{The Temple of Týr…}
The day was dying, but that fact was obscured by a veil of angry storm clouds. A [Gate] opened, and Ainz, Albedo, Demiurge, and Mimir with his head carried by a Death Knight stepped out of it onto the dark obsidian surface of the temple, just above the water of the lake.
"Something caused this shift in the weather," asked Ainz, looking up at the rumbling sky. "It even overcame Mare's weather control spells…"
"Likely something to do with Thor, Your Majesty, given that it's a storm. Something's displeased him," replied Mimir. "His temper's a terrible thing to behold. But at least it's not directed at us, for the moment. Now, I believe we were looking for the Jötunheim travel rune. There'll be a door to a chamber beneath the temple dome, just above the current waterline. We should head there. That door should have a generic runic lock on it, so I don't think it'll give you any trouble."
Ainz chuckled. "It should not give Demiurge any trouble."
The archdevil smirked as well. "I will go to work at once, Lord Ainz."
{The Corpse of Thamur…}
Atreus and his father leapt down from the roof of a ruined house, frozen over by the death of the mighty Frost Giant, Thamur. The magic chisel they sought was in sight, a great glowing pillar impaled through the dead giant's skull. Mimir spoke up. "Hurry, we might get a piece of the chisel and be gone before-"
A massive ogre fell from above. A giant man, bare-chested and blond, snapped the monster's neck, before Atreus caught his eye.
"You." With a growl, he hurled the dead ogre aside as if it weighed nothing.
"Boy…" said Atreus' father, gesturing to him to get behind him.
The giant man smiled dangerously. "Surrender. The Allfather demands it."
"No," came the answer without hesitation.
The giant man smirked, drawing a massive sword. Lightning coursed down its deadly blade as he chuckled. "Good…"
"This fight is mine, boy. Go."
{A chamber in the Temple of Týr…}
"That took less time than expected," remarked Mimir in admiration. He, Ainz, Albedo, and Demiurge stood in the midst of a large atrium within the temple. Ainz held a small black stone in his hand.
"What is this?" he asked.
"That, Your Majesty, is the travel rune of Jötunheim."
Albedo huffed. "It's blank…"
"Or in a dormant state," suggested Demiurge.
"Precisely that. I believe Týr and our Giant friends put some additional safeguards in place to ensure that even if the rune stone fell into the wrong hands, it wouldn't be exposed to anyone who wasn't an actual Jötunn, or Týr himself."
"Then it is useless to us," said Albedo.
Demiurge interjected. "Not necessarily. I believe it is likely the child is tied somehow to the Giants, and perhaps is a descendant or relative of them on his mother's side, given the woman's wish to be laid to rest in Jötunheim. If the father were a Jötunn, he would likely have easy access to Jötunheim, being a native, and if the child knew of his heritage, he too would have that access, more than likely. From your knowledge, Mimir, were there any female giants in Midgard whose status is unknown?" wondered Demiurge.
"I'm trying to recall… let's see… Hrodr, no, skull caved in by Thor… Skadi… no, she was unmarried, and froze to death after being tricked by Odin into killing her father, Thiazi… Groa… no… had a husband already, Aurvandl, and was murdered by Odin after foretelling Ragnarök… Hmm, I'll need some time to remember them all. There's a lot of giants to go through, most of them with smashed-in skulls, you see, thanks to Thor and Mjölnir. I take it you're asking because you think something's locked away for the boy and his da in Jötunheim?"
Demiurge nodded. "Perhaps."
"Take your time," said Ainz. He looked around. As he had fetched the rune stone, several side chambers had opened. "There are more areas here to explore…"
"Ah, Your Majesty. I believe this is where Týr stored his many, many treasures from his travels."
"Travels? Where to?" asked Ainz. The group began making their way towards one of the chambers.
"Better to ask where he didn't go. Týr was the most well-traveled of the Aesir. A god rich in wisdom, kindness, and selflessness. He shared his knowledge and wisdom gladly, and used them to bring joy and safety to all. For this, mortals adored Týr, lavishing him with great gifts in return the world over," said Mimir. "Like these. Er, Death Knight, care to gesture grandly at this? No, I guess you can't…" They all entered a great treasure vault, filled to the brim with coins and crowns, talismans and goblets, mighty spears and vast shields.
"[Locate Traps]," incanted Ainz. Nothing in the room reacted to the spell. It was safe.
"A wise move, my lord," grinned Demiurge. "I find it surprising that such a vast hoard is not protected."
"So did I," said Ainz.
"Odin and his minions probably already came through here after Týr was killed and looted anything they found useful," said Mimir. "And probably discovered any traps the hard way."
