Author's Note: This one is dedicated to my dad who loves these EMH Thor episodes. if this chapter looks different, that's because it is! I've infused some of the original comics into this chapter to expand upon the episode with some original plot that Walt Simonson designed. The man is an absolute scribe and a masterful creator when it came to the Thor stories and to not do anything less than his standard is sacrilege.
On an unrelated side note: Taika Waikiki is a heretic.
The realms are in danger and the mighty Thor is our only hope! The vile fire demon Surtur has been unleashed and is here to burn the realms to ash! But who is this mysterious stranger from deep space? And what does he want attacking the Prince of Asgard? Come along and find out, true believers! You'll want to be there to watch-
Chapter 32: The Ballad of Beta-Ray Bill
Far beyond the fields we know, the core of an ancient galaxy explodes! In the wake of such a stellar outburst, molten solar fire is left behind… but not left alone.
A figure who dwarfs the stars looms over a mighty anvil and raises his sinewed arm high above his head. This place is beyond the known worlds. This forge is the forge of destruction. The smith is a breaker of stars… and this sounding anvil rings more loudly with every blow-
Doom!
Mark well this figure and listen. Can you hear it? The wind is rising… the sound of thunder reverberates throughout a billion billion worlds. In the depths of the worlds, the monsters are waking-
Doom!
And even over the thunder of his hammer, you can hear the murmur of the host. And the murmur says 'The Sword! The Sword!' Surrounded by a shadow host, the figure swings again his mallet high above the glowing anvil… and the echoes of his blow ring across the universe-
DOOM!
Meanwhile…
In all its brilliance, glimmering golden glory, Asgard stood tranquil amid mountains, waters and forests. Peace had settled in the lives of its denizens, but not in their hearts. Least of all the mighty prince of thunder, Thor Odinson.
"It should be me entering Muspelheim, Baldur, not Odin." The crown prince bemoaned as he stood tall and desolate atop a balcony, his long golden locks rippling in the light breeze coming down from the mountains. "He could be in battle with Surtur this very moment."
"There was a time when you would've welcomed this, for Odin to take such action." His half-brother responded.
"Perhaps. But the tree of life is still healing from Loki's corruption and Odin's powers are weakened." Thor added worriedly. "And Surtur, I dread to even say it… this may be a fight Odin cannot win."
"I share your fears, brother." A feminine voice added, stepping up beside Thor to rest against the same balcony. "While I know little of this Surtur, his very name emanates death and despair." She was a warrioress robed in golden armor, part of her face concealed behind a winged mask. While distant and not necessarily as close a family member as Baldur was, she was still a welcome sight in the halls of Asgard; for she was Thor's own sister, Aldrif "Angela" Odinsdottir. "Still, I would welcome an honest fight. Had I not been so preoccupied with Odin's charge to seek out potential threats to the realm. I would've liked to have given Loki a taste of my biting steel." She remarked, fists clenching at the very thought of the treacherous trickster god. Thor cracked a small smile at her words.
"Who are we to question the Allfather's wisdom?" Baldur countered.
"Perhaps Odin does not deem me worthy to fight by his side." Thor sighed, leaning further over the balcony. "Perhaps he knows that, even in the face of war with Surtur, I find my thoughts on Midgard." He muttered.
"Heimdall says there is still no sign of the Enchantress." Baldur proffered, moving to his side.
"'Tis not Amora I think of." Thor countered. "The Avengers are more than capable of defending their world against her." He explained. "But there was a mortal, Jane Foster… it is… troubling. I think of her, while here I feel like a stranger among my own people." Angela snickered.
"My own brother, bewitched by a mortal. My my, I have certainly missed much in my time away." She teased. "I never could have suspected Thor Odinson would become so infatuated with Midgard."
"Then perhaps he should return there." Another feminine voice stated bitterly. Thor turned, spying one of Asgard's fiercest feminine warriors standing within.
"Lady Sif…" He trailed off, approaching her. But Sif held out her hand to stop him.
"Who are you?" She asked with brows knitted. "Because this is not the warrior I knew, filled with doubt and fear and longing for the company of mortals." Her words took Thor aback and he struggled to respond.
"I did not mean…" A sudden flash of light cut him off, the Asgardians turning to face the sudden return of Odin. The Allfather appeared in all his regal glory, only to slouch as the weight of an unseen burden rested upon his shoulders. Exhaustion? Pain? They did not know. "Father!" Thor cried, leaping for his side. But Odin recovered just enough strength to turn and ascend to his throne, taking a heavy and welcome seat upon it.
"Surtur has indeed left Muspelheim." He revealed in a low, gravelly voice. "With the protective seals broken, there was nothing to prevent his escape." The Asgardians reacted grimly as only they could given such terrible news.
"The fiend seeks to set prophecies in motion…" Angela murmured.
"I do not understand, my lord." Sif pressed, stepping forward. "If this is the case, why hasn't he attacked Asgard?"
"I do not know." Odin answered, sounding both honest and concerned. "Somehow Surtur has found a way to hide from my sight."
"The devil does not wish for his work to be disturbed." Angela surmised.
"Aye, my daughter. Surtur is but hellbent on the destruction of Asgard. Ragnarok is his sole obsession for he is bound to it." Odin answered with a slow nod. At once, the throne room doors flew open and the Warrior's Three strode hastily in.
"My Lord Odin! We bring news from Heimdall! He has found something." Volstagg announced, flanked by Hogan and Fandral. The Allfather made to rise, only to be hampered by the strain already inflicted upon his body. He was too weakened by his prior efforts.
"Rest, Father. I will find out what troubles Heimdall so." Thor offered.
"Then go, my son." Odin permitted. "To me, my faithful warriors. We must hold counsel in this grave hour." The Asgardians closed around the throne as Thor took his leave, taking flight and rocketing across the cloudless skies of the realm until he descended towards the gates of Asgard, where the watchman Heimdall stood vigilantly at the foot of the Bifrost bridge.
"Ho! Brave Heimdall! The warriors three say you are troubled. Permit me to hear your plight." Thor called out as he descended to Heimdall's side. The watchman's eyes glowed as the all-sight enabled him to look beyond the barriers of the realms and view events not even Odin was currently privy to.
"There is a ship… in the realm of Midgard… it flies through the void. It emanates Surtur's evil. I hear a ringing, Odinson. The distant noise reverberates over and over. It is singular but is hidden from my sight. I fear this ship may be the reason." He reported. "Odin will want to investigate this personally."
"No. I will deal with this ship." Thor stated. Heimdall was taken aback.
"My Prince? Surely-"
"Heimdall, I was not here to protect Odin before, when he needed me." Thor interjected, revealing just a little of his inner quandary to a man he'd known all his life. "Help me do this now." Heimdall knelt, plunging his hand into the rainbow bridge, channeling his power into the myriad of colours. A ripple flowed forth to an endpoint unknown.
