A Vulpine Spanner in the Works
Chapter 56: A Thursday to Remember
[Days Earlier]
[Zaryusu]
Day 35:
"Zaryusu, are you ready to do this?" Crusch asked me as we approached the village of the Dragon Tusk tribe. Aside from Crusch on my left, Kashia walked with on on my right, though she was specifically Kashia's magical duplicate if I wanted to be pedantic.
Crusch was fully dressed in a green robe that covered her body. Originally, when she had first left her village to see Haven-Lake, Crusch had gone out dressed like a walking bush. From what I had learned, due to her albinism, it left her body sensitive to sunlight.
Because of this, she had to travel outside with coverings as a way to protect herself. When I first saw her dressed like that, I found it a mixture of odd, humorous, and cute. Kashia found it hilarious, but felt that Crusch needed something 'better than shrubbery' to cover herself. So, Kashia created a robe for her.
"Not much of a choice, Crusch. I'm nervous, but this is something that needs to be done." I admitted to Crusch with a wry smile. "Hopefully, this goes peacefully as I'm not exactly the most welcome among them."
While I hadn't visited the village of Dragon Tusk proper, I had encountered their people on the lake a few times, with each occasion being one of hostility from those that remembered the war. Even though Green Claw and Dragon Tusk were allies during the resource war, that slightly changed due to their tribe taking in the remnants of Yellow Speckle and Sharp Edge.
All of those members of the former tribes still held a grudge against my part in their tribes' destruction. While I didn't believe that all of Dragon Tusk held these same opinions, there were potentially enough to muddy any talks I was involved with.
"Lighten up, Zary." Kashia said with a pat on my shoulder. "No one's going to touch you while I'm around."
My eyes rolled at the reassurance. "Very reassuring. I'm certain that your method of protection 'won't' cause a diplomatic incident." I replied.
"We'll see what happens, Zary. I'll do my best to avoid stepping on toes if I can," Kashia said with a snort along with a playful jab in my side. I could only pray that nothing too drastic would happen from whatever she did.
Surprisingly, Crusch also spoke up, "Like Kashia, I'll do my best to help you if anything goes awry." The scales on her snout soon turned a delightful shade of red. "We are allies now, after all."
"Allies or not, I'll appreciate your aid all the same." I gave a smile as I found my eyes drawn to her beautiful rubies. I felt that our shared gaze may have lasted even longer until Kashia pulled us out of it.
"Time to get your heads in the game, you two. You'll have more than enough time for romance afterwards." The goddess' words made my face heat up and Crusch and I finally looked away from each other. There was a slight jab of annoyance at the back of my mind, but I quickly smothered it with the awareness that Kashia was correct.
It was as we got near the village that I noted their architecture, something which was drastically different from that of the Green Claw's original village. Unlike ours, which had been mostly on stilts to stay out of the water, Dragon Tusk's huts were almost all built on top of trees. This was probably to avoid any predators in the nearby area from taking them by surprise.
But my examinations of their buildings swiftly concluded upon the members of Dragon Tusk finally noticing us. I watch, almost like ants, as tribesmen either scurried down from trees or those on the ground approached us.
Unfortunately, I was already receiving a few hostile looks from the integrated tribesmen who recognized me. Kashia took notice and glanced over to me. "Yeah, I can see that you were right about a few of them not liking you."
"Not much I can do about that besides hope for the best."
Of them all, one of the largest of the Dragon Tusk tribe took the lead. I knew incredibly quickly that he was the tribe's chief. I hadn't had the chance to interact with him much, but I got to see a bit of his combat ability on display during the war.
Looking at the chief, he looked the same as I last remember. Zenberu Gugu was a unique individual due to being a Traveler, like I am. Normally, most tribes would keep their Travelers at arms-length, but Dragon Tusk was unique in that it took Zenberu back into the fold. From there, he managed to climb the ranks of the tribe until he ended up ruling it.
Aside from the red marking on his chest, symbolizing his Traveler status, there was his extremely large and muscled right arm. That served to display his extreme brute strength that anyone should be wary of. After all, the only lizardmen who reached the status of chief in this tribe are the ones that are the strongest.
"Zaryusu Shasha, I'm surprised to see the wielder of Frost Pain come to my village. Odder still to see a pale, robed lizardman alongside a strange beastwoman." Zenberu's eyes focused on the multiple waving tails of Kashia's for a moment. "From those multiple tails, you would seem similar to the strange foxes my scouts have spotted."
"It's part of why we're here." I spoke up, dragging the chief's focus upon me once more. "There were a few things we wished to speak to you about, one such thing involved the stone tree that's appeared on the lake. Another involves my friend, Kashia Blanc," I said, motioning to the goddess.
"In addition to her, I've also brought the chief of the Red Eye tribe." I motioned over to Crusch who pulled down her hood to reveal her face.
"My name is Crusch Lulu, Chief of the Red Eye tribe. It's a pleasure to meet you, Zenberu." The albino chief greeted.
Zenberu smirked, "What an oddity you are. I'm surprised to see an albino be made a chief, though maybe I shouldn't be as judging considering that I was a Traveler." Zenberu barked out an amused laugh that got a small smirk from me.
He wasn't wrong. All of us, individually, were quite odd. Together, we made for an extremely unique gathering of the strange and unusual.
"Would you prefer to go someplace to speak about this?" I questioned, receiving a shake of the chief's head.
"If I can hear it, so can they." Zenberu's head motioned to his fellow tribesmen, "Now, go ahead and talk, Wielder of Frost Pain. We have been quite curious about the recent matters of the lake." Zenberu countered and remained where he stood.
"More than a month and a half ago, the Green Claw tribe was visited by a goddess. In that visit, she conjured that massive stone tree to demonstrate her power. Following this, we received an offer to reside in a newly made settlement where we can life and thrive with food and safety." Zenberu's eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion.
