Ragnarok

[Ren✧]

Quillan was engaging a particularly skillful enemy. In all honesty he wasn't quite sure, what he was fighting. It definitely wasn't human, but it was a mummy either. It was larger than him, and it's skin was a light red. The veins in its arms bulged and rippled as it moved, swinging a deadly axe back and forth. As far as Quillan could figure, it was just another demon that needed to be sent back to hell. "So tell me. Was it your dad or mom that you got those oh so dashing looks from?" Quillan taunted, ducking under a particularly power axe swing.

 

"You are but a human. The humans shall fall beneath the might of Ragnarok. The might of Ymir!" The demon struck down particularly hard on this blow, causing a small seismic quake to shake the surrounding area, forcing Quillan to the ground. As he rolled away from the demon, Quillan shot several shuriken at the beast. They lodged themselves in the demon's skin, turning bright red and then turned to ash. Quillan growled in frustration. "But you, puny human, shall fall beneath my might." The demon raised his leg, threatening to smash it down on the helpless vanguard. As the foot sailed through the air there was a clap of thunder and a burst of blue light. Suddenly, the demon was on the ground. "You wouldn't survive a day without me." Vex said, snorting wildly as bolts of electricity sparked on the ground beneath her hooves. "More pressing matters right now, Vex." Quillan said, picking himself up.

 

He made his way to where the demon was struggling to regain his feet. He had to end this now. The thought of drawing his tanto and killing the demon crossed his mind, but figured it would end the same way as his shurikens. The sight of the demon's axe on lying on the ground sparked an idea in Quillan's mind. He reached down and grabbed the axe. The weapon felt strange in his fingers, alive almost as it pulsed with energy, but it was surprisingly light. He brought the axe high above his head. "I am no ordinary human." Quillan brought the axe down on the demon, who in turn exploded in a fiery inferno. 

 

"Leon calls." Vex said, acting as if nothing happened. "Shall we see what the mighty leader wants?" Quillan asked, hopping on Vex's back. As they flew over their retreating forces, Quillan caught sight of Beth, but before he could offer her a ride she grabbed onto Leon's griffin. Quillan was slightly disgruntled about that, what did Leon have that he didn't it? Not soon after, he spotted Genzai who was on foot. "Well we can't just leave him here." Quillan shared privately with Vex. She just nodded as they took on the second passenger. The two rode in silence as they returned to Bilrost.

 

[At Bilrost]

 

Quillan sat lazily on a lounge chair as Athena briefed the Vanguard and various war leaders on the plan of action. It was here that he heard the name Ymir for the second time that day. The demon hadn't been lying. Ymir was on the rise. But, not if Quillan had anything to say about it. Taking flight with Valkyries, Quillan tried to set his mind on the battle at hand, but like Leon there was just too much beauty about. Obviously captivated by the goddess, Quillan also understood that Freyja was even out of his league, but the Valkyries were a different story. "How's it going, angel?" Quillan asked, flying next to a Valkyrie.

 

The winged female warrior stared blankly at him. "I am not an angel. They are weak and fragile." She stated, oblivious to the flirtatious hints that Quillan was lying down. "Not what I meant, how about you and I find someplace quiet to hang out after this battle." Quillan raised his eyebrows at this, trying desperately to get his point across, while still appearing smooth. Unfortunately for him, he may have been a little too blunt. The Valkyrie got his point, and did not like it. She slapped him across the face, and then sped into the wind, joining her sisters. "I've had worse." 

 

[At the unearthing of Ymir]

 

Quillan circled the battle, gaining an idea of what was going on. He had heard mention of another Vanguard. Another girl. On the battlefield? They looked soooo much better in bed...or admittedly in the kitchen. Still, this girl's beauty was not diminished as she twirled around the battlefield. She did have a strange veil over her mouth though, causing Quillan to pause. It would get in the way of kissing. "Focus on the battle." Vex sent an electric jolt through him, snapping him back to reality. 

 

Noticing that Genzai had left an opening, Quillan decided to take it. Even if it was meant for Leon. No need for the so-called 'leader' to get all the fun. Throwing at a barrage of shuriken, he added a blast of concentrated air to send the spinning blades into the chests of many of the paralyzed workers. "How's that for focus?" Quillan asked. 

 

"You missed a few." 

[Kyng's Old Account]

Leon continued to work on his adversaries. He had taken to higher grounds as a skirmishing role, having climbed up and above the rafters and upon the scaffolding of the very industrial dig. He had thrust his spears into an archer, later throwing him in the direction of arrows to shield him, before drawing out his spears and kicking the corpse upon the closest foe in his path, and gracefully swerving from and arrow he launched another spear right at another archer, causing him to fall down from the elevated position. Summoning back the spear from that archer he lobbed another and continued his march on eliminating the above-ground threats.

 

After a series of throws, kicks, and the rest, Leon found the above grounds cleared. From his stance he caught a glance of Nailah with another foe, following which a group of more soldiers began to approach her to attempt to take her down. Leon generated a Solar Spear and skewered one of them, to buy her some time in dealing with these foes.

 

He had no idea where Beth was, but gazing down from the advantage point he spotted Genzai at work, having incapacitated half of the work force. He smiled hearing the Vanguard call him for support to take them out, but felt a strong pang of envy when watching Quillan beat him to the chance, him having used the air to have many of the blades enter the chests of their foes. Indeed, having missed a few, but still he managed to reduce the workforce from 30 of the 60 workers to no more than seven.

 

With this, Leon gazed over to the scaffolding on the opposite end of the Fjord to him, specifically the manner in which they were fastened to the wall. An idea came to mind, and quickly Leon felt a subtle, but notable surge around him, igniting his Feral Mind. He did so because he needed more strength: so, he swapped out his Iklwa, and roared out "Divine Djerd, descend!"

 

Taking only one of the much, much larger, and significantly heavier spears, he managed to be able to pick it up in the one hand thanks to using Feral Mind. As such, he grunted loud with need as he threw the large spear, watching it fly over to the other side. It missed its intended target, the fastening struts for the opposite scaffolding, by miles, but the spear had struck the wall with such force, both struts had snapped, which caused the scaffolding to begin to come crashing down.

