I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series
Muspelheim, main residential area
"Uh… This is it?"
Observing her surroundings, Urd wondered if she had misinterpreted Surt's words. In her mind she was expecting something a bit more spacious compared to the tiny apartment that was presented to her. Despite the fact that it had indeed two rooms, neither of them was large enough to store half of her alchemical ingredients in, let alone the rest of her lab equipment; and that wasn't the only issue. The living room was equally small with only enough space for a nice couch and a sofa to fit in, while the kitchen was comparable to a galley from a human-made aircraft. And the worst part was the bath… or rather the closet that they got instead of it, something that greatly disappointed the Norn.
"Yes, isn't it great?" said Naudiz, missing the crestfallen look on the half demoness' face.
As a matter of fact, Mara wasn't too impressed either, but, unlike her friend, the blonde preferred this over the abandoned arcade that used to be her previous hideout. "Yeah, it's nice and clean, no random holes in the walls and it even has a fully equipped kitchen. There's even a coffee maker in there!"
"I never thought that you actually cared for that particular beverage, Mara," said Urd with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey! After spending all that time in a ruin of a building with absolutely no comforts, anything is a big deal for me!" objected the blonde demoness. "Did you even know that I had no hot water for my showers? That the only type of food I could enjoy was cheap ramen? And even then, I had to use a portable gas stove to heat the water needed to prepare them? So, yeah, a coffee maker is a real luxury for me!"
"Lucky you then…" said Urd, as she started chuckling, much to her friend's annoyance. 'Yeah, as if that's the case… She's anything but lucky...'
"Actually, you cannot get a license to construct any type of building in Muspelheim without making room for a coffee maker," explained Hrym, keeping an eye at Urd at the same time. Even though she sounded relaxed, there were a few signs of stress in her body language and that was most likely attributed to her power reconfiguration. 'We need to keep her preoccupied until her mind properly switches her thought patterns from that of a goddess to that of a demoness. So far she's relatively stable, but, things can escalate out of control in no time if we're not careful.'
"Weirdos…" muttered Urd, rolling her eyes at that silly rule. "Who came up with that nonsense in the first place?"
"Surt-sama," replied the cheerful Naudiz.
'Why am I not surprised?...' Shaking her head, Urd felt that the laws of Muspelheim weren't really her greatest priority. "Okay… so, that particular appliance is mandatory in every building, but… a bath isn't? Please tell me that you wash yourselves in this sun baked inferno of a world…"
While the two higher ranking demons blinked at the Norn's indirect accusation of living an unsanitary lifestyle, Mara simply laughed at her friend's words. "Oh come on, Urd! Even I know that they use sonic showers! Actually, I thought it was mentioned in that tour guide you were reading the other day."
"It was?" wondered Urd, before she turned towards the closet that was supposed to substitute her beloved bath. "We're talking about that thing, right?"
Nodding, Naudiz opened the door to the sonic shower, allowing the skeptical half demoness to take a look inside. "Yes, and it's the latest model, too. Why don't you try it later? I bet you're going to enjoy it."
"I doubt it, but, I'll have to give it a try anyway. In the meanwhile, I might check the TV," said the Norn of the past, eying the flat panel one they had in the living room. "Come to think of it, what kind of programmes can you see here?"
"Oh, we have a great variety of them, starting from TV shows from the mortal realm to some of their blockbuster movies. What kind of thing are you looking for? Drama? Romance? Comedy? Sci-fi? Fantasy? Anime?"
"Sci-fi would be agreeable," said Excalibur, before he got interrupted by Urd who had other ideas.
"Not a chance! Are you trying to pull a Skuld on me? We're watching comedy and that's final!" said Urd reaching for the smart remote, only to realize that Mara had gotten to it first.
Searching the movie archives, the blonde's eyes light up as she found what she was looking for. "Here! That's one of my favorites!"
Feeling curious as to what kind of comedy movie, Mara might have found interesting, Urd stepped closer, trying to see the holographic display of the remote. "The Exorcist? Are you for real or you're just messing around?"
"What? I've seen it about one hundred sixty-seven times and it keeps getting funnier each time!" said Mara in her defense, although, based on the stares she was receiving from most of the others it was rather obvious that she was the only one who thought that.
"Are you kidding me?" asked the incredulous half demoness. "What I had in mind was more like, Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Battlefield Earth, or Mad Monster Party."
Noticing the rather appalled look on the blonde's face, Naudiz tried to offer some alternatives as well. "How about, The Star Wars Holiday Special, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Wayne's World, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?"
However, none of that did anything to make Mara feel any better. Worse, her face had gone from completely white to a positively unhealthy shade of blue. "You want me to watch that?! No freaking way!"
"May I suggest a science fi-…" started the synthetic, only to be interrupted.
"No, you may not!" said Urd, crossing her arms, as she turned back to Mara. "And what's your problem? I want something good to laugh at!"
"That stuff makes me gag!" countered the blonde, momentarily forgetting that this was the demonic side of her friend she was talking to, and not the celestial one she was mostly familiar with.
"My point exactly! Something good to laugh at!" insisted Urd with a shark like grin slowly creeping on her face.
'Like mother, like daughter...' thought Mara, trying to come up with something to counter that, but stopped before she said anything that would've gotten her into real trouble.
"Uh… excuse me… May I suggest something?" asked Naudiz, lifting up the remote for them. "Spaceballs?"
