Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8
Chapter 4: Where the Northern Wind Blows
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
It had been two days since my stay in the castle in Skald Island on Valinor as I continued to rest up after my debacle in Balin. Even though I have rested in bed, I began to get up as I left my room in which I saw the interior of the castle I stayed in. It was a place that had its history as I saw images of Vikings in ships sailing everywhere on the walls. When I went downstairs, I saw some of the people who live here doing their daily business as I noticed some of them returning with some meat that was butchered earlier. Life on Skald Island was something that I never saw before until now as I was wanting to take a walk to take in more of the sea air. I had nothing on but my nightclothes and robe as I noticed a pair of boots near the front door. Putting them on, I went outside as I was on my way to the beach in which I saw the waves crashing near the shore. I found it to be very peaceful as I wanted to tell Reiko about it. When I went towards the wet sand, I saw a mysterious fish tail/snake hybrid go into the water as I had a gut feeling that something strange was lurking in the water. When I turned around to go back into the castle, I felt a set of hands grab at my feet as they were pulling me further into the water the moment I was struggling to get free.
Looking behind me, I saw a fish-like creature with blue skin pulling me with strong hands as it was ready to do away with me in which I was underwater while not up to full strength. I was slowly losing air quick as I noticed the same creature with the fish tail/snake hybrid as it was armed with a set of blades. When I saw my rescuer slash at the creature who tried to drown me, I swam back up to shore as I noticed it being taken out in one fell swoop. By the time I reached the shore, I saw the creature who saved me changed into humanoid form as I recognized the one who stopped my attacker, for she was someone that I hadn't seen in two years.
"No way…, Sam?!" I heard her say to me as she turned around.
"It's been two years since we parted ways, Nibori," I said.
"Dean told me that you were slowly recovering in Matarote Island on Westeros, but you ended up in the Skalvarg Archipelago on Valinor of all places."
"I kept myself occupied while recovering, but I was taken away from my long furlough against my wishes."
"You went through the ringer, but you should also get cleaned up first. As for the monster that dragged you into the ocean, it's known as a drowner and it and others like it happen to be the worst monsters in the water. They're weak against fire and silver, but I have a set of blades that were crafted by the Elkins Clan in which they're also made with phoenix ash and silver blended into them."
"I take it that Skald Island has plenty of dangers all over it with those things. I bet that the Elder Days hadn't had any records into the lore of them."
"I read some lore about drowners in which in the Elder Days, the John Winchester of Old had to tackle a group of them in which he was also hunting for Azazel at the time. Drowners are such crafty and lethal monsters in which the locals here in the Skalvarg Archipelago have problems with them all the live long."
"At least that you stopped one…"
I shivered from the cold as I slowly walked back into the interior of the castle with Nibori following me. After all that has happened, I noticed an Orcress and a human enter into the castle as they were sitting at a table in which they spotted me all wet from my folly. Walking towards the fireplace, I began to warm myself up as I was glad to be inside for now. As for the Orcress and her human friend, they noticed me carefully as they were aware of my presence after two years of slowly recovering from my last battle. It was awkward, but I had to greet those who knew of my presence very well, but I was still on the mend right now.
"I've returned," I said.
"We know who you are, Sam Winchester," said the human man as he was interpreting the Orcress due to her use of sign language. "My friend and I have been here on Valinor hunting for drowners who pose a problem for the island dwellers who live in the Skalvarg Archipelago."
"And you are…"
"My name is Seyyada Orguz." the human interpreted the Orcress' sign language. "As I recall, you aided my sister into stopping two pishtacos who were terrorizing the Kanzaki homestead on Alecrast three years ago."
"It's an honor to meet you." I interpret the sign language. "From what I gather, you've been hunting for drowners like Nibori."
"My interpreter and I have been part of the Order and as freelanced hunters, but we also had to be aware of the Executive Division causing havoc all over the galaxy."
