NOVEL WEB Jotunheim!
*Vol.1: Tales of a God.
Chapter 12 - Jotunheim.
Here is the new chapter!
Enjoy it, peasant!
Pov. Thor.
Due to Freyja crying over her stolen treasure, I, as the hero of a clichéd anime, must help the beautiful woman! And then she will fall madly in love with me, and then she will reward me with a kiss! And then we would marry and I would treat her like a queen!...
"...Pfff... hahahahahaha"
I could only laugh at this ridiculous situation.
Yeah… right...
"... Thor?... What's so funny?... We're on a quest!" said a voice behind me.
It was Sif, who was accompanying us.
"It's nothing Sif... I just remembered a joke" I explained still smiling.
Why is Sif accompanying us?... Well... It was more of a coincidence, she found us in Jotunheim, as she was looking for an item that is only found in this land... And quite hard to find, an ice rose.
She had just located the rose and picked it up when she found us heading towards Útgard's winter castle. When she discovered our destination, she immediately asked to accompany us, Sif had always liked to travel through the lands of the kingdom of Asgard... This was something she and I had in common.
And here we were, three people, two gods, and an einherjar, heading towards a castle full of giants.
Sif wanted to call in reinforcements, as we were practically invading hostile territory... This reaction was understandable.
Frey was... well...
Frey, like a good god of peace, was so unconcerned with the situation that it impressed me to some extent... After all, he didn't think anything big would happen.
But me? Well... I didn't really care about our current situation... I only had one thing on my mind:
I NEED COFFEE!
I spent a fucking century without coffee! Mead was a good substitute, but I can't drink mead forever... I might end up getting sick of the taste or something.
I had a goal: Find the necklace and drag Frey to Africa and make him your coffee detector.
During our walk, Frey looked bored, so he tried to strike up a conversation.
"Err... Thor... Why are you carrying your forge hammer?" asked Frey, pointing to Mjolnir.
... He thought Mjolnir was a mere forge hammer?... Hmm... Maybe because my partner was 'sleeping' Frey didn't feel any energy?...
"…Let's just say this hammer isn't just for forging…" I replied.
Speaking of forge... I remembered a little detail...
"Frey... I forged this necklace... And I know it had a return rune for the owner, through the blood bond... How did Freyja lose?" I asked finding the situation strange.
"I know that my friend, Freyja has tested this several times... As soon as she woke up she would activate the rune and the necklace would appear around her neck every time... But on one particular morning, it didn't work! Freyja jumped out of her bed and ran towards the place where she kept the necklace, which was the second drawer of the right closet, and the necklace was gone!" said Frey in awe.
Is the rune's effect being negated? But does that mean that-
Wait... How does he know that?... He happens to...
Frey... You damn siscon stalker.
"Frey... You don't stare at your sister all night... right?" I asked uncertainly, looking at my friend.
Who looked outraged.
"What?! Of course not! I would never have such disgusting behavior!... I just make a point of waking up thirty minutes earlier than her and then I keep watching from her bedroom window so I can watch her waking up; because, it's one of the only times of the day she smiles ..." said Frey, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
...I think I should seriously rethink my friendships...
- Location Winter Castle/Utgard Castle.
Pov. Third-person.
"Well... That's a big door..." said Frey in contemplation looking at the castle door.
"...Maybe the Jotuns want to make up for the lack of size of something else?" said Sif with a playful smile.
Sif then walked to the door and tried to push the gate.
"UGH... This thing is heavier than it looks... A little help would be nice," Sif said, gritting her teeth.
It was then that Frey tried to help by pushing the gate.
"UGH... Phew... Maybe... Maybe it's better... We stop for a while" Frey said tiredly, after failing to open the gate.
Frey and Sif then walked away from the gate.
"So…what now? Do we call someone?" asked Sif.
"…I don't know… Útgard castle is known to nullify magic of all kinds due to being made of corrupted ice, and it only responds only to the will of its master who is Útgard… We are not strong enough to open the door, so… Maybe if we screamed for help, someone inside the castle would hear us?" said Frey uncertainly.