Exchanging a silent stare, the two demonesses briefly considered their options and eventually offered a reluctant nod.
"Good! What about you guys?" asked Naudiz to the two other bystanders.
"I'm sorry, but, I'll have to decline. It's better if I keep an eye around the house, just in case," said Hrym. "After all, we still have an emergency going on and we can't afford to let our guard down like that. Please, go ahead and watch your movie without me."
"Actually, I can receive the feed through the local wireless network. So, my physical presence is unnecessary and I'd also like to take a look around the apartment," explained the sentient weapon.
"Fine, do as you like," replied Urd with a shrug, heading towards the sofa. "Now… can someone get the popcorn? Don't look away, Mara… I know that you've heard me."
"I'm you roomie, not your bloody maid!" offered the blonde as she plopped down next to the bronze skinned half demoness. "And would you please move your behind a bit? There's barely any room for the rest of us to sit!"
"Aw… don't be so shy around me, Ma-chan!..." purred the Norn of the past, not unlike a cat. Closing the already limited distance between herself and the blonde, Urd grinned as she noticed her prey's feeble attempts to back away. "I'll be gentle. For the most part… at least."
"U-Urd?!" Looking around in panic, Mara realized that they were actually alone, since both males were on their impromptu patrol and Naudiz was most likely in the kitchen to get the requested popcorn. "G-Get a hold of y-yourself! T-The change must've confused you a bit! N-Now, why don't you c-calm down and…"
If the half demoness had heard her, she sure did nothing to indicate that she agreed with her friend. Instead, Urd continued to stare her in the same lascivious manner, to the point where she actually licked her own lips like a hungry predator. "Mrr-roar!"
"No! Bad kitty! Aiee!... Help!"
XXX
Hagall's villa, Niflheim
"Interesting... So, the Gate incident had sparked a lawsuit, as well as a full internal investigation about the details behind the implementation of that subsystem? And yet, Asgard's second in command is on vacations at the mortal realm…" Taking a sip from her glass of red wine, the owner of the spacious residence, smirked at her calm, but otherwise uncomfortable guest.
"That would be correct, I'm afraid. It seems that there's a lot going on and either our higher ups are too confident, or… they're grossly underestimating the gravity of the situation. Instead of preparing for the fallout of a big scandal, they keep themselves busy with such nonsensical matters."
"Oh, my! That's a rather caustic statement, Ullr," said Hagall, her surprise evident in her face, as she watched the rather indifferent god in front of her. "As Thor's stepson, I had expected you to be more willing to defend Tyr's administration, instead of condemning him."
"My personal relations have nothing to do with my judgment. As a matter of fact, this is the root of our problems; we let things like relationships, reputation and mannerisms to become the basis for selecting the ones who would rule us," explained the blonde celestial from across the living room, shiting on his chair while collecting his thoughts before continuing. "While strict and occasionally unpleasant, Odin-sama was just and above all, honorable. It pains me to admit it, but… honor became a thing of the past for most celestials, who are way too enamored with their stupid views of perfection and their efforts to attain it. It's almost as if everyone is obsessed with it, to the point where everything else seems to be a lower priority."
"Huh… If that's true, then I suppose not everything in Asgard is as peachy as the gods want to make it seem," said Hagall, pouring some more wine to her glass. "However, is this just your opinion, or a popular belief?"
Shaking his head, Ullr lowered his gaze, trying to explain the situation to his hostess. "I can only speak for myself, really. While I suspect that others share some of my views, it's very hard to talk about such matters even in private settings. Nobody wishes to carry the stigma of being a dissident or worse, a potential troublemaker. Some of the more paranoid ones, go as far as to mark such nonconformists as traitors."
"No offense, Ullr, but, talking to me in such a manner could be a legitimate reason to call you that," said Hagall, studying her visitor's expression for any sign of reaction, and much to her surprise, she found none.
"My own leader was sleeping with a demoness for... what was it?... Centuries? If he got away with such a thing, then talking with you shouldn't be sufficient to brand me as a deserter," said Ullr, although he sounded a bit less confident than he would've preferred. "Still, there are more than enough celestials who'd like to see me sealed for my transgression; especially if they became aware of our conversations' topics."
"Which brings me back to my original point," insisted Hagall. "Do not take it as an insult, but, given your personality, I doubt that you're capable of poking your nose into divine affairs on our behalf. So far, you've been helpful, however, most of that information wasn't exactly what I'd call top secret."
"Are you saying that I don't have what it takes?" asked Ullr. "I thought you wanted to gain access to our records of Ymir's fate and nothing beyond that."
"That is indeed true, however, it would be potentially problematic for someone who cherishes concepts such as, honor. I doubt that you won't encounter any hardships while attempting to gain the information I'm looking for, and most likely end up faltering at the last moment," explained Hagall with a sigh.
"I appreciate your concern, although, it's totally unnecessary. I'm not here to make idle chat or impress you enough to add certain benefits to our friendship. I want some information that regards my father's demise and that's all I care for. I've tried to get some answers from my own people for such a long time, only to have everyone give me the same stereotypical words of sympathy and pat my shoulder as they shut their doors behind me," said Ullr, narrowing his eyes in annoyance while he recalled those memories. "It appears that both you and the vast majority of those individuals seem to forget that my designation as a 'sharpshooter' is merely a euphemism for 'assassin,' which happens to be my actual role in the Fighting Wings. I feel it's totally unnecessary to make any comments about me faltering at any moment, and neither I've got to prove anything. All I need to know is whether you can provide me with what I seek; the rest is my problem."
