After getting a better look at the large amount of people down there, I realized the opposition wasn't only Jotuns – Giants, on the other side. Granted, they were the predominant combatant amongst the thousands fighting. But among their numbers, there were some grotesque creatures that I was guessing were Trolls.
And these certainly weren't like the Trolls in Skyrim. These things were about the size of a one story, two story, house give or take. At the very least, every one of them was twice as big as a large person.
Trolls existed among the Norse, and in addition to the fact that Elves existed here too…..I wanted to question their relation to the Fae.
But that was a thought for later.
Primarily, I was focused on the immediate issue of the fighting going on. And in addition to those two groups, there was a third that made up a large portion of the enemy's forces. Undead swarmed between the gaps of the Jotun and the Trolls that were fighting Asgard's forces.
So much for us quietly coming here to look around, things had clearly taken an obvious turn for the worse. But if this was how it's going to happen, we'd just have to roll with the punches.
"Fire the Cannons." I ordered, not so much as it required my verbal input, but giving a fair warning to everyone on board.
Funnily enough, the fact that the cannons were fire-orientated here was a boon despite my previous wish to change their element.
The Spell Circles lit up within the Cannons of the ship, and the condensed beams rained down upon the unsuspecting forces below.
Perhaps only a few of them noticed us immediately before the bombardment, but now, they were assuredly aware of our presence as a few swathes of enemies were eviscerated.
Dozens of Undead – Draugr, perhaps. They were turned to ash on impact. A few Trolls suffered wounds, and I was fairly sure they had a weakness to fire, but it didn't quite matter.
I noticed one Giant in particular take a shot to the head that nearly made it stumble, but it quickly recovered, head jerking up a roar escaping from his lips.
It held its hand up and a massive Ice Spear formed, shooting up at us.
"So, they can use Magic." I noted.
I was honestly not very well versed in the background of Jotun beyond the basics.
"Mine." Achilles jumped off the ship, his spear appearing in his hand as he used his descending momentum to shoot right through the Ice Spear to the land below to the Giant's head.
"That idiot." Atalanta sighed. "Let's go." Atalanta jumped off after him.
"Aye!" Thorum smiled.
"Let's see who can take more heads." Sasaki drew his blade and leapt after them quickly.
"Odin?" I glanced at the All Father.
Odin was staring at the place below us, gripping his 'stick' rather tightly, almost looking lost. "It's wrong." He whispered. "Go, I need a moment."
I just nodded. "Jinn, staying here or coming?"
She answered me by jumping off the edge of the boat. Granted, she more so floated than the others' more direct descent.
I just shook my head and leapt after them, letting Gravity carry me to the ground.
I cracked the freshly frozen ice that had appeared presumedly since the Giant's arrival, shattering it in several placez.
Right away, A massive wooden and spiked club came swinging at my body. The owner of it snarled with a wart-covered face.
I nearly recoiled in disgust at this Troll's looks.
"Zun Haal Viik." I spoke the Dragon words, and the weapon in his hand flew off in the other direction.
It had a stupid look on its face, utterly confused as to what happened.
With a burst of Shunpo, I appeared a few feet up in the air, in front of its face and held my palm out, forming a Spell Circle. "Thunder Bolt."
The condensed bolt of lightning tore through the Troll's head, disintegrating it entirely as its body fell to the ground like a puppet without strings.
I landed back down without much effort and took in my surroundings.
A battlefield was definitely a chaotic thing.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Thorum barreling through tons of undead like a Juggernaut, completely unperturbed by their numbers.
And on the opposite side, Atalanta just placed a handful of arrows into the eyes of a Giant, making it fall over in rage.
I stepped to the side quickly and something came flying my way.
At second glance, it was a Valkyrie that hit the ground and tumbled a few times before coming to a rest. One of her wings looked mangled and she barely held herself up.
It took a moment for her to notice me. "Leave, he's coming – " She abruptly stopped and looked confused. "Who are – "
"Geigrun!" A voice reverberated over the battlefield. And the biggest silhouette that towered over the others came stomping our way.
Each of its steps felt like it would cause a small earthquake.
The massive Jotun, probably twenty or so meters tall and a hulking mass of muscle and fat with some furs barely covering its pale blue skin and modesty.
"Why do you run!?" He bellowed once more. "After we destroy Asgard, I'll take you as my wife! There's no need to flee!" He laughed.
I looked at the Giant then at her.
The size didn't really add up there….
"Do Giants really have dicks that small?" I asked. And I assume that my question invoked such intellectual curiosity because the Valkyrie just stared at me in dumbfoundedness.
And I believe that the Giant also heard me, because a massive shadow now blocked out the sun, and I believed that to be his fist.
@***@
Valkyrie Geigrun POV
Well, that fool was dead.
His courage would be remembered.
