And now we're going to be heading into the Nine Realms! It's gonna be a hell of a Christmas trip for everyone here!
I'm still playing GoW: Ragnarök btw. And I'm currently stuck on the Muspelheim level where Kratos and Atreus have succeeded in initiating Ragnarök via Surtr. The only thing standing in my way from progressing further is these stupid and annoying Einherjar fights that are damn near impossible to get through. And it's just one difficult fight after another, which really hurts my head. No matter how hard I fight them or what tactic I use, I just keeping getting killed and repeating the last checkpoint I was in. Every. Single. Time! It's like I'm trapped in this endless time loop.
But I won't give up on it. I will continue to persevere. I won't let this annoyance get in my way.
Anyway, so here's the next chapter. Enjoy.
"No, no, no. This cannot be right." Wu complained as everyone walked through the village.
Just like back in Björnbæk, houses all around and buildings lining up the square were adorned with several Christmas decorations that were more appropriate to the era of which the village appears to be set in, which would happen to be the Viking age during the middle ages, whether it's evergreen trees decorated with popcorn, wooden figurines of the gods and small candles, holly and pine branches used for garland and wreaths.
The group suddenly separated to give way to two men passing their way carrying an evergreen tree of their own, no doubt to be placed inside their own home.
"What even is this place?" asked Lily, looking all around at all the people. "Why is everything so….old?"
To the surprise of no one, miscellaneous villagers around them and crossing their path were shooting looks that varied between confusion, curiosity or befuddlement at the strange new people in their town. Possibly due to the more modern outfits they had on in stark contrast to the medieval regalia of the townsfolk.
"I don't see Stig or the other two anywhere." Elsa's eyes were pointing every which way, no sight of her son or his friends.
"Don't worry, I'm really sure they're fine." Mei assured her as best she could.
'Søte St. Mary, mor til Josef, dad. What the hell have you dragged me into?', Elsa groaned in her head, facepalming at their predicament.
Simultaneously, the boys slipped into the village on another end from where they were previously and they were just as taken aback by the authenticity of the old-century architectural design of the settlement they were in, unaware of the odd stares they were receiving from the onlookers.
"Wow, this is pretty interesting."
"How did they redesign the town so fast?" asked Rudolf naively.
"We're obviously not in Norway anymore." Stig pointed out tentatively. "At least in the same time era as before."
"What does that even mean?" Roar blurted out perplexed by his hunch.
"I knew it! That was a time machine we used." Rudolf obnoxiously stated with a dumb smile. "And you can bet my bottom dollar I can stop Booth from assassinating President Lincoln."
SLAP!
"Oh!" He cried after earning a slap to the face.
"Don't speak like that around here." Stig scolded with a stern glare. "People'll think you're batshit crazy."
Then they noticed a man and his wife standing near them holding two hens, eyeing them as if they were breaking out. Trying to seem inconspicuous, the trio just beamed at them innocently with big, toothy grins and waited standing still until they walked away from them.
"Come on, you two." Stig dragged them both away.
Meanwhile, Elsa was trying to get somebody's attention to try and ask for help from the locals. Eventually, one woman with light blonde hair and a moss green dress and apron approached her.
"Yes, thank you!" Elsa sighed with relief. "Do you speak my language, by any chance?"
The woman raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.
"Snakker du norsk, frue?" Elsa tried using Norwegian this time and to her relief once more, the woman nodded.
"What's that? You found someone?" asked Ming desperately.
"Yes." said Elsa, nodding before turning to the woman again. "Jeg heter Elsa Bengtsson. Hva er ditt?"
"Astrid." She answered with a thick native accent.
"Hyggelig å møte deg. Snakker du engelsk?"
"Nei."
"Hmm." Elsa grunted. "Se, jeg beklager at jeg plager deg, men vi er litt fortapt, og sønnen min og et par venner av ham er der ute et sted, og vi kunne virkelig trenge litt ly."
Astrid nodded, understanding.
"Veldig bra. Hvis dere alle vil bli med meg." She gestures for them to follow her.
"Let's go. She'll have a place for us to get warmth." Elsa announced to the group as they followed Astrid's lead.
"Oh, thank Sun Yee." Wu breathed a sigh of solace.
"So you're getting into the holiday spirit, too, Miss. Astrid?" Helen asked her, which she didn't understand.
"Feirer du høytiden?" Elsa translated for her to the young villager, who nodded.
"Vi forbereder oss til julefestivalen. Jólnir kommer for å ta med gaver til barna."
"She says they're prepping up for the festival of Yule." Elsa explained to the group.
"Yule?" asked Adam.
"It's basically an old-timey Germanic word for 'Christmas'." Tom replied.
"Fascinating." Jin marveled.
"She says Jólnir comes to deliver presents for the kids." continued Elsa.
"Um, who's Jólnir?" asked Mei, raising a lone eyebrow.
Just as Elsa was about to ask Astrid, there came a familiar voice that halted her words before they could exit her mouth.
"Mom!"
"Stig?" True. She looked and her spirits lifted when she saw Stig far away from them with Roar and Rudolf before running over to them. In seconds, Elsa and Stig crashed into a tight embrace with the former holding onto the latter tightly.
"Thank god, you're okay!"
"I know, mom!" Stig exhaled. "I was worried about you."
"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Elsa shook her adopted son angrily and concernedly. Then Ming and Mei came rushing over.
"Glad to see you're okay." replied Stig.
"Well, I wouldn't say-"
"Not you, beefbrain." Stig growled at Ming, cutting her off before hugging Mei, much to her mother's chagrin and shock. Mei hugged him back.
"We were afraid you guys got hurt." Mei told him, disquieted.
"Well, we were almost mauled by a bear, but-" Rudolf began.
"A bear?!" All three women gasped, horrorstruck.
"But it's gone now." Roar told them to alleviate their worries.
Elsa sighed, shaking her head, but she was glad they were still okay, despite what they've endured.
"Come on, you guys. Let's try to get warm."
The need for warmth returned upon hearing those words and the trio rejoined the others as they followed Astrid to her two-story family home. Their Christmas tree sat dead near the fireplace where a cauldron was boiling some soup inside it. Everyone crammed themselves inside the hut, all overjoyed to finally be out of the cold and many of them sat by the fire together to get warm. Astrid was even nice enough to offer soup for all of them and they were grateful to have some.
