Valkyrie Profile:

Lenneth Novelization AU:

Disclaimer: I do not own Valkyrie Profile or any other tri-Ace properties. Please support the official release.

Chapter Four:

The Princess and the Mercenary III

The Path

"Who's there? I see you, stranger! Come out into the light and explain yourself!"

The guard on the battlement raised his spear, aiming for the figure who emerged from the darkness. From his position directly over the closed gate, he knew he could make the throw and fell the uninvited guest.

"Bernard? What is it? Has the search party returned?" another of the guards shouted from one of the flanking towers.

"'Tis…" Bernard started.

He paused when the figure standing outside squatted on their knees and set something down on the road. Then unidentified person backed away into the night's shroud of darkness once more. Bernard blinked and stared at what laid on the road. He couldn't tell what it was, but it seemed to be a long, thin object of some kind. It was about five feet across, wrapped in a cloth or blanket. Either odd patterns or stains of some kind dotted the fabric's surface.

"Bernard," the other guard called again.

Bernard jumped slightly, remembering himself. He didn't take his eyes off the thing in the road, but did his best to turn his head only enough to be heard clearly.

"'Tis not 1st Officer Reynaldo's cavalry, but a stranger skulking at the door," he hollered back. "They've left us something on the road just outside. Come look."

In a moment, the other guardsman had briskly marched over, bearing his own spear. He stopped next to Bernard and looked down at where his comrade pointed. Sure enough, something wrapped up was sitting in the dirt, waiting for them.

"Fetch the Captain, Francis," Bernard asked.

"Ay," Francis replied.

Not ten minutes later, the North gate opened but only just a crack wide enough to allow two men walking side-by-side through. Knights bearing broad shields as tall as themselves emerged through the narrow opening, followed by Captain Lawson and a dozen more knights torches. The gate pulled shut behind them.

Above them, the battlement was now crowded with spearmen and archers. Lawson scanned the darkness ahead of him, looking for any sign of movement. Then he looked to the 'gift' on the road. His brow furrowed as he realized it was no mere object, but a person. The distinct shape of a head and neck at one end were discernible even under the heavy material, and what had to be feet were at the other end.

"Dame Horatius, Sir Marcell, to me," he called.

"Captain," they both said at once as they stepped forward at attention.

The two torch-bearers followed their Captain over to the body. The shield bearers remained a few strides ahead of them the whole way, prepared to protect their captain at the first sign of trouble.

Lawson knelt next to the wrapped body, giving it in a cursory look over before touching it. The blanket was absolutely stained in the blood of whoever it covered. Both the torch bearers planted themselves on either side of him, giving him as much light to work with as they could. Though like the shield bearers, they kept their eye out at the surrounding area. Dame Horatius was tempted to sweep her torch out in an arc to give herself a better view of the area, but she suppressed it knowing her captain needed the light. Behind her visor, her eyes were keenly focused on every shape and movement in the forest beyond. Beside her, Sir Marcell held his torch over the body as Lawson worked to unwrap the head. He stood a little ahead of Lawson to act as an additional shield if he had to.

Lawson pulled the edges of the blanket apart and went still.

"Gods above," Lawson's voice was heavy. "'Tis the princess."

Horatius looked down and gasped when she saw the pale, bloodied face of Jelanda. She didn't need to inspect the body to know she was dead. Jelanda's remaining eye stared straight upwards, seeing nothing, and her mouth hung open without breath. Her lips had gone blue and dry.

"She is slain," Lawson said.

In his mind's eye, he saw the girl at various ages throughout the entirety of her life, which was now ended.

"Poor thing," he uttered.

Lawson took the girl in his arms as Arngrim had before and stood. After he searched the darkness beyond the torchlight one more time, Lawson turned to the battlements above, bearing Jelanda's body back into Artolia.

"Open the gates. We have grave news to bring the king," he called.


"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. It's all gone wrong. How did this happen?"

As Lezard took a sip of his red wine, he watched as a worried and near panicked Lombart paced the carpeted floor of the large, lavish room. He softly chuckled, shaking his head. This man really wanted to topple a kingdom when he couldn't even keep his cool at the first sign of trouble? Lombart walked past again, wringing his hands as though they pained him. He finally slowed down and stopped, looking to Lezard on the other side of the coffee table.

"With things as they are now, our plan is going to fail," Lombart whimpered.

"Our plan?" Lezard thought.

His right brow lifted, displaying his incredulousness as he took another sip. He said nothing aloud, but his thoughts were quite clear:

"I seem to recall you coming to me with your plan already decided upon. You just needed some ghoul powder as a contingency."

"I don't understand," Lombart bleated, sounding almost like a screaming goat. "Everything happened as planned. All my pieces in play acted exactly as they were supposed to, and it still failed. Now there's a witness on the loose!"

Lombart began to hyperventilate. Watching him, Lezard hid a smile as he took another mouthful of the red liquid.

"Oh, if I could have Misty here now so we could wager whether he simply passes out or induces heart failure," Lezard thought.

Lombart's face suddenly brightened.

"But it's fine," he said desperately. "Arngrim's a fugitive. No one will believe him. We should be in the clear if they can capture him."

"What is this 'we' business again?" Lezard's mental commentary continued. "Better put a fire under this man before he becomes too comfy."

He lowered the wine glass from his mouth to speak.

"Did you not say, yourself, that the man has the favor of knight's captain, and his son?" Lezard asked.

Lombart's fell face.

"What's more, the warrior will likely come here," Lezard said, looking right at Lombart. "For you. He seemed to feel responsible for the princess."

Lombart didn't seem phased by that last threat.

"It's not Sir Arngrim alone I fear," Lombart retorted. He didn't even try to hide his contempt for the warrior as he spoke. "Not exactly, anyway. I can bring that swine down with a well-aimed Prismatic Missile. It's the potential for him to get the king and the knights to turn against me that's the true danger."

"I'll just leave out the part where he's also become the prey of one of Odin's battle-maidens, for now," Lezard decided.

The last thing Lezard wanted was for Lombart to hurl himself out the window before he could wring some more oth out of him.

"Do you have a plan?" Lezard asked.

"Well, you see… the thing of it is…"

"You have no plan," Lezard said flatly.

What idiot didn't have a second contingency to fall back on with the stakes this high? Unbelievable! Lezard couldn't believe how this fool put all his chips on just one scheme and one failsafe.

Lombart's mind whirled. He might have to discreetly leave the country altogether, especially if Arngrim got the king and the knights to listen to him. He'd need backup if that happened. He looked to Lezard expectantly.

