Author's Note: Okay, so with this chapter, I hope to move things up a gear and finally get to the gist of it... Thorki, obviously. Again, as a fair warning – describing battle scenes in detail is not my thing (and not really my particular field of interest either). They are there, and for the Avengers they are indispensable – they are a bunch of superheroes fighting for earth's good after all. Let's be honest. Hence, I try to keep it short and sweet (kinda). Focus is the people *that almost sounded poetic*.
As another warning, the villain I take is from Marvel universe, but I put him in a different plot, so Thor didn't meet him. And the description may be a bit inadequate. So this is, once again, AU (in AU). And I don't own him, obviously. I just thought he might be a... good villain to make it a challenge.
Anyway, hope you'll like it. If not... big sorry.
Read, review, enjoy ;)
What is desperation? First of all, it's torture. Desperation is that shameful, awful, terrifying, demolishing state of mind in which the lines between madness and real threat move so close together that they blur into shapes of pure terror. That feeling of your heart being ripped out of your ribcage with sharp fingernails and the strength of an ox, or a hundred. A sensation so strong that it tears you down from the very sky to the planet's core and back again. Desperation is being stripped of all securities, barriers, shields to hold you, protect you. Desperation is nakedness. You are left naked in a room that allows you merely to crouch. You cannot stand up. You cannot see, for it is pitch-black. You don't hear anything. You taste copper on your tongue. And your voice dies into such a faint whisper that you cannot even tell yourself what you scream out of your lungs so that they burn as though they were put in acid and are then melted. Desperation is the feeling of not just losing everything, but feeling this dreadful truth creeping up your spine that you already lost the fight long before you started it and that you are simply unable. No matter how much you fight, no matter how loud you scream, no one hears you, no one cares, nothing changes. Once desperation claimed you, you are perfectly alone. You are in that tiny cubicle, this dark box, locked in. The walls move close with every breath you take, which forces you to hold your breath to have a bit more time, if only just a second to cling on to the last bit of hope, the last straw, so tight that you draw blood running down your wrists, pooling underneath you in puddles of misery and your own shame. And pure desperation is the state that makes you move beyond yourself, jump ahead of yourself, crawl out of your own skin, skin yourself alive, with bare hands. If you are purely desperate, you do anything – and more. If you are purely desperate, life no longer matters to you. Nothing matters, just this desperation. And that it, please, please stops, somehow, anyhow. Just please. Yet... the circumstance remains that most of the time... no matter how desperately you try, you end up failing.
The Avengers have assembled in the HQ to discuss the next threat to humankind.
"So? What's on today's menu?" Tony asks, blinking at the screens.
"This alien," Coulson says, nodding at the screen in front of him. "It already destroyed half the city."
"How many losses?" Steve grimaces.
"We don't know yet. We just know that we have to move fast," Coulson sighs sadly.
"What do we know about it?" Clint asks.
"Just that it's strong, destructive, and doesn't stop short before... anything. We already sent combat aircrafts to get this straight, but nothing worked yet," Coulson grimaces.
"Plus, he came with an army," Fury says, pointing at the screen, where dozens and hundreds of footmen roam the streets and destroy everything coming their way.
"As Asgardians, did you ever encounter this monster?" Bruce turns to Loki and Thor.
"I know no such creature," Thor shakes his head.
"This is bad," Loki says, her eyes wide.
"So you know who that is?" Bruce asks, though he already knows the answer. If Loki tenses up like that, be sure she does so for a reason.
"This is Gorr," Loki says, her voice shaking lightly. "The God Butcher."
"That sounds morbid," Tony grimaces. Thor blinks at Loki, "How do you know him?"
"I crossed lines with him before," she admits.
"When?" Thor demands.
"On one of my voyages across the realms," she says, her emerald eyes glistering at the thunderer.
"You never told me about that," he argues. She certainly didn't.
"During that time we didn't talk at all. And since I have to admit that I lost this battle... I rather tried to forget about it. That was none of my brightest moments," she puckers her lips. No, Loki almost died in that battle. It was only thanks to a trick, of course, that he maneuvered himself out of it and made his way to another realm by jumping into a portal Gorr didn't know about. Yet, this day was tainted by loss and shame, and the faint bitter-sweet scent of death looming above his head.
