Dragonmaster150
Firstborn of Dragonkind
- Location
- Dragendolan: Land of the Dragon Kings
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I mean, when you think about it all stars are suns so it's not weird for Ammy to be able to go wherever she wants.
Amaterasu's Marvelous Dawn
DRG Omake
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hello, all. I apologize for the delay with the chapters. Got a new job, lost the new job, and I'm gonna try to get writing back up to full steam. Thank you for your continued patience. Just letting you know I haven't abandoned the story.
The drop pod shuddered as the titanium-tipped carbide auger carved its way through the depths of Hoxxes IV. Its occupants sat in their seats, watching the various layers of the hazardous planet pass before their eyes. A glance to the side revealed the number on the depth display steadily growing larger.
-700m
-800m
-900m
-969m
The drop pod shuddered to a halt, hydraulic dampers cushioning the impact of the multi-ton vehicle and preventing the occupants from becoming a red paste. HR had a field day explaining that particular incident for the twelfth time. Kevin in Engineering had also been promptly fired while they resolved the little issue of beer being used as hydraulic fluid.
Beer was good for a lot of things. It was arguably more important than water. However, it was not a great alternative to high temperature-resistant hydraulic fluid. Beer tended to ignite under the high pressure of a drop pod impacting the planet and subsequently allowed all the force to be transferred to the occupants.
Not good for squishy living things. Molly would be fine though!
It had been a solid idea initially, they had to give Kevin props for that.
The titanium mesh doors before the four clunked and shuddered, heavy industrial bolts shifting. The doors opened with a hiss, allowing the four occupants access to the interior of the planet. Four sets of boots stomped their way from their seats and toward the open area of the cave.
Well, not before every dwarf slapped the hanging fuzzy dice on the way out of the pod. For good luck! Definitely not from some sort of habitual joy of seeing the things swinging around.
"Oi! Outta the way, Slowpoke!" Scout shouted. He shoved passed Gunner and caused the heavyset dwarf to stumble his way down the ramp.
"Ey, watch it ya fecker!" Came the reply.
The Engineer gave a soft chuckle and padded his way down the ramp of the drop pod, shouldering his smart rifle. As for the Driller…
He took two steps down the ramp, immediately lost his balance, and careened to the side, plummeting straight down to the cave floor. His shield broke on impact, but the dwarf was more than okay. The drunkard was currently laughing his ass off, having enjoyed the shortcut a little too much.
"Alright, listen up, Team," Mission Control spoke. "Scanners have been picking up some unusual Glyphid activity. Your task is to go to the nest, take out the Dreadnaught cocoons, and investigate the cause of the odd movement. Every nest within three klicks has been emptied and gathered here, so expect heavy resistance. Try to come back with all your limbs intact—Management is not happy about the forty-two leg replacements in the last three months. Good luck, miners!"
"Wha- 'ang on, did 'e say 'free?" Gunner asked.
"Nnno, 'e din' ya daf' idjit," Driller slurred out. The inebriated dwarf attempted to get to his feet, only to fall forward onto his face. Laughter from the likely brain-damaged dwarf rang out. "E'… E' says 'free, noh' 'free. Y' lot nee' ta qui' drinkin' 'n tha job!"
…
"The hell did he say?" Engineer asked.
"Got no feckin' clue," Gunner replied. "Ey, Zippy, loight please!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm workin' on it!" Scout shouted from somewhere in the darkness. "Flare out!"
A brilliant flash of light burst from the darkness and shot across the cavern. It careened up toward the roof, and stuck there, illuminating the entire area in a wash of white light. All four dwarves were stunned-well, three of them, the fourth was still drooling face-down on the ground.
"Hey, you did pick Crystalline Caverns, right? You didn't fat-finger the controls like the last four times?" Engineer asked.
"It said Crys'al Cavern when ah 'it the damn fing!" Gunner protested.
The cause of their confusion was the frankly startling amount of greenery within the cavern. Bright pink vines snaked across the walls and into the rock; odd-looking trees grew from what looked like nothing at all, just sprouting out of the crystals lining the cavern; bright red, yellow, and blue flowers speckled the grass below their feet.
