As night begins the Midengardians return to their domiciles to commence with their nightly meal before retiring to their beds.
I continue monitoring the progress on Continent Midheim and outline the assets to be deployed until I can continue properly training the Midengardians further.
“Whoa! That shower was so good!” Ástríðr exclaims as she returns to the encampment mode from the closest domicile wearing the same blue loose clothing she had when she was awaiting the Midengardians awakening although with a towel around her neck.
She declared the clothes are called “loungewear”.
“I am glad that the plumbing setup is to your satisfaction.”
“Well, I really worked up a sweat playing fótbolta with the children so the shower was a godsend.”
“No divine beings were involved in the creation of the plumbing.”
“I know but the feeling was divine. Those kids really made me work hard so I needed it.”
“You did a very admirable job keeping the young ones entertained.”
“I did my best, thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
Ástríðr returns her towel to the matter converter, then obtains a glass of some liquid and then goes to her nightly chair.
“I noticed you’ve been talking with Ivar a lot the past few days.”
“He is very inquisitive as he was a structural engineer in the days before the Raganrog.”
“I guess he was asking you a bunch of questions about how everything was made and works and such.”
“That was a discussion that occurred at several points. However, the most recent discussion was my encouragement for him to fulfil the position of village leader.”
“I can probably guess that he was a bit reluctant to do it, huh?”
“Indeed, he did present a fair amount of apprehension to assuming the role of village leader.”
“Well yeah. It’s a huge responsibility to take on so soon.”
“I have evaluated all the Midengardians that have been reconstituted and Ivar’s analytical abilities and problem resolution skills were the best that I observed. The position of village leader would serve as an easy task for him.”
“I don’t doubt that but…”
“Hold. We have company.”
A male Midengardian is walking on a trajectory to meet with us.
Once he arrives, I begin a line of inquiry.
“Is there something amiss for you tonight?”
“Y..yes, if it is no trouble I would like to know what happened to my dear wife.”
“I took great care to be certain that those that had any sort of relation were reconstituted together. There were some that were reconstituted individually as additional Midengardians would be needed to help the settlement’s efforts.”
“So, she’s gone then?”
“I cannot say that my efforts were without error. Come join me over to the containment unit and we shall see if I reconstituted you without your mate in error.”
I guide the Midengardian over to the control panel of the containment unit and unlock it.
“You will just need to place your hand here on this panel and the display will reveal if there is a spectral form within the containment unit with a spectral connection to you.”
“O…okay.”
The male places his left hand on the panel and the display lights up and the display replies with no spectral connection found.
“It appears there is no spectral connection to you contained within this containment unit.”
“So, it’s true then. She’s gone.”
Ástríðr comes over to the male and places her hand on his back.
“There was a lot going on when you were put to sleep. Anything could have happened. She could have made it on to one of the escape ships. Maybe you have people that may be a distant relative to you.”
“Thank you for trying to comfort me and thank you for letting me know what befell my wife. I’ll let you be and will be ready for the morning.”
The male set off back towards the domiciles.
“I hope he’ll be okay.”
“Being a survivor is always a heavy burden. He should realize that every Midengardian here are also survivors.”
“That’s true enough. Michiru’s fiancé carried a heavy burden for a long time and probably still has one even if it's lighter. Oh! I know could his wife be in one of the other tornados?”
“It is very unlikely…”
In the middle of my statement, I hear a primal scream like that of someone’s life ending.
My scans detect a lifeform not of the Midengardians but is unable to locate it specifically.
“Intruder detected!”
I make my way to the place the scream came from with Ástríðr following behind me.
We arrive and see the remnants of the male we had just conversed with.
“That’s so cruel! Who could have done this?”
“His spectral essence has been completely drained similar to that of a Kirtov.”
“What? Here? How?”
Before I could reply to Ástríðr the tamper alarm sounds on the containment unit.
We both rush back to our encampment to inspect the containment unit.
“Indeed, the containment unit has been tampered with.”
“I didn’t see anyone did you?”
“There was no visual evidence of anyone interacting with the containment unit. The genetic signature which tripped the alarm only had only an 8.8% match to that of a Kirtov.”
A small group of Midengardians begin to make their way to the encampment with confused looks on their faces.
“Please the area is not safe. I need you all to return to your domiciles. I need you to also leave your lighting on inside to maintain your security. Your safety will be ensured if you follow these directions. I will elaborate on the incident in the morning.”
