Thor: The God of Thunder
Chapter II – Deviant Thor
So, before you continue reading this, I would just like to say, originally this had been written before the Eternals movie came out. As a result, what the movies tell us about Deviants isn't something I had included within this story as much as I honestly love the idea and what they did. For that reason, it will remain canon, but something that Deviants and Eternals themselves are completely unaware of.
The reason Eternals were given the task of hunting down Deviants was that their job was to hunt down predators that would stop humanity from evolving. However, not because there is a Celestial growing with Earth itself, that won't be happening. Celestials will be more in line with their comic book counterparts. However, the idea that Deviants were created to deal with the apex predators and went rogue, is something I honestly love and will be keeping. It's just something the characters themselves are unaware of.
Now before we begin, there's a moment in this story where Thor will be describing the continent of Thuria. A map will make the scene much easier to follow so please go to Marvel comics, the continent of Thuria. I tried to put the link-up, but it didn't work.
Victory.
Elation.
Triumph.
Despite everything coming crumbling down around him, Thor couldn't help but feel these emotions. It was the first time in his life he had experienced emotions on this scale, felt the blood and adrenaline coursing through his body, felt the pure exhaustion, both physically and mentally.
It was the first time in his life where he not only got to cut loose but got to fight. The first time he got to experience the outside world. Got to experience the feeling of near-death in a battle of epic proportions.
Ever since he was born, Thor had been hidden away from the world. Trained in secret by Odin, Thor only getting to watch as Asgard flourished and struggled. He only got to bare witness to their great battles and campaigns led by his brothers, Tyr, Baldur and Hermod. All the while he watched, hidden away from the world by his father and forced to train.
Never once released upon the world, never once getting to use his strength for the betterment of Asgard. He had never understood why.
Thor was strong, stronger than even the All-Father himself.
Had Odin been ashamed of him? Had he kept Thor hidden from the world purely because he did not love him and didn't want the world to look upon him, the disgrace? Thor had never known, his father never telling him, only forcing him to train brutally without rest.
It was only during Ragnarök after Odin was killed by the Jötnar, Surtur and Laufey that Thor abandoned his cave and struck out on the world. Arriving upon the battlefield and slaying the two Jötnar in quick succession. The Asgardian's rallied behind him, joining his charge across the Nine Realms as he slaughtered everything in his way, uncaring of the losses they suffered until eventually, only he remained.
Thor despite being ignored by all, remained the last living Asgardian in all the Nine Realms. The Jötnar dead. The Elves and Dwarves, all dead. The Aesir, Vanir, Asgardians, dead to the last man, woman and child. He was the only one remaining and smiling, Thor collapsed to the ground, body frozen, cursed and burnt to a crisp. His accumulated injuries finally catching up to him as his heartbeat began to slow.
And before him, a beautiful woman took shape, pale hands reaching out as shadows lurched around him. The last thing he remembered, were her parting words.
"Save your people."
He didn't know how many years had passed since his awakening. All Thor knew was that he was experiencing the same thing he had done as a child, hidden away from the world. At least this time he was not alone.
Hundreds of thousands of Deviants existed within the vast cities spanning across the entire underground cave systems. Each of the Deviants were new and unique in their appearance, similar only in their dissimilarity. Yet they all shared the same viewpoints, weakness was culled and strength was raised. Those with mutations were sacrificed to their Gods, the Celestials as offerings. Whether it be to beg forgiveness or to ask for a favour, it did not matter.
Those whose mutation were small, appearing almost similar to the humans above the ground, they were exiled at best, sent to live amongst the humans they so resembled. But in most cases, they were killed. Only those with unique abilities and powers were spared, trained up to be warriors used against rival Deviant factions that they ran into while expanding their underground cities.
'It's just like before.' Thor thought with a frown, hands clenching as he looked out from the cave entrance to the sun rising above the horizon. 'Nothings changed. I'm still kept hidden from the world, just for different reasons.'
Turning away as the sunlight began to creep up towards him, Thor made his way back down the cave. He passed by numerous Deviants, all of which snarled, their grotesque faces twisting into truly horrifying visages. But none did anything to him, they all feared him too much to do that. As was common amongst people such as the Deviants, fighting to establish the hierarchy was only natural.
