I do not own Ah! Megami sama/Oh! My Goddess series or its characters.
Out of all the crazy things Keiichi's been through as of late, explaining several centuries of technological and social evolution to the sealed goddess of the Lake has proven to be one truly daunting task. After all, he ran into more than one occasion where half of the terms he used in his explanation, turned out to be completely new concepts for the goddess, which in turn required further clarification. To be fair though, it was quite refreshing to see the genuine enthusiasm in the blonde's eyes while he carried on with his tales of the modern world, that almost reminded him of a child's reaction to an engaging story. Perhaps coming from another era gave her a completely different point of view for a lot of things that sound utterly mundane to him. Which was kinda funny in a way, but at the same time, Keiichi knew that he had bigger problems to deal with at the moment; like finding a way out of his current predicament.
"Goodness me! It's so interesting to hear about ships made out of metal, yet… I find it really strange all the same. Sure, I've learned a lot of different things when I first became a goddess, although I mostly considered them part of Celestial technology. To hear about them from a human does make me wonder what it really feels to live in your era." She honestly didn't wish to trouble Keiichi with her ramblings, yet after spending so much time on her own, it was all but impossible to resist the urge to ask about the latest developments in the mortal world. After all, the way he stared back at her when she first gave him a change of clothes to wear spoke volumes of how outdated her knowledge of the human world really was. In fact, it took her a couple of attempts, and several minutes later, to properly come up with something that didn't make Keiichi look like he stole the outfit from a museum.
"It's all about water displacement and buoyancy, but I think I'm getting too over my head here," said Keiichi with a chuckle, since he actually started to feel like Skuld whenever she tried to explain one of her inventions to him. Granted, the young Norn was capable of creating stuff that outright defied the laws of physics as he knew them, although the stuff he's been talking about must've sound the same to this goddess. 'Come to think of it… I didn't ask her name, did I?' wondered the astonished mortal, as he couldn't believe how he went on and on for this long, without even introducing himself properly. "Oh… um…"
Noticing how nervous her guest suddenly became, the Lake Goddess realized that he must've been getting worried about his situation, so satisfying her own curiosity has to wait. "Ah, I'm sorry. I kept asking so many things, that I totally forgot about your problem."
"No… I mean, that's still an issue, although I just realized something." Clearing his throat, as he suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed to introduce himself after he spent more than enough time talking to a stranger, Keiichi finally decided to set things straight. "In fact, I totally forgot to properly introduce myself. I'm Morisato Keiichi, pleased to meet you."
Just as she was about to reply, the Lake Goddess noticed him extend a hand in her direction, and for a while didn't know exactly what he wanted from her. It's true that her connection with Yggdrasil provided her with an overwhelming abundance of knowledge, but in order to cope with all that, she had to limit that infow to what was absolutely necessary for her. And given that she's been currently sealed, that link was further restricted to only provide her the absolute necessary information to interact with others. That included the strange language this boy was talking, for instance, although the same couldn't be said about his customs… which she hoped didn't involve anything too strange for her liking. Then again, this Keiichi fella didn't strike her as the kind of character to ever casually engage in some courtship exchange from his land, especially after stating that he's been dating another goddess. 'Right! I almost forgot about that, too. But… first things first.'
Reaching out to grab his hand, the Goddess allowed him to carry on with this custom, which apparently involved shaking hands as a form of greeting. "It's been quite a while since the last time I used my actual name, but I'm called Nimue. Most people know me as the Goddess of the Lake, even if my official title is the Goddess of Choices. Well, I suppose I also prefer the Goddess of the Lake title more than the other, so, it's no wonder that people more oftenly refer to me as such."
"Nimue, huh? That really sounds pretty different from any name I've heard… until I met Bell and the others." Keiichi mentally kicked himself for saying that, since it kinda sounded somewhat insensitive given Nimue's former nature as a human. Even so, that made him quite curious as to how exactly this came to be, as none of the immortals he met ever mentioned such a possibility. "Actually… do you mind me asking something?"
"How I became a goddess?" quipped Nimue without beating an eyelash, and seeing that he nodded back in return, she carried on. "It's not exactly a very pleasant story, but centuries ago, I was all but a young maiden living in a village nearby a lake that started to go dry. Considering that this was our primary source of water, everyone became anxious when the drought that caused all that kept for so long that it was becoming apparent that we wouldn't be able to make the next winter like that. We needed the water for our crops, and livestock, on top of drinking it ourselves, so it would've been a disaster if no solution was found. Unfortunately, that was a time where people came up with all sorts of ideas on how to deal with such problems, and building dams wasn't one of them. Instead, they thought that the gods were angry and sacrificing a young woman by throwing her into the lake to drown."
"Wait! That's-!"
"That's horrible, I know. And to be honest, it's not that it made any real difference in the end, but… that's another story," said Nimue with a drawn out sigh. "Thing is, while I was sinking into the lake's waters, I heard a voice telling me all that, as well as whether I wanted to become a goddess. I agreed, because I was afraid to die. I guess I was like any other human at that point, and clinged onto my life for as long as possible. So, here I am."
To be brutally honest, Keiichi has already regretted his decision to bring any of that up, even if it answered his question. "I'm sorry… I had no idea it would've been something like that."
"Don't be, it's not your fault. Things used to be like that in the past, there's nothing to be done at the moment. Besides, I did manage to survive that situation, even though… it came with both a blessing and a curse. You see, in the process of becoming a goddess I became bound to the very lake you see in this place. That's because all the low level Earth Spirits inhabiting it are now the source of my power, given that I'm merely an artificial goddess, and not one by nature."
"So, you're trapped here," concluded Keiichi with a knowing nod, as he started to see the downsides of such an arrangement. Sure, sacrificing one's freedom for eternal life might sound like a smart idea at first, but the novelty would definitely lose its appeal down the line. Although, while that did explain a few things, it still provided no answer as to why they were currently sealed -or where for the matter. And no matter how considerate he wished to be, by avoiding any further questions that might stir up some bad memories, he still needed a way out of here. "Does that mean we're totally shut off from the rest of the world, or why I was able to survive for this long without food?"
