No POV

Nier and Yonah have spent the last few hours walking. They were out of the Wildwoods they called home. The stranger's attack caused them to embark on their journey to fulfill their mother's wish. Eventually, they arrive on a cliff that overlooks the Wildwoods.

Yonah: Big brother, look.

Nier: There was a protection stave around our home all this time?

Yonah: But it's broken over there.

Yonah points to an open part of the stave. 

Yonah: Did we cut those down?

Nier: Mom marked trees that she wished to used for her pyre.

Yonah: Why did she pick ones that were part of the stave?

Nier: I don't know. We should probably keep moving.

Yonah: R-right

Yonah hops on Nier's back and he begins walking. After walking through a cave, they come across an opening leading to the other side of it. So they each enter and slide through it.

Yonah: How long until we reach the mountain?

Nier: I don't have a clue.

Yonah: How mad will Hestia be?

Nier: Probably enough that the next time we see her, her face will be red with anger.

Yonah: Kinda sounds like her. Well, I just hope we can get there before winter falls.

Nier: Same.

The two keep walking and come across a bunch of Draugr. Nier orders Yonah to fire an arrow and she shoots one through a Draugr's head. Nier then rushes toward them and fights with his swords. Nier then blocks a Draugr's attack and impales it's chest with his frost sword. As the creature is frozen, Nier uses his other sword to fight and kill another Draugr that attempts to strike him.

Nier: Good job, Yonah.

Yonah blushes and keeps walking with her brother. They come across strange writing that they translate as a settlement in their direction. After more climbing and walking, they eventually come across a bridge that can take them to where they need to go next. Yonah then runs ahead and Nier worries about the stability of the bridge.

Yonah: I can see the mountain getting closer.

Nier: Yonah, wait.

Yonah stops in the middle of the bridge to look at her brother. Suddenly, the plank she's standing on snaps and Yonah tries to hold on to avoid falling. Nier then runs toward her before slowing down and walks slowly as the bridge begins to fall apart faster.

Yonah: Brother! Help! Please.

Nier: Hang on! Try to stay calm.

Nier gets closer and Yonah begins to lose her grip on the plank.

Yonah: I'm slipping!

Nier: Stay calm.

Nier finally gets to Yonah and pulls her up as the bridge snaps. He then uses his body to shield her from the fall as they land on the ground. Nier is in pain, but it didn't kill him since he wasn't a normal human. Nier then looks at Yonah and sees her tearing up.

Yonah: I'm so sorry.

Nier: Yonah, don't cry. It's okay.

Nier: Then looks around and sees that they are surrounded by inanimate Draugr.

Yonah: More Dragur.

Nier: Let's get out of here. Slowly.

Nier and Yonah try to sneak out of the den.

Yonah: Are they dead? Like dead dead?

Nier: Shh.

Suddenly a Dragur becomes animate and attacks.

Yonah: Not dead! Not Dead!

The some become animate as well and attack the siblings. Nier uses his sword to freeze them or knock them back. Yonah uses her magic bow and arrows to shoot them before using her mother's axe to try and hack a frozen Dragur. Nier impales his frost sword into the one Yonah is attacking to make sure it doesn't move. He then uses his other swords to slice the other Draugr.

He decapitates one and the orange blood-like liquid spurts from the cut. Nier then stabs his sword into another Draugr's eye before pulling it out and stabbing it through the remaining one, killing it. Nier then puts more effort to enhance his strength and nearly bisects a Draugr's torso. He then makes one more chop and it severs the body apart. Nier then turns around and sees that Yonah is still hacking at the last Draugr.

Yonah: HYAA! HYAA! HYAA!

With one more hack, the Draugr's head is separated from its body. Yonah is a little tired from the fight as his her brother. He then walks to her and offers to give her a ride on his back.

Nier: Come on, I'll do the walking so you can rest your legs for a bit.

Yonah: Okay.

Yonah climbs onto her brother's back and he begins walking. He comes across a cavern and begins climbing his way through it.

Yonah: I still don't understand why that man attacked you at the cabin.

Nier: I don't understand either. He kept claiming that I had something and said something about "my kind". I don't know about other Demi-gods. That 's probably something that was never heard of.

Nier gets to stable ground and Yonah gets off his back. They keep walking and remain vigilant as anything could happen.

Yonah: People will try to rob us, won't they?

Nier: I'm hoping not everyone will do that.

Yonah: If they do, I'll make sure they don't harm you. I don't like killing, but I don't want you to get hurt.

Nier: I'm the one supposed to be protecting you. But tell you what. I watch your back, you watch mine.

Yonah: Deal.

They two end up coming across another group of Draugnr and fight them. Afterward, they come across a shrine detailing the giant, Hrungnir, a warrior made of stone. He then was in a battle involving Odin, Thor, and what appeared to be the World Serpent. The was killed by Thor before his body fell on him.

Yonah: Thor does not sound like the brightest of the gods.

Nier: That's what Dad said.

Yonah: Really? I don't remember. Sorry.

Nier: You don't have to say sorry. You were too young to remember much about him.

The two keep walking and come across piles of bodies that are decapitated and impaled with spears and swords. But their skin is pale as if they were frozen. A gate stands in front of them with no lever or wheel.

Yonah: How do we get in?

Nier: I think I can lift it.

Nier grabs the bottom of the gate and lifts it up, allowing him and Yonah to pass through. However, the room they enter reeks of death with disgusting liquid on the floor.

Yonah: Echh... What's that smell?

Suddenly the gate closes and humans emerge from hding spots.

Cannibal 1: NOW!!!

