Apologies for the late update. I'm been dealing with a cold right now. Headaches, stuffy nose, sore throat and I've been needing some rest lately to help me recover. But either way, here's the new chapter. I've been able to get it written in time for posting.
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.
C/W: Murder, bloodshed, gore, dismemberment, extreme violence
"Damn, that was loud." Rudolf remarked at the sound of the resounding blasts from Gjallarhorn. He, Roar were sitting with Bragi, Freya and Freyr outside of Eir's chambers when the noise punctured the still night air and while it managed to send chills down the boys spines with their ominous tones, it did more than that with the gods, such as make their hairs stand on end.
"What was that?" asked Roar.
"Heimdall." Bragi gasped with horror. "He's blown the Gjallarhorn."
"Excuse you….?" The Inuit boy didn't get it.
"It's a call-to-arms." explained the God of Music, getting up and looking outward away from the two boys. "He is to blow Gjallarhorn to signal Ragnarök's approach."
"It's here. And we don't have much time." said Freya, blanched white. "Hel's going to raise an army of the dead. Asgard isn't even prepared yet."
"Well, just have to be quick. Assuredly, everyone across the Realms will come to assist in battle. And when Ragnarök comes, I'll be ready for it." debated Freyr, raising his enchanted sword.
"Yngvi, don't get overconfident. I cannot risk losing you like the last time."
"You won't." Freyr assured his sister.
"What about us?" asked Roar, stepping into the conversation.
"This is why we've sent for you kids in the first place." Bragi informed them. "This is what you are here to do. You are to come assist us in the final battle in any way you can."
At that moment, that's right when Stig, Moose, Willow came rushing over to where their other friends were located after they had returned from Helheim, which was when they, as well, overheard Gjallarhorn's blasts.
"Did you guys hear those horns?!" Willow cried with worry gripping her heart and soul as it did when she heard them.
"We did." Freya nodded from her place on the steps. "That was Heimdall's warning that Ragnarök is soon upon us. He's sent word out to all the Nine Realms for battle."
"Which, I presume, is where we come in." Stig retorted.
"Indeed." affirmed Bragi.
"But are you sure about that?" argued Willow, now growing afraid of joining some fierce battle full of dueling warriors with deadly weapons.
"With our blessing, no harm shall come to all of you. You will not die in battle on our watch. This I promise, this I swear." With a motherly tone of voice, Freya raised her hand to gently abate their fears.
"That's reassuring." Stig deadpanned.
"How's Stacy and Toshio doing? Please tell me they're okay." Willow demanded of the gods.
"They're fine now. Don't fret over them. They're still getting their strength back." Freyr assured the worrisome goth girl comfortingly. "It's lucky Stacy hasn't sustained any severe head trauma."
"Thank god." Moose sighed with relief.
"So what happens now?" asked Willow.
"We prepare. That's all that's left. All of you need to be ready with us for whence Hel arrives with the walking dead." Bragi reported to them. "Which reminds me, where is that other boy right now?"
"Kris?" said Rudolf, lighting up. "He and his dad went…..uh, to go uh…"
After overhearing this from afar, Muninn and Huginn came flying in, cawing as they do, and perched themselves on top of Stig as if he were a scarecrow. With some knowledge they've obtained, they share it with the boy in their own language of caws and squawks that only he understood and it made him tremble with fear.
Back over to where the scuffle had occurred, everyone stopped cold when they heard it as well. Thor, himself, could feel it in his bones. The same feeling he had long ago when he heard it before the end of their world came. The agonizing dread, the heart-pumping terror that seized him for the first time. The toughest of the gods and the mightiest of the Æsir was afraid because his own world was coming to an end.
Again.
Michael returned to human form once the situation had been defused and Thrúd looked more afraid than ever before in all her Asgardian life. Even Surtr had his eyes skyward, looking blank-faced and daunted.
"Those horns. You realize what that means?" Thor yapped at Kris, pointing to the sky.
"Wha…."
"It means that Ragnarök is near." explained the thunder god frantically. "The Midgard Serpent has unbinded the Realms. The end will soon take us all unless we act now."
"But Surtr is still alive, though." Kris tried to reason with him, pointing at the aforementioned fire giant. "Hel won't win if Surtr doesn't commit. That's what she wants, right?"
"But now you all have no way of undoing the damage she's already wrought on the world." testified Surtr himself, musing softly with his grim tone. "Only ending Ragnarök is the way to fix all of this."
"What, are you kidding me?!" cried Kris incredulously. "How the hell are we gonna do that?!"
"You won't."
Kris jumped when he heard her voice.
The same chilling, sickly-sweet and coldly suave voice of nobody and nothing scarier than the Helheim queen now standing near them suddenly from out of the darkness like a shadow as the Goddess of Death finally arrived on the scene to rejoin Surtr.
"Hel!" Thor roared, sparkling with dangerous volts of lightning as he raised his hammer ready to swing it at Hel should she come any closer while Thrúd clenched her fists.
"Don't come any fucking closer!" Michael took the initiative and rushed to his boy's side and pulled him toward them protectively with his hands now taking on the form of sharp bear claws.
