by Logan Jacobs
“Twenty-five,” the woman grunted, and she crossed her large arms
over her chest.
“Seventeen?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Twenty-two,” she countered, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Twenty.”
“Deal,” she agreed, and she grabbed the tunic from the wall and
handed it over to me when I passed her the money.
“Here,” I said as I handed the cloth to Asta. “It’s yours.
“Oh, thank you, Rath,” the elf girl gasped, and she looked as if she
might cry. “This… none have ever been so kind… Thank you.”
“No problem,” I chuckled. “Now, let’s go find you some armor.”
I wrapped my arm over Asta’s shoulders, and then I led the slender elf
to one of the vendors with armor. Once we were there, I watched until her
eyes fell onto a pair of dark metal colored forearm guards. The set hung
neatly on the wall, along with a matching chest plate, shin guards, and headband.
“It’s too much,” she sighed before I even looked at the price tag.
“It’s fine,” I said as I gestured to the smith to come and assist us.
“Hello, warrior,” he said with a short bow, and then he turned his eyes
toward Asta and raised his bushy eyebrows.
“This Ljosalfar is mine,” I growled as I flexed the bicep I still had
wrapped around her slim shoulders. “I claimed her in combat, and she is
bound to me.”
“Ahh, very well,” he murmured as he bowed to me again.
“This armor looks to fit her,” I said as I nodded to what Asta had been
eyeing.
“All of it?” he asked, and his eyes flickered uncertainly. “For her?”
“She is special,” I growled. “Do you wish to make a sale or not?”
“Fine, fifteen gold,” he said.
“Seven,” I countered.
“I couldn’t part with it for less than twelve.”
“I’m a banner warrior, on a mission for the council. They approve of
my elf-woman. She will wear it for Odin. Ten.”
“Very well,” he sighed before he bowed to me, took the armor down,
put it in a bag, and then accepted my coin.
“Thank you!” Asta gushed as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“This… You are a good man. You are protecting me with armor. It is more
than anyone has ever done before for me.”
“It’s fine,” I chuckled, but she kept her arms wrapped around my neck
as she pulled away, and her yellow eyes drifted down to my lips.
“It’s more than fine,” she whispered just above the sound of the crowd
around me. “You called me your woman… Is that something you want?”
“I--”
“It looks like you two are getting along,” Kas suddenly laughed from
behind me, and my answer to the elf’s question caught in my mouth.
“You’re back,” I said, and then Asta dropped her hands from my neck
so Kas and I could kiss briefly.
“Did you get the armor you wanted?” Asta asked as she smiled at the
strawberry blonde Valkyrie.
“I did.” Kas nodded, but she looked down at the large satchel on her
hip with a frown. “There’s a bit of a problem, though.”
“What is it?” I asked, and my eyebrows pulled together with concern.
“My father told me this armor was specifically made for my mother,”
the blonde explained. “It’s enchanted with her essence. I’ll be able to use it since I’m her daughter, but only for a short period of time.”
“How long?” I inquired.
“A few hours, at most,” Kas said, and she bit her lip. “After that, it
could actually weaken me instead of making me stronger.”
“That’s not good,” I replied.
“I still want to use it, though,” Kas sighed. “It’s the only armor I have,
and it was my mother’s. I’d like to feel close to her.”
“You can use it for however long you can,” I told her. “But we’ll get
you some new armor as well for when we go out traveling.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Kas muttered, and she looked down.
“I want to,” I whispered as I lifted her chin up to look at me.
“Thank you,” the blonde said with a small smile.
“This will be fun!” Asta exclaimed and bounced on her toes.
“We still need to find you a weapon,” I told her.
“Okay,” the elf girl agreed. “But we should get Kas’ armor first, I’ve
already got mine.”
“Good idea.” I smiled.
“And yours?” Kas asked as she dragged her eyes down my torso.
“Have you gotten yourself new armor yet?”
“Not yet,” I said. “But I will.”
“Yes, you will,” Kas chuckled, and she turned to smile at Asta. “And
Asta and I will help you pick it out.”
“Ooh, I like market shopping,” Asta gasped, and she clapped her hands
together a few times.
I smiled at the girls and let them lead the way back down to the
clothing section so we could pick out something for Kas and myself.
Whatever the next day’s adventure would bring, I was glad I would have the
two of them by my side.
The next morning, I led Kas and Asta to the hall where my warband
gathered before raids. When I walked in with the two of them, and Blar at my
feet, of course, I saw several of the men’s eyes grow wide, including Hagar’s.
The behemoth of a man looked like he was about to open his mouth to say
something stupid, but Eira stepped up to me, then, and he closed it quickly.
