Nanami followed her mother's orders to a T. Leaving no stone left unturned, she searched through historical records from several dozen human cities for any mention of powerful dragons. When official documents were not enough, she silently took to the streets, eavesdropping on anything related to dragons. The gems her mother had given away so long ago were scattered across the region, allowing Nanami to start new leads if a trail went cold.
Doing as best as she could, she also had started mapping out the region. Unable to read or write the language the natives used, she tried her best to get by on passing conversations. Thus far, her only results were fables and folklore… and nothing else. Human civilization did very little to expand beyond their immediate comforts. These were not the results she wanted to show her mother, but the deity had advised Nanami to be cautious and patient.
Cloaked in darkness and out of sight, she was nothing more than a phantom passing by. With a laundry list of things to accomplish, she was happy to carry out her mother's wishes as silently as possible. Unlike the legends the Dragon Lords had created for themselves, Nanami would not leave anything of herself to be discovered.
Copying official charters and maps of each city every chance she got, Nanami became the information broker her mother needed. Slowly but surely, she began learning the New World language, even if it meant understanding a single letter at a time. She was sure Viridi would be able to process the language even faster than she could, but for now, only Nanami was permitted to venture out into the New World.
A month had passed after her mother's visit to the elven kingdom, but since then, the capital city – more specifically, the royal palace – had descended into political anarchy. New fractions had formed against the current king, and his family was struggling to deal with the return of their queen. Using the silent civil war to her advantage, Nanami had no trouble accessing their archives and national library.
Thanks to her eldest sister, Nanami knew the in-and-out of their entire kingdom from the memories of the king's daughters. The long reigning monarch had kept a well-organized history of his kingdom, going as far back as his forefathers. Unlike with the human kingdoms, Nanami had to take her time shifting through all the scrolls and tomes of the elven kingdom due to their length.
Utilizing her perfect memory, she quickly read through every document she could get her hands on within their archives. Even among the long and extensive history kept by the elves, accounts of dragons and dragon-related events were few and far between. Just like the humans, even a race of magically-inclined elves made sure to keep away from dragons. In the New World, dragons were considered beings who deserved reverence.
The thought of anyone beside her mother being worshiped irked her deep inside.
Ever since the disrespectful display the elves put on for Toreii, Nanami had begun harboring a soft hatred for the New World natives. Anyone who doubted her mother's claim to greatness and power deserved nothing less than death. Yet, for all the insolence she was made to put up with, Toreii was still capable of showing compassion and mercy to mortals. Proud to be her daughter, Nanami promised herself she would work endlessly until she dropped dead, in a manner representative of her mother's boundless grace.
Finishing the tome she was reading, she put it back just as she found it. Carrying out the perfect crime, Nanami continued her espionage in their archives. The new few days will be nothing but studying the musty old scrolls and books, locked away to never see light again. For anyone else, insanity would have taken hold by now, but for Nanami, she did not mind the solitude, especially when it coincided with her mother's wishes.
Nanami hoped her older sisters were faring as well as she was.
A quiet month had passed since the Asgardians visited the New World, but Toreii feared it might have been a mistake to allow them to leave at all. Slowly gliding through the air thanks to [Gungnir], the young deity followed the stone path from her castle to the garden in the back. Ever since they came back, Ai had observed Thor meeting with Heimdall more and more, asking the vanguard about the New World. Just as she suspected, the Son of Asgard had requested for a private talk, but coming into it, Ai already knew what he wanted to ask her.
Coming into view, Thor waved to her from underneath a wooden gazebo. Surrounding them were row upon row of neatly groomed flowers, blooming like the first day of spring. Having visited the garden many times before, Ai was curious about the plants due to her never once seeing it in her real world. Now with the game becoming real, she added to her to-do list to gather the trivial knowledge first-hand.
Protected in his war armor, Thor's warrior stature was still overly imposing and alien among a field of peaceful flowers. Greeting his father respectfully, the God of Thunder was visibly struggling to contain his excitement, immediately asking, "Father, there is something on my mind lately. All I've been able to think about is this 'New World' we have been transported to."
