Chapter Eight

A Warrior's Heart

"What's that, your sixth cup today?" Darcy asked. Lowering her smartphone, she turned and looked in the direction of the coffee maker.

"Fifth," Jane lied. She stirred in an extra packet of sugar before she raised the cup to her lips and blew to cool her coffee.

"Easy there," Darcy said over her rapid breaths. "You drink caffeine when you have deadlines. You don't have deadlines to drink caffeine."

Oh, how wrong you are, Jane thought.

The Helicarrier would be arriving in an hour, stopping over the Bunker on its way to Colombia. Several specialists and high-ranking agents were to embark on the ship, before it headed down to investigate a location in a remote part of the Amazon rainforest. It was there that Jane had plotted the intersection of all eight "ley lines" and the equator.

Agent Hill had ordered her to provide remote support from the Bunker, but Jane knew in her heart that she couldn't sit this one out. Gulping down her coffee, she prepared to make one last ditch attempt to convince Agent Hill to let her go.

"Jane Foster," Hill said over the loudspeakers. "Come to my office immediately."

Jane finished her drink and wiped her mouth as she bolted for the door. Opportunity was waiting to be seized.

"She didn't say run to her office!" Darcy said as she followed.

"She said to come immediately."

"As in soon. Not right this instant!"

"Come on, Darcy. You either move fast or you get left behind."

"Left behind is good. We could use the break!"

"We'll all go to Disney World after this, okay?" She didn't slow down until she saw the door to Agent Hill's office. Reaching the door, Jane looked at Darcy to get her to stop panting before she knocked.

"Come in," Hill said.

"Agent Hill," Jane said as she stepped inside. "We came as soon as we could."

"Yeah, no lie," Darcy said.

Jane looked at her again and shook her head before she turned back to Hill. "Is this about the mission?"

"There's been a change of plans, Jane. You're coming along."

Yes! Jane smiled as she resisted the urge to pump her fists.

"Whoa, wait up," Darcy said as she put a hand on her shoulder. "If Jane's going then so am I." Her head turned as she watched as Hill removed a handgun from one of her drawers. "You plan on shooting someone?"

"I might," Hill replied as she looked at them with two tired, puffy eyes. She carefully checked the weapon, before she slid it into her belt holster. "Always be prepared when there's potential for danger."

"So...am I going?" Darcy asked.

"Fine. I'd rather not have you messing things up over here, if Jane and I don't make it back."


She's alright, Thor told himself. It was only a dream.

Walking with a heavy heart, he followed as Sif led him into a tavern on the edge of Asgard's capital city. The place was dark, with several torches and a fireplace that cast a wavering red glow against its walls.

As always, the tavern's patrons were a loud and rowdy lot. They were travelers, laborers, and soldiers, almost all of whom were looking to relieve their weariness by indulging in drinks and women. One large group of soldiers wore armor with the red markings of a frontier unit that had just returned after months of skirmishes with the Rock Trolls.

Turning his head about, Thor tried to filter out their noise as he searched the tables for his friends.

"There they are," Sif said. Raising her arm, she pointed over to a table near the corner.

"The sight of them is unmistakable," Thor said.

Gripping a chunk of pork with both hands, his friend Volstagg hunched over and chewed voraciously. Set before him on the table were several messy but otherwise empty plates, as well as a half-eaten wild boar. His long red hair draped over his shoulders, and his beard lay on the table where it caught the few bits of meat that escaped his mouth.

Next to him was Hogun, who sat quietly as he looked around and observed his surroundings. Thor wondered whether he had drunk, or even had any fun at all. Probably not.

As he and Sif made their way through the crowd, a smile came onto Thor's face. It was comforting to know that some things never changed.

Hogun turned to Thor and Sif before they even reached the table. "You've come for us with a mission."

"Yes, my friends," Thor replied. "A perilous one that will require great courage and skill if we are to succeed."

Volstagg looked up and smiled without opening his mouth. Not one second later, he lowered his head and began to tear into his pork again.

"I'm curious whether he heard you at all," Sif whispered.

"Where is the third member of your party?" Thor asked.

"Over there," Hogun said as he pointed past a group of men singing and shouting on the floor.

Looking in that direction, Thor saw Fandral at another table against the wall. His handsome friend sat there, squinting as a crooked smile formed on his face. One of his hands held a tall mug of ale while the other lay on the shoulder of a buxom black-haired maiden.