"So what can you tell us about this guy?" Fury asks.
"He is out for vengeance, is extremely dangerous, absolutely ruthless, bears strength out of epic proportions... and he has the power and will to kill all Gods," she explains, hugging her arms. Even though she would love to deny it, it still sends shivers up her spine to think of that creature – and what he almost managed to do to the trickster, with so little effort.
"Well... that sucks," Tony grimaces. Normally, Loki and Thor (plus Hulk) are always the last resort. Those guys are Gods, so almost nothing can really beat them. Yet... to hear that there is someone who made it his daily business to kill Gods... that means it's really not looking good.
"To say the least. I barely survived this encounter, and the fight lasted no longer than a few minutes," she admits, biting her lower lip. Thor grumbles some incoherent curses to himself, probably more than angry that Loki almost got himself killed back then – and didn't bother to tell him. Though Loki ignores that... it shouldn't come to him as a surprise, given the circumstances and, well, her character.
"Do you know of any weaknesses?" Steve asks.
"Not really. As I said, the encounter was short – and I almost lost my life in this ambush. I didn't even stand a chance. All I know is that he can create those minions out of nothing, out of his dark energy, and each of them is very strong and follows his will. He is not only brutal and powerful, but also intelligent. And that is one of the greatest problems," Loki goes on. "... and that his strength grows with the absorption of... Gods' blood."
"What?" Natasha blinks at her.
"Blood is the essence's catalyst," Loki explains, but that doesn't really explain it.
"With essence she means soul," Thor scaffolds.
"Right. The soul, the unchangeable core, the I, the breath. Whatever you may call it. Yet, it remains, through the blood runs life energy, the soul's product. And Gorr learned how to make use of that. Once a godly enemy starts to bleed, it will only make him stronger," Loki puckers her lips, shuddering at the memory. The God Butcher also tried to get the trickster's energy from his blood. It almost killed him when the life force was practically sucked out of his body, pulled out with such force that Loki was perfectly convinced that he would die on these battlegrounds.
"So... alien vampire out of proportions," Tony sums up with growing discomfort.
"I suppose," Loki shrugs. "The only thing I see is that we have to make sure that he doesn't get too much energy from us."
"So... we mustn't bleed," Thor grimaces. That will be hard to accomplish in the course of battle, especially against such a strong enemy such as Gorr seemingly is.
"Yes. Though it will remain that we, along with Bruce, will have to fight him. We are the only ones who have godly powers that might match his... if we work together," Loki explains.
"So we cut the team into two squads, we humans, safe for Bruce, take on the footmen, while you three take on the boss," Steve suggests.
"That is the only way I see that we may gain the upper hand. I hope that the amplifiers will help us at least a bit in the course of the battle, but... I can't tell for sure," Loki grimaces, before she turns to Thor and Bruce, "As for us three, since I'm, sadly, not the one bearing most physical strength, I'd suggest that I act rather as the tactician. You move as I coordinate our attacks, I'd say."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Bruce nods.
"Yes," Thor agrees.
"Alright, guys, let's get ready! We're leaving!" Steve tells them, clapping his hands together. The others nod in agreement and head out. Soon, they find themselves on the battleground, which used to be a town before. Everything lays in ruins. Fire, smoke, ashes, debris, wrecks, and the faint smell of burned flesh roams through the empty streets.
"This looks even worse than New York under the Chitauri... and New York under the Chitauri was already apocalyptic," Tony grimaces, looking around.
"That's just sick," Natasha shakes her head with disgust.
"Alright, we should spread out. We have to cover a big area... so... Clint and Tony, you head west, Natasha and I head east, and you three... go ahead, try to find the boss," Steve suggests.
"Alright, Legolas, let's give some footmen hell," Tony says. Clint rolls his eyes as they spread out. Natasha and Steve nod at each other wordlessly before heading out themselves. Bruce, Thor and Loki walk ahead, eyes searching, hearts pounding, fists clenching.