Thor had proven himself time and time again, against both the new and old generations that he was the strongest. Their faction of Deviants may not be the largest, but here, Thor was King.
'Not this time. This time things will be different.' Thor told himself. 'I'll save my people, both of them. I'll lead the Deviants out of hiding and then I'll save Asgard. I can do what I want and no one can stop me. Odin can't stop me now. No one can.'
The Midgardians, humanity, they were not worthy.
They did not understand hardship, the suffering they caused through their prejudiced views and actions. Anything that didn't remotely resemble them or was different in some way, they killed. It didn't matter if they were strong or weak, humanity killed them all the same.
Yet Thor didn't hate them nearly as much as he despised the Eternals. It was humanity that was the aggressors, Thor leading his people to an uninhabited piece of land near the cave to their underground city. Completely away from human existence and it had purely been luck, bad luck that led to them being discovered. They had done nothing to anger humanity despite his people wanting war, but humanity attacked all the same.
They had been defending themselves but of course, the Eternals didn't see it that way, driving them back into the caves whence they came. And because of this failure, Thor had been driven out.
Individually he was stronger than all Deviants.
But even he was not able to go an entire city of advanced weapon-wielding Deviants no matter how strong he was. He stood no chance and escaping with his life had been difficult and it angered him. None of them understood that this was the only way for their people to survive.
They were trapped between rival Deviant factions, much larger than their own on all sides. Expanding outwards was impossible without going to war against them, a war they would lose. Nor could they go any further down, the layers of Earth beneath them were too dangerous for their technology to allow them to safely expand. The only way for them to expand their city in order to survive was up.
None of them could see that though, none of them could understand it.
Odin had kept him locked away from the world, all he was able to do was watch his family, his people go about their daily lives without any context behind why. All he had was his thoughts and it was because of that lack of context, that he was able to see things in a way no one else could.
That was why he knew the reality of the society that the Deviants lived in and what they had to do in order to survive.
Trudging up the mountainside, Thor looked through the thick mat of red fur that covered his entire body. Large, powerful hands flexing in a need to do something before eventually lashing out, fingers digging deep into the rock at his side. He growled low in his throat before pulling, the rock formation cracking up and crumbling down as Thor ripped out the one stable piece of rock that held it upright.
Then with a shout, threw it with all his might, it shooting through the air, crushing trees before dropping into the nearby lake. Water splashed up before showering down on its surroundings, Thor breathing heavily.
Not from exertion, but from an attempt to restrain his overwhelming anger. 'None of them understand. I won't be contained again, I won't be locked away like some animal. I won't allow that to happen to anyone, not like I was. I'm better than them all and I won't just watch, I'll do something.'
"Impressive strength." Spinning around, Thor turned to see a number of figures stood before him. One incredibly large and muscular, metal armour covering his shoulders. The other three were much smaller, a woman clad in red with golden spikes attached to her arms. Another was slightly taller, a man with incredibly muscular arms that were disproportionate to the rest of his admittedly toned and muscular body. The final one was incredibly skinny with black veins pulsing out all over his body.
And behind them, was another figure, muscular and far more dangerous. He just exuded danger in a way that Thor hadn't felt in a long time.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"We're very much like you." The man at the back said. "I've been watching Earth for some time. Watching the Deviants that inhabit this world. I told them once to annihilate their rival species and they were doing just that, but once I left they seemed to have abandoned the goals I gave them. Such a disappointment. But you, you're different to the rest of your kind. You're stronger and smarter than them, you understand that the only way for Deviants to live is by getting rid of your rivals."
Silently, Thor watched the group warily, unsure of what to say or do. Before him, the five figures walked forwards, Thor, in turn, moving backwards in order to put greater distance between them. He was wary of them, he didn't know who they were or what their aim was so he wanted to keep them at a distance, just in case.
"I doubt that very much," Thor replied, hands once again beginning to flex. This time not out of restrained anger but as a means to prepare himself for a fight. "I'm very much unique."