Right away, Ai began cautiously devising her counterattack. The New World was a dangerous place, especially since she found out a World Champion had been killed. Although none of the World Champions could put up a 'fight' against Thor, the Dragon Lords possessed magic Ai had never seen before. She feared their unknown magic, combined with Thor's absurdly high base stats, could lead to the complete destruction of all life if a fight ever broke out.
"I'm sure Asgard has nothing to worry about with you as its champion," said Toreii, reminding him of his duty. She had to be careful about the wants and needs of the NPCs, having learnt a hard lesson from her daughters.
Nodding his head, he agreed with his father's words, but he feared Odin had misunderstood what he was trying to say. "It's not just Asgard's safety I am worried about, Father. Your wisdom and strength have protected our city for eons, and I will cherish the day I can take over your burden. However, until then, I do not see my powers needed in Asgard. Every day, in this 'New World', there are monsters who terrorize and decimate civilization, like those orcs. I… I wish to lend these denizens my strength."
Fearing this exact conversation since Yggdrasil stopped only being a game, Ai was hesitant to immediately shut down Thor's wishes. She saw the aftermath of not paying enough attention to her children and locking them inside a singular city. Ai would set them on a path of developing social skills just as keen as her own — which was admittedly none. With no dialogue menu and multiple-choice options to help her form a response, she had to carefully craft the proper words for her son.
Tiredly sighing and taking a seat in the gazebo, Toreii acted like she really was ten millennia old. "I know; I've been waiting for you to ask me about this for some time now. There hasn't been a day where I thought about saying 'no' and ending this matter altogether."
Thor was pleasantly surprised by his father's honesty, as he was ready to continue persisting for the next year or so just for Odin's blessing. He had thought about defying his father's wishes and helping the natives regardless of Odin's approval, as he was sure it would benefit Asgard in the end. Hearing such open-mindedness was something he did not expect today.
"You are the next Allfather, Thor. This burden and duty are something I'm sure have weighed in your mind when you decided you want to help the natives. Asgard has indeed seen a long peace since we came to his New World, and there is no threat of war with the other realms anymore. Even if the Odin Sleep is necessary, I'm sure I can defend our home no matter the enemy. So, I'm sure you're wondering why I haven't already said 'yes'?" Toreii quizzed.
Thor nodded hesitantly, realizing the extent of his father's omniscience.
"Tell me, as the Odinson, how would you help these natives?" Toreii questioned, giving Thor the chance to defend himself.
Slow to answer, the Asgardian Prince gazed at the floor in contemplation. Giving him all the time he needed, Ai took the chance to enjoy the beauty of the golden city. Only ever seeing real flowers through books and media, it was surreal to be surrounded by a seemingly infinite amount of them within reach. Their floral scent occupied every space of air since she entered the garden, circulated by the artificial winds created by the devs. If she had no other duties, Ai would have happily spent the rest of her days enjoying the exquisite utopia the devs worked so hard to create.
"I will help the oppressed; those who are waiting for a great hero to appear," answered Thor after several minutes. His father's inattentive gaze silently spoke, 'Is that all?', forcing him to elaborate, "From your example, my strength can help save the lives of millions."
"My example was to give the elven child a means to defend her people. I did not fight their war for them," remarked Toreii, secretly guilty for using the fake story in her defense against Thor. Thus, she was glad only Frigga knew the whole truth about the elves.
Seeing the glaring hole in his argument, Thor started up a new line of thought, "I shall defend the defenseless. If my reign as the Allfather is to be a peaceful one, then the land must know of my heroics; a champion of the people."
"Who are the defenseless, Thor?" Toreii asked, without any hint of dismissiveness. This time, she showed her cynical and pragmatic side from being born to a failing dystopia ruled by mega corporations and faux government.