They noticed shoes filled with hay placed at the hearth of the fireplace. Must be some kind of Scandinavian Christmas tradition, they'd imagine.
"You said the bear chased you?" asked Ping with fright.
"Yeah." Rudolf nodded.
"We must've woken it up." said Stig.
"Well, bears don't like being disturbed during hibernation." Tom reminded them matter-of-factly.
"We were lucky enough to hide from it." Roar mentioned, still remembering when they were chased by the animal.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Suddenly, there came a slow rapping on the front door.
Astrid went to go and answer it, quite confused since she wasn't expecting any visitors. Her husband had left on a journey at sea.
After a minute of listening in on a conversation in the local's native tongue followed the door closing, everything was silent as she reentered looking aghast.
Then she tiptoed over to Elsa and whispered in her ear.
"Det er for deg."
"For me?"
That caught her way off guard. Who was that at the door asking for her? Other than the wild men they ran into in the forest, there couldn't be anyone in this land they've known. They were new to this place.
Nonetheless, Elsa slowly got up from her chair to go see who it was requesting for her. Ming even went with her just to have her back if anything should happen. Swallowing her spit and wiping away perspiration, she gripped the door handle and flung it wide to come face-to-face with the strange visitor at their kind host's doorstep.
There before the two mothers stood a man.
A strikingly handsome young man blessed with pale, blemish-free skin and dirty blonde hair in thin braids.
And he didn't look like any villager they've come across earlier. Nor was wearing any protective clothing for the cold weather. In fact, that attire of his almost looked royal and luxurious in taste, like he was the loyal servant of a king. He wore a sumptuous white tunic covering up his knees, adorned with high-quality leather covering the upper chest and the back, including the shoulders; gilding and beautiful gold patterns decorating those leather platings, especially the short sleeves, which they, themselves, were enhanced with a series of cubical patterns.
Underneath the tunic was a golden skirt with sleeves presumably upon inspection were made of a comfortable brown gambeson. Covering all that from the waist down, a very thick leather skirt adorned with a multitude of silver plates, firmly held by a pair of belts, themselves decorated with golden plates and Norse symbols.
Fastened onto his belt were a sumptuous scabbard holding a sword and another S-shaped horn-like object held on there.
His forearms were well-protected with beautifully-crafted black bracers and he wore pants - also high-quality leather - and a pair of boots.
And staring back at Elsa were NOT a pair of normal human eye pupils, but rather two glowing purple lights that seemed to have an effective soul-tingling effect on her and Ming.
"Good evening, madam." He politely greeted Elsa with a friendly smile. "Hope I hadn't come at a bad time."
"Hi?" Ming hesitantly greeted him back.
"C-Can I help you?" asked Elsa.
"Are you Elsa Bengtsson, by any chance?" asked the peculiar gentleman.
"Uh-"
"Of course you are." He shook his head with a soft chuckle. "I recognize that gentle, soft tone of yours with the stern, but protective intent behind it. Never had I forgotten a voice or a face."
"Excuse me?"
"And you are Ming Lee, correct?" He gestured to Ming next, now completely befuddled. "Elsa's former friend, if I'm not mistaken."
Ming instantly broke out of her dazed trance to slam the door shut in the stranger's face in a state of sudden panic.
"Hey! What are you-"
"Shhhh!" Ming harshly silenced her, covering her mouth. "I don't like this. This guy shows up, knowing our names? He must've been spying on us or something. That's never a good sign."
Elsa frowned in annoyance, yanking her hand off.
"Says the woman who constantly spies on her daughter." She hissed, reopening the door.
The man was still there.
"'And I don't need a bodyguard, thank you very much.'" He noted, not at all offended by the door slam. This statement made Elsa freeze.
"How did you know I was gonna say that?"
Ming gave her a look.
"Just one of my many talents." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Also, it's a very 'you' thing to say, if I'm being honest."
"Huuuuhhhhhhh…." Elsa's face was just unreadable at this point.
"And I'm too overly fond of having a door slammed in my face."
"Um, sorry about that. She gets a little paranoid most of the time." Elsa apologized before getting serious. "Now who the hell are you? And what do you want with me?"
"It's not really what I want with you, per say. It's more about what you are here for, Elsa." He answered with total honesty.
"What…do you mean?" Elsa stuttered, heart beating, mouth drying.
"I'll explain everything on the way. If it's all the same to you, I'd like for you and everyone else with you to please follow me. The All-Father requests your presence immediately. Come now. Let's not keep him waiting."
Elsa and Ming enhanced looks.
"At least he's speaking English." Ming replied.
Whoever this guy was, he didn't sound like he was pulling their leg. And based on his clothes, he seemed like a very important person with a valuable background. But they nevertheless agree to go with him and back out into the snow they went with the man. Everyone followed close behind as they ventured out of the village and towards the wilderness when Elsa finally decided to break the ice.
"So how do you know my name?"
"I know more than just your name, Elsa Bengtsson. Daughter of Morten and Audhilda Bengtsson and the mother of Kris Bengtsson." The man so thoroughly intoned. "In fact, I remember when you were just a little girl. You were a joyful and tough little bugger. I remember your first step, your first word, your first day of school and when you skedaddled the country after the accident."
"Accident? What accident?" asked Mei, looking at her friend's mother.
"Not important right now." Elsa brushed off a bit too quickly. "I'm afraid to ask, but what else do you know?"
"I know you drink." He said flatly. "And frankly, still do."
Now that earned a collection of surprised eyes staring straight at Elsa, who instinctively took defensive against this claim.
"I'm trying to cut back!" She cried with a frown.
"And how was the gløgg?" He smiled in amusement, which made her blush. "All joking aside, you really consider actually cutting back. Overindulgence isn't a healthy coping mechanism and it can and will have lasting drastic consequences."
"God, you sound like my dad." sighed Elsa with frustration.
"He does have a point, though." Ming shrugged, remembering the empty beer cans she found in Elsa's bedroom back at home.
"So what's your name, sir?" asked Lily.
