I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
Long ago.
It was spring in Asgard, and petals of millions of flowers flew into the skies thanks to the peaceful breeze.
Asgard was at peace as it continued striving to become a significant force amongst the many pantheons of Yggdrasil. It was barely a collection of villages that were getting used to the new reign of Odin and his siblings.
While most adults continued to work and deal with their daily lives, a duo of siblings was practicing with their powers away from the villages.
The loud sound of thunder strikes alerted the adults to the actions of the oldest of the pair. The adolescent was around 16 years and was as tall as any adult, taller than his own father due to his genetic heritage. His long red braids reached the lower part of his back, and his amber eyes showed annoyance.
Several wood targets had been placed around him, and some were drastically charred due to the attacks of the young god.
"Relax, brother. A clear mind will help you, but one clouded with anger will be your demise." A blonde boy said as small animals and birds surrounded him.
"I know, Baldur. I know." The young redhead god said. His hands started to accumulate electricity as he took several deep breaths.
Baldur continued to watch his brother with high expectations. "You can do it, Thor; I know you can do it."
The blonde child god watched Thor blast the targets with his electricity spheres. The targets were placed all around the area, and many were placed in places where "civilian" targets were also set. The objective of the practice was to learn how to control the attacks and the strength behind each one.
Thor was destined to join the legions of their father, and having one member become a double-edged sword that could eliminate his allies by mistake was a massive no in their book.
Minutes came and went as Baldur continued to reset the targets with the help of his animal and plant friends, while Thor got more use to his powers.
As he watched his older brother, he saw how Thor's electricity slowly tried to take the shape of a weapon. His brother had no attitude toward standard weapons such as swords, axes, or spears; all of them were broken after a few swings. They were still looking for something that would match his raw strength.
Baldur's eyes grew wide with interest as he saw what his brother was doing, but the nightmare began as soon as he saw what it was.
"A hammer?" Baldur's vision began to distort as the sight before him activated a dormant power inside. The environment changed to resemble that of a battlefield covered in flames and bodies. It was Asgard but far too different from the one he knew.
Mangle corpses of Asgardian forces covered the land. Lakes of blood began to form as more victims were slain on all sides of the conflict. Baldur tried to move, but his body wasn't listening to him. He wanted to scream out, but his voice couldn't be heard.
As his eyes tried to find some help, he found carnage and no survivors. In the distance, he could see the gigantic figure of a serpent fighting against a tall god with a hammer. Each strike between them shook the land as neither seemed to be willing to back down.
"Thor? A serpent? What is happening here?"
Then, Baldur's eyes grew wide in fear after seeing a large wolf with the mangled corpse of his father in its mouth approaching him.
"No, no, this can't be real."
"Ragnarok will come." Sinister voices called out to him.
The wolf approached him with crimson eyes filled with anger and bloodlust.
"No, this is all a dream."
"Ragnarok, the fall of Asgard. All will come in due time. The curse brought upon all of you by Odin's actions." The sinister voices continued.
"Stop it. No, this can't be real. Brother, help me." His eyes saw past the approaching wolf and focused on the fight in the distance.
The god of thunder and the gigantic snake clash once more. The head of the snake was smashed into guts and fluids but said fluids also reached Thor's body.
The screams of the thunder god were heard all across the battlefield as his melting body fell to the floor.
"No, no, no, Thor!"
"Baldur, wake up!" A voice called out to him.
Thor's POV.
The young god of thunder held the body of his convulsing half-brother. Baldur's eyes shone with mysterious yellow energy while he screamed for help.
"Come on, Baldur. Come back to me." Thor did his best to bring Baldur back from his trance, but in the end, the young god fell unconscious in his arms. As he held Baldur in his arms, Thor couldn't help but worry for his safety. "What can all this be? Father might know what to do."
As he carried his brother in his arms, Thor flew back to his home for help.
Back to the present, General POV.
Thor's eyes met those of Baldur. The god of Thunder felt a growing pain in his chest as he saw the expression his younger sibling was making. So many centuries have come and gone since their youth. He had protected Asgard, Baldur, and his father, but now he knew he had to take a step forward without Baldur.
