The Embers under the Great Tree
VIII
They took the boat again.
Schmidt thought they would have walked, but they didn't.
Instead they were on the boat and sailing in the air.
It was, most definitely, one of the best things he had ever seen or experienced before, rather it just felt as the most natural thing in the world for him.
So much so that as the wind started to run through his hair, he was quick to part from the side of Berserker and move right the way up to the bow of the ship and clamber upwards, standing on the railings and keeping himself there.
Though a bit hard to balance, he was able to find a good enough spot.
After that, everything just felt a bit…
Schmidt wasn't sure he had the words to describe it.
It was just the actions that spoke for themselves as his wings started to open up until they were catching everything within them. Closing his eyes and feeling everything rather than seeing it.
That felt best.
On his skin and scales, across his wings and his hair.
The wind flowed as if it always belonged.
That might have been the best way he could have described it, if anyone asked him. Well, he would be sure to tell Berserker all about it the moment he was down, but for the time being he didn't think it was a bad thing to be doing this. He was pretty secure and he didn't worry all that much about falling.
Someone would catch him, probably.
Though he would need to apologise if he slipped just for putting them through the effort of having to dive off the boat just to catch him. All he needed to do was just not fall, which sounded very easy to him.
He always did have good balance.
During all of it, he allowed his mind to wander back and some questions arose.
Was this what Gabriel was able to do all of the time with her wings?
Schmidt felt a little bad that he was only just starting to experience this sort of thing right now, but he was sure there were plenty of reasons for why he hadn't been able to. A brief twitch on his wings as he pulled back and forth with them, a movement which felt quite natural.
Yes, moving them like this felt right.
Another thing he couldn't explain but just had to do.
Now though, his feet felt strange.
Moving his wings like this, it was odd for him to even consider having his feet touching something underneath them. Rather it was like an itch that he wanted to scratch as soon as possible. Either his feet needed to not be touching something or he needed to stop flapping his wings back and forth.
Schmidt opened his eyes and stared out across the bow of the ship.
Did he really want to stop flapping his wings?
His eyes dropped down and he peered over the front of the boat and to the glittering waves which dragged the boat through the air. Below them he could see the cracks and crevices of the land, burnt black from a fire that just wasn't there anymore and it had been for as far as the eye could see.
Schmidt didn't think he understood what the entire problem was, but everyone was talking about the fires being important, so he trusted them to be telling the truth about that.
"How long do you intend to stand there flapping your wings?"
The voice had him lurch forwards, eyes wide as he scrambled to find his balance.
Something he didn't need to bother doing, a second later there was a tight hold on the back of his clothes and then was was yanked back, with a small gasp he fell into the waiting arms of someone and then was then dropped onto the soles of his feet, stumbling a couple steps away and letting out a breath.
"Thank you for catching me."
"I am truly surprised you stumbled to begin with." Susa-il commented, stepping past him and peering over the edge for a few moments.
"It is a long drop." The mask turned on him. "Though for ones such as us, hardly an issue."
The bright white wings on her back flexed themselves back and forth in a meaningful way.
He could only rub the back of his neck at those words, giving little more than a shrug of the shoulders as well.
"I…erm…"
Susa-il let out a small sound. "I know what it is you are to say, it is clear to any with eyes so you need not use the words."
Well, Schmidt knew that.
He nodded up and down. "Sorry."
"You should not apologise for what is not in your nature, though I suspect you would learn quickly."
Dropping her hands to the railing, she looked ahead.
"We were created perfect." Her words were rather sudden. "We knew all that we needed to know and understood all that was with our bodies. Taking on shapes such as these would be little more than a human changing clothes…learning anything was simply not needed for us. Others did not have such benefits."
Susa-il suddenly stopped speaking and looked towards him.
When she was quiet like that, Schmidt thought it meant she was thinking of something to say…only this time it felt different.
Like she did not have anything to say.
He did though.
"But if you were made perfect…then why…?"
"Why."
It was a rather quiet voice she spoke with, but it sounded as if she was in pain as well. Dropping her head forwards, he glanced down at the cracking sound and saw her hands tightening their hold on the wood.
"Why indeed. A question which haunts many of us…Not one that I am sure will ever be answered. Why would we - God's perfect soldiers - have so many of us full of flaws? All I can say is that it was due in part to the corruption of the Morning Star…and of the serpent of Eden."
She went quiet again.
Schmidt tilted his head. "...Does that mean you always knew how to fly?"
At that, she looked up rather suddenly and nodded her head. "As I said, our knowledge was perfect upon the moment of our creation. Flight was something that came naturally to us but some pushed it further. Those suited for the role of messengers were faster still than even those of greater rank."
So she always knew how to fly?
Schmidt looked at her in a new light and felt a little…was this frustration?
Whatever it was, it made him turn and look at his wings as he flexed them back and forth, his lips falling down as he dropped the extra limbs and felt a noise of disappointment build up in his throat.
It wasn't like he was an angel.
But he felt it would have saved everyone time if he had also known how to fly.
From how natural it felt to be standing there with the wind in his hair and the world below him, it seemed strange that he wouldn't know how to fly if he was aware of all of that in the first place.
Eyes rose back up.