"I've been known by many in the tales of old. 'Gyllentanne' for example." He cryptically spoke. "I hear all and I see all. And I guard the Bifröst as my sworn duty as watchman of the Æsir gods."
"Wait a minute…" Shan mulled it over, taking his words into serious consideration.
"Are you saying that you're Heimdall?"
"So you know much about me after all." He replied in response to Elsa's question. "Suppose that makes two of us."
Indeed it was for a fact that the strange man leading the way for them all was the one and only Heimdall (Old Norse: Heimdallr, Nordic: ᚺᛖᛁᛗᛞᚨᛚᛚ), the Norse God of Foresight, Surveillance, Order and Foreknowledge, the Watchman of the Æsir, the Guardian of the Bifröst, the Bearer of Gjallarhorn and the Herald of Ragnarök. The one in charge of guarding Asgard and keeping a lookout of any invaders.
And here he was bringing them back into the forest. Waiting for him perched on the branch of a tree was Muninn, one of the ravens.
"You're not gonna lead us straight toward those dangerous tribesmen are you?" Ming asked fearfully.
Heimdall only chuckled and said, "No way in either up or above would I lead our guests into the hands of the berserkers."
"Berserkers?" Helen and Lily chorused, wide-eyed.
"Muninn!" He cried.
Cawing of acknowledgement came forth.
Nobody expected what happened next and it showed. They all gasped and looked on with helpless terror as the aforementioned raven flew down and started speedily flying around them all in a huge circle until everyone saw nothing but a huge flurry of black feathers shielding their view of the environment like a curtain of death.
The echoing caws continued as darkness ensued, very much appearing as if the grim reaper himself was casting his shadowy cloak, enveloping them all and about ready to claim their souls and cast them into the afterlife for their final judgment.
Half a minute later and thankfully, the cawing ceased and the feathers disappeared in a flash and the group couldn't believe their own eyes.
(ᚷ)
ASGARD (Old Norse: Ásgarðr / Nordic: ᚬᛋᚴᛅᚱᚦᛦ)
(HOME of the ÆSIR)
They were no longer in the snowy, woodsy landscape where the village was anymore.
Now they were standing on top of a high mountain of some kind with a massive view of the land below, no longer covered in snow, but was still overcast in the sky with no sun shining.
Muninn flew away out of sight.
"Woah. That just happened." Tom remarked with a huge shocked expression.
"That was insane!" Ping shouted.
"I don't feel so chilly anymore." Adam said as the air around them now wasn't freezing so much. "Tell me I'm not dreaming."
"Don't worry, you'll get used to that overtime." Heimdall informed them reassuringly.
"Woah, get a load of that view." Rudolf marveled at the picturesque sight of the mountains before his eyes, stepping forward when Elsa realized something that sent her into protective mother mode.
"Rudolf!" She screamed, lunging forward along with Ping and Helen as they all grabbed onto the boy like a lifeline and yanked him back just as he was nearly about to unknowingly walk directly off a deep, high cliff.
Looking downward, it was certainly a long way down. And a closer inspection revealed something else as well.
This wasn't a mountain they were on, but rather a gigantic stone structure of some kind.
"Yeah, please mind your step when we're up here." warned Heimdall. "It's easy to lose one's footing and the cliffs are unforgiving."
"You okay?" asked Elsa worriedly.
"Am I asleep?" Rudolf spoke, a little shook from nearly falling to his death.
"You'll be fine, boy. Just watch your step next time, understand." Heimdall informed him sternly.
He nodded.
"Where are we?" asked Stig. "Where did that bird take us?"
"Yeah." Mei agreed.
"We're in Asgard." The Watchman of the Gods answered. "The home of the gods. My home."
"Um, this is Asgard?" asked Rudolf, getting over his shock to look all around, but saw nothing like a kingdom or castle around like he had seen in the comics. "Are you sure? We're in the kingdom?"
"Over here."
Heimdall led them in another direction and they followed. Rudolf looked above him to see a rainbow up ahead.
"Ooh, rainbow!" He pointed at it curiously.
"Yep, that's the Bifröst you're looking at." said Heimdall. "Connects Asgard with Midgard. Though completely invisible to the mortals. Also, you folks did not 'go back in time' as it were."
He said this last part looking at Rudolf.
"You were just in a dimension parallel to the real world. But more on that later. Look down there and try not to step over the edge this time."
Elsa ignored the slight joke at the end of that sentence.
Everyone was brought to the other edge of the giant wall they were currently standing on and on that other side, a cloud of fog enveloped the ground below. Hardly anything was visible to the naked eye. But everyone waited a few minutes more before the fog slowly began to dissipate a bit to reveal a town far down.
Not just a town, an authentic city that was must for vastly built than the settlement they were just in earlier.
"Wow." Mei gasped, impressed.
"You were expecting a giant castle?" Heimdall asked Roar rhetorically. Before the boy could respond, the Watchman chuckled, "There is much that you read those things you call - what are they? Comic books? - that strongly deviates from the actual truth."
The teens all shared bedumbed looks. How does a fabled god of ancient folklore such as himself know anything about comic books? But then again, they remember him saying that he sees and hears all.
That's all they really need to know about him. For now, anyway.
"Quite a quaint little place to be hiding behind a giant stone wall, to be honest." replied Ping. "You folks must be fiercely protective of your own people."
"'Fiercely' is not a word I'd use anymore." Heimdall mentioned. "The walls of Asgard are merely historic monuments in this day and age at this point. That down there is Asgard's capital realm, Gladsheim."
"Cool." Roar smiled.
"Indeed." Heimdall nodded, putting an arm on the boy's shoulder, then pointed at a large building right at the square of the city. One that was next-door to a much larger, much more luxurious edifice that really stood out from the rest of the establishments in the entire burg.
"The All-Father awaits us over in one of his halls over there. Come, come. Let's not waste another measly second."
With this said, Heimdall led them over to a wooden structure to the left of where the group stood. It possessed a giant platform connected to cables that were strung up to be carried straight down, particularly functioning in a similar manner to a gondola lift used to carry a load of people up and down a mountain.
"Listen, man, I'm still having trouble understanding all this." Adam spoke to the Scion of the Æsir. "Think you could walk us through it?"
