I was resting. I didn't really need rest anymore, it seemed like. I mean traveling was quick as hell now and I hadn't even eaten since Adrienne... well... in a few days. I'd been riding Harx rather than flying, mostly because I wanted to prepare myself for what was to come, but we certainly weren't in any hurry to get to Valhalla. I wasn't exactly sure where it was--it could be in any of the Norse countries, after all, and there was no hint given to me as to where specifically to find it, but still for some reason I wasn't all that anxious to get there.
There were many reasons for this, I think. One was that I wanted to be ready when I fought Rakasha and his Purple Fuck-face friend. Another was that I had lost a lot of the rage I'd had and no longer was I willing to charge in head first, risking my own life. I mean, I just wanted to be smart about all this. Another reason was that in all my time I'd never experienced anything more beautiful than the countryside seen from the back of a Griffin.
I was still in my armor, and didn't plan on changing it any time soon. It had already saved my life once, although my ribs still hurt like hell from that experience, and I wasn't sure when I'd need it again. Besides, it still looked fucking awesome, so....
I was somewhere over Greenland, and the terrain was barren and sparse. Ice stretched as far as the eye could see, but I got the feeling like there was something underneath it all. Harx landed and I dismounted, grabbing my swords and walking slowly over the ice and snow toward what looked like a door several hundred yards away. Harx seemed not to want to venture any closer than this, and so I left him behind, advancing. A feeling of dread washed over me as I walked.
Something happened, and I barely had time to react. The ice before me broke open like a meteor just hit it from the bottom and out of it came the Purple Knight, his giant sword already swinging toward my neck.
It won't be that easy, Jackass, I thought, and rolled to the side. His sword narrowly missed and mine were up and attacking in less than a second. For someone looking on our combat would have been a blur at most, probably invisible. He'd grown much stronger since we'd last face, and I knew why--Rakasha was possessing him, increasing his strength a hundred times, if not more. He was stronger than I was, but I was faster. I wasn't sure that was going to matter, though. Every time he moved big globs of drool flew from his mouth like he was a rabid dog and I couldn't help noticing how wild he seemed, feral. It was terrifying, especially considering that even with all my new, ridiculous power he was actually beating me.
I waited for his sword to come down and I made my move, the only move I could think to make. With my left sword I pinned his blade to the ice, simultaneously bringing about my right toward his neck. He raised his left hand, like I knew he would, and caught the blade. It sliced through his mail gauntlet and I heard him cry out in pain. I kicked out with my right foot, catching him in the chest, and he flew twenty meters back. I didn't wait for him to get up but fled, calling for Harx and taking off faster than the speed of sound. I stopped somewhere in Germany, counting my wounds, which were luckily few. Harx arrived a little behind me, and I made sure he was okay as well. I knew they weren't following me. There was something in Valhalla they didn't want me to have.
Just then the same man appeared from the sky that did when I was talking to Zach. "Hello, Ramsey," he said.
"Hi..."
"I saw that fight of yours," he said. "You'll never be able to defeat Rakasha at your current strength. It seems odd to me that he would possess such a weak creature--had he conjured his true form he would have easily killed you, but it seems to me he enjoys toying with you."
"Weak?" I was astounded. "I... I don't know what to say."
"Yes, I assumed that would be true. But I've come to help you. Let me begin by explaining something to you. You are the heir of Hercules."
That was a bit sudden. It hit me like a brick. I sat down on a nearby stump.
"The mantle is passed down through the generations, and your uncle was the last. But you have yet to inherit the mantle's real strength. You only have that of your uncle, although you have certainly expanded upon his powers--in fact I think you're now stronger than he ever was. But with the Mantle's full strength behind you you shall be unstoppable. Think about it as a power multiplier--Whatever your base power is is what you have now. The mantle, in it's full and completed form, will make you hundreds of thousands of times more powerful."
I gulped. Honestly I couldn't even imagine being any more powerful than this. "How do I get it?" I asked.
"Well, that's the hard part. You have to collect Hercules' armor. It's spread throughout the world in ten pieces. Here's one." He reached into a bag and grabbed a giant pauldron. I put it on my right shoulder and already I felt more power running through me. It was amazing. "Another is held by Rakasha in Valhalla. I know that now."
"And the others?" I asked.
"You'll have to find them yourself," he said, and started to leave, but I stopped him.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Let's just say a friend sent me." He smiled and was off.
I examined the pauldron for a while after he left. it was a red-gold color, and complimented the white of my armor and blue of my cape nicely. I could tell already that this armor was going to combine perfectly with the armor I already had, and that, besides making me stronger, would look hella tight. I looked at Harx, who was staring at me.
"What you lookin at?" I said.
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