The mask of Susa-il was upon him once again, this time she gave a soft chuckle.
It confused him a little why she was laughing.
"There is a deep yearning in your eyes which cannot be mistaken, nor is there any one who could fail to realise what it is you seek when you gaze out across that sky with your wings outstretched."
Schmidt felt a bit of heat creep up his neck, but he nodded his head up and down.
"...Keeping a dragon with wings grounded is not uncommon. They are more dangerous once they take flight."
Dangerous?
Schmidt didn't want to think he was dangerous.
"I just…the wind felt really good."
"Is that right?" Her head turned, "...It always was for me. I have never once thought of the wind upon my features, or of the stars above my head. I, like my siblings, were to remain with our feet planted on the ground among the sinners. For what was where we would remain as our role."
With a few taps of her finger on wood, she made a small noise.
And asked a question he wasn't really expecting.
"When did you first see the sky?"
He hadn't really been counting since then.
And his first time seeing the sky was all a bit of a blur, he remembered some screaming and a bit of panic and then…
…
"...A few days ago." He answered, "Sister Kiara took me outside really quickly and then…"
He remembered some shouting.
A lot of shouting.
"...I think she was taking me to run away…there was a fight and…"
He had said something to her…
"...I told her the sky looked very blue."
Susa-il hummed. "The ocean of the sun, but others were more poetic than I when it came to such thing. All I thought of was the domain of Father and how he had crafted such wonders. The sky was beautiful because it was made with his hand. It is His sky…so it is beautiful."
"I think that's very nice."
It meant they would always appreciate it.
He thought it was very beautiful as well when he saw it, but he hadn't known the word until recently.
"I think I would like to fly in the sky."
"...Did Gabriel never show you the sky?"
Schmidt shook his head from side to side.
"Hmmm." Susa-il only hummed at that and turned her head away from him. "...Strange."
Strange?
Why was that strange?
She must have caught his questioning glance as she offered a small shrug of the shoulders.
"Gabriel would have known your true nature as easily as I, she is older than myself, though perhaps she had some circumstances of her own that prevented her from showing it to you."
Briefly pausing, the Angel made a small noise.
"But I am sure she would have gotten around to showing you the sky eventually."
Well, yes.
He…
…He hadn't really thought about that all that much.
Did he know why he was kept in that room for so long?
He wasn't sure he had ever asked, he just assumed there was a reason for it and then never bothered finding it out.
"...Are all dragons dangerous?"
"...Father hated them."
Oh.
Schmidt turned and looked down.
"But you are not entirely a dragon."
Then looked up again just as quickly, Susa-il dropped a hand upon the top of his head as he turned to face her, fingers ruffling through his hair and across his right horn.
"There is more in you that was as Father loved than there is of what he hated. It is the nature of mankind to harbour sins, few ever lead lives without them. Yet many who sinned did not often meet with myself or my brothers and sisters, nor did they feel the judgement of Maalik and his fire."
Then…
"...Then Gabriel didn't hate me?"
"Was that what you thought?"
"Well…" Schmidt tilted his head. "You said you thought the sky was beautiful because your father made it-"
"He is your Father too." Susa-il remarked with a pointed tone, then removed her hand. "But you are not wrong to assume as such. Those that earned Father's hatred have earned my own, just as those who earned his love and forgiveness earned mine. That is the way of being one of His Angels."
At least he didn't need to worry about that then, it was a relief.
Not that he was sure why he thought that in the first place.
If Gabriel had not liked him, then she wouldn't have been kind to him in the first place and…
…And he hadn't seen the sky.
…
"Do you want to fly?"
Schmidt nodded before he really understood what was being asked, but then he felt a bit puzzled as to why it was being brought up now.
At least he felt as such until Susa-il started to spread her ten wings out as far as they could be spread.
Wait…was she…
Schmidt felt his heart start to race as her hands gently laid themselves upon his shoulders and she edged them both towards the railings.
"I am unsure of my skill as a teacher, but I suspect your instincts for flight are not far below my own as befits your heritage…It is only your body that has never had the practice in such things before."
Was he going to fly?
Was this really alright?
Should he talk with Berserker about it first?
That felt like the right thing to do…except by the time he was thinking as such, he was already standing on the edge of the rails again and looking down, his wings returning to that steady pattern of thumping back and forth while his feet were itching as they touched something below them.
He could feel an urge, a desire.
Just to stop forwards and then fall.
"We shall put those wings to use, Schmidt." Susa-il promised. "And you shall fly in Father's sky…as one of his many children."
That sounded nice.
…Maybe he would get to fly with Gabriel like this as well.
If it worked.
"Now…"
Susa-il's hands let go of his shoulders.
"...Fall."
There was nothing touching him, nothing to even nudge him forwards.
Nothing except his own body.
Schmidt leaned forwards and then before he could even think of anything else, the wind was surging past his face.
Ophelia blinked very slowly.
Schmidt just walked off the edge of the boat.
Closely followed by Susa-il.
It had been something she had only noticed out of the corner of her eye before it went and happened, taking a moment to comprehend it and then taking a brisk walk towards the edge of the boat where they had fallen off.
No, not so much fallen as dived.
She peered over the edge and stared down, squinting towards the earth below but the boat had passed over them by this point, so she found it rather pointless as there was no sign of either one of them.
