AN: Sorry it took so long! My internet broke. I am considering buying a new one, but all the problems seem to be coming from outside my house...
The Seeker Within
Chapter 24- Two Powers Become One Part 3
As Loki raced through the tunnels, she had no idea that Dante was doing the same. Using Hyperstride to keep his momentum turning corners, the russet-haired Seeker was just about managing to keep ahead of the wolf chasing him. Flipping round one bend, he saw the home stretch ahead of him- at the end of the corridor was a thick, wooden door, with Will and Zhalia waiting to slam it shut behind him. Drawing on the last of his considerable strength, he pushed himself a little faster.
Jade and mocha eyes watched with fear. "Come on, Dante!" Will cried, seeing Fenris turn the corner behind his mentor. Lowering his voice, he looked at the Seeker next to him. "He's getting tired, I don't think he can use anymore powers!"
Nodding, Zhalia looked away. "I should be able to help...but I can't!" Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and behind closed lids, her eyes were filled with tortured anguish. Did those years of training mean nothing? Would she have to stand here, after all the promises she had made to stop things like this happening again, and watch her friend die? Her heart clenched at the thought of him dying at all, and it wept at the thought of him dying like this.
Surprising not only the blue-haired woman beside him, but himself too, Will looked away, down the corridor at Dante. "It's not your fault, Zhalia. There's nothing any of us can do- it's up to Dante now." In his mind, he scrabbled for someway to blame her- because everything was Zhalia's fault- but at last he realised the truth in his own words.
Meanwhile, during this heart-felt conversation, Dante was still running for his life, with Fenris gaining every step of the way. When the racing pair were just within a few meters of the door, the wolf reached forwards with a long, wet tounge, catching his prey on the shoulder, and sending him sprawling, slipping on the trail of drool that was soaking his trenchcoat, ending up on his back, face to muzzle with the titan.
Hearing his teammates screaming his name, a fire burned in the amber eyes of the mortal. "Nimblefire!" The auburn yelled, glowing the fiery orange of the sunset. He kicked Fenris just as the wolf went for him, shutting his jaws on empty space with a sickening 'crack', and going flying backwards through the open door. Zhalia sighed with relief, then froze as a mighty roar rumbled down the corridor.
"Quick, close the door!" Tersly squeaked from where he was cowering in the corner. With wide eyes, Will and Zhalia pushed against the thick wooden door, heaving desperately as Fenris recovered from his kick to the face, and began charging down the passageway. Just as he reached it, the Huntik team managed to close it, and Tersly darted forwards to slide the bolt home.
Taking sevral deep breath, bent over with his hands on his knees, Dante was feeling very blessed. Straightening up, he looked at the door, and shook his head. "That won't hold for long."
"Hold what?" Spining around, the team prepared to fight, and were instead met with a pair of cyan eyes, and a relieved smile. Loki padded forwards, looking from face to face, searching for injuries.
After what was now becoming the customary thank-goodness-you're-not-dead hugs, it finally registered with Dante that the girl was alone. "Is Montehue...dead?" With a laugh, the blonde shook her head.
"No, I just ran faster than him, s'all. He'll be here in a minute." Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and the beefy man turned the corner, a smirk on his face.
"Worried, Vale?" He boomed, waking the little titan on his shoulder. Cherit flew from Montehue's shoulder to Loki's, smiling broadly. Dante shook his head, glad his old friend was safe.
The little titan perched on Loki's shoulder gave her a stern look. "You gave us quite a scare, running off like that, lass. Didn't we agree to stick together?" Blushing, the teen bowed her head.
"I thought they were in trouble." She explained, gesturing the rest of the team. She stopped, a puzzle-solving glint in her azure eyes as she noticed the anxious looks Zhalia was giving Dante- looks that she had seen Dante give Zhalia in the past. She smiled in her mind, wondering if she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. Tersly nodded, eyes round, and subconsciously moving closer to Montehue.
"You're right- it's just outside the door!" Everyone looked at the wooden barrier between them and almost-certain death. It banged, shocking the two Irish, and a volley of snarls and growls started up as the trapped beast smelt more prey arriving.
Looking between her teammates with wide eyes, Loki looked at the carvings surrounding the door. A wolf. Feeling that she didn't even need to ask, she sighed. "What is it?"
Tersly fiddled with his collar nervously. "In the legends of the Norse gods, there is a tale of a mighty dog, whose strength was unmatched the world over."
The blonde nodded, her guess proven right. "The dog is Fenris, one of the sons of Loki and the giant Angrboða. He was so powerful, that he managed to bite off one of the god Týr's hands."
Will bowed his head, thinking about something he had read in one of his books the night before. "Didn't Thor tie him up with a magic rope?"
Loki smiled, her eyes lighting up. "Well, Thor didn't, but the Æsir did!"
Tersly nodded, his panic making him babble. "He broke the thickest bindings they could make, so they got the dwarves to make a magic rope that couldn't be broken to bind him. They made Gleipnir out of six impossible things- the sound of a cat's footfall, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish, and the spit of a bird. Fenris got suspicious because it was a silken rope, and refused to be bound unless one of the gods put their hand in his mouth. Týr agreed, and when the gods wouldn't unbind him, he bit of Týr's hand. He was said to have been bound till the end of the world, Ragnarök, when he'd break free, and kill Odin, then get killed by Odin's son, Víðarr."
Everyone had been tuning out Tersly's nervous spouting, and instead focusing on the door, which was now shaking on its hinges, except Loki, who was listening politely to stuff she already knew. Suddenly, she smiled, an idea forming in her mind. "That's it! We need Gleipnir!"
Dante nodded, having been around long enough to know that all the myths were true. "Our survival depends on finding it." The door was beginning to splinter at the bottom from the force of the strikes against it.
Montehue beamed, a smug smile on his face. "No need to fear. If anyone'll find it, Tersly and I will, and I'd wager faster than you." He slapped his assistant on the back with pride, nearly pushing the smaller man over. Dante didn't smile, thinking that survival was too serious for competition.
