30
Interlude - Urðr
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The moon broke through the heavenly prison for the first time since the apocalypse. The red storm had settled on the earth, and only the spiderweb of fractures glowed with a light resembling the stars during the day, they had faded but still undoubtedly there.
Some roots had descended towards the earth in pillars of light, others seemed to wait before they descended completely. It was a sight each survivor on this planet, invader or not, was looking at.
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Svalbard
Winter had long since arrived in the north, temperatures had been plummeting and the icy waters and frost assaulted any who dared enter these waters. Yet here in these Nordic Oceans one could find an archipelago, several islands, far from the coast of Norway.
On one of these coasts laid a giant wreckage. An icebreaker that was meant to sail further north had run aground. Yet from this magnificent machine, only half of it remained, if not less.
A single fire blazed in these desolate lands, burning on nothing but pure fuel, yet no sign of life could be seen. But that was not to say that there hadn’t been any life here before, no, giant squids floated near the coast as the waves were unable to carry them deep into the seas once more.
But one of these creatures was so massive that even the wreckage of the ship couldn’t dwarf it. Yet still, no sign of life could be seen. Ink like blood, blacker than oil, had long since stopped pouring from this creature. The anchor of the ship was swallowed whole by this creature, the leviathan had been caught with chains.
Pieces of flesh littered the ground, countless ghosts of the seas painting its surroundings. And finally, as the sun broke through the heavens, and the first sign of warmth caressed the ground, a single movement could be seen.
Cough Cough
Thick gulps of air were drawn. Coughing rang out in this silent battleground. And finally, from the wreckage of the ship, a man walked out.
The sole survivor. Blond hair, almost two meters tall, and shirtless. Yet, this man was no longer bothered by the cold. He couldn’t even feel it anymore. The only noteworthy aspect was the black ink that covered his arm to his chest.
“It’s time to go home,” a man with blue eyes filled with rage spoke. Aegir, the sole survivor of his crew, decided his next move after his long sleep.
Bodies of his friends that hadn’t been devoured were burned by this man. And now, standing in the first light of dawn, a warrior had been born.
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Texas
“Little fucking shits,” a voice with an accent spoke up. “Do you have any idea how much those bullets cost?!” A couple of gunshots rang out. But that didn’t seem to appease the anger of the young man.
“Don’t get upset by those inbred coyotes,” a person walked up from behind and said. “The bullets you wasted are your fault, how many times did I tell you to anticipate their action.” A man with a thick gray mustache and wearing leather boots stood beside his friend.
“Still, the recoil of those weapons increased too much. Even if I wanted to-“ The young man’s voice got interrupted.
“Right, most guns are useless by now anyways, time to pick what we can salvage, and for them,” two sharp eyes stared from underneath his cowboy hat. “That fucker killed all my horses. That one’s mine.” The suppressed voice betrayed the fury this man felt in his heart.
The body of a large Kobold sat kneeling in front of Harley Burnett, the man with the mustache. The cigarette in his mouth was thrown away as he walked to the creature.
“Yer not so tall now are ya?” Two pairs of eyes met each other. “Those legs of yours let you run quite fast, but sadly for you, my two friends here are faster.” Two silver desert eagles had blown the legs out of under this beast.
“You should think twice about trespassing someone’s property.” This man had just lost his entire ranch to a pack of wolf-like creatures. Running on two legs, the speed and mobility of these Kobolds needed a lot of effort and planning to finally counter.
A dead stare and a growl rang out from this beast, yet it no longer had any limbs to move forward, it was the last of its pack to survive.
“Seems like you enjoyed eating your fellow inbred coyotes didn’t you? Makes me wonder, what are those little shining stones, do they really taste that good?” The man asked as he squatted in front of the gaping jaw of the beast. “Well, I reckon you won’t tell me even if I ask nicely.”
The man paused as a grin formed on his face.
“You should have just stayed in your little red cave.” The man checked the bullets he had left before he continued, “Welcome to the United States of America!”
Through the evening sunlight, which had broken through the red mist, intermittent howling could be heard between the gunshots that echoed out.
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India
Two men stood near each other, far away from a crowded city. However, these two had no intention of going back, the city which used to house a giant population was now home to something else.
Several armies of monsters were vying for dominance, the clashes and roars could be heard from far away, but still, these two men continued staring. Each of them held a shining orb in their hands.
“He’s really dead isn’t he?” One man spoke to no reply. “What are your plans?” The man asked again.
“My family is dead. I have been training all my life, and my family is dead,” the bulky man finally replied with sadness in his voice. “It was finally time for me to repay my parents.” The man was completely covered in mud. Bare-chested and dark-skinned, yet a golden bracelet was held in his hand.
“Are you keeping that?” The first man inquired, he had been quite talkative due to nervousness.
“He gave it to me, it’s our final reminder to our friend.” The bulky man spoke once more. “I’ll carry his weight, I’ll finish what he started, it’s all I can do to repay the favor for him saving my life.”
A golden Kara lay in his hands. Large hands pulled it over his wrist as the mud-covered man would walk in his friend’s footsteps.
