AN: This is a totally made up AU, with characters based on my ancestor's mythology. Nothing in this fic should be taken as facts. It's just a fan fiction that I'm writing for fun. And I hope you'll all enjoy it.
/
Midgard is the realm of mortals, of humans. They live under the protection of the Aesir gods. But even the gods cannot save everyone. In a viking village, a woman's scream alarmed the other villagers. They find the woman in the arms of her husband, both of whom were shaking with fear as they looked into a cradle. When the other villagers saw what had them so frightened, they gasped. In place of a human child, there lies a troll baby.
/
Days pass, and a rainbow hits the ground near the village. Three figures come walking down the rainbow. Two young men and a young woman.
"Ah, Midgard. The most boring place in all the nine realms." One of them said. A tall muscular man, standing seven feet tall, with blonde short hair and blue eyes.
"Well, that's a good thing, Magni. Humans are fragile after all. They wouldn't be able to handle the monsters and beasts we have home." The other man said. He was of average height. He had red hair, longer than the other guy, Magni's. With three braids on the side. He also sported a large beard. He had green eyes and a more average built.
"Yes. And when they do face a threat they cannot handle, it is up to us gods to do it for them, isn't it, Modi?" The woman spoke. She was shorter than the red haired man, Modi. Her hair was red, but more scarlet red than Modi's. It also went down her back. She had wide hips and a large bust. Yet had fairly muscular arms to boot. Her eyes were as green as Modi's.
"Yes, Thrud." Modi replied.
"Over there," Thrud, as she was called, said, pointing to the village in the distance.
"I hope they have good food and meed." Magni said with a hopeful smile.
"We're not here for our people's hard earned winter supplies. We're here to help them." Thrud reminded him.
"What? Can't a guy indulge himself whenever we're out saving mankind?" Magni asked with a wide grin.
"Business before pleasure, big brother." Modi told him. "Now come on. We got a job to do."
As they entered the village, they were met with stares from the locals. Until they were approached by a few men.
"Halt," The man up front barked. "State your business here in our village."
"Are you this village chieftain?" Thrud asked.
"Who wants to know?" The chieftain asked.
"I am Thrud Thordottir and these are my brothers. Magni and Modi Thorson." Thrud introduced herself and her brothers.
"Sons and daughter of Thor? As if." One of the warriors beside the chieftain barked, skeptically.
"They don't think we're the offspring of Thor," Modi told his siblings.
"Tell me, chieftain." Modi said, walking over to a large boulder.
"Modi, don't." Thrud told her brother. But it was too late.
"Could an ordinary human do this?" The giant man said as he grabbed the boulder with one hand effortlessly lifted it over his head with a wide grin.
All the villagers gasped. "Such tremendous strength!/ That's not human!/They must be gods!" Everyone bantered. And pretty soon, everyone was kneeling before them. Including the chieftain and his warriors. This caused Thrud roll her eyes.
"Please. Get up." She told the humans. "We don't really demand that you kneel before us. We're just here to help."
"Help?" The chieftain said as he and his people stood back up.
"We've gotten wind of troll activity going on around these parts." Modi stated. "We're here to fix that."
"The gods has heard our prayers!/They'll get rid of the trolls for us!/We're saved!" The villagers cheerfully chattered.
"Those monsters took our son!" The father of the recently abducted baby cried out, rushing towards the trio with his wife. "Will you bring him back to us?" He pleaded.
"We will," Thrud assured. "Trolls only kidnaps human babies to raise as slaves. Your son is most likely still alive. We'll do what we can for him and any other humans under their captivity." She promised.
"Those trolls would've replaced your child with one of their own. Their way of a 'fair' trade." Modi said with air quotes. "Where's that baby now?"
"We slew it," The chieftain replied with anger and pride. "We weren't about to let a spawn of monsters live among our own." He growled.
Thrud was visibly disturbed by this. But brushed it of. "Very well then." She said and turned to her brothers. "Come on, you two. Let's track them down and put them in their place."
"We have plenty of warriors. If you need any assistance, I will gladly lend my men." The chieftain offered.
"No. We appreciate it. But if there're trolls in this parts, you'll need your warriors to remain here to protect your village." Thrud replied.
"We could use someone who knows these lands, don't you think?" Modi told his sister.
"Good point," Thrud replied.
"Very well then." The chieftain replied and turned to one of his warriors. A young man in his early 20. "Rayner here is my oldest son and our village best hunter and tracker. He knows our woods better than I know my own longhouse."
"Very good. We're glad to have ya, Rayner" Thrud replied. "Now let's go."
Minutes later, the group is already deep in the woods, following the tracks the trolls left behind.
"Trolls may be simple. But they sure know how to cover their tracks." Magni commented.
"Not good enough though." Modi replied.
"Still, we should've brought your pet with us, Thrud. He could've easily sniffed them out." Magni told his sister.