"You're a Deviant, the superior evolution of the human race, just as I was for mine." The lead man continued. "I annihilated all the Eternals on my homeworld and have been trying to do the same on others, ensuring that Deviants could live freely so that we could prove ourselves to the Celestials that we are not flawed, but perfect. I came here many centuries ago, decades after the First Host left, convinced the Deviants to take up arms and they have stopped. They've allowed themselves to be pushed underground into hiding. I've learnt my lesson now, I won't stop until I see all Eternals dead personally."
The figure walked forwards, extending his hand out to Thor. "My name is Tantalus. I hear they call you Vingthor after you once smacked a lightning bolt to one side during your battle against the Eternals. Then Vingthor, I ask will you help bring Deviants to the top of the food chain. Free to do what they wish as the most dominant life form?"
A cry filled the air, echoing down the stone corridors and bouncing off the metal buildings. The dark, underground world around them shook as explosions erupted all across the underground city. Smoke billowing out making it difficult to breathe as they choked on the soot.
"Push forward!" Pelops roared, jewel-encrusted sword thrust forwards as beams of energy shot out from large cannons and staffs, smashing into nearby buildings. Thousands of bodies stampeded past him in nought but a blur chasing after the retreating enemy.
Three decades they had spent waging war across the underground cities. Three decades of fighting, killing and uniting the Deviant race into one cohesive force. Finally, after so long, they had succeeded in uniting the once-divided Deviant Earthlings and now their attention could turn to other threats.
But it had not been easy.
Despite Thor's great strength and Tantalus' reputation as the former leader of the Deviants on Earth. None of it mattered to Deviants, they were just like the rest of humanity that the Celestials had not evolved, just like the Eternals who claimed themselves to be perfect, they had become set in their ways.
Those in power did not want to give it up.
Those without it didn't care because they were happy with how things were.
Despite all of Thor's great strength, he'd been driven out just like he had been before.
As for Tantalus, well there was only one person who had still lived from the time when he had ruled over the Deviants of Earth. The rest of the Deviants didn't care, believing him to be a myth that didn't exist. Emperor Phraug, he only compounded that belief, unwilling to serve under Tantalus once more after having a taste of power.
They started off, returning to Thor's original home. As the smallest and weakest of all Deviant factions, even outnumbered and faced against superior technology, Tantalus, his sons, Peacekeepers and the small legion of elite Deviants Tantalus had brought along with him enabled them to end the fight quickly. It lasted no longer than a few days, Thor still possessing a number of supports amongst his former home.
While not possessing greater numbers or technology, the individual strength and power of the soldiers that Thor and Tantalus had meant that they surrendered soon after the initial war began. After consolidating power and preparing their new soldiers for war, they marched through the trade tunnels between nearby Deviant cities, focusing upon the smaller and weaker ones. Unlike against Thor's city, they didn't have any inside supporters, the Deviants of these cities had a larger number and resisted heavily.
Weeks passed before the next city fell, more technology and soldiers were added to their army as they moved on to the next. In the beginning, it was easy, Deviant cities falling one after the other. Yet that was until they took out the weaker cities, consolidating them into one empire before turning their attention to stronger cities. Those with vaster armies and with great technology.
Up until that point, they had been dealing with armies in the thousands and tens of thousands. But when they turned their attention towards the biggest cities, they were dealing in the hundred of thousands, millions even. The technology so much more powerful and cities vast expanses equal to ten or twenty smaller ones.
They took years to conquer, but they did it.
They just kept on winning, an unstoppable force that crushed all in its path. Even now, when Emperor Phraug had used their crusade to unite Deviant cities under his own rule. He may not have the strength and power to rival them, but he had the technology with which to cause serious problems. Taking his empire was a war that lasted over two decades, one in which both sides endured heavy losses, but finally, they had won.
"Pelops, with me!" Thor called, furred figure rushing through the hordes of Deviants. Powerful blows sending their broken, lifeless forms into the air as he rushed towards the main Citadel where Phraug had locked himself away. A last-ditch effort to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
His Citadel, the largest and most technologically advanced structure in all of Deviant society. A rival for the Great Machine that the Eternals had recently created to control their society for reasons currently unknown to them.
Its defences made it an impenetrable fortress, powerful turrets releasing beams of energy beyond anything is seen before. Powerful balls of light erupting from the epicentre of the beams landing, eviscerating anything that it engulfed. But Thor and Tantalus, the strongest of their kind kept pushing forwards, the Deviants under their command following their lead.
