For Odin, for Thor, for Asgard Page 11

  Lord Thor and the forces supporting his reign had become so powerful that there was in effect no conceivable threat to his present dominions from any source whatsoever. The very name of Lord Thor was spoken of with total respect in all corners of our Universe. This is not to say though, that there were those prepared to do his offspring harm should such an opportunity arise.

  Thus it was that with Thor’s blessing Magni decided to venture out into the larger cosmos in search of knowledge and adventure (as both his father and his grandfather as younger men had once done). There was also a more practical side to this as Lord Thor had charged Magni, whilst enjoying himself, to also be on the look-out for potential planetary systems that might one day be colonised by those of Earth/Asgard.

  Thor had viewed a number of potential systems and even teleported there for a brief look but there had not been time for any detailed type of survey.

  Magni would not however be alone. Accompanying him in a great Viking longboat, named the Lady Sif, would be Thialfi with whom Magni had established a great friendship and a full dozen of New Asgard’s young and hardy warriors.

  The resemblance between the Lady Sif and a Viking Longboat of old ended at the purely appearances level. The great ship was force field protected against the extremes of the cosmos and contained mystically an unlimited supply of breathable air. It was also capable of both interdimensional travel and speeds far beyond that of light. Furthermore every one of the accompanying warriors had a special power of some sort. Thialfi had his great speed and Thiemden – son of Heimdall had his father’s vast sight, sound and other sensory capabilities. Among Magni’s other companions was a healer and at least one other warrior able to teleport interdimensionally. Yet others had a variety of mystic capabilities offensive and defensive. As a still further precaution the inert Destroyer armour had been taken along, with a view to its being used by Thialfi if necessary.

  Prince Magni was essentially a physical person relying on his great strength and durability ( this was probably greater than that of almost any other mystically unassisted purely physical being anywhere in the Multiverse). Still his mother had chosen to teach him some of her mystic ways. Also he had finally taken possession of the great hammer of Thor, now renamed the hammer of Magni. Thor had returned the time travel properties of the great hammer and strengthened its capacity to absorb and retain energy such that a godblast from Magni would be far greater than Thor’s godblast which millennia ago once forced the retreat of the great Galactus and even gave pause to Mighty Exitar. One further addition had been made - through the hammer - Magni could if necessary mystically augment both his size and strength.

  Why this last enchantment was added was most curious, few if any beings could physically match Magni’s strength and it seemed in some ways like overkill, yet perhaps Lord Thor in his great wisdom had his reasons.

  In short Magni and his companions seemed generally well equipped to deal with almost anything they might face out in the cosmos.

  Furthermore Magni would generally be under observation (especially from his mother the Enchantress),from New Asgard, though Lord Thor had decided that he would only ever intervene if his son faced a threat sufficient to seriously endanger his life. For any lesser threats Prince Magni would have to rely on the resources at his immediate disposal.

  Thus did Magni and his comrades set forth teleporting close to a little known and distant Galaxy then allowing Heimdall’s son to chart a course for the first of the favourable worlds that Lord Thor had detected.

  Over the coming days, weeks and months Prince Magni and his band moved from one seemingly Earth like world to another. Each world seeming even more verdant than the last. Yet in truth each had been seeded with something that would set in place a process of decay that would eventually reduce the world to lifelessness ( a sort of reverse terraforming). At first Magni had thought this just some accident of nature, but a pattern began to emerge – a malevolent intelligence had almost certainly been at work here.

  Magni had also been supplied with the means to audio-visually contact new Asgard should the circumstances warrant and after the first few visits to the Earth like worlds, he reported his early findings back to Lord Thor. Thor was concerned but at this point not overly so.

  As time progressed both Thor and Amora followed their offspring’s progress less regularly, Thor because of pressing matters of State and Amora because of “dalliances” behind Lord Thors back.