Crystalline Caverns wasn't supposed to have anything like this in it. Nothing of the sort—this was new. New wasn't good in their line of work. New meant Management took interest and suddenly they couldn't sneak beer in their spare magazines and would have to take things seriously.
Then again, Mission Control could have royally fucked up their drop location, or some sensors could have been calibrated poorly. Hell, maybe some drunken dwarf snuck in after them all, changed the mission location, and then enjoyed the confusion while face-down in the grass.
"Oi, yer scanners are all screwy!" Scout shouted. The nimble, flighty little shit was sitting atop a moss-covered crystal near the roof of the cavern. "Recalibrate yer shite ya numby!"
"One moment, Team. I'm going to request percussive maintenance on the equipment. In the meantime, continue with your mission," Mission Control spoke. "Shouldn't be more than a few minutes, as long as Maintenance doesn't fall into the equipment like last time."
"Typical DRG. Whatever, let's get goin', we still have a job to do." Engineer checked his scanner, and then started his jog through the cavern.
"Oi, c'mon ya drunkard, on yer feet or ah'll leave yeh for bug food." Gunner grabbed Driller by the back of his suit and yanked the drunk to his feet. A firm push sent the dwarf staggering forward, step after step, somehow remaining on his feet as he wobbled his way forward.
For about six steps. Five more than Gunner thought he would get, to be honest.
"Alrigh', up we go," Gunner huffed. He grabbed Driller by the back of his suit again and walked him forward. The duo moved forward after Engineer, with Driller being held like some sort of giggling and burping meat-shield.
Engineer, Gunner, and Driller (assisted by Gunner) made their way across the cavern, stopping occasionally to point their scanners at various flora that was growing throughout the cavern. This was nothing like the flowers and plants that were native to Hoxxes IV—they didn't even try to stab, bite, or explode! Truly some odd and likely dangerous specimens to lure them in before activating some acid trap, or piling onto the dwarves and consuming them.
That theory was also out when Driller wriggled his way out of Gunner's grip and flopped face-first into the brilliantly coloured flowers. Well, he wasn't dead, so it seemed like the evil plant theory was out entirely.
"I've got good news, and bad news, team," Mission Control finally spoke. "The good news: the scanners are properly calibrated, and no amount of percussive maintenance changed the results! Bad news: you're still in Crystalline Caverns, and we have no idea what's going on down there. Management has given approval for five free resupplies if you need them. Carry on with your mission, and try not to bring back any new diseases with you."
"I'm telling ya, the feckers up there have gotta be smashed ta' think this'sn't the Biozone or somethin'," Scout called out. The flighty fecker's grappling hook impacted the wall beside the trio.
Gunner stepped to the side, while Scout sailed in, crowing in excitement as he sailed through the air. Engineer was too busy looking over the plant growths on a crystal to notice the incoming form careening toward him.
SMACK!
A litany of curses, shouting, and several direct insults about one another's mothers echoed around the cavern. The forms of Engineer and Scout bounced and rolled across the grassy floor, bounced off a crystal low to the ground, and disappeared behind a rock.
The shouting and hollering came to a stop rather fast. Gunner quirked an eyebrow, and grabbed at the rather floppy form of Driller, hoisting him up once more. The machine-gun-toting dwarf glanced at the rock and started wandering toward it.
"Ey, ya doin' alrigh'?" Gunner called out.
"Nnnoooh, 'm drinky an I can' ffffffble me legsh," Driller slurred out. "Do ah sssssteel hav'n legsh?"
"Ya still have yer legs ya idjit. Ah'm carryin' yer drunk arse." Gunner hefted Driller a little higher onto his shoulder. "Oi, you lot alrigh'?"
"Shhhh't!" "Shut up!" "You shut up ya dumb-ow!" "Quiet, you'll kill us all!"
Frantic and furious whispering rolled out from behind the rock. Gunner wandered his way over and peered around the rock. He was expecting many things. A Glyphid Praetorian for one. Maybe they had stumbled upon the cocoon and were immediately beside it. Maybe another corporation had their robots hiding just around the corner.
He had not been expecting a sheer drop straight down into another massive open cavern. Engineer and Scout were both lying on one of those platforms that Engineer was able to put down, lying flat on the yellow surface. The two were looking straight up, eyes wide, making various hand gestures and motions to keep silent toward Gunner.
