Disclaimer: Turning Red and it's characters are the property of (c) Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios.

Elements are borrowed from God of War (2018) and Ragnarök, owned by (c) Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment.

It should be common knowledge that Kris and Stig have been die-hard fans of Nörthfölk since their late father introduced them to them when they were younger and he and their mother were both fans of the band themselves as well. Now some would question the idea of introducing such violent music like this to underage children, but it was a little known fact that music from a band like Nörthfölk was quite harmless and enjoyable for all ages. And the band has provided child-friendly versions of their songs in the past years with less vulgar lyrics than those of the originals. And Kris has been obsessed with the band ever since and other death/black metal bands in general. It was like yesterday when he and Stig first met Roar and Rudolf and met with a pleasant surprise that both of them turned out to be huge Nörthmen themselves. "Nörthmen/Nörthwomen" being the overall nomenclature used to describe the male and female Nörthfölk aficionados, respectively, worldwide with the third-person term being "Nörtherners". And it was without a shadow of a doubt that Kris and the boys were the biggest Nörtherners in all of Canada like nobody else in the whole known world.

"Deathfest, huh?" Elsa smirked, looking over the flier.

"Yeah, me and the gang catching Nörthfölk live on stage." Kris told her with a confident smile.

"Hmm, well, that actually does sound like fun." His mother said, putting the advertisement on the table. "Though most of it is adult-oriented and you're still only 18."

"Yeah, but it says parents need to be with teens between 15 and 20 if they're going to attend." insisted Kris as he sat down on the table. "All those other bands seem cool and all, but I only want to go to see Nörthfölk."

"I get that, but admittance is pretty expensive." Elsa noted with a thinking face.

Seeing this face made Kris worry a bit. He was really hoping to go to this event ever since he had found that flier in the street the other day. This band wasn't just the one thing he really loved as a number one fan, but it's also the one thing that keeps him connected with his father.

"But then again, your father would've hated to know you didn't go to a Nörthfölk concert in your life, so I don't see why you shouldn't go." She finally exclaimed with acceptance.

"Really?" Kris lit up, smiling with hope in his beating heart.

"But on one condition." He froze when she held up the finger since there's always going to be a 'but' somewhere. "You have to pay for your own ticket and one for each of your friends."

"Uhhhhh…" Not sure what he wanted to say to that, except that he had a feeling she was going to suggest that to him. It's not that he wasn't going to commit himself to working for those tickets, but he just had no idea where he would exactly go to work for that kind of money, except for the temple, that is.

"A summer job, then?" He deduced.

"Just a temporary one." His mother responded. "It doesn't need to be the whole summer. Just until Deathfest. When is it again?"

"July 10th to 12th."

"Well, that should be plenty enough time to earn enough cash." Elsa said with a shrug. "Just, you know, don't tell any of them why you need the money, because they probably won't hire you if you do."

"Where can I even work?" Kris sighed, sitting back down on the chair. "I don't feel like working back at the temple again."

"I understand." said his mother, nodding, but she planted a small worried smile on her lips to see that he still hasn't adjusted well enough to Ming yet after three years. Then she sat down with him to give him some motivational words.

"Even if you don't go back to working for her again, at least try to give her a chance. Mei's gonna be leaving for camp soon and maybe you could try doing something with her that isn't work-related."

"Like what? Have her drive me to work?" Kris groaned.

"I'm just saying that if you take a moment to consider what us and them have been through, maybe you'll understand her more. I mean, after helping us save you from….the scary undead place, she's been there for all us. Her, Mei, Jin and all of them. She's never once let you down again. But again, you don't have to reconsider ringing up merchandise at a family temple. There's still other opportunities." Elsa held her son's hand.

The boy took a moment to think his mother's words over. What was he going to do? How was he going to make enough money for all of them to go? There's so much that he could do for work.

Just then, a questioning moo interrupted his thoughts which made him turn to face Umbla, sitting on the floor with Gnasher and Grinder and giving the boy a look. Just years ago after they returned home from Norway, they were met with the biggest shock of their lives to see the nanny cow in their house after last they saw her was back at the farm. They didn't even bother thinking to question how she was suddenly at their house or how she had gotten there by herself. One thing was absolutely certain. Things for them were going to get real unnatural. It took a while to get used to having a cow living with them in their suburban home, but Umbla has shown to appear from one place to another in the blink of an eye and no one ever asked why or how.

