Chapter 25: Alfheim

MARCUS

"Is that it?" Patrick asks, his stomach growling as we ogle the strange, rodent-like animal we've been tracking for over an hour. "That doesn't seem right."

"It's definitely it," I reply. What other kind of giant rodent would there be? The thing's the size of a baby horse.

"The color is all different," Snow grumbles. "Maybe it's a different one?"

"No, no," I sigh, shaking my head. "The man would have told us if there were other giant rodents around. That's not something you just forget."

"It's a bit bigger than what he described," the Apostle says, hesitant to move in for the kill. In case you're wondering what this is all about, I'm going to give you a recap.

First we came through the Doorway – you know, after Jonah kindly shoved me through it. We wound up on Alfheim, but it turns out there are two Doorways on the island, and the one that was previously linked to the one the djinns use isn't close to civilization. In fact, we wound up near the coast. Though the Enlightened Sea looks tempting, it's really not meant to be swam in. There are over a hundred types of sharks, krakens and reavers, and those aren't even the dangerous ones! The snakes are what you have to watch out for. Just look at Jonah for example. Of course, it didn't help that the coast we landed on was called Blood Shoals. That's what the fishermen told us, but we didn't stick around long enough to find out why that's so.

One thing we notice instantly is that it's incredibly sunny here. As in, there's no mist of doom and gloom. We still haven't figured out how, but the fishermen did pray to the angels of Eden before getting in their boats, so Patty declared that they were responsible, and that was that.

"Fuck it," the Apostles in question curses, then lifts his dagger and throws it forward. It misses the brownbara, which is actually black in color, and the rodent runs off into the depths of the jungle. "Shit."

"Smooth move," Snow tells him, snickering despite almost certainly being in pain from hunger. We've been lost in the damn jungle – or forest – I don't know the difference – for two stinkin' days, and haven't dared to eat any of the berries. There seems to be a creek present every so often, so at least we didn't dehydrate. Still, not having a lot of fun right now.

"You're more and more like Jonah every day, little dude."

"Thank you."

"Not a compliment."

He huffs after that, turning away from me. "I'm hungry."

"I know, little dude." I turn to the man in charge, wondering if he's aware of my secret. A strong mage like him might be able to see through my glamour, even if there are two layers of it. Not only did I use a Glamour Pool, I also added a touch of my own illusions, anchoring the spell to the necklace around my neck. This appearance is just easier to get around in, since the buttholes of Valhalla aren't too kind to my people. I don't think Patty's the type of guy to care, but I'm so used to this appearance, it's hard to turn back. Besides, my parents are both illusionists, too. It's the magic attribute everyone in my family has, save for an uncle who went missing when I was young. None of the guys I met after joining the Festival of Death know I'm descended from Alfheim. Hell, most people don't even know there are kingdoms other than Valhalla. Education was never a primary concern there, which is probably why it was such a shithole. Though, now that we know Ozymandias is playing with the devils, I suppose it's possibly he gradually ran it into the ground on purpose. I'm not even sure how much our dear king, whatever his true name may be, knows about the kingdom.

"That wasn't a brownbara," Snow says with a hint of uncertainty, and then I notice that a strange shadow has fallen over us.

"Is there a massive version of that thing behind us, most likely its mother?" I ask, freezing up.

"Yeah," the boy says sullenly.

"Is it looking down on us, simmering with rage?"

"Yeah." His voice is slightly higher that time.

"Is the one we tried to hunt before with her, indicating toward us?"

"Yeah." He flat out sounds like Yukiji now. When we hear the creature roar, all three of us burst out of the bushes, running for our lives.

"I told you that wasn't it!" Patrick shouts at me as we hear stomping behind us, surprisingly fast for the thing's size.

"Don't blame me! Blame the fishermen!"

