Avengers: The King of Kings.
Summary: "One year after Ceil Zak'Vael's defeat, tensions are running in all new highs as anticipation for the Black Hunt's return takes its toll. After reaching a breaking point with Loki, who has grown distant as "the inevitable" looms closer, Thor returns to Earth in hopes of clearing his head before the fight that is to come. However, his "pity party" is quickly interrupted when he inexplicably reunites with the Avengers, who give him some disturbing news: millions of people have been disappearing, and some of the biggest cities in the world have gone dark. With S.H.I.E.L.D scrambling for answers, they're finally forced go after the one man they believe capable of such chaos- Loki. Now, tasked with saving the Earth from certain doom- and his brother from wrongful imprisonment- while at the same time trying to find a reason to keep fighting, Thor's got to decide what's worth what and, most importantly, why, before an old enemy returns to wreak havoc on the one place that was supposed to stay safe- and with a near-silent, morose Loki by his side and constant infighting within the Avengers to boot, Thor's got his work cut out for him… but when tragedy strikes too close to home, it's time to get serious again."
Warning: "This will be a relatively tame fanfic, with the exception of some blood, violence, angst, some language, a character death or two, and other adult situations. So, to be on the safe side, we'll be going with Rated T. I have watched the Avenger's movie and all relating Marvel movies, but this does not mean that I am perfect and/or know absolutely everything there is to know about, and I'm bound to forget or misuse some small detail. So, with that, please forgive me if I screw up, and just enjoy the story."
Disclaimer: "I do not own Thor. Please don't ruin my day by thinking I do."
Author's Note: This story is dedicated to PhantomLilac AND MischievousChaos."
N._.s._.S
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Fight a Good Fight II.
"It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair.
- Anonymous.
"What'cha doing, birdie?" Mimir ground out between clenched teeth, sounding truly menacing for the first time as he made a swift grab for the golden bird as it fluttered ceremoniously down from its comfortable perch on the God of Mischief's shoulder into the silvery translucent pool of the Well- but the Old Master missed, and the Bird landed silently in the water, the movement sending soft ripples through the formerly perfectly still image of Thor and Lor'Vael, who were standing just inches from one another, completely motionless, on a devastated, Midgardian road, trapped in a duel of silent wills between bright, powerful azure eyes, and remarkably calm, clear white ones, that neither seemed ready or willing to break.
"Perhaps he wants to watch the show?" Loki offered with an amused little smirk.
"Why, you sly, snake-tongued little-" Mimir began to snap, peevishly, as he dipped a long-fingered hand into the water, just out of reach of the bird; only to interrupt himself and snatch it back again with a sharp yelp and a harsh, guttural snarl when the bird bit him- hard enough to draw the Old Master's blackish blood, mind you- when he came too near, "- To Helheim with you, then, you wretched, insolent little creature!"
Of course, the Soul-Bird completely ignored the furious Old Master's outbursts and his continued torrent of abuse, and brazenly dipped its head into the water, taking several deep, long draughts of the clean, translucent water, which caused both combatants on Midgard to disappear completely, before beating its wings and tossing water into the air at its spectators before settling down and cawing in clear content.
"Interesting," Loki asked, slyly, as Mimir waved his hand back and forth to force away the sharp, rather unexpected pain of the bird's bite; his black, abyss-like eyes narrowed dangerously as Loki added, quite boldly, "Have you been finally met your undone by a mere, childish soul, Old Master?"
Mimir's entire body seemed to tighten at those brazen words, and he slowly drew himself back to his full, insurmountable height as his pale while lips parted into an indignant grimace at the insulting, cheeky comment; revealing perfectly jagged, unnaturally bright white fangs, as he turned to reply.
"I'm afraid that I must concede that you are only slightly smarter than you look, my little gremlin…" The Old Master finally began, quietly, remarkably toneless and keeping his black eyes locked on the bird before turning to look straight at Loki's bright, mischievous jade-green ones as he continued, "… However, remember that I am not so old yet as to be above ripping out your pretty, silver tongue for your insolence."
