Chapter 19: The Gates of Niflheim

Thor, his familia and their allies were not exactly unnoticed. It had to be said that a god like him, escorted by a dozen adventurers in arms, but not heading for the Dungeon, was somewhat conspicuous. The god of thunder had no intention of taking the easy way out. If Farg Galleon wanted war, he was going to get it. Mei, the human captain, approached her god to speak to him.

Lord Thor, are you sure such a direct approach is a good idea? Not that I myself am against a good outburst of violence once in a while, but this guy is vicious.

We can't afford any more finesse, Mei. Trying to find out what traps this guy might have set for us will only waste our time. But I know you're capable of outwitting the crap he may have cooked up.

In that case, we can only hope that your faith in us is well placed.

The god said nothing and only smiled confidently. He knew the value of his children, he had seen them fight, grow, evolve and become stronger. He had full confidence in them. He was a man of action and it would be actions that would prove whether he was right or wrong.

Purhaan, the blonde hume-bunny, approached in turn and spoke in her small, soft, insecure voice.

Erm... won't he hurt Andil and Linda if we attack him?

I don't think so. replied Ygannea the elf. They are not hostages, but precious specimens for him. They are essential to his work.

Exactly. Thor replied. He needs to protect them as much as we do and that gives us a certain advantage.

Which we don't risk losing with a stupid forced entry? Lili asked, rather jaded by the methods employed by the Asgardian god.

On the other hand, it's such a simple approach that a brainy guy like him might not expect it, ironically.

That's wishful thinking. said the pallum supporter with a look of no conviction on her face.

Farther and higher up, on the ramparts, a blond god with a mischievous smile, wearing a hat adorned with a large white feather, was watching the scene. Beside him was a bespectacled young woman with azure hair and a white cloak to hide her body.

Are you sure you want to let the boy be dragged into god Thor's madness? Asfi asked her god.

Thor is a big brute, but he's not as dumb as you think. You should have seen him after all this time.

Hermes had not missed Thor's arrival in the city and had taken a great interest in him, especially since he had become close to Bell. Asfi must have spent a lot of time spying on the god of thunder for Hermes. A complicated activity, because even with her invisibility helmet, it was difficult to deceive the nezu's instinct. She was even present during the assault on Thor by the homunculi, but Hermes' orders were clear, observation and no intervention under any circumstances.

Something wrong, Asfi? You seem very thoughtful.

The boy. I'm not sure he's in the best of health, mentally.

Oh, you mean the shock he got? It was unexpected, but still a nice surprise. He's going to have to deal with those kinds of scruples in the future if he wants to be the hero he needs to be.

If you don't break him first with all this.

The messenger god gave an amused chuckle. Asfi tried to appear cold and detached, but she too seemed to have developed a form of affection for Bell Cranel. If he hadn't wanted to keep his precious captain to himself, he would probably have pushed her closer to the boy. Every hero must have his princess... or several. And when you have a real princess on hand, it becomes more convenient. But Hermes wasn't about to push Asfi into that sort of thing either.

He's a lot tougher than he looks, I'm sure he'll be fine. Still, the boy does have a special connection to the Thunder Gods. He concluded before standing up, there was still much to do.

But other people were worried about Bell. He seemed fine, but appearances were not always reliable and the boy was good at hiding his worries behind a smile. It was Mei who got to his side first.

Are you sure you're going to be okay Bell? You were pretty shaken up after the last fight.

As good as Bell was at hiding his problems sometimes, he was not so good at lying.

I... think I'll be fine. But I don't know if I'd have the courage... to do...

Don't worry about it, boy. Thor said to him. They're not really humans, just think of them as monsters. And even then, it's not even sure they're on that level.

Bell didn't know how to respond to the deusdea's words until Ygannea spoke again.

Thor's words may sound harsh, but the substance is correct. These homunculi have only a miserable existence, no soul, no dreams, no emotions. Killing them... is almost like freeing them from their existence as eternal slaves.

