As the announcer finished his introductory speech, he flourished his arm and another crystal sparked to life, projecting the image of a large, blank stone tablet. With a casual flick of his wrist, the announcer sent a bolt of magic into the tablet which erupted to life, magically painting a picture. Six people with blank faces appeared near the top of the tablet, floating in the sky. Below them was a village like any other with no distinguishing features. The village itself was populated with what appeared to be exact clones of the six people floating above the village. No one knew what it meant, but everyone assumed that it was somehow related to the first task of the Games.
However, for the announcer, this was enough to begin explaining. "For the first task, a game not of strength, but of wit! A deceptively simple task: find your comrades. Nothing more, nothing less. Each of our five teams will compete, with points being awarded to those who finish the quickest!" the announcer declared. The crystal projecting the image of the stone tablet flickered and disappeared. "We will give the teams five minutes to prepare a strategy. Now let the games… begin!"
Hiccup turned from the image of the announcer to find Sigrid and Agni hyperventilating from stress. Thor was shaking his leg up and down like a rabbit, clearly nervous and eager to do something besides sit in the small room they found themselves in. Only Astrid and Auriel kept their wits about them. Hiccup and Astrid shared a brief moment, their eyes locking and conveying more with a single look than a thousand words. Their friends were overreacting. This task would be simple; child's play. Hiccup and Astrid could find their way into each other's arms if they were blind, deaf, and dumb, and separated by the world twice over. The task probably had never expected a pair of soulmates to compete.
Astrid elbowed Sigrid roughly, bringing her to her senses. "Pay attention," Hiccup admonished, drawing the team together. "No need to fret over something so simple. Most likely this task is illusion based magic that tries to fool you into picking the wrong comrades. The illusions will try to act like we do normally, and that is where their fault is— some things cannot be replicated by magic," Hiccup explained.
"That sounds difficult," Thor commented, idly playing with the handle of Mjolnir.
"Not at all, because we have that something that cannot be replicated by magic. They can try, but it would be a paltry imitation, easily recognized as ingenuine. Once the task begins, all you have to do is find Astrid and I. We'll be together within seconds of the start of the task. Find us, and we win. Not just win, but win spectacularly, with record time!" Hiccup boasted.
"But how will we know which Hiccup and Astrid are real?" Agni asked. Agni asked. As the weeks drew on and the team spent more time together, Agni took to calling Hiccup by his given name instead of his assumed. Everyone else did, even Thor— much to Hiccup's chagrin— and Agni wasn't going to be left out.
Hiccup and Astrid shared a brief look before deciding on a course of action. "Once you're in the illusion, head towards the area with the best view of the area. You'll know when you see it, be watchful," Hiccup instructed. Heads nodded all around.
No sooner had Hiccup finished speaking did the room shake violently. Sigrid and Agni looked worried, as if they were about to be crushed under tons of dirt and rock. The room began to move upwards through the earth itself. A moment later, the team was standing in the middle of a grand arena with marble floors that were impeccably shined, so well in fact, that they could see their reflections in the stone. Around them, four other teams emerged from the depths as well.
Once all the teams were in the arena, several hundred spellcasters stepped forward around the edge of the coliseum and held out their hands in front of them. A bright blue ward flared to life, blinding in its intensity. The ward grew like a bubble until it encapsulated the entire arena, trapping the teams inside. The teams had only a few seconds to look around before Hiccup's prediction proved true and powerful illusion magic was worked upon them, splitting them up and creating a magical landscape in their mind for them to navigate.
The landscape took the form of a sprawling village with large wooden houses and cobbled streets. Grassy hills extended from the outskirts of the village towards infinity. The sky above them was a beautiful shade of blue only marred by several small clouds. It was unremarkable in every way except that it was populated with tens of thousands of men and women, all of which who were copies of a member of one of the teams. The copies walked about aimlessly and without purpose, although every once in a great while two copies would stop and chat with each other at random.
Hiccup appeared somewhere in the market of the village, while Astrid appeared somewhere near the pens that held the farm animals. They both blinked and then focussed on their soul bond. They found each other instantly with practiced ease that came from knowing the other intimately. Hiccup and Astrid sprinted towards each other, navigating the town easily and ignoring every copy that stood in their way.
It took the pair only seconds to cross the town and find each other standing in a small alleyway near the center of the village. Hiccup and Astrid skidded to a stop, literally, and smiled at each other. It was times like this when they truly could feel the love one had for the other. Before they could meet, however, Hiccup spoke. "Find the best place," he said, turning and rushing back into the village to look for an area where they could easily be spotted. Astrid did the same.
Hail to the King
Thor waded through the crowd of copies with Mjolnir held in his right hand firmly, ready to swat away any danger. He was slowly making his way to the center of the village, where he assumed Hiccup had meant for him to go. On the way, he grabbed the shoulder and spun around every copy of Hiccup he came across— which were numerous in number. "Hiccup?" he asked brightly, hoping it was his friend. The illusory Hiccup played its part and tried to convince Thor he was the genuine person. Thor spent nearly a minute on every fake Hiccup he found before realizing they were copies.