This time, Loki knew better than to retort- but only because he knew with a grim, absolute certainty that Mimir wouldn't hesitate for even a split-second before making good on this particular threat.
He certainly hadn't ever before, after all.
N._.s._.S
Never before had thunder roared so viciously, so strongly; or lighting stricken so close to the ground, slamming into the earth and decimating all that dared stand in its deadly path. The flaming, azure strikes struck jaggedly from Mjolnir, cracking the ground at the God of Thunder's feet; and freely devastating the very-breakable world around him, evaporating the very air and catching fire to the dry, unbreathable ash that remained, shattering glass to dust, flipping cars with the sheer raw power and- above all- offer the world a glimpse of an almighty power that it could only ever hope to never provoke upon itself.
For all the stupid jokes about him, for those times that he let himself play fool; the God of Thunder, Thor Odinson of Asgard, by far outmatched his Human companions- and they all knew it. For all the Hulk could throw at him, for all Tony's undisputable genius, for all Barton's deadly shots and Natasha's unmatched cunning, and even all of SHIELD's manpower and weaponry, none could match him- not even together.
Because Thor had never felt the need to show anyone just how truly dangerous he was.
Until now.
Standing before him, standing less than twenty meters away, was the source of all this destructive fury. Though he knew his foe had already lost- though he knew without pause that his enemies' allies would fall; that their plans to destroy practically all that he loved would fail; and that Loki, the object of all the Vael's obsessions and ultimately their true downfall- was still alive and well despite everything they'd thrown at him- he was still alive; and it was not only his duty to Midgard, but to Asgard, the Nine Realms, and everyone else they'd threatened that demanded an end to this, once and for all; it was something more, a rage Thor knew only too well.
It was rage that commanded his enemy fall beneath his own hand.
And, as much as Thor didn't want to admit it, he freely followed it.
N._.s._.S
"... Of course, you know that each Realm is connected," Loki said, smartly, leaning over Thor's broad shoulder and scanning the pages of the well-read, ancient book he held, "That much is obvious, right?"
"But how are they connected, brother?" Thor groaned back, and the God of Mischief rolled his bright, jade-green eyes in apparent, almost impatient exasperation, "What's the point?"
"It is so that all of us, together, can grow. To this day, all Yggdrasil thrives on an interbred sense of community. It helps us become stronger and cleverer," Loki explained, patiently, sitting down next to his older brother and taking the book from his hands, "You remember the story of what happened to the Dark Elves, don't you? They say that when a branch of Yggdrasil, or what we call the 'Tree of Life,' becomes corrupted, it's cut off from the other Realms so that the disease won't spread."
"But anger and greed aren't diseases."
"Are you so sure about that, brother?"
"Do you think that they are?"
"Yes, Thor," Loki's eyes flashed oddly as he answered, and he rose quietly back to his feet, gently clasping the book shut and folding it under his arm as Thor made to follow suit, and so blissfully unaware that he would one day, so tragically, prove his own words right, and choosing his words carefully as to ensure he was understood, "I think they're the most powerful, dangerous weapons anyone could ever wield."
N._.s._.S
For all this time, Lor'Vael hadn't moved. He seemed content on simply watching; as he hadn't even drawn out his blade even though shattered glass, rock, and flaming ash flew at him from every which direction, freely colliding with his pitch-black, leather hide and even burning away long, iron-strait tendrils of his long, silk-smooth hair, with the sheer heat. None of the chaos seemed to bother- or even surprise- him in the slightest, which only served to aggravate the God of Thunder and further agitate his impatient fury.
Such a pretty rage, Thor Odinson, Lor'Vael finally stated, breaking their silent battle of wills at last, adverting his clear-eyed, shrewd gaze and looking up at the blackening sky, watching strikes of lighting tear apart the burning, ashy sky, and blinking as it roared furiously over his head, But can you wield it so?
