Thoughtful as ever, Himchan sat at one of the fires in their base camp regarding his newest Einherjar interacting with a handful of other warriors more seasoned to Asgard’s perils.  His meeting with Thor had not been particularly heartening.  The fact that they’d run into a patrol in ‘their’ territory did not make either of them comfortable and even worse, it looked as if they had to be receiving some sort of aid.  There was no other way to explain how they made it into safe territory unseen and unchallenged until they ran afoul of his group.

                “Blasted traitorous wretches,” he grumbled under his breath, a reluctant smile marring his stern expression when Zico recounted their fight from earlier that afternoon, complete with wild gestures and sound effects.  Amber was quite happy to join in with the pantomime and even CL could be convinced to assist in the retelling.  Minhyuk and Jieun sat with more poise as they simply observed in quiet amusement.

                Their audience of another group of Einherjar watched with interest, roaring at the near fatal recount of Zico’s injury and applauding their overall success.  They were an odd group to be sure, but they balanced each other out, though they only had a single mage in Hyosung who even now was watching attentively, one hand over as she gasped in delighted awe.  Yunho and Sungmin, hands resting with ease on their sword hilts, watched in amusement, nodding at some of the details and listening patiently.  Rounding out the group were the deceptively attractive Kiseop, a mage-rogue proficient in magic and his knives, and Jaehyo, the roguish bard that had proven Himchan wrong after his first encounter on the field; dealing with his own enemy and managing to remain unmarked… miraculously.

                His newest group was still incredibly green to this realm but they weren’t without their own skills or charms.  It had been some time since he’d been sent such raw warriors was all; longer still since he had been to retrieve them himself.  Up until about a quarter of a century ago, he had been sleeping but trouble with Jongup had drawn him out early and once that had been resolved, they had both been kept awake to sort things out in Asgard as best as possible, though the latter was… changed.

                 Himchan shook his head.  There was no point in worrying about it now.  With Daehyun working in Midgard, the collection of the Einherjar would continue as it should have been and he was free to continue his pursuits here.  It was still frustrating that for all his efforts in scouring Asgard for infiltrating forces, they continued to creep closer.  For everyone involved, It was disheartening to see so many perish in a war they didn’t know for sure they could win or not…

                He was startled from his morbid thoughts by the shimmering air in front of him, alerting him to the activation of the Eye of the Gods.  “Jonguppie,” he smiled, feeling the first genuine tendrils of joy spread over him as he saw his youngest sibling’s pleasant visage free of his helm for a change, showing off the sandy blonde locks of helmet mussed hair.

                “Why do you look so sad, Himchannie?” he asked, peering at the dark haired Valkyr intently with perpetually narrowed eyes.

                “Have you been spying on me?” Himchan chided with a raised finger, tilting his head down and looking at his brother with one raised brow in a sidelong glance.

                Jongup ducked his head in chagrin and clapped his hands together in apology.  “Sorry!  It was on Odin’s orders,” he shrugged, looking completely repentant.

                “Ah.  He’s worried about the fighting, isn’t he?” Himchan asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, removing his helmet after a moment when he tired of the nose guard getting in his vision.  He ran a gauntleted hand over his short ebony locks, shivering once at the pleasant sensation.

                “Ne,” Jongup confirmed with a firm nod.  “He should be heading your way actually,” he commented with a glance away from the mirror.  “I think he wanted to go after Loki but the war is more important.”

                “Loki?  Why would he want to go after him?” the elder asked, perplexed as he tilted his head to the side.  Covertly, he glanced around to make sure none were eavesdropping and listened for the answer.

                “Eh…” Jongup trailed off, clearly debating whether he should continue or not.  It wasn’t exactly as if Lord Odin had told him to go blabbing what had happened in the hall at the drop of a hat.  But it was Himchan…

                “Uppie…” Himchan commented, looking at him sternly.

                “You know.  It’s Loki,” he shrugged uncomfortably, looking up at Himchan with a slightly pouting expression.  “Being Loki of course.”  He shrank further under his brother’s continued silent observation.  “He sent Daehyunnie to Valinceburg in his stead and for some reason Lady Freya was worried about some sort of seal weakening because he went there.  But Loki said it was because he didn’t want to risk another Valkyr raising his hand against Odin because of something he was supposed to do in Dalinore.  Why would he say something like that, Channie?  None of us would ever do that, would we?”

