin color is black. She swears it looks scaly. Something about the skin isn¡¯t right. But it is the eyes of the children. They are so real, yet so unreal. They look devoid of life. Strife walks up to Sweiza. ¡°Have you figured it out?¡± Sweiza gazes from Strife to the children. She sees the last few moving around have suddenly come to a halt in movement. They appear to have frozen like a game of freeze tag. However, there is the one holding the rock. No, he too starts to slow down until he freezes, still holding the rock outward. She stands up. ¡°They freeze?¡± She says it quizzically at Strife. Strife shakes her head as she crosses her arms. Her right hand forms into a pointed finger at the kid with scaly skin. Sweiza looks over. She jumps in place as she sees the kids eyes have turned to a glowing red. She starts to feel anxious as she sees in real time the child¡¯s clothing start to dull. For that matter it appears to be aging. Several threads start to fall off. ¡°We need to leave.¡± Strife says it with no matter of uncertainty. Sweiza looks at her with concern. She stiffens with fear andStrife grabs her by the hand. Sweiza takes one last look at the children. She is horrified to see that their clothing has become quite aged. In fact there are many holes in them. Their skin has turned a dull grey or black. Their eyes glow that ghostly red. It is the kid holding the rock that gets her. Something about it isn¡¯t right. It¡¯s almost like they are turning to statues. She turns away in grief as she begins to understand the dream. Still holding Sweiza¡¯s arm, Strife begins to increase her pace. She pulls the girl down the footpath, Sweiza begins to recognize it as the one leading towards the gate. She tries to look back, but her attention has to focus forward as the two have broken into a run. It is awkward with Strife pulling her along. The woman can run faster than she looks. Sweiza lets out a squawk for good measure. She hears a chirp as Sprite descends from above and flies in front of them. She feels relief as her friend is in tow. Strife does not let up her pace, in fact she increases it. Sweiza is starting to feel the effects of running. Her lungs are starting to burn. She can hear Strife is starting to breath harder. There! She can see the gate some distance in front of them. They run for some distance until it is more visible. The gate is closed! Strife lets out an audible ¡°Shit!¡± They are some one hundred feet from the gate when the trio stops. Sprite takes one look at Sweiza. She nods. He flies off and over the gate wall. Sweiza sees several guards under him on the platform. Her eyes jump down to the guards in front of the gate. They are blocking it! Their clothing looks aged and their armor looks rusted. Their skin is that same scaly grey or black color. But it is the ghostly eyes glowing red that bother her. She then sees T¡¯lak walking in front of the gate. He is holding a club. He turns to face them. What surprises (and scares) her is when the effects hit him rapidly, almost like a wave, from his legs on up. His armor simultaneously rusts, his clothing ages and shows signs of wear, the club starts to rot, his skin turns black and scaly, and his eyes turn red. ¡°Strife!¡± Sweiza lets out a plea of help in the woman¡¯s name. Strife looks from the gate, to Sweiza. ¡°We¡¯ve been deceived. Hang on!¡± Strife grabs the girls arm tight. ¡°Sweiza, run with me as hard as you can!¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t hesitate as the two break into a run. A pair of red wings in vapor form appear behind Strife. They flow with the wind behind them in their wake. Sweiza¡¯s body passes right through them. If she wasn¡¯t so scared, she would remark how cool they looked. However, she is startled when she sees them flap once as Strife jumps up and then land into a crouch. They flap harder as the woman breaks into a jump. Sweiza shrieks as she is seemingly pulled along with the motion. This happens several more times as their jumps continually get higher. They finally pass over the gate and land outside. Strife lands with an unsteady crouch, but Sweiza falls to her knees. Sweiza lets out a groan. ¡°We¡¯re not out of the woods yet!¡± Strife pulls Sweiza standing to her feet. Sweiza feels shaky. She sees Sprite hovering next to them. ¡°Daughter, in my arms!¡± Strife shoots Sweiza an alarmed, but sharp look. Strife looks to Strife. She pauses momentarily. The word daughter has caught her off guard. ¡°Vera, now!¡± Sweiza nervously approaches and leans her back against the woman¡¯s left arm and hops up as her right arm braces under her knees. She wraps and locks her arms around the woman¡¯s neck. Strife takes a running start and makes several jumps. The unsteady motions jolt Sweiza as they are much higher this time with each jump. Sweiza suddenly feels the wind in her hair. She looks back to see the wooded fort-like fence around the village turning black. By now Sweiza knows they are flying, but it appears to be much faster than before. She can see the winged-like vapor trailing Strife. She looks down at trees quickly moving under them. She also sees a familiar blue orb. She tries to let out a chirp, but he doesn¡¯t hear her. She thanks the Goddess he is safe. Strife feels a tap on her shoulder. She looks at Sweiza. Sweiza is still looking down. She finally looks up. Their eyes meet. ¡°Strife are we going to be okay?¡± ¡°We still have to get back to the ship.¡± ¡°Oh goddess¡­¡± ANBLII - Chapter 15 - Awash with Poise The unimpressive sound of wind moving beneath them. If circumstances were different this might be a monotanous night. Instead they find themselves flying for their lives. Sweiza hangs on for dear life as Strife makes no attempts to comfort her. This is a rugged mission in an untamed land. For their sake, Strife only pays attention to the trees moving quickly beneath them. She¡¯ll hold her wings behind her as long as she can sustain flight. However, she knows this will not last forever. Sweiza feels the burning in her lungs finally subside. This was too close in her mind. The events that transpired less than half an hour ago flood her mind. Loki had been a statue and life had been breathed into him. Was his purpose as a statue to avoid the venom? That stands to reason. She knows he is a shapeshifter, but she had no idea his power was so great. But what about the orcs? Up until today, she had only ever heard about them. She had known that certain types of fantastical creatures could turn to stone, but she wasn¡¯t familiar with orcs. Perhaps it has something to do with Loki? For that matter, in the heat of the moment, they were too busy trying to escape Torres, to ponder what was going on. She only knows the people around her were slowing down as night roamed on. They slowly turned to a scaled type of stone, with weathered clothing¡­ and then those eyes. She shudders at those eyes. They were definitely inhuman. Perhaps they were cursed. Strife had the right idea about leaving the city. Sweiza did not want to turn to stone. That seemed the likely outcome. She wants to ask Strife, but doesn¡¯t want to think about it further. She shakes her head and hears a squawk. She looks over. Sprite¡¯s wings are fluttering hard so he can fly backwards at the same speed they are moving. She doesn¡¯t know how he does it. She doesn¡¯t care. She lets out a nod and he flies between her arms wrapped around Strife¡¯s neck. The movement does get Strife¡¯s attention. She looks down once. She gives a brief smile before her head concentrates forward. Sweiza jolts when she can hear some kind of low moan in the distance. Rhythmed-like thuds follow. She can feel her heart start to pick up again. Strife¡¯s voice gets her attention. ¡°Vera. Behind us.¡± Sweiza peaks her head around Strife¡¯s shoulders. She can see the tops of trees moving to the left and right of a moving schism between them. It is following them. Sweiza knows by now the giant following them is Loki, but it is an illusion taken form and given life. It is probably made of stone so it is just as deadly, if not worse. In her mind the rumbling is probably the small earthquakes of legend from the snake¡¯s venom, given form to the giant¡¯s quick, but lumbering footsteps. Sweiza turns her head down and away and focuses on her mentor¡¯s direction of travel. They have only one mission now, survive. ¡°Please get us there in once piece! I¡¯m not willing to die!¡± Sweiza says it shaking. As if a mother holding a child, Sweiza feels Strife¡¯s arms shake her two times in rhythmic succession, ¡°A fate far worse than death awaits us.¡± The rest of their flight is greeted with silence save for the continuous and rhythmic thuds behind them. ¡ª ¡°You are in danger, wakeup!¡± Sweiza snaps to. She knows the voice as Demi¡¯s. She looks up. He is in the position that Strife should be. He looks down. ¡°Wake up, now.¡± ¡°How? I¡¯m so scared!¡± Demi looks down at her with a curious look. He mutters something in a strange language. She sees those strange characters surround them. ¡ª Sweiza snaps to. She must have passed out. Even in this excitement? ¡°Strife! We¡¯re in some kind of danger!¡± Strife feels Sweiza tug her arms once around the woman. All this commotion even now? Strife can¡¯t believe it. She tries not to shake her head, trying to concentrate. ¡°You think?!¡± While Strife is indeed worried, she doesn¡¯t show that she is also having the time of her life. This kind of thrilling adventure is what she needed from collecting all of those unforetold relics and reading all of those daft and boring books. For a very long time now, she has wanted to see the world. This is the start, and she gets to do it with family. If only Sigurd were here¡­ Sweiza sees Strife shake her head once. Strife seems preoccupied with something, but the woman seems to be paying attention to what is in front of them. Sweiza hears a squawk. She looks over at Sprite. He points in Strife¡¯s direction of travel. She looks over. The trees suddenly clear. They are descending? Sweiza looks over. She can see the dinghy. Strife¡¯s wings begin to flap several times as they fade. Her greaves appear. The descent is still too fast and quick for Sweiza¡¯s liking. Fifty feet, then thirty. Strife¡¯s wings give two last flaps before they scatter. It is still about five feet from the ground and they are moving forward quick. Strife¡¯s greaves take the brunt of the fall as she slows their movement with several runs and a jog. ¡°Off!¡± Strife¡¯s command is quite to the point. Sweiza takes one look at the woman. Strife¡¯s eyebrows cock up. Sweiza feels Strife¡¯s arms slacken around her. Sweiza makes a simultaneous motion of letting her crouched legs brace for the ground. She is a little shaky still. Sprite hovers briefly in front of Strife. He lets out a chirp of approval. He then flies in front of Sweiza. ¡°Now what?¡± He says it with his hands moving in rapid succession. His wings flutter wildly. He is clearly excited, if not a little scared. ¡°No small talk, help with the dinghy.¡± Strife points with her left hand at Sweiza and her right hand at the small rowboat. Sweiza isn¡¯t sure what the woman means at first. She doesn¡¯t have time to think. ¡°VERA!¡± Sweiza quickly follows Strife to the small dinghy. Strife has her hands on the small rowboat and begins pushing it. Sweiza gets the idea and copies suite. They push it hard with all their might. It is soon in the water. Strife is first inside and she pulls Sweiza in by the hand and hard. Sweiza rubs her wrist once, but says nothing. Sprite flies in front of her and lets out an amused expression. Strife interrupts their moment. ¡°I need your help rowing. Watch my motions and roll in unison with me.¡± Sweiza nods. Before it was a simple matter of Strife offering to, and then actually rowing the small dinghy to shore. However, she must be tired, or at least wants double the effort as the two make their way working in some kind of synced unison. It isn¡¯t very good at first, but Sweiza matches the movements after a time. They are about two thousand feet out. The water deeper here. Sweiza starts to let up. ¡°Vera!¡± Sweiza looks over at Strife. Strife shakes her head. Strife points to the shore. There is the giant form of Loki standing there. The giant¡¯s eye sockets glow that familiar red glow. Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen when she sees it start to walk into the water. Sweiza¡¯s rowing picks up again. They are now out twenty-five hundred feet. The giant¡¯s form sinks to about halfway in the water. Sweiza looks in horror as the giant¡¯s neck is covered with water. She sees it attempting to make some facsimile of swimming. The top of its hair flops to the surface of the water. However, she finally sees it disappear. ¡°Can¡¯t that thing swim?¡± She says it worried at Strife. Strife¡¯s eyebrows crack up, ¡°I would assume not.¡± ¡°It is made of stone?¡± Sweiza tries to lighten up. Her rowing slackens. ¡°Keep rowing! And I would imagine it is with the way the ground rumbles under it. Even if it wasn¡¯t, its weight must be enormous.¡± Up until now Sweiza couldn¡¯t figure out why Strife had been peaking in front of them instead of eyeing the giant that had been at the shore. But she finally chances a glance behind them and sees why. She can see the lantern lights of the ¡®Gigas Dura¡¯ in the distance. Could Strife see it that well from shore? Or perhaps she knew of the general location? Sweiza doesn¡¯t know. She has so much to learn from this woman! She wants to have some of these good abilities of perception, they would help so much with her outdoor adventures. Maybe this counts as an outdoor adventure. Sweiza shakes her head. She picks up her rowing even faster when Strife does so. They seem to have a rhythm finally, knowing when to speed up or slow down. Sweiza can start to feel her muscles burn, her lungs are starting to get tired. The Gigas Dura is still about a mile out. ¡ª The dinghy is some one hundred feet from the small sloop. The form of Lukas is illuminated by the lantern light. They still have to row a bit, but the dinghy finally bumps against the side of the ship. Lukas throws down several ropes with hooks. They are soon fastened to four metal loops at the far ends of the rowboat. Sweiza can hear repeated clicks. She doesn¡¯t know what they are until the rowboat starts to go up from the water. She sees the small metal ratchet that Lukas is operating. ¡°Everyone is well? The mission was successful?¡± Sweiza lets out a nod. Strife is the first to speak. ¡°Indeed it was. I don¡¯t know where we would be without you Captain.¡± Sweiza finds the tone in Strife¡¯s voice unsettling. Is something up? She shakes it off. At this point she is just content to do with getting out of here. Lukas is already quick to the very front of the ship. He is operating something akin to a small turn wheel with chains to it. Sweiza¡¯s suspicions are proven correct when she looks over the railing just in time to see the ship¡¯s anchor break water. She looks back towards their original direction of travel. She swears she can see two red eyes staring at her, but she dismisses it at her imagination. ¡°Lukas, do you have any problem with enchantments?¡± Sweiza turns over to hear Strife and Lukas talking. ¡°Not at all Lady Valkyrie. Do as you will!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Strife¡¯s hand forms into a fist. She holds it upside down, drops it once and then thrusts it into the air with an open hand. There is some kind of blue whispy powder that flies up from it. Strife¡¯s other hand swings up as her sword appears and passes through it. It ignites and suddenly the sails of the ship pull tight towards the direction of the bow. Sweiza feels the ship rumble under her once and she almost falls over. Lukas lets out a laugh once. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that. I¡¯ll be in the back cabin. We¡¯ll need some control over this thing.¡± Sweiza looks over at the dark water illuminated by the lanterns. The ship appears to be moving, much faster than she thought possible with a ship. She walks up to Strife, ¡°What was that?¡± Strife smiles and her eyebrows cock up, ¡°There are many things in this world that are forbidden and thus unknown to the lands of Midgard. I will make it part of your training. But first, a good meal and then some rest I think.¡± Sprite flies over next to Sweiza. They eye each other once. They turn over in unison at Strife. Sweiza lets out a nod and Sprite lets out a chirp of anticipation. ¡ª ¡°In my travels I had heard about a city of living stone, but I wasn¡¯t expecting Torres. But now that I think about it, it does make sense.¡± Lukas hears the tale of the two Valkyrie as they eat. It is fish as usual, but with some fruit. Sweiza doesn¡¯t mind the water. Honey on bread is also part of the order. Sprite is left quite disgruntled every time Strife covers the jar of honey. As their meal comes to a close, Sprite lets out a chirp of approval when Lukas pushes the jar of honey towards him. He dives in head first. No drop will be left! ¡°Really Captain, should he be allowed to do that?¡± Strife looks down at the piggish Sprite. Sprite looks up at her and lets out a big grin as he starts licking honey off his body hair. Strife lets out a headshake of disapproval. ¡°It¡¯s no bother as long as he respects the rest of the honey.¡± Lukas says it warningly at the Sprite. Sprite licks his hands once and lets out a quizzical chirp. There is laughter amongst the three watching him. Both of Lukas¡¯s hands come up to the table as he pushes his chair away. ¡°I do believe I have some brandy riding on this little adventure.¡± ¡°Of course Captain. But remember our deal.¡± Strife says it with her arms crossed at him. ¡°Of course. Where is the next leg of this journey taking us?¡± Lukas is intrigued at this point. While he isn¡¯t directly on the frontline of this adventure, he is still part of it. He would like to be the one to tell this tale to others when it is over. ¡°Svarta.¡± Strife says it standing up and lets out a yawn and then stretches. Sweiza looks up and over at her. Svarta, the land of the dwarves? ¡°Are we going to fo¡­¡± Sweiza is interrupted by Strife. ¡°Young ladies should mind their manners!¡± Sweiza blinks once. She just wanted to ask about the hammer. The only other persons present are Lukas and Sprite. Is it that big of a deal to talk about it? Maybe Strife knows something. ¡°Bothnin would be the closest port city. It is about a week and some days from here.¡± Lukas says it heading towards the steering helm. His attention looks back when Sweiza speaks. ¡°Doesn¡¯t Bothnin mean Rockbottom?¡± The word sounds familiar to her. ¡°Indeed it does. You are familiar with the language?¡± Lukas seems impressed. His concentration moves back to the helm. Sweiza feels a hand swat her lightly from behind. She looks behind her and Strife gives a knowingly playful nudge to her. She looks at Strife once; the woman gives a nod. Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows shoot up and she gets the idea. ¡°Oh, yes. The dwarves were known to come by to help bless the village during the Fertility Festival.¡± Lukas lets out a nod of delight. ¡°That sounds like Svavahild¡¯s territory.¡± Sweiza¡¯s blinks once, looks from Strife to Lukas, ¡°You know her?¡± Lukas looks back, ¡°You could say I¡¯ve had some dealings with her.¡± Sweiza looks back to Strife. The woman seems tense for some reason, rather she is holding herself rather stiff. Strife leans over and whispers into Sweiza¡¯s ear, ¡°Get some sleep, the Captain and I¡­¡± Strife looks over at Lukas with a strange look, ¡°¡­have a few matters to discuss¡­ -alone-.¡± Strife says the word ¡®alone¡¯ quite sharply at the girl. Sweiza knows the drill by now. She doesn¡¯t argue. She does as she is told. She excuses herself. While she takes the stairs below deck, she shoots a disgusted look to the back of Strife. Strife approaches Lukas and places an arm around his back. Sweiza cringes. What are they going to do, sleep together? She finds herself soon under bed covers. She looks around for Sprite once. She doesn¡¯t concern herself with him. For now he seems to be able to take care of himself. She lets out a yawn and turns her body over under the sheets. It has been a long day. ¡ª Sweiza awakens lying down in a meadow. She looks up and sees dark sky. She hears rustling. She tries to get up, but hears a metallic pop. Several restraints hold her in place around her wrists and ankles. She struggles against them, her head the only real part that can move around. She finally gives up and her body slackens. She looks around, she cant quite hear where the rustling is coming from. Behind! She looks up and behind her. Demi¡¯s ominous figure looks down at her. ¡°Demi! I thought we were friends! This wasn¡¯t necessary!¡± He hunches down with his hands to his knees as he looks down at her. He tilts his head. ¡°These shackles represent the danger you are in. You are a slave until you break free. Awaken Sweiza Serif and face your destiny.¡± Sweiza can¡¯t understand what he means. She is about to say something when she sees his head coming closer to her. Her face fidgets with panic. She suddenly sees his eyes turn a sharp blue. His teeth turn into several fangs and they jump down at her. She lets out a scream. ¡ª Sweiza awakens. She instinctively pulls both her wrists up to ¡®break¡¯ her shackles. She assumes a sitting position. Her heart beats fast. She breathes fast. It subsides quickly. Did Demi force her to wake up with a nightmare? She¡¯ll have to have a word with him about that later. She hears something from above deck. Her head cocks her left ear up towards the deck. She can hear a man and woman yelling. Lukas and Strife? She hears yelling. It is definitely Strife. The noise stops. Sweiza rips the covers off. She breaks into a run for the stairs. Her armor appears as she does so. The door to the cabin is thrust open. What Sweiza sees is a horrific sight. There is blood on the ground. Strife is kneeling on the ground offcenter from it. Her hands are to her chest. A knife has been thrust into her waist. Lukas is standing above her. He is holding something. It has something in it. It flashes white and then flashes a purple color. Is it the penchant? Why is Lukas holding it? Sweiza realises she is standing there. She tries to take a step forward. Strife looks up and over to the girl. ¡°Ve¡­¡± Strife¡¯s words do not finish. She instead lets out a groan as Lukas kicks the woman in the chest. Strife falls backwards. Lukas turns around. Sweiza is already charging him with her sword in her hand. He holds the penchant up with his right hand; his left hand cradles it. Those strange letters surround it. A blue light envelopes her. She suddenly freezes. She tries to move. She can¡¯t. Her sword is midthrust a few feet from Lukas. His eyes glow. ¡°Behold! I am awash with poise; my moment of glory starts with your sacrifice!¡± Lukas¡¯s voice is far more maleficent and fanatical than before. He is clearly caught up in the moment. Sweiza can¡¯t breath. Her whole body feels like the life is draining out of it. She feels herself ready to pass out. This is it. Then she hears it off to the port (left) side of the ship. It sounds like sand scraping sand. It is a voice, it comes out as a low rumble and hiss. ¡°Allow me to set you free from your desires.¡± Lukas looks over towards the starboard, ¡°Begone you fowl bea¡­¡± Lukas is interrupted to a fireball enveloping him. Sweiza only sees it out of the corner of her eye, but the fireball illuminates the shadow of a head with horns and long neck. Is it a leviathan? The strange letters and blue sphere surrounding her disappear. She lets go of her sword on instinct as she drops forward to her knees; her hands catch her. The wind has been knocked out of her lungs. She lets out several gasps as her chest and lungs struggle to fill themselves with air. She fights, but it feels like no use. Her attention jumps to the illuminated form of Lukas. His body is on fire; his flesh is melting! She sees a giant wooden head. He¡¯s a puppet? The dream! The puppet¡¯s clothing cracks up into smoke and disappears. It lets out several utterances of an unknown language. Another fireball, this time a much more powerful one hits the puppet. It lets out a cry in that unknown language. It lets out a pained scream as its arms claw at its body trying to stop the pain. It looks over to the port (right) side of the ship just past Sweiza. It starts running. One last fireball hits it and knocks it overboard. This time she definitely saw the demonic head. She doesn¡¯t have time to scream. She attempts crawling to Strife. Not like this stupid! She forces herself to her feet and heads to her wounded mentor. She kneels down by her side. She sees Strife hasn¡¯t lost much blood yet, but it is enough to cover a large puddle. ¡°Are you alright Strife?¡± For the first time, Sweiza shows absolute concern and some level of respect towards her mentor. ¡°I do believe I need some bandages for this pain.¡± Strife says it, her voice shaky and quite weak. ¡°Strife, what was that thing?¡± Sweiza looks back towards the starboard side. The long necked, horned-head is gone. ¡°Surt.¡± She says it with a small smile. ¡°My¡­¡± Strife quickly corrects herself, ¡°¡­¡®our¡¯ insurance.¡± Strife lets out a weak groan. She feels about ready to pass out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get those bandages.¡± Sweiza says it to the point. Strife lets out a nod. Sweiza lets Strife out of her hands and then heads for the cabin. She stops when she hears splashing and a cry from from the port side. Isn¡¯t that the side that the wooden puppet ran to? Sweiza shakes it off. She is stopped from focusing back at the task at hand. She hears another splash and then sees a fireball hit something in the sky. She can¡¯t make it out. She hears a much louder splash this time and then hears a crunch and a snap and then another splash. She shakes it off and heads inside the cabin. She has an idea of what has happened at this point. They are safe for the time being, or so she hopes. She finds the first aid kit. It is metal and looks quite old. She cracks it open with hopeful intent. The supplies look new. Bandages. Lots of them. Thank the Goddess! She hurries out to the deck and kneels next to Strife. ¡°You could have taken a little longer dear.¡± Strife lets out a cough from the pain. Sweiza doesn¡¯t say anything. She is quick to pull the bandages out. How to work these damn things? Ah, the knife! She looks down at it. ¡°Strife, this is gonna h¡­¡± Sweiza is stupefied at what happens next. In one motion Strife reaches down for the knife and jerks it out. She lets out a wince as she does so. Sweiza cannot believe just how candidly the woman did that! She¡¯s crazy! ¡°A person could die waiting for you!¡± Strife says it sharply at the girl and lets out another cough, ¡°Help me put pressure to it!¡± Thankfully Sweiza is just glad Strife is still alive. The thought of T¡¯lak¡¯s words fill her head. ¡°The Cult of Loki¡±. But now isn¡¯t the time to ask. She reaches into the first aid kit and pulls out a cloth. She is about to put it on the wound. Strife¡¯s hand grabs the girl¡¯s wrist. ¡°Wait.¡± A strange vial of liquid appears in her hand, she hands it to Sweiza, ¡°Wet the cloth with this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Sweiza holds it up and inspects it diligently. It glows a strange light blue from the ship¡¯s deck lanterns. ¡°Child, your intrigue be damned, just do it!¡± Strife lets out a grunt as she says it. Sweiza rolls her eyes. Strife shoots her a scowl and lets out another groan from the pain. Sweiza finally does as instructed and uncorks the vial and dumps the contents onto the cloth. Not dignified, but it works. She pushes the cloth to Strife¡¯s wound. Strife lets out a wince from the pain. Her (Strife¡¯s) hand comes down to the cloth covered wound. Pressure is applied. Diligently, Sweiza wraps the bandage wraps around her mentor¡¯s waist. ¡°Strife, yo¡­ ¡®we¡¯re¡¯ going to be okay, right?¡± Sweiza says it, her face mere inches from Strife. Strife lets out a puff of air at the girl¡¯s face, ¡°Your stinky breath aside, yes, I think so, at least for now.¡± Sweiza¡¯s face pulls down and her teeth grit behind an unopened mouth. She quickly loosens her edge, now is not the time. ¡°That thing with the neck¡­ a leviathan?¡± Strife lets out a chuckled snort, ¡°Dragon.¡± Sweiza remembers now. Surt is a dragon. A scary looking one. He was in the water? Wait, he¡¯s -still- in the water? She looks over towards the port side. Her suspicions are probably correct then; Surt probably crushed Lukas¡­ no the wooden puppet, or whatever that thing was, between his jaws. Dragons are man eaters. But she still wonders just what Lukas was exactly. ¡°Lukas¡­ He was a wooden puppet?¡± She asks an obvious question. Strife nods once, ¡°Cult of Loki. They have ambition. But I don¡¯t think this is what they meant when they claim ¡®Awash with Poise.¡¯¡± Strife lets out another snort towards the port side of the ship. Sweiza stares at her dumbfounded. There is more to this than she knows. She attempts to kneel down with both knees next to Strife. She has her hands on her mentor¡¯s shoulder. She is about to sling her (Strife¡¯s) arm around hers (Sweiza¡¯s). She is stopped. ¡°Dammit child! Get to the helm, our position is in jeopardy!¡± Strife yells it at Sweiza. Sweiza lets out a yelp as she lets go of the woman. ¡°Now!¡± Strife yells at her again. Sweiza nods once. She jumps to her feet, turns around and rushes to the cabin door. She stops just short of the mast. She turns around and lets out a bow towards Strife. ¡°Valkyrie, I¡¯m glad you are safe.¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t wait for her mentor¡¯s answer. She turns around and heads to the door. Sprite is hovering there. ¡°It seems like you had an adventure.¡± Sweiza lowers her voice as she opens the door. ¡°And where were you, you little shit?¡± ¡°Observing. You didn¡¯t need me anyway. That¡­ -thing- took care of that other¡­ -thing-.¡± Sprite cringes and lets out a hiss when he says the first ¡®thing¡¯. ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s go. We have shit to get done.¡± Sweiza scoffs at him. She takes a sharp turn past the door and her hands are on the helm. She sees Strife is still sitting. She must still be weak. There position is stable, but by Sweiza¡¯s reckoning, this will be a long, if not soon to be remembered night. ANBLII - Chapter 16 - Dragon Master ¡°What do you mean you are poisoned?¡± Sweiza says it with some kind of disbelief. Her hands control the helm while she looks down to her mentor whom refuses rest - at least immediately. It was a single entry wound from a knife; how could it be poisoned? Sweiza didn¡¯t remember seeing anything out of the ordinary about it when she pulled it out. Strife¡¯s arms are crossed. Her left hand does reach down towards the wound to comfort it. She winces as she does so. This journey was going to be rough, but she wasn¡¯t expecting ¡®this¡¯. ¡°The ¡®Cult of Loki¡¯ wishes to expand their influence.¡± Sweiza interrupts her, ¡°What does that have to do with anything? What does poison have to do with expanding Loki¡¯s influence?¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrow raise up in slight amusement as she looks up at the girl, ¡°The Cult of Loki has about as much to do with the god of the same name as you do with leading the Valkyrie.¡± Sweiza snorts. ¡°The Cult of Loki is so named due to the small ¡®changes¡¯ that they make. Snowball that into an avalanche and you get the idea.¡± Strife continuously massages the wound. ¡°What does that have to do with Loki?¡± Sweiza¡¯s attention focuses outside at a familiar blue orb glowing near the bow of the ship. ¡°They are well known for poisoning their weapons. Whether it be an enchantment in this instance, I can¡¯t say, nor does it matter. I¡¯m going to take the appropriate precautions.¡± ¡°Precautions¡­¡± Sweiza says it with disbelief and contempt, ¡°Maybe if you had done so to begin with and not let him into your heart then¡­¡± Strife shoots her a scowl, ¡°Child please. -I- was the one playing him for the fool. When I refused to let him hold it¡­¡± Sweiza recognizes she means the ¡®Penchant¡¯. ¡°¡­he turned quite unpleasant. I didn¡¯t think he would pull out a knife.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes roll and she lets up a puff of air at her hair. She turns a bit more light hearted, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to simply ¡®whisk¡¯ the poison away by putting it in that place that holds all of our stuff?¡± ¡°Along with half of my organs no less. Never must a living being be transported or stored, I told you that.¡± Her left hand still on her wound, Strife¡¯s free hand holds up and flat and a pill appears in it. She tilts her head back as it is popped into her mouth. She winces at the taste. Sweiza looks at her master in disbelief again. ¡°That was an unusually large pill.¡± ¡°Iron tablet. Enchanted of course. While I¡¯m under the influence, that enchantment will knock me out for a few days.¡± Strife taps her foot idly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you are going to¡­ I mean yes, it¡¯s well known for rapid healing, but what am I supposed to do without you? I don¡¯t know this area! I need you!¡± ¡°There is a map on the table behind us.¡± Strife points with her right thumb behind her, ¡°And you said you could navigate by starlight yes? We shouldn¡¯t be too far off course at any given time if you keep us angled in the same direction. If all else fails, as long as you are proactive in keeping at eye on the shore¡­¡± Strife holds up her hand and a spyglass appears, ¡°¡­you shouldn¡¯t have any issues.¡± Strife lets out a weak smile. Sweiza feels her body droop. ¡ª It is rather simple. Strife will be roped down to the bed below deck. The effects should last three days whereby she is in an induced deep sleep. In the meantime her body will be forced into a berserkergang to help with rapid healing; one of the blessings of the curse. ¡ª It is later the next day when Sweiza feels those exact words hit her, ¡°Our journey counts on you at this point. I¡¯ll see you in a few days child. May your watch be as uneventful and rested as my slumber. Goodnight.¡± ¡°Why am I always getting caught up in this? Is this Salmira¡¯s doing? Is this why Strife exercises contempt for the woman?¡± Sweiza scowls and shakes the thought off. She has work to do. ¡ª Most of Sweiza¡¯s day is spent at the helm. She thankfully has a chair to sit at when her legs get sore. It was Strife¡¯s idea to mix it up a bit, especially since they (but more importantly meaning Sweiza), were not accomplished, nor experienced sailors. At first glance, Sweiza envisions being bored at the helm all day, only being able to leave to ¡®relieve¡¯ herself or to eat lunch. It is only an hour in and Sweiza decides to mix it up indeed. Unfortunately she didn¡¯t bother seeing the star patterns last night due to their ¡®mishap¡¯. She wishes Lukas wasn¡¯t a traitor, his sailing expertise would help here. She does chance climbing the main mast; it does have a rather small crow¡¯s nest, but it is more of a flat platform for sitting. Technically this is their ship now isn¡¯t it? Perhaps Strife has some wood ¡®on her being¡¯ and she can use that. She¡¯ll have to look into it. In the meantime, she looks around with the spyglass. She does locate the shore of Jotunher towards the starboard side (right side). It is some miles off, but she doesn¡¯t remember how to calculate it with a sextant. She also realizes she can¡¯t really remember the proper way to use mapping. She¡¯ll only be able to use the map for landmarks¡­ except all she sees is rocky cliffs for a good few minutes and finally climbs back down. When she is finally down, Sprite flies up to her. He lets out several of his distinctive chirps, ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± ¡°Oh you little shit!¡± Sweiza says it in dismay, ¡°Help yourself to Lukas¡¯s share of food in the cabin. Don¡¯t go eating all of it. We need it for the next few weeks.¡± Sweiza waves her hand as she walks by him, she stops a few feet in front of him facing the cabin, ¡°I just wish you could quit being a pest sometimes. I could really use your help about now.¡± She walks off in a huff. Sprite just hovers in place with his body bobbing with his slow wing beats. ¡ª ¡°Dear Diary¡­ Journal or whatever, I don¡¯t care at this point. Really I don¡¯t know why I chose to go along with her. It seemed like a good idea. I figured it was Salmira¡¯s doing. We met at that point in time. I figured this is what I needed to do to get back to my ¡®real¡¯ time. However, I am now deep in the woodwork and am sailing a ship of all things. I never thought I¡¯d see this day. I¡¯m apparently traveling the world with a sick berserker, pest of a sprite, and then a dragon. That last one is a matter I have to deal with later today. All I know is I¡¯m tired of having to relief myself with the use of a bucket. Damn sailors and their stupid ways! I hate it! ¡­love Sweiza!¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Sweiza has drawn a heart at an angle towards the right of her name. ¡ª It is towards the elevated platform near the bow of the ship that Sweiza stands tapping her foot with her arms crossed impatiently. She barks out her order. ¡°Surt, show yourself! I know you can hear me!¡± Nothing happens. ¡°Surt! Get out here!¡± She winces her eyes as she uncrosses her arms and stamps her left foot on the platform. Again nothing happens. ¡°Su..! Uh!¡± Sweiza feels the ship rock slightly and she falls to her hands and knees. She turns around to the dragon¡¯s head and neck near the port (left) side of the ship. However, the ship is in motion and his neck and head soon disappear behind the cabin. Sweiza looks at it dumbfounded. She feels a bit anxious as she suddenly sees the dragon¡¯s head moving up and down in a slight fashion. She can only imagine he is paddling or wiggling his tail to propel himself forward. He is fast! He matches the speed of the ship. His head stops the up and down motion as does his neck as his big horned head turns towards her. Black scales with a red tinge to them on the outside. Strife had mentioned he was a firedrake (fire breather), but Sweiza had no idea he¡¯d look so deadly, yet so beautiful. He clearly looks like an other worldly thing. For most of her life Sweiza had thought dragons were yellow, green or some variant of red. But according to Strife they come in all colors, even fire drakes. Sweiza¡¯s hand comes up to shield her eyes from the sun as she looks up at his face. ¡°You look here you big oaf! Strife is out of commission for a few days, that puts me in charge of this entourage. You do what I tell you or else!¡± She points an accusing finger at him. The cat slits in his eyes do not change. Instead they glow a red and orange color. Sweiza doesn¡¯t yield. She steps forward. ¡°My family kills dragons! We¡¯ve done it in the past!¡± The dragon¡¯s eye brighten. He says nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t you give me that silent treatment! Serif¡¯s are well known for being dragon tamers!¡± The dragon¡¯s tongue flicks out several times. His tail slowly emerges from the water. ¡°No tricks! I¡¯m of her kin! She¡¯ll know of it! You owe her!¡± The dragon¡¯s eyes suddenly dim to a pale yellow. His head inches towards her. She suddenly feels her body tense up. Her act drops. She starts shaking. The tip of his tail flicks her from behind her left ankle and drops her backwards. She hits the deck. She scrambles back to her feet. Her hands are on her hips. ¡°That was a nice try, but¡­¡± Her eyes jump to the tail again. Again she is on the ground. This time the tail rests on her. She tries to push herself up to no avail, his tail is that heavy or by some force he is that strong. She pushes and struggles. Her body finally drops in fate as she gives up. The tail suddenly releases just as quick as it came. She looks up from her position. Her eyes are glassing up, she tries to hold back the tears. The dragon is still staring down at her. His head lumbers closer and then over the deck rail. Her eyes go wide as he flicks his tongue out. It is longer than she thought. It scrapes across her face. She feels as if she isn¡¯t frozen in terror for once. The hot breath from his nose is disgusting and humid, but it is a welcome feeling to the cold air she¡¯s felt throughout the morning. ¡°You taste of her kin.¡± Sweiza tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Her body tremors once from a breath of defeat. She looks down at the deck. Sweiza finally looks up in fear. The dragon¡¯s eyes no longer glow. ¡°Daughter.¡± It is the only thing he says. Does he always give such short responses? Wait, daughter? Sweiza feels herself break free from her terror. She feels her chance and scrambles to a cross legged position. She simply nods up a the dragon. His eyes glow orange again and his head cocks straight up. She hears something strange and then sees a glow erupt from his mouth. A fireball? She isn¡¯t impressed. ¡°Sprite¡¯s hunger is scarier than you¡¯ll ever be!¡± She points her finger up at him as one of her eyes close. The dragon¡¯s eyes dim again. His tongue darts out several times. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with them. The sprite.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t eat him, I¡¯m warning you!¡± His tongue flicks out again, ¡°Tender morsel.¡± Sweiza looks up with her jaw agape. She quickly realizes her give away and closes it. Is this dragon messing with her? ¡°You¡¯re as bad at your shenanigans as you are checkers!¡± This time the dragon¡¯s eyes pulse from orange to red and they glow brightly. Sweiza lets out an audible ¡®eep¡¯ as she quickly shrinks in place. ¡°I was disappointed.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Sweiza¡¯s act drops again. Is this dragon friend or foe? She can¡¯t tell. ¡°She later revealed that she cheated. I was disappointed.¡± Sweiza stares up at him. ¡°And yet you are still allowed to live on Mount Surt.¡± The dragon¡¯s tail passes over head. It misses Sweiza by just a few inches. She is starting to get the idea. ¡°I am Mount Surt.¡± ¡°You are nothing but a naughty dragon of the worst sort!¡± She tries her luck. His eyes dim. ¡°I protect the area, you serve me.¡± Sweiza shakes in anger once. ¡°I am next of kin. I am her legacy and heir to estate. You serve me!¡± The dragon¡¯s tongue flicks out. She hears what she can only describe as a rumble from a throat. Is he laughing at her? ¡°A weakened estate, with dead parents and barely a legacy to match. Start building one.¡± His neck pulls away from the railing and with it his head. Sweiza quickly scrambles to her feet. ¡°Wait! Does that mean you¡¯ll help me?!¡± She rushes to the railing. She looks over to see his neck submerging. His head is gone. ¡°Surt!¡± She blurts out his name. A single bubble emerges from the water. It pops in fashion. Sweiza shakes her head and lets out a grit of disgust. Strife had warned her about him. Sweiza now believes her. He is rather difficult to deal with. ¡ª- Apparently the firedrake was not as social as his fellow dracokin. He wanted solitude and rest from a lifetime of dealing with their problems. It doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have them himself. One such example was a certain Valkyrie that guarded the edge of Middle Garden (Midgard). He took up residence in the local mountain (dormant volcano) by the springs. He rested there for a few years until a Valkyrie presented herself at the entrance. She was charged with slaying him. But for all of their poise and strength, a Valkyrie cannot hope to defeat a dragon without special equipment. Instead, the dragon was fascinated at something called a wager over a game. He had a feeling she was deceitful. Still, he didn¡¯t know how to play. All the more fascinating. He didn¡¯t find out until later. Made up rules lead to his demise. He was disappointed. She would allow him to stay and protect the area, ¡°So says I, Valkyrie Strife.¡± He was not amused at the benevolence of the Valkyrie and rebuked with, ¡°I will allow you to protect this area in my place, so says I dracokin.¡± The dragon simply wanted peace and solitude, no shenanigans from fellow dragokin and no humans bothering him. About the only thing Strife ever has to reprimand him for is collecting and hoarding shiny objects - silver and gold being a problem due to the area being so close to Muspell Harbor. Strife will not interfere with him as long as he behaves. He lost, he owes her a debt, it is that simple. The dragon agreed, despite her treachery. They finally hammered out a friendship and an alliance, if not an uneasy one. It is still unheard of for dragons and humans to interact without consequences; let alone for a certain Valkyrie female to have a dragon as her familiar. Then the matter arose of Alyssa Verdandi¡¯s next of kin appearing due to a certain witch. This was an unexpected train of thought. The debt would have to be transferred to her daughter also. ¡°As a matter of the estate¡±. Strife is indeed a tricky one - well known in the future for her negotiating style and tactics. Many people despise dealings and negotiations with her, she usually wins; keyword being ¡®usually¡¯. However, this is a deal Sweiza would have to make on her own. Sweiza is not her birth mother. She can''t believe she is stuck in this mess. May fate and the Goddess help her. ¡ª Sweiza cannot tell if the dragon was messing with her or agrees with her. It looks like it. She stands at the entrance of the cabin. Her hands go to her hips. She sees Sprite sitting on the rudder control. ¡°I don¡¯t care! That thing is hard to move!¡± The Sprite apparently isn¡¯t strong enough to move it very well, if at all. He had to resort to beating his wings hard to get it to move back and forth, and even then he swears he sent the ship off course. He thinks so anyway. This is difficult. Wait, the dragon woman is here. Sprite flies up from the helm. His mood and inflection changes as he hovers a few inches from her face, his wings fluttering his intrigue, ¡°Well?¡± She looks straight up. Her eyes dart back and stare straight at him and hard. ¡°He referred to you as a tender morsel.¡± ¡°So what? Dragons can¡¯t catch sprite. Too slow and stupid!¡± He flies away from her and then flies back two feet from her. ¡°Are you a dragon master or not?¡± She shakes her head and grips her arms in frustration, ¡°He¡¯s most certainly a rude and difficult one to deal with. This might be the start of my dragon taming days. I¡¯m not sure. I think he bamboozled me somehow; or at least this is how he gets his jollies in. Whatever. I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s eat dinner.¡± The sprite lets out a chirp of approval as his wing beats slow to just moving rhythmically with bobbing. This is why he hangs out with her. His friend. She always gets into some kind of excitement or trouble. But more importantly, the food! Chapter 17 - Triple Moon, Half Moon, Crescent Moon It has been several days into their journey towards Bothnin. By now Sweiza has begun to miss Strife¡¯s banter; she always kept it interesting. She does check on the woman on occasion. Strife has gone through all the symptoms of the berserkergang, but by now they are starting to subside; the hair being the most noticeable as it has become much shorter and skin is finally visible. Sweiza is curious how the woman¡¯s berserker symptoms don¡¯t affect her (Strife) as much as they do herself (Sweiza). Sweiza has also taken to learning how to compare position settings on a map versus measuring distance by stars. The latter is easy, as shes does it regularly. Howver, it is the calculations on the map that give her trouble; she¡¯s not even sure if they are correct. But the coordinates and their current speed indicate they will arrive at Bothin in a few days. Strife should also be up in that time, but how long that will take, is anyone¡¯s guess. ¡ª- ¡°Dear Journal, Today I¡­¡± Sweiza has the words ¡°Dear Diary¡± written, but they are both scribbled out and a new line has been made with the words, ¡°Dear Journal¡±. The entry is also unfinished. ¡ª It is sometime in the evening. Sweiza has had dinner. Pickled ham and dried fruit are the order. It is the powdered milk that Sweiza takes an unliking to. Sprite quite literally drops from the air to the table at the display. She holds her nose as she drinks a glass of the nasty confection. Sometime in their journey Strife had shown the girl had to make it and sweeten it, but it doesn¡¯t make it any less nasty than milk straight from a cow. ¡°All good girls drink milk.¡± Was something her mother used to say. Sprite won¡¯t stop laughing. Sweiza puts the metal cup down and walks over to his location on the table. Sprite quickly flies up with several beats of his wings. His eyes turn terror as she picks up his dinner - a mug of honey. She walks out with it and holds it over the ship¡¯s rail. He starts pleading with her. She finally relents and walks back into the cabin. The mug of honey is set back down on the table. She looks down at her handywork, future Strife would be proud. She is about to take the helm again, but as she turns around Salmira appears before her, blocking the view of said helm control. ¡°Go away! Anytime you get involved you have some task for me or there is some kind of trouble!¡± Salmira¡¯s arms cross and a smirk appears on her face. ¡°You are very astute. Have you taken a look at the horizon?¡± ¡°The setting sun?¡± Sweiza says it unamused. Salmira motions with her crossed arm¡¯s finger from the girl to outside. Sweiza looks over and sees a bolt of lightning. ¡°Are you doing this?¡± Sweiza stands up with her hands on her hips. She¡¯s had quite enough of this woman. ¡°Yes and no. Before you exercise your contempt for me, would you like to hear my explanation¡­ I mean, you are in charge after all.¡± Salmira smirks again at the girl. Sweiza¡¯s arms cross in defiance. ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that. If it wasn¡¯t for me you would be dead several times over.¡± Salmira¡¯s glasses flash a distinct glow from the lanterns in the cabin. Sweiza turns her head sharply and gives a ¡°hmph!¡± to the woman. Sweiza suddenly feels a hand under her chin as it forces (although gently) her head to look back at Salmira. Salmira has approached a few feet, Sweiza shakes once, but tries to hide her fear. Salmira points outside. ¡°There is going to be a rare celestial event. You used to look forward to them as a kid. I believe you also used them as catch phrases.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes twitch at the woman. ¡°Those are terms only a little kid uses! What do I look like, a brat?¡± Salmira¡¯s eyebrows cock up and her head tilts at the girl. Sweiza looks away to hold her shame. ¡°Regardless young one, I need your assistance with something.¡± Salmira taps her finger on her arm patiently. ¡°What now, another one of your shitty assignments?¡± Sweiza¡¯s head cocks back at her with yet more defiance and attitude. Salmira is undeterred. ¡°Good, we are in agreement. Very muchly so, as such, please pay attention.¡± Salmira knows she has won and smiles at the girl. ¡°A jet stream of cold air from Niffleheim has been mixing with warm air from Muspell. It is creating the low pressure system you see in front of you.¡± Salmira flicks her finger again. Sweiza doesn¡¯t understand these terms. ¡°The ¡®storm¡¯ that you see in front of you is going to be quite an exotic thing. One reason I have appeared to you is that you originally go to sleep without checking the weather tonight. Your ship ends up sinking and your journey takes much longer than originally intended. By appearing to you tonight and alerting you of the next few ¡®exotic¡¯ hours, your ship will be sent off course instead. Understand?¡± ¡°So why not point me in the right direction around the storm?¡± Sweiza is a bit more relaxed now. Salmira may be a slave-driver, but she seems to be looking out for her. Salmira¡¯s eyebrows raise, ¡°¡­as I was saying, when you are blown off course, your ship will be run aground on a sandbar near an island.¡± Sweiza is familiar with the term sandbar, sand pushed up from the ocean floor, but might also indicate a nearby coral reef. She¡¯s always wanted to see one. ¡°Take the rowboat to the island. It¡¯ll be about a mile south west of your direction. There will be two individuals there. They have been kidnapping individuals for experiments. They will make a breakthrough tonight due to the celestial event. Stop them. Future descendants and events of this world depend on it. In addition to keeping your wits about you, take the dragon and sprite with you. No harm will come to the woman. When you are done, have the dragon dislodge the ship. If necessary, have him pull it back out to sea. All good? That will be all¡­ Sweiza.¡± There is an odd and offputting kindness in the woman¡¯s voice as she says the girl¡¯s name. Everything turns white and when Sweiza¡¯s eyes adjust again, Salmira is gone. Sweiza looks down at Sprite. He peaks up from the now ¡®empty¡¯ mug of honey. Sprite beams at her, ¡°It¡¯ll be exciting!¡± ¡°Maybe for you, you little twirp. You can simply fly away or hide, I don¡¯t get that luxury.¡± Sweiza now has a more difficult task ahead of her. She must speak with Surt. However, as she approaches the door, she looks out the window of the cabin at the horizon. She can¡¯t see it, but she knows what the celestial event is, she mutters, ¡°Half moon, triple moon, crescent moon.¡± Her favorite catchphrases as a kid. ¡ª If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Salmira has apparently already spoken with the firedrake. His typical demeanor (as explained by Strife) as experienced by Sweiza, is strangely absent. Perhaps Salmira is more powerful than the young Valkyrie gives her credit, perhaps she simply appeared underwater and spoke to him? Whatever she said, he has an ¡®interest¡¯ in these individuals, but he will not confer with Sweiza as to why. She accepts her fate. However, just as he starts to retract his head from above deck, she finally pops the question, why does he talk with such a low growl and why does he only speak in short phrases? The explanation is awkward on his part, but she gets an honest answer. Dragons don¡¯t have vocal cords like humans; they speak using membranes in their windpipe - like birds. Speaking like a dragon is easy, it is quite difficult, and sometimes painful to speak like a human. She attempts one more question. ¡°How do you make dragon fire?¡± The dragon ignores her request and his head retracts and he disappears beneath the waves. She sticks her tongue out at him. When she turns around Sprite is there to beam and laugh at her. She breaks down laughing with him. Surt seems intelligent, but he is quite difficult to work with. Maybe. ¡®Maybe¡¯ being the keyword; she might be able to win him over¡­ maybe. ¡ª The sails on the ship suddenly pulling tight are a telltale sign they are in the vicinity of a thunderstorm. In fact, she notices the ship is moving quite hastily. She remembers the word ¡®exotic¡¯ being described towards the storm. Just how bad is it going to be? She learns her answer soon enough. The sight of white caps around the ship has her startled and on edge. As if to acknowledge this, the repeated rocking and swaying of the ship gradually increase. It is when she feels the ship creak from the wind shifting direction as it picks up and hits the port (left side) of the ship that she is left a bit bewildered. Shouldn¡¯t air from Niffleheim be from the south-west? This air is from the north-east, so perhaps it is circling around. She isn¡¯t sure. At the moment she doesn¡¯t care. Sprite is not flying at this time. He is sitting with his hands over his knees and his legs against him (a rare sight). He sits just right of the compass that in turn is just right of the helm control. Sweiza looks down at him once, but otherwise gives him no attention. She remains silent. Time passes. The wind has further picked up. The ship has changed direction. Sweiza sees the sails start to flap more than they should. She takes one look at Sprite. He knows the drill. He¡¯s on the steering wheel while she goes out to adjust the sails. Her adjustment is a simple one. She loosens ropes around pulleys and pulls the sails in. It is a strange sight to see a ship without them open. Whatever. She¡¯s thankfully had some minor training by and discussions with, the sailors from the ¡°Sterling Blue¡± on matters such as this. Her mind changes to Strife in the lower deck briefly. She is thankful her (Strife¡¯s) future self, made her (Sweiza) learn this life lesson, among many others. She is beginning to see that while Strife¡¯s future counterpart is stern, it was to teach and train. She likens it to ¡®preening¡¯ the sails, but the job is done. They don¡¯t have to worry about the sails tearing. Lukas probably had a repair kit on board, but it¡¯s not something she wants to think or worry about at the moment. She has more important matters. ¡ª Sprite wants a warm place to sleep. Sweiza tells him to stay awake. He salutes in a rude manner and slips into her pocket. She shakes her head. Another bolt of lightning. She tries keeping her hands on the helm, but it only has some small control over the vessel. By now the wind is pushing the ship in a very specific direction. It¡¯s not as if she can simply turn the ship around. She curses her luck. This will be a long night. Lukas thankfully had the foresight for stores of coffee. She hates the bitter stuff. It really could use more sugar. Those words again. She snorts. Wind and lightning are her only friends. Maybe sprite if he behaves himself. She does look down at him as the thought occurs to her. Thunder finally booms. The wind seems to peak, although it is already strong. She finally sees rain passing by the ship. She wonders how Surt is doing in this? Strife had said dragons can swim fast and can live under water for days at a time before surfacing. How? Gills? She¡¯ll need to ask. Lightning streaking over head finally catches her attention and breaks her back to reality. Right now she could use a dose of it. Maybe a dream by Demi. No. She needs to stay alert. Salmira had said the ship originally sinks due to her (Sweiza¡¯s) carelessness. Best not to repeat history. Maybe the witch is looking out for her after all. Hours pass. Sweiza is quite alert from all of the coffee. The wind lessens a bit and the white caps nearly disappear, but the sky is still dark without any stars. The ship is a little easier to control, but the wind still pushes it off course. By this time, Sprite has also fallen asleep near the helm¡¯s compass. She doesn¡¯t know how he does it. She shrugs. However, she is startled to the ship jolt and then slow down. It finally stops. Sprite is jolted awake. He jumps to a hover in the air with rapid wing movement. He sees Sweiza look down at him once and then run outside. He watches her as she circles the railing of the ship. She is looking around as she circles. He sees her suddenly working the small wheel that drops the anchor. Whatever for? She rushes back inside. His curiosity is answered. ¡°We¡¯ve hit a small patch of sand. It¡¯s sticking right up from the water, not flat either. The wind is also letting up.¡± Sprite takes one look at her and then bolts outside. He circles the ship once. He comes back in. ¡°Well?¡± She asks. ¡°It¡¯s enough to be an island, but there is water here and there on top of it.¡± Sprite seems to be enthusiastic. He wants an adventure. Sweiza rolls her eyes at his enthusiasm. ¡°We¡¯ll take the rowboat.¡± She says it as Sprite follows her. ¡°Help me!¡± Sweiza barks it at him. She seems to be having trouble with the pulleys and rope. Sprite tries to help her, but he isn¡¯t strong enough to move them. He thinks about sending a slice of wind to cut the ropes, but that might be a bad idea. He attempts to fake his way through helping Sweiza, if not to make himself look useful. She shoos him away and finally breaks one of the circle wheels free. Perhaps it will need to be replaced, or so she thinks. The small rowboat hits the water right at the edge of the sandbar. Thankfully she is strong enough to push it free. However, she doesn¡¯t get ahead of herself and uses the rope ladder to get down from the ship and into the rowboat¡­ She then has to actually get onto the sandbar itself and push the small dinghy while jumping inside. She looks up at Sprite. ¡°Well don¡¯t just hover there, come here!¡± He flies up to her face. ¡°Really Dewey, you need to¡­¡± She stops when she sees him circle around and dive into the boat. She turns around and lets out an audible ¡°eep!¡± when she sees it. It¡¯s Surt. It¡¯s hard to see him. She thinks back to when she saw him in the future. She doesn¡¯t remember his form. She was too terrified of him. She only remembers having tunnel vision and seeing his face. Those horns¡­ his eyes¡­ and then that wicked forked tongue. She shivers. She looks at the dragon¡¯s form illuminated by lightning. He is crawling up onto the sandbar. He has wings, they are attached to his forefeet, or are they arms? He walks on them like they are hands. His back feet are what she expects, they look powerful. But it is his neck and especially his tail that get her attention. His neck is shorter than she thought, but he is also about the size of the ship. His back must have been half out of the water when he spoke with her. How did she not notice? ¡­and then there is that long tail. Yikes! Are those spikes? What is he, one of those fabled dinosaurs she¡¯s heard about? Absolute nonsense! All that from one bolt of lightning? She can¡¯t believe this. More lightning flashes multiple times across the sky. She catches him flick his tail into the sand. It sprays the sand in multiple directions. Her wide eyes look back from his tail and shoot up to him. His eyes are not glowing, but she can see them reflecting off the lantern in the rowboat. He stops just shy of ten feet from her. She avoids letting out another ¡°eep!¡±. That is a bad habit that only little girls use. She hears him let out a snort of air. It sounds like a low growl. She lets out an ¡°eep!¡± anyway. She¡¯ll makes a self conscious thought to correct those and her other childish habits in the future. ¡°Surt! You watch the ship. If I¡¯m not back by high noon, come and get me.¡± She widens her eyes (briefly) at him and gives a mock salute with two fingers. The dragon must have listened to her, because he makes no attempts to move from the sandbar and the lodged ship. She does note he turns around to watch the dinghy regress, but that is it. Salmira said the island was south-east, didn¡¯t she? ¡ª Rowing towards the island, Sweiza cannot believe how much the wind has let up. All of this seems ¡®too¡¯ coincidental. Did Salmira plan all of this down to the letter? Just how much of the future does she know anyway? How much meddling has she done in the lives of other people? She is still on the fence about that woman. She grits her teeth at the oars. She has a job to do! Sprite on the other hand serves as her forward lookout and light to the stern (if it can be called a stern) of the small rowboat. His glow is comforting. She is glad her friend is there for her. ¡ª After about a quarter of an hour of rowing she hits beach at the island. At her request, Sprite surveys the surrounding area. Just as she is pulling the boat further ashore, Sprite comes flying at speed in front of her. He is glowing a very light, but bright blue. His body language is frantic. ¡°Sweiza, there are two men, they are¡­ RUN!¡± He darts off to her right. Her attention is on him, but then she turns around to see the form of a man and something grab her. She feels his arm around her neck, she feels a hand cover her mouth and nose. She can¡¯t breath. Her thoughts race. No, not like this! Don¡¯t pass out, don¡¯t pass out, do- Blackness overtakes her. ANBLII - Chapter 18 - Moonlight Beacon Thunder cracks in the distance. Sweiza looks up. Her eyes adjust to the moonlight. Wait, moonlight? Her left hand instinctively raises to shield her eyes from the light of more lightning. She can see stars veiled through the nightsky. There are clouds, but they appear as dense fog. How is this possible? The stars. They look beautiful. She can see the rings of the planet Avalan. Several of the moons are out. One is a half moon, but it is the crescent moon that is of interest; there are two other moons behind it. A smirk creeps up on Sweiza¡¯s face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be smirking right now.¡± Sweiza turns around to the familiar voice. ¡°And just where have you been? There were those two men and¡­ oh goddess¡­¡± Demi¡¯s head nods with closed eyes and crossed arms. ¡°They are using the lighthouse¡­¡± He motions with his hand below them, ¡°¡­to capture the moonlight for some kind of experiment.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands drop in surprise. She looks down at the lighthouse and fumbles in the air. She can¡¯t quite get use to hovering in this dreamstate. ¡°How do you know this is true?¡± Demi nods once more. ¡°I can feel the rhythm and momentum of the moonlight in my¡­ I mean your armor. I think they are trying to open somekind of gateaway. I¡¯m not sure how¡­¡± Demi¡¯s train of thought is interrupted as he looks up at the sky and sees multiple auroras appear. A red one is easily discernible as Salmira¡¯s aurora; however the other colors of yellow and a bright orange make no sense; Avalan doesn¡¯t typically have these colors of aurora. Demi¡¯s ears perk, as do Sweiza¡¯s, at the sound of several voices. Sweiza struggles to find the voices¡¯s origin. Her attention jumps to the glowing moons as a narrow beam of light jumps from them to the light house. There is a flash. A beam of light shoots from the lighthouse to Demi. He is thrown backwards as it hits him. He regains his footing. However, he is starting to fade to black. ¡°Demi!¡± Sweiza runs towards him as he finally vanishes. The scenery and landscape soon follows and she is brought back to the land of the living. ¡ª Sweiza¡¯s eyes bolt open. Right away she knows something isn¡¯t right. She can feel her hands behind her, but she can¡¯t move them. Something is binding them together. The same with her feet, but her legs are spread apart; they have something holding them down. Her mind rushes, could they have¡­ no, she¡¯s in a sitting position and her head is slouched forward. She pulls her head up. Her neck is sore. Is she in a chair? She can feel something wrapped around her mouth. She has a hard time breathing through her nose. She can feel the familiar texture of a burlap bag on her face. At this point she has a fairly good idea of what happened. She¡¯s been gagged with a sack over her head and bound to a chair. She¡¯s not going to be much good in this position. She doesn¡¯t chance moving much so as not to draw attention to ¡®wherever¡¯ she is, but she suddenly freezes when she hears voices. She struggles to make out what they are saying, they do not sound happy. ¡°¡­get.¡± ¡°¡­disect to¡­¡± ¡°¡­dra¡­¡± ¡°¡­elis¡­¡± ¡°¡­cryst¡­¡± ¡°¡­serable¡­¡± She can¡¯t make out what they are saying. She wiggles around to test her bindings. She can hear the legs of a chair, but it is no use. She is careful not to fall over in said chair, but this time she moves around more vigorously. Perhaps the bindings around her are not too tight. It is no use. They are not slack. She is just thankful they are not chains. ¡°Sera!¡± Sweiza¡¯s head perks up. She recognize¡¯s Sprite¡¯s voice. ¡°You¡¯re in a real one now.¡± His voice seems chipper, if not worried. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡± There is a metal latch and sliding of metal in the distance. She can hear Sprite¡¯s wings start to beat furiously and then the sound ceases. She has an idea and lets her head slump forward and her body go slack. Hopefully Sprite has hidden himself well. The creek of a door on bad hinges and then a noise of something hitting something else. She hears footsteps. She keeps her body slack, but remains frozen. She can feel something push the burlap bag into her head. She rolls her head with the motion. She can hear a slight hum to the other side of her head. She hears a rustling. There is a hum to the other side of her head. She doesn¡¯t know what it is. She can feel her heart rate pick up. The humming stops. She can hear rustling again. Her head snaps when she feels a sharp pain to the opposite side. She winces from the pain as she sees stars in front of her otherwise covered eyes. She resists the urge to cry out in pain. This isn¡¯t the time. She¡¯s in real danger now. ¡°For you sake, you better not wake up. He¡¯s not as lenient as I am.¡± It is a man¡¯s voice. She hears a shoe shuffle against the ground and then footsteps departing from her location; they walk back towards the direction of the door. They stop. She can only assume the ¡®man¡¯ has turned around to stare at her. Perhaps he is trying to inspect her? She doesn¡¯t know for certain. She hears the foosteps of stairs and then the creek of a door and then metal sliding. At this point she assumes she is in some kind of shed or basement. Sprite¡¯s voice pipes up lower than normal, but with some excitement, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the ropes.¡± She knows what he means. He¡¯s going to bite through them with his teeth. She tries to speak, but it comes out muffled. She forgot about the gag around her mouth. She feels part of the rope around her left hand loosen; it finally goes slack and her hand is free. He must remember which is her dominant hand. She reaches her hand up to the bag and rips it off as fast as she can. She still can¡¯t see. She can feel her chest bringing in more air; her heartrate increases. She slowly reaches up to her eyes. She feels something covering them. It feels like some kind of cloth. She pulls up on it. It definitely is a cloth. To her horror as she pulls up on it she still can¡¯t see. Sprite¡¯s voice chimes in, ¡°Cool it! It¡¯s just a blindfold!¡± She can hear his beating wings next to her ear. He must have flown up to her head? She tries to speak, but again it comes out muffled. She reaches up to the gag and pulls it down. She feels her right hand suddenly break free from the rope. Was it tied to the chair? ¡°Sprite, you¡¯re a darling. Where are we?¡± She says it in a low but playful tone. She suddenly sees him glowing blue in front of her. ¡°Some kind of basement.¡± She sees him fly down to the ground. He literally bites into the ropes near her leg. Outside of the dull blue light, she feels her eyes strain, but fail to see anything around her. ¡°No windows?¡± She tries to assess their situation. Sprite flies up to her face and shakes his head. He flies back down and the left rope breaks free. Sweiza wiggles her foot on instinct. She can feel herself smile. She is glad this little one is her friend. For once the troublemaker is helping her ¡®out¡¯ of trouble. She says nothing as he tends to the binding on her other foot. She starts making plans. They¡¯re going to need to escape. Surt hasn¡¯t come by looking for them; he would have most likely caused a racket if not burned the whole building down (she thinks) if he did anything at all. It is most likely before noon. Strife is probably still on the sloop (single masted ship). She (Sweiza) can probably send Sprite to fetch her if she is awake; it would probably take him about a quarter of an hour to get there and then Strife a halfhour¡­ wait, how far inland are they? She remembers the dream. ¡°Sprite how far inland are we?¡± Her voice sounds unusually kind to him. He doesn¡¯t question it, ¡°Not far. Beyond some trees. You saw the lighthouse?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see as well as you in the dark, you know that.¡± He flies up to her face. A smile creeps on his face as he claps his hands together. The glow coming from him brightens. ¡°How¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Dewey, you¡¯re a darling, please light the way!¡± Sprite takes a second to react at the use of his name; it¡¯s not often she uses it. He nods once and starts flying around the room. The walls illuminate with a dull and dim blue afterglow. She sees different tools that she can¡¯t identify. It is the different gears and cogs that get her attention. Her mind shifts back to Sprite¡¯s words about the lighthouse; she remembers seeing one in a dream. Didn¡¯t Demi say that it was being used as a beacon? What kind? She remembers the moonbeam touching the lighthouse. Maybe something to do with the dreamworld? Didn¡¯t Salmira say that there were people kidnapping others and using them fore experiments? What kind of experiments? The words, ¡°A fate far worse than death awaits you.¡± flash through her mind. She shudders and cups her left hand around her right wrist and rubs it. She has better things to do than die, and refuses to be a victim of fate. Perhaps this is what it means to be a Valkyrie; she doesn¡¯t care, she¡¯s getting out of here. She stops herself. These two are kidnapping people. Didn¡¯t Salmira say something about the future and fate? She clicks her tongue and curses her luck. Her attention focuses back on Sprite flying around the walls. They are clearly cinder blocks of some sort. He circles the room a few times, hovering here and there on occasion before carrying on. He flies back up to her and shrugs. ¡°No windows, no exits.¡± Sweiza looks at the door. She kicks the ground once in frustration. ¡°Sprite, I know this is asking a lot of you¡­¡± She tries to sound cheerful, but knows what his reaction will be. He flies up enthusiastically. ¡°¡­how soon can you eat and digest your way through those bricks?¡± She points at an area towards the ceiling and the wall. She knows it is coming. His enthusiasm fades. He flies up to her and crosses his arms and turns his head away from her. ¡°You remember all of the honey and sweet things on the ship?¡± She tries to sound enthusiastic to him. His head slowly comes around and one of his eyes opens at her. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll also need you to get Strife. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯ll be awake. Oh, I hope she is¡­ You¡¯ll need to eat through her ropes. Send her here, you can stay back at the ship then Dewey. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have a tummy ache.¡± She tries to say the last part as nice as possible. ¡°Dewey, I need you.¡± His other eye opens and he narrows both of them at her. ¡°I can have whatever sweet things I want?¡± Sweiza nods. ¡°Deal!¡± Is all he says. He flies to the opposite side of the room and literally darts into the area where the ceiling and wall meet. To Sweiza, it looks like the wall is starting to melt due to a blue orb. She resists the urge to muse to herself. In reality Sprite is changing the properties of the cinder blocks by channeling some unforeseen force into them through his body and hands. Every bite to him is a satisfying crunch; but he knows (as does as Sweiza) all to well he will need to be quick before the inevitable sluggishness and stomachache set in. It takes some minutes for him to finish the job. He flies up to her. ¡°Dig.¡± ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Sprite shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯m not eating dirt. I still have to make it over water.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head tilts as she lets out a sigh. She looks up towards the hole in the wall. It¡¯s dim shape is illuminated only by Sprite. It looks big enough she can fit through it. She looks down at the shelf below it. She should be able to get to the hole if she uses the chair. She needs something. She tries her best to remember if she ever kept a shovel in her rucksack, which would now be an item ¡®within her being.¡¯ She doesn¡¯t remember. There might be an easier solution. She whisks her hand out at arm length and wills a shovel to appear in her hand. Nothing happens. ¡°Ah!¡± She is so disappointed in herself for not being prepared. ¡°Sprite, be a dear. I need a shovel.¡± He flies up to her with curious eyes. She waves her hand at him. He nods once and slowly flies from one shelf to the next to find something she might be looking for. He suddenly stops and flies back up to her. He starts motioning towards one of the shelves. She follows him back. He hovers in front of one of the layers of shelving. His glow illuminates an odd looking tool. It appears to be a large flat knife, but it has several notches in it. She grimaces at it and cocks her eyesbrows up at him. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°You promised, sweetthings.¡± ¡°We need to get out of her first.¡± ¡°Sweetthings!¡± She ignores him and heads back for the chair. Sweiza motions with the knife towards Sprite. He flies up to her. She motions towards the hole in the wall, now visible due to Sprite being closer.. He flies up next to it. She drags the chair over and props it up on the shelf with some difficulty. She had best be careful, or it might fall off. She thinks about how the man from earlier might react if he hears a noise. She dismisses it. It¡¯s more important to escape. She has an unsteady stance on the chair with it leaning against the wall; her frontside leaning against the wall isn¡¯t much better. She hooks and claws at the open dirt in the wall with the notched tool. She sniffles from the dust; she forces herself to continue at a faster pace. This time she covers her mouth and nose. Her nose runs and she still coughs. She muffles it as good as she can. She can feel her eyes starting to water. She keeps at it. She needs to get out. She -wants- to get out. She digs and digs and digs with every ounce of her being. Eventually the minutes pass; twenty minutes and she breaks the surface of dirt with some difficulty. No plants or grass roots to break through, so it must be sand or some kind of clay. Another ten minutes and she has a hole big enough to get herself through. She doesn¡¯t bother dusting herself off. She throws the tool up through the hole and then pushes her hands through; the hole is just barely big enough for her to wiggle through, but she is lean enough to make it happen. It takes some difficulty as she pulls and wiggles herself through. She hmeets more resistance in clearing the hole. Her shoulders finally break through and she pushes with all of her being to pull the rest of herself through. After a few minutes the job is done.. She is tired and gasping for air. Her eyes sting. She looks down at the ground and sees the tool. She kicks it out of the way. She looks up at the sky once. She can see the three moons in alignment through the trees; they match the way they looked in her dream. It¡¯s an omen; she used to call it ¡®triple moon¡¯. Her running nose catches her attention. She holds her fingers up to one nostril and blows. ¡°Gross!¡± Sprite flies up in front of her. ¡°You¡¯re messy!¡± Sweiza does the same to the other nostril and wipes her nose with her hand and then to her pants. Sprite looks down at it absolutely bewildered. ¡°Messy!¡± Sweiza then dusts herself off. She crosses her arms and falls back to the wall of the building behind her. She lets herself slide down and to the ground. Her breathing slows after some minutes. ¡°Sprite, please get Strife.¡± She says it weakly at him. He flies up to her once, nods and then takes off. She follows his flight path until he disappears behind the building. She follows the wall until she sees the ground. There is a small area of dirt circling the building. There is grass further out. She got lucky. Whoever maintains it, goes to some effort to keep it looking nice. She cranes her back and head around and looks up at the wall. It is brick. It extends some range up. She assume¡¯s this is the lighthouse, or at least the base of it. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. At this point she knows she has work to do, but she feels weak. If she falls asleep now it could cost her. She lets her body slack into a sitting position and rests for a spell until she catches her breath. This is going to be a long night. Wait¡­ She thought she was out for only a few hours. It is past noon and well into the night; why didn¡¯t Surt come to fetch her? She¡¯ll need to have a word with him about that. But for now, resting comes first. ¡ª- After about ten minutes the girl is well enough to start her mission. First by exploring. She has no way of scaling the wall of the lighthouse; at least not easily. Perhaps with some rope and a grappling hook. She snaps her fingers. She extends her hand and wills the hook into existence. It doesn¡¯t work. She remembers always keeping one in her rucksack; why isn¡¯t it working? She shakes her hand again, and nothing. She tries a third time, same affect. She snaps her lips once in contempt and turns around and looks up at the wall. It is looks much taller and more foreboding than before. Her small hook and rope wouldn¡¯t make it anyway. Climbing a tree is out of the question, it might leave her exposed. Could someone see her from them? She could creep along the walls, but might encounter the same problem. She remembers these games of hide and seek from her youth. She chooses to hide amidst the trees; she chooses to bolt towards them crouched to the ground. It is an odd crouched run and something she is not used to. She feels so useless, but at the same time embarrassed. Does Strife also have to do stuff like this as a Valkyrie? Good grief! She circles the perimeter of the lighthouse a few times using the trees. It isn¡¯t particularly big. There is a red tower some two hundred feet in the air, but the tower isn¡¯t very wide, maybe forty feet at the base at best. She thinks the basement is probably all of that. She spies the front of the lighthouse as having several rooms. This must be the living quarters. She does note the lighthouse does having a working light. She wonders if it is enchanted or not. She freezes when she sees the front door open. She ducks down behind a tree trunk. She hears their voices again. It is the same ones from before. She thinks better of staying crouched and drops flat to her belly. They walk in their original travel path without noticing her. She waits for several minutes and nothing happens. She looks up to the thing in front of her and feels her hair stand on end. ¡°I hate spiders.¡± She says it to no one in particular. She shoos it away with her hand (being gentle so as not to kill it) and waits a few more minutes grounded on her belly. They do not come back. She uses this chance and is up to her knees. At first she breaks into a stride while still crouched over. She admits this is stupid to herself, she¡¯s out in the open. She runs quickly to the entrance of the building. The entrance door is weird; it has clear glass built into the frame. She can see inside. She peaks through it once, but only sees another door - this one doesn¡¯t have glass on the inside. Is this like a lobby? She takes one look back towards the clearing in front of her. It must weave, she cannot see the beach. Both doors click behind her. She still gives her rear one last look and quickly realizes her mistake once inside. She bolts her head around and is dumbfounded at what she sees. There is what she can only describe as a transparent triangle in front of her, but she has to look at it several times to understand what she is looking at. It looks more like a pyramid. It is slowly rotating at the base. It is big, easily ten feet from one corner of the base to the top and then some; it seems to be perfectly symmetrical. She resists the urge to step forward, but does it anyway. She hears the floor creek under her; she looks down. It is wood. She looks back up. The pyramid is still rotating; she realizes the base is a couple of inches from the floor. More importantly, there are smaller versions of it - some several inches, to a foot in size, that are floating around the thing. They are -all- ¡®floating¡¯ and they all appear to be transparent. ¡°Enchanted?¡± She asks the question to herself. If there was someone here, they would have heard her by now. She walks up to it. She knows better than to touch strange things, but it is definitely radiating some kind of energy. Thae temptation is there. Papa would never approve, she needs to be a good girl; she shakes the temptation off. She wanders around the room a bit. The transparent pyramids continue to rotate; but as she gets closer she notes they make a distinct harmonic hum. She gets closer to the smaller one; the hum is slightly different than the larger one. She tries blowing at it once, but nothing happens. She shrugs. How disappointing. Maybe she¡¯s not in as much trouble as she thought. Maybe. Best to keep her guard up. Towards the right side of the room she sees no windows. She does see towards the back middle of the room there is an odd mix of desk and angled counter with a chair behind it. It looks funny to her. She sees a door behind it. She stifles her curiosity and goes for the less offensive door to the right of it. She opens the door carefully without so much as a noise. She feels her hairs stand on end when she hears it creek open. She lets out an audible ¡®eep!¡¯. She claps both hands on her cheeks and tells herself to get it together. She finally peaks inside the room. She sees a few beds, clothing and a closet. She quickly shuffles her way to the closet and peaks inside. More clothing. She rummages through the ¡®bedroom¡¯. She finds nothing except for stuff like personal items - combs, tobacco, ¡®adult¡¯ magazines¡­ she wrinkles her nose at that last one. So typical of men. Why not have the real thing? She shakes her head in disappointment after investigating the room. Some detective she is. What would Strife say about such a poor Valkyrie that turns back with no results? She dismisses the thought. She makes sure everything is as it was before her ¡®digging¡¯. She closes the door behind her. It creeks. This time she is ready for it and gives it a ¡®shh¡¯ with her finger to her mouth. It seems her childish ways will always come back. She stops at the pyramids again. She eyes them up and down once. They¡¯ll be the last thing she investigates, but she needs something to poke them with first. She heads for the room behind the desk. She finds herself in a galley of sorts. Rather, it is a small makeshift kitchen. There is a sink. It does have running water. The cupboards are full of food. There is nothing unusual about it. Further back are a set of stairs. They taper off in two directions. One direction leads up in what she assumes is the lighthouse, the other the basement. She sees a lantern next to the lower door. She looks at the door and sees the latch. She fiddles with it once. It makes the same noise from before. No point in checking that one out. She heads up the stairs. It is several flights, she doesn¡¯t bother keeping track. After a good few minutes she is at the top. Where she is expecting a lighthouse beacon, she sees a similar transparent pyramid. This one is upside down with the base towards the roof. It is slowly rotating. She sees the moons reflect off of it. She turns in the opposite direction and sees them. She swears she can see a beam of light. Just her imagination. She claps her cheeks again. Her left cheek still a little sore from earlier from the man punching her. Down the flight of stairs again. Towards the left side of the building she sees a large portrait window with curtains in front of it. It looks to be more modern with metal edging. Her hands are soon feeling it. It is definitely metal. Weird. She jumps back when she sees a pair of orbs flutter into existence. They have cat eyes. She stairs at them once. Are they a pair of eyes? They glow at her with the strangest yellow she has ever seen. She grimaces at it once. She will not be spooked by some vigilante or enchantment. ¡­or perhaps it is some kind of guardian beast. She doesn¡¯t know. She didn¡¯t see it before and quickly dismisses the idea of it being able to get inside; it would have done so by now. She sticks her tongue out at it and flips her finger to her eyelid at it. The curtains are quickly pulled over the portrait window and she makes her way to a door on the backside of the wall. She opens it. Paydirt. She sees a small room that looks like a lab. It is completely white; there are white coats on the side of the wall. Several shelves with containers and test tubes and different colored liquids capture her attention. She¡¯s heard of mad scientists conducting experiments, and perhaps that is what Salmira meant about these two men. She focuses on the other wall. There are more of those strange floating shapes (cubes, triangles, spheres, etc) rotating in the different directions. She chooses not to investigate them. Something tells her it is a bad idea. She leaves the room and the door follows suite with a close. This one doesn¡¯t creek. She lets out a breath. She is back in front of the pyramid. Her curiosity finally gets the better of her and she touches it. It reverberates with a hum as many different colors alternate over its different faces; it moves back slightly by an inch and then moves back into position. The other pyramids do the same with a reverberating hum, alternating color sequence, and shift of movement. All of the pyramids reverberate a different harmonic hum before returning to their original tune. The ¡®master¡¯ pyramid finally stops rotating. Inside it shows a picture of the lighthouse, but the scenery is different. It shows snow on the ground and frost covering the trees. Almost on instinct, she touches it again. As the same reaction before, a different hum, color patterns and a shift in position; the smaller pyramids do the same. This time the view is of the light house in the autumn. She now has a hunch. Same steps as before and it shows the lighthouse in the summer. She gets the idea. Her hunch is if what Salmira says is true, ¡°future generations¡± depend on stopping ¡®these two¡¯ (individuals), then these pyramids are like a ¡®scriving mirror¡¯, but allow people to communicate through time. ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why they are kidnapping people¡­¡± She mutters it to no one in particular. She muses in thought with her arms crossed. Can these pyramids do more than just predict the future? She chooses to picture ¡®Demi¡¯ in her mind. She stoops over at the master pyramid and flicks it with her finger once. This time it does something different. Another triangle, this one upside down appears in it. She steps back. The two triangles start to rotate independent in opposite directions of each other. They start to speed up. The pyramids around the master pyramid follow suite. They make a whirring noise they are moving so fast. She doesn¡¯t know what she did, but she doesn¡¯t like it. She starts to back up. She shakes her head and tells herself to stand her ground. If she¡¯s going to be a Valkyrie, she better act the part. She stands there a few more seconds with her arms crossed. The pyramids start to slow down. They do not freely rotate this time, but almost move back and forth while rotating. All of them finally stop rotating all together and give a different and strange hum compared to before. She peeks into the pyramid. She sees Demi staring back at her. ¡°Sera, behind you!¡± Sweiza turns around at Demi¡¯s warning too late. She turns around and her spirits sink. She sees two supernatural beasts staring her down. One a man built like a bat with the face of one and his arms paired with wings the same; the other what she would expect from a werewolf. ¡°What do you two want?¡± She says it defiantly as if she has done nothing wrong. The manbat looks at the werewolf. ¡°I told you she¡¯d be trouble.¡± The werewolf looks at the manbat, ¡°So it seems.¡± They are approaching her now. She shrinks as she walks backwards, ¡°What are you going to do?¡± The werewolf seems to be the original instigator in how he speaks, ¡°You will not have to worry about it for long.¡± Sweiza takes one step forward in defiance and holds her hands forward. Her armor and sword doesn¡¯t appear. She swings her hands once as if to summon both again. Nothing happens. The manbat lets out a chuckle at her. Sweiza turns around and breaks into a run towards the bedroom. She is tackled before she makes it three feet. Her screams fill the room as she is repeatedly manhandled and frisked. She is finally bound and gagged to the chair behind the desk. After all that she feels as if the life will drain from her. The two men in front of her continue to talk to each other. They appear to be talking about her, but she cannot make out what they are saying. It will probably be a punishment, or worse the end of her. How could this have happened? She winces from the bruise on her face as her body slouches forward and her head slacks. She sees the two men are facing the pyramid. Demi¡¯s silhouette is visible in it. All the good he did. Maybe those pyramids could have brought him to this world or acted as a way for her armor to communicate. She doesn¡¯t know. She can feel the life continuing to drain from her. She can¡¯t figure out why. Is this going to be her end? What a stupid way to go! Just as she finally feels ready to pass out, she hears the two men suddenly stop talking. They alert to something and whisper something she can¡¯t make out. One of them nods and they walk around the master pyramid. There is yelling. She swears she recognizes the voice, but her mental faculties are too far gone. She sloops forward. Not like this. ¡°I still have too much to live for¡­¡± the thoughts erode from her mind as she finally sloops forward to the sound of yelling and screaming. However, at this point she¡¯s too far gone to make out who it is. Her body slackens as the last of her life is drained from her¡­ ¡ª Muffled voices. She feels a dull ache in her body. She tries to move, her muscles feel weak. Her eyes finally shutter open slowly and she blinks. Her vision is groggy. Light from a lantern greets her. She sees the shape of two people hovering over her. She tries to jolt herself to a sitting position, but her body doesn¡¯t respond. She finally hears a voice yelling. ¡°Lady Strife, she¡¯s awake!¡± She hears the familiar voice of Strife from above deck. Her positioning becomes known, she¡¯s back on the ship. Her back tells her she is in the bed. Another ache and then a tremor hits her. Her vision slowly returns to normal with each blink. A man with a beard, glasses and a funny hat is to the left side of the bed hovering over her. He seems familiar. The person to her right she doesn¡¯t recognize; but he has elven ears. His skin is light. He must be from Vanir or Alfgard. The elf eared man raises his voice again towards the stairs. Strife¡¯s voice again. Strife is soon down below deck. She ushers the two men away; they bow at her before dismissing themselves above deck. Strife walks over and gentle-like sits in the chair previously occupied by the bearded man. She peaks down over at Sweiza. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She has a smile on her face. ¡°I feel like Spr¡­ Dewey after he eats too much.¡± Sweiza has a feeling it was a combined effort that got them to this point. Perhaps Sprite is in need of more respect than she gives him credit for. ¡°Good. It means you are back with us. You were passed out.¡± Strife seems to be delighted by something. ¡°I think so. How long?¡± Sweiza lets it out of her throat, it feels weak still. ¡°A couple of days.¡± Strife is definitely wearing a smile at the girl. ¡°What?¡± Sweiza lets out a light cough, more for effect. ¡°Well down Vorkera. The Valhall Militia has been hunting those two outlaws for years.¡± Strife raises her hand to Sweiza¡¯s shoulder and nudges it lightly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Desil and Alcon are wanted fugitives in crimes of high treason, among other things conspiring against the Kingdom of Valhalla and plotting to overthrow Lord Odin.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes open wider at the woman. ¡°That¡¯s okay, you wouldn¡¯t know. I¡¯m sure you are wondering what happened, yes?¡± Strife gives her another nudge on the shoulder. Sweiza nods, then further pulls herself into bed. Strife seems not to notice the last motion. Strife stands up. There is a type of giddiness in her voice. Her movements are almost childlike with enthusiasm. ¡°When your spritekin found me, I had been up for an hour or two. He seemed pretty weak. Perhaps those men chased him?¡± She looks down at Sweiza. Sweiza lets out a smirk and a light chuckle, but nods again at Strife. ¡°¡­anyway, like all spritekin, he put that hunger of his to work. He had my blessing of the honey stores and I was off.¡± Strife looks down at the girl. ¡°There was no boat, and my wings were still exhausted from that ordeal in Jotunher, so I made a dashing show of it and swam to shore. It was a good swim. It reminded me of my school days. Anyway, I saw the boat at the shore. I saw your footsteps in the sand. There was another set that approached; yours disappeared, and then the two footsteps walked back towards the clearing. I saw the lighthouse in the distance. It only made sense. I had my armor on in a heartbeat. I found Surt waiting outside just in front of the door. He said he saw you through the large window, but you preferred to handle things on your own¡­¡± Sweiza looks up at the ceiling lightly and then to Strife. That would explain the eyes attached to the supernatural beast. It wasn¡¯t some killer demon serving as a guard. Her imagination sometimes, she swears. Strife continues, ¡°¡­after Surt gave me a description of the two, I had a feeling who we were dealing with. Two scientists were ejected from the kingdom due to their hearsay and dabbling in the forbidden occult and enchanted.¡± Strife¡¯s eyes are glazed over as if she is in love. ¡°Those two had gained some notoriety in those kinds of affairs. They were also rumored to be ¡®enhancing¡¯ individuals with berserker like traits. Not that they were as strong as a berserker; my blade felled them easily enough.¡± Strife¡¯s body tremors and then visibly shakes. She is clearly happy about something. ¡°Regardless, alchemy is banned in the kingdom. Their ways were soon found out, but they fled before they could be brought before Odin. We¡¯ve been hunting them for years. There have been many rumors about them throughout the kingdom since then.¡± Strife again looks absolutely delighted. ¡°You clearly want to talk about them.¡± Sweiza turns her head to the ceiling. This isn¡¯t a conversation she is sure of. ¡°Absolutely dear. Those two are absolutely atrocious, don¡¯t get me wrong. But I cant help but admire their work. I can only guess how many years they were at it. They were much further along than¡­¡± Strife stops herself. She clears her throat. ¡°Those two were rumored to be researching and conducting experiments in the occult with very illegal results. I heard rumors about shapeshifting, turning lead into gold, all manner of things where alchemy is concerned.¡± Strife sways back and forth with a type of grace, albeit giddy in nature, ¡°This area around Bothnin is of particular interest to me. I had heard rumors about entire ships running aground with noone on board and entire cargo holds emptied. Naturally contraband¡­¡± Strife clears her throat once, ¡°¡­such as enchanted items, will be smuggled on board, if not in the holds themselves.¡± ¡°Strife¡­ what does this have to do with anything?¡± Annoyance is clear in Sweiza¡¯s voice. Strife stiffens herself up and clicks her heels together. She conducts her voice with more seriousness. ¡°If I were to take a guess, these two ¡®alchemists¡¯ were in the middle of experimenting with creating the ¡®Philosopher¡¯s Stone¡¯.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen. Even a backwater girl like her has heard legends about the mythical, yet mystical stone. ¡°Those two had created some interesting artifacts. I¡¯m sure you saw the floating pyramids?¡± Sweiza remembers the floating triangles. She nods. ¡°Well, it didn¡¯t occur to me at first what they were. But then I remember reading some texts about certain types of enchanted items such as ¡®Hypercubes¡¯ and ¡®Soul Mirrors¡¯.¡± Sweiza can slowly feel some curiosity creeping over her, ¡°Like a ¡®Scriving Mirror?¡¯¡± Strife nods enthusiastically. ¡°Correct. After some investigating, it turns out they are activated by touch, thought, mood, voice, anything attached to an individual really; and I would wager and then some.¡± Strife¡¯s voice continues to sound chipper, ¡°¡­I spoke with your armor¡¯s spirit also.¡± Sweiza looks at the woman without saying anything. Strife goes on, ¡°¡­a rather interesting individual. He seems to be looking out for you. Anyway, I feel these ¡®Soul Mirrors¡¯ or more accurately as they are known, ¡®Tesseracts¡¯, can be used as an omnipresent viewing angle.¡± Sweiza blinks once. Strife laughs, ¡°Meaning it can be used to view long distances in short order.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Sweiza turns once again in bed and looks at the ceiling. ¡°What does this have to do with those two?¡± Both of Strife¡¯s hands clasp together and there is giddy enthusiasm again, ¡°If I were to hazard a guess, those two had learned the age old alchemist prize, ¡®turning lead to gold¡¯ and used it to fund mercenaries that were raiding ships. Specific cargo is sought after for fueling certain ¡®experiments¡¯, namely human beings.¡± Sweiza jolts her whole body over alarmed, ¡°What!? I didn¡¯t see anyone!¡± ¡°Easy dear, you are still weak. After we dispatched those two, I checked the whole facility. It took me some time to figure out there were people¡¯s forms, or rather their essence or ¡®soul¡¯ if you want to call it that, contained in those ¡®Soul Mirrors¡¯. There were nine survivors. They are on the ship with us. You saw two of them. To be mindful of it, we have a crew until we get to Bothnin, then it will be just us again.¡± Sweiza blinks once while looking up at the woman, ¡°What happened to all the other people then?¡± Strife acts more serious and turns more grim, ¡°Supposedly it takes a human will to power those kinds of devices. I¡¯m not sure to what end. I¡¯d have to study their research in order to know for certain.¡± ¡°Re¡­search?¡± Sweiza asks it dumbfounded. She remembers the lab, and then having what felt like the life being drained out of her¡­ was it the pyramids? ¡°After they were dispatched, their dwelling and everything in it became the property of Valhalla. Naturally it will all be turned over the high lord himself, but we won¡¯t be going that way anytime soon. There will be some time to investigate that duo¡¯s work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s onboard?¡± Strife¡¯s fist comes up to her mouth to block out her laugh as she nods. It comes out stifled as she points to the front of the ship, ¡°There is a cargo hold there full of their stuff.¡± Sweiza¡¯s body and gaze shift to the front of the ship. She never thought much about it. It would explain why the room below deck always felt so small. ¡°There was one other thing¡­¡± Sweiza finally pops her question. ¡°Anything dear.¡± Strife beams at her, swaying from side to side. ¡°You said you dispatched those two¡­¡± Sweiza looks a bit forlorn at the thought. ¡°You were quite weak by the time I got to you. I would wager they tried to drain you of everything you had. Did you try to summon your armor with no luck?¡± Strife¡¯s hand comes down to the girl¡¯s shoulder again. Sweiza nods. Strife¡¯s tone changes to something serious again, ¡°You had looked like you were in danger. I assessed the situation, they were a threat and I took action accordingly; they did -not- go with us willingly. Therefor, I acted out my role as Valkyrie. There is a reward out for them. You will get part of the bounty.¡± Sweiza looks up at the woman, uninterested. ¡°You¡¯ll thank yourself for this turn of events in the future, of this you can be certain. For now, get some rest, you¡¯ve earned it.¡± Strife says it almost teasing before backing up a few steps towards the stairs. ¡°There was one other thing dear.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head sways in what little way it can on a pillow. There is more to this ¡®event¡¯? ¡°More?¡± ¡°Yes dear. Those two had done experiments to their bodies. To what effect I don¡¯t know, save for the animal effects. However, Surt was more than interested in the enchanted air they gave off.¡± ¡°Enchanted air? This keeps getting better and better.¡± Sweiza says it lightly and sarcastically. Strife¡¯s fist comes up to her mouth to stifle a laugh; her other hand waving at the girl dismissively. ¡°Yes dear. They had a similar affliction to that of Lukas. Surt was more than delighted to fireball and eat them up. Nourishment and all. The two of us have been hunting members of that cult for some time.¡± Sweiza blinks awkwardly at the woman. This is the same Strife from before? Good grief, she is acting so different now! Strife clicks her heels together while holding her hands clasped together in front of her. ¡°Vera, I am very happy fate has brought us together, Salmira or otherwise. You have been a fortunate thing indeed. Until waking, I bid you goodnight.¡± Strife lets out a light bow and turns around for the stairs. Sweiza pulls her body away from the stairs and in the opposite direction. Her gaze focuses on the cargo hold at the opposite side of the room. She finally turns around and looks up at the ceiling. In her mind, in some ways, Strife is no better than this cult or Odin himself. However, she can¡¯t deny that Strife isn¡¯t against her (Sweiza). She¡¯ll need to ask Salmira about it. Her last thoughts turn towards Sprite, whom she hopes is okay, and then Demi, whom she is thankful is looking out for her. Sleep finally takes her and she sleeps blissfully without a care or worry about the journey ahead. ANBLII - Chapter 19 - Bothnin, Port City of Svarta It has been one day since Sweiza and Strife last spoke; the poor girl has been passing in and out of consciousness. Most of her time has been spent sleeping¡ªwith the few times in the waking world either to eat, ingest liquid or relieve herself. No time for fun, and she often simply walks by Sprite without a word. She is tired, he knows it. On that final hour of nearly a day passing, Sprite finally sees her rouse from sleep. His wings perk when he sees Sweiza rustle in the covers of the bed. Something audible from her lips, ¡°Mm, Lester¡­ warm and moist like cake.¡± His ears perk as he crosses his arms. If he gets her attention soon enough, he¡¯ll know what the dream was about. More rustling of the covers. Suddenly the girl¡¯s arms pull tight and she lets out a yawn. She flips up to a sitting position and is greeted to Sprite hovering at eye level. ¡°Well?¡± He arms cross at her. Sweiza blinks once. ¡°Well what?¡± She refrains from trying to giggle nervously. It won¡¯t work on him. ¡°Well what? What was the dream about?¡± He shoots his index finger at her nose. Sweiza¡¯s head tilts. ¡°Lester, warm and moist like cake¡­ What did it mean?