Asgard was no longer the home he knew, and under Odin's leadership, doom was soon to follow his family and those who trusted him.
As his beloved wife supported his weight, Thor took a deep breath. "I have been alive for a long time, Baldur. I saw your birth, your early life, and your adulthood; I met Siff and fell in love with her, I had children, I raised them; I made mistakes raising them; I made amends for said mistakes; I made allies, and I lost many allies as well, I killed many, I forgave a few, I made many mistakes, but overall I learned many lessons. I believed in my father for a long time, but maybe he had lost his way since the beginning. Baldur, I promised to protect you, but things have changed. Father has gone too far and is willing to sacrifice all of us for his goals. Have you ever been to that laboratory of his? Have you ever seen what he has planned and what he has done inside that room? I did, and I saw our Father's twisted nature in the flesh inside that lab. Look at Liv and her fellow Valkyries and what he has done to their bodies."
Liv and her team members bite their lips in anger at what they had to endure. The eyes of Ymir and several of its internal organs were forcefully transplanted into Liv and Rossweisse. Astrid, the Valkyrie, standing next to Modi, had her two arms replaced with Ymir, while Gertrud, standing next to Magni, had her two legs replaced with Ymir's.
Neither wanted any of it, yet they were forced to become lab rats for Odin's experiments.
"They-" Thor's voice stops Baldur.
"Don't lie to yourself or try to make excuses for any of it. Instead of protecting them, Father used our allies as lab rats. All of you want to ignore it even if it's in front of your eyes, but I won't. I won't deny the cruel actions of my father. Ymir is trapped inside that lab, as he has been since day one, and instead of offering him a merciful death, our father and leader have used him as a long-time subject for his experiments. Who says the next step won't be forcing everyone in Asgard to do the same? Is everyone going to have their bodies altered for Father's plan? Father's obsession with control and Ragnarok won't stop until you choose to stop him. But I won't stay and wait around until you open your eyes. I won't sacrifice my family or allow these valkyries to continue to endure this abuse. Get out of our path." Thor says with a loud voice.
Baldur and his forces step back after seeing his eyes filled with determination, and even if he was weakened due to his injuries, none dared to face him.
"But Asgard is your home!" Baldur claimed.
"A home in which he doesn't feel safe," Asia says. "Is this how family members should treat each other? Look at him, look at your brother, and tell me that Odin cares about him."
"You-" Baldur tries to talk but stops as Asia reveals her face. "You're a child."
"I am, but that doesn't mean I'm ignorant of what is happening here. Look at your brother and tell me with a stray face that all of this is what a home should be. Look into my eyes, Baldur, god of light, and tell me, a human, that your father's actions are correct. Thor went and protected humanity and Gaia from a common enemy while all of you stayed here, ignoring the prayers of millions. So he comes back, and instead of being welcomed back, he's attacked and tortured. Tell me that this is a home he should come back to." Asia says as she takes a step forward.
The Asgardians point their weapons at her, yet the young exorcist doesn't back down.
Baldur is in complete silence as he sees the expression on Asia's face. "She could be as young as Forceti, yet she's here standing in front of a god with no fear in her eyes. Why? Why is someone so young judging me so openly?"
Baldur can't move an inch as he feels threatened by Asia's determination. As her words and those of Thor's repeat themselves repeatedly inside his mind, Baldur throws in the towel. "... You are right. I have averted my eyes to every misdeed and malicious action Father has done. I don't know what's inside the lab, but I know whatever it is, he used it to do that to Liv and the others. We all know he did something horrible. I apologize for ignoring your claims, but what can we do?"
Asia and the rest of the group watch as Baldur starts to cry and falls to his knees.
"What can I do to stop him? Father is a warrior; I'm none of that. Any signs of rebellion are answered with violence by him. I don't want to kill him either, he is my father, and I couldn't forgive myself if I took a blade and stabbed him in the back." Baldur says.
The guards are left speechless as they see their leader crying. Their hearts ache as they understand the pain of being unable to take such a step. Odin was too important to Asgard, and killing him in such a devious manner would likely leave scars that couldn't be healed.