"In a manner of speaking… yes," sadly admitted Nimue, who suddenly felt a pang of guilt for inadvertently dragging someone else in this mess. It sure wasn't her fault -and by all means impossible- for anyone to find their way inside of her seal, but now that this happened, she felt responsible for Keiichi's predicament. "Actually, I can't believe this is the second time it's happening…"
"Wait… this thing happened before?" It was a bad question, given that the pain evident in the goddess' voice clearly implied that it wasn't a story with a happy ending.
"Not like this, but… it's still the reason I've been sealed away. You see, long after I became a goddess, the people of my village moved to other lands, and I was left truly alone. Then, one day I met a travelling bard who just happened to be passing by, and… it was love at first sight; for both of us." Nimue couldn't help but smile at the warm memory of her former lover, and lifelong partner, despite how lonely she suddenly felt just by thinking about him. Nevertheless, she put on a brave face and continued her tale, knowing that breaking down into tears in front of her guest would've only made him feel pretty bad for trying to have a mere conversation with her. "I tried to warn him that such a relationship wouldn't work in the long run, but his determination got the better of me. Perhaps, I also yearned for some companionship after being left alone for that long, although that's not an excuse for a goddess. In the end, I caved in and accepted his offer to stay with me, and even helped him build a shack by my lake. Those were the happiest years of my life."
The more he listened to this story, the more Keiichi realized why she seemed so interested when he told her about his relationship with Belldandy. Despite the obvious differences, there was still the fact that he was involved with a goddess, just like the bard from Nimue's tale. And the worst part was that he could easily see Belldandy sharing their story to a stranger, several decades after his passing -not unlike Nimue right now. "Did… you ever regret it?" he asked without thinking, much to his own surprise.
"No, never," she openly admitted, even shaking her head emphatically to make sure that she got the point across. It was easy to see how her story could scare him from staying with his own love, given her immortality and all, but her intentions were never to dissuade him -far from it. "Losing all those memories would be far worse than the comfort of never experiencing the pain of saying farewell. Well… I can't exactly speak for everyone, and I used to be a human, so I'm more accustomed to the idea of the inevitable, but I'm sure that more goddesses would agree with me."
"Ah… I see…" He really wished to say something more insightful, but offering moral support and especially on matters of the heart, really wasn't Keiichi's forte. If nothing else, he was becoming increasingly aware that in a roundabout way, they were also discussing about him and Belldandy -which only made things more awkward.
The opportunity for a much needed distraction came when a snowflake flew past his nose, and sure enough more started to descend from the heavens. In fact, this initially surprised him so much that he totally missed the utterly baffled look on Nimue's face, as she looked around them in sheer disbelief. One might even say that this was the first time she ever saw snow, or at the very least not for quite a while. Because of that, when Keiichi's eyes met hers, it didn't take him long to note that reaction. "Uh, Nimue? Is everything alright?"
"This… can't be! There's no weather here!" cried the shocked goddess, as she realized that somehow it started snowing inside of her containment. "How is this possible?"
"Huh… Now that you mention it, there's not even a day night cycle, either," mused Keiichi, scratching his chin in deep thought. Even if he hasn't spent nearly as much time here as Nimue, he still saw enough to know that she was absolutely right. "Perhaps…" Before he even got a chance to go further with his speculation, Keiichi's eyes spotted a reflection on the lake's surface that clearly didn't belong there, which caused him to immediately stop and do a double take.
Invisible to the naked eye, a musculine dark-clad figure leisurely hovered above the lake's water. The newcomer's facial features were completely obscured by his hood, that left only his mouth and chin clearly visible, yet the sinister glow of his red eyes shined through the darkness.
As a matter of fact, despite exchanging no words as they stared at this otherworldly mirage, both Keiichi and Nimue reached the exact same conclusion. "A demon?!"
A chilling chuckle filled the air, just as the weather around them deteriorated rapidly, with the temperature dipping noticeably below what they'd consider as comfortable. "Well, I'll be damned! You noticed me at last!"
Without any warning, the demon's image began to distort, almost as if the water became rippled, even though that wasn't actually the case. Not only that, but the air right above the water also mirrored those ripples, revealing the demon whose presence sparked all those weird phenomena.
"Are you the one who got me in here?" asked Keiichi, even though it actually sounded more like a statement. In his mind, it did make perfect sense that the one responsible for his imprisonment finally showed up to make his demands known; whatever those may be. "What do you think you're doing?"
"How about trying to get you -both of you- out of this forsaken place?" The demon countered with a dry chuckle, as he saw the surprise on their faces while they exchanged a confused look. It's not that he wasn't expecting this reaction though; far from it. "What's the matter? Were you expecting something else?"
"Well… to be honest, I kinda was," said Keiichi, only for Nimue to interrupt him.
"Demons aren't known for their generosity, and I doubt you're the exception," she noted, and even made an attempt to stand in front of Keiichi, just in the event she'll need to shield him. "As much as I'd love to get out of here, I'm not sure I wish to know your price."
"Why, young lady, my services are nothing short of priceless!" If he's been amused before, the demon was now positively gleeful. "But, I'm more than happy to assist… providing that you'll do my bidding. And before you even consider turning my offer down, just a friendly reminder: you'll probably need my help if you want to get out of here."
As expected, Keiichi was already about to object, only for the demon's words causing him to stop and rethink his options. He certainly didn't trust him, and he would've preferred to find his way out with Nimue's help, instead of some stranger's, although… there was enough evidence to point out that those weren't empty promises. After all, if this guy found his way into their prison, then chances are he could indeed help them, rather than just bluffing about it. "Dunno… I may not have other options, but that doesn't mean I'll just agree to anything you say," said Keiichi after a while, and then glanced over at Nimue who apparently shared his sentiment.
"Besides, neither of us is powerful enough to be of any use to you," added the goddess, hoping that a more diplomatic approach would be better for both of them. While she tried to hide it, this demon exuded a mental pressure unlike anything she had previously experienced before. Not even the brief moments when she conversed with the Daitenkaicho compared to this feeling, although to be fair, she never actually met Tyr in person. Even so, it was becoming apparent that whatever power she still possesses is woefully inadequate to hold this demon back, should they end up exchanging blows. To complicate matters further, Keiichi's presence made it even more pressing to avoid any kind of direct confrontation, as it was quite likely for a human like him to get seriously injured -or worse- in the process. "What help could we possibly be to you?"
