Alfheim

There was nothing, absolutely nothing. Mangog had taken everything from Alfheim and now it was here all alone. Mangog began to think when it felt that need deep inside as its body started to contort. "What is happening?" it shouted in pain to the universe.

Mangog's body shrunk down to a more Asgardian sized frame, its large armored body calmed itself. Mangog stood up and took a deep breath. Mangog began to laugh, new power and it could feel everything it could have hoped for. "Odin" it said to itself realizing that it must have absorbed Odin's power when it killed him. With Odin's power anything could be possible and suddenly a new target entered Mangog's mind. There was new knowledge coming with the new power and it was a way from Alfheim to Nidavellir.

The Dwarves had spent years making weapons for the Asgardians and their allies and with their knowledge Mangog might just be able to reach Asgard and finish off Thor and the rest of Asgard. Mangog's new body seemed to be adjusting well as it began to flex it's muscles found the new power from Odin's soul to be more than enough to wipe out anyone it chose to and it was in that moment that Mangog discovered its destiny.

Mangog began marching to the secret pathway to Nidavellir, with a new destiny etched into its mind.

Niflheim

The bitter cold of Niflheim pierced Thor's soul as they stepped out of the Bifrost. Loki looked around to make sure that they were indeed in the Asgardian version of Hell. The smell of death permeated the air as a chilling wind blew cutting around the two brothers as Thor led Loki towards the fort that Odin had installed to prevent Hela from leaving her cell.

The fort was defended by an ever dwindling contingent of Valkyries, the greatest warriors of Asgard known for their loyalty to the crown. Thor had known many Valkyries over the years since he had enjoyed spending evenings with the new recruits before their posting on Niflheim. He was a different person now than he was then but he still hoped to make the visit quick to avoid any awkward situations.

They're walk seemed to go far longer than it should have when Loki noticed something was off. "I've seen something like this before" he said remembering back to a meeting with Amara years ago and she used a teleportation spell that made you reappear where you started after a certain distance. Thor looked at him but Loki didn't have time to explain when several Valkyrie jumped from seemingly out of nowhere and surrounded the brothers.

"What is your business?" one asked from in front of the group.

"I am Thor, son of Odin…the new King of Asgard" he stated with his hands in the air as the Valkyrie looked back and forth confused.

"You travel with Loki…a known fugitive of Asgard, also a well-known trickster. How can we be sure that you truly are Thor?" asked another from behind the group. A tall blond Valkyrie stepped forward in front of the group.

Thor recognized her as Brunnhilde, the commander of the Valkyries. "If you have a magic trap in the area around the fortress, I'm pretty sure you could tell the difference between a trick and the real thing" explained Loki who quickly found a spear point directed at his throat.

Brunnhilde looked at Loki and then at Thor and nodded "I don't need to be able to tell a difference part of this spell is to dispel any disguising magic." She waved the Valkyrie to lower their weapons Thor but kept them trained on Loki. "Here to inspect the fortress? Or here to fit Loki for some chains and a cell next to Hela's?"

Thor chuckled "Loki is here because I need him. Take us to the fortress we can discuss things there." The group led by Brunnhilde headed for Breidablik castle.

Breidablik Castle

The gates opened and Thor and Loki entered the castle that had clearly seen better days "We are still making repairs to the castle after Hela's escape attempt" explained Brunnhilde as they moved to the top of the wall that overlooked Hela's cell. Her cell didn't look anything special from a distance, just a dark cave in the middle of an icy plain but the amount of magic that surrounded the cave was extensive and it managed to hold one of the most powerful gods in the history of Asgard.

"We need to speak with Hela about something important" explained Thor getting a surprised Brunnhilde.

"I don't recommend meeting with her…she is more dangerous than ever and the numbers we lost during her last attempt will make it almost impossible to stop her if and when she tries again" Brunnhilde explained as Loki looked across the blizzard like conditions wondering how the Goddess of Death would feel knowing her brother was dead and that now they needed her help to stop the monster that did it.

"How did Odin…" started Brunnhilde but trailing off not wanting to finish the question hoping that if she avoided the question they wouldn't need to face it.

Thor put a hand on her shoulder "He died trying to save us all…and now we need Hela's help if we are going to finish what he started" he said as he nodded at Loki signaling that it was time to head for their Aunt's cell.

Thor and Loki stood alone at the gate that led to Hela's cell, neither brother had met Hela before, only Odin would visit from time to time in order to make sure things remained under control. The gate opened and the icy wind blew straight into Thor and Loki. Odin banished Hela soon after he destroyed Heven meaning she had been trapped in a small cave for a very long time, escape attempts happened from time to time but the Valkyries always held the line.

The walk was cold and Loki could feel the various magical traps and spells that were in the air and Loki wondered who Odin enlisted to help entrap the Goddess of Death. The land around the castle had a frozen layer on top of everything but a few trees and bushes were at least visible with a few small animals running around most likely living on the food stores the castle had used to keep the Valkyries alive and ready to fight. As they grew closer to Hela's cell they noticed that the ice layer grew thicker and the signs of life virtually disappeared.

They came within a few feet of the cave entrance when they felt something push them back a few feet. Thor looked around at the magic barrier "It's ok" stated Loki as he looked over the entrance "It's the first line of defense."

"Darling, the first line of defense is never where you want to be" came the calm, smooth, and cold voice of the Goddess of Death.