Chapter 13: Three Norns

“Why is he not a person I should admire?” Arthur asked, tilting his head innocently. Anna took a deep breath at that question. Suddenly, murderous intent flashed across her eyes, and she slammed her palms on the table before her.

“He stole the chicken I bargained for three years ago,” stated Anna, and the surroundings turned silent. Arthurs expression slowly crumpled, and his respect for his mother took a dive at those words.

“Are you a child?” Arthur asked, standing up. For once, he was truly frustrated by his mother’s ‘jokes.’

“Do I look like a child?” Anna asked, flashing murderous intent towards Arthur, too. The latter quickly sat down, and his frustration was immediately washed away by Anna’s intense gaze. He felt fearful.

“But it was just chicken…” complained Arthur, pouting childishly.

“It was chicken I was going to cook that day,” replied Anna, slamming the table, which produced a deafening noise that numbed Arthur’s ears. Her resentment was evident in her heartfelt words. “The chicken I loved…”

Arthur suddenly stood up before sighing in disbelief. “Where are you going?” Anna asked, widening her eyes. “Wait for me to finish my story.”

“Tell it to father and Lily,” replied Arthur before jumping out of the window. He heard Anna’s cries, but they fell on deaf ears. His mother was lovely, but she could become annoying sometimes.

Blood-feud because of chicken?

*

“So this is old Melzer’s house,” said Arthur, absorbing the scenery before him. Old Melzer’s house couldn’t be called a house… it was akin to a shed infested with an enormous number of bugs, but then they all died.

Corpses of ants, spiders, and other bugs lay around Melzer’s house, providing it with a rather peculiar feeling. Arthur was apathetic to such minor things, however, as he simply approached the house without qualms.

He could hear the crunch beneath his feet. The corpses of insects were crushed beneath his shoes, and a viscous liquid of unknown color spread across the ground.

‘What the fuck is wrong with this guy?’ Arthur wondered, forming an expression of disgust. He didn’t mind the corpses, but they were still quite unusual. Also, why did a former Elite Ranker reside in such a house?

The squalid scent that encroached the area tickled Arthur’s nose, and he sneezed due to it.

As he approached the porch, he was greeted by a tiny, enthusiastic, black dog that roamed around the place. The dog seemed to be a labrador retriever, and had an unusually cute face. Its legs were tiny as it trotted from one place to another.

“A shapeshifting skill,” Arthur chuckled, mocking the black dog who was, in fact, old Melzer in disguise. It was difficult to notice, but illusion type skills were weak to perceptive senses. In fact, they were usually avoided.

Only some illusion type skills were powerful, as they could fool even the sharpest of minds.

Illusion barriers were also very famous.

Suddenly, the black dog stood on its back legs before a light embraced its body. Then, in a spiral display of light, the dog morphed into the shape of a human. A very disgusting human, that is.

With a bushy, unclean beard and dark circles under his eyes, old Melzer looked like a slob. His clothes were tattered, and the dead expression on his face didn’t assist in bettering Arthur’s impression of the man.

“Surprised you noticed that,” said Melzer disinterestedly. He then scratched the back of his head in confusion. “Why are you here?”

“I heard you stole chicken from my mother three years ago,” said Arthur. A flame ignited within his eyes, and murderous intent burst from his body. Melzer’s eyes widened slightly at the pressure of mana. “I’m here for payback.”

“To be honest, I felt pretty bad about it,” replied Melzer. “So I left her several chickens on her porch in compensation over the years.”

“Oh…” Arthur muttered. “Then teach me how to unlock my constitution.”

“Your constitution,” Melzer muttered. “It’s something you learn only once you reach an academy or enter Heaven’s Spire. Children shouldn’t go through something meant for adults. Also, my way is especially gruesome.”

“I heard you were affiliated with Asgard when you were an Elite Ranker,” said Arthur in a tone akin to mocking. “Did you lick Thor’s boots or something? Or did Odin let you in because of pity? No, Odin’s too much of a bitch to do that.”

Suddenly, tremendous pressure descended upon Arthur’s body, and blood burst from his mouth. He simply smiled viciously, staring at Melzer as if daring him to attack. “The three Norns blessed you with the string of fate… if only they did that for me. I was cursed.”

“If they did that for you?” Melzer asked, narrowing his eyes. “You sound like you’ve met the three Norns.”

“It’s because I have,” responded Arthur frivolously. “The Norns were bitches, anyway. The Moirai were much cuter.”

Although he didn’t believe those words to be true, there wasn’t a better way of angering a player than intentionally disrespecting their clan. Asgard was a well-respected clan, and mocking them would cause a stir in Heaven’s Spire.

Of course, the Lord of Sins couldn’t care less of those dog bastards.

Odin was a bitch, while Thor was… well, he needed special care in a mental hospital. Heimdall was all right, but Loki was simply a pervert alongside Jormungandr and a few other children of his.

There were only a few in the entirety of Heaven’s Spire that Arthur respected.

None of them originated from Asgard.

Melzer’s expression contorted, and he didn’t seem to mind the disrespect anymore. “Were you a player? No, that’s not possible, considering you would die the second you entered the tower. It’s impossible.”

“Oh, I assure you it’s not,” replied Arthur in an authoritative tone. “Have you ever heard of the Lord of Sins?”

“No,” replied Melzer awkwardly.

“Fine,” replied Arthur. “If you wish to test whether or not I was a player, you have to fight me. Also, if I win, you will teach me how to properly construct a constitution base. I heard the Asgard bastards were pretty good at that.”

“They certainly were.”

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