Three times around Asgard in under seven hours! S-class tier impressive, if Sven had to rate his Flight skill. There ought to be a record book for that. No other raven had ever accomplished such a feat. Not even the chatty Huginn or the bratty Muninn, as far as he knew. And he knew plenty. Plenty!
The sun was only over Folkvang.
Not lunchtime yet.
Another tour, perhaps?
Activate Raven Sight!
Sven zapped across the sky like a blazing bolt of lightning, but black.
Mountains, trees, water. How boring! Two squirrels fighting over a nut? Now that was worth watching. A fly snatched by a frog? Tragic, but such was life. Was that a goat on a boat, sailing upstream? Show off! Needless to say, the forests by Vestfold provided ample entertainment.
The fun, however, stopped at the Takehav Expanse, an ocean of mist that stretched two-thirds around Asgard. Sure, there were the occasional ship and island. But otherwise, one would have to be satisfied with Yggdrasil’s sporadic effusions. A scary sight, but a welcome change to the dull monotony.
What was that, a light blue core floating on the mist near Alesund? Interesting. He had missed this on the previous three tours. Hardly his fault, considering it was no bigger than an orange. He blinked his right eye twice at the specimen to create a new record in the System.
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Type: Fish Details: An aquatic creature with an exposed core. Its true form is hidden in the mist. Last Point: [93, 20] |
A darkling that could endure the hypnotic fumes? Very troublesome.
He zipped past Thrudvang, the land of Thor and his enormous dwelling, Bilskirnir. It featured five-hundred-forty rooms! What for? The wife and kids needed barely a tenth of that. Rumours had it that the rest served as lodgings for the God of Thunder’s myriad mistresses. Not even Sven’s Raven Sight could penetrate the walls of the fortress to verify. Not that he wished to. And Thor had a nasty habit of sending projectiles high into the air during his frequent mood swings; it would be wise not to linger.
Sven eased through the final stretch of his fourth tour. The Nine Fingers of Vestfold—a series of mountain ranges—recently became a hotbed for gloom seeds due to its many nooks and crannies. He and his peers had observed three dungeons and over a dozen darklings germinating in the fertile ground.
One such darkling found its way up the snow-capped peaks and had become elusive due to its camouflage ability. He hovered momentarily to scan the surroundings.
Movement.
There it is!
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Type: Rock Details: A large, round creature with an icy shell. Beware of its long-range snowball attack. Last Point: [23, 7] |
Just as Sven updated the record, a ball of snow whooshed past him. “Quoth! You are so dead, my portly friend! I will unleash a whole army on you!” Then came another ball. And another. Dodge. Dodge. And then he bolted.
Survey of Asgard complete!
He reviewed the results: Thirteen dungeons and two-hundred-fifty-eight darklings observed. An increase from the day before.
The gods had better elevate their game, or the dark elves’ creations will take over Asgard!
His bird belly gurgled.
Time to head to Ithavoll.
Brunhilde had graciously invited all the ravens to her residence for a buffet, a reward for their efforts as the Eyes of the nine realms. What a thoughtful gesture! He had no idea the queen was such a bird lady. Perhaps she was finally looking for a new raven companion? Sven could only hope.
Of course, his dumb friends were already gobbling down the food by the time he arrived. Loud and inconsiderate. He found a spot on one of the troughs in the garden and dug in. Worms and toasted grasshoppers, the perfect balance of crunchy and juicy!
“Watch your wing, Sven.” His neighbour swatted at him.
Sven swatted back. “You watch it, Ben.”
“Stop fighting, the two of you.”
“Shut your beaks, Jen,” said another raven as he joined the three of them on the trough.
“No, Kirk, I am eating,” she retorted, then proceeded to shovel a dozen critters down her plump body.
“You are such a pig.”
“I am a raven, silly.”
Sven rolled his eyes. These were his nest mates growing up. Same mother, different father. He certainly lucked out on the intelligence department. “I circumnavigated Asgard four times in under nine hours today,” he announced, expecting applause.