No one in his familia really knew how to help him. Once again, it was his mentor nezu who came to him.

Don't think too much about it, boy. If you can't do it, just defend the weaker members of the group. Aim for the wrists and ankles if you want to neutralize without killing. I'll do the dirty work if necessary.

Despite the situation, the human felt reassured that he was not alone in this ordeal. His familia was by his side and the new friends they had made, strange as they were at times.

Welf gave a thumbs up in encouragement, Mikoto gave him a determined smile, and Haruhime gave him a sweet smile. Yes, he wasn't a killer, but a protector, he had to fight to protect those he cared about. So this mad scientist was not to be left in the wild. Gathering his wits, the boy found the strength within him again to face the challenges ahead.

Sitting in her chair atop Babel, the goddess Freya listened to her children's report. Without a word, she dismissed them and remained silent for a while. Rising to her feet, her glass of wine in hand, she approached the window with a thoughtful air.

The storm is definitely brewing over Orario...

Thanks to the information gathered by Ekkrit and Lili, finding the entrance to the underground reservoir was not too complicated. There were a few homunculi to protect the access, but they were no match for the unleashed power of Thor and his allies. There were also a few traps, but they were far less dangerous and numerous than they would have thought.

You seem to have become too confident Galleon, if you welcome us with so little. The god of thunder said to himself, who had no idea what was really going on.

In his laboratory, the old mage, lost in his experiments, was brought out of his concentration by the sound of his magical alarm, which signalled an intrusion. Farg Galleon was no fool, he had secured access to his laboratory and could see through a magical artefact that was entering his domain.

This loudy piece of meat is already here? But how did it get past all my security measures so easily? It should have slowed them down much more for sure! But never mind, the homunculi will finish the job. And since you're so keen to visit my lair Thor, let me be a pleasant host. The old mage sneered before heading towards his unscheduled guests.

Still in the same dark room, the veiled goddess was looking at her board and her wooden pieces. In her hand she held a crystalline orb, which glowed greenish. It was a valuable tool for remote communication. It put her in touch with servants of hers, who were in the distance, near the old alchemist's lair.

Is it done?

Yes, madam. We have disabled some of Farg Galleon's defences, only the most dangerous ones as per your instructions. There's enough left so that Thor doesn't suspect anything, but can easily get into the lab.

Perfect, it will still keep him busy for a while. Withdraw and proceed to the next stage of the operation.

Immediately, madam.

The orb ceased to glow as the communication went dead. Silently, the goddess put the object down and picked up a wooden figure.

Well, she said. My friend, you have been very helpful, but I think it's time for you to consider a more... permanent retirement. As for you Thor, you will be busy long enough. When you've finished playing dolls, all you'll have left to do is cry over ashes.

The goddess dropped the small wooden object, before letting out a small laugh amused by the situation.

Thor may have hated Farg Galleon, but he had to admit that he was good at building such a laboratory in such a short time. There were dozens of glass tubes, big enough to fit a full-grown human, pipes connecting them all, magic circles all over the place, runes of power everywhere.

I'm going to enjoy watching you tear this place apart. Thor said to his children, before a voice from afar could be heard.

Would you please refrain from destroying my work again. There is nothing more annoying than to see my work ruined by amateurs unable to see its beauty.

The old mage in the purple robe appeared on the far side of the laboratory, at the top of a balcony that ran along the back wall. Almost immediately a dagger flew towards him, probably sent by Ekkrit, but it struck invisible matter and fell to the ground.

Please, I am not that stupid. I'm shocked that you got here so quickly.

Perhaps you are overestimating your toys, Galleon. I'm here for Andil and Linda and you're going to give them back to me without a fuss.

Stupid claim. They are my creations and rightfully belong to me.

They are not some items, Galleon! No matter how they were born, no child is the property of its parents. The twins are free to choose their own destiny!