"My sight will guide you along Bifrost to this ship." He told Thor. "Good hunting, Odinson." The crown prince of Asgard offered him a smiling in parting, wasting no time taking off down the rainbow bridge in hot pursuit of Heimdall's finding.
Magic engulfed him, transporting Thor across the realm barriers and eons of space and time, disgorged in the far-reaches of Midgard space among worlds and galaxies he did not know. The power resting within his enchanted hammer powered him onwards towards a brightly-coloured planet.
The ship in questioned hovered in the uppermost reaches of its atmosphere, and Thor made a beeline for the vessel drifting amongst meteorite fields. "It's appearance reflects a grim and serious purpose," Thor mused as he took in the armored and armed shape of the weapon, specifically noting very prominent multi-barrelled cannons lining the decks, "t'would seem to be a warship!" His analysis was proved frighteningly accurate when anti-personnel cannons opened fire upon his encroaching form, blasting Thor repeatedly with force beams that knocked him off his flight pattern. "By Asgard's golden spires! It attacks me unprovoked!" He cried, sprinting his hammer around to act as shield against the volleys. "So be it! Let Mjolnir speak for me now!" Raising his hammer high, divine lightning surged into the mallet and was promptly channeled into a beam of electrifying power, which disintegrated the cannons upon contact. "There! But I ought move quickly before another attack." The thunder god dove low, landing upon the deck of the vessel as he, using Mjolnir, tore open a hole in the plating to allow himself improvised entry. "Perhaps inside I can uncover the purpose of this deadly vessel…" Thor moved inward, halting as the groan of churning metal drew his attention back behind him, where a startling sight awaited. "Odin's blood! The hull seals itself shut like a living thing. Tis' most strange, no mortal technology I have witnessed can do such a thing." The brightness of the cosmos faded, replaced by a fabricated darkness as Thor was sealed within the vessel.
Knowing no fear and showing no hesitation, the Asgardian moved deeper into the bowels of the ship, passing down wide corridors lined with all manner of pipes, cables and pumps. He soon stumbled upon a large ante-chamber, like a cargo hold that was far larger than he ever would have guessed. "Odin's beard…" he trailed off as the spectacle of an innumerable amount of glass containers, reaching from floor to ceiling, awaited him. A chill crawled across his skin, not as fierce as the biting winds of Hel nor as sapping as the eternal winter of Jotunheim, but cold enough for him to note the difference. Cautiously approaching one, Thor pressed his hand to frost glass and slid across its surface, finding much to his surprise some vaguely humanoid sentient within. Hairless, noseless, with skin as brown as the bark of Yggdrasil, Thor was confused. They were certainly not human. What were they…?
His answer would have to wait, for a mighty fist came crashing from the shadows and pitched Thor across the ground like he was nothing. The fierceness of the blow, and the strength behind it, bewildered the Asgardian. "Who so cavalierly tosses the god of thunder about like so much fresh new-mown hay?!" He gasped from the floor. His attacker stalked towards him, revealed to be a massive, muscular, heavily-armored creature with faintly equestrian features; namely an elongated snout and snapping toothy jaws.
"On your feet, demon! You have pursued me only to find death!" It growled. "And when I am done with you, you will welcome it!" Thor wasted no time springing to his feet, clutching Mjolnir tightly as the being charged him.
"I do not know what you mean, creature, but none may touch the mighty Thor without so paying the price!" He bellowed, swinging Mjolnir so hard he hammered the creature on the chin and sent him skittering across the rooftop before he fell ungracefully to the floor. "Now, mayhaps you shall answer mine own questions! How is it you speak my tongue? What are you, creature? What is your connection to Surtur?" His foe did not respond with words, merely a growling roar as he lunged towards Thor. Raising his arm, his godly strength blocked a powerful punch before he turned and threw Mjolnir with all his might, bowling the creature over. Mjolnir landed with a heavy thud as Thor pounced on his foe. "You are a fearsome creature, but I will not fall so easily." He growled, grappling with him.
"You are much stronger than your predecessors! Apparently the breed is improving… but it will not save you!" His opponent retorted between gritted teeth. "You should have waited for your fellows to arrive rather than face me alone!" Confused by his speech, Thor pushed back with all his divine strength.
"You still speak in riddles, warrior," he strained, "never have I been so well matched by any mortal, but while I relish the struggle, it must end now!" Hoisting the warrior over his head, Thor threw the creature across the room and he slid to a halt next to Mjolnir. "Surrender!"
"Only in death!" His foe bellowed. Spying an opportunity for leverage beside him, the creature grasped the handle of Mjolnir and pulled. At first, Thor was bemused. No one could lift Mjolnir.
But then, to his utter horrified shock, he did.
Lightning churned around his opponent as the divine power of a thunder god swelled within him, Mjolnir held aloft as the damning incantation etched into the mallet head glowed scornfully; 'Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.'
"Nay…" Thor gasped in terrified astonishment, "that is not-" He was suddenly beaten by his own hammer, as his foe smashed him across the face, knocking Thor to the floor. "Your weapon is mighty, demon. But now it belongs… to Beta-Ray Bill!" His foe announced, driving Mjolnir into Thor again and pitching him down the length of the ship. "I can feel your power added to my own. Power enough to shake planets to their foundations!" He growled gleefully, clutching Mjolnir tightly.
Crashing through wall after wall, Thor finally settled within a navigation terminal, his body surrounded by crushed metal and sparking circuits. With a groan, the Asgardian pulled himself free, looking up as Beta-Ray Bill came soaring into the chamber and alighted on the floor. He had already mastered flight! "I do not fear Mjolnir's power." Thor grunted, determined to see this fight through.
"Then fear me!" Beta-Ray Bill bellowed as he swung the hammer again. This time, Thor bolted out of the way, Mjolnir crashing into the terminal to prompt a burst of flame and a shower of sparks. The entire vessel shuddered in response, flight systems failing as the once-stable ship began to plummet from its holding position and nose-dived towards a larger asteroid. The ensuing crash threw Thor and Bill from their feet, burying them under piles of metallic debris as the vessel ground to a halt. It took the thunder god a while to dig himself out, none the worse for wear but desperately missing his hammer.
"You fought well, demon, but now this ends." Beta-Ray Bill threatened as he stalked towards the Asgardian, also looking no worse for wear. He lifted Mjolnir high, channeling lightning into the weapon as he prepared to beat Thor down again…
But a sudden surge of otherworldly magic began to sprout from the hammer, swirling into a bright and blinding light that Thor knew well. "No! The summoning spell!" In the blink of an eye, Beta-Ray Bill was gone, whisked away from this plane of reality and Thor knew where to. "Odin! Father! His presence still lingers! His presence still lingers! And he did not take me!" He realized, clambering to his feet. He tilted his head up, calling out in a loud voice, "Father! Hear me! Do not forsake me here! FATHER!" But the rumbling air does not listen. And only a groaning ship replies.
