The Chronicles of Slave Nano No. 05

The Chronicles of Slave Nano No.5: The Second Mission to Rescue Goddess Eostra's Magical Talismans

By Slave Nano.

Inspired by Goddess Nemesis

I had a distinct feeling of déjà vu. Here I was again waiting by the bench on the forest path outside of the village of Polle in view of Castle Everstein, Goddess Eostra's castle, which had been usurped by the debauched Baron von Hellzencoq and his wife, the Empress Dykenspiel.

I was weighed down with despondency. My earlier attempt to restore Goddess Eostra's talismans to her had ended in abject failure and had fell at the first hurdle, the first critical choice I had to make. How stupid I had been. I had made the fateful and erroneous decision to follow the instructions of a brown hare and not wait for the white hares that Goddess Nemesis had described to me. From that moment my mission was doomed. I had followed a false trail into an illusory world that looked like the one that Goddess had described but which was no more than a mirror image. I had followed false paths lured into a sense that I was fulfilling a successful quest when all the time I was in a world of illusions. All the tests and twists of that adventure counted for nothing; they were merely Baron von Hellzencoq toying with me. The handmaidens I had rescued were illusions, the image of Goddess Eostra I had delivered them to was false.

Yet, I had no excuse. Goddess's instructions had been perfectly clear, that a white hare was Goddess's Eostra's symbol had been made perfectly clear to me in her directions, that I had been warned that I was in a magical fairy tale world where illusions and false images could deceive me had been spelt out for me. I had nowhere to hide, no excuse for my lack of focus. How could I have been so stupid as to confuse a brown and white hare, how could I have shown such lack of perception as to not know instinctively that the magical symbol of the Goddess of Easter would not be a snow white hare? Perhaps the magician Hammah's powers had extended as far as Goddess Nemesis's dungeons and a spell had been cast over me. Or, perhaps, I had to face the fact that it was my own weakness and lack of concentration that led to this critical failure.

The consequences were dire. Goddess Eostra's talismans and her nine handmaidens were still held in captivity and her realm was still being perverted and distorted by the evil Baron and the Empress. The innocent clockmaker who had sold me the cuckoo clock had been captured, tarred and feathered and hung from a wooden cage from the highest tower of the castle. Even worse was that my failures had damaged Goddess Nemesis's standing in the world of the Goddesses. She had offered me, a supposed loyal and reliable servant to carry out this task and I had failed her. The trust the Goddess had in me to complete her tasks for Her had been fatally damaged and the empty world of forgotten slaves beckoned me if I failed again.

The damage I had done was so great that I could not even be trusted to complete the mission on my own. Goddess Freya had offered one of her servants to assist me in the task. My confidence in my ability to complete missions for Goddess had been shattered. Yet, she had been gracious enough to offer her slave another chance to redeem himself and the assistance of another servant of the Goddesses. And this was why I was here, waiting at the appointed time to be joined by the slave of Goddess Freya. I reflected on what form this assistance might take; would it be a human slave or a familiar, an animal or talisman that would help me.

My reflections were soon to be answered. I saw a figure in the distance striding purposefully down the forest path. I had dressed myself in the attire of the local villagers of this part of Germany so that I did not attract attention. The servant of Goddess Freya looked as though he had stepped straight out of an heroic Anglo-Saxon poem. His bare biceps bulged, massive and oiled. His leather jerkin was tied tight around his firm and toned abdomen muscles. On his head was a gold helmet its nose piece fashioned into the shape of a raven, his long blonde hair fanned across his shoulders and down his back. In his left hand he wielded a massive two headed axe and in a scabbard across his back was a huge sword, its pommel, in gold like his helmet, was moulded into the shape of a raven's face.

Goddess Freya had sent a hero to assist me; a bronzed blonde muscular figure straight out of Norse mythology. We must have looked strange companions to the outside world; this towering youthful figure full of strength and vigour and a bearded middle-aged man.

"You must be Slave Nano," his voice boomed at me.

"Yes, that's right, nice to meet you," I said holding out my hand in a gesture of friendship.

He looked down at me disdainfully and rejected my offer of greeting.