The Midengardians, with still confused looks on their faces, begin to make their way back to their domiciles.
“I think they’re still worried.”
“This is all we can do right now as we do not know where the adversary is at this time.”
“So, back to what we were talking about. It’s not a Kirtov we’re dealing with but, some sort of shadowy night crawler, then?”
“That could be a somewhat accurate description of our adversary.”
“Really? No way.”
“The adversary’s ability to camouflage itself using the shadows would be why I was unable to detect it.”
“Why do think it was hiding in the shadows?”
“Do you not recall where we found the male Midengardian’s body?”
“Oh, yeah. He was in the shadows of that building.”
“We must be vigilant when occupying our encampment.”
“Oh, absolutely, but what could that night crawler want?”
“There are many Midengardians that have yet to be reconstituted. I am waiting to have them populate Continent Midheim. There are also several souls of black that are being retained for disposal at a later date.”
“Hmm…I see, WHAT!?”
“I do not understand your sudden exclamation.”
“Are those souls of black what you were warning Michiru about not becoming?”
“It is indeed. When a spectral anomaly builds up enough negative emotions, they become a soul of black. Those are unable to be rehabilitated and as such must be terminated.”
“That’s sad but also understandable. So do you think these souls of black are what that night crawler was trying to get?”
“That is a very strong possibility. In any event, we must cease any further discussion or speculation in the event we are being overheard.”
“R…right. My lips are sealed.”
“There is no need to use an adhesive on your mouth.”
“I mean I won’t say a word.”
“Understood.”
Ástríðr returns to her seat to continue her nightly drink and opens a book by the title of “Heimskringla”.
It is a rather curious book that like most historical recounts for mass public consumption is riddled with inaccuracies.
That was to be expected as the vast majority of the Midengardian settlers preferred to tell stories of their old world verbally to help keep their origins as secretive as possible.
I break from the distraction and begin to form a counterattack and defense from the being Ástríðr calls “night crawler”.
It will be vital to take accountability in the morning to see if that Midengardian male was the only casualty or if there were any others the “night crawler” drained of their spectral essence.
While I wait for daybreak, I will need to provide countermeasures for the Midengardians.
I go over to the matter converter and place my hand on the panel.
A large, flat box is formed with its lid opened, revealing numerous rings.
“Oh! Pretty!”
I hold my finger up to my mouth to symbolize a reminder for Ástríðr to remain silent.
“Oh, yeah, right. Shh.”
Her gaze is still fixated on the box of rings.
I close the box and set it aside next to me while I head back to my control panel at the encampment mode and begin more defensive planning.
I deploy additional lighting units to eliminate any shadows in our encampment.
“I have eliminated all possible hiding places this “night crawler” might be hiding. I still advise a low volume when trying to communicate.”
“Got it. Besides we don’t want to wake up the sleepy heads.”
“If you mean the Midengardians, I have provided a light sedative to their sleeping chambers.”
“But, what about those that didn’t come out to see us earlier? That night crawler thing might try to go in the other houses that have their lights off.”
“No need to worry. I have turned on the lighting within all the domiciles.”
“You thought of everything, Mr. Ninety.”
“I did what was best for the situation. I still have further preparations to make before the sun rises.”
Ástríðr comes closer to me and whispers.
“So, what are the rings for?”
“All will be revealed once daybreaks.”
“Okay, got it. I’ll wait ‘til morning.”
Ástríðr goes back to her seat and sits for a few seconds lost in thought before she picks her book back up to continue reading.
I go over to the body, recover it and bring it back to our encampment.
With the body recovered, I place it on the ground near the matter converter.
Once the body is placed, I set the matter converter to convert the body into a cube of compressed ashes to be placed at a burial site to be determined later.
This the body’s preparation complete, I return to the control panel and continue my plans to either capture or terminate the “night crawler” once the following night begins.
The nighttime gives way to daybreak and I have finished the planning stage along with blueprints for support accessories that will be for myself and Ástríðr.
I hear the thump of Ástríðr closing her book.
After she gets up from her chair, she comes over to me.
“So, what’s the plan for today?”
“Once the Midengardians awaken I will go over the plans with them. As for your part, you will be providing back up to me. My intention is to have us triangulate the “night crawler” to corner it with no escape.”
