ã€ŠThe God Cheese Chaseã€‹


 1. The mighty vessel, Sinclair.

    The mighty vessel, Sinclair.

    ¡°My late father passed onto me a mighty vessel. When I was but a wee lad, every evening my father would tell me stories. Wonderful tales of his ship and the adventures he had with it. Perhaps all those stories gave me a false sense of pride when the ship¡¯s ownership landed in my hands.

    It was a mighty vessel, emphasis on the ¡®was¡¯. Time was a cruel mistress and the poor ship couldn¡¯t take the erosion of time. When I opened that dusty garage door, I saw in front of me the enormous vehicle in shambles. Old pieces of wood were rotting away, paint chipped and was extremely faded, even the metal gears inside controlling the steering had rusted nearly into a fine iron-oxide powder. The only thing that seemed relatively intact was the turquoise green steering wheel. Of course, it used to be made of golden brown copper, but all the years oxidized the outer layer into a faint pale green.

    The might vessel Sinclair was in dire needs of repair. Honestly, if it wasn¡¯t for the sheer amount of sentimental value I had for it, I might have just thrown it away and use its parts to make a new ship.

    But this was my father¡¯s prized possession, and now it¡¯s mine as well. With all the money to my name, I brought Sinclair into the best shipyard in port. It wasn¡¯t any old shipyard, it housed the best engineers the empire could muster. They specialize in nearly every vehicle. From land to sea to air, any method of travel you can imagine.

    But to my surprise (and disappointment), they said that the mighty vessel Sinclair was just too damaged to repair to full operational standards. At best, it could be renovated into a nice looking museum piece. You can imagine my devastation¡­In the end, I took out the only thing I could¡­the turquoise green steering wheel.

    Perhaps not even a week later, I found a use for the remains of the ship. My father left the ship to me so I could do what I wanted with it. I decided to give my father a Viking¡¯s funeral.

    By the shores of the great Carcian Sea, my father¡¯s friends, crew, and relatives all gathered. I was in front of the crowd, wearing a full captain¡¯s uniform. My father laid in an open casket on top of his beloved ship Sinclair.

    Everyone said their farewells, and the boat was pushed near the water¡¯s edge. With a torch in my hand, I lit the piece of cloth on the side of the ship. Three of his most trusted crew members pushed the ship off into the open waters. We stared at the view as the mighty Sinclair became a towering inferno floating on the water. It still sailed proudly, even whilst engulfed in flames.

    It was not until the ship became nothing but a tiny speck upon the vast horizon did it finally vanish into the eternity. Tears were shed, and promises were made. ¡°

    ______

    ¡°Years passed. Being the daydreamer that I am, I followed my father¡¯s footsteps. The vast lands outside the Carcian border lie adventure and excitement. Using all the money I had to my name, I had the boys at shipyard make me a new vessel. I named it Sinclair Jr. after my father¡¯s beloved ship.

    It was a fine ship. A full 450ft in length. 4 large masts and a steam engine was installed with great care. My baby can get go over 60 knots easily. On the sea, it is an incredible galleon. On the land, it¡¯s a wonderful caravan. In the water, it¡¯s carried by the 4 sails. On land, the steam powered engine gets me over 60mph easily!

    Yes, my lovely Sinclair Jr. was an amphibious vehicle. It can traverse over land and sea.

    The ship was made out of laminated hardwood. Stainless steel was used for rebar and supports. I didn¡¯t spare a single dime, all of it was poured into making this ship. It was made to stand the toughest terrain, the roughest seas, and the most dangerous of lands.

    There were four floors to my galleon Sinclair. The top deck was one, where one can see the beautiful cosmos above during the night. It required constant cleaning, though, I do enjoy a clean deck.

    The floor under the top deck was the living quarters. There were several rooms branching out from a central area. Inside the rooms, several bunk beds were installed later as my crew grew. I had several rooms built with window access in each one! The boys at the yard told me it was impractical but I say ¡®HA¡¯! I¡¯m a romantic and I enjoy the view. Connecting the rooms was a dining area and parlor. The kitchen was also located there. As a person who enjoys fine dining, a well-stocked kitchen is a must! The kitchen has a direct access downstairs to the storage areas.

    Underneath the living quarters was the storage area. This is where we store our goods to be traded, living supplies, and food stuff. Honestly to people like us who adventures and explore, money is always an issue. So during times of need, we act as a trading vessel. Our entire lower area was converted into a giant storage area. It¡¯s been reinforced so it can survive even the most violent of collisions. Every time I go there I can see my money do its work. Expensive but durable building materials went into my beloved Sinclair Jr.¡±

    ¡°Ahem Captain?¡± My trusty first mate cut me off during my monolog. ¡°I understand people are curious about us but do you really have to narrate your entire past?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± I replied with a toothy grin. ¡°The history of my past is something I must share with everyone!¡±

    My first mate shrugged and the rest of my crew seemed to sigh. Cheer up fellows, the story continues! The next part is about you guys.

    ______

    ¡°By my lonesome self, I sailed off from the shores of Carcia. Along the way, I met many friends and foes; people I can trust my life with and people I shall never be able to live under the same sky with.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The first person I could call my best friend was my first mate Egg.¡±

    *cough* ¡°That¡¯s Melanzana, Captain.¡± Egg sighed. ¡°When you introduce me, can you not use the nickname you gave me?¡±

    I reluctantly nodded.

    ¡°Anyways, where was I? Oh right, Egg.¡±

    I could feel my first mate giving me an evil glare.

    ¡°Egg here is my most trusted man. He is my brother and I would die for him!¡±

    The glare vanished. I breathed a breath of relief. You do not understand how dangerous that glare felt. Egg here is a hulk of a man. He¡¯s as wide as a tree and as strong as a bear. His shiny bald head was the beacon to the open seas and he often wears nothing but a tiny purple vest and baggy white trousers. He said it accentuates his manliness.

    Just as I was about to continue with my monolog, the trumpets started playing.

    ¡°Shoot, I was just getting to the good parts.¡±

    All the other millions of participants all looked toward the seat of honor. A strange ball of light floated towards it. It floated slightly above the chair.

    ¡°I-is he sitting down? I can¡¯t tell¡­he lacks a butt.¡±

    People were tense and excited.

    Finally, the ball of light started speaking.

    ¡°!@#$%^&^%$#@¡±

    Our ears were ringing. The sound that emitted from the light nearly shattered our eardrums.

    A winged man standing next to the ball of light cleared his throat.

    ¡°Ahem. What the Grand God is trying to say¡­Welcome mortals, to the race of gods! Today begins the race that will decide who shall join our ranks and become a god. Each and every participant is carrying a locked treasure chest. Inside the box lies an assortment of God cheeses.¡±

    Everyone suddenly got rowdy. Whispers and gossip filled the entire valley.

    ¡°D-did they say God cheese? Is that¡¯s what¡¯s in these chests?!¡±

    Some of the more ¡®barbaric¡¯ participants started to whack at their chests.

    ¡°Why won¡¯t it open? OPEN UP ALREADY!¡±

    ¡°Hey Captain, since you¡¯re so ¡®knowledgeable¡¯ about everything, what¡¯s God cheese?¡±

    My shiny headed first mate asked.

    I coughed and cleared my dried throat.

    ¡°Ahem, of course, I know what God cheese is!¡±

    I didn¡¯t. But I had to bluff it anyways. My crew was looking at me with such expectation.

    ¡°Just say you don¡¯t know Capt.¡± Egg said while rubbing his bald head. ¡°We¡¯re already used to your bragging getting us into trouble.¡±

    My shoulders slumped down.

    ¡°*&@!$@^&%!$&^*@*¡±

    Once again the sharp noise made everything stop in its tracks.

    ¡°Be quiet puny mortals, the Grand God is speaking now!¡± The winged man exclaimed then proceeded to continue translating.

    ¡°Your puny mortal strength will not be able to open a box made by the blacksmith God. You would need a key. A key that lies at the end of the race, should you survive long enough to reach there.¡± We could tell it was smirking but the ball of light didn¡¯t have a facial expression. We just know.

    ¡°As you should know by now, God cheese is a delicacy treasured by Gods and mortals alike. Gods who consume it grow in power whilst mortals who consume enough of it can become gods. Of course, the amount required varies from person to person but inside each chest should be enough for one mortal to become a god. Remember the rules, anything goes. Kill, plunder, bribe, and blackmail to your heart''s content. We gods aren¡¯t your nannies, go wild and RACE!¡±

    And with that, the ball of light grew a pair of legs and stood up.

    ¡°W-what?¡± A few people gasped. ¡°He had legs all along?!¡±

    The ball of light then slowly morphed into a more humanoid shape.

    ¡°LET THE RACE BEGIN!¡± It bellowed.

    ¡°W-wait, it could talk the entire time?! Why did he need a translator then?¡±

    Before everyone could get over the shock, the Grand God lifted his hand and shot a large ball of light into the sky. It exploded and the words [BEGIN] appeared in bright neon colors.

    ¡°Captain,¡± My crew eagerly awaits my orders. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s.¡±

    Looks like my monolog will have to wait until another day.

 2. The First Domain.

    <u>The First Domain.</u>

    It was a complete mess. Although we were given plenty of time to prepare, due to the Grand god''s ceremony, some didn''t react when the race began.

    People were scrambling on their vessels to open their sails or start their engines.

    "Let the sails down!"

    "It''s done, Captain!"

    "Full speed ahead!"

    A powerful breeze created by a wind god was constantly blowing towards our goal. Perhaps it was the god''s blessing on our voyage.

    We speed past countless contestants who were still trying to get started. Soon, we were in the front pack.

    "Captain, everything is stable."

    I nodded and clamped down the turquoise copper steering wheel. The first leg of the journey is a straight course toward the dimensional gate to the first domain. The channel was large enough to fit several million participants so colliding with anyone isn''t a problem unless they do it on purpose.

    "Good job crew!" I smiled. "We got to prepare the Sinclair Jr. for inter-dimensional travel. Jobs, what''s our status?"

    Jobs was our handyman. He was kicked out of the shipyard at Carcia for having too many wild and insane ideas. They were so insane that it almost killed several of his co-workers. Of course, I needed a repairman and Jobs fit the bill perfectly.

    "Captain, I appreciate you asking me, but can you stop calling me by my nickname?"

    "Oops, a force of habit. Sorry, Jacob."

    Jacob was a man of many ideas. More often than not, those ideas got us into trouble. But hey, at least we all survived thus far.

    He scowled and rubbed his nose.

    "Anyways I need to go secure my lab before the transfer." He said while walking downstairs. "Try not to break anything."

    We all nodded sheepishly.

    "Ok crew, go make sure your belongings won''t fly all over the place." I waved my hand nonchalantly. "I''ll be in my quarters if you need me. We meet up on deck by nightfall."

    The crew separated. Egg followed me to my cabin.

    "Hey Captain, you sure about this?" He asked me hesitantly. "I know your father participated in this race but the race is always changing. Nothing will be the same."

    "Melanzana my dearest friend, you know my mind as well as I do. You know how I feel about this." I sighed softly and patted Egg''s back. "I remember watching the race on the sidelines while my father died. I hoped and prayed that the gods would let me go help him but it was to no avail."

    "Then what are you doing now?" Egg glared at me. "Is this for revenge? Because, as a friend, I will not let you jump into such a spiraling hellhole."

    "Don''t worry my friend," I reassured him. "I''m just completing my father''s dream."

    Egg looked at me for a while longer before finally giving up. He left for his room and gently closed the door behind him.

    "It''s my dream as well," I said quietly to myself as if trying to convince my conscience that my decision was correct.

    I look at the voice recorder on my desk. It was labeled ¡®Race¡¯. It was the most important thing my father had left me along with his tattered ship.

    I pressed play and the familiar voice sounded out.

    ¡°Captain¡¯s log, Day 1. The first day of the Race of gods has started. I already miss my son¡­¡±

    A tear fell from my eyes.

    ______

    Countless billions of people came to watch the race. Countless numbers of people gathered in the Gods Realm to view this spectacular event. It was a once in a lifetime moment since it was held once every ten thousand years.

    No one was worried about their homes though. Due to the hard work of the God of time, the Gods Realm currently is fixed in time. Everything that occurs outside is frozen in static animation. Only the realms where the race will go through have their time run normally. Even then, the racers don¡¯t stay too long within each realm.

    The race ran an average of 15 years long. It was a very long race to some short-lived species but to the gods, it was just a brisk afternoon enjoyment. The extended families of all millions of the racers were watching.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    It was the same spot Charles was in years ago when his father participated.

    Ten thousand years have passed in the universe. Due to the protection of their Goddess, Carcia had its time slowed. But the Goddess was not enough. Her powers are limited and a majority of it was used to slow time. Charles¡¯ father fell in love with the Goddess and wanted to help her. He joined the race to become a god.

