Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and/or associated companies. I make no money off of this whatsoever and I have no intention of changing this whatsoever in the future. I write because it's fun and because there are those who enjoy reading my stories. Therefore please no legal action or anything because I do not have near enough money or assets to make the whole thing worth it.
New York City
The Warehouse District
Xander's POV
"Buffy and Willow should be snooping around Pym's place right about now." He said looking up from his hiding spot at the hovering Asgardian ships, "Time to make things go boom."
"Little booms right? I mean the Asgardians are just following the orders of their leader." Dawn said pulling her sword from its sheath, "If you're right then they don't know that this whole mess is Loki's fault. Can't kill them for following the orders of a traitor in sheep's clothing."
"Who said anything about killing?" He asked with a lopsided grin, "I'm just going to play with them for a bit, maybe force a few of their ships to make emergency landings, and see if I can coax out one of the big names."
"For what? An autograph?" She asked with a smirk.
"Maybe. Name one person on the planet that has the signature of an actual Norse god or goddess." He replied before strolling out into the open, "Seeing as how they'll all be going home if things go our way I'll have the only one on Earth. I'm thinking half a billion to the person who wants it most. It'd be a nice pay day."
"Geek!" She said with a smirk, "But good planning ahead. What do you want me to do?"
"Head into the city and keep your eyes peeled." He replied doing a couple of warm up stretches, "If we're lucky any Asgardians deployed on the ground will all come this way to back up their ships. If we're UNlucky some of them will get it into their heads to take hostages to maker me stop attacking their ships. That's where you come in."
"So I make sure they play fair or eject them from the game." She said nodding in comprehension, "Got it. And if some of their ships decide to point their guns at the city?"
"Those that don't have a problem pointing a gun at the innocent and defenceless have no honour." He replied with a cold hard look on his face, "Asgard will be better off without them."
With that he took to the sky carried by his ki field before Dawn could argue against killing assuming that she chose to. Of the two Summers sisters Dawn always seemed to be the less idealistic sort but she was still the younger sister and therefore still a little naive. Him? Not so much. Evil could not be tolerated especially if it resided in someone who did not care about redemption or did not feel a lick of guilt about the evil deeds they committed.
He didn't care if they were street scum or nigh almighty deities.
If they were evil, if they did evil things, they'd find the mother of all ki blasts coming their way with intent to disintegrate.
Right now though it was time to get the attention of some trespassers.
Picking out a random ship he began to throw balls of ki at it and just like he wanted they detonated on impact giving those board one helluva surprise. Kicking up his ki field so it'd be flashier and more noticeable he continued to attack ships with booms managing to land a lucky hit that caused one ship to begin its descent towards the harbour. Too bad things didn't stay good since a few moments later ports began to open on the ships and recognizable barrels extended out of them before aiming in his general direction.
He wasn't worried though.
When you trained with the sort of people he had then dodging projectile attacks was one of the first things you mastered. Thanks to that fact he was all too ready when the blips of golden energy began to fire in his direction and immediately began evading them. He could just swat them aside of course but that would let the Asgardians know he could do that and give them a hint about how powerful he was. It was never a good idea to let your opponent see all you had to offer and no he wasn't following that tactic to drag out the fight so he could enjoy it more. He wasn't like Goku or Vegeta who deliberately held back from the beginning and only amped it up if not doing so would get them dead in a very short amount of time.
For him there was an objective and he'd take the quickest route to achieving it even if it meant the fight lasted only ten seconds because he went all out from the beginning.
Unless of course one of the conditions of achieving the objective was making sure the confrontation lasted a specific amount of time.
In this case though the objective was to get as many Asgardian eyes on him as possible and try to get them to divert troops to his position. The less reason Loki had for considering that his actions were one big distraction the less likely he'd start wondering what he might be a distraction for. Was there a chance that Loki would realize that someone might be sniffing around the prep work for his little occupation of Earth? Maybe. Personally he was hoping that this trickster god was so cocky about how good he was that he half-assed efforts any efforts at covering up what he did to Hank Pym. If they could just get enough evidence to expose the big bad in front of his troops this whole occupation would be over with in minutes.
"C'mon! You can do better than this!" He taunted throwing a few more energy spheres at the Asgardian ships.
And they did do better when they began to deploy smaller skiff ships that proved to be much more nimble in the air than their motherships. Their weapons might not be as potent as those wielded by their motherships but their speed as well as their maneuverability made sending them after him a valid tactic. At least it WOULD have been if he'd stuck with the tactics he'd been using so far but that'd be boring. With a grin he began to use bursts of ki to reposition himself so fast it probably looked like he was blurring, disappearing and reappearing to the Asgardians. Thanks to this it'd be more due to luck than design for them to actually land a hit on him and even if they did he was confident his ki field could take the hit. Maybe he'd get knocked back a couple of feet or get a little of the air knocked out of his lungs but nothing really harmful never mind lethal.
Still with this strategy it was possible they'd back off after it became clear that landing a shot wasn't likely to happen reliably enough to built confidence of victory. He needed something to keep them here for as long as possible and draw in more of their friends preferably from other nearby cities. He needed a way to keep them invested in fighting him and motivate them to call in reinforcements. The first thing that came to mind was to be more aggressive in taking down their ships since if there were any bonds of camaraderie amongst the Asgardians they'd want to protect some and avenge others. The only problem with this plan was that if he came on too strong he might push them to leave the city entirely to regroup with the others so they could come back in greater numbers.
That or they could go with the hostages route he'd sent Dawn to try and do something about. He had no doubt that the youngest Summers daughter would do everything she could but she was only one person and there was a lot of ground to cover.
~Think…think…THINK!~ He thought even as he continued to evade incoming fire, ~Maybe…maybe I let them get a few shots in…let them think they can beat me…but not alone. Not with their current numbers.~
It'd take some masterful acting.
Not something he was particularly good at but it was the best plan he had at the moment.
~Here goes nothing!~ He thought before he stopped moving and pretended to be mildly winded.
BOOM!
Right on schedule a barrage of energy bolts slammed into his ki field and while he didn't actually feel anything he still made it look like he was being rocked by the attack. He made it look like he was working through some pain and began to blur around again but this time he made sure to stop after only half the time he'd done it previously before upping how fatigued he looked a little bit.
BOOM! BOOM!
This time he got hit from shots from two ships and so he stopped using his ki to fly and let his body drop a few dozen feet before reasserting it albeit shakily.
By this point he imagined that the Asgardians had probably gained enough confidence that they could beat him that any thought of running or taking hostages was gone. However if he really wanted to sell the idea there was one more thing he needed to do.
RUN!
