Chapter four
New and exciting
Darcy wasn't sure where they were now exactly, but he had kept his promise to let her see more of the place. Loki had transported them far from the Collector's strange house of mazes and things that she couldn't even describe. She was someone who was curious about a lot of things she didn't understand; wanting to understand them, like how she would ask Jane questions about various objects and although she had problems with pronouncing the damn words at first (or she just liked mis-pronouncing, especially if it annoyed someone), it didn't make her any less smart. But that place…no, for once Darcy wasn't in a rush to find out. The less she knew, the better and Darcy imagined that Loki wasn't going to complain. He seemed like the type of guy who had no patience for questions, though she would keep asking them anyway. Hey, if he was going to drag her along practically against her will, then he could suffer for it.
They walked quietly through the jungle and Darcy was looking everywhere, admiring the large trees, leaves and flowers, seeing the odd glimpse of some moving creature. She wished she could see them properly and her wish was granted when one landed on her shoulder.
"It's friendly, right?" Darcy asked.
"As long as you do not anger it," Loki smirked. The creature looked around at Darcy's face. The animal was adorable; it was like a cross between a monkey and something mouse-like. Darcy reached up and stroked his or her little head, deciding to just go for it. It seemed to like it, and it seemed to get even more comfortable on her shoulder, lying down and doing something with her hair.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Darcy asked.
"She is female; they are friendlier. She is what you would call a Silkvossa; much like a monkey of Midgard, except more intelligent," Loki replied. "Let us carry on through." The Silkvossa was about the same size as a capuchin monkey, though sleeker and cuddlier looking. Darcy walked along, loving having a little animal on her shoulder. She suddenly stopped and looked at Loki.
"Shit, am I going to get any diseases on these other realms?" Darcy asked. Loki laughed.
"Disease is a mortal problem; you are more likely to spread disease than anythinig you find out here," Loki said, but waved his hand and a cup appeared. "Drink this, and you along with the rest of the realms will be fine." Darcy rolled her eyes, but drank it nonetheless.
"It's sweet; I expected it to be yucky," Darcy said.
"Come on, we do not have time to hang around; you wish to see more of this realm, I will show it you, but on the condition that we do not dawdle," Loki said.
"You're such a spoilsport. I always thought Loki was supposed to be this fun character, but the real-life version is so boring," Darcy said.
"I have far more pressing matters to attend to. Perhaps after I am done, we shall see how fun I can be," Loki said, smirking at her. Okay, she suddenly didn't like the sound of that. It was so disappointing too, since Loki had always been her favourite character in Mythology. What a pity. Oh well. Perhaps once they were finished with their little adventure, she could return to Earth and be safe, if she were to get out of this alive. She still wasn't entirely sure that Loki would spare her. She really hoped he did; she was far too young to die. She almost jumped as she felt his hand at the small of her back, pushing her on, though not forcefully. It really confused her; he was both crazy and yet, kind of gentle. It was maddening. Darcy was sure she would need a lot of mental help after this. She walked with him in silence, examining the wilderness around them and also feeling the slight tugs of her hair every now and then. Her little Silkvossa friend was nibbling on her hair, she was pretty sure of that.
"Now what should we call you, eh? How about Milly?" Darcy asked. The noise the animal made sounded like it was a bad idea.
"Her name is Eryyi," Loki responded.
"Wow, so you have a name already," Darcy said. "I guess us humans are quite ignorant if we don't think that you guys don't name each other too." She reached up and stroked Eryyi's back. Her tail was long and glossy, the same reddish brown as the rest of her body, with the exception of her white belly and chest.
"She will likely be travelling with us now; she seems quite taken with you," Loki smirked. "Chewing on hair is a sign of adoration in their culture." Darcy was so touched and suddenly loved this little creature. They came out of the jungle to see a mountain standing tall in the distance, with grasslands before it. Suddenly their boat appeared and Loki jumped into it, helping Darcy inside as well. She sat down and held on as he flew them quickly over the grasslands, though for some reason she saw the grassland go by in slow motion while she felt the boat flying at quite a speed. She looked at Loki and saw that he had a smug smirk on his face. Show off. Not that this wasn't useful; it was definitely less likely to cause her motion sickness, though she rarely suffered from it. Thank God.
Once at the mountains, Loki slowed the boat and brought it to a stop near the entrance before jumping out. After Darcy got out, he seemed to put a spell on it before leading her into the cave. Holy shit it was dark! She tried walking for a few seconds before she ended up falling over. Darcy would have ended up flat on her face had Eryyi not landed on her feet and cushioned her face. She quickly picked herself up and cuddled Eryyi to her chest.
"Thank you, you cute and smart little one!" Darcy said, unable to believe how considerate and quick-witted the Silkvossa was. "Loki?" Suddenly there was green light and she jumped a little, the green glow lighting up his features in a seriously creepy way. Now that she focussed a little, he had his hand out as if he was holding a lantern, except it was palm up and a green fire floated above his palm. She let out a breath before looking back up at him.