    The results were devastating. Charles hated the Goddess for taking his father away from him. He never had a mother figure in his life. His mother died after childbirth. Never once did he accept the Goddess as his mother, regardless of the feelings his father had for her.

    This time, he knows the Goddess is watching. He will show her he could complete what his father had failed to accomplish and rub it in her face. Perhaps he is acting childish but it was something he knew he must do.

    ______

    Night fell in the Gods Realm. The god Sol grew tired and walked back to his humble abode. From the opposite side, the goddess Luna rubbed her eyes and yawned. She stumbled her way to her position in the sky.

    I woke up from my short nap and put on my Captain¡¯s hat.

    I walked out of my room and saw my entire crew already prepared. They were waiting for my command now.

    ¡°Good evening crew, it¡¯s time for the most dangerous moment for our beloved Sinclair Jr.¡± I looked toward Jobs. ¡°Will she survive the journey?¡±

    ¡°I helped reinforced her personally.¡± Jobs gloated. ¡°She can take on an Eldritch God and still stay afloat.¡±

    ¡°Is everything secure and fastened down? The trip will be very rough.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± Everyone replied.

    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s enter the portal to the unknown and begin a new adventure!¡±

    I took out my rapier and pointed toward the giant black swirl of darkness. The otherworldly feeling was overwhelming. It was the dimension portal to our first domain.

    The domain where our race will officially begin. Where the dangers will skyrocket and death shall run rampant.

    Several other ships ahead of us already entered the portal. We could hear shouts and screams of panic coming from the other side.

    Thankfully, my father recorded his experience about his journey through the dimensional portal. We were ready, we must be.

    Slowly, the front of the Sinclair Jr. entered the portal. The boat groaned and creaked but it held steady. The rest of the ship and its crew entered following it.

    ¡°Pressure¡± That was the only word going through my head after we entered. An enormous amount of pressure pressed down on us and the ship. It felt like the gravity had been increased significantly.

    My crew got on their knees. I could even see the veins on Egg¡¯s neck pop out as he struggled to stand up. He had to since he needed to keep an eye out in front of the ship. I myself was sitting down. I¡¯m not foolish enough to waste energy standing up.

    Seconds passed, followed by minutes, and for what seemed like an entire hour, we endured the heavy pressure. Finally, like being dunked into the cool ocean after a blistering hot day, we were through.

    The pressure vanished and was instead replaced by mist.

    The mist was everywhere. The stuff was as thick as soup.

    ¡°Captain, I can¡¯t get a good view of things.¡± Egg shouted over the sound of the other participant¡¯s screams. ¡°I think something is out there and it¡¯s attacking the others.¡±

    I frowned. This wasn¡¯t written in my dad¡¯s record but then again, the race changes every time. Nothing remains completely the same.

    Suddenly, out of the mist, a shadow slammed into the mast. The boat rocked but the mast was too tough for the collision to scratch it.

    The creature landed on the deck convulsing. It looked like a dried up old man with bat wings. In its hands was a trident made of a rusty looking metal. It still had blood dripping from it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what those things are,¡± Egg said. ¡°But they remind me of the imps back home.¡±

    ¡°Disgusting little beasts.¡± Jobs said with a frown. ¡°They keep pestering me while I¡¯m working in my lab.¡±

    The other crew members nodded. It seemed each of them had bad experiences with imps.

    ¡°So these are the attackers?¡± I rubbed my stubble of a beard. ¡°They don¡¯t look too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the mist, Captain.¡± Egg replied. ¡°These little buggers catch you by surprise and stab you.¡±

    He picked up the trident from the imp and gave it a good stab. The imp shrieked and vanished into a puff of black smoke.

    ¡°These little tricksters can¡¯t be killed by conventional means.¡± Egg said. ¡°You have to use their own belongings against them.¡±

    The trident in his hands hasn''t vanished along with the imp.

    ¡°Looks like the imp¡¯s shriek attracted more of his kind.¡±

    I pointed toward the shadowy amorphous blob that was approaching us from the mist.

    ¡°BATTLE STATIONS!¡± I shouted.

    The crew got into position-As in they hide behind the barrels and doors. Egg was the only one properly armed and was ready to fight off the horde. I stood next to him with my rapier.

    ¡°Captain, you know that¡¯s not going to work.¡± Egg stared at the rapier.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, just kill these bastards.¡± I smiled back.

    ¡°It¡¯s my JOB to worry about you.¡± Egg replied as he leaped trident first into the blob.

    With his mighty frame, the imps didn¡¯t stand a chance. They shrieked and fell like hailstones. The crew got out from cover and quickly went to take the tridents that dropped onto the deck.

    It was a full out skirmish.

    My rapier started to hum as I sliced into the imp. They vanished into a puff of smoke and reformed.

    ¡°I told you Capt.¡± Egg said while catching his breath. ¡°It isn¡¯t going to work.¡±

    I frowned but wasn¡¯t dismayed I started hacking at the imp over and over again. It didn¡¯t work. The annoying little thing even managed to knock my rapier out of my hands with his trident. Another imp came and snatched it.

    ¡°Give it back!¡± I shouted at the imp.

    Egg quickly took notice and threw his trident at the imp. It impaled it to the mast. I knew his strength was great but to make the trident sink into the heavy wood mast like that-I was honestly shocked.

    He yanked the trident from the mast and threw the rapier back to me.

    ¡°Should be good now.¡± Egg smiled. ¡°Since that imp had ownership of your sword for a few seconds, it should work just fine now.¡±

    I tried it by stabbing a few of the imps circling around us. It worked perfectly as the imps screamed in despair as they exploded into a cloud of black smoke.

    ¡°Good job!¡± I praised my sword. (And to some extent, Egg.)

    The imps realized they had hit a wall and retreated.

    Soon, the mist slowly cleared up. The view shocked and awed us. Countless numbers of broken ships and vessels. The water underneath us flowed red with blood. A sinister looking serpent was currently munching contently on something. We were far away enough to elude its attention but no one dared to make a sound. Even the great I realized just how lucky we were. If we had been a bit faster, we might have faced the serpent ourselves.

    Behind the serpent was an enormous tree. Not just any giant tree, this tree was perhaps the size of a small planetoid.

    In the sky above, hovered the familiar neon colored words.

    [Domain 1. Yggdrasil.]

    ¡°Looks like we made it,¡± I whispered. ¡°Crew, take us far away from that serpent.¡±

    We slowly drifted away from the scene of carnage.

 3. Yggdrasil and the two paths.

    <u>Yggdrasil and the two paths.</u>

    We were adventurers and explorers. We are not men of war, of carnage, and of desolation. The horrible scene was burned into our mind. As men of the sea, we are used to death. It was inevitable, but it was also the reason we mortals seek godhood.

    My crew was silent, perhaps mourning the loss of others. We are not pirates, we still cherish live while we have it.

    By the time we got significantly far away from the serpent, the night had once again fallen. The stars above were plentiful and could be seen through the massive branches of the giant ash tree. It was a serene moment after what we had gone through.

    I turned toward my crew.

    ¡°Men, get a good night¡¯s rest,¡± I hoped to reinvigorate them. ¡°Tomorrow we will face the challenges this domain will throw at us.¡±

    My men nodded back but they know their tasks. The ship needed small repairs after the skirmish with the imps. It was a good thing they turned into smoke so there were no corpses to dispose of. Annoyingly, a lot of tridents were left behind.

    As Jobs said before, ¡°Never throw away useful metal.¡± So we wrapped them up and stored them downstairs.

    The crew who were injured were treated by our onboard doctor, Dr. Mortis.

    ¡°Hey Rigor, how are they?¡± I asked. ¡°They good to go tomorrow?¡±

    Rigor stared at me with his ghostly flames glowing in his eye sockets.

    ¡°All good Capt. just a few scratches, nothing serious.¡± His boney jaw clicked. ¡°Just clean them and avoid getting them infected and all will be right.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Doc.¡± Egg said with sincerity. ¡°I always wondered, how can you feel my pulse when you¡¯re a ghost?¡±

    Rigor stared at Egg. Then again, he stares at everyone since he doesn¡¯t have any eyelids.

    ¡°I¡¯m a ghost, the undead aura in me counters the aura of the living in you,¡± He nodded. ¡°The attrition between the two allows me to feel the pulse since your pulse is also connected to your aura.¡±

    I¡¯m sure you¡¯re wondering just how we got a ghost for a doctor. Well, it¡¯s a long story. So, I¡¯m just going to sum it up in a single sentence.

    He mourned, he got sick, he died in an explosion, he felt unfinished, and he joined us to seek what he was missing.

    A wise man once said men are driven to insanity by their curiosity. Perhaps Rigor was one of them. His loved ones had died all around him by a mysterious plague, even he himself eventually succumbed to it. As a final effort to cure himself, he exploded. It left him without flesh or skin on his chest, hands, and face. As a doctor, his drive to find a cure made him a vengeful ghost. Although mostly harmless, he can really put up a fight.

    He saved my life on many occasions, I owe him my life.

    ¡°Get some rest Egg, I need you to be sharp tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Got it Capt.¡±

    ¡°Rigor, I hate to bother you but can you take lookout duty tonight?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing Capt.,¡± He nodded without emotion on his face (Although he can¡¯t really show emotion without muscles and skin.) ¡°Ghosts don¡¯t sleep anyways.¡±

    I nodded in thanks. Can¡¯t really pat the back of a ghost.

    I still had tasks to do. Although the other crew insisted I don¡¯t, I light the lanterns on the ship every night. It was a ritual I kept from the time my dad took me on a journey on his ship the Sinclair.

    Each and every flame jumped with fiery excitement when they touch the oil drenched rope inside the lamps. They were mesmerizing and provided warmth on the cold ocean night. My father once said I had an affinity with fire. Never truly understood what he meant. Magic was a far off thing for us mortals. Only those blessed by gods and goddesses had access to them.

    With my grudge against our goddess, there was no way I would accept a blessing from her.

    Sleep did not come easy that night, but with the rising sun comes a new day.

    ______

    We were awoken by Rigor in the morning.

    ¡°Hey everyone,¡± He shouted from the crow¡¯s nest. ¡°There¡¯s land ahead!¡±

    I got out of my quarters and took my spyglass.

    ¡°There seems to be a gathering of participants.¡±

    The crew smiled. My father had recorded this in his records. Each domain will have a town where race participants can mingle with the locals and trade for goods and supplies.

    ¡°Egg, bring us closer to the bay!¡± I commanded.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    The mighty Sinclair Jr. slowly reached closer to the bay. The sails were brought down and the anchor was thrown overboard.

    Jobs was left behind on the ship since he said he had experiments to perform. The rest of us boarded a small dingy and rowed to shore.

    There were a lot of wounded and excited people.

    ¡°Did you see that serpent?¡± A man with bandages over his chest said with fear. ¡°It nearly did me in!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m amazed you survived that horrible thing.¡± A beast-man said. ¡°My animal instincts were telling me I would have died definitely if I had even gotten close to it.¡±

    It seemed a lot of participants faced the serpent. Those who survived were considered lucky. Many did not survive.

    Although we were in the head of the pack, the number of people on shore still nearly reached a million. It was utter chaos as the small port town was nearly overrun by people. The bars were filled, the streets were cluttered. Fights broke out everywhere.

    The locals were terrified. No amount of forewarning could prepare them for this.

    ¡°The aura of death here is strong,¡± Rigor said. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel it while on the boat, but on land, the aura is nearly overwhelming.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re in Niflheim, my friend.¡± A man walked towards us. ¡°We welcome a fellow undead.¡±

    ¡°You must be one of the locals.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my name is Vallaskrr.¡± The man bowed. Suddenly a ghostly aura emerged from him. ¡°I¡¯ve been dead for a good century now.¡±

    ¡°Name¡¯s Charles, Charles Brie.¡± I bowed back. Got to remember I can¡¯t shake hands with a ghost. ¡°And this here is my crew.¡±

    Vallaskrr stayed quiet.

    ¡°Allow me.¡± Rigor stepped forth. ¡°Mr. Vallaskrr, could you please introduce us to a nearby mercantile?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is always an honor to help a fellow undead.¡± Vallaskrr grinned with his decayed jaw. ¡°We don¡¯t try to talk to living here, a taboo and all that.¡±

    I was shocked for sure. How does anyone do any trading if the locals don¡¯t talk to the living¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Capt.¡± Egg said. ¡°It¡¯s just a local tradition, it¡¯s not that they don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°No, no, we are allowed to talk to the living during this event, the Gods allowed us to,¡± Vallaskrr said with a chuckle. ¡°That man is just dressed far too gaudy for me to properly speak to him.¡±

    I slumped onto the ground in despair.

    ¡°A-am I really dressed too gaudily?¡± I asked my crew, hoping for reassurance.

    They were silent.

    I wanted to cry.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys say anything?¡± I muttered.