Nothing bullies liked more than to see prey making a run for it since it gave rise to the impulse to pursue. In this case though he had 'dared' to attack Asgardian ships and defy Asgardian 'rule' so he imagined that part of their job would be to arrest him. They couldn't do that if they didn't catch him and as long as he didn't fly so fast that they feared they wouldn't be able to capture him he'd have their full attention. They might even call in more ships in an attempt to surround him from all sides and that would definitely get him the sort of attention he was aiming for.
With just the right amount of initial instability he darted off looking like he wanted to get away without any real plan for where he wanted to go.
It took a little work to dodge enough shots to keep them from exposing the truth of his scheme but also let some hit him to keep their anticipation of victory at the desired level. He couldn't exactly keep looking over his shoulder or fly on his back while looking at them because that'd be fishy for anyone looking at him. Instead he just did his best to anticipate when they'd shoot at him and from what angle the energy volleys would come. It helped randomize the hits nicely but it made faking the 'damage' they were doing a complete pain in the ass. It was only when he spotted what looked to be an empty construction site that he made a snap decision to move things to the ground. While pursuit was a good way to draw in as many baddies as possible the patience of the ones chasing needed to be kept in mind. If the chase went on too long without any sign of ending anytime soon they might choose to change tactics to something more productive and he didn't want that. If he made it look like they were successfully driving him to ground they'd hopefully circle like a pack of hungry wolves.
When that happened he'd fight back of course while seeking cover behind construction equipment and the latticework of I-beams in order to prompt them into calling for backup.
~Not bad for some seat of my pants planning.~ He thought after letting a trio of hits slam into him before quickly yet unsteadily descending towards the construction site.
Buffy and the others would have all the time they needed to get enough evidence to expose Loki's scheme to everyone on the planet Earth.
The trickster would learn that the bigger the performance you tried to pull off the more things can go terribly wrong for the director.
Dawn's POV
~Looks like Xander's drawing a crowd.~ She thought looking at the distant firefight from her position on the rooftop, ~Guess I better make sure nobody gets any bad ideas.~
With grace, speed and agility gained from time spent in the forests of Eternia and fighting Snake Men who refused to stay on the ground he used the fire escape to get to ground level. Once both her feet were on pavement she began to head to her first scouted concentration of Asgardian forces that she'd found soon after Xander left to start his show. She knew that running all over the place was a waste of time so instead she'd eavesdrop on the most promising group to see how they'd react to the new development. If it looked like this group wasn't going to do anything she'd move onto finding the next group and keep going until she heard something she didn't like.
She hoped that most of the Asgardians were like the honourable warrior type but her time on Eternia had made it clear no army was without its bad apples.
How many existed in the force of Asgard she would just have to find out firsthand.
Arriving at the alley mouth closest to the collection of Asgardian warriors she flattened herself against the side of the building closest to them.
"Tel em reah rieht sdrow ni ym egaugnal." She whispered putting a hand close to her ears.
It was a simple spell that Veena had taught her for times when understanding the language of the Snake Men was essential. Not everything could be resolved by simply engaging them head on and sometimes they tried to convey secret information using a tongue they thought their enemies did not know. It was quite satisfying to have a crucial piece of intel be practically handed to you by the enemy because they underestimated you.
"Have you ever seen the like?"
"Nay but the war skiffs are proving up to running the attacker to ground. The dog will soon be leashed and muzzled."
"Do not be so sure. I have fought for the glory of Asgard for thrice as long as you have and ne'er have I seen a foe such as this one. To defeat a foe one knows little about is more luck than skill. Given what has happened to the Allfather and the fate of Prince Thor our luck would seem to be lacking some lustre at the moment."
"You worry too much Eivor. Odin will awaken from his sleep restored and Prince Thor's killer will receive the judgment he has earned for himself. As for the flying foe he shall fall before the might of Asgard!"
" Who is in command of the pursuit force?"
"Kjotve leads them."
"Then twill not be long before before the dwellings of this city lay broken with flames flickering through every crack." Eivor said with disdain at the news, "The warriors of his house have always been seekers of glory who cared little for the damage they left in their wake. Their only value comes when destruction is what the Allfather desires."
"I will admit that Kjotve and his men lose themselves to their battle lust more often than is proper for warriors of Asgard. However they seem to genuinely wish to earn the favour of Prince Loki so I doubt that they will be too reckless with their actions."
"I pray you are right." Eivor said with mild grimness, "Are his ground forces moving on the attacker?"
"Nay. Kjotve has ordered them to the place the people of this city call Central Park. They took the halflings of Fenris with them."
"Then this Central Park may soon be painted red with the blood of their kills." Eivor said sounding as though only duty was keeping him from doing something about it, "I fear not all of it will belong to either Asgardian or the attacker."
"Now you're just being rash Eivor. There's no way the Allfather would allow someone like that to remain a proud warrior of Asgard."
"Too true. Besides if the people of Midgard have any sense they will flee the area around the attacker and stay away until the job is done."
"You assume that Kjotve or his men will give them time to flee." Eivor said before the sounds of footsteps walking away reached her ears.
She did NOT like what she was hearing.
While Eivor definitely proved that there were honourable warriors amongst the Asgardians the one he called Kjotve and his troops sounded like they were one step away from a dishonourable discharge plus prison time. If there was truly a chance of things getting that bad at Central Park then she needed to get there before anything bad happened. If the goon squad resorted to underhanded tactics, something Eivor seemed inclined to think they would, then she would take them down or at least throw a wrench into their plans.
She wouldn't kill them.
She'd just give them the mother of all beat downs.
What their pride demanded they do after that was up to them to deal with.
Sneaking away from the group she was eavesdropping she waited until she was sure she was too far away from her 'informants' she broke into a run heading in the direction of the largest patch of green she'd seen from her rooftop surveying point. She'd never been to New York City and they hadn't been given time to do more than survey the world and choose their destinations so she was pretty much winging things.
Doing what she could to avoid any Asgardian patrols on the way she soon arrived and when she beheld what she presumed to be Kjotve's men. For the most part they were clad as the other Asgardian but she could see signs of bare minimum maintenance and she could tell that their weapons had seen serious use. Not enough to justify getting new ones but definitely enough to leave little doubt that it'd seen a lot of action. However the most telling thing of all was that all but one of them were butt ugly and that was before you took into account the various scars on their faces.
"Hurry up! The captain said he'd be herdin' the attacker this way soon enough." One of them, a second in command perhaps, yelled directing the rest of them, "Get the lot into position!"
She was confused but she presumed that they were setting up some sort of trap for Xander and something needed to be moved into position for the plan to work. Weapons of some sort? Something to weaken Xander enough to make killing him possible? Whatever it was as soon as she found out what it was she'd make destroying their preparations a priority so that when their boss showed up with Xander they'd be in complete chaos.
