25th June 2009, Thursday, 10:39
On the rainbow bridge
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
Dante would rather take a ride on Ymir's back again than admit that Montehue's arrival was to his liking. Who would have expected that among the snowy wasteland, far away from civilization, in a place where a human foot rarely stepped, he would bump right into Montehue , who actually should be eating a high-calorie breakfast in the rainy London?! There was no mistake – every detail perfectly suited the Seeker taking the second place in the Foundation's ranking, whom he had been trying to avoid so skillfully.
It was not that Dante hated the guy, in fact, they succeeded in forging quite a steady friendship based on constant rivalry; neither of them was complaining much about it, though, as knowing the other one was hard on their feet kept them both aware and in good condition. However, as much as Dante liked Montehue and valued him as a powerful Seeker, he didn't appreciate him as a mission companion. His methods of work involved a lot of axe-throwing, bragging and shouting (really, the last thing they needed right now was an avalanche! ) Montehue was apparently unable to speak in a low voice, let alone tame his jovial personality… which, unluckily, might not be much to the Guardians' taste.
Dante sighed. That's why he would have rather avoided dragging Montehue to Iceland and why he had begged Tersly to stay quiet about their visit in Post Street Museum in London. This mission required some clever diplomacy; and though Montehue had a heart of gold and an iron fist, he was as subtle as a charging rhino.
That's why he was greatly oblivious of Dante's dilemma.
'Good to see ya, pal', the dumpy man spoke vigorously with his strong Scottish accent. Dante held back the comment that he wasn't so happy about it, he just didn't want to sound unfriendly, after all. 'Been looking for you and your friends all over this fiord here. Good that I wore my snow boots…', Montehue looked at his well-shod feet. Well, at least he'd done his preparations.
'How did you find out about our mission?', Dante asked as kindly as he could, though he kind of guessed the answer.
'My assistant happened to mention it', the giant responded, pulling aside and exposing Tersly, trembling from either cold or shock.
'He-he brought it out of me…', the skinny ginger in glasses defended himself, glancing at Dante apologetically. Vale pursed his lips. He had had a feeling that it would end like this.
'I'm sure he did', he murmured, unable to hold back his amusement; the cowardly Tersly couldn't keep any secrets from his energetic employer. Perhaps he panicked at the mere thought of Monty's reaction on the revel that his assistant had hidden something from him. No wonder Tersly preferred to confess to his conspiracy in advance. It surely required a lot of guts to stand your ground to such a headstrong employer, and Tersly wasn't the most assertive person on Earth.
'Weeell, it looks like you and your friends here have found a magic temple', Montehue remarked, observing the building with pride, as if he had created it himself and now invited them as guests there. 'Must not have been easy. 'Course it would've taken me a lot less time…'
'I hate to interrupt', Dante contradicted himself, doing just so, 'but… we're surrounded by hostile snow golems…', he reminded meaningfully, pointing at the rapacious birds just waiting for their mistakes.
With one accord, the flock screeched and attacked.
'Spread out!', Dante shouted to his team.
'Run!', Montehue interrupted his command. 'I'll handle this!'
Dante pursed his lips. That was exactly what he did dislike the most: Montehue always had to play first fiddle. Unfortunately, he had to admit that just now, he was the best match for the position… His axes were cutting mercilessly, taking off another ice limb each time. Monty surely had his distinctive style - even if a little bit reckless, it was certainly spectacular.
Strangely discontent with that observation, Vale toughened his fist with a spell and whacked the monster attacking him with all his might. He realized with surprise that the bird had fallen into ice shards. Well, Monty's arrival had its advantages – Dante fought with doubled strength. Despite all his chivalrous statements on friendly rivalry, he surely wasn't going to let Monty take his place as a pro Huntik Seeker.
The team scattered, trying to defend themselves against the golems and not fall from the bridge at the same time. Tersly almost fainted out ot fright when two birds had caught him – luckily he had had enough sense to call Venadek. The small, agile Titan, who didn't really resembled any certain creature, and could pass as a wild mix of a bat, a lizard and a scorpion the most, handled the opponents with ease, slashing them with two razors which grew from his wrists instead of paws.
Lok and Cherit were running away from another birds. One of them opened his claws and aimed to catch the gargoyle. It turned out that the scarf Lok had tied caringly around Cherit's neck (despite the fact that the little fellow couldn't feel cold) came in handy – the boy yanked it and pulled Cherit down, saving him from the aggressor's talons.
Nearby, the girls were fighting the rapacious birds with quick, accurate blows. Performing one of them, Zhalia got hit in the face by the wing and fell down moaning, lowering her guard. She was now an easy target. Dante rushed to her, but Monty was faster.
'No one beats a lady in my presence!', the giant shouted and crushed the golem with one cut, then threw Zhalia a short smile. She gave it back faintly, still contorted after the fall.
Dante felt relief that she was safe, but strangely, a grimace crossed his face involuntarily, seeing how Monty ruffled his feathers after the successful stunt. Well then, he was not the only one who could pull some tricks. Dante yanked out a certain amulet.
'Ignatius, attack!', he yelled to let go of some of the negative emotions.
The golem, filled with his negative emotions, spitted lava vehemently, melting a bunch of ice creatures. Dante observed with satisfaction how they fell onto the bridge as a rain of shiny droplets, creating puddles glistening in the sun.
Monty directed some more accurate blows before the horde decided to surrender. The burly Seeker observed the flock disappearing behind the peaks on the horizon.
'Well, all I can say is…', he began, straightening up and flinging the axe over his shoulder in a characteristic manner, 'good thing I was here.'
Dante turned his stare away and to cover his discontent, got busy with calling Ignatius back to the amulet. Monty's statement was still left without a comment. Vale sighed quietly. As if out of spite, the team had left the response to him.
'I really don't know what we would've done without you…', he murmured reluctantly, not looking at his rival; admitting that Monty had performed amazingly cost him a bit of his pride, after all.
'Ha, come on, Vale, I was just yanking your chin a little!', Montehue said jovially; if that was anybody else, it might've sounded patronizing, but Monty was too straightforward to play such games. Dante knew that, but still…
'I don't mean to interrupt…', Lok spoke cautiously, 'but the temple is right over there…'
'Right', the satisfied Scottish admitted, putting his hands at the back. 'Now that we're all here, we're outta go grab that hammer, no?'
Dante looked at his genuinely honest face and half of his discontent melted away. For Monty, it was really just another adventure he was excited to explore, and as a team. Maybe it was mostly his own problem that he avoided Monty so much during missions; after all, he was more of a help than a bother this time. Dante decided he would hold his bias in line.
'After you, Monty', he showed Montehue the way with a slight bow and an open gesture.
'You're a prince!', the Seeker remarked, accepting the invitation.
The team headed to the temple, being careful not to slip onto the melted remains of the golems. Zhalia paid the most attention to it; she had become convinced that the rainbow bridge wasn't as delicate and subtle in touch as it seemed. Especially when one hit it with their bottom.
'You OK?', Dante came arm to arm with her.
