Halina kept wiping her palms on her thick linen pants, but more sweat seemed to instantly replace it. Two Einherjar stood at the other end of the waiting room, and she was sure they were sneering at her under their helmets. Aesir didn’t choose E-Tier Players to become Einherjar. Furthermore, Halina hadn’t even died or traveled Valgrindr to get here.

She had been summoned directly.

This must involve her parents somehow, and every scenario Halina imagined grew more and more hopeless.

Halina heard a faint whisper of cloth, then felt a sudden presence next to her.

“Hey, kiddo,” a rich basso sent chills through her, and she couldn’t bring herself to look in case he wasn’t real. “Seems like you caught her eye even earlier than your mother and I.”

“Dad?” Halina whispered, her voice nearly breaking.

“The one and only!” he burst out, drawing a glare from the two at the other end of the room. He just waggled his fingers at them, earning himself an exasperated huff.

Halina finally turned to look at him.

Swein Berg was a giant of a man even sitting down. His knees rose almost to the height of her shoulders, and he looked down at her from over a foot above her head. He wasn’t broad like many men from their part of Midgard, but rather long-limbed and lanky.

His honey brown eye, identical to her own, stared down at her. The other eye had been replaced by a green crystal construct that extended from under his eyebrow to the top of his cheekbone in a flat plane. It was surrounded by golden rune-etched svartstal, also called Dwarven steel, and hid partially behind his dark blonde hair.

“Is mom here too?” Halina asked, hope and fear lurking behind her voice.

“Aschild’s out scouting the other Realms right now, or she would have been here too, kiddo,” Swein said, giving her a proud smile. “You’ve done a great job without us. We’re both very proud of you.”

The grief threatened to rise up and overwhelm her again, her anger falling like a familiar club to to beat it back down. She wanted to cry and scream, rage at the system that allowed the rulers to take beloved family members away for their own purposes.

She couldn’t afford that here and now.

“Do you know why I’m here?” Halina asked, forcing a gruffness into her voice to drive away her weakness. “Am I to join you as Einherjar?”

“No, to both,” Swein told her, a sad look passing behind his eyes for a brief moment, quickly quashed. “I’m not sure, but I think she’s summoned you to ask for your service in something else. Something bigger than just becoming Einherjar.”

“Me?” Halina said, doubt and confusion plain in her tone. “I’m just an E-Tier, why would she summon me for something like that?”

“Looks like you’re about to find out,” he told her, gesturing over her soldier towards Frigga’s office.

Halina spun, seeing that the doors were open now, and one of the Einherjar was gesturing towards her impatiently. She shot to her feet, taking a few steps before remembering her father and spinning once more.

“Will you be here when she’s done with me?” Halina asked, grief breaking free from her iron control for a moment.

“Of course,” Swein responded, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning backwards. “I drubbed Naddod unconscious when he refused to swap escort duty with me for this. I’ll be here.”

That drew a short bark of a laugh from Halina, threatening to release the tears behind it before she quelled her emotions. She nodded her head once and turned back around, striding forward to meet the Aesir who had stolen her mother and father.

A dark look passed over Swein’s features for a brief moment after his daughter turned around, unnoticed by the other occupants of the room. The woman seated in the office behind was a different story, and she made note of it. She knew the price for pushing people too far. Concessions would need to be made.

Fortunately, she had planned for them already.

Halina entered the office, kneeling immediately when she caught sight of Frigga.

“Rise, child,” Frigga said warmly, gesturing to a seat in front of the desk once she had done so.

Frigga’s office was similar to Baldr’s in its layout, and the desk that functioned as her control console for most of her hall. There all similarities ended. Baldr’s office was positioned at the very center of his compound. He used his console as a viewer to see and interact with the world, lining his walls with weapons and armor, the ultimate fallback position.

Frigga preferred to use her office as a demonstration.

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The walls and ceiling were lined with invisible runes that rendered them transparent, providing an incredible view. Yggdrasil dominated the back wall, framing Frigga in front of it. The Bifrost could be seen winding its way through Ginnungagap, the void that surrounded all of creation. Alfheim glittered a brilliant emerald green, Vanaheim sparkled a deep red, and a few other realms besides.

It was breathtaking, and Halina found herself distracted enough to inadvertently ignore Frigga for a moment. When she came back to herself, she blushed and quickly took the offered seat. Frigga simply smiled.

“I’m sure you’re worried and nervous about why you’ve been summoned today,” Frigga began, summoning a plate of food and a drink with a wave of a hand. “Please, relax and enjoy these refreshments while I explain.”

“Lady Frigga, I wouldn’t da—” Halina tried to voice a protest.

“Eat. I insist,” Frigga interrupted with a kindly smile and a wave of her hand.

Halina began eating reluctantly at first, carving the small chicken that she had been presented with. After the first bite of the tender and incredibly juicy meat, she had to control herself not to eat too quickly instead.