"No! Please! Let us go!" Came a fearful woman's cry accompanied by the cries of a child.
So fast that it was a wonder she didn't harm herself but that was of little concern to her after her eyes beheld the true form of the preparations Kjotve's men were getting into position.
People.
People in chains that she'd wager had been grabbed at random from the streets within the last half hour or so once Kjotve had given his men their orders. There was no pattern to the selection but all of the prisoners were brought to the centre of a patch of grass before their chains were pinned to a single spot by a steel spike. Once this was done another group of men approached but this time they rode atop large wolves a little bigger than your average horse. They positioned themselves near enough to their captives that they could strike in an instant with little hope of being intercepted. Clearly their intent was to threaten to harm their hostages if Xander didn't surrender immediately and accept either imprisonment or death.
Hardly an honourable tactic but an effective one.
The one question she wasn't liking the answer for was would the hostages be free to go once Xander was in chains. If they were the honourable sort then she would say the answer was yes but given all she heard about them it was possible they wouldn't. They might believe that they needed to keep their prisoners in order to stifle any thoughts Xander might experience concerning regaining his freedom. However in truth all they'd need would be for Xander to believe that the citizens were still imprisoned. Once Xander and the hostages were separated from one another Kjotve could do whatever he wanted with the latter.
Free them.
Or simply find new uses for them away from eyes and ears that might object.
~How am I gonna stop this?~ She thought taking in all the variables.
The number of Asgardians on wolf-back were too great for her to take down in a short amount of time especially if they chose to react to her attack by killing a hostage. She needed a way to get them to forget about their prisoners entirely and focus entirely on her until their numbers were reduced enough that she could keep them away from the hostages solo.
So what would gain the interest of disreputable viking warriors and keep it at the expense of their duty to their captain?
Only one thing came to mind and honestly it made her skin crawl but if she likened this bunch to hairy, smelly and crude bikers it'd definitely work.
~If any of you gods and goddesses are listening I've just got one thing to say to you.~ She thought even as she unbuttoned the front of her vest, ~Make sure Xander shows up AFTER I've kicked their asses!~
Because if he showed up before she'd never be able to live down what she was about to do and it'd force her to delay her future plans.
Once she was satisfied with the amount of cleavage showing she took a deep breath before walking out from her place of hiding. Cocky, wild and looking for a good time rather than out of concern for the hostages. That was what she tried to be to the Asgardians when they caught sight of her and fortunately for her the clothes she wore now did not come even close to resembling Earth fashion. It was still mostly what she'd gained as a result of the Halloween spell but parts of it'd been altered either due to damage or to protect her from the attacks of the Snake Men.
"Well this is truly a disappointment." She said doing her best to imitate Giles minus any clearly British terms, "I had heard that there was a party to be held here. Yet while there are many a promising man the rest of the preparations are sorely lacking. No food, no drink and wimpering locals do not count as music."
"Oh and who might you be pretty one?" The boss of this group of Kjotve's forces.
"You can call me Adora." She replied the name coming to her out of nowhere from within her mind, "Now since I am sure we have all had enough of hearing the prisoner's whine for their lives why don't we make things a little more…interesting."
"Oh? What did you have in mind?" The leader asked looking like he was trying to be covert with his lecherous examination of her.
She'd seen better from guys at school and most of them hadn't even started dating yet!
"Well I have found that nothing sets my blood ablaze like a good fight." She replied pulling her sword out from its hidden sheath beneath the back of her crimson vest, "But since we're all 'friends' I think it is fair to keep things to the first person whose back hits the ground loses. Interested?"
"What prize awaits the winner?" The leader asked probably having a few lewd ideas.
"The glory of victory…" she replied putting on her best 'give guys the wrong idea' look, "…and perhaps something more come nightfall."
Got him!
"I think we can make the time." The leader said with naughty grin done half right, "Right lads?"
A round of laughter from the minions made her think of the stereotypical jocks from various Hollywood movies.
"So…now that that's been decided…who's first?" She asked settling into a VERY basic ready stance for someone wielding a sword.
"I'll have that honour." Replied one of the minions after dismounting from his wolf, "You owe me that much Gorm after that bit of business in Alfheim."
"So I do." Gorm said with a nod not sounding all that disappointed, "Well have at it then Rikiwulf. Kjotve's gonna be here soon."
"Oh this won't take long." Rikiwulf said with a confident chuckle, "Will it Lady Adora?"
"No. I don't think it'll take long at all." She replied prepared to play her part for a time.
Just long enough to sell the idea that she would be an easy victory without actually losing. She needed all of them to be interested in trying their luck and if they were anything like the wolves they rode they'd likely enjoy the chase as much as the kill. At the same time if she played hard to get for too long or set the bar too high they'd bring things to an end so they'd still be ready to execute Kjotve's plan.
With an Asgardian blade in hand Rikiwulf started things off with a few casual swings to toy with her so she made a show of reacting quickly to evade. This seemed to please the man because next he got more aggressive leading to their swords actually clashing a few times but she made sure the edge of hers didn't hit his edge first. She'd had ample experience fighting alongside D'Vann and Veena to know that her sword could cut through just about anything provided she put enough power behind the swing. She didn't know how good Asgardian steel was but she definitely didn't want to have an 'oops' moment where she cut Rikiwulf's sword in half.
Not until she wanted an 'oops' moment.
With that in mind she continued to do the dance of battle with her reading every tell she could spot to judge Rikiwulf's mindset and intentions. She waited until the first sign of impatience began to show in his attacks before executing a simple disarm and takedown combination that'd worked well on Ro during their sparring sessions.
The minion didn't see it coming and had his back flat against the ground.
"Hahahahaha! So the cat has teeth!" Gorm declared with mirth in both his face and voice, "Interesting. I thought you no more than a girl who thought she was a Valkyrie but you're a little more than that aren't you. Anyone else wish to taste the sword maiden's mettle?"
Looks back and forth occurred between the remaining minions with not a one voicing their desire to fight her next.
"Then it appears that the time has come for me to lead by example." Gorm said reaching for the axes hanging from the belt around his waist, "And reap the rewards of the strong."
~Damn. I was hoping that they'd all want to try their luck so I could reduce their numbers more.~ She thought taking a slightly stronger combat stance, ~Maybe if I take down their boss they'll find someplace else to be.~
"I hope you will prove to be more of a challenge than Rikiwulf was." She said enticingly with a smirk, "I barely felt amusement fighting him."