"She's free…." A fearful Kris murmured under his whispering breath to realize that Hel is now free to roam about outside of her home realm as she so pleases.
"Oh, you scare me, bear." Hel taunted him. "And it won't even matter, because it's too late. Your world is coming to an end and everything you've ever known will be long gone. All of life will be coming to a close."
"What do you bother to gain from all of this?!" Thrúd demanded, reaching for her sword and aiming it at her. "If the world ends-"
"Then all of you will be joining me in Helheim and you will know what it's like to live a miserable existence just like I did!" Hel shouted at her with a fiery sneer before turning to Surtr. "And as for you, why, if I may, is the boy not dead yet?"
Turning his full attention to her, then to Kris with a brief glimpse, he stared her down with an intimidating frown.
"You've played me, woman. To think I'd go through all this trouble to kill an innocent boy just for you and for what? Like you'd really bring her back to me?" He challenged her.
"And I will, as long as you shed his blood like I told you to." growled the Goddess of Death, gritting her teeth.
"That is not happening!" Michael bit back.
"What is so important about this boy's life that you want him so badly?"
"I already told you, that's confidential! Now-"
"Why do I need to murder this one child?! I demand an answer!" Surtr persisted, prodding even further and not wanting anymore guff if she was going to manipulate him into doing her dirty work.
"Hel…." Swallowing his fear, Kris bravely pushed Michael aside to confront the death queen once and for all.
"Kris, wait!" His father shouted, but the boy wouldn't be stopped.
"Young Bengtsson." hissed Hel after seeing him again after his time in Helheim three years ago and Kris remembered how inwardly terrified he was of her and how creepy she looked back then, but he wasn't afraid this time.
"Look, you have every right to be angry and nobody blames you for the pain you've endured, but killing me and ending the world won't change that." Kris boldly tried to reach out to the half-dead woman.
"Pain?" Hel scoffed and chuckled darkly. "Don't talk to me about pain, child!"
"And last I checked, you held me hostage in your realm of the dead and gave me nightmares!" Kris was putting his foot down. "You made me think I was worthless, that nobody wanted me and that I had nothing else to lose!"
"It was only because you reminded me of myself! But last I checked, you weren't the one who was torn from your family at birth, stuck in isolation for years swallowing lie after lie and tossed into the underworld like trash! I am me because of them!" Hel screamed back at him, the environment around them becoming overgrown with roots and leafless creepers in response to her anger.
"This is not the answer! This will solve nothing!" yelled Kris.
"Just shut up!" Hel was done listening to him as he faced Surtr again. "And you, kill him already!"
"I am not listening to any more you have to say to me." He retorted. "I refuse to be your slave."
"What the fuck is wrong with you?! Are you having trouble hearing me?! I had awoken you from your little nap for this and when I tell you to kill him, you do it! KILL HIM! I SAID KILL HIM!" Hel was nearing the end of her thread with his defiance as she wailed with rage and impatience.
But he was unfazed by her insidious fury and he would not let himself be cowed any longer. Turning to face her one last time, he glared and dropped his sword to the ground.
"No."
And this made Hel seethe and boil.
Eye twitching, knuckles cracking and balling into fists and teeth grinding.
This was apparently the straw to break the camel's back for the last time. Seeing as how hellbent she had been to usher in the downfall of the gods and every careful step she had taken, kidnapping Stacy and torturing her for Fimbulwinter to happen, freeing Sköll and Hati to chase and devour the sun and the moon, letting Garm lose to run amok and threaten all of reality, forcing her brother to free his tail, but this? Sure, killing Kris wasn't essential to Ragnarök, but it was supposed to be Hel's bonus. And not only was Surtr refusing to kill Kris, but he won't even follow through with the final piece of her master plan.
And there were no mere words to even begin describing her anger at such disobedience. It made her so livid that she would have to take matters into her own hands. She would have to use force if she had to.
Surtr turned away until his back was facing her, looking back at Kris with a look of remorse. Kris was quite grateful that Surtr was finally able to let go of his murder rage and see reason. Perhaps, in his own head, this may be able to stop the end of the world after all. But thinking back on the fire giant's previous words, what did he mean? Now they had no way of undoing the current damage to the Realms and the entire world as a whole? Does that mean-
Kris's train of thought was disrupted by the sight of an fuming mad Hel who suddenly reached for Surtr's sword on the ground and surprisingly, for a seemingly feeble-looking woman like her - at least on the outside - lift it up off the ground without effort, growling like a feral cat at the same time and suddenly, Kris's brain instantly realized what was about to happen and it sent him into action.
"Wait!"
Kris was pulled back by both Thor and his father right as he instinctively jumped forward in direct response as if to try and stop her, but there was nothing to be done but watch helplessly in horror as Hel shouted furiously as she lunged the tip of the twilight blade and impaled Surtr right though his back where Sinmara's heart was, causing an instant reaction when the sword's fire merged with the icy radiance of the beating heart within his chest and Surtr was caught off-guard by this and even struggled futility against Hel as she plunged the sword further and further through his body, even spurting fountains of burning blood in the process and even Surtr knew it was already too late for him as he surrendered and succumb to his fatal wound.