"You know why we can't bring Fenrir to Midgard anymore. He's grown so large now he's scaring the mortals silly." Thrud told him. She then turned to their human companion, noticing how stiff and eager his expression was. "Hey, I can tell you have a great many questions. So just ask away if you want."
"In that case," Rayner started, "what's Valhalla like?"
"With all the Fallen Warriors around? Loud. And messy." Thrud replied.
"With an endless supply of food, mead and women to go around!" Magni boastfully declared.
"And men," Modi added. "You always forget to add men in the list."
"Right. Sorry. I always forget not every man prefers only women." Magni said, sheepishly.
"Are those men … attractive?" Rayner asked.
"They are as fine as specimen as our women!" Modi said with a wide grin.
"Modi here is attracted to both women and men." Thrud explained. "And I take it you are too?"
"Actually…" Rayner said, fidgeting his fingers. "I prefer just men."
"Oh?" Magni said, curiously. "Well, we do not discriminate." He assured.
"My father might," Rayner solemnly said. "He has high expectations of his oldest son fathering many grandchildren. I am worried I'll anger him if I tell him I do not wish to marry a woman."
"Well, your secret's safe with us." Thrud assured. "Just know that in Valhalla, you will get to woo any man you desire."
"It really is a paradise then. I hope I die an honorable death in battle in that case." Rayner declared. "So tell me about our adversaries. It would do us well if I know their strength and weaknesses."
"Trolls are slow and stupid. But they are also very strong and have very tough hides." Modi explained.
"For mortal weapons, perhaps." Magni exclaimed. "But our weapons can cut through even thick armor like a knife through butter."
"Yes. But Rayner here doesn't have Asgardian weapons. However, trolls have weaknesses that can be exploited. For one thing, they turn to stone if exposed to sunlight. Thus why it's rare for humans to see them. And if you cannot use that to your advantage, their hides are weak in the throat and the armpit. Cut those areas and they will start bleeding to death … As well as their balls." Modi explained.
"Of course," Rayner said, dryly.
"Their eyes are also a soft spot. Easy to penetrate. Shoot an arrow through there, and you'll pierce the brain." Modi added.
"Good to know." Rayner replied.
"You've asked us questions. Now let me ask you something." Thrud said. "What was your reaction when your own people slew that baby troll?"
Rayner looked deep in thought before replying, "It ... it was necessary." He said, looking away to hide his disturbed expression. But Thrud wasn't really buying it. But decided to leave it be ... for now.
/
The company continued to stalk their quarry for several more hours. Modi suddenly coughed.
"What is that stench?!" He cried out.
"Troll piss," Magni replied, covering his nose. "The stench of it is so sharp, that they use it to ward of dangerous animals."
"And humans. We must be close." Thrud said and drew her sword. "We must be close. Be on your guard." She advised as her companions drew their own weapons. Modi had large battle axe and a shield. Magni drew a mace from his back that half his size. And their new friend, Rayner, brought out his bow and readied an arrow.
"Now it all makes sense," Rayber said.
"Hm?" Modi said, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"We're approaching the forbidden mountain. We call it that because all who ventures towards it never returns. And now we know why." Rayner replied.
This had Modi looking particularly alerted. "Guys, maybe we should go back to Asgard and bring with us a few … hundred soldiers." He suggested.
"Nonsense." Magni said with an excited grin. "This is starting to get interesting."
"Sis?" Modi said, hopping he'd get support from Thrud.
"First we should check and see what we're up against. Then we'll decide if we can handle them by ourselves or go back for help." Thrud replied. Modi only groaned.
"Uh, guys." Rayner spoke as he came to a halt. "You might wanna see this." He said and the trio walked up to him. They all fell silent at what they saw next. It was footprint. A giant footprint that was the length of a house.
"Are there joutuns in Midgard?" Magni asked.
"Can't be. Heimdal would've noticed it and alerted Allfather." Thrud pointed out.
"Well, something really large made this." Modi said, pointing in the direction of where the footprints went, where trees had been leveled aside by whatever made them. There in the distance however, laid a mountain came into view.
"There it is," Rayner said with a mix of fear and superstition in his voice. "The forbidden mountain."
"Most likely the home of our troll friends." Magni replied.
"And whatever made these footprints." Modi replied with a worried expression.
"There must be a cave entrance somewhere." Thrud deducted and pretty soon, the group were searching the root of the mountain. "We must hurry. The sun will be setting soon. And then the trolls will be active."
"Our biggest advantage will be when the sun is high. We should wait until tomorrow when we have more of an advantage." Modi pointed out.
"Little brother, the caves will block out any sunlight. It doesn't matter when we attack." Magni pointed out.
"Even so, I've prepped myself for this occasion." Modi said as he brought out a bottle. He pulled the cork held it towards the sun and let out a few chanting spells. Runes glowed on the bottle and it looked like light from the sun was being sucked into the bottle. After he put the cork back on, he turned to his siblings and said with a wide grin, "Pretty neat, huh? Uncle Loki taught me this. It actually stores sunlight in a bottle. Could be useful in our battle."
