After thinking it over with the group, you decide to split teams even, bringing Justice and Rocket Rush along with yourself and Moonflower. You tell Apple Basket and Smoke to stay with Bright Logic and Novelty until you return.
 
Smoke: “What, so we don’t get to have any of the fun?”
 
You tell Smoke that you need her to keep the others safe, and that she is the best suited for the task. When she doesn’t look too convinced, you knowingly offer her a few gemstones on top.
 
You give 2 Gemstones to Smoke.
 
Smoke: “Fine. But next time, I wanna be part of the action.”
 
You nod, and with that settled, you climb aboard the sailboat. Once everyone is ready, Rocket Rush pulls a lever on the new machine she installed, effectively propelling the craft from the shore and onto deep waters without the need of a sail.
 
Meanwhile, Novelty summons Eleven out of hiding. On command, he opens his mouth for a few seconds, presumably absorbing magic from the area. Then, as he releases the magic, a strand of sparkles passes you by, floating southward.
 
Justice: “There’s the flux. Let’s see where it leads.”
 
With some expert maneuvering, Rocket Rush performs a sharp turn over the waves, and begins to follow the shimmering trail along the wall of clouds. The chase lasts a few minutes, until you reach a turning point where the magical path leads straight into Mists.
 
Justice: “Novelty was right. There is an entrance.”
 
Rocket Rush: “Alright, this is it! We’re going in!”
 
Rocket Rush turns the vessel to face the hidden opening, and slowly drives into it. Once inside, the fog becomes so dense that you can hardly see the front of the boat, guided onward by the faint shimmering of passing magic alone.
 
After carefully navigating what feels like an invisible maze, you eventually reach a dead end, where the trail seems to disperse into thin air.
 
Rocket Rush: “Huh. What now?”
 
Suddenly, a clearing forms. All around you, mountains of silvery stone emerge from the water, turning like clockwork. In front of you, a massive tower rises from below the surface, splashing you with a brief shower of heavy rain.
 
As curtains of water fall to reveal what lies underneath, and glowing eyes open to gaze upon you, you realize that they are no mountains, nor a tower, but the body and head of an impossibly large sea serpent.
 
Without a doubt in your mind, the creature before you is none other than the primordial serpent Jormungandr. Or, as known to the sirens: the King of the Sea, Midgardsormr.
 
Then, a booming voice rumbles from nowhere and everywhere at once, each word echoing in your head, and shaking you to the very core.
 
Midgardsormr: “I AM MIDGARDSORMR, GUARDIAN OF THE GATE TO THE WORLD BETWEEN WORLDS. WHAT BRINGETH YE TO MY DOMAIN?”
 
You look over to your party. Justice stares in awe, mouth agape. Rocket Rush cowers on the deck, expecting the worst. And Moonflower bites her own tongue, rife with self-doubt.
 
Reminded of your quest, you gather your courage, and step forward. With as confident a voice as you can muster, you tell Midgardsormr that you and your companions seek passage to Yggdrasil, and that you bring with you an otherworldly item that Queen Maelstrom herself entrusted you to destroy.
 
Midgardsormr: “A BRAZEN CLAIM, MORTAL, YET DOST THOU BEAR PROOF OF THY WORDS?”
 
Without much of a choice, you produce the Philosopher’s Stone from your sidereal bag, and present it to the King of the Sea. The two unicorns gasp as they recognize the glowing gemstone you are holding, while Midgardsormr does not so much as blink.
 
Midgardsormr: “HOW DOST THE COG BEGINNETH TO TURN, OBLIVIOUS TO THE GREATER MACHINATIONS THUS SET IN MOTION. SO BE IT. IF THOU THINKEST THYSELF WORTHY, THEN COME HITHER, AND SHOWEST FORTH THINE OWN PURITY.”
 
With those words, the giant serpent dives back under the surface. As the spinning coils of his body begin to fade, a vortex of fog gathers where he once was, then ignites into what seems to be a sailboat-sized portal of light.
 
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