23th June 2009, Tuesday, 16:13
Dante's House
Venice, Italy
Dante thought that during the whole week the strange hunch he felt during the last mission, directly connected to Zhalia's strange behavior, would manage to wane, drown by the pressure of everyday duties. However, he couldn't have been more wrong.
As if out of spite, no one had reported any suspicious case to the local detective. He should have been happy that the crime rate was decreasing, but there had been times he would have caused a commotion on his own just to keep himself busy. The Huntik Foundation was staying silent as well; decoding Jodis Lore's notes was apparently still in process, they all needed to wait some more.
Of course, some operatives seldom had sent him a document to check or asked for his advice during solving some problem, but in fact, it had been taking him an hour or two to finish, at most; he was just used to getting the job done quickly, and over the years, he had mastered filling Huntik documents. That's why after sending the completed files back, the rest of the days had been dragging unrelentingly.
Some other time he would be glad that he had had so much time to catch up with his hobbies, but now even his favorite activities couldn't have filled his afternoons. No matter how he exhausted himself in his private gym or tried to clear his mind out of bothers via meditation, it'd never seemed enough to drain him out of the weird gut feeling.
However, there were people who tried to help him in keeping busy. Since the holiday had started, he almost couldn't get rid of Lok and Sophie. The kids, having plenty of spare time now, judged that it should be used for the Seeker training. And the training ground, of course, was organized in their teacher's home. Currently, the kids had taken over his living room. Dante could hear them from his study where he was trying to set some files in order; concentrating on that while listening to the kids' voices was barely possible, though.
'OK, one more time', Lok decided. 'I think I'm getting a hang of this… Ready?', he asked Sophie.
'Give it your best shot, superstar!', she encouraged him.
'I'm about to light up your life with… Boltflare!', he shouted, sending the spell at the girl.
'Honorguard!', she shielded herself with ease, preventing the charm from hitting her. 'Your aim is improving, but it's still a bit weak if you ask me…', she stated patronizingly.
'Weak?!', he bridled. 'What're you talking about weak?! Did that look weak to you, Cherit?', he addressed the Titan observing them.
'Don't worry, Lok', Cherit avoided the answer cleverly. 'You're doing fine… just keep working!'
'But I've been working!', Lok exclaimed helplessly.
Well, yes, Lok had been working; in most cases, the time he was spending on mastering powers would be enough to actually master them. However, neither Lok's accuracy nor strength of his spells had increased significantly.
Dante sighed to himself. Apparently, Lok's desperate state was his call to get back to what he was supposed to do: teaching. That's what Metz would advise. However, Metz was the best material for a teacher one could dream of. Dante was a different story. He just didn't have it in him; he was doing his best, but the whole process of pushing the knowledge into someone's thick skull frustrated him rather than overjoyed.
The truth was, he wasn't angry with Lok for not showing any progress. He was furious with himself and upset about his own incompetence. Teaching was the first thing he found a challenge he could not conquer. One of the things Dante Vale hated the most was surrendering to his weakness.
Hm, but maybe hiding in his study wasn't exactly 'facing the problem'… nor a very fruitful way to spent the day off. Maybe playing a teacher was neither his fancy nor vocation, but it was surely a good way to keep himself occupied. That's why Dante closed the holotome and went to the living room. In time, apparently, because Lok's frustration was getting over him.
'Man, what is wrong with me?!', angrier the boy was getting, higher his voice had become. 'I can't even use Boltflare!'
The joint sparkles flew from his hand and whizzed to Dante. He dodged in time; the back of his neck was brushed by a warm gust. The sphere of light flew through the room, bounced against the walls and dashed into the next one, where the sounds of falling stuff could be heard soon after.
Dante threw Lok a reproachful glare when a lone dumbbell rolled out to the hall sadly.
'Oh… oops', Lambert only choked out, hunching his shoulders apologetically.
'Outta, boy killer', Sophie commented acrimoniously. 'We're all set if a deadly Titan disguises itself as Dante's hair!'
'That… could happen', the boy defended himself weakly. 'Alright', he gave up. 'Let's go practice upstairs.'
Dante held back a sigh. He wondered how his house would look like after an invasion of two completely incompetent Seekers. Shame he couldn't send them to the backyard… His neighbors would order exorcisms for sure, seeing the spells bouncing against the wall. And their children would love to have a flying gargoyle mascot.
His thoughts were interrupted by an importunate beep. The kids turned back, curious. Dante peeked at the green diode next to the LCD screen.
'It's probably Guggenheim', he guessed, answering the call.
'Hello everyone!', the Foundation chef started energetically, sitting at the desk and sipping from a steaming mug against the background of short videos showing a raging blizzard. 'I trust you're enjoying the afternoon. How does the trip to the wild of Scandinavia sound, Iceland, I should say?', he reeled up as if they discussed going out for some coffee.
'Sounds cool', Dante joked in the similar careless tune. At last, a task meeting his expectations! He couldn't be happier about it. There was nothing better than a random trip when you only count on your own wit to get out of troubles. 'What's there?'
Guggenheim smiled lightly; his friend's reaction didn't let him down at all.
