[This entry is taken from the journals of Lilac Duskdaughter. Although parts of it cover the Alfheim stuff that happened before the Asgard stuff I am putting it after because the later entries take place after. This way I'm not starting with the Alfheim recap, then the Asgard and Helheim recap plus new stuff, only to jump back to Alfheim for new stuff. She gave me altered versions of her personal journal to help me actually learn to read and write the elven language.]

At the request of Hunter, son of Eric, I've decided to write out events myself rather than just depend on the old school paintings on leather. I'll start with when things started changing. I don't mean the weather, I mean for me and the village specifically. I was helping the hunters patrol when we saw him, what I learned was a Midgardian male. He told us of how he was traveling the realms with no control over it and he was stuck here. I was tasked with keeping an eye on him as the Elders didn't trust him at first. He caught on to me following him fairly quickly. So I went from observer to guide and showed him around. My hope was by giving information he'd drop his guard and give some in return. It didn't take me long to think he meant us no ill will. In fact he just seemed to want to go home. However it seemed he'd be stuck here for a while. Not just in our realm but in our village. Just as we were about to send out a new hunting party he warned of danger. He sensed a coming storm, I had doubts but ordered that the storm horn be blown. His argument of having nothing to lose by recalling them if he was wrong but a lot to lose if ignored and right was convincing enough for me. We were now stuck in lockdown. I'm not sure if it was boredom or a need to feel useful but Hunter started doing anything he could to help out and pass the time. He made nets for fishing, he tended gardens, he helped set up a new practice area for warriors. In the end, it was I who let my guard down. After days together I eventually had him help me with my own personal garden. During this we briefly touched hands. He became clearly uncomfortable. He must have realized we had both let our guards down. We were strangers just days ago and now we were spending entire days together.

It started as a mission and was quickly looking like a friendship if not possibly more. I was really embarrassed myself. I was engaged, granted it was arranged, and it now could look from an outside that an [alien/foreigner] was courting me. My betrothed seemed to get a similar idea and became extremely possessive as is expected. Hunter reacted quite negatively to the idea of an arranged marriage, indicating that such practice is seen as backwards in his culture. He issued a warriors challenge for my hand. I was extremely upset at first, I thought he was going to be just as bad as Nightshade acted. He asked for a bit of background to help him out so he wasn't going in blind as well as a history lesson. He seemed extremely interested in the Nautilus invasion from 25000 years ago. He indicated he had no plans to actually marry me but that he had some sort of plan. All I had to do was be there during the fight.

The entire village must have gathered to see the fight, I had concerns but Hunter seemed confident. He had indicated that the element of surprise would be on his side and didn't seem that worried. I'm not sure if he was putting on a brave face or if he was a head warrior of his tribe or what. The fight itself was intense, and the two were well matched. Hunter was quite agile and would stick to dodging and blocking before striking. When Hunter did take a hit it didn't seem to faze him much. There were several close calls but eventually Hunter threw Nightshade off the suspended sky arena. Nightshade's bandages had come off, either cut deliberately or by mistake. He hovered off the ground but Hunter launched himself off the arena and shoulder slammed Nightshade to the floor. Hunter was victorious. My heart ran fast with anticipation and I glanced over to my father who was simply taping his fingers on the arm of his chair with his head in his other hand. Hunter then took the speaking horn and spoke to the crowd. He announced that in place of accepting his prize he'd give it to another. My hand would be given to me, allowing me the freedom to choose whom I give it to. I was confused and I probably wasn't the only one. There was outrage from Nightshade's father who objected, however what Hunter did was allowed within the rules.

Nightshade also spoke saying that no warrior under him was to take retaliation and that he was surrendering his right to a rematch. Apparently he was also unhappy with the arrangement as much as I but acted poorly to keep up with expectation. It seemed many of the leaders had wanted an excuse to challenge the tradition of arranged marriages but with us already having challenged so many already people were hesitant to change others to keep some measure of normalcy. However that would likely no longer be the case. The Elders gave Hunter an honorary citizenship and we threw a party. After the party both myself and Nightshade had a talk with Hunter and it seemed the two found a common ground for a friendship. I took to considering him as a friend as well. Unfortunately he vanished before we could give him an honorary Elven name. At the time of writing this entry it has been twelve weeks since Hunter left, the rain has stopped and the water has gone down.

In the time since Hunter left, Shadow; the former head warrior of the dark tribe here, has been doing everything he can to convince anyone that will listen that Hunter is in fact somehow evil. He's either Loki or Odin in disguise as only they had the ability to move the selves and others without use of the Bifrost. He's somehow going to lead us to ruin. Shadow is somehow convinced that Hunter didn't simply detect the storm, but caused it. He says everything he did to gain trust was part of some trick. Despite any argument against him he has been quite adamant. No holes in his logic are good enough to convince him that the outsider is not somehow evil. It's been quite the bother. At one point he even argued that even if Hunter did really mean well that his leaving was at least basically abandonment, comparing him to Feyr who once united the elven tribes under him in peace only to leave us to our own devices. The peace he forged devolved quickly after he left. Shadow felt this would at best be similar, claiming that at the very least Hunter pushed his own ideas onto us only to leave and not make sure they stuck. Though I guess he's not completely wrong since the Elders have yet to officially ban arranged marriages altogether. My father says they must consider the long term of what such a change would mean for the village before they commit to such a drastic change. I sometimes find myself thinking about Hunter, worried over what trails he faces in the other realms. Not everywhere is as hospitable as here and some would be far more hostile and aggressive than Shadow. I imagine him poking his head into someone else's business and ending up way over his head. I hope he's okay. I myself wonder if he'll ever return.

Myself and Nightshade find ourselves teaming up to combat the smear campaign his father has taken against Hunter. He may not have a majority but he's got enough support to cause issues. Shadow may have once been head warrior but now I think him a coward. He did not dare speak against Hunter after the initial objections when Hunter was here. Now that he's absent and can't defend himself Shadow has taken to spreading his [the word Lilac uses best directly translates to "fear of outsiders" but I'm going to just put "Xenophobia"]. It's been three and a half moons since Hunter left at this point. I know he said he can't control when or where he goes but if he doesn't come back soon I fear Shadow will stage a coup to overthrow the Elders just to get his way. Though I doubt it would succeed, people would still get hurt. If Hunter were here I think he'd find some way to avoid it, or at the very least teach Shadow a lesson.

