THE MISCHIEVOUSNESS OF THE SHIELD HERO
CHAPTER 11: A NUE-SANCE
After the whole brainwashed event, Loki and his companions were currently resting in one of the inns for free as thanks for saving them and the village. They could hear the villagers yelling at the former village lord, who is currently dragged by his former lead enforcer, while throwing tomatoes at them. They were also yelling at the teenagers who aided him, as they tried to hold in their tears.
"Are we really going to let them punish those teenagers?" Raphtalia asked. "They were only helping the village lord because they didn't want their parents to… control them."
"It is what it is, Raphtalia." Loki answered while cleaning the scepter. "It may be harsh, but they'll have to learn their lesson. At least their learning is easy compared to mine."
"What about their parents? You could tell that they were very strict and supported the people to punish their disobedient children, except for Juniper's mother who seemed regretful for the way she acted towards her daughter before." Sigyn said.
"Oh, don't worry about that. They'll have an unfortunate event soon." Loki reassured her while smirking. "Anyway, how is Juniper and Fiery doing?"
"They're fine. They're currently playing with the filolial boy." Raphtalia answered before looking at the window where both girls were playing with the filolial king candidate who turned into a boy earlier.
Loki chuckled, "To think the legends about their species is true. His previous owner must've been proud to have won a jackpot."
"But it's unfortunate that he was killed because of it." Sigyn then glared at the village lord who entered the prison.
Somebody was then knocking on the door. Raphtalia walked towards the door before opening it. It was a muscular man who shared the same hair as Fiery. He was practically her older brother who was imprisoned due to the debts he had from the teenagers' parents. Loki gladly paid off his debts as thanks to Fiery for aiding them against the village lord.
"You're… Loki, right? The Shield Hero?" The red-haired man questioned. "I'm Skorch, Fiery's older brother."
Loki nodded respectfully, "I know who you are. What is your business with me?"
"I… just want to thank you for saving us and taking care of my sister briefly." Skorch expressed his thanks towards the Avengers. "While I was trapped in my own mind, I was deeply worried about her. I can see that she has grown stronger while I was imprisoned."
"She is gifted in fighting and magic." Sigyn complimented her. "Maybe you should send her to a good school. I can guarantee that she'll become a renowned mage or swordswoman in the future."
"I'll consider it. It's her decision after all." Skorch said. "And I heard you'll be leaving tomorrow morning."
"We'll have to. It seems that we have another village to visit." Loki said, remembering a person who passed by this village yesterday that there was a village overrun by some kind of plants. He had to check it out of curiosity. There may be hints about the last missing relic.
"I understand, then please take this." Skorch offered his bow to Sigyn. The bow was made out of hardwood with green aesthetic designs to it.
"Huh? Why are you giving me this?" Sigyn asked curiously.
"My little sister asked me to make it as thanks." Skorch answered before Sigyn accepted the bow. "I'm a craftsman, you see. I've been trying to make different kinds of bows since I was a child. I'm still a rookie compared to others though, otherwise, I wouldn't have owed somebody a debt."
"Don't give up on your dreams. I never gave up when Master Loki offered me to have an adventure with him." Sigyn said, which made Skorch blushed.
"It seems that he has a crush on Big Sis Sigyn." Raphtalia whispered to her master.
Loki chuckled, "But I don't think she reciprocates the same feeling."
"Anyway, I'll be going now. It seems that Fiery is calling me." Skorch then left the house after bowing to each of them respectfully.
"Nice guy." Sigyn said while her heart was beating rapidly, unbeknownst to her.
As the night fell, everyone in the village fell fast asleep. Loki sneaks out of the house very quietly to avoid his exhausted companions from waking up. He took the scepter with him in order to test its capabilities in case that it doesn't work, hence why he kept the eye holder in the wagon. He isn't sure whether the Warlock's Eye would work with the scepter.
"Everyone is asleep. Excellent."
After arriving in the forest where Sigyn and Raphtalia surrounded the former village lord, there were a couple of monsters in front of him. He took control of them as soon as they jumped on him by placing the scepter into their chest. A few seconds later, their eyes turned yellow and became friendly towards him. It's safe to say that the new power source for the scepter is a success.
"The only disadvantage is that the scepter needs to touch them, compared to the original Warlock's Eye where you just have to point the eye at someone." Loki took notes of the scepter's advantages and disadvantages. He then stared at the trees where a familiar spy was watching him. "Don't you agree, Queen's Shadow?" [1]
The Queen's Shadow landed on the ground, "It seems you can still detect me."
"Well, you aren't really trying to hide from me anymore." Loki answered sarcastically. "I have some questions for you, and it isn't regarding with you or the Queen."
"…What is it?" The Queen's Shadow isn't sure whether she is allowed to answer whatever his question is or not.
"You can sense magical presence, right? Who else took the relics?" Loki asked, which made her slightly jump from the unexpected answers. "There are five relics. I'm confident that those teenagers took the Warlock's Eye before the three stooges arrived and took the other three. I know you know about the relics because you followed me. Do you know where the last one is? Or maybe even a guess?"
"I… don't know." The Queen's Shadow answered truthfully. "The magical presence disappeared because it happened weeks ago."
Loki sighed, "Is that so? That's unfortunate. It would've been a big help."
"But, there is one magical presence that remains after how many years." continued The Queen's Shadow, which surprised Loki a bit. "Those carvings on the walls that you recognized. There were some… unknown magical sources. It shares the same presence as your steed."
"Odinforce." Loki whispered to himself. He also felt a familiar magical presence, but he wasn't deeply concentrated on it because he was too bewildered by the asgardian carvings. 'That means that either Odin, Bor, or Buri were on this world. My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.'
"Does that help you?" The Queen's Shadow asked.
"Not really because whoever carved that is long gone, but I appreciate the help anyway." Loki answered. "You may go now, otherwise, I'll make you a test subject for my brainwashed monsters."
"I don't mind. If it helps your progress, then I volunteer." The Queen's Shadow offered her help to the Shield Hero.
Loki raised his eyebrow, "Are you sure? I don't think the queen allowed you to intervene with the heroes' progress."
"Because neither of them could detect me other than you. It is pointless in trying to hide, so I could at least help you to become stronger instead of continuing to spy on you pointlessly." The Queen's Shadow said.
Loki smirked, "Alright then. You have combat experience, yes?"
The Queen's Shadow readied her battle posture, "I have a bloody one." [2]
"Let's test that, shall we?" Loki then pointed the scepter at the Queen's Shadow with a slight killing intent, as all of his brainwashed monsters stared at her while growling in anger. "Attack."
Throughout the entire night, all the brainwashed monsters attacked the Queen's Shadow constantly under their manipulator's command. He was satisfied that it was a success, but he needed the scepter to 'level up' more in order for it to control stronger monsters. He wondered if the scepter could potentially control strong-willed individuals if he continued to make it stronger. On the other hand, he was slightly impressed that the Queen's Shadow doesn't show any signs of tiredness. It has been a couple of hours since he's been sending a horde of weak monsters. He was slightly impressed.
Loki then silently ordered the monsters to stand down, "Impressive. There is one thing that I want to test though. You can refuse it if you want."
"What is it?" The Queen's Shadow asked.
"Mind if I control you?" Loki asked, which made her perplexed by the sudden request. "If you have a strong-will, then it's probably unaffected against you. But you are under my control, I assure you that I'll set you free immediately."
"…" The Queen's Shadow isn't sure whether to accept the request or not because there's a slight chance that the Shield Hero will ask her about the queen if she's under his control. She is aware of the hero's deceitful actions in the past, considering it to be his greatest strength rather than physical combat.