"Trust me, it's exactly why you're not insanely powerful that you'll do great for me. You see, I need you to infiltrate a certain facility in Niflheim, and having very little power can be useful in this case. It's much easier for you to remain undetected; with a little bit of help on my part, of course."
"Huh…" If he had to be brutally honest, this didn't sound too bad; actually, one might even call it a bargain given the circumstances. Sure, Keiichi knew better than to agree to take an offer, where there wasn't any reasonable alternative, but at the same time beggars can't be choosers. "That sounds good and all, but what are you really after? I don't feel too comfortable getting involved in something I don't know anything about."
A moment of silence followed, as the demon seemed to consider Keiichi's question, until he came to the conclusion that it was for the best to provide him with a little more information. "Very well. If you really want to know, your goal is to secure the angel eggs that your goddess friends lost when they were turned into demonesses. With that done, I can assure you that turning them back into goddesses is going to be fairly straight-forward. And before you even ask, I've got my own ulterior motives to help, but at the very least we can agree that there's a certain overlap in our interests. So, helping me is also going to do you favors, and vice versa."
"Hm… I can't say I have any objections with that idea," admitted Keiichi, given that this was the first time he heard any kind of realistic plan to turn Belldandy and the others back into goddesses. Sure, he couldn't say that he trusted this demon, but then again sitting here doing nothing wasn't exactly a smarter move. "Although, can I ask for a little favor?"
It was the demon's turn to raise an eyebrow at the sudden request, especially since he doubted there was something Keiichi would've wanted from him. "A favor you say? Shoot."
"Can you help her get out of here, too?" asked Keiichi, while gesturing at Nimue who was totally caught off guard. She was in fact staring at him in mixed awe and surprise, as she never thought someone she met just moments ago would go out of his way to help her. And to a certain degree also realize why a goddess with Belldandy's reputation has fallen for him.
"That depends on whether she agrees to help you as well.." Lifting his eyes from Keiichi, he glanced over at Nimue, who understandably stared back at him in confusion. "Being a mortal won't allow him to do much in his current state," he continued, addressing the goddess. "In order to have the slightest chance of success, you must allow him to tap into your power."
"Uh… not that I have any objections, but… can I actually do that?" asked the baffled blonde. "I know that I'm an artificial goddess and all, although I have no idea how to transfer my power to Keiichi."
"And is it even safe for her to do that?" added Keiichi, since he didn't wish to risk anyone's life on his behalf. "It's her life force we're talking about here, right?"
"I won't say that you're wrong," the demon replied in regards to Keiichi's question, before he extended his right hand, forming a rather intricate set of magic circles mere inches above his palm. Unfolding like a three dimensional origami, the circles expanded and quickly took the abstract shape of a tree, with its branches consisting of streams of runes and other complex symbols. This tree kept on 'growing' much to the audience's awe, while the demon manipulated its nodes with his free hand, almost like flicking through a touch menu -albeit a holographic one in this case. "However," he eventually said, grabbing their attention back to him. "That's hardly a problem, if you ask me. With some careful tampering we can divert most of our goddess' power supply, and at the same time provide additional power in its place. It's somewhat tricky to do, but as long as this replacement comes from a demonic source, we might be able to counterbalance the total amount in the entirety of this system to keep its equilibrium. As such, not only she won't be harmed, but also not upset her body's balance and turn herself into a demoness as well. As an added bonus, because those two power sources can cancel each other out under the right circumstances… we might be able to hide the two of you for long enough to accomplish your goal without getting noticed."
Nimue listened carefully, and while she more or less got the gist of it, there was still one thing that remained unexplained: how could he pull off this feat so effortlessly. "You know… I listened to your plan, and I'll have to agree that this is far better than anything we would've come up on our own. Still, there's one thing I just can't understand."
"That is?"
"It took the Daitenkaicho's direct intervention for me to become a goddess, and even the System's assistance, yet you're saying you can do all that on your own?" Even though she didn't try to sound this skeptical, there was enough of a reason to feel somewhat hesitant when someone offers a plan that's a bit too good to be true. Plus, there was also the fact that this demon somehow managed to get into her prison without immediately alerting her of his presence. In Keiichi's case, being a mortal could've been the reason why she failed to notice him for all this time, although a powerful demon is a whole different matter altogether. "Just… who are you anyway?"
"Hm… I wasn't intending to tell you, but I kind of like that you're not totally gullible. I suppose it's only fair to properly introduce myself," said the demon, before he made a dramatic pause. "I'm Ymir, the first of my kind. Nice to meet you."
A deafening silence followed, as neither Keiichi nor Nimue said a word, albeit each for different reasons. While Keiichi waited for some additional information, under the assumption that this Ymir person hadn't finished with his introduction just yet, Nimue simply froze in place from the mere mention of that name. Despite having somewhat limited knowledge of immortal history, even she has heard of the Infernals' progenitor, and if half of those stories were true, they weren't just dealing with one of the bigger fishes of the ocean -so to speak- but with a monster of the abyss.
But the silence persisting, the clueless Keiichi started to wonder just what was going on here, and looked between the two immortals in wonder. It was then that he realized just how stunned Nimue was, as she had yet to recover from her stupor, leaving him with the sinking feeling that he was about to ask something stupid. "I know this might sound funny, but… are you really famous?"
The question took everyone by surprise, especially Ymir who simply blinked at the absurdity of it all. Sure, there were some ignorant members of both sides that couldn't care any less of their species' history, but even they tended to realize the gravity of the situation while dealing with him. As such, to run into a person who knew absolutely nothing of him was an oddly refreshing experience. So much so, that the demon bursted into a fit of laughter, leaving the poor mortal even more confused than before.
"Did I say something wrong?" Keiichi wondered out loud, almost to himself, as Ymir continued to laugh, while Nimue was at a complete loss of words.
