- What's up, friends? I hope you're all doing well. The holiday season is fast approaching and Christmas will be upon us before we know it. A lot of folks in my neighborhood have already decorated their houses with some beautiful Christmas lights.
- I saw Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the night it was released here. It was a really good film. Most of the audience and I recognized the movie to be a fitting tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman.
Take your time reading and enjoy.
...
"You're doing great. Shall we try again or do you want to take a quick break?"
The new Mighty Thor shook her head, tightening her grip around the leather handle. "No, let's keep going."
Peter glanced at the training dummy that was just struck by her lightning. Instead of being blown up into fiery little pieces, this one bore two scorched holes through the torso and right shoulder. Jane was getting better at controlling the level of power in her attacks. She got the sudden urge to yawn but managed to stifle it, making a funny facial expression in the process.
The sight of such made him softly laugh. It was understandable why she felt a bit sleepy. The two of them have been working to help her master this technique for most of the morning. He did wonder if Darcy was still somehow asleep though. The sound of thunder wasn't exactly quiet and her boss has been shooting one lightning blast after another with Mjolnir for the past four hours.
"Alright then. Let's continue." Spidey pointed at one of the other intact training dummies. "Remember what I said earlier. Think clearly on the damage you intend to do when you're about to infuse the hammer with lightning."
Following his instructions to the letter, Jane focused on her plan of attack as she raised Mjolnir above her head. The morning skies grew dark again before lightning bolts rained down on the hammer. Once it was infused with the right amount of power, she took aim at the dummy's head. The astrophysicist breathed in deep...and then unleashed a blast of divine lightning upon her exhale.
The bolt of lightning swiftly struck her intended target. It tore a hole straight through the head, leaving behind burnt charred marks on the wood and straw material. The young Spider widened his eyes a bit before he grinned and gave her a congratulatory pat on the shoulder.
"Nice work. I think you finally got it."
She on the other hand just kept staring at the training dummy with a bit of disbelief. Her gaze shifted to Mjolnir for a second and then over to him. "Holy shit...I actually did it right this time, didn't I?"
He answered her with a simple nod. An excited squeal of joy escaped Jane's lips as she jumped up to give him a big hug. Mjolnir slipped out of her hand and fell to the grass below with a dull thud. Peter managed to catch Jane in time, chuckling at her exuberance. The happy expression on her beautiful face was so innocent and childlike. It was quite endearing to witness.
Setting her back down on the ground, he held out his hand at the hammer. Mjolnir promptly flew into his grip handle first. "Now you're finally able to control the power of lightning at will. Well done."
"That's because you took the time to teach me how to do so properly. Thank you, Peter."
"I just helped a little. You would've figured it out on your own eventually."
Jane shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe...though I might have ended up destroying a lot more training dummies before I finally got the hang of it."
"You only blew up about fourteen of them if we're counting the ones from last night." He said, looking amused. "I can't wait to see how Thor will react when he finds out you can wield both his old weapon and his lightning powers."
"Neither can I. Something tells me the look on his face in that moment will be hilarious."
The back door of her house swung open before Darcy stepped out into the backyard. Still dressed mainly in her sleep wear, she was also wearing an old hoodie to keep herself warm from the cold weather outside. Spidey and the new Mighty Thor moved towards the latter's intern to speak with her.
"Hey, Darcy. Sorry if I disturbed your sleep." Jane sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
Darcy's lips curved into a sleepy smile. "It's alright. All the lightning woke me up at first but I was able to ignore the noise and doze off for a while. How's the training with Mjolnir going?"
"Pretty good. She can now control her new lightning abilities without any trouble."
"Really? That's awesome. I guess Jane really is the new Thor now, huh?"
"Almost. There's still a few more things I need to learn first."
"Knowing you, you'll probably master those in no time." Her intern said before she jerked her thumb back towards the house. "I cooked up some scrambled eggs and bacon if you're both hungry."
Her boss and boyfriend already had breakfast earlier but their long hours of training left them feeling kind of famished. Partaking in some hot food right now would really hit the spot. Giving her old friend a grateful smile, Jane began to walk back to the house first. Peter shared a quick kiss with Darcy before they moved to follow her. After they ate, he and the astrophysicist would have to build new training dummies to replace the ones that were destroyed during training.
...
The Black Widow and Scarlet Witch couldn't help but share a laugh at the large sign that hung above the entrance of the parlour they were about to visit. The two words inscribed on it was obviously meant to be a pun. Leave it to the Queen of New Asgard to turn the image of powerful cosmic gems into a mundane yet hilarious store logo.
"What's so funny?" Brunnhilde asked, raising an eyebrow.
Natasha pointed up at the sign. "...Infinity Conez? Really?"
"It was the only thing I could think of on the spot. Erika and Volstagg seemed to like it so we just went with the name."