While the demoness maintained her neutral expression, she was slightly rattled by listening to his words. Part of the reason she had originally approached him was that he seemed like a rather reliable god with enough of an incentive to make him consider her offer. An assassin was far from what she had in mind, as those tended to be rather unpredictable and in several cases, more trouble than any good. 'It's always the quiet ones… You think they're all nice and harmless, but, it turns out that they blow stuff up whenever they get jealous, bury you under a metric ton of flowers and even seem to be experts in hand to hand combat. Those damned celestials are such a headache… And what I'm even supposed to do with this guy? I haven't actually looked to see if there is a record of his father's fate. I thought that I could just try to explain the situation to him eventually, but… I fear this one might not take the news well...'
'Why is she looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong? Surely that would've sufficient to prove my resolve, especially from a demoness' point of view, or is she doubting my skills? It may be true that as an assassin I can't really do much these days; at least, not with the Doublet System in place. Still, I don't need to kill anyone to get what I need, and my job involves a lot of different talents aside the most obvious ones.' Deciding that had nothing else to discuss at the moment, the blonde god got up from his chair and headed towards the door. "I must thank you for your hospitality, but, my time here is limited. I'd like to return back to Asgard as soon as possible, before anyone notices my absence."
Snapping out of her own thoughts, Hagall tried to stop worrying about such details and focus on the primary problem she was preoccupied with; the reemergence of Ymir. The first Daimakaicho was allegedly killed by Odin and his two brothers, and yet, he seemed to be the one they encountered during their visit at the Archive's Vault. Regardless of whether or not he was the real deal, it was fairly obvious that they had a really big problem on their hands. Even an impostor could rally enough supporters to question Hild-sama's authority. Popular as she was, it was impossible for any Daimakaicho to make every single of her subjects happy, and even then, it was in their nature to question others and crave for power; much unlike their counterparts who were content with a static, almost stale society.
"I understand. You may leave, Ullr, although… I would've preferred if you spent the night here," said Hagall, before she realized how that must've sounded to him.
Indeed, Ullr's calm and collected facade had totally collapsed as he tried to make sense of what his hostess was potentially insinuating. "I beg your pardon?!"
"There's currently an ongoing emergency in one of our realms. I cannot say more than that, but, given the situation, all Gates under demonic control are currently accessible by members of our armed forces. Furthermore, the security measures are tighter than usual and that's going to be much harder for you to sneak out of Niflheim without being detected," explained Hagall pointing to her guest rooms, while trying to avoid any acknowledgment of her previous blunder. "It's highly recommended to stay here until that situation is resolved and things are a bit more stable."
"In that case, I'll have to thank you for your gracious hospitality," said Ullr, regaining his composure as he cleared his throat. 'Not that I'm going to get any sleep… I can't let my guard down while I'm the middle of Niflheim...'
"Excellent! This way, please," offered Hagall, leading him to the room furthest away from hers, while maintaining her pleasant expression despite her own reservations. 'What a mess… If I let him leave and he gets caught, then I'll never get the chance to gain some of their information about Ymir-sama. On the other hand, I've got an assassin in my house. Just what I needed… And I can't even get Thrym here without him suspecting anything. At least I've got a nice book to read, while waiting for morning to come.'
XXX
Ratatoskr's headquarters, Jotunheim
'That's bloody hilarious! At least that girl has a sense of humor!...'
Looking at the surveillance footage they had managed to acquire from Muspelheim's security systems, Ymir could hardly contain his mirth at the sight of Urd's antics when she set foot at the fiery realm.
'If only she had be a demoness… Then things would've been... '
Sipping from his cup of tea, the ancient Daimakaicho picked the report that just arrived at his office concerning an emergency at the very same realm the half demoness and Norn of the past was. And to make matter worse, due to that, their information was highly restricted, rendering them blind as to what was currently taking place there.
'An intruder alert, right after Urd arrives… There's no way those two events are totally unrelated. Oh well… whoever that poor bastard is, I almost feel sorry for them. Once Muspelheim's garrison finds out where they're hiding, it's going to be the end of them.'
At that very moment the door opened, revealing a frantic Bergelmir. "It's a disaster!"
"Calm down a bit," said Ymir. "I've already learned about the situation over at the fiery realm. There's no need to worry too much about it. I bet, Surt's going to make an example of whoever moron decided to poke their nose into our half demoness' life."
"That's not the problem!" said Bergelmir shaking his head. "We can't find Njorun-sama! She just vanished! Disappeared without a trace!"
"What?! Where could?!..." started Ymir before he froze, a terrible thought forming in his mind as he glanced at the report in his hands once again. "Hold on… You don't think that she…"
"I'm afraid so, my lord," said Bergelmir with a frown. "She must be Surt's intruder."
"Bloody Heavens!"
XXX
Muspelheim, main residential area
"Ugh!... My head's killing me…"
Leaning back on the couch, Urd pressed the ice pack against her forehead, trying to recover from her lust driven state that completely overwhelmed her mind, causing her to pounce on Mara.
"You've got no right to complain!" spat the blonde demoness from the other side of the room, where Naudiz checked her for any accidental scratches, especially, given how torn apart her outfit was. "I'm the one who had to go through that painful experience!"
"Painful? Are you sure about that? I can't seem to find any injuries," said Naudiz, giving the other demoness a better look.
