Helheim is a vast space where the souls of the dead gather when they die. It is a bleak and desolate place where melancholy lingers in every corner along with the scent of death and decay. There is no beauty to be found here unless your version of beauty is sheer morbidity and a deafening silence that is foreboding. The light of the perpetual twilight is the only thing that illuminates this place but even the sky is frequently covered by a thick blanket of clouds that barely allows any light to pass through. The occasional lightning strikes would briefly reveal concealed shapes if the suffocating miasma is not serving as their cloak.

To summarize, it was quite boring so it was subjected to the queen's ever-changing whims for other sceneries. And with the arrival of a demon who would dare to challenge her, Hela finds herself in the mood to be terraforming. As such, Dyrroth finds himself in a sinister woods to hunt down a wild boar. Not just any boar for that matter, but the Calydonian boar of legend which required various heroes of great renown just to hunt it down.

It was a hulking beast with a thick hide as tough as steel. Its fur is lined with various spikes that are as long as swords and its tusks are as lethal as spears. A hideous roar reverberates from its throat that can induce fear to the bravest of warriors. It was an awful sound like a mixture of a pig's screeching cry and the roaring of thunder which is made worse by the fact that it can spew lightning from its tusks.

Dyrroth followed the sound of its heavy footsteps, the earth vibrated harder the closer he got. He was given a spear, a bow and a full quiver of arrows, as well as a pack of hellhounds to help him with the hunt. This is the first challenge that he must overcome to win back his soul. Fenrir informed him that Hela prepared six challenges that he must defeat so that she can judge his worthiness to live. It was annoying and tedious but it was better than begging everything in the universe to weep for him which was the case for the God Baldr when he died.

"How did you manage to acquire the Calydonian boar? It belongs in Hades. This one is too accurately detailed to be a mere copy. Did you sleep with Hades to get it?" Fenrir inquired as he watched Dyrroth's hunt through a magical projection in one of Hela's grand halls.

"Don't be ridiculous. I would never. I simply borrowed it from my good friend Persephone. As goddesses of the Underworld, we maintain a good relationship." Hela answered boastfully as she sipped from her cup.

Four deities are sitting on plush chairs eating gourmet food and drinking nectar and wine while watching the demon as a source of entertainment. They sat on a crescent table that faces the projection while they merrily enjoyed each other's conversation to pass the time while Dyrroth's hunt is still uneventful.

"Ah, are you sure it's not because her mother makes one hell of a wine? This thing is better than everything you have in your cellar." Fenrir teased as he partakes in her vintage.

"No one was asking for your opinion, you rabid dog. I proposed this luncheon so Persephone and I could share some time together, you merely walked in uninvited. That was supposed to be Ereshkigal's chair, be thankful that she didn't attend, or else I would have made you a coat for stealing her spot."

"I heard there was a war on the realm of her people that's why Irkalla (Sumerian Underworld) is brimming with new tenants. She must be so stressed right now. We should send her some wine." said the beautiful Persephone.

The goddess of the Greek Underworld stood out among the four since she's originally a goddess of fertility and harvest. Life was blooming in her face, mitigated only by her dark purple garments that show her status. She had cascading auburn hair that flows elegantly on her shoulders and a vibrant pair of verdant eyes like the lush fields in spring. Sitting side by side with a blue-clad Hela made them look like the embodiment of Winter and Spring and they accompanied each other spectacularly.

(AN: I love the friendship of Guinevere and Ruby so imagine Hela looking like Orchid Ruby but more wintery and Persephone as Guinevere but wearing a stola and laurel to make her more Greek. Ereshkigal looks like Carmilla btw)

"She's definitely going to need it. Plus she doesn't have a sex life so imagine what she's going through right now. Oh, why didn't Hades come with you? He rarely allows you to go out on your own."

"He's busy. He was forced to participate in another one of Zeus' schemes. Something along the lines of victimizing another mortal for his lust."