And it truly was too late. By stabbing Sinmara's heart with Surtr's sword, the final phase of her plan has already begun and Kris looked on horrified as Surtr's body went limp and fell onto the ground with his own weapon still embedded in his chest like a thumbtack.
And for just a quick glimpse at Hel's face, Kris could've sworn that she almost appeared to be trying to hold back tears.
Almost like she hated that it had to come to this.
However, Hel only sighed grumpily, peering over Surtr's dead body with disdain and then sent a haunting frown over at Kris and the rest as they all couldn't comprehend the absolute horror of what they've witnessed and what will soon follow. If Surtr wouldn't kill Kris willingly, then the boy will just have to join everyone else in death when they all perish in the final battle.
"I gotta do everything myself." The goddess remarked coldly, grasping onto the handle of Surtr's sword as she called forth her legion of mares. "Well, Kris, looks like it's war after all."
Before anybody could stop her, the mares neighed frighteningly as they came roaring in, showering the area in temporary blackness and when they vanished, they had taken Hel and the murdered Surtr with them, taking them who knows where, leaving the group in shock.
"This can't be happening." Kris gasped, shaking in his boots.
"There was nothing you could've done." Thor reminded him. "We have to get back. We need to be ready for when Hel assembles her army. Ragnarök will be here any moment."
Kris had no choice but to agree after snapping out of it. He, Michael, Thor and Thrúd all raced back over to Gladsheim to regroup with the rest until they saw Stig and company nearby after the ravens teleported them to where they last saw Kris, which was before he and Michael were confronted by Surtr.
"Stig!" Kris shouted, making a mad dash over to his brother and they hugged.
"Kris!" His goth brother answered with relief. "Thank god you're still alive!"
"Same to you, Stig. Glad that mad guard dog hasn't harmed you kids down there." Michael commented.
"Yeah, we took good care of that. He won't be a danger to anyone anymore." Willow explained, showing everyone the dagger she used on the massive hound.
"Speaking of which, did Surtr come yet? Has he tried to hurt you?" Stig asked his brother with concern.
"Surtr's dead." answered Thor darkly and regretfully. "He refused to kill Kris, so Hel killed the burning fool herself with his own sword, which means she's close to bringing Ragnarök upon us all."
"Which means we need to get ready and be ready fast." Thrúd stepped in, knitting her eyebrows. "We don't have any more time. It's time to get serious."
"We kinda have to, don't we?" Rudolf answered uneasily.
"We do." Kris muttered, all of his disgust and horror gone and replaced with determination. He wasn't going to let Hel take away everything he knew and loved, especially Mei.
"Calm down, everyone! Please simmer down! I know you're all scared. I am, as well!" The camp director consoled everyone in the amphitheater through the mic as best he could for everyone, campers and counselors alike, were especially terrified by the sudden eternal night that's engulfed the real world.
When the pitch blackness hit from out of nowhere, the entire camp was sent into a panic. Many of the poor campers were really freaking out by the lack of sunlight during the daytime and who could blame them? Nobody had any logical answers to this unforeseen phenomenon and what it meant or what it could cause was anybody's guess. None were as pleasant as you'd expect. For all anybody else knew, the world was probably coming to an end. And they wouldn't be too far from the truth.
As for Mei and her friends, they were just as terrified as the others while the QRQ's were panicking like crazy. Heather was combing her hair out of stress - 'stress-combing' as she called it - and her trio were trying to comfort her while Jill, on the other hand, was biting her nails and looked ready for a panic attack.
"Mei, how is this happening?!" Abby shrieked, shaking her friend, riddled with dread.
"I-I don't know, Abby!" Mei cried back, taking the plump girl's hands off of her.
"Is this related to the gods or something?" Priya suggested, sweating. "Did they mention anything related to this at all during your trip years ago? Anything, I dunno, that involves a forever night?"
"I don't…" But when she dug around in the recess of her memories, she did remember something the Norns told her. "Actually, I do remember something."
"What?!" demanded Miriam hysterically.
"It's a little vague, but it did include the sun and the moon disappearing." Mei theorized with what little knowledge she had of the event she was informed of.
"For how long?!" screamed Abby with the same look she would have when she'd fly into one of her Korean rants.
"I'm not sure, okay?!" barked Mei. "But I have a hunch that I may or may not include Kris."
"Bu-...what makes you say that?" asked Miriam.
"If I'm not mistaken, Kris might be the only one to stop all of this."
Each of her friends looked at her as if she had gone completely mad and they gave each other odd expressions, unable to make sense of this otherworldly speculation. It was strange to think that Kris was related to a god at first, but the idea of him saving the world from the apocalypse, that was left to be desired.
"Okay, and how's that gonna work?" Priya lifted an eyebrow at her red-haired friend.
"I wish I could say." Mei sighed and fondled Kris Jr. in her hands, looking at it with the longing desire to be back in Kris's arms once again when and if this whole thing blows over.
