"Should we go check it out?" Jean asked, facing the witch.
"Perhaps that would be wise." Said Grimhild, turning to face everyone else. "Me and Jean will see what the frost giants' intentions were, so stay on the ship for now."
Everyone nodded as Fhiron chuckled.
"Fine by me."
Both Jean and Grimhild took flight via Flonta, descending to the ground.
Snow crunched under Jean's boots as he dropped from Skidbladnir while Grimhild landed beside him, her staff in hand.
The Frost Giant lay still, half-buried in the crater her fall had made.
Steam came from her lips with every heavy breath, and the ice of Jotunheim still clung stubbornly to her armor despite the fight's end.
Jean approached first, keeping his hand near the hilt of his daggers just in case.
"She's breathing… but that's one heck of a knockout."
Grimhild's single eye swept over the giant's form with clinical precision.
"Antimana disruption combined with synchronized blunt force trauma. Her magical resistance is in disarray, but her natural fortitude is… remarkable."
"She'll wake up soon?" Jean asked, crouching beside the giant's face.
Even unconscious, she looked fierce with her long red hair, and a furrow in her brow as if she was still ready to fight in her dreams.
"Yes." Grimhild replied, placing a hand on the giant's fur armor. "But when she does, she may see us as enemies. Frost Giants are proud. Defeat is not something they take lightly."
Jean gave a small smirk.
"Good thing you're here to talk instead of me. I'm not good at persuading people."
Ignoring him, Grimhild extended her staff and traced a small magic circle in the air.
"Anull."
The magical blueprint hovered above the giant's chest, allowing Grimhild to get a reading on her magical power and physiology.
Needless to say, it was remarkable.
"She's strong. If it wasn't for the Elizabeth duplicates, fighting her by myself would be exhausting."
Grimhild levitated in the air and pointed her staff directly at the giant's face.
"Egyolta." A ray of green light shot from her staff, slamming into the giant's dome.
Their body started to glow green as particles of light fluttered around their physique.
The giant's breathing steadied as Jean arched an eyebrow.
"What was that?"
"A restoration spell meant to remove bad toxins and curses." Grimhild answered. "It'll stabilize her soul and nucleus, slowly neutralizing the Antimana inside them both. But it will take time."
Jean leaned back on his heels, studying the giant's face.
"She was fighting that dragon for a reason. You saw her, she wasn't exactly trying to kill it, she was… defending something?"
Grimhild looked skeptical, placing her hand underneath her chin.
"I felt it too."
The wind howled through the clearing, lifting flurries of ice between them.
Jean stood, brushing snow from his fingers.
"Then we wait here until she wakes. If she's still hostile, I'll hold her off. If she's willing to talk, we can get our answers."
Grimhild's gaze stayed fixed on the giant as her expression remained unreadable.
"If she's willing to talk, then we may learn why a warrior of Jotunheim is walking foot into Midgard. Such a thing is uncommon. It's a once in a blue moon situation."
Above them, the five duplicate Elizabeths faded into motes of light as their time expired. The real Elizabeth peered over the railing of Skidbladnir, calling down.
"So? Is she alive?"
Jean glanced up and shouted back.
"Yeah, but she might be really cranky when she wakes up!"
Grimhild didn't answer as she descended to the ground.
Her focus was locked on the frost giant's hand, more specifically, a blue sigil etched into her palm, emanating a magic power.
It was a mark Grimhild recognized—being that of serpents—and it meant trouble.
"The mark of Loki." Proclaimed the witch.
"Huh?" Jean turned to face Grimhild, tilting his head. "What are you talking about?"
"Look and see for yourself." Jean approached Grimhild's side, turning his gaze to the giant's hand. "Woah!" He widened his eyes in disbelief. "That really is Loki's symbol, what is she doing with it?"
The Mark of Loki was a curse, as those who bear this symbol are fated for misfortune for the rest of their lives, and their most precious possession will be shattered into pieces. Be it living or inanimate.
The only way to break it was to fulfill Loki's orders.
"How is that possible?" Asked Jean. "Loki has to make physical contact in order for him to curse you, but Asgard was sealed 20-something years ago. Could it be that she was cursed during the legendary age?"
