Nifflheim

Symphony Of Scales Pt. 1

"Is everyone okay?" Iver shouts. His words echo off the walls of the castle.

"Yeah. Still alive anyways." I answer back with most of the party answering the same.

"Yea I'm alive but my damn arm hurts," grunts Bjorn as he applies pressure to the snakebite. "That bastard's fangs were huge."

Frode scoffs at his remark. "Don't be such a baby. That snake obviously constricts its prey. Its teeth could not be more than a few inches. Hope you don't go lying like that to the ladies!"

"How about I shove my fist a couple inches up your arse and see how you feel about the size!" Bjorn barks back as he stands ready for a fight.

Their shouting fades from my attention as a faint whisper flutters across my ear. I stand and turn towards the whispering that seems to be coming from the end of the dark hallway before me.

"Asger." The voice whispers as I sense motion to my right.

I quickly turn but all I see is a small torch on the wall flickering a small yellow hue of light around us. We seem to be in a large room with the only perceivable exits being the door we came through and the hallway before us. Large stone pillars hold up the ceiling above with each of them carved with serpents that wrap around the entire structure. 

"Asger." The voice rings again and my gaze focuses down the hallway.

My eyes centered on the figure of a woman slightly hunched over, barely visible in the scarce lighting. She has long black hair draped over her face and wears a white nightgown. Her hand begins to raise and motions for me to come closer. 

What is going on? Is anyone else seeing this? I feel as if I should be wary of the woman, but she almost feels... familiar. I start to take a few steps towards the woman, my eyes locked on her.

"Asger... Asger... Asger!" Shouts Haralda, snapping me out of my trance. "A Little help would be nice!"

I turn to see her and Langley desperately trying to hold Bjorn back as Frode stands a few meters away chuckling to himself. Pure rage seethes from Bjorn's demeanor as he gradually approaches Frode. I turn back towards the woman, but she has vanished without a trace. Great another thing to go unanswered. I look back at Frode who seems uncaring of the situation he is in, continuing to laugh to himself, pleased with Bjorn's reaction.

Bjorn gets within a foot of Frode before Iver interrupts them. "Enough! We have more important matters to attend to."

Iver pushes past them and starts towards the hallway without another word. Langley and Haralda release their grips on Bjorn who gives one last buck towards Frode who flinches before following behind Iver with a triumphant laugh. I shrug my shoulders toward Haralda and Langley who sigh from exhaustion.

"Let's just get this over with," Haralda says as she follows them into the hallway with Langley close behind.

I walk over to Frode and help him to his feet. "Got a death wish or something?"

"Can't live life without a little fun err... death I guess," he answers with another chuckle.

We both quickly follow behind the group, my mind still focused on the woman.

*****

A labyrinth of hallways was all that awaited us as we continued down the initial one. Cages filled the rooms we passed that were all mostly empty except a few holding human remains. Their faces contorted into an expression of despair and I worry about the horrors that we will discover here.

"What do the keys look like?" Langley whispers to Iven, ending the eerie silence.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm sure we will know it when we see them." Iver answers, failing to alleviate the tension in the group.