DIVINE CHAMPIONS 5: THE FROSTY FATES

TRASH TALKING DRAGON

They moved alright, but very carefully, slowly, as if stalking their prey. Sadly, for Mik, his fylgja was such that he couldn't even hide properly. Rishi led the way, sniffing stuff around, while Aitri was just turning around and looking at everyone else while walking. Rick seemed like he was getting impatient at one moment, but changed his mind as soon as he sniffed something. Behind them, Mikael walked slowly, putting slow steps ahead. Gods knew if elephants could hear better than carnivores, but there was a humming sound coming from afar. It sounded like the Sirens of Odyssey. However, the voice was masculine.

As the four emerged out of the bushes, finally, the giant figure of Nidhogg came to sight. At least twelve feet tall, Nidhogg was unlike any other dragon Mikael had seen in his life, on TV, in images, anywhere. He had a typical reptilian face, with fangs for teeth so big that his mouth never closed. His body was like a very fat snake, and where there should have been ears, out came structures that looked like roots of a tree. His legs were quite bigger than dragon legs, and the hind claws weirdly nail-less. His bat-wings added four feet to his size. His fore-claws, however, had nails like knives. The scales on his body protruded out, and the tail seemed to strike constantly what was beside him. Made of darkness, the dragon had green toxic slits for eyes. Beside him, the roots of Yggdrasil shook, as his tail hit it, and his claws pierced through it, though making little difference. His hind legs were actually wrapped by the roots.

The path up ahead was all about turns that led the group out of Hvergelmir. Sadly, the turns were around the roots that Nidhogg operated. Ishaan still wasn't here, but given he was a bird, he was going to be quick. Mikael looked out for him in the sky. Nope, nothing yet. 

Rishi gave a low howl, signaling for everyone to move. As they took the turn to round themselves past Nidhogg, they heard Nidhogg's voice. For a creature that scary, his voice sounded like Peter from Family Guy. "Meh, not much for a mighty eagle!" He bellowed, and despite the funny voice, the roots shook, "I can sing ten times better than you. You wanna listen?" And he burst into 'I love you, baby' by Frank Sinatra. Rick looked at everyone, and when he met Mikael's little elephant eyes. To Mik's surprise, he heard Rick inside his mind, "Make him stop, or I'll convert back to a man, poke him in the eye and convert back to a fox."

But there was no stopping the dragon, who finished the song, and screamed, "Do you hear it, Hraesvelgr? Can you do better? No. Cuz you're just an idiotic scum." Then, he put his root ears out, and listened. Then, he started again, "Yeah, yeah, you are just lucky that I'm tied here." He stopped again, listened again, and said, "Why? What are you gonna do? Cry to your little hawk wife?" 

It was so entertaining, Mik didn't realize how close he was standing to Nidhogg. The last line made him crack, and he let out an elephant laugh. He realized as soon as Nidhogg stopped, and looked straight at him. Mikael signaled his friends to hide quickly with his eyes. Gods knew if they understood, but they hid anyway. Nidhogg brought his huge head close to Mikael, and then looked forward. He took his head close to where the others hid, sniffed for a while, let out a suppressed growl, and turned to Mikael. "What the hell are you doing, ya skank?" To that, all Mikael could do was trumpet. "Hey, I know you, you are one of those big nosed things Mimir showed in his Midgard device." Mikael trumpeted again. He had never hated anything more, than not being able to speak. Nidhogg asked, "Hey, why the long face?" and burst to laughter. It was so loud and scary, that the roots shook. Mikael had taken a nice step back, when Nidhogg said, "Anyway, where are you headed?"

And before Mik could reply, Ishaan finally arrived. He squeaked, and like an enlarged hawk, he flew past Nidhogg's root ears, making the dragon look away and up, and scream, "Eagle!" Ishaan stopped flying, sat on a branch, and squeaked again. That is when Mikael saw him. Ishaan was now a true phoenix. Glowing red, with a golden beak, and slightly extra feathers on his head. His beady black eyes met Nidhogg's eyes, and squeaked. Nidhogg bellowed, "Yo, why so small, dude?" Ishaan flew away, as Nidhogg tried to catch him, but failed, given his leg was tied to the roots. Instantly, his mouth opened, and covered Ishaan with fire flames. That mouth was funny as well as scary, in two simultaneous moments. Ishaan came out unharmed, squeaked and flew away again. "You notorious little hawk, I'll...what did you say?" Nidhogg got distracted again, with Hraesvelgr on it again, "Oi, is that what you ask me? That was dumber than an average Midgardian politician that Mimir told me about. Yes, I did my research, birdie boy, which you can't, cuz yain't got a brain."

Ishaan squeaked again, this time at Mikael. Mikael trumpeted, making sure that this was the cue for them to leave. And so, they ran. Ishaan flew away from Nidhogg and into the unseen, while the others came out of hiding, roared at Nidhogg and ran away. The four took sharp turns, dodging Nidhogg's eyes, before he finally saw them at the gate. From there, he screamed, "Its good that you hid yourselves. You are so ugly, if I had seen you, I would have puked on your face, and I haven't eaten in a while. I would have eaten, and then puked on you."

Aitri kinda took it seriously. She bared her fangs and was about to attack Nidhogg, Mikael got in way. She hit his elephant belly, and fell down. Mikael nudged her away from the gate, but Aitri did give Nidhogg a true roar of a lioness. Rishi and Rick looked at her with canid proud eyes, as they both squeakily barked. Nidhogg's scream could be heard faintly, "Yeah go cry to your mama." Mikael heard Rick inside his brain, "I am missing such a great chance of trash talking with him."

"He'll eat you." Mikael thought, hoping that Rick would hear it, which he did.

"With him means, by his side."

"You'll be trash talking the creator of winds. Don't blame anyone if you can't suddenly breathe."

"Oh." He got quiet.