Chapter 28: A Love Story and the Little Voices in your Head

Disclaimer: I own Highschool DxD. Okay, I actually don't. I just wanted to see how it feels to say it. I don't own the OCs. Huh, felt weird writing that (I do own them though).

Speech – "Hey, I'm Pierce."

Thoughts – 'I'm dead.'

Spells – "Jumon"

Secret Elf City

"Kveykva Mi Álfheimr!" Gunhild waved her hand and nordic axes came flying at Styrbjörn, forcing him to retreat. I Chi Burst behind him and tried to cut his head off but he ducked under it. I blocked a back hand attack and cut at his arm but he sent a punch at my face. I leaned back and dodged the following punches, his fists moving so fast they left after images. Narrowly missing a punch by an inch, I pierced Styrbjörn chest with my Light Sword and sank it further in. I was surprised to see it had no effect as the light from my Light Sword was actually absorbed into his chest. I hurriedly pulled out before my weapon was completely absorbed and Styrbjörn's veins started to glow in a bright red.

"Mærr of sá Aldrnari!" Styrbjörn's demonic voice chanted and his entire body went up in flames, the heat burning the floor around him. His speed got a huge boost as he left a foot imprint on the ground and reached me in an instant. I wasn't prepared for the increase in speed and took an inflamed fist to my chest.

"Argh!" I yelled in pain as the fist burned through my Touki and seared my chest. I hurriedly ducked under his next punch and blocked a kick with my sword, the heat leaving a black mark. Gunhild flew at Styrbjörn's and slashed at his neck, barely harming him because of his new flaming aura. He grabbed Gunhild and threw her into a nearby house. "Jade!" I summoned my familiar and she sent dozens of ice spears at the flaming undead. The spears melted before they could reach Styrbjörn and I watched as he took a deep breath and held it. His throat was slightly enlarged. 'Oh don't tell me-'

"Eldr Glymja!" I crouched and jumped high in the air, narrowly missing the turret of fire that came out ofStyrbjörn's mouth. I casted my flying spell and saw how the fire breath went quite a long way, conveniently burning another group of Draugrs and Bondi's to ash. I flew a bit higher before looking down and dive bombing towards Styrbjörn. Activating Sword Fury, I slashed down and the flaming undead met it with his bare fists. A shockwave went out that pushed away the surrounding houses and left a massive crater under Styrbjörn's feet. I gritted my teeth as I felt the Chi in my Sword Fury being burned away and Styrbjörn gaining ground. Then Gunhild came back from the rubble and pierced his side since most of the flames were trying to match my attack. Styrbjörn gave up and dodged to the right, allowing my weakened Sword Fury to cleave a portion of his arm off. The flaming undead punched me in the face and I was flung far away, leaving a crater on landing. Blinking away the white spots, I rubbed my chin and watched as Styrbjörn parried every one of Gunhild's sword swings with his remaining fist.

"Gryttr Ham. Auka Atrið" Casting my magic, I put away my Light Sword and activated Advent of the Jade Warrior. I Chi Burst forward when Gunhild flew back and met Styrbjörn's flaming fist with my ice one. Our elemental attacks clashed and mist flew everywhere, coating the area in a moist air. I was the loser of the exchange as his fist was barely covered in frost while mine had heavy burns. Not wanting to leave it there, I lunged forward to do it again and Styrbjörn was happy to do so. Yet the moment our fists were about to meet, I dodged under and hit his stomach. Freezing his midsection, I dodged another fist and connected with the side of his face. Styrbjörn, seemingly enraged, grabbed me by the neck and tried to heat up his palm.

"Valea Pulsului!" Gunhild came to my rescue and placed her hands in the undead's face. An air cannon hit Styrbjörn's face and sent him flying back. I was able to breathe again and winced at the burns on my neck, my Chi working on healing it. I cursed when Styrbjörn stood up; the only real damage present was his missing arm and some minor frostbite (and to an undead, I don't think that really qualifies as damage).

"We're not making much progress." I said as I rubbed my head and Gunhild nodded.

"Indeed. I heard stories of Styrbjörn's mighty strength and it seems they weren't exaggerated. As expected from the human blessed by Surtr." The Valkyrie dropped that bomb like it was nothing.

"��Surtr? As in the Primordial Fire Giant Surtr?" I stared blankly at her nod. "…You didn't think to bring this up before?"

"I forgot." Gunhild shrugged and ignored my deadpanned, observing me. "I must say, I am impressed by your strength. If you weren't a Yokai then you have made a fine Einherjar."

"…I'm human."

"…Wait really!? But how-" Styrbjörn roared and lunged at us, forcing us to dodge. He slammed his fist on the ground and fire spread everywhere. I sent Chi Spears to stop the spread and crossed my arms, blocking a flaming kick. I grabbed Styrbjörn's leg and slammed him on the ground, creating a crater on impact. I took out my sword to cut it off but Styrbjörn shot a fireball at my face and I had to lean back. He quickly got up and caught Gunhild's sword, head butting her in the nose. The Valkyrie bleed but that didn't stop her and she head butted the undead back. She pried her sword from his grip and left a large cut across his chest. Gunhild dodged Styrbjörn's punch and flew back, sending dozens of wind blades. They hit him but left minor cuts and he charged at Gunhild.

I intercepted Styrbjörn and kicked him in the face, forcing him to stumble back. Gunhild chose to stay back and belt Styrbjörn with countless spells while I faced him head on. The Pjága soon had difficulty counter attacking, my superior speed allowed me to weave by any attack he sent and whenever he tried to retreat, Gunhild's endless stream of spells would make that near impossible. After plunging my blade into his torso, I cut a large portion of it off and backed off when he breathed out fire. He tried to rush at me but was sent flying by Gunhild's wind cannon and landed in the rubble. Seeing him trying to stand, I Chi Burst to him and aimed to cut off his head.

Unfortunately, the moment my sword was about to do so, a Bóndi Draugr in the form of a bull rammed into me. Annoyed by the interruption, I grabbed the Bull Bóndi by the head and twisted, ripping it off. Tossing it to the side, I saw Gunhild being assaulted by multiple Bondi's in the form of eagles and rushed to help her.

"Sutr's Ferr Sunnan!" I heard Styrbjörn chant and quickly Chi Burst to the side, dodging a huge blade of fire. The blade sliced clean through the ground and left a deep scar, a trench being formed. I looked over and saw Styrbjörn holding a large sword made out of flames with both hands (he created a hand of fire for his missing one). He lifted the sword again and I could the feel the heat before it even arrived. He slashed down and I hurriedly dodged to the right, the blade leaving another deep burning trench. Every swing Styrbjörn made left a blaze of destruction and I had to run away before I was turned to ash. After a wide sweep that nearly got me if I didn't fly up in time, I noticed how his magical energy decreased sharply and his sword dimmed. I dive bombed the undead and used the moment to deal a fatal blow.

I only noticed when I was in front of Styrbjörn that he was smiling. Encasing myself in dense ice armor, I wasn't able to dodge at this distance and took the blade of fire head on. "Arghhhh!" I yelled out in pain as the sword burned through my Touki and ice, leaving a searing wound on my shoulder. A shockwave rang out as I was sent flying from the attack and smashed through multiple buildings. I slammed my feet down on the ground and tried to stop; leaving two long trenches through the destruction. I finally stopped and knelt down, taking a minute to catch my breath. My Chi was working overtime to heal the burns on my shoulder and Jade's ice powers were making it easier. 'Note to self, get Jade something she really wants later.' I wryly smiled as I stood up and stretched my back. If it wasn't for Jade, those flames would have burned right through my shoulder and possibly damaged my insides. I don't think my Chi would have been able to heal that. 'I really need to get some armor or somethi-'

"Vinea Capiant!" My train of thought ended there as vines came out of the ground under me and I was forced to dodge. I looked over and saw a group of people in armor. They all had light, crystal like skin with pointy ears and blue eyes. Their armor was light green and very expensive looking. They were all attractive. We stared at each other in silence and after a minute of nothing happening, I chose to respond.