Black fog of the Black Legacy rushed out from Tantalus hands dissolving the beams of energy and all those caught in its grasp. Whether they be ally or enemy didn't matter to Tantalus
The victory was mere moments away and when it was, the Deviants would be united and therefore, turn their attention towards their true threats. The Eternals and even humanity could beat back the force of one, maybe even two or three of the larger cities alone. But against the full united force of the Deviant people, with all their technology and their vast numbers, they would be unstoppable.
Not even Ouranos and the leader of the Eternals, Kronos would be able to stop them. Not with Tantalus, Thor and the other elites they had, they would be unstoppable. Earth would fall into the hands of the Deviants and once again prove to the Celestials that they were the superior race.
Emperor Phraug as he so fancied himself, was just another stepping stone on the path of Deviant domination.
"You were right, the Eternals have become divided," Tantalus noted, stood beside Thor as they looked over the most recent clash between the forces of Kronos and his brother, Uranos. "I honestly did not believe you when you said that the Eternals would be divided, how did you know?"
"I simply listened to what you said. After all, I didn't know much about the Eternals until you told me. But once I did, it became quite simple to see what would happen between the two brothers." Thor muttered.
It wasn't that hard really, while a lot of his training under Odin had been physical. Odin tried to expand his skills as a warrior, develop his powers and grow his physical strength to extreme proportions. But that wasn't all Odin taught him, he also taught him how to strategise, predict enemy weaknesses and learn how to exploit them.
Uranos and Kronos were very different in the way they operated. Kronos was the idealist, the pacifist who wanted to avoid war. But Uranos on the other hand was a warrior, he fought against any Deviant force that attempted to expand upwards, forcing them back into hiding. Never going further than that, predicting the divide became quite easy after that point.
It also represented opportunity.
"Taking the Lemurian Isles was the first move. Uranos couldn't beat our united force back with the forces he had. He needs more which meant going to his brother who's a pacifist. They will be divided in their viewpoints on how to fight this war, forcing them into fighting against each other." Thor explained. "Allowing us to expand without fear of retaliation from the Eternals. All the while we will be facing humanity, who only have bows and arrows as their long-range weapons."
Tantalus scoffed in amusement, a large smile growing onto his face. "You don't believe that us moving will unite the brothers together?"
"Right now? Yes." Thor answered honestly. "Wait till the war continues on a few more months then they'll be unable to rectify and come together in any meaningful way. They'll be too divided by war to come together and therefore, leaving the continent of Thuria open to us."
"So we wait?" Thor nodded his head and Tantalus hummed. "I suppose it would make things a little easier. Though less fun."
"But it will save many Deviant lives in the process. We can use this time to make Lemuria a firm foothold of ours. So strong that the Eternals if they do rally the humans against us, would be unable to remove us from Lemuria. It also allows us to recoup some of the losses we've suffered and also allow time to fully combine and streamline the technology we have."
Tantalus hummed in thought. "I suppose what you say does have merit. The technological advancements on Earth are very impressive so I suppose we shall go with your plan for now. Though I will not wait too long."
"Understandable."
"I must admit, I'm surprised this came from you of all people. I knew you were quite a skilled commander, but not to this degree." Tantalus noted. "Where did you learn to lead and command armies to this degree?"
Thor's smirk was hidden beneath the red fur that covered his whole body. "I learnt it from no one." A lie, he had learned under one of the smartest men he had ever met, Odin. He later learned further under his brothers, Tyr, Baldur and Hermod during their final crusade of Ragnarök, until they all died.
But under them all, Thor had learned a great deal.
He also gained a great deal of experience.
That was what he was putting to use here, to ensure that the Deviants didn't have to live in hiding as he had. He would save them, they were his people, he'd never had a chance to be a proper Aesir until the final days. But here amongst the Deviants, he had a chance to change everything. To make things better and he was going to take that chance, no matter the cost.
The time had finally arrived.
The Deviant force was now stronger than ever, technology once divided between different cities had been pooled together making them all greater. Their numbers had grown rapidly, numbering well within the millions and were organised into fighting legions.
But most of all, the Eternals were thoroughly divided.
