"Looks like it's not a trap…" Uriel thought, his reptilian eyes scanning every corner of the immense fortress carved into the eternal ice. The bluish stone towers seemed asleep under the gentle snowfall, and no signs of threatening movement caught his attention. The icy silence was absolute. "But even so… I'm not going down. Not yet."
His gaze swept across the milk-white horizon, alert. No frost giants patrolled the surroundings, no sound of heavy footsteps echoed. Ever since he had awakened in this world — a world that supposedly belonged to the Marvel universe — he had encountered creatures that clearly didn't belong to that reality. Beings straight out of fantasy books and ancient legends. But aside from those aberrations, he had only seen the frost giants. "But how do they live? How do they feed themselves? I haven't seen a single animal."
Down below, at the center of the fortress, one of the frost giants turned to the group's leader, barely hiding his taunting tone.
"Why did you stop? Weren't you the one afraid before? Now that we have a chance to make him come down… how about you act? He's looking straight at you."
The leader, a broad-shouldered giant with a grim expression, slowly turned his head toward his companion. His eyes sparked.
"And why did you obey me then? At no point did I order you to kneel. I only said that if you didn't want to die, you should repeat my words. If you think you can do better… then challenge him, coward."
A heavy silence spread among the colossi. The leader clenched his fist so hard that the snow beneath his feet trembled slightly.
"Idiot…" he thought, casting a piercing look at his subordinate. "You can't even read the obvious. Look at that creature's face… he's not satisfied. And you know what? I don't care if you die. Maybe it's better that way."
In the sky, Uriel narrowed his eyes as he noticed something different. A colossal shadow passed through the fortress gates. It was a giant, even larger than the others, with an imposing stance and an animalistic smile on his face.
"Hahahahaha! Look at that! I didn't expect you to find me so quickly! What a beautiful creature! Let's play!"
Uriel blinked, confused. "What is he saying? Why is he laughing like a maniac? Doesn't he realize I'm here to subjugate them? To turn them into forced laborers? Basically, slaves… and without pay, too?"
"Why isn't he coming down? Make him come down now!" Skjoldrim shouted impatiently, turning to the group's commander.
The commander hesitated for a second, but before he could respond, another giant, his eyes burning with hatred, spoke up:
"Sir! He betrayed us!" he pointed at the commander, his voice trembling with fury. "He forced us to kneel before that giant lizard! He betrayed the pride of the frost giant race!"
Skjoldrim froze for a moment. His eyes narrowed.
"What?" he murmured, venom in his voice. "I've tolerated you for too long, Eskandor. But now… your betrayal will be paid for in blood!"
He began walking slowly, each step shaking the frozen ground, with the clear intention of crushing Eskandor with his bare hands.
Uriel, watching everything from above, let out an audible sigh.
"Ah… things are heating up. Looks like the big guy didn't buy that little performance." he murmured to himself, as he began to descend in a spiral, slicing through the cold air with his colossal wings. "I tried to handle this with words… now it's time for the good old brute force."
He landed with impact on the thick snow, just a few meters from Eskandor. The ground trembled under the weight of his draconic body. His single eye locked onto Skjoldrim with firm, challenging focus.
Eskandor took a step back, relieved to see Uriel move. "He moved… thank the gods," he thought, cold sweat running down his back.
But instead of fleeing or staying silent, Eskandor raised his arms and shouted:
"Look at this magnificent being! He is glorious! We must follow him! Surrender to him!"
Uriel raised an eyebrow — or whatever most resembled one on a dragon's face. "I have no idea what he's saying… but I like it," he thought. There was something about that giant's fawning tone that deeply pleased him. A feeling of dominance, of superiority… His dragon face took on a faintly satisfied smile, his eyes gleaming with pleasure.
"Hehehe… this has to be a joke, right, Eskandor? Man, you're too playful today… you better stop it."
Skjoldrim let out a harsh laugh, bringing a hand to his face in an expression that wavered between disbelief and mockery. His half-closed eyes seemed to search for some sign of irony in his former companion's behavior, as if he wanted to believe it was just another poorly told joke.
Maybe it was — after all, the frost giants had always lived under the yoke of the gods of Asgard, humiliated and oppressed. And now, Eskandor kneels before a new entity? A winged lizard that had barely arrived? Even if it was just an act, Skjoldrim had had enough. The idea of a new god, whatever Uriel was, disgusted him.
Eskandor, in turn, stood frozen, the shock visible on his face. The man who had once led with an iron fist now seemed insane. He no longer saw himself under Skjoldrim's command. That leadership had died the first time he kneeled in fear.
For a moment, even Eskandor considered, along with the others, attacking the winged creature. But something stopped him. A primitive intuition, almost instinctive, whispered in his mind: "Don't challenge that thing."
It was a gut feeling, maybe foolish — but strong enough to make him back down.
"Why won't you answer me, Eskandor?! Did something eat your tongue?"
Skjoldrim roared, saliva flying from the corners of his mouth. His skin, usually ice-blue, turned a deep red on his cheeks, a reflection of the intense rage consuming his senses.
He didn't even notice Uriel. His fury was so great that the world around him had become a blur. But Uriel was there. Silent. Watching.
And he wouldn't let that opportunity slip away.
In a sudden, wild movement, the enormous dragon lunged toward Skjoldrim. His colossal jaws opened wide, revealing rows of fangs sharp as enchanted blades.
Skjoldrim barely had time to turn his head.
With a deafening crack and a gush of bluish blood, the giant's head was ripped off in a single brutal strike. The body collapsed moments later, shaking the frozen ground with a dry thud.
Uriel raised his head, chewing slowly, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. The taste of victory was metallic and raw.
"Surrender! To the great lord!!!"
Eskandor shouted with renewed enthusiasm, raising his arms to the sky like a prophet in ecstasy. His eyes gleamed with fervor.
[You dealt a critical hit of 1500 damage]
[You leveled up]
[You leveled up]
[You earned a title]