King Apsel’s decision to accept refugees from coastal villages into Engesland, magnanimous as it were, had put the city in a bit of a bind. With winter arriving months earlier than usual, the harvest season had been almost non-existent, leading to fears of a food shortage. Coupled with the mounting threats of an invasion from Rysstad to the north and an attack from the Vikings to the south, the general mood among the citizens was dour.
Holed up in his study, Bjorn sifted through Engesland’s schematics in order to formulate a suitable strategy for housing all the newcomers. To put it bluntly, there was no space left within the walls, not even a square inch of available land to erect some semblance of a lodging. The king thus demanded innovation from Bjorn. After all, he was an architect and the foremost authority on city design in all of Midgard.
“Ridiculous!” he cursed aloud at the useless diagrams before his eyes. What was the point? Left or right, there was nowhere to build. If only there was another layer of land above the city. “How? How!?” He flailed his arms, accidentally knocking over a cup of tea. The papers soaked, the ink on them bleeding through. Amidst the bout of frustration, he noticed a most fascinating development. The drawings looked as if they were stacked one on top of the other. And then it struck him; they could build up. “I’m a genius!”
The door swung open, and in bumbled his wife. “Bjorn! Olaf–the little girl. From Arendal, he’s–the mountains!”
Bjorn sprung from his desk and rushed to her side. “Breathe, woman! What has that boy done this time? Speak clearly.”
“Olaf…he…” She fell into his arms, gasping for air. “The Trollheimen!”
“What!?” He could feel a blood vessel pop. “That imbecile! He’ll die out there. What possessed him to do such a thing?”
With great effort she wheezed out the words. Their son had supposedly taken it upon himself to go collect wormwood, a plant for treating infections. It was a futile endeavour, for the cold had no doubt stunted its growth or sapped all its medicinal benefits. The bigger problem, though, was the boy’s poor sense of direction. He’d lose himself to the wilderness and die of starvation sooner than he could identify the plant. Bjorn shook his throbbing head and left to go after him.
Outside, dark clouds loomed over the mountain ranges to the north. Light snow grazed his face as he ran through the streets towards the gates. Perhaps the kid had yet to find his way out of town? He could only hope.
“Bjorn, where are you going?” an acquaintance shouted to him. “A storm’s coming.”
“Olaf is missing.”
“I’ll help you look.”
He explained the situation to Nigel as they made for the mountains.
The Trollheimen were notorious for its steep cliffs and winding trails, factors that protected Engesland from invasion. It also made traveling difficult. Those who dared to venture across the mountains often found themselves plummeting to the ground. Taking careful steps, Bjorn and Nigel began their ascent.
Engesland soon shrunk to the size of a ball, while the snowfall intensified.
“Olaf!” Bjorn shouted, then tried again in a different direction. “Olaf!”
Nigel found higher ground and joined the cries. “Olaf!”
Several seconds later, a response came. “Father?”
“Yes, it’s your father!” Bjorn took a breath. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know!”
Of course the idiot didn’t know.
“Do you see trees?” Nigel asked.
It was a good question, as that would help them narrow down the boy’s position.
“Who’s that?”
Bjorn groaned as Nigel rejoined him. “Olaf, you goof! Do you see trees?”
A few seconds later. “I think so!”
Bjorn buried his face in his hands. “The boy’s hopeless,” he said to Nigel.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”
It seemed his son hadn’t gone too far up. They picked up pace while keeping an eye out for patches of trees.
“Father, I found some wormwood!”
“Good boy! Now stay put and keep shouting!”
“Okay!”
Snow wrestled with the wind as it blew at a blinding speed. Bjorn shielded his eyes as they marched against the storm. The afternoon sun had already slipped behind the clouds. If they didn’t find Olaf right this minute, it would be next to impossible to locate him in complete darkness.
“Be careful,” Nigel warned. “The trail is smooth as ice.”
“We must hasten, before that halfwit wanders off a cliff.”
Olaf’s voice grew louder. They hurried around a bend in the trail, then through a narrow mountain pass. Bjorn ground to halt and gazed down at the chasm before them. On the opposite side stood Olaf, patiently waving.
“Father!”
“We see you, Olaf.” Bjorn sighed with relief. “Do not move.”
“I’ll wait here,” Nigel said.
Bjorn leaned into the mountainside and sidled along the trail. One misstep and he could fall to his doom. Why must the boy put him through this? Once they were back in Engesland, he ought to give him a good spanking.
“I’m coming, Father.”
“Olaf!” His face flushed with dread when he saw the boy stumble. Out of instinct he flung his arm out as if to catch his son. But, it was him who fell.