Elsewhere, in the Realm Eternal…
"Lord Odin, I bring troubling news." Sif announced as she strode quickly into Asgard's throne room, flanked by Balder, Angela and the Warriors Three. "My brother Heimdall… he admits to me that Thor had gone to face Surtur's forces alone!" Odin looked up with frightened eyes.
"No…" He whispered, raising a hand. "Return to me, my son!" Summoning his powerful Odinforce, the Allfather called out to the mystical enchantments surrounding Mjolnir and recalled it across time and space, his immense power bridging the realms with ease. A flash of light filled the throne room, transporting Mjolinr's bearer back to the golden and hallowed halls.
They all expected Thor. But who returned was far from the thunder god.
Balder, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogan, Sif and Angela gasped in shock as a hulking form of Beta-Ray Bill materialized in the throne room. "By the wolves! What is that?" Volstagg cried in fright.
"Who are you that carries the hammer of mighty Thor?" Balder demanded, drawing his sword. "No Asgardian can even lift his enchanted mallet, let alone defeat Thor in battle!"
"It is not for you to question me!" Bill growled, holding out Mjolnir defiantly. Angela quickly joined Balder's side, her own blade drawn.
"Question you we shall! For if you have slain our brother, we will have retribution!" She threatened. Together they rushed him, only to be laid out flat by a single swing of Mjolnir. His strength was so great, Balder was sent flying through a distant door. The Warrior's Three assaulted Bill next, only for both Fandral and Hogan to be knocked out by heavy hammer swings. Volstagg himself was even laid low as Bill hammered the ground, rippling shockwaves knocking the voluminous Asgardian off his feet. Despite not being Thor, he wielded Mjolnir with true skill and fury.
"Back, demons! You've more tricks about you than I dreamed of but they will not avail you!" Beta-Ray Bill's onslaught was deadly and overwhelming. But the shock of the attack scarcely equaled the Asgardian's subsequent surprise.
"Have at thee, monster!" Sif cried, charging into the fight with sword and shield raised. She landed a few good hits but barely staggered Bill who fought back and clashed with the raging she-warrior.
"Tell me where this place is… and who you demons serve!" He demanded as hammer ground against sword.
"Stay your hand hand, impetuous one! I have brought you here and at my sufference you remain." Odin bellowed as he stood from his throne. Sif backed off, differing to him as he gained Bill's full attention. "I summoned Mjolnir's wielded to Asgard! The power you wield belongs to another and by it I mistook you." Odin continued. "Now speak! Where is my son? And woe to you if your answer displeases me!" Beta-Ray Bill merely growled, gripping Mjolnir tightly.
"Here is my answer! If you are truly the leader of these demons, then it is you who must be slain to save my people…" He retorted, "and this mighty weapon I have won in combat will do the deed!" Rearing back, he threw Mjolnir with all his might, aiming straight for Odin. The court gasped as the hammer bore down on the Allfather.
"Perhaps and perhaps not." He mused, reaching out with a single hand. "Come, Mjolnir! Strike not your creator and return not to this false master!" At once, the hammer obeyed him, flying into Odin's hand and held tightly. Then Odin summoned his might, becoming truly godlike in Beta-Ray Bill's eyes. Awesome and terrifying. "WHERE IS THOR? WHERE IS MY SON?" Odin boomed, rearing up in full power. Lashing out with the Odinforce, the Allfather trapped Beta-Ray Bill within a sphere of power, immobilizing him. "If you have harmed my son, you will pay with your life!"
"I… I know not of whom you speak!" Bill gasped. Odin paused, weighing his response with godly insight.
"Your voice has the ring of truth." He declared after a time. "Let me stay my wrath a moment and seek to know more of this matter." Leaving Bill alone, Odin summoned the vast magics at his disposal and the power of his own ageless, peerless might. "Allsight! Peer into the cosmos, show me what I wish to see… where is my son?" A powerful magick, Odin's Allsight allowed him to look upon specific sights across the realm. A gift of insight exclusive to the Allfather that had been honed over countless millennia, the result of a deadly quest to seek out the knoweldge of the most primordial of realms.
Within Midgard, he found his son, whole yet alone. A fault of incantations, Odin had called for Mjolnir and brought Beta-Ray Bill with it. What he needed instead, was his own son.
His magic acted swiftly and another burst of light conjured a familiar form. It was not long before Thor materialized within the throneroom, returned to Asgard and plucked from the bowels of his distant quest. "Father!" He cried, racing over to his side.
"Welcome home, my son. How stands thy zest for adventure?" Odin bade warmly.
"Unabated, my lord." Thor assured. It was then he spied Beta-Ray Bill trapped by Odin's magics. "Beware the mortal in your midst! That creature's power is formidable!" He cautioned.
"Aye. And now that you are safe, my first act is to free this warrior." Odin replied, turning towards their guest. "Mighty stranger, will you forgive my anger of a moment ago? It was the honest reaction of a frightened parent." He apologized, permitting his magic to abate. "I ask you please to accept the hospitality of my home." Free to move again, Bill paused to assess them both with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Father…? You are concerned for his safety, and he called you son…" He trailed off, glancing back and forth between Allfather and thunder god. "I don't understand. Such bonds of love as I see between father and son persuade me that, whatever you are, you are not demons." He determined at last. "I accept your hospitality." Odin nodded.
"Then follow me. You as well, Thor." He commanded, prepared to take leave of the throneroom.
"Where are you taking us, Father?" Thor questioned as he dutifully followed.
"To the mountains." Was all Odin said.
Hlidskjalf, or 'the High Seat', was a rough-hewn throne carved into the highest peak of the tallest mountain found in the realm of Asgard. From there Odin could see into every corner of every realm and increase his daily knowledge, able to learn the goings-on of creatures great and small. It was to this lofty peak that he led Thor and Beta-Ray Bill. The Allfather sought knowledge about this strange creature and he knew soft ways to gain the answers he pursued.
"We will converse here on Hlidskjalf, the High seat itself. From there we can see all the nine worlds and perhaps we shall look clearly into each other's hearts." He stated, taking his seat as Thor and Bill gathered before him. Odin looked to Bill acutely. "Let me begin. I am Odin, son of Bor, son of Buri, and Lord of Asgard. This is my son, Thor. Since the dawn of time, none but we have ever lifted Mjolnir, the enchanted hammer. Until now. Sit beside us, stranger, and tell us of yourself." Bill listened carefully and only when Odin's warm intoning ceased did he opt to open his mouth.