(AN: Hades looks like Granger but more regal and long-haired. Now shut the fuck up about Granever because you've got what you want. I can't have another one of you pinging my phone at 3 am just to say "Granger is for Guin tho")

"Ah, figured as much. Anyway, it seems like your champion is making some progress, Fenrir. I do hope he gives us a good show. But even if he fails I still get to have his soul for myself. I can have him playing as my gladiator for the rest of eternity." mused Hela as he stared at the demon with something akin to desire.

"Do you want to bet on that?" offered Fenrir.

"What could you possibly bet against me that is worthy of my name?"

"The hand of the valiant Aesirian Tyr. I still have it on my island. I regurgitated it and it had crystallized into a weapon of chaos and valor over time. It has fused his just nature with my evil one so now it is a special weapon worthy to be wielded by you."

"That is indeed a very enticing offer, brother, but I am not a fool. I do not fall easily for your tricks. What do you want anyway, in the unlikely event that you win?"

"Nothing big, I simply want to replace my name with someone else's in the Book of the Dead. A name that has been erased from your books." The other gods were surprised by his statement that they all turned their eyes on him.

"You mean that you want to reverse your demise and give it to someone else?" Persephone summarized as she patched together the meaning of his words and his intentions.

"That is correct." answered the wolf god.

"And the sacrifice is that cunning bitch who cheated death?" Hela muttered with displeasure as she drank from her cup.

"Yes. See, it's not that hard and it won't even affect you."

"You know that even I cannot rewrite it. The wench made sure to curse it with the deep magic of the Chaos Cyd. Doing so might destroy your existence, brother. Are you ready to pay the price?"

"I agree, Fenrir. You forfeit your chance at reincarnation if you do win and follow through with your plan. Cyd will eat you if you lose." added Anubis.

"Have you forgotten that I was once a force of pure Chaos? He cannot devour me if that is what you fear. My soul is anchored by the daughter of Stormborn. Cyd may destroy my consciousness but my identity, my legacy, and my soul will live on with her."

"And is that the scheme you've been playing at for generations? It's pathetic. I should have visited you more on your little island if only I knew you would cling onto something as pitiful as hope. But it's no matter. I accept your wager. The hand of Tyr for a name in my book." Hela scoffed but didn't refuse it anyway.

"I shouldn't even be worrying. Your champion might be excellent but I doubt that he can finish all six labors. He will be mine along with the Hand of Tyr."

"We'll see about that, sister." replied Fenrir with a devilish grin.

"My love, why do you keep on desiring other men when you have me? I have thousands of years of experience to pleasure you yet you seem to keep on forgetting that. Shall I remind you how even Eros would pale in comparison to me?" Anubis whispers huskily as he wraps an arm around Hela's waist.

"Don't bother. My sister clearly likes younger men. It's because she's old."

"I should have made a pelted coat out of you." muttered the goddess which made her friends chuckle.

"Well, Hela, it seems you need to reconsider your preposition. You might not get the demon boy after all. Look who just prepared our dinner." mused Persephone making the gods turn their attention to the screen.

While the gods were merrily enjoying their little party, Dyrroth was furiously fighting for his life. For its massive size and cumbersome body, the Calydonian boar is surprisingly nimble so his first objective is to cut down its tendons with the arrows provided to him before using the spear to pierce his heart through his belly. His weapons were chosen by Fenrir himself but even without the Wolf God's instructions, Dyrroth already knows what he was supposed to do.

The hellhounds that were given to him also played a vital role in the hunt by leading the boar into a place where it would be cornered. Surprisingly, these dogs are not from Fenrir but from Anubis who doesn't want him to lose for the sake of keeping him out of Hela's arms. The Jackal God knew that if Dyrroth lost then Hela would claim him and smother him with the attention that was meant for him.

"It was well struck. The boy shows promise and great talent." commented Persephone as they replayed what happened.

"I agree. But I think the show would have been more entertaining without all the trinkets he had, wouldn't you agree my dear brother and my sweet sweet husband?" grumbled Hela with a seething edge.

