"I have had a vision. A vision that told me of the future. I saw a great army, fighting the forces of Neptune at the base of The Chalice. We were there, brothers, fighting alongside great warriors. One such was a woman of flaming red hair who wielded magic so powerful even The Blade himself feared its rich purple aroura. She carried a mighty sword of sheer energy that cut through even the strongest armor and weapons with ease. I come to tell you this, brothers: Ragnarök is coming. And with it we shall be free from the grasp of The Watchers!" A man bellowed, standing on a log with his arms raised. 

A crowd of at least thirty people sat in a ring around him, listening. The night sky was filled with stars as if some mad god had taken a paintbrush and whipped it about in the heavens. At the base of the stump was a roaring fire, flames stretching hungrily into the sky. A thin line of smoke drifted lazily. The air was rich with the smell of roasting meat and smoke. Crickets chirped, turning the dark woods alive with the sound of music. Three Moons chased each other slowly across the night sky, always just out of reach.

"Bullshit! No one can stand up to The Watchers. Not even the gods themselves. Not even the unlimited army of entities under the surface of Murn. How would we, a band of brothers thirty strong, even stand a fraction of a chance?" A man in the crowd yelled. The band erupted into support of the protester. The man on the stump raised his arms.

"We shall not be alone! For the Daughter of Odin and Son of Murn shall lead our charge against our enemies! Listen to me, brothers!" He boomed. But he had lost the crowd. They spat insults against him, walking away.

"It's true."

All the men turned to Creed and stumbled back in surprise at the arrival of the entity. Creed waled by greeting them.

"Hi, whatsup. I know you, go away. Ayyyy, Steve!" He said to each person as he walked by.

 I stood, pulling my hood back and letting my hair fall over my shoulders. Creed and I stepped up to the stump.

"My name is Gem. I was subject to experiments like the Empires Trials and Hermit Trials. They forced me to kill friends. To destroy families. But I'm not going to let them do that to one more person. But we can't do it without the other Trials. Will you fight with us at Ragnarök, or remain slaves to Neptunes agenda for the rest of time? I know I won't. Will you?!" I spoke, reciting the speech Creed had written and had me memorize. This was probably the hundredth crowd I had spoken to. Every single time the majority said yes. Eagerly, even. This one was no different.

  "We stand no chance! If you want to die, go ahead. But I won't stand for it." The protester said.

"Would you rather die a slave or die fighting? Never free?" I asked him. He hesitated a moment.

"Not if fighting will be worth NOTHING!" He bellowed, turning and walking away. Only two people followed him. It didn't bother me.

Creeds ship suddenly materialized above us and landed behind me. The drop ramp fell with a loud thud, revealing a large 3D printer. Creed stepped up to it, punched a few demands in, and swiped a card through it. It quickly began printing weaponry and armor for the group.

"Aren't you gonna run out of money for doing that?" I asked. He shook his head.

"It connects to main account of the Watchers. Technically I'm stealing from them by doing this. What are they gonna do, terminate their own account?" Creed replied mischievously. I laughed.

After a few minutes we had printed enough for the entire group and handed it to the preacher to distribute. Creed held up a goat horn that he had gotten off of Heimdall. Gjallarhorn, the alarm that Ragnarök had started.

"When I blow this horn, be ready. A Rift will open for you that will lead straight to the base of The Chalice, The Island of Vígríðr. We'll see you there." Creed yelled. The crowd cheered and clapped as we closed the ramp. 

I sighed in exhaustion and collapsed into the co piolet chair. Creed pulled us up and looked at me.

"Get some sleep. Take a break. By now word of what we've done will be spreading like a wildfire across the multiverse. We don't have to do much more than wait to blow Gjallarhorn." He told me. I nodded, too tired to even respond.

Huginn cawed, flapping onto my lap as I dropped into bed. I smiled, scratching his head. Huginn curled up, cooing and shutting his beady black eyes.

In Midgard, we had found a painting of Asgard. Creed had quickly bought it and given it to me to hang up in my room. And at night I stared at it to help tell me starting Ragnarök was all worth it. 

I would find a way to keep my family alive, even if it meant burning down all of Terra Prime.

I shut my eyes, and sleep found me quickly.

.  .  .

I stood on a vast battlefield, ankle deep in blood. Countless bodies were stacked high around me, filling the air with the stench of decay and blood. The Chalice towered above me, larger than I could comprehend. The light from the Star didn't reach this corner of hell. A titanic tree sprouted from the side of it, burning. Yggdrasill. A giant dead squirrel lay at the base of Yggdrasill, blood pouring from its empty eye sockets. A dragon flew high above, wings coated in bodies. And yet, even with all this carnage, the battle still roared viciously. Gods, Giants, Titans, Men, and all species in between fought each other viciously. Fire and Ice coated the ground, adding to the foul stench.

This was Ragnarök.  

I heard something running up behind me. Magic immediately coiled around my arms. I whirled around, seeing some kind of zombie Viking running at me. I blasted it and it fell, on fire and screaming. I quickly fled the area, ducking into a cave at the base of The Chalice. I gasped for breath, trying to block out the smells and sounds of the battle. I squeezed my eyes shut, panicking. 

Then a hand fell on my ankle.

I jumped back with a shout. A bloody, beaten-up Mumbo lay in front of me, his right eye ripped out and his hair burned away. I could see his skull. His one remaining eye was open wide with panic.

"Help... Me!" He gasped with his last breath. I screamed, crawling backwards to get away from the body of my friend.

As I ran from the cave, I tripped over something and fell to the ground. I landed face first in the mud and blood. Choking, I sat up and spat it from my mouth in a panic.

"Wake up wake up, wake up wake up!" I screamed, hitting myself in the forehead. A hand fell on my shoulder.

.  .  .

I jerked awake, screaming. Huginn squawked in surprise.

"Whoa, Gem! It's me! It's me! Creed!" Creed said, taking a step back. Sweat poured down my face and my breath came out in ragged breaths. Purple lightning curled around my arm. I forced it off, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What happened? I heard you yelling. Something about a mumbo? A burning tree at the base of The Chalice? What was that all about?" He asked. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Ragnarök. I think... I think I just saw Ragnarök." I stammered. Huginn cooed, sensing my distress and flapping into my lap. I hugged his tiny bird body into me, willing the images to leave my head. It had been a thousand time worse than the battle against Xornoth.

"I figured... don't dwell on it too much. I've been having them too. But we don't have a choice. Ragnarök must happen. Besides, The Norn's said we'd survive." Creed assured me. I shook my head.

"I'm not sure I want to survive that." I said softly.

"Don't say that. This is a cruel multiverse, Gem. It will break us over and over and over again. But we have to keep going. But it will always have light worth fighting for. Even if that fight is Ragnarök. Generations trillions of years from now will look back and thank us for what we did at Vígríðr. Our story isn't over yet. Not even close. So, what will yours be? The girl who hid from Ragnarök or the girl who wins the whole damn thing?" Creed said, standing up. He walked out, leaving me with my thoughts and Huginn. After a minute I came to a decision. 

End

The Hermits Will Return For Ragnarök