"Don't touch that! That's Botox. Do you want to melt your skin into a puddle of goo?"
Lori, the Assistant Head of the Asgard Inventory, was currently engaged in a high-stakes tug-of-war. The prize? A small, unlabeled glass bottle containing enough concentrated toxin to paralyze an elephant. On the other end of the bottle was Aisha, a girl who possessed the stubbornness of a mule and the energy of a caffeinated squirrel.
Aisha didn't care about melting. She summoned every ounce of strength her small, wiry limbs could muster, her face turning a bright shade of red.
Watching this disaster from a distance was Zola. One of the elite Sentinels and Kenna's sister-in-arms, Zola was a woman carved out of granite. She rarely smiled, and her face bore the jagged scars of a life spent on the front lines of Jotunheim . She had been tasked with caring for Aisha—a mission of mental healing promised to Kenna.
Right now, Zola's own mental health was at risk.
She had brought the girl to the Stronghold's inventory to shop for supplies, hoping a few new trinkets would comfort the traumatized child. Instead, Aisha had spent the last hour complaining that her current clothes smelled like corpse and rat excrement. Now, she was hunting for a weapon. Zola couldn't keep up with her energy.
"Let go, girl!"
Lori screamed, finally yanking the bottle away. She tightened the cork of the bottle to avoid the contents from spilling. Aisha immediately lunged for a different shelf.
"That's wasp venom! Drop it this instant!" Lori shrieked, snatching a second jar.
But Aisha, the eternal rebel, was already three steps ahead. She spotted something shiny—a prototype taser—nestled on a velvet cushion. Before Lori could blink, Aisha had it gripped in both hands.
"Jesus! Give me that right now!"
Lori demanded, her voice reaching a pitch that could shatter glass.
"Never!"
Aisha protested, hugging the device to her chest.
"Am I not allowed to touch anything in this dusty hole?"
"Why do you only pick things that will end your little life in a second?" Lori fired back. "It's still a prototype!Drop it!"
Lori lunged. Aisha dodged. They began a frantic circle around a crate of silver-tipped bolts. Zola, meanwhile, had found a stool near the reception desk. She opened a dusty journal and began to read, completely ignoring the screeching and the crashing of boots. She let the inventory girl handle the little menace.
Finally, Lori snapped. Exhausted and frustrated, she reached out and smacked Aisha's hand to loosen her grip.
Aisha didn't cry. She didn't flinch. She simply leaned forward and clamped her teeth onto Lori's thumb with the precision of a snapping turtle.
"AAAGH! My goodness! She bit me! You little shrew!"
Lori recoiled, cradling her thumb. It was already throbbing, turning a sickly shade of purple. Lori blew on the wound, her face turning the color of a ripe tomato, while Aisha stood her ground, clutching the taser with a look of pure, smug satisfaction.
Lori turned to Zola, who was still buried in her book.
"Zola! Permission to kill this child? Please?"
"Not your call to make, Lori," Zola replied, casually flipping a page.
"She bit me, Zola! And she's hugging a thousand-volt prototype weapon that has not been tested yet for crying out loud! Where did you even find this monster?"
Zola finally snapped the journal shut. She stood up, stretched her muscular frame until her joints popped, and walked over.
"She's our guest of honor. Treat her like royalty, Lori. We're just here for few supplies, for her specifically. Show her the way."
"But... but..." Lori stuttered.
"I'm going to go find some wine and spices in the cellar,"
Zola said, ignoring the protest. She looked down at Aisha.
"Hey, Cricket! You better not cause any more trouble for sweet Lori here. If you do, no more trips. You hear me?"
Aisha nodded quickly, looking innocent.
Lori grunted as Zola disappeared toward the cellar. She took a deep breath, trying to remember her meditation training.
"Calm down, Lori. Needle through water. Calm as the wind," she whispered. She turned back to the girl, arms akimbo.
"Okay, now, little one—"
"It's Cricket," Aisha interrupted, poking at the taser's buttons.
Lori's eye twitched.