"You're deaf, but not without conviction when it comes to saving people, hunting things, and upholding the family business."
"I may not hear, but I can sense the vibration of spirits and monsters that no other hunter can feel at."
It wasn't long until I felt the chill engulfing my body as I had no other choice but to leave the hall and go into the bathhouse. The place itself was filled with Viking art as I went inside and took off my wet clothes and put them into the hamper. Going towards a wash basin, I scrubbed myself off as I was also wanting a bath for a while. By the time I finished up, I went towards one of circular bathtubs and got into it. The warmth of it kept me happy as the feel of the hot water in it cleansed the chill from my body. I was blessed to be in here as I felt more alive than what I anticipated to be. What I didn't expect was that a group of Viking men entered into the bathhouse as they had their clothes stripped and cleaned themselves before going into some of the circular bathtubs after enduring long days of sailing all over the Skalvarg Archipelago. The conversation that the men had was a grim one as they were talking about the nest of drowners that was taken out earlier, only for the last one to be eliminated by Nibori not too long ago.
"The nest of drowners have caused us so much trouble here on this island," said one of the men in Norse language. "That Orcress, despite her frailty into not hearing, has a prowess that can rival many men."
"You should see that Mirkosian scrapper from the Order," said another man in Norse language. "She was the one who found the nest underwater just for Lady Seyyada to flush out the blighters and kill them with her bare hands."
I continued to listen in on the conversation as I was relaxing in the circular bathtub I was in. What I didn't expect was that a familiar face was lounging in the tub next to me as he was exhausted from the hunt he had earlier. It was Kevin as he was more muscular for his body type while he was ready to hunt for another day. I was glad that he was here as it had been two years since I left for Matarote Island for my convalescence, for I had to know what has happened during my absence.
"Long time, no see, Sam," I heard him say to me.
"You changed a lot since we parted ways," I said.
"I had to grow up a bit in which I was on call for looking for activity on the Executive Division."
"It's been two years… I should've helped you guys a lot more than just sitting on the sidelines."
"You overexerted your raw power just to put a stop to the Sol-3 and even got rid of Sawney Masbath. After all that has happened, Reuben kept an eye on you while you were out for six days in which I also heard Castiel telling him that the battle did more damage to you in many ways that no angel could heal you fully. What matters is that you continue your recovery or else Dean would rush and kick your ass in real time."
"I bet that everyone is alright in my absence… I saw Irylla and she's one of the officers that serve Captain Wickham on the Thunderstruck. I also saw Seto in all her ranting glory in which she roped me into returning to field work, but I was too exhausted. I even saw Dean and Reuben, but they're busy all the time dealing with the Executive Division."
"This isn't Valinor's first rodeo with the Executive Division. A month ago, a group of soulless dolls approached into the town of Rookpaw, which is a human village that has Mirkwood Elves for neighbors, but I went there to help to clear them out, but not without Nibori's help and some of the Orcs from the Orguz Clan. It was a mess all over in which everything was razed to the ground. We even saw a woman and her son still looking frantically for you in which she was desperate enough for your aid until we intervened to clear out the invaders, but we never saw it coming when a storsoi up and killed the mother and left the kid an orphan, but not without getting rid of it."
"You and your group encountered a Jefferson Starship, didn't you?"
"That thing has vampire teeth, wraith's tendrils, and abilities like a shapeshifter. Nibori knew what it was when she found some blades that took out the monster in which she even lopped off its head. After the carnage in that village, the Mirkwood Elves who came and went through Rookpaw salted and burned the dead in which they now patrol the village for any suspicious people, including monsters. The region of Andunevar, which is Mirkwood Elf territory, has the village of Rookpaw, but its capital city of Mirhuin is a place that is surrounded by many wetlands and swamps. If you're going there, you need to be careful around the Mirkwood Elves when it comes to a buttload of suspicions."