Thor and Sif walked to approach Fandral but stopped when several men inadvertently stumbled across their path. Caught behind the laughing drunks, they were able to hear Fandral woo the girl with tall tales of his exploits.

"I have slain hundreds of Frost Giants, wrested treasure from the claws of dragon, and braved the demonic hordes of the Norn Queen herself. But never did my heart beat like the moment when I first laid eyes upon you."

The girl giggled as he drew closer to her. "You flatter me, warrior."

Thor held up his arms as someone fell against him. "He always did have a gift for words," he said as he pushed the man away.

Sif rolled her eyes. "Oh please."

Fandral took a big sip of ale and continued. "People say that elf girls are the prettiest. Those people, of course, have never had the fortune of seeing what I see now."

"You scoundrel!" a girl yelled. Another black-haired maiden walked over from a nearby crowd of soldiers. "You said the same thing to me two days ago!"

"Please, my dear." Fandral grinned as he reached out to touch her arm. "There's room for both of you at my side."

"Unhand her!" a soldier yelled as he stormed over to the table. "She belongs to me!"

"Calm yourself, friend," Fandral said. "There's no need to –"

The soldier reached over and punched him before he could finish his sentence. Fandral snapped back and bounced against the wall, before he fell facedown on the table. Seizing him by his shirt collar, the soldier dragged him over the table and onto the floor.

Sif sighed in frustration. "Why do men lose all reason when it comes to women?"

Forming a circle around the fight, the other troops cheered with wild glee as the soldier picked Fandral up only to punch him again.

"Kill him!"

"Tear him apart!"

"Ah!" Fandral yelled as he took a backhand across the face. He was one of Asgard's best warriors, but his skills were nowhere to be seen in his current intoxicated state. Tripping forward, he leaned into a punch that missed his opponent by a whole two feet.

"That all you got?" the soldier asked as he pounded him down from behind.

Volstagg rose from his table with a piece of meat still jutting from his mouth. With Hogun following close behind, he rushed over to help. But as Volstagg tried to get through the crowd, one of the other soldiers turned and elbowed him in the face. "Ow!" he yelled as he dropped his food and grabbed his nose. He fell back onto Hogun, crushing the smaller man beneath his rotund body.

Seeing that, the soldiers broke out into applause before attacking them as well.

Thor grunted as he raised his hammer. Few things got his blood boiling as much as someone striking his friends. "That's it," he said as he looked at Sif. "I will teach them all a lesson."

Pushing his way through a dozen other customers who had gotten up to watch the fight, he grabbed the nearest solider and threw him against the wall. "Stop this at once! The Prince of Asgard –"

Someone smashed a chair across his back and sent him stumbling forward. Growling with anger, Thor turned and backhanded his attacker. "You dare strike the son of Odin?"

"These men are drunk on ale and collective aggression," Sif said as she grappled with another man. "I doubt they can even recognize you!" She headbutted her opponent to break his grip, before she grabbed his hair and slammed his face onto one of the tables.

More men attacked, and not all of them were soldiers. Even the regular customers had decided to join in on the brawl. Thor shook someone off of his weapon arm, before he elbowed another man in the stomach. Caught up in the excitement, he raised his hammer for a follow up attack.

"No, Thor!" Sif yelled as she grabbed his arm. "They may be fools, but they are fellow Asgardians!"

Her words cut straight through his angry haze. Despite his efforts to change his impulsive nature, his temper still tended to flare up in moments like this. Thor nodded as he lowered his hammer, before he loosened his fingers and dropped it to the floor.

"Let's get of here," he said as he saw his friends lying nearby.

"Thought you'd never say that," Sif replied.

Their friends were being ignored, as the soldiers had begun to fight other customers or even against each other. Thor picked up Volstagg, while Sif and Hogun helped Fandral up. Together, they rushed out of the chaos of the tavern.

"A fine night this has been!" Fandral said. Hunching over to catch his breath, he began to giggle.

"Leaving with a half empty stomach is not my idea of a good time," Volstagg said.

Thor turned to the door of the tavern and reached out to recall his hammer. "Thank you, Sif. Once again, you have led me away when all I could do was fight."

"Well someone has to think for this group," Sif said with a smile. She turned and looked around at their friends. "Now that we've gathered three of Asgard's...finest, we can go to your father and proceed with our mission."

