Kratos found that there were plenty of raiders for them to take out in the frozen Lake of Nine, some of which Flurry wiped out on her own and others were left for him, Pandora, and Freya to deal with, allowing them a chance to exercise as they took out those that were threatening the local wolves. Such a thing allowed him to calm down Speki and Svanna, because it had reminded them of their days when they were caught by the raiders, before the family had rescued them and Fenrir, and he suspected that Atreus would be happy with their deeds, since it was something his son would do. At the same time it was something Flurry was pleased by, since it allowed a couple of the imprisoned wolves they found to be freed and sent back out into the wild, where they could return to their wild ways and not have to worry about the wolf eating raiders. Artemis was happy to see that nothing had changed for the family, they were exactly as she remembered, even though Kratos was far calmer than she had been expecting, since she had assumed Flurry had exaggerated that part, but it was a good change in her mind.

In addition to that they found an area that housed one of the Hateful's spawn points, where Kratos and his daughters tore into the flaming draugr like they had done in the past, bringing her down and sealing one of her points, even though they knew she'd be back at some point and they would beat her again.

Flurry also found that the Realm Travel room was mostly dead, the magic either sealed by Odin to prevent his enemies from using it or the magic of Ragnarok siphoned most of the power over the last three years, though she was saddened to see it in such a state, after everything they went through to get it to work. She wasn't surprised to find that Brok and Sindri had made sure to clean out the temple of everything that had been brought in when they made Jormungandr move, the dwarves took their stuff and anything of worth back to Sindri's place, leaving a dead workshop behind. Of course Brok was there, simply making sure that everything of value had been taken, in fact it seemed like something was on his mind and might be thinking of speaking to them, but for the time being it looked like he was forming a plan in his mind before bothering them. Other than that it didn't look like there was anything of value in the temple for her to worry about, which was why she returned to the others as they continued to explore the frozen realm that was around them, simply enjoying themselves in the break they had decided to take while Atreus was in Asgard.

While they did that Kratos insisted that they take a break every now and then, allowing Flurry to check the crystal and see if her brother was in trouble, seeing that he was in Muspelheim with Thor, though for the most part it looked like everything was fine, Atreus was proving himself while Thor seemed more interested in combat.

"At least one of the gods in Asgard is being smart." Flurry commented, because she knew that either Odin or Heimdall was going to do something stupid that would annoy her to no end, that seemed to be commonplace these days after everything she had discovered over the course of this adventure, but was glad to see that Thor, at least, was keeping an eye on Atreus, no doubt remembering her warning to the All-Father, "Looks like Odin sent them out in search of something."

"Must be that fragmented mask Odin found... figured it was just a worthless artifact." Mimir remarked, as Kratos had made sure he could see what was on the crystal when Flurry checked in on it, and it looked like some of the magic showed the odd wooden mask he had seen once upon a time, causing him to raise an eyebrow for a moment, "It must have Giant magic in it, which is why it's only reacting now, since Atreus is brimming with that power... though I'm not sure why they're in the realm of fire, of all places."

"It would seem that they are looking for the mask's fragments." Kratos commented, as the crystal happened to tune in just as Atreus pulled the mask from his face and held it out, apparently using his magic and the mask's magic to pull another chunk of the magical artifact from the lava, even if he ended up dropping the united artifact and had to pull it out of the lava, burning himself a little in the process, "I do not know how many fragments there are, but it seems like Atreus is doing well in seeking them out. He is doing well on his own, even if Thor is with him."

"And it seems like he found Ingrid, which was Freyr's sword... I'll tell you the tale of how it came to be in Odin's possession later." Freya said, where it sounded like it was an interesting tale, and likely put her brother in an embarrassing light, though for the time being Kratos decided to focus on what was going on right now, despite the fact that he knew the others would talk about the mask's powers and abilities for some time.

Flurry suspected that either Odin or someone in his employ turned into a beautiful woman and tricked Freyr into giving up his weapon, it matched some of the tales that Faye had told Atreus over the years, which Mimir had confirmed several times, before she noticed someone walking towards them, something that caused Freya to gasp as she noticed it was a short young girl with long dark brown hair, golden horns on her head, and a dress of sorts that showed off her shoulders.