"Thanks for the heads-up…"
I never expected Kevin and his group to be on call as the vision that I had prior rang true, but I was too late to stop it. Still, I feared the worst as Valinor had the Executive Division on its doorstep the same way as some of the other planets. I never saw it coming as the Eastern part of the Ashizoka System had its fair share with the Executive Division as I remembered how I helped to destroy the factory of soulless dolls on Geralt Island, which was on Targaryen, two years ago. I even remembered how I once restored Roderick to the throne as Emperor of Minas Tirith in which I also had to deal with the machinations of my sworn enemy, Sawney Masbath, as well. I wanted to help a lot more, but I was barred by the higher-ups of the Order as I also had no other choice but to focus on my continued convalescence. By the time I finished soaking in the bathtub, I got up as I dried myself with a towel and later tossed it into the hamper while I put on some dry nightclothes for the rest of the evening.
When I left the bathhouse, I went back inside of the castle as I went to my room to see Reiko in here. I was more than glad that she was here with me as I ran towards her and hugged her very warmly. When she hugged me back, she noticed me weeping tears of joy as I missed her so much. I was more than blessed to see her again as I loved her so much to the fullest.
"I missed you a lot," I said.
"I missed you, too, Sammy," said Reiko as she wiped away the tears from my face.
"After what I went through, I still feel exhausted."
"I know…"
"It's been two years and I'm still not in fine fettle... I just wished that I did a little more..."
"At least you were resting after you saved Seto from a storsoi, but you spent your three days in a hospital while you were forced to eat the muffins I baked so you would get your strength back."
"It was all I had when I was in there. I couldn't say no to what is put in front of me when it came to what you gave me, which is better than hospital food. As for the rest of my convalescence, I will return back to Matarote Island just to heal further."
"You can go back to Matarote Island anytime because Skald Island, like our temporary lodgings is connected from planet to planet just like our home in the castle."
We looked out the window as we saw the waves crashing near the beach by the harbor. It was dusk as we were also happy to be in each other's arms in which I was more than elated to see my beloved wife here with me. All I needed was my family here with me as I would soon go back to Matarote Island on Westeros as planned, for I had to go back and return to my convalescence soon enough. Just as we were about to go to bed, we heard the door open as we noticed our oldest twins rushing to our room in which they wanted to be in the same bed with us, but I was unable to put my foot down due to the fact that I wanted to see them again.
"Does Dirk know that you ran off?" I asked.
"There was a monster in our room," said Aora.
"Nuh-uh! It was a pile of clothes!" yelled Ghimru.
"Both you, don't fret," said Reiko. "The two of you worry over nothing, but the real monsters lurk outside our homes."
"Real monsters lurk outside our homes? I'm too young to go hunting and that's made for grown-ups."
"Next time I see a monster, I'll attack it with a toy gun with Nerf darts," said Aora.
"You sound like your uncle," I said. "Anyway, the two of you need to go to your own room and let Mommy and Daddy go to sleep."
"Sammy, please don't send them away," said Reiko. "They miss you so much just as much as I do. Please, let them sleep with us for tonight…"
I was outnumbered as I had no other choice but to allow our oldest twins to sleep with us just for tonight. Both boys were old enough to be starting grade school, but they had to be in preschool for now as I noticed them sleeping between me and Reiko. Neither one of us didn't say no to them as we fell asleep in the bed we were in, for I was blessed to see them here with me…
The next morning, I woke up as I found the bed empty in which I got up and dressed myself after I took off my nightclothes and put on some warmer ones for the day. It wasn't long until I went out of the room and out into the main hall in which I saw Reiko serving breakfast for everyone. The sight of rolled pancakes with olallieberry syrup and powdered sugar was a feast for the eyes as I noticed some of the Norsemen arriving to get their fill of breakfast. I also noticed the sight of smoked fish with scrambled eggs on the table as I also noticed the sight of mackerel that was cooked and seasoned just in time for everyone else to eat. I even spotted Kevin and his group eating breakfast as they were happy to start the day like the rest of us. When I saw Reiko sitting at the table with the oldest twins, I sat down with them as I noticed a plate of rolled pancakes with all the trimmings on the table as I began to eat them the moment I tasted the a strange yogurt and berry mixture that was inside of them. I was floored to eat them as I also noticed Aora eating the same plate as me while Ghimru got a plate of mackerel and scrambled eggs. I was happy to see some of my family here as I didn't have any problems at all until I saw an older Norseman coming into the main hall and sat at the end of the table. The man himself was dressed in Viking armor as he had white hair and beard complete with a scar on the right side of his face, for he was ready to announce something soon enough.
