God of War: Daughter of War

While Atreus was happy with the idea of heading into another realm, especially since it was the one that would allow them to fulfill his mother's final wish, Kratos was a tad bit unhappy with the sudden change of destination, while Pandora had no real opinion, though Flurry was thinking about something else entirely.

"So... I'm an alicorn. That answers one question and raises many more." Flurry commented, where she glanced at Mimir's head for a moment, as he was the first person who knew anything about her species and it gave her more purpose to make sure they were able to revive his head, otherwise that information would be lost forever.

"I'm surprised that you didn't even know what you are." Atreus remarked, though he was far more interested in heading to Jotunheim right now, instead of focusing on his sister's odd species, despite the fact that they had to do a few things before being able to head to the realm of the Giants, "Kind of takes away from everything smart you've done, if you ask me."

"Well, I'm unique. There's only been me throughout my entire life... hard to find out about a species when there aren't any others of your kind around to talk to or learn about." Flurry stated, which was the truth, she had spent years trying to find out more information about her species and now, after spending so much time searching for answers, she was on the cusp of learning even more about what she was, even though what Mimir had said earlier interested her greatly, before she thought about something else, "Also, can you stop being rude to everyone? Just because I had no idea what my species was called doesn't make me stupid or less intelligent than others... also, you're going to apologize to Sindri the next time we see him, since you needed arrows and didn't have to react to getting them that way."

Atreus opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he found that his father was looking at him, his expression telling him that he agreed with what Flurry had just said, causing him to sigh as he apologized, though while Flurry quickly accepted it she decided to keep a closer eye on him and correct his behavior if he did this again. After the pair did that the family headed down the other path that was right next to the gateway frame, where they discovered another silver chest and Kratos beckoned for his son to move up, causing Atreus to stab the mask keeping it shut so his father could loot it and hand the items to Flurry. It didn't have one of the cipher pieces, sadly, though none of them were complaining over the items that were inside the container, since they might be useful in some manner in the future, though after they cleared out the chest the family continued down the path that would no doubt take them back to the Lake of Nine. While they walked down the path Kratos asked Atreus if he remembered the way to their next destination, where Atreus told him that he recalled how to get to the portion of the Woods that the Witch was living in, as he was using Freya's title since he had no idea what her name actually was.

The path came to a sudden end as they found the remnants of a Yggdrasil door off to the side, where Kratos raised the Key for a moment and they watched as it reformed before their eyes, and when a light flashed he opened the door so all three of his children could head through it before he followed them. On the other side of the door they found themselves on a path that had been growing on Yggdrasil's branches, an odd circular path based on the looks of it, though it did allow them time to think about what they had discovered while avoiding the edge of the path that Brok had mentioned earlier. Kratos and his daughters weren't surprised by the fact that Baldur was the one who had shown up outside their home, in fact that piece of information had been figured out shortly after they started their quest, but since none of them had told Atreus about their thoughts this meant he finally knew who the figure was. As they waited for the door to open, however, Kratos thought about Mimir and what else the head might be able to tell Flurry, because it was nice to see that she was finally learning about the race she belonged to, even though it did raise more questions as he hoped that Freya was able to revive the head.

A few moments later the exit door opened and they stepped through it, appearing in the workshop area of Tyr's Temple, where they found Brok eating some meat while standing near part of his station, clearly taking a break since he had been busy since setting up this place, though that didn't stop Atreus from rushing over to him and saving his name three times, like he was trying to get his attention.

"WHAT?! I'm on a fucking break. You don't see me screeching at you whenever you're short and curlies." Brok snapped, showing them that he really wanted his break and that he didn't appreciate being bothered like this, though in the next moment, as Atreus backed down with a disappointed look on his face, the dwarf grumbled to himself before setting his food down for a moment, "You've already soiled my solitude, so you might as well join me... and no, I was not offering you any of my food."

"That is not necessary, as we have our own." Kratos replied, where Flurry produced some of the jerky that she had made before they started on their adventure, since she knew they wouldn't have the time to sit down and cook something, not unless he ordered them to stop and eat real food for a time, before he produced his axe and the flame they had recently recovered, "We will not trouble you for long."

Brok glanced at the weapon and correctly identified that Sindri had worked on it recently, which still annoyed him, but he was able to strengthen the Leviathan Axe once more, even though they did have to listen to him badmouth his brother as he worked, though he did show that he cared a little as he asked them if his brother was eating well, something they had no idea about.

"Sometimes he gets so wrapped up in his work, Sindri hasn't the sense to sip or sup... there, all better." Brok said, where he tossed the new and improved Leviathan Axe back to Kratos, who glanced at it and nodded to show that he approved of the work that had been done on it, while at the same time the family could tell that the dwarf still cared for his brother, despite whatever argument drove them apart, "You know, even if he remembers to eat, good luck getting him to cook his own meat... I guess I got all of the stomach in the family, and all of the smarts too."