XXX
Muspelheim
In what turned out to be a classic case of irony, Lind's arrival at the Fire Realm wasn't followed by some sort of media parade, but instead the local denizens more or less ignored her. Granted, there was the occasional glance in her direction from the passing by demons, yrt none of them stopped to bother her in any shape or form. And while this worked just fine for her, this… indifference was starting to get on her nerves. Not only did the locals ignore her presence, but the same was true for their authorities as well.
Perhaps she should've made a much bigger deal about her visit, instead of hiding her motives behind a series of excuses, yet at the same time she had to agree with Urd on this: doing so might also result in negative attention. With the unofficial reason for her presence here being the investigation of Keiichi's disappearance, it wouldn't take much for the locals to think that their forces were being accused of the incident. As such, a certain level of hostility was to be expected, and in all honesty Lind wouldn't exactly mind this, only that… no one cared.
To most people, this attitude would've been taken as a blessing in disguise, since this lack of confrontation was much more preferred than any other alternative. Yet for Lind, this was a truly troubling sign, as her actual reason for being here was to negotiate a temporary allegiance with Surt in order to overthrow Hagall. Or at the very least, this could become their plan B, as Urd also wished to see if she could manipulate the Daimakaicho into becoming an ally, no matter how ironic this sounds.
Because of that, the manner she's been informed that Surt wasn't available at the moment, left her with the sinking feeling that this trip was in vain. The leader of Muspelheim may have very well decided that he didn't wish to drag himself and the rest of his realm in a dangerous game just to save a couple of goddesses, and was merely looking for excuses to avoid her.
Such were the former Valkyrie's thoughts, while she wandered the streets of Muspelheim's capital, hoping that anytime soon they'll summon her. Yet after several hours of waiting, Lind's patience was starting to run out, with the predictable results such a thing had on her mood.
"Hey there pretty girl!" came a ritch, feminine voice from one of the shops Lind was passing by, prompting her to stop and take a look at the speaker. The demoness in question was of course the owner of what appeared to be a clothing shop, as more than enough of the outfits on display resembled elaborate pieces of jewelry, rather than what passed as such elsewhere. In fact, the owner herself was dressed in a bikini of sorts, that consisted of a series of pearl strings that provided most of the skin coverage, alongside metal chains that added the much needed support to keep the whole thing together. "Fancy taking a look at my wares?" she continued, much to her potential customer's dismay.
'Where am I even supposed to look while talking to her?!' Lind found herself wondering, after she made the mistake of giving this demoness a nice look, only to realize that her clothes were merely decorating her -admittedly astonishing- body, rather than covering it. 'You know what?... I'm not getting involved in this.' Unwilling to explore the demonic equivalent of a lingerie shop, Lind started to walk away without offering as much of a comment. She didn't go too far though, as the demoness managed to cut off her escape route by stepping right in front of her, in a rather surprising display of speed. In fact, if she wasn't so absorbed in her own thoughts, Lind would've been quite surprised to find out that a lingerie shopkeeper of all people could outmaneuver her. Although in all fairness, she wasn't exactly trying her best to make a run for it. "What do you want?"
"I believe I already asked you, but I never got an answer," replied the shopkeep, in a surprisingly cold tone that seemed a complete reversal from the pleasant one she was using before. "And I don't like when they ignore me."
"Get used to it, because I don't like getting dragged into silly shenanigans. Do I look like the kind of goddess who likes to flaunt her… everything in broad daylight?"
"First, you didn't even listen to what I have to offer, and second; you ain't no goddess, lass." That last part hit the mark, based on how Lind grimaced as soon as she heard the remark. "Although, I can't say that I blame you for thinking like that. What's with that look? Did you seriously think that I haven't heard of you, Lind of the binary angel?"
Out of all the nonsense she was expecting to hear, this sure wasn't part of it. As a matter of fact, now that she got her attention, Lind gave this demoness a critical look… and couldn't help but notice how much she reminded her of Urd. Granted, this being Muspelheim it is quite common for the locals to have a darker bronze complexion, although in this case even some of her facial features resembled Urd's, including her purple eyes. Actually, the biggest differences were her medium length blue hair, as well as the triplet of five-pointed stars that adorned her face. A peculiar set of markings that somewhat reminded her Hild's, at least as far as her cheek emblems were concerned… although the one on her forehead also looked identical to Urd's.
"What's wrong? Cat caught your tongue?"
Realizing that she's been quiet for too long, Lind snapped out of it, and did her best to maintain a neutral expression while dealing with her. "No, I… Where did you hear that name?"
"Isn't that what they call you in Asgard?" countered the demoness with a big grin on her face. To say that she was enjoying every moment of this would've been an understatement, but for everyone's sake she tried to hold back.
"Hardly. Only a handful know that particular nickname, with everyone else calling me-"
"One Winged Angel," finished the demoness for Lind, only to frustrate her even further.
"You seem to know me well," noted the former Valkyrie, narrowing her eyes dangerously at the overly amused demoness. And though she was pointing out the obvious, Lind felt the need to test her reactions to a variety of responses, just to see whether she was merely a witty local or someone who knew far more than she was letting on. For that matter, as she lowered her gaze to that revealing outfit that started this all, it was becoming apparent that something was wrong with it. In fact, Lind was quite surprised that she didn't notice this earlier on, but what she initially thought to be barely covered skin… turned out to be covered in a tone-matched fabric that acted as the base layer of this outfit. In essence it was no more revealing than any other bikini out there, with the exception that it deliberately enforced the idea of being far too daring for its own good. Yet despite that, she couldn't see a similar design among the wares, so using this outfit as an advertisement wasn't likely, and the same went for enticing the customers, considering that they would definitely notice the trick once they got close enough to her.
Following her gaze, the blue haired demoness' grin only widened, before clasping her arms under her chest in an inconspicuous way of striking a pose that emphasized her physique. "My, oh my! Staring at me with such greedy eyes… Forward aren't we?" she cooed, causing the warrior to visibly blush, much to her own entertainment. "I wonder… what would your girlfriend say if she knew that you're checking up other demonesses?"
"You!..." Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, as it was apparent that she's been mercilessly teased, Lind couldn't help but note how well informed this woman appeared to be. "How do you know all that? Did Fehu ask you to do this?"
