Chapter 11: The Lesser of Two Evils.

As Aribeth were resting on the bed, the three talked out in the fields. Sierra had told them everything and in return, they had too.

"I see…you should have something about that…" Guile said sadly.

"It's no my fault fool! You're the one who scared her!" she replied aggressively.

"Scared her?! Scared her?!! Oh yeah, scared her…" Guile said embarrassed.

"The point is, she's safe, aight?" she said as she put her hands on her waist.

"That wasn't Loki…" Varil said softly.

"What?" Sierra asked softly.

"That wasn't Loki…that was Thanatos, one of Loki's minions. I've fought him before, he's supposed to be dead…maybe that spell didn't just free Loki…maybe she raised all his dead minions." Varil said as he crossed his arms.

"Stop scaring me!" Sierra exclaimed as shuddered in fear.

Aribeth was finally waking up. She got out of the bed and stood up, suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and her knees. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground. The others heard her and rushed into the house. They saw her kneeling and holding herself.

"Aribeth!" Guile exclaimed as he rushed to her. Tears fell from her bright red eyes. Guile held her in his arms and caressed her back.

"What happened to me?" she said as her voice was shaking.

"You were confronted by Thanatos, one of Loki's minions." Varil said flatly.

As Guile carried her back into the bed, Sierra rushed to her potions. She took a blue potion and rushed to Aribeth.

"Here drink this, this will cure the pain." Sierra gave the potion to Aribeth to drink.

"What's this?" she asked softly as Guile dried her tears.

"That's a pain reliever…now drink!" she exclaimed. Aribeth drank the potion slowly. As she finished the potion, her eyes started to glow red.

"Aribeth, what's happening to you?" Guile said sympathetically. Aribeth raised her right hand and supported it with her left.

"Odin is coming…" she said flatly and the red glow dimmed and returned to normal.

"Must be some of the powers she absorbed from Thanatos." Varil said as she approached Aribeth.

"I'd like to try something." He said as he carried her and ran out of the room.

"Hey! That's my girl!" Guile exclaimed as he chased them.

"Yo girl?" Sierra said to herself as she walked out of the room.

Varil set her down on her feet, "Okay, try to hit that tree." He said, pointing at the tree just 10 meters away from them.

"How?" she asked.

"Concentrate all you energy…just like holy light." He said softly as he took a few steps back away.

"Okay…here goes…" she said as she raised her hands. Suddenly, a big red ray shot out of her hands and destroyed the tree.

"Wow!" Guile exclaimed who was just arriving in the scene, followed by Sierra.

"Did she do that?" Sierra asked.

"Yup…" Varil said as he approached Aribeth.

"Varil, did I just...?" she said but was cut off by Varil

"Yes…you now have a new power…wish I had it." He said softly.

"Girl! Get yo ass here, we gotta change yo outfit…you look like a big bottle of catsup!" Sierra exclaimed jokingly. Aribeth rushed to Sierra as they entered the house.

"Do you love her?" Guile asked Varil as they both stared at her.

"Yes…more than you know." He replied.

Suddenly, the clouds grouped forming a circle. In the center, a grey horse emerged brining with it a silver chariot with golden wheels.

"Odin…" they both said.

As the godly carriage descended, the clouds slowly dispersed and the sky was bright again.

"Whoa Nellie!" Odin exclaimed as he jumped out of the carriage.

"Go back to Valhalla, I'll walk back…" he said jokingly as the horse and carriage left.

"Okay, who freed Loki?" Odin asked as the 2 guild masters looked at him crossly.

"Ooh…tough crowd…" Odin said as he brushed a sweat off his brow.

"She's in there." Varil said, pointing in the door less house.

"Oh…you can't enter? Well we'll fix that!" Odin then raised his spear and a pointed it at the house, his spear then glowed with power.

"There's an entrance…" Guile said flatly and was followed by Varil. Odin then set his spear down and followed them.

"What's with the attitude?!" Odin thought. As they entered the gem room and the bedroom, they saw Aribeth sitting down on the bed. Her pale pink dress was now replaced by a white kimono with cherry blossom petals as prints. It was cut off knee high which went great with her red slippers. Her hair was still flowing down but now has a purple clip affixed on both sides of her head.

"My work is done…" Sierra said satisfied.

The three men were stunned by her beauty. Odin dropped his spear and rushed to her. He genuflected before her and took her hand.

"My dear, may I know your name?" he said sweetly as he looked into her eyes.

"Err…Aribeth" she replied hesitantly as she pulled her hand back.

"Well, Eraribeth…I want you as my wife!" he exclaimed. Everyone was shocked by what he had said.

"It's Aribeth you overpaid, oversexed and overfed bastard!" Sierra said as she crossed her arms.

"How dare you speak to a god that way? You will suffer the consequences!" he said seriously as he aimed his right hand at Sierra.

"Hit me with yo best shot beyotch!" she replied as she uncrossed her hands.

An electrical surge enveloped Odin's hand which grouped in the middle of his palm.

