It became apparent that the Commander and his officers were telling Kore and them the truth. The area where Kore had brought them was a part of something greater. The Goblins made a heavy bulwark from heavy stone and gnarled roots in an adjacent tunnel. The entire thing was almost seamless, implying that magic had been used for its construction.
Commander Rulfinch blew a small whistle he had drawn from his person, and a portion of the wall slid down, big enough for three men to walk side by side.
The city appeared only thirty feet behind the wall, dominating the tunnels and caverns beyond.
“Wow,” Colin breathed as he looked at it. Almost everything was made of stone, metal, or crystal, and all of it blended artistically. Goblins moved between buildings made entirely of sheets of granite lit with glowing crystals that acted as torches. Murals covered most surfaces, many drawn with chalk, but others were painted or created with charcoal. And while Colin recognized it as art, he did not know its significance.
Grand stone stairways covered with glowing moss led to higher levels, platforms made of multicolored crystal designs, and businesses where many worked. From their vantage point at the wall, Colin saw a blacksmith shaping metal and a pair of workers carrying food baskets. Water flowed from channels cut from the stone and fed into pools for the Goblins to haul away as needed. And what caught Colin’s attention, other than the sights and sounds of the city, was the smell. Food was in the air, recognizable as stewing meats and frying bread.
“This is amazing,” Milma gushed. “It’s so pretty! This is what I expected of Dwarves, but not Goblins.”
“Heh, Dwarves think they cornered the market on great underground cities. They just have not seen what we have made,” Commander Rulfinch said with pride.
“With the Goddess’s blessings, right?” Nox asked, glaring at the Commander.
He sighed, “Yes, that is self-evident, Sir Lightsnuffer.” The man shook his head and took in a single breath. Then he turned around, looked at all the non-goblins, and opened his arms wide, gesturing at the city behind him. “Welcome to Grimhold, the center of the Goblin City-states and the Home of the Goddess Hel.”
“Why do you waste your time with art and luxury when you are at war?” Nox asked, disapproving.
“Right,” Commander Rulfinch nodded. “You died after the founding of the city. Specialist Hrey, would you please answer the question?”
“Me?” One of the Goblins near him asked. She quickly composed herself and spoke with a knowing cadence. “Most of the architecture was in place when the Cursed Gnomes opened the Portal to Limbo. What was built after that incident was only to help give the people who can’t fight comfort and quality of life help. Most of the art that you see on the walls was done by local artisans whose career choice has something to do with creating them. It is not a luxury; it is for the experience we need to level up more, to fight the Limbo Beasts better,” Specialist Hrey answered. “I, uh, I did some of these to help advance my specialization.”
“I see, that explains it,” Nox intoned, looking over the city. “It is… bigger than I ever expected it would be.”
“We- Well, as you said, with the help of the Goddess, we were able to achieve great things. And thanks to you and the other Founding Members of the First Kings Party,” the Specialist told him.
“Come on,” Kore told them. “We need to get there,” she said, pointing into the distance. They all had to squint, but they could see a single point of white light.
“What is it?” McKenna asked, smiling as she looked at the light momentarily before looking at the Goblins around her.
“The Temple of Hel,” Kore answered. “If you can see that light, then you are within the boundary of Grimhold. Now come on, we have to get there, and it will be a bit of a trek there- what are you doing, Nox?”
Colin looked back at the Goblin and found him drawing on the ground, using his cane as the instrument. It started as a simple circle but grew more complex as he drew more geometric symbols and runes to the design. Nox spoke as he worked, “It will take days to get there on foot, and I am not fond of waiting. I could get there myself in a moment, but I thought I would save most of us the trip,” he looked at the people around him. “One, two, three, four-” he counted and nodded, adding more symbols.
“Good, I need to get back to the garrison near the Temple anyway,” Commander Rulfinch said, turning to talk to his men.
Colin leaned in close to McKenna, “he didn’t realize?”
She shrugged, “Apparently not.”
“He will in a moment,” Nox said, chuckling a little under his breath.
“Realize what?” Rielle asked.
“That they aren’t coming with us,” Colin said, making sure not to raise his voice. “How long until they figure that out, Nox?”