"Not yet. There is still one last stop I would like to make."


Holding Sif in one arm, Thor descended upon the rainbow bridge.

"You should not keep your father waiting," Heimdall said. He turned and faced Thor, showing how urgent the situation was.

"This will not take long," Thor replied. "I only wish to hear of Lady Foster before I leave."

Heimdall paused for a few seconds, betraying the lie that he was about to tell. "The shroud –"

"Be straight with me, Heimdall. I can tell that you have seen something."

Sif put her hands on Thor's arm, trying to comfort him as he stood there waiting for an answer. He appreciated the gesture, even if it didn't work.

"Jane Foster has joined your Earthly allies," Heimdall finally said. "Together, they have set out on a mission of their own."

"What kind of mission?" Thor asked.

"One with the potential for grave danger."

Thor looked down as his shoulders sank. Had his nightmare been more than just a dream? Was it a premonition? Or was it something more sinister?

Whatever they were about to face, the Avengers would be able to take care of themselves. Jane, however, was anything but a warrior. Thor couldn't bear the thought of not being there for her as she headed off into battle.

Why, of all times, did she have to go now? When the Bifrost was broken, and he was occupied with a task of such magnitude?

"It's alright," Sif said. "If what you have said about your friends is true, then she is in good hands."

"You're right. I have nothing but trust in their ability to keep her safe." Thor took hold of Sif again before he launched back toward the city. He hated to lie about how he felt.


"Are you sober yet?" Volstagg asked.

"Enough to fight," Fandral replied.

"Hush now," Sif said. "The Allfather must concentrate."

Thor waited with his friends at the base of the steps leading up to Odin's throne. His mother Frigga stood above them along with two royal guards, flanking Odin as he prepared to muster the dark energy needed to open a portal to Nidavellir.

Both of Odin's hands gripped his spear Gungnir, which he held upright in front of himself. Composed of enchanted uru metal, the weapon would serve to focus his magical powers. Odin closed his eyes and lowered his head, causing it to glow. Blue energy appeared a moment later, accumulating around the tip of the spear.

Clenching his teeth, Odin lifted the spear and pointed it down toward the floor. The energy gushed out past Thor and his friends, opening a portal behind them.

"Go, my son," Odin said with strained breath. "It won't hold for long." He suddenly dropped his spear and fell. The guards caught him in their arms to keep him from rolling down the steps.

"Father!" Thor cried. He took a step toward the throne, but stopped when his mother held up her hand.

"No, Thor!" she said as she bent down at Odin's side. "This is only the Odinsleep. We knew it would come."

Sif tugged on Thor's arm, urging him to leave. "Your father will be fine."

Thor looked at his mother again and noticed the concern in her eyes. "Farewell, Mother! I promise you, we will return!" With that, he hurried with his friends toward the portal and jumped through right before it collapsed.


Exiting the portal, they found themselves falling through the air. They came down on their feet, knees bending as they hit the stone surface beneath them. Thor struggled to maintain his balance against the trembling ground. Before he or any of his friends could say anything, they were swallowed by a cacophony of fearful voices.

"It's coming!"

"Don't leave me!

"We must flee!"

Snarling, Thor steadied himself as he lifted his hammer. "Weapons ready! The battle has already begun!"

He spun around to see his surroundings. The dwarven kingdom on Nidavellir was a network of caves, most of which lay right beneath the surfaces of a mountain. The cavern that they were in was a wide-open space, carved through solid rock with large stone columns left at regular intervals as supports.

Sunlight shined in through the huge windows along the far wall, as well as from a series of smaller holes in the ceiling. These openings provided only meager illumination, and most of the cavern was dimly lit with artificial lights, torches, and fire pits. Without eyes adapted for the darkness, it would have been hard to see even without the current pandemonium.

Dwarves poured out from the surrounding caverns, as well as from homes that had been built into the walls. They ran down ledges and the staircases that led to the cave floor, streaming past the Asgardians as rocks fell and shattered around them.

"All I see are dwarves," Thor said.

"They may yet give us a fight!" Volstagg yelled.

Thor looked with Volstagg as he turned and raised his axe. A dozen armored dwarves were coming at them with spears and swords in hand. The dwarves were short in stature, but they had strong bodies and a solid reputation as warriors. They were equipped with some of the finest weapons and armor in the Nine Realms, and Thor knew better than to underestimate them.

