“So…Who wants loot?” Kaine asked, stumbling back onto his ass, he sat down exhausted upon the massive monster’s chest.

“Wha-What was…” Jedd began to ask, as she and the rest were still several meters away from him, watching then as Kaine suddenly grabbed hold of his own head.

Nonononono! Ya just gave me control! Hell if I’m being pushed back down so soon bossman!

Nidhogg bellowed within Kaine’s mind, as he then felt the change he had grown so used to at this point, something only he and very few others knew he was afflicted by.

As the personality of Kaine dropped under the surface, Nidhogg rose back up in control.

A wide wicked grin alongside the eyes of a madman, he pulled himself back up into standing, “Sup.” He stated simply, glancing over the rest of the party. “Didn’t get to introduce myself, sorry but, these two have no manners…Hahaha!” Laughing out suddenly he leaped off the corpse, landing onto the crumbled floor Nidhogg faced them with wide open arms.

“Took the Tides of War scene by storm! All eyes on me! Hahaha! The spotlight itself, life of the party! Ladies and gentlemen,” Giving an overly dramatic bow, stumbling two feet forward as he did and coming to a standing stop, “I, am Nidhogg, and yes I do give autographs!” He exclaimed.

Ugh…Please, stop, you’re killing me.

“Oh but If you died then so would we!” Nidhogg then hissed out under his breath, yet still fully audible to the rest. “And no, not stopping!” He then said with a playful tone that told of someone who absolutely did not care one bit for the response.

If I could, I’d hurt you.

“Uhhh, what in the bloody hell are you talking about kid?” Farvo mused out of the flabbergasted crows.

Roy elbowed his sister, “I think he’s actually lost it.” He whispered to Rey.

“You think!?” Nidhogg then exclaimed, still smiling widely he began approaching them casually, “Oh I lost it long, long, long, loooonngggg ago!”

Let, me, do, the god damn explaining!

“Oh shut it, this is too fun!” Nidhogg whispered to himself once more. “So, where should I start…hhhmmmmmm~” He hummed on for a dreadfully long time.

“Ah…” Jedd raised her finger forward as if she was about to ask something.

“Ahh right, right? Right!” Nidhogg then shouted out, cutting her off, “I should start by saying that I am indeed absolutely fucking bonkers and that I’m okay with it!”

I’m not okay with it!

“We’re not? Oh, we’re not…” Nidhogg mused seemingly in realization, as suddenly the same aura that had previously stunned the Dreadknight burst out of his body and filled his surroundings, “But of course I’m not fucking okay with it you dim-witted half-assed excuse of a true neutral personality! Why the fuck would I be okay with being stuck in our god damn head for over a fucking year! Seriously do YOU know how bloody dreadful that guy in there is!? Not to mention watching you move everything AND knowing that THAT THING is in there WITH ME!”

To the rest at this point, it became very apparent that Kaine had gone, if he hadn’t already been, absolutely insane.

Oh lord, what have I done?

“WE!” Nidhogg then shouted out, coughing to clear his throat before turning to face the crows once again, as If nothing had just occurred.

Each of the crows had upgraded from flabbergasted to now utterly speechless with shock.

“Aight so, I’ll put it as simply as I can, okay, okay? OKAY!?” He finally shouted.

Causing Lara to snap at attention, ghostly pale, “O-O-O-Okay!” she was terrified.

“Aight, aight, now picture this.” Nidhogg began to explain, “I’m, they…WE! Are like a, ya know what a Hydra is right? Yeah, yeah? Of course you do! We’re a fucking Hydra, just, nothing of the multiple heads thingamajig. Several brains in…wait no that doesn’t make any fucking sense but then again none of this makes any fucking sense from the god damn condition to each of our personalities to this entire bloody situation but in that same way the world doesn’t make sense no, no, no life doesn’t make any fuck-”

Again, Nidhogg trailed off.

Focus!

“Shit, right, anyway we have D.I.D.” Nidhogg then said with a friendly smile, a very toothy one.

“Did?” Rey mused in further confusion.

“Dissociative Identity Disorder…” Roy mumbled out in realization, looking back at who he knew as Jor or Kaine but now as Nidhogg, “I mean…how many of you are in there?”

“Ehh, up to two at the best of times, I’m usually being strangled by two and the other…we don’t talk about that thing.” Nidhogg casually answered with a shrug.

I mean…okay, not the worst answer.

“Strangled?” Rey asked with a twitching brow.

“Thing?...” Farvo mused.

“So, four…?” Roy continued.

“Eh, sure, let’s say that.” Nidhogg replied, “Annyyywayy,” He then waved his hands over to the large corpse laying behind him, “Loot?” he said motioning with his head also.

Someone within Nidhogg’s mind mentally facepalmed.

“C-Can we talk with…Kaine?” Jedd then asked, gaining herself a dead-cold glare from him.

