I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series
Muspelheim, several millennia ago
"Well? Happy now? The whole area is crawling with guards!"
Hidden inside her home, Hild was glaring at the bandaged goddess who sat quietly on the floor. In her panicked reaction, the celestial had actually thrown the grenade in front of her without thinking too much about it. Given that the demoness was right behind her, Hild was actually shielded from the explosion and therefore, unscathed from the attack. The only one that actually got hurt was ironically the one who used that bomb in the first place.
"I'm sorry..." said the goddess, while she stared at the floor.
"Not yet. You'll have plenty of time to regret your actions when the guards find you," said Hild, as she crossed her arms. "What the Hell possessed you to try and blow us up? Right in the middle of our realm, too. Do you have any idea what's going to happen if you're caught?"
"I'll be sealed?" asked the goddess in an uncertain manner.
"That's right! And if you try to cause another commotion, you'll end up dead!" said Hild with a scowl.
"We've got our share of problems, though," said Surt, trying to get his caretaker's attention. He, along with Sinmara and her brother, Sindr were sitting at the other side of the small living room, away from their teal haired guest. "Harboring a goddess is a serious offense. If they realize that we've been hiding her here, then we're going to end up charged for treason and sealed as well."
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm your caretaker and this is my house. As such, nobody can accuse you three of anything," said Hild in an attempt to reassure the younger demons.
"Yes, but you're still going to end up in a lot of trouble for doing this," countered Surt, while pointing at the goddess. "Why didn't you leave her behind? It's her damn fault to begin with!"
"Well... It's not usual to see a celestial here. It takes a lot of guts to infiltrate our realm, especially without any support," said Hild. "As one that aspires to become a warrior, you'll have to find that commendable. "
"Or... she's just crazy..." said Surt as he narrowed his eyes. "Even then, I fail to see why you had to help her."
"Because I'd like to hear why she's here." Turning back to the goddess, Hild raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. "Come to think of it... You haven't given us your name yet."
"Ansuz," replied the teal haired celestial.
"Hm... And what were you looking for in our realm? I don't suppose that you've thought it was a nice place for a vacation..." said the demoness. "There's got to be something that you wanted."
"Yes. Although, that's none of your business," said Ansuz in defiance. She may have been captured by this demoness, but, she wasn't going to cooperate that easily. Her elders had warned her about the backstabbing nature of demons and their mind tricks. Once they've managed to lower one's guard, they'd take advantage of the situation for their own goals.
"You really think that this is all just a game? Do you actually want to die for nothing?" asked Hild, unimpressed by the goddess' attitude. "Because that's gonna happen if you don't start talking. Either way, whatever your original plan was, it's pretty much a failure by now, and the last chance for you to leave is in my hands. Tell me... Why should I even bother?"
"Fine... I was looking for a certain type of cactus. One that can only found here. According to what I've been told by one of my friends, it's a cure for a potent virus, but we currently have no way of obtaining it," replied Ansuz.
"Is that so? A cactus, you say... Tell me a bit about your... friend." Hild maintained a neutral expression, even though she had a bad feeling about this. There were several types of plant life here, despite the extremely arid environment. However, none of them had any healing powers. As a matter of fact, the majority of them was poisonous, so, there was something off about the goddess' story.
"Why? I don't see what it has to do with anything..." said Ansuz with a frown.
"Because there is no such thing here. Most of our cacti protect themselves by being extremely toxic. Either you're lying to me, or your friend wanted to get rid of you. So, which one is it?" asked Hild with a grin.
"Take that back! She'd never do that! Ilmr is the nicest goddess you'd ever meet!" shouted the incredulous goddess. "H-How... How dare you even insinuate such a horrible thing!"
The demoness rolled her eyes at that reaction. "Oh there are plenty of reasons... Envy, jealousy, hatred, just to name a few. But... if it makes you feel better, I won't rule out the possibility that she made a serious mistake. Either way, you need to get out of here, as you have no reason to stay for any longer. What you've been looking for, simply doesn't exist."
"Oh really? You could be just lying to me!" objected Ansuz.
"Even if I was... Then what? Do you know that plant's name? Its description? Anything at all?" asked Hild with a smirk. "What are you going to do? Search the entire realm? With our entire garrison looking for the infiltrator?"
The goddess lowered her head in defeat. As much as she hated to admit it, the demoness was right. She was currently facing an extremely dangerous situation and she had no other option but to leave.
