Asgard, the homeland. I am back home at long last, although I had not been gone for more than an hour and the travel in itself was no more than a moment. There was one thing I hated the most about the Bifrost, and that was Bifrost sickness.
My mouth bulged as I began to hurl, I ran to the side of the carriage and let out my entire morning feast. My head throbbed in pain from my pumping veins. This happened every time I traveled on the Bifrost, going to and coming from.
“Ugh.” Erida groaned in disgust.
I would have had some witty comeback for Erida, but I bent over in another hurling bout. Merida patted me on the back reassuringly, she knew how much I hated this and how little control I have over it.
“Well done today, Anastasia.” Ohden approached from behind me. I gave him a thumbs up, unable to break away from my roost.
“Bifrost sickness.” Whispered my friend. I do not know if she knew I had Valkerie’s instinct or not, my senses I higher than that of the average Asgardian.
“Apologies, my regards into your well-being Anastasia. And well done on your behalf too Merida.”
I finally quit hurling at this point, but I leant over the edge, occasionally spitting the bile taste from my tongue. That was when my ears perked up, one of Ohden’s personal messengers had approached him and conveyed a silent message. My instincts were going off, big time. I could not tell what it was exactly, but something something big was happening.
I was going to ask Merida what was it she thought that was going on, but her eyes were fixed on something I could not see. Then her eyes widened, exchanging glances with me and then tugging me along with her. We shoved Erida aside as we crossed the path that led to Valhalla, the warriors gathering area.
“Merida! Act decent for Valkerian sake!” She reprimanded us. However, even her daughter had payed her little mind.
She whispered excitedly as we ran, I could barely make out what she said when we picked up more speed, “They’re having a High Warrior meeting, something very important had passed.”
“How could you have come to know that?” I asked her. Messenger had conveyed the message by means of Soothe Speech, the ability to speak or pass along information by means of the mind and magic. The only way she could have known those details if she herself had… I gasped in surprise.
I rasped quietly, “Erida, you developed Soothe Speech yourself?”
She looked back at me with a grin, “By chance, yes.”
I jumped over a food crate in the plaza, “And a high level too if you had skill in intercepting one of Ohden’s personal Oracles. When did you achieve this ability?”
“Just a week a past.”
“And when were you planning in telling me?” It is not usual for her to have had kept something like this in secret for so long, especially from me.
“Today if you would believe it. I was to invite you for a frolic this afternoon, then I would had tossed the stone.”
I laughed in mockery, “Of course you’d be taling that you were to be confessing. Too little, too late.”
She exchanged a sorry glance with me, “I swear, it’d be the truth.”
I gave her a little fist bump on the shoulder, “Aye, if you say it’s the truth, I’d give you the doubt.”
She nodded appreciatively, “Thank you.”
I followed her around the corner that led out of the plaza into the main entry of Valhalla, the chambers where the warrior gathered and eventually led to the No King's Palace. The Palace was the gemstone of Asgard, our greatest pride and feat.
We ran through the main hall of the Valhalla, going past countless of smaller halls that served as branches that break into meeting rooms. Oh how I wish I could spend my time in one now, every meeting room when in use had a charred Pork to feast and Asgard’s finest ale it had to offer. I could be in there right, storytelling my battle right now and enjoying the good food with good drinks. But no, instead, I am stuck in following Merida.
“How is it you plan to stealth pass the Palace guards? They’re our finest warriors, so sneaking is of little use.”
She had not given me a reply and I for a moment had thought that she had not heard me, until when he had reached the end of the hall and took a sharp turn to the right. Then and on then had she made a peep, apparently she had a select few of naughty secrets.
“I will tell you how, no, I will show you how if you swear to me to stay silent about it.”
I nodded solemnly, I never had failed my friend before and I do not intend to ever.
“Good. There’s a chamber that is sensitive to every sound that goes through the Palace, almost as if it grabs them sounds and converts them into streams of Soothe Speech.”