"Live and thrive, huh? You sure it isn't under the yoke of this goddess? Sounds too good to be true." The chieftain had a point. Hearing someone come up to you and say that they had a solution to all of your problems without any real cost was unbelievable at best, and a scam at worst.
"It is hard to believe, I know, but I have seen it with my own eyes. The Green Claw has already moved to the settlement's housing by the lake there. Crusch has also witnessed it and has brought her own people over." I explained before Crusch took over.
"Chief Zenberu, I felt that very same disbelief you are now. So, I came to Haven-Lake myself to see for myself whether what they said is true. It is."
Crusch motioned to me, "Zaryusu set up buildings to grow and raise fish, with there being more fish gathered in that one spot than I've ever seen my entire life. And even if the fish aren't growing fast enough," She then pointed to Kashia, "Lady Kashia can use her magic to artificially enlarge them."
"And where does that leave us? We decide to go to this Haven-Lake and then become ruled by this goddess as her minions?"
I shook my head. "Not in the slightest. Most of the decisions made for Haven-Lake are from a council of different representatives for the settlement's factions. The only time we are ruled is when Kashia vetos our proposals, which is quite rare."
That got Zenberu's attention as he looked at Kashia once again. "And you're this goddess that they speak of?" He questioned while approaching the goddess. Soon enough, he stood directly before her, looking down.
"Yes. I'm Kashia Blanc, the goddess who created the stone tree, who offers food and safety to any who accept it." Kashia replied, merely tilting her gaze upwards.
"For a goddess, I would've expected something bigger, or at least less human looking." That earned a laugh from Kashia.
"You wouldn't want to see me at my biggest. It might just terrify you." A mischievous grin split her face, revealing sharper fangs in her mouth. Amusement filled Zenberu's eyes at the retort.
"Ha! I enjoy that you can trade barbs, little goddess." The chief then crossed his arms. "But all of this is still just talk. If you're really a goddess, show me."
I didn't know whether I should laugh at the challenge he proposed Kashia or feel worried about what she might do to impress him? Either way, I would certainly be entertained today.
"Impress you, hmm? How about free food?" As she said this her arm reached into a small, dark portal that appeared next to her and pulled out multiple fish before tossing them to the ground, causing Zenberu to step back. Following this, Kashia's tails hovered over each of the fish and cast a few spells.
What happened next was that each fish, once the size of my hand, grew to a size even taller than the chief. By the time Kashia had finished, there was more than enough food to feed all of Dragon Tusk with more than enough left for future meals.
Zenberu looked upon the feast with a gobsmacked expression that quickly changed to one that was slightly hungry. "I'll admit, that is quite the neat trick." The chief then looked up to Kashia, "Any reason you didn't make something as big as that tree you supposedly created?"
"Simple, really. There's already enough structures taking up space on the lake at the moment. I'd rather not take more space from the aquatic wildlife than I have already." A quick snort of amusement was heard from Zenberu.
"A nice little excuse you have there. Regardless, if you want me to even think more on this proposal, then I want proof of your strength." That was amazingly foolish of Zenberu, even if he didn't fully know it yet.
Even Kashia was giggling. "Mind telling me how to prove my strength to you?" Zenberu simply pointed a thumb towards himself at the question.
"Fight me. You prove your physical strength to me, and I'll be willing to hear you out," Zenberu said with a smirk. He likely believed that a mage like Kashia was physically weak. Despite her tails, she wasn't that formidably large.
"Sure. I'll physically take you on. No magic necessary in the slightest." Kashia's brow quirked and a smile grew on her lips. "Do you mind if I utilize my bestial form as it's my physically stronger form?"
"Go ahead. I've seen those multi-tailed foxes prowling the lake before. While large, they aren't much to worry about." While Zenberu might not understand much of Kashia and her people, I had quickly learned that the more tails the kitsune had, the larger they tended to be.
Considering that Kashia had ten of them now, I couldn't even imagine how large this bestial form of hers would be?
With the allowance given, Kashia's body became covered in a golden flash before it faded to reveal a massive fox that towered over all of us! She had multiple glowing white patterns traced across her golden fur while the tips of her tails each had blue fire floating around them.
"So, when do we start?" Kashia's jaws made an audible crack as they snapped together in a display of intimidation. Zenberu was quiet for a moment before he laughed.
"Aren't I just the fool?" Zenberu asked in amusement as he looked up at the giant fox.
"Not a fool, exactly. You just didn't know everything about me." Kashia then lowered her head so that it was level with the chief. "Now, I'm going to give you one free chance to hit me."
"A free hit? Are you serious?"
Kashia's head nodded. "A free hit. Use all your strength, since if you can't even hurt me, then that'll show how much stronger I am compared to you." Zenberu thought about this for a moment, then he grinned.
"One hit. I draw blood, then I win. If I don't, you win." Another nod of Kashia's head in agreement, and Zenberu stepped a few paces back. "[Physical Boost]!"
Zenberu's body became outlined in green as he activated the martial art. "[Iron Fist]!" I found myself slightly impressed at his ability to maintain two martial art skills at once. "Get ready!" Zenberu announced, his massive arm cocked back in preparation for a punch.
"Ready when you are." As soon as Kashia said this, the chief surged forwards across the ground and punched forwards. The hit landed with a loud crack!
Yet, Kashia's head hadn't even moved, nor did she have a single injury on her muzzle. Instead, the only injury came from Zenberu's bloodied fist, as if it had just punched a wall of adamantite.
The chief made a grunt of pain as he inspected his injured hand. "And here I thought that it supposed to be me injuring you, not the other way around!" A bark of laughter erupted from Zenberu's mouth that Kashia shared.
"Injuring someone without moving a single claw is a new one for me," Kashia remarked as one of her tails moved over to Zenberu's injured hand before casting a healing spell upon it, completely removing the injury. "So, what is your verdict?"