A glance to the side revealed why.
Glyphids. Not the normal ten or twenty that would be in a swarm. Not even the challenging hoard of fifty that would try to shred everything that even looked mildly edible.
There had to be hundreds. Maybe more. The cocoons the team had been assigned to find were down there too. The good news is that they were already destroyed. The bad news was that they were broken open from the inside. Whatever was in the eggs had already hatched.
The gathered Glyphids stood relatively still, despite being all crammed together into one large cavern. Some were hanging out on the walls, others clinging to the bottom of crystals. Grass and greenery lined the cave, and an odd glow from somewhere out of sight lit up the entire area.
They were going to need some bigger guns and more backup. A lot more backup. Maybe they could call in those supply drops right on top of the swarm and see how many they could take out before funnelling them all into the main chamber.
Whatever it was they were going to do would require a lot of planning, effort, coordination, and above all, stealth to ensure that-
"Ah'll keel em' all fer yeh, doooonnn' even worry." Driller decided to make their plan of action for them. Apparently, at that one moment, he was aware enough to reach around and grab a satchel charge, before whipping it around Gunner and down into the hole.
And onto the small platform the other two dwarves were sheltered on.
Driller's aim was poor on a normal day, so this drunken accuracy was unsurprising. Still, Engineer and Scout both began to panic and do their best to move away from the block of explosives sitting on their tiny platform. The silent screams and flailing from the duo below were cause for alarm, especially when Scout kicked at the satchel charge, and sent it skidding toward the edge of the platform.
"Hehehe, 'ts time ta go boo- ah'noh mah buh'n!" Driller's momentary success was halted by his drunken grip on the detonator failing. The little device bounced off the ground at Gunner's feet and tumbled end-end over-end toward the hole in the ground.
It plummeted over the edge and toppled downward. Engineer tried to reach for it, swiping at it over the edge in an attempt to grab it. His panicked swipe only served to hurl the small device across the cavern, sending it straight into the hoard of giant insects.
All three of them—Driller was still flailing over Gunner's shoulder—watched in horror as the detonator bounced across the carapaces of the Glyphids. It hit one, two, three, four of them, bouncing off of their backs or off their heads, before it finally came to a halt.
Right at the feet of a Praetorian. The massive insect wheeled itself around, heavy footsteps causing the smaller insects around it to back away lest they get crushed. It looked down at the offending object at its feet, and then up toward the ceiling.
Glyphids were not known for their amazing eyesight so there would be no way it would know to-
It stepped on the detonator and crushed it.
"Well, that's not good," Engineer spoke.
All four of them—Driller had managed to wriggle out of Gunner's arms and crawl his way toward the edge—flicked their gaze to the satchel charge that sat on the platform, almost in the middle of them all.
Nothing.
They looked back toward the hoard of insects that-
Beep! Beep!
"Shit!"
The satchel charge destroyed the platform under Scout and Engineer, and the ground beneath Gunner and Driller. All four of them plummeted downward, flailing, spinning, cursing, and in the case of Driller, throwing up a frankly absurd amount of alcohol.
In the brief duration of their fall, they managed to catch various glimpses of the source of light inside the cavern. Unfortunately, puzzling out the source of light became second priority to landing without splattering across the ground.
Engineer whipped his platform gun around in an attempt to give them all at least some form of protection, and give them a softer landing than the grass-covered stone. He aimed the device at the floor and-
Was caught off-guard by a vine hurtling out of the wall toward him at mach-holy-shit. The green vine coiled around him firmly and had him in its clutches. His downward momentum was slowed, and he struggled in its grip. He'd much rather end up splattered across the ground than become plant food. If he survived this, he was going to swear off vegetables for the rest of his life—not that he ate them anyway.
Three similar vines shot from the walls or floor and wrapped around the dwarves, gradually slowing their movement. Panicked shouts and fears of becoming a handsome dwarf-pancake quickly turned into frantic struggling as the damn vegetables held them tight.
Meanwhile, Driller was laughing his ass off, caught upside down in the vine by his leg. He swung to and fro without a care in the world, dangling in the air above a hoard of violent insects.