Hel was left dragging Surtr's corpse through the tunnel cave after she had her mares escort her to Muspelheim and because of Surtr's massive size and weight, it was similar to dragging a car with a sturdy chain. She grunted as she carried the body over to where she needed it, at the Ginnungagap. And when she came, rocks and floating earthy boulders formed a land beneath her feet for which she could walk on as she didn't stop until she had brought Surtr right to the spot where it must happen.
Right there on the edge of the overpass of the landless terrain at the Spark of the World as many called it as it is where Muspelheim and Niflheim meet and first formed since creation.
And now it was time for the last phase of her revenge scheme.
"With all due respect, big boy, it was nothing personal. But I have come too far to quit now." Hel remarked giving the lifeless body of Surtr one last look before grabbing him by the shoulders and with some amount of inhuman strength, she flung the cadaver of the first and last fire giant into the cosmic nebula of the bottomless void.
Now whether you believe her or not, she really meant it.
As twisted and psychotic as she was and in spite of her title as the Goddess of Death, she had never considered ever wanting to actually take someone's life, even for the fun of it. She only did what she believed was necessary.
Surtr's body disappeared as it merged fire and ice with the stars of the Spark, converging with its ultimate power and becoming one with the universe of the Nine Realms. Hel waited as the brother of Ymir and the ruler of Muspelheim became nothing much else and everything else and in no time, a bioluminescent and eerie glow glistened from where Surtr's body fell into and a hypnotic hum permeated forward and it made Hel liven up with hope just as a deep, booming and disembodied voice echoed forth and all throughout the Ginnungagap as if the great yawning void had taken up a life of its own.
"I. AM. RAGNARÖK!"
It made Hel smile.
She had finally done it. All of this work and all of this time spent, she had gotten the results. She's succeeded at last.
"And so you'll help me now? Help me face off against the gods and end them once and for all?" She called out into the abyss of nothingness and awaited for a response, hoping for some compliance this time.
"I AWAIT YOUR CALL!"...it answered back.
Her smile contorted in a hideous way that makes one comfortable. Grinning wickedly from ear to ear until it threatened to split her head open into two.
Hel will have her revenge.
Kris needed to check up on Stacy to see if she and Toshio were okay. Now that the final battle is nigh, he needed to see if the two were okay or not to join them. Though, a part of him believed that maybe Stacy will not be up for it, considering how much she's dealt with recently from her kidnapping to her torment and to being knocked out cold by a two-legged reptile. Up the steps he went and inside after flinging open the doors, Stacy was finally awake and appearing much better now under the circumstances as did Toshio since he was up and walking around.
"How are you guys holding up?" asked Kris.
"I'm just fine, thanks. At least I can walk normally again." Toshio answered, rubbing his legs while sitting on the floor.
"Stacy?"
"Oh, I'm okay now." She responded honestly, rubbing her temples and scalp. "Though, it felt like I had the world's worst headache."
"Well, that's good for me to hear." Toshio smiled a pleasant smile for her and she returned the smile.
"Good, I was really getting worried about you." With a heavy sigh, Kris came over to them and sat down next to the girl. "It's truly been crazy for us all these past couple of days. I cannot imagine how devastated you felt."
"Because I caused the-"
"It isn't your fault, Stacy." Kris interrupted her sharply, looking her straight in the eye. "You had no control of the situation and all of this was relatively new to you."
"I know, right? But I can't help but think of what'll happen if we don't fix this." Stacy ruefully stated.
"I'll probably never see my dad or stepmom again." added Toshio, turning a shade of sadness.
"So what did we miss?" asked Stacy, changing the subject.
To get them up to speed, Kris guides the two outside the chambers and shows them the lightless sky up above, much to their collective shock and horror. After Kris explained everything to them, Stacy was starting to look more surprised than shocked or petrified.
"You mean, the end is coming soon?" She squeaked with her wavering hands to her face.
"Yes, it is." Kris nodded, hanging his head in shame and downheartedness. "And pretty soon, if we fail, I'll probably never see Mei again or my mother or even Ming. I'm scared, you guys. I don't want to lose everything, but I also don't want you guys to risk your lives in some battle to save the world. It's not fair. If you guys want, I'll ask Huninn and Muninn to send you two back home, back to your families."
Afterwards, he walked down the stairs to go look for the ravens. On the inside, he'd never know what to do if any of them died in battle. That was a disastrous burden to have to carry on their shoulders, not to mention dangerous for teens their ages. And all their families were no doubt worried sick about them.
"No." Stacy stopped him.
Kris froze in his tracks by her hard tone of voice, which really caught him off guard. He turned and stopped when he saw a look of unusual determination on her face, probably the biggest surprise he's had all week.
"What are you saying?" asked Kris with a stammer.
"Yeah, I said it." She grunted, slowly walking down toward him, not letting her sudden spiritedness flicker for a second. "I may not have asked for this, but this whole thing is still my mess. I helped this happen. Hel made me help her start the apocalypse. But I'm not going anywhere."
Both Kris and Toshio didn't quite register where all this steadfastness came from, nor did they even question it. And in a way, you could say that Toshio was very impressed by her immediate sense of courage and honor.
