Capítulo 40: Chapter 40 – Enkidu's Dream: Is Death Inevitable?
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- Location: Uruk.
Pov. Thor.
I spent my night in Uruk before returning the next morning to my group and bringing them into town.
Initially, I was afraid Gilgamesh would try to make a move on Hel or Sif... But after a few weeks, I realized that my worries were in vain.
Somehow, just one day after Gilgamesh met Enkidu and me, the king of Uruk drastically changed his behavior. And if Gilgamesh 'went out of line', Enkidu was soon rebuking the king.
Enkidu changed Gilgamesh.
The tyrant king began to show signs of a responsible king.
Canceled the 'first-night' law.
Changed army law to be optional.
And most of all, he no longer slept with other men's wives…although he still slept with Inanna's priestesses whenever he was relieved of his responsibilities as king.
It was strange to witness this drastic change.
Changing Gilgamesh's lifestyle still had a long way to go, but I had a feeling Gilgamesh was heading in the right direction.
While I found Gilgamesh's 'rehabilitation' to be something fun to watch, there was one thing I did notice...
It wasn't something I noticed right away… And the reason for that bothered me.
Because I didn't exactly know the answer.
It all started the morning after the 'free-for-all' showdown at the Uruk palace.
The palace was in ruins.
And so Gilgamesh ordered his servants to help him rebuild the 'glorious house of the greatest kings of the world', so that there may be decent accommodations for his 'friends'.
I didn't know if I considered Gilgamesh a 'friend'... But again, it was Gilgamesh's perception, not mine.
Anyway, Enkidu and I helped as best we could.
While I was removing the heavy debris, I found something...
The body of a child that was crushed by the rubble, a result of my 'fun' during my fight between Enkidu and Gilgamesh.
A lifeless look stared at me.
The child must have been a servant's daughter or something like that...
But what bothered me...
It was that I didn't care.
I indirectly killed someone because I was playing during the fight... and I didn't care.
I have buried bodies of the dead from Enlil's last flood and I have helped mortals here and there, but...
It was only now that I realized that I don't care if a mortal dies.
Was this supposed to be normal?
I pondered this question for a few days, and I still didn't have an exact answer. At this moment I was alone in my makeshift 'room' in the newly built palace of Uruk.
I reflected on the events that had occurred to me throughout my years in this new life in the universe.
Hang on...
"... What universe am I?" I wondered.
I... Wasn't remembering the name.
I always knew my memory wasn't the best, but... I should remember important things.
... Right?
Okay, a reminder to myself:
Write a list of important things and names, just in case my memory fucks me up in the future.
But back to the part about becoming indifferent to the death of mortals due to my actions, directly or indirectly.
I vaguely remember that, before I was reborn into this world, I valued life.
I mean... I think?
Ugh... What's happening to me? Divine existential crisis? Divine memory loss? Is this curable?
Well, as the saying goes:
If it's bad, don't worry...
It will get worse.
I think I need to talk to Thoth in the future, he's over 10,000 years old, and he's a god of knowledge.
That old bird must have an idea about what was happening to me...
However, while I would have liked to think more about my memory failure, my thoughts were on something else...
Like a little legend about a dragon among the shepherds who lived around Uruk.
These shepherds had family in a place some distance away, on the coast of what would become the Mediterranean Sea.
The Canaanites.
These people had a legend about a dragon that lived in the sea, and that dragon had mysterious magical properties, which made me curious.
I think I've decided on my next step.
*Knock Knock*
I was interrupted from my thoughts by a knock on my bedroom door.
"...Who could it be at this hour?" I questioned.
I got up and went towards the door when I opened it I saw a woman I'd never seen before...
"Greetings master Thor, I am Aisha, and I will be your companion for the night by order of King Gilgamesh," said the woman, identified as Aisha, bowing to me.
Company?
... Oh, right.
I think it's 'that kind' of company.
Before I could respond, a voice resounded down the hall.
"Hang on!" shouted the voice.
Aisha and I looked towards the voice.
It was Sif.
And she was running quickly towards us, it must be something important for her to come here at that speed...
"He... He already has company!" said Sif looking at Aisha.
... What?
"Oh? Are you the mistress of Master Thor? I see... Would you like me to join you for the evening activities or is it not necessary?" asked Aisha.
Okay, I'm still sometimes amazed at how free the ancient world is about this sort of thing.
Although while in the lands of Horus he was even more open about it... Hell, for the mortals of that land, sex was a staple of life, along with eating and drinking, and not considered something shameful or funny in any way.