"People and guests from the Order of Letters," he said in Norse. "Today is the funeral of my younger brother and Chieftain of the Skalvarg Archipelago, Hrothgar Svalgraf, who lost his life at the hands of the monsters who have plagued us for a long time, only to be eliminated by a group from the Order of Letters' distinguished group of soldiers, the Hunter Corps. They flushed out the nest of drowners who have caused pain for my people and their families. My brother's body is salted and drenched with gasoline while on a boat that is ready to be cast into the sea. May his spirit be in the Grey Havens and his death avenged. Faram."
"Faram," we all said as later finished up our breakfast.
I noticed Nibori finishing up her breakfast as she left the table while taking her dishes into the kitchen. When she reached the sink, she washed up her dishes and carefully put them into the dish drainer before leaving the kitchen in which she later spotted several Norsemen going outside in which they were ready to conduct a funeral. I had to know more about it as I was more than likely to be observing this funeral soon enough, for it was an important ceremony to honor the fallen after all.
"They're not messing around when it comes to honoring Hrothgar's memory," said Nibori.
"The deceased met his end at the hands of the monsters you tracked down, didn't he?" I said.
"Drowners are a pain in the ass to deal with in which their weaknesses are fire and silver. Luckily, the set of blades I found were crafted not only in steel, ethereal metal, and wrought iron, but silver and phoenix ash. They're ancient, but the crafting dates back in the time of the Elder Days and the one who used them before happened to go on his crusade to hunt down Azazel at the time."
I noticed Nibori go towards the front door as she picked up the set of blades she told me about. The blades themselves piqued my interest as I saw them to be old due to their fair share of battles, but ended up ageless like a fine wine. Both blades were designed to hunt monsters as I saw Nibori place them in their sheathes for the next hunt.
"I found those blades when I was in Rookpaw," she said. "The soulless dolls who razed it, were mainly doing it to harvest souls for the new head honcho of Hell after Milverton got kicked out and she shows no mercy."
"'New head honcho of Hell?'" I said.
"Do you know about that demon, Abaddon? In the Elder Days, she was responsible for the Elder Slaughter in 1958 and didn't resurface until 2013 in which she was looking for the Men of Letters key that your past self and your brother's had."
"I knew about the rest in which she was killed by the First Blade, only to be resurrected to impose slaughter of the Bonnefoy family on Alecrast and the Mirchaias Clan on Trost. She even did away with some of Reina's relatives in which she showed no mercy to her friends or enemies."
"Everyone, to the beach!" yelled one of the Norsemen in Norse.
We went outside as we saw everyone standing in the harbor in which we saw some of the Norsemen bring out a heavy longboat that had a body wrapped in a shroud complete with an armor set and a sword and shield on top of it. When we saw it parked into the water near the harbor, we saw the older Norseman from earlier as he was ready to pay his last respects to the one who was ready to be cast off in the longboat.
"People from the Order of Letters and of the Skalvarg Archipelago," he said in Norse. "We have gathered here today to pay our respects to the former Chieftain and my younger brother, Hrothgar Svalgraf, who lost his life from a group of drowners. The ones who stopped the threat have avenged him, for he will be spirited up to the Grey Havens to be with our family above. May the gods honor him to the fullest, for he was the wisest in my family always."