"We'll see." He said quietly, golden eyes grave, and the pair sped off down the corridor, leaving the Huntik team to it.
Will immediately set to work on the puzzle of the rope's whereabouts, his emerald eyes dark with worry. "I suspect that Gleipnir must be in a hidden room!" His mentor nodded, lost in his own thoughts.
Loki nodded too, looking at the crumbling door with apprehensive eyes. "If they fear Fenris, and I'm sure they do, they would keep Gleipnir close by..." She trailed off, remembering the room where she'd heard Will's shout. There had been a pillar, and there was something wrapped around it...A rope. A long, thin, silk rope! "I know where it is! Follow me!"
She pelted down the corridor, Cherit holding onto her shoulder, Dante at her side, glad that she had taken the school running class that her father had entered her in. On second thoughts, he was the one who had signed her up for karate and gymnastics too. He'd been training her all along. She smiled, glad that her dad was planning to introduce her to the magical world he was part of. Dante noticed the smile, and wondered what was causing it. "So," he asked at last, easily keeping pace with his longer legs. "What happened to you after the cave-in? It took you guys a while to find us."
Her blue eyes fixed on the path ahead, Loki hesitated for a moment, then sighed and answered. "Montehue wanted to get the hammer first, then find you guys. We ran into some Guardians, but ran into a restricted part of the temple, and they wouldn't follow us. They sent powers after us though, but we dodged. I ended up near some carvings of their gods, and one looked kinda like me, so they thought I was their god Loki, who could shapeshift into a woman, and they started worshiping me. Then they got mad 'cause they remembered that Loki killed one of the other gods, so now they hate me instead. All in all, a rather normal day in the life of a Seeker." Dante raised his eyebrows, a rueful grin on his face.
"Only you, Loki, only you."
Meanwhile, Montehue and Tersly were following the directions of an old journal the ginger had brought with him. As the smaller man read out loud, the hefty Seeker beside him ran his hands over the walls, searching for a secret passage. "We should be getting clo-" Tersly broke off as another voice rang down the corridor.
"I may have underestimated you once, but I'll not make that mistake again." It was Baldy again, an army of Guardians at his back. He gave a nasty smile, eyes searching for something that wasn't there. He waved a hand, and a few of the Guardians at the back of the group split off, and left, purpose in their steps. "And now," The hairless man went on. "There's no one here to help you."
Montehue crossed his arms, steel-grey eyes hard and cold. "What makes you think I need help?" Tersly, backing away, gave a little gasp of fright. There was another army of Guardians at the other end of the corridor! "You're the one who'll need an army to get the better of me." The bigger man rumbled, having not noticed the reinforcements. With a shaking hand, his assistant shook his employer's shoulder, and pointed down the passage. The grey-haired man nodded, and turned back to the bald man, who was grinning.
"Fortunatly, I happened to bring one! Get them!" He pointed at the Huntik pair, and the Guardian's advanced, their hands glowing the icy blue of Thundercut. Montehue watched them come, pulling his axes from his belt.
A few corridors away, the rest of the team reached the weapon room where Loki had first seen Gleipnir. Gasping, the group gathered around the stone pillar. Unnecessarily, the blonde pointed to the silken, thread-like rope that was wound around the base. "There." She panted, hair flopping into her eyes in a way that made Will's fingers itch to tuck it behind her ear.
In order to quell this sudden desire, the Casterwill stepped forwards to place a hand before the rope. A pink bubble swelled from it, pulsing with magic. "I'm sensing a strong magical aura." Will said, his eyes closed to see what was not there. "This is definitely the rope Gleipnir!"
Quickly, Zhalia knelt to undo the knot tying it down, but the harder she pulled, the tighter it became. Loki sighed, looking at the knot with a strange mix of acceptance and laughter. "I should have seen this coming." She said after a moment. "That's how it trapped Fenris the first time. The harder he pulled against it, the tighter it got. It's not going to give this way." Cherit flew to sit atop the pillar, gazing down on his human companions worriedly.
A thunderous bang, followed by an almighty roar echoed down the corridor, and Dante's head snapped up, eyes wary. "He's broken through." He said to the shocked silence. The blue-haired Seeker knelt before the pillar turned from Gleipnir just long enough to give him a glare.
"This knot isn't going to be untied anytime soon." She snapped, tugging at the rope. Loki put her hands in her pockets, head bowed, eyes distant with thought. As her hand brushed against something tucked in her left pocket, she smiled.
"We need a master of tricks and traps." The blonde cried, pulling the purple, two-tailed amulet from her pocket. "Help us, Springer!" Black shadows streamed from the amulet, gathering around the azure-eyed girl's shoulder. When they cleared, Springer was sat there, purple eyes bright with mischief.
"You call, puzzler-lady?" He asked her across the bond, looked around the room in interest. "What puzzle do you have for me?" His Seeker pointed to Gleipnir.
"We need you to undo that knot- Fenris is coming, and this is the only thing that can bind him!" Springer nodded, understanding that however menial the task was, it was important to his Seeker, and leapt forwards. A pink flash erupted from the rope, and he squeaked, backing away.
"This thing is protected by old, old magic. It is guarded against titans like me- the Seeker must solve the riddle alone, yes, yes, alone. Have to prove their worth, else Gleipnir shall not budge, not an inch!" With one claw-like finger, he pointed to an inscription in Old Norse above Gleipnir.
Loki knelt down, eyes worried. Zhalia snorted. "That little thing's useless- he can't even undo a simple knot." Springer glared at the woman, chittering his anger, and leapt for her. The teen holding his amulet quickly grabbed him, holding him against her chest as he scrabbled to get at Zhalia.
"Can anyone here read Old Norse?" She asked, struggling with the squirrel-like titan. When everyone shook their heads, she sighed. "Springer, can you read Old Norse?" He nodded, and when the cobalt-orbed Seeker let him go, he crept cautiously up to the pillar, keeping his distance.
