POV: Heath.
Date: Mörsugur 16th, 999. (Alt: 29th Dec, 999 AD.) Location: Götaland (Ancient Sweden.)
By the window's edge, Asdos, Egill, Eirikr, Gorm and Valyria are distracted by the fading sun over the clouds' horizon. The sun beams creating streaks of ever-fluctuating patterns.
"The mountains had always blocked our view when it was sundown, now that there is such a view to it, I do not wish to go back." Egill comments, entranced by the diaphanous glow. "Heath does have quite the taste." Gorm fully agrees while holding a new wine glass.
Courtesy of Heath and sending in a golem server, of course. He sips the mixed berry cider, its sweetness and aroma working while they stare off into the skyline. His expresssion was one of contentment, enjoying the moment as it was. Thinking on the battles that are never to come now that they are here. Beside him, Valyria turns around and walks off to see Agnarr and Hervor, who are currently resting their heads against each other. "Everything okay, uncle and aunt?" She questions, and they nod in return. ""Quite relaxed."" They say synchronously.
"Why do you not sit down, Valyria? Or do you feel bored?" Agnarr asks pointedly, knowing that young children would usually be quite energetic. "I am booreed." Valyria drawls the last word, accentuating what needs to be done. She agrees its a nice view, but. . .
It is not something that interests her. Heath was in the background and heard her clearly, causing him to suddenly fly into the portal. Then came back a moment later, bringing back the 103-key set board with the connected 40-string harp on the side. He had also grabbed some extra materials to make a large circular stage that is placed in the middle of the TV square. With the same patterning and design as the rest of the furniture. Besides the 'keyboard,' the tagelharpa and violin are brought in as well and placed on a wooden stand.
Lastly, he brought the runic injector that was based on music and its theory. "Valyria." Heath caught her attention. "Catch." He tosses it up in the air, now easily caught by her. Valyria understood what to do and inserted the needle into the back of her neck.
A few minutes passed after the installation of new knowledge, as a being made of inanimate material, magic and soul, she could not feel a headache. But, it felt as if her soul became more sluggish for a moment before subsiding again. Now, decades of mastery in this respective field were directed into her psyche. Grounding her in a knowledge base that had interested her. While it was not a passion, she would enjoy experiencing the joy of composing and developing. Though, Heath asked it back and then returned it with a wink.
Valyria looked confused, were they not supposed to be 'read-only?' She tried it again, then felt a new set of memories about the upcoming fireworks inauguration and what music to do.
Heath flew off to find those who were selected for the flight inauguration.
Which he did so quickly, by the farthest corner of the Cavern, where the grass has not spread through yet, there are 5 people who are flying in course patterns and doing mock spars to test their skill in the air. Heath stares up at them from the barren earth before speaking. "Hello! How is it going with the testing?" Heath booms out with a loud chipper inquiry, which caught them off guard before they floated back down and responded back. "Everything is doing well, Lord Dollen." A larger man of the group says respectfully.
Heath lets that slide, knowing that they are simply respecting him from a high position. He smiles playfully and says their names. "I remember all of you, you are Birger." He looks to the next 4 behind him. "Arne, Åge, Hreinn and Kåre, how have your families been?" He questions.
Their posture becomes more relaxed, and they freely state their situations. Which mostly averages to "They are good, you have given them a better life over the past few weeks. You have healed them from their ailments and they are more alive than ever. Etcetera, etcetera." With genuine or flattering compliments on the side. A normality from Heath's perspective nowadays. "You do not need to praise me, I only did what had to be done. I have come to show an important task for tonight's party." They stand at attention, ready to listen to him.
"I have given my daughter a task for playing music. What I wish for you to do is this." He shows them 10 different devices, a rounded edge with two discs on either end with padding on their insides. Newly designed headphones, as to listen to the music.
"I have a way to help you choreograph, to tie your movements with the song being played in the background. You can help me recreate a historical event that would have come in the future, if you so wish to." Heath explains, passing the headphones along and also providing a runic injector to make it easier to train. "What would this event be?" That question by Birger caused Heath to pass him the new runic injector that was created just for this purpose. "This contains 100 different events that we could recreate, that you can choose as needed.
50 cover the past, 50 cover the potential future in focused detail from what I had seen from my prophesying." Heath technically lied as he had seen the trailers and could extrapolate parts of it from how the religions in his world developed, but they were 70 - 80% accurate.
"You are giving us a future sight? Does that not need a sacrifice to understand?" Arne asks, worried this may lead them to indentured servitude or a part of their soul missing. "Do not worry. I was the one who saw to this, so I allow you to have no consequence." Heath comforted them and raised his hand to wave up and down. "All of you can see them." He pushed it into Birger's hands. "All of you." He repeats in a deeper intonation. 3 of them appeared to be ready for this memory alteration, but the last 2. . . Not so much.