"I'm gonna stay and I'm gonna help fight. I will fight and I won't stop fighting until we end all of this and save our world from total destruction. It's time we take the fight to Hel. She abducted me, tortured me and made me see things I can't unsee and she's gonna pay for her crimes. But first…I could really use a bite to eat. I'm starving." Stacy ended her stalwart speech with an anticlimactic chirp and walked away for something to eat before the battle.
Watching her go, both boys gave each other odd stares. However, Toshio only shrugged.
"That was a quick change of tune." He commented.
The time for preparation for battle was at hand. Everyone needed to be ready for the final fight against Hel's forces. Everyone, the lights elves, the dark elves, the dwarves, the Vanir, the valkyries, the Einherjar, the berserkers, especially the giants, from across the Nine Realms arrived in Asgard to prepare themselves, assembling troops, putting on armor and sharpening out weapons deadly and sharp enough to cut through flesh for when the walking dead and Ragnarök comes. Moose also went to the dwarves for a little favor.
All of the dark elves joined the light elves in managing their arsenal, including their respective leaders, Svartáljǫfurr and Alva. Even though the two have had their differences, they were willing to put them aside for the greater good and for the sake of all life. Alva even admitted that she missed being by his side on the field, despite the fact that they had grown apart all these years. Much to her massive surprise, Svartáljǫfurr brought Svir and Thrum along with him.
"Mother!" They shouted gleefully, bringing the Light Elf Queen to a tight embrace.
"Uh…" She stuttered, but accepted their hug regardless.
"They were excited to see you." Svartáljǫfurr addressed calmly.
"Yes, I can see that."
"Together again!" Thrum celebrated.
Thrúd was training with Brunhild and the other valkyries at Valhalla while gearing up the Einherjar as well, all of whom were good and ready to prevent the end of the world should it arise. Every single one of the valkyries had their spears while Brunhild had her own weapon of choice. Nörthfölk came as well to fight alongside everyone. Stefan had a brief moment with Brunhild after assessing their issues for one another and if they never had the chance, Stefan expressed repentance for his past actions against her. Brunhild said nothing back.
The gods would need every monster as well. For instance, Loki had assisted Thor in speaking with Jörmungandr. The two had personal beef, so this would be easier said than done since they had murdered each other in a deathmatch eons ago. But Thor wouldn't give up. He started by losing his hammer and looking directly into the Midgard Serpent's eyes. For the moment, Jörmungandr was hesitant to trust the thunder god, but he trusted his father more and Thor started feeling emotion when he slowly brought an open hand forth and brushed it against his scales.
"Such…..such a magnificent creature…" Thor gasped with wonder, now suddenly asking himself why he would ever think to kill such a lovely, intelligent being.
Additionally, after snapping him free from his crazed frenzy, Níðhögg was coerced into assistance, as well as the now tame Garm, who was placed in Willow's care as she is the one who granted him a soul. As for Odin, he joined Tyr and Loki in gaining the trust of Fenrir. Back on Midgard, the wolf wasn't initially convinced of the All-Father's sincerity. After all, the wolf was deceived by the gods and chained up, bound to the earth. It sure took a lot of convincing, but Fenrir sensed nothing false about Odin or his claims, so he would cooperate, but he threatened to eat him alive if it turns out to be another trick.
"I will not….allow another…repercussion to befall….me." growled and hissed the snarling Fenrir.
"You have my word." Odin vowed.
Baldur, by request of Rudolf, brought him to see Dagsetr to see if he can earn his friendship. The dragon still wasn't sure about the boy, but Rudolf needed to be strong and courageous. His girlfriend's life depended on it.
All of the kids were putting on their customized armor and collected their weapons from swords, shields, boys and arrows and Kris with his Draupnir spear. One by one, the gods gave them their blessing that they be protected from harm, so that no blade should pierce them. Personally, many of them were still unsure if this would turn out okay for them in the end. Becoming part of an ancient godly battle and participating in a fight to save all from the apocalypse was the scariest thing possible. However, their motivation was that they would see their families again. Moose hoped to be reunited with his siblings, Stig with Priya, Rudolf with Abby, Roar with Miriam and Kris held onto the image of Mei's smiling face in his mind.
VÍGRÍÐR (aka ÓSKÓPNIR)
The Battleground of Ragnarök
And there everyone was on the battlefield where it was all to happen. Everyone was there, ready for the army of undead to come.
Kris, Stig, Roar, Rudolf, Moose, Willow, Stacy, Toshio and Carter were standing on the frontlines with the gods Thor, Loki, Freya, Freyr, Heimdall, Skaði, Týr, Odin, Frigg, Baldur, Vidar, Höðr, Hermod, Bragi, Ægir, Thrúd, Forseti, Sif and Mímir. Among the dwarves are Eitri, Brokk, Durinn, Dvalinn, Dáinn, Andvari, Alvíss, Eikinskjaldi, Fjalar, Galar and King Mótsognir. There was Stefan, Diana, Lars, Marvin, Georg, Hrafn and Lars along with Thjalfi, Röskva, Alva, Svartáljǫfurr, Svir and Thrum, many of the Einherjar and the valkyries such as Brunhild, Eir, Hrist and Mist, Geirdriful, Göndul, Gunnr, Sigrún, Hildr, Ròta, Kara, Olrun, Hlökk, Skeggjold, Skögul and Geirskögul, Herfjotur, Goll and so on and so forth. Amongst the berserkers were Michael, Bödvar and several other names you'll find hard to pronounce for the first time. Angrboda rode on the back of Fenrir while Willow was riding Garm as Rudolf rode Dagsetr with Baldur. Ratatoskr and Níðhögg was there as well while Jörmungandr waited in the wings for action.