"Worth is only as powerful as you perceive. Choose your weapon, warrior- the sharpest sword, the quickest mind, or the smallest and biggest thing in the world. The strongest can undo Gleipnir, if you are worthy of its stren-" Pink flared from Gleipnir, striking Springer back to his amulet with a squeak. "Ooooops. Sorry, puzzler-lady. Got too close."
Loki smiled, told him it was okay, then repeated the riddle to her teammates. Zhalia immediately said the sword, and Will the mind. Dante said nothing, and instead watched the corridor anxiously. Suddenly, he walked away, stopping in front of the passage they had come from. His emerald-eyed student stopped his argument with the others, and padded after him.
When the auburn saw the brunette beside him, he sighed. "We have to make our stand here." Will held back a gasp, but nodded and stood firm.
Back with the girls, Loki was thinking about the third item that had been offered. "What's the smallest and biggest thing in the world?" She asked Zhalia suddenly, but the blue-haired woman hadn't the slightest idea. A roar echoed down the hall, much louder than before.
"Knot or not, he's almost on us!" Dante warned as another, louder howl sounded throughout the temple. A thunderous banging, rhythmic and dangerous, thudded through the floor, and the wolf-like titan skidded around the corner, hitting the wall in his haste to get at the Huntik team.
"The smallest and biggest thing," The blonde teen in front of the pillar cried. "It's love!"
The auburn ducked as the wolf jumped over him and Will in one massive bound, heading straight for the pair at the pillar. Fear gripped the russet-haired Seeker's heart as he saw the huge creature going after Loki and Zhalia- for some reason, he wasn't sure which of the women he was scared for the most... "Scatter!" He yelled, pulling his male student to his feet.
Loki, as per usual, didn't listen, instead focusing on the problem at her feet. Repeating words that Springer told her, she answered the riddle. "I choose the strongest of the three- love is my weapon, beside me till the end of days!" The knot glowed violet, pulsating and squirming, undoing itself in answer to the blonde's shout.
Feeling hot breath down her neck, the girl turned around slowly, eyes wide as she saw Fenris for the first time. His presence was intense, like a dog that is always on the hunt, forever alert. His bluey-black eyes meeting the cyan ones of the mortal before him, the wolf stopped snarling, sniffing the girl curiously. She tilted her head back, away from the rotten-meat smell of the wolf's jaws. The team held their breath, hearts in mouths.
"Loki!" Dante hissed, creeping closer. "Throw me the rope." His sharp ears hearing the golden-eyed Seeker's whisper, Fenris span around, the spell broken. He growled furiously, keeping the blonde behind him, more like a wolf than ever. Nodding to his teammates, Dante threw a Touchram at the titan, with Zhalia and Will following it with Raypulses. The wolf sat up on his back legs, swiping at his blinded eyes. After a confused moment, where the three members of the Huntik team attacking the titan yelled for Loki to run, and where she yelled something back that was lost in the pained howling of the wolf, Fenris closed his eyes, relying on his superior smell and hearing to find the Seekers.
He swiped at Dante, who used Hyperstride to jump away, and the wolf followed him, his great head swinging round after the fast moving auburn. In the process, his massive tail struck the blonde trapped behind him, sending her flying. She landed awkwardly, rolling to a stop near the wall, holding her head dizzily. With a terrible howl, Fenris leapt after her, ignoring Dante, and stood over her, swiping at any and all who came near.
Suddenly, a yell came from the pillar. With Fenris gone, crouching in front of Loki by the wall, Will had darted forwards to grab Gleipnir. He threw it to Dante, one end still tied to the marble post. The older man caught it deftly, then looped it around the wolf's head.
"I'm sending you to the pound," The amber-orbed Seeker told the snarling titan. "On a leash!" Cherit flew from where he had been hiding in the hallowed ceiling, flitting above the wolf, crying. "Catch me! Catch me!" Fenris reared up, trying to grab the small titan with his hand-like paws, leaving the rest of him exposed.
Soon, the wolf had been hog-tied, his mouth clamped shut, and his entire being pulled away from the still dizzy Loki. With Dante on one side, and Will and Zhalia on the other, they began to pull the rope tight. As they did, Fenris began to writhe, glowing a deep amethyst. Whimpers escaped past his clenched teeth, and tears sprung to his eyes.
All at once, a sharp voice rang out behind them. "STOP!"
It was Loki, glowing faintly blue, her outline flickering with mist. "Stop. Now. Look at yourselves!" She marched forwards, anger blazing like fire in her eyes. "If you hurt this titan, you are no better than the Organization!" In the stunned silence that followed, she knelt beside the wolf, gently stroking its muzzle.
Zhalia was the first to recover, giving an exasperated sigh. "It attacked us. We fought back. What's so wrong about that? Eat or be eaten, girl." The azure eyes of the blonde snapped to glare at the blue-haired Seeker.
"No." She whispered, looking at the floor, then louder, standing up. "No!" She walked over to the pillar, crouching down to look at the riddle again. "I understand now- Gleipnir is about worth, and the strength of love. The riddle isn't just about gaining power, it's also a lesson about how you use it. And this," The cobalt-orbed teen gestured angrily to the bound Fenris. "This is wrong!"
Cherit flew down to sit on her shoulder. "I have to agree- it pains me to see a fellow titan treated like this. I thought you were better than this, Dante."
Loki got to her feet, trembling both with cold and with anger. "So did I." She spat, before running out of the room.
Dante bowed his head, shame flushing his cheekbones a dark umber against his tanned skin. "Will, go after her." The Casterwill nodded, then started down the corridor after the blonde.
With a shock, the russet-haired Seeker realized that this misuse of power had struck home with Loki because of the way she was scared of the violent and merciless nature of her own powers. To her, seeing Fenris tied up with a rope he couldn't break no matter how hard he tried must have been like seeing her nightmare about the Catacombs all over again. Sighing, he knelt beside the titan, who froze, staring at the human before him with wide eyes, and began to untie Gleipnir.