"I'll just say this now; whatever you think I've done…you're probably right." They lunged at me after that. I parried multiple spears and grabbed an Elf with a dagger, tossing her to others. Kicking an Elf in the stomach, I jumped over him when he kneeled and punched another one in the face. They waved their hands and many orbs of lights appeared, rushing at me. Meeting all the orbs with my Chi Swords, they exploded in the air and the explosions pushed the Elves back. One Elf tried to hit me from above but I dodged the thrust and grabbed the spear. The Elf did not let go and I slammed him against the ground, knocking him out. Another elf tried to tackle me but I kneed him in the face and he dropped to the ground.

"Resurgens Tridentina Synodus!" An elf woman in robes waved her staff and large magic circles appeared on the ground. I saw vines come out the ground and they intertwined together, forming into the shape of large tree humanoids. Before I could face the monsters, Styrbjörn arrived at the scene and I had to dodge his flame sword.

'Like I didn't have enough problems!' I internally cursed, getting ready for a tough battle but was surprised to see the Elves turn their attention from me to the undead. The tree humanoids rushed at Styrbjörn but he dodged their attacks and sliced through them. Multiple Elf warriors tried to pierce him but he waved his blade and they were flung back with third degree burns (even their armor started to melt).

"Die Hellspawn!" The Elf woman attacked Styrbjörn with her staff in rage and the undead cut it in half, leaving a burnt mark across her chest. The woman didn't care however and took out a dagger, hoping to dig out his eye. Styrbjörn wasn't going to give her that chance and grabbed her by the throat with his flame hand, the skin on her neck roasting. I rushed forward and slashed at him. He blocked my blade and I pushed him back, retreating with the Elf woman. Styrbjörn tried to chase after us but more Elf warriors attacked him and he was held up. Though it wasn't looking good because the Elves were barely doing any damage and were getting their asses handed to them.

"Not to tell you your job but they won't last much longer against him at this rate." I said to the Elf woman as she cast a healing spell on her burnt neck. If it weren't for the Elves good teamwork then many of them would have died by now. The woman glared at me.

"And what do you suggest we do!? Leave our home and people to die!?"

"I was going to suggest a tactical retreat but you can do whatever you want." I shrugged and the woman looked at me in suspicion before standing up.

"We won't leave until this monster pays for what he's done." The Elf woman picked up her broken staff and stepped forward to join the fight. I watched as she sent multiple magic spells at Styrbjörn and he melted them, sending a wave of flames at the woman. She flew in the air and rained down wood pillars with Nordic symbols. He burned those too. Observing the fight for a second, I activated Chi Vision and scouted the area. Vargas and Maven were currently fighting in the northern area of the city while Melissa and Samantha were fighting in the south. Gunhild was almost done dealing with those Bóndi Dragurs and Aindrea was wrecking havoc somewhere east. I couldn't find Brynhildr or Adrian.

'Okay, let's go-' I made to walk away but Styrbjörn lunged at me and cut at my torso. I jumped over the blade and kicked him in the face. "Hey! There's an entire group behind you that wants to kill you! Go fight them!" I yelled in annoyance but the undead didn't care and kept trying to cut me to pieces. The Elves also joined the fight and didn't bother to worry where they hit, forcing me to dodge some of their attacks. Punching Styrbjörn in the face with a Seismic Fist, a part of the undead fell apart and he glared at me in anger with his remaining eye. His aura started to grow. 'Oh what now?'

"Hēdher-Līcer Jǫtunn!" A huge pillar fire appeared behind Styrbjörn and it slowly morphed into a humanoid form. The fire humanoid was 12 meters tall with a massive sword and lava like armor covering its body. It looked down at me with its piercing red eyes.

"…Oh screw it; I'm making a Chi Giant next." Then the massive sword came down.

Northern Area

Maven watched in surprise as a Lesser Fire Giant was summoned to the Elf city and swung down, carving out a long trail of flames. She could feel the heat and rumbling even from her distance. Vargas was busy dealing with a crowd Draugrs while she hovered above a group of elves. They were the original residents of this city and hid from the battle in certain fortified houses. Both party members arrived when the Draugrs nearly forced their way through such a house and attacked the undead. The mage put up wind walls to stop the Draugrs and tossed them towards the Holy Sword user, who was using said weapon to great use. After plunging his Holy Sword into the head of the last Draugr, Vargas took a step back and huffed as it turned to ash.

"At least they won't have problems cleaning up." Vargas looked up at the floating mage and nodded towards the rampaging giant. "Go help him; I'll get these people to a safer place." Maven blushed and stared in the direction of the battle before giving thanks. She summoned her Roc and hopped on its back before flying towards the giant. A large Bóndi Draugr in the form of an undead dragon tried to intercept them but the Roc just teleported behind it and Maven threw a lightning bolt at it. One of its wings was burnt and it roared in anger, lunging for the mage. The Roc just teleported again.

Maven had her familiar do this several times and by their fifth teleport, the Bóndi was fully fried and it fell to the ground. Not paying any mind to the destroyed Draugr, Maven flew closer to the fight and wryly smiled when she saw Pierce dodging the swings of the massive sword. He always has to be in the middle of the biggest mess doesn't he? "Get me closer." Maven commanded and her familiar picked up speed, heading right for the Fire Giant. The mage lifted her staff and a magic circle appeared in front of her, ready to help her teammate.

"Læ!" Maven quickly put a barrier to block a lightning bolt and narrowed her eyes at where it came from. In the sky above her floated a woman. She had charcoal black skin and bright red eyes, showing her status as a Pjága. She was wearing a long blue coat, a black sheep headpiece, and an odd looking staff sparking with lightning.

"Thorbjǫrg…" Maven said softly and the undead Seiðr waved her staff, the sky above suddenly becoming cloudy. Thunder could be heard within the clouds and lightning started striking the ground continuously. Nordic magic circles revolved around Thorbjǫrg and Maven did the same. The mage knew of the undead woman in front of her. One of the best battle oriented Seiðrs ever and the personal mage of the God of Thunder once upon a time, Thorbjǫrg was one of the more well known Seiðrs (at least in the Magician community). This was going to be a tough battle.

And Maven couldn't stop smiling at the chance to fight the Seiðr.

"Læ Jafnaðr!"

"Flammis Acribus Malestrom!"

A lightning spear and fire storm charged at each other, causing an explosion as they met. The firestorm was instantly overwhelmed and Maven's familiar teleported away, the lightning spear vaporizing the house it hit. The instant she reappeared, she needed to do so again to dodge another spell.

It seemed like Pierce was on his own. As Maven fought Thorbjǫrg, another encounter was happening in the center of the city. Brynhildr frowned as she stood in the grand hall of the Elder Trees. She had come to this hall a couple of years ago on a mission with her leader. The former Brynhildr and her team were to supervise the relocation of an Elf tribe that wanted to leave Midgard but didn't want to go to Alfheim. They helped in creating a pocket dimension for the Light Elves and without the constant annoyance that was humanity (at least to them) they got to work building their new home. The grand hall of the Elder Trees was one of their more majestic structures; she always liked how it had a perfect combination of nature and steel.