'Yeah, somehow', she responded negligibly, staring at Monty's back, then asked with some kind of reproof: 'Couldn't you equip yourself with such axes? It makes many things easier…'
Dante got stunned, his face fell completely. He barely noticed the ice shard on his path and almost tripped up. Zhalia just stared at him meaningfully in reply and then turned away. Dante couldn't believe what he had just seen and heard. Wait, was that a suggestion that she was into modern lumberjacks? Oh no, she didn't…
'Look!', suddenly, Lok whispered sharply. 'Gandalf!'
A tall, sinewy old man with long white beard and the same-colored moustache was coming from the temple, covered in a black, trailing robe with a hood pulled onto the wrinkled forehead. He approached them in a slow, well-balanced pace, so they stopped in await.
'Youuu shall not paaass!', Lok murmured in a lowered voice, mimicking the famous line from The Lord Of The Rings, from the scene when the wizard barred Balrog the way.
'Lok, cut it already!', Sophie reproached him with a hiss.
'But he really looks like Gandalf!', the boy insisted.
'Rather like Saruman', Sophie denied.
The elder stopped few steps before them, his cloak flapped impressively, deepening the feeling that they had been transferred to the plan set of some fantasy movie.
'I see you've made it. We've been expecting you in our humble temple', the stranger spoke in a mysterious voice, which sounded both dignified and balefully, especially mixed with a malicious smirk playing on the man's mouth.
'We noticed', Dante threw ironically, making an allusion to the golems' attack.
'We were informed that you would be arriving soon in order to collect a certain… artifact', the Guardian added suggestively, examining them with his stare, as if he had been trying to check how much they knew. He eye-pierced Dante for the longest time. He handled that stare, opposing it with his own; he hoped it was as cold as the ice shards around.
'That's right', he admitted laconically, now convinced that the talk was just a bunch of platitudes, which were supposed to put their vigilance to sleep. Who else but Organization could inform the Guardians?
For a moment, the Guardian just inspected their faces.
'This way, my friends', he said finally, inviting them to follow him with a gesture. There wasn't a slight of sympathy in his voice.
'You sure we should trust this guy?', Lok asked under his breath.
'No, I'm not', Zhalia murmured back.
'We can't get past that door…', Dante cut that discussion which could cause a quarrel too early. 'So if he lets us in, we're going to follow.'
'But once we're inside…', Lok tried to add something.
'We're better off', Montehue responded fatalistically, though he himself didn't seem scared at all, just on the contrary, he was already rubbing the handle of his axe in anticipation. However, Tersly shivered like a leaf in the wind, mincing just behind him.
'Welcome to the temple of Thor', they heard.
They came to the shrine one by one, observed by the Guardian. When the heavy gates closed, there was a full-of-dust, yellowish semidarkness, mainly due to the walls made of light brown, ornamented rock. The massive blocks looked a bit primitive, however, the carvings covering them were made especially carefully; each depicted some item or scene from the Norse mythology, connected to Thor one way or another.
After the walk through the corridor, they stopped in a round chamber with a huge pillar in the center, supporting the ceiling stylized as a multi-pointed star. They were surrounded by a lot of tunnel mouths, unrecognizable from the one they had come from.
'If you would be so kind as to wait here', the Guardian asked with a sophisticated politeness, though his timbre hadn't become even a bit more kind. 'My master will receive you in a moment.'
The Guardian left the room. It just proved Dante's guesses. If the worshippers of Thor had given them an opportunity to explore the temple, it could have only meant that they wouldn't allow them to get out with the gathered knowledge.
'Form a defensive perimeter', he ordered firmly, stating that it was the right time to show who was the leader. Oddly enough, everyone listened to him without protest, surrounding him in a circle. Dante felt a bit better, knowing that the general rapture over Monty hadn't taken away his whole prestige. 'Holotome, build the map of the temple based on what we can see', he ordered to the device.
'Scanning', the female voice responded.
'Maybe he's OK', Lok started suddenly. 'I mean, he seems like he really wants to help us…'
'And maybe', Sophie spoke, mimicking his intonation, 'you're just glad to be out of the freezing cold…'
'If you think that anyone would just give up Thor's hammer, the power of Mjolnir, you're crazy', Zhalia joined in, subtle as always. Well, there was the one thing her and Montehue had in common…
Dante shook the thought off and showed everyone the map created by the holotome. The team gathered around him.
'Here's the situation', Dante said. 'There are two ways out. If they attack, we will break through here', he explained clearly to let everyone understand it. 'Lok and Sophie, cover our backs.'
'I'd rather improvise', Montehue chuckled, drawing out his two axes suggestively. Dante rolled his eyes. That's what he was talking about: Montehue was going to show off, like always.
It was the least of his problems, though.
'Apparently we overestimated your intelligence, Dante Vale!', a hoarse voice behind their backs spoke.
The same day, 10:47
The temple of Thor
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
And, didn't I say that we will step into some deep shit, even if half-frozen?
The Guardian came back, but with support. He brought here similar dwarves in hoods and some fat baldie in sunglasses.
'This temple is controlled by the Organization!', the man announces, revealing his affiliation. I don't know this guy, we haven't had an opportunity to meet before. He probably doesn't know who I am either, so he won't go easy on me – if he wants to wipe off the team, he won't leave me out. Tough luck. However, DeFoe is in-the-know of the mystification and he still torments me when he only has a chance. This one here at least will have a justification why he tried to kick my ass. Maybe I'll take it into consideration someday when I'll be on the top, giving away privileges and attentions. I'll allow him to become my footstool.
'And you have just walked into your tomb…', he finishes, addressing Dante. Woah, I'm so scaaared, stop or I'll shit my pants. Really, an atmosphere like from some fear chamber in a funfair. Just hang a stuffed bat under the ceiling and voila.
'If this giant place is a tomb just for Dante, you'll gonna have to build a few more for the rest of us!', Lok shouts. I peek at him with acknowledgement. Good line! And I've just thought that the whole effort of cutting back to our stuck-up opponents would fall onto my shoulders! It's clear that the kid learns from the best. Dante can stuff his syllabus up his ass, Professor Moon's lectures give better results!
'Surrender now! You may be shown mercy', the bald one warns. 'If you don't… you won't live to regret it!'
Yeeeah, as if I could be scared by a bunch of geezers dressed in foolish rags… In such age you should retire already, not organize some dress-up covens!
'What do you think? Surrender?', Dante throws to us, spreading his arms theatrically.
'Yeah, sure', Montehue agrees at once, drawling the syllables. 'Oh wait, got a museum lecture on Thursday, I can't!', he adds immediately.
I'm starting to like you more and more, teddy bear! You didn't only save my ass, you also know what sarcasm is! I almost regret it that you didn't achieve the best position in Huntik and it's not you I have to finish off. We'd get along well! But first, I'd have to shave your beard for sure. It's really too much. I bet you saved a lot of breakfast among those hair, and I don't like to taste somebody's scrambled eggs when I kiss them.
However, I get a feeling that it's only the two-man show now.
'Oh, too bad…', Vale sighs unduly. 'Then we fight!'
