A Very Large Tree

We spoke a little more with Haeljd.  After a short time, he brought us to the chambers of the Aesir's death goddess, Hel.  The stories are fairly exact.  A dual nature, split nearly down the middle.  She has been ill-treated because of it.  But amongst the divine, it seems they still have the far too human failings of such silliness.  Both myself and Aren-chan had to wade through a pit of blood...and other things, to reach her.  I am not going to pretend it was not disgusting, but what choice was there?

We learned a great deal from Hel-sama.  The most important piece is that we landed ourselves in the former prison of the Titans.  That explained a great deal.  The enemy that stranded us here prepares to strike New York, now.  And through the great tree of the Aesir, Yggdrasil, we have the means to stop him.  I am nervous about facing such a thing without a full band, but again, little choice.  Hel-sama told us another Amatsukami child awaits in the city, and that we would know him when we find him.

We are due to start the climb soon.  I worry about Aren, she is not as physically trained as I.  But if she falters...I suppose I shall simply have to carry her.  I am not leaving her down here.

Storm and Ice

Myself and Aren-chan opted to simply move ahead.  Moira-san and Alanna-san stayed back with the townspeople who had come with us.  It was that or simply wait and do nothing.  It did not take very long for things to grow...interesting.  We had but a single landmark, some form of pillar.  It's sheer size did little but keep it as a point of reference, using it to judge the distance we had walked was impossible.  And, soon, something else had appeared on the horizon.

It was a storm.  Massive in scope, it stretched across the black plain.  It moved incredibly fast, and it did not take long before we were within it.  The two of us pressed on.  Aren-chan said there was little other choice if we wished to reach one of the underworlds.  It did not take long for us both to be soaked to the bone.  And not long after that, I spotted strange figures in the mists.  Shambling creatures akin to horror movie zombies.  We were...unable to destroy the first one that got too close before it screamed, raising an alarm to the others.

There is little to be said of the fight itself.  Aren-chan will need training, but we destroyed the ones we had to before someone I did not recognize, but Aren clearly did, called to us.  With the way cleared, we broke free of the storm to find ourselves in the frigid wastelands of Niffleheim.  That is the coldest I have ever been in my entire life.  But the man, who introduced himself as Aren's nephew Hjaeld, created a fire.  We spoke, briefly, but my main concern was with not freezing to death.  This place was Aren-chan's show, all I had to do, and have to do, is look out for her.