Noticing the expression on her guest's face, Hild was sure that she had finally started to see things the way they were. She was surprised at how gullible that poor goddess was. Risking her very life by coming all the way to Muspelheim, only to realize that it's been on a fool's errant. The demoness couldn't help but feel a bit intrigued at what was going on here. If one goddess was seriously trying to get rid another of her kind, then she wanted to know why. It's always been one of her biggest flaws; poking her nose on other people's business.
"Stay here for the night."
The sudden suggestion surprised everyone in the room, especially the goddess in question.
"Eh? Why?"
"Because we can't get out right now. Thanks to someone's bright idea to blow up an alley, we're in lock down. Tomorrow, we'll have to try and take you to one of the emergency exits and send you to the moral realm. From there things should be easy for you," said Hild.
The bandaged goddess remained skeptical at the demoness' words. Judging by what she had seen so far, this house was probably a small one. As a matter of fact, probably less than a quarter of what the average celestial family could afford.
"Hm... Where am I supposed to sleep?"
Hild smirked a bit, as she greatly enjoyed the situation. Teasing others had always been of her favorite pastimes and this goddess seemed to be the perfect target. "Oh, don't worry, dear. My bed should be large enough for the two of us... Especially if we cuddle a bit."
Ansuz didn't need to hear more. Backing away from Hild, she turned the room's only table into a barricade to protect herself from the potentially ravenous demoness. "I-I knew it! Y-You're a p-pervert!"
The three other demons shook their heads at their caretaker's antics. Even thought that was by no means the first time that she pulled something like that, they couldn't figure out how she could remain so calm. Especially in a situation as bad as this one. Fraternizing with celestials was frowned upon and hiding one of them in their house was serious offense.
Turning to his sister, the worried demon wanted to have no part in this. "Sinmara... Is that really okay?"
"What are you talking about, Sindr?" asked the young demoness, tilting her head.
"We could get into serious trouble because of her," said the demon, pointing at the frightened goddess who was still hiding behind the table, despite Hild's best efforts to reassure her that she was merely joking. "I don't wanna sound like a coward... but..."
"But, that's exactly what you are," said Surt, rudely interrupting the two siblings.
"Would you stop being so mean to my brother?" asked Sinmara, as she glared at their group's second troublemaker.
Instead of backing off, Surt just grinned back at her, baring his fangs. "I will, once he grows a backbone. I have no respect for timid little demons like him."
"Well... Too bad I'm not timid!" said Sinmara between clenched teeth, leaning towards the dark haired demon. While they normally got along just fine, there were occasions when they ended up in such arguments, especially when her brother was concerned. Both siblings had the same age, but, she always tried to protect him, and Sindr didn't seem to object.
"Mind your own business. If you keep fighting his battles, he'll never become anything more than a wimp. A demon like that has no place in our society, whether you like it or not." In all honesty, he had no intention to get into an actual argument with her at this point of time. Losing sight of the main issue here was inadvisable, but at the same time, he wasn't going to cower in fear because of it.
"Enough with your bickering!"
Turning to their caretaker, the three of them noticed that, Hild wasn't joking. Despite her attitude, she was stressed just as much as the rest of them, although she didn't show it very easily. Nodding, they didn't need to be told anything beyond that and they all retreated to their rooms, leaving her alone with their guest.
"I would suggest that you also get some sleep. We have to get up before sunrise, if we want to have the slightest chance to make it to the Dried Well Oasis. That's the location of one of the emergency exits and your ticket out of here, as there aren't any significant security measures around that area." Finishing her explanation, the demoness turned to head towards her room.
"Um... Thank you..." The goddess was uncertain on how to properly address her unlikely benefactor. Millennia of established stereotypes of what their enemies were supposed to be like, made it hard for her to consider that not all of the demons were selfish and simpleminded jerks.
"What for? I haven't done anything yet..." replied Hild with a casual shrug.
Ansuz remained quiet and opted to summon a sleeping bag. The truth was that if the roles were reversed, she wasn't entirely sure if she would've helped that demoness. 'I shouldn't be thinking about such things right now. Tomorrow I'll be back home and all this will be just a memory...'
XXX
Muspelheim, sea of sands
Poking her tiny head from the crater they've made in the sand, the miniaturized form of Hild was positively gleeful. Regaining her original size, she took a look over her shoulder at the wobbly and slightly dizzy miniature goddess that was trying to walk towards her.
The celestial's efforts were significantly hindered by the fact that she had a splitting headache from the impact and for every step forward, she took two other sideways. The fact that her four wings on her head were twitching and flapping a bit, made her such a funny sight, that the demoness could hardly hold herself from squealing.
"Aw! So cute!" reaching for the disoriented goddess, she quickly picked her up and snuggled her like a small doll. "Now I want to keep you!"
