The Afterschool Brave and Fantastic Party Episode 4 Part 2

We pick things off with the party reaching land and disembarking at Mulspelheim, the land furthest to the south in this world. It is a scorching land of hot winds, said to have been ruled by the fire giants in the past. As the party makes their way towards their goal, they come to a large city. It is the city of Yggdrasia, named after the giant tree said to have covered the world and connected to the old underworld called Helheim.

 

Yuuji is rather cheery about making it to town, and Orgus mentions having been here before. He had stopped by on his way to a courtesy visit to the Ikurios (or whatever LotR allusion I might be missing) Principality. Bacchus is quiet, which Sol notices and asks about. Bacchus apologizes and comments on how familiar the place is to him. He had been here one time before he met with the party.

 

Yuuji asks about the town, and Sol answers by telling him the name of it and describing it as being under the protection of the world tree. Yuuji comments that it sounds similar to something he's heard before, then asks about the concept of a world tree. Sol is happy to explain further, then tells him that Midgard and Mulspelheim among other places are connected to several other worlds. Each world that is connected is connected by one root of the world tree Yggdrasil. Due to that, their whole world has come to be known by the world tree's name.

 

Yuuji nods as he seems to get the idea, and Orgus adds that the Gate of Hel in old world of Helheim where they have to go to is one of those worlds. It's due to Yddgrasil's networks that the place is connected to Mulspelheim. Yuuji asks if that means they'll find the place if they follow the root, which Orgus nods at. No one knows what'll be happening from here on in, so Orgus suggests carefully preparing and gathering information. Bacchus says he'll head to the adventurer's guild to cash in on the quests you guys completed on the way. Yuuji decides to tag along for that since it seems easiest.

 

Some time later, you and Bacchus head to the guild. Surtr is here talking to the receptionist boy, and he is surprised to hear that one of Yggdrasil's roots in close to town. He's been traveling a long while himself, and the name of the tree floods him with emotions. The receptionist confirms that there is a world tree root nearby before asking if Surtr is interested in the tree itself and handling the quest paperwork Surtr brought in.

 

Surtr talks about how the world tree was one of the battlegrounds of old where the warriors of Asgard fought with the fire giants. The receptionist comments on him being familiar with legends, then points him out to some sightseeing stuff. The receptionist heard a lot about fire giants as bedtime stories since the humans of Mulspelheim are referred to as the descendants of the fire giants, especially the royalty.

 

Surtr asks about this, so the receptionist disclaims any firsthand knowledge but figures it's just a reference to inheriting their fire control abilities. Otherwise, by some miracle there came to be a child born between humans and fire giants. He comments that it's a romanticized view of history and thinks to himself it may be usable for more sightseeing stuff.

 

The receptionist is asked his name by someone so he introduces himself as Dionys, an apprentice public safety manager. He came from a different country not too far away but came here to study. His introduction gets interrupted when Surtr starts patting him on the head to his confusion. Surtr apologizes and says he found himself thinking he was adorable.

 

Surtr then starts thinking to himself that there are a few differences to what he knows of how his world was after the war, but at the very least That Thing is around. If the World Tree Yggdrasil is still around then he might be able to understand the "abnormality of this world." That's because it has to do with the class and concepts of "those that connect to several other worlds."

 

Narration talks about how Surtr saw things that didn't belong to the nine subdomains he was familiar with. Valinor, the Sage's Tower, and various legendary equipment originally did not exist in System Yggdrasil. Surtr then thinks that if the world tree is dragging in other worlds that originally were uninvolved, its setup should be similar to how Tokyo has been connected to 23 other worlds. If so, the proximate nature of it means that summoning arts should be connected, even if only by chance. That still leaves the question as to why They (Surtr and the others) were summoned. Narration mentions that Surtr saw a lot of Transients that should have been in Tokyo.

 

Surtr surmises that all of them were summoned by Transient Summoning just like they did to Tokyo. If that happens to be true, then it can only work if there's some sort of bond with them. This bond also has to be with someone native to this world as well, though Surtr phrases it as someone who has put their roots in that world. He wonders if that means there's someone around who fits those two conditions. It's possible if the two (I'm not sure who he means) are separate, but if they aren't united then...he trails off on that. But at the very least he and the others can't go back until they know who summoned them.