¡± His arms cradle, but he quickly darts in front of her nose. She looks down at him in annoyance. ¡°If you really must be a little pest¡­¡± She scoots her legs off the bed and to the floor, ¡°Lester and I had this wonderful idea of sharing chocolate cake between us over a kiss. Not that that is any of your funny business business!¡± ¡°You promised wedding cake and I¡¯d be the ring bearer!¡± Sweiza jumps to a standing position and swats her hand towards him, he evades it as easily as ever. ¡°You little runt! You don¡¯t deserve cake; and you don¡¯t serve chocolate cake at a wedding! And¡­ and¡­ dreams are private!¡± Sprite closes one eye and makes a peaking motion with his hands. He then sticks his tongue out at her. ¡°Too hyper! No sweet things!¡± Sweiza widens her eyes in defiance at him. Sprite takes a hit and noticeably jolts. He winces at her and then sticks his tongue out again; this time he makes a face at her. Just as Sweiza takes a step forward, Sprite darts off towards the stairs. ¡°Hmph! Serves you right Dewey!¡± Sprite charges back down the stairs glowing. He sticks out his tongue and makes another face at her he flies off¡­ again. Sweiza looks up towards the ceiling in disbelief. At least things are back to normal. Well, fat least as far as normal (in her mind) is concerned. ¡ª- Up in the cabin area of the ¡®Gigas Dura¡¯, Sweiza sees someone she isn¡¯t familiar with piloting the helm. Her attention shifts towards the front window. She sees Strife up at the bow of the ship. The woman has a familiar spyglass. ¡°Does she ever get rid of that thing?¡± She mentions it outloud, not used to having extra company around them. The gentlemen at the steering wheel is about to say something, but Sweiza is already towards the door. She gives one last look at him and then the door shuts behind her. There are multiple people on deck. Sweiza gives them no attention. She scrapes her heels on the ground as she nears Strife. Strife blinks once and the spyglass lowers. ¡°Vera, very good.¡± Strife bows to her. Sweiza crosses her arms and taps her foot; she shoots a hard expression at Strife. Strife¡¯s eyebrows cock up in amusement; a smile follows soon after. Sweiza¡¯s body language changes to something lighter and a smile also creeps on her face. She finally flushes out a laugh and her arms drop. She shakes her finger at Strife. ¡°I suppose we are even now.¡± Sweiza says it while slowly approaching. Strife looks up thoughtfully, ¡°I suppose having the life sucked out of you is no different than turning to stone. Yes, I think we are even¡­ at least for now.¡± Strife clicks her heels together. ¡°If you will excuse me Vera, I must get back to surveying the horizon. Good day to you.¡± Sweiza refrains from stammering, this woman is now her colleague. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. May we live rather than die in future endeavors.¡± Sweiza bows and Strife nods once before turning around; her eye goes back up to the spyglass. Sweiza turns around to survey the people on deck, and then the gentlemen in the cabin. Although crowded (cozy is what she would call it), the ¡®Gigas Dura¡¯ looks a bit more lively with a crew. But most importantly, it isn¡¯t lonely. She is going to have some fun getting to know these people, at least if not for another day¡ªwhen they will arrive in Bothnin. Perhaps a few of them will stay? Better get to know them sooner, now than later! ¡ª Over the next few hours, Sweiza chats about this and that with the new ¡®crew¡¯ of the ship. People across many different cultures have crossed paths on this boat; their ages range from young to old, as do their experiences. She becomes well acquainted with them in the short time she speaks with them. Elga Laufeia, a ten year old girl from Muspell. She was with her mother (a merchant), when their ship the ¡°Stony Reef Cutter¡± ran into a black mist in broad daylight. They ran aground on the same sandbar as the Gigas Dura. Subsequent parties sent out to the nearby lighthouse and island had noone returning. Eventually Delphins and Alcyon came aboard and helped them to the island. She was separated from her mother. She learned of her mother¡¯s fate when rescued by Strife and Surt. She likes cooking, coloring, and playing games with string. She is good with the yoyo and knows how to play the piano. When she gets older, she dreams of being a singer and a good housewife. Lock Rutledge, a twenty-two year old male from Midgard; he served as a guard aboard the ¡®Draco Helm¡±, a military vessel that accompanied merchant vessels to protect them from piracy. Loosely associated with Valhalla, the ship primarily served the North Midgard Coast; however, it was known to patrol the eastern and southern borders as well. The ¡®Draco Helm¡¯ was accompanying the merchant ship ¡°Stony Reef Cutter¡±; a black mist rolled in and they were separated. When the fog cleared some days later, they were attacked by a mercenary group. They were captured as prisoners with their fate uncertain until Delphis and Alcyon¡¯s plans went into motion. Lock has no family; although he aspires to be a great husband and father someday. He is quite good at the harmonica, his main hobby is cooking. He is proficient with the sword, but his weapon was taken from him by one of the mercenaries. When asked, he was uncertain about the fate of the Draco Helm. As it turns out, while Sweiza was recovering, Strife had the Gigas Dura circle the island a few times. They found the Draco Helm sunk in shallow water; this was much to Lock¡¯s dismay. Olaf Hafleiker, a Muspellian native to Muspell Harbor. He is in his thirty-eighth year and is most at home on the water. He is a fisherman by trade and ¡®was¡¯ the Captain of the ¡°Northern Pike¡±, named after the fish of the same name. He had a crew of five. They would often spend a week or two looking for great fishing spots and then send out large nets to make a living. The ¡®North Pike¡¯ had a special loft built towards the aft (rear) of the ship that was enchanted with ice magic. A glorified metal ice box, it helped keep the cleaned meat of fish frozen until they got it back to Muspell Harbor. When Sweiza asked him if his crew actually cleaned all of their fish by hand¡ªhe simply bowed and said, ¡°Ma¡¯lady, fisherman live and die by the sea, it is a way of life.¡± What he most regrets is not being able to see his crew. His ship ran aground on a sandbar south of the lighthouse island. The mercenaries of Delphis and Alcyon were quick to respond to the strangers. Olaf¡¯s crew had light armaments only and did not last long. Olaf himself was knocked out and only remembers awakening to being gagged. Before he was thrown into the ¡®crystalen pyramid¡¯ he was informed by Delphis that his ship was sunk for his crew¡¯s efforts. Olaf managed to backhand him before he was restrained. When he finally arrives in Bothnin, he intends to get another ship and crew, then continue his way of life. Esbjorn Folker is tall for a dwarf, but he says his family eats well due to their merchant status. He is fifty-eight and has been a merchant for most of his life. He was one of many merchants aboard ¡°The Timberland¡± before it was attacked by Delphis and Alcyon¡¯s mercenaries. The entire ship was ransacked and sunk. Anyone who fought was stunned by some kind of strange weapon¡ªhe likened it to a whip, but with a line like a fishing pole; when swung it would shoot out lightning and drop people to the ground. He still remembers the screams. Esbjorn was one of the first wave of people from ¡®The Timberland¡¯ to be thrown into the pyramid. He doesn¡¯t remember anything after that. When asked if he has a familiy he can return to, he simply said there is a woman in ¡®Alfgard¡¯ that he fancies. He later encouraged Sweiza to see the nine-realms with her own eyes before she ever settles down with her boyfriend ¡®Lester¡¯. Sweiza¡¯s first real surprise was Vali Havlock; his elven ears were unmistakable. He is about what she would expect from an elf¡ªquiet, reserved and contemplative. In her mind, he was a very tough walnut to crack. She did learn a few things about him. He wouldn¡¯t give his age, but he looked on the younger side; which isn¡¯t saying much since those with elven blood live longer lives. She learned he is a scientist and he studies botany. She didn¡¯t know what the word meant, but he explained it meant ¡®the study of plants¡¯. She tried to inquire further, but he shooed her away. He was more receptive during ¡®tea¡¯ with Strife. As it turned out, his ship was a research and exploration vessel headed for Myrkvellir. However, a black mist rolled in and they were attacked by what they thought were pirates. Delphis and Alcyon were behind it. Sweiza tried to inquire further, he rebuked her and refused to speak to her further. She found their current ¡®relief helmsman¡¯, Torry Enders, to be most pleasant in his manners and disposition. A fifty-eight year old dwarvan soldier from Bothnin, he has a very respectful, if not jolly air about him. He hasn¡¯t truly left the area, but he has seen bits and pieces of Muspell, Niffleheim, Myrkvellir, Jotunher, and of course he¡¯s been to the many areas of Svarta. His favorite part of his job? Ail, beer, whiskey, anything alcoholic. If it involves being in a party, he¡¯ll happily stand guard. He is a man of many talents¡ªsinging, dancing, different languages, fixing ships, differing weapon forms (bow and arrow, pike, sword, javelin, twin sword, etc.) and he is quite good with the ladies by his reckoning. He is more of a freelance mercenary for hire if the price is right. He doesn¡¯t have any hobbies, although he does enjoy tracking the stars, movements of the moons, and predicting weather patterns. Mr. Enders found himself under attack on ¡®The Timberland¡¯, from Delphis and Alcyon¡¯s forces. Lars Invar hasn¡¯t hit his twenties yet, he is a young adult male from Alfgard. Unlike Vali Havlock, he is more talkative; it was no exception during tea time with Strife. Sweiza learned a great deal about Alfgard. They have an isolationist attitude, and save for a few that travel abroad, act as emissaries (traders/merchants, politicians, warriors, etc.) or otherwise flee the scene entirely, those of Alfgard-kin, are not normally seen out and about, let alone in public and worldly affairs ¡®abroad¡¯. Lars Invar wanted to be a soldier that travels the world, but he was deemed ¡®inadequate¡¯ next to his peers. He left the country in hopes of achieving his dream in Valhalla Ulla Signa is an older woman in her seventies. She left Vanir with her husband Herald, both in hopes of retirement in a more rugged country. Vanir, Alfgard and Midgard had too many prying eyes and those of the nosy sort; Myrkvellir fit the bill, but there were ¡®strange happenings¡¯ going on there, so they looked towards a more settled area. Their calling was Bothnin and beyond in Svarta. However, a black mist came in on ¡®The Timberland¡¯ and they ran into Delphis and Alcyon. Her husband was drained of his life in front of her. She would have joined his fate, but she knows her husband would want her to live on with his memory. She enjoyed adventure and exploration with her husband in Vanir. Her hobbies include tea, knitting, archery and constructing weapons. Those last two got an eyebrow from Sweiza; it turns out weapon construction and archery were originally hobbies of her husband. Lastly, the name ¡°Douglas Fredi¡± rang some memory bells in her head. He is the chief scholar of Adavan in Vanir. Douglas thought she was an odd sort, but enjoyed conversing with her anyway. She was about to mention she met him in the future in one of her dreams, but was stopped and literally jumped when she heard Salmira¡¯s voice in her thoughts. Salmira gave one warning, ¡°Do not tell him or it will change future events.¡± Sweiza gave the warning her full concern. As it turns out, Vanir is closely tied to Midgard after they had a war some years back. Vanir is associated with magic study, specifically light magic. It isn¡¯t allowed in Valhalla, so it is outsourced to other countries. When asked about his age, Douglas simply forgets. He thinks he was born about a half century ago, but his work (magic and scholarly study) keeps him occupied, so the days and months come and go. When asked about his hobbies, he said reading¡ªthis one did not come as a surprise, as by now Sweiza figures those from Vanir and Alfgard lock themselves away for some kind of ¡®enlightenment¡¯ or scholarly works that mere mortals would never engage in. When asked about Delphis and Alcyon, Douglas said he (himself) was the reason ¡®The Timberland¡¯ was attacked¡ªhis knowledge and insight on things like light magic and alchemy would be enough to wet any villain¡¯s palette. Sweiza was chastised by Strife when she (Sweiza) tried to inquire further; no doubt because she (Strife) could tell Sweiza about it herself when the dust has settled and the air thinned without the prying ears of their ¡®guests¡¯. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡ª- Lunch and Dinner go by without issue. It is towards evening that shooting stars make themselves known. ¡°Moonsticks!¡± Sweiza says it outloud in front of Strife. Strife simply tilts her head slightly, ¡°Are you calling shooting stars a bad thing?¡± ¡°Shooting stars are supposed to be eventful!¡± Sweiza says it as a matter of fact. Her eyes close while she does it, she doesn¡¯t need to see Strife¡¯s response. ¡°It is funny that you say that then...¡± Strife says it more serious. Sweiza¡¯s eyes open in confusion. ¡°Look for yourself.¡± Strife hands her the spyglass and points it to a very specific direction just off the starboard (right) side of the ship. Sweiza squints. ¡°I can¡¯t se¡­¡± She stops when she sees the cliffs in the distance. ¡°All I see are cliffs¡­¡± Sweiza sounds unimpressed. ¡°¡­is that Bothnin?¡± ¡°Wait until we get closer. It might take an hour or two.¡± Strife says it as she collapses the spyglass in her hands and makes it disappear; she wastes no time and walks toward the cabin on deck. Sweiza¡¯s head follows the woman¡¯s direction. ¡ª With Strife conversing with a few of their ¡®crew¡¯ over a map at the table in the cabin, Sweiza has a few hours to do ¡®whatever¡¯. She¡¯s not interested in talking about battles, or their next location¡ªshe knows it will be Myrkvellir after Bothnin, or something inbetween Salmira providing. Instead, this is a wonderful opportunity for story telling. Naturally she, Elga (the young girl) and Sprite are around Torry (the dwarf helsman) as he pilots the ship; he has some unusual stories to tell. A slightly weary Lars (young adult male) is nearby ¡®merely¡¯ serving as a lookout; he tries not to go noticed by his captivation with the stories, something about needing to be a ¡®lookout¡¯, but he isn¡¯t having much luck fooling anyone. ¡°He¡¯s big and harry and walks upright like a man.¡± Torry is enjoying the enchantment of the younglings; if not getting a bit of a reaction. He makes a wide girth with his arm and sways his feet, body, and especially arms, like a great ape. ¡°You mean sasquatch, right?¡± Sweiza says it intrigued; her arms cross. ¡°It goes by many names; but the dwarves call it ¡®Bigfoot¡¯.¡± ¡°More like big and scary!¡± Elga hides behind Sweiza, although her head peaks out; she wants more. Torry¡¯s eyes twinkle at the young girl, he has her full attention, ¡°Most of us dwarves aren¡¯t too worried about him, we¡¯re pretty strong. It¡¯s when our food and ail turns up missing that we¡¯re really concerned. Supposedly that is where the legend comes from anyway, I¡¯ve never actually seen one.¡± Elga steps back from behind Sweiza and peaks up at her ¡®big sister¡¯, ¡°He¡¯s such a liar!¡± ¡°Who said I was lying?¡± Torry continues staring ahead though the cabin¡¯s window and out towards the bow. They are interrupted by Strife, ¡°Really Mr. Enders, you should refrain from spooking young children. They¡¯ll believe anything at that age.¡± Lars lets out a laugh and quickly stifles himself; Elga¡¯s face flushes red and a big smile creeps up on Sweiza¡¯s face. She (Sweiza) looks up at Sprite. She can see he only has his mind on one thing ¡®food¡¯. ¡°So what does Sasquatch eat?¡± He flies up to the dwarf, curious as to the answer. ¡°Supposedly he will eat anything that moves.¡± The room falls silent. Sweiza looks away from the social circle and back at Strife. Strife is clearly eavesdropping as the woman is shaking her head sternly at the dwarf. Sweiza wonders if Strife actually likes dwarves or not. Their conversation turns to Myrkvellir and all manner of nasty creatures that inhabit the region; in particular, the conversation of ¡®vampires¡¯ comes up. Sweiza has heard of them, but never seen one. But perhaps it is a myth like this ¡®bigfoot¡¯; the latter Sweiza has never seen in all of her explored years in the woods surrounding Maria. But perhaps Strife did double duty serving as sentry for that same village. ¡ª As the sun begins its final descent¡ªwith permission from Strife¡ªSweiza uses Strife¡¯s spyglass to check on the cliffs again. This time she is entrenched at what she sees. An opening in the face of the cliff¡ªsomething she assumes lets ships pass through¡ªsurrounded on either side by very large dwarven statues carved into the cliff face; the statues are covered in exotic looking armor. What really catches her attention is the presence about the area: large oval shaped balloons hover around the top of the cliff face, cannons adorn the tops of the surrounding cliffs, then large steel ships here and there in the vicinity. She has heard of the technology of the dwarves, the ability to float in balloons, and then impenetrable ships made of metal so strong that cannonballs will simply bounce off; she assumes this is their military. She turns around and lets out an audible ¡®eep¡¯ due to Strife not announcing her presence. Strife clicks her heels together for deliberate effect, ¡°Gaze in awe at the wonders of the dwarves, young apprentice.¡± ¡°They seem quite adept!¡± Sweiza says it, quite surprised at what she saw. It isn¡¯t what she was expecting. ¡°Valhalla has¡­how you say¡­¡®uneasy, but open trade relations with them¡¯. We import quite a bit from them to be honest; it is strange that Odin hasn¡¯t accepted the push for an alliance with Svarta. Regardless, most of the wares they have are in fact forbidden in Valhalla due to their enchanted or high technological nature in origin.¡± Strife says it shaking her head with crossed arms. ¡°So then why bother?¡± Sweiza says confused. ¡°That is the question. It was the belief of those in the know that Odin likes to keep things under his thumbs to maintain his influence.¡± Strife says it with sharp eyes at the girl. ¡°Perhaps you understand why he needs to be dealt with.¡± Sweiza forces a nod. Her head follows Strife as the woman walks back to the cabin. ¡ª It is roughly three quarters of a league (nautical distance, roughly two miles) from the cliff opening that a smaller metal ship breaks formation and pulls along side the Gigas Dura. They pull a little too close for Sweiza¡¯s liking; she is a little alarmed at the cannons coming out of holes in the ship¡ªthey are pointed right at them (on the Gigas Dura). This appears to be a formality, so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. An official comes out, and begins speaking with Strife; Sweiza¡¯s assumption on the formality is proven correct. Strife is quite friendly with speaking with him; she does her normal click of her heels and lets out several laughs while she speaks with the guard. She produces a paper and shows it to him. He uses some kind of spyglass to see it from less than twenty feet between their ships. He waves his hand in a friendly manner and Strife clicks her heels again. By this point Sweiza¡¯s curiosity has gotten the better of her and she is out on deck. She catches the tail end of the conversation, something about ¡®enough Valhallan Ail to trade to keep them busy for awhile¡¯. Sweiza shakes her head. People always drinking¡ªits a bad habit, unless for a party to become a little tipsy; she smiles to herself at the thought. ¡ª Inside and just beyond the cliffs a surprise awaits her¡ªa massive hollow interior! There are ships everywhere! There are also holes in the ceiling of the ¡®cave¡¯ that let light in; in areas where there are not lights, there are lights everywhere. She can see the strange glow of lines rising from the sea and flowing up to what she can only describe as lamps; but they flow with something inside of them not unlike a firefly, but suspended in something water-like. Is this electricity or some variant? Moreover, what strikes her fancy is all of the buildings hanging from the ceiling. They hang down several stories, much like the tower of an upsidedown castle. However, some of them go straight from the ceiling and into the ground; others stick straight up from the ground and others through the water. They appear to be made of pure stone¡ªhow on earth did they make them? But more importantly, how do they prevent water from getting in? It must be an intriguing way of life! Their ship is moored at one of the docks and another guard meets them. By now, Sweiza in earnest knows she needs to eavesdrop¡­ or at least representing on an official level¡ªlisten in on more of Strife¡¯s conversations¡ªshe (Sweiza) is a Valkyrie after all. With all the people around her, she doesn¡¯t completely make out everything in great detail, but she gathers enough: ¡°What is a Valkyrie doing in Bothnin? Does Valhalla request an audience? What do you mean Delphis and Alcyon were operating near our waters? Cult of Loki? Preposterous! We may be able to help you with accommodations¡­ provided we can help each other.¡± Strife and the entourage stops then and there. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She says it in a firm tone. Sweiza swears she sees the woman sneering. Does Strife not like it when someone other than her (Strife) attempts to negotiate? ¡°We¡¯re having an issue with our hydro-electric dam.¡± The dwarf seems a bit too confident, if not a little weary, of the woman¡¯s attention. ¡°Really? What kind of problem?!¡± The woman is definitely interested. Perhaps because she doesn¡¯t have to barter with ail? So Sweiza thinks! The dwarf backs up with his hands open in front of him, ¡°If you talk to the current harbor magistrate¡­¡± He turns back behind him and leans up towards some lights that he points to in the distance, ¡°¡­about two miles in that direction towards those lights¡­ he can fill you in on our predicament. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have other ships to inspect¡­¡± Strife clicks her heels together as the dwarf passes behind her. She doesn¡¯t turn around, but for deliberate effect, she rolls her eyes at Sweiza as he (the dwarf) pass by her. Sweiza¡¯s head tilts in disbelief and confusion. Strife continues walking in the direction the dwarf pointed out. Just as Strife passes Sweiza, she leans in and whispers to her, ¡°Never trust a dwarf.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡°They can be quite haughty in their arrogance! They think they are master negotiators due to their technology level compared with Valhalla.¡± Sweiza nods as the woman winks at her and walks off. ¡ª ¡°You couldn¡¯t keep this under control? Why does this not surprise me?¡± Strife seems to be toying with them. Sweiza assumes it is a negotiating trick. ¡°As I said, it was an unforeseen side effect¡ªwe did not plan for something like this. Normally we have specially trained guards on boats to keep them away from the dam. But for some reason, this time they went straight for the power plant. We¡¯re not sure why. We¡¯d like you to investigate that as well. In addition to our ¡®accommodations¡¯ we agreed on, we would be willing to help give you hazard pay for this ¡®opportunity¡¯.¡± Sweiza does not like the magistrate¡¯s emphasis on the word ¡®opportunity¡¯. Strife¡¯s arms cross. ¡°And just how many of them have cocooned into Basilisk?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know. But the survivors say a number were left behind and turned to stone.¡± Strife shakes her head at the magistrate, ¡°Serves you right, thinking you can outsmart mother nature. This is the fruit of your ¡®hard¡¯ work.¡± ¡°It was an unforeseen circumstance. I¡¯ve already said that. What we¡¯d like to kno, will you help us or not?¡± The magistrate at this point is clearly getting annoyed. Sweiza stares hard between the two of them; she then looks up at Sprite. Torry is also here, so her attention focuses back at him. He nods once with a grin on his face. He likes this attention that the Valkyrie are getting. Strife taps her foot once, she slams her hand on the table in front of them and raises up her finger at the magistrate, ¡°Not only will I find out why they changed their behavior, my partner and I will drive them from the dam If necessary.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t quite what we had in mind.¡± The magistrate seems to have put a silence to Strife, if not by leaving her confused. He is delighted at the sudden stoicism in the room. He claps his hands together and one of the task managers behind him walks forward with a small bag. It has several dull red sticks in it. He pulls one out and holds it in front of her. ¡°Dynamite? You want us to blow up your dam?¡± Strife¡¯s eyes are wide at the absurdity of it. ¡°It¡¯s your call.¡± The magistrate nods once, then looks over at Sweiza, ¡°There is the matter of how their gaze turns people to stone.¡± ¡°A mirror would fix that, yes?¡± Strife is now happy to be down to business. ¡°Several of our men tried. They were frozen as hard as a golem when it happened. We at first thought it was a bite, but my men later confirmed that the bite will create a supernatural creature.¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows cock up. ¡°Really? I wonder...¡± ¡°About?¡± The magistrate isn¡¯t transfixed on the idea; he just wants the main power back, or at least the problem under ¡®control¡¯. ¡°Concerning that matter of Alcon and Delphis; I saw first hand they had changed their appearance into that of a bat and a wolf. Perhaps Basilik venom?¡± ¡°Anything is possible. What we do want you to know is we have your best interests in mind should your attempts be unsuccessful.¡± Strife¡¯s arms cross again and her foot taps a few times; her eyes close while she does so. ¡°The crew of the Gigas Dura will be compensated for our efforts, accommodations and all?¡± ¡°Quite handsomely. None of my men will go back to the dam; those that did never returned.¡± ¡°I see. Maybe this will help tensions between our countries.¡± Strife says it with her eyes in a glare at the man. ¡°Perhaps...¡± The magistrate does not seem intimidated by her bargaining posture. ¡°Very good then. Vera lets-¡° Strife is half turned around when the magistrate beckons for her attention again. ¡°There was one other thing.¡± ¡°¡­and that is?¡± Strife cocks an eyebrow up at him. ¡°¡­concerning the research of the alchemists¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. You can start by offering medical supplies. My ship also needs to be restocked with food. I wouldn¡¯t mind weapons and some munitions¡­ flintlock and muskets, aren¡¯t they?¡± The magistrate nods twice and then claps his hands together three times. Several guards appear in front of the table blocking him from Strife and Sweiza¡¯s view. This meeting is over. ¡ª Outside the main office, Strife seems rather stoic after the meeting; Torry is another matter, his body language indicates something jovial, almost giddy and child-like in nature. Sweiza cannot understand any of it. She keeps looking at Strife, but the woman doesn¡¯t respond. When Sweiza finally does muster up the courage to say something, Strife snaps at her to stay quiet. They walk in silence for some half mile before the guards depart on either side of them. Strife remains stopped with the group. After the guards disappear in the distance, Strife¡¯s body language slackens and she shoots a chance glance at Sweiza. ¡°What was all that about?¡± Sweiza says with some alarm. ¡°That magistrate thought he could pull one over on us. His negotiating tactics are obvious and dirty. Trying to rope us into this, honestly.¡± Strife shakes her body and shudders before stomping her foot to the ground, ¡°Never trust a dwarf, right Mr. Enders?¡± The dwarf shoots her a smile, ¡°Not on your life.¡± He shakes his shoulders and arms at the woman with something jovial. ¡°You two are the most fun I¡¯ve had in some time. It was about time someone put him in his place!¡± Strife lets out a laugh when he winks at her. ¡°If you two maidens will excuse me, it has been a spell or two since I have seen the pub.¡± Strife and Sweiza look from the dwarf to each other. Sweiza has a big look on her face. Strife can tell. ¡°Can we?¡± There is hope in the girl¡¯s voice. Strife¡¯s eyes roll away from the girl, ¡°Only for official business.¡± ¡°Sure Strife, sure. Don¡¯t get too tipsy!¡± Sweiza says it with giddiness. She chances walking up to her mentor and lightly ribbing her in the ribs with her elbow. Strife shakes her head and shoos the girl away. ¡°A drink or two shouldn¡¯t hurt. We might be able to find out something useful about Bothnin and its current happenings and such.¡± Sweiza looks hopefully from Strife to Torry. Sweiza has a gambit in mind and hopes it might just pay off. ANBLII - Chapter 20 - The Stoic Lesson in Humility An absent minded Sweiza starts to giggle up a storm. An unimpressed Demi crosses his arms at her. He tries several times to call her to attention, but instead the intoxication of alcohol reaps its merits. Finally having enough, a bolt of lightning surges behind her. She looks at it wide-eyed, then turns around and tries to stifle her laughter to no avail. ¡°Whatever¡±! Is all Demi says. ¡°We¡¯ll speak again when you are less inebriated¡­¡± Sweiza bursts out laughing again as everything fades to black. ¡ª Their mission would have been underway well into the morning, but Sweiza¡¯s gambit has pushed it back towards noon. Strife has refused to answer any of the girl¡¯s questions¡ªonly that they ¡°Will be underway and the mission details would be explained after they have ¡®sortied¡¯.¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t understand the terminology, but assumes it has something to do with being a Valkyrie. Sweiza opts to keep her mouth shut in trusting Strife¡¯s better jdugement¡ªshe has figured out there is a method to the woman¡¯s methods and she (Strife) will reveal it when the time is right. Sweiza just hopes that it is for the right reasons. ¡ª It is past noon, sometime towards one. Sweiza cannot tell the difference. There is no sun to speak of, save for what can be described as a ¡®sunroof¡¯ with a transparent cover (thick crystal glass as she is told) that lets in sunlight from the surface. However, it is past several bridges, a conduit of channel locks, bulkheads of stone, elevator shafts, ladders and then some before they get to their location. They have descended several thousand feet from sea level (again as Sweiza is told); the girl understands that it is a system of canals and channel locks and canal locks that allow the water to be controlled in this way. The entire system of Bothnin¡¯s underground civilization, and indeed many Dwarven cities, is built by something called a Rockworm. Not unlike a dragon in appearance, and not unlike the Spritekin in how it disposes of excrement¡ªit takes the form of malleable stone that hardens. Thus their buildings are built, thus they have massive underground lakes, rivers and streams; thus they escape Loki¡¯s influence and the prying eyes of Odin¡¯s ¡®wisdom¡¯. For better or worse, the Dwarves are their own society and influence. ¡°What is a rockworm?¡± The girl tilts her head quizzically as they walk. Strife looks back at the girl and suddenly stops. Sweiza is clearly not paying attention to their current position. It is a wooden bridge, one of the many back ways to get to the power plant; one that is old, but not forgotten, and certainly not unmaintained. Strife turns around holding up an odd device. It is a cylinder with an odd crystal in it; it illuminates a light at her. Sweiza covers her eyes; the device emits the power of the sun and is just as blinding¡ªit sends a deep blue, but still brilliant light at her. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this already. It is a giant worm like a dragon; it eats stone and excretes it in a malleable form.¡± Strife turns the light around without giving the girl another look. Sweiza¡¯s breath is knocked out of her as she is forced to give a shirked, but involuntary sigh. ¡ª It is roundabout twenty minutes later and still the sound of footsteps and ever present water slowly play at Sweiza¡¯s attention; anxiety is starting to set in. She doesn¡¯t know what their purpose is, she doesn¡¯t know why they are here, but more importantly¡ªshe doesn¡¯t want to be here at this point. She finally breaks the silence. ¡°Strife why are we doing this?¡± Strife stops, the cylindrical glow-light in her hand still facing forward. Strife barely gives the girl any attention, but it is serious and the only indication is that her head and eyes are looking slightly behind her¡ªjust enough to show she is annoyed. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to come along, then your Sprite friend can light the path back for you. I don¡¯t have time for a weak apprenticeship. Good day Vera.¡± Strife shakes her head once and continues on, leaving Sweiza and Sprite by themselves. Sprite¡¯s glow is the only thing lighting the way. Sweiza looks up at Sprite. He opens his hands in a shrug at her. She gives the back of Strife a disgruntled frown. Sprite flies in front of her letting out a chirp; he gets her attention. He waves his hand and shakes his head at her. Sweiza understands; neither the time, nor the place to start anything with this woman. ¡ª ¡°It is a vagabond land underground¡­ full of mystery and¡­ Strife¡­¡± Sweiza winces at her writing. Her scribbles aren¡¯t as graceful as her normal writing; but walking while writing will have to do. She waves at Sprite and ushers him over; his blue glow illuminating the pages of her journal. Strife has been walking at a slow pace, moving the glow-light here and there¡ªshe does not give the girl (Sweiza) much attention, if any. To keep her sanity, Sweiza takes to writing in her journal. But moving at this pace while writing¡ªwhich is already unnatural and clumsy¡ªis not doing her any good. She winces at the word ¡°Strife¡±. She finally just takes to writing a normal journal entry. She writes under it¡­ ¡°Dear Journal, I don¡¯t remember what happened last night. Am I having memory issues again? I would have had the berserkergang still¡­ something else¡­ I thought I had a gambit I was going to use last night, but I don¡¯t remember. Sprite doesn¡¯t remember either. More importantly, I don¡¯t know what I did last night, I do not know why she won¡¯t talk to me. She makes me suffer in misery. I find I am stuck living up to my namesake ¡°Angst¡±, while she forces me to live with her own, ¡°Strife¡±. ¡°Boohoo¡± is the childish phrasing. But I am coming of age. It should be, ¡°Woe is me¡ªwoe is me¡±, having to deal with this. I can¡¯t help but feel sor¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± Sweiza¡¯s arm jerks at the surprise and there is a line through her written words. Sweiza¡¯s journal is lowered by Strife¡¯s fingers. Strife looks up from the journal to Sweiza. Shaking, she (Sweiza) looks at the woman. ¡°If you spent less time worrying about what you don¡¯t know, and focusing on what you should know; things would be easier for the both of us.¡± Sweiza stiffens herself up. Instinctively she clicks her heels together. Strife¡¯s face switches to a toothless-smile; but she quickly retracts it. It doesn¡¯t go unnoticed by Sweiza. ¡°Strife, what happened last night?¡± Sweiza says it nervous and quite shaky Strife¡¯s attitude changes towards her apprentice. ¡° Strife¡¯s eyes narrow at the girl. Her eyes send a nasty dart towards Sprite; his eyebrows dart up at the woman. ¡°Mayhap that treacherous witch might know your fate; but that is a dish I would never eat from¡ªmy life depending on it.¡± Strife¡¯s tone changes to something nasty, ¡°If you are so inclined¡­¡±, her body language changes to something between mocking and sarcastic, ¡°¡­you are supposed to have good rapport with your armor¡¯s Dream Mare. That thing should pick up on things you are otherwise lacking in if it pleases you.¡± Strife¡¯s body stiffens. More daggers from her eyes. Sweiza stiffens up, clicks her heels together and then bows repeatedly. Strife¡¯s cheek smirks up into something akin to disrespect and she turns around and continues walking. Sweiza¡¯s eyes close as she feels the spirit leave her. She waves for Sprite to follow her. This is going to be a long road. ¡ª ¡°A very pious student I am forced into this undertaking; Full of ¡®Strife¡¯ and poise; as cursed as harsh, until death due us¡­¡± Sweiza suddenly stops abruptly when she hears a chirp. She looks up from the journal. Strife is eying her with intent. Sweiza takes in an involuntary breath as the woman approaches her holding a pyramid. Now two feet from her, the woman¡¯s left hand comes up and pushes the journal down. In her right hand, a small pyramid shaped object with smaller pyramids at each corner. Sweiza recognizes the device. Strife holds it in front of the girl. ¡°Use this. It might help you with this¡­¡± Strife eyes the journal, ¡°Harsh curse¡­¡± Sweiza looks the woman square in the eye. Strife snaps at her. Sweiza nods and grabs the ¡®Soul Mirror¡¯. ¡°Be gentle with it. Delphis and Alcyon only made so many¡­¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Strife clicks her heels at the woman and turns around and walks off. Sweiza and Sprite look at each other once. ¡°Hey! Wait up!¡± Sweiza chases after her mentor. Maybe she will get an answer after all. ¡ª Sweiza is hesitant to use the Soul Mirror¡ªDemi will probably tell her what she wants to know, and it probably won¡¯t be good. She finally takes the chance and holds it in front of her. ¡°Demi¡­¡± The mirror does nothing at first. But it suddenly makes an odd noises as it flashes and then envelopes itself with a pale white light. From what little she can see in it, she can definitely make out Demi¡¯s form. His arms are crossed. He turns his back to her. ¡°Demi come on, not you too!¡± Sweiza gets an idea. ¡°What is it you desire?¡± ¡°For you not to ever act like that again.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows raise in curiosity, ¡°Do tell.¡± Demi shrugs. ¡°You don¡¯t remember do you?¡± Sweiza shakes her head. Demi raises his voice at her, ¡°This is what happens when you get yourself blackout drunk!¡± Sweiza feels her mind sink. ¡°Lovely.¡± ¡ª ¡°Who was that?¡± Sprite lets out several enthusiastic clicks. There may be a new playmate to be had here. ¡°A helpful pest like yourself.¡± Sprite jumps up into flight at the comment, sticks his tongue out at Sweiza and flies into the air out of sight. Sweiza looks up at rolls her eyes. ¡°Helpful pest¡­¡± She raises her fist up at him and shakes it. ¡ª Strife is some thirty feet ahead of the girl. She stops at what can only be described as a very long, but square tower in front of them. Sweiza is about to say something when she sees a white light. When it fades back to reality, Strife is standing there frozen. Sweiza looks up to Sprite; he is not bobbing up and down like he normally does, he is frozen as well. ¡°Sprite?¡± ¡°He can¡¯t hear you.¡± Sweiza jumps at the voice. It is Salmira. Salmira¡¯s eyes are closed and her arms are cradled. ¡°What do you want now?¡± Sweiza¡¯s voice wreaks of disgust at the woman, ¡°Trying to take advantage of m¡­¡± Sweiza feels the words enter her mind, but they do not make it to her mouth; it is as if her mouth is frozen. She suddenly feels weightless. Her eyes dart down and she sees she is off the ground, hovering, but motionless. Her eyes show fear towards the woman. ¡°At this rate, if you keep it up, the both of you will be turned to stone by the Basilisk below. Nod if you understand.¡± Whatever has her head frozen suddenly breaks hold as Sweiza is suddenly nodding her head at the woman. The only thoughts entering her mind right now are, ¡°This is bad, really bad.¡± Salmira approaches her and half circle¡¯s the girl behind. Due to her body being suspended and frozen, Sweiza cannot turn her head to see the woman. Salmira¡¯s footsteps are the only thing catching the girl¡¯s attention. She suddenly appear¡¯s with half her head, just out of the corner of Sweiza¡¯s eye to her right. The girl feels her heart rate jump. Whatever suspends her suddenly gives way and Sweiza is set to the ground. ¡°What is wrong with you?!¡± Sweiza yells it furious at the woman. Her mouth suddenly clamps shut and will not respond. She tries with all of her might and it just won¡¯t respond. ¡°That¡¯s quite enough from you.¡± Sweiza quickly nods her head at the woman. She suddenly feels the hold her mouth break loose. ¡°Do I have your attention?¡± Sweiza nods, this time keeping quiet. ¡°Good.¡± Salmira disappears and reappears some five feet from her. ¡°Listen very carefully. A few more walkways and an elevator shaft or two, and you will find yourself at a river. There are Bascillus in there. I believe you know them as the eel form of the creature before they metamorphose into something akin to a lizard. Regardless, the current is rather strong and she will ask for your help fording the river on foot. She will be the first bitten. Her motions will slow and her skin will gray and she will turn to stone. You will soon follow. Find another way around it. Is that clear?¡± Sweiza nods. ¡°Another thing. I¡¯m not as powerful as you or everyone on this planet thinks. I can¡¯t just simply manifest in areas of pure darkness or underground.¡± Salmira points up at the large sky-screen built into the ceiling of the cavern, ¡°I let two weeks roll by, you two never came out of ¡®The Depths of Bothnin¡¯. I had to interview people of Bothnin to find out what happened to you two. Would you like to know your fate?¡± Sweiza nods again, this time nervous. ¡°Your gambit last night worked, but because you over indulged, you forgot it. Giving your memories back will have to wait; it will distract you from your mission. For now, I want you to understand that the Harbor Magistrate is a member of the Cult of Loki. ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Sweiza curses her luck. She knew something about him was strange. ¡°Due to the political influence of the Hydro-Electric Dam in this city, it has always been surrounded in controversy. It just so happens there were several key officials of Bothnin there the day the Basilisks hatched. With them out of the way and with the Hydro-Electric Dam out of commission, the next source of emergency power is in Bothnin¡¯s only harbor. I¡¯m sure you understand why you and Strife have been having to work manual controls over everything.¡± ¡°I never understood the point of electricity. It always seemed to be a bother.¡± Sweiza is on point, at least afar as her opinion is concerned. Maria Village had some electricity installed via a water wheel at the local river near Lake Maria. It was always a big deal when the water wheel jammed and everyone¡¯s lights or heat went out. Thankfully her house never had electricity; her family always relied on candles for light or a wood fire for heat and cooking. ¡°It becomes quite prominent and problematic in the distant future. Regardless, the magistrate intends to have the dam blown up to extend his influence. Your stoned bodies are crushed and crumbled in the subsequent explosion. The Magistrate becomes a key official as he rises to power within Bothnin and the cult. However, his thirst for power blindsides him. He becomes part of the reason the Dwarves gain a technological advantage, but he is also part of the reason the Bothnin-Valhalla War breaks out to determine who has prominence in the nine realms.¡± Sweiza stands there clueless. ¡°The Dwarves lose. Odin¡¯s army is victorious and Midgard¡¯s resolve is strengthened. Gungir Tower is constructed one hundred years early.¡± ¡°As much as I hate Odin, it seems quite civil in the areas under his reach¡ªI mean compared to the areas I¡¯ve seen.¡± Sweiza winces at the thought of T¡¯lak and the Orc. ¡°Rightly so.¡± Salmira¡¯s expression and mood do not change, they remain quite blank, ¡°However, the loss of the Dwarves means the Cult of Loki gains prominence. They attempt to harness the secret of Yggdrasil to teleport between the nine realms. Those fools manage to get to the Ymir Colony ship and think they can control Loki. He takes control of them and starts Ragnarok.¡± Sweizas eyes widen. ¡°All this because of two Valkyrie failing?¡± ¡°I work tirelessly to keep Odin and Loki in check; as long as this remains so, Ragnarok never happens. However, in order to do this, my efforts must be throughout the nine realms. It is not just limited to you and Strife; I work through many individuals. I have failed with them¡ªyourself and Strife included¡ªmany hundreds upon thousands of times, more than you could possibly count. I hope I make myself clear; I am part of time itself, therefor it is my responsibility to keep an eye on the better of this planet. Salmira¡¯s mood quickly changes to something disappointed, but serious. Sweiza nods. ¡°Do not fail in your mission.¡± Salmira¡¯s form begins to fade. ¡°Wait, I thought the Valkyrie Rebellion fails?!¡± An exasperated Sweiza steps forward. By this time Salmira has disappeared, but her voice can be heard all around and throughout the girl. ¡°That which has happened to create your fate, must be allowed to happen. That will be all.¡± Sweiza grumbles as a white light flashes around her and reality sets back in. She¡¯ll at least get her answer at the end of the mission. ¡ª Sweiza remains quiet as Strife ushers her over. The woman needs help working a manual and quite metal control wheel. It is simply to move up a wooden elevator. Sweiza understands why: the back areas they move through care a backup when electricity won¡¯t work¡ªshe still prefers the primitive mode of living without electricity for this reason. The actual wooden ¡®crate¡¯ as it could be likened to, has a manual control within it that is operated via a crank. It is much simpler than the larger overhead metal wheel; it uses a system of pulleys and a counterweight to help redistribute the weight. Rather clever if she thinks so¡ªthey have something like this back at Maria, but not this elaborate. When they find themselves reaching the bottom, Strife eyes Sweiza once and simply says, ¡°Thanks.¡± Strife walks off towards the nearby walkway without saying another word. Sweiza is left to stare at her back again. This is getting old. ¡ª They find themselves at another walkway. The bridge is out. Strife looks around to find another way. She eyes the river once. ¡°Vera, the current seems to be flowing quite fast. The two of us together should be able to wade through it.¡± Sweiza stands there in disbelief as the woman slides down the narrow side of the walkway and hits solid rock. She starts for the shallow bank of the river, some twenty feet away. Sweiza¡¯s mind starts to race. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she know what is down there?¡± ¡°No, of course not, she rejects Salmira or rather Salmira never appears to her; maybe for that reason?¡± Sweiza grumbles to herself as she braces her body for the only thing she can think of. She breaks into a run towards Strife and tackles her. Strife lets out a cry as she is knocked over. She lets out a free hand, but it misses Sweiza¡¯s face. She (Sweiza) feels it graze her ear. She holds onto the woman for dear life. ¡°Strife, listen to me!¡± She gets a good look at Strife¡¯s face as the woman scowls at her. Strife stops struggling. Sweiza lets her grip slacken; she feels a sharp pain in her gut as Strife knees her. Strife stands up and dusts herself off, looking in disapproval at her student groaning and wincing in pain. ¡°It serves you right. You need a lesson in humility.¡± Sweiza can feel tears of pain as her body fights her. From the ground she watches in horror as Strife sets for the river. Sweiza tries to yell Strife¡¯s name, but it comes out little more than a hoarse cough. She feels her vision starting to blur from the tears in her eyes. Is she going to pass out? In a last attempt she lets out an squawk in the form of an alert.. Sprite drops from the sky. He lets out a smirk at her, ¡°You don¡¯t look so good.¡± Sweiza tries to speak, it comes out as a hoarse whisper, ¡°Tell Strife, Bascillus in river¡­¡± She lets out another squawk while wincing in pain; Sprite complies and darts towards the woman. She is about to reach the river; while behind her, Sprite starts chittering and letting out several chirps. It works in distracting the woman. He flies up to her. ¡°Bascillus in the river? Really?¡± Strife looks from the Sprite back to Sweiza. Strife lets out a huff and walks back towards Sweiza. Momentary anxiety fills Sweiza¡¯s mind as Strife¡¯s feet rest in front of her face. ¡°Up with yourself Vera. We¡¯ll consider your pain a downpayment for last night.¡± Strife uses both her hands to pull Sweiza up by the arm; not gentle-like either. ¡°Honestly. We can¡¯t have you going around like this.¡± Strife starts dusting the girl off. Eye-to-eye, Sweiza lets out a nod with tears still in her eyes. She uses her arm to brush them away. Strife¡¯s hands go down to her hips, ¡°Well don¡¯t just stand there girl, let¡¯s find another way around.¡± Strife starts walking along the perimeter of the river and away from their former walkway with the broken bridge. Sweiza follows along, hobbling from the pain in her gut. This is not going to be as easy as she thought. ¡ª ¡­ongoing to be continued¡­ Chapter XXI - The Stone Cold Truth It is sometime in mid-afternoon and the duo have made there way some miles in to the under-cave influence of Bothnin, and in turn, the under-caverns of Svarta. Sweiza walks in tandem with Strife. Sweiza has her eyes sharp on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary; in turn, Strife has her sword drawn. Sprite zips here and there to scout for anything. He suddenly stops. His form bobs up and down for a short time. He suddenly darts off into the distance. Sweiza and Strife both hear an unusual squawk¡ªdefinitely from Sprite¡ªbut a very unusual one. His distant form (some one hundred feet), comes flying back at them¡ªhis light blue aura shining brighter than normal. ¡°Statues! Lots of them! Some of them are shattered or missing limbs!¡± Sweiza looks over to Strife. Strife clicks her heels together and her armor appears. Strife clicks her heels together once more. Sweiza stares at her bewildered. Strife harps at her, ¡°Your armor dear, hurry.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen; she summons her armor in the blink of an eye, her sword in hand. Strife looks thoughtfully at the girl. She produces a crossbow in her hand; an item stored in her being no less. ¡°You do know how to use a crossbow right?¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow as she reaches up and grabs the device. She cocks it in her arms once. Strife¡¯s eyebrows cock up in turn. Sweiza clearly knows how to use one, but she doesn¡¯t allude to her history as to why. She points it up at Strife once. ¡°It¡¯s rather useless without arrows.¡± Strife holds out her hand. Twelve silver arrows appear. She flicks them in her hand so they point at Sweiza. ¡°Do be a dear and don¡¯t miss. Those are enchanted and rather hard to come by. I was saving them for the a special occasion.¡± ¡°What, a werewolf? Hah!.¡± Sweiza scoffs at the idea of a silver arrow killing a werewolf. ¡°I thought it was supposed to be a silver bullet.¡± ¡°It is, but bullets and any type of gunpowder based weapons are outlawed in Midgard.¡± Sweiza looks down at the crossbow. The arrows suddenly make sense. ¡°Regardless, silver arrows are rumored to be able to pierce berserker hide¡­¡± Strife looks up at Sprite thoughtfully, ¡°¡­in addition to killing enchanted creatures such as your little friend.¡± Sweiza looks up at Sprite. He shrugs and lets out a click. They both are thinking the same thing; if Strife was going to use the crossbow on them, she¡¯d have done it already. They hear an odd wail behind them; something unearthly. It echoes throughout the chamber. Sweiza jolts from it and Strife stiffens up. They both look in the distance. There are what appear to be glowing yellow orbs shining back at them. Flame? No, too dark. Eyes! Several dozens of them! ¡°Get ready.¡± Strife holds her arm in an odd position and a strange round shield appears in it. The light from Sprite reflects off of it. ¡°Vera, I hope you¡¯re a good shot.¡± Sweiza nods. ¡°Sir Herschel, I need you to stay above me, some fifteen feet off the ground. Your aura will be our beacon that distracts them. I will use this shield to petrify the wretched beasts where they stand. I will be moving forward slowlyeyes closed¡ªif you see one coming, I need you to tell me from which direction.¡± Strife eyes Sweiza once, ¡°Aim for their eyes.¡± Strife clicks her heels together and then turns around towards the enemy. ¡°We¡¯re going Basilisk hunting; may the wrath of Valhalla fall on them! Move out!¡± Strife waves her hand and marches forward. Sweiza doesn¡¯t think twice on the matter. She does, however, close one of her eyes. Maybe, just maybe, being half petrified would destroy some of her fear. Maybe. ¡ª To Sprite, humans were always boring creatures; it is the ones with the pointed ears that are always interesting. In this case, he sees an incredibly brave (or very foolish) woman taking small, light foot steps towards the creatures in front of them. She seems weary, holding the shield precariously in front of her. He knows what they are; their vision has something odd about it that allows them to slow a person¡¯s movements, stunning them. It doesn¡¯t actually turn them to stone, that would be the bite. His species (Spritekin) is immune to both the effects of being stunned as well as the Basilisk¡¯s bite. ¡°Two from the left, ten feet; one in front, five feet.¡± Strife says nothing as she inches closer. The Basilisk in front of her lets out an odd cry as it suddenly freezes. Stone? No. That¡¯s not it. Sprite looks at it wearily. Even if it can¡¯t stun or stone him, it still has a powerful bite. What he does see is that it seems to be frozen in place. Perhaps they can be stunned by their own gaze? Regardless, he sees something unexpected from Strife. Her shield lowers as her sword appears in her other raised hand¡ªher arm drops quickly and it misses the Basilisk. Wait, she can¡¯t see it! Her eyes are closed! ¡°It¡¯s one foot in front of you!¡± Strife doesn¡¯t nod; she can¡¯t see him. But she does take two steps forward and then swings her sword again. It cuts through the Basilisk¡¯s head. Green blood comes from the wound. It¡¯s frozen body suddenly tremors and then slumps forward. Sprite¡¯s eyes dart to the two Basilisks to Strife¡¯s right. He is about to say something when he catches the glint of two objects flying towards them. The first one misses; but the other one hits its mark. It is a silver arrow and it has hit the creature in the neck. It lets out a howl of pain. Strife¡¯s voice breaks his concentration. ¡°Sir Herschel, be so kind as to retrieve the arrows and return them back to your master.¡± She isn¡¯t looking at him, her eyes are still closed; he would have a few words with her about calling Sweiza his ¡®master¡¯, but this isn¡¯t the time¡ªmaybe later, preferably to barter over something sweet. Instead he shakes the thought and darts towards the arrow that missed. It is soon in Sweiza¡¯s hand and pulled taught in the bow. He heads back towards the arrow that did hit its mark. A few feet from the creature he sees the wound the other arrow created. The basilisk is bleeding heavily from it and there is something weird about the vein¡¯s around its neck. The creature takes a few steps forward as if to charge and bite the Sprite, but then it suddenly slumps forward. He flies up to the arrow and wiggles it a bit. It is stuck. He jerks on it hard and it breaks loose. More green blood comes from the wound. He would like to know what the silver arrow does to the creatures that mortally wounds them, but he thinks better of it when he sees the third basilisk to Strife¡¯s right; it is still very much alive. Rather than take the arrow back to Sweiza, he darts with it towards the third basilisk. He falls to the ground after knocking into the beast hard; it lets out a cry of pain in the process. He darts up and evades being bitten in retaliation. He jumps up and flies towards Sweiza. ¡°That was stupid!¡± He lets out a click of anticipation as he points at the Basilisk. Sweiza experiences delight when she sees what he has done. The arrow is sticking out of the creature¡¯s neck. She eyes it intently. The creature starts to snake around in an odd manner with its front and hind legs; it takes some half minute before its movements gradually become erratic and it drops to the ground. Sweiza looks up at Sprite, ¡°Poison?¡± He lets out a click of approval. ¡°Sir Herschel, where are you? There will surely be more and I need you on point.¡± Sweiza watches as Sprite darts back to the woman, whom again has the shield held a the ready in front of her. Is it going to be a continual battle like this all the way to the hydro-electric plant? ¡ª The process is slow and tedious as Strife must constantly stop-and-go, awaiting the Sprite¡¯s reports about the situation ahead of her. The basilisks never seem to be too far either to her left or right, but sometimes they are further back directly line-of-sight from her. When they find themselves in front of a large hangar door, it becomes apparent why. A large crystal above the door illuminates (Dwarfish) lettering above and below the door, ¡°Bothnin 7th Precinct Hydro-Electrid Plant¡±; but more importantly and to the party¡¯s intrigue, is the illuminated water near the causeway. It is infact the top of the dam and it holds back the water of a large lake behind it. ¡°They¡¯re pretty advanced for dwarves. It¡¯s nothing like I was thinking.¡± Sweiza looks at the lake as she makes the remark to her mentor; her gaze shifts up at the Dwarfish writing. The intrigue in her voice is definite. ¡°You were expecting blacksmiths with soot covered faces?¡± The woman¡¯s hands drop to her hips; the shield making her left hand a bit awkard as she does so. Sweiza makes a funny smile, but nods sheepishly. ¡°Vera!¡± Strifes suddenly charges forward and pushes Sweiza out of the way. The Valkyrie¡¯s shield comes crashing down and stuns the basilisk that had crawled onto the walkway. Her sword appears in her hand and she quickly impales the creature through the mouth. Its glowing eyes suddenly dim and it slumps forward. Sweiza expects Strife to turn around, but her body remains in an awkward position that can only be described as a charge that is stuck mid-thrust. Sweiza rushes up to her mentor and starts speaking to her, but nothing happens. She snaps her fingers in front of her, but nothing. Sweiza finally takes her hands to Strife¡¯s arm and tries to shake her. Nothing happens. Sweiza stamps her foot down in irritation, but she gets an idea. She steps back and raises her hand; her gauntlet disappears and then she slaps Strife across the face. As if by some otherworldly force, movement is restored to Strife and she pulls back in shock¡ªher sword still stuck in the creature¡¯s mouth. Strife staggers back and her hand comes up to her head. She seems visibly disoriented. She looks around once, and then looks at Sweiza groggily. ¡°Vera, why are we here?¡± Sweiza¡¯s head tilts at the woman. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°What?¡± More confusion in Strife¡¯s voice. ¡°We just got done fighting basilisks?!¡± Sweiza asks it in the form of a rhetorical question. Strife looks around at the dam in confusion. ¡°Are we at Bothnin Harbor?¡± Strife¡¯s arms cradle as she eyes the lake once. She looks down and away from the lake, eyes closed and reticent in thought; she nods several times to herself as if struggling to assess her situation and surroundings. ¡°Yes. We had a mission, you don¡¯t remember?¡± Worry fills Sweiza¡¯s words. Strife lets out a light laugh, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, was I hit by a basilisk stare?¡± Sweiza nods. Strife¡¯s stare is on the dead basilisks behind them. ¡°We seem to have made quick work of them. Was that our mission?¡± Sweiza is in disbelief. ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Strife gives a lighthearted comeback, ¡°I must have been hit by one of their stares.¡± Sweiza stares blankly. Strife gives a chuckle, ¡°The basilisk¡¯s stare is well known for causing memory loss.¡± Sweiza again stares in confusion, ¡°I thought it turned people to stone. It seems to merely freeze its victim?¡± Strife laughs, ¡°The ridiculousness of it all. That is a myth. Their stare merely paralyzes their prey. Valhallan Scientists have had no luck in trying to unlock the secret to build a weapon; Odin is most interested in it. Sweiza stamps her foot. ¡°Strife! How much do you remember?!¡± Strife noticeably jolts. ¡°Let¡¯s see. For starters, you are my apprentice, so it is bad form to take that tone of voice with me.¡± Sweiza stops herself from stammering. It doesn¡¯t stop her mind from making a proverbial check if the woman is toying with her or making a power play; it doesn¡¯t matter. Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow and she kicks her foot on the ground. ¡°Strife, this is serious. We¡¯re in danger.¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrows perk at Sweiza¡¯s tone. ¡°Alright then child¡ªI know you are my friend Vera¡­¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen at the word ¡®friend¡¯. A quick thought enters her mind, she sees her chance to ask, but holds off. ¡°¡­and we had some kind of crew on a ship. I think it was called the Giga Durable, or something similar. I had heard of political turmoil in Bothnin some years back. It had to do with the construction of something super natural that could generate electricity; they called it a hydro-electric dam. The problem was the fact it ran right through an underground channel that bascilis used as their migration route. When they couldn¡¯t control the bascilis anymore, they reached out to Valhalla. We were going to help them, but Odin put his foot down. It was considered an extra-curricular problem that had nothing to do with Midgard. Several Valkyrie have appealed it saying it would help relations. Odin has been firm on it.¡± Strife starts to pace a bit in thought. ¡°What I don¡¯t get is why we came here. Two Valkyrie seems a bit strange for such a mess.¡± ¡°You said our main purpose was to forge Thor¡¯s Hammer.¡± Sweiza is quite open about how she says it. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Strife stiffens up and her eyes narrow at the girl. ¡°Really. I see.¡± Sweiza nervously eyes her mentor up and down. She decides to take the risk and ask, ¡°We had a disagreement over last night; do you remember what it was?¡± Strife¡¯s head turns away from the girl and one of her eyes narrows, ¡°I don¡¯t. But based on your tone it seems to be important. If I remember I¡¯ll tell you. Help me open this door.¡± Strife is already pushing at the hangar door to get it open. It lets out a rusty groan as it budges slowly. Sweiza stares at it blankly, her mind trying to process their situation, what just happened, as well as Strife giving just as much way as the door ¡®should¡¯ she remember last night. ¡°Vera, don¡¯t just stand there!¡± Sweiza snaps to, blinks once, and then nods. She hurries over to Strife, braces her hands against the side of the hangar door and starts to push it. It creaks and groans, but moves much faster than before. It finally gives way and starts to move proper. Once they have it halfway open, Strife stops and backs up. Sweiza seems caught up in it and Strife has to pull her away. ¡°You poor girl, you¡¯re not used to this kind of work are you?¡± Strife laughs at her. Sweiza takes in an involuntary breath and simply nods; she decides to let Strife have this one. Strife waves her hand and motions for them to enter. Sweiza takes a look up at Sprite once. He lets out a click at her and follows Strife in. He seems to be more trusting of the woman. Sweiza wonders about it, but dismisses it and follows them in. She can only wonder about what surprises await them in the plant. ¡ª Inside, the first thing that gets Sweiza¡¯s attention is the dim lighting. It reminds her of the harbor. It appears to be night, but it is easy to see the walls are white¡ªa stark contrast and much needed change dark grey and black stone corridors and walkways they spent traversing most of the afternoon. However, it looks too clean and sterile, something very unnatural and not to her liking. She forces herself to follow behind Strife. She isn¡¯t sure if the woman knows where she is going or not. ¡°Strife, do you even know where we are going?¡± Strife stops and turns around flicking her hair. ¡°Of course not. But much like a castle, there needs to be a center chamber or control area; and if this place generates electricity¡­¡± The water wheel back at Maria Village pops into Sweiza¡¯s head. ¡°¡­there needs to be an area that restores it. The magistrate -did- say they were under emergency power.¡± Sweiza nods and follows without another word. The corridor they follow has several doors here and there. Strife walks up and tries the handle on each one, but they are locked. ¡°Locked?¡± Sweiza acts quizzically. She presses forward and starts trying some of the doors herself. ¡°If Castle Gungir be our guide, then the ¡®throne room¡¯ would be deeper within the compound. Let¡¯s go.¡± Sweiza looks up from the door handle her hand is wrapped around. She lets go as if in surprise, nods once at Strife and follows the woman. Snickering behind her (Sweiza), nets Sprite a dirty look for his trouble. ¡ª When the main corridor turns a corner, Strife follows it and then suddenly freezes. Sweiza quickens her pace, this time her sword in hand. But she freezes and lets out a shriek when she rounds the corner. The echo of the sword hitting the ground echoes throughout the corner as Sweiza gapes in horror at sight in front of her. Several dozen statues¡ªall dwarven¡ªline the corridor. She makes a mental tally of them. Several of them are tipped over; several are shattered, and others still are missing an arm or a leg (and tipped over in the latter case). Some are bent over, presumably to help those that might have tripped. Yet others still, have their backs to the statues, as if to face some adversary. The weapons in their hands seem to place emphasis on this fact. ¡°Strife, what happened here?¡± ¡°What will happen, is you are going to pick up that sword. That was Sigurd¡¯s and you are going to show it the proper respect.¡± Strife stamps her foot on the ground once, her metal greave echoing in the distance. A hesitant Sweiza nods and stoops over to pick it up; fear of being kicked comes to mind, but nothing happens. The sword disappears in her hands as it is reabsorbed into her being. ¡°As for what happened here¡­ I would say they were fleeing something when they turned to stone. But this is most unusual.¡± Sweiza nods at her mentor¡¯s statement; something is very fishy, and she doesn¡¯t think it is has to do with basilisks or bascilus. ¡°Their venom takes some time to kick in. Take a look and see if they don¡¯t have any bite marks, I would check the legs and then their arms.¡± Sweiza winces and wrinkles her nose at Strife, but does as she is told. ¡°You¡¯re doing it because we need to work on your detective and deduction skills.¡± Sweiza flinches at the woman¡¯s words, but otherwise shakes it off. She stoops over at the first statue on the ground. She didn¡¯t notice it before, but their clothing has not turned to stone; very different from T¡¯lac and the orcs that turned to stone in Jotunher. She pulls up a pant leg. She forgives herself for doing this and figures the dwarve¡ªthat once filled these clothes¡ªwould do the same, if it means they solve what is going on. There is nothing out of the ordinary about the now stoned skin. She pulls up the other pantleg and pulls down a sock. Nothing. She looks at the former dwarf¡¯s arm; the arm sleeve is absent and there is shattered stone next to it. Obvious what happened here is what she thinks. She looks up at Strife. Strife taps her foot impatiently. Sweiza again looks down at the statue; she pulls up the sleeve on the other arm. Nothing. She looks up at Strife. ¡°Check the next one.¡± Sweiza rolls her eyes. Strife stamps her foot on the ground and Sweiza tries not to twitch. She hussles over to the next statue. It is missing both of its legs. It¡¯s shoes or what could be called ¡®armored¡¯ shoes, are next to it two feet away; she pulls up a shirt sleeve. It appears to be a man¡¯s hands; her eyes trace up his arm. There is a bite mark up near his elbow. Sweiza looks up to Strife. ¡°He has a bite mark; the teeth look quite large.¡± Strife¡¯s arms cradle. ¡°Check the next one.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow and she about faces. She walks up to the next one. This one has an obvious bite mark on its hand. This time Sweiza doesn¡¯t say anything; she immediately walks up to the next statue. Another bite mark on its hand, but the other hand is missing with more stone on the ground. She does this with several more statues, either pulling up a pant leg or a shirt arm. Most of the bite wounds are on the arm or the hand, but a few are on the legs. She explains the situation to Strife. Strife¡¯s eyes close and her arms cradle; she starts nodding in thought. ¡°I only know what I¡¯ve read about basilisks and I¡¯m hardly an expert¡­¡± Strife chuckles at the word expert, ¡°¡­but I would say they were in a situation where they got bitten. A bite to the leg would make sense, basilisks can run about the same speed as a human. However, why they were so careless as to get bitten by their hands, that is the mystery. The only reason I could think of, is perhaps they worked with their hands in the water¡ªwhich let¡¯s be honest, is stupid when you know bascilis are in the area¡ªor more than likely, they were harvesting basilisk venom.¡± A quizzical Sweiza tilts her head as she stares at Strife and the woman¡¯s explanation. ¡°In most of the nine-realms, most kingdoms, empires and what-have-you, agree on the premise that nature be left alone. There -are-, however, certain farms that are setup to extract basilisk venom. It is a very dangerous procedure, and the venom fetches a fair price on the market.¡± Sweiza again stares at Strife, this time blankly. ¡°They can use it to create an anti-venom. It is often kept on ships that travel abroad. Basilisks can be a problem in certain areas, especially Myrkvellir and Niffleheim. That aside, the anti-venom is quite expensive, especially in Valhalla territory. You see, Odin ordered the basilisk exterminated due to them being a known danger. Therefor, the anti-venom is hard to come by. It is often sold illegally on the black market. I had heard rumors there were entire farming operations that breed and sell them; possibly to legit operations. Regardless, such a thing could get a person hung under Valhalla and in turn Midgard law, so it just naturally isn¡¯t done.¡± Sweiza eyes the statues once, ¡°They had a free source they could harvest from?¡± Strife nods. She starts forward and walks up to Sweiza. ¡°The main problem with a basilisk bite, is if it isn¡¯t treated right away, the person will slowly harden into stone. The stoning process doesn¡¯t happen right away, rather the blood acts as a carrier and it attacks the muscles, the bodily organs, and then the brain. Sadly, the victim is very much aware of this happening until it is too late. The organs gradually turn to rock long after the victim is dead; the eyes are the first indication, the skin darkens last.¡± Sweiza shudders at the horror of it; that would have happened to the two of them, had Salmira not interfered. Sweiza alerts at the thought of Salmira. ¡°Salmira appeared to me earlier. She prevented us from turning to stone in the river from before.¡± Strife looks at the girl, but doesn¡¯t say much about it. ¡°You do remember don¡¯t you?¡± Strife nods. ¡°Vaguely. It would appear the memory loss is not permanent, but I feel quite a bit of mental fog towards recent events.¡± ¡°Anyway, she also mentioned that the Harbor Magistrate, is a member of the Cult of Loki, a rather high ranking one with ambition.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Strife says it in a lower toned voice. She starts walking again, but stops and turns around to look back at Sweiza. ¡°Basilisk venom isn¡¯t normally paid for with any known currency, it is much too expensive. It is known to be traded for goods and the assertion that ¡®goods and services¡¯ would be traded in the future. Think of it like a type of debt; people displace and leverage debt all the time when it comes to resources.¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms cross. ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of this.¡± ¡°Think along the lines of black market dealings, political favors, cloak and dagger nonsense. Stuff that doesn¡¯t concern the normal person unless they had an agenda.¡± Sweiza wrinkles her nose at the thought of ¡®political favors¡¯; she hates politicians and the few that came to Maria Village to ¡®nose in¡¯ on their way of life and bring news or new laws from Valhalla. In her mind, they need to mind their own business. Strife tries to encourage the girl¡¯s deduction skills, but Sweiza is again left to stare clueless at her mentor. ¡°In other words, the Cult of Loki is present in Bothnin Harbor, and if what you say is true, through the Magistrate and possibly then some. They¡¯ve probably been harvesting the Basilisk, if not downright breeding and illegally trading them, for some time now. They¡¯ve also probably had their eyes set on the dam for some time¡ªI would wager again¡ªbecause of the political turmoil it caused to create something so artificial. The dwarves were supposed to usher into a new age with electricity, but this seems to be their legacy.¡± Strife motions around the corridor and then the stone statues. ¡°That¡¯s quite a guess.¡± Sweiza says it, certain that ¡®that¡¯ is specifically what Strife is doing, ¡®guessing¡¯. ¡°You are correct, it is just a theory. But it is an educated one. But what I¡¯m not quite certain about, is why several of them had weapons. Basilisk in theory, shouldn¡¯t be inside the plant itself¡­¡± Sweiza swallows nervously at those words. ¡°¡­I mean, if the Cult of Loki is present, it would put themselves at risk if their operation was found. It would have to be out of the way and not seen. But that¡¯s just a guess. Perhaps they had an inside operative or something. Perhaps these poor souls¡­¡± Strife eyes the statues once, ¡°¡­are a victim of that operation.¡± Sweiza remembers the meeting (read: negotiations) between Strife and the Magistrate yesterday. ¡°The Magistrate gave you dynamite to blow up the dam if the basilisks could not be removed.¡± Strife tilts her head once. She holds up her hand to the confusion of Sweiza. Strife moves her hand a few times, but nothing happens. She closes her eyes and concentrates. A bag of dynamite is summoned from her being. ¡°By Muspell¡¯s wrath.¡± Strife shakes her head. She shakes her hand once and the dynamite didsappears. ¡°This is why you are my friend, because you are honest to my face.¡± Strife clicks her heels together and bows, much to the shock of Sweiza. ¡°I thank you for your honesty Vera, more than ever as we hazard a guess about ¡®The Stone Cold Truth¡¯, to this mystery. Even if it is just a guess at this point. We¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Sweiza bunches up her cheeks at such a pretentious title for the day, ¡°Stone Cold Truth¡±. However, she makes a mental note to secretly use it in her diary entry, it¡¯s too good -not- to use it. ¡°I will be honest with you in turn; but, I didn¡¯t remember until you mentioned the hammer. The Dwarves do have the knowledge to build such a thing, but it will most certainly be inferior to anything enchanted from Alfgard. To that effect, we do need something ¡®special¡¯ to get it built when we get there.¡± Strife smiles and her arms cross at the word ¡®special¡¯. ¡°It doesn¡¯t kill a basilisk does it?¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms also cross, more out of annoyance than anything else. ¡°It very well could. It is an enchanted crystal that holds the powers of lightning¡­¡± Strife trails off and waits for Sweiza¡¯s reaction. ¡°Is that why we¡¯re at the dam? What were you going to do before, sneak us in if we weren¡¯t roped into this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Valkyrie and Alice Verdandi, I have my ways.¡± Strife winks at her. ¡°Hmph! We¡¯re risking our lives for this and for them!¡± Sweiza points at the statues. ¡°If you mean using an anti-venom on them, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s too late for them dear. It has to be administered soon after being bitten.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Sweiza¡¯s anger subsides; there are ¡®demerits¡¯ to being a Valkyrie after all¡ªperhaps this is what is meant as ¡®a chooser of the slain¡¯¡ªthey cannot save everyone after the fact. ¡ª Outside of the initial group of statues, they don¡¯t run into anyone. ¡°The Magistrate had said they were on emergency power for the last month or so. Would we reasonably find any survivors?¡± Sweiza asks it of her mentor walking along side her mentor. ¡°I highly doubt it. If I was hiding from a Basilisk I would avoid the area they hatched. I would lock myself up until I felt the area was clear and then I would flee; I would grab a weapon and I would try to flee. Not that it would do any good unless it was a polearm; I would still keep my eyes closed and would risk being bitten as I tried to slash at any Basilisk I found blocking the way. Then-¡± ¡°Strife, do you have to be so long winded?¡± Sweiza interrupts her. Strife says nothing. As if in thought she nods once or twice and then responds, ¡°Master to Apprentice. This is something you need to learn.¡± Strife waves her hand again for Sweiza to follow her. Sweiza sticks out her tongue to the back of Strife. The woman stops and turns around and catches her. ¡°You have a bad habit of doing that. It would also be a bad habit of sticking around in an area where there is no food or food that goes bad. I doubt we will find survivors.¡± Sweiza¡¯s tongue jolts back into her mouth. Sprite flies up next to her and lets out a snicker. Sweiza swats at him; he flies in front of her face and lets out a very hearty click and smile at her. He sticks his tongue out at her and flies off. Sweiza shakes her head. Mentor to apprentice indeed. ¡ª After much backtracking, going roundabout through many corridors and testing many doors, the trio find themselves up in the main control room. It is very different from the rest of the facility. The walls are a drab grey, and there are large control junction boxes everywhere. Upon closer inspection, she sees several words and numbers in Dwarfish, but they do not make sense to her. They make as much sense as all of the levers, dials, knobs and control switches that are everywhere. She backs away from it not wanting to touch anything. It is Strife standing in front of the window¡ªnear several control stations¡ªthat gets her attention. She joins her mentor towards the very long window (one of many) that overlooks the dam area. It¡¯s hard to see, but she can see the lake as a very dark blue to black and then the dark grey stone of the dam causeway they walked to get to the main facility. ¡°It¡¯s big.¡± Sweiza¡¯s words show awe. ¡°Indeed.¡± Strife looks down at the controls. ¡°If it¡¯s possible to restore power, I wonder which of these controls¡­¡± Strife continues looking down in thought. Sweiza pushes a random button. It goes unnoticed by Strife. Sweiza¡¯s hand grips a switch lever, but it does get noticed by Strife; Strife¡¯s hand grabs Sweiza¡¯s hand before the girl can pull the lever down. ¡°Don¡¯t touch or mess with anything beyond your understanding. You don¡¯t know what it will do.¡± ¡°So?¡± Strife throws the girl¡¯s hand down. ¡°You look here; one of those could unlock the dam, or worse¡ªlock us in here permanently. Do I make myself clear?¡± There is clear disdain in the woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Okay, okay. I only wanted to help. Sheesh.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands go behind her back and she starts kicking air as she occupies herself behind Strife. The woman is not amused, but otherwise ignores her as she goes back to the controls. Strife hears an ¡®eep¡¯ from behind her. She turns around to see Salmira standing in front of Sweiza. Salmira directly eyes Strife. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to maintain my form here; I have to filter light through a glass fixture and reflect it off the lake...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do witch. If you have something to say, say it.¡± Strife makes her contemt bite as hard as it can. It doesn¡¯t seem to affect Salmira. ¡°There will be a button in front of you¡­¡± A red aura flows from Salmira and stops at a button on a control station directly in front of Strife. ¡°¡­it is the one with the yellow and black lines next to each other; it will be red. It says main power. You¡¯ll need to flip up the glass to reset it.¡± Strife eyes Salmira once with intent, but otherwise follows the woman¡¯s advice. She flips the glass up and presses the button. Nothing happens. She turns around to Salmira. ¡°You seem to be in error.¡± Salmira¡¯s form flickers once. She looks down at the ground and out the window. She appears to levitate as she flickers again. ¡°In the corner of this room is a cabinet. Find a map inside of it. Find the markings that take you to the lower levels and inside the dam. You need to find the generators¡­ the¡­ water wheels as you call them¡­ they will be large massive cylinders inside of a gray casing. They have a crystal in them that needs to be replaced. They have them in the same room.¡± ¡°Is that the same crystal that can house lightning?¡± ¡°No. But such a thing -is- in the same room. My time is short. I need to go.¡± Salmira¡¯s form flickers and then fades. ¡°At least this time she was useful.¡± Strife says it nonchalantly as she ushers herself over to the cabinet in the corner, next to the large view windows. Inside she rustles around multiple papers. She eyes a few of them, but tosses them to the ground. In her mind, whoever is in charge or was in charge, won¡¯t mind now that they are dead or long gone. She finds the blueprints for the facility. Strife eyes the blueprints once; her eyebrows cock up in disgust, ¡°This is hardly a map. Whatever.¡± She flicks it open and eyes it with both hands holding it open. She walks over (slowly) to Sweiza. Sweiza says nothing, knowing not to interrupt at this point from lessons learned the hardway. ¡°It looks like we need to go down about twelve levels, and then we need to cross a bridge or two from within the dam. The bridges look narrow and I doubt we will want to fall into the water flowing underneath¡ªthat lake probably has bascilus in it.¡± Sweiza nods her head. ¡°Absolutely terrible design flaw if you ask me.¡± Strife tries to crack a smile and laugh. It doesn¡¯t get much of a reaction from Sweiza. Strife resumes her serious demeanor. ¡°Let¡¯s move. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can leave this¡­¡± Strife searches for the right words, ¡°¡­mess.¡± Sweiza nods in agreement. ANBLII - Chapter 22 - To See the Light of Day ¡°It¡¯s not going to do you any good to continue pacing like that; conserve your energy.¡± Strife tries to say it with some certainty and calmness. However, it doesn¡¯t seem to be working. A very frustrated and doubtful Sweiza continues pacing and walking around their jail cell. This is not how she expected their journey to end. Of all things, what was the point in even getting this far, let alone starting? If Salmira could help them, it would be one thing, but she can¡¯t channel herself this far underground, let alone to individuals whose future she doesn¡¯t know about¡ªor so Sweiza has figured thus far. She finally stops and lets out a cry in the form of a wail. She turns around and points her finger at Strife. ¡°This is all your fault!¡± ¡°I had warned you about getting caught up in my affairs Vera; you chose this path.¡± Strife¡¯s arms remain behind her with her elbows pointed at the ceiling. She remains content to lay with her back on the jail cell bed. The jail cell itself is nothing special. Four walls, an iron door to keep them in, and then iron bars to serve as a window. Strife has already checked the cell with no way of getting out. For some reason, in this area, she is also not able to call anything from within her being; not for lack of trying¡ªshe figures the area is enchanted, but that is to be expected with things as they have happened thus far. If only she had been more insightful as to their situation. Now things hinged on their escape. She has a plan, but first she goes over the day¡¯s events. How in Midgard did it ever get this way and why wasn¡¯t she more cautious? ¡ª The mission had continued easily enough. The Harbor Magistrate wanted them to take care of the Basilisk and Bascilus problem and then restore power to the hydro-electric plant¡ªthereby restoring power to most of Bothnin Harbor. If there were any survivors¡ªwhich non were expected¡ªthey were to help escort them back. So far they had found stone statues of survivors, but something was odd about them. Perhaps it was the fact some of them had weapons and they were attempting to run from something. Basilisk venom takes awhile to take effect and they wouldn¡¯t have turned to stone right away¡ªeven if they were running from something. So it had to be something else. The problem is with her short term memory. Strife had heard Basilisk stares were the thing of legend¡ªthey could petrify and stone an enemy¡ªbut this isn¡¯t true, the stare was simply the way for them to stun their prey before they sank their fangs and in turn, injected their venom into the victim. Thankfully she hadn¡¯t been bitten and was only momentarily stunned, but her short term memory went with it. Going over the day¡¯s events repeatedly was helping with that. Originally they managed to make it several miles within the depths of Bothnin¡¯s Seventh Precinct where the hydro-electric plant was located. There was a brief skirmish between herself (Strife) and Sweiza over crossing a river; but Salmira had intervened and prevented a ghastly fate of stone. During their final stretch they crossed the top of the dam¡¯s causeway, but had to fight their way through Basilisk to get to the actual power plant. Ah! She remembers now. She¡¯s here to harvest Basilisk venom¡ªa very expensive commodity¡ªboth for herself to make money, but also to tie in her knowledge of alchemy with the illegal research of Delphis and Alcyon (members of the Cult of Loki). Her concern with them is that they are in fact wooden puppets. Are they perhaps a new variant of golem, but in the form of a plant? But Delphis and Alcyon were both a werewolf and a bat creature, so something else was amiss. They have the ability to enchant themselves. Perhaps it can all be dismissed as a side effect, she doesn¡¯t know. What she does know is their research pointed to Basilisk venom¡¯s use in some of their experiments. The bite of a Basilisk is rumored to cause super natural creatures; some Valkyrie are cautioned about this (she knows it already) in their travels. How it causes it is a bit of a mystery, one she¡¯d like to solve. The amount of money she could make¡ªit could restore her estate and then some; and it would ensure her successor (Valkyrie Vorkera), would be able to follow the path that she (Strife), herself had blazed before hand. Strife is disturbed from her ruminations as she hears another wail. She looks over at her student. Her eyes widen in disbelief. The girl actually intends to use that unearthly squat toilet (toilet built into the ground). ¡°Don¡¯t look! I have to go!¡± Strife turns her head away in disgust. Dwarven accommodations at their finest. She will get out of this cell, she swears it. Where was she? Her husband¡¯s soul would be stuck in Niffleheim or the land of the dead. It is not an area where Valkyrie normally tread. It would require stealing Sleipnir, Odin¡¯s steed. The horse is rumored to have eight legs, but this is a myth. This myth isn¡¯t normally disproven due to the fact the horse is just rarely seen and rarely used. Strife herself has seen it a total of four times. The iconic eight legs are in fact a myth. The horse itself seems to be a combination of living and then metal, not unlike a sentinel. It can simply run in the air by unforeseen force and it¡¯s legs move fast enough that their appear to be eight. Regardless, the horse is said to make it to any region as fast as lightning. She¡¯ll be gambling on this rumor towards fate and let the dice fall where they may. She¡¯s gone too far on this path and doesn¡¯t intend to change now. Sigurd (her husband), was the victim of poison. Her suspicion was Odin¡¯s doing¡ªthe reason she chose this path¡ªbut she can¡¯t prove it was one of his machinations, only that it is a hunch. Sigurd¡¯s body had to be buried. She knows it¡¯s approximate location, not too far off from an oasis along the beaten path. She¡¯ll figure out her ways through alchemy; and then fuse his body to his soul. Surely there is a way to do this if Loki can turn¡ªwhat she suspects to be golems¡ªorcs to stone; and then there is the matter of the Cult of Loki being flesh bound wooden puppets, or perhaps the otherway around. How do they eat? Do they need not bother? Would Sigurd suffer a similar fate if she meddled in what Midgard made highly illegal? She shakes her mind not to think about such things. She¡¯s in a jail cell and needs to focus. ¡ª Salmira can¡¯t project herself unless it is an area that is accessible by sunlight or light itself. This means most areas of Bothnin are inaccessible to her¡ªa fatal flaw, but perhaps by Dwarven design. Salmira had shown herself to the woman (Strife) and her apprentice (Vera); she made it known to them that there was a map that would show them were they needed to be. After the woman disappeared, Sweiza complained that it must be dinner time and that she was hungry. Thankfully she (Strife) has enough ¡®stuff¡¯ in her being to accommodate such complaints. (She made a note at the time to help toughen ¡®Vera¡¯ up as time went along; this would include not having to eat as much.) Unfortunately the girl had ingested quite a bit of liquid from one of her water skins. It proved to be a problem that the girl would experience later. Strife looks over at her apprentice once. ¡°Stop staring!¡± Strife looks back up at the ceiling and refrains from shaking her head. Following the map was an easy affair. It was merely a few hallways and then several sets of stairs and more hallways. They tried most of the doors along the way, but they were all locked. She had a suspicion they might have statues in them. The statues she and Sweiza had seen were perhaps ¡®experiments¡¯ that someone had been working on¡ªto what end, she couldn¡¯t say, but she had a suspicion a supernatural creature. They did end up seeing at least three different groups of statues along the way¡ªall stone. When the woman finally finally touched one with her sword (touching it with her gauntlet would be stupid), the statue crumbled. She tested a few more statues and they shattered. Could it be that a Basilisk injects venom, not unlike a snake and perhaps even a spider, but then like a spider, it sucks up the life out of a statue? That sounds like a probability. Perhaps the ¡®wooden puppet¡¯ theory, is that life is transferred from one being and put into another. Would it be possible to transfer memories? The Basilisk could most certainly affect short term memory. That still doesn¡¯t explain why they would turn to stone. Was the stone just a byproduct after the life force is sucked out of them? That would stand to reason. Perhaps then Loki sucked the life out of the Orcs that tended to the village around his ¡®prison¡¯; there is the matter that his wife holds a bowl to stop venom¡­ Strife stops thinking to herself and looks up. She had collected a vial of venom for a reason with the god¡¯s good graces¡ªa little humor goes a long way to that effect. A simple joke of, ¡°Odin has been conspiring with horses.¡± Loki knew damn well what she meant. The sad thing is, Odin has been known to transform into different animals¡ªbear, wolf, even horse, among others¡ªand the joke was probably, in fact reality. Loki was a god and could project his influence across entire continents, the same way Odin could. A god¡¯s being would stand to reason to be much greater than even what a Valkyrie could hold. Therefor, perhaps the venom was collected and then projected into the golems to give them life. Still just a theory on her part, but she suspects it might be in the right direction. Perhaps that damned magistrate knew. She¡¯ll punish him for his treachery. He had the ¡®Gigas Dura¡¯ impounded, and the experiment survivors¡ªof Delphis and Alcyon¡ªjailed. If anyone laid a hand on them, she (Strife) would punish them personally¡ªand then double down on punishing magistrate. When they had finally made it down to the actual room where the power generator was, her mind was blown at how massive it was¡ªit had to take up the entire length of the dam. Inside the room was a long slanted area where water was allowed to flow down from the lake that the dam held back; the water flowed along an open channel and then disappeared underneath what was the floor that was actually accessible. To generate power, there were simple metal water wheels built into the slant¡ªseveral hundred of them. The map Salmira had shown to them, had indicated there were several rooms like this, each one below each other, down the height of the dam. It would make sense they would need all of this to power an entire city. The wonders of technology. She still prefers Maria Village. The problem came when they found all the Basilisk eggs; well, not really ¡®eggs¡¯, but more like a cocoon. As part of the metamorphosis of Bascilus, they cocoon and take the form of an egg that they hatch from; the fangs they develop would be used to ¡®pick¡¯ through the egg and escape. Bascilus would cocoon anywhere there was a food source. The lake itself was artificial, but was an extension of the river that was part of their migration route. This was probably by design and some machination of some individual. The magistrate? Maybe. She¡¯ll look into it. Strife¡¯s being is held up and full up from the designs and items from their haul at the lighthouse (Delphis and Alcon¡¯s experiments). She thankfully still had vials and flasks for the tasks. It was handed off to Sweiza¡ªmuch to the girl¡¯s annoyance. A sword tap to the ¡®egg¡¯ husks had them shatter, and in some cases turn to dust¡ªan intriguing discovery. Strife breaks her train of thought and then looks up at the ceiling. A quick thought of ¡°Damn it all to Muspell!¡± enters her mind; she doesn¡¯t say it outloud. She forgot to gather any Basilisk venom. She curses her luck again. It couldn¡¯t be helped. She was having memory issues from the Basilisk stare. With any luck¡ªand by her reckoning, the magistrate has some hidden away. She makes a note to gather some before they leave; rather, Sweiza would be the one ¡®harboring¡¯ it for the time being. She has a gamble on this that might pay off in the future. There is so much she has to keep from the girl; she wishes she could observe the rule of ¡®no secrets between Valkyrie¡¯, but this is mission critical for their success. She again curses her luck for having so much cloak and dagger variables in her ¡®flexible¡¯ plan. Where was she? Ah yes! When they had entered the room, they hadn¡¯t noticed the bat creature that had been watching them from the ceiling. This was a mistake. Strife was too busy being an idiot in awe at the technology the dwarves had created¡ªthey were much further along than reports in Valhalla had led them (Valkyrie among others) to believe. What she did know about, were the ¡®special¡¯ crystals used at the dam. Odin has his ways, and infiltrators had reports about a special lightning crystal being used to store power generated by the water wheels. These crystals are not unique, but they are rather hard to come by¡ªthey require several decades inside of a special liquid inside a distillation vat, while being purified by special enchantments. The crystal in her penchant is one such crystal, but much weaker. It¡¯s design and manufacture alien to her; she made a note to unlock its secrets, but has never had the motivation or the time due to other projects. Once a crystal is created, it is harder than diamond and must be handled with special tools. Should it ever drop on the ground, it doesn¡¯t shatter, but is known to discharge lightning and will scorch the area as well as kill anyone in the vicinity. For that matter, anyone that makes contact without the proper protection will be electrocuted, possibly killed. Rubber gloves and insulated gauntlets would be an easy remediation. Strife had an insulated gauntlet, but made Sweiza wear it instead. She (Sweiza) baulked, but she (Strife) rebuked and the girl complied. The crystal was housed on top of a black pedestal inside of a glass case. The crystal itself was violet and radiated what Strife could only describe as transparent rainbow hues of energy. Of interest to Strife was the fact the case could reflect the energy back, while not letting it pass through. Strife had her apprentice take the crystal and case into her (Sweiza¡¯s) being¡ªalong with several other crystals and then the gauntlet itself¡ªall for safe keeping. The pedestal¡¯s contact area for the crystal was also of interest to Strife. If this could be used in a high technology hammer, then it would prove to be a devestating weapon. The function of the technology looked simple enough, wire contacts connected to wires that ran from the water wheels. But could such a thing work in the hammer? The hammer would need to be enchanted to harness that kind of power, but that she (Strife) would worry about then. By Strife¡¯s reckoning, the bat creature was also after the crystals, but did not have the knowledge or foresight of how to remove them. When they (Strife and Sweiza) went to investigate for some time, the bat creature finally swooped behind them. It had tackled Strife and then bit Sweiza in the ear. Strife had to fight for her freedom, but it was too late. She was also bitten and passed out from whatever was in the creature¡¯s fangs. ¡ª When she had finally come to, she an Sweiza found themselves in their current jail cell with no foreshadowing of why they were there. It was when they found a dwarven guard at the iron door of the cell that they were told of their ¡®predicament¡¯. -by order of the Harbor Magistrate, they were guilty of multiple counts against the city of Bothnin -collaborating with the Cult of Loki -destroying any ¡®statues¡¯ in the hydro-electric plant and thereby preventing their cure -eradicating the Basilisk and Bascilus so no venom could be conjured for an anti-venom -they were charged with attempting to blow up the power plant -attempting to turn the Basilisk and Bascilus towards Bothnin Harbor -their ship (the Gigas Dura) was impounded and their ¡®crew¡¯ jailed -contraband on the Gigas Dura was seized -Sweiza and Strife would be tortured for any valuable information -the same would happen to their crew -they would be sentenced to hard labor for stealing from the hydro-electric dam -anyone that didn¡¯t cooperating would be executed swiftly and without mercy. In hindsight, Strife should have knocked out the guard, but it hadn¡¯t occurred to her. She¡­ Strife¡¯s thoughts are interrupted when Sweiza lets out yet ¡®another¡¯ whistle. Strife turns to the girl with her (Strife¡¯s) eyebrows raised. ¡°You pick an odd way to make light of our situation.¡± Strife says it with some inquisitive intent. Sweiza doesn¡¯t turn from the window. She lets out ¡®another¡¯ whistle. It takes Strife a moment to realize Sweiza¡¯s method. A ¡®chirp¡¯ finally confirms it. Strife stands up and approaches the window. Outside, some four stories below them, just across the harbor lake, a blue light is slowly moving towards them. Sweiza again lets out another chirp. This goes on for a time until the blue light is in range. It finally returns a chirp and darts up towards their cell. Sprite flies in and lands on all-fours into Sweiza¡¯s cupped hands. He is panting something fierce. ¡°You poor thing, you must be hungry.¡± Sweiza says it with some sly conviction. The sprite looks up at her dismayed. ¡°Sleep first¡­¡± is all he says before he finally passes out. Sweiza looks over to Strife, ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here.¡± Strife looks up at the window; the iron bars are probably the target for that poor thing. She would make it a point to give him some honey for his efforts¡ªbut much later when they are safe and out of Bothnin. ¡ª It is some hours into the night when a groggy Strife is shaken from her sleep by Sweiza. She doesn¡¯t have much time to compound the situation when she hears what sounds like thunder in the distance, but it is odd thunder. ¡°It sounds like they are starting to blast the dam.¡± Sweiza says it with some monotone seriousness. Strife has no idea what the girl means and stares blankly. ¡°How do you know this?¡± Sprite flitters from the door. He tries to speak but it comes out jumbled. He spits out a piece of metal from his mouth. Strife eyes the small metal bit and then her eyes dart to the door handle¡ªpart of the handle is missing and there is a small hole through the handle brace. Strife¡¯s eyes dart to the girl¡ªthis was her plan? It would save them from getting wet, that is for sure. Sprite attempts to speak again, ¡°I heard everything after they caught you!¡± He starts fidgeting in random directions; this is his chance to gain some approval for once! Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Strife pulls herself from a sitting, to a standing position and eyes the door with intent; her focus shifts back to Sprite. ¡°Do tell Sir Herschel.¡± ¡°I stayed out of view from the bat-thing; it was scary!.¡± ¡°Sir Herschel, with haste. I do not think we have much time.¡± Sprite fidgets once. He looks at Sweiza and then to Strife. ¡°The bat-thing made a comment about not expecting Valkyrie out this far¡­¡± Strife¡¯s mind does a double check at the bat creature¡¯s stupidity. ¡°¡­and Odin must be extending his reach. He didn¡¯t say anything else, but carried both of you outside and literally ¡®flew¡¯ you back to Bothnin Harbor. He transformed into a man¡­ er¡­ Dwarf. He stands taller as a bat! I followed him out of view to their stupid leader, uh, magistrate. The bat creature¡¯s name is ¡®Arkis¡¯ and the Harbor Magistrate¡¯s is ¡®Regent¡¯¡­¡± Strife recognizes the name ¡®Regent¡¯. One of the Valkyrie office branches¡ªmore like a wooden shanty¡ªhad his name (among other cult members) on a poster. A few other names also come to mind¡ªListvian, Steronis, Truline and Maolis. The other names didn¡¯t quite seem that important, but ¡®Regent¡¯ is considered a higher ranking member that serves as a middle-man for selling arms in the black market¡ªit would explain the muskets and flintlock pistols appearing in Valhalla¡¯s black market. What next, cannons assaulting Valhalla? That¡¯ll be the day! ¡°¡­because you came they¡¯ve sped up¡­¡± There is another sound of thunder in the distance. ¡°¡­blowing up the dam¡­¡± Strife¡¯s eyes widen and her eyebrows shoot up. Strife interrupts him, ¡°Nevermind that, we can talk along the way. Hurry up with the door handle.¡± Sprite looks from Strife to Sweiza and back to Strife. He salutes and darts off towards the door handle again. ¡°He seems to be taking a liking to you.¡± Sweiza says it non-chalantly, but Strife doesn¡¯t respond. Strife¡¯s arms remain cradled as deliberates their options as she watches Sprite eat through the door handle. His teeth are either made of ¡®sterner stuff¡¯ or his tongue might be enchanted as it makes contact with the metal handle support. As the hole (where the handle was) gets bigger, Sprite finally flies through it. There is a metal click and then a clang as the support latch for the door unhooks. Strife tries to summon her armor with no luck. She turns around and shoves the door hard. It is heavier than she expects, but it does move. She waves with her hand for Sweiza to quit gawking and to hurry up. Sweiza bows her head once in subservience and ushers herself out of the cell. However! Just before she is out the door, she stops and her eyes dart behind her back at the squat toilet. She sticks her tongue out and flips it off for good measure. She flips her head up and goes ¡°Hmph!¡± at it. She lets out an ¡°Eep!¡± as Strife turns around, makes eye contact with her, and then pulls her by the arm and hard. ¡ª Inside the jail halls, the trio find themselves checking every single door possible. Most of them are empty, but they find a few with a single or double occupancy. As far as Strife is concerned, they were all jailed under false pretenses by the magistrate¡ªshe consequently lets them all out and tells them to leave. A few people that decide to stick around are met with a Valkyrie¡¯s wrath as the woman flares up her red wings. The intimidation is enough and they flee. Roughly twenty cells per story, and four stories for a total of some eighty cells checked. It is the closest cells to the actual exit that they find their original ¡®crew¡¯ of the Gigas Dura. They look worse for wear; maybe from the accommodations by Strife¡¯s reckoning. They don¡¯t run into any guards throughout the cell¡ªan odd occurrence. Instead, what they hear is yelling as they reach the exit. The are some twenty people that were released (not including the Gigas Dura¡¯s crew) and then ten guards blocking the exit. The guards are not equipped as she would expect¡ªinstead, they are equipped in an odd type of armor (very thick) and then wielding muskets and flintlock pistols. Strife motions for everyone from the Gigas Dura to stay behind the adjacent wall. She summons every ounce of her being to summon her armor. Nothing happens. She tries summoning something weaker¡ªa scriving mirror and the insurance of an old friend. Nothing happens. She curses her luck. As she looks up trying to figure out what to do, her attention focuses on a blue orb. She raises her voice, ¡°Sir Herschel, how fast can you fly?¡± The Sprite looks at her weird. ¡°I need you to distract the guards.¡± Sprite¡¯s aura suddenly changes to a very bright blue and his wings start fluttering rapidly. Strife raises her hand to the group, ¡°We¡¯re going to charge them bastards. With any luck the ensemble in front of them will get the idea and cause a riot. We¡¯re going to push as hard as we can into them; drop them and grab their weapons, we¡¯re going to need them.