I noticed a woman with long blond hair arriving as she was dressed in a white dress and black fur-lined cloak. She had a great sadness for the one who lost his life as she knelt in prayer while she was ready to sing a funerary song that was fit for the one who was ready to be cast off into the water.
"Go forth, my father," she sang in Norse. "Go to our family. Your sword and shield are with you. Your armor is brought to you to wear on your journey. Go to Valhalla, for your spirit is sailing there…"
It wasn't long until I noticed several Norse archers armed with their bows and arrows as they saw the longboat being cast off. With their arrows fired, they reached the target as the body in the longboat burned on contact. The funeral pyre was successful as I watched the burning longboat sailing further away, for I prayed for safe passage to the Grey Havens to the one who lost his life. It wasn't long until Reiko came to my side as she also prayed for the fallen while she had the older twins in tow. Still, we paid our respects to the fallen Chieftain as we also had to be aware of the monsters that dwell all over the island and other like it. By the time the funeral was over, we saw the Thunderstruck approaching as it landed near the harbor. I had a gut feeling that Merrick and his crew would rope me into another fiasco as I saw him get out of the ship and was there looking for me. What he didn't expect was that Seyyada and her interpreter were there to keep me from further field work as they weren't about to let me out and about yet.
"I've come for Sam Winchester," he said.
"Sam is still recovering in convalescence, Captain," said the interpreter as he interpreted Seyyada's sign language. "No one is to force him away from his recovery at the behest of the Medical Corps."
"I know that you lost the Chieftain of the Skalvarg Archipelago, but I need to bring Sam back with me in which it's a matter of vital importance. For your information, I also need the subject back in the Thunderstruck as soon as possible."
"On who's authority, Captain?" the interpreter interpreted through Seyyada's sign language.
"It's at the behest of my medical officer."
"Hold it!" yelled Reiko as she rushed towards Merrick. "My husband isn't doing too well and please, don't take him away!"
"He'll be fine, Lady Reiko," said Agni as she got out of the ship. "From what I gathered from the examination, Sam really is damaged after that battle on the Sol-3 two years ago. Someone has to give him a physical while Reuben is stuck in his new position."
I reluctantly obeyed as I followed Agni into the Thunderstruck in which I was on my way to the sickbay. Laying down on the examination table, I stood still as Agni was looking at the vital signs that I had in which the stress level that I had was off the scale. The level of exhaustion that I had was also in critical mode as this was a cause for concern. This was the first time in a while that I was put through the ringer since I was plucked from my exile on Shiganshina as I wasn't doing too well, for I also had no choice but to return to convalescence as planned.
"This is not good," I heard Agni say. "The activity in the past few days has added more to your exhaustion."
"I was afraid of that," I said as I sighed heavily.
"I even scolded the captain for agreeing with Seto in which he noticed the information that was here in the sickbay."
"I just attended a funeral earlier."
"The Chieftain of the Skalvarg Archipelago wasn't the only victim who died at the hands of drowners. There had been reports of them being sighted of the coast of Cordell Island, which is the second largest one in the Skalvarg Archipelago. This isn't the first time that drowners were spotted, for they even existed in the Elder Days in which they were spotted twice: Once by the John Winchester of old back in 1994 and again twenty years later in which your past self spotted some of them lurking in Salt Lake City, Utah. Those blades that Nibori found were crafted by Totsuka after acquiring some phoenix ash in the form of killing one before the start of the Apocalypse, but they're really effective on Wendigo and drowners."
I never expected my past self and his family dealing with drowners before until now as I sat up the moment Agni was done examining me. When I left the sickbay, I was still feeling exhausted as I also had to take it easy in which I nearly collapsed until I noticed Agni helping me out towards the ship exit. By the time I was helped outside, I saw Merrick standing in front of me as he was also concerned about the state of my health, for he changed his mind about me earlier.