"Amazing," Rayner said with wide eyes while the other two looked unimpressed.
"Oh, that's nothing. You should see all the things our grandfather can do." Magni told him.
"Odin, yes?" Rayner asked. "I believe you. He did slay Ymir, did he not?"
"I mean we are walking on his corpse at this very moment." Modi explained.
"Hey, focus. We got a job to do." Thrud scolded.
The group searched the are for a good while longer, until Modi let out a bird whistle, catching their attention. They all rushed over to his side, then ducked for cover.
"Nice job, little brother." Thrud commented.
There, about 200 yards away, was a cave entrance and five guards watching it.
"Are those guards … human?" Rayner asked.
"Remember that trolls cannot survive in sunlight? They will train some of their slaves to fight and make them guard the entrance to their tunnels during daytime." Modi explained.
"But it's only five guards. We can take them." Magni said with a cocky grin.
"It only takes one to sound the alarm." Thrud told him.
"Bring them on. I prefer a straight fight." Magni retorted.
"Maybe I can be of help." Rayner said as he stepped forward, arrow ready.
"They're 200 yards away. You'll never hit them." Thrud told him but he gave her a grin before turning his attention back to the guards.
He shot an arrow in a direction away from the guards. Now they were on alert, pulling their weapons. Three of them went to investigate. Rayner acted quickly. He readied another arrow, aiming at the ones still guarding the cave entrance. Both of them were watching their companions. And Rayner released an arrow upon the one at the rear, away from the gaze of the other men. It landed directly in the head of the man. Rayner was quick to draw another arrow, draw it back on his bow and released. Again, it struck it's target, right through the skull of the second man. Rayner was already pulling his forth arrow and released it, striking the third man who was in the rear. Stealthily, Rayner was able to take out the guards, one by one. But the forth one was too close to the one in the lead, so blood splashed on his back. The man spun around and was petrified to see all four of his friends dead. But his initial shock kept him from moving and Rayner was able to land the final blow, putting an arrow through his skull.
The trio of siblings looked mighty impressed. "Now that's some impressive archery." Thrud complimented.
"You will make a fine soldier in the Asgardian army." Modi commented.
"I still prefer a straight forward fight." Magni said with a pout, which earned him an elbow from Thrud.
"Lets go. The sun is about to set. And then the trolls will go to relieve those guards of their post." She said as the trio made their way toward the cave entrance. Once they were in front of the cave, they find torch sticks. Thrud used her powers to lit three of them for herself and her brother. "Rayner, we'll need you to wait out here. If any trolls tries to escape, you stop them."
"I will not fail you, my lady." Rayner replied, boastfully.
And so, the three siblings entered the cave, weapons held high. But as they got deeper inside, the stench increased.
"Man, trolls are so unhygienic." Modi coughed. "I'm never complaining over the stench at the stables again."
"Quiet," Thrud hissed. "We don't want to alert the trolls down these tunnels." She told him. And as if on cue, the sounds of bickering was heard further down the tunnels.
"Why do I always have to go on these hunts?" A gruff voice complained.
"Because we say so. Now quite yer yappering and come on." Another voice spat.
Rounding the corner were three hideous trolls, each one larger than any man. They were covered in warts, had decaying teeth, large noses, sickening yellow eyes and greasy messy hair. Once the trolls saw the trio of Aesirs, they gasped upon halting.
"Hi," Thrud said with a smile and in one dashing move leaped forwards with her sword high above. She brought it down, slicing the first troll, right down the middle. Blood gushed all around her, covering herself in troll blood.
Modi swooped in as well, shield up and axe held high. The troll he advanced upon tried putting up a fight as he raised his rusty and poorly sharpened sword. Modi easily blocked the sword with his shield, before delivering a swing from his axe, which dug deep into the troll's torso. The last surviving troll tried fleeing.
"Alarm! Intruders! In tun-AGH!" He didn't have time to finish when Magni leaped onto him, bringing down his mace, crushing the troll into minced meat.
"Hurry. The other trolls might've heard him." Thrud said as she advanced deeper into the caves.
As they went deeper inside, they started to hear noises as well as seeing light at the end of the tunnel. They put out their torches and approached carefully, weapons raised. When they reached the other end, they found a very large cave with hundreds of trolls going about their business. Huts and poorly made wooden structures were all over the place. What stood out most though were the many humans in shackles doing manual labors. Slaves for the trolls to do all the hard work for them. Or to be used for sport.
"Well, we're here. Now what?" Magni asked.
"Now we do what we do best. Save people from their tormentors." Thrud replied.
But then, a guard troll noticed them. Panicking, the troll brought out his horn, blew it and then shouted, "INTRUDERS!" In an instant, the entire colony were rushing the trio. Above them, wooden bars fell down, blocking the exit where they came from. But the three didn't react much. They just stood there, looking unimpressed as hundreds of armed trolls surrounded them.