"My name is Hrothgar. I am the servant of Goddess Freya. I can see why she has summoned me to help in this task to aid Goddess Eostra. I understand why the original mission failed so miserably seeing now what a puny specimen of a slave had been sent."

"Well, that's not fair," I replied, "I have shown qualities that my Goddess has found useful in the service of the Goddesses."

Hrothgar snorted in disgust and disbelief. My self-confidence had been seriously dented by my abject failure in the earlier mission and I knew that Goddess had warned me against false pride, but I felt duty bound both to defend Goddess Nemesis's honour in her selection of servant and also my own.

"I would have you know that I have rescued Goddess acolytes from the temple in Constantinople."

"Well, that is a mere trifle, I overwhelmed Thor himself and captured his blue cats and delivered them to Goddess Freya to pull her golden chariot."

"And I rescued the impregnated acolyte from the Knight's Templar church in France."

"Yes, you fool but only for her to end up in a brothel in Manchester, where I should remind you she still is. Besides, I have torn asunder the head off the sea monster Frondel with my bare hands and presented it to Goddess Freya on a sliver platter."

"Well, I rescued Goddess Quan Gin from her prison in the nine towered fortress in China where she was unjustly held captive by her father."

"That is a mere trifle. I single-handedly slaughtered a regiment of fifty Knights Templar knights who had penetrated Goddess Freya's hall."

"And I rescued Goddess Rhiannon's magical white horse and white birds from the Roman labyrinth."

"That is nothing. I smote the chariot of Goddess Freya's arch enemy, Loki, and shattered it into tiny shards that transformed into stars in the sky, symbols of the war-like strength of Goddess Freya for all to admire."

I had to admit that was pretty impressive.

Fortunately, at that point, our attention was drawn to movement and a rustling sound in the trees. In and amongst the trunks and undergrowth there were dozens of white hares, daring, leaping and beckoning us to follow them. It was just as Goddess Nemesis had described in her account. I put aside my petty squabble with Hrothgar and focused. I could not afford to fall into the trap of being lured into a mirror image world another time or the mission would fail miserably again, Goddess Eostra's lands would remain poisoned and I would inevitably face the nether world of rejected slaves.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Hrothgar.

"This is our way into the grounds of Castle Everstein," I replied. "Only one of these is Goddess Eostra's talisman who will show us the correct way. The others are all illusions except for one, which is a honey trap hare, planted by the wicked Empress Dykenspeil to lure us into temptation."

I was overwhelmed with doubt and indecision. I was painfully aware that it was at this point that I had made my fatal error before. I had already fallen for a reflection of the real world put there to distort and play with my senses. I could not afford to make the same mistake again.

Hrothgar had already grasped one of the hares by the skin on its neck with his huge hands and was dangling it front of his face threatening the poor creature with his axe

"Lead us to the secret entrance to the castle or you end up in a stew with your friends."

I was horrified.

"No, you can't do that. One of these hares is Goddess Eostra's servant. If we choose the wrong one we will be doomed to wander these forests forever in fairy tale land, a prey to dark perversions, lost and alone, at the mercy of Baron Hellzencoq and his lustful band of warriors."

Reluctantly, Hrothgar put the hare back onto the ground.

I could see that the solution to the puzzle rested with me. I racked my brains for a clue and found it in the words of Goddess Nemesis, "you must use your knowledge of the festival Eostra represents to help you judge which you are to follow." Easter and its symbols were clearly the clue. I had kept the talismans that I had collected from the clock from my earlier mission; the buttercup, the three precious stones, the size and shape of a swallow's egg, one in jade, one in malachite and one in emerald and also the small egg shaped piece of mirror. I had not failed because I had chosen the wrong clock from the clockmaker; I had failed by following the wrong hare. This meant that these symbols must still retain their potency.

I knelt on the path and put the piece of egg-shaped mirror on the floor. The sun's rays reflected from it and sent dazzling shafts of light into the air. Most of the hares ignored it, but there was one in particular that was attracted to it and hopped towards the smooth piece of glass. It's snow white coat dazzled in the rays of light reflecting from the glass. I knelt down and looked into the hare's eyes. Despite the damage done to my confidence by the failure of my first attempt to rescue Goddess Eostra's talismans I knew that I still had to trust to my intuition.

