Eternium ~ 34!

While all the fighting was going on up top, there were a few developments deep in the dungeon. Certain people were not using their time wisely, and were instead using the attack as a distraction to forward their own agenda. 

Aiden sauntered toward a trio of Amazonians that had been caught by his most recent traps, pulling out his daggers and drawing them across the throats of his unresisting racial enemies. He smiled as the blood splatter hit his face, barely even trying to get out of the way. “There we go, three less foul oathbreakers for the transition. I hope that you’re enjoying all this free power, dungeon!”

Almost as in response to his words, a section of the wall rumbled upward; revealing a small room with a golden treasure chest in the center. Aiden’s eyes went wide, and he hastily cleaned and sheathed his blades. He walked over to the chest, being careful to watch for traps, and ensuring that he had a way out if the wall started to come back down. Aiden wasn’t about to be trapped by his own methods of hunting, after all!

After double and triple checking everything, he carefully directed his Mana onto the chest and used it to pry the chest open at a distance. There was a letter inside, an actual paper that had words across it! The Northman General chuckled at how quaint that was, and brought the paper close enough to read. His eyes widened in abject greed and filled with manic glee as he read what could only be an offer from the dungeon.

You have proven your power over others, and have clearly shown what lies in your heart! I, the dungeon Cal, hereby make you an offer! I will grant you physical strength beyond the realm of possibility for your current form, in return for only a decade of continuous and dedicated service, which will begin as soon as you enter into my Soul Space. If you die during in an area that is under my influence, I will return you to life until the end of your service. To agree, all you need to do is drop a drop of blood onto this document and press the seal to your forehead!

Aiden stared at the document, unsure if he was going to take this offer. The scent of blood washed over him, and he looked back to see that the bodies of the Amazonians were not decomposing, and sounds of movement and speaking were reaching his ears. He smiled darkly, knowing that he had been played by the dungeon. “Fair enough, Cal the dungeon. I have been wanting to make a deal with you anyway!”

A drop of blood touched the paper and the crest was brought to his head. “I’m just happy to know that you understand the value of my-”

With a grunt of pain, Aiden’s words cut off. His entire mind had just been copied! How? There were no memory stones that could hold so much potency! Aiden’s protest fell flat as a voice entered his mind. <Oh, Aiden, Aiden, Aiden. This was never a reward. You’ve been a Beast the entire time that you've been here, preying on the wounded and weak. I try to balance things, to make things fair and understandable. Now I have your permission to show the rest of the world what kind of a creature you really are.>

The ground fell out from under the Mage, which wouldn’t have been an issue if the roof above him hadn’t begun dripping a rain that left him feeling weak. “Disenchanting water?”

<Very much so.> Aiden fell down and into darkness. <Let’s get started, shall we? Physical strength beyond your capabilities it is…>

***

A strangely spiraling bolt of lightning landed on one of the few Beasts still in the area, and as the intense light vanished a man faded into view where the energy had impacted. A spear was in his hands, and the Beast he had stabbed fell to the ground with severe energy burns covering nearly every inch of skin. 

“Good. Now that this is taken care of…” The man looked around, one eye covered by a patch of golden cloth that radiated a strange energy. “Who is the measly worm that destroyed my people?”

A huge black raven circled down out of the sky and alighted on his shoulder, another one visible in the air far above them as daylight threatened to arrive properly. The raven warbled into the air, and the grizzled fighter whipped his head around to rest his gaze firmly upon Dale. “You? Ow? Impossible. But… just in case.”

Another flash of lightning, green this time, struck from the clear sky. Dale seized up as the power washed over him, and he fell to the ground shivering. The man apparently thought that this was a sign of his death, and started to stride away. The raven croaked, and the man stopped and turned to look at Dale once more. “He lives?”

Dale opened his eyes, launching to his feet and staring down the man who had just attempted to murder him on a hunch. “Why would you do that? Wait… you’re…”

“That voice.” The man dissolved and reformed inches in front of Dale. “I went on the hunt with you and my brothers before that tragedy. The Noble. The Apprentice. Dale?”

“Yeah?” Dale shook his head to clear out the static. “I never went hunting with someone as strong as… wait. You’re-”

“I am now Odin.” Lightning seemed to flash in his eye as he stared into Dale’s now-exposed face. “First, how did you survive? Second, how did you kill my people?”

Dale certainly wasn’t about to inform the world about his Mithril clothing that seemed to redirect the Mana to go around him instead of through him. “I have no idea what you are talking about… Odin.”

Better to call crazy people how they wanted to be called, in Dale’s opinion. The charged man in front of him cocked his head to the side. “Yes, I am uncertain how you were involved, but Huggin hasn’t been wrong yet. He tells me that your Essence signature was all over the area, that you somehow killed hundreds or thousands in mere seconds.”

Dale snorted derisively, “If I had that kind of raw power lying around, do you think I would be hoarding it instead of trying my best to keep people alive?” 

Odin looked around at the dead with dispassionate eyes, shrugging and staring at Dale once more. “I once thought that I understood human nature, that I was a good judge of character. I have been proven wrong far too often. Now I do what I feel needs to be done.”

“Quick, instant, deadly.” Dale looked at the man deeply, trying to understand how a person could undergo such a drastic change over the course of… months? “You embody lightning, but there is more underneath.”

Odin’s eye flicked to the birds, but he didn’t answer any of Dale's following questions, instead raising a hand to vaporize the young man. Dale raised a hand and waved at the forming lightning, “Oh, stop it. How about we just chat for a few minutes. See if we can’t figure out what is actually happening here?”

In spite of his casual words, Dale was tense and preparing to defend against the attack. There was a tracing of Mana swirling around him, enough to give someone a nasty shock if they grabbed at him. If Gomei’s lessons had taught him anything, he knew that using lightning to defend against lightning was a good plan. For unknown reasons, it would follow the tracing he had created in the air if he were stuck again. That coupled with his armor, and Dale figured he had a good shot of surviving long enough to get somewhere… safer.

“My sect is dead, wiped out in an instant.” Odin reached up and touched his golden patch. “I’ve given much in order to gain enough strength to avenge my people before the moon takes that last simple joy from me. If I need to destroy the entire world to make it happen, I swore I would find the killer and exact justice.”

“Was that exactly what you swore, thunderer?” The Master walked out of nowhere and put a hand on the startled Asguardian. “If so, I may be able to help you. If not, I will need to destroy you to stop you from hurting all of us.”

“Those were my exact words, Dark One.” Odin glowered at The Master, preparing to fight. “I warn you. Even at your rank, I may be able to destroy you if you attempt to deceive me.”

“I see what you are wearing, and I understand its significance.” The Master put a hand on Odin and looked him in the eye. “Possibly more than you do. Let’s talk.”

The two vanished, and dale decided that it was a good time to sit down. He didn’t mind the slight splash of blood as he landed in a puddle, that had been way too intense for him. He closed his eyes, and a thought crossed his mind that refused to be banished. “Somehow, this is Cal’s fault.”