"I choose to blame you!" Snow interjects as we go through another set of bushes, and then all three of us fall down, not realizing there was a steep dive here. As we roll downhill, I catch a glimpse of the monster that almost killed us, and thank Sol she's too big to go after us any further. By the time we reach flat ground again, we're covered in cuts and bruises, starved and tired. Everything hurts, and I wish I was dead. I just came to make some money for my family, man. I didn't ask for this shit.

"Owie," the kid grumbles, getting up and rubbing his head. "I'm still hungry."

"Should we just push through and get to civilization?" Patrick asks, glaring at me. "Not that I value your opinion after that."

"He didn't tell us there were others! What was I supposed to think!?"

"That something called a brownbara is brown!"

"I'm so not having this argument right now. Too hungry." Turning left, I start to go around the set of bushes in front of us. "How would we find the civilization, anyway? We've been lost for days."

"Marcus, stop talking and look up."

And look up I do, and I am shocked by what I see. There, far above us, is a ship. There is no water, and it's not on land, either. It is just standing there, in the air. There's no tornado carrying it, either. "What the fuck?"

"Someone must be using magic to carry it," Patrick, in all his infinite wisdom, concludes. "That's quite the feat, though, if they plan on carrying it to the ocean." I'm about to comment that an Apostle could do it, but then I realize that someone is looking overboard, down at us. The person is dark-skinned, like me, and is holding some sort of device to their mouth.

"This is the Wildlife Protection Police. We are coming down. Do not move. If you attempt to flee or fight, you will be imprisoned and sentenced. I repeat; Do not move, and do not fight. We are coming down." As she speaks, her voice is incredibly loud, reaching us despite her not yelling. Is it that device she's holding?

"That's weird," Snow whispers.

"Please don't get snarky when they get closer, little dude. We don't need more enemies right now."

Standing perfectly still, with our hands raised up, we watch as the crew brings the ship closer to land. Before touching the ground, the ship's main body starts shifting the way regular ships do not, and a pair of what I can only call legs comes out of each side, making it possible for the ship's balance to remain undisturbed while it's on land. The woman from before jumps from the ship, followed by two guys, one very fat and short, the other tall and thin as a skeleton. Both are dark-skinned like her, but they seem a lot more relaxed. Guess that means she's the boss. She's a small thing – nothing like Aisha. Barely enough of her to fill that revealing armour she's wearing.

"State your names and reasoning for being inside the forest."

"Do we really need a reason?" I ask, eyeing the black stone engraved into the metal glove on her right hand. She raises it to me immediately, bringing it to my throat.

"It is forbidden, and you know it. Don't try to talk your way out of this."

"He's strong," says the fat one behind her, looking at Patrick. "Stronger than a captain, captain. Maybe we should leave them alone?"

"We do not run from danger," she responds strictly, pulling out a pair of silver-shackles, which also have that stone inside of them. "You are all to put these on. We'll be taking you in for questioning. Try to resist, and reinforcements will be called." Yikes. A tough customer.

"They might not make it on time," whispers the fat one again, and then the tall one groans as their captain winces. "W-Was that loud?"

"Not at all," I reply, smirking at him. "But it's fine if you take us in. We're here on urgent business with your king."

"Alfheim is ruled by the Council of Eight," the little woman says, glaring at me murderously. "Anyone who has business with us would know that much." Shit. Can't believe I forgot about that."

"Their clothes are familiar," the skinny one says, his voice oddly soft. Everything about him is soft, really, from his almost see-through blue eyes, to his pale skin, and very light blonde hair. He kind of looks like Snow, actually, but has none of that boyish charm, instead seeming more like a ghost. Wasn't he dark-skinned a minute ago? Another illusionist? "They're from Valhalla, captain."

"I'd already guessed as much, Venti. Where else would people with natural mana come from?"

"Natural?" the fat one gulps. "Y-You mean he doesn't have a Bringer on 'im?" He's eyeing Patty as he says that, but trying to avoid eye contact.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Don. We are not ranked highly enough to deal with them, so we'll be taking them with us." The woman, still unnamed, looks at me, as if expecting me to be the leader. Oh, that would be a mistake. Patty has a temper, and is easily insulted. "Why are you in Alfheim? We separated from Valhalla a long time ago, and haven't seen visitors since." Ah, yes, the easier times. That was back when Luck's father was the king, I believe. Maybe even before that.

