Title: Obscure
Summary: Sequel to Grievances. Tony meddles with an Ancient Relic, one of Asgard's terrifying myths, and unleashes chaos and darkness at the tower. Haunted by what they can't understand, they seek help from Thor's brother, Loki. Nightmares are only the beginning of their torment. So what happens when the relic recognizes Loki? Will they stay sane long enough to survive? Loki/AvengersWhump!
Warnings: Horror, Gore and Violence, Bloody Hallucinations, Physical and Psychological Trauma, Angst, Torture, Mentions of Suicide, Sexual Abuse and Graphic Depictions of Death.
A/N: You get to learn more about Norse Mythology!
Challenged by: kakashikrazy256
A Rewrite. Possibly better than the first.
oOo
Chapter 1 – Lore and Legend
"This is absurd."
"Have you naught else to say, Loki?"
"Will you listen if I did?"
"Mayhaps."
"This is ludicrous, Thor!"
"Loki, honestly, it will be fine!" Thor rolled his eyes. "Nothing will happen to you."
"I am not worried about me."
"What worries you then if not for yourself?"
"It is…" Loki searched through the forest before turning his gaze back to his brother. "Do you truly want to earn Father's ire by disobeying his warnings?"
"I do not want his ire."
"Then why?"
"I have you with me to come up with an excuse," He grinned. "Better make one up now, lest we are caught early in our journey."
"I am glad you find my talents useful."
"The Skallagrim pass is the only pathway that still leads back home to Asgard, no matter how abandoned it may be." Thor ruffled Loki's hair only to be swatted away a second later. "No harm will befall us if we stray from the Overk pass into the mountains."
"Besides," Sif murmured behind them. "Skallagrim is near Vanaheim and Asgard, so we will not be lost."
"No one asked you," Loki bitterly thought.
"Cease your worry, Brother." Thor smiled. "I will protect you."
oOo
They along with the All-Father and forty of the Einherjar had come from Nidavellir after a diplomatic trade with the Dwarves, Eitri and Brokk. They had been traveling for two days through the Overk pass just outside of Durragdal. If you look at the map, the Asgard Mountain pass was in the middle, on the left was Vanaheim, underneath was Nidavellir and on the right of it was Alfheim.
The Overk pass extends from the forest of Alfheim towards Nidavellir to Vanaheim and is split two ways, thus the change of names. The Skallagrim pass on the left and the Gunnlaug pass on the right which both led to Asgard albeit different routes.
"Let it be on your head." Loki bitterly spoke.
"Will you stop?" Thor laughed.
"Nay."
"But Loki—"
"Nay!"
"Naught will happen to you!"
"I refuse to end this argument until your senses return to you."
"If so we will do this all day."
"Leave him alone, Thor!" Fandral called from the front. "We all know he will not relent!"
Loki heard them laugh.
What a terrible dilemma he was in to be the youngest and smallest. He was always dragged into their schemes, yet he cannot fault them all the time, for he was just as curious as they were. Loki enjoyed tricks and mischief, but he never crossed the line, at least not on purpose. Yet here he was, joined by the idiots three, Sif the imperious and Thor, his older brother. Though Loki had to admit, he enjoyed spending time with his brother, but the days when Thor would venture dangerously without care were times Loki never looked forward to.
"It is on your head," Loki repeated.
"Must you do this every time I take you with me?"
"If it would remain in your brain, I might consider stopping."
"Even in hunts, you find it pointless." Thor voiced. "Why shy from it?"
"I would rather avoid innocent bloodshed."
"Innocent?"
"Hush, Thor." Loki rolled his eyes. "Watch where you step."
After having said so, Loki nearly slipped from the wet stone at the inclining forest, but Thor was quick to grab him before he fell down the ravine. His brother's quick instincts saved his life and brought him up next to a sturdy tree. Loki blushed heavily at the embarrassment as he heard four loud snickers in at the top.
Loki never noticed the warning look Thor gave his friends as he continued to stare at the ground. He was tiny, skinny and those who knew him not would mistake him for a scrawny child.