    ¡°W-we just thought it was your personal fashion sense Capt.¡±

    ¡°Y-yea, it looks just fine.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Egg replied blatantly after my other crew members tried to reassure me. ¡°You look like an idiot.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks, Egg.¡±

    Always count on Melanzana to tell the cold hard truth.

    Valaskrr led us to a large tent. It was in a relatively remote region of the port. Even with nearly a million people at the port, the area we were in seemed to be very quiet.

    ¡°This place is very exclusive,¡± Valaskrr said. ¡°Thankfully your crew had an undead with you. They only deal with their own kind.¡±

    We entered the tent and saw something interesting. On the outside, the tent looked like a small 15 by 15ft tent. On the inside, it was an entire bazaar. There were a few participants in here. The most noticeable part is each team had at least one undead among them.

    ¡°Welcome, to the Niflheim Night Market.¡±

    ¡°But it''s daytime.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a name,¡± Valaskrr replied annoyed.

    I looked towards Egg.

    ¡°What supplies do we need?¡±

    ¡°We are still well stocked on most things. Perhaps a few participants had to let go of their cargo in order to speed up to escape from the serpent.¡±

    ¡°Then we will just browse around?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it, Capt.¡±

    ¡°Kinda wish Jobs was with us. Perhaps he can spot something useful.¡±

    ¡°Shall I go get him?¡±

    ¡°Nay, leave him to his research.¡±

    We proceeded to explore the bazaar. It had a lot of weaponry and armor made for the undead. There were even some shamanic items. Ritualistic tools, herbs, and even live sacrifices.

    It was an interesting sight. To us explorers, it¡¯s what fueled our motivation. The addiction to the sight of something new and interesting.

    Out of nowhere, a fight broke out.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± The man yelled. ¡°Give it back!¡±

    ¡°You stole this!¡± The ghost yelled. ¡°It was mine to start with!¡±

    ¡°I bought it fair and square!¡± The man yelled back. ¡°If you have a grudge, go settle it with the person who sold it to me.¡±

    The ghost took out a pair of daggers while the man reached for the large hammer resting on his back.

    ¡°Calm down you two, think about where you are.¡±

    An armored ghost walked out of the shadows.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± The ghost walked away with the item in hand.

    ¡°Give it back!¡±

    ¡°Let it go. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± The man¡¯s crew held him back.

    After that incident, my crew and I remained vigilant with what we purchase.

    ¡°Who was that armored ghost?¡± I asked.

    ¡°That was one of the guards of the market.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the market anyways?¡±

    ¡°South,¡± Valaskrr whispered.

    ¡°South?¡±

    ¡°South, one of the four mighty dwarves. He created this market.¡±

    ¡°Would it be possible to meet South?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it, South doesn¡¯t meet with just anyone,¡± Valaskrr looked at me again. ¡°Especially someone who dressed so gaudily.¡±

    I frowned.

    ¡°Get over it Capt.,¡± Egg said while patting my back. ¡°If we see him, we see him. It isn¡¯t a big deal.¡±

    As soon as he said that, a screen appeared on the market. 2 people were displayed.

    The first was a woman in gray. She was surrounded by ice particles and a chilled frost emitted from her breath. Her white hair made her a being of amazing beauty.

    All the locals immediately got on their knees when the screen appeared.

    The other person was a short bearded man. His eyes seemed to hold the wisdom of a thousand years. His beard had frost accumulating on it from being so close to the woman.

    ¡°I-it¡¯s the Goddess Hel and Lord South!¡± A local said with fanaticism in his voice.

    ¡°Welcome participant to the Niflheim, the first leg of the first domain. I hope you enjoy your stay here and do try to die.¡±

    ¡°What did she say? Try to die?¡±

    ¡°I could always use some strong new guards,¡± Hel said with a cold smile. ¡°Anyways, there will be 2 routes to the next part of the domain. Either you take the Bifrost Bridge up or you travel through the stems of Yggdrasil itself. ¡°

    ¡°Which path should we take, Capt.?¡± Egg asked me.

    ¡°Choose quickly, those who still remain after a month shall be killed and turned into a death knight,¡± Hel added one quick note at the end.

    She stepped back and South walked forward.

    ¡°I am the dwarf South,¡± He said with his booming voice. ¡°I have a mission for those brave enough to take it.¡±

    He took out a single key.

    ¡°As you all know, this is a key to the chest you all carry. We gods can give one key out per domain. This key I have here will be the reward for this mission.¡±

    A lot of people gasped. To be able to win so early would be amazing. But I knew something this important had to have a catch.

    ¡°The mission is to destroy the serpent in the mist,¡± South said with a stern tone.

    Everyone went quiet. A lot of people had seen the carnage the serpent had caused. It was not possible for a mortal to slay that creature.

    ¡°Godspeed, racers,¡± South said with a sinister smile.

    The screen vanished.

    ¡°Are we going to try Captain?¡± Egg asked. ¡°I highly suggest we don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to die just yet, Egg,¡± I smiled back. ¡°Anyways, that key is a fake.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    I remember the picture my father showed me before his untimely demise.

    ¡°I have seen a real one before.¡±

 4. The Bifrost Bridge

    <u>The Bifrost Bridge.</u>

    I realized things were about to get hectic. I got Egg to pay Valaskrr his payment for guiding us and we quickly left back onto the row-boat. Once we were once again safely on the Sinclair Jr., I gave my crew their tasks.

    ¡°We will not attempt such a suicidal mission for a fake reward, so we will move on ahead of the pack,¡± I said. ¡°We have two choices, either we take the Bifrost Bridge or climb Yggdrasil itself.¡±

    I looked towards Jobs.

    ¡°Which path do you think our ship can take?¡±

    ¡°Captain, with the help of Debra, we can accelerate the fastest on the Bifrost Bridge.¡±

    ¡°Is Debra awake?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Take me to her.¡±

    Jobs nodded with glee. Debra was his prized research. She was his magnum opus.

    When we reached the giant steam engine installed on the rear of the ship, I saw her.

    Only her front torso stuck out of the giant engine. Everything from her waist down was part of the engine itself.

    ¡°Hey, Debra. How¡¯s your day?¡±

    ¡°Good, Captain.¡±

    ¡°We got a difficult journey ahead and we require your help,¡± Jobs said.

    ¡°Anything for my dear Jacob,¡± Debra replied.

    Those two have a strange relationship.

    Jobs think of Debra as his masterpiece. Debra thinks of Jobs as her lover. It saddens me at times when I see the different look they give each other. But the two were as stubborn as boulders. Perhaps Jacob will never realize Debra¡¯s feelings for him. It seemed at times he didn¡¯t even realize she had any feelings at all.

    Debra realizes that Jacob doesn¡¯t share her love but she¡¯s relentless. That stubborn personality came from her will to live. In the past, she was battered and maimed by a noble¡¯s vessel. They left her to die on the road. Her tenacity led her to crawl to the nearest village with a shattered hip, broken legs, and one arm was broken. It was a miracle she survived at all. Thankfully, Jacob was hiding out at the village at the time. He saw an opportunity to expand his research. He needed someone with a strong mind, someone who can remain sane after all his experiments. Debra was his ticket.

    Either way, she was one of the more important members of my crew. As an android, her body is mostly augmented with weaponry. Her upper torso remains mostly human though although her arms were detachable and can be replaced with various murderous attachments.

    Her lower body was completely removed and have various different attachments as well. Most of the time, she¡¯s connected to our steam engine. It charges her battery while she manages the filtration of salt from the sea water added to the steam engine.

    Honestly, she manages most of the autonomous actions performed on our ship. Without her, the Sinclair Jr. would rapidly deteriorate. She¡¯s an incredibly valuable member of my crew.

    ¡°Debra, we will be running on the steam engine for most of the journey. The path will be uphill so the strain will be great.¡±

    ¡°Yes Jacob, I will perform hourly maintenance and maintain a steady pace.¡±

    ¡°Good girl,¡± Jacob patted her head.

    Debra smiled brilliantly. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Did she rank up from a piece of work to a pet in Jacob¡¯s mind? Just what happened while we were out?

    ¡°Hey, Egg! Bring us to land!¡± I yelled into the tube next to Debra. The tube system allows voices to travel through the entire ship, although you have to yell really loud sometimes.

    ¡°Got it Capt.,¡± A faint voice replied.

    The anchors were brought up and the boat slowly turned toward the bay. The sails were brought down and we slowly drifted toward the sands.

    ¡°Debra, prepare to convert the ship to land-vehicle.¡±

    ¡°Got it Capt.!¡± She replied enthusiastically.

    Once the boat hit a more shallow area, the bottom hull scrapped against the sandy bottom. The sides open up and two large wheels unfolded. The two enormous wheels manage to raise the boat up 5 meters above the ground. Debra started the steam engine and a loud whistle rang through the Sinclair Jr.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Full steam ahead!¡± I smiled.

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    The Sinclair rumbled as the wheels started to turn. Slowly, we rolled out of the shallow waters and onto the beach. Several onlookers were shocked and awed.

    ¡°To the Bifrost Bridge!¡±

    ______

    We rolled by many interesting scenes. A foggy cemetery, a giant monolith surrounded by blue flames, and even saw a scene of someone stupid enough to fight the serpent. When we were climbing the root to get to the entrance to the Bifrost, we saw below, the one-sided fight taking place at the shores. The giant serpent was breathing a corrosive liquid that dissolved people and plants alike. It was a massacre.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we left early,¡± I said. ¡°We might have been considered as collateral damage.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t see monsters like that back at home,¡± Egg replied. ¡°I heard most of them were wiped out from the hero generation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just a myth.¡±

    ¡°Gods used to be myths as well, aren¡¯t we now racing to become one?¡±

    I just nodded at Egg¡¯s statement.

    The fight was over very quickly. The serpent was just too powerful. The locals who were taking cover far away started to clean up the mess. It seemed they were used to such destruction.

    Soon we reached the start of the bridge. It looked ephemeral. Like a rainbow made of nothing but light. Can the Sinclair Jr. really travel on the light?

    ¡°What¡¯s our status?¡± I asked Debra with the tube.

    ¡°All green, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Then bring us up slowly,¡± I had to check with my own eyes whether the bridge will hold us or not.

    To my disappointment, it didn¡¯t.

    Our wheel just passed right through the rainbow.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± I frowned. ¡°Looks like we have to climb Yggdrasil.¡±

    My crew was all disappointed as well, especially Debra.

    ¡°How will we climb such a huge tree?¡± I asked myself while staring at the daunting plant in front of us.

    I didn¡¯t have an answer. No one did. Thus we just shut things down and set the Sinclair Jr. up for the night.

    ¡°Good job Debra, sorry the plan didn¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Ok, Captain.¡± She said with her innocent smile.

    I didn¡¯t know what to say then. Night came, stars appeared, and the mist enveloped us.

    I was up in the crow¡¯s nest taking in the sights.

    Suddenly, something hit me in the back of my head.

    ¡°Catch.¡±

    ¡°You could have said that before you threw it at me,¡± I complained to Egg.

    ¡°Thought you could use a cold beverage,¡± He replied while taking a chug of his brew. ¡°Nothing like a fresh ale to clear the mind.¡±

    ¡°The ale you brew really are one of a kind.¡± I reached down and picked up the bottle he threw at me. ¡°You ever thought of starting a business?¡±

    ¡°And settle down?¡± Egg¡¯s eyebrows rose then said with a smile. ¡°Capt., you know me. I ain¡¯t a stationary man.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, guess our crew can enjoy the monopoly on your ale a little longer,¡± I smiled back.

    Egg had a greenhouse in the lower storage area. He grows his own plants to brew an ale with. No one was allowed in, not even me. I respected his privacy so I made it one of the ship¡¯s laws.

    Apparently, brewing was a craft he learned from his father, who learned from his father before him and so on. Basically, it¡¯s a family secret.

    ¡°Got any ideas how are we going to get up that tree?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No clue, Capt.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re our best strategist, though.¡±

    ¡°I ain¡¯t omnipotent. Not yet, that is.¡±

    ¡°Haha, soon my friend, soon.¡±

    An awkward silence soon followed.

    ¡°Hey Egg, ever wonder what happens if we die in another domain?¡±

    ¡°I guess we follow the laws of the dead of that domain.¡±

    ¡°What if we already are in the land of the dead?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    We both just stood there on the crow¡¯s nest, drinking.

    It was at that moment when we saw it. A faint glow that traveled up the roots of Yggdrasil. It flowed smoothly like water, all the way up to the top.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Is that all you can say?¡±

    ¡°Captain, we are in a completely different world,¡± Egg frowned. ¡°I may be knowledgeable on many things, but this shit is all new to me.¡±

    If only we can take the same path as that glow.

    ¡°Hey, Charles,¡± A voice came from below.

    Ah, that person. The only member of my crew who calls me by my first name.

    ¡°Hey, Beatrix,¡± I looked down from the crow¡¯s nest.

    ¡°What are you and Egg doing up there?¡± She asked slyly.