Flexing his repaired hand, the chief looked up to Kashia and nodded. "I'm willing to hear you out, even be shown this settlement before making a decision."
"Wonderful to hear."
Day 37:
Walking down the roads of Haven-Lake, I had Crusch on one side of me and Zenberu on the other. As I was the diplomat for the settlement and the lizardmen, it was my job to show Zenberu around, telling him of the different areas of the village. It was something I had done days prior with Crusch.
Actually, Crusch didn't even need to follow me since she already knew the village's layout. It made me slightly curious as to why, but I also refrained from really questioning it since this was another chance for me to continue interacting with the white-scaled beauty.
"And here would be the fighting arena." I motioned to the small arena dug into the ground and surrounded by stands. Since it was still earlier enough in the morning, there weren't any fights occurring at the moment.
"A fighting arena?" Of course, that was what attracted the chief's attention. "May I ask why it is that you have a fighting arena?"
"Since a few of the members of Haven-Lake are quite conflict prone, such as the Ogres and Trolls, there was the issue that their pent-up aggression could create problems. Because fighting isn't tolerated in the settlement, a small fighting arena was originally formed to get around this through non-lethal sparring. As it grew in popularity, Kashia got involved to monitor and ensure the safety of all parties involved."
"Oh, that's something I might like to try for myself. Is it always that empty or do the fights occur later?" Zenberu questioned as he gazed at the arena in thought. Humorously, I could see him slightly bouncing in place as his tail wagged.
"There's typically a few fights set up every night in a roster. Most of the time, it'll be the ogres, trolls, and a few lizardmen that get higher placements in any tournaments that are held. Though, a few kitsune have been trying their hand at it. For them, we typically have the rule that kitsune with three tails or less are allowed to take part in the regular division, otherwise it would be too unfair."
"And what of those with four or more tails?"
I found myself smirking, "They'll sometimes have a night to fight for themselves. Most of the time, it'll only be kitsune competing, but some trolls have tried their luck," I answered, receiving a hum of interest in turn.
"I believe that I may wish to compete tonight before I make my final decision." Both Crusch and I chuckled since it was easy to see that fighting in the arena wouldn't affect whatever decision he made. He just wanted to compete.
"If that's what you'd like, then I don't see any reason against it." My response got a laugh of excitement from the chief.
"Wonderful!" With that exclamation of excitement, Zenberu looked over to me with scheming eyes and a grin, "I do wonder, have you competed in these fights as well?"
The question gave me slight pause for concern as I felt the chief was plotting something. "I have on a few occasions. I've even won quite a few of the fights." That answer widened Zenberu's grin all the further.
"Then, I hope you don't have much issue with me challenging you to a duel in that arena today? And to make the stakes a bit interesting, how about we make a deal?"
My eyes slightly narrowed at the challenge. "Go on, I'm listening."
"From everything I've seen here, I'm starting to come around to the idea of my tribe living here. Haven-Lake has plenty of food, space to grow, protection, and isn't as stifling to live under the rule of another as I've thought." Zenberu mused aloud before finally reaching for what he really wanted, "As such, I've come to the conclusion that I am fully willing to move my people here if you can beat me in a duel."
"A duel? And why with me specifically? Wouldn't Kashia be the one you should actually challenge for a decision like that?" I responded with a small jest, earning a chuckle from the chief.
He then clapped my shoulder with his massive hand. "I think we both know that I wouldn't last a minute going against her. I might like a good fight, but even I know when an opponent is too great for me, especially after hitting her with all my strength and getting an injured hand for the trouble. Instead, I'll challenge her representative and diplomat for the lizardman tribes."
I see what he's going for, but I also had one nagging suspicion for this challenge that I decided to voice, "You just want to fight me because you think I'll be a fun opponent, don't you?"
"Guilty as charged, Zaryusu," Zenberu admitted with another laugh. "So, what do you say to my challenge?"
With a small snort of amusement, I nodded. "I'm willing to take you on. If I win, Dragon Tusk becomes part of Haven-Lake. What about if I lose?"
"Then your goddess provides my tribe food for the next two decades and we maintain our sovereignty." Zenberu's offer did have a good deal of merit behind it. And providing food for Dragon's Tusk would be relatively simple for Kashia and barely bother her.
As her diplomat, I think she'll understand if I made this agreement in her stead.
"Then it's a deal."
[Later]
"Think you'll be able to take this guy, Zaryusu?" Trabgo asked as he and Crusch looked from me to Zenberu who was readying himself in the arena.
Thinking about it, and reassuringly patting Frost Pain at my side, I gave a nod. "I believe I have a good chance of it. I just have to be careful and not allow myself to be exposed to any of Zenberu's attacks."
Trabgo gave a glance to Zenberu once more with a slightly concerned look in his eyes. "Still, besides the large spear, the guy's got a pretty big arm there. Would hate to take a hit from it."
"I'm not that excited at the thought of tasting the strength of that arm either. But that'll just motivate me to avoid being hit by it if I can." It was after saying this that I felt Crusch's warm hand upon my arm.
"I believe that you can win. But, please, try to be careful, Zaryusu." The white-scaled beauty's admitted faith in me caused my heart to pound and a smile to grow on my face.
Placing my free hand on top of hers, I nodded. "I'll try to stay safe for you. Thanks for your belief in me." Adorably, Crusch's tail rapidly smacked the ground as her snout and face turned a bright shade of red.
"Y-You're welcome, Zaryusu." She said this while trying to hide her embarrassment in her hand.
With this said, I gave one final squeeze of Crusch's and before walking away from her and Trabgo to the arena where Zenberu waited with a grin. "Good luck, Zary!" Trabgo said after me, earning a smirk on my face.