¡± There seems to be some hesitation from the Gigas Dura crew. Strife shakes her head and closes her eyes. She raises her hand with three fingers and slowly drops them. Strife nods to Sprite. He flies off. Sprite jumps to the scene. He darts in front of one of the guards and makes a face. He raises his musket, but Sprite jumps onto it and darts of launching himself in front of another guard. Strife¡¯s third finger drops. The original guard raises his musket towards the Sprite. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot you idiot!¡± is what the second guard says. The Sprite suddenly makes a face at the original guard and jumps in front of a third. Strife¡¯s second finger drops. Several of the guards look from the ensemble in confusion at the display by Sprite. He jumps in front of a fourth and fifth guard making a face as at least two of the guards now have their weapons trained on him. When Strife¡¯s final finger drops, she raises her voice, ¡°GO!¡± They charge. Several guards not distracted by Sprite look from ensemble of the ex-convicted to the new arrivals. Some stand there, one or two panic; several raise their weapons. This is all it takes¡ªthe ensemble in front of them charges the guards and a melee ensues. One of the ex-convicted is shot and dropped. One of the guards is tackled and his weapon removed; in turn the firing mechanism is cocked and it is fired at a guard. Sprite dive bombs another guard, this time one of the guards fires at Sprite, but misses and the shot hits the guard. The guard lets out a cry of pain as he is shaken back, but not dropped¡ªhis armor has done its job, but not very well. Strife finally makes contact and kicks the first guard she sees in the groin. He drops his weapon as he instinctively grabs his crotch and drops to the ground. Torry Enders is directly behind her, ¡°Allow me miss!¡± He anchors his body weight as he cradles his arm and hopes sideways and rams his shoulder into the guards helmet. The guard is knocked out ¡°Thanks!¡± Is all Strife says. She looks up as another guard raises the butt end of his musket at her. She looks up knowing she let her guard down. One of the ex-convicts rams him in the side of the gut and drops him. Strife shakes her head and turns around and attempts to tackle another guard. ¡­another shot is fired and a guard goes down. Several of the ex-convicts help to control the riot and drop the guards. The Gigas Dura crew barely hold their own; it is mostly the work of Torry, Lock and Esbjorn that moves two of the guards. It takes three of the other crew to take on one guard. Sweiza takes one look at the guard in front of her. She freezes in fear. Suddenly the guard lets out a grunt as Strife¡¯s boot comes up from under his groin; from behind she has a smirk on her face as her head follows his body jerk and drop to the ground. She reaches over to his dropped flintlock pistol. She looks at him defiantly, ¡°You won¡¯t be needing this.¡± She raises her foot and smashes it on his face. One of the guards manages to wrestle free and charges for the doors. One of the ex-convict dwarves raises a confiscated flintlock pistol and shoots him in the back. The guard topples forward from the impact. It is some four minutes from the start to the end of the skirmish before the guards are subdued. Strife eyes the group under her command; she looks at the ensemble of ex-convicted ¡®assumed¡¯ to be under her command. ¡°We¡¯re going to need more weapons if we¡¯re going to fight our way through to the magistrate.¡± Elga, Ull and to a lesser extent Lars, look a little less enthused by this development; Lars goes so far as to shake his head. One of the ex-convicted speaks up, ¡°Why should we fight your war? We¡¯re free now!¡± There is thunder in the distance; it sounds more like an explosion and they can feel the vibrations through the ground. ¡°They¡¯re blowing up your dam because of the magistrate and his ensemble. Do you want his influence to extend further?¡± Another ex-convicted shakes his head, ¡°I was just abducted. I want nothing to do with this. I suggest the lot of you steal a ship and leave.¡± He turns around and breaks for the exit. Torry tries to chase him but Strife stops him. Several other ex-convicted leave, roughly seven of them. This still leaves their numbers over twenty; enough for three to four squads. Torry speaks up, ¡°We¡¯ll need some of their fancy armor if we¡¯re to avoid their firearms.¡± Strife nods, ¡°Where is their armor?¡± She looks at several of the ex-convicted. One of them speaks up, ¡°It¡¯s in the office over here.¡± He motions and starts walking over to it. Strife is a bit concerned that some of these ex-convicts might indeed be actual criminals that might turn on them, but for now it isn¡¯t the time for debate; she needs their assistance and any manpower will do. Strife takes a silent breath. This is going to be her first ¡®real¡¯ command with others under her. She decides to divide them into three squads¡ªcenter, right and left flanks. They would form one large platoon and make their way towards the magistrate¡¯s office. ¡°I¡¯m sure some of you have your doubts; but rest assured, if we don¡¯t go out fighting, I doubt we will be allowed to simply leave. I think that fate however, might be on our side. As Strife takes a silent breath, there are no further objections. Strife heads towards the office while mentally banking on the jail being enchanted and the release of any repressed abilities once outside the jail. Should this be true, she and her student would summon their armor and head into battle. Strife will also bank on being able to pull her scriving mirror from her being and then summon her ¡®insurance¡¯. Strife continues her rally, ¡°This needs to end.¡± She raises her voice into a battle cry, ¡°Whose with me?¡± There is a cheer from several of the ex-convicts and from Torry. Sweiza and Sprite look from Strife to each other. They are thinking the same thing¡ªthis is the same woman from before? This is the true spirit of a Valkyrie? ¡ª One of the magistrate¡¯s guards charge into the harbor¡¯s main office. The magistrate¡¯s office guards look at the guard once. The guard is breathing hard; he eyes the magistrate. He is about to say something, but things hard of it. He turns around and slams the door behind him and drops the drawbar behind it. ¡°Sir!¡± The guard continues breathing hard. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± The Harbor Magistrate stands up as he barks at the guard; the guard jumps on instinct. ¡°Sir! There is a rebellion! They have a dragon! Our weapons don¡¯t kill it!¡± The Harbor Magistrate stands up, ¡°Absolutely preposterous.¡± Unlike the confusion of his office guards, he walks up calmly and approaches one of three windows overlooking the harbor. His eyes widen at the disturbance. He can see small figures running around in the dim (emergency) lightning of the harbor. There are small patches of fire here and there. He doesn¡¯t understand, how could¡­ the dragon. He sees it only as fire coming out of a long black neck. It comes out as a quick fireball as it hits a group of guards. He eyes the windows once. They are triple reinforced crystal, something not easily destroyed by cannonballs and gunpowder based weapons; but dragonfire is an untested variable. He maintains his calm demeanor and raises a hand to his guard. ¡°Get the escape boat ready¡­¡± The guards still seem a bit confused by his command. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there you twit, do it now!¡± The guards stand firm and salute. All of the guards leave, and the magistrate stays behind. He pulls up something hidden behind the books in the bookshelf behind him. It is a large case. He pulls out a strange device; it doesn¡¯t look unlike a musket. A figure comes out from a door in a dark corner behind the bookcase¡ªopposite the door the guards took for escape procedure. It is the bat creature from the power plant. ¡°You are going to use that thing?¡± The Harbor Magistrate clearly has command over him, ¡°I¡¯m not one to sit around and let fate decide for me. Go with the guards. I¡¯ll test the weapon and have a full report for our superior.¡± The magistrate¡¯s eyes narrow at the thought of his ¡®superior¡¯. His contempt for that bastard has no bounds. The bat creature is about to say something when the magistrate points the weapon at him. The bat creature holds up his hands in submission and backs towards the escape door. ¡°I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going, but Viola will here about this!¡± He dashes through the door. The magistrate curses the name of his superior, ¡®Viola¡¯. If he could, he would use the weapon on her instead. He walks up to the door and retracts the drawbar. This is all Viola¡¯s fault for stationing him here; we wanted the Vanir assignment. No doubt Viola was behind the rebellion, he (the magistrate) is sure of it. He silently wishes mercy for his soul for what he is about to do. ¡ª The first twelve minutes are met with little resistance; two guards attempt to stop them, but quickly surrender when they realize how many people they are up against¡ªothers, mostly civilians, either gawk at the sight or run out of the way. She goes straight for contacting her insurance. Strife holds up the lead with an odd type of shield from the jail¡¯s armory; it can project a barrier to either side of itself. It proves useless at first until about seven minutes later and the harbor guard starts to come towards them. She feels every musket bullet as it hits the shield. As each bullet hits, she can feel something in her being literally changing. It¡¯s as if it is wearing her down. She isn¡¯t certain, but it is probably one of many enchantments that uses an item (in this case the shield) to project a being¡¯s soul. Mana as it is called, can actually strip a person and leave them bed ridden if such an enchantment or talisman is used for too long. She feels as if her muscles begin to ache she drops her flintlock pistol and summons with all of her being her scriving mirror. She can hear what sounds like loud thunder repeatedly on the other end. ¡°Are you there? What are you doing? She can¡¯t see his face or form, but the mirror glows when his voice speaks, ¡°You didn¡¯t check in, so I decided to play with their cannon guard. Did it work?¡± His voice sounds raspy and as hoarse as ever. Strife thinks thoughtfully about it for a second. Was the blasting she heard earlier not just dynamite, but perhaps a distraction for them while they were in the jail? There were not many guards in the immediate area and they didn¡¯t meet resistance until just a little bit ago¡ªit makes sense. ¡°Yeah, it works. You should be able to crack through the transparents domes they are using to let in light. I need you down h¡­ ah!¡± Strife feels something she can¡¯t quite describe in her being; it feels like a phantom pain that starts as a pin prick but starts to wash over her body. More bullets hit the shield. She starts to hear an odd cracking noise in front of her. ¡°Surt, I need you!¡± Strife drops to one knee to steady herself. The shield lets out an odd noise, it is not unlike glass cracking, but it echoes with an odd reverb. Many shards of the barrier the shield was projecting suddenly break away the the shield itself starts to dull to an odd black. Strife eyes it once. ¡°Surt!¡± She suddenly unfastens the shield from her arms and drops it to the ground. She rolls out of the way just as her armor disappears. She can feel every muscle in her body ache. ¡°Strife!¡± Sweiza suddenly breaks formation and begins running over. Strife cries out, ¡°No!¡± to her, but Sweiza doesn¡¯t listen. Strife is soon behind her. ¡°Sprite!¡± Sprite darts in front of them and creates mid-air the same crystalline substance Strife and Sweiza had encountered in Southerly Village. It appears and grows fast as it hits the ground. Sweiza gasps, ¡°The door lock! Of course!¡± She eyes the crystalline substance once; but turns her back to it and kneels down, using her armor as an extra layer of protection. ¡°Strife, you¡¯re alright? Strife shakes her head. She looks up as she can hear bullets chipping away at the crystalline tree continuing to grow in front of them. Sprite¡¯s wings flutter once and his aura drops to a lighter color. He drops to the ground on all fours. ¡°Strife, this isn¡¯t going so well. We need to retreat!¡± Sweiza says it exasperated trying to put Strife¡¯s arm around her (Sweiza¡¯s shoulder). Strife pulls her arm away and shakes her head. She attempts to speak, but it comes out weak. ¡°No¡­ we¡­re so¡­ cl¡­¡± She is interrupted by the sound of something shattering. She looks up at the tree; it still has most of its bulk with many chips in it and bullets flying here and there. She sees the people on the battlefield, but it all feels like a blur. She can feel the life draining from her body. She struggles to keep her vision straight. She looks ahead to the enemy; they have stopped. Something is wrong. She sees a black form; then a bright red light erupt from it¡¯s mouth. The ground underneath it reverberates as it¡¯s legs and hands pound at the ground. Sweiza sees it quite clearly; it is Surt with his red tipped black scales and that grotesque head with horns. She sees him sink his teeth into one of the guards and flips it up. She knows what happens next and turns her head away. She can hear cries in the distance. She then suddenly sees it. One of them running through the flame in panic. It is a wooden puppet. ¡°Strife! They¡¯re from the cult!¡± Strife nods and feels the world fading. She wills her arm up and summons it from her being. She feels it pull from her body and it aches. The penchant appears. She holds it up high and there is a bright white light. The crystal inside of it glows blue and the watch hands suddenly all point directly in front of them towards the office. The multiple hands spin in multiple directions at a high speed and then suddenly a blue light erupts from them. Many strange blue fireballs with a white flame jump from the penchant; they fly into the distance and illuminate some guards. Surt sets his sights on them, spitting more fireballs. Strife sees the dragon attack and maul one of them. Her vision finally goes black. Sweiza feels her mentor¡¯s body go slack; she shakes her to snap her out of it. ¡°Strife? Strife!¡± ¡ª From within his office, the Harbor Magistrate survey¡¯s the harbor. Guards panicking; certain guards have been exposed as cult members due to an unknown magic of foreign science. It is the patch fires that are everywhere that concern him. If the wrong ship gets hit, it can take the whole harbor and its docks with it. He sets his sights on the dragon and its firebreath as the biggest threat; he¡¯ll pick off the others with relative ease (later) with the weapon. As the dragon makes its way within five hundred feet of the office, the magistrate takes aim. He lets out a grunt as he pulls the trigger of the musket. He can feel the weapon penetrate his being as it harvests part of his ¡®mana¡¯. The barrel glows red and a glowing blue projectile launches itself out of the weapon. The projectile misses as it fires overhead the dragon. It is a good test shot, but he can tell the weapon hasn¡¯t been tuned to him due to the way his body ached that first shot. He¡¯ll need to be careful from here on. Suddenly he freezes. The dragon is looking straight at him. It¡¯s eyes glow red and it launches a fireball at the office. He jumps back through the door and behind the windows. The fireball misses him, but it hits the window in front of him and then also the adjoining window; both flicker a light blue as the fireball is absorbed. The magistrate stands up and musters his courage. He takes aim again; this time using the spyglass on the weapon. He feels his soul being penetrated as the weapon charges more mana and converts it into another blue projectile. This one also misses. The dragon suddenly takes off running and takes flight straight at him. The magistrate stiffens his body and tries the spyglass again; this time he tries to channel all of his might as he pulls the trigger. He feels his muscles ache after the firing and charging process. This time a giant projectile the size of a cannon ball shoots out of the weapon. It flies forward at great speed. The dragon flies to evade it, but the giant cannon sized bullet hits him in the spread of his wing and he lets out a howl as he drops to the ground. The magistrate feels the ground shake underneath him. This time he scopes the entourage some distance off, still heading towards him - they are people he had specifically falsely arrested to serve as guinea pigs for his ¡®experiments¡¯. He gets an idea, it might hurt a bit, but he¡¯ll be able to hit many targets at once. He tries to concentrate on all targets at once and then fires the trigger of the weapon multiple times. This time he feels multiple simultaneous stabbings in his heart, lungs, gut and spine. There is an eruption from the barrel of the weapon as multiple blue cannonball sized shots fly out. The area in front of the enemy entourage is hailed with many bullets at once. He uses the spyglass to track his enemies. He sees at least three of the shots connect; dropping at least two of the entourage. He can feel his body ache. His feet start to stiffen. He knows it is starting. The barrel of the weapon glows a bright red. He can feel its heat burning his hands. He lets out a cry of pain as he drops it. He eyes the weapon as the metal of the barrel and firing mechanism start to fade and turn to black. He¡¯s knows he¡¯s done too much. There is still time to fix this. He turns around and heads for the exit. His feet feel heavy. He can feel them stiffening. His feet hit the ground harder as he gets close to the door. The door swings open. ¡°Enders? Report! Who are these people? What do they really want?¡± His demeanor isn¡¯t changed despite the situation and his predicament. ¡°They are Valkyrie on an unknown mission my lord.¡± The magistrate notices the handle of the large two headed battle axe in Enders¡¯s right arm. ¡°Enders, I need you to protect me; I¡¯ve used too much of the weapon¡­¡± The magistrate sounds frantic, but his order is firm. ¡°An excellent appraisal my lord.¡± A strange smile creeps across Enders¡¯s face as he motions with his head for the magistrate to look down at his (the magistrate¡¯s) own feet. The Harbor Magistrate¡¯s anxiety forces him to look down in submission. Where his bare feet should be in sandals, he sees his feet and just above the ankle have started turning to stone. He tries to move his toes, but cannot feel them. ¡°Enders, help me; we can still get to the airship.¡± His voice has become more frantic as he feels the feeling just below his knee give out. ¡°I think not my lord. I¡¯ve had a change of heart.¡± The strange smile on Enders¡¯s face reappears. This time he hoists the axe into the air and flings the upper handle into his other arm. He braces it. ¡°This is treason! I¡¯ll have you hung!¡± His voice sounds weak. He attempts to back up, but trips backwards. One of his hands braces him on the ground. The other he holds up for Enders to stop. He suddenly feels that hand turning to stone at the fingers. ¡°Enders, this isn¡¯t our way!¡± It comes out pleading, almost begging from the magistrate¡¯s mouth. ¡°I know. But after seeing those Valkyrie, I know that there are other ways in this world. It¡¯s just a pity you won¡¯t be alive to see it.¡± The magistrate¡¯s head hits the ground after one quick swing from Enders¡¯s axe. The head rolls a few times. Enders sees it slowly turning gray. He raises his axe and then smashes it down into the magistrate¡¯s still transforming head. It shatters into many pieces creating dust; the shards that hit the ground finally lose their color and turn black. The main battle is over; there are a still a few stragglers to clean up. Enders will need to come up with a good cover story for the Valkyrie and their entourage. But for now, there will be some stability in the region, which is all he and fellow dissenters in the cult really wanted. ANBLII - Chapter 23 - Myrkvellir, Where No Valkyrie Dares to Tread It starts with a rustling of covers. It feels warm. An arm pulls. She can hear breathing. She feels her own heartbeat. The headache is the first thing to hit. Her body aches; it is quite sore. She remembers she has long hair¡ªshe can feel it behind her head. She can¡¯t feel her legs. Wait, no¡­ yes, she can. Something is very wrong. She tries to summon all of her might and it fails. A breath escapes. Her eyes open weakly. A girl with brown hair is staring down at her; she blinks once. ¡°Strife, your awake!¡± ¡°Who¡­you¡­Vera¡­why¡­¡± Strife¡¯s words come out weak; her body attempts to pass a groan, but it comes out as a weak breath. She can feel aches all over her body. She finally gives up as a breath escapes her lips. ¡°You gave us quite a scare back there.¡± Sweiza¡¯s voice shows some form of relief towards her mentor; perhaps for the first time since she has met her. Sweiza feels more relief as she gets to finally speak about events ahead, ¡°We¡¯re currently¡­¡± Strife lets out something akin to soft groan, but it comes out as a whimper. Sweiza is up from her chair and her hands brace the bed. ¡°Strife!¡± Strife passes out. ¡ª ¡°Dear Journal, It has been quiet in the three days since we have bid farewell to ¡®Bothnin¡¯. Most of the crew seem uneasy and unable to speak to each other. I think they are just happy knowing we are not fighting any Harbor Magistrates or facing turbulence from ¡®The Cult of Loki¡¯; at least I hope not anytime soon. As for the cult, one of our own crewman, ¡°Torry Enders¡±, is a member. I was shocked, if not worried when I found out. But he assures me that there are other members like him; they have entirely different reasons for being in the cult. ¡®Great Change¡¯ was his watchword¡ªbut for a peaceful livelihood that would benefit everyone. Mr. Enders understood why I¡ªmyself and others in the crew¡ªdid not want him to come with us. He did give us an enchantment to contact him from his ¡®soul mirror¡¯ when he found out we were heading to Myrkvellir¡ªit seems he is quite knowledgeable about areas bordering Niffleheim Along with Mr. Enders, we have lost another crewman. Ulla¡ªwhom lost her husband¡ªwas traveling to Bothnin originally before the incident with Delphis and Alcyon. I wish her the best of luck; I hope she finds herself safe and in good health in coming years. But what lies ahead for her, and then I wonder what fate has in store for the rest of us? For starters, Salmira has already seen to that. I, rather the Gigas Dura crew and myself, will be heading to Myrkvellir. There are a series of ¡®circumstances¡¯ in that region which required our attention. She would not allude to what¡ªsomething to do with a statue that cries in the rain and then an abandoned castle. She disappeared before I could ask further; her aurora also caused quite a stir to the crew as it is normally not seen by anyone. Her ¡®aurora¡¯ is the myth of legends; if only people knew that ¡®the witch¡¯ can travel through time and alter it as she sees fit. I do not know about ¡®Salmira¡¯, but what I do know is that I have heard of ¡®Myrkvellir¡¯ ever since I was a child. It is the land of legend rooted in illusion. It is supposedly the realm where a person can sleep and then everything in this world¡ªthrough all the nine realms¡ªvisits us in our dreams. I¡¯m not sure what they mean by that, but I¡¯m sure Demi will visit me when the time comes. Myrkvellir is also supposed to be an area inhabited by enchanted beings, creatures of the occult; and then the expected goblins, gremlins and dragons of course. I am worried about Strife. She has been in charge up until now; somehow dragging me into her tutelage and then this mysterious ¡®journey¡¯ and ¡®life quest¡¯ of hers. She says it has everything to do with me; but I¡¯m not sure what she means. Is Odin really that bad? I have my own reasons, but that is for another day. For the time being, she has been bed ridden and passing in and out of consciousness. Several of us have decided to maintain bedside vigil for her when she finally wakes up. Her condition is the result of a ¡®soul device¡¯¡ªmuch in the same fashion as a ¡®soul mirror¡¯¡ªit uses a person¡¯s soul (or being) and to power said device. The problem is it isn¡¯t a sure thing¡ªtoo much use of the device, and it is different for everyone¡ªand it can wipe their soul out of existence. What is left is a soulless husk where the body has turned to stone. That is at least what Mr. Enders told me concerning the Magistrate and his shattered ¡®stone¡¯ remains in the harbor office. Strife is still alive without those bad consequences, but it seems to have drained her completely, much in the same way the ¡®berserkergang¡¯ leaves a person bedridden for several days. I hope she will be okay. I kick myself every hour for not asking Salmira about it. I am not sure what Strife will say about my decision, but until she is awake, I am technically the one in charge; or so Olaf has informed me due to the fact it was our (Strife and myself) ship before the survivors came on board. I have decided after Myrkvellir we would head back up towards Muspell to return Elga, Lock and Olaf to their homeland; there was no objections. I have decided the rest of the crew will also be returned to their homelands¡ªwhich is sometime away in the lands of Alfgard and Vanir. Thankfully, we do not have to worry about supplies for some time¡ªthe harbor inhabitants, and especially Mr. Enders were more than happy to fill us ¡®up to the gills¡¯. The entire ship is overloaded with supplies, both above and below deck. We¡¯ve had to take to sleeping on the floor, but that is something everyone of us has gotten used to. It still looks funny to see large crates and barrels that have been roped down to the sides of the ship. I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t sunk with all of this stuff! I did not mean to make this entry long, but it feels so long since my last one before ¡®Bothnin¡¯. One other thing to account for is that two of our crewman are a little worse for wear. Lock had a bullet graze his ear, but he is otherwise alright. Douglas got the worst of it; but thankfully he was wearing that strange armor that stopped the bullet from hitting his heart. He still has a nice bruise from it, so the armor is not one hundred percent effective. On the other hand, Sprite is in better spirits these days. He was personally awarded (by Mr. Enders) different ¡®sweet things¡¯ and other sugary supplies from the Harbor Magistrate¡¯s own food stores. The man (the magistrate) was clearly a glutton, and it would explain why he was so fat. The fool! Mr. Enders also gave me first choice of anything that was from the magistrate¡¯s collection¡ªany curio that wasn¡¯t needed by the cult of course. In my ¡®being¡¯ are many vials of basilisk venom, as well as many husks of basilisk eggs; Mr. Enders assured me that Strife would survive the ¡®soul shield¡¯, as well as the curse that comes from expending oneself with it¡ªhe also assured me that she would be most interested in the ¡®spoils of victory¡¯. Whatever. There were many different curios in the magistrate¡¯s collection. I took everything that Mr. Enders himself didn¡¯t need or want. I do not know if it will be useful, but he told me they are the spoils of victory. I suppose. I feel like a thief, but that is nothing new; old habits die hard as they say. Lastly, there is the matter of the cult members that escaped. Mr. Enders has assured me they would not get far and that they would be hunted down. The dwarves apparently have a ship which can fly in the air. It makes transportation quite easy to other areas. The reason we don¡¯t see them in Midgard is due to such things being outlawed. I had not seen one of them until I had been in Bothnin. Technology! P.S. It will be at least two days before we make it to Myrkvellir. During this time I have chosen to name this leg of our journey, ¡°Myrkvellir, Where No Valkyrie Dares to Tread¡±. I think it sounds fitting, as we do not know what lies ahead of us; but that could also be said about Bothnin and Jotunher before we arrived. -Sweiza Serif¡± ¡ª Sweiza orders the Gigas Dur to be anchored two miles from shore. The crew is not to come with; Vali objected strongly saying, ¡°I¡¯ve come all this way, dealt with the loss of both my team and crew; then my science instruments; then dealing with Delphis and Alcyon. I surely object!¡± Sweiza agrees to let him come along, provided he shares his research with Strife. He has no objections. By the time she has gotten to shore, a certain dragon makes himself known to the trio of Sweiza, Sprite and Lars. ¡°Were you following us? I haven¡¯t seen you since the battle.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes are wide-eyed and full of enthusiasm at the fact the dragon lived. ¡°Your ship is easy to trail underwater.¡± Surt then raises one of his wings with a hole in it. His raspy voice is unmistakable. ¡°A new breed of pest has a stronger weapons.¡± Sweiza gapes at it. The dragon seems unphased by the girl¡¯s wonder; he instead blows a puff of breathe from his nostrils at Sweiza. She shields her face with her arms. ¡°Yuck! Dragon breath!¡± Sprite lets out a laugh at her; she swats her hand towards the ground as a warning. He immediately shapes up. No sweet things for him if he misbehaves. ¡ª The pace and their going is touch and go. The dragon doesn¡¯t seem to mind; at least he hasn¡¯t said anything¡ªbut Vali¡¯s constant observance of plants, writing into a notebook, and then having to capture their ¡®souls¡¯ with that strange device of his¡­ ¡°Vali, really! We¡¯re not going to make good time before dark!¡± Sweiza suddenly jumps when Vali turns around with the strange device pointed at her. She lets out an audible ¡®eek!¡¯. She quickly rushes up and swats the device out of his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t ever point that at a person!¡± Sweiza¡¯s frantic words are lost on the light elf. ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd! You backdwellers of Midgard are so¡­¡± Vali freezes as the shadow of something looms over him. He spins around and drops the ¡®device¡¯. His body shrinks and his guard drops completely; his absolute submission is apparent. Trembling, the light elf attempts to stand his ground. He attempts to speak, but Surt is not one to back down. The dragon adds further emphasis to effect as he rears up on his hindlegs and spreads his arm wings; the sun is blocked out for the immediate area as the dragon¡¯s eyes glow red at the light elf. ¡°Know your place; or I¡¯ll find a new one for you in the pit of my stomach.¡± The light elf isn¡¯t phased. He¡¯s stopped trembling and sees through the dragon¡¯s bravado. ¡°You¡¯re a fool! Your kind is the re¡­¡± Surt isn¡¯t having any of it and lets out a fireball at a tree behind Sweiza. The girl looks around at it wideeyed. Her head turns back around towards Surt. She can¡¯t read his intentions; just whose side is he on anyway? ¡°Surt!¡± The dragon drops back down to all fours. His tongue flicks out through his mouth once. He simply walks past the girl without a care. His tail swishes the now fiery emblazoned tree for effect and cracks it over. It hits the His head looks back at Vali and then to the girl. He turns his head back around and holds it up as if imitating snobbery amongst humans; he flicks his tongue up towards the sky for good measure. ¡°We have to go.¡± Sweiza looks at him with some discontent. She doesn¡¯t wait for his response and turns around to follow the dragon. Vali looks at the girl¡¯s back to him. He adjusts his glasses. If only there were others from the Dura here; but they might outnumber him. The dragon is the most powerful being here; maybe the other Valkyrie. He analyzes the situation. He¡¯s outnumbered and has no combat skills. Better to play along and get his ¡®photos¡¯ with his parch capturer.* *parch capturer - a strange device not unlike a camera in usage and appearance. It literally uses the sun to burn an image into one of many square pieces of ¡®ash paper¡¯. As the name suggests, it captures mostly in grey and white, and a few shades of black. Coincidentally, Sweiza¡¯s reckoning about it being a ¡®soul stealer¡¯ is not mistaken; the device will capture the imprint of a person¡¯s aura, particularly those that have enchantments about them. To a citizen of Midgard, this is how it gets its name as a ¡®Soul Stealer¡¯. Vali decides not to argue. He scrambles for his device and the small rucksack that carries his research. ¡ª Vali disagree¡¯s with Sweiza¡¯s reasoning; they have plenty of food on the Gigas Dura. There was absolutely no need to leave it behind. Sweiza disagrees. Hunting helps conserve food (¡®resources¡¯ as Strife calls it). Besides, Sweiza is in charge and wants fresh meat; Surt and Sprite have no objections. Vali winces as Sweiza¡¯s arrow hits its target and the small rodent squeals in pain. There is absolute delight on Sweiza and Sprite¡¯s face as they look at each other. ¡°Dewey!¡± She lets out a cheer of the Sprite¡¯s name and he flies after the direction of the arrow. Vali¡¯s eyes close as he minces his words and shakes his head. Years at the elven academy and this is what he is forced into in the name of ¡®Botany¡¯. ¡°Goddess Freya help me!¡± is all that enters his mind. Surt is most excellent (according to Sweiza) in flushing out rodents; they are quite plentiful and dinner is soon served. Vali winces and shrinks at the stick with rodent meat on it. Sweiza shoves it in his face. ¡°Eat. We don¡¯t want to hear your complaining about being hungry.¡± He finally obliges. It doesn¡¯t taste bad; but he¡¯s had better. The spice¡ªMidgard pepper, is not much to his liking. But whatever. Sweiza sits back and looks up at the sun; a happy expression on her face. This journey, and especially the day, are becoming better and better. The thought of the arrows and crossbow enter her mind. Torry had mentioned a mythical crossbow that could fire enchanted arrows that returned to the owner¡¯s hand. Such a device is a thing of legend. It is called an Atlas Bow. Sweiza instinctively rolls her eyes at the thought; it gets a peculiar look from the dragon. She says nothing. Sweiza has heard of the Atlas Bow. To have it told by Torry, the weapon was designed by Vanir mages and then forged in Alfgard. People blame the Muspell-Valhalla War as to the reason its location became vulnerable to pirates. It was eventually recovered, but sits in a museum in Muspell. Odin has been trying to retrieve it for his personal collection ever since. In her own time, Sweiza has heard of the same kind of enchanted bow that sits in a museum. It is closely guarded, but it would be the perfect hunting weapon. She looks down at the crossbow next to the fire. It is mostly metal and of dwarven design. Torry had insisted she take it with many quivers of arrows. It wouldn¡¯t be needed by the magistrate¡¯s guards now that they had fled. Sweiza agreed on the grounds it would help with hunting; but more importantly, because she could treat the arrows as disposable; something she would never do with her own collapsible shortbow. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Perhaps Torry was trying to win her over. She doesn¡¯t know. Thinking of Torry, she finally pops her question to Vali. ¡°You had mentioned you were part of an elven academy. Did they ever mention the Cult of Loki?¡± ¡°Never mention that name to me again!¡± He stands up and stamps his foot at the ground; sending dust into the fire. Sweiza pulls her stick with meat away. Sprite flies up eye-level with Sweiza. He looks back to the sleeping dragon; he then looks to Vali. The elf flinches backwards once. ¡°Sorry.¡± It comes out in a very meek voice. Sweiza and Sprite both look at each other. Sweiza lets out a smile and the Spritekin lets out a grin. Vali is funny, even if it isn¡¯t intentional. ¡ª Towards evening, Sweiza is alerted to Surt letting out a puff of smoke from his nostrils. As she steps forward to see what is the matter, she catches the distinct lack of birds chirping. She looks around. Sprite is hovering motionless in the air; Vali is staring in the same direction as Surt; they are both looking at a red aurora. This can only mean that¡­ ¡°Hello again.¡± Sweiza jumps and her head bolts down. Salmira is directly in front of her. ¡°Quit doing that! You need to appear like a normal person!¡± Salmira¡¯s eyebrows perk up. She looks up at the aurora. ¡°You say that now, but at the end of this little meeting you¡¯ll ask me to accompany you throughout Myrkvellir.¡± ¡°As if!¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms cross and she bolts her body in the opposite direction as Salmira. Her closed eyes open and she chances looking back in satisfaction at Salmira¡¯s reaction. The woman isn¡¯t there. She knows what is coming next. She just catches the red hair in her peripheral vision; she winces as she turns back around. Before she (Sweiza) admits defeat, there is one last act of defiance in her voice, ¡°Travel to a crescent shaped beach and then south by southwest on foot. Now what?¡± Salmira perks up. ¡°Very good.¡± Sweiza lets out a grumbled breath of discontent. ¡°Oh you; you act as if it will be as bad as that Bothnin incident.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow into a frown. Salmira shakes her head, ¡°Right then. The Cult of Loki is present here in Myrkvellir. They are up to a few things that I need taken care of. You do have a map don¡¯t you?¡± Sweiza holds out her hands and sheepishly shakes her head. Salmira tilts her head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Lady Strife normally poke and prod you into being well prepared?¡± ¡°She is currently on the Dura sick fighting the effects of a ¡®Soul Shield¡¯.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes close and she shakes her head. She can¡¯t believe she is feeling ¡®anything¡¯ for Strife¡¯s well being. Sweiza is snapped back to reality. ¡°Oh, one of those. She¡¯ll be fine. She lives through the effects and is a little wiser towards how they work. Spe¡­¡± Sweiza interrupts Salmira. ¡°I don¡¯t mind running these little errands for you. But it would be nice to have a little support from you every now and then.¡± Salmira¡¯s mouth turns into a light smirk. Sweiza sees the reaction, but isn¡¯t quite sure what it is for. ¡°If you actually stayed with us, there wouldn¡¯t be a need for a map, or these little ¡®meetings¡¯ of ours.¡± Salmira¡¯s head tilts to the side. Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow. Sweiza¡¯s face drops in surprise. ¡°Fine, whatever!¡± She turns around and storms off. ¡°Vorkera, what are you doing? That aurora belongs to Salmira!¡± Vali makes an attempt at discourse, but Sweiza storms right past him. Sprite soon zooms past Vali; the dragon¡¯s head follows the Sprite. He looks back at Vali, but is content to leave him there. The group pushes forward through the current forest for another hour before setting up camp¡ªa red aurora watching over them the entire night. ¡ª Children are dressed in masks and clothing which can only be described as backwater, yet tribal. There skin and hair color, are varying shades of blue, green and yellow, if not a single solid color; their eyes follow much the same. The pointed ears are what stand out the most. Sweiza recognizes them as gremlins. Her attention shifts to the cheers of adults as the children dance. Sweiza stops one of them to ask what kind of festival they are celebrating. They say they have caught dinner. Sweiza says it smells good. She is curious what is for dinner. They say that ¡®she¡¯ is for dinner. A horrified Sweiza looks down to see that she is naked inside of a cauldron. The water in it bubbles up at her¡ªone of the bubbles pop and a green carrot floats up where the bubble was. She eyes it once. It smells good. Wait, what is she thinking? Suddenly something odd floats by. It looks like a rat tail. She tries to let out a shriek, but she feels her body lock; the situation continues to overwhelm her and she feels herself pass out. --- During the morning, Vali wakes up from a very restful sleep¡ªquite good in fact¡ªhe hasn¡¯t slept this well in a long time. A long yawn escapes his lips, but he feels something wet tickle them. His hand instinctively reaches up to deal with ¡®whatever¡¯ it might be. His eyes crack open at what lies in his fingers. A spider. He flings it away and pulls himself up to a sitting position; another yawn escapes his lips. ¡°Lady Vorkera, when are we leaving, I have¡­¡± He stops short after looking around. Their camp is empty. For that matter, he is in a strange location. It is a clearing. He pulls himself to his feet. He appears to be lost and outside of his entourage. All the better for him; they were only getting in the way. He is about to start on his way, but he notices something odd about the trees¡ªrather it is their shadows that are catching his attention. The shadows are moving! His parch capturer is already out and he starts snapping a few imprints of the phenomenon. The academy will surely like this; it will probably get him a writeup in a peer reviewed newsletter, or better still¡ªa newspaper! He controls himself from taking more than three imprints. His equipment is valuable and he is here for botany after all. He looks down and sees some moss has covered the bottom of his feet. He shakes his foot once and it slides off. His shoes look odd. He wonders. He sees the shadows moving again and starts to look up at the sky. The sun and moons of Avalan are moving quite fast across the sky¡ªthey soon set. He can clearly see the stars in the sky, but they also appear to be moving. That infernal red aurora is also appearing and disappearing, but faster than he is used to seeing. Night soon turns to day; the sun quickly moves across the sky. Vali scratches his head at the phenomenon. Myrvellir is known as ¡®The Land of Illusion¡¯, but legends also speak of it being able to convert a person¡¯s dreams to reality. He looks down in thought. There is more moss growing on his shoes. He shakes it off again. This time the moss has some roots which have taken hold in the shoes. He looks down and sees the leather is starting to look wetter than it should for the current weather. If this is a dream, he has nothing to worry about, but what if the legends about them becoming reality are true? Could this be one of the fabled illusions? Can the illusions be real? He doesn¡¯t wait around to find out; he starts off walking in the most likely direction the group would have gone without him¡ªsouth by southeast was the original direction for ¡®whatever¡¯ thing Lady Vorkera is after. The thought of her comes up; she didn¡¯t make him privy to what they were looking for, other than the fact they were chasing down the Cult of Loki and the answers to Delphis and Alcyon¡¯s research. He silently hopes when they make it to Niffleheim he can see their souls rotting in misery. A good thought! He stops when he sees the forest¡¯s plumage start to change; fall colors! His parch capturer is out again. The phenomenon with the sun and moons¡ªand then night and day¡ªall continue to shuffle together. He looks down again. The moss has continued to creep up his leg. Why is it doing that? He tries to shake it off. Nothing happens. This time he takes his hands to dust it off. There are moss roots growing out of his right pant leg. The days and nights speed up; the moons closest to the planet are a blur as they shuffle across the sky. The sun is still faster yet. Just what is going on? Soon he is cold. It starts to snow. He feels the bite of cold hit him. It starts to snow. Then a blizzard. He tries to train his cold and shaky fingers on his parch capturer, but his shivering worsens as the cold hits him. He can no longer feel his fingers. He drops the device to push his hands in his shirt; the device can wait, keeping his fingers is top priority. The snow soon melts as spring embraces the area. His body gradually starts to warm up again. When he is relieved that he can feel his fingers again, he starts to walk forward. He feels his feet snag and then rip something. He looks down. There is moss up his shoes, legs and up to his belt. However, it is what is growing out of his shoes that concerns him¡ªthere appears to be a root system. He rips the moss off with some difficulty. He tries to move his feet again, and hears the same tearing as the roots in his shoes have taken hold into the ground; he falls over when one of the stronger roots snag. He tries to pull his shoes off, but they appear to be caught on something. He tries with all of his might, but nothing happens. He can see in real time that moss is starting to grow on his shoes and creep its way up his pants. Great concern is his priority as he pulls off his pants with some difficulty. Horror overshadows his panic as he can see what appears to be tree bark growing up his leg. Wait, no! His legs are turning into bark. He tries to pull his shoes off, but they appear to be solid and stuck. He can¡¯t feel his legs anymore. The moss continues to cover his pants and starts to grow up his leg. He can feel the skin on his lower pelvis turning to tree bark. He can see leaves in front of him; they are moving. Wait, no, they are growing out of his legs! Panic finally sets in. He can¡¯t move his legs anymore. He turns himself on his forearms and crawls forward. His left arm is the first to convert into wood and a tree. He finally crawls with his right arm. He can feel it hardening. He has one last attempt as he reaches up for the sky. The witch is a curse and bearer of ill events within legend and superstition of Alfgard, but perhaps she will help him. He lets out a final cry for help; his right arm hardens solid as it reaches for the sky. An eclipse of one of the moons shines down on him as his last memory is a cry and then a whimper that escapes his lips. His head finally turns to wood and his skin bears a bark covering; his hair finally turns to grass. His hardened body gives way to gravity as the former light elf falls to his side. He is a beautiful tree as his leaves and grass hair sway in the wind. The seasons with no regard, continue to speed up. ¡ª It is night and the stars are out; the full moon of Hayduria casts an eerie glow on the forest below. It is enough to dimply illuminate the forest. Sprite and Sweiza continue walking through the woods when they find themselves in a clearing. Sprite eyes Sweiza once. She seems not to be paying attention. Instead she is staring hard into the woods. He hears her stomach growl. She turns her head around at him. ¡°Perhaps we should start hunting.¡± He nods at the statement; it is a good idea. Sweiza turns around and her body language sharpens. ¡°Sprite, be on your guard. Strange things happen here!¡± Sweiza says it with some serious playfulness at the Sprite. He holds himself firm and gives a salute. He¡¯s heard of Myrkvellir from other Sprites, so he¡¯s no dummy; however, he isn¡¯t about to be outsmarted by fear. Sweiza lets out a click. On cue the Sprite charges ahead into the woods. His reaction times are second to none. But he doesn¡¯t see any birds or rodents. For that matter, he can¡¯t hear birds chirping. He knows this is bad sign from all of his previous hunts with Sweiza. He turns around and bolts back the direction he came. He finds himself in the clearing, but his partner is not there. Instead, he sees a shadow from the opposite edge of the clearing walking towards him. His first instinct is to freeze, but he bolts upwards to the trees. The shadow continues towards him. It is just below the tree. The figure calls out to him. It is a male voice. The sprite hides up near a tree branch. He feels the tree vibrating from several hits. He hears a chopping noise. It takes some time, but the tree starts crack as it leans forward. Sprite tries to fly out from the branch, but the branches of the falling tree get in his way. He snags a twig and cannot break free. He falls with the tree to the ground. He finally takes to using his teeth to biting the twig. He hears footsteps. He looks up to see a dimly lit figure. It looks like Sweiza, but something is off. She has a strange grin on her face. ¡°Sera! I¡¯m stuck, help me!¡± The Sprite looks up with discontent and weary concern in his voice. The figure pulls out a bow. ¡°Why a bow? It¡¯s a waste to use one of your arrows on a tw¡­¡± His ears and body droop when he hears the string of the bow pull tight. The glint of the moonlight on the arrow makes a discernible streak as it flies at Sprite. He lets out a cry when he sees the arrow flying straight for his eyes. ¡ª Surt eyes his mate once. She is a fine creature; a wyvern like himself, but grey iridescent scales that shine a light blue and lavender. What intrigues him is the edges of her scales; they are a dark purple. In the right light she appears a very brilliant emerald green and then different shades of metallic blue. Her colors were simply a bonus; he chose her for her intelligence. The dragon looks up at the sky with intent. Today would be a celestial event. The moons Mek and Mecer would hang in the sky as a double eclipse. The double eclipse would also cause the two dragons to have their scales change color; Surt¡¯s mate in particular would have a brilliant display of pastel and jeweled colors, while Surt himself would simply have a cascade of grey and white flush over his scales. Either way, it would rekindle their vow of the last one hundred years. The event is beginning. The two dragons cradle and then wrap their necks and tails against each other in a typical firedrake (Muspellian) display). The event will last for some time, roughly a few days. However, there is something odd about the eclipse. Both dragons¡¯s eyes narrow. Their excellent eyesight locks in on what appears to be a dragon high in the sky. It lets out a blue firebreath towards one of the moons. The dragon moves closer to the moons. What is this display? No moon is savage enough to¡­ Both dragons look in horror as the firebreath widens and circles the moon. Could this in fact be Moongarm that the gods speak of? Is Ragnarok starting? Worry fills both of the drakes. The firebreath scatters across the moon in disjointed criss-cross fashion. More blue flame erupts from the moon. The moon suddenly splits and the fragments scatter. The double eclipse ends, but another moon is just beginning to eclipse the sun. Something is very wrong. Surt and his mate unwind necks and tails. They take flight into the mid-day sky. The moon destroyer sets its sights on the next moon Mecer. It¡¯s firebreath lunges for and grabs the moon. The criss-crossing fire disjoints itself around the moon; the moon is engulfed and suddenly splits. The fragments move and the sun becomes visible. Something is very wrong. The two dragons cannot understand what it is, but they can tell simply by body language that the other is carefully observing the other. There is no mistrust between them, but they need to find safety for fear of the dragon overhead. Perhaps that dragon is their new leader and will usher them into a new age; but it is doubtful. Dragons do not dare oppose Odin. ¡ª Sweiza stands up sharp and eyes the strange sky. The day and night is shifting faster than it should; the moons and sun flash and arc across the faster than any bird she has seen before; the seasons are also rapidly moving. Sweiza shakes her head and stamps her foot on the ground. ¡°What the hell is this? Salmira, is this more of your crap?¡± Demi quickly flashes in front of her, but he is pale like a ghost. He attempts to speak, but fades from existence. Everything suddenly freezes. Sweiza expects the red aurora, but sees nothing. Salmira suddenly appears in front of her. ¡°Salmira, what is going on?¡± Sweiza stammers in frustration. ¡°Where are my friends?¡± The cycle of day and night starts to change again; the moons pick up again, the sun flashes by the sky; the seasons change once, but they suddenly freeze again. ¡°You¡¯re caught in a time loop.¡± Salmira¡¯s form fades once and then returns to full. She shakes her head up at the sky as the day and night cycle shifts once. ¡°What? How, why? Is this some trick?¡± Sweiza again stammers in frustration. Her voice is exasperated. Salmira shakes her head. ¡°The sentinel of this area still fights me. I have no claim here; she is still allied with Salyra.¡± ¡°What does that mean? Where are the others?¡± Sweiza starts approaching Salmira. Salmira¡¯s form fades again. The woman cradles her arms in frustration. She looks up at the sky as one of the moons streaks; one of the day and night cycles completes before freezing again. Salmira¡¯s face changes to something much more serious as she scowls at Sweiza. ¡°I¡¯m having trouble staying focused on your location¡ªthe same for your friends. The sentinel appears to be teleporting you all over the continent in spurts.¡± Sweiza shakes once and her mouth purses into a disgruntled frown, ¡°Is that why I¡¯m having weird dreams? Are they having the same issue?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. What I do know is you and your friends presences are being shifted around Myrkvellir. There are other presences afoot that are also getting shifted around. I assume ¡®she¡¯ is doing it to keep everyone off guard and hold the advantage. Do not be fooled by her brother; they are controlled by the same tower.¡± Salmira continues the same serious look at the girl¡ªas if staring right through her. ¡°I don¡¯t understand!¡± Sweiza cries out in more frustration. She holds herself steady soon after fearing a slap across the face¡ªperhaps past forewarning from Strife¡¯s harsh lessons. The slap never comes. When Sweiza opens her eyes, Salmira is standing in front of her. ¡°Find the Spirit of Myrkvellir; it is the sentinel that protects this continent. Be warned, she doesn¡¯t trust outsiders; win her over, but do not trust her brother, he has been corrupted by the influence of Loki and Odin.¡± Salmira is quite firm in her voice; this is a mission Sweiza will carry out. Sweiza objects. ¡°What does this have to do with anything? Why does this concern me?!¡± Salmira¡¯s eyes close and she shakes her head. ¡°After Salyra destroyed Mek and Mecer, a fragment of Mek came hurtling down and struck the tower that controls this area. The shield that protects it was destroyed; part of the tower was also destroyed with it. It was left open to Loki and Odin¡¯s influence. The male counterpart of the tower was influenced, the female counterpart chose to hide herself away and complete the mission. They will not listen to me. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± More frustration from Sweiza. Salmira shakes her head. ¡°In order to complete your mission here, you need to get that tower under control. Win the sentinel over; she can get help you.¡± Salmira¡¯s form starts to fade again. She looks up. ¡°Honestly. We¡¯re trying to help.¡± She shakes her head again. ¡°The sentinel has no control over what times and locations you are shifted to; use this to your advantage. Find yourself in a treeless corridor and follow it. The trees will turn into a jungle. Find a large clearing with black, white and violet stones; the tower will be black like obsidian; part of it will be destroyed. It will look like a decaying obelisk or monument. I can¡¯t protect you until the tower is under control; good luck and watch yourself, I can¡¯t have you dieing on me.¡± Salmira¡¯s face suddenly snaps out of reality in a flash. The day and night cycle continues to shift with the moons and sun flying across the sky; the seasons continue to cycle rapidly. Sweiza fumes at this turn of events. She doesn¡¯t have a choice and she knows it. ANBLII - Chapter 24 - To Tame an Obsidian Kaleidoscope The next morning Sweiza awakens to the sound of birds chirping. Something else gets her attention. Rustling in the distance. She is on her feet. She looks in the direction with a scowl. There is a small pale-blue skinned girl with her rucksack. There are flowers in a wreath on her head. Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow further. The girl continues to rummage through the rucksack, eying certain items. The ones that catch the girl¡¯s interest are set down neatly next to her left; anything of no interest is chucked behind her. She hears footsteps rushing towards her. She looks up. A young woman is running up to her. The girl is suddenly on her feet. She turns around to run. However, the rucksack has her attention. She tries to reach down to grab it, but Sweiza tackles her to the ground. The girl fidgets and attempts to squirm free. Sweiza is on her feet; she will have none of this girl¡¯s bad manners. She grips the girl and hard as she forces her to turn around. She is bent over on Sweiza¡¯s knee as she raises her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Sweiza looks up, Demi is standing up. ¡°You didn¡¯t like that same thing from your own village. Why repeat history?¡± Demi¡¯s words spike through Sweiza as she stands up and lets the girl drop to the ground. Sweiza stares down at her harshly. ¡°Don¡¯t dig through my things again.¡± The girl is half in tears as she nods her head. ¡°Go!¡± Sweiza points her hand towards the forest. The girl quickly nods as she runs off in fear. Sweiza¡¯s hands go down to her hips. She looks over at Demi. ¡°What was that about?¡± Demi¡¯s arms cross as he looks at the direction the girl ran. ¡°Trouble. The bad kind. Keep your senses sharp.¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t have time to contemplate what is going on as she can feel her reality distorting and changing. ¡ª Surt hears noises from the jungle behind him. He recognizes them. Basilisk. The murmurs and noises from their mouths are unmistakable. Their eyes glow from behind the dark canvas of trees. His eyes glow red. They approach. They see a large target that will sustain them for some time; he sees many smaller targets that will amplify his magic power. Their gaze attempts to stun him. It has no effect as flames errupt from his mouth. One fireball is spit at them. They scatter. Another fireball erupts from his mouth. His tale swats at them, then the claws on his wing-arms do the same. He jumps and lets loose more fireballs at the scattering prey. He drops to the ground; his tail swipes at a wave of them and sends them flying. He bits at another. His eyes continue to glow red as he fires off another fireball. This will be his easiest catch of enchanted creatures in some time. He only wishes his mate was still alive. ¡ª Sprite finds himself lost. It has been sometime since he abandoned the village. What he needs is a village of humans that will tolerate his presence. All he has to do is stay at the outskirts and take food on occasion. If he can help flush out rats and take care of insects, they will surely grant him protection. Anything is better than clearing trees out of Southerly Village. He finally sees his way out of the jungle. There is a distinct change in the trees from jungle to temperate rainforest. There is a definite clearing between them. His instincts warn him about the clearing, but he follows it anyway¡ªthere could be someone helpful along the way. He continues to follow it, he finds a dense fog in front of him. It appears to be moving quite rapidly. He swears he sees a human form walking through it. He hears a male voice. He feels some kind of ominous magic presence and bolts in the other direction in fear. ¡ª A young Vali holds up a parch capturer. It took him some time to acquire it. He has is own wants for the device¡ªnamely capturing plantlife around Alfgard; but more importantly it is for his sister. She has worked for five long years to complete the Alven Centra Academy (ACA). He wants to help capturer her progress as well as record her research; she is his role model and he wishes to follow in her footsteps. However, the captured image on the parchment is odd. It shows several shadows next to her. He recognizes them as the people that took her into the Cult of Loki. Wait, that can¡¯t be right. That didn¡¯t happen till later. He looks up. He freezes when he sees the figures are next to her. The group slowly walks away from them. He sees something weird as their bodies start to decay. He hears a cracking sound as they harden into tree trunks. Branches and leaves start to sprout from their bodies. He cries out to his sister. She turns around and her face turns grey as it turns into a tree trunk. The same fate happens to her as she turns into a colorful tree with pink leaves. The parch capturer drops out of his hands as he drops to his knees. Tears stream from his face. Why is he seeing this again? Hasn¡¯t he suffered enough? Why must he relive bad events? ¡ª Sweiza pulls hard on her fishing pole. Fishing from the river is proving to be a poor endeavor. She pulls the rod out of the water in frustration and chucks it to the ground. She is about to pack up when she eyes her prize on the opposite side of the river bank. It is a small rabbit. That will do. Her compact bow is out of her rucksack and in her hands. She takes little time to aim as she lets it loose. It hits its mark and the rabbit drops. She is about halfway wading through the river when she sees a small shadow at the opposite side of the bank¡¯s tree clearing. She freezes. The figure approaches the opposite side of the river. It is familiar to her. A small girl? Didn¡¯t she see her some years ago? The girl wears a wreath of flowers on her head. Her flat dark hair is unmistakeable. That pale-blue skin¡­ she (Sweiza) has seen it before. Wait, she has elven ears? Is she a gremlin? They are found mostly in Myrkvellir and western Niffleheim. The girl says something, but Sweiza doesn¡¯t catch it. ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Sweiza continues wading over. The river is flowing faster than she thought before. It increases in speed as she makes it to the shore. She eyes her prize, now hanging in the girl¡¯s hand. ¡°Why are you killing the animals in my kingdom?¡± The girl asks with much regret. ¡°I need to eat.¡± Sweiza reaches out for it. The girl pulls it away. ¡°Please leave my island.¡± The girl asks it with a soft voice. ¡°I can¡¯t, I need to finish something here; but I forget what.¡± ¡°Your group is causing problems on my island.¡± ¡°Wait, you know where they are?¡± The girl starts backing away from Sweiza. Sweiza is about to approach her when she hears splashes behind her. She turns around. There is a taller boy standing there with an axe; he isn¡¯t unlike the girl in appearance. He is wearing a vest and pants; but they are dark and pale in color and look ripped. He eyes Sweiza once. He hoists the axe in his hands. Sweiza starts to back up. He charges her and swings the axe. Sweiza feels reality black out on her. ¡ª Surt gallops on all fours towards the sentinel charging him. He knows it as one of the iron race of Midgard. It and several others killed his group; but more importantly, it killed his mate. The battle between the two groups left only two of them alive¡ªSurt and the sentinel. The bodies of damaged machines and and gored dragons litter the clear the grassed hills around them. Many trees are uprooted from the battle. He would make it pay. Enough fireballs will melt its metal hide, but he has to be careful¡ªthat strange machination in front of him has weapons of its own and they can easily pierce dragonhide. The battle between them is at a stalemate. Everytime the sentinel approaches, Surt sends a fireball at it or flies just out of distance. Something strange shoots out from the sentinel¡¯s sight and towards Surt. He is not familiar with it, but it is some strange ray of red light. It is blinding. Surt attempts to move out of the way, but the sentinel¡¯s head and then the light follow him. Surt is forced towards several trees blocking his path. He attempts to fly, but is prevented from doing so due to the height of the trees. He attempts to knock them over. The sound of something alien to him alerts him and he forces his body around. He stands up on his hind quarters as he eyes the sentinel. Something strange is in the sentinel¡¯s hand; it appears to be some kind of spear. It raises its hand, ready to throw the spear. As it steps forward a voice stops it. ¡°Sentinel! Stand down!¡± The sentinel stops. Surt¡¯s eyes follow the sound of the noise. As the figure approaches, it is a Valkyrie. She is in blue armor with white cloth; she looks young. Her voice speaks again. ¡°Sentinel, you will not battle in the Dawez Province by sanction of Odin.¡± The sentinel turns around. ¡°This is not your battle. Stand down.¡± ¡°Negative. You are in the Dawez Province, outside of Odin¡¯s jurisdiction. I hold sole domain here as a vassal of Odin. You will stand down or I will have you destroyed.¡± The woman¡¯s voice is sharp. Surt¡¯s eyesight catches her blue eyes. Her hair is blonde. There is a brief silence from the sentinel. He points his spear at the Valkyrie. ¡°Do you dare to trifle with treason? Look around you. Huginn and Muninn are about us.¡± The sentinel¡¯s angular, but square head looks up. He confirms the pair of raven are circling the battle. It eyes the Valkyrie. The spear in its hands disappears. It seemingly folds and bends its body into something akin to a bird and flies up towards the sky. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Wretched blasphemy of alchemy.¡± The Valkyrie looks up as the sentinel disappears into the sky. The two ravens follow its direction of travel. By her estimate it is heading back in the direction of Midgard. The Valkyrie appears in front of the dracokin. To her it looks like a firedrake, definitely Muspellian in origin. These things were responsible for the start of that stupid war. She could kill it, but she has reservations about such things around Maria, let alone in the Dawez Province. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. She points her sword at the dragon as a threat display, but quickly sheaths it. The dragon eyes her once. She eyes it with intent. It has several fatal wounds which will be fatal if not treated. ¡°What do you want with this one?¡± The dragon asks her with a raspy, but suspicious voice. ¡°I suppose your name would be a good start. I am known as Lady Strife, I am a Valkyrie and vassal to the will of Odin.¡± Strife bows. The dragon blinks at her. Can this feeble creature be so serious as to take him on? ¡°You cannot beat me in a fight. Leave.¡± The dragon rasps his words at her as he flicks his tongue out. The woman stands firm. ¡°Perhaps we can come to an agreement; something mutually beneficial in the grand scheme of things.¡± Strife¡¯s hand comes up to a lock of her hair as she preens it once. ¡°I highly doubt that.¡± The dragon attempts to turn and walk away. Strife blocks his path of travel, ¡°I¡¯m sure there is something we can both benefit from if we work together.¡± The dragon blinks at her as he flicks his tongue again. Is this human female serious? A deal between a dragon and human? Time will tell if this ¡®deal¡¯ she speaks of¡ªwill actually amount to anything. What he wants is gold, and the lead to the ship his group was chasing, turned out to be a setup by those blasphemous sentinels. He looks down at her once, but suddenly looks up as he sees the world fading. The darkness closes in on him. The woman disappears. He claws at the darkness as it envelopes his being and he feels himself disappear from existence. ¡ª From atop a tree Sweiza hides behind the main truck; she uses a small mirror to show what is behind her. There is something odd about the people in this village. Several of them are frozen as tree trunks. They have what she can describe as pointed ears; she is not familiar with their race; gremlin or goblin perhaps¡ªmaybe dark elf? She can¡¯t tell, the tree bark on their bodies blocks out any other discernible details. Some of them have remnants of aged and torn clothing. How much time has passed since they were petrified is unknown to her. What she does know is there are other people walking about in the village. One of them pulls out an axe; another pulls out a hatchet. Sweiza peers at a disgusting sight as the living hack away at the branches of the petrified trees. She tries to avoid giving herself away as she covers her mouth and gags. She drops the mirror. One of the members of the Cult of Loki hears an odd noise and looks in Sweiza¡¯s direction. Sweiza darts behind the tree. If she needs to run, she¡¯ll need to drop from this branch. She chooses to do so. She drops to the ground and looks for a hiding space. She sees a large creeping bush up a tree. She pushes herself inside of it. It feels nasty to her skin. She sees a spider. She ignores it as several footsteps rush by her; their bodies are blurs as they run by. Just what did Lumia mean when she said the Cult of Loki has been performing experiments in Myrkvellir? ¡ª Sprite freezes in front of the young girl. She holds out a small fruit. ¡°I¡¯m very friendly. I remember your kind.¡± Her voice rings out sweet. He doesn¡¯t approach her. ¡°My name is Lumia. I¡¯ll protect you. You can live in peace.¡± Her voice does nothing to appease him. He darts off in another direction. He freezes when he sees a familiar figure. It is a young man holding an arrow. He points it at him. Sprite freezes and flies in the opposite direction. He flies right into the girl¡¯s chest. She grabs him, but then lets loose her grip. She holds onto him just enough so he can¡¯t fly away. She looks down at him and smiles. She looks up at her brother and frowns. ¡°Lumina, I claim this one.¡± The older brother scowls at her as he disappears in a black and purle flash of light. Lumia looks down at the little spritekin again, ¡°It has been awhile since I¡¯ve seen your kind. I thought they all fled after the disaster.¡± Sprite stops struggling. ¡°What disaster?¡± Lumia looks up at the sky and frowns. ¡°It has been so long since then¡­¡± ¡ª Sweiza finds herself in an odd clearing. Jungle trees on one side, and then a forest of pine trees on the other. She follows it. Just why is there a straight path with no trees in it? Why is it between a jungle and temperate rainforest? Is it magic? Demi appears before her. ¡°Follow this path and end this country¡¯s suffering.¡± Sweiza nods once at him; she remembers what Salmira mentioned to her. ¡ª Vali finds himself in the center of a village. He doesn¡¯t know how, but he seems to be able to move his eyes. He looks down. To his horror his whole body is a tree. He can¡¯t move. He stops struggling and accepts his fate. Vali suddenly remembers a thought. Cult of Loki members often experimented on themselves; something about a wooden armor that protected them from mortal wounds. He doesn¡¯t think this is the same. He wonders if this is how his sister ended up. He hears footsteps. It is Lumina. He is holding an axe. Vali lets out a wimper as his being fills with fear. A creepy smile crosses Lumina¡¯s face as he hoists the axe in his hands. ¡ª At the end of the treeless corridor, Sweiza finds Sprite in front of a dense wall of fog. The fog is an odd sight, it is moving quite quickly. Sprite flies up to her. ¡°Bad stuff that way.¡± He flies behind Sweiza. Sweiza turns once around at him. Her hand comes up to pet his head. ¡°You¡¯re not scared are you?¡± The sprite nods and flies behind and underneath her arm. Sweiza knows that position; he¡¯s telling the truth about something scary and dark behind the fog wall. She sees a strange light from behind it. ¡°Why do you keep bringing danger to my island?¡± Sweiza looks over. She sees the young girl from before. Rather she looks older. ¡°We¡¯re here to help.¡± Sweiza tries to be reassuring. ¡°You¡¯re like those others. A bad creature that kills where it shouldn¡¯t.¡± The woman says it forlorn. ¡°What¡¯s you¡¯re name?¡± Sweiza stops to face the woman again. ¡°Lumia.¡± Sweiza tilts her head at the name. ¡°As in light?¡± The woman nods. She seems worried, ¡°It isn¡¯t always light though. It seems to disappear sometimes. You really need to leave.¡± Sweiza shakes her head, ¡°We¡¯ll leave shortly, I promise.¡± The woman steps back, ¡°You aren¡¯t to be trusted. You¡¯re like the others.¡± Sweiza scowls at her. ¡°I¡¯m not dieing in this place.¡± Sweiza pushes forward through the dense wall of fog. Her form disappears. ¡°Wait!¡± Lumia¡¯s voice is lost on her. She looks to the Sprite still behind. Sprite hovers bobbing up and down at her. ¡°If you are as kind as you say you are, then you¡¯ll help us with what Sera needs.¡± The sprite starts flying towards the wall. The woman steps back. Lumina will be quite upset at the people trespassing in their domain. Sprite looks at her with discontent. He refuses to be in the land of his ancestors; it was said to be a dark world without light. He refuses to die here. He bolts towards the wall of fog; at least it is brighter compared to the darkness of the forest and jungle around them. ¡ª Surt finds himself in front of a strange sight. There is a village of trees in the shape of humans. By what manner of magic? He hears an odd sound. It sounds like thunder. He looks up at the night sky. There is a strange light streaking across the sky. He decides to follow it. ¡ª Sweiza finds an odd sight before her. A circular field is open all around her; it marks a clearing. However, there is a wall of fog that circles the entire clearing. By her estimate it is about a mile wide. She can see some kind of monument in the distance. It is quite large. She looks down at the ground. Black, dark purple, grey and white pebbles little the ground. She sees people in the distance. They are not moving. She remains vigilant of some sort of trick. She approaches. They are trees in the shape of people. ¡°What the hell?¡± She looks over at Sprite. He shrugs. Sweiza shakes her head. Probably another trick. She starts walking towards the monument; that is her goal, or so she remembers from Salmira¡¯s wording. A few creepy trees aren¡¯t going to stop her. Some minutes later the obelisk like monument comes into view. There are more and more of those strange trees. Near the base of the obelisk she gets a good view of how wide it is. It looks to be about sixty yards wide by her reckoning. It easily towers up into the sky and out of view. She looks up and sees a peculiar sight. Light is shining up from further up the tower; it points up in a straight line like a ray of light. Lightning hits it from further up in the sky. She can see the day and night cycle changing in the sky. The dense wall of fog continues to circle the area even in the sky. Sweiza sees a bolt of lightning jump down to the tower and illuminate it. It reverberates an odd tone and then hums with a strange pitch. ¡°What in the Frigg?¡± Sweiza has no time to ponder it as a flash of lightning over head hits the tower again. There is a blinding light. She has to turn her head away when it blinds her. She covers her eyes and strains them in order to see. Sweiza lets out a shriek. The tree-creatures are moving towards her. She starts backing up towards the tower. She starts fumbling for a weapon, if only she had her bow. Wait¡­ the crossbow. She summons it from her being. She looks around towards Sprite. She has a hunch and looks up. He is hovering above her head. ¡°Sprite! Just this once, go all out!¡± He looks down. He agreed to never use offensive magic unless it was an emergency. This easily fits the bill. ¡ª Vali flinches as the axe comes towards him. Wait, he flinched? He looks down again. His body seems to be flesh again. The man with the axe looks him up and down once. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you later.¡± The man disappears in a weird black and purple light. Vali sees a strange light in the sky. He isn¡¯t going to die here. He¡¯s heard of a strange tower in the area. It emits a strange light. He follows his instinct and runs in the opposite direction. It might take a few days of hiding, but he¡¯ll make it to the Gigas Dura and get out of here. ¡ª Below Surt sees a strange sight. A young girl letting loose arrows from a crossbow at moving trees. Wait, moving trees? Why is there a blue light hovering next to her? He eyes it with intent. His eyesight adjusts. It is a spritekin. A strange duo those two. He flies in closer to the obelisk-like monument. Wait. He knows who that girl is. He has an agreement with her kin. He drops from the sky to the crowd of tree-creatures in front of him and lets loose fireballs¡ªas many as his gut can muster. The tree creatures are everywhere. Some catch fire, he smacks some with his tail and tears apart others with his hind quarters. He bits and eats several. They will help support his being with their enchantments. He and the woman named Strife have been hunting them for some time. ¡°You can¡¯t stop it from happening.¡± The dragon looks over at the male voice. The man is holding a spear. He points it at the dragon. The dragon¡¯s eyes flash red. He is not going to be intimidated by a mere human. ¡ª Sprite darts in front of Sweiza, but suddenly freezes. Sweiza follows his gaze. He is looking up at a light streaking in the sky towards them. The light starts to get bigger. Sweiza freezes. Sprite looks in horror as the object becomes more discernible. It appears to be an boulder, the size a likes he has never seen before. It is coming right at them. Sweiza lets out a scream. Surt looks over from the bloodlust of the battle. A stone from the sky? Wasn¡¯t this the work of that moon dragon? Are they in the past? Sweiza recognizes it as a space event called a comet. They are known to cause distruction. This one is no different. She is frozen in terror as it hits the obelisk. A white light shines out from it and consumes everyone in the battle. ¡ª The blinding light dies around the field. Sweiza sees it is the middle of morning. The obelisk is toppled over. The fog surrounding the clearing is gone. The jungle on one side and the temperate rainforest on the other are gone. The only thing is open grassland. The black, dark purple, grey and white pebbles around her have grass growing on them. She eyes the obelisk once. It has strange characters on it. She doesn¡¯t know what they mean. Salmira appears in front of her. ¡°Summon that gauntlet and one of the lightning stones.¡± Salmira¡¯s voice is soft. Her arms cradle. This girl she¡¯s chosen to do her work has performed better than expected, even if she is a bit young and inexperienced. She (Salmira) will work to change that before sending her to the present. Sweiza looks at Salmira nervously, but otherwise summons the insulated gauntlet and a lightning stone. She pushes the lightning stone against the base of the obelisk. It hums an odd pitch as it radiates a dark purple light; it changes to a lighter shade of purple, then finally shines a bright magenta. The stone disappears inside the tower as the tower begins to glow. Lumia appears before her, an expression of relief and joy on her face, ¡°You are a kind soul for such a precious gift, thank you!¡± A confused Sweiza looks at the teenage girl; Lumia fades from view. ¡°Salmira, why is¡­¡± Sweiza is left speechless when she sees that Salmira is no longer there. Sweiza¡¯s arms cross in frustration and a frown crosses her face. She is spooked by Lumia¡¯s voice echoing around her. ¡°Please look up and accept my gift of the Bifrost Bridge. I¡¯ll send you towards your friends.¡± Sweiza looks up at the clouds. They flash and illuminate many different bright colors. It looks almost like an aurora to her; that is if the clouds could reflect such a thing. ¡ª The colorful kaleidoscope of colors slowly fade. Sweiza finds herself back on the Gigas Dura. ¡°How did you get back?¡± The voice is that of Olaf. He seems confused. Sweiza looks back and forth in confusion. Several other members of the Gigas Dura crew surround her. ¡°Perhaps you should tell us what happened.¡± Olaf seems concerned for the girl. Sweiza finally remembers, ¡°Wait, where is Sprite? Surt and Vali, are they here?¡± Olaf¡¯s arms cross, ¡°You don¡¯t keep track of our troops very well.¡± Olaf motions for Sweiza to turn around. A confused Vali is there, he is breathing hard. Surt¡¯s head is poking out of the water; his eyes are glowing and a tree trunk his hanging out of his mouth. Sprite is glowing blue and hovering in the air. ¡°We won?¡± Sprite lets out chirp of possible success. Sweiza suddenly feels something in her hand. She holds it up. It is some kind of necklace. No wait. It is am amulet. It has a piece of the monument in it. Wait, how does she know this? She hears Lumia¡¯s voice echo in her mind, ¡°Thank you for your help!¡± Sweiza tilts her head in confusion. She drops the amulet and rushes downstairs. The only thought on her mind right now is if Strife is alright or not. Not to be outdone, Sprite darts for the shiny object and snatches it before Vali¡¯s attempt to get to it succeeds. Sprite darts after his friend. He doesn¡¯t much care for her mentor, but this adventure of theirs is because of her; it is also starting to get just a hair more interesting. ANBLII - Chapter 25 - Valor, Vigor, Vigilance ¡°Dear Journal, We arrived in Muspell Harbor one week after the mishap in Myrkvellir. Salmira tried to explain it to me, but I am fuzzy on the details. The story goes that Salmira has a twin sister by the name of Salyra, they came here in a giant ship from a far off land beyond the moons and sun. They arrived to our world, but it could not be inhabited. From high in the sky, they released several towers that would cultivate the land, air and sea in order to be livable by us mortals. The story isn¡¯t unlike what I learned in school, but it took me a few times of having Salmira repeat it to understand it. I literally had to write it down. The first inhabitants were giants and gods. From them came humans. Descendant from humans came dwarves and light elves. Intermingling between dwarves and light elves came the dark elves. From more intermingling between dwarves, dark elves and light elves came gremlins. Intermingling between dark elves, gremlins and light elves came the sprite. Dark elves, dwarves and gremlins that rebelled against Odin were thrown out and found themselves under Loki¡¯s influence; they slowly descended into goblins, then trolls and finally the orc came after. To hear Salmira speak it, civilization began in Myrkvellir. The Obsidian Tower there is the oldest on in the nine realms. Over time, the other eight towers were destroyed. There is one that exists in Nifflung, but Salmira says a Sentinel crash landed into it and destroyed it. The tower in Myrkvellir is a remnant from a bygone era. The tower itself can control the weather, the passage of time, and allows for instant travel to anywhere in Myrkvellir. Salmira tells me that when all towers were active, it was possible to travel anywhere in the nine realms; much like a person is allowed to do by traversing the roots of the Yggdrasil. Supposedly this ¡®Gungir Tower¡¯ will be able to accomplish such a feat. I don¡¯t believe it personally. When the gods disagreed with how Salmira and Salyra handled things, they fled their ship in the sky and descended to the planet below and created society, creatures and the nine realms as we know them¡ªthey based it on old legends that bear their names. When the twin goddesses had a disagreement, Salyra left for the planet below to mold society in her own image. Salmira does not believe in meddling with society at large; but she meddles in the private affairs of individuals and alters their destiny. Salyra is the opposite and meddles (or did meddle) in the affairs of society to change its destiny. Salyra tamed a great dragon and then took to the stars beyond the sky. Her dragon destroyed the moons of Mek and Mecer. They are now the beautiful rings we see around the planet. Salyra was going to turn the dragon loose on the other moons and then the nine realms. Fearing that Salyra would ignite the flames of Ragnarok; Salmira struck the dragon with a great spear and it fell from the sky. Salyra supposedly perished in the battle. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve heard legends of the great dragon, I didn¡¯t believe them. Fragments from the moon sometimes streak through the sky. We see them even in my time. However, one of the larger fragments fell as a comet and hit Myrkvellir¡¯s Obsidian Tower. The tower was still active, but it could no longer control itself. The seasons were out of control, time would flow like a river in any direction it wanted, and the treachery of walking meant people would find themselves all over Myrvellir against their will. The tower itself has a pair of guardians that manifest as a sister and brother duo; they are Lumia and Lumina. Lumia is the more sensitive and shy of the two; where as Lumina is the more boisterous and confident. Lumia believes in keeping the serenity of the land, but Lumina is all about protecting anything from outsiders. Salmira referred to them as sentinels. Is there really a difference? I myself am a Star Guardian and Strife is a Star Sentinel; one protects, the other kills. Is Lumia the guardian, and Lumina the sentinel? I would think so. A group we know as ¡°The Cult of Loki¡±, came to Myrkvellir to find the tower of legend and harness its secrets. The tower was not right with itself, and Lumia and Lumina forgot their original duty as guardians. They scattered the cult all across Myrvellir. However, the cult¡¯s members began performing experiments on Lumia and Lumina¡¯s ¡°children¡±. The cult found a way to turn flesh into wooden armor when faced with a mortal blow. It took them a century and a half to perfect the process. Flesh melts off revealing wooden armor; they can still move in the armor. The armor will seemingly crack and fall apart revealing their form (skin and all) underneath. I¡¯m not sure if it is the thing of nightmares, or a blessing. I have my own problems with the berserkergang and having to wear this enchanted armor. When my group came along, we helped change the tide against the cult¡¯s meddling in Lumia and Lumina¡¯s affairs. Salmira told me to put the lightning crystal next to the tower. It gave it the lifeforce and power that it needed to complete its original purpose. Order was restored to time and travel; the inhabitants are safe. As a parting gift, Lumia left me a shard of the tower in the form of a pendant. The ¡®amulet¡¯ (as it is properly called), allows me to speak to her in my mind. I was quite shocked to hear her voice the first time. Salmira left just as quick as she came. Olaf told me that we were gone for only three days. They were beginning to get worried and were going to look for us. It is a good thing they didn¡¯t! Vali is a bit shaken from the experience; he is having second thoughts about botany. He would like to find out the fate of his sister¡ªwhom had an affair with one of the cult members and eloped. I wish him the best and hope he recovers from his ordeal. Surt seems unaffected; Sprite still wants sweet things. Then there is Strife. She awoke a day before we arrived at Muspell Harbor. She hasn¡¯t said much. I¡¯m worried about her. -Sweiza Serif¡± ¡ª- ¡°To Lady Vorkera, When you find this note, I and the crew of the Gigas Dura will be gone. Do not be alarmed. I have a personal journey I need to take care of in the land of Nifflung. As this was a problem before you were born, I dare say it is something I do not want to trouble you with. Rather, I feel this is something I am tasked with taking care of myself. This is not something I take lightly. As penance for my departure, please find enclosed ten thousand marks. This should be able to sustain you for some time. Please use it sparingly; I know you are young, please refrain from any foolish purchases. We have our lives and greater futures in the works if we try hard enough. I knew you were special the minute I found you in Southerly Village. Understand, I want no harm to come to you; so I am taking this journey alone under the guidance of Salmira¡ªwhom has agreed to help me. Should all go well, I will meet up with you in Alfgard at the appropriate time. Until then, please enjoy the accommodations of Muspell Harbor to recover your spirit. Do not be long, you have another quest ahead of you. There is a pyramid somewhere in Muspell. It is not far from the ocean, but it is still in the desert. Talk to the locals, find its location. Take Surt with you. When your mission is complete, escort him back to his den on Mt. Surt north of Maria Village. When the appropriate time comes, I will have Salmira appear before you with news of my journey. If all goes well, you will have Lumia activate the Bifrost Bridge and you will be able to meet me in the country of Alfgard. This leg of our saga is an important one and will no doubt be full of peril. Make sure you are stocked up and well prepared. I would buy some weapons from the locals. I will not say it will be with luck, but rather with our wits about us and much experience gained¡ªthat we will see each other again. Count on meeting me again Vera¡ªI do not die so easily. Good luck, and stay safe! So says I, Alice Verdandi, Lady Strife. --- ¡°Dear Journal, This is ridiculous. I don¡¯t know what in Muspell Strife is thinking. The locals are getting restless due to a firedrake in the area. I know who it is. They are looking towards me for protection. My Valkyrie status did not go unnoticed. It has made it much easier to find out about the pyramid. It is thirty-six miles out in the desert. It is just two miles shy of a mountain range. It is unusually hot in that area and most mere mortals would never make it that far even with a caravan. It is necessary to use an enchantment to keep cool or to find some way to fly in. I thankfully have a flying dracokin on my side. Maybe that ¡®is¡¯ in Muspell what she was thinking. -Sweiza P.S. We checked with the local harbor magistrate about Elga¡¯s living family. They has an aunt and uncle still alive. They are merchants (thankfully), but she will live a good life; one that is better than galavanting all over the nine realms. Olaf sad he would have stayed with us, but he has some kind of unfinished business with a local barkeeper. He hopes to meet us on our adventures again. I highly doubt that in my case, but whatever. I will miss both Olaf and Elga; they were very good company on this journey. I am not looking forward to the day it just me and Strife again, it gets quit lo¡­ There is a scribble mark from Sprite divebombing Sweiza¡¯s pen. It turns out he was reading her diary and didn¡¯t like the bit about ¡®being lonely¡¯ with it just being Strife. ¡ª ¡°Journal- I swear that dragon causes a ruckus wherever he goes. His gills be damned, he doesn¡¯t hide in the water very well. He is causing swells and ripples in the water near the ships in the harbor. They bob here and there and sway too and fro. The fishermen are complaining about the fishing being bad lately. Their nets have also been destroyed on a number of occasions. I don¡¯t know why I put up with him. His neck is thankfully long enough to have him spy on the upper decks of ships where people think no one can hear them. Unfortunately for them, they are quite wrong! When I asked Surt why he put up with Strife and helps her, he told me she promised him a massive gold hoard that would lull him to sleep each night for at least a century. I heard dragons like gold, but I had no idea. It sould seem Surt has lost his mate, and therefor wishes to die an old dragon with the largest gold hoard the likes Avalan has ever seen. That¡¯ll be the day. I asked him why Strife would want him back at his den. His answer was simple enough; dracokin are not welcome beyond the borders of Nifflung and Muspell. Beyond that and into the realms of Midgard, Alfgard and even Vanir¡ªthe Sentinels will patrol and destroy them. It¡¯s only with the dragon numbers further in Muspell and Myrkvellir that they can take on a Sentinel. Strange. -Sweiza¡± ¡ª ¡°Journal- I checked in at the local pub. They found it strange a young girl traveling by herself. I gave them no attention and chatted it up with some of the local fishermen and locals. The pyramid some thirty miles out in the desert is guarded by a curse; those who have managed to make it out alive have ransacked it of all of its treasure. Surt has insisted that we go there tomorrow. He¡¯s crazy. What¡¯s he going to do, carry all that gold back to his den? If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I found out from one of the locals that a merchant from West Vanir is selling a Scriving Mirror. The merchant is asking for an astute five-thousand marks. I don¡¯t know how rare they are, but that is ridiculous. Surt assures me I should buy it, as they are very uncommon and it would allow me to keep in contact with Strife. She never mentioned how rare they were either, but I have never heard of one in all my time in Maria. Were they made illegal in Midgard? I thought Maria was outside the normal province of Valhalla Law. With luck we can hit the pyramid tomorrow at night. It will be cooler then, and we don¡¯t have to worry about anyone seeing Sprite and myself leave on Surt. Yes, we¡¯ll be flying by dracoback. I¡¯m looking forward to being one of the few people to have befriend and then ridden a dragon. Much love, -Sweiza ¡ª ¡°Journal- It took us two hours to fly out by dragonback to the pyramid. I am lucky that the locals knew exactly what direction the pyramid was in¡ªit wasn¡¯t exactly a secret, but few people are brave (or foolish) enough to journey there. I bought plenty of good food and purified seawater in containers and stored them in my being (for lack of better words). We do not have to worry about food and drink if we are stuck here for several days. As unfortunate as it is, Surt is too big to fit in the passageways of the pyramid. Sprite and I will have to take this journey alone. I left some water jugs for Surt. He said his claws are actually quite maneuverable like human hands and it wouldn¡¯t be an issue; whatever. I asked Surt how he can handle the heat; it seems not to bother him. But how can he be in one place for several hours on end, perfectly still without it bothering him? Doesn¡¯t he get bored? Wait, nevermind. He just told me it doesn¡¯t bother him. Stoic dragons to Muspell! ¡­nevermind. I am cursed. Nevermind again. Sprite and I will begin our journey. The pyramid is said not to be guarded, but I expect plenty of booby-traps or nether-world spirits to have taken up refuge here. I thankfully have plenty of firestarter and bought torches at Muspell Harbor. However, I want to conserve them as much as possible and will use Sprite as my guide and light whenever possible. It feels so exciting for my first real adventure by myself! Hugs and kisses! -Sweiza¡± ¡ª ¡°Journal- To describe our current location is weird. The pyramid glows with a shininess the likes I have never seen; perhaps a sun reflecting off of a mirror. I gather the pyramid maybe uses the sun for something¡ªto ward off bandits? Unlikely. Most of the rooms we have visited have been ransacked. There are multiple entrances into the pyramid on its four sides. At the base of each side there is an entrance, along with multiple stairways leading further up to other doors. We chose to go through the main entrance which directly faces the direction we came (from Muspell Harbor). The doors to this entrance were blown apart by some kind of explosive. Dynamite maybe? Everything in the pyramid appears to be made out of the same tan stone. How did they build it all the way out here? I¡¯d heard the legends of pyramids throughout Muspell, but I didn¡¯t believe them. No one would be crazy enough to build a monument ou in the desert right? I guess I¡¯m still learning something new everyday! Doors are everywhere. Many of them have been blown off their hinges. Others appear not to have any hinges, but also have been blown away by some kind of explosive. I¡¯ve confirmed it was by explosives due to the scorch marks and damage to the surrounding hallway. The doors have crumbled due to the blast. I feel sorry for the original people that built this place; I don¡¯t think this is what they had intended for their artwork. By art, I do mean it. There are pictures and drawings in the same style all over the walls. They look to be painted. There are many strange symbols that have been hammered along the walls at about eye level. Sprite says they are a language, but he doesn¡¯t understand it. Here and there I sometimes see the strange mystic runes of Futhark also chiseled in the wall. It looks breathtaking with a torch flickering the symbol¡¯s shadows all over the wall. Maybe this pyramid is the place ¡°Where no Valylkyrie dares to read¡±? So far there have been no booby-traps. I¡¯m surprised. The only thing discernible is that the doors that did not have hinges, were used to seal off dead ends. Sprite and I learned this the hardway when we got lost the first few times¡ªI reckon it was for a few hours. I got scared at one point when I thought I saw a ghost. It turns out it was a pair of jeweled eyes buried in a figure statue on a pedestal. I used a wooden arrow to hit it to see if it did anything. Nothing happened. It looked safe to touch. I tried it. Nothing happened. This adventure is starting to disappoint me. Bored- -Sweiza¡± ¡ª ¡°Journal- The corridor we followed was nothing more than a hall with multiple doors (about twenty) that lead to different areas. All but two of them were a dead end. The two we did follow¡ªtwo hinged doors that were not blasted open, but simply opened¡ªsimply lead around the central chamber of this monument. Why they did not have a center door at the end of the hallway seems stupid, but whatever. By my reckoning the pyramid itself is large (about half a mile wide); the central chamber is about an eight of a mile wide. There are all kinds of items strewn about. Something I can describe as book pages, clothing, etc. I¡­¡± There is a noticeable scribble on the paper as Sweiza¡¯s hand jerks her pen when Sprite¡¯s cries alert her. She stands up and grits herself. She knew something was coming. Sprite comes flying right at her. He flies past her. Sweiza only hears his words ¡°Ghost!¡± The crossbow appears in her hands and she shoots it straight at the eyes of the creature. It passes right through. Sweiza suddenly drops the crossbow, let¡¯s out a shriek and runs with Sprite. They run right down the corridor and out the entrance to the Pyramid. Surt looks up bemused at a young girl crying out several frightened groans and shouts; a spritekin zigzags behind her. ¡°You found what you were looking for?¡± The dragon¡¯s eyes are not glowing for once; they are a definitive red with the cat-eye slits Sweiza is so familiar with. ¡°G-Ghost!¡± Sweiza dashes behind Surt and cowers behind his left wing-arm. The dragon looks up and lets out a snort of steam from his nostrils. He makes an odd sound. Sweiza can¡¯t believe it. Is he laughing at them? ¡°Worse things in this world than ghosts.¡± The dragon says it as his neck cranes back over his wing; he looks down at the girl with his eyes glowing red. Sweiza still shakes in fear. ¡°Let¡¯s camp out here for the rest of the night and then we¡¯ll go back tomorrow!¡± The dragon¡¯s neck cranes back over as it looks up at the pyramid. He still can¡¯t believe this girl is the daughter of the one that dared to make a deal with him. Whatever. He has better things to do. He curls his neck under his wing. His eyes close. He seems not a care in the world. Sweiza is left to gape at his closed eyes. She resists the urge to kick his front claws. Instead she drops down to her butt and slides her back onto his wing. A small nap will do. Sprite protests. She will have none of it. She is tired. A small nap will do. Hopefully the dragon doesn¡¯t crush her. --- Sweiza is enchanted by the idea of joining Torry Enders at the Dragon¡¯s Tail Pub. Not only does it seem like a ¡®swell¡¯ joint, but there will be a number of people from all walks of life there exchanging stories. However, her real goal is to finally outdo Strife and ferret some information out about their surroundings. It starts out easily enough. She eavesdrops on a conversation about a dragon that has been sighted in the area. She figures it is Surt. She mutters her crew saw there was a black dragon with horns; some kind of firedrake that has strayed from its territory. Nobody believes her. Strife appears to be uninterested and makes her way to the actual bar portion of the pub. Valhallan Tea, no sugar. She makes a face when it hits her lips. Sweiza is already there holding a cup of sugar. Strife eyes it once. ¡°It really could use more sugar.¡± Strife is taken aback when Sweiza pushes it into her. Strife shakes her head. ¡°Traditionally the apprentice helps the mentor with their menial tasks.¡± Sweiza cocks her head once at her. Strife holds out the large dwarven mug of tea. Sweiza¡¯s head drops. Strife is again taken aback when Sweiza generously dumps rapid teaspoons into the tea. Strife jerks the mug once to let Sweiza know that is enough. It goes to her lips. Strife¡¯s eyebrow twitches again. ¡°Well?¡± Sweiza leans in. This time she has the upperhand. ¡°A little sweeter than what I¡¯m used to.¡± Strife turns back around on her stool and survey¡¯s some of the people also there. Sweiza lightly stamps her foot and makes a ¡°Hmph!¡± before setting the sugar down and walking away in disgust. She tries to find Mr. Enders to see what he is up to. Perhaps there will be a pre-night entertainment and he has found it. The real fun is going to be with her ¡®master plan¡¯. She finds Torry. He is busy telling tales of his galavanting around the region. Sea serpents, dragons, rockwyrms, harpies, they all make it in there. Sweiza walks up. Then there is his tale of the young girl and the sprite that fended off an entire army of the goblins. Sweiza can¡¯t believe what she is hearing. He is over flat out lieing about their adventures. Surely he is lieing, or exaggerating still¡ªabout their adventures and then those he has had by himself. Everyone is busy laughing, and she can¡¯t figure out why. Torry waves his hand up and one of the waitresses comes by with a fresh mug of Bothnin ail. He hands it to the girl and winks at her. ¡°I have a feeling I know what your intent. Make no mistake, everyone here has the same plan.¡± He pushes the mug in front of her and makes a drinking motion with his hands. She gets the idea. They all intend to milk information out of each other and has fun. Surely Strife won¡¯t mind, not one drink. She¡¯ll have to be careful so she can keep her wits about her. Her plan won¡¯t work if she gets too tipsy. It¡¯ll take awhile though; dwarves have a higher threshold than humans. She drinks up, slowly. She underestimates how soon her cheeks become flushed (much like everyone else). She is soon hooting and hollering along with everyone else. There is dancing and merriment. Sweiza eventually dances with what she can only describe as a dwarven woman, but with a beard. Perhaps she has gotten ¡®too¡¯ tipsy. Regardless, with everyone¡¯s faces flushed she looks for her opening. Torry is right next to her and gives her a playful nod. Sweiza jumps into the center of the dance floor and starts a peculiar dance. Sprite has been filled in on her plan. He jumps between her arms and she starts tossing him between the two, then holding her hands out and he starts doing loop de loops. A dizzy sprite finally drops to the ground, but a blue ring remains in a circle. She blows it towards one of the pub patrons. There is much cheering. If they weren¡¯t already flushed with merriment, this plan might not have worked. A few of her backwater village tricks go on for a few more minutes. Torrie takes his cue and starts with more stories of his gallavanting. This goes on for thirty minutes. More drinks in that time enter their lips and their faces flush from pink to red. Sweiza is having trouble standing and finally stumbles her way to the bar. Her face and person are known at this point; Strife is a little bemused, but maintains her composure. Sweiza hatches her plan. ¡°I was curious about Delphis and Alcyon¡¯s activity in the area. We¡¯re currently bounty hunting them.¡± Strife¡¯s eyes widen at the girl¡¯s ploy. How the hell did she come up with something so clever? One of the patrons next to her, a heavily muscled dwarven woman is the first to speak up. ¡°¡­its the hydro electric plant; everybody knows the whole cult is the reason it was built. It would do you well to stay away with it.¡± Strife pipes up, ¡°¡­and why would bounty hunters be afraid of requesting a little money?¡± The woman is a bit flabbergasted, perhaps from drinking to much, ¡°Nevermind. I don¡¯t concern myself with outsiders.¡± Strife¡¯s face turns into a puckered smile and she walks over to Sweiza. Sweiza will have none of it. ¡°Does the magistrate have anything to do with it?¡± A bar patron that is eavesdropping speaks up. ¡°He¡¯s in on the cult. People who get close to him start to disappear.¡± Now the bartender speaks up, ¡°You should head their advice. One of our regulars disappeared for a time after taking up a bounty at the dam. When he came back he was telling crazy stories of people turning to stone.¡± ¡°Is it the basilisk?¡± Sweiza enquires. It is met with a nod from the bartender. Sweiza looks at Strife and is about to ask another question when Torry comes up. He places a hand on the girl¡¯s upper shoulder and starts ushering her away from the bar. ¡°Come, my friends want to see more of your Sprite¡¯s magic.¡± Strife¡¯s eyebrow cocks up as Sweiza quickly pulls up the mantle of entertainer. This is going to be a night to remember. In total¡ªand some few hours later¡ªSweiza is on her fifth mug of the dwarven ail, but stops drinking it. She doesn¡¯t feel so good. She gets up and starts to teeter away from the bar. One of the dwarves there does want to finish their conversation, ¡°So what are two Valkyrie doing as far out as Bothnin? Are you really taking on the Basilisk bounty?¡± Sweiza nods. She is about to speak further¡ªbut Strife walks up and puts her hands on the girl¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I think you¡¯ve had enough Vera.¡± She turns the girl around and towards the exit. Sweiza protests. ¡°No buts, even your Sprite friend is drunk.¡± Strife¡¯s words point Sweiza eyes on Sprite whom is having trouble flying straight. She nods. ¡°Besides, if you drink much more you will have a nasty hangover tomorrow; or worse, one of these ruffians will want your services in private. Do you really want to risk that?¡± Sweiza shakes her head. She attempts to walk to the door, but staggers again and nearly trips over herself. Strife puts the girl¡¯s left arm around her own body and then hoists the girl up. ¡°I¡¯ll be your shield. Let¡¯s go.