Zhalia rolled her eyes. "Not you too, Dante! This is crazy!" And yet, she too began to release the wolf. When the last knot was undone, the titan stood up, backing away from the two Seekers. The auburn held up his hands, showing he wasn't going to hurt the wolf and Zhalia, after a muttered rant about idiots with consciences, did the same. Fenris approached carefully, much like a puppy that had been kicked or yelled at.
Just then, Loki and Will arrived back, the former with tears in her sky-blue eyes. Seeing the wolf freed, she smiled at the two older Seekers, a small, hesitant smile that said that she was sorry for what she had done too. When she passed by Dante to reached Fenris, she slipped her hand into his, and squeezed. He squeezed back, letting her know she was forgiven.
"Now, Fenris." The blonde had turned to the matter at hand. "Do you know where Mjollnir is?" Zhalia rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut, having seen many things that day that had changed her perspective of the world. To no one's surprise, the wolf nodded. "Can you take us there?" Another nod, and the wolf became a dog, scampering along before turning back to make sure they were following, eyes shining and tail wagging.
He led them to the chamber of the stone snake, and sat down before the sculpture, scratching it and whining. Loki raced over to him, laughing, and patted his side, not tall enough to reach his head. "Good boy!" She said, looking at the snake with curious eyes. "The snake is a lock, so maybe it has to take a certain shape..."Fenris barked happily, the noise just as loud as before, then stopped, growling at the corridor Dante and the others had come through the first time they'd come to the stone snake's room.
Feeling a smile tug at the corners of his lips, Dante crooked his finger for Fenris, and the wolf bounded over, sitting guard at the door. To the wolf' great surprise, the two humans that burst through were welcomed with smiles and laughter. "Dante!" Montehue boomed, Tersly looking nervously at Fenris. "I see you haven't met your doom!"
The russet-haired Seeker shook his head. "No. In fact, our doom has become a very good watch dog." Fenris gave a joyous bark, glad to have been mentioned. "I see you've not met your doom either!"
The grey-haired man's smile slipped for a second, but soon slotted itself back into place. "Well," He pointed over his shoulder. "It might be right around the corner!"
Behind him, streaming down the corridor in their thousands, was the army of Guardians. Zhalia gave a rather Fenris-like growl, her patience having worn out ages ago when dealing with Tersly's sniveling. "Leading that mob here was a good idea, why?" She snapped, stepping forwards to stand beside Dante.
The golden-eyed man brought up his hands, preparing to cast a spell. "Loki, Will, get that door open. Everyone else, keep them trapped in the hall! Touchram!" The vivid green energy blasted from his hands, knocking over the first wave of many. Zhalia was quick to follow, summoning Gareon to help her before sending a stream of Raypulses to blind the Guardians. When Fenris went to go into the hallway, the amber-orbed Seeker shook his head, and the wolf backed off.
Montehue ran to the side of the door, pushing over one of the massive blocks that stood there to block the door. "This won't hold them for long, even though they're only as strong as a litter of kittens!" He rumbled, throwing his weight against the pillar, trying to push it closer to the door. Dante nodded, pulling a blue, three-pronged amulet from his pockets.
"Give him a hand, Caliban!" The Aztec appeared at once, rushing forwards to help his mortal companion block the door.
At the back of the hall, Loki, Will and Tersly were fiddling with the snake. Or rather, Loki was fiddling, and Will and Tersly were suggesting important shapes in Norse mythology that it might have to take. Suddenly, the snake moved on its own. "Something's happening!" The blonde warned her two helpers, and they stopped talking for a moment before going back to Tersly's journal.
Dante looked back briefly. "They're going to break through any minute!" The sapphire-orbed girl nodded, hair flopping into her eyes.
"We're trying!" She turned back to the puzzle, her eyes alight as the snake moved to reveal its tail. "Look!" The blonde called to Cherit, and he flew over from where he'd been sitting by Fenris, talking to his fellow titan in animated tones. "Look at the head and tail of the snake!" She pointed to the puzzle, showing the titan the way they seemed to fit together.
Cherit nodded. "It looks like a lock! Now you're think like a Seeker!" The little titan flew forwards to click the pieces together, and frowned when nothing happened.
Loki sighed, glaring at the serpent. "There's got to be something else!" Will ran over, conscious that they were running out of time.
"Isn't there something like this in Norse mythology?" Tersly nodded, flicking through his book, and finding the page with a cry of triumph.
"It's the snake, Ouroboros!" The blue-eyed girl standing by the statue burst out laughing.
"The snake wasn't called Ouroboros, it was an ouroboros. It's Norse for he who eats himself. It means that the snake has to bite its tail, and we already knew that!" She paused, giving the snake a shrewd look. "But, you're right! There is something like this in Norse mythology. It's the Migard Serpent, the snake that stretched around the edge of the world, another of the sons of Loki and Angrboða. It's Jörmungandr!" She reached up to the snake, and swiftly began untying the knot that was the tail. "He was a perfect circle with no end or beginning because he was biting his own tail. I just have to untangle the tail, and its open!"
A trio of Guardians thought to try their luck climbing over the block, but were met with a swiftly invoked Solwing, who swooped down, grabbed their hoods, and flung them back into the hallway. They got back up, and with the rest of their brethren, began to Thundercut the block of stone, sending chips flying here and there. Montehue gritted his teeth, but kept pushing the stone pillar.
Dante bit his lip, looking anxiously between the door and the Guardians. "Once they break through, there'll be too many of them. We'll have to abandon this room!" Zhalia frowned, her eyes narrowing.
"That means abandoning the mission."