"Well, well, well." A lead troll said, stepping forward. "Those are the biggest rats I've ever seen."
"We're willing to discuss terms of surrender." Thrud said with a calm voice.
"The terms are simple," The lead troll replied with a wicked grin. "We get to feast on your dead bodies tonight."
"I call dips on the female's thighs. They look extra meaty." Another trolls spoke up with a hungry expression.
Thrud cringed, but turned her attention back to the lead troll. "You misunderstood. I wasn't talking about our surrender. I was talking about yours."
Silence filled the air before the trolls started to chuckled which soon turned into hysteric laughter. After a solid minute of laughter, the lead troll spoke again.
"We're gonna tear you three into tiny little pieces. And then, we're going tear those pieces into more tiny little pieces. And then, we're going to tear those tiny little pieces into MORE tiny little pieces!" He growled, smiling viciously.
"We're waiting," Magni said with a smug grin.
This caused the lead troll to growl in anger. "MAKE SURE THEY SUFFER BEFORE THEY DIE!" She screamed and then all the trolls charged.
"Boys, try to keep up!" Thrud cried out.
"That's my line!" Magni retorted and raised his mace.
With one swing, he cut down five trolls. Thrud started slicing her way through the trolls, cutting their bellies open, spilling their guts out, while moving past them at blinding speed. Modi tackled the nearest troll to him, sending the troll flying. He then swung his axe around, chopping down three trolls. He spun around, hitting a troll in the face with his shield, bashing the face in before chopping another troll in half. Magni just cut down dozens upon dozens of incoming trolls, knocking them around like a salad. Thrud meanwhile showed tremendous speed, cutting down each troll before they can blink. They just couldn't keep up with her. Modi then found himself cornered. But he just tapped his axe and shield, which let out a flash of light, making the trolls cower in fear. He used that opportunity to cut his way out.
"Thrud! 20 already!" He bragged.
"I'm on 31," Thrud replied before cutting the heads of off two more. "33."
"170!" Magni boasted as he sent a dozen more trolls flying with a swing of his mace. "Or does that make 180? Oh, who's counting?"
The trolls were all starting to flee in terror, away from the Aesirs.
"They're monsters!/I don't wanna die!/Get out of my way!"
"That's right! Flee, you cowards! The sons of Thor are coming for you all!" Magni shouted, boastfully.
"Ahem," Thrud said with an annoyed look.
"Oh. Sorry." Magni apologized. "And the daughter of Thor too!" He added.
But as Modi cut down another troll, he had unintentionally cornered a mother with her infant in arms. She hissed at him while holding the child protectively away from him. He took a step forward, only for her to wince in terror, holding her child tighter.
"NO!" A trolls shout, leaping from above, bringing down his club, narrowly missing Modi. "You will not take my family from me!" He spat and took another swing at the Aesir.
Rather than killing the troll, Modi decided to leave the family be and jumped away, leaping several yards away. And then he noticed a bunch of troll children whimpering in fear as they hid under some rocks, crying for their parents. Modi was looking rather hesitant now and formed a questionable look on his face. Until a spear narrowly missed him that had been tossed by a troll. Said troll was crushed by Magni's mace.
"What're you doing? Pay attention, little brother!" Magni scolded him.
"R-right." Modi said and went back to the battle.
Once the trolls had lost their will to fight, Thrud turned to look at all the frightened trolls and said, "We're taking all the slaves. If anyone has a problem with that, step forward. Our weapons thirst for more troll blood."
No troll dared speak up. However, unbeknownst to our heroes, a very large and very hairy hand emerged from the shadows. Magni could tell as he turned around in time to see the massive hand coming towards them, about to smack them like flies on the kitchen table. Magni pushed his siblings to either side, away from the hand as it came down on, smashing Magni and creating cracks on the ground.
"Magni!" Thrud cried out.
As the hand retracted, the figure it belonged to emerged in full from the shadows. It was the largest troll they had ever seen. He was covered in wrinkles, moss, mushrooms and even bushes were growing out from his back.
"By Borr!" Modi cried out in shock and horror. "So that's what made those footprints." He concluded.
"Who would be so bold as to invade my kingdom?!" The giant troll roared.
"The sons and daughter of Thor! That's who!" Thrud spat back, standing her ground.
"Take heed, sister." Modi warned. "He's an Elder Troll. A demon from before Grandfather's time. A beast with the power to challenge even gods."
"Once we were many. Now, thanks to your so called Allfather, very few of us are left." The Elder Troll spat.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't have attacked the innocent." Modi spat back, which earned him a glare from the Elder Troll. Modi quickly realized he got too cocky and sheepishly said, "Sorry." But that wasn't enough for the Elder Troll as he raised his fist and swung at Modi.
"Oh no you don't." Thrud spat, pointing her sword at him. It glowed and sparked. And then it unleashed a lightning bolt at the Elder Troll.