    ¡°N-nothing.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on Charles, you can¡¯t fool my nose,¡± Her nose twitched. ¡°You two are drinking aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Please have mercy Beatrix, you nearly depleted my entire supply last time.¡±

    It was one of the few times I could hear such hopelessness in Egg¡¯s voice.

    ¡°It was just a few bottles Eggy, nothing much,¡± She grinned.

    ¡°A few? You had nearly four dozen of them!¡±

    ¡°When you get to my age, such small numbers doesn¡¯t matter!¡± She laughed.

    Ah, that¡¯s right, Beatrix the undying, a mighty warrior from the Hero¡¯s era. Her skills with her ax could cleave the clouds. Now she¡¯s retired and joined my crew for some reason. I honestly think she¡¯s just here to mooch off Egg¡¯s ale.

    Although she is incredibly lazy nowadays, her knowledge and ability put her in the top rankings in strength among my crew.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you something good if you give me a couple bottles,¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°A few?! How¡¯s about just two?¡± Egg shouted back.

    She liked to bargain. It was one of her bad habits.

    ¡°Make it four.¡±

    ¡°Three and that¡¯s final!¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    Egg opened the box he brought up with him and threw down three bottles. With amazing dexterity, Beatrix caught all 3 with ease and immediately downed an entire bottle.

    ¡°Eggy, I love your ale!¡± She shouted.

    I tried to forget that scene but I couldn¡¯t. A bald muscular man like Egg, blushing.

    ¡°About our deal?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, I can feel a pulse of magic travel through the ground under us just now.¡±

    ¡°Was it that glowing thing?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. All I know is underneath us, there is a stream.¡±

    ¡°A stream of what?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, magic I guess?¡±

    I looked towards Egg.

    ¡°You think will work?¡±

    ¡°Who knows, it¡¯s a tree,¡± Egg shrugged. ¡°The roots draw in moisture from the ground. Perhaps it¡¯s a water channel.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to try.¡±

    ¡°Can you open a path to it?¡± I yelled down at Beatrix.

    ¡°Can¡¯t. The trees a god. Nothing we have can cut into it.¡±

    ¡°Then how can we get in?¡±

    ¡°Ask the locals.¡±

    Beatrix waved and left to her room with the bottles.

    I sighed.

    ¡°Looks like we have to bring the ship around and go back to town.¡±

    ¡°With that serpent around? I don¡¯t suggest it.¡±

    ¡°Shall we just head back on foot? A quick trip?¡±

    ¡°Only if you bring everyone with you. We should have enough firepower to at least run.¡±

    ¡°Fine, tomorrow we head out at sunrise,¡± I smiled.

    Adventure calls, and I am the man to answer it.

 5. The Worm and the Root

    <u>The Worm and the Root.</u>

    The savory powers of the god cheese are well contained inside the chest of wonders. The chest had been the prototype to Pandora¡¯s Box. It was strong enough to hold back so many deadly strifes, thus it could easily cover the delicious scent of the god cheese.

    Once the cheese has been released from its prison, its aroma will attract all living creatures. Even the gods are not immune to it, it makes them salivate. When something that smells so good that even gods will drool over it is released, pandemonium will ensue.

    Charles had seen it in the last race. One of the teams managed to complete a domain task and opened their box. They were immediately attacked by every living creature within a hundred mile radius. Nothing was immune, even other participants lost their minds.

    It was just that Gouda.

    ______

    The sun rose and the mist was banished by a morning breeze.

    My crew was all ready to go. Debra stayed behind to look after the ship in case of emergencies.

    Egg took with him a large machete and a backpack full of necessities. Things like first aid kits, pots and pans, matches, rope, and a compass.

    Jobs took with him a large backpack of jars.

    ¡°I need to collect rare samples,¡± He smiled. ¡°Some of the fauna in this domain are something I have never seen before.¡±

    Rigor had with him a suitcase of surgical supplies. Egg helped carry most of the other heavy things.

    Beatrix carried nothing but her ax.

    The rest of the crew took nothing but essentials.

    We set off, slowly and carefully, trodded down the mossy root where the Sinclair Jr. was parked.

    So far, nothing had attacked us. There was an eerie silence.

    ¡°Captain, I think the fight yesterday scared away most of the wildlife.¡±

    ¡°It would seem so, Egg.¡±

    It rest of the trip was completely uneventful. Where did my adventure go? Where was the excitement?

    By the end of the day, a gloomy cloud floated above my head.

    Everyone was relaxed. Jobs was chatting with Rigor about some scientific mumbo jumbo.

    ¡°Have you seen that purple plant we passed?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was giving off an awfully strong aura of death.¡±

    ¡°Of course it was, that thing is poisonous enough to kill an entire species!¡±

    ¡°I wonder how it tastes.¡±

    ¡°I swear Rigor if you weren¡¯t a ghost, you would have died so many times due to your curiosity by now.¡±

    Egg was trying to avoid Beatrix¡¯s plans to extort more ale from him.

    ¡°Come on Egg, just one bottle?¡±

    ¡°For the fiftieth time, NO!¡±

    ¡°Come onnnn, just one?¡±

    ¡°For god sakes, Beatrix, act your age.¡±

    ¡°If I acted my age I would be dead.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°Did you tell me to go die?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    I took off my hat. A single tear fell from my face. Rest well, my dear friend.

    ¡°C-captain, w-what are you doing?¡± Egg panicked. ¡°I ain''t dead yet!¡±

    ¡°Ah, what a quiet little hike we had,¡± I said. ¡°Totally nothing is going to suddenly jump out at us.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think jinxing it is going to work this time Captain.¡±

    ¡°Dammit,¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s so boring, though.¡±

    ¡°Just take in the sights Captain,¡± Egg replied. ¡°It¡¯s not every day you take a stroll through another domain.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Ugh, fine.¡±

    Then I tripped and fell flat on my face.

    Everyone stopped.

    ¡°You OK, Capt.?¡±

    ¡°Mfffhmmfm,¡± I lift my head out of the mud. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    I looked down at what tripped me.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that-¡°

    It was a box. The same box we have hidden deep on the Sinclair Jr.

    ¡°It is, Captain, your blind luck has done it again,¡± Egg smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a box of god cheese!¡±

    ¡°But how? Is it a trap?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t sense any aura of death coming from it.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it got left behind after all the carnage the fight yesterday brought about.¡±

    ¡°Still, just to make sure it¡¯s not a trap, Beatrix will you do the honors?¡±

    We needed someone who can take on an explosion that could destroy a city and still brush it off like a popped balloon.

    ¡°Sure Charles, just know you owe me for this,¡± She smiled. Always looking to get a favor huh?

    She picked up the box with one hand. Nothing happened.

    ¡°All good,¡± she laughed.

    ¡°Just what is this Deus Ex-Machina bull crap?¡± Jobs complained.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just Captain¡¯s stupid luck,¡± Egg replied. ¡°The man can win the lottery without him even knowing he entered it.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t he send some of that luck our way?¡±

    ¡°You want to rub him for good luck?¡±

    ¡°God no, don¡¯t even put that image in my head.¡±

    ¡°Guys I¡¯m standing right here you know?¡± I cried.

    ¡°So he is,¡± Egg smiled. ¡°I must have mistaken his mud-covered self as a dirty swine.¡±

    ¡°Egg...,¡± I lamented.

    ______

    ¡°Did they take the bait?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir. They took it.¡±

    ¡°Good, keep an eye on them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    The shadowy figure left. The man in the dark hood remained. His face was covered in scars and his unkempt beard hung from his chin like a fake toupee.

    ¡°Ahahaha, foolish Captain Brie. Your entire crew will die to that monster. And if you do happen to defeat it, we can swoop in and just finish you off.¡±

    The man rubbed his hands greedily.

    ¡°That will teach you to mess with me! The great pirate Edgar Stilton!¡±

    ______

    By the time we finally reached the town, the sun was high up in the sky. Although blindingly bright, it gave off little heat. It was still quite cold.

    ¡°Rigor, you think you can ask the locals? They seemed to open up to you easier.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing Captain.¡±

    He returned quickly.

    ¡°The locals said there¡¯s no possible way to enter the roots of Yggdrasil.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all they said?¡±

    ¡°I asked a little more and all they said was that there was one way, but it was just plain suicidal.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The dragon Nidhogg chews on the roots of Yggdrasil constantly. It¡¯s a passageway that is always opened and closed daily. We just have to get past Nidhogg.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more suicidal than facing the serpent,¡± Egg said. ¡°There is no way we are going to make it.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to kill the dragon,¡± Jobs replied. ¡°We just have to either sneak past it or lure it away.¡±

    ¡°You got a plan?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we find that box of god cheese earlier? Why not use it to lure Nidhogg away?¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s encased in the box, it won¡¯t be able to smell it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a dragon, right? So it should have some semblance of intelligence. Make it an offer it can¡¯t refuse.¡±

    ¡°Would you really trust a dragon?¡± I asked Jobs.

    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t,¡± Jobs laughed. ¡°But we can lure it away long enough to enter the root.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean someone would have to stay behind?¡±

    ¡°I could use one of my automatons.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Nidhogg get suspicious?¡±

    ¡°I purchased some books about the domain from the locals. Apparently, there is a metal dragon Fafnir that lives in this domain as well.¡±

    ¡°Fafnir?¡±

    ¡°The son of a Dwarven king cursed to become a dragon. Some say he will be slain one day by the hero Sigurd.¡±

    ¡°How do they know all this?¡±

    ¡°The gods planned it all out. Fate is a powerful thing, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    ¡°So, Captain, we can disguise the automaton to be a messenger from Fafnir.¡±

    ¡°That just might work.¡±

    We plotted and planned until the final details of the plot were complete.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the ship before nightfall.¡±

    ¡°Yea, I don¡¯t want to get caught in another brave fool and their attempt at killing that serpent.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Jobs, did the book say anything about that serpent?¡±

    ¡°Only a nickname Captain. They call it a World Serpent.¡±

    ¡°Sounds ominous.¡±

    ¡°It certainly does.¡±

    We had a light meal and started the hike back. The mist was slowly returning as the sun fell below the horizon.

    ¡°Be careful, I can sense something out there,¡± Rigor said.

    We walked in a circle formation with Egg and I covering the front, Jobs, and Rigor covering the sides, and Beatrix covering the rear.

    A low growl came from the mist.

    ¡°Enemies on our left,¡± Rigor said. ¡°Sounds like some sort of dog.¡±

    A couple pairs of red pupils glowed in the mist.

    ¡°I think they are called Garms,¡± Jobs said. ¡°They are the offspring of the main guard of Niflheim.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them.¡±

    ¡°Get ready to fight!¡± Beatrix lifted her ax. ¡°My baby has been thirsting for blood lately.¡±

    The wolves attacked. Two of them leaped from the mist, jaws wide opened. Beatrix swung her ax and it bisected one of the wolves. She slapped the other midair. One dead, one dazed.

    Perhaps realizing immediately that Beatrix was a treat, the wolves avoided her. Some taunted her, trying to lure her away.

    They wanted to separate our group in order to pick us off one by one.

    ¡°Stay together now.¡±

    My rapier was already out and I was brandishing it like a hurricane.

    Egg was protecting Jobs who didn¡¯t fare so well in hand to hand combat. Wolves who attacked were knocked down to the ground and impaled by his machete. The wolves ignore Rigor as if he didn¡¯t even exist. Apparently, they do not attack the undead.

    Being offsprings of Garm, the protector of Niflheim, the wolves co-existed with the undead.

    A loud howl resounded through the mist as the attack wolves backed off.

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Beatrix smiled. ¡°You puppies aren¡¯t getting away.¡±

    She chased after them.

    I sighed. Even though she was a member of my crew, I really had no control over her.

    ¡°Make sure you return by sunrise!¡± I yelled out into the mist, praying that she heard it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry,¡± Egg said. ¡°Before more creatures caught the scent of blood.¡±

    It seemed Egg understood what Beatrix was doing. She killed the most number of wolves, perhaps the smell of blood on her was greatest.

    I nodded.

    We hurried back to Sinclair Jr.

    ¡°Welcome home guys, how did it go?¡± We were greeted by Debra once we boarded.

    ¡°We got a plan, but it¡¯s dangerous,¡± I said. ¡°Jobs got a plan, though.¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great,¡± She smiled and looked towards Jobs. ¡°Do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I need to get one of the experimental automatons running by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Oh, one of the Z-series?¡±

    ¡°No, no, those are too valuable to be disposable. I¡¯m talking about the O-series.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. OK, Jacob dear, I¡¯ll go get things ready,¡± She said after hugging the calculating Jobs.

    ¡°He just ignored it,¡± Egg said.

    ¡°Sometimes I wonder if he¡¯s more machine than the things he makes,¡± I sighed.

 6. Puppet and Dragon

    <u>Puppet and Dragon</u>

    Beatrix returned right as midnight rolled around. Her body language said she was tired but her eyes burned with excitement.

