Chapter 4 – Please
Chaos erupted almost immediately. Talbok's swords defended him from the onslaught although the strange technology broke anything on the creatures but the blades themselves. It was clear they could not defend him forever so the battle would need to be ended quickly. Darcy was saved when Loki dragged her out of the line of fire, Thor quickly occupied by a majority of the soldiers focusing on him to hinder any assistance he might offer. Before they could act, Loki and Darcy were caught in a battle with Sumati. It was all the Midgardian could do to keep up. Her reflexes were better than ever but it seemed that the six armed woman had deemed her a legitimate threat. She was not leaving any openings in her never ending onslaught of attacks. Each dodge was made with only a hairs breath distance.
Loki fell easily into battle, tricking the goddess with his mirror images but it seemed she was cautious enough to use the eyes of her followers. The real god of mischief would leap from hiding to attack her only for her to know exactly where he had jumped from. With a triumphant laugh something happened that stopped his latest attack in its tracks. Darcy couldn't tell what but Loki stilled, his skin paling and sweat bursting from his pores. He immediately looked sickly very similar to the first time she had met him. It was the telltale signs of unbearable fear and his eyes seemed to look around the area unseeing.
"Thanos wanted to pay his mind a little visit." Sumati explained, stepping toward the Asgardian with obvious intent. "He still needs to pay him back for what happened with the Chitauri." She concluded before raising one of her sabres high. Without hesitation Darcy ran, clearing the distance as she charged the blade attached to her bracer. The shock sent Sumati crashing to the ground. In the background Darcy barely registered that one of the worm like creatures she had seen on the news all those years ago burst from the ground to further distract Thor. Disregarding this she went to Loki, gripping his arms, the slightest response from his eyes showing that he could feel the grip but his mind was still somewhere else entirely.
"Loki! Please! Listen to me! It's not real! It's not-" Darcy was cut short from her attempts to bring him back to reality when a painful shriek crashed inside her head. In alarm she glanced to Smurf who struggled to standing, scrambling away from Sumati who had destroyed Talbok's blades almost effortlessly in the moment of distraction and now used their remains to pierce the Skrull's chest with a wicked laugh.
She couldn't tell if the cries were Smurf's or from the blades themselves but she felt herself overwhelmed with sorrow and rage not only for their death and the death of Talbok but for the fact that his work was incomplete. The modifications would never be finished, Smurf was going to die. Emotion bubbled up inside of her desperate for action, anything that might change what had just occurred.
"NO!" Darcy screamed, running toward Smurf. Sumati beamed with pleasure at the emotional suffering that was clear in the human's reaction before motioning for her group to retire. Obviously she wanted to take pleasure in the woman's torment before she killed her and what better way than to leave her pet destined to destruction and her lover locked in another world sweating with fear and pain beyond comprehension. With mocking, satisfied laughter her group retreated on the back of the giant worm like creature, Thor relieved from his battle as well.
Smurf chimed sadly to Darcy before the pair moved over to the Skrull with the last ounces of hope but it was clear he wasn't going to survive. Talbok looked to her with pain clear in his expression, using the last of his effort to remain conscious.
"My apologies…human. Smurf will die. I recommend you leave him near the wreck to wipe out the remains of our research when he overloads." He commented strain clear in his voice. Tears sprung to Darcy's eyes and she shook her head looking desperately where his own living weapons had pierced him hopelessly wanting to do something to fix the wound.
"No, there has to be…something we can do. You have to survive." She told him like her words would change what had happened. He laughed though the humour quickly turned to coughs that suggested his lungs were filling with blood.
"Thank you human. At least the Racture was given a master who cared." He responded before his ragged breaths stilled and the life in his green eyes vanished. A rain of pins sung in her mind in sorrow, Smurf bowing its head beside her as she looked desperately around for some kind of support. It was only then she recalled what was happening to her lover and she pushed herself up, staggering over to where he was curled on the ground.
Thor was beside him, holding his arm with a strong grip that seemed to be the only thing that reminded him it was all in his mind. With tears still flowing freely down her face, Darcy took hold of his hands, squeezing them with all her strength and begging him constantly to hear her voice, to realize that it was all in his head.
He heard the cries faintly in the back of his mind. A muffled voice far away but the musical sound let him know it was Darcy. He felt pressure on his shoulder and hands and knew that was what was happening to his real body but he could not escape the other world. He thought when the sceptre had been taken from him he was safe from being dragged back especially when the Chitauri had refrained from any attempts to contact him. But now he was there standing before the very being who had given him the weapon through them and the power to act on his insanity.
"You have fallen Loki, Laufey's son." Thanos growled with derision. The sneer on his face suggested he took great pleasure in having Loki's mind in his presence. The Asgard recalled what he was like from the one time he had met him not long after he had first been given the sceptre. Unlike the Chitauri, Loki feared him, more so now that his madness was gone to smother such emotions. The agony he could cause was beyond any physical pain the god of mischief had ever felt only trumped by the emotional pain his family had caused him. "I will make it to Earth and when I court death I will take pleasure in destroying the people that woman cares for, I will make her suffer until her very last breath." He threatened almost as if he doubted Sumati's success.
