Chapter 25 – The Serpent; The Prisoner; The Fire Giant

D120/10 ABY

After discovering the cosmic mural, Talia and Mace had departed on a different mission. For days, Mace Windu had a dream, one where he saw an old friend, a fellow Jedi Master – Shaak Ti. He believed that Ti was still alive, but had little proof. He wanted to let Kanan and Ahsoka know of this. As he decided to let them know, Talia stopped him saying that they both were on a different mission, and that Fenrir was missing.

D158/10 ABY

Now nearly a month had passed, and Windu could feel that they were reaching their location. Through Aesir communication, both of them learnt of Fenrir's rescue, the emergency council meeting (which concerned them both), and finally the resurrection of an old evil.

"Perhaps we should turn back?", Windu asked out loud.

"No. If we abandon this quest, we may never find your friend again. Besides, what could we accomplish by returning.", Talia responded.

"In the bigger picture of things, this mission is nothing more than my selfish desire.", Windu said.

"Maybe… maybe not. What if we learn something important while rescuing your friend?", Talia asked. She did not wait for an answer and walked forward.

They had finally reached their destination and had concealed themselves in the force. He could feel her, a presence smaller than she was during the days of the Clone War, but it was still her. Windu could feel Shaak Ti. Suddenly Talia looked around irritated. During that point, Mace could feel her force signature, and he felt two small signatures coming from her as well. In the next instant the three signatures disappeared. Windu wanted to ask what happened but got his answer before even asking.

"Fancy seeing you here.", came a voice from behind them. The two turned around and saw Bruce Banner, Bendu and Jesse standing by. Bendu was in his smaller form.

"What are you doing here?", Bendu asked.

"Rescuing one of Mace's friends. What about you?", Talia spoke.

"Rescuing Kelda.", Bendu answered, his eyes fierce.

"Kelda!? Didn't she retire?", Talia asked confused.

"One week ago, we received a distress signal from her. Then we went to her house, which was shielded from the Bifrost. Upon our arrival, we discovered that her husband was dead.", Bruce said.

"What of her children?", Talia asked.

"Her eldest – the daughter was dead, the son is… alive.", Bendu answered.

"Do you know who is holding her?", Windu asked. Bruce shook his head in response.

"Time is running short, subtlety and disguise will not be needed.", Bendu stated.

"We're barging in?", Jesse asked. Bruce nodded at this. The young man then grits his teeth together. He could remember the look of despair on the youngest son of Kelda. Together the five of them quickly made their way to the castle nearby, where both Kelda and Shaak Ti were held captive.

D159/10 ABY

Within the castle, Kelda and Shaak Ti were held prisoner while a demented man performed horrible experiments on them. Kelda Stormrider was a beautiful woman – golden hair, blue eyes, tall. She was an older cherub, powerful, kind and humble. She saw the Midgardian woman – Shaak Ti unconscious. Despite her best efforts, Kelda could not help the one in front of her, just as she could not save her husband and her children. Finally, she prayed to her gods, to Thor – 'please save my family'. Fortunately, help was nearby and Thor heard her prayer. Quickly Thor sent the champion Tarre Vizsla to her location using the Bifrost. Within a few minutes Tarre had joined up with her and Ti's rescuers.

The demented man turned towards her and smiled. Kelda blinked her eyes, believing she was deceived as she saw Fenrir's armour within the room. The madman stroked her hair, Kelda didn't even have the energy to flinch from his touch. She gasped in pain as the madman tore out her heart. Satisfied, he quickly tore out Shaak Ti's heart as well. Kelda soon lost consciousness. The madman donned Fenrir's armour.

The man then dragged the two by their necks to the castle's veranda overlooking the rescue group that had frantically reached their location. Throwing Kelda and Ti down towards them, where they were caught by Bruce and Windu. The madman spoke, "Here are the ones you seek. Or atleast, the flesh that remains.

As the group looked up at him mixed in shock and anger, the man continued, "Take them and leave me be." He then turned and walked back inside.

"ENOUGH.", Bendu screamed. Through his scream a massive bolt of lightning erupted from the sky and struck the madman.

"Bendu wait.", Tarre warned but it was too late. The man was destroyed, and all that remained was a thick cable going into the deeper parts of the castle. This was a decoy; the real deal was hiding in the basement with his weapon.

Tarre sensed this and so he quickly gave the orders, "Bruce & Jesse keep them both alive. Mace & Talia, find their hearts. Bendu and I will deal with this abomination."

