18
Nidavellir
"What was that you said about talking raccoons?" Loki whispered to Mimir.
Suddenly, a volley of plasma hit the ground, just a few feet from Loki's feet.
"Call me a raccoon ONE more time!" Rocket yelled, the plasma rifle steaming in his hands, aimed directly at Loki's face.
"Woah, woah! Calm down, buddy!" Said another voice from inside the ship.
From inside the ship, out came a human male, dressed in a leather jacket. The stubble on his face was unkempt, barely covering his jawline. He was tall, with an oddly innocent expression on his face.
"Everywhere I go, Quill!" Rocket groaned. "Everywhere I go!"
"What did we discuss about talking to strangers?" Quill said calmly as he hopped off the ship.
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Yeah, you do. We were just talking about it before we landed, like, twenty seconds ago."
"Shoot first, ask questions later? I like that one, personally. On a very personal level."
"N- no. Come on, man, no. Don't be a smart ass."
"Ugh, fine!" Rocket snarled. He lowered the aim on his rifle and struggled to force a smile onto his face. "Hello, alien freaks. We come in...peace...I guess. Something, something, something, uh, we want your money?"
"Close enough." Quill sighed. Rocket gagged as the smile on his face shot into a scowl of disgust. "Sorry about him, still working on his social skills."
Quill stepped on a cultist's head which squished under his boot. He looked down, then looked around at the carnage around them. The piles of dead, the demon corpses, the rivers of blood.
"So, uh, was this you guys?" Quill asked as he pointed at the littered ground.
"Yes." Kratos replied, standing up.
"Did...they set off the distress beacon, or did you?"
"Us."
"Looks like they're doing just fine without us, Quill." Rocket called out as he poked his rifle at one of the demon's toothy mouth hole. "Let's go before we get some kind of infection! Place stinks…"
"Please, good traveller," Thor said, standing up after regaining his strength. "We need a way off this planet. It is of great importance."
"Well, like my furry friend mentioned, we don't do things for free. You have any, oh, I don't know, money, or something of value in return for our services?"
"No." Kratos grunted.
"Well, that settles it! Bye..." Quill said, turning towards his ship.
"Wait." Loki said. He reached into his robes and pulled out a small leather bag that jingled as he held it out.
Thor looked at the bag, then to Loki.
Loki shrugged. "The grandmaster was generous with his subjects."
"I don't know who the 'great mister' is, but now we're talking business!" Quill said, smiling at the bag.
"Brother, we have a promise to keep with the Sorcerer." Mimir whispered. "We can't let this happen again."
"The angel is dead."
"Is he dead, or is it just his body that's dead? For all we know, he could still be out there, somewhere. We need to get that sword."
Kratos sighed.
"Go. I will return." Kratos said to the Asgardians as he headed off into the forest.
"Time is money, friend." Quill said as he grabbed the bag of jewels and directed Thor and Loki onto the Benatar.
Kratos wandered off into the forest. He returned to the site of Abaddon's death, and picked up the angel's blade. The blade screamed silently at Kratos, begging for bloodshed and death. Kratos huffed and sheathed the blade into its scabbard. The blade's quiet influence stopped instantly as the blade slid into the leather. Kratos strapped the blade to his back and headed back.
/
"Hey, Quill, isn't that the old ship?" Rocket said, pointing to the hunk of metal in the distance.
"Holy crap, be right back!" Quill said, his eyes opening wide. He ran up to the old husk, now half-sunk in the wet ground, and jumped into the cabin.
"Please, please, please…" He whispered to himself as he scampered toward the cassette player. He opened the player and squealed with joy as he pulled out the old tape. Giving it a quick kiss, he put it in his jacket and ran back to the Benatar.
Kratos reappeared through the forest and jumped onto the ship. Thor and Loki were sitting in some passenger seats, both looking exhausted.
"What's your name, big...guy?" Quill asked as the ship's door sealed behind them. Kratos turned to Quill and scowled.
"None of your concern."
"Okiedoke." Quill said quickly, turning towards the ship's cockpit. "Scary Grey Man, meet the crew. This is Gamora."
