7 The Power of a Druid
Child of Shadow
Chapter 7 - The Power of a Druid
By theMadLad
I woke up the next morning in Rossweisse's bed, we didn't do anything through the night except cuddling—it was still too soon for more. But our relationship had greatly progressed, to the point where we were now dating.
Anything more still needed time.
We both came downstairs while hearing hums from the kitchen, where inside Göndul was shaking her hips in a little personal dance while cooking breakfast.
She looked very happy.
"Oh~? You two are here?" She spoke with glee as she laid her eyes on us before giving a teasing grin, "Did you two have any fun last night?"
Rossweisse sputtered in embarrassment while I gave a weary smile before responding, "Not yet." Rossweisse became really shy when I said those words, so I grabbed her hand to hold it in comfort before walking us over to the table to sit down.
I was glad she seemed to be leaving her shell a bit when it came to being intimate. I was surprised how shy he had been, with her fainting and all—but, I suppose it made sense after realizing she had only just graduated from the Valkyrie school.
It was still 2~3 years before 'canon' started and she hadn't had the time to truly grow into her own, and combined with pretty much a lifetime without friends while also being extremely desperate… I could see why she was so shy.
It was still a bit much though, so I just chopped it up to me being in an anime world.
"Well, I'm sure I'll get my great-grand babies eventually." Göndul spoke with a cheerful confidence, causing Rossweisse to squirm in her seat while tightening her grip over my hand.
…If I had to be honest, the idea did arouse me quite a bit. Although it was still too soon—b-but we did start dating in only a day so it wouldn't be t-too bad right? It wouldn't be too f-fast, right?!
N-No, that was the devil whispering in my ears, damnit! They were v-very hot, but definitely bad thoughts that were poisoning my mind!
I-I definitely didn't have any kind of i-impregnation fetish, no sirree! Please believe me!
"—Ahem." I coughed into my hand to interrupt my evil brain while making a visible effort not to look towards Rossweisse, especially the area around her belly.
I quickly distracted myself with the food, gobbling it down to hide my growing blush from shame. But it appears my attempt to be subtle failed, as Göndul started to do her little 'fufufu' laugh and Rossweisse continued to noticeably squirm in her seat while making more of those cute noises.
The atmosphere of the room should have felt at least a bit awkward, but it didn't, instead it felt strangely… warm.
Eventually breakfast came to an end and Odin arrived, with all of us deciding to leave with him, "You're coming as well, Göndul?" He asked in surprise at seeing her following along.
"Of course, I have to see the strength of my grandson-in-law!" Göndul responded with a witty retort, but one could see the smile clearly on her face as she spoke.
"Ho?" Odin looked over at us with an amused grin, "Did my maid lose her precious chastity?"
"W-w-what! No way, not yet!" Rossweisse retorted in embarrassment. While Odin's grin only grew at her words, as he replied with one word that sent Rossweisse's blush nuclear, "Yet?"
She only calmed down from her sputtering after she watched me take the teasing in stride, shameless in demeanor. I felt her tighten her grip on my hand as she tried to do the same, but her red face easily gave her away.
Odin channeled the bifrost for us to step across, with us leaving a beautiful cottage in a rather remote part of Asgard to us appearing at a large road filled with buildings on all sides. I could tell from the distance that we were headed to a massive stadium further up ahead.
Almost everyone took notice of us as we walked, with them easily recognizing both Odin and Rossweisse, and some noting Göndul as a former Valkyrie as well.
"Who is that holding Rossweisse's hand?"
"N-no way! It can't be!"
"T-the news was actually true, she really did get herself a b-boyfriend!?"
"I-Impossible!"
"Oh, Odin is there too?"
"I-I didn't even see him…"
Odin's eye twitched as listen to the words of the people we passed by, meanwhile Rossweisse squirmed under the attention but made no effort to shy away from it.
It only got more intense as we arrived at our destination, where at the entrance was a massive statue of a man holding a hammer. We quickly entered inside with Odin leading the way, with us walking into a ginormous stadium that already seemed filled to the brim.
"So many people?" Rossweisse asked nervously as she held my hand. Odin spoke up as we followed him through the stadium, "Yeah, all I had to say is that you got a boyfriend and we could all watch him get beat up, people easily filled the seats by the hundreds moments after."
All three of us glared at him.
He waved us off before trying to seperate us, intending to take Rossweisse and Göndul to the commentator room and me to the match's waiting room. But Rossweisse was determined to follow along, even putting her foot down until Odin conceded.
"Who is Connla going to fight?" Rossweisse asked Odin as we stepped into the waiting room. Odin smirked at her, "Your senior."
"B-Brynhildr?!" Rossweisse stammered in surprise as Odin left a few more parting words before leaving, "The match is two minutes, remember—all of Asgard is watching."