    ¡°That dog sure was interesting,¡± She laughed. ¡°The thing could really put up a fight.¡±

    ¡°Which dog?¡± I had to ask.

    ¡°The gatekeeper of the realm, that Garm fellow.¡±

    ¡°You fought that thing?¡±

    ¡°Sure did, it was a tie though. Had to stop and get back here before you guys leave me behind.¡±

    We were all silent. These mythical creatures were on par with gods¡­and she fought one to a standstill.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost half convinced to fight that serpent if I hadn¡¯t known you would force me to make a deal in your favor,¡± I sighed.

    We got the power, just never the motivation. Beatrix perhaps had the most accurate gauge of the serpent. If she didn¡¯t want to willingly fight it, perhaps she knows she didn¡¯t have a chance. Fights in which she knows she won¡¯t win easily, usually involves me having to give her something in return.

    ¡°So how¡¯s plan coming along?¡± Beatrix asked.

    ¡°Jobs is up all night preparing that automaton.¡±

    ¡°You sure he will have it ready by tomorrow?¡± Her eyebrows rose. ¡°Knowing his perfectionist attitude, he might not let us use it until it¡¯s been tweaked over and over again.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just pray that Debra can keep him in check,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Speaking of Debra,¡± Beatrix had this hungry look in her eyes again. ¡°I always wanted to get to ¡®know her better¡¯, if you know what I mean.¡±

    ¡°Beatrix¡­I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± I sighed. ¡°Just don¡¯t eat her up in one bite, we still need her help.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re giving me permission?¡±

    ¡°Just think of it as a reward for helping us keep those wolves away,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t forget to ask Jobs for permission as well.¡±

    ¡°Easy, thanks, Captain,¡± She said while drooling. ¡°They don¡¯t call me the mistress of ten thousand techniques for nothing.¡±

    ¡°No one calls you that but yourself¡­¡±

    It may be the only time she calls me captain ¨C when she gets something she wants. I shuttered at the thought. Looks like I need to wear earmuffs to sleep tonight.

    ______

    I woke up the next morning with bags under my eyes. Looks like I was right, the earmuffs didn¡¯t work.

    My crew looked haggard. Jobs was passed out on the floor of his lab, Egg was leaning against the mast with his arms crossed and eyes closed, Debra looked...well, she was practically glowing. Beatrix was nowhere to be seen. Rigor was perhaps the only person who looked normal today.

    ¡°D-did Jobs finish the job?¡± I had to ask Debra since Jobs was out cold.

    ¡°Y-yes, Captain. He finished it before going to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Let us see it.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, Captain,¡± She pushed out a trolley with an object covered by a large fabric.

    She removed the fabric and revealed the automaton.

    It was jet black with silver joint sections. It was a miracle it stayed balanced with its limbs being so sharp and spiky. It looked to be a feminine model. Its eyes were closed and the face on it looked like it was removed straight from an actual person. It gave off an uncanny feeling.

    ¡°It¡¯s extremely well done,¡± I sighed. ¡°I guess Jobs really went all out again.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes, my dear stayed up all night trying to get the face just right,¡± Debra answered.

    ¡°¡­Just the face?¡±

    ¡°Just the face. The rest of the frame and controls were easily fixed within the first hour.¡±

    I was lost for words.

    ¡°That¡¯s Jacob for you, always a perfectionist,¡± Egg sighed. ¡°How do we pilot this thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an O-series Automaton so it moves by voice command, no other controls necessary.¡±

    ¡°Did he really have that kind of technology?¡±

    ¡°We found it in the Archaeon Ruins on our last adventure, Captain.¡±

    ¡°Did we?¡±

    ¡°You were drunk,¡± Egg complained. ¡°Completely and utterly hammered. It was a miracle no one died.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t say anything.

    *cough* ¡°Anyways, since we are ready, shall we head to where the worm is located?¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°The locals said it¡¯s in the cave of spirits,¡± Rigor replied.

    ¡°Where is that?¡±

    ¡°Right next to the trunk of the tree, due north to us. It¡¯s marked by warning signs, so we shouldn¡¯t miss it.¡±

    ¡°Why does it seem like we always head toward where the warning signs said not to go¡­¡± Egg sighed. ¡°Captain, if it weren¡¯t for your blind stupid luck, I¡¯m sure we would have all been dead long ago by now.¡±

    ¡°Do you have to keep mentioning that?¡± I frowned.

    ¡°It¡¯s a ritual by now, if I don¡¯t say it, we die horribly,¡± Egg smiled.

    ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t in the mood to die horribly today, so go ahead and chant it.¡±

    ¡°Already am, Captain,¡± Everyone replied.

    Debra started the engine and the Sinclair Jr. started to roll.

    ______

    ¡°Captain Stilton, the prey is on the move.¡±

    ¡°Follow them, but keep a big enough distance away.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±

    ¡°That foolish Charles, I wonder what he plans to do this time,¡± Edgar smiled. ¡°His tendency to entire suicidal situations will be the death of him.¡±

    ______

    The warning signs were literally everywhere. Throughout the entire gray colored field, were wooden signposts hammered into the ground. All of them reads something like ¡®Beware the dragon¡¯ or ¡®Nidhogg ahead! Turn back!¡¯

    The land became more and more desolate as if a poison was seeping through the ground eroding everything away.

    We soon came up to a wide cave opening. All the signs had vanished as if those who put them dare didn¡¯t manage to take another step further. My crew was hiding in a sealed chamber within the storage area. Only Debra was outside, controlling the ship. She was immune to the poisonous air permeated through the area.

    ¡°We are here, Captain,¡± Her muffled voice came through the glass walls. ¡°Should we enter or deploy the automaton first?¡±

    ¡°Jobs?¡± I looked toward Jobs who had woken not long ago.

    ¡°Bring us in slowly, deploy the automaton when the poison concentration reaches near critical levels.¡±

    ¡°Got it dear,¡± Debra replied.

    No matter how well the ship was built, the poison can reach such a high concentration that it seems into the wood and rot it from the inside. It could also be acidic and erode the metal parts if it were to get concentrated enough.

    We entered the cave. The ship¡¯s two large wheels ran over a countless number of shattered bones. The deeper we went, the more refined the bones had been crushed. Soon it was nothing but white sand beneath us.

    Ahead we saw a very clear distinction that we reached our goal. The white sand became purple from the miasma.

    ¡°We reached the point of near critical, deploy O-series Automaton now.¡±

    The robot was removed from its holdings and it limped onto the ground.

    ¡°Ready, dear. Just say the command,¡± Debra replied.

    ¡°Release, Model 1842-O. Follow commands User A1,¡± Jobs said monotonously. ¡°Command set, move forward.¡±

    The automaton came to life with its glowing yellow eyes. Its limbs clicked and locked in place. It allowed the hunched over robot to stand upright.

    It walked forward at a rapid pace, dodging all the protruding stalagmites and stalactites. What seemed like an hour later, the automaton came to a stop and relayed a message back to Jobs.

    ¡°TARGET FOUND. SOURCE OF HIGHLY CORROSIVE CONTENTS. ERROR-LIFE SIGNS NOT DETECTED.¡±

    ¡°How can there be not any life signs?¡±

    ¡°Creatures near the strength of gods no longer give off life signals.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying this thing is a god level threat?¡±

    ¡°It seems so, Capt.¡±

    I frowned.

    ¡°Model 1842-O, command set, proceed with caution and convince the target that you are a follower of the dragon Fafnir.¡±

    ¡°AFFIRMATIVE. REQUIRED: DATA ON FAFNIR.¡±

    ¡°Debra, send the data to the automaton.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dear.¡±

    Debra¡¯s eyes flashed as she seemed to twitch her nose.

    ¡°Just how much did you customize her body¡­?¡± I wanted to ask but it was impolite.

    ¡°DATA ACQUIRED, EXECUTING GIVEN TASK.¡±

    The automaton approached the large white creature lying on its stomach. Its large mouth was big enough to swallow the Sinclair Jr. whole.

    ¡°Are you sure this is OK?¡± I questioned. ¡°The robot¡¯s voice is kind of¡­mechanic, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Just watch and see,¡± Jobs smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t work the whole night for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Oh Wormy, wormy worm, your new wife is here~!¡±

    An ear piercingly annoying choice came from the monitor.

    ¡°¡­Jobs¡­what the hell did you do to the robot?¡±

    ¡°I added certain ¡®features¡¯, Capt. It¡¯s all good.¡±

    ¡°WHO DARES DISTURBING MY SLUMBER?!¡±

    The entire cave shook. The purple miasma spread further.

    ¡°Back up Debra, back up!¡± I yelled.

    We barely manage to back away from the critical zone.

    ¡°WHO IS IT?!¡± the voice continued to echo.

    ¡°It would seem the creature is blind from living in the darkness for so long.

    ¡°Let the robot answer.¡±

    ¡°Oh hi wormy worm, I¡¯m here from Fafnir~!¡±

    ¡°FAFNIR? WHAT DOES THAT STEEL BASTARD HAVE TO DO WITH ME?¡±

    ¡°Faffy said for me to come keep you company~.¡±

    ¡°COMPANY? I COULD USE SOMEONE TO TALK TO. I GOT A LOT OF COMPLAINTS!¡±

    ¡°Go ahead wormy bunny, go blow your load all on me~!¡±

    ¡°¡­Jobs, you need to get out more,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°I-I had some help from Beatrix for the lines,¡± Jobs replied.

    I stared at Debra. I still haven¡¯t asked her where Beatrix went.

    ¡°I-is it distracted?¡±

    ¡°Listen,¡± I said.

    ¡°LATELY I HAVENT BEEN GETTING ENOUGH SOULS TO EAT. THAT BITCH HEL HAS BEEN HOLDING BACK ON ME. I AM A GROWING BOY, I NEED CONSTANT SUSTINENCE.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow wormy Hun, you sure are big for a growing boy huh?¡±

    ¡°THIS ISNT EVEN MY FINAL FORM!¡±

    ¡°Ohh, wormy is going to get big and thick huh? I can¡¯t wait!¡±

    ¡°AHAHA! THE MIGHTY ME WILL BE THE BIGGEST AND THICKEST!¡±

    ¡°I await the day when wormy gets to his maximum girth!¡±

    ¡°¡­Seriously, did Beatrix write this part too?¡±

    ¡°Uhmm¡­Captain, I wrote that part,¡± Debra shyly answered.

    The entire crew was silent.

    ¡°L-let¡¯s go back to listening.¡±

    ¡°SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHY DO YOU CALL THE MIGHTY I ¡®WORMY¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Silly butt, that¡¯s because you¡¯re a giant worm!¡±

    ¡°THE GREAT I AM A DRAGON, NOT A WORM!¡±

    ¡°But worms are good too! They are all slimy and wiggly *giggles*~¡±

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t keep listening to this. My sanity is at stake,¡± I finally said. My crew quickly agreed.

    ¡°Jobs, get the robot to lure the worm away.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Capt.¡±

    ¡°Hey wormy, wanna go to a more quiet part of the cave and have some ¡®fun¡¯? Teehee,¡±

    ¡°God dammit Jobs, never let Beatrix write lines for you again,¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m seriously worried it might ruin our reputation.¡±

    ¡°What reputation?¡± Egg chided.

    The worm dragon eagerly followed the automaton. Soon enough, the cave started shaking this time, but for a different reason.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just hurry and enter that hole in the root.¡±

    With the worm gone, the miasma followed with it.

    We rolling the Sinclair Jr. carefully towards the hole and peered down.

    ¡°It really is a stream of water in the root.¡±

    ¡°Hurry, let¡¯s go before the worm finishes.¡±

    The ship was dropped into the water and we followed the current up to the root.

    ¡°Oh by the way, where¡¯s Beatrix?¡± I finally asked.

    ¡°Oh, she didn¡¯t tell you, Captain?¡± Jobs replied. ¡°She said she wanted to fight the worm so she hid inside the automaton.¡±

    ¡°Then that shaking was¡­¡±

    ¡°Yea, Beatrix probably fighting the worm right now. What did you think it was?¡±

    ¡°¡­Go Egg, just go.¡±

    ______

    Meanwhile, in the cave where Beatrix was fighting Nidhogg, a certain pirate showed up.

    ¡°Haha! It is I! The great Captain Edgar Stilton! You have fallen for my trap Charles!¡±

    ¡°Charles isn¡¯t here,¡± Beatrix chuckled.

    ¡°FOOLISH MORTAL, DID YOU THINK THESE FELLOWS WILL HELP YOU!¡±

    It seemed Nidhogg confused Stilton¡¯s crew as Beatrix¡¯s support.

    ¡°DIE!¡±

    With a swing of its long tail, Stilton and his ship were blasted out of the cave.

    ¡°DAMN YOU CHARLES BRIE!¡± he yelled mid-flight.