"Gold is always wanted," said Albedo. She took a single gold coin, looking it over. "All the same, this hoard seems to be a mere pittance."
"I am more interested in any artifacts we can make use of." Ainz smirked internally at how decisive he felt. "Albedo, make arrangements to transport all the items here to Nazarick, and Demiurge… uh, what are you doing?"
The arch-devil was examining a painted clay vase of some sort. "Ah, forgive me, my lord, I was admittedly somewhat distracted."
"That is rather unlike you to be diverted from the matter at hand by such a… primitive thing" sneered Albedo.
"It is of a relatively primitive make, I grant you, but the paintings on it are rather intriguing. This cannot possibly be a coincidence, can it?" Demiurge turned the vase around, showing the painting that he had been looking at to Ainz and the others. Mimir reacted first.
"Ymir's bones… that's… oh no…"
"Mimir?" asked Ainz, a hint of urgency entered his voice. If this is someone who gives a god cause for concern, I think I should be worried to, just a bit! "Do you know who that is?"
"Finally, yes! I get it now! The last time Týr visited that land… Greece, I think, it was nearly a millennia ago, and that's when we all found out."
"Greece? Tell us everything, Mimir."
{Thamur's Corpse, near the Stonemason's chisel…}
Modi cackled as Atreus loosed arrow after arrow at him, all glancing off the face of his shield. "Wow, kid, your mother must have been some whore to lay with the likes of him." The Aesir gestured to Atreus' father, who currently wrestled with Magni for control of the Leviathan Axe.
Atreus drew his dagger. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He charged at Modi.
By virtue of sheer strength, the boy's father tore the axe from Magni's hands, and bashed the towering demigod in the face with the Guardian Shield. With a ground-shaking roar, Atreus' father hewed with the axe at Magni, its eitr-imbued blade cutting deep into the Aesir god's flesh, again and again. Last of all, the Leviathan Axe cleaved into Magni's head, and he slumped to the ground, dead.
"NO! MAGNI!" Shoving Atreus aside, Modi flew into a thunderous fury. Lightning shot forward blindingly from his mace, the sheer power of it almost crippling the boy's father. "YOU BASTARD! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU… YOU KILLED HIM! YOU FUCKING KILLED HIM! NOW THEY'RE GONNA THINK I ONLY GET THE HAMMER 'CAUSE MAGNI DIED! BUT IF I AVENGE HIM, THEN I WON'T BE A LAUGHINGSTOCK IN ASGARD!"
Atreus recovered to his feet, and ran to help his father up, but the lightning pained the boy's hands. Modi's rage turned again to that unnerving smirk. "Ugly and dumb, are ya? Spitting image of your mum!"
"SHUT UP! STOP TALKING ABOUT MOM!" screamed Atreus, charging at Modi, who simply punched forward with his shield, knocking the boy to the ground. "You… don't know anything… about her…"
"Oh? Well, I'm gonna get to know you real well! You're gonna be my new brother, right after I finish killing your father!" seethed Modi in vengeful reply.
Finally on his feet, rage flooded every fiber of Atreus' being, fire almost burning momentarily in his eyes, before it fizzled out, and he fainted, his body overwhelmed.
Modi roared with laughter. "Whoops! I think I broke him! Now to take care of you, old man!" He redirected his fury towards Atreus' father.
The boy had fallen, and Death, the father's old friend, waited nearby to collect the prey that had eluded its grasp many times. But the world turned red around the boy's father, even as the lightning scorched his body. Straining, slowly, he rose to his feet, and took step after thundering step towards Modi, whose fury quickly morphed into terror. "No… NO!" shuddered Modi, retreating for every step Atreus' father advanced. "Stay back!" Soon, the demigod could retreat no further, and he desperately swung his mace at the boy's father. Modi shut his eyes to avoid the blood and bits of skull from blinding him as he caved in the father's skull.
But there was no blood, nor fragments of bone, nor a caved-in skull. The father had grasped the mace by the haft, and as Modi's eyes widened further, tore it from his own hand, and swung it down single, violent blow against Modi. The Aesir raised his shield, and the two implements of war clashed. The last living son of Thor felt the arm strap of his shield snap, and the rest of it clatter to the ground, broken and useless.
Before he could react or run, the world spun around Modi, and a horrible pain wracked his stomach and the lower half of his chest. Blood and bile filled his mouth. The boy's father had punched him mightily, and sent him flying across the open area before the chisel. Spitting out the accumulated vomit from the blow, Modi staggered to his feet, his eyes hot with tears from the pain. "This… this… THIS ISN'T OVER! No…" And as he grasped his stomach, Modi limped away, sobbing and whimpering.