“Oh! I won’t let you down, Mr. Ninety.”
“I know you would not. That is why I requested your assistance.”
“I’m glad you can rely on me. What’s next?”
“We will distribute these rings to the male Midengardians. The females and young Midengardians will be holed up in the domiciles to prevent them from being attacked by the “night crawler.”
“Sounds good but, what’s the men going to do?”
“You, I and the male Midengardians will populate the shadowed areas of the village to provoke the “night crawler” into revealing itself.”
“Oh, so it’s like the hunter becomes the hunted type of thing.”
“That can be a way to analyze the situation.”
As I finish my statement to Ástríðr, Ivar begins to walk toward our encampment.
“Ah, what fortuitous timing.”
“Yes, I needed to talk with you about what you said about me becoming village leader.”
“I see. It appears you have had an epiphany.”
“Well, I talked it over with my wife, Thordis, and I don’t know how good I can be, but I’d like to give it a try. But I don’t want to be called All-Father.”
“That is good to hear. The timing is good as well. It appears there is something we have termed a night crawler that is prowling the shadowy areas of the village at night.”
“What? But I thought there was no other living creatures here but us?”
“That is not entirely correct. There are other beings called Kirtov that are in stasis on the other continents. But this “night crawler” is an anomaly. It was attempting to access the spectral containment unit.”
“What exactly is that?”
“It is the unit I transferred your spectral essences, in other words your souls, to from the tornado of souls pending your reconstitution. Not all spectral essences were reconstituted and are still there awaiting a future additional village or villages on Continent Midheim.”
“Okay, that makes sense but why do you think it was trying to access the containment unit?”
“Yeah, I wanna know too.” Ástríðr adds to Ivar’s inquiry.
“This is speculation but, the male Midengardian that was attacked last night was drained of all of his life spectral essence.”
“Someone was killed?”
“I apologize for neglecting to informing you of that detail. I have recovered his body and have prepared it for burial once the time is appropriate.”
“We’ll have to hold a ceremony after we take care of the intruder.”
“Your priorities are aligned with mine.”
“So, what is your plan and how can I help?”
“Indeed, there are many things to prepare for before the night falls. We will have to do them while also taking care of the daily tasks. First, we must distribute these rings to the male Midengardians and direct them to perform patrols during the nights paying particular to the shadows.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Okay, I will do so when we are at the fields today.”
“In regards to the fields, we will need to inspect the livestock. The “night crawler” may have retreated to attack the livestock.”
“Oh no! Yes, we must make our way there now!”
“During my preparations I illuminated the inside of the holding areas for the livestock but I may have not have done so quick enough.”
“The we need to make haste to see if there was any damage.”
“Hold Ivar. Ástríðr I leave the organization and information distribution of the females and the young ones.”
“I got it Mr. Ninety. You can count on me.” She says as she raises her right hand up in a fist and heads towards the domiciles.
“Come let us go.”
Ivar and I walk towards the livestock holding area and other male Midengardians start to join us.
We inform the males that join us of the situation.
Eventually we arrive at the livestock holding area.
“Oh no!” Ivar exclaims.
“It would appear I was a little late but our losses were minimal and only number five units.”
“Yeah, I suppose the damage could have been worse. Thank you for your vigilance.”
“It is part of my job to ensure that every Midengardian is able to sustain themselves and is protected before I return to Central Command. I will have the bodies disposed of.”
We all continue the daily work and await the night time.
Before the night begins Ivar and I send the males back to their domiciles to eat and prepare for the patrols tonight.
I return to the encampment and join Ástríðr who is already waiting for me and dressed in an outfit that is a dark blue in color with a length just above her knees and boots on her feet.
It is an outfit that she would be able to move about freely if she were needing to run from the “night crawler” if she was attacked.
“I assume you were able to explain the situation to the females and the young ones with no issues.”
“I wouldn’t say there weren’t any problems but they were easy enough to take care of.”
“That is good to hear. We have little time before the night begins. I will be lowering the lighting back to where it was prior to the attack during the previous night.”
“So, what am I going to do?”
“You will be joining the males and myself with the patrols. Hold out your hand.”
“Oh, okay.”
I place one of the rings in her hand.
“A…are you proposing to me?”
“I am proposing that you wear this ring to keep you safe since you do not have the same defense systems I have.”
“Right, I got it.”
