Earth-717: Thor Vol 1
Chapter 5: Battle for Alfheim
Having changed out of her hospital gown and back into her paramedic outfit in a back alley of town, Jane followed after Thor and Sif with renewed awe into the castle of the Light Elves. While the two Asgardians moved along as if it were an average day, Jane was still in a perpetual state of having to suspend her disbelief at the wondrous sights before her. The grand scale of the castle was to her something straight out of a fantasy novel, and she couldn't help feeling utterly overwhelmed by the knowledge that she was the first human to ever see many of these things.
Upon entering the main hall of the castle, Jane inevitably found herself running her gaze up the walls and along the ceiling. The ceiling was framed by a gigantic chandelier that seemed to evoke the cosmos itself, with silver and bronze twirling arms laced with lit candles. In the back of the hall was a spiral stone staircase that led to the numerous upper levels.
Before the staircase was a central throne, upon which Queen Alvaeriel was sitting. She was flanked on either side by Faradei and Aeltri, and the path leading to them was composed of two lines of Honour Guard Elves in formation. Thor and Sif wordlessly marched between the two lines, but Jane held back for a moment.
She had never received this kind of treatment before, and was unsure of how to take it. However, upon seeing Sif look at her over her shoulder, she quickly sped up her pace to catch up to the two Asgardians. Thor and Sif approached Alvaeriel, and bowed. Jane scratched the back of her neck, not knowing what to do for a moment before giving an awkward bow of her own.
"My fair Queen, the Lady Alvaeriel of the Ljosalfar," said Thor.
"The God of Thunder and the God of War," said Alvaeriel. "Truly, it has been some time since the honoured Aesir entered my realm. I wonder to what I owe this most prestigious pleasure."
Thor then gestured to Jane, beckoning her to step forward. Jane glanced back and forth between Thor and Sif a few times before finally inhaling and stepping in front of the Queen's throne. Alvaeriel placed her right hand on her chin as she looked at Jane.
"This is the reason we have come, fair Queen," said Thor.
"A Midgardian?" asked Alvaeriel, seemingly confused. "You have brought a mortal here? For whatever possible reason?"
Thor stepped next to Jane, and looked at her left arm.
"May I?"
Jane looked at him and nodded. Thor then grabbed Jane's arm and held it out. Alvaeriel leaned forward as she looked, and within a few seconds, the red stream of the Aether flickered under the skin of the appendage. Alvaeriel instantly shrieked and leaped backwards, almost falling out of her chair.
"Get that witchcraft away from me!"
The two lines of Honour Guard Elves instantly drew their swords, and they all turned to face the Asgardians. Sif placed her hand on her hilt, and Thor gripped tightly on Mjolnir. Aeltri started to breathe quickly, and Faradei stepped in front of Alvaeriel in a defensive posture. He then drew his bow, and aimed an arrow directly at Jane's face.
"You have brought a demon to my kingdom!" shouted Alvaeriel. "You call her mortal? I call her death itself!"
Multiple drops of sweat fell from Jane's brow as she stared at the arrow that was only a flick away from piercing her skull. Thor then pushed Jane back, shielding her with his body. Sif surveyed the Honour Guards, calculating in her mind the best strategy to use if they did indeed attack.
"There is no need for violence!" stated Thor. "We have only . . . ."
"You have only brought my Queen distress, son of Odin," said Faradei. "There are those who have died at my hand for only that much."
"Uh, excuse me!"
Everyone became silent upon hearing Jane speak. She walked around Thor and looked at Faradei, who kept his weapon trained on her. Aeltri tilted her head as she watched Jane, and even Alvaeriel was compelled to look at her.
"Yeah, I, uh, sorry about the whole freak out thing, but I really think we started off on a bad foot here, so maybe we can start over? Hopefully without any stabbing or shooting or . . . . me dying? Okay?"
Faradei turned his gaze just enough to see Alvaeriel out of the corner of his eyes. She gave a slight nod, and Faradei lowered his bow before returning to his post at her side. The Honour Guard Elves sheathed their swords and returned to formation. Jane let out a large sigh and wiped the sweat off her brow with her wrist before looking back up at Alvaeriel.
"Yeah, so . . . . hi. I'm Jane. Jane Foster, and I'm, uh . . . . I'm not a demon. But . . . . apparently, I have something inside me that you know a lot about, and that's why we're here."
