Quest for the Golden Blade

Roan's eyes drifted out the window, looking down upon the small town of Husafell, Iceland. His fingers drifted to a small button by his side "How ya holdin' up, Holti?" His massive head turned back to the young'n, a giant grin on his face. He turned back to Slattery, rubbing his hand gingerly "We'll be okay, I swear. " Roan brought the hand to his face, kissing it lightly. The helicopter began to drift towards the ground, in front of a large circle of volcanic rocks. With a final thud, they had reached the ground, and it was time to face the weather. The pilot came by, opening the door beside Roan, allowing him to stretch out, and exit the vehicle slowly. The viking stood in his armor, covered with a large cloak of bear fur. He motioned Holti to exit, wrapping an arm around Eric, who stood close beside him. "Alright, let's go over the game plan...We're going in, visiting some friends, and walk around..get you some plants, alright?"

Roan hugged and kissed Eric, before making his way into the circle of stones, and taking off the watch that keeps his strength in check. He motioned Holti again, this time to come stand next to him. "First, i'm going to count to 3, when I reach 3, take a deep breath and hold it, and do not let go of my arm. Second, do NOT open your eyes, you'll get blinded for a few days if you do..and last but not least..this is going to feel weird...very weird."

The redhead turned back, waving to Eric one last time, before turning back "One...two...THREE." An axe slammed into the earth, splitting it open momentarily, rainbow colors flooding his vision. His stomach turned as they found their footing once again. Familiar smells filled his nostrils, the ale, the leaf bread, and sweat, lots of sweat. Roan's eyes adjusted to the low lit tavern, peering down at the Dwarf thumping his foot on the ground.

"NOW LADDEH.." The small being yelled "WHAT MAKES YE THINK YE CAN JUST BARGE IN HERE..." He stepped up onto a chair, and then a table, looking at Holti angrily, then back at Roan "Without feckin' warning me, ye' ginger haired bastard!" Large arms wrapped around Roan's neck, which then turned to Holti, shaking his hand aggressively.

Holti, this is Granlund. He basically raised me during my time here, taught me how to make my armor and weapons." A female dwarf wrapped her arms around his legs, patting him on the ass "Ye've gotten bigger, Roro" She spoke, causing Roan to turn red "Oh mum, you crazy bugger."

The viking sat down at the table Granlund had stood on, sliding a chair at Holti "Two of your strongest ales, we gotta show this little shit a good time."

Everything about what was to come seemed overwhelming to Holti. Every part of him wanted to simply stay in Iceland, since they were already there. Yet, a small part was excited. He wanted to see what this was like, plus the promise of new plants made Holti feel like yelling out of excitement. New plants to study and research! There were so many things that could possibly come and aid him in fighting better. Possibly there would be thicker vines or plants that can heal wounds far better than a boring aloe plant. The promise of new plants pushed the man on. "I'm fine. I'll be fine, don't worry about me, Roan."

Soon enough, they began to land. Holti tried his best to listen in on what he had to say. Quietly, Holti stepped out of the helicopter, nodding along. He did feel a small bit like a third wheel, but oh well. Nothing he can truly do about that.

"Blind me..?" Well that sounded great. It terrified him to no end and brought back that sense of dread. It was too late though, as Roan was already counting down. Instantly, Holti gripped tightly onto his arm, not daring to even risk letting go of his arm. His eyes shut tightly closed before he even finished saying "three". Everything happened quickly. For a moment, nothing was under his feet and he gripped even tighter onto Roan's arm, surprised that was even possible.

By the time they landed, Holti's eyes were still closed and his hands still held onto Roan's arms. The booming sound of a voice caused him to jump. His hands instantly let go and his eyes shot open wide. Next thing he knew, there was a seemingly angry dwarf standing on the table right in front of him, glaring into his soul. This demeanor changed before Holti could even apologized. The dwarf hugged Roan before aggressively shaking Holti's hand, again catching him off guard. So he wasn't angry? These dwarves were already confusing the hell out of him.

Another voice appeared and Holti glanced down to see someone patting Roan on the ass, silently praying that his ass would be safe from this form of greeting.

"Drinking? I mean, if you're sure, Roan." Holti took a seat before realizing he had yet to properly introduce himself. "Sorry for being rude, my name is Holti. It's nice to meet both of you." God he hoped this was a proper greeting to them and would not be seen as an act of hatred. "I don't know how strong I can drink, but if it's tradition, I'll do it." God what was he getting himself into.