Hypocritical words from a being who, like all his kind, only sees mortals as toys to entertain him. But if it's entertainment you want Thor, let me entertain you a little. The man snapped his fingers.

Two huge creatures emerged from the shadows. Monsters like no one had ever seen before. Bipedal reptilian creatures with blood-red scales and grey fur in some places. Both beasts were over three meters tall and carried huge maces in their clawed hands.

As an appetizer, I offer you these charming creatures, a lizard-man base to which I have added bloodsaurus and barbarian blood, then gorged with magic stones. I hope you find them to your liking.

The bigger they are, the higher they fall. Thor replied wryly.

The adventurers then shared the work. Thor's familia took care of one of the creatures while Hestia's familia with Ryuu took care of the other.

Ryuu and Bell were at the forefront of their assault. The elf was discovering the extent of her level 6 strength, but had not yet had time to fully get used to it. The lizard monster was powerful, from the way it destroyed the ground with its mace, Bell suspected it struck almost as hard as Asterius, but it was slow.

Mikoto tried to invoke her gravity spell to block it, but as soon as she began to chant, the creature sensed the danger and attacked her, forcing her to dodge. So the monster was smart enough to sense the threat of magic. Haruhime narrowly escaped thanks to Lili. She would not have the opportunity to amplify the strength of her allies.

Drawing on his personal experience, but also on the advice of his nezu mentor, Bell decided to play on a classic weakness of large bipedal creatures, namely the ease of destabilising them. Slipping between the beast's legs, the young man struck the Achilles tendons. Unfortunately, the creature's scales were hard. Welf's forged dagger bounced off and only Hestia's dagger managed to cut into the beast's flesh. But unfortunately, Bell lacked the strength to cut deep and reach his target. And when the monster tried to crush him with a kick, he had to retreat.

Bell, at this rate, we'll get nowhere. Said the elf to the human.

I know. Let's try to immobilize him first. Welf! Lili!

The two nodded in response and braced themselves for the next assault. The red-haired blacksmith drew a long sword of icy blue as the prum pulled out various pouches from her tunic.

Mikoto, come help me distract him.

Got it.

And when he's immobilized, I'll finish him off. the Elf completed.

Bell dashed off again, accompanied by Mikoto. The two humans circled around the monster and provoked it to dodge its attacks. While it was focused on them, Lili cocked her wrist crossbow, on which she had loaded a bolt connected to a small pouch. She fired into the creature's muzzle and the pouch exploded on its nose, releasing a powder whose contact was visibly unpleasant judging by its scream of rage.

It was at this point that Welf sprang into action, taking advantage of the fact that the creature was looking the other way, he activated his magical weapon and made a horizontal strike that launched a wave of icy energy that froze the beast's feet, freezing it in place. This would not hold it for long, but it would give Bell the opportunity to climb on its back and reach its head from behind.

The young man applied another of his mentor's tips, aiming for the eyes, a weakness common to the vast majority of monsters. Taking advantage of the creature's confusion, Bell didn't hesitate and stabbed his black dagger into its right eye, causing the monster to scream in pain.

This was the opening Ryuu had been waiting for. While the others distracted the monster, she prepared her magic. When the creature screamed in pain, she jumped up to find herself in front of its wide open mouth.

Luminous Wind!

And she fired her magic at close range, directly into the creature's mouth, where its thick scales could not protect it. Bell had already ducked when the elf sprang into action. Her spell, greatly amplified by her 6th level, was unleashed into the monster's maw and finally blew its head off like an overripe pumpkin.

The abomination's body fell to the ground as the fighters caught their breath.

While Bell and his companions dealt with one of the monsters, Thor's children dealt with the other and the fight was equally brutal. The creature kept up a string of violent attacks, trying to do everything it could to keep them away. Vasati, Cayope and Puhraan were forced to stay back to protect their god.

Ekkrit's daggers and Mei's blade could not cut through the creature's scales, Thargar was not agile enough to deliver an effective blow, and Ygannea had no time to concentrate her magic, for the creature sensed the danger coming.