But that beautiful hall was no longer intact. Many murals and statues were shattered with all the colorful trees burned to ash. In the center was a large, freshly cut stomp and Talien sat on top. He was playing with white, ethereal cloth and looked up when Brynhildr got closer.

"Fairer to look upon than the sun but the Dark-elves are blacker than pitch." Talien spoke in Old Norse before snorting. "Humans really do love their prejudices, don't they?" The cloth blackened before turning to dust. Brynhildr's face gave nothing away.

"I don't know about prejudice but the elf I'm looking at sure makes pitch look pretty."

"Humph." Talien smirked and Brynhildr's gaze went behind him, to the dark hall that leads into the main chamber. The Elf King saw her look and stood up. "It doesn't have to be this way."

"It doesn't?" The Chief Valkyrie quirked a brow and he shook his head.

"No, if it's for the Draugr's earlier then I must apologize. I had limited resources on hand and had to use them to stop my…unsavory pursuers. Also, you did attack me first." Brynhildr's eye twitched at the way he said "resources" but kept calm. "I do not want war with Asgard and will pay any debt I have with them before this day is over. I promise." Talien bowed at that and showed his exposed back, showing his sincerity (then again to an Ultimate-Class being, an exposed back isn't much).

Brynhildr narrowed her eyes at the Elf King, trying to find any deceit and failed to. Maybe he was being hones- 'Mimir's absent ass he is.' The thought didn't even finish before Brynhildr internally sneered and crossed her arms. "So you want to avoid war with Asgard?"

"Yes." Talien smiled and she leaned her head back in thought before nodding.

"Alright then. Give me the Fragment of the Andvaranaut you stole." Brynhildr didn't hide the sneer this time as Talien stiffened.

"I don't know what you're talkin-"

"I know you do and it wasn't a question." She said coldly and Talien frowned, the air becoming tense. They glared at each other for a second and Brynhildr snorted. "I was expecting that but at least play along for a bit longer."

"…You don't want to make an enemy of us girls. Turn around and leave before Zeth turns his wrath to Asgard." Talien threatened the Chief Valkyrie and she went quiet.

"…You know there is something I don't understand." Brynhildr tilted her head at Talien. "You guys haven't exactly been discreet in your mass recruitment and practically everyone has heard of the Jorogumo attacking the Shinto Shrine in Japan. I don't understand why Zeth has no problems with making enemies with any pantheon. Even with those monsters on his side, he doesn't believe he can beat more than one pantheon?"

"You can't hope to comprehend-"

"Oh no, I get it!" Brynhildr cut off Talien and smiled. "I mean, with that man as your Pjága, destroying Olympus would become much easier. It's a good plan!" Talien narrowed his eyes at her sarcastic words. "Of course that would be the case if he was there."

"…I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"No, no you won't." Brynhildr said and she took out her claymore, pointing it at Talien. "Give me the fragment and stand trial for the damage you've caused, this is your last warning."

"...You know what, you can-" Talien quickly took out a staff and put a barrier up, blocking a beam of sunlight. Brynhildr waved her hand and a magic circle appeared under the Elf King, propelling him upwards. Adrian flew in with a sunlight aura and slashed at Talien. The Elf King blocked the sword with a magic circle and waved his staff at Brynhildr, a black mist heading towards her. The mist melted everything it touched but the Chief Valkyrie ignored it and flew right through. Her armor shone as it pushed back the mist and Talien had to block her claymore with his staff.

'Asgardian steel.' Talien thought in annoyance. He pushed both combatants back and summoned the many Draugrs that were rampaging in the city. He furrowed his brows when he saw how little Draugrs arrived and that none of his Pjága's answered his call. 'Are they fighting the others?' The Elf King couldn't think on it any longer because Adrian destroyed a large portion of the Draugrs with his sunlight and Brynhildr tried to take his head off. Refocusing on the battle, Talien pushed back the Chief Valkyrie and created multiple magic circles. "Inmortuae Troglodytarum." Tall ape-like creatures with horns and green fur started pouring out of the magic circles. They roared at their master's enemies and charged.

Adrian dodged under a wide swing from a beast and cut it clean in half. He watched in surprise as it dissolved and green smoke came out; it was absorbed into the other beasts. Not paying this any mind, he started to cut down more beasts but found it harder to cut them down as time passed. After cutting down his tenth enemy, the Emissary hurriedly blocked a beast's fist and frowned at the force behind it. 'They got stronger.' Adrian thought and pierced right through the beast's heart, leaving a burning hole in its place. It dissolved like the others and the same green smoke came out. Before they could absorb the smoke (at least that's what Adrian thinks they're doing), he sent a wave of sunlight out and it successfully erased the smoke.

"Well done." Brynhildr floated down and sent out chains to immobilize the beasts. "I also notice how they got stronger from their fallen essence. You could also seal them away quite easily; their resistance towards it is abysmal." The pile of beasts in a sealing barrier behind her gave credit to her statement. Adrian nodded and wiped out the chained beasts with a sunlight wave, along with the smoke. They couldn't enjoy their small victory for long because they heard clapping and they saw Talien was the one doing it. He floated in the air, above another dozen beasts, with a smug smile.

"Well done, to find the weakness of my Trolls and counter it so fast is impressive." Brynhildr and Adrian frowned at his words. "So…how about this?" The Elf King snapped his fingers and one of his Trolls took a step forward, putting both members on guard. They were confused about Talien's confidence.

Their questions were shortly answered. The Troll roared, getting roars from its brethren and they watched…as the leading Troll was ripped apart by two others. Adrian and Brynhildr stood in shock at the sudden brutality and soon, every Troll was killing each other with rapid success. It wasn't until they noticed the large cloud of green smoke that gathered in the air that they came to.

"Shit!" Adrian figured out what they were doing and sent a sword wave of sunlight at the fighting trolls. Talien blocked it with a magic circle and sent balls of black liquid at the Chief Valkyrie who tried to flank around. Both combatants could only watch as two Trolls were left standing and the large cloud of smoke rushed into them. The transformation was instant. The muscles of the Trolls contracted and expanded, likely to make room for the granted power. They roared in pain as they started to grow, reaching 12 meters in height and gaining an incredibly muscular physique. 'Was that their limit?' Adrian thought in wonder, seeing how some green smoke remained in that air and wasn't absorbed by the Trolls.

The Emissary couldn't think of it because one of the (now massive) Trolls rushed at him and tried to squash him. He dodged to the right and slashed at the Trolls arm, barely leaving a small cut. Flying above another swing, Adrian landed on its shoulder and pierced his sword into the Troll's ear. While the size difference made it so he couldn't pierce deep, it still made the Troll grab its ear in pain and he sent out multiple beams of sunlight. Adrian slowly started to injure the Troll and he seemed to have the upper hand…until the Troll absorbed more of the green smoke, healing all of its injuries. Adrian cursed at this and hurriedly dodged another swing, the Troll now having a second wind.

Talien watched as the Emissary and the Chief Valkyrie fought their respective Trolls, having difficulty killing them with their increased durability and healing smoke (the Trolls didn't leave them a chance to take out the smoke). He continued watching for a second before turning around and flying deeper into the hall. Talien knew that those Trolls won't be able to kill both of them but they would slow them down. Even if he stayed, they were both too slippery for the Elf King's spells to hit them.

'Shame Froid died.' The Elf King thought in regret at his fellow General's death. Not because of some sense of comradery, but because the Vampire Lord helped Talien make those Trolls. They were a rare breed of Trolls found in Svartalfheim and Froid helped increase the strength they gained from each other's essence. While it was disappointing that any intelligence they had vanished and could only grow to a certain point, they were still prime cannon fodder. Unfortunately the Vampire was killed and Talien couldn't make more on his own. The Trolls fighting the two were some of his last. 'It doesn't matter; it will all be worth it.' At this point, there was no going back and Talien could only remember his end goal. All he needed was to help the Elf Elder to breach the defenses for the second fragment and he already had plans for the last one.

