CHAPTER 215- TEA PARTY WITH THE WORLD SERPENT

[Keeno POV]

Walking into the empty inn, we found Jormangandr sitting in a plush chair next to a fireplace, the grey flame turning blue when insta down in another chair.

“I see you are also a Sun Fox.  And this scent-a serpentine tongue flicked out of his mouth, leaving us all with an uncanny feeling seeing that happen in a humanoid form-“and Death as well. It seems this world will soon be progressing.  Quite interesting indeed.”

Out of nowhere a fancy set of teacups appeared, full and steaming, giving off a refreshing scent that seemed to fill the air with a feeling of calm.

“Now that I think about it, did you control those flames way back when we were leaving Odeen?”

“Yes, or well, to an extent. It was more like I felt Fate start to turn and decided to nip a problem in the bud before it got out of hand. I, thanks greatly to you assistance, have taken this point in me and that bumbling buffoon Thor’s eternal game of chase. Ke he he.  That firmly puts me in the lead.”

“So…do you two just follow each other through worlds in an eternal fight?”

“In simple terms, yes, fallen one, though there are some caveats to it. Unfortunately I cannot speak of those, but do trust me that it is quite the thrilling tale.”

He closed his eyes with a small hum after saying that, clearly enjoying the story he teased. This was when Freya chose to speak up.  She was still on guard, so she was a bit more frank than she would normally be.

“So, Sir World Serpent, why exactly did you pull us into this space?”

“Ah.  A feisty little wolf.  You remind me of my brother a bit, though it seems you still lack something. Regardless, there isn’t much meaning to my actions. I felt the presence of interesting beings and decided to invite you to tea. Though it seems interesting is an understatement. A fledgling Goddess, two strange spirits, two Divine Beasts that may one day rival my own status, and three Apostle candidates. It’s not a common occurrence to see such a group.”

{I’m here too!}

“Hmm?  Life Fox, you are not physically present, so I didn’t not count you.”

{…Keeno, this snake friend of yours is bullying me!}

“Ke he he! Such a lively Fox Goddess. This world is truly blessed. Though I also sense you have many questions for me, Magic Fox?”

{I do, actually. Though I ask you forgive me for taking over this little chat.}

“It’s quite alright. Your little Fated One here still hasn’t fully accepted everything happening.”

{Fair. Now, seeing as your real body resides at the bottom of the ocean, do you have any idea what’s happening closer to the shores of Lokir?}

“Hmm?”

Jormangandr’s eyes became unfocused and the world seemed to rumble a bit before he focused on us again.

“So that’s what’s happening. I knew this world was starting to progress again, but your recovery measures are finally being lifted. Death is starting to flow properly.”

{Flow?…Ah!}

“Did you figure something out, Rasu?”

{I did, Pram. Remember back in Falheim, when all the grudges started to flow to a single point?  It’s a similar case to that, but continent wide. With all the Dead Zones on that continent gone, the Death that was kept in check is now allowed to flow freely. Keeno’s Valkyries and the Death Spirits can only do so much on their own while Keeno is still unsealing her Authorities.-}

“All the Death that can’t be kept in check is flowing like water to the lowest point it can, and, like rivers, they all end up in the ocean, in most cases at least. So, in essence, the ocean is becoming a giant bowl sucking in all the grudges, res payment, and general Death of a continent. Freya, and possibly others, that are more susceptible to those for one reason or another are being affected.”

{Exactly.}

“If that’s the case, why wasn’t I affected in Falheim?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Ama, but that’s because it wasn’t as concentrated as it is now.”

{Yes. Mind you, in Falheim it was a lot, but this is on another scale completely.}

“Interesting. This must be why the ocean goddess has been, as you put it, moody recently.”

“Hmm.” Jormangandr looked up, his gaze going blank again before answering Mostima. “That is not the case, Fallen One. Life Fox, do you require assistance with that problem in the Divine Domain? That wolf is quite the beast.”

“What wolf?”

{Just some wild Divine Beast.}

“Jormangandr, is it Fenrir, Skoll and Hati, or Garm?”

“Garm.”

“Damn it. I need to hurry then. Give that mutt a job so it’ll calm down.”

“Indeed. A guard wolf with nothing to guard is but a wild beast searching for prey.”

Jormangandr seemed to focus more on Freya when he said that, but none of us really thought much about the gesture.

{So all we need to do is get Keeno to talk to it?  It’s been ravaging so many places here that a few Gods and Apostles have been repelling it. It has been killed a few times, but it always reappears angrier.}

“It’s not as simple, Ama. I’m going to need my full Authority to deal with it.” Summoning one of the chains around my arm for reference. “There’s a reason I have chains, and it’s more than because they are cool. Something needs to restrain it, and Runes are the key in conjunction with my chains here.”

{Then I’ll let the ones fighting it know to keep up the fight. *sigh*This is getting so complicated.}

“Why didn’t you say anything about this earlier?”

{I didn’t think it was that important. Things like this happen from time to time until the Beasts form a Will.  This one has just been more…resilient than the ones in the past.}

“Hmm.  If it’s happened before, then I can’t really blame you.  Though, at least it’s Garm and not any of the other three.”

“You won’t have to worry about Fenrir either. She’s occupied in another realm.”

“She?”

“I cannot explain further, that in itself is already more than I should have said.  That aside, Skoll and Hati now reside in Vanaheim. Frigg tamed them and now she and the other origin Valkyries treat them as hunting hounds.”

“Good. I didn’t know how I would handle Skoll.”

“Keeno, you’re going to have to clue the rest of us in here. I think I recognize a few of the names from stories you told me when we were kids, but it’s vague at best.”

Picking up the teacup in front of me, I took a sip.

“Well, guess it’s story time. We’ve had enough serious discussion for a tea party.”

I then began retelling stories from a long time ago while Jormangandr interjected with corrections and fun facts, the weariness from the initial meeting long since forgotten.

Chaos Realm:

Fenrir: …

Your first time back here in a long time and it’s quite the interesting conversation you witness.

Fenrir: Hmm. So that’s that weird feeling I devoured a long time ago. Makes sense now that I see that snake over there. By the way, Ophidia is way better.

Heh.  How’s the married life with Mio by the way?

Fenrir: Lovely. She recently became fixated on making sweets with Atmos, so I’ve been getting to taste test all her creations.

Nice.

Fenrir: Plus, I like it when she wears nothing but an apron.

I didn’t need to know that.