"For the moment, I'll only spare bits and pieces." Heimdall exclaimed, promenading up onto the platform. "This will take us downward. But it's not strong enough to support all of you at once. We need to make a couple trips. Only four at a time."
"I'll go first." Stig stood forward and onto the platform.
"Me too." Roar and Rudolf followed suit. Mei came forth as well, only to be briefly stopped when Ming grabbed her arm, but Mei snatched it back and glared at her for a second before joining the trio and Heimdall.
Ming felt crushed by that, but knew that her daughter was still pretty much mad at her, so she had to suck it up.
The platform took its slow descent, taking everyone aboard downward with it. The ride down was only 3 minutes long and another 3 minutes later, the platform took the next group down consisting of Elsa, Ming, Jin and Wu.
"What um,...do you know about me?" Ming hesitantly asked.
"Not too much to my immediate satisfaction." Heimdall shrugged. "Only a few things I heard tell of. For example, you claim that Kris used to work for you, correct?"
"Correct." She nodded.
"And I'm aware that you were never kinder to the young lad." At this, Ming gulped and averted her gaze when his tone started to harden and turn cold. "That you beat him for 'raping' your daughter and then you turned into a giant furry beast, attacked innocent people and tried to murder him on cold blood. Yes?"
"..." Ming was speechless at the parody of the traumatic incident. A great exaggeration of the events leading up to the SkyDome fiasco. Elsa even turned to fire a hellish glare at her. "That's completely out of context!"
"That is not what happened!" Wu shouted with a glare….but then turned a suspicious face towards her daughter. "Is it?"
"NO!" She screamed. "You were there!"
"You tried to kill my son?" Elsa snarled.
"I-I only….uh, squeezed him…in my giant paw… but that's not the point! I was acting on impulse! I'd never kill anyone even if I wanted to!"
"Relax. I'm paraphrasing, of course, but my point, really, is that Kris suffered greatly at the misery of your unjust prejudice and bias."
"Yes, I wish I could he wasn't." Ming bemoaned.
"And you've come all this way with your family to help make things right." Heimdall concluded. "Admirable, honorable and a redeeming quality to an overall….complex character. I'm actually excited to see how that turns out."
Ming sighed through her nose, not sure if he's being sarcastic or not.
"And by the way, do you mind if I ask what you've been up to after you left Norway?" He asked Elsa next curiously.
"Yes, I do mind. Thanks." She flippantly stated.
"That's alright. Not my place to pry."
GLADSHEIM (Old Norse: Glaðsheimr)
The Capital City of Asgard
Minutes later, everyone was on the ground level inside the city of Gladsheim with many of the visitors looking all around the area. It was quite beautiful and a sight to behold. Many largely-built houses and buildings here and there and all the Asgardians inhabiting the place were no different than the villagers from the town back on Midgard. Their outfits are very old-century and appropriate to that particular time era of which the world must be frozen in.
Heimdall called forth his noble steed, Gulltoppr, down from the heavens. The horse rode the mighty winds inward, much to everyone's abject astonishment. Mounting onto her back, he rode onward with the guests following.
"If I remember from my father's stories, that hall over there…" Elsa aimed a finger at the luxuriant building. "...is Valhalla?"
"A keen eye, my dear." Heimdall chuckled. "You're right. It is, in fact. Where many of those who have died in battle dine lavishly. Home of the Valkyries. I think you'll love it there most of all."
They had finally arrived at their destination. One of Odin's many great halls, the one in particular being Valaskjálf, a large building that looked like it had a gigantic upside down Viking ship as the roof.
Heimdall halted his steed at the base of the steps.
"The All-Father is waiting inside there. I'll be off, then. Good luck." And with that, having fulfilled his task, his horse charged into the air and rode off with his master on his back as he vanished from sight.
"I'll never get used to that." Tom rubbed his eyes.
They all climbed the stairs while still taking in the sights within their vicinity.
"So this is Asgard, huh?" Stig responded. "Is it weird that I wish I was dreaming?"
"Get in line, brother." Charlie remarked.
"So if he knows all about you, does that mean everyone else does?" asked Jin.
"If they did, I'd be like a celebrity here." Elsa rolled her eyes in amusement. "Didn't expect Heimdall to have such a sense of humor."
"And quite judgemental." Wu retorted with a disapproving glare. "What kind of god is he, anyway?"
"Legend says he's associated with foresight." Tom answered keenly.
"Well, that explains it." The elderly woman rolled her eyes.
"All in all, this place looks fantastic." Helen complimented with a big smile. "And that giant wall is quite a spectacle, even though it blocks everything from sight. I'd want to live in this place."
"I'd forbid that" grunted Wu.
Reaching the top of the steps, they were finally at the hall's entrance. It was massive from where they were standing. Mei herself was a little nervous about meeting the All-Father. She had hoped he at least was a reasonable guy. But she also hoped he would be able to help them find out how to help Kris.
Elsa took a deep breath in and prepared herself to open up the doors.
"Okay…" She whispered.
But before she could even get close enough to open them, they already did so. And Elsa took a step backward when a fairly-skinned woman stepped out from the entrance as she held the giant doors for them. She looked to be middle-aged or even in her early 60's with long chestnut hair with a few tiny graying stripes tied in a multitude of elegant braids along with two large curled strands that draped over her shoulders, eyelashes, pink lips, hazel eyes, a beauty mark on the right side of her face and she had on a greenish-teal regal gown, which no doubt betrayed her possible position as a queen of this realm.
The older woman radiated so much maternal energy as it seemed to Mei. Upon stepping out through the two doors, she eyed the younger woman before her and her eyes bugged open as she gasped softly, then smiled warmly the instant she recognized her.
"Bless the forefathers, I knew it to be true!" She cried happily as she ran toward Elsa, bringing her into a tight, motherly embrace, much to her surprise. Everyone eyed the scene with thought and wonder. "Elsa! You finally came! Odin said you would be coming!"
"Thanks!" Elsa squeaked and the woman freed her, looking deep into her eyes. "And you are?"
"Call me Frigg. I'm the queen of this realm." She answered, then looked at the others with her. "And I see you've brought guests with you."
