The air inside the cavern grew thick with anticipation. Following the unexpected voice that bounced off the painted walls, Kratos, Zelos, and Atreus turned their attention toward the source.
The ancient murals depicting the prophecies of the Jotunns loomed in the background, casting long shadows across the stone floor.
Out from the dim light stepped a small squirrel. He wore a miniature eyepatch over one eye and was dressed in detailed, tailored clothing that looked entirely out of place for a simple animal.
"What a strapping physique," the squirrel added to his previous greeting. He darted forward with lightning speed and ran straight toward Kratos. The small creature began inspecting the massive Spartan with keen interest.
"My, my, what a great connection. Yes, and look at you," the squirrel chattered without pausing for breath. "You are growing like a young tree reaching its final height. Perhaps she favors you very much."
The squirrel continued talking while he scrambled up the legs and torso of Kratos, inspecting every piece of leather armor and thick muscle.
Kratos endured the intrusion for a brief moment before his patience ran dry. With a swift motion, the Spartan reached up and grabbed the squirrel firmly by the scruff of his neck, pulling the creature away from his face.
"Who are you?" Kratos asked. His deep voice carried a low rumble of warning.
Beside him, Atreus stood fully on guard. The boy had his bow raised and an arrow knocked, pointing the sharp weapon directly at the strange creature held in his father's grip.
Zelos, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm. He stepped closer to the floating hammer. For the first time since Zelos had freed it, the magical weapon had gone completely quiet.
"Father, you should probably put down the caretaker of the World Tree," Zelos advised gently. "The last thing you want to do is offend Yggdrasil."
Kratos looked at his eldest son, then shifted his gaze back to the squirrel. The creature did not seem bothered at all by the rough handling. Instead, he dangled from the large hand with a highly amused expression.
"Ratatoskr, how are you here?" the hammer called Ragnir spoke up. The voice echoed from the metal surface of the weapon. "Did you not have a strict contract with Yggdrasil? I recall you were never allowed to leave her branches."
Ragnir had recognized his original self immediately. Despite knowing Ratatoskr, the hammer never expected the caretaker to leave the World Tree with his physical body. He assumed Yggdrasil would only ever allow a magical projection to wander the distant realms.
"Aww, are you worried about me?" Ratatoskr teased, looking down at the floating weapon. Even though Ragnir was born from a splintered personality of the squirrel, the two had become entirely individual beings after a long period of separation and rebellion.
Ragnir just let out a loud click of his tongue. Due to his current circumstances as a trapped spirit inside a weapon, he did not fly away when Ratatoskr leaped from Kratos's hand and approached the hammer.
"Now, now, I do not want to start an argument. Yggdrasil just gave me special permission to be here in exchange for taking on more work. Work that you will eventually handle for me," Ratatoskr explained with a wide grin.
The floating hammer clicked his tongue a second time in clear annoyance.
"Anyway, thank you for freeing this rebel from his prison," Ratatoskr said. He turned his single eye toward Kratos, Zelos, and Atreus. "The Jotunns are crafty beings when they want to be. This piece of me had been lost for who knows how long. But I am afraid I must ask you for another favor. One that will require a bit of your time. Is that acceptable? Do not worry, I will pay you well for your troubles."
The three travelers watched the interaction in silence. Kratos noted that Zelos did not show any hostility toward the talking squirrel, which convinced the Spartan to lower his guard and keep his axe sheathed.
"A proper introduction is owed first," Ratatoskr continued, smoothing down his tiny clothes with his paws. "My true name is Ratatoskr. I am the caretaker of Yggdrasil and her great friend, unlike Ragnir here. I owe you a great debt for finding him. Along with this new request, I would like to repay that debt in any way I can."
"What kind of favor do you need?" Zelos asked. He stepped forward, seeing that Kratos had no intention of negotiating. His father remained indifferent, showing no care for magical prices or bargains.
"I would like you to accompany Ragnir to your dwarven friends," Ratatoskr instructed. "Brok and Sindri possess the unique ability to truly free Ragnir from his metallic prison. In exchange for this escort, I can do something for you, provided it involves the World Tree."