Today the Elders decided to hold a formal debate so Shadow could formally air his grievances in public. Things got heated as expected and suddenly everyone was just trying to tell over one another. Just when I thought the room would end up in a fist fight Hunter appeared in the center of the room and everyone fell silent. He looked around before speaking; "I feel like I'm interrupting something important, sorry about that. I'll try to stay out of the way of... Whatever this is."

He couldn't have timed his arrival any better. I couldn't help but run to him. "Hunter, thank the Gods you are here." I gave him a big hug.

"Not everyone seems all that happy to see me, what's wrong?"

Shadow spoke up before I could say anything. "What's wrong? What's wrong?! I'll tell you what's wrong, outsiders like you just showing up and thinking you can mess with the way we do things and then leaving rather than being there to see things through."

"I made some suggestions, I never demanded or expected change. It's not exactly my responsibility to babysit you. You're an advanced civilization capable of making its own choices. Besides it's not my place to decide for you anyway."

"Exactly, so you should just leave pretender. We are better off without some Aseir in disguise playing tricks on us again. Odin, Loki, whoever you really are doesn't matter. We just want you gone."

I then spoke up "Not everyone wants him gone. I think if he had ill intent he'd have done something bad by now."

"It's coming down the line, just you wait. No Midgardian could travel the realms like he does. Only Odin and Loki had the magic to move worlds without the Bifrost. Both of them were bad news."

Hunter then spoke up, clearly confused "Didn't they both die in the war? Odin got eaten by Fenrir and.... Well honestly I don't know how Loki died in the stories but he's not listed among those that survived. I feel like even if he was alive and tricked you a lot, you probably wouldn't figure it out this fast."

Someone in the background shouted out "He's actually got a point there." And a number of people nodded in agreement. Shadow grumbled clearly upset. "I still believe he has some sort of bad intentions. I'm not going to risk it. I issue you a warriors challenge. If I win you leave the village and never return."

"What if I win?"

Shadow paused for a bit before he answered "I offer up the hand of my daughter. [So a direct translation of her name is "gentle breeze at night" but I've taken to calling her Nightgale]."

"You... You realize that means if I win I'm just just going to gift her hand to her like I did for Lilac right?"

"It's not a challenge if both aren't willing to risk something."

Hunter then looked in my direction "Okay it's been awhile so just to double check as the challenged that means I pick the event right?"

I nodded "With the only restriction being that it must be something you both are physically capable of participating in."

Hunter paused for a bit. "I choose to take this challenge in the form of a race, military style obstacle course. I'll explain how to set it up but the rules are simple. No flight, no destroying the obstacles. Use of the environment and making aggressive physical contact is allowed. The first one to the finish line wins."

I breathed a sigh of relief, it was going to be a race and not an all out arena battle. Then it turned to worry again when Shadow spoke once more. "I choose Lightning Fleet-foot as my proxy."

Hunter let out a confused "What?" So I explained: "He can choose a proxy to do the challenge for him. Technically you could too but.... Lightning is the fastest land runner we have, best scout in the wood tribe."

"Luckily it's not just a race, speed isn't the only factor."

"You know you don't have to accept the challenge right? You could have just declined."

"Yeah, but then Shadow would just keep talking crap. Best just to nip this in the bud."

"If you say so. Good luck."

Hunter waved then went to help get the obstacle course set up. I was curious about the course. Hunter said it was going to be 'military style' indicating that it's something the warriors of his people do as part of their training. It'll be interesting to see some of what the people of another world do to train warriors. Since the actual challenge wouldn't be till tomorrow and I had the day off I gathered some of my friends for a girls night and casual chat.

The group was small, just a handful of my female friends from the village gathering to talk about whatever we had going on. The top female hunters in the village. Myself, Lightning Fleet-foot, Glimmer Gloomdaughter, and Dawn Soladaughter. We gathered to drink lightly and talk over issues we had, mostly involving the men.

Once we were settled and sat in my home I was the first to talk. "I'd wish you luck Lightning, but honestly I hope you lose. No offense."

"None taken Lilac, though I hope you know I won't hold back. I'm not going easy just because I'm racing your alien boyfriend."

"He's not.... It's not like that. I don't... I mean how could I? He's just so different from us. You know? Like you said, he's basically an alien. As nice as he is, his looks are a bit of a hurdle. I'm sure by the standards of his people he's probably got no worries, then again what would I know. He's the only Midgardian I've ever met.

Dawn then spoke up "Maybe don't focus so much on looks. I mean... He's a skilled fighter, he knows how to fish, hunt, tend a garden, clean and prep meat, tan and treat leather, hide, and fur. I'm not sure if you know this, but boy can cook. I passed by the guest house when he was here last time and he had prepared himself some fish he caught with that net he made. Cooked it up himself. I don't know what he did with it but I asked to try some and he let me. Let me tell you, that fish, it melted in my mouth. I've never had anything like it. He also did very well with the kids whenever he interacted with them. I don't know if elves and Midgardians are compatible or not but that cooking skill alone is enough to tempt me into finding out.

Glimmer then spoke her concerns "What if Lord Shadow is right though? Should we really trust this outsider so easily just because he did a few good things for the village? We know nothing about him when you really think about it. We know nothing of his world. Who knows the state of Midgard after all this time."

I couldn't help but dwell on my own doubts. I have no way of checking anything he's told me about himself and his world. All I know is what I've seen, and as the stories of Loki always preach, depending on perception leads to deception. [Translation note: This actually rhymes in both languages]

I let my thoughts out loud "You have a point Glimmer. We have no proof of anything. He hasn't even spoken of what he's done since last time he was here. He wasn't even shocked to be back here again. He told me he couldn't control where or when he shifted. So he either lied or that's changed. Shadow also had a point in bringing up Hunter's ability to travel the realms. It's not something many have been able to do without a Bifrost. We have no idea where this power comes from and he told me he didn't either."