"The weapons only struck well because of how excellently he wielded them. If he was a fool the celestial nature of those arrows would mean nothing and the spear would simply be a pointy stick if he doesn't know where to stab it. Clearly, it was all on him." reasoned Fenrir as Hela scowled at him with a piercing gaze.

"And you?" she questioned, directing her glare at Anubis.

"I am your one and only slave. I can't let you have another one." Anubis declared with dignity.

"You will be punished later for that. Well, it doesn't matter. It's only his first performance that's why I wouldn't be so confident about his victory. I do not know to what extent you have planned, brother. But I will not tolerate your cheating. Know that there is a price to pay for tricking the Queen of death."

"Even though I'm not a Lannister, I will make sure to pay my debt." said Fenrir as Hela finally left leading to the conclusion of their luncheon and Dyrroth's first battle.

🌹

Ruby sat on one of the many plush cushions of the lavish parlor room of the sultan of Gomharra. Everything is grand and beautiful, decorated with gold and jewels that shine stunningly with the afternoon sun. The floors and walls are made out of marble tiles that are polished to perfection. The decorations are all vibrant and well-crafted giving the impression that the owner of this house is a very wealthy man. The palace of Devas would pale in comparison to this castle but there's something in Devas that is not present here and that is warmth and kindness. This place might be beautiful but it is filled with cruelty and greed. Only the high ranking enjoys the beauty and the pleasures this place has to offer while those at the bottom suffer severely from abuse and rape.

On the way through the palace, Ruby had seen very young children wearing revealing clothes that objectify them as nothing more than decorated playthings for the nobles to take advantage of. While walking the streets there's nothing but misery, suffering, and poverty to go around with no food for the poor. Unlike in Devas where both the rich and the poor held their heads high this place only has people who can look down at the ground for the rest of their lives because that's all they can do as dictated by their station. All the sights she saw here were disheartening but she must keep her cool since it's none of her business to meddle with their affairs.

She's here on business to buy one of their mines to increase the weapon production of her wolves. She's currently establishing her army to go into the Abyss to protect Dyrroth by establishing a faction of her own. Most of his soldiers were assimilated by Alice or were being used by Thamus to fight their wars leaving Dyrroth with only a handful of guards to protect him while his body recuperates from the injury Miya inflicted. There have been at least three attempts on his life from other Demon Lords who wish to take his position but luckily he was left with some of the best soldiers so they are the ones keeping him safe for now.

Ruby knows that the future holds no certainty in the Abyss so it is up to her to do something to protect him.

"Wine, miss?" asked a beautiful woman with olive skin. Ruby noticed the heavy metal collar that hung from her neck as well as the chains that bound her feet indicating that she was a slave. The maiden immediately averted her gaze from her body when she noticed that she was wearing some kind of gossamer dress that exposed both her breasts and womanhood.

"Yes." she simply answered while she stared at her hands.

Ruby was about to take the goblet offered to her when Hrod suddenly snatched it from her hands and sniffed its content. He took a little sip of the liquid before handing it back to Ruby.

"It's clean, no poison added." declared the wolf as he eyed the slave warily.

Skoll and Hrod accompanied her as her bodyguard in their human forms to avoid suspicions. She didn't want to bring in a large party to avoid tension because wolves aren't known for their kindness towards obnoxious men. She heard that this despot is especially verbal when it comes to his insults so she wants to avoid turning this business negotiation into a massacre. Most of her troops are currently hiding in the forest readily waiting for her signal to attack if things go awry. The Sultan is known to be very devious and deceptive so she's taking extra precautions when facing him.

"Introducing King Baal Durgeshwar of the Kingdom of Gomharra!" announced the vizier as the King entered the room to take his position on the dais in front of her. The slaves prostrate themselves on the ground while his concubines gather around him to serve. This king does not use a throne but instead sits on lavish cushions so he's not that much higher than where she sat.