“Maybe about fifteen seconds,” he responded, adding one last symbol. He then pulled out a small metal tube from his coat and carefully poured some of the black liquid onto the circle, the magic diagram activating in response. The ground within the circle vanished and was immediately replaced with an infinitely deep hole with no light able to pierce its mouth. “Done. Now, after you, Lady Kore.”
Nodding, Kore walked up to the hole, looked down, and stepped into it. She seemed to fall straight down, vanishing into the indefinite nothing.
“Now you, Walker,” Nox instructed. “And hurry.”
Swallowing, Colin walked up to the hole, looked at McKenna for a moment, and smiled. He gave her a quick thumbs up, a gesture that belied his current nerves, and walked into the hole.
There was a sharp sensation of movement and pure, absolute nothing, and then it was over. It was a bit of a letdown as Colin found he could see again and walked away from the area he just appeared from.
Status Ailment gained - Lesser Spacial Torsion. Your body has been moved through space too many times in a short time, and your body may pay the price in exchange for the gained time. This Lesser Version of the Status Effect does little harm and is more of a warning sign of the coming, true effect. All Special Magic used by you deals minor damage to you, and all Spacial Magic that affects you deals minor damage or more damage to you.
No time limit was listed, and Colin reread it to ensure he didn’t just miss it. And when he finished, everyone else coming now had passed through Nox’s portal, which was Everyone but the Commander and his troops.
“Nox, what is this Status Effect?” Colin asked.
“Let me guess, Spacial Torsion?” Nox confirmed, and when Colin and everyone else, except Larry, nodded, he continued. “Yeah, as long as it is the lesser version, you will be fine. It will go away in a few hours; I don’t get it anymore. Part of my body enhancements after I achieved level 40.>
“Well, good for you,” Colin said, hoping nothing would come up to trigger the bonus damage.
“I mean, it does make sense for you,” Rielle pointed out. “You do those shadow steps a lot, and you tend to hang out in other people’s shadows.”
Nox nodded, “Indeed, I do. Good eye, noticing that those were special abilities instead of just shadows. Given my element of choice, most people just assume it.”
Colin agreed, “Yeah, I honestly just assumed it was a shadow power.”
“I did, too,” Larry admitted.
Milma and McKenna just shrugged.
“Well, either way,” Kore said, appearing from the portal, and it winked out after she appeared. “Thanks to your timely shortcut, we are here,” she gestured to the building they had appeared in front of.
It looked more like a mausoleum than a temple but was built entirely of dark and engraved stone. Moss and twisting white roots encircled the entire building, with pagan death imagery and scenes from what looked like the Goblin’s history. A four-meter tall set of double doors with an image of a woman that stood the entire height of the door with the picture split down the middle, one half a living and beautiful woman and the other a desiccated corpse. At the apex of the building was a large pole with a brazier silver-white flame, the light they saw from a distance.
They looked over the building while Kore walked up to the doors and raised a hand at the vegetation above the door. The plants moved according to her unspoken demand, the doors shaking the ground with their movement. A high-pitched whistling began to fill the air, and as the doors opened a few inches, a gust of frozen air filled the cavern. While the cavern before had been rather pleasant before, now it was brisk, and a moment later, it was cold.
Every moment that passed, the temperature directly around them dropped further, and Colin found himself wishing he had invested in a Cold Resistance Spell. But almost as soon as the cold became more uncomfortable, a mantle of warm light manifested around them, all except for Larry; the Demon did not seem bothered by the chill.
You have been affected by the spell, Springs Comfort. You now resist nonmagical heat and cold effects for the next day. This spell’s duration will get shorter if the bearer of this effect is damaged by heat or cold or is exposed to magical heat or cold. Time remaining: 23:59:47
“Come on,” Kore said, starting towards the localized blizzard. “We need to go inside, and that spells effect is going to be incredibly short, maybe around an hour.”
Nox immediately followed behind Kore, and Colin followed Nox. Luckily, his group followed him, and out of curiosity, he checked the time remaining on Springs Comfort.
Springs Comfort time remaining: 23:49:03.