Unsure of how to answer or what his father was referring to, Thor gave the only response he knew, "People who can't fight for themselves, or don't have the strength to fight back. When monsters attack, and they have to sacrifice one of their own so everyone else can run away, I will be there so there is no need for a loss of life."
At such a black and white answer, she could not help but let out a sigh. Beckoning for him to take a seat right beside her, she was reminded of the platinum knight among her World Champion friends, as his ideals were almost identical to Thor's own. Justice and righteousness made a good man, but good men were so rarely winners.
"If a thief steals a loaf of bread, would you stop the thief?" Toreii gently asked.
"Of course! Breaking the law is unforgivable," answered Thor immediately.
Having predicted the Odinson did not ask for further context, it confirmed her deepest worries, "If a mother steals a loaf of bread so her child doesn't starve tonight, would you still stop her?"
His mind began wrapping around what his father was hinting at, so Thor offered a rebuttal, "I would give her some of my bread. Thievery hurts everyone involved."
"For the rest of her life? For the rest of her child's life? In every city and every town?" She questioned, careful to not raise her voice. Seeing Thor develop a slight frown, Ai knew the oaf did not think very far ahead. "Will you uphold the law, or will you defend the people?"
"The law is just as important as the people it defends," argued Thor, unable to take a side.
"And if the law puts a man to death for stealing food to keep himself alive, who is the law defending? If a law strips a being of their rights, are you no longer obliged to defend them? Upholding the law and helping people — their paths will cross, but they will never run parallel."
"Then I will change the law! Even if I don't know much about ruling now, will spending time with the natives not teach me how to be a proper Allfather?" Thor argued. His thoughts were racing, trying to keep up and think about what his father wanted from him. These topics were usually things Loki occasional spoke about, which made him regret not paying more attention to his brother in the past.
"In this New World, the authority of the Allfather is solely applicable within the walls of Asgard. Unless you conquer this world by force and bloodshed, your desire to change the law holds as much weight as a commoner. Starting a conquest to end the suffering of the defenseless is a quest for only a hypocrite. Therein lies the start of your problems, my son," eulogized Toreii.
Gone was the usual upbeat and enthusiastic Thor, and slumping in his place was a man who felt his hammer was getting heavier and heavier. Although he was sure he gave none of the proper answers his father wanted, or showed the capability to think above the problems like Loki, the Allfather had yet to deny his wish to help the natives. "So, if you knew I would fail, why did you not tell me 'no' earlier, Father?"
"Because you need to learn how evil and cruel a society can be. Even if we spoke for a decade, I wouldn't be able to tell you how to solve every possible problem imaginable. However, I can give you the means to learn how to solve these problems yourself," she explained, hoping Thor did not become too discouraged.
Originally believing he was exactly as his father, Thor did not know how to process the eerie shift in demeanor. Seeing more and more of how Loki conducted himself in Odin's presence now, he realized how much peace had changed his father. Consideration for everyone, from serf to noble, was the main concern for the Allfather. Even though they were transported to a new world, Odin did not start any war or conflict, instead pondering about the betterment of his people.
"Forgive me, Father. As the Odinson, I have failed to see your intentions and carry out your will. I rescind my earlier wishes-"
She halted his apology with her hand, because she needed Thor to grow beyond what the devs had programmed, "I will send you to the New World, Thor, but under strict conditions. You are correct in saying that learning more about these natives can help you become a better Allfather, but I fear you are very naive about certain things. Your mother has told me her fears about you for quite some time now."
A bit hurt his own mother did not even believe in him to the extent of speaking about it outright to his father, Thor felt the crushing sensation of his confidence hitting rock bottom. Remembering all the conversations with Loki he dismissed so casually, he would have to offer a sincere apology later. "I'm sorry I have disappointed you, Father."
Glad she diverged from the path of King Nythymyr and Vy, Ai hoped with all her being she was doing the right thing. There were great dangers in the New World; if Players and guild bases were indeed transported over, then their World-Class Items were just as likely to make an appearance sooner or later. As she now was the sole proprietor of the dev room with no oversight whatsoever, the thought of opening the vault to every World-Class Item to cheat every problem crossed her mind many times.