The vines began lowering them to the ground, straight toward the hoard of insects that were now staring at them. Every single one in the cavern was fixated on the four of them, eyeless gaze locked on to the four intruders.
"Well, shite. If this's it lads, ah wanna say 'ts been fun," Gunner spoke.
"Speak for yerself, you're all a bunch of arseholes!" Scout protested. His flailing and kicking grew more violent.
"We've had a good run. Let's fight like hell, one last time," Engineer said.
"Weeeeeeee!" Driller cried out, still swinging by his leg in the plant's grip.
The hoard of Glyphids backed away from the four, clearing a space on the grass. The numerous insects stood there, twitching, split jaws gnashing and clenching. They were still held tight in the vines, and no amount of thrashing, kicking, biting, or drooling caused them to slacken.
A deep, chittering roar of the Praetorian sounded out, and the hoards of insects shifted out of the way, making room for the large insect to stop its way forward. The four panicked, and started thrashing harder—Driller just threw up again.
Another, louder roar sounded out. The large form of the Praetorian stepped to the side, displaying the larger form behind it.
A Glyphid Oppressor. The damn thing was even tougher and more vicious. It stomped its way forward, the impacts of its steps causing the ground to vibrate. It didn't get too far before a pair of chittering roars and growls sounded out. The Oppressor very quickly stepped to the side, nearly trampling on the smaller ones around its feet.
"Oh, shite…" Gunner breathed.
"Ah! No, feckin lemme outta here! I'll keel all ya bastards!" Scout thrashed harder, red in the face from straining.
Dreadnaught Twins. Two massive beasts that were difficult to manage on a good day. Damn things could dig fast, attack faster, and hit like an orbital supply pod. The two titans of insects prowled forward, their natural glow refracting off the exposed crystals in the room, casting the nearby area in an ominous orange.
The ground shook with every step from the pair. Glyphids backed away to make room for their approach, acting more and more like a set of coordinated soldiers for the pair. The Twins came upon the clearing, and instead of lunging toward the helpless dwarves, they split apart and moved to the side.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The cavern walls shook, and dust rained down from the ceiling. Large crystals cracked up the entire lengths with each thundering impact.
"Awh, come on, this is getting ridiculous. Get on with it!" Engineer exclaimed.
His bravado very quickly faded when the source came into view. It emerged from the inky blackness of the back of the cave, towering above everything around it. The spires of chitin on its back scraped the ceiling and shattered whole crystals that would have taken twenty dwarves to move. Its jaws would be able to snatch up a drop pod and crush it.
"Oh, tha's jus' noh fair," Gunner grumbled.
The single largest Dreadnaught any of them had seen lumbered forward. It loomed closer and managed to interrupt the source of light with its mass. Darkness fell upon the four, and every step forced the Glyphids around it to scatter out of the way.
It opened its great jaws, the yawning chasm before the four set to claim another team of victims. They had all given up, accepting defeat and looking at the creature head-on. If they were going to die, then they'd be doing it with bravery, honour, and—
"Ruff!"
And with a dog?
The light source illuminating most of the cavern seemed to move. It shifted and leaped from one of the highest points in the cavern, the crystal having been refracting the light previously. The white form plummeted downward, faster and faster, before landing right on the head of the massive Dreadnaught.
The creature that emitted the light stood squarely on top of the gigantic Glyphid, sitting upon the behemoth like it was nothing more than a hat. This gave the Dreadnaught an appearance similar to that of an angler fish, which seemed to terrify Scout further.
The ball of light leaped from the head of the Dreadnaught, and fell to the ground, landing on the grass-covered ground with sure footing. All four dwarves had to squint at the approaching thing as it fearlessly walked before the hoards of insects.
It came closer…
And closer…
It came to a stop right before them all. The four were unable to see the thing through the light it was emitting, but it radiated a warmth that felt like sunlight, something none of them had felt in a while.
"Ack! Eeeey, 'urn tha' down… yer, yer loigh's ssssoooo noisyyy," Driller slurred out. He raised a hand and tried to block his face from the intense light radiating outward.
Surprisingly, it worked! The light began to fade, though the feeling of warmth didn't. The blinding radiation dimmed further and further, allowing the cave to return to comfortable levels of light.
All four dwarves stood in a mix of terrified, confused, and mildly upset that they weren't getting drunk.