"I saw the report in the sickbay," he told me.
"I told everyone that I wasn't in fine fettle," I said.
"The stress levels and exhaustion are way up," said Agni. "No wonder he feels unwell."
"Enough already!" I was getting testy as I was starting to feel dizzy. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back into the castle and—"
It wasn't long until I felt my knees buckling under the pressure as I noticed Reiko rushing towards me when she caught me before I fell to the ground. I was right about not being in fine fettle as I wanted to be in a more pleasant atmosphere other than being in the presence of Seto's wrath. When I was helped up to my feet, I was ready to go back into the castle as I wanted to take a nap after all of this, but I was blocked by Reiko in which she wanted me to get some fresh air after all that has happened, for I had a long way to go before I recovered up to full.
"It never ends, does it?" I said.
"You can't be recovering while being cooped up in bed alone, Sammy," said Reiko. "Besides, the beaches here on Skald Island are far more pleasant than anything."
"As long as there aren't any drowners on the shoreline, we'll be fine. This place is part of the Skalvarg Archipelago in which it's also surrounded by four other islands. The second largest island is Cordell Island, but the ferries come and go from island to island."
"The Norsemen who live here on Skald Island have shrines dedicated to us. That's why this one interlocked with Matarote Island on Westeros. I told them about how you saved that planet from the ravages of Project Amaterasu two years ago in which the battle left you incapacitated. I told them that you needed to get your strength back in which they've been seen praying to one of the shrines dedicated to us on Cordell Island. They've also prayed for your health and well-being to get better..."
I was overwhelmed by Reiko's optimism as I had no other choice but to spend my day at the beach as planned. I really had a long way to go as I followed Reiko out of the harbor and straight to the beach near the castle. My brush with a drowner yesterday made me more cautious as I went towards the shore searching for possible monsters that have been crawling all over the Skalvarg Archipelago, for I never told Reiko about them before until now.
"There are no drowners here, Sammy," said Reiko as she saw me sitting on the shore."
"I know," I said. "I saw Nibori get rid of the one that tried to kill me yesterday."
"The ocean is very cold like the northern wind, but the Norsemen who live here trade with the rest of the people who live on Valinor."
"The smell of the salty air is different than what I've observed in some of the places I've been, but I know that it's calming."
I saw a seaship approaching as I saw it to be navigated by a group of Sindar Elves who were ready to land near the shore. The ship itself was decorated with a white interior as I also saw an Order of Letters flag flying in the distance. Still, I had to comply into seeing what was going on as I spotted the seaship parking near the shore as I spotted a lifeboat coming. The group of soldiers were part of the Valinorian Army as they were ready to visit the Skalvarg Archipelago to pay their respects to the Chieftain who died at the hands of the drowner nest that Nibori and her group took out. When the boat landed, I saw the commander of the group remove his helmet as he was related to the Thibodeau Clan due to his dark skin and hair, but I didn't mind it. What I also didn't expect was that some of the members of the Order were there as I saw a familiar face get out of the boat as he was dressed in a Scottish kilt and black cloak with the Demon Killer knife in its sheathe, for he was more than glad that I was still alive after all that has happened in the past two years.
"Long time, no see, Sam," he said to me.
"Cletus MacVicker…," I said. "You decided to hop from Alecrast to Valinor."
"I've been busting my ass like the rest of the Order after hearing about the Sol-3 getting blown to bits two years ago."
"I've been recovering, but I've been exhausted after what I went through."
"You're not in fine fettle after hearing Reuben telling us about how you even went up against Sawney Masbath," said the commander.
"News travels fast, doesn't it?"
"Sam, this is Marcus Thibodeau," said Cletus. "His family has close ties to the Mahoney Clan in which the leader of it, Bruce, has been on edge when the Executive Division and their volatile leader went on a rampage and it didn't stop here. There's a new factory built on Lannister and the governor of the Sprawl's pissed that it's encroaching near her territory. Still, we're not out of the fight yet, come Hell or high water, but we can't shirk our duties right now, even if it means by keeping you safe while you heal."