"You bet." Elsa agreed with their intellectual bovine guardian. After years of spending time with her, the woman somehow - surprising even herself - being able to understand her. Stig's also given her a couple pointers on speaking with animals to start her off with. "Just you, me and the rest of the gang, all of us Nörtherners together seeing the sickest black metal band in earth live on stage."

"Still can't believe you still consider yourself a Nörtherner." Kris spoke with amusement.

"I'm a natural-born Nörtherner to the end." Elsa raised the devil horns with the enthusiasm of a true-born, thoroughbred metal head that she is.

"I still think they're quite a bad influence on you." Called the voice of Morten from the family room on the couch in front of the TV.

"Don't be a dinosaur!" Elsa answered back like a defiant, rebellious teenager. "We all have our quirks!"

"I still insist Kitty Kallen is the best and only the best."

"And we all have our opinions, too!"

"I'll be lucky Kris doesn't go back to working with her ever again." said Carl, who still isn't that fond of Ming himself considering the history his grandson has with her.

"Oh, give it a rest." Elsa rolled her eyes at her father-in-law.

School was finally out and summer break was about to begin. And it was the day after their last day of school where it was to be the day the 4*Townies went away to camp. All of the campers were waiting at a parking lot near the park where a group of school buses will come and pick them all up. Wanting to come and kiss their girlfriends goodbye, Elsa rode Kris and his friends to the pick-up zone where the girls and their families were there to see them all off with the other kids ready for summer camp. Ming and Jin were with their daughter with Ming looking ready to cry, but also ready to accept her daughter's departure knowing that they'll be back home soon.

Priya's family were there - the Mangals, her mother Ishani, a professional neurosurgeon working alongside Elsa at the hospital she works at; a portly woman with a bindi between her eyebrows and long, slick black hair, her father Amir, a realtor; a bespectacled man with thinning hair constantly on the phone, speaking with clients and then there's her older brothers Rahul and Zahir, who both like to taunt and tease her as older siblings are wont to do, but they love their little sister no matter what.

Miriam's family - the Mendelsohns - present consisted of her mother Laurie, an accountant; a woman with a mane of curly brown hair and freckles like her daughter, her father Samuel, a factory machinist, a dark-haired gentleman with glasses and a short beard.

And lastly, Abby's family - the Parks. There stood her mother Joon, a hair salon owner; a woman with shoulder-length black hair with a hime-cut and a beauty mark, her father Hwan, a barber working at the salon; a man with short black hair, her older sister Ava; a girl constantly talking to her friends on the phone and her baby sister Mary, a cute 5-year old with black hair in pigtails.

"Now you make sure to put on bug spray before you go outside in the woods." Abby's mother told her strictly. "You don't wanna get stung by any bees or bitten by any mosquitos, otherwise you'll be scratching yourself the whole time you're there and you'll be sorry."

"I got it, mom." Abby rolled her eyes.

"Hey, no backsass, young lady." Joon warned her, pointing a finger at her. "I'm just looking out for you."

"Too bad your dumb boyfriend won't be there to kiss you goodnight." Ava snarked with a bragging smirk, which made Abby seethe.

"You're just jealous I have a boyfriend." She shot back at her.

"I do too!" Her sister deflected right away, but Abby called bullshit on that in a nanosecond. "And guess what? He's got more brain cells than yours does."

"Which one? The slimeball from Kappa Kappa Nu or the mentally-handicapped bookworm from your English class?" The plump girl rubbed it in more and more.

"Girls, girls, that's enough!" Joon shouted, breaking both her daughters apart. "Please! Abigail is leaving for camp and let's not make this difficult for her."

The smug little Abby stuck her tongue out at Ava, who did the same with her in response and that made their mother smack their heads in a disciplinary way of getting them to shape up and act their age. Mary grinned giddily as she hugged her big sister. Abby smiled, hugging her back.

"I'll miss you too, Mary." She gushed.

"Write to me everyday, please?" The little girl begged.