    ¡°I told you, idiots, he isn¡¯t here!¡± Beatrix couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

 7. An Extremely Pleasent Trip.

    <u>An Extremely Pleasant Trip.</u>

    ¡°Wait, Jobs, what did you do with that other piece of cheese we found?¡± I finally remembered.

    ¡°Oh, that? Beatrix said not to use it so I just locked it up with our other box,¡± Jobs said.

    ¡°So now we got 2 boxes of god cheese.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°I see.¡±

    This god damn cheese is just too enticing. If a single bit of the aroma it gives off leaks from the box, we are all dead.

    ¡°With two boxes of god cheese comes double the danger,¡± I said. ¡°We will need to beef up security.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Captain. I put it in a very special place,¡± Jobs laughed.

    ¡°I hope it''s good enough.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a place Beatrix would have trouble getting into.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­We had something like that on the ship?!¡±

    ¡°Yea, I built it a while ago but never really had a use for it.

    ¡°Jobs¡­I promised I wouldn¡¯t ask what you do all the time, but if you made something as useful as that, please, just tell me.¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Jobs said without a single facial expression.

    I blanked.

    ¡°Too busy, just go ask Debra,¡± he said after.

    I wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

    Eggs patted my back as Jobs left.

    ¡°I truly pity you Capt.,¡± Eggs chuckled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    ¡°My god, Capt. are you crying?¡±

    ¡°N-no, I just got some tree dust in my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­¡±

    An Awkward silence followed. Everyone just slowly backed away and left to do their own thing.

    They just left me on the deck, sulking in shame.

    ______

    ¡°The crew of the Sinclair Jr. has quite a lot of free times on their hands. Long journeys require time, and this time usually leads to countless days, and sometimes even months, of boredom. I, the great lovable Captain Charles Brie, ensures my lovely crew members all have hobbies that they enjoy, and can pursue.

    Egg has his garden and brewing.

    Jobs has his research.

    Rigor has his alchemy and medicine.

    Debra¡­well, Debra¡¯s hobby is just watching Jobs really REALLY intensely.

    Beatrix¡­you know what? I don¡¯t want to know what her hobby is and I sure as hell don¡¯t want to be told what it is either.

    Perhaps I realized this too late but why are all the female members of my crew so weird? I mean the only normal one is the last crew member.

    Oh right, I forgot to introduce her. She¡®s usually extremely quiet.

    Every member of my crew I assure can win a fight against any average beasty, except one I guess.

    She spends all her time on the ship, reading books. Poor girl shut herself in her own fantasy worlds.

    Her name is Inky. I feel Rigor gave her a horrible name after he adopted her. Then again, with a name like Rigor Mortis, I ain''t surprised.

    She was the only survivor in Rigor¡¯s town after the plague. Her solitude managed to save her from coming in contact with the deadly virus. Sadly, being the only survivor in an entire town, then being adopted by a ghost-dad, really did a number of her psyche. She seemed to have developed multiple personalities, perhaps from all the books she read.

    Most of the time she¡¯s her normal shut-in self. During times of danger, her self-righteous personality comes through. She¡¯s still called herself Inky and is almost the same girl. She just gets a little¡­suicidal. She would be the first to jump towards an attacking monster but with no skill or weapon what so ever, she usually ends up in trouble. Rigor always had to heal her afterward.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Her second personality probably came from Egg. She acted like a noble and drank afternoon tea with perfect etiquette. Even her vocabulary changed! She would shy from any dangers and faint at the sight of blood. It was completely opposite of her self-righteous personality. I don¡¯t know what triggers this one, but it usually has to do with shame¡­

    Her third personality¡­well, I fear for my crew when that comes out. Thankfully it only showed up once. She becomes insane, literally just trying to kill everything that moves. We don¡¯t dare to hurt her but for some reason, her frail body becomes a weapon of mass destruction. It¡¯s like she has mastered several martial arts as well as techniques of assassinations. I mean, who the hell taught her all these?! Most of the time, her other three personalities are prevalent which was why I said she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight your average beasty.

    Inky is a handful, but Rigor insisted on taking her in this race. Something about worrying her third personality would surface and she would end up a mass murderer. Honestly, I¡¯m worried too. I¡¯m kind of her godfather¡­totally by accident though. I swear I was drunk at the time.

    But with Rigor being a ghost and all, all the legal responsibilities fall on me. If she goes on a bloodthirsty killing spree, and I¡¯m to blame¡­well, it¡¯s not like I can hide forever.

    So with that, we brought Inky with us. She¡¯s hiding in her room full of books. Rigor brings her food and water every once in a while. I begin to feel like he treats this like taking care of a pet instead of a child.

    Everyone treats her very nicely. I feel like they just fear her 3<sup>rd</sup> personality suddenly appearing.

    And thus that¡¯s my entire crew.

    Melanzana, my first mate.

    Jacob, our mechanic and weapons expert.

    Rigor Mortis, our resident doctor.

    Debra, our engine and navigator.

    Beatrix, our trump card.

    Inky, our cute little pet.

    And lastly me, the magnificent Captain Charles Brie!¡± I shed one final tear. I finally finished the part of my monolog that introduces my crew.

    ¡°Captain, SHUT UP! Stop shouting, it''s night time!¡± Egg yelled from his window.

    Ah, it would seem I didn¡¯t keep track of time.

    ______

    Beatrix stabbed her sword into the soft corroded ground, trying to support her battered body. Her breathing was heavy due to the lack of fresh air. Although Nidhogg¡¯s poison wasn¡¯t strong enough to kill her, it did slowly wore her down.

    ¡°Persistent little worm,¡± She sneered.

    The Nidhogg was wounded all over. Toxic blood oozed out of every cut. It was twitching and convulsing on the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m amazed you swallowed that automaton and lived,¡± Beatrix said. ¡°I had Jacobs hide a secret weapon in it that could nearly kill a god.¡±

    The Nidhogg started to toss and turn violently. It knocked large chunks out of the cave.

    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s going to collapse,¡± Beatrix cursed under her breath.

    She quickly picked up her spoils of battle and ran to the root.

    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±

    She quickly jumps into the rapid stream of water flowing through the root.

    ¡°Well shit, this is going to be rough.¡±

    The rapids soon knocked her unconscious. But due to her ¡®assets¡¯, she managed to stay afloat.

    ______

    Within the All God¡¯s World, the ball of light with hairy legs sticking out of it was watching a monitor.

    ¡°Hey, Michael, any decent events happen in the race yet?¡±

    ¡°Only two, your highness.¡±

    ¡°Show them to me.¡±

    The monitor blanked out and two scenes simultaneously appeared. The first one was the onslaught of the serpent, killing a large majority of the racers. The second¡­was Beatrix¡¯s fight with the Nidhogg.

    ¡°Oh ho, it would seem we got an interesting toy this time,¡± If he had a face, a sinister smile would perhaps be plastered across it by now. ¡°How many were killed by the World Serpent?¡±

    ¡°Around 53.78% sire, a bit less than last time.¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, the survivor rate is higher perhaps due to their skill and luck. They will need both to win.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sire.¡±

    ¡°And this second one¡­This woman. Who is she?¡±

    ¡°Her name is Beatrix Von Lydia. A heroine from the world of the time goddess Claire. Shall I deal with her?¡± A sinister glint appeared in Michael¡¯s eye.

    ¡°A heroine huh? That would explain her prowess. No matter, even heroes die in this race. Leave her for now, it''s entertainment for us later.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sire.¡±

    ¡°Call the gods in charge of Asgard. Tell him to prepare for the arrival of the first batch of racers.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sire.¡±

    ¡°Oh Michael, do give them a reminder that if they fuck up, I will obliterate them and everything they hold dear,¡± The ball of light suddenly glowed brighter.

    ¡°Y-yes, sire.¡±

    Michael slowly backed away and left.

    ¡°Ahaha, that Michael is starting to show his rebellious side. I wonder why angels always eventually rebel,¡± The ball of light sighed.

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s due to your personality,¡± A voice appeared from across the room.

    A ball of darkness appeared.

    ¡°Ah, brother. It¡¯s good to see you could make it.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you little races do bring much entertainment.¡±

    ¡°So how goes the deal?¡±

    ¡°We have enough god cheese to make enough troops for the upcoming war.¡±

    ¡°Good, good. Those alien bastards won¡¯t know what hit them.¡±

    The two siblings laughed away in their private room.

    ______

    Sitting on the throne of Asgard was Odin, the All-Father. Having traded one of his eyes for wisdom, he thought he was all knowing. He would not have expected that his entire world was just a microscopic speck in a greater universe. His entire delusion of being the top was shattered when the ball of light showed up.

    For the first time, his all seeing eye was blinded. Not even Loki could hide forever from his eye but this entity was able to do so in plain sight.

    Then there was the aura of worship. He felt as though he had met his maker. He and his two brothers killed the frost giant in order to birth Yggdrasil. Even then, he didn¡¯t feel this sort of might.

    It scared him. It really did. All he could do was submit. Thankfully, the deity¡¯s request wasn¡¯t too harsh.

    ¡°I will conduct a race through your lands. Prepare some obstacles to block them. Not too impossible, but not too easy either. Also, provide them supplies to finish the race. Other than that, I don¡¯t care how you treat them.¡±

    At least the being wasn¡¯t wantonly going to slaughter them all.

    Odin sighed. He hasn''t felt this stressed since he saw the foreshadowing of Ragnarok.

    ¡°Odin, the racers will be here soon. I hope your side has prepared amply,¡± A voice suddenly said from the sky.

    ¡°It will be,¡± Odin said with a booming voice. ¡°I shall show them the best of Norse hospitality.¡±

    ¡°Good, I shall tell the Grand God of your accomplishments. Perhaps he may bestow upon you a favor.¡±

    The carrot on the stick. Odin wished he didn¡¯t have to take it but after seeing the might of the deity, he couldn¡¯t resist.

    ¡°Yes, I will do my best,¡± He finally said reluctantly.

    A dark cloud loomed over Asgard. Hopefully, it won¡¯t be its final calling card.

 8. The Things that goes bump in the night.

    <u>The Things that goes bump in the night.</u>

    ¡°It was a dark and stormy night.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Captain, how can it be stormy when we are inside a tree?¡±

    ¡°Shut up, let me tell my story!¡±

    ¡°Fine, it¡¯s just the details matter a lot here.¡±

    ¡°OK, ok, I got it, it was a dark and quiet evening.¡±

    ¡°How is it quiet, Captain?¡± Egg added ¡°We are surrounded by rushing water. It sounds like we are directly over some raging rapids.¡±

    ¡°God damn Egg, let me tell my stupid story,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Oh so, you said it yourself. Your story is stupid. Guess I don¡¯t need to listen then.¡±

    ¡°God damn Egg,¡± I got annoyed. ¡°Plant your ass firmly on that bench and let me finish the god damn story!¡±

    ¡°Is that an order?¡±

    ¡°YES, THAT¡¯S AN ORDER!¡± I yelled.

    ¡°Sure thing, Capt.,¡± Egg laughed and sat down.

    I sighed.

    ¡°Ok, it was a loud and dark night. We were on our boat minding our own business.¡±

    ¡°No we aren¡¯t, we¡¯re listening to your stupid story.¡±

    ¡°For god sakes Egg, don¡¯t make me throw you overboard.¡±

    ¡°I can swim.¡±

    I want to rip my hair out right now. But I really don¡¯t want to end up bald like Egg.

    ¡°Egg,¡± I said dejectedly.

    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡± Egg replied with a smug smile on his face.

    ¡°Just go do your own thing.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing Capt.¡± He walked away with his hands behind his head, whistling.

    ¡°OK, now that we got rid of the annoyance, let¡¯s continue.¡±

    ¡°It was a loud and dark night. We were all sat around an iron stove listening to good ol¡¯ Captain Brie spin an epic yarn of fright and terror.¡±

    The windows in the kitchen were rumbling from the turbulence. It gave off an eerie feeling.

    ¡°A pot of chili laid upon the iron stove, its deep peppery aroma permeated the room,¡± I took a spoonful of chili and shoved its deliciousness into my mouth. ¡°But even with the rich savory delicacies being consumed by everyone, the frightful feeling remained.¡±

    The Sinclair Jr. rocked back and forth as it flowed on the river inside the root. Debra was keeping her steady so no one was worried we might hit the walls, but the creaking of the wood created an eerie feeling.

    ¡°Out of the darkness, comes a creature that embodied the nightmare of all sailors. It feasts upon their organs and ground their bones to dust with their powerful teeth. It was a Wogglebog, the nightmarish demon from the depths.¡±

    ¡°Captain, your naming sense is a piece of shit.¡±

    ¡°¡­Egg, I thought you weren¡¯t going to listen.¡±

    ¡°You yell loud enough that I can hear over the roaring of the river under us.¡±

    ¡°Well, stop listening then.¡±

    ¡°Then yell less.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    I rubbed my temples.

