章 66: One
A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07.
I just want to say, that I haven't bothered naming the Ragnarok chapters as something special. I'm just too lazy like that.
~~~
As I walk through the giant doors opening into the Throne Room of Asgard, I check myself over once again. My Vibranium armour was fixed over my chest, showing myself to be a Warrior King.
My legs and arms, meanwhile, were covered with a Vibranium weave cloth, shaped like scales, capable enough to stop minor weapons. Of course, Divine Weapons have a different edge to them, so it won't stop them, but the armour was protected by a lot of Cosmic Energy, which I was obviously hiding.
I had created a Gold crown for myself, for the first time having to show off my station as a Skyfather. But, the Gold crown was also enchanted to expand and cover my head in times of battle, leaving the lower face and eyes open. It was a useless crown anyway, it's not like I can call myself a King of three Gods and a Demigoddess.
Behind me flowed a soft forest green coloured cloak, also made of Vibranium weave cloth. Under the cloak, were the hidden holsters for my Adamantine Axes, while off my hip was an Uru sword, enchanted by my blood to cut through a Celestial armour, if need be.
It wasn't my best creation, but the short while that I had to prepare didn't give me much time. Other than that, the Axe could handle almost anything that he might encounter in this War.
Almost.
Which is why I was keeping my axes as a back up, easily accessible by just a thought. And the Uru sword was a test, to see how Odin would react to a supposed slight to himself. This reaction will decide what my involvement in the next Asgard will be.
Walking towards the Throne room, I look around. Other than Odin, the King of Asgard, and the numerous guards all around, there present were the one handed God Tyr, the Trickster Loki, and the Queen Frigga, who was also my half sister.
Nodding towards the Queen, Tyr, and the Prince, I turn to Odin, and give him a little bit deeper nod. Not a bow, but a nod that shows acknowledgement from one Skyfather to another.
Odin nods back, although I do see a bit of anger in his eyes, while the rest stay silent. Odin says, "Welcome to Asgard, King Theos."
"Oh I'm not a King. Yet. Our Pantheon isn't big enough for that. But thank you for having me here, although you did call for me." I say, getting a feel for what they're feeling.
Frigga is amused, and so is Loki, Tyr simply blinks, while Odin just nods, not reacting much.
"Shall we convene to the Conference room then? This matter isn't something to discuss openly." Odin asks/orders, and stands up from his Throne.
As they start walking down the stairs, Odin stops, looking at the sword at my hip. Frowning, he keeps walking, surprisingly enough. Frigga gives the sword one glance and walks behind Odin, Tyr following them at a small distance. Odin nods at the guards, probably to ask them to stay here, and walks out of the Throne room, through a door that's behind the Throne.
Loki raises an eyebrow at the sword, and says, "Nice sword, Lord Theos."
"Thank you." I say, not commenting more, and follow Loki towards the Conference room.
Once there, and once the doors are closed, Odin looks around, and slams the butt of Gungnir on the ground, and orders, "Secure!"
I raise an eyebrow, realizing that the enchantment he just cast was damn good. I couldn't sense anything from outside the room. Heck, even my Echolocation was blurred, not blacked out, but blurred.
I whistle, feeling impressed, and turn back to Odin. He asks, "Where did you get that sword? I don't remember commissioning it."
Shrugging, I answer, "I found some Uru lying around, and made it myself. Relax, I did not steal this, neither from Asgard, nor from Nidavellir."
Odin says nothing, and stares at me. Tyr has his hand on his sword, ready to attack at a moment's notice, while Loki pours himself a cup of wine.
Seeing that Odin wasn't budging, I remove the sword, along with it's scabbard, and slide it over the table towards him. I pointedly ignore the sword of Tyr that was pointed towards me, and the glowing hands of Frigga.
Sister or not, she wouldn't hesitate to defend her King, which I commend, even if I'm feeling a bit betrayed.
Taking the sword in his hands, Odin looks it over, and mumbles a few spells. He says, "You're still a novice. That much is apparent."
"That is why I asked for what I did." I offer, accepting the fact that my sword is inferior to that of the Dwarves. Odin nods, making the two other Asgardians relax.
Putting the sword back in it's scabbard, Odin slides it over to me, and says, "And that brings us to the crux of the matter. Your.. price. Do you understand what you're asking for, boy? The entire collection of knowledge of Asgard and Nidavellir?! What makes you think I won't execute you where you stand."
Not feeling threatened by the threat, nor the magic he is emitting, I sit down on a chair, and say, "Firstly, you need me. If you didn't feel the need to call me, you wouldn't have. Secondly, you cannot kill me. I'm much more dangerous than I appear, Odin. Remember that. And thirdly," I lean forward to glare right into Odin's eyes, and say, "The next time you call me anything other than Theos, Jordson, or Lord Theos, I will abandon Asgard to it's fate, and leave. My title as a Skyfather isn't for show."