"Oh, please! I don't need anyone's help to find all that out by myself," came the immediate reply, as she rolled her eyes in an overly dramatic fashion. "But if you must know, I've been snooping around for quite a while now, trying to come up with a solution to my granddaughter's problem."
"Your… granddaughter?" asked the intrigued Lind, wondering if her suspicions could've been right. Even so, she quite honestly had no idea how this was even possible, since it practically contradicts just about every history book ever published on Asgard.
"That would be Urd," cheerfully replied the demoness, all while she stepped closed to Lind and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Which is exactly why I wanted to meet you in person. After all those idiots my granddaughter tried to date, she finally pulled her act together and picked a nice one for a chance!"
"Back off, lady!" barked Lind, who suddenly found the demoness' face almost against hers. "Do you even know what personal space is?"
"I do; sometimes." She allowed Lind to squirm for a while, but eventually decided that enough is enough and let go of the warrior. "Anyhow, the name's Njorun. Happy to meet you."
The moment she heard that name, Lind's mind shifted gears, trying to recall just where she had heard it before. She even repeated the name under her breath, until it suddenly came to her. "Wait! Njorun, as in Njord-sama's lost sister? But… weren't you supposed to be dead?"
"That's me alright! Can't say the same about the dead part, but hey… you've gotten much closer than most others." There was a small pause towards the end, soon followed by a wicked grin that totally contrasted her previously cheerfulness. "Speaking of which… How long are you going to stay hidden?" she added, looking sharply to their right, where a shadow began to shift around the shop's darkest corner, taking the form of a demon; one whose half face was wrapped in bandages.
"Excuse me for having to dress my wounds up!" snapped the newcomer, who turned up being none other than the very leader of this realm… albeit in one of his less dignified moments. Aside from the bandages that covered nearly half of his face, Surt's right hand was also wrapped up all the way up to the elbow, which added to the insult that his run-in with Njorun turned out to be. "First you invite yourself into my realm, and then you have the audacity to make fun of me for being late."
"Funny that you forgot that I was the first one to ever possess your title, or even the part where I handed your ass to you." Despite the clear hint of playfulness in her voice, Njorun earned herself a growl from the younger demon -yet she didn't exactly seem too broken about it. If nothing else, she greatly enjoyed the opportunity to stretch her wings -so to speak- after remaining out of sight for nearly as long as she did.
For her part, Lind was unsure whether to find this amusing, or feel terrified of the demoness that still refused to let go of her. Then again, it wasn't every day she got the chance to meet Hild's mother. 'Wait… doesn't this mean that Urd's mother also has some Celestial ancestry?' It was a crazy thought, and one she would've easily dismissed in the past, given the total lack of evidence to support that theory. Ever so, Njorun somehow managed to turn into a demoness, and with the ironic echo of her own situation, she felt that finding out as much about her as possible. If she got lucky, then perhaps the secret of turning into a goddess, and then proceed to help the others too.
Surt harrumphed and turned his attention to the other demoness present, the one he's actually been waiting for a while, only for Njorun's surprise visit ruining everything in the process. In hindsight he should've been more careful when it came to Hild's mother, as the obvious family resemblance extended far beyond appearances. However, that was in the past now, and the last thing he needed is to act like a sore loser by throwing a temper tantrum in front of everyone. "Well… I guess you're here on Urd's behalf?" he asked Lind, trying his best to avoid Njorun's gaze.
"Yes, there are things we need to discuss." The former Valkyrie shot a glance at the demoness beside her, and then turned back to Surt, before continuing. "I'm not sure if this is the right place though. We're still in the marketplace for all I know."
"Point taken. In fact, I feel that this might interest you as well," he quipped, giving the elder demoness a cold stare. "How about we head to my office? That's a much better place for this kind of conversation."
"Fine by me," replied Lind, and then looked in Njorun's direction.
"Sure, I haven't been there for… ugh… I don't even remember for how long. Anyhow, I've got a few things to tell you as well -both of you." That last statement caught their attention, especially as she delivered it in a dead serious tone, much unlike her previous playfulness. And at least for Surt who spent more than enough time with her daughter, it should be more than enough to know that she meant business. "Now, shall we?"
XXX
One hour later
Heaving over the altar of the latrine god, a former goddess cursed the locals of this insufferable realm, as she paid her tribute; namely her lunch. Mere minutes ago, she, Njorun and Surt visited one of the local restaurants to celebrate Urd's first ambitious plan -much unlike the majority of her past schemes. And though she normally didn't care for such social events, it somehow felt appropriate to play along, especially since she was in the presence of Urd's grandmother. At least that's what Lind from a while ago thought, while current Lind was regretting every second of making that tragic mistake.
"In my defense, I told you to take the lizard tail roast," said Surt from her right, where he kneeled next to her and kept patting her back until she calmed down. "Veggie dishes here aren't for the faint hearted. And this is a traditional restaurant, so it doesn't have all those imported recipes for softies. Then again, with Hagal's blockade and all, we can barely get enough supplies as is. Which is exactly why I brought you here, where they only use local ingredients."
With a grunt, Lind turned her head slightly to give the infuriatingly sympathetic demon a baleful glare, but she was too exhausted for words. Instead, she raised her hand and flicked him the bird, before she hung her head, feeling the lingering effects of the poison in her system. "Ugh… urp..."
"Now, now don't try to talk and take a couple of deep breaths." Rather than complying to his instructions, Lind violently shook her head, before starting to cough. 'Strange… I've never seen anyone react this violently to such a weak poison -and there's only a tiny amount in the food to begin with. That Njorun better get the antidote soon, we might actually have to hospitalize her.' As if by coincidence, at that moment Njorun entered the restroom carrying an autoinjector with the much needed antidote. She paused for a moment to remove the device's safety cover and primed the mechanism, before she approached the stricken demoness along with Surt who shot her an annoyed glance. "Took you long enough."