"So. Anyone you think I should meet?" A small part of him wanted to meet someone similar to him, someone who he could talk about home with. That would probably not happen though.

Today was a good day for Miguel, a damn good day. Won a few fights, bedded a few wenches and a few warriors on the side All that he needed to do was get a drink to wind things down which came down to the local Asgardian watering hole. Dressed in the typical array of leather looking armor with a few metal attachments that brought the whole thing together, a few sections of the armor ripped from what could be guessed to be blades trying to breaking through said armor. Likely a few more tattoos decorating his arms than when he entered, sword dangling off of his back in a barely there scabbard in case he ever needed to actually draw it.

Of course he ended up sidling towards the bar, downing a drink by the time that the bright light filled the room. He found himself covering his eyes, letting out a few annoyed swears before the sensitivity waned and he found himself looking upon two new people. One looked very familiar, while the other was a cute but unknown within the halls of this little side of the Universe. So he tossed back the mug, swallowing the dark and bitter liquid before approaching them with that usual boisterous expression. Some of the dwarves had already approached them, offering greetings to the familiar and unfamiliar before he spoke up.

”Roan! What the hell man, it feels like its been forever since I last saw you.” he spoke up, wrapped an arm around the massive guy and pulling him into a substantial feeling hug even for him. His body was still coasting off the high of combat, so likely it was a little tighter than he would have normally given. ”Here I thought you just ran off to Earth forever, and who is this?” His attention snapped to the other male, looking less than muscularly inclined. Compared to the ginger giant they were a wimp physically, that much could be said. Regardless of that he took a seat beside Holti, resting an elbow on the table.

”Make that three of your strongest ales.” He said holding up three fingers.

Roan turned to Holti "There's a few botanists here, i'm sure they have some books of pl-" The ginger was cut off by a familiar voice, followed by a firm hug. His golden eyes drifted towards the smaller man. "Well I'll fuckin' be, Miguel!? " Two tree trunk like arms wrapped around Miguel, lifting him off the ground and squeezing hard, before setting him down on the floor. "Just doing my usual thing, helping out the smaller folk..trying to grow stronger to take down y'er mom..no joke intended." Roan snorted, pointing over at the smaller man "That there is Holti..sometimes likes to be called Redwood, he uh..controls plants and shit. Brought him here so he could get his hands on some nice plants." He took a mug into his hand, downing the red fluid, which burned his throat...a familiar sensation.

Roan spread his arms over the table, looking at Holti "So to name a few plants I think you need...silverleaf, the leaves are sharper than most blades..Deathsbane is nice, it heals severe wounds pretty quick..and we'll grab some elven tree seeds, the bark is stronger than most metals."

A large rolled up piece of paper whacked Roan on the back of the head, before it dropped on the table in front of him from Granlund's hands "Aye Laddy, the tournament has begun..Odin has left a weapon for the strongest warrior.." The dwarf slapped down another 3 ales, sitting with the trio. "Plenty of warriors have already died, no word has come back as to what guards it..take the map, see if it interests you lot at all."

Roan unraveled the paper, looking at the picture of a large blade and shield. He murmured to himself for a quick minute before looking up at the other two and grinning happily. "This seems like a real Dungeons and Dragons moment, don't it? The party meets in a tavern, the barkeep gives the group a map for some legendary item.." The viking downed the flagon of ale, stood up and made his way to the door of the tavern, opening it to the underground city of the dwarves. "First, we get Holti his botanist book, then we travel to the surface and make our way tooo...." He looked at the map intently "Somewhere Holti isn't going to like much."

Hearing that there were other botanists made him excited. Even Asgard had people like him! Holti could not help but smile slightly, tapping his feet. Of course, Roan never got to complete his sentence as someone else approached. Did these people do this often? Yell and greet a person after not seeing them for a long time? Sure, Holti understood being happy about seeing someone after a long time, but not interrupting their conversation. He had to understand though that they were different here, so Holti kept his mouth shut.

This Miguel guy seemed pretty normal and very attractive. Holti tilted his head as he watched the man. He was a small bit happy that Roan had introduced him, since he knew the guy much better. The description seemed fitting since that is all he really did. He controlled plants. Holti did not want any bragging, so this worked well.

