“So, are we now going to move to Odin?” Miria asked, still enjoying some pats from her beloved master.

  “I think so.” He nodded. “There’s no real reason to stay here any longer. Bryn will take the documents regarding the Aegis back to Tyr while I start my flight to our next destination. Are you going with us, Atra?”

  “I heard from Bryn how you got here and I don’t think I can keep up with you two.” The lithe Valkyrie chuckled shyly.

  “That’s alright. I didn’t plan on making you fly alongside me. Umbra can transfer you after I arrive there,” Asterios explained.

  “Ah. Well, I guess that would be nice, but I will stay here,” she replied with a thankful smile. “I will be more useful to you in Brage than in Odin. If the Council comes to a favorable conclusion, I’ll try to use what we learned to convince them to help your cause however we scholars can. I’ll continue doing my own digging in case I stumble on something useful too.”

  “Alright. We are very grateful for that. Umbra will check on you regularly whenever we aren’t busy so you won’t have any issues getting in touch with us. Thank you for all your help again.” Asterios lowered his head respectfully.

  She waved her hands at him. “Stop that. It’s nothing, really. I’m just helping my friends. And having a hand in liberating the grandest wonder of our past glory. That already makes me so happy.”

  “Thank you.” Bryn stood up and walked to Atra to hug her warmly. “You’ve always saved me with your kindness and wisdom.”

  “Oh, please, you are embarrassing me. What else are friends for?” Atra reciprocated the hug and smiled beautifully. “Now go. We have great things awaiting us.”

  Everyone stood up and began tidying the dining room together. Atra grinned at Bryn and rose to her tiptoes, bringing her lips to her friend’s ear.

  “And the next time we see each other, you better have sealed the deal or else I’m going to start making a move myself. I can see how you look at him,” she whispered with a suggestive tone.

  Chuckling to herself quietly, Atra smacked Bryn’s butt and hopped away to help the others, leaving the taller Valkyrie all red and flustered. She hastily calmed herself down and joined them too, taking a peek to the sides to see if anyone heard their brief exchange, thankfully finding no one in their close vicinity.

  Little did she know, a certain beastfolk duo had small grins on their lips while washing the cups together.

  Chapter 26

  Twelve Shades of Odin

  After leaving Atra’s house, Asterios and the girls returned to their inn for the moment. They talked briefly about Odin, with Bryn trying her best to share some useful information about their third ARK on the list without spoiling the surprise just like before. As she’d said, each single ARK was a wonder and it was always worth experiencing the first sight on your own.

  They only learned a little bit about the Council residing there, which was made up of twelve valkyrjas. Those women were the most experienced veterans of their race. Contrary to the other Councils, the leadership of Odin included one person from every single ARK in existence. The reason for that was the wish to gather the experts from each field in one place, where the most important decisions were being made.

  Those twelve chosen supervisors had the responsibility to be in regular touch with the ARK they came from and keep everyone updated on the general situation. That was why it was often Odin where the decisions related to various inter-ARK matters originated, being forwarded to the involved parties.

  Of course, it didn’t mean that the ARKs weren’t autonomous to some extent. The leaders could still discuss the suggested course of action or even argue, but they had to at least respect the instructions coming from Odin and explain their reason for disagreeing. They could also freely strike deals, trades, or exchanges with other ARKs, like the alcohol deal between Tyr and Brage. Unless that resource was critically needed elsewhere, they could enjoy the benefits of their agreement without any worry.

  Since Bryn didn’t have any closer friends in Odin, they had to find a way to contact the Council on their own. But, that didn’t feel particularly hard to them. Even if the news and rumors about their victory in the War Games hadn’t reached the ears of Odin’s leaders, the Council had to be aware of the trades Asterios had made possible.

  Leaving that problem for later, after Asterios reached Odin, they exchanged a few more words before Bryn bid a temporary farewell to everyone and opened a gate to her home back in Tyr. The other girls wished her luck and Asterios asked her to be in touch with them if the Council there needed more convincing or something. Waving at everyone with a gentle smile, the Valkyrie disappeared into the dark crimson, swirling surface, embarking on her mission.