I turned around as I saw Nibori and her group arriving in which they saw the group of members of the Order and the Valinorian Army ready to salute them. It was a good reunion with old friends as I was also here to lend my support any which means I could muster, for I had a long way to go before I heal up to full…
Seto was in a holding cell in the Thunderstruck as she was transferred here at the behest of Reuben in which she was at the mercy of Merrick and his crew. She was beaten into a corner as her attempts to force me to be back on the field had failed in front of her. After hearing the news about the state of my health, she was backing off as she was also trying hard to forget about the past discretions that she was starting to regret.
"It's like before," she said to herself.
It wasn't long until Seto found herself in the Men of Letters bunker as she hasn't seen it in many centuries. She noticed the same switchboard shaped like a game of Risk as she later noticed a wastebasket with several tissues tinged with blood in it. What she didn't expect was that she saw an image of herself running into the hall as she followed to see what was going on. By the time she caught up with herself, she noticed my past self collapsed onto the floor as he was breathing raspily in which she remembered it clearly when he cleared the second trial.
"This was when Sam saved Bobby from Hell at the time," she said as she saw herself cart my past self out of the hall and into the infirmary. "I know this because he even risked his life to save his brother and Charlie from that Djinn offshoot."
It wasn't long until Seto saw herself haul my past self onto one of the beds as she saw her rush towards the kitchen to get some frozen packs to cool him down. She remembered this as she saw herself rushing into the infirmary with a couple packs of frozen peas the moment she placed them between my past self's arms and legs to cool him down due to a fever he had. She felt guilty for forcing me into returning to the field without realizing the past mistakes that she made.
"I'm so sorry that I put you through this crap, Sam," she said to herself.
It wasn't long until Seto returned to the present as she was regretting her crusade to bring me back to the field against my wishes. When she heard the door to the brig opening up, she saw Merrick entering as he wasn't too thrilled with her disobeying the Order's higher-ups in which he wasn't about to let her off the hook this time.
"I saw the results from Agni's assessment of Sam," he said.
"If you're saying that I'm still forcing him to return to work, I've declined for the time being," said Seto. "It's like before in the Elder Days when his past self underwent the trials back then. He completed two of them, but was forced to call off the third when it nearly killed him. If you're asking about the trials, they consisted of the killing of a hellhound, rescuing an innocent soul from Hell, and curing a demon. He once told me that undergoing the trials was a form of penance for not looking for Dean and Castiel in Purgatory. One day, I found him collapsed onto the floor in which he was getting weaker due to the strain of the trials. At one point, he ran a very high fever to the point that I had to use some ice packs on him to cool him down. I never expected him to go so far, but the Sam Winchester of the present is suffering the same way."
"I know… I noticed him still exhausted after his last battle while dismantling the Sol-3 and even going toe-to-toe with Sawney Masbath two years ago. His body exhibited stress levels that even surpass the limit in normal humanoids. Agni told me about it in which she's allowing him to resume his convalescence after detecting possible ailments in his body."
"This is my fault to begin with. All this time, I equated Sam's leave of absence as a betrayal and abandonment, but I failed to see my own folly."
"I read all about the annals of the Elder Days in which I also had to delve into some of those books that my crew collected. I also read about the possible ailments that the Sam Winchester of Old suffered much worse as referenced in the epilogue of Pac-Man Fever."
"I'm not about to let Sam do more field work as of now, Captain. I get it now, for he really does need to heal. This is like before in the Elder Days all over again…"
"Captain to the bridge!"
Merrick left the brig as he made it to the bridge. It wasn't long until he saw a Mirkwood Elf with white hair and blue eyes standing there as he was eager to have an audience with him. He never expected this as the Mirkwood Elf had his reasons to ask for assistance. Still, he had to comply with what was put in front of him as the trauma of this ongoing war has put him and his crew on edge in this time of uncertainty.
