Grātitūdō

"Mes.... Ja..mes.." James could hear slightly voices..

His mind was clouded, his vision foggy, he was feeling orientedles...

"Big brother he doesn't wake up." Pete said.

"I guess there is no other choice... I have to do what I have to do!" Said Dan.

Dan pouted his lips, closed his eyes.

James whole face twitched until he woke up nearly kissing Dan!

He held his hand on Dan's face. This was the only way to stop him!

He threw him then to the side.

"W-what happened, w-why am I still drawing breath?!- Argh! My injuries!" James clutched his ribs.

"S-sir calm down first, we are just happy that you are alive!" Pete hugged him, which further added pain to James!

"Argh! G-get off!"

"A-ah sorry! My bad, just now I was to happy, that I forgot.."

"Can someone explain please, just what happened?" James groaned as he was confused as much as hurt.

"The thing is..." so began Dan the older brother to explain.

"Hehehe, foolish insect, pay the price for being a nuisance! Die!" Athalwearth swiped down with his whole power, James was still unconscious while the brother regained their's, they could only watch what was about to transpire! They closed their eyes! But what they imagined to hear...never came, there was no screaming, nothing.

'Whats wrong, I thought I would at least hear screams'

Dan slowly opened his eyes, only to realize what should have happened didn't.

His eye were opened wide in awe of the sights he caught!.

Pete in the same awe, couldn't believe wither what just happened, he was trembling, not believing what he sees. He looks to his big brother Dan as he said " big brother... do you see this? Am I dreaming? Hey I'm dreaming right..."

"If its a dream dont wake me up, because I don't want to go back...!" Few tears came down his face.

Athalwearth was trembling, trembling and trembling...

He felt fear.

"Hahahaha yo descendant of fenrir, you can't do this you know, if you do this he dies, that would be a big problem for me"

'I-it can't be...IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!'

Athalwearth was slowly walking back, crouched down, he hid his tail underneath.

Tyr who just held the attack back from coming down on James with his left hand was in pristine condition.

Tyr looked at James who was still unconscious, then at Dan and Pete.

"Hahahaha, hey you two, can you take care of him?" Tyr pointed with his left point finger on James.

Dan and Pete gulped and immediately nodded like crazy! They made their way to james and brought him to safety!

"Now, now i think its time to get serious."

Tyrs usual playfulness was gone, his eyes they changed, his whole aura changed around him. Now it was heavy, the air it felt heavier and his mere presence alone gave such pressure, that just releasing his aura where he was standing made the ground tremble.

"Athalwearth, you of noble descendent, you proud wolf, how dare you not prostrate in front of this god of war. "

Tyr eyes were terrifying. Athalwearth was feeling enormous pressure on his back, you could hear his bone creaking.

He who left no mercy, was not given the mercy, even if he were to beg, it would be futile.

'How is he here?! Wasn't he supposed to be sealed! Unless... oh. I see.. so thats it!!'

Athalwearth tried to look Tyr in the eyes, trying to lift his eyes, it took everything.

He began to chuckle.

Which made Tyr annoyed.

"Why is a mutt like you laughing. You truly don't believe I will show you grace and let you live, now you don't believe that, do you?"

"Hehehe, oh mighty Tyr, son of Odin, you most noble of them all of aesir, the most courageous of all the warriors of the nordic pantheon, you who stand for fairness and more! I'm not foolish enough to believe you will show mercy upon beasts like me who devoured endless of people, I know my fate as I know yours! "

"Hmm so?" Tyr showed no signs of any fluctuations in his mood.

"Today death may be comimg for me as I know too well I can't defeat a full god, who was once godking of the nordic pantheon, but I will wait for you on the other side as fate closes its curtain on you. If you are free! So it means his lordship al-"

Tyr swung with his sword and cut the tongue out.

'So fast, I couldn't even see him drawing his sword!'

Athalwearth was too stunned to feel the pain.

"Enough. I no longer feel the need to indulge you with your nonsense."

Athalwearth tried to laugh, well he tried, the more he tried the more blood he spilled on the floor.

Tyr slowly walked towards Athalwearth.

Every step caved the floor in.

Athalwearth was now in a corner. He felt helpless, weak, he felt the difference between Tyr and him. He just gave up the last rest of hope.

Tyr swung his sword slow and steady as if no force was behind, it fell.

Athalwearth closed his eyes, as he opened them again he saw his own body.

'Ah...father have you forsaken me too?'

His body crumbled to black light, slowly until nothing was left.

Then his jaw, his mouth, his nose, his forehead.

He looked at Tyr, Tyr looked at him back. He mouthed something.

'I am sorry?'

Athalwearth eyes were wide opened, then he closed his eyes for one last time.

Nothing was left of the proud wolf Athalwearth, no legacy, nothing, but the grievances may be repaid, so may the fallen have some rest.

Tyr breathed out deeply.

"Hahahaha wow that was scary!"

'Whats scarier is how fast you switched back, you know nevermind, you are way more scarier!' Dan and Pete had the same thought.

Tyr whole aura was nowhere to be found, nothing. The ground where he walked upon, now bloomed.

