Dracula nodded at his words. He wasn't bothered that they showed no reaction to his words stating that he had some information on what they were hunting for. He was certain that by now they would have met many claiming to possess valuable information; many who were wrong.
He picked a relatively comfortable rock, and sat. Lilith and Vlad picked rocks that were placed around his, irrespective of how uneven or uncomfortable they were. They were clearly displaying their allegiance to their king, showing that they would follow him no matter what. As for Alucard, he didn't follow in their steps. The blood prince walked over to a comfortable looking rock and lifted it over his shoulders like it was a piece of dry wood, light and easy to carry. He carried it effortlessly to his father and placed it at his right side. He sat calmly after his job was done. His attitude brought a huge smile to Thor's face.
"Interesting", the thunder god remarked. "Indeed it is", Forseti assented. That small display had revealed something to them. Alucard didn't use any inner energy when lifting the boulder, only his brute strength. Although they weren't clear on the prince's inner energy level, they could conclude that he was also a body wielder. It was a difficult path to take for someone born into royalty. Whether or not his kingdom was still as illustrious as it was mattered little. It was the resolve to pursue the harder path that impressed them.
"If only they hadn't killed our men, they would have become worthy allies." Thor lamented. He was referring to the situation that led to Tyr's assault on the vampires. His words were unhidden, so the vampires heard it all. Vlad smiled bitterly when he felt Lilith's killing intent centred on him.
"Speak now; what is this new information you want to feed us with?" Forseti ignored the outburst of killing intent from the pretty vampire girl. It wasn't directed at him, but at her colleague. It was clear that it had something to do with his uncle's earlier statement. But it mattered little to him what their internal strives were. As long as it didn't concern him and his race of battle thirsty Asgardians, he was fine. As for Turgot and Varangot, they were left to lie in their filth. Although Forseti was itching to beat them up for causing so much worry to the gods, that would have to wait until they heard what the strange race before them had to say. If their information was worth nothing much, the two unfortunate warriors would undergo the harshest training of their lives once they were back in Asgard. But if it was of great value, then-
"They will still undergo the harshest training of their lives." Forseti thought cruelly. He turned to look at his uncle who had an equally crazed look on his face. He smiled brightly seeing the expression on the older god's face. If he wasn't wrong, Thor was probably thinking the same thing. Poor Turgot…poor Varangot. They weren't just going to receive harsh training, but they were going to get it from two different gods. One of whom was known for his brutal regimes once a mug of mead was put in his hand.
"I have to make sure that Uncle always has mead then." Forseti thought heartlessly. His train of thought was not fitting for the one known as the god of justice. Yet when one factored the fact that Asgardians loved tough love, it made some sense. His train of thought was broken by the Vampire Lord, Lord Dracula. Seeing that they didn't have the attention of both gods, the Vampire Lord cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. He didn't know what they were thinking, but the evil smirks on the duos faces would inform anyone that it was nothing good. Luckily these evil grins were aimed at the two unconscious Asgardians, so Dracula had no reservations in waking them up from their reverie. He could only say a word of prayer for the poor warriors who lay drooling at his feet.
"Ah yes, sorry about that. Do say what you must." Forseti quickly apologised for his misdemeanour. His apology was not meant for only himself, but for his uncle as well. Upon receiving the go ahead, Dracula began his speech.
"When we found out that you sought no just one, but two of the grand mysteries of the universe, we were not just bewildered- we were awed. It takes a great man to find the answers to one mystery; a lord to solve two; a prince to solve three; a king to solve four; an emperor to solve five; a god to solve six-"
"And a fool to solve them all" Forseti interjected. Dracula nodded at the words of the god of justice. He wasn't at all surprised that the god of justice knew this. He would be more surprised if he didn't. The long line he quoted was known to most of the high tier ascenders. There were seven grand mysteries in this universe, each one was just as mystifying as the other. There was none greater, and none lesser. And many sought to understand the truths of these mysteries. Yet there was a mystery behind these mysteries. A suspicion- no, a truth- behind these truths. It was said that he who would grasp the essence of the riddles that weigh down heavily on the universe, would hold the fate of the universe in his/her hands. That was when a famous scholar coined the statement Dracula had just spat out. The last phrase- and a fool to solve them all- meant that only a fool would want such power in their hands. For the burden of holding the life of all in one's hands was heavy. So heavy was this burden that even the Supremes, who were said to be the true heirs to the universe for their respective eras, rejected such a fate.
"You pursue the truth behind two of the 7: where the chaotic flames rest, and; the unbreakable mineral known as devilstone." Dracula calmly laid out what he knew. It wasn't anything impressive. Since he had stated that he had interrogated the two unconscious Asgardians concerning their goal, it came as no surprise that he knew this. He was right. The two gods had assembled an entire team to seek out these two mysteries. Of the seven mysteries, these were the two they sought. They needed to know the location of the long lost 'Chaotic Flames', and the place to mine devilstone. Initially, not much was known about the later. No one even knew the name of the material that was said to be the hardest mineral in existence. It had remained this way since the inception of the cosmos, until a million years ago. The story dictates that an exploring scholar had accidentally come across an ore that was denser than anything he had ever seen. It was a fist sized ore with several strange markings on its surface, markings that seemed to extend into its interior structure as well. The intrigued scholar had tried to pick it up, but failed miserably. After several attempts, he resented, choosing not to study the mineral anymore, but to gift it. Since he couldn't get it for himself, he would present it to the strongest beings of the universe. So, on the birthday of one of the origin gods, the brilliant scholar presented the location of the mineral to the god. He boasted that not even he could understand the composition of this mineral. He asked that this origin god, whose wisdom was beyond most, seek the mineral and decode what his brain couldn't. The curious god consented, and taking with him his best warriors, ventured outward, seeking the mineral."
"Using the map accurately drawn by the scholar, they had no problems locating the mineral. Yet even the gods, couldn't lift this mineral from its sheath- the ground that held it- using just their brute strength. Finally, the wise god was able to pry the material out of the ground. But what they discovered was not the fist-sized ore the scholar described. The small size was just the shape of the mineral above ground. The actual mineral was at least six feet long. As for how the wise god was able to pry it out of the ground, this remains unknown, yet he did what the scholar failed to do. The impressed scholar volunteered his services, promising to help the wise god understand this metal and use it for the good of the 7 heavens. It is said that the appearance of the mineral sparked universe wide omens. Every world had its light robbed for three days. It was through this that all people realised that the ore was special. It was one of the seven mysteries. And so it earned the name 'devilstone', for only the devil seeks out darkness in the light. The legends say a war was waged upon the wise god's kingdom because of this mineral."
"For although no one was able to break it apart and use it, its potential was realised. For a material of such density could not only hold the power of the edict, but chaos as well. Eventually, the metal was divided amongst the 7 heavens. It is believed that the weapons of the origin gods are made of devilstone. But due to its unique nature, all they could do was infuse it with other minerals. Yet it still made these weapons near unbreakable. As for whether the myths are true, I reckon that you will know of it better than I do. My knowledge is shallow as the waters of a young spring, for I am young and rash. But you, great thunder god, have been alive since the universe came into being. So I ask King of all that flashes and roars, are my words true? Do the myths deceive? Or do they hold the absolute truth?"
Dracula looked eagerly at Thor. He was a being thirsty for knowledge. He wanted to know if the myths were true. And if they weren't, what was the truth behind the mystery of the devilstone?