Hail to the King
Sigrid, quite angry at her current situation, elbowed the shin of some tall Vanir looking man with a bow strapped to his back. The man yelped and hissed in pain before continuing on in his search. Sigrid didn't know if he was a copy or a real person, and she didn't care. She was a dwarf lost among the sea of tall folk. Every so often she caught a glimpse of another dwarf in the same situation she was in and smiled, in an angry sort of way. It was slightly disconcerting to the average viewer.
Sigrid was drawn from her musings as she ran into the calves of a tall, broad Aesir man. Or his boots rather. In his right hand was a broadsword that most men would have wielded with both hands, but the man managed with just one. Not for a lack of trying, but rather because the man's left hand was missing. A hook replaced the missing limb from just above the wrist.
The man turned around and glared down at Sigrid with a snarl on his lips. Sigrid gulped. This man wasn't a copy. He was the genuine thing. The Aesir, Tyr.
Tyr seemed to recognize that Sigrid was not just a copy too. She was the genuine thing. With a deft move, he turned and swiped at her with his broadsword, intending to cleave her head from her shoulders.
Sigrid yelped in surprise before throwing herself to the ground and scurrying, rather undignified, through the legs of the copies and deeper into the crowd away from Tyr. Tyr made to follow after Sigrid but was having some difficulty navigating the sea of copies. Sigrid smirked and, once she was sure she was safe, placed her palm on the ground and channeled her magic through the earth. A pillar of stone erupted at Tyr's feet, sending the man catpaulting through the air towards the outskirts of the village.
Sigrid laughed heartily and continued making her way to the center of the village, hoping to find the spot Hiccup had instructed her to find. If she was right in her assumption, they were in for a show.
Hail to the King
Agni was enjoying himself as he strolled leisurely through the village. It was a surreal experience, in his opinion. He actually stopped a few copies of himself to have a short conversation just to see what he was like from an unbiased perspective. He found that the copies of himself were utterly boring and had no interest in the flashy performing he so favored.
Agni swiped an apple from a fruit stall as he strutted towards the village center. He barely caught the sight of a man hurtling through the sky towards the outskirts of the village. Agni giggled at the antics of whoever had dealt with the man so.
Agni stopped to observe a copy of the strikingly beautiful elven princess, Auriel, and sighed deeply before remembering his purpose and making his way towards the village square.
Hail to the King
Auriel, being the most levelheaded of her team, aside from Hiccup and Astrid, easily made her way through the sea of copies towards the village square. She had, after observing for a short time, began to copy the copies of herself. She blended in nearly perfectly and only those that knew her personally would ever notice the difference.
If she had to guess, Auriel would have bet that she was the furthest placed of all the members of her team. She actually appeared on one of the grassy hills outside the village and had to enter the village proper through the front gate, including being checked by the guards— who were also copies. Still, she made the fastest time of all of them in making her way to the village square.
She even got to see a woman jump through the air and catch a man that was hurtling through the sky. It seemed that her competition, at the very least, had already found two of its members. Auriel just knew, somehow, that one of her teammates had been responsible for the flight of the man. She'd have to lecture them on the proper strategy later, after they won.
Hail to the King
Outside the illusion, the crowd roared and cheered as the teams quickly managed to find their teammates among the copies. The announcer's voice bellowed out, "And there it is! Hlin has managed to catch Tyr after the later was sent flying by Sigrid of the Order!"
The most important of the crowd, however, sat in a large room near the top of the stadium. The Kings and Queens of the realms, as well as the upper echelons of the Order, sat and watched the Games unfold. Their attention was split equally between the current task and the current topic of conversation: Loki.
"Are you positive you can do nothing to find him?" Odin asked of Auor, the spymaster of the Order.
Auor nodded her head. "There is little I can do to track the movements of the Betrayer, Allfather. He is far too cunning, and far too skilled, to be discovered. The opposite is quite true, in fact. I would fear that if I could find him, it would be a trap of great peril," she explained.
"Is there nothing your Sight could not reveal, Allfather?" Konungr, king of the dwarves, asked. His eyes flickered to the man in the arena whom he knew was a servant of the Betrayer, one of his greatest at that.
Auor did not miss the glance and frowned slightly at the implication. "I am afraid not, my friend," Odin answered. "Whatever magicks my errant son has erected to guard his presence are powerful beyond all measure. Whilst I could, most likely, locate him, I would be unable to remember it. It seems as if the wards surrounding him strike the very memory of the place he hides from existence. A most ingenious fortress."
"Perhaps I could explore my personal library for such spells," Frode, Grandmaster of the Order, offered. "It has been many an Age since I have pondered wards as strong as those you suggest. I am certain I have a collection of research into highly advanced wards that I have yet to explore."