Alvaeriel spent some time considering Jane before standing up from her throne. She then slowly approached Jane, who stood still. Thor, Sif, Faradei and Aeltri all watched with anticipation as the Queen reached out with her right hand and placed her palm on Jane's cheek. Closing her eyes, Alvaeriel focused her concentration as she felt the energy flowing throughout Jane's body.
After about two minutes of this, Alvaeriel opened her eyes and took a step back. She and Jane stared into each other's eyes, both of them now more knowledgeable about the other.
"It is true," said Alvaeriel. "The Aether lives within you, Jane Foster. The legacy of Malekith the Accursed has obtained new blood, and the chance for new life."
"We knew as much," said Sif. "What else can you tell us about this?"
"That she has already begun to change," answered Alvaeriel.
"Change?" asked Jane. "What does that mean?"
Alvaeriel hesitated. Aeltri looked at her mother with keen eyes and wide ears.
"The Aether is not just any artifact, Jane Foster. It has a will and spirit of its own, one that grew attached to Malekith when he dared bond with it. I could sense another voice inside your mind. It is but a whisper now, but I could feel it slowly growing in strength."
"What voice?" asked Thor.
"The voice of Ciridylia, Malekith's wife. I saw a faint image of her, buried deep in Jane's subconscious. Given time, it will become more prominent."
Jane shook her head.
"Wait, wait, wait, what are you going on about? Become more prominent? W-What are you trying to say?"
"The change will be subtle at first, but over time, it will take hold. You must understand, Jane Foster, that the Aether's power is greater than most in the known universe. It is capable of feats that even the most deplorable of blood magics cannot. The power to shape reality itself. I fear . . . . that unless the Aether is drawn from you before it is too late . . . . you will lose yourself to it. You will say things you do not know, see things you have not seen. That which makes you Jane Foster will cease to be, and your form will take new shape . . . . as the reincarnation of Ciridylia."
Jane took a couple steps back as her face indicated sheer terror.
"Whoa," she said, putting up her hands. "Whoa, no, no, no, y-you've gotta be kidding."
Jane looked over at Thor, who sighed. She then turned her head back to Alvaeriel. Aeltri gazed at Jane with saddened eyes.
"I'm gonna turn into an Elf?!"
"I am afraid so," replied Alvaeriel. "Your mind will be erased, and the Aether will imprint its memories of Ciridylia upon you. You are aware of the process, given that I sensed the words of the ancient Svartalfar tongue at the forefront of your consciousness. You have already spoken it, haven't you?"
Jane rubbed the back of her neck. Thor then took a step forward.
"How do we stop this? How do we extract the Aether? Can you do it?"
Alvaeriel sighed.
"I am afraid I cannot. The Aether is linked to Malekith, and Malekith alone. Only he can manipulate its energy."
Jane threw both of her arms out laterally in frustration.
"Well what good's that gonna do me?!"
"However," continued Alvaeriel, "there may be another method. As I understand it, the Aether can also be reverted to its original state by being brought to its point of origin: the Temple of Arishem. It is a shrine of worship devoted to the Celestial of the same name."
"Celestial?" asked Jane.
"The Celestials were the original six beings at the start of all creation. Each one is the true owner of an Infinity Gem. As there are six Celestials, so too are there six gems. The Aether, the Reality Gem, is the one that belongs to Arishem."
"And where is this temple?" asked Sif.
"Deep within the heart of the Dark World," answered Alvaeriel. "Svartalfheim, home of the Dark Elves. It lies at the centre of a great valley of death; the ground soaked in the ashes of those who fell during the ancient wars. I know not its exact location, only the description which has been passed down by my lineage. I do know that it is on the same continent as Brigandir, the dark tower where Malekith made his final stand."
Jane sighed and scratched the side of her head with her left index finger.
"Svartalfheim? Celestials? Brigandir? Man, today's just not my day."
"We must take her to this temple right away," said Thor. "We have no time to lose."
"Wait, good Aesir," said Alvaeriel. "Now that you brought this to my attention, my people also have a stake in this matter. Do not forget, Malekith was our enemy as well. In return for the information you have asked for, I request that one of my people accompany you on this journey. If you are travelling to the Dark World, I suspect that a talented scout would be most useful."
"Who do you suggest?" asked Sif.
Alvaeriel then turned to Faradei.
"Faradei, a member of my Honour Guard, and a trusted servant of Alfheim."
Faradei bowed. Aeltri anxiously rubbed her hands together.
"It would be an honour to aid you on this quest, good Aesir."
"You're sending Faradei away, Mother?!" blurted Aeltri. "Now?"