The temptation was great, and the power she gained would actually make her omnipotent, yet the consequences would be worse than opening a dozen Pandora's boxes. She did not fear Thor losing a battle against a Dragon Lord, since the Asgardian had the stats of all twelve World Champions combined and was equipped from head to toe in Divine-Class gear — he merely lacked 'street smarts'.
Taking every opportunity to learn something, she hoped Thor would follow suit. Seeing Vy on the verge of tears from talking with her father, Ai learned what not to do to her own children. Despite only promising how to teach her how to act royal, the ex-princess also taught her the importance of being a reliable parent. Wishing nothing but the best for the elven child from here on out, Toreii conversed with Thor on their way back to the castle.
Loki's day had begun normally enough: breakfast and brunch with a couple of nobles. Unexpectedly, the favored Odinson had shown up out of nowhere, sobbing and incoherently apologizing for things they had previously talked about. Startled and bewildered, but mostly startled, Loki retreated to his secret laboratory and took up his brother's usual pastime: day drinking.
Unfortunately for the God of Mischief, the drowning of his woes with alcohol was interrupted by a soft knocking. He froze in place, bottle of champagne in one hand and a wine glass in another. No one should have known about his secret home away from home. Every day, he made sure to keep his tracks clean from Heimdall's all-encompassing vision, yet the audacity of the person knocking was what shocked him most.
"Loki, I'm respecting your privacy by knocking, but I'm asserting my authority as your father by coming in anyway!"
The second son refused his natural instinct to look behind him as he heard the quiet creaking of the door opening and shutting. Decades of planning had been ruined by the being who walked into his room, and now his last secret was all but uncovered. With nothing left for him to do, Loki resumed pouring himself a tall glass of champagne.
"We should install a vent in here, it's so musty," commented Toreii as she eyed the room up and down. Knowing the importance of a person's personal clutter, she did not move or clean up the small stack of books and scrolls sitting on the table. Looking around for a pair of reptilian eyes, she found a curled-up snake glaring at her from a shelf.
His hands wildly trembled as Loki struggled to keep his drink from spilling before he could get a single sip. Right beside him was Odin's war armor he stole not so long ago in plain view, as well as the scepter from the elves of Álfheim. Loki now felt the entirety of his life has been nothing but a cruel joke for Odin to entertain himself with, especially since coming to the New World, the Allfather had done nothing but humiliate him at various turns.
At least now he could finally get the sweet release of death.
From her bottomless sleeves, Toreii procured a terrarium, setting it beside the cautious World Serpent. Although Loki allowed his snake free roam within the room, Ai did not want him losing his pet again. Jörmungandr peered through the glass, seeing the terrarium already filled with rocks and heat lamps, a natural shelter fit for any reptile. Having done as much research as she could, Ai wanted to do something nice for her other son, as she did not want Thor to get too much attention.
Respectful and patient, she eagerly awaited for the tiny snake to slither into its new habitat. Albeit slow, Jörmungandr settled himself inside the glass enclosure. Feeling the warmth of the heat lamps, it was a nice change from the chill of the stone castle. He carefully turned to face his grandfather, the Allfather wide-eyed like a small child watching their favorite animal do simple tricks.
"Are you doing well, Loki? We haven't talked since the meeting with the nobles. Ahh, I'm sorry I brought it up then, but it looks like you found your pet snake. I brought him a terrarium! Now, you don't have to worry about losing him! And all the sand! I hear sand is good for reptiles with scales," exclaimed Toreii.
Growing up in a world where animals were only pictures in books to her, Ai was giddy in watching the little snake make streaks in the sand as it cleaned its scales. None the wiser about everything else in the room, her fixation caused Ai to forget about Loki… and the stolen equipment was as good as invisible to her. Although she would have liked to continue watching Jörmungandr, it would have been poor taste to continue ignoring her other son.
