Before setting out for Stormheim, Andreas read through every memo about the region.
The sealed Valhalla hung above Stormheim; as its master, Odyn was naturally on record.
The notes mentioned that with Loken's death the Chief Keeper's bindings had partly lifted—instead of being completely unable to leave Valhalla, he could now move around Stormheim to a limited extent.
As one of the Titan Keepers, Odyn in his true metallic form would be far too conspicuous, so when he walked the world he wrapped his avatar in a layer of flesh—ordinary Vrykul flesh.
Andreas stood outside the crowd in the central square, arms folded in amusement; though the towering Vrykul blocked almost all view, the booming braggart's voice carried clearly to the three of them.
Onyxia nudged Andreas' back with her shoulder. "Why have we stopped? Aren't we supposed to find a Valkyr and ask the way into Valhalla?"
Andreas shrugged. "No need for the hassle—now we may have a quicker channel."
In the crowd the bragging king, swigging mead provided by the Vrykul of Vadsdan, spun endless tales of Odyn's capture of the great wolf Fenrir.
Thanks to Night-Elven sleeping habits, Andreas' group reached Vadsdan at dusk; the Vrykul workday had long since ended.
The bald Runesmith talked from sunset till moonset; only then did the sated Vrykul drift off, chatting about the stories as they headed for bed.
"Haah—"
After a final huge swig of ale, the big bald man let out a satisfied sigh.
Stuffing the last of the grilled fish into his mouth, the Vrykul braggart slapped his rear, stood, and started for the village edge.
"Hey, bald one—wait a moment!"
"Hm?"
The irritating address made the Runesmith frown, but he still stopped and turned.
Three strangers of the same race stood before him; thanks to Suramar–Stormheim trade caravans, he recognized them as Night Elves.
"Night Elves—I'm off to sleep. What do you want?"
Andreas quietly cloaked the trio's power with faint Shadow Power, making them look like ordinary wandering adventurers.
"Greetings, Runesmith—may I ask your name?"
The Runesmith's frown never eased; something about these three felt off.
"I'm Harvey. Out with it—I hate beating around the bush."
Andreas gave a bright laugh. "Hello Mr. Harvey, I'm Iniesta. We've come to discuss something important—let's find a quieter spot."
Onyxia's brows twitched as she shot the name-faking Andreas a strange look.
'Iniesta—what the heck?'
…Confident in his own strength, the Runesmith Harvey led the way southeast out of Vadsdan.
Stormheim nights are hushed; rumors say the Abyssal Depths' harvesters leave Mistsong Harbor after dark to claim souls, so most Vrykul shun nocturnal outings.
"So?"
Harvey asked casually, "What important business do you have with me? I don't recall ever meeting Night Elves before."
"Heh—no past doesn't mean no future."
Andreas gave a mysterious smile. "Isn't that right, Chief Keeper Odyn?"
Clack—
Harvey halted, turned, and regarded the three Night Elves in brooding silence.
Shandris and Onyxia exchanged startled glances, then looked to Andreas and kept quiet.
Andreas spread his hands. "Don't look so shocked—I came all this way to free Lord Odyn from his seal."
"Interesting."
Harvey's voice had deepened, a faint metallic ring within it.
Eyes fixed on the obvious leader, he asked warily, "Mortal, who are you, and who told you Odyn was in Stormheim?"
"Well…"
Andreas scratched his head. "Straight to the point: the commission to free Odyn came from Great Elder Loken."
Not long ago we Night Elves joined the Titan Keepers, slew Loken and Yogg-Saron in one stroke, and liberated the holy city of Ulduar after Loken's millennia-long occupation."
Understanding flickered in Harvey's startled eyes. "So Loken truly is dead."
After a moment's thought, Harvey motioned for them to follow. "This isn't the place—come, we're almost there."
They continued southeast along the main road; with their night sight the three elves soon spotted a distant temple.
Harvey explained offhand, "The Vrykul who revere Odyn built this earthly palace for him. Until half a year ago it was only a shrine—now…"
At the temple gate a column of golden light descended, fully enveloping Harvey.
Seconds later, when the trio opened their eyes again, Harvey had changed utterly.
Where he had stood now towered a giant of standard Keeper height, his beard—flowing to his chest—like molten lava brimming with power.