Glimmer nodded "Yeah, what can we really trust from him? Words are empty and even actions can be. It would be nice if we had a way to prove his actions are honest "

Lightning spoke again "What if we did have a way? Shadow has already asked me to play dirty in the race. Using the environment and striking physically is allowed. So he told me to hit him and throw things at him whenever I get the chance. There is no penalty for doing so. If Hunter is a good person, a genuinely good person, he won't resort to such tactics. He'd do his best to run clean. If he wins Shadow won't take that laying down, he'll find some way to have a second challenge. He'll ask for a rematch right away even though he's the challenger and that wouldn't be allowed normally. What would you do if someone was hounding you and questioning your honor kept up like that?"

Glimmer responded with "I'd give him the rematch, let him pick the game. Beat him in that too. Beating him while he has the choice advantage would probably be what it takes to shut him up."

I nodded in agreement "That's actually very simple. There is no penalty for acting badly in this contest. So acting good despite that would be a good start."

We all siped tea and sat for a bit before I finally spoke up again "So any other topics to cover? New finds while hunting or scouting? Offers of courtship from a male? Offering courtship to a male? They don't always have to make the first move you know."

Lightning chuckled "I found an unmapped cave with some fungus I've never seen. Took samples to the apothecarians and herbalists. Dark elves farmed different fungus in their underground cities. Maybe these are edible or medicinal. Even if it's poisonous it could be useful."

Dawn groaned "I don't care if it's edible, I'm not putting a fungus or an insect into my mouth. I'm not going to trash the culture or anything, just not doing it."

Glimmer teasingly said "I bet you'd give it a try if Hunter cooked it. You freaky [Xenophile]."

"I don't have a thing for him because he's an [alien], just love me a man that can cook. I don't find him physically attractive or anything. What about you Lilac, what do you think? You've spent the most time with him."

"What do I think of Hunter? I mean I spent a week around him but that's hardly enough to get to know someone. He has a lot of different skills, all useful. He seems to care about people. But there's this... Weight to him, you know. The way he carries himself. Do you remember how calm he was when we first encountered him? He said this was the third place he visited counting Midgard. Yet when faced with armed elves he simply threw up his hand and went with the flow. He said that other realms and elves were just myths before hand. He was more than calm. Like he was used to it somehow."

Lightning nodded "I got a feeling like that too. His knowledge of survival skills and fighting, yet he seems conflict avoidant most of the time. He's learned how to fight and survive but I remember overheating him to you something about outdoor survival skills not being something his people needed. It's almost like..."

Glimmer interrupted "Like his entire life has been one big struggle. He doesn't want to fight, he learned how because he expects one. At every turn he expects things to go wrong. Carries a burden on his shoulders. Baptized in fire, a product of the crucible. Repeatedly from the sounds of it. The legends speak of such people, cursed to a life of struggle. Filled with strife. [She then utters a word that was really hard to translate. The best direct translation could be "Ashes of the blackened King" or "Dandruff of Musplhiem". With some work it could also be translated as "Surtr's Chosen" "Cursed Ash" or "Blessed Suffering"]"

The rest of us sat in silence a bit before Dawn spoke up "Then being dragged across the realms, even now with control, is just another trial, another burden to bear?"

I shouted out "No that's [bull shit]! Cursed to a destiny of suffering, lamenting at the universe, powerless to change it. If the Fate's truly have set forth such a path then maybe Fate should be broken. What good could possibly come from such suffering? Hardship can make us stronger but if you keep putting a blade under the fire it'll only break under the stress. What could anyone have done to deserve being broken like that? If there is a predetermined destiny or curses they can shove it."

Lightning chuckled "Was your arranged marriage that bad? Nightshade is a fine man, by dark elf standards. Right Glimmer?"

Glimmer almost choked on her tea "top of the line physically, honor bound, very proper. You'd be hard pressed to find a better man among the dark tribe members here."

[The casual talks go on for a while, there isn't really much important here. The others talk about men they like, Lilac and Dawn get teased a lot, it gets boring so I'm skipping the rest.]

The next day I went to the area where the course was being set up quite a bit early. [It was several hours before the race] This way I would have a chance to talk to Hunter beforehand.

"Hey Hunter, how's the set up going?"

I could see the course, it was definitely something else. Several obstacles of different varieties. Walls for climbing, an area with thorns for going under and crawling in mud, strange bars in the air I assume one was meant to cross with hands while hanging under, ropes for climbing, ropes you would have to swing across.

"The course is done, I just have to explain each obstacle to the referees. We'll be racing each other instead of a clock. Normally a whole squad would do this at once and if anyone couldn't make it to the end the entire squad failed. You either pass as a group or fail as a group. If you couldn't pass this basic course you couldn't get into the military."

"You call this basic? This looks demanding. Such a high standard, but I guess it makes sense for a formal military. Have you done this before?"

"Yeah, I've run a course similar to this before. Passed with flying colors. Unfortunately I'm too tall to do what I actually wanted to in the military. Turns out there's a height limit to being a fighter pilot."

"Fighter pilot?"

"Yeah, I wanted to fly a combat plane, it's like a big metal mechanical bird that goes really fast, armed with explosives and rapid fire ballistic projectiles. Ended up working on some military base seeing no action the entire two years I was active. Not much of a fighter anyway, I'd rather not have been in combat."

"So you don't consider yourself a warrior and actively avoid fighting, yet you went through the training. What am I missing?"

"My father and grandfather both served, despite being the youngest of my siblings they couldn't join for one reason or another. I was trying to make my father proud of me. Wasted my time if I'm being honest."

"So how confident are you in winning this?"

"About as confident as I was in winning the sky joust, that is to say, not at all."

"Really? You seemed fairly confident."

"I've gotten really good at putting on a 'everything is fine' face. No point in moping around and bringing others down or making them worry if you or they can't do anything about what's happening."

"So you what, just carry the burden alone as to not bother anyone?"

"It's not their problem."

I noticed others arrived as the time for the race was about to start. "Well good luck Hunter, you'll need it."

Once everyone was gathered one of the referees spoke to the crowd. "The challenge rules are simple, a race from the start here, to the finish over there. Contestants must stay on the path, if they leave the path they must enter in the same spot. Use of wings is not allowed. Destruction of obstacles is not allowed. Use of the environment and physical contact is allowed. Those climbing obstacles are simple, but for the rope swing, these "monkey bars", and the thorn obstacles there is some explanation needed. For the thorns it's intended to crawl under them through the mud. For the rope swing and bars you are to get across without hitting the mud. Falling off means restarting that obstacle. First one to the finish wins. We have people observing each obstacle. With that out of the way, racers to the line."

