Eternity | T.J.

This Original Title Was Too Long

Is There A Single Species In The Nine Worlds I Haven't Had A Bad Experience With?

     Good News, no one stopped me from leaving Valhalla this time and I landed in Fenway Park without an issue. I raced about Boston for quite some time, trying to find my friends, before eventually coming across Blitz and Hearth outside the New England Aquarium, and soon after Magnus and Sam joined us.

     Blitz beamed in his new outfit." My wolf-hunting clothes!" He explained happily, which was certainly not the emotion I was feeling at the moment.

     " Not only that," he continued after going on a rant about what he'd gone through in the time since we left Jotunheim." But the contest scandal with Junior? It backfired on the onld maggot! Word got around about how badly he failed. Nobody is blamin me anymore, or the horsefly, or anything! People started talking about my stylish armor designs, and now they're clamoring for product. If I live through tonight, I might get to start my own clothing line after all!"

     Sam, Magnus, and I all offered our congratulations, and none of us mentioned our likely death that would come around in less than an hour.

     Hearth began to give an explanation of what happened to him, as well as an explanation of why he was carrying a staff with him, which had confused me greatly up until that point.

     " Isn't that awesome?" Blitz asked." I knew he could do it!"

     I don't feel like a master. Hearth signed.

     " I've got something that might help," Magnus retrieved a Perthro rune from his pocket." A couple of hours ago I had a conversation with Hell. She reminded me of everything I lost."

     Blitz's face lost its happiness." Here I've been going on about my new clothing line, and you had to deal with that."

     " It's okay, the thing is, when I appeared on Bunker Hill, I'd just used my sword to kill two giantesses. I should've passed out or died from exhaustion. I didn't, I think I know why. The longer I'm with you guys, the easier it gets to use my sword, or heal, or do anything really. I'm no magic expert, but I think... somehow, we're sharing the cost." My brother offered Hearth the rune." I know what it feels like to be an empty cup, to have everything taken away from you. But you're not alone. However much magic you need to use, it's okay. We're your family."

     Hearth appeared to be tearing up. I love you. He took the rune and placed it in the center of his staff. My sign, my family's sign.

     " I like that," Blitzen said." A family of five empty cups."

     " Suddenly I feel thirsty."

     " Al-Abbas," my brother said." I nominate you for the role of annoying sister."

     " Shut up Magnus... Alright, if we're done with the family bonding, I don't suppose anyone knows where we can find two dwarves with a boat?"

     " I do," Blitz replied." Hearth and I scouted it out before you all got here. Come on!"

     We followed our non-human friends down the pier, until we got to a kiosk that had the words WOLF-WATCHING CRUISE. TONIGHT ONLY! ONE RED GOLD PER PERSON! CHILDREN UNDER AGE FIVE FREE! Written on a sign. As we approached, the dwarf sitting at the booth turned to us.

     " Hello there!" He said." Fjalar, at your service. Care to take the cruise? Lovely wolf-spotting weather!"

     " Fjalar?" Blitz asked." You wouldn't happen to have a brother named Gjalar?"

     " Right over there."

     We all turned around to see a Viking Longship, which we somehow hadn't noticed on our way over, sitting in the water with a dwarf identical to Fjalar standing on it.

     " I can see you've heard about our exceptional service," Fjalar said as we turned back." So can I put you down for five tickets? Once-a-year-opportunity."

     " Excuse us for a moment," Blitzen said before we all walked a little ways away." Those are Fjalar and Gjalar, they're notorious."

     " Thor warned us, we don't have much choice."

     " I know, but Fjalar and Gjalar? They've been robbing and murdering people for over a thousand years! They'll try to kill us if we give them any opportunity."

     " So basically," Magnus said." They're like pretty much everyone else we've met."

     " Exactly!"

     " They'll stab us in the back," Blitz warned." Or strand us on a desert island, or shove us overboard into the mouth of a shark."

     I'm sold. Hearth signed.

     We headed back to the booth, and I gave my best attempt at a smile.

     " We'll have five tickets for the wolf-spotting tour please."

A/N: We're getting to the final battle of this book, and I will say that there's one more power Willow will have that I haven't gotten to yet which will be introduced during that potion of the story, but that's as much as I'll tell you about that subject. I hope at least someone somewhat enjoyed this chapter, any to all comments from anyone about anything make my day, and just keep in mind the world is your erster.