One of the seats turned, revealing a green-skinned female. Her long red hair fell past her shoulders. Her expression was hiding it, but Kratos knew that look. The look of one who had seen enough death and evil to haunt her at night, every night. Kratos nodded, and she nodded back.
"Groot, say hi to our guests."
"I am Groot..." Came a sarcastic voice from behind one of the chairs.
"Hey! I told you, manners don't cost anything!" Quill said sternly.
"I am Groot…" The voice said, reluctantly.
"That's better." Quill said. "And this is Drax. I have a feeling you guys will get along."
"Doubtful." Kratos said.
"Doubtful?" Drax said.
A grey-skinned male turned his head from behind his seat. His torso and arms were engraved with markings from the culture he left behind. He stood up and walked up to Kratos.
"This one is bald, and grey, and has tattoos. I am...strangely jealous." Drax grunted. "I want to punch him."
"You may try." Kratos threatened.
'Hmmf."
"Hmmf."
The two eyes each other up for a moment. Drax's face broke into a smile, then into laughter.
"I like this one, he speaks very little." He said, turning back to his chair and sitting down. Kratos sighed and sat down in a seat beside Loki.
"And this is Mantis, our newest member." Quill said.
Another Seat spun around. The female stood up, her antennae pointing toward Kratos.
"Nice to meet you, bearded one." She said, holding out her hand. Kratos looked at her hand, as it made contact with his skin. Mantis' eyes went wide as she recoiled.
"There is a darkness in you," Mantis said. "And...sadness. And anger."
Kratos sighed and turned away. Mantis's antennae drooped, and she returned to her seat.
"Great. Darkness, and ager, all good things..." Quill said awkwardly. "Now that we all know each other, where are we taking you?"
"We hunt Thanos." Thor said sternly. "We must stop him before he reaches another stone."
"Thanos?" Gamora asked.
"Oh, no! No, no no. We are NOT getting involved in that mess!" Rocket exclaimed.
"He already has the power stone!" Thor grunted. "He will not stop until he has all six, and we are the only ones who are able to stop him. You must help."
"He's right." Gamora added. "But we don't know where he's going next."
"I have a guess." Loki added. "Knowhere."
"He must be going somewhere!" Mantis exclaimed.
"No, no. Knowhere? It's a place, we've been there." Quill mentioned. "It sucks."
"Why Knowhere?" Gamora asked.
"The collector..." Thor added.
"He has the reality stone," Loki replied. "It's been there for years."
"You're right. Midgard will have to wait. We must visit the Collector."
"If it's with the Collector it's not safe, only an idiot would give that man a Stone."
"Or a genius." Thor replied, now eyeing the fridge across the cabin from him.
"How do we know that's where he's going?" Gamora asked.
"Process of elimination," Loki replied. "He has the power stone, with which he-"
"Destroyed half the Agardian race." Kratos interrupted. "Perhaps all of them."
"For which he will pay dearly...and the Time and Mind stone are on Midgard, with the Avengers." Thor added.
"The Avengers?" Quill asked.
"Earth's mightiest heroes" Thor explained.
"Like Kevin Bacon?" Mantis asked innocently.
"No." Kratos grunted. "Kevin Bacon would die instantly."
"As for the soul stone, well, no one's ever seen that, and no one even knows where it is." Thor said. Gamora looked down for a moment.
"Process of elimination." Loki said, raising his arms into the air.
"Then we must go to Knowhere, now." Gamora said urgently.
"Thor," Mimir said. "I have an idea."
"Woah! There's a talking head! What is with the talking head?!" Quill exclaimed, pointing at Mimir ah he hung from Kratos' belt.
"What is that?!" Mantis asked.
"Eh, I've seen weirder." Rocket said nonchalantly.
"You are weirder." Drax mentioned. "You are a talking animal. That is very weird."
"Exactly! Wait…" Rocket paused.
"Everybody shut up!" Mimir yelled. "Thor, we have a ship. You know where we have to go."
"Yes. Nidavellir." Thor replied.
"That's a made up word!" Drax exclaimed.
"All words are made up." Thor mentioned.
"Nidavellir is real? Seriously?" Rocket said suddenly, jumping onto the table nearby. "I mean, that place is a legend. They make the most powerful, horrific weapons to ever torment the universe. I would very much like to go there, please."