As soon as he stepped out, Rossweisse looked at me in concern as she subtly gripped my shirt in nervousness, "Connla, Brynhildr is a title passed on to the greatest Valkyrie of each generation. The current Brynhildr was my senior during my training, and the one who had taught me almost everything I know about magic and battling. I have never been able to defeat her—be careful."
…Brynhildr, huh?
I smirked with confidence as my hands attacked her, causing her to yelp as I lifted her up from her large pillowy behind and pulled her into my chest. "C-Con—" She barely had time to stammer before I stole her lips without remorse.
My tongue slipped its way through her teeth as she moaned at the intrusion, losing herself with our heated makeout session. By the time that the two minutes were up, Rossweisse was left an incoherent and drooling mess whose mouth had been thoroughly explored by my own.
But eventually, all good things had to come to an end. I soon heard some announcer speak from within the waiting room, urging me to head towards the stadium. I got up and started to head out, but not before leaving the dazed Rossweisse a parting smooch on the forehead along with some words, "Don't worry too much about the battle, because your hero would never lose—especially after that encouragement I just stole."
I felt really cool when I said that.
And then I left, leaving Rossweisse alone to put herself together—unfortunately missing the cute noises she made when she became coherent.
"B-Bwweh!?"
——————————
As I stood by the walkout onto the stadium's battlefield, it finally hit me just how large it was. It was impossibly large for any normal stadium, with it easily being a couple miles in size.
[Everyone, welcome to my stadium—the Thor Stadium!]
I heard a loud announcement ring out from the entire stadium, which was soon drowned out by the thousands of cheers that followed it.
Was that Thor?
[Today we have an exhibition match between two people. On one end we have our very own captain of the Valkyrie squad, Brynnhhhiiilllldddrrrrr—!] The cheers skyrocketed at his words, with the stadium seeming to shake with each voice.
""Brynhildr!""
""Brynhildr!""
Far off and at the other end of the stadium, I could see a beautiful woman with long light blue hair and armor similar to the one that Rossweisse would wear walk out into the battlefield.
She held a confident gait and an ice cold serious demeanor.
Oi, why did she seem to be glaring at me?
[—and at the other end, we have someone personally invited by the Allfather himself, a person that Odin has personally said to be 'The Last Hero of the Modern Age!']
The crowd had gotten quieter from Thor's words, with even Thor bringing the title into question, [What a claim? Any comments on your words father?]
I heard a voice that I recognized as Odin responding, [Heh, you'll see. Just keep in mind the boy is human while you watch him fight, and only 15 years old at that.]
[Oh? For you to be so vague about it, he must be something special.] Thor responded with a questioning voice that held an excited undertone.
I felt a bit embarrassed at their heaps of praise that were hyping me up, especially from gods that I could only hear of in myth during my past life.
[—So, without further adieu we have CONNNNNLLLLAAAAA!] Thor shouted as I finally stepped onto the battlefield with my head held high and chest puffed out.
There were not nearly as many cheers when compared to Brynhildr, but there were definitely more than a few shouts of interest.
[Oh, and he's Rossweisse's boyfriend.]
…
E-Eh? Why did the stadium suddenly go completely silent?
""BOOOOO!""
"Get off the stage!!"
W-what the hell? And did someone just throw fucking trash at me?! "Who just threw that shit at me?!" I screamed towards the crowd in anger.
"It was me!"
"No, it was me!"
"Fuck you, no I threw the trash!"
Dammit, I couldn't tell who did it! So, I was left to do nothing but wallow in my own misery. Wait a minute, did Brynhildr just smirk at me!? T-that bitch!
But, it was at that moment the sound of a door opening sounded out from the commentator booth. Moments later I heard Odin speaking into the microphone, [Oh Rossweisse, finally decided to join us?]
[H-huh?] I heard Rossweisse reply in a dazed tone.
[Are you alright, you seem pretty red in the face?] Thor replied in a concerned tone.
[Y-yeah, I'm f-fine.] She responded in a very unconvincing tone.
It was at this moment the crowd seemed to notice that something was wrong.
[…Really, because it seems you've got a little something on your neck there.] Odin spoke towards her, but even I could hear the smirk in his voice.
[Is… Is that a hickey?] Thor spoke hesitantly.
[W-What?!] Rossweisse's panicked response yelled out for everyone to hear, all the while—the wicked smirk that had been steadily rising on my face continued to grow.
[Heh, were you giving your hero a little encouragement in the waiting room?] Odin chuckled as he ruthlessly teased her without hesitation.
[B-Bwah?!] Her cute stammering was the only response she could give as Göndul's, [Fufufu~.] was the only other noise in the background.
Meanwhile in the stadium, it was completely silent… except for one noise.
My vindictive mocking laughter.
"HehheHahhaha!" I cackled like a mad lad as the whole thousands plus crowd all looked as if they had sucked on a lemon. I could even see Brynhildr physically shake beneath her darkened face with each reverberation of my mocking laughter.