"Fine. Cricket. Work with me here. Obey everything I tell you. Don't go touching—"
ZAP!
A tiny blue spark jumped from the taser as Aisha touched the prongs. She recoiled, her hair standing slightly on end.
"Don't touch that!"
Lori shouted, clearing her throat.
"Like I was saying: no touching jars, no touching bottles. And no touching of the taser's prongs, they'll char you to ash. Pick things appropriate for your age. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Aisha saluted sharply.
Lori froze.
"It's Lori. And I'm a woman."
"It's 'sir' actually," Aisha corrected with total confidence.
"What? I just said—" Lori stopped herself. She took another breath so deep it hurt. "Fine. Call me whatever you want, Cricket. Just follow me my lead "
"Alright, sir!"
Aisha chirped, trotting off toward the clothing section.
"Cricket, honey... can you put the taser down? I don't want you shocking your own heart out." Lori tried a calm approach to snatch the electrifying monster from Aisha as they walked through the shelves. But it proves futile.
"So you can steal it for yourself? Not happening, sir."
Aisha tucked the weapon firmly under her armpit. Lori cursed under her breath and bit her lip so hard she tasted copper.
*The Shopping Spree from Hell*
What followed was an hour of pure,unadulterated chaos. Aisha went into a shopping frenzy, but she didn't want dolls or ribbons. She ignored every sensible suggestion Lori made. Instead, she began piling up a mountain of gear; Heavy Armor-Plated Vests that would have dragged her to the floor. Bronze bracers ,designed for a grown man's forearms. Helmets with binocular visors,that fell over her eyes. Combat boots the size of a troll's foot, and mountain of things she didn't know if they were useful.
Lori followed behind her, stamping her feet and losing her mind. Then, they reached the weapons. Aisha's eyes shimmered like stars. She dived into a bin and pulled out a massive, spiked wooden bat.
"Can you act like a child for once?"
Lori snatched the bat away. "This is for trolls! Pick a shield or a small club."
Aisha threw a silent fit, staring Lori down with cold, dark eyes before storming off. Lori dropped the bat and chased after her.
"Insolent child! Put that down!"
Aisha was currently trying to hoist a double-edged battle axe that was twice her height. It weighed at least ten kilograms. She was straining, her face purple, but she managed to tilt it upward.
"I like this one, Missy! Can I keep it?"
Aisha asked with a fake, sweet smile.
"Of course you can," Lori grinned wickedly. "Right after I beat some sense into you with it! Drop it!"
Usually, Lori was the calmest person in the stronghold. At twenty-four, she was a genius in alchemy and chemistry, Merlin's top student, which is why the Great Merlin had placed her in charge of the inventory rather than the front lines. But Aisha was the one inconvenience she couldn't handle.
"How about this?"
Aisha pointed at a makeshift hunter's rifle.
Lori glared.
"This?"
Aisha touched a spiked flail with heavy iron chains.
Lori pretended to ignored her, vibrating with rage.
Aisha ran through the aisles like a whirlwind. She grabbed a sword. No. A vine-bomb. No. A pistol. No. Silver grenades, poison darts,formaldehyde shots. Every time she reached for something cool, Lori was there with a sniper's gaze and a firm "No."
Finally, Aisha snapped.
"Why are you hiding all the good stuff!" She stamped her foot, looking defeated. She turned to the very last rack.
"Oh, no you don't. Put that down," Lori commanded.
"Never!"
Aisha yelled. "I'm keeping this since you've denied me everything else. And the taser stays!"
She clutched a heavy, rusted crossbow to her chest. It looked like it hadn't been fired in a decade, but it was sturdy.
"ZOLAAA!" Lori panicked, her voice cracking. "Come take this little monster before I rain hell on her!"
"That's a bad way to treat your guest of honor," Zola's voice hollered back from the depths of the cellar. "What are you going to tell Merlin?"
"Oh, it's simple, actually,"
Lori yelled back, her eyes wide and manic. "I'll tell the boss I shot her by accident while testing a prototype! An occupational hazard!"
"You know Merlin hates incompetence, Lori. Don't let him question your skills."