"You think we will allow you to leave? No Sorcery or witchcraft will work here, Jordson." Odin asks, putting his hand on the table.
I glare back, and whisper, "You think you can stop me from leaving if I want to?"
As us two Skyfathers keep staring at each other, Odin lifts his little finger slightly, and Tyr jumps towards me, attacking with his sword.
Already having expected this, I ignore Tyr's attack, and let it, and him pass through me. The illusion stands, even after the attack, and I show myself to be standing behind Odin himself.
Frigga is the first to notice me, as they all turn to look everywhere, searching for me. Before she can say anything, I tap Odin on his shoulder, and teleport back on my chair.
Now, I have their attention. I was in position to kill Odin, and I was using Illusions that they, even Loki and Frigga couldn't detect.
"Is this enough of a presentation of my prowess?" I ask, leaning back, and smirking at the grim King, while glancing at the others.
Tyr was behind me, his hand still holding the sword, while Frigga casts a spell at me to see if I'm the real one. Loki was staring wide eyed, before he starts chuckling loudly.
Frigga nods at Odin, who nods at Tyr, and they all once again get back to their previous positions, my test over.
And the best part? I never showed a single hint of my active Cosmic Energy. This was all done by my Magic. The Magic of an Elder God.
Odin says, "I needed to see that you'll be enough for the task we require of you. It seems, you'll do."
"Hmm.. and what of my price? I don't think you'll be available after Ragnarok." I ask, wanting the books first.
Odin sighs, and snaps his fingers. Two boxes appear in front of him, each of them obviously magically expanded on the inside. The boxes were closed, so I couldn't see what was in there, but my passive Echolocation did manage to see a lot of books in each of the boxes, along with an enchanted sword in another one.
Odin points to the box with the sword, and says, "This box contains numerous tomes written by Dwarven Master crafters, detailing everything that relates to metal working, and enchanting. They also included an Uru sword, which has been filled with enchantments. Alas, they tell me the sword is useless as a weapon, but highly useful as an example, while you're practicing."
"This box, contains a copy of every book pertaining to Magic that Asgard has collected over.. this cycle. I give you my word as a King that whatever is written within the tomes is accurate to the best of my knowledge." Odin says, and slides the boxes forward.
While I did ask for all the books Asgard's libraries had, books related to Magic were my aim. It seems Odin either didn't want to give the other knowledge, or he couldn't. Well, I'm not here to fight them. I'm here to fight with them.
Nodding graciously, I accept the boxes, and send them through a portal to my house on Donna for later perusal. I say, "Thank you, King Odin. Your gift is much appreciated."
Odin huffs, while Loki snorts, all of us knowing that the gift was one born of a bargain.
Anyway, I ask, "Now, shall we move on? I'd rather get the first part over with. We need to first get the lay of the land, in the Realm of the Gods above Gods. It's better to do it now, before the signal for Ragnarok sounds, isn't it?"
Odin nods, and says, "Yes. I am working on a device that will hopefully kill the Gods above Gods. Knowing where to send it will be helpful."
I nod, and offer, "Well, if anyone takes me to any one of the Physical representations of the Yggdrasil, I should be able to get the location of the Realm. I can go into the Realm, and come back unnoticed, if alone. Although, if you want to send someone with me, it better be an expert at hiding or staying silent."
While I could probably hide myself using my Cosmic Energy, without anyone finding out my Celestial Identity, I can't say the same if Odin sends someone with me. We'll either get found out by the Realm Lords, or I will get outed as a Celestial.
Odin frowns at me taking charge, but acquiesces. He says, "Loki will take you wherever you need to go. He will chaperone you for the duration of this war, whether we fail or succeed."
I nod, reluctant to have what amounts to a babysitter, but I don't really have a choice. He is still the Skyfather, and the highest power in Asgard. They all literally gain strength from Asgard, while I'm an outsider. I do have more intrinsic strength though, and my connection to Terra, Donna, and Induk, has ensured my strength level stays high.
After a few more details given to me by Odin, about what the other Realms are going through, he lets the barrier fall, and waves us outside. Loki and I are the only ones to leave, while Odin and Frigga stay back to talk.
Feeling a spell cast around us, I turn to Loki in question. He says, "Well, I spoke with my children. Can't let everyone know that now, can I?"
I nod, and ask, "So? What did they say?"
Loki scowls, and says, "My children proved to be as stubborn as me. Hela flatly refused to abandon her position, while Fenrir, now that he's free, is determined to follow Hela wherever she goes. Sliepnir.."
"You don't care much about him, huh." I say, seeing the frown on his face.
Loki shakes his head, and says, "Sliepnir was taken from me as soon as he was born. He is more horse than Aesir, albeit with 8 legs, and is surprisingly loyal to Odin."