"Mentally, not physically!" shot the blonde back at her, before glaring at the half demoness who was chuckling. "What's so darn funny about this?"
"I'm not certain you were traumatized, Ma-chan. I could've sworn I've heard a moan just a couple of seconds ago," said Urd with a grin that caused the blonde demoness to shake from anger.
"It was a gasp of shock and dismay, triggered by your shameless display of wanton lust!" countered Mara, pointing an accusatory finger at Urd, which nearly caused her damaged clothes to fall apart, forcing the demoness to use her arms to cover herself.
"Keep saying that… I know what I've heard, Ma-chan. You just don't want us to think that you're easy," said Urd, despite her friend's intense glare.
"Why you!..."
"Alright! Enough with that! Both of you calm down and try to forget about it. We all knew that there might had been some issues after Urd changed her configuration and as long as nothing else happens, everything will be fine." Stepping in to resolve this argument before it escalated even further, Hrym was actually relieved that, Urd hadn't gone completely out of control as she easily snapped out of her trance this time. According to the classified reports, it had been considerably harder a while ago when she went completely berserk and required a rather risky gamble to stop her from going on a rampage. Thankfully, as it hadn't come down to that once again, it gave Hrym some hope that the Norn of the past was beginning to get used to her demonic energy.
"Yes, why don't we watch the movie like we initially planned?" suggested Naudiz with a hopeful expression.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I need something to cheer me up," said Urd with a sigh.
"Me too," added Mara, who finally used her powers to repair her clothes, to make herself presentable once more.
"Alright, this means that we can go back to our patrol," said Hrym, looking at Excalibur to make sure that he agreed with him.
"Indeed. If anything occurs, don't hesitate to inform us," said the synthetic with a nod.
"Are you kidding me? If I get to ravish her, she's all mine!" said Urd with a wolfish grin. "Find your own demoness!"
"What?! You're still like that?!" shouted the terrified Mara, edging away from the laughing Norn of the past.
"Relax, it was a joke!"
Muttering something under her breath, Mara decided to stop there, before she actually angered the half demoness. 'If she's like that whenever she gets aroused, I really don't want to find out what happens when someone pisses her off...'
Sitting comfortably on the couch with Naudiz between them as a physical barrier to ensure that there wouldn't be any further incidents, the three of them finally began to relax, totally unaware that out in the middle of the nearby desert a figure was waiting the best opportunity to act.
Hiding next to a number of cacti, Njorun was frustrated by the overzealous response of the local garrison. What should've been a matter of minutes was now becoming a standstill that lasted entire hours, as neither side got what they wanted. In all seriousness, the demoness wished she could've just used the Gate like everyone else, but, given that she officially didn't exist, that was simply impossible.
'All I wanted was to meet her… Was it really too much for me to ask?' thought the blue haired demoness with a frown. 'It was supposed to be a routine infiltration and now, that master of exaggeration mobilized all his troops for catching a single intruder! I just want to see my granddaughter, damn it!'
Lying down in the sand, she watched the sun set in distance, wondering how all had come to this point. Her former lover wasn't exactly the most sensible demon in the world and that never had been a secret, even when she first met him. Still, Njorun had never expected to wake up one day and find out that her only child was missing, sent off to another realm, because it was the only way for the infant to get a life of her own, instead of living in secret underneath Castle Utgard. While she understood that, Ymir was probably right to a certain degree, the way he acted behind her back infuriated her to no end, and worse, it was really hard to get Hild back once she had found a place to live.
As a matter of fact, Njorun had attempted several times to grab her daughter back, only to lose her nerve at the last moment. Life on Muspelheim wasn't exactly carefree, but, confining her to Ratatoskr's headquarters would've deprived her of all freedom and deny her the chance to make any friends.
'What mother condemns her child to such a fate? And yet, I wanted something better for her… I can't even meet Hild anymore. What am I supposed to tell her? What difference will it make anyway?'
Letting a sigh, the blue haired demoness tried to remove that annoying spec of dust from her eyes, or at least what she blamed as the cause of her tears, when the sound of the sirens announced that the emergency was over, mystifying her.
'Did they gave up? That's impossible… Especially knowing how obstinate that leader of theirs is. It must be a trap, although, what am I supposed to do? Going back seems the obvious thing, but, this could be my only chance to see her from up close.'
Unlike her daughter who was a demoness, Urd was of mixed blood and spent most of her life as a goddess. That made it extremely hard to gain access to her, let alone exchange a few words, even without revealing her true identity. Actually, that was her plan from the beginning; talk to the girl while she was roaming around the fiery realm and then leave before, Surt realized what happened.
'But, no!... He just had to update all his security systems! What a pain… Maybe I'll have to wait tomorrow and try to get an opportunity then. It's too risky to show anywhere near the city at the moment.'
Deciding to go with her revised plan, Njorun formed a rock shaped tent that would act as her makeshift hideout until morning arrived. Next to those cacti, she should've enough cover to avoid anyone noticing her and the state of the art magical containment fields she had acquired from Ratatoskr's armory could prevent any long range sensor from detecting her presence.
'Alright… this is going to be one long night…'
XXX
'Liars… Bloody, filthy, liars… How can anyone enjoy such a thing?!'