And as she said, the spell would not last long; it had only been a few moments, and the duration had sped through ten minutes. He was glad the temple did not look very large as they all stepped inside, the doors closing behind them.
Inside, everything was cold and ravaged by wind. Columns that held up the ceiling once were carved into with great skill, remnants of that art were still visible, but most of it was worn away. All along the walls were alcoves with metal placards that were all frosted by the weather. Above these placards were inhuman skeletal remains; none of them had any visible meat upon them, and all seemed orderly and placed with honor.
“Are these-?” Colin asked, but Kore cut him off.
“The remains of my Mistress’s previous heroes, all of them,” Kore said solemnly. “She attempted to raise them like the Allfather as Einherjar but only succeeded in creating several especially powerful Draugr. She stopped soon after, finding that raising them tortured their souls,” she explained after they left the entrance halls.
They entered another hall, but in this room, the blizzard-like winds had died down to a calm breeze, and it held only a large square altar in the middle of the allotted space. This altar was made of roughly hewn bricks of dark stone, and Nordic runes were carved into the sides of it. Large wooden planks lined the walls, and all were cut into with pictographs of beings and creatures.
“What are these?” Colin asked, stopping momentarily to look at the carved and frozen wood.
“My Family,” came a rasping voice from the only other door in the room.
Nox and Kore immediately fell to their knees, and all the players followed them. A moment later, the only one standing was the Demon.
“Those are images of my life, from birth to the day I ruled Helheim to the present. They are my story; however, they were given to mortals without detail. Do you know of it?” the newcomer asked, her rasp a little more distinct, a bit closer as well. Colin could hear her slow steps as she moved through her hall.
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While the Goblins averted their eyes, Colin’s curiosity won over, and he looked up at the temple’s owner. She was tall; at around ten feet, she towered over everyone in the room. Colin’s next impression was immediate pity and disgust; half of her body was perfect and womanly, all without blemish. Her other half was blackened, emaciated, and almost skeletal. One eye was blue and the other a milky corpse white, and on one side, her hair was a perfect black and long, while the other was stringy and patchy at best. She wore a thin metal crown upon her brow, the metal pitted and damaged, and a goat skin cloak hung upon her uneven frame.
McKenna and Milma replied with a nod while Colin shook it. History or Mythology did not get his adrenaline running, so what was the point? At least, that was what a younger version of him thought.
Yet, as she looked at them, all Colin felt for her was sorrow. Her every step took effort as she moved closer.
“Do you pity me, Mortal?” the Goddess asked, turning her head to look right at Colin.
“I do,” he answered honestly. “You must be in pain.”
He let out a small huff of laughter, “More than you could imagine. The Æsir have little pity for those who hold the potential to threaten their lives, I am afraid. Odin especially, given his foresight and wisdom. All of you,” the Goddess announced to the group. “Rise and be at peace, and Nox, you especially never need to prostrate yourself to me. You who helped me in a time of great need.”
Yet, Nox remained on his knees, “No, my Goddess, I need to do this. You helped raise my kind to the heights they enjoyed for a long time; it is only my greatest honor to serve you again. Even after my mortal life ended and I returned.”
A warm smile touched Hel’s lips as she looked upon Nox. “Oh, Nox Lightsnuffer, I have missed you so very much. One of my greatest regrets is that you could not live your life until its natural end.”
“My only regret is that I did not complete my great work and complete your wishes,” Nox said, his tone respectful.
Her smile disappeared, and she shook her head resignation as she began to pace the space in front of them. The limp was especially prominent on her withered leg, and Colin considered how long she had been in such pain. For a long time was likely an understatement.
“I-” she shook her head again. “No, Nox, it is likely impossible anyway. No other hero of mine or Kore’s has managed to set foot on the island of Lyngvi, nor has any of them tread the deepest depths of the sea. Worse yet, they would need to unseat the AllFather from his mount’s back to complete my wishes. No, I fear no one can do such great feats.”
“We can,” Nox said with perfect assurance.
Colin could not help himself when he said, “We?”
“Indeed,” Nox said, turning his gaze to Colin.