"That's better…I don't know about you Asgardians, but I can't see in the dark," Darcy said.
"Then you are lucky that Malekith is dead," Loki smirked before turning and carrying on down the path. Darcy followed as carefully as she could, trying not to trip over anything even in the light and not to get too far away from Loki and his light. She wondered where they were going, but found she was starting to enjoy this adventure; even if her adventure partner wasn't quite what most would ask for. Magic seemed to be rather useful so far, so she wouldn't fault him that. At least she had some light now.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, they started descending and Darcy was even more worried that she would fall. Now, Darcy wasn't a clumsy person; she'd never even accidentally shot anyone with her taser, like she'd heard people doing in stories (dude, put on the damn safety!) and she was a good driver when she was driving in America. Driving in London was difficult. She was just so used to taking certain turns that learning a new system wasn't quite as easy as it might seem. But otherwise, she was pretty sensible and able to keep on her feet even when running. However, this damned cave was another matter and there were no holds or anything. So naturally Darcy tripped and she was a lot closer to Loki now that she fell into him and couldn't help but just grab hold of him. Thankfully in a reasonably appropriate manner. Around his waist. Loki had stopped and she felt him turning in her arms and she just looked like she was giving him a rather awkward hug.
"Hi…" Darcy mumbled, faced squashed against him. He lifted her up and removed her arms from himself.
"Are you quite done? You do not appear to be able to walk for five minutes without trouble," Loki said, but there was a hint of a smile there. Bastard.
"I can't help it; I'm not used to walking in this sort of terrain," Darcy said. Loki laughed, which made him less creepier than before.
"Would you like me to carry you?" Loki asked, mockingly.
"No, just carry on, I just need to try harder," Darcy said. Loki stepped closer and before she could do anything about it, Loki had her around the waist and they seemed to be…gliding? down the tunnel in a glow of green light. Down and down they went for ages until they levelled out and opened up into a large cavern, where he stopped to let her look around. Darcy didn't know how far underground they were, but this was just…breathtaking. The ceiling was high and something up there glittered like diamonds in the light, though she couldn't tell where the light was actually coming from. Gazing downwards she looked around. It was like an underground community, doors in the walls, glittering bridges to the middle of the tiers that led to gardens of sorts and passageways leading to other places.
"Wow…is this another one of those bigger-on-the-inside deals?" Darcy asked.
"Indeed. This is one of many Dwarf communities; each community works as a unit and provides for each other. They are excellent craftspeople; I have heard that the Dwarves who created Mjölnir are still very much alive and well, but I have never met them," Loki said.
"Whoa, the Dwarves who created Myuh Myuh came from here? Awesome. Seriously, how did they make such a thing? Only Thor can hold it…I can't even begin to understand how that works," Darcy said.
"Ancient magic; Dwarves do not possess magic as the Vanir do. Dwarves specialise in craftsmagic; anything that can create powerful weapons, cast charms and such to give them a special quality, making wardrobes that are bigger on the inside, and so on. The Vanir's magic is far less restrictive, though their craftsmagic is not quite as powerful as the Dwarves' nor is their healing magic as strong as the Light Elves'; Dark Elves possess tricksy and dark magic, or at least, those of a particular kind do," Loki explained.
"I thought Malekith and those guys were dead…" Darcy said.
"Those ones are; little known is the fact that there are ones who did not follow Malekith and reside underground. They are rarely seen, which is rather preferable," Loki said. He led her through the cavern and around the sides past what was presumably homes. There was a long drop to the ground.
"How do they not fall?" Darcy asked.
"There are barriers stopping such a thing from occurring; there are various bridges and something akin to those elevators you have, except a simple platform that floats up and down, all of which will get them around quicker. As you can see, the paths lining the walls with their homes spiral downwards slowly, so it would be a long walk to the bottom from here. Those wishing for quicker travel will use the lifts and bridges," Loki said. The path they were on went in both directions; right took them to the upper levels and left went downwards. She had to admit that while she probably couldn't live somewhere like this permanently, it was a pretty amazing place. Loki led them downwards and it was a long walk, but oddly refreshing. She and most other people in life only seemed to do things the quick way and she was starting to see that maybe that was the boring way.
Loki stopped at a door once they had gone round and round down the path for quite a while. This and the next four were all coloured purple with runic markings of some kind; honestly, runes were not really something she knew very well, just that they reminded her of them. Loki knelt down on his knees and sat on them. He looked at her.
"Kneel," Loki said, nodding to her.
"I bet you say that to all the girls…and Germany," Darcy said. He smirked. Insult and mock the guy all she wants, it didn't seem to be working very well.
"If you wish to make a good impression, I suggest you get on your knees. It is disrespectful to tower over a host when you are asking them a favour," Loki asked. Darcy rolled her eyes and knelt down. "See? That was not so difficult."