"The rabbit is correct, and clearly the smartest among you." Thor said.
"Rabbit…?" Rocket mumbled.
"The dwarves can make me the weapon I need." Thor continued.
"Dwarves…" Kratos grunted.
"You know them?" Thor asked.
"Too well." Kratos said.
"Then it's settled." Thor said, clapping his hands together.
"Woah, wait!" Quill exclaimed. "This is my ship, and we're not going anywhere unless I say so!"
"And, not to be a buzzkill, brother, but we have our own plans." Loki said, standing up and pointing to himself and Kratos.
"What plans?" Gamora asked.
"We go to Alfheim, preferably away from the fight." Loki said.
"Alfheim? Those goody-two shoes little hippie types?" Rocket sneered. "No thanks. I like captain eyepatches' plan much, much better."
"What kind of weapon are we even talking about here?" Quill asked.
"The Thanos-killing kind." Thor replied.
"...Don't you think that we should all have a weapon like that?"
"No. You simply lack the strength to wield them. Your bodies would crumple as your minds collapsed into madness."
"Is it weird that I wanna do it even more now?" Rocket asked.
"A little bit, yeah." Thor replied quietly.
"So, it seems we have a three-way split." Loki stated. "Those who want to go to Alfheim raise their hands."
Loki shot up his hand. Kratos sighed.
"His hand isn't raised, but he wants to go too." Loki said, pointing to Kratos.
"Loki, we don't have time for this!" Thor argued.
"Shh, let democracy work its magic." Loki taunted.
"Those who want to pick up some kick-ass dwarf weapons?" Rocket asked, shooting up his hand.
Thor groaned and reluctantly raised his hand.
"And those who want to stop Thanos now, and not waste any time with this Asgardian's errand?" Gamora asked, raising her hand.
"And those who wouldn't mind some ice cream, and perhaps a bath?" Drax added, shooting his hand up.
"Oh, I like ice cream and sitting in hot water!" Mantis smiled and raised her hand.
"This isn't helping," Mimir stated. "Thanos gets closer to his goal with every second."
"Look, we have the ship, and we have the pod. One group goes to the dwarves, and one group goes to Knowhere to try to stop Thanos. Does that work?" Rocket asked the group.
"It does not." Kratos grunted.
"Brother," Mimir whispered. "Nidavellir is just as safe as Alfheim. No one has known its location for centuries. If we go there, we can stay there, and maybe we can see them again?"
"I do not wish to see them again." Kratos huffed.
"Oh, come on. It'll be just like old times!" Mimir exclaimed.
Kratos sighed. "Fine. Come, boy."
"Again, could we just drop the 'boy' thing?" Loki asked.
"Pod only has enough seatbelts for three people." Rocket mentioned. "And trust me, she gets bumpy when she jumps. You don't wanna be standing!"
"Then you will sit on someone's lap." Kratos said, looking down at the much smaller Rocket.
"Make me!"
/
Kratos sat in the pod, with Rocket on his lap.
"I hate you. Officially and irreversibly." Rocket snarled.
"I do not care." Kratos snapped back.
"I'm also not the biggest fan of this." Loki sat as Groot sat on his lap, tapping away at the video game in his hands.
"I am Groot." Groot grunted.
"What?! Do you know who you're insulting?" Loki exclaimed. "You're one to talk, have you weighed yourself recently? I already can't feel my legs!"
"I bid you farewell, and good luck, fools. Bye." Thor said to the Guardians as Rocket wrapped his paws around the controls. The pod closed, and they shot into space.
/
Kratos sat in the rear of the pod, as it soared through the abyss of space. The voice of the angel's final words resonated in his mind.
"You look troubled, brother." Mimir said.
"The angel's words." Kratos mumbled.
"Ah, when he called you the true Angel of Death? He was probably just doing what fallen angels do, deceive and create doubt."
"Not that."
"Which part then? That part seemed pretty ominous."
"Loki."
"Oh...that. Eh, what did he know? He didn't foresee your sword in his face."
"Perhaps he did. Perhaps he did not. As you said, demons deceive."
"As long as I'm here, brother, I will keep you on the right page. You won't turn dark side, and Loki won't die."