"Etienne LaPointe, I presume?" he said.
"I'm here because of what happened in my region of Andunevar, Captain," he said.
"Is it the Rookpaw tragedy?"
"The Executive Division had razed that village of Terrans to the ground and for what in particular? By stealing their souls just to satisfy that proverbial She-Devil and her Elven consort?"
"When it rain, it pours."
"It also seems that the one with raw power is here, but he's been benched after that battle to shut down Project Amaterasu and get rid of Sawney Masbath two years ago. I need to borrow Sam in which he needs to observe what went on in Rookpaw."
"Sorry, but Sam's forbidden to do field work after his tussle with what happened two years ago."
"Doesn't matter. He's called here to attend whether he likes it or not. My people demand that an Elder of the Order must be present or else we face punishment. My father is the chieftain of Andunevar and he awaits an audience with the one who put a stop to the machinations of Sawney Masbath. This isn't a request, but a demand, so I suggest that you abide by what is put in front of you."
Merrick had no other choice but to force me to do something that I didn't want to do as it was at the behest of Etienne, who was wanting me to go to Rookpaw as soon as possible, for I would soon be roped into going on a mission against my wishes soon enough…
I was in my room after meeting with old friends in which I was more than glad that I wasn't about to go on another unwanted mission. After attending a funeral and seeing everyone here, I was busy in the laundry room cleaning my clothes after I got a bath earlier. The sight of electricity and notable frontloaders and dryers were a godsend for me as I was busy looking at my clothes that were on the rinse cycle. Writing in my journal, I was basically enjoying the quiet as I felt more calmer than I ever been in the past two years. By the time I saw my clothes go on spin cycle, I was waiting for them to finish as I was eager to put them in the dryer after this. Even though it was worth the wait, I saw the frontloader stop as I opened it up and got out my clothes and placed them into the dryer while I waited patiently for them to be on the proper heat. While I was looking at the dryer spinning my clothes around, I heard footsteps approaching as I turned around and saw Merrick coming into the laundry room in which he was wanting me to do something that I didn't want to do, for I wasn't too happy with what was going on.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your convalescence, but your presence is needed, Sam," he said.
"If it's about doing field work, then I have no choice but to decline," I said.
"This isn't a request, but a demand in which Etienne LaPointe wants you to go to Rookpaw and assess what happened there."
"Isn't that your job?"
"The LaPointe Clan is one of the oldest Elf clans that ever lived on Valinor. Refusing an audience from them is an act of dishonor, which is punishable by hard labor for all eternity. You've been here in Jomon Village and had an audience with the Mahoney Clan, but you've never been here all the way in which this planet is mostly Elves, but there are a few human and Dwarf villages that adhere to planetary law more than anything."
"As long as there is no field work, I don't have a problem with it. I'll do it, but after this, I have to go back to my convalescence."
"Fair enough… As long as you have protection, there won't be a problem. By the way, I have Seto on my ship in which she told me about how she saw your past self unwell from the first two trials that he undertook from the Elder Days. The first trial consisted from killing an hellhound and bathing in its blood. The second was to save an innocent soul from the bowels of Hell. As for the last one, it's to cure a demon, but it ended in failure once your past self realized that the last trial would kill him while trying to cure Crowley from being a demon, only to see that a set of trials were set and it closed off Heaven. Seto also told me how your past self wasn't in fine fettle in which she cooled him with ice packs."
"I never pictured Seto having a soft spot before, but she shouldn't be butting in my affairs."
It wasn't long until I saw Cletus coming into the laundry room as he was most likely to be bringing me out of my convalescence and into danger against my wishes. Still, I had no choice but to abide by this turn of events as I had no other choice but to go to Rookpaw, for I had a bad feeling that I would soon be goaded into returning to the field soon enough…
To be continued...