"I don't have anyone to test the scepter with. I may not know whether my companions would be captured by bandits. I need to control their subordinates' minds to find them." Loki tries to convince the Queen's Shadow one more time before he'll give up. "And it may be ironic to say this, but you can trust me. I won't do anything if I control your mind."
"…" The Queen's Shadow took one deep breath before being convinced by his soothing words. "Fine. I trust you."
As Loki walked towards her closely, he placed the scepter calmly into her chest to control her mind. It was a success as her eyes turned yellow, meaning that she doesn't have a strong will. He has so many uses for the scepter, but he promised to never use it on an innocent person unless it's necessary.
"Success." Loki expressed his joy that he had his old weapon back before turning his attention to the Queen's Shadow who was standing incredibly still. "I release you from my command now."
The Queen's Shadow gasped while the yellow eyes dispersed, "…So I wasn't mentally strong enough to avoid mind control."
"It happens to everyone. My brother was physically stronger than me, but he was almost mind controlled by the Warlock's Eye if it weren't for me." Loki reassured her that she isn't the only one who couldn't resist the control. "And I think I heard a rumor that he was mentally defeated by a witch. I'm not entirely sure about that part."
The Queen's Shadow slightly formed a smile, "Thanks for that."
"So you can indeed smile." Loki pointed out, which made her revert to an emotionless expression immediately. "Anyway, I'm going to head back. Are you going to report to the queen about the incident in this village?"
The Queen's Shadow nodded, "Indeed. And should I tell her about the relics?"
"Yes." Loki answered before looking at the beautiful bright moon. "These relics are too dangerous in this world. I'll have to find those three idiots and return the relics to me. Perhaps the last one might even be in the possession of the royal family."
"Why do you say that?" The Queen's Shadow asked.
"I don't know. It's simply a hypothesis." Loki answered.
After their conversation, the Queen's Shadow disappears in the dark while Loki heads back to the village. He doesn't have a plan to have a beauty rest tonight because he'll have to craft numerology potions to sell tomorrow. He kept swinging the scepter around like a child out of boredom, though it was quite unfortunate that the Warlock's Eye was unable to produce an energy blast out of the scepter like the Mind Stone. He would've shot one in the sky for fun.
"A late night out, sire?" Sleipnir asked out of nowhere.
Loki closed his eyes roughly, "Sleipnir, where in the nine realms did you come from?"
"…around." Sleipnir answered sarcastically. "Were you testing the scepter?"
"I was, yes." Loki answered. "Now, go to sleep. I need you in full energy to pull the wagon."
"But before that, Fizzle wondered if he would like to accompany us." Sleipnir told his master about someone's request.
"Fizzle? The filolial king candidate?" Loki questioned. "Why, if I may ask?"
"He doesn't know where to go." Sleipnir answered. "And while he enjoyed playing with Juniper and Fiery earlier, he doesn't belong in this village."
Loki sighed, "I'm sorry, but I have to decline the request. There's already so many of us. I can't take care of you all. The best thing for him is to adapt in this place or if someone passes by and adopts him to venture out in the world."
Sleipnir bowed his head, "I understand. I'll bring the news to him tomorrow morning."
"Thank you." Loki said before entering the house while yawning quietly.
The next day, Loki and his companions were going to depart from the village soon. Fiery and Juniper didn't want them to leave so soon, but eventually did because they have a job to do as heroes of this world. Both of them shared hugs with Sigyn and Raphtalia. On the other hand, Sleipnir had to tell Fizzle about the bad news which he accepted gratefully and willingly listened to the Shield Hero's advice. After hearing about the answer, Loki was grateful that the filolial wasn't mad from the decline.
As Sleipnir dragged the wagon with everyone on it, the villagers waved at them as they also waved back. Loki wished Juniper well, hoping that she learned that family is important. He can't say the same thing about the imprisoned teenagers and their parents. He managed to convince the new village lord to lessen their sentence because they were misguided, which she accepted willingly, much to the parents' dismay.
"They were quite nice people. They gave us a lot of materials to sell as thanks for saving them." Sigyn was looking through all of the fine materials that the villagers gave. "Look at this blanket. It may look old, but I could tell that fabric is expensive."
Loki chuckled, "Yeah, I was supposed to trade them my materials. I didn't expect them to trade theirs to us."
"Or more like giving gifts as thanks. We did save them from the former village lord." Raphtalia said while holding the eight-legged horse's lead. "You should expect gifts when you save someone, Master Loki."
"Well, I never really received any because I wasn't a… hero." Loki was enjoying the remarkable feeling of doing a good deed, but he felt that it wasn't enough to cleanse his criminal actions.
"But I wonder, master. Why didn't you send Sleipnir to apprehend Fiery or the village lord back then?" Sigyn asked curiously, as Sleipnir's ear perked up. It would've ended much quicker."
"If I relied on Sleipnir to do everything, then both of you wouldn't grow. I need both of you to become stronger in order to fight the Waves, hence why I didn't send Sleipnir to solve the situation quickly." Loki explained. "Also, he would've accidentally went through the villagers' bodies with his human body. It would've been disastrous." [3]
"Uh… I can't imagine that…" Raphtalia refused to have a mental image about what would've happened if Sleipnir ran through people while the eight-legged horse agreed that situation would've happened instead.
"Well, at least it's over for now." Sigyn then remembered the book from yesterday. "I forgot to give this to you, master."
"Hm?" Loki accepted the book before flipping through the pages. "This is a book from the Asgardian Royal Family Library. I remembered reading this when I was a child. This book is about all the relics, including the ones that the Allfather doesn't have in his vault. What's it doing here?"
"The former village lord had that book. That's probably the reason why he knows about the relics." Sigyn answered. "He must've searched for one of them relentlessly until he discovered that cave you went in."
Loki scoffed, "He probably spent his whole life trying to find one of these relics, only to be taken from him weeks later. He could've kept it hidden, but he instead used it recklessly. I definitely hope that those three idiots don't know how to use those relics."
"Out of everyone, it has to be those heroes that have the relics." Sigyn then grabbed the scepter before sighing. "But you still don't know the whereabouts of the last one, master?"
"Evidently not." Loki answered. "If the last one is missing, it better be the Tuning Fork. It'll be risky if someone has it, otherwise, they'll have to face an extra-dimensional monster that feeds fear… unless it'll be summoned on the ruins of Asgard back in my universe, but then Midgard and other realms would be in danger then."
"In short, it's bad news for both sides." Raphtalia said.
"I'm afraid so." Loki agreed.
"Master, somebody is on the road." Sigyn said while her right eye was closed.
Loki and Raphtalia looked ahead and saw a weary person running on the mountainous road in front of them. Loki noticed that there was something wrong because the person was running towards someone in a hurry. He could tell due to his experience in seeing the same expression from the young vikings in the past. He ordered Sleipnir to stop near him.
"Is there something wrong?" Raphtalia asked the man.
The man stopped before staring at her, "Please, would you let me ride on your wagon?"
"And why is that?" Sigyn asked cautiously.
"There's a village on the other side of the mountains." The man answered. "I need to give them this medicine immediately!"
Loki stood up, "Alright. Sleipnir is fast so we can get there within one to three minutes, but you'll have to pay one silver if I'm going to help you."
"B-But… I don't have any… I spent everything on this…" The man said.
"Hmm. Then offer me anything else when we get there, but don't try to trick me. I'll know when you do." Loki said.