"I can take care of myself." Loki interrupted. "Don't talk about me as though I were some helpless child. You should have seen what I could do on that planet when you disappeared."
"What?"
"It was amazing!" Loki said, sitting across from Kratos. "The axe spoke to me, and-"
"The axe spoke to you?" Kratos asked sceptically.
"It did! I think I...I think I met mother."
"Impossible."
"It came to me through the winds. I felt a presence. A song. And then the axe...I think it awoke something in me."
"She is dead, boy."
"That's not what you said in the vault of Asgard! Who were you speaking to then?"
Kratos sighed.
"It awoke something?" He asked.
"I'm not sure what it was," Loki continued. "I just got angry. Anger I hadn't felt since I found out Odin lied to me, when I found out that I was a Frost Giant."
"Anger?"
"And then, suddenly I killed everything around us. I killed a demon, I killed...everything. It was like a Frost Giant version of that thing that happens to you when you get angry."
"That anger is dangerous, if you let it control you." Kratos stated. "You have no idea what my anger has cost me. Be careful with it."
"I already know what it cost you, everyone in Asgard knows the tale of the Godslayer."
"They do not."
"Then tell me."
"No."
'Why not?"
"It is something you do not need to know."
"Obviously it is. You just ranted about the dangers of your anger, and now you won't explain!"
"There are things about me I would not have you know."
"Fine."
Loki stood up and approached Kratos. Before Kratos could react, Loki put his hand to Kratos' head.
Suddenly, the two were surrounded by a Greek village.
"No." Kratos whispered.
'They've built this temple to offer prayers to Athena!" Came a voice in the distance. The two turned to see a younger Kratos, brandishing a torch, speaking before a horde of Spartans. "This entire village stands as an affront to Lord Ares! Burn this village! Burn it to the ground!"
His own voice rang in Kratos' ears as he watched himself toss the first torch into the homes of the village.
"Get out of my head, Loki…" Kratos warned.
"Not until I see what you can't tell me that is so terrible." Loki replied.
They watched as the village began to burn, and as the Spartan army slaughtered the villagers. The young version of Kratos stood before the temple.
"Beware, Kratos." An old woman warned as she blocked the doorway to the temple. "The dangers in the temple are greater than you know."
"Don't do it, fool." Kratos said as he watched his young self push the Oracle aside, and kicked the door to the temple open.
They watched through the doorway as young Kratos ripped apart everyone inside the temple. The screams of men and women emanated from inside.
"Stop!" Kratos yelled at Loki.
"Not yet." Loki said.
They watched on as young Kratos dropped to his knees, bathed in the blood of a woman and a girl that lay before him. The laughter of the Oracle rang through the air, fresh as the day it happened.
"You have seen enough!" Kratos roared.
"Fine." Loki said.
Kratos found himself back in the ship. He took Loki's hand off of his forehead and pushed Loki into the wall across from him.
"Woah, careful! You know on the other side of that wall in space, right?" Rocket yelled from the control chair.
"Never invade my mind again. Is that clear?!" Kratos screamed at Loki.
"Who were they?" Loki asked, picking himself up off the ground.
"You know enough!" Kratos yelled.
"Who were they?!" Loki roared back.
The ship fell silent.
"They were my wife and child." Kratos whispered, his eyes looking down at the floor. "They were supposed to be in Sparta. Ares saw to it that they were not."
"Who? What now?" Rocket asked.
"Quiet!" Kratos barked.
"I lost one family, and found another with Faye and you." He continued. "They were also taken from me. I swore to Faye, if I found you, I would protect you. No matter the cost. It was my last words to her before she died."
Loki sat down. "I understand why you're so protective, now. I get it."
"If I lost you, I would have nothing left." Kratos sighed.
"You'd have me!" Mimir interjected.
"Not...now, head." Loki mumbled.
"Sorry." Mimir mumbled.
Loki stood up.
"You know you can't protect me forever. One day you'll be gone, and I'll be here. How will that work if I've been sheltered by my father my whole life? Oath or not, that's something you're going to have to realize."
Kratos huffed. Loki turned to talk to Thor.
"Loki." Kratos called after him.
"Yes?"
"Never again. Am I clear?"
"Crystal."