 

Watching this, as well as reverting back from Feral Mind and calling back the Djerd, leaving him without physical spears to recover from the effort, he watched the wooden structure fall, crashing down with thundering speed upon the opposite side of the Titan Gate, effectively wiping out the remaining workers. He smiled to the effort, the number of men crushed by the wood indicating a good job. There was still a number of workers to deal with though, and the hand of Ymir too.

 

After the remaining Vanguard had, undoubtably, done their best in their respective efforts to annihilate the forces that remained, Leon would make his way to the Gate, looking around it with a sigh of relief. Ymir couldn't dig himself out, that was for sure. The hand just wreathed and shifted around with no aims. Leon sat down by some of the broken scaffolding which by coincidence managed to create a make-shift bench.

 

He glanced over the Vanguards, namely Nailah. Leon had many mixed feelings about her, no doubt about it. What with her from the very same Pantheon with him, this was no surprise. Leon was somewhat infatuated by her, for obvious reasons. She was elegant, classy, all which Leon found very sexy in a woman. This, plus the fact that she had a very voluptuous figure due to her combat skills, while not as physically demanding as Leon's, allowed her to keep in great shape.

 

He also had more envy of her than any other Vanguard as well. No doubt an aspect of pride in the lion, he did not appreciate that this girl's Words of Thoth alone were enough to beat him. Leon did not like the fact that Nailah could defeat him with her voice alone, while all of his works required great physical effort.

 

Thus with this mixed pool of emotions, he couldn't simply approach her on friendly terms. He wanted to, and at the same timed wanted not to. Remaining professional seemed like the best thing to do, though Anhur had told him many times of how a companion, like his Menhit, would make a warrior stronger, by giving them yet another reason to fight. Still, Mehit was a War Goddess. Nailah, well, she was exotic to him.

 

Leon's gaze then fell upon the pair of Quillan and Genzai. He found them as almost polar opposites, save a number of different things. Leon preferred Genzai over Quillan, just as a general would favor soldiers more aligned with him than those others. Genzai was, to Leon, his most faithful ally save, of course, his units, who's lives were dedicated to him alone. Genzai was a strong ally, very powerful, he knew this. He was also easy to deal with, and easy to talk to. He often brought to Leon a smile.

 

A sigh emanated from Leon's lips upon contemplation of Quillan. He was a wildcard, to every sense of the word. Sure, potentially cheesy, but he was not easy to deal with, and often brought Leon a headache. This was one of the reasons he enjoyed him not residing in Heliopolis, but rather Olympus. However, Quillan was another strong ally. Often, Leon thought Quillan was potentially the most versatile, he seemed like a Jack of All Trades to him. That trait alone made him more than an essential player in this war game.

 

Beth was not present, but did not escape Leon's thoughts either. She was, to him, dangerous. Hermes was a trickster God, yes, but Beth could be argued as plain sadistic. Leon would never say so but he was, at times, frightened of this girl. However this was one side of the coin, and he enjoyed the banter she could bring about, especially with Quillan. With them both residing in Olympus, they were bound to meet each other often.

 

This did make Leon sad about Genzai, being part of this group yet living so far away. Often he had wished to ask Sobek to ask for the Vanguard from Ryujin, but...well, Sobek was neutrally a pain in the ass.

 

After a deep breath he smiled and called out to the Vanguards "Let's take a quick breather, and wait for orders. Freyja'll bring us out of here, and hopefully will deal with the hand here." He pointed to Ymir's exposed limb with a chuckle. "You did great work guys. Well done"

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Genzai simply nodded. "Thank you Zeri, you may return and rest."

 

Alright. But don't keep hesitating to summon me! Zeri said, as he was enveloped in a ball of light, disappearing from the group's sight.

 

The Shinto Vanguard laid his blade to rest, sheathing it as he let out a quiet sigh. He looked over at the group of Vanguards that were gathered, seeing them all at a point in time when they were all united...instead of being scattered. Although Genzai wasn't a mind reader, he knew something was troubling their leader and he had a good guess on what it was. Quillan and Beth lived amongst the gods on Olympus, while Leon remained in Egypt, leaving him residing almost on the other side of the world. Even though he knew Sobek and his personality...it boggled his mind why Leon wouldn't attempt to talk to him.

 

However, if he did leave the Shinto gods and traveled to stay with any of the others...well, Genzai knew that something would happen and he didn't want to just leave any of the Shinto gods unprotected...especially Ryujin.

 

Moments like these...it seems like there is no good way to even approach it. Genzai thought, releasing another quiet sigh.

[Hotaru987]

With the combined might of the present vanguards Ymir's resurrection was delayed. Nailah stretched popping the kinks out of her back. It had been a long and tiresome battle. She congratulated the others around her on a job well done, and to get some rest. From a bit away she heard Leon call out to the Vanguards that they did a great job. Nailah figured that she should head over to get acquainted with the rest of them. As she walked over she looked over each of them. The only person in the group she knew by name was Leon, due to his patron also being of the same pantheon; Anhur, the god of war. Due to that they both resided in Heliopolis. The rest she assumed had different patrons due to not recognizing their faces.

 

She never really spoke to him for any prolonged period to time, and to be honest she gave him a weird vibe and it confused her. He wasn't strange as in awkward, but the way he acted around her was weird. Leon wasn't mean or anything, and when they did happen to run into one another he was very civilized...But, it was as if he was trying to keep some distance between them. Nailah wondered if it was because they both followed Egyptian gods, and he felt some sort of rivalry. Or perhaps he thought her abilities were unfair; quite a few people believed so as well. Even she had to admit, using the Words of Thoth is quite the advantage. It has certainly got her out of numerous tough situations. 

 

"It's a good think you guys showed up when you did." Nailah said once close enough to the group. Behind her mask she smiled, "And thanks for the help earlier Leon. That spear was your doing I assume." She passed him a glance, before facing the others. "So who are you guys? I'm Nailah. My patron is the Egyptian god Thoth."