 

Surtr thinks aloud about checking out the world tree, which surprises Dionys into asking if he plans to go into the tree. He tries to talk him out of it saying the root nearby is connected to the netherworld. If a human were to wander by then the miasma drifting from the gate might kill them. Surtr nods at this as he takes note of the human bit of Dionys's warning. The subject reminds Dionys that another traveler earlier had told him that he was born in the netherworld.

 

If he really was from there then he can just ignore it. If he's from there... Dionys also says it won't be a problem if it's one of the dragons. The nearby root is also said to be the nest for the Wood Dragon King Nidhogg from back of the Age of Legends, and his magical power is such that the miasma is kept away. At this point Dionys notices you guys waiting in line so he asks Surtr to wrap things up. Surtr in turn apologizes for taking his time and thanks him for everything he told him. Dionys wishes him well on his journey, then calls you guys up.

 

Time skips later on to the party reaching the world tree after completing their preparations. Sol comments on what you guys have heard about at the guild, bringing up the bit about the nest of the Wood Dragon King since they've also heard about it back north. Orgus comments that the Wood Dragon King comes from the era Odin sat in the heavens and says his power would allow you to ignore the poison of the underworld. If a human is to go down there they'll need his help.

 

Sol mentions that Nidhogg is known to hate humans and worries about whether he'd actually help the human hero and friends. Yuuji asks about this bit about Nidhogg, but Orgus says he doesn't really know why. If Fafnir were around he might help because of racial sympathy. Bacchus says if Nidhogg won't help then you'll have to figure something else out.

 

Scene shifts to the party entering Nidhogg's lair proper, and Nidhogg notices as he demands to know who let the humans in. He's already aware that the No Life King has revived in the underworld, but he swears he won't help humans again. Nidhogg then notices Bacchus in the party with the game dramatically stressing his reaction to this shocking revelation.

 

Time skips a bit as Orgus comments that the party has been waiting for almost an hour for Bacchus and Nidhogg to come back, and he wonders what the hell is happening. Sol worries about whether Bacchus is okay and wonders what they're talking about. Yuuji just hopes Nidhogg didn't eat Bacchus.

 

Around this point Bacchus comes back, and Yuuji welcomes his return. Bacchus apologizes for keeping everyone waiting. He explains he was talking to Nidhogg LORD Nidhogg and is about to tell you the end result when Nidhogg goes ahead and says he'll give his full support. Yuuji is shocked by this given how Nidhogg was described as hating humans, and Nidhogg promptly gets pissy about being questioned as he demands to know whether you guys want to go to the Gate of Hel or not.

 

Yuuji gets flustered as he says yes but isn't sure Nidhogg would help out. Orgus asks Sol if he gets what's happening, but Sol shrugs and says the problem is solved at least. Anyways, Nidhogg explains that the underworld's miasma will kill anyone not from there. Dragonkind's powerful magic can protect against this however. He starts to suggest going along with the party to provide this protection, and Bacchus thanks him for the sentiment but says it's unnecessary. Also, the overlord had said for four people to come, so if they disobey that then it might be even more dangerous. He apologizes for that, and Nidhogg decides to lend Bacchus a book.

 

Sol is surprised at the level of magical power, saying it's enough to destroy an entire world. Nidhogg says it's only natural since the book is stored with his magic. He explains it'll generate a barrier for you guys to guard against the miasma. Bacchus expresses concern for what will happen to Nidhogg in the meantime without the book. Nidhogg answers that he'll hibernate until things are done to cut down on his mana consumption. He's more worried for Bacchus, and he says that if it comes down to it he should chuck it at the overlord. Nuke him AND the underworld to bits! Yuuji protests this idea since the party would get caught the blast. Bacchus just thanks Nidhogg and promises to come back to him. Nidhogg is touched, but then he notices Yuuji staring, so he tries to cover up by coughing.