"So keep in mind, we have to make sure that we bleed as little as possible. That means we have to draw back if needed. I know that this is nothing you like for a fighting style, but it will backfire on us greatly," Loki tells Thor.
"So we have to retreat," Thor grimaces.
"If needed, yes," Loki agrees, but then turns to Bruce with a grimace. "And that means that there's even more pressure on you, Bruce."
"Yes. Hulk no God," he grunts.
"So don't stay close to him for more than a few seconds. One attack, then retreat. He can create weapons out of his body – and he will use them," she speaks to Bruce, who nods. Loki wants to say something, but that is when suddenly black lightning erupts from the sky above. It is only thanks to her fast reflexes that she managed to create a protective shield around them.
"As it seems... the boss found us," Loki grimaces as the black light dies away. And that is when Gorr lands in front of them. A creature with grey skin and a black ragged cloth. He smiles at them wickedly.
"Gods," he snarls. However, he then tilts his head as his eyes fall on Loki. "I know you from somewhere."
"We fenced before," Loki nods, her features grim.
"... Loki...," he grins mischievously.
"You still remember me, then," she huffs. "I already feared I didn't leave a lasting impression."
"How comes you are a woman now?" he asks.
"I'm a God, what can I say?" she retorts smugly.
"And for that you'll pay," he grits his teeth – and that is when Gorr changes his right arm into a black sword and starts to attack. The three jump back to avoid him.
"Bruce! You go first, try to get a hold of him, but avoid the sword, it's dark energy," Loki tells the Hulk over the comm. Bruce nods and then lunges at Gorr, but the villain simply escapes from his grip before he can hold on to him.
"Thor, stay where you are. I will try to cover the area above so Bruce can grab him. Once he does, you have to strike with all your might," Loki says as she jumps on one of her disks.
"Alright," Thor nods, his eyes already scanning for the right moment to come.
"I will soon taste your blood again, God of Mischief," Gorr laughs as he fires dark energy her way. "And that will be your end."
One of the spheres hits Loki and she is thrown into a building. Gorr laughs out loud when suddenly she is above him, flashing a brief smirk before she tries to ram one of her daggers into his scalp. Gorr grasps her hand and twists it back, "Nice trick, God, but that's over now."
Yet, she winks with her other hand as she disperses into thin air, too. In that same moment, a flash of green energy hits him in the back, though it doesn't have the greatest effect, it serves at least as enough distraction to make him turn around to see Loki winking at him mockingly, "Not yet."
Gorr grunts and wants to attack her, but that is when the Hulk jumps him from behind, "Pitiful butcher!"
Bruce tackles him to the ground, but then jumps back off, just as Loki instructed him to. Gorr wants to get back up and strike again, but that is when Thor brings down his hammer on him. Gorr is further pushed into the ground, but quickly recovers and tries to catch Thor with a flash of black energy, but Loki creates a protective shield in front of the thunderer to prevent further harm.
"You will pay for this!" Gorr cries out, creating more footmen he sends after Loki, which forces her to give up on the protective shield for Thor. Gorr uses the opportunity to charge him while Loki is bound to deal with the footmen, who manage to tear her to the ground. Thor has his good trouble keeping Gorr away from him, but thanks to Bruce, he is at least having a fair chance to dodge and actually attack.
"I killed many your like," Gorr tells Thor as his sword collides with Mjölnir.
"And I killed many of yours," Thor grits his teeth, pushing him back.
"How would you tell, God of Thunder, hm? You never saw me before," he snarls. "I'm the unknown threat to you Gods. The unspoken terror. The inescapable doom."
"I may not know you, but I killed enough madmen to know that one is standing in front of me now," Thor grunts as he swings Mjölnir again. Gorr growls at him as he strikes again, but this time Bruce smashes into his side. Thor uses the momentum to deliver another swing of the hammer right at Gorr's chest. Loki shifted one a dagger of hers into a spear to kill one of the footmen, while simultaneously she is talking over the comm, "Do you have our coordinates, Captain?"
"Yeah, we're trying to keep them from getting there," Steve confirms, smashing one of them with his shield while Natasha is busy shooting them.