                For just a moment, Himchan was taken completely by surprise with what his sibling had just revealed and he had to do some very fast thinking to make up for it.  “Uppie,” he sighed with a shake of his head.  “As you said.  It was Loki being Loki,” he shrugged, taking a breath to continue on.  “And even if there was some grain of truth to it, I’m sure that none of us would ever intentionally do anything to go against Lord Odin.  At least not without very good reason, right?” he smiled, doing his best to be reassuring.

                Jongup looked confused for a moment, almost as if he didn’t know whether to believe his brother or not, but again, it was Himchan after all.  “I guess you’re right...  Loki always did have a way with words.  But…” he trailed off, holding onto the thought that almost got away.  “What about the seal though?”

                “There are many kinds of seals, Uppie.  You know that.  And who am I to guess which one was weakening?” he shrugged with his hands open on either side.  “It’s generally safe to say that the loss of integrity to any seal is bad.”

                “Well… yes, but what if it has something to do with Daehyun?” he asked, obviously worried about the possibility.  “What if the seal breaks and he gets hurt because of it?  What if it’s holding some huge monster at bay and if it breaks-“

                “Jongup!” Himchan snapped, interrupting his momentum, grinding it to a standstill.  Visibly, his sibling wilted under the sharp tone.  “Sorry, Uppie,” he apologized, genuinely remorseful about the interruption, wanting nothing more than to hold him close and assure him it was going to be alright.  “It’s just almost impossible to tell what seal they would be referring to and if it’s something dangerous enough, they will let us know,” he promised solemnly, knowing it for the truth it was.

                “I’m just worried about him, Channie,” Jongup admitted after a long moment of silence between them.  “And you,” he added quickly, to make sure his eldest brother didn’t feel left out.  “But you always seem so cool and collected and you just…”  He had a hard time explaining how amazing his brother was to him so he flailed with both hands ineloquently and shrugged.

                Himchan laughed at his expressive interpretation and nodded, “Thanks Uppie.  I’m worried about him too.  How’s he doing?”

                Jongup brightened considerably at the prospect of filling Himchan in about their other brother’s whereabouts.  “He’s recruited a few more Einherjar and they are on their way to the Dark One’s Quarry to take care of the necromancer he was supposed to get to before Loki sent him to Valinceburg.”

                “Interesting,” Himchan listened thoughtfully, tapping his fingers against his lips.  Idly, he wondered if Daehyun had perhaps come across any Einherjar in that magical city and asked as much.

                “Erm…  I didn’t actually talk to him,” he admitted sheepishly, not looking at his brother.

                “Spying again were we?” Himchan chuckled in amusement.  “That’s fine, Uppie.  Do you know if any of them were mages?”

                “Ne!  One for sure was though the rest looked to be sword fighters.  Though, his newest one could be a sword wielding thief.  I think he’s got a thing for Daehyunnie too.  He keeps staring at him…” he trailed off with a shake of his head.

                Himchan perked up immediately at that but he disguised his interest with a snort.  “Oh?  An admirer?  How cute,” he chuckled.  “I don’t suppose you have a name for this one do you?” he asked flippantly.

                Jongup shook his head with a frown.  “Not yet.  I’ll be sure to keep an ear out the next time I look in on him though,” he promised with a bright grin.

                “Thanks, Uppie.  That way we can just a bit when he gets back, right?” he winked playfully, laughing at his youngest brother’s aghast expression.  “I’m just joking.  Thanks for the info though.”

                “Of course,” he smiled warmly, meeting Himchan’s gaze with steady eyes.  “Just be careful, Channie,” he urged sincerely with a glance over his shoulder, unable to stifle his amusement to see the two groups interacting in mock duels.

                “Freya’s mercy,” Himchan sighed with a shake of his head as he looked back to see their antics as well.  “Let me go make sure they don’t hurt themselves,” he waved, putting his helmet back on and waving farewell to his brother.