"Ready for this, Zaryusu?" Zenberu asked, removing the spear that had been resting on his shoulder and pointing it at me. "I've always been excited at the idea of fighting one of the wielders of Frost Pain, so this is almost like a dream come true for me!"
"Then I'll just have to make sure to surpass whatever expectations you have of me," I responded while drawing out Frost Pain and readying it in my hands.
I watched Zenberu rush towards me with his spear already slashing down upon me. Putting Frost Pain in front of the attack, I watched the spear head slash into the blade before Zenberu was already slashing at me again from the side. He was already trying to overwhelm me with a flurry of attacks. Thankfully, I've faced a kitsune once before that gave me more than enough practice in fighting opponents that bombard others with attacks.
Those tails of theirs were just absolutely unfair at times.
Jumping back, I narrowly avoided the hit, but didn't get time to recover before the chief thrust his spear squarely at my chest. Placing the flat of Frost Pain's blade in front of the attack, I watched the strike harmlessly slide off the blade. The short delay of Zenberu trying to pull his spear back to perform another attack was all I needed to capitalize on his opening.
Catching the shaft of the spear with the crook of Frost Pain's blade, I yanked hard. This took Zenberu by surprise as it extended his arm, giving me the chance to twist and smack my tail on the hand still holding the spear.
My attack got Zenberu to let go of the spear that I quickly tossed away, ending the attack with an elbow to Zenberu's sternum before I jumped away from the disarmed lizardman. That got a laugh, followed by a clap of Zenberu's hands. "Nice move, Zaryusu. But this time, I'm going to attack you with a weapon that you can't pull from my hands."
To emphasize this, he punched his oversized fist into his waiting hand. Then, he rushed at me once more. I was more worried about the chief's ability to fight with only fists instead of with his spear. From what I knew, the lizardman was specialized in this form of fighting, especially with that arm of his.
With that, Zenberu unleashed a new barrage of attacks upon me. Each punch, I blocked with the flat of Frost Pain's blade, feeling my arms shake under the strength of his blows. But I continued to maintain my defensive stance, blocking every attack, even if my arms began hurting with each hit.
I just had to hold out for a little longer as my eyes were already spotting the effects of Zenberu attacking Frost Pain with his bare hands. Ice was beginning to coat his fists, growing bit by bit with every strike blocked.
After an arduous amount of time, the chief's strikes began to lessen, and twitches of pain filled Zenberu's eyes as his teeth gritted in his mouth. It wasn't much longer before Zenberu finally halted his strikes while huffing, his breath now visible with a puff of frost. "Seems that my fists couldn't hold up against Frost Pain's cold. Unfortunate."
"Does that mean that you're giving up?" I questioned, slightly lowering Frost Pain as I did so. The chief gave a chuckle and nodded.
"If I go much further, my entire body is going to freeze or my arms will break off into icy chunks. Neither of which are something that I wish to experience, especially for a duel that isn't one of life or death." That finally allowed me to let my arms fall to my sides, Frost Pain barely being gripped in my tired fingers.
"Thank the gods for that. I doubt my arms could've lasted much longer from that," I said in relief with a grin. "Your attacks hit like a boulder."
Zenberu barked out a laugh that the remark. "Good to hear that I wasn't the only one being worn down in our fight! Might have hurt my pride if that were the case." The chief gave a satisfied sigh and added, "I had a good fight, so I'm now willing to honor my side of the deal. Dragon Tusk will join with Haven-Lake."
[Peter]
Standing before the massive, fiery figure of Surtur, I watched and copied the movements he performed like usual. We had gone through all the usual five forms he's demonstrated before. Yet, it was upon finishing that fifth form that Surtur stopped what he was doing and gazed down upon me.
"To continue beyond the fifth form, you must understand the blade you carry." The ancient voice of the giant rumbled to me as he stabbed his massive blade into a mountain, like a normal man would do with dirt.
"What do you mean by that?" I questioned. In reply, Surtur crouched, bringing his face closer to me, even if the distance was still like looking up to the peak of a mountain.
"Your sword is made from a mere sliver of mine. Even if only a fragment of power, it still echoes the parent. And like my blade, it is Destruction. Its purpose is annihilation. Regardless of how you might use it; be it to protect, to kill, to use as a simple tool, it will always have one singular purpose."
"And what would that be?"
"To end everything. It is the key of Ragnarok: The Destruction of all Realms." Surtur stood up once more and pulled his massive sword from the mountain it was impaled in. "You must learn to embrace Destruction."
And, in demonstration, Surtur's massive blade burst alight in a new level of pure-white flames. They were so hot that I could feel them all the way from where I stood.
Then, with a mighty slash in the air, a wave of white flames traveled across the mountainous landscape in an annihilating, white conflagration. By the time the flames had settled, the mountains had been reduced to a plain of molten rock.
In a way, that demonstration of power terrified me. Looking down at the flaming blade in my hands, I wondered just how powerful this weapon might truly be, even if only a sliver of the original?
How could such a blade have arrived in that dungeon? A small part of me had the nagging thought that Kashia had some involvement. After all, this Realm stuff was in her area of knowledge. And if so, why would she essentially give away a weapon dangerous?
"You begin to understand the weight of Destruction. That is good. Too many take such a burden lightly." With Surtur's words, I slowly looked up to the giant.
"But what if I don't want to destroy anything? I only wished to use the sword as a tool for adventuring!" I questioned Surtur, receiving his fiery gaze that almost seemed to contain a hint of amusement.
"Then don't." Surtur stabbed his blade into the ground before he continued, "Destruction's purpose is Ragnarok. That doesn't mean the wielder's purpose must be the same. And yet, while Ragnarok is meant to be the end of the Realms, many forget that it is meant to pave way to a new beginning."