  At the point where it became obvious that there was a clear pattern of malevolence to the long term lifelessness seeding of these worlds Prince Magni sought again to contact New Asgard and report - to his great surprise he was unable to do so. He then decided to use his hammers teleportation capabilities to return to Asgard and report directly. To his even greater surprise the hammer failed him as did the teleportation capabilities of the Lady Sif longboat and one of his companions who also had this capability.

  For the time being and for whatever reason Magni and his companions were limited to the approx 3 X light speed capability of the Lady Sif. Magni did not as yet propose to test his hammers time travel capabilities. While this was clearly cause for great concern, still Magni knew that Lord Thor watched over him from Asgard and that ultimately his father would intervene, perhaps even coming here himself.

  Thus Magni’s explorations continued. It was during a respite on yet another of these “infected” Earth like worlds that the attack came. Magni had briefly moved away from his comrades in a particularly idyllic waterfall setting to ponder their future actions when out of a dimensional portal his comrades experienced a surprise attack from a fearsome assemblage of some of the Universes most malevolent characters. This included the former heralds of Galactus – Terrax and Morg, Perrikus of the Dark Gods and other equally fearsome yet unknown entities.

  With Magni temporarily absent Thor’s companions were overwhelmed and left either slain or severely injured, all except for Thialfi who entered the Destroyer armour and completed disintegrated Terrax, Perrikus and most of the other attackers.

  As Magni came running he saw the Thialfi Destroyer engaging a Morg (apparently with waters of life) who had been on the edge of the Destroyers visor disintegration blast. A vicious leer appeared on Morg’s face as he ignored the Thialfi Destroyer and moved to engage Magni. For whatever reason Morg had assumed that Magni was of comparable strength and capabilities to the Thor before Odin’s death.

  What a surprise Morg received when as he closed with Magni and discovered Magni’s true strength and durability. Desirous of a quick victory Magni knocked Morg aside as if he were a puppet and then completely destroyed him with a very short sharp low intensity “godblast”.

  As Magni and the Thialfi Destroyer surveyed the scene of carnage and looked to see what could be done for their wounded comrades– they heard suddenly the most fearsome and bone chilling laughter they had ever known. Accompanying the Morg/Terrax/Perrikus group had been the son of Tyrant. Not only the most fearsome looking entity imaginable but one bent on revenge for Lord Thor’s destruction of his father.

  By now the energies had again built up around the Thialfi/Destroyer’s visor and realising that this was not an entity to be toyed with Prince Magni and the Thialfi Destroyer attacked the sone of Tyrant in Unison. The Thialfi Destroyer with a disintegrator beam and Magni with a much more powerful godblast. For all his fearsomeness the son of Tyrant was destroyed in a mere moment. Even his father would have been unlikely to survive such an assault.

  Then Prince Magni and Thialfi attended to their wounded (the healer among them had not been to badly injured and was assisting). Magni paused to think who could have been behind these attacks, was even the son of Tyrant just the agent of a greater force ?. Something powerful enough to prevent his communication with and teleportation back to New Asgard had been at work. It did seem likely that even the son of Tyrant had this power.

  As the weary band gathered itself, the true architect of their misfortunes became evident, they al
l looked to the sky to see levitating before them a huge Exitar class Celestial. As the entire Celestial race had some years ago departed for their ancestral home in a distant dimension, this entity had to be some kind of rogue Celestial back for revenge on the humiliation of his race by Lord Thor just as the son of Tyrant had sought revenge.

  In truth as the Celestials tended to specialise – Arishem the Judge, Ziran the Tester, Exitar the Exterminator, this rogue Celestial was actually Leandarr the Destroyer – the very physically strongest of all the Celestial race. What a test indeed for great Magni !

  Magni knew immediately what he had to do and using his hammers powers mystically increased his size to the 10,000 feet of an Exitar Class Celestial.

  This would truly be the physical clash of titans to end all physical clashes of titans.

  Levitating to meet Leandarr the two titans moved out into space and engaged in the greatest “slugfest” ever seen and indeed initially the honours seemed roughly even as every huge planet shattering blow landed.

