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Ring Revenant Vol. 1
Chapter 21: Mischief

Chapter 21: Mischief

Alyza awoke in the center of a bed much larger than her, its golden silk sheets softer than anything she’s laid upon. Quickly, she sat up, finding her bearings. Nearby, there was a large window veiled by white drapes. She hurried off of the bed and pulled the long curtains wide open, bright golden sunlight shining through the window. Her hand instinctively moved in front of her face until her eyes adjusted.

Outside, she saw a large bustling city, bigger than she’s ever seen. The endless buildings stood as tall as mountains, covered with windows and lined with gold. Below, there was a fog that concealed the roads, but that didn’t stop the locomotives from driving through it. Or, above it?

“Quite beautiful, isn’t it?” A handsome man with long blond hair stood behind her, dressed in a mustard yellow frock coat. His top hat’s yellow band was decorated with a single bundle of green mistletoe on its left side.

“Who are you?” Alyza turned, quickly pulling out her rapier with a loud schwing sound, “Where am I?!” She pointed it at him, which was when she realized that the weapon had been turned into a harmless balloon sword, “..Uh?”

“Oh, for me?” The man took the balloon, “You shouldn’t have. Really. Now I’m going to have nightmares about clowns for days.” He handed the balloon sword back to her.

“Clowns? What are-” Alyza shook her head, taking the balloon and still pointing it at him in a threatening manner, “Where am I?! Is this Freyrun? I have to get back to my father.”

“Ah-bap-bap-BAP,” he imitated a puppet speaking with his hand, shushing her. “Alyza, was it? Allow me to introduce myself: I am Loki, son of Odin, god of mischief, and ruler of Asgard, the rambunctious city you’ve currently found yourself in.”

“..Asgard?”

She couldn’t believe it. This was Asgard? It was much different from what she imagined, not that she initially believed there were other realms besides Midgard. Loki tossed up his cane and caught it, walking over to the window. A large blimp was slowly flying by at the moment, blotting out the sun.

“Ah, smell that? It’s the scent of your tiny mind shattering into tiny little pieces. Quite exuberant, no?”

“What do you want with me? Why did you bring me here? I’ve no business with the gods,” Alyza crossed her arms. “Don’t tell me you’re expecting me to drop to my knees and worship you.”

“Haha,” Loki chuckled, leaning against the window sill, “No. You see, my nephews..”

“I’ve met them,” she interrupted.

“Yes. My apologies. Modi can be quite..Angry, at times.”

“..Go on.”

“Well, my other nephew recently came across an artifact I tasked him with finding. Of course, he wanted to lock it up in the vault, but I found a much better use for it. You see, my father was the worrying type. I’m sure you understand?”

Alyza looked away. Loki moved from the windowsill and walked past her, sitting on the bed with his cane set beside him. There was a sadness in his voice.

“Growing up, my brother always provoked me. Called me names, beat me up on several occasions. Quite the bully, he was. However, my sister, Hel, was always kind to me. I treasured our bond as siblings more than anything.” He grimaced, “And then father locked her away in Helheim. Tasked her with overlooking the drifting souls of the damned.”

“Why?” Alyza uncrossed her arms, her expression softening. There was genuine care in her voice.

“Her and brother got into a fight. It was my fault. You see, I found this beautiful snake in Midgard, and decided to make it my pet. But when I showed it to my brother, he became afraid.”

“He got scared by a little snake?” Alyza scoffed.

“It was a rather large snake. In fact, it only continued to grow over the years, but that’s a tale for another time. So, in a panic, he grabbed the snake and threw it at Hel. Of course, being easily upset, this made her furious, and the two fought until they were black and blue.”

“And then Odin showed up?”

“Yes. He was furious. Hel was the strongest and the eldest of us three, and his golden child Thor could do no wrong, so he did what any terrible father does: locked her away and threw out the key. Except, that key was the Malefistone.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“The artifact?”

Loki nodded, “You know of it already, I presume? It seems that the stone has been encased in a puzzling receptacle that can only be opened by a handful of people.”

“A descendant of Nox.”

“Yes. Not often you find someone of primordial descent.”

“And why should I do it? Last time I checked, prisoners only want two things: freedom and revenge.”

“Correct. That’s already been taken care of, however..”