"Watch me!"
Finally, Thor moved; just as another jagged stroke of lightning was unleashed from the clouds, coming down with an ear-shattering boom to hit the already-decimated ground between them. As they came down, one after another, Thor moved between the jagged strokes with a well-practiced finesse, already swinging Mjolnir to prepare it for collision, summoning with it more crackling, raw azure power.
Lor'Vael was ready for him.
The first collision shook the earth. Azure lightning and pitch darkness collided in an almighty, uneven burst as Mjolnir finally connected with its target. Lor'Vael's arms didn't buckle as Mjolnir hit, but the ground around him, formerly clean and unmarred by Thor's prior fury, shattered the moment of impact. Darkness surged about, and shot out at the mighty hammer and the man wielding it with deadly purpose.
Thor jumped back and lighting struck the black tendrils that reached out for him, evaporating them near instantly the moment they connected. He easily batted aside the long, leering arms while at the same managed to keep in time to Lor'Vael's swift movements. Since his scythe had been long-since destroyed by Thor in the first battle they'd fought, he was using a regular sword; long enough for good reach, but still thin enough to slip between a bone or two if the God of Thunder slipped and let him get to close.
Neither of them spoke a single word. There were no taunts, no curses or low-blows dealt between the two warriors. There was a simple sort of respect; a quiet acknowledgement of the other's strength and prowess on the field. And despite the rage still pounding in his ears, Thor was not about to break that. Though there was no hesitation or doubt remaining in either of them- they would certainly kill their opponent if granted even a single split-second chance- they weren't about to tempt ill-fate by doing so by cheating.
And there was no need to, besides.
No, definitely not anymore.
N._.s._.S
Loki's brilliant, shrewd gaze isn't torn away from the scene playing out in the Well until he caught a swift movement behind him, and Mimir murmured some raspy, intelligible Curse under his breath, displeased at this new, unexpected visitor to his hollow rocky halls.
Why do you so intend to vanish?
Loki is loath to turn from the battle, and it shows in how hesitantly he looked up. His jade-green eyes dilate in recognizable annoyance as he took in the long, lean form of Axel Hernsson emerging from a corner, slowly removing his white hood and staring at him with wide, unsurprised maroon eyes.
"How now?" Mimir snapped, quick to defend his pupil. He drew close to Hernsson, suspicion clouding the Old Master's movements. Mimir certainly wasn't used to unannounced visitors. Mimisbrunnr was hidden too deep and too well for anyone- save for Loki- to just stumble upon. It took a well-trained eye and a daring spirit to simply enter the domain of an Old Master, and Mimir was certainly not going to be pleased if he was forced into moving his ancient, sacred sanctuary- again- for some blundering fool who had no idea what he was doing in the first place.
However, before he could actually say such, Axel beat him to it.
Hernsson bowed. I am Axel Hernsson, Honored Lord of the Vaelheim, Old Master Mimir.
Mimir's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, but he said nothing as Hernsson turned to Loki again.
Why do you so intend to vanish, Odinson? Hernsson repeated, slowly folding his arms and flashing Mimir a cautious look- it seemed as though even as powerful as he probably was, even the Honored Lord was, thankfully, about as weary of turning his back on Mimir as Loki himself, Why do you hide now?
"Who said anything about hiding? I am here, in plain sight, as I always have been," Loki answered, as Mimir slunk back to his Well and the little golden bird that remained comfortably in the water, pointedly peering into it- but Loki noticed that the Old Master's six ears were on them, and not on the battle going on before him, "The better question, Hernsson, is why you have persistently followed me here."
Obviously to see what you were up to all this time, Hernsson replied, with a hint of exasperation coloring the edges of his even, resounding voice as he stepped closer to the God of Mischief and unfolded his arms, I am returning to Midgard to apprehend Lor'Vael, and would have liked to have seen you care enough to join me in doing so.
"Why would I now?" Loki countered, "And you're a bit too late for apprehending anyone."