Beneath the winged helm, a huge ruby at its center, his right eye blazed while the left was dim and long blind.
In a deep, resonant voice the giant introduced himself: "Mortals, I am Odyn. Answer my questions first."
From thin air he drew an ornate spear, leveling it at the three small figures below.
"Are you truly Loken's envoys? Show me proof."
'As Loken warned, the fellow's caution is extreme,' Andreas thought.
Silently he pulled an unusual warhammer from his spatial pack.
Handle and head were not directly joined but linked by bands of pale-blue energy, potent Arcane power pulsing within.
Odyn's right eye flickered; at the sight of the hammer he could not help exclaiming.
"Val'anyr—I thought that holy hammer had been lost to history long ago."
Just as Odyn had said, Val'anyr had actually shattered and been lost many years ago.
The war-hammer had been forged by the Pantheon themselves and gifted by the Keepers to the first Earthen king, Yorel Stoneheart.
With the holy hammer's aid, Yorel could create still more Earthen kin without relying on the crafters engine.
Under Loken's schemes, a civil war erupted between the Titan-forged Earthen and Iron Dwarves, and Val'anyr was broken in that conflict; its fragments vanished without a trace.
After Yogg-Saron was slain and Ulduar reclaimed, the Keepers found many shards of Val'anyr inside the corpse of Yogg-Saron that Freya had disassembled.
Following several twists and searches, Loken finally gathered every fragment of Val'anyr.
With Mimiron directing from memories stored in his databanks and Hodir personally forging, the hammer was restored almost flawlessly to its original form.
Yet although its appearance and power differed little from the original, the once-shattered and reforged Titan holy hammer had lost the wondrous ability to create Earthen; it was now merely one among many ordinary artifacts.
Mindful of Odyn's suspicion, once Val'anyr was reforged Loken specially dispatched Earthen to carry the war-hammer to Astranaar and deliver it to Andreas, so he could present it to Odyn as proof of the Ulduar Keepers' envoy.
Andreas sensed nothing unusual about Val'anyr, but Odyn could see the hidden sigil of the Keepers within its head; he lowered gungnir, which had been leveled at the three visitors, and his wary manner softened noticeably.
"Though I still cannot fully trust you, I can at least be certain you are indeed envoys sent by Loken."
Odyn turned and walked toward the lofty interior of the temple. "This temple is now linked to Valhalla—follow me."
Deep within the temple, an unremarkable-looking gate swung open, and cool night wind rushed in.
With a gesture of gungnir, Odyn conjured a golden path that shot straight into the sky before the four of them.
Under Odyn's guidance Andreas and his two companions stepped onto the path; after a disorienting, teleport-like whirl they opened their eyes to find the scene transformed.
A resplendent golden hall seemed to float amid billowing clouds, towering above a sea of white.
Stormheim was deep in night, yet above Valhalla streaks of golden light shimmered perpetually; the hall appeared bathed in endless radiance.
Flanking the path where the three stood were two statues of winged Valkyr maidens, their spears' red tassels streaming horizontally in the high-altitude wind.
On both sides of the approach to Valhalla's main hall stood fully-armored Valarjar warriors, and far ahead upon the bridge leading to the gate they could just make out a brawnier armored figure than the rest.
"Welcome to Valhalla. For tens of thousands of years you are the first Mortals to enter in the flesh—count your experience an honor."
Odyn struck gungnir against the ground and his form slowly faded into light.
"I will await you in the main hall. First you must pass Valhalla's trial and prove your strength."
"Steel yourselves—my Valarjar will show no mercy. Give everything or die; may the envoy Loken sent be more than mere windbags."
Swish—
With Odyn gone, Andreas shrugged helplessly. "Well, a trial still awaits, but at least we've skipped a lot of tedious steps and entered Valhalla smoothly."
Onyxia wandered to the edge of the path and peered down at the sea of clouds. "Can we fly from here? Let's just circle overhead."
"I advise against it."
The keen-eyed Shandris pointed skyward. "Look—patrol drakes over there. Think you can handle so many?"
Following her finger, Onyxia and Andreas saw a flock of drakes wheeling above the gate-bridge.
"A subspecies of Proto-Dragon native to Stormheim," Andreas explained. "So-called Storm Drakes, supposedly blessed by Odyn—though that claim is nonsense."