'It would all be worth it.' Talien thought that over and over again in his mind until he reached a large, destroyed door. Then he entered.

Back to Pierce

I Chi Burst from the house I was on, the Fire Giant's foot destroying it as it landed. I pelted it with Chi Swords to freeze the Giant but it just swung at me again, forcing me to dodge. The fight kept going like this for a while, the giant trying to land a hit and me trying to wound it in any way. We were both pretty unsuccessful. After dodging a downward slash, I flew up to the giant's face and tried to skewer a large Chi Spear in its eye. The Fire Giant brought up a hand to stop it and tried to swat me away. I flew up higher to avoid the hand and rubbed my chin in thought.

'Now what?' I thought as the Fire Giant picked up some houses and lit them on fire, chucking them at me. I dodged those too. Fighting the Giant was oddly easier then facing Styrbjörn; while it had greater strength and durability, my speed far outstripped it (doesn't matter how much strength you have if you can't land a hit). I had plenty of techniques that could deal lasting damage but that would take a good portion of my Chi away and Styrbjörn was still around. And I do not like the Light Elves' chances against the guy. 'I should really hurry up though. Adrian said they found Tali-'

"Come down here and fight like a true warrior, you coward!" I blinked at the booming voice and looked down at the Fire Giant. It was glaring at me in annoyance.

"Did…Did you just talk?"

"Yes I did! Now come down here!" The Giant said loudly and pointed his sword at me. It took me a second to react.

"…Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because it's cowardly to use such underhanded methods in a fight!" The Fire Giant started to lecture me on warrior's etiquette and I made an amused smile.

"Yeah no, I'm good up here." I crossed my arms and floated in the air, the giant gaining a shocked expression.

"W-Where's your warrior's honor!?"

"Never had one, never will." I said nonchalantly and looked down on the seething (actually I think that's just his regular skin color) Fire Giant. "But speaking of honor, do you not realize that your summoner is an undead?"

"I do and I will bring the accused to justice but the descendants of Surtr fulfill their word. I will fight for my summoner no matter their state of existence, be they in life or death." The Fire Giant said with vigor and I blankly stared.

"…Well that's stupid, don't do that." I deadpanned and looked at Jade on my shoulder. "If I'm ever turned into a zombie, just kick the reviver's ass." She looked at me in confusion before giving a cute nod.

"Enough of this!" The Fire Giant was tired of the games and slammed his foot down. "Come down and fight!" I stared down at him for a second before asking a question I've had since he started talking.

"Can you not fly?"

"…" I waited for an answer but he just glared at me in silence.

"…Seriously?" I gave a wide smile in amusement and he started to shake.

"I said enough!" The giant started to build up flames on his sword and sent a large sword wave at me. I flew out of the way and watched as it reached high up, leaving a trail of fire in the suddenly clouded sky. I dive bombed the giant and slashed at his shoulder with Sword Fury, cutting through his lava armor. He grunted in pain and swung again, leaving him open for another slash at his wrist. He elbowed me away and sent a punch.

"Kapp Qrk!" A Viking ship made of wind slammed into the giant's side and made him stumble, allowing me to slash his exposed neck. I looked over at Gunhild and we nodded at each other, rushing at the giant. Even with Gunhild's help, the giant's durability was still a pain to deal with but I had just the thing to deal with it. Telling Gunhild to hold him off for a second, I flew up in the air and started to gather large amounts of Chi.

"Pleistocene Epoch!" I threw my large ball of Chi at the Fire Giant and as expected, he tried to dodge it. Thankfully, the Valkyrie tripped the giant with a wind rope spell and the attack hit dead on. A huge explosion of frost and mist spread out, completely covering the street. Gunhild used a spell to clear the mist and we saw how the Fire Giant was covered head to toe in pieces of ice, his supernatural fire already melting them. Gunhild quickly created multiple magic circles and plastered them over the giant to seal it.

The Fire Giant lifted up his sword to stop her but I didn't let him. Ignoring my increasing fatigue, I activated Sword Fury again and cut off the giant's hand. "Arghh!" He yelled in pain as his sword and hand fell to the ground, creating a large crater on impact. Gunhild finished her sealing and placed a magic circle on his forehead. The giant's eyes became hazy and soon he laid down, fully knocked out. Making sure it was actually out with Chi Vision, I sighed in relief and sat down on what appeared to be a destroyed wall.

"I wouldn't get comfortable; we still need to deal with Styrbjörn." Gunhild warned as she walked to me and I groaned.

"I know, I know. I'm just taking a breather." I rubbed the place on my chest where Styrbjörn hit me and scratched away the burned, dead flesh. My Chi already formed new flesh underneath and it was slightly pink from the burns. 'Thank Ichiei for healing factors.' If it weren't for the healing abilities Chi gave me then my body would have been a horror show of scars (the ones that aren't deep enough anyway). I took deep breaths as my Chi slowly recovered and looked north after hearing another explosion. I could feel the auras of the elves fighting Styrbjörn and they were fading fast.

"Where are you going?" Gunhild said as I stood up and walked to the fight. I looked back at her in confusion.

"Uhhh, to kill the overly fiery undead?"

"The Elf soldiers have him pinned down for the moment, we should head for the center of the city. Talien should be there." Gunhild said and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"…How do you know that?"

"My Chief messaged me." She lifted her communication ring and I held back a twitch at the obvious answer. Except...

'She's hiding something again.' I internally frowned. Just like before coming to the city, she knew Talien would be here and she knows the Elf King is in the center. "We should still deal with Styrbjörn." Another explosion brought me back from my musings and I chose to question her about that later.

"Why? The Elf soldiers knew what they were getting into, we should use this chance when he's slowed down to attack Talien." Gunhild reasoned.

'…Damn that's cold.' Granted, I didn't really care about the Light Elves either, leaving them to die did leave a bad taste in my mouth. "Yeah and once Styrbjörn is done with them then he'll be our problem. Might as well take him out while we have help." I started to float up and flew towards the fight, leaving Gunhild with a thoughtful expression on her face. I quickly reached the battlefield and arrived just in time to see Styrbjörn slice an Elf in half, burnt insides falling to the ground. I grimaced at the gore but the other elves didn't care and continued to rush him. Even if they weren't much of a match for the former human, they did their fair share of damage and the Pjága had more wounds on its body than before. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of half their numbers and they were slowly losing more. Landing on the ground, I picked up a large pillar and coated it with Chi. I threw it at Styrbjörn and hit him on the side, saving an Elf from being beheaded.

Styrbjörn looked in my direction and I rushed at him, forcing him to block my sword swing. That left him open for the spears of the Elves and he was pierced from the back. He tried to use his fire aura again but my ice Touki negated it and the Elves continued skewering Styrbjörn. He pushed me back and slammed his fist into a nearby Elf, crushing his head to bits. He tried to retreat but a brave Elf jumped on his back and sank his dagger into the undead's neck. Styrbjörn crushed the soldier's arm and tossed him to the side but that left me enough time to cut off his legs.

"Vinea Capiant!" The moment he fell, the Elf woman from earlier trapped him with vines. Before he could completely burn through the restraints, I lifted my sword and cut clean through his neck. The silence was deafening as the undead's body became stiff and the flames died down, his head falling to the ground. Seeing the red light escaping the head's eyes, I relaxed.