Odin nodded, "Yes, perhaps that would be helpful. Loki could be hiding under our very noses and we wouldn't have the slightest clue with the wards he has erected," the Allfather commented. He had no idea how truly right he was.
The announcer's voice drew the rulers from their conversation. "Oh! Incredible! With a record time! The fastest since the Games' inception!" he bellowed loudly for all to hear. Frode smirked in victory as the others frowned slightly.
Hail to the King
Hiccup and Astrid eventually found a spot in the square where a large wooden platform was constructed. The platform was, in actuality, a gallows. Not the most romantic of places for what they were about to do, but it would have to do.
The two of them whittled away the time among the copies, doing their best to blend in. After nearly ten minutes had passed, they both decided that enough was enough. Their friends had more than enough time to find the village square. They just hoped that they were paying attention, as the copies would likely take to copying them very shortly after their performance.
With a quick leap, Hiccup and Astrid leapt onto the gallows and found their way into each other's arms. The copies seemed to recoil, as if sensing that they were trying to do something to signal their teammates, and rushed to copy them. Before they could, however, Hiccup's and Astrid's lips met in a searing kiss that spoke of love and passion beyond anything that magic could replicate.
If Hiccup and Astrid were not so lost in each other, and not under the illusion, they would have heard the collect swoons of nearly every woman in the arena. So lost in themselves were they, that they forgot the original purpose of their plan. Thor was the first to arrive, swinging Mjolnir forward and allowing his body to be dragged through the air as he thundered towards the gallows. Sigrid used a pillar of stone to shoot herself towards the kissing couple, while Agni and Auriel easily hopped onto the gallows with practiced grace.
The illusion magic seemed to realize that they had been defeated, for the copies of Hiccup, Astrid, Sigrid, Auriel, Thor, and Agni all disappeared in a puff of white light. The next thing either of them knew, they were back in the arena with the announcer bellowing at them again. "... The fastest since the Games' inception!"
Hiccup and Astrid finally broke from their affections and colored slightly at the attention they were receiving. The crowd roared and cheered in approval as the Order emerged victorious before all the other teams. Hiccup turned to the announcer and saw the stone tablet where the others were still trapped in the illusion. It took another fifteen minutes before all of the other teams finished, with the Aesir coming in second, the Vanir third, the elves forth, and the dwarves fifth. The Aesir and Vanir finished with a difference of only a few seconds, while the elves finished minutes later, and the dwarves nearly ten minutes on account of their bickering. It seemed like the dwarven team was fractured.
The moment the dwarves left the illusion, the stone tablet cleared and displayed the faces of each team in profile. At the end of the six faces of each team was a point tally, clearly showing the Order in first place. Smiles went around with pats on the back for a job well done. The announcer's voice drew Hiccup's and the other team's attention. "A strong start to the Games! Give a round of applause to the champions of this task!" he bellowed loudly, magic amplifying and casting his voice throughout the arena. The crowd was all too eager to oblige.
"We will allow the teams a brief reprieve while we view the hundred mile sprint!" the announcer announced. "Afterwards, we shall see another task before the day's end!" The crowd roared in approval at the schedule of events.
The teams made their way back to their underground rooms via the same way they had left and began to speculate on the upcoming task. Some idly watched as teams from all the realms sent out their best runners for the hundred mile sprint. The event was over surprisingly quick, with a thin, gangly looking Vanir man winning by nearly fifteen seconds. The Vanir in the crowd were particularly vocal about one of their own athletes winning.
All eyes flickered to the center of the room as the crystal projected the image of the announcer once more. This time, however, no ones nerves showed. The first task, albeit somewhat simple, being beaten so easily had given Hiccup and his team a boost of confidence. Sigrid and Agni were practically dancing around the room in excitement. Auriel did her best to scold Sigrid for sending Tyr flying and indirectly allowing his team to recover him more quickly than they would have normally. Still, not even Auriel could hide the small smile tugging at her lips from their victory. Hiccup and Astrid stole small glances and smirks at each other when they thought no one else was watching. They were doing a poor job of hiding it.
"And for the second task!" the announcer bellowed, sending another bolt of magic into the stone tablet. Like before, the tablet sprung to life and began magically painting the task that the teams were to face. Two blank faces appeared in both the left and right corners of the tablet. Below the four faces was the arena floor, in which, four people duelled. No, that wasn't quite right. They had weapons, but their intent was not a fight. They were playing a sort of game, avoiding each other. Trying not to be hit. Trying not to be touched.
"For the next task, two teams will send out two members— chosen at random— to compete in a mock battle. The goal: be the first to land a blow on your opponent's body. Blows to shield or sword do not count. And without further adieu…" the announcer said, flourishing his arm at the tablet. The tablet cleared and revealed two detailed paintings of two teams. One was the Order, easily recognizable by their varied members. The other quickly became apparent when Hiccup saw the twins. Frey and Freya. It was the Order versus the Vanir.