“Trying flying Midgard,” Ben chimed in. “Oh wait, you’re too low-ranked for it, quoth!”
Sven grumbled. “My promotion is imminent. You will see.”
Kirk cocked his head. “You may want to review your survey results.”
“Quoth! Are you implying I made mistakes?”
“Yes. You were off by one dungeon and three darklings. Check for yourself.”
Sven blinked twice to consult the System and to his horror, his numbers did not align with the other Eyes that watched over Asgard. He could keel over and die from shame right then and there. “But…my Raven Sight has never failed me…”
“Maybe you have pigeon eye.”
“Quoquoquoquoquo!” Ben squawked. “Good one, Jen.”
Pigeons actually had good eyesight, but telling them that would just garner Sven more mockery, and he was in no mood for a squabble right now. But he enjoyed squabbles. What was this strange feeling in his heart?
Kirk flew over to console him. “There, there. Take a break from the survey work.”
“A permanent break. Quoquoquo! You are a free agent.”
“Shut your beaks, Ben. Sven is going through a difficult time.”
“Sven, if you are not going to eat…” Jen scooped up the remaining contents without waiting for a response.
The jerk Ben had a point. A raven without his Valkyrie was like a farmer without a field. What else was he good for? He might as well donate his feathers to Freyja and throw himself into the Takehav Expanse. The thought of it made him chill and shrivel.
“Hey, look, Osmond is coming over,” Kirk said.
“With more food, I hope.”
The lanky Einherjar boy stopped by their trough to ask, “Um, is there a Sven here?”
Sven raised his heavy head. “I am Sven.”
“Brunhilde would like to speak with you in the library.” And with that, he was gone.
“Wow, soaring up the ranks!” Kirk whacked Sven in the back.
Ben squawked. “Go, Sven. You will make a splendid back scratcher.”
“Maybe the queen needs you to eat the fleas off her grey hairs while she reads.”
“Quoquoquoquoquo! Jen, you are a slayer.”
Sven left the idiocy that was his friends and flew through an open window into Brunhilde’s palace. He had been in these halls a handful of times, and the lifeless Valkyrie sculptures always frightened him. In the library, the Valkyrie Queen was indulging in her favourite pastime. His keen eye spotted the title Sleeping Beauty. A romance novel, perhaps? He perched himself on a bookshelf and waited patiently for her to finish.
Finally, she let out a wistful sigh and laid down the book. “Has Lilith awoken from her sleep?”
“No, my Queen.”
“Interesting. A stubborn soul, but she is no match for Freyja’s magic.”
“The girl will be able to perform her duties, free from otherworldly distractions?”
“We shall see. When she awakes, you must keep a close eye on her.”
“That need not be said.”
“Should you notice anymore glitches, inform me at once. Understood?”
“Yes, my Queen.”
“Good. You may go.” Brunhilde got up and returned her book to its shelf. “Help yourself to an apple in the garden, Sven.”
Sven accepted the gift and departed from the Valkyrie Queen’s residence.
The night was long and lonely at the Sanctuary.
Gyllir had gone to sleep by the wisteria, and Lilith was on her soul bed in deep slumber. Sven stared at her from atop a branch. Once in a while he would glance at the pond. Then at the horse. And then back to the girl from Earth.
An hour passed.
He flew to her side and pecked at her shoulder. “Wake up, Valkyrie.”
Another hour, gone.
He went for a sip of water, then back to her side. “The Einherjars are asking about you.”
Time slipped by.
“Mimir’s Eye is glowing.”
“Asgard needs you, Valkyrie. Wake up.”
“Let us ascend the ranks together.”
Suddenly, Lilith started to toss and turn.
His heart raced with joy and excitement. “Valkyrie…!”
And then her body relaxed again.
“Valkyrie?”
Silence.
“I’m sorry…”
Sven felt drops of liquid flow down his beaks. What was this salty substance seeping from his eyes?
He returned to the wisteria and waited.
