Heroes/Andvari

Lore
“Yesssss!” yelled Ragni right into the face of the head examiner. The element of Fire had made its choice, causing her to erupt with joy! Before the examiner had a chance to wrinkle his nose at Ragni’s tactless and rude behavior, Siungur let out a yell just as loud, unable to contain his glee as he was favored by the element of Water.

Andvari, a contender for the element of Nature, was in another situation altogether. Despite his excellent forging and woodworking skills, vast knowledge of the history of the Elemental Spirits, incredible physical prowess, and strong determination, his target kept evading him. The young master offered his players to the Elder Oak, started a titanic fire in the Elemental Spirit, and forged an extraordinary neckpiece that could become a great artifact if the element so willed. All in vain.

But Andvari wouldn’t be Andvari if he were to give up hope, disheartened. The challenges only served to rouse him, and the enthusiastic master never noticed he was approaching the Ticku caves, an area located far enough from the eyes of the examiners and inhabited by the small people who lived under the mountain. The Tickuits were completely blind, peaceful, and trusting like children. Nobody could expect the cruelty they displayed when seeing Andvari.

“Food for our horrific Lord!” cried the Tickuits, dragging the captured Andvari into the caves. The unexpected attack caught him off guard.

“Bring him to the dining hall! The Lord will have a great supper!” the miniature cave dwellers chanted as they dragged their victim into the depths of the mountains, even though they didn’t look happy with themselves.

“Hold the chains tight! Our Lord will be satisfied!” the tiny folk closed in on Andvari while the local blacksmith grunted and swore under his breath, binding him in chains.

In half an hour, the shackles embedded into the wall were forever locked on the young master’s hand. The Tickuits picked up their possessions and scurried out of the hall, leaving Andvari alone as he gazed apprehensively into the dark abyss. The abyss from which the mysterious and obviously vicious Lord was about to appear. The master examined the shackles carefully, realizing he couldn’t unlock them himself. He kept pulling the chain, trying to break the rock, but there was nothing he could do. Minutes turned into hours, the hours turned into...

“Stop it,” a thought occurred to the master. “What are you doing, Andvari? What do you actually want?

What does it matter what I want?” replied he to himself, remaining surprisingly calm. “After all, I’m going to perish in these caves, and nobody will ever know what happened. And to make matters worse, I won’t even pass my exam.”

“Finding excuses, are you?” continued the voice in his head. “Sounds like you don’t have a purpose. You lost it.”

“No!” shouted the master aloud. The darkness rippled around him, as though coming to life.

“Andvari, Andvari!” whispered the master to himself. “He is coming, and you’ll have to show what you’re really worth if you want to deserve the element.”

The master looked at the shackles that were holding his arm in an iron grip and the bruises spreading around it. Then he turned to look into the abyss, clearly seeing something move in the darkness. He pulled his arm without the tiniest shred of hope to weaken the grip of the iron trap. Meanwhile, something dragged itself up from the abyss, scratching its claws against the stone floor and spreading a suffocating stench in the cave. Andvari pulled his arm again, and then again, with more force. Then he stopped for a moment, and yanked it towards himself with all his might.

Blood! It seemed to have covered the cave’s floor entirely. The shoulder his arm had been attached to a moment ago had turned into a crimson mess. The master rushed to the exit, cradling the gaping wound with his other hand. His head was about to burst, as though something was trying to find its way into Andvari’s brain. Everything was going dark before his eyes, but a source of light appeared in the cave: the gigantic monster’s eyes studied the master, gazing at him like two blazing torches. A long, heavy tongue slipped from between the creature’s jaws in anticipation of fresh meat. The beast slowly approached its target, its gaze unwavering.

“Let me help you, drommer,” offered the monster, suddenly covered in light fur.

“Come play with me, cute little drommer!” continued the beast. Its eyes growing larger, even starting to seem cute. “Follow me...”

“This is the Illusioner!” flashed the thought in Andvari’s mind. He shook his head, escaping the delusion, and leapt at the monster. He slipped through its paws, turned around swiftly, and sank his teeth into the back of the beast’s head, trying to constrain his foe with his legs and remaining arm. He bit, and bit, and bit again... The monster flailed wildly, rolling on the floor, scratching its back with its claws and further wounding Andvari. The Illusioner and the drommer’s blood gushed freely. But Andvari was growing weak. Red and green circles started appearing in the darkness before his eyes, reminding him there was just a little time left. Soaked in blood and slippery, his hand lost its grip on the beast, causing Andvari to instinctively move his other shoulder to secure it. And he succeeded! A stone shoulder appeared in place of the crippled arm, followed by a forearm and hand, strangling the monster on the spot. The vines suddenly growing across Andvari’s other arm pierced into the monster’s skin, crushing the Illusioner’s core – the organ that enabled it to conjure mental images – in one fell swoop.

The Illusioner immediately shrunk in size, cowering and letting out a pathetic whimper. When Andvari shoved it away, it quickly fled into the cave.

When the drommer examiners found Andvari, he wasn’t even trying to exit the cave. His body covered with wounds, he kept practicing with his new power over the element of Earth, literally earned through blood and sweat. Once the Illusioner had been neutralized, the Tickuits snapped out of their trance. Realizing what they had done, the tiny people rushed to fix their mistake. They invited the drommer inspectors right into the cave to let Andvari savor his triumph.

Never before had Ghirwil City witnessed such an examination! Glory to you, Andvari! You deserve this victory!

Андвари