'Mission: The Hammer Of Thor', he announced. 'Reach Thor's temple; retrieve the hammer Mjolnir.'
'I'll see what I can do', Dante responded without hesitation, excited at a mere thought of the challenge awaiting him.
'Well, that's everything', the fair-haired Swiss said. 'Good luck all, travel safe… and pack warm!'
He disconnected immediately.
'Seekers, we have a mission', Dante announced, already set solely on the task. He could be pretty loose most of the time, but when a new mystery appeared on the horizon, his senses sharpened and focused on discovering it.
'He didn't give us much to go on', Lok remarked, observing how his teacher had come to one of the cabinets and pulled out the drawer. 'Where're we supposed to start?'
Oh right. Perhaps he overdid accustoming them to the fact that they had been spoon-fed with the clues; now, without getting a concrete plan of operation, they were confused. It was the right time to change the tactics.
'We'll start at the beginning', he responded easily, pressing the button on the drawer. The second bottom was uncovered, revealing equal rows of amulets laying there. From all of them, Dante infallibly chose the one he needed. 'With a little research', he specified, examining the amulet in the light, then hiding it in his pocket. 'We'll leave for London in the morning to meet an old friend. I have a hunch this mission… is going to get complicated', he wasn't going to sugarcoat it.
The kids exchanged stares; that announcement didn't dispose them optimistically. Dante held back a smirk. He himself didn't feel any nervousness, just excitement. He couldn't stand idleness, the week-lasting break had already taken its toll on him.
The worst part of the task seemed to be the meeting with 'an old friend', though…
25th July 2009, Thursday, 17:01
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
The London escapade was a snap comparing to the blizzard which had hemmed them in far away from any human creations, slowing their march and finally forcing them to set a camp in the valley covered by a coniferous forest. Dante wasn't going to risk snow bounding and freezing in effect for the sake of the mission. The delay was imminent, the weather conditions couldn't be passed nor jumped over. Luckily, being a Seekers required also developing some patience. He had plenty of it. The sole fact that he had been standing Lok's whining for so long spoke volumes about it.
'How long can it last?', the boy wondered, listening to the howl of the wind hitting their tent.
'Few hours or few days', Dante spoke truthfully.
'Few days?!', Lambert moaned. 'What're we supposed to do here for few days?! I hadn't even taken my Game Boy with me… The cell battery won't handle playing Snake for so long.'
'And that's how we learnt why you're usually unavailable when we call you', Sophie murmured, reading a thick volume by the flashlight. 'You waste energy for nonsenses.'
Dante could say the same thing about her; starting an argument didn't bring anything, only spoiled the atmosphere. He felt tired of just listening to their quarrels. He'd preferably leave them for a while and go outside, but the snowstorm prevented him from doing so. He realized again that he had gotten himself in a very difficult situation. Traveling with two immature fifteen-years-olds involved with isolation. What could he talk to them about, of course, apart from current matters? He felt like an alien, unrelated to teenage topics, and even Cherit's presence lightened his mood only a bit. He started to understand how hard for it was for the Titan: being surrounded by incomprehensible humans…
He sighed and to make himself busy, he drew out the holotome. He wrote a short message to Guggenheim, summarizing their progress and explaining the delay. He looked through the data sent by his friend, but they didn't bring much more than advices from Tersly, the London researcher they had asked for consultations about the Norse mythology. Eventually, he ran out of ideas to kill time. He started to rummage through the files thoughtlessly, ordering them and deleting those which seemed unnecessary.
Accidentally, he came across one entitled with a row of numbers. He rarely used such naming, thus he looked into it out of curiosity. The document opened. Almost at the top of it, a picture popped out. A dark-haired girl with slim face and harmonious features looked at him from the photo with her serious hazel eyes. The eyes which were sparkling with amusement each time their owner had been teasing him. Or pierced right through him when he had been threading on her corns.
Zhalia hadn't been calling for a week already. He thought about what she was doing now. Where could she be? In Venice? During last week, he hadn't bumped into her even once, but it was a big city, so he shouldn't be surprised. Besides, she could have been long gone. He wondered if she had gotten any new mission… and why, if he had been sharing with her so willingly, she hadn't let them know about it.
Well, he probably didn't have to ask. Perhaps she didn't want to see Sophie again. He understood it somehow. He also had to stand the certain crosspatch's pile of harsh remarks. Which he actually missed now. After all, no matter how Zhalia had been cutting him on to the quick, he had never been feeling so offended to be angry with her for too long, on the contrary, he enjoyed that bantering. He liked a healthy dose of sparring. Not only physical. It was a good way to keep his wit sharp and intact.
Maybe she was still sulking about that ring trial? He wouldn't be surprised. He'd also be angry if someone had treated him like a guinea pig, which could be experimented on freely. She said her goodbye to him so coldly after the mission in Paris… As if she had really been offended. Which probably meant that she wouldn't contact him first. Her ambition wouldn't allow her to do so. Zhalia was proud; she had proved it many times. He noticed.
He also had his sense of dignity. But his honor didn't demand sticking to his opinion stubbornly and stating that he was the only one right. Thus, after a moment of thinking, he tapped the keyboard, wondering what he should write.