"Thor!" the dwarven leader shouted. He stopped and stared, as his troops moved to encircle them. "You shall see that not all dwarves will cower as you tear down our homes!"

"You are mistaken!" Thor replied. Tightening his fingers around Mjolnir, he prepared to defend himself. "Do not compound your error by attacking us!"

"We know better now after what your people did to Jotunheim!"

"Lay down your arms," Sif said. "If we wanted to invade, we would have come in far greater numbers than this!"

"The woman has a point," one of the other dwarves said.

"Hmm." The dwarven leader continued to look at Thor with narrowed, distrustful eyes. His expression didn't ease until several seconds later, when the mountain's trembling began to die down.

"Our worlds have always had good relations," Thor said. "It was your people who crafted my father's spear Gungnir, as well as the weapon that I hold in my hands right now." He raised his hammer slightly to draw attention to it, before he deliberately lowered it. "Now I assure you, we have come only to help."

The dwarves lowered their weapons, as did his friends. All around him, Thor could hear the others breathing sighs of relief.

"Please," Thor said, "tell us what you know so that we may get to the bottom of this."

"It began in the neighboring mountain," the dwarven leader said. "Deep in the heart of it, where our people mined for precious metals."

"What was it?" Sif asked.

"We do not know. The mountain just shook without warning. Hundreds were lost as the tunnels and bridges collapsed on them. At first, we feared it was a Bifrost attack. But now it seems like something else."

"Something just as bad," another dwarf said.


"This ledge is far too narrow," Volstagg said.

"It was carved for dwarves," Fandral replied. "And everyone else, except for you."

Thor walked behind his friends as they went up the mountain to the north of the dwarven city. Turning sideways, he clutched the rocky wall as he made his way through a narrow section of the mountainside path.

Winds were raging, and it had begun to rain hard. The water soaked Thor's cape and matted his hair to his head, while making the path slippery and even more treacherous. Thor paused and looked up at the gray clouds swirling high above the mountain. Something unnatural was clearly going on inside.

"Watch your step," he said to Sif as he stepped over a protruding rock. The path on the other side of it was thankfully wider, allowing him to walk normally again.

A minute later, the group's movement came to a halt as Volstagg stopped and leaned against the rock. "Slow down, Hogun," he said with short breath. "Let us rest a while."

"Yes," Thor said. He still felt strong and energetic, but he was worried about the strain on his friends. "We'll need our strength before we enter the mines."

"I for one would like to get inside," Fandral said.

His complaint was understandable, because the mountainside was hardly a pleasant place to stop. Even without the blasting of the wind and the rain, it would've been difficult to relax when one had to be careful not to fall from the ledge.

Thor remained alert, knowing that there were other dangers besides the environment. Rock Trolls inhabited Nidavellir as they did Asgard, and he was not about to be ambushed.

How could I have given you my word? he thought as he recalled his promise to Jane. He lived a warrior's life, and he should have known that nothing in it could be guaranteed. Circumstances could very well make a liar out of him.

"Something troubles you," Sif said to him.

"This mountain makes me weary."

Sif leaned closer and frowned. "Thor, you are a terrible liar."

A bittersweet smile came onto his face. "Perhaps I am."

"Now what is really bothering you?"

Thor hesitated, not wanting to appear weak or burden her with his personal problems.

"It's her again, isn't it?"

He nodded in response. "I...hate how Loki has kept me from her. Now I'm here on this rock, while she risks herself on Midgard."

"Thor, you must keep your mind focused on the here and now." Sif stopped and sighed before continuing. "Have you even thought about whether Jane is truly right for you?"

"Should I have?" he asked. Now that Sif had brought it up, he realized that he hadn't given it much thought at all. He felt uneasy about how she might proceed.

"Yes, because she is a mortal, and you are an Asgardian. You have two separate lives, on two very different worlds. And while you wait and long for Jane, there are many Asgardian women who would jump at the chance to be with you."

"I promised to return to her," Thor insisted. He was compelled to show his determination, despite beginning to question the wisdom of his choice. Was he acting on love, or merely his pride? Perhaps Jane represented something different, beyond the life that had been handed to him...No. He loved her and that was that. Straightening himself out, he spoke again to emphasize his decision. "I gave her my word, and my word is my bond."

Sif looked down and nodded. "I know, Thor. I have always admired that about you."