Shaking her head, Ansuz tried to recover and use her own hands to try and set herself free from a bear hug that threatened to crush her. It wasn't a physically risky situation, though, as Hild wasn't actually trying to hurt her in any way. Still, her pride would've been wounded if she found herself too close to the demoness' bosom. While not a fully grown adult, she was still more than capable of making the goddess jealous of her figure.
"W-What was that all about?!" asked Ansuz after a couple of seconds, pointing at the few remains of a metallic cylinder in the middle of the crater.
"A surface to surface, scramjet powered missile. Minus the payload compartment, which was replaced with an ultra compact command capsule."
"That's absolutely right, Sur-..." Hild paused, slowly turning to the direction of the crater, glaring at the stowaway that must've taken the ride with them.
"What do you think you're doing here?!" asked the shocked demoness. "I've told you to stay home with the others! Why are you here?"
"You need two demons to open the emergency exit for her. One less than the regular requirements for the main gate," explained Surt.
"Don't you think that I know that? Still, there are other ways around it..." replied Hild, not wanting to admit that he was right.
"Wait! What are you two talking about? Requirements? And you never answered my question, too..." said Ansuz, trying to understand what was going on here.
Hild let out a tired sigh, not particularly looking forward to explain her the situation. Time was essential and it wouldn't take them long to realize that one of the missiles that were supposedly heading towards Seymour's burrow, ended up in the totally opposite direction.
There was a particularly persistent sand dragon, who had decided to live close to the outer perimeter of the city's defense zone. After a couple of attempts to bombard him out of existence, the demons had expected him to cross the line and enter the effective range of their artillery's shells. Instead of that, the dragon had maintained his position, stubbornly refusing to move anywhere. Not even when a small patrol tried to scare the creature by directly attacking him and causing some apparently serious damage.
Despite that, the dragon had managed to survive and after several years, he gained some recognition from the demons who felt that he deserved it, and even gave him a pet name. Still, they launched a missile attack every week as a reminder of who was the boss. Of course, that was merely a game, and none of the projectiles had enough firepower to cause him any real harm.
Hild had decided to exploit this custom, and fake a navigational error that apparently sent one of the missiles towards the Dried Well Oasis. Her only concern was that a patrol might take interest and try to investigate the matter, leading them towards their current position.
"So, let me get this straight... You have a dragon that you constantly harass, but never kill? And we've used that... custom... as a cover to get out of your city?" Walking across the sand dunes, the trio was just a couple of minutes away from the oasis that was already within visual range.
"Yep, pretty much..." said Hild with a much bigger smile that it was probably necessary. She enjoyed Ansuz's rather skeptical look, as she attempted to make sense the demons' bizarre, if not outright crazy, way of thinking. "Either way, we're here!"
The oasis wasn't really much to write home about. Just several trees surrounding a big pond of water. Further out, there were many cacti and even a walled structure that, Ansuz assumed it housed the emergency gate room.
"Oh look! Plants with amazing healing abilities!" Pointing at the prickly vegetation, Hild struggled hard to contain her mirth, given the goddess' original reason for coming to Muspelheim.
"Oh, you're such a comedian!" said Ansuz, rolling her eyes at the demoness' jab. She didn't want to go through the same conversation about the outlandish notion that one of her best friends had attempted to get her captured, or worse.
"Shouldn't we hurry up and get her out of here?" said the impatient Surt.
Pausing for a moment, Hild eventually nodded in agreement. Her young apprentice was right; time was of the essence and they weren't safe until she passed the gate. "He's got a point, you know. This way..."
Following the demoness inside the building, it was evident that it had been abandoned for a long time. Sand covered most of the floor, and the few plants that eventually used the few patches of exposed soil to grow and start reclaiming the place.
"Here we are." Standing in the central hall of the structure, the trio could see the suspended form of the gate that could take their fugitive back to safety. "It needs the permission from two demons for you to go through. I guess that it's time to say goodbye, huh..."
As the two demons positioned themselves at either side of the portal, preparing to open it, Ansuz took a moment to collect her thoughts. "I suppose so. This trip had almost been a disaster. However, I really wish to thank you for your help..."
"Oh, hurry up and get in!" said Hild, pointing at the gate. "Don't get all sentimental on me..."
"Who's sentimental? I was trying to be courteous!" objected Ansuz. "You know what? I'm out of here!"
"Have a nice trip!" Waiving her hand, Hild grinned from ear to ear, as the goddess stuck her tongue at her.
