Chương 39: Chapter 39 – The King of Men!
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Location: Asgard / Palace / Throne Room.
Pov. Third-person.
In the throne room of the Norse Gods, a meeting was taking place to discuss a somewhat... complicated situation.
Odin, king of the Asgardians, looked at the gods in the room and then spoke.
"... I'll be brief, for some reason Níðhöggr has left the lands of Niflheim and is on a collision course to Midgard at high speed... I want you to send search parties to the lands of Niflheim and the land of the dead, especially in Náströnd, to investigate the reason for Níðhöggr's wrath," said Odin.
While most of the gods nodded in response, there were a few that didn't understand a thing.
"My king... What about Níðhöggr? Jörmundgander is no longer on the shores of Midgard and Thor has not yet returned to Midgard from his journey... So there is nothing to stop 'the Malice Striker' from destroying Midgard. Maybe it's time to contact Prince Thor" said Aegir, god of seas.
Odin just smiled in response.
"Don't worry... I've already sent someone to take care of Níðhöggr," said Odin.
Location: Midgard Coast (future Norway).
Pov. Third-person.
In a small boat, there were two men, probably father, and son, who were fishing to collect food for the rest of the family in the face of the approaching winter, however...
They were heading back to the fjord after an unsuccessful fishing trip.
"I don't understand, yesterday we came to this place and it was full of fish... But now there's nothing!" said the younger man, complaining.
"Patience Leif, sometimes the gods look at us smiling, but not every time they look at us with a smile so that they teach us to be more patient," said the older man.
The younger man, identified as Leif, just looked at his father.
"But dad, that never happened, the fish are behaving strangely, like they're…running and hiding," Leif said.
The older man looked at his son.
"The fish are a gift from the gods to feed us... Your wife is about to give birth to your child, and I understand that you have a duty to bring food to your family, but it's no use complaining about our current situation, so be patient my son. Also, remember we have Jul during the solstice, so you'll be fine, just ration food until then," said the older man.
This older man was called Gorm.
He was always a worshiper of the gods and always respected them.
Mostly one god in particular.
Thor.
The reason for their worship of this god was quite simple.
Thor had saved him and his family from a monster when he was only thirteen summers.
At the time, his family had moved near a big lake, the strange thing was that there was no other family around beside him.
However, despite this unusual fact, his family settled on that lake for five moons, until the winter solstice arrived.
It was on the night of the winter solstice that something strange happened.
A song.
A song began to play through the night.
Gorm didn't even realize he had gotten up from his bed, along with his entire family, and they left the house and walked through the snow towards the lake.
His father, Arvid, was closer to the lake, as mesmerized by the music as he was.
Gorm watched his father enter the lake and disappear into the water.
Just as his mother was about to disappear into the waters too, the sky roared again.
And Gorm saw a man with red hair suddenly appear in a chariot drawn by two goats.
Gorm knew who the man was from the stories his mother told...
Thor.
Gorm then saw Thor jump out of his chariot and plunge into the waters of the lake.
And then the music stopped.
And so Gorm had control of his body again, his mother then ran to catch up to Gorm and his sister Sigríðr and drive them away from the lake.
It was then that Gorm saw him once more.
Thor leaving the lake, with Gorm's father being carried on his shoulders... And another 'man' with his hands and feet 'joined' like a fish, being held by the neck and dragged out of the lake, by Gorm legends assumed it was a Grim, a troll that lives in the waters and lures men and women into the water with music with the intention of drowning them to eat their flesh.
During that moment, Grim was screaming.
"Please! Forgive me! I was just eating! I am starving!" yelled the Grim, grabbing Thor's arm and trying to free himself.
Gorm has never been so impressed by a god.
It was then that Thor took Gorm's father back home and laid him by the fire and then Thor made several bags appear as well as several items that looked like toys.
"Undress him and put dry clothes and keep him near the fire, in the bags, there are food and toys for the children," Thor said to Gorm's mother, who was still surprised about what had happened.
Thor then left, still holding Grim by the neck.
The Grim was now cursing.
"Let me go Asgardian! I was just eating! You will cause a war with my race if you kill me, do you hear me?!" yelled the Grim.
Gorm only saw Thor stop and lift Grim to look him in the eye.
"The leader of your race told my father about a deserter from his people. A deserter who didn't follow my father's decree to abandon the acts of eating humans, even though there are alternatives of food... I have all the power to punish those who don't heed my father's decrees" Thor said with a smile.