"You are a powerful wizard in your own right, is that not correct?" The fear was evident in his voice.

Lezard smiled immodestly.

"Dear friend, I'm the premiere Magi of the entire Flenceburg region," he stated. "But with the situation escalating, my price just went up."

"Now hang on, you don't even know why I asked," Lombart protested.

"But first," Lezard continued without acknowledging that last remark. "Is there any way Sir Arngrim can get into the capital even with the city watch on high alert? You may also want to consider temporarily relocating to a more populated end of the castle until this is dealt with."


Outside the castle's east wing, the very fugitive they sought stood in the shadows. Arngrim stared up at the old structure, hating its fake sense of refinement more than ever before.

"Lombart," Arngrim thought with eyes and heart full of rage.

He slunk through the shadows, hiding amongst the well-trimmed decorative trees, bushes, and flowers in the courtyard. He knew to look for one of the side entrances the castle staff used, and he'd get in, even if he had to kick it open.


"You never did properly say what interested you so much when you first saw that Arngrim fellow," Loki said.

Freya just shook her head.

"It's nothing" she replied. "Just a passing sense of familiarity, maybe."

Loki looked to Lenneth. She had no answer to offer and chose to remain silent. The Valkyrie looked again to the city below.

"I am among such good conversationalists," Loki said drily.

"Must you prattle so?" Freya all but groaned.

"Hmm…" Loki stared at her thoughtfully, with a hint of devilishness.

"You are awfully deflective regarding Sir Arngrim," he tried pressing Freya again.

Freya's eye twitched. Loki's inability to take the hint was getting grating. For Loki, something about the warrior was itching at the corners of his memory.

"Hmm," Loki's throat rumbled. "You know, I do seem to remember a similar fellow Hrist once brought…"

"Must we continue this conversation?" Freya cut him off. "There's a Necromancer on the loose and Lenneth has but one untrained novice mage to her name as an einherjar."

Loki grinned. He knew he'd hit the target dead center.

"Fine, fine," he said coyly.

They now hovered above the Artolian capitol, waiting for Lenneth to make her move. The wind was strong enough up there that it caught the Valkyrie's long braid blew it to the side, fluttering the silver locks with the breeze. Lenneth's eyes scanned the city first before she began to descend. As far as she could tell, the only dark energy was emanating from within the castle.

"The very source of the corruption," Lenneth thought.

Her gaze was locked on the structure. It was difficult to tell from where it was coming, because the entire place seemed to reek of evil in some way. Whatever darkness had rooted itself there had inhabited it for quite some time and spread itself over every corner. Lenneth halted her descent about a hundred feet above the castle.

"Jelanda," Lenneth called. "Come forth."

The wings appeared again briefly as Jelanda emerged. She was startled to find herself hovering in the air as well.

"Astounding!"

Loki grinned at the girl's exuberance while the goddesses with him remained ambivalent.

"Mortal, focus," Lenneth ordered.

Jelanda flushed, reminding herself she was now in the presence of beings much higher than herself.

"Oh, yes, right, Lady Valkyrie," she turned to face the same direction as her new master. "Why, it's home! It looks so small from up here!"

"Where will this Lombart be presiding?" Lenneth had elected to ignore all the jabber.

Jelanda pointed to a window along the East Wing.

"That's his study right there," she said. "He took a room in the far end of the East Wing, which we basically don't use anymore. He's almost completely secluded in there. He usually spends his evenings…"

She stopped. This got Lenneth to look at her.

"Well, I used to think he was busy with official business in there," Jelanda scowled as she spoke. "Now I know he was just scheming against us and didn't want anyone to see."

Lenneth drew her sword.

"His scheming ends tonight," the battle-maiden said. "We shall smite the villain. Come, my einherjar. Battle awaits us."

The Valkyrie and the princess floated down toward the castle while Freya and Loki again remained behind to observe unless necessary.

There was a heavy clumping just outside the door. Lezard looked toward it with vague interest. Lombart spun, fists clenched and his eyebrows shaking in alarm.

"Would that brute have…?" Lombart wondered.

"Oh, is he here already?" Lezard asked.

The door swung open, revealing the dark hallway beyond, and the tall figure just outside. He was a large, broad black outline of a man, but Lombart recognized the form well. Lombart glared at their quarry while Lezard poured himself a second glass of wine.

"Sir Arngrim," Lombart said scornfully before he'd come into the light.

Arngrim stepped into the room without a word. His face was set into a deep, loathing frown with eyes that burned at the old man. Yet, the man seemed oddly calm, maintaining precise movements like a predator about to charge its prey.

Lombart looked past him and saw that he was alone. A grin spread across his lips. Lezard calmly took a sip of his wine.

"So, you decided to face me on your own," Lombart said. "You should have just run away while you could. It won't avail you to cause a disturbance here, young man."

"Shut up!" Arngrim bellowed.

In a single motion, the sword was out of Arngrim's sheath and pointed at Chancellor with clear killing intent. Both men readied themselves. The room was large, so there was still about fifteen feet from where Arngrim stood at the door and the two wizards on the other side.

"It'll sure as hell 'avail' me to pin you to the wall up to the hilt! You'll feel the same pain as her!"

Lombart just laughed derisively. He unmoved his spectacles and placed them into a breast pocket.

"You're brave, 'Sir' Arngrim" he said. "I'll give you that, but…"

The floor around Lombart's feet ignited into a red ethereal light in a circle with runes denoting a spell as power flowed into the man. Arngrim saw him begin casting and didn't hesitate. He shot forward as though fired from a bow and closed the distance between them quickly.

Lombart raised an open palm, which glowed with magical energy.

"Fire Lance!" he shouted.

Two fireballs discharged from Lombart's fingers, leaving comet-like trails behind them. Arngrim dove to the right, swinging his body sideways. The first blast sailed right past him, and Lombart felt the first beads of sweat form on his face. The second fireball arced right for its target, though, and Arngrim whipped his sword around so the flat of the blade was between him and the attack. Metal splinters flew everywhere as it knocked him backwards, off his feet completely.

Arngrim tumbled back towards the door. Lombart released the breath he didn't even realize he was keeping hostage in his mouth. He smiled nervously.

"Got him!" he thought victoriously.

Then Arngrim caught himself in mid-tumble and rolled over onto his stomach before jumping to his feet. The smile again faded from Lombart's face as the warrior stood firm, ignoring the painful burns on both arms. The old wizard focused, and magic again flowed into him from the astral plane.