"Listen well then, lords, and I will tell my tale," he began, and both Thor and Odin lent him their ears,
"I am called Beta-Ray Bill. Mine is an ancient and noble race that has lived in the heart of a galaxy from time immemorial. The Korbinites! We built our cities in the burning skies and danced in the sunlight. For long ages we dwelt there in harmony. Until without warning, the core of our galaxy exploded. Destroying much of our civilization. The survivors were forced to flee for, as time passed, the remaining galactic core grew hotter than we could withstand. I alone was chosen by our leaders to be the guardian of the exodus. And so I was… changed to suit my task. Our scientists took the most ferocious carnivore of our empire and bo-engineered it to produce a warrior of surpassing skill and strength. When all was made ready, my soul was fitted to the body and I became the protector of my people. I was given a warship to ride, the Skuttlebutt, who has become my companion and my friend. We had not food enough for all our people, so they were locked in cold-sleep in special storage within Skuttlebutt and we fled our ancestral home. It was well that Skuttlebutt and I were prepared for we found that we did not travel alone. Scarcely had we left the burning regions when we were attacked by a host of demons unknown to us 'til then. They came out of the fiery core hard on our heels and harried us. The fall of our world was not enough for them. Skuttlebutt and I fought them but the demons continue to follow us. I am searching for sanctuary and finding none. The pursuit still goes on across countless light-years. They are slowly overtaking us but we cannot find a haven. Now I have found a weapon that may protect my people for all time and I am loathe to give it up. Especially as I have won it in fair combat."
Thor was aghast at hearing his claim. "What?! I say thee nay, noble warrior. You had not yet bested me-" He protested.
"Be still, my son. He has a point. At when your contest ended, t'was mighty Bill holding Mjolnir and not you." Odin stated sagely. "Yet the combat you speak of was not entirely fair. Hear me, Beta-Ray Bill, my son fought under the handicap of a spell at I myself created many years ago, bound up in this very hammer. In those days, Thor was proud and headstrong. I sought to teach him the wisdom of patience. In my own pride I fashioned a magic about the hammer- you see it now inscribed upon the head." Holding aloft mighty Mjolnir, the glowing enchantment revealed itself for the Korbinite guardian to read. 'Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.' "Little did I dream that one other than my son would ever be worthy of this terrible power. Yet someone is and here we sit in this dilemma… demonstrating that you, my son, were not alone in your need for a lesson in humility." Odin confessed. "But my eyes tell me we share a common problem. Bill, I called Thor here in haste because there is something in the mortal realm that defies my understanding. From Hlidskjalf I can see everywhere, but now a power is at work unknown to me. And I fear it." At once, the bright skies and sunlit plains of Asgard began to swirl and change. A darkness took over, a blanket lit solely by pinpoints of starlight that drew their attention. "Look with me!" Odin bade and Thor and Beta-Ray Bill turned to do so.
Within the dark they spied a shattered sun, pouring from it were winged creatures of ethereal flame. Their power and form was not of the mortal plane, their very visage told of demonic urgings and devastation.
"There at the edge of all things, 'tis the very galaxy from which you fled… from which the demons came. But their source is hidden from me, as few things are." Odin stated gravely.
"Yes. Them." Bill agreed, teeth gritted and fist clenched tightly at the vision of his enemies. "Your auras are similar to that of the demon breed that torments my people. But your speech, your forms… you are nothing like the screeching monsters I faced." He said at length.
"Demons, father?" Thor queried.
"Aye. I believe our guest has been battling fire demons. The dread sons of Muspelheim. Not seen in a long age since the wall around the realm of fire was built." Odin answered.
"Then… I believe I know what has happened here." Thor realized. He looked to Beta-Ray Bill. "You mistook us for Surtur's creatures. Perhaps to one such as yourself, all who wield Asgardian magic look the same." Accepting that answer, as well as the others strung within his words, Bill nodded in acceptance.
"Whatever this 'Surtur' is, if he truly is responsible for the end of Korbin, then I will find him. I will destroy him with this hammer you call 'Mjolnir'." The Korbinite vowed.
"Nay. Mjolnir is mine and mine alone." Thor responded.
"Calm yourselves. To discover the truth of this mystery, I summoned home my son to aid me, only to find another and more pressing. One which we must deal with now." Odin concluded, resuming his rest upon Hlidskjalf. "Ours is a warrior race, Bill. And you are the mightiest warrior of your people. Both you and my son have a claim on Mjolnir, the hammer, by your worthiness and your need." With fresh insights and new knowledge attained, Odin called upon his wisdom to seek out a direct route to the source of these troubles and the solution for them. Equal parts determination and valour were at stake and mere arguing for each other's case would not do. Thor he knew, Beta-Ray Bill he barely did. Surely there was even ground to be found.
At last, he had his answer. "Therefore, let this issue be decided in single combat. As is the way of warriors!" He determined, regarding them both. "Will you both agree?"
"Very well. I will do what must be done to aid my people." Bill pledged.
"As you wish, my liege." Thor avowed with a mere nod.
Gathered in the halls of Asgard, Thor and Beta-Ray Bill stood before the throne while the warriors of the realm looked on grimly. Odin sat enthroned before them, supreme in all matters. "Mighty Thor, Beta-Ray Bill… stand forth and hear my charge to you." He declared as the warriors stepped forward. "You will fight weaponless but for the power of your own right arms. To this end, I have removed all enchantments from the combatants; all the powers of storm and lightning, thunder and tempest! Even so, the combined might of two such doughty warriors might well lay waste to Asgard itself. Therefore, the struggle shall take place in the ruined lands of Skartheim far beyond the abode of gods or men." Reaching for his side, he revealed the prized hammer to them all. "The victor's reward shall be Mjolnir, the enchanted hammer. The loser's reward shall be a funeral pyre. For stakes so high, the price must be great! This fight… is to the death! I have spoken!" He thundered, then conjuring his magics. "Now, brave warriors… get thee to Skartheim!" He commanded, teleporting them away with a flash of light and booming power. Thor and Bill vanished from sight and Odin took his seat as the warriors of Asgard murmured among themselves. Only fair Sif approached the throne alone.
"Lord Odin, Bill's quest is a noble one. I would lend my sword to his battle if he would have me." She proffered valiantly.
"I am sure he would welcome it, Lady Sif. But first, he must survive to do so." Odin stated.
Meanwhile, Thor and Bill materialized above a foreboding landscape. Skartheim was a province desolate by an ancient cataclysm, a once fertile land reduced to a realm of blackened rock, rivers of lava and darkened skies filled with soot and ash. The warriors manifested side by side and their surroundings left them in terrified awe. They stood upon a cliff, overlooking mighty lakes and fountains of molten rock, while black terrain surrounded everything as far as the eye could see. Had he not known the truth, Thor could had sworn they had been sent to Muspelheim itself. "Skartheim! Where even gods may perish!" He gasped. "My father surely has entrusted our fates to the Norns themselves!"
"There is no safety in all this land, thunder god, as long as one of us remains alive!" Bill agree, promptly lunging forward and plowing into Thor, tackling him off the edge of the cliff towards blackened shore below.
"So bootless an attack will hardly win you the hammer!" Thor roared as he beat down on Bill's armored back.
"Not even when you will cushion our deadly plunge with your own body?" Bill challenged as he drove Thor into volcanic ground, churning up debris and soot to rain back down upon them. Undaunted, Thor hoisted Beta-Ray Bill over his head with his bare hands.