During the trial of the aegis of aggramar, Andreas had met the storm-drake elder Vethir and learned much of their history.
Storm Drakes resemble Proto-Dragons; aside from a few gifted individuals, most possess no higher intelligence.
Proto-Dragons are the ancestors of all dragonkind, including the Aspects such as Alexstrasza and Malygos.
Perhaps due to their environment, over millennia the local Proto-Dragons evolved into Storm Drakes, closer in size to the Aspects.
Odyn dislikes the Aspects, so to him Storm Drakes are merely mounts for his Valarjar—he would never bestow blessings upon them.
"Let's go—progress is made step by step."
Leaning on the Staff of Ganir, Andreas advanced; the Valarjar on either side sank into combat stances.
These Valarjar were clearly elite—each stronger than the Iron Vrykul squad leaders under Loken.
Fortunately their numbers were modest; fewer than two hundred guarded the approach to the gate-bridge.
They were not limited to melee; rune-casters of the Vrykul tradition stood among them.
Coordinated Valarjar stalled the trio's advance; Onyxia even considered reverting to her true form and scorching the entire path from above.
But with a hundred Storm Drakes watching overhead, the Black Dragon Princess suppressed her irritation and broke through on foot alongside Andreas and Shandris.
According to Odyn, Valarjar slain within Valhalla merely reform and resurrect, their souls gathered by the sacred hall.
Knowing the warriors could not truly die, the three held nothing back and forced their way through.
Reaching the gate-bridge, Andreas studied the waiting gatekeeper and recalled the intelligence he had read.
"That should be Heimdall, Valhalla's gate-captain. Ony, watch the skies; Shandris and I will finish this quickly."
"No problem—let's do it."
The taciturn Heimdall attacked the moment the three set foot upon the bridge.
Leaving Onyxia to guard their rear, Shandris stepped forward eagerly.
Heimdall, one of Odyn's most trusted champions, was a mighty Iron Vrykul who had surpassed most of his kin and entered the demigod realm—yet gatekeeper was his limit.
Unlike Mortals with infinite potential, Titan-forged are built with a ceiling they can scarcely exceed.
Both were bottom-tier demigods, but Shandris wielded an artifact war-bow and gained a slight edge in close-quarters Bow-Fighting.
At first Heimdall fought her alone, stubbornly refusing to call the drakes.
Realizing he was outmatched, he seized a moment's retreat to unhook the horn at his waist.
Uuu—
The deep, desolate call rang out; the leisurely Storm Drakes wheeled and dove in formation, loosing crackling breaths of lightning at the bridge.
"Not happening!"
In Mortal form Onyxia spat a thread of shadow-flame that met and neutralized the drakes' strike mid-air.
When Shandris sprang onto Heimdall's back and looped her bowstring around his neck, the gatekeeper finally lowered his weapon in surrender.
"Mortals, you have won—pass."
After crossing the gate bridge guarded by Heimdall, the three officially entered the main hall of Valhalla.
What first greeted them was an exceptionally spacious hall filled with long tables in a Nordic style.
This was Valhalla's Mead Hall; Odyn often drank and celebrated here with the Einherjar Warriors.
But today the Einherjar Warriors had already been warned; they set down their mead and prepared for battle.
Apart from the gate they'd just come through, the Mead Hall had three more exits—east, west, and north.
The northern hall was sealed tight; two sturdy barriers blocked the way forward.
While Shandris efficiently cleared the hall, Andreas mapped out their next route.
"Two paths. According to Vrykul legend, one leads to the Eternal Hunting Grounds where Fenrir and other mighty beasts roam; the other—who knows what waits."
"From the layout, the hunting grounds should be reached through the eastern portal. Onyxia, that side's yours."
Onyxia nodded. "Good. I'd like to see what powerful creatures Odyn keeps in his yard."
The briefing said the western trial was held by a newly raised val'kyr and two Vrykul rune-casters.
Yet when Andreas and Shandris stepped onto the open western plaza, the figure standing there wasn't some rookie val'kyr but a radiant, golden Valkyr.
The helmeted val'kyr inclined her head. "Mortals, welcome to Valhalla. I am Eyir, leader of Odyn's Valkyr."
After that single courtesy, Eyir unslung her spear and round shield.
"Enough talk. Your second trial: defeat me. Come!"