Seconds after the celestial was finally gone, Surt shook his head. Most of the kids his age looked forward to grow up, but when it came to personalities, he sometimes couldn't tell the difference.
XXX
Muspelheim, central market, present time
'All that trouble just to get that darn goddess out of Muspelheim... And we even run into a sand dragon on the way home... What a pain...'
The Eldjotunn couldn't argue that if anything had gone slightly differently, the outcome would've been a complete disaster for him and his caretaker. Ironically, Hild managed to secure a nice promotion for the sand dragon that they've managed to take down. And over time, that led to a prominent position in the guard.
His trip down the memory lane had thankfully preoccupied him for long enough to forget about Hagall's impromptu shopping excursion. Sure, he was still following her and not particularly happy about the amount of resources that the blonde was wasting for those mundane decorations.
"Alright... I think that's enough for a day..." said Hagall, giving the last bag to Thrym, who at that point was holding more than a dozen of them. Not that it was anything that was remotely difficult for the muscular demoness, just one of the least likely things that she ever got to carry.
'No kidding!...' thought Surt, struggling not to roll his eyes from that painfully obvious statement. Taking a breath to calm himself, he decided to ask the most important question that he got in his mind. "Shall we resume the tour?"
"No. I believe that I've already seen enough," replied Hagall with a shake of her head. "This had been an interesting visit, to be honest. But, I'll have to go back to Niflheim, since I've got other assignments waiting for me."
"Of course! I totally understand! Please send my regards to Hild-sama," said Surt, smiling. He was actually elated that the demoness who consumed his fortune like a black hole, was going to be as far from him as possible. At least, he hoped that it wasn't all for naught, and he did potentially made a good impression with her. Allies were hard to get in the demonic society and the process to gain some was often a long and painful one.
"I will. Now, I'll have to take my leave. It had been a pleasure." said Hagall.
"Indeed," replied Surt, turning to his subordinates. "Hrym! Escort her to the gate room!"
"Yes, sir!"
XXX
Whirlwind, Nekomi
Urd sighed, as she patiently waited behind the shop's counter. Reading a magazine to pass her time, the half goddess had to admit that the job was a bit less... exciting as she had originally expected. While it was a welcome change from all the chaos that ensued during yesterday's event, the goddess eventually started to get tired of all this quiet.
"I'm bored..."
Walking out from the shop's work area, her blonde coworker carried a tray with a single cup of green tea. "Ha! I wondered how long it would've taken you o say that! Here's something to make you feel better. Chihiro's orders..."
"And for a moment I thought you cared," laughed Urd, trying to tease the demoness. "But, I'll accept your tea. After all, you made it with your own hands."
"Yeah... Dropping a paper bag in a cup of hot water requires a lot of personal involvement and skill," said Mara with a smirk, while inspecting her nails.
"Well... enjoy it as long as it's going to last," replied Urd, taking a cautious sip, just in case her blonde friend had attempted anything funny. "Belldandy called early in the morning and said that they should be back tomorrow."
"Huh? Already?" Mara tried to hide her disappointment, but it was still evident that the demoness wasn't happy to hear that the half goddess wasn't going to be with her from now on. After all, they barely started to work and that darn Morisato was going to get back into her life. Worse, if he and his wife start the whole 'honey' and 'darling' routine, it's going to be torture for her to stay in the same room with them. Even the thought of all those happy feelings was enough to send shivers up her spine. "What's wrong? Did they run out of cash this soon?"
"Nah... At least, I don't think so..." said Urd with a shrug. "The holidays season is approaching and I guess that they want to spend their first Christmas as a married couple, here. Besides, I don't see why they should stay there until they run out of money. It's not like he's rich or something, so, saving some for later might be a better idea."
"Whatever..." said Mara with little interest. 'Not only I'll have to deal with that happy go lucky couple, but, it's going to be in the middle of that particular period of the year. Great... What's next?...'
At that very moment, the owner of Whirlwind opened the front door. She had gone downtown to search for some new suppliers and order a few more things for her now larger shop. Walking towards the two immortals while carrying a few bags, Chihiro had a content smile on her face, a sign that her efforts had paid off. "Oh, there you are Mara! I've got great news for you!"
"I've got a raise?" asked the demoness skeptically, knowing that it was an unlikely possibility, given how stingy their boss was.
"No, but, you'll be this year's promotion girl!" said Chihiro, handing the blonde the bags. "I just got that suit, so, I hope that you'll like it! Congratulations!"