With a simple sign, she made her intentions clear to the dwarf, who responded with a simple nod. The warrior let out a war cry to provoke the monster and threw his axes to the ground before letting his skill kick in and increase the volume of his muscles.

The monster responded to the provocation and tried to crush him with a mace. The dwarf stopped the strike by grabbing the weapon with both hands. Using all his muscle power, his fingers dug into the metal and blocked the weapon, as well as the creature, which did not have the intelligence to let go of its mace.

This blocking time was more than enough to allow Ygannea the magician to throw two of her crystals that trapped the creature's legs in the ice. Once it was blocked, Ekkrit had only to jump on its face and stick his daggers in its eyes.

The creature, blinded, screamed in pain as Mei passed behind its back and took advantage of the distraction to get her blade underneath the plates of scales on its neck and into its cerebellum. The monster collapsed to the ground, dead.

The two groups triumphed over their respective opponents almost at the same time. As soon as silence fell over the laboratory, it was quickly broken by applause. Farg Galleon, who had been watching the fight from his seat.

Impressive. I already knew the strength of your children Thor, but I am surprised by the strength of the children of Hestia and Astraea. No doubt they will make perfect test subjects if they survive. said the old mage with a sneer.

For that, you'll have to do better than two freaks, Galleon. Thor replied coldly.

Of course, but as I said, that was just an appetizer. Let us move on to the main course.

With that, the old man snapped his fingers and several figures emerged from the shadows. Cold-faced humans, all looking like Andil or Linda.

Your homunculi again? Stop playing with doll, Galleon, even if they can copy the abilities of twins, your attack on my home has already shown that they are no match for us.

True, but that was only a sample. The mage answered without breaking his confident smile, before snapping his fingers again. More homunculi appeared, dozens and dozens of them. I've already started mass production.

It was an understatement to say that the group of adventurers was surrounded by a real army of homunculi. After a quick look around, Mei spoke up.

At first glance, I'd say there are at least a hundred and fifty of them. It's going to be violent. concluded the shivat girl.

The master of the place raised a hand, then lowered it, giving the signal for all hell to break loose.

Using the same tactics as when Thor's house was attacked, the higher level adventurers formed a perimeter around the weaker ones and the god of thunder. The latter remained undaunted and with his arms crossed.

However, the situation was not advantageous, because the homunculi were really numerous. Moreover, they had no instinct for self-preservation and did not seem to care about dying in battle. They might have died in droves under blades and spells, but they kept coming back.

Damn it, at this rate, we'll never make it! Thargar shouted as he continued to bring down his axes on the ever-growing number of opponents.

Fight instead of talk! shouted Mei while pushing a homunculus away with an acrobatic kick.

No, they were not in a strong position at all. They were surrounded, with no way back, and the flow of homunculi was not letting up. Mei and Ryuu were pushing them back with no problem, but even they would eventually tire. Ygannea's magic sometimes allowed for a few seconds of calm before the next wave. Ekkrit and Thargar were hit hard and defended themselves as best they could. But the dwarf's level 4 and the nezu's injuries did not put them in a strong position. Bell did what he could, but his hesitation to kill human-like beings continued to haunt him. As for the others, they were trying to survive as best they could. Welf had magical weapons, but they would eventually run out.

Haruhime was terrified by the situation. She was the weakest one present and didn't know what to do. Her instincts told her to use her magic, Uchide no Kozuchi, directly on Bell, but the boy still didn't seem to be doing well. Just as she was lost, she gasped as she felt a large hand rest on her shoulder. Turning her head and looking up, she saw the smiling face of the god Thor, who didn't seem overly concerned. For the fox, the colossus had more of a reassuring image, like a big, friendly teddy bear.

Hestia told me that you have a rather interesting magic, able to temporarily increase the power of other adventurers, isn't that right?

