https://youtu.be/zMpPCUqJ0h8

Back in the old, abandoned cabin, Anwin laid back, sitting on the mattress and humming softly. Left alone in these events, he simply waited patiently, gazing down at one of his daggers, the look in his eyes empty as he looked back on all that had happened since he obtained it, and its triplets. Fighting Ratatosk (and dying trying), meeting Ragnar, joining the Angels, meeting Oz again, and now this. What a life he led, indeed.

Here was hoping Oz would learn from this experience. He needed to be able to do things like this if he was going to commit to his chosen path and take on the Hel's Angels. By Anwin's own hand, he'd guide him to the end of that path - and see where things went. After all, Hrafnkel was just one king in what he was sure would be a long line to come. If anyone could do this, he believed in Oz.

He remained like this, waiting for a response that soon came in the form of an incredibly loud screeching at the front door. Rolling his eyes, he sat up, snatching his fingers to open the door just enough for Sunna's firefly form to enter the room. Seeing her, he smiled a little, offering her a casual wave. "Can't just have you screaming like that, Sunny." he told her, shaking his head.

"Can't help it." Sunna retorted, coming over to his side. "This form doesn't exactly have hands, in case you didn't notice."

"Then use one that does." Anwin watched her closely, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you gods have humanoid forms? I know the Vanir do, at least..."

"We all do." Sunna clarified. "But mine is way too cute. Can't have you slobbering over me."

"Pfft, as if." Anwin rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. "I take it you're here to report back?"

"Yeah, but I also have a couple of complaints to make." Sunna said, and Anwin sat up to listen. "First of all, your buddy Oz. Please don't tell me I have to keep talking to him in the future."

"Okay. I won't tell you."

Sunna groaned in response, ramming into Anwin's forehead with all the force a firefly could muster. "But he's so annoying!" she whined. "And he definitely knows my identity. There's no doubt!"

"No one knows Oz better than I do, Sunna. The problem is probably you." he shrugged. "And as long as he doesn't know you're with me, does it really matter?"

"Doesn't matter. I don't like him, and you have terrible taste." Sunna huffed, the realisation settling in Anwin's head that this might be the closest thing he'd ever see to a bug pouting. "Next time, send me after someone less...inquisitive."

"Sorry. It's probably gonna be Oz again for the foreseeable future." Anwin chuckled again. "For someone like you, he'll be a bit of an acquired taste. Don't tell me you're not the least bit curious."

"Hmph!" Sunna scoffed. "And that brings me to my next complaint. I'm not your fucking employee!"

"Hmm?" Anwin tilted his head.

"Ever since we started this gig - whatever you wanna call it - you've been barking orders at me and telling me what to do!"

"I've never heard you complain too much about it."

"Given how much your plans rely on me, I think you should be more respectful!" Sunna lectured him, repeatedly slamming her body against the side of his head. "In case you forgot, I'm the goddess of the sun! And you're making me play questgiver for some motherfucking dense-ass theatre kid!"

"The day you come up with a plan on your own is the day I treat you like more of an equal." Anwin replied casually, smiling a little as he rested a palm on his cheek. "Do you even do anything except buzz around these days?"

"Huh? Well, I was a little bored watching him just kinda standing around, so I put some Voids in the chief's pot when he wasn't looking..." Sunna mused. "And last night, I wrote a letter to Mani while you were asleep."

"Oh, what'd you write about?"

"Not much of note. Just the typical status report, scheduling the next eclipse - oh, and I told him all about the dumbass clown I met the other day."

"Real funny." Anwin rolled his eyes. "On the topic of status reports, do you have one for me?"

"Oh, yes!" Sunna exclaimed. "I'm here to report that Oz and his lady friend are officially undertaking this quest! Play our cards right, and Hrafnkel will be no more!"

"Lady friend? Interesting..." Anwin placed a hand on his chin. He hadn't seen Oz with any women - or anyone, really - in the last couple of times they'd crossed paths. "If my knowledge of story conventions does not fail me...he's either got an ice queen or some manic pixie dream girl."

"Definitely the former." Sunna added. She was certain she hadn't seen that Yuri girl change her expression once. Anwin, hearing that, chuckled quietly, raising a finger.

"Then let the defrosting commence." he smiled. "Yo, Sunny, could you keep an eye on them? Keep me posted for when they set off."

"Nope."

"Uh, I'm sorry?"

"Nope. Nada. I'm not doing anything that puts me in Oz's path."

"Oi, defying your employer, are you? Gonna have to dock your pay, aren't I?"

"But you don't pay me!"

"Did I stutter?"