The man nodded instantly, "Y-Yes!"
As Loki pulled the man on top of the horse, he then ordered Sleipnir to run at a slightly faster pace to avoid the man from falling off due to his tremendous speed. Sleipnir then produced a loud whooshing sound when he ran, which made the man scream in fear. It was still ridiculous fast despite the eight-legged horse holding back his speed.
"Off they go." Sigyn said.
"So we're just going to wait here, Big Sis Sigyn?" Raphtalia asked before joining her in the wagon to talk with her properly.
"Well, that's the plan." Sigyn answered while playing with the scepter. "I wonder if Master Loki will allow me to use this against that princess b*tch."
Raphtalia jumped from the unexpected comment, "Are you still mad at the princess, Big Sis?"
Sigyn scoffed before lightly putting the scepter back, "I'll never forgive her for trying to make me criminalize an innocent man like Master Loki. She also threatened me by killing my parents if I didn't do what she ordered me to do. If it weren't for our master, I would've been… devastated… for ruining one's life to save mine."
Raphtalia smiled, "I'm sure Master Loki wouldn't mind if he knew about your situation at that time."
"Perhaps, but it wouldn't have changed the fact that I would've accused him of raping me if he didn't knew about my situation in advance." Sigyn said. "I was lucky at that time, but I'm still satisfied with the second chance I've got. And I want to have a payback towards the princess for almost ruining my life while also avenging the unfortunate ones that she ultimately did."
"Maybe Master Loki would allow you someday, but I don't think now or later is the best time to do so." Raphtalia said optimistically.
Sigyn smiled before rubbing her lil' sis on the head, "You're so adorable, Raphtalia. Trying to cheer me up."
"Big Sis! I'm not a child anymore." Raphtalia pouted as she doesn't want her big sis to be treated like a child, though she didn't quite mind the head pat.
"But you are still a child. You're only big because of your level after all." Sigyn said while pulling Raphtalia's cheeks, much to her displeasure and complaint.
"Big Sis Sigyn!" Raphtalia shouted comically across the stars.
Unknown Village
At the village gate, the guard noticed that something was coming on his way at an incredible speed. It was an eight-legged horse. He has never seen an odd horse before, but he shook it off when he noticed that two people were riding the said horse. They weren't stopping any time soon.
"Hey! Stop! You have to pay the toll!" The guard yelled at the two passengers.
Loki threw the merchant pendant before Sleipnir jumped over the gate, "Keep it safe! I'll be back for it later! I advise you not to lose it!"
After arriving in the village, the three of them arrived at their destination. Sleipnir waited outside while Loki and the man entered the house where a sick old woman was lying on the bed. Loki watched the man deliver the medicine to the elderly woman to see how effective it was compared to his medicine potions while slightly observing the house in case there were deadly traps. It wouldn't be the first time that happened.
"Mother, I've brought your medicine." The man said to the elderly woman.
Loki slightly flinched, 'Mother?'
When the elderly woman coughed, Loki had a sudden memory from the time he spent time with his mother while Thor was trained by Odin at that time. He remembered the story she told him about the time she was sick after contracting a virus during her days as a warrior before retiring as queen and mother. He declared innocently that he won't ever make his mother sick ever again. He smiled after remembering that quality time with his mother due to witnessing the sick and bedridden elderly woman.
Loki stared at the low quality potion before sighing, "Young man, boil some water. I'll give your mother the medicine."
"But…" The man wasn't sure whether to accept it because he'll have to pay.
"Free of charge." Loki added.
After the man gave the medicine to the Shield Hero and departed to boil some water, Loki observed the potion closely, noticing that it certainly wouldn't heal the woman's sickness entirely, only a portion of it which is pointless because the rest of the bacteria will simply replace the ones that were healed. He used his Legendary Shield to increase the potion's effect, which should heal her completely without any issues.
"Drink up, ma'am." Loki said before slightly lifting her head and carefully giving the potion to the elderly woman.
After drinking the potion, the elderly woman was glowing due to the increased effects of the medicine. The woman lifted her body without any issue, which made Loki smile that it was a success. She then turned her attention to the Shield Hero while her son recently got back.
"Thank you so much, young man." The elderly woman expressed her thanks towards the gentleman.
"You're welcome." Loki said while smiling happily. 'I'm technically older than you, but I'm not going to ruin the moment.'
"Mother! The medicine's working already?" The man was surprised that the medicine already healed his mother, unbeknownst to him that its effects had increased.
"Yes, the pain is gone already." The elderly woman answered.
As Loki departed from the house after a respectable bow towards the mother and son, he rode on the eight-legged horse for departure. The man was curious about the savior's magic, but decided to restrain his curiosity. He then gave him a bag filled with food.
"Is this payment alright?" The man asked curiously.
Loki nodded before wrapping it around his arm, "It will. Farewell, young lad."
"Thank you very much!" The man expressed his thanks once before the God of Mischief departed. 'Wait. Did he call me 'young lad'? I'm older than him…. right?'
'It looks like being a merchant is a good idea.' Loki said mentally while holding on to Sleipnir's head collar rope tightly due to the speed.
Throughout the past few days, Loki and his companions have been traveling all around the random locations to trade with the locals. They sold food for profit and gave medicine in return for food. Sleipnir was standing guard in his human form whenever they sold food while Sigyn roamed around in different towns and villages to collect some information about the relics while also trying to find the village that was rumored to be covered in vines, but so far, she hadn't found any.
During that time, Sleipnir was beginning to master his new body. He has been grinding for XP in order to increase his level at a rapid pace. Sigyn noticed that he mostly used his legs to attack the monsters instead of his arms, which made sense because he's a horse. He also had incredible leaping ability and durability while fighting the monsters, which means that he can tank the attacks without Loki to shield him from danger. He reached Level 21, which was still slightly behind that of his companions' levels. Loki is Level 31 while Sigyn and Raphtalia are Level 29.
Loki has also been reading the book that Sigyn found from the second village they've visited while crafting some new medicine potions to trade with. He had already memorized the contents within the book already as a teenager, but he wanted to feel nostalgic. It's also the fact that the book is the only remaining remnant from Asgard. The Warlock's Eye and other relics don't count because they didn't belong to Asgard before. They are merely a collection from their previous wars and conquests before the Allfather decided to change.
Meanwhile, Raphtalia was training with her swordsmanship and dark magic. She was having a difficult time with the latter as it requires immense concentration in order to make herself "invisible" to the naked eye. Loki noticed this and decided to teach her the same way his mother taught him about illusion magic, however, he isn't sure whether he is going to be a good teacher like his mother, but he'll try his best.
"Hey, Raph." Loki greeted her disciple.
"Master Loki!" Raphtalia was surprised by her master's sudden arrival. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you."
"It's fine. I notice that you're struggling." Loki then sat in front of her on the floor. "You're learning this realm's dark magic to cast an illusion, am I right?"
Raphtalia nodded, "Yeah, but it's a bit difficult."
Loki chuckled, "I shared the same feeling. I used to think it was impossible for me to learn sorcery from my mother when I was a child. The way she casted them was so spectacular."
"Wow. She must be an amazing magic caster." Raphtalia complimented her master's mother.
Loki smiled, "She was. And so, she trained me and I practiced a lot. A couple of years later, I finally mastered my mother' sorcery, though still not on the same level as her. I could do anything because my mother believed in me, so I believe in you as well, my disciple."
"I'll try." Raphtalia said while trying to perform dark magic by reading a grimoire.
