Gamer Chapter 42 (Patreon)

After reviewing the contract with my girls to make sure there were pitfalls in the Geass that would lead to my doom. I signed it... Understanding that there wasn't any rush to actually impregnate Gunhild.

As the Geass didn't state when I had to do any baby-making activities on either side of us.

"Now Gunhild. Please settle down and tell me all you can about the Eastern Sidir or magical kingdom to the east of Skadi's castle." I requested.

Gunhild took a breath and she began speaking. "The Forsa Kingdom... They have in the last century failed into the darker parts of magic with how that handmaiden of Skadi took over as its dark queen." 

I waited patiently as she collected her thoughts before she asked me. "What do you wish to know in particular?" 

"What are the composition of their forces, and how is the city organized? Is there nobility or factions within the city? And lastly, can I make that Handmaiden bend the knee?" I asked in succession the major questions I had in mind.

And so Gunhild began explaining. The kingdom itself did actually have a bit of a standing army of mages unlike this Heior Kingdom but this kingdom was also filled with very strong people hopped up on magical drugs basically.

The city itself was built into a large inactive volcano, that had been bored into and with magic had its heat sapped from it to heat the city with various modern comforts with the handmaidens captured castle being built over the top of the inactive volcano.

"As for factions or forces you could control... No, just like Afridus, the Handmaiden Queen Skoryn will not accept other factions that could oppose their rule within their city. All such dissenting forces were cut down." Gunhild spoke before she took a breath to answer my final and most important question.

"As for whether she will bend the knee... I very much doubt it. I have met her a few times over the years and she is brutal, and cruel, and looks down upon all but her goddess whom she both loves, and idolizes... And hates beyond measure for casting her out." 

Arianna with a slight hum asked curiously. "And what did the little handmaiden do to earn her goddesses' ire? Beyond the whole experimenting on her fellow handmaidens."

Gunhild closed her eyes as she shook her head with a clear grimace crossing her face before she spoke quietly. "Its... All but taboo to speak of, but seeing as you are king of the Heior kingdom at this point I will explain."

"She didn't experiment on just one fellow handmaiden... She did it to several, and what she did was use a special device that fell into this world from the true Earth, she used the device to suck out a Sacred Gear and the given divinity of the Hand Maidens she could get alone to add to herself." 

I couldn't help a wolf whistle at hearing that particular blasphemy. 

Like that was the equilvalent of one of Artemis's hunter's doing the same to her fellow Hunters... I couldn't imagine the torture that Artemis would do to that woman.

And Kiyohime seemingly shared my thoughts as she spoke. "I find it hard to believe that Handmaiden is still alive after betraying her goddess in such a way." 

To which Gunhild looked around and I raised an eyebrow as she engraved a quick rune into the table to isolate people's senses from the area and she looked dead serious as she spoke. 

"That is because Skoryn is the spawn of Loki and who was using a female mortal vessel to hide his divinity and filthy aura. Loki over the course of decades managed to seduce Skadi as her handmaiden and just when the war between the nine realms broike into its peak and when Skadi's homeland was being invaded by the Norse forces."

Gunhild's face twisted before she spoke. "Loki who had been Skadi's and her husband's shared lover in his female form struck and killed Skadi's husband with a poisoned dagger to his back in the battle... And then gleefully tortured Skadi with the knowledge that she will never know if her daughter Skoryn was his daughter or her previous beloved husbands."

My face twitched as I could only think. 'Fucking degenerate divines... What the fuck is wrong with Loki and why do they always change genders and get fucked?' 

My thoughts of disgust were cut off as Arianna said without any inflection. "Yeah... That's very much a Loki thing to do. So Skadi feels guilty and doesn't know how to handle her daughter I suppose and when said daughter wanted to ascend as a true goddess to match her mother. Skadi couldn't handle the thought of just killing her own daughter who wanted to match and become her peer?" 

To which Gunhild sharply nodded while I brushed a hand across my face as Gunhild looked back to me and spoke.

"Thus I say, no I do not think you can get her to bend the knee so easily my lord... You are far better off killing or imprisoning her as Skadi has washed her hands of her daughter." 

I was silent for a moment before I took out the Afridus's battle axe and laid it on my lap. "I need to have Skadi bend the knee to me to have properly conquered this realm... So I don't need to kill or imprison Skoryn even though she will need to be set right if she is to rule the other half of this realm for me." 