“Father!” he heard Olaf cry.
Bjorn opened his mouth to curse, but felt his head split against a rock before he could utter a word.
~*~
Lilith stood back and prepared to welcome the unfortunate man. His eyes flickered with life, then bulged with disbelief as he stepped down the platform to greet her.
“Could this be so?”
She nodded, though in her mind she wanted to slap his stupidity. “Welcome to Asgard.”
“Bjorn of Engesland. A pleasure, Valkyrie. If you don’t mind, I shall proceed with studying the geography of this realm in preparation for Ragnarok.”
“By all means.” She had no complaints there.
Just as he was leaving, the platform flashed with light. Right before their eyes, blue particles swirled, slowly bonding like magic to piece together the body of a boy. It was Olaf.
Bjorn shook his head. “The halfwit!”
Lilith reluctantly placed her hands on the Tablet of Death to see Olaf’s final moments. It took all but three seconds. The boy fell off the same cliff trying to save his father. She sighed and welcomed him to Asgard.
Olaf went to hug his father, then looked around. “Where are we, and who is that woman?”
“Apologies, Valkyrie.” Bjorn proceeded to drag his son by the ear out of the room. “Come with me. We have work to do.”
What a weird duo…
Lilith realized she was less tense than usual. The two deaths were sad, but not gruesome like with previous Einherjars. She hoped she wasn’t growing numb to death altogether.
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Name: Bjorn Hero Energy: 45 Skills: Axe [2], Design [7], Build [7], Craft [7] Items: None |
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Name: Olaf Hero Energy: 65 Skills: Axe [3], Build [3], Craft [3] Items: None |
Reviewing their details, Lilith already had an idea of the types of missions she could assign them to. With the growing threats of dungeons and darklings in the Vestfold area, the father and son duo would be invaluable in devising a defensive strategy—should it come to that. But how could they be useful to her? The gods kept talking about Ragnarok, some looming apocalypse that she was supposed to care about. Except, why should she? Her soul could be obliterated the next day; she had to look after herself first.
Outside, folks praised her work and offered gifts, to which she turned down. They now knew she was from Earth, yet continued to treat her with respect and admiration. That was worth more than any gift.
Spirits buoyed, Lilith left Vestfold to tackle her next task: Marten.
Gyllir flew them eastwards, past the Nine Fingers and through Thrudvang. Just beyond another vast valley, the Plains of Alesund appeared. As they made their descent, a wall of mist emerged on the horizon where the coastal town met the Takehav Expanse.
Lilith scanned the surroundings as she landed. While Vestfold’s charm lay in its vibrant life, Alesund’s tranquility was clearly its appeal. To her relief, there was no fanfare from the folks upon her arrival. In fact, they seemed aloof and even ill-humoured.
Am I not welcome here?
She suspected it had something to do with Marten. Einherjars, she realized early on, could be traced to their Valkyrie—a mystery of the System. Now what mischief was he up to wandering all the way here? Lilith consulted Mimir’s Eye, which placed his position at the harbour. But it was a different indicator that caught her attention.
Aaren is not with Sigurd…
He was with Karina. Did Sven mistake her instructions? The thought of Sigurd being alone made her stomach churn.
He can take care of himself. I have to focus.
“There’s a fight happening at the harbour,” one man said to a woman as he ran by her.
Lilith followed him on Gyllir. Towards the mist, the sounds of a commotion rang louder as she approached. Her mind cycled through possible causes. The best case: drunks making fools of themselves; the worst: Marten in a brawl with a local.
“Step aside!” she said to the restless crowd.
Folks retreated to pave way for her while mumbling their concerns, something about her out-of-control Einherjar trying to steal one of the ships. Lilith groaned at the scolding remarks. They weren’t wrong, but a little respect would be appreciated. The final wall of people opened like curtains to the furious clashing of steel. Several men surrounded Marten, taking turns swinging their sword at him. Marten easily parried the strikes with the two axes in his hands. Her hero looked unscathed, while those who fought against him curled up on the ground with fresh cuts to their limbs, whimpering.
Lilith stormed into the center of the bloody scene and cried, “Stop!”
Silence came, but only for a split second.
“Valkyrie, what brings you to Alesund?” Marten shot her a cheeky grin as he fended off a couple attackers who tried to catch him off guard.
She did a semi-circle to address the crowd. “All of you, get out of here. This is not a show.”
They eyed with mixed emotions, then reluctantly dispersed, leaving behind only those who had a score to settle.
An elderly man turned to Lilith with fury in his eyes. “He wants my ship.”