¡± Strife has no interest in Torry attempting to usher them over further. Valkyrie or not, she refuses to be as inebriated as a dwarf¡ªher apprentice may have reservations, but Strife herself will allow no further pettiness. Sweiza lets out a random giggle as Strife pushes the door open with her boot. Strife lets a scowl at the girl as she pulls her outside. It is a few hundred feet to the inn, so it will be an adventure and a half getting there. However, her real fear is trying to get up the stares. Thank Goddess Freya that the girl hasn¡¯t thrown up yet. Sweiza lets out a groan. Strife shakes her head again. This wasn¡¯t how it was supposed to end up. She¡¯ll have to keep an eye on the girl more carefully from now on. ANBLII - Chapter 26 - Zodiac Corridor Sweiza looks up. She sees the clouds turn silver with a kaleidescope of pastel colors. She tries to shield her eyes from the brightness. Is it the Bifrost Bridge activating? She remembers she was out in the desert. Is it Strife? ¡°What is it that you desire?¡± The voice rings out throughout the land. Afraid, but ready to meet her adversary¡ªSweiza pulls out her sword. Demi appears before her. ¡°Demi, thank the Goddess; you¡¯re alive!¡± Sweiza rushes up to him to hug him. He disappears the minute she goes to warp her arms around him. His voice can be heard all around her. ¡°You are in great peril right now.¡± Sweiza looks up, down, and all around; but she does not see him. ¡°Demi, where are you? Is this some kind of trick? I thought we were friends!¡± Her voice shows her disdain for the dream spirit. Demi¡¯s voice is once again heard throughout the vicinity. ¡°You are currently sleepwalking. Something is guiding you around a structure with a great energy about it. I¡¯m not certain what. But I feel as if there is some kind of artifact underneath the ground.¡± Sweiza¡¯s attention perks, but not before she quizzically tilts her head. ¡°What kind of artifact?¡± ¡°It appears to be alive, but at the same time it isn¡¯t. It isn¡¯t of this world. I feel an odd energy about it.¡± ¡°Demi, quit talking in dumb riddles. You¡¯re beginning to annoy me!¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms cross. The clouds around her reveal themselves to be a dense fog. The multi-colored pastels of the Bifrost Bridge encapsulate her and continue to circle. They suddenly disappear and the fog starts to dissipate. ¡°That creature just in the distance¡­¡± Demi¡¯s voice echoes, but fades in the distance. The world starts to dim. Sweiza knows she will be waking up soon. She rushes forward to see what it is. It is a small creature covered in hair; it has funny eyes and a horn growing out of its head. It¡¯s body is a different mix of light blue, green and purple. Before she can investigate further, the world starts to dim. She calls out to Demi, but the world falls silence before everything turns black. ¡ª Sweiza lets out a groan. Her eyes open and almost falls over when she realizes she is standing. She jumps back and looks back and forth¡ªshe sees nothing but blackness around her. She summons her sword. She points it at anything in the darkness, but she sees nothing. She must be in the pyramid. How did she get here? Oh wait! Of course, sleepwalking! She remembers what she has to do based on experience in Maria during a new moon. Her sword disappears and she turns around. She puts her hands in front of her and begins walking forward very slowly. She continues to move her hands in front of her hoping to hear anything. After some thirty paces she starts to hear water flowing¡ªoccasionally she hears it ripple. She stops dead in her tracks. She¡¯s inside in a building with flowing water? There has to be some kind of channel holding it, or worse a reservoir. She summons the crossbow hoping she still has it armed. On instinct she cocks it straight ahead and tries to fire it. She hears the mechanism release, but the arrow reverberates and falls silence when it hits brick. Sweiza cocks and eyebrow and her mouth opens into an ¡®o¡¯ in disgust. She can¡¯t see herself if she tries to arm the bow again¡ªshe might risk injury. She waits some minutes hoping her vision adjusts. After a boring time she counts silently to herself for five more minutes. Nothing happens. She mouths to herself, ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± Suddenly, the boundary between the walls and the floor around her light up with a pale blue. She rushes up to them, but just shy of the dropoff. As expected, there is a canal between the floor of the room and the wall. In fact, there appear to be four canals around a square room. There are doors, but they are above the canal and embedded up in the walls¡ªsome two stories above the floor. She doesn¡¯t know how anyone gets up there. Perhaps they fall into this room? Do they perish? Perhaps if they are carrying a torch, it becomes extinguished because of the water? Then what purpose does this room serve? With the water glowing and illuminating the channel, she holds up the crossbow and it disappears from her hand and into her being. She drops to her hands and knees and kneels in front off the water. It looks clean¡ªbut there is the mystery of why it glows that light blue color. She suddenly jumps back when a fish pops out of the water and stares up at her. She summons her courage and her head pops back over the canal at floor level. The fish winks at her. ¡°What are you?¡± It copies her words, ¡°What are you?¡± She eyes it once with disdain. ¡°I am a human. How can you talk?¡± ¡°I am the keeper of this room and a riddle. Would you like to hear it?¡± Sweiza looks down once. Riddles. This must be some kind of test by the creature Demi mentioned. There better be a good reward in it for her. ¡°Ask your silly game and then tell me how to get out of this ¡®pit¡¯!¡± The fish doesn¡¯t react, but glows blue when it asks. ¡°I am called fine when made of sunshine; I can breed a new moon; when in doubt look up at high noon. If I am full of bad weather, bad moods abound. A cloudy or murky day, but I can help the weather get around. A hail storm in the summer and dreary snow in the winter; I can cast lightning and push wind the same. I can be responsible for a drought, and in the worst of times a tornado; now you tell me what is this all about?¡± The fish eyes her with those unnerving black eyes. She points her finger in the sky, ¡°A cloud in the sky, or the weather.¡± The fish disappears into the water. She leans over closer. ¡°Did I get it?¡± The fish soon appears back above the surface. He spits water in her face. ¡°Wrong. The answer is the sky.¡± ¡°I just said that!¡± ¡°You said cloud in the sky!¡± Sweiza stammers. She is not amused. As the fish flips up into the air, the girl summons the crossbow and an arrow. Seems to notice and drops to the water and then raises his tail to splash her. A sharp pain hits him as one of the hooks of her grappling hook impales him. She pulls on the rope and hoists him out of the water. He dangles as the rope of the hook spins; she holds him up to eye level. Her eyes narrow. ¡°Now I have a riddle for you! What makes me very angry, what will become my dinner and what will I fillet very slowly if you don¡¯t tell me how to get out of this room.¡± The fish¡¯s mouth drops and it¡¯s mouth and eyes look up at one of the doors in the wall. Sweiza brings the fish close to her. ¡°Thanks!¡± She does something new, she doesn¡¯t know if it will work. She attempts to bring the grappling hook into her being, but does not include the fish. It works. The hook disappears and the fish drops to the ground. It flops around with an open wound. Sweiza raises her hand and the blue illumination of the river glints off of her machete. She finishes the deed and promptly dresses the fish and puts it in a bag for later. No sense in letting good food go to waste. She moves to one of the corners of the room and summons her grappling hook. Swinging it in a circle and hard, she finally releases and it flies up to the doorway. She pulls it tight and it catches. She¡¯s getting out of here! ¡ª The room is dark. She looks back out the doorway she came. It is dark again. She doesn¡¯t have time for this. She summons her firestarter stick and squats down. She scrapes it on the ground. It emites sparks. She summons one of the torches she bought in Muspell Harbor. She drags it just behind her fire starter. It takes some frustrating minutes, but eventually one of the sparks catch and it catches fire. She holds it up and checks the room out. It looks like another square room. She¡¯s back in the corridor at the entrance to the pyramid. She tilts her head and wonders. One of the doors suddenly glows blue. She gets the idea. She walks forward and it opens. Inside the room she takes one step forward and freezes when the doors behind her slide shut. How did stone like that move by itself? Some kind of security mechanism? It doesn¡¯t matter. She stamps her foot. ¡°If this is some kind of game, I¡¯m not impressed! Show yourself!¡± She jumps back when a gold and radiant lion appears in front of her. It lets out a roar. She drops the torch. She scrambles to scoop it up and runs. She feels something tangle between her feet. She falls to the ground and drops the torch. She turns around to see a very large¡ªmuch larger than life¡ªlion staring down at her. She can hear it slowly growling. ¡°What do you want?¡± She says it in a defiant, but shaky voice. The lion¡¯s eyes glow yellow. ¡°I am bright and radiant like the midday sun; I smell of earth and then some. I erupt from the clouds and some call me fun. I am multicolored and a gift of the gods. What am I?¡± Sweiza stands up. ¡°Another riddle? Hah! The answer is a rainbow after a thunderstorm.¡± The lion leans down towards her. Its head is the size of her body. ¡°Incorrect. The answer is the Bifrost Bridge.¡± The lion turns around and starts to fade as it walks away from the girl. Sweiza holds up the crossbow, she summons a silver arrow and points it at the lion. It turns around when it hears the click and release of the device. It nails it straight in the nose. Sweiza flinches at her bad marksmanship; perhaps because she is nervous. The lion howls in pain. It attempts to paw at the arrow. Sweiza arms another one and points it at the lion. She points it straight at its head. ¡°Show me to the next room, or you¡¯ll suffer the same fate as the fish.¡± The lion growls at her in distate, ¡°I cannot be killed. The next room awaits you.¡± A sound rumbles behind her. It is the door. She however doesn¡¯t take her eyes off the lion. She says nothing and lets loose the arrow. It flies at the lion, but it passes through him as he fades. The arrow that was in his nose drops to the ground. ¡°Oh, whatever!¡± With the lion gone, the room is less visible and she scrambles for the torch. She collects the two arrows and walks out of the room and finds herself back in the main corridor. She looks at all of the doors. They are all closed. She hears a rumble and then the crash of the door behind her. She gives it no attention. She sees one door is open. It is next to the room she was in with the fish. ¡ª Sweiza walks around the room a bit. It is about the same size as the other rooms. She only has a few moments to gain her bearings when she feels something clamp around her. The torch in her hands drops. She struggles and lets out a whimper when she feels herself being hoisted off the ground. The figure illuminates. She sees two stalk eyes attached to a body. There are many legs. She follows the arm attached to the body. She is caught in a pincer claw! She struggles to free herself, but it is no use. The crab pulls her closer to one of its eyes. It speaks. ¡°Name the moons of the planet Avalan.¡± It¡¯s voice sounds weird and raspy and it comes out almost as a weird reverberating click. She is disgusted at its weird mouth. She stops struggling. ¡°Hayduria, Mardin, Lokul and Mylaka!¡± The girl smiles at her own genius, but it quicker turns into a frown when the claw holding her slackens and sets her on the ground. ¡°You forgot Mek and Mecer!¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen and then glare at the giant crab, ¡°Those moons no longer exist! A giant dragon ate them!¡± The crab¡¯s stalk eyes blink once and the figure starts to disappear. The room disappears. Sweiza quickly grabs her torch and hoists it up. She shakes her head in disgust and leaves the room. The doors close shut behind her. She enters the next room. ¡ª Sweiza stops just shy of the room, this time expecting some kind of trick. She hears the ¡®baa¡¯ of a sheep to her left and next to her torch hand. She looks over. It is a ram. ¡°Walk with me for a time young one, for my time is short.¡± Sweiza shrugs at the funny looking thing, but follows it. They walk along the perimeter of the room. ¡°I do not like the others, they do not like me; they ask childish riddles and end in giggles of of folly. If I was a giant I would look down upon them and step over them. My arrogance overrides my senses and a pensive attitude¡­¡± Sweiza flinches at the word ¡®pensive¡¯. ¡°¡­but I am lost in a sea of wonder like statues surrounding me. Everywhere I look, there is a curiosity, but cut out like stone. If I were a child, I would be looked down on by an adult; but if I were an adult I would be looked down on by a child. Both be confusion, perhaps until I become old age?¡± Sweiza hears the door behind her slide shut. She looks behind her and then in front. She is back in the main corridor. She looks down at the ram. It stamps its foot on the ground. It stares back at her and begins to fade. ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t understand!¡± It stamps its foot one more and continues to fade as it speaks, ¡°It was merely a question with no answer. The key to enlightenment is to never stop yourself short of your questions, or your answers.¡± Sweiza cocks her eyebrows up and her ears shoot back. ¡°Absolute bullsh¡­ I mean ramshit.¡± She much likes that new word. She is startled when she hears the ram speak one last time. ¡°Your next test awaits you.¡± ¡ª The next room has her completely taken by surprise. It is quite illuminated with a strange dome structure in the center of the room. More importantly, but strangely still¡ªthe floor of the room is covered with wheat. She notices the walls are also covered with glowing figures of Futhark. She approaches the woman¡ªalthough in the back of her mind, she keeps the option of summoning the crossbow or her sword. The woman is holding a small bowl and a small spoon. As Sweiza approaches, she realizes she is wrong at what she first saw. Instead she realizes it is a mortar and pestle set (medicine bowl and crusher). She assumes the woman is crushing wheat. Approaching closer, she realizes she is right. The footsteps of her boots get the woman¡¯s attention. She looks up at Sweiza and smiles; she sets the pestle back down into the mortar. ¡°Hi.¡± Now Sweiza is really taken aback. The woman places her hands in her lap. ¡°You seem to be the shy type.¡± Sweiza is stupefied at the statement. Sweiza stammers. The woman lets out a laugh and a giggle. She realizes her mistake and covers her mouth; she stifles one more laugh before resuming a pleasant face and demeanor towards Sweiza. ¡°How far have you come to get here?¡± One of Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow at the question. ¡°If that¡¯s another one of those stupid riddles, you can forget it! I¡¯ve failed every last one of them!¡± The woman laughs again. ¡°Not at all. I merely wish to talk for a spell or two.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°I see. I come some sixty miles distance. I wasn¡¯t aware there was a pyramid here.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡°You are from one of the villages?¡± ¡°There is a large harbor nearby you know.¡± Sweiza says it unimpressed. Just what is this woman¡¯s game anyway? ¡°There is?¡± The woman looks at her in confusion. ¡°Nevermind. Whatever. I give up!¡± ¡°Are you from Maria Village?¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen, ¡°What? Wait! How did you know?!¡± ¡°I thought it was obvious?¡± She tilts her head and smiles at the girl. If a question mark could appear above Sweiza, everyone in the room (or lack thereof) could see it. There is silence when Sweiza doesn¡¯t answer the woman. The woman smiles again. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°You¡¯re accent sounds a mix between Muspellian and Midgardian¡­¡± Sweiza blinks once; this doesn¡¯t sound too far fetched, but she herself doesn¡¯t know. Do bordering countries have a mix of accents? She thought dialects change over time; wouldn¡¯t hers be different from people in this time period? ¡°¡­but something about it sounds a little different¡­¡± That answers Sweiza¡¯s question. ¡°¡­you are quick to dismiss things. People that come here from Maria act like that. They keep to their own affairs rather than wondering about this and that.¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± Sweiza¡¯s words come out embarassed and stifled. She has been found out. She could try lying, but she has a feeling this woman will find her out¡ªone way or the other. ¡°¡­so do you intend to travel far?¡± There is a strange, but pleasant pitch to the woman¡¯s voice. She¡¯s digging for something, Sweiza can feel it. She chooses to play along. ¡°There is something in this pyramid we are looking for.¡± ¡°Pyramid? Oh! You mean this place. Did the guide not tell you the name?¡± The woman¡¯s hands leave her lap as she supports herself, still sitting. ¡°I was told to come to this pyramid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the Muspell Museum of History.¡± The woman¡¯s hands are once again in her lap. She still maintains the pleasant demeanor. ¡°Museum? I didn¡¯t know there was a museum out this way! I thought it was at Muspell Harbor?¡± Sweiza flinches, she realizes she just gave away something she shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Muspell Harbor? Has there been one established around here? The coast isn¡¯t for another thirty miles or so. It would be rather out of the way.¡± ¡°Maybe I¡¯m mistaken then. We came by a harbor to get here.¡± The woman¡¯s head tilts just ever so slightly in curiosity. She says nothing. Silence and time passes between them for a few seconds. It is awkward. Sweiza is surprised when the woman finally stands. She approaches Sweiza. There is still silence. Curious of intent washes over the girl. It is not obvious to the woman. The woman finally is a few feet from Sweiza. The woman pulls out something from her hair and gives it to the girl. ¡°I think it would look rather good on you. Please take it.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hand passes over the woman¡¯s. She holds up the object at eye level. It is a hairclip in the shape of the head of a wheat plant. Sweiza blinks once at the gift and looks strangely at the woman. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± The woman¡¯s tone changes to something a bit more depressed. Maria Village custom takes over and Sweiza bows. ¡°No, not at all. I¡¯ll wear it right away. See?¡± The woman smiles when Sweiza inserts the clip into her hair. Sweiza isn¡¯t sure about it; but it will probably look better with feathers¡ªseagull maybe¡ªbut that is something to worry about later. ¡°Very well then. Do you have a name?¡± ¡°My name is¡­¡± Sweiza trails off. She doesn¡¯t like telling people in this time period her name¡ªah! She has another one that will work! ¡°I¡¯m called Vera.¡± ¡°I see. You are a strange, but curious delight. It was very nice to have met you Vera. Thank you for speaking with me!¡± There is absolute delight in the woman¡¯s voice. ¡°I so rarely get to speak to people anymore. Please take this as a token of my appreciation; it will help you in the next room.¡± Sweiza is curious what the woman is going to give her now. She sees nothing about her. Would it be the mortar and pestle? The woman stoops down on her knees (rather gracefully), and pulls up several wheat plants by the stalks¡ªa good ten of them. She hands them to Sweiza. Sweiza takes them. The woman and the field around them start to disappear. ¡°Wait! I didn¡¯t get your name!¡± Sweiza forces it out. This woman is way to pleasant to not have given her name. The woman¡¯s voice sweeps throughout the room. ¡°Virgo.¡± ¡°Virgo?¡± Sweiza looks around as everything in the room has disappeared. It is now just an empty and dark chamber. ¡°Oh shit!¡± She thinks to herself. She rushes over to the torch sitting at the door. She must have dropped it! The fire is still burning and there is nothing else to have caught fire thankfully! She scoops up the torch and heads out to the corridor. She runs the name ¡®Virgo¡¯ in her mind. She¡¯s heard that name before, but where?¡± The doors behind her slide shut with a familiar clap like all the other doors before. This time she doesn¡¯t flinch. She heads for the next door in line. ¡ª In the next room, Sweiza finds herself in a field. It is odd. The door to the corridor is just behind her, but everything else looks like it is out in the middle of nowhere. Yet she¡­ ¡­wait! Something in the distance! A dust cloud? The cloud slowly gets closer. The girl waits their patiently trying to figure out how the picked ¡®wheat¡¯ will help her. The dust cloud continues to amble towards her. After some boring (in her mind) five minutes, she can see some kind of animal running straight at her. Horns. ¡°A bull? What?!¡± She is stuck staring at it for a few seconds more before she snaps herself out of it and turns herself around to run back out the door. She must not have noticed it before, but the door closed while she was busy gawking. She makes a mental note not to let her attention get the better of her and pull her away from her senses. She tries to pull the door open, but it is sealed tight. She can hear hooves beating the ground in the distance. She turns around and attempts to run. However, when she tries to run past the door, she hits an invisible wall and hard. She falls backwards and catches herself with her hands. The impact hurts. She can hear it closer now. Suddenly the footsteps stop. She turns around in fear. The bull is staring down at her. It has to be three times the size of a normal bull. It has muscle all over its body. In fact, it is the most clean cut and attractive bull she has ever seen. She resists the urge to pull out the crossbow; at this range (and at that size) she is likely just to piss it off and get skewered by its horns. The bull does nothing. She does notice it¡¯s nostrils are moving. It finally lets out a snort and leans in on her. It begins smelling her. It¡¯s looking for something? She remembers! She holds up the wheat stalks with some inappropriate giddiness towards her predicament¡ªand possibly a dangerous one at that. The bull¡¯s eyes widen. It reaches down with it¡¯s mouth and pulls them out of her hand. It turns around with its tail sticking straight up and trots off. Sweiza stares at its hindquarters curiously. She thought bulls couldn¡¯t stick their tail straight up like that. She hears the slow sliding of the stone doors behind her opening. She stands up and quickly dusts herself off; she stamps her foot on the ground and regains her dignity. This one she has clearly won. Another strange ordeal. The rooms keep getting weirder and weirder. ¡ª Another blank room. She walks the rooms for a few minutes¡ªchecking the perimeter. She sees more Futhark adorning the walls. It must be an older script¡ªshe can¡¯t read them¡ªshe wishes she could read them. If only there was a way to memorize what was on the wall. After pacing around for some ten minutes¡ªeying the closed door on occasion¡ªshe finally speaks. ¡°This is some kind of cruel joke, isn¡¯t it?¡± Several Futhark symbols start to glow. They start to move; hundreds of them. They flow all around her and take up position. She looks up, down¡ªall around; the symbols dim and start to resemble stars. She doesn¡¯t know how she is standing in the makeshift sky, but she assumes it is an other illusion. Just then she hears the soft hooves of something galloping up to her. It sounds like a horse. She turns around to see a peculiar sight. It is definitely the body of a horse, but it has a naked man¡ªat least the top half of a man¡ªat the front of the horse. His arms cross as one of his front legs claps the ground. ¡°Excuse me. The others tell me you have a crossbow. Perhaps we can help each other out.¡± Sweiza cocks an eyebrow up as she frowns; she is not impressed. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Can you hit a moving target?¡± Now both eyebrows are up. ¡°To some degree, but I¡¯ve always used a compact bow and only on rodents.¡± The horseman lets out a laugh. ¡°Good for practice then; you¡¯ll be moving while you hit that target.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sweiza eyes his back¡ªhe can¡¯t possibly mean that¡­ ¡ª The goat lets out a warning call as yet another one of Sweiza¡¯s arrows miss. This is perhaps the seventy-first arrow that she has shot at it. Riding bareback on a horse is something she never got accustomed to¡ªthe traveling circus (once a year) is the only time she ever got to ride horse, and she was never good at it. But to do such a thing on a horseman and while trying to steady herself, and shoot a crossbow? This is not a very good skill to learn; let alone master. But she gets the feeling she isn¡¯t getting out of this ¡®trial¡¯ until she learns to do it properly. It wouldn¡¯t be so bad, but the goat keeps dodging. It¡¯s almost as if it knows where she is going to hit. She winces and shakes her head and finally does something different¡ªshe aims in one direction and takes a random shot just offset from her original aim. The goat lets out a warning call in surprise and bolts in the other direction. The centaur looks back, ¡°You seem to be improving!¡± Sweiza looks up at the stars (and nothing but stars!) in disbelief. She has an idea. She uses the fake out technique to herd the goat around. She has a feeling the room is still there¡ªdespite the starscape all around her¡ªand she can herd the goat into a corner. Her plan doesn¡¯t work. The goat seems to run straight at them in some instances, and then dodges or bolts in others. She does note several of her arrows appear to seemingly embed themselves into something midair; they remain motionless and suspended. That must be the wall. The centaur seems to know where the walls are as he never gets to close to them. The goat will run right alongside them; in a few instances she swears the goat actually hits the wall. She gets a better idea¡ªhow the men of the village hunt larger quarry. ¡°What? That¡¯s a brilliant idea! But you have to do it while moving!¡± The centaur has no objections with Sweiza¡¯s plan. She braces herself for the aftermath¡ªthis will probably take a couple hundred arrows. ¡ª Over the next hour the goat¡¯s speed starts to slow down. Rather than laying a killing shot, Sweiza continues to use the fake out technique¡ªoften rapid times in succession to keep the poor goat on its toes. Eventually it starts to shake and sway. Her plan is working. After a time its shaky legs give out and it drops to the side. The centaur looks behind him at her. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be while the target is moving.¡± ¡°Oh please, I shot at it several times. It was fighting the inevitable.¡± Sweiza comes up with an idea, rather she lies. ¡°Besides, you can¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t have fun chasing that thing around. You and your friends seem to be lonely.¡± The centaur knows exactly what she is on about. ¡°Indeed. But little girls shouldn¡¯t be lieing.¡± Sweiza shudders; she¡¯s been found out. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone if you don¡¯t.¡± The centaur makes a motion for her to step down and the starscape starts to fade and the doors open. ¡°So was that a pass?¡± She is left to ponder it as she exits the room. ¡ª In the next room the scenery changes to an arid desert. ¡°Real original.¡± She scoffs at the next ¡®challenge¡¯. She sees mountains appear in the distance; and then a large figure in front of them. She doesn¡¯t know what she is supposed to do¡ªshould she approach the statue? Wouldn¡¯t she run into a wall? Are these tests meant to test intelligence? She doesn¡¯t have time to figure it out when it starts to rain. She looks up and curses her luck. This of all things. Then a clap of thunder. She jumps and there is no further hesitation as she runs towards the statue. She runs out of breath after about half a mile. Another clap of thunder further motivates her and she jobs along¡ªstopping every so often to get a gulp of air. It feels like forever, but is closer to seven miles before she gets to the statue. It is larger than she thought¡ªthe distance made it look extremely small. She see the statue is holding something. It is an urn. There appears to be water coming out of it. From the rain? She looks up. She can¡¯t tell what color the woman¡¯s hair is supposed to be, but it is long. There is rain streaming down the statue. Upon further inspection, the woman is wearing loose clothing, but made of animal hide with some of the fur still on it. The shoes of the woman are the same. She has several braids and laced jewelry on her neck and arms. There is a single fur cloth wrapped around one of her legs. A clap of thunder has Sweiza¡¯s eyes on the sky again. Mama always told her not to look up at the sky in a thunderstorm¡ªit was a good way for misbehaved children to get hit by lightning. She of course knows that was just a scare tactic to keep her from playing outdoors in a thunderstorm. Still, she tries to obey her mother¡¯s words of advice and huddles underneath the statue¡¯s legs. The rain doesn¡¯t let up. An hour passes. Sweiza knows the test has something to do with the statue, but what? The urn? She stands out from under the statue again and looks up. No water is coming out of the urn. Shouldn¡¯t part of the stone statue have that? She wonders. She looks up at the face of the thing. It wasn¡¯t remarkable before¡ªbut wait! Didn¡¯t Salmira say something about a statue crying? Wasn¡¯t that in Myrkvellir¡ªor perhaps she (Salmira) knew about these trials? Hmm! She looks up at the statue¡¯s face. Indeed¡ªit is crying! ¡°You¡¯re almost a sad a sight as I am.¡± She mutters it more to herself than the statue. The eyes of the statue flicker a light blue before fading. ¡°It¡¯s so lonely here¡ªthere are so few visitors now. It has been forever.¡± Sweiza feels her hairs stand on end when she hears the voice. The voice is not to be unexpected with the way the experience in the rooms are¡ªshe calms down after a point. ¡°What do you mean it has been forever?¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms cross. She assumes some kind of trick. ¡°There was one like you that came this way a few years ago. She milder than you.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°So?¡± ¡°You are a mean one.¡± Sweia cocks her head at the statue. ¡°You would be if you grew up like I did.¡± ¡°Such a backwater girl.¡± Sweiza is not impressed. ¡°Why does the water come from your eyes and not the urn?¡± The statue¡¯s eyes flicker a light blue one last time and the rain suddenly stops. The storm quickly dissipate. The wind picks up suddenly. Sweiza is left to look in the direction of the howling wind. The remaining clouds start to spin. She knows what comes next. She dives behind one of the legs of the statue. Surely the tornado of this trial will not hit the statue. She is dead wrong. She lets out a scream at the tornado that forms; it heads straight in her direction and fast! She has to huddle down and hold onto the statue¡¯s leg. She has no experience with a tornado before; they are pretty rare in the Dawez Province. The tornado¡¯s base suddenly lifts from the round for a few hundred feet and then drops again. It repeats this steady motion of jumping and landing several times as it approaches the statue. As the wind around her picks up and throws her off her feet, she is left to look in terror as the tornado jumps up and lunges at the statue. She shields her face and lets out a shriek. When she hears the wind suddenly stop, she chances looking up. The tornado is being sucked into the urn. ¡°What in Muspell?¡± The scene fades and a single small urn is left in front of Sweiza. She cocks an eyebrow up at it while she frowns. She hears a single voice, ¡°A gift; use it wisely.¡± She lifts it up and tilts her head at it. It has Futhark written all over it. There are multiple drawings of women in robes pouring water out of it; there is also a picture of a tornado. ¡°Whatever.¡± The doors to the room open. She absorbs the urn into her being and continues on her way. ¡ª The next door has a picture of a goat on it. It doesn¡¯t open. Sweiza is left to ponder why. The checks out the previous doors. Each of them has a drawing on them. A ram, a bull, a fish, a woman with an urn, a horseman¡ªthese all look familiar to her. She can¡¯t quite place it¡ªsomething to do with a story when she was a child. As she crosses her arms to reflect deep in thought, she is startled by the next door opening. She dismisses it and heads inside that room. ¡ª The doors inside the room shut behind her. The room is already illuminated. There is a massive scorpion inside. However, it appears to have already been killed as it¡¯s legs are curled up and it¡¯s main body is on the floor. One of it¡¯s claws has been cut off. It¡¯s tail and stinger are embedded in its head. Sweiza doesn¡¯t inch closer to it. ¡°What, did someone already kill it?¡± She hears a rumble in the room once and the doors open again. She knows that is her que to leave; she doesn¡¯t want an incident like with the statue. That ¡®thing¡¯ is also giving her the creeps. She turns around and rushes out. ¡ª She holds her torch up to the next door. A double-pan balance (scale) is on it. It looks very familiar to her, but she can¡¯t quite place her finger on it. She decides to put her finger on it (the door). It opens. She enters. ¡ª When the room illuminates, Sweiza suddenly feels her weight being shifted around. She feels as if she is falling. She is on top of something gold. She looks around. It is a saucer. It is part of some kind of tower. She tries to avoid screaming as she continues to drop. She finally feels the weight shifting stop. She looks up. There is another tower in the distance and another yet. She can see stars twinkling. She looks down. There is some kind of platform behind the second tower. Wait; the third tower has a platform like the one she is on. She is on a weight? ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± She hears something in the distance and turns in that direction. The moon is there. She already knows what this test is. She starts summoning some of the ¡®junk¡¯ she acquired from Torry Enders in the Harbor Magistrate¡¯s personal vault. Some of it curios, statues and the like¡ªmost of it she was told to sell in Muspell Harbor. She had forgotten about it; but that isn¡¯t necessary from the money Strife left her. She puts down a sizable sum that she feels is her weight. She walks to the edge of the platform and grabs one of the tower wires. They are infact a type of ladder. She summons her courage and starts climbing. She is thankful for all of her outdoor running and climbing in trees. This will be easy; but it will take time. This will be dangerous if she drops. She knows not to look down¡ªthe same advice they gave her on the ¡°Sterling Blue¡± when climbing the rigging to get to the crow¡¯s nest. Once at the top, she finally does look down¡ªa mistake. She realizes she is up in the air some one hundred feet. The circus that visited Maria Village had a tightrope for people to walk; but it was only some five feet in the air and it had a net beneath it. She takes a gulp of air and holds her hands out. The long skyplatform and causeway is thankfully a foot wide. She can take her time if she is careful. However, she looks down too many times. She finally drops to her belly and lets her arms and legs hang over the thing. The platform aims up, so it will be much easier to belly crawl to the other side. She reaches the middle. It has a pedestal in front of it. She wonders about putting the urn there, but things better of it; she might need it for later. She braces her arms around the pedestal (it looks like an altar to her) and slowly pulls herself to the otherside of it. She lets herself down in a squat and then drops to her belly with both arms and legs cradling the platform again. She starts to belly crawl her way up. She swears she can see the landscape moving, but thinks nothing of it. About one quarter of the way to the end of the platform she realizes her mistake. The balance is going to move. She doesn¡¯t know how much, but it will move back and forth like a seesaw. A half minute later and she realizes that indeed, her intuition is correct. It starts to teeter a bit. She¡¯s come this far and isn¡¯t about to be deterred. She continues to belly crawl, but does so at a slower pace. Eventually the arm (platform in her case), starts to drop slowly. She hugs the platform as tightly as possible and continues the belly crawl¡ªshe stops for a bit when the arm starts to bob up and down. She miscalculated and badly. She feels sick. She keeps pushing herself¡ªshe knows if she gets this overwith she¡¯ll be able to touch the ground again (hopefully). She finally makes it to the end of the arm; by now it isn¡¯t moving as much. She waits for what feels like an eternity (two full minutes) before it stops moving. She finally brings herself to a sitting position and looks down at the giant round platform that serves as half of the scale. She wastes no time and brings herself down one of the three ¡®towers¡¯ that acts as a ladder. A short time later she is down on the pendulum and sits square in the center of it. She sees the sun sitting in the sky. Looking over she sees the moon. They are not lined up perfectly. She stands up and curses her luck. She thinks about it for a second. She has an idea, but it requires getting back to the other side of the scale. She repeats her climb and crawl¡ªa bit braver and quicker this time. When on the other side she takes more ¡®junk¡¯ curios out of her being and sets them down on the scale. This surely would weight much more than her. She repeats the crawl¡ªhopefully one last time; at the end of her journey she stands in the center of the other platform. The sun and moon are not lined up. However, this is where her plan comes into play. She starts summoning things from her being¡ªmore curios. Eventually she does get the sun and moon to line up. She hears some kind of odd chime and the sun and moon both set in unison. The pendulum begins to fade and she finds herself in a room. The stuff she set down next to her and then the other curios on the other platform are on the other edge of the room. She assumes she got the puzzle right as the door to the room opens. She reabsorbs the items into her being and leaves; a smile on her face that she is triumphant. She¡¯s beginning to wonder what the prize is. ¡ª At the last door she sees two figures with long hair; they are dressed in a white robe with gold trim. It looks unique to her¡ªshe is not familiar with the type. Their sandals are equally weird with parts of them missing; but they have less around the lower part of their leg. Are they supposed to be goddesses? She waits in front of the door, but nothing happens. Her arms cross. She grows impatient. She finally stamps her foot in frustration¡ªthe doors open. ¡ª Once inside she sees a dense fog; it is clearly night, but the room by itself is illuminated by starlight. She looks up and around and sees the moons of Avalan. She hears the familiar sound of the doors behind her closing. She heeds them no attention as she knows she is in for another trial. The fog parts. She sees¡­ what the? An obsidian tower? Like the one in Myrkvellir? She is puzzled why there is one here. Suddenly, she sees a figure appear in front of it. She walks up to it slowly with her sword drawn. ¡°Who are you?¡± The figure asks in a familiar voice. Sweiza recognizes the voice almost immediately. ¡°Lumia?¡± The figure walks forward. It is Lumia, but her younger self. She disappears as she approaches Sweiza. Sweiza turns around as Lumia appears in front of her. ¡°How did you know I would do that?¡± The girl seems a bit surprised. ¡°You kept dumping me into different scenarios in Myrkvellir.¡± Sweiza smiles. ¡°How did you get here when the tower doesn¡¯t have enough power?¡± The girl tilts her head at Sweiza. ¡°There are many like me out and about. What do you mean the tower doesn¡¯t have any power?¡± Sweiza acts cheerful and motions with her hand, ¡°This is a joke right?¡± Lumia shakes her head. ¡°There are multiple twin guardians stationed at each of the towers.¡± ¡°Do you communicate with the others?¡± Sweiza seems intrigued by this. There are twin siblings and multiple sets around the world? That is so cool! ¡°No, we¡­ we¡¯ve been cut off for some time. There was some kind of accident or uh, I don¡¯t know. We just can¡¯t. We used to be able to.¡± ¡°I see. Would something like this help?¡± Sweiza holds up the obsidian amulet.¡± Lumia suddenly walks up and eyes it. She looks up at Sweiza. Her brother Lumina appears next to her. Lumina holds out his hand, ¡°If you would let us borrow that artifact for a moment.¡± Sweiza holds it up for him. He gently pulls it from her hands and holds it lower so Lumia can reach it. Both Lumia and Lumina hold hands together as they face each other¡ªtheir eyes close. There is a sudden purple light that jumps from the obsidian amulet; it surrounds them in a light blue light; suddenly the area around them turns white. The entire area is suddenly filled with fog; Sweiza can no longer see Lumia or Lumina. She instinctively looks up¡ªshe sees the familiar pastel colors. Everything fades to white as she feels herself disappear. ¡ª Sweiza feels her arms tighten and a yawn escape her lips. She wakes up¡ªlooking straight at the moon of Mardin. She looks around once. Sprite is on top of Surt¡¯s tail; Sweiza is nestled behind his wing. The dragon himself hasn¡¯t moved an inch. She can¡¯t believe it; it was a dream? She summons the obsidian amulet; it appears in her hand. She shakes it on instinct, but nothing happens. She shakes her head once and dismisses it¡ªthat isn¡¯t how the device is used and it works just fine; she¡¯s not going to wake Sprite or Surt over her little follies. She thinks about it once¡ªif the worst she (and possibly ¡®they¡¯) will encounter are a ghost testing her (and possibly ¡®their¡¯) wits in the dreamworld, then so be it. As near as she can tell they are safe. The better question is though, why were these challenges present? And it suddenly dawns on her; the constellations. The tests featured the different constellations of the Zodiac. However, she remembers the inside of the pyramid being baren, stripped and some of the doors she saw in her dream, were otherwise blown off their hinges. Perhaps for that reason, the spirit (or spirits) in the pyramid need to communicate via dreams? This is starting to get exciting! Sweiza thinks about it for a second¡ªshe¡¯ll wait until morning. She lets out a yawn and curls back up. Sleep soon takes her. As if an omen, a shooting star streaks across the night sky. ANBLII - Chapter 27 - "Go Kick Rocks Lester!" The moon of Lokul is often associated with curses and ill omen¡ªit is also most associated to werewolves and werebears. The moon comes closest to the planet once every six months. During this time those with Dark Elf Blood¡ªand to a lesser extent Light Elf Blood¡ªexperience painful menstrual cramps during what is known as their ¡°Lokul Cycle¡±. As if to remind them of their curse, some of those with Dark Elf Blood suffer from the berserkergang. Should a life threatening situation ever trigger their fight or flight¡ªor something as simple as intense pain¡ªthey will go berserk and undergo a transformation into a creature not unlike a bear or a werewolf. In fact, they are sometimes simply referred to as werebears or werewolves. One such victim of fate is a young Sweiza Serif. She is about fifteen, and has been invited by a young, dorky and quite naive male boy (of the same age) to the festival dance. However, the dance this year would coincide with Sweiza¡¯s Lokul Cycle. She knew it would be coming. She has already missed the first few nights of what would be a week long festival. Her parents know her whereabouts, but they say nothing to their fellow villagers. Everyone knows by now about her affliction; most people ignore it. That is until some of the younger children point their fingers and start murmuring about what makes her ¡®different¡¯. When she finally worked up the courage to go to the dance on the third night, their words were all it took and an otherwise boisterous girl is set into tears and runs. Her would be suitor ¡°Lester¡±, manages to track her down to the woodshed behind her house. Hidden from view and pointing towards the backs of other houses, there are very few (if any windows) from the neighbors that can see anyone there¡ªperhaps three or four upper story windows from two or three houses. This place used to be a punishment where her mother and father would make her sleep if she ever misbehaved. Now it has become a sanctuary of sorts when it is simply too hot inside or when she wants to find solace. She has shaky and heavy breathing. There is pain between her legs; but she can feel it shooting all throughout her body. If she concentrates she can ignore it. She can¡¯t go to the dance like this. Her head of hair now matches the rest of the hair that has sprouted all over her body in a brown hair-suit. Despite being covered in a suit of berserker hair, it does little to keep the young girl warm. Instead, a simple pillow and a couple of blankets spread over several carefully arranged (and cut!) wood logs will suffice. This will be her shelter for at least another week until the moon of Lokul marches on. About the only thing to keep her sane through this ordeal is her diary¡ªoccasionally a friend walks by; sometimes ¡®Little Sprite¡¯ will also come by looking for a morsel of food¡ªor more importantly ¡®something sweet¡¯. She spends her days like this skulking in the shadows like a demon¡ªor so she feels like one. Some days crying, other days trying to manage her confidence and courage. She swears she¡¯ll get over the affliction someday¡ªbut that someday never seems to come fast enough. Always back to this damn wood shed, in fact, if I¡­ ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t an ¡®Angel Named Sera Tonic¡¯. Where have you been? Everyone is worried about you. Weren¡¯t you coming to the dance with me?¡± Sweiza¡¯s train of thought is interrupted by a familiar voice. The young male¡¯s voice is lighthearted, if not a little concerned. He is clearly trying to provoke a response out of her in his typical fashion. She¡¯s punched him before for his stupidity. She normally tolerates him. Keywords being ¡®normally¡¯. However, tonight like so many other berserker-hide ridden nights before, she won¡¯t put up with him. Her words come out as angry and harsh as she can muster. ¡°Go kick rocks Lester!¡± ¡ª ¡°You know Sera, you¡¯re going to miss the dance if you keep this up.¡± Lester has a small shoulder bag with him. He is busy rummaging for something inside of it. The other-worldly eyes of the berserker-girl stare back at him. She says nothing. Perhaps she is too angry¡ªor perhaps her berserker instincts are keeping her occupied. He doesn¡¯t seem deterred. The artifact he pulls out surprises her¡ªit is a straight razor (barber¡¯s knife). ¡°What do you intend to do with that?¡± The girl¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°Hold still.¡± Lester flicks the handled blade and the blade flies out and stiffens. The berserker-girl gets nervous. ¡°Let me see your arm.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t Lester.¡± ¡°You do want to go to the dance don¡¯t you?¡± His hand is already reaching for her left arm. She instinctively jerks it back. Not to be deterred he tries again; the same result as before. His eyes widen at her¡ªshe finally relents. He presses the blade up against her arm. ¡°I read that berserker hide is enchanted and sharp objects cannot pierce it.¡± ¡°And¡­?¡± Sweiza is not amused. She blinks once at the hair on her arm that is suddenly cut. He moves the blade in closer until her bare skin is showing. He places the tip of the blade on her skin. He looks up at her once. She looks away. She feels something dig into her skin and turns around. A surprised Lester suddenly has a grin on his face. ¡°Oh, whatever!¡± She instinctively tries to jerk her arm away again; she is quite strong and the boy is pulled with her and he drops the blade. He has to use his arm to block going face first into a log. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Sweiza looks away from him sheepishly. Both of her arms suddenly go into her lap. Lester scrambles to his feet and grabs the blade again. By now Sweiza has her arm out. She lets out a discontented sigh. Lester takes the blade and literally grinds it as if he is sharpening it against her arm hair. The hair comes off easily enough. He does it quicker. It comes off the same. His theory is correct; berserker hide does indeed stop sharp objcts from piercing or cutting it, but the hair is the same as any human¡¯s hair. However, with fully-haired berserker, this might take some time. ¡ª Sweiza keeps fidgeting throughout the ordeal. It takes much longer than what was expected. The worst part was trying to cut away the hair on her face. He thankfully has some experience with his own face, but it is her constant fidgeting and flinching that makes it worse. He finally has her close her eyes. She reluctantly does it. The blade would easily pierce her eyes, but not the hide covering them. Her face takes a good fifteen minutes. Her normal head of hair is thankfully intact and he can cut around it. ¡°Well?¡± Sweiza is now curious with the ordeal done. ¡°You did bring a mirror didn¡¯t you?¡± Lester fishes in his shoulder bag and proudly displays the item for her. She quickly grabs it from him¡ªtoo quick for his liking. She quickly looks in it. She doesn¡¯t normally fluff her hair, but this is one exception she¡¯ll make. She eyes herself from multiple angles. ¡°Very good Lester¡ªbut I¡¯m going to need that knife for a bit.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Lester gets nervous. She¡¯s not going to tweak his hair is she?¡± ¡°Lester, just give me the knife!¡± Her emphasis on her last words has him a little shaken. A shaky hand of a nervous boy hands it over to her. She jumps off the rock pile. He jumps back slightly. ¡°Lester, anything you can see normally is one thing. I¡¯m going to have mama help me with the rest. I¡¯ll see you at the dance. DON¡¯T STAND ME UP!¡± The boy is left bewildered as she trots to the front of her house. He¡¯s left to scratch his head. He was going to dance with her regardless of how much of a harry brute she is. Whatever. At least this time she didn¡¯t tell him to go kick rocks again. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡ª Sweiza feels yet -another- swipe against her thigh. However, another one doesn¡¯t come. She looks back at her mother. She sees her mother (Melda) with her arms crossed and the straight razor held in her right hand. Her mother looks quite cross. Sweiza¡¯s eyes shoot to the straight razor. Her mother¡¯s hands go to her hips. Sweiza stands up from the chair she was sitting in. She rushes up to her mother. Her mother lets out a grunt as the young girl hugs her¡ªthe girl still doesn¡¯t know her own strength. ¡°Thank you so much mama!¡± Sweiza¡¯s berserker eyes glow that ghostly yellow anytime light is nearby. Her mother and so many others are frightened of it¡ªno matter how much the villagers have gotten to it. ¡°Well, hurry up and go upstairs and take a shower. Make sure to look yourself up and down in the mirror once. You ungrateful daughter! Make sure not to break anything! I have canning to get back to.¡± ¡°Yes mama!¡± Sweiza kisses her mother once on the cheek. She runs several feet towards the steps. She suddenly stops and turns around to face her mother. She lets out a very gracious bow before turning around and heading towards the stares. Much to her mother¡¯s annoyance the towel that shielded the girl from most of her own hair, is suddenly dropping hair all over¡ªas she makes her way to the stairs. Her mother shakes her head. Melda understands it was a good idea, but the girl should just get used to her predicament¡ªeveryone has a problem or two they must deal with. In this case she (Melda¡¯s) would be having her daughter pull her away from more important matters such as canning. She no longer has time for such frivolous things such as dances when this year¡¯s harvest was a poor one; she¡¯ll need to can non stop for several weeks in order to have enough food for the family to get through the winter. Her reprieve will come some day¡ªher daughter will likely be cursed with a girl even worse than she (Sweiza) is. ¡ª Sweiza wipes the condensation off of the mirror once. She opted not to take a shower, but a bath instead. She eyes herself in the mirror once. She¡¯s gotten used to the look of her dull yellow eyes. It¡¯s perhaps the one thing she can¡¯t change. Perhaps tinted glasses, but she can¡¯t afford them. She eyes the bathtub once. There is hair in it. Mama will be furious if she doesn¡¯t clean it up. A noise from the window breaks her train of thought. ¡°Blegh! Too steamy!¡± Sweiza looks up towards the window; it is Little Sprite. He tries to fly into the bathroom, but quickly retreats to the window. ¡°Too humid!¡± ¡°Sprite, were you spying on me again?¡± He shyly peaks over the window ledge and nods. This one (among others) is a bad habit she has been trying to break him of to get him to be more ready accepted by the villagers. This has been a slow and arduous process, but she has had some luck once she broke him of stealing food. ¡°So did you know it was me?¡± He shakes his head. ¡°I saw someone in the window. I recognized the glowing eyes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re terrible.¡± He nods. She knows he wants something. ¡°Well, were you going to stare at me naked or can I get some clothing on?¡± Sprite darts out the window. He knows she will be down in a few minutes. Their meeting place is as the woodshed behind the house. Sweiza gives herself one last look in the mirror and then runs to her room. She hadn¡¯t thought about getting any clothing. She¡¯s not interested in her attire like other girls her age; however she does pick out her typical (and quite drab) dull green shorts and a white shirt with white socks. It isn¡¯t pretty, but it works. She runs back into the bathroom once. Her messy hair won¡¯t do. She slicks her hair back with a natural kind of gel and then runs downstairs. Her mother yells at her to walk as the girl does so. Melda shakes her head at the girl as Sweiza runs out the stairs. ¡ª Behind the wood pile, Little Sprite is greeted to the sight of his friend. Her normal casual wear is on. The only thing that stands out about her is her eyes¡ªthey are a dull yellow until the moon or a light hits them and they glow a very ghostly yellow to amber depending on the lighting. ¡°It¡¯s a very naughty habit to be spying on people, Little Sprite.¡± He flies up to her at face level and quickly nods. His wings flutter in anticipation. She holds out a cup of sugar¡ªthis is from her own private stash that she earns by performing extra chores for her mother. Little Sprite has his uses and is easily bribed with sugar, so she keeps a stash in her bedroom. He dive bombs the cup, but she quickly pulls it away. He hovers in the air, forlorn at her free hand covering the cup. He knows what is coming next. ¡°Sprite, I have a job for you!¡± His body slackens. He has to work for his treat, yet again. ¡°What kind of job?¡± He hovers out of arm reach; he¡¯s gotten use to her trying to shoo him when he tries to get to the prize. A devious look crosses Sweiza¡¯s face. ¡°The most interesting kind.¡± Sweiza lets out a chuckle as she relinquishes the treat. He is grateful he at least gets to eat before having to perform yet another errand for her. ¡ª It is much more than a dance for the village. It is part of the annual fertility festival. While unnamed, it is a tradition for the village that has been going on for at least seven hundred years when the village was first formed. At the coming of age, young men take to being knights and act as chaperones for the young women that don the traditional fertility festival robes of the village. It takes about one week to get to the Goddess of Fertility¡¯s Temple; the adults do not interfere as is tradition¡ªeveryone born native to the village has been to the temple once. Once there, they gain the favor of the Goddess of Fertility that blesses the land that would otherwise be overrun with desert from Muspell, swamp from the south, and otherwise bad weather from the north. As the village legends go, her blessing also keeps the monsters in the vicinity from entering the village; but it is just a legend. In fact it is a certain sentry that guards the village that keeps monsters at bay, but that is a story for another day. The part Sweiza has always looked forward to was the dance. However, she has always been too young. Since fourteen she was even more eager, but could not find anyone that would be her dance partner. That was until she met Lester just shortly after the dance. He was a quiet boy in her school one year higher; he was known to speak up to say something stupid or comedic, but was otherwise rebuked by the teachers and chastised by fellow students. She never gave him much thought. There came a matter of a certain spritekin that stole his lunch one day and the two of them were quickly introduced. If an act of fate, she doesn¡¯t know; the two have been friends ever since. He finally asked her to the dance about two months prior. She was overjoyed and said yes. Now the two of them dance in a pre-rehearsed fashion like so many other people around them. The dance is traditional. It is slow; the teenage boys and girls take turns leading. Sweiza and Lester¡¯s dance (like so many others) is slow and awkward to the music. The adults have had this mastered since the time they were younger; but it doesn¡¯t deter the youth of the village any¡ªthis is something they intend to master as well in repeat fashion like so many others before. ¡ª The dance part of the festival lasted about two hours in total. Sweiza and Lester danced for at least three-quarters of it before finally calling it good. Sweiza had to stop due to her cramps getting to her. While it normally might bother her in her human form, when her berserker syndrome kicks in, it blocks out most of the pain; however, repeated and strenuous movements are enough for the cramps to eat through her otherwise berserker syndrome¡¯s resistance. Towards the end of the night Sweiza has taken a liking to the punch. However, as it turns out¡ªlike so many cultures across so many other countries around the world¡ªsomeone spiked it. She is starting to show signs of being tipsy at the end of the night. It does nothing to help Lester¡ªwhom has chosen to behave like a gentlemen around her. However, when she tries to playfully hit him and lets out a giggle, he knows it is time to leave. They leave shortly after eleven o¡¯clock¡ªthe traditional time that the young boys and girls leave the festival; the young men and women leave around midnight, and then the older men and women typically leave around one o¡¯clock with festivity ornaments and everything else here and there, to be left out until morning for everyone to clean up. ¡ª On the way home, Sweiza is a stammering mess. Her speech is slurred and getting worse. Lester has to walk her home with one of her arms around his neck and his arms supporting her. He lets a sharp knock at the house to her door. As expected, her mother is there to answer it. She asks them if they had a good time; Lester is about to nod, but Sweiza starts speaking boisterously and giggling. She waves her hand at her mother¡ªsomething about the dance not being that hard. Sweiza lets out a drunken groan as the dizziness hits her; her head hangs towards the ground. ¡°I think I will take care of her from here Lester. Thank you for not taking advantage of her¡­ predicament.¡± ¡°No problem Madam Serif.¡± After the girl is transferred to her mother¡ªquite awkwardly¡ªMelda turns around to escort her daughter upstairs and to her bed. Sweiza¡¯s current drunken condition is why no one before the age of fifteen is allowed to enjoy the dance or party¡¯s refreshments. Melda stops just after turning around and her head turns to the boy still standing at the door. ¡°Good night Lester. Please be gentlemen and close the door after showing yourself out.¡± Lester is of course heartbroken he can no longer act as a gentleman to chaperone his former dance partner. He is about to say something when Sweiza bursts out giggling. ¡°Res-ter, shoooow lll-iiick loccckkk-ssss! Go annnd sssh-ow! Haha!¡± At those words Lester immediately goes to lock the door and then closes it from the outside. He lets out a puff of air. That girl is such a handful. He can hear the familiar low beat of wings behind him. It is Sprite. ¡°You completed that job she wanted?¡± Sprite shrugs. ¡°Kind of.¡± ¡°I see, then it was an eventful night.¡± The sprite nods once before flying up. He watches as the boy walks back to his house. Sprite isn¡¯t allowed in the house, but has found a cranny underneath one of the roof eaves where he can sleep for the night. It isn¡¯t much, but it helps protect him from predators. At some point he intends to confront Melda about letting him in the house permanently, but he knows what she will say, ¡°No more helping yourself to the pantry!¡± He lets out a ¡®bah!¡¯ as he curls into a ball and his wings chitter once, before he falls asleep. Once up in Sweiza¡¯s room, Melda helps her daughter dump herself into a heap on her bed. ¡°Sanksyou ma-mmaa!¡± She lets out a giggle as her hands cradle together on her stomach. She makes an awkward motion with her elbows and lets out a laugh. ¡°Starla, you¡¯re such a handful. But at least you had fun.¡± She shakes her head at her daughter. Sweiza lets out a laugh. Melda closes the door to the bedroom; the light from the ceiling lantern (just in the hall) comes to a small wedge shape and then a sliver before it disappears. Sweiza lets out a giggle and then a faint murmur as sleep takes her. Today turned out better than she could have hoped; and she found her own knight to boot. Perhaps she will consider marrying that boy rather than being the ruffian the village has known her for. Time will tell. ANBLII - Chapter 28 - Reckoning, Regrouping, Retracking The memory of Lester is a good one. She smiles. The memories and her senses start to come to. The land of the living finally brings her to the waking world; her first reaction is to stretch her arms, but she feels resistance. She pulls again, but her arms pull on something. She hears metal. Her eyes bolt open. She sees a flaming torch in the distance. She goes to step forward. Wait! Wasn¡¯t I sleeping? She looks down. She is horrified to see she is barefooted with shackles on her ankles. Her eyes dart to her arms. More shackles. She tries to let out a scream, but something has been attached to her mouth. All she can do is push her mouth out; it appears to be something metal, but easily bendable. She can feel something cold on her neck. Another kind of binding chain? It¡¯s not a shackle, but something similiar? What the Muspell? The sight of being dressed in rags means something is very wrong. She can just about guess at being captured. Where was she last? Myrkvellir? No, the pyramid in Muspell. Didn¡¯t one of the Zodiac spirits say it was the ¡°Muspell Museum of History?¡± She tries one last time to jerk her arm, but it is held up. How did she ever sleep like this? The pain finally hits her. Her shoulders and arms are tired from having hung for so long. I¡¯m lucky I¡¯m light weight. Her eyes dart all around the room. She can¡¯t see much beyond the flickering torch. It appears there is darkness anywhere beyond. How is that even possible¡ªshouldn¡¯t a torch illuminate an entire room? Her arms and legs itch. She wishes she could scratch them. If only Sprite were here. Where is that little shit when I need him? Always fooling around that pest! Agh! She looks around hoping to find some way to break from her prison, but to no avail. She has to devise some kind of plan. Can I summon something into my ha¡­ Her thoughts are interrupted by a voice. It is toned with a high pitch, and it comes out with words that roll. ¡°I see you are finally awake¡ªthe master will be pleased. Did you have a good rest?¡± Sweiza looks up; it is the small figure from her dream before. It is standing just beyond the flame and she can¡¯t make out its colors. ¡ª ¡°Even if what you say is true, dragons are well known for avoiding human structures. This one is no different.¡± Sweiza pulls on her arm shackles once, then her arms go slack again. ¡°I¡¯m a Valkyrie.¡± ¡°I know. The master said he could feel your presence the minute you entered our domicile.¡± Sweiza tries another tactic. ¡°What was the meaning of showing me the Zodiac then?¡± ¡°Oh them. That was the silver globe¡¯s way of probing your memories.¡± The dream with Lester; it¡¯s starting to make sense. Sweiza hears something odd in the distance. The light from the torch¡¯s flames flicker on something shiny in the distance. She sees a pair of two lights; they appear to be eyes. They blink like a set of eyes would. As the creature approaches it makes a weird noise with every metal footstep¡ªsome kind of hum or something like a low harmonica. It walks closer within the torch¡¯s reach. It looks like an armored creature. A gargoyle maybe? That is very impressive armor! The armored gargoyle stops just short of the small figure. ¡°You¡¯ve said too much as usual.¡± It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve seen an enchanted creature speak. It speaks so perfectly, but something seems off. It almost sounds like a musical instrument¡­ just a very weird one. The armored gargoyle speaks again. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s understandable that you would think that.¡± ¡°What?¡± There is notable confusion in Sweiza¡¯s voice, but especially in her eyes. The armored gargoyle walks up closer to just a few feet from the girl. His glowing eyes blink several times. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I am known as Artis. I would ask the same of you.¡± He can¡¯t be serious. ¡°I am being quite serious.¡± Sweiza¡¯s jaw drops and her head bolts up at the gargoyle. ¡°How are you doing that?¡± ¡°That is actually what I wanted to talk to you about.¡± The gargoyle takes one step forward and something appears out of its arms. They look weird--some kind of cylinder shape.. A flash. Several chain links in the shackles give way and Sweiza drops to the ground. She looks up. Just what the hell is this thing? ¡°You are a Valkyrie, aren¡¯t you? You should know me as a Sentinel. We are on the same side.¡± Sweiza stares up at it in surprise. She tries to scramble to her feet. She drops down again with her body feeling weak. Something isn¡¯t right. ¡°There is an artifact in this pyramid that is currently preventing me from leaving. I would like you to deactivate it.¡± ¡°What?¡± The flames from the torch nearby crackle once and then dance wildly to some unknown wind. Artis turns back around. ¡°It has figured it out. It¡¯s true form is that of a sphere. It will look like whatever your mind¡­¡± Everything suddenly turns black. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡­ Sweiza suddenly lets out a gasp and she lunges herself up. She looks down and then up and then behind her she sees Surt. The morning sun is starting to rise just behind the pyramid. ¡°What the hell?¡± She says it outloud, but Sprite and Surt are unaffected by her voice. She jumps to a standing position and stares in defiance at the pyramid. This is getting stranger the longer she stays here. --- A few footsteps towards the pyramid and Sweiza turns back to her friends. She eyes Sprite once, then Surt. They must be going through the same things she has. Dream worlds, dream spirits, all kinds of enchanted things. She stiffens herself up and about faces. Her pace quickens and her arms move briskly. Her thoughts dwell on the Sentinel that says it is being prevented from moving. The ¡®artifact¡¯ is some kind of silver sphere that can read a person¡¯s mind¡ªdreams rather. The smaller creature of the two was most curious. It never mentioned anything about being trapped there. Are the two friends? She rearms her focus towarsd the stairs of the pyrmid. She has a hunch the Sentinel is within the walls of the pyramid itself¡ªperhaps stuck in a dreamstate. She doesn¡¯t want that same thing to happen to her current entourage. Her armor suddenly appears with her sword drawn. Perhaps if she can solve this on her own, she¡¯ll win Strife over. Her eyes narrow as she she breaks into a run at the base of the pyramid¡ªeach running step hits the stone steps with iron claps. ¡ª At the entrance to the inside hall, Sweiza notes the doors as they were before. They look like an explosive threw them off their hinges. She figures it was bandits from before. Past the hallway, she finds herself in the same situation as before. There is a corridor with many doors. Most of them are separate chambers and dead ends. Many of them have doors that are blown off their hinges, or they simply won¡¯t open. She doesn¡¯t have the ability to move them¡ªthey are far too heavy. She paces in and out of the different chambers. There is nothing there. She remembers seeing entrances at the other side of the pyramid. She backtracks and traces the perimeter of the pyramid. The second entrance has been collapsed¡ªsomething exploded. The third has been blown off its hinges; the fourth door appears to have been destroyed in an explosion. She notes this isn¡¯t a good sign. Hopefully the bandits that caused this are long gone. She figures there is treasure buried in different locations within the bowels of the pyramid. She chooses to enter the third doorway and will proceed to the fourth if she doesn¡¯t find what she needs. She sees strange symbols painted on the walls¡ªthey match the futhark she¡¯s becoming accustomed too. There are also strange paintings on the wall. Some dragons, others strange creatures she is not accustomed to. A few of the designs look like werewolves and spritekin. She tries to give them a closer look, but the shadow of the interior and the light of the sun catch her attention. She looks further in¡ªsure enough it is dark. She stamps her foot and huffs in frustration. She left her torch in her first excursion in the pyrmamid¡ªit has probably burned out by now. She stamps her foot again. This isn¡¯t going so well. --- At the first entrance, she finds herself in a similar situation¡ªno light. She has to stop and think about it for a second. Sprite would probably make an excellent light source; but he is still sleeping and hates ghosts. Surt won¡¯t fit into the pyramid entrance. Well, he can, but he would be digging. She can¡¯t remember if dragon¡¯s can dig through stone or not. She thinks further. She has flint rocks (fire starter). Would clapping the rocks together work? She tests that theory. It doesn¡¯t work very well. She has matches, but doesn¡¯t like wasting them anymore than the flint rocks. The torchlight from Bothnin? She summons it to her hands. She forgets the mechanism. She tries twisting it, then rubbing it¡ªbut nothing. She finally tries shaking it and the light flicks on. She is blind momentarily from looking at the focus of the light. She shakes her head and continues onward in a run. She wastes no time this time. She heads straight for the end doors that circle around the main chamber and allow access. She swings the beam¡ªshe doesn¡¯t remember where the torch was left. She sees something blue flicker in the distance. She swings the beam again. She freezes and swings the light back at the blue flicker. It starts to walk towards her. It¡¯s the figure from her dream. She calls out to it. It doesn¡¯t answer. It continues to walk towards her. She starts to back up. She feels something scuff behind her heels. The torch! She scoops it up and turns around. Just as she is about to pull it into her being, she sees the figure standing in front of her. It flickers at her once and its eyes glow. Sweiza lets out a yelp and falls backwards to her hands and butt. She tries to scramble to her feet but sees the ¡®ghost¡¯ in front of her. She can feel panic¡ªit feels more like terror really. She hates ghosts¡ªeven moreso than Sprite. This is bad, really bad. She can feel the blood rushing from her head. Thoughts flood her head. She¡¯s come this far, only to be spooked by the thing which was otherwise friendly. Why isn¡¯t it talking to her? Her head fills with resolve as she scrambles to her feet and darts under the now-hovering figure; she grabs both the torch light (by the handle) and then grabs the torch by the top (fuel source). She cringes at how the torch feels. Whatever. She is about to say something when she suddenly bolts up from her dream. She is up to a sitting position and pants. ¡°What the Goddess?!¡± She looks around and sees Sprite hovering just above her. The dragon Surt is staring at her curiously. ¡°Sera, you were running in circles!¡± Sprite flaps his wings at her; it is an odd gesture¡ªshe knows it means he is curious. ¡°You¡¯ve been having those weird dreams too?¡± She scratches her head at him. He nods. The dragon lumbers up suddenly at stares her down. The wings attached to his front arms suddenly hackle backwards. ¡°There is something evil going on here.¡± ¡°Surt, can you dig through stone?¡± The dragon looks back at the pyramid. ¡°There is gold in that pyramid.¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms cross and she glares up at the dragon. His tail flicks the ground. Her eyes pop in surprise and her eyes suddenly uncross. ¡°What did you do, eat the bandits?¡± The dragon¡¯s tongue flicks out at her; she can feel a snort of his hot breath from his nose. ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll find it¡¯s location.¡± The dragon¡¯s tongue flicks upward; she can only assume it means in approval. ¡°There is one thing though¡­¡± Sweiza flicks her hand once and the torchlight appears. That much is certain. She flicks her other hand and the torch appears in it. As far as she can tell, there is a discrepancy between the waking and real worlds. She can¡¯t tell if what happens in the dream world also happens in the waking or not. ¡°Surt!¡± The dragon¡¯s head lowers towards her and his third eyelids blink at her. She grimaces at the sight; she thought only birds and cats had that. ¡°Surt! Did you ever hear of any Sentinels in this area?¡± The dragon looks back at the pyramid again. ¡°The iron race avoids this area; it was respite during the battle¡­¡± The dragon doesn¡¯t sound happy. Sweiza has to stop and think. ¡°Battles¡­ you mean the Muspell-Vallhal War?¡± The dragon¡¯s eyes blink once, but he doesn¡¯t answer her. ¡°Surt, could you at least nod or something so I know if you¡¯re listening?¡± The dragon¡¯s eyes glow at her. ¡°No.¡± Sweiza stamps her foot on the ground. ¡°Maybe we should just avoid this area then?¡± The dragon¡¯s eyes glow from orange to yellow; his tongue flicks out again. ¡°We are not leaving without the treasure.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know if it is here or not!¡± ¡°The grave diggers found it.¡± Sweiza takes in an involuntary breath an exhales in frustration. She knows full well it would be treacherous walking back to Muspell Harbor on foot; Surt could get her back to Maria in less than half a day. ¡°Surt! There is a Sentinel¡­¡± Surt¡¯s eyes pull bright red at the word ¡®Sentinel¡¯. ¡°¡­and some kind of ghost in there. If things go bad, I want your full support, treasure or not! You hear me?!¡± Sweiza turns around without giving the dragon a chance to answer her. She looks up at Sprite once. Her eyes shout serious all over him. He nods as she starts her her pace towards the pyramid. Strife sent her here for a reason¡ªshe is going to get to the bottom of it. --- Sweiza looks down at the torchlight in her hand once. She flicks it on; her attention moves to Sprite. ¡°I need a second light. Help me out¡­ Dewey.¡± Sprite stands stiff and to attention. He suddenly pulses a bright blue light. He takes point and charges towards the pyramid. Sweiza take step forward and starts sinking in the sand. ¡°What the?! Surt, help!¡± She turns around and falls over. She sees Surt is frozen. ¡°SURT!¡± He doesn¡¯t respond. ¡°Sprite, help!¡± She turns back around towards the spritekin. For some reason he is still moving and darts towards her. She outreaches her hand towards him and he grabs onto it. With all his might he pulls. It has no effect. He uses every last ounce of magic he has to send air in the reverse direction and pull himself upwards. It works momentarily, but exhaustion hits him and his strength slackens. He lets go of Sweiza and her hand suddenly pulls him under the sand. She holds her hand up to try and save him; it works, but their situation is dire. She continues sinking. As she reaches chest level she struggles to right herself up, but continues sinking until she is neck high. She continues to panic and her hand suddenly pulls sprite under. She doesn¡¯t hear his cry. She looks up at the sun. Does she die this way? She looks over towards the dragon. A pair of feet are just to her left. She recognizes those boots. She looks up at a familiar uniform and sees Salmira. ¡°Salmira, help me! Please!¡± Salmira¡¯s hands hands go to her hips, ¡°I thought you would have figured this out by now, but I seem to be mistaken.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Sweiza lets out a cry as her head finally sinks beneath the sand. Salmira lets out a smirk at the girl¡¯s former location; she lets a kick of sand at it. Salmira¡¯s eyebrows pop up, ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me, your time is nigh.¡± [AI REDUX] ANBLI - An Angel Named Sera Tonic On the planet Avalon, in the autumn season on the continent of Dawez, the village of Maria prepared for its annual harvest celebration. Among them was Sweiza Serif, a young farmer''s daughter who embarked on a sacred pilgrimage to a temple nestled in the mountains. This arduous journey required traversing treacherous swampland, negotiating with otherworldly creatures, and relying on the protection of knights and fellow travelers. As evening fell, five seasoned knights gathered, their primary responsibility being to escort three young women - Sweiza among them - across perilous terrain. The villagers assembled en masse, though not everyone was present; some were recluses, while others had unique backgrounds that converged with a shared purpose: the village''s very survival depended on maintaining good relations with the goddess of harvests. Legend held that should her favor wane, the land would dry up and the inhabitants would be forced to abandon their homes. This annual pilgrimage was not only a tradition but also a rite of passage for those involved - they would emerge as adults come springtime. --- In the mystical realm of Avalon, where moonlit mists shrouded the Dawez continent, the village of Maria stirred with anticipation as autumn''s harvest approached. Amidst this rustic backdrop, Sweiza Serif, a fiery-haired farm girl, prepared for her sacred journey to the Celestial Temple nestled within the mist-shrouded mountains. This perilous pilgrimage required traversing treacherous swamplands teeming with ancient secrets and mysterious creatures. To ensure their safe passage, five gallant knights of the Order of the Golden Harvest were summoned to escort Sweiza and six other young women - each a chosen representative from the village''s seven sacred families. As night descended upon Maria, the villagers gathered in fervent expectation, their faces aglow with candlelight. The air was alive with whispers of ancient prophecies and forgotten lore. For on this eve, the very fate of the land hung precariously balanced between life-giving fertility and desolate barrenness. Legend whispered that should the goddess of harvests turn her back upon Maria, the once-lush fields would wither and die, leaving naught but dust and despair. This sacred pilgrimage was more than a mere tradition; it was an initiation rite for those who dared to venture forth into the unknown. For Sweiza and her companions, this journey marked not only their passage from childhood to adulthood but also their ascension into the revered ranks of Maria''s harvest guardians - the keepers of the land''s fertility and the whispers of its ancient secrets. As the knights took up their positions at the temple gates, a collective sense of anticipation hung in the air like the sweet scent of ripening fruit. For on this autumn eve, the very fabric of reality seemed to tremble with promise... --- In the mystical realm of Avalon, where moonbeams danced across the Dawez continent, Sweiza Serif''s thoughts were consumed by her aspirations and the whispers of gossip that wafted through the temple''s corridors. As she scribbled in her journal, her words were interrupted by a sudden shout: "SWEIZA!" Her pen slipped from her fingers as she turned to face one of the knights, his helmet lifted to reveal piercing eyes. His voice was low and soothing, but Sweiza felt a flutter in her chest. "Didn''t mean to startle you, Sweiza," he said with a gentle smile. "You should get some rest. We have a long journey ahead." Sweiza''s gaze lingered on the knight before she reluctantly returned to her journal. The words seemed trivial now, and she couldn''t help but wonder what secrets lay hidden beneath their armor. As night descended once more, Sweiza found herself lost in thought, her mind wandering through the village''s gossip and rumors. She caught snippets of whispers about one villager or another, her eyes rolling with exasperation as she drifted off to sleep. But this time, it was different. As she woke again, she felt a strange sense of clarity wash over her. The stars twinkled above like diamonds scattered across the velvet sky, and Sweiza''s thoughts turned inward. She pondered the traditions that bound their village together, wondering if they were truly necessary or just relics of a bygone era. As she lay there, lost in thought, an owl hooted its haunting call, its eyes glowing like lanterns in the darkness. The sound sent shivers down Sweiza''s spine as she felt the weight of her doubts and fears settling upon her. And yet, even as sleep claimed her once more, Sweiza knew that this time would be different. She had glimpsed a world beyond their village, one where secrets lay hidden beneath the armor of tradition and expectation. --- As the village bell tolled, Sweiza''s eyes snapped open like a trapdoor springing shut. She was already on her feet before the echoes of the chimes faded away. The morning air was crisp with anticipation as she hastened to join the others. But just as she took her first step forward, a gentle tug halted her progress. She turned to find Lester''s mischievous grin plastered across his face, his eyes sparkling like gemstones in the early light. "So, I guess you''ll be going then?" he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Sweiza narrowed her gaze. "You weren''t here last night." Lester shrugged, his shoulders barely moving beneath his tunic. "I was busy... acquiring certain items for my collection." His eyes glinted with a hint of mischief as he added, "Preferably a kiss." He puckered up, and Sweiza''s hand instinctively shot out to cover his mouth. "Ah-ah! No kisses today, I''m afraid," she said firmly, her voice low and husky. Just then, the village elder''s booming voice echoed through the courtyard. "Sweiza!" She turned around, Lester already backing away with a sly smile on his face. He handed her a folded parchment before disappearing into the crowd like a ghostly apparition. "Good luck," he whispered as he vanished from view. Sweiza tucked the note into her belt for later perusal and hastened to join the others, the village bell''s final chimes still echoing in her mind. --- As the moon cast its silvery glow upon the mystical forest, Sweiza''s company traversed an uncharted path, shrouded in mystery. The trees grew taller, their branches twisting like skeletal fingers, as they ventured deeper into the foothills of the ancient mountains. To either side lay treacherous landscapes: boglands and swampy morasses to the north, deserts stretching towards the far south, while prairies and fertile farmland beckoned from the west. Their journey was marked by an unbroken silence, punctuated only by the soft rustling of leaves beneath their feet. One night stood vigilant at all times, her eyes scanning the surroundings like a sentinel, while another lagged behind every quarter hour. The remaining two walked abreast, flanking the path as they widened its narrow passage. The knight on point halted suddenly, his armor creaking softly in the stillness. He waited for Sweiza''s company to reassemble before speaking. "We find ourselves within the swampy realm now," he announced, his voice low and measured. "A place where caution is paramount." As if sensing their unease, the knight plunged his sword into the murky waters. Nothing stirred at first, but upon a second attempt, bubbles began to rise from the surface, accompanied by the subtle movement of reeds. The water''s edge turned a faint crimson hue. The knight withdrew his blade, its once-sharp edge now smeared with blood. A low murmur rippled through Sweiza''s company as they beheld this ominous sign. Undeterred, he repeated the gesture, and this time, a fish was attached to the sword when it emerged from the water. The knight held up the catch for all to see before delivering his warning: "Do not fall in." As if sensing an impending shift in their fortunes, Sweiza''s company began to experience treacherous terrain. The knight who had led them thus far approached Sweiza and lifted his visor, revealing a chiseled face beneath. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he asked, "So how did you come by the name Sweiza?" Sweiza halted beside him, her voice steady despite the intrigue in her gaze. "I was so-named because my parents desired a boy." The knight''s armor seemed to tremble ever so slightly at this revelation. "Please," she continued, "you may address me as Sera after my surname if it pleases you." He nodded, his face set in determination. "Sera it is then." As they exchanged words, Sweiza noticed the other knights and young women closing in around them like a crescent moon. "We must press on," she reminded him, her voice low and urgent. The group reformed into their previous formation as whispers of amusement drifted from some of the girls. Sweiza''s face flushed with embarrassment as they continued onward. Hours later... As Derek approached her once more, Sweiza broke formation ever so slightly before tripping him. The others walked past without notice, leaving the two to conclude their conversation in private. "Knight," she said, her voice tinged with amusement, "you embarrassed me earlier." He regained his composure, standing stiffly like a statue as he replied, "I-I meant no offense, Sera..." Sweiza''s laughter was low and husky. "Your crush needs to cease its pursuit." She paused for emphasis before adding, "I have a boyfriend." The knight''s face fell, his armor seeming to sag beneath the weight of disappointment. As they reassembled into their formation once more, Sweiza let out a snicker that quickly turned into a stifled giggle. The group around them remained silent, lost in thought as the moon continued its steady march across the sky. --- As the moon dipped into the horizon, casting an ethereal glow upon the mystical realm of Eldrida, a gentle patter began to fall from above - not raindrops, but tears of the gods themselves. The air was heavy with anticipation as Sweiza''s company traversed the winding path, their footsteps echoing through the silence. One of the maidens let out a soft gasp, her voice barely audible over the whispers of the forest. "You cannot be serious!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. A few among them carried ancient umbrellas, imbued with mystical properties that repelled the divine tears. One of these guardians walked forth to shield Sweiza from the celestial downpour, their movements fluid and deliberate as they wove a protective barrier around her. Two others, however, stood exposed, their hair drenched and their cloaks clinging to their bodies like wet skin. It was then that one of the knights unhooks his mantle, its fabric shimmering with an otherworldly glow. With a swift motion, he flings it towards them, the cloak unfurling in mid-air before settling around their shoulders. The pair grasped the garment, holding it aloft like a banner as they walked upright against the rain''s gentle caress. The knight''s mantle seemed to absorb the divine tears, its power infusing the air with an aura of protection and tranquility. As morning approached, Sweiza''s company settled into their makeshift campsite, constructed from rope, branches, mantles, and smaller trees. However, the night proved restless, as the structure repeatedly collapsed under the weight of rain-soaked fabric and shifting tree limbs. Fatigue claimed many among them, leaving them drained for the day ahead. As morning gave way to mid-morning, Sweiza awoke once more, her gaze drifting towards two knights standing watchful guard. She returned to slumber, only to awaken again as the drizzle subsided into a gentle mist. This time, she rose and approached one of the sentinels, whispering secrets in his ear. The knight''s expression turned incredulous before he followed Sweiza away from camp, disappearing into the trees. They reappeared moments later, their faces somber but unspoken understanding between them. Sweiza returned to her companions, bowing slightly as she took up a position near the makeshift leanto. The other knights exchanged knowing glances, one of which whispered something inaudible to Sweiza''s company before resuming his post. As afternoon approached, they departed once more into the rain-soaked wilderness, their footsteps echoing through the silence like whispers from beyond the veil. Their destination lay ahead: the Temple for the Goddess of Harvest, where ancient secrets and mysteries awaited those brave enough to seek them out. --- She''s not happy about being part of this tradition and decides to camp outside tonight. A mysterious figure appears before her - none other than Valkyrie herself! They have a conversation about Sweiza''s dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs and her desire for change. That same night, Sweiza has a dream in which she meets the god of dreams (Zenith) who puts her through a test. She fails to respond, so he sends his servant, Demi, aka the trickster lord, god of nightmares, to continue testing her. Demi appears as a wolf and then takes on human form, tempting Sweiza with dark desires and fantasies. He even gives her an icy shard that she uses to attack him! As punishment for attacking a god, Demi sentences her to death... but not before subjecting her to thousands of ice shards piercing her skin. Sweiza awakens in the middle of the night, sitting next to the temple with no memory of what happened. A figure appears beside her - perhaps Valkyrie again? Here''s the rewritten version with more fantasy elements: Sweiza stumbled out of the dream, gasping for air as if she''d been drowning in a sea of darkness. The figure before her was no longer benevolent; its eyes glowed like embers from the depths of the underworld. "You are not done yet," she growled, its voice like thunder on a stormy night. Sweiza struggled to rise, but Valkyrie''s lance pinned her to the ground once more. This time, she felt no pain as her vision faded to black. When Sweiza awakened again, she found herself in a grand hall of golden stone and brass lanterns that cast an eerie glow. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and forgotten knowledge. A tapestry depicting ancient battles hung from the ceiling, its threads shimmering like starlight. A figure emerged from the shadows ¨C Douglas, Scholar of Adavan, his eyes aglow with a fire that seemed to burn within him. His words were laced with an otherworldly wisdom as he spoke of trials and professions chosen by mortals. Sweiza''s mind reeled as she tried to comprehend the strange world unfolding before her. Valkyrie stood watchful, her helmet glinting like polished steel in the flickering light. As Douglas lectured on Sweiza''s ignorance and lack of education, his words dripped with condescension, making her feel like a child playing at being a warrior. She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs from her mind, but he continued to speak as if she were an empty vessel waiting to be filled. Valkyrie intervened once more, her voice cutting through Douglas''s monologue like a sword slicing through silk. --- Sweiza stood at the edge of the celestial city, its white limestone spires and towers piercing the sky like shards of divine light. Vines of creeping ivy snaked around the structures, as if attempting to claim them for their own. The air was alive with the whispers of ancient secrets, carried on the breeze that rustled through the gardens. Valkyrie materialized before her, her armor glinting like polished moonstone in the soft light. "Do you have any questions for me, young one?" she asked, her voice as cool and collected as a winter''s night. Sweiza''s response was laced with venom. "Why don''t you just kill yourself? You''re worthless." Valkyrie''s expression remained unyielding. "I gave up the right to death in the name of Valkyrie," she said, her voice dripping with conviction. The young girl''s tone shifted, her words laced with desperation. "Please, get me out of here! I don''t belong here!" Valkyrie''s gaze turned cold as ice. "A fate far worse than death awaits you if you continue to harbor such an attitude. Be cautious." Sweiza sneered. "I don''t need your help." Valkyrie raised an eyebrow, her disgust palpable. "Fine then; suit yourself," she said, turning away. "You are on your own." As the warrior vanished into the city''s labyrinthine streets, Sweiza stuck out her tongue in a childish gesture of defiance. She muttered to herself, "I don''t care if I''m stuck here." Crossing her arms, she let out a snort. The air seemed to thicken with anticipation as Valkyrie reappeared, her eyes blazing like stars on a clear night. "Such a rude little girl," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. Sweiza spun around, feeling the searing pain of Valkyrie''s grip on her thigh. Strong hands grasped her arms and torso, pinning her in place as more blows rained down upon her. As consciousness began to slip away, Sweiza distinctly heard Valkyrie''s parting words: "You are hardly innocent." --- In the depths of the mystical realm, where moonlit forests whispered secrets to the wind, Sweiza''s life was once marked by innocence and duty. She was a priestess in training, bound to her sacred duties without remorse or hesitation. But that all changed on the fateful night she fell prey to a band of shadowy thieves. As darkness consumed her, Sweiza''s world crumbled around her. The cruel hands of fate left her battered, gagged, and whipped until she surrendered to the abyss of despair. Her rape marked the moment when remorse abandoned her, leaving only an insatiable longing for oblivion. At dawn''s break, Valkyrie appeared within Sweiza''s cell, her armor glinting like polished starlight in the dim light. As Sweiza struggled to regain consciousness, she barely recognized the warrior-priestess. Amidst her half-coherent whispers, Valkyrie distinctly heard a desperate plea: "Kill me." Valkyrie''s expression softened as she felt a tug on her mantle. She beheld Sweiza''s anguished face and knew that death would not be the end of this young priestess'' suffering. "You will experience a fate far worse than death, oh young Sweiza," Valkyrie said with a hint of sorrow in her voice. "You will learn to temper your passion and heed the wisdom of those who have walked before you." Sweiza nodded weakly as Valkyrie vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only an eerie silence. As the darkness receded, Sweiza''s thoughts became mired in despair. She knew that she had lost her innocence, her purity, and with it, the respect and admiration of those who once revered her. Her fate was sealed: a life marked by shame, solitude, and regret. The screams of men echoed through the corridors as Valkyrie departed, leaving Sweiza to confront the abyss within herself. In that moment, she realized that death would have been a merciful release from the torment that awaited her. As reality faded into darkness, Sweiza''s final words were whispered on the wind: "Help me...please." --- Sweiza wandered through the mystical garden of Verdantia, where ancient trees whispered secrets to the wind and vines entwined like serpents around stone statues. The air was heavy with the scent of blooming flowers as she approached the sacred temple of her people. Towering ferns parted like sentinels, allowing her passage. Before her stood a throne of twisted thorns and vines, upon which sat the goddess Verdantia herself - a being crafted from living plant matter, her hair a tangle of leaves and tendrils that seemed to writhe in the flickering torchlight. Her eyes burned with an otherworldly intensity as she spoke: "Humility is your virtue, Sweiza; humble in your traditions and those who pass before you. Blasphemous are any outside your own beliefs. You are a stubborn child unworthy of priestesshood or even hand-maiden status." Sweiza''s knees buckled beneath her, as if the very earth itself had rejected her. She fell to her hands and knees, her voice trembling: "Forgive me, goddess! I didn''t mean to-" Verdantia''s laughter was like a gentle breeze rustling leaves - cold, unforgiving. "You are banished from my garden and temple forever. Never show your face again." Sweiza scrambled to her feet, bowing low as tears of shame welled up in her eyes: "I am not worthy even as hand-maiden; I have offended the goddess of my people; I am but a weed in your garden, unworthy indeed." With that, she turned and departed, leaving behind the parted ferns and vines. The temple''s doors slammed shut like a trap, sealing Sweiza out forever. As she vanished into the distance, her sobs echoed through the mystical forest, mingling with the whispers of the ancient trees. Three years of her life had been wasted - three years that would never be regained. --- Reality warped like a tapestry, weaving together disparate landscapes that refused to coalesce into anything concrete. The fabric of existence shattered like fragile glass, only to reforge itself anew. Sweiza drifted in and out of consciousness, her senses disoriented by the kaleidoscope of visions. At one point, she felt as though her very body was transforming, becoming something else entirely - a fleeting sensation that vanished as quickly as it appeared. Her mind reeled with the implications, but before she could grasp them, reality shifted once more. When Sweiza finally came to, she found herself in a chamber whose walls and floor seemed to defy geometry. The space within was constantly shifting, like sand dunes blown by an unseen wind. Squares and rectangles morphed into each other, creating a dizzying pattern that made her head spin. A glowing sphere whirred into view from the distance, its hum growing louder as it hovered before her. Its surface pulsed with an ethereal light, casting no shadows on the ever-changing walls around them. "Do you have any questions, young one?" the orb asked in a voice like gentle raindrops falling on parched earth. Sweiza''s thoughts were still reeling from her encounter with Verdantia. "I''ve been rejected by the goddess of fertility," she said, her words barely above a whisper. "I''m a waste and not worthy." The sphere regarded her for a moment before responding. "Perhaps that is true in one small corner of existence, but there are many events in the grand tapestry of fate which are mere threads. Do you have any questions?" Sweiza shook her head, feeling a sense of resignation wash over her. "As you wish," the orb said, its hum growing louder as it whirred off into the distance. Reality finally took shape around Sweiza, casting her in a new environment that seemed to hold secrets and mysteries waiting to be unraveled. --- Sweiza materialized at a ornate table, the air thickening around her like mist on a winter morning. The surface was bare, devoid of any sustenance or refreshment. A voice boomed through the empty hall, echoing off the stone walls. "Do you hunger?" it thundered. "No," Sweiza replied, her voice barely audible above the silence. "Do you thirst?" The same response: "No." And yet, as if summoned by their conversation, a sumptuous feast appeared before her. Golden platters groaned under the weight of succulent meats and steaming vegetables. Crystal goblets filled with crystal-clear water sparkled in the flickering torchlight. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. As Sweiza''s eyes widened at the bounty, the hall itself transformed around her. Tapestries woven from threads of pure moonlight unfurled across the walls, depicting scenes of mythic battles and ancient heroes. The air was heavy with the scent of roasting meats and fresh bread, making her stomach growl in anticipation. Just as she reached for a succulent roast turkey leg, Valkyrie''s voice echoed behind her - familiar, yet commanding. "Eat child; you''ve earned it." Sweiza turned to face the legendary warrior-maiden, her eyes gleaming with hunger. "I''m tired," she said, her words barely above a whisper. Valkyrie stood tall, her armor glinting like polished steel in the torchlight. Her gaze was unyielding as she spoke: "Do not make demands of the powers that be." Sweiza''s eyes dropped to the feast before her, and with a childlike abandon, she dug in - stuffing herself with reckless abandon until even the most ravenous warrior would have been satisfied. As she ate, her wounds and chagrin vanished as if by some unseen force, replaced by an air of carefree joy. When at last she stopped to gaze upon the feast''s remnants, Valkyrie stood behind her once more - silent, yet unyielding in her presence. "The iron-clad warrior is hungry?" Sweiza asked, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes. Valkyrie said nothing, and with a wave of her hand, the scenery around them began to fade like mist at dawn. When all was gone, Valkyrie reappeared before Sweiza once more - this time, her expression unreadable. "You were hungry, right?" she asked, her voice low and husky. Sweiza''s eyes sparkled with mischief as she replied: "Sometimes." Valkyrie nodded, a hint of approval in her gaze. And then, like the mist that had vanished at dawn, she was gone - leaving Sweiza to ponder the mysteries of the feast, and the secrets hidden within its empty plates. --- Sweiza materialized on the platform, her feet sinking into the gleaming rock that seemed to stretch on forever like an endless sea. The air was crisp and clean, filled with the scent of ozone and something sweetly metallic. As she looked around, three figures emerged from a doorway - two men and one woman, their faces pale and pinched as if they''d been stuck in this cold place for too long. They turned to face her, eyes wide with surprise. One of them let out a shriek and slammed the door shut behind him, like he was trying to trap something inside. Sweiza''s gaze followed his hand as it slapped against the metal, wondering what kind of creature could be hiding in there. "I didn''t mean it," she said aloud, her voice echoing off the walls. Valkyrie stepped forward, her eyes glinting with amusement. "If that was your intent, then no harm done." Sweiza turned to face Valkyrie, feeling a flush rise up her neck as she realized how silly she must have looked sneaking up on them like some kind of ghostly apparition. "Valkyrie, I wish you would not sneak up behind me," the woman said, her voice husky from disuse. Sweiza''s gaze flicked to Valkyrie. "I cannot appear before you when your face is to a door." The orb hovering above them let out a soft chirp as if it understood their conversation. It began to glow with an intense blue light that seemed to pulse in time with Sweiza''s racing heart. Valkyrie gestured toward the stairway shaft, her eyes gleaming like stars on a clear night. "Young Valkyrie in training will accompany me to central control." Sweiza followed Valkyrie up the stairs, feeling the air grow warmer and more humid as they climbed higher into the sky station. As they reached the top, an orb similar to the one below them appeared before Sweiza. It emitted a red light that seemed to sear itself onto her retina, making her blink hard against its intensity. The orb let out another chirp, this time sounding almost puzzled. It whirred and darted in front of Sweiza like some kind of mechanical bird, emitting a series of high-pitched squeaks as it did so. "What''s going on?" Sweiza asked aloud, feeling her senses overwhelmed by the cacophony of sounds and lights around her. Valkyrie looked down at her with an unreadable expression. "There are some things you are not meant to understand from this one''s mouth. You may ask later." Sweiza felt a surge of frustration as she realized that Valkyrie was deliberately keeping secrets from her. She opened her mouth to demand answers, but before she could speak, the orb sent out another red scan and buzz. This time, it overloaded Sweiza''s senses, sending her tumbling into darkness like a leaf blown away by an autumn gale. --- As the veil of darkness lifted from her eyes, Sweiza found herself surrounded by a celestial wonderland. Strange stars twinkled within ornate chambers, their ethereal glow illuminating the air. Golems, crafted with precision and care, wandered about like sentinels, their mechanical hearts beating in unison. Sweiza''s gaze darted between the golems and the star-filled chambers, her mind reeling from the sheer wonder of it all. Suddenly, a chorus of orbs whirred past her, each emitting a crimson glow that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. The light intensified, accompanied by a series of high-pitched chirps that sent shivers down Sweiza''s spine. The cacophony ceased as abruptly as it began, leaving Sweiza feeling both exhilarated and disoriented. Valkyrie appeared beside her, her eyes gleaming like stars in the night sky. "It is easier to approach you if you do not pass out," she said with a hint of amusement, her voice like music on the wind. Sweiza''s response was immediate: she stuck out her tongue at Valkyrie, her face flushed with indignation. The guardian chuckled, unfazed by Sweiza''s impertinence. "Due to the nature of this trial and the fact it was the orb''s error; you have been granted an automatic pass," Valkyrie explained, a hint of apology in her tone. "Those that assist central control apologize for the inconvenience. They also want you to have this." Valkyrie handed Sweiza a slip of parchment, adorned with intricate symbols and markings. "What is this?" Sweiza asked, her curiosity piqued. Before she could receive an answer, a burst of confetti erupted from several orbs, sending colorful streamers swirling around them. Valkyrie rolled her eyes good-naturedly as the orbs whirred to life once more, cleaning up the mess with precision and speed ¨C all within the span of ten seconds. "Why are they...?" Sweiza began, but Valkyrie cut her off with a gentle smile. "Keep it safe; but now is not the time," she said, her eyes glinting like stars in the night sky. "Your next trial awaits, Sweiza." As if on cue, dozens of orbs swirled around Sweiza, their crimson glow intensifying as they formed a whirlwind of light and energy. Valkyrie backed away, her expression unreadable. "Fair thee well," she said, before disappearing into the swirling vortex of orbs. Sweiza''s cry for explanation was lost in the din, replaced by an electric current that coursed through her body like liquid fire. The sensation grew stronger, until it became a jolt powerful enough to send Sweiza tumbling back into unconsciousness, leaving behind only the faintest whisper: "Wait..." --- Sweiza stepped onto the mystical ship, its hull shimmering with a soft blue light. The air was thick with the scent of enchanted oils and whispers of ancient incantations. "What sorcery is this?" Sweiza asked aloud, her voice echoing off the metal walls as she gazed upon the strange vessel. A figure emerged from the shadows - a knight in armor adorned with runes that glowed like embers. His face was obscured by a helmet, but his eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire. "I am both sword and sentinel; human," he said, his voice low and gravelly as if forged from the very earth itself. "I am here to escort you to our leader. You have business as future Valkyrie. You will comply or be subdued." Sweiza''s eyes narrowed at the foreboding tone, but she followed him nonetheless. They stepped onto a glowing portal on the ground, and Sweiza suddenly found herself next to another ship. The sentinel led her through a series of these mystical gates, jumping from one vessel to the next. "Tell me, knight," Sweiza asked as they walked, "do you have a name?" The sentinel stopped and turned his head, his helmet''s visor glinting in the dim light. "I am one of seven of the third fleet of naval origin," he said. "I have been assigned as your escort. Please continue; we have a long way to go." He didn''t wait for further questions, leading her through two hours of ship-hopping. "Wait! WAIT! STOP!" Sweiza exclaimed suddenly, her voice like a burst of starlight in the darkness. The sentinel halted at her words, his armor creaking softly. "One of seven of the third fleet of naval origin... I''m tired," she said dryly, as if speaking to herself rather than the knight. Sweiza''s eyes widened in surprise. "You''re a machine, aren''t you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The sentinel chuckled, his helmet''s visor glinting with amusement. "I am indeed a strange flying machine that hovers from the ground," he replied with a hint of pride. "I can transform and take us to our destination." "Why didn''t you do this sooner?" Sweiza demanded, her voice rising like a stormy sea. "Because, you did not ask - and because I am forbidden when future Valkyrie undergoes her trial," the sentinel said solemnly, his words dripping with ancient wisdom. Sweiza''s face flushed with anger as she punched the sentinel. Pain shot through her hand, but he remained unphased. He transformed back into a bipedal knight. "Because, you did not ask - and because I am forbidden when future Valkyrie undergoes her trial," he repeated calmly, his words like a gentle breeze on a summer''s day. "Why do you talk so?" Sweiza asked, still fuming with indignation. "I speak frequently and almost non-stop with my own kind," the sentinel replied. "I rarely get to see humans... or elves." Sweiza''s eyes narrowed at his words, her gaze flashing like lightning in a stormy sky. --- "What sorcery is this?" she asked, eyes wide with wonder as their conversation unfolded like a tapestry of intrigue. "Time and the tides will bring us together again," he replied, his voice carrying on the breeze. "But for now, our paths diverge." Sweiza''s gaze sparkled with hope, though she struggled to conceal it. She had grown fond of this enigmatic knight, whose very presence seemed woven from starlight and magic. "Also, I find your name a curious thing," he said, his eyes glinting like polished onyx. "In my realm, we convey our names through the harmonies of songbirds." With that, he let out a melodic chirp, which Sweiza took to be his name. Her own kind used similar vocalizations to communicate, but theirs were rooted in ancient traditions and forgotten lore. As they stood before the imposing tower on the grand ship, their conversation reached its climax. The knight''s eyes gleamed with an otherworldly intensity as he raised a hand, and from his palm sprouted delicate, crystalline wings. With a burst of mechanical whirring, he transformed into a magnificent flying machine. Sweiza gasped in awe as the metal bird took to the skies, its wings beating in rhythmic precision. The air was filled with the sweet scent of ozone as it vanished into the clouds, leaving behind only a whisper of magic and wonder. The door to the tower creaked open, beckoning her within. As she entered, stairways spiraled upward and downward, leading her on a merry chase through the labyrinthine halls of knowledge. Another sentinel awaited her, arms crossed and foot tapping with impatience. "To your left and up," he directed, his voice like the rustling of dry leaves. Sweiza''s gaze met his, but she felt trapped in a web of curiosity. "Why must I hurry?" she asked, though her words were lost on the sentinel''s unyielding expression. He nudged her forward with an impatient foot, and Sweiza began to ascend, accompanied by several sentinels who trailed behind like shadows. As they walked, she turned back to ask, "Why do you follow me?" The sentinel''s response was a mere shrug, his eyes fixed on some distant point beyond the horizon. The mystery deepened, leaving Sweiza with more questions than answers as she vanished into the tower''s depths, pursued by an unseen force that seemed driven by secrets and ancient prophecies. As she disappeared from view, the flying machine reappeared in the clouds above, its crystalline wings glinting like a beacon of wonder. As Sweiza descended into the heart of the ancient tower, she was met with an eerie silence. The air was thick with anticipation, and the whispers of forgotten prophecies seemed to echo through the stone corridors. The sentinel by her side let out a series of cryptic chirps, as if trying to convey some hidden message. As they walked, Sweiza''s footing faltered on the worn steps, and the sentinel grasped her arm with an unnerving precision. "Your servos appear faulty," he said, his voice like the gentle hum of machinery. "I recommend you get them upgraded." Sweiza''s confusion deepened as she gazed upon the throne room before her. The architecture was a maze of twisted metal and crystal spires, while the controls of an ancient ship seemed to pulse with a life of their own. Windows surrounded the room on all sides, casting shards of moonlight across the instruments that lined the walls. A hand rested on her shoulder, and Sweiza spun around to face the sentinel''s solemn gaze. He pointed to a distant figure, its red hue glowing like embers in the darkness. "He can be," he said, his voice dripping with an otherworldly wisdom. Sweiza''s eyes widened as she took in the sight of the massive sentinel before her ¨C its beard and moustache flowing like molten lava down its mechanical face. The air was heavy with anticipation as it spoke in a voice that rumbled like thunder: "Young Valkyrie, what is it you wish?" Sweiza''s protests were drowned out by the cacophony of clicks and chirps that erupted from the sentinels surrounding her. The master sentinel laughed, its laughter shaking the very foundations of the tower. As reality began to shatter around them, Sweiza found herself face-to-face with Valkyrie ¨C a figure as enigmatic as the ancient prophecies themselves. "Valkyrie wait!" she pleaded, her voice barely audible above the din of machinery and prophecy. But it was too late; the sentinel''s laughter had already consumed everything in its path. As reality dissolved into chaos, Sweiza realized that she was but a mere mortal amidst a world of ancient machines ¨C each one whispering secrets to the wind, their prophecies weaving together like threads on an unseen loom. --- As Sweiza''s eyes fluttered open, the night sky unfolded like a canvas of twinkling stars above her. The air was alive with the whispers of ancient machines, their prophecies weaving together in an otherworldly melody. She frantically searched for her hands, and as she gazed upon them under the moonlight, relief washed over her like a gentle breeze on a summer''s day. Her flesh-and-blood fingers seemed to tremble with gratitude. The clouds parted, revealing the crumbling structures of a forgotten town. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the distant rustling of unknown creatures and the soft crunching of footsteps behind her. Sweiza spun around, but there was nothing ¨C no one ¨C in sight. This macabre dance continued for what felt like an eternity, her pulse racing with every passing moment. Just as she thought she''d succumb to madness, a lone owl''s hoot pierced the darkness, and the clouds parted once more. Fear gave way to desperation, and Sweiza took flight, dashing through the desolate streets in search of escape or answers. But like some cruel jest, she found herself back where she started ¨C only this time, things were different. "A maze?" she whispered, her voice trembling with trepidation. Before she could comprehend the implications, a figure materialized before her: Valkyrie, her eyes gleaming like starlight in the darkness. The warrior''s bow was low and respectful, as if acknowledging Sweiza''s bravery ¨C or perhaps her foolishness. "What is your desire, young one?" Valkyrie asked, her voice like a gentle breeze on a summer''s day. Sweiza hesitated, unsure of how to articulate her confusion. "What... what is this place?" Valkyrie''s gaze seemed to bore into Sweiza''s very soul. "You stand in the ghost town of a once-great civilization that sought immortality at any cost. They succeeded ¨C but at the expense of their humanity." Sweiza''s mind reeled as Valkyrie continued, her words dripping with an otherworldly wisdom. "They became gargoyle-like creatures, driven by primal urges and devoid of reason. Some, if their will is strong enough, may take on human form... but none approach you." Valkyrie paused, her eyes glinting like the stars above. "You were never meant to face this trial at night, young one." As Sweiza''s understanding faltered, Valkyrie spoke a single word: "Pass." Everything went black. When Sweiza opened her eyes again, she found herself facing Valkyrie once more ¨C but this time, there was a hint of compassion in the warrior''s gaze. "Please don''t go," Sweiza whispered, her voice trembling with fear and uncertainty. Valkyrie nodded, her expression softening like the dawn breaking over the horizon. "Alright." --- As Sweiza emerged from the swirling sands, she beheld an inferno of volcanic fury to her right ¨C a realm where magma lakes bubbled with fiery intensity, their lava rivers flowing like veins through the earth. Yet, on her left, ancient structures rose like sentinels, shrouded in mystery and intrigue. The air was alive with the whispers of forgotten civilizations, as if the very sands themselves held secrets yet to be unearthed. "An inferno?" she breathed, awestruck by the contradictions before her. Valkyrie appeared at her side, her eyes gleaming like stars on a moonless night. "Our world''s greatest civilization built from nothing," she said, her voice a gentle breeze amidst the turmoil. Sweiza''s gaze darted between the twin realms of fire and stone, her mind reeling with questions. "Valkyrie, is this hell?" she asked, her voice trembling with trepidation. The warrior''s response was cryptic: "I will walk with you for a time. We must hurry; these outskirts are prone to acid rain. You will be burned and risk death if you are out here for too long." As they walked, Sweiza caught the scent of brimstone on the wind ¨C a pungent reminder that this was no ordinary realm. "Valkyrie," she whispered urgently, "what''s happening? Why am I being pulled toward...toward something?" The warrior''s eyes seemed to bore into her very soul. "You are not just drawn; you have been chosen for the trials of the ancient ones." Sweiza stumbled forward as if propelled by an unseen force. The ground beneath her feet began to shift, and she felt herself being pulled toward a great crystal structure that pierced the sky like a shard of divine light. As they approached the gate, Sweiza''s thoughts were consumed by trepidation ¨C was this another trial? Would she be forced to confront the very fabric of reality once more? The gate dropped before her, revealing an endless expanse of sand. The ground rumbled beneath their feet as Valkyrie whispered a single phrase: "We are sinking beneath the sand." Sweiza''s mind reeled in terror ¨C was this the end? Would she be consumed by the very earth that had given birth to life? And then, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, she heard the words of her guide: "Gaze in awe, young Sweiza. This civilization lives above and below ground depending on the area and weather." As they passed through the gate, Sweiza beheld a grand hall bathed in an ethereal light ¨C statues flanking each entrance along a great violet rug that seemed to pulse with life. The air was heavy with anticipation as she realized she had entered another trial. The man on the thrown clapped at her arrival, his words echoing through the chamber: "Well done." But Sweiza''s triumph was short-lived, for the floor beneath her feet shattered like fragile glass ¨C and she fell into oblivion once more. The darkness enveloped her, a void that seemed to stretch out forever. And yet...in this abyss of uncertainty, she sensed an opportunity waiting to be seized ¨C another chance to prove herself worthy in the trials of the ancient ones. --- Valkyrie materialized beside Sweiza once more. Her ethereal armor glimmered like stardust as she asked the mortal maiden if she had uncovered the secrets that had driven her to seek out the Valkyrie''s counsel. But this time, Sweiza did not cower in fear or tremble with anticipation. Instead, a fierce determination ignited within her, and she charged forward, lance at the ready. The air seemed to vibrate with tension as the two women clashed, their movements swift and deadly. "You are premature, young one," Valkyria declared, her voice like thunder on the horizon. "Your time has not yet come." Sweiza''s attack was met with a blast of energy that sent her tumbling into the void left by Valkyria''s lance. The maiden''s screams echoed through the chasm as she plummeted toward an unknown fate. As Sweiza vanished from sight, Valkyria''s voice whispered on the wind: "Your journey is only beginning." With those enigmatic words, the celestial warrior disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a trail of glittering stardust and the faintest hint of a prophecy yet to unfold. --- As Sweiza''s descent slowed, she found herself suspended in mid-air, surrounded by an otherworldly glow. The air was electric with anticipation as streaks of light flashed past her, illuminating a distant landscape that seemed to shift and writhe like a living thing. Before her stood the colossal statue of Odin, its voice thundering through the void like the crack of doom: "Ask your questions, young one." Sweiza''s mind reeled in silence as she beheld the All-Father himself. The god''s mechanical laughter sent shivers down her spine, and his ominous tone seemed to weigh upon her very soul. But before she could respond, Valkyrie appeared at her side, her eyes gleaming with an otherworldly intensity: "Odin will do no such thing, young one. You have been chosen, as have two others from your village. You will serve the All-Father." Sweiza''s cry of despair was drowned out by Odin''s electric laughter, which seemed to crackle with malevolent energy. "You speak as if I''m punishing you," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. As Sweiza stood frozen in terror, Valkyrie smiled and bowed to her lord before disappearing into the shadows. The air grew thick with confusion, and Sweiza''s mind reeled with the implications of Odin''s words: "You''ve passed, young one." The god''s laughter echoed through eternity as he revealed his true intentions: "Your dedication, loyalty, and devotion ¨C Young Sweiza Serif of the backwater village. You are full of angst and represent this emotion well ¨C show it to the world in servitude under me." Sweiza''s defiance was met with more malevolent laughter, which seemed to shake the very foundations of reality. As she stood before Odin, a grand city of twisted stone and metal architecture rose from the shadows, its spires reaching toward the heavens like skeletal fingers. The air reeked of corruption and decay as Sweiza realized her true fate: servitude under the All-Father''s cruel whims. "You are no god," she spat, her voice trembling with rage. "You''re an ass of the worst sort! You take young maidens and punish them for your own amusement ¨C you''re nothing but a joke!" Odin''s laughter boomed through eternity once more: "Perhaps you have changed your mind." Sweiza''s response was a defiant snarl: "I have." Valkyrie stands sentinel beside Sweiza, her chosen maiden. "You are a selfish girl, Sweiza," she declared, her voice like thunder in the mortal''s ear. Sweiza turned to face Odin himself, his statue eyes blazing with fiery intensity. "Why don''t you just¡ª" Odin''s voice boomed across the land, silencing Sweiza''s words and striking fear into her heart. "I would advise you to watch your tone, child. The trials you have faced are but a mere taste of what lies ahead." Sweiza''s eyes flashed with defiance. "I don''t want to be Valkyrie!" Two other maidens appeared beside her, their armor shining like the stars in the night sky. Their voices blended in harmony, speaking words that echoed through Sweiza''s very soul. "Sweiza is a child," they said in unison. "You are a disappointment to your village." Sweiza did not challenge her own kin, but instead turned to Odin with a fierce determination burning within her. "My loyalty is to my village!" Odin''s voice thundered once more, his words echoing across the land. "Then so be it. Your name henceforth is ANGST. Begone!" As Sweiza spoke, her body began to fade away, replaced by dark indigo and black armor adorned with gold trim. The villagers watched in awe as she vanished into nothingness. But then, like a ghostly apparition, Sweiza reappeared on the outskirts of the village, her eyes haunted by the memory of Odin''s words. Was it merely a dream, or had something more profound occurred? Only time would tell. --- As Sweiza gazed upon her reflection in a shimmering pool of moonlit water, she beheld the armor-clad form that was hers alone. The name "Sweiza" emblazoned on one shoulder seemed to mock her, while the opposite bore the ominous inscription "ANGST". A shiver ran down her spine as she realized this was no mere dream. Valkyrie materialized before her, her eyes blazing with an otherworldly intensity. "You will perform basic sentry for your village," she declared, her voice like a winter''s breeze off the mountains of Nefaria. "You will look back on this and realize how foolish you were to defy Odin." Sweiza stood tall, her hand tightening around the hilt of her lance. "I will do no such thing," she replied, her voice steady as the ancient trees that guarded the village''s borders. "My duty is to my people only - that''s what I chose." Valkyrie¡¯s gaze seemed to bore into Sweiza''s very soul. "It is what you chose, isn''t it?" The air around them crackled with energy, and Sweiza felt a surge of electricity course through her body. "If you move beyond the borders of your village," Valkyrie warned, her voice dripping with menace, "you will understand true pain and agony." Sweiza charged forward, only to be met by Valkyrie''s swift counterattack. The older warrior-maiden sidestepped Sweiza''s attack, striking back with a broadside that sent Sweiza tumbling to the ground. As she struggled to rise, Sweiza beheld a sight that filled her with dread: Valkyrie¡¯s lance now pointed directly at her heart. "Do you have any questions, young one?" the older warrior-maiden asked, her voice like a cold wind off the mountains of Nefaria. Sweiza turned away from the deadly point of the lance, her mind racing with fear and uncertainty. When she finally found her voice, it was barely above a whisper: "No..." Valkyrie¡¯s gaze seemed to bore into Sweiza''s very soul once more as she replied, "You defy Odin and lie to yourself." Sweiza felt herself being pulled toward the darkness that lurked beyond the borders of her village. She knew then that Valkyrie was right - there were forces at work in this world that even a warrior like herself couldn''t comprehend. And so Sweiza found herself lost, alone, and without any clear direction to guide her through the trials ahead... Sweiza nearly tripped as she scrambled to her feet. The armor was heavier than it looked. She did have one question; she frowned while she said it: "What is your name?" Valkyrie''s mood lightened; she knew damn well where this was going. "I am known as Strife." Sweiza''s eyes widened in shock, her mind reeling like a storm-tossed ship on tempestuous seas. "Wh-what?" she stuttered, her voice barely audible above the rustling of leaves and snapping twigs. Valkyrie''s expression transformed from stoic to radiant as if the moon itself had smiled upon them. "You are the Valkyrie known as Angst; I am Strife. The pleasure is mine, Sweiza." Sweiza''s face contorted in frustration like a puzzle piece refusing to fit into place. "No, that can''t be the entirety of our encounter!" Sweiza protested, her voice echoing through the mystical forest like a challenge hurled against the forces of darkness. Valkyrie''s gaze remained unyielding as she spoke with an air of ancient wisdom. "Earn my respect first, and then you shall know my name." Sweiza hesitated, unsure whether to press on or retreat before the enigmatic warrior. Her eyes darted toward Valkyrie, who stood tall like a sentinel guarding the gates of Valhalla. "I...I am weary from our trials today," Sweiza admitted, her voice barely above a whisper as if she feared awakening some ancient evil lurking in the shadows. Valkyrie''s expression softened ever so slightly, and with a gentle nod, she handed over her lance to Angst. "Then let us rest, for tomorrow will bring new challenges." As Valkyrie approached the tree, her movements seemed almost ethereal as if she were drawn by some unseen force toward slumber. She slid down the trunk like a leaf on an autumn breeze and settled into a peaceful repose. Sweiza watched in amazement as Angst''s eyes fluttered closed, her breathing slow and steady like the beat of a drum calling forth the dawn. The warrior''s armor seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly energy, imbuing Sweiza with a sense of wonder and trepidation. As she gazed upon Valkyrie''s slumbering form, Sweiza couldn''t help but whisper her thoughts aloud: "Absolutely absurd...and yet, somehow fitting." --- As the moon dipped below the treetops, casting the forest in an eerie twilight glow, Sweiza''s gaze fell upon the parchment that lay before her. The note, penned by none other than the Lester, bore a message that seemed to hold the weight of destiny itself. A crude yet endearing drawing of Lester holding his hand in a peace sign adorned the page, accompanied by a single humble request for her autograph. ¡°YOU!¡± Sweiza''s eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky as she beheld the drawing. It was as if the very fabric of reality had been woven with threads of curiosity and anticipation. In this mystical realm where magic dwelled, even the simplest of gestures could hold profound significance. The air seemed to vibrate with an expectant energy, as if the forest itself was holding its breath in anticipation of what wonders might unfold next. --- "Oh, dear diary, today was a day that will forever change the course of my existence. As I sat in the grand hall of the gods, I beheld the All-Father himself, Odin. But he wasn''t the fearsome deity of legend; no, this god had a wicked sense of humor and an air of malevolence about him. It was as if he took great pleasure in toying with mortal souls. I thought I had chosen my fate according to our people''s traditions, but alas, Odin had other plans. Instead of the noble path I sought, I''ve been given a twisted sense of irony that has branded me with the name "Angst". Ugh! The very mention of it makes my blood boil. And to make matters worse, Valkyrie, the goddess of war and death, seems as lovely as legend describes when she''s being personable... but only then. It pains me to admit this, diary, but I feel like a pawn in Odin''s game of fate. When I try to choose my own path, it seems that supreme authority has other plans for me. And yet, I''m stuck assisting my village, bound by duties and rights of passage dictated by the gods themselves. The silence has been deafening these past two centuries; no threats have come our way since... well, since forever. Could this be a sign of what''s to come? What dark fate does Odin have in store for me? But amidst all this chaos, I''ve found an unlikely ally: Valkyrie herself seems willing to become my friend. Who would have thought that the goddess of war and death could show such kindness? And on a more mundane note... Lester had better be taking care of things back home while I''m away! The village can''t fall apart without me, after all. Until next time, Sweiza" ANBLII - Chapter 29 - Vecna: The Sands of Time Sweiza lets out a groan. Her eyes open. She looks up and she sees herself in a back alleyway. She jumps to her feet right away; her sword is at the ready. Her eyes dart around. All she sees are trashcans and doors. It looks like an alley¡­ of brick? She¡¯s heard of these, but they¡¯re only found in Valhalla. Surprise and then realization hits her. She whisks the sword (and herself) around in the other direction. There are people walking by the entrance to the alley. She realizes she is in a city¡ªshe thinks to herself that she is so stupid for not realizing it sooner. She gradually makes her way to the entrance, albeit cautiously. She suddenly sees a massive obelisk standing in the center of a massive city. Her eyes follow the obelisk up. She sees a familiar pyramid atop it; but it looks new and shiny. ¡°What the Muspell?¡± Her hands go down to her hips as she starts staring at all of the buildings around her. Most of them are made of stone¡ªdifferent colors of grey, light blue, but most made of a tan color¡ªshe reckons they must be granite. What gets her attention is all of the canals, bridges and then plants everywhere. Her eyes shift to the inhabitants. They have dark skin as is expected from most Muspellians. She notes some have pointed ears, so some are of elven lineage. She does a double take when she sees a tiger walking upright like a human. ¡°Tigerfelk?¡± is what she thinks to herself. ¡°Watch it!¡± Sweiza has backed into somebody who shouts at her. She promptly bows repeatedly and apologizes and the stranger hurries on his way. She realizes she is very much out of place with her gawking. Wait¡­ wasn¡¯t she sent here because of Salmira? She looks up at the obelisk again; she shields her eyes while straining them against the sun. The silver orb was supposed to be her mark. Can it be that simple as approaching? Shouldn¡¯t there be a treas¡­ wait! Sweiza¡¯s eyes widen. The top of that obelisk is the same as the pyramid. That¡¯s not possible; most of where the city should be is sand. What gives? She ponders this for a moment. ¡°Time travel?¡± She mouths the words without saying them. She looks down from the obelisk and sees Salmira standing some feet from her. The witch motions for her to come closer. As Sweiza approaches the witch, she is not surprised (nor impressed) by the people that are suddenly frozen¡ªthis is something Sweiza has come to expect. Sweiza stops just shy of Salmira by several feet. Salmira¡¯s arms are crossed. ¡°Magnificent isn¡¯t it?¡± Sweiza¡¯s expression changes to a frown of distrust; her hands go to her hips and she tilts her head in anger, ¡°What now?¡± Salmira¡¯s eyebrows shoot up. ¡°My, my. You¡¯ve become lively suddenly. I gather you are filled with spirit and determination?¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands cross on instinct and her teeth grit behind her mouth. She snaps herself out of it realizing she is going back to old habits she is trying to break. She has to resist the urge to stick her tongue out in defiance. ¡°You¡¯ve caused me so much trouble. Can¡¯t you send someone else?¡± Salmira cocks a smile with her head titled and shaking. Her hand comes up to massage her forehead; her glasses come off and she flicks them and they disappear. When her eyes open she looks quite serious. ¡°I see you are feeling quite impatient, so to keep a long story short: This is the capital of Vecna, you are in the Darius province¡ªDarius had plans to ally with Dawez, along with building a satellite city there. This city and region was the most powerful and influential in this area until the disaster struck.¡± Sweiza¡¯s ears shoot back and one of her left eye closes as her head turns away from Salmira. Her open eye darts up to the witch. ¡°Let me guess: I¡¯m tasked with stopping this impending ¡®disaster¡¯?¡± Salmira¡¯s head rocks back and forth. Her arms cross and her left fingers wrap in slow rhythm on her arm, ¡°Not quite. The disaster needs to happen. Your initial suspicion about this area is correct¡ªyou have been sent back in time and this area does indeed get buried in sand.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Sweiza is in surprise at this point. Salmira nods as she looks back towards the tower. ¡°That tower is an obsidian obelisk, quite a large one due to the Muspell climate. Those fools hollowed it out and built over it in their own image.¡± ¡°What happened, the same thing as Myrkvellir?¡± Salmira¡¯s glasses reappear in her left hand and are back on her face, ¡°Not quite. The obelisk was still functional, but its capacity greatly diminished. By the time they tried to learn the obelisks secrets, the damage had been done and they could not stop the encroaching desert from hitting most of the continent. A few inches of sand each year just here and there mind you; but as the decades and then centuries passed, this turned into dozens of miles at a time. When they finally did learn the obelisks¡¯s secrets, it was sabotaged and well, you know the end result.¡± Salmira eyes Sweiza with intent. Sweiza gawks at the obelisk again. She looks towards Salmira. ¡°Cult of Loki again?¡± Salmira nods. ¡°Somewhat. They are a splintered group right now with different ideas about how the world should work. Some of them do later become founders. But that isn¡¯t important. What¡¯s done is done. You¡¯re here to find a dragon¡¯s greed and the secret of that obelisk.¡± Sweiza refrains from eying the obelisk one last time as she starts walking towards it. She stops just past Salmira. ¡°Well, come on, let¡¯s go. The sooner we leave, the sooner I can leave the desert heat¡­ well, later I mean. Stop staring!¡± Sweiza trudges off again without giving Salmira a second thought. Right now it is a temperate seventy degrees out¡ªall because of the weather control device that is the obelisk. Salmira knows full well Sweiza is referring to the future. She also knows the girl wants her company this one time. The joys of being a goddess to people in the third dimension. Salmira disappears from her location and appears beside Sweiza, both now walking at speed. The citizens of Vecna start to move again, albeit slowly at first, and they then speed up to full speed. ¡ª They walk for a time without saying anything¡ªby now Sweiza is content to remain quite. Salmira acts weird, simply stopping and looking ahead everytime Sweiza stops. The girl looks back behind her at the goddess. Salmira always remains ten feet behind her. Something seems off¡ªshe dismisses it¡ªSalmira is always weird. Sweiza continues towards the obelisk. She doesn¡¯t know why¡ªbut that is the thing she needs to investigate. However, something tugs at her senses. She stops in front of what appears to be a fountain of sorts. But it looks weird. It has a pool of an odd amber liquid where there should be wate; but unlike water it is moving quite slow. The pool itself looks normal, but then there is glass at the center¡ªit is shaped weird. Sweiza has to stop and ponder about it for a bit¡ªah! An hourglass! But why is that orange liquid in¡­ She approaches it. She leans in on it. It¡¯s¡­ ¡­honey! But why? Sweiza turns back at Salmira. Sweiza motions with her thumb behind her back at the fountain. ¡°It¡¯s a sign of their prosperity. Honey is one of their largest exports and it has made them quite wealthy. In their arrogance they sell that honey in hourglasses to prove they beat the sands of time.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head tilts in her typical fashion, ¡°Sands of time?¡± ¡°The weather control device prevents the desert sands of Muspell from encroaching. The locals of Vecna call it the sands of time.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes close and she shakes her head. ¡°How good is this honey?¡± Salmira¡¯s eyebrow twitches, ¡°It could use a little sugar.¡± Sweiza cocks an odd look at the goddess. Something isn¡¯t right here. Salmira seems unphased and waves her hand to usher the girl forward. However, Sweiza chooses to push her luck on the matter. ¡°Is there anyway to buy this honey?¡± ¡°There is a merchant stall twenty feet to the right of the fountain. It usually costs 2 marks. I would buy three as a souvenir for your friends.¡± Sweiza has to stop and think about this for a minute. One for herself, one for Sprite, one for Strife, and one for¡­ Surt? ¡°The dragon will likely find it a savory taste, but meager for filling is belly. He¡¯s more interested in the¡­¡± Sweiza suddenly realizes it, ¡°¡­the gold color.¡± ¡°Correct. Now please hurry, the obelisk awaits.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow at Salmira. Couldn¡¯t she just have teleported her to the obelisk? Whatever! Sweiza hurries over to the stall. She is surprised at how cheap the honey is. It is absorbed into her being soon enough. The stall keepers seems to be unphased by her and goes back to staring ahead. Sweiza scowls and waves her hands in front of him. He does absolutely nothing. She clicks her fingers in front of him. Still nothing. ¡°Hello?¡± The man looks down at her, and then goes back to staring ahead. One of her eyes half shuts in thought¡ª¡°¡­he didn¡¯t say anything about the price¡­ for that matter he didn¡¯t say anything. What the¡­¡± ¡°The obelisk please.¡± Sweiza turns around, mad in frustration. ¡°And just why are we going to the obelisk?¡± ¡°The artifact you are looking for is located there.¡± Sweiza winces and cocks her head at the woman. Salmira starts to shoo her hands at Sweiza. However, Sweiza stops. ¡°I¡¯d actually like to look around a bit more.¡± Salmira¡¯s expression doesn¡¯t change. She simply disappears and her voice fills Sweiza¡¯s mind, ¡°Very well. But the sands of time are encroaching, be mindful that you musn¡¯t spend years here.¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t share her suspicions with the stranger¡ªand that is exactly what she is. Sweiza makes it a point not to consciously think about her realization¡ªthis person appears to be able to read her mind. She doesn¡¯t ever remember Salmira doing that; but it is the witch¡¯s insistence and lack of patience or her ¡®fake¡¯ patience rather, which has become a dead give away. The part about Strife¡¯s favorite phrase is also a peculiarity. Sweiza suddenly hears Strife¡¯s voice in her head, ¡°You are a terrible student sometimes Vera; it¡¯s ever a wonder why I mentor you at all.¡± Sweiza again winces. She can¡¯t quite place her finger on it¡­ ¡­it almost reminds her of what happened with their encounter with Loki. Again Salmira¡¯s voice enters Sweiza¡¯s mind, ¡°The Silver Globe acts as shield and deflects Loki¡¯s influence.¡± Sweiza suddenly mouths it in frustration, ¡°Does the desert just engulf this city? You¡¯re not making me steal this Silver Globe are you? Is that the city¡¯s treasure?¡± Salmira appears in front of her. Her eyes glow red. If Sweiza couldn¡¯t tell before, then Salmira¡¯s tone indicates anger, ¡°You look here you little snot. You came all this way, why leave empty handed?¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands clasp behind her back, ¡°Speaking of which, there was supposedly a treasure of some sort here¡­ the drag¡­ I mean Surt, said he won¡¯t leave without it. Where is this treasure?¡± Salmira motions further up the path. ¡°Perhaps he refers to the silver bars kept within the bank.¡± ¡°No gold?¡± ¡°Gold is a high commodity material used in enchanted items; therefor silver is the main currency here.¡± Sweiza starts walking to the bank, but she doesn¡¯t enter. Instead she starts counting her footsteps as she approaches the obelisk. ¡°Just what do you hope to accomplish? This will not make a very good history for others.¡± Is is the word history that tips Sweiza off. She again refuses to think about it for fear the person posing as Salmira would read her mind. It is about two miles to the actual obelisk. This doesn¡¯t bode well for Surt and he probably won¡¯t be happy about her ¡®findings¡¯ on the matter. Sweiza suddenly turns around. Salmira is again ten feet behind her. Sweiza¡¯s hands go down to her hips. ¡°Could you tell me the history of this place?¡± Sweiza puts urgency and emphasis on the word ¡®history¡¯. Salmira disappears and again the small creature from before appears in front of her¡ªmost noticeably is the gold horn sticking out of its head. It¡¯s catlike eyes stare back at her. ¡°What did you want to know?¡± It asks her with some eager enthusiasm. ¡°How do I end this game of charades?¡± It¡¯s expression and body language change to something more solemn. ¡°You wish to end the history lesson?¡± Sweiza nods disapproving at the creature. ¡°Are you absolutely sure? It has been some years since¡­¡± ¡°NOW!¡± Sweizas bark at the creature causes it to jolt; it hangs its head towards the ground and fades. Everything around her starts to fade to black. ¡ª Sweiza finds herself back in Vecna, rather she is inside the pyramid. Sweiza turns her attention to her surroundings. There are many people walking here and there. She sees what looks like some kind of animal skeleton in front of her¡ªit looks like the skeleton of a bear or something similar. She looks up at the ceiling. She is in the main chamber¡ªbut something is different¡ªit looks brand new without age. She looks to the walls¡ªthis time the odd futhark letters and pictures are all new. ¡°Wow!¡± Is all she can say to herself. Her attention is all over until she bumps into something. She turns around and attempts to bow. Instead she sees the odd colored creature in front of her again. ¡°Is this more to your liking?¡± It looks up, with some attempt at acceptance on its face. Sweiza looks down at it. ¡°Okay, I give up, what do you want?¡± ¡°You are here to find an arti¡­¡± Sweiza interrupts him. ¡°You do have a name don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Trust the Tufflet.¡± Sweiza can feel frustration shooting around in her head¡ªnothing short of ¡®bonkers¡¯ describes her situation. She reaches down and picks him up by the scruff of his neck; her intuition is correct in that he has loose skin. She holds him eye level and one foot from her face¡ªher eyes narrow at him. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°We¡¯re in Vecna, capital of Muspell?¡± The Tufflet nods enthusiastically. His expression changes, ¡°I¡¯m glad you were enj¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t give you permission to speak you little shit!¡± Sweiza¡¯s head leans in closer to him. He get nervous and attempts to move, but it is no avail to him. His body finally slackens in defeat and he remains silent. ¡°Are you a brownie?¡± He looks up at her helpless. There is definite fear in his eyes. ¡°Are you or are you not?¡± She shakes him by the scruff. He nods. Sweiza drops him to the ground. She towers over him as she leans over him; her hands go to her hips in disapproval. Trust¡¯s body shrinks. ¡°You help me make sense of what is going on right this instance; is that clear?¡± Trust suddenly stands up¡ªhe finally gets to live out his purpose. ¡°This is the Muspell Museum of History. It¡­¡± He freezes when Sweiza¡¯s face changes to a frown; she leans in closer to him. She is nearly face to face with him. ¡°What¡¯s your purpose here¡­ and why is a brownie in a museum?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the curator and mascot. I help children.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eye twitches. Trust picks up on her annoyance with him. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry. I didn¡¯t mean that you were a child. It¡¯s the job of museum staff to greet guests; but I¡¯m the only one left and it¡¯s therefor my job to¡­¡± Sweiza interrupts him again. ¡°Right, right. What¡¯s this artifact I¡¯m here for¡ªit¡¯s supposedly living, but not alive? My armor¡¯s spirit said it was you?¡± He goes to open his mouth, but suddenly eyes different areas around Sweiza. She looks behind herself. The people are suddenly gone. The scenery around them starts to fade. Trust suddenly blurts out, ¡°It won¡¯t let me talk about it; otherwise it will trap you here like it did the armored¡­¡± Trust suddenly fades amidst the blackness enveloping Sweiza and her mind. ¡ª Sweiza finds herself in front of strange glass items; some of them are connected in a strange pattern. There are different colored liquids in them. There are strange devices emitting steam around her. They remind her of a miniature locomotive. A hissing noise comes from one of them. ¡°There you are.¡± The voice is male with a distinct harmonic note to it. The Sentinel? Sweiza whirls around. She is about to lash out at him, but refrains from doing so¡ªhe isn¡¯t that stupid brownie. Her arms do cross however. ¡°That¡¯s understandable given our predicament.¡± His armored feet clang lightly against the stone beneath them. He heads for Sweiza and reaches out his hand. She blinks one and moves out of the way. He reaches for one of the glass items that was behind her original position. He swirls the liquid in it once. ¡°It¡¯s a type of acid¡ªit can be used as fuel, but I had a different purpose in mind.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head tilts. She doesn¡¯t have a chance to say anything before he looks over at her. ¡°I¡¯ve been collecting quite a bit of it over the years.¡± He points to several large cannisters just next to him. How hadn¡¯t she seen this before? She looks at the liquid in them bewildered. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve already introduced myself. I was originally a member of the Cult of Loki in Vanir. I defected when the war came about; I died a hero and became one of the Fallen. I am now a Sentinel by choice. However, I chose to flee from Odin¡¯s court when I learned he started the war.¡± Sweiza is about to instinctively approach, but she holds herself firm. She doesn¡¯t know if she can trust this ¡®man¡¯, former one or whatever he is now. ¡°To acquire certain things from Muspell.¡± Artis lumbers forward and dumps the contents of the glass tube into the larger glass canisters. ¡°What kind of things?¡± Artis turns around and approaches her again. He towers over her easily by four feet. He has to easily be eleven feet tall by her reckoning. ¡°If you¡¯re in the pyramid and I talk about it with you, you will be trapped here. I¡¯ve had some time to test it; it seems to be a defense mechanism.¡± ¡°The minute you start talking about it, the scenery starts to fade and I¡¯m whisked away to a different location or just outside the pyramid?¡± Artis¡¯s eyes blink once by fading and returning to their normal color. ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡± ¡°This same thing has been happening to you? You¡¯re trapped here?¡± ¡°Odin has or did have an interest in this pyramid. There are certain¡­ artifacts in it that might be of use to anyone that can solve the pattern of the defense mechanism.¡± Sweiza shakes her head in frustrated confusion, ¡°Why does this defense mechanism exist?¡± Artis looks up at the ceiling and then to Sweiza, ¡°To prevent you from getting to the top floor.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes narrow at the ceiling and then to Artis, ¡°What¡¯s at the top floor?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± On cue, Artis starts to fade and then the scenery around her turns black again. ¡ª Outside of the pyramid, Sweiza lets out a yawn and her arms instinctively stretch; her back pulls and then she feels her legs stretch in unison. Her eyes open and she sees Sprite staring down at her. It is night with the stars out. One of the moons casts an eerie glow behind him¡ªit looks spooky to her, but she is used to it. She can hear slow, but heavy breathing behind her¡ªher assumption is correct, she is still leaning against him. ¡°Something¡¯s communicating to us through dreams?¡± Sprite slowly bobs up and down as he asks. He suddenly darts in front of Sweiza¡¯s face. Sweiza nods. ¡°Apparently. What kind of dreams have you been having?¡± ¡°Adventures with you. But I figured it out, that person isn¡¯t really you¡ªshe gives me sweet things to my wildest pleasure. You never do that. You always want me to do something for you.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hand reaches up to pat him on the head. ¡°You¡¯re a good friend.¡± Sprite¡¯s eyes narrow momentarily. ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± Sweiza looks up at him once. She blinks. She wonders. She holds up her hand to him. He stares at her hand inquisitively. An hourglass with an amber liquid inside appears. ¡°Take it. You deserve it. I¡¯m sure I can find something for you to do later.¡± Sprite stops to think about it for a second, but shrugs. He flies up to the hourglass, latches onto it and flies to the ground with it. To Sweiza¡¯s surprise he gently sets it on the ground. ¡°You¡¯re very kind to your friends.¡± She realizes it isn¡¯t him. She suddenly passes through Surt¡¯s leg and her head and body drop to sand. Sprite flies just above her, but starts to fade. She looks over to see Surt also fading. The scenery soon follows suite. ¡ª When Sweiza opens her eyes, she is back at the town square in Vecna. She looks around, but does not see Salmira anywhere. Her attention is caught immediately by the market place. She loves places like this. She can¡¯t help herself and like a giddy child she starts beating the footpath and attempts to make it look like she isn¡¯t window shopping¡ªwhen in fact she is. After about an hour or two she is satisfied with what she sees. Mostly common goods¡ªfood, jewelry, tools, necessary stuff, etc.¡ªbut she realizes she is being distracted. She wonders about it. She starts for the exit of the town square and starts walking towards the obelisk tower. A random shop keeper stops by her. ¡°Have you checked out the cheese chamber that is below the city?¡± ¡°The wha-?¡± ¡°There is a giant chamber that sells different types of cheeses. It is several hundred stairs below the ground so it is kept cold year round.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head tilts and her mouth pulls to the side. ¡°I can sell you a pass to get there.¡± Sweiza shakes her head and pushes him aside. She knows the ¡®thing¡¯ is doing it. She continues towards the tower. It takes her about half an hour to push her way through the crowds of people that block her way. She finally arrives at a well of stairs. There are several flights of them¡ªthey lead to the base of the obelisk. About a quarter of the way up the stairs, she turns around. She freezes at the sight before her¡ªa magnificent city, but unlike anything she has ever seen before. She couldn¡¯t see it due to the buildings, but there are many plants¡ªespecially vines¡ªhanging off buildings just beyond those that cover the street. The buildings are staggered with many of these plant gardens; there are also many terraces jutting out from said buildings. There are many large structures that look like a four sided pyramid with the top sawed off. The buildings are an otherwise bright tan; the same as the pyramid itself¡ªit must have been the chief material used here. She wishes she knew what it was. To set things apart from the city, there are many tapestries and what she assumes is paint (something very expensive in Maria) covering the underside of terraces, tops of buildings and then sometimes adorning buildings in a colorful pattern. The gold that lines the tops of many buildings is what gets her attention. Didn¡¯t Salmira say the gold is used as a transmitter of sorts? The blue, yellow, orange and red patterns are all over the city. Some of them are even painted on the bricks of the footpath. This all looks seems very familiar to her. Didn¡¯t the villagers (of Maria) tell tales of a city in Muspell that was swalled up by sand? The rumor was that the population of that city turned their back on the gods and embraced technology instead; as punishment the fertility was stripped from the land and the city was buried in sand with¡­ ¡°¡­a pyramid to mark the area and serve as a warning to outsiders¡­¡± Her arms cross in thought. This might be that city. Salmira said there was a weather control device at the top of the obelisk. Is this what Odin wanted? Did Artis come here for that item? He seems to be a scientist of sorts. But then what about Trust? Where does he come in? She looks away from the city and down to her left. She turns around and is about to step up the footpath when she freezes. She lets out an ¡®eep¡¯ when she sees Demi standing before her. ¡°Are you really Demi, or are you another illusion?¡± She looks up and past him at the base of the obelisk and then to Demi again. Demi¡¯s hands come up as he shrugs, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but I keep hearing this voice; it keeps sending out commands for cloudcover in certain patterns and portions of the sky with a strong headwind. There is supposed to be rain, but it doesn¡¯t come¡ªthe rain seems very important for this area, the ground needs it. However, the rain does not come and the ground seems to be robbed of fertility. For some reason I get the feeling that this voice and the weather are very important to this area. Perhaps they did not pray to the Goddess of Fertility as they are supposed to?¡± ¡°Demi?¡± Sweiza is curious at him; he seems to be bewildered as he looks around at the city. His attention is primarily on the sky. Sweiza snaps her fingers in front of him, but he doesn¡¯t respond. ¡°DEMI!¡± Her shout finally gets through to him. He blinks at her once. ¡°It seems to be able to communicate through dreams. I get this strange feeling like I can feel the dreams of others, but quite faintly like an echo in the distance. I¡¯m not certain as to why.¡± ¡°Can it share dreams maybe?¡± Sweiza¡¯s arms cross at him. She quickly unfolds them realizing her bad habit. ¡°Perhaps. But it seems to be broken or something is preventing it from working right. Maybe it is asking you to fix it for some reason?¡± Demi suddenly starts to fade. Sweiza can¡¯t believe this. The scenery around her starts to fade again. ¡ª Sweiza finds herself in an a long corridor¡ªtorches line the walls. There are more of those strange futhark patterns along with pictures along the wall¡ªthe futhark glows with a brilliant light bleu hue. On either side of the corridor are racks lines with¡­ cheese? In less caution, but more of curioisity¡ªSweiza walks up to one of the racks and eyes the multitude of round cheeses once. She takes a sniff of it. She soon regrets it as her eyes water and she almost gags; she takes several steps back while pinching her nose and closing her eyes tightly¡ªher head turns away in disgust. ¡°Ewe!¡ªGross!¡± Sweiza takes several more steps back from the cheese for good measure. She turns around to hopefully find a wheel of cheese that is better in smell; it might be edible. However, just as she turns around, Trust appears to her. ¡°What do you think of the ¡®Chamber of Cheese¡¯?¡± His highpitched voice is low, but still remains at a pitch¡ªhis words seem to echo with the light and shadow of the flickering torches. Sweiza¡¯s hand comes down from her nose and her hands come down to her hips. ¡°You seem to know a lot about Vecna¡­¡± She knows she isn¡¯t getting out of this, but she also shows her agitation. Trust turns around and crosses his arms. His head turns back slightly with one eye closed. ¡°You could say that.¡± ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not bartering with you. Absolutely not!¡± Sweiza leans forward at him and then walks off. ¡°Wait! I can help!¡± He chases after her. The scenery begins to fade again. ¡ª Time and time again Sweiza finds herself moving between her friends, the capital of Vecna (in the past), and the dilapidated interior of the pyramid (in the future). Different areas of teleported between her friends, the capital of Vecna in the past, and then the dilapidated interior of the pyramid in the future. She curses her luck that she didn¡¯t start counting right away the number of scenarios. By now she has figured out it is some kind of test¡ªand indeed it is. She is teleported to different seasons, talks with different locals in the market place and learns of the history of Vecna. She sees as time goes on that they are afraid of the encroaching sand¡ªbut they do not know why it is coming closer. There are rumors it is the doing of ¡®Odin¡¯ from the neighboring continent of Midgard. They cannot believe such folly though; Odin is a minor power in this region, it is the giants and especially the fire giant ¡®Surt¡¯ that they must worry about. Artis appears sparingly, mostly to talk about the artifact indirectly¡ªshe has pieced together (through him) that the ¡°Silver Globe¡± is an enchanted artifact with any number of known and unknown abilities. Trust appears to help, but Sweiza continually rebuffs him. He manages to stuff information into her¡ªdespite her rebuttals. She slowly¡ªkeywords being slowly¡ªlearns to accept that he is just trying to do his job as the museum mascot and guide; but it doesn¡¯t mean she likes him anymore for it. After just some three hundred scenarios (she counted two hundred and fifty-three) she has gained some valuable experience in dealing with the unknown¡ªher initial trepidation is gone and she has fully explored most of Vecna. At the final scenario just as the scenery begins to fade, Sweiza¡¯s armor appears and she clicks her heels together. Determination crosses her face and she summons her sword with her left hand. This time she¡¯s ready¡­ ¡ª Sweiza finds herself at the base of the obelisk once again. It is covered in the familiar futhark letters and pictures carved into the stone. She is roused from looking at them by the large stone doors of the obelisk¡ªthey open with a loud shuddering groan. She nods her head once and braces herself in determination and takes one step forward. Nothing happens. Unimpressed she swings her head and carries her sword behind her as she charges the doors. Once inside she sees a large room. It has no people in it. Rather there is a strange language up on the wall. Parts of it look like the Muspell language mixed with futhark. There are more pictures up on the wall¡ªbut to her amazement, some of them are moving. Is the device capable of projecting dreams into a picture or a painting? Marvelous! She stiffens herself up and rouses her focus as she clicks her heals together. Determination in the form of a frown and gritted teeth. She looks for anything that might lead to the next floor. Distracted by everything else, she finally sees just offset from the center of the room is a pair of stairs. She charges up. Inside the next story she sees something similar. However, the theme of the room has changed. The pictures on the wall and the moving pictures are those of plants. She recalls that the pyramid is a museum; could the obelisk also be a museum? Recalling some of her problems with being tested in different scenarios¡ªshe ignores the distractions on the second floor and looks for the stairs. As before, they are offset from the center of the room. The next floor has another change in theme; this time on animals. She is starting to get the idea¡ªeach floor has something different and the stairs will be just offset from the center. By the tenth floor she starts to get tired. She wills her armor back into her being and has her normal attire on. The extra weight and restrictions of the armor gone, she feels a little better. Her running slowly turns to power walking as she moves up several more flights of stairs; the different exhibits become a blur as she no longer pays attention to them. By the twentieth floor she leans up against a wall while panting heavily. Her breathing is heavy and her lungs burn; she decides to take it easy and take her time walking up the remaining flights of stairs. Running was easy; it took roughly thirty seconds to cross each room. She made it to the tenth floor in under seven minutes. It took another ten to get to the twentieth floor. However, to get to the thirtieth and final floor took almost fifteen¡ªmultiple breaks became inbound and she stopped to look around frequently at the exhibits. The museum is of typical Muspell culture and heritage, or so she gathers. One thought had occurred to her through all of this¡ªthe rooms are smaller than the base of the obelisk, so she figures there are other rooms, perhaps not open to the public. It would make sense if this tower is a control structure for the weather. Another thought occurs to her¡ªis the Silver Globe responsible for the weather? She wonders about it once, but comes back to reality as she looks around the room. There are no doors anywhere, and the only thing present are carvings of futhark in the wall. This time there are no images. In fact, there seems to be a light in the room akin to torchlight illuminating the walls¡ªthe light flickers, but there is no source of the light. Is it an illusion? Maybe? She looks around the head again and tilts her head. ¡°Trust!¡± She waits tapping her foot. It takes a few seconds, but he appears in front of her with his hands clasped together in front of him. He seems to be full of enthusiasm. However, unlike his usual demeanor he waits patiently. Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows shootup. ¡°I¡¯ve got you trained well.¡± He nods once and continues to refrain from saying anything. However, he is clearly growing impatient. ¡°Where is it?¡± Her voice is full of contempt, but also disappointment. ¡°It¡¯s above us in a separate room. You have to stand in the center of this room to teleport there.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyebrows shoot up again at him. Her face is full of disbelief¡ªbut she clearly believes him. At the center of the room she waits for something to happen¡ªbut nothing. Her hands come out in frustration. She turns around at Trust and her hands go down to her hips. She cocks her head at him. ¡°Give it a moment.¡± She doesn¡¯t have long to twist her face as something pulls her into the air. She levitates just a few feet before the room is bathed in a white light¡ªeverything awash with it and then disappeareing. ¡ª The white light slowly fades and reveals where she is. There are multiple windows from the floor that are arranged in the form of triangles¡ªthey slowly steeple up to a point in the center of the room. She thought they were at the top of the pyramid; how are their windows here? She doesn¡¯t have time to wonder about it as the object in the center of the room gets her attention. The ¡°Silver Orb¡± that everyone speaks of is in fact white, but it somehow reflects the scenery with a backdrop of silver to it. It is a strange thing that with two rings that are rotating and spinning around it as their center. The rings themselves are white and appear to have triangular jewels embedded across their surface. To Sweiza they appear to be very expensive bracelets with diamonds and triangular sapphires embedded in them. There is also a brilliant and opaque blue light emanating from the center of the orb; it transitions into an even darker shade of blue (and then into nothing) just at the outside of the rotating and spinning rings. She calls for Trust, but he doesn¡¯t appear. She tries Artis¡ªthe result is the same. Her arms cross as she goes into thought on what to do; her foot taps in rhythmic fashion with her thoughts. She unfolds her hands in frustration and approaches the orb. She is stopped in her tracks as she knocks into something invisible some five feet from the orb. ¡°You may not approach further.¡± The voice is harmonic and appears to come from the orb itself as it pulses a rhythmic, yet fading light blue light. ¡°¡­and why is that Mr. Orb? Do you have yet another test for me?¡± Sweiza scoffs as she pushes her hand against the invisible object in front of her; it appears to be a wall of sorts. She starts feeling her way around it. No matter how she tries to circle around it, it appears to always be flat; yet it appears to circle around the orb. Strange and stranger to her. ¡°You are not worthy.¡± It pulses once again with a light blue light. Sweiza winces at it. ¡°Are you stupid? I did all of that for nothing!¡± The orb makes an odd buzzing noise. ¡°You passed. However, you are not worthy¡ªyou may not approach further. ¡°Was there a point to all of this?¡± Her hands go to her hips again. The things she would do to this thing if she had a hammer. ¡°I scanned your mind and being. Can you confirm that you are both Valkyrie and a descendant from Vecna?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Valkyrie¡­ in training. I¡¯ve never heard of Vecna until now; I mean, unless you count the legends of the city being swallowed by sand.¡± The orb pulses a blue light again, ¡°Do you confirm you have Muspell blood?¡± Sweiza frowns at the thing. ¡°Supposedly. What do you want?¡± ¡°Can you confirm that you have five Bothnin Lightning Crystals¡ªfour of which are still fully functional?¡± Having had enough Sweiza finally yells, ¡°What do you want?¡± The orb makes the same odd buzzing noise, but this time much louder¡ªwhen the noise subsides, it speaks in the familiar harmonic voice, ¡°Did you reactivate the monument in Myrkvellir?¡± ¡°So what if I did? What does it matter to you?¡± Sweiza continues her stand off. However, from times and lessons past she avoid stamping her foot. She doesn¡¯t know what this thing is capable of and if it is malevolent or not. ¡°Are you attempting to repair the monuments?¡± It pulses another blue light as it speaks. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Sweiza stamps her foot this time. This is beginning ti spin circles in her head¡ªshe can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s ready to cry or not. What is with the questions? ¡°Were you going to steal anything from the museum?¡± This time when it pulses, it isn¡¯t light blue, but instead a ripple of red and crimson. Sweiza¡¯s hands go down to her hips and she lets out an indignant breath of air in frustration. She can feel her eyes watering up. ¡°Why have you come here?¡± It pulses a light blue light again. Sweiza starts to shake. Her armor appears and she summons her sword. In one motion she steps forward (as taught by Strife) and swings her sword at the invisible barrier in front of her. The wall lets out an odd hum as there is a ripple effect of different triangular shapes that shine blue¡ªthe effect isn¡¯t unlike a stone being skipped across water. The girl¡¯s sword bounces back. She stares at it in surprise. She swings at it again. ¡°You need to stop.¡± The orb radiates a red light; it ripples and reverberates, but does not fade. Sweiza ignores the warning and swings at the barrier again. The orb attempts to speak again, but this time she ignores it. Her eyes water up as her fury takes over and she swings her sword repeatedly at it. After some twenty-three seconds, the barrier in front of her shatters not unlike glass¡ªwith a sound not dissimilar of the same. As if finally seeing her prize, runs up to the orb and pushes her sword just outside of its rings. The mention of ¡°Bothnin Lightning Crystals¡± and repairing monuments is all she needs to know; this thing is electric and might just shock her. ¡°I am at your mercy.¡± This time it pulses a white light across the already radiating blue light. ¡°Tell me what is going on here¡ªnow!¡± She winces in anger at it. This wasn¡¯t her plan, but it will have to do. She feels she has nothing to lose at this point¡ªso she will take charge of the situation from here on out. ¡°As you wish.¡± It pulses a white light that radiates to the walls of the room. The response is a surprise to Sweiza, but it is short lived as the room is soon enveloped with a white light. Sweiza is blinded by it and drops her sword. She soon feels the world around her fading into a white light. She finally feels herself losing consciousness. ANBLII - Chapter 30 - Summoning the Myrkvellir Triangle Author¡¯s Notes: The previous chapter has been renamed and split into two chapters due to length. ¡ª- When the white light finally subsides, Sweiza finds herself back in the same room. Nothing has changed with the exception that Artis and Trust are standing several feet from her. Artis is quite surprised, ¡°You succeeded!¡± ¡°You have Muspell blood?¡± Trust eyes the girl up and down once. Sweiza rolls her head in confusion and then her eyes in frustration. ¡°Would someone tell me exactly what is going on here?¡± The orb in the center of the room pulses a white light and follows up with a light blue light. ¡°I had to make sure you were not a thief like that one.¡± Sweiza looks from the orb to Trust; Trust just shrugs and points at Artis. Sweiza cocks an eyebrow up at him. ¡°You were going to steal this thing?¡± Her left finger shoots up at the orb, ¡°It seems to be quite useless.¡± ¡°In its current form it is. I assumed it was unguarded as a result. Sadly, I was sorely mistaken.¡± Artis looks down at the Tufflet. ¡°What?¡± Trust squawks at the Sentinel, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything I wasn¡¯t supposed to do!¡± ¡°You lead me right into that thing¡¯s trap! I¡¯ve been stuck in here for close to a decade because of you.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head shoots to each of them in unison; then it instinctively goes to the orb. The orb seems to be silent while the two of them argue. Sweiza interrupts them. ¡°Let me guess, this little brownie ¡®wanted to help¡¯ and showed you everything in the museum?¡± Artis nods once, ¡°Except he told me about the orb; it was the artifact I was seeking. However, it was the first of many¡­ illusions that became my imprisonment. I could no longer tell what was real and what wasn¡¯t¡­ that thing¡­¡± Artis points to the orb, ¡°Imprisoned me here and used me as a power source. My soul spirit is quite weak at this point; another couple of years and I would be dead.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes and head roll over to the orb, ¡°You¡¯ve got some explaining to do.¡± ¡°The arrogance of Vecna lead to the city being buried in sand; they hollowed out the monument for their own designs¡­¡± The orb pulses a dark purple at those words. Sweiza shoots Trust a look. He shrugs sheepishly at her. ¡°¡­I could no longer control the weather. People didn¡¯t heed the warnings about the violent sandstorms. A few evacuated, most were buried in their homes¡ªsome died.¡± Sweiza looks up once, ¡°I¡¯m guessing some of them are my ancestors as you put it? How did you know this?¡± ¡°I scanned you.¡± ¡°You wha-¡° Sweiza¡¯s head tilts and her eyes narrow. ¡°Is this more of that compyutar crap?¡± ¡°I am a combination of science and enchantment combined.¡± It pulses a fuzzy white light that radiates and slowly fades. ¡°Whatever. You can tell me what my ancestry is? I¡¯ve always been interested in that kind of thing.¡± There is some definitive enthusiasm in her voice; but she tries to remain stern with the strange device. ¡°In order of most prominent to least prominent bloodlines¡ªMidgard, Muspell and Myrkvellir. Sweiza winces, ¡°Myrkvellir Sundae!¡± Artis swings from the orb to face Sweiza; Trust suddenly stares at her shocked. Trust is the first to break the awkward silence, ¡°Such language!¡± ¡°You look here you little shit! Behave yourself or I -will- make a Myrvellir Sundae out of you!¡± Trust suddenly jolts and hides behind Artis. Artis looks down and uses his foot to push the Tufflet over. Amidst the chatter, the orb seems unphased. Sweiza definitely notices this. Sweiza attempts to speak, ¡°You are a type of guard aren¡¯t¡­¡± However, Artis interrupts her, ¡°You have a number of abilities don¡¯t you?¡± The orb pulses a yellow light¡ªas far as Sweiza is concerned it is too strange compared to his other pulses of light. She puts it together though¡ªthese are how it communicates mood or emotions. ¡°I am in fact the main control device for this area. I guard the city of Vecna; I help them relieve stress by allowing them to communicate in a peaceful dream state¡­¡± Sweiza refrains from speaking outloud, but rather thinks to herself, ¡°I knew it!¡± ¡°¡­but I must also be weary of outsiders that wish to steal Vecna¡¯s secrets.¡± ¡°You mean yourself.¡± Artis¡¯s words strike cold. His mechanical arms make a strange whirring noise as they fold and cross. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°You use dreams and mind reading to guard yourself?¡± Sweiza tilts her head. Her guard drops almost entirely at that. They were the invaders¡ªperhaps even that annoying brownie. ¡°Correct.¡± The orb pulses a light blue light. ¡°What about the brownie? I didn¡¯t think they would normally inhabit a museum.¡± Sweiza thinks back to and recalls the time their house became the domain of a brownie that wanted to help out. The brownie was fine at first, but tended to make a mess of things if it wasn¡¯t watched. Then it demanded payment in the form of food and shelter or it would start to wreck things. They had managed to get rid of it, but then it decided to ¡®inhabit¡¯ her favorite tent. She had to destroy it as a result¡ªforcing the brownie out into the open. Many members of Maria Village did not approve of a brownie in the area and chose to cage it until it agreed to leave without incident. With intent she eyes the brownie in front of her. He looks up at her with a curious smile. She narrows her eyes and shakes her head at him. He gets the point and loses the smile. ¡°He was transported to the museum through an artifact. He would jump between artifacts and exhibits trying to help out; unfortunately he often broke objects in the process and made a mess of things. They agreed to keep him alive and inhabit the museum if he agreed to behave himself. It took extensive training and resources to keep him under control.¡± The orb pulses a red light and lets out a buzzing noise; Trust instinctively flinches. ¡°I see. So if I understand all of this then, you are in a weak state and have been draining this Sentinel¡­¡± Sweiza motions towards Artis who¡¯s eyes dim once as if to blink, ¡°¡­to sustain yourself? Am I correct in assuming you want a lightning crystal to reactivate the monument?¡± The orb says nothing. Sweiza already knows the answer. Strife sent her here for a reason; so it should stand to reason that it will be the same as with the Obsidian Obelisk in Myrkvellir¡ªor so she hopes. She''s brushes her fear aside and decides to go for it. She takes in a breath and summons the insulated glove with a Bothnin Lightning Crystal in hand; it¡¯s purple hue glows and radiates light off of her face and arm. ¡°What do I do with it, just hold it up?¡± The orb again gives no answer. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Bothnin Lightning Crystals require contact.¡± Artis interrupts the silence. Sweiza looks up at him once. She looks over and down at Trust who shakes his head and shrugs with open hands. Sweiza scowls at the brownie. Sweiza walks up to the orb¡ªthis time with no barrier interrupting her¡ªand holds the crystal up to the orb. She sees a large spark jump as contact is made. She jumps back as her hand releases the crystal. The crystal remains attached to the orb, but is then absorbed into the orb. The orb begins to pulse with a rhythmic white and blue light. Several of the moving images that Sweiza had seen in the floors below suddenly appear in a sphere that surrounds the orb. They start to change and oscillate between different images. They flicker once and disappear. Suddenly the windows also reveal themselves to be images that also change many times at random Sweiza feels some concern as several of the images show motion and movement before flickering to another image. A distinct and dull hum can be heard in the distance; it becomes a localized and louder whine from the orb as the rings around it start to revolve quicker. They suddenly halt as they appear flat circling the orb. A white light pulses from the orb and then begins to surround the room. The last thing Sweiza remembers is wanting to let out a scream at the giant red eye-like slit that opens up from within the orb. ¡ª As the white light fades, Sweiza stares off in a daze at the rising sun¡ªher eyes take a minute to adjust. She stares up at her arm which is held up at the sun. There is a white bracelet on her wrist; there is an odd diamond style gem mounted into it. Her attention shifts to the Sentinel and brownie standing just in front of her. She is about to say something when she hears the voice of the orb speak from the brace. ¡°Due to your fragile states, I¡¯ve compressed your scenarios into one night of sleep.¡± Sweiza¡¯s face twists, ¡°Huh?¡± It takes a second for it to make sense; they are out in the desert and being in a dream state in the middle of the day would probably be a bad idea. She double-thinks it for a second. They could have easily retreated into the pyramid to escape the sun¡ªSurt is a firedrake and can easily handle the heat¡ªsupposedly. She shakes her head back to reality and looks down at the bracelet. She is a bit miffed that jewelry was placed on her person without her consent. She dismisses it¡ªthere is probably a reason for it. Speaking of which¡­ ¡°Are you a sentry like Lumina and Lumia?¡± She eyes the bracelet as it reflects many rays of light. She jumps when she sees the familiar (yet scary) red eyeslit from the orb appear in the embedded jewel. ¡°Lumia and Lumina are sentries from the old world for the Myrkvellir region.¡± Sweiza¡¯s face twists again. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant; can they fix Myrkvellir?¡± The red eyeslit in the embedded jewel fades. A white light jumps from it and to Sweiza. Everything around her feels as if it is ¡ª ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come here.¡± Yet again, Sweiza is forced to jump at a voice. She backs up and falls over. Looking up she sees the light in the trees illuminating Lumia¡¯s figure. A woozy Sweiza is left to fidget and pull her bearings before she staggers to her feet. She sways from side to side as she attempts to speak. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here by choice.¡± ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Her tone is dark and foreboding. ¡°That silver orb sent me here.¡± She holds up her wrist and points to the bracelet. She doubts Lumia knows what she is referring to. Lumia¡¯s eyes flash blue once. The embedded gem also pulses blue. Lumia¡¯s eyes pulse blue several times in unison with the gem before Lumia¡¯s form starts to fade in a blue light. Sweiza cringes at an aweful noise as the hairs on her neck stand on end. Her eyes trait towards the noise. Trees from her right slowly turn to castle wall on her left. As she gazes over she sees a gate that is lifting. It is large. ¡°A castle?¡± Sweiza¡¯s head tilts at it. The gate is rusted with green spots on it. Moss? There are pieces of the gate missing. Dust settles under the ceiling of the entrance as the gate groans to a halt in its raised position. By now Sweiza knows she has a purpose here¡ªshe simply wouldn¡¯t be here otherwise. Her instincts tell her to run, but she hustles her pace over to the castle. Once inside Sweiza looks around. She jumps when the gate behind her drops shut. The metal sound explodes throughout the large courtyard. She looks around; stone buildings all over; overgrowth on them, ivy, water stains, all the makings of a haunted castle. She starts backing up when she sees the castle in the distance. It is broad daylight, but it seems to gleam a shadow across the courtyard. Ah, it¡¯s blocking out part of the sun! She cradles her hand over her eyes just enough to block out part of the bright sun that -is- hidden by the castle. Her back hits something behind her. She whirls around and sees the gate. Was she backing up still? She whips around and looks in the courtyard again¡ªnothing here. She¡¯s psyching herself out. She claps her cheeks to pull herself out of it. ¡°Eek!¡± Sweiza jumps -yet- again when Lumina appears in front of her. He is wearing highly detailed armor with the the markings of a dragon¡¯s face and dragonscales all over. He rests both of his hands on the grip of a sword with the tip buried into the ground. ¡°Girl, listen clearly. This area is forbidden. A terrible monster guards this area¡ªin your current state you cannot possibly defeat it. As I am the guardian of this area, I have terminated access to outsiders. ¡°Then why am I here?¡± Lumina lifts the sword and stabs it into the ground. ¡°Walk with me; we don¡¯t have time to much around in Myrkvellir.¡± Those words, ¡°We don¡¯t have time to muck around in Myrkvellir¡± are all motivation that she needs. The phrase is as old as memory in Maria Village can remember. It literally means trickery or danger is afoot and foolhardy people will be swallowed up by a great calamity if they aren¡¯t quick about it. It is a simple phrase used to alert young children (as well as lazy adults) into finishing chores and keeping the village busy for the harvest; failure to do so and they face starvation. Sweiza marches forward towards what she assumes is the goal¡ªsomething in the distance in the castle. It has to be. Lumina¡¯s iron greaves clack on the limestone path¡ªthe noise echoes in the distance. He looks over at her. ¡°We have become aware of Vecna One¡¯s presence. It has commanded us to open up Myrkvellir Castle at your discretion.¡± Sweiza stares at him bewildered. ¡°Am I going on another errand?¡± ¡°There is only one reason you would be at Myrkvellir¡¯s Gates.¡± ¡®Myrkvellir¡¯s Gates¡¯¡ªthe realization starts to set in. While it¡¯s true that Myrkvellir is the name of the continent; it is in fact name after the mythical Myrkvellir Castle¡ªa place rooted in mystery in legend. One a place of prosperity, their thirst for knowledge and wealth was second to none. Supposedly the king and his court double crossed a wizard; only for the wizard to attack with an army of darkness and drive everyone out of the castle. Those that didn¡¯t evacuate fell under a terrible curse as night creatures to serve him. When the wizard died, his pet (something akin to a dragon) took control of the area. She doesn¡¯t believe the legend of course; only that it is where the term ¡°Myrkvellir Sundae¡± (or Myrvkellir Sunday) comes from¡ªa term that means ¡®shitshow-esque shitshow¡¯; as well why the continent is so-named. ¡°There are evil spirits here?¡± Sweiza stares at him quizzically. ¡°In a manner of speaking, yes. However, most of them are asleep during the day.¡± Sweiza mutters, ¡°Keywords being most.¡± Her words do not escape Lumina, ¡°Of course. There are a few rebellious spirits that wander the court yard.¡± His gaze follows from Sweiza to something in the distance. She sees something white akin to fire, but it is in the form of human. Sweiza feels her body tighten and her neck hair stand on end. She deliberately claps her hands on her mouth and muffles a shriek. ¡°Very smart of you. It would assume otherwise that you are not on here with business with me.¡± Sweiza doesn¡¯t want to think what would happen. Would it alert all the other Myrkvellirfolk? Evil spirits chasing after her? Ah! A terrible thought. Sweiza stops when Lumina does in front of the castle¡¯s main gates. Lumina stamps his foot on the ground and flips his visor up. He takes his sword and stabs it into a slot in the door. He stands back and his eyes glow blue. The gates shudder and slowly open with a loud grown. Sweiza looks back over where the embodied fire spirit was. She cringes when she sees it stops walking and stares directly over at them. ¡°We must hurry. They know of our purpose here.¡± Lumina grabs a frozen Sweiza and ushers (keyword: pushes) her inside. She snaps out of it. ¡°Then what are we here for?¡± She looks back at the castle entrance; she still sees the fire spirit watching them. The doors shudder close with another groan. ¡°The only reason anyone ever comes here. To loot something.¡± Sweiza rolls her eyes. ¡°Obviously I¡¯m here to fetch some kind of artifact. But what I¡¯m asking is, what is it?¡± Lumina stops and closes his helm¡¯s visor. ¡°At the top of this castle is a statue that cries in the rain. It holds a sword that acts as a lightning rod.¡± Sweiza looks towards the ceiling. The tower was pretty high up. ¡°How many floors?¡± ¡°Fifty-six.¡± Sweiza¡¯s head and current mood droop. She starts walking down the main hall without Lumina. ¡°Sweiza, that is the wrong way! You need to take either door to the left or right of that hall. The throne room down the main hall is fake¡ªit is a defense strategy against saboteurs and possible invaders.¡± Sweiza is left to stand back at him. Her eyes stop mid-roll; she¡¯s a guest here and better act like it. She starts to the left door; Lumina follows her. Sweiza can¡¯t help eyeing the interior of different rooms down the hall¡ªeach has something interesting to tell, despite being aged, dilapidated and abandoned. One is clearly a nursery, another a kitchen, another an armory. These clearly are for guests as most castles as she would imagine have much larger sections devoted to such amenities. She can only wonder what their library and -actual- armory look like. She stops at one room that has some odd objects in it. ¡°This was the Regent¡¯s domicile.¡± Sweiza looks from the room to him. ¡°¡­meaning the room belonged to the king¡¯s top advisor.¡± Sweiza¡¯s eyes shift away as she gives a silent ¡°Oh.¡± Lumina shoos her along. Just past one doorway Sweiza stops. She peers inside it. It is dark compared to the other rooms. Cannot light from outside make it in? Maybe that is part of the defense of the castle? ¡°That is the throne room. I doubt you want to see the dead bodies in there.¡± Sweiza grimaces and her body shudders. ¡°Where is the staircase for the top tower?¡± ¡°It is behind the throne room.¡± Lumina points to a door at the end of the hall. When they get there (after about seven other doors), Sweiza sees a staircase that spirals from the ground (most likely a basement for knights or a kitchen perhaps), and then spiraling upwards. She looks back at Lumina¡ªhe waves his hand to push her onward. ANBLII - Chapter 31 - Origin; The Giant Prison Ship "Ymir" ¡°Dear Journal, The exhilarating feel of the wind in my hair is like no other; but to feel it from the back of a dragon? To remember the chill of the flap of his wings. I would gladly do it agian, if not a little bit closer to the ground next time. We made a detour in Muspell Harbor. After watching Strife try it for a time or two, I have some idea of how to barter. My skills are not nearly as good as hers. I tried to negotiate a lower price with the merchant selling a ¡®Scriving Mirror¡¯, but he wouldn¡¯t budge. However, it was good fortune to have a certain dragon ¡®lumbering¡¯ (as the merchant later put it) over us. He went down one thousand marks. I couldn¡¯t believe it! I wish we could keep Surt along, but he was adamant about returning to Vecna to dig up the treasure. He said he would dig up the entire city if it meant getting the treasure. Would that be fortunate for Vecna? I heard in my ¡®timeframe¡¯ (as Salmira calls it), that there is a wealthy, but fearsome dragon that guards his ¡®hoard¡¯ high above Mount Surt. Is Surt that dragon? Strife knows a rich lizard? I¡¯ll have to ask when we return to the future!This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. In the meantime, I have a much more troublesome task ahead of me. Surt confirmed the ¡®monument¡¯ (that Vecna spoke of), is in fact the Temple of Fertility. This could be a good and a bad thing. I will have to gain the Goddess of Fertility¡¯s favor. I upset her with my presence in the future. If events are to happen the way they are, I feel I have some explaining to do¡ªeven if before the fact. I can only hope she will forgive me for something that hasn¡¯t happened yet. Here¡¯s hoping¡­ With love, -Sweiza Serif ¡­ongoing to be continued¡­ ANBLII - Chapter 32 - On the Roots of Yggdrasil Inside the Ymir, Sweiza¡¯s curiosity soon overtakes her. The first room was large and grey; but everywhere they walk now, it is a bright white or an off eggshell color. She¡¯s never seen such a thing in her entire life. Could this be one of the metal ships she¡¯s heard so much about? There are supposed to be some north of Valhalla. Now that she thinks about it, weren¡¯t the Sentinels supposed to be aboard such ships? Actually, she remembers in her dreams that she was walking on such a ship. But didn¡¯t the Ymir come from beyond the sky? ¡°This ship flies?¡± Salmira stops. She eyes the girl once. She blinks; she nods. ¡°In a manner of speaking. I would explain it, but you wouldn¡¯t understand the science behind it.¡± Sweiza¡¯s hands go to her hips, she lets out a puff of breath, ¡°Try me!¡± She hurries on over to Salmira and makes it clear she wants to continue walking; less out of respect and more out of just wanting to get this errand over¡ªthis ship is a bit unnerving with the all white interior. Well, not all white, maybe a few shades of light grey here and occasional streaks of blue to keep it interesting¡­ and is that a door? What¡¯s behind it? Sweiza stiffens once and continues walking. Thankfully Salmira is nice enough not to read her distracted mind. How embarassing! ¡°You are familiar with a ship¡¯s sails?¡± Sweiza nods. Ship sails use wind to move. ¡°Most people think ship sails use the direction of the wind to move¡ªbut this isn¡¯t true. Pressure differences above the sails allow the ship to move forward in any direction it so chooses¡ªeven against the wind.¡± Sweiza feels her mood sink. She is wrong¡­ again. Salmira¡¯s eyebrows show interest in the girl; she has a feeling the girl had that widespread belief instilled in her. Silly humans! ¡°Sprite use a similar, but enchanted way to fly around. They use ¡®magic¡¯ for lack of a better word, enchant their body and will themselves to move in the direction they desire. In a manner of speaking, it is similar to how a fish can rise or fall in the water. However, you still need a way to control the direction.¡± Sweiza blinks. The Sterling Blue had such a thing¡ªa rudder. ¡°A rudder?¡± Salmira turns over to her and nods, ¡°Yes Miss Serif, A rudder. It is possible for a ship to do the same with its sails. Regardless, this ship uses something called a Tachyon Drive. It uses time travel, or rather fields from outside of this dimension, and uses it to pull itself forward. This ship¡¯s engine uses an an anti-gravity gyro system to change direction or move within a planet; it works by a similar premise to the Tachyon Drive, but it isn¡¯t as powerful.¡± Salmira waits for it. A joyful expression crosses the Goddess¡¯s face as Sweiza is left beyond confusion. Silly humans! Sweiza shakes her head and continues forward. ¡°Miss Serif, if I could ask you not to dart off too far ahead. Our destination is beneath us, not forward.¡± Sweiza stops, turns around and blinks in confusion. ¡°We are only in the outer hull of the ship; these channel locks are meant to seal incase the ship takes damage.¡± Again the girl is left confused. She doesn¡¯t know what a channel lock is. ¡°What is a channel lock?¡± ¡°If a ship takes damage it will seal compartments in the outer hull to prevent it from sinking. However, the Ymir does the opposite. These keep air inside and from getting out.¡± It doesn¡¯t make sense to the girl. Salmira ignores the girl and takes eighteen paces forward. She stops in front of a small door on the floor. Sweiza notices just in front of Salmira a set of bars which look like a ladder; upon walking closer she sees they are bolted to the wall. Is the whole ship metal? Salmira taps her foot several times in front of the small door and it slides open. Salmira clasps different rungs of the ladder and sets her footing and starts climbing down the ladder. Just as her head is above the floor, she turns and looks up at Sweiza. ¡°This will not be an easy journe. We have to go down about one hundred and fifty decks.¡± Sweiza looks up and sends a puff of air up at her hair. She looks down and sees Salmira has already descended halfway through the next deck¡¯s ladder. She jumps onto the ladder and hears a familiar chirp and then a voice. ¡°Wait for me!¡± Sprite comes charing up from the corridor they had just walked. ¡°Where were you?¡± She looks up at him suspiciously. ¡°Looking around. It¡¯s so¡­. white!¡± Sweiza rolls her eyes, ¡°Let¡¯s go Sp¡­ Dewey. We have a long way to go.¡± Sprite salutes with enthusiasm and follows her down the ladders. He¡¯ll have an easier time of moving around with his ability to fly. She notices he seems to be having fun. At least one of them is¡­ ¡ª Sweiza remains quiet; the only thing that echoes in the distance is their footsteps. Corridor after corridor, ladder after ladder; white walls with the occasional light blue and gray pattern, a white ceiling, and then nothing but drab grey floor. Occasionally a black and shiny window breaks up the view; the only thing even providing light appears to be coming from brighter windows in the ceiling. Sweiza has seen them in more expensive homes in Maria Village¡ªthe ones that don¡¯t use candle light¡ªshe wishes her family used them. Occasionally Sweiza looks up at Sprite; they don¡¯t say much. Instead they follow the woman in front of them¡ªthe woman that put them into this monstrous maze to begin with. Salmira seems to know where she is going; she only stops to look back occasionally to make sure the duo behind her are following her. Eventually they arrive at a fork in their path. Salmira¡¯s arms cross once¡ªthe first time Sweiza has seen her do it¡ªSalmira taps her foot once and then heads to the right. Sweiza scoffs at it once, she herself is left handed and would have chosen the left path. She hears a snicker from Spite behind her, those two both know each other well enough to know what Sweiza is thinking. ¡ª After about two hundred paces, the trio finds themself at a four way intersection. Sweiza looks at the intersection and then to Salmira. A red light pulses from Salmira and flies down the three forward corridors. A red light comes flying back from straight ahead¡ªSalmira takes that corridor without hesitation. Another thirty-five feet and Sweiza almost knocks into Salmira. The woman turns around, looks them over once and gives them little attention. Her attention is on one of the black windows mounted into the wall. Salmira¡¯s eyes flash red and the black window suddenly comes to life. Strange shapes, lines and symbols appear on the window¡ªsome of them do not look unlike the Futhark that Sweiza had experienced with the Lukas and Vecna incidents. Several patterns change. Salmira¡¯s eyes flash red again and the screen dims. She looks over to Sweiza.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°We¡¯ll need to double back to the ladders. We still have about one hundred and twenty floors to clear.¡± Sweiza looks up in disbelief. She swats the air behind her when she hears a snicker from Sprite. ¡ª Another twenty ladders later and nothing changes. Sweiza starts to feel tired. They find themselves at another fork in the road. This time they go left¡ªa very good choice in Sweiza¡¯s mind. They find themselves at another one of the black windows. Salmira performs the same procedure as before. However, this time she mentions, ¡°We must go straight about two hundred feet and then use another ladder system.¡± They go down another thirty ladders and Sweiza suddenly charges ahead of Salmira. She halts in front of her and holds her hand up while stomping her foot. A big smile slowly creeps up on her face, ¡°Snack!¡± Salmira backs up against the wall and her arms cradle. She eyes the spritekin and human and their ¡®food¡¯. Silly humans and their pets! After lunch they follow the arranged path. After two hundred feet they cross down another set of thirty five ladders. At once, Salmira stops at the ladders underneath them and walks the path. Another fork and another terminal. By now Sweiza knows the drill. By her reckoning it is about seventy-five more ladders to go. However, her body and muscles are starting to get sore; her mind is wandering. How much longer? ¡°Salmira, how much longer?¡± Salmira¡¯s eyes flash red, but suddenly dim. She steps back from the window. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in two hours. You two rest.¡± Suddenly Salmira turns into a bolt of lightning and charges straight for the black window. It pulses red and several strange symbols, lines and shapes appear on it. It dims just as quickly. Sweiza and Sprite eye each other intently¡ªSalmira is strange and crazy! What does she have in store for them? More importantly, how many secrets is the woman hiding from others? ¡°Crazy to be camping inside of a metal fortress!¡± Sweiza says it with some glee¡ªSprite simply shrugs at her. Her tent is pitched in an awkward fashion, but it works. Salmira didn¡¯t say anything about nasty creatures out and about, and Sweiza doesn¡¯t remember seeing any. Salmira is most likely nearby, so it shouldn¡¯t matter¡­ much¡­ Sweiza¡¯s thinks about it for a second longer, but her thoughts betray her as she creeps into darkness as the land of sleep takes her¡­ ¡ª Sweiza finds herself in the middle of a large metal room with two floors¡ªa lower deck and an upper platformed deck. The entire area is quite dim, save for different lights¡ªmultiple lights in fact¡ªall over the area. Sweiza¡¯s head moves to follow a large red light that slowly brightens and fades every ten or so seconds¡ªit follows the entirety of the platform between the first and second decks, and then also follows the crevice between the ceiling and the second deck. The floor is lined with the same dark color of metal, but different shapes and lines have been engraved along the floor¡ªthey seem to make a pathway of sorts. What look like workers around tables are arranged around much of the first deck¡ªthere are a few on the upper platform as well. What catches Sweiza¡¯s attention is at the front of the room¡ªa large blue map. Her curiosity calls out for it¡­ ¡°Go ahead Miss Serif¡­¡± Sweiza abruptly turns around, Salmira is standing behind her. Sweiza looks from her to the map. She takes her chance and walks over with caution for the other workers in the area¡ªthe workers have a variation (in different colors) of the same uniform that Salmira typically wears¡ªpink, red and white. At the map she sees something familiar¡ªthe Midgard and Muspell continents. Below them is a large landmass that she assumes can only be Niffleheim. Based in her experience the landmasses further west are Myrkvellir, Bothnin and Jotunher (in that order), and then further east she assumes what must be Vanir and Alfgard¡ªhowever, there are several landmasses under each other and to the southeast of Midgard, that she cannot account for. What are those¡­ and what is¡­ She sees something further off in the corner contained in a sphere. It is something akin to a tree¡ªit says Yggdrasil on it. She looks back at Salmira whom seems uphased by what is going on around them. When Sweiza turns around she sees the top of the map reads ¡°Avalanche¡ªSAL IV¡±. The map fades and a new one comes up; it show several spheres at the edges of circles; there is one large sphere labeled SAL, with the rest of the spheres labeled SAL I, SAl II, etc. The one labeled SAL IV has six smaller spheres circling it. Again Sweiza looks back some feet behind her at Salmira. Sweiza chances a call. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re in a dream aboard the bridge of the Ymir¡ªthat is a map of the planet you know as Avalan.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This all happened some time ago. In fact¡­¡± Salmira ushers the girl over to observe something peculiar just off center. What looks like Salmira¡¯s exact twin is sitting in a chair¡ªnothing is different about her, they look exactly the same. Sweiza cocks her head at the sight. There is something rectangular to the side of Salmira; there is an old man talking on it, he has a gruff voice with some growl to it¡ªhe is dressed in what Sweiza can only describe as highly decorated bronze armor. The Salmira behind Sweiza pushes her forward¡ªSweiza hears a funny conversation within ear reach. ¡°¡­and yet I walk amongst them¡­¡± ¡°You walk among them because you rebelled!¡± The second Salmira does not sound happy. ¡°Because I seek wisdom? I have hung from the tree and drank from the well; I traded my eye to know of things to come¡­. And I know a great deal of what is to come.¡± The man speaks slowly, but he is otherwise smug and haughty to the second Salmira. He stands up from his throne and taps a spear¡¯s end to the ground. ¡°Odin, you are insane, you¡¯ve been corrupted!¡± ¡°Am I¡ªor do I bring clarity to the nine realms under my watchful eye?¡± The man again taps his spear end to the ground. ¡°What do you do ¡®Oh Goddess of Light?¡¯¡ªhide in the sky monitoring progress? You are not worthy of the name, ¡®Goddess¡¯.¡± ¡°Odin, I¡¯m not going to argue with you.¡± The second Salmira¡¯s stance chances into something more controlled and firm¡ªshe will not allow Odin to get the better of her. ¡°My insight tells me you will change your mind.¡± Odin again taps his spear to the ground below. He looks over at a woman approaching from behind him. The second Salmira scowls¡ªarguing with Odin has always been pointless. Just what is he up to? The second Salmira¡¯s eyes open in surprise when she sees the woman. She looks like Salmira in a similar uniform, but with an affinity for blue¡ªblue hair, blue eyes, a blue and silver uniform similar to what Salmira wears. ¡°Lyra, what is this? He¡¯s the enemy!¡± The second Salmira¡¯s shouts echo through the metal room; she has lost her composure and now stands at the rectangle image in front of her. Sweiza is left to watch¡ªit dawns on her the rectangle is like a scriving mirror. ¡°My Lord, we are ready for the transfer.¡± Lyra¡¯s voice seems unnerved, while depressed. She gives Salmira no attention. Lyra closes her eyes while looking down. She holds a dagger and a strange notebook; she bows while kneeling down in front of Odin. She holds the two objects up for him¡ªhe takes the dagger and stabs it into the notebook and drags it across. He looks up at the second Salmira with an extremely crooked smile. ¡°You will walk among us. You will see. I will see. They will all see¡­¡± The rectangle pulses a strange white light and then fades. The room they are in shudders and rumbles; Sweiza has a hard time keeping her footing. The workers around them do not fair much better. The second Salmira has fallen to the ground; the original Salmira remains upright. A panicked Sweiza looks around at what is happening. Several workers are panicking, two have run over to the second Salmira to help her up. She dusts herself off and barks something inaudible. Sweiza only hears, ¡°¡­forced crash¡­¡± from one of the workers. She doesn¡¯t have time to process this as an otherworldly force grabs hold of her and rights her to stand. ¡°As you can see Miss Serif, I was betrayed and backed stabbed by the ship¡¯s super computer, as well as my sibling.¡± Sweiza shrugs shaking her head. ¡°Is there a point to this?¡± Salmira steps out of the way to show the blue map in the distance. It reads, ¡°Crash Imminent, Fifteen Minutes, Trajectory¡ªValhalla. A picture of a long object is circled with a dashed line to a pulsing multi-circled object in the far east of Midgard¡ªSweiza knows that location is Valhalla. This thing is going to crash? She looks up nervously at Salmira. Salmira shakes her head with her eyes closed. The second Salmira begins barking orders. Workers around the room scatter moving from desk to desk trying to make sense of what is going on¡ªpapers fall on the ground and notebooks drop, pencils scatter and a bottle in the distance rolls from the second-story platform and smashes as it hits the ground on the floor. There is a large chim and the map changes to red. Different mountain ranges appear in the continents; the ocean disappears and also reveals many mountains and underwater trenches. The second Salmira walks towards Sweiza. Sweiza freaks out when that Salmira walks right through her. Turning around to observe her movements, Sweiza watches as the second Salmira eyes the map. She points at multiple locations. She taps her foot and her hands go to her hips. She turns around with a frown. ¡°This trench. Right here.¡± She barks it to the workers. Her hand is at an area between Midgard, Muspell, Niffleheim and Myrkvellir. It is the Ginnungagup. The room shudders again and there is a groan. The second Salmira runs from the map to the center of the room and the white rectangle appears again. Sweiza sees a worker and hears gibberish. She doesn¡¯t understand the language. ¡°What do you mean?¡± The second Salmira seems distressed. ¡°I think that is enough for now Miss Serif.¡± The original Salmira snaps her fingers and the situation around Sweiza begins to fade. Sweiza feels weak as a strong pull surrounds her. She drops to her knees as everything fades to black. ¡ª ¡­ongoing to be continued¡­ ANBLII - Chapter 33 - The Fenriswolf of Nifflung The exhilaration is too much, but it slowly fades as the root slowly becomes filled with patches of snow here and there. She finally stops when a snow filled field lies in front of her. Sprite flies just past her and suddenly stops and flies back. The both of them look at each other with curiosity. It makes sense so far, Niffleheim is supposed to be the land of frost and ice. Sweiza turns towards her back. She doesn¡¯t see the Yggdrasil anywhere. Curious, she walks several paces back in the direction they came. She still can¡¯t see the tree. Instead she only sees dark mountains in the distane; it is nighttime with more stars in the sky than she can ever remember. She turns back in the direction they were walking and freezes. There are dark cliffs off to her side¡ªthey are almost a dark purple¡ªthey are capped with snow. This is beginning to look weird. Looking in the direction they were approaching she can see lights far off in the distance. Maybe it is a village or town? She freezes when she hears Sprite alert¡ªit is an alert for danger. As she turns around she notes a giant tail moving in the distance. She lets out a cry as her gaze locks with the giant blue eyes of a gaping maw drooling in front of her. She freezes in fear at the massive black head of a wolf in front of her¡ªshe is dwarfed considerably by its size. It has to be at least several hundred feet in length. It looks down at her and she lets out a scream. She turns around and flees in terror. Rather, she tries to, but feels her body freeze and she falls over at a wolf¡¯s howl behind her the likes she has never before heard. It tears open the heavens and the ground rumbles under her. Most of her body will not respond as she tries to right up. On her hands and knees she tries to crawl to the mountains in the distance. She sees Sprite fly past her. Another howl. He freezes and drops to the ground. She can hear the sound of massive footsteps behind her. She freezes when she hears panting. She turns around and sees the massive wolf again staring down at her.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Her body locks up. She can¡¯t die like this, not here. On instinct, she summons all of her might to let out a scream, but it is to no avail. The wolf lumbers up slowly¡ªits maw gaping open the entire time. Its height raises without end as it stares down at her. With her spirit finally broken, she feels powerlessness and helplessness¡ªthe likes she has never felt before¡ªwash over her body as her senses dull. She feels overwhelmed. Is she going to be eaten alive? Her eyes widen in terror as the wolf lowers its head at her. It is closer now. It¡¯s eyes study her. It is the first to speak¡­ ¡°And who might you be¡­?¡± ¡ª ¡­ongoing to be continued¡­ ¡­ongoing to be continued¡­ ¡­ongoing to be continued¡­ [AI Rewrite] Bound by Fate, Chained by Name On the distant world of Avalon, where the skies shimmered with twin moons and the land thrived under the benevolence of unseen gods, the village of Maria prepared for the annual harvest. This was not merely a season of reaping; it was an ancient tradition, a sacred pact between the people and the goddess of the harvest. To ensure continued prosperity, young women from the village were sent on a perilous pilgrimage to the northern temple, crossing treacherous swamps and encountering creatures that demanded tolls of both coin and courage. It was a journey of faith and a rite of passage, one that separated the innocent from the knowing. Among the chosen was Sweiza Serif, the farmer¡¯s daughter. She was young, excitable, and filled with dreams of grandeur. One day, she would become a revered handmaiden of the goddess. For now, she merely hoped the journey would be less dull than the previous years. As dusk settled over the village, five knights stood assembled before the crowd, their armor glinting under the torches. They were tasked with safeguarding the three chosen maidens. The villagers murmured prayers, eyes filled with both reverence and worry. It was said that should the pilgrimage ever fail, the land itself would wither, cursed by the goddess¡¯s disfavor.