Stumbling into her room long after she watched that movie with the other two demonesses, Urd had made the mistake of hitting the sonic showers, only to realize that despite their name, the basic mechanics behind their operation was vastly different from what she was familiar with. The overwhelming force that caused her whole skin to shake may had removed all impurities from her, but, it was so unpleasant that she couldn't fathom how the locals considered them anything other than torture devices. As a matter of fact, a human would've possibly died in there, and the prospect of having to rely on such a crude method of personal hygiene was absolutely unappealing to her.
'Are they masochists or what?! I need to find a real bath in this hellhole!'
Taking her clothes off, the half demoness tossed them aside and climbed on the bed without bothering to put any nightwear on, expecting that the bedsheets would've sufficed. Thinking that she was alone, Urd nearly jumped when a voice came from the direction she hurled her outfit.
"Would you be so kind to avoid using me and my pedestal as a hanger?"
"Excalibur?! What are you doing here?! This is my room!" gasped the Norn of the past, turning to the sentient weapon who had claimed one of the corners of her living space for himself.
"It's a two bedroom apartment and I'd rather not stay with your associate," replied the calm synthetic. "I'm not familiar with her and besides, the view here is better."
"Well that's true and… Wait a moment… View? We're underground, so what are you talking about?" wondered Urd, before she looked at herself and then stared at her roommate. "Correct me if I'm wrong… but, you're talking about me, right?"
"I was merely making a comment about the lovely artwork that's placed on the walls. I think that painting of an oasis captures the true depths of the two vastly different worlds; the hospitable land around the water and the unforgiving and harsh desert that surrounds it," explained Excalibur.
"Oh, I see…" said Urd as she studied the painting that was on the wall next to him. "I thought you were talking about…"
"The sheer amount of skin you've exposed before me, under the impression that you were alone? That, too, looks rather impressive if you ask me," said the synthetic in a tone that was way too flat for the nature of such a comment.
"Oh, really?" asked Urd with a grin on her face. "You know… I really wanted to have a few words with you, mister. I don't know what glitched your programming or whatever makes you tick, but, your personality is getting more and more frustrating and annoying. First you're offering all sorts of sarcastic comments and now, you're becoming a bit of a pervert. What's next? Are you going to hit on me?"
"Of course not! I'm a sword, not a hammer! Unless we're talking about a warhammer. Sometimes pummeling a target is preferable than slicing or…" started the synthetic, only to agitate the half demoness even further.
"Enough with this nonsense! Either you're going to learn some manners or I'm going to throw you into a lake!" said Urd with a sneer.
"Been there, done that…"
"Why you little!..."
"Hm… You seem to handle stress a lot better, now," said the synthetic all of a sudden, making the half demoness blink.
"Huh?"
"Your mind seems to be handling unexpected input without any apparent loss of control. This is a really promising sign, especially since it's only the first day," said the synthetic. "According to my analysis, the side effects of your reconfiguration are subsiding and within the next twelve hours, your mind should be operating normally."
"So… you were just testing me?" asked the perplexed Norn with a raised eyebrow.
"More or less…"
"Hm… I'll accept that; for now." Lying on her back, Urd tried to get to sleep, only to find out that it was nearly impossible. Tossing and turning, the half demoness blamed the unfamiliar environment, although, that was probably only part of the real problem. While she would've never admitted that to anyone, this was the first time she was staying away from any of her relatives. She knew that it sounded a bit childish and perhaps her mind was still not working properly, making her a bit more sensitive than normal, but, none of that mattered to her at the moment.
"Why don't you call them?"
Turning to the synthetic, the Norn of the past didn't need to ask who he was talking about. "Not yet. It's too soon and they'll just start to worry, thinking that I'm homesick or something."
"And you're not?" countered Excalibur.
"Mind your business…" groaned Urd, trying to ignore him.
"Then call your mother."
"What?! Do you have any idea what time it is?" asked Urd.
"I've got an internal clock; thank you very much," was the dry reply. "Still, it makes little difference. She's your mother."
"But…"
"You're such a pain sometimes…" Summoning the INAC, Skuld had given to her sister, Excalibur used it's wireless keyboard feature to dial in a number, causing the half demoness to get up from the bed and rush to get her communicator back.
"Hey! That's not yours!" Grabbing the device, Urd was about to cancel the call, before a rather familiar and cheerful voice came from the speaker.
"Urd-chan!"
Glaring at the quiet synthetic, Urd had no option but to respond, despite the fact that she wasn't certain what to say to her mother at a time like this. "Uh… Hello, mom. I… um…"
"How is my girl doing? Are you feeling better, now?" squealed the leader of the demons.
"How did you know I had some issues?" asked Urd with a raised eyebrow.
"Let's just say that I had a feeling," replied Hild, chuckling. "That, and the footage I got earlier was a fairly good indication. Still, as funny as it was, I highly recommend you keep some distance from Surt if possible. He's not the most patient of demons and despite the fact that you're my daughter, he doesn't really know you."
"It was a joke! Alright, I may had gone a bit too far with the selfie, but, he didn't seem to mind and we did get to eat some grilled ribs and…" Without knowing, Urd had started to recall most of the day's events, while a small smile crept to her face.
Listening to her was a rather nostalgic thing for Hild, who hadn't experienced this since Urd's early childhood. The young hybrid loved to talk to her mother every day after she returned back from her office and sometimes she just babbled to get to spend more time with her. As the Daimakaicho, Hild was an extremely busy demoness and while Urd was aware of it, she really wanted to get her attention, even it it was for a couple more minutes.