I had an impression that the guys don't like each other, and now look! What a synchronization! They launch themselves at the Guardians, who don't turn out to be as grouchy as I thought. As for their age, they run quite fast!
'It's cool being a Seeker!', Lok goes into awe. 'You explore strange new cultures and get attacked by them!' Well, there are various reasons to be happy… 'Let's do it! Freelancer!'
'Defend us, Sabriel!', Sophie joins in.
I don't summon any Titans. In a clash, the heavy Kilthane is no match for the wiry, agile Guardians. Strix work mainly as a surprise effect, and Gareon… oh no, I won't throw my little Gareon to those geezers to tear him apart, no way! I'll handle this alone. I nudge one of the crocks and trip the second one over. Nice and smooth.
However, I'm no match to the harmony of movements presented by the two Foundation rivals. Like ballet dancers from The Swan Lake! Though no prima donna would whack someone's mouth like Dante and Montehue do. Actually, I don't know who fights better… Montehue does it more spectacularly for sure, with all that waving axes and ramming his opponents, like a huge bear or a rhino. On the other hand, Dante is more agile, like a big cat, he parries the blows with ease and uses the enemies' weak points against them. It requires a good school of martial arts, but he acts as if he was a natural. Wonder if he's so flexible in… other circumstances.
Alright, it's not the best time to wonder about it; not some action movie that I can watch and even slow down the play. I hear Tersly scream, the Guardians attack him. Isn't there anyone else who can help him? Why do I always have to act like a babysitter for such wimps?!
'I thought', I begin, running before the gingy, 'all the Foundation agents', I knock the Guardian to the ground with a kick, 'were supposed to be brave!', the geezer falls down like a cut tree. The fight doesn't disturb me in throwing biting remarks all around. 'Touchram!', I wipe two grandpas away.
'We fought them off long enough, let's go!', Lok gets impatient.
Easy to say, kid! You're not surrounded by six at once! What a popularity I have, really… Shame that only among guys sixty-plus!
'Thundercut!', shouts one of them, but instead of hitting me, he strikes Tersly's belly and lifts him up, holding his throat.
'Tersly!', Montehue's alarmed by the ruckus and comes to the rescue. 'Dragonfist!'
Enhanced by the spell, large-like-rocks fists of the Seeker squeeze air out of the Guardian's lungs; the guy lets Tersly go. The spell's power pushes him to the column supporting the ceiling, which shakes and… finally starts to fall down.
I leave my latest victim, gazing at the pieces pouring onto our heads.
'Everyone, out!', Dante orders while the risk of a cave-in rises each second.
Yeah, 'cause obviously I'll wait until I have a date with Thor himself! I run into the established corridor, Sophie follows me. Why is the rest dallying?! Screw the whole group, but where is that Vale sucker?! I plan such attractions and he wants to die, again?! Somebody hold me or I'll kill him dead!
Oh, right. I'll finish him off nevertheless. I got carried away… at least Klaus would be happy seeing my enthusiasm.
Finally Dante dashes into the corridor, carrying Tersly.
'Where're Lok, Cherit and Montehue?!', Sophie gets anxious.
Dante's response is drown by the noise of falling rocks. They cover the exit. If we had stayed there, there wouldn't have been anything left of us to pick...
'What's with the others?!', Sophie squeals, demanding an answer.
'I didn't see', Dante says, putting the unconscious ginger under the wall. 'They were just behind me, but…'
'Oh no, it's horrible, I'm claustrophobic…', Tersly mumbles, waking up slowly.
'The cave-in is long past us, boy, so man up and calm down!', I advise him, annoyed that I'm surrounded mostly by fags and total farts.
'Dante, you don't think that… that Montehue and Lok were crushed in there?!', the frightened girl covers her mouth out of fear.
'I'm sure they're fine', Vale calms her down, helping Tersly stand.
'With all due respect, it looked pretty grim', the assistant speaks up pessimistically. 'How can you be sure?'
'Because knowing my luck, Montehue will be following me around till I'm old in grave', Dante murmurs mockingly.
Ah, so that's true what people say about Dante and Montehue - they really can't stand each other. That is, they tolerate each other from a distance, until they get in each other's way… When they accidentally bump into each other, it always ends up in a clash. Those Montehue's remarks – why would he tease Dante if not out of pure jealousy? For a guy big like a mountain who elbows his way to everything he wants to achieve, being on a lower level than someone like Dante Vale – basically an ordinary guy who doesn't stand out much, maybe only due to an awful sense of fashion – must be a disgrace.
I also noticed Dante's frown when he saw Montehue. Is he afraid of losing his position? He should be. Monty's pretty good. Perhaps there's only one spectacular victory left to make him become the top agent. And that's why Dante looks so tense. The stress is eating him from inside. And I'm just contributing to this, comparing him to Monty. That's fine. Maybe he'll try some more to appeal to me. After all, every male defends his territory when he sees a rival crossing the border, right? And I am, somehow, on his side. That's him who invited me to the team, not Monty, so he'll try to show me at any cost that I got under the wings of the best leader on Earth. Ah, this trivial male psyche. Easier to crack open than a hazelnut.
OK, my turn to show Dante that he's heading in the right direction.
'That's the kind of pessimistic optimist a girl can believe in', I assure him confidently.
He throws me a glare askance. What? Not enough for mighty Mr. Vale? Throwing a hissy fit that I won't hug, comfort and scratch your belly, or maybe make a poem about your greatness? Dream on, you cocky shit. I'm sorry, but if being overambitious is your only problem, you don't know what true hardships are.
Dante probably senses that I'm not going to add more, because he loses his interest in me quickly; oh, the stung pride.
'Regardless, we have to get moving', he murmurs under his breath. 'Let's go.'
Easy to say, harder to do. Where exactly should we go? Dante apparently has some idea, because his strong footsteps are ringing loudly in the corridor. We just follow him like a line of little ducks following their mother. Not a long march, though. He leads us to a gold-plated door at the corridor's end, sealed for good. Bravo. A dead end. That's the final part of the trip with the travel agency Vale&Co.
'I think…voic…in…re…is…ay…ir!'
The unclear shout of the Guardian coming from nearby alarms us all. Shame they weren't crushed. It'd be one trouble less.
'Oh no!', Tersly panics.
'Is this part of your plan?', I throw haughtily to Dante.
'Actually… yes', he responds in a surprisingly spry voice comparing to his latest whining, sending me a wide smile. What's up? I mock him every minute and he still grins to me like that? Though… he's got something to show. He could advertise toothpaste with a smile like this. Am I in a Winterfresh TV spot? Wouldn't be surprising, giving the freaking cold.
'Here they are!', the Guardians don't give up. 'The infidels have nowhere to run!'
There always is a way to escape. I know it from experience. I'm not the only one.
'Touchram!', Dante breaks the seal without hesitation, forcing a hole big enough for us to worm through it, what we do at once.
'I don't understand', I speak, coming down with the rest and looking back at the door; I expected the stream of Guardians flowing through it, but nothing like that happens. 'Why aren't they following?'