Gorm then saw that a line of red color appeared on one of Thor's hands.
It was then that Gorm witnessed Thor tie the legs of the Grim, who was now screaming for forgiveness, the chariot pulled by goats.
Thor then climbed into the chariot and looked at the Grim.
"You and I are going for a walk! Hahahahaha" said Thor, laughing looking at the Grim.
It was then that Gorm saw the chariot shoot into the skies and violently pull the Grim.
That day would be forever marked in Gorm's life so much, that he told this same story to his children.
For Gorm, the winter solstice became special.
It was then that Gorm created a celebration to thank Thor on this day.
The Jul.
A celebration to be celebrated by the family, and dedicate this day to Thor.
He made sure to tell his closest friends to do this celebration too; Gorm had just created and spread a tradition.
"I know that dad, it's just… It's really weird," Leif said.
Leif had been fishing in that spot for years, that spot always had a good amount of fish, but now...
There were no fish.
It was then that the sea suddenly turned violent, startling the father and son duo, shaking the boat.
And then something came out of the sea, next to the boat.
It looked like a snake with wings on the sides of its body.
It was Níðhöggr.
The snake then noticed the boat with the two humans.
"ROOAARR" roared the serpent in fury.
The Leif man had never been so afraid in his life.
"What is that thing?!" Leif asked, screaming in fear.
Leif's father Gorm ignored his son's question; there were more important things to do.
How to ensure food safety for his family, as well as protecting his son.
"Leif! Take the boat and go!" shouted Gorm.
Gorm then did something that surprised Leif.
Gorm grabbed an axe and jumped off the boat, falling into the sea and swimming as far away from the boat as possible.
This seemed to have caught the attention of Níðhöggr, who looked at the action of the human who was doing a lot of movement.
"Dad! What are you doing?! Come back here now! If that thing doesn't kill you, the water will!" shouted Leif.
Leif's shout seemed to take Níðhöggr's attention away from the man in the water.
Níðhöggr was now facing the boat.
Until an axe hit Níðhöggr's nose.
The axe just bounced off Níðhöggr's scales, the serpent didn't seem to have bothered, but his attention was now on the origin of the thrown axe.
Gorm had thrown the axe from the water.
"Go away you fool! Row to land, our family needs food!... It's time for me to go to Valhalla! I`ll be waiting for you!" shouted Gorm, drawing even more attention from Níðhöggr.
It was then that Níðhöggr was about to attack Gorm.
But then something happened.
*BAM*
A white-haired man appeared out of nowhere and punched Níðhöggr in the head, and with the force of the blow, sent the great serpent Níðhöggr towards the beach, causing a shock wave and creating violent waves in the sea.
It was Balðr.
The god of light then noticed a man in the sea and then floated towards him.
"Want a hand?" asked Balðr, with a small smile.
Gorm then took Balðr's offered hand.
Balðr then pulled Gorm from the sea and floated towards the fishing boat, where Leif was looking in disbelief at what had happened.
Balðr then left Gorm in the boat and remained aloft until he noticed the empty fishing net and then looked at the father-son duo and spoke calmly.
"... I advise you to go a little further, towards the sunset, have a good fishing," said Balðr, with a bigger smile.
The god of light then looked towards where he had sent Níðhöggr and the welcoming smile faded from his face.
An aura of golden color then surged from Balðr's body and then the god quickly disappeared from the fishermen's eyes.
*BOOM*
Gorm and Leif held on to the boat as a new shock wave surged up and shook the boat and then looked towards the source.
It was the same place that Níðhöggr was.
There was now a giant dust cloud rising in the sky.
"... By Odin," said Gorm.
It was then that Leif spoke.
"Father, change your clothes, or else death will give you a cold hug," Leif said quickly grabbing Gorm's clothes.
But then Leif noticed something.
"Are they… dry?" said Leif, confused.
It was then that Gorm understood.
"Hahahaha! My son, I think we've just met the 'light' of the gods," Gorm said, laughing with glee.
The 'light' of the gods.
That was Balðr's title from the mortals' perspective.
"What do we do now?" asked Leif.
Gorm thought for a while, before looking at the giant dust cloud.
"... Let's fish farther, towards where the sun rests, we'll fish while there was light, maybe we'll be luckier," Gorm said, with a smile.
And so the father and son duo began to sail away, towards the sun, where they managed to catch the biggest fishery of all their lives.
Meanwhile... Thor was about to change history a bit.
Again.
