Chapter 5: Daring Escape
It was strange, to meet someone close to his age that skilled.
Thor had always believed himself to be better than many twice his age, had been told as much as well. His tutors all said the same thing, how hard he pushed himself, how much he trained, even the variety of ways in which he trained in, all contributed to making his rapid growth something to behold.
Yet, he had met someone the same age as him, arguably not far behind him in terms of skill with a blade. That alone confused Thor massively, certainly, it could be explained off as Sif simply focusing purely on swordsmanship whereas he worked on numerous different weapons, but even so, it was strange someone his age could actually put up a fight.
It did not match up with what he had been told by his instructors.
Which then made Thor ask the question, had they lied to him? Had they told him false pleasantries about his skills and talents just to appease him, to make him feel better? While he had not lost a duel against Sif, she put up a far better fight than what should have been possible considering how much he trained.
It made Thor wonder who had trained her.
"Are you a Valkyrie in training?" He asked, looking to Sif who was sitting on the floor, she was covered in sweat, breathing heavily after their harsh training session. While the two had sparred against one another a few more times, it eventually led to them facing off against Fandral, both in one-on-one duels as well as two-on-one.
Though it made little difference, neither had managed to land a blow, a frustrating thing for both of them. Which actually led to the two in a similar state of stubbornness to keep requesting spars to try and rectify that failure, though the result did not change.
Sif shook her head. "No, but I want to become a Valkyrie in the future." Though it was an answer, it was not the one Thor wanted, he felt a little more frustrated. If she was a Valkyrie in training, then Thor could understand her skill, they were an organisation of warrior women, one of the most respected and skilled factions in the Asgardian military.
There was not a single person who didn't recognise the Valkyrie's signature armour and steed. Nor did anyone not know and fear their skill.
"Then who trained you?"
"My brother, Heimdall." Sif's answer though made Thor's eyes widen in shock.
Heimdall the All-Seeing, the Faithful, the Immovable, the Eternal Vigilant, the All-Hearing.
Heimdall the Guardian of the Bifrost.
One of the most skilled and respected warriors in all of Asgardian history, a warrior that watched over the Nine Realms and guarded Asgard against any attacks. Just as there was not a person in Asgard or the Nine Realms that didn't know of the Valkyries, fewer still did not know how Heimdall was.
'If Sif was trained by her brother, then I am not surprised at her skill.' Thor thought to himself, none of his tutors even came close to the skill of Heimdall. The only ones who could actually claim to surpass Heimdall were his older brothers, Vidar and Tyr Odinson.
Vidar had been Odin's firstborn, a child born when Odin was still but a prince of Asgard. He had fought alongside both King Odin and King Bor during their respective campaigns, Bor's conquest of the Aesir tribes and Odin's conquest of the Nine Realms. Though his achievements were overshadowed by that of his father and grandfather, his strength earned him the title of God of Strength was well-known.
But Tyr was arguably more famous than his older brother, the third child and second son of Odin, he had risen to prominence during the turbulent period of Odin's rule when he provided more autonomy to his vassals. Aesir, Vanir, Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, Frost Giants and the like, all wanting to settle old scores with one another and Asgard, it was Tyr that crushed those insurrections with tactical ability far surpassing anyone and if believed, greater than even Odin himself.
Out of all the warriors Asgard had produced, only the two All-Fathers and Vidar and Tyr were known to have surpassed Heimdall. Thor was hardly surprised that if Sif had been trained by him, she would be this skilled.
In fact, he would have expected it and been disappointed if she hadn't.
-X- Line Break -X-
Sif and Heimdall, siblings?
That was certainly news to Loki, he had found nothing upon Sif in his search for her, though that wasn't unsurprising, escaping the purview of Heimdall the All-Seeing was all but impossible. Certainly, there had been a few mishaps in the past, such as when the air spirit, Vanna, a spy for one of the many Storm Giant Kings of the past, Brimer escaped his notice. But such failures were far and few between now, in fact, Loki struggled to come up with a moment in recent memory where his gaze had failed him.