Hunter and Lightning walked to the start line and did some light stretching. Once done Lightning bounced back and forth on her feet. Hunter however took a very low stance with one lag way back and his hands touching the floor. Lightning gave him a look, not sure of what he was doing and why. I wasn't sure myself but I knew he had a reason. Lightning didn't take an effort to mimic his stance and kept bouncing on her feet.

The referee at the start put a hand up. "Ready, steady, go." Hunter bolted from the start at a surprising speed. The referee spoke into the horn to narrate the race. "And Hunter is off to a strong early start leaving Lightning lagging behind. I never thought I'd see a human of all things outpace Lightning, especially this early. But we'll have to see if Hunter can maintain this lead."

Hunter ran to the first obstacle, a wall with two knotted ropes. He grabs the rope and puts his feet to the wall and climbs over it, launching himself over once he gets to the top. Lightning however is able to jump much higher getting her hand to the top and vaulting over the wall closing some distance. The second obstacle is a vertical net. Hunter climbs the wobbling net and once at the top rolls down the other end. Lightning isn't able to simply hop over this one and has to climb it, slowing her down a bit. Once on the other side she starts throwing rocks at Hunter to try and slow him down.

"It seems Lightning is starting to get aggressive. She's closed some of the gap but is still a bit behind Hunter. The next obstacle is the rock wall so if she leaps like she did the first wall she should be able to get in close enough to grab Hunter."

The announcer was correct, Lightning hopped part way up the wall and cleared it faster than Hunter bringing her right behind him. Tossing rocks, dirt, mud, and sand his way. The next obstacle was the monkey bars. Hunter was just barely able to reach the bars and started swinging across. Lightning was able to get herself on top and started running along the top. She stomped Hunter's hands as she passed, almost causing him to fall but he managed to stay on. "An amazing display of athletic ability from Lightning Fleet-foot as she continues to play aggressively and she is now in the lead. The only obstacles left are the thorn wire obstacle and the rope swing."

Lightning hesitated before dropping to the ground to crawl in the mud, and seemed to struggle with moving under the thorns. Thanks to this, Hunter was able to catch up and even get ahead. The rope swing area gave her no advantage so Hunter was able to keep his short lead. He crossed the finish just before she did despite her aggressive racing. The announcer excitedly states that Hunter had one by a small margin. People cheered and Lightning gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"That was a close race. I hope you know there was nothing personal in the way I acted. I was told to do everything I could to win and I gave it my all. In a straight race I don't think you would have won, but you displayed an impressive amount of physical ability."

"Thanks Lightning. I'm just glad I won't have to do anything like this at the village again."

Unfortunately I feel he spoke too soon as Shadow walked over and shouted. Clearly displeased and unimpressed with Hunter. "You... You cheated somehow. You must have used some sort of physical enhancement magic or something. There is no way a human could outrun the fastest member of our village."

"I'll admit in a normal race i'd have lost, but this wasn't just a normal race."

"I demand a rematch."

My father then spoke up. "You were the challenger Shadow, you have no right to a rematch."

Hunter sighed "Tell you what, I'll accept the rematch anyway. You get to pick the game. If you win I'll gladly leave and never come back. But if I win, you are to be banished until you learn a lesson about who your xenophobic tendencies really hurt. I get you think you are just trying to protect your people, but there is a difference between caution and paranoia. I've proven time and time again I have no interest in doing you or your people harm, but you aren't satisfied. So go ahead, choose your game and pick a proxy. I already know you will because you are either too much of a coward to face me yourself or so desperate to win you don't care if you have to use someone else to prove a point."

Shadow grumbled and took a step forward with a fist clenched. I thought he was going to punch Hunter in the face. He took a breath and said "I choose Face Knuckles for the event. My proxy will be my daughter Nightgale."

"If you think I'm going to hold back just because I'm facing a female-"

Hunter stopped talking when Nightgale stepped forward and accepted the challenge.

"You.... You're joking right? She is just a kid. How old are you, like.... Fourteen?"

She spoke barely loud enough for people to hear. "I'm one hundred and fifty five."

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"That.... Wait.... Do elves have thousand year life spans?"

Nightgale nodded.

I then said "I know it's not impressive compared to Aesir, Vanier, or Jotun lifespans but it-"

"It's ten times longer than humans. Aesir, Vanier, and Jotun are a hundred times longer."

I was taken aback by this, I had no idea Midgardians had such short lifespans. "Wait.... How... How old are you."

"I'm twenty three. I was twenty two when I started world jumping. Still, adjusting for lifespan Nightgale would be fifteen. Surely that's underage."

"She's reached the age of selection, she can be in a challenge."

"Humans aren't considered adults till eighteen where I'm from, sixteen in some areas and some people say that's too young."

"That's... almost a fifth of your lifespan."

Hunter sighed, "Whatever, tell me the rules."

Shadow made a simple statement. "The rules are extremely simple. Each person takes turns hitting the other person in the face till one hits the floor. It's a popular bar game among people who drink a lot."

Hunter sat in silence, likely considering his options. He had already accepted the challenge so there was no backing down.

"How long do I have to prepare?"

"Well there isn't any set up needed so you'll be given some time to rest. You have till halfway between second and third meal."

Hunter nodded. "I'll be at the training area I helped set up ready to go by then."

Shadow nods and the two go in different directions before returning to the village proper. I follow Hunter.

"Do you... Want to talk about it? The challenge I mean."

"Shadow has me backed into a corner. I really don't want to punch a little girl. If I don't fight back then it's a loss, but if I do he can use my willingness to hit what is basically a child as a platform to slander me." He runs his hands through his hair grunting in stress.

"So even if he's banished his followers will continue to hound you after you win meaning.... There's no real way for you to win?"

"There has to be some way around this. I can't just forfeit but I'm not going to hit someone who is relatively underage. Besides.... I'm not exactly sure what would happen if I did. I've never exactly been strong but when I was in Idavoll I somehow managed to hold my own in a fist fight with Vidar."

I stopped walking as that hit me "you... Did what?"