"You should've seen Mara's face! She was all flustered and…" continued the Norn of the past, before she noticed the clock beside her bed, indicating that it was well past midnight. "Uh… should I end the call? It's a bit late and you might…"
"Don't worry about me, Urd-chan," said Hild with a chuckle. "It was nice to hear that you enjoyed your first day as a demoness. And before you even say it; no, this isn't one of those cheesy attempts to keep you like that. At least, I know that you're not suffering and that's more than enough for the time being."
"Yeah…" said Urd, failing to come up with anything else. "Thanks, mom…"
"What for? You still don't get it, do you?" laughed Hild. "Never mind, tomorrow's going to be a long day for you, so, try to get some sleep, okay? Don't stay up watching naughty shows..."
"I don't have a TV in my room," said the Norn of the past with a sigh. "Actually, I don't even have a real bath! The closest thing is that cramped torture device!"
"It's not that bad, Urd-chan, over time you'll get used to it," replied the Daimakaicho, before she grinned, feeling that it was a nice chance to share some of her personal moments with her daughter. "Also, it's not that cramped, either. With some careful utilization of space, two can share a bath, even on the standard versions of that shower. Ask your father, if you don't believe me!"
"Why would father knows a-..." started Urd, only to stop abruptly, her eyes widening at the implications of her mother's words. "No! Don't answer! I want to live in ignorance!"
"Aw… Not even a bit?"
"Absolutely not! I forbid it!"
"You can't do such a thing, I'm the Daimakaicho here."
"And I'm your daughter!"
"Well, excuse me princess, but, that doesn't mean much in our society," said Hild, before she paused for a moment, feeling it was a great opportunity to tease her otherwise brazen daughter a bit more. "Plus, it's a mother's duty to teach her children how to do this and that and the other thing…"
"I already know all that! There's no need to tell me anything!" shouted Urd back at her communicator, her cheeks turning into a pinkish hue.
"But, Urd-chan, experience is more better than simple information…" said Hild with the most innocent voice she could muster.
"What experience are you talking about? You're still single!" countered the flustered half demoness, a frown forming in her face.
"So? I'm several hundreds of millennia old. You can't possibly think I'm such a prude that never had any fun during all that period of time. And no, I'm not talking about your father, either. Just because I hadn't dated many, it doesn't mean that I was such an innocent demoness; if there is even such a thing to begin with… I may haven't spent my youth sleeping around, but, I do have some experience," gloated the Daimakaicho, grinning as she imagined her daughter's expression while she had this kind of talk with her.
"Must I hear this?..." groaned Urd, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
"Well, you brought the subject up, Urd-chan…" replied her mother, in an attempt to keep annoying her. After all, it was fairly rare to see that side of her personality, since she acted in a much less reserved way most of the time.
"No, I didn't!" objected the Norn of the past. "All I wanted was a real bath! Not the story of your… love life."
"If you change your mind, I can always send you a couple of videos I've made back then," said Hild, trying to sound as casual as possible. "They may not be of professional quality, but, hey! I'm photogenic enough to compensate for anything and my performance was top notch, too! Ah!... such good memories…"
"You've made videos?!" gasped the horrified half demoness, her voice cracking as she struggled to keep talking. "Mother! Stop laughing! This is a serious matter!"
"Sorry about that! It was merely a joke, I've never made any recordings of that nature. And I never thought your voice could hit such a high octave!" said Hild between fits of laughter. "Still, it's nice to see that side of yours, Urd-chan. You look and act so much like me that I sometimes forget that you're your father's daughter, too."
'I should've known better than fall for her trap like this.' Palming herself, Urd wished she could blame her current state of mind, although, a part of her was certain that her mother would've gotten her even if she was in her original configuration as a goddess. "You're so hilarious…"
"Please, don't be like that, dear. After all, despite the way you act, deep down you're a nice girl and I don't mean it as an insult," said Hild in a much softer, almost soothing tone. "Say, I'll see what I can do for your bath. Does that sound good to you?"
Blushing for a very different reason than previously, Urd made a few attempts to come up with a response, and as much as she wanted to say something rude to spite her mother, the half demoness opted to avoid that. "Yes, that sounds good to me."
"Excellent!" beamed the Daimakaicho. "Now go get some rest and I'll see what mommy can do for her little girl! Sweet dreams, Urd-chan!"
"L-likewise, mom," said the Norn, finally ending the call with a sigh.
Dismissing her communicator, Urd felt a bit better, despite the headache she got while dealing with her mother, since, the Daimakaicho was far too much of a troublemaker even by her standards. However, she still couldn't help but think that, Hild was merely trying to make her laugh with her silly antics, and while she felt somewhat annoyed by those crude jokes, Urd actually smiled.
"Excuse me, princess…"
Jumping from the surprise, the half demoness reminded herself for the second time that she wasn't alone in her room. "What do you want, Excalibur?"
"You're still in your… birthday suit. Could you please spare my runtimes the trouble of having to censor certain parts of your anatomy from my memory banks? One day, I may want to include this in my autobiography and I'd like to target to a broader audience. Plus, I don't want to be accused of using cheap tactics for increasing the sales," said the synthetic in his usual monotonous voice.
"You're censoring yourself?" asked Urd with a frown. "That's harsh… Don't tell me you did this for that hot springs trip, too."
"Not really, I have the uncensored versions on multiple back ups, really," replied the sentient weapon. "There's no way I'd destroy such valuable data."
"You know… I'm having a hard time to figure out whether you're becoming a perv or you're just messing around with me," muttered Urd, narrowing her eyes at the sword.