"Not of my own free will." retorted Elsa with a big eye-roll.
"Um, nice to meet you?" Mei stepped forward.
"I presume you're Meilin Lee." Frigg bent down to hold her cheeks. "Oh, aren't you a pretty one. I can see why he thought so highly of you."
"Thanks." The girl blushed madly. It was quite a surprise that Kris would speak so fondly of her, even though he should hate her for throwing him under the bus back at Tyler's party.
"He did say you had glorious red hair." The woman stroked a few of the girl's red locks gingerly.
"He…he did?" Mei brightened up when she said that. "Is he here?!"
"All in due time, child." Frigg patted her head. "My husband will explain everything as best he can. Now everyone follow me if you please. Odin awaits."
Without question, they all obediently followed Frigg (Old Norse: Frigga, Nordic: ᚠᚱᛁᚷᚷ), the wife of Odin, the Ruler of Asgard, the Queen of the Æsir and the Goddess of Marriage, Motherhood, Clairvoyance, Guidance, and Prophecy, into the hall of Valaskjálf where there were many pale, barely-clothed and armored men and some women with blackness around their eyes all seated at wooden tables or standing, eating, drinking and chatting away while only a couple of them eyed the strangers passing by with curious scrutiny, which made some of them feel uncomfortable.
Apart from them, however, were a bunch of women in bright battle armor and masks with large feathered wings on their backs. They were the only ones in the halls not partaking in the merriment.
"Who are all these people with the black eyes?" asked Stig, having a sudden interest in their looks which reminded him highly of the style of those death metal bands he loves, especially Nörthfölk.
"The Einherjar are what's left of those brave and gallant soldiers and warriors who've died heroically in battle." Frigg explained. "And the winged women you see? The Valkyries."
"Huh." Mei chirped. "Not what I expected. Though they'd be riding horses with wings."
"They do. However, some prefer to take flight on their own."
Wu was unlucky enough to cross the path of one such Einherjar perched at a table who suddenly belched loudly and rudely in her direction after gulping down a mug of mead, much to her disgust at the uncouth behavior.
"Ugh! How rude!" She griped at him. "Have you no manners?!"
"Ek fömk eittsvat else fyrir þú!" He then gave her the finger and laughed obnoxiously. "Einn hraðr, heitr birð réttr fran ovenrinn!"
Wu glowered at him with a scoff, almost looking ready to explode.
Thankfully, Chen and Ping came over, took their offended mother's hands and brought her back to the group before she could panda out in front of the crowd. Meanwhile, a couple of male Einherjar took notice of Lily and, although the mortals didn't understand their native language, they appeared to be making crude and grossly lascivious remarks about her thick figure, most notably either her chest or her big butt, which Lily - poor woman - caught wind of, making her feel edgy and violated.
"Just ignore them, babe." Tom came to her rescue, holding onto her arm comfortingly and taking her away from them, even glaring at the pair ogling at his beautiful girlfriend.
"And watch those eyes, assholes!"
"Stand clear of them." Frigg warned everyone in the group. "Most of everyone here is at their worst when they're sozzled."
Elsa frowned, mostly at herself. It's no secret or a surprise that she's been drunk before, but there have been a couple times when she's done some regrettable things, which fortunately were very rare. Nowadays, her drunken stupors involved passing out at random moments and emptying her guts in the toilet.
But there was just one moment when she swore off booze for a time until her son's coma.
The time that has haunted her ever since.
Just as they were far enough away from the crowd of drunken dearly-departed soldiers and combatants, they had all been taken to a much far more reserved table at the far end of the hall. A group of wonderfully-crafted mahogany tables placed in a circle around a fire pit from which a bonfire burned beautifully and hypnotically.
From around that bonfire were three men and one woman of some great importance, a far cry from the other residents within the hall.
The Norse gods themselves, no doubt.
One man was of average height with an extremely lean, but hard physique with a unique build to it. He was topless, revealing a bare chest that was heavily decorated from the large portions of his torso and limbs to his eyes with woad-blue Norse runic tattoos. He had handsome features with a beaded, but unkempt brownish-blonde beard and a shaggy, beaded horse-mane hairstyle. For his clothes, he wore a red belt, hip pouch and a thin string of charms over a torn brown waistcloth sash - worn over loose - black cloth pants and bound at the calves with brown leather straps.
This was the one by the moniker known as Baldur (Old Norse: Baldr, Nordic: ᛒᛅᛚᛏᚱ), the Norse God of Light, Peace, Joy, Forgiveness and Beauty. Another one of Odin's many sons and brother of both Thor and Heimdall. Asgard's brightest light. The one blessed with being virtually untouchable by almost everything that could pose a life-threatening danger to him.
Another man was two inches taller in height compared to Baldur with noticeably older features, which sported a goatee-like mustache, thin eyebrows. His dark hair was shorter, though it was fastened into a small ponytail at the back of his head. He wore a dark magenta vest over a baggy, long-sleeved shirt. A series of hacksilver-laced belts and straps around his waist that held up his black-gray pants, leather skirt around his waist with pouches, golden rings and a drink horn attached to one of his straps. He wore braced, fingerless gauntlets on his hands and had golden rings on all fingers on each hand (sans the thumbs) and armored boots.
Another one of Odin's (lesser known) children named Vidar (Old Norse: Víðarr), the Norse God of Vengeance, Space, Silence and Footwear and the Silent One. A surly gentleman of a few words, but many thoughts - true to his title.
The sole woman present in the group appeared to reach two inches taller than the other two men; had pale bluish skin with darker blue Nordic tribal tattoos on her face, black-colored eyes with black irises, black lips, a mane of snow-white hair that flowed at the back like a snowfall with thick, twin braids draped over her chest going past her waistline. For her attire, it consisted of winter garments so to speak. A blue coat with a white fur trim with a scaled gray protective vest over it, three thick belts fastened tightly around her waist, holding a beige pouch on the front, a black fur skirt reaching her ankles and a pair of thick, furry Viking boots. She had on dark brown arm-bracers, a quiver held behind her back which was strapped around her torso and a bow in her hand.