"What if we do not wish to do any of such examples, in case fate itself reacts?" Arne asks, still not trusting. So Heath gives in. "It was meant to be a surprise, but I will tell. There are an additional 100 examples that are of my own battles that would be applicable for tonight.
From the weakest of enemies to the very dragon I defeated, you would have seen them too." Heath's imagination allowed him to conjure such scenes from when he played the games, meaning they had a hint of truth to them. Their jaws hung loose from the statement, 'I can see if what he said was true?' Birger looks down, internally stumped but hopeful. "If your fear is great and want to find another way, you can reject the conflicts involving your people, I understand your predicament." That sealed the deal for them all.
Birger stings the back of his neck and only chooses to see Heath's 'rendition' of events from the Minecraft realm. And they were great, realistic and full of drama that would lead anyone to feel the inspiring story behind them, even if it was a misrepresentation.
To the first horde of 'controlled' undead with purple sculk upon their forms that led to multiple sieges of his base, and the controlled 'resurrection' of the villagers and infected creatures. To the struggles in the barren underground cities where said infectious sculk blemished the landscape and spread itself. And lastly, the one-man skirmishes and guerrilla tactics in the Nether and End from the oppressive control of foreign powers like Malgosha the Piglin Queen and the Ender Dragon, Jean. They were beguiled by this false history.
After everyone took this knowledge as their own, they spent a few Model minutes digesting it and had sat down upon the fertile earth, doing their best not to be affected by the continuous headache that felt like an eternity to them. Until it was not. And they got up.
"Out of every choice, which would you pick?" Heath wonders curiously, seeing them stare between each other. """""The dragon fight.""""" They state simultaneously. "Then I have a way to work this out. Though we will need a 6th person for this. Now what we have to do is-" To not spoil the surprise, we move away from this scene and focus back upon Agnarr and Hervor. They are resting with their eyes closed against each other's shoulders. *BOOM BADA-BOOM BOOM BAM* They are startled awake by the sudden noise.
They draw their weapons quickly and stare around the room until they see Valyria playing with the 'keyboard.' It starts sounding like a drum solo before moving off onto a combination of multiple unknown instruments to them.
Agnarr and Hervor stare at each other and shake their heads in tandem. Putting their weapons away quietly and listening to what Valyria was playing, it was a simple ballad that contained the starter drum noise per 3 joints. It was catchy, though they knew it was not something that would be played for the party. Very few would find something like this tasteful. They looked back towards the horizon, but they see. . . A creature over the clouds, hidden from the view of the clan members below, it flew at them at AN ALARMING SPEE-
*BOOM* It suddenly stopped, creating a sonic boom outside of the structure. While it did no damage, it caused a great scare. It was an enormous dragon with a gleaming, purple sheen on its scales and shining violet eyes that screamed of malice. Its size greater than Níðhöggr.
There was a tense standoff between them both. The dragon's turned face having its eye stare into each and every one of their eyes as if peering into their souls. Its tense killing intent showing that it was not here for communication. And yet it did not move? "Valyria, hide behind the tools!" Hervor, being the closest to her yells at her. "It is fine, that is papa's creation." Valyria says nonchalantly. Causing everyone to look towards her for further clarification, but their weapons were still ready. Was it a rogue creation? An out-of-control illusion? They stayed like this, instincts stretched thin until Heath flew around.
"Hello everyone!" Heath flew beside the dragon, noticing everybody had their weapons ready as if it was an inevitable battle. "Do not worry, this is just an illusion!" He dispels it, soon showing 5 people in a half-bow towards the tower. All immediately relax.
With Birger for the head and Arne, Åge, Hreinn and Kåre for the feet. "Was that meant to be. . ?" Gorm asks, eyes wide in recognition. "Yes, that was the dragon I defeated." Heath says with a tone of satisfaction. "That was larger than your stories made it out to be. How have you learned to make such illusions?" Egill says in a half-smirking reaction. "Yes, it was quite larger than life. And I learnt it from this." He takes out another runic injector. (While there were more than enough previously, there are now 50 in total, 15 are in current use.)
Heath passes the runic injector towards them through the glass, they catch it as if it was a prized treasure that is greater than all the others before it. Knowledge about magic only the gods should know? That was a perfect gift from Heath, and they feel further indebted.
"This contains information about Illusion, Dökk (Dark) and Ljós (Light) magic. Meaning, as long as one can perceive the world around them, it can be altered readily. Took nearly half of my magic to create with my scientific knowledge. One could become about equal to a member of the Illusioner Mind Giants Clan, though it did not reach my expectations." Heath's statement was met with eye twitches. "Sorry, did not reach your expectations!?" Gorm yells loudly. "I wanted to be about equal to Loki." Heath says, lips made into a thin line.