“No,” Hel interrupted before Nox could go further. “There are much greater concerns than my wants, such as stopping the invaders from Limbo. I felt it today, Nox. You defeated one by yourself. Even with your power, that is an accomplishment that I would shower rewards upon to show my pride.”
Scowling, Nox retorted, “No, this was not something I would celebrate. If I had all my powers, then I would be able to do more. That one Limbocyte should have been killed with Akteturon, but-”
“You are missing a few of your abilities, invalidated with your death and resurrection,” Hel finished. “Which ones are you missing?”
“Hero of Hel, Conqueror of Darkness, and Masterworked Soul,” he answered.
“Masterworked Soul,” Colin asked. “You’ve told me a little about the other two but nothing about that one.”
“You are not ready to even think about that ability, let alone consider using it,” Hel answered. She looked over Colin for a stolen moment before continuing. “It was prudent of Nox not to tell you, given its dangers. Who knows what you could have done to yourself if you attempted to use it.”
“I see,” Colin said, looking at his companion and wondering what else he had not told him.
“What about the other two?” McKenna piped in. “What do they do?”
“Hero of Hel grants my hero an Authority Over Death. In Nox’s case, it can drop something extra concerning its soul if he kills something. Something specific to the individual he slew, something he could use in his potions. Hero Abilities are usually tailored to the god it came from and the entity receiving it,” the Goddess explained. “Ash Cindersong got the ability to summon fiery shades with his bardic magic. An ability that was revoked when you came back to life, Nox.”
“Good,” Nox grinned. He continued, “And Conqueror of Darkness is something I got for navigating the infinite labyrinth in the Plane of Shadows. It amplified my shadow magic and enhanced all my workings with the element itself. Like my specialty of alchemy or if I decided to smith, or rituals, or anything else, it wasn’t the strongest increase I have ever seen, but it was the broadest boost I have ever gotten.”
And then he finally looked up at Hel. “so, when can I retake my title?”
“Soon, I doubt the secret of your resurrection will remain hidden for long,” Hel stated this as a fact. “I will be summoning him to this chamber to discuss his duties, specifically, the ones he has been neglecting. When he arrives, I will inform him of your arrival, and then you will decide how to proceed. A trial by arms, a debate over who is better suited for the role, a contest of power, anything is fine as long as one of you relinquishes the role in the end.”
Nox nodded, “And until then?”
“Relax, walk amongst your kind, eat whole feasts, study or work, do whatever you wish for a short time, Nox, my first hero. I will send for your companion when I know Ash will be here.”
“What are we, chopped liver?” Larry said, leaning down to speak not so quietly into Rielle’s and Milma’s ears.
“No,” Rielle answered a little dejectedly.
“I’m gonna do it,” Milma said, nodding sharply once.
“No, don’t,” Rielle whispered. “She’s a Goddess; I don’t think she would like that question.”
Colin guessed they had been having this little conversation for a few minutes while he focused on Hel. He honestly could not blame them, this had more to do with Nox than any of them, and he was feeling a little left out too.
“Hello, Miss Hel!” Milma said, raising a hand to grab the giant Goddess’s attention.
The Goddess looked at Milma; her one good eye blinked slowly in surprise, then she looked at Kore. “A Gnome lived to get here? How is that possible?”
“Commander Rulfinch attempted to kill her, but they failed, and I only stopped them to keep the rest of them from saving her. The average citizen never saw her because of our portal travel here,” she explained.
“Ah, I felt that movement,” the Goddess acknowledged. She then turned to look at the Gnome, “You are incredibly bold and calm for a Gnome in one of the few places on Rosengard that loathes your kind. What do you want?”
Milma suddenly looked a little bashful, “Oh, uh, I just wanted to know what your wish was that none of your heroes could have accomplished it. Maybe we can help?”
“Ah,” the Goddess spoke, understanding in that one sound. “I heard that Outworlders do love to take on quests for rewards. You are all the first Outworlders I have gotten this close to, and none have ever made it into the Goblin territories. Let me ask you, all of you, something. What do you know of my Father, Loki?”