“You are also free to use your weapon in any situation you feel needs it.”
The males begin to make their way to the encampment in small groups over the course of a small amount of time.
Once they all arrive, I instruct them to ensure they retain the ring on them and to use the manual farming tools as a form of self-defense.
Above all I instruct the males that if they encounter the “night crawler” to not engage it, enter a lighted area and press the button on the ring to notify me of its position.
With my instructions to the males and Ástríðr complete, we all begin our patrols.
I assume a central location which is near Odin’s Court and deactivate my personal camouflage.
My visor is set to low light mode and I look around at the nearby shadowed areas.
Ivar is patrolling an area near me and notices the deactivation of my camouflage.
“So that is what you really look like.”
“It is not my true appearance. It is just armor that is fused to the remnants of my organic body. My true appearance was not too dissimilar to that I showed you using my personal camouflage.”
“I would like to hear your story some time.”
“I would tell it if I am able to, once my mission is finished.”
Ivar moves over to another shadow and I broach a previous subject.
“You mentioned that you do not wish to use the title of All-Father. I feel there is a title that was used before the original All-Father’s time that was more modest.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“It was one used also by the Midengardians on Terra; it is Jarl.”
“Jarl huh? I think I have heard of that title before. I think the Midheimians used that for their village leaders before Asgard united the continents. Yes, I would be okay using the title of Jarl.”
A bright flash goes off in the near distance and the position is displayed on my visor.
“What was that?”
“You must maintain your patrol. Someone has encountered the “night crawler. I will go to investigate.”
“Take care.”
“And you stay vigilant, Jarl Ivar.”
I leave Jarl Ivar and run toward the place that had the ring go off.
Once I reach the place I notice a male standing in the well-lit area.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Oh! Mr. Ninety it’s you. I didn’t recognize you in that armor. Yes, I am okay.”
“Can you describe what occurred?”
“I was patrolling these shadow areas when I felt something start to touch the sides of my face. That’s when the ring went off and lit the area. I heard a loud scream and I ran away into the open area.”
“It is as I deduced. This “night crawler” is severely averse to light. Was there anything else you noticed from the situation?”
“Well, I noticed this area was darker and larger than the other shadowed areas.”
He points to a shadowed area adjacent to one of the domiciles.
“I see. It is approximately the same darkness and size as the other shadowed areas currently. That would mean it has moved on to another location but your keen observation has provided valuable information.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Come let me reset your ring. I feel it will be fine for you to stand your distance. The ring will still provide you protection if you encounter this “night crawler”.”
“Thank you Mr. Ninety.”
I go over to him and raise my right hand and repower his ring.
“Let me know if you encounter the “night crawler”, understand?”
“Thank you very much.”
Once I leave the male, I enter one of the empty domiciles that were vacated due tom the males on patrol and the females clustered with the young ones protecting them.
I decide to use my personal camouflage to appear as one of the Midengardian males and then exit the domicile.
Once I exit the domicile, I begin to go from shadow to shadow looking for the one that is different than the others.
As I get close to the encampment I see a darker spot.
It seems to be moving from each of the shadows adjacent to the domiciles.
I begin to look as if I am uninterested in my patrol gazing out into the night sky.
The shadows around me begin to get darker.
My trap has been sprung and I await the “night crawler’s” next move.
I start to feel something begin to touch my face on both sides.
Quickly I reach up and try to grab what I assume are hands while my personal camouflage begins to fade.
As I was about to grab the “night crawler” the shadows fade to that equal of those around it and then I see the darker shadow move on its own.
“That was very good trickery, Vitan but, I am not so easily fooled.”
“Your lust for power betrayed you and I only acted on that.”
I speak into the night unknowing the exact location it is at.
“It would appear your foolishness to try to capture me has left my real target unguarded.”
The darker shadow begins to slither towards the encampment area.
I draw my weapon and fire at the darker shadow with no noticeable damage.
My firing of my weapon was more of a ruse with evaluation of if my weapon could actually incur any damage to the “night crawler” or dissipate the shadows.
The directionality of the darker shadow is unchanged and continues toward the encampment area.
Its destination is obviously the containment and I continue following it to that destination.
“You are too late Vitan, I will fulfil my mission for my master.”
The “night crawler” manifests itself into a bipedal being with very few features and I aim my weapon at it.