'Because they're followers', Dante responds, not even staring at me. What a strange logic… Alright, but, couldn't you be more specific? 'This area of the temple is forbidden', Dante explains finally.
'But why?', I seek the truth; two dozens of geezers didn't hesitate to attack us before and now they'd act according to the rules? 'Is there something… they're afraid of?', I guess. Fear is always the most effective factor to keep people in line.
'That's right', Dante admits, 'and it's kept down here.'
'Oh my goodness!', Tersly moans, frightened by a mere thought of it. 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire!'
'This cave…', Sophie wonders out loud, observing the walls and then touching one. 'I can't believe it, but it seems like…'
'The very walls are laced with magic', Tersly fulfills the observation.
'What for?', I hate such riddles. And I've got an especially bad luck with caverns and cave-ins.
'A power source for a Titan to act independently when its Seeker is gone', Dante explains patiently; I have admit, even if he's being an oblivious dimwit, he knows pretty much about the Titan world. As expected from the leader's protégé.
'A wild Titan?!', Sophie can't believe it; maybe she reads a lot, but she haven't seen much in her life.
'With this much energy, he could roam free for thousands of years', Vale confirms.
'What kind of Titan?', Tersly asks, terrified.
'A very… dangerous one', our leader responds frankly. 'But don't worry. I won't let anyone of you die here', he calms us down with a confident voice.
'Well, you almost did a few times', I remark ostentatiously.
Dante bristles, as if I rubbed him the wrong way. He throws me a questioning stare above his shoulder. I handle it, putting both hands on my hips and raising my eyebrows insolently. I don't thing I need to clarify anything in that simple statement; I just voiced everybody's opinion, since I am the most straightforward member of this group… and, I don't have a crush on you that blinds my reasoning. Deal with it.
Dante's eyes darken; for a moment, I think he would burst out, or at least cut back. I almost look forward to this. Come on, show everyone what you're really made of, you perfect poster boy. Let everyone know that under the cape of chivalry, fair play and equality that you love to demonstrate, you're just one bossy prideful bag of dung who hates to be defied.
However, Dante disappoints me. Apart from a slight twitch, he doesn't react to that and just turns his back to me in silence.
'Keep your eyes open for anything unusual', he orders.
I smirk slightly, certain of my win. There's no doubt Dante will try to prove himself. I just can't wait!
The same day, 11:14
The temple of Thor
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
'This sculpture has magical properties, too!', Sophie states, examining the complex ornament depicting a snake twining on the wall of the greenish chamber, lightened by four torches.
'It's part of a puzzle', Dante explains. 'The key to finding the hammer of Thor. But it looks like we're not alone…'
I'm not even surprised anymore. Wherever we go, there always is a riddle, a trap or… a murderous Titan.
'Your bad luck seems to be holding out', I address Dante wryly, listening out to the panting and claws scratching the stone.
'Fenris – attack: 4, defense: 4, type: Litho-Tytan Warrior, size: large, special abilities: fury attack', the holotome announces, sensing the Titan.
'Great', Dante comments bitterly. He's got the right to be out of sorts. It's definitely not his day.
In the distance, something crushes with a huge noise. And so we've got a preview of Fenris' power…
'The strongest of all Norse monsters!', Tersly utters, trembling. 'What should we do?!'
'Just stay ca…', Dante begins, but stops, goggling his eyes when an enormous, slobbery figure dashes into the chamber, with a powerful gust full of dark grey fur twirling around.
My jaw drops. Oh crap. I expected an average domestic dog, some kind of a shepherd after a bit of upgrade, but… Fenris may be a wolf, but after absorbing tons of stimulants. His large, shaggy head almost hits the ceiling. His whole body looks thin, but sinewy and frighteningly agile. His forepaws make up for the rest of the slender body – two gigantic hairy fists, toughened by covers made of bronze, stuffed with golden spikes. Additionally, a monstrous muzzle full of fangs and sticking-out, long tongue – and you've got the whole image of what we have to face.
Thanks, Dante. Thanks, Klaus. Thanks, Professor. That's your fault that I got here. And I knew I should've never listened to any men!
The hot, stinking breath tugs our clothes, sprinkling droplets of saliva onto the ground.
Fenris roars angrily, smashing both fists against his chest; the sound echoes in the chamber. He pierces us with his bloodshot eyes, apparently wondering who would be the best starter.
'Don't eat me, please!', the panicked Tersly shouts.
'Way to stay calm, Tersly', I growl. So we've got a volunteer for serving as a bait. But as long as we stay together, he shouldn't enrage Fenris with his squealing… he can scream all he wants after Fenris digs into his flesh. I will feed him to the Thor's dog myself if I will have to.
'Dante, we have to do something!', the shaking assistant ignores me.
You don't say, dude. If not your brilliant remark, of course I'd just stand and watch how the charging wolf skins me!
'Scatter!', Dante shouts.
Me, Dante and Sophie jump aside, but the paralyzed Tersly can't even move his feet. In such situation, the savior of the oppressed always appears.
'Gotcha!', Vale grabs his collar and pulls him away from before Fenris' muzzle. 'Bubblelift!', a spherical cover forms around Tersly, carrying him towards Sophie in a bubble of energy. Meanwhile Dante faces the Titan eye to eye.
'Touchram!', he shots the spell right at his jaw and jumps into the air when the annoyed wolf attacks him. Vale lands on his head and gives him a kick, then falls onto the floor. Wasn't Ymir enough for him?! Does he want to irritate the monster dog?!
'Why isn't Dante using his Titans?!', I murmur, furious with this imbecile. If he kicks the bucket now, I'll be done. 'Fight, Kilthane!'
The dark knight charges at Fenris vehemently, smashing his sword against the opponent's belly. The wolf howls piercingly, then pushes Kilthane away with one wave of the paw… finishing him off. What?! He win over him with just one blow?! That's impossible… Ouch, rather possible, I feel it perfectly when Kilthane's power returns to the amulet.
'He'll only drain your power!', Dante warns me sharply. Thanks for the call, I noticed as much!
'He's right! Fenris draws his strength from the magic of this temple! You can't affect him with direct attacks!', Sophie joins in. And now you're telling me this?!
'Go, I'll catch up!', Dante rushes us, avoiding the wolf's blows.
Am I supposed to leave him alone to his fate, against a bloodthirsty predator? To let Fenris tear him into pieces? But what I would do? I lost so much power, I leak like a broken tap and feel worse and worse every minute. Will I be any help in such a state? Klaus can say whatever he wants, but there are few forbidden things during 'those days'… especially an exhausting wrestling with Norse monsters.
I'm sorry, Dante. Maybe you're worth a lot for the Organization, but I value my life more.
I turn away and run into the corridor with the rest. We rush headlong, not turning into any suspect tunnels, which could be dead-ends. Sophie looks back every minute.
'He'll crush him!', she shouts.
'Who will crush whom?!', I throw ironically to drown my fears. I know perfectly what she's talking about. 'Dante isn't a wimp, we'll just disturb him! No one among us equals to him in hand-to-hand combat, he'll manage…', I assure everyone, but myself the most.