Cannibal 2: Are they Hel-Walkers?

Cannibal 3: They're untouched! Look!

Cannibal 1: Someone start the fires!

Cannibal 2: Sigmund, your knives!

Cannibal 3: So many days... without meat!

Yonah: Meat? Wait - us?!

Nier: Behind me!

Cannibal 1: What if they change like the others?

Cannibal 2: We'll have to keep them alive. Strip off their meat... a little at a time.

Nier: Then it seems you've all made your choice.

Nier pulls out his swords and fights off the cannibals. They did not have magic or enhanced abilities. They were just humans who have gone insane. Nier effectively kills them off until he gets distracted by one trying to stab him from behind. Yonah was then in the grasp of a Cannibal before she stabs her knife into his neck, which causes him to drop her. Nier then charges and cuts the Cannibal's chest. He looks at his sister, with her now covered in blood and clearly frightened by what she did. Nier then kneels down and puts his hands on her shoulders.

Nier: Yonah. It's okay. I'm going to protect you. I promised mom that. I promise you that.

Yonah sniffles and nods as she hugs her brother. However, the cannibal ends up reanimating and becomes deathly pale with glowing blue and icy cracks on their body. Nier decapitates it and sees the others reanimating and becoming mindless monsters.

Yonah: Big brother?

Nier: Stay here. This fight is mine. 

Yonah Nods and Nier goes to fight the reanimated cannibals. They are more durable due to the ice, but Nier's swords allow him to cut through them. After a short but brutal fight, Nier kills the would-be murderers and and protects Yonah.

Yonah: They came back. Are they the Hel-walkers they were talking about?

Nier: Maybe. Come on, let's get out of here.

Yonah gets on Nier's back and he climbs the walls and onto a ledge leading out of the room.

Yonah: It's not going to get easier, will it?

Nier: No.

Yonah: I need to be strong like Mom. I need to get stronger. I'll keep training as we go, until I know I'm worthy of using her axe.

Nier: I'll make sure you'll get there. But I'll also make sure that it's your strength that will help you.

Yonah: I know.

the siblings eventually leave the ambush room and make it back outside. They come across a strange pile of rocks that seems to form half of an entrance. After walking more, they come across another bridge. They then hear animal noises along with a man shouting

???: Whatcha waitin' for? C'mon already! LET'S GO!

The siblings go to the bridge and see a man slightly taller than Yonah trying to get an animal to move.

Yonah: A dwarf?

Nier: Sir, what's the problem?

???: Can't get the sloe-eyed cocklump to cross the bridge! Hrmph!

Yonah: Because she's scared of something in the trees over there.

???: There's what now?

Yonah: I'll throw my axe to the trees with white trunks on the other side of the bridge. That should scare it off.

???: Can you throw it without hitting anyone of us?

Yonah thinks for a moment and looks down before handing her axe to her brother.

Nier: Don't worry about it Yonah. You'll get there one day.

Nier throws the axe at the trees and it causes whatever was hiding in their to run off. Nier recalls the axe and hands it back to Yonah.

Nier: You were right. Awesome job, Yonah.

Yonah blushes a little.

???: Say... you must be smart or somethin', girl.

The dwarf smacks the animal and pushes in an attempt to get it to move.

Yonah: She have a name?

???: I dunno. Rude bastard never asked mine so I ain't ever asked hers. HAAA!!

Yonah: What's yours?

???: Brok

Yonah: Vera Logn

The creature gets up and starts walking, but to Brok's amazement. During this, he also sees the Axe on Yonah's back and the Hilt on Nier's waist.

Brok: Say... you're no going to believe me but uh... that axe and sword you both got. It was me what made them. Me and my brother. Was two of our best. So don't let nobody work on 'em except for us two. You gotta handle her special or she'll wreck beyond fixin'. I can enhance them for you both right now if it so pleases you sons of bitches.

Yonah: You got quite a mouth on you

Brok: I've taken worst insults. So what's say you?

Nier: I'll consider it. But we really should leave.

Brok: There's a rune in the shape of a fork under the grips of your weapons.

Yonah and Nier pull out their weapons and looks at the grips and see the rune that brok was telling them about.

Brok: That was our brand, my brother and me, before we split. I got half of it right here - see?

Brok shows the siblings the lower half of the brand.

Yonah: I think we could trust him.

Nier: If you made these, then I guess I can trust you. But don't think you can swindle us.

Brok: Seems like we're gonna get along just fine.

Brok walks to a small forge that is in a tent nearby.

Yonah: Where's the other half of the brand?

Brok: Oh, my dumb brother's got it. But I got all the talent. Look!

Nier and Yonah give Brok their weapons and true to his words, he upgrades them. Something begins to rustle and the three look to see Dragur heading for them.

Brok: Don't look now, but our friends who were hiding behind the trees are back for more! Go on, give those things a twirl!

Nier and Yoah fight the Dragur and notice that Brok has strengthened their weapons since they deal more damage to them than before. Yonah still has to improve on her strength, but she has a little less difficulty with using the axe to cut through them. Nier kills most of the Dragur and chops the legs off the one Yonah is fighting. Yonah then slams her ace twice before decapitating the Dragur.

Brok: You two sure can kill. Girl has some stuff to work on, but she's got spirit.

Nier: Does this road lead to the mountain?

Brok: Should put you in the right direction, sure.

Nier: Okay.

Yonah: Bye Brok.

Brok: I'm sure we'll meet each other again. But stay safe. It's a dangerous world out here.

The siblings then keep walking and continue their journey to the mountain.