The interest that Susa-il had in that hybrid was somewhat strange and could potentially lead to problems.
Being naive made him easy to manipulate, but the moment he actually met back up with Gabriel was the moment the illusion was broken. From the sounds of things, she had long since become a figure of importance for Schmidt and he valued her words rather deeply. The moment it was all explained, he would likely turn on them and side with Gabriel again.
It was predictable.
"What…?"
Turning her head just a smidge, she found Berserker had come up beside her and was similarly peering over the edge with a deeply disapproving frown on her face.
Looking back up, the both of them exchanged a short glance shifting their attention elsewhere.
It had been the swift darting of Berserker's eyes which drew Ophelia's gaze, and then turning upwards at the blur which came up beside the ship, she stepped back and stared as Susa-il was the first to rise up, wings steady and unmoving as the Angel just sort of gliding alongside them.
Well, it looked like gliding to her.
But it was a proper flight, yet when another shape came rising up at a much slower rather and a bit more clumsy, the difference between the two of them was much like night and day.
Schmidt's efforts were apparent, his wings beating up and down rather quickly and in short bursts, something more similar to that of a bee with his arms and legs flapping around awkwardly to complete the image.
That he was at all airborne without falling was a testament to his inner instincts.
At least she thought that was the explanation.
"...You do not approve either, I assume?" Ophelia muttered towards Berserker.
"So, you have some common sense?" Came the retort.
Common sense indeed.
"You do not have an interest in the conflict that we are waging and, I assume, your sole motivation is to keep your Master safe and away from harm."
"A task most impossible at the current rate of his antics." Berserker gave a tired rub of her brows, drawing in a slow and irritable breath. "And I shall assume you want him gone from your sight before he inevitably turns on you because of his innate sense of right and wrong?"
Ophelia frowned and looked at the Servant. "Right and wrong handed down to him by a Seraphim whom he values quite deeply. The machinations of Susa-il shall only work for as long as he is stripped of contact with Gabriel."
Berserker sent her a dull look. "Obviously and the stakes of this feud between the two of your groups are of no interest to me. That he and I were dragged along into this for as long as we have been is…frustrating."
Then it seemed the two of them were on the same page.
But what could possibly be done about it?
Pinching her chin, Ophelia spared a glance towards the direction of Schmidt and Susa-il.
It was easy to tell that he was losing himself in the sensation of flight, grinning from ear to ear and with veritable stars in his eyes.
"...I would rather not have to contend with either one of you as an enemy if it is not needed."
Whether she believed they would win was a moot point, it just seemed foolish to make enemies where none existed.
"I am beginning to fear our paths can no longer diverge from one another." Berserker grimaced, looking towards the same sight. "He has become enamoured with the notion of helping you and shall not be easily dissuaded…not even my words seem to affect him anymore, despite the fact he believes they make sense."
…Perhaps there was a solution here?
One that did not involve killing them both.
"...His mental fortitude is not yet great enough to protect himself from a potent enough spell of memory sealing."
Berserker sharply turned and looked at her, narrowed eyes and then drawing understanding. "Could you achieve such a thing?"
Could she?
Ophelia looked back towards him and considered it.
…She was unsure that she could, even if he was not yet strong enough, he was still a being with magical energy that far surpassed her own with his dragon core. To say nothing of just how strong he could yet become now that he had something to focus his attention upon. With time, and his origins as a dragon, he could come to rival some high-class angels.
But that was the future, at the moment he and Berserker were likely equal in strength.
"...I would not be able to offer a guarantee." Ophelia replied, shaking her head. "And even if I were, with time enough he could likely break the seal as his strength grew and he would understand what had transpired."
Which would be a bad thing.
Berserker's displeasure was evident.
"But the fact remains there are few places you would have to go?"
Berserker huffed. "Seeking refuge with the Tuatha was the intention as I realised where I had been summoned, but you and he have dragged them into this conflict in some capacity, and where there is trouble he will turn his eyes and begin to busy himself with it."
Her lip curled in disdain.
Ophelia understood that it was his personality that was the problem and any effort of theirs to seal his memories would inevitably lead them right back to the same problem where they had begun.
It was inevitable.
Especially with the clear interest Gabriel had with the boy, if she was not already trying to track him down then there would soon come a time where she - or an agent of hers - would discover him and he would be right back in her clutches.
"...Perhaps we could offer refuge."
Berserker sent her a look as if she were stupid. "Did you not hear-"
"I said refuge, not involvement." She interrupted with her own frown. "My associates and superiors would be able to keep the two of you in a safe and secluded location-"
"A prison cell."
"No."
But she could not deny that it was starting to sound like an option, unless they were just going to kill both of them and be done with it.
"There are contacts in isolationist locations which could offer sanctuary to you and keep you far away from the world and the troubles that would follow. Schmidt could find a way to feed his personal inclinations that keep him far away from myself or my associates and it is a place beyond the reach of Gabriel and her forces."
Berserker narrowed her eyes. "For what reason would I trust you?"
"Because I am actively speaking with you about this right now." Ophelia replied, shaking her head.
However, she could understand the doubt.