"You suppose a simple fall will injure me? Though I am without the godly power of my heritage, I still possess the strength that is my birthright!" He declared, hurling the Korbinite across the molten river and into the opposite shore, and avalanche of boulders nearly entombing him. "I am still strong enough to give thee pause!" Suddenly, Beta-Ray Bill burst forth and launched himself back across the river, plowing Thor back into the cliffside.
"Pause is not victory, thunderer! And victory will soon be mine!" He bellowed. Grabbing the thunder god, he threw Thor to the bare edge of the short, his head dangerously close to the molten lava. Bill pounced upon him, grabbing his head and forcing it ever closer as Thor resisted with all his might. "I grieve this deed, but your own father has commanded it… his will be done!" The Korbinite vowed.
"It… is I who will grieve… for thou shall not succeed!" Thor retorted with a mighty roar, hammering Bill with an uppercut that pitched him all the way down the shore, kicking up volcanic rocks in his wake. Unfazed by the attack, Bill was charging again the moment Thor got to his feet, and the pair grappled again for supremacy as their mortal combat continued.
Neither hero surrendered an inch as the battle raged across the ancient land, tearing the very mountains from their roots as Beta-Ray Bill proved ever the equal of Thor Odinson. Shattering hillsides with their blows, a rain of boulders struck the lands, causing frothing lava to churn violently as Asgardian and Korbinite refused to yield to the other.
Thor had never once battled someone so worthy or noble as Beta-Ray Bill. In another reality, he would have yielded long before a contest was declared. Surely if not he, the Korbinite was worthy to wield Mjolnir without question. But only his self-sworn guardianship of Earth and it's people, the Avengers and the mortals he cared for, kept him going. Who else would be their champion in time of need?
Beta-Ray Bill was equally amazed by Thor's prowess in combat. Never once did the thunder god break and even after the most titanic of blows did he leap to do battle with undiminished fervor. His strength and force of will was beyond comprehension, but the Korbinite would do whatever was necessary to secure the fate of his people. Bill knew the cost and stakes of this contest, but feared a solo victory was not quite as likely as a stalemate would be!
Their grappling and brawling led them to the edge of another cliff where a winding magma river awaited below. Timing his blows just right, Thor sheared off chunks of volcanic rock to use as a weapon, pounding the ground with such explosive force that Bill was knocked off his feet and sent hurtling towards the infernal plain below. At the last second, he twisted his body towards an obsidian raft floating across the magmatic flow, landing hard and saving himself for the now. Thor was quick to leap after him with a bellow and Bill girded himself… the supreme moment was at hand!
Mere words cannot describe the power of the blows as both combatants unleashed their full fury in one final cataclysmic effort. The blast leveled the surrounding countryside, hellish as it was. Time is frozen in the instants following such titanic blows and all of nature seemed to hold its breath until both warriors laid quietly side by side as their obsidian raft floated down the rivers of lava towards a spectacular destination! A lavafall, which would surely be the doom of them both!
But…
"I… live…" Bill gasped as he came to. "The heat revives me… yet I am broken inside. I feel it." He made to look. Thor was still unconscious beside him. All he needed to do was leap ashore and the hammer would be won! Korbin would have a newfound savior! He needed to do so quickly, the falls were just ahead. "But… no. My foe is too brave to perish so meanly in this forsaken wilderness." His mind was made up. Thor was his equal, a counterpart to the Korbinite guardian. He deserved more than this fate would grant him and Bill was determined to see it happen.
Hauling the Asgardian into his arms with the last of his strength, Beta-Ray Bill leaped for the shore with a final groan… only to be enveloped by a blinding flash of energy…
He found himself transported in the wink of an eye to the gleaming halls of Asgard before a shocked and silent gathering. Thor's siblings, Balder and Angela, stood in shocked silence at the sight of their soot-stained unconscious brother in the arms of the Korbinite. The Warriors Three audibly gasped at the sight of their friend beaten so soundly. And Lady Sif looked on in awe at the ragged Beta-Ray Bill, barely standing and equally wounded as Thor was… but standing nonetheless.
"Lord Odin! Your son yet lives. The finest foe I have ever fought." Bill declared to the waiting host. "But I have bested him. The hammer… is mine!" But even as he announced his victory before the stunned Asgardians his strength waned and Beta-Ray Bill collapsed to the throneroom floor. For a long moment there is silence as Thor and Bill lay motionless, exhausted to the point of unconsciousness by their exertions. At long last, the booming voice of Odin broke out, "Arouse yourselves! Carry both combatants to the house of healing without delay! And bid the royal physicians apply all their arts." He ordered with urgency. "These brave warriors must not perish!"
Though the arms of Hela beckon to each, neither Thor nor Beta-Ray Bill is destined to surrender to her embrace. For the skills of Odin's physicians are unmatched in all the nine worlds.
Still, the heroes' hurts are grievous and each rests quietly under the watchful (and curious) eyes of their attendants. The Lady Idunn and her aid Eir were dutiful in their endeavours, yet neither of them had ever worked on one such as Beta-Ray Bill before. "They say Bill regains his strength as quickly as the mighty Thor. Do you suppose he will remain in Asgard long? I for one would be interested to learn just how mechanical he really is." Eir murmured to an aid.
"Well, I for one could care less. I've seen him... and he's repulsive!" Another callously remarked. Her name was Lorelei the Seductress… and her sister was Amora the Enchantress. "I'd sooner kiss a dog than be in the same room with him."
"Recalling some past triumph, Lorelei?" Turning at the scornful bite, Lorelei found herself face to face with noble Sif. Robed in gauzy blue attire, Lorelei merely smiled derisively at the she-warrior.
"Thor is no dog, but the handsomest god in all Asgard, Lady Sif. And after this defeat he may welcome such comfort as only I can give." She purred in an almost gloating fashion.
"Handsome is as handsome does. Bill has lifted the hammer and fought against Thor as no one ever has before. To see less than that is to mistake him." Sif retorted.
"Then perhaps you should embrace the alien!" Lorelei snickered. "He might welcome such comfort as you could give. Some, however, are more particular." And with that, Lorelei took her leave, unaware of the watching eyes that see all things.
"'Some are more particular'. Fagh!" Sif huffed irritably.
"Pay her no heed, Sif, every dog has its day. Even Lorelei." Odin proffered as he approached with Angela and Balder in tow. "But you must excuse me, I have come to see our patients." He patted her on the shoulder before entering first the room where Thor lay, the thunder god bedridden as he made every effort to recover from the contest. "How fares the son of my heart?" The Allfather inquired.
"Disgraced before your eyes, my lord." Thor answered gloomily. "I have decided. I will renounce my godhood and leave Asgard forever! No longer am I worthy to be the god of thunder!"
"Forsooth! Yon Beta-Ray Bill has surely beat thee soundly to warrant such an outcry." Balder remarked. "Never dids't I think to hear such words from you, Thor!"
"Nor I." Angela echoed. "Surely this is but a setback, brother. You wouldn't dare throw away your heritage so recklessly! After one failed encounter!"