As Holti opened his mouth to speak with is rather attractive man, who is apparently named Miguel, the angry dwarf from before returned, slamming down the drinks. Tournament? Dead people? While this would be a great way of training, Holti was not to keen on the idea of dying. His eyes moved down to the drink and back up to Roan. Drinking would be even worse of an idea if he chose to assist in the tournament.

As the paper was unrolled, he leaned over slightly, trying to see if he could read anything. From what he could tell, there was some sort of illustration, possibly of the prize? With a sigh, he returns back to sitting normally, tapping his fingers on the table. He would just have to wait.

Waiting did seemed to work, as soon enough, Roan filled them in...sort of. Their first objective was fine and Holti nodded along, agreeing. The second...not so much. Especially considering he was named again. The man laughed nervously and gripped the mug in front of him. "What do you mean." He laughed nervously and stood up, leaving behind the mug. "What will I not like about it? It can't be that bad...right?" His eyes glanced back to the drink. Maybe drinking would soothe the new nervous feelings.

"Is Miguel going to join us? I mean, I don't doubt you, Roan, but some help would be appreciated." Mostly so he could get to know this guy a bit more. "He seems strong. Plus, I'd like to get to know the guy a small bit. Maybe it'd prevent me from dying or at least being pretty happy if I do die." Did Roan mention a healing plant? "We also need a lot of that healing plant. Yes. And the other two. I could use those in combat, no doubt."

"I guess I'm in."

Miguel seemed to take the hug from the giant of a man without even flinching, lifted up into the air and then settled back down. ”Yeah the old ladies a bitch, waters wet. Nothing new there.” Miguel shrugged, settling himself beside the little guy and listening to whatever explanation the ginger giant had to give. A map was thrown on the table somewhere in there, but then again that just meant something important was happening either now or sometime soon. They always like their little papers with important looking things written on them.

All it took was the mention of a prize to get him interested in things.

”Yeeesh dungeons and dragons references. Guess that makes me like the fighter or whatever.” Miguel noted with a shrug, looking to Holti. ”Of course i’m coming along. Would be d a damn shame to see that pretty face of yours getting ruined.” A wink shot the shorter males way, leaning back in his seat and working at the ale settled before him. ”Don’t think you’ll be dying though. I’m pretty strong, Roan can tell you about that.” They did have quite the few good spars when they were around,some he even won or most of them actually. Well, by his own memory recalling anyway.

”So, where we goin to find these fancy smancy books?” He asked Roan, leaning over into Holti’s personal space and downing more of the sweet Asgardian ale. [Double exp]

Roan trotted down the street, looking back occasionally to make sure that the two were still following him. "The fancy books are with Bartlebee the gnome. He's an odd one..but he's probably the smartest person I have ever met." The shop was only a few blocks away from the pub, and in the mean time, Roan took in the sights of his old home. The artificial river of lava that flowed to the left of them, placed a few hundred feet down with a safety net above it, which kept the cold caverns warm. The angular architecture of the dwarves, and most importantly, the gryphons flying overhead, carrying different races, ranging from elf, to dwarf, asgardian to gnome and the occasional hyper intelligent troll. "Man, what I would give to ride on one." His eyes drifted towards Miguel, glaring "Don't say it."

The group had come upon the herb shop, which was overgrown with vines and other vegetation, some of which hung down, creating a screen like door. Roan slipped his way in carefully, looking around before a small, squeaky voice called up to him. "Welcome to Bartlebee's VEGETATION EMPORIUM!!" The small being bounded up onto a desk, standing triumphantly, before his telescopic monocle adjusted, the other eye clearly missing. "Oh...it's you. Well if you're here to cause me to LOSE MY OTHER EYE, you'll be disappointed. This glass protects it from any plant based acids."

Roan sighed, kneeling down to get eye to eye with the little man, who stood at a measly 2 feet tall "I didn't mean to make you lose your eye, and you know that. It's not my fault you went poking around plants that the elves said NOT to touch. We're here for one of your books, the young one over there is a botanist..and also controls plants." Roan took out a small cloth pouch, digging into it with his meaty fingers, and placed a small golden coin on the table. The gnome's eyes lit up, as he bounced around the shelves, grabbing a large leather bound book. He carried it as if it weighed a thousand pounds, to Holti, placing it at his feet. "Alright boy, what you've got there is my lifes research. It has a list of every plant I've gotten to research closely. Whether it be asgard, midgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, or Alfheim" The gnome wandered back to his desk, and pointed towards the door "You got what you want, now out. out. OUT!"