Gorm was not one, but a few internally mock the squander. "Your magic is great, yes. And you are learning quickly." Gorm says aloud with full honesty. "But that was an overestimation of what could be recreated. This in itself is a realm changer." He points to the runic injector.
"But we will get to that after all 6 of you come on in, and explain why you needed to recreate the dragon. That appeared greater than Fafnir's reported size!" Gorm complimented the magic's realistic look while waving his hand towards the closest seats.
So Heath, Arne, Åge, Birger, Hreinn and Kåre sat down quite quickly and said their thanks to Gorm, who nodded. Then looked beside him to refocus on Egill and Leif who were most interested in this situation. "So is the purpose of the dragon to be part of the show?" Egill asks, curious "And how was it designed?" Leif asks beside him. "A part of illusion magic is that it must come from the memories or imagination. I remembered my near-death quite clearly and so I was able to recreate it almost perfectly. Including its demeanour.
But my design is less threatening than the real creature." Heath described his imagination and reworded it as best he could. "More threatening? That itself felt strong enough to destroy the mountains we were once beside." Egill says, fully focused on Heath's words.
"I got the strength right then, but I meant more its killing intent. It caused me to flinch with just a look back then." Heath partially described his first experience when fighting the dragon, he was frozen in the game when he was launched in the air. They agree to what he says. "How did it feel, being a part of the dragon?" Leif asks the actors in question. "Limiting, but united, a part of a greater whole for the creature. Our arms, hands, legs and mouth controlling its every move. With our 5 souls as one." Birger described it incredibly aptly.
Because that was how Heath had designed the illusion's 'nervous system.' For less feedback looping and reducing reaction times. "We have also come for a 6th person for the party, to represent Heath in this battle." Arne continues their explanation for them.
"I had asked them directly if I could be part of this recreation, but they stated that since they were in my home, I should let them do the acting." Heath says, voice pouty in joke. "And they would be right." Gorm reacts with equal mirth. Many react by exhaling a silent laugh. "How will you design your netherite weapons and armour?" Agnarr asks, leaning in as if he were part of a conspiracy. "I will not tell you, as that would ruin the surprise." He looked between the 5 actors, and they had a knowing look between each other, raising impatience in others.
"Then what sort of actor are you looking for?" Gorm asks, remembering what Heath had said that his personality was different back during those days. "Someone who can show they were once overconfident, but lost much and is now longing for the dragon's death.
For the dragon was the cause for many of the tragedies that had befallen me." Heath says it in the second person, which the others assume is him trying to dissociate. But in reality it was him figuring out the best way to design the fireworks. "Who do you believe would be the best choice?" Heath questioned Birger, knowing he knew many who were into performance. "I believe it would be Asdos." Birger's response was met with a surprised "Hmm?" From Heath. "I did not know you were into acting!" Heath laughed, knowing him more than before.
"I never saw a reason to tell anyone." Asdos responds, with more confidence in his voice now after a few days of relaxing in a safe environment. "Well, I better not waste time then." Heath passes the runic injector for the play's development before flying off below their feet.
He was worried he had become distracted, so he refocused on the creation of the fireworks. He chose to make it pattern-based, and with him being able to apply illusions to it to make it better designed. He is planning to make it into the Völsung's emblem. With it being the front-facing design of a simplistic stag head, it was easy to make in comparison to the illusionary dragon. "I wonder if, like with Skrýmir (Útgarða-Loki.) I could trick the gods into undefeatable challenges?" Heath thinks for a moment, but decides otherwise.
They are arrogant, sure. But they are not forgetful, especially after such a 'defeat' by their sworn enemies. Or is this an event that has not happened yet? Either way, best not to when that is not Heath's expertise. Well, he's finished the firework design while analysing now!
He creates a blueprint of it, then recreates and stores multiple by the middle of the tower to be shot off during a major party session after a feast would be complete before the sun sets from how his schedule is designed. This process would help him direct the attention of the people to the future of the area. And should hopefully allow for greater trade or even migration agreements between his land and the Völsung clan in the future. Showing them the best sites before they return home. 'They do deserve happiness.' Heath internally notes.
Heath also noticed Agnarr and Hervor dozing off by the middle, and so not to disturb them, he also notifies Valyria to this and for the others to avoid them, he warps in a blanket and puts it over them carefully before moving off again towards other mischief.
'I am starting to have a brain-block. What could I do now?' Heath internally stifles at the seemingly neverending options, but he will not stop. He could never do so.