"Peace, my children. We shall see." Odin ordered, calming the room. "I think I ought to speak with Bill. He is not happy about the outcome of this battle either, I understand. Perhaps discussion may be able to help us here brute strength seems to have failed."
"As you wish father. But talking will not change the past." Thor groaned. "My mind is made up. When I am well, I shall depart and journey among the stars."
"All things are possible, my son." Odin replied, patting the foot of his bed before taking his leave. Thor's siblings remained by his bedside as Odin departed for the adjoining room where Beta-Ray Bill lay. Upon entering, Odin discovered the Korbinite to be in much better health and more upright than his son. As he had predicted.
"Lord Odin, I am honored and grateful. Your physicians and your smiths have worked wonders. I am nearly healed. How is your son?" Bill graciously greeted him.
"Well enough, thank you. All things considered." Odin replied. "And you? The gossip of the house tells of your singular lack of enthusiasm concerning your victory." At that, the Korbinte sighed.
"I am deeply troubled, my lord. For myself and my people. They need the power of the hammer desperately. But my heart misgives me. Though I have won this battle is my claim to the hammer's power established forever, or only until I myself meet some stronger challenger? The hammer was forged in the beginning of time to be carried by Thor alone. My victory does not alter that nor permit me to forget it." Bill confessed. "And in truth, I could not bring myself to slay Thor. Although such was the established condition of the contest. You are a high and puissant lord. Is there no way out of this dilemma of honor and need?" He asked, pleadingly so. Odin nodded warmly.
"You have but ask." He said.
"Can you… help me?" Odin nodded.
"In the past, in return for help, the gods demanded a sacrifice. You have already given me something more precious than anything: the life of my son. You have proven yourself able to wield great power and wield it wisely, and, you have asked for help. Therefore, I will give you what aid I can. I shall bestow upon you a gift that carries an awesome responsibility. The gift may yet save your people… the responsibility might destroy you!" He thundered.
As Thor and Beta-Ray Bill continued to heal, Odin made for distant lands. His travels led him to Nidavellir, the subterranean realm of the dwarfs. He had need of their aid, their skillful craftsmanship, but their king, Eitri, was not at all welcoming.
"What does the Lord of Asgard seek in Nidavellir?" He demanded. A scar sealed his right eye shut, earned when the fire demons attacked. In his own throneroom, the king was flanked by surviving guards. The noble Huldra Brothers, Brok and Sindri, as well as his most veteran of enforcers, Durlin and Motsognir.
"Your skill, Eitri. For a task that only you can perform. If it were simple, I would not have sought out the greatest of all dwarf smiths." Odin beseeched him. The dwarf king scoffed.
"You come to me for help, High One. Where were the Asgardians when Surtur escaped and burned my realm to the stone?" Eitri churlishly retorted. "Long ago, we dwarfs were humbled and driven from the light by the gods! We live now beneath the ground and seek out the great treasures the envy of the realms! But we have not forgotten old hurts and our hearts are bitter. You promised your protection, Allfather. We held the shards of Surtur's sword at your request, and now my people have paid bitterly for it." He described. "Perhaps I should have allied myself with Ymir and the Frost Giants… or even Loki himself." At that, Odin frowned.
"Surtur is free, dwarf king, and you would play games?" He loudly responded. "All the nine realms will burn if the fire giant is not stopped. So I ask you, will you help me?" He implored. Eitri stroked his ginger beard, looking as regal as the Allfather despite his war-worn stature.
"There is precious little Uru metal left, but to have the Allfather in my debt? It is worth it." He determined at length and Odin frowned. "What say you, High One? One favor, at a time of my choosing. It is the least the gods can repay for wrongs both ancient and new…"
Meanwhile, back in Asgard…
Their impressive abilities ensured they were up and walking in no time at all, and it was in such a state that Thor and Beta-Ray Bill met for the first time as anything but combatants. "I am glad to see you nearly recovered, Bill. You will need all your strength to carry the hammer proudly. As I know you will." Thor mused.
"My thanks, Thor. But be not too hasty to give Mjolnir away." Bill responded. The thunder god wove a hand through his long blonde locks.
"I lost, Bill. I could not wish for a more noroable foe. I am no longer worthy to carry the enchanted mallet. Never again will I be able to savor the pleasure of gliding through the cosmic ocean as the god of thunder." He muttered solemnly.
"No? Think back, my friend, to my story. I was born in a galactic inferno. And fiery Skartheim where we fought was not so different a place. A place chosen for our battle by your father, might I add." The Korbinite alluded. "In no other realm could I have won so close a contest. And even so, I had the luck." At that, Thor cocked a brow.
"You think so, Bill? My father is subtle and his purposes often hidden. Perhaps I should speak to him when he returns." He determined, suspecting Odin was at work with his many mind-bending inquests for truth. It was hardly the first time Thor had dealt with his nature.
"You would be wise to do so, Thor. My suspicions, while sound, are not well-founded. For a man to show me such generous hospitality, I dare not speak ill of unless it can be proven so." Bill honorably replied.
"Until then, brave warrior." Thor bade his farewell and sought to depart to await his father'S return, leaving Beta-Ray Bill alone on the rooftop of the house. He leaned against a rail, taking in the sights and smells of the realm eternal. So beautiful and bountiful it was, rem dining him of the haven he wished to find for the Korbinite people. Motion beside him drew his attention and Bill turned as a feminine figure braced herself against the same rail.
"Lady Sif." He greeted quietly.
"Beta-Ray Bill. Might I offer you my company?" She replied.
"You may. And I will accept it." Together they stood, staring off at the luscious verdant plains of the realm. Saying nothing but together regardless.
"You stand alone and deep in thought. Pray, tell me your thoughts." Sif insightfully requested. Bill loosed an exhaled long-held.
"I am worried, Lady Sif, for my people. Even now, they may have been overtaken by the demons that pursue us. And I am here, unable to defend them." He revealed.
"I think, Bill, that Lord Odin has been watching over them. If any harm had befallen them ere now, we would know." Sif said.
"That may be, but my place is with them and as I am now fully recovered, I long to be gone from here. In the glory of it's many beauties, Asgard only serves to remind me just how much I have given up forever." The Korbinite glumly added.
"You are a warrior, one that will fight for your people to the end, no matter what. Your quest is a noble one." Sif encouraged. "I would lend my sword to your battle if you would have me." Bill nodded.
"I would be honored, fair lady."
"If… If your people find safe haven evnetually, will you ever think of returning to… us, someday?" She hesitantly asked.
"Look at me, Lady Sif. My brothers are the beasts of the forests, my sisters the machines that drive the great starships. When I was remade as a warrior to save my people, I surrendered all my humanity. I have none left… for anyone." Bill dejectedly replied. "I do not think I could bear the prospect of returning to such a perfect world… and such perfect people. No matter how much I might long to." His sorrow was tangible and his words hung heavily. Touched by his story, Sif laid a single comforting hand across his own.