“Loki? He is a trickster god; he just wanted to spread chaos,” Milma hesitated. When Hel gestured for her to continue, she did her best, “He has a few kids, you, uh… the snake, and the wolf. I think he was also the mother of Odin’s horse. But that is not something that I know everything about. I, uh, also know he was responsible for Baldr’s death and, supposedly, his inability to return from your realm. That is all I can remember.”
He waited a moment, Milma shrinking under her gaze before speaking. “Well, I suppose that is better than some people would recall. My father hated all senses of order, whether from natural laws or the laws of the Æsir and man. He loved the idea of perfect freedom, expressed by his shape-changing. He never had to be anything but himself. And then he fell in love with my mother, Angrboda, a giantess of great beauty. It was probably the only thing he was ever honest about,” she laughed a little at that, the sound a bit hollow in her chest.
“I was his first child, the eldest of his children with her. After my birth came Fenrir, the great wolf, and Jormungand, the World Serpent, and we were, for a time, kept in Asgard as was our right as Children of a member of the Æsir. But then my siblings grew large and wild, making the Gods fearful. I was cast off of Asgard violently and died, in a way. My divinity kept me half alive while I landed in Helheim. My siblings locked up and away, bound up with magic and impossibilities.”
“My Lady, please calm yourself. You will kill the Mortals,” Kore told her calmly.
He paused, looking at her audience. The frigid temperature in the room had dropped even further, becoming a frozen wasteland. A great wind had picked up in the space, reacting to her, wailing with the sound of a thousand of the unworthy dead.
The Goddess took in a deep breath, attempting to calm herself.
Seconds passed, and the lowest level person in the room, McKenna, had passed out from the status effect the cold had given them.
Status Effect Gained - Frozen Death. The ire of the Goddess Hel has been invoked, and you are suffering the passive effect. You will gain points of Frozen Death Damage every five seconds until the Goddess is dead or her ire passes. If the Frozen Death Damage surpasses your maximum HP, then you die and come back to life as a Greater Draugr until Reslain or Hel releases you.
Colin’s hands immediately went towards his weapons, and he strongly considered attacking the Goddess to stop this.
“Calm yourself, DevilWalker. I can help until the Goddess calms herself,” Nox said, seeming unaffected by the deadly cold.
He drew several vials from his seemingly endless supply within his coat and handed two to Colin. The Goblin then passed out the rest to everyone else while the Goddess stood there and breathed.
“This will not heal us or remove the effect,” Nox explained. “This will simply grant us a high resistance to death effects, significantly reducing the Frozen Death Damage. The Goddess will be fine before we all.”
“Thank you, Nox,” Hel said, the winds and cold starting to relax. “But I am doing better now.”
Better, but it still needs to be better. Colin watched as his Frozen Death Damage continued escalating but at a reduced rate. He took the potion, winced at the vile flavor, and watched again as the rate declined. He quickly put the vial to McKenna’s lips and helped her to drink it.
The effect was not immediate; McKenna’s eyes fluttered open, even as the winds died slowly. She stood back up and leaned on Colin, and he wrapped an arm around her to ward away a little of the chill.
Colin Noticed Kore looking at them and staring with something in her eyes that he could not understand. He thought it was longing, perhaps, but the kind of longing that was reserved for something that one could not get back.
It took a few minutes for the Goddess to calm herself properly and the damage to subside. And even as the Goddess began to speak, the Frozen Death Damage decreased over time. “To finally answer your question, Gnome. My greatest wish is to see my siblings released and free to do as they wish. Whether or not they fulfill the Prophecy of Ragnarok is completely their choice. But the longer they are locked up, the more I hope they choose it.”
“But, what if we can do it?” Milma asked curiously.
Rielle nodded, and McKenna seemed curious about it as well, focusing on the Goddess’s response. On the other hand, Larry seemed to look over the ice in the room, deep in thought, as he ran his fingers over it.
“I would give you a reward, of course, one that suited you specifically,” her gaze went to Colin, and she looked him over. “For you, DevilWalker. I would allow you access to my powers for your Channel Effigy Skill; I can sense it upon you. And if you wish to try, then by all means, try. If you, collectively, free my siblings from the clutches of Asgard machinations, then I promise you a reward tailored for you.”