Behind the stone blockade, a cry could be heard. It was the bald man, again. "Protect the hammer of Thor, Guardians! Touchram!" A blast of green destroyed what was left of the stone block, sending Montehue flying, and Caliban and Solwing back to their amulets. Dante winced as he glowed first blue, then turquoise as they returned to him.
Montehue got to his feet, facing the oncoming Guardians with his axes in his hands. "Let them come!" He boomed gruffly.
Behind them all, Loki's hands were a blur as she turned, pulled and tugged at the snake, teasing the tail back into a smooth curve. Just as the block exploded, she finished. The serpent now made a circle around the edge of its container. The tail and the head fitting together to make the final piece, the edges of the door billowed smoke, then swung open. "We did it!" The blonde crowed, looking back over her shoulder at her teammates. "Come on, now's our chance!" The trio of young Seekers waved to their teammates before dashing through, Zhalia soon following, recalling Gareon as she did so. After a moment's thought, the azure-eyed Seeker that had opened the door turned back, stuck her head out, and whistled for the wolf that was still standing guard outside. Fenris immediately bounded over, just about managing to squeeze through the door.
"Montehue!" Dante called to the beefy man, who was still facing the oncoming horde. He turned and, seeing the door, followed the younger Seeker through. Cherit watched them all go, and once everyone was through, he flew to the snake, twisting it back into a knot. With a hmm of satisfaction, he flew through the door just before it closed, leaving the Guardians to hammer at it in vain with their fists.
Behind the slab of stone, the team were staring in awe at the scene before them. A huge pillar of natural rock rose in the center, surrounded by floating disks of the same stone, like stairs. The most amazing thing, apart from the two-handed golden hammer that hovered atop the pillar, was the lightening that arched from the hammer to the various platforms, bouncing around them, filling the air with the sounds of sizzling and crackling, and the smell of ozone. Fenris took one look at the hammer, and backed away. The weapon obviously held bad memories for the titan.
"There she is." Montehue rumbled, his eyes fixed on the prize. He gave the amber-eyed Seeker next to him a grin. "May the best man win!" Dante nodded, and the pair set off, neck and neck at first, with the smaller man pulling ahead bit by bit.
"A test of worthiness from Thor himself." The auburn called down to the others, the three youngest looking on with open mouths and wide eyes.
"Unreal!" Loki murmured, thinking about the way that she had often daydreamed of things like this. Will nodded, a look of wonder on his usually sulky face.
"I bet Dante will get there first." He whispered to the blonde, seeing the way that their mentor was climbing steadily higher than his opponent. It seemed like the Casterwill was right as the russet-haired Seeker made the leap to the last platform before the hammer, when a hand grabbed his ankle, making him miss, and grab the platform below instead.
Will frowned, his sulky face back. "He cheated." The brunette muttered rebelliously. Zhalia glared at him, her coffee-coloured eyes cold.
"He's just doing what he has to do to get the prize." She explained, as Dante made landed back on solid ground. Montehue looked down on them all from his place on the pillar, before picking up the hammer and lifting it above his head. Lightening gathered around the weapon, crackling and dancing along its length. The pillar began to sink into the floor, giving Montehue a safe route down.
Loki laughed, not really caring if it was Dante or Montehue that got the prize, as long as it wasn't the Organization, though she had a feeling that Montehue needed to win this. "We did it!" She cheered, her happy mood lifting everyone else's too. "We got Mjollnir!" With a smile of his own, Dante walked up to congratulate his old friend.
"Now we just need to get out of here with it." He quipped, a smirk playing across his angular features, and the grey-eyed man beside him gave a booming laugh, knowing that that was the auburn's way of saying well done. Suddenly, the man gave a quiet groan, and Mjollnir dipped closer to the floor.
Tilting her head to one side curiously, the cobalt orbs of the blonde teen scanned Montehue for any injuries. "What's wrong?" She asked at last, not seeing any.
The older Seeker looked at the hammer in his hands, a look of surprise on his coarse features. "Suddenly, its ten times the weight it should be." Dante sighed, having expected something of the sort.
"We have to move."
A while later saw the team walking down a roughly hewn tunnel, the walls jagged and grey. Loki looked back over her shoulder at Montehue, who was walking alone behind the group, with worried eyes. "That thing looks almost as heavy as my Western Civ textbook. Can we give you a hand?" Fenris sniffed the large man curiously, still keeping his distance from Mjollnir. The wolf seemed to have taken a liking to the grey-haired Seeker, and had followed him around since Montehue had rejoined the group.
The steel-eyed man shook his head, eyes bright. "I got...the hammer first." He said, obviously under great strain. "I'll...carry it myself!" Loki sighed, rolling her eyes and muttering once again about childish men.
Dante, at the head of the group due to Montehue's burden, pointed to the light at the end of the tunnel. "There should be an exit just through this cavern ahead." As the rest of the group stopped, looking with wide eyes at what lay ahead, Dante walked forwards alone, a devilish smile tipping the corners of his lips as he saw the welcome party that waited them. It was Baldy, with a slightly smaller group of Guardians behind him. "Well, what do we have here? Looks like my luck is changing for the better."
Baldly sneered at the Huntik Seeker, hungry eyes searching the shadows behind him. Loki, who hadn't seen the Guardians because she'd been at the back of the team, pushed her way to the front and, seeing their opponents, walked up to stand at her mentor's side, a fierce glare making her eyes as cold as ice. The hairless operative, upon seeing the blonde, looked satisfied. The azure-eyed teen sighed, and whispered to the auburn next to her. "Someone obviously got the memo I'm valuable property." A smirk twisted her full lips, and she clearly wasn't going without a fight. Fenris began to growl, his dislike for the Guardians tempered after many years of captivity.
Baldy paled at the sight of the mighty wolf, then decided to kick it into gear, and pointed a quivering finger at the Huntik team. "There's no escape! The door is blocked with a ten foot slab of stone, and you can't outrun my minions with the weight of Mjollnir!" Zhalia, her coffee eyes irritated, stepped up next to the blonde, and Will followed suit, yanking Tersly with him, making a human wall of defiance. The wolf stayed with Montehue, but he was big enough to be seen even from back there.
