Escaping Valhalla: A litRPG, isekai, tower-climber

Chapter 64:

"Hello again, Miles," Mary's musical voice echoed around me. Her words fell on deaf ears though as I looked around.

The world around me had faded into shadowy shapes. And I was having trouble seeing where I was. My soul had left my body, which lay beneath me. I looked over to where Alana's form had been. I was so focused that I didn't respond.

Mary waved her hand, and I could see all around me. Thousands of Valkyries were scattered around the field of battle, offering warriors a chance to go to Valhalla. Many bodies had no Valkyrie over them. I couldn't tell if their souls rested there, waiting for something to come and get them. Or if they were already claimed.

The Valkyrie crouching down over Alana's prone form had long black hair and elegant white wings. I called out, "Alana!"

My voice echoed in my own ears, and I wasn't sure if anything could hear me beyond Mary. Slowly, Alana's spiritual head lifted to face me. She looked down at the body and then at me, confusion filling her face. Looking down, I found my own body rather than Alaric. She had never met Miles.

"Alana," I said, "when you get there, look for Miles."

She mouthed something at me, but I couldn't hear. She said it again when I shook my head in confusion, but I think I could read her lips. She mouthed, "Miles?"

I could almost hear the question in her tone.

"Yes, Miles," I said, nodding vigorously.

She gave me a half nod before looking up at her Valkyrie. A second later, the woman was enveloped in a hug. A stream of light shot up into the sky around them, and then they were both gone.

"Hello, my warrior," Mary said. "Hello, Miles." Now, she had my full attention. "I've come to retrieve you, to Valhalla."

I smiled and sighed. This had not worked out how I wanted it, but at least I knew Alana was going somewhere I could find her. Somewhere, she could definitely continue exploring the nature of reality. Hopefully, she'd find that even more interesting than the nature of this small world.

"It's good to see you again, Mary," I repeated. "How have you been?"

She smiled. "I'm glad to see you as well. It's been eventful back home. But I won't bore you with the politics of it all. Anyways, I was wondering where you had gone when you just vanished."

"Yeah, I was in a bit of hot water," I explained. "Hopefully, it died down a bit during my vacation."

She smiled. "Yes, those blessed by Loki generally tend to get in trouble occasionally. It's always entertaining to watch."

I was only slightly surprised that she knew I was blessed by Loki, so I just shrugged. "Yeah, well, it wasn't my intention."

"It never is," she said, taking me up into her arms and soaring high through the sky. We left the planet behind, and I was enveloped in darkness.

Instead of immediately appearing over the mountain like last time, I found myself in a familiar-looking diner, sitting across from Loki, who had a pleased smile on his face.

"Miles, welcome back. I honestly didn't expect you to last that long," he said.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I got kind of lucky in some ways. I think I could have made it another month or two if... Well, I kind of screwed up at the end."

Loki shook his head. "No, no, you did really, really well. Exceeded your quota by so much. You're actually really lucky that I'm giving you rewards instead of the automatic system. You would have hit the cap long, long ago."

I grimaced. "A cap?"

Loki lifted a shoulder. "Yeah. There's only so much power we can cram into your bodies at once. But I can give you more than just power."

He waved his hand, and my stat sheet appeared floating in the air in front of me. I scanned it quickly but had to read it if it was not more carefully and remember it.

Level: 17

Status: Tier 4: Valhalla Proper

Class: Arcane Fool, Lvl 10

Subclass: N/A

Traits:

Incisive Gaze

Loki's Champion

Skills:

Mana Perception Enhanced

Spells:

A Fool's Constitution

Dance of the Jester

Weapon proficiencies

Sword: D-1

Spear: F-2

Striking: F-7

Halberd: D-3

Dagger: D-4

Grappling: F-7

Stats

Strength: 37

Speed: 63

Constitution: 22

Focus: 40

Charm: 15

Free Points: 25

Blessing: Loki's Favor

Strength: +2

Speed: +2

Constitution: +2

Focus: +6

Charm: +10

Jester Shop Access

Additional effects: ???

Loki's Champion is a gift that imbues the character with the essence of the Norse trickster god, Loki, granting exceptional skills in leading armies through cunning and deception. Characters with this trait are masters of illusion and stealth, creating convincing mirages and executing surprise attacks that bewilder opponents. Their heightened agility and reflexes allow for quick, decisive maneuvers on the battlefield, making them formidable leaders in chaotic situations. Additionally, they possess an innate talent for persuasion, often bending enemy leaders to their will or turning foes into allies with their silver tongues.

The Loki's Champion trait also brings an aura of chaos and unpredictability, which can be leveraged to create confusion and disarray among enemy ranks. This chaotic influence can lead to unexpected advantages in battle but also carries a degree of risk with potentially unintended consequences. Embracing this trait means commanding with a blend of strategic brilliance and mischievous ingenuity, thriving in situations where conventional tactics might fail. Whether seen as a blessing or a curse, Loki's Champion ensures a dynamic and adventurous path in the art of war.