Seeing Shandris eager to step forward, Andreas caught her shoulder.
"Hold on. You just fought Heimdall—this one's mine."
Golden flames erupted around Eyir as she surged forward with terrifying force.
"Don't insist on a duel—both of you can come at me!"
Clang!
With a subtle twist of his staff Andreas parried Eyir's spear thrust, shifted a half-step, and in under a second appeared behind her.
The sword of the dark empire was unavailable; Andreas drew the modified flintlock at his hip and fired at Eyir.
To his surprise, though the shot was hurried and lightly charged, Eyir didn't dodge—she let the scatter-shot slam into her back, leaving Andreas stunned.
"That much defense?"
"No… she can't keep that up; otherwise it'd be broken against equal foes."
A fully charged blast from Andreas' gun had once staggered Kiljaeden; if Eyir could top that in normal state it'd be absurd.
Deciding to outlast her, Andreas shelved his aggression, relying on spell-shields and nimble footwork to weather Eyir's onslaught.
Sure enough, a quarter-hour later the golden aura around Eyir began to recede and her strikes noticeably weakened.
"Now's the chance."
Keeping the same tempo, Andreas sidestepped another spear thrust and slipped outside her frontal arc.
Shadowy vines burst from the ground, snaring Eyir's legs and wings and pinning her in place.
Against something this radiant, holy power wouldn't do much.
Andreas infused the gun with shadow energy, Shadow-melded behind the immobilized Eyir, and fired another shadow-charged blast at point-blank range.
"Ugh!"
The blast struck; Eyir grunted, the hit clearly hurting.
Pressing the advantage, Andreas used a brief mind-spell to cloud her soul just as she was about to tear free of the vines.
Less than two seconds—but in combat, two seconds decide everything.
Click—
He pressed the now single-shot barrel against the back of her head. "Let's end it here. Even if you can resurrect, dying still hurts, right?"
Realizing she'd lost, Eyir sighed, dismissed her weapons, and said solemnly, "You pass my trial. You need only beat Fenrir in the Eternal Hunting Grounds—"
Boom!
A scarred, half-scorched dire wolf crashed from the sky, landing at Eyir's feet.
Onyxia landed, frowning at the gash torn in her left fore-claw. "That Fenrir you mentioned? Strong, but his anti-air needs work."
Eyir stared at the one-eyed, foaming Fenrir, speechless. "Mortals… what exactly are you…?"
Though their race was once Mortal, Andreas and Shandris had transcended that life; so long as Elune and Azeroth endured, their souls would never perish.
As for Onyxia, lazier than Shandris perhaps, the draconic gifts of the Aspects let her reach demigod status even earlier.
Using aerial advantage against Fenrir was like whack-a-mole; the Black Dragon Princess had simply been careless and caught by the wolf's prodigious leap.
With all three trials cleared, the sealed northern gate of the Mead Hall finally swung open.
The trio crossed a brilliant light-bridge into Valhalla's depths, arriving at a vast arena ringed by tiered seating.
Odyn sat unmoved upon his northern throne, watching two unarmored Einherjar Warriors pummel each other bare-knuckled.
With Valhalla sealed, Odyn had built the Eternal Hunting Grounds and the Valarjar Arena to keep his warriors sharp and their will to fight strong.
Seeing the three stride in calm and unhurt, a flicker of surprise crossed Odyn's face.
"So fast? Very well."
He waved the brawlers away; the spectators in the stands quickly dispersed.
Rising from his throne, Odyn lifted gungnir and blinked to the arena floor.
"Your final trial is me. Come."
He levelled gungnir before him. "To beat Hel in the Abyssal Depths, half-measures mean death. Show me everything you've got—earn my approval!"
The moment Andreas declared they would break the seal on Valhalla, Odyn knew they would have to enter the Abyssal Depths and fight Hela.
Just as Loken had guessed, after tens of thousands of years of imprisonment, Odyn's temperament had been tempered; his former stubbornness had greatly subsided, and he had begun to consider others.
On her home ground, Hela could exert tremendous pressure on any soul invading the Abyssal Depths. Objectively speaking, within the Abyssal Depths, Hela's strength rivaled Odyn's in his prime.
Odyn didn't know Andreas had already made arrangements; to prevent the Mortal champions Loken dispatched from dying in vain, he planned to test the trio's strength first.