'I wonder though, is his gaze truly inescapable now? Is there a weakness that the air spirit Vanna exploited without realising? Or was it simply inexperience that led to Vanna escaping his sight?' All things to consider for a future date, though Loki would certainly have to test this little theory out.
However, Sif and Heimdall being siblings while strange did explain her skill. It also explained why Frigga had personally invited her to the palace, though Loki did not like it. It reeked of a scheme and it seemed that Thor was caught in the centre of it without realising it. Was she perhaps to be part of an arranged marriage with Thor, a way to bring Heimdall and possibly his sight into the royal family? Or was there another reason that Frigga was going this far?
Either way, Loki did not like it.
"Do you wish to be a Valkyrie when you grow up then?" Thor asked, Loki watching Sif consider the question carefully, perhaps part of some grander lie. "Or perhaps become like your brother, the Guardian of the Bifrost?"
Sif hummed. "I suppose both. But I always wanted to be a Valkyrie growing up more than anything." Loki could detect no lie as she spoke, which only confused him further. There was a scheme here, he knew it, could smell it in the air. He just couldn't figure out what the end goal was, or what part Sif had to play in this whole ordeal. Did she know of the scheme, or was she just an unwitting pawn caught upon in this whole thing like his brother?
Either way, he did not like it.
He could see the way Thor looked at her, she had caught his interest, the skill she had showcased was no doubt the cause for it. If this was part of the plan, will have no doubt have succeeded, Thor would no doubt wish to meet her again.
"I could help you if you wanted?"
"Help me become a Valkyrie?" Thor nodded his head.
'Is this it?' Loki wondered to himself. 'Had she used her brother's position in Asgard to get close to Thor, impress him with her skills so she can get into the Valkyries easily.' It was a bit of a stretch and a little convoluted for his tastes, but not everyone was skilled at deception like he was. Loki after all had at one point led to the castle being shut down as it was believed to be a spy had infiltrated the castle.
Another one of his pranks that went off without a hitch nor a trace of magic that could be led back to him.
Just a few well-placed words in the correct ears and it was like magic.
"You're skilled, so I have no doubt you'll be able to get in on your own, but I could help you get in a little easier." Sif seemed surprised at that, though she did smile after a few moments, shaking her head in response.
"Thank you, but no." That caught Loki by surprise, having expected that to be the reason for her coming here. "When I become a Valkyrie, it will be because I earned the position for hard work and skill, not because oI knew the right people. So thank you again, my prince, but I will have to refuse your generous offer."
Thor shook his head, smiling widely. "No, I should be the one to apologise."
Loki was not liking this development at all.
-X- Line Break -X-
Breathing heavily, Lonkarr pressed his back against the wall to make himself seem as small as possible. His body ached, blood covered every inch of his, some dripping from the wound on his forehead and getting into his eyes, blinding him.
Even so, he continued to push himself forwards.
The sounds of screams filled the air as he looked up at the night sky. This planet was always night, but the smoke from the burning buildings made it even darker and more ominous. It almost made him wonder as to why the Gods who ruled here treated their worshippers the way they do. Cruel beatings and torture were their religion and they themselves, the Dark Gods and their most loyal worshippers meted out this barbaric form of worship upon the others.
The worshippers were nothing more than slaves deformed by the Dark Magics inflicted upon them by their so-called 'Gods' and that did not even take into account the hundreds of thousands of slaves already upon this planet. They themselves were treated even worse than the Dark God worshippers.
And to think, these Dark Gods had taken free men, women and children from the Nine Realms. Asgard had no jurisdiction nor any right to interfere with any other pantheon's dealings with their worshippers and it was only due to the Dark Gods stealing those residing in the Nine Realms that was overseen and protected by the Asgardians that Odin was allowed to interfere.
It was something he was glad for, they could finally free these poor souls from their torture and show the Dark Gods what it truly means to be a God. They were meant to be benevolent beings, not monsters.
With a sharp intake of breath, Lonkarr snapped the arrow embedded into his stomach in half before peaking around the corner. Quickly he pulled his head back when he noticed numerous Dark God worshippers rushing past. Each of them dressed in a mix of animal hides and human skin to act as an armour and holding crudely forged steel.