Sunna growled at that. "If you're gonna make me put up with that guy, there'd better be something in it for me."

"Deal. What do you want?" Anwin raised an eyebrow, maintaining an amused grin. "Want me to wait dutifully by your side, feeding you sunflower seeds while you lounge on the bed?"

"Uh, I dunno! I never thought I'd get this far!" Sunna admitted, her words quick and full of energy. "Buuuut since you've already agreed, why don't you pick something?"

Anwin, raising an eyebrow, leaned back again, narrowing his eyes. "Tch, fine. One Void per encounter."

Sunna rammed into his head once again, which he took as a hint that this deal was not satisfactory to her. "Two Voids."

"You know you can do better than that."

"Right, right." Anwin sighed. "Then how about, for every encounter, I go out and attempt to convert someone into worshipping you. It'll build your strength."

"Is that something you can do?" Sunna asked, genuinely curious. "You don't strike me as an 'evangelism' type of guy."

"Hey, I was the Hel's Angels' diplomat." Anwin shook his head. "Don't underestimate me."

"Well, we'll have to see, won't we?" Sunna hummed. "I accept this offer, oh loyal peon of mine."

"'I'm not your fucking employee', Sunna." Anwin rolled his eyes, amused. If this went the way he thought it might, he could end up as a high priest of the sun - Sunna's Godi, he believed it went. That would certainly be interesting. Or he might be chased out of town as some upstart. Wouldn't know unless he tried, would he? "Now, shoo. I need you to keep an eye on him."

"Aye aye, captain!" Sunna exclaimed. The door slowly opening, she flew out, ready to keep her watchful eye over Oz once again.

.........

https://youtu.be/hL0Vkz0etwg

Unlike Anwin, Oz and Yuri were not aware of Sunna watching them, and as such, they could remain peaceful and relatively calm. Having spent the passing hours in peace, waiting for the collectors to come, they now stood before the pond, basking in the quietude despite the relative lack of life surrounding them - the pond seemed void of any marine life, and the surrounding land was mostly brown, with minimal grass poking out from the soil.

Within said earth laid many pebbles, smooth and small enough to fit comfortably in the palm of one's hand. Oz held one, gazing intensely into the water with a glowingly confident smile on his face. "This time, the Mask shall strike true!" he exclaimed, preparing his stance. "Feast your eyes, Yuri!"

At that, he tossed the stone into the water, watching as it skipped twice before sinking into the deep below. He sighed at that, placing a hand on his forehead in mild exasperation. "That...was a fluke."

"You're zero-to-five on 'flukes' right now."

"Haha, everything will change once I show my true power!" Oz laughed in the face of Freya's snarky observation. Stepping back, he gestured to Yuri, who had been watching him intently the entire time, unsure what to make of this. To say the least, she'd really expected he'd be better at this. "But before that, why don't you give it a try? I'm certain whatever god of misfortune whose gaze I have attracted will look more favourably upon you."

"M-Me?" Yuri stammered slightly, pointing towards herself. "Are...you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he tilted his head. "It wouldn't be very fun if you were simply watching me this whole time, would it? Come, let us see what you have!"

"Okay..." Yuri nodded, and as Oz handed her a pebble, she took it, facing the pond. Recalling the technique for skipping stones, she took a deep breath, enacting it to the best of her ability and tossing the stone deftly. Oz watched in awe as it skipped across the entire pond, only sinking once it hit the other end. Once it was done, he stared, wide-eyed, before he began clapping heartily.

"Bravo, Yuri! You're incredible!" he gushed, causing her to freeze up a little as she processed his words. "I don't know why you even bother with the sword and board! With the power of stones, you could be just as deadly!"

"Y-You don't need to exaggerate..." she murmured, conspicuously averting her eyes. "I'm not a natural talent or anything, I just...have a lot of practice..."

"Practice? I never took you for the type to be super invested in a game like this." Oz looked over at her in interest, watching as she nodded shyly.

"Back in Niflheim, I...had a lot of free time. And nobody to spend it with. With all the water in that realm...I had to find some way to keep myself busy." Yuri explained. "Before long...I was hooked. I began to take it as seriously as I did my training."

"And much like your training, it has paid off quite well." Oz mused. "Stand proud, Yuri. Your skills have come in handy, for you have taught me a valuable lesson on effort and dedication."

"It's nothing special." Yuri shook her head. "Now that I'm a knight, I no longer need such skills."

"Oh, come now, this world would be a dreadfully dull place if we only did things because we needed to." Oz retorted. "Did you not enjoy it while it lasted?"