Seeing the spell circle, Arngrim banked left instead of changing him head-on.

"Frigid Damsel!"

Lombart's fingers glowed with blue magical energy and then three objects burst forth, flying toward Arngrim. They took the form of three female humanoids seemingly made of clustered frost, each baring a short sword made of the same icy particles.

Arngrim ran along the side the room in front of the bookcases, managing to get about halfway across before the three ice spirits cut him off. He parried the first's attack, but upon their swords meeting, the little spirit exploded into an arctic blast on contact.

Arngrim was slammed against the shelves of books with now lightly frostbitten skin. He shivered and forced himself attack the second, which launched itself into him before he could swing, slamming him against stone blocks again. His skin was covered in bruises and cold burns now. The third and final tackled him from the side and sent him crashing to the floor not far from Lombart's feet.

Lombart grinned down at the shaking fallen warrior, now looking like a man about to die whilst exposed to the elements during the coldest winter storm. Despite that, Arngrim still glared up at him with murderous intent, and attempted to move his frozen limbs. This, Lombart found to be greatly entertaining.

"Oh, 'Sir' Arngrim," condescension dripped from Lombart's voice. "You don't listen. You may be a genius on the battlefield, but you know little of the higher arts."

Lombart shrugged and shook his head. His patronizing manner only got worse by the moment. On the floor, Arngrim focused and worked at opening and closing his hands and wiggling his toes to get going again.

"You should have realized you were already dead the instant you stepped up against a mage by yourself."

The Chancellor let out a single high-pitched laugh and turned around, showing his back to Arngrim. He walked over to the table where Lezard was sitting and picked up a knife. The younger mage still just sat with only minimal interest, watching the proceedings.

"Now then, I understand you warrior types prefer things done up and close personal," Lombart said wryly.

"Indeed, we do."

Lombart's eyes widened. Somehow, Arngrim was right behind him. The old mage whirled around to find Arngrim on his feet again, standing mere inches from him. The warrior ground his teeth against the pain of moving body and let loose with a right hook to the old man's face. The Chancellor staggered back, and tripped over the coffee table, both upending it and sending himself crashing onto the floor.

"Damn, it looks like I have to intervene," Lezard thought.

Before moving in on Lombart, Arngrim fixed Lezard under a threatening stare in the corner of his eye.

"I don't know the hell you are, but just stay out of my way," Arngrim warned.

Without a word of warning, Lezard stood and a spell circle appeared at his feet. Arngrim lunged at the younger wizard, but in his injured state, he wasn't fast enough. A black circle formed under his feet and what seemed to be living shadow wrapped itself around him, leaving him stuck in place and unable to move more than an inch in any direction. Arngrim growled at the mage who was a mere three feet from her and desperately tried to break free, but it was no use. This dark magic had him and it wasn't about to let go.

"Personal space," Lezard said.

He flicked his wrist at Arngrim as though to shoo him away, and the large warrior was dragged backwards several steps by the shadows tangling him. The warrior let out a primal roar as he struggled against the magical snare. Next to Lezard, Lombart groaned as he slowly returned to consciousness. His left cheek was turning blue and had swollen.

"Ah, you're awake," Lezard said. "You almost missed the fun."

With a lot of effort, Lombart turned himself over onto his side, and then his stomach on the carpet. Lezard walked around the toppled table and crouched next to the old man who clumsily struggled to get his arms and legs under him. Not to assist,Lombart, of course. He merely watched in amusement.

"Oh, I think I've broken something," Lombart groaned.

He held an aching shoulder as he struggled to his feet. Lezard stood back up and stepped away. Lombart looked to Arngrim again, seething at him. Arngrim met his gaze through narrowed, defiant eyes. Lombart rubbed his aching cheek as he painfully rose to his feet, still glaring at the mercenary as he did.

"You… you…" Lombart snarled. "To think the ghoul was undone by a lout like you!"

"Strange, isn't it?" Lezard asked in faux curiosity. "How is it possible he could fell such a beast but not us."

Lombart glanced at Lezard as realization came to him. Then he turned back at Arngrim.

"How did you kill the beast, anyway?" Lombart demanded.

Arngrim only smiled wickedly in return. Lombart's face hardened.

"Fine," he raised the palm of his hand to large man once more. "Your secret will lie with you in your coffin, then. It's time to end this show."

"That's him! The old man! That's the man who betrayed me, Lady Valkyrie!"

"Lightning Bolt!"

Tendrils of electricity shot from Lombart's fingers, lighting the whole room brighter than the lamps and candles. Before him, Arngrim disappeared into a ball of sparking, gleaming voltage nearly twice his size. Then the lightning was dispelled as quickly as it had discharged, allowing them to see what should have been the charred remains of Arngrim lying on the ground. Instead, Lombart gasped, staring in disbelief. The lightning had never reached Arngrim. Standing beside their quarry was the Valkyrie in blue, and the deceased princess. The Valkyrie fixed a cold stare on the traitorous advisor. Lezard smiled, staring right at the battle-maiden.

"Finally," he thought, as he backed off to the side.

Arngrim had expected to die, but the lightning never reached him. Moreover, he was suddenly freed from the shadows' grip and nearly tripped when his whole body jolted in abrupt movement. He lowered his arms as he fell onto one knee, causing the tip of his sword to loudly clack against the floor. He was then suddenly enveloped in soft, green light. In alarm, he looked up and saw Jelanda casting magic on him. The warrior gasped in shock.

"First Aid!" the princess shouted.

In an instant, many of Arngrim's wounds healed over, but it was not a complete fix.

"P-Princess! No, you're dead," Lombart began to panic.

"Angela?" Arngrim stared in surprise at her.

Jelanda looked surprised, and then smiled with a slight blush.

"So, you knew?" she asked.

"Focus!" Lenneth ordered.

The Valkyrie drew her sword back, holding it level with the hilt next to her head. Her eyes flicked to the side, sizing Lezard up, but he didn't move, nor did she feel any magic welling up within him. So, she returned her attention to Lombart. Arngrim and Jelanda also readied themselves. The old wizard took a nervous step back.

"Your sins weigh heavy upon you, defiler of souls," the Valkyrie's voice was stern.

A black magic circle appeared as Lombart desperately conjured one final attack. Arngrim and Lenneth charged him, but then jumped back when black tendrils grew from the magic circle. They landed ahead of Jelanda on either side. Lombart's lips drew back, not in a smile, as he cast his attack.