The same day, 17:18
Al Ponte Antico Hotel
Venice, Italy
'What is the meaning of this?!'
I pull my phone away from my ear, otherwise Klaus' yell will tear my eardrums apart.
'What do you mean saying that you need more time?!', he continues, enraged. 'You had plenty of it! I am not asking you to construct a space shuttle, only to seduce Dante Vale!'
'Are you expecting me to do it in just two weeks?', I throw mockingly, watching my reflection in the bathroom mirror.
'With your apparition and charm, two days should be enough!', he gets sore.
'To get him into bed, two minutes would do just fine', I judge ironically, 'but that's not everything that matters for us, right? He's not supposed to do me and forget about it. He has to beg for more. And he won't do that if I surrender to him so willingly. The initiative has to come out from him. Understood?'
'You have not paid attention to it until now', he growls, still not convinced.
'We have never been hunting such a prey', I explain patiently, not losing control.
'That is why making it quick is even more important now… capturing him is crucial for the whole Organization. The Professor counts on us, Zhalia', he reminds me strictly.
'I do what I can do, Klaus', I assure him and I'm not lying; even now I'm applying myself to the mission, plucking my eyebrows meticulously. What? My appearance means a lot. I can't neglect it.
'Then do much more. I think I do not have to suggest you anything. It is you who is… a woman', he pronounces it like some kind of a curse. Apparently, he has troubles accepting the fact that he's not talking with an android which can be perfectly programmed. I've always known that he regards the fair sex as some creatures from the other planet whom logic fails to decipher. They don't need to be understood; one should just let them do what they want as long as they fulfill their tasks. And if not, direct them back to the right track. By force.
'Yeeeah, I'm feeling it painfully right now', I murmur, struggling with exceptionally stubborn hair and referring to the other female problem. 'Like every month, though.'
I almost see Klaus' gutted face; though he's a biologist, he hasn't accepted yet that women menstruate. He pushed such thought away like something unnatural and execrable. OK, maybe it's not the most pleasant thing, but I wouldn't create a taboo out of it. We, who suffer such tortures every few weeks, aren't afraid of speaking about it somehow, however, most men panic at a mere mention of a period. And that's us called the weaker sex? No kidding.
'I hope you do not treat him to such tales', he throws wryly. 'No one is interested in it, neither me, Dante Vale nor, of course, the Professor. The point is, you have to act professionally regardless of the circumstances.'
'Yeah, yeah', I turn him away, biting my lip from pain when I pull out three hairs at once. Ouch. 'I'm so damn professional. But, you know, in that state I can't do much about pleasing Mister Vale. Not every warrior likes to have blood on his sword, if you get what I'm talking about…'
'Enough already!', he chides me, and I put effort in holding back a laughter, hearing disgust in his voice. 'Just do what you have to do, I do not care how…'
A short beep drowns his grunting for a moment. Luckily, otherwise Klaus would try to enlighten me that there are other ways of pleasing a man. As if I hadn't known already.
I peek at the display and I notice a small envelope on the top.
'Listen, I've got an e-mail', I interrupt him. 'I'll receive it and call you back, alright?'
'Just make it quick', he orders sharply.
I disconnect. The screen displays an announcement: New message from: Dante Vale.
So, Klaus'll be happy! I click the Show button without hesitation. The message must be quite long, as it opens slowly. Finally I get the access to see it and read it attentively.
Good evening, Zhalia. (Oh, how official. Good evening, sir.)
You possibly have enough of cooperation with our team (an apt observation, what a perceptive guy!), but still, I'm going to present a certain offer. ('Come to my flat wearing only a lacy bodice'… Oh no, I've got a warped mind indeed!)
We're actually in the heart of the Icelandic back and beyond, chilled to the bone after a march through treacherous mountain passages and bored unrelentingly due to the dragging blizzard. (In such conditions, the bodice is out of question.) How about risking a meeting with us in such a nice winter scenery? I honestly recommend it. We're planning even more attractions for tomorrow – we'll search for a temple lost among the glaciers and try to retrieve the hammer of Thor hidden there. And if we succeed, I promise to think about making a snowman commemorating this event. (I smirk lightly. Who would accuse you of having such a sense of humor.)
Will you honor us with showing your face wrapped in a dozen scarves (which would be inevitable given the frost)?
I enclose some GPS particulars, in case you decide to come (which I really count on).
I send you my warmest wishes despite having my fingers coming off, and I'm looking forward to your response.
Dante Vale
I didn't expect such an epistle from a guy who usually uses short, concise sentences and concrete orders. I have to admit, it turned out pretty well, though. I guess names really contain certain magic. He's not likely to write another Divine Comedy, but he's quite good at concocting witty texts.
I call Klaus back.
'Who was that?', he asks impatiently.
'Him', I respond laconically. 'He wants me in his team again.'
'Brilliant!', he states, very content. 'You will agree, of course?'
I don't have a slightest itch to freeze like an icicle among lifeless vast areas of whiteness, trembling despite constricting, heavy clothes, abiding the blonde brat, squealing gargoyle, stuck-up princess and lone ranger. However, if I refused, Klaus would rip my head off. I heave a sigh.