Surprisingly, the sight of the Foundation's strongest Seekers coming up against him together didn't make the bald man flinch. It became clear why when footsteps, loud as thunder, shook the ground behind them. Turning, with a feeling of dread in their stomachs, the team saw the Frost Giant appear from where he'd been hiding. "And I believe Ymir is still angry after his last encounter with you." The Huntik team began to back away, stopping when they realized that it was only bringing them closer to the Guardians. Fenris snarled at the giant, his Norse heritage telling him that Frost Giants were enemies of his previous Seeker. Montehue, instead of being scared like any sane person, got angry.
With a crash like thunder, he dropped Mjollnir on the floor, making Loki wince at the treatment of the artefact. "We'll fight them head on! I won't give up my prize to the Organization!" He boomed, grey eyes shining. With a nod, Loki gestured for him to come over.
"You won that in competition, but friends become better friends by working together!" She said with determination.
Dante turned to look at her, surprised by the fact she was taking charge, then smiled. Loki was in her element at times like this, seeing battles as intricate puzzles that changed as you worked on them. "What did you have in mind?"
She glanced at him, then grinned, gesturing between him and Montehue. "If you're going to help, then try and work together for once, and take care of those bozos over there! I'll keep Ymir busy!" Montehue looked at her, with her blazing eyes and stern expression, and understood that it was times like this that she was best listened to.
"Teamwork again," He grumbled, then thought better of it when she glared at him. "Well, if I have to..." She nodded, and he sighed.
"Go!" Dante told her, and the blonde darted away, Hyperstriding between Ymir's legs, then using Nimblefire to dance away from his fists, as light on her feet as a butterfly is on its wings.
Cherit had to force himself to look, wincing at every time that the girl and the giant almost met. "Loki! Keep moving!" He called, and she laughed.
"I don't plan on stopping!" She yelled back, twisting to the side of another blow.
Will turned to Zhalia, his jade eyes serious. "We need our quickest titans to cover her!" He told the older woman, and she rolled her eyes, pulling out the squat, brown amulet that belonged to her wasp-like titans.
"Go, Strix." She said simply, and they flew forth with a buzzing of wings. Montehue followed her example, taking his only amulet from his pocket.
"Get out there, Tolivane!" He bellowed, and a yellow light burst from the amulet, encasing its Seeker before forming a spinning ball on the floor. The ball stopped rolling, revealing itself to be a titan. Tolivane was fat, squat, with a long, droopy face like a basset hound. Wearing ragged green clothing, he was an adorable rascal, changing between helpful and mischievious in the blink of an eye. Fenris howled, reminding the Huntik team that he was there, and that he would help.
Now that his enemies were fighting back, Baldy didn't look half as confidant. "Enough!" He shouted to his army. "Help the Frost Giant!" Still dodging Ymir's clutches, Loki gave a short laugh.
"That's something I never thought I'd hear in Thor's temple!" She jeered "Call yourself descendents of the Æsir! The giants were your enemies!" She broke of taunting the hooded men as Ymir got too close, and she felt the chill of his icy hands brush her cheek. "I need more speed." She muttered as her Nimblefire's fiery glow began to dim and flicker. "Lend me your wings, Kipperin!" In the time lost summoning her titan, Kipperin only just managed to fly out from under the massive fist of the giant.
Will saw her narrow escape, and half-turned from the battle, her name on his lips, fearing she'd been crushed. "Loki!"
High in the air, their eyes met, and the girl saluted her friend before flitting back to the titan, flying at its eyes, and keeping its attention from her teammates below. Will turned back to the fight, standing side by side with Zhalia, a thing he never thought he'd do, facing the oncoming Guardians. The cloaked figures stopped a few meters from them, wary, and the Casterwill took that time to unleash the Strix he had kept cupped in his hands. "Go!" He told it, and it zoomed off towards the Guardians, its black eyes reflecting the powers sent towards it as it easily dodged.
The bald man shot a Raypulse towards Dante, the Seeker only noticing it when Fenris took the strike for him, getting sent back to his amulet in the process. Picking up the wolf's resting place, a purple stone with two stalactites going off to the side, he sighed, thinking about how loyal the titan had been after Loki had excepted him. He turned back to the fight, a new fire in his amber eyes. Montehue had also suffered the loss of his titan, and two of the three Strix had been defeated too. All in all, the battle wasn't going well for the Huntik team, but it was about to get worse.
Above them all, Loki was still locked in her deadly dance with the giant, ghosting through the air on her titan's wings, twisting and swerving, her high cheekbones and pale skin giving her an elven look, and the wings completing her transformation into one of the delicate fae, a fairy from the tales of old. Her eyes blazed with determination, and she threw herself into her task, flitting about as if Kipperin's wings truly were hers.
Suddenly, Ymir bent to scoop a handful of grit from the floor, and threw it at the winged girl with all his strength, peppering Kipperin's wings with chunks of rock, sending him back to his amulet in a swirl of green light. With a scream, the blonde began to fall, shutting her eyes, not wanting to see the ground rush towards her. She felt a large, cold thing wrap around her, halting her impromptu nose-dive, and opened her eyes to find herself face to enormous face with Ymir. Swallowing another scream, she sent a volley of Raypulses at it, but they did nothing if make him angrier. The Frost Giant tightened his hand, and she gasped, the breath driven from her in one move. She stretched her hand as far down as it would go, trying to brush against the amulet that lay in her pocket, her sole fighter, Freelancer, but her fingers came up short.
Having to give up on solving the problem herself, she called for help. "Will! This is kinda demeining- help!" Loki didn't know why to was his name that sprang to her lips, but her azure eyes strove to find him in the crush of bodies battling against the ground. A shock of brown hair, a flash of emerald eyes, and she saw him, his jade eyes wide as he stared into her own. Will dove into the crowd, slipping around the Guardians like a snake, quickly finding Dante in the brawl. Together, they battled to where the others were fighting, forming a protective circle in the middle of a sea of blue cloaks.