Raising a curious eyebrow, the demoness couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this. And her fears were verified as soon as she got a glimpse of a red pointy hat with a fluffy white ball at the end of it. Inside the bags were several Christmas decorations, and even Santa suit. Thankfully it was the somewhat sexier female variety, instead of the more childish baggy one, but, Mara didn't like where this was heading. "Um... what's that?"
"Oh, this? I've got you something to wear for the holidays. We're going to have a booth in front of the shop, in hopes to attract some attention. I know that it's nothing terribly original, as many other shops use such attractions. Still, I believe that we must have something to keep ourselves competitive, even if we have to follow the trend," explained Chihiro.
Urd was shaking, struggling to prevent herself from bursting into laughter. It was extremely hilarious to see her friend's ashen look, as she was clearly unhappy with her next assignment. A brand new chapter was added in the demoness' book of embarrassing moments, and in a way, Urd felt a bit bad for her. Despite that, she was still extremely amused by this development.
As soon as their mortal boss was out of sight and back to the work area, to check on Skuld's work, the blonde turned to her friend. "What's so darn funny?"
"You, silly," answered Urd. "That Santa suit is going to look so great on you! I can hardly wait to see that!"
"Why you!..." Baring her pointy fangs, the blonde tried to hold back and avoid throwing a spell at the goddess. This whole situation had been a total disaster for her. As a matter of fact, she had no idea why Hild-sama had given her this assignment to begin with. It was supposed to be some kind of reward for her loyalty, but so far, she couldn't see any merits. And now, she was going to get ridiculed in front of Urd and her sisters.
"It's not so bad, Mara," said Urd as she finally got serious. "At least it's the sexy Santa variety. It could've been way worse than this. Like the traditional suit or even a reindeer costume..."
"Don't even joke about that!" Narrowing her eyes, the demoness' tone was more than enough to send the message that enough was enough.
Sensing her coworker's rising anger, Urd decided that she needed a little break from all the silliness that she had to deal with, in the last couple of days. "Hey... You know... I was wondering if you wanted to have a drink with me after we're done here."
"Huh? Really?" asked the surprised demoness, who hadn't expected that sudden change in the half goddess' attitude. As a matter of fact, she was starting to suspect that there might've been another reason behind that decision. "Don't tell me that this is... pity..."
"For what? Your predicament? I still find it hilarious," said Urd with a mirthful smirk. "But, it's a great opportunity to have some fun. Just like the old times... After all, we're coworkers, for crying out loud!"
"Fine! I don't see why not. Although, you're buying!" said Mara in an attempt to sound indifferent. In reality, she was actually happy that she was probably going to have some fun after all this nonsense that she's been through. As annoying as she could be at times, Urd was one of the few friends that she had. Most demons were not terribly amused by her bad luck and apparent ineptitude. The goddess of the past was one of the few people that didn't particularly care about all that business related stuff and simply hang around her for fun.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I'll escort Skuld back home and then meet you at that bar we've gone last time," said Urd. Not the best place in Nekomi, but, at least it wasn't full with guys who thought that they were too hot for their own good.
"Sure thing, Urd!"
XXX
"Dear Asgard! I-I can't look anymore!"
Covering her eyes in horror, the goddess of the roses could no longer see Lind's various attempts at restoring a broken jar that they've decided to use as a guinea pig for the Valkyrie's repair magic lessons.
"You don't have to be so over dramatic, Peorth. It's just... a bit off," replied Lind, inspecting the oddly shaped object that stood right in front of her.
"A bit?!" asked the frustrated goddess, throwing her hands up in the air. "That poor thing didn't deserve such a cruel fate... I really hope that I can put it back together the way it used to be, after we finish!"
"I don't get it... I can heal others. However, when it comes to inanimate objects, I can't seem to do it..."
"That's because while similar, the basic foundations of healing and restoration are different. Healing requires access to the entity's sense of identity, in a way to return it to its previously uninjured state. By doing so, you obtain the most essential blueprints needed for the healing spells to work. Inanimate objects have no such thing. While they may be inhabited by living beings, like earth spirits, their physical shells possess no identity. Instead, you need to try and use Yggdrasil's short term execution cache memory, to retrieve the details about the damaged structure of such an item." Approaching them quietly, the eldest goddess in the house shook her head at the unsuccessful attempts of her two juniors.
"Frigg-sama!" said Lind, nearly snapping to attention, while Peorth offered a polite bow.
"We hope that our commotion hadn't disturbed you," added the goddess of the roses.