Roan guided the others out, and pointed towards a large golden pad on the ground "I guess we're going up?" [Double EXP]

Holti failed to understand how anyone could be hugged by a man as strong as Roan. A pinch from Roan was like a tight squeeze from Holti. He could even feel a small bit of imaginary pain in his ribs. Just the idea of it seemed to scare Holti slightly, but not enough to be noticeable.

His eyes drifted back over to Miguel. So he understood this weird talk of dungeons and dragons? How much did he know about the ‘normal world’, or Midgard, as they call it here. He would have to get used to calling his home that if he were going to stay here for much longer. He was a visitor, so he had to adjust properly. The flirting did catch him off guard and surprisingly, Holti blushed as a response. So...was flirting with other men common here? He never expected it to be common, but maybe they were more flexible than Holti originally thought. The flirting did not go unnoticed though and he was flattered. A small part of him wanted to flirt back, but how?

His eyes returned back over to Roan at the mention of the book owner. These Asgardian names always seemed so weird to Holti. He was still excited. He could meet someone else with a passion for books! Could he talk to this guy? That would surely be exciting. Sure, they were on a time crunch, but talking for a couple of minutes did not hurt anyone.

The next thing he knew, the three were walking off. Glancing down, Holti saw a river of lava and instantly moved closer to Miguel. Even with the net, he felt very unsafe. Lava was not a friend to plants, meaning it was not a friend to Holti. At least the net was there, right? Hopefully nobody at the tournament would be able to use fire. Even if they could, Roan and Miguel would be there to help him.

Turning to the other, Holti chose to say a couple of things to Miguel. “You know, after this if I survive, we should get a drink, since I couldn’t get mine before. I didn’t want to get drunk, but afterwards it is fine. I'm sure Roan would be fine with leaving me with you for a while. He can catch up with his friends.”

Soon enough, they arrived to the building. Once inside, Holti heart a very high pitched voice before being greeted with a very small man. A very angry man, to be more specific. The man seemed rather disappointed to see Roan. The next few minutes seemed to go by so quickly and Holti hardly could even say a word. Only nodding in response at the mention of him controlling plants. There goes talking about plants. He was so excited, but the small man simply left the book at his feet. Hurriedly, Holti picked up the book and held it close.

“Thank you very much! I will certainly use this book to the best of my abilities!” Holti almost wanted to ask for a few clippings, but the small man seemed to be in no mood for talking.

Once outside, his shoulders slouched. “There goes talking to him and asking for clippings. Promise me we can stock me up before we go? Even fruit seeds would be fantastic. I think I have enough, but having some more would be fantastic. Especially those new ones you mentioned.” His eyes glanced over to Miguel before returning back to Roan. “You still haven't told me where we are going. I'd like to know where, especially since you said I wouldn't like it.”

“A bag for this book would also be appreciated. I'm sure you can find me one, right? Some fancy bag that'll work well in combat?” As he spoke, he stepped onto the golden platform. [DOUBLE EXP]

Their little party didn’t seem intent on enjoying their drinks, so he ended up downing the whole thing in the span of a gulp. If anything Miguel liked to think that he could chug his liqour when the situation called for it. He did notice the male blushing, seeming almost amused by the concept that someone so meek would be running with Roan but then again he did seem like like the concept of having someone to depend on those big strong arms of his. "Sure, drinks sound like they'll be fine." The attempt at flirting itself was not exactly strong, but he played along anyway. "Always enjoy a good drink with good looking company."Regardless they did eventually leave the tavern, noting how uncomfortable it made the little botanist and covertly putting himself between the little guy and the burning lava.

No point in making the little guy feel more uncomfortable than he already likely felt. They eventually reached the place where one found books, with a little dwarf looking rather angry at Roan for something. Miguel really only just smirked and nodded along, expecting that something bad had happened between them before. This was just too amusing to break up, until of course they found themselves being told to leave after getting a book about plants. What kind of plants, well he didn’t really care much about that little fact.

With the book of many mysterious plants they would be off to start their magnificent quest. ”Think I can work up a bag of some kind if you need one.’ Miguel noted, though he likely left out the fact that it would involve him getting one made out of the hide of some animal, maybe have a spell cast on it to keep the damn thing from breaking. ”So, beam me up Scotty.” He said awaiting the inevitable beaming up to happen.