"Excuse me for having to find a nearby drug store with enough doses of this antidote to be effective on an adult. This is normally administered to infants, so it took about a dozen or so times the dose for someone her size and age." Pushing Surt aside, she ignored his grunt when she accidentally touched his recent injuries, and instead searched Lind's uniform for the easiest way of exposing her skin. A search that didn't take all that long, as her eyes fell onto a peculiar cutout near the lower back of this civilian class combat uniform, and considering the medical nature of this incident there was no time for niceties. "Enough with that. You, look away for a moment," she ordered at the startled Surt who nevertheless compiled for once without much of a comeback. "And you, grin and bear with it," she added, while tugging at Lind's uniform so hard that caused her to take a sharp breath. But before the latter had the chance to protest, the blue haired demoness pressed the autoinjector against Lind's hindquarters and triggered it. "That's it! That should do it."
"Ow!…" was all Lind could say in a situation like this, and not just from having someone inject her in such a forceful manner. As much as she prefered to be a combat specialist even among the Valkyries, she did receive some first aid training, and not even the most hardcore of their field healers didn't seem nearly this crude. "Where did you learn to treat people like that?"
"At boot camp mostly. Well, I guess some things must've changed since then, given we first had the wars with the demons, and then we hit the civil war and all that. Anyway, that's not important right now." Passing the now empty injector to Surt, she helped Lind up and patiently waited for her to regain her stability until it was safe to let go. Thankfully, the antidote didn't take all that long to kick in, and already she was showing signs of recovery, allowing Njorun to breathe a sigh of relief. "Feeling better now?"
"I suppose," replied the more cautious Lind, as she wasn't completely rid of the nausea just yet, but at the very least the worst of it seems to have passed. Even so, there was something that bothered her, especially as everyone seemed rather surprised to see her react that badly to this type of toxin. "You said that this only happened to kids?" she asked Njorun, who seemed to be lost in thought, yet offered her a slow nod. "Then why was I so badly affected?"
"You know… It can be due to not being a true demoness," suggested Surt, although no sooner he finished, he shot a troubled look in Njorun's direction. "Although, come to think of it… Weren't you also born a goddess?"
"That's right, me and my group of Valkyries became the first settlers of this realm, after defecting to the Infernals at the end of the Asgard-Vanir war. But as far as I can recall, I've tried this type of burger before, and it never caused me similar problems. And on my way to grab the antidote, I even tried some of the leftovers, just to make sure that there wasn't something wrong with Lind's serving. So far I can't say I feel anything out of the ordinary."
"In other words, there's a difference between me and you," concluded Lind, no matter how obvious that sounded to her. As a matter of fact, she knew for a fact that the appearance of those defected Valkyries changed after they became demonesses, at least according to their Intelligence reports. Additionally, the descendants of those demonesses also kept those physical characteristics, that include -among others- their bronze to dark skin, as well as high percentage of light-haired individuals in their population. Characteristics that even persisted in Urd's case, despite being of mixed ancestry and her goddess side being the dominant one under normal circumstances.
"I already suspected that, although… This is the first time we have solid evidence of this being the case." Seeing that they were actually getting on somewhere with this, Njorun felt that perhaps there was more to this accident than meets the eye. "Do you mind taking a few medical tests before you head back? It's a good idea to check your health anyways, and rest assured I won't pull anything on my granddaughter's girlfriend."
Unsurprisingly, Lind' almost immediately felt the need to decline, as all of her training regimes have preconditioned her to reject any cooperation with demons. Even running this errant for Urd pushed it to a degree, yet in this case she was merely acting as a proxy rather than a collaborator. In a situation like this though, Lind couldn't help but wonder if such an inflexible approach was called for, as the benefits from discovering more about their nature outweigh the drawbacks. "Very well," she announced after giving it some thought. "I agree to some tests, as long as it's nothing too invasive or dangerous for the matter."
Taking this as his que, Surt reached for his communicator and immediately started making the necessary calls to have Lind tested in one of their military labs, while Njorun also tried to send a message to her husband in order to inform him of these latest developments.
XXX
Niflheim, Daimakaicho's office
If there was one thing that could be safely said about stalemates, is how frustrating they can be for all parties involved. And this was no different for the two highest ranking demonesses of Niflheim, who have spent more than an hour arguing about Belldandy and Peorth's status on Earth, as they were about to get recalled to Niflheim.
This decision was naturally made by none other than Hagall, after she felt the need to do something about the latest incidents that brought much unneeded attention to her activities in the mortal realm. What originally started as an easy plan for making a profit, has now become the number one source of embarrassment for her leadership, and to make matters worse, it never delivered the promised benefits. And in all irony, the person who resisted this proposed recall the most, is none other than Urd - who by all means should've wanted to get her sister back. Then again, it didn't take long for Hagall to realize that Urd's uncharacteristic objections may have something to do with her sister's infatuation with a certain mortal, whose disappearance caused far more problems than she would've ever expected.
"Will you give it a rest already?" groaned the utterly fed up Hagall, since no matter how hard she tried, the Norn refused to relent. Then again, she wasn't totally shocked to find out just how stubborn Hild's daughter could get, given the sheer determination her predecessor -and mentor- displayed most of the time. Although, she would've preferred if that blasted Norn chose another target for her ire, or at least become impolite enough for her to demand her immediate removal from the scene. But no… Urd not only did maintain her cool, but also presented her case in a surprisingly sound fashion.
"Not until you take me seriously. Can't you already see how bad of an idea this is?"
"The only bad idea was to let you into my office." Hagall could already feel the impending headache, and massaged her temples in an attempt to lessen its impact, but to no avail. "Seriously… I've already told you that there's no reason for us to continue with this plan. It's clearly not paying off, so, the best we can do is cut our losses and call it quits. What's so hard for you to understand?"
In all seriousness, Urd had to give her credit for finally making a solid argument, although it came a bit too late for her liking. "Oh, I get the problem alright, but… don't you think it's bad for you to simply give up like this? The mighty Daimakaicho failing to set up a pop idol group?" She kept her voice from getting too far too sarcastic, yet the sting was already there. And judging from how the blonde tensed up, it was apparent that she got the message across. To prevent her from going on the defense, or worse an all out counterattack, she audibly let out a sigh and leaned back into her chair. "I suppose I'm not one to speak though. If nothing else, I've got a fair share of mess ups under my belt, so I can speak from experience. Running away is hardly the best option when it comes to making up for your mistakes. And this goes twice when it comes to a leader, as it sets up a bad example for your subjects -to say nothing of demoralizing them. This can easily become an explosive mix when you take into account that you're a new Daimaicho who has yet to prove her worth. No matter how you look at it, this ain't good."