All eyes stared forth into the mist with their guards up and fists tightening against their armaments. It probably doesn't go without saying that some of the teens were still a little hesitant and nervous.
"Don't be scared, boy." Thor assured his descendant warmly. "We're right here."
Kris took a deep breath in and straightened out his helmet, gathering all of his thoughts and concentrating. This was it. No turning back now. He had to be strong and brave for everyone back home.
"Anyone else having second thoughts?" asked Toshio, looking at his friends nervously.
"Relax, Tosh." Stacy condolanced him whilst she held his hand, which the Japanese boy appreciated.
Then suddenly, a distant sound on the horizon turned everyone's attention out onto the deserted battlefield. Slowly coming in from the mist with soul-piercing unease was a giant Viking ship that did not look like any ship you'd ever see and it looked big enough to hold an entire village worth of individuals as it carried various undead warriors, Hel-walkers, revenants, mound-dwellers and many more, even fire giants since Hel now has command of them after murdering their king.
And standing there at the tip of the bowsprit was Hel herself on a three-legged undead horse standing with perfect balance.
Naglfar (or Naglfari), the abnormally-constructed ship from from the fingernails and toenails of the dead, sailed forward above the ground like a ghost while several other Hel-walkers, trolls, fire giants and Ancients marched toward the army of Asgard ready for the battle of their undead lives.
And Hel smirked toward Kris from afar, but he wouldn't let his bravery waver. She won't let her get the best of him.
Now was the time to put aside fear.
"Get ready." Odin addressed the crowd as the army of walking dead came closer and closer until they began pacing and running with their weapons.
"For Asgard!" thundered the All-father, raising Gungnir into the air.
"FOR ASGARD!" Everyone called back, even the teens, and with not a second to spare, all charged forth, shouting a mighty war cry together as did the demigods, putting aside their worries for the sake of the world when they're about to experience the darkest moment of all their young lives. And as both armies stampeded and clashed together, the battle had begun.
The final battle to determine the fate of the world as it hangs in the balance.
Many hacked and slashed their undead foes with dirty abandon. Thor had thunder and lightning at his fingertips and the brute force of Mjölnir, Sif called upon the forces of nature and so did Freya. Sword in hand, Thrúd slashed a bunch of Hel-walkers that came forward and even used lightning on them just like her father. Odin used every magic spell he knew of at his disposal and proved to be quite the contender for an old man. Höðr, in spite of his blindness, relied on the rest of his senses to take out enemies thanks to years of experience, Bragi was as good a fighter as he was a skald, the Einherjar and the valkyries took no prisoners and the berserkers were the most indomitable. No matter what grave injuries they sustained, they kept fighting regardless. Loki used magic spells and shapeshifted as he was wont to do, even saving Heimdall from one mound-dweller that was about to dispatch him. Even though the God of Foresight already saw it coming, he was surprisingly thankful that Loki, the mischief-maker and his greatest enemy, actually saved his life. Angrboda and Fenrir were like unstoppable forces together, given the wolf's sharp canines and claws and Garm was an even bigger threat to the undead monsters attacking the realm of the gods. Skaði shot arrows at her foes and Týr had help from Mímir strapped to his hip, alerting him of any attacking Hel-walkers coming at him from behind. The dwarves were powerful fighters themselves, same as the light and dark elves who fight battle like a breath of fresh air.
As for the teens, for the first time in their lives, they were faring quite surprisingly well for a bunch of first-timers. Stacy wasn't joking when she said she would stay and fight and she was giving her all for sure. She hollered out as she shot at some Hel-walkers with ice and snowstorms, dispatching them each. Roar had his Fimbulwinter ax that he used to chop up and dismember several undead, Stig had his Bifröst bow, Willow had her own bow and arrows, Carter had been given Freyr's sword that had a mind of its own and was capable of taking on foes by itself and Kris had his duplicating Draupnir spear. As for Rudolf, he rode on Dagsetr with Baldur, soaring above the battle and hitting the soldiers with dragon fire before Rudolf jumped off to join his friends. Of course, they also had their abilities as well besides their weapons. For instance, Stacy had the power of winter at her fingertips, Willow and Stig had magic whilst Stig also used fire and shapeshifting into certain animals, Roar could predict his opponent's next move, Rudolf was practically indestructible, Moose was an imposing force alone, Toshio was in control of water and the ocean and Kris had power of storms.
"Skjálfa!" Willow shot a stunning arrow at a mound-dweller coming at her with a sword.