"While on vacation I jumped worlds to the realm Asgard once stood in. Once in the city of Idavoll, King Vidar ordered to have me executed shortly after I explained my situation. I demanded a trial by combat."

"And you won?!"

"Technically. He started using his boots partway into the fight and launched us both into the air. I managed to get the upper hand an teleported us to Helhiem where I slammed him into the swamp and knocked him out. I passed out shortly after but Lady Hel helped me back on my feet with an Idunn apple."

I paused for a bit, remembering the stories of the Einherjar, the Midgardian warrior that were conscripted by Odin for the war. "Did you.... Know what you were getting into eating it?"

"Well I knew it was a risk. Didn't know how bad it would hurt. I mean I figured having broken bones rapidly mending wouldn't be pleasant but still."

"I'm starting to think you might be insane."

Hunter laughed "Maybe a little bit. This may seem odd but do you have any books on herbalism, apothecary practice, or alchemy? I'm going to do some heavy reading for the next few hours before the challenge."

"I'll take you to where we need to go. I'm guessing you have some sort of plan."

"I have an idea, not sure it'll work."

"I'll trust you. Though I'll admit I had some doubts."

"Me too Lilac, me too."

I took him to an area where we keep what few books we have and helped him find the one he was after. I left him to read and went to the training area when the time came like everyone else. Hunter and Nightgale both stood in a circle of people, a referee getting ready to start the event. Nobody seemed excited for this like they were for the race.

The referee announced "the defender gets the first strike. Go."

Hunter put his hand into a fist, he then moved it to Nightgale's face and gave her a light tap.

Shadow shouted angrily "What was that?! That wasn't even a punch."

The referee sighed "Rules don't specify that you have to hit them as hard as you can. As far as I can tell, Hunter's strike was within the rules. Continue."

Nightgale then struck Hunter in the face with a solid punch, Hunter not even budging. Hunter grumbled. "You're doing it all wrong, do it like I showed you last time I was here. Proper form is important."

"R-right. I'll try my best. It's your go now."

Hunter repeated his light tap. "Back to you."

Shadow grumbles in the background, but keeps his mouth shut.

Nightgale then takes a step back before stepping into a new punch, letting out a grunt as she did, putting her entire body into the punch. A loud thud resonated through the area. Hunter's face hardly budged despite how hard she hit him. She may be small but that full body punch had to be close to what a full adult could throw. I quickly realized that this would take a while. Hunter was exceptionally durable. This time it was I who let out a sigh. "This is going to take forever at this rate, Hunter has bones of freaking steel."

Nightshade chuckled "Yeah, that sound from the strike was really something. I'm not surprised, he took hits from me like a champ."

Hunter once again gave Nightshade a light tap.

"Come on!" Shouted Shadow. If he keeps being this loud people will start to catch on that he wants Hunter to strike his kid.

This went on for a while, eventually I started to notice Hunter moving more with hits. It was as if each strike Nightgale threw was stronger than the last. She was now noticeably hurting Hunter. I noticed something seemed off, and realized Shadow had been silent for quite a while. I looked over and saw he was murdering and moving his hands. Casting some kind of magic maybe? Eventually Nightgale's hands had a noticeable glow but the referee didn't say anything. There was no way he didn't see it. There was only one answer, Shadow found a way to bribe the referee. I bit onto my finger, not sure if I should say something or not. Then after Hunter took a heavy blow I noticed he moved differently on his next punch.

When he taped Nightgale's face this time he moved his face behind her ear. He pushed her face with a non-impact after. I wasn't sure but it looked like he said something to her. I couldn't hear it myself but decided to wait. This time when Nightgale threw her punch her fist practically lit up, but the referee happened to be rubbing his eyes and looking away when she made her strike. People were now audibly upset but they knew they couldn't do anything.

Now it was once again Hunter's turn. "I'm done holding back." This time he readied himself for a real punch, moving his fingers about and stretching his hand before pulling back and putting his entire body into the punch. Everyone fell silent as they heard a series of crackling sounds like bones breaking. Nightgale hit the floor like a net of fish. When the referee went to check on her, Hunter leaned down as well with a hand on the referee's shoulder. I couldn't catch it but I thought I heard him whispering something to the referee.

The referee stammered "S-s-s She's..." He looked away "by the gods." He choked on his words. "Nightgale is no longer able to continue, Hunter wins." He looked at Shadow. "Prepare final rights."

Shadow's eyes widened as he rushed over to Nightgale. He dropped to his knees next to her. "How... How could you-?"

I walked over to Hunter. "What did you do?"

He put his hands in mine. "What I had to." I noticed he placed something in my hand. A bit of [proper name doesn't translate, I just call it "deep sleep root"]. I then took a look at Nightgale. Despite the loud cracking sound there were no noticeable marks.

Shadow checked himself but didn't hold his finger long enough to find her slowed pulse. He held Nightgale in his arms and started to sob. I walked over to Nightshade who looked like he was about to deck Hunter and held him back. "Don't do it, Hunter didn't do anything wrong." I slipped him the root. He took one look and understood.

Nightshade practically stormed his way to his father. "This is all your fault! You could have dropped it, but you let your paranoia get the better of you. It's one thing to be cautious of outsiders but it's another to put your own blood at risk just to make them look bad. Yeah, there is a risk that Hunter could betray our trust, but that's true anytime you trust someone."

Shadow cradled his daughter in his arms as the referee choked out. "You will now be banished under the conditions set by Hunter."

"I'm... Sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't think it would end up like this. I've learned my lesson."

Hunter grabbed a clear container with a clear liquid in it and brought it over. "Good, then this wasn't a waste of my time." He opened the bottle and squirted Nightgale. She sprang up gasping deeply. Everyone but Hunter, Nightshade, the referee, and myself were taken back in surprise.

"What the?!"

"Surprise jackass, I used a deep sleep root. The entire thing was a performance."

"You... Wait what? But I heard bones crack."

Hunter then pressed his left hand up to his right palm and turned his neck a set way. A loud crackling sound emanated from him. "You were so wrapped up in what you thought happened you didn't take the time to check closely. If I really hit her that hard her skull would have caved in."

"I... I see. Although I'm grateful she's still alive... It's a bit bittersweet that I'll never see her again."