Grimhild shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. While Asgard might've been sealed away by Excalibur, Loki remained on Midgard; in fact, many other gods still remain in the mortal realms, but they're just hidden."
"W-What?! You're joking, right?"
Jean stared at her like she'd just told him the sun rose in the west.
"You mean to tell me all this time… the gods have been walking around down here?"
Grimhild's tone was steady, almost unnervingly so.
"Yes, most of them are simply watching, and some of them play at being mortals, while others dwell in shadows between realms. But none of them stay idle. Loki least of all."
Jean's gaze drifted back to the sigil glowing
on the giant's palm. The serpentine lines seemed to writhe as though alive.
"So this isn't just some battlefield stray with a grudge. She's tied to him?"
Grimhild's expression darkened.
"If Loki marked her, it was for a purpose. And if she was fighting an elder dragon over Midgard's soil, that purpose may already be in motion."
"She doesn't look like some mindless servant. If anything, she fought with too much heart."
Grimhild nodded.
"A cursed warrior with her will intact is dangerous. She may not be bound in mind… but her fate is still tethered to Loki's game."
Above them, Zarutha's voice carried down from the ship.
"Uh, not to interrupt your little chat, but the dragon's body just moved!"
Jean's head shot up.
"It moved?"
The sound came next; a deep, resonant pop like a glacier splitting.
They both turned in time to see fissures racing through the frozen dragon's body, blue fire leaking through the cracks like molten veins.
Grimhild's staff was already in her hand.
"It's breaking free. This is no ordinary dragon to simply melt Jotunheim's frost."
Jean drew his daggers with a grimace.
"Just what we needed, round two before round one's even over!"
The Frost Giant turned while unconscious and a groan came from her throat. Her fingers even twitched until her eyes fluttered open; icy blue and burning with determination.
The first thing she saw was Grimhild standing beside her.
Her voice came out hoarse, but laced with steel.
"…Who are you?"
Grimhild didn't flinch as she turned to face the Frost Giant.
"The one who stopped your fight before it destroyed this land. We need to talk, but first you need to tell me why that beast wanted you dead."
The giant's gaze turned to the dragon, then back to Grimhild as her expression hardened.
"…Because I carry something that it was sent to destroy."
Jean exchanged a look with the giant.
"And that would be?" He asked.
The Frost Giant's lips curled into something of a smirk.
"The key to Asgard."
Before either of them could respond, the dragon's roar split the air, shattering what little calm remained.
Jean's gaze turned from the Frost Giant to the dragon forcing its way out of the ice with blue fire boiling in its throat.
"Alright… guess we're doing this the hard way." Through willpower alone, he lifted his hand and caused black sparks to flicker about. "Come, Ebony!"
A burst of shadow swirled into being in front of him, solidifying into the a dark humanoid with many stars and galaxies etched into its body.
The dragon's chest swelled as flames came from its throat.
Ebony hovered beside Jean, taking a stance.
"Master Jean, I shall aid you in combat!
Jean smirked, pulling out his daggers.
"Try not to hold back. This thing is tough if it could survive a Frost Giant!"
Without another word, Ebony blitzed forward as her afterimage scattered the snow.
The dragon's head swung toward her, loosing a stream of fire hot enough to warp the air.
Ebony's form vanished into shadow just before the flames could touch her, reappearing above its head with her fist cocked back.
"Gilvriem Oriesis!"
She landed a direct punch like a thunderclap, snapping the dragon's head to the side and sending shards of frost scattering.
With her special technique, the dragon had its three-dimensional body flattened into a two-dimensional state.
"Haaah!" Jean darted in from below, slashing at the beast's underbelly with his daggers, and cutting through its flat body.
It was impossible for the dragon to even attack, given its inability to interact with the third-dimensional plane now.
"What kind of power?" Muttered the Frost Giant, baffled.
"It's his Champion, Ebony." Said Grimhild, eyeing the battle. "She has the power to manipulate dimensions, including Hilbert Space."
Grimhild turned to face the giant in question.
"But enough of that, Jean can handle this dragon on his own. I need you to tell me…" Grimhild suddenly frowned. "What are you doing with the key to Asgard?"