[Kyng's Old Account]

It seemed that it fell to Nailah to begin a conversation. Leon could feel that very awkward air, and he did feel he was contributing to a significant portion of it too. Nonetheless now that she had spoken, that ice was molten. Of course she had guarded her words by covering her mouth with her mask, though her smile managed to come off from the way her eyes, her golden eyes, came off. Her cheeks also seemed to give off this smile too, so he could tell that she was happy.

 

It turned to gratefulness when she spoke, her words making him smile as he turned to face her. With this he smiled and nodded to her. "You're very welcome, Nailah. I am glad that I could be of assistance to your objective; although, I have an inkling that you could have managed them by yourself. I do admire your strength, Nailah: whereas my spear causes reckless damage like this, your's is imbued with grace at the epicentre." His words of flattery came about with her smile, which managed to make that jealous side of him wither away somewhat.

 

She then listened to her introduce herself to the others, and as such he smiled. "You have a sound point. In case we have not properly introduced, I am Leon Artaxes, Vanguard to Anhur, my patron God." He then looked over to the others and smiled, knowing them by name, but hopefully now with this more relaxed atmosphere they could simply chat, not as soldiers, but as people for a while.

[Thar]

Beth just so happened to have finished off the last of the ranged units on the other side of the gate before Kyng and another Vanguard made themselves comfortable where Ymir reached out helplessly from the large hole in the center. Beth was curious as to who the new recruit was, and her companions which stood erect from her shoulders perked up at the sight of her.

 

"Another female?" Sykes looked at Vecks, whose head was at the same level as his, and looked back at Nailah. Beth felt safe knowing that, from this distance, a green snake staring at someone wouldn't strike them as paralyzing, for it was an urban legend that when a snake or any commonly feared reptile made eye contact with you, your body would freeze in fear, which would make you vulnerable and easy prey. Neither Sykes nor Vecks were like that, in fact, they frowned at reptile-related urban legends in general. The very idea of it insulted their being.

 

"Another female, but nothing that sssstandsss out." Vecks spat in Nailah's direction, resting his head on Beth's, "Betthhhh's got more spunk."

 

"Now now, I'm sure she's not as selfish as she looks," Beth replied, partly agitated by their defensive attitude, "Let's just go over there and introduce ourselves."

 

Sykes bent his head in front of Beth's looking at her from inches away, "But what ifff sssshe'sss affraid of sssssnakesss?"

 

"I'm sure she'll adapt."

 

Vecks butted Sykes' head aside, "What if her first reaction is slicing our heads off?"

 

"I'll be sure to stop her if she tries." Beth had her whip grasped with an increased grip as she spoke on behalf of defending her comrades, raising it up to the pair's sight so that the idea was illustrated in their minds. They sighed in both relief and uneasiness before wrapping themselves around Beth's neck loosely enough to not choke her and rested on her shoulders. Beth wrapped and latched her whip around her waist as she jumped down from the top of the gate, landing like any typical aerobic ninja would with bent knees and a palm on the ground in front of her. The landing would be enough for Leon and the rest of the Vanguards to hear her approach. Sykes and Vecks could be seen nervously tucking themselves into Beth's hoodie.

 

"Well, looks like Ymir's hand is having a blast," Beth looked at the beast's hopeless attempts to dig its way out.

 

"So who are you guys? I'm Nailah. My patron is the Egyptian god Thoth."

"I am Leon Artaxes, Vanguard to Anhur, my patron God."

 

"Well, pleased to meet you too, Nailah. I'm Beth, Vanguard to Hermes." Sykes and Vecks peeked out from behind Beth's neck, "These are my companions, Sykes and Vecks. They're a bit shy, but they're very nice. They're scared that you might be scared of snakes."

 

Vecks snorted at the remark, "Don't be sssssilly. I've been dying to meet you, Nail...erm..."

 

"Nylon, you idiot!" Sykes snapped at Vecks.

 

"Nylon? What kind of name is that?"

 

"Nailah, you two. Her name is Nailah." Beth rolled her eyes, "Sorry. Like I said, they're shy. They're not very good with meeting new people."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"So who are you guys? I'm Nailah. My patron is the Egyptian god Thoth."

"I am Leon Artaxes, Vanguard to Anhur, my patron God."

"Well, pleased to meet you too, Nailah. I'm Beth, Vanguard to Hermes."

 

Apparently a conversation was being started by the newer Vanguard to join the group. Genzai sighed as he stood up, and did a normal Japanese bow motion.

 

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGDq6AOlR1c]LoZ ~ Serenade of Water Piano[/url]

 

"Nailah, a pleasure to meet another Vanguard from the Egyptian sect of the gods." Genzai began. "I am Genzai Hatsune, Vanguard to the Shinto God of Water: Ryujin." He simply said this, as he looked at Ymir's hand. Ymir...a being from the Norse sect of mythology. To be honest, Genzai couldn't tell much about him...or what he was supposed to do. Ryujin basically gave him the current Gods and whatnot that they were allies...but not much of the other sect's mythology was explained greatly.

 

"Leon, if I may...please tell me about this Ymir. I haven't been indulged with the Norse sect much..."

[Ren✧]

Quillan sat down where he was when he heard Leon call everything to a halt. Truth be told, he was tired. It had been battle after battle, and he had exhausted a lot energy by controlling the air currents throughout the day. He held open his hand, a small tornado appear in his palm. When it died down, a shiny red apple smiled happily at him. Taking a bite out of it, Quillan let the juice dribble down his chin. Too think that a war would be this much work. "Get up. We have new friends." Vex prompted, walking up to his side. When the Vanguard didn't reply she shocked him, causing him to jump upward, rising a few feet in the air. On the way down he may or may not have strung together a few choice words.

 

Quillan went over to where the other Vanguards were as they introduced themselves to this other Vanguard. Now that he was no longer circling the battlefield, Quillan could properly survey this new girl. She was beautiful, that much was clear. Her hair was white, but not in the 'I'm old' kind of way, and her gold eyes complimented her honey colored skin  nicely. Quillan wished he could study the girl's face to its full extent, but the strange veil got in the way. 