"I believe the technical term of what you're looking for, is chivalrous pervert. Although, I have no intention to accept such a simplistic classification just like that," said Excalibur.
Letting a tired sigh, Urd wasn't exactly in the mood to get into an argument with her roommate and decided to simply drop the matter; at least for now. "Whatever… I need to get my beauty sleep. I've got no desire to explore the hidden depths of your character, so… collect as much valuable data as you want. See if I care…"
"Apparently you weren't listening," said the sentient weapon with a frustrated tone. "Can you at least cover yourself with something?"
"Wish granted!" Snapping her fingers, Urd summoned a bedsheet right above the sword's pedestal, covering him in the process. "There, that should solve the problem!"
Ignoring her giggles, Excalibur tried to resist the mental impulse to groan, as the half demoness was probably just doing her best to annoy him. "For the second time, I must state that I'm not a hanger."
Offering nothing more that a faked snore in response, Urd ignored her roommate, wondering what was going to take place the next day. 'Maybe I could try to go shopping. I'd love to get some better clothes and I can also check for any useful alchemical ingredients. Who knows... they may have something really rare here. Perhaps, I could buy some jewelry for the others as gifts. It's going to be nice to send them something while I'm away.'
XXX
Outside, on the streets of Muspelheim's capital
Rushing through the alleys of the city's top level, Bergelmir headed towards the outskirts located closer to the desert. As soon as the all clear signal was given, the head of Ratatoskr offered to assist the fiery realm and filed a request to investigate the matter, which in reality was merely a ruse to get to Njorun before Surt managed to find her first. While the demoness in question was more than powerful enough to hold herself in a battle against most opponents, there was no chance to take on the entire realm's garrison; an impossible feat by anyone's standards.
Poking his head out of his grandson's cape, the miniaturized version of Ymir observed his surroundings, making sure that Surt's troops weren't following them. "Hurry up! We need to get to that bloody desert as soon as possible! I bet that's where she's hiding!"
"Actually… Is it really such a problem if she meets Urd?" asked Bergelmir. "I mean… The original idea was for Hild-sama and Njorun-sama to run into each other. What's so different about this?"
"You're missing a rather important detail! I wanted that to take place in Jotunheim, and more specifically, at our headquarters; my turf!" replied Ymir. "Not here! Do you have any idea what's gonna happen when Surt invites himself into the reunion?"
Frowning a bit, the commander of Ratatoskr shook his head, as he finally reached the edge of the city. "Not really, my lord."
"Well, I've got no idea either! There are too many variables involved and I don't want to take any more risks! After all, it's already a big mess and making it way worse isn't prudent," said Ymir, totally unaware of the shadows that were carefully closing in on them. "I've given her enough reasons to detest me already, I need set this straight; one way or another. Plus, I don't want to have two angry demonesses after me instead of one. Especially given how powerful my daughter turned out to be."
"A scenario that would've never occur if you hadn't…" started Bergelmir, before his grandfather hit him with his miniature staff.
"Silence! Hild deserved something better than living in that freezer of a realm!"
"So, she got into an oven, instead…"
"Exact-..." Hitting him once more, Ymir felt tempted to add a spell to teach his disrespectful grandson a lesson in manners. "That's not the time for stupid jokes, foolish boy! We need to focus on…"
The sudden explosion at the distance, forced Bergelmir to duck for cover into the desert sand, while his startled grandfather held on for dear life. "An artillery shell?! What are they doing?! They've already called off the emergency!"
"That's why I didn't want her to get here! That lunatic is…" As a series of explosions succeeded one after the other, it was rather obvious that the only thing with that range and firepower was nothing else than the railguns of the Great Barrier Wall, firing their salvos towards the direction the two demons were heading.
Feeling the sand below him tremble as the projectiles continued to rain down without pause, Bergelmir's eyes widened as he realized what the ruler of Muspelheim was thinking. "Is he trying to force her out of her hiding place?"
"That seems to be the case. If you can't get a fox out of its den, you start up a fire at the entrance and wait for it to emerge from the other exit. Or something like that, if I remember correct; human stories aren't my strongest point," said Ymir, observing the chaos that unfolded before his eyes.
"But!... All that for a single intruder?..." gasped Bergelmir. "It's an overkill!"
"What can I say? He was my daughter's student, after all," said Ymir with a grin. "Even without knowing, Hild apparently passed down my rather distinctive way of solving problems; if it's worth doing, then it's worth overdoing, too."
"This isn't the moment to be proud of your legacy, my lord!" shouted the head of Ratatoskr. "We must stop him, before he accidentally hits Njorun-sama!"
"Right… In cases like these, diversion is our friend," said Ymir with a huge smile. "I guess we'll have to use that!"
"Eh?! Are you sure, my lord?" asked the stunned Bergelmir. "That was for the worst case scenario, only!"
"And what do you call this?" Pointing to a nearby sand dune that promptly vanished from the impact of another artillery shell, Ymir raised an eyebrow at his grandson who could only stare at the now huge crater.
"If we get caught we're going to be charged for attacking one of our realms," warned the younger demon. "That's an act of treason!"
"Nah… We're trying to save someone's life here, so, it might be considered as…" trailed Ymir, as another shell exploded nearby. "Heroic vandalism?'
"There's no such thing!" countered Bergelmir, only to take a few steps back from his grandfather who assumed his normal size, and retrieved a tiny canister from his robes.