The mountain shook again, ending their conversation in an instant. Looking up, Thor saw several boulders tumbling down upon them.

"Brace yourselves!" he yelled.

Sif pressed herself flat against the mountain to reduce her exposure to the falling debris. Several rocks passed overhead, but a larger one was on course to smash her.

"No!" Thor cried. Without thinking, he leaped up and shattered the rock with a hammer blow. Coming down on the other side of her, he nearly lost his footing on the trembling, rain-drenched ledge. He angled his feet and barely managed to keep himself from falling. The shaking continued, and more boulders fell around them. "Move! We need to find cover!"

The group ran along the winding ledge as quickly as they could. The mountain showed no signs of stabilizing during their half-panicked run.

"Where can we go?!" Fandral asked.

Hogun stretched out his arm as he sprinted out in front. "The cave up ahead!"

Dodging several more rocks, they made it to the opening and jumped inside.

"This cave is small," Thor said as he walked all thirty feet to the end of it. "But it will provide adequate shelter."

"We can't stay here forever," Sif said. "I suspect the shaking will only get worse with time, until these mountains are destroyed."

"Well I'm willing to wait this one out," Volstagg said. He strolled into the middle of the cave floor where he sat down.

The shaking intensified several moments later, causing the cave floor to crack. Volstagg tried to get up, but the floor split open beneath him. He grabbed the edge of the newly formed fissure, but he immediately began to slip into the abyss below.

"Hold on, my friend!" Thor yelled. He tried to help, but he was forced back several steps as the floor beneath his feet collapsed as well.

Fandral and Hogun sprung forward and grabbed his hands just as he lost his grip on the rocks.

"Well, it's finally happened!" Fandral said as he tried in vain to pull Volstagg up. "You've grown so fat that even mountains can't support your weight!"

"Will you shut up and pull?" Volstagg replied.

"If we get back home, you're going on a diet!"

"I'll give up food when you give up women!"

"Stop this bickering," Sif said as she grabbed on as well. "This is neither the time nor the place!"

Thor listened as he heard a cracking sound. The entire cave floor suddenly gave way beneath them. The group fell into the darkness, and Thor had no idea how far down they would go. It was a great relief when they hit something solid several seconds later, though that began a painful sequence of bouncing and rolling down a rocky slope.

They finally came to a stop at the bottom of a cavern. Thor summoned Mjolnir back into his hands, before he got up and called out to his friends. "Is everyone alright?"

"We're alive," Fandral said. "That's got to count for something."

Everyone was bruised and bloodied, but not too seriously hurt. After making sure that his friends were alright, Thor looked around at where they had fallen.

They were in a large cavern with curved walls and a dome-shaped ceiling. It was darker than the caves back in the city, with almost no sunshine to supplement the lights that the dwarves had mounted on the walls or on a series of poles on the floor. Some light poles had been knocked down, leaving dark gaps here and there. The lights ran across the floor to a tunnel on the other side.

"I can hardly see a thing," Volstagg said.

"Do not worry," Thor said. "I shall lead the way." He walked ahead and held up his hammer, electrifying it to provide additional lighting as he led his friends across the cave.

He looked around as he went, seeing ledges and tunnel holes on the walls to the right and left. Several of the tunnels had collapsed, and there were boulders all over the floor. Among the debris, he could also see numerous rock picks, shovels, and drilling machines. "We're in the mine."

"And these are the miners," Sif said. She turned and pointed toward a nearby pile of rubble. Protruding from the rocks were the arms and legs of several dwarves.

"We will find whatever did this to them," Thor said. He grimaced as he walked by several more corpses, angered by the senseless loss of life.

"Poor little fellows," Fandral said before he turned to Hogun. "Aren't you the least bit fazed by this? You haven't said a word since we fell."

"I was noticing the chill in the air..."

Hogun leaped up. Swinging his mace, he shattered several long spikes of ice.

"It's an ambush!" Thor yelled. He pushed Volstagg out of harm's way before he jumped in front of Sif. Relying on his well-honed reflexes, he deflected several more ice spears before they could find their marks.

"Not an ambush," someone said from above. "Just an unfortunate crossing of paths."

Thor looked up and saw a large group of Frost Giants standing on the ledge to his left. He quickly focused on the leader, who distinguished himself with his gruesome helmet. Fitted tightly over his head was the skull of another giant. Long curved horns were affixed to that skull, making him appear even more sinister.

