Chapter - 31 Loki's Curse.
The tropical lands of the Far East, near the Sarang Kingdom.
Present-day Gobi Desert.
Three horses emerged from the rainforest and entered a land of rolling grasslands, scattered hills, and distant green mountains. Near a waterfall that poured into a clear pond below, the group stopped to rest. Thinking it was as good a time as any, Dhira decided to take a swim. Dia went off to gather herbs, while Aatreya wandered ahead to scout the route, leaving Dhira alone.
Time passed.
Dhira was swimming beneath the water when he noticed Dia approaching the pond. He saw her removing her clothes and stepping into the water carrying two golden cups. His eyes followed her as she walked closer, stopping only an arm's length away. She offered him one of the cups. Dhira accepted it and glanced inside, his gaze seeming to see something.
"Something special?" Dia took a sip from her own cup and smiled faintly.
"Nothing. I just thought we're alone for once." Her hands gently rested lightly on his shoulder.
" We could have some fun." And Dhira chuckles.
" Fun indeed. What do you have in mind?"
" Ahh ... .nothing in particular, just you and me." and she came closer.
" Sounds good I guess." And there heads touched.
"By the way, Dhira. Where did you put that monster's Stiggs' horn? I think carrying that thing around might be dangerous."
Dhira stared at the drink for a moment. Their heads are still touching. Then a small laugh escaped him. Not amused. Disappointed. He raised the cup toward his face.
"Did you use the same poison this time?" Dia frowned.
"What was that? I didn't hear you." Dhira sighed. "I really want to kill you right now, Loki."
The smile vanished. For a second the woman standing before him was no longer Dia.
"When did you figure it out?" she asked. Dhira looked at her. "The naked act was convincing and pleasing to eyes." His gaze shifted toward the cup. Their heads no longer touched."The glasses weren't." Orange slowly appeared in Dia's eyes.
"After last time, I don't drink anything handed to me."
The pond exploded. Dhira headbutted the fake Dia with all his force.
Water erupted skyward. The figure before him dissolved into purple fire as Loki revealed herself, landing gracefully on the shore in flowing violet robes. She barely had time to steady herself before Dhira burst from the water behind her. His punch came fast. Far too fast. It slammed into her stomach. The Loki he struck vanished into flames. An illusion.
The world around him twisted. Trees bent. The waterfall split into impossible directions. Shadows stretched across the ground. He was hit by an illusion. Then a familiar voice came from somewhere behind him. "No brain. Just brawn." Loki stepped from behind a tree, one hand holding a flickering purple flame. She approached calmly, almost casually, as though the fight had already ended. That mortal has been stuck by her illusion, and her illusion was hard enough for a God. What is this mortal compared to that?
She reached toward him with her delicate hand outstretched, she was quite confident and it showed on her face, when suddenly a hand caught her wrist.
Loki froze. Actually froze. She looked up and saw Dhira's eyes burning with anger.
"No brain?" He yanked her forward. His fist crashed into her face. Purple flames exploded.
The real Loki appeared several meters away, surprise briefly flashing across her features. Before she could cast another spell, something flew toward her. She ducked. A tree trunk roared overhead. Dhira was already charging. Loki jumped back. Her shoulder struck another tree. Irritation crossed her face. She fired a stream of violet fire at him. Dhira ignored it. The flames struck his skin and scattered. He drove his fist into the ground. The impact shook the clearing. The waterfall trembled. Birds erupted from distant trees. Even the ground beneath Loki's feet lurched violently.
She vanished again. Reappearing atop a tall tree, she wiped a streak of dust from her cheek and frowned. Then she unleashed a far stronger illusion. The forest multiplied. Every direction now carried her scent. Her voice echoed from everywhere at once. Yet nothing happened. Dhira didn't slow down. Didn't hesitate. Didn't even seem confused. Something was interfering with her magic. Or someone.
Loki felt it too. A faint annoyance crept into her expression. And with Dhira he was trying to figure out the real location of Loki. And he didn't have to wait.
Back in the clearing, Loki appeared again, this time to Dhira's left. "Aren't you being a little unkind toward a lady?" she asked with a mocking smile. Dhira tore a tree from the ground. Loki prepared to vanish. Instead of swinging at her, he hurled the tree toward an entirely different part of the forest. Her smile disappeared. That was where her real body had been about to appear. Purple flames erupted as she escaped at the last instant. The thrown tree smashed into the one she had occupied moments before, splitting it down the middle with a deafening crack.
Dhira looked at the disappearing loki and growled.
"Where are you, coward?" he shouted. "Come out and fight." A chuckle echoed through the forest. "Isn't that a little hypocritical coming from you?" The voice drifted from everywhere at once.