"Are you Ostara?" I asked pensively.

"Yes, I am Ostara," the hare replied.

I was still filled with doubts, but trusted to my intuition and the power of the mirrored egg. Hrothgar gazed at this exchange with a mixture of bemusement and indifference.

"Follow me," said Ostara.

The two of us followed the snow white hare into the undergrowth to the hidden doorway into Goddess Eostra's lands. The doorway looked exactly the same as the one I had passed through before though now I realised that this had been a mirror image illusion. I could only pray that this time it was the right door. The doorway was overhung with ivy and creepers. It was only nine inches high, painted green, and embellished with gold, the colours of Goddess Eostra herself. The hare pushed the door open and turned to us.

"You can only enter the magical domain of Goddess Eostra if you solve this riddle. And remember, the answer that you give may have significance for your mission as it unfolds. The riddle is a test of your skill and loyalty. I will say it once and once only, so listen carefully,"

"My life can be measured in hours

I serve by being devoured

Thin, I am quick

Fat, I am slow

Wind is my foe"

I concentrated and contemplated the riddle carefully. I noticed that Hrothgar was animated at the idea of this challenge and was also deep in thought. I thought of time. That fitted the idea of life being measured but surely time could never be described as thin or fat. I thought about objects that measured time. Then it struck me. Simultaneously two voices shouted out,

"Candle!"

We had both got the answer at exactly the same time. I looked across at Hrothgar and he had a huge smile on his face but, as soon as he saw I had noticed, it changed to a scowl. I was impressed with the speed that Hrothgar answered and I had received a warning not to underestimate him.

"You are good at solving riddles," I commented, trying to make some connection with him.

"Of course I am. I am of Nordic origins and the Anglo-Saxon race, we invented riddles. As a child I used to exchange riddles with brothers and sisters in the hall of my forefathers."

I felt myself warming to him; I had a picture of this giant of a man as a child sat on the straw strewn floor of a stone hall in front of a roaring hearth laughing and exchanging riddles.

The hare, Ostara, was delighted with the game.

"Here is another one," she said, "but this is just for fun, and easier,

A box without hinges, lock or key, yet golden treasure lies within."

"Egg!" We both shouted out immediately, laughing.

"In fairer times Goddess Eostra would have enjoyed exchanging riddles with you, but I am afraid I've already wasted too much time. You have passed the test and can go through the door into the Goddess's defiled realm. Good luck, do not fail her," Ostara said with a meaningful gaze at me.

The magic of the Goddess and Ostara reduced us in size and enabled us to pass through the tiny door into Goddess Eostra's domain and from an elevated position we could look over her lands. It was as Goddess Nemesis had described. The once fertile land was now an overgrown tangle, her productive vineyards barren, her orchards full of fallen ripe fruit and her flower beds were left untended. No birds flew and her dove cote was empty. In the distance we could see the crystal clear lake where Goddess would have sailed in her gold shell shaped boat pulled by nine wondrous pure white swans but now with a thick green scum floating sullenly on its neglected surface. There was no sign of nature replenishing itself after the long cold winter; everywhere was in desolation and stillness. Set in the centre of this was the fairy tale Castle Everstein, its white turrets and towers sparkling in the sun.

The land was empty and forlorn and we easily made our way to the outbuildings of the castle unobserved. Hrothgar led the way, striding purposefully ahead with me following, trying to keep up with him. We were an odd couple. I could only trust to the Goddesses Freya and Nemesis that their choice of companions had the requisite skills to aid Eostra.

There were out buildings before we entered the main castle and one of them was a castle kitchen, a place where food was gathered from the surrounding forest and prepared. I pointed Hrothgar in that direction and explained to him that my guidance was to find the castle kitchens. Servants of the Baron were working over steaming cauldrons of broth but in our reduced size we were easily able to sneak in unseen. The floor was strewn with debris, mouse droppings and mouldy food. In Goddess Eostra's time the kitchen would have been full of the fruit and vegetables from her well tended gardens and nuts and wildflowers collected from her forest. The kitchens would have been full of the smell of fresh baked bread and the natural wholesomeness of fresh food. I noticed something on the stone floor, which had clearly remained un-scrubbed since the Baron had taken up residence.