Wanda reached to grab the door for her friends. The two of them thanked her as they stepped into the store. It wasn't a big place but most of the tables in here were filled with customers. They all seemed to be having a good time chatting with each other whilst enjoying their respective frozen treats. Erika stood behind the counter, handing over a large ice cream cone to a young Asgardian girl.
"Welcome to the Infinity Conez Parlour, my friends." She greeted with a friendly smile. "Have a seat over there. I'll be along shortly."
The Asgardian mother pointed towards an empty table that was right next to the store window. Valkyrie went ahead to take the chair on the far end while the two Avengers sat across from her. There was a little menu placed in the middle and all of the desserts this store offered was conveniently listed on it.
"I presume Erika and Volstagg are the ones who run this place?" Wanda asked, taking a quick look around.
Brunnhilde nodded as she leaned back in her seat. "The two of them made the decision to start an ice cream store together about five months ago."
"There's a lot of customers in here. Business must be good for them."
"This store became really popular soon after it opened. Many of our people have grown fond of your various frozen sweets. Erika makes some of the ice cream herself every morning and it tastes a lot better than the mass manufactured ones we sometimes get from overseas."
The woman they spoke of soon approached their table with a little notepad and pen in her hands. "The usual for you, your majesty?"
"Of course. Don't forget to add the sprinkles." She reminded.
"I wouldn't dream of it. And for you two?"
Natasha decided to go with something simple. "Just two scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream on a cone for me."
"I'll have a raspberry parfait." The young Sokovian woman said. "Go easy on the whipped cream. I don't want it to be too sweet."
Erika smiled as she jotted that down. "Consider it done. I'll be back with your orders shortly."
She left to make the desserts that they chose. Valkyrie gave the Black Widow a curious look. "You sure you don't want anything else?"
"Nah, I'm fine. It feels kind of odd to be eating ice cream in winter anyways."
The Queen didn't argue against that. "Fair point...but at the very least, it won't melt in your hands."
A little smirk graced Natasha's face. "That is true. So how's being the leader of New Asgard going for you?"
"It's not bad. By this point, I'm used to the immense responsibilities of looking after my people and the town. The worst part of my job is when I have to deal with paperwork or foreign dignitaries and ambassadors."
The Scarlet Witch propped her right elbow up on the table, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Do they give you trouble?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Not really but having to listen to all of the political talk is just boring as hell. I don't know how I've managed to stay awake during those long winded discussions."
"I don't envy you one bit. You have my sympathies."
Erika soon returned, carrying a serving tray that had all of their frozen treats placed on it. She first set down the Queen's usual...which turned out to be a chocolate and vanilla sundae. Per her instructions, the sundae was garnished with a lot of different coloured sprinkles and it also had a red cherry placed on top. She then put the raspberry parfait in front of Wanda and handed over the mint chocolate chip cone to Natasha.
"Enjoy your ice cream. It's all on the house."
"You don't have to do that." The Black Widow said. "We can easily afford to pay our bill."
The Asgardian mother shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't dream of taking money from our Queen and good friends. Let me know if you need anything else."
She excused herself to tend to another customer. Valkyrie grabbed a spoon and immediately began to dig into her sundae. Wanda scooped up a spoonful of her parfait before she popped it into her mouth. The sweetness of the vanilla ice cream was mixed perfectly together with the tangy flavour of the fresh raspberries.
"This is really good." She said, taking another bite.
Natasha nodded in agreement as she carefully ate her mint chocolate ice cream. The annoying thing about eating frozen desserts was the potential brain freezes and she wanted to avoid that. "We should bring some back for Maria and Hela."
Her old friend was currently looking after Maybelle and William with the Goddess of Death's help. The Queen swallowed the bit of vanilla in her throat before she barked out a hearty laugh.
"You'd be doing Hela quite the favour then. She loves the ice cream Erika makes just as much as I do."
Wanda grinned out of amusement. "I never knew she had such a sweet tooth. I'll go order some to take home with us."
The Scarlet Witch ate another spoonful of her raspberry parfait before she stood up. Just as she was about to go speak with Erika, something from the skies suddenly crashed down onto the road outside. The loud impact frightened the customers in the store and made some of them jump up in their seats. Brunnhilde and Natasha raced outside to check just what it was that landed in the street, with Wanda following closely behind. A lot of dust had been kicked up by the impact and it was difficult to see anything at all for a moment. They stood ready to defend themselves...just in case this was a new threat of some sort.
When the cloud of dust finally dissipated, the serious expressions on their faces turned into one of confusion. In the middle of the small crater stood Jane and Peter...with the latter wearing his nanotech suit. The Mighty Thor was brushing some dust off the hammer while Spider-Man stretched his body from side to side.
"Ow...that was a pretty hard landing." He muttered. His lips formed a small frown behind the mask.
She turned to look at him with a bit of concern. "Are you alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. My back is just going to be sore for a while. I did warn you to slow down."