It was then that they both saw Thor heading towards the gate.
Thor then stopped a few feet from the gate and looked up to see the size of the door.
And then he reached out his hand to remove the hammer that was clinging to his belt; when Thor had received the Mjolnir along with the note, he noticed that on the back of the note were written two runes, each with its meaning…and command.
It was these runes that decided the proportions of the Mjolnir Thor received from OAA.
ᚦ(Thurisaz) – This can mean brute force; this command would make Mjolnir have the same proportions as the Mjolnir from Record of Ragnarok.
U (Uruz) – This can mean the primary force; this command would make Mjolnir shrink to the same proportions as Marvel's Mjolnir.
A bonus was that my Mjolnir responds to my return command, as does Marvel's Mjolnir, even though it is 'asleep'.
As soon as Thor took up the hammer he whispered a word.
"Thurisaz," said Thor.
It was then that the golden-colored rune lines of Mjolnir began to emit a small glow... And then the hammer 'expanded'.
Frey and Sif were surprised by the weapon of unusual proportions... Because they didn't find such a weapon viable, after all, it wasn't a common Warhammer.
Thor then supported Mjolnir on his right shoulder.
And then he lifted his foot...
"…knock knock," Thor said.
As soon as Thor had said these words he kicked the doors, and by the force of the blow, the hinges of the gates were broken...
And so... The ice gates of the castle... Said to be heavier than mountains... Fell to the ground...
The inhabitants, not only of the castle but of much of the territory of Jotuheim could swear they heard a rumble of thunder.
- Location: Jotunheim/inside the Útgard castle.
Pov. Third-person.
Hidden in the shadows was a figure covered by a black cloak, that same figure was watching the feat done by Thor at the gates.
The shadowy figure wore an undisturbed smile.
"Hmm... What an interesting development... It just shows that I made the right decision..." commented the figure.
- Location: Jotunheim/inside the Útgard castle
Pov. Thor.
As soon as I took the first step inside the castle, I looked back and saw that neither Frey nor Sif had moved.
"...Hey...Don't just stand there, let's go," I said.
This seemed to wake them up, as Frey soon ran towards me.
"Thor! What the hell was that?!" shouted Frey.
... A few moments ago he wasn't trying to open the gate?
"Well…you guys wanted to come in, I just opened the door," I explained, shrugging.
"There's more to 'break' the door..." Sif muttered.
"Look, Thor… We can't come here and destroy their house! We are invited!" said Frey.
I could only face Frey...
... We weren't 'guests', the Jotuns didn't open the gates and invited us in...
"Besides, we can now be seen as invaders! Does that mean—" Frey trailed off as he looked at something behind me.
When I turned around... I saw several Jotuns, about 20, pointing their weapons, swords, and spears at us.
"Err... Hehe... We come in peace?" said Frey nervously.
Smooth, Frey... Smooth...
It was then that Sif whispered in my direction.
"Is this the part where they say, 'You shall not pass'?" asked Sif.
...Thanks for the accidental reference Sif... I needed this.
- Location: Jotunheim/Útgard Castle (throne room).
Pov. Thor.
The throne room in Útgard castle was quite different in that not only was the throne there but several tables and chairs were also in the same room.
If you were to compare this room to any other... This throne room would be similar to the main hall of Hogwarts Castle. And the one sitting where the headmaster would be, was the Jotun ruler of this castle, Útgard.
Apart from this guy, the whole hall was full of Jotuns... And some of them were staring at us, or more accurately, were staring at me.
Well... I feel like Shingeki no Kyojin...
"So... Beautiful day isn't it?" said Frey nervously.
Well... I suppose it would be normal Frey to be nervous. After all, we grew up listening to stories of ancient wars, and precisely one of the bloodiest wars was between Asgard and Jotunheim. The reason it was so bloody was that the Aesir gods found a worthy opponent, the Jotuns... It took five gods to bring down a Jotun, but it didn't always work; besides that, generally among the five, at least 2 or 3 gods died in the process of killing a single Jotun.
