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Soft red light casts down on Thor's features, as the fires flickers of his face. He is imprisoned in a cage by the fire demon Surtur on Muspelheim. Thor had been caged like this for sometime now; with him looking rough and grizzled, with his beard long and his clothes tattered and worn.
This cramped small cage was forged by the best steel, and not of Muspelheim. As Muspelheim was a world of raging fire.
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He awakes to a sharp and sudden jolt to his cage, he looks around to come face-to-face with his captor; Surtur. The fire demon sits centre placed upon his volcanic rocked carved throne. His form, his flesh was one of true fire with demonic spiked horns on his head.
'Ah, sometimes you have to get caught… To seem weakened at their hands to gain a straight answer!' he thought. Thor stands tall in his cage. "Surtur… still alive… still breathing! Ah, I thought father killed you, like, half a million years ago!"
"I am sorry to disappoint you, son of Odin… I still burn brighter than ever!"
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Surtur takes true pleasure in having gained Thor, Odin's son as a prisoner. "I've heard tales of you, Grand Thor... Ah, you fancied yourself as a bit of a hero, it seems! Spent time in battle… defeating great foes… saving a number of planets here and there… but ah, that's all changed. Choosing to travel through the cosmos to find a colourful Infinity Stone. However, in the end your search led to nothing, not a single one. Lost in defeat you sort to be a hero, so that you can have purpose and meaning in life yet again."
Surtur leaned forward on his throne, the demon's grin showed that he was truly relishing this. "Thor out on a great and noble path of salvation, brought you to my path of death and destruction... Oh, but what as your plight brought you, Thor? And are you a hero?' he did not wait for an answer here, Surtur merely casts a hand to Thor trapped in his cage. 'Again it's led you nowhere... You stood before me, daring to face me, ah but you've fallen at my might, my power."
"That I did." stated Thor, his head lowering at this point.
"Ultimately trapped and locked away in a cage by my hand."
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Thor had allowed him to speak, allowed the lord of all Muspelheim to finish, before he leaned forward, getting his face now right up to the bars to speak. "Ah, you were lucky, that's all Surtur! On any other day, rest assured, things would have been different, and deep down inside you know it to be true!"
"Different, ah… you wish to make me laugh, Thor…' Surtur stated sarcastically, not allowing himself to be overly put off by Thor's, believed to be, last fleeting stance. 'I thought you were a hero, not a juster! I suggest you settle down, as you're going to be here for a long time. The darkness will soon dampen your heart and swallow you whole!"
"This will not be my resting place... you hear me Surtur!"
"I wouldn't be too sure of myself, after all, no one comes for you, Thor… meaning in the end that all will forget about you!"
"None shall forget about me, Surtur… my father will see to that!"
"Oh how you've missed the biggest secret of all…' and he reveals to Thor that. 'Oh how you lay as a fool as a defeated hero… You see your father, Odin, is no longer on Asgard... and in turn, Thor, that leaves Asgard vulnerable."
"What, what do you mean?!" asked Thor, looking rather confused by Surtur's statement.
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Surtur saw the look of confusion across Thor's face. "Oh know that I shall always burn bright, Thor, as I shall never die! I shall never burn out, not until I have fulfilled my destiny…"
"Destiny, ah, that's a word I feel is often over hyped!"
Surtur instantly brushed this aside, as he wasn't going to be stopped. Wasn't by a long shot going to be, at this stage, talked out of his power and might. "A destiny that will lay waste to your home… to Asgard!" snapped Surtur, in a sharp reply.
Surtur here went on to explain that. "Know that I will soon strike. Know, Thor, that I am readying myself for a final stand on Asgard! As none there can stop me."
"There is always my father's might!"
"No... no there is not, do you not listen to anything I've said... is it too hard for you to understand... Like I said, Thor, Odin has gone... he does not reside in Asgard any longer... Now in his place sits a fools god... Giving me the opening to take Asgard for myself. And soon your realm will be destroyed at my hand!"
Thor now looked Surtur in the eye, the first time that he had since being caged in this manner. He now knew some truth. "Ragnarök!"
"Yes, the prophecy Ragnarök."
"Ah funny, as of late, I have been having these terrible unsettling dreams!" Thor here looking in on himself, and the fuzzy images that had been filling up the back of his mind.
"Mmmmmm!" sounded off Surtur curiously.