As soon as Hiccup had deduced their opponents, the room shook and began to move upwards through the earth once more. Apparently they would be given no time to prepare a strategy for this task. "Alright," Hiccup called, drawing his team's attention to himself. "Work together, don't panic. Some of us may not know each other as well as we would like, but this is a task about teamwork, how well we can work together. Trust in each other and we'll win, alright?" he asked. Astrid, Sigrid, Auriel, Thor, and Agni all nodded in agreement. They were the beacon of camaraderie amongst the alliance of the realms, they couldn't afford to put forth a bad showing.
The Order and Vanir teams emerged once again into the arena, the marble tiles shining brilliantly and showing the reflections of the teams. A smaller arena emerged from the floor, standing five feet above the ground normally. Apparently, that was where they were to do battle. Both teams turned to look at the stone tablet and watched as the magical painting dissolved itself. In its place, another painting appeared of a Vanir man with a sword casually floating at his side. He was a man of average build and height with dirty blonde hair and a well trimmed beard. A name appeared above the man, "Frey."
Hiccup sighed. If he was a betting man, he'd bet his last gold coin that the other Vanir chosen would be Freya. The magical painting of Frey disappeared and another began to take its place. This time it was of a woman with a strange cape of feathers hanging around her shoulders. Hiccup sighed again. The woman was strikingly beautiful, with long, flowing blonde hair and garbed in shiny steel armor. A name appeared above the woman, "Freya."
The painting once more disappeared and it seemed that everyone had figured out the pattern. The next painting would be someone from the Order. The familiar tanned skin tone gave him away immediately as the image of Agni appeared on the tablet. Agni, who stood beside Hiccup, seemed to stiffen and audibly gulp. Apparently he wasn't as carefree as he appeared. Hiccup patted him on the back reassuringly.
The painting cleared once more and began to paint another image. This time, Astrid was the one to recognize it first. It was a face that haunted her every waking moment, although she wouldn't have it any other way. The image of Hiccup appeared on the tablet.
Hiccup and Agni shared a nervous glance before nodding, reassuring the other that they would do their best. Astrid gave Hiccup a chaste kiss on the cheek before he jumped up to the arena floor with Agni and walked to the center. On the opposite side, Frey and Freya did the same. Hiccup spotted several floating crystals zooming around them, capturing their image and voice. Hiccup played with the hilts of his two swords idly as he waited for the match to begin. Agni clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. The heat coming off his hands causing the air to play tricks on the eyes.
The announcer raised his hand and was about to allow the task to begin when Freya spoke up. "So, you're the mighty Vrangr, bane of the dark elves and wielder of a legendary sword," she commented. Hiccup wasn't sure what she wanted. Agni looked confused as well.
"How about we make this task a little bit more interesting? A wager between you and me. I say that we'll beat the two of you, and if I win, I get your pretty black sword. If we lose, you can have my cloak," Freya offered, wagering her legendary weapon against Hiccup's Allr'bani. The cloak of hawk feathers was crafted by Freya herself and allowed the wearer to fly as freely as a dragon, albeit it was no where near as fast as a Night Fury or a Skrill. The offer, it seemed, was relayed to the entire crowd through the floating crystals as they went silent to hear the banter between the two.
Hiccup only briefly considered the wager before deciding. "I accept," Hiccup replied confidently. Agni gasped, and to be fair, so did the rest of the team. Even Astrid, although she had a slight warning due to being clued into Hiccup's thought process through their soul bond. Freya smirked arrogantly.
The wager settled, the two teams took several steps back and looked to the announcer to signal that they were ready to begin. The crowd roared and cheered at the extra stakes of the task. Two legendary weapons were being bet over the outcome. It was something to tell tales of to your children in years to come.
"Begin!" the announcer roared, cutting his raised arm through the air to signal the start of the fight.
"Just like in the delta," Hiccup hissed to Agni, who nodded in return before slamming his fists together, causing flames to erupt from his hands.
Frey and Freya charged, each drawing their own weapon. Frey, wielder of the sword Laevateinn, a legendary sword whose blade was made of sunlight and could fight on its own, sent his sword soaring towards Hiccup and Agni faster than the two Vanir could run.
Hiccup seemed to levitate and float in the air for a second before his image shuddered and disappeared with a thunderous crack. The crack momentarily distracted Frey and Freya, which is all it took for them to fall into the illusion Hiccup had weaved.
Frey's sword passed harmlessly through an illusory copy of Agni, the real Agni having been hidden within the illusion with Hiccup. Frey and Freya, sensing that they were caught, turned back to back and began to unravel the control Hiccup held over the other as best they could.