Surtur looked ahead to the barren plain, and a surge of power went through the blade called Destruction before traveling into the ground it had been stabbed. And before my very eyes, I watched cracks of lava spread throughout the recently-created plains like glowing rivers.
Then, the ground began bubbling up and growing into new mountainous shapes, replacing what had been destroyed with an entirely new landscape. Once fully grown, the glowing cracks cooled and Surtur looked back to me.
"Understand this and you will be able to learn the next steps. You wield Destruction, Destruction does not wield you."
Day 43:
Waking up with bleary blink of my eyes, I looked out the window of my room to see that the sun had barely begun to crest the rooftops of the other buildings across from my home. Seems like it will be time to start another day soon.
That dream I had gave me much to think about. And as I considered the dream, my eyes unconsciously glanced over to the sheathed shard of Destruction resting against the wall. It was odd to consider that a powerful blade of such ruinous potential was just set aside like a normal steel sword.
Perhaps that is what Surtur would prefer. A wielder that could respect the power of the sword, but not let that respect turn into fear. The giant seemed like one that would give his weapon with a silent respect, but still treat it as one would any other tool.
But eventually, this internal musing ceased when I heard a yawn, followed by a movement at my side. That made me look over to see Helena's gray eyes gazing at me as her lips curled into a warm smile. "Morning, Peter."
"Good morning, Helena. Sleep well?" I asked with a matching smile.
"Yeah. It was warm and comfortable," She replied, snuggling into my side. "Any plans for the day?"
"Dyne and I are going to meet up at the cemetery today to get some training in. After that, we're just going to make it up as we go. You have work today?" Helena gave me a nod.
"Yeah. I can only hope that it won't be too boring today." She answered that with a kiss before pushing herself out of bed. I copied the action and began putting on my clothes as she did the same. "Any idea when the rest of your team is coming back?"
"Not really. I can only assume that they will be back when they are done with whatever training they're doing. Until then, I'll enjoy the small break I'm getting." Helena's laughter lit up the room.
"Oh, you've certainly been enjoying that break alright." She looked over her shoulder at me with a grin, "Then again, so have I."
I chuckled while buckling my armor on. "Glad to hear that you're happy about it." Saying this, I buckled my sword at my side just as Helena finished tying the rest of her uniform on.
"So, should I expect to see you after I've finished my shift today?" Helena questioned as we moved to the door of the room.
"Of course. I can't just let my favorite guild secretary leave the guild all alone." After I said this, Helena pulled me down by the collar of my jacket and gave me another kiss.
When we finally separated, she had an amused look in her eyes. "And that's just another reason why you're my favorite adventurer."
With that said, we exited my room hand-in-hand and made our way through the halls before finally leaving the building. On the streets, we gave one last farewell before going our separate ways. For me, I planned to take a trip to the cemetery.
It had plenty of space for me to let loose with a bit of the fiery attacks of my sword. In addition to that, there were a good many practice targets in the form of undead.
At least I'd have good company in the form of Dyne.
It didn't take that much time to reach the gate of the cemetery where Dyne was already waiting for me with a smirk. "Morning, Peter. Nice to see you among the land of the living. Hope you slept well." His eyebrow rose in a knowing fashion.
"As a matter of fact, I did. Now, I feel ready to kick some ass." I said this while arriving at the gate.
"I can see that. Hope you didn't pull a muscle from whatever strenuous 'rest' you got last night." My eyes rolled at the teasing remark
Playfully elbowing him in the side, I replied, "Go bite me." That got a chuckle out of the druid before I turned to look at one of the gate's guards. "Mind letting us in?"
The guard, a man with a bushy, red beard gave a nod. He then gave the command to have the gate opened, and after another minute, Dyne and I were trudging into the cemetery.
"You know, I'm almost certain that cannibalism is frowned upon in most societies," Dyne retorted as he unholstered his mace. I followed the action and unsheathed my blade, letting fire ignite upon it.
"Right. Well, try telling them that." I then pointed to a few shambling corpses that slowly dragged themselves between the grave markers to us.
"Certainly. Would you like to do the honors, or should I?"
Rolling my shoulders, I stepped forwards first. "I'll take them. Need to make sure that I didn't 'pull a muscle'. And, I wanted to try something with my sword," I answered, receiving a nod in turn.
"Go ahead. I'll take the next group."
With those words, I took a breath and charged forwards recalling the slash that Surtur had demonstrated in that dream. It was an annihilating attack, one that called upon Destruction's true nature.
While my blade was only a sliver of it, I had no doubt that if I tried to fully match the power that Surtur put into the attack, there would be more damage than I would wish. I couldn't disregard the strength of my sword's power, and had to temper myself.
Willing up the barest amount of power I could for this thought of annihilation, of Ragnarok, I watched my sword's blade, sheathed in red and orange fire, turn blue that was edging on white, from the flames growing in intensity. Then, once I was within ten yards of the shambling corpses, I slashed my blade and watched a small wave of blue and white roll out before me and travel 15 yards ahead, consuming all in its path before finally dying.
Any grave marker caught in the attack became molten rock or charcoal. As for the undead, they were mostly ash, with some charred bone remaining.
That was the smallest amount of power I put into the sword when calling upon its true nature. Now, I know how Lukrut felt with those roots of his. If I'm not careful, others could get caught in the crossfire.
But as soon as this thought crossed my mind, a minor wave of fatigue fell over me, causing me to breathe a little heavier than I had before. It seems that there is a small toll when it comes to calling even the merest amount of Ragnarok. And not even the small body-enhancing properties of the sword could prevent it.
I couldn't even imagine what might happen if I tried the attack at full power if just the smallest amount of power was already wearing me out like this. And with this blade being just a sliver of the original, just how strong must Surtur be to throw out that much power and not show any signs of fatigue?
"That was certainly new," Dyne remarked as he caught up to me. "Bit different to the flame slashes you've done before."
