He muttered it aloud as he thought, “This stone is impervious to all you do, but answer this riddle to get through. To death, the gods tried to have me put, where the battle their lives I took, know the answer without fail, if you know where they say I bit my tail.” He looked at the carving for clues. “So, the gods sent everything at him and tried to kill him, but where? They threw him in the sea... that’s it...” He yelled at the stone, “SEA!”
Nothing happened.
Growing more frustrated, he said, “Ocean.”
Still nothing.
“Maybe he used old Norse. That would make sense.” After a moment of recollection, he said, “Harr, Sear, Sand-himinn, vidir,... come on, those are all words for sea. These stupid Vikings loved their water!” He hit the stone.
There was a bright flash of purple behind him and footsteps in the gravel. A smooth, deep voice said, “The Nova I knew would never punch a rock just because he was angry.”
Nova turned around, his face red, “Jormurgandr. Pretty bold of you to show up.”
“You know me, loud and present. I like being where the action is. If I knew we were fighting rocks, I would’ve punched a few mountains on the way.”
“Don’t make fun of me, you pathetic snake. You know I can put you down.” Nova struck a bold pose.
Midgard smiled at him. Even in his small, human form, his smile was devilish. “The last time we stood here, in this land, I was weak and recovering from battling the gods and their minions. Today, little man, I’m much stronger and you, Nova, are much weaker. That woman has taken the strength out of you.”
Nova refused to back down. “I’m not weak. I’ve never shown this world my fullest strength. If you want a fight that you’ve never truly faced, Jormurgandr, I will give you one that will rattle even your immortal bones.”
“I’m not scared of you, Wink.” Midgard prepared to fight.
Nova spoke with a booming voice, “ON YOUR KNEES, SERPENT!”
Midgard stepped back, shaken by that power, but he merely smiled. “Nice try, but you know that would never work on me.”
Nova bellowed, “ON YOUR KNEES!”
Midgard laughed, “Keep trying, Wink, it’s funny watching you fail.”
“If you won’t take my command, then you will have to be put down.” A large, beautiful sword appeared in Nova’s hand, a sword he once used to fight Jinn.
Midgard chuckled, “Oh, gonna poke me with your toothpick?” He began to grow in size.
“Not today!” Nova held up his hand, and a white glow came from his palm. Midgards size change stopped, and it forced him back into a human size.
Midgard staggered back, holding himself. “Okay, that... was unexpected. I didn’t know you could do that.”
“There is little I can’t do, Jormurgandr.” Nova rushed toward Midgard, his sword ready to strike.
Midgard dodged a swing, then another, and with a third dodge, he planted a fist in Nova’s side. Nova stumbled away and Midgard grabbed him by the coat tail and threw him across the grass. “I JUST BODY SLAMMED A TEN STORY KRAMPUS, YOU’RE NOTHING, LITTLE WINK!”
Nova bounded up from his laying position, spinning directly into the air with his sword acting like a mower. Midgard attempted to dodge, but the tip met him.
Midgard fell, holding his face. When he pulled his hand away, he saw greenish red blood. “Okay, that’s new.”
“YAH!” Nova was coming down for a killing strike.
Midgard barely dodged it and kicked Nova in the gut, throwing him across the yard and slamming him into the Runestone.
A BADGE shuttle flew in, the door opening before the ship had fully landed. Gar flew out. Chase dropped to the ground and running. When the shuttle actually landed, Bonnie joined them with four armed agents.
“Nova!” Gar called out.
Chase asked, “Midgard, why are you here? We needed you back at HQ.”
“I’m here for my friend, not you.”
Bonnie, who held a small laser pistol, said, “Looks like your friend isn’t so friendly.”
Nova stood there, holding his sword at the ready. “Ah, BADGE, just in time.”
Midgard actually said, “Oh, no.”
Nova called out, “Your enemy is yourself, fight for me!” His voice echoed and everyone, except Midgard and Gar, grew dizzy and then looked at each other with fear.
“DON’T LISTEN TO HIM!” Midgard called out.
“Too late.” Nova laughed.
Chase threw her blades at Gar, whose stone body deflected them. Bonnie shot at Chase, but Chase dodged the attack. The four agents fought each other.
Midgard yelled, “HEY, BATWINGS! STOP THEM, I’LL STOP NOVA!”
Gar got the message and rushed in to keep everyone from killing one another.
Midgard ducked his head down and ran toward Nova, who had his sword ready for the attack. Midgard’s arms grew green and scaly and a tail shot out the back of his outfit. He wasn’t able to grow to full size with how Nova kept him at bay, but he wasn’t human either. Nova swung his sword, but Midgard’s scaly arms deflected the blows with clever swings.
“You’re not my friend!” Midgard said as he dodged swings of the sword.
Nova spun around and went for Midgard’s tail, but missed. “You were nothing but a tool. Didn’t you know that?”
Midgard grabbed Nova’s arm and then head butted him, staggering him away. “I know my friend, Wink. The director I know...” he kicked at Nova’s leg, forcing him to a kneeling position. He grabbed the arm with the sword and twisted. Nova managed to maintain his grip on the blade, but it wasn’t much of a threat in this position. With Midgard’s other hand, he grabbed Nova by the hair and yanked his head back, “The director I know was my friend, and I say that about few living creatures across this universe. He hasn’t called me Jormurgandr for ten centuries. He gave me a new name, one that I hold with great respect and honor.”
The power of Nova over the other people vanished as his focus was tested by this ignominious position. They stopped and looked up from their haze to see Midgard ready to kill.
Nova, his head being forced back, looked at the stone from this upside down position and whispered, “The answer...it was right in front of me.”
“What, Wink?”
With uncanny agility and strength, Nova pulled his hand free from Midgard’s and swiped across with his sword. It hit Midgard in the chest and he stumbled back. Then, with his newfound freedom, Nova shoved the sword into Midgard’s gut and whispered, “I know the answer to your riddle... Midgard.” He ripped the blade out.
Midgard held his midsection as he fell to the side, defeated. “This is not possible.”
Nova looked at the stone, “This world, that is where the gods tried to kill you, where you fought their demons, and where the legendary Jormurgandr wrapped around the planet and bit his own tail. This world...Midgardsormr.”
The runes flashed and flickered as the stone crumbled apart, revealing a glowing red ruby.
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