"SHADOW SERVANT!" he shouted.

The black spread across the floor.

"Jelanda!" the Valkyrie shouted.

Jelanda focused, and her scepter began glowing red just as dark phantasms surfaced from the blackened floor. The black rippled as though they were breaking the surface of water. They looked like floating skulls with black mist trailing behind them. They were five in all, and they were quick, splitting up and flying right at the trio.

In return, the Valkyrie charged and Jelanda aimed her scepter at two of the dark entities flying at her and Arngrim.

"FIRE STORM!" she called.

A ball of fire materialized just on the floor just as the entities were passing over it. The flames exploded upwards like an erupting volcano, destroying them both. Arngrim charged past Jelanda as soon as the two wraiths were down.

Lombart shielded his eyes from the flames flying around the room and just barely witnessed Lenneth intercept two of the beasts, slashing them into oblivion in the same sword stroke. The final wraith was sliced in two from a forward vertical slash from Arngrim.

Lombart's mouth dropped wide open at how quickly they had dealt with the threat. Time seemed to slow. He saw Arngrim barreling at him like one of Hel's demon servants, sword thrusting forward. Lombart couldn't move, or even react in his horrorstruck state until Arngrim skewered him on the massive claymore. Arngrim just kept charging even after he had the old man impaled up to the hilt, pushing the Chancellor across the floor. He only stopped when Beast-Killer collided with the stone wall behind Lombart.

Arngrim grinned with wild glee as Lombart's blood splashed everywhere and he watched the life leave the traitor's eyes. Then Lombart's eyes rolled up and his head fell to the side. Jelanda, though sickened by the scene of death before her, felt no pity as she watched him die.

Lenneth again regarded Lezard with a suspicious eye as he stood at the other end of the room. She noticed right away that the mage had never stopped looking at her. A smile, small but predatory, adorned his lips as he eyed her hungrily. Repulsion was her response, but that was not going to detour her. She took a step toward him, about begin interrogating him.

For Arngrim, watching Lombart's body sliding free of his sword was satisfying, but not as much as watching him limply fall onto the floor. Lezard's eyes turned toward the falling body, and his lips parted in a toothy smirk.

The instant Lombart's body hit the carpet, the symbol of the six-sided star surrounded by several spell runes appeared on the floor around the body. The smile disappeared from Arngrim's face. Lenneth instinctively raised her gauntleted arm to fend off the black magic that filled the room. Lombart's body quickly swelled, now resembling a carcass that'd been left out in the sun, and the sword wound in his chest stretched wide open revealing a great, violet eye within.

Jelanda screamed and stepped back as Lombart's cadaver split in two vertically, ripping at the sword wounds as the beast within outgrew the mass of the dead man's body. The blood-soaked thing floated into the air above the halved corpse. The creature was a formless mass of flesh with a single, central eye, and headful of snakes growing from the top, like the hair of Medusa.

"Wha…?" Arngrim stammered as took he a step back.

Behind him, Jelanda trembled.

"A Hel Servant?" Lenneth breathed.

"Hel what?" Arngrim asked.

"A Hel Servant," the Valkyrie repeated. "One of Queen Hel's own minions from Niflheim!"

Then she pointed accusingly toward Lezard with her sword.

"You!" Lenneth shouted. "You summoned this beast! Defiler! You used that man as a catalyst!"

"Now, now," Lezard amiably. "There's no need to be rude. Pointing fingers. Tsk, tsk. Please, don't just refer to me as 'you'. My name is Lezard Valeth, dear Valkyrie."

The Hel Servant growled, forcing Lenneth to chose which opponent to keep her eye on. She looked first at it, then back at Lezard, and the beast again, trying to decide which threat was more immediate.

"Allow me to engrave my name on your heart," Lezard said. He gestured to demonic servant of the underworld with one hand, putting his other hand on his heart. "I'll even allow you to play with my monster."

The mass of serpent heads snapped forward, but not stop when they had reached the end of their length. The snake bodies stretched as though having infinite length within the Hel Servant's head. They rushed the Valkyrie and her allies. Lenneth leapt into the air, flying straight over five snakeheads which had attempted to bite her. They turned upwards, chasing her, but the Valkyrie swept her hand out, shooting a small ball of sparkling icy light at them, which the snakeheads flew right inti. The ball of light burst and spreading outwards, enveloping the heads in a chunk of ice-like crystal. The weight of it sent the serpent heads crashing onto the floor.

A sixth snakehead came at her, jaws open. She leaned, dodging to the side at the last second and cut the snakehead from its body as it passed by. A seventh coiled in from behind, opening its jaws to nip the back of her leg just below the knee, but instead it simply broke its teeth on the metal boot beneath the material of her skirts. It was beheaded as well.


A sneakhead snapped toward Arngrim, but he caught it with a forward swing, shattering its fangs. It recoiled painfully but was instantly replaced with two more. A quick swing, and their heads fell to the floor. More replaced them.

"URK!" Arngrim grunted with effect as he just managed to bash their faces in with the flat on his blade. Three more on either side all arced around to sink their fangs into him. Arngrim started to swing his blade but knew he couldn't kill them all. They had him.

"FIRE STORM!"

Arngrim shielded himself with his sword and gauntlets from Jelanda's spell. The flames flew everywhere, nibbling at the warrior, but also charred the attacking snakeheads coal black. The tendrils withdrew, now having only useless black lumps at its ends.

Above them, Lenneth had just beheaded the serpent head which tried to bite her leg when she felt something powerful welling up in the Hel Servant. Her eyes were drawn back to it. She saw the beast glowing with power and knew it was casting. Power flowed out from the creature in forms of orbs with colors ranging the entire prismatic spectrum.

"Prismatic Missile," Lenneth realized.

Moreover, she noticed it was aiming for Arngrim and Jelanda. They were both still fending off its snakes while watching each other's backs. They'd never be able to break free to avoid it in time. Lenneth zipped downward, cutting down anything in her way. The Hel Servant's eye opened wide, and from it shot seven simultaneous blasts of energy, each one a different color.

In the corner of her eye, Jelanda saw they were under fire. Arngrim's back was turned as he struggled with one snakehead that had ahold of his sword with its teeth.

"Arngrim…!" she cried out, but there was no time.