“Volrath,” my warband leader greeted me by my proper name. Her
long copper-red hair was pulled back into its usual braids, except for two
small ones that hung down by her face, and she regarded me with cool green
eyes before she turned her attention to Kas and Asta. “I was told you and two
companions would be joining us.”
“Three,” Asta corrected, and I quickly shot her a look that said ‘don’t speak.’
“Yes,” Eira said, and she looked down at Blar. “Three.”
“I presume the elders briefed you,” I said in a low voice so no one else
in the hall would be able to hear.
“Yes,” Eira agreed as she pursed her lips. “I know of your mission.”
“They are skilled, I promise,” I told her with a slight bow.
“I should hope so,” she muttered, then she stared right at Kas and Asta.
“Rath vouches for you, but I do hope you prove to be as skilled a fighter as
he is.”
“We will do our best,” Kas promised as she inclined her head.
“If you’ve seen Rath fight, then you know what is expected of you,”
Eira said, then she turned to nod at me. “You got new armor.”
“I did,” I agreed, and I looked down at my new outfit the girls had
helped me to pick out. I wore a black tunic that fit nicer than any of my usual
ones and a steel breastplate with leather and steel forearm guards. I’d also
upgraded to a two-handed axe. Eventually, I would get an Ulfberht sword,
but that would have to wait. I’d made sure to use our coins wisely so each of
us gained a new set of armor and a new weapon. Kas wouldn’t wear hers
today, since she’d insisted on wearing her mother’s armor and using her
sword, but she’d need the new outfit next time we went adventuring, so I was happy to get it for her.
Asta now wore the pale-yellow tunic she’d picked out the day before
that matched her eyes perfectly. She had forearm guards, a chest plate, and a
headband to protect her from potential blows while also hiding her pointed
ears from the rest of the warband. All of her armor was made of matching
dark gray steel that looked nearly black. It was a stark contrast against her
white hair and pale skin, but it made her look all the more intriguing. Her
long white hair was pulled back into a large braid that hung down past her
waist, but a few flyaways framed her face and brought attention to her small,
upturned nose and pouty, pink lips. She looked absolutely beautiful. Her new
blade hung at her hip, a short sword that fit in her hands nicely, and was well
crafted. It was nothing fancy, but it would help her protect herself, especially
since I’d shown her a few moves the night before.
Kas looked like an absolute goddess in her mother’s armor. The new
tunic and armor I’d gotten her were nothing special compared to the
enchanted armor that belonged to her mother, but even with all of our coins,
there would have been no way I could have purchased her anything close to
how valuable it was. The armor was pure mithril and extremely detailed. It
consisted of two vambraces for the forearms, two bicep guards, and golden
greaves that swirled around her shins. The most magnificent piece, though,
was the headband. It came down in a V in the center of her forehead, then made its way into her honey colored hair, only to have a large golden wing
spring out from each side of her head. Kas’ hair was in its usual mane of
blonde sunrise, and it framed her face perfectly. She wore a simple white
tunic underneath the armor that came to her mid-thigh, and her father had
given her mother’s sword to use as well. It was a blade enchanted to be less
heavy than it actually was, which was a good thing, because without that I
wasn’t sure the small sorceress would have been able to pick it up.
Since we were headed to Jotunheim, Kas had enchanted our clothes to
keep us warm even in the harsh weather, and she’d made Blar a small jacket
which she enchanted as well.
We’d spent the evening practicing, which mostly was me instructing
the girls on how to use their new weapons, and issuing commands to Blar.
Asta and Kas had picked up on the moves quickly, so now I just hoped they
remembered them once we actually went into battle. I wasn’t worried about
Blar, though, because as long as he stayed on my shoulders, he would be fine.
I didn’t want him running around the battlefield, but he refused to be left
behind, so I figured shoulders were the best bet, even though he was slowly
but surely becoming too large for them. It would work for today, and right
now that was all that mattered.
“I like the armor,” Eira said, which drew my attention back to the
present moment.
“Thank you,” I told her sincerely. She was even more beautiful every
time I saw her, and she was a fearsome leader, so I was lucky to be a part of
her warband.
“And your… dog,” she said, and she glanced down at Blar. “He won’t
be a problem?”
“Not at all,” I assured her.
“And your Ljosalfar?” she asked as she narrowed her emerald eyes at
Asta.
“She is fine,” I confirmed.
“You’ll have to explain how you got an elf slave who will follow you
into combat,” Eira said as she continued to stare at the snow-haired elven
beauty.
“Perhaps after this battle,” I said. “You do not need to worry about my
women, or my dog.”
“I trust you.” Eira nodded as she finally looked away from Asta. “Get
your companions some shields from the pile. We leave in ten minutes.”
“Thank you,” I told her as she turned to walk away, and she glanced
back at me with a small smile.
