Rise Of Myth: Heir To Valor

"Val, what the h.e.l.l are you doing?" Kainoa looked on in mild horror as he struggled to recognize his fire-eyed friend. The other soldiers behind him were unsure what to make of the scene. All of them were terrified of the one-man army who slaughtered scores of Draug and lived.

Val did not pay him much attention, as he replied coldly. "Making sure they"re all dead."

"What are you talking about? We got everyone kept here, we"re ready to go."

"No, he"s correct." A masculine voice sounded from above. Huginn had returned and found them easily, seeing the ma.s.sive columns of smoke and fire rising into the cloud-covered sky. 

Kainoa and the others whirled in alarm towards the sound, but lowered their rifles, seeing another talking raven. The marine was not nearly as surprised this time, having heard of Huginn. The rest followed his example, trying to stomach their surprise.

"This was only an advance party of Draug. Hardly any of their actual combat forces were here. Aside from the brute, these may as well have been peasantry. The situations all along the coast are like this, they appear to be building a foothold. They will discover the state of this site by tonight at the latest, but the less information they have, the more time we will have." Huginn added. The raven"s eyes were trained on Val, narrowed in concern as the bird studied his figure intently.

The sound of a truck slowly approaching interrupted the ensuing silence. Some of the survivors had been treated poorly, either malnourished or beaten as a means to subdue them. Anyone healthy enough to walk on their own followed along with the slow-moving truck, while the rest were inside.

Three people broke off from the convoy and rushed up, two young men and a woman in her mid-twenties. Kyle, Chris, and Judy all followed Kainoa"s concerned gaze, spotting their friend that they hardly recognized.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"That"s... Val?" Chris asked, hesitantly. Kyle looked exhausted, waking slightly in alarm at the scene. Judy herself was at a complete loss for words, covering her mouth with her hands. Val kicked a body in the ribs, inciting a rasping wheeze from the Draug, just before he was finished off like the others.

"Yeah..."

"What... Happened?" Chris was on the short side, standing at barely five and a half feet. Despite his height, he had previously been the most muscular of the group, spending regular hours at the gym. This habit led to numerous jokes suggesting compensation, but to his credit, Chris later made a career of it as a personal trainer. He had light brown hair that he usually kept styled. Parts of his face were swollen, evidently having been one of the more rebellious captives, by his black eye.

Kainoa"s face hardened. "It"s a long story, he"s still Val, still the easy-going friend who always wants to help. Whatever you think you see here... He fought them all by himself, bought us the time we needed to get you guys out of that h.e.l.lhole."

Kyle stepped forward, walking towards Val. "Hey, V, let"s get going, yeah?"

Val paused before turning around to gaze at his friends. Whether he was frightened by his appearance or too exhausted to react, there was no pause in Kyle"s steps.

"It"s good to see you, man. Thanks for busting us out of there." Kyle gripped Val"s hand, pulling him into a sort of half-hug.

"Of course. Thank G.o.d, you guys are alright." The fire in Val"s eyes dimmed as his magic receded. His mana returning to a regular flow. The power he was given began to fade, his mana reserves plummetted, returning to near critical levels. His body felt like lead as he returned his sword to its sheath. With some difficulty, he retrieved the other dagger from the brute"s corpse and joined everyone else as they turned off the street, heading back to the base.

Val took a seat on the lip of the truck bed, one of his legs dangling off of it as he tried to stay awake. Newly armed soldiers were escorting the truck. At their pace, it took nearly thirty minutes to return to the base. They had recovered twenty-eight people, roughly two-thirds of what was supposed to be the complete headcount. Of that number, including Kainoa, twenty were either military reserves or had been active duty when the disasters struck. As soon as they returned, everyone who was still in decent shape immediately went to get stretchers, taking the injured inside for treatment. The soldiers moved with efficiency, in the span of an hour, the base was bustling with activity as they sorted out food and first aid.

Val remained in the truck, somewhat comfortable and too exhausted to move much. Despite being slightly in the way, people either tried to thank him or keep as far away from him as they could, confusion and terror in their eyes. Kyle was helping Kainoa, while Chris and Judy were trying to help with first aid and getting some food to the injured.

Asha was conversing with Huginn and Muninn a distance away before she left them and approached Val. She hardly made a sound as she hopped up into the back of the vehicle. Val was resting with his eyes closed, but the slight shift in the bed of the truck and the curious smell of morning dew in a forest told him who it was. 

"Hey, thanks for saving everyone—" Val started weakly.

"Shh, don"t speak... You"re in far worse shape than you realize. How you"re even still awake is frankly incredible." Asha fished around for the fastening straps of his gore-soaked gear, laying Tyrfing on the side and gently lifting his jerkin off him. Her emerald eyes darted around as she inspected sc.r.a.pes and terrible bruising Val had received from the brute"s vicious maul. His temporarily enhanced healing abilities seemed to be selective, prioritizing serious injury, unlike Beorc"s powers of accelerating the body"s natural path of recovery.

"Muninn tells me this brand of yours lets you directly receive mana from external sources. Don"t move." Asha moved his shirt collar and placed her hand directly on the black runes. In moments, the brand warmed and glowed softly, processing the mana Asha was pouring steadily into it. Val groaned as the runes activated, adjusting to the discomfort of his mana mixing with foreign magic and being forced to circulate. It was somewhat pleasant after a moment, warming his body, but without the searing pain like when Muninn overloaded the brand.