"Come, Brother." Thor held his hand. "We must not linger here."
"Must we stray so far from the campsite?" He squeaked as Thor lifted him up a step.
"We?"
"Aye, we… who else?"
"It is not we, Brother." Thor said as he helped Loki up another incline. "Tis only you."
"Is there a reason why?" Loki alarmingly asked.
"To prove your bravery, that no Son of Odin is a coward."
"How is that justifiable?"
"Should it be?" Thor smiled.
Thor pulled Loki up to the forest clearing and was glad they got off the steep path. Thor moved Loki in front of him so he could better watch his little brother while they followed his friends on the road. He was only glad they had finished the hard part of the journey, and he was excited for Loki to find out the rest of the task assigned to him.
What joy!
"Do you remember we were taught to fight and rule?" Thor grinned when Loki nodded. "Those lessons are for now. There are times when we must prove our wits as a warrior ready to defend our land."
"And it consists of battling my wit with your idiocy?" Loki wondered.
"You insult me."
"You are mistaken, Brother. Knowledge does not define experience. I have yet to control my Seidr, and you have yet to prove your ruling, but at least Mother taught me how to fly a coin."
"Seidr," Thor repeated.
"Do you have anything against that?"
"It is a woman's art."
"Nay, it is not."
"Aye, it is." Thor mocked.
"Mother and Father use it," Loki argued.
"Father does not do cheap tricks," Thor countered. "Neither does Mother, but no one question's the King or Queen. Besides, Mother is a woman! Now enough of this, come, we must not tally!"
"How far is it?"
"There," Thor pointed at the forest.
"This is no longer near the Skallagrim pass." Loki voiced. "When did we stray from it?"
"About two or three inclines ago." He shrugged. "We are higher up the mountain and a little off way in the middle of both paths to Asgard. See that circling river bank?"
"Aye, what of it?"
"Do you see that tree in the middle?" Loki nodded as Thor continued, "Beneath it is a mound by the roots. The forest had covered it and claimed it as its own."
"How did you find this?"
Loki wondered as he saw the warriors three and Sif cleaning up by the river, dowsing themselves with water. Without a moment's notice, Thor dragged Loki to the tree while the others watched them with mirth. Loki knew if their father found it, they might never see the light of day again.
oOo
"Do you remember when we used the Gunnlaug pass?"
"Aye," Loki nodded.
"Everyone had set up camp by the clearing and we went hunting."
"Thor, you did not!"
"None of us were harmed."
"But I covered for you as you asked me to should you return later than promised!" Loki frowned at having to lie. "You did not return till mid-morning."
"It was a delayed hunting exploration and this is what we found," Thor shrugged uncaringly. "Tis a Legend! A farce tale to keep children in bed!
"What do you plan to do?"
"I?" He laughed. "Nay, you!"
"What?"
"Go inside, prove to my friends you are a Son of Odin and help me win my wager."
"You are betting on me?"
"Go down the narrow cave," Thor instructed. "Head straightforward, the crystals will light your path, the further you go in, the deeper you go down."
"I'd rather not," Loki anxiously voiced. "Father might be looking at us this moment."
"Nonsense, they are still at camp not more than an hour and a half from here."
"But it is not safe."
"Trust me, Loki." He embraced him and pushed him to the mound. "When you go down, there are bones lying about and the walls are sharp."
"Bones?" He paled.
"The water inside is no more than a puddle," Sif scoffed. "We assume the bones are from dead animals."
"But we can also be sure some of them come from people too." Fandral joked.
"Ignore them," Thor whispered.
"But—"
"Go down the ledge, you can find a stone step leading down. There is a crypt filled with coins and treasures. Ah, and tomes you might find of interest."
"I do like collecting tomes," Loki muttered.
When Loki turned back to Thor's friends, they were each brandishing old weapons and coin pouches at each other. Loki tilted his head in confusion as he heard them laugh together. He could only shake his head at the stupidity they all inhibited. Even if he were the sensible one, no one would listen to him.