With every word, I feel more strongly that I'm lying to myself. I made a mistake, I shouldn't have left him. If he dies, I won't live for long either. Klaus and the Professor will take care of it…
I hear an additional patter of boots behind us and Fenris' furious roar.
'He's coming already!', Sophie guesses, then, a bit calmed down, stares ahead. 'Look, there's a door up there!'
We run through them, waiting for Tersly for a moment. There's a bar; we just have to shut the gate and secure it to be separated from Fenris… but Dante…
'Dante, you have to get out of there!', Sophie insists, counting on the echo to carry her voice to Vale's ears.
He's here; he emerges from around the corner. He's not alone, Fenris runs after him heavily. It looks horrible; as if I was watching a hunting predator in a nature program. However, I've never cared much about all the gazelles and zebras on screen.
'Come on, Dante, hurry!', Sophie spurs him, though her face becomes long from fear. 'He's getting tired', she addresses me. 'I don't think he can use any more powers!'
'I should be able to help…', I state more to myself than to her, clenching my fists, 'but I can't…'
'Zhalia, it's not your fault', Sophie says to me way more gently that usually. What is she blabbering? Why is she so kind? Did she notice that I'm out of condition today and guessed the reasons for that? She's a girl, after all, she probably also menstruates already and knows how a woman's body react during such a time. And now she thinks that I'm angry 'cause I care about this idiot! That'll be the day! I just hate feeling helpless. I hate failures. And seeing Dante as a victim… He was supposed to be mine, but it seems like I have to surrender to Fenris. A weaker specimen never gets in the stronger one's way. There's nothing I could do. I won't sacrifice myself that much for an ordinary Foundation scum… right?
After all, he can still manage… He's getting closer and closer, few more leaps and he'll join us. Fenris also notices that, but he isn't going to resign from his prey; his long tongue trips Dante up. Vale falls onto the floor ponderously, hitting it with his back.
'Nooooo!', Sophie yells, seeing Fenris' muzzle an inch from the man's head.
The same day, 11:26
The Temple of Thor
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
Dante Vale had been looking into death's eyes many a time. But he had never felt its burning, decay-stinking breath on his skin. And he had never had such a strong feeling that the end had come.
So he was supposed to die here? Here, in the temple forgotten by the civilization, in the jaws of the monstrous dog who would leave only scraps of his body, and then the Guardians will use them for their filthy rituals?! He was supposed to leave everything he had to do, allow those disgusting geezers to chase his team to death, hem them in and then kill one by one?! To give Monty his position in the Foundation ranking, and the hammer of Thor?! To let Zhalia look at him as at a complete failure, nod her head with resignation above his dead body? And then… to throw away the every-month travel to Germany he planned for the weekend, let down Metz, Metz who had been waiting for him for four weeks, and even longer for the miracle that Dante was supposed to make happen somehow?!
The slightest thought of Metz enticed a spark of vitality within him. He still had that one mission to carry. He would die only after he had fulfilled it. He must have not abandon it.
Never!
The power rose in him in the last desperate wave; he caught it like a raffish mustang.
'Nimblefire!', he screamed, pushing away from Fenris' mouth with a kick and falling among his team backwards.
The girls hurled themselves at the door and shut them with huge efforts; Tersly bolted them. Dante stood up ponderously, quavering a bit and panting. Oh man; the corridor blurred before his eyes, he had to put his hands on his knees and lean down not to faint. He had apparently overdone it… but at least he was alive… The mere thought of it made his head spin from the huge mass of shock, disbelief and absolute gratitude, but it didn't help him regain composure; his legs were still shaky like a jelly.
He met the hazel, attentive eyes' stare and a nonchalant smile of satisfaction, and strangely, it helped him to pull himself together. He raised his chin higher and to straightened up a bit. He wouldn't give Zhalia Moon a reason to jeer at his helplessness again.
'It won't hold… for long…', he choked out, catching big breaths and finally gathering enough strength to stand more firmly.
'Hold what?'
Two extremely different figures appeared in the corridor – a burly giant and a short boy. Dante obviously felt relieved seeing Lok, but he possibly had never been so glad to see Monty alive and well, in all his robust glory. His joy wasn't only because he had been worried that someone might regard Monty's disappearance during a mission with his biggest rival fishy. Oh yes, there were times when Dante really had had an itch to finish him off himself, but the mere thought of the competitor being crushed by the rocks had sent his heart pounding, despite all his inner assurance that all in all, Monty could handle himself no problem. He smiled lightly to his thoughts; yes, he definitely wouldn't want Monty gone.
Apparently, not everyone was so sentimental about the forced parting.
'I thought you were in trouble!', Lok spoke, as if they parted five minutes before and didn't worry what happened to their two lost comrades at all.
'You're right', Tersly admitted. 'It's just outside the door!'
'What is it?', Lok sought the truth.
'In the ancient legends of the Norse gods, there is a tale of Thor and the mighty dog…', the assistant wondered.
'The dog is Fenris', Sophie explained. 'Didn't Thor him up with the magic rope?'
'Gleipnir!', Tersly added. 'It's the rope that can't be broken…', he peeked at the door anxiously; the splinters started to come off.
'Our survival depends on finding it', Dante stated.
'No need to fear', Monty spoke jovially. 'If anyone can find it, Tersly and I can. And I'd find it faster than you!', he pointed his finger at Vale's team.
Dante smirked; yeah, definitely, it was only him who had gotten so soppy about the scission. Luckily, everything was back to normal.
'We'll see', he accepted the challenge; slipping away from Fenris' claws and having the rest of the team back filled him with a new hope.
The reunion didn't last long, however; Montehue, apparently taking Dante's response as a glove to be picked, just snarled and ran off with his assistant, willing to make it first this time.
'I suspect that Gleipnir must be in a hidden room!', Sophie spoke when they left.
'Well, if they have Fenris locked up in here, and they fear him', Lok thought, 'they'll keep the rope nearby! Hey! I think I know where!'
'Lead the way', Cherit encouraged him.
The same day, 11:39
The temple of Thor
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
'If the stone snake acts like a lock, maybe it needs to take a certain shape…', Lok wondered out loud.
Fenris' amulet had been laying in Dante' pocket safely for few minutes already. It had taken much effort from the whole team to subdue him, though, and he wasn't pleased with the imprisonment after thousands of years at large. The power of the monstrous dog, infuriated that a bunch of pint-sized humans had shackled him like a cur, still emitted a very strong aura, even coming through the coat. Vale tightened his grip on the amulet, frowning a bit. For an ambitious man like him it wasn't easy to admit, but he didn't think he could bond with the Titan, even if he tried hard. Fenris was too savage for such a cool-headed guy. The Foundation would have to find him a suitable Seeker.
He turned around, hearing steps; next to him, Zhalia did the same thing, alarmed.
'Dante!', Monty spread his arms with joy, rushing into the room. 'I guess you haven't met your doom!'
'Not yet', he smirked. 'And you haven't met yours', he added, not as discontent about the fact as a rival should be.