"Anyway… If Surt wants a fight, then by all means, he's going to get one!" Grinning like a shark, the eldest of all demons and first Daimakaicho, broke the multiple seals that were placed on the pocket sized container. "Let's see how he's going to like this!"
"I-If Skrymir-sama learns that we stole that…" started Bergelmir. "He's going to be furious."
"That other Loki isn't going to cause too much trouble. If he gets exposed, his authority will be severely undermined and that's something he can't afford," said Ymir, his eyes glowing as he unleashed the final seal. "Let me show that brat what the word overkill truly means!"
Laughing maniacally, the first Daimakaicho watched the gargantuan entity emerge from it's storage container, triggering all alarms in the entire fiery realm.
XXX
Central Command Center, Muspelheim
Drinking his third cup of hot java since the whole intruder fiasco, Surt was mildly amused by the two extra 'guests' that were likely here to extract whoever started this damned situation. Despite that, Bergelmir offered to assist him, the fact that he had brought another one with him was more than enough to mistrust him.
'He really thought that we wouldn't notice that other demon with him. And those photos I've got from the hidden surveillance cameras finally confirm my suspicions as to who that guy is; Ymir-sama. The same person I met back at the Archives. Hm… Interesting, very interesting...'
The sudden sound of the alarms hadn't startled anyone in the situation room, since most expected that it was merely a matter of time before the fugitive would reemerge. As a matter of fact, the only reason that the previous state of emergency was revoked, was to make the intruder think it was safe to get out of their hiding place.
However, as the sensor readings were analyzed, the demon in charge of the tactical map had to check his monitor again as he couldn't quite believe his eyes.
"Sir! A… a mountain range has… emerged in the middle of the adjacent desert…"
Nearly choking on his coffee, Surt frowned and stared at his subordinate, wondering if the junior demon had simply started to see things due to fatigue. "Come again?! A what?!"
"A mountain ra-... Wait! One moment, sir! The system registers this as a biologic entity and… It's moving!" shouted the tactical officer from his station.
"There's only one creature large enough to be mistaken for something like that…" started Surt, before the computer systems updated the label from 'Unknown Biologic Entity' to one that was far more specific:
'Divine Serpent of the Abyss; Jormungandr.'
Silence filled the busy room, as all activity came to screeching halt when the demons realized just what appeared out of nowhere at their doorstep.
"Alright… who put a bloody sea snake in my desert?" Being a rhetoric question, Surt wasn't expecting an answer. After all, he already had a feeling who was the most likely culprit; Ymir. 'What is that blasted demon up to? Has he really gone senile in his old age, or he wants to mess around with me for fun? Well, if he really wants a fight, then he's going to get one!'
"Signal the general quarters! All units to their battle stations and evacuate the city!" barked the ruler of Muspelheim, giving his subordinates something to do, instead of pointlessly staring at the main monitor. "Also, arm Naglfar with Charybdis class missiles! And while you're at it, get the sub-commander here, as well; I need Hrym's launch codes."
The activity in the room came to a stop yet once more, but this time, it was the absolutely preposterous orders of their commander that caused it; not the appearance of a giant snake. After all, for the first time in all demonic history, the most terrible weapon in their entire arsenal was going to be carried out in the battlefield. And should worse come to worst, the world would see the catastrophic results of something that invoked chaos in the most literal sense of the word.
"Sir, yes sir!"
'I'll show you old man. You think I'm just a whelp, barely out of my childhood, don't you? That you're so much wiser and powerful that you can't be bested? Well… you're wrong!'
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.
First of all, I'd like to thank HotelKatz for his suggestion about Mara's movie of choice (including the line: "What? I've seen it about one hundred sixty-seven times and it keeps getting funnier each time!"). Also, most of the other movies were his suggestions, too.
Now, I'd like to apologize for the absence of the temple's residents here, but, given what I had in mind, I wanted this chapter to primarily focus on what happened in the demonic realms (mostly Muspelheim). As the first real chapter that covers Urd's introduction to a new environment, I felt that it was necessary to pay more attention to that, instead of splitting this into two parts. Of course, this is far from over, but, I feel that I can have the rest of the cast to make an appearance to the next chapter.
Ullr was indeed Sif's son from a previous relationship in the Norse legends and as a result, Thor's stepson. Actually, not much information beyond that exists, not even the name of his father. Here, much of that is true and Ullr's motive is to find out what happened to his father.
Speaking of families, it turns out that, Ymir and Njorun is Hild's parents. There were a few hints in the past chapters, but, they were too vague. For example, Njorun's physical description is very similar to Hild's (except the hair color), something that seems to follow the trend in her family (the resemblance between Urd and Hild). Also, Ymir's line when Hild tried to punch him was exactly the same, Hild used when Urd tried to do that in the last chapters of the manga.
Obviously, there's absolutely no canon information about Hild's parents and there's not really anything from the Norse legends I'd like to use directly. At least, since Ymir was the progenitor of the Jotnar (giants originally - demons as the closest analogy in this series), it would've made sense to have him somehow connected to Hild (given that he would've been the first demon). However, he isn't just her ancestor, but, her father. Also, this is hardly the end of Hild's backstory, as far as her family is concerned, more will be revealed in future chapters.
Jormungandr was mentioned in past chapters, but, this is the first time that makes an appearance in this story. He's one of the two most powerful creations of Loki, although in this case, he was given to Skrymir (the demonic side of Loki) and then stolen by Ymir.