"Of course you were not satisfied." Gorm said with a smile twirling his axes once, "Only one who stands above you could possibly heat your blood as you desire. Let us start the inferno!"
Within the first exchange she could see a marked difference between Gorm and Rikiwulf both in terms of power as well as skill. With every move she was forced to sandbag less and less with her skills until a kick made it past her defences causing her to stumble backwards a few steps. Putting a cocky grin on her face she shook off the effects of the kick doing her best to make it look like it'd barely tickled.
"You have skill Lady Adora. Far more than you first revealed against Rikiwulf." Gorm said sounding like he was beginning to enjoy himself, "Mayhap once the last pockets of Midgard resistance has been dealt with I can propose to Prince Loki that you be accepted into our ranks. Yes…the start of a new wave of Valkyrie that under his rule shall vastly surpass those that came before. What say you?"
"I say that if I prove victorious over you I can swear my allegiance to Prince Loki without your help." She replied with a slightly feral smile, "You wish me to be in your debt? Earn it as all warriors do: in battle!"
"So be it!" Gorm declared before charging her axes ready to cleave her defences and pommels ready to make her head ring.
When blades clashed and blows were either blocked or evaded she found that she could not afford NOT to take Gorm seriously but at the same time she didn't doubt the outcome. Even now the man was taking her lightly as though he couldn't conceive of a woman being able to best him in battle. As such he let opportunities slip past that a more professional warrior wouldn't have and even showboated a bit in front of his minions. This irritated her a bit but she kept her mind on the task at hand and when the time came she pounced just as D'Vann's Battle Lion would. Using the apex of her skill and sharpness she parried aside his blows just before they gained any true speed or strength while at the same time striking back with the intent to disable him. While killing him would definitely have an affect on his minions it might not be the one she desired depending on how loyal they were to Gorm.
If they were only as loyal as their next reward promised to be then they would likely flee once the strongest amongst them fell dead to the ground. However if enough of them felt true loyalty to Gorm they would move to avenge his death or ensure that she lost as well somehow. Better to simply go for a disabling defeat since it might be enough to convince a portion of the assembled forces to withdraw in order to get their leader medical aid.
Watching him stumble in an effort to evade her blade she pressed her advantage…
…only for a flash of light to cause her instincts to dodge at the last second.
Sadly she wasn't swift enough and fire burned across her left shoulder causing her to stumble only a step before bringing up her sword to block Gorm's two axes.
"A trick? Hardly the tactic of a strong warrior." She growled with her right arm straining to keep two axes from getting any closer.
"The strong are those who are victorious Lady Adora." Gorm said like a wolf tasting the kill mere moments away, "It matters little how it is achieved."
"And Prince Loki? Do you think he will appreciate having his honour stained through your tactics?" She asked hoping that reminding him of a ruler being responsible for the actions of his men.
"Honestly I doubt he will even care to listen to any such tales." Gorm replied pushing her back before swinging his axes once more, "All he will care to know is that all those who oppose him or might oppose him in the future have been dealt with. So long as we act with that in mind then we are free to act as we will. 'Honour' after all is whatever Prince Loki says it is in the end."
This repulsed her!
That these men were counted among the warriors of Asgard and acted like they did because their prince didn't care about methods so long as it got results…it sickened her!
So it was with a bit of savagery that she angled the sharp edge of her sword just right and cleaved the heads of the axes off in one swing. To drive the point home she executed a thrust kick to the man's stomach with all the strength she could muster and thus did she succeed in knocking him off of his feet and onto his back.
"Victory it would seem is mine." She said pointing her sword tip at his chest, "And for my prize I want all your prisoners freed and for you to not acquire new ones for at least a day. Considering what I could have asked for that's a rather small price."
"Nay…I would say that your prize shall be DEATH!" Gorm growled firing his concealed weapon with surprising speed and accuracy, "Kill her!"
Cursing herself for not simply killing him on the spot she evaded the shot from the weapon that'd grazed her arm earlier but this allowed Gorm the chance to get back to his feet. Before she could make him regret shooting at her AGAIN she found herself pushed to her limits using her sword to deflect energy bullets being fired from Asgardian spears even as those armed with close quarters weaponry tried to cleave her in two. Against such an assault she was steadily being forced back and unless she wanted the ones moving to get behind her to literally stab her in the back speeding up the strategic retreat was probably a good idea.
Plus she remembered what D'Vann had taught her about fighting superior numbers solo and so if she played her cards right these guys would be manageable enough.
Fortunately Gorm's authority and order carried enough weight that even as she moved into a more forested area of the park his minions kept up their pursuit of her. It wasn't until she had her back to one of the small lakes created in the park that she figured her defensive position was as good as it was going to get. Unless the Asgardians liked swimming they could only come at her from the sides and the front and given how many of them there were she'd put it at no more than five or six at a time could come at her.
Perfectly doable.
"Give up wench!" Gorm demanded exiting the forest to stand behind his minions, "Do so and I shall make your death only PARTIALLY painful!"
"My teachers would be ashamed if I just surrendered DOG!" She growled before held her sword hand aloft, "For the honour of Grayskull!"
It was a battlecry used by many during the war against the Snake Men and Hordak's forces and it seemed suitable for the moment.
However as storm clouds began to come into existence and circle in a very unnatural way she felt as though she'd set in motion something quite different.
Different and POWERFUL!
In a Galaxy Far, Far From Earth
Beneath the Shattered Illusion
From hope came despair.
Within despair there existed a spark of hope.
However mere seconds before that spark could've given birth to a renewed flame of hope evil manifested from the most unexpected of sources.
Seeing the direction matters were progressing in she wished for nothing more than to intervene before Skeletor could use the stolen Sword of Power to seize the magic tied to the reforged weapon. However even if the illusion cast so long ago was restored and arcane energy flowed back into her veins she knew that she was in no shape to challenge both Skeletor and Evil-lyn to combat. Even before the confrontation where the Overlord of Evil had been thought slain she would've been at considerable disadvantage combatting the two. But her heart rebelled against the idea of simply allowing the next few minutes to play out as she expected them to go.
But what could she do?
How could she keep Skeletor from winning!?
It was at that moment that she received her answer when a mystic thread, one that had existed since the time of King Grayskull, went from being as noticeable as a thread of spider silk to a trail of light that could not be missed. She had been aware of this thread since she'd been chosen by her predecessor to become the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull but had only once asked about its significance. Her predecessor had merely told her that its importance would become apparent in time and when the moment was upon her a missing half would be found. She had puzzled over the cryptic statement for a few hours afterwards before deciding to trust in her mentor's words that she would know what to do when the time came.