Location: Mesopotamia / Uruk / Palace.
Pov. Third-person.
The city of Uruk.
A city that was once ravaged by wars and natural disasters.
But now, it was in a time of peace and prosperity, emerging victorious over any adversity.
The townspeople believed that this was all because the current king was responsible for Uruk's current situation.
A king who was a tyrant.
But still, he was able to bring a golden age to Uruk.
And now, this king was sitting on his throne made of gold, with a woman on his lap and drinking a cup of wine while there was another woman nearby who was responsible for carrying a jug full of wine to serve the king.
Everything was calm.
Until one of the guards quickly entered the throne room.
"My king! The hunter and the priestess have returned from their quest! They are being accompanied by a red-haired man and a… Thing," said the soldier.
The king, Gilgamesh, remained calm.
"What are you waiting for then? That I go to meet them? Fuhahaha! Don't be a fool, bring them here!" said Gilgamesh.
The guard looked nervous.
"But my king, they are - " said the Guard before being interrupted by a noise.
*BAM*
The massive golden doors were knocked down by something.
Or rather... Someone.
It was Enkidu.
"– They are already here, my king," said the guard.
Enkidu's appearance startled the people in the throne room, except for Gilgamesh.
"You false king! You tyrant!" shouted Enkidu, running towards Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh took the woman from his lap and threw the wine away.
Enkidu collided with Gilgamesh causing an earthquake that shook the palace.
The king and the beast faced each other, pushing their opponent with all their strength. While Enkidu looked furious, Gilgamesh looked confused.
King Gilgamesh was recognized for being strong, being able to lift mountains on his shoulders easily. It was through this strength that he was never challenged by anyone else.
But for the first time... Gilgamesh didn't instantly overpower his opponent.
Gilgamesh had found someone equal to him.
"Fuhahahaha! Not bad monster, not bad at all" said Gilgamesh pushing Enkidu.
The castle floor began to crack under the strong pressure, the floor looked like it would give way at any moment.
And the palace looked ready to fall.
"Enkidu! Enough!" said Thor entering the throne room, along with the hunter and the priestess.
But Enkidu ignored him and continued to push Gilgamesh.
More and more prominent cracks appeared in the palace.
"We have to get out of here or we're going to die!" shouted the hunter, taking the priestess.
The priestess tried to free herself.
"No! We can't leave him! Gilgamesh will kill him!" said the priestess.
The hunter didn't care and just dragged the priestess out of the throne room.
Most had left the throne room.
Except for three beings.
Enkidu, Gilgamesh and Thor.
Thor, watching the two face off in a test of strength.
"…Very well, violence has always been the answer in this situation," said Thor.
The Norse god quickly ran towards his first target.
Gilgamesh.
*BAM*
And then he punched Gilgamesh in the face, sending him towards the wall, but it didn't stop there... The force was enough to make the wall give way and Gilgamesh was sent flying out of the palace.
Thor then looked at Enkidu, who was surprised.
*BAM*
And then the thunder god punched Enkidu's face with the back of his left hand, causing Enkidu to fly and, like Gilgamesh, crash through the wall of the throne room.
"*sigh*... These two are more troublesome than I thought they would be," said Thor.
The thunder god then left the throne room calmly.
But then he heard it cutting through the air.
Thor then quickly dodged.
*Whoosh*
The Norse god looked to the cause...
It was a sword.
A sword that appeared to be made of gold.
Thor then looked to the source... And saw Gilgamesh standing at the wall that had been demolished.
Gilgamesh no longer had an expression of interest.
He had an expression of fury.
"I thought I got rid of mongrels like you, you stink of god... I'll make you know the pride of men," said Gilgamesh.
There's something about Uruk.
Gilgamesh had decreed that the gods would no longer be welcome in Uruk, not even Gilgamesh's own mother escaped the decree.
This kind of decree was somewhat controversial, after all, Gilgamesh was a demigod. However, the king had stated that this realm was the realm of men, not the realm of gods.
No gods came to Uruk after this decree.
One question prevailed...
How could a demigod succeed for gods to take his threat seriously?
The answer was close to Thor.
The thunder god looked at the golden sword, which was starting to disappear into golden dust, and then at Gilgamesh.
"...What kind of toy is this?" asked Thor curiously.
Thor had felt a familiar feeling...
A feeling he got every time a supernatural weapon in the dwarves' forge was created...
The weapon can harm you.
Gilgamesh walked towards Thor.