The war between the brothers, Kronos and Uranos had developed well beyond the chance of reunification. Eternals would only be able to come together after seeing this war through to its end, only a miracle could unite them anytime soon. That meant now was the perfect chance for Deviants to strike.
Humanity was weak and by the time the Eternals could come back together, most of the continent if not all of it would be there's. Lemuria was already made an impenetrable fortress, even if the Eternals hit them with everything they had, it would be impossible to remove them from there now. It was too late and very soon, it would be the same with every kingdom within the continent of Thuria.
Striding calmly through the halls, Thor paused momentarily as the doors before him opened with a hiss. Inside, the newly crowned Deviant Emperor of Earth, Tantalus and his Inner Circle were already gathered, sat around the circular table situated in the centre of the room.
Behind them, a large window overlooked the bustling city, large metal golems and canons were being prepped onto transports. Legions upon legions of Deviants armed to the teeth were prepping for the battle to come.
"Vingthor!" Tantalus called, a smile upon his face as he looked up from the display screen before him. "Come, take your seat by my side. Today marks a historic day in our species history and I would have you, my right-hand man beside me."
Pelops, favoured son of Tantalus frowned at those words. Born immune to his fathers Black Legacy, Pelops had enjoyed the praise and attention of his father for decades. Especially when his younger brother proved to be susceptible to it. To Pelops, it was proof that he should be by his father's side and that was the case, till Thor came along. He possessed physical strength beyond even his father and had proved immune to the Black Legacy also. Ever since then, his fathers attention had turned towards Thor and away from him.
Taking his seat, Thor looked around the room towards the Peacekeepers, to Tantalus's sons and to a recent addition, Emperor Phraug.
His resistance had earned the favour of Tantalus, so much so that he was awarded a position on the council. Though Thor wondered if Tantalus also did it to spite and anger the former emperor who hated serving others.
"Our first target should be Grondarr," Pelops spoke up, looking to prove himself and his suggestion was met with nods all around.
Before them, a holographic image of the continent of Thuria appeared, the kingdom of Grondarr being highlighted.
"They possess the largest kingdom but their military isn't the strongest. They have trade agreements with all neighbouring kingdoms and haven't been at war for many years now. Attacking them would be the smartest decision." Lady Trident concurred.
Tantalus looked pleased with the unanimously agreed move. But his gaze then turned to Thor, an individual who possessed incredible skill and talent as a commander.
As of sensing Tantalus's gaze, Thor pressed a number of buttons, two arrows appearing on the screen that originated from the Lemurian Isles.
"We will launch a two-pronged attack with our vanguard forces. I shall take command of the force heading north. My aim will to be cut off any support that Grondarr could gain from their allies to the west such as Commoria. Pelops shall lead the second heading south, cutting off the barbarian kingdoms to the south and east." Thor began.
He pressed a few more buttons, the two initially arrows pushing into Commoria while the other swung down, into the barbarian kingdom to the east and looping down the barbarian kingdom to the south. As that happened, six more arrows appeared, two branching west towards Commoria. The final four pushed south through Grondarr, cutting south towards Valusia.
"After that, Wraath and Lady Trident will lead their forces, linking up with me as we push through Commoria, Zarfhaana, Thule and into north Valusia." Thor continued. "However, Lucian, Phraug, Bristle and Toxin will lead their forces, conquering Grondarr and linking up with Pelops as they cut through, the barbarian kingdoms, Thurania, Kamelia, Verulia and Farsun into south Valusia. From there, we'll make a combined push towards Atlantis."
"And what is the timeline for this conquest?" Tantalus asked, pleased with the sound of the plan Thor had put forwards.
"If all goes well with only a few minor problems, my force shall arrive at north Valusia within a year. I give twice that for the others considering they will have to face more opposition." Thor answered. "Either way, I suspect that by the time we arrive at Valusia, the Eternals may have solved their internal problems. So we will face greater resistance from that point on."
Tantalus smirked, looking forward to such an opportunity. The Peacekeepers as well as his sons shared similar enthusiasm.
Phraug on the other hand was far from pleased as he stewed in silence. He had been a part of the war against when Tantalus had first arrived on Earth. That had been a brutal and bloody affair that he wanted no part of for a long time.