Reaching out with her returning arcane senses she made an effort to evaluate the thread and its attributes since acting without understanding rarely ended with positive results. The first thing that struck her was that the thread and whatever it was connected to were separated over a vast distance with the other end not on Eternia at all. Indeed it seemed to trail into the heavens with no sign of it coming to an end anytime soon and neither did the connection seem to be straining in the least.
~Such a connection could only have been forged using ancient magic and implies that it might well have been Veena herself who created it.~ She thought squeezing every second for all it was worth to learn more.
The next thing she learned almost broke her focus as her senses told her that the connection was beginning to take on characteristics similar to what existed between the Sword of Power and the source of all magic. It was not perfect and would require a minute or more to fully form but the fact that this process was taking place at all shocked her. In all the scrolls and all the books she had studied in preparation for her role as Sorceress of Castle Grayskull there had never been a mention of a second Sword of Power. Had the records been mistaken or had the parchment that recorded the existence of a second Sword been lost at some point in the past?
It was from this revelation that the beginnings of a plan began to form in her mind and hope began to grow within her that she might yet play a part in denying Skeletor his prize. If she could somehow ensure that the power within the Sword belonging to Prince Adam flowed not through the ruler of Snake Mountain but rather this thread it would put Skeletor's goal well out of his reach.
And perhaps out of theirs but she was confident that it would be a problem that they could overcome given enough time.
It was only when she stretched her arcane perception as far as she dared to gain a glimpse of what lay at the other end did she receive her final bit of amazement.
But when her mind could no longer deny what it was seeing she concluded that it was very much a welcome one.
One that had the potential to heal wounds long held and allow good to shine brighter than it had in a very long time.
"Zoar? What are you doing?" Duncan asked as she forcefully rose to stand, "You're not fully recovered yet."
"No I am not. However if victory is to be kept from evil's grasp the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull MUST act!" She declared before reaching out with her arcane connection to the disguised Hall of Wisdom.
Skeletor might have divined some truths about the Castle, the most vital ones, but he did not know of them all and that would lead to his defeat.
Throughout the many confrontations between the forces of Good and Evil she had ample opportunities to witness Prince Adam's transformation into He-Man. For the most part she merely observed what everyone else would've seen had the young man not been wise enough to find someplace private to change. However there had been a few times when she'd chosen to treat the occurrence as more of a test of her skills and knowledge as a wielder of magic. She'd enhanced her vision and used tools left to her by her predecessor to see the process of transformation in as much detail as she wanted.
As a result of what she'd learned she had a good idea of how the power would gravitate towards the Sword of Power and how it would work to enhance Skeletor.
Using this knowledge she began to alter key points throughout the Hall focused mostly in the chamber where the Orb of Power was once kept. She could feel the seconds slipping away from her and only due to the grandstanding of Skeletor was she gifted with welcome delays to the beginning of the transformation of power.
"By the Power of Grayskull." Skeletor said holding up the Sword of Power above his head.
Finished! She had done it in time!
Even as the bolt of energy that strongly resembled black lightning dropped from above her preparations sprung into action. Three crystals shot from their hiding places within the walls of the Orb Room, two crossing to form an X while the third went vertically down the middle, and intercepted the bolt before it could connect to the Sword of Power. In most cases this would've been useless since nothing save the Sword could hold such massive amounts of arcane energy for long but thankfully the three items wouldn't need to. Thanks to qualities of the crystals and their configuration the power was quickly routed elsewhere minimizing the strain they were under from channelling such a large amount of magical power.
It'd taken some doing to come up with a network of crystals to route the energy through so that the thread could finish matching the connection to the Sword of Power but in the end her efforts proved to be enough. Mere seconds after the thread solidified into the desired pattern the energy summoned by Skeletor made contact and like the lightning it resembled it shot off towards the other end of the connection. A handful of seconds was all it took for the power that had been summoned to be relocated someplace far from evil's grasp.
"NNNOOOO!" Came an enraged yell from below and she couldn't keep the satisfied smile from showing up on her face.
"Skeletor doesn't sound very happy." Duncan said conversationally with a grin she knew all too well on his face.
"No he does not." She said preparing to use her magic to evacuate all aligned with good from Castle Grayskull.
Rerouting the Power had taken both effort and power but she was still strong enough to rescue Adam and the others before Skeletor could take his fury out on them. Once they were clear of the castle she would recommend that they make for the Royal Palace of Eternos with all due speed. While not enough to kill the prince instantly the wound Skeletor had inflicted on the once and hopefully future He-Man would claim his life if not treated soon. If they relocated to the Palace not only might the scars of Queen Marlena and King Randor finally be healed but perhaps the news she had for them might even restore light to their souls.
A light they would surely need both to stand against a returned Skeletor and to guide their way to finding that which was currently lost.
Power untold, from the very centre of the universe, that was the source of all magic everywhere in reality shot down the thread connected to the Hall of Wisdom. Though this had not been done before the wisdom of Veena and the skill of every Sorceress since the time of Veena ensured that it would work. The thread positively hummed with the power travelling down it seeking the other end to fulfill its ancient purpose but then something happened that none born of Eternia could have foreseen.
Centuries Ago an assembly of deities set in motion a plan to prevent the deaths of countless sentient life forms using ingredients given by beings that could be considered connected to the very anthropomorphic beings that made up the fabric of reality. As a result instead of going straight to its intended recipient the power went to the inactive volcano of Monte Muambe in the Tete Province of Mozambique.
Why?
Because in centuries past the goddess Theia was faced with a choice when she was told by the Overseers to leave the mortal world for good. While she had already decided to obey them in order to not make them look closer at her past actions she had quite a bit of baggage to collect. She was a Titan after all and had existed before Zeus's pantheon on Olympus so that naturally led to a sizeable pile of possessions scattered across the planet. Most of it she gathered before placing them in a pocket dimension but when she came upon one of her pet projects she thought of a more productive use for it.
The item was a creation of hers intended to allow mortals capable of magic to erect structures far stronger and grander than anything they were capable of at the time. It was only a prototype, a proof of concept, and as such she had experimented extensively to see just how far she could push the idea. It had been her intention that once she had pushed the limits she could scale it down to what mortal magic users would be capable of handling safely. Sadly with the new rules in place the creation was likely to become a mere shelf decoration…or it would have had inspiration not struck her.
With a careful bit of sleight of hand and extreme care to hide a proverbial needle in a haystack she placed the prototype deep beneath Monte Muambe. Far beneath where the humans would be capable of reaching before the desired point in time it would wait and to ensure it would fulfill its purpose she used her power to run the thread to her created champion through it. It was more instinct than calculated thought in regards to that last part but when it came to deities that was the source of a great many of their decisions.