[double exp]

The group stepped onto the golden pad, waiting for a few seconds before a weightless feeling befell them. Once Roan's eyes adjusted, he looked over the small town surrounded by a thick forest. "Well Holti, the place we're going..is uh...the home to..a dragon..don't freak out." He punched Miguel's shoulder, laughing happily "I haven't fought one since the last time I was here, during the wars." Roan began to lead the group to a leather crafter, throwing down another gold coin, and tossing a nice leather bag made of worg pelt to Oak. "It's made from what's basically a wolf on steroids..should be good enough to hold it."

The viking trotted around town for a short bit, gathering some basic supplies, and placing them in a bag he had brought with, which expanded for the bigger items, and seemed to gobble them up without adding any weight. Basic rations? Check. Fire starter? Check. Supplies for tents? All there. It seemed as if they were ready to venture forth. The trio found their way in front of a small path leading into the dark forest "We're not going to be able to tell if it's day or night for the next few days..We're going into possibly the worst part of the forest..but this is where you'll find some iron bark, so keep an eye out for shiny trees." As they entered, it almost seemed as if it turned night the second they broke the threshold. "You two seem to be getting along quite well." Roan winked towards the other two before bringing his eyes back to the map "3 days travel through the Forest of Forever Night..2 day travel through Icewind..and another day to get to the coliseum.. they really don't make it easy to get there."

Holti bit down on his lip and smiled at Miguel. "Great. I'll be sure to stay as long as I can. Roan can wait for me. We have plenty of time to do whatever you want." It did seem a bit odd to be conversing like this when there was a problem at hand, but then again, it did keep Holti positive. It was always better to keep a good attitude than to be a negative person. Maybe it would help push him forward through their journey, especially now that he knew for sure he would be getting drinks, and possibly something more, with a very handsome man. Seemed like a damn good reward.

His foot tapped anxiously as the platform travelled, his eyes searching around him. Any calm feelings in him quickly left at the mention of where they would be going. "A...a dragon? Lovely. Just lovely. Let me guess, it isn't a water dragon, right? Or some kind of fancy, non fire breathing dragon?" He almost wanted the lava back. Lava could not shoot at your weapons and destroy them in the blink of an eye. "That's why we have each other, right?" He laughed nervously as he quickly followed after Roan.

As soon as the bag was tossed over to him, the book was placed inside. His eyes wandered and as Roan put away his own supplies, Holti did begin to gather any sort of clippings or seeds that he could. He did make sure to follow along, of course. This was an unfamiliar town and he certainly did not want to get lost. Thankfully, once Roan was done, Holti had managed to find a couple of things. Even a blade of grass, just in case they needed something to sleep on other than dirt.

As the three walked, Holti saw what was in front of them and visibly became much more confident. His back straightened and he began to walk faster. A forest! Oh he could work well with this. Yes. "I'll be on the look out, no doubt." Knowing part of the journey was in the forest made him excited. "I could fight. I'm going to be surrounded by what I work with. This will be fun." He could almost understand why Roan and Miguel would enjoy fighting things here.

The sudden change to what seemed to be night was new, but not something that would make Holti upset. It might be a small bit harder to sleep, but it would be fine. Luckily, Holti had brought along a smaller bag, which contained a bottle of contact solution and his glasses. The most it would last is barely a week, but he could make do with it...hopefully. He always made sure to bring that sort of thing along, especially since he secretly hoped of staying a bit later in that small Icelandic town.

"Will we do shifts when sleeping? Two of us sleep while another is awake? It seems to be the safest thing for us to do. It might allow us to not use as many tents." His eyes drifted over to Miguel. "If not, I'm fine with sharing. I'm pretty small and I would hate to use up an entire tent to myself. I might be strong, but it's always nice to have someone next to me for protection."

"Not all that delicious, but I could help prepare some plants to be eaten by us? There has so be some edible things here."

Teleporting always felt weird for Miguel, leaving him with this weightlessness that felt like he were plummeting towards the earth and would likely hit the ground with less than a chance to survive that impact. Eventually that sensation faded, leaving him with Roan and Holti in a different section of their odd little world he lived in. ”Home of a dragon? Sounds like this will be fun now.” He rolled his shoulder when Roan gave it a punch, letting the kinks out of it before he threw himself into any combat. Likely the punch came from him being misunderstood in his offer to Holti but then again he also liked the misunderstood statement.