'Book me a ticket to Iceland to let me pack in peace', I respond reluctantly.
I imagine how his wizened face beams.
'Good girl', he praises me with a rare fondness, which makes me smile lightly almost without knowing this.
It was worth it, after all.
The same day, 17:31
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
The holotome beeped quietly, attracting the whole team's attention. Cherit squealed when the vibration tickled the tip of his tail, Lok peeked at the flashing screen without special interest, Sophie raised her sight from above the book. Dante placed the holotome so none of them would be able to see the screen, just in case. He opened the message quickly.
Hello Snow White,
I see that you took to heart my remark about sharing the missions! Such an honor that the top Huntik operative listens to my suggestions… I guess I can't say no to such a superstar, right?
Stay where you are until the morning. I'll try to find you. Zhalia
P.S. Bring you some drawers?
'Who's that?', Sophie got interested and Dante had just realized that he had been smiling to himself.
'The Foundation', he said, trying to convince himself that he wasn't sidestepping. After all, Zhalia was a Huntik operative, wasn't she? And Sophie hadn't have to bristle at the thought of meeting her rival yet. All in good time. Let her have… a surprise.
'Any good news?'
'Better than I expected', he responded evasively. In fact he didn't think that Zhalia would agree so quickly. He had been rather preparing for a longer discussion. Perhaps her anger had worn off. Or she wanted to pummel him in concert, and those thrust in the message had been just a foretaste of tantrums awaiting him. Nevermind.
'You're being very secretive', the girl remarked.
He didn't respond, just covered himself with the sleeping bag and zipped it. He accredited that he deserved some rest after the whole day of hardships. And now he could breathe a sigh of relief.
'Wake me up if something happens', he reserved and finally closed his eyes, calmer. He put the holotome and his phone nearby. Just in case.
The same day, 23:16
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
I'm starting to regret that I didn't delete that message without reading it. Or that the network didn't fail then. Or that the phone didn't fall down, crushing into pieces… Oh, nevermind, it's done and dusted. I flew to Iceland.
I've been fighting my way through the snow wasteland for almost an hour, looking out for the forest Dante described in case the GPS failed. And it did. Now I rely mostly on my instinct and few useful location spells which told me that the objective is nearby. But I somehow can't reach it, though I'm doing my best. The task is hampered due to the thick layer of fresh snow, in which I sink up to my knees. Melting my way through with Boltflare had worked for some time, but I had been losing my body heat faster, and it's necessary in the cold climate.
O-ho, I start to recognize the environment somehow. Is there a valley? There is. A forest around? You bet. And it even appears that I see smoke and the firelight. Oh, great, my boots started to get wet. I come down, paying attention not to slip.
I can put those efforts to my ass. Suddenly I hit the frozen ground with my bottom, prostrated. I roll down the rise, entwined with something big and awkward, hitting the boughs and stones hidden under the snow. I close my lids and clench my teeth, feeling every ground warping on my own skin. Finally I land on my back, crushed by quite a weigh, I hiss with pain. When I open my eyes, at first I see just a pair of blue eyes and a red woolen cap before me. Then I manage to connect them with the rest of the person and I recognize Lok, goggling at me in disbelief.
'Don't you have something your own age you can play with?!', I chide him sharply, not handling the greetings with kid gloves.
'Zhalia!', he shouts in shock. 'What're you doing here?!'
'You mean besides being attacked by pint-sized Seekers like you?', I growl, feeling that my coat is soaking up water from the melted snow. 'Dante asked me to come!'
'Oh, yeah', he considers it, uneasy. He finally gets that the position in which he's crushing me with his whole body isn't the most comfortable for me. He blushes, I don't know why, from cold or embarrassment that he was laying on a woman in a very suggestive way, probably the first time in his life? I'm not as impressed. I'm not into youngsters, and this is Lok anyway. He can't get any more asexual in my eyes.
'Here', he reaches his hand out to me, helping me stand. 'Sorry about that. We thought someone was out here. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time…', he flounders, still disconcerted.
'Yeah, I know', I interrupt that babble, brushing off the snow. 'Where's Dante? Just tell him I'm here', I insist, fixing furry hat. I'll look gorgeous for sure, wet, shabby and pissed off. Really, Dante will be struck dead seeing me.
'Zhalia!' He chooses a great moment to arrive; I've just thought about him and he's already here. His voice sounds joyful. The brats probably got on his nerves if he's so happy to see me… 'Glad to see you've made it OK.'
'Oh, you're lucky I'm good with location spells, otherwise I would've turn back a long time ago', I grunt; he could know that I wasn't flying here on my wings of admiration towards him, just that I had to put some effort into it.
'Well, it's never too late', Sophie, like an inseparable attachment to Dante's persona, speaks up. Does she really have to follow him like a shadow? I wonder if she lets him piss in peace or if she spies on him even then.
I throw her a flaunting stare. Oh, what a lovely cap. Perhaps she wore it in kindergarten too. And these tassels, really cute.