"Can we tell them?" I ask Patrick, who seems to also be thinking it over.

"Might cause a panic, or get us locked up."

"You think they wouldn't believe it?"

"We have no proof of it, do we? The dark mist doesn't reach here. Hell, we don't even know if they'll spread to this territory. They might just take the city, and make it their home."

"They?" the Ms Captain echoes, then catches herself relaxing, and snaps at Don. "Get them on the ship. Venti, you're the guard."

Taking us to the ship, they nearly squash us when a big part of the ship breaks off and falls down, becoming a sort of bridge for us to use to climb. The captain just barely pulls me out of the way, and Snow audibly squeaks as it hits the ground.

"Rookie," mutters Ms Captain, pushing us unto the ship. Once we get on deck, I notice the black stone in her glove emitting some mana, and then the bridge reattaches itself to the ship, becoming one of its sides again.

"You wouldn't happen to have food, would you?" I ask, and Ms Captain turns her head towards Don.

"Take them to the holding cell. If they try anything, scream for help. These ones are too much for you to handle."

"We're too much for any of you to handle," replies Snow, and I realize he's checking out their mana. Patrick quickly steps on the kid's foot, making him yelp in pain.

"Ignore him. He's grumpy when he's hungry."

"Your food will be brought to the cell," the captain says calmly, ignoring our squabble completely. "If you try to escape, I'll personally issue an order for your heads. Don't get stupid."

Choosing not to say anything else, we're led to our cells by Don the errand boy, who seems to be checking Snow and Patrick out every few seconds, as if not believing someone could have so much mana inside of them. I can't blame him. Being around Apostles was overwhelming for me at first, too. Hell, all of the others are above me right now – even the kids. I used to think I could at least beat Jonah, but then he went through all sorts of crazy shit. He's probably the strongest – well, after his djinn buddy, anyway. Raksha was tough from the start, though, so I don't think it's fair to count him. Snow would go after them, followed by Aisha. Yukiji's got her uses, and then there are Obi and I, dead weight on most occasions.

"Something on your mind?" Snow asks as Don leaves us in the tiny cell. "Don't be scared."

I almost chuckle at that. Kid's as pure as his name suggests. "It's not these guys that worry me."

"The devils?" Looking up at me with those big, blue eyes, he makes it easy to see why Jonah took him in. It's worse than looking at a puppy.

"Yeah. I'm worried about my folks back in Valhalla."

"Which city?" Patrick asks. "Only Polaris has fallen for certain."

"They were in Valencia when I left, living with my aunt. I know it's close to the shore, but it's not out of the question that they were reached."

Donnie returns with our food, making his presence known with the loud thudding sounds he makes as he walks. Turns out to just be fruit, but we're not about to turn it down. "Sorry. We didn't have anything else."

"You're apologizing to your prisoners?" I ask, and it seems to startle him.

"W-Well, you're not prisoners yet! Captain Aquila said she'll kill me if you die!"

"We're not that hungry, Don."

"GET BACK UP HERE, YOU OAF! WE NEED ABLE HANDS!" We hear the captain shout for her man, who promptly forgets to lock the cell as he rushes back to the deck. Patrick and I look at each other, and our stomachs growl.

"Go ahead, Snow," I say, receiving a nod from Pat.

"Don't you want any?" the kid asks, picking up an apple.

"We'll eat the leftovers. Just go ahead."

"You don't have to do that," he says. "I'm used to not eating every day."

Yikes. I visibly cringe at that. Here I am, whining about not being the strongest in my group, and this kid's not even letting slavery or starvation bring him down. If I'd voiced my thoughts, I'd be feeling like a massive jackass right now. "Go ahead and eat, little dude. I'm not that hungry, anyway."