"Good, you have to keep that up," she grunts as she kicks one of the minions into the ground. "That is the only way we can reduce interferences."
"Just tell us what you need," Tony grins smugly. "We are at your service, your Highness."
Loki rolls her eyes as she sends one of her daggers through a minion's eye. The footman laughs darkly and rips the dagger out, but Loki shrugs as the dagger explodes in his hands, successfully killing him.
"Now let's get back to the real work here," she grunts, now finally free of the footmen. Lokispots Thor, Bruce, and Gorr quite easily and makes her way over to them. Just follow the path of destruction. Gorr doesn't cut her a break, though, but immediately seeks to attack her, throwing dark energy her way. She blocks the attacks by deflecting the rays of dark light only enough to pass her by. Loki knows she can't absorb the attacks if she is that close, but she can at least alter the route.
"Your trick is growing old," she snarls before she sends energy blasts his way. To her surprise, Gorr actually manages to deflect her attacks by changing his sword into a kind of mirror – and send them back at her. The trickster has no chance to block the attack and is thrown to the ground, leaving her breathless and on the verge of consciousness.
"Loki!" Thor cries out before he charges Gorr again with Mjölnir. Loki tries to straighten up, feeling utterly disappointed that she didn't think of it that he may deflect the attack in that way. He did not only mirror her attack, but he actually increased the intensity. She grits her teeth as she comes back up again, but needs another moment to regain focus. She brushes a hand over the back of her head, but when she brings the palm to her eyes, there is blood on it.
"Darn," she hisses. Loki wants to heal herself before Gorr catches the scent of her blood, but as if on cue, the villain turns around with a wicked smirk on his face. Thor is about to strike him when suddenly a black sphere engulfs Gorr and sends Thor crashing into one of the buildings. Bruce also tries his luck, but it has the same effect – only that he is tossed away even further. Gorr then starts to walk up to Loki, slowly, dangerously, self-consciously, "Tsk. I told you that I'd taste your blood soon again, trickster."
Loki scrambles backwards, feeling that familiar cold-hot pull all the way up her spine. She gasps against the pain evading her body as Gorr holds out his hands triumphantly, now with new energy surging him.
"You know that you are one of the weakest Gods I ever met, right?" Gorr laughs. Loki tries to concentrate on closing the wound, but Gorr's hold on her life-force is clouding her mind.
"Then you never met... some of Thor's family, ah!" she hisses. "Some are just too dumb to be true."
"Oh, don't worry, I plan to kill all of Asgard, too," Gorr smirks viciously.
"... that's nothing I'd mind," she manages to grin at him. "Let's just say they are no longer my most-supported team."
"All Gods have to fall," Gorr declares, now looming over Loki. "And that means even the dumbest and smallest of them all."
He grabs her by the throat and lifts her off the ground, choking her. Loki struggles against his grip, gagging.
"Now, now, finally losing your voice, God of Mischief? You told too many lies. I should just crush your windpipe. And then kill you, of course. But that way we could make sure that you don't talk even after you start to decay," he snarls, but before he can carry on to taunt her, lightning strikes him and throws him through the air. Bruce, who used the time to get atop of the building he was smashed into, jumps atop Gorr and smashes him down into the ground, leaving a huge crater behind.
"Loki? Are you alright?" Thor asks hurriedly as his eyes fall on the woman, who is actually still sitting on the ground where Gorr thought he had grabbed her, though he only got a hand on one of her illusions.
"Yes," she grunts, now finally able to use her magic to heal her wound, and stopping Gorr from gaining power through that, too. Thor holds out his hand to her, and she allows him to pull her up.
"Do you have any plan?" Thor asks, his eyes focused on the crater.
"Not really," she puffs. "... Though we could try to attack simultaneously."
"What? That's what we did all the while," Thor argues.
"No, I mean... simultaneously," she grimaces. And Thor gets the idea. The two Norse Gods nod at each other curtly before they run ahead to where Gorr is punched into the ground, though it looks like the Hulk is the hammer, while Gorr is the stake that is rammed into the dust.
"Bruce," Loki says over the comm. "Move away as far as you can."