Loki stared at the grimoire before closing it, "I'd rather not rely on these books. I'll instead teach you, Raphtalia."
"Teach me?" Raphtalia questioned. "Are you going to teach me illusion magic, master?"
Loki nodded before standing, "And I won't just teach you about this realm's dark magic. I'll also be teaching you my magic."
Raphtalia widened her eyes, "You mean-?"
"Exactly. I'm going to pass down my skills to you. It won't be easy, but you're a quick learner so it'll be fine." Loki added before staring at the window. "I'm not gonna let my mother's magic die when I'm gone from this world in the possible future."
"I… don't know what to say, master…" Raphtalia couldn't deny or accept the offer to learn her master's superior magic.
"Then I accept your silence as a 'yes'." Loki said. "I won't take 'no' for an answer, Raphtalia."
Raphtalia sighed before smiling, "Yes, master. Please teach me well."
Loki nodded, "So first all…"
After a long night, Loki was teaching Raphtalia the basics of sorcery which are extremely difficult to learn while Sigyn and Sleipnir were watching them from afar. Sleipnir decided to sleep on the human bed instead of the stables because it's much more comfortable while Sigyn decided to sneak out of the rented house to gather one more information regarding the relics. It's the least she could do.
As she roamed around the village throughout, she couldn't find any information about the relics. She hopes the next village they'll visit has a promising one. She was about to walk back to the house until she noticed a sign that needed protection for himself and his goods. She took out the poster and walked towards the address instead. Upon arriving at the destination, she was greeted by the merchant.
"Hello!" The merchant greeted the 'customer' before staring at her appearance and the poster. "Oooh~! You accepted my help! I'm honored."
"As long as you pay my master, then there is no issue. We'll leave tomorrow morning." Sigyn isn't sure whether to accept the help without her master's permission, but she's confident that he won't turn it down. "But first, I need to know your name."
"I'm Hickwaal. A merchant, you see." Hickwaal introduced himself. "What about you, young lady?"
"Sigyn." Sigyn introduced herself before walking out the door until a question popped into her mind. "Say, merchant. Do you know anything about unusual relics around here?"
"Hmm… unusual relics. I'm afraid not." Hickwaal answered. "Why? Is it important?"
"It's important for my master. These relics are dangerous in anyone's hands." Sigyn said with a chilling tone before walking out of the store. "Good night to you, Mr. Hickwaal."
The next morning, Loki and his companions departed for a mission that Sigyn accepted without permission. Loki doesn't have any problems with it as long as they aren't fooled, though he guessed that the man they're escorting was a merchant. Meanwhile, Sigyn was guiding Sleipnir while Raphtalia was in the wagon to practice her illusion magic, as her hand was slightly glowing green like her master's though it was more difficult than she initially thought.
"What luck I have!" Hickwaal expressed his excitement. "I can't believe that I'm riding the Savior of the Demonic Foal's cart!" [4]
"…demonic… what…?" Loki was confused by the name while Sleipnir was restraining himself from running off angrily and cursing the one who gave him that name.
"You have a reputation around this area." Hickwaal said. "You ride a wagon pulled by an eight-legged horse demon, healing those suffering from illness with your personal elixir."
"I'm honored, though somebody has to change that name." Loki then stared at Sleipnir who was groaning loudly out of annoyance at the name. "My steed doesn't like it when somebody calls him a demon. Horses are smart after all."
"I'm more surprised that you aren't bothered by the fact that he has eight legs, mister." Raphtalia pointed out while still struggling with the complicated illusion magic.
"Eh, I tend to ignore. I am nothing, but a humbling merchant after all." Hickwaal told everyone the reason, even though he is interested in the unusual eight-legged horse.
Loki then turned his attention to Raphtalia, "How is the attempt to make an illusion of my dagger, Raphtalia? Did you make any progress?"
"I'm kind of struggling here, master. I barely even made the tilt." Raphtalia answered while sweating tremendously.
"You can do it, lil sis." Sigyn encourages her close friend while eyeing something or someone in the distance.
"Now that piques my curiosity." Hickwaal whispered to himself while witnessing an odd type of magic. He was interested to know about it, but something tells him that neither the savior nor his allies will tell him about it.
"You'll get there in time, Raph. It wasn't easy the first time as well." Loki remembered when it took him a week to simply make an illusion of an asgardian kitchen knife. He already expected that Raphtalia wouldn't be able to master the basics within a day.
Sigyn frowned at the men suspiciously, "Master Loki, there are men on the road ahead."
Loki stuck his head out to see numerous men, who are presumably bandits judging by their clothing. He is disappointed that they have no sense of fashion like the vikings who worshipped him and his fellow gods. Raphtalia was ready to take out the sword while Sigyn was ready to pull out her dagger to use as a throwing knife when the situation called for it. Sleipnir was merely bored by their presence.
"Hey! Stop!" The first bandit ordered them, as Sigyn signaled Sleipnir to stop. "We heard that there's an accessory seller riding a cart pulled by a strange horse. You're there, aren't you?"
Loki turned his attention to Hickwaal, "You have some issues, huh?"
"Y-Yeah…" Hickwaal was hiding in the corner of the wagon, terrified to be captured or robbed by the bandits.
"If you hand him over, we'll spare your lives." The second bandit declared deceitfully while smirking.
Loki jumped off the wagon to confront the bandits, "Oh, I don't think so. I know a liar when I see one. Besides, you're simply saying that you'll be taking our stuff instead of our lives. I still need them for business."
"You are in no position to negotiate, whoever you are." The first bandit said before eyeing Sigyn and Raphtalia. "Oooh~ both of them are quite the looker, even though one of them is a demi-human. We're going to have some fun tonight~."
As the bandits laughed in agreement, Sigyn and Raphtalia were preparing to launch at them and slit their throats, but they saw their master who shook his head to signal that it wasn't time to attack yet. Loki merely wants to enjoy more of their confidence before shattering it. His sadistic side is emitting out of his body.
"It is unfortunate that all of you are treating my companions with playthings. In my culture, we respect women and treat them as equals for strength is in everyone." Loki then conjured both daggers in his hand. "You'll witness the wrath that you have brought into yourselves for underestimating them."
The second bandit laughed, "Are you joking, right now!? We've got an advanced-class mercenary on our side. If you would, sir?"
The mercenary then smirked while preparing to pull out his weapon.
'Advanced-class? Am I supposed to be afraid of that?' Loki asked arrogantly. 'Is he comparing a god like me to an ant, right now?'
"Master Loki, may we please attack now?" Sigyn asked eagerly.
Loki sighed while smiling, "Both of you are too impatient, but I approve. Teach those mongrels to never understand anyone ever again."
"By the power I bear, I command you, heed mh law and cast an illusion to hide me." Raphtalia cast an incantation for the spell. "Hide Mirage!"
When Raphtalia disappeared from the naked eye using an illusion from this world, the bandits slightly panicked due to the unexpected spell. Loki was slightly impressed that Raphtalia managed to 'master' this world's illusion magic, though it was too basic and the incarnation was too long. He could still 'see' Raphtalia standing in front of him without any effort. Nonetheless, he was glad that she mastered one ability at least.
"Chain Lightning!" Sigyn summons several blindingly bright bolts of lightning which then jump from bandit to bandit, causing electrical damage.
"Aaaaah! Whaaat theeeee fuuuuu-!" The fourth bandit yelled while screaming in excruciating pain.