It was this action, done so long ago, that led to one of the most awe inspiring event the human race would ever see.
You see when the power that had been cast away from Eternia made contact with Theia's prototype a chain reaction began and it became known that the goddess actually outdid herself. For if it had been a construction with defined parameters and characteristics that clearly mapped out what was to be corrected the power would've fried it. However since the prototype had been created with how to do something and only the barest of details about what to create the creation did not fry but rather EVOLVED.
It took the power, began to grow out from the core unit but every time it threatened to overwhelm the structural integrity of the forming structure the variables were adjusted so that it wouldn't. The rapidly forming structure essentially rewrote itself without pause as it was growing to become more capable of channelling the power and containing it. Thus when the structure finished forming there would be no one who could deny both its uniqueness and its beauty if they gazed upon it.
Or rather they would have if some unknown power hadn't used the components of the structure to render it both invisible as well as intangible to all but a select few.
It was with this disappearing act that a portion of the power was released to continue on its path to the one that'd summoned it leaving a glorious structure of crimson gemstone and gold.
A palace now housing the central focal point for all the magic of the galaxy.
Central Park in New York City
Scratt Scartooth's POV
He'd never been all that lucky in life.
Born to parents without a single noteworthy act to their credit, ostracized by his peers save those who'd been even worse off than him and only able to become a warrior of Asgard because the one in charge of testing new recruits took pity on him. When he was young he'd fallen into the trap of believing that if he trained hard enough and made the right friends he might actually be able to make something of himself.
He lasted ten years before that delusion was beaten out of him.
In the end his only source of safety was to attach himself to someone strong and make himself useful enough to be worth protecting.
Perhaps even rewarding from time to time.
That line of thinking took him through four different parts of the Asgardian military before he finally got assigned to Gorm's group under Kjotve. They treated him pretty much like all those that'd come before at first until he'd made the choice to turn his weaknesses into his strengths. Being so pitiful others were quick to overlook him and so long as he made up a passable excuse few questioned him being places that he shouldn't be. Thanks to these things it was easy for him to overhear important information that others could not acquire and secretly take possession of certain things meant to be kept from Gorm's hands. It had taken awhile before Gorm ceased to look at him as vermin and more like a spineless comrade but once the change took place he knew he had found his place amongst the warriors of Asgard.
Not that it was always enjoyable or free of pain.
Such was to be expected when given the tasks none of the others wanted to do.
However it had all sharpened his ability to sense when events were going to take a turn for the worst. Most of the time he got enough warning to make himself scarce or at least take cover behind the strongest of his comrades. Other times…well…suffice it to say that he was fortunate that the healers of Asgard were the sort who derived happiness from healing those who needed it.
And right now his ability to sense such things was telling him that leaving the immediate area would be a VERY good idea.
Sadly as quick as he was on his feet what happened next turned out to make it look like he was frozen in time.
With a mighty crack a bolt of lightning dropped from above to strike Lady Adora's sword right at the tip. However instead of killing her as it did to most living things a reaction occurred unlike anything he'd ever seen before and he very much doubted he'd ever see its like again. Plumes of starlight spilled forth from the point of contact but rather than fall straight to the ground they instead descended slowly encircling the woman for a time before touching the ground.
When that happened a pillar of golden energy erupted from the ground like a plant sprouting from a sown seed and completely engulfed Lady Adora. So bright and so dense was the energy it almost forced him to look away to protect his eyes but he made sure he did not because some feeling inside of him insisted that he witness this in its entirety.
"I…HAVE…THE POWER!" Came a voice from within with pillar but it was deeper and older than it should've been.
With a shockwave that none could prevent from pushing them back a few steps the pillar dispersed into motes of light before vanishing entirely. With nothing further to distract him he looked to see if Lady Adora was still there but when he looked to where she once stood he saw someone that at best could be considered a close relation. Clad in armour with a crimson cape flowing down her back from the shoulders he froze in awe at what he saw and he suspected that many of his comrades were doing the same. Standing before them with sword in hand was no mere swordswoman with aspirations towards greatness but rather she looked like a warrior of the like that Asgard had not seen in a very long time.
Lady Adora, if that was still the one who stood before them, looked akin to many of the depictions he'd seen of Odin's fabled Valkyrie.
A golden winged crown protected much of her head but allowed her lustrous golden hair to fall until it reached half of the crimson cape's length. A shiny bronze chest plate protected her front with a single green jewel at its centre with detailed engravings spreading out from it to highlight the warrior's form it protected. Indeed from the exposed arms and legs alone he could tell that this was no mere noblewoman trained by some retired member of the Einherjar. The lady warrior before her possessed toned muscles that made it clear she possessed physical strength to be wary of but they were not so pronounced so as to negate her beauty in any way. Bronze forearm braces and armoured boots made up the rest with only what looked to be a combination of leather and chainmail to act as a battledress beneath the armour protecting her torso.
While he was sure that some of the older members of the Einherjar would discredit the woman by pointing out the tactical weakness of exposed skin few would actually agree with them. Indeed with so many having grown up hearing stories of the Valkyrie seeing one that looked so much the akin to their imaginings might well spark a measure of reverence.
"Now…are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" Lady Adora asked with unshakable confidence yet not annoyingly so as it was with some members of the Einherjar.
He knew what his choice would be: leave Lady Adora alone and get back to their hostages since Kjotve would be arriving soon expecting the trap to be set.
However he had a feeling that things wouldn't go so smoothly.
"Do not show fear warriors of Asgard!" Gorm declared loudly enough for all to hear, "'Tis no more real than Prince Loki's illusions to show his foes how foolish they are before piercing their heart with his daggers. Now slay her fast and end her distraction so that we may carry out Kjotve's will. ATTACK!"
"Hard way it is then!" Lady Adora said with a confident smile and then the fight was upon them.
No…to call it a fight implied that either side could win if they planned well and executed that plan efficiently.
This?
This could only be seen as something akin to Prince Thor choosing to spar with the newest warriors to be inducted into the Einherjar.
Lady Adora moved with a speed that took everyone by surprise and before the first of them began to move to counter her three of their group were already groaning on the ground. Those with lances immediately began to fire upon her but those whose aim proved better than the others did not taste the sweet honey of victory. For with an ease that belittled the skill of the warriors she batted aside their bolts as though they were leaves in the wind. Gorm saw which way the winds of battle was going but from the look on his face Kjotve's second in command his pride would not let him call for a retreat.
With a mighty bellow the man some called Gorm the Bone Crusher charged Lady Adora with his weapon ready to hack her to pieces.
Both to end her interference and to restore confidence both in himself as well as the others.