Making sure to keep his hearing locked onto their footsteps, he waited until they had passed before rushing around the corner.
That was his mistake.
For you see, in Lonkarrs desperation to get away from this planet and the Dark Gods who resided here, he forgot to make sure that the alleyway was clear. Over a month he had spent on this planet, hiding amongst the slaves, being tortured by the worshippers all the while gaining as much information as he could upon their military might, strategic positioning and other important information. Yet that month had been the most painful and traumatising month of his long life.
He wanted to get away, to tell his King Odin everything he knew so that Asgard could destroy these false Gods once and for all.
In his desperation, he ran straight into one of those Dark Gods.
A hand clamped around his neck, picked him clean up off the floor and slammed him into the building. It was a woman and a disgusting one at that. A disfigured face sat upon what looked to be a rotting figure that at one point in time could have been considered beautiful.
"Asgardian!" The woman snarled. "I thought I smelled one of your filth somewhere."
Gasping, Lonkarr slapped at the hand wrapped around his neck as it squeezed his neck tightly and started to cut off his air supply. "How long have you been amongst us, a month? Two?" She questioned. "No matter. What I really want to know is what you know about us?"
Her grip around his neck tightened even further and Lonkarr felt his eyes bulge, threatening to burst out of their sockets. "But I don't want you to tell me just yet, no that would spoil all the fun. You'll tell me eventually after I've had my fun with you." Her eyes then turned to look at where the sound of an explosion came from. "I must say I am surprised at you for purposefully creating a rebellion to cover your escape, knowing perfectly well that all the slaves that raised arms against us will die. It was very cruel of you."
While she spoke, her grip had loosened, her eyes fixed on the sight of the orange glow in the near distance. This in turn allowed Lonkarr to draw in some much-needed air into his lungs resulting in him being able to think properly.
That was all he needed.
His eyes instantly locked onto the small dagger at her side and with a quick movement unsheathed the blade and stabbed it into her neck.
It was a quick and savage thrust and the blade went straight through her neck and out the side, black blood pooling out of the wound, around the blade and dripping down her neck and his wrist. The Dark God herself gasped in both pain and shock as she looked at him with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what had happened.
Even so, Lonkarr did not know if that would be enough and quickly pulled the blade free from her neck. It was like the strings holding her in place had been cut and she dropped to her knees, the arm around his neck releasing him and without even sparing himself time to recover his breath, Lonkarr pounced on her. The dagger in his hand stabbed into her chest repeatedly.
Each swing sent blood flying into the air and splattering across his face and scarred chest, yet Lonkarr did not stop.
After a few moments of repeated stabs, Lonkarr finally stopped and with heavy breathing looked down at the barely alive Dark God. She was desperately gripping onto the last vestiges of life, but both of them knew that she would not survive.
Taking in one last deep breath, Lonkarr rushed down the alleyway, knowing that he only had to make it out of the city and he could call Heimdall to bring him back to Asgard. Ensuring that Asgard's presence would remain unknown and giving its military time to amass its armies and launch an invasion upon the planet before the Dark Gods could even know what had happened.
But there was one thing he had not accounted for.
The Dark God that had caught him and was currently lying on the floor in a puddle of her own blood, was not yet dead. Her anger at the Asgardians was already great, but her injuries only further fuelled that rage.
And so, with the last few precious seconds of her life took her bloodied fingers and spelt a message into the sand.
Asgardians.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Carrots123
Carrots123 So, Sif and Thor are beginning to develop a friendship while a jealous Loki watches on and yes, he is jealous. Thor and Loki only have each other in terms of people close to their age. In Loki's case, besides Frigga, he only has Thor and so the introduction of Sif is not exactly good news for him. You can see this through his belief that Sif and Thor's friendship is all part of a scheme, one he believes Sif is an active part of. While she is part of a scheme, she is unknowing of her role in it and it's not harmful either. We also get the introduction of the Dark Gods, in the comics, they're one of many really interesting villains that don't get much in terms of screentime, nor much of anything. I think they appear twice overall as like major villains which is a shame because there seems to be an interesting connection between them and Asgard that I would have loved to see explored.
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