Tannin shakes his head in disapproval. "Violence is not always the answer. If you really want things to change, you must convince him with words, but that can happen after we're gone. So, for now, we need to get out. Odin won't stop, and if he sees what we're doing, he will kill Thor and the rest before they set foot out of Asgard."
"Get out of our way and forget that you even saw or spoke to us," Thor says.
The guards lower their weapons and move aside, but Baldur stays in place.
"Thor, brother. Is this the only way? Are you really going to leave all of us and go on your own?" Baldur asks his brother.
Thor sights. "This is the path that we have to take. You and Asgard need to grow independently, and Siff, the kids, the Valkyries, and I owe the alliance our collaboration. They came for us, and we must repay such a debt. Maybe one day we'll meet again. Maybe we'll even come back, but until then, the rest is up to all of you."
Asia's helmet hides her face once more, and she leads the group past Baldur and the rest.
The guards lower their heads in shame toward Thor and his group. The guilt of not doing anything to help them when needed was almost unbearable to all of them.
No other words were exchanged, and none turned back as if both sides had never met.
Baldur punched the floor several times as he had to accept that his brother was going far from him and home. "Thor! Brother! Why? Why did it have to be this way?"
Asia's team, general POV.
The group continues forward, hoping to avoid any other obstacle that appears before them. They had to admit they got lucky because the whole mission might have become much harder if things had been different.
"Ddraig would be proud of your actions, Asia." The dragon said as he caught up to her.
Asia takes a deep breath before she replies. "I couldn't allow him to lie anymore. Gods and humans are not that different from each other in many things. We make mistakes, make hard choices, and we also find ourselves in situations where good and evil aren't clear. We all get to a point where we need a push in the right direction."
"Thanks either way for your words, Miss Asia," Thor says as he listens to their conversation. "I hope those words will lead my young brother to grow again. Hopefully, he and the rest can lead Asgard to a new era."
"We'll have to wait and see," Tannin says. "For now, let us get out of this castle. We have a train to catch."
"Right," Thor said, looking forward with confidence in the future.
Sif, Magni, and Modi saw the smile on his face. All of them could feel the positive energy irradiating from him. They had bet everything on a gamble and won the biggest prize.
None could help the smiles that formed on their faces either.
They were almost free from Odin's grasp. None of them knew how lucky they were compared to the other team.
Meanwhile, Tiamat's POV.
While Asia and the rest had one obstacle, Tiamat and her team had more than 20.
"We might be the unluckiest of teams," Kuroka said as she smashed the face of another guard into the ground.
"We deal with what we get and move forward," Tiamat said as she spun around like some kind of kicking helicopter that kept breaking the guards' defenses and leaving them unconscious after hitting them with enough strength to break several of their ribs and bones.
While the other team had an easier time getting to the target, Tiamat, Kuroka, and Rossweisse had a much harder time, as every corner they turned was packed with guards.
They tried to be silent and sneaky, but their team was forced to fight it out to prevent any alarms from going off several times. It was as if destiny itself didn't want them to reach Ymir.
"You, you are a Valkyrie! Why are you with them, and why are you hiding your face behind that mask?" One of the guards asked Rossweisse, who was wearing an updated black Valkyrie armor prepared for this mission. However, the armor still held many elements of the original design, but its color and several prominent features, such as the materials, had been changed by Hephaestus and the others who worked on the armor.
It was a rushed job when considering what Hephaestus could have done with more time, but it was more than enough for the mission.
Rossweissed didn't reply to the questions thrown at her as she rushed forward and continued to aid Tiamat and Kuroka in taking care of their "enemies." Be it with the spells that she had learned while at the Valkerie academy or her skills with a pair of blade tonfas, Rossweisse continued to show why she was part of the rank 1 team of Valkyries within Asgard.
"Tonfas! Wait, only one Valkyrie used such-" The guard got silenced as Kuroka froze his body with a spell.
"We should have expected her to be so well known. How many tonfa users can there be in Asgard? It was already a surprise that she had a talent for such an unusual weapon." Kuroka told herself as she saw girl blocking attack after attack with the shining metallic blades of her tonfas. With each opening the enemy left for her, Rossweisse quickly incapacitated her adversaries with swift, precise movements.