For those of you not aware, the mysterious woman is none other than Skaði (Nordic: ᛋᚴᛅᛏᛁ), also known as Skadi, Skade or Skathi; the Norse Jötunn Goddess of the Hunt, Winter, Skiing, Bowhunting and Mountains. The daughter of the giant, Þjazi, who had temporarily married the Vanir god, Njörðr, as compensation by the gods for the murder of her father.
And last but certainly not least, the final man was sitting alone at one of the tables. He was of an imposingly tall height, almost dwarfing everyone else in this regard. He had a muscular, but slim physique with a tall head. His long and dark hair and beard were braided into follicles in certain areas. He wore a weathered blue shirt and a dark leather vest over it with several tattoos of his own, specifically one of a faded, triangular shape on his forehead from the root of his head and pointing to the top of his nose. And just like Heimdall, had glowing irises, but were yellow, instead of purple. But the most notable characteristic about him was that he was missing his right arm, now a stubby appendage.
This man was addressed by the name of Týr, (Old Norse: Tyrr, Nordic: ᛏᛁᚱ), the Norse God of War, Law, Justice, Trial, Courage, Authority and Honor.
"The mother of Kris Bengtsson has finally arrived!" Baldur proclaimed excitedly, then took a bow. "Baldur, my lady, the god of light and beauty. At your service."
Elsa couldn't help but chuckle at his suavity.
"Alright, chill out, you. Don't embarrass thyself." Skaði rolled her darkened eyes at him, stepping forward herself. "We've been waiting for your arrival. I, myself, have been worried you wouldn't come at all. Anyway, Skaði is the name. Skaði Thiazzidottir."
"Goddess of bowhunting and mountains, right?" Elsa accepted the Jötunn goddess's hand for a handshake.
"Exactly." She smirked, then she looked at Stig and the boys. "And your other sons?"
"No." Stig shook his head. "I'm her other son. These guys are my friends."
"Hi!" cried the cheerful Rudolf.
"So anyway, we were…alluded to the fact that Kris is here. So is he or isn't he?" The goth boy said, wanting to know already as soon as possible.
"Yes, I want to know. Is he?" Mei was getting increasingly desperate.
"Well, technically, yes, but…." Skaði began to gently say, before Helen intertupped.
"I love your hair." She grinned.
"Thanks." smiled Skaði at the compliment, fingering one of her large braids. "It's my natural color."
"Did Kris mention anything else about me?" begged Mei.
"Who are you again?" asked the Goddess of Winter.
"I'm Meilin Lee. Call me 'Mei' for short." Mei introduced herself to her.
"Oh, yes. Many times. He spoke about you a lot. Are you a friend of his?"
"Of course!" The Asian-Canadian girl nodded, then frowned sadly. "Though, I'm not sure if we are anymore."
This made Ming frown sympathetically and with remorse, knowing full well that she was basically the catalyst for the end of their friendship.
"No thanks to her." Stig jeered, pointing his thumb at her mother, who scoffed at his tone.
"Chin up, youngling." Baldur came over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "There is still hope for you and the boy. If I may ask, are you two… in love?"
"..." Mei's eyes shot wide open, her heart rate picked up and a beat-red hint painted her face.
"Are you his girlfriend?" Skaði asked with a big smile.
POOF!
All of the gods around the group had backed away from the cloud of pink that erupted from the girl as she transformed into her red panda right in front of them all.
"Mei-Mei!" screamed Ming with worry at the occurrence, running up in front of her daughter with her husband to calm anyone's shock and try and keep them from trying to kill them if they even tried to.
"Wait, everyone! Please! Don't be afraid! This is just a family thing of ours!" Ming nervously giggled, subtly begging them not to be afraid.
"You're all descendants of Sun Yee, are you not?"
What?
All eyes had reached the circular shape of flying saucers.
Every member of the Lee family turned to follow the voice of that question to Týr, the God of War, trying to drink in his words.
"What did you say?" Wu asked him with squinted eyes.
"Excuse me?" asked Lily.
"A group of Asian women with green-colored attires and the same bright red hair. I recognize that anywhere."
Mei snapped herself free from her shock to poof back into a human, eyeing the God of War with extreme bewilderment.
"You know Sun Yee!?"
"Yes." He murmured, standing up. His height surpassed everyone else's in the room, which took the Lees by surprise.
"Jeez, he's tall." Tom whispered to Adam.
"I have traveled to many other lands outside the Realms and I have visited other pantheons along the way. Egyptian, Celtic, Japanese, African, Mayan, even the Chinese."
"What about Greek?" asked Roar with a childish chirp.
"Yeah, yeah." Rudolf nodded.
"I try not to." Týr frowned indignantly, crossing his arms. "Those Olympian gods are anything but endearing or welcoming. Not even I would dream of seeking an audience with the likes of them, not even Zeus."
"They're real, too?!" cried Ping.
"In the kindest words available, Zeus is….a total prick." The God of War commented with the most brutal honesty as humanly or inhumanly possible.
"Those are the kindest?" retorted Wu with a huff.
"Anyway,..." Mei realized they were getting off-topic. "Have you met Sun Yee? What is she like?"
"A rather enchanting woman. Endearing, charismatic, adorable and took spat from no one." explained Týr.
"Hmm, that sounds about right." Wu smirked proudly.
"I always knew she was a bright young woman." Helen said, with Lily nodding in agreement.
"I'm learning so much today." Shan spoke triumphantly.
Ping kissed her husband on the cheek.
"Yes, you are."
"She loved being a red panda, even after the dangers that threatened her family were long gone. Her daughters, however, less so. I had introduced her to the magical arts and I gave her the idea to perform the ritual to seal her children's red pandas away with magic she had learned from shamans."
"Hold the phone." Chen choked. "You're saying the whole red moon ritual was your idea?!"
"No, not really." He shook his head.
"But you did say you know magic!" Wu erupted from the group in a mad rush, grabbing at the God of War with crazed strength, even poofing into a red panda in the process, demanding answers. "Tell me you know a way to fix this! You must have a solution! I've been stuck like this for seven months now!"
"Mother, please!" Ming and Jin grabbed her mother's fur to anxiously yank her off him.
"This is going so well." Stig muttered to his two friends.
"I can almost sense the sensual energy." Rudolf exclaimed, earning him a slap.
