“If you need it, I can perform an exorcism,” Tul insisted.
“I think that would be the best option,” Menrva said. Then she turned to the rabbit goddess.
“Do you need anything for it?” she asked.
“Yes. We need to seal every opening in this house, and in the center, we have to boil a huge cauldron full of water and herbs,” the rabbit goddess said.
“Wait a moment. Are you planning to make some kind of Roman steam bath?” Menrva asked in confusion.
“I don’t know what that is,” Tul replied, “but in my land they’re called Zumpul-ché, and they’re used to purify the body and soul of people, and also the place they’re in.”
“I can seal the whole house with my wind power without any trouble,” Susanoo said.
“I’ll take care of the fire, but what about the cauldron?” Tania asked.
At that, they all turned to Ana.
“Ana, do you happen to have a huge cauldron for this? They’re very common in Ireland, aren’t they?” Anpiel asked.
“No! I hate cauldrons!” Ana said angrily, though no one understood why.
Then Loki created a cauldron out of adamantine.
“There, you have your cauldron,” he said, tossing it toward Tul and the others.
Rodrigo caught it and handed it to Tul, who thanked him.
Then Susanoo used his water power to fill the cauldron, and Tul began pulling out several strange herbs from her bag and throwing them into the water, while Tania lit a concentrated fire beneath the cauldron over some logs Ana had stored in the kitchen.
To keep the fire from spreading through the house, Ana created a dark-matter grate to contain it. At the same time, Susanoo sealed the house with his air power.
“Good. Now everybody sit around the steam,” Tul said, taking one of the branches from the boiling water and beginning to splash the walls of the hut with it.
“Will this really work?” Rodrigo asked doubtfully.
“It’ll only work for a little while, chan Rodrigo,” Tul answered. “Usually it’s done in much smaller places that have already been purified, but I’ll make sure it works. Trust your kiik,” the goddess added, giving the young tannin a huge smile.
“So then, once the spirit leaves, I am to seal the house at once with a mental barrier?” Loki asked.
“Yes. The strongest one you can make,” Tania answered.
Once the house had filled with steam, Tul sat in front of the cauldron and began chanting a mantra over and over in Maya. None of them understood what she was saying, but they trusted that she would be able to drive the evil spirit away.
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At that moment, Loki felt something and turned to his left. Behind Freyja, there was a kind of dark smoke with a malevolent stare.
“That’s him! That’s Coyote!” Loki shouted.
All the gods turned to look at the dark cloud, which was trying to flee from the house purified by the steam and the medicinal herbs of the rabbit goddess.
Loki sealed the dark cloud and teleported it outside the house. Immediately afterward, he created a mental barrier to keep the being from getting back in.
“It worked!” they all exclaimed in surprise.
“What would we do without you, Loki?” Freyja said happily at the actions of her companion from Yggdrasil.
“Well, I made this barrier with all the power I can access in this shithole of a world,” the dark god said. “So long as I remain conscious, it will hold.”
“Tul, quickly, we need your energy drinks for Loki,” Tania said to the rabbit goddess.
She nodded.
“Will you be able to stay awake all night?” Ana asked, stepping closer to the dark god.
“If you endured a whole month without sleep for your friend, then this will be child’s play for me,” Loki replied with a smile.
Then Tul brought over one of her energy concoctions in a little cup. Loki drank it and felt his strength gradually returning.
“We’re sorry to have to ask this favor of you, Loki. After the way we’ve treated you, now we’re leaving our lives in your hands,” Ana said, her expression somewhat melancholy.
“I already told you, Ana. I’ll do anything to protect your smile,” Loki replied again, words that made Ana blush, and she chose to get up and walk away without answering.
Rejected again? I’d best get used to it, the dark god thought sarcastically to himself as he sat down in one of the chairs in the sitting room.
After an hour passed without anything happening, the gods finally began to relax. Tul returned to the kitchen and finished cooking the soup she had prepared. They all ate some soup with corn cakes at that point.
After eating, Ana suggested they should sleep to recover their strength for the next day.
“Will you need anything from us?” Menrva asked, puzzled.
“No. You all go and rest, and tomorrow, once we’re out of this horrible desert, you can let me sleep all day,” Loki said.
“Can we really trust him?” Tania asked suspiciously.
“Well, preferably let’s all try to stay alert, in case the barrier fails,” Menrva said.
“It won’t fail. You can trust me,” Loki said with a broad smile.
“If anything bad happens, remember to shout so we can come help you,” Freyja said as she too withdrew.
“All right, Loki. I trust you, so I’m turning in,” Epona said. Rodrigo nodded as well.
“Loki-san, thou hast shown thyself a true man of valor upon this journey. I shall gladly place my life in thy hands,” Susanoo added, withdrawing in turn.
“I’ll keep watch from the window in case anything strange happens,” Menrva said.
Tul put out the fire beneath the great cauldron, and then she bid them good night. Anpiel did the same.
“I’ll stay nearby, if you don’t mind,” Tania said, lying down on one of the chairs in the sitting room.
“That’s fine. It’s not as though I were going to masturbate here,” Loki said with a smile.
“How disgusting you are,” the Punic goddess replied with a look of revulsion, then closed her eyes, though in a posture that kept her alert.
Well, at least most of them trust me now, Loki thought with a smile. I’ve accomplished more than I ever did in Asgard.
Night fell completely. It was around three in the morning, and Loki remained awake with the help of the energy drink Tul had left prepared for him. Tania, who had stayed in the chair across from him, was snoring loudly in her sleep.
Then he saw a very beautiful woman sitting beside him on the couch. Her long hair was dark, but with purple highlights, and it was gathered into twin ponytails. Her skin was brown, and she wore a red-and-black one-piece blouse and short skirt decorated with geometric figures resembling the head of a dog. A black feather adorned her hair. Little bells were tied around her ankles.
The woman sat with her legs crossed and wore a seductive look, and her red eyes were so beautiful that Loki could not help feeling drawn to her.
“Hello, handsome traveler from Yggdrasil,” The woman said to the surprised Norse god.