Everyone turned to look at Aeltri, whose cheeks reddened at the amount of attention. Alvaeriel sighed and looked back at Thor and Sif.
"My daughter, Princess Aeltri," said Alvaeriel. "Please excuse . . . ."
Alvaeriel was interrupted by a loud blow-horn being sounded. Everyone in the hall turned to face the entrance as another Honour Guard Elf sprinted into the room.
"My Queen!" she yelled. "Come, quickly!"
Thor, Sif, Jane, Alvaeriel, Aeltri, Faradei and the rest of the Honour Guard Elves all formed a massive group that rushed to the front entrance. Once they were outside, they all looked up with wide eyes to see a gargantuan silver orb with red markings hovering over the bridge that connected the kingdom to the continent. Alvaeriel shuddered at the sight of it.
"The Cryptorium," she stammered. "Our greatest enemy has returned."
Upon her saying this, over a dozen black ships emerged from the Cryptorium and headed towards the city. They were thin vessels that looked like blades, with a spherical, ocular cockpit situated one-quarter of the way along the blade from the top. The cockpits glowed red, the same hue as the markings on the Cryptorium. They were the Harrows, the starfighters of the Dark Elves.
One of the Harrows rotated itself so that it was horizontal, before slicing through the top of a guard tower on the Alfheim bridge. It seamlessly cut through the stone, sustaining no damage to itself before aligning vertically again. The rest of the Harrows started firing red lasers into the kingdom, causing the civilians in the streets to flee in terror.
Then, flying over the bridge came the most horrifying sight of all: a massive black dragon, its body fifty metres in length. Spreading its mighty wings, the terrible lizard of the skies soared towards the kingdom as its belly glowed orange with heat. It then emitted a loud bellow and a stream of hellish fire that set several buildings ablaze at once. The screaming civilians caught in the fire blast were silenced by being reduced to ashes.
Atop Zedonius was its fearsome master, Malekith, who looked down at the kingdom as he swooped around for another pass.
"The Aether is here!" yelled Malekith. "Find the mortal and bring her to me!"
The Honour Guard Elves sprung into action, with many of them taking defensive positions along the castle walls to fire arrows at the incoming invaders. They also took to their posts on the various guard towers, each of which had a Sunlight Cannon atop it. The cannons had a transparent orb for the operator to sit inside, around which two sleek, beige, engraved cannon tubes were attached. The orbs glowed upon absorbing the overhead sunlight, before unleashing it in rapid-firing weaponized beams.
The Harrows scattered once they were fired upon by the Sunlight Cannons, with one of the starfighters being destroyed by a laser blast. As the rest of the Harrows retreated to regroup, Faradei turned to Thor and Sif.
"We must help defend these people!" yelled Thor.
"What we must do is get the Aether away from here," retorted Sif.
"Perhaps we can do both," said Faradei. "I will lead you and the mortal away from the city, while Thor aids the defense."
Thor nodded at Faradei. Jane and Sif both looked at Thor, who waved his hand at them.
"Go!"
Faradei ran to the side of the castle, beckoning for Jane and Sif to follow. Jane ran after him, while Sif hesitated, her eyes on Thor. After closing her eyes for a moment, she then took off after Jane. While this was happening, several Honour Guard Elves started pushing Alvaeriel back into the castle.
"My Queen!" one of them yelled. "We must get you to safety!"
"My daughter! Where is my daughter?! Aeltri!"
The Elves looked back at the entrance, but Aeltri was nowhere to be found.
Zedonius flew near the castle, slashing out with his claw to destroy a Sunlight Cannon tower. Climbing to the top of the castle walls, he then emitted another stream of fire, incinerating an entire squad of Honour Guard Elves. Zedonius then pounced forward and snatched up another Elf in his jaws, swallowing her whole as she shrieked.
Holding out his right hand, Malekith fired a red energy beam that twisted and spiralled through the air at its target. The beam struck the top balcony of the castle, killing two more Elves and breaking apart some of the stone. He then closed his eyes and sniffed the air.
"The Aether is so close . . . . find the mortal, now! Burn this entire realm to the ground if you must!"
As Zedonius took flight again to continue the battle, two Harrows approached Thor, who was standing in front of the castle. They fired their lasers at the Thunder God, who deflected them with Mjolnir. Holding his hammer high above his head, a storm cloud then formed in the sky and shot down a lightning strike, charging his godly body with its power.