'Litr Kick' Sleipnir yelled mentally before delivering a kick which created devastating flames of wind towards the bandits, as they suffered from both zapping by lightning and being burnt by fire. [5]
Afterwards, the bandits were slicin and dicin by Raphtalia nonlethally. They were then tied up by Sigyn roughly while Loki was drinking tea after conjuring one. He almost forgot that he stole some utensils from Earth back in 2012 after visiting the United Kingdom for a while. He was surprised that the tea was still warm after six years. He then walked towards them while feeling frustrated that they lost to three skilled adventurers, which they thought was unfair.
"Well, thou art was hilarious and underwhelming." Loki pointed out before conjuring an apple before walking towards the bandits to interrogate them. "Now, tell us. Who sent you all?"
"It was another merchant. They said that you'd be loaded with some good stuff if we were to take your wagon!" The first bandit answered instantly.
"Oh, that was unexpectedly fast." Loki was slightly surprised that they're willing to answer without any hesitation.
Hickwaal sighed disappointingly, "So I've been betrayed by my partners."
"You have a lot of problems to deal with, merchant." Loki then glared at the bandits while taking a bite on the apple. "So what are we going to do with them?"
"Well, we usually hand them over to the patrol." Hickwaal answered.
The second bandit then slightly recognized the familiar assailant, "Hold on, aren't you the Shield Hero? You don't have a weapon, only a shield. It's easy enough to tell it's you."
"The Shield Hero?" Hickwaal was surprised to discover that a fellow merchant is one of the Legendary Heroes.
"Then you should know me by now that I am not one to be underestimated." Loki said coldly before throwing the apple at Sleipnir. "I know what you're planning. You're going to tell the patrol that you're simply adventurers who were ambushed by the mischievous scamp, the Shield Hero, and his disciples?"
"Of course! They would rather trust us over some well-known criminal." The first bandit said while smiling wickedly, along with the rest of his allies who laughed at him.
"That is unfortunate." Loki signaled Sigyn to hand over the scepter before staring back at the bandits. "You'll have to die by my hands then."
"Wait… what?" The third bandit questioned, as he and his allies were surprised by the sudden declaration.
"As I said, I am not one to be underestimated. I may seek redemption for my previous actions back in my world, but I have no regrets of executing the guilty." Loki then pointed the scepter at them. "And there's one thing you are misinformed about. I can wield other weapons, just not from this world but mine."
"You devil! You really live up to your name as the Savior of the Demonic Foal!" The first bandit yelled at Loki.
"Well, I am considered as The Devil by the mortals due to the current dominating religion in my world." Loki doesn't mind comparing himself to the Devil. "And it is only natural to eliminate problems early before they occur in the near future. Besides, I can't have you roam around freely after killing plenty of people, am I right? Your fate has been decided."
"Wait! Please spare our lives! We're sorry!" The second bandit pleaded immediately for the threat.
"Mhm… I'm thinking about it." Loki said before smiling after having an idea. "Alright then, I'll let you live… but you'll have to give us something lest you prefer to suffer a painful death."
All bandits nodded immediately, "Yes, we will!"
Loki chuckled mischievously, "Good."
A few minutes later, all of them arrived at the bandits' camp. The bandits gave all of the stolen treasures to Loki if they wanted to survive. Sigyn was helping her master with receiving the stolen treasures in the wagon while Sleipnir kept a close eye on the bandits and intimidated them which is very effective due to his unusual, terrifying appearance. Meanwhile, Raphtalia and Hickwaal were simply watching the bandits fall in line to give the treasures.
"Of course he ordered the bandits to give their treasures to him. That's a Master Loki thing to do." Raphtalia doesn't know why she was surprised. "It honestly makes us more evil than the evildoers."
"Well, that's not really accurate as they offered their entire fortune to purchase their lives. It's honestly fair trading from the Savior of the Demonic Foal." Hickwaal reassured her to avoid the negative view. "The Shield Hero is a model merchant as he deals with human lives as well, which is an unusual thing that we haven't seen in years!"
"I'm not sure if the last part is a good thing or not." Raphtalia pointed out.
"Lil Sis Raphtalia, if you have time to talk then please offer us your help with this work." Sigyn said.
"It's fine, Sigyn. Just let her be." Loki said while lifting a small, heavy chest before turning attention towards Hickwaal. "To the more important topic, how are you going to pay me for causing us trouble? And it better be worth it."
"Then I'll offer you all of my knowledge and connections." Hickwaal answered.
"Mhm… well, that is a good payment then." Loki said.
After taking all of the bandits' treasures for their lives, Loki and his companions departed from their camp. The bandits thought that they were safe, but unbeknownst to them, their comrades were silently captured by numerous Queen's Shadows one by one until there was one left. Loki contacted the Queen's Shadow that is following him to capture the bandits for they are too dangerous to roam around freely. In short, he basically tricked them into thinking they're free from being punished by the justice system.
'They should've learned more about me. They wouldn't have been fooled by the God of Mischief.' Loki was holding his laughter for doing a great job in tricking the bandits while his companions were confused about what he did.
When they arrived in a nearby village, they rented a room in the inn for the night. Loki was taught on how to craft precious metals and use the necessary tools by Hickwaal while his disciples and steed were sleeping peacefully. Hw was then taught how to cut gems and imbue them with mana. He was able to learn magic by feeling the flow of mana, which is something he was slightly familiar with when training illusion magic under his mother.
Throughout the entire night, Loki has been learning a few things from the helpful merchant such as acquiring a new trade skill of gem crafting. He mastered it beautifully within one night, which impressed Hickwaal. In the next morning, he was introduced to the merchant information network while his companions were roaming around to buy some food. He was given the news about the other heroes' whereabouts from the merchants. He was desperate to have knowledge of their locations as they have the other three relics within their grasp.
'The Spear went southwest and saved a starving village with the aid of a legendary plant. That horrendous princess must've told him what to do. And could it be the village that was rumored to be overrun by vines? If so, what have you done, you idiots?' Loki thought about the possibility before hearing about the other heroes' locations. 'The Sword journeyed in the southeast to search for strong monsters, such as defeating a dragon, while the Bow had vague and lacking news about him, such as going into the mountains to train or joining the resistance movement in another country. It seems it's going to be difficult finding these three stooges.'
After learning the knowledge and connections from Hickwaal, he departed to the next destination with an envelope from him. He is currently going to the location where the merchant sells his gem. The envelope was basically a seal of approval. Once arrived at the location, Loki gave the envelope to the man in charge, who was the mine's foreman.
"This seal is certainly his." The foreman said after reviewing the envelope. "He's always so moody and tight with money, yet he approves of this? I don't understand him at all."
"Does this mean I can buy a specific gem now?" Loki asked curiously,
The foreman nodded, "Yeah, I'll put an order in and we'll give you a good discount on it. What is this 'specific gem' you are looking for?"
"A gem for spinning magic thread. I need it for my loyal servant." Loki answered.
The foreman gasped from the request, "U-Unfortunately, we don't have any yet. But I know a location on where to find one. Is that alright?"
Loki sighed, "Fine, I don't really care as long as I have that gem."
"It seems the quest to find the gem isn't finished yet." Sigyn said teasingly.
"Quiet, Sigyn." Loki ordered her while yawning due to exhaustion from staying awake overnight, even though he can still go on for a few days without a sleep due to his biology.
Unknown Temple
After the man in charge told Loki and his companions, they went back to Melromarc to fetch the Magic Shop Owner for the gem confirmation, otherwise, they would've picked the wrong gem. Besides, it's nice to have a temporary ally to fight against the monsters that dwell.
"I never imagined we would find a place to find one so quickly." The Magic Shop Owner said.