"Have you not heard of the legend of the Forsaken path, Loki?" Sif asked.
"More tales of horror?"
"It is a tale as old as our late King Bor," Volstagg added.
"Aye, it is quite a story." Fandral smiled.
"True," Hogun agreed.
"I happen to know this path is not safe and there are many who have lost their way when they used the Skallagrim pass." Loki argued. "It is said the howl of the wolves during mid-winter eve were signs that he who was exiled from Asgard awaits his revenge, thus the disappearances. But we all know those aren't true. They were merely reckless."
"That is all you know and believe?" Sif scoffed.
"Is that not all there is to it?"
"Forget it, Loki." Thor patted his head.
"Thor—"
"They only mean to halt your journey."
"Tell him, Thor." Sif urged the Prince. "He is old enough."
"Nay, we must be quick!"
"I wish to hear it," Loki crossed his arms.
"There you go," Fandral happily voiced. "He wishes to hear it."
"Loki, you cannot be serious?"
"I am serious, Thor." He frowned. "Now what have I not heard of?"
"There are dark stories upon this mountain," Hogun answered. "Much as you spoke of the wolves in mid-winter. Yet it was not the wolves themselves that came to hunt. The Elves often sing these stories to remember those they have lost. The Vanir, Alfar, Dwarves and even our people who venture forth these woods were lost."
"What did it say?" Loki curiously asked.
Sif looked up into the sky and watched the clouds darken, as if there was a storm nearing. It was close to evening, and they were expected back at camp soon. She looked at Loki with a grin that made his skin chill and the others snicker at his reaction.
"I will tell you," Sif smiled.
"We have no time for this, my friends." Thor said. "We must be quick."
"Let Sif speak," Volstagg urged.
"It will not be long." Loki added. "Let her say it."
"Speak then."
So Sif began the sordid tale…
Millennia ago, his name had been forgotten,
The sorcerer of the North was the name he had gotten.
He pillaged the village and slaughtered the settlement,
And exiled was he, and that was quite evident.
Loki, who was more magically inclined, felt a disturbance in the forest as Sif continued her dark story; Loki felt the breeze pick up. He knew it was not normal. There was something dark in the air and Loki could have sworn he felt a dark energy come from the mound. But he was sure it was a trick to frighten him.
Right?
In hate he burned the forest,
In anger he joined Brigands,
The darkness in his heart had adjusted,
The desperation was in his hands,
He stole what he could and ruined what he can,
And destroyed what withstood.
It was all in his plan.
"She is good at this," Fandral whispered. "I have never seen her more frightening."
"Hush," Hogun hissed.
"And yet there were still signs he had lived on," Sif added with a little humor. "The wolves, the missing people, the path. It was a game to him. He vowed in darkness that he would return once more and finish what he started."
"Oh come now, Sif." Fandral protested. "You were doing so well."
"If you insist I continue—"
"Aye, we do."
And so she did…
One by one in the dark hall they died,
The forest was silent, mourning all that did not abide.
But some say he will return again!
This time, he will make them repent.
To finish the game,
No life must remain.
Loki blinked as Sif ceased her echoing words. The sky had gotten dark and gloomy. There was an awkward silence. Until Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three burst out laughing at Loki's confused face. However, Loki replayed the tale over and over in his mind, finding nothing amusing about it.
"Your face, Brother," Thor laughed.
"I should have known you made that up," Loki grimaced in disgust.
"It is true, Loki." Sif felt offended.
"Those tales came from Lord Freyr's halls." Hogun voiced. "Many of the Alfar sing it still. The legend speaks of the sorcerer's disappearance, and if you wish to add further knowledge on it, ask the Queen or King."
"Why not tell him more?" Volstagg asked.
"I'd rather you not." Loki glared.
"What is another tale or two?" Fandral mocked. "Right, Loki?"
"I thank you, but I'd rather not."
"Now, since we are finished." Thor put his hands together and grinned. "Shall we help Loki get down?"