"Hrothgar, to get back to our normal size we will have to eat the spawned growths on the mouldy breads here. Take these, we will need these" I whispered, handing him some bread with a festering black mould on.

"You don't expect me to eat this muck do you?" he said, turning his nose up, "I am used to the magnificent feasts of Goddess Freya's hall at Foksvang."

"Well, you'll have to if you want to return to your normal size. I'm sure you don't want to remain nine inches tall for the rest of your life," I added sarcastically.

We sought out an entry into the main castle and hid behind a tree to survey our options. In front of us was the main entrance to the Castle Everstein. There was a bridge over the moat leading to the gatehouse. The portcullis was raised but there were two attentive guards on either side of the drawbridge and entrance to the castle. Baron von Hellzencoq would have been alerted to the fact that the Goddesses were planning an attempt to aid Goddess Eostra from my clumsy attempts. There was no sign that the guards would drop their vigilance. I turned in the other direction and saw another secret door at the foot of the wall and a small rowing boat moored on the edge of the moat.

"Hrothgar," I whispered. "I've found a way into the castle. If we are careful and quiet we can enter through that doorway. That way we won't attract any atten......"

"For Godess Freya and glory! Yaaah!"

I turned around urgently to see that Hrothgar had already eaten the spores of the mouldy bread to return himself back to his normal size and was making a head-long dash towards the four guards at the gatehouse, his massive sword drawn and his two headed axe swirling around his head. The first guard felt the full force of the axe as it cleaved his head from his body in one fell stroke. Hrothgar spun round with the momentum of the swing and lodged the axe into the stomach of the approaching guard. With his sword he parried a thrust from another guard and then forced it through the visor of his helmet to the sound of an agonised scream. The fourth guard had turned his back and was about to flee but Hrothgar caught him within two giant steps grabbed his shoulders from behind and slit his neck with his blade.

Oh shit, I thought, there goes the element of surprise. I stuffed some of the mould spores into my own mouth to return to my normal size, keeping some of them back in case they were needed for later. The spores had a bitter, earthy taste but quickly did there work as I felt the strange sensation of being stretched back to my normal height.

I ran towards Hrothgar and the scene of carnage at the gatehouse. There was blood splattered all over the stone floor and up the walls. The lifeless eyes in a severed head gazed up at me and four slaughtered bodies lay strewn under the gateway.

"What are doing?" I exclaimed. "Broadcast to everybody that we are here, why don't you?"

"We are in the castle now and our foul enemies will know that the Goddesses have sent a champion that they will fear not some weasel with magic stones and glass. They will be awe struck by this show of power now that they have felt the full force of Goddess Freya's wrath."

I groaned inwardly. I was not convinced that this was the best strategy to fulfil the mission, but the damage had been done now and perhaps Hrothgar was right. The Goddesses had clearly chosen him for a purpose and who was I to question that? After all, I had already failed them once.

Four more guards ran out from the guardrooms in the tower by the gatehouse and they were disposed of with the same ruthless efficiency. Severed limbs and torsos were scattered across the stone flags of the courtyard.

"Let us enter the castle, seek out the debaucher von Hellzencoq and his wife and put them to the sword. Then we can seek out Goddess Eostra's handmaidens and rescue them."

His powerful thigh muscles propelled him into the castle, axe in one hand, sword in the other, as I scurried behind him. We were inside the castle now. As we turned a corner in one of the labyrinth of passages and chambers we were confronted by another guard. This was one of the she-male guards that Goddess Nemesis had described, dressed in a leather cat suit with a studded sheath covering his penis and large breast implants. He wore a helmet in the shape of a penis and the livery of Baron von Hellzencoq on his chest, the rampant erect cock.

Hrothgar disarmed him of his spear in one fleeting movement, grabbed his balls with one hand and squeezed tightly and held the razor sharp edge of his axe to the neck of the guard.

"Tell us where in this castle the Baron von Hellzencoq is hiding or I will cut your balls off with my axe."

"He will be in the ceremonial chambers in on the top floor of the central keep," he gasped in reply, "You will have to go through the workshops in the main hall to get to the central staircase. Please, don't cut off my manhood."