"Ah Tyr, you took your time getting here. Sit down, I wanted to talk about your match."

"If you are going to offer advice on how it could have gone better, I will welcome it with disgruntled but open arms."

Mimir chuckled. "I was actually going to express my surprise at your achievement. Granted you may have lost in a manner of speaking, but one would expect such results with twenty to one odds. Odin's reaction, however, is what I find so amusing. He came in here shortly after the battle and raved up a storm. Last time he was that upset, I had a body."

"You enjoy seeing him upset?"

"Not really, but sometimes he lets pride hinder his wisdom, and having something humble him every now and then can be a guilty pleasure for me and Frigg. This will keep him on his toes and better prepare him for Ragnarök."

Tyr nodded, then asked "Mimir, do you have idea as to what Odin may ask of me?"

Mimir then became serious. "Odin at this moment will be a tad unpredictable as to what he will ask. Had he succeeded in the way he intended, then he may have focused more on the benefit for Valhalla. But the fact that his victory was a technicality, he will struggle to keep himself from taking it as a personal slight. As such, he will probably at first give you tasks that will benefit Valhalla, but the they will be difficult and have the potential to make you look bad. Be thankful you didn't make a bet with Loki, he would have made every task demeaning. That partly comes from his height I suppose."

"His height?"

"Loki wears that cloak to hide the fact that he is wearing specially designed high heeled boots. His real height is only seven fots as opposed to the eight like you, Odin and Odin's children. As such, the Jotun that he feels the most kinship to often mock him for this, and as such Loki will seeks ways to lash out at any who do not share his height."

"Why would height be such a big factor?"

"It's a jotun thing Ymir established."

Just then, Tyr and Mimir heard someone calling for Tyr.

"Before I leave Mimir, I'm curious as to what Thoth would say my height is."

"I asked him about measurements once and after he talked my ear off I got the gist of how it was in comparison to ours. If I remember correctly those of an empire would say you are eight foot three while others would say you're two and a half meters. In you base height at least."

"Thank you Mimir." Tyr said as he left. Tyr soon found that it was Odin who had been looking for him. Odin was no longer in his usual garb either, for now he wore a long gray cloak and a wide brimmed hat that covered most of his face when he tilted his head down.

"Hope you enjoyed your time with Mimir, now come. There is work to do."

Tyr nodded and followed Odin through the evening dusk to the stables, which upon reaching them Odin, who had been silent this whole time turned to Tyr and asked "Do you what I hate most about the outcome of our bet?"

"That you were not able to acquire more information before the fight?" said Tyr uncertainly.

"No, that was something I was annoyingly impressed with. What I hate is that you didn't make the bet out of spite. You really thought that you were doing it for the benefit of Valhalla and the einherjar. You probably still think you are right, and the results certainly help.

"Now everyone will begin practicing in earnest for the sake of being better fighters, and Ragnarök will feel closer than it has before."

Odin sighed and entered the stables, gesturing for Tyr to follow. Once inside, Odin pointed to a gray horse with a shining silvery mane.

"Take Silfrtopp as your mount for now."

"Yes my king, but where are we going?"

" You will see."

Odin then mounted Sleiphnir and walked himself and Tyr mounted on Silfrtopp outside. Upon getting outside Hermod ran up and gave Odin a silvery horn encrusted with gold. Odin then put the horn to his lips and blew, releasing a loud and somewhat mesmerizing note. When it ended, the horse reared and took off at full gallop down the Bifrost.

As Tyr grabbed hold of the reins and righted himself, he found that there were spectral riders and ghostly white dogs with blazing eyes forming around Odin and himself as they rode. When they reached the guardhouse of Heimdall the horses jumped upward, going far higher than what should have been possible till there was a flash of colors and they were now running on the ground.

Are we... in a new realm?

Tyr and Odin rode onward with Odin blowing the horn again, and more specters appeared beside them. Tyr eventually saw people who were of the living in the distance. Some ran into the nearest house, others bent their knees and bowed their heads in reverence to Odin, and a few ended up being grabbed by the specters and were either mounted upon phantom steeds or thrown to the dogs who they soon turned into.

And so, Tyr followed Odin throughout the night, moving between the realms and traveling them at insane speeds until the reached Helheim, where the specters then rode in while Odin and Tyr watched.

"The Wild Hunt." Tyr finally said.

"During the coming winter months I summon the specters of the realms to ride with me, to see how the Jotun are interacting with the other vaettir, and to see if there is a way to travel beyond the nine realms that Thoth doesn't know about."

"Are you at odds with Thoth my liege?"

"In a way. I wish to acquire information on magic and the vaettir beyond the nine so as to find some way to prepare for Ragnarök, but if I do, there is a risk that the nine will be discovered by the other realms. Thoth believes that the risk of conflict between the nine and other realms is too great a chance. I strongly disagree. But come, I have something I wish to show you still."