"Of course not! And stop acting so formally around me. It's been a very long time since I was Asgard's second in command. Right now, I'm the head of the Goddess Relief Office and neither of you work under me," explained Frigg. "As for you, Lind... The problem lies deep in the way you're approaching the subject. Unless you go to the basics and work from there, it's pointless. No matter how much you're going to try, the results will be the same. Simply put, start from the simple request protocols of Yggdrasil's interface, and once you separate those two types of access handlers, you can start integrating the correct one in your spells."
"But... Using our powers is independent from Yggdrasil. We only need it's power when we're inside the mortal realm," said the confused Valkyrie. "Even when we're not connected with it, we can still heal others and repair objects."
"That's true, indeed. However all immortals have their own information stored within themselves, and as a result, it's accessible by any healing spells. Objects are a different case, though. We often resort to put their own blueprints inside of them, in a form of metadata. That's common knowledge for every craftsman, since they have to meticulously inscribe that essential file in everything they make. Otherwise, repairing them with magic is impossible, although, physical methods of restoration are still applicable. There are some limitations with enchanted artifacts however, as the magic that's engraved to them, makes the entire matter very complicated. That's why we have to rely to their manufacturers and other specialized technicians whenever they suffer some damage," explained Frigg.
"Hm... Yes, we do send some of our combat armor and weapons for regular maintenance... I just never happened to notice all that, despite the fact that we deal with that, on a constant basis." Spending a few seconds to think about all that she's been told, the Valkyrie felt that she was starting to understand the concept behind that category of magic.
"Oh... By the way... There are many other methods to get the desired effect, if you can't or don't want to rely on Yggdrasil. Time reversal spells, and simple replacement of a damaged item with a virtually identical one of your making, are totally independent from the World Tree. Feel free to use them as viable alternatives whenever you think that they could get the job done," added Frigg with a smile. "I can give you some nice books that explain all those subject in every detail. After all, I used to teach lessons of applied magical theory as a part time job, a long time ago. If my memory serves me right, your friend over there was one of my students."
"Really? But, if that's true, then why didn't she tell me all that?" asked the warrior, wishing that she hadn't rushed to join the Valkyries as soon as possible. Of course back then, her primary concern had been the problem with her angels. Getting into higher education was not. After all, immortals had to periodically retake those lessons, given the advancements in magic that occur every few centuries, so, there were no age restrictions. As such, Lind could do that at any point, although, her duties consumed most of her personal time. Perhaps, she could take an extended leave for educational purposes. After all, it was something that would most certainly improve her overall performance as a Valkyrie.
"Well... the majority of the young celestials want to get straight to the point where they use spells. Most of the magical lessons they get from their mentors and their family members are primarily practical ones. Because of that, once they get older, they need to study in the Magical Research Institution in order to learn the fundamentals behind those spells. However at that age, a lot of them are more interested to play footsies, instead of paying attention to the lectures..." Blushing slightly, the elder goddess cupped her cheeks in embarrassment. "Oh, it's such nice to be young!"
Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, the Valkyrie turned towards her scantily clad friend and stared at her for a few long seconds. "You were like that during your youth?..."
"What?! H-How could you even ask a lady, such an indiscreet question!" protested Peorth, taking a step back from the warrior in shock. "I may had dozed off a few times, but, I never did such a thing during lessons!"
"In that case, I apologize for..." started Lind, but was quickly interrupted by Frigg, who had apparently taken offense by the administrator's words.
"Hold on a second! You were dozing off during my lessons?I may had turned a blind eye to young lovers, but this is truly outrageous!" said the indignant goddess.
Realizing that this was leading to a discussion that, Peorth wished to avoid, the brunette did the best thing that she could possibly do in a situation like this. She turned around and fled.
"Wait! Come back here! I haven't heard a proper explanation yet!" Going after the retreating goddess of the roses, Frigg left the Valkyrie alone and slightly confused.
"What about my books?"Letting out a defeated sigh, Lind decided that she had to wait until things have settled down a bit.
In the meanwhile, she could try watching one of those shows that had Laguz hooked in front of the TV. 'After all, I'm on vacation... Sort of. Trying new things might be good for me.'
XXX
Niflheim, Hild's private chambers
Emerging from the shadows ever so carefully, the white clad god was looking around for any telltale sign of activity in the corridor. Infiltrating the Daimakaicho's residence was an extremely hard, but already familiar process by now. Still, it was a heavy offense for any demon, and a god like him would've gotten a much worse treatment if he happened to make the slightest of mistakes.
He had already removed the mask and pulled down his hood in an effort to remove any possible restrictions to his perception. He needed all of his senses on high alert for the first sign of danger, before it was far too late for bailing out. Looking around with his green eyes, the platinum haired god started to walk in the corridor, hugging the closest wall. His destination was the room of the only other god who was staying in this place; Odin.