"Arghh!" I watched in surprise as an Elf lifted his mace and smashed Styrbjörn's head to pieces. The other Elve's quickly followed suit and started to beat the undead's body to pieces, rage all over their faces. Slightly unsettled by the scene, I looked away and saw how the Elf woman kneeled by her fallen comrades. She had a hollow look in her eyes and drew symbols on each of their foreheads, doing some sort of prayer. She started to put away their bodies in her space ring shortly after.

"Læ Jafnaðr!" I heard a loud demonic voice in the distance and saw Maven fighting another Pjága in the sky. She was on her familiar and narrowly dodged a lightning spear, only to be bombarded with more lightning bolts. I moved to help her but a soft voice stopped me.

"Wait." I turned around and saw it was the Elf woman who called out. She was standing a couple feet from me and the rest of the soldiers were also looking at me.

"Yeah?" I said, slightly on guard as the woman stepped forward.

"Thank you." I blinked in surprise when she bowed and the rest of the soldier's also bowed. "You saved us from that monster and helped us get revenge; we can only give you our thanks."

"…Don't worry about it." I didn't help kill Styrbjörn for virtuous reasons but if they want to misunderstand then I won't clear it up. I flew towards the dodging Maven and sent multiple Chi Swords at the spell casting undead. She blocked them with a lightning barrier and sent lightning balls at me. They exploded in midair, forcing me to back away before I was electrocuted. The distraction however left enough time for Maven to take a breather and cast a wide ranged wind spell. It wrapped around the undead in a blanket of wind, trapping her within.

"Fulmineum." The undead made a long sword of lightning and tried to cut through the barrier but had difficulty doing so.

"Gilotîn gwynt!"

"Nulla Lanceam!"

Creating a wind blade above Thorbjǫrg and lunging with a green lance, we attacked her with our respective spells. We weren't able to reach her however because a large tornado came down and covered her entirely. My lance couldn't pierce through the dense winds, only freezing a couple strands of wind before I retreated. Maven and I watched the tornado with caution before it disappeared. We both frowned when Thorbjǫrg was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did she go?" Maven looked around cautiously with multiple magic circles revolving around her. "Pierce?" She called out, probably to ask if I could sense the Pjága but I couldn't find her.

"She's gone." I narrowed my eyes at the sudden quietness around the city. "Along with every Draugr." The mage looked out into the city and saw what I meant. There were no more Draugrs running along the street or huge Bóndi Draugrs wrecking havoc. Even the raging fires were slowly fading away.

"What happened?" Maven asked.

"I don't know. Let's go find out." I flew forward and Maven followed after. We headed for the center of the city, towards the large hall that Gunhild said Talien was. I noticed while flying that many Elves were coming back into the street, soldiers and regular citizens piling into the open.

"Hey guys!" We looked over to see Melissa and Samantha also flying to the hall. We landed at the same time and the Shadow Yokai stepped closer. "What's going on? This really strong Draugr we were fighting suddenly disappeared."

"Ours too. Do you think Talien retreated again?" Maven said and I stepped forward, placing my hands on the pair of large doors. Opening them, we saw the destroyed inside and dozens of corpses of some green monster (two of which were meaner and tougher looking then the rest). Ignoring the mess, I walked passed the bodies and deeper into the hall. I could feel everyone's aura in the main chamber and after walking for a minute, we reached them.

"Oh, you made it. Is everyone okay?" Adrian saw us enter and spoke up. The Emissary was with Vargas and Aindrea, hanging out by the door entrance. Said entrance was to a large room that contained glass cases and each one had a barrier over them. The room itself wasn't a mess; many cases were untouched with most of them having some old looking artifacts. It was the large case in the middle that was different. It had its own podium and it was in a cage, the barrier around it seemingly of higher grade then the rest. The problem? There was nothing in it. Brynhildr and Gunhild were observing the empty case, their faces completely blank as if whatever was inside wasn't important or they had no idea what it was. The look Adrian sent my way revealed that he didn't believe that either.

"All this for a private tour of a museum? Damn Talien sure does have a warped love for history." I said as I approached the Valkyries and Gunhild snorted.

"I guess we all need a hobby."

"Or new life choices but that would be asking for too much." I walked around the case and tapped on the barrier. "What was in here?"

"No clue." The Valkyrie didn't skip a beat and answered.

"Yes you do." I didn't let it go this time however and called her out on her lie.

"Excuse me?" Gunhild looked offended

"You knew that Talien would come here, you knew why he was in those catacombs and you know what was in this case. You two know more than what you're telling and honestly...I could care less that you are lying to us. You guys haven't put us in real danger by doing so but Talien has escaped twice and we probably could have done something to prevent it the second time if you guys were to tell us the truth. Maybe come up with a plan or just better use of our team." I took a deep breath before letting out a sigh and sagging. "Okay look, I know we just met and there's no real trust built but we already kicked ass together! I'm not asking for the key to the vaults of Asgard or an invitation to the next slumber party of the Valkyries but give us something!" Finished with my rant, I noticed how quiet it was and looked around. Everyone was staring at me with different levels of surprise and amusement.

"You have no idea how alliances between factions work, do you?" Brynhildr asked with a quirked smile and I opened my mouth to say 'yes' before shutting it. Sophia and Damian were working with us against Shiruku without their clan knowing and Amaterasu specifically said the Shinto can't be directly involved without being dragged into the war. Brynhildr being the Chief Valkyrie was a major aspect of the Norse Pantheon and her actions speak for them as a whole. So yeah, this was technically my first real alliance with another faction.

"...I plead the Fifth." I said with a neutral voice and Brynhildr quirked a brow.

"...I don't know what that means."

"..." My statement stood. She saw my answer and sighed, running a hand through her hair. The Chief Valkyrie fell into deep thought, looking to each member of the party and her gaze fell back to me. She stared for a second before answering.

"Alright." Brynhildr simply said and Gunhild looked shocked.

"Brynhildr!? Are you sure!? What abo-"

"It's okay." Brynhildr raised her hand and stopped Gunhild. "He's right, they've earned the truth and it will only hurt us to hide it any longer." While Gunhild didn't look assured, she still nodded in the end and let her chief talk. "So, what do you want to know?" I looked back at the others at Brynhildr's question and most of them shrugged, Adrian nodding to give me the go ahead.

"What was in the case? And why did Talien come for it?" I asked and Brynhildr looked at the case.

"It was a gift to the Light Elves in Gotland, given to them by the original Brynhildr. A Fragment...of the Andvaranaut." While that got no reaction from the majority of the team, Aindrea and Maven were both surprised.

"I thought it was destroyed..." Maven said with a thoughtful look and Brynhildr nodded her head.

"In a way it was. But, their original ability is no longer possible and Brynhildr planned for them to never be restored."

"Um, can we slow down a little?" I raised my hand and got their attention. "Can you explain what the Andvaranaut is? And why does Talien want it?"

"The Andvaranaut is an ancient magic ring, crafted by the Dwarf Andvari and it has the ability to find all the gold in the world." Maven started to explain what the ring was and the significance it had in the legendary saga, the Völsunga. By the end of her explanation, I was still pretty confused.

"So what? Talien wants the ring so he can become really rich?" I would get it if he was a common thief but being a General of a God and an Ultimate-Class, money doesn't seem like an issue. "Does Zeth not pay well?"

"It's not the money he's after, not primarily anyway." Brynhildr shook her head. "He's after what it could do now."

"...And that is?" I asked since she didn't go one. The Chief Valkyrie tilted her head and looked down at her ring, rubbing it. She looked concentrated for a second before coming to.