The six then split and went forth with their missions. Bruce and Jesse struggled to keep them alive. Mace and Talia found the hearts, but were set upon by flaming monsters that were first seen on Jesse's home world. Meanwhile Tarre and Bendu bashed their way into the madman's basement, only to be set upon by a large living armour of Uru.

"You must understand. This is what armour is. A machine that makes a man more than a man.", came the voice from within the armour. Yet the two could tell as it stomped on their heads, that the armour was empty and the one they sought was long gone.

Once Talia saw that Mace had secured the hearts, she teleported him outside where Bruce and Jesse were. After that, she unfurled her wings, her eyes glowing a murderous blue as she smote the flaming monsters.

"This armour is based on the design of the 'Destroyer Armour' made by Odin. It always fascinated me, and through my new friends, I secured the armour of Fenrir. Studying his armour and knowing what the destroyer looked like, I created what stands before you. I know Science, Engineering, Magic… even the Force. But the core for my new armour… I realized it was missing a piece. I could make a thing like it, but I could not make it live. I thought the answer lied in force wielders, but that wasn't all. It is the spark of the Aesir, what lies inside you, in all that you do.", the madman spoke.

"The Allfather's power. The Thorforce.", Tarre spoke.

"Is that what you call the power?", the madman spoke, "I call it mine." The armour then proceeded to bury the two in even more rubble. It then shot energy beams from its hands striking Tarre and Bendu.

"I know your kind madman.", Bendu spoke, "I know your fate. You, like the ones before you will burn. You will never gain what you seek, instead it will consume you. When it does, I will laugh."

"Unlikely. Your strike was powerful enough to give it life. It is not yet complete. Be thankful that you now have minutes to live instead of seconds.", the madman's voice echoed. "This is a machine made for the torment of the Aesir."

As Tarre swung the hammer, the armour caught his strike and threw him into Bendu. As the two landed Tarre spoke, "You misunderstand. When the spring no longer flows, the well can be drained."

In the next second Tarre and Bendu unleashed their full power, blowing the head off the twisted machine. They could hear the screams of the madman fade. Had the armour been forged through proper means, blessed by the divine, it wouldn't have been destroyed so easily.

D160/ 10 ABY

Kelda and Shaak Ti had been rescued. The demented scientist had fled. Both of them were currently recovering. Kelda's youngest – a boy of 6 named William after his father was sitting by her bed. Before his mother had been rescued, the young boy was under the care of Tarre, Ahsoka and Asha. William knew of Tarre, through the stories his mother told him. Right now, sitting along with him were Skyla and Gabriel. The three had become friends, once William started to speak. Once he spoke, William cried remembering the deaths of his father and sister. Ahsoka was standing behind them, she had met Kelda once and had fond memories of her.

Ahsoka also turned around and saw Shaak Ti resting. She was happily surprised to learn that the Jedi Master was alive, yet saddened to learn of her fate. The rescue group would visit later, as there was an occupancy limit. Right now, they were giving their reports.

Kelda's recovery was faster than Shaak Ti's. Soon she opened her eyes and saw her son sitting alongside two unfamiliar children. Behind them she saw Ahsoka Tano-Vizsla, who smiled gently. Kelda then looked at William again, stroking his cheek and brought him towards her.

In the throne room of Asgard, Allfather Thor waited for Loki to show. So much had happened in the last few years, yet recent events truly angered 'The Thunderer'. As Loki entered the throne room, he felt the repressed rage of his brother. When they were children, this would have brought a smile to his face but now it only brought dread. Looking ahead he saw a worried Kanan and Hera standing to one side, while Thor sat on the throne in a meditative state, his eye closed.

"You summoned me Allfather.", Loki spoke.

Thor opened his eye and looked at him, "Six years ago you went behind my back and enlisted the help of Ygritte's hunters. To what end?"

"Amora is resurrected, she needed to be stopped. If I had followed your order, she would have had even more leeway than she does now.", Loki answered defiant.

"I had hoped age would offer you wisdom… brother mine. But it seems that age has made you more foolish than ever. The hunters enlisted by you have entered Muspelheim.", Thor said in a low voice.

Loki looked at him in confusion, "What of it? Surtur cannot leave Muspelheim."

"Fool.", Thor sighed, "By invading the fiery realm, those huntresses have allowed Surtur to leave. Through some means he has been restored to his full might."