"Awuff," the dog spoke.
"Did that dog just talk?" Engineer asked.
"Yesh, shhhe says 'ello'." Driller smiled. He wriggled in the vine's grip and reached toward the canine. "Ey, ey, poochy pupper! Can ye sssay 'Roggs an' Shtone'?"
"Arf awoof?" The dog tilted her head and perked an ear.
"Yesh! Ya 'erd 'er lads! Rog' an' Shtone!" Driller cried, punching the dirt when attempting to punch the air.
"…feck it. For Rock and Stone!" Scout shouted.
"Yeah! Fer Rock and Stone!" Gunner added.
"Rock and Stone!" Engineer exclaimed.
Amaterasu honestly wasn't quite sure how she ended up down here. One minute she was cruising along through the multi-verse, stamping out a demon invasion of an alternate earth alongside a rather violent individual in green—he had a bad habit of ripping and tearing them apart with his bare hands. The next moment she found herself deep underground on an entirely new planet.
She blamed the Spicy Blue Cube for this one.
Granted, it was difficult to tell that she had initially jumped dimensions. Going from one rocky hellscape to the next didn't really leave much in the way of landmarks or sights to tell where one was.
Then again, the fact that this planet didn't spin tipped Ammy off that something was amiss. The other big thing was the different sun above the planet. No, Amaterasu hadn't exactly seen the sun yet, as she was working her way to the surface from the molten depths of the planet, but she knew. Blue suns just weren't the same. They were all bluey and felt funny—a little too cancer-inducing in the sunbeam department.
So, upon finding herself on a new planet, she did what she usually did. Harass the locals!
Oh, they were an interesting bunch—a little bitey if you said the wrong thing about their mothers, but overall, a decent set of folk. They were rather kind in their efforts to escort her upward to their matriarch. At least the queen of this general area of the planet. There was a lot of planet to cover, after all.
But with nothing more than some gentle and soothing applications of her Celestial Brush, and some tales of her adventures, Amaterasu had secured herself a trip to the surface of the planet. Sure, she could have just dug and sliced through the stone, or even used her brush techniques to summon bombs, but…
That would take ages, and she honestly just wanted a nap.
That was how Ammy managed to hitch a ride on the absolute monolith of a Glyphid and sleep while everyone ascended. Occasionally she'd crack open an eye and speak with the Queen about several things, like how stone spaceships flew, or what fighting techniques would best beat down a furious green rage monster.
Oh, and the Queen loved it. She hadn't been this excited to go on an adventure in years. Even so, she was still old, and it showed, having to take breaks every so often. But still, it didn't take too long at all to make progress toward the surface of the planet. These locals were just built for digging through rock and stone, and she was almost jealous.
Then she asked about pancakes, and their confusion had caused all jealousy to fade. She'd take not being able to swim through rock in exchange for being able to eat pancakes.
They'd been nearing the upper leg of their journey when the group had come to a stop to take a break. The Queen had curled up in the back of a cavern, while the entourage that they managed to pick up along the way pooled into the cavern and just… watched. They waited, or shifted around, or chittered and clacked their jaws.
The Twins were a rowdy bunch, however! Ammy had fun tossing them around and playing 'kick the boulder' with the rather chaotic duo. They'd been taking a break when those dwarves quite literally fell into the situation.
A few swipes of her brush and the plant life that tended to grow around her managed to catch all four of them. Another set of people saved, these more vocal and chattier than the Glyphids that she had spent the last three days with.
Though, how things progressed this far was entirely beyond her.
"For Karl!" Engineer shouted.
"Fer Karl!" Gunner cried.
The duo thundered toward one another, holding chunks of crystal as spears. Their mounts raced toward the middle of the cavern, powerful limbs shattering the ground beneath them. The Twins cried out a furious roar and pounded the ground faster.
Faster being a relative term. They were rather slow, all things considered. Amaterasu would be able to outpace all of them in her sleep, especially now that she had her full capabilities back.
But they were having fun, and honestly, so was she. The Queen also seemed to be enjoying herself, considering her quiet chittering laugh while she watched from the back of the cavern.