"Loki!" Darcy's cry broke clear through the distance, white hotness burning his hands. Thanos moved and just before the Asgard could slip away he screamed pain and torment into his mind. His physical body jolted, wincing with eyes screwed tightly shut from the pain in his skull. It was sheer agony, crippling him with the sensation.
"Loki!" Thor's voice echoed relief clear in his tone as he began laughing now that his brother had finally returned to them. His skin was still pale and slick with sweat but his eyes when they finally opened, focused on his companions. Never had he loved the two of them more wanting nothing else but to be near the beings that meant most to him. Fresh tears spilled out of Darcy's eyes as she kissed his hands, her body fatigued. What had brought him back had something to do with the wrist blade on her left arm. Smurf chirped happily and suddenly Loki was wondering what had transpired in his moment of delirium.
"You knucklehead, don't scare me like that." Darcy threatened her voice thick with worry. Loki sat up, ducking his head a little in apology before looking around for Talbok. It wasn't long before he spotted him, dead a distance away. He glanced to his lover desperate to know if his work had been completed. She looked down at his silent question, swallowing as if to choke another wave of tears. She shook her head, looking away. She was trying her hardest to be strong and that only made Loki's chest ache in sympathy. "Smurf's…Talbok didn't finish. There's nothing we can do." She blurted out, all her sorrow funnelling into her voice. Her eyes were glassy but with a quick breath she managed to keep herself from crying.
"I'm sorry." Loki offered though he knew his words meant little. Smurf sang with bells in a sorrowful tone though it was easy to tell he did not fear his own death. He only grieved for the pain it caused in Darcy's heart.
"What do we do now?" Thor questioned obviously leaving the decision to Darcy. It was clear he wanted to get back at Sumati but he respected that everything should be up to the woman who was affected most by everything that had happened. Darcy tilted her head slightly in gratitude before her worry and sorrow was replaced by an overwhelming fury. The look in her eyes reminded Loki of himself and mentally he begged that she never become the villain he had been, that somehow she would come out of all of this as the sweet girl he cherished and not something different.
"I say we find Sumati and I tear every single arm off her as slowly and as painfully as I can." She growled, the tone of her voice causing the Asgardians to glance to each other in concern. Before they could do anything to calm her rage or suggest other options Darcy had stood up, motioning for Smurf to attach itself to her. She was already walking in the direction the goddess had fled at a brisk pace when they finally moved to stand and follow her.
It was sickening, overwhelming and also terrifying but she held onto it. She clung desperately to her rage for it was the only thing that kept her from breaking down. It was the only thing that would keep her fighting until Sumati was no longer a threat to her or anyone she cared about. And she would pay. For the lives that had been lost and for the inevitable loss of the living weapon, armour that now surrounded her. She could feel heat radiating off of Smurf's body, unsure if it was the beginning of the end or just a mirrored rage in her pet. The scraping metal in her mind suggested her creature was just as furious as she, just as determined to destroy the six armed woman.
The group hadn't bothered hiding and they hadn't gone far. Darcy didn't even try to ambush them. She walked out into the open regardless of the threat to her life. Sumati smirked, laughter like the purr of a cat echoing around the area. The human woman stood before with a fire in her eyes that impressed the goddess who glanced to her soldiers. They lacked the same kind of conviction.
"Why so angry, Darcy Lewis?" The six armed woman asked in taunt. Her enemy clenched her jaw tightly but said no word. She stood there, glaring for all she was worth before a battle cry tore from her lungs. She leapt forward, wrist blade at the ready and already charging with electricity. The tides had turned as Darcy became the one offering an endless onslaught to the dodging Sumati. Her servants could not help, Loki having used magic and ice as he battled the cultists. His brother fought above them working away at the giant worm's thick armour.
When all the followers were dealt with Loki glanced to Darcy. He wanted to interfere but knew it would only enrage his lover further. This was her fight and no one could take that from her. Any that tried would earn her fury. As such he chose to help his brother as the worm came crashing close to the ground in an attempt to remove Thor from its side.
"Who knew you had such potential for violence." Sumati mocked when she had leapt far enough back that the living weapons were not an immediate threat. Any charged attack from the bow section would give her enough warning to dodge to the side.
"You gave me a reason." Darcy spat. She felt in spite of the adrenaline coursing through her body, that it was not long before exhaustion would get the better of her. It was time to end this once and for all. She willed electricity into both the blade and bow part of Smurf's extended presence, metal clashing in her mind in warning and shared anger. "It must burn you to have failed Thanos by the hand of a background character." Darcy taunted hoping to insight rage from Sumati so she would not think to dodge. Energy raced up and down the woman's arms, a terrible ache filling them but she ignored it. This time she wanted to make sure the six armed goddess didn't survive.