World conquest, he wanted that.
But going against the Eternals, that was not something he wanted. However, going against Tantalus and the others, that was equally as unwanted.
Last time he only managed to bring an end to the war after Tantalus left. Phraug using his considerable influence to convince other Deviant leaders to broker a peace treaty with the Eternals. Now though, that would all come undone and very soon, Phraug would have to face the Eternals once more.
With a frown, he rose to his feet along with the others, leaving in a hurry. The meeting was over, war was on the horizon and as much as he didn't like it, he would be a part of it.
Smoke billowed out across the field.
Bodies were strewn throughout the area dying the once rich green grass red with blood. The powerful whirl of technology sounded as large transports rolled across the field, crushing all bodies in its path, joining the rhythmic march of the Deviant legions. All outfitted in armour, holding great weapons as they moved to their next destination.
"Lord Vingthor!" One of his aids called, Thor turning to see a Deviant rushing towards him. "Another human force, bearing the flag of Commoria is a few weeks march away from our position."
'That was sooner than I expected.' Thor thought to himself having expected Commoria to march to the aid of Grondarr. However he hadn't expected it to be so soon, he had predicted it would take at least a few weeks, not mere days after they landed upon the northern shores. Either way, it wasn't a huge problem, it was only when the Eternals eventually joined forces with the humans that problems would start. 'That won't happen for many years though.'
Right now though, things would be easygoing.
Humanity didn't possess the weapons capable of posing a threat to them and their numbers were not a worry either. The only problem would be the time it would take to march and organise their troops.
Deviants were not a proper army, more a mob of bodies. That lack of disciple meant there was sometimes infighting. It also meant that the distance they could march in a day was also much shorter. His time amongst the Asgardian army had been short, but the experience stuck with him. They were a well-trained and disciplined fighting force that had been able to march upwards of a few hundred miles a day then set up camp and repeat the next day with ease.
Even the human forces could march around twenty miles a day, though it was incredibly exhausting upon them. Compare that to the measly five to ten miles that his army could march in a day, meant that manoeuvrability would be the strongest asset that humanity had in this war.
If his training under Odin and his brothers were right, which it had been up until this point, it wouldn't take long for a competent commander under the humans to recognise this. When they did, the war would become a little more difficult. That's why Thor wanted to at least have most of Commoria and some of Thule under Deviant rule before that point.
"Inform our vanguard and send a message to Tantalus. He will inform the other commanders of this development." One thing that Tyr had stressed when waging war was the importance of information. All commanders needed to be aware of all enemy movement, even if it was on a completely different front to their own. Even if it meant nothing at that point in time, later on, it could mean the difference between victory and defeat. And if it served no purpose then it would simply have been a precautionary method that thankfully didn't need to be used.
But hindsight is often annoying like that.
"What about the prisoners?" Another of his aides asked, Thor and all turning to look at the kneeling humans bound in chains.
For a moment, Thor said nothing, just considering his options. "Kill them."
Nods were shared and as Thor began to walk towards his transport, he heard the sound of lasers being fired. Shouts and pleas for mercy being drowned out by the sound of the Deviant army moving forwards.
Fist clashing against Kronos's own, a shockwave erupted outwards and cratering the ground beneath them. Thor plummeted to the ground as it disappeared beneath his feet, only to be peppered by dozens of energy blasts. He used the momentum from the force of the blasts to spin, arm swinging out and a wave of wind rushing out and knocking all the other blasts away.
Landing in a crouch, Thor took barely a fraction of a second to look at his surroundings.
Kronos was floating in the air, large quantities of energy gathering around his hands, ready to be unleashed upon him. Ahead of him, fast approaching was Zuras, fists drawn back and ready to clash against him. But far back, surrounded by dozens of glowing energy balls was A'Lars, he providing long-range support.
Despite the situation, he found himself in, Thor couldn't help but smile at the challenge presented before him. Even if his plan had failed, the Eternals seemingly able to see through his intentions and spring an ambush of their own upon him, he didn't care.
'They've just made it that much easier for me.' Thor thought with a smile, bursting off from the ground.