Hence the Aesir are no longer as numerous as they were in the early days of my grandfather Borr's reign; after so much bloodshed, the Vanir gods surpassed the Aesir in numbers, and this made Borr seek immediate peace with the Jotuns because of the growing power of the Vanir.
Shortly thereafter a new war broke out between Vanir and Aesir, it was during this war that Odin was born, but it was also during this war that Borr died in battle. And so, after years of conflict, Odin ended the war after Njord relinquished his crown and bent his knee, and so the Vanir gods submitted to the Aesir gods, making Odin their new ruler.
At that time... There were only 300 Jotuns that fought the Aesir, and about 200 survived the war.
But today there are more than 2000 Jotuns, half of which are inside this castle, and therefore they are subordinate to Útgard; and the rest is scattered in the realm of Jotunheim.
1000 Jotuns were inside this castle, and we were just 2 gods and one einherjar... Maybe I can understand Frey's nervousness...
Sif seemed considerably calmer... although her hand was already gripping the hilt of her sword, and was always watching for any movement of the Jotuns. I think she was thinking that if she was going to go down, she was going to go down fighting.
The Jotun who was sitting in the 'main chair' then stood up and opened his arms.
"...Greetings...I am Útgard, ruler of this castle...I welcome our Asgardian allies to my lands...I apologize for the lack of consideration of our reception, I don't want to leave a bad impression. We were just…surprised," Útgard said, smiling as he stared at me.
... What did he expect? An apology?
If so, then he's not right in his head... After all, if there was one thing I learned from Odin it was the stories he told me about my grandfather, Borr, and his war with the Jotuns; from the stories, I suspected that this castle is somehow 'connected' to Útgard, every piece of ice, every piece of furniture, every stone, in short, EVERYTHING... That gate back there?... It opens according to 'Útgard's will'. If the gate does not open, it means that Útgard supposedly did not 'want' to meet us...
In other words... This bastard knew we were out there and watched Sif and Frey try to open the gate and fail.
I just returned the favor...
"Lord Utgard! It's a great honor to meet you, don't worry about the hospitality issue... We made mistakes too and we sincerely apologize for our... Behavior," Frey said, looking at me as he spoke the last word.
... I could only shrug... Doors can be fixed.
I wouldn't have done what I did if he had welcomed us or at least said something about not being available right now...
He just ignored us and left us there... And since I knew he was watching us outside... It's almost certain that he wanted Frey and Sif to scream for help to open the gate.
The old tactic of showing yourself superior to others early on, so that when it's time to talk, he seems more intimidating and in control of the situation.
Humiliate them a little... Make them ask for help... And then reach out your hand and you'll have them in the palm of your hand.
Hurting someone's pride is, in some situations, effective in making them emotionally unstable during a conversation.
To make it easier to take advantage of the victim...
"There is no need to ask forgiveness Prince Frey... But I am curious about your arrival at my castle together with your... friends... I wonder... What are you doing so far from Asgard?" asked Útgard.
As soon as those words were out of this guy's mouth… I could only narrow my eyes.
...Don't give me that innocent question you bastard... Your castle might have the ability to nullify the effect of runes if you 'wish'!... I just can't blame you because you're not the only one with this one ability, even a box with sealing runes can negate the effect of a time-space rune.
"Ahem... Well... You see noble Útgard, we knew you would be the 'personification' of knowledge, more precisely occult knowledge, I wonder if you could help us in our search for a specific item" said Frey smiling in anticipation.
"Hmm...Maybe...First of all, what would this item be?" asked Útgard.
"It's my sister's necklace... She lost it some time ago, it's very important to her... It's irreplaceable. I wonder if you know where it is... Or at least if you offer any clues" Frey replied.
"Hmm... Surely I could know someone who can help... However, while I accept your apology, my subordinates don't seem to accept..." said Útgard pointing to the rest of the Jotuns inside the hall.
That's when I looked around and it seemed that most, if not all, of the Jotuns, were now staring at us with angry looks.