A small dust storm of sand came from nowhere, obscuring the view of Frey and Freya. The ward surrounding the arena allowed for the spectators to see with perfect clarity. Frey and Freya casted spells to allow them to breathe and protect their eyes.
Hiccup burst from the sandstorm at a sprint, wielding Elding, and made to attack Freya with a horizontal slash aimed at her waist. Freya turned to meet the attack head on, raising her own sword to parry the blow.
"No, sister!" Frey cried out, dragging Freya back away from the illusion. When Hiccup was only several steps away from the duo, he burst outward in an explosion of heat and fire that scorched the tile of the arena floor. A protective spell of water from Frey saved the two from being incinerated.
From elsewhere within the sandstorm, Agni unleashed a hail of fire, punching the air and sending bolts of flame speeding towards Frey and Freya from his fists. Hidden by both the sandstorm and the illusion he was undetectable, forcing the Vanir twins to go on the defensive and dodge or block the attacks. Any attempts to shield against the fire using water quickly became futile as the sandstorm turned it to mud in no time at all.
"Now," Hiccup whispered to Agni as he finished preparations. Agni jumped and kicked with his free leg, sending an arcing blade of flame soaring through the air horizontally. Frey and Freya were forced to jump to avoid being incinerated. Once in the air their mobility was limited, except for Freya and her cloak. Frey was well defended by Laevateinn, who could defend without Frey's conscious effort, but he could not dodge what was to come.
Using a small illusion trick, reversing the sense of direction, Hiccup attacked Frey. Laevateinn made to intercept Hiccup, and by sheer luck, the sentient sword fell for the illusion and moved to guard Frey's front while the real Hiccup approached from behind. Before Hiccup could bring Elding down upon Frey, Freya appeared to guard her brother. "Enough!" she hissed, her cloak of hawk feathers allowing her surprisingly agile flight. From around Freya's neck, her second legendary weapon began to glow a dull orange color. The Brisingamen necklace.
A sphere of orange and gold fire surrounded Frey and Freya, shielding them from all attacks. So intense was the heat from the flame that the sand in the air turned to glass and the tiles of the arena floor warped. Hiccup hissed in pain before hastily retreating, luckily avoiding the worst of the damage. Wounded and losing focus, Frey and Freya overcame Hiccup's illusion, dispelling the sandstorm and the invisibility illusion.
"Hiccup!" Agni cried, drawing his scimitar and allowing flames to coat it before charging to Hiccup's defense.
Freya abandoned her sword, instead opting to wield the magical fire of the Brisingamen necklace instead. The flames burned hotter than any other magical fire and could not be extinguished by water or earth. Freya sent a flare of fire towards Agni as he ran, cutting him off. Agni attempted to fight fire with fire, but was easily defeated by the legendary necklace.
While Freya kept Agni at bay, Frey attacked Hiccup, who was still recovering from the close encounter with Brisingamen's flames. "Focus on her! I'm fine!" Hiccup called out, discarding a vambrace of Toothless' scales which had melted and warped, essentially useless. Hiccup made a mental note to collect some of Hiccup's adult scales, which would be much more resistant to such magical fire.
While Laevateinn could fight well enough on its own, when Frey focussed on controlling his sword it was difficult for any mortal man to defeat him in mortal combat. It didn't help that whatever the sword cut was strained under the immense heat of the enchantments that made the blade glow white.
Hiccup sheathed Elding, the otherwise superb sword useless in a battle of legendary weapons, and focused on wielding Allr'bani. Hiccup's sword was specially designed to resist the heat of lightning, the paltry heat emitted by Laevateinn wouldn't bother him in the least. Hiccup met Frey head on, holding his own and using some of Allr'bani's more unique enchantments to surprise Frey.
Willing the blade to move in ways that swords were not meant to, Allr'bani slithered around Laevateinn and struck at Frey's neck. Laevateinn, sensing that its master was in danger, began to fight even harder to defeat Hiccup, who continued to use his sword's unique enchantments to sneak around Frey's guard.
Meanwhile, Agni danced with Freya, sewing fire with every step, punch, and kick. The Brisingamen necklace allowed Freya to easily bat away the much weaker flames of Agni, but Agni held on valiantly, trying to stall long enough for Hiccup to make a plan of attack. He didn't know how much longer he could hold off Freya. Her attacks were devastating and her agility unmatched with her cloak.
As Agni's strength began to wane, Freya pressed on and went for the victory; a single blast of fire erupting from the palm of her hand and soaring towards Agni at close range. Agni would be unable to dodge, and unable to block. The crowd sucked in a breath, expecting the worst for the Vanir member of the Order's team. Outside the wards, healers began preparing to rush the arena and tend to him.
Their fear was entirely unnecessary. Hiccup hurled Allr'bani with great speed and precision, allowing the sword to sink into the marble floor of the arena between Agni and Freya. On Hiccup's command, the blade of the sword— from the tip to the hilt— burst into a cloud of midnight metallic dust and encircled Agni, shielding him from the magical fire of the Brisingamen necklace. A few stray flames licked through the shield, as it was designed to catch lightning, not fire, but it held well enough to prevent Agni from being removed from the task.
