TFA: Deals with Our Devils

Chapter 15: The Fire and Muspelheim

After yesterday's encounter with the Norse Goddess simply known as, "Hel".

A mighty, "Craaaaassshhhh", echoed through the area as the black form of optimus was crunched up against the stone wall of the quarry with his battle-axe in hand.

Optimus stretched his blackened shoulder plates from the impact against the canyon wall of the quarry outside of the city while he let out a groan and a pop of his neck plates before pulling himself up, starring down his opponent as he did, "is that the best you got"? He muttered while walking forwards holding out his hand in a taunting posture while holding his smoldering battle-axe with his other hand.

His opponent let out a low growl through clenched teeth as it starred at him with its fiery eyes while it towered over him in comparison before smiling and letting out a chuckle at Optimus's gall.

"So, the stories are true, …. the one who fell into the abyss, rose amongst the ranks of the arenas of hell and starred it back in the face was, …. a cybertronian, …. Fascinating". He responded while deep in thought at this.

Optimus merely tilted his head while letting out an irritated growl through sharp fangs in response.

His opponent was a giant known as a fire-jotunn or a fire-giant for short who called himself "Baldric -The Flaming one", from what he announced, and optimus eyed him with suspicion as he was leaning over holding his hooked great sword for balance from Optimus's previous blow to the stomach, which knocked the wind out of him as he recovered, standing up in his full height of a dozen feet taller than megatron by comparison and rested his blade against his padded shoulder with chainmail going down his right arm more than his left.

Megatron was a tall, intimidating bot! But he looked weak by comparison!

His body looked like a Viking Raider with red fur-skins of fire and lava that were arranged in a typical tunic with pants and boots over his thickened muscles, like the surface of metal that was red-hot, …like the furs he was wearing were sporting fire in embers as was his sizzling, sparking, braided beard and Norse helmet complete with large red coals for eye sockets that were blazing with fire.

If anything, he looked intrigued at the darkness within Optimus, like he could see something past that which only beings like him could see.

Something past what happened to Optimus, something that was, "deeper", and already there to say the least.

Something strangely familiar to the one known as simply as, "Sutr", the fire-Giant who was their leader in their fiery realm.

"But that wasn't the issue".

"The issue was…".

Optimus eyed him with suspicion as he spoke his mind.

"You're from Muspelheim". He stated which earned him a nod from the Fire-Jotunn aka Fire-Giant.

"How did you find your way here"? He asked as his voice was steadily getting more of an edge to it.

"Through the world tree". Was Baldrick's simple reply

"Are you the only one who left your realm". Optimus asked.

This earned him a shake of Baldrick's fiery head indicating, "no".

"Your kind were locked in your realm by Odin, … how did you get out"? Optimus asked with a bit of an anger now to his voice thinking of the issues it could cause later on.

"Who's the one who holds the gate-keys to our realm. Was Baldricks simple reply that left a slightly fuming optimus who knew what he meant by that visibly and tensing as he listened.

"Shit"! "Odin let you out…."! He muttered under his breath wondering what was going through Odin's head that made him so desperate while he remembered the stories about the viscous all father that was incredibly brutal at times towards his enemies, and particularly Hel, and her family. "Especially Fredric". He thought to himself as he remembered the time, he heard the stories in his "Hellish Prison".

…

Fredric was from midguard which was an alternate earth filled with Vikings and ancient humans in times past so he would occasionally mutter things like, "how he tried to live a life worth living under the Gods eyes with dignity and respect, how he had some regrets, and how he was thrown out of his hold after his lustful relations with a witch after another, who turned out to be her vengeful sister, and how he was reduced to this sorry state he was in".

"I didn't die with dignity and honor due to my accursed state", he muttered out. "I died when the people of my hold cried out to the God, "Thor", to rid them of my existence as I wondered the countryside slaughtering livestock in my madness".