I gave a nod. "Yeah, a lot more powerful, but also more tiring," I answered while gazing around the area for more undead. In the distance, I could see a couple of skeletons approaching us. "You want to take them this time?"
"Certainly. After all, I've got a new trick or two that I've managed to pick up." Dyne gave a playful swing with his mace as he approached the skeletons. Then, he flipped the mace upside down and plunged the head into the ground.
Much to my amazement, I watched as the ground before us bulged and shifted from some mass snaking under it. Then, at the spot the skeletons were running, large, white tree branches burst from the ground, stabbing through the ribcages and skulls of the undead before ripping them apart into broken bones. Once the undead had been thoroughly disposed of, the branches sunk back into the ground and Dyne pulled the mace up from where he had plunged it.
My eyes blinked for a moment at my friend. "That's definitely different. Almost reminds me of Lukrut and his root abilities," I remarked.
"Yeah, I ended up learning how to do that with my mace after spending one of my days just communing with nature. The plants and mace gave me the idea, and I tried it out with great success." I gave Dyne a questioning brow at the answer.
"The plants just told you? I'm not that aware of druid things, so forgive me if I ask this, but plants can talk?"
Dyne gave a good-natured chuckle at my question. "Not in the same sense that your or I are talking right now. It's almost more of an interpretive feeling that I experience. Not every plant or tree is vocal, but those that are can have good wisdom to share if you are willing to listen."
I shrugged my shoulders as I walked up to him, "I think I'm fine with letting you interpret. If I had to hear every shrub tell me how it felt, I think I would probably go insane after a short amount of time."
A snort of amusement came from the druid as he grinned at me. "Who says that I'm not insane?"
That got a chuckle from me. "Then it'll be something new that I'll have learned about you." We both broke into a fit of laughter until we heard the noise of some more approaching undead. "Guess we have a few more corpses to deal with."
"Sounds like fun." Dyne readied his mace as I readied my sword. Then, we charged at the group of skeletons and zombies coming near.
[Unknown]
Day 54:
Traversing the World Tree's branches could be such a headache at times, especially so with how recently this branch to a new Realm had been created. Still, being able to watch as Yggdrasil grew a new branch was something that should be marked as a momentous occasion. Instead, it was marred by Father's worries.
Originally, I had to question why Father wished for me to utilize my Avatar for this task as it would be simpler if I just went myself. But Father's reasoning was quite sound. My missing presence on Asgard would be noticeable compared to just piloting my Avatar in my stead. Additionally, Father wished to keep the knowledge of a new Realm away from the rest of the Nine Realms.
The reasoning for such was something that I fully supported. Apparently, compared to the other Realms, those of this new Realm were much weaker on average than the inhabitants of the rest of Yggdrasil. In addition, the gods the mortals in this Realm worshipped were false, merely piles of accumulated worship that lacked mind or soul.
In short, as soon as the rest of Yggdrasil learned of a weak Realm without any protections, they'd converge upon the land in an instant. I fear that a great war might occur with the gods and rulers of the other Realms fighting over ownership of this one. Most worryingly would be the dwarves of Nidavellir.
They had already tried to conquer and enslave the Realm of Foxes due to the kitsune of that Realm becoming potential rivals to their monopoly on powerful magic weapons. They believed that due to the size of the Realm, Lady Inari and her people would be too weak to stop them from taking over. Their mistake.
Yet, with that action that nearly threw the Nine Realms into chaos, they could try it again. Especially so against a Realm that was so much weaker to them without any claimants to protect it.
But much to Father's disappointment, there were already a few gods aware of this Realm. When told who, I found it to be an odd gathering. There was Uncle and his children, Ratatoskr, Lady Freyja, and Lady Inari.
Uncle and Ratatoskr were understandable since the former was known for constantly traversing the Realms, with his children being informed of this afterwards. As for the latter, he was the caretaker of Yggdrasil, so it was his duty to know this.
But Lady Freyja and Lady Inari were the oddities. It wasn't until after I was given the connecting factor that I found myself quite interested. It appears that Lady Inari had a daughter recently. This daughter was a young goddess, not even a century old, yet somehow, she managed to receive both Lady Freyja's and Uncle's patronage as their Chosen.
It was rare for a single being to even get one god to invest so heavily into another. But two? That was a rare thing to see. But then, Father told me two other things that made me utterly intrigued to meet the goddess.
She had managed to best one of Father's Avatars, claiming Gungnir for herself. That meant she was quite powerful for one so young. After that, I learned that this Kashia is an incredibly beautiful maiden.
I definitely had to meet this maiden for myself. I've never tried to bed a kitsune before, and from what I understood about them, they were known for a beautiful appearance that challenged that of the elves. Alas, that would have to come later as Father wished for me to deal with a strange monster in another part of this Realm.
What he told me about this creature was that it's a monster that was like a corrupted version of the World Tree, which continued to expand and grow, corrupting those it came into contact with. Father originally felt that he might be able to get enough worship to manifest into that Realm before the threat became too great, but with what he saw of this creature's rate of growth, he feared it would take too long.
These thoughts were soon put on hold as I finally arrived at the Realm's barrier, containing the new territory like a bubble. With my weapon in hand, I threw it into the barrier, watching as the hammer of iridescent color broke through.
I let my Avatar's form break down into primal lightning before I reformed holding Mjolnir on the other side of the Realm's barrier, standing upon a small hill overlooking a city. I shook my body, waving off the uncomfortable feeling I always got when entering into another Realm. From what Father explained of it, my body was simply adjusting itself to the laws of another realm like one would adjust to new boots.
Didn't mean that I enjoyed the feeling in the slightest.
"Now, where in this Realm might I be? I hope that Huginn or Muninn will find me soon to lead the way." I muttered this to Mjolnir, receiving the soft warmth of Mjolnir's touch in my mind.