Frey, seeing Hiccup without a weapon, attacked with Laevateinn, urging the sword to cut down its opponent. Being unable to defend, and while he could run, it would not end in his victory, Hiccup made a gamble. He commanded the metallic sand to shift and change form, the shield solidifying into long needles and lunging for Freya, who was dazed by the blocking of her necklace's powers.
The choice was Frey's. To defeat Hiccup and for Freya to be defeated, leaving himself to face Agni; or, to save Freya, and resume their battle once more. In the end, his brotherly affection won, and he jumped forward to save his sister, cutting down the needles preventing Freya from being disqualified. Agni sent several balls of fire towards the twins to keep them on their toes.
Hiccup walked over to join Agni, summoning the hilt of Allr'bani into the palm of his hand. The blade, in the form of dust, returned to its natural place and solidified, leaving it whole as the day it was forged.
They were back to square one.
Hail to the King
"Most impressive, is it not?" Frode called, extremely pleased at Hiccup's performance. There was a reason he was one of the most celebrated members of the Order, and this was it.
"Indeed," Odin commented, stroking his beard and eying Hiccup's sword with scrutiny. The weapon seemed… sinister, in a way. Auor looked upon her apprentice with fondness. He was performing marvelously, although he had held back much of his strength. Had he been fighting to kill, not defeat, the Vanir twins would have died long ago.
"Let us return to our previous topic, however," Odin said, drawing the attention of the room they sat in. "The fire giants stir in Muspelheim. We have sent spies and diplomats, yet we are no closer to finding their goal. Something is afoot, and I can only assume one of Loki's nefarious schemes are about to be unleashed."
Frode nodded. "I have dispatched many of my Order over the past few years to investigate the fire giants. They all say the same thing; Muspelheim is preparing, preparing for what, I do not know. We may take comfort, however, in that their army is not one for stealth. If the fire giants marched for war, they would let you know it. That, then, begs the question: what would the fire giants be doing that has them in such an uproar, if not war?" he asked.
At that, the room grew silent as everyone contemplated the greater going ons in the realms. "I believe," Konungr said, "that war is upon us, whether we expect it or not. We should plan accordingly, and assume the fire giants move against us."
"But," Zophiel countered, "if we provoke the fire giants, war will definitely be upon us. It is not wise to step on the tail of a sleeping dragon, as it were."
"Have you any thoughts on the movements of Muspelheim, Auor?" Frode asked.
Auor shook her head. "The fire giants are looking for talented people among their ranks, for what I do not know. I do not believe that it is combat that they seek, however," she answered cryptically.
"Spying?" Blakkr, an elder of the Order, posed.
Odin shook his head, his beard swaying. "The fire giants are no spies. Loki would have enlisted the Niflungr for such a task, if that were the case. Neither are they great infiltrators, they would be discovered easily. And like most Jotnar, they have a thirst for battle. No, what they seek is something else…" the Allfather said.
"Perhaps a joint effort with the dark elves?" Zophiel asked.
At this, Konungr raised a bushy eyebrow. "The dark elves have been acting… strange, for lack of a better word. We still occupy their side of the World Gate, making travel impossible, but the dark elves have been unusually quiet these past few months. There are fewer and fewer dark elves seen among the surface of their world, and their attacks against us have all but stopped. We thought nothing of it, and thus did not feel it warranted being reported," Zophiel explained.
Odin and Frode hummed in thought. Auor looked on with curiosity, eager to see if they could piece together the pieces of the puzzle. "This is most troubling," Odin said, "dark times approach. We must be vigilant." A loud explosion echoed from the arena, drawing the rulers back to the match, although their thoughts remained on what the fire giants and dark elves were plotting.
Hail to the King
Hiccup and Agni traded partners, Hiccup fighting Freya, and Agni fighting Frey. Agni deftly dodged Laevateinn and retaliated with bursts of fire magic that were not as easily blocked as they were by Freya.
Hiccup was entirely on the defensive as Freya quite literally flew around the arena and rained magical fire down upon him. Hiccup, like any good spider, was weaving his web and leading Freya into a trap. Every step he took, he poured a little bit of magic into his boot, imprinting a single rune into the marble floor which lay dull and lifeless, and would remain so, until Hiccup called it into being. Hiccup was careful to avoid placing runes where Agni could be caught in its magic, and Agni seemed to recognize that Hiccup was up to something and wisely focused on his duel on the far side of the arena— which he had the upper hand in, he thought.
