After Sigmir gave me her oath, silence reigned. After I gathered myself, I decided to ask the obvious question, “Mind telling me what is going on?” Sigmir looked straight into my eyes and spoke with utmost conviction, “You saved my life from the hounds. You brought me to your dwelling, put me into your bed and fed me. There is power in actions. You treated me like family, me, someone whose family has cast her out, has crippled her strength. I do not have anything to repay you but my life. So my life is yours so I can look my father in the eye when I return to the cycle.” “Family, huh?” somehow it felt right. “I will be happy to have you with me, Sigmir. Please, tell me why you were hunted and what we have to expect.”

With that, Sigmir sat back down, into the furs and told me her story.

“Very well. I guess I should start with a bit of background. My tribe, the Jonari are a tribe of Giantbloods, descended from the northern Frostgiants, better known as Jötun. After the fall of Asgard, the connection to the Jötunheim, the realm of the Frostgiants was severed and the magic in their blood that made them what they were faded and over time they turned into what we are now. Giantbloods they call us. How the mighty have fallen.

Most of us stand six to seven feet tall and lack the strength and fortitude of our ancestors. Some are different. My father was one of those who were truly different, he was almost ten feet tall, monstrously strong and tough as a mountain. He was the strongest warrior of our tribe, by far. When he reached level 50, he reached the first divide and managed to overcome it. He even made it to level 100 and reached the second but never attempted to overcome it.

His blood, however, proved too strong, when I was born, the stress the birth put on my mother was too high and she did not survive. Something that is rather common when only one of the partners has the strength of our ancestors. Father raised me, and he raised me well but due to the responsibility of raising me, he never dared to challenge the second divide.

Sadly, even the strongest warrior can fall to a knife in the back. I believe that's what happened to him, last year he went hunting with the Chieftain and some other warriors and when they got back, they told a tale of my father giving his life against a mountain boar and plummeting to his death. Never, ever would that happen to him, he was far to strong and smart to fall like that.

When we celebrated our harvest-festival this year, the Chieftain announced that I'd be wed to his son, now that I had reached the age of maturity. His son is a cruel, stupid bully. He's not even as strong as me but because he is stronger than most and the son of the Chieftain he lords over everyone in the tribe, taking what he wants and punishing people for sport.

On top of that, I was already stronger than him, having inherited my fathers original class, Berserker and even managed to reach level 50 during his training to overcome the first divide and gain the class Earth Splitter. The son of the Chieftain was a simple Tribal Warrior, he reached level 60 but Tribal Warriors don't generally reach the first divide until level 100, he will probably fail to reach it even then. I'd rather die than be that weaklings wife.

However, I had spoken too openly and both, the Chieftain and the Shaman felt that I had to learn my place. They mixed something in my food, it made me sick and sapped my strength until now I am barely a shadow of my former self. It drained my levels making me unable to use my class so I had to resort to some tricks my father told me, to get away but the hunting wolves were sent after me. I guess Jongarn is not willing to let his prize escape.

The wolves harried me through the forest, never quite making the kill, as if it was sport to them. Luckily, the blood of my ancestors is strong in me and I was able to take the cold better than they were, it gave me a chance to stay ahead of them, but the constant chase made me weaker each day, exhaustion and wounds taking their toll. I was all alone and had given up hope, sure that closing my eyes would mean entering the cycle, hoping it really, but dreading that they were only chasing me till I collapsed and then lead the hunters to me to drag me back as a broodmare. Then I wake up, with a small being handing me a bowl of soup. The soup wasn't much but for someone who'd been hunted for weeks, it tasted like the nectar of the gods.” the last sentence was said with a smirk.

I had listened to her story with a mostly stoic expression and the behaviour of her tribe pissed me off, it went against my core beliefs, the tribe sounded like a large family and family should not turn on itself. Whom can you trust, if not family? In addition, I hated bullying ass-holes with a passion, I have had my share of them all through high-school and college, most of them, I'd still happily feed into a wood-chipper, dick first.

Add in that mysterious, protective, warm feeling towards Sigmir? Yes, her tribe had just entered my shit-list. I also knew loneliness, having endured it often growing up and in the last years, I had there was a feeling I had to do something, it was guiding me towards something I wouldn't consider normally. I took Sigmir's hand and cut into it drawing blood, then I did the same with my own. I spoke, grasping her bloody hand with mine, not knowing where the conviction I felt came from, “Sigmir, of no tribe, of no family. I, Morgana the Traveller, will be your family until I leave this world. Your foes will be my foes, your pain will be my pain, from now, for evermore.”

Trait gained You gained a trait: Bloodpact You have sworn a Bloodoath with your Oathsworn Sigmir, binding the two of you together. As you both carry the bloodline of Jötun, it is strengthened. Increased affinity with Ice-Magic.

It was interesting what blueish blood means to a blush. I could see her eyes getting moist and she was trying to talk but chocked on her words. That tall, muscular form, the strong face, combined with moist eyes and blushing cheeks? Beyond adorable, so I closed in on her and gave her a heartfelt hug, trying to show her she was no longer alone. I whispered into her ears “Don't worry, dear, I'll be with you. If necessary, I will lay waste to the fields of Elysium, if necessary, I will burn down Ygdrassil itself.” then, bitten by an imp of the perverse, I lightly bit into her earlobe causing a surprising moan to escape her throat while she shuddered in my arms.

When I pulled back, she looked into my eyes and I saw fire in there. “I will hold you to that.” Then, with a yawn, “Would you mind if I go back to sleep? The last weeks have been taxing.” I felt like lying down was a good idea so I simply wrapped her back up in my cloak and the furs and snuggled in with her. Then I logged out, knowing that I needed a short bio-break.

Soon, I was back in and felt the taller girl in my arms. Lying there, I had time to think about her story and I'd have to ask her about those divides and class-changes, I had yet to read about anything like that. Maybe it was just something that people of this world took for granted and would never think to explain. I'd never think to explain gravity or what seasons are to someone, even knowing that they are not from 'here'.

Suddenly, I heard her mumble and sob a little, shifting in her sleep. I pulled her close, so that her face was nestled in the crook of my shoulder and spoke soothingly, telling her I was there and everything would be all right. It took a couple of minutes but soon, she slipped back into a deep, calm sleep. I wasn't sure her wounds were all healed so I drew my heal-spell on the her and slowly and cautiously channelled Astral Power into her. At the same time, I let myself fall into a meditative state.

I don't know if it was the intimacy or the channelled healing magic, but I felt her body as an extension of my own and was able to feel her condition. There were some small problems due to exhaustion and wounds but they were soothed away slowly. But there was also something else, like scars, on all her muscles, eating at them, destroying them. I focused on it and was able to greatly slow it but that wasn't a solution. I guess it was a remnant of whatever their shaman had fed her, slowly destroying her from the inside. Lacking the power the permanently destroy it, I went with the next best thing and pushed back against it. Then I changed my spell, adding the runes for Blood and Freeze but focusing on freezing the malicious affliction so it would be contained.

Quest Alert! Curing the Shieldmaid Quest Difficulty Hard Your new companion is afflicted with something malicious. Curing her will require greatly increased knowledge on healing magic or help. Quite often, shamans and spirits congregate at astral nexuses, searching for one and asking their help might work. Quest Reward Lifting the malediction Sigmir suffers from

With that the goal was clear, sadly I had not the slightest idea where to find one such nexus. But another day might guide the way.