 

 

"So who are you guys? I'm Nailah. My patron is the Egyptian god Thoth."

"I am Leon Artaxes, Vanguard to Anhur, my patron God."

"Well, pleased to meet you too, Nailah. I'm Beth, Vanguard to Hermes."

 "I am Genzai Hatsune, Vanguard to the Shinto God of Water: Ryujin."

 

Another Egyptian? Quillan hoped that Nailah wasn't as up tight as Leon was. He had heard of Thoth though, a powerful upholder of order. Quillan wasn't much one for order. "I'm Quillan Gates. Notus is my main man. You probably haven't heard of him. He is one of the Anemoi, master of the south wind. And speaking of wind, may I say, you have blown me away." Quillan said, winking at the girl.

[Hotaru987]

While not unused to being flattered, Nailah was surprised which was shown when she looked down bashfully. "Thanks." The other vangurds present introduced themselves as well. The first was the only other female. Around her neck were two snakes, both of which seemed extremely protective of her. It was understandable, most units were. She introduced herself as Beth, vanguard of Hermes a Greek god. The snakes were Vecks and Sykes. Beth said they were shy and worried that she wouldn't like them. The snakes then had some banter about her name, which they got completely wrong.

 

Nailah just shook her head, "No need to apologize. To be honest I'm not a big fan of snakes since they do make me uncomfortable, but I do respect their place in the world's order. I'm sure we can get along. After all we are comrades, so there is no reason to make war with another."

 

In show of good faith she held out her hand to shake. Beth seemed like she would be a nice person to talk too, though Nailah would have to get used to the snakes. That and she was a bit worried with her bring the vanguard of Hermes, a god well known for being a trickster.

 

The second was Genzai, a vanguard to the Shinto god of water; Ryujin. Hearing this Nailah's eyes widened, "Really? I've never met a vanguard of the Shinto pantheon. That's interesting." Again she smiled, "I hope we get along as well. I don't know much about the Shinto sect in all honesty, so please excuse me if I make mistakes in future conversations."

 

Finally, there was Quillian. Chosen by the wind god Notus. Nailah didn't know much about Notus, but did vaguely remember a few other names such as Eurus and Boreas. The smile behind her mask faded, replaced by shocked embarrassment. Having heard his following line the part of her cheeks peaking out from above the masked darkened just slightly to show she was blushing. "O-oh, um. Thanks I guess."

 

She scratched the back of her head, "By the way...That was one of the worst pick up lines I've ever heard." One thing about Nailah, was that she was a bit too honest, sometimes too much for her own good.

 

"You should probably work on that." She laughed, her blush leaving, to show that she was only teasing in good faith. 

[Lunar Origins]

"Looks like there are some big names on the battlefield today," said Clair with a giggle, emerging from the shadows.  A wicked aura surrounded her, chilling the air.  She noted the current members of the group;  the Vanguards of Anhur, who was, in her opinion, quite handsome if not the best looking guy she had seen in a while, Hermes, Ryujin, Notus and Thoth.  She twirled her evil looking blade and stuck it in the ground next to her feet, leaning on the hilt.

 

"I'm a little late to the battle, but I think that's fine.  I probably wouldn't have done much, not having any units under my command."  A smirk crossed her face.  "I'm Clair, vanguard of Phobos, Greek patron god of Fear.  It is my pleasure to meet you..."  She shot a look at the vanguard of Anhur.  "...although, even at my disadvantage, I still could have done a better job, easily."  She giggled.  "Who knew the vanguard of the Egyptian god of war was such an amateur?"

 

Clair yawned, but as she did so, her mouth opened far wider than any human's mouth should have been able to, her jaw almost separating from her skull completely. The skin on the side of her mouth ripped as it should have, revealing razor sharp teeth.  Blood started to poor from the wounds.  She uttered a little giggle and flashed a smile at Beth.

 

"Cute accessories, hon- where did you happen to get them?  If you were aiming to scare people, then you're doing a really bad job of it."

 

As she finished the sentence, her mouth wound began to heal up, and she closed her eyes, humming a perfectly executed tune while waiting for a response.

[Ren✧]

"That was one of the worst pick up lines I've ever heard You should probably work on that." Quillan smirked at the remark. Worst? Well you couldn't expect Quillan to be at the top his game at the moment, seeing as he had just had his heart broken by a stunning Valkyrie...and that valkyrie's sister...and that sister's best friend...it would appear he wasn't very popular with the Valkyries...oh and there was that 'fighting a war' thing...but really...worst?

 

"Well you know, you and I could work on that. You seem like you know your way around words." Quillan said, offering another wink. Before he could work his charm farther, a chill went down his spine. He had felt that chill before. Clair. Turning he was met with the sight of a stunning blonde, a beautifully tight battle suit...and his heart with struck with utter terror. The last time he had tried to pick up Clair...well...let's just say that he will never look at the girl the same way again. Due to Clair's little display with her demonic mouth, Quillan actually stepped back a little. Their last meeting on Olympus was all too fresh in his mind.

 

 

 

Don't play with fear. It is the only thing you should be truly afraid of. 

 

Those were the words Notus had offered to him right before he had asked Clair out...he should have heeded those words. "Nice to see you again, Clair." Quillan said, his voice shaking slightly. He hadn't realized it but, he had stepped behind Nailah as if she were a shield. He straightened himself, trying to keep a little of his dignity. "BOO!" Vex shouted in Quillan's mind. The sudden contact made him jump, and being the Vanguard to an air god, he gained quite a bit of altitude. "B****!" But Quillan doubted the storm spirit heard him, seeing as she was literally sparking with laughter. 

[Hotaru987]

Before Nailah could reply to Quillian, she felt a strange chill run through the air. What was that? "Looks like there are some big names on the battlefield today," It was another young girl. This one a blond, and wearing a skin tight body suit with armor, and a spear like weapon. The chill was coming from her. Though Nailah knew that the girl probably didn't mean any harm, she couldn't help but be on her toes while the girl was there. It was strange. Though after her introduction the reason became clear enough. Clair was a vangard for Phobos. Her next statement about Anhur and Leon ticked her off and she frowned. "Tough words for someone who showed up after all of the fighting was over. Don't tell me you were infected by your very own sickness." 

