Nido paced in tight circles, his hands tugging at his already-messy green hair.
“I lost him. I lost the talking sword. I lost a literal legendary weapon with a smart mouth and wind powers! What kind of hero does that?!”
General Au remained still, arms crossed, face carved from stone.
“Panicking won’t find him,” he said flatly.
“I’m not panicking. I’m—okay, yes I’m panicking!” Nido wheezed. “I should have put an airtag on Heiminbrand.”
Au crouched suddenly, inspecting the ground. “Footprints. Small, deliberate. Not a beast—this was a person.”
Nido blinked, sniffled, and squinted. “You can tell that from a smudge in the dirt?”
“Focus.”
He remembered what King Gold said. The prophecy. The danger. The fact that Loki already had two swords.
People could die if he gave up now.
Au stood, already moving. “Inaction is worse than failure.”
Nido followed, fists clenched. “I have to try.”
—
The trail led them into the scorched lands of Muspelheim. Volcanic peaks, glowing magma cracks, and oppressive heat everywhere.
They finally reached Ashfall—a bustling market town carved from obsidian and cooled lava, crowded with shouting vendors and lava-lizard carts.
Nido wiped sweat off his forehead. “I’m ninety percent soup. This is a perfect time for bingsu.“
Shouts echoed ahead.
A crowd had gathered around a flaming tavern courtyard. “MAPO TOFU CHAMPIONSHIP: FINAL ROUND!” a sign read.
On one side, a giant man, sweat pouring like a waterfall. On the other, a teenage girl with wild, fiery red hair, wolfing down spoonfuls of bright red tofu like it was cereal. She didn’t even blink.
Nido squinted. “Whoa. She’s like… kind of terrifying.”
“OW! Is that chili oil? She’s sitting on me! I am not an oven mitt, woman!”
Nido froze.
He knew that voice.
“That… that sass…”
He scanned the scene again. There—peeking out of the girl’s backpack, wedged between spice jars and a hot sauce bottle—was the familiar, rune-marked hilt of Heiminbrand.
“THE SWORDNAPPER!” Nido yelled, pointing dramatically.
Half the crowd turned. Including the girl.
And Heiminbrand?
“Oh great. Sweet-tooth boy’s here. Somebody save me before she dips me in Sriracha again.”
End of Chapter 8
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