"I'll do my best."

Laurie Mendelsohn was brushing her daughter's hair with a brush while her husband was wiping her face.

"Is this really necessary?" Miriam asked, uncomfortable.

"We just want you to look more presentable along with the other kids." Her mother answered, still brushing.

"They're not gonna care. And we're gonna be out in the wilderness for weeks." Miriam tried to fight against their preening of her like she was some prize-winning poodle before brushing them off. "Please stop, okay?"

"What? You know us by now." Samuel said to her.

"Everything will be fine. Relax. I'm going to camp, not a gala." Miriam fixed her hair her own way.

"Okay, Miss. Smarty-pants." Laurie rolled her eyes with a shake of her head before kissing her. "But we'll still miss you, though."

"Me too." Samuel agreed, hugging her.

"Thanks." Miriam let a smile appear.

Meanwhile, Ishani was rummaging through her daughter's backpack and her bag to go through inspection and make sure her daughter has everything she needs for camp.

"Clothes, underwear, flashlight, insect repellent, spearmint gum…." The Indian woman noted each item after the next.

"Not the Triple Dent brand, I hope." Amir remarked jokingly, though he, himself, was not a huge fan of that kind of gum, for the most part thanks to their silly commercial and that annoying theme song.

"That should be everything. Alhamdulillah." Ishani confirmed with satisfaction, zipping everything up.

"Thanks for everything, mom." Priya moaned.

Then her older brothers did what they did best to tease their little sister, which was by hugging her tightly from both sides, invading her personal space and giving her a major noogie, much to her chagrin.

"Good luck roughing it, lil' sis." Zahir bantered like an idiot while he and his brother gave their own version of a goodbye.

"Yeah, don't forget to eat plenty of beans." Rahul chortled a laugh that sounded more like the oink of a pig, making Priya more and more uncomfortable, making her have enough of this unwanted attention.

"Yeah, yeah." Finally, she wrestled out of their hold as if escaping from a kidnapper. "I'll miss you too, birdbrains. Just do me a favor and stay the hell outta my room while I'm gone. Because if I swear if I find any of my personal stuff missing when I get back, there's gonna be serious hell to pay. Got it?"

"You got it, Pree-Pree." said Rahul, albeit untruthfully.

"Do not call me Pree-Pree." Priya wanted with a glare.

"Why do you think we call you that?" Zahir laughed at her reaction to that pet name.

Ming was smooching her daughter over and over again, really wanting to show how much she will be missed during her time in camp. Her husband was busy sorting through Mei's things to make sure she was well prepared. Having enough kisses, Mei gently pushed her away, but still had an amused smile while let panda ears sprout from her hair before she started off to go wait with her friends and the rest of the kids, but then Ming noticed something that seemed to strike her as peculiar.

"Ah, wait a minute." Ming raised an authoritative finger, stopping her daughter in place and pointed with a stern glare. "You're not going to camp looking that, are you?"

Of course, it wasn't the ears she was referring to, but rather Mei's hair, which she had dyed bright red like it used to be previously when she first got her red panda because she had gotten so used to that color and missed having it.

"Uh, my hair, my choice, mom." Mei crossed her arms in a defiant stance and a rebellious streak. Ming removed the glare and smiled tauntingly at her before giving her one last hug before she leaves.

"You'll make sure to call me when you get there?" Her mother demanded.

"There won't be any cellular service out there in the woods." Mei corrected her without intonation.

"...right." Ming blushed nervously.

"Just please be careful out there for me, Mei-Mei." She informed her. "Be careful of any bears, mosquitos or just anything dangerous. Make sure you stay with your group."

"I know, mom. Don't worry about me." said Mei.

"I'm your mother. It's my job, you know." Her mother told her, not backing down. "And maybe try not to panda out too much while you're there. You just don't wanna make a bad first impression."

Another couple of minutes had gone by until at long last, the buses were seen pulling up towards the parking lot, all four of them, driving up neatly in a synchronized row. And now it was time to board and for everyone to say their last goodbyes to their families and friends. Mei and the girls hugged their boyfriends. Abby's hug was tight around Rudolf's body and she kissed him really hard as if to leave behind the sweet taste of her lips on his own to remember her by. Miriam and Priya made out with their respective boyfriends while Mei gave Kris a big, warm embrace since she'll miss him the most.