“Sir, please go,” she told him. “I promise, he will not take your ship.”
“A promise soon to be broken.” Marten chuckled and strutted down the pier. His back only faced them momentarily, before he turned around halfway and swung his axe upwards at the young man lunging at him, severing his right arm. As he shrieked in pain, Marten planted a foot in his abdomen, sending him flying off the wooden platform and into the mist. “Idiot.”
“Rolf!” The second man who fought Marten ran to his companion’s aid, frantically searching in the murky waters.
“Your friend is gone.” Marten pointed an axe at the sobbing man. “Leave while your head is still on your shoulders.”
I have to do something…
Lilith leapt off Gyllir and ran to place herself between the two. “Stop this madness or I will send you to Hel.” Regret seared her pounding heart. She should never have let him into Asgard.
Humour gone, Marten sneered, boring into her soul through the sockets of her eyes. As if spotting a weakness, he called her bluff. “I answer to no woman—especially not to a scared little Valkyrie.”
Fury coursed through Lilith’s veins and converged at her right fist. She swung hard, knuckles kneading his left cheek, before returning to her side, wincing in pain, as if she’d just punched a rock.
Marten snorted and spat, then scratched his face. “Slaves in Midgard hit harder than this.” His lips twisted into a crooked smile. “Of course, they’re not as pretty…”
Lilith flinched, barely avoiding his grasp. The guy was true to his vices, yet it still shocked her. “Stay back.” Brunhilde’s sword would come in handy right about now. “I mean it!”
What do I do? Her ears perked. Gyllir…
“Odin promised us women and mead. I’ve had my drink, and now I shall have you, Valkyrie.”
“So be it.” She clasped Mimir’s Eye to produce the map. The sudden flash of light spooked Marten, and he sprung backwards.
At that moment, Gyllir leapt forward and reared his legs at the Viking in a display of dominance. The horse snorted and stomped hard, causing the wooden platform below them to shake.
“Neat trick.” Marten scoffed and resumed his advances. “Now be a good Valkyrie and tend to your hero’s needs.”
What a pig!
Lilith checked on the Alesund man. “Go!”
“I won’t leave my brother.” He remained fixated on the waters. “Rolf! Where are you?”
As if to answer his call, a blue glowing orb emerged and glided through the mist. He froze. Not out of curiosity, but fear, as Lilith quickly realized from the rumbling waves that came with the orb heading straight towards them. Sensing danger, Gyllir scooped her onto his back and prepared to take off.
“Grab my hand!” Lilith reached for the man, but he wasn’t paying attention.
The blue rob rose, and from beneath the waves appeared a scaly creature the size of a whale. Its jaws opened, bearing yard-long fangs dripping with putrid acid. Gyllir leapt into the air just as the monster bit down. Half the pier disappeared in a blink. Lilith gulped, grateful for the horse’s quick instincts. The man and his brother were no doubt fish food; she only wished it was Marten in their place.
As the rest of the pier began to falter, the Viking dashed for the ship. “May we meet again, Valkyrie!”
Lilith stared, unable to lend a hand as the ship’s owner cursed. It was too risky to try and stop Marten with the darkling lurking around. With any luck, he would die in the Takehav Expanse. Where was he planning to go with the ship?
Gyllir returned them to the harbour, a safe distance from the glowing orb that was still hovering innocuously in the mist.
I have to warn the people of Alesund.
No sooner had she finished her thought, a flash of lightning struck the orb, shattering it to pieces. The ocean let out a deathly wail, before returning to its serene state.
“Great Thor!” the old man rejoiced.
Lilith’s eyes floated over to the godly figure clad in armor and a red cape. The giant hammer in his hand sizzled with electricity and looked like it weighed a ton.
Thor…
Odin had sent him to find Loki. Did he succeed and had come to apprehend her? He might just happen to be in the area, but Lilith didn’t want to stick around to find out. She nudged Gyllir, and he instantly understood her wishes.
“Valkyrie!” Thor said. “I would like a word with you.”
“Another time,” Lilith shouted back, then turned her gaze away from his intimidating eyes, heart racing. Unless he could fly, she was safe in the sky. A few deep breaths later, she remembered why she came to Alesund in the first place.
What am I going to do about Marten?
The ship was inching away. Soon, it would disappear into the mist. Lilith would need help to deal with the rebel. For now, she wished him a miserable journey wherever he was heading.
A thought flashed through her mind, and she clasped Mimir’s Eye. Fresh fear ignited as she saw Sigurd’s hero indicator, all by itself and blinking yellow.
I have to help him!