Scratching my crimson beard, I rolled my shoulders and said, "Hmm, until then, I believe that I should go about and explore this land for a short time." With a grin, I added, "I believe that a tavern would be a marvelous place to start!"
I chuckled and placed Mjolnir into her holster on my belt before patting the top of her head. A feeling of Mjolnir's excitement filled my mind which made me grin. "Yes, we shall have a fine taste of this Realm's mead and ale!"
With this, I trudged over to the walled city with a grin on my face. God of Thunder I may be, but I also love exploring the Realms and discovering new places and beings to fight.
Drawing near to the city, I spotted many mortals entering and leaving the city. Sizing up most of them, they didn't give off any type of aura in the form of combat potential. Most were regular farmers or traders. Of those who I could note as fighters, I found myself sorely disappointed.
A few gazes drew over to me, but not because of any form of recognition that I was used to. Instead, I believe it was due to my height of seven feet making me taller than anyone else around. That, and my crimson hair and beard tended to make me stand out.
Upon arriving at the front gate of the city, I found myself amused at how pale a few of the guards became upon witnessing me tower over them. Yet, quite suddenly, a man in a blue robe approached me.
He looked quite pale and skinny. I'd probably recommend for the mortal to eat a bit more to put some meat on his bones. He was liable to snap in half at a stiff breeze.
"S-Sir, uh, you a-appear to be bringing a p-powerful magical item or items into t-the city that w-will need to be declared…" The way he had to stutter out that order was highly amusing. I'd almost guess that he was on the verge of shitting himself.
I could certainly just ignore his demand, possibly getting into a fun brawl with the guards in the process, but I believe that Father would prefer that I not draw too much attention to myself. Besides, it's been centuries since I've interacted with a mortal who didn't know my identity, so this was quite refreshing.
"Certainly, little man!" I clapped the man on the shoulder, almost accidentally knocking him to the ground in the process. Appears that I'll need to mind my strength a bit more in this Realm than expected. "I am a guest to this city, so it would only be respectful to follow its rules."
Brushing aside the cloak of Jormungandr's shed skin that covered my armor, I patted the iridescent chestplate made from divinite and answered, "My armor was forged by the dwarven smiths, Sindri and Brok, to ward against attacks of all kinds. My cloak of Jormungandr's hide was stitched by my beautiful wife, Sif. And finally," I called Mjolnir to my hand and showed her to the inspector.
"My prized weapon, Mjolnir." I believed that the mortal's eyes were about to pop out of his head as he waved his little staff over her.
"S-Sir, th-that weapon is pow-pow-powerful. W-Where did y-you get it-it?" The mortal's stuttering was hilarious, and I had to do my best to contain my laughter at his reaction. Unfortunately, my best consisted of me grinning like a fool.
"From the same dwarves that crafted my armor. Mjolnir has been my faithful companion throughout my many adventures," I answered with a jovial laugh.
"I d-don't know i-if w-we can let y-you into the c-city with such a p-powerful weapon when y-you are u-un-unknown." The small mortal's statement got a raise of my brow. I guess that they would be worried about such a weapon if they were as weak as I've been told and seen.
Wonder if they've even seen divinite before? Oh, well. No matter as I'm certain I can deal with such a situation easily.
Giving the little mortal an extremely gentle pat on the shoulder, I declared, "Worry not, little wizard. I, Thor Odinson, give my word, upon both my honor and my father's name, that no harm will come to any by Mjolnir while I'm in this city."
As another reassurance, I also reached into a pouch on my belt and pulled out a few Asgardian gold coins. Then, I let Mjolnir hover free from my hand so that I could gently open up the little mortal's hand and place the gold within.
I took notice out of the corner of my eye that the guards that were near were now giving us a wide berth. Were these mortal guardians truly that skittish when given the duty to protect their home? Quite disappointing. Their trainers should be embarrassed.
"Beyond my word, I believe that this may also suffice," I explained with a grin. "Though, I do hope that you might be willing to point me to the closest alehouse or tavern as I am in the need of good food and drink before I travel the lands once again?"
The little mortal escaped whatever bafflement he was under and looked at me with wide eyes. "I-I– The ta-tavern–" At the rate it was taking him to answer, Father's beard would've grown to the floor.
"Perhaps it would be best for you to show me, little wizard!" I put a hand upon the little mortal and spun him around towards the city. Glancing at the frightened guardians, I asked, "Do you mind if I borrow the little wizard for a while? Beyond just showing me the way, he could do with some meat on his bones!"
None of the guardians put up any form of protest, though that may have something to do with their gazes being trained upon Mjolnir's floating form. "Good to hear!" With that announcement, I gave the little mortal a gentle push forwards, giving him the sense to start walking.
Mjolnir soon floated into her holster upon my belt and both the little mortal and I were on our way. "S-Sir, I-I have t-to stay a-at my post a-and continue m-my job…"
"But you are performing your job, little wizard! As you are worried about what I could do, then it is only your responsible duty to accompany me for my brief stay in this fine city! So, go ahead and lead us to a fine place to feast and I will pay for our meal!" I gave a small squeeze to the little mortal's shoulder, feeling how thin he was.
"Besides, in my homeland, even our mages have some meat on their bones. You are much too twig-like, even for a wizard. That won't do!"
"I-I– Oh…" The little mortal's complaints ceased after that and we made our way through the quaint little city.
It took a short while, but the little mortal and I eventually arrived at the door to a tavern which the mortal opened the door to and entered. I had to duck under the doorframe to get inside, where I was greeted to the many gazes of the mortals within.
From what I could see, there were a good number of warriors within this tavern that I could tell from either their weapons, their clothing, or their gazes and posture. Many hushed conversations erupted amongst the mortals as I led the little wizard to the bar counter to take a seat on the provided stool.