"We have time." Brynhildr said and walked to the side, sitting on a large piece of rock. "If you want to understand everything then we need to start from the beginning. The very beginning." Glancing to the others, I chose to sit down on the steps of the podium and everyone else followed suit. Brynhildr waited for us to all get comfortable before starting. "While I should probably explain the inner workings of the Norse first, I get the feeling you guys don't really care about that." She got a round of agreements and smiled. "Well okay then, I guess we should start with the Ancient Kingdoms...and the Völsunga."

'...I miss popcorn.' I idly thought as Brynhildr began her tale.

In the olden days of Scandinavia, time had a funny way of keeping in place. Countless kings, queens and lords littered the ancient land of the Nordic people and to these rulers, war and peace was like the seasons. They came and went but never broke away from a cycle, no matter how much time had passed. Eventually, a time came where every ruler carved out their own territories and grew to power from there. Castles were built, armies rose, and people gathered to these beacons of stability. While conflict was a trait every race possessed, natural or otherwise, the Nordic people were well known for worshiping the strong and valorous. People fought everywhere, rulers against other rulers, warriors against armies, hell even mercenaries that wanted to make a name for themselves joined in any fight they could. In those times, if you were above someone it was because you had earned your place and it wasn't gifted to you. True warriors of great strength were in abundance and whenever they met on the battlefield, countless ordinary men would retreat not to get caught by the storm.

But with so many powerful warriors came a different problem, an era of stalemates. Every ruler had a champion that could match the other's tit for tat and no matter how many fights occurred, no one could gain ground on each other. It was an odd situation that many Nordic people weren't used to dealing with because to them, warriors and kings die all the time so having a time where no one was dying was incredibly strange. But this strange occurrence inadvertently brought Scandinavia into a new situation. While fights still happened, the age of stability brought growth and people started to thrive in their respective kingdoms. Populations grew, cities were built to house those populations and jobs that didn't involve fighting such as merchants and accountants were pursued. Rulers grew wealthier and warriors grew complacent, battles became rare with how no one could beat the other. It was truly a prosperous age with many calling it a Golden Age.

And then one day, this Golden Age caught the attention of a certain golden, wingless dragon. Fafnir, the Dragon King made his home in Scandinavia and the people there took it in stride. At this point in time, humanity was still very heavily reliant on religion and magic was common knowledge; this was also in the middle of the Dark Ages so human historians had problems recording anything that happened during this period. So with the Dragon King and one of the last remaining dragons taking up residence in their region, many rulers saw this as a boon. Contrary to popular belief, while Fafnir's greed was great, it was not as overwhelming as legends portrayed. The first batch of gold and treasure ever hoarded by the Golden Dragon was given voluntarily, by a king that wanted Fafnir's protection. Seeing no problem with the request, Fafnir accepted the money and the king went back happy. Then another one came to ask the same thing and he agreed to that as well. Then another one came. Then another. The trend continued and soon, the majority of the rulers in Scandinavia were under the protection of the Dragon King. And for a time, their tributes were money well spent. Crooks, tyrants and bandits started to avoid the kingdoms that had Fafnir's stamp of protection and his presence itself made it so that many supernatural beings avoided causing trouble in the Nordic countries, more than the Norse Pantheon's presence did funnily enough. Relative peace continued and all was well in Scandinavia.

Then something changed. One day the Dwarf and master craftsmen Andvari created the Andvaranaut, a magic ring that can help with finding large sources of gold. Andvari used his creation to gain a vast fortune before it was stolen by the Evil God of the Norse, Loki and he cursed whoever owned it to become madly obsessed with gold. Loki, being a master magician and a God, found the curse to be more interesting than anything and hatched a "fun" plot. He disguised himself as a king and offered the ring to Fafnir. The Dragon King did not see through the Evil God's disguise and took the ring, sealing his fate the moment he received it. To the already gold loving Dragon, the ring's curse enhanced his greed and it consumed Fafnir. He started to ask for more treasure from the kings of Scandinavia and slowly increased the amount every time it was time for a new tribute. It did not matter how small or insignificant the amount was, every piece of gold was to be given to him or the consequences would be grave. With the Andvaranaut, no piece of gold could be hidden from Fafnir and one day, a king tried to hide his wealth from the Dragon King.

Fafnir didn't like that. He stormed the king's home and stole everything, burning down the castle as he left. That day was an epiphany for Fafnir. Instead of waiting for the tributes, he chose to personally go hunting for all the gold the Andvaranaut could find. No matter who had it. Many kings sent their champions and powerful mercenaries to stop the Dragon King but none could match Fafnir's power and countless treasuries were robbed. The Norse Pantheon was soon alerted to Fafnir's actions and Odin personally tried to stop his greedy rampage. Upon meeting, Odin tried to reason with Fafnir but he didn't listen and threatened the God King to stay out of his way. From anyone else, the Raven God wouldn't have been fazed but Fafnir and him had quite the history. In his earlier years of warring and conquest, Fafnir was Odin's Vanguard. They had fought together many times so seeing his hostile attitude saddened Odin and he got out of the Dragon King's way.

Odin never noticed the curse radiating from the Andvaranaut. With his magic skills, Odin could have done something about the curse but it was Loki's own powerful magic and Fafnir's prior greedy nature that clouded the Raven God's suspicions. Not wanting to go to war with his friend but not wanting to let him continue, Odin made a decision. Summoning his oldest and strongest Valkyrie, Brynhildr, he gave her a task. Find a great warrior to slay Fafnir and seal his soul, bringing it to Asgard. Finding the request a bit unreasonable, something she made real clear to Odin, Brynhildr accepted nonetheless and made her way to Scandinavia to start searching. The Original Chief Valkyrie scoured the lands, meeting many warriors and so called masters, testing their might personally. Brynhildr was a well known perfectionist in Asgard and her nit pickiness was legendary among the other Valkyries. She found flaws within every candidate she discovered. Some were too slow, other's were too stupid, many uncivilized, countless arrogant. For months Brynhildr searched and one day she heard of a hero in the far lands of Gotland. A hero known for his master swordsmanship and incredible survival instincts, Sigmund. Brynhildr made the trip to his home but when she arrived she learned that Sigmund had fallen in battle and was told so by his son. A young man named Sigurd.

Slightly annoyed for her wasted trip, she quickly let it go and accepted Sigurd's offer of food and tea. Sigurd asked why she was looking for her late father and she explained her search for a warrior to slay the Dragon King, Fafnir. Brynhildr's quest was quite well known at this point and she found no harm in telling the son of Sigmund her aim. She was surprised however when he asked if he could be her champion and shortly after, laughed. It wasn't the fact that a man Sigurd's age asked to be her champion, she had heard plenty ask. It was Sigurd's looks that filled her with doubt. He was the very definition of a pretty boy. Shiny black hair, ruby like eyes, a slim build, and skin that actually looked softer then Brynhildr's. He didn't have a warrior's aura and looked like he would be better suited as a politician or a poet. Or a boy toy. Regardless, Brynhildr wasn't one to deny someone their chance and led Sigurd to an open field, to test the young man's skills. Giving him a training sword, she told Sigurd to come at her with everything he had.