The glow of the incoming barrage bore down on them. Lenneth dropped onto the floor between the two humans and the spell while attempting to generate an ethereal shield. A shimmering bubble-like protective field had barely formed when the Prismatic Missile hit. Several slammed against it, but three of the magic missiles broke through Lenneth's barrier. The Valkyrie screamed as the three shots bombarded her. All at once, they discharged painful electrified currents through her body and struck her with enough force to knock her into Arngrim and Jelanda. They crashed and tumbled across the floor in a tangle of limbs.

The Hel Servant's mass of snakes reached out and entangled the trio, dragging them into the air. One coiled around Lenneth's body like a boa constrictor, pinning one of her sword arm to her side before wrapping itself around her. Next to her, Arngrim and Jelanda also struggled to break free.

"Let me go! How dare you!" Jelanda shouted, beating her scepter against the coiling, smooth skin serpentine body squeezing her.

Two of them had Arngrim pinned, one coiled around each of his arms to hold them in place and prevent him from using his massive sword. Yet all they seemed to be doing at the moment was holding them in place.

Lenneth shouted and growled as she fought against the coiling body with everything she had. She grabbed it with her free hand and attempted to pry it from her body. The snakehead hissed at her, but before it could strike, Lenneth hit it with another blast of icy frost, incasing its head in crystal. But it did not let go. Her breath hitched as she felt another body press into her from behind. She cried out in surprise and revulsion as she felt hands. Fingers ran lovingly through her hair, and the other hand reached through the split in her skirts and touched her bare right thigh and move upwards. Making a sound that was half-screaming-and-half-growling, she tried to pull away, but she couldn't move away. Then she felt hot breath on her ear as the fingers continued to caress her hair.

"You have such lovely hair," Lezard whispered right into her ear.

Her enter body shuddered as a chill run up her spine. Lenneth forced her head to look toward him despite the snake coiling around her neck making it difficult. His face was inches from hers', filling her vision with the ravenous look in his eyes. He wore a crooked grin, enjoying the feel of her against him, and the smoothness of her thigh in his hand.

"So beautiful," he said breathily.

"You…" rage brimmed in her voice.

She tried to hit him with a blast of entrapping energy, but the serpent coiled tighter around her neck, actually causing pain and breaking her concentration. She gagged and grabbed at it again, trying to pull it loose. Her grip on her sword fell loose and she dropped it.

"But so cold," Lezard added.

He let go of her thigh and hair, instead snatching her right wrist, which was open after dropping her blade. He grabbed hold of the Nibelungen Ring with his other hand.

"No!" Lenneth shouted.

She redoubled her efforts to break free, jerking around futilely in the coils of the Hel Servant, but no matter what, she just couldn't quite break out. Lezard was able slip the band up the length of her finger despite her thrashing. In the exact moment the ring parted from her finger, Lenneth's body jerked uncontrollably. Like a dam breaking, she was mentally taken somewhere else so vividly, it felt she was no longer in the deceased advisor's study. Instead, a field of white flowers on a cold, windy night in the woods laid before her for just the briefest of instants. Then her mind was assaulted with images upon images of places and peoples she could almost recognize, and yet not. It became such a buzzing in her mind that her ears began to ring.

Lenneth let out of a pained moan as she felt a terrible pressure in her head, and her body began to glow. Lezard almost jumped back in surprise. He had not been expecting such a reaction from the Valkyrie just for removing a ring from her finger. Then her body heated like hot metal in his arms. Lezard let go with a yelp before she flashed pure white.

The Hel Servant's pained scream rang out across the room despite its lack of mouth as the Valkyrie became unbearably hot in its grasp. It dropped all its captives on instinct, recoiling the snakeheads from them. Lezard backed away, genuinely confused by what had just happened as he watched Lenneth's glow dim somewhat. Lenneth turned and glared at him, indignant, flushing red, and furious. Wild eyes bore holes in the wizard. She still brimmed with power that threatened to burst out with destructive force.

Lezard's crooked smirk returned when he saw her displeased and embarrassed expression. He doubted he'd ever get tired of seeing it.

"The more I see of you, the more interested I become," Lezard purred. He held up the Nibelungen Ring. "For the time being, I will be taking only the ring."

Beside her, Arngrim willed himself to get back up, powering through the exhaustion and pain. Jelanda rolled over onto her hands and knees, looking up as Arngrim went on the offensive.

"Wait!" Jelanda cried.

Arngrim rushed the Hel Servant, fending off any snakeheads he could. Jelanda sat up on her knees and urgently cast another spell. Her own reserves were low, so she had one final card she could play. She held out both arms straight with the palms facing the Hel Servant.

"F-Familiar! Come forth!" Jelanda chanted.

A light golden shine enveloped her gloved fingers.

"Please be something good, please be something good," the princess mentally begged.

Meanwhile, Lenneth took a step towards Lezard with murderous intent, but the droning moan of the Hel Servant reminded her that there was more than one threat in the room. She glanced back and saw Arngrim swinging wildly trying to keep the Hel Servant at bay while Jelanda cast. Before the Valkyrie could make up her mind, she felt something very powerful coming from Lezard. When Lenneth turned to him again, he was standing over a magic circle shining so bright he was bathed in its radiance. The Valkyrie felt the rip in the fabric of reality and recognized the aura of a teleportation spell. Her eyes widened.

"But how can a mere mage…?"

"Valkyrie, help us!" Jelanda's anguished voice cried.

Lenneth swiveled her neck enough to see Arngrim cutting at a snakehead that'd snared him again with a knife he pulled from his belt. As for Jelanda, her freshly materialized Familiar was a seemingly normal golden parrot, fluttering in the air in front of her. Jelanda's heart sunk, and she'd called out to Lenneth. The snakeheads began coiling around Arngrim and were about to bite him. Spurred into desperate action, Jelanda looked at her foe of many wriggling, coiling snake bodies growing from its head. She looked at its massive eye. Wait…

"Th-the eye!" Jelanda cried.

Her little Familiar obeyed, first rearing up and snapped forward in a full lunge. The Hel Servant attempted to intercept, but the tiny target skillfully zipped around every fang and scaly coil before driving itself beak-first into the pupil of the beast's eye.

The Hel Servant fell to the floor as blood and milky white fluid gushed from the open wound. It cut loose with another mouthless shriek before shooting into the air again and flying backwards into the wall hard enough to crack the stones.

Lenneth knew this was her chance to end this. She concentrated on the active energies still pulsating through her body. Her aura took visible form as pale red ripples. Her awakening powers broke surface and emanated from her. Arngrim and Jelanda turned and saw what was happening. Acting quickly, the mercenary grabbed the princess by the arm and pulled her with him as he retreated from Lenneth's path. The Valkyrie stared ahead in resolution, eyes trained on her foe.