Glancing at one of the stools for myself, I felt that it would be best to not test if the flimsy-looking object could bear my weight. So, with a pinch of subtlety that would make Uncle proud, I used a tiny amount of magic to reinforce the stool for a short while.
Then, I took a seat besides the little wizard. "Good day, barkeep! I wish for the finest drink alongside food for my little friend and I!"
The barkeep, a bald mortal with a muscular frame gave a nod. I could tell that the man had once been a warrior from the way he held himself. "Best drink is seven copper." That got a grin from me.
"Then, here you are, my friend!" I pulled some more gold from my pouch and set it upon the counter. The barkeep's brows rose up in shock at the payment, then he gave me a questioning look. "Keep the food and drink coming for my little friend and I!"
The barkeep picked up the gold coins and spent a moment examining them with some hint of recognition before he pocketed the coins. Following this, he pulled out two tankards and went to work filling them before coming back and handing the little wizard and I our tankards of frothy ale.
With a short toast to the barkeep, I began to drink the ale as the barkeep busied himself preparing us some food. I was happy to say that the little wizard nursed his tankard while glancing at me every few moments.
The ale, while not the best I've ever drank, had its own type of taste to it. Likely due to the ingredients being different, and unique, to this Realm.
"Interesting coinage you got there," the barkeep remarked, catching my ear. "While I haven't seen this exact style of currency before, I have seen something similar."
Finishing the rest of my drink, I lightly slammed the tankard onto the counter, being careful to avoid utilizing my usual strength for the action. My head slightly cocked at the man's words.
"Oh, really? Why do you say that?"
"The tree design. Both yours and hers have the same style of tree on them, even if the other sides are not the same." The barkeep came back with bowls of stew for the little wizard and I that he set before us. He also gave me a refilled tankard.
"Very curious," I replied while picking up the spoon in the bowl and taking a bite from it. "Know where she hails from?"
The barkeep shook his head. "Never asked. Just know that it's someplace far away. Only thing I mostly care about is that she pays her rent on time."
Who else could be here that came from the other Nine Realms? Was Father incorrect on his summation of those who know this Realm?
"I believe that I may wish to meet with this woman, especially if she may come from someplace near my homeland. Know where she might be? Or what her name is?" I asked this while drinking down the second tankard of ale.
"No idea on where she is currently. Went out over a week or two ago to someplace, and that's about all I know. As for a name? She's called Kashia Blanc, though I've been hearing some rumors that she's royalty, a princess or something."
I almost choked on my ale as I heard this. What marvelous luck! I could only guess that Yggdrasil grew her main pathway branches near where the fox maiden had spent most of her time. Likely because of a sense of familiarity.
"Seems like you know her," the barkeep stated. Finishing the rest of my ale, I wiped any traces of it from my beard and set my tankard down.
"Aye, I do. Haven't met her before, but I have heard good things. I even planned to see her after I took care of some important business beforehand." The barkeep had already set up a new tankard for me, earning a grin from me for the quick service. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, I've heard tales of Kashia being a great beauty. Would you care to tell me if the rumors are accurate?"
The barkeep gave a small smirk as he filled up another tankard. "They are very accurate. Enough so that I've been receiving a large amount of business these past few weeks from 'admirers', in the kindest sense of the word. Only real benefit that they bring is their coin. Other than that, she's a blonde with a pretty face, nice body, large… tracts of land."
Quite interesting to hear. I also took notice that the barkeep left out mention of any of the maiden goddess' kitsune features. I would have to assume that she was fully attempting to hide her non-human nature.
Still, it was fine news to hear that the tales were true, and it made me excited to one day meet with Kashia. Until then, I'd simply have to wait patiently and imagine our encounter.
With my curiosity satisfied, I turned to look at the little mortal sitting next to me. He had only finished half of his tankard, with his food appearing relatively untouched. "Eat, my little friend! You have barely touched your food and drink."
That seemed to do the trick as the little wizard hurriedly gulped down his tankard and began spooning the stew into his mouth. "Good, little wizard! We'll put some meat on those bones soon enough!"
Finishing my current tankard, I took the next one offered and began to drink it down. "By the way, as I'm a newcomer to these lands, would you be willing to tell me what city I'm in?"
"E-Rantel. I'm a little surprised that you aren't aware of that." The barkeep answered with a bit of curiosity.
"I lack a map to these lands, sadly enough. I'm just passing through this quaint city before I move on to my next destination. I don't even know what kingdom I'm in either." I replied.
A short snort of amusement came from the barkeep before he answered, "Well, you wouldn't be the first patron I've had who was just passing through the kingdom.
"A quick question, do you believe that Kashia will be returning here anytime soon?" I asked, drinking the rest of my ale before taking my next tankard.
"She should be coming back eventually, no idea when. Why do you ask?"
"I was hoping that you would be able to leave her a message from me." To entice the mortal further, I pulled out another gold coin and slid it over to him. The barkeep thought about it for a moment, then he took the coin and pocketed it.
"What message did you want to give her?"
I gave the mortal a grin and replied, "Tell her that Thor Odinson came by to visit and would like to eventually meet with her in the future. Also, make certain to let her know that I have no harmful intentions since she may interpret my arrival with a little worry."
The barkeep gave a nod in reply. "I'll let her know about the message."
I raised my tankard to the mortal in appreciation. "Thank you, my friend! I'll sing your praises for this kind deed in the future!" The barkeep looked surprised at my cheer, but soon nodded and accepted my kind words.
But soon enough, I glanced over to see that the little wizard was becoming a bit groggy. "How do you fare, my little friend? It appears that you have trouble holding drink."
The little wizard looked to me with a reddened face. "Whut?"
"Ah, a bit weak in constitution." I gave the little wizard a pat on the back. "Well, we can try to harden that up. Barkeep, another round for my little friend!"