Like seasoned dance partners, the four continued to battle for a time. Each waiting for the other to make the smallest of mistakes before they pushed forward and made a move for victory. It was Frey and Agni who started the chain of events. Laevateinn, under the direction of Frey, swung upwards in a deadly arc, barely catching Agni as it went skywards. Agni wasn't even scratched, but Laevateinn cut the flask of oil Agni stored on his belt, causing an intense fire to erupt as Laevateinn's heat ignited the oil. Agni took his chance and willed the liquid fire to descend upon Frey.
Laevateinn was helpless to defend its master from such an attack and the scalding liquid licked at Frey's flesh as he leapt back, partially avoiding the flames, but crying out in pain all the same. Hiccup, Agni, and Freya heard his cries for only a second before Frey rose into the air and shot towards the wards and exited the arena— out of view of the participants of the task. Now it was two against one, in favor of the Order.
Freya, enraged at her brother being injured, forced her cloak of feathers to send her thundering towards Agni. Hiccup sprinted after her, his legs carrying him across the arena floor faster than the eye could see. But Freya was faster still. She descended upon Agni like a bird of prey and and delivered a single well placed kick to Agni's ribs.
Agni, slightly shocked that he had defeated Frey, didn't have the opportunity to dodge of block Freya's kick. He was sent bodily crashing into the wards, where he was ejected into the waiting arms of the healers, leaving Hiccup to deal with Freya.
Hiccup skidded to a stop as Freya turned on him. He was outside the radius of the runes he had placed and Freya would easily catch him before he was able to lure her back within their range. A direct attack using the blast was no longer possible. But…
Hiccup turned and sprinted back towards the side of the arena that held the runes he had placed. Freya surged after him, magical fire from the Brisingamen necklace engulfing her hands, ready to incinerate Hiccup. Hiccup was still several tens of feet away from the runes when Freya caught him.
Hiccup braced himself and activated the runes. The runes flared emerald green before they turned an angry red color and unleashed their fury upon the empty arena and the sky above them. An explosion tore the sky asunder and caused the arena to shake as a pillar of smoke, dust, and debris filled the ward bubble, obscuring everyone's vision. Freya coughed and held her hands to her face to defend herself. A quick spell cleared the air around her, allowing her to breathe more easily. A second spell caused a burst of wind to clear the smoke somewhat. It was by sheer dumb luck that Freya saw Hiccup, crouching near the ground and holding the tattered remains of his tunic over his mouth so he could breathe. His armor lay in ruins around him.
Freya went in, attacking from behind, directly in Hiccup's blind spot. He didn't even know he was about to lose and Freya savored the thrill of battle and victory, anticipating taking Allr'bani from Vrangr as per their agreement. Her cloak closed the distance in the blink of an eye, and Freya lunged at the back of Hiccup's skull with her elbow, intending to knock him unconscious. Hiccup coughed and sputtered, unaware of his impending defeat.
At the last possible moment, Hiccup deftly dodged the elbow. Freya's eyes widened comically. She had been in his blind spot, shielded by the smoke. It wasn't possible for him to sense or see her. Her wings carried her silently through the sky. Her scent was covered by the explosion. Hiccup's vision was obscured by the smoke. "How?" Freya thought, barely registering that Hiccup had delivered a powerful kick to her stomach that sent her flying into the ward around the arena.
Freya's vision began to dim as darkness took her. Her eyes caught a strange sight on the far side of the arena, through the smoke, beyond the ward. The girl with blonde hair, the rider. The one Vrangr kissed during the first task. She was watching Freya intently, observing her every movement. That wasn't all that strange, though, Freya reasoned. It was a match worthy of close attention.
No, what caught Freya's eye was the color of the girl's left eye. It shimmered emerald green, the same emerald green she knew Vrangr's eyes possessed. Freya's eyes widened in shock as she realized what had happened. "They can share their eyesight!" she hissed in her mind as she fell into blissful unconsciousness.
Hail to the King
The wards fell and the healers rushed into the arena to tend to Hiccup. Astrid beat them to his side easily, her enhancement magic making her a golden blur as she dashed across the arena. "Are you alright?" Astrid asked with concern, looking at the burns and blisters that covered Hiccup's chest. She looked over to his armor, made from Toothless' shed scales from years passed, when he was a much smaller dragon. It was in shambles from the power of the explosion and Freya's necklace, a testament to the strength of the both of them that they damaged Night Fury scales.
"I'll live," Hiccup said, wincing in pain as a healer began to apply a salve to his burns. Another healer practically forced a vial of orange liquid down Hiccup's throat, causing him to cought and sputter. "For the smoke damage," one of the healers explained.
Astrid cast a glance over to Freya, where several other healers were attending her. Astrid felt a little bad about "cheating" during the match, but there was no way she was going to willingly allow Hiccup to be hurt. She hated seeing him in pain. Besides, no one could prove anything. They were soul mates, who would ever believe their souls were bound together for eternity? No one. Such a thing was unheard of, a tale parents told their children.