'Clever', I respond shortly and coldly. 'So, let me guess: you haven't located the temple yet?', I throw disdainfully, coming to the fire 'cause I have a feeling that they won't think about inviting me there.
'Good guess', Dante admits, following me.
'We were heading in the right direction…', Lok tries to safe their honor. 'That is, before the blizzard.'
'Trust me, it could've been a lot worse', I assure him pointedly, kneeling next to the fire. Oh, how nice, I've already thought that my nose would come off. Wouldn't be that much of a loss, it's not really my best feature. 'Better a blizzard than the Guardians.'
'The Guardians? Who are they?', the boy gets curious.
'So, you've heard of them too?', Dante murmurs, not so pleased. Apparently he wished that it was just him hearing a far-fetched rumor. Now he has to abandon that hope.
'What are you two talking about?', confused Sophie asks.
'They don't know?' Oh, I'm so sorry that the little snot doesn't have a slightest idea the first time in her life. 'Word has it there's an ancient cult called the Guardians of Thor', I explain, content that they catch my every word greedily. At last I'm the boss! 'They've been in existence for thousands of years, preserving the ways of the Norse gods.'
'Something tells me they protect temples and artifacts…', Lok guesses.
'That's not the best part, junior', I throw to him patronizingly. 'The Organization infiltrated their little group completely, so you see, by now they know that we're coming. And they're not giving in without a fight…', I add portentously, looking into the flickering flames.
'So that's good that you arrived', the boy remarks. 'The more of us, the better.'
'Since you're so happy seeing Zhalia, you'll give her your place in the tent', Sophie taunts him waspishly. 'All of us won't fit in.'
'It may not be comfortable, but we will manage somehow', Dante calms her down.
'At least it'll be warmer', Cherit admits.
'Especially if we cuddle', I add mockingly; Lok reddens. What a sweet, innocent boy. Relax, I didn't mean you in particular. I had enough of your clumsy caresses for today; my spine still aches. 'And it's not Lok who takes up the most of room.'
'Do you want to kick Dante out?', Sophie bridles.
'I meant you', I burst out.
'Me?', she chokes out in surprise.
'Not Cherit for sure. Is it only me, or did you put on weight recently? Or maybe that's just the coat which makes you look fat.' Take that for commenting on my nubile silhouette.
I observe with pleasure how the girl clenches her hands, ready to deny it in words and actions. I imagine clouds of smoke coming out from her ears.
'We won't throw anyone away', Dante placates, that born mediator. 'There'll be room enough for everyone. Come on, tomorrow we will have to get up early. By 'early' I don't mean twelve o'clock, just the dawn', he warns mainly Lok, heading to the tent.
'And just a year ago I had normal holidays…', the boy begins the stream of complaints, following the leader.
Lucky you. Some people can't even dream of such a luxury.
26th July 2009, Friday, 0:17
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
My first night with Dante.
Sounds exciting? Not quite. The presence of the kids and the Titan effectively prevents me from any spicy moves. Additionally, I'm separated from Dante by the other two Seekers. Even if I wanted, I wouldn't break through that thick wall, created mainly due to Sophie's drive. She'll do anything to keep me away from Vale. Even if it means abiding Lok's wriggling and snoring.
I observe Dante above the sleeping girl's arm. His back is turned to me. In fact, he takes up the most room. Such a big lad. And he's got such hunk shoulders. Possibly he pumps iron to keep in shape in await for new missions. I can't say – I fancy muscular guys. It's pleasant to know that I won't be pawed by some slobbish, dowdy sleazoid. If he just shove that beard of his…
'Zhalia...? Are you asleep…?'
I twitch lightly, hearing his lowered, yet still deep voice, cutting into my thoughts.
'No', I respond in a whisper. 'Lok snores like a boar. The blizzard is a snap compared to him.'
'Maybe someday he'll go through it', he voices his hope. 'Over time, a Seeker learns how to control his body even during sleep.'
'Yeah, I know.' I remark that I'm a Seeker too… He could remember that once and for all and stop talking with me as if I was a newbie. 'You wanted something or just sought a comrade in insomnia?', I ask outright.
'I wanted to thank you', he responds frankly, trying to turn to me. He realizes that Cherit, hibernated and bundled, lays on his arm; not wanting to disturb him, he gives up and I still talk with his back. 'Considering all those unpleasant things our companionship exposes you to, you didn't really have to agree…'
'Your dramatic appeal convinced me', I smile lightly. 'But I didn't bring the drawers. I don't know what is your favorite type. And size.'
'Maybe that's better', he throws in a merrier voice. 'Later you'd send this info to the Foundation colleagues and then I wouldn't get rid of the rumors about what kind of fancy underwear I have.'
'That's the celebrities' life', I mock him, but this remark is spoiled by my surreptitious yawn.
'I was just kidding', he assures me. 'If I really cared, I should have just gone insane.'
'Oh, come on, don't tell me you don't like some fame', I smirk lightly. It's me who lies, not is lied to. 'I won't believe you anyway if you try to convince me that you hate being on top so much.'
'Well, it surely is pleasant to be recognizable and praised', he admits hesitantly, 'but it's not that I seek it desperately, it just comes naturally, as a result of me doing what I like. I just do my stuff, that's all.'