“Now, I have had my eye on you and your brothers ever since your parents entered my service,” Frigga began after seeing Halina earnestly enjoying the food.

Halina was forced to suppress a wince at that, disguising it by washing the chicken down with a wine that was every bit the bird’s equal in quality. She hadn’t had kind words for the Aesir when her parents names had joined the list of the Einherjar in the Valkyrie crystal network.

“I was extremely impressed by your performance, both before and after your Player System activated,” Frigga continued, noting the look and pretending to ignore it. “You did an exemplary job raising your younger brother in the circumstances. Then, you swiftly became one of the most accomplished of the newly raised with your exploits in the Player System.

I’m telling you this not to flatter you, but to give you context. A unique circumstance has risen in the Nine Realms, and I would ask you to represent me in this upcoming trial.”

“I am honored, revered Aesir,” Halina responded after finishing a mouthful, thoughts racing as she stalled for time and information. “But surely, a lowly E-Tier like myself couldn’t do you justice. There must be those much more qualified than myself.”

“In some competitions, you would be correct,” Frigga responded, clicking a few keys on her console. A moment later the view of Yggdrasil was replaced with the announcement letter for the Wild Hunt. “When you read this, you should come to understand.”

Halina poured over the document, absentmindedly picking at the startlingly bare bones meal in front of her. When she noticed that there would be champions chosen from each Tier, it clicked.

“So I would represent you in the E-Tier?” Halina asked, looking back to Frigga. “Does that mean I will be locked into E-Tier for the duration of the competition?”

“Questions like that are exactly why I am choosing you,” Frigga answered with a smile, then pressed a few more keys. The display behind her shifted to a more in-depth explanation of the rules. “You will be allowed, and in fact encouraged, to advance during the Wild Hunt. Some trials will be gated to your entrance Tier, others will require you to meet a minimum requirement.”

Halina scanned this document as well, food finally forgotten. It outlined the different kinds of trials and competitions, called quests, that would comprise the qualifiers. Things as simple as duels and gathering quests would run alongside lengthy tournaments and escort missions.

These quests would award varying amounts of points based on their level of difficulty and the Tiers of the other competitors on the same quest. Gathering and crafting quests would be steady sources of small amounts of points, while things like tournaments would vary significantly from one competition to the next.

“I am honored by your consideration once again, my Lady,” Halina said once she was finished reading the expanded rules. “I still cannot say that I would be the best choice for you in this Wild Hunt. There must be other members of E-Tier that would serve you better. More experienced warriors that would all but guarantee your glory.”

Frigga tapped her chin as though she was in thought for a long moment. “That may be true, as there are many more experienced and even some more talented members of E-Tier than yourself. But I haven’t been watching them as I have you. I know the depths of your resolve, and your courage. You are my choice.”

Halina’s jaw worked in surprise for a moment, but she couldn’t muster a response to something like that. To know that an Aesir had been watching her for years, and that she had faith in Halina was almost too much for her to bear. Her mind also betrayed her, telling her that this was the person responsible for her difficulties in the first place. This was the woman who had taken away her parents.

“If you manage to qualify for the final competition between the Aesir, I will reward you,” Frigga said, trying to tip the scales for a favorable response. “You will be allowed access to my Top Tier armory, and my Top Tier library as well. During the competition I will provide you with appropriate gear for your Tier, and training as well.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Halina whispered out, mind racing as she imagined the contents of the armory and library. “I’m flattered by your generosity, but I could not handle the thought of disappointing you.”

“You are disappointing me now, with your constant questioning of my choice,” Frigga said, voice sharp now. Halina’s head snapped up in shocked fear.

“I’m so sorry, I never inten—” Halina began, only to be cut off once more.

“As a final prize for you, I will allow you and your brothers free access to your parents,” Frigga tossed like it was the last and least accommodation she was willing to offer. “They can also visit you on Midgard when they are not on duty.”

For Halina, the world seemed to crystallize with Frigga’s final offer. She could have her parents back. Not in a full capacity, but she would take this like a starving woman would fall on a scrap of food. Her heart’s dearest wish was being dangled in front of her.

So she hesitated one last time.

“If you’ve been watching me for as long as you say, you know how much that would mean to me,” Halina said, jaw firming in anger. “You know how dearly I’ve clung to that hope. For you to offer it only at the end means this competition means much more to you than you’ve said.”

Frigga pretended cold anger for a moment longer, but her face melted into sincere joy. “I knew you would be the best choice. You are absolutely correct. I will tell you exactly why it is so important, but you must swear an Oath on Yggdrasil never to reveal what I tell you here today.”

Reluctantly, her anger and suspicion warring with her desire to know the truth, Halina Oathbound herself to Frigga.

“I need you so badly because much more than pride and glory are on the line in the Wild Hunt,” Frigga explained once she had finished. “This could very well be our best chance to avoid Ragnarok.”