It felt good.
[Ahem—anyways, let's get the match started. The rules are a simple duel, with the loser being teleported out of the arena after taking a sufficient amount of damage. The game will start when the signal gun is fired, are you ready?]
I noticed the enraged Brynhildr immediately get into a stance, all while murmuring something I believed to be '…Hickey and Kiss?' in endless repetition.
Honestly, what the hell is wrong with the people here? Especially the Valkyries.
A moment later a large flare was launched from behind the commentator room. I could feel the collective breaths of the crowd stagnate as they waited for us to take action. And not a moment later, Brynhildr made her move.
I saw the Valkyrie Captain splay her arms out wide, as if praying to the sky—moments later, the sky over her entire side of the arena was blotted out by magic circles… there must have been hundreds of them.
She brought her hands down with a dramatic flair as the magic circles began to fire endless beams of magic towards me, from beams ranging from fire and lightning, to pure force and gravity.
[Ooh! Brynhildr opens the attack with a magical aerial barrage! She must be feeling vindictive right now! How will Connla respond?!] The crowd roared with excitement alongside Thor's commentary.
But before the voice had even begun to speak, I was already in motion. My foot lifted up before immediately slamming into the ground with tremendous force, leaving a massive crater on the battlefield—where at the center of the crater was an imprinted, somewhat circular symbol that was made of knots.
I jumped back as from the symbol sprouted a massive oak tree that's size quickly outgrew the entire arena. The tree's roots burrowed into the ground below, tossing up dirt and debris, as its branches stretched out across the sky.
Then the magic bombardment arrived, with the tremendous magical might of the attack being enough to not just destroy a mountain, but decimate it.
…and it did nothing.
The tree stood steady, remaining tall and proud as it was barraged by a countless array of magic attacks. The tree was undeterred in its defence, seeming as if it could hold up the entire world if it so desired. The grass, trees, and flowers along the arena seemed to bloom in its presence as well.
The mighty defensive tree was formed from the knot I had stamped onto the ground while channeling my driudic power over nature. The knot was a Dara Knot, representing the greatest Celtic symbol of strength—the Oak Tree.
(Picture Here.)
The Oak Tree was the most sacred of Celtic Trees, with the Dara Knot being made up of intertwining lines that have no beginning or end. It was known for strength and power because it represented that we all have our roots, and that we are a part of a never ending cycle between life and death.
[And Connla sprouts out a massive tree out of nowhere! One which somehow could withstand Brynhildr's attacks!] Thor roared along with the crowd at my sudden unexpected defense—but I wasn't finished there.
Moments later, a pole made out of shadows from my Sacred Gear rose from the ground, I then added Fragarach to its tip—making the small short sword into a spear.
Then, with my Fighting Spirit invigorated, I shot dozens of attacks into my own tree, with my spear tip carving itself up different parts and sides of the tree's trunk, roots, and branches—ingraining magic energy into each notch made.
[What's he doing?] Thor commented in understandable confusion from my actions, before he was answered by the immensely knowledgeable Odin, [He is carving Ogham, the most ancient form of writing to ever appear on the British Isles. It works by forming sentences through carving different notches vertically up wood. These notches are their own alphabets and can also contain different meanings. While usually rather mundane—]
Odin detailed my actions as I finished, with the notches glowing a faint light. A second later the tree moved, branches swung downwards, carving devastation down the arena, causing Brynhildr to struggle to defend herself against them.
[—When Ogham is in the hands of someone like Connla, one of the last Celtic Druids that still walks the earth? …Well, it becomes a whole different beast.] Odin finished his statement with a tone of finality.
While Brynhildr struggled to contain the berserk attacks of the tree's branches, she was unable to notice the now hollowed roots of the tree rising from the ground.
I traveled up the tree to wait for a later opportunity, but I did not remain idle. The hollowed ends of the roots began to emit a subtle light before glowing magical circles appeared on their ends. I then controlled the tree's flow through my druidic control over plant life, sprouting tens of cones hidden within the root's makeshift barrel.
The magic circle was the one Rossweisse had shown me, with it growing even further in strength when connected to my tree. Inscribed on the magic circle were the runes, Sowilo (ᛊ), Kenaz (ᚲ), Othala (ᛟ), Laguz (ᛚ), and Laguz (ᛚ).
Differing from Rune Chains, this particular combination was a Runic Name, which was when the first letter of the runes used formed into the name of a particular God, Creature, or Object. With this specific Rune Name spelling out Sköll, one of Fenrir's sons who was said to endlessly chase the sun.
The different runes mostly represented fire, power, life, energy, and imagination. Which when brought together, drew on the power of Sköll, to form an unending firestorm.