"Skuld... one of the Norns... what have we done to deserve being visited by one of the Sisters of Fate?" Freya asked, because as far as she knew these figures remained in the Well of Urd, hidden from everyone else, and always presented some sort of test or something to everyone that went in search of them to learn about their fates, so it was strange to see one outside the area they were usually found in.

"We know you wouldn't be searching for us, but I wanted to see Flurry with my own eyes." the Norn, Skuld, replied, though at the same time this surprised Freya even more, because the Norn was talking differently than she would have assumed, since she only vaguely remembered her meeting with the figures when she tried to get information on Baldur's fate, where the girl walked up to Flurry and then circled around her for a moment, "Yeah, I got nothing... your existence makes it impossible for me to predict or guess anything. Well, I have two items for you guys: a special sword hilt to interact with the grave stones you've seen, and this runic noose that was left behind."

Flurry took the items from the Norn, where she found that Skuld seemed totally unsure of what to do with someone that just broke all of her powers, and the powers of the other Norns, before the girl departed from the area without delay, returning to her domain so she could put this encounter behind her. Mimir identified the items for them, as the noose was the one that Odin had used when he hung himself and stabbed his body so he could plunder Yggdrasil of it's secrets, while the hilt, on the other hand, seemed to annoy him, as it was the hilt of Skofnung, the weapon of King Hrolf Kraki. Flurry suspected that there was a tale behind the hilt, especially given the reaction from Mimir when he laid eyes on it, meaning the gravestones were likely evildoers in some manner that had wronged him at some point in the past, causing her to place it as something to worry about in the future. Other than that it didn't look like there was anything else for them to worry about in Midgard, in fact it was a nice place to just relax and take their mind off of Odin and everything that was going on with Atreus, though she knew they would return to their planning in no time.

When they returned to the main workshop that Brok had set up in Midgard, on the outskirts of the frozen Lake of Nine, they found that the dwarf seemed interested in speaking to them and Kratos stopped by the workshop, causing Brok to set down his tools before turning to face all of them.

"So, I've been thinking about what happened in Asgard, and I'm sure Heimdall might do something stupid... so, I'm thinking of making a weapon that can take him out." Brok remarked, where he beckoned to them for a moment as he started to make his way back to the nearby Door, indicating that he wanted to get to work right away, before noticing the wolves that would be left behind, "Right, take them home first, then come to Sindri's."

Kratos returned to their house without delay and spent a few moments to make sure that the wolves would be fine until he and the others returned, and Flurry made sure to bag some actual game for them to eat while they were gone, and when the group returned to Sindri's house they found that the dwarves were talking, with Tyr standing near them.

"Brok, are you sure about this? We need Draupnir." Sindri said, where it looked like he was holding a bag that likely held a number of crafting materials that the brothers had gathered for such a thing, like they had been planning how to kill or bring down Heimdall for some time now and what was going on in Asgard was the perfect excuse for them to do it.

"Bah, you know that ain't true. We have plenty of resources and supplies to spare." Brok replied, though he wasted no time in taking the bag from his brother as he approached the group, meaning whatever conversation the pair had been having was done and he was ready to leave, before he paused and glanced back at his brother, "Oh, and don't worry about the Lady, I've got my missing soul piece back... be sure to thank Flurry later."

"Wha... What do you mean by that? How did you even find out!" Sindri asked, as this wasn't something he was prepared for, in fact he had tried to convince his brother to not go to the Lady for a long time since he was missing a piece of his soul, but if he had all four of his pieces than he had nothing to argue about.

"I recovered the piece from the Lake of Souls... he pieced things together on his own." Flurry stated, though at the same time she found that someone else was coming with them, because while Artemis was retiring for the time being, and was likely interested in hearing what the others had talked about while she was gone, Tyr quickly approached the group with a smile on his face.

"It has been some time since I last saw the Lady of the Forge, and Brok has agreed to let me join you." Tyr commented, no doubt because he was tired of being cooped up in Sindri's place and wanted to stretch his legs for some time, in a place that was different from what he had grown used to since being freed.