Bellowing out a fierce war cry, Thor then held Mjolnir forward, firing a wide spread of lightning from the end of his hammer. The lightning struck one of the Harrows, smashing it to pieces. The other Harrow was damaged enough by the explosions to crash into the ground, tearing up the tiles of the path leading to the castle gates.
Thor smiled in satisfaction at the destruction he caused, only to raise an eyebrow upon seeing a lone figure walking out of the smoking wreckage. The figure was three metres tall, with charred armour and a set of tusks. He had red war paint on his face, and a twin set of curved horns emerging laterally from his temples.
Pounding his chest with both fists, Kurse roared into the air, seemingly shaking the very floor with his power. Thor smirked upon seeing him.
"At last, a foe worthy of the Mighty Thor! And what is your name, foul beast?"
"KURSE!"
"Well, Kurse, prepare to taste the might of Mjolnir!"
Thor rushed forward to meet his enemy in battle. Kurse growled as Thor charged him, dodging back and out of the range of Thor's initial hammer swing. Kurse then threw a punch with his left fist, striking Thor's face.
"Ugh!"
The two mighty warriors traded several more blows, with neither combatant deterred by the powerful attacks they endured from the other. Roaring again, Kurse grabbed both of Thor's shoulders and smashed his head against Thor's face, causing him to drop Mjolnir as he was knocked backwards. Kurse pressed his attack, seizing both of Thor's fists with his hands.
Thor gritted his teeth as he pushed against the giant Dark Elf, using all of his muscles to try and overpower him. After almost a minute of struggle, Thor came to a shocking realization.
Kurse was stronger than him.
Grunting in pain as Kurse squeezed his fists, Thor was then forced to the ground by his fearsome adversary. Kurse then unleashed a savage flurry of punches on Thor's body before putting all of his might behind a kick from his right leg. Thor was sent flying backwards by this attack, smashing through one of the walls outlining the courtyards surrounding the castle.
Faradei and Sif were fighting off a squad of Dark Elves who had been deployed by one of the Harrows as Jane stayed behind them, completely overwhelmed by the battle raging on around her. Sif cut down two Dark Elves with one sword slash as Faradei put an arrow through the heart of another. Jane then looked up to see Thor smashing through one of the nearby stone walls.
Several large pieces of stone flew through the air, with one in particular heading straight towards her. She shouted and put up her hands, despite knowing that it was a futile gesture. Her eyes then widened upon seeing the piece of stone shattered by a beam of green energy. Looking to the side, Jane saw Aeltri standing there, having fired the blast. The two women shared a brief smile and a wordless moment of gratitude.
Blocking multiple magical blasts with her shield, Sif then charged at and brought her sword down on the neck of an attacking Light Elf with a sigil on both cheeks. Carving through his sternum, Sif then withdrew her sword and allowed his lifeless form to collapse on the ground. Aeltri saw this, and looked with amazement at the dead Light Elf.
Having defeated the entire squad of attackers, Faradei and Sif looked at each other in satisfaction when Zedonius suddenly landed on the nearby castle wall.
"Ahhhh!"
Jane fell to the ground upon seeing the dark dragon staring at her with its hungry, orange eyes. It took a step towards her, and she then saw its rider. Malekith narrowed his gaze, knowing that he had found his prize. Jane's fear grew as she knew that Sif and Faradei were now too far away to save her.
"Mjolnir! To me!"
The mighty hammer of the Thunder God smashed its way through the wall behind Zedonius, with the force of the blow knocking the massive dragon off balance. Mjolnir soared over Jane's head and into the hand of its owner, who stood in front to defend her. Aeltri then rushed out of her hiding spot, getting behind Thor.
"Princess?!" called Faradei.
In the moment of confusion, Sif held her sword into the air. Thor saw this and held out his hand.
"Sif! Don't! The Elves . . . .!"
"Heimdall!" yelled Sif. "Portal!
A white beam fell from the sky, enveloping Thor, Sif, Jane, Faradei and Aeltri. Zedonius saw this and leaped towards it, but was too late to stop their departure. Instantly, Malekith held up his hand.
"Enough! All forces, break off your attack! We're leaving."
Kurse, who had just walked through the open wall, looked at Malekith with confusion.
"Why?"
Malekith helped Kurse get onto Zedonius' back, sitting behind him. Zedonius then took off into the air as the remaining Harrows all began retreating, heading back for the Cryptorium.
"They have escaped," explained Malekith. "We have nothing further to gain in this battle, and we cannot afford to lose forces for no reason. Besides, the reckoning for the Light Elves can come later. Our true enemies . . . . are the Asgardians."