"Presenting Lady Ruby of Vanargand, Matriarch of the Great Fenrisulfr Wolf Clan." Ruby performed a little courtesy which he reciprocated with an acknowledging dip of his head.

"What an exceptional beauty. I would have left the bitch earlier if this is the sight I would be greeted with." Ruby felt a bit uncomfortable when she saw the sultan eyeing her with a disgusting look but she only ignored it for the sake of the formality.

Ruby had dressed stunningly to sell her story of a northern royalty looking to buy a mine for her ironwork business and she even made her craftsmen make some amazing sculptures to give to the sultan. She recently found out that wolves are not only akin to combat and violence some of them even have artistic talents.

"I apologize for the delay, Lady from the North. I hope that I did not make you wait for too long. The little girl I was fucking was too loud and too wild. I should have had that ferocity beaten out of her before including her to my sluts. She had such a sweet and gentle face when I took her from her mother so I thought that she would be gentle and meek. I guess you can never be too sure with 7-year-olds." said Baal as he groped the rump of the servant who came to pour wine on his goblet. Ruby stopped herself from frowning at his words and mustered a neutral disposition to establish her status.

"No, I did not. It was no trouble at all, your highness." she replied, mustering a smile.

"Well, then may I ask what business a foreign lady such as yourself has with our kingdom. Based on your beauty and status I'm guessing that you are looking for more handmaidens or young lads perhaps with strapping bodies to serve you. If that's the case then I have everything you want in my menagerie." Ruby couldn't help but hate this fat bastard more and more. He's treating people as if they're some sort of object for him to use however he wants. Even Dyrroth treats his underlings with more respect, unlike this scum-sucking tyrant.

"Your offer sounds excellent but I am here to buy one of your skyiron mines. It is said that the mine you own produces the largest deposit of skyiron so I will be needing it to weaponize my troops."

"I don't think that I can sell you my special mine even if you beg with your pretty body. The metal is too excellent in quality to slip away from my fingers just for gold. Perhaps you would better interest yourself with the weapons that we make. We can sell you the finest skyiron weapons for a fair price of course."

"I do not mean to offend you but my soldiers prefer to forge their own weapons. You see, they need to be specifically crafted to provide the maximum efficiency for my troops so regular swords and pikes might not suit their fighting style."

"Lady, did you just call my merchandise regular? How very impertinent of a mere woman such as yourself." scoffed out the Sultan with displeasure.

"No, that's not what I meant. It's just that I need the skyiron mine to forge our own signature weapons. I don't mean any offense on your—'' Ruby was suddenly cut off when the sultan rudely interrupted with his booming voice.

"Are you joking? You want to buy my skyiron mine? What a preposterous notion!" The sultan laughed at her declaration. It was a hideous sound that was joined in by his concubines and courtiers which made her wolves growl.

"Is something wrong with a woman like me leading an army let alone raising one?" she voiced with a bit of an edge. She could definitely feel the seething look her two companions are giving to the sultan who stopped his chuckling. She just hoped that they would only glare at him and not pounce on him yet to tear out his throat or else this could turn into a whole debacle.

"You? A woman with an army? Wanted to buy my biggest mine? Can you even afford to pay to have your pussy sucked by my most expensive prostitutes? Stop dreaming, girl. What are you even going to pay me with? The money of some old bastard you managed to leech off? Stop being too ambitious." exclaimed the sultan as his laughter shook his whole fat body.

Ruby ignored his comment and gestured something to Hrod. The wolf in disguise blew a horn that signaled the wood familiars to enter with the packages. The dryad heaved 100 boxes through the doorway and set them before the sultan's feet who looked at the chests with utmost curiosity. She gestured for them to open the boxes and the contents instantly made the sultan's eyes shimmer with greed.