Kratos found that they were heading back outside without delay, where the Door was up and ready to go, though from the looks of it Svartalfheim was their destination and Odin's magic had sealed one of the Doors they needed to use, but Brok had another Seed at the ready and declared 'well think the fuck again', no doubt enjoying getting around Odin's ploys. In the next moment Kratos, Flurry, Pandora, Freya, and Tyr followed Brok through the Door and the dwarf confirmed that what they had seen was the All-Father trying to keep them out of Svartalfheim, but they had ways around it and soon the first path would be restored, but for the time being they were using another path. Brok had all sorts of gates stashed around the city and the realm, ones Odin and his cronies wouldn't even begin to search for since they didn't know him at all, and they found that this one brought them to an underground area, likely a storage area for someone in Nidavellir. Brok quickly told them that he brought the group to an old service tunnel that would bring them to the forge camp, and he would meet them later once he gathered the remaining materials needed to forge the new weapon for Kratos.

As they moved through the service tunnel Kratos used the Blades to destroy an explosive barrel and open a path for them to follow, where they found some grim to cut down and that gave them a chance to see that Tyr wasn't a pacifist like Odin had thought, rather he brought his right hand to his left hip as a scabbard appeared there. Flurry raised an eyebrow for a couple of seconds as he drew a curved sword, far slimmer than most of the weapons she and her father were used to seeing, and he used it to parry the incoming attacks with ease, using the edge of the blade without the grim's claws reaching him, before a single slash took their heads clean off. In that moment Flurry noticed that the weapon was actually made of magic, instead of metal, and the magic that was in front of her suggested that he must have wielded an actual metallic blade before lifting it into a magical sense, such a thing that made Flurry wonder if he had more weapons to show them. With Tyr assisting them, even if he blocked attacks and directed his foes into the attacks that the others were using against their enemies, it was easy for them to carve their way through the service tunnel, wiping out grim and removing obstacles so they could continue towards whatever exit was at the end of the path.

When they finally reached the area that would bring them to the surface, a ladder area of sorts, where Freya told them that she would scout out the rest of the section of Svartalfheim they were in and see if she couldn't send some Einherjar back to Valhalla, and see if she could learn anything from them.

With that done the group followed Brok as he lead the way to the Forge, which involved jumping around the area while he kept an eye out for danger, as Kratos and the others were to take care of anyone or anything that got in their way, which was just grims and nightmares, easy foes for them to take care of. There were also a few gulons trying to enter the forge camp, which explained the shut gates, though again Kratos and his family made short work of them, though this time Flurry pulled out the Serpent Glaive and carved them up, showing Tyr that she was definitely skilled with multiple weapons. Once they were sure that the group of gulon were taken care of Brok unlocked the gate and they entered the forge camp, where Flurry and the others found that the other dwarves were surprised to see Brok, and seemed even more surprised when they found that his soul was intact, now having all four of his soul parts. Such a thing allowing them to reach a lift that would bring them to the path that would lead to the Forge, though while Brok noticed a nightmare nest on the lift Flurry took care of it from afar, allowing them to recall the lift before using it to reach their destination.

While they moved towards the Forge, however, Brok told them about dwarven smithing as he focused on the sound of the wind, mentioning how dwarven magic was about the intangibles, about how the nature of a thing was more important than the form it had, causing Tyr to nod in agreement.

At the end of the lift's line they found a tunnel that had a few more grim for them to fight, which they tore through easily as Brok stood off to the side, but after that they headed down through the tunnel and Brok told them that the Lady was likely the most magical creature in the entire realm, not counting Flurry. The short tunnel brought the group to a circular area with what appeared to be a large bell that Flurry could tell was used for diving into the lake that was below it, meaning the Lady was somewhere down in the water, causing her to raise an eyebrow in interest as they listened to Brok. It was clear that he revered the Lady and had been waiting for his chance to see her, let alone speak to her and see her work her magic, and when Mimir commented on that he said 'what? shut up. no. fuck you', in that order, because Mimir also decided to ask if the dwarf was nervous. There was a crank for them to use, to head down into the lake, but it was broken and Brok moved over to the makeshift workstation that was resting in this area in case the bell device and the surrounding items needed fixing, to which he had Kratos recover some chunks of material from the outcroppings that were around them.