My eyes gawked from this revelation, this was big news! Something that in fact should be alerted to the Royal Family.
“Had you not told anyone, not even Erida?” I asked her.
Her eyes drooped sheepishly, “No.”
“Why? There could be countless others who use these chambers to pry them eyes and ears where they do not belong, had you thought about that?”
Her eyes challenged me, “Of course I had! I spent several nights stationing in private from that chamber, but I had learnt that they were not used by anyone else. I made sure to check during other important meetings, and still no one had come.”
Of course she would have checked, I should have known better. But after this tidbit of information, my heart started beating harder. I bit my tongue to better control my emotions, but it seems Merida had noticed my expression.
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“You want to see, don’t you?”
I nodded slowly.
Merida gave me a mischievous grin, “It is this way, past the gardens in a caverned chamber.”
I trailed behind her into the gardens, sticking close to her all the same while as I tried to remain low and out of sight of anyone else, especially from any Valkerie or Templar. A recollection had just popped in my head about warriors who developed Soothe Speech, if I recall properly they also develop telepathic abilities.
“Merida, are you able to read my mind as well?”
She laughed out loud in amusement, “No silly, Soothe Speech does not grant me telepathy. It does however give me the ability of Empathetic instinct. I can sense your emotions.” I could not help but let out a relieving sigh, which merited another laughing bout from Merida.
“Do they affect your emotions in some way?”
She gave a thoughtful hum, “Mmm, no. It is no different from me seeing gestures and expressions, I could react accordingly as if it were so.”
“Hmm...” I thought out loud. I was always under the impression that those who were sensitive to others thought would be subject to it, but Merida’s comparison brought a new clarity to me. I made a mental note to probe her some more over this subject.
For now, I followed her silently into a small hollowed-out chamber, probably formed throughout the ages of erosion. Inside I saw a small light-blue glow, and when the the chamber opened up I saw the source of the glow. Rag Roots. These roots were magic sensitive, often used in catalysts for potions or even for the finest of ales.
The glows would stream brightly from the top of the roots and drop down to the floor and beyond, almost as if it were drops of water being pumped through them.
“These roots stretch all the way from Yggdra, and we know Yggdra’s roots stretch beneath the Palace and past further away. My theory is the the noise from the chambers in the Palace is perceived as a vibration to the tree, and the tree converts this vibration into Soothe Speech for whatever reason.”
I pondered on this fact for a moment, “Ok. Then... How is it this room makes it possible for you to tap into Yggdra’s roots? Much less how is it you hear the Soothe Speech from it.”
She swung her arms out, “This whole room is almost only made from Soul Stone, and that serves as a medium for almost any form of magic. It’s metal we use to imbue our weapons and armor with magic.”
Awe had struck me, it made so much sense now. This room had everything that one needed to be capable of prying ears in secret conversations. The reason why it probably was not more well known is because this cave is well out of the way, so most of Asgard would not care to venture here to begin with. Not to mention the fact that there were only a handful of Soothe Speech skilled warriors, it takes a degree of skill to intercept another Soothe Speech message.
My eyes brightened, “What are we waiting for?”
Erida sat with her legs crossed, so I had done the same. We sat across from each other, face to face.
“This may sting a little at first, but you’ll be fine in the end.” She warned me.
I nodded in understanding, an Asgardian can take a sting.
“I will need to hold your hands,so that way I would be relaying to you what I hear. First I would need to pin the right conversation, then I will be able to concentrate on that one.”
I gave another nod.
She took my hands and then her eyes went deep into concentration. I thought nothing was happening at first since I did not feel or hear anything different, then the world darkened and the noises of hundreds of simultaneous conversations took place. It was like standing in a grand chamber and everyone was speaking at the same time, just absolute unnecessary noise!
Thinking that I my head would explode from the noise, I was about to let go of hands and sever the connection. This was more than just some sting! Just when I was going to let go, that is when only one conversation became focused and all the other conversations became silent background noise.