  Asterios started preparing for his own task, which was getting to Odin. Atra had shown him who to approach for help in getting the correct directions and an attuned compass so that was where he had to go now. But, before that, his mates brought him out for a short date where they fed each other some local cuisine, making sure that their beloved master didn’t have to fly on an empty stomach.

  During their little feast, Tina suggested accompanying him instead of Bryn this time and the others quickly agreed that it was a great idea. Giving it a moment of thought, Asterios didn’t find anything against it either and they departed to the docks together, leaving Miria, Selene, Grea, and Silvia to finish their dishes and drinks on their own.

  Asterios and Tina found the navigator valkyrja and explained their intentions. The woman they spoke to seemed to be a kind and helpful person and gave them lots of advice before handing the guiding device to them. She warned them that the weather forecast wasn’t good and they could run into some gathering storm clouds if they left right now.

  Discussing it with her for a few minutes, the Summoner duo decided to try their luck, confident in their abilities. In the worst-case scenario, they could always escape back to Brage through one of the gates leading to the other girls. They thanked the navigator earnestly and prepared to take flight. The sudden appearance of Ast’s draconic wings shocked the woman greatly, even more than the huge winged lion stepping out of an azure gate.

  For this flight, Tina decided to rely on Esil directly instead of borrowing his powers. It was much safer with the lion patriarch aiding her during their journey and her being able to focus properly on invoking any necessary technique from her summon’s back. The trio chatted briefly and took off into the horizon, leaving the valkyrja with her mouth agape.

  They spent the first part of their flight in relative silence, just taking in the breathtaking sights of Bryn’s world above the clouds. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as pretty under the fluffy blanket. Though, it would be a lie to say that the remains and ruins visible on the damaged and partially poisoned ground didn’t look mysterious and interesting.

  Now and then, whenever they decided to fly under the clouds, they were able to find a spot or two that wasn’t utterly devastated by the Scourge and its life-threatening qualities. The hope wasn’t completely dead. The flora wasn’t extinct yet, and neither was the fauna, most likely. It hid in tiny hubs or hardly accessible patches of terrain, but it was still there, standing up to the aggressor. If only the monsters disappeared, there was no doubt that the realm would slowly heal, even if that would take decades.

  About half a day into their journey, they stumbled on the slightly turbulent clouds their helpful navigator had mentioned. It looked like the atmospheric front was heading towards Brage and it would hit the ARK if nothing changed during the remaining distance between the two. The storm wasn’t that serious and the flying metal fortress surely had nothing to be worried about. Those structures had remained in the air for centuries.

  As for Asterios, Tina, and Esil, they were able to avoid the powerful, dark tempest by raising their altitude high enough. The air was much colder up there so Asterios joined Tina on Esil’s back, hugging her from behind. Esil could deal with the pressure of the wind but the temperature itself was slightly more problematic for entities without thick fur.

  Thankfully, Asterios had a decent grasp on his draconic ancestry, especially after getting together with Silvia. Embracing Tina tightly, he circulated his scorching hot energy through his circuits and formed a temporary bridge between them. That fiery energy filled her too and warmed Tina from the inside. Additionally, Ast’s body released heat of a pleasant level and she snuggled lovingly into his arms with a beautiful smile.

  They enjoyed a romantic flight for a few hours. As it got dark, Tina didn’t even notice when she dozed off, resting her head against Ast’s chin. He chuckled quietly while holding onto her dearly and staying on Esil’s back to let her sleep comfortably. They chatted about the lion patriarch’s world to keep themselves from getting bored. At least until Tina awoke from her peaceful slumber.