The most disturbing was the wedding.
If it was among 'common people', it was enough for the woman, or in some cases the man, to go live with the partner, and that's it...
The person was married.
This was something I never understood while in the lands of Horus...
"No, I'm enough..." said Sif.
But I knew Sif well enough to know that from her tone, she was lying...
Well, that and whenever we slept together she always passed out...
"Oh? I see, in that case, I will retire, have a good night" said Aisha, who then bowed and left.
Sif was still outside as I stared at her.
She looked nervous when she noticed my gaze.
"... What? Don't you want me for the 'company'? Do you want me to call that 'priestess' to please you?" asked Sif, with a sarcastic tone at the end.
She was blushing.
I just sighed and invited her into my room and as soon as I closed the door I made a rune so we could talk without the prying ears.
I suspected something was wrong.
"Okay, I've known you for over a millennium, if you wanted to sleep with me you wouldn't even have to ask these questions, you'd just walk into my room and start undressing; so, can you tell me what happened?" I asked.
If possible, Sif's face turned even redder.
"I've never do that! It's just... Look, I just came here to notify you of something that happened in Asgard..." said Sif.
Oh? That was weird, I haven't received any notifications of anything important in a long time.
"Thor, my mother communicated with me. I think you know the story of Dáinn and his banishment after he forged the Dáinsleif, well... He was found dead by Brokkr and Sindri when they were checking to see if Dáinn was still in the exile," said Sif seriously.
Okay, this was something I definitely should have known about, but there was still a lot of vague information.
"What was my old man's answer?" I asked.
If there was one thing Odin had the advantage of, it was the Hlidskjalf throne.
But I was surprised by Sif's response.
"According to my mom, she thinks your father doesn't know yet, that's what's bothering me, Odin has the Hlidskjalf besides the crows, but it looks like he didn't see what happened as he didn't notify the leader of the dwarves; or in the worst-case scenario, he saw it and chose to remain silent. This last scenario may cause the dwarves to suspect Odin, I came here as I trust you to answer this: Do you think your father is somehow involved?" asked Sif seriously.
Honestly, Odin's involvement could be a possibility. After all, he, along with Loki, tricked me into solving the Útgard rebellion.
But...
"My old man never showed a dislike for dwarves… In fact, he thinks the dwarves should stay in Asgard permanently and leave Nidavellir uninhabited. Because of that, I'm sure that he would never risk any animosity towards the dwarves," I said.
That seemed to have relieved Sif a little.
"Well, I had to be sure, but there's something else. Nidavellir is located in the underground of Midgard, investigations so far have only found one thing, it was not in Nidavellir, but it was in Midgard and right on the makeshift forge of Dáinn..." said Sif.
I noticed that Sif looked uncertain about what to say... So I waited patiently.
"During the investigations in Midgard, traces of demonic energy were found," Sif said seriously.
Demonic energy?
But that meant...
"Thor... There are devils in Midgard," Sif said.
I rarely go back to Midgard after I started this journey... Also, Jörmundgander was no longer on Midgard's shore...
Son of a bitch.
"…Where exactly is this location?" I asked.
Sif responded promptly.
"From your house, probably one week's walk to the Dáinn' forge, which is close to a fjord," said Sif.
I think I'll go to that place another day, after all... Someone is living on my land and they're not paying rent.
"My father was part of the search and investigation team, he asked me to join as well as he thinks my tracking skills would be useful, he believes this demonic energy is connected to centuries ago unsolved disappearances of forest spirits, like the Huldras, and the humans," said Sif.
Honestly, it could be possible.
Another reason I moved to Midgard was because of the disappearance of spirits and humans centuries ago.
As soon as I moved to Midgard most of them lived close to my house, but still a respectable distance away.
Once I started living in Midgard, the disappearances never happened again.
"I see, if you need my help just let me know... When are you leaving?" I asked.
This was certainly important, and Sif was an excellent tracker.
"Tomorrow..." said Sif.
I nodded and headed towards the door as I thought the conversation was over.
But I was stopped by Sif who had held my hand.
I looked at Sif and raised an eyebrow when I noticed her flushed face and her head down, she looked...
Shy?
"…Is there anything else you want?" I asked.
Sif then looked into my eyes and spoke just one word.
"...you," said Sif.
She was blushing a lot for someone who tried to keep a straight face.
Well, if there was one thing I liked about Sif, it was that she was very direct and spoke frankly when necessary.
Also... That was a confession, right?
So why the hell do I think our roles reversed? You know what, fuck it.