"After all, you are the master of cheap tricks. Looks like my traitorous son taught you more than how to wear clean clothes."
Purple fire gathered in the air. Loki stepped out of it. Her face was cold. "I don't like that." She raised a hand. A beam of violet fire erupted from her palm.
The forest disappeared. Not burned. Gone. Trees, grass,
stones, everything in front of her was swallowed by the blast. Purple flames raced across the land, consuming everything in their path. The heat rolled outward like a tidal wave.
For a moment Loki simply stood there, relishing in the chaos, her orange eyes refracting the burning flames, her hair rustling, watching the destruction. She whistles, one hand idly twirling a strand of ash-blonde hair. Then the flames died. A smile appeared on her face. She twirled a strand of her hair. "Isn't it fascinating-" before she can finish saying that.
A fist smashed into her right cheek. The sentence never finished. The impact launched her across the battlefield. This wasn't an illusion. Not a clone. Her real body had been hit. For the first time since the fight began. Loki tore through trees, shattered rocks, and finally crashed into an open field beyond the forest, carving a massive trench through the earth.
Silence.
You can understand her feelings right now.
She slowly climbed out. Dust covered her face. Her hair was disheveled. And she was furious.
Dhira landed several meters away. In his hand a wooden mace rested casually. The moment he touched the ground, he attacked again. Loki vanished into purple flames. She reappeared behind him.
A blade of violet fire formed around her hand as she reached for his back. Dhira sensed the danger and ducked instantly. The wooden mace whipped upward toward her beautiful face. She vanished into purple flames before the strike could connect. A heartbeat later she appeared to his right. The mace was already moving toward her. She disappeared again. A flash of violet light. She reappeared behind him. Dhira spun and swung. Nothing. Only fading purple embers. Again she appeared. Again she vanished.
The battlefield became filled with afterimages and flickers of violet fire as Loki danced around him with impossible speed. Dhira kept attacking, relying on instinct more than sight.
Each swing went exactly where she was about to appear, forcing her to move again and again, but never quite catching her. Loki landed lightly on a broken tree stump and smirked.
"Getting close, mortal." Dhira's mace was already flying toward her. She vanished. The mace struck empty air.
Purple flames burst to his left. Dhira swung. Nothing. To his right. Nothing. Above. Nothing. Loki moved like a thought, appearing for only an instant before disappearing again. Yet her expression slowly changed. The smile remained. The amusement did not. Because every place she chose to appear, Dhira somehow knew. Not enough to hit her. But enough to force her away.
The Goddess of fire narrowed her eyes. That should have been impossible. Yet somehow he kept predicting her movements. She dodged another swing and landed atop a boulder.
"You've become rusty, mortal." Dhira didn't answer. His attacks only became faster. The wooden mace blurred through the air. Loki was forced to teleport repeatedly. Once. Twice. Ten times. The annoyance on her face slowly grew. This cat fight wasn't as amusing as you might think for her.
"Fine."
The sky darkened. Purple clouds gathered overhead. A second later fire began falling from the heavens. Not rain. Fire. Hundreds of burning meteor the size of baseball crashed toward the earth.
Dhira dodged several. More followed. Then dozens. Then hundreds. The field vanished beneath explosions. He realised as long as they keep raining he had to dodge. It's troublesome. He looked at purple clouds and planted his feet. Gripped his mace tightly in both hands, and raised the wooden mace high. And swung. The invisible shockwave exploded outward. Clouds split apart. Flames scattered. The ground trembled beneath him.
Far away, Loki watched from the sky. She laughed.
"You are really going to hit a goddess with that branch of yours?" Dhira's answer was immediate. Action. Not words. He vanished. A gust of wind erupted behind Loki. Her eyes widened. Dhira appeared at her back. His fist shot forward. She barely twisted aside. The punch grazed her cheek and shattered the air behind her. Loki retaliated instantly. A torrent of purple fire erupted toward him. Dhira ducked beneath it and slammed the mace into the ground. The shockwave forced Loki upward. She rose into the sky. Preparing another spell. Then the wooden mace came spinning toward her. Loki almost laughed. A branch? That thing? She was about to ignore it. Then she felt something. Someone. Behind it. Her expression changed. She turned. Dhira was already there. Using the spinning mace as cover.
No smile. No warning. Just anger. His fist crashed into her face. The impact launched her backward. Straight into the flying wooden mace. The branch struck her forehead with a dull thunk. It barely hurt. But the insult of being hit by a stick was somehow worse. For a moment the battlefield fell silent. Loki slowly touched her forehead. Her eyes twitched.