"When that guy wakes up, tell him that his friends are waiting! Now then.."

After he said what he wanted to say, he bowed with his cap at the chest.

Then he just vanished.

"Big brother gods are scary.." said Pete.

"Little brother gods are indeed scary.." Dan then fell to his knees.

*sigh*

"Little brother lets hope we will never experience something like that again or I will wear pink bow ties forever"

"Big brother no matter how unlucky we are, we would never be in this situation again and if i will wear a blue mustache forever"

To now

"That's what happened.." explained Dan.

James groaned "help me sit up".

Dan and Pete carefully helped him sit up in a comfortable position.

James looked at his two hands, then balled his hands into fists. He hammered on the floor. He was frustrated. Dan and Pete were worried as they saw James venting.

'Damn, I am pathetic...I- why, just why am I so weak? I promised myself since that time... I-, shit..'

James began to cry a little, which made Dan and Pete panic!

"I-uh, you know, we wanted-" dan stuttered.

"We wanted to say thank you!" Said Pete.

"Hm?" James sniffed as he stopped crying immediately, he swiped his tears away.

"What do you mean ?" Asked James.

"Well, if it weren't for you, we would be probably be already dead, thanks to you we survived.." Dan was thankful and relieved that nothing worse happened.

"Its true you didn't kill the beast, but without you much worse could have happened. We brother's aren't the brightest, but even we know gratitude. " Pete looked at James eyes.

They were truly sincere.

"Yeah, if you didn't step in, we wouldn't be alive anymore, I'm just thankful that my brother and I can be a little longer alive and spend more time together, so again thank you!" Dan told Jason how he felt.

James snorted, he looked at his hands

'Maybe I'm a different kind of pathetic..'

He chuckled at the thought.

'Probably I should be the one who should be thankful here huh'

James then looked at Dan and Pete.

He smiled.

"You know, you two are really some oddballs"

Dan and Pete looked confused.

"We be odd, but we are not balls" said Dan.

"Big brother you just took the words from my mouth!" Pete looked at Dan with admiration.

Dan looked really proud at the moment.

James made a face palm while sighing.

"How badly injured are you?"

James looked up and down at Dan and Pete.

"Well I have a few bruises and maybe a broken collarbone" Dan complained.

"Well, if try to do this it hurts like crazy " pete proceeded turn swing his arm like a windmill.

"Hey hey nobody told you to do that! Stop swinging your damn dislocated arm around!" James grew so angry his veins bulged!

James then stood up and went to pete and gave the arm back in the right position again.

"ARGH THAT HURT" Pete screamed.

Pete proceeded then to windmill swinging again.

"Wow it helped, it hurts now less!"

James was fed up and kicked his butt.

"I told you stop swinging your damn around you imbecile!"

Pete ate dirt, meanwhile Dan spit on his wounds.

James saw that and slapped the back of his head!

"What the fuck are you doing! Do you think your spit is some kind of high-quality herb!"

Because he moved too much around it slightly aggravated his injuries!

"ARGH!" James screamed.

Dan and Pete then sat on the floor apologizing

"We are sorry"

*sigh*

After slightly readjusting, James calmed himself down.

"Stand up, we have to get out of here, but before that, look for protection and some weapon you can use.." after James ordered the two to look around, he went Straight to battle scene that happened.

He looked around, especially where the beast died.

Suddenly his eye caught something, he bend down and shoveled slightly to find a black ring, it was really dark black. It had engraving on the rings. They looked like runes.

' ᚱ and ᛋ'

James put it on his finger, the ring then transformed into a tattoo, the runes were now ingraved onto his skin. You could read the letters at the side of the right point finger.

James was dumb struck.

'Ehhh...~'

After a short while, Dan and Pete came over in fullgear armor.

"We are ready"

They carried everything they could....

"Too much, way too much you two! Where are you going with that gear! Who made you this mad that you decided to go to war with them?!"

James reprimanded them, James then told them whats useful and what to keep. The rest were left behind.

They then walked through the broken gate, which the beast came from.

It was all dark, they continued to walk together, they could barley see.

They kept walking and walking until they saw fork.

"What now?" Asked Pete.

"Shhh" James then picked a pebble and threw one at a time in each tunnel.

James listened carefully to the echos.

"And?" Asked Dan.

"Hmmm, they both sound the same, so I can't say for sure which one is which, but one thing is certain there is no danger around, or else the sound should have attracted them. " explained James.

Pete was pointing towards one of the tunnel, his finger was shaking.

"A-are you sure?"

"Hm? Oh fu-" James cursed his luck.

He side stepped and made a roundhouse kick.

James hit the thing against the wall. its blood splattered against the walls.

James groaned.

"I can't believe my luck, fuckin' giant ants!"

James then brought his soulweapon out, his gauntlets, he beat the incoming ants to a pulp!

"What are standing around for! There is another tunnel, kill every ant that comes from there! Work together and I alone am enough for defending this place!"

Shortly after slowly ants came from the other tunnel, one at a time!

Dan and Pete gulped! They worked together to take one at a time down, looking over to James's side in admiration. It was hard for them to take care of one together, but James just gored his way through them like nothing!