Yuri grew quiet at that, already knowing the answer, and took a deep breath as she nodded wordlessly. Oz, catching this, smiled happily in response. "That's what matters in the end. It's still a part of you, so why close your eyes to it?"

She didn't respond to that, once again averting her eyes while extending a hand towards him, gesturing subtly. Oz hummed in acknowledgement, handing her another pebble which she took without hesitating. As she once again turned her gaze to the pond, going through the motions to skip it across, she seemed to think about something - what it was, Oz couldn't possibly say. Even the flicker of pride she seemed to feel upon seeing how far the stone went seemed more secondary.

Smiling slightly, he offered another round of applause, and as she relaxed her stance, he spoke up. "Is something on your mind, Yuri?"

"You left Svafrlami's service, correct?" she began, her expression softening as she met his gaze once and for all. "...how did you feel, working under him?"

"...oh?" Oz raised an eyebrow, watching closely. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

"I-If you don't want to answer, it's fine..." she raised her hands, shaking her head. "Just...a passing thought, is all..."

"No need to be shy. I can answer any question you have." he shook his head slowly, his eyes closed in contemplation. "If I'm being honest, I didn't quite like it. The job itself was fine - the issue is, I was working under him."

Yuri nodded at that, recalling the things he'd said earlier regarding his departure from the Knights. Such a view seemed consistent - despite his chipper demeanour, it had been quite evident that he and Svafrlami were not on the best of terms. And as she recalled her own last encounter with the commander, she shuddered a little. Those swords and spears of his, sharp and numerous as they were...she couldn't help but wonder. "Did he ever...attack you?"

"All the time." Oz replied almost casually. "Sometimes, his blows even landed! And he is quite the magician, I must say."

"Then...why did you stay for so long?"

"At the time, it was the best way to do the right thing. I wanted to help people." Oz said simply. "But Svafrlami's command...well, in my eyes, it was no longer the right way. The moment he tried to make me execute an innocent, well..."

Once again, Yuri shuddered, Oz's words sending ice-cold reverberations through her very bones despite his warm tone. It lined up perfectly with Freya's account. "...I'm sorry about what happened to you." she said. "But at least you're happier now...right?"

"Certainly!" Oz nodded, smiling. "Not only do I get to answer to an employer who appreciates my hard work, but I get to fight true evils alongside a most valiant and elegant companion!"

"...A-Are you talking about me?" Yuri asked after a pause, somewhat late to the realisation, but growing very flustered once she reached it, her face reddening slightly. "I-I'm really not as incredible as you claim..."

"Correct. Mere words cannot capture the depths of your splendour, Eagle."

"...stop..." Yuri muttered, hiding her face in her hands as she closed her eyes. She couldn't say she disliked the compliments Oz was giving her, but she was unused to it, to say the least. Almost like he was speaking another language, in fact. She simply didn't know what to do with this warmth that his words filled her with.

Oz, for his part, smiled, simply content to express his thoughts. He looked ahead, observing her reaction, and began wondering if she could perhaps benefit from a mask like his own. Perhaps a tragic one, to complement his own smiling one. He'd have to workshop it. Eventually, he and Yuri both perked up, looking up as they heard a familiar feminine voice talking in their heads.

"Are you two lovebirds done?" she asked playfully. "Because I think it's time to get moving."

"Oh?" Oz questioned, raising an arm to the air and summoning his mask to hand. "Have the tax collectors come already?"

"They're here, yes." Freya told them. "Better hurry, before they start taking lives."

Oz nodded, his mask appearing over his face as he nodded to Yuri. "Then spread your wings, Eagle. We must make haste."

Yuri grunted in agreement, conjuring two orbs of water in her hands, that later took the shape of her sword and shield. Now that they were ready, the two of them darted off, prepared to enter a fight.

.........

https://youtu.be/AvrXili3J1s

Standing at the northern edge of this small village was a tall, wizened old man, dressed in grey robes covering his whole body. He held them close to him, as though they might go with the wind should he let go, and with shadowed eyes, he watched as the village's judge, jury and potential executioners approached on the path.

They were on horseback, their steeds as dark and imposing as the armour that covered their whole bodies. Strapped to their backs were all sorts of weapons - swords, spears, axes, all sorts. Even their faces were obscured, but their gazes were clearly fixated on the large, tin pot filled with grey coins, standing next to the man. As their horses came to a stop before the man, the cavalier at the front leaned downwards, examining him closely with a dark chuckle. "We meet again, chief. How've you been?" he asked, his friendly words only emphasising his mocking voice. "Hope the cash's been coming in nicely. Suuuure would be a shame if it weren't."

"Captain." the village chief crossed his arms, looking grimly into the captain's visor. "Look to my right, and you will see what you came for."