 

Quillian seemed to know Clair, and whatever happened in their previous encounter must not have been pleasant  He even moved behind her in order to put some distance between him and Clair. Though he quickly straightened up, before suddenly jumping into the air then yelling at someone. He was a strange one to say the least. 

[Kyng's Old Account]

Leon smiled with raised brows watching Genzai go all traditional on Nailah. How honor-bound he was, it brought a warm sensation of comfort to him. This was also probably accompanied by the silly nature of Beth's snakes. Following this, Genzai had asked Leon what he knew about Ymir, possibly with an unknowing of the Frost Giant. Normally Leon would have responded upon immediacy, however this wasn't the case.

 

Quillan's flirting attempt fired another pang of jealousy in his chest, his eyes frowning and teeth grinding behind tight lips. To put it simply he was pissed off at Quillan; he probably meant no harm by it, but Leon himself had his eyes fixed for Nailah. Naturally, anyone whom would compete for those affections would make him cringe.

 

Nailah's reaction was anticipated, which only made that mesh of emotions in his gut for her swirl around more. However, he remained stoic and did not speak out of line. Rather he waited for the introductions to end, and then he'd regard Genzai's questions. With a soft sigh, to attempt to calm and relieve the jealous Vanguard, he felt that feeling again.

 

Clair, the Vanguard of Phobos. She always made the room feel ten degrees colder than it once was. She began to use her innocent manner of giggles and smiles which only made her air more terrifying. However, all these illusions suddenly shattered for Leon when she had the audacit- No, the balls to even taunt his prowess.

 

Watching Quillan respond as any sane person would to Clair's advance, and listening to Nailah's regard upon the girl, Leon took a soft sigh, with anger evidently etched into his face. "Amateur, or not, my purpose is to bring honor to my patron deity, as well as victory in battle for him. I am a servant of Anhur, and I am privileged to be as such." He mainly spoke of this in an attempt to bringing himself to humility.

 

Shooting a glare at Clair he spat out "Your b*stard God knows no such concept as honor."

 

Taking a deep and soothing breath he closed his eyes for a moment, allowing Clair the chance to rip into him for his comment. Whatever the case, whether dismissing her returned remarks altogether, or simply after a moment of silence, Leon looked over to Nailah. "Thank you, for the support. It is very much appreciated. I am in your debt."

 

Leon finally turned to Genzai and began to answer his question by picking up some icy snow on the floor. "This is Ymir." He then pointed over to the wall of the little valley they were inside. "That is also Ymir." After this he looked to Genzai. "That hand is the incarnate form of Ymir. Supposedly, Ymir is our mortal plane. Odin and his brothers took his body and formed our world with Ymir, his blood the ocean, his flesh the land." After a chuckle he shrugged. "Kind of disgusting, but the Aesir are very pro-battle."

 

His face turned from brief content happiness to worry as he looked down to the floor before him. "However, the very notion of reviving him is catastrophic. We're lucky we stopped him, for now."

 

Following this, and any other words shared between the Vanguard, a flight of Valkyrie along with their Queen arrived to the spot and descended. Freyja's soft, irresistible smile fell upon them as she softly spoke, voice sweeter than the sweetest words could comprehend. "You have all done very well. I have instructed that, if it best suits you, my Valkyrie will return you to Valhalla. Your mission is done, and the enemies have been halted for now."

 

As such, six Valkyries had motioned towards the Vanguard, allowing them to mount their escort's steed when ready. Leon tried so damn hard not to oogle Freyja, forcing a hand to come between his gaze and the Goddess in order for him to actually get on one of the horses.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Genzai awaited Leon's response to his question...but it didn't come quickly...as another Vanguard appeared. A Vanguard to the Greek god of fear: Phobos, Clair. Obviously it wasn't just Genzai when he felt that the room had the distinct cold features...that didn't mean the frost giants or anything like that. Wanting to move on from this, Genzai quickly shook the feeling off, only to finally hear Leon's response:

 

"This is Ymir. That is also Ymir. That hand is the incarnate form of Ymir. Supposedly, Ymir is our mortal plane. Odin and his brothers took his body and formed our world with Ymir, his blood the ocean, his flesh the land. Kind of disgusting, but the Aesir are very pro-battle."

 

"An interesting tale." Genzai said, which was an understatement. In truth, it was a tale that made Genzai shake his head in disgust. The Aesir truly are barbaric beings...

 

"You have all done very well. I have instructed that, if it best suits you, my Valkyrie will return you to Valhalla. Your mission is done, and the enemies have been halted for now."

 

Those were the next words Genzai heard, as Freyja spoke...her Valkyries descending to return them to Valhalla. "Understood." he said, as he got on one of the Valkyrie's mounts.

[Lunar Origins]

Seeing that Beth wasn't up to responding, Clair frowned.  "That's unfortunate," she said with sadness.  "Well, never mind then..."

 

"Tough words for someone who showed up after all of the fighting was over. Don't tell me you were infected by your very own sickness." said another Vanguard, the girl who associated with Thoth.  Clair's eyebrows raised.

 

"So quick to jump to the defense of your newfound friend, hmm?  Or is it just me you want to take a stab at."  Clair smiled, and took a step back, dropping her weapon and spreading her arms outwards.  "Oh, I'm ope-"

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she realized just who was there.  A familiar face, Quillian.  She laughed.  "Quillian, my dear!  I'm so terribly sorry for showing my teeth once again.  Sometimes I let my powers slip out of my control and they just manifest at the wrong time."  She strutted over to the boy and hugged him tightly in her embrace, smiling devilishly, then left a kiss on his cheeks.  "That's...  mmm, my apology, dear Vanguard."

 

She turned to Leon, ignoring his statement about honor.  Fear inspired honor, she thought;  without something to keep people on their toes, no one would keep action.  "Now, I never said you were bad at what you did;  you handled it to the best of your ability.  You lack finesse, dear Leon.  You're fighting with raw power, and someday that's going to impale you on your own spear."