"I could just as easily have kept silent and waited until this all played out. Which it eventually would do when Schmidt encountered Gabriel and realised the deception. I am under no illusions about the nature of Susa-il, but she and her forces are convenient for myself and my associates for now."
Berserker huffed, arms crossed.
"And I should be thankful for this generosity? From your own words, it would be simpler to save yourself the effort and merely have our heads."
"That is an outcome I am trying to avoid." Ophelia stressed. "Because it is liable to be more trouble than it is worth. Not to mention the circumstances surrounding your summoning are of some mild interest. At least to be put forth to the only other person I have seen bring forth a figure such as yourself."
Very slowly, Berserker curled a wry smile. "Oh? I see, so you fear the potential that someone else might use this same spell to bring forth a Heroic Spirit and field them against you?"
Pointing, she continued on. "You wish to know if he and I are exceptions or the beginnings of a trend?"
"The thought had occurred to me, yes."
There was little sense it not being honest if Berserker had figured out that much, but then it was only secondary to her concerns here.
"First and foremost, what I care for is my mission here."
"Which I have no interest in." Berserker commented, then nodded her head slowly. "...If this is to happen, I would rather speak directly with your superior, rather than through you."
Ophelia would prefer that as well, all things considered.
Turning her eyes back towards Schmidt and Susa-il once more.
"I am curious how you intend to convince your angelic ally."
Yes.
She was curious about that as well.
Their boat slowed to a crawl and then jerked to a stop, her eyes climbed up to watch the sails fold up under their own power, then shifted her attention elsewhere as Lugh strode across the deck and was the next person to merely take a dive off and towards the ground below.
Berserker and herself were quick enough to cross the distance to the other side and peer down to the spot which had clearly drawn the eye of the God.
That enough was easy for even her to spot, a rather large town - in both size and scale - populated by figures she could easily make out at this distance. Which meant that they were most certainly Jotunns.
Amongst the old field of embers, she supposed that the village would have once been the seat of a roaring inferno, but to be standing here were it was no warmer than it had been in the Otherworld of the Celtic Gods, she was unsure if that was due to the protection of Lugh or another matter entirely.
If nothing else, this required a report.
Turning away and bringing her phone out, she thumbed in the number and walked off and placed it to her ear.
A click on the other side, and then "Ophelia."
She stopped walking.
That was not Lord Kirschtaria's voice.
"...Jedidiah." She swallowed. "I was not expecting to speak with you."
"The same cannot be said for I." He answered back, voice almost teasing but not quite. "And yet you did intend to speak with me all the same, did you not? I have merely expedited the process for the two of us."
"That…is correct, yes." But she had hoped to speak with Lord Kirschtaria first.
She was marginally disappointed.
"This pertains to the matter of your unexpected guests."
Unexpected, he said.
Thinning her lips, she replied. "But not unexpected for you."
It was not meant to sound like an accusation, but that was merely how it came out as soon as she uttered the words.
"No. It was not." And then he kept speaking as if he hadn't noticed. "I was aware of the presence of Berserker from the moment she was summoned, as I had known she would appear for some time."
She inhaled and then exhaled. "It…would have been preferable to be informed prior."
"I judged that the surprise on your part would have lowered the suspicion of Berserker as to the extent of our involvement and would have encouraged you to take a more imaginative approach than otherwise."
Then he did it as some manner of test?
She was having a hard time approving of it.
"Then you also know of whom accompanies her."
"Sieg, yes." A brief pause, then a correction. "Oh, she changed his name to Schmidt, did she not? Regardless, he is another creation of the Sigurd institute. Suffice to say his brother present here would be most surprised to learn of his existence and his current appearance."
"He is on close terms with Gabriel." But he would probably already know that.
"And is currently one of her top contenders for the brave saints system."
Brave Saints? Would that be the name of the Church's Evil Piece copy?
Then her eyes narrowed.
"...Did you allow the attack on the Vatican-"
"I allowed nothing." Jedidiah replied smoothly. "But robbing Gabriel of a valuable pawn was just as great a boon as the Burial Agency. His full potential will not be reached in the same frame of time than it otherwise would have been, and we delay the creation of a powerful adversary."
He said delay, not prevent.
Which meant that Schmidt would join with Gabriel.
But he did not sound concerned in the least, despite his words of them being a powerful adversary.
"But you intended to report on the nature of Muspelheim?"
"...Did you know of that too?"
Jedidiah's silence was answer enough.
"But Surtr still lives?" That was what she needed to know.
"He does." He confirmed. "And how he responds to your proposal is dependent on how it is phrased. My advice would be to examine the time frame of this decline in the realm and how it coincides with the actions of Asgard. Specifically with the clone they produced of him. But unless there is something else to report?"
Ophelia took in a breath and then exhaled.
"Berserker wishes to speak with you."
"Then by all means."
Turning towards the Servant, she pulled the phone away and raised her voice.
"One of my superiors wishes to speak with you directly."
Berserker looked at her with narrowed eyes. "One of?"
"One of." She repeated, then raised a brow. "Unless you would rather not speak with them at all-"
"Do not try my patience." Berserker shot back with a flat tone as she crossed the distance. "You have not nearly enough spine for that manner of talk."
And plucked the phone from her, eyeing it for a second or two before placing it to her ear in a copy of how Ophelia had done.
