Mud squished beneath Vali's boots as he emerged from the shadows of Crocus. He had finally sent his men on their way back to worth woodsea. To ensure that they were traveling safe, he stayed close to the part of Crocus that they pillaged. The Jarl's job today was to make sure that nobody had been scouting or trailing behind his men. Va's keen sense of smell and his night vision made it easy for him to detect enemies. He had finally decided, after thoroughly watching, that his men were fine. So swiftly, he slipped between the distraught homes of Crocus, avoiding possible roaming Knights until he had found himself outside of the "Red Zone".

Why didn't the Viking Lord go with his men? That's what the people of Skaal would wonder when the warriors returned. He had been gone for a few weeks now, they were bound to feel uneasy. The vessel of Fenrir wasn't done with his business in the capital yet. He wasn't ready to return home because there was so much to see here. "Home" would make him feel trapped like he would have to put on his big boy pants and suck up his pain. Truth was, Vali wasn't ready to bear the responsibilities of Jarl. The young Desiertan Jarl walked the streets with his hoodie on and his head down. A few hours ago, during the raid, he came across a child who had been surrounded by his parent's dead bodies.

It must have been traumatizing for him, Vali thought. How could the noble Viking warrior find himself so full of rage, and a hunger for power that he would allow his men to strip a child of his mother? He thought about his own mother and how she would look at him...and then he thought about what his father would have said. There, of course, wouldn't have been judgment because what Vali had done was what peasants and nobles have always done. It was apart of their culture, but still, his parents had always taught him that it wasn't right. And now, because of his outbursts of rage; "The Mad Titan" is what they called him. "The Mad Titan..." he whispered to himself.

Had he really gone mad? It didn't feel that way...but perhaps a crazy person would think they were normal. Vali clenched his jaws at the thought of him losing his sanity. He had killed his mother for the greater good, he had fought demons to protect those dear, yet he had also killed countless Knights and innocent people. Blaming it on the enhanced rage from his monstrous form was childish. He was a descendant of Tyr, not even the dark forces of Loki could fully corrupt him. He gave into Fenrir's power far too many times and had made far too many mistakes. He knew it wasn't the right thing to do, but doing it felt so good.  To stab, and ruin a being until they could handle no more... it was a powerful thing to take the lives of your enemies, godly even.

The young Lord had taken things too far though. It was to the point where he could easily put the lives of his men on the line for the sake of what he thought mattered. He had been reckless since the passing of his mother and he hadn't noticed it until now. The young Jarl walked silently in his thoughts. The capital was quiet, but up ahead he could hear what sounded like some form of a malfunction. The next block was covered in blood, organs, and limbs as Vali made his way towards the stuttering. To his surprise, there had been an armored being leaned against the wall. The first thing Val did was scan his body for a Rune Knight pendant. Rune Knights were enemies, that much would never change. "Hm.." This being wasn't a Knight though. Suddenly the armored person began to mutter words like a robot. "Damage...severe...damage...severe...extreme pain levels..." The intrigued Viking knelt down, still keeping his hood on.

"Damage...pain..arm...unresponsive...Merlin...Lady...Merlin"

Suddenly it all began to make some sort of sense. Vali thought for a moment about where he heard that name; "Lady Merlin". After a quick moment, he realized. Lady Merlin was the Kings Personal Advisor. Vali didn't quite understand why this mysterious figure was muttering her name, but he figured this was a fated meeting. Without wasting another second, the young Lord nodded then proceeded to pick up the being. Quickly he threw the giant armored man onto his back and darted towards the King's palace. His cloak was dark and brown so perhaps the guards wouldn't find him to be too strange. All he needed to do was find a way to reach this Lady Merlin.

Something good would come out of this, he hoped. Besides, he didn't have anything else to do and tending to this mysterious person made him feel a bit better about himself. The werewolf ran full speed through the empty town of Crocus. During this tie of the night, the stench of death was strong. With his level of speed, he was able to reach the Royal castle in about four minutes. The creature proved to be some sort of robot from the way he spoke but Val wasn't too sure. Before he stepped up to the guards he took the being from around his shoulders, helping him walk as they approached. The guards protecting the gate called out to the Viking, "Hey!". Vali lifted one of his hands but kept his head down.

The two guards moved forward until they were about 3 meters away from Val. Suddenly, it seemed like one of them had noticed. "Oh, doesn't he belong to lady Merlin?" one of them asked. "Yeah, why do you have him?" the other asked. "I found him in an alleyway, but he's badly injured... I want to bring him safely to Lady Merlin..." The young noble stated. Easily the guards revealed where Lady Merlin would be and so just like that he was on his way. It wasn't long before Val found himself at Lady Merlin's Estate. The building was huge, showing off her status in the hierarchy. The Viking would expect no less from the king's advisor. He heard rumors of her...some said that she was simply a woman who climbed her way up, but the majority say that she is a sorceress of unrealistic power.

The young lord did not care for rumors though, he wasn't easy to intimidate. As he approached the mansion, the giant doors immediately swung open and there she was; Lady Merlin. Vali at first tried to escape her eyes, but her aura had become so alluring as each second passed, he felt obligated to gaze upon her. Jet black locks fell gracefully over her shoulders. Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight and her body was perfectly curved. Her beauty was unrealistic. The lady levitated towards Vali and when she saw the armored person, she smirked. For a few moments, she simply scanned Abadon's body. "Abbadon had a malfunction, hm?" she tapped her chin. Then, her attention then turned towards the Cloak Titan. "Quickly then, I have a solution." She simply stated.

There was nothing else. She had seen Vali's face, yet she hadn't mentioned anything or asked any questions. Perhaps it was because Vali had slain all of his enemies so none have lived to expose him. It could also just be a trap... Either way, the Titan was sure that he'd leave unharmed. Quickly he trailed after the woman, while she used her magic to manipulate Abadon. Quickly the three of them went downstairs where Vali saw a chair to strap Abadon to. Then, the Advisor asked for Vali's help and the two worked in silence for the most part. They shared occasional glances, but Val found it easier to keep conversation to a minimum, no matter how bad he wanted to taste her. After the potion was created, Merlin gave it to her creation before rewarding Vali. "Why don't you stay?" Lady Merlin asked just as the warrior turned to leave. He turned back to face her...