Bruce grunts, visibly disappointed, but then he lets go and retreats. At that point, Loki couldn't be gladder that the amplifier for him actually makes him act more reasonably.
"Lady's first?" Thor asks with a smug grin tugging at his lips.
"Oh, so considerate," she snickers before she sends a blast of green energy in Gorr's direction. The Butcher smirks as he creates the mirror again, but once the energy reaches him, it's too late for him to realize that Thor sent Mjölnir through the blast of energy. The hammer crashes the mirror into millions of dark shards and the green light reaches through to Gorr, knocking him further away, leaving a huge crater behind. Thor summons Mjölnir back before he sends another set of lightning raining down on Gorr.
"Bruce, you can smash some more if you want," Loki tells the Hulk with a smile, who grins broadly as he jumps ahead to keep Gorr occupied a bit longer.
"His powers are fading," Loki tells Thor. "But there's still much left... and sadly, he gained some more power through me."
"That is not your fault," Thor argues, trying to offer a bit of comfort.
"Oh, we have to move...," she sighs, nodding ahead, where the Hulk is blown away by a huge explosion of black energy, miles away, while at the same time he is covered in dozens and hundreds of footmen that attack him.
"Bruce? Do you need our help?" Loki asks over the comm.
"No, puny minions mine," comes the curt reply.
"That means it's us two for now," Loki shrugs at the thunderer.
"Two Gods against one Butcher, I think we have good chances," Thor smirks self-consciously before he swings his hammer and takes off into the air. Loki rolls her eyes as she starts to run ahead also. It feels like it used to, like it should. For the first time in a long time, Loki feels as though they finally managed to meet on common ground, even if it is the battleground. Gorr, meanwhile, partly recovered already, and is ready to fight back. He shoots a burst of dark energy Thor's way.
"You will lose this fight, Gods," Gorr laughs evilly as he transforms his sword into a whip pulsing with a black-violet flux of energy. He wields the dark weapon and brings it down in Loki's direction. She escapes by jumping on one of her energy shields. Yet, without her notice, the whip, much like a snake lying in wait for the mouse to move, comes up behind her. The whip wraps around her throat and pulls tight. Loki gags as she is pulled back, her energy shield fading away beneath her feet.
"You escaped me once, God of Mischief, but that's over now," Gorr laughs as he winds up the whip.
"Oh-oh," Loki manages to choke sarcastically before she finds herself high in the air – and then deep in the ground. Thor growls angrily before he swings Mjölnir in Gorr's direction, so that he lets go of Loki, but Gorr suddenly pulls at the whip to bring Loki up in front of him. Thor's eyes widen at the realization that the Butcher is using her as a shield. The thunderer tries to pull up, but it's too late. The two gods collide, though he manages to bring Mjölnir above Loki's head, though both still end up in a heap of limbs in yet another crater. Loki hastily grabs on to the whip to get a stretch of stretch of the black string, fearing that Gorr will go for the next round of Toss The God, but she can already feel the tug against her throat. She wants to croak something, but gladly, Thor holds on to the string, leaning against it with all his might. Loki quickly grabs her dagger and cuts the whip. Once the whip tears into two, Thor quickly lets go of the part leading to Gorr and removes the whip still biting into the trickster's throat. Once it comes off, Thor throws it away as fast as possible. Loki grasps her throat as oxygen finally floods her body again.
"Easy, easy," Thor mutters, concern washing over him.
"You... almost killed me...," she brings out.
"You were in the way," Thor retorts helplessly. She wants to say something in return , but then the trickster suddenly, Loki pulls him down by the collar and close to herself. Thor blinks for a second, but that is when he feels the draft of dark energy above him. It is only thanks to Loki's shield that the attack didn't hit them. The energy rages above them and Loki has to put everything into it to keep the shield up. She is already weakened thanks to the whip, so she has to keep Thor close to herself, or else the shield would fail her.
