Ragnarok: The Fate of Gods Read Free Page B

sword.
                  “He seemed pretty serious.”
                  Zeke stood silent, trying to keep calm.  It didn’t surprise him.  With so many spies following him, it was inevitable that one of them should learn about Ariel.  He stood speechless.  Angry.
                  “He’d like to see you today, if that’s possible,” Daniel continued.
                  He had no choice.  “You any good with that thing, Clint?”  
                  Daniel glanced down.  His coat was open, revealing the shotgun hanging under his arm.  “I don’t mean to brag, but it got me up here, didn’t it?”
                  “I don’t mean to belittle your skills, gunboy, but seven draugr are nothing compared to the hoards I saw in the valley this morning.”
                  “Hoards?” he said in disbelief.  “But draugr usually travel alone.”
                  “Yeah, well, what do I know?”  Zeke retorted.  “Probably just rumors anyway, right?”  He walked over to a rock and pulled out a small bag.  Throwing it over his shoulder, he began walking.
                  “Where are you going?”
                  “Well, I thought I’d head back to town.”
                  “But Nifelheim is this way.”  Daniel pointed back in the direction he came from.
                  “Right, and so is a nice hike over the next five mountains until it drops you off in the wastelands surrounding the city.  If we go my way, it’s a two hour walk down the mountain and a ten minute walk to Nifelheim’s north gate.” 
                  He waited.  Daniel followed him, embarrassed. 
                  They set off down the path, but hadn’t gone ten steps before they heard the draugr hoard scream.  Zeke put out his hand, signaling a halt.
                  “What is it?” the boy asked.
                  “Those draugr aren’t hurt.  They’re scared.”  The two men stood silent.  There was only one thing on earth capable of frightening monsters as powerful of draugr. 
                  Malak. 
                  Mysterious beings comprised of energy, they existed in the world, but somehow outside of it as well.  Draugr could be defeated—they were strong, but not invincible.  Malak, on the other hand, had never been so much as scratched since they had first appeared on Earth several hundred years ago.  Ordinary weapons passed straight through their bodies as if they were ghosts.  But unlike ghosts, they could make themselves felt when they wanted to be.
                  And their touch never failed to destroy their victims.
                  A flash of unearthly light shot from the valley.  “It’s a malak, all right,” Zeke said.  “Looks like we’re taking your route.”
                  “Six hours of hiking through draugr infested mountains because of one malak?”
                  He felt like he was talking to a child.  “These are the things that wiped out the entire North American continent.  Not even cockroaches live there now.”
                  “Yeah, but wasn’t that a whole bunch of them?”
                  Zeke held up his katana.  “I can cut draugr.  If you want to tangle with the malak, be my guest, but I’m going to stick to the hoard of things that can die instead of the one thing that can’t.”  He turned and started walking.  He didn’t wait. 
                  The boy hesitated, then dashed after him.  “I’m Daniel.  Daniel Uzuki.” 
                  “Stay close, and try not to cause problems.  This could get tricky.” 
                  The two men set off together down the path that would lead to the next mountain.
     
                  As