“..What do you mean?”

* * *

Thor held out his talisman once again, “Heimdall, return me to Asgard at once. Koma Aftur!” Nothing happened. “Heimdall? Odd. Magic teleportation normally ensues..”

“Maybe your thingy’s broken?” Victus shrugged. “Can’t you just fly there with your hammer?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I cannot fly. I don’t have the Wings of Vaylunder, a pair of wings which, cannot even support the weight of Mjolnir.”

“..Uh, okay? You gods just name every magical artifact?”

“Hm. Where are we headed, angma? Land, I hope.”

“Freyrun. And don’t call me that in public, just call me Victus. Or Vick, for short.”

“Okay, Vick for Short. If I remember correctly, there should be a bifrost station beneath the capital city of Freyrun, uh..Eircrest, I believe. No doubt in a dungeon full of monsters.”

“We won’t be there for a couple more weeks. I suggest you make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you. You’re a kind person, Vick for Short.”

“..You’re welcome,” Vick for Short sighed.

A few days passed. Magni and Agnes joined Victus and Vack in their sleeping quarters, since there were two hammocks open for both of them to take. Victus had been more silent than usual, ever since Alyza was taken. He’s started reading the books that were hidden beneath her hammock, though he found poetry difficult to understand. Vackerie was the only one aware of how smitten the two were for each other. Feeling sorry for him, she jumped out of her hammock, “Hey, why don’t we play a game?”

“A game?” Agnes asked.

“Ah, a game. What a wonderful way to pass the time,” Magni added. “However, I’ll have you know that I am the best at games. So do not feel sorry if you lose to me.”

“..What kinda game?” Victus finally spoke.

“A card game,” Vackerie replied. “You have a deck on you, right? Ever played Slapjack?”

“Oh, that one’s simple. Just slap the card whenever there’s a jack, right? Hope you all are ready to lose,” he feigned confidence, taking out his deck of playing cards and shuffling, splitting them amongst the group. Each of them had thirteen cards.

“I’ll go first!” Vackerie placed a card onto the center of a barrel they used as a makeshift table, face-up.

“Oh, is it my turn?” Agnes placed a card, followed by Magni.

When it was Victus’s turn, he excitedly placed his card down much faster than the others, “Let’s get this game going!” The rest obliged, going faster and faster, until a jack was finally put down. He reached out to slap it, but Agnes placed another card down before he could.

“Oh! Sorry,” she apologized, just now realizing what she had done. Victus sighed and gestured for Magni to continue. He put down a card, it wasn’t a jack, followed by yet another card that wasn’t a jack, and then it was Vackerie’s turn.

“Haha!” He reached for the next jack as it was placed down, but somehow Agnes beat him again, placing another card over it. “You must be joking-”

“I’m so sorry, I’m not paying attention,” Agnes apologized. Magni continued, and Victus put down another card after him, and then Vackerie placed another jack. That was three in a row now.

“Vack, are you cheating?” He turned to her, and she shook her head with a polite smile while Agnes placed yet another card down over the jack. “..Grandma, don’t!”

“Too late,” Magni placed another card over hers, it wasn’t a jack. Victus groaned and placed his next card down. Vackerie had only one card left; it had to be the final jack. He gloriously raised his hand, high into the air, and slapped her hand as she put the card down. The loud, sudden slap could be heard echoing all throughout the ship. However, when he pulled his hand away, he discovered that the card she’d put down was not a jack.

“Oh. Sorry, Vack,” he looked up at her, seeing that she was about to cry. “..Y-You okay?” She gagged suddenly, covering her mouth and leaving the room in a hurry.

Awkwardly, Agnes continued, slowly placing her card down. It was the final jack. Victus sighed. The first to run out of cards wins, so that meant that Vackerie already won and there was no point in resuming the game.

“..Uh, she-”

Magni slammed his electrified hand onto the card with enough force to shatter the barrel, a surge of bright electricity pushing bits of wooden debris past them. Vick’s hair was blown back by this, though he remained stationary.

“Haha! I win!” Magni shouted, raising his arms in the air. The card in his hand was on fire. Agnes was in a state of shock, unable to move. Her hair was also frizzy.

“You owe me a new deck,” Victus replied with a scowl.