The captain hummed at that, looking once again at the pot and seemingly counting the coins in his head, calculating the current weight of the pot before dismounting his horse and approaching. He picked it up, testing the weight before humming, dropping it and drawing his sword, pointing it at a now-alarmed chieftain. "Ooh...looks like you failed~" he taunted. "Know what that means?"

"I beg your pardon?" the chief glared. "Count the coins. You will find we have gathered all the Voids you have asked for!"

"Are you sayin' my maths is flawed?" the captain growled. "Maybe you misheard me last month. Not my fault, is it?"

"You cannot simply change the objective without telling us!"

"Ha! Just did!" the captain laughed, earning a few chuckles from his underlings. "Your little village is drying up, ain't it? Might as well take what we can, right?"

"This is madness!" the chieftain roared. "What will the king think of your conduct?"

"Who says he has to find out?" the captain asked, almost sadistically. "I set the objectives, and if you can't meet them, well, you'll have to compensate somehow, won't you? Ain't that fair?"

"No!"

"Then you and your stinkin' village can complain in the next life."

The captain's words grew cold as he poised to strike, about to plunge his blade into the chieftain's body, as the elder changed his stance, preparing to defend himself by whatever means available. Which were not numerous - he was no great wizard, and his skills had long since faded. All he could do was lead, and in this instance, dodge.

Right as he was about to dodge, however, he watched as a translucent bubble formed around his body, and right on impact, the blade bounced off. The captain drew back, looking around quickly before spotting Oz and Yuri approaching rapidly. He slung his sword over his shoulder, standing tall and awaiting their arrival, and as they came before the squadron of tax collectors, he looked down at the pair disapprovingly. "I don't think I've seen your faces 'round here before..."

"That, my friend, is because we are newcomers." Oz said, bowing his head. The captain hummed quietly at that, tilting his head.

"Then you don't know how things work around here, do you?" he asked. "In that case, don'cha think you oughtta back off?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot." Oz replied, and Yuri shook her head as if expressing the same sentiment as Oz. "I have come to save this town, and it looks like its scourge has finally arrived."

"Scourge? You talkin' about little ol' me?"

"Precisely." Yuri nodded, pointing her blade at him. "These people suffer under your king and his policies. It's time to put an end to this."

"Oh, really? Then it's on." the captain readied his stance once again, his attention now on Oz and Yuri. "Men! Tonight, we feast! First on these wannabe heroes, then on this town! To arms!"

https://youtu.be/5Gyv0sAXRxo

The cavaliers roared triumphantly, roused to fight as they raised their weapons to the sky, and Oz nodded to Yuri, the two of them brandishing their signature weapons as they jumped into the fray, the voice of Freya briefly flashing in their heads.

"As much as I hate seeing these guys in action...don't kill them. Remember, you need to question them first."

So, keeping this in mind, they got to work. Watching spears flying towards her, Yuri stood in place, her shield in front of her, and as they bounced off it one by one, she pushed it forth, forming a mighty surge of water to flood the opposition. Their horses whinnied in distress, caught off-balance by the pressure of the stream.

Undeterred, the axemen and swordsmen jumped off their steeds, believing in their ability to brave the tides. The water, though localised in a wide square in front of Yuri, reached their waists in height. They approached her, unsure of where Oz had gone but deciding she was their primary target. The angel in question watched from above, having flown well above the battlefield with his ethereal white wings.

In his hand, he had taken away one of his guns in exchange for a pill-shaped Galan grenade. Hurling it into the formation of horses, he fired a bullet at it, unleashing a pulse of deafening sound and forcing each steed to freeze before rushing away in fear, powering through the water to flee the sound and dispersing in all directions - most away from the town, a few of them within it.

The captain, who had escaped the water, looked around in shock before gazing up and seeing Oz, pointing his blade upwards. Oz, assuming this was a challenge of sorts, shook his head, pulling out another grenade instead - a spherical one. With all his strength, he threw it into the water, and the captain, watching him pull his gun out, quickly realised what was going on.

"Men! Get outta there, now!"

But they couldn't move more quickly than Oz could shoot. Just one bullet was all he needed to break the grenade, which exploded in a burst of powerful green lightning, coursing through the water, their armour and their bodies all in the space of a few seconds. Paralysed by the shock, they couldn't move, just in time for Yuri to make her own follow-up. Raising her shield, she gathered all the water into a vertical wall in front of her, and with a swipe of her hand, it collapsed, pushing all the men away in a localised tidal wave.