Sif looked ready to draw her sword, but I stopped her by holding her forearm... She looked at me, and I shook my head.
One of the rules of guest rights... If someone attacks you, you have every right to retaliate.
This rule is even more important for me and Frey, as we were 'princes', our actions reflect our people. If we strike the first blow, Jotuns have the right to defend themselves, and it will show that Asgard does not honor the rights of guests, this could damage our image not only for other races but also for other pantheons.
"... Fortunately, my race respects strength... So I propose five challenges, and if you complete at least three of these challenges I will help you in your search for Princess Freyja's necklace... But in case you lose two challenges, you will set out on a new quest for us... Capture a lonely young Jotun who lives in Niflheim on the island of shadows called Lyngvi, and bring her here... Her mother Angrboda wants her back " said Útgard.
... I really don't want to delay this mission... It's already taking up a lot of my time.
Hmm... Niflheim? I've been in this realm when I went to collect some items for Idhuna like the blood of a Draugr... Ugh... I still remember the smell, it made the smell of leachate seem like a perfume of the highest quality.
But... Lyngvi? I don't remember seeing any of this.
I mean, yes, I went further to the center of this realm and I saw the river of souls, considered the river of reincarnation, called Gioll, which divided the ice realm in two, the ice land and the land of the dead; and the famous lake of the dead, Amsvartnir, where the Draugr arose but I hadn't seen 'islands'.
But it seemed that Sif knew about this island, as I saw that she had a look of recognition in her eyes... But she also turned paler than usual.
"Wait a minute there! Lyngvi is a forbidden place! While it may be where this Jotun is, it's also where Fenrir is chained!" exclaimed Sif.
Oh?... So is that where my 'cousin' is?... Hmm, possibly I'll visit him later...Maybe I'll even bring him coffee.
"These are the terms of the pact…" said Útgard.
It looked like Sif didn't want to risk it.
"... I think we'd better go, we can have other ways to locate this necklace" Sif whispered between us.
I was about to agree with Sif, until...
"We agree!" said Frey.
"We have a pact then!" said Útgard with a smile.
"...Prince Frey... With all respect... Why don't you offer your ass too?" asked Sif impassively.
Frey looked indignant.
"Sif! This is total disrespect to me! Furthermore, it may seem like an unfair pact... But the situation is hopeless! I need to find this necklace before another one little shit! If anyone finds it before me, they can ask my sister to marry him and she will accept! And then she'll leave me…" Frey explained exasperatedly.
"…I'm leaving, if there's one thing I don't like people answering for me," I said.
Sif seemed to agree with me and then started following me.
But we were stopped by two giants who blocked the door to the hall.
"…Get out of my way, do you want to violate the guest's rights? If so I have every right to 'remove' you from my sight," I said, narrowing my eyes.
"… You can't," said the Jotun.
"And why not?" I insisted.
At that point, I was already aiming Mjolnir at this guy's head.
"Because Prince Frey agreed to the pact as 'we' not 'I', he basically included you two in the pact as well," Útgard said, smiling.
... Damn it, Frey, you know that we cannot violate a pact, as it is a total disrespect to one of our laws; after all, a pact is Ymir's 'law'.
When we get that necklace back, you're going to help me a lot more than finding coffee, Frey.
For starters, I'm going to take your Sumarbrandr sword and study it, after all, it is one of the most powerful swords in our pantheon, being the only sword that can match Surt's sword, the Skumringssverd, which is capable of reducing everything to ashes.
"... Alright... But Frey, I'll charge you for the extra work" I said looking at Frey.
"…Okay," said Frey, embarrassed.
- Location: Jotunheim/Utgard Castle (outside)
Pov. Thor.
The pact was clear, as Frey had the brilliant idea to include both me and Sif, we will need to participate in at least one challenge.
The first challenge was simple.
A race.
Competitors must run from the castle to the nearest mountain and return to the castle.
For this challenge, Sif offered herself as a candidate, even though I was much faster than her.