"What are you talking about?"

"I lost, I'm banished."

Hunter sighed "Your banishment had an expiration. Remember my wording? It was set to end when you learned a lesson about how much of a problem you were being because of your xenophobic attitude. You just confirmed you in fact did learn something. So your banishment has officially ended."

Shadow looked up at Hunter, blinking. "You.... You planned this out to end this way? You never intended on allowing me to be banished, did you."

"Your daughter is still young and she still needs you. I'm not going to take her father away from her just because he was being a massive jerk face to me. Though I definitely got lucky. There were a hundred ways this could have gone south. If you didn't get a referee that was willing to take his bribe and not out me for the deep sleep root I doubt this would have been as successful."

I looked at Hunter "You mean you knew he was going to do something that underhanded and instead of saying something used it to your advantage? Are you sure you're not Loki? You are definitely clever enough."

"You flatter me, but I'm not that good. Anyway, everything turned out fine, thankfully."

Shadow finally stood up helping Nightgale onto her feet. "I'm not sure if I should be upset or not."

Hunter chuckled "You thought your daughter was dead, you are one hundred percent allowed to be mad at me. I'll even offer you a free punch. Anywhere but my face because it's already in rough shape and my groin. Hard as you like. Then we'll call it even. Yeah?"

Shadow nodded and took a stance. "I hope right in the chest is fine by you." He then winds up for a punch.

"Wait, that might not-" Hunter is interrupted by Shadow's fist impacting his chest with a thud and a crack* "-Be a good idea."

Shadow brought his hand back and shook it around a bit. "Nocturne's Cloak! What in Helhiem are you made of?!"

"I... I tried to warn you. I'm exceptionally durable for a human, and we likely have denser bones than you Elves do."

Shadow chuckled "That explains how you managed to take such a beating. It's like your bones are made of iron."

My father practically shouted "That's it!"

I was startled by the sudden outburst. "What?"

My father quickly explained "Hunter's [name-of-virtue]."

"You want to give Hunter a [name-of-virtue]? I'm not sure if you know this father, but to my knowledge no outsider has been given one since Freyr. Are you sure you want to give Hunter one, it might upset people."

Shadow chuckled "Nah, I'm fine with it. He's proven himself to me."

Dusk nodded "Then it's settled, tonight we will hold the ceremony to give Hunter son of Eric a [name-of-virtue]."

People clapped and started to leave so they could go about their days and prepare for the ceremony. Hunter looked at me, confused. "What exactly is this.... Name of virtue? Why is it celebrated?"

"A [name-of-virtue] is basically what it sounds like. When someone does a notable feat or multiple different ones or becomes known for a set feature they get one. It's not something that happens every day. The ceremony is to celebrate a person no longer being under the shadow of their parent. Becoming a person worthy of being noted without the name of their parent attached. Lightning Fleet-foot for example became extremely well known across the land for her speed. Not just here but throughout the realm. When you have a [name-of-virtue] anyone that hears it knows to respect you."

"That's neat but.... my father's name isn't Eric. I've wanted to explain but it never seemed worth the effort. Names where I come from are in two or three parts. Given name and family name being the two that matter. The family name is passed down from parent to child by default and then they are given a name in addition to that when born. The family name Ericsson is because long ago an ancestor was the son of Eric when the tradition of family names started making all his descendents Ericsson. Some family names come from a job or place. The family name Redwood likely came from someone long ago being "from the redwood" and Smith being from the profession of Blacksmith making it extremely common."

"O...oh. Well you could also think of it as an honorary Elven name."

Hunter nodded. "Let's go to the ceremony then I guess."

"You want to arrive... Together?"

"We are both walking the same way, so I don't see why not."

"R-right, of course." I walked with him to the area where the celebration was being set up, feeling awkward the whole time.

Once Hunter got there the dark elves started on their [drums], followed by the light elves on their [harps]. My father led the procession. "We are gathered here today to honor a member of our village who has accomplished much for our community and has acted with honor and integrity. The council of elders has agreed to give him a [name-of-virtue] to acknowledge his efforts and feats. Please step forward Hunter, son of Eric."

I now understood the strange face Hunter kept making every time we would call him the "son of Eric".

Hunter stood forward and my father continued. "By the power given to me by this counsel and the people of the realm of Alfheim, I hear by declare that no longer will you stand in the shadow of your father. No longer will you simply be a "son of Eric". From here on out you shall be called by your [name-of-virtue]. From here on out you shall be known as Hunter [Steel-Bone], Warrior of [he says the proper name of the village. Best translation: "Village where the fast white water flows" or "Village of the Rapids"]."

People clap and cheer. After the ceremony people start going back to their daily routine. Myself, Hunter, Nightshade, Nightgale, the counsel members, Lightning, and Dawn remain in the area for a bit. My father waved Hunter over to the counsel to talk about something. I chose not to eavesdrop. Nightshade stretched himself out a bit. "I was hoping to thank Hunter in person for finding a way to not have to hurt my little sister, but it looks like I'd have to wait in line. Unfortunately I don't have the time today because I'm helping with preparations for the [Equinox] celebration. Could you thank him for me Lilac?"

I nodded "Sure thing Nightshade. You go on to Nightgale, you've had a long day. Get some rest "

She nodded and they both went home. My father gave Hunter some big pats on the back as he laughed before dismissing Hunter and going with the counsel back to their chambers. Hunter then walks over to me and the other two girls still waiting.

"What was that about? My father seemed awfully friendly."

"Well since I'm a full citizen here now apparently they arranged for me to have a place of my own. Also apparently if I was interested I am allowed to "court a member of the village". I'm not exactly attractive by human standards so I doubt an elf will find me physically appealing. I'm basically an alien. Sure, there are strange humans who are down bad and would be one hundred percent willing to take an elf wife or husband even if you don't exactly look as what most people in my world would expect. But I can't exactly assume that would be true of elves. It's harder for some than others to get over appearances. At the end of the day all I really want is someone who actually cares about me and treats me nice."

I nodded "I get what you mean. I remember my dad telling me about how in his day dating a different kind of elf was still taboo. Now look at us. The counsel of this village is not only okay with but actively encouraging not just that but with someone who isn't even an elf taking one of our own as his betrothed."