The red haze over the father's vision cleared, and he dashed to his son, kneeling by his side. He ran a hand over the boy's pallid forehead, burning hot with fever. The child breathed, but only just. "Atreus… Atreus!"
"This is bad, brother. The boy needs Freya! And quick! But first, we need a piece of that chisel to get out of here!" urged Mimir.
The father rose, and taking his axe out, moved to the enormous chisel, which glowed bright like fire.
{The Treasure Vault of Týr's Temple…}
"What?!" exclaimed Ainz. As his emotional suppression kicked in, his shock abated. "All of them?"
"Aye, Your Majesty. The whole lot. Killed single-handedly by the very man depicted on that bit of ceramics. Not to mention that since they were literal gods, the land they ruled was devastated when they collectively expired. The lad's father is for sure the man on this vase, and thus is none other than Kratos, the bloody Ghost of Sparta. The pale complexion and blood-red tattoo are unmistakable."
Albedo had a suggestion. "Lord Ainz, we must destroy the god-killer immediately. He poses a greater threat than we initially realized."
"Just a minute, Albedo," replied Mimir. "Observe that he didn't kill Freya for being a goddess, let alone a leader of gods, or attack any of you. Even if he's still in the throes of bloodlust, the Olympians tried to kill him preemptively, and, uh, I just told you how that went."
Albedo's usual smile soured into a frown of disdain. "They were not from the Great Tomb of Nazarick, nor did they have the guidance and purpose the presence of a Supreme Being can provide."
"Lass, they-"
"What did you call me?"
"Slip of the tongue, milady. Sorry. Anyway, from what I heard, this pantheon more than deserved what they got. Given their reputation, it's unlikely Kratos just murdered them for fun."
"That changes nothing," said Albedo. "Regardless of his motivations, this god-killer is a concrete threat to us, and should be eliminated."
"I respectfully disagree. I think the best course of action is to let him be, if not try and get in his good books. Any attempt to kill or harm him or his son would clearly provoke him into the same acts that I described earlier. It's as simple as that. Don't get on his bad side, and he won't be a problem. Even if you could kill him, death's just a nuisance to him. The stories told of how he died and fought his way back to the land of the living, several times over!" retorted Mimir. "There's even rumors of him travelling across time itself to enact his vengeance. Not sure this is the kind of fellow any of us want to be fuckin' around with."
"We could use his son as a means of control. The bond between father and son is easily tugged one way or the other." suggested Demiurge.
Mimir cut him off in exasperation. "Weren't you listening? He wiped out that pantheon because they harmed his family. The boy's all he's got left by the looks of it, since his wife passed on, and he's not going to let you lay a finger on the lad without giving you the clobbering of your life for it. I stand by my suggestion to part ways on good terms, and leave him alone once we get that Jötunheim gate open."
"I only consider holding the child hostage as a last resort," replied Demiurge.
"There's potential in that as a last resort, no doubt, but do we even know what his plans are after finishing his business in Jötunheim?" asked Ainz.
"We could ask him," said Mimir.
"As if he would tell us the truth outright," scoffed Albedo. "He has no reason to trust us."
"Perhaps he will repay trust with trust," replied the severed head. "We should provide solid assurances that we don't plan to threaten him."
Ainz decided. "We should verify to make sure that this man is the god-killer you speak of first, before anything else. It's possible someone else may have assumed the identity to hide themselves or scare other off. The man we met did not have those blades when we met at the mountaintop…"
"Which means if that man is indeed Kratos, the blades are elsewhere," finished Demiurge. "His home?"
"That's a start. Albedo, Demiurge. Return to Nazarick, and see what you and Pan- er, the treasurer can do with that rune stone. Mimir, you come with me. We'll fetch Cocytus and head to that house in the woods. [Greater Teleportation]!"
{Near a lonely house in the Great Forest of Tob, some time later…}
Freya's boat bumped onto the bank of the river. Kratos hooked the rope on Mimir's head to his belt, and disembarked from the flora-covered vessel, and onto the bank. The sky, red as blood, thundered angrily overhead. Shadowy figures stalked along the river's edge. Kratos had seen them as the boat passed along the river. Hel-walkers, vile and eager for battle. But they would not get in his way. They could not. Not when Atreus' life depended on his success.
Kratos ran up the slope leading away from the river, and in a matter of moments stood in the yard of his little wooden house, where he had lived in peace for many years, at Faye's side.
A small mob of Hel-walkers emerged from the forest, charging at Kratos. A small delay. After a few minutes, the Hel-walkers lay dead, their skulls and rib cages crushed by blow after blow from Kratos' mighty fists. He approached the door.