"It shall be engraved upon your soul!" she shouted at her enemy.

She closed the distance between herself and the Hel Servant in a blink, first slashing it wider wound across its eye, followed by another cleaving its flesh open, and finally finishing by driving the blade up the hilt through its iris. All her power funneled through her sword and burned the beast from the inside out. Then she withdrew, jumping back three pace's worth in one leap. She raised her right arm straight up with the first two fingers extended.

"DIVINE ASSAULT!" she chanted.

A large orb of blue power gathered at her fingertips as her wings again became visible.

"NIBELUNG VELESTI!" she invoked.

She whipped her arm down in the direction of the creature, unleashing her judgment upon the beast. The orb split into three smaller balls of light as it shot from her fingers. They took the shape of three great javelins and pierced the wailing monster each in different places, completely impaling it and burning the dark entity even more with the might of her purifying divine magic. The Hel Servant moaned pitifully one final time before its form collapsed into a pile of shapeless, charred viscus, blood, and unidentifiable innards on the floor. Lenneth looked down on her fallen opponent with indifference.

"Such is your fate," she said coldly.

"Ugh," Jelanda wretched, covering her mouth.

Arngrim gave the felled creature an unaffected look briefly before he turned to Jelanda. He hadn't the time to think about it earlier when she first appeared. Now with the battle over, he was relieved to see her soul had survived, intact.

"Glad to see you're safe, little one," he said.

"It's because you and Valkyrie released me," Jelanda replied, beaming.

"So, you really joined the death goddess?" he asked.

"That's battle-maiden," Lenneth corrected him curtly.

She whirled around facing him, looking surprisingly huffy about it.

"A death god simply snuffs out lives and takes souls to Niflheim or ushers them into the reincarnation cycle," she said.

Before Arngrim could response, the sound of many clanking footsteps began echoing from down the hall.

"I think the racket is coming from over here, sir. In Lombart's study." It was one of the knights.

Arngrim slowly faced the door, still left hanging open. He saw torchlight flickering against the walls in the hallway. He stood in place, remaining silent even as one of the knights appeared in the doorway.

"Lord Lombart, are you alright…?" the man's voice died off as he stepped inside.

He gaped while taking in the sight of Arngrim and the carnage now covering the room.

"You!" the man then shouted accusingly.

Another man stepped inside beside the first, also an Artolian knight. They both drew their swords, even though Arngrim hadn't moved even slightly.

"What Devilry is this?" the second knight shouted.

Arngrim's eyes flicked around and discovered the Valkyrie and Jelanda were no longer with him. He guessed that meant she had only come here to deal with Lombart's soul-defiling black magic. Now this was strictly human business.

"Typical," he thought.

"Lord Lombart," the first knight uttered in horror. Then he returned his gaze to Arngrim and in fury shouted at him. "You traitor!"

"Who the Hel are you calling traitor?" Arngrim demanded, challengingly.

Both men screamed their battle cries and rushed Arngrim. Arngrim smiled wildly and laughed at them before breaking their defenses with a single stroke that also cut off the top half of the first man's head at the nose. The second man stumbled, dropping his sword, and clutching at a slashed throat gushing blood. Both fell to the floor immediately. Arngrim watched the man choke out his last before expiring. He then shouldered his sword before throwing his head back in a round of maniacal laughter.

"What's wrong with you idiots?" he demanded between chortles. "You slipshod soldiers dare to step up to me?"

More stormed into the room. Seeing the dead comrades, they cursed and growled at Arngrim, preparing to overwhelm him. The large warrior just laughed mockingly at them again. He readied himself, but spared the heavens above a single glance before they began.

"You shoulda taken my warrior soul and strength to Valhalla, Valkyrie!" he shouted. "I guess they don't have much use for heroes with true strength up there, eh?"

The knights charged as one to bring him down. Blood splattered the walls, the cries of dying men filled the halls, and when it was over, a single knight was still alive. The man backed himself up against the wall next to the door, sweating profusely, looking on Arngrim like he was some kind of monster. The fact the warrior was still alive and mowing down other armed men in his condition was inexplicable. The knight grimaced in fear as the insane man's smile just become more and more vicious.

"Look, 'friend'," Arngrim told him. "Don't expect me to do you any favors. I'm not gonna die."

"Vainglorious human, a human's strength is not everything," Lenneth's voice chimed in his ear as though it were on the wind.

"Hmph!" Arngrim grunted.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Lenneth and Jelanda watching him from above, translucent, and apparently only visible to him.

"You're one to talk, death goddess," Arngrim retorted.

"Impudent fool! The Valkyrie is not some death goddess of the dark! Such words will reflect badly on you," Jelanda scolded him.

"What's even the difference? You collect souls, whatever the reason," Arngrim countered.

The surviving knight followed Arngrim's gave to where he looked, seeing nothing.

"He has truly gone mad," he thought.

"I do not simply usher the deceased onto their final resting place," Lenneth said. "I give warriors such as yourself a path, a chance for to rise to greater heights than you ever saw in life. Just what do you hope to gain from battle, warrior?"

"A path?" Arngrim repeated, requesting clarification.

"Yes, a path," Lenneth answered. "One full of battle in the name of defending peace and sanity in the Nine Realms."

"The path," Arngrim repeated. Then he smiled. "Sounds fun."

The remaining knight watched him turn and show his back to him as he spoke to his 'comrades'.

"His back is turned. I'll take him," the knight thought.

He stepped lightly to avoid alerting Arngrim as the man continued to speak to his invisible friends up on the ceiling somewhere.

"But first…" Arngrim said.

The knight prepared a killing stroke that'd take off Arngrim's head, and swung…

CLANG!

The knight stared down at his empty hands, disarmed of the weapon they wielded. Then he raised his gaze again right as Arngrim's massive sword came down. Then he saw no more.

"Please, cease this senseless killing!"

Captain Lawson entered the room alone, hands at his side. He wore his armor and his sword on his belt, but he made no move for them. He looked around the scene of death before him. His eyes stopped on Arngrim. Instead of disgust or rejection, the mercenary saw only sorrow and disappointment.

"Old man…" Arngrim murmured.

He lowered his sword, letting the end hit the carpet.

"Arngrim…" Lawson spoke candidly. "Will you raise arms to strike me down as well?"

"Not in a thousand lifetimes," but that thought remained unspoken.

Arngrim tossed his sword away with a shrug before drawing the long dagger out again. Lawson glanced at it before giving him a cautious, inquiring look.