"But we can't celebrate just yet." Loki said while cleaning his daggers. "The place we're going to is pretty much bothersome."
"I know." The Magic Shop Owner said. "Ah, I almost forgot. I heard about your good deeds about saving an entire village that was suppressed by the former village lord."
Loki perked up from hearing about that incident, "How do you know about that?"
"Why, the merchants of course. They passed by my shop and discussed a certain someone that rescued that village and its inhabitants." The Magic Shop Owner answered. "You've been busy, Shield Hero."
"It was nothing. I wouldn't have known about the incident if I wasn't looking for a specific object in that place. It was merely a coincidence." Loki couldn't tell her that he specifically went to that village to retrieve one of the relics.
"Master Loki." Raphtalia informs her master that they've arrived at the location, as Loki took a closer look. It was an abandoned, yet slightly unblemished temple.
"Huh, it looks like an Egyptian temple." Loki pointed out, remembering to see quite a few temples that the Ennead ordered the Ancient Egyptians in the past to build a temple. [6]
Once all of them got off the wagon, Loki and his companions observed the exterior of the dirt temple. Loki noticed that there was some writing that was probably from Midgard, though he couldn't read it because he only knew a few languages from that realm. He is only fluent in the Nordic languages.
"So that's where we're going to find the gem?" Sigyn questioned while preparing her knife. 'It seems we're going tomb raiding.'
"Yeah, I've heard stories about this place." The Magic Shop Owner answered. "A long time ago, there was an infamous alchemist who used this temple as his stronghold. We're going to have to find a cave."
"That's a bit annoying." Loki expressed his complaint.
After finding the cave, all of them proceeded to enter. Sleipnir is joining with them in case they need a quick escape or a quick fight. It was honestly convenient to have the fastest horse in the world, otherwise, they would be in big trouble. As they walked through the dark tunnels with a torch, Sigyn and Raphtalia felt a sense of uneasiness due to the silence.
"Oh right, no one has been coming near this place due to the monsters that are nesting inside according to the mine's foreman." Loki reminded everyone. "Remember to stay on guard, especially the ones who haven't experienced a battle instinct yet."
"Yes, master." Sigyn and Raphtalia agreed in unison.
A couple of seconds later, they found an empty chest with an ancient script written beside it. Loki took the chest and sealed it away to conjure it later for some uses, as Raphtalia criticized him for stealing which Loki shrugged it off with a silent laugh, while the Magic Shop Owner was reading the script.
"It's an ancient script." The Magic Shop Owner pointed out. "It says, 'I pray that these seeds never see the world. It's my dream that none should ever starve, shall the worst fruits bear upon it'. Those are the words."
"It looks like somebody stole it, meaning that the world has witnessed whatever see-" Loki then realized if there was a connection between the rumored village covered in vines and the idiot Spear Hero saving a 'village' with the legendary plant.
"Master, are you okay?" Sigyn asked worriedly.
Loki nodded, "I'm fine. I'm just piecing together a puzzle. Anyway, whoever has the seeds certainly brought chaos somewhere."
"That's bad." Raphtalia said.
Sleipnir then nicked his master about the passageway by staring at it. As Loki and his companions entered the passageway, Sleipnir sensed an ominous presence behind him. He followed Master Loki slowly while keeping guard on the unknown presence that is following him and his companions right now.
You damn horse, stop slowing us down. Hurry up.
Sleipnir heard a muffled voice in front of him, which was the voice of his master. He noticed that something is wrong with his master's voice because he doesn't say those types of words towards his allies anymore. He guessed whether he was hallucinating or it was that same ominous presence that he felt earlier.
"Look. A monster's pawprint." The Magic Shop Owner pointed at the giant pawprint on the ground. "It seems that it's big."
"We have no choice. We'll have to keep going to find what we're looking for." Loki said. "We'll just have to avoid whatever type of monster that is lurking in this cave. Be awa-"
Loki couldn't finish his sentence when the torch he was holding quenched, which surprised everyone. All of them felt the ominous presence that Sleipnir felt earlier, except it was stronger than usual. Loki took out his respective weapons immediately due to the possibility of a monster attack, as Sigyn did the same. He then looked back at his allies worriedly.
I'm done with being Master Loki's ally. I don't want to be oppressed by him any longer. I only joined him so that I could kill him when I had the chance.
Loki widened his eyes in shock, 'Raphtalia!?'
I didn't need your help when I was threatened by Princess Malty. I could've handled the situation myself. You had to ruin it, and now, my parents had to run away from her.
'Sigyn!? You too!?' Loki doesn't understand why his trusted disciples are acting more unusually than before. Suddenly, he was smacked in the head by Sleipnir. "Agh! Sleipnir! What was that for!?"
"It was to snap you out of it! Don't listen to those voices!" The Magic Shop Owner answered loudly.
"Huh? What is going on?" Loki asked while massaging his face from the painful horse kick.
"The monsters here deceive you with the words that you're more afraid of in your mind!" The Magic Shop Owner answered. "It seems that your horse boy is immune to their effects."
"I felt an ominous feeling earlier, hence why I kept my guard up. It was also suspicious how my prince suddenly acted like his previous self." Sleipnir said.
"Couldn't you have thought about the possibility that I may have tricked you? I am the God of Mischief after all." Loki pointed out, but Sleipnir shrugged it off. "Anyway, I didn't think there were those types of monsters here. I need to read more about them."
Bullseye
There was something that flew past his face, leaving a "scratch" on his face. When Loki touched his cheek, there was no scratch on his face at all nor was it bleeding. It was still perfectly in condition. He looked back to see that Sigyn didn't take out her bow, as it was too risky to use one in a tunnel with numerous people.
"What just happened? Why did it feel like I received a scratch?" Loki asked the Magic Shop Owner.
"It's the same monster that is deceiving you." The Magic Shop Owner answered. "It's a Voice Gengar."
"How dare they deceive a trickster? Thou shalt suffer for that." Loki declared with a slightly angry tone before turning his attention to the Magic Shop Owner. "Can you do something about it? Can't hit what I can't see."
"I guess you understand now what it's like to be tricked whenever you use your illusions on your friends, Your Highness." Sleipnir pointed out bluntly.
"Not the time, Sleipnir!" Loki ordered him.
"By the power I bear, I command you, heed my law and return our vision!" The Magic Shop Owner then flicked her wand to cast the spell. "Fast Anti-Bind!"
As soon as the ominous, illusionary barrier was shattered by the Magic Shop Owner, Sleipnir ran through several of them in a blink of an eye, leaving a golden streak, while Sigyn and Raphtalia sliced them with their respective weapons. Loki then finished the rest of them with an Energy Blast Shield, burning them to death painfully. When all of the Voice Gengar monsters were killed in their vicinity, all of them calmed down slightly.
"I never thought I would use my experimental shield to kill some annoying pests." Loki expressed his disbelief that he had to use one of his strongest shields against the bats. He placed a bit of Energy Blast on his Legendary Shield the other day, disbelieving that it would've worked but it did.
"Is everyone all right?" The Magic Shop Owner asked worriedly.
"Yes, we're fine." Raphtalia asked.
Sigyn clenched her fist, "I'm still annoyed that those bats told me that Big Sis doesn't love me nor I'm worth anything to Master Loki."
"If you weren't worth anything to me, then I wouldn't have recruited you after saving your parents." Loki reassured his disciple that Sigyn is important while placing a couple of the Voice Gengar monsters' skins in his Legendary Shield, which unlocked the Voice Gengar Shield though it doesn't look very much useful.