When Atreus tried to convince Brok that he cared about Sindri, however, the blue dwarf called his brother a 'spit-fister' for some reason before focusing on his 'break from his break', which only prompted the boy to ask about the beast of burden for a moment, only to learn that Brok killed her earlier, was eating some parts of her, stored the rest away for later, and had crapped a bit of her out earlier. Atreus was, of course, devastated by this information, especially since he claimed that the beast had been the dwarf's friend, causing Brok to accuse him of being too sentimental towards a creature he barely knew and had only encountered not that long ago, and told Kratos that he ought to talk sense into his son at some point in the future. Kratos knew that there were still lessons that he had to teach Atreus, so he simply said nothing as his son followed him towards the temple's entrance, where Flurry and Pandora bid him farewell for the time being as they quickly caught up to the pair as they headed outside. From there it was a simple matter to head back down to where the boat was resting and head back out in the direction that would bring them back to where Freya's place was located, though as they did that Kratos made sure to pass Mimir's head to Pandora so he didn't damage it.

As it turned out the dock they stopped at was a different one than the one they departed from some time ago, when they were given permission to use this vessel, where Flurry suspected that Jormungandr shifting his weight had caused this to happen, due to the lower water level. Such a thing wasn't too much of a problem for them, not even the sap that was on the lift in front of them, something Atreus was able to remove thanks to his new lightning arrows, allowing the family to step onto the lift before activating the device to move towards Freya's house. Atreus asked if they really thought that the Witch was as powerful as they thought she was, where Kratos confirmed that she most likely was, since it was possible that Odin might be responsible for her current situation, plus there was the unspoken desire of Flurry's to speak with the currently dead figure again. In the past Kratos wouldn't have even dared to hope for anything specific to happen, though both Flurry and Pandora had taught him that having hope wasn't a bad thing and this was one of those times where he hoped for something specific to happen, which all depended on Freya.

When they reached the top of the lift, however, they discovered that the way into Freya's place was gone, as in her house had been raised, no doubt after she returned from being yanked back into Midgard, and with no bell or chime nearby the family had to find another way to reach their destination.

The path became clear soon enough as Atreus spotted another section of sap and blew it up with one of his arrows, which opened the way for a few draugr and a revenant, enemies that the family were more than familiar with, which caused the four of them to eliminate their enemies with ease. Following that Flurry found what appeared to be a secondary way out, which required climbing up one of the walls of what appeared to be a well, though while she did that she also spotted yet another silver chest, allowing Atreus to deal with the mask so their father could loot it, this time uncovering a cipher piece for Muspelheim. Such a thing meant that they were able to now travel to the realm of fire, as Atreus discovered that this definitely held the Travel Rune in question, which was why he made sure to transfer the rune to their father, though once that was done Kratos started to climb up the well's walls. They passed by a runic message that seemed to tell the Aesir to turn back, as if they would use such a method to get into Freya's domain, though Kratos ignored it as he climbed out of the well and reached an area that definitely looked like what they were expecting.

That was also due to the fact that the massive turtle was resting nearby, who seemed to be focused on something else at the moment, causing Kratos and his children to walk down the path to their right so they could reach Freya's door and see if she could revive Mimir for them.

"How's it going, Chaurli?" Atreus asked, something that caused the rest of the family to pause and focus on him for a couple of seconds, where he stopped and glanced back at them before rubbing the back of his head for a moment, likely realizing that he had heard something in his head again and didn't tell his father like he said he would, "Sorry, he noticed us emerge from the well and I heard him speak in my head... he just told me his name."

Kratos simply nodded and reminded Atreus that he should inform them of this sort of thing first, before reacting to all of the voices that he was able to hear, though the interesting thing was that there were a few draugr in the area outside Freya's place, despite the fact that there were none before. Such a thing meant nothing to the family as Kratos focused on the pair of undead, especially when one of them rushed at Flurry, of all people, a fact that ended with her moving out of the way as she cut it down with ease and allowed her family to focus on the other one. As the first one fell a few more draugr rose to fight them, these ones significantly weaker than the first ones that decided to challenge them, which caused all four of them to focus since there was no telling how many more enemies might be coming at them. Since the newcomers were weaker than the first pair of enemies Flurry found that Atreus was able to learn a little more about working with them, which was a good thing since he needed the practice, and in the end he helped their father take down the last of the draugr.

With the undead dealt with the family discovered that the way into Freya's place was open, while the door was closed, and Atreus checked with Chaurli for a moment before confirming that their friend wouldn't be annoyed if they barged into her house, though Kratos lightly knocked before opening the door, allowing them to see that Freya was indeed home.