Heimdall, Fenrir, and Ayr clearing the trial so quickly surprised Odyn, filling him with anticipation—perhaps these three Mortal powerhouses could truly defeat Hela and fully liberate Valhalla.
Boom!
The butt of gungnir slammed heavily onto the arena floor, and a golden well of energy appeared beneath Andreas' feet.
"Scatter!"
The three leapt in different directions; mid-air, Onyxia reverted to her dragon form and blasted a breath of dragonfire at Odyn.
"Dragon Aspects?"
Odyn spun gungnir rapidly, and a whirlwind of Lights Power blocked Onyxia's hastily spewed dragonfire.
Tens of thousands of years had passed, yet Odyn still found it hard to accept the existence of the Dragon Aspects.
However, this was because he had only just been freed from Valhalla and was still unfamiliar with events on Azeroth during those millennia.
"Down you come!"
gungnir pointed skyward, its tip flashing with a sharp golden beam. Onyxia folded her wings and dropped just in time, narrowly avoiding Odyn's strike.
Meanwhile, Shandris' rapid moonlight arrows blanketed Odyn, probing for any weak point in his defenses.
"Are you tickling me? Put some force into it!"
Light's flames surged around Odyn, forcefully repelling every one of Shandris' arrows.
Andreas attempted to influence Odyn with mind magic, but achieved little.
Unlike Ayr, the Keepers' unshakable will made them difficult to affect.
Odyn glanced, somewhat surprised, at Andreas, who had purposely increased the distance. "Shadow Magic? So you're a spellcaster."
Whoosh!
In a flash of light, Odyn instantly appeared in front of Andreas. gungnir thrust rapidly, while anomalous Lights Power gathered beneath Andreas' feet.
Odyn's battle experience was vast; during the war against the Dark Empire, his performance had earned the Titans' recognition, and they appointed him Highkeeper, supreme commander of military operations.
Eliminating the greatest threat first had become instinct on the battlefield for Odyn.
Yet Andreas was no purely back-line caster; before gungnir reached him, he transformed into a moon-white wolf and nimbly evaded the combined assault from above and below.
Energy spears protruding from the ground released multiple golden orbs. To keep the battlefield from descending into chaos, Shandris precisely shot each orb down.
The moment the white wolf landed, it sprang again, closing the distance to Odyn in the blink of an eye.
Reverting mid-leap, Andreas swept the black-bladed Staff of Ganir in a horizontal slash at Odyn's knee.
Bang!
Odyn's kneeguard was cleanly severed. Had Odyn not reflexively stepped back, the slash would have bitten deep into his knee.
While observing Odyn, Shandris noticed his molten beard. On a whim, she channeled the Tidestone hanging at her chest, alerting Odyn.
"Mortal, where did you—"
A swift grey beam shot from Andreas' staff, grazing Odyn's cheek and shearing off the left ornament of his winged helm, cutting him off.
Her brief charge complete, Shandris nocked a water arrow; Onyxia finished her deep breath, and both attacked Odyn almost simultaneously.
Roiling shadow-flames obscured Odyn's sight. Shandris' full-powered arrow pierced the fiery curtain and struck Odyn while he was countering the dragonfire.
"Oh! My beard!"
Water met fire with a Ah. Odyn frantically slapped at his scorching beard; part of his molten whiskers had already been extinguished.
Face contorted in pain, Odyn raised a hand to call a halt. "Enough! We stop here—I acknowledge your strength."
At his words, Andreas dispersed the Chaos Power gathered in his staff, and Onyxia landed, resuming her Night Elf form.
Odyn clearly hadn't fought all-out, but this had been only a trial, not a battle to the death.
At least the Highkeeper had gauged the trio's power and now had some idea about the artifact Shandris carried.
After laboriously reigniting the extinguished parts of his molten beard, Odyn looked gravely at Shandris. "Mortal, what is your name?"
"Shandris, Shandris Feathermoon."
"Very well, Shandris."
Shrinking to roughly Night Elf height, Odyn pointed at her neck. "I sense a familiar aura—do you carry the Tidestone of golganneth?"
"Yes."
Shandris drew forth the necklace at her chest; the miniature Tidestone glowed with a faint aqua light.