Horrified Loki spoke, "That's impossible." He remembered when Surtur had last left Muspelheim. He had invaded both Asgardia and Alfheim, slaying Frey, and roamed free battling Rayleigh and Freya while Odin was deep in the Odinsleep.

"You will make this right. Surtur has not yet left his realm, but makes preparation for war. Take Castiel and Selyse, along with a strong fleet.", Thor commanded. Hearing this conversation terrified Hera and Kanan. They both glanced at each other, 'How little it takes to start the end of the universe.', the two shared this thought.

Loki bowed his head, humiliated and worried. As he was turning around to leave, Heimdall barged in the throne room and spoke, "The Serpent awakens. The Enchantress is behind it." As Loki, Kanan and Hera were about to exclaim in shock, Thor raised his hand and silence followed.

Thor regarded this news for a while and spoke, "Loki go to Jormungandr. Calm him, lull him back to sleep." He then turned to Heimdall, "Order Kuzan to go to Azkaban and send the fleet commanded by Castiel and Selyse to reinforce him. The prison must not fall."

"What of Surtur?", Hera asked.

"How far is the fire giant?", Thor asked Heimdall.

"He will reach on the morrow. His army is ready.", came the answer.

"Make it so that nothing stands in his way. I will personally battle the fire giant.", Thor said. He then turned to Kanan and Hera, "Ready our fleet."

As the four started to depart, Thor went to the wide veranda of the palace from where he could address everyone within Asgardia. Banging Gungniir on the ground, he gathered the attention of all his subjects. "The Lord of Muspelheim comes to Asgardia. Warriors of Asgardia, of the Aesir – take up your arms in defense of our home."

'With time the manipulation of Loki becomes easier.', the golden-haired enchantress thought. 'It was good to see the boy as well. If his spell was even a bit more powerful, he would have made me – his second birth mother proud.', Amora thought this of Fenrir as she made her way to the great prison near Niflheim and Hel – Azkaban. Disguising herself as an angel, the former Vanir sorceress entered the place and smiled to herself. It was a place of darkness, despair and evil. She saw the angels and the giants guarding the place. This will be difficult, if I hadn't convinced Surtur to lend me his strength. Amora wanted to laugh, her skill in magic was now second only to the Tricksters – Gabriel, Loki and Utgard-Loki. Yet she forgot one truth, the Allfathers possessed power and magic beyond that of the tricksters, and into the realm of the unimaginable.

Rumour has it that Azkaban stands atop a hidden realm, on which the designs of Hel were based. The hidden realm was used frequently during the time of the Celestials. Yet she sought a prisoner within Azkaban. He was the third most dangerous being in this place, with the first two being legendary prisoners who may or may not exist. Amora need not worry about this, as she used her new found powers to turn Angels and Giants at each other. A task that consumed too much power, yet happened nonetheless, due to the previous enmity between the two peoples. As the Angels and Giants battled, many died and the Dementors – soul sucking organisms preyed on the fallen. Amora's eyes shone red, and she made her way deeper in the prison. Upon reaching her destination she used her power to blow a massive hole in the cell.

A large man, with blood-red irises exited the cell. He looked down at Amora who smiled and spoke, "Who are you little witch?"

"An enemy of the Aesir, 'Amora – The Enchantress'. I have sought you – 'Perrikus of The Dark Gods.'"

"An enemy of the Aesir? Do not make the mistake of us being allies due to this.", Perrikus spoke coldly.

"I do not.", Amora replied silkily, "But in time you can count on me as your ally.", Amora spoke. She then led Perrikus out of the prison and informed him of the current state of the realms.

"You have my thanks… Amora. I will now return to my realm and prepare for war against the Aesir. We will return when they are battered and broken.", Perrikus spoke.

"You must not underestimate Thor. When you last fought him, he was still a Pagan. Now he has surpassed his fathers' 'Odinpower'.", Amora advised. With that the two went their separate ways.

D161/10 ABY

'The old dream – Ragnarok. It may happen ahead of its time, if we are not careful.', Thor thought to himself as he stood on the Rainbow bridge accompanied by Heimdall. A third of the Aesir fleet had gone to Azkaban, another third was stationed here in Asgard, while the rest of the fleet ferried civilians, children and those unable to fight (like Kelda) to safe worlds within Vanaheim. The force of Muspelheim had reached their realms, and over many planets in the realm of Asgardia – naval combat had begun. A war between two realms had started, it was Thor's duty to end this war. Finally, Surtur with his strength returned had reached the rainbow bridge. The battle between Thor and Surtur was about to begin.