96

Trails of the Dragon

"Have you thought of a name?" Hela asked.

Forseti replied casually, "Let's call him Shilut."

This little stone humanoid reminded him of the tree-like creatures from a certain movie, so he chose the name. It wasn't Asgardian, Elven , or even Runic, leaving Hela puzzled about its origin, but she didn't inquire further.

"From now on, you'll be known as Shilut, alright?" Forseti patted Shilut on the head.

"Hey!" Shilut blinked, though it wasn't clear if he understood.

Suddenly, Shilut opened his mouth again, "Hey!"

While Shilut couldn't speak, there seemed to be a unique connection between him and Forseti, allowing Forseti to sense his emotions.

Hungry?

After a moment's thought, Forseti took out a piece of dry food cake and offered it to Shilut.

Shilut bit into the cake but immediately spat it out, his face contorted in disgust, as though he had bitten into a stone.

"Do you not like dry food?" Forseti wondered aloud. "Do you eat stones?"

Looking around, Forseti found a few small stones and handed them to Shilut.

Shilut swallowed the stones whole without chewing, a look of contentment on his face as he exclaimed, "Hey!"

"He really eats rocks..." Forseti murmured.

Forseti then located a large stone, smashed it with a hammer, and fed the pieces to Shilut.

Strangely, despite the large size of the stone compared to Shilut, he effortlessly consumed it all without any change in size or indication of digestion.

After finishing the large stone, Shilut neither grew nor showed any sign of excretion. Where did all the food go?

"You must follow basic laws of consumption. What's going on here?" Forseti scratched his head in confusion.

"Hey!" Shilut pointed to his mouth, indicating he was still hungry.

"Not satisfied yet?" Forseti sighed. "Hold off; you can eat more tonight."

Having just awoken from a long sleep with Hela standing guard, Forseti was eager to move on without wasting any more time.

Thus, the two set off with Shilut in tow, continuing their hunt and heading towards the next rendezvous point as planned.

Days passed.

In a lush forest, Hela led the way while Forseti struggled to drag a golden-horned rhinoceros, its weight proving challenging.

Perched atop the rhinoceros, Shilut observed curiously, munching on stones.

"Wow—"

A bird chirped overhead, but it was quickly overshadowed by a passing eagle. It wasn't a rare species, just a common type found in Norn Forest, but notably larger than usual with a wingspan of over ten meters.

Forseti raised his hand slightly, emanating a radiant holy light.

Hand of Reckoning!

"Hey!" The eagle, struck by the divine hand, reacted angrily, circling back and diving straight at Forseti, talons poised to strike.

Just then, a faint light flashed, and Hela's longsword darted through the air, impaling both wings of the giant eagle.

Losing balance, the eagle staggered in the air before crashing to the ground, its attempts to take flight again futile.

Hela approached to secure it, binding the eagle with chains before resuming their journey.

Not long after, the familiar flutter of flying cats signaled their arrival at the rendezvous point.

"Your Highness, you've returned!" Hermond appeared before them, visibly excited.

Surprised, both Forseti and Hela queried, "Hemond, when did you escape from the trolls?"

"On the second day of our encounter, Asgardian forces launched an assault on the trolls, and Lord Odin personally rescued me," Heimd explained eagerly.

"Why such excitement?" Forseti inquired.

Heimd smiled broadly, leaning in to whisper, "Upon my return, I spent the last few days scouring Norn Forest for signs of large prey. Guess what I found?"

"What?" Forseti replied nonchalantly.

"A dragon's lair!" Heimd exclaimed, excitement palpable. "I saw the giant dragon with my own eyes, east of this very rendezvous point, approximately 800 strides—"

"Silence!" Hela's expression turned grave as she abruptly cut him off, her gaze shifting to a figure approaching from the opposite entrance of the rendezvous point—Skadi, accompanied by two subordinates. One, blindfolded with a black cloth, bore a longbow resembling Hodr.

"Roxas!" Heimd( Hermond )turned to look, startled.

Roxas and Hodr shared striking similarities, not just in appearance but also in their extraordinary sensory abilities. Hodr's keen senses leaned towards clairvoyance, while Roxas was renowned for his acute hearing.

If Roxas caught wind of the dragon news... it could complicate—or worse, jeopardize—their dragon hunt, potentially leading to interference from Skadi's hunting party.

Heimd looked remorseful, realizing the unintended consequences of his words.

"Deliver the hunt first," Hela instructed calmly, leading Forseti to move forward with the catch and enter the rendezvous point.

On both sides stood Princess Hela and Princess Skadi, drawing curious glances from the assembled hunters and light elves.

"You've had a good haul," Skadi commented as their teams briefly converged. "The rhinoceros and eagle are quite impressive."

Her statement held truth; unfortunate luck had left Skadi's team with only a single crystal deer, paling in comparison to Hela's more substantial captures.

"Are stone beings still roaming Norn Forest? According to the Hunting Festival rules, humanoids are not to be preyed upon," Roxas remarked, gesturing towards Shilut.

"Forseti replied firmly, "He's my companion, not prey."

"I see," Roxas nodded, ceasing further comment.

Skadi's next words, however, shifted the atmosphere. "I believe the giant dragon to the east will conclude this Hunting Festival early."

Clearly, Skadi had overheard Heimd's revelation.

"Crack!" Heimd cursed softly, smacking his forehead in regret.

A giant dragon! If word gets out, securing the dragon will be a race against Skadi's hunting party.

Turning to Heimd, Forseti said with a hint of apology, "Your Highness Hela..."

Swiftly regaining her composure, Hela smiled politely, meeting Skadi's gaze. "Good luck."

That night, Skadi and Hela's hunting teams convened at the rendezvous point to strategize for the dragon hunt.

With Skadi already aware of the news, Hela saw no need for secrecy.

Seated together were a dozen hunters, maps spread out before them. Heimd pointed to a spot on the map, explaining, "The dragon's lair is here. It's an adult dragon, not particularly powerful. Together, we can easily bring it down, but..."

A pang of regret crossed his face once more.

Hela finished his thought, "But the challenge lies not in the dragon, but in our competition."

"...Skadi is also aware of the dragon's presence. It's no surprise they plan to act alongside us tomorrow morning," Heimd concluded reluctantly.