"Guys, she is here!" Atreus said, where he ran up to where Freya was standing, which happened to be on a ladder so she could reach some shelves that were out of reach normally, though she smiled at them as they entered, showing them that she wasn't annoyed by them entering her home, rather she seemed grateful for some company, "I'm so glad that you're alright!"

"Being yanked from Alfheim wasn't pleasant, but I am unharmed... wait, what are those?" Freya inquired, as the start of her statement was made while she was getting off the ladder, though the last part happened to be when she noticed the mistletoe arrows that were in Atreus' quiver, something that seemed to enrage her slightly when she realized exactly what they were, "Mistletoe arrows... give them to me. NOW!"

Of course the family was surprised by her tone, though because Freya had assisted them greatly, and they required her aid once more, Kratos touched Atreus' shoulder and nodded, causing his son to nod his understanding as he handed over the arrows, allowing Freya to dispose of them in her fireplace, where they went up in seconds.

"Sorry about that, but those arrows are wicked... I'm sure they were a gift, but whoever gave them to you had no idea what sort of chaos they could cause." Freya said, where she made sure that each and every arrow was torched, reducing the set to ash in seconds, though it only made Flurry wonder why the mere sight of them had set her off, almost like the mistletoe arrows were the key to breaking a curse or spell of some kind, "If you see anymore of them, destroy them... and please, take my arrows in their place, for I have no need of them anymore. Now, I know you are on an important quest and wouldn't stop to come see me for no reason... so, what can I help you with?"

"We encountered an unforeseen obstacle, and this one said that he knew how to get by it." Kratos replied, though while his son collected Freya's arrows, which appeared to be made of a light metal and made to hit their target with ease, he reached his hand back and unhooked Mimir's head, causing Freya to pale for a moment as it was raised so she could see it, "I had to remove his head, at his request, but he said that one versed in the old ways could revive him, and we agreed that you were the only one that could do that... even though he protested for a short while."

"I'm sure he did." Freya remarked, where she stood there for a few moments, informing Flurry that there was a reason for Mimir's desire to not be brought to this woman, a history they might learn if she raised him, before she surrendered as an unexpected thing happened, Atreus said 'please' and she faltered, "Take him to the table."

Kratos did as Freya said while she, in turn, altered the resting place of her house so they could leave from the lower area once their visit was done, before gathering a few items from one of the shelves and mixing them into the bowl that was on the table, creating a new potion or concoction in no time. Freya commented on the fact that the cut that took Mimir's life was nice and clean, leaving his brain intact, leading to her using some of the concoction to his neck stump before bringing over a bowl of critters that she carefully poured into his mouth, where she assured them that it was necessary. Of course she was also worried about their decision to kill and free Mimir, because Odin had good reason to imprison him and this meant that the All-Father's wrath wouldn't be far behind them once he was aware of what had just happened, but she also had a feeling none of them were concerned about such a thing. Once she completed her work she instructed Kratos to take Mimir and place his head under the water in the cauldron above her fireplace, and she made sure he knew not to let go until she said so, causing him to do so as the others watched him soak the figure's head.

Eventually Freya told Kratos to raise the head and he did so without delay, where they found that magic danced around Mimir's head for a moment before coming back to life, complete with him spitting out the maggots that had been placed in his mouth earlier.

"Mimir... are you there?" Freya asked, because while she didn't like Mimir, for reasons that she wasn't about to tell her new friends, she was willing to look the other way for the time being since it meant she could get back at Odin in some way, all while helping the family complete their quest.

"Yes. So it would seem." Mimir replied, even though it was clear that he was now getting used to the fact that he had been given a taste of death and what might be at the end for him, while at the same time they found that Freya couldn't resist spitting on his face for a moment, "Oh, hello Freya. Been a long time since we last saw each other... you look well."

"I'll be honest, death suits you... just know that what I did, I did it for them. Thank them that you're still alive." Freya stated, once more confirming that she and Mimir had some sort of history and that it wasn't good, though as she collected all of her stuff, now without the magical sheen since the spell was complete, Atreus finally connected the dots and asked if she was actually a goddess, "Yes little one. I was the leader of the Vanir once, but... no longer. I'm curious: did you no hear me when I said my name the last time you were here?"

"He was preoccupied with helping the boar, so he didn't hear you. We're working on helping him in that regard." Pandora replied, which was the truth, sometimes Atreus just listened to certain things or information went in one ear before going out the other, and some of their lessons were supposed to help him figure things out, but so far it looked like he was still lacking in some areas.

"Still, thank you for the assistance, Freya. Mimir will help us get around the obstacle that stopped us." Kratos said, because while he knew that Atreus would want to stay and speak with Freya, especially now that he knew that she was a goddess, there was something they had to do now that Mimir had been revived, and that wasn't counting the information he could give Flurry later on.