 

And with that, she mounted up on one of the valkyrie's horses, ready to be taken to Valhalla.

[Ren✧]

Quillan's face was bright red as he drifted back towards the earth. "Dammit Vex. I'm going to have Notus banish you to Tartarus!" Quillan was really quite angry with his steed, but he knew physically fighting the spirit would do no good. Not many physical attacks could hurt the storm spirit, and he had no desire to get in a fist fight with a lightning bolt. "Scaredy cat..." Vex said, still chuckling. 

 

As Quillan returned to the ground, he was met with a scary surprise. "Quillian, my dear!  I'm so terribly sorry for showing my teeth once again.  Sometimes I let my powers slip out of my control and they just manifest at the wrong time." The frightening Vanguard made her way over to Quillan, hugging him and then planting a kiss on his cheek. The hug felt like he was being drowned by an octopus and the kiss was like acid. He was tempted to yell out, but figured he would try to keep some of his dignity. 

 

"You have all done very well. I have instructed that, if it best suits you, my Valkyrie will return you to Valhalla. Your mission is done, and the enemies have been halted for now." Turning to the goddess, Quillan didn't even try to hide his gaze. That chick was fine. "I've got my own ride back. But I'd love to chat with a few of your gals." Quillan said, winking at the Valkyries, who in turn rolled their eyes at the Vanguard. 

[Hotaru987]

Clair frowned a bit more at Clair's reply but didn't say anything else. Even if Clair rubbed her the wrong way, it was probably that aura that made Nailah on edge. She wasn't the enemy, Ymir was. "Thank you, for the support. It is very much appreciated. I am in your debt." That made Nailah smile, "Hehe, no worries. I always got your back. We Egyptian vanguards need to stick together, and besides I-" She quickly slapped her hands over her mouth - which really didn't help since she already had a mask on - and quickly turned around. "Anyway, you're welcome."

 

After a bit more talking between Clair, Quillian, and Leon who finally answered Genzai's question, Frejya and all her immaculate beauty appeared along with her Valkyrie. "You have all done very well. I have instructed that, if it best suits you, my Valkyrie will return you to Valhalla. Your mission is done, and the enemies have been halted for now." Sweet, so they were done for the time being. It was unfortunate they were returning to Valhalla. While it was a beautiful place, Nailah was beginning to miss Heliopolis.

 

She glanced at the others silently wondering if they were also feeling homesick. As she did this she noticed Leon gazing at Freyja, before tearing his eyes away to mount one of the horses. Nailah also looked at Freyjal she was very pretty. She noticed Freyja looking back at her before becoming painfully aware of the frown behind her mask and that she was actually glaring. More than confused, but not wanting to be left behind she mounted one of the Valkyries to be taken to Valhalla. 

[Kyng's Old Account]

The Vanguard, now with their own respective ways to fly, were guided by the Valkyrie out of the Fjord and back towards the battlefields. They flew above the forest from which the Ragnarok Army had marched through, and continued their flight across the plains of Bilröst, a number of dead bodies. To this, Freyja spoke to the Vanguards. "Normally, it would be our privilege to call upon many dead, and bring them to the All-Father. Alas, now in the times of Ragnarok, this notion of immortality no longer exists. 'Tis the sorrows brought by the end times."
 
The march continued, they were now flying over the rainbow bridge itself, Bifröst, and soon once crossing this very bridge they were in the grounds of Asgard, the realm of the Gods. In a pair of ten minutes, Valhalla was in sight, and in one further minute they had reached the great Hall. As such the Valkyrie began their descent, while Freyja herself rode off into the distance, presumably to Fólkvangr. As such, the Vanguards were dropped to the entrance to the great Hall, where a great loud roar of merry was heard. The battle had ended and those who lived returned to feast, evidently, for when the doors were opened a mead hall that stretched out at least 5 acres was filled with soldiers, tables, and bounties of food; at the opposite end of this vast hall sat Odin upon his throne.

 

The Vanguard were, of course, taken directly to Odin with two Valkyrie escorts. Leon walked behind the leading lady, eyes fixed upon Odin, his superior and the one whom requested their aid. He was determined to get an award for his patron deity for the efforts endured, as a tribute to praise his God. At the end of the day, Leon fought for this purpose. He knew his place, and would work in this place until his superiors deemed him ready to climb the ladder. Right now, he took the honour of serving Anhur, and to an extension his wife, in any feat they asked of him.

 

Now with the Vanguards standing before Odin, the two Valkyrie joined him by his side, Odin looking down from his throne upon the Vanguard with his one eye. One of his two ravens squawked, to which Odin then spoke up. "My grandfather, has he been revived? What of him?"

 

Leon decided to speak up on behalf of the Vanguard. "Set's servants were excavating the site, and have managed to thaw out his hand. We managed to prevent any further work done on the task."

 

Odin huffed in contemplation, frowning in thought. "Then, where is he? Where is Set; and, what of that dastardly devil I call my son?" He was evidently concerned, with no mention of these two dangerous deities afoot.

 

Leon fell silent, not able to say anything. Now, facing the All-Father without answer, he took a deep breath. "We have heard no words regarding Loki, or Set. However..." With a glance to Nailah he continued "...I can assure you that Egypt shall not rest while another land is at risk of the chaotic betrayer. By the word of Ra, you have my promise."

 

To this, Odin raised a brow, not content with Leon speaking for everyone. Looking to the others he asked "Is there anything you wish to say?" The Aesir was, naturally, thirsty for knowledge, and he wanted to get as much information as he could regarding the situation.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Is there anything you wish to say?"

 

Genzai supposed it was his turn to talk to the All-Father. He stepped up beside Leon and did the normal bow. "Lord Odin..." he said, taking a short breath. "What our leader here states is the truth. After our time on the front lines, facing the armies of Ragnarok, we were told about Set's servants preparing to dig out Ymir. We put their plans to a halt...only bringing his hand out."

 

He spoke the truth, building off of Leon's words. But the Shinto Vanguard saw that the All-Father still didn't seem like this wasn't enough to initially satisfy him. Genzai let out a small exhale, as he then pounded a fist against his chest.