  Whether or not Prince Magni could have beaten the rogue Celestial at this present strength level became however somewhat problematic. In looking back at his comrades Magni found his rage grow and he entered a true state of “warrior’s madness”. At this strength level there was nothing to gainsay him and he began to pummel the Exitar Class rogue Celestial with increasing savagery. Indeed it was no longer a contest as great Magni pummelled Leandarr into silence and submission. Still the pummelling continued – the Celestial armour was smashed into fragments and still Magni kept pummelling.

  Finally as he came out of the warrior’s madness Magni took stock and indeed there was nothing left of the rogue Celestial than an oozing mass of jelly.

  Almost (though not completely) ashamed of his actions Magni returned to his normal 6 feet 10 inches and to his comrades and contacted Asgard to report. Lord Thor immediately joined them and immediately reversed the effects of the seeds of eventual lifelessness sowed by the rogue Celestial.

  In years to come these verdant worlds in this distant Galaxy would make excellent colonies for the Earth’s continuing expanding population.

  End

  In Search of Odin

  Mighty Olympus lay shattered and burning. Hercules knelt from exhaustion, hands covering his now thoroughly unrecognizable face. No Olympian maiden would find anything attractive now in this bloodied and bowed figure.

  Zeus himself lay motionless – the axe of Desaak buried deep in his chest. Something in the mystical make up of the axe had prevented Zeus from healing himself. The god slayer had drunk deeply of the god power of the skyfather and there had much to drink.

  Ares lay dead nearby, divested of all godly energies; he seemed little more than a husk. The god of war had been easier to defeat than Hercules. No doubt something to do with the mixed parentage of the lion of Olympus. Some among the Olympian warriors had actually fled the carnage, but this was no surprise to the god hater.

  Of all who might have aided Olympus only the alien Thor substitute Beta Ray Bill had come. Bill’s origins did not matter to Desaak. He was in the possession of the power of gods making him a natural enemy. Still Bill had fought a surprisingly stubborn rearguard action enabling many non combatants to flee the fallen city. He had proved more resistant than most of the gods of Olympus. No doubt his alien origins contributed to this.

  Desaak stood above Hercules. “Where is your friend now?” he asked exultantly “where is the son of Odin when Olympus needs him most?” Desaak’s hard expression gave way to the very cruellest smile of triumph. Then the god-slayer awoke. Even by his standards it was a magnificent dream. A dream that would one day become reality. But for now another matter claimed his attention.

  On Earth the mighty Thor continued to find and re-awaken his fellow Asgardians. Slowly refilling the lonely rooms and halls of Asgard. The son of Odin had retained some knowledge of the rune magic and also the barest thread of that which was once known as the Odinpower. As if it was somehow a final tenuous link to his father.

  Taking a respite from his searches Thor drew Heimdall aside. “I can still sense him” said Thor. “Whether he is free and hail and hearty or a prisoner subject to great depravations I cannot tell but my father still lives” “I cannot now spare the time to search him out” continued the Thunderer “but I would have you do so.” Thor endowed Heimdall with the little Odinpower that was left and also Sif’s sword with its well known interdimensional teleportation capabilities. It was Thor’s belief that the combination of Heimdall’s vast sensory capabilities and the residual Odinpower would assist him in locating Odin. Through his sister’s sword and the residual Odinpower, transportation should not pose a difficulty for Heimdall. The rune magic provided just one clue. Heimdall’s search should begin with the pantheon known as the Aalyetians or sometimes as the wisdom gods, respected for that attribute among all the pantheons.

  “You said that Odin was dead” flashed Desaak as his powerful hand began to crush Orikal’s windpipe. “I told Thor that I could not detect his father on any plane of existence” responded the seer “which need not be the same thing.” “I see that you did not go the way of other things of the Asgardian plane” sneered the god slayer. “I am not a native of Asgard” replied Orikal “some seem to forget this given the length of time that I was held captive by Geirridour’s flames.”

