Journey Into Helheim
Olivia leaves and returns home as she gathers all of her equipment and essential items for the journey and sets out on her way to Helheim.
The journey into the realm of the dead is a long and tedious one. The journey itself is a test of endurance, and one that would break any mortal foolish enough to try.
She didn't encounter any enemies until she finally reached her destination. Before her is an enormous castle of frozen stone, towering over her oministically.
She approaches the gates which stand imposing and ominous. There is quiet and an eerie silence. She can hear an icy wind blowing across the fields.
A great wall of ice stands between her and the castle. Olivia looks around her surroundings first to detect danger before entering.
Inside the gates are numerous dead warriors, some human, other dwarves, and an odd elf. They are all armed with swords and axes, which rest on their shoulders.
They seem to be standing guard, and they notice her presence instantly.
They stare at her warily, eyes narrowed, but they don't challenge her, and they don't attack. They are waiting, watching her, waiting for the first sign of threat or conflict, so that they have an excuse to attack.
It seems they would love nothing more than for her to make the first move.
She squints her eyes and takes a deep breath before continuing to walk without engaging with any of the warriors.
The warriors continue to stare at her with suspicion. Eventually, one of them speaks up…
"What is your business with King Heimdall?" He asks, his voice gruff and rough.
"Why have you intruded upon the King's realm? Who are you, and what is your business here?"
Olivia turns to the warriors before speaking.
"I came to speak to the King about making a deal for a special relic he has."
"A special relic, eh?" The guard asks with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"And what is "this" relic, pray tell?" His face has changed subtly from one of suspicion to one that is guarded and dangerous in nature.
The other guards around her seem to echo these feelings, as they all shift slightly, leaning slightly forward to get a better look at her, and placing their hands over their swords.
Olivia clenches her enchanted sword tighter and thinks about revealing her true intentions.
"I do not know the name of it, I just know that it is a relic that he has…"
"You do not know the name of it, but somehow you know of its...existence?" The guard asks suspiciously.
There is a palpable tenseness in the air now. All the guards look at her with wariness, now completely ready to attack if she so much as makes a threatening gesture.
The guard with his hand on his sword has unsheathed it, and she notices that all the other guards have their hands on their swords.
She can hardly believe it, but she thinks that she may be in a situation that may cost her own life here, unless she responds wisely.
Olivia takes a step back before sighing and revealing the name of the relic.
"I am here for the horn of Gullinkambi."
"The horn of Gullinkambi?" The guard says, as he gets a shocked look on his face.
"What gives you the right to ask for that?"
His face turns to a cold anger, and he raises his sword in a threatening gesture towards her. All the other nearby guards follow suit, some draw their blades, and the guard in the front moves forward.
"Explain yourself, or we will slay you where you stand! You have come to the realm of dead gods, and you expect to have the right to ask for one of the King's relics?! Answer me!"
Olivia clenches my sword tighter debating whether to attack.
"I am a studier of ancient dark magic and heard this horn grants great power and fortune. I wish to make a deal with the king for it."
The guard looks utterly shocked and appalled by her answer.
"You...a...a "mere" mortal...wants a relic of a GOD? You are either very brave...or very STUPID!" He shouts.
"You may walk back through those gates or die where you stand. You have 10 seconds to make a decision." He says in a firm and intimidating tone.
He holds up a finger, before beginning to count from 10 on his fingers in a slow voice.
"10. 9. 8. 7. 6..."
Olivia shakes her head realizing she has no other choice but to fight. She clenches the necklace Loki gave her before unsheathing her enchanted sword before powering up to attack.
Suddenly, all the dead warriors attack at once. They move with shocking speed and their weapons move with incredible precision.
Her years of practice in magic and swordsmanship help in fending them off at first, but quickly she starts to become outnumbered and overrun. She fights well, but they quickly have her pinned to the ground with her sword at their mercy.
They stand over her with cold menace.
"Speak or die." They say in unison.
What will she do?
She only has a few moments to react before her life is ended, but she grits her teeth as she uses every last bit of her strength to use a spell from the Book of the Dammed that blows all of them away.
The aura around her grows black and red as her eyes begin to brighten and glow.
"PERISH!" She yells out.
Immediately, all the soldiers are sent flying back with the force of the explosion. The power of the spell is so immense that it causes a blinding light as it explodes between her and the nearest guard.
She hears them screaming in agony as their very life forces are torn apart as they hit the ground.
In that moment, she gains the strength to get up and grabs her enchanted sword as she casts a barrier around her and makes a run for it to the king.
The remaining soldiers quickly gather themselves and give chase. They move like an army and are faster than a normal human would be.
She is running through a frozen forest now, and the soldiers are right behind her.
She can almost feel their breath on her neck. She is getting tired, but knows if they catch her, she's dead.
Just up ahead is the entrance to Helheim...and King Heimdall himself.
She quickly casts an invisibility spell and climbs one of the tall trees for cover. As she hides in the branches, she looks down to find that the soldiers have stopped to search for her.
She watches them as they pass by with her invisibility spell concealed. She exhales softly knowing she is safe for the moment...
Her exhaustion is growing, but she knows that she's in the final stretch. She is very close to her goal now, so close that she could taste it.
She will either succeed or die trying.
She takes a few minutes to rest before climbing down. She sneaks carefully through the forest and makes my way to the king.
In the distance, she can see the mighty figure of King Heimdall. This castle is truly imposing, a colossal fortress of ice and stone.
This is her end goal...and her enemy. Her heart beats faster as it grows near, realizing…
There's no turning back now.