Loki turned and walked to the cockpit. Thor was in one of the passenger seats, staring into the void of space as the pod continued its journey.
"What is it, brother?" Thor asked, his eye not leaving the window.
"About the battle..." Loki started.
"We survived, right? That's all that matters..." Thor said sarcastically.
"I know necromancy is forbidden and all, but imagine what we could do with that! I could raise an entire army against Thanos! What could even the infinity stones do against the numberless dead?"
"I will not see my brother fall prey to this madness!" Thor raised his voice in anger. "Where did you even learn necromancy?"
"It was simple, really. The knife I threw at Hela when we were in the Bifrost. She threw it back, and when it stabbed me in the shoulder, I felt a little bit of her dark magic transfer into me."
"Brother, you know that stuff changes you. See what it did to our sister. She was a madwoman by the time she died. It isn't worth it."
"When you go against Thanos, your tone may change. What's a little dark magic when the end of the world is at stake?"
"There are some depths even I won't stoop to." Thor replied. "This conversation is over."
"Any chance I could learn some of that dark magic?" Rocket whispered after Thor had walked away.
"Not a chance, rodent." Loki replied, crossing his arms.
"Rodent! Why I just can't...friggin...arg…" Rocket trailed off.
Thor approached Kratos as he sat.
"I never got a chance to thank you. For getting us off the ship." Thor said as he sat across from Kratos in the rear of the pod.
"Leave me." Kratos grunted.
"I apologize for the words I said. I had just lost my people. People I may never see again. But I should not have taken it out on you. You saved my brother, and myself more times than I can be certain I will be able to repay you for. Whatever your choice is, to fight alongside me or not, at the end of this, I am in your debt."
Kratos looked up. "Make it count."
"I will." Thor nodded.
"Well, if you're going to make it count, you're gonna need more than one eye." Rocket said, getting out of his chair and pulling a small glass ball from his satchel.
"What's this?" Thor asked.
"What does it look like?" Rocket replied, handing the ball to Thor. It was a cybernetic eye, shining in the light of the ship's faint illumination.
"Some guy lost a bet with me on Contraxia." Rocket continued.
"He gave you his eye?" Thor asked, confused.
"Nah, he gave me a hundred credits" Rocket explained as he hopped back into the control chair. "I snuck into his room later that night. Stole his eye."
"Thank you, sweet rabbit." Thor said, placing the eye into his empty socket.
"Ooh, I wouldda washed that." Rocket exclaimed with a grimace. "The only way I could sneak that off Contraxia was in my-"
Rocket was interrupted by the sound of alarms going off on the control panel.
"Hey, we're here!" Rocket exclaimed.
"I don't think this thing works." Thor said, tapping the side of his head. "Everything seems dark."
"That ain't' the eye..." Rocket said.
Kratos got up to move to the window. In the distance was a giant, dark set of intertwined rings, surrounding a dead star. As the ship approached, the rings began to reveal more detail. The station seemed dead. No lights, no incoming transmissions, nothing.
"Something's wrong." Thor mumbled. "The star's gone out, and the rings are frozen."
"Just as safe as Alfheim..." Kratos grumbled.
"It was, last time I was here." Mimir said in his defence. "Something must have happened."
The ship entered the derelict station and landed on a section of flat terrain.
"Man, I hope these dwarves are better at forging than they are at cleaning." Rocket said as they exited the pod.
"Depends on the dwarf..." Kratos replied.
As they walked through the dark station, the only sound that could be heard were the boops and buzzes coming from Groot's video game.
"This forge hasn't gone dark in centuries." Thor observed.
"You said Thanos had a gauntlet, right?" Rocket asked.
"Yes. Why?' Thor asked.
"It look anything like that?"
The group turned in the direction of Rocket's attention. On top of one of the pedestals was a gauntlet. Each finger was engraved with a round indent, perfectly fitted to hold small stones.
"We never should have come here." Kratos said, pulling out his blades.
"I am groot." Groot said nervously.
"Everybody back to the pod. Now." Thor ordered.
Thor turned around, only to be met with the metal fist of a large creature. Thor went flying into a pillar, cracking the stone. The creature turned and kicked Groot away. Groot slid across the floor before coming to a stop. The creature turned to face down Kratos and Loki, who had both pulled their weapons out.