Much later…
Bursting forth from the light of the Bifrost, Thor returned to Midgard and the location of the stranded Skuttlebutt. He rode in his chariot pulled by his two goats, Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, and accompanied by three mighty companions. His sister Angela, the lady Sif, and Beta-Ray Bill himself who was now overhauled from what he once was.
With the deal struck between Odin and Eitri, a new set of armor had been forged for the Korbinite. Fashioned in the visage of the same Asgardian mail that Thor wore, it stood to reflect Bill's brave nobility that allowed him to wield Mjolnir. But while said hammer was now in Thor's possession, Bill was not without his own weaponry. The last great gift of the dwarfs was something equal parts powerful and deadly. Odin's charge to rang ever true, a great gift and a terrifying responsibility lay within his hand.
"No!" He gasped, laying eyes upon the damaged Skuttlebutt. Fire demons crawled across the surface, desperately attempting to tear through the hull in order to feed upon the hapless Korbinites within. Thor saw it too.
"Your ship is under attack! Come, Bill, to Battle!" He called out, taking flight from his chariot.
"I am with you!" The Korbinite bellowed, taking flight alongside him. "Tremble, demons! Face the wrath of Stormbreaker!" He roared, holding aloft his freshly-forged hammer. With a mallet-head on one side and the blade of an axe on the other, it had also been imbued with magical power of lightning and thunder, able to conjure tempest and storm at his command.
The two descended with bolts of lightning guiding their path, striking demons left and right as they landed atop Skuttlebutt. Back to back they fought, Thor and Bill racking up and impressive body count as they slayed every demon in sight.
"Though they swarm about us in countless droves, still we shall prove their masters!" Thor bellowed, unleashing powerful thunderbolts that reduced the winged monsters to ash.
"Back, you creatures of the nameless void! Back! No power in the universe shall prevent us from our goal!" Beta-Ray Bill roared as he hammered the demons with such a fury that they fell to pieces beneath his blows.
With the forces beaten back, Thor and Bill's gaze was turned skyward as a flash of brilliant fire let the air above Skuttlebutt. Flaming fires smouldered into life, bringing with it a familiar figure Thor had once been concerned about. He gasped in shock, seeing a familiar face transfigured by an evil so tangible he could taste it. "Amora?"
"The demon queen!" Bill growled. "You know this woman?"
"Aye, the Enchantress. A villain, to be sure, but… she's no ally of Surtur. This vexes me greatly!" Thor answered. Enchantress spoke no words, merely conjuring flames gathered about her crimson attire and hurling them towards the pair. Using Mjolnir as a shield, Thor drove her fire to the deck where it manifested into more fire demons. Enchantress then conjured a portal behind her, wreathed in flame reaching from her hair to her extended hands.
"Things change, it would seem. Fall, demoness!" Bill bellowed, hurling Stormbreaker with all the force he could muster. But before it could even touch the Enchantress, a mighty hand reached forth from her spellcraft and batted the weapon away. It was wreathed in flame, boiling and toiling like the wildest of infernos.
"Jouyous battle awaits… Donrog Suturson!" Enchantress cackled as a figure emerged from her portal. A half-giant, forged in the fiery image of foul Surtur himself, was of proportions that dwarfed even Thor. Hardly as refined and hard-built as an Asgardian, the size of him limbs alone suggested he could turn mountains to powder. As flames rippled across his body, they stopped at his horned helm where his face was concealed behind an iron mask akin to a boilerplate, fire erupting between the three slits.
"Odin's bristling beard!" Thor muttered in shock. "The forces of Muspelheim bring their all against us!" At once, Donrog reached for his sides where a pair of blades were sheathed. He drew them, revealing two blades conjoined at the handles, their pommel bound by a chain wrapped around his mighty arms. Hurling his weapons out with superior force, the blades snapped open and spun like buzzsaws bearing down on the pair. Thor dove for cover and Bill did likewise, the weapons of Donrog scything through the hull of Skuttlebutt where they had been standing. The Korbinite recalled his hammer, generating a burst of raw lightning that struck the blades and travelled back up their chains. Donrog did not even stir as he was electrocuted, merely reefing on the chains connected to his wrists to recall his weapons. As he did, Amora spread out her hands and summoned more fire demons with her magics, the skies teeming with red flares that began to outnumber the stars.
"The breed grows more numerous! If only poor Skuttlebutt was fully repaired." Bill growled.
"We will be weapons enough for now." Thor promised as they regrouped. "I have not met a troll or ogre that I cannot slay. This fire giant will be no match." As he spoke, Donrog struck again, throwing his mighty weapons. But this time, Angela darted between them and deflected them back with a flick of her blade.
"This ship and its people are of greater importance, brother! Tend to them. I will drive this beast back to the hell it crawled out of!" She ordered the men.
"Many thanks, sister!" Thor replied with a smile. "Come, Bill! We will halt this attack at it's source! If Amora conjures fire demons then it is she we must contend with!"
"Agreed!" The Korbinite replied with fervor. The pair took flight, battering demons aside with their hammers as they closed in on the fiery Enchantress.
"Amora, this is madness! How could you be in league with Surtur!" Thor called out as he beat demons into submission. "You are Vanir! Good or evil, you believe in life. Surtur would see everything burn!" For a moment, Amora seemed to soften. The fiery glow in her eyes abated, revealing green eyes wide and full of fright.
"Thor… please… help me!" She gasped. In the blink of an eye, the enchantment was renewed and Amora fell back to her new ways. "Tear them apart, and bring me the hammers!" She ordered the demons with a cruel smile.
Leaping from Thor's chariot, Sif landed on Skuttlebutt with demons in two, brandishing sword and shield as she clove into their ranks. "Come, demons! Who will be the first to taste this sweet steel?" Some had managed to tear their way through the hull and she was determined to ensure every Korbinite survived. She tore after them, splitting them apart with her enchanted weapons as the demons fell to ash in her wake. Up ahead, more demons awaited. But they were swiftly side as auto-sentry guns opened fire with a demeaning BADOOM. "Wha-… The ship! It must be Skuttlebutt it self!" Sif realized.
"Indeed I am. Returned to duty, just in time it would seem." Skuttlebutt's onboard AI affirmed.
"I bring thee word from Beta-Ray Bill. Your people are in danger, Skuttlebutt. And we are going to save them." Sif explained as she stashed her weapons. "Can you fly?"
"Yes. Self-repairs are ninety-nine percent complete." The ship answered.
"Then tell me of your weapons…"
The savage fire demons fell upon Thor and Beta-Ray Bill in droves, each one hammered aside by the glowing power of Mjolnir and Stormbreaker.
Angela battled Donrog in fierce mortal combat, the assassin of Asgard unleashing her furious tenacity upon the fire half-giant. "Issprengja!" She called out, lacing her blade with the coldest of magics to resist his flaming power. The giant was overwhelmed, staggering as Angela laid into him with furious swings of her blade.
At once, the battlefield was lit up by heavy cannonfire as Skuttlebutt's main batteries opened fire on the forces of Muspelheim. "Skuttlebutt! My old friend, functional at last! Thanks to Lady Sif no doubt." Bill remarked happily.