 

Time skips to the party reaching the Gate of Hel, and Orgus comments on you guys making it to the overlord's territory. Sol observes how thick the miasma is and says you'd all be dead under normal circumstances, and Yuuji excitedly talks about how fine they all are and says it's like being back on the surface. Bacchus says that he's not even doing anything and the book is blocking out the miasma. If he actually tried to use it he thinks he'd blow up the surrounding area.

 

Orgus is annoyed that Nidhogg set the book up to be uncontrollable by you guys, but Sol points out that the protection it gives is plenty helpful already. Now you guys can go meet the overlord in the final battle. Yuuji starts having an issue with that, and Bacchus notes that he's shaking. Orgus says he wants to call him a weakling, but he does acknowledge that the pressure in the area is intense. Yuuji says he'll still go and tries to insist he isn't scared. Sol is concerned and initially refers to Yuuji by title before switching to his name.

 

Yuuji says he'll go, not because he's the hero but because he decided to personally. He tells the party it's time to go meet Nekros and somehow settle the issue of the overlord. Orgus agrees and says he'll count on him, Sol says he'll be with Yuuji wherever he goes, and Bacchus nods at the plan. You think about the overlord and wonder what Nekros meant by what he said earlier.

 

Flashback kicks in to replay what Nekros said about enjoying his time with the party and his issue against you being inside Yuuji. Yuuji is about to lead the party on when he hears that someone is around. Garm happens to be around yelling about coming back and looking for Hel. It takes you a moment to recognize Garm, and before too long monsters start showing up. Yuuji is surprised as he says they look tough, and Orgus figures they came to fight you all.

 

Garm gets ready to fight since he says the dead aren't allowed to leave, otherwise Hel would get mad. The monsters cut him off from saying any more, and Yuuji tells the party they need to save him. You agree internally, and the episode battle starts. More story happens after that.

 

After the battle, Garm compliments you guys for stopping the undead. He starts sniffing Yuuji and says he likes the smell of him since it's the same as someone he knows. Yuuji breathes a sigh of relief before rechecking Garm's name, and Garm confirms it as he calls himself the guard dog to the Gate of Hel. He's just come back from being away, but he finds it weird that he can't hear his old master's orders. One does not just walk in and out of Mordor Hel, so he says something is weird about the world. Garm then decides to look into this, so he thank the party and leaves.

 

Scene shifts to somewhere on Yggdrasil as Nogrim freaks out and calls for help as zombies and mummies descend upon him. Fortunately for him Surtr happens to be around and bails him out, then asks if he's alright when the monsters are down. Nogrim recognizes him from earlier and thanks him for the rescue. He explains that the king and others asked him to deliver some equipment to the hero's party, but he got waylaid on the way over. Nogrim then remembers he needs to hurry, then tells Surtr to come by his shop again sometime where he offers to return the favor.

 

After Nogrim leaves, Surtr comments to himself there really is some sort of difference with the world for the dead to come wandering out of Hel. He thinks upon the differences he's found, and if System Yggdrasil were here such a thing would never be happening. The subsection Helheim of the World Promised to Destruction Yggdrasil kept strict control over the coming and going of the dead under the request of Odin's stepson(?)/son-in-law(?) and watched by Garm. There was the ability to raise the dead, but its use was avoided to the extreme.

 

Surtr comments that the management of Helheim is supposed to be Hel's role. If the dead are allowed to come back to life, then the world would become 'one that repeats itself eternally.' Surtr then notes that Helheim doesn't seem to be up and running as if it were like that to begin with. He has no idea where Hel went off to, but he figures something must have happened. As much as this world resembles his home world it is Something Else with the System not on from the outset. It is a world Not Promised to Destruction, a world that has 'lost its System and refuses to restart.'

 

Surtr reacts in surprise when he goes to examine a cut in the world tree. He examines the tree rings next which confirms to him what he had been thinking about the state of the world. Surtr talks again about how Yggdrasil was supposed to be destroyed, where both the giants and Odin's soldiers were to be destoryed and the world handed off to humanity. This was to happen at the end of the ordained war...or at least, it should have been.

 

However, Surtr says that the world has forgotten about the same predetermined grand battle and redoing that. For some reason, a memory floats up in his mind about the last thing he saw before coming to this world. That would be Babel Tower back in Tokyo, and the episode ends.