"I'll miss you, Mei." He told her amorously.

"Me too, babe." Mei cooed, letting him go. "I'll see you in the next couple of weeks, okay? Then we'll have the rest of the summer to do anything we want together. Oh, and Kris?"

"Yeah?"

"Please try to go easy on my mom while I'm gone." Mei's face turned to a pleading one, since she truly wants her boyfriend to start trying to warm up to her mother as soon as possible.

"I'll…I will try." He stammered timorously.

"Do your best. That's all I ask. Bye-bye, Sparky!"

And then she and the girls were off, grabbing their things and on the buses, waving the ones behind goodbye one last time before the vehicles all drove off down the road toward camp and disappeared from sight. All their families waved them off, all shouting a chorus of farewells before they all prepared to leave the parking lot themselves. Kris stood there and pulled out the advertisement flier to give it a good look. And he wondered. Wondered how he was gonna make enough money in time before the festival in Montreal. There were so many options floating around out there, tons of countless opportunities and tons to offer. But all he really needs is a short, temporary part-time job that can pay more than just $5.00 or $9.00 an hour. Something salvageable to help him make a decent margin of cash to get his friends to experience the greatest band in the world perform the best show in the history of the world. He's been to a concert before, but it was a band he wasn't a fan of and it turned into a bloody nightmare real quick before he could even blink and he missed out on seven months of his life for nearly an entire year. But a concert for a band that he really enjoyed, that would certainly make his day.

Job hunting was imminent.

"So I wonder what exactly I'm gonna do." Kris scratched his head as he sat on his bed with all of his friend in his bedroom at his house, still reading the flier. "Where can I work for a temporary job that pays really well?"

"There's lots out there. Believe me, tons. You just gotta know where to start." Stig explained while sitting at his brother's desk.

"You know, I hear you'd make about $20 bucks an hour just for babysitting." suggested Rudolf with a dopey smile. "I have a cousin that made over $300 just watching over this parents' kid for them whenever they were gone."

"Maybe your uncle Charlie could hook you up with a shift or two at Best Buy." And then Roar pointed out helpfully.

"Nah, I hear the salary isn't great there if you're working part-time." denied Stig with a dismissive shake of his head. "And the hours are not that great, either."

"Maybe I could try housesitting." Kris came out with one such suggestion.

"You could." Roar shrugged, not seeing the harm in it. "Of course, you'd have to find something to do with your time. All you'd really do was sit around in the house all day and night keeping any burglars out."

"And if they ever came by, you could just pound the shit out of them with your bare hands." Rudolf remarked with a sick smile, thrusting out air punches for emphasis in his point.

"Then the house owners will think I'm too dangerous and fire me." Kris said sarcastically.

"But maybe if you could ask-"

"NO!" Kris shouted, knowing what Rudolf was about to suggest, making him jump. "Sorry, but I'm not going back there again. I can't and I won't."

"I understand, but you have to get over this sooner or later." His adopted brother exclaimed, crossing his arms. "You're gonna need to be brave and learn to face this like a big man. I know Ming's not been the world's greatest boss in the past, but she's bound to be a better one now."

"As much as I want to agree, every time I'm there, I keep remembering the times I've been yelled at, insulted, threatened, called names, there's not way I'm going back to being someone's punching bag." Kris rubbed his eyes, trying to shut out those horrible memories and trying to temper down his oncoming headache.

"But Ming is a better person now, Kris." mused Roar, readjusting his glasses. "We know it and you know it. She's not the same mean, judgmental and snarky person she used to be."

"And again, we're not gonna force you to forgive her, but you do need to consider your options here. As we know of now, she's basically the only person who's willing to provide you with a job." The goth boy advised strictly, staring his brother dead in the eye. "You don't need to do it, but just consider it, at least."

This option.

That one single option that everyone keeps telling him.

To accept Ming, despite her flaws and everything she's put him through.