Pulling a chair beside him, Toreii patted Loki on the back like the way she imagined a good father should. After spending countless hours with her daughters, Ai needed some simplicity in her life with her sons. As both Thor and Loki were well-behaved thus far, she thought it best to reward them for obeying her nation-wide command to keep within Asgard. Without much history with the God of Mischief, Ai thought it best to give a gift he could use every day.
"I'm not sure if Thor has told you yet, but I've given thought to having him mature in this New World. He's a good boy, but he can be very… naive at times. There are things which I cannot teach him here, confined only in Asgard, but sending him off alone into the unknown has just as much cause for concern. You're definitely a lot smarter than your brother, Loki," said Toreii, complimenting her second son.
Not expecting to hear such kind words from his personal tormentor, Loki almost choked while sipping on possibly his last drink. Despite proof of his treachery in clear view right next to the offended, Odin praised Loki's brilliance instead of executing him right then and there. His mind swirled in a vortex of self-doubt and pessimism. As his father continued to ignore the stolen armor, he also prolonged the gut-wrenching agony Loki silently endured.
Unable to withstand such soul-crushing torment, he weakly pointed a finger to draw Odin's attention to his grievous mistake. While the Allfather finally took notice of his prized war armor, Loki finished his glass… as well as the rest of the bottle. The inrush of alcohol did not have the proper time to slur his thoughts yet. Wondering if he will be numbed enough when Odin smote him, all he could wish for now was a quick death.
From personal experience, Loki knew the horrors the enemies of Asgard faced, but even worse were the special punishments given to individuals on Odin's personal hit list. He had always been careful to stay as far as he could on the other side of the Allfather's wrath, but today would most definitely be his last. Jörmungandr was ten eons too young to be swallowing any worlds, and Loki was all out of plans.
Pausing her praise, Toreii found the pieces of Odin's armor lying next to the elven scepter. The first time she put on the war armor back in Yggdrasil, Ai distinctly remember it being unfinished. After equipping the entire set and checking her HUD, there were no visible stat changes or special abilities unlocked on her hotbar. It had seemed the devs never intended to finish Odin's special armor, and thus it was nothing more than a special decor for Ai. She had hoped it was finished before the servers shut down, but even in the New World, the shiny gold set was nothing more than a glowing eye candy.
Although originally in the armory among the endless shelves of Uru ingots, it had seemed Loki had found it and wanted her to be aware of it again.
'Am I supposed to wear the armor when I'm in Asgard?' Ai wondered. Beside the [Allfather] levels and [Gungnir], her resemblance to Odin ended there. She could wear it, but it would require her to unequip her World Champion armor, leaving her unoptimized should a fight ever break out in Asgard. Even if the odds of Asgard being successfully invaded were next to zero, it was not perfectly zero.
Donning the armor could improve her standings with the Asgardians over time since all the NPCs gained sentience, but it created a huge risk for her. Weighing the pros and cons heavily in her mind, Ai decided it was best to have someone else wear the armor. Speaking softly, she looked to Loki, "I don't have any need for the armor anymore. You can have it if you wish. I'm sure you can make use of it better than I can."
Hearing the blatant indifference from the being next to him, Loki confirmed his father was no longer 'Odin'. A national treasure to be worn by only the Allfather during times of war… and it was treated as nothing more than a gift for a second prince. He can understand if it was Thor, but…
Throughout his conquest of all nine realms, the protective gold never once left the Allfather's body, yet here it was, gifted to Loki as a hand-me-down.
Shaken to his core and his world turned upside down, Loki carefully evaluated the importance of being given the armor… and whether or not this was a test or a trap. "A-Are you tr-truly fine with g-giving me the armor?!" Loki suttered, choking out every word.