"AAAAHH!" The troll king cried out in pain as he pulled back. Thrud smirked. But then the Elder Troll started laughing. "I have tasted your father's lightning bolts." He said, straightening himself to show a nasty scar on the side of his torso. It was burn mark that was a mix of blue and sickly green. "Your bolts feels like a tap."
"Okay. This may be a tad bit more difficult than I thought." Thrud said, looking concerned.
"Never fear, sister my dear." Modi said with a grin as he pulled out the bottle he used to store sunlight from before. "Your brother is always well prepared." He said and was about to pull the cork. But then a troll grabbed him from behind. "Hey! Let go!" He spat, struggling.
"I don't know what you're planning. But I won't let you do it." The troll hissed as he took the bottle and tossed it aside, just as Thrud's sword stabbed him the face.
"Quick! The bottle!" Modi said. But the Elder Troll's hand blocked their path. He then scrapped the floor, pushing the two sibling aside and tossed them into the rocky walls.
"Pathetic," The troll king said as his subjects laughed. He raised his fist, ready to bring it down upon the Aesirs to crush them. But then something hit him the eye. And arrow. He cried out in pain, holding his pierced eye. The other trolls turned to see who did that. It was Rayner who had come to his Gods' aide.
"Rayner? We told you to wait outside!" Thrud scolded.
"Be glad that I didn't." Rayner retorted as trolls came at him. He dodged a swung from a troll, before stabbing the troll in the throat with an arrow. He then shot another troll in the throat with said arrow. Another troll tried killing him with a club. But he dodged it, drawing a knife and stabbing his enemy in the balls.
"Wow. He sure can handle himself in a fight." Modi said, impressed by the mortal's fighting prowess.
"Don't you ignore me!" The Elder Troll spat.
But then they heard Magni groan as he got back up, having regained consciousness. "Son of a bitch. What hit me?" He wondered, rubbing his head and stretching his neck, letting out a cracking sound. He looked up at the troll king. "Oh yeah. Now that's king size." He commented before taking a leap, which was so strong, it destroyed the ground the rocky ground he was standing on. He knocked the Elder Troll in the head, making him trip over. Magni went over the troll's greasy head, landed behind the troll as he hit the floor. Magni then grabbed hold of the Elder Troll's hair and started pulling, dragging the 50 ton monstrosity with him.
"Let me go, Aesir scum!" The troll king spat as he struggled while being dragged through the caves.
"Magni! What're you doing?!" Thrud cried out as her brother came towards her and Modi.
"Hold it, you fool!" Modi spat.
"Come on, you two!" Magni cheerfully said as he scooped his siblings up with his other arm. "We're taking this fight to the surface!" He declared and laughed as he dragged the giant troll and his siblings out of the caves, leaving the other trolls in the colony flabbergasted.
"… That's … that's … that's what Aesirs are capable of?" One of them said, incredulously.
They then noticed Rayner, whom they forgot about while their king was being dragged. "Hey! Stop him!" One troll spat as the human went for Modi's bottle. He scooped it up and went in the direction that Magni dragged the Elder Troll. Five trolls got in his way though. "I'm gonna rip your flesh from your bones!" One of them growled.
Rayner thought quickly and remembered what Modi told him about trolls being very stupid. He did the first thing that came to his mind. "Hey look! What in Odin's beard is that?!" He cried out, pointing left. He then mentally kicked himself. Who would ever fall for something so obvious and so stupid?!
"Huh? What? Where?" One of the trolls said as they all turned and looked where Rayner had pointed.
'By Mjolnir! They actually fell for it!' Rayner thought and began advancing past them.
"Just what are we looking at?" Another troll asked, not realizing that Rayner had rushed past them.
"You fools!" Another troll spat. "He tricked you!"
"What-? Oh shit! That little-Get back here!" The trolls that were tricked followed suit. They ran as fast as they could. But the fastest they could was slower than a human jogging. They were already running out of breath. "Why are humans so fast when they're so small?" One of them asked, panting.
/
Back outside, where the full moon was now high in the sky, the mountain wall burst open as Magni continued to drag the troll king out. But then, Magni something crawling up his arm. He looked behind him and cringed. It was a bunch of insanely large white bug like creatures, coming out of the Elder Troll's head. Now Magni let go and started swatting them away from his arm. But one of them had actually bitten into his arm. He ripped it of, but tore a piece of flesh from his arm doing so. He winged a little before crushing the bug in his hand.
"Ymir's balls! What are those things?" Thrud spat, disgusted.
"Lice," Modi replied. "Giant lices for a giant monster."
The Elder Troll chuckled as he stood back up. "What's the matter? Scared of a little bugs?" He asked as he now stood tall. "You made a fatal mistake dragging me out in the open. Now I can move around more freely!" He roared.
"Yeah? So can we." Magni declared before clapping his hands, which unleashed a thunderous sound, along with a wave that destroyed all the trees around him as well as leveling the ground. It was enough the knock the troll back and fall against the mountain wall.