"We'll have to keep going, sire." Sleipnir said before handing his master a newly ignited torch to Loki. "There could be more of them."
"You have my thanks." Loki expressed his thanks before receiving the torch.
"We better end this fast, otherwise, I might end up emptying my arrows sooner rather than later!" Sigyn said angrily, remembering the hurtful words from the false voice of Loki and Raphtalia.
"You're not the only one." Raphtalia agreed with her.
"Should I scout ahead, Your Highness?" Sleipnir asked curiously.
Loki nodded, "Yes, please. They might be more of these monsters."
As Sleipnir left to scout ahead after a bow, he came back within seconds later. He informed them that there were various valuable crystals at the end of the tunnel. He also informed them that there is a sleeping lion-like monster, which slightly resembles the Nemean Lion that Hercules fought before but smaller and it has a snake for tail.
"A lion with a snake tail? Then that's a Nue." The Magic Shop Owner informed them. "Small, but dangerous. We must be cautious."
"Luckily," Loki then conjured the scepter in his hands. "We might have to end the fight without having to lay a punch… hopefully."
"Are you sure, sire? What if the Warlock's Eye doesn't work on it?" Sleipnir pointed out.
"Then you'll deal with it. Raphtalia and Sigyn are curious how you fight in human form anyway, isn't that right?" Loki asked his disciples who nodded in confirmation.
"If you say so, Your Highness." Sleipnir accepted the answer.
Once they reached the end of the tunnel, there were several crystals everywhere in a slightly humongous cave. Sleipnir pointed at the monster that he described in the middle of the cave where it was sleeping peacefully. All of them knew that it would wake up immediately once they walked towards it due to its sensitive smell and hearing.
"That's the one we're looking for." The Magic Shop Owner pointed at the crystals before staring at the monster in the middle. "But that's a bit of a problem."
"So that's a Nue. I've heard about these creatures in Ancient Japan where the pantheon of Shinto Gods once reigned." Loki informed everyone, which fascinated Raphtalia and Sigyn while the shop owner wondered what he meant by 'gods'. "But this is a bother. Now, let's test if the scepter is effective against it."
"I'm going in then!" Raphtalia then ran towards the monster.
"Raphtalia! Damn it!" Sigyn also ran towards the monster to protect her lil' sis.
"H-Hold on, the two of you!" Loki ordered them to retreat, but neither of them listened which infuriated him. He facepalmed himself while Sleipnir comforted his prince. "Those two are going to experience my wrath after this, but this is also a chance for them to fight against a strong enemy. Keep an eye on them, Sleipnir."
"As you wish, Your Highness." Sleipnir accepted the order before eyeing on his master's disciples.
As Raphtalia was charging at the Nue, it stood up instantly before leaping behind her. The Nue kicked Raphtalia on the back, which knocked her on the ground while groaning in pain. The Nue then dodged to the side after sensing the sound of flying arrows fired by Sigyn. Sigyn kept firing her arrows without any stopping, but she'll soon run out if she focuses on one monster that kept dodging them. The Nue then launched itself towards Sigyn who couldn't dodge the attack in time until she was rescued by the shop owner.
"Zweit Fire Blast!" The Magic Shop Owner casted an advanced fire magic spell, which produced a mixture of red and blue flames all over the body, as the Nue roared in excruciating pain from the fire magic, but it wasn't enough to take it down.
When the Nue was about to attack Sigyn again out of anger, Sleipnir arrived in front of it in milliseconds before delivering a devastating kick which sent the monster into a wall. He then helped Sigyn up from the ground while massaging his knee due to the ridiculous durability from the Nue, meaning that it wasn't killed by his one kick. When the Nue arose in anger, Loki threw the Star Shield at the monster but it slashed the shield to block it, which then ricocheted off the ground and back to the wielder.
Suddenly, there was electricity emitting all over Nue's body. Loki knew that it'll release a dangerous attack, so he activated Air Strike Shield and Shield Prison to protect his allies who are closer to the electrical charged monster while the shop owner was safe from the attack. When the Nue released a devastating electricity attack like a bomb, Raphtalia, Sigyn, Sleipnir, and Loki could feel the intense vibration everywhere. Loki briefly strolled down a memory lane of his brother due to sounds of the electricity before snapping back to reality. He then deactivated the Shield Prison where he saw the Nue was panting tiredly after releasing that attack.
"That was dangerous. It seems your speed isn't going to be enough to defeat that thing, Sleipnir. You aren't exactly good with lightning." Loki reminded his steed about the time when he tried to outrun his brother's lightning as a test of using Mjølnir for the very first time, which ultimately led to the eight-legged horse in a two-month coma.
"You don't have to remind me of that, my prince." Sleipnir certainly didn't want to be reminded of the eldest prince's lightning attack. He doesn't consider Hela to be the eldest child of Odin for her royalty was stripped the moment she betrayed his king.
"Then how are we going to get closer to it in order to use the scepter?" Sigyn asked while aiming her bow at the Nue.
"I can get closer to it. I'll cast an illusion on m-" Raphtalia was offering a solution, but Loki raised his hand to stop her.
"That won't work, Raphtalia. If there's anything that the Nue and ordinary predators have in common, it's that their senses, specifically the smell and hearing. It'll detect you before you can get closer to it." Loki explained the flaws with her plan. "Besides, you're still new to the illusion magic of this realm. Do not attempt to use it on the Nue. Understand?"
Raphtalia lowered her head sadly, "I understand, master."
"Then what are we going to do? We can't attack it directly. It'll activate its lightning attack once Sleipnir moves an inch." Sigyn asked her master. "And it's not like we can escape. It'll definitely chase us and capture us, except for Sleipnir."
"I'm thinking right now, Sigyn." Loki answered her while observing the Nue for any kinds of weakness from the monster, but he couldn't think of any. His prominent skills, deception and mischievousness, are clearly useless against an enemy who could sense his trickery. He had struggles with facing Bilgsnipe as well during his younger years, but Thor saved him in a nick of time.
Sleipnir then had an idea, "If it has remarkable hearing and smell, then isn't that a weakness as well? They're probably sensitive to sound."
"Sound? Of course." Loki then scans the unlocked shield icons to find the specific shield mode he is looking for. After finding the shield, he changed his shield from the Star Shield to the Voice Gengar Shield which has a special effect called 'megaphone'. "Sleipnir, I need you to transform into a horse and scream at his shield."
Sleipnir nodded before slowly transforming back into his original appearance, "I understand."
"What should we do, master?" Raphtalia asked while raising her sword.
Loki then threw the scepter at Sigyn, "Once the Nue is briefly incapacitated, use the scepter to brainwash him. If it doesn't work, then get out of the way so that we can kill it with sound."
Raphtalia and Sigyn nodded, "Understand, master."
"Cover your ears, everyone!" Loki ordered everyone, as Sleipnir released the loudest horse yell into the Voice Gengar Shield, which produced loud sound waves that Loki had to endure for the Nue.
Once everyone covered their ears, the Nue began to run towards them until it felt another excruciating pain that's worse than before. Its eardrums were bleeding from the powerful sound waves of a horse yell. When the sound died down, Raphtalia ran towards the Nue and sliced one of its eyes, so that it wouldn't recover quickly and give her big sis some space. When Sigyn got closer to the Nue, she placed the tip of the scepter into the Nue's chest. The Nue was frozen for a minute while the blue veins were spreading all over its body before reaching the eye, which the iris turned blue, and mind. The snake part was also brainwashed due to being connected with the main body. The Nue then calmed itself down before bowing respectfully towards Sigyn.