Uh... yes. She answered in her insecure voice.

Can you do it on several people?

Well, it depends, but yes. Who do you want me to do it on? Lady Mei? Master Ekkrit?

No, could you increase the strength of all the level 2s here?

Thor's idea wasn't a bad one after all. The homunculi were copying the strength of the twins, who were level 3s, by increasing the power of all the level 2s, they would have enough power to stand up and potentially change the game. Only there were more people than the fox could handle with Kokonoe.

Only five people and I could only do it once.

That was her limit and she would have to put all her mental energy into it. But given the situation, there was no time for restraint. Hearing the conversation, Lili spoke up to settle the problem.

There are six of us on level 2, do it for everyone except me.

Which made sense, Lili was a support, not a frontline fighter, in this situation there was no point in wasting energy on her.

Go ahead young lady, we'll cover you.

The thunder god's encouragement helped her to calm down and find the strength to get to work. In this situation, without being able to use his divine powers, he was as weak as she was. But despite everything, he managed to keep his calm, which was a real inspiration. Haruhime wished she could overcome herself and this was the kind of situation that would push her to do so.

The fox closed her eyes and began to chant. This didn't go unnoticed by Galleon, who was observing the events carefully. This was a good test for his creations, so he let it go.

In the middle of the fight, the group had repositioned themselves to cover Haruhime. Kokonoe's incantation took time and required her to concentrate. But after a few minutes that seemed like an eternity, she finished the first part of her work, manifesting five tails of energy. She immediately moved on to her main spell, the one that made her a considerable strategic asset despite her fragile appearance. And it was time for her to finish, because the homunculi were always pushing them harder.

Uchide No Kozuchi!

Five pillars of golden energy covered Welf, Mikoto, Cayope, Purhaan and Vasati. The five adventurers were now surrounded by a golden halo that amplified their power. As for the foxgirl, she had put almost all of her energy into this maneuver and almost fainted and fell to the ground before Thor caught her to help her stand.

The flow of the fight suddenly changed. Now that the five of them had increased their power, they were able to stand up effectively to the clones of the twins.

None of them are flying? said Mei. That's what I thought, they can't copy everything.

They emulated the physical abilities of the twins, but not their powers or tactics. At equal levels, they were still inferior, so even the augmented level 2s could keep up. While Welf and Mikoto were already familiar with the pretty blonde's powers, the three Thor girls were not, as they were just discovering this exhilarating sensation.

This is awesome! shouted Cayope the Amazon. I feel like I've literally risen a level! Kitten, remind me to invite Haruhime to our next girls' night out! She said to Vasati, her feline colleague.

From the top of his balcony, the old mage did not miss anything of the scene and he had the look of a child in front of a candy store window.

Level amplification magic? Wonderful! I have to get my hands on it. he said with an evil smile. And it won't save you, you may gain in pure power, but who cares, I'll make you collapse under numbers.

The man snapped his fingers again and several dozen new homunculi joined the battle.

Damn it! How many of these bastards are there! shouted the dwarf while killing another enemy.

It doesn't look good. replied Ekkrit much more calmly. Our escape routes are blocked and even with the power boost, there are too many of them.

I know. Mei continued between two blows of her blades. We're going to have to pull out all the stops at this rate.

Still in the middle of the chaos, Thor watched the situation. Even though he couldn't fight, his warrior spirit was in full swing. The situation was bad, everyone was starting to accumulate injuries. Minor ones, of course, but they would weaken. His captain was right, they had to do something big.

Yga! called the god of thunder in his big voice. And the elf took a few steps back to join him. Do it. Show them why I gave you the honour of your adventurous nickname.

The blue-haired elf said nothing. She nodded with a smile before turning around with a determined look on her face. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and stuck her staff firmly into the ground, before raising her arms on either side of her body. An intricate magic circle appeared on the ground and the elf began to chant.