"Very impressive, brother." Modi said as he stepped forward and raised his ax. "My turn!" He cried out and unleashed a tornado from his ax, pinning the troll to the wall.
"Magni, throw me into the air." Thrud told her brother. Magni grabbed his sister and tossed her into the night sky. Once she was above the troll, she pointed her sword at him, shooting lightning upon him.
This went on for a good while, until finally, the Elder Troll broke free. "STOP IT!" He cried out so loud, the three Aesirs had to cover their ears, breaking their concentrations. The troll king grabbed Thrud and tossed her into the ground so hard, it left a large crater.
"Sister!" Magni cried out with worry. But then he was stomped by a giant foot.
The troll king then kicked Modi, sending him through the woods. He then picked up a massive boulder that was almost big as he is and held it over his head. He was so enraged that he didn't notice Rayner approaching from the cliff walls. The Elder Troll looked down on Thrud, who was groaning in pain. "I'm gonna crush you like an ant!" The troll king cried out.
But then Rayner was standing on a hilltop, right beside the troll king. He held out Modi's bottle and pulled the cork, letting out the stored sunlight. Sure enough, the sun rays emerged from the bottle and engulfed the Elder Troll, who looked flabbergasted as he felt his body solidifying. It only took a matter of seconds for his entire being to be completely turned to stone.
"Odin's beard." Thrud said in amazement. "Modi's a genius." She cried out.
Modi emerged from the forest, as Magni got out of the footprint he was left in. All three gawked at the giant statue holding up the massive rock. Then Magni looked up at Rayner.
"You have earned your place in Valhalla my friend!" Magni cried out.
"Indeed! This is unheard of! You're the first human ever to kill an Elder Troll! You are a legend now!" Modi cried out with a wide grin.
"Aye. This statue will stand as a monument to your victory, Rayner. It will be remembered until Ragnarok." Thrud declared as Rayner was feeling bashful from being praised by the gods.
But then, they all heard the statue crack. It couldn't hold the weight of the giant rock over the head as they crumbled. The whole statue was crushed from the weight, completely shattering it to millions of pieces. The Aesir siblings moved away to avoid the debris. Dust covered the forest and the siblings coughed. They all coughed, waving away the dust from their faces. They all looked at the pile of rocks that was once the Elder Troll, with a 100 ton rock over them.
"And you sounded so epic, Thrud." Modi commented.
"Shut up," Thrud growled.
Rayner chuckled at the scene. But then he heard a twig break. He turned around and saw this his horror a group of trolls in front of him. They had finally caught up. And they were mad. With just a steep fall behind him and a pack of trolls in front of him, he had no choice. He stood his ground as a viking warrior should. He pulled his bow and shot an arrow into the eye of a troll, killing him instantly. And another, then a third as they advanced on him. Eventually, he had to draw his knife and engage in close up combat.
He slashed open the throat of one troll, then dodged the swing of the sword from another and stabbed the troll in the armpit. Another troll appeared before him, bringing down his club, which Rayner narrowly dodged before stabbing him in the throat. Another troll took a swing at him. This one landed a solid hit, taking an eye. Rayner was pushed away, holding his bleeding eye. But he quickly regain posture. The troll that cut him advanced on him, thrusting his sword forward. But Rayner moved aside and stabbed the troll in the throat. But then he was kicked from behind, lunging him forward and into the tip of a spear, wielded by another troll. Rayner cried out in pain as the spear pierced him in the chest. He dropped to his knees, dying. The troll that kicked him walked up to him, grabbed his hair and pulled his head back so they could lock eyes.
"I'm gonna boil your head in a pot and serve it to my children as a stew," He growled and was about to cut Rayner's head of. But then, that troll's head was blown away by a swing of Magni's giant mace.
Rayner's body fell back, but was caught by Modi. The remaining trolls backed away in fear as they Aesir siblings stood before them. Thrud swung her sword, unleashing a lighting bold like a whip, killing dozens of them. All the trolls scattered in horror, screaming in fear as they disappeared into the night. Thrud turned around and saw to her sorrow Rayner's lifeless eyes. Modi mournfully closed them and then there was nothing but silence.
"Damn it," Magni hissed, looking away, angry at himself for failing his new friend.
Their moment of sorrow was broke when light from the sky illuminated them. They looked up, knowing what was coming. Emerging from the heavens was a beautiful maiden on a winged horse. It was a Valkyrie, here to collect to worthy soul. The Valkyrie was surprised at the company before her.
"My princess," She said, addressing Thrud with respect. "My princes." She said, addressing Magni and Modi with the same respect.
"My lady," Modi said, bowing his head to her.
The Valkyrie went on to do her job as she got of her steed and walked over to the dead warrior. She knelt down, placed her finger tips on his forehead and pulled an astral form from his being. It was Rayner's spirit. He opened his eyes and looked surprised at the beautiful maiden before him. And upon seeing the winged steed behind her, he now realized what was going on. He turned around and looked down at his corpse, which was still in Modi's arms.