  “I can sense him” said Desaak, after a pause “I sense the Allfather.” “What of that?” said Orikal “even if he lives, he is almost certainly beyond your reach, why trouble yourself?”

  “We are not discussing a mere godling here” continued Orikal “Odin the Almighty was the most powerful skyfather among all of the Multiverse’s pantheons – leave well enough alone!” “You will tell me what you know seer” said Desaak “or I will crush the life from you, and do not presume that I am alone in this venture!”

  Heimdall arrived in the remote pocket dimension of the Aalyetians without difficulty but was unprepared for the sight that filled his eyes. The total annihilation of the modest city state of this most gentle of pantheons. The entire city was a burned out cinder with not so much as a single building surviving. A few bodies totally drained of god energies lay scattered among the charred ruins of a city whose magnificent architecture once surpassed both Asgard and Olympus. The handful of bodily remains each grotesquely shrunken did not reflect the total population of the wisdom gods. The destruction here was no vainglorious dream of Desaak but cold hard reality.

  “It is a truly saddening sight old friend” came the voice “I think we both know who the author of this destruction must have been.” “Bill” exclaimed Heimdall rejoicing at the sight of one of Asgard’s most powerful and dearest friends. “What are you doing here Bill?” enquired the former guardian of the rainbow bridge. “I seek the same goal as you noble Heimdall” responded Beta Ray Bill.

  The two looked on at the surely unprovoked destruction that lay before them. Bill thought to himself that it could hardly have been any worse if the great Galactus had come this way. “Does even Desaak have the power to destroy an entire pantheon?” enquired Heimdall. “I think you will find he has the backing of at least one other who has reason to hate the gods even more” replied Bill “else he would not have come on a fools errand.” “Slayer of gods he may be but even Desaak knows he is no match for the Allfather.” Heimdall nodded thoughtfully but Bill did not elaborate.

  Heimdall then drew on the remnants of the Odinpower to enhance his already vast sensory powers. The god who could both hear and see the movement of a butterflies wings worlds away now found that his sight could now pierce the dimensional veils to follow even the very faintest interdimensional trail.

  Desaak had extracted at least some of the information that he had sought from the Aalyetian gods. Information crucial to his next step in the search for Odin and it did not matter to him overmuch who might come across his handiwork after the event. Others though had gone to great pains to ensure his path could not be followed. Stil
l whoever they might be, they did not reckon on the Odinpower boosted senses of Heimdall.

  The faint interdimensional trail detected by Heimdall lead to a vastly distant dimension.

  “I fear we will need all of our combined resources to follow this trail” said Heimdall. “the interdimensional jump is beyond even your experience Bill.” The sight of Bet Ray Bill twirling mighty Stormbreaker and Heimdall wielding Sif’s sword in unison whilst drawing again on the precious Odinpower would have been quite impressive to behold. If anyone had been watching.

  So distant was their interdimensional jump that it took Heimdall and Beta Ray Bill a time to reach their destination. They had even considered breaking it into several separate teleports. Heimdall had to insulate himself against the onrushing sensations as they moved through myriad dimensions. “I can feel something assisting us Bill” said Heimdall “helping us make the jump”

  “Gods of wisdom indeed” sneered Desaak “the Aaleytians were not so wise as to be able to avoid their own destruction.” “Was it really necessary to completely destroy them?” asked one of his companions “they gave you the information you sought, at least in part” “Your actions will enrage many of the god pantheons” continued the companion “that might not otherwise have concerned themselves with us.”

  One of Desaak’s companions was the single entity that comprised the aggregation of all of the dark gods even Cellestion Zheillia (though companion may be a poor choice of words). A more unlikely combination and inherently unstable relationship probably did not exist. Desaak hater of gods and the dark gods’ haters of everything, especially other gods. Yet they had cooperated so far in the great venture. Perhaps their other companion had subtly manipulated them holding them together at least as long as it suited her/him. However conflict constantly threatened to break out.