"I know, I know. I thought I could veer to the right or left in time but I realized too late it wouldn't be possible, especially at that speed."
"Ahem." The Queen of New Asgard cleared her throat to get their attention. "...Care to explain why you two just crashed into the street from out of nowhere?"
Jane's face began to blush out of embarrassment while Peter rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle. "Sorry about the damage. I'm teaching her how to use Mjolnir to fly. We were actually soaring above the town without any problems. Jane just can't stick the landing or control her flight speed very well yet."
...
In Alfheim...
Volstagg roared out a loud battle cry as he swung his axe down at the enemy's head. Gorr raised the Necrosword to block the incoming strike. The two of them stood in the middle of a bloodied battlefield...one that was littered with corpses.
Many of the shadowed monsters Gorr brought forth to help him in this fight now laid dead. Unfortunately, his opposition also suffered heavy casualties too. The Light Elves and most of the Asgardian soldiers had been killed in battle. Of the eight soldiers that accompanied Lady Sif and Volstagg to this realm, only three remained alive albeit barely.
Falligar the Behemoth was still amongst the living too...but he had been badly wounded in the fight against Gorr.
"What do you hope to accomplish by slaying all of the Gods?!" The bearded Asgardian demanded, pushing the God-Butcher back inch by inch.
The lips of his foe turned into a very dark smile. "...Justice, of course."
"You're insane! That cursed blade has twisted your mind!"
"On the contrary, I'd say this sword has opened it to great possibilities!"
Gorr released his right hand from the handle and threw a swift punch at his face, knocking him off balance. Volstagg couldn't see clearly for a moment as he stumbled back a few steps. The God-Butcher raced forward to run the Necrosword through his heart. The Asgardian warrior was able to regain his bearings in time and moved his body to the side.
The black blade ended up piercing into his right shoulder instead. Intense pain assaulted the nerves in his entire right arm, forcing him to drop his axe.
"Aarggh!"
The dark smile remained on Gorr's face as he twisted the blade left and right. "An impressive but futile effort. Your immortal life ends now."
"I don't think so!" Volstagg growled. He grabbed him by the neck and headbutted his face.
The God-Butcher felt his nose break from the hard impact. The Asgardian warrior didn't let up and punched him in the jaw with a vicious right hook. A couple of his teeth got knocked loose before they flew out of his mouth. He pulled the Necrosword loose and beat a hasty retreat.
Volstagg collapsed down to one knee once the short burst of adrenaline wore off. His shoulder was hurting too much for him to bear at the moment. Gorr wiped some blood off his mouth as he approached the enemy warrior. There was no more love for gods on his part but even he could respect this immortal being's valiant fighting spirit.
Holding up the Necrosword with both hands, the God-Butcher swung it down at the enemy with the intent of cutting off his head. Lady Sif suddenly ran out from the rocks behind Volstagg and blocked the black blade with her kite shield. Gorr was caught off guard by her reappearance. The grievous injury he inflicted on this woman earlier should've left her unable to fight at all. Her right arm was still laying around somewhere, staining the snow red with blood.
Sif knocked the cursed weapon to the side...before she drove the pointed edge of her kite shield into Gorr's face. Thanks to her natural immense strength, her shield was able to easily tear through both his eyes and the upper bridge of his nose.
"Grraaghh!" The God-Butcher cried out in agony. His hand moved up to clutch at his badly mangled face.
She quickly drove a hard kick into his chest, sending him flying back a few feet to create some distance. Volstagg looked up at her and grinned despite the immense pain that was afflicting his shoulder.
"Thanks for the save, milady. Were you able to send out the SOS?"
Lady Sif spat out some blood. "I was. Now it's just a matter of Thor receiving it in time to help us."
Reclaiming his axe, her old friend managed to rise to his feet. "I'm sure he will. We just have to stay alive until he gets here."
"Easier said than done, given the way we are now. We're the only ones still standing to fight Gorr."
The ground beneath them started to shake as Falligar struggled to roll onto his side. "D-don't count me out just yet. I may not be able to stand but I will help you both fend off this monster."
"...Just don't push yourself too hard, Falligar." Sif wisely advised before she pulled out a sharp dagger that had been sheathed on her belt.
Gorr's wounds mended swiftly, thanks to the power of the Necrosword. The cursed blade even restored his eyes back to normal. Now those eyes were glaring their way in fury as he began to charge at them.
"Stay strong, my friends." Volstagg stated. He and Lady Sif stood ready to defend themselves while one of Falligar's claws began to glow with energy. "We will survive this."
...
- Flying is a common superpower in both Marvel and DC but it's probably not easy to grasp the basics of flight, especially if you don't even know where or how to begin. Good thing Jane has Peter to show her the ropes in learning to fly with Mjolnir.
- I'm still pretty rusty when it comes to writing action scenes. Planning them out in my head is simple enough but painting a picture of the fight with the right words can be difficult. Till next time, friends. Stay safe.