Standing tall even among the other Frost Giants, the leader might have intimidated a lesser man. However, Thor was not one to shy away from a fight. Puffing out his chest, he took several steps forward and replied to his foe. "Unfortunate for whom?"

"For you of course."

"We've faced your kind in greater numbers than this, Jotun."

"Perhaps," the lead giant said. "But I stand above you with two dozen of Jotunheim's fiercest warriors. You will find us a fair bit more challenging." He bared his teeth as he generated a long blade of ice around his hand. His troops followed suit, forming a range of icy cutting and bludgeoning weapons. Armed for battle, the giants leaped into the air as one.

"Here they come!" Thor yelled.

His team scattered as the massive Jotuns came down upon them. Thor ran several steps and turned, seeing a wall of blue bodies rushing out toward him. He could hear his friends, but he couldn't see them. They seek to separate us, he thought. Already, these Frost Giants seemed better organized than the ones he had fought before.

The wall was a dozen Jotuns wide. Nearly half of the enemy force had been assigned to single him out. Thor ran right into those giants, swinging at one of them as they made contact. His blow found its mark, but both ends of the wall turned to envelope him.

"Away!" he shouted as he tried to beat them back. He was surrounded, and it was impossible to stop every attack. A giant's fist hit the side of the face and sent him spinning to the floor. Before he could recover, an icy mace smashed him back down again.

On your feet! he commanded himself. Ignoring the pain from the Jotuns' continual blows, Thor threw out his arms as he willed himself up. He swung his hammer, following through on a wide arc that sent three of the giants flying away. As he completed his swing, he struck out with his offhand as well to clear out some space on his other side.

The other giants came at him again, undeterred by his power. Thor dodged, swung, and punched, taking several hits of his own as he engaged them. Blood sprayed in the air, and he could hear bones snap with each blow from his hammer. But despite the devastating injuries he inflicted, the Jotuns would not stop. They were warriors after all, just as he was.

I saved your world! Thor wanted to say. He knew that they would never believe him though. The Jotuns had attributed Loki's Bifrost attack to all Asgardians, despite Odin's best efforts to convince them otherwise. It was an easy explanation for them to believe, which was consistent with their millennia-old grudge against Asgard. Thor found himself thinking about hate and its role in why people fought, even as he kept swinging away.

"Incoming!" Volstagg shouted.

Thor turned and saw his burly friend flying toward him through the air. He ducked down and let Volstagg pass overhead, hearing him bowl over several Frost Giants.

"Worked like a charm," Fandral said, smiling as he stood next to Sif.

The Jotun leader slashed him across the back.

"Fandral!" Sif shouted as she watched him fall.

Before she could come to her senses, the Jotun leader smacked her away in Thor's direction.

Thor ran several steps and jumped to catch her in the air. He landed and provided support as he set her on her feet.

"I'm alright," she said as she leaned against him.

Looking past the Jotun leader, Thor saw Fandral slowly pushing himself off of the ground. His armor had saved him from the giant's icy blade. Despite that, Thor was no less angered by the attack on his friends. He let go of Sif and stared at the bright red eyes of the Jotun leader. "Come. Test your might against me!"

All Thor could see was his opponent, as the two of them charged at each other on a collision course. He knew that the Jotun had a longer reach, based on his height and the length of his blade. However, the disadvantage did nothing to deter him. As the Jotun raised his blade high to strike, Thor powered forward and leaped in to tackle him.

They rolled on the ground and separated, and Thor was quicker to his feet. The Jotun leader took a defensive posture and stuck his blade out to keep Thor at bay. It did nothing of the sort, as Thor shattered the blade with a single hammer blow. He instantly swung back the other way to send the Jotun back fifteen feet.

Moving in to finish his dazed opponent, Thor was suddenly stopped as a wall of ice formed across his path.

"Not so fast!" someone yelled.

Thor turned and saw another Jotun with a double-bladed axe planted into the ground. This one was different from any he had encountered before.

The skin on his exposed arms was blue like any Jotun's, but the rest of him was covered in clothing unlike the minimal green shorts that his people tended to wear. He had brown gloves and boots, as well as dark gray pants. Thick plates of armor protected his chest and shoulders. His head was covered as well, hidden behind a cylindrical metal helmet with two narrow slits for eyeholes.