"Prepare for your funeral march!" Moose quipped, throwing a couple undead soldiers into the air.
"Careful, you'll lose an arm!" Roar shouted, lopping off the arms of a Hel-walker with his ax before chopping its head off and successfully not getting sick by the grisly sight.
"You guys are digging your own graves!" yelped Rudolf tauntingly, easily taking care of a couple of undead enemies coming his way.
"Chill out!" Stacy cried, turning some revenants into ice sculptures, though the others weren't too impressed by her one-liner.
"Now, that one was cheesy." Willow deadpanned.
"Well, if you got an award-winning one, I'm all ears." retorted Stacy.
Kris looked to see an entire mass of Hel-walkers coming their way, so many of them clustered together almost impossible for all of them to take on. But this wasn't much of a challenge for Kris and his mighty spear. He leapt up high into the air towards them the charging abundance of ice zombies and while in mid-air, he electrocuted his spear and fired a multitude of copies at every single one of them. He landed right in the square in the middle and pounded the butt of the spear hard on the ground. The electricity surging through them provided a powerful explosion and created a chain reaction, making every single one of them blow to bits, but Kris was left completely unharmed.
"Shocking." Rudolf marveled at the spectacle.
"Damn it, Dolf." grumbled Carter.
Then more Hel-walkers came toward him and joining forces with Freyr's sword (affectionately named "Ingrid"), he sliced and diced everyone one of them up like deli meat without hesitation. Angrboda fired magic shots at a dozen of undead soldiers from on top of Fenrir's back, who grabbed one troll with his teeth, then Garm grabbed the other end with his own and the two giant mutts played tug-of-war with the creature until it ripped into two, spilling its guts and innards. With his hammer, Thor bashed several skulls in and even called upon the storms to rain lightning down on the soldiers. Michael, as Björn, used his claws and teeth on the undead and his 'Call of the Wild' move stunned them long enough for him to take them down. The Nörthfölk band members were the most dexterous and adept in combat as the gods were. Kris saw a ghoul heading for his father and charged it with his spear forward, then stabbed it in the abdomen, tossing it to the ground and impaling it through the head, trying to imagine those zombie apocalypse movies Stig watches to make himself feel less nauseated and guilty about the carnage. Then Michael returned the favor by jumping at a couple Hel-walkers that were about to attack his son.
Hel observed the campaign from on top of Naglfar and harrumphed to see they were actually doing well, even for a bunch of teens who've been in battle before.
"Fetch me the horn." She whispered to her mares and they, as usual, obeyed without question.
Back on the ground floor, Kris discovered that the spear also possessed control over wind when it vibrated in his hand and glowed. So he used this to his advantage by charging at a bunch of Ancients and the spear released a blast of C5 hurricane wind power which blasted them each apart. Toshio summoned vast bodies of water to wash away some undead soldiers and Stacy used her own powers to freeze them in place like they did before. Then Níðhögg came in with Ratatoskr riding on his head and chewed apart the frozen Hel-walkers, to which they were both startled by his appearance, given their last unpleasant encounter.
"Relax, we've talked things through." Ratatoskr told them, waving off their worries.
After the reptile took off with the squirrel on his head, Toshio and Stacy kept up the fight together back to back with the boy using his ocean powers and the girl using her arrows and snow powers in combined effort. Then when she turned, she saw a huge troll coming Toshio's way and she drew her arrow on the bow, unknowingly spreading ice on it with her hand and fired at its head. The ice on the arrow spread throughout its body and froze it solid, much to Toshio's surprise.
"Nice one!" He congratulated.
"That's new." Stacy smiled in a small voice.
Heimdall was too busy cutting up some mound-dwellers with Hofund to notice some mares coming his way and he predicted it, but they still came nonetheless, because there were so many of them coming from all directions all at once, overloading his senses. Seeing this, Loki decided to come to his aid at once.
"Fálki lið!" The spectral falcons dove into the shadow horses ambushing the Guardian of the Æsir until finally, they dispersed and disappeared, leaving Heimdall overwhelmed.
"That was unexpected, I must admit." He remarked, before realizing he was missing something and gasped, "Gjallarhorn."
Meanwhile, Kris took his focus off the battle to see the grotesque ship floating above their heads and looking at his spear, an idea formed in his head.
"I'm gonna try and take that ship down!" Kris shouted at his bear father. Before he left, Michael roared out words to his son, which he failed to understand, but then Michael gestured his head toward the ship, indicating for Kris to go and be careful.
"It's okay. I know what I'm doing." Kris nodded.
Mustering up enough confidence, he focused and ran until he jumped high into the air toward Naglfar, but it was too high above for him to reach and he ended up landing flat on the ground. Unwilling to be deterred, Kris tried again, but got the same result as before. The ship couldn't even be touched from below. Kris couldn't be beaten by this. He needed to help everyone gain the upper hand. So he concentrated again and tried the jump once more. Only this time….
….he actually flew into the air. Just like Thor does with his hammer. Kris was surprised, shocked and terrified by this new ability that he started swirling all around in the sky like runaway firework. He involuntarily made zig-zags, twirls and all sorts of crazy patterns against his will until he forced down his fright to gain control of it.