However, I chose to remain silent, I wanted to see what Sif had up her sleeve... I knew she wouldn't volunteer without a good reason.
"Are you sure you want to participate in this Sif challenge? You still have some physical limits, even though you're one of our best einherjar," said Frey.
"Don't worry, I have something that will help me," Sif said smiling confidently.
Now I was curious, what do you have Sif?
Sif seemed to notice my curiosity as she smiled in my direction.
"Don't be so surprised... You're not the only one my mom taught me something about forging," Sif said, with a wink.
Oh? Now, this got interesting.
"I see you've already chosen your representative, Prince Frey... I want you to meet mine, his name is Hugi," said Útgard with a smile.
And so we got away from the competitors, and as soon as we got away they started to prepare.
"You both are ready? Hugi, give the young einherjar a small advantage... We don't want to break her spirit," said Útgard with a smile.
Hugi just showed a positive sign.
Thanks to a small amulet, the Jotun has shrunk considerably, it is now 6 feet tall. To be a 'fair' match.
The sound of a trumpet authorized the start of the game.
As soon as the trumpet sounded, Sif immediately started running... To my surprise, she is much faster than normal.
It was then that I noticed that the cape and boots she was wearing… were giving off a small green glow.
The cape should be enchanted to reduce air resistance, and the boots would act as boosters to increase speed... Sif you cunning woman.
Apparently, she's learned a thing or two from her mom, even though she wants to follow in her dad's footsteps.
"Yes! Go Sif! Bring us the victory! HAHAHA" applauded Frey, who screamed like a good fan.
But...
When I looked at the Jotun who was competing against Sif... He hadn't left the starting line, he didn't even seem shaken by Sif's supernatural speed.
"I must say, I'm impressed," said Útgard in contemplation. As he approached where we were.
"Hahaha, she's our best einherjar, even though she's only 100 years old," Frey said with a smug smile.
"I see... It's a shame she's competing against Hugi the 'thought'," said Útgard, smiling.
... What did he say?!
I soon faced the Jotun named Hugi again, at the starting line... Only to find he had disappeared.
Oh no... Sif, you were unlucky.
.
- Location: Jotunheim/on the outskirts of Útgard castle.
Pov. Third-person.
Sif was rapidly approaching the mountainside.
"This is being too easy..." said Sif.
She then took one last look back but saw no one. She then accelerated again towards the slope.
As soon as Sif was just inches from the slope, she was ready to turn around and head back to the castle…only for her to freeze, as soon as she turned around.
Time seemed to freeze when Sif noticed a shadow beside her... She looked and was surprised when she saw the Jotun.
"... Good luck next time kid," said the Jotun named Hugi with a mocking tone.
As soon as Sif blinked, Hugi had disappeared again.
She then looked ahead and saw that he was already halfway back to the castle.
Sif could only grimace in resignation.
"...Shit," said Sif cursing her luck.
- 5 minutes later, inside Útgard castle/main hall)
Pov. Thor.
And so, we had our first loss.
"I'm sorry... For losing the first challenge so soon, my overconfidence prevented me from making the best judgment and letting you compete first Thor" said Sif.
I stopped her by reaching out my hand and putting it on her shoulder.
"...Don't think about it too much, both you and we were surprised... But it wasn't all that bad, after all, now I know that you've learned to value your mother's work more; I'm sure that in the future it will be you who will surprise us" I said.
I wasn't very good at comforting others, but I did my best so she wouldn't feel bad... At least I think that was a good lesson for her.
But it seemed to work, as she smiled at me in response.
"The next challenge will be a food competition!" said Útgard, pointing to two tables of human proportions.
On the tables were two plates full of ribs.
The Jotun who used the shrinking amulet was called Logi.
And who would compete against him would be Frey.
With the score being 1x0 in favor of the Jotuns, a victory in our favor was preferable.
"Let the competition begin!" said Útgard.
And then a trumpet sounded in the main hall.
But... As soon as the trumpet announced the start of the match, Frey had been defeated a few seconds later.