“She’s quite intimidating, isn’t she?” Asta muttered after Eira had
gone. “I felt as if she would have cut me in half without a moment’s
hesitation.”
“She’s nice once you get to know her,” I said with a shrug. “You two
wait here with Blar, I’m going to get you a couple of shields from the pile.”
Before they could respond, I headed to the end of the hall where the
discarded weapons and shields were. Some of them were broken or badly
beaten up, but others were ones that had been stolen from rival tribes as
backups in case anyone needed something on short notice. I started to pick
through the pile until I found two plain wooden shields that were in good
condition. I grabbed the two of them and turned around to head back to the
girls, but instead I ran directly into Hagar.
“Rath,” he chuckled. “I see you brought some friends with you today.”
“I did,” I said calmly. “These shields are for them, and I’d like to make
sure they get them before we leave.”
“You can go in a second,” the giant man told me, “but first you have to
tell me how a male of your status managed to find two such beautiful
women.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything,” I growled. Typically, I put up with
Hagar’s bullshit because he wasn’t the brightest star in the sky, and he
usually was harmless, but I refused to put up with nasty talk about the girls.
They were ladies and deserved to be treated as such.
“Aw, come on,” he laughed and shoved me playfully. “We’re all dying
to know how you managed to get such pretty girls to go anywhere with a
loser like you. Especially an elf. They are pure magic.”
“It’d be better than going anywhere with the likes of you,” Kas’ voice
chimed in from behind Hagar, and he turned around with a shocked face to
see her and Asta standing nearby.
“It’s true,” Asta agreed as she lifted her nose up into the air. “You are
not very pleasant to look at.”
“Alright,” I said as I watched Hagar’s face drop, and I walked over and
pushed the girls back toward where I’d left them.
“That guy’s a prick,” Kas grumbled, and she turned around to glare at
Hagar, who still stood stunned while the rest of the men snickered at him
now.
“He is,” I chuckled. “But I think you two managed to hurt his feelings,
so we’ll call it even for now.”
“I can enchant him to look like an ogre or something if you want,” the
sorceress offered.
“That’s not necessary,” I laughed.
I knew the girls meant well, and I wouldn’t have allowed Hagar to talk
about them in any sort of derogatory way, but I didn’t mind his insults and quips. He was an asshole, but I’d overhead the men at the bar poke fun at his
intellect. I knew he picked on me to make himself feel better, and since my
own self esteem didn’t rely on the opinions of others, I didn’t put too much
stock into it.
Still, I appreciated the girls trying to help, but we had enough going on
at the moment without having to worry about dealing with Hagar as well.
And if Eira caught word Kas and Asta were causing problems, then it would
be my head on the chopping block. There was no fighti
ng amongst brothers,
and that included them.
“To the Bifrost!” Eira announced suddenly, and she started to lead the
men out the door.
I held Blar, Asta, and Kas back at the end of the line with me. We
would do our part in battle, but our top priority was to retrieve the egg, and
there were always the men who rushed to the front anyways, so there was no
use in trying to push our way in. On top of that, Asta and Kas were new to
battle, and I wanted to make sure they would be safe and protected.
Depending on how things went, they would have to be able to defend
themselves somewhat, and they knew that, but I would do all I possibly could
to protect them.
We walked through the streets of Asgard with the rest of the warband,
and as we passed by people, they hollered to us to show their support. Once we got to the bridge that led to the Bifrost, I called Blar up to my shoulders.
Our warband had never been chosen to fight an enemy outside of Asgard
before, and I knew Eira would consider this a great honor, but it would also
be a new experience for a lot of the men with us. I looked forward to seeing
how they did, but mostly I looked forward to finding the egg the elders had
sent us after.
It felt strange to use the Bifrost to look for eggs since we’d avoided it
for so long, but it did make things easier. You knew exactly where you’d
wind up when you used the Bifrost, and unlike the portals, you could come
back through any time without the worry of being stuck there if the portal
closed while you looked around. As odd as it was, and though I didn’t fully
trust the elders still, I was still excited at the possibility of finding an egg,
even if I’d have to turn it over afterwards.
We waited patiently until it was our turn to step into the glittering
rainbow bridge, then both Asta and Kas grabbed my hands, and with Blar on
my shoulders, we stepped onto it together.
For half a moment, the colors spun, the stars twinkled, and the sound
of harps entered my ears as the rainbow bridge took us to the next world.
Then it was just the howling winds.
The Bifrost brought us to a completely different part of Jotunheim than we’d ended up at when we went through the portal in the countryside. Here,
it was all rock and dark blue skies. I could see mountains in the distance with
snow on them, but we were in some sort of valley, so even though the air was