"So," Rayner said, begrudgingly. "Now I'm dead … Huh."
"We're so sorry, Rayner." Thrud apologized. "It was our job to protect you. And you ended up protecting us, giving your life for us."
"Oh, don't feel like you're responsible, my lady." Rayner told her, with an assuring smile. "I knew the risk. And besides, dying in battle is what we vikings live for. I will soon enter Valhalla, like most dream of."
"You've earned it more than most." Modi replied.
"We will look for you when we return to Asgard," Magni assured. "We shall raise of a mug of mead together to celebrate your victory."
"Our victory you mean?" Rayner asked with a raised eyebrow. "Guys, there's one thing I would want you to do for me."
"Sure. Anything." Thrud said.
From a safe distance, hiding behind the trees, the trolls watched the conversation. But they could only see the three Aesirs, talking to open space.
"Who're they talking to?" One troll asked. One of them shrugged while another was swirling his finger beside his head.
"We'll be sure to tell him that," Modi told Rayner.
"Thank you. I'll be seeing ya soon." Rayner said before getting up on the winged steed, sitting behind the Valkyrie.
"Don't even think about cupping a feel." She warned. "The last soul I brought to Asgard who did that entered Valhalla with both his hands broken."
"Oh, believe me, my lady. That won't be a problem." Rayner assured.
And so the Valkyrie took to the sky, towards the Rainbow Bridge and into the bright light.
"Come on." Thrud said as she went back towards the cave entrance. "Let's finish our job."
"You guys go on ahead. I'm gonna stay out here and protect Rayner's body so no wild animals will take him." Modi told them.
"You got it." Magni replied.
/
Back inside the cave, the trolls were at a disarray.
"Our king is dead!/What're we going to do now?/Who will lead us?"
"SHUT YER MOUTHS, TROLLS!" Magni's voice boomed through the cave, catching everyone's attention.
"Like we said before," Thrud said as she stepped forward, "we'll be taking your slaves. Does anyone have a problem with that?"
"Aw come on! We traded them for our own babies! It was a fair trade! We never took them for free!" One of the trolls complained, only to be shut down when Thrud glared at him and her sword started to spark lightning. The troll quickly said, "Like I said, take them. They're yours."
Pretty soon, all slaves were gathered and the shackles removed. That included a few babies. Thrud addressed them all.
"All your lives, you've only known slavery. Now you're free. Do whatever it is you want." She told them. They all looked at her for a few seconds and then did something that shocked her and her brother. Most of them turned around and went back to the trolls. "W-what are you doing?" She asked. "You don't have to serve them anymore. You are free now. You don't have to …" She said, flabbergasted by what she was seeing.
The trolls began laughing at her. "You may be gods to the people on the outside world. But down here, we are their gods." One of them mockingly told her.
Thrud was getting furious and raised her sword. But Magni grabbed her arm and said, "No. We only came here to free the humans. And we have. They've made their choices on what to do with their freedom. We're warriors. Not murderers."
"You're not murderers?!" One of the trolls cried out, flabbergasted. "What do you call what you've done here?! You drew first blood! You invaded our home!"
"You kidnapped humans and made them your slaves! You traded your own babies like objects! What moral ground do you think you have to stand on!?" Magni spat back, and the trolls all backed away in fear, looking back at the Aesirs like they were death itself.
"Don't kill us!/We're sorry!/Monsters!" They all shouted.
Thrud and Magni looked at each other with confused expressions. "We're not the monsters ... Are we?" Magni asked his sister.
She had no answer. So she walked right up over to the troll that just mocked her. He froze in terror as she stood before him and said, "We're gonna be sending scouts to this area, regularly. If we find out you have caused trouble for the humans again, any trouble at all, we'll be back. And then …" Thrud wasn't sure how to finish that sentence after all that has happened.
"… We understand." The troll replied, fearful for his life, as evident by the dark spot on his pants.
/
Once they had collected the few slaves that still wanted their freedom, they got a cart from the trolls, which the slaves got to ride as Magni pulled. On the cart was also Rayner's body. Even though they had succeeded in their mission, it still felt like a defeat.
"I still don't understand. Why would they want to go back to their tormentors?" Thrud asked, disparagingly.
"They've been slaves all their lives. They don't know anything else. They've been conditioned into this sort of lifestyle. Even if it isn't much of a life." Modi explained. "We can't save everyone."
"But we did save these young ones from that sort of fate," Magni pointed out, gesturing to the babies as well as the small children. "We can at least take solace in that."
Thrud looked over at the infants who were fast asleep, despite the bumpy road. She smiled a little, knowing her brother was right.
/
By the next day, the Aesirs returned to the village with the freed slaves. Thrud addressed the villagers and said, "These people are gonna need new homes and new lives. Think you can provide them for it?"
"Aye. We can do that." One of the villagers replied.