  She was more than just embarrassed about her unplanned nap but Asterios assured her that it was alright and plenty cute. It made her blush even fiercer as she hid her face by looking away from him. They snacked on some beef jerky without stopping and Asterios decided to stay on Esil’s back for the remainder of their journey. It was Esil’s idea, clearly meant to help his master share some more time with her beloved.

  Picking up speed, they zoomed through the sky close to the sea of clouds. They could practically run their hands through the fluffy surface if they reached up. But, their main focus was on the ground as Asterios and Tina played a game of who would spot more untainted patches in the scarred scenery. To make it fair, he used a technique to share his draconic sight with her and they both could peer far into the distance, picking up on the smallest details down below.

  They began nearing their destination shortly before it started getting dark. The sky was a beautiful shade of amber with the sun slowly setting behind the horizon. The warm rays shone right onto the flying city right in front of them, which glistened back thanks to all the polished surfaces reflecting the light towards them.

  Right from the distance, they could already tell that Odin was different. But, it wasn’t just the same different as Tyr was from Brage, and most likely the other ARKs between themselves. This floating fortress was definitely special. First of all, besides golden and silver colors, they could spot metals with sapphire, emerald, ruby, amethyst, and other shades. The ARK glittered like a rainbow, even though gold was still a somewhat dominant tone.

  When they got closer, they noticed that the architecture was more complex than what they had seen until now too. With Tyr being quite recognizable from its sharp, spiky towers, and Brage from its very square, geometrical style, often resembling massive, old archives and libraries, Odin was something entirely else. A wonder of its own league, just as Bryn had told them.

  Asterios and Tina couldn’t pinpoint one thing that stood out amongst the common facilities and instead it was a myriad of themes that made Odin unique. They saw some buildings with familiar, sharp roofs and towers, just next to those with flat roofs and pillars standing in front of the entrances. Besides those, there were plenty of structures in other styles.

  The flying city was full of circular, round, chapel-like houses just as much as it was filled with triangular, pentagonal, and other formations. If Ast’s and Tina’s assumptions weren’t wrong, Odin borrowed architecture from every single ARK that existed, creating a mesh of styles. It wasn’t that far of a guess considering the fact that Odin was the central piece of the entire network.

  But, the most striking structure was definitely the giant crystal tower in the very middle of the floating city. It looked like it was made purely of stained glass with every single imaginable color. They realized that the rainbowy glint they had seen wasn’t only the effect of the sporadic use of colorful metals but mainly came from that incredible marvel. Tina felt like it had to symbolize something and Asterios agreed.

  As they were closing on their destination, heading towards the port while admiring the enchanting architectural wonder, Esil spotted movement. Asterios and Tina hastily refocused on the sky ahead and they all noticed three groups of about a dozen valkyrjas flying toward them. He asked Esil to stop and wait for the winged ladies to reach their position.

  The three units spread around and surrounded them, brandishing their spears, bows, and staves at the trio. Asterios and Tina raised their hands in the universal sign of surrender and observed the women to the accompaniment of the mighty flap of Esil’s wings keeping them in place.

  One of the valkyrjas flew forward and stopped in front of them. “Who are you and what are your intentions with that beast?”

  They couldn’t see her face under the golden helmet but the woman’s voice made it obvious that she was a seasoned warrior and commander who preferred a no-nonsense approach. If they were to upset her, things could take an ugly turn. Thankfully, they had no reason to do so as there was nothing the other party had to worry about from their side.

  “My name is Asterios and this is Tina, my partner. We are both Summoners not from this realm and the winged lion you see us ride is her familiar,” Asterios answered truthfully, not seeing any need to lie. “We are traveling from Brage and mean no harm. As you can see, we are in possession of the enchanted compass given to us by the navigator from there.”

  He slowly brought out the device and waved it at the woman. Since they were right in front of their destination, he chose to toss it to her as they didn’t really need to hold onto it for much longer. The valkyrja caught it and examined the gadget briefly.

  “How are we to know that you didn’t just steal it off some poor traveler or one of our transports?” she asked in a cold but controlled tone. “I’ve never seen anything like you in my life, and neither have I met a wingless valkyrja. What is your purpose for coming here?”