Freya nodded and opened the door for them to head back to the lift that had brought them back up to the underground area they had been in not that long ago, as she knew that they would want to get underway once more, where the rest of the family thanked her as well before they returned to the lift.

"You know, I honestly expected something far worse... she really does like you guys. Now then, our first step should be to get to Tyr's Temple," Mimir stated, showing them that he was going to remain true to his word and get them to Jotunheim as quickly as he could, which was good information for them, though while he could see that Flurry wanted to ask him all sorts of questions she was also holding back for the time being, "from there we need to reach the horn that's there... after that, well, it all depends on what Jormungandr has to say. As you know the World Serpent speaks an obscure tongue, one that's more ancient than even these mountains, and, like I told the alicorn lass earlier, I know how to speak that language, so the two of us should be able to have a conversation and I should be able to learn how to use the locked gate."

"Good, we know where the horn is and we'll be able to get to it in no time. Also, my name is Flurry Heart, along with my sister, Pandora, and my brother, Atreus, plus our father, Kratos." Flurry replied, though when they reached the boat she opened her wings and took off without delay, where she found that her father made sure that Pandora was holding Mimir while they sat on the vessel, causing her to smile as they departed for the temple again.

While Kratos directed them out toward the lake Pandora asked about Baldur, where they got an odd response that made it seem like Mimir wasn't fully there, because he said that the figure in question was 'blessed with invulnerability to all things, physical or magical' and then repeated it when Kratos stated that it was boasting. Flurry glanced at her father and Pandora for a moment, who silently agreed not to share the information they had with Mimir right now, since he claimed that his 'brain was still waking up', not until they figured out how to break him out of repeating that statement whenever someone brought it up. The only bit of new information Mimir was able to give them was that Baldur's power came from a spell, but he had no idea what spell that was and he had no idea how to break it, causing the family to focus on continuing their quest, as Baldur would only be important if he showed up again. Other than that there wasn't too much for them to talk about as they made their way to the temple, where Flurry found that Jormungandr was still sleeping on the mountain he seemed to be using as a pillow, of sorts, though that would change soon enough.

Since nothing stopped them Kratos docked at the temple's dock and they made their way to the horn's platform, letting it raise them up to the device in question, where he raised Mimir for a moment and let him blow the horn, without lungs no less, letting loosing a loud sound that allowed them to watch as the sound woke up the World Serpent, who chomped down on Thor's statue.

"Why is he doing that? Won't it hurt him?" Atreus asked, where they watched as Jormungandr tore most of the statue off of it's base and started chomping on it, breaking it down into chunks that he seemed to eat, something that caused Pandora to hope that they didn't need the statue in some manner in the future.

"Well, Odin had the statue made in honor of Thor... and, since the World Serpent absolutely abhors the fat dobber, he was probably sick of looking at it, enough to endure solid lumps of stone in his stomach." Mimir replied, reminding them that the serpent and the God of Thunder were supposed to fight come Ragnarok, and that wasn't counting the fact that Thor killed all sorts of Giants, Jormungandr's kin, so he had plenty of reasons to hate Thor, "I'd ask, but I know we're supposed to be focused on Jotunheim and that's what I'll focus on."

Kratos said nothing as the World Serpent turned towards them and spoke, no doubt making an inquiry of some sort to figure out who had blown the horn, where Mimir started to speak in a familiar tongue, the one that sounded like he might be saying normal words that were stretched out, but they couldn't be totally sure. Apparently the first statement was the sort to establish who they were, something that allowed Mimir to discover that Jormungandr remembered him and was followed by him moving into the next part of the conversation, while everyone else watched. Flurry found that something seemed to annoy the World Serpent and caused their new friend to quickly state something else, no doubt because he had said the wrong thing and didn't want to upset Jormungandr, though his new statement seemed to appease him. With that in mind the Giant spoke for a few more moments, no doubt giving them information on the rune they needed to find and how to activate the gate itself, and he even seemed to focus on Atreus for a few seconds before Mimir seemed to give him a thankful statement.

"He understands the pain of your loss and will help us." Mimir stated, though at the same time Jormungandr pushed the bridge with his head, aligning it to another tower that would no doubt point them in the right direction, where he looked at the family for a moment as he started to relay the information he had gained, "We need two things to open the gate that will take us to the realm of the Giants: first, as you know, we need the Travel Rune; second, we need a special chisel to carve that rune into the special gateway... and, lucky for us, the serpent is going to point us in the direction of the second. Once the bridge stops we just need to get back to the boat and I'll direct us to our next destination."

Atreus asked why Jormungandr had looked at him and Mimir said that the serpent said he simply seemed familiar, likely an event to come in the far future, though as the World Serpent shifted his weight the water level lowered again, revealing more of the lake for them to explore, causing Flurry and Pandora to look forward to whatever they did next.