"Look, I do know some magic, but my understanding of Chinese shamanism is meager…and very lacking." Týr professed genuinely. "And even if I did know a way, why would I want to help you rid yourselves of your red pandas? That would be disrespectful to your ancestress. Sun Yee gave you all this as a blessing."
"Yes, I know that, but-" Wu scoffed.
"But if it's such a blessing, then why do you need a ritual to help you get rid of it?" Stig snarked with crossed arms. "You say this red panda is a blessing to your family, yet you treat it like it's a disease. Pretty hypocritical if you ask me."
"Wow! I knew that was in there somewhere!" Rudolf declared smugly, but then Stig boiled, punching his stomach, then his head.
"Now listen here-!" Wu started to go off on the rude goth kid for his insolence, but Elsa whacked her away from him in annoyance.
"Don't start!" She growled. "This is neither the time nor the place!"
"I have to agree, myself."
All of the gods and goddesses there inside the hall all frowned darkly at the sound of the familiar sly and sardonic voice that befell their poor ears, because it just had to be him of all people intruding on their conversation.
Everyone turned to face him casually standing a few feet from them.
The smugly-smiling man with the cocky air about him had dark red hair in small braids, fair skin with faded moss green Nordic runic tattoos on his face, wickedly pencil-thin eyebrows and burning eyes of earthly green. He wore a green shirt, had bejeweled necklaces, leather straps on his arms, belts and straps around his waist holding up a cloth skirt with a fur trim, dark cloth pants fastened around the kneecaps and boots.
Elsa didn't need to guess who this was, because in her mind's eye, it was fairly obvious and Stig seemed to realize that as well.
Mei knit her eyebrows. She already had red flags about this person.
Loki (Nordic: ᛚᛟᚲᛁ), the Norse Jötunn God of Mischief, Lies, Trickery, Artifice, Storytelling, Magic, Chaos, Rebellion, Destruction, Disarray, Temptation, Earthquakes, Violence, Humiliation and Change, the Father of Monsters and the Champion of the Jötnar, stood before them all after overhearing the subject matter at hand, unable to handle the temptation of barging in to throw in a few jabs. The trickster, the rebel, the outcast and the charlatan of the gods already had so many snarky comments at the ready.
"If your dear, loving ancestress gave you your brains, would you get rid of that too?" He retorted sassily.
"You suck, Loki!" Baldur roared with fury, throwing his cup at the God of Mischief, who immediately ducked out of the way. Loki's shit-eating grin only grew in size as he moved closer.
"Oh, yeah? Well, so does your mother. You can ask her."
"No, you can ask me yourself, Laufeyson." Frigg came by his side with a stern glare that every mother would give their misbehaving children. Loki, despite his arrogance, decided to tread carefully this time.
"Forgive my intolerance, noble queen." He bowed. "But I couldn't help but overhear of Sun Yee's infamous endeavors."
"That's none of your business, pal!" Lily hissed at him.
"Odds my bodkins." said Loki sarcastically. "Such a fiery spirit. Not unexpected for such an attractive, voluptuous woman."
Lily scoffed at him at how lecherous that sounded coming out of his mouth, then slapped him across the face then returned to Tom's side. Frigg's face remained unchanged, though the other gods and goddesses all smirked in amusement at seeing a mortal bold enough to raise a hand to the God of Mischief.
However, Loki just laughed it off.
"I like her a lot." He joked.
"You make such a boring Avengers-level threat." Rudolf piped up, though the context of his words was lost on Loki.
"Were you dropped on your head?" He ribbed.
"I ask myself that everyday." Stig said with a smirk, though Mei swatted his chest at that unapologetic remark.
The cawing returns once again and all the mortals' heads jerked upwards to see Huginn and Muninn fly in through the open window on the side of the hall, then flew in a beeline towards a tall stone throne ahead of where they stood, which was the center of a few other thrones and towered over them completely, then the birds began to spin in a circle, creating a tornado of black feathers as their cawing continued. All gods and goddesses silenced immediately and turned to face the black furry, sharing the notion of who was about to appear before their very presence.
Frigg, on the other hand, nothing was stopping a smile from appearing on her face. He always enjoyed his grand entrances. Mei started to feel goosebumps and an icy chill, but fought to not transform by keeping herself calm and collected. Sure, her red panda family curse was already well-known via the Norse gods, but she had been trying to keep her transformations at a minimum and only transform in necessary situations, providing of course that the red panda would be useful when said situations call for it.
All cawing stopped and the cloud of feathers dissipated and now sitting right on the high throne known as Hliðskjálf, there he was.
There he was in all his mysterious glory.
Huginn and Muninn disappeared into his forearms as he held them out, the bird transforming into tattoos on his skin.
Stig, Roar and Rudolf carefully inspected and examined him more closely and saw the complete opposite of what they were used to seeing in the comics, the cartoons and the cinema, almost going against everything they've ever known about him thus far. Sitting right on that throne with strict, calculating eyes was not a tall, stocky, varyingly muscular kingly figurehead with a great big, bushy beard wearing a golden helmet with valkyrie wings.
But rather, a small, skinny old man.
His most notable feature was the eyepatch over his right eye, made of brown leather and fastened around his head with a silver button behind his right ear. Due to his old age, he had advanced baldness with his gray hairs still carefully groomed to perfection, shaggy beard and mustache. The right side of his emaciated face was covered with Nordic tattoos and scars that were hardly visible, most likely the price for sacrificing his own eye. His fingers were overloaded with gold rings.
He wore an elegant and comfortable light black tunic made from the most high-quality of wool, a good part of which was adorned with golden embroidery to emphasize his kingly status. Resting on his shoulders was a large and thick brown coat hanging off of them like a cape.
Everyone had no words and movement remained lacking to be in the presence of none other than…
…Odin (Old Norse: Óðinn, Nordic: ᛟᛞᛁᚾ), also known as the All-Father, the King of the Æsir, the Ruler of Asgard and the God of the Sky, Death, Wisdom, Healing, Poetry, Frenzy, War, the Runic Alphabet, Crafts, Royalty, the Gallows, Divination, Knowledge, Magic/Sorcery, Lord of the Hanged and the Raven King; the father of Thor, Heimdall, Baldur, Tyr and many others.