Hiccup walked over, much to the fussing of the healers, and took Freya's cloak of feathers from her body. None moved to stop him, as was his right as victor of their wager. The crowd seemed to go wild as the legendary weapon changed ownership to Hiccup. Hiccup withdrew Allr'bani and lazily cut the cloak, commanding it to be devoured. Emerald flames burned the cloak from existence before returning to the jewel in the pommel of the sword. Hiccup sighed in relief as he felt the properties of the cloak be absorbed by his sword, allowing them to be called upon at any time.
The healers moved Hiccup and Agni, and Frey and Freya, back to their respective teams. Hiccup and Agni were welcomed as champions by Sigrid and Thor, who cheered enthusiastically and thumped them on their backs. The Order and Vanir teams returned to their chambers as the crowd roared and cheered at the good match.
The other teams participated in the same task, first the dwarves against the elves, of which the dwarves managed to put aside their differences and attain victory; then the Aesir against the Vanir, of which the Aesir managed to win, albeit just barely. In the end, the day ended with the Order in the lead, followed by the Aesir, then the dwarves, with the elves and the Vanir tied for last place. Although the mundane games would continue throughout the week, the arcane games had ended until later in the month, allowing the teams to recuperate and plan for when they next faced each other in the arena.
Later that night, a grand feast was held at Agni's estate. All those in the merchant district were invited, and they made merry and sang and ate and drank until the wee hours of the morn. All was good, except, for Hiccup.
Hail to the King
A lone man walked through the streets of the merchant district of Vanaheim wearing an indescript face of a Vanir. It was one of those faces that everyone felt they knew, yet no one really did. It allowed him to slip through the city with ease, accepted by its inhabitants as one of their own. He had no distinguishable features, wearing the traditional garb of the Vanir; pointed shoes, a colorful sash, a tunic which parted to the midriff. A cowl made out of patterned silk adorned his head to keep away the heat, although for the time of night, it was now to keep him warm.
No, the only thing that would draw attention to the man was the ring of purest black that sat upon the man's left ring finger. It was a ring depicting a serpent eating its tail, the crest of his family. It marked him as a ruler, a king, a god amongst mortals. And this night, this god had a mission. He was sent to spread the word.
Ragnarok was coming.
Hail to the King
A/N:
Hey guys, weekly updates! Been a bit since we had one of those. I like to think, that for all the length of my chapters, I have good pacing. There's never any "filler" chapters as every chapter sets up events for the next chapter. I know some of you were objecting to the Games, citing that HTTK has become somewhat… not boring, but predictable, ever since the end of the Alfheim arc. The next two chapters see the rise in action and tension that you were used to, and will most likely carry on well into the final stages of the story. I hope you guys enjoy the ride.
As promised, the Games are mainly split into two parts: the tasks, and the politics. We saw several applications of things not yet fully explored, such as the more advanced magicks relating to the soul bond, as well as the unique enchantments surrounding Hiccup's sword. With the rulers of the realms we also saw the "war council" begin to form as the Ragnarok alliance makes its first moves.
A couple notes from the reviews last chapter:
Hiccup's revenge is against Berk, not necessarily Berk itself, but the notion of it. His revenge is for how he was treated, and as was stated before, Hiccup had plans to go back to Midgard and utterly destroy his home. Loki convinced him of a more perfect, more devastating vengeance. That is the revenge Hiccup was speaking of, in a way. I'll leave that up to you guys to interpret.
A guest pointed out that I have been slipping up and referring to the Ragnarok alliance as "dark" and the Order as "light." This has no connotation with their perceived goodness of evil. Both sides are capable of great atrocities in war, and there is never just black and white. Only a Sith deals in absolutes.
Also pointed out was the notion that Hiccup was having "second thoughts" about his allegiances. This is not true. Hiccup is simply privy to information that puts him under great stress, information that is beginning to come to light to the rest of the realms. As I said, war is a horrible thing. Even the most hardened of men are tested by it.
These so called "legendary weapons" are becoming a more prominent focus in the story. Many items in Norse mythology are quite fantastical in their magical nature, and it's quite the pleasure to write about them. In this story we saw three new such weapons, Frey's sword, and Freya's necklace and cloak.
Laevateinn, "damaged twig," Frey's sword which fights on its own. In mythology, the sword is unnamed, but it is theorized to be Laevateinn. Frey surrenders his sword to Surtr, the fire giant, in order to wed a Jotun. During Ragnarok, Surtr kills Frey, presumably and ironically, with his own sword.
Brisingamen, Freya's necklace, which comes from the root word fire, "brisingr," in Norse. It's enchantments allow its wielder to use a magical fire which is quite powerful, although it is not the most powerful fire magic around.
Freya's cloak, which is unnamed in mythology, is quite heavily featured in several tales, and is used by both Thor and Loki.
Last, but not least, we see someone we know of, if not know. Loki's family makes it move at last. Who do you think it is?
- Musica
