Wizards, and Giants, and Gods! Oh My! (IC)

[quotemyname]

An old man sat in the pub that was square in the center of the Theater District. He had been there for quite some time now. For hours he had simply sat with a glass of wine and his pipe. The beard hairs around his mouth had been stained red with the wine he had been drinking.

But now it was closing time, and the old man's bones didn't want to move when the bus boy asked him too. With the flick of a robed sleeve, and the gnarled hand beneath it, he shooed the boy away. The boy got his manager, and the manager asked the old man to leave. He too was shooed away with nary a word.

The manager fetched the owner, and the owner asked the man to leave. This time, there was no wave. The old man's brows furrowed, and his expression soured with anger, "Thrice, now, thou hast disturbed me!" The old man stood quickly from his chair with a grace that a man of his age should hardly possess. He plunged a hand deep into the sleeve of his robes. "And for that, thou shalt pay dearly!" The man withdrew a rolled piece of parchment, unfurled it and clasped it gently between his hands.

"SNedvekekek! Xen'drnakdior! Veloshentaoustn!" The man shouted, speaking the Old Words. Using his pipe, he lit the corner of the parchment, and rather than burning slowly, as paper usually does, it instantly burst into flames. The spot on the floor which it touched began to burn. Then, suddenly, the parchment exploded!

In the smoldering wreckage of the first floor restaurant crouched an enormous man in armor, clutching a sword which had its point embedded in the ground. The giant was engulfed in a blazing torrent of flame, and soon the restaurant would be as well.

[quotemyname]

"Valkyrie!" The Norn summoned her, "Go and prove to the gods that you are truly worth of their gifts!"

"Verily, Norn! We hear and obey!"

---

A bolt of lightning struck the sidewalk across the street from where the building was beginning to burn. When the sparks cleared, Valkyrie stood proud, ready to face her opponent and prove herself to the gods.

[Taar]

The night had been slow so far. Slow and boring. So it was just as well that a loud crash and a roar of flames attracted Sarah's attention just as she was about to leave the area.

Arriving on scene just as a woman appears amidst a bolt of lightning, Sarah quickly scans the scene as space begans twisting around her.

[quotemyname]

Clad in her blue steel armor, Valkyrie wasted no time in making her presence known to the giant. "Ho beast! Thou art no match for the might of the gods. Lay down your arms and no harm shall come to thou. Only the shame of surrender on the field of battle!" Valkyrie stood and waited expectantly.

The giant did not seems pleased at this. He turned to the warrior maiden, and towered above her at his full height. Sparing her no words, he prepared to give her his answer with his sword.

Valkyrie, however, was faster. She spun in place and with a mighty throw, let her hammer fly. The Hammer flew so gracefully through the air. Somehow, the giant managed to pull off a lucky dodge. That Hammer missed the creature's head by mere inches. The Hammer fly back to the woman's hands unerringly.

The Giant then brought the sword downward in a deadly arc. But this attack proved to have been forseen as well. The blade passed within inches of Valkyrie, a very near miss.

[Taar]

Considering the giant's reaction to be reasonable cause to assume villainous shenanigans, Sarah vanished from her vantage point. She reentered the scene in midair, her sword slicing a gleaming red arc straight down in an attempt to bisect the giant's face before fading away again.

Sarah reappeared further out into the street, blade on shoulder, free hand in pocket, and back to the opponent. The picture of cock-sure arrogance.

[quotemyname]

The arrival of the previously unseen combatant made Valkyrie do a double take. The sword had its desired effect. The attack was so powerful, that it threw the Giant almost a quarter of a mile down the street. The Giant crashed into the pavement, and shuddered, showing obvious signs of pain.

"Well met, fellow Shieldmaiden!" Valkyrie smiled, and hefted her hammer over her shoulder. "Assistance on the field of battle is always welcome. Thou hast proven thyself to be a worth combatant. Valhalla shall sing tales of your excellence in battle."

Valkyrie dropped into a crouched stance. "Now let us see if the might of the Gods can put an end to this battle!" In a flash of lightning, She vanished. Lightning struck once again a few feet above the fallen Giant. Letting gravity do most of the work for her, she swung the mighty Hammer in a devastating downward arc as she fell. The Hammer connected with the creatures back. There was a thunderous clap, as the skies themselves tore open. Lightning struck the exact spot that the Hammer made impact. Surely the justice of the heavens fueled this warriors blows.

Wasting no time, Valkyrie hefted the Godly weapon once more. Raising it high above her head, she placed all of her height and weight behind one final blow. The Hammer once again made thunderous impact, and once again was assisted by the God's furious lightning.

When the smoke cleared, there was no more street. The only thing that remained was a crater in the middle of the street. At the bottom, lay the Giant, relieved of his consciousness. Atop him, stood the victorious Valkyrie, surrounded in a blue shimmering light. Valkyrie heard the voice of the Norn in her head once more. Odin is pleased with thine efforts, mortal. Go and bask in the glory of thine victory.

[Taar]

Quickly popping over to the new crater to check that the big guy was out of it, Sarah turned to the new heroine.

"Hey there. You new in town? I'm Sarah by the ways" she said, holding out her hand. "Come on, we should probably check the wreckage in case any civilians got trapped. Maybe we can find out what set this off, too."

[quotemyname]

In the space of another two lightning strikes, Valkyrie had extracted herself from the Crater, and was standing on the street near Sarah. "Fist, a proper greeting is in order! I am called Valkyrie. It is good that we have met this day, Sarah." She extended her hand to shake. Once the two had been properly introduced, Valkyrie said, "Come, then. Let us attend to the needs of the civilians."