'And that's probably what makes everyone wired', I remark, pricking my ears. 'That nothing can be pulled out of you. Everyone is excited over mysteries, not only Seekers. If you let some of your secrets slip out, you probably wouldn't have been arousing such a sensation…', I add meaningfully, trying to persuade him to confidence.
He is silent for a moment.
'Yes', he said eventually. 'Perhaps. We should probably just try to sleep now', he states in a completely different, more condescending voice. What happened that he suddenly changes the topic? Did I cross the border between a non-committal chatter and intrusive trespassing his privacy too hastily?
'Oh, of course', I murmur, angry with myself. That's all Klaus' fault, he told me to turn up the tempo. 'So… goodnight, Dante.'
'Goodnight, Zhalia', he responds, now in a more gentle tune. 'Sleep well.'
I notice Sophie's fluttering lids with the corner of my eye. So she eavesdropped, just pretending to be asleep. I realize now how it is not to stalk, but TO BE STALKED…
And actually I'm starting to feel sorry for Dante that he bumped into even more obstinate spy. I'm not done with him yet…
The same day, 10:15
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
'Watch your step', Dante warns us. 'One slip and you'll end up in a cracks.'
Tell me about it. I've trying not to twist my ankle for three hours, going through the ice shards.
'How far have we gone, anyway?', Lok asks, fixing his backpack. From all of us, he handles the marching the worst.
'Three miles, maybe more', Dante estimates, observing the map on the holotome.
'This snow has already ruined my new boots', I remark mockingly. 'Is there any reason why we're not just using powers to get around?'
'Dante told us to conserve our powers', Sophie says calmly.
Alright, it explains everything. The master says, the minions do. I roll my eyes and at that moment I notice that the sky has gone darker. Those clouds gather so suddenly, pouring snow like sugar powder… I'm not the only one to note that.
'Exactly what spell are you using, anyway?', Sophie investigates.
If something bad happens, does it always have to be my fault?!
'This isn't me', I respond, still looking at the sky. Then I lower my eyes to my boots, and not because they're in a deplorable condition. It's just that the earth is shaking under my feet…
'Then, what's going on?!', the girl panics, sensing the repeating pulsation of the ground.
'Something's coming!', Dante guesses. 'Stay on your guard, be ready for anything!'
Does 'anything' have to be ten meters tall characterized by huge size and emerge from the snow storm disturbingly?!
'Does that count?!', Lok asks, paralyzed.
'A frost giant!', Sophie recognizes. 'I read about them last night! It must've been summoned by the Guardians!'
'I was afraid of this…', Dante strikes the holotome keys fast. 'It's the Titan Ymir! He can create an army of ice creatures to fight by his side!'
And those are the attractions you wrote me about?!
'What's the plan?', Lok insists, trying to calm down.
'I'll hit him with the frontal attack', of course, Superman, 'everyone else, spread out here, here and here', he points out three places on the holotome map. 'See if you can distract him. Lok, follow his footprints back where he came from, over here', he shows him the place hidden behind a hill.
'Oh man…', Lambert isn't so happy about getting such a responsible task, but there's no time to protest, 'cause the colossus is right ahead. 'That does not look friendly!'
'There's a reason for that – he isn't!', I throw furiously; isn't that freaking clear, Captain Obvious!?
'Get moving!', Dante rushes us, them aims at Ymir to buy us some time. 'Touchram!'
The spell hits Ymir's face, but it doesn't give any effect apart from enraging him.
'It didn't work!', Lok remarks brilliantly, 'he's too strong!'
'Can be!', Dante's apparently surprised by the failure. 'Everyone, run!'
We don't have to be told twice. I don't have a fancy to know the ice giant better, even if I said that I like bruisers…
'Lok, quickly!', Dante shouts, seeing that Lambert falls behind. 'Come on!', he stops; I don't know what it would do if the Titan finishes them both off, but probably he thinks that dying in company would cheer Lok up!
'Hyperstride!', Lok tries to use powers to help himself escape, but with his abilities it won't do much.
'Bristlebind!'
It's obvious who saves the day. Dante's spell makes some spiky tentacles come out from the frozen ground and entwine the Titan's thick legs. Lok with a wave of snow lands few meters away, near Vale, when the giant reels and falls down with a roar.
'Hurry, this way!' Dante senses the opportunity and leads us the way from where the giant came. He's already running there.
'What are you doing?!', I burst out feverishly, following him only because I don't want to stay alone with the enraged Titan. 'What if there're more like him?!', 'you thoughtless idiot!', I add only in mind to relieve myself.
'We'll take the chance!', he shouts back. 'We need to follow his tracks back to the temple before the snow buries them!'
Doesn't he really have any self-preservation instinct?! Does he always have to stick his neck out just to not ruin his reputation?! I know that you have to do your best if you can, but do you really have to risk your life in the face of an obvious danger?! He is really adrenaline-hungry, this madman! He should be restrained in a straitjacket rather than roam free and be famed as a Huntik pride…
'Hurry!', Sophie rushes us, seeing the Titan getting up.