“...and that was all to be seen Ohden. You should have come yourself, such sight could only be understood if seen in person.” Seems like we had just missed the start and apparently important part of the conversation, if I had not wasted time in asking Merida those questions then we would have had known more. But that did not matter now.
“Hmm...” I recognized Ohden’s voice. It was so paranormal in hearing people talk in such clarity, but seeing nothing but black. I could feel emotions though, it was just as Merida had said, they felt more like expressions and gestures in comparison to sight.
“That could not be possible, power at such a scale had not been seen since the time the Titans had reigned our realm. Could the Titans had been revived in some way or another?” It was Frigga who spoke, my idol and hero. I wish to be like her someday, pride grew in me as I heard her in person.
“Ouch!” I yelped. Merida pinched my hand, I guess she wants me to stay focus since that she is now Empathetic my feelings are distracting her.
“No, if they had returned, they would have come straight for us as we slept. But I do feel it is an ancient enemy and as for who it would be, I can not say.”
A warrior whose voice I did not recognize spoke up, “Even though we reached the civilization belated, the aura it left behind trailed through the skies. It does not travel through any Bifrost, it travels through the physical expanse. Whatever it is, it speeds in the heavens as if it were hanging on to Raghoth’s wings.” I could sense deep fear in him, a feeling of dread that something had instilled into him.
A second warrior I recognize and I from whom I also sensed fear from spoke, “We believe it may be headed to a planet under our protection at the fringes of our borders.” I assume these two Templars, well, at least assume they are Templars were the ones who encountered this thing.
A heavy clang rang in my ears, “Agh!” I wanted to let go and rub on my ears, but I wanted to listen on.
Ohden gave out orders, “Very well, you two may go. You had both been valiant in your efforts.”
The feelings of fear had left, I guessed the two Templars had left. I scoffed at Ohden’s praise to these two, if it were I, I would have had chased and hunted and slayed this being. Then brought it back as a trophy.
It was Frigga with a slight sense of worry in her tone, “What could have done that? Certainly no being originating within our borders.”
“No. Without it doubt it came from beyond our borders. As for how it evaded Heimdall’s sight is what concerns me. It has power and abilities that we are yet not aware of its extense.”
“So what are we to do?” Boomed Tor’s voice. It took all of my willpower to not sigh in glee from hearing the voice of my crush, I am sure I will grow out of it but for now I intend to enjoy it no matter how childish it seems.
“We will send two teams to wherever the trail leads, you will take the point Tor. Find out what this thing is, if you are able to slay it then do so. If you are unable to do so, report back immediately.”
“As you wish Alfather. Am I to select who is to daft me?”
“Your tag companion you may, though I could guess already who you are going to say. But I have two others already at mind.”
“May I ask who they are to be?”
Ohden chuckled lightly, “Impatient as always, Tor my son. They are certainly on their way.”
Their conversation took a surprising turn, Ohden began storytelling about his battle for Tovens we had just fought earlier. It did not seem like anything of importance at this point, even though Merida and I glowed at his compliments about us. However, it was time we sever the connection and get about doing our duties, someone was bound to be missing us sooner or later.
As soon as Merida broke free I made sense from what I heard, “So from what I could gather in this short bit of tell. Something big had happened in one of warriors scouts to one of the planets, as for which one we don’t know. It had also left Frigga a bit worried and Ohden concerned, but Tor seemed slightly excited.” I probably piped up a little too loudly over Tor’s name, but I did not care if my friend knew this or not.
She just shook her head in amusement, “Yes, that mounts it up.”
A unexpected voice echoed from us, “So you have taken a liking to my brother Tor, have you now.” We both jumped around to see who had sneaked upon us.
I nearly leapt out of my skin in fear, I did not expect to have met this man ever in my lifetime and yet here he stood before us both.
We both shouted in shock and in full alert, “Loki!”