"Stop! Stop!" Came a voice in the distance. "Kratos, big guy! Is that you?!"
The creature stopped its attack and looked at the group with curiosity. Kratos rolled his eyes, knowing full well whose voice it was that called to them from the darkness.
"It is you! I'd recognize those blades anywhere! How ya been, you big beautiful bastard?! Are we glad to see you!"
From behind the junk came a short, blue-skinned creature, dressed in all leather, a forging hammer and giant tongs hanging from its belt.
"I told you we'd see them again!" Mimir said.
"Thor?" The massive creature said, looking down at the Asgardian.
Thor nodded. "Eitri."
"Oh my gods." Another, more nervous voice rang out through the great hall. "It's him, it's really him!"
"That's what I said! How you been, big guy?" Brok asked, approaching the Spartan with open arms.
"I have been better." Kratos responded.
"Ain't never seen you good, so what did I expect?" Brok replied. "Come on out, y'old scaredy-cat, It's just Kratos. And a tree. And a dog."
"Coming up with all sorts of names, aren't we?" Rocket sighed.
"Thor?" Sindri asked, coming out from behind a rock. "Is that you too?"
"Sindri, buddy!" Thor exclaimed as he got himself up off the ground. "Eitri, what happened here?"
"You were supposed to protect us!" Eitri cried out. "Asgard was supposed to protect us!'
"Asgard is destroyed." Thor explained. "Eitri. The glove. What did you do?"
Eitri sighed and sank to the floor with a crash.
"There were three-hundred dwarves on this ring," Eitri explained. "I thought if I did what he asked, they'd be safe. I made what he wanted. A device capable of harnessing the power of the stones. And then he-"
Eitri tried to compose himself. "And then he killed everyone anyway. All except me."
"And yet you survived." Kratos said, turning to the Huldra brothers.
"We were off-station, on a freelance mission." Brok said solemnly.
"When we got back, everyone was…" Sindri started, but he couldn't finish his sentence.
"'Your life is yours', Thanos said." Eitri continued, "'But your hands'…"
Eitri held up the metal prosthetics attached to the end of his arms. "'Your hands are mine alone.'"
"Hands or not, we require your assistance." Kratos said.
"What do you need from us?" Sindri asked.
"A weapon." Thor replied. "With your help, we can create a weapon that can kill Thanos."
"You mean, revenge, yeah?" Brok asked.
Thor nodded.
"Then count us in. We'll help in any way that will give that big grape a run for his money!" Brok exclaimed.
"And while we're at it, let's take a look at those weapons." Sindri said, eyeing Kratos' arsenal. "Are those, missile pods?"
"Yes." Kratos replied.
"Then let's get to work!" Sindri exclaimed.
/
"How do you feel?" Brok asked, eyeing his work.
Kratos felt his armour spring to life again. The wings on the armour's chassis were refuelled, and ready to fly again. The missile pods on his shoulders were reloaded, and his blades were once again marked with the runes of dwarven magic. His armour was shined and buffed, and now had the Huldra Brother's seal of approval marked on the chest plate. The armour felt once again like it had all those millennia ago, when he was the God of War, now given new life by the dwarves' magic. Kratos activated his helmet, to test the targeting systems.
"Better." Kratos huffed, deactivating the helmet. The helmet pulled away from his face and collapsed back into the collar of the armour.
"Good! Great! That'll be thirty-two thousand hacksilver, thirty Aesirbane and fifteen dust of realms." Brok said sternly.
"What?" Kratos asked.
"Nah, just kiddin', this one's on the house!" Brok joked.
Kratos rolled his eyes, remembering why he didn't want to come here.
"That's a neat helmet you got there." Sindri noticed. "Who designed it?"
"Tony Stark" Kratos replied.
"Stark, eh? Never heard of 'em." Brok replied. "She have a name?"
"Name?"
"Sure, every great tool needs a name! Leviathan, Excalibur, Stormbreaker, what's the helmet's name"
"Helmet."
"No, no, that won't do!" Brok bellowed.
Kratos sighed. "Helmet?"
"Yes, Kratos?" The helmet's digitized female voice replied.
"What is your name?"
"I'm not sure, I never gave it much thought."