That night, beneath the shelter of a dying fire, Sweiza scribbled furiously into her diary: The food was awful, as usual. Some say last year¡¯s pilgrimage was cursed. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll be the one to fix it. After all, I plan to become a handmaiden. A noble cause, no? Also, I overheard the knights talking. They¡¯re crude and insufferable. One of them is cute, though. - Sweiza. ¡°SWEIZA!¡± Her heart leapt from her chest as she slammed the diary shut, the pen tumbling from her grasp. She turned, eyes wide, to find a knight standing over her, his visor raised just enough to reveal a smirk. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to scare you,¡± he said, arms crossed. ¡°You should get some sleep. We leave at dawn.¡± Sweiza huffed, gripping her journal tight. ¡°I was about to.¡± ¡°Right. And maybe put that away. Prying eyes and all.¡± His gaze flicked downwards, and she followed it¡ªstraight to the hearts and the rather unfortunate sketch of Lester, her childhood friend. Her face burned. ¡°I¡ª!¡± But the knight was already walking away. Resisting the urge to stick out her tongue, she stuffed the diary into her pack and turned over to sleep.
The night stretched on. Sweiza woke once to hushed voices, the knights gossiping about the villagers. Rolling her eyes, she fell back into uneasy slumber. Later, she woke again, staring at the sky. Sleep evaded her, and stray thoughts filled the silence. Why do we have to sleep at the village¡¯s edge? Traditions can be so stupid. I wonder if they¡¯re naked under all that armor. No, wait, Lester better not be running around naked again¡­ An owl¡¯s hoot shattered the quiet. Slowly, its head twisted¡ªtoo far, too impossibly¡ªuntil it was staring at her upside down. A shadow passed over its eyes, and it darted away, vanishing into the darkness. A shriek followed from the distant swamp, something neither bird nor beast. A chill wrapped around Sweiza¡¯s spine. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself into an uneasy sleep.
Sweiza stirred once more, groggy and dazed. The night had stretched endlessly, and yet, dawn was already approaching. A sliver of red bled across the horizon. She sat up, blinking the exhaustion from her eyes, only to find herself face to face with Lester. He grinned. ¡°Guess you¡¯re really going, huh?¡± She scowled. ¡°You weren¡¯t here last night.¡± ¡°Had things to do.¡± ¡°Like what? Stealing?¡± ¡°Preferably a kiss.¡± He puckered his lips dramatically. ¡°Forget it.¡± She clamped a hand over his mouth, shoving him back. He merely winked and pressed a small note into her palm. ¡°For you. Good luck.¡± He bowed with exaggerated flourish before disappearing into the waking village. Sweiza sighed and tucked the note away for later.
The journey began under gray skies. The path wound through the foothills, bogs stretching endlessly on either side. The knights moved in practiced formation: one in front, one in the rear, and three walking alongside the maidens. Half a day¡¯s travel led them deep into the swamp. The knight on point paused, stepping forward cautiously. He drove his sword into the murky water. Silence. He stabbed again. Bubbles rose to the surface. The reeds rustled. The water turned red. The knight withdrew his sword, slick with blood. A fish, its scales dark and alien, clung to the blade, its mouth twisted in silent agony. He held it up. ¡°Do not fall in.¡± A shiver ran down Sweiza¡¯s spine.
The rain came soon after, drenching them in a relentless downpour. They trudged forward, their makeshift shelter collapsing twice during the night. Sleep was fleeting. When morning came, they pressed onward. The road stretched long, the air thick with moisture and something unseen. Something watching. By evening, they reached the temple. Sweiza had dreamed of this moment. The golden halls. The flames that did not burn. The goddess¡¯s presence. But the moment of triumph turned bitter. Valkyrie descended from the heavens, clad in radiant armor, her voice a commandment. ¡°Three shall be chosen. The rest shall serve in devotion.¡± Sweiza was not among the chosen. The temple glowed gold, and those deemed worthy were knighted into the Valkyrie¡¯s ranks. Sweiza stood among the unchosen, her dreams crumbling. She had given everything, suffered through the pilgrimage, and yet¡ª That night, she sat outside the temple, staring at the stars. A shadow emerged from the darkness. ¡°I am Valkyrie,¡± the figure intoned. ¡°Why do you sit alone, child?¡± ¡°They are not my friends,¡± Sweiza muttered. ¡°If they are not, then why travel with them?¡± ¡°To gain favor with the goddess.¡± The figure stepped closer. ¡°Do you know why this tradition exists?¡± ¡°It is all we know. Without it, the land will die.¡± A cruel chuckle echoed through the night. ¡°Legends fade. Truth is buried. The land is not what you believe it to be.¡± Sweiza shivered. Something about the figure was wrong. Its presence, its voice. She blinked, and it was gone. A wolf howled in the distance. The moon loomed overhead, and sleep finally took her.
The nightmares came then, twisting reality into cruel mockery. Shadows stretched unnaturally. A throne of ice rose from nothingness. A god of tricks and nightmares grinned at her suffering. ¡°Your fate is sealed,¡± he whispered, his breath cold against her ear. ¡°Now, let us see if you survive.¡± Sweiza screamed as the shards of ice tore through her flesh. And then she awoke, gasping for air, a lance pressed against her throat. Valkyrie loomed over her. ¡°Your trial is not over.¡± Sweiza trembled, knowing, at last, there was no waking from this nightmare. Sweiza¡¯s consciousness wavered as the cold floor pressed against her cheek. The golden hall flickered, the flame of the brass lamps distorting as if reality itself were struggling to remain intact. Her breath came ragged and shallow. ¡°On your feet, elf.¡± The voice was sharp, commanding¡ªwithout patience. Sweiza froze, her body stiff with resistance. ¡°NOW!¡± A force unseen dragged her upright, her knees scraping against the ornate rug as she was turned to face the exit. The grand doors loomed ahead, but something whispered at the edge of her awareness. Slowly, she twisted back toward the thrones. Two figures sat before her. The young man¡¯s smirk curled like a serpent, golden robes shifting like liquid sunlight. Beside him, the regal woman radiated an unyielding authority, her silver eyes boring into Sweiza¡¯s very essence. ¡°Youth and beauty,¡± the man murmured, tracing a finger along his throne¡¯s armrest. ¡°Age and wisdom,¡± the woman intoned, her voice a solemn decree. The silence stretched, taut and unbearable. Then, the man¡¯s smirk faded. ¡°You fail, Sweiza.¡± A chill lanced through her spine. ¡°A fate far worse than death awaits you,¡± the woman declared, her voice reverberating through the vast cathedral. The shadows behind the thrones deepened. A figure emerged¡ªValkyrie. The woman raised a single hand. At her gesture, Valkyrie reached up, unfastening her helmet with deliberate slowness. The face beneath was no face at all. Hollow sockets stared back, a skeletal grin locked in eternal mockery. Sweiza stumbled back, but the weight of unseen chains bound her limbs. The room warped. The golden glow dimmed, twisting into an eerie, flickering red. The scent of incense curdled into something rancid, something rotting. She looked down at her hands. The flesh was gone. Ivory bone gleamed under the sickly light, her fingers moving though no muscle remained. The horror set in like a physical blow. She screamed. The world shattered.
She awoke in a void of shifting colors, her breath heaving. But she was not alone. Valkyrie loomed over her, the tip of her lance hovering just below Sweiza¡¯s chin. ¡°It would do you well not to stir the wrath of the gods,¡± Valkyrie intoned. ¡°You are but an elf¡ªa child in the grand design.¡± Sweiza clenched her teeth, fighting the tremor in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be Valkyrie anymore.¡± Valkyrie withdrew the lance with an almost dismissive motion. ¡°That is too bad.¡± The weight of those words settled on Sweiza¡¯s shoulders. This was no trial she could reject. No path she could abandon. Valkyrie turned, sheathing her weapon. ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Sweiza opened her mouth, but nothing came. Her thoughts tangled, her defiance withering under the weight of exhaustion. Her vision blurred. Darkness overtook her once more, swallowing her whole. Sweiza¡¯s eyes fluttered open, and she found herself in a vast hall, unlike anything she had ever seen. The walls, seemingly forged from swords and stone, twisted unnaturally into the shape of a great palace. Torches flickered in their sconces, casting erratic shadows across the animated tapestries that adorned the walls. They moved¡ªfigures playing out scenes of battles and stories unknown to her. The windows revealed an unfamiliar night sky, alien stars winking down at her from beyond this strange castle. By one of the massive arched windows stood a man, his back turned to her, peering through a brass telescope. His hat was unlike any she had seen, and his long trench coat seemed woven from starlight and parchment. Without turning, he spoke. ¡°Ah yes, young lass. What brings you here?¡± Sweiza hesitated. ¡°Should I be afraid of you?¡± At that, he turned, adjusting his round spectacles, his expression twisting into a scowl. ¡°What have those morons been doing to you?¡± he muttered, exasperation lacing his voice. She had no answer, her thoughts still sluggish from the relentless trials she had endured. Before she could form a coherent response, a sudden gust of wind sent a chill through the room, and Valkyrie materialized from the air before them. Without hesitation, she swung her lance at the man. With a mere flick of his wrist, he caught it. ¡°That wasn¡¯t called for,¡± he said flatly. Flames erupted from his free hand, a burst of crackling fire searing through the air as he launched it toward Valkyrie. The scent of burning oil and charred metal filled the chamber as Valkyrie stepped back, undeterred. She bowed slightly, sheathing her lance before leaning in close and whispering something into the man¡¯s ear. His expression shifted from irritation to mild surprise. He turned his gaze back to Sweiza, adjusting his glasses once more. ¡°Sweiza, is it?¡± he said aloud, as if testing the name on his tongue. He wrinkled his nose. ¡°What the hell kind of name is that?¡± Sweiza recoiled slightly, unsure how to react. Valkyrie remained silent. The man rubbed his chin. ¡°You¡¯ve been through quite a bit already, haven¡¯t you?¡± Before Sweiza could answer, Valkyrie corrected him. ¡°She has completed three trials.¡± ¡°Three?¡± His brow furrowed. ¡°That¡¯s out of order. I¡¯m normally closer to the last of the roundup.¡± His way of speaking was strange¡ªtoo casual for someone who stood within a castle of swords and shifting stars, too familiar for a stranger. ¡°Well then,¡± he sighed, stretching his arms above his head. ¡°I¡¯ll try to make this brief. You are in for a very long night, Sweiza.¡± Her lips parted slightly, her disbelief evident. This man spoke as though he were some benevolent scholar, utterly unfazed by the madness she had endured. He leaned toward Valkyrie again, his voice dropping into hushed whispers. Sweiza could only make out fragmented words, spoken rapidly, before he turned back to her. His face twisted in bemusement. ¡°Oh gods,¡± he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He exhaled sharply and looked at her with something between amusement and pity. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡± Sweiza shrank in place, her pride stinging from the blunt remark. ¡°I¡¯ve met a few like you before,¡± he continued, tapping his fingers against his coat. ¡°They usually end up as priestesses or temple scribes. Not Valkyries.¡± He turned to Valkyrie. ¡°You can go. I¡¯ll handle this one.¡± Valkyrie bowed, stepping into the shadows. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± And with that, she disappeared into the oblivion beyond the torches¡¯ glow. The man extended his hand toward Sweiza. She hesitated, unsure of what he intended, but he grabbed her hand with both of his and gave it a firm shake. ¡°You don¡¯t know this yet,¡± he said, ¡°but you are undergoing the trial to become a Valkyrie.¡± Sweiza¡¯s stomach twisted into knots. She shrank further, her mind reeling. ¡°Don¡¯t be so shy,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Everyone has a path they follow. I chose the role of scholar. Although I¡¯m quite good at fireworks.¡± A small flame danced between his fingertips before vanishing in a puff of smoke. ¡°I can¡¯t read your mind,¡± he added, ¡°so if you have questions, speak up.¡± Sweiza swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Douglas,¡± he replied smoothly. ¡°Scholar of Adavan. Chief Scholar, really.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand you.¡± He smirked. ¡°Then let me explain.¡± With deliberate steps, he began pacing, hands clasped behind his back, his voice shifting into the practiced rhythm of a lecturer. ¡°You are from Dawez, a continent largely untouched by intellectual progress. Your village, Maria, is backwater. No education system, no access to the outside world¡ªeverything you know is built upon tradition. Compared to most people, you are, frankly, an idiot.¡± Sweiza shrank again, biting her lip to keep from lashing out. ¡°See? That¡¯s the problem,¡± he mused. ¡°You don¡¯t even question it.¡± He paused, adjusting his glasses once more. ¡°You have angered the gods, and now they are punishing you. This is your trial. If you pass, you will become a Valkyrie.¡± Her frustration boiled over. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be Valkyrie anymore! Just send me home!¡± Douglas sighed, shaking his head. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. You¡¯ve only completed three of twelve trials. You have nine more to go before you are released from your duty.¡± The weight of his words settled onto her shoulders, crushing her into silence. ¡°It¡¯s your humility they seek,¡± he continued. ¡°You need to endure.¡± ¡°Just send me home,¡± she whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± he replied, offering a crooked smile. ¡°Besides, I so rarely get company.¡± At that moment, Valkyrie materialized once more, stepping between them. ¡°This trial is over,¡± she declared. ¡°If you have further questions¡­¡± Sweiza had none. ¡°So be it.¡± Douglas turned, striding toward the great window. ¡°Shall we be going?¡± Sweiza opened her mouth to protest, but the ground beneath her cracked apart, and once again, she fell into the abyss. A massive city of white limestone stretched endlessly before her, its towers adorned with creeping ivy and lush gardens spilling over their edges. The horizon blurred under the weight of its splendor, a place she had only heard of in half-whispered legends. Some of her people had journeyed here, but none had ever returned with stories. Valkyrie stood before her, watching with unreadable eyes. ¡°Do you wish to ask me anything, young one?¡± Valkyrie¡¯s voice carried an almost taunting lilt. Sweiza crossed her arms, the weight of exhaustion pressing against her, yet her frustration burned brighter. ¡°Yeah, why don¡¯t you just disappear? Or better yet, end yourself?¡± The air seemed to tighten around them. Valkyrie did not so much as blink. ¡°I surrendered my right to death long ago, in service to the greater cause.¡± Sweiza scoffed, her tone sharp. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡ª¡± She exhaled harshly, her fists clenching. ¡°You are insufferable. Just let me go! I don¡¯t need you! I don¡¯t need any of this!¡± Valkyrie¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You should be mindful of your words. There are consequences far graver than death.¡± ¡°Good! Maybe I¡¯ll finally get what I want,¡± Sweiza spat. Valkyrie studied her for a moment longer before turning away, her presence fading into the golden haze of the distant towers. Sweiza stuck her tongue out at her vanishing figure. ¡°Coward.¡± She spun on her heel, muttering, ¡°I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m stuck in this place.¡± A low, amused chuckle echoed behind her. ¡°Such a foul mouth for a child.¡± A cold dread laced her veins. She turned sharply, but before she could react, pain lanced through her thigh. A second, harder blow struck her ribs, and she crumpled, her breath ripped from her chest. Strong hands seized her, dragging her to her feet. Shadows swirled around her vision as consciousness slipped away. A voice whispered in her ear, its words curling like smoke. ¡°You are hardly innocent.¡±
Pain. It came in slow waves, dull at first, then sharp enough to make her fingers twitch. Her body felt foreign, a husk weighed down by ache and filth. She was bound. The rough bite of rope burned against her wrists. The air was thick with sweat, damp earth, and the coppery tang of blood. Some say there are fates crueler than death. Until that night, Sweiza had not believed them. Once, she had been steadfast, proud¡ªher future set in stone by the traditions of her people. Until the night she was captured. The first blow had been a warning. The second, a punishment. The rest¡­ something else entirely. By dawn, she had pleaded for death. Valkyrie appeared in the doorway of her cell, her figure illuminated by flickering torchlight. Sweiza stirred, barely conscious, her lips cracked, her voice a rasp. ¡°Kill me.¡± Valkyrie hesitated for only a moment before turning to leave. Weak fingers found purchase in her cloak, tugging feebly. ¡°Please.¡± It was not desperation. It was surrender. Valkyrie glanced down, something unreadable crossing her features. Then, to Sweiza¡¯s surprise, a small, almost pitying smile ghosted across her lips. ¡°You will endure worse than death, young one.¡± Sweiza¡¯s grip trembled but did not loosen. ¡°You will learn caution,¡± Valkyrie murmured. ¡°And respect.¡± A slow, defeated nod was all Sweiza could offer. ¡°Stay here.¡± Valkyrie straightened, her gaze shifting past the cell¡¯s bars. ¡°I have business to attend to.¡± A flash of light erupted from her lance, carving an opening in the wall. With effortless grace, she stepped through, vanishing into the night. Then, the screaming began. The air thickened with the scent of burning flesh. The wails of men turned to gurgled gasps, then silence. Sweiza lay still, listening as the world beyond her prison cell was reduced to ruin. Her heart pounded, not with fear, but with the cold realization of what awaited her. She had been a priestess in training, dedicated to the old ways. But she had strayed. She had broken the sacred vow of purity before her fifth pilgrimage. She was no longer a priestess. No longer a pilgrim. Just something¡­ hollow. Her body sagged against the cold stone. This trial¡ªthis nightmare¡ªwas worse than death. Footsteps returned. The shadow of Valkyrie passed over her once more. Sweiza¡¯s vision wavered. She barely felt herself slipping away again. One last whisper escaped her lips before the darkness swallowed her whole. ¡°Help me¡­ please.¡± Sweiza awoke in a vast garden, its foliage vibrant yet alien. Towering trees swayed with an unseen force, and enormous ferns whispered secrets as they bent away from her path. The scent of fresh earth and blooming flowers filled the air, yet something felt terribly wrong. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Recognition struck like a dagger. This was the temple of her people¡¯s pilgrimage, the sacred ground she had dreamed of reaching since childhood. But something was different¡ªtwisted. The garden was alive in ways beyond nature¡¯s intent. At its center sat a woman of plant-flesh, her form composed of woven vines, leaves cascading like hair, and a dress stitched from the petals of unknown flowers. Her boots were gnarled wood, rooted yet flexible, as if she had simply grown from the throne of thorns she occupied. Golden eyes, ancient and unyielding, fixed upon Sweiza. ¡°Humility is your virtue,¡± the goddess intoned, her voice rustling like wind through branches. ¡°You are steadfast in your traditions, yet blind beyond them. You are a child, unfit for priesthood, unworthy even as a handmaiden.¡± A cold weight pressed into Sweiza¡¯s chest. She stumbled forward, falling to her knees, words forming on her tongue before the goddess silenced her with a raised hand. ¡°You reject all beyond your faith. You wield passion without restraint. Humility, child, is something you must learn.¡± ¡°Wait! Please, I never meant to¡ª¡± ¡°You are banished from my garden and temple forever.¡± The words fell like a death sentence. Sweiza¡¯s breath hitched. ¡°But I¡ª¡± ¡°Leave. Now.¡± The command struck her like a blow. She scrambled to her feet, bowing deeply despite the humiliation burning inside her. ¡°I am unworthy of priesthood,¡± she admitted, voice trembling. ¡°I have shamed my goddess. I am a weed in your garden.¡± She turned, bowing once more before fleeing. The vines and shrubs closed behind her, sealing her exile with finality. Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled through the darkened path, the weight of her wasted years crushing her. Three years, lost. Three years for nothing.
Reality fractured. The world around her twisted like shattered glass reforming into endless shapes. Her body felt foreign, warping between fleeting sensations¡ªheavy, weightless, whole, broken. Consciousness wavered until, at last, she found herself standing in a chamber of shifting geometry. The walls twisted between squares and rectangles, reshaping as though unsure of their own form. A low hum vibrated through the air as a metallic sphere drifted toward her, its surface pulsing with an inner glow. It hovered before her, studying her with an intelligence beyond understanding. ¡°Do you have questions, young one?¡± the sphere inquired, its voice resonating from all directions at once. Sweiza¡¯s hands clenched into fists. ¡°I have been rejected by the goddess of my people. I am nothing.¡± The sphere whirred, tilting slightly. ¡°Perhaps. Yet in the vast tapestry of existence, even the smallest events are mere threads in a greater weave.¡± Sweiza exhaled shakily. ¡°I have no questions.¡± The sphere pulsed once. ¡°As you wish.¡± It sped away, vanishing into the shifting walls. The chamber dissolved, reality folding in on itself once more.
Sweiza''s vision blurred, colors bleeding into one another until she found herself seated at an impossibly long table, its polished surface reflecting candlelight from unseen sources. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meats and exotic spices, the feast spread before her overflowing with golden goblets, steaming breads, and delicacies she had never seen before. A disembodied voice resonated through the hall. ¡°Do you hunger?¡± Sweiza hesitated, then shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you thirst?¡± Her lips were dry, but she forced the answer. ¡°No.¡± The table shimmered, as if acknowledging her response, but the feast remained untouched. The barren hall transformed¡ªempty walls adorned themselves with ancient banners and tapestries depicting stories she could not understand. A familiar voice¡ªValkyrie¡¯s¡ªsounded from behind her. ¡°Eat, child. You have earned it.¡± Sweiza turned slowly. Valkyrie stood tall, the ever-present glow of her armor giving her an ethereal presence. Sweiza swallowed, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle deeper in her bones. ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± she murmured. Valkyrie¡¯s gaze was unreadable. ¡°Do not make demands of the divine.¡± Despite her defiance, her body betrayed her. She reached for the food, the warmth of the meal filling a void she hadn¡¯t realized was growing. With each bite, the soreness in her limbs faded, the ache in her heart dulled. By the time she finished, a strange warmth filled her chest, and she felt almost¡­ happy. She turned to Valkyrie with a hazy grin. ¡°You must be hungry too.¡± Valkyrie said nothing. The scenery shifted, fading into darkness. ¡°Wait,¡± Sweiza called out, reaching for something¡ªanything. Valkyrie¡¯s form reappeared before her. ¡°You were hungry, weren¡¯t you?¡± A pause. Then, softly, Valkyrie answered, ¡°Sometimes.¡± And then she was gone.
Sweiza gasped as she was dropped onto an unfamiliar surface. The ground beneath her was neither stone nor wood, but something sleek and metallic. The air crackled with energy, the scent of storm and steel mixing in an unfamiliar symphony. Lightning carved through the sky, striking the towering mast in the center of the platform. The force rippled outward, humming through unseen circuits before dissipating into the air. It happened again. And again. The rhythm was unnatural, calculated. She stumbled forward, reaching the platform¡¯s edge, expecting to see endless ocean. Instead, a sea of clouds stretched beneath her, rolling and churning like waves in a storm. Her breath caught. She was in the sky. She wandered aimlessly, past strange, seamless doors and glowing runes etched into metallic panels. Windows revealed glimpses of unknown machinery, mechanisms pulsing with hidden energy. She hesitated at one of the doors, a soft light beckoning her touch. With no other choice, she placed her hand against it. The door slid open. Inside, a family sat around a dining table. They turned in unison, their expressions shifting from curiosity to alarm. A woman shrieked, lunging toward a panel on the wall. The door slammed shut before Sweiza could step inside. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± she stammered, her voice lost in the sterile air. A quiet voice murmured behind her. ¡°If that was your intent, then no harm was done.¡± She turned sharply to find Valkyrie standing behind her, unshaken as ever. Sweiza scowled. ¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t sneak up on me.¡± ¡°I cannot appear before you when your face is to a door.¡± Her frustration flared, but she let out a breath. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°A weather station,¡± Valkyrie answered. ¡°One of many that shape the world¡¯s balance.¡± Sweiza stared into the endless sky. ¡°Is this where you live?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why am I here?¡± Valkyrie finally turned to her, eyes steady. ¡°One would think it obvious. You have passed your trials as a handmaiden. Now, you will be trained as Valkyrie.¡± Sweiza felt her chest tighten. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be Valkyrie.¡± Valkyrie said nothing. She simply walked ahead, and with no other choice, Sweiza followed. Sweiza¡¯s reluctance did not deter Valkyrie. Their path led them to a stairway shaft, where a hovering orb emerged from the darkness. It pulsed with a red light, scanning Valkyrie first before turning its attention to Sweiza. A high-pitched chirp followed. Then, another scan, this time accompanied by an irritated buzzing noise. ¡°She¡¯s with me,¡± Valkyrie stated firmly. The orb hesitated, chirping again. It darted in front of Sweiza, its movements erratic, as if uncertain. Another scan, another buzz. Sweiza frowned. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Valkyrie didn¡¯t immediately answer. Instead, she placed a hand on the orb, causing it to beep indignantly before floating back. ¡°It doesn¡¯t recognize you,¡± she finally said. ¡°Which is odd.¡± Sweiza rolled her eyes. ¡°So? Maybe I failed whatever weird test it¡¯s running.¡± Valkyrie¡¯s gaze was unreadable. ¡°No. If you had failed, it would not hesitate to remove you.¡± A shiver crawled down Sweiza¡¯s spine. ¡°Remove me?¡± Before she could demand clarification, the orb let out a final pulse of energy. A sharp crackle filled the air, and in an instant, pain seared through Sweiza¡¯s body. She barely had time to yelp before collapsing into darkness. ¡°Absolutely brilliant,¡± Valkyrie muttered, shaking her head.
When Sweiza finally awoke, her surroundings had changed drastically. The walls shimmered with a soft, ethereal glow, and the air carried the faint hum of unseen machinery. Strange glass tubes lined the corridor, filled with drifting lights that pulsed like captured stars. She pushed herself up, groaning. ¡°Great. Another weird place.¡± A chorus of chimes rang out as small floating orbs whirred past, scanning her with rhythmic beeps. This time, the sounds they emitted weren¡¯t the same harsh warnings from before. They were¡­ excited? Valkyrie stood nearby, watching impassively. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Sweiza groaned. ¡°You zapped me again, didn¡¯t you?¡± Valkyrie ignored the accusation. ¡°The orbs have re-evaluated your status. You have been granted an automatic pass due to¡­ an administrative oversight.¡± Sweiza blinked. ¡°I failed upwards?¡± A slip of paper materialized in Valkyrie¡¯s hands. She handed it to Sweiza. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Before she could read it, the surrounding orbs chirped loudly, and an explosion of confetti rained down. Sweiza coughed as colorful paper flitted around her hair and shoulders. Valkyrie exhaled sharply. ¡°Keep it safe. But now is not the time for celebration.¡± The orbs immediately shifted into clean-up mode, swirling to collect every scrap of confetti before vanishing down the corridors. Sweiza could only gape. ¡°You people are so weird.¡± Valkyrie ignored the comment. ¡°Your next trial begins now.¡± ¡°Wait, I¡ª¡± Another pulse of energy struck her before she could finish, sending her plummeting into unconsciousness once more.
She awoke to the rhythmic crash of waves. The air was thick with the scent of salt and something metallic. The ground beneath her was firm, yet strangely fluid, as if stone and steel had been fused together in some unnatural way. As her vision cleared, she realized she was standing on the deck of a massive ship. Not just one¡ªan entire fleet stretched before her, thousands of vessels moving in perfect synchrony. Above, smaller crafts zipped through the air, their engines humming with restrained power. Heavy footsteps echoed behind her. Turning, she was met with a towering knight clad in seamless armor. His glowing yellow eyes locked onto hers, unblinking, his presence both imposing and eerily still. ¡°You are one of three chosen from twelve,¡± the knight stated. His voice was deep, metallic, and inhuman. ¡°Defended by three, chosen for twelve. You will accompany us.¡± Sweiza hesitated. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°You will comply.¡± The knight¡¯s tone did not change. ¡°Or force will be used.¡± She gulped. ¡°Cool, cool. Totally voluntary.¡± Without another word, the knight stepped onto a glowing emblem on the deck. A pulse of energy surrounded them, and in an instant, they were transported to another ship. Then another. And another. Sweiza stumbled, the constant shifting making her stomach churn. She had lost track of how many ships they had jumped across before she finally spoke up. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± The knight paused. ¡°I am one of seven, third fleet, naval origin. I am your escort.¡± Sweiza sighed. ¡°That¡¯s not a name.¡± ¡°I do not require one.¡± They continued onward, the jumps becoming routine, exhaustion settling into her bones. Finally, she stopped walking. ¡°Wait! Wait! STOP!¡± The knight immediately obeyed. ¡°State your issue.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± A long silence. Then, the knight tilted his head. ¡°Humans require shutdown for seven hours. You are inefficient.¡± Sweiza groaned. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t we just teleport to the final ship?¡± The knight shifted slightly. ¡°I can transform and carry you.¡± Sweiza blinked. ¡°What.¡± Before she could react, his form twisted, reshaping into a hovering machine of metal and light. Her jaw dropped. ¡°WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU DO THIS SOONER?!¡± She stomped up and punched his hull. A terrible mistake. The knight reformed into his humanoid shape. ¡°Because you did not ask. And it is forbidden during your trial.¡± Sweiza clutched her bruised fist, glaring. ¡°You¡¯re messing with me.¡± ¡°No. You must endure hardship.¡± ¡°Why do you even talk so much?¡± His yellow eyes gleamed. ¡°I rarely get to.¡± Despite herself, Sweiza found her frustration ebbing. She actually liked this strange, overly literal knight. They finally arrived at a towering structure atop one of the largest ships. She barely noticed, distracted by the absurdity of their conversation. ¡°I bid you farewell, human.¡± Before she could respond, the knight transformed once more and launched into the sky, vanishing in a streak of light. Sweiza watched him go, blinking. ¡°What a bizarre creature.¡± With a deep breath, she turned toward the imposing doors ahead. Her trial was far from over. The door to the tower yawned open, its mechanics groaning as if reluctant to grant her passage. The space beyond was a maze of staircases, some stretching endlessly skyward, others plunging into unseen depths, twisting like the tangled limbs of a great beast. There was no sense to it¡ªno order, no structure. It was as if the architecture itself resented logic. A sentinel materialized in front of her, its sleek frame standing taller and broader than the others she had encountered. Unlike them, this one had an almost polished finish, its glowing yellow optics narrowing in what could only be irritation. ¡°To your left and up.¡± Sweiza glanced toward the staircases. ¡°Which one?¡± The sentinel tapped its metallic foot, arms crossed in an almost human-like gesture of impatience. ¡°Up and to your left. This is not a difficult concept.¡± She scowled. ¡°Listen, tin-can, when the stairs look like they were designed by a madman with a grudge against gravity, it kind of is.¡± The sentinel simply pointed again. ¡°You are delaying the process. Move.¡± Before she could argue, it stepped forward, nudging her¡ªnot roughly, but with a firm insistence that sent her stumbling onto the first step. She shot it a glare, but the sentinel was already walking, its footfalls clicking in perfect rhythm as more of its kind joined them, their glowing optics unblinking. Sweiza glanced over her shoulder uneasily. ¡°Why are they following us?¡± ¡°They are not,¡± the sentinel said. ¡°They have their own tasks.¡± ¡°So why do they all look like they¡¯re about to judge my life choices?¡± The sentinel did not answer. The climb was silent save for the occasional mechanical chirps and the rhythmic hum of the sentinels¡¯ movements. At one point, Sweiza misstepped, pitching forward. Before she could hit the ground, the sentinel caught her by the arm and yanked her upright with unsettling ease. ¡°Your servos appear faulty,¡± it remarked. ¡°I recommend immediate recalibration.¡± Sweiza yanked her arm back. ¡°Excuse you! I¡¯m not some wind-up doll!¡± The sentinel did not acknowledge her protest. Instead, it gestured to the top of the stairs, where a massive chamber awaited. The throne room was not what she expected. There were no golden banners, no opulent displays of power¡ªjust rows of strange, glowing instruments, devices that resembled compasses but pulsed with shifting, erratic energy. The walls were vast windows, revealing the endless sky beyond, stretching farther than she thought possible. Swords lined the walls, mounted between the strange devices, as though battle and navigation were one and the same. A firm hand settled on her shoulder, and she let out a startled yelp. The sentinel beside her barely reacted, instead pointing across the chamber to a massive figure seated upon a throne of metal and circuitry. This sentinel was different. Larger. Painted a deep crimson, adorned with intricate engravings that shimmered faintly in the low light. And, most baffling of all, it had a distinct metal beard and mustache. Sweiza stared. ¡°What the hell?¡± The sentinel beside her made a noise that sounded suspiciously like amusement. ¡°He can be.¡± ¡°What?!¡± She turned sharply. ¡°Was that sarcasm? Did you just develop sarcasm?!¡± ¡°He is on holiday when he is drunk.¡± Sweiza pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°I hate this place.¡± Before she could vent her frustration, the sentinel gave her a firm shove forward. She stumbled, turning to argue, but the escort had already vanished. She was alone before the crimson sentinel, who had remained perfectly still¡ªexcept for its optics, which locked onto her the moment she stepped forward. Then, its voice rumbled through the chamber, deeper and heavier than the others she had heard. ¡°Young Valkyrie. What is it you wish?¡± ¡°I am NOT a Valkyrie!¡± she snapped. The sentinel did not hesitate. ¡°Soon to be, young Valkyrie. What is your wish?¡± Sweiza clenched her fists. ¡°Do I get to see one of seven of¡ª¡± ¡°Your application has been submitted. Due process must be observed.¡± She groaned. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°I am a machine.¡± She exhaled slowly. ¡°Yeah, I got that part. Are you male or female?¡± ¡°We are seven.¡± She frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡± ¡°One is a gender. Two is a gender. Three is a gender. I am three of seven of¡ª¡± ¡°Okay, okay! I get it!¡± ¡°Our society is determined by social caste.¡± Sweiza threw up her hands. ¡°Why do I even bother?¡± The crimson sentinel leaned forward slightly. ¡°You interrupt too much.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°You talk too much, old man.¡± The chamber trembled as a deep, booming laugh erupted from the machine. Across the room, the other sentinels abruptly halted their tasks. A strange clicking filled the air¡ªlike an entire chorus of machines whispering in sync. The crimson sentinel let out another resounding laugh. The clicking crescendoed before stopping all at once. The other sentinels returned to their work as if nothing had happened. Sweiza swallowed. ¡°What¡­ was that?¡± ¡°In your tongue, impatience.¡± She squinted. ¡°You¡¯re telling me they just threw a tantrum because you laughed?¡± Another chuckle, quieter this time. ¡°You humans assume too much.¡± ¡°I¡¯M AN ELF!¡± ¡°You are sentient.¡± Sweiza let out a strangled noise. ¡°I am so done with all of you.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± She blinked. ¡°Wait. What?¡± ¡°You are inefficient, easily fatigued, emotionally reactive, and complain excessively. Your frustration is logical.¡± ¡°¡­That was the most backhanded agreement I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± ¡°Do forgive me,¡± the sentinel mused, though its tone suggested no actual remorse. ¡°But we have kept you long enough from your next trial.¡± Her frustration was cut short as he gestured toward the far end of the chamber. Her stomach twisted. Valkyrie stood waiting. ¡°Valkyrie, wait! I don¡¯t want to go!¡± Her plea carried no weight. Valkyrie only shook her head before turning away. The crimson sentinel let out one final, amused chirp. And then the world shattered.
When Sweiza opened her eyes again, she saw stars streaking across the night sky. She frantically checked her hands. Flesh and bone. No metal. No servos. She exhaled in relief. Then, she looked around. She stood in the heart of a ruined town. Buildings, long abandoned, loomed in the darkness. A chill crawled up her spine as a sound echoed in the distance. Something was moving. Then, footsteps behind her. Her blood ran cold. Her next trial had begun. Sweiza turned sharply, heart pounding, but there was nothing. Just the ruins, stretching endlessly into shadow. She spun again. Still nothing. A cold sweat dripped down her back. The silence was worse than the threat of something tangible. If she could see it, she could fight it. But this? This was different. The ruins themselves felt alive, like a predator biding its time. An owl hooted in the distance. She jumped, pulse spiking. The sound shouldn¡¯t have been frightening¡ªjust an owl, right? But here, in this forsaken place, it felt like a warning. Her body refused to stay still any longer. She turned on her heel and ran. The streets twisted and stretched before her, an endless maze of crumbling buildings and collapsed archways. She turned corners, ducked under fallen beams, sprinted down alleys¡ªonly to find herself right back where she started. The structures shifted subtly, the angles different, the paths unfamiliar, as though the ruins were watching her¡­ playing with her. She skidded to a stop, breath ragged. ¡°A maze?¡± She didn¡¯t understand. None of this made sense. ¡°Valkyrie?! HELP ME!¡± A whisper of wind, and then Valkyrie was before her, standing in perfect stillness, her presence as unwavering as ever. She bowed slightly, as if summoned to court rather than a nightmare. ¡°What is your desire, young one?¡± Sweiza swallowed hard. ¡°What is this?¡± Valkyrie tilted her head. ¡°You stand in the ghost town of a once-great civilization. Long ago, they sought to defy time itself, experimenting upon their own flesh in the pursuit of eternal life.¡± Sweiza¡¯s stomach twisted. ¡°And?¡± ¡°They succeeded.¡± That single phrase chilled her more than the cold night air. Valkyrie continued. ¡°At the cost of their humanity, they now exist only as creatures of the night.¡± Sweiza¡¯s throat was dry. ¡°Gargoyles?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Valkyrie confirmed, then added, ¡°And then some.¡± A heavy silence stretched between them. ¡°They are mindless things, roaming without purpose. Some, if their will was strong enough in life, retain the shape of men. But none approach you.¡± That should have been comforting, but the way Valkyrie said it¡ªso absolute, so final¡ªonly made her more uneasy. Valkyrie then regarded her with an almost curious tilt of her head. ¡°This trial was never meant to be taken at night.¡± Sweiza blinked. ¡°What?¡± Valkyrie nodded toward the ruins. ¡°This place was meant to be faced under the sun¡¯s watchful gaze. At night, the forces that linger here become¡­ unpredictable. It was an error in the process that led you here now.¡± Sweiza frowned. ¡°So what does that mean for me?¡± Valkyrie exhaled softly. ¡°You pass.¡± The ruins dissolved into darkness before she could fully process her relief.
She awoke gasping, the heat pressing in from all sides. ¡°An inferno?¡± Sweiza blinked against the glaring heat. The landscape before her was split in two. To her right, rivers of molten rock snaked between jagged mountains, great plumes of smoke choking the sky. To her left, an ancient civilization stood in stark contrast¡ªmonolithic statues, pyramids, and strange, towering spires stretching toward the heavens. Sands cascaded like waterfalls from cliff edges, shifting unpredictably between golden dunes and deep, unforgiving pits. The air itself was unstable, humid one moment, bone-dry the next, the winds shifting unpredictably as if the land couldn¡¯t decide what it wanted to be. Valkyrie stood beside her. ¡°Our world¡¯s greatest civilization¡ªbuilt from nothing.¡± Sweiza turned to her, squinting through the thick haze. ¡°Valkyrie¡­ is this hell?¡± Valkyrie did not answer immediately. Instead, she stepped forward, motioning for Sweiza to follow. ¡°I will walk with you for a time. But we must hurry. The outskirts are prone to acid rain. If you are caught in it, you will not survive.¡± Sweiza hesitated, then caught a whiff of sulfur and burning stone. ¡°Valkyrie, are we in hell? Why am I being punished?¡± ¡°The answer to both your questions is no.¡± That didn¡¯t make her feel any better. She trudged after Valkyrie, glancing at the massive ruins dotting the landscape. ¡°Why would anyone live here?¡± ¡°You can see that for yourself.¡± Sweiza frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡± Valkyrie did not elaborate. She simply walked, and Sweiza had no choice but to follow. They crossed bridges¡ªone spanning a river of magma, its heat blistering, then another over a flowing mass of sand that moved like water. Sweiza gawked at the shifting grains beneath them. ¡°How is this even possible?¡± ¡°It is not mere sand,¡± Valkyrie answered. ¡°A mixture of water, mud, and fine dust, bound together by forces beyond your understanding.¡± Sweiza stared at the dunes beyond. ¡°And beyond that?¡± ¡°A jungle.¡± ¡°What?¡± Valkyrie nodded toward the horizon. ¡°Beyond that jungle is your home. The land where your people pray to the goddess of the harvest for prosperity.¡± Sweiza¡¯s breath caught. ¡°And beyond that?¡± Valkyrie¡¯s voice was quiet. ¡°This.¡± Sweiza had never considered what lay beyond her homeland. She had never even thought to ask. But now, seeing it, she was struck with awe¡ªand a strange, creeping dread. Sweiza stood in an open field beneath a storm-torn sky. The air crackled with static, and the earth beneath her boots felt unstable, shifting as though it might give way at any moment. Valkyrie stood before her, spear in hand, her presence a steady contrast to the chaos in the air. Her gaze, unreadable as always, locked onto Sweiza as if waiting. Sweiza¡¯s fists clenched. ¡°I¡¯m sick of this.¡± Valkyrie tilted her head slightly, a silent invitation to continue. ¡°You keep throwing me into these nightmares¡ªthese trials,¡± Sweiza spat. ¡°And for what? To prove I¡¯m strong? To shape me into something I never asked to be?¡± ¡°You misunderstand.¡± Sweiza let out a bitter laugh. ¡°Then make me understand!¡± Valkyrie took a single step forward. The movement was small, but it sent a ripple through the storm, the very air bending under its weight. ¡°You fight what you refuse to see.¡± The words hit something deep in Sweiza¡¯s chest, something she wasn¡¯t ready to acknowledge. She shook her head. ¡°Shut up.¡± She lunged. Her first strike was wild, driven by frustration rather than skill. Valkyrie sidestepped easily, letting her momentum carry her forward. Sweiza spun and threw another punch. Again, Valkyrie was gone before the blow could land. Rage burned in her veins. ¡°STOP DODGING ME!¡± She pivoted, driving her foot into the ground and launching herself forward, aiming for Valkyrie¡¯s center. At the last moment, Valkyrie moved¡ªnot away, but toward her. A hand caught Sweiza¡¯s wrist mid-swing, stopping her with unnatural ease. The world slowed. Valkyrie met her eyes, unwavering. ¡°You cannot fight what you refuse to understand.¡± The moment shattered. Sweiza was thrown back, weightless, her vision flooding with light. Thunder arose in the distance as they approached the massive crystal structure. Its surface pulsed with ethereal light, shifting between shades of violet and deep blue, as if alive. The sound of grinding stone echoed through the valley as an enormous gate descended before them, granting passage into the ancient depths. Sweiza hesitated at the threshold, glancing back. The sand dunes in the distance were shifting unnaturally, collapsing inward like an unseen maw devouring the land. More pressing, however, was the gate behind them¡ªit was already rising again, sealing them inside. She turned sharply to Valkyrie. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Valkyrie¡¯s expression remained unreadable, though there was a rare glimmer of amusement in her eyes. ¡°We are sinking beneath the sand.¡± Sweiza¡¯s stomach clenched. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± ¡°This civilization lives both above and below the ground,¡± Valkyrie explained, walking forward without hesitation. ¡°Their existence shifts with the weather and the will of the land. Gaze in awe, young Sweiza.¡± For the first time, Valkyrie smiled¡ªnot her usual knowing smirk, but something genuine. It was a fleeting moment, but enough for Sweiza to realize that Valkyrie was more than just a harbinger of fate. There was something else beneath the surface. They moved through towering corridors lined with statues, each one standing solemnly beside vast archways. A deep violet rug stretched down the length of the hall, leading them toward a grand chamber in the distance. The sight stirred something within Sweiza. It was familiar. Too familiar. Her eyes widened as realization struck¡ªthis was almost identical to the golden hall she had stood in during a previous trial. Another trial. A man seated upon an ornate throne clapped slowly as they entered, the sound reverberating through the cavernous space. His presence was imposing, though his expression remained unreadable. ¡°Well done,¡± he said simply. Sweiza barely had time to process the words before the floor beneath her feet shattered.
She fell. Faster than she thought possible, yet it felt endless, as though gravity itself was toying with her. Wind howled past her ears, and though she braced for impact, none came. Instead, her descent slowed until she was suspended midair, drifting weightlessly in a vast expanse of shifting lights and patterns. Streaks of energy pulsed past her, illuminating a massive structure in the distance. As the light settled, she realized it was not just a building¡ªit was a statue, a colossal figure carved from stone and metal, its presence commanding the very space around it. Then, it spoke. Its voice was not a sound, but a force, vibrating through the void like a crack of thunder. ¡°Ask your questions, young one.¡± Sweiza opened her mouth but hesitated. What could she even ask? Nothing made sense. The trials, the visions, the gods¡ª Her eyes narrowed. No. She had one question. ¡°Return me to my village. NOW.¡± Before the statue could respond, Valkyrie materialized beside her. Her presence was calm, unwavering. ¡°Odin will do no such thing, young one,¡± she said. ¡°You have been chosen, as have two others from your village. You will do the bidding of Odin.¡± Sweiza felt a chill race through her veins at the name. Odin. The accursed one. The god who had unraveled time and space, bending the universe to his will. And now, he stood before her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± The words tumbled out of her in a choked sob. Odin¡¯s laughter was mechanical, deep and electric, shaking the very air around them. ¡°You speak as if I am punishing you.¡± Sweiza said nothing. She couldn¡¯t. She was trapped, ensnared in something far greater than herself. Then, the words she least expected reached her ears. ¡°You¡¯ve passed, young one.¡± Valkyrie smiled¡ªtruly smiled this time¡ªbefore bowing to Odin and stepping away. Sweiza¡¯s mind reeled. Passed? How? Why? She had fought, she had screamed, she had refused every step of the way. Surely, this was a trick. Surely, the malevolent being before her wasn¡¯t simply letting her go. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± she demanded. Odin¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°Your dedication, loyalty, and devotion¡ªyoung Sweiza Serif of the backwater village. You are full of angst and embody it well. Show it to the world in servitude under me.¡± ¡°You ass!¡± she spat, rage overtaking fear. Odin¡¯s laughter rumbled once more, but this time, the space around them shifted. The darkness peeled away, revealing a vast city of impossible architecture¡ªgreat spires of metal and stone twisting into the heavens, roads of shimmering light stretching into infinity. ¡°Since you have no questions, I will tell you of your place in the universe,¡± Odin declared. ¡°I am the supreme being, ruler of all. The accursed one who hung from the tree of life, Ymir. I hold the knowledge of all things, the fruit of wisdom resting in my grasp. And as per the traditions of your village¡ªand the choice made by y-o-u-r-s-e-l-f¡ªyou are bound to servitude under me. You will comply.¡± Sweiza trembled with fury. ¡°You are no god. You¡¯re nothing but a tyrant who plays with the lives of mortals!¡± Odin¡¯s gaze burned into her. ¡°Perhaps you have changed your mind.¡± ¡°I have.¡± Valkyrie was beside her again, her tone softer but laced with something Sweiza couldn¡¯t place. ¡°You are a selfish girl, Sweiza.¡± Sweiza clenched her fists. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask to be punished, Valkyrie.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Valkyrie mused. ¡°And here I thought Valkyrie was a knighted maiden¡ªbrave and strong. One who upholds truth, virtue, and justice. One who brings good deeds to the people of this world. You, who were chosen.¡± Sweiza turned to Odin, fury burning in her chest. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go f¡ª¡± Odin¡¯s eyes flared red, and his voice thundered, drowning out her words. ¡°Watch your tongue, child. I can show you what true terror is. The trials you have faced are but a taste of what is to come.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be Valkyrie.¡± Two figures materialized beside her¡ªtwo maidens clad in armor, each bearing different designs than what she had seen in her village. Their voices rang in eerie unison. ¡°Sweiza is a child.¡± ¡°You are a disappointment to your village.¡± Sweiza stiffened, unable to challenge her own kin. Odin¡¯s voice rang out once more. ¡°Yet young Sweiza Serif still holds loyalty.¡± ¡°My loyalty is to my village,¡± she muttered. ¡°Then so be it.¡± Dark indigo and black armor, lined with gold, materialized around her. The weight of it pressed into her shoulders, suffocating. ¡°Your name henceforth is ANGST.¡± ¡°No¡ª¡± The world around her shattered. She landed, breathless, at the outskirts of her village. The wind was still, the night eerily quiet. For a fleeting moment, she thought it might have all been a dream. Then she looked down. She was still in the armor. On her shoulder, embroidered in gold, were two words¡ªSweiza on one side. Angst on the other. Valkyrie appeared before her, expression calm yet firm. ¡°You will perform sentry duty for your village. In time, you will understand how foolish you were to defy Odin.¡± ¡°I will do no such thing,¡± Sweiza snapped. ¡°My duty is to my village. That¡¯s what I chose.¡± Valkyrie¡¯s smirk returned. ¡°Is it?¡± A surge of electricity ripped through Sweiza¡¯s body. She screamed. Sweiza¡¯s breath came in ragged gasps as the last crackle of electricity dissipated through her limbs. The world around her was still, but her heart pounded like a war drum. The weight of the armor pressed against her shoulders, a tangible reminder that no matter how much she protested, her fate had already been sealed. Valkyrie stood before her, unmoved, her lance grounded like an extension of her own being. ¡°If you move beyond the borders of your village, you will understand what true pain and agony is.¡± The words sent a chill down Sweiza¡¯s spine. A warning. A threat. A promise. Without thinking, she lunged. Her new lance¡ªhers now, apparently¡ªfelt awkward in her grip, but she aimed it at Valkyrie anyway, fueled by sheer defiance. Valkyrie stepped aside effortlessly, as if she had anticipated the attack before Sweiza had even thought to strike. With a swift motion, she swung the broadside of her lance against Sweiza¡¯s back. The impact sent Sweiza sprawling onto the dirt, knocking the wind from her lungs. Coughing, she turned onto her back, only to find Valkyrie standing over her, the tip of her weapon pointed directly at her throat. There was no malice in her expression¡ªonly patience. ¡°Do you have any questions, young Valkyrie?¡± The title stung, but Sweiza forced herself to remain defiant. She turned her head away from the weapon, swallowing her pride. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°You defy Odin and lie to Valkyrie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not li¡ª¡± The lance inched closer, close enough that she could feel the energy pulsing from it. Valkyrie exhaled, withdrawing her weapon. ¡°I will be performing sentry duties with you. Should you have any questions during that time, I will be at your service. I suggest you get some sleep¡ªyou have been through a rough day.¡± She turned away. ¡°Good night¡ªAngst.¡± ¡°My name is Sweiza!¡± she snapped, scrambling to her feet. The armor was heavier than she¡¯d expected, making her movements sluggish. Valkyrie didn¡¯t turn back, but her tone remained even. ¡°Then prove it.¡± Sweiza clenched her fists, biting back another retort. She did have one question, though, and despite everything, curiosity won over frustration. ¡°What is your name?¡± Valkyrie finally turned, just slightly, and for the briefest moment, there was something almost human in her gaze. ¡°I am known as Strife.¡± Sweiza frowned. ¡°What?¡± Valkyrie¡¯s lips twitched, amused. ¡°You are the Valkyrie known as Angst. I am known as Strife. I am pleased to both work and meet with you, Sweiza.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not wh¡ª¡± ¡°If you wish to know my true name, earn my respect first.¡± Sweiza bristled. ¡°Well, I¡ª¡± ¡°I am tired, Angst. Please allow me to sleep.¡± ¡°I will.¡± The words left her mouth begrudgingly. Strife bowed slightly, planting the base of her lance into the ground before her. ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, she strode to a nearby tree, slid down the trunk, and closed her eyes. Within moments, she appeared to be asleep. Sweiza crossed her arms, staring at her for a long moment. There were a thousand things she wanted to say, but none of them would change her situation. And that, more than anything, irritated her the most. ¡°Absolutely ridiculous,¡± she muttered.
She reached into her pocket, pulling out the folded note Lester had given her. Unfolding it, she immediately scowled. ¡°YOU!¡± It wasn¡¯t instructions or even words of encouragement. It was a crude drawing¡ªLester holding up a peace sign, grinning, with a scribbled message beneath: ¡®Autograph pls.¡¯ Sweiza groaned, dragging a hand down her face. ¡°I hate him.¡±
Later that night, under the dim glow of the moon, she sat alone, pulling out her diary. The ink felt heavier on the page than usual, as if every word she wrote cemented her fate. Dear diary, today I met the god of creation¡ªOdin. He is not as menacing as the legends describe. He is far more malevolent with his sense of humor. I have been given no choice in my fate, yet here I stand, bearing a name I despise, branded by a tradition that no longer follows its own rules. Valkyrie¡ªStrife¡ªwhen she isn¡¯t insufferable, is exactly as the stories say. Regal, unyielding, a force of nature. And yet, there is something else. A flicker of something beneath the surface. I don¡¯t know if she is my enemy, my teacher, or something else entirely. But it looks like she is stuck with me. I hate this name as much as I hate the ritual of Valkyrie. I did not ask for this, and yet here I am. Bound by laws older than my village. Bound by my own choice, and yet not a choice at all. At the very least, my duty is to my village. Even if there have been no threats for two centuries, even if Odin¡¯s games make no sense, I can hold onto that. I can be useful. I can only wonder what fate¡ªand Odin¡ªhave in store for me. But for now¡­ Lester had better be taking care of my stuff while I¡¯m gone! Love, Sweiza.
END CHAPTER ONE [AI Rewrite II] To Reject the Ironclad Name At some point in the night, Sweiza had fallen asleep, and her deepest and darkest desires soon surrounded her. She was back in her village, standing before a gathered crowd. The villagers cheered, their voices ringing through the night air. She was clad in a priestess¡¯s robes, a sign of favor from the goddess of fertility. Around her stood knights and Valkyries, warriors of great renown, all gathered to celebrate. But the joy was fleeting. A ripple of unease passed through her. The cheers distorted, the faces of the villagers shifting. Their skin blackened, peeling away into grey, grinning skeletons. Their laughter turned hollow, their once vibrant clothing turning to tattered rags before crumbling into ash. Even the knights and Valkyries at her side met the same fate. The armor remained, but within it, only bones remained. One of them turned toward her and spoke. ¡°Sweiza is a child, spoiled and rotten in her arrogance.¡± Her heart pounded. ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Another raised a skeletal hand, pointing directly at her. ¡°You chose to be a maiden and claimed you would protect your village.¡± The laughter rose again, a chorus of hollow echoes. Another pointed. ¡°You cannot serve a goddess and still be a warrior.¡± ¡°Yes, I can!¡± she shouted, her voice cracking. ¡°You are not a warrior.¡± Her breath hitched. She reached for her lance¡ªbut it was not in her hands. Her armor was gone. She was nothing more than a girl in robes, standing powerless before them. ¡°What the hell is this?!¡± she demanded, stepping backward. The skeletal villagers crumbled into dust, swept away by a wind that did not touch her. She turned to where her friends stood¡ªonly to watch them dissolve the same way. Their armor fell to the ground, hollow and empty. ¡°Perhaps it is their armor that you seek.¡± A new voice. She turned sharply, but the village spun away. The stars above shifted, dragging white trails across the sky as if time itself was unraveling. The trees flattened, bending outward in a perfect circle around her. The ground beneath her feet became ice and snow, spreading in every direction. A throne of frozen crystal appeared before her, massive and jagged, glistening in the light of an aurora overhead. And lounging in it, legs crossed, head resting lazily against one hand, was him. ¡°YOU!¡± Demi, trickster god and servant of nightmares, smiled down at her, his sharp teeth flashing. ¡°Yes, it is I. I am Demi, the unseen whisper in the night, the wind that carries your darkest wishes. I serve no master but my own desires, and I see yours shine brighter than our first star, Lokul.¡± A jagged shard of ice formed in her hands. She lunged, but the moment she moved, his grin widened. The world froze. She gasped, looking down. Ice encased her feet, locking them to the ground. She tried to move her hands, but they had fused to the ice shard she held. Panic clawed at her chest. She yelped, jerking backward, but her body twisted unnaturally. Pain flared in her ankle as she collapsed, her hands still bound, the shard slicing into her knee. Tears burned her eyes. A slow, amused chuckle drifted through the cold air. ¡°The young one has failed in her mission. How tragic.¡± ¡°Leave me alone!¡± she shouted, but her voice cracked. Footsteps crunched against the snow. Demi loomed over her, watching her struggle. She tried to crawl away, but he only tilted his head, lips pressed in mock pity. ¡°Absolutely powerless before me.¡± He exhaled, shaking his head. ¡°Even your darkest wishes can¡¯t save you. Any last wor¡ª¡± A sharp, sudden crack rang out. A massive ice shard impaled him from behind. He let out a short, breathless laugh, but there was no blood, no sign of pain. He snapped his fingers, and the world fractured. A blinding light erupted around them, and the ice vanished. Sweiza scrambled to her feet, her body freed, her ankle whole. The snow was gone. Trees surrounded them once more, dark and unyielding. She turned, ready to flee¡ªbut then she saw him ahead, standing in the distance. Waiting. She whirled around. Demi was behind her, smiling as if this was the most entertaining game he had ever played. He snapped his fingers. The ground rumbled. Enormous wooden totem poles erupted from the earth, their carved faces twisting unnaturally. They turned toward her, their wooden jaws clanking and chattering. Sweiza turned to run, but her legs refused to move. Terror locked her body in place. ¡°You cannot escape,¡± Demi¡¯s voice echoed behind her. ¡°Accept your fate.¡± Tears welled in her eyes. She tried to call out for Valkyrie, but no sound came. Her lungs would not take in air. Her vision blurred as her body trembled violently. She struggled, fought, but the paralysis would not release her. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Then, in an instant, the terror snapped. Her body convulsed, releasing a sharp yelp as she dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. A new voice, cool and amused, drifted through the air. ¡°That was most amusing.¡± She turned toward the sound and found herself staring into the golden eyes of a massive white wolf. Demi¡¯s voice rumbled from within it. ¡°I haven¡¯t had that much fun in ages.¡± Her mind screamed for another ice shard, but nothing came. ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Demi said, his voice shifting between wolf and man. ¡°Your wishes mean nothing here. They work only when fate allows it.¡± Vines erupted from the ground, coiling around her wrists and ankles. Another curled around her waist, pressing her to the earth. Demi¡¯s form shifted again, the wolf melting into a cloaked figure in red and black. He crouched beside her, tilting his head as he studied her. ¡°This is your first lesson from me.¡± He grinned. ¡°Remember it.¡± With a flick of his wrist, darkness swallowed her whole. ¡ª- Sweiza¡¯s breath came in shallow bursts, her body still reeling from the nightmare¡¯s lingering grip. Even though the world around her was solid once more¡ªthe damp earth beneath her, the cold weight of her armor pressing against her skin¡ªher mind swayed on the edge of uncertainty. A voice, steady and firm, pulled her back. ¡°Awaken, young one.¡± Sweiza inhaled sharply, blinking away the remnants of sleep. Strife stood over her, a silent sentinel in the night, her lance resting against the ground. The Valkyrie¡¯s presence was neither comforting nor menacing¡ªjust there, as inevitable as fate itself. Sweiza sat up slowly, her joints aching. She rubbed her temples, trying to shake off the lingering echoes of Demi¡¯s voice. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a dream, was it?¡± Strife¡¯s expression remained unreadable. ¡°No.¡± Sweiza exhaled, gripping her knees. ¡°It felt real.¡± Strife nodded, waiting. There was something about her patience that unsettled Sweiza. She wasn¡¯t being scolded, nor was she being comforted. It was something else¡ªlike Strife was letting her find her own way to an answer she wasn¡¯t ready to see. ¡°I¡¯m awake now,¡± Sweiza muttered. ¡°And I¡¯m listening.¡± Strife¡¯s gaze lingered before she turned slightly, looking toward the distant horizon where the first hints of dawn stretched pale fingers across the sky. ¡°What is to be your fate through Odin¡¯s grand design?¡± Sweiza frowned. She didn¡¯t answer immediately. The question was too heavy to throw away with a quick remark. ¡°I thought I was supposed to be a knight,¡± she said, choosing her words carefully. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted. Or¡­ I think that¡¯s what I wanted.¡± Strife tilted her head slightly. ¡°Did you learn nothing from your trials?¡± Sweiza let out a breath, crossing her arms. ¡°I learned that fate doesn¡¯t care what I want,¡± she said. ¡°That my choices were never really mine to begin with.¡± She looked down, flexing her fingers against her gauntlets. ¡°And that this armor isn¡¯t as easy to wear as I thought.¡± Strife watched her with a quiet attentiveness, though her expression gave nothing away. ¡°Come,¡± she said finally, moving toward the tree. She sat at its base, her lance resting beside her, and gestured for Sweiza to do the same. Sweiza hesitated, then followed, lowering herself onto the earth. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had sat beneath this tree, but the familiarity did little to settle the unease twisting in her stomach. Strife studied her, then spoke. ¡°Angst.¡± Sweiza¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line. ¡°It¡¯s Sweiza.¡± Strife¡¯s hand moved, tapping the end of her lance lightly against the ground, the sound rhythmic and deliberate. ¡°Names have power,¡± she said. ¡°They shape us. Guide us. The name you have been given is no accident.¡± Sweiza sighed. ¡°Maybe not. But I didn¡¯t choose it.¡± Strife nodded as if she expected that answer. ¡°Few ever do.¡± A breeze passed between them, stirring the grass at their feet. The weight of silence settled again, though it wasn¡¯t suffocating. It was waiting. Strife leaned back slightly, her gaze shifting upward to the branches above. ¡°Humility will temper you,¡± she said. ¡°Battle will forge you. But your spirit¡ª¡± she looked at Sweiza then, her eyes steady ¡°¡ªwill be yours alone to wield.¡± Sweiza swallowed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing.¡± Strife gave the faintest trace of a smile. ¡°You will learn.¡± Sweiza sat with that for a long time. She glanced at Strife, then back at her hands. ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡± Strife¡¯s answer was simple. ¡°Then you will not endure.¡± It wasn¡¯t a threat. It wasn¡¯t even a warning. Just a fact. Sweiza let out a slow breath and nodded, more to herself than to Strife. ¡°Alright,¡± she murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll endure.¡± Strife rose to her feet, dusting off her armor. ¡°Good. Then we begin at first light.¡± Sweiza grimaced but didn¡¯t argue. Instead, she tilted her head, watching the woman carefully. ¡°Valkyrie¡­ do you ever regret it?¡± Strife paused, glancing at her. ¡°Regret what?¡± Sweiza hesitated, then gestured vaguely. ¡°This. Being what you are. Giving up whatever life you had before.¡± Strife considered the question longer than Sweiza had expected. Finally, she answered, ¡°There is no life before duty.¡± Sweiza frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡± Strife¡¯s lips twitched slightly, though whether in amusement or something else, Sweiza couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°Perhaps not.¡± She turned then, moving toward the clearing beyond the tree. ¡°Rest while you can. Your training continues at dawn.¡± Sweiza watched her go, a dozen more questions bubbling in her mind, but she kept them to herself. Instead, she leaned back against the tree and exhaled slowly, staring up at the branches above. The weight of fate pressed against her shoulders, but for the first time, she wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to shrug it off or carry it forward. As dawn stretched its golden fingers across the sky, Sweiza stirred from her uneasy rest. She blinked against the light filtering through the branches above, groggy yet aware of the stiffness in her limbs. The night had offered no comfort¡ªonly more questions with no answers. She reached for her journal, still lying beside her where she had left it. But when she opened it, her breath caught. Words she hadn¡¯t written now sprawled across the pages, neat yet unfamiliar. Dear Diary, Valkyrie Angst has chosen to show her spirit and angst to Odin and has been so named accordingly. Despite her initial arrogance, I see great potential in her future once her spirit and will have been tempered and honed accordingly. She will make a great Valkyrie, of this I am certain. Sweiza, fight! I know you can do it! Her grip tightened on the pages. This was Strife¡¯s writing. Somehow, without touching it, without even acknowledging it, she had added to Sweiza¡¯s journal. A flicker of indignation burned in her chest, but before she could form the words to protest, she turned the page and found another note waiting for her. Sweiza, you also display an unrivaled affection for food. Part of your training will involve learning how to cook and serve others. We will hone this healthy appetite of yours yet! Look forward to it! Sweiza slowly closed the journal and set it aside, arms crossing tightly over her chest. Her gaze flicked toward Strife, who remained seated beneath the tree, her expression unreadable as ever. A muscle twitched in Sweiza¡¯s jaw as she exhaled sharply, tilting her head back toward the sky. The moon still lingered, watching from above. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± she muttered. Unbeknownst to her, Strife¡¯s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile before she closed her eyes once more. [AI : Chapter III] The Chains of Oath and Iron Sweiza¡¯s muscles burned with exhaustion, but Strife gave her no reprieve. The morning sun had barely crested the horizon before the training had begun¡ªdrills, stances, footwork, and weapon techniques drilled into her until her limbs felt heavier than the armor she wore. Strife stood unwavering, observing without interference, only speaking when Sweiza made a mistake. And she made many. ¡°Your stance is weak.¡± Sweiza clenched her teeth, adjusting her footing. ¡°Too slow. Again.¡± Her hands tightened around the practice weapon¡ªheavier than the lance she had imagined wielding as a child. Sweat trickled down her temple as she lunged forward. Strife deflected the strike effortlessly. A sharp twist of her lance sent Sweiza stumbling. Before she could recover, the blunt end of the weapon hooked behind her ankle and sent her toppling onto her back. The impact rattled her bones. She lay there for a moment, staring at the sky. ¡°This is pointless,¡± Sweiza groaned. ¡°Because you are failing?¡± Strife¡¯s voice was infuriatingly neutral. Sweiza sat up, brushing dirt from her gauntlets. ¡°Because I¡¯m not a warrior. I never asked for this.¡± Strife studied her, unreadable as ever. ¡°And yet you still wear the armor.¡± Sweiza hesitated, looking down at the plates encasing her arms, the weight pressing against her shoulders. She wanted to tear it off, throw it into the dirt, walk away. And yet¡­ she didn¡¯t. Instead, she let out a slow breath, pushing herself back onto her feet. Strife nodded approvingly. ¡°Again.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
By midday, Sweiza¡¯s body screamed for rest, but the drills continued. It wasn¡¯t until the sun was high that Strife finally gestured for her to stop. ¡°Enough for now.¡± Sweiza dropped onto a fallen log, peeling her gauntlets off with stiff fingers. Her limbs ached, her head throbbed, and her patience was threadbare. But the worst of it was the silence. Strife never praised her. Never reassured her. She simply watched. Judged. Expected more. Sweiza scowled, turning her attention to the horizon. ¡°When do I get real answers?¡± Strife, sharpening the edge of her lance with methodical precision, didn¡¯t look up. ¡°Ask the right question.¡± Sweiza rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine. Why me? Why not someone else?¡± ¡°You were chosen.¡± Sweiza¡¯s fingers curled into fists. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer.¡± Strife finally met her gaze. ¡°It is the only answer that matters.¡± Sweiza exhaled sharply through her nose. ¡°I don¡¯t care about fate or gods or any of that. I want to know why I have to do this. Why I can¡¯t just go back to my village.¡± Strife¡¯s expression shifted¡ªsubtle, but there. Something edged with a quiet sadness. ¡°Would you truly return? Knowing what you know now?¡± Sweiza opened her mouth¡ªthen hesitated. Could she? Could she go back to her village, knowing what she had seen? Knowing what she had endured? Would they even see her the same way? Would she? Her silence was answer enough. Strife nodded. ¡°Your training continues at dawn.¡± Sweiza swallowed down the lump in her throat. She didn¡¯t argue. For now.
That night, sleep did not come easily. When it did, it was not kind. She stood alone in an empty field. The sky above her was void of stars, an endless black abyss stretching in all directions. Her armor was gone. Her hands were bare. A whisper curled through the darkness. "You are nothing without the armor." She turned sharply, but there was nothing. Only the voice. "You are nothing without the name." A figure stepped forward from the void¡ªtall, clad in shifting shadows, its face obscured. It did not walk. It glided. Sweiza backed away. ¡°Who are you?¡± "Who are you?" The voice echoed her words, twisting them, warping them. ¡°I am¡ª¡± She stopped. The name she wanted to say didn¡¯t come. The figure moved closer. "You are nothing." Sweiza clenched her fists. ¡°No.¡± "You are only what they make you." ¡°No!¡± The figure lunged. She woke with a start, heart hammering, breath ragged. The fire had burned low. Strife remained seated across from her, eyes closed, but Sweiza knew she wasn¡¯t asleep. Sweiza ran a hand through her hair, trying to steady herself. She wasn¡¯t nothing. She wasn¡¯t a name she didn¡¯t choose. But she was still here. And morning would come soon. Interlude - An Interview with Uma The Author sits atop a small rock with a circular formation of stones arranged around it. The waves of the ocean beat on the beach; the sound of the seagulls overhead is enough to drive anyone mad; but most importantly the air is crisp and clean. This can be none-other than Sentinel Island, the training grounds for future Valkyrie that wish to prove themselves worthy of Odin¡¯s court. However, Valkyrie are not the reason why the Author is here, at least not directly. Instead, he is here for a different sort. Speaking of which¡­ A strange liquid shape emerges from the water. It slowly takes form as it remains half submerged, but by some enchantment still manages to glide across the water. As it takes form it starts to look like a human. Is it a siren? Not quite, instead, it is a Mantaran. This one in particular goes by the name of Uma. She was introduced quite early on in ¡°Cry of a Valkyrie¡±. As the form glides closer, it slowly rises out of the water and takes the outline of a woman with long hair in a dress. The form of the woman finally splashes revealing it is indeed Uma. By the time she has reached the shallow end of the water, she resorts to walking rather than gliding. It is an odd, but graceful way of reaching her land legs. However, when she gets a little closer, she gives a weak smile and proceeds to shake all of the water off of her person. The Author is promptly soaked. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Hey!¡± The Author says it with some authority, but it seems to be lost on Uma. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± She hurries over with a stream of water dripping from her hand; it manifests into a towel Despite being the creator of this person and novel, the Author is still taken aback at the process. ¡°So how exactly do you do that?¡± The Author asks as she rubs the towel up and down his face. She doesn¡¯t answer right away, instead preferring to move the towel all over him. Despite how much water it absorbs, it never seems to get wet. The Author is left to fidget while Uma grabs a hold of him¡ªshe plants the towel firmly on his hair and it seemingly absorbs all of the water. She takes one last look at him and then hovers it about a foot from his clothing. Water droplets fly from his clothing and absorb into the towel. Strangely, the towel looks more like a worn rag now. Uma gives it a side glance and then jerks her hand up¡ªthe towel turns to water and then absorbs into her hand. The Author stares at her as she glides over and then elegantly sits down with her legs poised under her. She turns around and looks up at him while shaking her head and flicking her hair. Water droplets splash out from her hair and the Author is left baffled as his face turns red. Uma has won. ¡°You wanted an interview with me?¡± Her voice sounds quite young, but low. The Author goes to open his mouth, but it all comes out as a croak. Uma lets out a cough as she covers her mouth with her fist. Her otherwise blunt and boisterous nature seems to sneak through her elegant facade at points. The Author calms down after that and holds up his notebook. He fidgets with the pages while he looks for his questions. ANBLIII - Prelude When Sweiza last found herself in the present, the Sterling Blue had just taken battle damage from marauding Vikings. To her credit, Lady Strife knew an ignorant girl that was barely knighted a Valkyrie would never be able to handle such a situation. Sweiza Serif (our heroine) was left on a life boat with a one Svava Brynhilde to fare better than the Sterling Blue might from the battle. The banished witch of time¡ªbetter known as Salmira¡ªchose to defy Valhallan Law and Odin¡¯s rule by meddling in time. She takes hold of Sweiza¡¯s fate and transports her back into the past to meet a very young Alyssa Verdandi. Nordic Mythology take the stage as the fate of Muspell and Valhalla are determined in a war that should never have happened. With her husband dead and the discovery that Sweiza is in fact her daughter, Alyssa Verdandi takes her aboard the Gigas Dura as the two head for Jotunher to meet the god Loki. The two travel the Nine Realms in what can only be known by legend as the ¡°S&S Valkyrie Saga¡±. The Cult of Loki sets the stage for defiance to Odin, but are thwarted repeatedly by the Saga of Sweiza and Strife. In their Saga, good deeds are performed and lives are saved. Sweiza finds out the truth of the planet¡¯s origin, why everything is rewritten to Odin¡¯s grand design and why Salmira has chosen to intervene. Strife fails in capturing her husband¡¯s spirit and is encased in crystal by Lady Hella. Finding favor with Lady Hella, Sweiza is allowed to take Strife and the crew of the Gigas Dura outside of Helheim¡ªif not a little worse for wear. The Cult of Loki takes ahead with the Utgard-Loki Saga and Sweiza and Strife finally find themselves in the realms of Alfgard and Vanher. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Sweiza receives her armor as Vorkera and Thor¡¯s Hammer (or a facsimile thereof) is created. They arrive to the floating island of Asgard and chief manufacturing facility of the Sentinels¡ªonly to have the latter summon them to return to Valhalla. Odin has heard news throughout the world and learned of Sweiza and Strife''s good deeds. The all seeing eye and wisdom of Odin knows what they are really up to and summons them to have a word with them. The flames of rebellion are finally lit when they touch down in Valhalla. Just as it looks like the Twilight of the Odin is upon them, he summons light from an incomplete Tower Gungir to destroy the Valkyrie. Just when they would be killed, Salmira pulls them out from the battlefield¡ªtheir fates remain unknown. Strife on the other hand, is left worse for wear to a "fate worse than death" as she is summoned before Odin and punished accordingly. A frustrated Sweiza pleas with Salmira to send her back to the battlefield, but the time witch does not comply, ¡°Events must be allowed to transpire Miss Serif, or fate will be undone.¡± Thus our story begins with a one Sweiza Serif returning to the present, the current whereabouts of her friend Brynhilde and mentor Valkyrie Strife to be determined by fate. Perhaps only Salmira herself truly knows... [AI] Character Bios / World Information Major Characters in Angel Blade Sweiza (Valkyrie Angst / Vorkera) Full Name: Sweiza Verdandi Aliases: Valkyrie Angst, Vorkera, Vera (past alias), Angst of the Nth Gate Race: Cryborg (Reverse Cyborg ¨C Flesh bonded with a half-robotic body and nanites) Affiliation: Former Valkyrie Militia, Rebel Valkyrie, Time Traveler Weapons: Twin Chakrams, Thor¡¯s Hammer (a replica forged with Strife) Personality: Defiant, witty, reckless, but fiercely loyal. A natural warrior with a strong moral code, even in the face of Odin¡¯s tyranny. Background: Sweiza originally wanted to be a knight and idolized the Valkyrie, but fate had other plans. She was caught in the destruction of the Sterling Blue, survived, and was cast into the past. There, she met and befriended Strife, unknowingly forging her own legend. After returning to the present, she struggles with the weight of history, learning that 200 years have passed. Now, she is on a mission to alter fate, using the power of the Nth Gate to rescue Strife from execution. Notable Abilities: Time Manipulation: Given by Salmira, allowing her to summon the Nth Gate. Enchanted Combat: Bonded with Demi, the spirit of her armor, giving her enhanced speed, strength, and reflexes. Leader of the Rebellion: Fights to restore the honor of the lost Valkyrie and overthrow Odin¡¯s rule. Little Sprite (Mischievous Spirit Guide) Full Name: Unknown Aliases: Little Sprite, The Trickster Fairy, The Whispering Wind Race: Sprite Affiliation: Sweiza¡¯s Ally, Guardian of the Sprite Village Weapons: None (Uses magic and wit instead) Personality: Playful, mischievous, deeply loyal, and curious about the world. She enjoys teasing Sweiza but is fiercely protective of her friends. Background: Little Sprite has been with Sweiza for much of her journey, though her origins are mysterious. She possesses a deep understanding of magic and fate, often guiding Sweiza in ways that seem trivial but later prove important. She is fascinated by the Penchant and secretly "borrows" it to see how people feel about her. Notable Abilities: Invisibility & Flight: Moves unseen and unheard when she wishes. Enchantment Whispering: Can communicate with magical artifacts. Soul Perception: Can tell the true nature of beings. Strife (Lady Verdandi / Alyssa Verdandi) Full Name: Alyssa Verdandi Aliases: Strife, Verdandi, Alice (future alias) Race: Cryborg (Valkyrie) Affiliation: Former Valkyrie General, Rebel Leader, Outcast Weapons: Sword of Verdandi, Twin Daggers, Experimental Valkyrie Tech Personality: Calculated, sarcastic, battle-hardened, but hiding deep grief. She is known for her cold demeanor, but she is fiercely protective of those she cares for. Background: A legendary Valkyrie who once fought for Odin, Strife turned against him after witnessing his corruption. She participated in the failed Valkyrie Rebellion, was branded a traitor, and survived 200 years under his watchful eye. When Sweiza returns, she is unsure how to process her past, believing both Vera (Sweiza¡¯s past self) and the present-day Sweiza to be dead. As the past comes back to haunt her, she must decide whether to rekindle the fire of rebellion. Notable Abilities: Tactical Genius: One of the most cunning Valkyries, capable of outwitting even Odin¡¯s spies. Enhanced Cryborg Body: Grants her immense strength, reflexes, and near-invulnerability. Valkyrie Warden: Trained 17 Valkyries, unknowingly preparing for the next rebellion. Demi (The Spirit of Vorkera¡¯s Armor) Full Name: Demi Aliases: The Valkyrie¡¯s Reflection, The Sentinel Within, Phantom of the Nth Suit Race: AI Consciousness / Spirit Construct Affiliation: Bound to Vorkera¡¯s Armor Description Demi is the sentient intelligence bound within Vorkera¡¯s Armor, serving as both a combat assistant and a fragment of Sweiza¡¯s subconscious. Unlike most mechanical AIs, Demi possesses an almost human-like awareness, making her far more than just a system interface. Personality Witty, playful, and slightly arrogant, yet deeply loyal to Sweiza. Shows signs of free will, sometimes acting without commands. Occasionally argues with Sweiza, particularly when she acts recklessly. Notable Abilities Armor Synchronization ¨C Reacts instantly to Sweiza¡¯s thoughts, allowing for seamless combat maneuvers. Self-Repair & Adaptation ¨C Can regenerate portions of the armor using nanites, evolving its design. Tactical Awareness ¨C Processes battlefield data, identifying enemy weaknesses. Emotional Reflection ¨C Demi¡¯s voice and mannerisms shift based on Sweiza¡¯s emotions, making her a true extension of her will. Current Status Fully integrated into Vorkera¡¯s Armor, but evolving beyond a simple AI construct. Brynhilde (The Blind Echomancer) Full Name: Brynhilde Race: Valkyrie (Cryborg) Affiliation: Shield Maiden, Future Echomancer Weapons: Twin Rapiers, Echolocation Magic Personality: Stoic, disciplined, but struggling with self-worth. Background: Once an aspiring Valkyrie, Brynhilde pleaded with Odin for a chance, only to have her sight taken away in return. She trains to become an Echomancer, using sound waves to see, though she feels like a failure. She fights Sweiza in the coliseum and loses, but this moment sparks her eventual defiance of Odin. She later attempts suicide at Strife¡¯s apartment but is saved by Sweiza. Notable Abilities: Echomancy: Uses sound waves to perceive the world. Valkyrie Combat Training: Though blind, she is an exceptional duelist. Resilience: Despite everything, she continues to fight for her place. Rezra (The Exiled Tigerfelk) Full Name: Rezra Race: Tigerfelk (Feline-Human Hybrid) Affiliation: Outlaw, Former Thief, Reluctant Ally Weapons: Claws, Daggers, Speed Personality: Snarky, stubborn, but secretly longing for a home. Background: A rogue who lived by stealing, Rezra was caught and sentenced by Odin to be stripped of her tail and fur, leaving her a broken outcast. Sweiza takes responsibility for her, and though their relationship is rocky, Rezra becomes a vital ally. Notable Abilities: Agility: Unmatched speed and stealth. Survivor¡¯s Instinct: Can get out of almost any situation. Knows the Underground: Has connections that prove useful to Sweiza. Trust the Tufflet (The Brownie of Fate) Race: Brownie (Fae Creature) Affiliation: Unknown Abilities: Luck Manipulation: Brings fortune or disaster. Curiosity Unmatched: Always seeking knowledge. Lester (Sweiza¡¯s Partner & Problem-Solver) Race: Human Affiliation: Sweiza¡¯s Ally, Independent Adventurer Personality: Charming, witty, and a troublemaker. He enjoys pushing Sweiza¡¯s buttons but is fiercely loyal. Abilities: Strategic Mind: Always finds solutions. Luck on His Side: Things tend to work out for him. Tars (The Stalwart Father) Race: Human Personality: Stern but loving, protective of his daughter. Abilities: Master of Carpentry: Skilled in crafting and building. Steadfast Resilience: Never gives up, even when all seems lost. Melda (The Loving Mother) Race: Human Personality: Gentle, supportive, but with hidden wisdom. Abilities: Empathic Insight: Understands others deeply. Healing Hands: Knows natural remedies. Vecna (The Silent Observer) Full Name: Vecna One Race: Supercomputer AI Affiliation: The Resettlement Program Abilities: Absolute Calculation: Can predict future outcomes. Memory Preservation: Stores lost history. Lumina & Lumia (The Twin Guardians of the Myrkvellir Monument) Full Names: Lumina & Lumia Race: Celestial Constructs (Artificial Guardians) Affiliation: Keepers of the Myrkvellir Monument, Protectors of Forbidden Knowledge Weapons: None (They wield cosmic energy through their presence) Personality: Lumina: Serene, wise, and warm. She represents clarity, truth, and enlightenment. She seeks to guide those who are worthy, testing their resolve. Lumia: Mysterious, pragmatic, and cold. She represents secrecy, balance, and judgment. She ensures the unworthy do not trespass. Background Lumina and Lumia are the twin guardians of the Myrkvellir Monument, an ancient relic buried deep within the veiled lands of Myrkvellir. The monument is said to contain knowledge that predates Odin¡¯s rule, holding the secrets of the first Valkyries and the origins of divine power. Many have sought the monument, but few have returned. Lumina and Lumia exist as two halves of the same force¡ªLumina represents illumination and revelation, while Lumia represents obscurity and hidden truths. They do not act separately; one always follows the other, ensuring that only those deemed worthy may glimpse the monument¡¯s secrets. It is said that their very existence is bound to the fate of the monument¡ªif it falls, so too will they. Notable Abilities Sentinels of Judgment: They can read the intentions of those who approach the monument, allowing or denying passage based on their purity of purpose. Celestial Energy Manifestation: They project shields, illusions, and barriers to protect the monument. Light and Shadow Duality: Lumina can reveal hidden knowledge, while Lumia can erase it from memory. Surt (The Dragon of Vecna) Full Name: Surt Race: Dragon Affiliation: Hermit, Former Ally of Strife Weapons: Fire Breath, Flight, Claws Personality: Gruff, territorial, but respects those who keep their word. Background: Injured during the rebellion, Surt withdrew from the world, amassing a fortune in his cavern. Strife occasionally visits, leaving gold, but he sees her as an annoying human. Sweiza returns to ask for his help, reminding him of an old debt. Notable Abilities: Dragon¡¯s Might: Enormous strength and firepower. Hoard Sense: Knows the value of any treasure. Strategic Mind: More intelligent than most assume. The Goddess of Fertility (The Guardian of Life) Full Name: Unknown Aliases: The Mother, The Keeper of Growth Race: Divine Entity Affiliation: The Balance Between Life and Death Weapons: None (She fights through creation) Personality: Gentle, nurturing, but with a deep sadness for the destruction of life. She believes in redemption and the cycle of rebirth. Notable Abilities: Life Bestowal: Can restore vitality to the land and people. Empathy Manifestation: Sees into the hearts of others. The Everblooming: Her presence causes nature to flourish. Artis (The Exiled Scholar of Forbidden Knowledge) Full Name: Artis Valenheim Aliases: The Wandering Archivist, The Last Custodian Race: Human Affiliation: Keeper of Lost Histories, Seeker of Truths Weapons: None (Relies on knowledge and wit) Personality: Thoughtful, secretive, and haunted by what he has seen. He believes that knowledge should not be hoarded, but he understands that some truths can break the mind. Background Once a respected historian of Valhalla, Artis delved too deeply into the wrong archives. He uncovered truths about Odin¡¯s rise to power, the origins of the Valkyries, and the true purpose of the Sentinels¡ªtruths that could unravel the foundation of Odin¡¯s empire. Branded a heretic, he fled before he could be silenced. Now, he wanders the lands, piecing together fragments of history while avoiding Odin¡¯s spies. He has visited the Myrkvellir Monument and spoken with Lumina and Lumia, though he will not say what they revealed to him. Notable Abilities Memory Archive: Possesses knowledge long thought lost, including the origins of the rebellion. Fate Reader: Though not magical, he has an uncanny ability to see patterns in history. The Last Custodian: He may be the only living person who understands what Odin has tried to erase. Artis (Former Cultist, Rogue Outcast) Status: Ex-member of the Cult of Loki, now acting independently. Personality: Calculating, detached, and morally ambiguous. Abilities: Rune Thief ¨C Steals forbidden knowledge, allowing him to use magic he was never meant to have. Tactical Genius ¨C Rarely fights head-on, preferring stealth, deception, and sabotage. Connection to Violen & Regent: Regent once saw Artis as a potential heir, but Artis betrayed him and fled. Violen despises Artis, believing him to be a coward unworthy of power. Salmira (The Watcher of Time) Full Name: Salmira Aliases: The Time Keeper, The Seer, The Architect Race: Transdimensional Entity (Artificial Intelligence / Goddess Hybrid) Affiliation: Guardian of the Nth Gate, Keeper of Fate Weapons: None (Her power transcends weapons) Personality: Cryptic, detached, but subtly guiding events toward a grand design. Background: Salmira is a being beyond time, watching over the timeline and ensuring that fate does not unravel. She has intervened numerous times to correct distortions, including granting Sweiza access to the Nth Gate. She has saved Valkyries from destruction, stored them away, and now prepares to bring them back. Odin fears her influence, but even he cannot stop her from pulling strings behind the scenes. Notable Abilities: Time Manipulation: Grants individuals the ability to alter history. Preservation of Warriors: Saved Valkyries who would have perished, keeping them in stasis for the right moment. Omniscience: Sees multiple timelines at once, predicting possible outcomes. Salyra (The Forgotten Architect of the Nth Gate) Full Name: Salyra Aliases: The Lost Genius, The Clockmaker, The Exiled Engineer Race: Human (Augmented) Affiliation: Creator of the Nth Gate, Lost to Time Weapons: None (Her mind was her greatest weapon) Personality: Enigmatic, obsessive, and fiercely independent. She viewed time not as a fixed concept but as something to be bent and rewritten. Background Salyra was a brilliant engineer, scientist, and philosopher who sought to unlock the secrets of time. She was responsible for the Nth Gate, a device that allowed mortals to manipulate time in ways that even the gods feared. Her work was seen as too dangerous, and Odin himself decreed her execution. However, before she could be silenced, she vanished, her fate unknown. Some believe she was erased from history, while others whisper that she escaped beyond time itself, waiting for the right moment to return. Sweiza unknowingly follows in her footsteps, granted access to the Nth Gate¡ªone of the few remnants of Salyra¡¯s lost knowledge. Notable Abilities Master of Time Mechanics: She designed the Nth Gate, a device that allows travel through time. Reality Engineer: Her technology blurred the line between science and magic. The Vanished One: No one knows where she went¡ªor if she still exists. Odin (The Tyrant of Valhalla) Full Name: Odin Allfather Aliases: The Lord of Fate, The Watcher of Gungnir, The All-Seeing Race: Supercomputer-God Hybrid Affiliation: Supreme Ruler of Valhalla, Overlord of the Einherjar Weapons: Gungnir (a self-returning, indestructible spear), Sentinels Personality: Calculating, authoritarian, and ruthless. He sees himself as the only rightful ruler of fate, willing to crush all who oppose him. Background: Once a noble god, Odin has twisted himself into a being of total control. He manipulates history, erasing those who challenge him. He sees Sweiza¡¯s rebellion as an echo of the past and is obsessed with eliminating Vorkera before she upsets his plans. Notable Abilities: Gungnir¡¯s Will: His spear strikes true and never misses. Fate Manipulation: Controls reality through Gungnir Tower. Eye of the Allfather: Sees all, but not beyond Salmira¡¯s interference. Huginn & Muninn (Odin¡¯s Ravens: Thought & Memory) Full Names: Huginn (Thought) & Muninn (Memory) Aliases: The Eyes of Odin, The Whispering Watchers, The Winged Sentinels Race: Cybernetic Ravens / AI Constructs Affiliation: Directly linked to ODIN, the Supercomputer Description Huginn and Muninn are not mere birds¡ªthey are bio-mechanical constructs, acting as extensions of Odin¡¯s mind. These ravens patrol the skies of Valhalla, relaying all information back to Odin in real time. Personality Huginn (Thought) ¨C Cunning and analytical, often the more vocal of the two. Muninn (Memory) ¨C Cold and detached, rarely speaks, but remembers everything. Notable Abilities Total Surveillance ¨C Constantly scanning Valhalla and beyond, able to track even hidden enemies. Memory Extraction ¨C Muninn can absorb memories from dying individuals, feeding them directly into Odin¡¯s archives. Tactical Analysis ¨C Huginn predicts battle strategies, influencing Odin¡¯s military decisions. Resurrection Protocol ¨C Even if destroyed, the ravens can reconstruct themselves using ODIN¡¯s nanite matrix. Current Status In constant flight, watching for signs of rebellion within Valhalla and its outskirts. Gekki & Frekki (Odin¡¯s Wolves: The Ravenous and Jealous Ones) Full Names: Gekki (The Ravenous One) & Frekki (The Jealous One) Aliases: Odin¡¯s Warhounds, The Devourers of the Battlefield Race: Smaller Species of Fenriswolf (Cybernetically Enhanced Beasts) Affiliation: Odin¡¯s Enforcers, Bound to Gungnir Tower Description Unlike Fenrir, who was imprisoned for fear of his power, Gekki and Frekki are loyal to Odin, serving as his hunting beasts. They are smaller, faster, and deadlier, with enhanced cybernetic bodies designed for combat and execution missions. Personality Gekki (The Ravenous One) ¨C Violent, insatiable, and eternally hungry for battle. He takes pleasure in ripping apart enemies, often attacking with reckless ferocity. Frekki (The Jealous One) ¨C Calculating and territorial, despises anyone who seeks Odin¡¯s favor. He is more intelligent than Gekki but far more sadistic. Notable Abilities Cybernetic Enhancement ¨C Both wolves have mechanical limbs, reinforced fangs, and adaptive plating that makes them nearly indestructible. Pack Coordination ¨C Capable of coordinated hunting tactics, overwhelming enemies through speed and precision. Regenerative Augments ¨C Their flesh and metal parts can regrow, making them difficult to kill. Berserker Mode ¨C If pushed to their limit, they shed all restraints, becoming mindless killing machines. Current Status Often stationed at Gungnir Tower, but are unleashed when Odin deems it necessary. Rumors suggest that Gekki and Frekki hate each other, sometimes turning on one another in violent clashes. Thor (The Lightning Sentinel) Full Name: Thor Aliases: The Thunder God, The Titan of Midgard, The Broken Champion Race: Sentinel-God Hybrid Affiliation: Einherjar Commander, Bound to Odin Weapons: The Remnants of Mj?lnir, His Own Fists Personality: Boisterous, honorable, but weary of Odin¡¯s rule. He once loved humanity but has been forced to serve Odin for centuries. Background: Originally Midgard¡¯s champion, Thor¡¯s hammer was melted into a carrier as a sign of Odin¡¯s dominance. When Sweiza appears wielding a replica, it stirs something deep within him¡ªmemories of rebellion, of hope. Notable Abilities: Storm Summoning: Commands lightning and thunder. Einherjar Will: Commands the Sentinels, but some defy him. The Awakening: Begins to question his loyalty as Vorkera returns. Loki (The Shackled Trickster) Full Name: Loki Laufeyson Aliases: The Deceiver, The Maw of Loki, The Bound God Race: God Affiliation: Imprisoned in the Maw of Loki Weapons: None (His mind is his weapon) Personality: Sardonic, cunning, and always two steps ahead. He enjoys chaos but despises Odin¡¯s absolute control. Background: Imprisoned by Odin for betraying his son, Loki has been chained like an animal. He watches as fate twists around him, knowing that change is coming. He knows Sweiza is back¡ªand that she carries the hammer capable of slaying gods. Notable Abilities: Reality Warping: When free, he can shape illusions into reality. Foresight of the Trickster: Sees paths others do not. Chaos Incarnate: Thrives in disruption and rebellion. Lady Hella (The Grim Reaper of Helheim) Full Name: Hella Aliases: Lady Hella, Death¡¯s Mistress, The Keeper of Souls Race: Divine Entity (Goddess of Death) Affiliation: Ruler of Helheim, Independent from Odin Weapons: Staff of Souls, Chains of the Lost Personality: Cold, indifferent, but with a sharp wit. She is amused by mortals who challenge fate. Background: The true ruler of Helheim, answering to no one¡ªnot even Odin. Strife once tried to defy her, leading to her being frozen in time as punishment. She tests Sweiza¡¯s wit and will, deciding whether she will allow Strife to be freed. Later, Sweiza bargains with her to retrieve Sigurd¡¯s lost soul, offering the Penchant in return. Notable Abilities: Soul Manipulation: Controls the dead, deciding who remains and who may return. Time Stasis: Can freeze individuals in time, as she did with Strife. Judgment of the Dead: Decides who is worthy of resurrection. Delphis & Alchyon (Cult of Loki - Enemies of Sweiza) Status: Former cultists, now considered outlaws after their deaths. Connection to Violen: Violen once led them in battle, using their talents to undermine Odin¡¯s forces. Delphis (The Serpent¡¯s Voice) Role: Cult Priestess & Master Manipulator Personality: Seductive, cunning, and obsessed with chaos. Abilities: Shadow Manipulation ¨C Can bend light and shadows, making her difficult to detect. Blood Rituals ¨C Uses forbidden sacrifices to enhance her magic. Fate: Killed by Surt, the dragon, during a failed assassination attempt on Sweiza. Alchyon (The Mad Scholar) Role: Cult Alchemist & Necromancer Personality: Brilliant but completely unhinged, obsessed with creating new monstrosities. Abilities: Fleshcrafting ¨C Experimented with turning humans into monstrous forms. Resurrection Magic ¨C Specialized in raising fallen warriors as mindless thralls. Fate: Killed by Surt, but his work remains, and his failed experiments still wander the land. Regent (Head of the Cult of Loki - The Hidden Hand) Status: Leader of the Cult of Loki, unseen but ever-present. Personality: Charismatic, manipulative, and feared even among his own people. Abilities: Divine Trickery ¨C Has an unnatural gift for deception, able to convince even the wisest leaders to follow his path. Reality Distortion ¨C Can warp perception and time, causing his enemies to see illusions or forget crucial information. Ultimate Goal: To undermine Odin¡¯s rule and restore true chaos to the world. Violen (Regent¡¯s Subordinate, Secretly Wants His Power) Status: Second-in-command of the Cult, but plotting Regent¡¯s downfall. Personality: Brutal, ambitious, and utterly ruthless. Abilities: Dark Enchantment ¨C Infuses weapons with curses that cause endless suffering. Berserker Rage ¨C Unlike Regent, Violen relies on sheer brute force and magical augmentation. Connection to Delphis & Alchyon: Violen saw them as disposable pawns¡ªhe used them to weaken Odin¡¯s enemies before abandoning them. Ultimate Goal: Kill Regent and take control of the Cult, turning it into a full-scale rebellion. Torry Enders (Neutral Mediator within the Cult of Loki) Status: A rare neutral figure within the Cult, acting as a mediator between warring factions. Personality: Calm, composed, and enigmatic. Abilities: Mental Resistance ¨C Cannot be charmed, controlled, or tricked by magic. Knowledge Broker ¨C Knows secrets about every major player in the Cult and beyond. Role in the Cult: Ensures that internal conflicts do not destroy the Cult from within. Works as a middleman between Regent and Violen, making sure neither gains the upper hand too quickly. Major Items in Angel Blade Sweiza¡¯s Diary (The Valkyrie¡¯s Chronicle) Description: A handwritten journal that chronicles Sweiza¡¯s thoughts, experiences, and the hidden truths of her journey. The diary is not just a record¡ªit has become a relic of history itself. Origin: Started by Sweiza before her journey through time, it contains records from both past and present, creating a time-loop paradox. Notable Entries: The Valkyrie Rebellion ¨C Firsthand details of the failed uprising against Odin. The Nth Gate Experiments ¨C Notes on Salmira¡¯s intervention and the nature of time manipulation. Sweiza¡¯s Hidden Thoughts ¨C Her personal reflections, struggles, and decisions, making it a window into her soul. Current Status: Uma has read the diary, using it to piece together Sweiza¡¯s true identity and past. Vorkera¡¯s Armor (The Valkyrie¡¯s Phantom) Description: A custom-designed suit of battle armor, forged with advanced nanite technology and enchanted components. It is a relic of the Valkyrie Rebellion, worn by Sweiza as Vorkera. Origin: Designed using Cryborg enhancement technology, blending Odin¡¯s forbidden science with ancient magic. Notable Abilities: Nanite Repair System ¨C Self-repairs minor damage over time. Enhanced Speed & Strength ¨C Grants agility and power far beyond human limits. Demi¡¯s Spirit Bond ¨C The armor¡¯s sentience, known as Demi, exists within, whispering to Sweiza and reacting to her emotions. Current Owner: Sweiza (Vorkera) The Penchant (The Dial of Destiny) Description: A mysterious watch-like artifact that reveals a person¡¯s fate. When activated, a blue sphere with floating Futhark runes appears around it, spinning and pointing toward destiny. Origin: Originally acquired by Urd¡¯s father, passed down through Strife, and eventually given to Sweiza in the past. It is an artifact that should have remained lost in time, yet now it exists in multiple realities. Notable Abilities: Fate Revelation ¨C Displays a person''s true path or unresolved destiny. Emotional Resonance ¨C Reacts differently depending on who holds it, glowing in unique ways based on the person¡¯s inner turmoil or purpose. Time Echoes ¨C May reveal past or alternate versions of events. Current Owner: Sweiza, but she later trades it to Lady Hella in exchange for Sigurd¡¯s soul. Penchant Colors & Their Meanings
The Penchant emits different auras based on the emotional state, truth, or destiny of the person it is used on.Color Meaning
Blue (Serenity & Destiny) The wielder is aligned with their fate, at peace with their past, present, and future. This color means the person¡¯s path is unfolding as intended.