Hunter nodded "I mostly came to check in since I've spent more time here than any realm outside my home. Since everything is going well I think it's time to move on. I'll still check in from time to time."

"Wait!" Lightning blurted out "You should stay for the Equinox festival. It's tomorrow. Big party, lots of food. We could discuss details over evening meal."

Dawn reacted fairly quickly to Lightning's offer. "You gave me crap just the other day for-"

I stopped her from finishing her sentence, letting Hunter respond. "I guess I can stay for the festival, we can all go together. We can all gather at my place and eat while we talk about it."

Hunter pointed to a spot on a map my father must have given him with an X on one of the buildings. "I'll meet you there, I've got to grab some supplies first."

I nodded and he went off while the rest of us went to his new house in our village.

Dawn playfully struck Lightning as we started on our way. "What were you thinking anyway? You gave me shit when I said I was interested in Hunter and his ability to cook. Then you go ahead and ask him on a date?"

"A girl is allowed to change her mind."

Nightgale giggles in the background "There's a bit of an age gap, but I wouldn't mind having a man like Hunter."

I sighed "You have no idea when it comes to age gap. Apparently humans have lifespans of about a century. Ten times shorter than an elf or dwarf. Don't adjust for lifespan and you're too old for him, but if you do adjust for it he's too old for you but will die of old age before you are even old enough for him."

Lightning turned her head and looked at me. "Wait, you're saying he's not in his two hundreds. He's only twenty something?"

"He's twenty three. Physically speaking he's a year older than me. But even if he were younger there is still the issue of me only aging ten years and him already being dust. Without something extending his life he won't even last long enough to be considered a long term relationship."

Nightshade pitched in his own thoughts. "Maybe whatever it is that lets him travel worlds will also extend his life. I mean only Aseir, Vaneir, and Jotar have had the ability to travel realms without a Bifrost in the past. Since those all live ten times longer than us, maybe he'll end up in the middle."

The rest of us thought about that for a bit. It was true, Hunter was an outlier among his kind in a number of ways. There was no way of telling how the Bifrost energy or whatever it was that gave him access to it to begin with has affected his biology.

"You have a point, there are a number of factors to consider. There are risks but that's true of everything. If that doesn't do anything to stop people from approaching him in the hopes of a relationship, then the only thing left would be for him to decide who he'd agree to try for something with." I stated rather plainly.

After a bit of waiting, Hunter came to his new place with buckets of fish and various vegetables and other plants that weren't normally eaten like vegetables. "It'll take a bit to get everything cooked, so I guess while we wait we can just chat."

"I was wondering why you were gathering food for evening meal now when you have a while before it starts." I realized he planned on a slower cooking technique.

"Smoking food usually takes at least a few hours. I've got to grind these herbs up to rub into the meat once it's been prepared to cook before I smoke it. The vegetables will get a little bit of some of these before I steam them. Thankfully Dusk had my cooking stuff from the guest house moved here."

"Can I watch you do the cooking and prep? I'm interested in seeing how you do it." I was genuinely curious to see how it was done.

Hunter nodded "You'll have to help me prep then. It won't be too hard." He then led me to a cooking area where I helped him prepare food for cooking and set everything up.

We sat around for a while with the group drinking water and chatting before Hunter went back to the cooking area to steam veggies. I then helped him bring out the food. It smelled really good.

We ate, talked, and laughed. We all told stories of different crazy things we've been through. Hunter telling a story of when he went to Helhiem and woke up nude because Last Hel had to clean and patch him up. We drank and laughed some more before eventually Hunter shouted out. "Ouch, what in the-"

I practically jumped "What, what happened? You okay?"

"Lightning just bit the top of my ear. I mean it didn't hurt that bad, took me by surprise then anything but still." He rubbed the top of his ear.

Dawn raised her voice slightly "What the heck Lightning? I get we've been drinking but you don't have to be that aggressive."

"I didn't mean to bite down that hard, between the drinking, competition, and excitement; I guess I just got carried away."

"You meant to bite my ear? What the [I say "devil" but it doesn't exactly translate to Elven] for?"

Dawn started explaining before I could. "It's... Uhh... How do I explain this... A way of flirting?"

I add on "When an elf is interested in dating one way the let the other know is by nipping at the ear. A gentle nibble means they want to date, a full bite means they are... How did you put it? "Down bad" I think it was."

Lightning started to hide her face. "I meant to do a light nibble. But trying to beat Dawn to it and being slightly drunk had me go overboard."

Dawn also hid her face a bit as Hunter sat there for a bit with a blank expression, blinking. Eventually he spoke in a confused tone. "You... Explained my lifespan right?"

I nodded.

"So knowing that both of you would be willing to try to date me? Why?"

Lightning stammered "N-not just us, Nightgale and I assume Lilac would also be willing to take the chance."

Nightshade practically blerts out "Same"

The rest of us look at him "What?"

"I uhh... Think it's hot that he can kick my ass, okay?"

Dawn chuckled "That actually checks out when I think about it."

Lightning then added "I'm guessing you haven't told your dad you like men."

"I uhh... Like both so... No."

Hunter stared blankly for a bit before rubbing his arm "I'm not used to this kind of attention but..." He pauses for a long time before continuing "You people are serious?"

I managed to look up from the floor, still embarrassed. "I know it's a bit strange, and I don't think anyone is asking for anything specific from you. Maybe just... Get to know each other better and see how it goes."

Hunter let out a loud sigh "shhhhhit" then after a pause he said "you might be better off not trying to date me. I'm not exactly.... How should I put this? ... I'm not sure I could give anyone a proper relationship."

Lightning tilted her head "Why not? You're a nice guy and you have a number of skills that make you a solid option. Dawn here was willing to try it just because of your cooking and now I think the rest of us can see why. You have a solid physical ability, durable and smart, good at survival skills, can cook. To top that all off you are a good person. Sure you may not be physically attractive by elf or even human standards but looks aren't everything."

Hunter's eyes were now look at the floor. "I'm not.... I'm not a good person. Being honest I think my problems started before I was even born. I'm not an only child, I have an older brother. My mother had a complication with a pregnancy that resulted in miscarriage, and was told after that the chance of a successfully having a kid was slim to zero. Eight years of not doing anything to prevent it, they gave up. Then they had my brother."