The Jotuns were not a race known for their metalwork, which required hot forges that few Frost Giants could stand to work in. They tended to rely on ice manipulation and their natural strength, forgoing conventional weapons and armor. The fact that this Jotun would use such things set him apart from the rest.

His body was different as well. The average Frost Giant stood between nine and ten feet tall. This one looked like he was only a little over seven feet. He had a wide body though, with bulging muscles that made him look as strong as any of his kind.

"It is brave of you to defend your leader," Thor said.

"I am the leader! The one you fought was but my lieutenant!" The armored Jotun raised his axe, swinging it to build momentum as he rushed forward to attack.

Thor sidestepped the deadly weapon and watched it cleave into the cave floor. He was caught off guard when his opponent yanked it up to slash him with the other axe blade. "Ah!" he yelled as he stumbled back. He glanced down and saw a gash running across the strip of armor on his belly. His frustration mounted as he looked back up at the Jotun. "A lucky stroke," he said, before the two made contact again.

Swinging repeatedly, Thor hoped to overwhelm his opponent sheer speed and power. The armored Jotun dodged or stopped each of his attacks though, using the wide blades of the axe as a shield. Counterattacking, he swung low for Thor's legs. Thor jumped over his axe and turned around to deliver a rising hammer blow to his chin.

"Ugh!" the Jotun cried as he fell back and rolled. He managed to hold on to his axe, but his helmet came off and clanged on ground.

Thor smiled, knowing that he could not have done that so easily if his opponent had been taller. "You're short for a Frost Giant."

"My mother was an Asgardian," his foe said as he pushed himself up. He rose to his feet and stared back.

That explains things, Thor thought. He held Mjolnir firm as he studied his now unmasked opponent.

His enemy had rough features and a face that naturally seemed angry. He also had white eyes with dark irises like a human or Asgardian. These eyes had such a wide, crazy look that they were somehow scarier than the bright red that was common among Jotuns.

Also unlike most Jotuns was the black hair on his head. He had shaven most of it off, leaving only a goatee and an odd strip of hair on each side of his head. Those strips lay near the top, following the contours of his head and pointing down at his grim, frightening face.

"My mother's background meant nothing to your people though," the half-Jotun said. "They would never accept me. In all my life, only one woman has ever looked upon me with anything other than disgust."

They clashed once more, each one unable to overcome the other. As they broke away from each other, the Jotun spun and lit his axe aflame. Swinging the weapon, he sent a wave of fire in Thor's direction. Thor swung Mjolnir down in front of himself to deflect the flames.

Fire. Now that he had a moment to think about it, Thor realized how unexpected that had been from a soldier of Jotunheim. His opponent was a unique one indeed. One whose skill and power had just earned a measure of his respect. "You have heart, warrior. Have you a name?"

"My name is Skurge. But you may call me your executioner!" Skurge went on the attack again with renewed energy. Skillfully flowing from one mighty axe stroke to another, he managed to knock Mjolnir from Thor's hands.

Thor knew he didn't have enough to time to call back his hammer before the next blow. In desperation, he dodged the axe and got in close to clinch up with his opponent. "We are here to save Nidavellir!" Thor yelled. He moved his feet, trying to find his balance as he struggled with Skurge. "Why do you fight us?"

Skurge punched him in the stomach and threw him against the cave wall. "I fight on behalf of my mistress Amora."

No, Thor thought as he clutched his shoulder in pain. Not her...

"I fight, because she has a plan to lift Jotunheim to new levels of glory!"

"She's the new Warlord of Jotunheim, isn't she?" Thor got up, still wishing that he had not heard Amora's name. If she were involved, then his nightmare could very well become a reality. "Tell me, how do you know her?"

"I have traveled the Nine Realms throughout the centuries. Wandering, aimlessly. Only after meeting her did I find my purpose."

"Amora is a vile witch and a manipulator!"

"She loves me!" Enraged, Skurge charged in and tried to take Thor's head off.

Ducking his axe blade, Thor jumped forward and summoned Mjolnir back into his hands. "This is madness," he said as he watched Skurge pull his axe loose from the cave wall. "What does Amora hope to gain here?"

Skurge sneered, before he composed himself. "A creature of immense power recently entered this realm. One that shall win us the Earth, and lead our armies into Asgard itself!"