Instead it did the opposite for after a single swing of his weapon Lady Adora swung her sword cleaving the blade off of the weapon as though it was but a blade of grass. Then when Gorm stared in shock at the disarmed hilt in his hand she picked him off the ground with one hand before throwing him into the lake.
Bereft of their leader most of the men chose to flee not willing to take a chance with the powerful woman but those still mounted on their wolves still had some of their courage. No doubt they believed that with the aid of their mighty beasts they would succeed where those who fought on their own two feet had failed. With the ferocity they'd been trained to attack with the wolves charged before lunging at Lady Adora with fangs bared and claws extended. With speed and agility she ducked under the wolf mount closest to her before rising up to throw it further into the air and into the lake to join Gorm.
It was…odd…but it was almost as though Lady Adora did not wish to harm the wolves simply because they followed the orders of heir riders.
It was when he saw her place her right hand to the side of her head that the strange once more took the stage.
"Calmness wolves of Asgard." Lady Adora said with an almost hypnotic quality, "You are loyal to your masters but are they loyal to you? Do they show you kindness? I will not ask you to harm them but rather to deny them your strength until prove worthy of your aid."
Such a grand speech should not have been comprehensible to the beasts since they lacked the intelligence for anything but the most basic of commands. Even then the desired reactions to those commands needed to be conditioned into them over time and occasionally reinforced if signs that they are losing effectiveness. What he should be witnessing before him was the continued efforts of the wolves and their riders attempting to kill Lady Adora.
What he got instead though were the wolves stopping in their tracks before laying down on the ground and doing nothing more despite efforts by their riders to get them to do otherwise. Some of his comrades merely repeated the commands over and over again while others actually struck their mounts in anger at the disobedience but neither had the desired effect. Indeed those who struck their mounts in order to gain compliance got snapped at in return much to their surprise and concern.
It wasn't until one of his comrades got angry enough that it looked like the man might actually kill his wolf mount that Lady Adora once more acted. In a blur of action she stood in the man's way and prevented the sword arm from reaching its target by gripping it by the wrist FIRMLY. The fool tried to free himself or force his attack to be successful but both were pointless efforts in his mind given the power the warrior woman had displayed so far.
"And so you reveal how little you care for your mount." Lady Adora said scornfully, "Instead of a partner that has been through much with you instead you treat it like a tool to be smashed when it won't do what you want it to do. Take a bath and reflect on your poor choice!"
With that Lady Adora threw the man into the lake and if the man didn't divest himself of his armour swiftly his comrade would likely drown in the lake.
~Captain Kjotve's not going to be happy when he gets here.~ He thought edging away from the battle, ~Best to find someplace else to be!~
The Asgardian Warship Fenrir's Glory
Kjotve's POV
"What do you mean that there's no response from Gorm!?" He asked with anger at the response to the statement made by the warrior in charge of communications.
"I have tried to raise him to confirm that the trap is in place but he does not respond commander." The soldier replied showing the necessary fear and respect, "I have tried boosting the strength of the signal and even tried raising his second in command Rikiwulf but receive only silence."
"Set course for their last known position!" He ordered with his anger simmering just below the surface, "Contact the hanger and tell them to prepare to deploy our remaining war skiffs upon arrival! Whoever has dared to defy the will of Asgard will quickly come to regret their actions and then die shortly thereafter!"
"As you command!" The helmsman responded before operating the controls swiftly to get them moving from their observation position above the Midgard city.
It would not take long for them to arrive but in that time he would consider how he would handle what came next. If neither Gorm or Rikiwulf were responding then it was safe to say that his plan to force the attacker to surrender was either ruined or at the very least in need of revision. The flying man's assault had not been anticipated at all because Loki when he had briefed the commanders had implied that all of the powered mortals that could've been a problem had died prior to their arrival. While he had suspected that there might be a handful of Midgardians stronger than the rest who still remained he had been confident that they could easily be dealt with.
What threat could mortals not powerful enough or skillful enough to gain Prince Loki's notice be to trained warriors of Asgard who had lived for centuries?
Apparently they had been careless and this was the result.
~No matter!~ He thought looking at the primitive Midgard cityscape beneath his ship, ~Whoever or whatever is responsible will be crushed no matter what!~
Trained as they were when the ship arrived at the part he did not need to say anything for the war skiffs to be deployed and when the image displayed by the viewer showed where Gorm was supposed to be he saw only a mere fraction of the soldiers that should've been there. From what he could see none of them were of a very high rank but were needed doing what they'd no doubt been ordered to by keeping the mortals contained for his trap. The image then began to shift to various places throughout the park in an effort to find Gorm but when the search succeeded couldn't help but feel his anger rise.
Instead of seeing his lieutenant and his strong subordinates holding their own against some unknown threat or perhaps even being moments from victory he saw the complete opposite. Before his very eyes he saw his men being thrown about as though they were nothing more than raw recruits and the one responsible was a mere maiden who thought herself a Valkyrie. While his initial inclination was to furiously condemn the men for failing to best such a youth as he watched longer he witnessed speed, strength and skill that made him pause. This was no slip of a girl who'd only just begun mastering the way of the warrior but rather someone that might well be beyond him to defeat personally one-on-one.
Mayhap Prince Thor, Allfather Odin or SHE could face such a foe in single combat and win but not him.
Fortunately for him he was no so foolish so as to limit himself so and it had gained him many a victory over those that others believed should've been able to defeat him. Much like Prince Loki himself he knew that a sharp mind could be far deadlier than any blade and shatter obstacles far better than any physical blow.
"Order the war skiffs to target the nearby mortal structures and have this ship's weapons do the same." He commanded with no room for defiance or hesitation, "These mortals must learn the price of ANY defiance towards our rule."
He could tell that the bridge crew were momentarily hesitant to follow his commands but a glare that promised them severe punishment compelled them to act as he had instructed. With familiar sounds he watched as various buildings underwent target lock and on the main viewer he could see the war skiffs doing the same. Before long all was as he'd commanded which meant it was time for him to deliver his ultimatum.
With the press of a button he ensured that all outside of his ship for quite a distance would be able to hear his voice without difficulty.
"People of the Midgard city of New York! It has only been a short while since you received the blessing of Asgardian rule and for that you should be grateful!" He declared in a way to charge right past any opposition, "For we Asgardians have lived for so long that compared to us you are mere children playing at being adults! Yet despite this glorious turn of events there exist those who foolishly spurn our guidance and judgments! Indeed at this very moment there are two who dare to attack Asgardian soldiers and harass Asgardian ships!"
He paused to give his words time to sink in before proceeding with the next part.