“Wait, wait.” The slender man held him back. “My dear Kushti friend, you’re not planning to fight those beasts are you?” However, a silent gaze stared back into his eyes. Conflict could be seen, however, out of an entire city only two people had survived. The slender man struggled, he was not strong, no, he was weak, especially compared to his two friends, the man couldn’t be spared a glance.
“I’ll protect you,” the Kushti warrior spoke up. “Besides, my Sapera friend, this time we both have this.” A wide smile was shown as his hand moved toward his mouth. A gulp said everything that needed to be said.
“WAIT!” The Sapera panicked. “NOT HERE!”
A place ravaged by multiple red shards. Red gates had completely surrounded their homes, and on the day that night approached was the final nail in their coffin.
Right, this place had already lost all hope, for there were not only red gates in this place. In the middle of their city, a gigantic root had descended from the heavens, and at the bottom of this spectral light, a gigantic blue gate stood.
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China
“My dearest sister,” a young man with a striking posture said as he walked closer. “Are you happy with my gift?”
A young girl lay nonchalantly on a large sofa as she looked at a shining red gemstone presented to her. Her expression was covered in sadness as the adventure already seemed to be over.
The silence continued until she spoke up, “Hm, well it’s not bad. However next time I want to see more of those creatures.” Radiant eyes stared at her brother as she gave no ultimatum. “You know, I don’t mind going outside alone either, so it’s your choice.”
The young man smiled as he doted on his sister. “Well, depends, it’s about time for our family to make a comeback isn’t it my dear Yuanfen?”
Both laughed with great joy at each other, they had been waiting for something exciting, and their bloodline seemed to relish in joy at the world that had changed.
“Young master Qin,” a maiden spoke softly from the entrance. “It’s time for us to get going, we have this area under control.”
“My dear sister,” Qin Tianfeng spok, “It is time for our family to challenge the heavens once more.”
A smile of pure bliss showed on his face as he looked towards a swirling blue portal through a window. Every single red gate had been conquered through sheer numbers alone, and they noticed, the dungeons still remained behind with treasures beyond their wildest expectations.
Yet the largest gate, the blue dungeon, swallowed all that entered and spit nothing out. Like a gate to a different plane of existence.
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Siberia
“Was that all there was?” Several people had already asked this question.
“Silence, if he wakes up due to your noise don’t-“ The bickering voices were interrupted by a loud grunt that sounded out.
A giant man walked out of his room. A man that couldn’t be called a man, no, his thick arms, stout body, and large stature dwarfed any man in his surroundings. This was a bear, a man who was called the bear of Siberia. A man with few words, but an ever-frowning face.
The door was pulled out of its hinges as the man exited his room. Everybody who had gathered here stood still at attention.
“Boss,” The second in command of this group spoke. “Have you healed completely? We didn’t know what to do, please punish me if I have failed you!”
But even that man was shivering in fear at the look the giant gave him.
“I’m fine,” a soft voice spoke up. “Give me the results.”
Terror washed over his underling’s face, the soft voice was something he feared most. “B-Boss… We saved the town, it’s just… Our guns, they are almost all-“
“I know,” the Siberian Bear said, “They’re no longer necessary in this world.” The man stared outside, he had awoken to the setting of the sun in these plains of ice. “Prepare to move out, it has only just started.”
The red gate had broken and the second wave of large bears had escaped. But there was one bear in particular that took every bullet they had and still moved forward. That was until the man in front of them stopped it with its bare hands. A creature of unknown origin with a body riddled with wounds had dwarfed this man completely, yet nothing held it back. At the cost of his life, this man had held back the final charge of a devouring monster.
But after eating its liver and preparing for his death, this man, one that everybody in this place feared, came back to life.
‘God. Please help me find friends.’ A final prayer full of hope rang out in his heart. He wished to find a friend on this journey forward. Bogatyr, the Siberian Bear, the most fearsome man in the far north now moved forward.
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A small mountain village in Europe
The new dawn had arrived and Veleda still sat in her bed. Her hands gently stroked the hair of a sleeping Alduin. Just like she had done before, Alduin was sleeping in his chair with his head resting on her blanket.
“So this is how you felt back then,” Veleda gently spoke as she got used to her new sense of touch. Her hands couldn’t help but poke Alduin’s face from time to time as she caressed him.
“I can’t believe you didn’t even try to get in,” she pouted as she murmured to herself. “But that’s fine as well, I’ll be there for you Alduin. I’ll be your strength…”
Veleda gently leaned forward and kissed him. “And you’ll be mine.”
Her face blushed as she couldn’t get used to the fact they were going out. “Oh, right!” Her hand tightly grasped the flower necklace he had given her for her birthday. “I haven’t yet responded with words, I might be slightly late but…” Veleda pushed back her golden hair as her blue eyes, with the slightest tint of gold, observed Alduin closely.
“I love you too.”
The first morning light was marked by a declaration of love and dedication. The skies had cleared and survivors from all countries in the world had each taken a step forward. Just like the heavens became clear once more, so did their path to move forward.