                “Good luck!” Jongup grinned, waving energetically as he turned the Eye of the Gods off.

                Himchan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding while he turned around to regard his Einherjar.  Now he had even more troubling things to mull over…  Weakening seals, Daehyun’s admirer, Loki’s interference…  What else was he going to have to do deal with?

                “Oh come on!  It was just a harmless prank!” Zico defended himself loudly before a rather irate and unusually soaked through Jaehyo stood up from his seat and approached the equally tall male.

                “Forget I asked…” Himchan groaned with a shake of his head as he moved to intercept the pair before an actual fight could break out.

                “For the last time!  I can take care of myself, Yongguk!” Daehyun scowled at the newest Einherjar to join their ranks as the taller male backed away slightly, hands raised in surrender.

                “I was just trying to help, Daehyun,” Yongguk responded uncertainly, eyeing the now demolished wraith that had been trying to sneak up behind the Valkyr.

                “Then help your teammates,” the Valkyr grumbled with a look at the other four who were handling themselves fairly well, all things considered.  “I do not need the aid of a human,” he reminded him firmly, giving him a glare.  Violently, he whirled around to decimate the next attacker intent upon their band as they stormed the Dark One’s Quarry.  “Bloody mindless minions,” he muttered, shaking his sword off and stalking forward, leaving the shifting Yongguk to follow along.

                With a glance between the Valkyr and Yongguk, Zelo dropped back to the chastised warrior and clapped him on the back.  “Come on, Yongguk.  There’s been a lot of action on my side if you’d care to give me a hand?” he asked, giving a winning grin while he hefted his sword anew.

                In his deep voice, he chuckled once and nodded.  “Sure, Zelo.”  Even as he moved to accompany the younger male, his keen eyes sweeping the grounds to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, he kept a continuous watch over Daehyun all the same.

                Ahead, the Valkyr noticed Youngjae blasting an additional hole in the cave wall, causing yet another rock fall to help block off one of the paths.  They were steadily eliminating the exits and remaining pathways to deal with the necromancer within.  He was certain he was ahead as he could feel the dark energies flowing outward the closer they got and… why in Hel’s name was Yongguk drifting closer again?!

                And why in the Netherworld was it bothering him so much?  Unsettled and far more annoyed than usual, Yongguk’s attentiveness and apparent familiarity with him were getting under his skin.  None of the other Einherjar had that effect on him…  So why should it bother him that this one was watching his back?  Not that he needed it, mind you…

                “Be purified!” he growled, slashing viciously at another pair of mindless, soulless thralls.  “Oh.  That’s new...” he grumbled in irritation.  “Draugrs!” he warned, pointing ahead with his glowing sword, highlighting the incoming trio of enlarged, enraged monsters.

                Zelo moved close and spoke hurriedly to Yongguk, “Be careful.  They’re a lot stronger than they look and you’re best cutting off the head if possible.”

                “I take it you’ve gone toe-to-toe with one?” the elder asked without taking his eyes off the incoming targets, keeping sight of Daehyun in his peripheral vision.

                “You could say that,” Zelo agreed, groaning when they paired off against one, his sword catching the first strike it threw, feet sliding slightly as he struggled for purchase.

                “Yah!” Yongguk yelled, skidding back several feet after a cross block with both blades failed to absorb the blow as he expected.  “Hel’s breath!  You weren’t joking,” he groaned, dancing around to the back while the creature pounded against the younger fighter.  Despite his target, he couldn’t help but worry about Daehyun though.

                Youngjae was using a precise combination of fire and light spells to whittle away at his target while Taeil kept it occupied at close range, absorbing blow after blow into his kite shield, standing fast despite the barrage against him.  Dual wielding his blades, Changmin exchanged a flurry of blows, dodging swiftly as needed when the draugr he was facing counterattacked, keeping it distracted while Daehyun moved in for the kill.

                “e!” Changmin cursed, one arm rendered useless when the draugr slipped past his guard and tore open the entirety of his limb, ripping the sword free from his numb hand.  “Valkyr!” he shouted, a warning that was also a cry for aid.

                “Move!” Daehyun growled, shoving Changmin aside when the draugr brought his full fury to bear against the smaller target.