No matter the order of the factors, it will not change the result.
"...Well, since you asked so boldly that it even surprised me, I see no reason to refuse," I said, with a small smile.
It was then that I grabbed Sif princess-style and carried her to bed.
It was going to be a long night~
But I'm sure it will be a very satisfying morning.
- Location: Midgard / Andøya Island.
Pov. Third-person.
The island in de Andøya was the furthest island of the Vesterålen archipelago, an island considered uninhabited by most forms of intelligent life.
However, in this one, it was possible to find a figure in the middle of a blizzard on this 'deserted' island.
This figure was covered in a cloak and seemed to be calmly waiting for someone, it was then that he turned and looked at the... Nothing?
"May you appear, bat... I have already raised the barrier" said the figure, with a tone of disgust.
It was then that another figure began to appear through the blizzard.
The figure was a man who at first glance could be described as good-looking and who had a friendly smile on his face, however... Something was unsettling.
The man was carrying a dead woman's body on his back, holding the body's leg with his right hand and holding a severed head with his left hand.
It was also noticeable that the leg of the dead body had a bite mark... It looked like someone had torn off a piece of meat.
"My, my~… What's the matter? Did you miss me? Sorry for being late, it was rude of me, but I was a little hungry, I hope you don't mind my friend" said the man, still smiling.
The figure responded with disgust.
"Don't call me 'friend' you filthy bat, you've been here a long time, and it's thanks to me that no one noticed you... Until recently" said the figure, with a resigned tone.
The man carrying the body appeared to have been hurt.
"Oh? I'm not your friend? What? After so many times we've spent together, is this how you repay me? I feel used!" said the man, who carelessly dropped the severed head from his left hand.
And he used his, now free, hand to wipe away the tears that came out of his eyes...
Non-existent tears.
The cloaked figure didn't even look bothered... But it looked mildly annoyed.
"Enough of your jokes, bat! I let you stay in these lands for centuries and hid you from other beings of my pantheon with my magic so you could 'hunt', and in return, you would offer me resources from the underworld. But now you've been careless and have revealed the presence of devils in Midgard! The deal is over! You have until tomorrow to leave Midgard or I will hunt and kill you myself," said the figure grimly.
The man holding the body changed his demeanor quickly, and now he had a welcoming smile on his face.
"I understand your position, my dear friend… I will hunt elsewhere, but I hope the end of this agreement is not the end of relations between devils and you. Also, I thought our relationship was quite professional and close, you won't recognize me as a friend, but can you at least call me by my name?~" said the man expectantly.
The cloaked figure replied curtly.
"I refuse to associate so closely with anyone of your race, you bats shouldn't have even existed, I don't know why your former leader hasn't taken responsibility and still cleansed you and those crows from the world" figure.
The man was hurt.
"Come on~... Just say my name... Douma Valefor! See? It's not that difficult," said the man holding the female body by the leg, now identified as Douma Valefor, a member of the 72 pillars of the underworld.
Or more specifically, Douma, son of the original Valefor.
The shadowy figure just replied gruffly.
"Are you done? If so, leave this place before I change my mind and get rid of you right here and now," said the shadowy figure.
However, Douma Valefor looked amused.
"Oh? And then? Do you really think your pantheon will forgive you if they find out about me? And even if they don't, do you really think the remaining 72 pillars would associate with you? Please, you and I know the answer for that question, I was just the more open-minded devil because I acquired a very picky palate for finer meats, and you were also open-minded about me," Douma said, with a carefree smile.
Valefor then took another bite of the leg he was holding and took a piece of meat and chewed it with pleasure.
"Hmm~...Virgins always have a different taste" said Douma, with a satisfied look.
The cloaked figure showed disgust.
When Douma finished chewing and swallowing the meat he looked at the figure.
"…well, this is goodbye…for now. See you around my dear friend" said Douma.
The devil Valefor then created the magic teleportation circle and waved at the cloaked figure.
"Bye Bye! Oh?" said Douma.
It was then that Valefor noticed the severed head on the ground he had dropped.
"How clumsy I am... You can keep the girl's head, my dear friend! Put her in a vase and put her in your room! Maybe it will lighten your mood if you wake up and have such an item adorning your room," Douma said with an excited smile.
And then Douma Valefor disappeared, leaving the shadowy figure alone again.
"*Sigh*... Filthy devil... At least he won't be my problem anymore" said the figure, which then disappeared shortly thereafter.
- Location: Uruk.
Pov. Third-person.