Spirit of the world of mists and cold

Awaken

Release your essence

Let it flow through my being

While chanting, the elf traced magical symbols in the air with her fingers. Yga had practised concurrent chanting to incant while moving, but she had other tricks up her sleeve. She had her crystal chant, which allowed her to enchant crystals to trigger simple magical effects, but that was not all.

She had something even more powerful in store, an ability called Runic Chanting. If she chanted while tracing power runes in the air, she could amplify the effects of her magic even more. However, this technique required more mental energy and, above all, her full concentration, making it incompatible with concurrent chanting.

But above all, runic chanting was the only way for her to cast her most powerful spell, the only thing that could currently change the game.

Freeze the world

Freeze time

Grant me a moment of eternity

Naturally, everyone had gathered under Mei's command to cover Ygannea while she prepared her magic. Thor's children knew what he was up to. As for Bell and the others, they had chosen to trust them to the end, something Thor would never forget.

What is that elf doing? the old mage asked himself as he watched the battle. No matter what tricks they use, it will only push the deadline back briefly.

Only, this complacency was going to cost him dearly, because he had no idea what he was up to.

Ygannea was immersed in a very deep state of concentration, seeming to trace the many runes of power in an almost instinctive way.

Lonely cold of death

Embrace them

Freeze them

Let all tremble

And open

The Gates of Niflheim!

The many runes of power rose above the elf and gathered to form a sphere of brilliant white energy. The sphere suddenly emitted a blinding light and a powerful shockwave hit the room. All those present were forced to close their eyes.

When the light disappeared and they were able to open their eyes again, it was to be met with an astonishing sight. A white world lay before them. The whole laboratory was covered in ice. The many homunculi were all dead, transformed into statues of ice.

The Gates of Niflheim were Ygannea's ultimate spell and probably the most powerful ice spell in existence at the time. An icy shockwave capable of freezing everything in a large area and also sparing those the elf did not want to touch. All of Thor's allies were effectively unharmed.

As silence filled the room, the elf-magician collapsed into the arms of her god, totally exhausted, struggling to maintain consciousness. Such a powerful spell came at an unbearable cost in mental energy, draining the magician's reserves.

What kind of madness was this? the old alchemist asked in amazement. He had only been able to avoid ending up frozen like his creations thanks to his protections. But even so, he was shivering and had frost on his clothes, some of the cold had still reached him, which would slow him down and cost him dearly.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! Thargar the dwarf shouted, deploying all his power. He grabbed one of his labrys, spun around and sent his great axe like a gigantic boomerang.

The weapon then struck the pillars that supported the balcony where their enemy was located. The structure, too weakened by the cold, could not withstand the violence of the impact and broke.

The balcony where the mage was located collapsed and he fell with it. Unlucky for him, he fell on his back and drove a piece of glass into his body, screaming in pain.

Lying on his back, injured but still conscious, the man looked up and saw something in one of the secret galleries in the ceiling. Two people wearing the Evilus white robes. Luck and the mysterious veiled goddess did not seem to have deserted him, especially since Thor and his allies had not been aware of their presence.

But just as he thought he had found his way out, one of the two people made a simple gesture, a finger raised in front of his mouth, a sign of silence. And it was then that he realised that he had made a big mistake.

You...

Then something hidden in his clothes suddenly exploded, killing him by scattering his body into a thousand pieces. The veiled goddess had gone ahead to make sure that her pawn would not speak.

The explosion did not hit any of the adventurers present, but it surprised them. And none of them had been aware of the presence of the two observers. Normally, Ekkrit might have noticed them, but in his current state of health, his senses were partly impaired.

What was that? Welf asked, shocked by the turn of events.

Tss! That old bastard would rather kill himself than be caught. To think I even asked Ganesha to give me a Status Thief in hopes of getting some answers. But whatever, this time he's dead for good, let's go look for the twins, they're probably further away in the laboratory.

So it was without being aware of what was really going on that Thor resumed his way.