Is that so?
"Yes," Loki confirmed without even a moment's hesitation, "Thor is taking him now, as we speak."
Axel Hernsson was silenced for a long moment. His large, sharp maroon gaze stared, as though right through Loki, toward the well that Mimir was already peering down at, apparently too interested in whatever was happening right then to be paying attention at the Vael's stare.
I see, He finally said, Then I suppose I shall be on my way. Fare thee well, Odinson.
Loki turned his back on the Honored Lord as he returned his attention to more pressing matters.
Undaunted, Axel Hernsson lifted his white hood back over his head and, without a noise, slipped back out of the Mimisbrunnr as silently and as unexpectedly as he had first come.
N._.s._.S
Blackness converged between Thor Odinson and Lor'Vael, circling them in, closing out the torn city beyond and closing themselves to the prying eyes of anyone daring enough to watch.
You are truly a son of Odin, Lor'Vael said, as they drew apart the next time, straightening and brushing his long bangs out of his eyes. Thor didn't bother replying, keeping Mjolnir swinging at his side to keep the tendrils of pure blackness that kept trying to creep up on him at bay, the lightning managing to reach him despite the closed off cyclone of dark and debris, So much more powerful than, I daresay, your adoptive brother.
"Loki is my equal," Thor answered, tonelessly, though his bright azure eyes flashed in obvious annoyance at the Vael's comments, "He beat both your Curses."
How novel. You're defending him again, Lor'Vael said with a sigh and a shake of his head, as though he had expected nothing less- and it disappointed him that he was right- Just as he defended you, to his last breath.
This time, Thor didn't answer, and Lor'Vael sighed again.
You two. So different, and yet so the same, He continued, You defend each other, respect each other, and held each other up. Did you trust him so, not to betray you again? How did you know he wouldn't stab you in the back again?
"He is my brother."
Yet that same brother betrayed you time and time again before, Lor'Vael demanded, shrewdly, and Thor's grasp over Mjolnir tightened angrily at the painful reminder, He betrayed you over your father's throne. Over this, New York City. Over the life of your beloved Jane. Over your friends, your teammates. Over that weapon in your hand.
Thor glanced down at Mjolnir, momentarily distracted.
I wish I could stand behind you for this. I truly do. I wish I could be at your side- and father's too- but I don't know if that will ever be possible again…
Thor looked back up at Lor'Vael again and tightened his grasp again.
… I wish I could stand beside you like I did two years ago, staring down at our enemies with confidence; knowing you had my back and you trusting that I'd always have yours, and that there was nothing in the world that could hope to stop us.
How can you still trust him, Lor'Vael asked, seriously, as lightning converged on him again in an thunderous warning, After he has drawn your blood more times than you may count? That he has conspired against you countless times? That he, himself, caused you and your family so much pain already?
"He is my brother."
But that doesn't mean that I can't help you from the sidelines.
Where is your rage? Lor'Vael demanded, clear eyes flashing dangerously as he flicked his blade back to his side with a flourish as Thor readied Mjolnir again for the incoming blow, Where is your rage?
And so, as lightning and blackness clashed again, so did they.
Where is it?!
N._.s._.S
Dear Everyone:
I'm so, so sorry for the 5 month wait. You see, not only did I actually start school, but there is ABSOLUTELY NO INTERNET, and because of that, I have to go all the way downtown after school and stay up really late just to upload chapters now- and since it's… well, school, I haven't been writing so much because I've been so busy… Plus, in October, someone very close to me, my dear Grandma Rambo, died. Since that happened, I kind of lost my muse and motivation to write; and dealt with depression and all that yucky stuff accordingly. But now, I'm making it up to you, by presenting the rest of the four chapters in the next couple days- plus a very, very special appearance by someone you won't believe that hails into yet another story… but more on that later! Thank you to everyone who kicked my butt to get me to complete this one! Here's to you all!
Cheers!
- NothingSoSpecial.