He turned his flight pattern right in the direction he wanted and landed right onto Naglfar as planned, now surrounded by more Hel-walkers. But that wasn't the only thing he noticed.
"What is this…..?" Kris examined the basic structure of the vessel and on closer inspection, he retched in disgust. "Ew! Fingernails?! This thing is made of fingernails?!"
But with the undead soldiers coming at him, he needed to act fast.
He returned to his feet and pounded them all away from him to enact his plan. Using his spear, he made more copies and embedded them into several parts of the ship. With more Hel-walkers after him, Kris ran desperately while sticking more spear copies in every single spot of the ship he found, every nook and cranny. Kris ran until his legs couldn't take it, now standing on the railing overlooking the war far below and taking one last look at the undead, he pounded the spear and immediately flew away right before it happened.
KA-BOOM!
The thunderous detonation with every single spear lining the hull created a huge blast that completely obliterated the ship and incinerated an undead aboard it in the process. Everyone below even had to shield their eyes from the explosion and took cover as it plummeted to the ground in pieces until there was nothing left of Naglfar but a huge disgusting mess of nails and debris.
Kris flew back down safely to regroup with his friends to see that many of the undead army had already been dealt with thankfully. Hel-walkers, trolls, fire giants, ghouls, revenants, mound-dwellers had been vanquished at last.
All the teens rushed over to Kris in amazement of his feat.
"Kris!"
"That is intense!" Carter commented with eyes wide. "You can fly too now?"
"You bet." The boy shrugged.
"Oh, man. Ah've never seen anythin' like that!" Moose boisterously replied. "Out of everythin' ah've seen with mah eyes, that took the cake!"
"Young Bengtsson! Are you alright?" Týr rushed over with Thor, Thrúd, Sif, Loki and Michael, returning to human form.
"I'm okay now."
"Son, that was the craziest thing I've ever seen. You are one of a kind." Michael told him earnestly and Kris smiled at him.
Slow, sarcastic clapping disrupted their little reunion, however.
Everyone looked forward to see Hel still standing there on her three-legged stead, unfazed by her ship blowing up and unworried about her army being laid to waste.
"Marvelous. What a stunning venture." She retorted sardonically. "Perhaps I underestimated you all. But the war is far from over."
"Oh, yeah? We already took care of your army, lady!" Rudolf proudly boasted toward her.
"Aren't you forgetting?" She spoke with a leering grin as she reached in and pulled out Gjallarhorn, which made Heimdall panic, realizing the mares that attacked him were sent to retrieve it.
"Please don't do this." Kris tried begging her. "We have families back home."
"Then you can join them all." Hel wouldn't be reasoned with. Her thirst for revenge has clouded her mind and her judgment. No amount of threats or pleading will change her mind now at this point.
And so, she blew hard into the Gjallarhorn and allowed the satisfying low blast to bombart against her ears as she was hoping for this to happen eventually.
This was it.
The call.
For him. Or rather, it.
Afterward, a huge restrained silence fell over the battleground and they waited with panicked patience and trepidation. Suddenly, a huge earthquake shook the ground, nearly knocking all those standing to fall to the ground. But the more the ground quaked, the more Hel grinned and snickered. She turned her steed around to look behind her and as everyone else watched with bated breath and pacing heartbeats in their chests, their truest horror was realized.
From out on the horizon, it emerged from beneath the ground, peering out from the mountains and arising with a darkness looming over its head and a sword in its hand. Those bearing witness to this unnerving spectacle sweated beads of perspiration, even the toughest of the bunch were shaking in their roots.
The towering, titan-sized being was humongous. As huge as a mountain and with skin looking as if it were burned with a glowing blue hole in its chest while its head looked as if it had exploded from inside.
Kris felt his blood run cold and his palms get sweaty as the giant fire beast made itself known.
Surtr has been killed and so, has been formed into…
.
.
.
.
….Ragnarök (Old Norse: Ragnarøkkr), also known as the Twilight of the Gods or Götterdämmerung, the impending doom, the end of all time, the apocalyptic event that would be the demise of the gods and all of mankind.
So yeah, despite reasoning with Surtr, he ends up getting murdered by Hel while Kris can do nothing but watch in horror. Now it was time for everyone to be ready for the final battle to determine the fate of the entire world. Stacy and Toshio have recovered finally and choose to stay and fight with them. And this time, everyone is fighting against Hel and the army of the dead. Everyone, all the gods, the elves, the dwarves, the Midgardians and even the giants join the fight. But sadly, this was just the beginning of the end. Now Hel has summoned Surtr in his new form, the Twilight of the Gods.
Will Kris and the gang be able to prevail against Ragnarök or will the entire world be doomed? Find out in the next coming chapter.
Next Chapter: With Ragnarök unable to be stopped by force, the teens try the Mind Tap that Hræsvelgr taught them to help snap Surtr out of his mindless daze, which succeeds in undoing Ragnarök for good.
Next Update: Nov 3, 2023