“Oh yeah sure, everyone wants to talk to that guy but too bad he never wants to talk to anybody, I mean it’s not like one would think a guy would at least speak a single fucking word to you after spending an entire bloody year stuck in utter oblivion with him but noooo fucker doesn’t say jack god damn squat all year and then suddenly this other jack ass decides to block me from having any fun WHAT SO GOD DA-” As Nidhogg was emotionally exploding he then suddenly stumbled about, seemingly dizzy as he held his face and tried his best not to fall over.

Coming to a still stop, he took a deep breath before shakily looking up at them, “Sorry…for that.” He told them.

“Which…are you now?” Jedd asked as she held Lara behind herself, as the mage now lay trembling from fear.

“Ah…Where do I start?” He chuckled before sighing, “I guess I’m who you know as Jor, but you’ve also met Kaine.” He tried to explain. “The dynamite moron back there was…regrettably, Nidhogg.”

“Wait so you actually weren’t joking when you said you have multiple…” Rey began to ask but forgot what exactly he had said.

“Three different conflicting personalities,” Kaine corrected, “This, is Kaine right now, for the record.”

“What’s the difference?” Roy then asked, brimming with curiosity.

“These days not much of a difference between us two,” Jor answered this time, “We’ve learned to be alike one another since we’re the prevailing personalities, as to fit in with less…insane people. And yeah we’ve basically surrendered ourselves that we actually are fucking insane.” He ended with an awkward chuckle.

“To be precise, me, Kaine and Jor are capable of switching between ourselves on a whim. I, am the more precise and logical of the two while he is…” Kaine began explaining, “I, Jor, am less of an entitled asshole and somewhat more understanding of what being human is compared to being a robot. You’ve mostly spoken with me since, he prefers to take the back seat and think, I like to just act on whims.”

“And I am!-” Suddenly Kaine slapped himself, “Sorry…he’ll be a pain to keep down since I let him out recently…” He awkwardly explained, rubbing his now reddened cheek.

“This is crazy.” Rey said with wide, astonished eyes.

“Can’t deny that I ain’t.” Jor said with a shrug and a smile. “But hey, bloody relieving not having to hide it anymore I tell you what…” He then sighed, “Least now I can let Nidhogg out without having to bullshit my way through what happens after…”

“Wait so…if Jor and Kaine can switch about on a whim, how does it work for the crazy one?...Crazier one, sorry.” Roy then asked, his curious nature unraveling.

“Ah…” Kaine groaned, “That one is a pompous, show-off catastrophe just waiting to happen.” Glancing over to Rey then, “Jor didn’t lie earlier, we just kept some of the truth out. Nidhogg only tries to come out when he has an…audience.”

“This is actually completely insane, you’re for real right?” Farvo asked, also just as confused and surprised as the rest, other than Roy who at this point was lost entirely on the nerdy details.

“Aha, yeah, I don’t blame you if…you know you don’t want anything to do with m-” Jor began to say.

“Hah…” When suddenly Jedd bent over forward, tears streaming down her eyes as she laughed her heart out, she fell kneeling down to the floor as she did. “So you really are crazy!” She exclaimed, wiping the tears off before glancing up at him, “Ah…Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect this development at all! I thought you were just too traumatized to see blood, feel a rush or something along those lines! But this? Oh, oh this is golden!” she exclaimed.

Suddenly standing up then, Jedd’s form shrunk down to her more human one. Taking Kaine’s hands into her own, his cheeks burned red at this, as she stared him straight in the eye. “I can’t let this opportunity pass me by! You’re just what we’ve been looking for!”

“We?” Kaine paused on that word, possibly having been expecting a different one.

Hah, cockblocked!

“We have?...” Farvo questioned the entire sentence.

“A loose cannon! Every good party needs one!” Jedd explained, “Good thing I snatched you up into the Crimson Crows before you decided to head back with those two!”

“Honestly I’d have rather gone off solo…” Jor groaned, “But…so…you’re not going to chain me up, knock me out and walk away forgetting I exist?...”

Oh shit, you were actually listening when I said that!?

Jedd simply looked at him with her confusion returning.

“Ahaha…Kaine was joking…he’s not good at that.” Jor lied to save himself, “For the record, that was a lie.” Kaine then added.

Returning to a Jor who didn’t know what else to say.

“This…will take some getting used to.” Jedd mused, letting go of his hands.

“You’re telling me…” Jor groaned, rubbing his eyelids as he once more sighed deeply.

“Important question though…what should we even call you?” Jedd then asked, “I mean, if we can’t tell from you know, Jor and Kaine?”

“Can you tell Nidhogg apart?” Kaine then asked.

“Yeap.” Jedd simply replied.

“No question about that mate.” Farvo chuckled.

“Good god yes.” Rey also added with several nods.

“Well then…just Kaine, will do fine.” He said, “I…we really don’t mind.”

“Then Kaine it is.” Jedd announced.

“Soo…about that loot.” Rey then mused, glancing over at the large corpse still laying before them.

Yes! The god damn loot!

Nidhogg mentally and maniacally laughed with joy.