"I did not fail!" Sumati screamed obviously the topic a sore spot. In denial she thought that her plans could still come to pass they had only been delayed. All by this pathetic excuse for a warrior before her. The purple skinned beauty launched herself forward, golden sabres singing death through the air. Too late did she realise she had been foolish enough to be goaded into a trap
The charge was stronger than it had ever been the pressure painful as Darcy felt electricity cut at her arms. Then with the last of her rage she launched the bolt of lightning forward. The release knocked the girl back, remaining standing only because of Smurf's body protective around her. But the metal burned and both sections of her living weapon unfolded from her form, the wrist blade attaching itself to the bow's back. The human stumbled but managed to keep on her feet in spite of the pain and in spite of the fatigue fighting her and trying to drag her to the ground. She waited for the white light in her eyes to fade and then to her horror, she saw the two armed version of Sumati pushing herself up in the wake of the attack.
She was bleeding heavily and one of her remaining two arms was half gone but she was still alive. With ragged breaths she looked back to Darcy, pain and shock being replaced with a cruel, superior smirk. Surprised at her own survival the goddess began to laugh, staggering in place.
"Is that it?! Is that all the rage of Darcy Lewis has to offer?!" She mocked madness in her red eyes. The sneer on her face was arrogant and satisfied. The Midgardian understood that there was nothing she could do. It was taking all her effort just to stand. She felt hope flee her filling her body with despair. Then she noticed the scraping growl of Smurf and alarm set in.
The hum in the back of her mind had grown unawares to a loud buzzing that now focused on, consumed her. It drowned out all other noise, it threatened to be the only thing in existence. It was unbearable and it was hard for her to believe that it was all inside her head. It was all the warning she got. Sumati realized she had the attention of something other than Darcy and turned to flee. She was going to transport herself to another world, maybe even to Thanos himself. Skrullos was no doubt closer than Asgard and Earth to wherever the mysterious villian resided. If she managed to disappear she would survive and vengeance would go unsated.
Smurf leapt forward, heat radiating so strongly from it that Darcy could feel it even as he slipped away. The surface of the metal began to crack with pressure, strong white blue light leaking out from these fissures and glaring at the rest of the world.
"No!" Darcy cried out in grief and fear. Without even thinking of the consequences she ran forward, chasing after her living weapon. The air around it burned but that didn't make her stop her efforts to get desperately close to it one last time, to somehow save it in that last minute even though it was impossible.
Some distance away the worm like creature crashed to the ground, Thor and Loki exchanging a triumphant grin at their teamwork. Their mirth was short lived however when the heat and the light caught their attention and they glanced over to Darcy's battle with Sumati. Loki was stunned for only a few seconds as he comprehended what was happening, as he watched helplessly as Darcy got closer and closer to the obviously overloading Smurf.
"Darcy, no!" He called out in panic, running and leaping over hurdles of rubble and begging the length in his legs and strides to be quick enough, to reach her in time. But the battle with the worm had taken the pair of Asgards further than action would permit and finally the energy drew within itself. It was oddly quiet in that split second as Loki realized he was neither fast nor close enough to do anything. Then fire and electricity, heat, flame, and blue, white light burst from the living weapon, consuming the area. It swept across the battlefield, reaching Loki with a seer of heat that made him hiss in pain as his body was knocked backwards. He scrambled to remain conscious but darkness soon took hold, yanking awareness away from him as his concern for Darcy slipped away with his awareness.
When he came to, rubble half buried him and his body ached all over. He groaned trying pointlessly to heft a large boulder off of him. He was only freed after listening to the grunts and stumbled steps of Thor who had also woken as he came over and used his natural strength to move the chunk of rock. It still seemed to take a lot out of him, evidently the blast having done its fair share to the god of thunder as well.
Loki gasped in pain but that was the only sign he heeded his injuries. Tumbling into a staggering run he made his way to the epicentre of the blast where his last glimpse of Darcy had been of her hugging closely to Smurf's body in spite of the impending explosion. His eyes scrambled across the nearby rubble refusing to believe the inevitable. Panic set in as he began digging through the various piles, breaking his nails and cutting his fingers carelessly as he searched in desperation.
"No! Don't be dead, please!" He cried out, grief filling his voice and shattering it with sorrow and distress. He scrambled pointlessly jumping from one burial ground to the next but all traces of both the living weapon and the human woman were gone. The centre of the explosion would have been so strong that it destroyed matter, this evidenced by the smoothness right in the middle of the large area Loki searched. Thor silently came up behind him, grief for his friend and his brother clear on his face as he hesitated to reach out to him.
"Loki, she's gone." He stated hopelessly, going to grab his brother's shoulder. The god of mischief whirled on his sibling, madness clear in his eyes as he snarled.
"No! I will not allow it!" He spat as if his words and opinion would change what had happened. Even so he stood still as he watched his brother desperately almost searching for a sign to say "yes Loki, you're right". But Thor remained silent and the conviction on his face told that no amount of digging or wishing would bring back the Midgardian woman. Tears spilled from Loki's eyes before he cried out in rage, beating his fist down at rocks. He wanted to destroy this worthless planet, this death trap, this tormented place that had given him nothing but grief. The world that had stolen his beloved from him in exchange for nothing.
((A/N: Scartletwitch called it. Is the direction of the story acceptable? Or have I failed at delivering a good sequel? Trying to get a read on the response or lack there of. Help me learn for next time.))