"RAYNER!" The chieftain cried out when he saw Magni carry his son's body of off the cart and put him down. The chieftain, along with the rest of his family, rushed to Rayner's side. The chieftain hold his now dead son in his arms as he dropped to his knees and hugged him. "Rayner," He said as he started to weep. So did his wife and other children.
"Your son was a brave man." Thrud said as she stood before the mourning family. "He fought valiantly. His spirit has been taken to Valhalla. We saw it ourselves. You will meet him again."
The chieftain didn't take his eyes of off his first born as he replied, "Yes … Yes, I … know I will." He now looked up at the goddess. "Thank you for bringing his body back."
"Before the Valkyrie took his spirit away, he wanted us to tell you something." Modi said, stepping forward. "He wanted to say that he's sorry he died before he could give you any grandchildren."
The chieftain dropped his jaw. But then then let out a halfhearted chuckle and said, "That wouldn't have been possible." The Aesirs looked confused. "He never liked women." He said, surprising the gods.
"You knew?" Modi asked.
"I'm his father. I notice these things." The chieftain replied. "I was only pressuring him into telling me. He shouldn't have had to be afraid to come out to me about it. Now I realize I was wrong in my approach." He said, looking guilty. He looked up at the Aesir siblings and said, "When you return to Asgard, will you tell him that I'm sorry and that no matter if he likes women or men, I still love him."
"Aye … We'll do that." Thrud promised.
"Bless you, my gods." The father from yesterday said as he stood in front of his wife, holding her infant in her arms, tears of joy streaming down her face. "We were able to find our son among the infants you brought back. You've reunited us with our only child. We can never repay you enough."
And just like that, whatever despair the trio felt was lifted. Just seeing this family whole again and their gratitude for their efforts was rewarding enough.
Hours later, a funeral had been prepared for Rayner. His body, along with all his earthly possessions, were placed on a boat. His family bid their farewells before the boat was pushed into the lake. The chieftain readied a flaming arrow. But he found himself unable to follow through. His hands were shaking and his facial expression full of sorrow. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Let me do it, father." Said his oldest daughter.
The chieftain handed the bow and arrow over to her. She drew the arrow back, waited a few seconds, and released. The arrow hit it's mark, setting the boat on fire. The crowed watched in silence as the fire on the boat got bigger. And then, the daughter started singing.
"Eg songane søkte. Eg songane sende, då den djupaste brunni, gav meg dråpar så ramme, av Valfaders pant. Alt veit eg, Odin kvar du auge løynde." The other villagers chimed in, repeating the lyrics.
"Eg songane søkte. Eg songane sende, då den djupaste brunni, gav meg dråpar så ramme, av Valfaders pant. Alt veit eg, Odin kvar du auge løynde." They sang together, voices full of sorrow. Their song echoed through the lake.
"Kven skal synge meg, i daudsvevna slynge meg, når eg helvegen går, og dei spora eg trår, er kalde, så kalde." They sang on, some of whom started to cry even.
"Årle ell i dagars hell, enn veit ravnen om eg fell."
"Helvegen," Modi said as he and his siblings watched the funeral. "A popular funeral song among the mortals."
"We know." Thrud replied and started singing along with the humans.
"Når du ved helgrindi står, og når du laus deg må rive, skal eg fylgje deg, yver gjallarbrui, med min song." Pretty soon, Magni and Modi chimed in.
"Du blir løyst frå banda som bind deg. Du er løyst frå banda som batt deg."
Once the funeral was over, the trio turned to the chieftain and his family.
"We've done what we set out to do. Now we bid you farewell." Thrud said.
"Won't you stay a little longer?" The chieftain asked. "We will be hosting a feast in memory of my son and in celebration that one of our own was safely returned back to us."
"We apologize. But we really need to return home." Magni pointed out.
"Very well then. Once again, thank you for what you have done." The chieftain said.
"We only wish we could've returned with Rayner's life still intact." Thrud replied, begrudgingly.
"I can still take solace knowing he slew an Elder Troll. I am so incredibly proud of him." The chieftain said with faint smile on his face.
"We'll be sure to tell him that too." Modi said as he brought out a horn and blew it. Moments later, the Bifrost Bridge descended from the sky and onto the ground.
"Farewell then, chieftain." Thrud said, respectfully, before turning around and joining her brothers in walking up the rainbow bridge.
"Guys, I've been wondering," Magni said as they walked up the bridge. "How come an Elder Troll in Midgard was able to evade Heimdal's gaze?"
"Been wondering that too." Modi replied.
"We're gonna ask him that." Thrud replied. "I doubt he would ever let a serious threat like this roam Midgard. Something is at work here. And we're gonna find out what."
Silence filled the air as they walked up the rainbow bridge, until Modi broke the silence. "Guys ... are we really the heroes?"
/
First chapter done. I hope you all enjoy it.
The song the villagers sung at the funeral is Helvegen by Wardruna. They make some great songs I tell ya and I recommend checking them out.
Be sure to leave a review and fave this story if you like it. Bye for now.