I am tired. And I just met you. And you want me to apologize for deflating that
buffoon? Even if you're Thor. Who badly needs a shave and a bath.
“Now, boys, this is not the time for finding out who can piss the distance,” chastised the
old man.
“And Torvald, we came here to express our thanks. Not to fight.”
“Don’t get riled up, young mage. Helgi was an arrogant one. Needed that shaking up,"
said Torvald.
Now I am the one who's riled up? Oh, for the love of…
“Like one of my sons in his younger years. Quite a handful. Raised merry hell
everywhere he went,” chuckled the old man.
“Quite so, Father. I did have fun. But Helgi is an Erinherjar now. He’s in good company.
But his betters there will be able to teach him some humility.”
Humility? You're the one to talk.
Tyler noticed he was starting to be petty, though he was still upset. Calming himself
down, he forced himself into an acceptable mien.
“Sorry to hear that, Torvald. At least he died as a warrior,” Tyler commented.
“The arrogance of the brave fool did him in. Fought with ogres all by himself. Until they
got wise to him. An ogre grabbed him, held him still, then a giant's wooden mace
flattened him and the ogre. He should have known better.”
“That's a squishy way to die.” He just couldn’t resist the snide comment. Fortunately,
the comment flew past Torvald’s head.
“As both of you are back to your normal selves, I do apologize for Torvald’s directness.
Subtlety has not been one of his strengths. A warrior, simple and true.”
Torvald stared at his father. He clearly didn’t expect the apology. But he recovered
quickly.
“I never did have patience for matters of cloak and deception, Father. That's more my
brother's game,” commented Torvald.
“Ah, but deception in war is half the battle. But the two of you do complement each
other. Deception and raw strength. If only we could get that brother of yours to stay in
one place, that is.”
The old man had a sardonic expression on his face.
“I believe he's in southern parts again. Anyway, we dropped in to say our thanks. With
what you showed at the end, that will put Ymir on the defense for some time. At least
half a millennium. He would be wondering about the power you displayed and the
threat it poses to him. With a slow and dim brain in that thick skull of his, I now have
time to move my pieces against him.”
I believe I just got served. Used. Played.
Bottling up his anger, Tyler looked at Odin.
“Glad to be of service.”
“I know what you're thinking, Havard. Blame me for it. But delaying the end of time, for Skaney at least, is what I am meant to do. Even to the extent of what you believe I am
capable of.”
“I don’t have to be happy about it.”
“You shouldn’t. But ordinary magic will not have given him pause. Only something new
or something he remembers to be fatal to him will do. I did what I had to do. I did tell
you I was in a dilemma. You have given me time. For that, I am very grateful. You did
find some new friends along the way.”
“New magical energy? What do you mean, Father?” asked Torvald.
“Our young mage friend here is one of a kind. But let’s keep that among ourselves. But
I trust him. For you, my young friend, a warm welcome will always find you in Skaney.”
“Father, what do you mean by one of a kind?” asked Torvald in an slighted tone.
Oh, come on!
“Let's leave it at that, Torvald. Unlike us, our young man here is not bound by any
rules. You saw what happened in the Gap. Ragnarok will be least of our problems if that
creature manifests by itself, beyond the control of our young mage.”
Odin smiled at Torvald.
“That means you make sure he does not die by divine means while in Skaney. You and
yours will be responsible for that. Within the rules.”
Torvald looked back at his father. Then nodded slowly after a while.
A really cunning old man. He doesn't want me to die in Skaney because any
repercussions will be blamed on his pantheon. He brought in old muscle-head because
of the Helgi incident. And is probably wary about Loki. He wants a powerful watchdog
of a deity without being directly involved. Thor is his counterfoil to Loki. Personally, I
think muscle-for-brains is outmatched. Unless, the old man has something else cooking.
Mr. Five Steps Ahead probably has another game plan in motion. Man! With some
malice and a little bit of madness, he could have been a lot worse than Loki!
The old man stood up. Torvald followed.
“We have to say our farewells, young mage. A lot of things on both our plates await us.
Again, our gratitude.”
The two left by the front door of the inn. Tyler watched Torvald closely. He didn’t see anything which could be Mjolnir. Disappointed, he made his way to his room. The soft
bed was a delight to his tired body. Sleeping under the stars may be idyllic but it’s not
friendly to one's back.
Hal?
Yes, Elder.
Were you observing since the cave?
Yes, Elder.
Assessments on the characters?
Your companions appear to be loyal. Those two beings in the cavern are not what they
appear to be. They are primeval elementals and came into being at the same time this
world was created. My memory banks do mention them, but not by name. They are
mentioned by their affinity. Steinn for stone. Jorfi for earth. They had some interaction
with your ancestors though data is lacking. Eira is not in my databank. She does hold
some degree of fondness for you. Your two visitors are of the Nordic pantheon. As
such, their motivations are their own.
You have not told me anything new, Hal.
I am sorry, Elder. But I lack data. Most of the data here is encrypted and can only be
accessed by you, when you have the ability to do so.
Huh? I didn’t expect that.
It was deemed safer to isolate majority of the data for your direct access, Elder.
That does make sense. No insult intended. How about your defensive and offensive
capabilities?
None taken, Elder. For now, only a basic shield spell