"Well, it seems that it was successful." Loki was satisfied that the Warlock's Eye works against strong monsters while Sleipnir was transforming back into his human form. He then walked towards the both of them with a serious expression. "Raphtalia, Sigyn. I'm warning you both. Do not rush in without a plan. You would've been killed easily if it weren't for me and Sleipnir's interference."
Raphtalia lowered her head guiltily, "I'm sorry, master."
"Same. I was only worried about Raphtalia." Sigyn apologized by lowering her head as well.
"As punishment, both of you will train without any rest tomorrow." Loki gave them their punishment while wrapping a bandage around Raphtalia's broken arm. "We won't have any expedition 'til you learned your lessons."
"We accept our punishment, master." Raphtalia and Sigyn accepted the punishment, as they wouldn't dare to protest against their terrifying master. Both of them learned to never anger a joyful and mischievous person like Loki, otherwise, they would be his wrath. It was this side of their master that they prefer to ignore in the future. His aura was too terrifying when he is serious.
"Master, what should we do with this monster?" Sleipnir asked about the brainwashed Nue. "Are we going to keep it?"
"I let Sigyn decide that since she's the puppeteer." Loki answered before staring at the beautiful crystal around him. "Meanwhile, I'm going to be busy with collecting some of them for profit."
Back at the Magic Shop Owner's shop, Sleipnir was using the spinning wheel while holding the gem from the cave to produce a mana thread. It was honestly exhausting for Sleipnir, but it was nothing compared to staying awake for weeks during the expansion of Asgard by conquering the Nine Realms before a peace treaty in the past.
Loki winced, "I am not going to lie, but that feels painful from my perspective."
"You're not the only one, master." Sigyn agreed with him.
"I'm honestly surprised that he doesn't show any fatigue from spinning his mana into a thread. There are a couple of customers of mine that complained about it." The Magic Shop Owner was vastly impressed that Sleipnir remained unfazed by it.
"He doesn't really get tired easily after fighting in a war for thousands of years. His stamina is insane." Loki explained. "But if he keeps doing that for couple of weeks, then he'll probably drop dead."
"Very reassuring, my prince." Sleipnir said sarcastically, which amused Raphtalia and Sigyn while Loki simply smirked. "I need a meal after this."
"I was planning that after this in the first place." Loki agreed.
Once all of the magic thread was produced, all of them thanked the shop owner before heading out for a meal. After a scrumptious meal for forty minutes, they headed towards the dressmaker's shop to give her the magic thread that is required to make Sleipnir magical clothes that stays with him and doesn't rip apart whenever he transforms back and forth. All three of them had to wait for a couple of minutes for the dressmaker to make the most gorgeous outfit for Sleipnir, much to his despair.
"It's done!" The dressmaker told them loudly, which woke them up instantly.
When the three of them stood up, Sleipnir emerged with the most gentlemanly suit that they've ever seen. His suit resembles a mixture of the medieval clothing worn by nobles with some gold lining around the suit to make him look even more like a nobleman and expensive clothing worn by rich people like Tony Stark with a perfect bow tie in the middle. The dressmaker also made her way to make his new hairstyle have an elegant feeling to it compared to his messy one earlier and placed some makeup on his face with light red lipstick to increase his handsomeness tenfold, much to his annoyance. Raphtalia and Sigyn were mesmerized by his new appearance while Loki was incredibly impressed with the sudden appearance.
"You weren't kidding when you said you're going to make him a gentleman." Loki complimented the dressmaker and her skills.
"Humph. I always keep my word." The dressmaker said proudly while Sigyn and Raphtalia were still staring at Sleipnir, who ignored them while placing his hands on his pockets. "In order to bring out all of Sleipnir's gentleman likeness, I outdid myself! He's going to attract so many girls with his handsome form!"
"Please stop." Sleipnir begged her to stop teasing him. He doesn't understand why he is being treated like a child when he is clearly older than all of them combined, but he would be lying if he doesn't admit that he looks cool and amazing after seeing his appearance in the mirror. He would have consecutive wins during the Asgard Fashion Contest and the title 'Most Handsome Asgardian of the Year' in 965 A.D.
Loki sighed, "looks like I'm going to have to pay you extra for the makeup and hairstyle."
The dressmaker shook her head, "Nope, it's fine! You can only pay me for the magic suit! I only did the extra ones to make him the most handsome man in the world!"
After leaving the dressmaker's shop, Sleipnir attracted unwanted attention from numerous women in the vicinity. Sigyn and Raphtalia were teasing him while Loki simply ignored the situation though found it amusing. He would've never thought that he'll witness Sleipnir, a respected and famous war horse of Odin Allfather, would attract mortal women with his looks. Although he had to push the hilarious moment aside to focus on the village that is presumably in danger by the mysterious seed that was caused by the Spear Hero. He hopes the damage hasn't worsened yet because he still had to punish his disciples for recklessness tomorrow.
Meanwhile, there were several rookie adventurers who were terrified to enter the forest due to the brainwashed Nue that was stationed by Sigyn to avoid the ruckus and panic from the townsfolk. Some of them tried to fight the Nue in order to enter the forest, but all of them were defeated by the monster and ran away unharmed while screaming loudly like a bunch of girls. They wondered where the Three Legendary Heroes were, so that they could dispose of the monster easily. The Nue simply went back to sleep after licking its body while the snake tail remained awake to protect the main body from unknown threats, except for their 'allies'.
CHAPTER 11 ENDED
Author's Notes:
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I apologize for taking so long to upload. The reason for it is because of my school. I'm quite busy and sometimes unmotivated to write this and other fanfic stories that I created. Now that you know the reason why it's taking so slow, I hope you are patient with my fanfic stories.
If you guys are wondering why I did not allow Fizzle, the filolial king candidate, to join the party when he is necessary for meeting Fitoria. I want you to rest assure that he's going to have a role in the future, same with the characters from the previous chapter.
[1] Basically, the Warlock's Eye is weakened after it becomes a replacement for the Mind Stone. I wanted to slightly nerf the Warlock's Eye because it's overpowered, but don't worry because they'll use the relic to its full potential in future chapters. So for now, it'll just have to be the new power source for the scepter.
[2] It's a reference to the Queen's Shadow's most dangerous magic which are Blood Drain and Blood Rain. I don't know how effective their magic is in the novels, but I figured it's similar to the bloodbending which is the most dangerous bending ability in Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
[3] A reference to the very first episode of The Boys where A-Train when he ran through Robin due to the Compound V addiction, effectively killing her and disintegrating her physical body. It was honestly the most gruesome yet one of my favorite scenes of the show, showing how super-speed is honestly dangerous in the real world.
[4] Considering that Filo isn't part of this fanfic because of the whole different filolial depending on the character like Motoyasu from the spin-off novel, I had to come up with a similar name. Luckily, foal has the same pronunciation as fowl. It only took me three minutes to realize that.
[5] Litr is the name borne by a dwarf and a jötunn in Norse Mythology. In Snorri Sturluson's Gylfaginning (49), Litr is kicked into Baldr's funeral pyre by Thor. I had to come up with Sleipnir's moveset from the mythology. Let me know some awesome names for his moves in both human and horse forms.
[6] Yes, a reference to the Egyptian Gods from Moon Knight. I'm thinking of adding the character in this fanfic, but it would obviously not be Marc Spector nor Arthur Harrow. It'll probably be more of an original character where he is either the former Avatar of Khonshu or something. I'm still deciding whether or not I should add them.