From the corner of his eye, Thor detects a faint dark object to his left. He blinks against the blur of green and black. Thor stretches out his arm to catch what turns out to be Gorr's whip, which is now moving on its own – and actually for Loki. She glances at him briefly, but has to concentrate on the shield. Thor means to toss the thing aside, but suddenly the whip spirals up the thunderer's arm before he can even react, all the way up to his throat. It then transforms into a huge crystal that extends all the way into the side of his throat, breaking through flesh, tearing it apart. Loki glances at Thor in terror. His terror glances back at her. Blood trickles down from his wound on her cheek before he collapses to the side in a bony heap.
That is when something breaks. Ruptures. Time freezes. Shatters. And above it all looms the evil laughter of the Butcher. The hangman. Loki lets out an inhuman growl as she sends her shield ahead to crash against Gorr, knocking him off his feet. The trickster uses the moment to roll over Thor, who is on the verge of consciousness, blood pooling beneath him. Loki's hands hover over his body, "No, no, no, no, no, no."
Even if it is not her wound, she can feel the pull of energy leaving Thor's body, just to be fed to the Butcher like ambrosia. There is just too much blood. Too much energy gone. Oh, by the Gods! No!
"Don't you dare die on me," she grits her teeth as she works to fix the wounds. "Or else you will suffer my rage for all eternities. You hear me?!"
Really, if he dares to die on her, Loki will make him suffer even more!
"He is doomed to death," Gorr snickers as he sends a sphere of energy their way, but Loki doesn't even turn. "All Gods are meant to fall."
Her protective shield pulsates so strong that the recoil reaches all the way back to Gorr, who is surprised by her sudden increase in strength. Yet, Loki doesn't even realize. She only has eyes for Thor at this very moment.
The God of Mischief does her best to stop the bleeding so Gorr may not take more of Thor's essence, but soon dread claims her. Loki can't heal the wound, it's too deep, so deep it reached all the way into his soul. Darkness claims him. Thor fades away beneath her fingertips. And here she is, Loki thinks to herself, believing that they could win, not only this battle, but their own. That they could work together, fight alongside. That they would manage, somehow, anyhow, but... it just seems to be Loki's fate that whatever the trickster sees in the future, it won't come about. And even if it does, it shatters like glass, and the glass turns to sand, and the sand is then cast into all winds, and is never found again. Loki's life is a life of loss, as it seems. Whatever she dares to hold close, hold dear, have around, it's ripped from her hands and leaves nothing but scars behind. Loki runs a bloody hand over the side of his cheek, a sole tear running down her face.
"I'm sorry," she croaks before she removes her hand from him. "That is all I can do for now. But you have to hold on. Or woe betide you."
To keep the blood from gushing out of Thor's wound, she creates a protective shield just above his skin, a magical tourniquet. Thor scrambles on the ground, gasping for air and against pain and it tears Loki apart to see him like this.
"Shh, shh. Lie still. Lie still! You mustn't move, Thor," she tells him, clasping his cheek, leaving bloody smears behind. "I know it hurts, but you have to keep still or you will fade even faster."
Just when does it stop to hurt? Just when does the pain stop?!
This was not supposed to happen. Thor mustn't die, he cannot. Or Loki will collapse with him. There is no world without him in it, at least there is not to Loki - as hurtful and pitiful as it is.
Desperation pulls at Loki, long tentacles of pure darkness suffocating her, so tight that she can feel his pain as her own, and beyond. There is nothing she can do for him now. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. If only that madman's laughter would finally end, she thinks to herself, as Gorr's throaty laughter evades her ears once again. It makes her skin crawl all the way up to her head. It's this creature that is threatening her everything and nothing. And that is the moment desperation has to make space for purity. Pure anger.
She brushes a shaky hand over Thor's cheek another time as she whispers, "Hold on."
Loki stands up and turns around, her eyes stern, features grim.
"Now, did I hurt your boyfriend?" Gorr huffs playfully as the woman walks closer, her eyes now shimmering in a bright flash of green, so bright that you can no longer see her irises.
"You picked the wrong God to challenge, Butcher," she snarls. Gorr stays unimpressed.
"You are no challenge to me, God of Mischief. You should see that. I already killed your superior. Your green monster is no God – and has enough to do with my Berserks. The same for the rest of your team. It's only a matter of minutes until I will crush them all, the way you Gods like to do," Gorr tells her, but still, Loki walks on, not wavered in the least.