The fight had not been very long, but it had been extremely intense. Everyone had various small wounds, but fortunately they disappeared with some potions. Haruhime was still tired and was holding tight to Mikoto, as was Ygannea who was supported in her walk by Purhaan, the hume-bunny.

As Thor had predicted, they found the twins further down the lab in another room, trapped in large glass tubes that Lili and Ekkrit had no trouble breaking through.

Andil and Linda regained consciousness once they were free, but they were still weak. This did not stop Thor from taking them in his arms.

My children! Forgive me for taking so long!

The twins were by nature not very talkative. They said nothing and merely smiled at their god. Even they, who were alchemical creations, had a place to belong, a family who cared for them, that was all that was needed to make them happy.

Come on everyone, let's get out of this squalid place! said the colossus, with a cheerful voice. Rescue successful, there's still some paperwork to be done with Ganesha and the Guild, but who cares, we're going to have a good celebration.

As the pressure finally eased, everyone let out an amused laugh, noticing that Thor had quickly regained his good mood and his taste for party.

However, this happiness would only be short-lived.

As the small group returned to the surface and walked quietly towards the Thunder Hall, they were surprised to see several people coming towards them at full speed. It was Adriel, Thor's human attendant, Bricaena, the prum healer, but also Astraea and Hestia who was holding the hand of the little Ishtar.

And from their faces, they all knew immediately that something was wrong. As soon as they were close enough, Ishtar rushed into Bell's arms while Adriel stood before her god.

Lord Thor! It's terrible! The manor... The manor has been attacked! The boys stayed behind to contain the attackers!

Nothing more needed to be said, for everyone ran at full speed towards Thor's mansion.

But when they arrived, it was already over. The Hall of Thunder had already been damaged by the homunculi attack and this new attack had not helped matters.

And what awaited them inside was a terrible sight. The three children of Thor who had been left behind were lying in their blood.

Girkas, the young red-haired werewolf, lay on his stomach. Thargar rushed to him and turned him over, but could only grit his teeth when he saw that the young man was already dead.

Mei and Ekkrit rushed to Arrauth, the half elf. He was sitting on the ground with his back to the wall, but his torso was bent forward, which spoke volumes about his condition. With horror, they also saw that he was dead. However, if the wound in his heart was clearly fatal, he still had his body and face lacerated in many places.

Ekkrit, these wounds...

Quick torture with a blade. Someone tried to extract information from him. The nezu did not let on, but he was as upset as the others. They had just been tricked and he had not seen it coming.

Viclaer is alive! shouted Purhaan, who had come to the chienthrope's bedside, lying on his back in the middle of the room. Mei came to him, as did Thor, who knelt beside his child.

Viclaer! Hold on, we'll heal you right away! Bring an elixir immediately! Brica, hurry up! shouted the god in a desperate voice.

But Mei could see the reality of the situation, Viclaer had survived by chance, but his wounds were too severe, no one could do anything for him anymore.

Father... she tried, but the chienthrope managed to regain consciousness and saw those around him.

Father... he said in an exhausted and broken voice.

I am here, my son! Hang in there, we'll heal you!

Forgive us father... they... were just too many...

I know, my son, don't talk, we will take care of you!

We... didn't tell them... didn't tell them anything...

I know my child! I am proud of you!

The island... They... They wanted to know where is... the island... We... didn't tell them...

Thor's children were shocked by the words of their brother in arms, and the others were in total incomprehension. Then the hand of the chienthrope fell to the ground as the light left his eyes.

Viclaer? Viclaer! Open your eyes, my son!

Mei put a hand on Thor's, struggling to keep herself from bursting into tears.

It's over father... He's... gone...

No, no, no! NOOOOOOOO !

Author's note: And here at last is a chapter I was looking forward to writing. A lot of stuff this time and a good dose of emotional lift, to compensate for the action scenes lacking a bit of punch. They are still my big weakness in my opinion.

I hope you enjoyed this new chapter.