First Demonic Dragon

Jotunheim is no one's dream destination.

It is a cold, rocky land overcrowded with snow and jagged mountain peaks with very little flatland between them.

The only people who dare to come here of their own volition are those who are being punished or gods of war- who seek to temper themselves in one of creation's harshest terrains.

Tyr came here when he was a much younger god and had just lost his hand to Fenris. He didn't depart for 100 years.

Ares spent twice that long hoping he would acquire the power to overthrow his grandfather and Zeus. He never obtained it.

When they were still young and navigating the finer points of emotional stability, Abaddon, Lailah, Bekka, and Audrina hunted an entire race of frost giants into near extinction.

The reason? The blue giants tried to take their bodies by force.
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As a direct result of their actions, the formerly reclusive stone giants became the dominant species on Jotunheim.

Lesser dragons and draugr were occasionally a problem, but for the most part the stone imbeciles had remained largely unchallenged.

And then Mira came along for a visit.

After deciding to leave the Euphrates and form her own faction, Mira came here for a few years to reinvent herself.

It was a really… transformative experience for her.

But the impact she left on this place after leaving was undoubtedly greater than that of her parents.

"Stop bullshitting! Polish that chair like you mean it! Put your hips into it!"

"Arrange those offerings better! Do you want to sand your own balls down like old stones?! I didn't think so!"

"Clean! Clean! Clean! Clean!"

A primitive city covered in stone and snow was bustling with large inhabitants.

Stone giants, while around four feet shorter than the more noteworthy frost giants, were still very large beings who stood at 14 ft tall on average.

Their bodies were various shades of earth colors, ranging all the way from a muted brown, to a stone grey.

Jagged rocks adorned most of their bodies and acted as identifiers for other tribes.

Two large tusks were situated on their jaw. Some had theirs cracked or broken in gruesome battles.

"IT IS TIMEEE! Get into position!!" One roared.

A stampede unfolded as the giants rushed into the middle of the town square.

They dropped to their knees and waited patiently for the inevitable.

A gust of cold wind blew in from some far off horizon. The snow that had only fallen in flutters was now coming down much harder.

A figure appeared like a mirage- causing the stone giants to rise up in a frenzy.

"It is the princess!"

"She has truly returned after so long away!"

Brawny fists were raised in the air as the stone giants sang praises to the highest heavens.

More figures appeared from within the snow storm. One appeared to be male and possessed a beard made of billowing flame.

"They certainly are excited to see you again, aren't they..?" Gulban thought that these brutes were surely some of the strangest he had ever seen.

Twinges of a smile could be seen on Mira's lips. "They are idiots, but they are well meaning idiots."

Gulban looked at his granddaughter strangely. She was probably the only woman alive who could induce this level of fanaticism out of stone giants.

They were largely considered to be a savage and feral race of behemoths. They didn't even have names.

But looking around, Gulban could see that their public image might have needed some updating.

'It's crudely made and sloppy, but these beings have started trying to create their own architecture… I had never thought them interested in such a thing.'

"Thank you for bringing us here on such short notice, Grandpa." Mira suddenly said. "We can get back on our own, so you don't need to stay with us."

Gulban tossed all thoughts of stone imbeciles to the very back of his mind and stared at Mira like a wounded puppy.

"I-It's really no trouble, I don't mind sticking around a bit… just to give you a helping hand if you need it."

"I can take it from here, Grandpa, thank you. Father wouldn't have let me leave the house if he didn't know I could take care of myself."

Gulban had known Abaddon for eons and he could honestly say that he knew those words to be totally true.

But he wasn't necessarily trying to stick around because he was worried about Mira's safety.

The life of a maker is often a busy one. Due to his responsibilities, the ancient being hadn't quite found the time to pop down into the abyss and visit his daughter and grandchildren.

Trillions upon trillions of universes and timelines are created every single day. It is the job of a maker to shape and mold them into something grand.

If he doesn't shape it, reality gives itself certain 'birth defects' that can cause life to be extinguished before it's appointed time. Even being here right now was cutting things a bit too close for comfort.

Gulban was so busy that he hadn't even seen Odessa in person yet. Only through FaceTime.

Truthfully, he was ready to retire already. But Valerie would likely never willingly accept his role due to the time it would take away from her family.

Meaning Gulban would have to keep stealing moments like this until his responsibilities were not so demanding.

"Well… Alright then. Can grandpa at least get a kiss before he goes?" Gulban tapped his cheek.

Mira immediately thought about her reputation among the Unongendi.

She fought like a dog to get her parents not to baby her in front of her people, but now her grandfather was about to blow all of her efforts out of the water!

"G-Grandpa, I don't think that…"

Gulban's eyes became as big as saucers and his posture deteriorated into that of a feeble old man.

Mira felt like she was being manipulated somehow.

She swallowed down her pride and gave the old man a quick peck on the cheek and a firm squeeze.

Somehow Gulban had regained his youth and vitality. He smiled like the jolly old man he was and slowly began walking backwards.

"I wish you luck in your hunt, Granddaughter. No matter how busy I am, know that I will always come running if you have need of me."

Mira smiled softly as she waived her grandfather goodbye.

She looked over her shoulder and conveniently, all of her Unongendi were finding other places to rest their gazes.

So for now at least, she had managed to hold on to her pride as leader.

"Princess!!"

Thudding footsteps waddled up to Mira and covered her with shadow.

Dwarfing her was a particularly large stone giant with tusks that curled out of his lips like ram horns.

"Princess, please accept our offerings on this day! I can thoroughly vouch for them!" His booming voice promised.

The giant bent down and showed her what appeared to be a plate. A poorly made one at that.

On it were hard, rock-like morsels that were as big as her entire head.

Mira looked back and forth between the plate and the chieftain.

His black, beady eyes seemed to be waiting for her to choose one with bated breath.

'By the gods… Why am I so easy to manipulate today..?' Mira sighed and thought to herself.

She used both hands to pick up an egregiously large morsel and took a bite.

The Unongendi winced as they listened. It sounded like their lady was chewing on concrete.

"W-Well..?" The chieftain asked.

Mira swallowed and maintained a blank expression.

"…They're okay."

Electricity shot through the air.

The chieftain turned back to the crowd and raised his fists in the air once again.

"SHE LIKES ITTTT!!!"

"HOORAHHHH!!!!!" The crowd cheered back.

Mira discreetly chucked the cookie over her shoulder.

But when the chieftain noticed her hands were empty again, he tried to offer her more.

"Please, princess, have as much as you like! We have prepared several batches in anticipation of this day!"

Literally nothing would have displeased Mira more.

If she were still an immature child she would have brought a power sander from home and made everyone who served her such filth sand their nuts down until they were practically nonexistent.

But she was a dignified adult now, so she had to at least act like she was greatful for the gesture.

"I appreciate the offer, Chieftain, but we didn't come here today to eat cookies. You don't want to be attacked again, do you?"

The chieftain's gaze became more serious and he nodded profusely. "This one understands, princess. The time to enjoy offerings comes later."

He chucked the plate over his shoulder too. The rock-like projectiles ended up knocking three giants unconscious immediately, but Mira and her Unongendi were seemingly the only ones to notice this.

"Please, this way, princess. Your throne awaits." The chieftain beckoned.

Situated right in the middle of town was a beastly throne made from the best parts of animal skulls.

It also seemed to have been newly swept and polished.

Mira sat down on her throne with the same grace and dignity that she had seen her parents use so many times before.

As the Unongendi and the stone giants bowed before her, she maintained a cool, regal expression as she leaned into her chair.

"Right then… Tell me everything that you know about this black book."