Nodding her head and giving a bright smile, Toreii answered, "It will serve you better than it had served me. Ahh~… I almost forgot. I have an assignment for Thor in the New World, and I would like you to accompany him. My biggest fear is someone taking advantage of his trusting nature, so I'm trusting you to set him straight. Seeing you mingle with the nobles every day, I'm certain of your ability to see a lie from a mile away. Please watch over your brother for me."
He desperately wanted to reject the notion.
Wide-eyed and stuttering all of his next words, what he originally dreamed of hearing Odin say was in reality a nightmare to live through. Unable to rely on his natural brilliance he once thought of as unparalleled, he stammered unknowingly similar to what his brother did earlier today. Perhaps Thor got a talk from Odin just as he did; if so, then Loki would understand why the Odinson was an emotional wreck.
Loki prayed for his father to return to normal and predictable.
A few miles out of the nearest human city, an unlikely trio stood out; clearly, they did not belong. Two brothers dressed to appear inconspicuous, yet their attire had the opposite effect. Endowed with godhood, their daunting figures stood at twice of Nanami's height. Unlike her, however, they believed their disguises worked.
The youngest Noble Sister understood her mother's wishes well enough. While she sought information through underground methods, the two brothers would publicly join the adventurer's guild. Perhaps with enough reputation, they would be assigned missions pertaining to dragons. Her mother's plan was simple enough, but she knew for certain just by looking at their demeanors the Asgardians had egos which would not allow for any kind of subtlety.
Given explicit permission to abandon them if their actions jeopardized her safety, even her mother knew better than to expect the brothers to behave all the time. Nanami hid her tired sigh with the sleeve of her haori. Had it just been her gathering information on her own, she was sure she'd home by half a year's time. Now, however, her mission also included babysitting two grown manchildren with world-destroying magic under their belts, thus extending her mission to possibly a whole year.
Keeping these thoughts to herself, she showed the Asgardians to the closest city. They had been briefed about their own assignments, but Thor and Loki clearly were not privy to her own. Noting the reaction the elves gave Thor, Nanami had no doubt the duo will advance through the ranks up to adamantite within a month. Their presence was going to attract everyone's attention, including cautious suspicion from other powerful beings. Trying to follow her mother's line of reasoning, Nanami was sure the Asgardians were nothing more than big pieces of bait to draw out the Dragon Lords.
As two of the most powerful beings in all of Asgard, they could no doubt kill any Dragon Lord with ease, but she was worried about extrapolating the information before they did so. It just meant she would have to work extra hard not to fail her mother. Although she saw Toreii being merciful when faced with her older sisters' failure, spying on the Dragon Lords was leagues more important and dangerous than fumbling over some random elves and their politics.
"Aren't you excited, Loki?!" A bright and cheerful Thor asked. His usual Asgardian armor was covered by a beige poncho, while Loki was similarly disguised in dark green.
Clearly, his chirpiness indicated he didn't notice the dark bags under Loki's bloodshot eyes. While the God of Thunder was overzealous as always, the God of Mischief merely looked onward, stiff like an effigy. "Why would I be excited?" He mumbled under his breath.
"It's a new realm, brother! Unexplored and unknown to Asgard! There could be a million new things we can do here," Thor excitedly explained. Barely able to restrain himself from making a mad dash to the city walls, he let his inner child shone through.
"Hooray… We're going to have so much fun…" replied Loki monotonously. Exhausted in body and mind, he felt it too painful to even roll his eyes at the Odinson. The still-functioning parts of his mind questioned how Thor could just pack up his bags and abandon his newlywed so easily.
"That's the spirit!" Thor said, unaware and oblivious.
Watching and hearing their exchange continue on until they had reached the city limits, Nanami made silent bets inside her mind. Because she had no social skills herself, the quiet girl knew for certain the brothers would not make it far before arousing unwanted suspicion. Like the two halves of a coin, the brothers were stuck together… and whom Nanami unfortunately had to observe and report on.
Nanami returned to the shadows behind Thor and Loki as they all entered the city.
A/N: Some development before more Dragon Lords business. I hope you like Thor's and Loki's growth.