The smaller of them would get his bag which meant they could get their book all safe within the bag, likely safe as they traveled through the massive stretch of land between them and the arena. Ever perceptive Roan mentioned something about them getting along, which prompted Miguel to sling an arm lightly around the smaller male. ”You could say that.” He winked to Holti and let his arm come around around him, resting on his hips once again while trying to remember what they could deal with while traveling. Not as if the lands themselves were really hospitable, and to some degree they were even annoying.

The three would walk, their journey first taking them through the forest of forever night which got its name for obvious reasons. Camping would come eventually, and of course the awkward little male mention sharing tents with eyes that were squarely focused upon him. It didn’t take a super genius to see someone had the proverbial hots for him. ”I wouldn’t mind the company, if you didn’t mind helping me pitch the tent first.” He grinned, giving Holti the lightest pat he could on the back and finding that it was...well enough to feel like a pat from a person. Learning control was a difficult thing but he was getting there.

”No offense to the vegetarians, but i’m feeling more up for meat. So i’m gonna go hunting. I’ll be back in like….two hours tops?” Without needing much approval he darted off into the dark underbrush, moving through it like a shadow. Smashing through trees that had the nerve to get in his way and eventually coming upto a massive shadow in the night, barely given shape by the moonlight. A rare break within a forst that was forever held within the grip of darkness, drawing his blade with a low hiss. This massive creature considered him, eyes likely acclimated to the darkness.

Miguel smirked, taking a stance that consisted of him taking a runners stance with the blade held out sideways, muscles tensed and ready for movement. Like a flash the horns ripped through the air, intercepting and catching his midsection. Not ripping through flesh but catching Miguel, lifting him up and flinging his body through multiple trees.

Each impact felt like nothing, this faint sensation as another plant was destroyed and he collided with the ground. This creature was truly strong, better than any animal on earth. Sword would make contact, slowly disabling the legs, and with each moment the fight dragged out he got closer until the final stroke slammed into the things heart and sent it colliding with the ground.

It was dead before actually hitting.

Ten minutes less than an hour Miguel would return, dragging the massive looking deer to the other two, standing a good thirty feet high with antlers that could rip a person in half. Blood was splattered on his face, but that didn’t diminish the grin.

”Look who has dinner.” He said with a small triumphant post, letting the thing flop to the ground before unsheathing his sword again. ”Word of warning Hottie...I mean Holti. If you have a weak stomach I would suggest looking away. Cleaning the kill can be pretty gross.” he would of course give him a chance to do whatever worked before beginning to cut through the massive hairy hide and work on getting the meat beneath.

Roan shook his head as Miguel made is way back with the massive corpse of an asgardian deer. "Did it give you trouble?" He laughed, pulling out some rope, hanging the deer upside down from a tree. He stood back, watching Miguel slice it open with a masterful hand. In less than an hour, they had mounds of meat, waiting to be feasted upon. The viking took to gathering wood, swinging his axe at a tree and dropping it in one blow. His axe made quick work of the fallen tree, allowing him to come back with properly cut logs of wood for a fire. Within minutes, the flames rose high, and the group had began to cook the meat.

"I remember being thrown out here as a child..had to hunt one of these deer with a fuckin' slingshot." Roan shuddered at the memories "We had to sew my stomach back up when I got back, from those damn antlers." He slapped Miguel on the back, grinning "Who'd have thunk that we'd reunite in asgard, am I right?"

Roan spent his time joking around, looking up at the illusion based sky that shown above them. Within the forest, it had its own sky, filled with two bright moons, and millions of stars. The viking let out a sigh, taking massive chunks out of the meat with each bite. After getting his fill, he laid back, resting his head on his arms. If his sense of time was correct, it was about time to sleep. He began to snore, leaving the two lovebirds to themselves for the mean time.

All of the random touching and winking from Miguel was certainly surprising, but not unwanted. It seemed to bring Holti much more confidence, making him feel like he could flirt back far easier. He no longer seemed to tense up as well, leaning into the touch a small bit. He could certainly get used to this. Especially if Miguel accepted sharing a tent, if he set it up that is.