Zuras was caught off-guard by the speed in which Thor rocketed towards him, right hand clasping tightly around his face. With a shout, Thor launched him through the air, directly towards Kronos, air displacing around Zuras body as he shot through the air. Kronos himself stalled, the energy around his hands dipping before he summoned a shield to block his sons advance.
Thor continued on, landing upon the ground only to launch himself back up towards A'Lars. The dozens of energy blasts that struck against his body didn't so much as slow Thor down as he barrelled through them all.
If it wasn't for Kronos intervening by creating a powerful shield, A'Lars would have been taken out of the fight by the blow Thor threw at him. Instead, it smashed into the shield, cracking massively.
Growling in frustration, Thor braced his feet against the shield and pushed off, flipping through the air and lashing out with a kick to Kronos which struck against his head. It was a powerful strike but not as much as Thor would have liked as Kronos was up and moving mere moments after smashing into the ground with great force.
Yet Thor was tackled out of the air soon after by Zuras, thrown into the air and all three Eternals pooled their energy together. Six energy beams released from three pairs of hands were unleashed into the sky, fusing together and adding more power into one another.
Unable to manoeuvre his body in the air, all Thor could do was raise his guard in an attempt to withstand the powerful beam of energy. As soon it struck him, pain exploded across his body and Thor roared out as he tried to resist against the blast. Yet it was a fruitless endeavour, Thor engulfed by it entirely.
To Thor, the sight before him was nothing more than a cruel joke. All the time and effort he had spent, all the hardship their people had endured and look at how close they had come. Only Valusia and Atlantis had remained against their hordes. The rest of the Thurian continent had been theirs to rule.
And now, only Zarfhaana, Commoria, Grondarr and Lemuria were theirs.
It was all just a cruel joke.
The Eternals were now simply watching, no doubt laughing as they watched the Deviants once united tear each other apart for the last vestiges of power available. After all, with Tantalus dead, it had left a big void to fill. Pelops had attempted to take the vacant throne, but with only his brother, Lucian to support him, his position had been unstable.
Phraug had capitalised upon this opportunity, declaring independence and renaming himself Emperor once more. Others had followed and once more, the Deviants were fighting one another rather than their real enemies.
Thor's lips twisted into a deep frown as he looked out of the window.
His body was still injured heavily after his battle against Kronos, Zuras and A'Lars. It was that reason only that things had developed to such a degree. If he hadn't been so badly beaten, he would have crushed any dissension and kept the Deviants united. He imagined if that was the case victory would have been theirs in only a matter of months. After all, it was reported that Makkari had been killed, dozens of Eternals losing their lives in the south as a means to withstand against the vast Deviant horde. The commander of the south, Oceanus being amongst the dead.
That would have been a big blow to the Eternals and would have given the Deviants the chance to win. But they hadn't, the Deviants had been the cause of their own downfall.
'I can't let this continue any further.' Thor thought, fists clenching tightly. 'I have to do something, if I allow the Eternals to grow any stronger, they will attack and that will be the end of our people. I have to do something, I have to unite the Deviants once more. Only united will we be able to survive. Especially if this Donar is who I think he is.'
For a moment, Thor was left stunned, watching as Phraug shot upon the ship entering the atmosphere. Watched as it careened to the ground and smashed against it, violently shaking Midgard and forcing him to his knees.
He thought that would be the end of it, only it wasn't.
That was but the prelude to something worse and as Thor continued to climb up the mountain, gazed focus upon the figure he could see stood upon it. He ignored the pain of his body, hands reaching out and digging into the rock, using his handholds to pull him up further, ignoring the protests of his body.
Yet he stopped when he saw the shadow engulf his body, head-turning and eyes widening as he looked upon what had risen up into the air. Huge towering bodies covered in powerful armour made of a mysterious metal. Each of them radiating power beyond anything he had seen or felt since his time upon Asgard.
There were the very figures that Odin had warned him about many times when he was growing up. The figures who struck fear even into the All-Father. The figures who stood as the pinnacle of all races.
There stood before him, were the Celestials.
And then, they fought.
Clashing against one of their own. Powerful blasts of cosmic energy destroyed and reshaping the land for thousands of miles. Casual displays of power that is filled with him awe and even fear at the thought of facing off against them. Their clash was beyond anything he had ever seen before.