“Do you really want to damage the containment, Vitan.”
“My aim will be perfect and I will succeed.”
I notice the shadows move onto the containment and I maintain my stance.
“This master of yours, who are they and what do they want?”
“My master is who gave me life. He knows this planet well and I will release the souls he will need for his plans.”
With that the “night crawler” begins to access the panel.
The panel begins to light up in confirmation of the “night crawler’s” commands.
“HAHAHA I have won, Vitan. I will get these souls for my master!”
The containment opens up and an antenna appears and begins to emit a light and focuses on the “night crawler”.
“No! What is this light?!”
“It is the true trap I had planned for you.”
“This light! I’m being ripped apart! URGRAAAAAAAHH!!”
The soul is taken from its body and deposited within the containment.
Once the soul is extracted and contained, the body falls to the ground.
Ástríðr comes running up to the encampment area.
“What was that noise? Did you get it?”
“Indeed, I did.”
“Ewww, is that what it looked like? No wonder it wanted to hide in the shadows.”
“It is not likely it was utilizing the shadows due to vanity.”
Ivar, whether out of curiosity or investigating the commotion, arrives at our encampment.
“I came to investigate the scream I heard. Were any other villagers attacked?”
“There were no other males attacked and the one that was attacked was unharmed. The scream you heard was from the “night crawler” as it was defeated.”
“That is a unique looking…being.”
“It is not one I am familiar with either.”
“Don’t look at me. I mean if Ivar has no recollection of these that thing I sure don’t. I don’t remember anything real like that on earth either.”
“Was there anything like that in the Terran fictional accounts you may have read?”
“I mean, probably. There’s always been writers that used people’s fear of dark places to think up monsters to dwell in them.”
“I see.”
“So, where do you think it came from?” Jarl Ivar asks.
“It is too early and there are too little clues to decern who this master is that the “night crawler” declared he worked for. The statement about the master being someone that is familiar with this planet.”
“Do you think maybe it’s Lækni X?”
“That is not very likely. Even if he were to have survived the Raganrog, he would be far too old to be alive.”
“Yeah but, had all those crazy experiments, made me and the missiles that created the tornados. Maybe he escaped. He did make the escape ships.”
Jarl Ivar interjects.
“I’m sorry, I am not familiar with a Lækni X but the person that created the escape vessels and the missiles that made the tornados was the criminal scientist Loki.”
“LOKI!?” Ástríðr exclaims.
“You know of him?” Jarl Ivar asks.
“Regardless of Ástríðr’s Midengardian memories her Terran memories hold very different tales of Loki.”
“I see. I still do not know who this Lækni X is that you mentioned.”
“That is very interesting. His name was somehow substituted for Loki in your historical accounts I had accessed. One could assume that this Lækni X altered the historical records.”
“But why?” Ástríðr inquires.
“That is a mystery we have to investigate when the time is right.”
“I suppose so.”
“What impact that have on us in the village?”
“I will have to see about fortifying the defense of the area around the village so that no more intruders will be able to take us by surprise. It will also be beneficial for when Ástríðr and I make our way to Continent Midheim and begin the new village there.”
“That is a relief. While we have many able-bodied men to help defend the village I don’t know if we could be able to defend ourselves against something like another night crawler attack.”
“Your concern is valid Jarl Ivar. I believe it may be prudent to about finding ways to aid your own defenses. I will look into that at a later time.”
“I think I speak for us all that we are thankful for all that you and miss Ástríðr have done for us so far and continue to do.”
“It is my mission to see this world brought back.”
“I’m just here trying to figure out who I am and where my place is in all this.”
“I will dispose of the body. While I do so, please tell the other males they can stand down and let the females and young ones know that their safety has been assured.”
“Thank you I will.”
“Got it!”
Jarl Ivar and Ástríðr head off in different directions.
I have the encampment mode’s matter converter reclaim the body and convert it to a small rectangular stone that I will use for the fallen Midengardian’s resting place.
I then begin documenting my report of the incidents that transpired this night.
What is the reasoning for changing Loki’s historical data to reads as Lækni X.
I feel that there will be more incidents like this “night crawler” in the near future.
For that I must prepare not only the Midengardians but myself and Ástríðr.
Although neither computer nor myself are able to sense these adversaries cleanly I must remain vigilant.
With thoughts collected, I return to my planning of Continent Midheim.