Quest Gained: Freedom for Innocent Beasts. Objective: The Goddess Hel has been trying to free her siblings from the prisons of the Æsir for a very long time without success. She cannot free them herself due to Æsir magic, so she needs the help of Mortals. Find, free, and escort them to safety and away from the prisons that held them. Free Fenrir, the Great Wolf. Free Jormungand, the World Serpent. And free Sleipnir, the Mount of Odin. Reward: One specialized reward from the Goddess Hel herself. Bonus rewards if you damage the reputation of the Æsir.
Colin wasn’t sure how he felt about the ambiguous reward, but he looked back at Rielle at the sound of her gasp. She looked shocked at the Quest and looked up at Colin before returning to the screen.
“Walker, can we do this?” she asked, eyes wide. “A reward from a Goddess is sure to be amazing. Maybe we will get a Mythical Tool, Spell, Weapon, or maybe even a skill!” she raised her voice, then checked herself and looked down, “this is a rare opportunity, Walker. Can we?”
“Master, can we?” Larry asked as well. The Demon looked shocked himself, “I got the quest too.”
“What, is that not normal?” Colin questioned the Demon.
“No, it happens, but it is very rare,” Larry answered. “And even then, they are normally contracted Demons, not Familiars.”
“I vote we do it,” Milma chirped.
Colin looked and found that McKenna was giving him an excited look. She did not need to say anything; Colin knew what that meant.
“DevilWalker, allow me to add something of my own,” Kore said, gesturing towards Colin and watching as another prompt appeared.
Quest Gained: Save the Goblins. Objective: Bits and pieces of Limbo came through a portal ripped open by the Gnomes a millennium ago. These living pieces of chaos come into this world and begin to look for living things to tear apart. So far, the Goblins have been able to hold their own against the mighty monsters but have been steadily losing ground. This Quest has two parts, find a way to more effectively harm the creatures of Limbo and close the portal that allows them access to this world. Reward: The true identity of Kore, A perfect all-purpose staff(Master Quality), ???
“A master quality All-purpose staff?” Colin asked out loud, looking at the Goblin.
“What?” Nox asked, quirking an eyebrow. “That is quite the reward for his level, Lady Kore.”
“It is quite the task I charge him with, but one I am sure he can achieve, especially with your help, Nox,” Kore said, nodding to Colin.
“But what is it? Why is it a good reward?” he asked.
“An all-purpose staff is a moniker used to generalize a magic-casting staff with an affinity for every type of magic. All staves can cast all magic types, but using magic that aligns with the staff is much more effective and powerful. A master quality staff is even more so. I would not expect to see anyone with a staff like that below level… fifty, at least.” Nox shrugged. “If she just offered you a quest, it will be worth more than the rewards; it will also be worth the goodwill of Lady Kore herself.
Nodding, he dismissed the quest prompt and told himself that he would work on it. But now that made three quests. One for Hel, one for Kore, and one for his Mindscape Librarian Career. He was going to be busy.
“Thank you,” was all Colin could say as he felt the need to bow and leave. He was not dressed for the normal cold that this temple exuded, and that Frozen Death just dug it in further.
“Now, please leave me. I am tired and require rest. Nox Lightsnuffer, return in a day’s time. I wish to discuss the past for a time before the mantle of hero is chosen.”
“I will return tomorrow, Lady Hel,” Nox said, bowing again and falling into his shadow.
Kore then escorted them out of the temple and handed each person a badge with a symbol of Hel upon it. The half skull, half woman’s face upon it made for a striking image. She instructed them to place it prominently upon their chests, and it would label them as favored of Hel, making attacks unlikely. Except for Milma, Kore suggested that attacks would be unavoidable, which should reduce the frequency.
Then she returned to the temple, and they were left without a guide in the City of Grimhold.
“So, what now?” Rielle asked, looking around their immediate surroundings. Around the temple of Hel was a district of markets and shops that were likely high-end goods, given their proximity to the temple.
“Now we find a place to stay. Then we figure out how to start any of this,” Colin sighed. “Apparently, we must be kept busy, or else who knows what we could get up to,” Colin moaned. “Big bad me without a mission.”