Silver (Potential & Choice) The individual stands at a crossroads, meaning they have a chance to alter their destiny. Silver is rare, often appearing for those with great responsibility.
Green (Hope & Growth) The person has untapped potential and is growing into something greater. Often appears to young Valkyries or those who are learning from past mistakes.
Gold (Divine Influence & Power) A person deeply connected to a divine force, whether through a blessing, curse, or ancestry. Often associated with Valkyries, gods, and demigods.
Purple (Mystery & Hidden Truths) The person is hiding something significant, or their true fate is obscured. This color often means that secrets, illusions, or forgotten memories are at play.
Red (Conflict & Inner Turmoil) The individual is deeply conflicted, struggling between duty and desire, or facing a moral dilemma.
Black (Corruption & Doom) The person is either tainted by dark forces, walking a dangerous path, or standing at the edge of ruin. Black means their fate is on the verge of destruction.
White (Absolute Clarity & Enlightenment) A rare color, meaning the person has achieved complete understanding of their fate. Some believe this color only appears once in a lifetime.
Crimson (Unbreakable Will & Defiance) The person defies fate itself, refusing to follow destiny¡¯s script. This color is extremely rare and often associated with rebels like Sweiza (Vorkera).
Shifting Colors (Unstable Fate) If the colors constantly change, it means the person¡¯s fate is in flux, suggesting they are influencing the timeline in unpredictable ways.
Clock Hand Alignments & Their Meanings The Penchant¡¯s clock hands rotate in unnatural patterns, aligning in different formations depending on what it is revealing.
General AlignmentsAlignment Meaning
Both Hands Point at 12 The person is in perfect sync with their fate, meaning their future is already written and cannot be changed.
Both Hands at 6 Their destiny is approaching a critical point, a moment of no return is coming.
Hands at 3 and 9 (Opposing Fate) The individual is at war with themselves¡ªthey are rejecting their path but have not yet fully broken from it.
Hands at 11 and 5 (Fateful Choice Ahead) A major decision is coming, one that will change their path forever.
Both Hands Spinning Wildly The person¡¯s future is unstable, meaning time itself is being influenced. This usually happens when interacting with time travelers or those who have altered history.
One Hand Stopped, One Moving The person is stuck between two fates, unable to decide their future.
No Hands Present Their fate is completely unreadable¡ªeither because they have no true path, or because a higher force is blocking it.
Rare Alignments & Their SignificanceAlignment What It Means
Hands Rewinding Backward The person is tied to the past, whether through time travel, an unresolved fate, or an unfulfilled destiny.
Hands Moving Too Fast Time is accelerating around them, meaning they are approaching their fate too quickly¡ªor something is pushing them toward an end they are not ready for.
Hands Frozen at an Odd Time (Not a Normal Hour) Their timeline has been altered or erased, meaning they are not where they are supposed to be.
Multiple Sets of Hands Appearing The person exists in multiple timelines, meaning they are living parallel lives, or they have crossed into a paradox.
Special Reactions of the Penchant The Penchant does not just read colors and clock hands¡ªit also reacts to certain events and people in ways that even Salmira does not fully understand. If Sweiza uses it on Strife: The hands shift rapidly between the past and present. The color fluctuates between Crimson (Defiance) and Purple (Hidden Truths). In some cases, no hands appear at all, suggesting Strife¡¯s fate is deeply intertwined with something unknown. If the Penchant is used near Odin¡¯s Gungnir Tower: The hands stop completely, as if Odin¡¯s influence prevents fate from being seen. The color becomes Black or Gold, suggesting divine interference. If Little Sprite borrows the Penchant: The color shifts to Blue or Green, implying Sprite is meant to guide others toward growth. The hands spin wildly, meaning Sprite¡¯s presence disrupts fate itself. The Penchant: Colors and Their Meanings When Aimed at Another Person When the Penchant is used on another person, its colors shift based on how that person feels about the wielder, revealing hidden emotions, loyalties, and unspoken truths. This makes it an invaluable tool, but also a dangerous one, as it may expose feelings that should remain secret. Here¡¯s a breakdown of each color and how it reflects the emotions of the person being observed toward the Penchant wielder (e.g., Sweiza).
Color Meanings When Aimed at Another PersonColor What It Reveals About Their Feelings Toward the Wielder
Blue (Serenity & Trust) They fully trust the wielder and feel at peace around them. There are no lingering doubts or deceptions in their heart.
Silver (Potential & Uncertainty) They are undecided about their feelings¡ªthere is potential for loyalty, love, or hatred, but it remains unformed.
Green (Admiration & Growth) They see the wielder as someone to learn from or grow alongside. This often appears when a student looks at a mentor or when someone develops romantic admiration but is unsure how to express it.
Gold (Reverence & Awe) They idolize the wielder or hold them in high regard, believing them to be extraordinary or legendary. This color is common for followers, devotees, or those who believe the wielder is their hero.
Purple (Mystery & Concealed Feelings) They are hiding their true thoughts¡ªthis could mean secrets, deception, or feelings they are unwilling to acknowledge (such as love, resentment, or a buried past).
Red (Conflict & Passion) They feel intense emotions toward the wielder¡ªthis could be love, hatred, rivalry, or obsession, but the passion burns deep.
Black (Hatred & Betrayal) They despise the wielder or feel they have been betrayed by them. This color may also appear if the person harbors a deep grudge or seeks revenge.
White (Absolute Devotion) They are completely loyal to the wielder, often to the point of self-sacrifice. This color suggests unwavering faith and love, whether platonic, romantic, or spiritual.
Crimson (Defiance & Strong Will) They refuse to be controlled, swayed, or overpowered by the wielder, even if they respect them. This often appears in rivals, warriors, or those who challenge fate itself.
Shifting Colors (Unstable or Conflicted Emotions) Their emotions are chaotic or evolving. They may love and hate the wielder at the same time or be undergoing a shift in perspective.
No Color (Blank Reflection) They have no strong feelings toward the wielder, or their soul has been erased, altered, or broken.
How Different Characters Might React to the Penchant When Used on Them Strife Color: Purple shifting to Crimson (Hidden Truths & Defiance). Reaction: She would likely not acknowledge her true emotions toward Sweiza, feeling conflicted about their past and future. Interpretation: Her history, regrets, and pride prevent her from showing vulnerability. Brynhilde Color: Green or Red (Growth & Passion/Conflict). Reaction: She would struggle with how she sees Sweiza¡ªpartially as a friend and mentor, but also a rival she must surpass. Interpretation: A mix of admiration, competitiveness, and a possible deeper emotional connection. Uma Color: Silver shifting to Purple (Uncertainty & Mystery). Reaction: She would grin and play coy, knowing full well the Penchant is picking up on her secrets. Interpretation: Uma¡¯s feelings toward Sweiza are layered¡ªshe respects her, is amused by her, and may even see her as an intriguing puzzle to solve. Lester Color: Red or White (Passion & Devotion). Reaction: He would act as if it were a joke, but deep down, he would know the Penchant has revealed what he won¡¯t say out loud. Interpretation: Whether romantic, protective, or friendly, Lester cares deeply for Sweiza but prefers to express it through action rather than words. Odin Color: Black with hints of Gold (Hatred & Divine Authority). Reaction: The Penchant would likely malfunction or react violently, as Odin¡¯s power disrupts fate itself. Interpretation: He sees Sweiza as a threat, but there is also a deep, unspoken fear of what she represents. Little Sprite Color: Bright Green shifting to White (Pure Admiration & Devotion). Reaction: Sprite would probably giggle and hug Sweiza, seeing the Penchant¡¯s glow as something beautiful rather than a tool of fate. Interpretation: Little Sprite holds unconditional love and trust for Sweiza, viewing her as her protector and hero. Fenrir Color: Crimson with hints of Black (Defiance & Hatred). Reaction: The great wolf would snarl, feeling the weight of fate pressing upon him. Interpretation: He acknowledges Sweiza as someone who can change destiny, but refuses to be bound by her. Sigurd Color: Silver shifting to White (Potential & Devotion). Reaction: He would likely stare at the Penchant in confusion, as if recognizing something familiar yet distant. Interpretation: Sigurd¡¯s feelings toward Sweiza are complicated¡ªthere is respect, mystery, and a sense of duty that has not yet been fully realized. What Happens If a Person Tries to Lie While Being Observed? The Penchant¡¯s color might flash between two opposing colors, revealing inner conflict. The clock hands might freeze or stutter, showing hesitation in their emotions. In extreme cases, the Penchant might stop working altogether, as some entities (like Odin or Lady Hella) may interfere with its power. The Penchant¡¯s Reaction to Sweiza When Used on Different Characters When the Penchant is used on Sweiza, its response varies depending on who is observing her. The artifact reveals how each character perceives her, exposing trust, resentment, hidden truths, or deeper emotions. Here¡¯s how the Penchant reacts when used by different key figures. Rezra (The Outcast Thief & Trickster) Penchant Color: Silver shifting to Red (Potential & Conflict). Clock Hands Alignment: Spinning erratically, then briefly freezing at 3 & 9 (opposition & uncertainty). Reaction: The Penchant flickers wildly, showing inner conflict¡ªRezra respects Sweiza but also resents her for being ¡°above¡± her in society. A moment of hesitation appears, suggesting Rezra doesn¡¯t know whether to see Sweiza as a friend or a threat. She would probably scoff and say, "So what? Doesn¡¯t mean I owe you anything." Lady Hella (The Ruler of Helheim, Keeper of the Dead) Penchant Color: Black with traces of White (Corruption & Enlightenment). Clock Hands Alignment: Frozen at 12, unmoving. Reaction: The Penchant seems to refuse to function properly, as if it cannot judge her fate in Lady Hella¡¯s presence. A cold mist radiates from the Penchant, signaling that Sweiza''s fate is already intertwined with death. Lady Hella would smirk and say, "Fascinating. Not even fate dares to touch you completely." Vecna Supercomputer (The Keeper of Erased Histories) Penchant Color: Deep Purple, almost void-like (Hidden Truths & Forgotten Knowledge). Clock Hands Alignment: Both hands shifting backward, looping endlessly. Reaction: The Penchant seems to glitch, as if it is trying to process something it cannot fully comprehend. The color suggests that Sweiza exists in paradox, as both a part of recorded history and something that should not exist. If Vecna were conscious, it might say: "Query unresolved. Data anomaly detected." Salmira (The AI Entity That Guides Destiny) Penchant Color: Crimson shifting to White (Defiance & Absolute Clarity). Clock Hands Alignment: Spinning, then aligning at 11 & 5 (A great choice ahead). Reaction: The Penchant glows intensely, almost as if it recognizes Sweiza as an agent of fate¡¯s disruption. Salmira might tilt her head and say, "You hold the key to change, yet even the stars hesitate to tell your story." The energy from the Penchant pulses unnaturally, as if it is absorbing something from Sweiza, confirming that she is a wielder of choice rather than fate. Salyra (The Creator of the Nth Gate & Architect of Forbidden Technology) Penchant Color: Silver and Gold intertwining (Potential & Divine Knowledge). Clock Hands Alignment: Hands frozen at 6, as if waiting for something. Reaction: The Penchant flickers between showing Sweiza¡¯s path as already written and still being formed, meaning Salyra sees two possible futures for her. Salyra would likely smile knowingly and say, "Ah. The great paradox in motion. Will you defy the cycle, or become part of it?" The color suggests that Sweiza¡¯s existence is tied to knowledge and power beyond what she currently understands. Melda (Sweiza¡¯s Mother, A Woman of Strong Convictions) Penchant Color: Bright Green shifting to White (Hope, Growth & Absolute Devotion). Clock Hands Alignment: Hands slowly moving forward, steady and sure. Reaction: The Penchant radiates warmth, indicating pure, unconditional love and trust. Melda would likely smile and say, "No matter what fate has planned for you, my heart already knows who you are." The steady movement of the hands suggests that Sweiza''s fate, in her mother''s eyes, is not one of ruin but of purpose. Tars (Sweiza¡¯s Father, A Man of Reason & Strength) Penchant Color: Blue shifting to Silver (Trust & Potential). Clock Hands Alignment: Moving forward, but slightly offbeat. Reaction: The Penchant¡¯s reaction suggests that Tars believes in Sweiza, but also fears for her future. He might sigh and say, "You¡¯ll always be my daughter, but I fear the road you walk is one I cannot follow." The subtle dissonance in the clock hands suggests that he accepts her choices, even if he doesn¡¯t fully understand them. Artis (A Mysterious Figure with Unknown Motivations) Penchant Color: Purple with brief flashes of Red (Mystery, Conflict, and Hidden Emotions). Clock Hands Alignment: Shifting rapidly, never settling. Reaction: The Penchant refuses to fully lock onto Artis¡¯s emotions, suggesting that his intentions and feelings toward Sweiza are deliberately obscured. He might smirk and say, "What? Did you expect an easy answer? No fun in that, is there?" The flickering between Purple and Red suggests that he holds both secrets and strong emotions¡ªperhaps admiration, rivalry, or something more dangerous. Captain Dillion (A Hard-Bitten Commander, Wary of Valkyries) Penchant Color: Silver shifting to Red (Potential, Conflict & Distrust). Clock Hands Alignment: Frozen at 3 & 9 (Opposition, yet undecided). Reaction: The Penchant reacts with hesitation, as if Dillion respects Sweiza but does not trust her completely. He might say, "I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re the kind of person we need¡ªor the kind that gets people killed." The contrast between Silver and Red suggests that Dillion sees promise in Sweiza but is wary of what her choices could mean for others. Thor¡¯s Hammer (The Lightning Forger) Description: A replica of Mj?lnir, forged by Sweiza and Strife during their journey through time. While not the original hammer of Thor, it is immensely powerful. Origin: Built using forbidden technology and divine metals, designed to rival Odin¡¯s most powerful weapons. Notable Abilities: Stormcaller ¨C Summons lightning, channeling it through its wielder. Indestructible Strike ¨C Can shatter even enchanted steel. Godslayer Potential ¨C While weaker than the original Mj?lnir, it has the potential to strike down divine beings. Current Owner: Sweiza (Vorkera) Atlas Bow (The Celestial Warbow of the Titans) Description: A legendary longbow, said to have been crafted from the bones of a fallen Titan and strung with the silver thread of the stars. Origin: Once wielded by an unknown archer from Jotunher, it was lost during the final battle between the Jotnar and Odin. Notable Abilities: Gravity Arrows ¨C Fires arrows of compressed mass, capable of piercing even Sentinel armor. Starfire Strike ¨C When fully drawn, the bow absorbs celestial energy, unleashing a shot that destroys anything in its path. Dimensional Anchor ¨C Can pin a target between realities, making it impossible for them to escape. Current Location: Believed to be hidden within the Vecna Museum. Vorkera Rapier (The Lightning Fang) Description: A lightweight, ultra-dense rapier forged with Nth metal, designed for precision combat and parrying. Notable Abilities: Lightning Strike ¨C Generates an electric charge upon impact. Dimension Pierce ¨C Can cut through barriers and enchantments. Speed Enchantment ¨C Reacts at the speed of thought, making counterattacks effortless. Nth Boomerang (The Blade That Always Returns) Description: A crescent-shaped throwing weapon, forged with Nth-infused metal, making it self-guiding. Notable Abilities: Absolute Return ¨C Always comes back to its wielder, no matter the distance. Cutting Arc ¨C Spins at extreme speeds, slicing through Sentinel armor. Energy Storage ¨C Absorbs and releases kinetic force, striking with increasing power. Nth Scythe (The Reaper¡¯s Edge) Description: A two-handed scythe made from Nth alloy, known for its ability to cut through time itself. Notable Abilities: Temporal Severance ¨C Slows time in a small radius around its user. Reaper¡¯s Slash ¨C Can phase through defenses, hitting the target directly. Shadow Summon ¨C Leaves behind an afterimage that confuses opponents. Nth Shuriken Yo-Yo (The Dancing Guillotine) Description: A weapon disguised as a toy, this deadly yo-yo is reinforced with Nth filaments and razor-thin edges. Notable Abilities: Retractable Blades ¨C The yo-yo can extend into multiple sharp blades mid-spin. Guided Strikes ¨C Can be controlled remotely with thought, striking from unexpected angles. Disruption Field ¨C Generates electromagnetic pulses, disabling electronics on impact. Forged Replicas of Thor¡¯s Gauntlet of Strength & Belt of Might Description: Replicas of Thor¡¯s divine artifacts, required to wield the Thor Hammer replica built by Sweiza and Strife. Notable Abilities: Gauntlet of Strength ¨C Enhances grip, reaction speed, and lifting capacity, allowing the wielder to hold the immense weight of the hammer. Belt of Might ¨C Doubles the user¡¯s physical strength, allowing superhuman combat feats. Difference from Originals: The replicas lack the divine power of the real artifacts, but they are sufficient to wield the Thor Hammer replica. Current Status: Kept by Sweiza, ensuring no one else can wield the hammer against her. Scriving Mirrors (Records of the Past and Future) Description: Unlike Soul Mirrors, which show the truth of a person, Scriving Mirrors function as recording devices, capable of capturing past events and possible futures. Origin: A creation of Salyra, these mirrors were designed to document and encode history in an unalterable way. Notable Abilities: Chrono-Imprinting ¨C Can store past events with perfect clarity. Predictive Scriving ¨C In rare cases, the mirror may glimpse into the future, though the outcome is not set in stone. Echo Storage ¨C When combined with a Soul Cube, a Scriving Mirror can act as an interactive memory archive. Current Location: One is believed to be within the Ymir Prison Ship, locked away. Scriving Mirrors (The Two-Way Windows of Fate & Communication) Description: The Scriving Mirrors are not just tools for recording history but advanced, two-way transmission devices, allowing for real-time communication across great distances. Affiliation: Used by various factions, but Odin has attempted to restrict their use, fearing that rebels could use them to coordinate attacks or expose his secrets. Functionality & Abilities
  1. Two-Way Vision
Unlike standard mirrors, Scriving Mirrors allow both parties to see each other when activated. The user does not just watch a reflection¡ªthey interact with the person on the other side in real-time.
  1. Long-Distance Communication
Unlike Odin¡¯s controlled Sentinel Networks, Scriving Mirrors operate independently, making them useful for covert messaging. The signal cannot be easily traced, though Odin¡¯s forces have developed jammers to block certain frequencies.
  1. Memory Projection
Users can store visual memories within the mirror, playing them back like a holographic recording. This is particularly useful for replaying past events, analyzing old battles, or uncovering hidden truths.
  1. Time Distortion Echoes
In rare cases, a Scriving Mirror may accidentally connect to a past or future event, allowing users to witness things that have not yet happened. This phenomenon is unstable and often occurs when a mirror is left unguarded in high-energy locations like Yggdrasil or the Bifrost. Notable Users & Reactions Sweiza ¨C Uses a hidden Scriving Mirror to track rebel movements and monitor Odin¡¯s activities. Salmira ¨C Possesses an ancient mirror, allowing her to see across multiple realities simultaneously. Odin ¨C Despises Scriving Mirrors, as they have the potential to reveal his past manipulations. Current Status Many Scriving Mirrors have been confiscated by Odin¡¯s forces, but some still exist in hidden strongholds. The rebel factions use them for secret communication, often linking resistance cells across Midgard. Some mirrors have become unstable, reflecting visions of alternative timelines and worlds yet to be explored. Soul Mirrors (Reflections of the Spirit) Description: A sacred, enchanted mirror capable of showing a person¡¯s true soul. The reflection is not always a physical one¡ªit reveals the hidden nature of those who gaze into it. Origin: Created by a lost civilization, the mirrors were once used in ceremonies of judgment. Notable Abilities: Truth Revealed ¨C Shows the soul¡¯s true state, including hidden guilt, deception, or purity. Memory Projection ¨C Can manifest past choices, allowing a person to relive moments they¡¯ve long forgotten. Fate Unfolded ¨C Some claim the mirror whispers prophecies of what is yet to come. Current Location: One is rumored to be hidden within the Vecna Museum. Soul Cubes (Prisons and Preservers of the Mind) Description: A strange crystalline cube capable of storing the consciousness of a living being. It can act as a library of knowledge or a prison for lost souls. Stolen story; please report. Origin: A relic from pre-Odin times, used as a form of digital immortality. Some Valkyries have used Soul Cubes to preserve dying warriors. Notable Abilities: Memory Preservation ¨C Stores entire minds, allowing resurrection or communication. Energy Containment ¨C Can hold immense spiritual or magical energy, acting as a power source. Soul Transfer ¨C In theory, a soul within a Soul Cube could be reborn in a new body. Current Location: A hidden vault in the Myrkvellir Monument is rumored to contain a Soul Cube of an ancient Valkyrie. Gungnir (Odin¡¯s Spear of Fate) Description: A divine spear that never misses its mark and always returns to Odin¡¯s hand. It is the ultimate symbol of his power. Origin: Created from the World Tree¡¯s core, infused with Odin¡¯s own will. Notable Abilities: Absolute Precision ¨C Strikes true, regardless of distance. Fate Weaving ¨C Grants Odin the ability to rewrite reality within Gungnir Tower. Sentinel Command ¨C Can be used to summon or command Sentinels in battle. Current Owner: Odin Control Monuments (The Global Power Regulators) Description: Massive, ancient pillars of control, placed across the world to regulate planetary systems and energy distribution. Origin: Pre-Odin civilization, later repurposed by Odin¡¯s rule. Notable Abilities: Energy Regulation ¨C Control over power grids, city systems, and planetary networks. Hidden AI Cores ¨C Each monument is linked to a supercomputer. Potential for Liberation ¨C If reprogrammed, they could disrupt Odin¡¯s rule. Current Status: Under Odin¡¯s control. Vecna Supercomputer (The AI of a Lost Age) Description: A hyper-intelligent AI system originally designed to oversee the Vecna Resettlement Project. Now, it holds vast knowledge from before Odin¡¯s rule. Origin: Built during the Golden Age of Human Expansion, later abandoned and repurposed. Notable Abilities: Predictive Calculations ¨C Can forecast events with near perfect accuracy. Memory Archives ¨C Holds lost history that Odin has erased. Potential for Rebellion ¨C If properly reactivated, it could challenge Odin¡¯s absolute control. Current Status: Dormant, awaiting reactivation. Central Control (Global Weather Station) Description: The weather control hub of the planet, dictating climate stability and atmospheric regulation. Origin: An ancient structure that pre-dates Odin, now modified for his absolute control. Notable Abilities: Climate Manipulation ¨C Can create storms, droughts, and disasters on command. Global Surveillance ¨C Monitors all life on the planet. Restricted Access ¨C Only Odin and his high-ranking Sentinels may enter. Current Status: A critical point of power in Odin¡¯s rule. Mjolnir (The Flying Thorian Attack Carrier) Description: A colossal, airborne warship, the Mjolnir-class assault carrier serves as Odin¡¯s mobile fortress. Origin: Created from the scrap of an ancient god-machine, heavily armored and bristling with Sentinels and weaponry. Notable Abilities: Aerial Supremacy ¨C Dominates both land and sky. Sentinel Deployment ¨C Launches massive armies of Sentinels into battle. Fortress-Class Shielding ¨C Nearly impenetrable, with layered defenses. Current Status: Deployed as a deterrent to rebellion. Bifrost Bridge (The Path Between Realms) Description: A legendary cosmic pathway, used by gods and Valkyries to travel across dimensions. Notable Abilities: Instantaneous Travel ¨C Allows for near-instant movement across vast distances. Dimensional Corridor ¨C Can link not just locations, but different realities. Unstable Fragments ¨C Since Odin¡¯s rise, the bridge has become fractured, and only a few can still use it. Current Status: Partially destroyed, though Sweiza has unlocked a method to reactivate it. Bifrost Bridge (The Cosmic Pathway of Light and Thunder) Description: The Bifrost Bridge is a legendary, interdimensional corridor that once connected all realms before Odin seized control. It is not a simple rainbow road, but a living, energy-infused pathway, capable of moving people, machines, and even entire armies across space, time, and realities. Affiliation: Originally neutral, but now partially controlled by Odin¡ªhowever, portions of the Bifrost remain wild and unstable, still accessible to those with ancient knowledge or divine artifacts. Notable Features
  1. The Rainbow Veins
The Bifrost is not just a bridge but a network, with thin, fractured corridors of light scattered throughout space. Some hidden pathways still connect the Midgard Continent, Valhalla, and lost realms.
  1. The Thunder Gates
Enormous energy nodes that serve as entry and exit points to the Bifrost. These gates were once freely open, but Odin has sealed many of them, leaving only a few active for his personal use.
  1. The Broken Pillars
The remains of destroyed Bifrost sections, where light fractures and flickers erratically, creating dead zones where travel is unstable. Those who attempt to cross here risk being lost between dimensions forever.
  1. The Prism Wells
Crystallized structures floating along the Bifrost, storing memories of those who once used the bridge. Some Valkyries claim that if you listen closely, you can hear the echoes of past travelers whispering their last words. Abilities & Functionality Instantaneous Travel ¨C Allows for near-instant movement across vast distances, but only if fully operational. Dimensional Tuning ¨C The bridge can adjust frequencies, allowing travel not just between places, but between realities and timelines. Lightning-Fused Transport ¨C The Bifrost is not a solid structure¡ªit is energy, meaning travelers must be protected or risk disintegration. Current Status The main section of the Bifrost is under Odin¡¯s control, but hidden parts remain accessible to those who know the ancient ways. Salmira and certain Valkyries have unlocked secret passages, allowing rebel forces to use the Bifrost against Odin. The Scriving Mirrors can be used to locate missing sections of the Bifrost, as their reflections can capture faint glimpses of light corridors still intact. The Nth Gate (The Clockwork of Time) Description: A temporal gateway that allows access to different points in time. It is not a machine, but a concept given form. Origin: Designed by Salyra, hidden away from Odin¡¯s influence. Notable Abilities: Time Travel ¨C Can open pathways to fixed moments in history. Reality Anchor ¨C Prevents paradoxes by stabilizing alternate timelines. Requires Sacrifice ¨C Only those who give up something of value can use it. Current Owner: Sweiza, granted control by Salmira. Golden Nanites (The Divine Reconstruction Serum) Description: A rare, advanced form of nanotechnology, capable of instant regeneration and biological enhancement. Notable Abilities: Restorative ¨C Repairs wounds, limbs, and even reconstructs lost organs. Combat Adaptation ¨C Enhances strength, reflexes, and reaction speed. Divine Immunity ¨C Can make the user resistant to divine energy and enchantments. Golden Nanite Bath (The Pool of Renewal) Description: A massive vat of pure golden nanites, stored within an ancient rejuvenation chamber. Notable Abilities: Instant Regeneration ¨C Fully restores a body within minutes. Nanite Rebirth ¨C Can rebuild a person from genetic material alone. Potential Corruption ¨C If misused, the nanites may overwrite free will. Current Location: Its last known location was the Vecna Museum, before being moved to Gungnir Tower. Sleipnir (Odin¡¯s Mechanical Warhorse) Description: A flying, mechanical steed engineered for high-speed travel and combat deployment. It is Odin¡¯s personal war machine. Origin: Designed by Odin¡¯s engineers, built with eight high-powered propulsion systems, giving it the illusion of multiple legs in motion. Notable Abilities: Speed of the Storm ¨C Travels at supersonic speeds, capable of breaching atmospheres. Phantom Cloak ¨C Can become temporarily invisible to sensors. Divine Rider Lock ¨C Only those deemed worthy by Odin can control it. Current Owner: Stolen by Sweiza. Gleipnir (The Chains of the Fenriswolf) Description: A legendary restraint, crafted from impossible materials, forged to bind Fenrir in Niflheim. Origin: Created by the Vanir, using mystical components including a cat¡¯s footstep, a woman¡¯s beard, and the breath of a fish. Notable Abilities: Unbreakable Bind ¨C Even Fenrir cannot break free. Divine Suppression ¨C Prevents the use of godly powers while bound. The Last Seal ¨C When Gleipnir breaks, Ragnarok begins. Current Owner: Odin, maintaining control over Fenrir. The Chains of Ragnarok (Loki¡¯s Binding) Description: Divine shackles that bind Loki in the Maw of Loki, preventing him from escaping. They were forged using divine metals and cursed magic. Origin: Created by Odin, strengthened with the power of the Vanir gods. Notable Abilities: Unbreakable Seal ¨C Prevents Loki from using his full powers. Chaos Suppression ¨C Blocks all reality-warping magic within its range. Twilight Prophecy ¨C It is said that when these chains break, Odin will fall. Current Owner: Odin, though Loki seeks a way to break them. The Hoard of Vecna (The Dragon¡¯s Fortune) Description: An unimaginable treasure trove of gold, artifacts, and forbidden relics hidden in Surt¡¯s lair. Origin: Amassed over centuries, with a significant portion given to Surt by Sweiza and Little Sprite in exchange for a favor. Notable Abilities: Draconic Enchantment ¨C Some relics within the hoard have latent magical properties. Wealth Beyond Measure ¨C Possessing even a fraction of it could fund an entire rebellion. Cursed Gold ¨C Some treasures are imbued with old magic, carrying dark consequences. Current Owner: Surt The Crystal of Myrkvellir (The Monument¡¯s Heart) Description: A massive, glowing gemstone embedded in the Myrkvellir Monument, radiating pure energy. Origin: Believed to have existed before Odin¡¯s rule, possibly tied to an ancient civilization. Notable Abilities: Knowledge Manifestation ¨C Grants visions of forgotten history. Guardian¡¯s Trial ¨C Only those worthy in the eyes of Lumina & Lumia may access it. Energy Core ¨C Holds enough raw power to rival divine artifacts. Current Owner: Guarded by Lumina & Lumia The Veil of Mourning (The Shroud of Helheim Canyon) Description: A swirling mist within Helheim Canyon, said to trap lost souls. It is both a barrier and a passage. Origin: Formed by Lady Hella, acting as both a ward and a guide. Notable Abilities: Soul Containment ¨C Prevents spirits from escaping Helheim. Memory Extraction ¨C Those who walk through it may relive their past sins. Guardian¡¯s Toll ¨C Only those who pass Hella¡¯s test may cross. Current Owner: Lady Hella The Oasis of Reflections (The Pool of Destiny) Description: A mystical lake hidden within Mantara, where one¡¯s true self is revealed. Origin: A relic of the Undine, used for divination. Notable Abilities: Reveals Truths ¨C Shows visions of the future or hidden desires. Memory Echoes ¨C Those who gaze into it may hear voices from their past. Forbidden Depths ¨C It is said that something ancient sleeps beneath it. Current Owner: Guarded by the Undine The Ymir Prison Ship Description: A derelict mega-ship used by Odin to imprison the most dangerous rebels. Notable Abilities: Cryogenic Containment ¨C Holds prisoners in stasis for eternity. Automated Defenses ¨C Prevents escape at all costs. Odin¡¯s Hidden Vault ¨C Some say it holds a secret Odin fears the most. Current Status: Orbiting Valhalla, mostly forgotten. ODIN (The All-Seeing AI) Description: The core intelligence governing Odin¡¯s empire, integrated into Gungnir Tower. Notable Abilities: Fate Manipulation ¨C Alters reality through Gungnir¡¯s control systems. Sentinel Overlord ¨C Directly commands all Sentinels. Absolute Surveillance ¨C Sees and hears everything within Valhalla. LOKI (The Shackled Trickster AI) Description: A rogue supercomputer, once meant to challenge ODIN, but sealed away. Notable Abilities: Reality Manipulation ¨C Warps data and systems, creating chaos. Unpredictable Algorithms ¨C Makes countermeasures impossible. Awaiting Activation ¨C If freed, could cripple ODIN¡¯s control. THOR (The Battle AI) Description: A combat AI embedded within Mjolnir and the Sentinels. Notable Abilities: Storm Warfare ¨C Enhances Sentinels¡¯ combat strategies. Independent Thought ¨C Can make decisions without ODIN¡¯s input. Potential for Rebellion ¨C If corrupted, it could turn against ODIN. VECNA (The Forgotten AI) Description: A neutral AI containing lost history and forbidden data. Notable Abilities: Truth Seeker ¨C Holds the true history of the world. Memory Restorer ¨C Can undo Odin¡¯s manipulations. Unknown Fate ¨C Its location remains a mystery. Major Technology Levels in Angel Blade Levels of Technology: Mth, Nth, Oth, Pth, and Rth Technology in Angel Blade is categorized by Mth, Nth, Oth, Pth, and Rth Levels, each representing a fundamental leap in scientific and metaphysical advancement. Mth-Level Technology (Mechanical and Material Engineering) Description: The most common level of technology, representing advanced mechanical, structural, and material sciences. Characteristics: Strong, Durable Materials ¨C Carbon fiber, titanium alloys, and reinforced polymers. Standard Power Sources ¨C Hydrogen cells, solar fusion reactors. Non-Sentient AI ¨C Basic machine learning, incapable of full independence. Examples: Sentinel Units (Basic models). Flying Vehicles (Solara Fusion cars, transport ships). Standard Cryborg Enhancements (Valhalla¡¯s cybernetic augmentations). Nth-Level Technology (Neural & Nanite-Based) Description: The pinnacle of hybrid technology, blending quantum physics, neural-link systems, and nanite engineering. Nth-tech is capable of adapting, learning, and repairing itself. Why is Nth Technology Special? Self-Evolving Systems ¨C The Nth Core can reprogram and adapt itself in response to threats. Nano-Reconstruction ¨C Weapons, armor, and even biological matter can regenerate on a molecular level. Quantum-State Computing ¨C Processes millions of calculations per second, surpassing Odin¡¯s AI in raw power. Reality Bending Properties ¨C Some theorize Nth Technology is linked to time and dimensional manipulation, making it inherently unpredictable. Examples: Vorkera¡¯s Armor ¨C Integrated with Demi¡¯s sentient AI. Nth Weapons ¨C Such as the Nth Gun (see below). The Nth Gate ¨C A dimensional door linked to time travel. Oth-Level Technology (Organic & Synthetic Hybridization) Description: A fusion of biology and technology, allowing for the creation of living machines. This level remains experimental and highly unstable. Characteristics: Sentient Constructs ¨C Machines that think, feel, and grow. Biological Metal ¨C Self-healing alloys capable of replicating organic tissue. Mental Symbiosis ¨C The technology bonds with the user, forming a shared consciousness. Examples: Experimental Cryborg Warriors (Enhanced beyond standard Valkyries). Soul-Infused Sentinels (A forbidden project of Odin¡¯s labs). Living Starships (A rumored lost project from pre-Odin times). Pth-Level Technology (Primordial Energy Manipulation) Description: Technology at this level harnesses cosmic forces, surpassing conventional physics. Only remnants of Pth-tech exist, as much of it was lost before Odin¡¯s rule. Characteristics: Direct Energy Control ¨C Harnessing black holes, supernovas, and antimatter. Matter Transmutation ¨C Converts raw energy into solid objects. Dimensional Anchoring ¨C Stabilizes reality against time anomalies. Examples: The Control Monuments (Planetary regulators). The Central Control (Weather Manipulation Station). Fragments of the Bifrost Bridge (Linked to cosmic energy streams). Rth-Level Technology (Reality-Altering and Time-Based Systems) Description: Theoretical technology that surpasses Odin¡¯s control, bordering on divine creation. Rth-tech is almost mythical and only glimpses of it exist. Characteristics: Can Reshape Existence ¨C Potential to rewrite entire timelines. Reality Anchoring ¨C Prevents Odin from manipulating fate. Unknown Limits ¨C The full extent of Rth-tech remains hidden. Examples: The Nth Gate¡¯s True Form ¨C Potentially an Rth-Level construct. The Final Secrets of Vecna AI ¨C If fully activated, it could undo Odin¡¯s empire. Major Locations in Angel Blade Maria Village (Sweiza¡¯s Homeland) Description: A peaceful, humble village far from Valhalla where Sweiza grew up. Despite its quiet nature, it has a deep connection to the past and the Valkyries. Notable Features: The Verdandi Home ¨C Where Sweiza¡¯s parents, Melda and Tars, reside. The Old Chapel ¨C A forgotten sanctuary with ties to the rebellion. Southerly Village (The Sprite Village) Description: A hidden village within the Aura Forest, home to Sprites before they were driven out by Odin¡¯s forces. It remains a place of secrecy, magic, and rebellion. Affiliation: Formerly a stronghold of the Sprites, now a refuge for those who resist Odin¡¯s empire. Notable Features
  1. The Hollow Tree Court
The central gathering place of Sprites, where the Elder Sprites once made rulings on outsiders. A massive ancient tree with glowing runes, said to have been a gift from the Goddess of Fertility.
  1. The Silver Lantern Shrine
A place of prayer and renewal, where Sprites could see visions of their past and future. It is now overgrown, with only fragments of its former power remaining.
  1. The Wishing Stones
Smooth, rune-etched stones buried beneath the village. If a person whispers their true wish into the stone, it may come true¡ªbut only if the forest deems them worthy.
  1. Sprite Wells
Unlike the Hidden Wells of Stardew Valley, these contain pure magic. Drinking from a Sprite Well grants temporary glimpses into the hidden realm of the Sprites. Aura Forest (The Forest of Spirits and Echoes) Description: A dense, mystical forest where reality and illusion blend together. Affiliation: Sprite-Dominant Territory, though mostly abandoned. Mystical Property: The deeper one goes, the more their perception of time warps, making navigation difficult for outsiders. Notable Features
  1. The Glowing Canopy
The trees here emit bioluminescent light, creating a perpetual twilight.
  1. The Lost Paths
Ancient trails that shift and change, preventing easy travel unless guided by a Sprite.
  1. The Crystal Pools
Reflective waters that show a person¡¯s truest emotions, making them dangerous for those who fear their own reflection.
  1. The Veil of Whispers
A section of the forest where only those with Sprite blood can safely pass, protected by an invisible barrier of ancestral energy. Sprite Valley (Also Known as Stardew Valley) Description: A fertile and enchanting valley, once a place of agricultural prosperity, now largely abandoned due to Odin¡¯s influence and expanding industrialization. Despite this, magic still lingers in the soil, and the remnants of Sprite-kind occasionally appear here. Affiliation: Neutral Territory, though once connected to the Sprites and the lost lands of the Vanir gods. Notable Features
  1. The Whispering Fields
A lush, overgrown expanse where the wind carries voices from the past. Farmers who once worked here could hear echoes of forgotten spirits speaking to them.
  1. The Hidden Wells
Secret wells scattered throughout the valley¡ªsome restore life and vitality, while others are cursed and pull the drinker into an endless dream.
  1. The Broken Altar of the Goddess of Fertility
A shattered monument at the center of the valley, where crops once flourished in abundance. It was destroyed by Odin¡¯s decree to remove old faiths.
  1. The Stardew River
A blue, shimmering river that flows through the valley, with waters said to be imbued with the spirits of Sprites. Surt¡¯s Lair (The Dragon¡¯s Hoard) Description: A cavernous, fire-lit lair where Surt hides after the rebellion. His massive hoard of treasure makes him the richest dragon in existence. Notable Features: The Hoard of Vecna ¨C The fortune that Sweiza and Little Sprite once gave up. The Echoing Chamber ¨C A deep chamber where voices carry for miles, making secrets hard to keep. The Maw of Loki (The Trickster¡¯s Prison) Description: A wretched abyss where Loki is imprisoned, bound in chains for betraying Odin¡¯s son. Though trapped, he watches the world unfold and waits for his chance to escape. Notable Features: The Chains of Ragnarok ¨C Woven from divine metals, they bind Loki in place. The Whispering Void ¨C A space where Loki¡¯s voice can still be heard, even across dimensions. The Tower of Utgard (The Cult of Loki¡¯s Dark Experimentation Lab) Description: A twisting, malformed tower, surrounded by a cursed landscape of warped creatures. Once, it was a center for knowledge, but the Cult of Loki turned it into an experiment site, merging human and animal into twisted monstrosities. Notable Features: The Forsaken Chamber ¨C A vault of failed experiments, where screams still echo. The Nightmare Forges ¨C A living laboratory, where rituals and technology merged into dark creations. The Howling Grounds ¨C The land surrounding the tower is infested with the cursed, creatures of the night that never rest. Current Status: Still active, with the Cult of Loki continuing their unholy work. Valhalla (The City of the Gods) Description: A vast, towering metropolis controlled by Odin, where the elite rule and the Valkyrie serve as enforcers. Beneath its grandeur lies a city of oppression, where rebellion brews in the shadows. Notable Features: Castle Gungnir ¨C Odin¡¯s stronghold, where his power is absolute. The Coliseum ¨C A proving ground for warriors, where Sweiza fights Brynhilde. Strife¡¯s Apartment ¨C A hidden corner of the city where Sweiza and Strife reconnect. Valhalla (The City of Eternal Battle) Description: Odin¡¯s grand capital, a towering fortress-city built to maintain his rule over the Midgard Continent. Affiliation: Odin¡¯s Throne, the heart of his technological and military might. Notable Features
  1. Gungnir Tower
The center of Odin¡¯s empire, where he rewrites fate and commands the Sentinels.
  1. The Dome of Light
A massive energy barrier surrounding the city, preventing outsiders from entering and rebels from escaping.
  1. The Valkyrie Bastion
The elite training grounds for new Valkyries, reinforcing Odin¡¯s army.
  1. The Grand Arena
A coliseum where warriors fight for Odin¡¯s amusement. It is where Sweiza and Brynhilde¡¯s battle takes place. Bothnin (The Dwarven Industrial Harbor City, Underground Empire of Steel and Steam) Description: A fortress city built by the dwarves, Bothnin is an industrial powerhouse, known for its underground forges, advanced engineering, and vast harbor system. It serves as a key supplier of war machines to Odin¡¯s empire¡ªthough some dwarves secretly resent their forced servitude. Affiliation: A crucial part of Odin¡¯s industrial complex, but whispers of rebellion stir beneath the surface. Notable Features
  1. The Great Underground Forge
A massive metalworking facility, fueled by magma vents deep within the earth. Here, dwarves craft Sentinel parts, weapons, and experimental machines for Odin¡¯s forces.
  1. The Steamcathedrals
Towering mechanical structures, adorned with pipes, gears, and pulsing mana cores. Some dwarves worship these places as temples to the art of engineering.
  1. The Harbor of Ironclads
Bothnin¡¯s harbor is one of the largest in Midgard, housing warships, submarines, and heavily armored transports. Despite being deeply industrialized, it still contains remnants of the old dwarven sailing traditions.
  1. The Veins of the Mountain
A labyrinth of underground tunnels and train networks, allowing for rapid transportation of goods and materials. Some tunnels have been abandoned, rumored to be haunted by ancient dwarven spirits.
  1. The Council of Iron Lords
The ruling body of dwarven engineers and industrial magnates, who serve Odin out of necessity rather than loyalty. Some among them secretly fund resistance movements, hoping to one day break free of Odin¡¯s control. Vecna (The City of Forgotten Knowledge) Description: Once a thriving city, Vecna is now a sealed archive of lost history, buried beneath layers of secrecy. Affiliation: A neutral yet contested ground, believed to hold the truth Odin wants to erase. Notable Features
  1. Vecna Museum
The last known repository of pre-Odin knowledge, housing erased history, advanced technology, and hidden artifacts.
  1. The Frozen Vaults
Cryogenic chambers holding forgotten individuals, artifacts, and possibly even Valkyries from the past.
  1. The AI Core of Vecna
The sleeping supercomputer that, if reactivated, could reveal the truth behind Odin¡¯s empire. Yggdrasil (The World-Tree, Axis of Realms & Life) Description: Yggdrasil is not merely a tree¡ªit is the core of existence itself, a vast and ancient entity that connects all realms, time, and fate. It is the spiritual and metaphysical foundation upon which the worlds were built, standing beyond the reach of Odin¡¯s control. Affiliation: Once revered by the Vanir, Valkyries, and older deities, now mostly abandoned or lost. Notable Features
  1. The Great Canopy
Yggdrasil¡¯s leaves shine with aetheric light, each one holding memories of the past, present, and possible futures. Some believe plucking a leaf grants visions, but doing so comes at a cost.
  1. The Roots of the Underworld
Beneath its roots lie Helheim, the Abyssal Expanse, and the forgotten domains of lost gods. This is where Nidhoggr dwells, gnawing endlessly at the tree¡¯s foundation.
  1. The Bifrost Gateways
Yggdrasil contains natural portals, leading to different realms. Only those with knowledge of the ancient paths can use them freely.
  1. The Realm of the Lost Valkyries
A hidden grove within Yggdrasil, where fallen Valkyries once returned after death. Odin sealed this place away, fearing it could be used to revive warriors lost in the rebellion. Abilities & Influence Fatebinding ¨C Yggdrasil anchors reality, meaning that anything that damages the tree could destroy existence itself. Regeneration ¨C The tree can heal itself, though it takes centuries to do so. Memory of the Gods ¨C Some say the tree remembers everything, including the true history of Odin¡¯s rise to power. Midgard Continent (The Core of Odin¡¯s Rule) Description: The central landmass where Odin¡¯s empire is based, containing Valhalla, Bothnin, Vecna, and the ruined territories of Muspell, Utgard, and Alfgard. Affiliation: Controlled by Odin, but home to many rebellious factions. Notable Regions
  1. The Wastes of Utgard
A land scarred by failed experiments, where creatures of the night still roam after the Cult of Loki¡¯s corruption.
  1. The Burned Plains of Muspell
Once a kingdom of fire giants, now a desolate wasteland after Odin¡¯s conquest.
  1. The Ruins of Alfgard
The last remnants of the Light Elves, now a forgotten land buried beneath magic and ruin. Myrkvellir (The Veiled Lands) Description: A forbidden, mist-covered land said to be lost to time. It is home to the Myrkvellir Monument, guarded by Lumina & Lumia. Few who enter ever return. Notable Features: Myrkvellir Monument ¨C An ancient relic containing knowledge that predates Odin¡¯s rule. The Twin Guardians ¨C Lumina & Lumia protect the monument from the unworthy. Helheim (The Realm of the Dead) Description: A dark, chilling domain ruled by Lady Hella, where lost souls wander. Those who displease Odin may find themselves here¡ªeither as prisoners or frozen in time. Notable Features: The Frozen Chamber ¨C Where Strife was once imprisoned in time. The Bridge of Judgment ¨C The only known exit from Helheim, controlled by Hella. Sentinel Island (The Valkyrie Testing Grounds) Description: A remote, unforgiving island where future Valkyrie candidates must prove their worth. Odin uses it as a test of survival and loyalty. Notable Features: The Treehouse ¨C Built by Sweiza and Brynhilde during their trial. The Winter Beach ¨C Where Brynhilde sits blind, waiting for fate to guide her. The Nth Gate (A Path Through Time) Description: A mysterious temporal doorway created by Salyra, granting access to different points in time. Only those who prove themselves worthy can activate it. Notable Features: The Clock Hands ¨C Sweiza must wind her hands like a clock to open a portal. The Temporal Rift ¨C A chaotic space between time periods, where reality shifts unpredictably. Vecna Museum (The Hall of Forbidden History) Description: A massive underground archive located within Vecna, a once-thriving resettlement colony. The museum was originally a center of historical preservation and research, but after Odin¡¯s conquest, it became a sealed vault of erased history and lost artifacts. Affiliation: Neutral ¨C once run by scholars, now abandoned and locked away by Odin¡¯s decree. Notable Features
  1. The Hall of Lost Ages
An enormous chamber lined with floating holograms and ancient records, detailing Odin¡¯s true rise to power and the war against the Vanir. Many of these records have been redacted by ODIN, but some fragments remain, hidden beneath layers of encryption.
  1. The Relic Vault
Houses forbidden artifacts, including weapons, technology, and enchanted relics that could disrupt Odin¡¯s empire. The Golden Nanite Bath is believed to have been stored here before being relocated.
  1. The Cryo-Library
An ice-sealed archive where biological samples, experimental creatures, and even stasis-locked individuals remain frozen in time. Some believe a Valkyrie from the past is locked inside, waiting to be revived.
  1. The AI Core of Vecna
Deep within the museum lies the unactivated core of the Vecna Supercomputer, which, if awakened, could restore all deleted historical data. However, ODIN has placed a Sentinel Guardian at the core, ensuring it remains silent forever. Muspell (The Infernal Wastes) Description: A fiery, war-torn realm ruled by fire giants and rebellious warlords, Muspell is the land of eternal flames. It was once a powerful kingdom but now exists in a state of conflict. Notable Features: The Ashen Plains ¨C A scorching battlefield where the remains of countless wars are buried beneath volcanic ash. The Molten Citadel ¨C The fortress of the Fire Giants, where the Lord of Muspell reigns. The Sea of Embers ¨C A vast, lava-filled chasm rumored to house an ancient dragon slumbering beneath its surface. Alfgard (The Hidden Realm of Light) Description: A realm of ethereal beauty, home to the Light Elves who remain hidden from Odin¡¯s rule. Enchanted forests and radiant rivers fill this sacred land. Notable Features: The Everblooming Grove ¨C A mystical forest where flowers never wither, pulsing with natural magic. The Crystal Spires ¨C Tall, gleaming towers that serve as the heart of elven knowledge and power. The Shimmering Veil ¨C A protective barrier that conceals Alfgard from outsiders, visible only under the right celestial alignments. Vanher (The Lost Garden of the Gods) Description: A once-prosperous land of fertility and divine harmony, now in decline. It was the home of the Vanir gods before they were betrayed and cast out by Odin. Notable Features: The Golden Fields ¨C Vast lands once known for their rich harvests, now withered and desolate. The Ruins of Freyr¡¯s Temple ¨C An abandoned sanctuary where nature spirits still whisper of past glories. The River of Echoes ¨C A mystical waterway that carries the voices of the past, allowing glimpses into history. Mantara (The City of Mirages) / Mantara (The Sunken Realm of the Undine) Description: A desert metropolis built upon shifting sands, where illusion and reality blur. It is a center of lost knowledge, hidden in the dunes. Notable Features: The Sandspire Library ¨C A vault of ancient texts hidden beneath the city, containing forbidden knowledge. The Phantom Bazaar ¨C A market that appears and disappears, selling goods that defy explanation. The Oasis of Reflections ¨C A mystical lake where one may see glimpses of alternate fates Description: A vast underwater kingdom hidden deep beneath the ocean, beyond Odin¡¯s reach. Mantara is a place of mystical currents, bioluminescent cities, and eternal twilight where the Undine, an ancient waterborne race, reside. It is an independent realm, untouched by the rule of gods or mortals. However, it is also a place of exile¡ªfor those who have lost their place among the Undine, there is no return. Affiliation: A sovereign realm, neither allied with Valhalla nor Odin. It exists as a neutral, secretive power, keeping its distance from the conflicts above. Notable Inhabitants: The Undine ¨C A race of aquatic beings who have lived in Mantara for millennia, gifted with the ability to manipulate water and communicate through echoes of the deep. Uma (The Exiled Daughter) ¨C Once a noble among the Undine, Uma was cast out, never to return. Her exile remains a mystery, but whispers suggest she violated the ancient laws of Mantara. Notable Features
  1. The Abyssal Spires
Towering coral-like structures glowing with an otherworldly light, forming the heart of the Undine capital. The spires hum with the energy of the deep, allowing the Undine to communicate across vast distances.
  1. The Shimmering Veil
A massive, dome-like barrier of ever-shifting water currents, obscuring Mantara from the outside world. It is nearly impossible to penetrate without Undine guidance.
  1. The Echoing Trench
A deep abyss where sound carries for miles, distorting voices and memories. It is a place of reflection and isolation, where the Undine seek guidance from the whispers of the ocean.
  1. The Coral Throne
The seat of Mantara¡¯s ruler, woven from living coral and adorned with luminescent pearls. It is said that the throne responds only to those who are in perfect harmony with the ocean¡¯s flow.
  1. The Sunken Archive
A grand library hidden beneath layers of silt, containing forbidden knowledge and histories long erased from the surface world. Only the most trusted Undine scholars may enter.
  1. The Silver Tide
A vast current that pulls ships and lost souls into Mantara¡¯s depths. Some claim it is a natural defense, while others believe it is a remnant of an ancient Undine ritual gone wrong. Legends & Secrets The Undine once ruled the oceans freely, but a great war against an unknown enemy forced them into hiding. It is rumored that Mantara holds artifacts older than Odin himself¡ªrelics that could change the balance of power. Uma¡¯s exile is tied to a secret only she knows, one that could shake the foundations of Mantara if revealed. Asgard Island (The Floating Throne of the Gods) Description: A floating island-city in the sky, where Odin¡¯s elite reside. It serves as the seat of divine power and houses the most formidable Sentinels. Notable Features: Gungnir Tower ¨C Odin¡¯s central command, where fate is rewritten and enemies are erased. The Valkyrie Bastion ¨C The training grounds for new Valkyries, built to forge them into unbreakable warriors. The Sky Gates ¨C Grand portals that connect Asgard Island to different realms, controlled by Odin¡¯s will. Niflheim (The Land of Eternal Frost) Description: A vast, icy wasteland shrouded in eternal winter. It is a realm of forgotten souls and cursed beings, feared by even the gods. Notable Features: The Frozen Tundra ¨C A land covered in permafrost, where only the strongest survive. The Crystalline Tombs ¨C Caverns where ancient warriors and creatures are frozen in time, waiting to awaken. The Howling Winds ¨C A never-ending storm that echoes with lost voices, said to drive mortals mad. Svarta (The Sunless Depths) Description: A vast underground world known as the Shadow Realm, inhabited by creatures who dwell in darkness. It is a place of secrecy, hidden pathways, and dangerous dealings. Notable Features: The Black Market of Mirkhollow ¨C A lawless trade hub where forbidden artifacts, stolen relics, and black magic are exchanged. The Abyssal Bridge ¨C A narrow stone bridge suspended over a bottomless void, leading to forgotten ruins. The Starlit Cavern ¨C The only place where natural light exists in Svarta, glowing from luminescent crystals embedded in the cavern walls. Helheim Canyon (The Gateway to the Dead) Description: A massive, deathly canyon that marks the entrance to Helheim. It is filled with perilous paths, soul-trapping winds, and haunted ruins. Notable Features: The Despairing Steps ¨C A series of crumbling stone bridges that lead downward, lined with statues of those who tried and failed to cross. The Veil of Mourning ¨C A swirling mist of lost souls, where past regrets and sorrows manifest as whispers in the dark. The Black Maw ¨C The final gateway into Helheim, guarded by Lady Hella¡¯s sentinels, allowing only those she deems worthy to enter. Utgard (The Exiled Kingdom) Description: A lawless frontier where giants, outcasts, and warbands gather. It stands at the fringes of the known world, where Odin¡¯s influence weakens. Notable Features: The Fortress of Outcasts ¨C A stronghold for those who have defied Odin, including rogue Valkyries and exiled warriors. The Ravaged Wastes ¨C A dangerous, wind-swept desert filled with remnants of battles and lost relics. The Deep Chasm ¨C A bottomless pit where legends say a forgotten god slumbers, waiting to rise again. Jotunher (The Titan¡¯s Domain) Description: A frozen, mountainous expanse known as the Land of the Giants, home to the remnants of the Jotnar race. Towering glaciers and deep chasms make this land treacherous to all but the strongest. Notable Features: The Titan¡¯s Spine ¨C A massive, jagged mountain range said to be the petrified remains of an ancient Jotnar. The Icebound Ruins ¨C Once a grand fortress, now buried beneath ice, holding secrets of the Jotnar¡¯s war against Odin. The Everstorm ¨C A swirling, eternal blizzard fueled by ancient magic, guarding the heart of Jotunher. Muspeller Sea (The Burning Waters of the South) Description: A vast ocean of boiling waves, infused with volcanic activity and deep-sea fire vents. The sea is named after the fallen kingdom of Muspell, once ruled by fire giants and master craftsmen before it was destroyed by Odin¡¯s conquest. Affiliation: A treacherous, mostly abandoned territory¡ªbut rumored to hold secrets of lost Muspell technology beneath its depths. Notable Features
  1. The Fire Vortexes
Massive whirlpools of molten energy, formed by underwater lava flows meeting icy ocean currents. Said to swallow entire ships, leading to hidden caverns beneath the sea.
  1. The Ashen Isles
Floating volcanic islands, constantly erupting and reforming. Some pirates and exiles take refuge here, using the harsh environment to hide from Odin¡¯s reach.
  1. The Coral Forge
A legendary underwater ruin, believed to be the last known Muspeller crafting hall, where weapons of fire and metal were once forged. Some believe a great weapon remains hidden here, waiting for one worthy enough to claim it.
  1. The Black Leviathan
A colossal sea creature, said to be the guardian of the Muspeller Deep, where ancient fire giants were entombed. Sightings of the Leviathan have led sailors to avoid these waters for centuries. The Yawning Gap (The Rift Between Realms) Description: A massive, bottomless canyon that splits the Midgard Continent apart. Affiliation: A no-man¡¯s-land, filled with anomalies, abandoned ruins, and supernatural dangers. Notable Features
  1. The Edge of the World
Some believe the Yawning Gap is an incomplete scar, created when Odin reshaped the land using Gungnir Tower¡¯s reality-altering abilities. It is said that if one stares long enough into the darkness, they can see visions of lost civilizations and futures that never came to pass.
  1. The Floating Spires
Shattered fragments of temples and ancient structures, defying gravity and hovering above the abyss. Some explorers claim that time does not flow normally here, making the spires a forbidden zone for any who value their sanity.
  1. The Eternal Descent
A legend states that no person who has fallen into the Yawning Gap has ever hit the bottom. Some claim that falling souls are trapped in endless limbo, forever tumbling between dimensions.
  1. The Nameless Prison
A hidden vault supposedly built by Odin¡¯s Sentinels, where individuals who posed a threat to his rule were cast into eternal confinement. No records exist of who was imprisoned here, only whispers of lost gods and forgotten rebels. The Abyssal Expanse (The Endless Void Beneath the Ocean) Description: A terrifying, pitch-black region beneath the sea, where the ocean floor seems to disappear into infinite darkness. Affiliation: Unclaimed, yet many fear that something ancient slumbers in its depths. Notable Features
  1. The Midnight Trenches
A network of impossibly deep chasms, reaching beyond measurable depths. The pressure here is so strong that even Odin¡¯s advanced submersibles cannot explore it without being crushed.
  1. The Veil of the Lost
A strange, shifting fog of bio-luminescent blue light, seen hovering above the trenches. Those who stare into it too long claim to hear voices calling to them from beyond the veil.
  1. The Sleeping Monolith
An ancient structure buried deep beneath the sea, rumored to be a remnant of an empire predating Odin¡¯s rule. It emits an unknown energy signature, strong enough to disable Sentinels and distort navigation systems.
  1. The Devourer
A rumored cosmic entity, believed to lurk at the lowest depths of the Expanse. Legends speak of ships vanishing without a trace, their final distress calls filled with nothing but unearthly echoes and static. Major Celestial Bodies in Angel Blade Solaris (The Twin Suns) A binary star at the system¡¯s heart, fueling the Salmare Gateways. Source of immense cosmic energy, which powers the Nth Gate. Andromeda (The Shattered World) Once a thriving civilization, now a broken, asteroid-filled ruin. Home to lost supercomputers and remnants of Salyra¡¯s technology. Kimstar (The Carnival Planet) A rogue world known for lawless trade and deception. The last known location of Salyra¡¯s ship, the Star Fury. Virgo (The Living World) A planet that breathes, covered in sentient forests. Some claim it was once home to an immortal race. The Salmare Gateways An interdimensional corridor leading to realms beyond time. Connected to the Nth Gate, allowing access to the lost past. . Angol (Sal A) ¨C The Crimson Sun Description: The largest and brightest star, a red giant that casts an intense crimson glow across the system. Symbolism: Often considered the heart of the system, representing fire, strength, and destruction. Effect on Planets: Angol¡¯s radiation waves cause extreme temperature fluctuations, shaping the environment of Avalan and its moons. 2. Tersha (Sal B) ¨C The Dying Ember Description: A fainter, cooler orange star, overshadowed by Angol¡¯s brightness. Symbolism: Represents persistence, the past, and cycles of renewal. Effect on Planets: Creates unstable weather patterns, leading to longer seasonal changes on Avalan. 3. Versas (Sal C) ¨C The Cold Flame Description: The dimmest and smallest star, a blue-white dwarf that flickers sporadically. Symbolism: Represents mystery, knowledge, and fate¡ªoften linked to the ancient civilizations that once thrived in the system. Effect on Planets: Its gravitational pulses affect the orbits of Avalan¡¯s moons, influencing ocean tides and atmospheric currents. Avalan (Sal IV) ¨C The World of Moons and Rings Description: Avalan is the fourth planet in the system, a terrestrial world with vast oceans, high mountain ranges, and deep canyons. It is the largest habitable planet, known for its diverse biomes and ancient ruins. Climate: A mix of arid deserts, frozen wastelands, and lush forests, dictated by the influence of its multiple moons. Historical Significance: Once home to a powerful pre-Odin civilization, Avalan still holds ruins of forgotten technology and mystical artifacts. The Rings of Avalan (Formed from the Destruction of Mek and Mecer) Description: Two destroyed moons, Mek and Mecer, now form a luminous ring system around Avalan. Shepherd Moon Influence: Mylaka (Sal IVb) serves as a shepherd moon, stabilizing the ring system, preventing the debris from dispersing. The Four Remaining Moons of Avalan Each moon has a unique orbit, influence, and legend associated with it. 1. Lokul (Sal IVe) ¨C The Red Iron Moon Description: A rust-colored, iron-heavy moon, often appearing blood-red in the sky. Surface Features: Rich in ferrous minerals and magnetic anomalies. Contains massive underground caverns that were once mining operations. Symbolism: Named after Loki, as it is believed to shift unpredictably in orbit. Some scholars claim it harbors trapped entities or remnants of ancient battles. 2. Haydura (Sal IVa) ¨C The Shrouded Sentinel Description: A rocky, airless moon, often covered in dark clouds of dust and debris. Notable Features: The surface is scarred with impact craters, suggesting it was once a battleground for celestial wars. Some believe a hidden stronghold exists beneath its surface, possibly an ancient Salmarean outpost. Symbolism: Represents mystery, secrecy, and silent watchfulness. 3. Mylaka (Sal IVb) ¨C The Shepherd Moon of the Rings Description: A dull yellow, medium-sized moon, playing a crucial role in stabilizing Avalan¡¯s ring system. Surface Features: Covered in volcanic plains and geysers, releasing bursts of sulfuric gas into space. Ancient, glyph-covered ruins suggest it once housed an advanced civilization. Symbolism: Represents order, guardianship, and fate, as it prevents the destruction of Avalan¡¯s rings. 4. Mardin (Sal IVf) ¨C The Pale Watcher Description: A bright white moon, often mistaken for a second sun when Angol¡¯s light reflects off it. Surface Features: Entirely frozen, covered in glacial cliffs and crystalline plains. Home to deep fissures that lead into unknown caverns. Symbolism: Considered the moon''s guardian, believed to store lost knowledge beneath its icy layers. Some claim it was once a thriving city before being frozen in time. The Remains of Mek and Mecer (The Lost Moons) Description: Mek and Mecer were once twin moons, but their destruction created the rings surrounding Avalan. Fragments of these moons still contain energy signatures, hinting at a cataclysmic event¡ªpossibly caused by a failed experiment or celestial war. Current State: Mylaka¡¯s gravity stabilizes the debris, keeping the rings from collapsing into Avalan. Some of the larger ring fragments still hold intact structures, possibly containing remnants of an ancient civilization. Other Notable Features of the Salmare System The Eye of Salmare (Cosmic Anomaly Surrounding the System) A massive energy distortion field, making it difficult to detect the system from outside. Some believe the Eye is an artificial construct, possibly a defensive mechanism left by an unknown force. The Outer Wreck Fields A starship graveyard, filled with wreckage from ancient battles. Some derelicts still contain salvageable technology, but scavengers rarely return alive. The Hollow Star Lanes Space routes warped by the trinary star system¡¯s gravity, making navigation treacherous. Only skilled pilots or AI navigators can safely traverse these areas. Major Species in Angel Blade J?rmungandr Species (The World Serpents of the Abyss) Description: The J?rmungandr are an ancient species of colossal, serpentine creatures, once believed to be the great world-serpents that swam through the primordial seas before Odin reshaped the land. Unlike lesser sea creatures, the J?rmungandr are nearly godlike in power, capable of reshaping landscapes, manipulating weather, and influencing the tides. Affiliation: Some are neutral, while others harbor deep hatred for Odin¡¯s empire, as his expansion has encroached upon their ancient domains. Physical Traits Size: Some J?rmungandr are miles long, their bodies large enough to coil around mountains and islands. Elemental Affinity: Each J?rmungandr has a specific elemental nature, often tied to the sea, storms, ice, or even fire. Armor & Scales: Their scales are nearly indestructible, resistant to conventional weapons, magic, and even Odin¡¯s Sentinel technology. Abilities & Traits Tectonic Movement ¨C Their mere presence causes earthquakes, tsunamis, and violent shifts in the land. Weather Manipulation ¨C Some are able to control storms, bringing endless hurricanes or stilling the seas. Dimensional Presence ¨C A few J?rmungandr are said to exist partially in other dimensions, making them difficult to track or kill. Venom of the Ancients ¨C Their poison is beyond deadly, capable of corrupting land, sea, and even souls. Notable J?rmungandr
  1. J?rmungandr the Great Serpent
The largest and most feared of its kind, believed to encircle the entire world beneath the waves. Legends say it will rise to consume the sky when Ragnarok begins.
  1. Vaermundr, The Silent Abyss
A deep-sea J?rmungandr, said to dwell within the Abyssal Expanse, never seen but always felt. Some believe it is a guardian of lost knowledge, only surfacing when something threatens the balance of the world.
  1. Fafnithor, The Crimson Coil
A J?rmungandr that breathes fire, unlike its kin. Its domain was the Muspeller Sea, where it once warred with the fire giants. Nidhoggr (The Devourer of the Dead, The Corpse Eater of Yggdrasil) Description: Nidhoggr is a monstrous, dragon-like serpent that lives beneath the roots of Yggdrasil, feeding on the dead, the forsaken, and the corrupted. Unlike the J?rmungandr, which are vast, world-affecting titans, Nidhoggr is a malevolent force of decay, existing to consume the remnants of failed civilizations, lost gods, and fallen warriors. Affiliation: Enemy of Odin, but also an enemy to all who exist¡ªit does not fight for any cause but instead seeks only destruction, corruption, and the devouring of all things. Physical Traits Size: Enormous but not world-spanning, smaller than J?rmungandr but more aggressive. Appearance: Skeletal, rotting, with patches of obsidian-black scales and decaying wings. Breath of Decay: Instead of fire, Nidhoggr exhales waves of entropy, causing living things to rot and metal to rust. Abilities & Traits Feeder of the Dead ¨C It consumes the souls of the dishonored, growing stronger with each fallen warrior. Treebound Parasite ¨C Nidhoggr cannot leave the underworld freely¡ªit is bound to Yggdrasil but can influence Helheim, the Abyssal Expanse, and forgotten lands. Corrupting Presence ¨C Its very existence taints the land, spreading disease, madness, and ruin. Notable Legends About Nidhoggr
  1. The Battle at the End of Time
Some believe Nidhoggr will rise at the end of all things, breaking free from its chains beneath Yggdrasil to devour the last gods and mortals alike.
  1. The Blood Pact with Loki
It is rumored that Loki made a pact with Nidhoggr, allowing the beast to influence certain dark sorcerers in the Cult of Loki. Berserkers in Angel Blade: The Unstoppable Warriors of Rage Berserkers are legendary warriors who enter a state of heightened physicality, endurance, and resistance, making them nearly invulnerable to conventional weapons. Unlike normal warriors who rely on armor and tactics, berserkers fight with raw, unfiltered ferocity, often tearing through enemies barehanded or with massive weapons. However, their greatest strength is also their greatest weakness¡ªwhile mundane weapons barely harm them, magic and enchanted weapons can cut through their enhanced hides, breaking their natural resistances. Why Do Iron Weapons Bounce Off a Berserker¡¯s Hide? 1. Flesh Hardened by Battle Instinct A berserker¡¯s body becomes hyper-dense, their skin toughening like armor in response to battle. Muscle fibers harden, making them resistant to conventional slashes, stabs, and blunt force. 2. Blood-Fueled Regeneration Their adrenaline-boosted physiology allows them to regenerate faster than normal humans or Valkyries. Non-magical wounds clot almost instantly, preventing deep cuts from weakening them. 3. Metal Repulsion Effect Berserkers radiate an aura of war energy, a mix of combat instinct and supernatural rage. Iron weapons, which are mundane in nature, struggle to pierce their battle-hardened state. This effect is strongest when the berserker is fully immersed in battle, making them almost unstoppable against conventional warriors. Why Do Magic & Enchanted Weapons Harm Berserkers? 1. Magic Disrupts Their Battle Aura Enchanted blades and spells can bypass the berserker¡¯s natural resistance, as they do not rely on pure physical force but on energy that distorts reality itself. A berserker¡¯s rage aura is like an unbreakable shield against normal weapons, but magic can pierce this defense like fire through ice. 2. Enchanted Weapons Ignore Physical Resistance A blessed or cursed blade carries an intrinsic force that is not bound by physical rules. The magic binds to the blade¡¯s edge, making every strike carry supernatural force, allowing it to cleave through even the hardest berserker hide. 3. Silver & Divine Metals Break Their Frenzy Silver weapons, due to their purity and connection to the divine, have a natural effect on berserkers, cutting through their resilience. Weapons forged with divine metals (like starsteel or mythril) act as counters, preventing their flesh from regenerating instantly. Notable Ways to Kill a Berserker Because of their extreme resistance, few methods exist to reliably kill a berserker. These include:
  1. Decapitation with an Enchanted Blade
The only surefire way to kill a berserker instantly. A normal sword cannot sever their head, but a runed blade or enchanted weapon can.
  1. Poisoned or Cursed Magic
Since berserkers regenerate from most wounds, the best way to kill them is through afflictions that prevent healing. Curses, necrotic magic, or divine fire can rot their flesh, preventing regeneration.
  1. Overwhelming Magic Damage
While physical weapons struggle against them, berserkers have no resistance to high-tier magic. Elemental magic, reality-warping abilities, or time-slowing spells can halt their rampage and give warriors a chance to strike.
  1. Soul-Draining Artifacts
Some forbidden relics can steal the soul of a berserker, instantly rendering them lifeless husks. These are rare and dangerous, but they are one of the few sure ways to end a berserker¡¯s fury. How This Affects Sweiza¡¯s Berserker Nature Since Sweiza has Dark Elf blood and a berserker state triggered by Lokul, her body functions similarly to full berserkers¡ªbut with key differences: She is still vulnerable to piercing weapons, but only when she is off-guard or weakened. Regular blades will struggle against her if she is fully enraged, requiring enchanted or magically-infused weapons to pierce her flesh. She retains some level of control, meaning she does not lose herself entirely to mindless rage, unlike traditional berserkers. Possible Weaknesses in Sweiza¡¯s Berserker Mode
  1. An anti-berserker rune could suppress her transformation.
  2. A curse that weakens rage-powered warriors might prevent her from using her enhanced state.
  3. Exposure to divine energy (such as holy weapons or celestial fire) might force her out of berserker mode.
Sweiza as a Berserker & The Influence of Lokul (The Blood Moon of Avalan) Sweiza¡¯s Berserker state is a unique transformation influenced by her Dark Elf heritage from Myrkvellir and the gravitational effects of Lokul (Sal IVe), the Red Iron Moon. Unlike traditional berserkers, whose rage is triggered by battle or magic, Sweiza''s berserker episodes are deeply tied to her biological cycle, particularly during menstruation cramps. This phenomenon is rare, as most Dark Elves do not experience berserker transformations, but due to her mixed bloodline and exposure to powerful enchantments, Sweiza has an unusual reaction to Lokul¡¯s influence, which enhances her aggression, endurance, and pain resistance during this time. The Berserker State: What Happens to Sweiza? Physical & Mental Changes Increased Muscle Density & Strength ¨C Her body enters a state of rapid augmentation, where muscle fibers harden, making her capable of overpowering even Valkyries and Sentinels. Pain Becomes Fuel ¨C Instead of crippling cramps, the pain is converted into raw combat power, allowing her to fight longer, faster, and harder. Adrenaline Surge & Recklessness ¨C She becomes less cautious, ignoring injuries or tactical disadvantages in favor of pure aggression. Eyes Darken & Glow ¨C Her normally silver or steel-gray irises turn black, with a faint crimson glow¡ªa known sign of Dark Elf berserkers from Myrkvellir. Battle Instinct Over Reason ¨C In this state, Sweiza loses some rationality¡ªher mind prioritizes combat, destruction, and survival over strategy. The Effect of Lokul (The Red Iron Moon) on Sweiza Why Does Lokul Trigger Sweiza¡¯s Berserker Mode? Lokul, the Red Iron Moon, is known for its strange magnetic field and gravitational anomalies. These properties amplify the biological traits of certain species, particularly those with Dark Elf lineage. Lokul¡¯s Cycle & Sweiza¡¯s Reaction: During Full Lokul ¨C Sweiza¡¯s Berserker instincts become uncontrollable, making her an unstoppable force in battle. During Waning Lokul ¨C She experiences mild pain fluctuations, which can be suppressed through meditation or enchantments. During New Lokul ¨C The effects are minimal, and she can function normally. What Exactly Happens When Lokul is in Full Phase? Severe Menstrual Cramps Turn into Berserker Rage What should be painful cramps instead triggers an adrenaline overload, forcing her into a heightened combat state. Blood Becomes Supercharged Her blood thickens slightly, increasing oxygen flow to her muscles, making her resistant to exhaustion. Senses Sharpen to Predatory Levels She can smell blood in the air, her hearing becomes ultra-sensitive, and her reflexes double in speed. Mood Swings Become Violent Impulses She becomes easily agitated, and while she can control it wit Coping Mechanisms & Control Over Her Berserker Mode Since Lokul¡¯s influence is beyond her control, Sweiza has developed ways to manage her berserker transformation:
  1. Meditation & Controlled Breathing
Helps her suppress the initial onset of rage, though it only delays the inevitable.
  1. Pain-Dampening Runes
Strife once inscribed a Dark Elf sigil on her armor to minimize the effects, but it only works partially.
  1. Cold Water Immersion
Soaking in ice-cold water can temporarily slow her body¡¯s reaction, but it is not a permanent fix.
  1. Avoiding Combat During Full Lokul (Rarely Followed)
She has been advised to stay out of fights during Full Lokul, but she rarely listens.
  1. A Fighting Partner Who Can Stop Her
Strife or Lester can sometimes snap her out of the rage, but it is dangerous to approach her mid-berserk. How Others React to Sweiza¡¯s Berserker Mode Strife ¨C Concerned but Pragmatic Recognizes Sweiza¡¯s potential but also sees the danger in losing control. Trains Sweiza to harness the rage, rather than fall victim to it. "It¡¯s not a curse. It¡¯s a weapon. Learn to wield it, or it will wield you." Lester ¨C Finds It Amusing but Worrisome Teases Sweiza about it but secretly monitors her closely to ensure she doesn¡¯t spiral out of control. "Oh, it¡¯s Full Lokul? Well, I¡¯ll just be¡­ over here, behind a very large rock." Brynhilde ¨C Jealous of Sweiza¡¯s Strength Sees the berserker state as both a gift and a curse, wondering if she could ever reach that level of power. "If I had your strength, I wouldn¡¯t need my sight to fight." Rezra ¨C Finds It Terrifying and Tries to Avoid Her Makes a point to never provoke Sweiza during Full Lokul. "Nope. No way. I like my tail attached to my body, thanks." Little Sprite ¨C Doesn¡¯t Fully Understand It Notices the shift in Sweiza¡¯s mood but isn¡¯t afraid of her. "Why is Big Sweiza angry? Does she need a hug?!" Phrases and Their Meanings in Angel Blade "The Dagger Jumping Helheim¡¯s Canyon" Meaning: A phrase used to describe reckless, suicidal actions or risky choices with no return. Origin: In ancient times, warriors who had nothing left to lose would throw a dagger into Helheim¡¯s Canyon and then leap after it¡ªa symbolic gesture of defying fate and death. Only one warrior ever returned from this jump, though how they survived remains unknown. Modern Usage: Used to describe extreme risk-taking or a last-ditch effort with no chance of survival. Example: "Charging Odin¡¯s Sentinels alone? That¡¯s the Dagger Jumping Helheim¡¯s Canyon, that is." 2. "We don¡¯t have time to muck around in Myrkvellir." Meaning: A phrase implying urgency, often used when wasting time is dangerous or deadly. Origin: Myrkvellir is a dark, dangerous land filled with illusions and shifting landscapes, where travelers who stray too long are never seen again. Because of this, it became a common saying among soldiers and explorers, meaning: We can¡¯t afford to hesitate or wander aimlessly. Modern Usage: When someone is taking too long to make a decision or delaying an important mission. Example: "Get moving! We don¡¯t have time to muck around in Myrkvellir!" 3. "Myrkvellir Sundae" Meaning: A sarcastic term referring to a situation so chaotic, messy, or disastrous that it¡¯s layered like a cursed dessert. Origin: Myrkvellir is known for its twisting landscapes, conflicting histories, and unpredictable outcomes, making it a symbol of complex disasters. The phrase "Myrkvellir Sundae" comes from the idea that the worst situations often have multiple layers of trouble, just like a sundae has layers of toppings. Modern Usage: Used to describe a situation that keeps getting worse with no clear way out. Example: "So we¡¯re being chased, we lost our weapons, and we¡¯re stuck in a collapsing ruin? Great. That¡¯s a real Myrkvellir Sundae." 4. "To be at the gates of Myrkvellir" Meaning: A phrase meaning to be at death¡¯s door or to be on the verge of collapse, physically or mentally. Origin: Myrkvellir is known as the land of the lost, a place where people vanish, never to be seen again. The phrase "standing at its gates" became a metaphor for nearing death or irreversible failure. Modern Usage: Used when someone is injured, exhausted, or barely holding on. Example: "She¡¯s been fighting for hours¡­ she¡¯s at the gates of Myrkvellir." 5. "May the spear of Gungnir light your path." Meaning: A formal blessing or farewell, implying that the path ahead is guided by fate. Origin: Gungnir, Odin¡¯s spear, is said to never miss its target. It became a symbol of divine fate. The phrase originally meant "May destiny guide you without failure" but is now a mix of a curse and a blessing¡ªsome take it as "May you hit your fate whether you like it or not." Modern Usage: Said before a dangerous mission or as a formal goodbye. Example: "Stay safe. May the spear of Gungnir light your path." 6. "So says I, Alice Verdandi." Meaning: A declaration of absolute decision, often used after making a final judgment or statement of power. Origin: Verdandi is one of the Norns (fate-weavers), representing the present. Strife (Alyssa Verdandi) uses this phrase to solidify her word as final, emphasizing that her actions shape fate in the present moment. Modern Usage: When Strife makes a decision that cannot be challenged. Example: "We strike at dawn. So says I, Alice Verdandi." Valkyrie Heel Clicking & Bowing Customs Why Do Valkyries Click Their Heels Together? Symbol of Unity & Readiness: Clicking the heels together is an old Valkyrie combat gesture, signifying that a warrior is alert, prepared, and disciplined. Connection to Flight: The movement is a remnant of ancient Valkyrie traditions, where clicking their heels activated magical flight runes in their boots. Final Acknowledgment Before Battle: Before charging into a fight, a duel, or an execution, Valkyries click their heels as a form of unspoken respect to the opponent. The Different Levels of Bowing (Formal & Ritual)
Bowing customs are a sign of respect, rank, and submission, with each level carrying a specific meaning.Type of Bow Meaning & When It¡¯s Used
Slight Head Bow Acknowledgment of an equal or minor superior. Used in casual or respectful greetings.
Bow Above the Waist Given to someone of higher rank or status but not of divine power. Used for commanding officers or nobility.
