Rurik looked in shock at the solid stone wall through which his beloved just disappeared. "What the—" he muttered absentmindedly while quickly, yet cautiously, walking up to the same place.
As soon as he reached it, however, Eilin's face, wearing Luna's mischievous expression, popped up out of the stone. Rurik blinked, startled, before Luna suddenly pulled him through the wall.
"Shit!" Rurik cursed in surprise, stumbling through the wall and ending up in what looked like a large, stone corridor. A soft white light was shining from EIlin's hand, illuminating the grey and brown stone their surroundings were created from.
Just outside, behind that wall, the dark barrier Luna created collapsed and the storm instantly erased any trace of their passing. As if furious this tiny part of the mountain had gone unravaged for even a few seconds, it started beating against the mountain top with extreme power... yet none of its destruction passed through the wall Rurik and 'Eilin' disappeared through.
Meanwhile, Rurik looked around in wonder. They stood at the end of the corridor, behind them, the wall they just walked through, and in front of them a long passage sloping downwards, deeper into the mountain.
Their surroundings looked a little worn, but otherwise in excellent condition. The height and width were both at least twice Rurik's length, and several runic decorations ran along the wall.
Carefully, he touched the cold walls and felt the tiny grooves with which someone had meticulously decorated these walls. "Amazing craftsmanship…" he muttered softly.
"I'm starting to have trouble keeping up with all this," he chuckled softly, but loud enough for Luna to hear. "It's been, what, an hour? Two? Since I crashed with my boat? In that time, I was nearly eaten by a dragon, transported by a portal, realized you are possessing Eilin, witnessed a cataclysmic storm behind a magical barrier, and now this…"
Luna giggled, "You're holding up well!" But then she became serious again. "But we really need to get moving. It will take about half an hour to get to where we need to be, and you have that long to ask me whatever you want."
Rurik frowned at the urgency in Luna's voice. "Where do we need to be? And, for that matter, where even are we?" he asked sternly and indicated for Luna to lead the way.
But Luna shook her head with a small grin. "Actually, the less I move or do anything in this body, the longer I'll be able to remain." She stretched her arms towards him playfully. "So, I think you should carry me!"
Rurik couldn't help a wide grin from appearing. This was the Luna he remembered and missed. Despite having no idea if she actually meant what she said, he didn't argue. Rolling his eyes with a sigh, Rurik took her into a princess carry, before starting off deeper into the mountain.
He was certainly trained enough that he could do this easily, especially because both he and Eilin had lost their weapons and shields back on the beach. Plus, he still felt strangely stronger since arriving in this land.
As soon as they were moving again, Luna began to explain, her head nestled into Rurik's chest. "This mountain is called Niflspire, and this structure is an ancient Dvergar stronghold called Grundathal. It was abandoned during one of the great subterranean wars between Dvergar and trolls."
"Dvergar? Trolls?" he couldn't help but ask, helplessly lacking in knowledge as he was. He'd heard those names before, but never in the context of actually existing races.
"Basically, dwarves and goblins of various sized, and yes, they exist here," Luna quickly explained, waving her hand dismissively. This was hardly essential information right now, and she had plenty of other things to say.
"Anyway," she continued. "After the Dvergar abandoned it, the Trolls collapsed most of the lower halls and passages, leaving only a disconnected set of halls in the upper areas… which is where we are right now. Then, after Ragnarök, the Aesir used this place to lock up one of their own. This is who we're here to meet."
Rurik looked down at the woman in his arms with a deadpan expression. Once again, he was helplessly lacking in knowledge.
Luna pouted and sighed, "Ragnarök is the event that sundered most of the connections between the eight worlds, and the Aesir are, of course, the Norse pantheon."
Rurik parted his lips to ask about the eight worlds, partly because he'd heard one of the crones talk about six worlds, not eight, but Luna quickly stopped him by putting a hand on his chest and looking at his pleadingly. "Look, I know you're confused, but none of this is essential information, and we don't have much time. Let's focus on what's immediately important, alright?"
Quickly closing his mouth, Rurik nodded, sighing helplessly. "Fair enough…" He quickly grew stern and solemn, before finally asking the question he'd been mulling around his brain for the last eighteen years. "So… who are you, really?"
Surprisingly, Luna started fidgeting uncomfortably, like she'd have preferred any other question. Finally, she shrugged. "Right now, I'm your partner and beloved… I won't deny I had a previous life where I was something else, but I'd prefer to focus on who I am now."
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her sceptically, wondering what made her so uncomfortable about her previous life. Naturally, she noticed his look and realized what he wanted to know.
Unwilling to hide it from him, she sighed. "I just… I'm sure you remember what happened to us when we turned sixteen, back on Earth, right? Well… just imagine that process never stopped for me. I was… functionally emotionless in my previous life, and now that I'm not anymore, it physically hurts to think about that time."
Rurik frowned solemnly. He couldn't even imagine such a life, nor could he imagine the playful, somewhat sadistic Luna to be emotionless. "That's… fair. But at least tell me if you actually are the Roman goddess of the moon or not, because with everything that's been happening…"
Immediately, Luna's eyes lit up, and she started to giggle. "Hehehe, right… I hadn't even thought of that, but of course you'd make that connection. The truth is, I—"
Suddenly, a heavy rumble shook the corridor and rocked the mountain, interrupting Luna, and forcing Rurik to stumble.