Well, brainwashing at it's finest. Poor kid probably never even knew he had an Aesir form, and now he never will. Or he just didn't have an Aesir mind, and was pure horse. I don't know..
Loki sighs, as I stay silent, and continues, "Narfi has agreed to our deal, and so did Jormungandr, but he still wishes to also fulfil his destiny and kill Thor. So there's that. Alas, Vali has decided that traipsing around Midgard as a juvenile is more important than my status as his father."
"Is this the same Vali that killed Narfi after being turned into a wolf? Sorry if it brings back bad memories. Matter of fact, how is Narfi still alive?" I ask, and then quickly add, knowing that what I spoke is probably offensive.
Loki snorts, and says, "That was half a million years ago, so no, that did not bring back any memories. And yes, it's the same Vali." Pausing, he observes my face, and says, "I and Hela managed to secure Narfi's soul, and we put him in the body of a newborn Midgardian babe. I even managed to turn Vali back into an Aesir, and kept him with a family near his brother. Alas, Odin found out, as he usually does, and cursed both Vali, and Narfi to an Eternal life as a youngling."
Well, way to contradict yourself Loki. That scowl does not look like it brought bad memories, at all. Nope.
Schooling his face, Loki restarts the walk towards my room. I then ask, "Did you mention to Vali that the backlash of Ragnarok can and will kill him? Eternal youth or not?"
Loki stops, and turns towards me with a furious face. He looks around, and hisses, "What do you mean by that?! I thought Midgard was safe from Ragnarok! It always has been."
Frowning, I explain, "You listened to Odin. He's going to destroy the Gods Above Gods. An explosion strong enough to kill the Gods above Gods has to be strong enough to destroy the Yggdrasil with it. Can you estimate the amount of pure destruction Midgard will suffer by the destruction of Yggdrasil?"
Loki looks horrified now, and whispers, "Floods, volcanoes, earthquakes, storms. Everything will activate all at once, and then there'll be a long, long winter. The Aesir Demigods will drop dead, and their descendants will lose any gifts they received from us."
I nod, and add, "Yes, all of that, and a few weak willed descendants will lose their lives. And that's not all. Vali is your son in the body of a mortal. He will face worse pain than the Demigods. Hopefully he'll die as soon as Yggdrasil is destroyed. If not, then he'll go through years of constant pain before dying. Almost everything related to the Yggdrasil, except for the knowledge of it's existence, will be destroyed. Most Relics, memories, Gods, Demigods, everything. I can think of 5 things capable enough of surviving the explosion. At most."
The worst part is I wasn't exaggerating. I just.. didn't much care. Yes, I'm a guardian, and the loss of life will be enormous. But, Ragnarok was inevitable, and the Gods and Demigods would have still died, including Vali. The destruction of Yggdrasil will just mean that he won't go to Hel, nor will he go in peace. I also wasn't kidding when I said 'everything'.
The only thing that will remain, will be the knowledge that Yggdrasil used to exist, and whatever is so far away that the backlash is miniscule. That means anything on Donna. Induk is still close enough that the initial backlash will be felt, which is why I sent the gift boxes to Donna, and not to Induk.
Loki slams his face in both of his hands, and groans, loudly. He says, "Just.. give me an hour or two. I'll make sure Vali knows the consequences of his stubbornness and then we can leave for Yggdrasil."
I nod and pat his shoulder in understanding. While I don't know what Vali's speciality is, he's a son of Loki, and is probably similar to him. Sympathy is well deserved.
Loki goes towards his room, probably to find a safe place to teleport from, leaving a nearby guard to guide me back towards my guest room.
On the way, I wonder, when will I get the chance to send them to Donna, and how long will I have to keep them there before they won't die as soon as they come here, to Midgard?
When the time comes, I'll see. For now, we need to scout an enemy base filled with five omniscient enemies. Joy.
I make the armour retreat from over my body to my pocket dimension, and lay down on the bed to meditate. Better get myself familiar to the magic of Asgard, because this is going to help me in the long run.
~~~
A/N: So this is the list. Jormungandr, Vali, and Narfi. I'm still on the fence about Jormungandr, though. Any less known Children of Loki you want to see?
Now, one plothole. Loki's children with Sigyn, Narfi and Vali were only punished AFTER Loki had killed Baldur. But this didn't happen here, so obviously they found some other reason to do that. It'll remain a plot hole, so don't mind that. Just assume that Loki did something to piss the majority of the Gods with something evil, and they retaliated like Gods do, by targeting his children.
Should Sigyn also join them? Just a thought I had.
Odin had a test for Theos, to see if he's capable enough of hiding himself. Theos understood it, but also didn't like the insult he felt. But, he's not going to betray Asgard, don't worry.
Also, this chapter is based a few days before Thor's ascendance. The Rooster hasn't signalled the start of Ragnarok War yet.
Tata!
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