Zelos thought for a moment. This was a rare opportunity to bypass a massive obstacle without drawing unnecessary blood.
"Can you help me free my friend from the grasp of the World Tree roots?" Zelos asked, keeping Freya's name unspoken but clear in his intent. "Those roots are the very reason why she cannot leave the Midgard realm. I would prefer not to fight against Nidhogg to break the curse."
Ratatoskr smiled brightly at the request.
"Of course, that is an easy task for me to manage. Yggdrasil would also appreciate it if you avoided fighting one of her other caretakers. Nidhogg has children to feed, after all. We will be seeing each other again soon, I hope. My time in this realm has run out. Goodbye Kratos, Atreus, and Zelos. I look forward to the day when I can truly converse with the other two of you, rather than just being stared at like an animal attraction."
As Ratatoskr finished his sentence, bright lights began to swirl around his small body. The magic resembled the same glowing Bifrost particles that they had seen before, but this energy completely enveloped the squirrel. In a brilliant flash, Ratatoskr vanished from the cavern.
Silence filled the giant cave once more. Kratos turned his head and looked at Zelos. Atreus stood frozen, having absolutely nothing to say. The young boy was processing the brief and unexpected visit from one of the most mythical creatures in all the realms. Their mother had told them many stories about Ratatoskr, but Atreus was only familiar with the bitter, spectral red projection they had summoned in the past, not this physical, well dressed version.
"Let us go and leave this place," Zelos declared, breaking the heavy silence that had settled over their party. "I prefer not to have anyone else appear out of nowhere. And you, Ragnir, fly with us. I refuse to carry you."
"I cannot believe we just met the actual squirrel that tends to the World Tree," Atreus finally managed to say. He gathered his thoughts and cheered. "And we got a mission that is important for Yggdrasil itself. That is awesome!"
Atreus was thrilled by the chance to speak with the squirrel again later. He had been frozen on high alert just moments ago, still carrying the heavy tension from their brutal fight against the Aesir gods.
"You mean troublesome," Kratos corrected his son.
Atreus responded with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as he fell into step beside his father.
"You are lucky," Kratos added, glaring at the floating hammer. "I would have destroyed that prison without any care for what happened to you if not for that squirrel intervening."
Ragnir let out a smug, echoing laugh from the metal surface, completely refusing to be intimidated by the God of War.
The three warriors then turned and walked toward the exit of the cave, leaving the ancient murals behind in the dark. Zelos motioned for Kratos and Atreus to walk ahead of him. He slowed his pace deliberately, intending to have a private word with the floating weapon trailing behind them.
"What did you mean earlier?" Zelos asked in a quiet voice. "When you said I am not supposed to be here."
Ragnir turned in the air to face the young sorcerer.
"I think you know exactly what I meant," Ragnir replied.
The two continued to move forward down the rocky path. Ragnir fell silent again, which was uncharacteristic for his usually loud and boastful personality. This silence began to annoy Zelos greatly. He despised cryptic messages and hidden meanings, especially when they pertained to his own existence.
"I truly do not know," Zelos insisted. This was one of the few rare instances in his two lives where he lacked crucial information and felt entirely blind to the truth.
"You should visit the realm of the dead and do exactly what Odin did," Ragnir advised. He was encouraging Zelos to perform the ancient, dangerous ritual. He wanted the sorcerer to pierce his own side and hang himself from the branches of the World Tree, just as the All Father had done long ago to gain absolute knowledge of the runes and the universe.
"Can you not just tell me?" Zelos pushed back. His tone hinted at a subtle threat. "I am about to help you get free from that hammer. You owe me an explanation."
"Differing paths yield different conclusions," Ragnir explained. His voice shifted, carrying a rare weight of solemn seriousness that Zelos did not know the hammer possessed. "My answers to you might not be understood the same way as the answers you discover for yourself. It is a vital distinction."
Zelos fell silent. The profound words forced him to think hard about what Ragnir was implying regarding his existence and his future in this world.
The four travelers continued their long journey down the mountain, finally leaving the realm of Jotunheim and heading back toward the gateway to Midgard.