Then Rossweisse broke the arm of one of the guards in three different places before she kicked she knocked the air out of him. "Yes, she's too good with those damn tonfas."
"Eyes on the enemy, kitty-cat," Tiamat said as she blocked the attacks of several enemies that targeted Kuroka.
"Thanks, shotacon Obachan," Kuroka said before she created a sizeable purple flame wheel and threw it at the enemy.
"I will get you for that one." Tiamat went after the remaining ten guards while she left the rest to the other two team members.
After five minutes, general POV.
With the enemies taken care of, the group continues with their goal. They needed to get to Ymir on time. The train was already on its weight, and the longer they stayed inside the castle, the more complicated things would become for everyone.
It was just a matter of getting Ymir and exiting the castle. Nothing else and nothing more but luck wasn't on their side at that point, or so they thought until Rossweisse stopped before a large painting.
It was an artistic depiction of the fight between Odin and his brother against Ymir. The painting took the whole wall, showing the so-called "Glorious Day in Which Odin Free Asgard from Ymir."
"Is this it?" Tiamat said as she inspected the painting.
"It is one of the ways to get there. Stand back, and let me try to open this. If we're lucky, the door will be functional." Rossweisse said as she touched the painting.
"You got this, young Rossweisse." Mini Gaia said as she patiently awaited the reunion between her and Ymir.
Rossweissed put her power into it as several runes appeared across the painting before the figures began to move.
The figures in the painting started to move around as if they were alive. The fight between Ymir and the Asgadiarn sibling played according to the accounts as Odin and his siblings battle day and night to bring the frozen primordial giant to its knees.
The frozen ocean turned deep red as the blood of Ymir got spilled into its waters, and its guts hung from its open stomach as Ymir tried to fight back against the brothers.
Gaia couldn't help but teared up as she saw such a disturbing sight before her. "Why have they all turned against us? We gave them life, and yet they kill all of us."
Kuroka and Tiamat could understand the pain of the goddess. Few primordials remained as most got slain by their children or died against other primordials. To Gaia, they were siblings born from the same void, beings who weren't meant to die but created life, yet barely any remained alive.
"Mother, I know it is hard but don't lose hope. Not every creation has rebelled against the primordials. Some still respect all of you. As long as there are those like us, you shouldn't lose hope." Tiamat said.
"... I know. Still, it hurts. Have you ever wondered how different many pantheons would have been if the second and third generations of deities had waited for their turn to govern? What if Kronos had waited for Uranus to give him the throne? What if he had taken a moment to reflect before he killed his father? It is painful for a mother to remain alone after the father is gone, but it hurts even more when your children are the ones that kill him." Mini Gaia said in a sad tone.
"I promise that we won't do something like that. We will protect you, Mother." Tiamat assures Gaia.
"... I hope your words continue to be a reality because I won't be able to endure it if the first generation of dragons turns their fangs at me," Gaia admits.
"Even if one does something like that, the rest will stop him. You gave us a home to hatch and grow. The least we can offer you is complete honesty and our aid whenever you need it." Tiamat continues.
Before Tiamat and Gaia could continue, Rossweisse interrupted them. "Hey, I don't want to interrupt the beautiful conversation, but it is time to enter," Rossweisse said as she moved her hands away from the painting.
The whole painting had turned black except for a small white door leading into the unknown.
"Hop in." Rossweisse jumped into the door and got sucked in.
"Let's go." Kuroka followed after, with Tiamat closely behind.
Secret Lab, general POV.
They had finally arrived at the main target of their mission, and what they were looking at was far from appealing.
"This can't be real," Kuroka said as she held her mouth.
"Odin has truly gone too far," Tiamat said as she inspected the lab.
Around them were many flasks containing the body parts of many different species, from light elves, vampires, and werewolves to even some of the rarest species across the realms.
"He has been collecting pieces to study, to make Asgardians stronger. This Odin's work, which he keeps hidden from the public eye." Rossweisse says as she moves deeper into the lab.