"So? What do you think will you be able to change, God of Mischief? If you fail to even save this team of yours?" Gorr taunts her. "If even your much stronger godly fellow fails?"
"You made one huge mistake," Loki says, her voice vibrating in her chest.
"And that would be?" Gorr huffs. "That I hurt him? Aw, is the God of Mischief suddenly so attached to the other Gods? And here I thought you were lone fighter."
"Your mistake was to make me angry," she sneers. Gorr just lets out another laugh, "That doesn't scare me."
"Oh, it should, Butcher. Because once I get really angry, absolutely angry, my mind is as clear a crystal," she tells him.
"And what does your crystal-clear mind tell you? To run? To weep his loss? Get killed? Kill yourself?" Gorr snorts.
"No, that I finally understood your secret," she replies.
"What secret would that be?" Gorr huffs.
"That darkness long since has you," Loki tells him.
"That is no secret," Gorr huffs. "I butcher Gods."
"Well, but there is one thing you don't know about me yet," she argues.
"And that would be?" Gorr asks, already reshaping his black sword, ready to strike.
"That my heart is darkness, too," she smiles grimly. "And that I thus command all darkness inside the both of us."
Gorr just snorts before he starts to run ahead to strike her with his sword. Loki simply walks on in a slow pace towards him. They are only inches apart when he raises the sword to bring down on her, but the blade stops only an inch before her face. Gorr stares at the trickster, since his arm won't move, neither does his body.
"What... are you... doing?" he brings out.
"I can influence people with bad thoughts when on a good day," Loki explains with unnatural calm. "But a creature with only darkness in it... a creature that brought me to a state of pure anger... I can control even on a bad day. I control your darkness. And thus you. Because it is you. You are pure darkness. And that is your weakness. That is why you'll fall."
"But... how's that... possible?" Gorr stammers. She shouldn't be that strong. He almost killed the trickster the last time he's seen him. He killed the stronger one. How can she control him? How is that possible? How can that God surpass him?
"Desperation," Loki breathes against his cold skin. She never felt this angry, never felt this desperate, never so strong that it tears her apart. And the trickster felt angry for all his life. Yet, this creature dared to destroy her everything and nothing, her sweet little chance of maybe. Now there is just nothing to hold her. The mirror broke. The shards are sand and cast into the winds. There is nothing to control her anymore. Darkness has Loki at this very moment. And darkness means to destroy the source of the problem, Gorr. Means to destroy everything around it. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. It is a strength she never thought she could possess, let alone grasp. For this power to unleash, you have to lose everything. You have to let go of everything. You have to see nothing, except for one thing: darkness. Embrace it. Let it flood you. Destroy you. And rebuild you again. And Loki sees nothing, hears nothing. There is just Gorrand her, and only darkness between them.
"I just understood, you know? I cannot beat you. I can fire at you whatever I want... I won't win. But you can," she breathes. Gorr fights back with all his might, but Loki doesn't let him, instead, his sword suddenly goes down, moving on its own. Gorr stares at his sword, the dark extension of himself. This can't be. No, no, no! This God can't beat him. This God is no match to him.
"How does that feel, huh? This pull? This helplessness? This certainty that this is the end?" Loki snarls. "Let me tell you, that is... fear."
Gorr tries with all his might to break free from her magic, but it doesn't work. Instead, he rams the sword into his chest, again and again, before he goes on to decapitate himself in one mighty strike, leaving one part as two, the butcher as meat. Gorr's body falls to the ground, the head falls next to it. Loki glances at the body for a few seconds as her eyes return to their normal emerald shade.
She would love to violate that piece of decaying flesh a bit longer, but she is already running back over to Thor. She slides down on the ground next to him. His features are pale, sunken in, hollow. Loki touches the thunderer's chest and can detect a faint heartbeat beneath her fingertips, though it is only thanks to her magic that she can detect it. Thor is on the edge, if not already across it.
"Loki? What's going on with you guys?!" Steve asks over the comm, now standing in a heap of footmen.
"Thor is down," Loki brings out.
"What's his status?" Natasha asks.
"He won't last long," Loki grits her teeth against the tears evading her vision.