As if we weren't throwing our lungs out from effort!
Suddenly we all fall down like skittles, wiped away from the track with a gust of freezing wind. It turns out to be Ymir's puff. I recall a certain chewing gum ad in which a dude freezes the whole bus with his breath… Now I know where the creators got inspiration from.
Eh, nevermind. That's not the best time for such comparisons. From the clouds of freezing steam around us, a bunch of angular ice creatures arise, waving their curved claws rapaciously. That's rather not a cheerful greeting…
'O-oh…', Lok utters. 'This does not look good…'
'Stay calm…', Dante warns us, observing the ugly mugs.
What, are you planning to befriend them?! Try if you want, but I'm not gonna reach my hands out to the monsters which are looking forward to gouge my eyes out… I appreciate having my limbs in one piece and stuff!
'OK, get ready', Dante finally realizes that there's only a fight left for us. Bravo, Sherlock. 'Come out, Caliban!'
'Emerge, Sabriel!'
'Now, Freelancer!'
'Gareon! Kilthane, quickly!'
The Titans come at the creatures, crushing them into pieces. Alright, that looks a bit better now! Not for long, though. After all, there's only a sprinkling of us, and them… a horde. They overwhelm our support like voracious locust.
'We need to hit them harder!', I judge when the monster flattened Kilthane down.
'I brought a Titan especially for this mission', Dante announces, uncovering an amulet strapped to his belt: spherical, gray and yellowish, resembling a porous, spotted stone with a blue shard of mica in the center. 'And the time to use it is now! Melt them, Ignatius!'
The piles of snow part when a silhouette of the Titan made of boiling magma emerges among them; the white fluff becomes just a puddle around thick paws. The burning golem spits a stream of lava to the creatures. They turn into a pond immediately. Ymir apparently doesn't like it; he comes to us in heavy steps.
'Lok, Sophie, trace its tracks back to the temple!', Dante commands, seeing the danger approaching us. 'We'll stay here and hold the line!'
'Got it!', Lok accepts and they both run away, sending the crusts of ice flying.
'Gareon, slow it down!', I order; if SOMEONE decided what I have to do instead of me, I have to keep my position.
'Raypulse!', Dante joins me.
Both those efforts go to waste; Ymir passes us by as if we were just importunate bugs not worth mashing.
'He doesn't care about us!', I point it to Dante. 'He's trying to keep the secret of the temple safe…', I finish more quietly, not having an audience anymore.
That idiot's just getting right under the Titan's feet! Ymir will crush him in no time! Dante shouts something and sticks to the giant's paw. Did he use Spidertouch?! But what for?! He suddenly had a fancy to ride a deadly Titan?! Is he already going through the midlife crisis that he seeks extreme vibes?!
Ymir still follows the kids, and just one of his steps is equal to few of their desperate leaps. I try to catch up with them, but I fall behind nevertheless. Even from such a distance I notice the danger, though – the brats are running right into the abyss! Luckily they stop on time, but now they're between wind and water. For a moment they just stand and do nothing. Are they nuts?! They are waiting for Ymir to cast them off himself or what?!
Suddenly they both raise their hands to attack.
'No!', I yell, but the roar of wind drowns my voice. 'Dante's up there!', I shout myself hoarse, in vain.
Ymir, hit right between his eyes, falters on the edge of the bluff. I raise my hand, I'll try to keep him up somehow, nevermind that he'll most likely seek revenge on us, I just can't let it happen that this imbecile, this stupid show-off, this hopeless lunatic gets crushed into a bloody pulp few hundreds of meters down…
Too late. Ymir's weigh tips and the colossus falls into the void… taking Dante with him.
My body gives up; I freeze in one place like Lot's wife turned into a statue made of salt. I'm equally white, stiff and speechless. I cannot believe what I've just seen. It just cannot be happening… I google my eyes just to take in the whole scene, to notice a simple detail that could prove my perception wrong… Just a tiny inconsistency that would prove that I am only having a terrible nightmare… All I see is the kids looking down the abyss in terror, with horrendous truth written clearly on their horror-struck faces.
I can feel my blood suddenly pumping up and making my whole body awfully hot and sweaty despite the overall cold. It flushes through my whole body, ringing in my temples to the drumming of my heart.
No. No, no, no! It can't end up like this! Not now when I almost got him! I've been so close to get him to talking! He just cannot do that to me!
I finally win over the terrible numbness and run like crazy, wondering if I should at first watch his smashed corpse, choke the brats for their stupidity or prepare for the Professor's punishment when…
'What did I ever do to you guys…?', a dragged moan rings and something brownish emerges above the edge of the precipice.
'Dante! You OK!', Lok burst out with relief.
'Was there ever any doubt?', he murmurs mockingly, fixing his outfit.
I stop, panting hard. I rush like that, despite feeling like a holey hydrant thanks to my period, only to let him laugh the whole event off?! I stare at him in disbelief. He's there, a bit shabby and scratched here and there, bruised from the fall, but alive. He even seems surprised we made such a fuss over the whole incident…
My body suddenly falls weak again, as if somebody tripped me over; I hunch to my knees, trying to catch my breath. That's definitely not the best time for such efforts…
'Gareon, shoot him, 'cause I don't have enough strength', I ask the Titan, panting hard.