Zola finally climbed out of the cellar, carrying a small barrel of wine and a chest of rare spices.
"Let the girl make her choice, Lori. Let her enjoy life before this island takes it's toll on her and—"
The words died in Zola's throat. She froze on the cellar ladder, staring at the mountain of supplies Aisha had managed to accumulate in the center of the room.
"Is that... a goblin mask?" Zola asked, blinking. "And a drum made of ribcages?"
Aisha nodded happily. She was almost invisible behind the pile of gear. Zola sighed and pulled a heavy leather pouch from her belt.
"Cricket, darling... is this really everything you need for today?" Zola asked, starting to count out silver coins.
"Not really, Crush," Aisha said, using Zola's codename.
"Sir here won't let me have the fancy stuff. I wanted a mace and a spiked flail , and other cool stuffs , but she frowned like a grizzly bear. I only got a crossbow and a sparking tuning fork."
"She'd probably shoot herself with that bow!"
Lori fumed. "And it's a five-thousand-volt taser, not a tuning fork! And stop calling me sir!"
Zola chuckled. Aisha was a handful, but seeing her fight with Lori was the first thing that had eased Zola's mind from the Island's horrors .
"I see you two are getting along great. I'm glad."
"What?! Of course not! She's given me seven heart attacks in three hours!"
Lori screamed. "Who in their right mind wants a Warhammer for a souvenir and mouse traps for fun? She's only eight!"
"Eight years, three months, thirteen days, and sixteen hours precisely," Aisha corrected.
" See that! Did you see that? The audacity!" Lori complained.
"Wow. Quite the mathematician," Zola smiled, stroking Aisha's curly hair gently . Aisha puffed out her chest, feeling proud. The jagged scar on Zola's face didn't look scary to her anymore; it looked like a beautiful painting.
Zola turned back to the counter.
"We're taking all of it. Ring us up, dear."
"You mean... everything?" Lori asked, her jaw dropping. "Even the warthog tusks and the deer antlers?"
"Every bit of it. I'll deal with it ," Zola assured her.
Lori began tallying it up.
"One hundred and ten silver coins."
Zola gulped. That was a small fortune, but she handed over the coins without a word.
"Is that all, Cricket sweetie?" Zola asked.
"Can I have the bear-fur jackets too?" Aisha asked, pointing to a rack of heavy winter gear.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Lori interrupted. "Off you go! Out! Now!"
Zola tried to speak, but Lori had reached her limit.
"That's enough for one century, Zola. Shop again next year. And don't you dare bring this miscreant back with you!"
Zola nodded, suppressing a laugh, and motioned for Aisha to head toward the exit. As they reached the door, Aisha stopped. She turned back to Lori with a genuine, toothy smile.
"Hey, Missy? Do you have a codename? I'd love to know your codename."
Lori blinked. The rage drained out of her for a second. She hadn't expected a spark of kindness from the little shrew.
"Ughh... umm... Venom. It's Venom," Lori stuttered.
"Venom? Wow. How menacing! Sounds wicked.I love it! Bye, Venom!" Aisha waved frantically before skipping out the door.
Lori stood there, hand half-raised in a wave. For the first time all day, she didn't feel like screaming. Maybe the kid wasn't a monster—just a very, very loud survivor.
Outside, Zola was steering a heavy wooden cart filled with Aisha's treasures.
"Hope it wasn't too much, Crush? The stuffs, I mean?" Aisha looked up at Zola as they walked through the stone streets of the stronghold.
"Not at all, Cricket," Zola smiled, though her eyes remained sharp, scanning the shadows of the high walls. "Now, let's get you fed."
"Where to next, Crush? I can't wait!"
"Home, Cricket. We're taking a break for the day."
They headed toward the heart of the stronghold, the cart rattling over the cobblestones. But as they turned the corner, Zola noticed a dark crow perched on a nearby banner. It wasn't moving. It was watching them. Zola moved slowly , observing the Crow from her peripherals,as the little creature twitched it's head abnormally. Zola suspected trouble.