The rest of the team followed her. As they advanced inside the lab, the group saw more of Odin's cruel experiments and projects. Kuroka could barely hold the contents of her stomach inside as she saw things nobody in their right mind would like to see.
But nothing was preparing them for what they were about to see.
Trapped inside a large container filled with a clear liquid laid a torso. Its eyes had been removed, and its eye socket had got sown down like his mouth. Several cables and tubes were connected to the abdomen of the torso while it's still beating heart was in full display as its chest cavity was kept open. Several metallic arms hold him in place inside the container.
Here was the primordial frozen giant, Ymir. Nothing more than an organ harvester for Odin to do as he pleases.
"Ymir! What has he done to you?" Gaia screamed her heart out as her eyes witnessed the horrible state of her brother. Tears fell from her tiny eyes as she couldn't understand how Odin did something so cruel to her precious brother.
Kuroka stepped back and looked for a place to empty her stomach while Tiamat approached the container.
"Rossweisse, get the coffin ready. We're getting Ymir out of this prison." Tiamat said as she extended her claws.
Rossweisse nods as, instead of grabbing the coffin in her back, she touches her chest, and a much smaller coffin emerges. This tiny coffin grows in size to match Ymir's size.
The coffin opens up, and several metallic arms and tentacles appear, ready to act. "Ready when you are," Rossweisse says as she approaches a small terminal on the left side of the coffin.
Tiamat raises her claws and cuts clean through the glass container, which causes all the liquid to spill around the lab. "I will remove the security attachments. Rossweisse, just focus on moving Ymir into the coffin. Don't forget those pain suppressants. We know Ymir needs them after so long."
Rossweisse nods as she starts to use the coffin to move Ymir carefully. While Tiamat cuts any attachments that prevent the torso from being moved, the coffin's limb carefully moves Ymir while removing many of the tubes and machines attached to the torso. Several syringes are also buried in specific spots of Ymir to alleviate the pain he had been suffering.
"Thank you, my child." Ymir quickly communicates via the link to Rossweisse as it feels something other than pain after so long.
Mini Gaia can barely hold back the tears as she watches the whole process going down.
After around 3 minutes, the process is finished, and the coffin closes itself again, with the package now lying heavily sedated to help with the inhuman pain it had endured for so long.
"What does Ymir say?" Tiamat asks the Valkyrie as the coffin shrinks down.
"Not many words. Ymir is tired, and the suppressants are doing their job. Ymir has offered its thanks for the aid. It feels at ease knowing that the pain is gone. It also said that he wants to see Gaia if he gets to regenerate his eyes." Rossweisse explains as she places the coffin back into its secure hiding spot inside her heart.
"It can regenerate?" Kuroka asked.
"Slowly, but yes, this is why Odin used Ymir as a lab experiment. There's power in the flesh of a god, but Ymir is too weak right now to recover from so much damage. The alliance experts might have to aid him as many components remain embedded in his torso." Rossweisse says.
"Bring it to me as we have a place prepared for Ymir. I'll make sure he can rest and recover from this." Mini Gaia says before she caresses the cheek of Rossweisse. "Thanks, child, for helping my brother."
"It's the least I can do for Lord Ymir. If I could give this eye and organs back, I would." Rossweisse says.
Gaia shakes her head. "Ymir wouldn't want that from any of you. Even if it takes him a century to recover, he won't try to get those parts back. To him, you and the others are victims who risked to save him. He appreciates your actions. I know that."
"Thanks…" Rossweisse tears up as she feels a heavy weight being lifted from her shoulders.
"Alright, time to move out. Hopefully, nothing else happens on our way out." Kuroka says.
"Wait, there's one last thing I need to do," Tiamat says as she accumulates fire on the tip of her fingers. "Get out. I'll be right behind all of you."
"Run!" Kuroka says as she grabs Rossweisse's hand and rushes towards the exit.
Tiamat aims and starts to burn the whole lab to nothing but ashes.
Blue flames spread out and devour anything that they find.
Tiamat walks towards the exit as the flames leave nothing behind. "Say goodbye to your research Odin."
*Author's note: I have no mouth, and I must scream moment.*