Thor nods in return. "Dreams that see Asgard left in ashes… fallen to ruins… and you, Surtur, you at the centre of all of these images!" Thor raises up his hands to touch the sides of his head.
Surtur here stands up, towering over 8 feet tall, "Then soon those dreams, those visions will be my reality." and with that said he walks away.
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Thor had been left for a further two days. No one had come for him and none from Muspelhain had come to bring him food nor water.
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It was on the third day that Surtur came once again to sit on the throne before the caged Thor. "I come to tell you that I am now ready! That my time has come! I am ready now to strike, to take my crown, reunite it with fire, to cast it, Thor, into the burning Eternal Flame." Surtur here held himself proudly on his throne.
Thor knew that the Eternal Flame was located deep within Odin's vault on Asgard, and guarded by his father's best and most loyal. But now with the knowledge that somehow Odin wasn't on Asgard, questioned if this was going to be enough.
"And you're trapped in my hand...' Surtur here closing his hand into a fist. 'None shall not stop me… I shall be restored to my full might! Once again I will tower over the mountains and with my sword bury it deep into Asgard's core!"
With this knowledge, Thor knew now more than ever that he must get free, break out of this cage, and to stop Surtur. "So, then Surtur… why is your crown!?"
"My crown? Ah, my royal crown, my true sauce of power, Thor, does with all royal rulers, rests on my head!" Surtur raised a hand to touch his crown. A crown forged of rock and embedded into the crown were rubies, emeralds and gems, all that were found in the ground.
"So let me get this straight… You're going to put your so-called crown into the Eternal Flame?"
Surtur snarls at this clear disrespect, but nods in agreement all the same. "My glorious crown will then enable me to grow the size of a mountain… and will hand me power that will enable me to do as I wish!"
This warranted a concerned look. 'Odin has gone from his throne!? Surtur on the verge of war!? My home… my birthplace on the verge of crumbling to the ground!? I can't allow this to happen, at all costs!' And so here, Thor holds out his hand and calls forth his hammer, Mjølnir.
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- Boom! - Mjølnir crashes through the wall of Muspelhain rock and flies across Surtur's chamber. Once in his hand, Thor uses it to set himself free.
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Once free, Thor now stands before Surtur, in might and in power. Now swinging the hammer in his hand. The cage dropped to the molten fire below.
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However, as Surtur looked down upon the Asgardian, god of Thunder, Thor still looked small and powerless. "Ah… you have made a grave mistake." laughs Surtur, standing tall from his throne, swiping a hand to squash Thor where he now stood.
"I don't see it that way!" stated a certain Thor, moving out of the way and taking his stance once he had landed.
Surtur stared at Thor, his eyes seemingly burning a bright and intense red. "Why do you prolong the inevitable, Thor?"
"Because that's the right thing to do… it's the hero in me!"
"Know that the journey to Ragnarök is already upon us! Fight all you must, but by and by, you can not stop it… I shall be Asgard's doom… end!" Surtur pointing at the freed Thor.
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Surtur now sends his warriors to stop him.
Thor is able to take out a number of Surtur's key soldiers and now stands before Surtur, taking his stance to fight.
Surtur steps forward dragging his large sword across the rocky ground behind him. As he charges to face Thor, the blade is so sharp that it is able to cut a groove in the ground as he comes to fight Thor. "All will suffer… all will burn!"
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The fire demon now came to battle with the god of thunder, in a ferocious hand-to-hand combat. Both in the first few strikes, hoped to get the upper hand, and to be the victor.
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Surtur again came to thrust his hand at Thor with a true quick strike.
Thor sees this blow coming and is therefore able to roll out of the way, and again comes back to fight Surtur.
Surtur had might and weight on his side, whereas, Thor has power and quickness on his.
Thor manages to take Surtur down to one knee. He then summons from the air a huge lightning bolt. Standing with his power in his hand. Thor casts this energy right down on Surtur, sending sparks of force and electric power right into Surtur's centre.
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Thor is able to defeat Surtur with this final flying blow, one that cuts into Surtur's chest, weakening the demon and sending him staggering backwards and toppling to the floor.
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With Surtur slumped on the ground, Thor with his head held high, approaches the fallen ruler. "I am going to take your crown, Surtur…' and with that said he comes in and takes off his crown, to hold it high in his hand. 'And I shall stash it away in Odin's vault! Meaning, demon, you will not have your day!" believing that he has single handedly prevented Ragnarök.
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