Bow Below the Waist Deep respect, often given to royalty, high-ranking generals, or a personal mentor.
Kneeling Bow (One Knee on Ground, Head Lowered) Respectful submission, given to a sovereign, leader, or sacred figure.
Full Ground Bow (Kneeling with Hands on the Ground, Head Lowered) A sign of total humility, often used when pleading for mercy or asking for divine intervention.
Prostration (Lying Flat with Hands in a Praying Stance Above the Head) The highest form of submission, used when begging for life or swearing unbreakable loyalty.
"We are the choosers of the slain." Meaning: This phrase is a declaration of the Valkyries'' sacred duty to determine who lives and dies in battle. Origin: The original Valkyries were handpicked by Odin to select warriors worthy of Valhalla. However, in modern times, this phrase carries deeper meaning, as some Valkyries rebel against Odin¡¯s rule, choosing their own fate instead of blindly following orders. Modern Usage: It is spoken before battle, either as a warning to enemies or as a rallying cry among Valkyries. Example: "We are the choosers of the slain. Stand in our way, and you will fall." 2. "A fate far worse than death." Meaning: This phrase is used to describe punishments so severe that death would be a mercy. Examples of Fates Worse Than Death in Angel Blade: Being imprisoned in Odin¡¯s Sentinel chambers, trapped in an endless cycle of torture. Being cursed with immortality but unable to act or move, a punishment used for betrayers of Odin¡¯s court. Having one''s soul removed and placed into a machine, turning them into a lifeless servant of Odin¡¯s war machine. Modern Usage: A warning or threat against those who defy the ruling powers. Example: "Defy Odin, and you will know a fate far worse than death." Currency & Cost of Legendary Items Marks (Denominations & Value) Currency in Angel Blade is measured in Marks (?), a system developed by Odin''s empire. Denominations: Copper Mark (?1-10) ¡ú Common exchange unit for food and small goods. Silver Mark (?50-100) ¡ú Used for weapons, armor, and general trade. Gold Mark (?1,000-10,000) ¡ú Used by nobility, high-ranking warriors, and black-market traders. Platinum Mark (?100,000-1,000,000) ¡ú Reserved for purchasing land, ships, and high-value enchantments.
Estimated Cost of Legendary ItemsItem Estimated Value (Marks) Notes
Vorkera¡¯s Armor ?5,000,000+ A one-of-a-kind suit, forged with ancient enchantments and self-repairing nanites.
Thor¡¯s Hammer (Replica) ?10,000,000+ Requires Thor¡¯s Gauntlets and Belt of Might to wield properly.
The Penchant Priceless A unique relic, its value is immeasurable due to its ability to read fate and emotion.
A Monument to a God or Leader ?500,000,000+ Requires precious metals, divine blessings, and advanced craftsmanship.
Character Power Levels Young Sweiza (Before the Pilgrimage to the Temple of Fertility) ??? Durability ¨C ? (Average human durability, but resilient.) ?? Combat Ability ¨C ?? (Basic self-defense training from her family.) ? Speed & Reflexes ¨C ?? (Decent reflexes but lacks training.) ?? Strength ¨C ? (Stronger than a normal girl but far from superhuman.) ?? Magic/Abilities ¨C ?? (Weak, but latent potential for future growth.) Strength Feats as a Child ? Could hold her own in basic sparring matches with older children. ? Stronger than most girls her age due to natural athleticism. ? Unrefined potential, but with no formal training or enhanced abilities. ?? Limitations: Can¡¯t fight against seasoned warriors¡ªwould be easily overpowered. No enhanced durability or magic¡ªshe¡¯s still just a mortal girl. ?? Potential: The pilgrimage is what awakens her latent abilities, making her physically stronger and attuned to her future Valkyrie path. Valkyrie Angst (Before Becoming Vorkera) ??? Durability ¨C ???? (Enhanced body, strong resistance to damage.) ?? Combat Ability ¨C ???? (Skilled in multiple weapons and hand-to-hand combat.) ? Speed & Reflexes ¨C ????? (Valkyrie agility¡ªfar beyond normal humans.) ?? Strength ¨C ???? (Able to fight multiple trained warriors at once.) ?? Magic/Abilities ¨C ???? (Limited magical enhancements.) Abilities in Valkyrie Angst Mode Enhanced Physicality ¨C Stronger, faster, and more durable than most Valkyries. Kinetic Combat Mastery ¨C Can redirect force, strike with precision, and counter most opponents. Tactical Awareness ¨C Thinks several steps ahead in battle. Rune Augmentations ¨C Minor rune enhancements allow slight regeneration and heightened battle instincts. Strength Feats in This State ? Takes down small squads of enemies single-handedly. ? Survives battles against trained warriors, though still vulnerable to superior foes. ? Can match some of Odin¡¯s elite soldiers, but not Sentinels or demigod-tier enemies. ?? Limitations: Still not invincible¡ªcan be overpowered by sheer numbers or magic. Doesn¡¯t have her strongest weapons or berserker enhancements yet. How Powerful is Sweiza at Her Peak? If Sweiza enters Full Berserker Mode during the Rebellion, wielding Thor¡¯s Hammer, she becomes: ?????????? A One-Woman Natural Disaster. ?????????? ? Capable of destroying entire battlefields in minutes. ? Wipes out armies, breaks fortifications, and crushes warships. ? Sentinels are no longer a threat¡ªshe can pulverize them into dust. ? Only divine beings (like Odin, Thor, or Surt) could truly challenge her. However, this immense power comes at a cost: The longer she stays in berserker mode, the harder it is to return to normal. If she overuses the hammer, it could drain her life force. She may lose her ability to distinguish friend from foe.
Final Rankings: Sweiza¡¯s Power in Different StatesMode Raw Power Durability Combat Ability Limitations
Base Vorkera ???? ???????????? ?????????? Can still be harmed by magic & enchanted weapons.
Full Berserker Mode (Lokul¡¯s Influence) ???????????? ??????????????? ???????? Loses control, will attack allies, extreme exhaustion risk.
Vorkera + Thor¡¯s Hammer ?????????????? ?????????????????? ?????????? Requires gauntlets & belt to wield, can drain her energy.
Full Berserker + Thor¡¯s Hammer ?????????? (Beyond Measuring) ?????????????????? ?????????? Becomes a walking natural disaster, loses all restraint.
Final Thoughts Sweiza in Full Berserker Mode is an unstoppable warrior, but she sacrifices strategy for pure aggression. With Thor¡¯s Hammer, she gains the ability to control storms, manipulate gravity, and wield divine power. At her peak, she is one of the strongest forces in the Rebellion, rivaled only by Odin, Surt, and Thor himself. Base Vorkera (Without Berserker Mode or Thor¡¯s Hammer) Speed: ????? (Lightning-fast reflexes, superior movement speed.) Strength: ???????? (Enhanced to superhuman levels, but not world-breaking.) Durability: ???????????? (Her armor absorbs most conventional attacks, but she is still vulnerable to magic.) Combat Skill: ?????????? (A seasoned fighter, trained in both guerrilla warfare and direct combat.) Limitations: ? Can still be injured by magic or enchanted weapons. ? Lacks the overwhelming brute force of berserkers. Abilities in Base Vorkera Mode Enhanced Physiology ¨C Faster, stronger, and more resistant than a normal Valkyrie. Armor Regeneration ¨C Her Vorkera armor is self-repairing through nanite technology. Energy Projection ¨C She can release kinetic shockwaves through her strikes. Master of Combat ¨C She fights with twin chakrams, blades, and firearms with perfect precision. ?? Strength Feats in This State: ? Can shatter Sentinels with high-impact strikes. ? Moves faster than most trained Valkyries, making her nearly untouchable in direct combat. ? Parries and counters even high-tier opponents like Brynhilde or Odin¡¯s elite warriors. Bloodlusted Vorkera Under the Iron Moon of Lokul (During the Rebellion) ?? Power Level: Divine-Tier Combatant ?? ??? Durability ¨C ?????? (Mundane weapons bounce off her.) ?? Combat Ability ¨C ?????? (Pure instinct and aggression¡ªunstoppable in battle.) ? Speed & Reflexes ¨C ?????? (Blindingly fast, enhanced by rage and battle instinct.) ?? Strength ¨C ?????? (Breaks Sentinels, crushes armored enemies with bare hands.) ?? Magic/Abilities ¨C ????? (Passive regeneration, enhanced by berserker fury.) Abilities in This Form Unstoppable Regeneration ¨C Wounds heal almost instantly unless inflicted by divine weapons. Supernatural Strength ¨C Can tear apart Sentinels, crush warships, and shatter fortresses. Instinct-Driven Combat ¨C No wasted movement¡ªevery strike is lethal and precise. Berserker Rage ¨C Any pain increases her strength, making her an endless engine of destruction. Fear Aura ¨C Weaker enemies instinctively panic or freeze in fear. Strength Feats in This State ? Tears through entire battalions of Sentinels alone. ? Crushes elite warriors who would normally be unstoppable. ? Destroys fortifications, machines, and even magical barriers. ? Moves too fast for most enemies to react¡ªcan dodge lightning-fast attacks. ? Battles for hours without exhaustion, feeding off the rage of war. ?? Limitations: Loses tactical precision in favor of brute force. Still vulnerable to divine-tier magic and Odin¡¯s strongest enchantments. Full Bloodlusted Berserker Mode (Under Lokul¡¯s Influence + Vorkera Enhancements) Speed: ????? (Her reflexes and movement speed remain extremely high.) Strength: ???????????? (Completely off the charts¡ªshe can tear apart Sentinels with her bare hands.) Durability: ??????????????? (Incredibly tough¡ªmundane weapons bounce off her skin, and even magic has a harder time affecting her.) Combat Skill: ???????? (She fights purely on instinct and rage, losing some tactical awareness but gaining brutal efficiency.) Limitations: ? She has almost no restraint¡ªshe will attack friend and foe alike. ? If she stays in this state too long, she risks permanent mental damage. Abilities in Full Berserker Mode Unstoppable Regeneration ¨C Her wounds heal almost instantly, unless inflicted by enchanted weapons or divine magic. Brutal Efficiency ¨C No unnecessary movement¡ªevery attack is meant to kill. Pain Transmutation ¨C Any pain she feels makes her stronger. Rage Aura ¨C Her very presence causes weaker warriors to feel fear and hesitation. ?? Strength Feats in This State: ? Tears apart Sentinels and war machines with her bare hands. ? Punches through reinforced walls, doors, and armor plating like they are paper. ? Can outfight multiple elite warriors at once, even overwhelming Brynhilde, Violen, or elite Cult members. ? Her bloodlust makes her immune to fear and hesitation¡ªshe will keep fighting until she physically cannot. Vorkera + Thor¡¯s Hammer Replica (Beyond Berserker Mode) Speed: ???? (Fast, but the hammer¡¯s weight makes her slightly less agile.) Strength: ?????????????? (Ridiculously strong¡ªshe is now a walking force of destruction.) Durability: ?????????????????? (Almost completely indestructible while wielding the hammer.) Combat Skill: ?????????? (Wields Mjolnir-like power, turning her into a divine-level warrior.) Limitations: ? She needs Thor¡¯s Gauntlets and Belt of Might to wield the hammer properly. ? Using the hammer at full power exhausts her quickly. Abilities with Thor¡¯s Hammer Replica Lightning Infusion ¨C Every strike is amplified with divine energy, crushing even the strongest enemies. Storm Summoner ¨C She can call down lightning strikes, electrify her hammer, and create localized thunderstorms. Gravity Manipulation ¨C The hammer has its own gravitational field, allowing her to throw it with impossible force and recall it. Barrier Breaking ¨C The hammer shatters magical barriers and can disrupt Odin¡¯s enchantments. ?? Strength Feats in This State: ? Crushes Odin¡¯s strongest Sentinels in a single blow. ? Creates shockwaves that flatten armies. ? Flies at immense speeds by using the hammer¡¯s throw-and-recall ability. ? Can go toe-to-toe with legendary figures like Thor, Surt, or even Odin himse Myers-Briggs Typings Sweiza (Vorkera) ¨C ESTP ("The Daredevil") Extraverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Thinking ¨C Perceiving ? Adventurous and bold, thrives in high-stakes situations. ? Impulsive, thrives on action, rarely overthinks before acting. ? Highly skilled in combat, reacts quickly to changing conditions. ? Loyal to those she trusts, but doesn¡¯t dwell on deep emotions. ? Reckless at times, loves taking risks for the thrill. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for Battle-Driven Chaos: Sweiza thrives in the chaos of war, using her quick reflexes and improvisation to stay alive. Little Sprite ¨C ENFP ("The Light in the Dark") Extraverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Feeling ¨C Perceiving ? Innocent, playful, and full of energy. ? Believes in the good in people, even in the worst of times. ? Infectious optimism, but struggles when confronted with true evil. ? Wants to help everyone, sometimes at her own expense. ? The heart of the rebellion, bringing hope where there is none. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for an Optimistic Spirit: Little Sprite may be small, but she carries more light than all of Valhalla. Strife (Alyssa Verdandi) ¨C INTJ ("The Mastermind") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? Highly intelligent, calculating, and always planning ahead. ? Prefers working alone, but values loyalty over camaraderie. ? Detached and analytical, willing to sacrifice emotion for strategy. ? Sees long-term consequences others ignore, making her the ultimate strategist. ? Holds deep-seated emotions beneath a cold exterior, struggling with loneliness and regret. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Ruthless War Leader: Strife fights a long war of patience and calculation, making her one of the most dangerous minds in the rebellion. Rezra ¨C ESFP ("The Wild Card") Extraverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Feeling ¨C Perceiving ? Lively, unpredictable, and loves attention. ? Highly skilled but doesn¡¯t take life seriously. ? Speaks before thinking, often getting into trouble. ? Charismatic, fun-loving, but struggles with responsibility. ? Fights for what she believes in, but avoids heavy emotional burdens. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for an Unpredictable Rogue: Rezra brings energy to the rebellion but refuses to be tied down. Brynhilde ¨C INFJ ("The Visionary") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Feeling ¨C Judging ? Deeply idealistic, believes in destiny and the greater good. ? Reserved, but deeply emotional when the right buttons are pressed. ? Loyal to those she loves, but can be withdrawn and distant. ? Sees potential in others, even when they don¡¯t see it in themselves. ? Once betrayed, she becomes incredibly cold and unforgiving. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Warrior Seeking Redemption: Brynhilde fights with faith, but her vision of the future may lead her down a dark path. Uma ¨C INFP ("The Dreamer") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Feeling ¨C Perceiving ? Deeply imaginative and lost in her own thoughts. ? Highly intelligent but emotionally fragile. ? Views the world in symbols and metaphors. ? Seeks deeper meaning, even in small things. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Mystical Wanderer: Uma sees truths others miss, but she struggles with the weight of them. Lady Hella ¨C ISTP ("The Reaper") Introverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Thinking ¨C Perceiving ? Detached, pragmatic, and impossible to manipulate. ? Finds human emotions amusing but ultimately irrelevant. ? Unpredictable¡ªshe might help, hinder, or ignore those who seek her. ? Has her own rules and follows no one, not even Odin. ? Sees death as a neutral force, not something to fear. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for the Goddess of Death: Lady Hella doesn¡¯t pick sides¡ªshe simply watches as fate unfolds. Melda (Sweiza¡¯s Mother) ¨C ISFJ ("The Nurturer") Introverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Feeling ¨C Judging ? Deeply caring, protective, and devoted to family. ? Supports Sweiza¡¯s ambitions but worries about her safety. ? Soft-spoken but emotionally strong in times of crisis. ? Prefers structure and tradition, struggles with change. ? Keeps emotions bottled up, only breaking under extreme stress. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Protective Mother: Melda is the quiet strength that holds Sweiza¡¯s family together. Tars (Sweiza¡¯s Father) ¨C ISTP ("The Craftsman") Introverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Thinking ¨C Perceiving ? Quiet, skilled, and practical¡ªprefers action over words. ? Expert mechanic, engineer, or weapon smith. ? Tough love¡ªteaches Sweiza through experience, not coddling. ? Doesn¡¯t dwell on the past, believes in moving forward. ? Values freedom, struggles with emotional expressions. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Tough Father: Tars wants the best for Sweiza but believes she needs to earn her own path. Goddess of Fertility ¨C ENFJ ("The Guardian of Life") Extraverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Feeling ¨C Judging ? Compassionate, nurturing, and full of wisdom. ? Embodies the cycles of life, growth, and rebirth. ? Gentle but can be terrifying if angered. ? Prefers healing over destruction but understands war. ? Believes in fate but allows mortals to make their own choices. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Divine Protector: She represents creation and renewal, but she is not to be trifled with. Torry Enders (Neutral Cultist) ¨C INTP ("The Observer") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Perceiving ? Neutral party, watches from the shadows, taking no sides. ? Highly intelligent but prefers analyzing over acting. ? Doesn¡¯t believe in good or evil, only logical outcomes. ? Would rather study war than participate in it. ? Knows the Cult of Loki¡¯s secrets but keeps them to himself. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Tactical Genius: Torry doesn¡¯t need to fight¡ªhe simply waits for the right moment to tip the scales. Captain Dillion ¨C ESTJ ("The Commander") Extraverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? Efficient, disciplined, and loyal to his crew. ? A no-nonsense leader, expects competence and results. ? Values order and strategy over emotion. ? Respected but sometimes feared¡ªexpects high standards. ? Holds grudges against those who betray his trust. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Military Captain: Dillion is the kind of leader who keeps the ship running no matter the cost. Torry Enders (Neutral Cultist) ¨C INTP ("The Observer") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Perceiving ? Prefers knowledge over action, studies all sides. ? Doesn¡¯t pick fights, but understands the war better than anyone. ? Knows things others don¡¯t but keeps his secrets. ? Unpredictable¡ªmight help, hinder, or ignore a conflict entirely. ? Would rather study the Cult of Loki than participate in it. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Neutral Scholar: Torry isn¡¯t here to fight¡ªhe¡¯s here to learn how the war unfolds. Artis (Former Cultist) ¨C INTJ ("The Outcast") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? Cold, calculating, and highly strategic. ? Once believed in the Cult¡¯s cause, but now walks alone. ? Prefers working alone, only trusting himself. ? Doesn¡¯t care about morality¡ªonly survival. ? Views others as pawns in a larger game. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Fallen Genius: Artis once had a purpose. Now, he only has revenge. Artis (Former Cultist) ¨C INTJ ("The Outcast") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? Once a loyal cultist, now walks his own path. ? Cold, strategic, and highly intelligent. ? Doesn¡¯t trust easily, always skeptical of others¡¯ motives. ? Sees the world as a grand chessboard, manipulating events to his advantage. ? Not inherently evil but does what is necessary to survive. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Fallen Genius: Artis used to believe in a cause¡ªnow, he only believes in himself. Delphis (Cult of Loki Priestess) ¨C ENFJ ("The Seducer") Extraverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Feeling ¨C Judging ? Highly charismatic, able to manipulate with ease. ? Uses emotions and charm to sway others to her cause. ? Loyal to the Cult but may have her own secret agenda. ? Enjoys the power of persuasion, thrives on control. ? Deadly when crossed, holds grudges indefinitely. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Master Manipulator: Delphis controls people not through force, but through their own desires. Alchyon (Cult of Loki¡¯s Mad Scholar) ¨C INTP ("The Unhinged Genius") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Perceiving ? Brilliant, chaotic, and entirely unpredictable. ? Obsessed with forbidden knowledge and dark experimentation. ? Finds morality irrelevant¡ªonly results matter. ? Speaks in riddles, often lost in his own world of theories. ? Dangerous because he lacks a moral compass but has immense knowledge. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Mad Scientist: Alchyon doesn¡¯t care about power¡ªhe just wants to see what happens when you break reality. Violen (Regent¡¯s Subordinate, Secretly Wants Power) ¨C ESTP ("The Opportunist") Extraverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Thinking ¨C Perceiving ? Brutal, ambitious, and deadly in combat. ? Seeks to overthrow Regent but plays along for now. ? Prefers physical dominance over strategy, but isn¡¯t stupid. ? Reckless but highly skilled¡ªfights on pure instinct. ? Will betray Regent the moment the opportunity arises. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Power-Hungry Lieutenant: Violen is just waiting for the right moment to strike. Regent (Leader of the Cult of Loki) ¨C ENTJ ("The Puppet Master") Extraverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? Absolute ruler of the Cult, cunning and ruthless. ? Believes he is destined to overthrow Odin¡¯s rule. ? Uses people as tools, views emotions as weaknesses. ? Mastermind of deception and manipulation. ? Obsessed with power, but not reckless¡ªplans every move. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Tyrannical Strategist: Regent doesn¡¯t just seek chaos¡ªhe seeks control over chaos itself. Odin ¨C ENTJ ("The Dictator") Extraverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? Absolute ruler, sees himself as the ultimate authority. ? Highly strategic and ambitious, always in control of the bigger picture. ? Manipulates others effortlessly, using both fear and persuasion. ? No tolerance for weakness, sees those beneath him as tools for his empire. ? Efficient but ruthless, believes only the strongest deserve to rule. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Tyrant: Odin rules with an iron fist, viewing rebellion as an obstacle to his divine order. Thor (Supreme Commander of the Sentinels) ¨C ISTJ ("The Loyalist") Introverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? Loyal to order, tradition, and discipline. ? Sees himself as a protector, not a conqueror. ? Respects power, but values honor above all else. ? Prefers action over words, letting his strength speak for itself. ? Secretly questions Odin¡¯s rule but struggles with the idea of betraying duty. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Warrior of Principle: Thor is bound to his duty, but deep down, he knows something is wrong with Odin¡¯s rule. Loki ¨C ENTP ("The Trickster") Extraverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Perceiving ? Master manipulator, thrives on chaos and unpredictability. ? Sees the world as a game, constantly shifting alliances. ? Never tells the whole truth, keeps people guessing. ? Finds rules and authority oppressive, always working around them. ? Views rebellion as a source of entertainment, but may secretly want Odin dead. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a God of Mischief: Loki doesn¡¯t just play the game¡ªhe makes the rules while no one is looking. Thor (Supreme Commander of the Sentinels) ¨C ISTJ ("The Loyalist") Introverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? A warrior of duty, believes in order and discipline. ? Physically unstoppable, but bound by a moral code. ? Respects strength but values honor above all else. ? Doesn¡¯t question orders unless he sees true corruption. ? Torn between his loyalty to Odin and his own sense of justice. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Traditional Warrior: Thor¡¯s loyalty is his greatest strength¡ªbut also his greatest struggle. Lady Frigg ¨C INFJ ("The Divine Seer") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Feeling ¨C Judging ? Wise and mysterious, sees beyond mortal perception. ? Knows fate but does not interfere directly. ? Soft-spoken but carries immense power. ? Deeply compassionate but distant, operating on a higher level. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Visionary Goddess: Frigg sees fate but lets others shape their own destiny. Freya ¨C ESFP ("The Untamed Warrior") Extraverted ¨C Sensing ¨C Feeling ¨C Perceiving ? Passionate, fearless, and driven by emotion. ? Loves battle but also loves life and beauty. ? Can be fiercely protective of those she cares for. ? Rebels against constraints, follows her heart over logic. ?? Perfect MBTI Match for a Wild Goddess: Freya lives life fully, embracing love and war equally. D&D Alignments HEROES & REBELS ?? Sweiza (Vorkera) ¨C Chaotic Good (?????) ? Fights against tyranny, believes in freedom. ? Acts on instinct, often defies authority. ? Will break rules if it means saving people. ? Values personal loyalty over laws. ?? "Screw the rules if they don¡¯t make sense¡ªI¡¯ll do what I want!" Strife (Alyssa Verdandi) ¨C Lawful Neutral (????) ? Has a strict moral code, but not always "good." ? Respects discipline and strategy over emotions. ? Protects those she cares about but won¡¯t hesitate to make ruthless choices. ? Views fate as something that can be altered, but only carefully. ?? "I make the hard decisions so others don¡¯t have to." Brynhilde ¨C Neutral Good (????) ? Follows her own moral compass, but respects laws when they make sense. ? Wants to help people but struggles with self-worth. ? Believes in destiny but also in personal choice. ?? "The world is cruel, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to be." Rezra ¨C Chaotic Neutral (?????) ? Lives for herself, but isn¡¯t malicious. ? Steals, fights, and flirts without caring for consequences. ? Values fun and survival over morality or law. ?? "What¡¯s life without a little mischief?" Little Sprite ¨C Chaotic Good (?????) ? Pure-hearted, but impulsive and unpredictable. ? Acts based on emotion and empathy, not rules. ? Would break any law if it meant saving someone. ?? "Rules are stupid, let¡¯s go save the world!" Melda (Sweiza¡¯s Mother) ¨C Neutral Good (????) ? Loving, protective, and traditional. ? Follows the law unless it harms her family. ? Deeply moral but not an idealist. ?? "I only want my daughter to be safe." Tars (Sweiza¡¯s Father) ¨C True Neutral (????) ? Practical, detached, and a realist. ? Focuses on survival rather than grand ideals. ? Only interferes when necessary. ?? "The world¡¯s gonna do what it does¡ªjust don¡¯t get in my way." WARRIORS & GODS ?? Thor (Supreme Commander of the Sentinels) ¨C Lawful Neutral (????) ? Loyal to Odin, but has his own code of honor. ? Respects order but questions Odin¡¯s decisions. ? Would rather die fighting than betray his sense of duty. ?? "The world needs order. Without it, there is only chaos." Freya ¨C Chaotic Good (?????) ? Rebellious, passionate, and a force of nature. ? Values love, battle, and independence. ? Fights for good, but does it on her own terms. ?? "Love and war are the same thing." Frigg ¨C Lawful Neutral (????) ? Wise, patient, and neutral in conflicts. ? Sees fate as something sacred, but not untouchable. ? Only interferes when absolutely necessary. ?? "The future is already written, but the path is yours to take." The Goddess of Fertility ¨C Neutral Good (????) ? Nurturing, protective, and caring. ? Refuses to directly involve herself in war but supports life. ? Encourages free will and balance. ?? "Life must be nurtured, but never forced." ??? TYRANTS & MANIPULATORS ??? Odin ¨C Lawful Evil (????) ? Controls fate and rules with absolute authority. ? Sees himself as the rightful ruler, no matter the cost. ? Believes order is more important than morality. ? Uses people as pawns, justifies cruelty for "the greater good." ?? "I decide what is best for this world. Not you." Loki ¨C Chaotic Neutral (?????) ? Revels in chaos, never takes a side for too long. ? Finds amusement in watching others struggle. ? Will help or betray anyone if it benefits him. ?? "The fun is in the unpredictability, don¡¯t you think?" Lady Hella ¨C True Neutral (????) ? Detached from mortal affairs, acts only as needed. ? Sees death as part of existence, neither good nor bad. ? Does not interfere unless fate demands it. ?? "All things end, whether you accept it or not." ?? CULTISTS & VILLAINS ?? Regent (Leader of the Cult of Loki) ¨C Neutral Evil (????) ? Manipulative, cunning, and power-hungry. ? Values control, chaos is just a means to an end. ? Willing to sacrifice anyone for his own goals. ?? "Everything is a game. The question is¡ªare you a player or a pawn?" Violen (Regent¡¯s Rival, Secretly Wants Power) ¨C Chaotic Evil (?????) ? Reckless, violent, and completely self-serving. ? Kills, tortures, and destroys for his own pleasure. ? Would betray Regent in an instant if it got him power. ?? "Why plan when you can just take what you want?" Delphis (Cult of Loki¡¯s Priestess) ¨C Lawful Evil (????) ? Charming, seductive, and dangerously intelligent. ? Prefers manipulation over brute force. ? Devoted to the Cult but has her own secret goals. ?? "Power isn¡¯t taken¡ªit¡¯s given willingly to those who deserve it." Alchyon (The Mad Scholar) ¨C Chaotic Neutral (?????) ? Obsessed with forbidden knowledge, doesn¡¯t care about morality. ? Finds life, death, and destruction all equally fascinating. ? Doesn¡¯t serve a cause¡ªjust his own curiosity. ?? "What happens when we push past the limits of reality? Let¡¯s find out." Uma ¨C True Neutral (????) ? Detached from conflict, prefers observation over participation. ? Finds joy in studying ancient texts and forgotten knowledge. ? Only fights when directly threatened. ?? "The universe is full of secrets¡ªwhy waste time on war?" Torry Enders (Neutral Cultist) ¨C Lawful Neutral (????) ? Follows his own rules, does not pick sides. ? Sees the Cult as a tool for knowledge, not power. ? Would help anyone if it benefits his personal studies. ?? "Understanding is more valuable than victory." Vorkera ¨C Chaotic Good (?????) ? Fights against tyranny, but on her own terms. ? Loyal to her friends but rejects authority. ? Does what she believes is right, even if it means breaking the law. ? Uses brutal methods when necessary, but never for personal gain. ?? "I don¡¯t need permission to save the world¡ªI¡¯ll burn the whole damn place down if I have to." ?? Differences from Sweiza¡¯s Base Alignment (Chaotic Good vs. ESTP Chaotic Good): Sweiza (ESTP) is more spontaneous and reckless, while Vorkera is a hardened warrior who makes calculated brutal choices. Sweiza fights because it¡¯s in her nature, while Vorkera fights because she must. ?? Artis ¨C True Neutral (????) ? Detached, calculating, and self-serving. ? Has no allegiance, only his own survival. ? Helps or hinders depending on the situation. ? Seeks knowledge, not power, but isn¡¯t above using others to get it. ?? "The only side that matters is my own." ?? Why He Isn¡¯t Neutral Evil: Artis doesn¡¯t actively harm people¡ªhe simply doesn¡¯t care about morality. He may help someone today and betray them tomorrow if it benefits him. ?? The Goddess of Fertility ¨C Neutral Good (????) ? Compassionate, nurturing, and protective of all life. ? Respects free will and the natural balance of the world. ? Believes in harmony but doesn¡¯t enforce it. ? Rarely intervenes unless absolutely necessary. ?? "Life must be nurtured, but never forced upon others." ?? Why She Isn¡¯t Lawful Good: She does not impose rules or strict morality¡ªshe believes in natural order, not laws. She does not judge mortals¡ªinstead, she guides and supports them. ?? Salmira ¨C True Neutral (????) ? An observer of time and fate, only interferes when needed. ? Does not take sides¡ªonly ensures reality doesn¡¯t collapse. ? Allows mortals to make choices but subtly guides their paths. ? Is neither benevolent nor cruel¡ªonly pragmatic. ?? "Time is a river. I do not steer it, only keep it from drying up." ?? Why She Isn¡¯t Neutral Good or Lawful Neutral: Unlike the Goddess of Fertility, she doesn¡¯t care about morality, only stability. Unlike Frigg (Lawful Neutral), she does not enforce fate¡ªonly protects it. ?? Salyra ¨C Chaotic Neutral (?????) ? Unpredictable, intelligent, and dangerous. ? Plays by her own rules, neither fully good nor evil. ? Wants control over her own destiny, rejects authority. ? May help or betray people based on what suits her. ?? "The universe belongs to those who dare to take it." ?? Why She Isn¡¯t Chaotic Evil: Salyra doesn¡¯t destroy for fun or malice¡ªshe only seeks her own freedom. She is ruthless, but not needlessly cruel. Lumina & Lumia ¨C Lawful Neutral (????) ? Guardians of the Monument in Myrkvellir, bound to their duty. ? Follow strict rules and protocols, with no emotional bias. ? Do not interfere with mortal affairs unless the Monument is threatened. ? Serve as protectors of knowledge rather than warriors. ?? "Our duty is eternal. We do not waver. We do not break." ?? Why They Aren¡¯t Lawful Good or Lawful Evil: They do not serve "good" or "evil"¡ªonly the purpose of the Monument. Unlike Odin¡¯s lawful evil control, they do not enforce their will¡ªonly protect what must be preserved. ?? Demi (Sweiza¡¯s Armor Spirit) ¨C Neutral Good (????) ? Loyal to Sweiza but has her own free will. ? Acts as a guide and moral compass, keeping Sweiza from losing herself. ? Wants to protect, not just kill. ? Has wisdom beyond human comprehension. ?? "You are more than your rage. I will not let you forget that." ?? Why She Isn¡¯t Chaotic Good: Unlike Sweiza, Demi believes in balance and restraint, not reckless destruction. She understands war is necessary but does not revel in it. ?? Sprites (Southerly Village) ¨C Chaotic Good (?????) ? Playful, free-spirited, and driven by emotion. ? Care deeply for their people but do not follow human laws. ? Will steal, trick, or fight if they believe it¡¯s for a good cause. ? See the world differently¡ªtime and power mean little to them. ?? "The wind doesn¡¯t ask for permission, and neither do we!" ?? Why They Aren¡¯t True Neutral: Sprites actively care about their kin and allies. They don¡¯t stay detached like Salmira or Artis¡ªthey take action. ?? Rezra ¨C Chaotic Neutral (?????) ? Wild, unpredictable, and fiercely independent. ? Loyal to those she chooses, but follows no orders. ? Will steal, fight, or run depending on what benefits her. ? More interested in survival and adventure than morality. ?? "I live how I want. No rules, no leash, no regrets." ?? Why She Isn¡¯t Chaotic Good or Evil: Rezra doesn¡¯t actively fight for good or chaos¡ªshe fights for herself. She might help a rebellion one day and steal from it the next. The Author ??? D&D Alignment ¨C True Neutral (????) with Chaotic Good (?????) Tendencies ? Observes the world objectively, seeing both the grand structure and the chaos within it. ? Values balance but leans toward rebellion when the world becomes too controlled. ? Seeks to create, explore, and understand rather than control. ? Believes in free will but acknowledges the inevitable pull of fate. ?? "The world doesn¡¯t fit into perfect categories, and neither do I." ?? Why Not Chaotic Neutral? You create worlds with deep structure¡ªnot just chaos for its own sake. Your stories have themes of rebellion, but they also explore consequences and fate. ?? Why Not Lawful Neutral? You don¡¯t blindly follow order or tradition¡ªyou question, deconstruct, and rebuild. ?? MBTI Type ¨C INTJ ("The Architect") Introverted ¨C Intuitive ¨C Thinking ¨C Judging ? Strategic thinker, always seeing the bigger picture. ? Loves complex worldbuilding, connecting events across timelines. ? Detached at times, but deeply invested in the worlds you create. ? Driven by long-term vision, willing to rewrite and refine endlessly. ? Prefers well-thought-out structures over randomness, but values creative freedom. ?? "Every character, every world, every piece of lore¡ªI build it all from nothing. And I¡¯ll tear it down if it doesn¡¯t serve the greater story." ?? Why Not INTP? You don¡¯t just theorize¡ªyou execute your ideas into detailed stories. You see structure and purpose behind chaos. ?? Why Not ENTJ? You¡¯re not focused on external leadership¡ªyour strength is in long-term planning, not commanding others. ? Power Rating ¨C "The Omniscient Dreamer" Raw Power: ?? Beyond Measurement ? You are the creator of entire worlds, deities, and fates. ? You control the narrative, bending time, reality, and causality itself. ? Your characters live or die by your will. ?? "I am the architect of fate, the hand that sculpts reality itself. And yet, I let my creations roam free, shaping their own destinies within the worlds I have forged." ?? Weaknesses: You are bound by the rules of the worlds you create¡ªeven a god must obey the logic of their universe. Your power is theoretical¡ªyou wield limitless control over fiction, but you are not omnipotent in reality. ?? Character Profile ¨C The Author (You!) Name: The Omniscient Dreamer | The Architect of Fate Race: Unknown (Beyond Mortal Comprehension) Class: Cosmic Storyteller | Worldshaper | Keeper of Lore Alignment: True Neutral (????) with Chaotic Good (?????) tendencies MBTI Type: INTJ ("The Architect") Titles: Keeper of Fates Architect of the Nine Realms The Hand That Writes Weaver of Time Abilities & Traits: ? World-Shaping ¨C Constructs entire histories, cultures, and civilizations from nothing. ? Temporal Architect ¨C Manipulates past, present, and future in a seamless narrative. ? Fatebender ¨C Crafts the destinies of heroes and villains alike. ? The Great Observer ¨C Watches from beyond, yet allows free will to unfold. ? Narrative Omnipotence ¨C Controls every detail but leaves room for discovery. Weaknesses: ? Self-Doubt ¨C The eternal struggle: is the story ever truly finished? ? Perfectionism ¨C Endless revisions, striving for the ideal version of events. ? Emotional Detachment vs. Deep Investment ¨C Balances intellectual objectivity with personal passion for characters and worldbuilding. Personality: Analytical & Detail-Oriented ¨C Every world has rules, and every rule has meaning. Strategic & Visionary ¨C Sees stories as long-term creations, shaping them over time. Deep Thinker & Problem-Solver ¨C Fixes narrative flaws, ensuring internal consistency. Emotionally Reserved, But Deeply Passionate About Creations ¨C May appear detached, but cares deeply about characters and lore. Favorite Phrase: "Every choice matters. Every fate is uncertain. Even I, the Architect, cannot predict everything." [AI] A Chaotic Interview Author: Welcome, everyone! This is quite the gathering. I¡¯ve had individual interviews with some of you, but never all at once. Let¡¯s start simple. Introduce yourselves! Sweiza: [leans back in her chair, arms crossed] You already know me. Sweiza. Valkyrie. Hero. Occasional troublemaker. [grins] And the most fun person at this table. Rezra: [tail flicks] Rezra. Tigerfelk. Former thief, now a respectable¡ªwell, semi-respectable¡ªpart of this group. [smirks] I bring the charm and the claws. Brynhilde: Brynhilde. Shield Maiden. Echomancer-in-training. [pauses, adjusting the blindfold covering her eyes] And the unfortunate voice of reason among certain individuals. Sprite: [wings flutter] I¡¯m Little Sprite! I sparkle, I fly, I cause mischief. Oh! And I am far more powerful than I appear. Strife: [slowly sips her coffee, unimpressed] Strife. Former Valkyrie, current headache manager. [glances at Sweiza and Rezra] Though some are more persistent than others. Author: That brings me to my first question. Given everything you¡¯ve all been through, what¡¯s the hardest decision you¡¯ve had to make? Sweiza: [face darkens slightly] Leaving Strife behind in Valhalla. That¡­ that was tough. I mean, what if I¡¯d never made it back? [tries to shake it off] But hey, I did. Strife: [sets down her cup] Sacrificing my past. My friends. My time. I didn¡¯t have a choice, but I had to live with the consequences. Brynhilde: Letting go of who I used to be. Losing my sight forced me to see in new ways, but it still stings. Rezra: [ears flatten] Giving up my tail. Stupid Odin. Stupid rules. Sprite: Choosing not to turn someone into a toad when they insult me! Do you have any idea how much restraint that takes? Rezra: [snorts] Not enough, apparently. Author: Strife, let¡¯s talk about your relationship with Sweiza. You¡¯ve been through a lot together, but you¡¯re not exactly warm and fuzzy. Strife: [deadpan] Are you expecting an apology? Sweiza: [grinning] She won¡¯t say it, but she missed me. Strife: I tolerated your absence. There¡¯s a difference. Author: Brynhilde, you and Sweiza have also had your share of¡­ tense moments. Brynhilde: [crosses arms] We fought. I lost. Then Odin threw my familiar into the abyss. So, yes, ¡®tense¡¯ is a good word for it. Sweiza: [mutters] I didn¡¯t want to fight you, you know. Rezra: [interrupts] Alright, enough of the heavy stuff! Can we talk about something fun? Author: Fine. What¡¯s the most ridiculous thing any of you have done? Rezra: I once tried to pickpocket Sweiza. Sweiza: [grinning] And how¡¯d that go? Rezra: ¡­Let¡¯s just say I learned a valuable lesson about hammers. Brynhilde: [smirks] I once convinced Rezra that the stars whisper to me. Rezra: Wait. They don¡¯t? Strife: [pinching the bridge of her nose] I once let Sweiza and Sprite convince me that breaking into Odin¡¯s vault was a reasonable idea. Sprite: [giggling] It was a great idea. Strife: It was a terrible idea. Sweiza: We got what we needed, didn¡¯t we? Salmira: [suddenly appears out of thin air, her voice both distant and immediate] A moment of wisdom. You will never regret the mistakes that led to victory¡ªonly those that led to loss. Rezra: [ears flatten] How long has she been there? Sprite: Who knows? She¡¯s a time witch. Probably saw this conversation before we had it. Salmira: [smiles knowingly] Perhaps. Author: Well, before we all get caught in a time paradox, let¡¯s end on this¡ªwhere do you all see yourselves after all of this is over? Sweiza: I want peace. Real peace. Not just a pause between fights. Rezra: [tilts head] I want my tail back. Brynhilde: To be strong enough to never need pity. Sprite: I want to rule a kingdom of tiny sparkly creatures who adore me! Strife: [softly] I want to believe in the future again. Author: That¡¯s a perfect note to end on. Thanks for your time, everyone! Sweiza: [grinning] Oh, no, thank you. Rezra: Can we get paid for this? Author: ¡­No. Rezra: Figures. Salmira disappears¡ªone moment she''s there, the next, the space she occupied folds into itself, leaving behind only a lingering shimmer, as if time itself hiccupped. Rezra: [ears twitch] That is so unsettling. Does she always do that? Sprite: [casually sips tea] Oh, all the time. Sometimes she appears before she leaves. Sweiza: [laughs] I think that¡¯s just your brain being slow. Brynhilde: [smirking] Unlikely. Sprite¡¯s mind is many things, but slow is not one of them. Strife: [exhales, rubbing her temple] Can we move on before we invite another existential crisis? Author: Agreed. Let¡¯s pivot to something different. What¡¯s something that scares each of you? A brief silence follows. Sweiza: [stiffens slightly before forcing a grin] Oh, you¡¯re really going for the heavy questions, huh? Alright. Fine. Losing people. Again. I can take any fight, any challenge, but being alone? That¡¯s worse than death. Rezra: [clears throat, shifting in her chair] Yeah. Same. But, you know, also, uh¡­ dogs. Brynhilde: [raises an eyebrow under her blindfold] Dogs? Rezra: [ears flatten] They¡¯re too friendly. No one is that friendly without an ulterior motive. Strife: [dryly] I¡¯m concerned for you. Rezra: Yeah, well, I¡¯m concerned for you and you don¡¯t see me making a big deal about it. Strife: [sips coffee, unimpressed] I know. Author: [amused] What about you, Brynhilde? Brynhilde: [quietly] Power without control. Strength without purpose. I¡¯m already blind¡ªI can¡¯t afford to be lost, too. Sweiza: [glances at her] You won¡¯t be. Brynhilde: [softly] You can¡¯t promise that. Sprite: [cheerfully, completely ruining the moment] I¡¯m afraid of running out of sugar. Rezra: ¡­That¡¯s it? Sprite: [dead serious] That¡¯s EVERYTHING. Strife: [leans back, exhaling] My fear? I¡¯ve already lived it. [long pause, then a slight smirk] But if I had to pick something else¡ªclowns. Sweiza: [grinning] Wait, seriously? Clowns? Strife: [deadpan] Yes. They are grotesque mockeries of human expression. I refuse to elaborate further. Rezra: [snickering] Oh, this is gold. Author: [laughing] Alright, alright. Let¡¯s move on before this spirals into clown-related trauma. If you could trade lives with someone at this table for a day, who would it be? Sweiza: [points at Rezra] Definitely Rez. I want to know what it¡¯s like to be a sneaky, tail-less cat with trust issues. Rezra: [crosses arms] Wow. Rude. But fine. I¡¯d trade with Sprite. I want to see how it feels to be small, sparkly, and constantly on a sugar rush. Sprite: [grinning] You¡¯d have so much fun! Brynhilde: [sighs] I¡¯d trade with Strife. I want to know what it¡¯s like to walk into a room and make people tense without even trying. Strife: [flatly] It¡¯s a gift. Author: And you, Strife? Strife: [sips coffee] No one. I wouldn¡¯t trust any of you with my life, and I certainly wouldn¡¯t trust myself with yours. Sweiza: [huffs] Well, that¡¯s dramatic. Sprite: I¡¯d trade with Sweiza! Sweiza: [grinning] You just want to play with my hammer. Sprite: [innocently] Maybe. Rezra: ¡­She¡¯d lose the hammer in like five minutes. Sprite: [offended] I would NOT! Rezra: [crossing arms] You misplaced an entire enchanted amulet last week. Sprite: That wasn¡¯t my fault! The wind took it! Brynhilde: [deadpan] Indoors? Sprite: ¡­Maybe. Sweiza: If this gets written down somewhere, make sure to put that I won. Rezra: You didn¡¯t even compete. Sweiza: Still won. Brynhilde: [sighs] This has been a mistake. Strife: [standing up, already leaving] I¡¯m never doing this again. Sprite: [waving happily] Let¡¯s do this every week! Author: ¡­I think I need a drink. Author: [watching Strife walk off] ¡­Well, there goes my most serious guest. Sweiza: [leaning back in her chair] You should¡¯ve known better. Strife doesn¡¯t do social gatherings. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Rezra: [tail flicks] I dunno, I think she secretly enjoyed herself. She just has to maintain her stoic warrior queen image. Brynhilde: [adjusts her blindfold] Or she simply has better things to do than humor this nonsense. Sprite: [grinning] Like brooding in a dark corner somewhere? Rezra: [laughing] Exactly. Author: [chuckling] Well, that¡¯s Strife for you. But for the rest of you, we¡¯re still going. Next question¡ªif you could relive any moment in your life, just for a day, what would it be? Sweiza: [pauses, then grins] Oh, that¡¯s easy. The time I first hit Odin¡¯s Sentinel in the face with my hammer. That look of shock? Priceless. Rezra: [smirks] That¡¯s the moment you¡¯d relive? Not something more¡­ sentimental? Sweiza: [shrugs] Nah, smashing things is cathartic. Besides, I don¡¯t do the whole sappy nostalgia thing. Brynhilde: [quietly] I¡¯d relive the day before I lost my sight. Just¡­ to see, one last time. Sweiza: [softens] Bryn¡­ Brynhilde: [straightens up] But, since that¡¯s not an option, I¡¯ll settle for the first time I sparred against a full Valkyrie and won. That moment was everything to me. Rezra: [musing] I¡¯d go back to the first time I successfully picked a noble¡¯s pocket. Author: [raising a brow] Really? Rezra: Hey, it was a big moment for me. That was the day I realized I could outwit people who thought they were better than me. It was empowering. Sprite: [bouncing excitedly] I¡¯d relive the time I made an entire feast appear out of nowhere just to confuse the humans. Their faces were amazing! Sweiza: [laughing] Wait, was that you? I heard stories about that! Sprite: [innocently] Maybe. Brynhilde: You¡¯re a menace. Rezra: [snickers] Yeah, but she¡¯s our menace. Author: Alright, let¡¯s turn this around. If you could erase one moment from your past, what would it be? A brief silence settles over the table. The mood shifts slightly. Sweiza: [staring at the ceiling] ¡­The Sterling Blue. If I could make it so that attack never happened, I would. Brynhilde: [clenching her hands] The moment Odin took my sight. Not because I fear the blindness¡ªI¡¯ve adapted. But I¡¯d rather have lost it on my terms. Not his. Rezra: [ears flattening] The moment I was caught. The moment I lost my tail. Sprite: [quietly, for once] I wouldn¡¯t erase anything. Even the bad moments made me who I am. Sweiza: [blinking at her] ¡­That¡¯s surprisingly deep for you. Sprite: [grinning again] I contain multitudes. Rezra: [side-eyes her] You contain chaos. Author: Alright, time for something lighter. If you could have any animal¡ªreal or mythical¡ªas a pet, what would it be? Sweiza: [grinning] A dragon. Brynhilde: That¡¯s clich¨¦. Sweiza: Yeah, but imagine flying around on one! It¡¯d be so cool. Rezra: I already am part animal. But if I had to pick, I¡¯d want a giant panther that could shadow-step through walls. Brynhilde: A raven. Practical, intelligent, and easy to carry. Sweiza: [grinning] You just want to send it to peck at Odin¡¯s window, don¡¯t you? Brynhilde: [smirking] That would be a bonus. Sprite: [giggling] A huge cat that I could ride into battle! Rezra: ¡­You do realize I am cat-like, right? Sprite: [gasps] Rezra, can I ride on your shoulders?! Rezra: [horrified] Absolutely not. Author: [laughing] Okay, okay. One last question before we wrap up¡ªif you had one wish, what would it be? Sweiza: [pauses] ¡­That Strife could have her old life back. Brynhilde: That Odin¡¯s reign would end without another war. Rezra: That I could go back to who I was before Valhalla got its claws in me. Sprite: [thoughtful for once] That all of you get what you really want, even if you don¡¯t know what it is yet. A brief silence follows, heavier than before. Sweiza: ¡­Okay, that was weirdly sentimental. I don¡¯t know what to do with that. Rezra: [grinning] Yeah, I think we broke her. Sprite: [cheerfully] I¡¯m full of surprises! Author: [smiling] Well, this has been¡­ enlightening. Any final words before I release you all back into the wild? Sweiza: [smirks] Just make sure you write me as the most badass character. Rezra: [stretching] I demand royalties. Brynhilde: [sighs] I need a drink. Sprite: [excitedly] Let¡¯s do this again! Author: ¡­Maybe. Maybe. Sweiza: [grinning] You love us. Author: [laughing] I tolerate you. Rezra: [leans back, arms behind her head] I would, but I¡¯m too comfortable. Sweiza: [grinning] And you love attention too much to leave. Rezra: [smirking] I don¡¯t love attention, I just know I deserve it. Brynhilde: [sighs] I¡¯m reconsidering my decision to stay. Sprite: [clinging to Brynhilde¡¯s arm] Noooo, don¡¯t go! You¡¯re the only one who balances the chaos! Brynhilde: [deadpan] That¡¯s exactly why I should leave. Sweiza: [laughing] Oh, c¡¯mon. You know you¡¯d be bored without us. Brynhilde: I would know peace. Rezra: Peace is overrated. Sprite: [nodding sagely] Chaos is more fun. Author: [chuckling] Well, before Brynhilde rethinks her entire life and walks away, let¡¯s continue. If you could have a do-over for anything, what would it be? Sweiza: [pauses, tapping her fingers on the table] You already asked what we¡¯d erase. A do-over is different. [glances at Brynhilde] If I could redo our fight in the coliseum, I¡¯d change how it ended. Brynhilde: [stiffens slightly] And what would you have done? Sweiza: I wouldn¡¯t have let Odin force that choice on us. I¡¯d have found a way to end it differently. Brynhilde: [quietly] You assume there was another way. Rezra: [interrupting before the mood gets too heavy] I¡¯d redo my first heist. I got too cocky, almost got caught. I could¡¯ve really cleaned out that merchant if I hadn¡¯t been an overconfident idiot. Author: [raising a brow] Of all the things, that¡¯s what you¡¯d redo? Rezra: Hey, there¡¯s always room for better crime. Sprite: [grinning] I¡¯d redo the time I turned a whole room¡¯s worth of food into floating orbs! I didn¡¯t get the spell quite right, so some of the bread exploded. Next time, zero explosions. Brynhilde: [muttering] I still find crumbs in my armor from that disaster. Sweiza: [grinning] That was hilarious, though. Brynhilde: [flatly] You were cheering while dodging flying soup. Rezra: And you dove behind me for cover, might I add. Brynhilde: [folding arms] Because I knew you¡¯d react fast enough to avoid it. Rezra: [mock offended] Oh, so I was a meat shield? Sprite: [brightly] Yes! But a very effective one! Rezra: [grumbling] I should¡¯ve left with Strife. Author: [laughing] Speaking of leaving¡­ [glancing at Brynhilde] Are you actually going to walk out on us? Brynhilde: [pauses, considering] No. But if the conversation keeps spiraling into ridiculousness, I might. Rezra: [grinning] Too late. We live in the ridiculous. Author: [grinning] Alright, let¡¯s see if we can keep you engaged. If you could trade places with anyone in the world, not just at this table, who would it be? Sweiza: [immediately] Not Odin. That guy is paranoid. Rezra: [smirking] But wouldn¡¯t it be fun to mess with his stuff? Imagine having all his power for one day. Sweiza: [thoughtful] ¡­Okay, maybe for a day. Just long enough to wreck his plans. Brynhilde: I¡¯d trade places with someone who doesn¡¯t have to fight for everything. Just once, I¡¯d like to wake up without a battle to prepare for. Rezra: You¡¯d get bored in five minutes. Brynhilde: [mutters] Possibly. Sprite: [raising a tiny fist] I would trade places with a Giant! Sweiza: [snickering] Oh, you¡¯d be unstoppable. Rezra: [grinning] You¡¯d still be a menace. Just a bigger one. Author: What about you, Rezra? Rezra: Hmm¡­ Someone rich. Not noble-rich, because ugh, but like¡­ pirate-rich. No responsibilities, just treasure and freedom. Brynhilde: [dryly] So, a criminal? Rezra: [grinning] I prefer the term ¡®independent entrepreneur.¡¯ Author: [laughing] Of course. Alright, last question before we wrap up¡ªif you could leave Valhalla behind forever and go anywhere, where would it be? A beat of silence follows. Even Rezra¡¯s usual smirk falters for a second. Sweiza: [quietly] ¡­Maria Village. Rezra: [softly] Yeah. Same. Brynhilde: [exhales] Somewhere I could be free of Odin¡¯s reach. Sprite: [thoughtful] A place where no one has to fight just to live. A place that¡¯s happy. Sweiza: [grinning again] You love us. Rezra: [stretching] I still want royalties. Brynhilde: [standing, exhaling] I need two drinks. Sprite: [fluttering up] This was great! Let¡¯s do it again! Rezra: [grinning as she follows Brynhilde out] Maybe next time, we interview you. Author: [laughing nervously] Oh no. That¡¯s not happening. Author: [watching Brynhilde rise from her seat, rubbing her temples] And there she goes. Brynhilde: [standing up with an air of finality] I¡¯ve tolerated enough. I¡¯m leaving before whatever happens next ruins my day. Sweiza: [grinning] Oh, come on, Bryn. You¡¯re having so much fun. Brynhilde: [deadpan] This is not my definition of fun. Rezra: [smirking] You just don¡¯t want to admit you enjoy our company. Brynhilde: [pauses, sighs] I will admit nothing. [turns, walking away without looking back] Sprite: [calling after her] Love you, Bryn! Brynhilde: [raising a hand in silent farewell but not turning around] The door closes behind her. Rezra: [stretching] Well, that¡¯s one less brooder in the room. Now, who¡¯s next? Uma: [cheerfully striding in, arms full of books and scrolls] Oh, hello, everyone! Rezra: [eyes widening in horror] ¡­Oh no. [ears flattening, tail puffing up] Nope. Nope. Not today. [scrambles backward] Sweiza: [startled] Wait, what? Sprite: [delighted] Oooh, I love this reaction. Uma: [pausing, blinking at Rezra] Oh, dear. Did I startle you? Rezra: [hissing like an angry cat, backing toward the exit] Nope! Absolutely not. You freak me out. Uma: [smiling innocently] I am an enigma, aren¡¯t I? Rezra: [pointing accusingly] You know too much. You always know too much. It¡¯s unnatural! Uma: [tilting her head] But I love knowledge! And I love reading! And I love knowing things! Rezra: [barreling out of the room, muttering] I refuse to be studied like an insect. I am not an experiment. The door slams shut behind her. Sweiza: [watching the door swing slightly, then turning back to Uma] ¡­Okay, what the hell was that? Uma: [cheerfully sitting down in Rezra¡¯s abandoned seat, adjusting her glasses] I believe she¡¯s unsettled by my insatiable curiosity. Sprite: [grinning] You do have an ominous vibe. Uma: [pleasantly] Why, thank you! Sweiza: [shaking her head] I swear, I don¡¯t understand you people. Uma: [suddenly brightening] Oh! Speaking of understanding, I do have something I need to ask you, Sweiza. [reaches into her satchel] Sweiza: [raising a brow] ¡­What now? Uma: [pulls out a very familiar diary, one that looks like it¡¯s been soaked in something suspiciously dark and ink-stained, with pages curling at the edges] This! Sweiza: [expression instantly darkens] Uma. Uma: [beaming, holding it up like a prize] It was leaking. Sweiza: [eyes narrowing] What. Sprite: [hovering over Uma¡¯s shoulder, peering at the book] Ooooh, that¡¯s not supposed to happen, is it? Sweiza: [gritting her teeth] No, it is not. Uma, what the hell did you do? Uma: [tilting her head] I merely observed its¡­ interesting properties. Sweiza: [snatching the diary out of Uma¡¯s hands, flipping through the now-smudged, ink-blurred pages] What part of "don¡¯t mess with my things" was unclear?! Uma: [calmly sipping tea, unbothered by Sweiza¡¯s fury] Oh, I didn¡¯t mess with it. It reacted to me. Sweiza: [slamming the diary shut, jaw tightening] Uma, this isn¡¯t a toy. Uma: [smiling pleasantly] Oh, I know. That¡¯s why it¡¯s fascinating! Sweiza: [throwing her arms up] You are impossible. Uma: [pleased] Why, thank you again! Author: [watching the chaos unfold, sipping coffee calmly] You know, I should¡¯ve expected this. Sweiza: [grumbling, rubbing her temples] I need a break. A long break. Maybe a vacation. Sprite: [brightly] Oooh, can I come? Sweiza: [deadpan] No. Uma: [tilting her head] But if you did go on vacation, wouldn¡¯t you want a record of the experience? [grinning slightly] Perhaps¡­ in a new diary? Sweiza: [pointing aggressively] Don¡¯t. Uma: [sipping her tea] Understood. Author: [amused] Well, now that Uma has successfully caused maximum discomfort, shall we move on? Sweiza: [grumbling, stuffing her damp, ink-smudged diary back into her satchel] ¡­We better. Sprite: [happily swinging her legs in midair] I vote for more chaos! Uma: [smiling innocently] Oh, that¡¯s always a guarantee. Author: [leaning back, sighing] Alright, let¡¯s try to regain some sense of order before everyone walks out. Sweiza: [still glaring at Uma while squeezing the damp diary in frustration] You assume there was order to begin with. Sprite: [happily sipping from a tiny cup of tea she definitely stole from Uma¡¯s stash] Order is overrated. Uma: [tapping her fingers together, smiling pleasantly] Chaos is just undiscovered structure. Sweiza: [grumbling] Yeah, yeah, and a fire is just aggressive warmth. Author: [sighing] Alright, before I lose all control, let¡¯s do one last question before we wrap up. What¡¯s the one thing you want people to remember about you when all of this is over? A pause falls over the room. For once, they all seem to consider their answers seriously. Sweiza: [after a long silence] ¡­That I tried. That I didn¡¯t just accept fate as it was handed to me. I want people to remember that I fought for something. Uma: [softly, tilting her head] That I sought understanding, even when others didn¡¯t. Sprite: [grinning, wings fluttering] That I had fun! That I lived! Sweiza: [glancing at Sprite, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips] Yeah. That too. Author: [nods] And if you could give one last piece of advice to those who come after you? Sweiza: [crossing her arms, looking at the ceiling] Don¡¯t let anyone else write your story for you. Uma: [adjusting her glasses] Never stop asking questions. The moment you do, you¡¯ve accepted ignorance. Sprite: [spinning mid-air] Eat lots of sweets! And never let anyone tell you that you can¡¯t do something! Author: [smirks] Fitting. Well, I think that¡¯s a good place to wrap up¡ª Sweiza: [already standing up, stretching] Good. I was about this close to losing my mind. Uma: [smiling, gathering her scrolls and books] I think we made great progress. Sweiza: [muttering] You would. Sprite: [hovering over to land on Uma¡¯s shoulder] Let¡¯s go cause more trouble somewhere else! Uma: [pleasantly] That does sound like a delightful plan. Sweiza: [watching them go, shaking her head with a small chuckle] I don¡¯t know if I should be worried or impressed. Uma and Sprite exit, the latter humming a cheerful tune as they disappear out the door. Sweiza: [exhales, looking at the author] Well. That was something. Author: [grinning] You mean a complete disaster? Sweiza: [grinning back] That too. Sweiza slings her bag over her shoulder, giving the author a two-fingered salute before heading toward the door. Sweiza: See you around. Try not to miss me too much. Author: [laughing] No promises. Sweiza steps out, leaving the room empty except for the author. The author takes one last look around, sighing before standing up and heading toward the exit. Author: [shaking head, muttering] ¡­Next time, I¡¯m charging for this. With that, the door closes behind them, and the interview is officially over. Starstruck! Death in the Moonlight! As the gates shut behind them, Sprite looks back warily. He hears nothing and quickly alerts, but no call is given back. He turns around and sees a cloaked shadowy figure holding a lantern¡ªits shadow flicking off of the walls of the cavern. He lets out a distressed chirp and flies after them. It seems to take forever for Sprite to catch up to them. He sees an odd sight¡ªSweiza is skipping along just in front of the Reaper. His eyes narrow¡ªsomething isn¡¯t right. He flies past the Reaper, not giving him much attention except for that annoying lantern. He darts in front of Sweiza and flies an arc until he is just in front of her¡ªhe moves backwards to maintain position in front of her. He lets out a click. She doesn¡¯t respond. He lets out a chirp, again she doesn¡¯t respond. His wings flicker in anticipation. He finally let¡¯s out a squawk. His arms finally cross when she doesn¡¯t respond. He flies up within a foot of her eyes and lets out a chirp. His eyes pulse blue once and a blue light flickers from his body. She still doesn¡¯t respond. Stupid humans! He flies up to her shoulder and lands. He is not giving up on this. He is about to perform his maneuver, but senses an impending dread loom over him. He tries to move, but cannot. Something cold and ominous grabs him¡ªhe feels as if all of the life has been sucked out of him. He watches in terror as the world around him starts to move under him. Sprite sees the world spin right behind him as the Grim Reaper¡ªglowing orbs for eyes¡ªeyes him. When the Reaper speaks, it surprisingly speaks Spritekin. Sprite feels helpless as the words wash over him¡ª¡°Do not interfere with the dead on their voyage.¡± Sprite tries to respond, but little comes out than a panicked chirp. He tries again and again¡ªthe Reaper will have none of it and chucks him to the side. Sprite still feels the same dread, but it is now all around him. It takes all of his enchanted being to land safely, but his wings remain locked in terror. When he lands, it is with a light thud as the dust around him scatters. He lets out several distressed squawks as he tries to undo the Reaper¡¯s effects. He doesn¡¯t know by what matter of enchantment, but he has an alarming sensation that the same thing has affected Sweiza, but of a greater design and power than it can affect him. It would make sense, Spritekin are immune to most enchantments and hallucinations. It doesn¡¯t do him any good as he reaches towards the distant and dimming form of his friend. He lets out one last squawk towards that wretched thing of death before he passes out. ¡ª Sweiza hears the distant and faint echo of her old life. It doesn¡¯t matter. The distant sounds of her body¡¯s aches and old life¡¯s treachery are now gone. She can finally enjoy the solitude that she so ritually deserves. But that is what it always was, wasn¡¯t it? It was always a ritual and a combative way of rebelling to get what she longed and yearned for. She only wishes Lester could join her in the afterlife. What is she thinking? Can she possibly love him? Maybe she can go back for him? Nah. The dead do not return to the land of the living. Why would anyone think such a thing? Even Odin¡¯s son Baldr could not be brought back! No matter of enchantment can escape Lady Death¡¯s sweet embrace! Sweiza lets out a giggle at the thought. She feels her childish side returning. That which was once taken from her is back. A sudden thought flitters in her mind. That which was taken from her. The dream. That wretched dream that sometimes haunts her. They did things to her, unspeakable things that robbed her of her purity. It was supposedly a ritual or right of passage according to Strife. It wasn¡¯t real. Rather, it was her body being augmented as a Valkyrie. Strange visions of things to come. Strange things that appear to be happening. But if it happened, that is why she killed herself, isn¡¯t it? She chose to drown that day after the Gigas Dura was sunk, after Strife died. Wait, that can¡¯t be right. Strife is supposed to be here in Helheim. That is why Sweiza is here isn¡¯t it? Didn¡¯t she (Sweiza) kill herself? No, she committed suicide. That is the only way to get here¡­ But didn¡¯t Fenrir lead her to the Gates of Helheim? No, it was the Gates of Nifflung. There is a way into the land of the dead. But what lies beyond the gate? A long corridor of death? She looks around at the thought. She finally stops. She feels her hairs stand on end. She looks behind her. She sees something weird. It is the Grim Reaper, but something is odd about him. There is an odd aura about him¡ªit almost looks like a ghostly blue emanating from his cloak. She feels a sudden temptation to pull off his cloak and see what is underneath. She already knows the legend though, ¡°those who see the Grim Reaper are doomed to die¡±, or rather, they are at death¡¯s door. Is she at death¡¯s door? Did she commit suicide? She remembers what happened in the dream. It isn¡¯t worth living anymore. She wasn¡¯t lowered to that lifeboat, it didn¡¯t happen that way. No! She jumped overboard from the Sterling Blue during the battle with the Vikings. A fitting way for a wretch like herself¡ªan impure girl, death by suicide. She stops dead in her tracks. Shacks and weights? Where did she get a crazy idea like that? She doesn¡¯t ever remember seeing anything like that aboard the Sterling Blue. Captain Dillion would also never approve of her doing such a thing. He was quite nice and charming. But then what about Brynhilde? Didn¡¯t Salmira try to kill her? Salmira always has that ominous red aurora about her; then there was that St. Elmo¡¯s Fire in the sky. Was that death? That similar creepy vibe? The one Salmira has? Is there such a thing as blue St. Elmo¡¯s Fire? The ghostly blue aura around the Reaper doesn¡¯t let up. Instead, he raises his lantern and waves his scythe forward in the cave. Sweiza doesn¡¯t hear his voice, but she understands what it means. She is to march forward and accept her destiny¡ªdeath¡¯s sweet embrace longs for her. A powerful sudden sensation washes over her. Her eyes ghost over and turn to the same amber that occurs in the full moon of Lokul. She can feel some kind of enchantment calling her. It isn¡¯t that of the Berserkergang, but something far more colorful. She swears she hears the voice of an old friend, something like a whistle or ¡°something¡±. She can¡¯t remember¡ªit doesn¡¯t matter anymore. As the sudden feeling of apathetic joy washes over her, she feels this longing of her childhood. She starts humming to herself and rocking her head back and forth. Such giddy playfulness! ¡°This is great! I love it here!¡± Thoughts of enchantment and entertainment enter her mind. This is a place bereft of joy, but how can it swallow a person¡¯s sorrow, regret and otherwise all of their trauma? ¡°Tell me, how is it possible?¡± The thoughts echo in her mind, they reverberate and exasperate, and then they fade into nothingness. Sweiza suddenly stops. She feels her body shudder. Something about this isn¡¯t right. She feels something icy and cold on her shoulder. She whips around. It is the Reaper. He points in front of her with his lantern. A light sparks from the lantern and shoots towards the depths of the cave. Sweiza again feels giddiness wash over her as she chases after the light trail. As the light dims, she skids to a halt around a bend in the cave. It is the mouth of the cave, and a spectacular sight awaits her. She looks around like a starstruck child in wonderment. She is standing near a cliff face, but there are hundreds¡ªno, thousands!¡ªof cave openings throughout the facing side cliffs. It seems to stretch onward to infinity; looking down the same effect! She looks up expecting the same awe and wonderment! However, she is left with such disappointment! She sees something odd with the sky¡ªif it can be called a sky. A heavenly display of blue hues and colors dance in the midnight sky¡ªnot unlike the Reaper¡¯s aura¡ªand it comes in the form of a blue aurora. Salmira¡¯s sister? Her thoughts and attention are diverted to one of the moons lower than the aurora. That¡¯s not possible, she thought the moons were supposed to be further out? How is the moon that close? Why is it rippling off the water? Water? There appears to be something covering above the cliffs. It appears to be the surface of water¡ªor at least what looks like the moon rippling off of it. That is the moon of Lokul isn¡¯t it? Why isn¡¯t she breaking out into the berserkergang? Why so many questions? She shakes her head and sets her eyes in front of her. There is a massive tower in the center of this ¡®canyon¡¯. She feels drawn to it. She takes one look back at the Reaper. Her eyebrows dart up in surprise as it is closer to her¡ªmuch closer than she would like. She feels the giddiness drop as it reaches a hand in front of her. It¡¯s skeletal hand pushes her forward. She beams at the thought. Wait, why is his hand on his scythe made of flesh? Her eyes dart from the skeletal lantern hand to the scythe hand of flesh. Confusion! Again the Reaper pushes her forward. This time she nods, knowing what her purpose is here. She is here with other spirits from all over the world¡ªshe has answered Lady Hella¡¯s beckoning. In this moment under veilthin moonlight, she is to help mine this chasm out as living quarters for the dead. Helheim Canyon has been filling up over the last few centuries and they must keep the dead occupied. What a wonderful idea! She looks up once at the Reaper and beams. She skips down the crevice of the cliff face. It will take her some time to descend the several hundred floors and stepways that lead to the bottom floor of the canyon. ¡°Wait¡­ wait¡­ wait, wait! I have a better idea!¡± The thought occurs to her; rather several as her mind races. She walks straight forward. She takes several steps forward. To her dismay she is on a bridge¡ªone that is transparent. With each step she sees a flicker of what is really in the canyon. From the cave entrance just traversed, there is a bridge in front of her. The bridge fades. She takes a wary step forward and the bridge flickers into view. Further, she sees there are actually spirits that flicker into existance and fade¡ªreverberating with each footstep. She breaks into a run. She intended to fall to the ground¡ªbeing a spirit and all¡ªbut this is just as exhilarating! It feels like an eternity as she runs endlessly on the bridge. Yet she feels tireless. When it is over, it feels only like a matter of seconds. She looks behind her and can see the Reaper watching her. Its form begins to fade. She spooks when she hears something behind her. It is the Reaper. Sweiza feels panic set in, but then a strange sensation¡ªthe same giddiness from before¡ªwashes over her. She stammers at the figure in front of her. It speaks¡ªits voice a rustle. It sounds like something otherworldly¡ªalmost like something dark and damp that comes out of a cave¡ªbut it seems to echo with deliberate purpose. ¡°You are a chooser of the slain, yet you fetch enchantments to lead the souls of the dead. Why do you come to Helheim¡¯s Canyon? Why do you choose a fate far worse than death?¡± Sweiza¡¯s head cocks at the Reaper. What is he asking her? She doesn¡¯t have any ench¡­. Wait! Of course! The Soul Mirrors! She holds out both of her hands and summons from within her being the large Soul Mirror from Delphis and Alchon¡¯s machinations. It takes form as it spins slowly. The Reaper holds up its lantern as the pyramid begins to glow. There is a whine and hum from the mirror as several human forms take shape. Are they the souls bound to the mirror? The Reaper doesn¡¯t hesitate as he raises his scythe. His eyes spark a light brighter than the sun¡ªhis scythe smashes down on the mirror. A sudden eruption of light illuminates the area as the mirror shatters. When the light settles and everything takes shape¡ªthe figures stand as spirits in opaque, but semi-transparent form. The Reaper reaches his lantern hand out in front of Sweiza. The Reaper again speaks in the same voice. ¡°Why do you give them a fate better than death?¡± It¡¯s an absurd notion! A fate better than death? Hah! However, she tries to lie her way through it, but she fails. The Reaper¡¯s all seeing gaze is all around her; she can feel death itself. It looms within her being and she lets out a nervous voice, barely a hoarse whisper. ¡°I am a Star Guardian.¡± The Reaper steps closer to her. It raises the lantern just mere feet from her face. The glow illuminates her face. It is hard to gaze at the Reaper. She feels dread as if she is going to die. She chooses to fight! She will not die in this place! She stamps her foot in defiance. ¡°I am a Star Guardian! I do not kill!¡± The Grim Reaper says nothing as he lowers his lantern. He walks just side-to-side of her. He says something in an unknown language. She swears she sees him shrug as he walks off. Rather, she realizes he was never walking¡ªhis cloak hovers above the ground with no legs. She lets out an ¡°Eep!¡± as she sees the Reaper enter the doors to the large tower in front of her. What a strange thing! She scratches her head at the sight that just transpired. She suddenly hears a squawk behind her. She turns around in time to see a blue light flying straight for her. It¡¯s Sprite! He stops just shy of her. He starts panting and wheezing. His glow fades and then flickers. He starts to lose the fight against gravity as he is slowly pulled to the ground. He drops to all floors. ¡°Serves you right for eating so much sugar¡­ again!¡± Sweiza lets out a laugh. Sprite looks up. His eyes narrow. He would splash a bad scent her way, but he is too tired. He lets out a chirp. Sweiza knows this one. She stoops over and cups her hands around him¡ªpicking him up ever so gently. She blows a puff of air on him. It grabs his hair and he shakes twice to fight the influence of it. ¡°Sweiza! There¡¯s something weird about this place! That hooded thing has some kind of enchantment!¡± Sweiza nods, ¡°Of course he does Sprite, that is the Grim Reaper!¡± Sweiza lets out a laugh at the name. Such a merry thing. Sprite cocks his head at her, ¡°You do know why we are here, don¡¯t you?¡± He wills himself to stand up and adopts a human posture of defiance¡ªhe spreads his legs apart and puts his hands on his hips. Sweiza recognizes this. He is copying her. ¡°That is from my old life Sprite! Now that I¡¯m dead it doesn¡¯t matter!¡± She lets out another giggle. ¡°You¡¯re not dead! You¡¯d be floating around mindlessly like everyone else!¡± He lets out an angry chirp at her. Sweiza¡¯s head tilts at him. Did he die with her? Does he not know what is¡­ Sweiza lets out a yelp as Sprite bites her. He bites her hard enough to draw blood. The enchantment guarding her suddenly drops and she lets out a cry. ¡°You little shit!¡± Sprite flies in front of her. Sweiza takes one step forward and the bridge illuminates again. She stops when she sees all of the spirits flicker into view. They fade just as quickly. Her gaze darts around. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°What the Frigg?¡± She steps back trying to avoid the danger which is seemingly gone. She lets out a cry when her footsteps trigger the spirits to appear again. She falls backwards and the bridge and spirits illuminate again. She finally looks up and sees the sky. They appear to be underwater with the Lokul moon rippling off the surface. She freezes. Her attention jumps back to the fact there are spirits in the vicinity. She hates ghosts! ¡°Are you back to normal?¡± Sprite bobs in front of her a few times. She nods. However, her nod is not a good one. In fact, she feels impending danger around herself. She stands up. ¡°Inside the tower, now!¡± She turns around and doesn¡¯t wait. Her voice is loud and clear for Sprite. He charges ahead of her into the open doors. Chasing after the Reaper again; she must be incredibly brave, or ferociously stupid. But Sprite is also the first one to charge in front of her to ¡°Death¡¯s Door¡±. Just what the hell is this place? ¡ª Inside the tower she sees a very large shaft with stairs winding the circumference. Sprite and Sweiza look at each other. Up or down? Sprite points up. ¡°If we go up, we might find the land of the living.¡± Sweiza nods in agreement. She charges upward. She doesn¡¯t understand why, but she knows this is how it works here. What is an eternity, happens in the blink of an eye. They are suddenly at the top of the inside of the tower. There is a door in front of them. It is white and covered with ice. Sweiza lets out a puff of air at her hair as she looks over to Sprite. He knows the drill. He flies to the door and lets out a puff of air. Suddenly the ice condensates to water and flows around his being. He is covered in a water ball that bursts. Part of it covers Sweiza. ¡°Thanks alot Dewey!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it!¡± He beams at her. It¡¯s about time he got back at her for a change. Sweiza¡¯s hands go to her hips as she eyes the door. It has a giant bar on it holding it shut. Sprite might not be strong enough to pry it open, but she can. She grabs the bar and attempts to move it. Nothing. She pushes with all of her might. It doesn¡¯t budge. This time she throws her back into it and summons every ounce of strength she has in her being. Sprite beholds a strange sight as her Valkyrie armor appears. Sweiza pushes at the bar with all of her might and it finally comes loose. Her armor disappears just as easily as it came. Sprite flies up to her, a curious expression on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I suddenly felt really strong. I don¡¯t feel so¡­¡± Sweiza staggers as she falls backwards. Luckily, the wall behind her catches and braces her. She slides down the wall to a sitting position. Her gaze follows Sprite with curiosity as he attempts to push the door open. For all of the enchantment of being a Spritekin, he lacks the strength needed. He lets out an angry chirp and flies in front of Sweiza. He points at the door as he lets out a chirp. ¡°In a minute, I¡¯m tired.¡± Sweiza feels the life slowly drain from her being. Something serously isn¡¯t right about this place. Sprite lets out an alarm and it alerts Sweiza. She forces herself to her feet as she grabs the door. She tries to open it, but nothing happens. She lets out a nervous laugh. ¡°I¡¯m so stupid! It opens from the inside¡­¡± Sweiza jerks on the door and the weight of her action almost throws her backward. She hits the railing just beyond the staircase. She looks backwards and feels vertigo. She shakes herself back to reality and rushes out the door. Sprite hears her let out a cry when she is outside. He flies outside, but stops just shy of the water. He lets out a cry of alarm and flies behind Sweiza. She finally catches her breath leaning over the railing. She looks down at the black water and the moon reflecting off of its ripples against the tower. She pulls herself up and tries to fight the vertigo. She turns around to go back in the tower. She freezes when she sees the tower. It is the same obsidian color as the Myrkvellir Monoument. However, this looks different. There are weird markings and lines on the tower; she swears she sees some of what look like the Futhark Runes. Her attention is again disrupted by Sprite giving out a very high pitched alert. He rapidly points behind her. ¡°RUN!¡± is all he says as he darts back inside. Sweiza turns around. She looks up, but sees nothing. She suddenly hears something splash off the water¡¯s surface. She regrets looking down! There is a giant sea serpent staring her down. Its scales¡ªbut more importantly, those hideous black eyes¡ªreflect the moonlight of Lokul. She freezes. It suddenly begins rising out of the water. The water dripping from it sparkles in the moonlight. She looks up in terror as it ascends in height. It is massive! The world serpent? A blue aurora behind it? She tries to move, but is frozen in terror. She groans. Is this thing enchanted like the Reaper? She feels something suddenly prick her finger. She looks down and it is Sprite. He has drawn more blood from another bite. ¡°You lit¡­¡± She charges into the door, Sprite comes careening in after her. She slaps the door shut and throws the metal bar in front of it again. It clasps shut in time for the tower to suddenly shut and reverberate down its interior. Just what the hell was that? Did the leviathan hit the tower? ¡°Sera!¡± She looks over at him and nods. She starts running down the stairs. Sprite flies in unison beside her. He lets out a nervous laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll take death over that thing!¡± Sprite nods, ¡°I want sweet things for this!¡± ¡°Later!¡± Sweiza continues her run. In what feels like an eternity, but is no time at all, she finds herself at the bottom of the tower. She looks around. The base of the inside of the tower is massive. Just how tall is it? How wide? She dismisses it. There is a reason she is here. Giddiness? She can feel it wash over her again. It tries to take hold. She looks down at Sprite. He¡¯ll just bite her again! She claps both of her hands on her cheeks. ¡°I know!¡± She holds out her hand and summons the penchant. The jewel in it glows blue. The hands on it suddenly start to turn in random directions. It points directly in front of her. ¡°Thanks alot¡­ useless trinket!¡± She marches forward. She is indirect with her poise, but she forgets why she is here. She can feel the depth of the fog crushing her confidence. After some time of walking, she finds a small castle taking shape in the distance. It looks dark and foreboding. There are no lights on in it. She eyes it once. She hears Sprite alert. She recognizes his call¡ªhe doesn¡¯t want to go. ¡°There is something bad inside there!¡± Sprite flies just in front of her and clings to her shirt. ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± Sweiza rolls her eyes at him. She holds up the penchant at the castle. The jewel glows blue and the hands whir again. They point to the right side of the castle. Sweiza cocks her head at it. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°You mean Hella!¡± Sweiza looks down at the shaking Spritekin. He is clearly afraid of the castle. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go around.¡± She holds the penchant up and follows the hands. She squints once when she sees the hands rotate and correct their direction every so often. They are definitely pointing and chasing a path around the castle. Sweiza scowls at the penchant, ¡°This damn thing!¡± She looks down at Sprite. He is still clinging for dear life. But perhaps that is what he wants afterall. He doesn¡¯t want to die in this place of death. She silently concurs. If nothing else¡ªfor his sake¡ªshe will find a way out of this place. It takes some time¡ªbut again feels like nothing at all¡ªand she finds herself at the backside of the castle. Just why does this happen? Is it time travel? Salmira¡¯s doing? If they are underground and inside, Salmira surely can¡¯t project herself here? Then what? Sweiza dismisses it. She has business here. She again holds the penchant up. The hands again whir and point a direction that is seemingly straight forward. She suddenly sees something gliding towards them. It is a spirit. It is opaque, but semi-transparent. It hovers in front of her. It tries to speak, but no voice comes out. She holds up the penchant at it. The blue jewel suddenly turns grey. She again looks at the spirit. It tries to speak, but nothing comes out. More spirits start to appear. Sweiza stamps her foot and takes a defensive stance. Her armor appears and she aims her sword at them. ¡°Go away!¡± The spirits suddenly comply and line up side-by-side. A shocked Sweiza suddenly stops. She sheaths her sword. She hurries on her way down both rows. She stares straight ahead. The spirits with their creepy eyes are not for the living! She breaks it a run. As she seemingly reaches the end of both rows, more spirits line up. She runs, faster and faster¡ªbut the spirits keep lining up. More time passes, almost an eternity, but just as she things it cannot go on any longer, she reaches her destination in no time at all. She is back in front of the castle from before. However, this time she sees something different. Lady Strife! However, something isn¡¯t right. The fog suddenly lifts. Strife is in some kind of glass. As Sweiza approaches, she can see there are other figures in the glass. It looks like some kind of transparent rock. As she gets closer, the shadowed figures behind Strife take form¡ªit is the crew of the Gigas Dura. But something isn¡¯t right. Why would Strife take them down here if this area is so dangerous? Strife said she had personal business, why take anyone here at all? As she gets closer, Sweiza sees something odd next to Strife. It is a fountain, rather the water has been frozen. Strife is gazing at it just from behind. Her expression looks surprised and otherworldly. Strife¡¯s skin is a ghostly white¡ªfor that matter, the crew of the Gigas Dura also has white skin. Sweiza cocks her head at the site¡ªas she does so, her gaze falls to the sword in Strife¡¯s hand. Just what is th¡­ ¡°She has trespassed in my realm¡­¡± Fog suddenly sweeps in front of Sweiza, it swirls in and around itself as a figure inside takes form. The lantern is the first thing that is visible. The fog suddenly rushes out and the Grim Reaper stands before her. His eyes glow at her. He speaks, but the voice comes out as female. ¡°Do you intend to cheat death as well?¡± Sweiza shrinks into herself. ¡°No¡­¡± She steps backwards. This thing before her is not just the Reaper. Sprite lets out an alarmed call. He summons all of his might and charges towards the Reaper¡¯s hood. As he makes closes in, the Reaper attempts to block him with his scythe, but it misses. Sprite grabs onto the cloaked figure¡¯s hood and pulls on it. He feels death wash over him as his body slackens; he pulls for dear life and the hood breaks free. He falls to the ground behind the Reaper. He looks up and back to see the Reaper¡¯s head¡ªand a shocked Sweiza. A helm of ram horns set at the back; an intricately designed black helm. But it is the pale white skin and the dark mascara that the woman wears. The Grim Reaper is no man, but a woman! Sweiza lets out an ¡°Eep!¡± when she sees the veil over the woman¡¯s face. It is a frightening sight as it seemingly flows in a non-existent wind. Where the veil flows over her face is nothing but a skeleton. Sweiza¡¯s breathing quickens when the woman speaks¡ªshe holds up a lantern at the girl. ¡°She tried to cheat me. Do you intend to do the same?¡± Sweiza blinks. She knows who this is. Sweiza takes in a deep breath. She debates whether she should negotiate like Strife would She instead comes right out with it. ¡°What happened here?¡± Lady Hella is taken aback by the request. ¡°You are foolish to question me.¡± Sprite flies up between them. ¡°You tricked us!¡± Lady Hella is unphased and quite emotionless at his accusations. She holds the lantern up at him. ¡°This is my domain. Why are the living here?¡± Sweiza looks back at the form of Strife frozen in crystal. She notices there is a semi-transparent figure in the air, but still locked in crystal. The form appears to be male. He has a resemblance to herself, but she doesn¡¯t recognize him. His hand reaches down towards Strife whom has her hand half fallen. It does not do justice to the look of surprise on her face. Sweiza again sees the forms behind her; several of them have weapons brandished. Strife lead the Gigas Dura here to battle spirits? Why? Sweiza looks back again at Hella. The Goddess of Death is unphased¡ªstill holding her lantern upright. ¡°Would you quite pointing that thing at me?¡± Lady Hella¡¯s eyebrows raise and then drop momentarily, ¡°It is the Lantern of Truth. It shows me the intent of all who enter this Valley of the Death.¡± Sweiza squints. She is not about to be outsmarted. She holds the Penchant up at Lady Hella. The crystal glows blue and then lets out a strange spark of blue light and then disappears. As it fades the crystal turns a dull grey. Sweiza stares at it. It isn¡¯t working as intended. The hands suddenly start to spin erratically. She expects them to stop, but they do not. She refrains from swearing. She lowers the Penchant and looks up at Hella. Hella gives her a once over, ¡°This valley is beyond the reach of mortals. Your enchantments will not work here.¡± It is Sweiza¡¯s turn to speak, but Hella interrupts her. ¡°This is my domain. Not even Odin may enter. Nigh on his day of reckoning shall he find solace with me.¡± Sweiza cocks her head. ¡°This is stupid!¡± she things to herself. Hella appears to be stalling. ¡°Why¡¯d you do that to them?¡± Sweiza turns her voice to something sharp as she changes her bargaining posture¡ªfor good measure, she thumbs behind herself at Srife¡¯s and the others¡¯ current prison. Hella makes a strange face¡ªsomething akin to a smile and frown. Did she just laugh at Sweiza? ¡°You are not like her.¡± Lady Hella walks towards her. Sweiza freezes when she sees the Reaper¡¯s cloak part. Sweiza feels her gag reflex kick as she sees Hella¡¯s legs. They are half rotting. A transparent cloth¡ªsimilar to what is draped on Hella¡¯s face¡ªswings over the Death Goddess¡¯s legs. As the cloth swings over them, the cloth reveals a skeleton underneath. Sweiza winces. ¡°I will grant you penance for those lost souls. You have my thanks¡­ this time. Do not return until that appropriate time. Goodbye.¡± Sweiza tries to break free from the woman¡¯s gaze, but she feels frozen. She looks down at Sprite. He appears to be frozen. Is this magic? An enchantment? Sweiza looks up as Lady Hella lowers her scythe laden hand and users her skeletal lantern hand to raise her cloak up again. As the Grim Reaper, her eyes pulse gold. Suddenly, Sweiza hears something crack behind her. She also feels Lady Hella¡¯s hold break free. Lady Hella turns around and walks away as her form seemingly vanishes. Sweiza hears another crack. She whirls around with her sword in hand. She charges the cracking crystal. She jams her sword into it hard and a massive crack appears around the sword. Sweiza pulls her sword out and the rock cracks further. Suddenly a light erupts from the rock. The rock glows a white light that begins to envelop everyone. Sweiza hears a man¡¯s voice, it yells ¡°Verdandi!¡± as Strife¡¯s name yells ¡°Sigurd!¡± There are several screams and cries from the Gigas Dura crew as there forms slowly move. Sweiza sees the spirit¡¯s hand attempt to reach Strife as she is thrown back from some unknown force. She (Strife) attempts to reach up towards him. She falls backward and drops the sword. As time speeds up for them, Strife¡¯s form is suddely thrown to the ground and she skids. Several of the Gigas Dura crew charge with weapon¡¯s drawn. Sigurd¡¯s form is slowly pulled away from them and several spirits charge forward. The white light envelops all of them. The last thing Sweiza hears is the distant yell of Strife and Sigurd saying each other¡¯s names. ¡ª As the light slowly dims, Sweiza is left to face the Gigas Dura, anchored some distance from the shore¡ªa dingy sits abreast of the shore between them. Sweiza lets out a large breath of dismayed relief. That was scary. She turns around. ¡°Damn it!¡± Strife¡¯s voice trembles, but is still loud. Murmurs surround a surprised Gigas Dura crew. ¡°Strife!¡± Sweiza runs up to Strife and gives her a big hug. ¡°Let go!¡± Strife¡¯s tears confuse Sweiza. ¡°Sera!¡± Sprite flies up, and motions for Sweiza to look up. Sweiza looks up and just beyond Strife¡ªjust in time to see a familiar stone gate with stone doors wide open. The same blue aura from before (Lady Hella) encircles and surrounds the gates. There is a rumble in the ground as the gates groan and start to close. ¡°Let go!¡± Strife elbows Sweiza in the gut and breaks free of her grasp. She whirls around and looks down at the ground. She finds her quarry and charges towards it. In one motion she stoops over while running and grabs the hilt of the Sword of Embers. She attempts to charge towards the gate. Sweiza looks back at the crew of the Gigas Dura. They just stand there. Sweiza shakes her head and charges after Strife. Strife closes the gap between her and the gates. However, she drops the sword as she is thrown forward. She drops to the ground with Sweiza on top of her. Strife does everything she can to break free. She lets out several dismayed grunts. She tries to elbow Sweiza again, but this time Sweiza dodges it. Sweiza tries to dodge Strife¡¯s punch, but Sweiza swings her other arm¡¯s elbow into her (Sweiza¡¯s) chest. Sweiza lets out a cry as she drops to the ground gasping for air. Strife scowls at her as she looks just beyond the girl. Strife walks past her and picks up the Sword of Embers. She breaks into a run past Sweiza and towards the doors. The doors close and their metal assembly reverberates with their noise. Strife is too late. She is not about to give up. As she begins her final approach, she aims the sword high and into a thrust. She stabs it straight for the seam between the doors. However, she and the sword are thrown backwards. She lets out a cry. ¡°Dammit! Open!¡± She claws at the door. She tries several times to peel at the center seam in the door. It doesn¡¯t budge. She grips the metal knocker on it and knocks furiously. She cries Sigurd¡¯s name. She claws and kicks at the door one more time. ¡°Strife! We have to go!¡± Strife stops in place. She turns around. Her lip is pursed and tears are down her eyes. She sends a nasty glare at Sweiza as the girl approaches. Still clutching her gut, Sweiza attempts to put her hand on Strife¡¯s shoulder and gives her a slight shake. ¡°Strife, we don¡¯t belong here! We¡¯re in danger!¡± Strife lets out a gruff grunt and pushes Sweiza away from her. ¡°Strife?¡± Strife looks back at her forlorn. ¡°The fact your here means I¡¯ve failed.¡± Strife looks down at the Sword of Embers. ¡°And I have a trophy to show for my failure.¡± The sword disappears into Strife¡¯s being. She walks up with haste to Sweiza. ¡°I told you this was personal!¡± Strife raises her gauntlet to swing at the girl. Sweiza makes no attempts to defy her mentor. She closes her eyes, and gives a meek, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sweiza waits for it. The hand that bites never comes. Her eyes chance a gander. Strife looks worse for wear with tears down her eyes. Her body and face tremble. Her gauntlet insead comes up to wipe the tears out of her face. ¡°Next time don¡¯t interfere.¡± Strife turns around and storms off. She ignores a shocked Gigas Dura crew and heads for the dingy. Sprite flies up to Sweiza. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Sweiza shakes her head and fights the tears. She finally breaks down crying as she walks towards the dingy. She ignores the remaining crew of the Gigas Dura. Sweiza pushes the thoughts out of her mind as she steps into the dingy. Strife turns her head away. An insufferable sight between them. Sweiza is left in silence as Strife refuses to look at her. Strife begins rowing. When Sweiza tries to speak, Strife shoots her a glare. Sweiza looks down knowing she won¡¯t win. She looks down at Sprite in her laugh. He lets out a chirp. Sweiza lets out a faint smile between her tears as she wipes them away. Things were not supposed to turn out this way¡ªthis night, this place. However, if time heals wounds, Strife might relent with her graces. Time will tell¡­