"I trust I speak to someone of importance then?"
Ophelia was only partial to the facial expressions of the woman.
But given how quickly she lost confidence and narrowed her eyes, the free hand of Berserker immediately clenched into a fist and her jaw clenched.
Whatever was being said was hardly pleasing the Servant.
Ophelia watched the conversation in silence, only able to assume through the rapidly deepening frown on the face of Berserker before it was followed by a loud click of the tongue, before she even knew it, she assumed the phone call had ended when it was abruptly thrust back into her hands with very little warning.
Berserker was stomping away and leaving her to juggle the phone so it didn't get dropped, her eye followed the back of the retreating person, then brought the phone to her ear and waited for a moment.
"She will be more amenable to your words."
He said that with such certainty that she wanted to ask what it was that he had even said in the first place.
But she managed to hold back that urge and instead gave a small hum of affirmation. "Thank you."
"I believe Lugh will be returning shortly with news for you. I expect your mission shall come to an end shortly."
Indeed, now that he mentioned it, she could feel the approaching tidal wave that was magical energy from the God.
On the matter of the second part, she could make no assumptions.
"Pass along this news to Lord Kirschtaria."
"I am enroute to him now." Jedidiah replied. "Farewell."
And with that, the conversation between the two of them ended.
…She never asked what he was doing with Lord Kirschtaria's phone.
Her eye moved up and the thought was pushed back as Lugh appeared over the edge of the ship and dropped back down upon the hull. The second his feet made contact, the sails unfurled and the boat was pulled back into movement once again.
Lugh said nothing as he paced across to the bow of the ship and folded his arms behind his back, just as she expected.
Slipping the phone into her pocket once more, she prepared herself for several more delays as they explored the surrounding territory.
Or as Lugh explored the territory, at least.
Ophelia could just stare from a distance.
…Perhaps collect some photographs for the factfile.
Yes, that would be worthwhile.
A weight thudded down right beside her, getting a brief flinch before she realised it was nothing more than Schmidt returning to the ship. Then he was rapidly advancing on her with a blinding enthusiasm and all she could do was prepare for an excited rendition of the last few minutes he had spent in the sky.
Several more stops later, Ophelia had taken a glance and snapped some photographs of a distance and made some recordings of the landscape, and they were approaching what she assumed was their final destination.
Matter of fact, she had seen it miles away and only growing larger.
It looked like a mountain, but the scale was far greater than any mountain she knew of that existed in Midgard.
And yet she knew it to be a volcano.
But it was hard to tell whether it was dormant or dead, as there was no sign of ash rising up from the mouth of the volcano and there were no dark clouds to blot the sky for miles around. Or further than that, she had seen not an ounce of smoke or felt any great heat expected.
It was cold.
"...Did you investigate the villages we passed?" Ophelia inquired with a whisper, waiting for the response.
"I did." Susa-il replied in short order. "It cannot be said whether the population struggles to endure or not, they do not appear to be in a state of suffering…but they have also had centuries to come to terms with this change. As with the Fomorians, this does not hold the makings of a recent turn."
No, it did not.
Her eyes flicked across to Lugh and watched him.
Throughout the trip, his demeanour had been shifting to a deeper and deeper confusion, but he was keeping by his word.
So that was all well and good for now.
As for her, she had her own problems to attend to.
Namely what she was supposed to say that would convince Surtr to join their cause, or even before that, what had convinced him to turn away from the prophecy in the first place. They were not easily ignored and she did not believe they could be denied forever. Such events were required to happen.
Or so it was supposed to be.
But it did not.
Lugh shifted his stance and perked up ever so slightly, then raised his hand and held it in a motion of stopping.
The ship ground to a halt.
Her confusion, such as it was, lasted only until she could spy something approaching them rather rapidly from the ground, having peeled away from the side of the mountain and appearing as no more than a mere speck, at least for the first couple of seconds.
Yet it rapidly started to grow larger and larger.
Then larger still.
But it was when it was large and close enough for her to pick out the details that she felt a sudden spike of alarm, taking a half step backwards and noted that even Susa-il looked rather taken aback by this development.
The mass of armoured scale, the wide sweeping wings which were not inferior in scale to the mast and sails of the boat, and the fierce head armed with rows of teeth. She could make no mistake for this creature, but her shock quickly gave way to relief as she noted one particular thing that was impossible to ignore.
The lack of front legs.
Absurdly sized as it was, this was only a wyvern and not a dragon.
…But then she looked to the rider and drew her lips thin.
The rider was giant.
Or rather, they were a giant.
Kitted out head to toe in a thick bronze plate, they wielded what appeared to be a long spear in one hand.
The dark red wyvern banked hard as it came upon the side of their ship - roughly the same length as the vessel - and the rider sprang from the saddle on the back and launched themselves down upon it. A creaking sound rocked them as the boat remained stationary from the sudden mass of metal and weight dropping down on them.
Within a moment, the near five metre tall figure had spun about and swung the spear towards them, back and forth it went between all of them before eventually landing on Lugh.
It was, also, evident to see when said Jotunn actually realised who this was from the way their spear faltered before rising back up, but with a notable tremor this time.
Lugh, for his part, remained stone faced at this development.
