HELHEIM: VICTOR
It was peculiar, when he fell asleep in Maximilian's arms Loki never entered his dreams. But overall, he still felt pretty useless. He was useless against his brothers and Skylar had been in a very compromising situation trying to save them. Even his powers had been taken from him in the cords. In extension to them tying up Maximilian, his Maximilian, the removal of his powers made him feel exposed, weak, helpless. He tried to put that experience behind him, they had all been violated in one way or another, Skylar was almost violated physically, Maximilian had nearly lost him to the kidnapping, and he had temporarily lost his powers. Of all the foes they had faced, Hrym, Fafnir, Surtur, this fight of all might have taken the most from them as a perversion of all that they held dear. So the faster they could get out of Helheim the better.
They had barely made to the next clearing in the forest when another attack struck.
They had made it to the center of a dead spot of the forest around 3 hours after the kidnapping debauchery, in which he and Maximilian had engaged in much conversation about excellent date locations, Skylar was still burning angry and moving ahead. When a feeling of dread overcame him, he could feel something or some things powerful move in the trees. But he got the warning out too late, before he could exclaim, arrows with strings attached to the back shot out from all directions forming a web of strings like a net over the group.
The three of them were tangled in a matter of seconds in threads and rope. Victor groaned in discomfort as he tried to shape shift but his mind was far too tumultuous right then to use any rune magic. Hordes of undead warriors, skeletons with steel armor and swords poured out of the dead forests. A man in wolf skin pelts stood over them. He had a twisted smile like a wolf. If anything, it was almost a human that had been taught wolffish mannerism with wolffish features.
The wolf man held a scimitar and looked down at the bound up trio. He snickered at their helplessness, Victor tried to go for his sword but the wolfman pinned his arm to ground with his iron barb bottomed clawed boot, causing Victor to scream out in pain. Maximilian shouted from a meter behind him: "Get off him!"
The wolf man slowly removed his foot. Victor felt the barbs pull out slowly and tore the flesh off Victor's shoulder tending the skin off Victor's soft flesh and profuse amounts of blood started to flow out. Victor's screams rang through the trees as the flesh was peeled apart by Garmr's boot. The wolfman moved away: "Now let me introduce myself, I am Garmr, son of Fenris wolf. Guard werewolf of Hela. Now word is Narvi and Vali have been killed again, and his targets, then being you, have escaped. Now my aunt Hela wants you three alive if possible. As such you will submit, or so help me Hela I will loosen the definition of "alive"."
From behind him he could hear his friends struggle as they were roped up as skeletal hands from the undead warriors that accompanied Garmr seized Victor by his shoulders as the wound on his right upper arm seared with pain. The three of them bound by their hands and feet, and left on the floor of the cage, thankfully not gagged, and tossed into a barred cage. Maximilian struggles over to Victor's side: "Victor! Are you alright?"
Victor softly whispered as he felt a burning pain in his arm: "I'll live. It's a shame Garmr isn't driving this blasted carriage. I bet if I calmed down the pain, I'd be able to work my magic."
Maximilian shook his head: "It's not your fault Victor. We will fix this. We can still appeal to Hela."
Victor stared at Maximilian, his pupils were dilated: "You really think I can find a way to outplay the goddess of Death?"
Maximilian shrugged: "I wouldn't say it's out of the question."
Victor sighed and sweat started to pour from his forehead as he was racked in agony: "I know you trust me Maximilian. I don't."
Skylar has sat up and propped herself up against one of the bars in an assured voice she said: "We just need to get to the throne and we can all get out."
Victor lay back, breathing heavily as the barb wire wound burned with pain, Maximilian shimmied over and placed his bound hands on Victor's wound, fumbling slightly since his hands were behind his back. Maximilian applies direct pressure to Victor's wound, under his breath Victor could hear Maximilian muttering: "Don't bleed out on me... don't bleed out on me..." Victor groaned as Maximilian stemmed the blood flow: "Max... I... is the light fading...?"
The back half of the cage was already covered in Victor's blood now, and he heard Maximilian howl in anguish: "Victor! No! Stay with me!"
Skylar spoke up from her corner: "Boys, relax, we're entering the palace Victor, you're going to live. You are going to live because I don't know what Maximilian will do if you don't."
Victor suddenly felt a warmth on is shoulder, like a warm fire was sealing his wound, he felt his flesh regenerating slowly, the bleeding ceasing under Maximilian's palm. He drew a quick breath as the pain slowly subsided and his vision felt clear and normal again. He felt his voice again: "Maximilian? Did you just heal me?"
Maximilian spun around and looked at Victor: "I don't think I did? How did the wound heal?"
Before any of the three could say anything, they were hurled out of the cage onto a black soil floor in the center of a large stadium. On second examination, this wasn't a stadium, it was a large courtyard hewn of Black Stone. The undead guards forced all three of them onto their knees. Garmr stood in front of them: "Behold! Hela, Daughter of Loki, Goddess of Death, Queen of Helheim!"
In front of them was a slender figure scantily clad in green garments on the right side, cloaked in black on the other, her face might have been flawless, sharp cheekbones, skeleton white skin, but it was a black mask like the phantom of the opera, covering half of her face.
Hela's voice was low for a female and had a French touch to it: "Greetings. Brother mine, welcome to my realm."