But it's really hard for him and who can really blame him. Forgiving a woman like her isn't easy. To his credit, going back to work for his old abuser like he used to three years ago is seriously the last thing Kris would ever think to do in his whole life. Everyone knew for a fact that he was still hurting and still healing from his emotional wounds. The trauma he's faced, the assault and abuse he's endured and the months he's spend stationary and unconscious in bed. And don't get him wrong, fixing Kris's guitar for him was a nice grand gesture and all, but it was still gonna take a lot more than even just that to bring any resemblance of peace between the two.

But for god's sake, the woman was trying.

So desperately trying.

"No promises, but I'll think about it." He sighed in annoyance, rolling his eyes.

"Atta boy!" Rudolf cheered, grinning toothily.

"That's all you need to do, my man." Roar encouraged.

"If not the temple, though, maybe some sanitary maintenance would help, too. Just throwing it out there." exclaimed Kris, going back to thinking over his job options.

"Kris, I know you wanna go to this Deathfest thing and so do I, but are you really sure you wanna start your summer off with a bunch of work just for a music festival?"

"I'm really sure. But that doesn't mean I won't make time for you guys." The Norwegian boy assured them calmly and neighborly. Sure, he was dedicated to this endeavor of his, but he didn't want to neglect his friends either.

"When you're off, we could maybe swing by the Heartstone and play some Arcana Encanta or maybe Dragon's Keep. Hey, maybe you could start there!" The exuberant and hyperactive Rudolf jumped in his seat on the floor when the idea stuck him like a bolt from the blue.

"That may not be as bad of an idea. And as soon as we have enough money, it's off to Montreal and we see Nörthfölk live on stage!" cheered Kris, raising his fist high in the sky as he imagined himself on stage with his favorite band, playing his guitar in a hellish landscape surrounded by an audience of undead and skeletons, head-banging and throwing devil horns skyward as they danced along to the wild and chaotic beat of the music.

"Yeah!" All four boys in the bedroom shouted triumphantly along with Kris, following his example and all striking their own thrashing poses like they usually do when thinking of their shared love for death metal.

Imminent, job hunting was, indubitably so. The Deathfest Black Metal Festival 2005 was the biggest opportunity of a lifetime that's ever hit Kris like a fist to the right side of a jaw and never felt any less gratifying and exciting if you're a fan like Kris and his posse. And it was to be taking place in Montreal, Quebec and it was only a 6-hour drive from here to there from Toronto. And ever since he's awakened from his long coma three years ago, Kris had never felt more alive than he did right this moment with the exhilaration binding him and pumping his heart like any black metal connoisseur and zealot that's ever been born and grown up blasting loud, shrieking music into their ears.

Deathfest was sure to bring them all together not just as a group of friends, but like a sacred brotherhood sworn to secrecy, bound by blood, loyalty and intimacy and under the tutelage of a high power bigger and more powerful than themselves. A higher, intelligent, omnipotent and omniscient life form that knew what they wanted and when they wanted and blessed with an anticipatory divine wisdom surpassing anything any other known god of the world of myth could ever be burdened with.

And when they're there at the festival amongst a roaring crowd of their fellow metal heads, that will be the day that Kris and the gang will enter as boys and leave as full-grown men.

Elsa agrees to let Kris go to Deathfest. Provided, of course, he works to pay for his own ticket and one for his friends. And he's still adamant of not going back to his old job at the temple. So now school is finally out and Mei and the girls leave for summer camp, but they won't be gone from the story. We'll see them again soon in future chapters. And now Umbla is living with them, too, now. For those who are confused, let me explain. Umbla apparently has these strange powers like teleporting from one place to another without being seen which she's been hiding from the Bengtssons for a time now and since they're aware fo the existence of the gods and the mythical world of the supernatural, which is where their family technically comes from, Umbla probably felt like she didn't need to hide them anymore.

And now we've met Priya, Miriam and Abby's families. As you probably have guessed, Abby has a little sister who is most likely Boo from Monster's Inc. You get the idea.

Next Chapter: Ming invites Kris over to the Lee Temple for a dinner with the other Lees and even offers to rehire him, but he strongly refuses. Meanwhile, Stacy is being held captive by Hel and her torment of her unleashes Fimbulwinter upon Midgard.

Next Update: June 27, 2023