They pushed against the flow, together working their way closer to the Frost Giant. When they came close enough, the giant reached for them too, and batted at them as one might swat at a fly, forcing them to back away again. "Dante!" The trapped teen shouted above the noise, her cyan eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "You and Montehue," She broke off as Ymir swung at the team again, shaking her about. "You have to work together," Another lunge, another shake, another pause. "You have to use the hammer together!"
Montehue shook his head, opening his mouth to object, but Loki got there first. "If I wasn't stuck up here, I'd slap you both for being so," She stopped, gasping as Ymir clenched his fists, annoyed that his prey was escaping, having obviously forgotten that he had something in his hand. "Childish! Just do it!"
Her auburn mentor turned to his old friend. "We have to try, at least. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on letting Loki down." Montehue nodded.
"I have become a mite fond of the lass. Alright, lets do it!" With the others watching their backs, they lifted the golden hammer from the floor, instinctively working as one, and began to spin it, lightening gathering around them like a crackling aura. Faster and faster it span, its spinners' hands mere blurs, its self a golden circle in the air. Ymir, recognizing the fierce glow, shifted on his feet, unsure whether to go for the prey, or to run from Mjollnir. In the end, the decision was made for him.
At the hammer's peak speed, both Seekers feeling it in their bones, they shared a look. "One, two, three, Dragonfist!" They cried together, the light from the hammer casting shadows across the angular face of the smaller man, and shadows into the crags of the coarse face of the other.
"Now!" Dante roared, and they released their deadly burden, sending it soaring through the air, lightening surging from it to cast light into the darkest corners of the cave. It blasted straight through Ymir's stomach, and in his death throes he dropped his prize. Loki, watching with wide eyes at the destructive force of the hammer, kept down as Mjollnir kept going. Sending waves of fire and wind to knock down the Guardians and destroy the last of the titans, it smashed through the wall to the outside world, flying off into the sky like a blazing comet.
When the fires had stopped, Loki climbed unsteadily to her feet, peering at the figure moving closer through the dust and smoke. Sliding her feet into a fighting stance she could barely hold, the teen hoped it wasn't a Guardian. In her current state, the blonde doubted she could defeat a mouse. A gust of wind swept through the newly opened wall, and the smog cleared, revealing the mysterious person to be Will. She smiled at him, then sat down, her legs trembling with exhaustion and pain. He rushed over, emerald eyes shining with relief.
"Why is it always you who gets into trouble, Loki?" He muttered, tucking that annoying strand of hair that was always in her eyes behind her ear. "Next time we go on a dangerous mission, you don't get to play bait to the monsters, alright." She nodded.
"You can gladly have that job, Will. I've had enough near death experiences in the past few weeks to last me the rest of my hopefully long life. I'm even starting to wonder if there is such thing as God, and what I've done to make him mad!" Laughing, the brunette pulled his friend to her feet, and they stood together, staring in wonder at the hole the hammer had made in the wall. An entire section was gone, leaving a nice, new exit for the Huntik team.
The azure-eyed girl gave the hole a wary look. "Power like that is best used wisely, and the wisest way to use it is never at all. I'll be glad once its tucked away in some Foundation store-room somewhere." The Casterwill beside her nodded.
"It was...something. Are you okay? Ymir shook you about quite a bit." She shook her head.
"I just feel a bit sick, and the rest is bruising. I'll be good as new in a few days." More shapes began to appear out of the mist, as Tersly, Montehue, Zhalia, and finally, Dante made their way towards the new way out.
When Dante reached his wayward students, his eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and acceptance. "I," He said at last. "Am buying you a leash." The blonde laughed, but it soon died at the look on her mentor's face.
"You can't be serious!" Before the auburn could say anymore, Zhalia gestured impatiently to the icy world beyond the temple.
"Come on! We discuss ways to train the puppy later. For now, let's just get going." The group nodded, Loki still shooting her leader anxious looks about his threat.
Though Tersly thought it would be rather hard, it was quite easy to find Mjollnir, thanks to the smoke billowing from its location. Will stayed close to Loki the whole time, slipping his hand into hers when he thought no one was looking, and giving her his turtleneck when he noticed her shivering. Smiling gratefully, she slipped it on, rolling up the sleeves till it fit.
Finding Mjollnir's landing site, the team walked down the long groove in the snow till they found the hammer lying in a deep crater at the end. Moving to form a circle around it, they all eyed it with fear and respect. The electricity that usually surrounded the golden hammer had disappeared, probably used up when Montehue and Dante had worked together to use it.
"You got to it first, Montehue. Take the hammer back to the Foundation." The grey-haired man hesitated, then shook his head, an inner battle coming to an end.
"No. This prize was won by all of us, and we only escaped with it due to Loki's quick thinking. I think you should be the one to present it to the Foundation, lass." For a moment, she just stared at him, blue eyes disbelieving, then...
"Me? But... but I thought..." She was interrupted by shrill laughter from her shoulder, as Cherit sniggered at her stunned expression.
She turned to glare at him, but that only seemed to make the little titan laugh more. "I hope you don't stutter like that at the presentation!" He managed to gasp, trying to calm down. The blonde rolled her eyes, and picked him off her shoulder, holding him in her arms instead.
"At the rate you're going, you'll fall off." Loki explained to the white creature, and he nodded his thanks, still chuckling away.
Montehue looked at the group before him, his grey eyes thoughtful, before turning to walk away, Tersly beside him. Dante watched him go, then called after him.
"Montehue!" The Seeker turned. "We couldn't have done it without you. I want you to have this." He tossed Fenris's amulet through the air, and the steel-haired man caught it with ease. "A titan bonds most easily with someone close in spirit to its original owner, and the closest to the spirit of Thor is you. Besides, the wolf's taken a shine to you." The friends shared a look, before Montehue gave a rumbling laugh, tucked the amulet into his pocket, and turned away again.