A swirling portal opened behind him, the same magic that the undead had used. And sure enough, the undead, with a towering insectoid monster in tow, passed through. They were followed by one of the Traveler-like monsters Kratos and Atreus had killed in Alfheim.
"Kr- How are you here?" asked Ainz in surprise. "What about the chisel?"
"We have the chisel. Wait for us at the mountain. We will be… late," replied Kratos gruffly. He opened the door of the house. Ainz began to move forward to follow. "I did not tell you to enter," growled Kratos, which gave Ainz pause. He turned, closed the door behind him, and walked towards the crude rug that lay on the floor, flipping it up. Grabbing the edge of a trapdoor in the floor, he opened to the crawl-space beneath. And he pulled a modestly sized bundle of red cloth from within. He set it onto the floor. He paused, feeling a brief, aching pain beneath the blood-stained bandages on his forearms. He unfolded the cloth. There, on the inside of it, was a small, golden mark, shaped like a hand.
Faye… you… protected them? But…
He paused his train of thought. His son was deathly ill. There was no time to wonder about the things Faye kept hidden from him. Not now.
Fighting through a nauseous feeling of self-loathing, he turned his eyes downwards to the horrors guarded by that mark, to the cruel, twin swords held within the cloth. He shuddered as he brushed a hand along the flat of one of those blades. Blades of fire that had cleaved through friend and foe, Fate and Fury, man and god, mother, father, brother, wife, and daughter. Blades of fury that shattered an ancient world. These were the souvenirs of a past he could not escape.
At that moment, Kratos wavered. Some small, all too human part of him wished for this trial to pass from him, to not test his control. The Sorcerer King was just outside. Surely they could come to some sort of arrangement or bargain to save Atreus? Surely the undead knew someone as competent as Freya in healing? If so, he might not need to sully his hands with these blades anymore…
Then he remembered a story he had told Atreus in the boat in Alfheim, of how a horse agreed to wear the hunter's bit and bridle to kill his foe, the stag, and how the hunter then enslaved the horse once the stag was slain. The story continued to tell itself in his head. After long years of servitude, the horse escaped the hunter's stables, finding a home in the pastures near a farm. Would the horse now submit to the farmer's plough for the rest of his life in exchange for curing the sickly foal?
"No…"
He would make no pact or oath with this undead, for not only it would demand his soul as payment, but his son's as well. That he could not allow.
Kratos steeled himself, and took up the Blades, and began wrapping the dark chains about his forearms. He saw someone standing in the doorway from the corner of his eye, not Ainz or the ice lord. He did not need to look at her to see who it was. Athena.
"There's nowhere you can hide, Spartan. Put as much distance between you and the truth as you want, it changes nothing. Pretend to be everything you are not… teacher, husband… father, but there is one unavoidable truth you will never escape: you cannot change. You will always be a monster."
"I know," breathed Kratos in answer. He stood up, and faced the specter of bright-eyed Pallas. "But I am your monster no longer."
He strode towards the ghost, resolute, and passed through the now empty doorway.
Ainz, alongside Cocytus and Mimir, watched as Kratos exited his house, blades in hand.
"Alright, brother, let's see what those blades can do," said the Mimir affixed to Kratos' belt. From the woods appeared another swarm of Hel-walkers, swords drawn for battle. Cocytus hefted his halberd, but with a silent hand, Ainz had the freezing vermin lord stand down.
A drop of water fell from a nearby tree branch, from the snow that covered this area of the forest. Kratos leapt into the midst of the Hel-walkers, as primordial flame surged from the Blades of Chaos. With a gentle plop, the water droplet hit the ground moments later. All the Hel-walkers had been burned, decapitated, lacerated, and delimbed in that span, and Kratos sheathed the Blades.
"Oh yes, those blades'll do quite nicely in Helheim…" remarked Mimir.
"Helheim? The blazes are you headed there for?" asked the Mimir being held by the Death Knight.
"That is my business alone," replied Kratos. "Do you have the travel rune?"
"Yes," nodded Ainz. "But-"
"Good." Kratos took that as the end of the conversation, and turned to go.
"Now then," started Mimir on Kratos' hip. "I believe that there's a Door of Yggdrasil, in your own front yard, no less. Take the shortcut back to the Temple." Kratos approached a pile of stones near the edge of the yard, and held out a small smooth stone. The scattered stones came to life, forming a door, through which Kratos passed, and was gone. Two ravens fluttered off from a nearby tree unnoticed. Ainz, Cocytus, and Mimir were left in silence, which Mimir broke first.
"Well, gentlemen, there's our God-killer."
