Two days had passed since Hralgor had set out to hunt and never returned. At the top of a mountain covered by a dense layer of snow and enveloped by cutting winds stood a colossal castle made of pure ancient ice. Its sharp towers seemed to touch the eternally overcast skies of Jotunheim, and the cold emanating from its walls was enough to freeze the very bones of any inferior being.
Inside the castle, in the grand central hall, dozens of frost giants were gathered. Their imposing silhouettes reflected the bluish light of the icy flames flickering in large braziers scattered throughout the chamber. At the center, elevated on a throne of ice sculpted with majestic details, sat Skjoldrim, the current king of the frost giants. His eyes gleamed like frozen crystals, and his expression was filled with concern and irritation.
"No news of Hralgor?" His voice echoed through the hall, laden with authority and impatience.
Silence hung in the air for a few moments. The giants exchanged glances, hesitant. Hralgor was a formidable warrior, and his prolonged absence without any sign was a bad omen. Skjoldrim gripped the arms of his throne tighter, his patience thinning by the second.
Finally, one of the giants stepped forward. He was tall, even among his kind, and his bluish skin was covered in scars from past battles. However, unlike the others, his expression showed no sorrow over Hralgor's disappearance. He seemed indifferent, almost bored.
"We found no trace of him." His voice was deep and firm, but devoid of any emotion. "We searched all the nearby areas, but there is no sign of his presence."
Skjoldrim clenched his fists. His expression hardened even further.
"This is concerning..." he muttered to himself. If Hralgor had fallen, then something or someone was hunting them. And there was only one entity capable of that.
"Thor..." He spat out the name of the thunder god as if it were a bitter poison.
The giant who had given the report raised an eyebrow, shaking his head in disagreement.
"I don't think it's him." His voice carried a tone of doubt. "Thor isn't the type to act from the shadows. If he were hunting us, he would have come straight to our fortress, smashing everything in his path, without bothering to conceal his presence."
Skjoldrim remained silent for a moment, pondering those words. Indeed, that did not align with the way Thor usually acted. Odin's son was not a stealthy warrior but rather a hurricane of destruction that charged forward fearlessly, crushing any obstacle in his way.
He furrowed his brow. If it wasn't Thor, then who or what was behind Hralgor's disappearance?
Before he could dwell further on the matter, the giant continued:
"I have another piece of information to report."
Skjoldrim's eyes glowed with expectation, but his patience was already at its limit.
"Then speak at once! Don't waste my time!" His voice thundered through the hall, and the frost giant quickly straightened his posture.
"We recently found a newly built village." He announced, and a glint of malice appeared in his eyes. "I believe it belongs to some newly arrived creature."
A murmur spread among the surrounding giants. A new village? That was unusual. Normally, only the foolish would dare to establish settlements in Jotunheim without protection. Skjoldrim narrowed his eyes, pondering.
"A new village, huh?" he murmured. "And why the hell haven't you conquered it yet? Most creatures that appear in Jotunheim are weak. It shouldn't be difficult to subjugate them."
The giant hesitated for a brief moment before responding, savoring the suspense he was creating on purpose.
"Well... there's an interesting detail." A sly smile formed on his face. "The village was completely destroyed."
The murmurs grew louder. Now this was interesting.
"Destroyed?" Skjoldrim leaned forward on his throne, his eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and excitement. "And who was responsible?"
"We don't know for sure." The giant shrugged. "But it's likely one of the newly arrived creatures."
The hall fell silent for a few moments. If this was true, it meant that a being powerful enough to annihilate an entire village was loose in Jotunheim.
"Hahahaha!" Skjoldrim burst into a loud, hoarse laugh, his voice reverberating against the icy walls of the hall. "Now this is good news!"
He rose from his throne, his muscles tense with excitement.
"If this creature is strong, perhaps we can use it to our advantage! Finally, we have a chance to expand our domain! Instead of constantly being crushed by those damned Asgardians, we will be the ones dictating the rules! We will have a voice in Jotunheim!"
However, his excitement was short-lived.
The frost giant before him hesitated for a moment before letting out a small sigh.
"Well... there's a problem."
Skjoldrim narrowed his eyes.
"What problem?" His voice was thick with menace.
"I... don't know where the creature is." The giant spoke awkwardly.
For an instant, a deadly silence fell over the hall.
Then, a loud crack echoed as Skjoldrim slammed his fist onto the arm of his throne, fracturing the solid ice. His eyes became icy slits of pure fury.
"ARE YOU JOKING WITH ME?!" His voice rumbled like thunder, and an even more intense cold swept through the chamber.
The giant instinctively stepped back.
"You dragged this on for nothing?! Your existence is a waste!" Skjoldrim growled, gritting his teeth. His body trembled with rage, and for a brief moment, it seemed like he was about to tear the other giant apart.
He took a deep breath, trying to contain his wrath.
"If it weren't for the fact that our population is already small, I would have crushed your head RIGHT NOW!" he roared. "But I can still fix your stupidity!"
He pointed a finger as sharp as an ice blade at the giant.
"Take some warriors and go back to the site! Find this creature and don't return without news!"
The temperature in the hall plummeted, and the surrounding frost giants remained in absolute silence. None of them dared to defy their king at that moment.
The giant quickly nodded before rushing out, taking a group of warriors with him.
Skjoldrim remained standing, clenching his fists. If this creature was as powerful as he imagined, then the frost giants would finally have a chance to challenge the gods.
And this time, it wouldn't be the Asgardians who had the last laugh.