"So, you say that marching on undeterred is a better alternative? I'm sorry, but I find this hard to swallow," sarcastically quipped Hagall, who simply refused to let her win this argument. It wasn't that she didn't see reason, or that she argued just for the heck of it, yet the fact that this once… loafer suddenly sounded like Hild, really unsettled her. She was the one who studied under Hild's tutelage, and for all intended purposes became the daughter she raised in Urd's absence. This was something that Hagall not only took pride in, but found comfort in thinking that she was somewhat special in her mentor's eyes, much unlike the latter's actual daughter who wished to do nothing with her own mother. And yet, said daughter started to emulate Hild way better than her, despite being separated from her since early childhood; that frustrated Hagall the most.
For the briefest of moments, Urd's serene expression became clouded, and nearly breathed something particularly offensive about her boss' lack of practice at doing things that involved swallowing, although… she forced herself from saying it out loud. Such an attitude wouldn't help anyone at the time being, even if she really wished to duke it out with the blondie and take her position as the easier way to put an end to this. In fact, this remained her plan B, should everything else fail, although after ascending to the position of the Daimakaicho's deputy, Urd came to understand that no matter how straightforward, it wasn't the best plan. While demons respected power -which she had in spades- that didn't mean they would immediately accept her as their leader without any opposition. Sure, she could put more effort into raising her popularity to improve her chances to sway the masses, but from what she saw so far, this wasn't the fastest of plans. Such an approach would only pay off in the long term, so, for a faster result she unfortunately needed to work together with this blondie; for better or worse. "I never said that, actually."
"Eh?"
"I never implied that you should carry on with a lost cause," Urd clarified, offering the confused Daimakaicho a smirk. "How about you… let's say, invite them here to celebrate their success?"
"What success?" asked the baffled blonde, before she took a brief look at the reports she had previously handed to her subordinate. And sure enough, it was more than clear that the whole operation barely made any profit whatsoever. It was mostly due to scaling down the rest of their operations, as their prominent present on Earth brought them so close to a direct confrontation with the Celestials -and the effective abduction of four of them did little to improve the situation to begin with.
"We still made a profit, and the actual numbers aren't exactly public knowledge… right?" Ever so casually the Norn got up from the chair and placed her hands on Hagall's desk, before she leaned forward, causing the latter to instinctively pull away from her. "Turning this into a success of sorts is a much better option than running away with your tail between your legs, don't you think?" she added in a much lower tone. And for once, her idea seemed to have caught Hagall's attention, despite where it was coming from.
"A celebration…" Hagall whispered, almost as if talking to herself while considering her options. In all honesty, she really liked the idea and would've immediately agreed, except… it still seemed odd that Urd of all people would go out of her way to be this helpful to her. 'What do you really hope to accomplish, I wonder. Gain my trust, so that she can steal back the angel eggs? No… surely ever she can't be this simpleminded. Although, she does have a fair point: this is a much better alternative to what I planned to do. It doesn't matter if it's all for show, as long as I make it seem like a success, I can gain some time for my next move. Especially when it comes to what I'm supposed to do with her.' Hagall's gaze shifted back to Urd, who merely raised her eyebrows when their eyes met, but neither said anything. Instead, they engaged into a staring match, almost as if sizing each other up, until she relented and let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, do as you wish. In fact, feel free to organize the event as well. You're my direct subordinate, and as such, it's well within your power to do so."
"Eh?" was the only thing that popped in Urd's mind when she got that particular reply. Even though she's been trying hard to convince Hagall to do things her way, it was a bit strange that she practically gave her full control of the situation. Perhaps, she merely saw it as a chore, so she happily assigned it to her, just to spare herself the trouble of dealing with it. No matter the case, Urd couldn't believe her luck right now, but it was important to treat it like a chore too, just to avoid tipping Hagall off. "Are you sure that's advisable? It's your accomplishment after all, so, why let me handle this?"
"Oh please!... I've got far more important things to do with my time, than make arrangements for a party," said Hagall, even waving her hand dismissively to emphasise her point. "Besides, I've got a feeling that your sister won't be nearly as… cooperable as of late. I guess it'll be better if I let you deal with her instead."
'Not thanks to you,' the Norn thought in regards to Belldandy's situation, but once again she strategically avoided any direct conflict with her. "Very well," she said instead, and even offered a slight bow -albeit a somewhat cheeky one at that. "I'll start right away, if you don't need me for anything else else."
"No, that's enough for now. You may go."
The two demonesses silently stared at each other for a while, until Urd turned around and started for the door. Throughout this whole exchange she did her best to recall parts of her early childhood, that for entire millennia she had tried to forget. Yet for the first time in her life, Urd truly came to appreciate the lessons she unwittingly received from her mother, all the way back when she allowed her to stay at her office during work. In fact, she fondly recalled the time she spent mixing some simple potions on a small table by her mother's desk, all while listening to Hild's business meetings. Of course, she wasn't allowed during times when something particularly sensitive was discussed, but then again such was to be expected under the circumstances.
'I guess nothing changed. Even when I openly tried to act like her… nothing really changed. Demoness or goddess, I'm still myself no matter which side is dominant.' Coming to a stop while walking down the corridor to the Daimakaicho's office, Urd took a moment to look at her hands, and then turned her head to glance over at the window that allowed visitors a scenic view of the Infernal capital of Niflheim. 'I wonder… all this time, have I been driving myself to a corner for nothing?'
Still staring at her reflection, Urd's fingers traced the five-pointed star on her forehead, almost as it was the first time she was noticing it. And sure enough, just for the briefest of moments that red star twinkled, changing its shape to a blue triangle before it reverted back. 'What am I? A goddess who embraced her darkness, or a demoness who yearns the light? Actually, is that even a thing? Could it be that both are wrong, and I'm something entirely different?'
It didn't take long for the sound of rushed footsteps to reach her ears, just as well as the echoing siren that warned the guards of an intruder. "Stand down," she said in a calm yet commanding voice, as soon as the first troops reached her. "It's just me stretching my wings. Nothing more, nothing less."