What I found disgusting and strange, was that Jotun didn't even leave the bones.
"Ah... I see it's another victory for us, it's a pity for you Asgardians," said Útgard.
"What... what was that?" asked Frey in shock.
"Don't look me like that, Prince Frey... Logi is known for his great appetite... After all, the 'personification' of fire 'devours' everything in front of him," said Útgard with a smile.
This... is not going well...
- 5 minutes later.
Pov. Third-person.
As the pact was made under the 'law' of Ymir, the result must be respected and honored by both parties, it was one of the laws established by Buri himself, the first Norse god.
With a total of five challenges.
And with a 2-0 score in favor of the Jotuns, the Asgardians needed to win the next three challenges.
"No… I was a fool… We won't get the information Útgard has about the necklace, and besides, we have a new quest to go to the frozen realm of Niflheim, and look for a Jotun that is living on the same island with the murderer of gods! We are doomed!" said Frey almost pulling out his hair in despair.
It was then that Sif slapped his cheek.
*Slap*
"Get a grip, my prince... You're the one who got us into this situation, so at least keep your composure," Sif said, crossing her arms.
Who would participate in the next challenge would be Thor.
Pov. Útgard.
Everything was going according the plan, thanks to my 'connection' with my castle I was able to record all the competitions. Once we're done with that, I'll send a rune to the other races and have them see the once Asgardians. Getting them to fetch Angrboda's daughter was just a bonus.
But still... There's this 'boy', who broke down the gates of my castle... It's time to humiliate him a little with something simple.
Since I have received information about his taste for mead, I would like to know how he would react to not being able to consume a 'mere' mead horn.
I soon brought the ceremonial horn... Comparing it to a god was even a little funny, due to the difference in size.
The drinking horn was easy twice the height of the red-haired boy, who was just over 7'2'' feet.
The mead will never 'finish', as the bottom of this horn is connected to a core of a planet far away, and has the size of our sun, made up of almost all water; the only solid thing on that planet is the core that carries the planet's water and turns into mead for the bottom of this drinking horn.
I looked at the god and gave my best smile.
"Here is your challenge, Asgardian, you will have no competitors... This horn serves to punish my men if someone violates the feast customs, the punishment is to drink from this horn. Your challenge is to dry it... Very simple, don't you think? I thought it was the better way to give you a chance to win; after all, it wouldn't be fun anymore" I said, handing the mead horn into the little hands of the boy, who was standing on the edge of my salon table, so the horn wouldn't hit the ground.
For some reason, the other two Asgardians, instead of looking insulted…looked…worried? Strange... Why does it look like they saw a spirit?
Pov. Third-person.
"Let the challenge begin!" said Útgard.
And then the trumpet sounded in the hall.
And so Thor soon turned the giant horn filled with mead and began to drink.
"Hahahaha, let's go my people! Let's root for this Asgardian!" said Útgard.
All the Jotuns knew what that horn was... Or more specifically, where the bottom of the horn would lead.
Then the Jotuns exchanged amused smiles and began to encourage Thor.
"DRINK IT! DRINK IT! DRINK IT! DRINK IT! DRINK IT! DRINK IT! DRINK IT! DRINK IT! DRINK IT!"
.
- 4 hours later...
The main hall was silent.
As the first hour passed, the shouts of encouragement began to be replaced by jeers.
After two hours, the mockery began to be replaced by calls for surrender.
After three hours... The hall stopped making noise and began to stare at Thor, who hadn't lost his consumption pace.
After four hours... The 'endless' ceremonial horn lay on the ground... But there was not a drop of mead coming out of the horn.
This meant that a 'water planet' of the size of the sun... had ceased to exist...
Thor was now facing Útgard, who looked nervous.
It was then that Thor made a sound, a sound that meant a warning in Valhalla during the festivities.
"*Hic*"
The drunk calamity… was here.
Well... That's it, folks!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Until next time, and don't forget to leave your comment!
Forgive me in case of grammatical errors... I tried. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I still have no idea to link images in the paragraph... Someone pls help me!