Kratos paused for a moment.
"Lexie."
"Lexie?" The helmet asked.
"It means, 'protector of mankind' in Greek."
"I would like that." The female voice replied.
"Good!" Brok said. He turned to Loki. "Now, as for you."
"What about me?" Loki asked.
"That axe of which'n you so happen to be holding. You know who that belonged to, right?"
Loki pulled the axe from his back. "It was my mother's."
"You...you have a son?" Sindri asked Kratos, surprised and confused.
"Yes." Kratos said.
"And you never told us? How long have we known each other?!" Brok blurted.
"He was dead."
"Well, he ain't dead now!"
"He lived."
"Well, which one is it? Dead or not dead?!"
"Log story." Loki said. "Now, what about the axe?"
"Well, seein' as how we made it, perhaps it could do with some nice little upgrades" Brok said.
Loki looked at the axe. "Very well."
Sindri looked at the axe. "Is that...blood on it?"
"Demon blood, actually. Maybe a few mutated cultist brains, too." Loki explained.
"Oof, blugh." Sindri said, backing away from the axe and covering his mouth with his hand. "Could you...take it to the crafting table for me?"
"Oh, forget it, give it here!" Brok said, grabbing the axe from Loki's hands. Brok carried it to the table, pulled out his hammer and gave the axe head a tap. Suddenly, the axe sprag to life as the runes shone bright blue.
"There." Brok said, handing it back to Loki. "Give it a try."
Loki took the axe and looked at it. "What do I do with it now?"
"Point it at something!" Sindri explained.
Loki pointed the axe head at a barrel in the distance.
"Now, think 'beam' or 'laser' or whatever floats yur boat." Brok said.
Loki closed his eyes. As he did so, a beam of freezing cold left the axe head and struck the barrel, obliterating it and moving on, hitting a pillar in the distance. The pillar froze and cracked, toppling down and crashing to the ground in a deafening downpour of rock and metal.
"Cool." Loki said, grinning out of the side of his mouth.
Suddenly the station began to shake under their feet.
"Looks like Thor got the rings moving." Loki stated.
Through the windows, the dead star that lay in the center of the station began to shine.
"My word, that's beautiful." Sindri exclaimed. "I never thought I'd see her shine again."
"Now, about that sword." Brok said, eyeing the black blade on Krato's back.
"Do NOT. Touch it." Kratos warned.
"Why not?"
"Because it is a demon blade, and it will corrupt your mind in moments." Mimir said.
"Fine, fine. No upgrade for the evil sword, then." Brok said as he grumbled off. "Always wanted to fiddle with a demon sword, but whatever..."
"Dammit." Eitri's voice came over the comms.
"Dammit?" Rocket's voice answered. "What's 'dammit'?"
"The mechanism is crippled." Eitri's voice replied.
"What?" Thor exclaimed.
"With the iris closed, I can't heat the metal." Eitri exclaimed.
"How long will it take to heat it?" Thor asked.
"A few minutes, maybe more, why?"
"I'm gonna hold it open."
"That's suicide."
"So is facing Thanos without that axe."
"I have to help him." Loki said.
"No!" Kratos barked.
"He needs my help!" Loki yelled. "You can't stop me from helping my brother!"
"If I cannot stop you, then I will go." Kratos grunted.
Kratos' mechanical wings grinded open. The boosters on his armor sprang to life as the armor prepared for flight.
"Lexie. Get me to the iris."
"Sounds good, boss."
Kratos' helmet wrapped around his head, and he shot off into space, flying straight for the iris. He landed beside Thor as he stood in the massive gears of the mechanism.
"What are you doing here?" Thor asked.
"Helping." Kratos replied bluntly.
Thor nodded. "You pull that one, I'll handle this one. Allfathers, give us strength."
"You understand, boy." Eitri's voice came over the comms. "You are about to take the full force of a star. It'll kill you.
"Only if I die." Thor said, a nervous smirk on his face.
"Yes...that's what k...killing you means." Eitri replied.
"Ready?' Thor asked, grabbing a hold of the giant lever beside him.
"Ready." Kratos replied, grabbing his side's lever.