….if I survived.
He probably came from that strange ship floating in the sky if his strange clothes were anything to go by. I barely had time to acknowledge them before I had to fend off this Giant's attacks.
His massive fist slammed into the ground, and I winced at the thought. Unfortunately, he would have no mercy for me, and to answer that strange man's question, I would not like to experience it for myself.
The Giant was silent for some reason, and there was an indescribable look on his face. That arm that was bigger than even a cow trembled and slowly it was seemingly forced away.
The strange man was not so dead after all, and with a feat of strength worthy of Thor himself, he held back the Giant's fist.
"Oh boy, I actually felt that!" The man exclaimed.
I found myself sharing an expression with the Giant because I was having trouble believing my eyes.
"What else you got?"
"Tiny insect!" The Giant roared. "I am Fegrog, Mountain shaper! I have slain Valkyries and Einherjar alike, do you dare fight me!?"
"No."
"Foolish courage, you are –" The Giant then nearly stumbled over himself. "What?"
"But he looks like he wants a fight." The strange man pointed to the side with both of our gazes following.
"Sup, I'm Rider." Another man with green hair appeared, his armor looked utterly foreign, but at least he was wearing armor to begin with.
"I don't care how many insects come! No mere ant can hope to defeat me!" He bellowed, swinging his massive arm across the air towards the newcomer.
Just the force of it was enough to nearly blow me away. The first man to appear seemingly caught me, and I almost jumped in surprise as I didn't see him move from where he was standing previously.
But I grew more concerned about the Green haired one named Rider.
However, he moved much quicker than I anticipated as he dodged the attack handedly. Fegrog didn't relent, and even for his size, his fists eclipsed the sun with their size and speed. Each one of them sent shockwaves throughout the battlefield as he attempted to kill the newcomer.
Yet, the green haired man danced between them as if he were dealing with a child.
"A coward! Do you dare take my fist!?"
Did he truly thing that would work –
"Alright."
I stood corrected.
The Giant laughed as if he won some prize, he reeled his arm back and his muscles bulged. I felt a magical barrier appear in front of us, the source of it coming from the red-haired stranger at my side.
The fist that could punch through a mountain arrived at the normal-sized person.
He stood there and merely put up a guard as if it were a normal punch.
If there was no barrier in front of us, I was sure that this fist would have killed me even though I was not the recipient.
However, amongst the whipping of wind, and the destruction of the earth that followed in its wake, the green-haired Rider stood unmoving.
The Fist of the Mountain Shaper met an immovable object.
The Giant, recovering from his attack, pulled back a full step with eyes widening. "H-How –"
"My turn." The Rider said calmly, and a Shield appeared on his arm, invoking a strange sense of danger within myself that has been honed over the centuries. He moved faster than my eyes could follow, and that of the Giant's as well.
The last thing I saw was the Rider Servant swinging the shield from underneath the Giant's chin. The resounding thunderclap made me believe that Lord Thor had arrived, but I was brought back to realization to see the Giant, large even among his kind, lifted up off his feet and sent hurling through the air until he landed upon his back dozens of meters away.
It wasn't until a warm and soothing feeling filled my body that I came back to my senses. I looked at the red-haired one that was using magic to mend my wounds.
I was grateful, of course, even if I had no idea what was going on. But clearly, they were allies.
"I don't know who you are, but you must assist the other sides! With your strengths, we can easily win this battle!"
"It's fine, just focus on the healing." The Red-haired one replied.
"You don't understand, while Fegrog may have been the strongest on this battlefield, there are many who can –"
"He means, that it's being handled." The Rider person stepped next to us, with only the sound of air to accompany his abrupt arrival.
I was confused to what he meant and forced myself to fully stand up and survey the battlefield.
On the left flank, Hjálfr was leading the Einherjar. I expected them to struggle, as this battle was not one in our favor in any aspect. We were outnumbered, and Fegrog was stronger than myself, and I was the strongest present.
However, the situation was not one I anticipated. They were pushing back the evil creatures, and it merely took a continued look to see why.
Arrows shot between the Einherjar. If one of the warriors looked as if he were to be overwhelmed, arrows appeared and prevented harm by pushing back the foes.
A Troll had an arrow pierce its eye as it was about to swing its club at a prone Shield Maiden.
A Draugr's axe was shot out of its hand as its companions attempted to swarm a large warrior holding the front line.
And a Frost Giant let out a painful roar as a woman with the ears and tail of a feline jumped off its head, releasing arrows from a bowstring, arrows that matched the ones that appeared throughout that part of the battlefield.
She evaded the Jotun's attacks, sending her own arrows to pierce its thick skin, while also taking time to protect the warriors around her. Slowly, they pushed back the enemies without suffering any significant casualties.