Illusion magic +200%

Charm +5

The first thing I noticed was that I gained five general levels and five class levels. I looked at how far my stats had come, as well as all the ones waiting to be assigned, and I couldn't help grinning.

It wouldn't surprise me if I was more than twice as effective in combat since I had left Valhalla. After a second of excitement dying down, I noticed that the stat points didn't just line up. With the levels I had gained, I shouldn't have got this many new stats.

Then, I looked down at the blessing section. My blessing had advanced from Loki's Eye to Loki's Favor. Interesting. Now, it gave me boosts to all stats. And a new stat: Charm.

I was surprised that my class didn't offer any Charm stats, as I felt Charm would be very important to a fool-related class. Maybe it was just because I didn't have access to it at the time. Or maybe I wasn't allowed to get any classes that required me to have the stat unlocked. Hard to say.

I also had a new trait with a description. The description seemed general, but underneath that, it indicated a tripling of my illusion magic proficiency if it compounded with my class effect. My illusion magic took a massive step forward, even if it was just an additive effect.

Loki watched me carefully as I processed all the information.

"That's just the first part. Just as much as you can gain all at once, plus a few other extra things from me. But that's not all," he said.

I looked up. "There's more?"

Honestly, this would be quite acceptable for everything I had done, as far as I was aware.

"Of course, you brought thousands of people to Valhalla for us. Even if I hadn't made the bargain, I probably would have given you something extra. Though not this, maybe." Loki pulled out an ordinary-looking dagger, almost indistinguishable from the one he had given me so long ago. "This is special."

I looked at it. It looked rather normal to me. "How so?"

"I call it the Edge of Folly," Loki said. "It is made from something I had gotten during the misadventures of my youth. It has some effects you will probably learn as you grow, but the first one is that only you can see it."

I held the dagger in my hand. It looked normal and felt normal. But if only I could perceive it..

"It has certain caveats, of course. Once you strike someone with it or if it's coated in someone's blood, other people will probably be able to see it, but that will depend on your own stats."

I looked at it. "Thank you," I said. "This will be very useful."

Loki smiled. "Oh, you don't know anything about it yet. The iron it was made out of was forged with ground bones from the front paw of a child of Fenrir. It was quenched in the blood of the World Serpent. It will never dull, and you can never lose it. It is a unique item and one that has never had an owner. By the time I had it, I had no use for it. So it is pure as the driven snow, ready to bond with you. As you grow, it might grow with you."

Loki waved his hand, a new line adding itself to my status. "I'm going to give you early access to this."

Jester club access appeared under my blessings.

"Just in case you need a little help forming a new party," he said.

I smiled. "Well, we'll have to see. But I'll have to talk to Bjorn and everyone."

Loki shrugged. "You do whatever you like. I never get involved with my partner's personal matters. But once you're ready for something more serious, I have another task you might enjoy if you're willing to stay in Valhalla for a bit longer."

"Stay in Valhalla?" I asked.

Loki nodded. "Well, I imagine we can find you other chances to go on more of these trips if you like, though you will need some time to consolidate your power before I send you off again. If I push you off too quickly, things could destabilize, especially at your low level."

I didn't like the sound of that, so I was more than willing to wait. Also, I kind of missed Valhalla. "I'm not sure," I said. "I'll have to think about it."

"Please do," Loki said. "Also, it would be nice to Mary. She does more for you than you know."

I wasn't sure what to make of that, but "Mary is the best," I said, and Loki gave me a cheerful smile before waving me out of his lounge.

***

I was back in Mary's arms. We soared through the darkness for a second more. Then, a glowing light enveloped us, and I closed my eyes.

When the light went away we were flying over a mountain with a bonfire on its summit. The height of the peak was unbelievable. It must have been several times taller than Mount Everest. And it looked very familiar.

The whole way down was covered in buildings, halls, towers, and ships half buried in the mountain. The ones at the top were made of beautiful black glass; the further down, the lower the material quality. After the glass, it was a stunning marble, then granite.

It seemed that I was coming back into Valhalla from the outside instead of just being reborn.

People milled about all over, doing various things. But they were far enough away that I couldn't make out any details. They all looked like ants as we soared down the slopes of the mountain. At the base, I saw a feasting hall made of rough-cut timber. It was so long that I couldn't see the end as it curved around the mountain and out of sight.

The Lesser Hall. That was not a welcome sight.

"Mary, aren't we going back to Valhalla Proper?" I asked with some nerves in my voice. She didn't answer.

But no, we didn't go to the Lesser Hall. We soared over that building and kept going. Briefly, we flashed over a courtyard with feasting tables set up in a foot of snow. We flew over a wall with spear points on the top, interspersed with wrought iron gates.

Once we were over the wall, Mary set me down in a snowbank outside of a gate. I remembered what Loki had said about Mary and just sighed in exasperation. At least it wouldn't be hard to get out of here again, though it was annoying to have to.

"Thanks for the lift, Mary," I said as I stood up.

"You're welcome, Miles." She graced me with a smile. "I expect many more great things from you."

Then she was off.

I only had to wait a few moments before the blackness of the challenge surrounded me, and I was summoned to fight.