"STOP!" Aribeth exclaimed. Odin and Sierra stopped and looked at her. The spark in his palm then disappeared.

"Sierra, my next lesson please…" she said as she stood up and left the room.

"You've been touched by an angel! Ya were about to get yo ass whooped!" Sierra said as she walked out of the room.

"WHAT'S WITH THE ATTITUDE?" Odin exclaimed.

"Everybody's still working off some stress out their system….including me." Guile said as he walked out of the too, with Varil close behind.

Odin sighed and picked up his spear, "People nowadays…I should retire…" he said coldly as he left the room.

"What's my next lesson Sierra?" Aribeth asked sweetly.

"No more lessons I'm afraid…this was the whole point of having ya here." She replied with a smirk on her face.

"What? You knew this will happen?" Aribeth said looking surprised.

"Yes…Jaina said it would be better if you got Thanatos's power." Sierra said as she approached Aribeth.

"But, by getting his power, I freed Loki!" she said worried.

"That's where I come in…" Odin said as he cut in the scene.

"Yes…sadly…that's where this oversexed god comes in…emphasis on the word comes…" Sierra said coldly as she walked pass Odin and into the house.

Odin sighed as Sierra left. Then, the 2 guild masters moved in.

"Aribeth, I would like to thank you for freeing Loki…it was unwise of me to lock him up…I'm bored as hell! I've nothing to do!" he said as he looked at Aribeth, smiling.

"Okay stud, back off!" Guile said as he blocked Odin's sight of Aribeth.

"Look, all I want to do is marry her? What's wrong with that?" Odin said sympathetically.

"You just answered you question dimwit!" Guile exclaimed.

"Oh that's it! It's on! It's on now!" Odin said as he thrust his spear to the ground.

"Bring it on windbag!" Guile taunted as he posed to strike. Aribeth sighed and left them quarreling.

"Guys?" Varil said as he pointed at Aribeth.

"Princess wait!!" Guile exclaimed as he chased her.

"Princess?! So lame…" Odin said as he chased her as well.

Varil sighed and followed them.

Aribeth then stopped and sat down on the grass, staring at the sky.

"Aribeth, my princess, are you tired?!" Guile said lovingly.

"He calls you a princess, I'll call you my queen!" Odin boastfully said.

"You two are smothering me…leave me alone!" Aribeth said angrily as she stood up and ran to the house. As she ran past them, they stood there looking defeated.

"She hates me…Oh Odin, She hates me!" Guile sobbingly said as he hugged Odin.

"I just met her and she hates me! C'mere pal! Misery needs company!" Odis sobbingly said as he hugged Guile back.

"You look like a bunch of queers!" Varil exclaimed as he stared at them crossly.

The two looked at each other and immediately let go of each other.

"You won't say a word about this, understood?!" Odin ordered Varil.

"Whatever…" he replied flatly as he walked up to the house.

"Don't worry he won't tell." Guile said assuring Odin as he walked past him.

Aribeth then entered Sierra's house, rushing in her room.

"Sierra!" she exclaimed as she entered the room. There, she saw Sierra working on an experiment.

"Yo?" Sierra replied as she set down the chemicals on the table and faced her.

"What should I do now?" she asked as she slowly approached her.

"Well, you could stay here, or better yet, go back to the convent." Sierra replied as she faced her experiment.

"But I don't look like a high priest anymore…I'm sure I wont be welcome there." She said sadly as she sat on the bed.

"Well, you could get another job in some other city like…Payon, Alberta….you know…" she replied as she set down her work again and sat beside Aribeth.

"You're right…" she said as she smiled.

"I have a friend in Payon…he's a businessman there…I think he has an inn there I'm not sure." Sierra said as she stood up and picked up a blue gem that was on the floor.

"Okay, I'll teleport you in his inn…just tell him Sierra sent you." She said as she pulled Aribeth out of the bed.

"Thanks Sierra…please don't tell them…" Aribeth requested as she positioned herself in front of Sierra.

"Okay…" she replied smiling. She raised the gem and threw it on the floor. A sudden gush of light filled the room that blinded Sierra. As the light dimmed, and as she recovered her sight, Aribeth was gone. Suddenly the guild masters entered the room followed by Odin.

"Where's Aribeth?" Varil asked.

"She ran off again…" Guile said sadly.

Sierra then smiled and looked at Guile with sympathy.

"She's in Payon." She said as she turned to her table.

"That was fast." Varil said as he turned around and walked out the door.

"Why'd you tell me? Didn't she tell you not to tell us?" he asked as a puzzled look took over his face.

"Go get her tiger." She said flatly as she mixed her chemicals. Guile just smiled as he ran out the room. They soon ran past Odin.

"Where are you going?" He asked as he kept up with them.

"Payon." Varil replied flatly.

"Why?' he asked.

"She ran and she's there." Guile replied as he doubled his pace. Odin slowed down as he raised his spear.

"The hell with running…I'll teleport there!" he said to himself. Suddenly, lightning stuck Odin's spear and enveloped the whole of him, then was gone.