 

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GopzpFJm4LQ]TTGL OST ~ Ten wo Tsuke[/url]

 

"I give you my word, no...the word of the Shinto god of the Oceans and Seas: Ryujin, that we will not fail you!" Genzai declared in a strong and powerful voice. "Lord Odin, please have faith within us. Not faith that we will survive, or that we'll come out victorious over petty battles. No, Lord Odin, I ask that you have the faith to believe that we can win this war!"

 

When all this was said, Genzai bowed at Odin once more, and stepped back. He looked over at Leon and gave a small nod towards him, as if to say that he had his back.

[Lunar Origins]

The booming Aesir was much more imposing than Clair had initially thought;  in fact, his very presence made her feel very diminutive.  She sighed;  gods were like this, she knew, and she had to get used to it.  Odin was much, much more powerful than her own patron deity, Phobos, although where Phobos had demanded, the wise Aesir had asked.  She respected that.

 

"Lord Odin, what they say is true," she began.  Her fearful aura was, unsurprisingly, completely negated by Odin's own aura, something she was quite thankful for.  "I was rather late to the battle myself, however, due to transportation problems prior to the battle's start."  She knelt on one knee, bowing her head to the god.  "On behalf of Phobos, God of Fear, I humbly apologize."  Standing back up, she gazed upon the great god.  "If there is anything you require of me, my Lord, I am at your command."  Her eyes shifted downwards, troubled.  "It is not of my place, father of victory, to ask of a favor; however, this has troubled me for a great time.  Would you allow me to ask of it, either now or later?"  Her head tilted up to look at the old god.  Now was her only chance to find out.

[Ren✧]

Quillan eyed the Valkyries as they led the group of Vanguard through the mead hall. Having struck out with every single one, he would be returning home with no new numbers tonight. Then the thought hit him, he probably wasn't going home tonight, or the night after. Suddenly, a feeling of homesickness hit him. He knew that Olympus wasn't his true home, but it had begun to feel like it. Sure, he hated that he didn't have his old memories, but the new ones were worth keeping. With Ragnarok now in full swing, it was only the memories he could hold on to. A bubble of anger rose up. He wasn't sure who it was directed at. The gods for getting him involved? The other vanguards for being so chill about it? The armies of Ragnarok for starting this entire thing? Himself? The anger erupted from Quillan as a blast of hot air, that tussled the hair of more than a few celebrating soldiers. 

 

Calming down, Quillan took note of the powerful god before him. Odin. Unlike the others, he wasn't so awe inspired the Norse deity. He was powerful, yes, and dangerous, but nothing to be afraid of. "Is there anything you wish to say?" Quillan thought on this. There was so much he wanted to say. So much that only his own Patron, Notus, knew, but this was not the time or the place. "We did what you wanted. Your grandaddy won't be coming back from the dead any time soon." Quillan stated. He looked the All-Father in the eye, seeing if maybe he had crossed the line.

[Hotaru987]

At being asked if the rest of them had anything to say, Nailah patiently waited for her turn to speak which was inevitably last. It was a bit intimidating to be in the presence of Odin, the All-father. She already felt pretty insignificant when it came to being in her own patron's company, but this just made her feel like a bug. Powerless, and helpless. A feeling that Nailah wasn't used to having. She couldn't help but shake her head at Quillian's choice of words. Not in disappointment or admonishment, but simply in awe and amused at his amount of courage. It was either that or he was simply that carefree. When it was finally her turn to speak she began, "Just as all of my fellow vanguards have said, I too offer the strength granted to me by my Patron God; Thoth scribe of the Gods and keeper of knowledge. No matter what task you ask of me I will willingly see to it that it is done, as long as it helps to preserve Ma'at." After a few seconds she broke her serious character with a nervous laugh, "Of course I mean the principal that Ma'at teaches, and not my patron's wife." She cleared her throat, "Well, uh...That's all."

[Kyng's Old Account]

Leon smiled to Genzai. He clearly had his back in this, and proved himself nothing less than a loyal ally he would place his trust in. Though he quickly had to return his attention to Odin, he had whispered "Thank you" to the Vanguard. Soon after Genzai's words of allegiance, the others soon followed with their own. Clair made her regard upon a favor, which had the All-Father's brow raised. To this, Leon nodded and met the All-Father's powerful and sagely eye with his own fierce one's.

 

"Our allegiance lies with our cause, All-Father, to serve our Patron Deities as they see fit." Leon spoke. "However, and forgive me if I speak bold, but you are in no position to deny the favor sought by our companion, no matter how late she arrived." He took a deep breath, ready to continue, keeping his eyes distant from the Valkyrie Shieldmaiden's shock of his audacity to make such a remark.

 

"Anhur, as would all of our Patron Deities, do not wished to be dishonored, and for you not to compensate us for our efforts would very much so bring this dishonor to them. As such, it is your duty to maintain the peace with the Gods, and grant us our pay so we, in turn, can give this favor to our Gods."

 

Odin slowly stood up in response to Leon, who's gaze hadn't changed from the start. Dissatisfaction was clear in his eyes, and his pride alone would not let Odin simply walk away with a thank you. Leon didn't deem himself just a soldier, and always wished to bring honor in the name of his Patron Deity, no matter how brash his actions may have seemed. Odin nodded slowly and crossed his arms. "It took you much courage to speak up to me in such a manner, boy. I am, indeed, to grant you all what it is you wish to the best of my abilities and within reason; however, this is solely to retain the good relationship with your Patrons, and not simply by an order from a brash soldier."

 

Leon smirked, and took the deal. He didn't care how Odin had dismissed him, he did what he was supposed to do, and more by making sure the other Vanguards got their own too. Who cares why Odin would do this, so long as he had satisfied the job, Leon was happy...

___

 

What then followed was the journey home for the Vanguards. Travelling south they all did to reach Olympus, Leon, Genzai and Nailah all rested 'til they made their unique ways home...