The two gods pulled, opening the giant Iris that led to the star. The light of the star shone through. Kratos scowled as the heat of the star hit his body. His godly armour protected his skin from the blast, but he could hear Thor's grunts of pain beside him as his skin burned away.
"Hold on!" Kratos roared over the blast of the star, but Thor lost consciousness and flew off, propelled by the star's energy. Thor's lever began to slide to its neutral position as the Iris slowly closed.
"Was that long enough, dwarf?" Kratos asked.
"I hope so, Thor is dying!" Eitri yelled over the comms.
Kratos let go of his lever and jetted back to the forge.
"Brother, wake up! Don't die on me now!" Loki said as he lay beside his brother.
"Where's the handle?!" Eitri yelled as he desperately searched the area.
"I put it over here, I'm certain of it!" Sindri called out in the distance.
"You lost it, didn't you, you little canker-throat?!" Brok screamed.
"I don't lose anything, ever! I'm very organized!" Sindri screamed back.
"Tree! Help me find the handle!" Eitri roared as he desperately overturned tables and rocks in search of it.
Groot looked at the red-hot pieces of the axe that lay on the ground. He looked to Thor, took a deep breath, and held out his arm. His fingers began to extend, growing out into long branches that intertwined themselves. Groot grunted from the pain of the red-hot metal as his finger wrapped themselves around Stormbreaker's head. With a high-pitched roar, he raised the arm attached to Stormbreaker and cut it off. The axe head fell with a clunk to the ground, now assembled.
The axe sprang to life, sparking electricity through the air. It hovered above the ground, then flew into Thor's open hand. Thor awoke, his eyes bright blue with electrical power. In a flash of light, he was standing, fully-healed and adorned in Asgardian armour.
"How do I look?' Thor asked as electricity sparked from his body.
"I'll be honest, brother. You look terrible." Loki joked.
"Ah, you're just jealous of my new axe." Thor said, feeling the weight of the weapon in his hand.
"Or perhaps, you're just ripping off your brother." Loki sneered, pulling out the Leviathan axe.
Thor smiled and looked around him.
"Friends, brother, father-in-law," Thor announced. "I feel it is too late to go to Knowhere. Surely Thanos has the reality stone, and we must go to Midgard to ensure the last stones don't fall into his clutches. Who will join me?"
"Oh, where there's indiscriminate violence, I'm in!" Rocket stated. "let's kill this son of a bitch!"
"I am Groot!" Groot yelled.
"Language, young tree!" Thor replied.
"Ah, we're no fighters." Brok said, waving his arm dismissively. "we'd probably slow you down."
"He's right, we'll stay here and maybe make this place somewhere the remaining dwarves can call home again." Sindri added.
Thor looked to Kratos. "Brother? This is your last chance to join me before it's too late. Don't sit this one out. We need you."
Kratos thought for a moment. He looked down at Mimir.
"Come on, brother. One more fight."
Krato sighed.
"I will let the boy decide."
Thor smiled and turned to Loki. "What do you say, 'boy'?
Loki sighed heavily. "You said I wasn't ready to have this axe, father, but the axe chose me. Mother chose me. She thinks I'm ready, and as much as I hate to say it, we should fight this fight. Like I said, you can't protect me forever. Let me prove that I'm able to protect myself."
"Very well." Kratos said reluctantly.
"...But," Loki started. "There's still Alfheim..."
"Okay, everybody, get ready. The first trip through the Bifrost can be a bit nauseating." Thor said as Stormbreaker charged up.
"I mean, the beaches, the wine." Loki continued. "And are you sure, no necromancy?"
"No necromancy!" Thor replied sternly.
"I'll see you on the other side." Loki said, a small grin on his face.
"Do not get yourself killed, boy." Kratos ordered.
"Trust that I will do my best." Loki replied.
The group was engulfed in a flash of multi-coloured light, and were gone, leaving nothing except a nordic circle pattern on the floor.
Brok and Sindri stood for a moment, then turned and walked away.
"Good to see he hasn't changed." Sindri said, sarcastically.
"He's changed. You see how he let someone else make a decision?" Brok asked.
"True, that is weird for him. Hope they kill that purple bastard."
"I'm sure they'll whoop his scrote-chinned ass back to Titan! "Brok chuckled. "Now come on, we have a station to fix!"