'I really wish that I didn't had to come here... One of these days, I'm going to get myself in real trouble...'
Reaching his destination, the god quickly entered, hoping that the room would provide him an adequate level of safety. The sooner he finished his currently given task, the faster he could get out of this potential deathtrap.
"You're late."
Wincing at the former Daitenkaicho's words, the god lowered his head. "My apologies, father. I couldn't complete my task in time. There were other goddesses around, so, I had to visit mother twice, in order to get her reply. Here."
Retrieving a letter for his combat uniform, the god offered it to Odin.
"Hm... I suppose it'll have to do. Now, tell me, Vidarr, how was your mother?"
"She seems to be doing well. As a matter of fact, she's on the mortal realm on vacations and wishes to spend time with some of her granddaughters. Although, I think that you're already aware of that," answered the platinum paired god.
"Good. How about you? We hadn't enough time to talk the last time, when I gave you the letter. All Hell broke lose..." said Odin with a chuckle, remembering Hagall's little coup.
"Well, we did use that mayhem as a distraction, so, I can't say that we were caught off guard," replied Vidarr. "But, I'm doing fine. If we forget the fact that I still don't officially exist, and have to watch over my shoulder for either gods or demons."
While his youngest son's tone was fairly neutral, Odin couldn't avoid frowning a bit. It was his and Frigg's fault that they attempted to have another child, after he had gone missing. Of course, it happened during his wife's previous vacations, which lasted long enough for her to have their son brought into this world, without anyone realizing a thing. And naturally, he was kept as a secret, since his very existence was enough proof that the old Daitenkaicho was far from dead.
Despite being a well mannered child, Odin always worried that his son's secluded lifestyle would've eventually turn him into a resentful god, especially towards him. He was the one that sent Vidarr to all sorts of assignments, whenever he felt that he needed something, and many of those were high risk ones. Just like the current situation, where he had to infiltrate Hild's own mansion.
"Had you seen your nieces?" asked Odin, trying to get the conversion to a more pleasant subject.
"Yes, I've taken the liberty to get a glimpse from afar," said Vidarr with a nod. "You weren't jesting when you mentioned that the eldest one greatly resembled her mother. They look almost identical."
"That she is!" laughed Odin. He usually avoided any discussions about family, considering that unlike most others, his youngest son couldn't have one of his own. Not while he was a top secret anyway.
"The youngest one is certainly a lot like her own mother, too. As far as her personality is concerned," said Vidarr with a reserved smile. "Unfortunately, I hadn't got the chance to see the middle one. But, I suppose that I'll have another opportunity to do that, in the future."
"Indeed... I have something in my mind, but, it's still a bit early for that. A lot of the details need to be fleshed out, before we set anything in motion," said Odin. "For now, I suggest you leave. Staying around for too long can be hazardous for you."
"Of course, father," said Vidarr as he turned and headed for the door. "It's been a pleasure."
"Likewise, my son. Stay safe."
Giving him a nod, the platinum haired god walked into the corridor. He still needed to go to one tiny corner where a slight flaw in the security network allowed him to infiltrate this location, in the first place. Even then, it was extremely difficult to pull it off successfully, and as such, the god was still nervous. Only once he was out of this realm he could truly be safe.
However, his hopes were crushed when a pair of slender, but surprisingly strong arms wrapped around his neck from behind, getting him in a choke hold. The fact that he hadn't even noticed anything, meant that it was probably a very powerful demon that could mask their presence to such a degree that even someone with his stealth skills could be fooled. And given his current location, that meant only one person.
"Bloody Hell!"
"The name's Hild, silly! How about telling me yo-..." The demoness didn't had the chance to finish her question, before the god spun them towards the wall and kicked it with both his legs, sending them both in the opposite direction.
As Hild's back slammed hard against the surface of the other wall, the god had expected her to let go of him. Unfortunately, it was all in vain, as the demoness was hardly fazed by that attempt.
"That's all you've got? Come on, mister spy... I was expecting something more... impressive. Or do feel so comfortable in my arms that you don't want to go?" Pleasant as she sounded, her tight embrace was more than painful enough. A mortal would've been crushed instantly and even a celestial was going to have serious problems to stay conscious for long. "I know! You must like it there! You even had my chest against your back, naughty boy!"
Using his powers at this point would be inadvisable. Not only, it would attract the attention of the entire mansion's guard, but, the close proximity of his target would most likely get himself hit as well. And even then, he doubted that he could overwhelm the Daimakaicho just on his own. He wasn't among the weakest of gods, but, at the same time he lacked the power of Thor or even Tyr.