"A miracle child" I said.

Hunter nodded. "Year and a half later they got me. My brother was always a little shit growing up, always getting into trouble. But it often felt like he could do no wrong. Meanwhile I put in an effort to be the son I thought he wanted my brother to be. Responsible, respectable, dependable. But I began to feel it didn't matter what I did, that I could never be the son he wanted because he never wanted me. I felt unwanted and unloved by someone who was intended to love me unconditionally. Even before I started to feel that way I had this feeling like there was a darkness inside of me, that if I got too aggressive I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I became a pacifist not simply because the idea of hurting someone made me feel bad but because I was worried I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I spent a lot of time trying to bury my emotions, only to eventually go through depression and be left with nothing but watered down remnants of the emotions I once shunned. I became desperate to feel something, anything that wasn't anger or fear. I joined the military like my father and grandfather before me because I wanted to be an air force pilot as a kid, there was a legacy, and I thought maybe I'd feel something in the heat of combat."

Hunter paused for a bit before continuing, no one interrupted. "During the two years I was in active service I only saw combat a total of four times. When I killed someone for the first time I thought maybe I might feel something but I didn't. Figured since it was a stranger and an enemy that it might have been normal, but then in another combat I had a squad mate take a hit right next to me. He died in my arms. I had hoped I'd feel sad he was gone, or anger at the person who killed him. All I felt was this empty pit in my stomach. I'm not a good person, I feel like I just do good things out of habit because I wired myself to be the son i thought my dad wanted as a kid. I don't even feel human sometimes. I'm a monster, almost completely void of the emotions of a human, a shell of a man just going through the motions that only keeps fighting because that's all I've ever known. I honestly feel like if my life stopped being a constant struggle I'd stop functioning and simply die. I remember when I was little I would dream of being special, that there was a place I truly belonged somewhere, out in the stars or something. Now long after I gave up that dream I have this ability I feel like I didn't earn that lets me in some way live it out. I don't deserve these powers, I might as well have won some cosmic lottery."

The room was silent, people even stopped eating food. It took some time for anyone to talk and I was the first to speak. "I understand your life has been hard, I won't even pretend to understand exactly what you've been through, but there is something I think you should know. The fact you admitted that the thought of hurting another person makes you feel bad shows you still have empathy. That empty pit you felt was probably a mix of sadness and regret. You say you think that getting this power was something of a cosmic lottery, well if that is true then you aren't the one that won when you were chosen. The winner was everyone else. Think about it, even if your motives aren't pure you still try to do the right thing. Tell me, if someone other than you was in your shoes, would they act as selfless as you have? Out of the million or more people that could have been chosen, how many do you think would go out of their way, to the point of enduring suffering, just to help others?"

Hunter sat for a bit before admitting out loud to himself and the rest of us. "Not that many of I'm being honest. Most humans suck and even those that don't probably would at some point choose something selfish."

"Exactly." Everyone nodded in agreement. "So let's forget all that and focus on the future. Tomorrow we have a party to attend and it looks like it'll be a group thing."

I could tell the rest had mixed feelings about going as a group. Lightning herself was originally trying to get Hunter to herself for a date. Right now what he needed was friends. In the end it was up to Hunter if he wanted to try to be more than friends with any of us anyway even if he was in a good place. We agreed to meet up at a set spot tomorrow and all six of us would go to the festival as a group.

The next day we all met up and went to the festival. People dancing and cooking food for people to just grab and eat, everything was great... Except for the fact Hunter seemed distracted. There were a few times myself or one of the others would go out of the way to get his attention for something. When night started to fall we gathered for the big feast and everyone sat in spots ready to see the performance. Every time we do the festival of the Equinox, each of the four tribes do a performance as a way of celebrating the balance both around us and in the community. The first tribe to perform this time was the dark tribe. The performance was led by Nightshade. The warriors of his tribe doing the traditional war dance with heavy drums.

[Translators note: this dance has similarities to the Hawaiian war dances I've seen on TV. Heavy drums play as the men stomp about, shout, and slap their legs in rhythm. The leader, Nightshade, performs a war chant. "As the warriors of Alfhiem ready for war, preparing for flames that are yet to burn, we send out this call to make our presence known. Our enemies should know we're a force to be feared (rhymes with war in elven), as we ready our spear and ready our sword (rhymes with burn in elven), those that hear us would be better off if they ran (doesn't rhyme with known in elvish)."]

The next performance was from the light tribe. A classic display of the gentle music they are fond of. [Dawn played what was basically a harp. No lyrics, just gentle string instrumentals] Next the wood tribe. [Some sort of interpretive dance. I have no idea what about. Hunting an animal similar to a deer maybe.] Then came my tribe's turn. I had agreed to do the performance for this festival after the last one and didn't think Hunter would be here. I got dressed and performed with the other ladies what is known as "The Dance of Twilight" [The performance reminded me of middle eastern belly dancing. I could tell she was embarrassed but she followed through.]

After the performances my father went up to talk to the crowd. "I'd like to thank everyone for coming to this Equinox festival. I know it being twice a year seems like it should be less special but in a mixed town like this I feel it's important to celebrate more than ever, especially with our guest here today. Hunter [Steel-Bone] has become an influential member of our community and I feel our friendship with him will help this village and maybe even the realm into a new and brighter future. I will now call upon Hunter to also perform something from his culture. I apologize for springing this on you last second and giving you no time to prepare."

Hunter looked around and sighed. "Yeah, sure, why not." He then leaned over to me and whispered "This will make us even since now you'll see me embarrassed."

Hunter took to the center of the area and cleared his throat. He then did what I assume were practice tones as he tuned a [Elven instrument similar to a lute]. Once he was ready he began to sing in a voice a bit lower than his speaking voice.

[I sang the Hildegard von Blingin' cover of "Creep"]

The crowd claps and Hunter slowly walks back to the group.

"Is that something you made yourself, or something someone else made?"

"Someone else wrote it, but it seemed like a good fit. Maybe next time I'll pick something more upbeat. Assuming there is one."

"Are you going to go back to Midgard then?"

"Yeah, I'm going back tonight. I have to do my day job tomorrow."

We all spent the rest of the day chatting and laughing, Hunter left at the end of the day as planned.