                “Daehyun!” Yongguk yelled, stabbing through his target’s arm with the long knife, temporarily immobilizing it while he jumped up and impaled the monster’s back with his long sword.  “Now Zelo!” he commanded, leaping backwards in a practiced backflip, using the creature’s back as a springboard while he tore the blades free, long arms reaching towards him uselessly.

                He barely had time to register Zelo winding back to take a perfect swing at the monster’s exposed throat before he landed and was sprinting for Daehyun and his target.  The Valkyr didn’t seem to notice him as he parried, kicking the monster back with a heavy booted foot, before he lunged forward, impaling it with his glowing sword.  His gauntlet bent under the next attack he failed to deflect due to his weapon being stuck in its belly.

                Angry now, he threw the offending hand off and rammed his palm into the monster’s chin, snapping its head back and sending it careening backwards, sword still embedded in its body.  “Yongguk, no!” he commanded when the warrior launched himself at the stunned draugr, drawing his longsword against the exposed throat.

                “Die!” he growled.  With a gurgling roar, the draugr responded reflexively, arms coming down to slam into Yongguk’s body before he could dance away, sending him crashing to the ground with a muted groan.

                Murder in his flashing eyes, Daehyun gathered power to him as white wings exploded from his back, catapulting him towards the draugr.  Baring his teeth fiercely under his helmeted gaze, the Valkyr gripped the thick chorded throat in his left hand, the right reaching for his sword.  With inhuman speed, he crashed the monster into the wall, stone giving way slightly under the force before he tore his weapon free and cut across the already damaged flesh, scraping the tip against the wall while he cut through muscle and bone alike.  For good measure, he brought another downward slash across the dying body and stepped away, breathing hard.

                His own target dispatched, he whirled around to make sure the other two had been taken care of, noting the beheaded corpse behind Zelo and the burning one near Youngjae and Taeil.  The pair were attending to Changmin hurriedly with Youngjae casting a heal spell over him, giving Yongguk’s body a worried look where Zelo was carefully turning him over.

                “Yongguk?” the youngest asked worriedly, noticing the trickle of blood trailing down the corner of his mouth and the rather broken appearance of his body.

                Daehyun felt a very baffling but brief flash of panic when the unbidden thought raced through his mind that Yongguk was dead.  Then he realized he could still feel the connection they shared and knew he was alive after all.  “Move over, Zelo,” he urged softly, setting his sword down while he summoned a potion to administer.

                “Daehyun?” Zelo asked, clearly more worried than he was trying to let on.

                “Yongguk,” he called, the command soft but firm as he cradled the sandy blonde’s head in his hand, angling his mouth so that he wouldn’t spill the potion.

                “Ergh…” the wounded male groaned, swallowing reflexively and making a face at the unexpected taste.  The expression turned to a grimace when he clenched his jaw tightly and convulsed as the potion kicked in.

                “It’s alright.  You’ll be okay in a moment,” Daehyun soothed, slipping his free hand into Yongguk’s to hold fast as the other squeezed it tightly, shaking in pain while his body healed far faster than it should have.

                Behind him, he became aware of Youngjae speaking in a hushed voice.  “Odin’s wisdom!  It’s a healing elixir!  Even I can’t make those yet.  He’s going to fine,” he assured both Taeil and Changmin with a wave, the latter of which looked a bit pale, whether from his own healing or because of watching Yongguk, it was hard to tell.  “You got off easy,” he told the taller swordsman with a knowing nod.

                “Taeil.  Youngjae.  Keep watch,” Daehyun reminded them with a glance towards the still yawning, darkened entrance.  There were torches enough along the walls to give them some light to see by but it was a dim and creepy interior all the same.

                “Of course, Valkyr,” Taeil saluted, hefting his dented shield and moving to take point.

                “But I wanted to see it finish,” Youngjae pointed back at the still healing Yongguk, craning his head over his shoulder as he shuffled along reluctantly behind the shorter male.  Just because he knew how it was going to end, didn’t mean he wasn’t concerned about the other since his pained groans were hard to miss.