'Well, it might be right around the corner', the Seeker responded especially lightly yet unnaturally, pointing at the coming Guardians… who didn't seem happy at all.
'Leading that mob here was a good idea – why?...', Zhalia threw wryly; Monty didn't find a good answer, confused and embarrassed.
'Lok, Sophie, get this door open!', Dante had taken back his role as a leader; it was high time to get back into the saddle. 'Everyone else – keep them trapped in the hole! Touchram!', his spell gave the others a signal to attack. The power hit with doubled energy, knocking the first row of Guardians to the ground.
'Gareon!', Zhalia joined in and after a moment along with her Titan shot the charms at the enemies.
'That won't hold them back long', Monty stated, pushing a big, ornamented block to the entrance, 'even if they're only as strong as a litter of kittens…'
'Give him a hand, Caliban!', Dante called, seeing that even despite his immense strength, Montehue struggles with the rock.
Two musclemen handled it better than one, but covering the entrance enraged the Guardians even more. The brightness of their spells lightened the corridor.
'Ah, something's happening!', Lok shouted when the stone snake had moved, hissing like a real serpent.
'They're gonna break through any minute…', Dante remarked trenchantly, rushing them by his impatient timbre.
'We're trying!', Lok responded tentatively.
Two Guardians had given up fighting with the barricade, instead they tried to go above it.
'Solwing, fight!', Dante shouted, seeing the intensifying charge.
The Titan whizzed through the room and hooking his claws to the persecutors' hoods, he yanked and pulled them back to the corridor. Unfortunately, that failure was the last straw that broke the camel's back. The Guardians started to hit the block with Thundercut, crushing it slowly. Monty groaned; it was a big load even for him.
'Once they get through, there'll be too many of them', Dante judged. 'We'll have to abandon this room!'
'That means abandoning the mission', Zhalia remarked meaningfully, glancing at him askance.
He knitted his eyebrows, sensing a reproof in her voice. He didn't like it. Harmless bantering and making him realize that he had been screwing everything up were two different things…
'Touchram!', the spell tore the block into pieces; Caliban returned to the amulet, and Montehue fell onto the floor, thrown away by the power. He got up quickly, though, seeing the charge of the encouraged Guardians.
'Let them come here!', he drew out his inseparable axes, ready for a fight.
'We did it!', Lok's shout made them turn to the gate, now wide open before them.
'Now is our chance!', Sophie showed everyone the entrance. 'Come on!'
'Montehue!', Dante pulled his rival by the shoulder; well, if it was necessary.
All the Seekers stood in the narrow passage; Cherit joined them after a moment.
'I locked the door again!', he squealed, self-content. 'Now they can bang on and they won't go through anyway!'
'Good work', Dante praised him. 'Come on', he pointed at the flashes seen at the end of the short corridor.
They entered a round chamber; there was a huge pedestal reaching to the very ceiling. It was surrounded by oval ledges, hanging in the air by a strange coincidence, whereas on the top…
'There she is!', Montehue beamed, seeing the long-for hammer; it looked distinguished and mighty, glistening with golden fixtures and shiny gems and giving out bluish sparkles, as if it was surrounded by a force field. He had feasted his eyes only for a moment; then, apparently urging to lay his hands on it, he threw to Dante: 'May the best man win.'
Vale hadn't had to be told twice; he wasn't going to back down, not now when he was so close to his goal. He was positive; he had bigger chances at climbing than the heavier Montehue. Besides, his whole team was staring at him, he couldn't make a fool of himself in front of them! He'd show them that not only a loud behavior and boasting with the physical strength make a leader out of a man! And he would display it especially to certain spiteful crosspatch with a snub nose.
He jumped onto the first ledge skillfully, bounced off it, jerked up, caught the other one, pulled himself up, jumped again… He felt in his element. Hadn't he been praised by his teachers due to his fitness many times, wasn't he constantly saved by it when the powers failed? The hammer of Thor was closer and closer, and Monty was apparently falling behind.
'A test of worthiness from Thor himself!', Dante accentuated to point out how much he'd be honored if he touched the hammer first. He bounced off the floating stone to get to the top of the pedestal, when…
He got tugged by his ankle, what dragged him down. He hung in the air for a second, falling down and not finding any support around. He desperately caught the ledge not to crash against the ground; his fingers scratched the rock and slid a bit, but he grasped harder and managed to keep his weight up somehow.
'He cheated!', Sophie shouted from down there.
Dante was unable to believe that he got eliminated by such a simple trick, and with his whole team watching this shameful failure. He had never been so aware of their gazes, of the faith they had been putting in his abilities… and he let them down. Admitting that filled him with as much strain as the pain of his muscles did.
He clenched his teeth that his left arm was giving up – it had always been a bit less resilient… He tried to hang on the right one, trying not to slide down, but he was weakened by the fight with Fenris and Ymir. If he didn't want to smash against the ground, he had to…
Deciding to do so was more painful than anything he had experienced today, but did that anyway; he let go, using Featherdrop at the last moment not to hurt himself. From the floor, he observed how Montehue, now on the top and in the spotlight of the gleaming treasure, raised his loot in triumph. Though he didn't like the thought, Dante had to admit that the weapon suited him very much; he was just a horned helmet away from becoming an incarnation of Thor himself.
Vale wasn't the only one impressed.
'We did it!', Lok shouted when Montehue was brought down on one of the ledges. 'We have the hammer of Thor!', he clapped his hands.
Dante nodded in silence; he was surely happy about retrieving the hammer for the Foundation, however, he wasn't quite sure about the outcome of his spar with Monty. He had another proof of Monty's questionable working methods… if he could have won by his own skills, why he restored to fouls? That was not exactly how Dante liked to hash out the competitions.
'Now we have to get out of here with it', he murmured, breaking the euphoria. He could handle a little bit of it, but he wouldn't let Montehue rest on his laurels and just accept praises and raptures. Especially because he felt strongly that Monty didn't really earn them fairly – though he was perfectly able to; it probably wouldn't sting Dante's pride as badly, too.
Monty didn't respond, suddenly weighed down by the hammer. He groaned, trying to lift it again.
'What's wrong?', Lok asked, surprised.
'Suddenly it's ten times the weight it should be…', Montehue murmured suspiciously.
In a moment of relief, Dante stopped longing for the victory; he knew the value of unrestrained mobility and certainly put it above very unwieldy prizes.
'We have to move', he said anyway, not very sympathetic about the weigh on Monty's shoulder. Wasn't he the one who desired the hammer so much? Then he wouldn't mind the sweet weight for a little longer. If he would start to fall back, Dante wasn't above offering him a helpful hand, but just for a while, it would be just fair to teach him the price for cheats, right?
Dante couldn't help it but smirked; his mischievous side just loved it when the laws of the world evened the odds of justice.
The same day, 12:01
The temple of Thor
Somewhere in the mountains
Iceland
'That thing looks like it's almost as heavy as my Western Civ textbook!', Lok remarked, observing hunched Monty. 'Can we give you a hand?'
'I got the hammer first, I will carry it myself!', the Seeker insisted, slicked with sweat, panting hard from effort.