The captain, having had enough, charged towards Yuri across the soggy earth, only to be intercepted as Oz landed right in front of him, switching out his gun for a pair of holy sabres. Howling in fury at this angelic nuisance, he unleashed a burst of magic, his armour shattering into shards and revealing his body - caramel skin tone, shaggy black hair, and a padded black tunic - but nothing else. His eyes glowed with crimson fury, and Oz couldn't help but recognise it. He was a fellow Berserker.

Without hesitation, he charged at Oz, who dodged his wide sword swings, attempting to parry when he noticed a storm of shards heading his way. Swinging wildly, he was forced onto the defensive, clenching his teeth as evasion and survival became his priorities. But still, he focused on the captain, who struck with the ferocity and brawn of a bear. One who was apparently in a symbiotic relationship with an angry hive of bees.

"What drives your depravity, captain?" he asked, clenching his teeth as he watched his movements closely, hoping to find a way to get in some hits. "All this oppression, this...highway robbery! Does Frey not weep?"

"Hrafnkel's Frey's Godi, not me!" the captain spat. "To hell with these people! All that matters is me, myself and I!"

"Only you?" Oz scowled, leaping over a low-flying shard storm. "What of your family, or friends?"

"What's your point?" the captain snarled, not noticing as an orb of water flew past him. "You're really gettin' on my nerves, kid. I think I'm gonna make this nice and slow. Just as a little warm-up before I move onto the rest of this little village you've chosen to protect-"

While he spoke, the water reformed behind him, revealing it had taken the form of Yuri's falchion. Without hesitation, it plunged into the captain's leg, cutting him off before he could finish and bringing him to his knees as he shrieked in agony. Oz ceased his attack at once, looking back as Yuri walked up to the fallen captain, retrieving her sword and pointing it at his throat.

https://youtu.be/TVMfUWb93nE

"Incorrect. You do not matter in the least." she said, her gaze cold as she kept her sword trained on him. "But I have questions. Answer them truthfully, or you die."

"Hold on a sec. Let me just..." Freya told Yuri. "...and check. You're good to go. Ask him about everything."

The captain trembled, clenching his teeth as he glared scornfully at the nixie woman. He didn't say anything, so she continued.

"You are the only collectors coming for this village, correct?"

"...yes."

"And you raised the tax as a pretense to attack and pillage these people?"

"I just...needed the extra money."

"For your king, or yourself?" Oz questioned. The captain gave him an enraged look, but Yuri moving the blade ever so closer reminded him who held the cards, so he remained seething in silence. "...very well, next question. What is the king doing with all the money you collect for him? Is he simply bolstering his own home, or is there something more to it?"

"...I dunno. Some of it goes into the country, and some of it goes directly to the temple as a tithe." the captain explained. "But a lot of it, he just keeps. No one knows where he keeps it, and believe me, I've looked."

"...then we will need to investigate further, indeed." Oz frowned. "Any further questions, Yuri?"

"No. That will be all." Yuri shook her head, looking down at the man, who met her gaze with pleading eyes, and caught a glimpse of the fallen armour shards slowly beginning to vibrate again. Without looking away, she took a deep breath, and in a swift motion, swung her blade across his neck, separating his head from his body in an instant.

Oz watched, too slow to stop her, and stayed silent for a little while, retaining his mask as she turned to face him. "You said you were going to spare him."

"I said no such thing." Yuri shook her head. "I said I would kill him if he didn't comply."

"That..." Oz sighed, hanging his head low. That, he thought, was the kind of logic Svafrlami might use, harkening back to his report back after Fenrir's defeat. Swallowing his words, he simply nodded, looking ahead. "...we should go. Onward, to central Adalbol!"

Yuri nodded, unsummoning her blade and beginning the walk by his side, though the clear pensiveness in his movements - one that wasn't there before - began to make her wonder - had she overdone it? The villain had been defeated, and would no longer threaten the people. This was a good thing, right?

Oz remained quiet, his emotions barely discernible behind the mask, but he looked up, his hand to his ear, as he heard Freya speak up. "I take it...you're not feeling too hot?"

"You could say so..." Oz murmured, glancing back at the bleeding corpse. "I just...I wanted to give him a chance."

"Do you think he would have taken it?"

Oz paused at that, closing his eyes as he recalled everything he'd seen and heard. "I...don't know."

"Well, maybe it's for the best. I'm sure those villagers won't complain about it." Freya pointed out. "Do you feel sad that he's gone?"

Like she said, the townspeople would not complain. All their lives were safe now. Technically speaking, this was the best outcome. Why feel sad when such an obviously horrible human being was no longer a threat to anyone on Midgard, at least for the time being?

After a moment's reflection, Oz's response was a quiet "...I don't think so."