Then the barrels formed from the roots exploded, launching massive cones from out of them—which hit the magic circles along the way. The magic circles wrapped alongside the cones, setting them ablaze. The cone cannonballs, when reinforced by the blazing fire, went from a mountain destroying attack, to a mountain range destroying attack.
[Oh, dear.] Thor's voice spoke in concern at the attack, [Valkyries reinforce the barriers.] commanding the Valkyries at the side to empower the barriers protecting the crowd, and not a moment too soon, as the first cone impacted one of Brynhildr's barriers—instantly destroying it while carving a path of destruction along the arena.
The shockwave of the explosion blanketed the surrounding, only causing further damage until it was halted by the arena's outer barriers.
As the flaming cone exploded onto the barrier while destroying it in the process, the pines erupted from them, turning into flaming shrapnel of death which acted as a vanguard for the surrounding barriers yet to be pierced, weakening them prior to their own cone cannonballs of death.
…Perhaps this was a bit too much. Honestly I had gone overboard from the start, wanting to prolong the match to truly highlight my strength. In a real battle, I likely would have rushed her, shredding her barrier with Fragarach before quickly defeating her in combat.
But, it was too late for that now.
This was different from my battle with the Curruid, where I had to limit my druid abilities by choosing to fight over water—which I did to protect normal people as well as not draw too much attention. Now, I had my full might… and it showed.
I could see Brynhildr stagger inside her barrier from up on the treetops, watching as she grew increasingly desperate.
She gritted her teeth as her most powerful barriers repeatedly failed her, forcing her to resort to attempting to seal the runes on the cones in an effort to weaken them on impact instead of trying to defend them outright.
…Which unfortunately for her, was only partially successful most of the time, as the Celtic Knot enforced Magic Circle constantly overpowered her attempts to seal them.
The arena at the time was just completely fucked. Her entire half of it was just straight up destroyed by my flaming cones of death, while my own was its own forest at this point. If she wanted even a shred of a chance at a counterattack, she not only had to escape my bombardment, but also had to trudge through a terrain that gave me an absolute advantage.
Basically, it was hopeless for her.
She had no chance of victory.
I stopped my barrage before disappearing into my own shadow, deciding to just end the match.
[Wow—this did not go anywhere near how I expected, the kid's a complete monster.] Thor commentated with surprise while Odin followed up, [See, he deserved that title I gave him, right Rossweisse? He's strong isn't he?]
I could hear Rossweisse panting into the mic as she spoke, [S-so strong.] Göndul took the opportunity to interject with some teasing, [Strong enough to give me some grandbabies with, right?]
Rossweisse was too lost in her own world to properly answer the question, leading to her subconscious replying, [Y-yeah, definitely.] It was only moments later that her response caught up to her brain, [W-w-wait—!]
Any further explanation was drowned by Thor, Odin, and Göndul's laughter. With the excessive sweetness of the situation leaving the crowd smiling… well, except for Brunhildr.
As I traveled from the shadow brought from my tree eclipsing the arena in height, I arrived in front of her and her barrier. She was gasping on one of her knees in exhaustion, with her face looking as if she had stepped in shit.
…And unfortunately for her, her shit day was not yet over as she got one simple word of warning before I blitzed her, "Hey."
Every instinct ingrained in her body firing on overdrive had barely managed to allow her to react. She had instantly shot to her feet before conjuring up her most powerful barrier possible. It was honestly a thing of beauty, from my brief glimpse at it I noticed the ingenious combination of runes and seals that made it.
But it didn't matter—Fragarach crumbled it like it was made of Papier-mâché, easily shredding through it as if it was nonexistent. Brynhildr only had the chance to blink as her crossed eyes laid their sight on Fragarach's tip, only inches from her nose.
I had stopped my attack before it would kill her, but that didn't mean I would let her get away scott free. A hammer of wind ejected from Fragarach's control as if commanded by a king, slamming into her form with the force of a freight train. The power of the blow caused her body to fly into the distance, colliding into the barrier at the arena's perimeter before crumbling to the floor.
—She didn't get up.
[…Damn. Someone get some healers on standby. The match has ended, and by an overwhelming margin—the victory goes to CONNNLAAA!!!]
The arena burst into screams of excitement at Thor's words, the crowds of people were amazed by the spectacle of the match, as well as the overwhelming victory during the conclusion.
…Perhaps, I could have gone easier on her, but she was not much older than me, maybe a decade or so. Which meant that I had to put her in her proper place like the rest of those who shared the same generation as me.
—In my shadow.
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Author's Notes
Connla OP please nerf.
Yeah… Brynhildr stood no chance, and here we can see the tip of the iceberg that is Connla's true strength. Also showing the power of a max level Druid, pretty awesome right? He didn't even go all out.
This chapter was supposed to be even longer but my thumb hurts from writing…so sorry, I guess.
Hope you enjoyed, leave a few—no, all your powerstones! And some comments, comments make me happy.
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