"I don't know if I'm right for this path Valkyrie's offering," Arngrim thought. "But this is the end of the one I used to walk."

His one regret: Roland.

"Roland, you have your painting. You've got a spirit stronger than mine ever could be, so you'll be alright."

"Old man," Arngrim said. "Spare Roland an eye every now and again?"

The color drained from Lawson's face when he realized what Arngrim was about to do. He reached out to him.

"Arngrim, don't!"

With a quick motion, Arngrim drove the dagger through his own stomach nearly to the hilt and then kept cutting upwards. The warrior screamed his determination and agony out before falling first to his knees and then onto his side. Lawson tried to catch him, but it was too late, and Arngrim was too heavy. He dropped heavily onto the floor with a loud thud. The older man knelt next to the dying warrior.

"Arngrim! Arngrim, no!" Lawson cried.

Arngrim looked up at Lawson one final time, managing a small, crooked smile, and then he departed his mortal coil.


In the sky above the castle, Arngrim floated alongside Jelanda facing Lenneth. The warrior glanced around at his new surroundings, setting eye on a blonde goddess who giving him disapproving looks and a black-haired man with antlers who appeared just tickled to see him. His attention remained on the Valkyrie, though.

"Why did you save me?" Arngrim asked her. "You could have let the ghoul have me or left me to Lombart and that freak friend of his before stepping in either time if the goal was to 'choose' me."

Lenneth's expression remained a mask of aloofness.

"Consider it… a gift," Lenneth replied.

"It seems we'll be spending quite a bit of time together," Jelanda commented brightly.

Arngrim grinned, genuinely this time.

"That it does, little one?" he answered. "Quite a bit, indeed."

"Fate is a cruel mistress sometimes, isn't she?" Freya thought, glowering again at Arngrim.

Lenneth caught her look.

"What is it?" she asked her Matron.

"Nothing," Freya answered pointedly. "Let us take our leave from here. Loki and I will accompany you and your einherjar for one more mission before we send you off on your own."

"Oh, joy," Loki said flatly.

"I don't recall you two doing jack when Jelanda transformed or just now," Arngrim thought. "It's been pretty much Valkyrie on her own since she arrived."

"Will you be sending me somewhere, Freya?" Lenneth asked.

"We go wherever your senses guide us through the threads of fate," Freya answered. "Concentrate once again."

"So, we're not going to Valhalla yet?" Arngrim asked.

Jelanda cleared her throat loudly.

"Hey, lout, you're speaking to the gods. Address them properly!"

She floated in front of Arngrim as though to hide him, although his considerably larger frame wasn't at all obscured by her petite form.

"Forgive my rude companion, Miladies and Lord. What I believe he was trying to get across is that neither of us understands how this works. Will we be joining the courageous slain in Valhalla this night?"

"Nay," Loki answered. "Until you are ready to join those who came before you in The Great Hall, you will go where Lady Valkyrie does while you're training under her. Whether it's to the far corners of Midgard or bottom of its seas. However, you are all welcome to rest in Valhalla when you need respite."

"Of course, Lord Loki," Jelanda replied with a deep bow

"Even the strongest steel must be tempered first. To let you join the main legion of einherjar now would be a death sentence for you both," Freya put in.

Jelanda blinked in confusion.

"Begging your pardon, Lady Goddess, but if I may ask, how can we die again?" she said. "We're already dead."

Loki leaned, smiling ominously.

"Ever heard of the death of the soul?" he asked. "'Tis very, very real, child."

Jelanda gulped. For once, Freya actually smirked at Loki's antics and started to turn to away, but something stopped her. She happened to catch sight of the ring finger of Lenneth's right hand. She froze.

"Lenneth…" Freya's voice quivered slightly. "What happened to the ring?"

Oh!" Lenneth looked down where it had roamed. "That other man who was with Lombart. He…"

She hesitated, cheeks burning with revulsion as she remembered his vile touch upon her person. Lenneth suppressed a shudder and an urge to hug herself. She cleared her throat and continued:

"He summoned a Hel Servant, and I am ashamed to admit it managed to snare me in its coils. He took the ring from me while I was fought to break free."

Lenneth regarded the love goddess somewhat crestfallenly.

"I will endeavor to retrieve it," she vowed.

That, and she felt a burning desire to lob off both of Lezard's hands so that they may never again violate her.

Freya, meanwhile, was too deep in thought to hear. She looked tense as her mind whirled over the matter. She curled and uncurled a strand of her hair nervously for a moment before her eyes finally turned skyward.

"Freya?" Lenneth asked again.

Freya didn't seem to hear her.

"I… I must return to Valhalla. Now," she said, as though fearful of something.

Freya pointed to Loki.

"You," she said. "You will accompany them on their next mission. And Loki, you will also assess how well Lenneth is reawakening her power. As for me, I will speak to Odin myself. Now I…"

Freya stopped, and then gestured for Lenneth to come to her. The Valkyrie obediently hovered over with Arngrim and Jelanda in tow.

"Privately," Freya said firmly.

Lenneth turned and nodded to them, and they both backed off. Arngrim stared on suspiciously while Jelanda just looked curious and felt a little left out. Freya had pointedly refused to look in Loki's direction since she'd issued her orders to him. She either hadn't seen or didn't care for his vexed expression.

"Lord Loki?" Jelanda asked.

"Yes, child," Loki answered reflexively.

"What is so important about that ring Lady Valkyrie lost? Is it that important?"

"'Twas the Ring of Nibelungen, the ring of destiny," Loki answered.

The two new dark warriors just gawked at him.

"No kiddin'?" the low rumble of Arngrim's voice echoed slightly in the air.

Meanwhile, with the two goddesses, Lenneth hovered directly in front of Freya.

"You need something, Freya?"

"Yes," her Matron responded.

Her eyes rolled over to the two einherjar.

"I have one more word for you," she said. "That warrior…"

Lenneth followed her gaze.

"You mean Arngrim?"

"Yes, him. I don't think he's suited to become a hero," Freya was firm in this statement. "He has enough brawn, but does he have what it takes inside?"

Lenneth did not like where this was going.

"What would have me do?" she asked.

"You will take him along throughout your era and when it is time for you to sleep again, you will send him into the reincarnation cycle, not Valhalla," Freya answered.

"The reincarnation cycle?" Lenneth inquired.

Yes," Freya replied. "By then, he will have at least earned a guaranteed exemption from Niflheim."