Dante knew that Monty would rather eat the hammer one part after another than admit he needs help with carrying it.
'There should be an exit just through this cavern ahead', he pointed out, leading the team. Suddenly, a smirk appeared on his mouth; apparently, his impish side hadn't worn out yet if he was so happy about the sight spreading in front of them.
'Well, what do we have here…', he murmured, seeing the Guardians and the bald one from the Organization barring their way. 'Looks like my luck is changing for the better!', he added, coming out to them without fear. A brawl with the Organization goons was the challenge he wouldn't mess up for sure, regardless of how many dirty tricks he would have to face; it was just his element.
'There's no escape!', the bald one announced. 'The door is blocked with a tenfold slaver stone! You can't fight all my minions with the weight of the hammer Mjolnir!'
Monty agreed with him silently, puffing under his breath.
'And I believe', the Organization agent began jeeringly, 'Ymir is still angry after his last encounter with you…'
Everyone turned out to realize that the strange noise, resembling drums or an earthquake, were caused by the steps of the frost giant.
Dante's face fell; maybe he didn't believe his own words about bad luck, but he knew that there were days when everything acts against him. And that was one of those days.
The team twitched, hearing a loud thump right next to them. It was the hammer of Thor that had landed on the floor.
'We'll fight them head on!', Montehue didn't get overhelmed by the general panic at the sight of the colossus. 'I won't give up my prize to the Organization!', he furrowed his bushy brows, with his arms akimbo.
'You won that in competition', Lok admitted, 'but friends become better friends by working together!'
Dante and Monty exchanged unfriendly stares. Them, friends?! Never if it came to winning! Asking for help was also out of question. The mission was a battlefield where they stood against each other.
However… to be honest, Dante was the one who chose his rival himself. There was a time when they competed to get an ancient artifact in Death Valley, and, impressed by the passionate researcher Montehue's performance, Dante decided to even their chances of winning. If several years ago he hadn't placed Tolivane's amulet into Montehue's pocket, this guy would come back without the prize he dreamed of, but also, he would have never become the Huntik Foundation member , or at least taken more time to discovered his Seeker powers…
However, strangely, even after he did, and had proven to be very adept in using them, almost overthrowing Dante himself, Vale had never regretted his decision. No matter how many years of their silent rivalry had passed, how much of constant bantering he had to endure, how much he sometimes wished Montehue could just shove off with his jokes and remarks, he appreciated having a strong aid like him among the Foundation Seekers. Montehue's zeal about everything he loved surely transpired to the others around him, and inspired lots of youngsters to dream big and reach high… much like Dante's persona did. However, Vale himself had lacked this kind of relationship. Metz was the one who inspired him, however, he was far beyond trying to throw shadow on his mentor; he also couldn't find a competitor among many that admired him. Montehue was a rival he needed to keep his mind and skills sharp; someone who wasn't afraid of overthrowing the so-called Foundation king. Every leader needed a person like that; a reminder that there always would be someone threatening them.
However, he also knew that they were also Foundation agents above all; when the mutual enemy, they shouldn't be rivals anymore. Also, it wasn't just their private battlefield; there were people that might get hurt in the brawl, and they had to get them out safe.
'All right then', Dante swallowed his pride first in the face of the threat disguised as the ice colossus. 'What did you have in mind?', he addressed Lok.
'I'll distract Ymir', the boy continued, relieved that the leader listened to him. 'Then… maybe together you two can use the hammer!'
'Teamwork again!', Montehue guessed. 'Well, if I have to…', he added favorably.
'Go!', Dante hurried Lok.
The boy used Hyperstride and jumped right under the Titan's feet without hesitation, avoiding his fist by mere inches. Cherit squealed from fear.
'Oi, Lok, keep moving!', he warned Lambert.
'We'll need our quickest Titans to cover him!', Sophie shouted.
In response, Zhalia reached out an amulet and summoned Strix. Montehue joined in, calling Tolivane, which resembled a fat, wrinkled pig with long, fleshy ears.
'Alright, let the girls handle it', Dante rushed Monty.
'If you have to lay it on two petite little women…', his rival murmured.
'Apparently you haven't seen those 'little women' in action. They're Seekers, not school-girls', Dante responded sternly.
As if to prove it, Zhalia had just smashed a Guardian's face with her shoe, and Sophie fired a very accurate Raypulse at another, sending him flying. Montehue, though automatically, whistled in awe.
'Come on up!', Dante rushed him.
They hoisted the hammer uneasily; Dante had to admit that it was a piece of immensely heavy ironware. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to carry it longer than his rival… which only make him even more happy that losing the competition spared him the chance to prove the worth of his musculature.
'It has to gain momentum', Montehue remarked and started to rotate the hammer. 'Make use of those weedy hands of yours, Vale!'
'I was about to advise you the same thing!', Dante drawled through clenched teeth, giving it the best he could.
'Keep the tempo!', Montehue lectured him.
'It's you who speeds up! And don't waste your breath!', he cut back.
The situation was getting more tense every second; the small Strix had been turned into dust. Tolivane, covering them from the baldy's spell, returned to its amulet. Zhalia and Sophie were still standing, fighting bravely with the Guardians, but for how long two could handle an army of well-trained warriors? Lok had to run away from Ymir with Kipperin's help, and that way the giant lost interest in the young Lambert. He went after the eye-catching, glistening hammer.
Dante noticed their chance; he peeked at Monty to check if he had the same thing in mind. The Seeker understood that gaze. And now for the first time during the mission, Dante felt the same thing he had in Death Valley: that though they competed against each other, the constant rivalry had created a very strong bond between them. Not even knowing when and not even trying to, stating 'I hate you' every now and then openly and then laughing it off, going through many hardships together and surviving each adventure due to their combined efforts, they forged a friendship that made them inseparable. Neither of them planned to put an end to this any time soon; that was the best motivation for them to do their best to get out of here unscathed.
'One! Two! Three! Dragonfist!', they yelled at the same time.
'Now!', Dante gave the signal and they both let go of the handle, sending the hammer right towards Ymir.
The treasure of Thor, sparkling, went right through the giant's chest. The power released by the hammer burnt Jokoul to ashes, the men were thrown onto the walls and the floor; the Guardians and their leader dropped like flies, stunned by the blow. Dante also felt a bit dizzy when he had hit his head against the floor, but raised it up quickly despite the pain, observing how the golden hammer was breaking a huge hole in the cavern's wall, launching into the clear, blue sky.
'Wow!', Lok beamed, covering his eyes from the dazzling sun. 'Instant sunroof!'
Monty obviously had a better comment.
'That was a good one as for a dwarf like you', he stated, nudging Dante. 'Though I'd have made it less jagged.'
Dante smiled, squinting his eyes in the dazzling sun; and so, things were back to normal.
The same day, 15:51
The Iceland-Venice flight
Above the North Sea
The sole advantage of the long travel was that they at least weren't coming back by a tight aircraft. That way, Dante had some time to regain his strength. The pain in the strained left arm hadn't stopped, his legs also itched. However, he felt strangely satisfied anyway.