Soon enough, Miguel had disappeared off before Holti could even say anything. To himself, Holti did grumble a small bit. “I'm not a damn vegetarian. I love meat dammit. It's not my fault meat is expensive and I can easily get fruits and vegetables.” He could go one night without fruit. Besides, he needed to save his energy. Maybe Miguel was right. Plus, it should be interesting to try the meat of an Asgardian creature. Who knows, maybe it would give him reason to visit.

While Miguel was gone, Holti did try his best to make a tent for the two of them. It took quite a few tries and almost all the time, but he did successfully get it up. Even if Roan did not seem too interested, he still wanted a bit of security in an unfamiliar area. Hopefully Miguek would understand this.

Soon enough, Miguel emerged with an absolutely gigantic deer. Holti’s mouth held open slightly as he looked at the creature. “Holy fuck…” That was not what he expected when Miguel mentioned ‘meat’. If the deer were that big, how big were the other creatures? How big was the dragon? “Do you think we have enough meat? And can I have the antlers?”

At the mention of him turning away, Holti almost laughed. “Trust me, Miguel. I've seen people skin animals before. Now if you made me watch you kill the animal, I would probably be different. The deer is dead, so I'm fine.” In truth, it did make him a small bit uncomfortable, but not to the point of being forced to turn away. At times he did find excuses of looking away.

Eventually, the food was cooked up and Holti ended up quite enjoying the food. The meat was cooked perfectly and he did eat a good amount, surprisingly. His nerves had not yet gotten the best of him.

Glancing over, he had noticed that Roan had already fallen asleep. His eyes turned back over to Miguel. “Thanks for getting us the food. I can only really offer plants, but I mean, I guess that's good. Apples are nice and all.” He clicked his heels together a small bit. God this was awkward.

“So uh. How about we just talk about ourselves? I don't know how much you know about Midgard, but I grew up in Iceland. We talked a lot about how our people used to believe in this sort of stuff. It's really interesting, you know? I wanted to talk to a few people who might speak the same language as me, but Roan rushes into this tournament. If we live through it, I hope to talk to at least one person. It might be fun. It isn't any do that I speak to someone who understand my home language...what about you? You could at least talk about how you trained to be so strong, since you took down that massive buck. It's impressive, I like strong men.” [DOUBLE EXP]

”Think it should be enough meat,” Miguel admitted, looking over the massive creature which likely would feed them for at the very least their trip considering how much Roan could eat. Part pf him wondered if they would need to  do a little more hunting before the week was over but that was just assumptions on his part. His blade sliced through the hide and eventually managed to carve the meat off with little effort while the Holti guy asked about having the horns. ”If you can carry the big things, take all ya want.” He would let the guy shave off as much of the antlers as he wanted while he carved into the meat with Roan.

Eventually the massive slabs on meat would find themselves cooking over a large fire, filling the air with that sweet scent that made his mouth water. Settled around the little fire they had after undoing the few pauldrons and chest armor, Miguel bit into the large chunks of monster veal they had going on which seemed to satiate his growling stomach. After a long day it felt nice to just let the armor off, and enjoy a good meal on the road. Had that feeling of an adventure, minus the excess of magic one would expect from adventure stories. Roan was the first to fall asleep, likely full and wanting to keep his strength up.

”No problem. Always used to hunt out here when I first came to Asgard. Got a few scars from it but think they make me look a little badass.” His fingers traced a few twisted spots like he had been stabbed around his side and trailing into the mid section, seeming to mangle his naval beyond recognition. His eyes focused on the fire, dancing flickering and sending shadows across the small camp they had going on. ”I know a little about Midgard. Was born there, spent most of my life there too. Was raised on LA, was born a little too strong for normal people.  Apparently I one of those metahumans, though I had a way to control my own strength. Didn’t know this kind of stuff really existed but apparently I just met the right person.” He unclasped a small metal band from his belt, looking as if it were made of leather but with odd runes inscribed into it.

”Always had a problem with my anger, couldn’t control it completely and that got people hurt. Coming here made controlling myself much easier.” Not to say that he missed the male saying he liked strong men, because that came across loud and clear. First he wiped away the blood from his face and neck with the torso portion of his armor, sucking what tasted like grease form his fingertips. ”If you like strong men, might have stick around me a little longer. A lot of me you haven’t seen yet.” He clasped the wristband back around his belt, resting the side of his head against his hand. ”Can’t say anything in the vein of liking guys with X quality, but I think you’re pretty good lookin.”

The fire crackled a little, a few logs shifting within the pyre. ”So hows that tent of ours?”