Brynhildr would be the first to admit that in her very long life, be it as the Chief Valkyrie or former advisor to Odin, that she had never been more humbled than the moment she gave him the go ahead. Moving with speed and strength that did not belong to a human but with so much finesse that she was slightly mesmerized, Sigurd took her apart. Even with her Half-God physique, she had no chance against Sigurd in a straight sword fight and resorted to her using her magic. While the fight quickly ended once she did so, Sigurd didn't make it easy and she struggled a bit to beat him even with her magic. Brynhildr found her champion. She told him of her master plan to take down Fafnir and Sigurd packed up, following her to fulfill that plan. Sigurd's swordsmanship was incredible but Brynhildr knew that would only take him so far against the Golden Dragon. They needed an edge against him, a weapon that could cut through his tough scales and dense flesh. A dragon slaying weapon so to speak and Brynhildr knew exactly where to get it. Making a trip to the tallest mountain in Norway, Galdhøpiggen, they came to visit the Dwarf tribe that rested there. The Sons of Ivaldi welcomed both of them and the Chief Valkyrie asked them to create a weapon that could kill Fafnir. They agreed and after making both of them fetch multiple pieces of legendary items that had barely anything to do with the weapon, the Dwarves got to work. Using the shattered remains of Sigmund's prized blade, at the request of Sigurd, the Dwarves used their sweat, blood, and tears to create the ultimate dragon slaying weapon. The Demonic Emperor Sword, Gram. The Sons of Ivadi were incredibly proud of their handiwork.

They were less so when Sigurd accidentally cut their prized anvil in half with Gram. And so Brynhildr and Sigurd marched on towards Fafnir's abode. After a fight that threatened to destroy the mountain that Fafnir made his home and toiling for a day and night, the Golden Dragon King was defeated. Taking the soul of Fafnir back to Asgard, Odin prepared the ritual to resurrect his former brother in arms. To say Fafnir was ashamed of his actions once he came back to life was a major understatement. He was horrified by what he did and the lives he took under the influence of the Andvaranaut. Odin eventually figured out that it was Loki that reduced Fafnir to this state and planned to punish the Evil God but the Dragon King didn't blame him. Not fully anyway. It was his own greedy nature that allowed the cursed ring to control him and went on a self imposed exile to atone for his sins. Odin respected his decision and turned to his Chief Valkyrie, hoping to give her a reward for all her efforts. And Brynhildr did indeed ask for something.

She wanted to give up her title of Chief Valkyrie and explore the world. While shocked at her decision, Odin granted it and Brynhildr walked out the gates of Asgard. She made her way to Scandinavia once more and met with Sigurd at his original home. The former Chief Valkyrie asked the dragon slayer's hand in marriage and after getting over the initial shock, he agreed.

And so Sigurd and Brunhilde, she started using her original name, lived happily ever after.

"..."

"..."

"..." We all stared at Brynhildr as she finished the story. The silence was deafening. Then I started to clap. In the empty chamber, my light clapping was crystal clear and everyone stared at me weirdly.

"Oh come on, that was a nice story! The happily ever after was kind of cliche but god damn it they earned it!" I said with righteousness and everyone rolled their eyes.

"She still didn't explain what Brunhilde did to the Andvaranaut." Aindrea said and we turned to look at the Chief Valkyrie again.

"I was getting to that." Brynhildr said with a sigh. "Seeing that they took down Fafnir, Odin saw fit to gift Brunhilde with the restored ring and she took it with them on their travels. After exploring the world with Sigurd and doing everything she's ever wanted to do, she came back to Asgard for one last thing."

"What?" Melissa asked in excitement, long since interested in the story and Brynhildr gained a heavy look in her eyes before responding.

"A burial." The room became tense at her words.

"A-A burial?" I asked in shock and she nodded. "What happened? Was she sick? Was there no cure?"

"It wasn't anything like that, she just reached the end of her tether." Brynhildr must have seen my confused face because she continued. "I was being serious when I said she was Odin's oldest Valkyrie." It took me a second to realize what that meant.

"Y-You mean-"

"She reached the end of her lifespan." Maven finished for me and I was stunned. I knew supernatural beings weren't immortal. I knew besides Dragons, everyone dies of old age one day, even Gods. But with thousands of years on them, I never really thought about it when they would reach the final steps. It really puts things in perspective.

"If the records are to be believed, Brunhilde was even older than Odin and was with him from the beginning. That's the reason every Chief Valkyrie takes up the name of Brynhildr. It's close enough to Brunhilde to honor her but doesn't write over her name...Heh, that perverted geezer's symbolic like that." Brynhildr gained a fond smile before coming back. "Anyway, before Brunhilde's burial, she had the Andvaranaut broken into three pieces. She had one sent to a distant relative of Sigurd that was reforged into a normal ring and another to the Light Elves in Gotland for safe keeping. As for what they do once put back together, many in Asgard have theories on it. Some say it's a way into Fafnir's personal treasury. Other's say it's the sword techniques of Sigurd and Brunhilde's magic. A lot just say it's the same as before but it doesn't make you obsessed with gold. Only a select few in the Norse Pantheon know what Brunhilde changed."

"...So what does it do?"

"When all three pieces are rejoined a portal opens to another dimension and in the dimension is a tomb. The Tomb of Sigurd." We all gaped at her words and I put the pieces together.

"Talien...he wants to make Sigurd a Pjága." I said and Brynhildr nodded solemnly. "...Why?"

"Why?" Brynhildr quirked a brow. "Why what?"

"Why that! Why did she leave scavenger hunt for the pieces everywhere!? Why didn't she just cremate Sigurd?! Why didn't she just keep it a secret and have him rest forever in peace!? Why didn't she bury herself with him!? I mean seriously, this was Shiruku all over again! Better then any of those, why didn't Odin just find the dimension and put it in a godly safe, in a supernatural vault, in a normal but still equally deadly volcano!? And I wish you all got that reference but you all don't and your confusion wouldn't entertain me right now!" I wondered if my face was as red as it felt and I slumped down, sitting on the steps again glumly.

"...You're very high strung today." Adrian said with an odd happiness in his voice and I deadpanned.

"It's not that. My problem is that Talien now has two pieces of the Andvaranaut and is probably on the way to the third one as we speak." All their eyes widened when I said that and Vargas abruptly stood up.

"Shit he's right, we were wasting time here!" He turned to Brynhildr in a hurry. "Where's the next fragment!? Come on we have to hur-"

"Um." Gunhild finally chose to speak up and raised her hand. "There's no need to worry about that."

"Why not?" I asked and Gunhild smiled.

"Because we already got it." A woman's voice rang out from behind us and we all turned around to see a new Valkyrie enter the chamber. She tossed something to Brynhildr and the Chief caught it, showing it was a small ring fragmen-

"...Okay how long were you waiting out there for the right moment?" A laugh from the new Valkyrie was all I got.

3 Hours Later, Elf City

I sat on the edge of an open porch, watching the massive funeral from the house I was given. Many wooden podiums were made with every Elf in the city out there to mourn their loss and soldiers burning the bodies. The house was on a tall hill and I had a clear view of the event. After Brynhildr explained how she sent out two of her Valkyries to pick up the last fragment while they faced Talien, we made our way out of the chamber and met with some Elf soldiers. One was coincidentally the Elf sorceress that helped me kill Styrbjörn and she thanked us for chasing out Talien. They offered to give us residence for our help and we took it; everyone was pretty tired from the constant fighting. We were to rest for a while before re-tracking Talien or helping the Homer Team deal with Ferox (he's also an intruder that the Norse want out).

"So this is where you were." I looked back and saw Maven walk up to me. She looked around. "Where's Melissa? I can't find her."

"She's in bed, her fight really tired her out."

"Ah." The mage gave a sound of acknowledgment and crouched next to me, watching the event with me. We stood in silence for a minute or two before I felt her look at me. "Is everything okay?"

"...Is this about my rant earlier?" I asked and she nodded.

"I've never seen you act like that before. You usually take things like that smoother."

"Smooth huh?" I said wistfully. I take in crazy things in lots of ways but smooth ain't one of them. "But thank you."

"...What?"