"Fuhahahaha! I never needed to utilize my fate-given skill... Be honored, you will be the first to witness the power of mankind" said Gilgamesh.
As soon as Gilgamesh stopped talking, something happened...
Small golden and white glowing portals began to appear near Gilgamesh.
When Thor saw those portals he could only curse his luck.
The god of thunder recognized this 'ability' by a name...
'Gates of Babylon'.
"... For real?..." said Thor.
This seemed to amuse Gilgamesh.
"Oh? Astonished? This ability was given to me by fate. I never used it, as I never had a worthy opponent... Until now" said Gilgamesh.
From the golden portals, several gold-plated weapons began to emerge.
And then the weapons fire from the portals, aiming to hit the Norse god.
Thor suddenly glowed blue and quickly disappeared.
Gilgamesh only witnessed a fist coming towards his face.
*BAM*
Before Thor could reach Gilgamesh, Enkidu appeared and kicked Thor, causing the god to hit the wall.
"Fuhaha! Though I needed no help I treasure the noble intention you filthy beast" said Gilgamesh, looking at Enkidu.
Enkidu did not respond with words...
*BAM*
For Enkidu punched Gilgamesh shortly thereafter, causing the king of Uruk to hit his throne.
"I must say Enkidu, tracking my speed through animal instincts is quite amazing... But it's not enough" said Thor, who suddenly appeared beside Enkidu.
Enkidu, surprised by Thor's presence, tried to hit him.
*BAM*
Only for Thor to react quickly and punch Enkidu.
"Fuhahahaha! This is so much fun!" said Gilgamesh, running towards Thor.
Enkidu, having recovered from the blow, rushed towards Thor again.
Meanwhile, the thunder god smiled in response.
"So it will be 'free-for-all'?... Hahahahaha! So be it!" said Thor, laughing at the situation.
And then the three men met in the middle of the palace's throne room.
*BOOM*
And they caused a shock wave, which was able to be mistaken for an earthquake by the inhabitants of Uruk.
And so, these three fought all day.
On that day, the city of Uruk was marked by a full day of earthquakes.
Until late in the afternoon, the once palace of Uruk was reduced to rubble. When the townspeople went to check it out, they were surprised.
The three combatants, which consisted of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Thor, were no longer fighting, to the surprise of the people who were present...
They were drinking.
"Fuhahahaha! I must say, Thor, your fishing story is peculiar! I have never caught a dragon!" said Gilgamesh, laughing.
The people of Uruk couldn't have been more surprised... Their king was enjoying himself.
"I would invite you to stay at the palace, but due to our little power exhibition, the palace is currently unavailable, but all the houses belong to me! So let's go to noble Balthazar's house, he is one of the richest nobles so he will provide acceptable accommodation; besides, his wife is good in bed fuhahahaha" said Gilgamesh, laughing with glee.
This angered Enkidu.
"Not forced! Do not covet someone else's wife! It's wrong! Do not abuse power!" said Enkidu.
Thor then spoke.
"I accept the accommodations, but the wife I'll pass up, it's not my style," said Thor.
Gilgamesh looked disappointed.
"You two are too 'pure'! Very well then, just the accommodations... Come, my friends, tomorrow I will rebuild my palace, and we will have a feast to introduce you to the superior cuisine of my city" said Gilgamesh, getting up.
Thor and Enkidu just followed King Gilgamesh. But Enkidu looked a little disappointed...
"...Don't call me pure... Animals disagree" said Enkidu, frowning.
Thor knew what Enkidu was talking about...
Before Enkidu met the priestess, animals were Enkidu's friends. However, after Enkidu's encounter with the priestess, the animals were now moving away from Enkidu...
It's like the animals no more recognize Enkidu as one of them.
"Relax Enkidu... If you really love nature, you will find its beauty everywhere, even among humans" said Thor, unconcerned.
Enkidu thought about what Thor had said.
"... Everywhere... Hmm... Friend Thor is right," said Enkidu, nodding.
"Fuhahaha! Don't tell me you're one of those madmen who pretend to be wise to get paid for advice, my friend," said Gilgamesh, laughing at Thor.
The thunder god just shrugged.
"I don't have the patience to be wise... However, I accept to be paid for my advice," said Thor, amused.
What was happening further confused the people of Uruk...
King Gilgamesh had made... Friends?
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Well, that's all folks!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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Title of the next chapter:
Chapter 40 – Enkidu's Dream: Is Death Inevitable?
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