The guards looked at each other, but none dared raise an objection. Instead they offered a reluctant nod, and one after the other returned to their posts, leaving Urd alone once again. At least, until the sound of footsteps returned, albeit this time around it originated from a single individual, and one that didn't seem to be in such a terrible hurry.
Turning to properly face the newcomer, Urd was actually surprised to find Lind walking towards her, and not only due to how soon she had returned. There was just something odd with her body language, almost as if she's been carrying a weight on her shoulders, that mostly troubled Urd, especially after sending her off to negotiate a deal with Surt. Even though she knew that diplomacy wasn't Lind's forte, time was of the essence, and trying to get over there by herself would simply raise too many red flags after she proposed her idea to Hagall. "Are you okay, sweetie?" The half demoness finally asked, in hopes that she was simply misinterpreting fatigue for something far worse than that -like the aftermath of a fistfight with her most likely ally.
At first, Lind didn't even seem to react to the question, and merely stared back at Urd, wondering just why she looked so worried all of a sudden. And for someone who's been through the most bizarre afternoon of her entire immortal life, she was a bit slow on the uptake, totally missing that she's even been addressed at. Sure, she vaguely heard the word 'sweetie' somewhere in Urd's question, but for whatever reason her mind didn't make the connection that it was meant for her. The warrior even glanced over her shoulder ever so casually, just in case she's been followed, but aside from those guards she passed by earlier on, they were alone. Yet before she knew what happened, she felt Urd's hands against her cheeks, and naturally snapped her head to stare at the Norn's eyes that were mere inches away from hers. "What?"
"Are you feeling alright?" asked Urd once more, and this time around she paused on each word, just to make it absolutely clear what she was saying. At least, Lind didn't seem to have a fever, although the way her voice cracked when she replied… was almost uncharacteristic of her. 'Blunt force trauma on the head could cause this, but she doesn't seem injured. Could it be that… she tried drinking anything there? Nah… that's not Lind's style to booze it up during work.'
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" quickly replied the blue haired demoness, in an excellent attempt to regain her composure, and put some distance between them. It's not that she didn't like her per se, but getting used to the idea of having a girlfriend was a whole new thing for Lind. Besides, Urd's tendency to ignore things like personal space sure didn't help matters either. "It was just a long trip and all." Naturally, it wasn't exactly smart to say too much in a place like this, so until they got some privacy, the best she could was to stick to the basics. "At least, my investigation was fruitful."
To her credit, Urd immediately dropped the subject, as she was fully aware that even an empty corridor wasn't safe for such a discussion. For all they knew, there could be bugs hidden all over the place, but exactly because of that, she acted as casual as she could muster under such conditions. "Ah, that's perfect timing then! I just got a new assignment for us, so it's great to have you here."
"Uh… you did?" asked the genuinely confused Lind, given that she had no idea what transpired in Hagall's office. Judging by the eagerness in Urd's voice though, she had a feeling that she wasn't going to like it. 'For Asgard's sake, I can't handle any more weirdness this month! Looking for Keiichi was one thing. Trying to cheer Belldandy up was another, and… now I even got to meet her grandmother -and not from her father's side!'
"Yep! We're organizing a welcoming party for Bell and Peorth's return," proudly announced Urd, in total contrast to her bodyguard's bafflement.
"A… party?" asked Lind in disbelief, just to make sure she heard right.
"Yes, a party," confirmed Urd with a nod. "And we are organizing it, too."
'What have I done to deserve this?' By this point Lind has all but accepted that this wasn't her day, and getting it over with, seemed a better alternative than fighting the inevitable. Besides, if they could somehow cheer up Belldandy in any shape or form, then it definitely wasn't wasted effort on their part. "Very well, I'll try to do my best. I must warn you that I have little idea how I can help, though."
"Don't worry about the party itself, it's not like I'll have you handing the drinks or something. You're most likely going to act as their guard during the event," laughed Urd in an effort to lighten up the mood. "Although…" she added, after a momentary pause that earned a worried look from Lind. "Now that I think of it, you wouldn't look bad dressed as a waitress."
It's been a long day already, and they haven't even gone through with the really important stuff yet, yet somehow Lind couldn't help but crack a smile at her girlfriend. Despite being fully aware of the gravity of the situation, the Norn still tried to cheer her up, or otherwise keep her mind off their troubles, and for that Lind was truly grateful. "Can't make any promises, but… if everything goes according to plan, I might dress up as a waitress for you afterwards."
Just the mental image she got from that statement proved more than enough for Urd to raise an eyebrow, although she honestly doubted that Lind would actually do something like that. Sure, stranger things have happened, and it wasn't exactly Lind's style to make empty promises, yet for the time being she had to push such errant thoughts aside. "Come on, Lindy! That's a promise worth keeping!"
"Uh… Lindy?" asked the warrior, unsure whether she felt elated to hear this nickname, or absolutely horrified.
"You… don't like it? I mean, is there anything else you'd like me to call you?"
The blue haired warrior hummed for a while, until she let out a sigh and shrugged. "I suppose it's appropriate. At least… as long we're on our own, okay?" In hindsight, she should've never added that last bit, as all of her past experiences with the Norn pointed out to the possibility of a merciless teasing on said hybrid's part. However, instead of a sly grin, Urd actually smiled back to her and then offered a slow nod.
"It's a deal," she said, leaning forward to give her a quick peck. "Just remember that you can also call me Urdy if you want. But enough for now. How about we start with the preparations?"
"Sounds like a plan to me."
AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.
There are a few things that I'd like to note for this chapter.
So, Keiichi's back, and things are looking up for him. At least… for the most part. He's still not out of danger just yet, although he's getting more involved in this plot.
Speaking of plots, if you're following some of my other works, you might already recognize some of the newcomers in this chapter. Yes, Ymir and Njorun are indeed the same from my other works, even though there might be some slight changes to their backstories. I'll leave some more detailed bios of them in the next chapter, considering that we'll get to see more of them there.
Still, I feel that Belldandy and Peorth's situation will be more of the focus on the next chapter, especially since they didn't even show up here. Then again, I wished to set up the stage for what's coming next, so a small delay was necessary.