___

 

Eventually, Leon found himself back at Heliopolis. Odin had the Dwarves craft a beautiful statue of his Patron God, Anhur, which Leon's reliable unit Martyaxwar had carried for him, ever a loyal companion. As such, delivering this present to his Patron in his temple brought a smile to Leon, glad he had made him proud. In truth, with the loss of his memories Leon looked up to Anhur as a father figure, and in respect Menhit as a mother figure, and always sought to make them proud.

 

Anhur looked upon his Vanguard and spoke to him, watching Leon lay down in the sun, "I heard that Nailah was with you during your mission, Leon." which immediately made Leon sit up, about to say something, however Anhur managed to halt the Vanguard for a moment. "I know, you have said this many times, that her powers are vastly stronger than your's and it is unfair that she is stronger than you simply by speaking with words of magic."

 

Leon frowned and turned away from the Lion God. "I never said she was stronger than me."

 

Anhur returned by saying "It is implied. Envy is in your eyes. But I know you're also infatuated by her, and I can understand why. This conflict of your's will, in the end, bring you more hurt than I wish you to suffer." A soft sigh he sat down by him. "So, I am going to speak with Thoth, and attempt to gain his favor in having a duel with Nailah. This conflict of your's will end, Leon, by the means of honorable battle."

 

To this Leon looked down, unsure what to say. It would give him a chance to finally prove himself and attempt to overcome this envy, but he didn't want to hurt Nailah, or any of his comrades for no reason as petty as this one. As Anhur stood up, he spoke up which caught the attention of the War God.

 

"I don't want to hurt her."

 

"Then you've proven that your infatuation is stronger than your envy, Leon. Act upon this, and conquer her heart. I know not if she is like my beautiful Menhit, but perhaps she likes the strong type?"

 

Anhur actually said this to spurn Leon on his both his training and to resolve this dastardly conflict. He figured now Leon would fight much, much harder with a reason with passion such as this; little did he know he could not be more right. As Leon stood up, he nodded and immediately ran out to the desert, and with a simple wooden spear in hand he began to train, again, but this time with no help from the God of War's magic, but his body, mind and spirit alone.

[Lunar Origins]

Clair got what she had wanted;  a small coin, printed with Odin's head on it, magnificently crafted and made of gold.  "This is simply incredible," said she, holding it up to the blazing sunlight.  "I've never seen anything like it..."  Her grin was genuine, unlike her forced creepy ones.  A childlike glimmer filled her eyes.  "This...  is amazing..." 

 

As she marveled at her coin, a familiar figure appeared behind her.

 

"Child," the figure stated, "you were late."

 

Slowly, Clair turned around, and her eyes filled with terror.  She cringed back, awestruck and terrified;  her patron deity was standing before her.  All rational thoughts flew out of her mind and she nearly screamed at the sight of her god;  after a few seconds, she regained her composure, and looked at the ground, responding with "...yes, master Phobos.  I was late and I have dishonored you."  She knelt on one knee.

 

"Look at me when you're talking to me, Clair."

 

Clair looked up.  "Yes, master Pho- ah!" Her head was met with a sudden blow, knocking her to the ground.

 

"Don't you dare disrespect me again, Clair.  One more time, and you're dead.  Do you understand me, girl?"  Clair simply nodded while on the ground.  Physical harm scared her more than anything else;  Phobos being as hard as he was on her, it just broke her mind.

 

And with that, Phobos left her presence.  She looked at her coin and sighed.  What a cruel, cruel god.  What luck did she have, getting him?  She couldn't socialize, as she was too scary, and she couldn't serve her god, because he was angered by her every action.  She curled up into a ball, holding her coin close to her heart.  This was going to be a long, long war.

 

[hr]

 

Eventually, she regained her composure, walking out to notice Leon training with his spear.  Taking this up as a chance to get friendly with her fellow comrade, she smiled at him, trying hard not to make it look macabre with her passive powers.

 

"H-hey," she started, still a little dazed from the blow to the head;  a bruise showed on her left cheekbone, quite large and already black in color.  "I guess I feel like I have something to prove from being late to the party.  I'm... sorry for saying the things I did back on the battlefield.  To regain my honor, I would like to ask you for a friendly spar."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Genzai returned to Ryujin's Shrine in Japan, riding atop of Kame's back. In his hand, he held the item that Odin had given him: a ring. The properties of this were unknown to the Shinto Vanguard, but regardless...he took the gift happily. Time passed slowly as Kame hit land, as Genzai hopped off and recalled his Unit. Kame was ever the eager one...and it always brought a smile to Genzai's face. He arrived at Ryūgū-jō (Dragon's Sea Palace)...or at least an area that lead to it. Unbeknownst to many of Japan, Ryujin's Shrine had somewhat of a backdoor that lead straight to his undersea palace.

 

With his now known knowledge, he used this backdoor and felt his feet feel something wet: water. He smiled, having it feel good to return to Ryugu-jo, a great palace that was forged by pure crystal. Though even it being underwater, there was ample quantities of oxygen, as not only did Ryujin and Genzai reside here...but regular human servants and even family of Ryujin himself (denizens of the ocean) who had indebted themselves to the Shinto god of the ocean.

 

Genzai, you have returned. I take it everything went well on the battlefield?

 

The Vanguard stood still as he saw the water dragon spiral around him, beginning to chuckle his normal chuckle whenever his Vanguard returned. "As well as it could, Ryujin-sama." Genzai said, bowing for a moment.

 

Good. Words of your bravery against not only the forces of Ragnarok...but also your bravery towards the All-Father of Valhalla have reached me. Ryujin said, as he quickly spiraled around his Vanguard again, before returning to the main throne room to get a better view of Genzai.

 

"All in your name, Ryujin-sama."

 

The Shinto ocean god nodded slightly and chuckled. Genzai Hatsune, go rest up. A warrior of your caliber must rest.

 

With a slight bow, Genzai was dismissed from Ryujin's presence, retiring to his quarters. There he picked something up, a gift from his one trip to Olympus when he met the Vanguards of Greece: an ocarina. There he sat down, and began to play a tune which resounded off the palace walls. Leon...Quillan...Beth...Clair...one day I wish to bring you here...perhaps when the war is finally over...yes. That may be the only day when we will...I pray that day comes soon. he thought.