When the crank was repaired Brok had everyone gather inside the bell and the crank was pulled, allowing the cover to fall before it moved down into the lake, where the dwarf pulled out the bag of materials as everyone glanced around, and once the bell stopped at the bottom of the lake they found the Lady.

The Lady turned out to be a magenta mermaid, a real beauty that was far more than the sirens and other female monsters that Kratos and Flurry were used to dealing with back in Greece, though Flurry found that the Lady didn't speak to them with words, rather she spoke to their very souls, like conveying images or intentions. It was easy to determine that she knew they wanted a weapon and that she wanted the materials, causing Brok to hand over the bag and she pulled it out into the water, where she opened it a few moments later and let the contents spill out. Such a thing was followed by her moving her arms for a few seconds as a golden ring and the wind power rotated around the head of a spear, the thing items moving around in unison until they merged into a magnificent silver and golden spear with the symbol of the dwarf brothers on it's head. Once that was done she held a hand out and Kratos let her prick one of his fingers, where she drew some of his blood out and pulled it back to the weapon, finding that it changed into the symbol of the Greek God of War, something both she and Kratos frowned at, before both smiled as it morphed into Sparta's symbol.

That added a blood red wrapping near the head of the weapon, which caused it to collapse into a ring that was identical to the one she had pulled out earlier, an item she caught before handing it to Kratos, who placed it on his right ring finger and flexed his hand as he focused on it's power, summoning the spear in an instant.

"Such a wonderful weapon: the Draupnir Spear." Tyr remarked, as he had seen the weapons that the Lady had made in the past and had to admit that this was even more special that some of the others she had crafted, before they noticed that the Lady was still waiting on them, causing him to pull out a bag of his own, "I asked Sindri to acquire a few items for me... I have a gift I would like the Lady to make."

What happened to be in the bag, as they discovered, were metal shards that reminded Flurry of Tyr's blade, light green orbs that seemed to contain nature energy, and a fragment of incredibly resilient wood, before the Norse God of War asked her to present a drop of her blood to the Lady. Flurry could feel the Lady conversing with her soul, like she was speaking to who she was or her true nature as a whole, and she held out her right hand without delay, where she pricked her finger and just pulled out a small bit of blood, wrapping it with the rest of the materials that were in Tyr's bag. In the end they found that a beautiful scabbard appeared in front of them, in addition to a beautiful curved sword that matched Tyr's in form, though it had an interesting and familiar six pointed star as the guard, while the material her hands would grasp was a mix of red and gold, before noticing that the blade was silver and had a bluish-green glow to it. The Lady took a moment to look at the new weapon, studying it for imperfections, before seemingly nodding her head as she focused her own magic on it for a time, as the water seemed to respond differently this time around, like she was blessing it, and once that was done she returned the blade to it's scabbard.

With that done the Lady turned back to the bell and swam over to them, where she held her hand out and let it pass through the magical window they had passed items through over the last couple of minutes, where Flurry took the weapon from her and slowly drew it from it's scabbard, a smile appearing on her face as she studied the blade.

"It's... perfect." Flurry remarks, as it was just like the new spear, the Lady had weaved the materials together to form a single form that was, essentially, perfect in every way, where she had to assume that someone had shown the mermaid all sorts of weapons and she had found ways to make each one perfect, causing her to bow her head towards the Lady before facing the Norse God of War for a moment, "Tyr, thank you."

"It is the least I can do, after you freed me." Tyr replied, where he made a few gestures towards the Lady, which appeared to be a way of thanking her as well, something that caused the Lady to nod before swimming off into the rest of the Lake, a fact that meant that someone else needed to bless the Draupnir Spear.

Flurry found herself wondering what sort of powers both of their new weapons had, as in what they were truly capable of in battle, something that brought a smile to her face as they started to return to the surface, because she was eager to test the new weapon out and found herself eager to see what the coming days had to throw at them.

Author's Note

For anyone wondering about the blessing, testing the weapons, and scaring off a god, that will come at the start of the next chapter.