Their power was equal to and surpassing the power of the All-Father and Surtur, the Giant with the Flaming Sword.
Yet amongst the Celestials that fought, the one who stood out the most was the one who fought against them all. One clad in golden yellow armour and fought with a ferocity and savagery that did not suit their image of immense power. They were almost like mad beasts like an Asgardian possessed by Warriors Madness.
But ultimately, as powerful as the lone Celestial was, he was brought down.
'Nows my chance.' Thor told himself. 'If my instincts are right if Donar is Thor. Then we can help that Celestial. We can save our people. This is the only way.'
Groaning in agony, Thor put his weight in his heels and threw himself up the rest of the mountain, landing upon the top in a crouch. And there, watching the clash between Eternals unfold was Donar, perhaps the greatest foe he had ever faced.
"You are Thor Odinson, aren't you?" He asked, Donar turning to him and for a moment said nothing, just studying him. Then he gave a nod and Thor felt a wave of relief came over him, his instincts had not failed him, a smile coming upon his face. "I knew it."
"And you are too." Thor didn't need to answer, Donar already knew the answer to that. "We're both Thor Odinson, fighting to save our people."
There was something in the way that Donar said it that made Thor frown. He got the feeling he was talking about the Asgardians and Thor shared those sentiments. But Thor also felt that Donar did not count the Eternals amongst those he had to save, not like he felt the need to save the Deviants.
They along with the Asgardians were his people and no matter what, he would save them both.
"You can feel it, can't you?" But now was not the time to raise such questions, not when he could see the Celestials turning their attention towards the Deviants. "The connection we share. Divided we can't do anything, but together we might be able to do something to stop them."
Thor wasn't stupid, he knew outmatched he was in the fight. Even if he gave his all he wouldn't be able to so much as lay a scratch upon the Celestials. But just as his instincts had told him that Donar was another fragment of Thor Odinson, they also told him of the ability to come together as one. He needed that to save the Deviants and so, he extended his hand to Donar.
They may have been enemies, but they were also Thor, united by their goals.
"Just one question," Donar said and Thor felt a frown grow upon his face. "Why?"
That was simple and he answered without hesitation. "I'm Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard. But I'm also Vingthor, a Deviant."
There was a moment, a pause and then Donar nodded his head. A look came across him, one of respect, one of understanding. Different they may be, but some things about Thor would never change.
And just like that, the Thor's clasped hands, the world around them shifting forever.
So another chapter done and with it, we learn as to what happened with Deviant Thor. It's a much smaller chapter compared to the previous but honestly, there wasn't much more to include in the story, just loads of battles which while interesting don't really add much to the overall story other than to say, look a battle. What happens behind the scenes was far more interesting and I don't want to spend hundreds of chapters just exploring the same stuff as that will get boring and repetitive.
But anyway, we got a look into Deviant society and this is where I took some creative freedom to fill in the dots. There's a bit of information on Deviants, not a huge amount but not small amount either. But we don't really get a look into who Deviants are unlike with the Eternals so I took some liberties and while not changing things massively, added my own twists. This is mainly in Tantalus an alien Deviant who has preached a dogma of killing all none Deviants.
As you can also tell, Thor is different than the first Thor. Odin is already changing how he treats and raises Thor in order to try and free his people. This is shown in how he isolated Thor from everyone and trained him in secret. Only in Ragnarök did Thor become free.
Here's an outline of Deviant Thor's info:
Name: Vingthor.
Alias(s): Thor Odinson.
Race: Deviant.
Powers:
- Deviant Physiology.
- - - - Immortality.
- - - - Invulnerability.
- - - - Superhuman Stamina.
- - - - Superhuman Strength - Class 100.
Threat Level: High Continent to Low Planetary.
Anyway, let's get on with the questions:
jigga51: No, he's not the main Thor but this isn't the last you see of him. He will be making a reappearance and will have a big impact on the future story.
Alcov: Class 50 is the strength classification used by Marvel comics. Each class represents how many tons a character can lift, so Eternal Thor can lift 50 tons. Thor meanwhile usually is around Class 100 to 100+.
Hope this clears up any questions and if not, please let me know and I'll gladly answer any and all without revealing spoilers.