"You are so full of it," Darcy said.
"I have kept you safe so far, have I not?" Loki asked, giving her a rather annoying smile in an innocent expression. Totally didn't suit him. Loki knocked on the door and after a few moments a female came to the door. She had brown hair and brown eyes. She looked at Loki and Darcy could tell that the woman recognised Loki. Especially when she hit him upside the head with something that looked like a stone whisk. And he actually fell backwards. This was going in her list of favourite things to have witnessed.
"You have come here after your deeds?" The woman chided him as he sat up, rubbing his chin, looking none too impressed.
"I―," Loki started.
"Do not even give me any excuses. We forged those knives of yours for the good of the realms and you disregard our efforts," the woman said.
"Emyr, in fairness, I paid y―," Loki started.
"―for less than you would have, had we not been friends. Or was that just a ruse to get our goods for less?" Emyr asked. Boy, Darcy would not wish to be on her bad side. At all.
"If you would let me speak, then I could tell you that that has passed. I made some terrible mistakes," Loki said. "I will not misuse your trust or equipment again."
"Very well…who is your friend? I trust you have not brought trouble into our home," Emyr said.
"Oh, we're not friends," Darcy added.
"Her name is Darcy, a human of Midgard. She is my current travelling companion," Loki answered. "She is actually a friend of Thor." Emyr seemed to be happy with that explanation.
"Come inside; a friend of someone as noble as Thor is welcome here," Emyr said, making Loki roll his eyes before ducking inside the home. Darcy followed him inside and was instantly interested in the layout of the home. The ceiling was high enough for her to walk around comfortably; even Loki could stand up. The shelves and such, however, were quite low.
Looking around the place, she realised that the extra height allowed for more pictures. Or in this case, a large family tree painted across the room, taking up most of the space. It was beautiful. She was offered a place to sit, which she gratefully took. Loki sat next to her.
"Would you like a drink?" Emyr asked the two of them. "We have just brewed some rattling wine."
"Errr…" Darcy said, looking at Loki.
"Yes, one for each of us," Loki answered. "You will like it; it is sweeter than your wine and has the kick of your…spirits, I think." Okay, she liked the sound of that. Emyr came back in with two goblets and handed them to Darcy and Loki. Darcy thanked her and tried it, her eyebrows shooting up.
"This is delicious!" Darcy said.
"Drink it slowly; it is quite potent in comparison to Midgardian alcohol," Loki said. Darcy nodded, not wanting to end up drunk. That would probably end up in embarrassment and in all honesty, she couldn't really say that she wouldn't come on to Loki. Drunk her was not quite as smart. Emyr joined them with her own drink and sat down.
"You have come here for a reason; spit it out," Emyr said.
"I want to know whether you have any ideas as to the legendary stones of power; we already have the Space and the Power stone," Loki asked. Emyr's eyebrows raised.
"What do you need those for?" She asked.
"I cannot tell you; not for anything nefarious, I assure you," Loki said.
"I am not assured; I let you in here wishing to find out more, because quite frankly I still cannot trust you," Emyr said bluntly.
"Understandable," Loki said.
"As it is…I know very little myself, although Jör might know," Emyr said. Loki nodded.
"We would also like to stay here for a night, if you do not mind," Loki asked. Darcy was surprised by how polite and modest he was being. Then again, the woman packed a punch and, sure, Loki could probably overpower the poor woman, but he clearly valued her. Which was kind of nice to see, if strange. Hard to believe someone who had tried to take over her world and killed a lot of people, including the guy who took her ipod, could be like this and save Jane and Thor.
"You may, but I will have to charge you," Emyr said. Loki conjured a small velvety sack and took out some coins, placing them into Emyr's hand. "My children and nieces all have their own children now, so you can stay in their old rooms."
"Has it really been that long?" Loki asked, looking around. "I remember you told me that your children had moved out, but grandchildren. You must be proud."
"Certainly; we have been visiting you the last hundred years. It is nice to get out of here once in a while, and in the last five years since we last saw you, I have become a grandmother. I am a very proud grandmother. We tried to invite you to my eldest's wedding two years ago, but we had thought you dead."
"I apologise. It was a bad time," Loki murmured. Silence stretched and Emyr then looked at Darcy. She smiled and started asking her about her life.
"Political Science, you say? I know little of Midgardian culture, I am afraid; I have never been there before. Dwarves do not travel much," Emyr said.
Darcy found herself talking to her about her degree and politics, asking about politics in the Dwarf culture and finding out that it was far more basic than Earth's. It was a collective leadership within a singular community and, on learning about the temperaments of their people, it seemed like it would work. It was quite fascinating, learning about their culture, and she made a point of asking lots of questions.
She was so lost in conversation that she jumped in fright when the sound of an explosion and screaming rippled through the mountain.