                “Yongguk?” Zelo asked softly when he finally relaxed, the seeming brokenness gone from his body.

                Closed eyes fluttered open and Yongguk noticed the Valkyr peering down at him, his face mostly in shadow but impossible not to recognize.  He was further surprised to find that it was the Valkyr who was holding him close, one hand clasped around his and the other supporting his head.  “Daehyunnie…” he breathed, the sound little more than a whisper but it was filled with a desperate yearning the Valkyr couldn’t understand.

                Whether it was the tone, the name he said or the look in his eyes, but something about Yongguk prompted just a glimmer of a vision: Yongguk lying under a broken tree branch.  Only it was a younger Yongguk, sprawled out in a similar manner with someone sitting beside him, looking down at him.  Someone…

                Then the vision was gone and he let go of Yongguk’s hand as if he’d been burned by it.  A bit gruffer than he intended, he muttered, “I told you, I didn’t need your assistance.”

                Wincing at the tone, Yongguk sat up carefully, keeping his eyes averted and moving as if he expected it to hurt.  “Sorry, Daehyun.  I just thought…”

                “You thought wrong,” the Valkyr interrupted in a firm but gentle tone, a quiet reprimand but not intentionally hurtful.

                “But he did help,” Zelo shrugged, trying to be at least somewhat helpful.

                “At great cost to himself,” Daehyun reminded him with an intense expression.  His eyes fell upon something swinging just below Yongguk’s neck and he reached out carefully to capture it in his hand.  For just a moment, he was transfixed by it, feeling something familiar about the simple design that he’d seen the thief inspecting once back in the city.

                It didn’t take Yongguk more than a half second to realize what he was looking at and he snatched the necklace out of his hand, hiding it against his chest defensively.  “I…  It’s very precious to me,” he explained awkwardly, staring down at it himself before he stuffed it away under his shirt again.

                “A gift?” Daehyun perceived.

                “Ne,” Yongguk nodded, missing Daehyun’s confused expression when his eyes lingered on his hand where the trinket had rested.

                “Hey guys!” Youngjae called from the mouth of the tunnel, one of the torches held aloft.  “I think the necromancer is coming.  Are we ready?” he asked, giving a nervous look over his shoulder as he watched the four behind him get to their feet.

                “More than ready,” Daehyun murmured, snatching his sword up from the ground and striding towards the opening with deadly purpose.  Whatever the damned visions meant, and why they seemed to be linked to the hard-headed Yongguk, he could puzzle them out later, but for now, they had a cursed necromancer to deal with.

                “Here,” Zelo offered Yongguk his weapons, cleaned of the dark blood that had stained them.  “I think you dropped these,” he smiled with a tense look as he glanced after Daehyun.

                “Thanks,” the elder nodded appreciatively, hefting the weapons and nodding for the younger to follow along.  While he noticed Changmin moving to join them, fully healed and baring both weapons once more, he couldn’t help but stare after Daehyun.  For just a moment, he looked as if he’d remembered something…  That maybe the necklace was familiar to him.  The Norns were being unreasonably cruel in sending this inhuman Daehyun to taunt him with the memories of the times he had spent with his Daehyun.

                 Still…  It didn’t matter that this one was a Valkyr and maybe he didn’t need his help, but that didn’t mean Yongguk could just ignore every impulse he had to try and protect him.  To that end, he would do whatever it took to keep Daehyun safe.  With a deep breath, he shook his weapons out and stared into the growing gloom as dark power amassed before them.

                “Einherjar!  The battle is upon us!” Daehyun roared, lifting his shining sword high as he led the charge.  Voices echoing off the walls, his five Einherjar followed after him without question, eager to dispatch the evil before them.

(a/n: You know, it's damn hard puzzling out just how much to reveal at each update without trying to give too terribly much away in any one sitting.  -_-  But, I hope it was an interesting/enjoyable update and we did see just a smidgeon of BangDae!  hehe  I'm trying to work in more as we go along so I'll see what sort of magic I can play with here.  ;)  Also, the Norns that Yongguk mentions are similar to the Fates in Greek mythology, in case you were wondering.  Thank you for reading though and I hope you look forward to the next update!  ^_^)