"Unlikely," Thor said as he pointed with his hammer. "You will not be retrieving anything as long as I still live."

"You fool. My mistress and I share a telepathic link. I need only locate the creature for her so that she may open a portal and claim it!"

Several Jotuns attacked Thor before he could respond. As he fought, he saw Skurge sprinting away with eight of his followers. He realized too late that Skurge had been distracting him. Biding his time until help would arrive, so that he could proceed on his search for the mysterious creature.

"They went in the tunnel!" Fandral yelled. He stumbled nearby, tangling with another Jotun. "Sif's gone after them!"

"She'll need your help," Volstagg said to Thor.

Hogun jumped in and struck down a Jotun as he was about to bash Thor from behind. "We can handle this," he said as he began to engage the others. "Now go."

Thor looked at his friends as they fought with confidence against the remaining Jotuns. You are needed elsewhere, he told himself. He gave Hogun a nod, before he reluctantly turned and ran toward the tunnel on the other side of the cave.

The tunnel led into a cavern with a deep chasm running through the middle of it. A single stone bridge provided access to the other side of the cave, where Thor could see another tunnel entrance.

"Yah!" Sif screamed. She ducked and twirled with her sword as she battled two Frost giants near the edge of the chasm.

Behind her, Thor could see Skurge and six other Jotuns crossing the bridge. Reaching the other side, Skurge turned and hacked into the bridge with his axe. A shockwave traveled down the length of the bridge and brought it crashing down into the depths below. Skurge looked up and gave Thor a triumphant look. He then disappeared into the tunnel, as the cavern began to tremble again.

Thor ran forward, spinning Mjolnir by its strap as Sif stabbed one of the Jotuns. She ducked under the outstretched arm of the other and kicked it in the chasm, just as Thor grabbed her and hurled his hammer.

"You could have warned me!" Sif yelled as her arms and legs rattled from the sudden takeoff.

"My apologies. I was pressed for time!"

They landed on the other side, where they fought to stay upright on the shaking ground. Running through the tunnel, they came out on a ledge overlooking an enormous pit. There were very few lights there, the brightest of which came from down below. It was the fire emanating from Skurge's axe.

"Follow me," Thor said as he jumped off the ledge.

"I can't fly like you can!"

Thor flew more than a hundred feet before he came down in the middle of Skurge's group. The ground was surprisingly soft and unsteady beneath his feet, even taking the cavern's shaking into account. Thor did his best to ignore it as he spun Mjolnir by its strap to scatter the Jotuns.

"I'm coming!" Sif yelled as she ran down the walkways and ramps along the walls.

The Jotuns were beaten away, but the ground strangely shifted again. Thor looked down and saw that it wasn't rock at all. No, it was flesh. Scaly, pulsating flesh. He turned as his eyes followed the rest of the creature's massive coiled body before finally settling on its head. It was more than fifty feet across, with sharp frills near its ear holes and a gaping mouth filled with dagger-like teeth.

Jormungand. The World Serpent.

For the first time that day, Thor found himself frozen in fear. The World Serpent was the one creature that had been prophesized to kill him. Thor had hoped to never see it again, after his father had banished it several centuries ago. Yet there it lay, slumbering on the cavern floor.

Thor came to his senses as he raised his hammer. He had to slay the beast. If not for his own sake, then for that of his people and all the Nine Realms. Charging Mjolnir with electricity, he prepared himself to deliver a killing blow.

"No!" Skurge yelled as he tackled him.

They fell from the snake's body and onto the actual cave floor. Thor felt his hammer flying loose from his hand as Skurge punched him in the jaw.

"You will not stop us," Skurge said. A sound like thunder erupted over them. Skurge looked up and smiled in ecstasy, as a portal opened high above. "My mistress! She comes for me!"

Thor's hair flew up, as did numerous rock fragments from the canyon floor. Seconds later, he and the Jotuns were the ones taking flight. It's sucking us in, Thor thought. The World Serpent's tail rose through the air as well, stretching all the way up into the portal.

Looking down, Thor saw Sif watching him as she clutched a rock near the side of the cavern. She was safely out of the portal's suction effect. He didn't know where he was going, but he was glad to see that she was safe.

"Yes, Amora!" Skurge yelled. "Victory will be ours!"

An epic battle approaches! Come back as the heroes begin to come together in...

Chapter 9: To the Gates of Hell