"As I thought…"
Odyn smiled. "There are waterways in the Abyssal Depths; the Tidestone can command all water in this world and should prove useful in your battle against Hela."
Already aware of Odyn's grudge against dragonkind, the Black Dragon Princess lifted her head and added, "Not just the Tidestone—all the Pillars of Creation are within our reach."
"Whenever necessary, we can retrieve any of the Pillars for use."
Startled, Odyn turned to Andreas, their leader. "Iniesta, is this true?"
Pfft—
Onyxia's face contorted as she stifled laughter; Andreas' expression was equally odd.
"Um… Iniesta, like the Harvey you chose, is just an alias."
"My real name is Andreas."
Odyn blinked. "Hm? Oh—very well."
Clearing his throat, Andreas said, "Exactly as Onyxia stated, we've located every Pillar of Creation and received Great Elder Loken's authorization to temporarily keep and wield the mighty artifacts the Titans bestowed upon Azeroth."
Before the operation, just in case, Andreas had brought the aegis of aggramar along.
Catching Andreas' signal, Onyxia enlarged the aegis of aggramar she carried and set it before Odyn.
Odyn nodded in understanding. "So you're the ones who passed Ulduar's trial and claimed the aegis of aggramar."
He had set the trial for the aegis of aggramar before his own imprisonment; he knew full well how convoluted and difficult it was. That someone had succeeded was fate.
"Excellent."
Odyn resumed his seat upon his throne and said with satisfaction, "Now I believe you came prepared."
gungnir tapped the ground, and three runes merged into Andreas, Shandris, and Onyxia.
"These marks grant you free passage through Valhalla. When you're ready, come to me here. I'll open the way to the Abyssal Depths for you."
To enter the Abyssal Depths normally, one must first die, as it is the subspace used by Hela to bind souls.
After Loken's death, part of Odyn's seal was lifted. The Chief Administrator stationed in Valhalla could borrow the power of Valhalla and use gungnir to open a path, allowing Andreas and the two others to enter the Abyssal Depths directly in their physical forms.
This was why Andreas came to find Odyn first; he didn't want to foolishly die and have his soul imprisoned in the Abyssal Depths.
All necessary preparations had actually been completed long ago, so Andreas immediately informed Odyn that they could depart for the Abyssal Depths now.
Odyn was not one to dither. He summoned his two major subordinates from Valhalla, Eyre and Heimdall. With their assistance, he gathered the entire power of Valhalla onto the tip of gungnir.
Treating the heavy spear as light, Odyn delivered a thrust towards the center of the arena that seemed slow but was actually swift. The gungnir, which had turned completely golden, tore through space and ripped open a fissure.
Damp, cold, and putrid air wafted out from the other side of the fissure.
In stark contrast to the shining brilliance of Valhalla, the other side of the fissure was shrouded in a gloomy sky that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
Odyn struggled to control gungnir and said to Andreas, "Go. This is all I can do for now. The battle in the Abyssal Depths must be fought by yourselves."
"May you return victorious. I will host a grand celebration banquet for you in the Mead Hall."
Andreas smiled and waved, leading the way into the fissure. Shandris and Onyxia quickly followed... The Abyssal Depths holds significant importance in Vrykul legends, but all associated tales are negative.
The moment Andreas and the two others entered the Abyssal Depths, Hela sensed an intrusion into her domain.
A tremendous roar shook the entire subspace, "Who! Who dares to enter my world in the flesh? Helagar! Find those intruders and tear them limb from limb!"
Andreas rubbed his ears. Hela's high-decibel noise pollution made the Night Elf's naturally sharp, long ears ache and itch.
The lighting in the Abyssal Depths was extremely dim. Having just adjusted to the light pollution of Valhalla, the sudden transition to an intensely oppressive environment meant Andreas and his companions needed some time for their eyes to adapt.
"Found them, the intru—ugh!"
Before the loud-mouthed Helagar could finish his sentence, Andreas tracked the sound, locked onto a small area, and used localized Mental Control to prevent the warning from being sounded.
After about half a minute, Andreas' eyes finally adapted to the sudden change in lighting. The powerful night vision of the Night Elves allowed them to gradually make out their surroundings.
The first things they saw were cages everywhere, holding large numbers of souls. Some souls, looking dejected, had long since accepted their fate, while others still retained an unyielding spirit of resistance.