Each chest contains 50 pieces of gold bars but they are not like any regular gold since these were mined from the Abyss and stored in the Lion's Bank in one of Dyrroth's many treasuries outside of the Abyss. These are just some of the contents of the massive wealth he ensured on her name in case he dies from the war or gets incapacitated and the mastercard is simply her biometrics.

Ruby took a gold piece and handed it to one of the nobles to give it to their master. The sultan and his underlings could only gawk in amazement as they observed the most beautiful gold they've ever seen. This kind of gold is not only more radiant than the rest, but it also promotes the greed of whoever sees them. The only people immune to their charms are those with good magical abilities who can repel a small greed curse or those who have been exposed to the Abyss that's why Ruby and all her children are unfazed by the said enchantment.

"So beautiful..." mumbled Baal as his eyes reflected the glint of the gold. Ruby can clearly see that the enchantment is working on the sultan and his courtiers. He even stepped down from his dais just to get a good look at the other pieces and knelt down to admire every single piece his chubby hands could touch.

"This is just the down payment. I have another 100 boxes waiting for you once you've successfully turned over the mine under my power. I will overlook your insult even though my children are very furious because as long as we get the skyiron mine there will be no problem." The sultan finally snapped from his reverie and frowned at her. Clearly, the skyiron mine is too big of an asset that even the Abyssal gold can't sway his heart.

"Sorry lady but I won't be making any deals with you. The mine you ask for is more precious than all the gold you can offer. Skyiron is too precious a material to simply be bargained away for gold."

"Then I will take my gold and my proposition somewhere else." Ruby stood from her seat and was about to turn away when the sultan replied.

"No."

"Then do you accept my offer? I can triple it. Money is not the issue."

"I will not sell my mine; however I will not also let you leave with my gold. GUARDS!!" The king's voice boomed through the palace and in an instant hundreds of soldiers came marching in, pointing their spears at Ruby who maintained a relaxed composure. Skoll and Hati had transformed in their massive wolf forms and stood protectively before her while growling ferociously at her enemies.

"Kill those mongrels and take the bitch. I will sell her to some ugly warlord right after I've had my fun with her young body."

"What a predictable outcome." Ruby sighed.

"You know that by doing this you are committing blasphemy, right? The guest rights are honored even by your religion and as such threatening the life of your guests who have done nothing wrong to you will incur the wrath of the gods. Will you be ready to pay the price for your sacrilege?" Ruby questioned as she mounted Skoll's back.

"What the hell are you standing for? Capture the bitch and kill those beasts!!" roared Baal while he cowered behind his concubines. No one, not even the bravest of his soldiers dared to approach the twin wolves because it was obvious that one swipe of their claws would be enough to wipe out all of them.

"I suggest you make your offering to your gods so that you have a safe journey to the Underworld. Because no man alive in your pathetic kingdom can ever stop my wrath." Screams and shouting erupted from the hall when Hrod chewed up one soldier who got too close to them. His blood bathed the Abyssal gold with crimson and Ruby smirked as she saw the sultan docking under a prostitute's skirt just to hide.

"The wolf is coming."

Glossary:

Aesirian: refers to any divine being most likely a Norse deity that belongs in the Asgardian pantheon like Odin, Thor, and Tyr. Most of them are war gods.

Chaos: Supernatural beings that are older than gods, titans, giants, and even time itself. They are beings of pure energy and thought that existed before the creation.

Chaos Cyd: He is a malevolent phenomenon that creates disaster and inspires evil qualities in all living things. He is the true embodiment of corruption, spite, and discord. Merely seeing his true form can drive a person mad.

Ereshkigal: The Mesopotamian Queen of the Dead who rules the Underworld

Irkalla: also called Kur, was a dark, dreary cavern located deep below the ground where inhabitants were believed to continue "a shadowy version of life on earth".

Tyr: An Asgardian War God who was the only one brave enough to put his hand inside Fenrir's mouth so that the other gods could bind him with the dwarf-made rope called Gleipnir

Author's Note: If I receive 100 votes for my book today, Chapter 28 will be published tomorrow.