"I suppose that this time you have a plan? So then, speak to me Uncle. What is it?"
A good looking man with dark hair and equally dark colored eyes addressed the hulking figure that stood before him. The handsome man's six feet in height seemed small compared to the 7 feet giant that stood before him.
"Of course. You know I don't do anything without a plan." The hulk of a man stopped in his tracks, prompting the entourage of warriors to stop their march as well, turned around and fixed his brown eyes on his nephew. He walked towards him as he ruffled his hair, an action that would have looked cute to anyone if one were to ignore the large playful grin on his face. Oh, and the huge hands that easily held the entire head in place.
"You mean what we have been doing thus far? How is that a plan? Also, you should stop that. I'm not a child anymore you know. It is stuff like these that cause the warriors of Valhalla to look down on me."
The handsome man threw off his Uncle's hand as he grunted his disapproval.
"Hahahaha. Who dares look down on you? Come on, Forseti, you are the Nordic god of justice. Your valour in battle is extraordinary. Even if I swaddle you no one would dare laugh."
As if in contradiction to the big man's words, the entire camp burst out in laughter. A slight blush grew on Forseti's fair face as he glared ferociously at his Uncle.
Thor scratched his head in embarrassment, and as he resumed his march in large strides, tried to change the topic of discussion. Fortunately, he succeeded.
"Hopefully it won't be long before we find what we are looking for. As long as we stick to my plan I'm positive that it wouldn't take us over 2 years to find it"
The corners of Forseti's lips twitched slightly in response to Thor's words. Plan? How can what they have been doing so far even be considered as a plan. They were basically acting as a sweepers' unit, blatantly destroying every and anything that they came into contact with. But what else did he expect when Thor was the one leading the expedition.
They were currently in the Realm of the Desolates. A realm that had earned such a name because every planet in it was inhabited by unintelligent beings. Creatures of darkness roamed the lands here, destroying each other, and possessing very little intelligence. In fact in this realm, very much unlike the others, strength wasn't the oddity- intelligence was.
The planet they were currently on was ruled by gargoyles. Well the term 'ruled' was not an apt description- more like the gargoyles were at the top of the food chain on this planet. Gargoyles were creatures that were rarely seen in the other realms. This was mainly because only in darkness would gargoyles be truly active. They froze into stone sculptures when the sun shone on them. They were abundant in the Realm of the Desolates however, since there was no light here.
"I do miss your father. A great warrior, invincible he was- unlike that coward Helios who calls himself the sun god. With the god of light here, there would be no need to fight at all. We could just stroll through this land as though it were ours."
Thor sighed in remorse when he thought about Baldur, the Nordic god of light. He wondered if he'd ever see his brother again.
Forseti's face fell at the mention of his father. Just like any normal son, he loved his father. And like any normal son, he didn't like to talk about his dead father. The most beautiful of memories became the most painful after the death of a loved one.
Thor noticed the change in Forseti's countenance. He sighed ruefully at the sight. Forseti was the one hit the hardest by his father's disappearance. It had been years since his 'death', yet Forseti wasn't over it. He did understand that everyone grieved in their own way, in their own time. He only wished for the day Forseti would truly be over Baldur's death.
"You know, there is still the possibility that he is alive. None of us saw him die after all. And we don't know much about the dark realm to…"
Thor spoke in an attempt to comfort his nephew, but was interrupted midway.
"But we do know that no one has ever come out of it alive. It is a realm feared by peak level existences. Even ascended realm experts dread it. There is no way he survived that. Besides, the Allfather waited, standing at its boundaries for months, hoping for a miracle. His disappointment, we know all too well."
Forseti's words were cold, his expression dark, nothing like the cheerful god the warriors knew.
"Well done Uncle. My mood is ruined."
Thor chuckled at his nephew's words. He knew the 'kid' well enough to understand what he meant.
"Well, look around. There are a lot of unfortunate beings you can vent your frustration on."
Forseti hadn't noticed in his absent mindedness that they had entered the lair of gargoyles- gargoyle lions to be exact.
He ducked gracefully to avoid the paw of the unwitting lion that had pounced on him from above. He gracefully unsheathed his sword as he sliced the silly creature into two- from head to tail. Looking at the number of warriors present, Forseti licked his lips. They barely numbered past twenty. But these were not just twenty random warriors- they were twenty of the best. The gargoyles on the other hand, were numerous, their forms filling the ground and their presence in the sky noted as the sounds of their wings beating against the air conveyed their annoyance.
This sight would have scared the average man- but not these battle freaks
"Good. Enough for everyone." Forseti licked his lips as he admired the sight before him- around him rather.
Thor nonchalantly cracked his knuckles. Though his weapon was nowhere to be found, he didn't look a tad disturbed.
"Indeed. Enough for us all. Brave warriors of Valhalla. Let's riot!"