Perhaps intentionally arranged by Hela, the ground of this soul-filled subspace was covered in white bones, and a foul odor drifted out from the stagnant pools at the edges of the bony expanse.
The small squad of Helagar controlled by Andreas stood motionless, their eyes glazed over. The seaweed covering their bodies emitted a strong fishy smell, causing the sensitive-nosed Shandris to involuntarily sneeze.
Due to Hela's command, the entire Abyssal Depths was in turmoil, with numerous Seaweed Warriors shouting and patrolling everywhere.
The landing spot Odyn chose for Andreas and his companions was relatively suitable for hiding. Aside from the entrance blocked by the Helagar, it was difficult to visually observe this corner from the outside.
Onyxia condensed a small flame of Shadowflame in her palm and said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, "As expected, the suppression is heavy. I can only exert less than fifty percent of my normal strength."
Andreas also felt his diminished power and said helplessly, "There's no helping it. This is Hela's domain after all. Let's try to familiarize ourselves with this subspace first."
"Snap~"
Andreas snapped his fingers. The eyes of the previously glazed-over Helagar regained their alertness, yet they completely ignored Andreas and his companions standing right in front of them.
"Everything is normal here! Move on to the next patrol area!"
Using Shadow Veil to conceal their tracks, Andreas and the others slowed their pace as much as possible to minimize noise while exploring the Abyssal Depths.
The scope of this subspace was not large, roughly the size of a medium-sized palace, and its area was still smaller than Azshara's Eternal Palace.
There was only one prominent landmark building in the Abyssal Depths: an Altar piled high with various treasures and valuables.
Souls clearly have no use for valuables, so it was obvious who this place belonged to.
But before reaching the Altar, a stupid dog with three heads blocked the mandatory path.
According to the intelligence provided by Odyn, this three-headed dog was Hela's pet, named Gomu.
It is said that its strength is considerable, capable of fighting Heimdall to a standstill even in a fair battle.
Andreas looked at Gomu, rubbing his chin, "This stupid dog... perhaps we can use it."
"Ew!" Shandris asked with a hint of distaste, "You don't mean you want to capture it and give it to Leticia, do you?"
"Uh..."
Andreas paused, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes, "I hadn't originally planned that, but now that you mention it..."
Ever since childhood, Leticia had a strange habit: she liked raising bizarre and exotic creatures.
However, since most wild animals could not outlive the long lifespan of the Night Elves, after experiencing separation and death multiple times, Leticia began to restrain her hobby, choosing only companions who also possessed long lifespans.
Such as the hydra Akumai, the Faerie Dragon Brightwing, and the Dryad Lunara... Gomu also guarded the Abyssal Depths in the flesh. The time it spent accompanying Hela can be traced back to when the Abyssal Depths was first established, when the space was not as foul-smelling as it is now.
Although Gomu felt quite uncomfortable with the environmental changes, it remained loyal and stayed to accompany its mistress.
However, for most of the time since the Abyssal Depths fell into ruin, Gomu has been in a state of hibernation to prevent its overly sensitive triple sense of smell from being poisoned by the surrounding stench.
Andreas had originally only intended to use the battle with Gomu to mislead Hela, making her mistakenly believe that the three intruders could not escape the suppression of her domain, thereby causing her to underestimate them.
Since Shandris had mentioned it, Andreas genuinely wanted to capture this loyal dog, which had accompanied Hela for tens of thousands of years, and give it to Leticia.
But it was too early to talk about that now. Whether they killed it or captured it, they first had to defeat it.
"Get ready. We're forcing our way through."
Andreas tried taking a step forward. The noses on Gomu's three heads simultaneously began to twitch, and the three-headed dog, which had been sleeping, alertly raised its heads and looked around.
Onyxia lowered her voice and asked, "One head each?"
"Mhm, try not to fatally wound it, but we'll see how it goes. If it proves too troublesome, we'll just have to kill it."
"Sigh~"
Shandris reluctantly took the Kaldorei Warbow off her back and gave Andreas an annoyed look. "You spoil Leticia more than your own daughter. Fortunately, Aurora is a generous girl."
Andreas shook his head mournfully, "I owe her this. If it weren't for my involvement, Leticia wouldn't have had to watch her father die by the hands of Demons."