Dropping down from above, the mast let out a crack, the wyvern perched itself above them and looked down. Ophelia gazed upwards as the face of the long necked lizard peered with deep green eyes, but they were focused on one individual in particular and if she did not know any better, she would argue that the wyvern was desperately trying to keep as much distance as it could.
She glanced down at the one who caused such fear.
Schmidt was staring up, hands planted on his hips, and face scrunched up into a small but noticeable frown.
Yet it looked more confused than annoyed.
"...I assume this is the part where you make your statement?" Lugh asked in a gentle manner.
That brought her eye back to the Jotunn standing before them.
Metal rattled as the head covering helmet turned between all of them, there was no port for the eyes and only a slit stretching across the helm, mouthguard fixed into the helm itself and with two wings reaching out and upwards.
…They looked more like a giant teutonic knight.
"...I am Vong." The Jotunn introduced, voice distinctly male but very young despite the deep volume it released. "Guardian warrior of the hold of Lord Surtr and Lady Sinmara. You approach without warning, state your names and intentions."
Lugh very slowly folded his arms. "...Really?"
"...Yes?"
They sounded very unsure about it.
"Do you know who I am?"
Vong shakily nodded his head up and down.
"And you are going to stand there and point a spear at me, demanding that I introduce myself and why I am here?"
Another nod of the head.
"...What will you do if I deny you?"
It was difficult for her to see whether this was a genuine threat or if Lugh was truly curious.
Vong gulped loudly, she could see his shoulders rise and fall, the hand on the shaft of the spear gripped all the more tighter as his reply came slowly, with something almost like resignation in his words.
Or an ominous acceptance.
"...Then I shall fulfil my role and bar your path."
She had no words to describe it.
It was borderline suicidal.
Lugh let out a small noise, sounding distinctly approving, and then nodded his head with a twitch of the lip.
"I see." He replied. "But try not to sound so resigned to your fate when you speak, it shall hand the advantage to whatever adversary stands before you. Just because I could smite you down with a mere flick of the finger-"
Vong twitched at the words.
Ophelia was unsure if Lugh was genuinely trying to terrify him or not.
"-does not mean that I shall. I could well engage you in a fair duel where we decide a contest with nothing more than our skill of arms."
Vong did not reply for some moments.
Even she knew that was hardly a contest either.
A young Jotunn against the victor of the war against the Fomorians? Who slew Balor in single combat after the death of Nuada?
"But I am in a pleasant mood."
Lugh declared, looking upwards and smiling.
"For I have never seen a Jotunn riding a wyrm before, thus I shall accept this as a novel encounter and a warrior doing only his duty to protect his lord and lady, so I will let whatever insults pass for the duration of my visit here, as it was somewhat unannounced as well."
He looked back down.
"You may return to your post," Lugh instructed "and take with you a message that Lugh wishes to meet with the acting lord of the land…whichever that person might be."
So he suspected it as well, did he?
Vong looked to the God for some more moments. "...Do I have your word that you will not advance until I return with news?"
"You do." Lugh confirmed. "But you have my word that even in the face of rejection, I shall advance all the same. I have another oath to fulfil."
"...I see." The Jotunn drew in a sharp and shuddering breath, then pulled back his spear and took several steps backwards. "I shall return in short order with your response. By your leave, Lord Lugh."
Only then did Vong seem to realise what his wyrm ally was doing, looking straight up to them and then down in the direction of Schmidt.
This reaction was rather more visceral.
Jerking backwards and stumbling back, she could easily imagine his stricken expression as he noticed Schmidt's appearance, or the way he turned on his heel and charged for the side of the boat and within the next moment was leaping off of it as though someone had set it on fire under him.
The wyrm released a shriek and took off from the mast, diving down and after its rider.
Ophelia blinked very slowly as she watched the pair rise back up some distance from them and retreating further and further towards the volcano in the distance.
But it was a good point that Lugh had brought up.
Since when did Jotunn's start riding wyverns?
Was that a recent development or had they always been doing that?
"I believe we need only wait for an invitation now."
Ophelia looked at Lugh after he made that comment.
"You threatened them with invasion if they refused you." She could not help but point out.
Lugh waved his hand dismissively. "I threatened them with nothing, and invasion is such a hideous word…I politely informed them that I would be walking through the front door whether they opened it up or not."
Then he looked at her with a bemused expression. "And should you be the one to complain about that? I thought you wished for an audience with Surtr and his wife?"
Ophelia thinned her lips. "I am unsure how amenable they would be to my terms if we force our way into their home and make demands of them all while you are present in the background. I fear they might make false promises…because of the implication."
Lugh frowned. "An implication that would be proven right if they did make such promises, I will not tolerate broken oaths in my presence, nor those made with the intention of shattering when it most suits them."
He turned and strode off, "I shall make it clear they are free to reject you if they hold no interest in your words."
Ophelia did not know if that was doing her a favour or not.
So instead she thought nothing more of it and turned her head towards Susa-il.
"The Jotunn should have found a mount as dutiful as he." She merely said with no warning. "He, at least, stood his ground in the face of a superior force, as was his duty."
…She looked back at Schmidt who was squinting in the direction the wyrm had flown off in.