My head snapped to the opposite side where my fellow Valkyrie Hjǫrg commanded the warriors.
Faintly, I could hear strange words upon the winds that spoke of magics.
"Fus Ro Dah!"
Ripples of invisible power swept large portions of undead off their feet and destroyed what remained of their undead bodies. It was only then that I noticed the baleful energy that enveloped his large sword.
Was that the Demonic Sword Gram!?
The man wielding the Demonic Sword swept through the front line, turning into a literal whirlwind with more undecipherable words that were barely audible over the noise that filled this battlefield.
And he was not alone.
Another strange man dressed in purple cloth wielded a sword much too large and thing to be practical, yet!!! Yet, with a skill and expertise I could only admire from the depth of my soul, he struck down Trolls and Undeads by an uncountable degree without so much as a single blow landing upon the tassels of his absurd clothes. It did not matter how many surrounded him, his long sword found the edge of any blade that bid him harm and refused them entry upon his person.
They were all warriors that could force the battlefield to change to their presence, and they all appeared here simultaneously.
"Who…..who are you people?" I finally asked.
"We –"
My head jerked up because even I could feel the egregious amount of Magic that appeared and formed into a Magic Circle. Magic was never my point of mastery, as I preferred my spear in hand over the mystic arts. But even I could admire the sheer impressiveness of the Magic Circle that was overhead.
I found the one casting it easily as they did nothing to mask their presence.
It came from behind us, behind the warriors that fought on the front lines.
A blue woman in a dress held her hands up and the spell finished at her beckoning.
A light not unlike the one that was healing me now fell upon the battlefield for the most part, enveloping the warriors of Asgard with a protective light, their wounds mending at visible speeds.
I….why did this feel like a dream? I thought I was going to die soon…..
The only thing that would make this more absurd is if –
"Hey brat, I got some questions for you."
"Lord Odin!?"
[***]
Wilhelm POV
"Well, the Valkyrie just passed out. Good job." I said, looking down at the fainted Valkyrie.
"Bah, kids these days." Odin huffed, poking her with his stick. "Wake up brat. Wake up or I'm gonna touch your boobs."
The Valkyrie immediately sprang up, looking as if she was ready to get back into a fight.
"Why is that a thing that works!?" I called out, pointing at Odin.
"Lord Odin!?"
"You're Geigrun, right? Haven't seen you in years." Odin's expression softened.
"Y-yes, Lord Odin." She nodded excitedly.
"I need to know what's going on."
The Valkyrie stood up properly and patted her breastplate in a form of salute. "Reporting to Lord Odin. Valkyrie Geigrun was assigned to this battlefield. Until you and your subordinates arrived, we were overwhelmed and on the verge of collapse."
"Yes, yes, I know that. I want to know what's happened since I've been gone. Why is there a front line here! And where are the others? My stupid son wouldn't miss an opportunity to smack a Giant of Fegrog's size!"
"Lord Odin, this is the most recently opened battlefield, we...we didn't expect a higher level Giant to appear. Other than this one, there are twelve other battlefields currently and Lord Thor is assigned at the border of Jotunheim."
Odin exhaled through his nose. "Tell me all the important things since I've been gone."
"All of Asgard's enemies have moved at the same time, it was a coordinated attack. Lady Freya, King Vidar, and Lord Heimdall organized the defense lines. Lord Heimdall and Lady Freya are holding off the forces of Muspelheim while Lord Thor is holding the line at Jotunheim, keeping the Jotun King at bay. The Light Elves have joined our side, but the Dark Elves have rebelled. The Dwarves of Nidavellir were hit by a surprise attack and half of Nidavellir has turned to flames or Ice. They say that the Fire King appeared, but no one can be sure."
"What of Vanaheim?"
"Vanaheim answered our call to arms, they are pressuring Muspelheim from their side and sent reinforcements to Nidavellir. And…."
"What, spit it out, girl!"
"The Goddess Hel has betrayed Asgard, her undead soldiers now bolster the forces of Asgard's enemies."
"Bullshit!" Odin scowled. "Hel was loyal to a fault! She would never betray Asgard."
"It's true, Lord Odin. Even here, these Draugr are filled with the powers of Hel and they listen to the commands of the Giants!"
"Izzy is friends with her." I found myself frowning. "I can check with her."
"Do it." Odin grumbled. "There's no way that girl would do something like this, something is wrong."
"There is one more thing, Lord Odin."
"Speak."
"The World Wolf is no longer bound, and it stalks the Nine Realms."
Odin's grip on his stick made his knuckles white and for the first time, I think there was a hint of fear that flashed across his face.
Only a single word was needed by him to explain how the situation devolved so heavily.
"Loki."
[***]
A/N
Driving up to my Dad's a few states away, so next chapter will probably be delayed a day.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m /astoryforone