"Though we Asgardians are a fair and honourable people we cannot tolerate such aggression against our military! To allow such action would be to let the seeds of chaos and destruction to be planted that one day could lead to an endless wave of terrorism!" He said showing his clear opposition to such an eventuality, "Therefore I deliver this ultimatum: the warrior maiden assaulting my men in the park and the flying man attacking Asgardian ships are to surrender immediately for punishment. Should they refuse to do so then I will be forced to make others pay the price of their actions in order to burn the seeds they would plant in others. Sadly the price to be paid would have to be scaled up to equal the impact the two malcontents have had thus I have order my ships to target all buildings surrounding Central Park. They have to the count of sixty to surrender and should they fail to do so I will do what I must!"
With that final threat he severed his connection to the external speakers and awaited the response of the two attackers. Ideally it would be nice if they would simply surrender after which they would be placed in restraints and relocated to a suitable prison to undergo interrogation before being executed. However if they refused to surrender or attempted to negotiate a compromise he would order a ship to fire upon a building in order to make it clear that they were in no position to negotiate anything. Regardless of how powerful or skilled they might be even they could not be everywhere at once or block every shot from one of his ships. Eventually a handful would land and many mortals would die with the blame for the deaths would be placed solely on the heads of the two attackers.
After all he had given them a peaceful method for avoiding further bloodshed so if they chose to reject it then what happened after would be their fault alone.
Indeed if it was impressed upon the mortals of Midgard that random death would be the result of a raised fist against their Asgardian rulers in any way it would do nicely to prevent future bothersome incidents.
Patiently he waited for the sixty seconds to be completed as he had warned but when he looked at the image of the warrior maiden still standing with sword in hand and the flying man simply hovering in the air there was only one way this could be taken.
"Very well. They have made their decision and I have made mine." He said turning to his ship's weapons officer, "Open fire and do not stop until I tell you to. The war skiffs are to do the same."
"As you…command." The weapons officer said before operating the controls albeit with reluctance making his actions sluggish.
Nevertheless when he saw golden bolts of energy begin to rain down upon the buildings causing stone to shatter and glass to melt before falling to the streets below. He grinned at this imagining at how shocked the two warriors no doubt were and how the more reasonable amongst the mortals would wisely blame them for the deaths that happened. Those that foolishly chose to aim their anger filled gazes towards the warriors of Asgard would simply be monitored and the moment they chose to act upon their emotions they would suffer the same fate.
BRRRM!
KKSSSHH!
"What!?" He exclaimed as his ship rocked from an impact and a consoles began to spark, "What's going on!?"
"The ships on the eastern side of the park have come under attack by the flying warrior." The crewman in charge of the ship's sensors replied swiftly, "He is moving far faster than before and his energy attacks are shredding the ship armaments with ease. Indeed the ships attacked are suffering secondary explosions as their power grids are being overloaded."
To give image to the words the view screen showed the assault and he could scarcely believe that he was seeing the same attacker from before. Even amongst the warriors of the Nine Realms there was no one who could move so swiftly or destroy their ship's armaments with such ease. This made him grit his teeth for this was a turn of events that had not been anticipated and he would need to call for reinforcements from neighbouring mortal cities to keep matters from falling apart any further.
However given that his ship was on the western side of the park he had to wonder at why his ship was being knocked about like it was.
"However our ship as well as the others on the western side of the park are under attack from a far more puzzling source." The sensor crewman said sounding confused as well as a tad worried.
"Explain yourself!" He ordered not liking be led about by the nose by one of his own subordinates.
"On the surface it appears as though our own weapons fire is somehow being reflected back at as. I know of no technology capable of doing so in all the Nine Realms since most barriers merely absorb the force of an attack rather than reflect it." The sensor crewman replied even as he worked at the controls before him, "I have attempted to find out the cause but this is the closest I have come thus far."
Watching the images being brought up onto the viewer he could tell why the crewman was puzzled because all that was shown was a blurry figure. Some showed the figure moving to intercept a blast while others the same figure darting away less than a second after the golden bolt was sent off away from the mortal buildings and toward an Asgardian ship.
It should not have been possible!
No one should be able to intercept and deflect so many bolts much less choose where they were deflected to with any measure of precision!
Was this some new attacker or was it the warrior maiden's doing?
Using the controls at his own station he redirected the viewer to where the warrior maiden had been only to find nothing but his defeated warriors. To his mind this might as well have been confirmation that she was the one deflecting the attacks from his ships and in doing so thrown his plans into disarray yet again.
How!? HOW!? How could he turn this around?!
If he wound up being defeated by by these two attackers even after taking steps he was not ordered to Prince Loki would be furious with him. He might even find himself stripped of all rank and thrown out of Asgard altogether!
He could not let this happen!
But what could he do?
His own forces could not defeat them and his plan for forcing them to give up was being neutralized right before his eyes!
He could not defeat them with men, he could not defeat them with ships and they were somehow managing to protect the mortals he'd intended to use as hostages.
"That is quite enough Kjotve." A familiar voice said from the bridge speakers, "You've embarrassed both me and Asgard with your dismal failure."
Prince Loki!
"Your highness! Please! All it not lost yet!" He begged clawing at any straw of hope that he might be able to afforded more time, "I can still set this right!"
"No you can't." Loki said through the bridge speakers, "There is now only one resolution that will satisfy me. Goodbye Kjotve."
Post Story Note: Before all you canonists jump on me I am well aware that the traditional sequence of words is 'For the Honour of Grayskull, I am She-Ra' . However while this might've been acceptable when I watched the show as a kid in the present it's more than a little corny. In almost every other cartoon or anime when a character says 'I am (whatever their name is)' most people roll their eyes as if to say 'we know this already'. It just made more sense for Dawn to say things the way I wrote it above.
As for her looks both pre-transformation and post do a Google search for She-Ra and the 2002 He-Man cartoon. While only a rare action figure was made there have been several artists that've done excellent jobs drawing what Adora and She-Ra would've looked like had the cartoon gone far enough. Pick the best one and that's more or less what I'm basing Dawn's new look on. I may have also thrown in elements similar to what was done to Wonder Woman's outfit in the new movies as well in order to make the outfits look less cartoony and more functional in nature.
On the part of Xander and how he behaved remember he's just doing all this to keep the spotlight on him so this is NOT the limit of his power by any stretch of the imagination. Honestly if you take where most of you probably expect Xander to be power level-wise and then put it in the MCU I think we can all agree that a serious level of restraint would be needed on his part. Don't worry though I've already come up with a way to let him flex his power and down the road go all out without obliterating the entire solar system in the process.
Lastly a big 'No Prize' akin to what the honourable Stan Lee occasionally gave out to the person who figures out what happened between the Power leaving Eternia and Dawn transforming.
C YA!