He paused before continuing, "imagine their surprise when Thor actually showed up in person with his hammer in hand itching for a fight", he said as he shook from the terror that went through him, rattling his bones, and armor as he did. "I can still feel the crushing weight of his blows as he tore me apart". As he held his bearded axe close to his chest with skeletal hands like it was the only thing keeping him sane.

Even worse happened after I died for good". He stated not looking up. "Hell", "Thor announced that his father had no interest in letting me have the peace of death so he would hand me over to Hel, under the condition she would in turn enroll me in the exchange I'm now in". He stated nearly weeping at this point. "And as he left, he said I would never see the corpse halls of my fellow warriors from now till Ragnarök".

"Then Thor bashed in my skull while zapping me with a lightning bolt a few dozen times". He stated with a bit of irony in his voice.

"So, what's your story"? He asked.

"…..".

"Ummm….". "Optimus"? He asked the crazy eyed, smiling Optimus with worry in his voice.

Optimus just sat there while wrapped in dark chains unflinching while they smoldered into his metal, all this while he was listening patiently to Frederic too.

The jailer with Sharp teeth and horns was kackling due to the fact that they, "meaning Optimus", was so broken in the head while watching the whole display and shaking his head in laughter.

"Damn we really screwed with his head, huh"?

"…".

Optimus didn't respond, he simply continued to smile all crazy-like. Until Fredric let out a sigh and laid down looking up at the ceiling with cages built into them that were still lined with energon blood from the cybertronian in front of him.

One thing was sure though, when Optimus returned to his world, "there will be hell to pay". And he pitied the poor souls that would endure his wrath.

That was a fact.

…

Baldrick eyed him like one would a wild animal who was pissed off about something that was threatening to burst if left unchecked.

"Apparently, that mention of Thor, Odin and his time being well, "dead", was a touchy subject for him for whatever reason". He thought to himself as he wasn't expecting his opponent's fuming reaction.

"GREAT, JUST WHAT I NEEDED"! Optimus suddenly shouted as he turned around and punched the wall of stone that he just landed in. Smashing a large chunk into shrapnel that went flying like bullets off to the side before a rather large slab of stone started to fall due to gravity, only for him to catch it a second later and hurled it at Baldrick.

Baldrick barely had time to widen his eyes and bring up his right left arm before it collided with his chest and hand knocking the wind, and flames out of him as he was hurled back into a construction crane with a mighty, "CRAAAAASH"! Reducing the boulder to rubble and causing the cranes arm to fall as it crumpled up under his searing fur-skins and the force of the impact.

His vision started to clear as he clenched his dented ego only for optimus to lunge into his vision while in mid-air with both his fists over his head and a look in his eyes that reminded Baldrick of berserkers of midguard that he heard about in some of the stories from times past.

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH"! Optimus was screaming as he landed on Baldrick smashing him into the ground as he did and making the fire-jotunn feel like his insides were crushed for the third time in a row.

Only worse happened from here on as optimus swung one fist down after another sending shockwaves through the air each time his fist made contact.

"BAM, BAM, THWACK, BAM, POW, THWACK, BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM, POW, THWACK, POW"! The quarry was rattling with pebbles dancing around on and off the ground as with every punch! While Baldrick let go of his sword which landed on the ground with a, "CLANG", noise as his fire, "…. was slowly dying down….", with every hit.

But I can't die till Ragnarök"? He whispered more to himself than optimus. As Optimus continued to pound away.

Optimus stopped his pounding suddenly and had a look on his face that indicated, "…. pity…..". for a few brief moments. Before clenching his head with his clawed, blackened hands in anger, more at himself than Baldrick.

He was hearing the voices of his early days at the arenas of hell again at this point, and he despised it!

"Every instinct told him to make a fresh kill, every fiber of his being was screaming for blood"!

"But….".

He looked down at Baldrick's dented helmet and, "….".

"….. Don't, confront me again". He whispered before getting up and walking away, leaving a stunned, slightly shocked Baldrick in the quarry.

He then turned into his truck form and pursued his original target a little way south of the quarry.

He already wasted enough time satisfying a would be, "Sutr".