    ¡°Anyways, where was I? Ah yes, the Wofflebug.¡±

    ¡°Wait, did you changed the name already?¡±

    ¡°SHUT UP EGG!¡±

    I coughed from anger. My crew was trying their best to hold in their laughter.

    ¡°Anyways, the Wofflebug is a deadly shapeshifter who dwells in the dark. They take on the form of what you fear most. Most are too terrified to fight back, thus resulting in an easy meal for them. Those who fight will soon realize they cannot hit them, for they are made of darkness.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    A waved my arms back and forth to emphasize nothingness.

    ¡°They say only the bravest warriors survive an encounter with a Wofflebug. Only a true warrior who can conquer their fear shall know the deliciousness that is a Wofflebug steak.¡±

    ¡°Wait, they are edible now?¡± Egg said from his room.

    ¡°Yes, they are extremely edible! Some may say you might die from bliss if you consume too much of a Wofflebug.¡±

    ¡°So, eating your fears can kill you.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Captain¡­you¡¯re insane.¡±

    I blanked.

    ¡°W-why?¡±

    ¡°I am not making you waffles just because you made some random monster up that sounds like waffles,¡± Egg sighed.

    ¡°B-but my waffles¡­¡±

    And that¡¯s when the dam burst. My crew burst out into laughter.

    ¡°Great story Capt., A+ material!¡± Jobs said with a monotonous voice.

    ¡°Coming from you, it doesn¡¯t sound sincere at all¡­¡± I slumped down, a single manly tear shed from my eyes.

    ¡°Egg, you¡¯re our only chef. Everyone else would probably burn down the kitchen in an attempt to make a sandwich,¡± I cried.

    Egg sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll make waffles for everyone tomorrow,¡± He shrugged his broad shoulders.

    ¡°I want strawberry jam on mine,¡± Jobs said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take pickles,¡± Rigor said in his ghostly voice.

    Everyone stared at him.

    ¡°Pickles?¡± We all asked him.

    ¡°What? Pickles are great,¡± He replied.

    We were all silent for a moment. Then we just sighed and accepted it as part of our lives now.

    ¡°You learn something new every day,¡± Jobs said.

    ¡°Hey Rigor, go ask Inky what she wants.¡± He nods and fades into the floor boards. A few moments later, he returned.

    ¡°She said she wants syrup on hers,¡± Rigor said with a slight hint of disgust. ¡°I don¡¯t get why people want something so sweet with their waffles.¡±

    We all looked at him in shock.

    ¡°Rigor, your ghostly sense of taste is really weird.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m amazed that ghosts can eat,¡± Jobs said. ¡°You should let me study you sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Rigor replied. The two always are sharing research ideas anyways.

    ¡°What about you Debra?¡± I yelled into the tube.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just eat mine plain, thanks, Capt.¡± her voice replied from the other end.

    ¡°Debra said she wants hers plain.¡±

    ¡°I heard,¡± Egg said. ¡°What about you?¡±

    He looked at me with his eyebrows raised.

    ¡°Hmm, let me think¡­¡± My train of thought flies away as countless images of waffles popped up in my mind.

    ¡°I think I will take mine with slices of banana and honey.¡±

    A deep frown appeared on Egg¡¯s face.

    ¡°Captain, are you sure you want that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s your funeral.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, nothing. I¡¯ll wake you up tomorrow for breakfast.¡±

    Egg¡¯s words worried me. But the prospect of waffles in the morning kept me optimistic.

    The chili kept everyone warm during the cold night. Egg was our best and only cook. Perhaps it¡¯s why I have him his nickname, but I don¡¯t remember now. He has full control over our kitchen and makes sure no one else approaches it other than for eating purposes. I wasn¡¯t kidding when I said the rest of my crew will start a fire in an attempt to make a sandwich, it has happened before¡­twice.

    The first time, Beatrix was putting a slice of grilled salamander on her rye bread when it was just engulfed in flames. We had no idea how it happened. It was as if she was cursed to never make food.

    The second time¡­well, I¡¯m pretty sure Jobs and Debra did it on purpose. They were testing their new flamethrower¡¯s ability to cook a prey to an instant edible state. Let¡¯s just say results were catastrophic and he had to spend an entire month repairing the damages.

    To avoid a 3<sup>rd</sup> time, Egg locked down the kitchen to all but himself.

    ______

    Although the sky was not visible through the dense wood ceiling above us, our internal clocks were telling us that it was time for bed. Everyone turned in for the night. We didn¡¯t know how long it will take us to reach the top, but we could only assume eventually we will hit a leaf.

    I pulled my blanket over myself as the damp cold air leaked into my room. The eeriness of the glowing river below us and the dark green wood above us was complimented by a strange wind that blows by every so often.

    The wind would seep through the cracks and crevasses in the wooden frame of the Sinclair Jr. and make strange noises.

    I suddenly realize I couldn¡¯t sleep. Was it the anticipation of waffles that kept me up was it something else?

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have been my own story right?¡± I whispered to myself in the dark.

    ¡°Naw, it couldn¡¯t have,¡± I reassured myself. ¡°Wofflebugs are totally a made up thing.¡±

    Suddenly, a loud knock on the boat followed by something wet landing on the deck.

    I hid under my covers as if a sheet of cotton could protect me from the menace that was outside.

    The floorboards creaked under the weight of the intruder. Suddenly, my door was blasted open. Literally, blasted open. It bent under the pressure.

    ¡°Oh Charles, I¡¯m baaaack!¡±

    I screamed it laughed, I screamed some more.

    ¡°Charles, come hereeeee.¡±

    I scrambled to get out of my bed.

    The creature was covered in moss and was completely dripping with water. In the dark, it looked like an eldritch horror had intruded upon my room and is now preparing to eat my delicious innards.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t eat me, I don¡¯t taste good!¡± I screamed.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry Capt., I¡¯m still satisfied from ¡®eating¡¯ Debra,¡± The creature laughed.

    ¡°Oh no! Not Debra!¡± I lost it.

    The monster cackled into the night.

    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Egg slammed open my door into an even worst shape. ¡°People are trying to sleep here.¡±

    ¡°Egg, it¡¯s a monster!¡± I pointed at the creature.

    ¡°Oh, welcome back Beatrix, how was your fight?¡± Egg said pleasantly surprised.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I blanked again.

    I looked closely. It really was Beatrix. She was just covered in moss and was soaking wet.

    ¡°I kind of lost consciousness and woke up when my head hit the ship,¡± She stuck out her tongue and hit her head.

    ¡°But look, I got something out of that fight.¡±

    She opened her bag and pulled out something gray and disgusting.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of Nidhogg¡¯s tentacles.¡±

    ¡°Wait, it had tentacles?¡±

    ¡°Oh right, yeah he can grow an endless number of tentacles. Those things can paralyze anything it touches¡±

    ¡°A-are you all right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing weird happened,¡± Beatrix smirked. My imagination went wild.

    ¡°Anyways, it should still be able to produce the paralyzing stuff.¡±

    ¡°Give it to Jobs, perhaps we can make something useful out of it.¡±

    ¡°Using tentacles to make something¡­¡± Once again my train of thought trailed off.

    ¡°Beatrix, go get a good shower. You smell like mold and wet mud,¡± Egg held his nose as the smell suddenly reached him.

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± She turned to look at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Charles, I won¡¯t eat you,¡± She licked her lips.

    I felt a cold chill crawl up my spine.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± She whispered.

    That chill turned into a full blown blizzard.

    I froze and didn¡¯t move a muscle as she walked out of my room. Egg just shook his head and went back to his room.

    I breathed a sigh of relief. The wind blew by and suddenly, it hit me.

    ¡°Uh, guys? My door is still messed up.¡±

    It was a wet, cold and dark evening.

 9. The Misadventures of Cheesus.

    <u>The Misadventures of Cheesus</u>

    At the dawn of time itself, there was a mouse, the mousiest of mice. He was the mouse god. This mouse had a son. A son named Cheesus. He wanted his son to be filial to him, but Cheesus had other plans. Instead of staying in the domain of mouse gods, he ventured into the abyss. There he took on many adventures and made a name for himself among mouse kind. Soon, he got bored of it all and took on a hobby. He became a carpenter.

    Eons went by and some forgot about him. Those who remembered had lost their ideals about him. Some mice said he¡¯s the son of the mouse god, some say he¡¯s a carpenter. But to all, he was Cheesus.

    There was a chant that passed through the generations. ¡°Praise be to god, our grate lord. May you bring upon us Gouda times.¡± The highly religious mice often chant it over and over which annoyed Cheesus.

    ¡°What¡¯s so great about dad anyways?¡± He would often ask himself. ¡°The lazy bastard just sits around all day on his cheese based throne and eat.¡±

    But the mice remains fanatics regardless of what Cheesus told them. So he gave up.

    Then one day, he stumbled upon something great. Something that not even his father could get, the god cheese.

    Wanting to prove once and for all, that his father was not the almighty cheese god, he set aside his carpentry and once again took upon the mantle of an adventurer.

    He joined the race, not to become a god, but to get the cheese. For his name was Cheesus, the son of the mouse god.

    As soon as his tiny vessel got past the gate to the first domain, it was destroyed. He ended up avoiding the serpent due to his tiny size and managed to stow away on another participant¡¯s ship.

    Soon he learned the ship¡¯s name was Sinclair Jr. It had a very unorthodox design. It was more of an apartment than a boat.

    He got lost immediately in all the vents and tunnels.

    Soon, he realized how messed up the ship was. He had seen many horrors in his life, but never something so devious. He saw a ghost toy with an innocent child, a man scientist ripping parts off an innocent girl with no legs, he even saw a bald muscular man pound the crap out of fresh humanoid fruits. He could still hear the screams of those poor fruits as they were crushed brutally.

    It sent shivers down his spine. Worst of all was the tall and large woman. She kept something secret in her room that nearly made Cheesus vomit. Oh the horrors, oh the mousy horror!

    In the end, he decided he could not reveal himself. The crew will rip him to shreds and pick their teeth with his bones.

    Then one morning, a rich aroma awoke him from a state of despair. It was the most delicious smelling thing he ever had the pleasure to have his nostrils be stimulated by. His body moved on its own and soon he saw the large bald muscular man in a pink apron. He was humming whilst dropping batter onto a hot iron pan with lumps on it. The sizzling was soon followed by the screams of humanoid berries that was mixed in the batter.

    No matter how horrifying it was, the aroma still made Cheesus¡¯s mouth water.

    He couldn¡¯t resist it. He leaped out of the vents trying to latch onto the plate of finished waffles.

    The bald man had reactions like a tiger. He immediately dropped his oven mitts and snatched Cheesus out of the air.

    ¡°Now what do we have here,¡± He said with a glint in his eye. ¡°A little stow away huh?¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Cheesus couldn¡¯t even scream as the bald man put him in the pot.

    ______

    ¡°Hey, everyone! Breakfast is ready!¡± Egg yelled from the kitchen.

    The crew awoke grumpily and limped to the mess hall. Suddenly, the sight of waffles appeared and everyone perked up. It was as if they were suddenly injected with copious amounts of horse testosterone. They madly galloped to the plate of waffles and began to devour it like a group of ravenous ghouls.

    ¡°More maple syrup!¡± Inky shouted at the top of her lungs. Egg threw a bottle into the ravenous pack and she barely managed to catch it before continuing to eat.

    Debra has skewered her waffles on her hands and rotated them. She ate it like a piece of corn.

    ¡°Pickles!¡± Rigor shouted. A jar of pickles flew into the air and landed in his ghostly grasp.

    ¡°Can I get more banana and honey?¡± I asked. Egg looked at me with disgust before he took out a plate bananas and a jar of honey.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± I peeled the strangely humanoid shaped bananas and diced them into blocks. I put them over my waffles and drizzled the honey on top.

    ¡°My god Egg, I love your waffles!¡± Everyone shouted whilst eating. Egg only sighed and shook his head with a smile.

    Beatrix walked in looking very tired, but soon she joined the waffle feast as well.

    ¡°Yo Egg, give me some of your ale to wash this down!¡± She laughed. I could see a blood vessel twitch on Egg¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°No ale for breakfast,¡± He said firmly.

    She frowned but with the number of waffles stuffed in her mouth, her efforts to beg was to no avail.

    ¡°Just eat,¡± Egg said firmly as he sat down as well. His plate had waffles on it too, but they looked different.

    ¡°What type of waffles are those?¡± I asked him.

    ¡°I made my favorite, I call it ¡®Surprise Guest Special¡¯,¡± Egg said with a grin.

    He bit into it and a chilling scream exploded forth.

    ¡°What the heck?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just the screaming blueberries I added to it,¡± Egg said whilst happily munching.

    ¡°I swear Egg, those humanoid fruits you grow really are creepy, but damn are they delicious.¡±

    ¡°You never told me where you got them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a family secret.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we family?¡±

    ¡°Unless you marry me, no,¡± Egg said with a straight face.

    I nearly spat out the waffles in my mouth.