Gareon willingly prepares for fulfilling my order. KABOOOM! Wow, he really gave it his best shot. However, it turns out that it's not my little pet's merit. Even him curls from fear and doesn't try to play a dangerous monster, seeing rocks falling apart in the distance. I soothingly smooth his head and let him come back to the amulet. I watch alone how the ice crushes, revealing…
'The temple of Thor!', Lok says in awe.
'It's so… beautiful!', Sophie joins the whole oh-and-ah stuff.
'Well, now that we all agree how breathtaking it is…' I cut in, approaching the rest with more dignity, just to protect my reputation after running to Dante's rescue like a loony, 'does anyone have any idea how to, you know, get there?', I ironize.
'No problem, I'll fly over there with Kipperin', Lok responds.
'Wait a minute, I've read something…', Sophie interrupts. 'Something about a bridge!'
'Hold on, what about a bridge?', Dante investigates.
'I read that it connects the world of mortals to the realm of gods!', she explains patiently.
'It's a rainbow, right?', Lok guesses; well, well, so he does have some brains. 'They usually happen during a sunshower!'
'Right!', Sophie admits. 'A rainbow is formed when the sun hits droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere! If we can only project the right conditions somehow…'
'Hey, guys, I have an idea!', Lok bursts in. 'Dante, can you bring out Ignatius?'
'It should be interesting. Let's see what you've got in mind', Vale smiles, fulfilling the request.
At the same time, Lok summons Kipperin. The Titan hangs above him, ready to entangle him with its tentacles.
'Hold on', Lok stops it. 'Let's switch it up', he points at Ignatius. 'Ready?'
The Titan nods (interesting that it mimics human gestures…), then it entwines its limbs around the burning comrade.
'And they're off!', Lok commands.
We observe how Kipperin lifts Ignatius up to the sky when the other one spits out a stream of lava. After a moment, I feel the effect on my own skin – it's raining heavily. Oh, brilliant. The ruined boots aren't enough, now even my cap would look as if pulled from a dog's throat.
'Zhalia, if you'd be so kind', Dante turns to me.
Yeah, yeah. At your service…
'There's nothing my Strix can't put a hole in', I respond with as much pride as my wet, flat and sticky strands let me keep. And it concern also your empty skull, remember. 'Strix!'
The monstrous hornets get rid of the thick cloud layer in a blink; after their action, the sky resembles a sieve; sunbeams shine through its meshes. In such a light, it's clearly visible that my foundation got smeared due to all the water around… Great.
'Oh, I think it's working!', Cherit beams, seeing that the colors are starting to dance above the abyss; red, yellow, green, dark blue and purple lay next to each other in stripes, reaching to the temple.
'Wow!', Sophie whispers.
'That was incredible!', Lok joins in.
'Not too bad…', I state with acknowledgement. Who would have thought that the dimwit had gotten us out of troubles.
'The rainbow bridge! It's really there!', Cherit squeals in excitement. Maybe because he won't step on it.
'Alright, there's only one thing to do now', Dante cuts the raptures. 'Let's go!'
'Alright, temple of Thor, here we come!', Lok gets enthusiastic.
I'm more skeptical. You know, any sane man doesn't beam at the thought of crossing the abyss and standing on something which seems completely immaterial… But am I surrounded by normal people? I don't think so if they all willingly barge onto the bridge. Dante makes the first step without hesitation, then second, third… He doesn't fall down. Alright, now you convinced me. I'm going – and I hope that it doesn't work like Joan of Arc's crystal trap, otherwise we will all plummet, and I don't want to be surrounded by those fools even after death!
Ouch! Something hit the back of my head! I turn around, annoyed of such a child's play; I'd accuse Sophie for that if she wasn't walking in front of me, admiring the views spreading from the bridge. It leaves me clueless.
'What was that?...', I wonder quietly, fixing my tilted cap, and I get an answer at once; a big, clumsy bird dives right at my face. 'Dante!', I shout warningly, dodging the ice claws and… an axe which cuts the creature in half and gets truck in the glacier before us.
'Now that's what I call… cutting in close.'
We turn around, alarmed by the bird as well as by an unknown, deep bass. On the bridge with his legs spread stands… a colossus. No, luckily not Ymir, he's not pulled himself together yet. However, the stranger, as far as human measurements are concerned, can be considered a giant. He's approximately two meters tall; in addition, his posture resembles a well-fed grizzly bear, he is also comparably shaggy. A luxuriant, dark beard covers half of his face with a prominent dwarf-like nose, the other half is shaded by bushy eyebrows. Thick, brown hair whirl on his head wildly. The image is filled up by a ring in his ear and the second axe negligently leaning on his shoulder. For a moment I have a feeling that Thor himself came to greet us in his estates… until I realize that centuries ago people dressed in furs, not in waterproof coats.
'Montehue', Dante speaks up, a slight twitch crossing his face. 'What a surprise…'
Why do I have a hunch that he is not all smiles about this meeting?...
