Something was pressing down on him, his shoulders aching from the cold of the grasp; suddenly, he couldn't breath, he couldn't feel, a mind-numbing pressure was surrounding him and he was being consumed in that ocean all over again.
As he fell into the deep all over again, a blurry image rose to the surface, close enough so that he could see the shapes but not the people.
"Too dangerous—this creature must be thrown out. Cast him into the depths!"
"Lord Odin, please!"
"Father, say something!"
The last image of a long, russet haired man turning away from him as he fell flashed through his minds stage, the ice's bony fingers gripping him and pulling him into the darkness; he jolted up, his pupils sharpened to snake-like slits and his long, bony fingers and pale, thin hands wrapping around the throat of the intruder.
"H-ick!"
The System clawed at her throat, her windpipe forced closed from the mad serpents cruel hands, digging her nails into his hands in an attempt to make him let go; they wrapped even tighter, and the System felt as if she had a constrictor snake around her neck from Jörmungandr's grip strength.
'What were his stats again?' she thought blearily, her mind beginning to slip away from the general lack of air.
"...System?"
The grip loosened, and the System inhaled deeply, coughing as she did so before she let out a raspy squeak, "This is w-why—*cough*—I'm usually a holographi-ic—*wheeze*—image and not—*hok*—a person. Ha~ Honestly, what were you thinking you nitwit! I was just trying to—*oof*—wake you up to see the launch!"
The first thing she did after choking was complain; Jörmungandr didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed.
He chose indifference instead.
"...Never again..."
"..."
The System had the distinct feeling that he wasn't talking about choking her.
The serpent got off of the new god, his tall, lithe form that reminded her of a snake smoothly moving towards the inn's closet, where some clothes had been provided to him the night before.
Without any hesitation or consciousness towards the still recovering System, Jörmungandr stripped off his shirt and then his pants.
"W-What are you doing?!"
The System immediately ran out of his room, but not before spotting rings of rough scar tissue all over his legs, up to his calf. The door closed shut and the System immediately walked away, flustered, but calmer at the sight of the scars.
She didn't think he had any, nor did she expect any scars to be carried over to this avatar. 'Well,' she thought with warm cheeks, 'I suppose that's what happens when you personalize the avatars to fit the beings exactly...'
She decided she would change the avatar settings from now on—the Players would also most likely enjoy it that way more anyways.