"Verily!" Thor agreed. "Yet your friend is not yet out of harm's way." He added, spying scores of fire demons attempting to descend upon the hall. "Together! Let Mjolnir and Stormbreaker speak for us!"
"I am with you!" As one, the pair hurled their hammers toward the vessel, on an intercept course with each other. They collided in midair, channelling a demeaning boom of thunder that swept the demons clear off the hall as lightning crackled and flashed in the void of space. "It is not enough!" The Korbinite moaned in dismay as even more of the screeching beasts emerged from the dark of space.
"Bill! The Enchantress is the power behind these demons. Defeat her, and they all will fall!" Thor urged. "Mighty Angela contends with her guardian. Our chance is now!" Together they moved against the witch, Thor hurling Mjolnir with all his might as Beta-Ray Bill unleashed a lightning tempest from the head of Stormbreaker. But the deadly magics of Amora proved stronger still, deflecting Mjolnir and repelling Stormbreaker's lightning with ease. With her power made known, she dove into the fray.
Battle raged hotly and fiercely, Sif and Skuttlebutt fighting back to back in the cold sleep chamber against and ever-growing number of fire demons. Splitting open her sword, Sif channeled a burst of arcane power that disintegrated the demons and leaving no sign of their existence as Skuttlebutt deployed interior anti-personnel cannons to vanquish the invaders.
Angela's brawl with Donrog sent them hurtling into many asteroids and meteors, kicking up debris as Asgard's assassin refused to submit to the son of Surtur himself.
Thor and Beta-Ray Bill fought side by side as only brothers could, withstanding in unison the raw might of the corrupted Amora. "She is too powerful for either of us to defeat separately." Thor surmised as Mjolnir warded off another burst of flame. "But together!"
"Together then!" Bill agreed. Churning their hammers to conjure the greatest of storms, they summoned all the godly might they possessed.
"For Asgard!" Thor bellowed.
"For Korbin!" Bill roared.
A mighty thunderbolt struck Enchantress from above, followed closely by simultaneously collisions from Mjolnir and Stormbreaker. Her connection to Surtur severed, Amora wavered in space as the fire demons phased out of reality. Her fires quenched, the witch hugged herself loosely as she floated limply.
Angela pinned Donrog to an asteroid and stood poised above him, sword ready for the penultimate plunge. "Have you any last words, demon filth?" She demanded. Donrog remained rooted where he fell, the barest of whispers leaving his concealed lips.
"M-… Mo… Mo-ther…" It gave Angela startled pause.
"What? Nay…"
Thor moved towards Amora with Bill in tow. "Surrender, Enchantress. Surrender and we can help you. Odin can help you." He offered.
"Please…" she begged him with a quiet whimper, "finish it." Thor did not know what to do or say, staring down into her pleading green eyes that looked upon him with the vacant stare of one who'd seen a thousandfold horrors. But in a flash, the fiery was back and a voice not her own spoke with her lips, causing both warriors' blood to run cold.
"The Enchantress is beyond help now." The voice of Surtur boasted. "To me, my son!" At once, the once wavering Donrog flared up in full power, a burst of heat so intense erupting from his mountainous form sent Angela hurtling through space. Rising to his feet, the half-giant brandished his weapons and plunged them into the nearest asteroid. With great strength her hurled space rock like little more than a pebble plucked from a stream, his improvised assault battering Thor and Beta-Ray Bill as Donrog flew to Amora's side. A burst of enchanted fire enveloped them both, and just like that they had vanished.
Recovering from the attack, Thor and Bill glanced around at empty space now oddly stilled post-battle. "Your Enchantress… could she truly be gone?" Bill asked.
"Nay, and while that was the Enchantress, the words coming out of her were those of Surtur." Thor replied grimly. Even Bill paled at such news. "She is possessed by his power now." A shadow fell over them as the hulking form of Bill's vessel loomed above the pair.
"Skuttlebutt! Sif!" He took flight, reaching the upper deck just in time to see the Asgardian emerge from within. "My people-"
"Are safe." Sif promised as she sheathed her sword, stained with demon blood. Breathing a sigh of relief, Bill looked content. And he was. For the first time in a very long time.
"My friends, what I owe you is immeasurable. All of Korbin owes you." He thanked them.
"Your people will still require safe haven." Thor interjected.
"I will travel with you. You need not do this alone." Sif boldly offered.
"I… I would appreciate your aid, and your company," Bill replied, taking her hand in his, "but I must refuse. With Stormbreaker, I can protect my people. Your duties lie elsewhere." Taken aback, Sif sadly understood as her hand left his, gaze downcast.
"Indeed. The threat of Surtur looms greater than ever." Thor gravely agreed. "We must find him. We must discover why he seeks the Korbinites, else the final battle may consume us all."
"And when that battle comes, brother, I will be at your side." Bill vowed. Thor's chariot arrived, with Angela at the reigns. Thor and Sif mounted up.
"On, Toothgnasher! On, Toothgrinder! Return us to the undying fields!" He ordered, snapping the reigns as his goats pulled them onto stellar paths. "Good luck, Beta-Ray Bill!" He called out in farewell and the Korbinite saluted him with his own hammer raised. Of them all, only Sif remained turned, watching Beta-Ray Bill and Skuttlebutt grow ever smaller behind them.
"I… misjudged you, Thor." She said at length. "I did not understand what it meant to make a connection with someone that needed you… like the mortals of Midgard needed you." Thor offered her a reassuring smile.
"Truly, the worthiness found in mortal heroes never ceases to surprise me." He added in agreement.
"What's this? The stern Lady Sif holds a soft-spot for a mortal?" Angela chuckled. "What hex have the Norns placed upon my kin amid my travels that they would fall so easily for mortal company?"
"Find some for yourself, assassin. And you will be like us." Sif retorted.
Elsewhere…
The host past counting listens to a voice as old as time speak, "From the starless void… from the realms of endless night… by the power of the unfinished sword… let all now be silent." Plucking from the anvil, with a hand encased in thick leather hide, he shifted the tool in his hand. The host beyond count took up a chant.
"The name! The name! The name!"
Raising his arm once more, the figure struck the hilt with his might mallet.
Doom!
Plumes of flame rushed forth, the mighty host swaying in ecstasy as a single mark glowed brightly upon the hilt of the blade.
"The sword is named! The sheathless sword is finished! The anvil's work is done!" Boomed the figure and the host listened enraptured as his great voice filled the burning void. Casting hammer aside, the great one lifted his blade from the anvil and held the shimmering edge aloft for all to see.
"Let this then, be the first blow against the power of Asgard!" Surtur bellowed. The flames climbed higher, the fire burned stronger. The sons of Muspel danced. Twilight had been reborn. With a mighty swing, the fire demon clove the anvil in two with the same blade fashioned upon its surface, destroying it with a deafening, thunderous-
DOOM!