Of course his ambition was a little frayed, there was no quarrel about that; under his closed eyes, which the hard sunlight was piercing through anyway, constantly showed an image of Monty raising the hammer triumphally and enraptured stares of his teammates, especially Zhalia's haughty gaze. It stung. He tightened his lids, so hard that the colorful spots started to dance under them, but it didn't help at all. However, he tried to think like a professional; though he wasn't coming back with what he had come for, the outcome of the trip was favorable for the Foundation anyway. He was sure Monty would find Mjolnir a good place in his museum, and...
'And then I just grabbed the hammer right before your nose, eh, Dante? Easier than taking a roll of wool from a newborn kitten, if you ask me!'
OK, that was the only thing Dante could think of to reassure himself. The truth was, his patience was running dry; Monty's constant bragging was getting on his nerves.
'Yeah', he yelled back so his voice would be heard in the front part of the plane. 'You were impressive.'
'Stop being so enthusiastic or I'll think you're high… not only in a strictly dimensional sense', an amused female voice spoke above his ear.
He opened his eyes and turned his head, meeting a very feline stare. Zhalia somehow separated from the group and now stood above him, observing him attentively, but with a slight spark deep inside her hazel irises. She took the seat beside him without asking; however, she decided to face him still, so she leaned on the frame separating them.
'I guess I have an uncanny luck', she continued, her voice surprisingly light and playful, her slender waist bent slightly, with her chin put on the palm of her hand. This pose was so unlike her usual defensive stance that Dante automatically got intrigued and raised in his chair a bit, waiting for the punch line. 'I've already met two greatest Huntik stars', she answered his enquiring gaze.
Dante felt as if his inner balloon got pinched; he slumped back into the previous position.
'Congratulations', he murmured, trying not to sound too ironic. 'You could've taken an autograph. Monty loves it.'
She smirked derisively with the corner of her mouth.
'You're kicking yourself 'cause you gave him Fenris, and the kid is going to present the hammer of Thor to the Foundation instead of you?', she guessed infallibly, not taking her eyes off him.
He bridled. She didn't have to remind him of his own stupidity. He didn't have any reservations about honoring Lok, but he couldn't get over that the boy appreciated his rival's skills so openly. At first he had been proud of himself when he had overcome his ambition and adding an appropriate praise, handed Montehue such a useful gift – the strongest Norse Titan. But when Montehue had responded to that gesture with a patronizing remark, as if he had been completely deserving commendations from his colleague, and even awaiting a god-like admiration, Dante had had a terrible itch to snatch the amulet back and set the monstrous dog on the Seeker, heedless of the consequences.
'Lok got us out of trouble, he really deserves such a prize. The most important thing is that we found the hammer and it'll be delivered to the Foundation, it doesn't matter by whom. And I wouldn't have been able to tame Fenris', he explained to prove to her that giving the Titan was a deliberate decision which he didn't regret. 'Like I said: it's Monty who resembles Thor the most, maybe he'll get along with this big brute, after all, they're so much alike…', he continued, though he didn't sound convincing even for himself, let alone the sharp-witted, perceptive girl.
'Of course', she threw sarcastically. 'Whom are you trying to fool?'
'I don't have to fool anyone', he bridled. 'And I guess anything I could say right now wouldn't prove my point to some people…', he added tartly, turning his head aside and pretending to watch the clouds.
'Oh, come on', she lightly nudged his elbow with her finger. 'I was just kidding back then, on the bridge. At least you behave like a human, not a circus bear. I wouldn't want you to pattern yourself on him. It'd be flipping if you always whooped as if we had been deaf, treated us like mere runts and waved your axes around, almost cutting our heads off…', she enumerated, each time poking him in his arm, just to make him stare at her. When it didn't happen, she restored to other methods.
'Look', he obediently peeked at the strand she had shown him right before his face, which in his opinion looked completely normal. 'I lost much hair due to his antics. You owe me a hairdresser after the return', she added jokingly.
'If you insist', he murmured, cheering up a bit. Quipping with Zhalia helped his thoughts drift away from the failure.
'I do', she admitted without restraint. 'And then you'll ask me for a coffee.'
Dante peeked at her with surprise. She observed him expectantly, as if waiting for his reaction. Wasn't she joking? Of course he had nothing against her proposition, on the contrary, it was a nice surprise after thinking that she had lost all the respect for him, but… he had already plans had for the weekend which he couldn't change at any cost. He gloomed again.
'I'd really want to', he admitted frankly, 'but… I won't be around for next two days. It's quite urgent…', he justified himself.
'No problem, I'll wait', she responded lightly. 'So? Are we meeting in two days?', she asked, tilting her head with a fluid movement.
Such an occasion couldn't go to waste, especially because the fickle Zhalia could change her mind very quickly.
'In my house', he said daringly, without hesitation. 'I make the best coffee on this hemisphere.'
She laughed quietly at his boast, as if she had had a feeling that his morose mood would end up like that if she just gave him a good reason to be content.
'We'll see', she came back to her usual bantering timbre, brushing her hair off onto her back; they coiled around her neck like small glossy feathers.
'I'm just wondering', he started shrewdly, staring at his knees, as if it hadn't been interesting him at all, 'why a girl like you wants to meet a loser…'
Unexpectedly, he heard her amused purr very close to him; the fur from the green coat tickled his shoulder.
'Maybe I like losers like you', she whispered playfully; with every word, he felt her lips dabbing at his ear and her breath warming it, causing a tingle somewhere in his underbelly. 'And I feel like there's some potential in you, Mister Vale. Hope you can show me if I'm not mistaken...'
He sat like paralyzed, not even daring neither to twitch nor to turn, because if he had just met her hypnotizing gaze…
He did; after all, they were too close to avoid eye contact, if he leaned forward, their foreheads would touch. Her almond-shaped, cat eyes were just inches away from his face. And oh, he knew the stare, knew it way too well to be wrong… She was daring him to take action. And Dante never surrendered to the challenge, especially if he guessed the price would be worth it.
'You won't be disappointed', he said back, trying to fill those words with as many hints as she did.
However, he was no match for Zhalia's mysterious ways of intriguing implications.
'Oh, I bet, Dante', she whispered enigmatically, her lips curled up in a sly, seductive smile.
The dark strands bounced, Zhalia's arm brushed his elbow when the woman stood up smoothly and slipped right before his knees to come back to her seat next to Lok. When she had disappeared from his sight, Dante breathed out and slumped into his chair, as if the whole air had been pushed out of him. He tried to soothe a rough pulsation of his boisterous blood. However, the sensations elicited by Zhalia's unexpected touch didn't want to ease off, they even burgeoned, though there wasn't anything left from the girl besides a subtle smell of her perfumes.
'I haven't been on a date for far too long', he stated, disconcerted, trying to regain self-control.
A date? Why did it come to his mind so suddenly? He smiled to himself lightly. Let it be. It seemed like he had just gotten a date.
He leaned his head on the headrest and thought that sometimes – very rarely and not for too long – it was good to be a loser. Though suddenly, after this short but meaningful conversation, he stopped to feel like one.