As such, he needed another method, and as desperate as it sounded, he moved his head as forward as he could, before he brought it back once again, slamming hard on Hild's forehead.
And then the world went black for him.
XXX
"So... He's your youngest son?"
The god tired to open his eyes as his splitting headache was still preventing him from fully understanding what was happening around him.
"That's correct. And I'm forever grateful for the fact that he's still among us."
It was a maelstrom of incomprehensible sounds that his mind was trying to assemble into meaningful words. 'So much pain... What hit me?...'
"Come on! I was just... playing with him a bit. You know that I wouldn't just outright kill a celestial. It's against the rules."
'I was caught?' Opening his eyes, Vidarr found himself on the floor, inside his father's room. Hovering above him, was Hild, staring down at him like a cat who found a new toy.
"Playing is a very unlikely word for what took place in that corridor. A brawl is a better one, instead," said Odin, correcting his former daughter-in-law.
"He's the one who had the bright idea to try and smash his head against mine! Don't blame me for the result," objected Hild, crossing her arms while staring at the elder god. "Besides!... Nothing would've happened, if you had told me about him, instead of going as far as to have him sneak around..."
Odin lowered his head, realizing that she was technically correct. "I... have admit that it might've been a better option... Still, you also must understand that there were a few... issues that couldn't be easily ignored."
"Excuses. You may like to call me your daughter, but when it comes down to it, you don't really trust me and he's enough proof for that," said Hild, while pointing at Vidarr.
"Guilty as charged... Although... If it consoles you, most of my family has no idea of his existence, either. It's not like I've specifically chosen to hide that fact from you. For that, I'll have to offer my sincere apologies..." said Odin. It was extremely uncharacteristic of him to acknowledge that he had been wrong, let alone try to ask for pardon. "Keep in mind that this was not merely my secret, but, one that involved another person, who had no reason to consider you trustworthy. And I had already asked him to do enough things out of my own selfishness."
Hild lowered her gaze at the still dazed god, and let out a sigh, before she turned her attention back to Odin. "Fine!... But... This is the first and last time that I'll tolerate such thing. If you ever dare to pull anything remotely similar, family or not, I shall put you under a seal. This is my home, my domain and most importantly, my promise. I offered you a place where you can remain hidden and safe. That doesn't extend to other family members and friends, so, don't push it."
"That's fair, and I won't ask for more. I suppose that you can give us some time to properly say farewell?" asked Odin. "After all, we won't likely meet anytime soon, given that he won't be able to drop by anymore."
"No!" Turning around, the demoness started to walk towards the door, and hopefully away from the memory of another platinum hair child that had to do the same, before she got to her new home. Even that brief reminder was enough to ruin her mood.
"I see... In that case, Vidarr.." began Odin, before Hild interrupted him abruptly.
"I never said that he can't come here anymore! Just that I won't tolerate you doing things behind my back!" said the Daimakaicho with a snarl. "Your boy can visit you anytime, providing that you will bother to inform me, beforehand. Am I clear?"
"Perfectly, my daughter."
"Good!"
Slamming the door behind her, the younger of the two gods winched, turning to his father, who was surprisingly unfazed by the whole exchange.
"And... that's your charming sister-in-law from up close. Don't worry, Vidarr, the vast majority of time, she's in a much more agreeable mood. You'll see..."
"That's what I'm really afraid of..."
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.
The beginning of this chapter is the conclusion of the flashback that started in the previous one. I'll try not to make such extensive ones, or at least not split them in such a fashion, as I find it distracting when I run into such situations as a reader. Flashbacks can be interesting, but, abusing them can make a mess of the pacing, as the story goes back and forth between different points of time.
The main character's honeymoon is also coming to an end with their return in the next chapter. I'm fully aware that it's very unlikely for me to write the Christmas special chapter in time, but, I hope that it will be appreciated regardless of the chapter's release date. I had considered to try and rearrange the previous chapters to make it possible to be right on time, however, I didn't like the alternative and I opted to avoid any deadline that could have a negative impact on the story.
The god mentioned at the end of the chapter is Vidarr. In Norse legends, he was one of the many sons of Odin and the one that defeated Fenrir, avenging his father's death. He was mentioned as the silent god and one of the few that survived Ragnarok. His mother was the Jotunn Gridr, unlike this story where he's associated with Frigg. In all honesty, I wanted to keep Odin's relationships under some manageable level and, as such such, he actually had his youngest son with his actual wife. He's obviously the one that appeared at the end of chapter 20.