Asha"s brows narrowed. Some of her mana was simply allowed through the brand. Through it, she was getting a glimpse of the state Val was in. "Whatever magic you used... Don"t use it again. You have some internal bleeding, and many of your muscles are in terrible condition. Honestly... There should be limits to how reckless you can be."

"Mm... Wasn"t my intention, I think..." Val was beginning to feel better, at the very least, he was breathing easier. However, as he began to recover, his sensation of pain returned in force, his body felt sore all over. Some sharp pains in his arms and legs suggested he had torn or pulled several muscles.

The two ravens flew into the truck, alighting next to the pair.

"How is he?" Muninn asked.

"About as bad as you suspected."

"Ulfhednar... So the beast lives." Huginn muttered.

Val smiled slightly. "Hey, old bird... You missed all the fun."

Val was too exhausted to be surprised, but Huginn almost chuckled. "Hmph. So it would appear. This may not be the best time, but it has waited long enough."

Muninn cast her brother a severe glance but did not say anything.

"You exhausted your power, and then it surged once more, yes?"

Val lifted his hand slightly as if to nod.

"Your brand houses another, besides Lord Tyr"s soul. The fen-dweller, world-eater, he has many names, your people remembered him as Fenrir. My lord suspected that he would eventually recover and wake. Like Lord Tyr, he has been reduced to an existence without physical form, but his power is dangerous, and you need to be wary of that. Fenrir cannot be trusted. He may erode your sense of self and drive you to madness."

Val smirked. "Saved my life... As far as I care."

Huginn held an austere gaze. "The strength of beasts was not meant for men to wield. He was once the source of my lord"s most powerful warriors— the Ulfhednar, the Skinwolves, one of the Berserker clans. They were mighty and a true terror on the battlefield... They were also one of our greatest a.s.sets against the Draug. They feared neither injury nor the abominations of the deep, being immune to the maddening and illusory magic of the mists. However, without exception, all of them eventually lost their reason, reduced to being mere beasts in human form... Some even went further, losing their humanity completely."

Asha finished, pulling her hand back with a weary expression. She spent a considerable portion of her own mana to restore Val"s to a level high enough for his body to naturally recover.

Val grunted, no longer feeling on the verge of exhaustion, but still too sore to move easily. "If he"s so bad, why put his soul inside me? h.e.l.l, why would he help me?"

"There was no option, my lord bound Fenrir"s soul to his brother"s, in order to preserve him. As to his motivations... Fenrir holds a grudge against the Aesir, but far deeper is his hatred for the Draug. Many times, he led his pack against them as they invaded his territories, slaughtering thousands in a single night."

Val tried to shrug. "Sounds like a decent ally to have right now."

"Perhaps... But do not take him lightly, it was he that felled Lord Tyr."

"I"ll keep it in mind, though I hope you are aware that, Valor can see through my eyes on occasion. Fenrir probably can too then, considering he seemed very aware of the presence of the Draug."

Huginn"s eyes widened slightly in surprise. 

"Anyway, you have your proof first-hand, I"ve saved my friends, what"re we doing now?"

"I need to send word of this to the Queen. If what we saw was only an advance party, and there are more of those things... There couldn"t be a worse time for a war with such an enemy." Asha sighed, leaning against the truck wall opposite Val.

Huginn spoke in a grave tone. "My lord has some suspicions, but he confirmed their masters may have returned. He suspects they are indeed taking advantage of the surplus of magic. It is entirely possible that they have relocated completely to the Pacific."

Val"s expression turned grim. A concern that had been festering in the back of his mind began to surface, now that he addressed the rescue of his friends. The West Coast was one thing, and the Pacific was a vast ocean, but in the middle of it should be where his remaining friends and most of his family are. 

"What do you think the Draug are after?" Val asked.

"Likely the same thing they were before, this land." Huginn replied.

"Think they would attack elsewhere?"

Muninn interjected. "Unlikely. Perhaps a small expeditionary force, but they have always coveted this place. Many rich ley lines that run under the oceans cross this continent. In fact, there are two locations in this land where they intersect. Kar Lodihr is almost on top of one such location."

Val chuckled. "Great... So there"re armies of those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, four of us, plus twenty or so people who can fight. I a.s.sume you had armies of your own in the first war against these guys. Meanwhile, my own people are stuck in a stupid war over whose-land-is-it-anyway. The Dwarves are more content to hole up and wait this thing out if the wendigo case is any indication. Then there are the Elves in the far north who have made a habit of hiding from the world. I get that about right?"

Asha held a perplexed expression but said nothing.

"That is, unfortunately, the situation, yes." Huginn confirmed.

"So, what are we supposed to do exactly?"

"My lord is trying to contact the Aesir, this was originally our fight, and we would see ourselves standing against them again. The Dwarves... May be convinced, they are oath-bound to answer the All-Father. I defer to Asha regarding the Elves."

"...Any chance there"s a way to end this war between the Aurulians and my people?" Val asked. Muninn and Huginn looked at him curiously, before looking to Asha.

Asha woke from her sleepy expression. "...What?"

"A human of the Barren World may not find much success seeking an audience with the King... But surely, he cannot turn away an envoy from the Queen of the Elves." Muninn suggested.

"There is another path that may help. I confirmed with Boldir that despite the bickering politics and trade wars, the Aurulians are considered a staunch ally of the Dwarves. While the Dwarves may not have gotten involved in the skirmishes with your people. If we can convince Kar Lodihr"s council to go to war, the Aurulians might have to follow."

"How much time do you think we have before the Draug is all over the coast?" Val asked Huginn.

"A couple of months, at most."