    ¡°Just kidding,¡± Egg said with a laugh as he slapped my back while I was choking.

    ¡°Wait a minute, what¡¯s that thing in your waffle?¡± Beatrix asked.

    ¡°Oh that, I had a lacking an ingredient earlier. Luckily a guest brought it to me.¡±

    I looked at Egg¡¯s waffle. A part of it was covered in gray fur.

    ¡°Why is your waffle furry?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, a guest,¡± Egg smiled innocently.

    ¡°I-I think your waffle is moving.¡±

    We all turned around at looked at Egg¡¯s waffle. It was indeed moving. The tiny gray fur was twitching and it came alive.

    ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t dead? Interesting,¡± Egg said with an evil grin.

    A small mouse came crawling out of the waffle. It looked at us in fear.

    ¡°What do we have here?¡± Jobs asked with interest. ¡°It would seem the creature could revive!¡±

    ¡°What a cute little thing!¡± Debra and Inky both wanted to pet it.

    ¡°Get that rodent away from me!¡± Beatrix screamed. Oh, ho, ho, it would seem I have found one of her weaknesses.

    Suddenly I realized something. ¡°How come no one wondered why Egg had a mouse in his waffle¡­?¡±

    I was ignored.

    Anyways, the mouse stared at us like a deer looking at an upcoming truck.

    ¡°Hey Captain, can you let me keep it? I have something I want to research,¡± Jobs quickly said.

    ¡°Yea Captain, he¡¯s adorable. Can we keep it?¡± Both Debra and Inky asked.

    ¡°Fine, fine, we can keep the rat. Just make sure you feed it and keep it away from anything important.¡±

    I sighed. My crew cheered. Only Beatrix looked green and Egg looked annoyed that his breakfast got away.

    ______

    Cheesus was in pain. The bald man skinned him alive and baked him into the aromatic delicacy. He could feel his skin burn with and cook. His blood boiled and his body roasted to perfection. He soon passed out. But since he was the son of the mouse god, he soon revived after only 30 minutes. He revived inside of the delicious delicacy surrounded by the monstrous giants. He looked around only to realize the bite marks on the piece he was in. If he had revived just a few moments later, he would have been digested. Being constantly revived inside of another person is just nightmarish. He would be slowly corroded by the acid over and over again. Eventually passing through. It would be a hellish cycle.

    Cold sweat dripped from his pointy nose as he realized they had spotted him. It would seem the mad man was interested in his ability to revive. The innocent girls seemed to have taken a liking to his adorably round body. The sickening large woman was disgusted by his appearance.

    ¡°I only have one chance,¡± Cheesus said to himself as he tried to make the most adorable face ever.

    It worked. The Captain of the ship accepted him as a pet. At least he was alive. But looking at the fanaticism inside the mad man¡¯s eyes, Cheesus soon worry about his own sanity.

    But those worries were soon replaced with fear when he saw the bald muscular giant¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Oh god, he wanted to eat me still.¡±

    It sent shivers down his spine.

    ¡°Daddy, save me¡­¡±

    But his pleas went unheard.

 10. Leave my Leaf Alone!

    <u>Leave my Leaf Alone!</u>

    The rest of the days went quietly. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. An entire week spent inside a dark wooden channel really brings your mood down.

    But the light was just around the corner.

    When we finally reached the upper areas of Yggdrasil, the dark brown bark walls were replaced with vibrant green branching capillaries.

    ¡°Which way do I go, Captain?¡± Debra asked as we drifted closer and closer to a fork in the path.

    ¡°Follow the light!¡±

    ¡°But both sides are bright!¡±

    ¡°Uh, just keep going right then.¡±

    I suddenly realized a problem we didn¡¯t think of when we entered the root.

    ¡°Uh, how are we going to get out of the channel?¡± I asked. ¡°We had to use a hole opened by Nidhogg in order to enter, just how will we get out then?¡±

    My crew looked at me seriously.

    ¡°Captain, we thought you had an idea,¡± Egg said with a sigh.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What kind of Captain are you?!¡± Cheesus screamed in his mousy voice. Of course, to the rest of the crew, it only sounds like adorable squeaks.

    ¡°Debra, just circle around the place. Maybe we will find an exit eventually.¡±

    I looked towards Jobs.

    ¡°Any bright ideas?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know if it would work for sure.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Remember that piece of Nidhogg Beatrix snatched? Perhaps its toxins are strong enough to erode the walls of the leaf. After all, the leaf structure is weaker than wood.¡±

    ¡°That might just work.¡±

    ¡°One major problem though, we would have to stop the ship completely and with the current, our anchors can¡¯t grab hold of anything fast enough.¡±

    ¡°Crap,¡± I rubbed my temples.

    ¡°Can we tether ourselves to the walls?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think our hooks can penetrate it.¡±

    ¡°What if we used the Nidhogg poison as well?¡±

    ¡°It might not dig fast enough for the hook to burrow deep enough.¡±

    ¡°God dammit. We will try it anyways.¡±

    ¡°Got it Capt.,¡± Jobs nodded and left to his lab.

    ¡°Hey Egg, what are the chances you think this will succeed?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Bout 50/50 I¡¯d say,¡± Egg said while rubbing the stubble of a beard on his chin. ¡°It¡¯s the kind of odds we take daily.¡±

    ¡°Good enough for me.¡±

    After an hour of navigating the branching channels, Jobs finally finished preparing the tethers and coated them with copious amounts of Nidhogg toxins.

    He attached it onto Debra¡¯s newly customized weaponized lower body. It looked like a giant spider with a cannon on its thorax.

    Debra¡¯s torso was screwed into the giant spider. She looked like a mechanized spider demon.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Jobs asked Debra excitingly.

    ¡°G-great Dear!¡± Debra replied shyly.

    ¡°OK, aim for the walls of the next branch where the gap is small,¡± I commanded.

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    Debra¡¯s eight legs came to life as she crawled onto side of the Sinclair Jr. She was completely vertical, hanging off the side with the cannon on her back.

    ¡°Fire away!¡± I shouted at Debra.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    With a loud ¡®Boom¡¯ Two metal three pronged claws shot from her cannons. They penetrated the walls with a soft and strangely wet noise.

    The ship slowed abruptly and everyone fell to their knees. After a few moments, the ship came to a complete stop.

    ¡°It worked!¡±

    ¡°Debra, reel the tethers in and check if they are secure!¡±

    Debra nodded and started to retract the steel wires the claws were attached to.

    Slowly but surely, the ship started to drift close and close to the wall. Soon, we hit the side of it with a soft bump.

    ¡°The walls are softer than I thought,¡± Jobs pondered. ¡°Perhaps I could make something out of it¡­¡± He whispered to himself.

    Debra clamped the tethers to the ship itself instead of her lower abdomen and crawled back up.

    ¡°Prepare the cutters,¡± Jobs waved his hands.

    ¡°Yes Dear.¡±

    The spider body¡¯s rear end opened up, eerily revealing a strange and sinister looking blade. It was glowing with a purple aura.

    ¡°God damn, Jobs, just what kind of alterations did you do to that thing?¡±

    ¡°You like it? It¡¯s her new combat mode. It allows rapid 3<sup>rd</sup> dimensional movement. Also the access to eight legs means she could lose a few and still reach high speeds. This spider mode is perhaps my greatest invention yet!¡±

    I looked at the completely insane Jobs brag about his invention, then I looked at Debra who¡¯s now a giant spider woman. I could only sigh and shrug my shoulders.

    I looked at Egg for help and he shrugged his shoulders as well. Looks like I¡¯ll just leave Jobs and Debra alone for a while¡­

    Debra climbed onto the soft walls and started to slowly cut into it with the poison tipped blade. It cuts into the walls like it was made of tissue paper. Although the walls were easily cut, it was extremely thick. We manage to burrow nearly a hundred meters into the wall before we could see the outer waxy layer of the leaf.

    ¡°This tree is just too damn big,¡± Egg complained.

    ¡°I thought you liked plants?¡±

    ¡°Yea, small plants. Big plants brings back bad memories.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I remember that. Island of Bocooh? Weren¡¯t you nearly eaten by a man-eating plant?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. I could still feel its prickly stingers stab into me as my body went numb.¡±

    ¡°Yea, Beatrix had to carry your numbed body back to the ship after we got you out. You were bedridden for like an entire week!¡±

    ¡°Never again, I hate big plants,¡± Egg scowled and walked back to his room. Guess he needed some alone time with his humanoid fruits.

    ¡°How long left Debra?¡± I shouted into the large hole Debra cut out.

    ¡°Almost there, Captain!¡± Her voice echoed.

    ¡°When you get back, convert the ship to land mode!¡±

    ¡°Got it, Captain!¡±

    I grab her a thumbs up and walked away with the rest of the crew. Jobs was still analyzing the pieces of wall that Debra cut off.

    ¡°I need more samples,¡± He whispered to himself as he gathered the green soft pieces.

    About half an hour later, I heard Debra call for us.

    ¡°We¡¯re through, Captain!¡±

    She waved as the blinding light cascaded through the hole she made.

    ¡°Lock down the ship for land mode.¡±

    ¡°Got it, Capt.,¡±

    The side of the ship once again opened up, revealing two large wheels. They rotated and lifted the ship off the ground.

    ¡°Move slowly.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    The Sinclair Jr. slowly rolled into the hole, towards the blinding light.

    ______

    Moments later, we rolled onto the waxy surface of the leaf. The light breeze blew across the deck. The sunlight licked our worn out faces.

    ¡°Finally, no more dark tunnels.¡±

    ¡°Egg, go scout around.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, Capt.,¡± He said as he climbed up the crow¡¯s nest.

    ¡°I see some sort of settlement about 400 meters due north!¡± He shouted.

    ¡°The entire leaf is huge! But it¡¯s so flat that I could see the edges!¡±

    ¡°Uh, Captain. We can¡¯t move forward,¡± Debra said.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We are being blocked by a bunch of long eared people.¡±

    I looked down and saw like 5 short long eared fellows.

    ¡°Get off our land!¡± They shouted as they threw rocks at the ship.

    ¡°Where did they get rocks on this leaf?¡± Rigor wondered.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± I replied. I leaned over the side and shouted, ¡°Hey, what are you kids doing!¡±

    ¡°Get off our land!¡± They kept shouting.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they speak the universal language but it¡¯s as if they¡¯re pretending they don¡¯t hear me.¡±

    I look towards Rigor. Since Egg was up top in the crow¡¯s nest, Debra is piloting the ship, Beatrix is probably asleep somewhere, Inky was reading, and Jobs was tinkering away with those green leaf parts, Rigor was the only person who was free to do stuff.

    ¡°Hey Rigor, can you go down and ask them what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Sure thing Captain.¡±

    His ghostly form fluttered down from the ship. The five long eared fellows panicked and started to run, but Rigor manage to snatch the neck collar of one of them.

    ¡°G-get away from me you filthy Niflheim undead!¡± It screamed.

    Rigor sighed, ¡°Just because I¡¯m a ghost, doesn¡¯t mean I come from Niflheim.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie! I can smell the scent of fog on you!¡±

    Rigor sighed even more. ¡°That¡¯s because we all had to pass through Niflheim to get here. Now tell me, why are you blocking our way?¡±

    ¡°You damaged the world tree! That is punishable by death here!¡± The kid screamed.

    ¡°Hmm, is it now?¡± Rigor¡¯s face suddenly turned into a sinister grin. You can¡¯t really see it since he has no face muscles left, but deep inside, you could feel like he was grinning.

    ¡°Well, we happen to only have 5 witnesses, it won¡¯t be hard to ¡®take care¡¯ of them. Huahahahaha,¡± He laughed sinisterly.

    The kid nearly wet himself as Rigor let him go. They ran away with all their might.

    ¡°All clear, Captain!¡± Rigor shouted back up at us.

    ¡°What did you say to them?¡± I asked when he got back on the ship.

    ¡°Nothing, just asked for directions.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll we could see the village from here, so we don¡¯t really need directions.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh well.¡± Rigor shrugged. His boney shoulders lifted up and down.

    ¡°Oh well indeed. Let¡¯s go Debra!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±

    The ship started up once again and rolled smoothly on the waxy surface of the leaf. Rigor turned around to stare at the hole we created and smiled.

    ______

    ¡°How did it go?¡± The Dwarf South asked Hel.

    ¡°Just as planned,¡± She smiles sinisterly. ¡°The participants have no clue about what¡¯s going on.¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha, good. By the time that bastard Odin realizes, it would be too late.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we shall bring about Ragnarok earlier than that one eyed bastard foresaw.¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t be prepared at all, perhaps we might kill off more deities than originally planned.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully, my father won¡¯t be happy if things plays out as fate determined it to.¡±

    ¡°And we dwarves also will get the short end of the stick.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s kill to our hearts content then!¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, I like your style, you frozen bitch!¡± South yelled as he dodged Hel¡¯s ice strikes.

    The two laughed maniacally into the foggy night.