Lenneth's head tilted to the side with uncertainty. This was unprecedented. It had always been the Valkyries who had final say which heroic slain went to Valhalla. To have one from their selection rejected like this…

"Is something wrong?" apparently, Freya had discerned her displeasure.

"It is nothing," Lenneth answered passively.

"You disagree with my assessment of Arngrim?"

Lenneth wasn't liking Freya's tone but knew she could not push back.

"Would you be willing to hear a case for him if I am able to temper him properly?" the Valkyrie asked.

Freya's face flashed with anger briefly, taking Lenneth aback. The Valkyrie actually hovered away from her in surprise. The love goddess reined it in and her own indifferent appearance returned. However, an unpleasant edge still hung over Freya.

"No, Lenneth," she answered. "He will never dine or sleep in the Great Hall."

Then Freya began shimmering and flickered out of sight, having teleported to return to Valhalla quickly.

"What was that about?" Loki asked.

"It is nothing," Lenneth said.

Arngrim and Jelanda just exchanged looks, and the former shrugged. Lenneth was at a loss of what to make of Freya's issues with the ring or Arngrim, but she had to obey her Queen.

"You mentioned going somewhere, Milady?" Jelanda inquired.

"Yes," Lenneth nodded. "I will now concentrate, and we will be guided to where we must go next."

Lenneth closed her eyes and held both hands up with her palms out. Emptying her thoughts of all disruptions, she stretched out with her feelings like she had before when she detected Arngrim and Jelanda through the threads of fate. Her mind again entered those intertwining filaments which governed all. She heard them again, the calling voices of Midgard. Her senses were filled with thoughts and feelings of those far away as though she were in their midst. Through the mumbles, she felt something, but it was different this time. It wasn't another chosen slain. The pulsing of this new calling was dark and cold. She sensed hate, anger, fear, and suffering. It was an entrenched darkness like an infected wound on the land. She knew this aura well.

She slowly opened her eyes, looking to the Artolian Mountains.

"Yes, I feel them," she spoke aloud. "They are nearby."

"What is?" Loki asked.

"Undead. Possibly vampires," Lenneth replied. "Somewhere in the mountains due north of here."

"Undead, Lady Valkyrie?" Jelanda asked, raising a brow.

"Yes, mortal," Lenneth answered.

"We are to sort them?" Jelanda pressed further. "But is it not Thor's duty to protect Midgard?"

"You are correct, child, but even Lord Thor cannot be everywhere," the Valkyrie explained without taking her eyes off their destination. "That aside, this is your training, another part of my duty."

"Training?" Arngrim seemed unconvinced.

"Indeed," Lenneth said. "Einherjar are not taught with wooden swords and painted targets. They are annealed in the fires of combat."

Arngrim's tune changed, and he smiled widely.

"You speak my language, Valkyrie."

"Then let us be off," Lenneth replied. "For just as I select einherjar to send to Odin, I am also tasked with the purification of souls that have become corrupted and need to be shown the light once more."

She and Loki began soaring across the night sky, heading North. Invisible threads towed Arngrim and Jelanda along behind her as she flew. Arngrim had to admit, the view from so high up was something he could have never imagined.

Jelanda turned around, looking as Artolia shrunk into the distance. She solemnly gazed upon her childhood home one more time.

"Goodbye, father," she said. "I love you."


"Lady Valkyrie, I will watch you always."

Lezard muttered to himself as a he walked the halls of his abode. He flipped the Nibelungen Ring with his thumb the way someone would a coin. He caught it and rolled it through his fingers as his thoughts remained focused on the lovely goddess that'd graced him with her presence. He looked down at his hand, remembering the sensation of her smooth skin as he ran his palm and fingers over her tight. He'd wanted to 'explore' her more thoroughly, but the time for that hadn't arrived yet.

"To have her, to hold her, 'til the end of eternity," he hummed. "And I must uncover a way to make it so."

Then his eyes flicked down to the object in his hand.

"And you might hold an answer to two to that end," he said.

He held up the Nibelungen Ring to one of the lamps lighting the hallway.

"Honestly, though, why did Odin give you this, my Beloved?" he asked.

Lezard turned the ring over in his hands. As he approached a heavy wooden door in his path, he absently spoke a single word and it opened for him. He stepped through, entering his lab. With another word uttered, the door closed behind him and locked.

"She is a controller of fate, so a ring that brings good fortune is of no use to her, since she can make her own luck," Lezard murmured. "Literally. She also has several natural protections against Dark Energy and Magic, so it is again redundant."

He honestly couldn't think of a more useless trinket for the Valkyrie to have adorned herself with. Did she just fancy the ring because it was pretty? No. There had to be something more. The practical warrior woman he'd met had no makeup, earrings, or other decorative things. Not that she needed them.

He walked over to a table covered in equipment lovingly constructed and organized. Papers lied scattered all over wherever he had room for them. He held the ring up, looking over the symbols and runes along the outside, but he didn't recognize the language. He looked around the inside of the band, too, but it was bare.

"I wonder how long this little treasure rested in Odin's vault before he gave it to someone?" he mused. "Makes sense to store it. They have no use for it."

He adjusted his glasses as he brought it closer to his face, turning it over again and again.

"Inquiry: Why gift a Valkyrie with an enchanted object that is redundant to her own Divine power?" he spoke to himself.

He chewed his lip a moment.

"Conjecture," he muttered. "He may be using it as part of a spell."

He set it down on the table in front of him and glanced around at the chemicals in various beakers.

"Do I still have any aparecium?" Lezard wondered.

He got up from his seat and after a little wandering around his lab began muttering about what a bother it'd be to have to brew more up.

"Ah-ha!" his voice rang out triumphantly from the other side of laboratory.

A moment later, he ran back over with a beaker full of a pink chemical, a handful of cotton balls, a pen, paper, and a dropper. He set everything except the dropper down and dipped the end into the chemical, extracting a small amount of the liquid. Then he grabbed one of the cotton balls and wetted it with a couple of drops.

Lezard picked up the ring and ran the wet fiber along the inside of the band. Now, he watched. At first, nothing happened, and he began to suspect he'd been chasing the wrong trail. Just as he was about to move onto to conducting a different experiment, the writing appeared. It ran all along the inside of the ring.

"Ah… So they did add something," he thought.

"Still not a script I can read," this frustrated him. "Oh, well."

He grabbed the pen and paper and began meticulously copying the spell.

"Soon, Odin, your little secret will be mine, just as soon as I decipher your gift to my Lady Valkyrie."