He rose from his throne with his sharp staff, Gungnir in hand and his two pet wolves, Geki and Freki by his side, the All-Father lumbered over to Asgard's mortal guests.
None had expected him to look like this.
As the geezer got nearer and nearer, Elsa felt her whole world come crashing down on her as she remembered Morten's claims about two ravens and Odin himself. As they connected the dots in her brain, she was 50% sure that she was forgetting how to breath or even think.
'The ravens. My father was right. He's…..real.' Her discombobulated mind gasped.
The old man closed in on Elsa, his wolves sniffing her like domesticated house dogs. Elsa remained still as he circled her as if checking for anything unusual that may expose her as an imposter, then stopped in front of her to stare deeply into her eyes with that stony gaze of his. Then his wolves laid down on the ground, panting.
And suddenly,...the man's resolute face dissolved into a cheeky smile.
"Well, don't just stand there. Give the old man a hug." Odin cried with a gruff voice, instantly dropping the cold and standoffish facade altogether to bring Elsa, taken off-guard, into an embrace just as Frigga did earlier.
All mortals were just as equally taken aback by the sudden switch in demeanor as Elsa was, who smiled nervously and hugged him back. Though, it felt like she was hugging her father.
"Kris has been lost without you." He spoke, then he saw Mei standing there. "And you must be?"
"Mei Lee, sir." She spoke without hesitance.
"You must be his love interest."
Mei blushed madly again, but fought the feeling back this time.
"No. Just his friend. Well, I used to be anyway." She sighed.
"Kris's words were exceedingly vague at best. What exactly happened?" The All-Father asked for details, but only a few just so as to not pry.
"Well, it's really hard to say." Mei tried not to break down into tears upon remembering the look Kris had on his face that night after Tyler's part disaster when her mother castigated him and slapped him across the face.
"That's quite alright. I'll only assume it wasn't pretty." Odin spoke gently. "But you're all here now, descendants of Sun Yee. May I say that I am prestigiously graced to see those related to the Chinese lover of red pandas in my hall of the Nine Realms. Though, I'm ashamed to see you of all people here."
And by the word 'you', he means Ming Lee, who froze like a sculpture once the All-Father eyed her coldly with a sour expression. She did not move a muscle when he closed in on her with Gungnir pointed at her.
All her family members were so close to coming to her defense, but were held back by the gods, non-verbally reminding them not to interfere.
Mei had a feeling Odin won't do much to her mother.
"You've got some nerve showing your face here." He growled at her. "After everything Kris had to take from you."
"Look, I'm really sorry about that. I really am. That's why I came." Ming pleaded with him. "I know what I did was wrong. There's no excuse for that. But I really need this. I wanna undo this as much as I can."
"It's true, Mr. All-Father, sir." Jin stepped in on his wife's behalf. "We're here to make amends."
Odin pondered his information for a brief few solitary moments before lowering Gungnir, much to the Lees' relief.
"If your statement is true and your motives are as pure as you claim, then I suppose I bear you no ill will." The old king sighed. "But any false moves and I will send my ravens back from whence you came."
"Yes, sir." Ming nodded frantically.
Thunder rumbled from the skies above, which turned everyone's attention to the ceiling. Lightning crackled as well while the sky outside darkened.
Normally, you'd think it was just a thunderstorm rolling in, but all of the Asgardians and those populating all the Nine Realms knew exactly what this meant right from the get-go. The teens knew this as well with Mei having a grim feeling in her stomach about this. Stig wasn't too afraid, but Roar and Rudolf were both trembling themselves. Storms weren't exactly just a natural phenomenon or a force of nature in the Realms, but it was a sign.
A sign of his arrival.
The doors to the hall were shoved wide open, giving entry to the one at the doorstep. Everyone looked toward the entrance and at that instance, all colors had drained from their faces, perseverance painted their skins and cold chills ran up their spines.
The giant familiar shape of him took giant, heavy stomps into the hall in their general direction.
Large, ominous thudding strides came increasingly closer to them like an enormous, hungry feral beast was edging near, looking for meek prey. Ming, on the other hand, felt her heart stop.
It was the same exact god from the SkyDome that Kris had transformed into.
The same god that went crazy and had beaten the ever-loving sweet crap out of her.
The same god that had pummeled her with his hard, skull-banging hammer to near death.
Who had her at his mercy, had severely broken her nose, her arm, her leg, her neck.
Who wouldn't stop until she was dead.
It was him.
.
.
.
.
Thor, the God of Thunder, entering the building and he was coming towards them….
Right
Now.
And now we've finally entered the Nine Realms, starting with Asgard and we've met the Norse pantheon, or at least a portion of it.
So let me set a few things straight, the gods presented in this story will contain elements from the God of War games, with the added elements of my own while still remaining somewhat true to the original source material. For instance, Odin will be the man who used to be the evil tyrant from GoW: Ragnarök, but has been changed into a benevolent ruler with a grandfatherly-like feel to his character. Tyr is the same as his game counterpart in regards to appearance and personality. However, he still loses his arm to the wolf, Fenrir and it doesn't grow back. And as for Frigg; in the game Freya IS Frigg, or rather she's been called that during her marriage to Odin since some recorded sources detail how Freya and Frigg are one and the same. But in this story, they'll be two separate characters.
And as you can see here, Loki, the trickster, has a rather...tumultuous relationship with his fellow gods on Asgard, most particularly Baldur, since Loki was responsible for his death. And although he remains the same as he is in the original myths, he is by no means an evil antagonist in this, but instead an anti-hero of sorts.
Also, taking into account that Tyr has visited other lands and met other gods in the game, I'm going to use this same logic in which he's met Sun Yee before when she was alive and was fully aware of her red panda blessing from the gods.
Oooooh! Thor himself has finally arrived in person. Ooh, the chills! Can you feel the chills! Just wait until the next chapter.
Next Chapter: Odin sends Elsa, Ming, Mei and Stig on a journey to visit the Norns, the weavers of fate for a more accurate explanation of Kris's whereabouts. It's there that they learn some very jaw-dropping facts about Kris's family heritage.
Next Update: April 18, 2023