Shrugging, Snow bites into the apple. Hard to convince him, huh?

Once he finishes, I try to get him to eat some more, but he insists on being done, so Patrick and I evenly split the remaining fruit, then sit down on the floor and wait for us to arrive at our destination.

What's this country like, I wonder? I hope it's better than Valhalla, but I doubt it. I don't see why my parents would have moved away from their own people and into the shithole that the fallen kingdom of Valhalla really was. Were they tricked into thinking life would be better? I know we were nobles, but most of it was a front. We barely got by, which is why I went to enter the Festival in the first place. Seemed like an easy way to earn money. Never thought it would put me in the middle of all this. Is Alfehim gonna be the same thing? The three we've met seem decently well-off, but it's not like Valhalla didn't have rich mages. It's the state of the ordinary folk that reveals the state of the country.

"We're here," Pat says, and I can't help but wonder how he knows. He's able to tell what's on my mind simply by looking at me, it seems, so he explains, "I use direction magic, and the ship just stopped moving in any direction."

"Ah."

"Also, I can sense an awful lot of mana below us. I'm surprised you can't."

I look away immediately. Illusions are what I'm good at. It's my arcane magic attribute, and it's the only one I've got. The elements are lost on me, and I've never had the chance to learn other arcane stuff. Hell, I don't think I've met anyone with more than one such attribute. Patty has his directions, and his brother the papers. I guess Jonah's girl's would be arcane, but I don't really get how she uses that. Obi's is just regularly welding, but he could still beat the shit out of me in a fight.

"I could sense it," Snow mutters in protest, and then we hear footsteps getting closer. Once the captain is in view, she merely taps on the cell, and it opens.

"It wasn't locked." The look in her eyes tells me dear Donnie is in for a world of hurt later. "Why didn't you try to escape?"

"We aren't prisoners yet," Patrick replies. "We're on your side."

"My superior will be the judge of that." Gesturing a few times with her fingers, she somehow controls the shackles around our wrists, pulling them toward herself as if reeling in a fish. Is her attribute metal? I didn't think that existed outside of welding. Swords and knives wouldn't do a damn thing to her if this is the case; No wonder she's a captain. "Also, for your sakes, let's say I found you outside the forest, not in the middle of it."

"How come?" I ask.

"We are the Wildlife Protection Police. Entering the forests without a permit is forbidden, and the Chief doesn't take kindly to people who break that rule. We've lost a lot of resources to the damn mist that spread here, and can't afford to lose more. If you want her to hear you out, follow my lead." Turning around, she starts dragging us along, gesturing with two of her fingers every now and then, to pull us faster.

"Wait, so the mist did come here?" I inquire.

"Yes."

"But it's not here anymore."

"I've noticed."

I can't help but groan a little, and the shackles around me tighten. "Why is it no longer here? How'd you get rid of it?"

"I guess learning that is an incentive to be on my good side."

When we step back onto the deck, I'm nearly overwhelmed by the city before us. The buildings here are tall – very tall. Each one is like a tower of a castle, reaching far above anything Polaris had to offer. Magic carpets are everywhere, but people are flying on brooms, too. A few of them are riding some type of weird animal. It looks like what you'd think a dragon would look like, but it's a lot smaller, and is covered in feathers. Patrick was right; The mana here is palpable. What in the world is this place? Can this even be real? So many people, too – as much as Polaris.

"Welcome to New Julius," the captain says. "I'm aware Valhalla was a shithole, but please try to keep your mouths closed."

"Dragon," Snow whispers, then looks up at the woman. "Can we ride one?"

"No."

Making his eyes as wide as possible, he tilts his head a little. Damn, the kid's good. "Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No. Now stop talking. Those in shackles aren't allowed to."

"You've allowed it so far."

"There were no witnesses."

"So breaking the law is only okay when you say so? You're just like Jonah." I openly laugh as I hear that. Damn, the kid is good. Not an ounce of fear in him. Can't wait to tell Jonah what his son thinks of him.