It had been a week since Thor had said goodbye to Sif, and now the Norse god along with his group was eating at the head table of the newly built palace of Uruk.
Everything seemed calm... However, Enkidu seemed far away in thought.
"Enkidu, is something wrong? I see you are sad?" asked Gilgamesh, curious.
The king changed a lot in the few days now that Enkidu and Thor lived in the palace.
The people of Uruk praised their king's change of demeanor through festivals in honor of Gilgamesh.
Never have the people of Uruk been so happy.
The people begged the gods to stop Gilgamesh and his tyrannical rule and the gods responded by creating Enkidu, but...
The friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu was not what the people were initially expecting... However, technically, the request of the people of Uruk was granted.
The tyrant Gilgamesh had been stopped by Enkidu.
And now there was a good and just king... As Enkidu was constantly rebuking Gilgamesh just in case.
Enkidu then looked at Gilgamesh and then at Thor, he looked uncertain.
"Friend Gilgamesh, friend Thor... Does death await us?" asked Enkidu.
Thor was silent, while Gilgamesh...
"Fuhahahaha! Death will not meet our friend Thor, but you and I? Yes, after all, death is always waiting for us mortals, she is the lover of all humans, and her kiss is the last for all of us, but don't worry Enkidu, I will order the people of Uruk to always offer drinks everyday, for all eternity, we shall never feed on dust," said Gilgamesh.
The answer had a melancholy sense... But Gilgamesh said it with a cheerful smile.
"I don't think Ereshkigal is like that, remember Kur is a very dark thing for you," said Thor.
The Kur was an underworld unlike any other.
There was no good or bad place on the Kur.
It was just all gloomy.
The souls just stayed in the caves of the Kur and fed on dust for eternity, however, if the soul had someone who was still alive and who remembered the soul in life, he could offer some other drink to the soul in the Kur as an offering.
An example would be someone offering water at the entrance of a cave to someone they knew in life.
Drink only... Not food.
There was no circle of reincarnation... So the soul's eternity just consisted of feeding on dust or offering drinks from someone who remembered them while in life, especially family.
However... There was a catch.
"But... What if the people forget about us?... I'm afraid that I will simply be forgotten, the people of Uruk will probably remember us just until the dust from our bones has disappeared," said Enkidu in anguish.
Enkidu was a simple being.
He lived among animals, and in just a few days he is living among men.
Enkidu was created, not born.
Enkidu didn't mind eating dust for eternity on the Kur... He just didn't want to be forgotten.
*BAM*
A noise roared in the hall.
It was Gilgamesh who had knocked on the table.
"We will NOT be forgotten, I will make sure our names echo through time!" said Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh only thought for a while before looking at Enkidu with a smile.
"...Let's do something no one has ever done! Let's go to the cedar forest and kill the hideous creature that dwells there! We will offer the killing as an offering to Utu so that he will immortalize us in the stars!" said Gilgamesh.
However... Someone didn't seem too interested.
"Well, I'm sorry to inform you, but as I'm technically immortal I'm not going to accompany you on this 'quest,' I have my own," said Thor.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu didn't look insulted... but curious.
"Oh? What is your quest, Thor? I suppose it is a glorious thing, after all, you are my friend," said Gilgamesh.
If there was one thing Gilgamesh didn't change, it was his 'patterns'.
For Gilgamesh to be his friend there were 'standards' to be met.
"... There's a legend about a dragon from a land a little far away, the land of the Canaanite people, I'm curious about this dragon," said Thor.
Gilgamesh did only one thing.
"Fuhahahahahahahaha!"
He laughed.
"As expected of my friend! I heard about this dragon, it must be the dragon king praised by the Canaanites, I was also curious about this dragon as it is the most mysterious dragon king so far, few know about him, but it seems that his power is on the same level as the creature of the cedar forest," said Gilgamesh.
Thor was curious as it was a chance to get information before hunting this dragon.
"Can you say more about this dragon king?" said Thor, looking at Gilgamesh.
But Thor was disappointed when King Gilgamesh denied it.
"I do not need to know about lesser beings, the only thing I know is that the dragon seems to be either the servant of the god Yam or the god himself in disguise, other than his name," said Gilgamesh with a shrug.
Thor was not discouraged, however.
"What is the name of the dragon king?" asked Thor.
Gilgamesh just smiled.
"Lotan," said Gilgamesh.
However, for Thor, it sounded something else...
Loot.
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Well, that's all folks!
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Chapter Updates: Honestly, I think I'll be reduced to one chapter a week...
Title of the next chapter:
Chapter 41 – A different epic!
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