Then he rumbled out a rather confused sentence. "I'm not sure why…but I think that they were scared of me."
Lugh, apparently, thought that comment worthy of a laugh.
Vong returned not even five minutes later with news that they were allowed to dock just outside the front entrance of the citadel.
Though it was a large structure carved out of the mountain face, great pillars of obsidian brick stacked high one atop another and already vastly taller than most other buildings in the world. Yet this one was nothing like the streamlined shape of such sky towers, it was instead a massive fortress.
Battlements were lined with rows upon rows of figures moving around and it had not been purely Vong who rode upon a wyrm.
For as soon as their boat was docked on the makeshift pier, she could see the skies filled with dozens upon dozens of them. A small fleet of the wyrms with none inferior in size to that of the first. She squinted with a touch of intrigue and small alarm as she spied one after another soaring right above them, but none eager to make the drop down.
As for the defences laid within the fortress itself, it spoke volumes that she could see the great ballistas and trebuchets turning across each of the hundreds of emplacements and lining up directly upon them.
Despite being welcomed as guests, it seemed as though they were not quite as free to wander as one would imagine.
She supposed this might have had something to do with the words Lugh had demanded be passed along.
"How many?" Asking the one who would have been able to count all of them, she did not need to wait long for a reply.
"At current I can see two thousand armed warriors atop the battlements with spears." Susa-il said quickly "A further three thousand with bows, combined with four hundred combined artillery of varying calibres and uses, all poised and ready to loose at the command of whomever grants orders. I have, at current, counted one-hundred and five wyrm riders circling above our heads."
Ophelia did not know which was more daunting.
The numbers drawn out to merely greet them, or the fact that Lugh could have faced those odds and still walked through to the centre of the citadel as if there was nothing wrong.
But he was not here for violence.
She hoped.
"I shall assume a garrison reserve of an additional five thousand, at least, placed in locations where I cannot observe them. But if you wish for me to scout out the entirety of the fortress and return to you?"
What an absurd question.
"And what if you were caught?"
Susa-il made a sound almost like disgust. "If I were to be caught by these pagan giants, I would deserve whatever fate they inflicted upon me. I have scouted out the cities of Hell itself in lieu of our armies."
Even if she said that…
Ophelia shook her head in denial. "It would present a more trusting image if you were to be present by my side, rather than beyond line of sight. They will doubtless know you are here now and will be expecting you."
"...Very well."
And that was that.
Her eye was drawn to the entrance of the mountain, which was shaped like a great billowing furnace but without a lick of flame.
But she was of the impression that it was no accident it held that appearance.
Vong's Wyrm plunged down from the sky once again, dropping down beside the boat and lowering its head just enough that he could leap from its back and to the ground once more, spear held tight in his grasp as he marched towards the side of the ship and looked up towards them.
"You are to remain here until the Lady Sinmara calls for you!" He informed.
"I trust it will not be long!" Lugh called back. "I am not one to care much for ceremony or great courtesy's. I shall merely take the bare minimum that she would offer unto her guests and then be one my way once that is done…as I believe would be a great comfort to all these warriors."
Making a sweeping gesture towards the mountain, it was hard not to notice how everyone facing them had gone tense at the moment he moved his arm.
Only when it dropped back down to his side did the Jotunn army lose some of its tension.
Only some.
She wondered if these were the sort of brazen acts that one had to get accustomed to when they were in the presence of a God such as this, in which case she considered herself more thankful towards Quetzalcoatl for her curious personality traits.
They were far better than this at the moment.
It would likely be for the sake of everyone involved that Sinmara did not take her time in coming out to greet them.
Though how much of this was merely a tactic to speed up the process was something that she could not accurately say.
So far it had not been within his character to make such threats and then follow them through, if at all, but she would make no assumptions after only sharing a handful of words with him at best.
Someone was tapping her on the shoulder a bit rough, but not enough for pain. Merely discomfort.
But she knew who that would be.
"What is it?" Asking without turning, there was little time wasted before the question was posed.
"Why is everyone so nervous?" Schmidt whispered in confusion.
Ophelia exhaled and looked over her shoulder towards him.
Explaining the nuances of all of this was difficult at the best of times and she truly did not consider it her job to deal with him in this manner.
But letting him blunder around would only prove more tumultuous in the long run.
"Because we have shown up without warning or invitation." She explained. "And uninvited guests showing up at your front door would be typically seen as rude or alarming, especially because of who has shown up."
"Lugh being important." Schmidt surmised, which proved that he was at least learning and using what she had been saying earlier. "But then shouldn't we just apologise to them for showing up surprised? I thought we were here because we were worried than nothing is on fire though."
He tilted his head.
"Wouldn't they calm down after that?"
Meaningfully, she slid her eye towards Berserker.
The woman wasted no time in taking Schmidt by the upper arm and pulling him backwards and into a conversation that she quickly tuned out, fortunate enough that something else was happening to truly justify her turning her attention from them, as the furnace shaped maw started to ripple with life.
She leaned forwards just a bit as she spied a figure sprinting out from the depths of the maw and towards the front lines, making a direct path right towards Vong and the other Jotunn's who surrounded him.
If she were to make an educated guess, that would be their permission to enter.