'That or I will have to kill her after I make Skadi surrender to me if she is as truly disdainful of non-divines as Gunhild says.' I thought before I tapped the handle which acted as the main body of the key which would unlock Skadi's castle.

"I just need to get Skoryn's crown... It will complete this key allowing me to enter Skadi's castle." I shook my head before I brushed my hand across my face as I took a breath and spoke.

"In either case. Gunhild thank you for the information. I will certainly be using it to great effect. Now I imagine you need to go check on your daughters and speak to Hrist in particular."

At my reminder about her foolish daughter who had the audacity to simply ask me to leave the kingdom she gave a shallow nod without any emotion appearing on her face.

Then without a word she was embraced in shadows with the shadows quickly peeling away with her form disappearing.

"Well... That was certainly a thing." I muttered as I contemplated the information I had been given.

Skoryn was going to be an issue... Although Gunhild was pragmatic to bend the knee to me and bind her fate to my own rule. Skoryn was an old witch of a demi-god of some sort.

And I knew well enough of Medea and Circe's ilk to know that they lived and breathed such spite that they would patiently wait for decades if not centuries before lashing out with a trap or curse that will make their victim suffer a fate fate worse then death.

Whereas Gunhild was willing to set aside any feelings she had and submit to me. Skoryn was going to no doubt be a poisonous snake not unlike Esdeath who I had to run away from in the Eldritch Realm after getting Excalibur Blessing.

Speaking of which... I needed to turn in the fallen angel wings I had collected and give them to Morgan in order for me to get some dragon blood from her for my martial art.

'Gunhild and her daughters are manageable... I am assured of their loyalty through the Geass we signed. But Skoryn... I just need to take her magical crown from her and then I can deal with her after I meet with Skadi.' I mused.

As I knew that dealing with Skoryn lethally before I met with Skadi was just asking for Skadi to take it in the worst way. Even if I doubted that Skadi would just roll over and allow me to take over the realm she had created no matter how well our initial meeting goes.

"Hmm, then in the meantime while the people of the villages and small towns are moved over to repair and inhabit the capital. Jake let us go back to translating the Primordial Runes of the Champions you slew along with the king and his son's Primordial Rune weapons and armor." Arianna spoke with some excitement.

And after a moment I gave a slight hum before shaking my head. "No. I really don't want to spend a week translating the Primordial Runes at this point. The next Niflheim super winter is in two weeks and I would rather have this Realm all wrapped up and conquered before that." I spoke firmly.

It would take me a good couple of days to fly across the realm at my full speed, and then who knows what nonsense I will need to deal with in order to yoink Skoryn's crown to combine into the shaft of Alfridus's great axe to make the key to Skadi's castle.

I could take a good break for a week after I finish up this realm back on Earth where I could spend time with my Kitsune's and everyone else.

In that same vein, I brushed a hand across my face as I mused on something. "I really don't want to fight Skoryn straight on let alone kill her. I would rather abscond with the crown and leave to go meet Skadi without the blood of her daughter on my hands." 

Kiyohime gave me a slight scowl as she spoke. "You are not suggesting to merely leave us behind are you?" 

To which I gave a winning smile with smolders of flames entering the dragon woman's eyes before I shrugged and replied more seriously. "It would be a quick in and out snatch and grab... No smashing, no burning down of the kingdom. I do after all need something of true value to rule after I meet with Skadi."

I looked at Kiyohime and spoke firmly. "Kiyohime... In case my meeting with Skadi goes terribly, I will need you to be an unknown as much as possible anyway to deal with her. I am going to conquer this realm even if I have to kill Skadi so I want you to keep a low profile until that meeting." 

With Kiyohime nodding slowly in understanding as though she understood my thoughts. She clearly didn't like the idea of staying out of the way.

Same with the other ladies except for the Nephelim Alicia Clemice. She wasn't my lover or anything.

"I understand Jake. So should we meet at Skadi's castle in like five days?" Yuki asked and I nodded in agreement.

With that, I nodded. I had a clear plan basically to take over this realm. So I stood up with an exhale and spoke. "Good... Now I suggest you all go to one of the smaller neighboring towns and get out of the capital as things are going to be hectic as Gunhild fixes things. I am going to go as fast as I can to get Skoryn's crown."

The girls all understood their parts to play so with that I made my way out of the castle and my conjured wings filled with the winds of Kusanagi as I quickly took off towards the Eastern Kingdom of magic.