"We're moving to your location," Steve tells her in a futile attempt to reassure the trickster in some way.
"Is Banner there to help?" Clint asks.
"There's nothing he could do," Loki shakes her head. She knows. It's too late. Too deep. There is no one to help Thor with whatever potion they might have in store.
"What? Of course. We can treat him," Steve reassures her quickly, sensing her distress.
"No! You can't! You are no Gods! You cannot treat a God beyond a certain level!" she cries out. They don't understand it. At some point human medicine simply fails. And Thor is long since past that point already. And that is when realization dawns on her. Humans cannot help, but Gods maybe.
"Loki," Natasha wants to say, but Loki interrupts her with a hiss, "No word. From anyone. I will try something, but for that you mustn't interrupt me. No matter what happens."
"What are you...," Tony means to ask, but Loki snarls, "No. Word."
This is the only chance. That is the last resort. The last straw. The final game. She is a God. Loki knows that this might mean that both lose their lives, but... no but, she simply has to. Has to. There is no way she could live with this. Could live without... him. So be it that it kills them both, she has to try, bring him back, back from the very bottom of his soul.
Loki closes her eyes, her hands resting on Thor's chest, near his weakened heart.
"Odin, if you hear this: If you let your son die like this, you truly are a joke of a man," Loki mutters under her breath before she starts to mumble chants in a foreign language. She bobs from right to left as the energy surges within her. Green light flickers from her fingertips and falls down on his Thor's chest, just to pulse back to her, creating a line between them. The actions of a desperate woman, Loki reminds herself. This is pure desperation. She can't lose him. Mustn't. Cannot. Mustn't. Cannot. No. No. No. And that is why. That is why she moves as far as she does. Only for him she'd make that step. Desperation. Loki concentrates even more, trying to sink into the flux of energy and thus into Thor's very soul.
Darkness falls upon her. Silence. Stasis. She leaves her body behind, Thor's body, the battlefield, far, far away, far deeper into the mind, deeper into the soul. And the deeper she reaches, the more Loki has to let go, has to peel away the layers she likes to conceal, reserve. Hidden feelings are exposed like a wound to the first brush of air. The deeper she falls, the deeper she reaches, the truer she becomes. The more she leaves behind, the more exposed she is. Naked. Desperate. Exposed. Until nothing but raw soul remains.
But suddenly she can detect a spot of light, a flickering light, a candle, no more. She floats towards it as new voices flood her, voices not her own, thoughts not hers, yet, emotions for her. True. Honest. Pure. The closer she comes to that flickering light in the darkness, the louder voices become, the clearer it becomes that it is just one. His. His soul. She reaches into the light, but she can't touch it. She tries another time. Yet, nothing happens. Maybe he is too far gone after all. Maybe it's too late.
Suddenly, however, the light extends, reaches back, engulfs her, and she opens her eyes to see a grey sky above her, along with skyscrapers in ruins. Loki glances down at Thor, in the hope to detect only the slightest sign of movement. Life. Yet, she finds nothing but pale skin and dried blood in the sand. It didn't work. Loki failed, again. All she can do is fail. She is a failure. Cursed child. Left to die. And now she tore Thor down along with her. Tears now freely run down her cheeks, washing away some of the dust to reveal pale skin again. Her head starts to swim. Dizziness overtakes her. If she were to die now, Loki wouldn't mind. Everything is in ruins, so what does she care? It's over anyways.
But that is when Thor gasps, his chest heaving, eyes far open, life returning to him as fast as it vanished. Their eyes meet, but they fail to utter words, fail to comprehend. The world stands still only turns again once she hears Bruce over the comm, shouting her name.
"He's alive...," Loki breathes, eyes still on Thor's.
"What?!" all Avengers cry out simultaneously.
"He's... alive... he needs... immediate treatment... two Avengers down in... 3, 2, 1...," Loki hums weakly as her head falls back and she collapses.
"Loki? Loki?" Thor brings out, fear tugging at him as he sees Loki collapse on her back. He tries to get to her, grab her hand, but once he is only inches from her fingertips, he collapses also.
Darkness claims them.