"Sorry, that wasn't on purpose." I gave an apologetic smile and took a deep breath. "It's just...Sigurd."

"Were you afraid?" Maven asked, sitting down fully and I sighed.

"A bit. And it wasn't because Talien got both fragments or that he's a sword genius or a dragon slayer."

"...Then what?"

"Its...I nearly got my ass fried today by a guy I never heard of." I leaned back against a pillar. "This random guy from this obscure place came back to life and handed my ass to me." Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but if I was alone, I wouldn't have liked my chances. It felt like I was fighting the Tyrant again, outmatched in the physical department (my forte) with only my speed keeping me alive and luck playing a big part. I hated that feeling.

"Pierce, just because no has heard of you doesn't mean you're weak. Plenty of masters are hidden from the world, doing their own things and they are pretty powerful. I mean you're a good example." Maven reasoned and placed a hand on my shoulder, giving a small squeeze.

"I know that but even then...what does that say about Sigurd?" At the end of the day, fame does speak for itself and his feats made it so he was a literal legend. A human killed a Dragon King and not just any Dragon King, the strongest one there was. At his strongest state. Yes, Sigurd killed Fafnir when he was in his Outrage mode. Super fucking Devil killing Outrage Fafnir. Sure, he was probably weaker then and Gram is pretty broken against dragons but I still wanted to stop Talien from reviving the legendary hero at all cost. The relief I got from seeing the last fragment is more than I could put into words and more than I was proud of. 'So much for facing a God.' I self depreciated myself, seeing how easily scared I got at the thought of facing Sigurd.

"Does it matter?" Maven's question brought me back and made me confused. "Sigurd may have beat Fafnir but he hasn't faced us!" She puffed out her impressive chest and I gave a weird look.

"I don't thin-"

"We can do it." The mage didn't let me finish and smiled. "We'll beat Sigurd, Talien, and even Zeth. I know we can."

"...How do you know?" I asked and Maven grabbed my hand with both of hers.

"Because I believe we can...I believe in you." She gave me a warm smile and rubbed my hand with her thumb. I had no words.

"...Okay, that's just not fair." What do you know, I had five. Maven chuckled and leaned on my arm, resting her face in my neck. We sat there in silence and after a minute, we heard footsteps approaching us. We looked over and saw Brynhildr approaching us. She raised a brow at our position.

"Am I interrupting something?" I blinked at the question and looked to Maven.

"Is she?" The mage rolled her eyes but made no motion to move, choosing to sit on my lap. "I don't think so but I make no promises. Come at your own risk."

"...You really are weird." The Chief Valkyrie shook her head and leaned against the adjacent wall. "But I guess that weirdness makes sense with your naivety."

"Oh for the love of-I told you I didn't know, would you let it go!?" I pleaded but Brynhildr just snorted, unbelieving. The reason she called me naive was because of my rant earlier to put trust between our two teams after we fought together. It wasn't the asking for trust that was the problem, it was telling the Valkyries to tell Norse secrets to a group allied with Olympus. It was explained to me that long ago, in the age of the Ancient Gods, Odin was quite the warlord. Pillaging, conquering, raiding, if it had something to do with invasion then Odin most likely invented it. In short, Odin used to be an asshole and just recently turned to being a jolly pervert. And who did our Raven God meet in his reckless early years? Why another wonderful chap known for his womanizing and debauchery incarnate, Zeus. Now tell me, what do you have when you take two literal God Kings in a phase that would make all the Christian nuns in the world pray for their souls and let them meet?

Exactly what you'd think. It wasn't pretty and they tried to kill each other many times, sometimes bringing their respective pantheons into the fray. Years passed and with time, both God Kings grew in character and learned new life choices. The fighting stopped entirely centuries ago and the last time they met, which was supposedly a decade or two ago, they actually sat down and had a bland but pleasant conversation.

But that didn't mean there wasn't any more bad blood between the pantheons. Zeus and Odin reconciled their (very) stupid grudge but their fights still had lasting effects that were fading but present. Basically, Aindrea was being a dick for a reason that time in the catacombs (go figure that).

"Gunhild told me of your fight with Styrbjörn, she said you were quite a sight." Brynhildr said and I quirked a brow.

"Uh, thanks?"

"You would make a good Einherjar." She dropped that and looked forward. "If you want to be that is."

"...Was that an invitation?" I asked with a smirk and she straightforwardly nodded. "Well, I'm sorry but I don't see myself becoming one. Sorry."

"It's there whenever you want it." Brynhildr shrugged and crossed her arms. "Still with how Talien got someone like Styrbjörn then it's a wonder who else he got."

"Those Pjága in the Catacombs must have been some ancient warriors or kings from how strong they were." Maven spoke and I nodded.

"No kidding, they were pretty tough even with all of us together. Not to mention those crazy weapons...they...oh shit!" I jumped, remembering my spoils of war and quickly rubbed my space ring. Maven and Brynhildr watched in confusion as two odd looking swords appeared on the floor. The first one was the same as ever with it's diamond-like holes and bat wing guard so I picked up the other one. It was a black jagged sword with demonic wings as hand guards and three red jewels running down the middle. It was omitting a dark purplish glow. Having time to actually observe them, I remembered where I saw these blades. They were Demon Swords. Two of the six Demon Swords used by Siegfried in canon DxD.

"Tyrfing and Dáinsleif..." Brynhildr said the names of the swords and got a closer look. She traced a finger across one blade. "To think that Talien was able to-hm?" She stopped and frowned, squinting her eyes at the swords. Maven and I watched her make a magic circle over the swords before it disappeared. "There were seals over the Swords. Black magic seals."

"Seals? What were they fo-"

'Ah finally! Being trapped in a box for ages was bad enough, the constricted consciousness was not welcome!'

"..." I blinked. I blinked again. Then I stared right at Brynhildr.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked with a frown

"...What the hell happened to your voice?" I asked in wonder and she furrowed her brows.

"My voice?"

"Yeah, it got real weird and had this strange echo-"

'I think her voice is quite lovely. This guy on the other hand however can cut steel with his tone deafness.'

'Hey, I'm not tone deaf! And look who's talking, sword of blunt trauma!'

'...That didn't even make any sense!' The voices started to bicker and I looked between the two women in the room.

"...Okay what are you guys doing?" I said in confusion but they looked equally confused.

"Pierce what's going?" Maven asked

"You tell me!"

'They're not doing anything though...You think we picked a crazy one?'

'...And our past users were sane?'

"That there!" I pointed at them but they were still lost. "You guys are arguing with different voices and I could hear clearly in my head. If this is some sort of prank spell then...teach it to me immediately!" Thinking of the mischief I could come up with a spell like that, Brynhildr and Maven didn't react and were as lost as ever.

'Ohhhh, I get it. Kid, we're down here.' Listening to the voice in my head (wow that sounds bad with or without context), I looked down and all I saw...were the glowing Demon Swords on the floor. I stared at them for multiple seconds but my brain refused to make sense of the scene.

'Hi! I heard your name was Pierce? Mine's Dáinsleif! Pleasure to meet ya!' The voice was clearer now and I noticed it was male in nature.

'Greetings, my name is Tyrfing and thank you for freeing me from that seal. While I would have preferred the idiot over there still being sealed, I'll take what I can get.' The other voice spoke and it was male as well but younger.

'...Really? You're going to be a dick to me even in your introduction.' The voice had no face but I could tell it was deadpanning.

'Humph.'

"..."

"..."

"...You know what, I'm over it." I ended with that and continued staring out into the beautiful Elven city, leaving a confused mage, a Chief Valkyrie, and two bickering Demon Swords to their own things.