Loki smiled, watching the pair, and whispered to Will. "This is so cool! With him and Dante together, the Organization are toast!"
However, that was not to be, for Montehue stopped, looked over his shoulder, and gave his old friend a smirk. "One more thing, Dante. We worked together this once, but next time, I'll get the prize myself."
The blonde teen sighed, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. "He hasn't learned at all!" Dante just grinned, knowing it was his friend's way of saying thank you.
The teams went their separate ways, with Montehue and Tersly disappearing back the way they had come, and Dante and the others following their route back to where they'd dumped their things, taking turns to carry Mjollnir, who had gotten considerably lighter upon leaving the temple. Luckily, it hadn't snowed, and Ymir's footsteps were still there, making an easy to follow trail. Once they'd recovered the bags, with Loki slipping gratefully back into her ski jacket, Dante used the holotome to contact their pilot.
On the flight home, each member was lost in their own thoughts. Will's mind kept drifting back to Loki, the way she was always so bubbly and happy, her strong beliefs and endless faith in her friends. He also kept replaying in his head the way she'd called his name first, not Dante or Zhalia's, but his. For some reason, that made him immensely happy, and he smiled to himself the whole journey back.
Dante was thinking about Zhalia. There was something about the blue-haired woman that captivated him, drew him in, and made his world revolve around her. When she was with him, all he wanted to do was make sure she was okay, and when she was gone all he wanted to do was find her. After the last time, he'd promised himself that he'd never let himself be hurt again, but what good was that promise doing him now?
Zhalia's thoughts were of a similar nature. She wondered how long she could keep up this charade, how long she could be this frosty queen of ice, the cold woman with no heart, with Dante around? He was like the summer to her winter, her opposite and yet they worked so well together. She shook her head. Maybe it was time for a break...
Loki, her mind as hyper as her nature, skipped merrily between all three subjects. She seen the way Dante looked at Zhalia, and visa versa, but knew better than to interfere with things like that- it needed a delicate touch she didn't posses outside of puzzles. Besides, they'd come together in their own sweet time. She drew away from thoughts of Will, not knowing why, but the thought of him made her heart beat faster. The blonde pushed the thought away- it was probably nothing. To take her mind off the brunette sitting across from her, she played with Cherit, each trying to out riddle the other.
After half an hour of riddles, which eventually drew Dante, Zhalia and Will out of their shells, the pair gave up. "I can't think of anymore!" Cherit cried, racking his brains for one last puzzle.
The blonde shrugged. "I've only got the one left, and its not that good anyway. I read it in a book a while ago." Dante smirked.
"As interesting as this has been, we're going to land soon." Will laughed, and motioned for Loki to use her last one. There'd been quite a few of the puzzling rhymes, with the answers ranging from coal, to humans, to dogs.
The girl nodded, her azure eyes filled with laughter. "Alright. I am coloured red, blue, yellow and every other hue of the rainbow. I am thick and thin, tall and short, I can eat a hundred sheep in a row and still be hungry. What am I?" Shutting her eyes, the riddler leaned back in her seat, arms behind her head, a smile tipping the corners of her lips.
Cherit frowned, and folded his arms. "Well, urm...maybe...no, that's not it...oooooooh." He looked to his teammates for help, grey eyes pleading. Will took pity on the little titan, and decided to help.
"If I may," Loki nodded, eyes still shut, that secretive, knowing smile still on her face. "Is it a dragon? That riddle's from a fantasy book, if we're thinking of the same one."
The blonde's eyes snapped open, but there was no defeat within their cobalt depths. "Right book, wrong answer!" She laughed. "It's a sheepskin rug!" The team shared a laugh at the Casterwill's face as the plane came back down to Earth.
Upon their return to Dante's house, they found the door jammed by a ton of mail. "Ah, the glamorous life of a Seeker." The russet-haired house owner grinned, crouching down to scoop up the letters. "Exciting missions, extraordinary powers, and lots and lots of junk mail waiting for you when you get back."
Loki shook her head, bending down to pick up one he'd missed. "Who even sends letters anymore?" Will raised an eyebrow.
"The people who sent these, obviously." After handing their mentor the letter, the teens walked together into the sitting room, dumping their rucksacks and relaxing on the sofas, Zhalia following close behind. Dante walked into the kitchen, completely focused on the letters in his hands. The blonde shrugged.
"Want a cuppa?" The emerald-eyed boy looked confused.
"A what?" The blue-eyed girl next to him sniggered.
"A cup of tea. It's British slang. I thought you'd know that, what with the accent and all."
Will shrugged. "Whatever you say. I'd love a 'cuppa'." Loki laughed, shoved him, got Zhalia's order, and wandered into the kitchen. After living with Dante for almost a month, she knew what cups were his, what not to go near, and where to find the teabags. She also knew about the stash of amulets he had hidden inside the coffee pot- the auburn didn't like coffee, but the tin had come as a set, so he'd found another use for it.
Meanwhile, Dante had been sifting though the letters, putting junk on the shred pile, bills on the table, and keeping certain ones for himself. One plain white envelope caught his eye, and he opened it at once with an almost feverish energy.
A single line was written inside. "I'll be at the usual place." Hearing footsteps behind him, the golden-eyed Seeker quickly scrunched the paper up and tucked it inside one of his many pockets.
"You okay, Dante?" The footsteps belonged to Loki, and she sounded concerned. After plastering a fake smile on his face, he turned around.
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
AN: The end to another episode! Thank you to Janka for you're help with deciding Kona-Loki's name, and my dearest sister Key-hands is yelling at me to credit her for the people-with-beards-are-evil sketch in episode 7, so, well, there we go. That conversation between Will and Loki was an actually conversation between my sister and myself when watching the episode together. Ah, good times...