The Skald Of Death

"But unlike us, Arthur Dahl—you are different, special—something way too unique. You'll change the destiny of this world and the fate of everyone you ever meet! You are the chosen one—ow!" Thoth stopped when Officer Verna kicked him under the table.

"Stop playing around," she said, clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah, my bad," Thoth stuck out his tongue. "You're not that special, nor are you going to change anything. You're basically useless—" Another smack from Officer Verna made him grit his teeth. "Aye! You said it yourself—to be honest!"

I liked the first one, where he was dramatic. It was nice to feel special... well, not like I'll be unique in any way just yet.

Thoth now looked a bit more serious. "Anyways, you are connected with one of the gods. Every Carrier has a small amount of a god's blood in them. We find those individuals and help them awaken their abilities, connecting them to the Runes. Once they've awakened their abilities, they're called Runebounds." He rummaged through his pocket as he kept speaking.

"These abilities, think of them like magic but more elaborate and systematic. They allow you to do things that are simply beyond common sense—like that trick back there with the armors that I did." Thoth placed a bunch of coins on the table.

Thinking, I decided to ask a question before he continued. "Why do I have to leave for this place—Jotunheim?"

The question was followed by silence. Awkward silence. Both Thoth and Officer Verna stared at me.

"Have I asked something dumb?"

Thoth chuckled. "No, it's just that wasn't something I expected you to ask."

I've heard that one before.

Still smiling, Thoth answered, "It's because you might die."

That's not what I wanted to hear. He's kidding again, right? I turned my eyes to Officer Verna... it looked like he wasn't lying this time.

"Why would that happen if I don't go to Jotunheim?" I asked, feeling my throat run dry.

Thoth thought for a second. "It's not that Jotunheim is the place you have to go to—it's just that your body..." He paused. "Carriers do carry the blood of gods in their veins, but this ichor is nothing but poison if not awakened." He sighed.

"Tying a Carrier to Runes is the best and easiest way to stabilize the blood for a while. But unless you become a Runebound, there's no way to fully assimilate the god blood," he explained.

From what I gathered, I have the blood of one of the gods. Looks like there are multiple gods. I'm a Carrier, I get tied to Runes, and then it'll stabilize my health. But it seems that being tied to the Runes does not equate to being a Runebound.

So what makes a Runebound?

"The blood will slowly start failing your organs, and before you know it, your heart will collapse under the power and give in. You die." He kept going. "You might have noticed that your body has been sluggish these past days—that's what I think, since Verna here wants to rush you to Jotunheim."

"I have not—" I paused when I noticed Officer Verna staring at me with one of her eyebrows raised. "Wait, is that why I collapsed when you performed the check?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I was there to deliver the better model of the detector. The new one allows us to detect individuals who have far fewer traces of ichor in their blood. The process might cause the ichor to act differently, and the stronger the reaction, the less time an individual has." She completed.

"How bad was my reaction?" I asked. I don't know where on this scale being unconscious lies.

Officer Verna's expression flickered for a second before returning to her austere mask. "It was bad. We don't know when your heart might give out. Since this poisoning doesn't cripple you fully before killing you, it'll take your life out of nowhere."

That's bad.

I did feel sluggish and dizzy for a few days, but I thought it was just because I hadn't been eating well and then the beating from those hoodlums.

Since coming here, I've been thinking about a lot of things, to be honest. A Runebound—do I have the freedom to choose whether to be one or not? Like, can I refuse if I don't like it? But that seems stupid.

So it's simple. I accept—I live. I refuse, I die. I hate this arrangement, to be honest. These days, I'm given choices, but it's always a choice between life and death.

"How does one awaken?" I asked.

Thoth's face lit up. "Oh! That's no biggie. It's a small ritual, but it'll allow you to connect yourself with the Runes. It'll also help you sense the life essence within and around you, alongside—" he stopped. "It'd be better if you see for yourself. So, what do you want?"

Death or life...

"I want to be alive. It'd be a shame to die now after leaving that hellish slum, wouldn't it?"

I won't die. Not easily.