  Asterios smiled wryly at her reply. “First, we want to rest a little. Then, we plan on getting an audience with the Council. We bring important news from Tyr, related to the Descending Spire. I’m not exactly sure how much I can share with you.”

  “You don’t look like one of the Council’s messengers and I know all of them personally. No Council would send a person unauthorized by Odin with sensitive information. If you truly are one, where is your proof, the Dispatch Sigil?” She pointed her spear at them.

  “Here.” A crimson gate opened next to Esil and Bryn flew out of it, showing the Tyr’s Wing to the sentinels. The valkyrjas instantly bowed their heads and placed their right fists over their hearts, including the leader of the unit. “I’m Bryn, a member of Tyr’s Council, and this person is Tyr’s Champion, the victor of the recently held War Games, Power Division. I can vouch for his words with my position. As he said, we need to meet with the council for an important matter.”

  “I apologize for interrupting your mission, then,” the valkyrja replied.

  “There’s no need. You were properly executing your duty and it is your right to be doubtful. Thank you for your service.” Bryn made a respectful nod. “At ease.”

  The women followed her order and returned their hands to their natural positions.

  “I shall send a messenger to let the Tower know about your arrival and request for an audience.” The leader drifted aside, extending a hand towards the port. “Welcome to Odin, Councilor Bryn, Asterios, Tina.”

  They nodded at the valkyrjas and continued on their way to the port. The winged ladies escorted them from some distance and then flew away when they landed on one of the piers. The woman who had spoken earlier, stopped next to them for a moment as Odin’s navigator ran up to their group. She handed down the device they had given her during the interrogation before rejoining her unit.

  “Thanks for the save,” Asterios said to Bryn with a warm smile.

  “It’s nothing. I’m sure you would have handled the situation well even without my intervention.” She reciprocated the gesture with the same.

  “How did things go with the Council? Or did you not have a chance to speak to them yet?” Tina asked as Asterios assisted her off Esil’s back.

  “They were skeptical because it was translated by you but couldn’t refute undeniable evidence when placed right in front of their eyes.” Bryn chuckled. “We kept our promise and now it’s their turn to do so. I will have an eye on them to make sure that they are not slacking but we should be on a good path to having a warmed-up army of valkyrjas ready for our call.”

  “That’s great to hear. We better let them know ahead of time so they can get here. It certainly isn’t a small distance to cover.” Asterios nodded to himself.

  “If Odin’s Council agrees to see us and our talks go well, we should be able to convince them to direct more transporters to Tyr for that exact reason. We need to be fast if we don’t want it to take weeks, though,” she said with a tiny smirk.

  Another crimson gate opened next to them and Grea walked out of it. “Well, we better get going, then. The fuck-tall rainbow dildo is waiting.”

  The girls chuckled and giggled as they followed after the vulgar demon lady, stepping through the spatial corridor. Everyone exchanged greetings and Asterios shared a peck or two with all his mates. They talked briefly about the flight and what the girls had been doing in the meanwhile before they headed into the city. Since the giant, phallus-shaped crystalline tower served as a pretty decent landmark, they didn’t have to ask any locals for help in locating the Council’s residence.

  They took their sweet time while wandering through the mesmerizing streets. The girls looked all around and marveled over the colorful metal structures. The roads and most of the buildings were kept in the gold-silver theme, but the occasional houses and establishments shining with other beautiful hues made the scenery so enjoyable and interesting. All the geometrical buildings with a varying number of edges were even more enchanting from up close.

  And the best thing? The sun rays hitting the crystal tower reflected off its rainbowy surface right onto the ARK’s floor. The effect was slightly toned due to the late hour but their path was still riddled with visible spots of every single color, creating a charming atmosphere. Miria bounced around while giggling to herself, chasing after different shades, catching the reflected light onto her body, and sending toothy grins at Asterios.