Vong held a brief conversation with the messenger, then turned his attention back towards them and raised his voice.
"The Lady Sinmara has generously bestowed you with the title of honoured guest for the duration of your visit and shall meet with you personally in the main hall! I am to escort you there in a prompt manner! Are there any complaints you wish to voice about this arrangement?"
Lugh's head turned slowly towards her.
…Was he asking her opinion?
She didn't have any complaints.
Shaking her head slowly from side to side, Lugh turned back and called out.
"There are none, we are ready to disembark now."
"We shall keep your ship here until you return to it and depart from these lands!" Vong replied. "No harm or vandalism shall come to it. You have my personal word on the matter."
Lugh made a sound that was almost a laugh, but something a touch more ominous. "Then I know well enough who to hold accountable should I spy even so much as a single scratch upon the wood."
As he said that, he was already weaving out another path of sunlight for them to tread upon, stepping up and beginning his descent down.
Ophelia drew in a breath and followed after him.
The interior of the fortress was much larger than even the outside had led her to believe.
As with the village of the Fomorians, everything was made to scale with the inhabitants of it, which meant that the walk - which would have taken perhaps five minutes - was extended rather dramatically as a result of her not being the actual size needed to quickly walk through these halls.
"Will you take no photos?"
She blinked, tearing her eyes away from one of the statues and towards the back of Lugh's head.
For a moment, she liked to think she had imagined he had spoken there and it had all been some trick of the mind giving thought to one of her inner musings.
But then he spoke again.
"Is that not what you have been doing during our travels thus far? I had hoped to ask for a chance to observe your pictures as a form of tribute."
"...You were watching me?"
"Watching?" Lugh snorted and shook his head, still keeping his back to her. "Such a gesture was not needed. I am aware enough of when the arts are in use around myself, given that I have something of a talent for them and last I checked, photography was among such talents."
How was she supposed to respond to this?
What was the polite way of explaining to him that he was mistaken and she was taking research pictures for a fact file and not for a holiday slideshow.
"But you have not yet answered my question." Lugh continued, this time he did turn just enough that he could peer down at her over his shoulder. "You are likely one of the first humans to walk through these halls for a very long time, perhaps one of the first to do so and enter the domain of Surtr as a guest…is such a thing not worthy of commemoration?"
He waved a hand as he continued.
"Especially as you have collected a small sum of photographs thus far, have you not?"
Then he turned back and made a noise of intrigue.
"Tell me, did you take any of Ireland?" Yet he answered the question before she even got a chance to speak. "Perhaps that is a fool question to ask, given where you were discovered to be making a ruckus."
…So he knew about that as well, did he?
Not that she was surprised.
As for his question.
"I would not wish to offend our hosts without asking for their permission first and foremost before I begin documenting their home."
She doubted this was the sort of thing that they wanted advertised.
"Ah, most considerate of you." Lugh hummed, then raised his voice. "Is there a rule about photographs?"
It took her a second to realise he was speaking to their escort.
Apparently the Jotunn felt much the same as well, from the way they jerked a little and turned around rather suddenly at being addressed, the second member of their escort looked equally taken aback at being spoken to, drawing out a sudden silence from the two of them.
"Well?" Lugh pressed, folding his arms and coming to a stop, now holding up the entire line. "Is it?"
"I…No?" The first guide said, words tinged with uncertainty. "I do not believe there is a rule against it, is there?"
"I have heard nothing to stop someone…but no one has come here with a camera before…" The second pointed out, equally uncertain.
Ophelia cleared her throat. "I believe that I can abide a lack of-"
"Nonsense." Lugh dismissed and held up-
She blinked, then touched her pocket that had her phone in.
It was empty, which confirmed that it was no trick of the eye that she could see Lugh with her phone and flicking through it.
When did he even-?!
"Goodness, these are so lifeless." He sounded disapproving. "I am always thrilled to see my homeland but this is…where is the sense of colour and lighting? What of the sunrise to illuminate the natural beauty of the land? Perhaps even a sunset or the brilliance of the moon."
Ophelia clenched her jaw. "...It is for a fact file-"
"And that is reason enough to make them so dull?" Now he sounded indignant, then clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Quite frankly, I am appalled." He said, "The new wonder of humanity and no one appreciates the art of it…we're going to have to do something about this, you and I."
Wait…what?
"Pardon-"
"Like this, see?"
"Wha-"
He dropped an arm on her shoulder and pulled her close.
"Smile!"
Wait, what-!?
An electronic click echoed as she was staring up at her own face reflected in the screen of the phone, the image held still as Lugh released her and stepped away, cupping his chin and humming in thought.
"Yes, you are quite photogenic. So perhaps there is some talent there after all but I have some more experience in this than you do…well, let us take some photos as we walk."
Thrusitng the phone back into her grasp, she was left dumbfounded as she stared at the self-taken picture of her and Lugh, the latter grinning from ear to ear while she somehow managed to look panicked but still photo-worthy.
It was hardly humiliating visually.
But emotionally, she was rather flustered with all of this.
Because she was stuck with this on her phone now, it wasn't like she could just delete it-
"Come on then!" Lugh was ahead of her, shouting back. "Take some photos of the scenery!"
…Was this really going to be what she was forced into doing?