The Tales of Loki

The Tale of Loki's Blood Moon: Part 2

When Loki landed, it was night time on the borders of two countries called Bulgaria and Romania. It also had another name: Transylvania. A cold wind blew down from the mountains before him, striking Loki in the face. But cold did not bother him, it never had. Instead, Loki pulled a leather hood over his head and started walking towards the nearest village. It did not take long for Loki to arrive at a town; dark, smoky, smelly, and dank. Loki slung his staff to his back so he could easily grab his knives. Odin told him not to kill any innocents, but if somebody tried to rob him or threaten him physically, Loki was going to take action. First timers would not coerce somebody like him. Loki despised humans who used their power or strength to hurt other people. So, if he ran into any of those while he was on Midgard, he would quietly dispose of them.

A loud slam from his right made Loki begin to draw a dagger. He soon saw that it was just a drunk being booted out of the tavern. He ran to a picket post and hurled into the mud. Loki's nose wrinkled and he turned away, heading instead for the inn that was just up the road. When Loki entered the dusty interior, he had to duck to get through the door. He still kept his hood up, but it was his armor and the glint of the gold that caught people's eyes. Loki went to the establishments bar and placed a single gold coin on the wooden counter. "A room. And, Vlad the Impaler's location," Loki demanded from the innkeeper. The young woman behind the bar paled before she quickly called to someone else from a dark room behind her. Smoke was coming out, along with the smell of meat. A large man emerged from the kitchen, a meat cleaver in his hand. Loki's hand slowly went to his belt, but he smiled at the butcher.

"You asked for Vlad the Impaler?" the butcher asked. Loki nodded but he watched the cleaver in his hand. The butcher nodded and laid the blade on the counter. Loki's own hand slowly moved away from the knife on his belt. "If you were actually going to try to kill him, you're too late. He died in his sleep last night," the butcher said before he took his cleaver up again and walked back into the kitchen. Loki's mouth would have dropped open, but he refrained.

He was surprised but there was that one little skeptical part of him that screamed, Something's fishy here! Loki was inclined to believe the skeptic. He gave the girl three coins, took some food, a hearty drink, and went to his room. As Loki sat on the straw pallet and ate his meal, his mind mulled over what he had just heard. Vlad the Impaler died in his sleep? That was when Loki remembered something that Odin had told him. Vlad had been obsessed with death and the idea of a painful demise. But, he had also been interested in the undead, the belief that people could come back to life and be invulnerable. Loki knew that Midgard did still possess magic, no matter how minute. That was when Loki realized what was going on here. Vlad was going to resurrect himself, and come back as some undead monster!

End of Part 2