The Twins finally made contact in a thunderous collision of chitin and muscle, the cavern shaking from the force of impact. The plan the dwarves had to knock one another off their mounts with the crystals fell short. That was due to the fact both were hurled off their mounts, sailed across the room, and landed on a pile of dirt that the Glyphids had dug up to act as a sort of arena barrier.
Engineer and Gunner laughed as they rolled down the dirt and to the grassy floor below, coming to a halt at the feet of the hoard of Glyphids. Without fear, they stood up and charged right back up the hill, attempting their game for the seventh time.
"For Karl!"
"Fer Karl!"
…Eighth time.
Amaterasu glanced to her left, her eyes lingering on the form of the large green-butt bug. Then, she moved lower, looking at Driller, who was holding one of his flamethrower's canisters in his hand.
"Oh, righ' srry poochy, didja wanna sip?" Driller asked. He reached out and wobbled in place, holding the fuel canister in his hand.
Ammy leaned in and took a sniff. It was alcohol. She gave Driller a look and huffed under her breath. Still, it was a free drink, she might as well while everyone was enjoying themselves. She took the large red canister between her jaws and pushed herself up to all fours. Then, she tilted her head back and allowed the booze to start flowing.
"Awh hell yeah! Get it, Ammy!" Scout cried out from his position atop one of the larger insects. "Chug, chug, chug, chug!"
"Yeahaha geddit! Ye've go' this," Driller slurred.
She did her best, after all, a goddess like herself can't be sloppy when showing off in front of new friends. So, she emptied the entire canister in a single, long pull, taking down all that dwarven beer without hesitation.
When the canister was finally empty, she crushed it in her jaws and spat it out onto the ground. Amaterasu turned toward Driller and gave him a big doggy grin, complete with her tongue flopping to the side. Then she turned her attention to Scout and reared back on her hind paws. She dipped her head in a bow, and waved to him.
"Yeah, girl! Rock and Stone to the bone!" Scout cheered.
Amaterasu's round of applause was short-lived, as the Twins crashed together once again, sending Engineer and Gunner hurtling across the room. Their trajectory was different this time around, and the duo landed with a heavy crash right into a pile of Glyphids. The massive insects chittered in protest or skittered away from the two dwarves, who went from tumbling through the hoards of bugs to flailing at one another in an extremely drunken fashion, complete with beard pulling, name-calling, and mother insulting.
"Management is going to have all our asses for this," Mission Control sighed. Ammy could hear him through the communicators all the dwarves had. "Look, team, they don't need to know about almost all of you using spare ammunition containers as flasks. That's absolutely acceptable in this kind of work. But for god's sake bring back at least something shiny."
Shiny? Oh, she could do shiny alright! There were plenty of shiny things around here. There was the obvious stuff, like gold. There was also… uh… Some red spikey stuff. Oh, and some blue spikey stuff! And… there were some interesting sorts of gems and rocks in the walls too!
In fact, Ammy thought she could see one now. Little pebbles of gold stuck out of the ground like a sore thumb, giving away the position of a buried mineral. Amaterasu made her way across the cavern, parting the sea of Glyphids without having to even speak a word.
Ammy's cross-cavern journey was accented with outraged cries for her to "bring the sun back!" She merely increased the light output from her body, her natural form shining bright in the pitch black.
"Thank you, Ammy!"
"Thank ya, Ammers!"
"Than's poochy pup!"
"Yer stealing my job, Ammy!"
That last one was lighthearted. All of them were some form of drunk at the moment, each having snuck a drink within their extra ammo magazines or tanks. In true dwarf fashion, they were never truly without some form of liquor on them, though they had insisted to Amaterasu that it was only a stereotype and a complete coincidence they had brought it on this particular mission.
She didn't believe them but was enjoying herself too much to comment.
Amaterasu weaved her way through the hoards of insects and came to a halt at a particular path of grass with some gold rocks poking out around the plant life. They wanted something shiny? Well then, she would deliver.
Ammy began digging, her paws and claws sinking into the solid stone beneath like one would sand. She moved solid chunks of stone and flung them behind herself, burying herself deeper and deeper into the rock.
She dug deeper still. And deeper.
"Oi, Ammy, ya good?" Scout asked.
As the one with the most mobility and rather impatient nature, he fired his grappling hook and soared toward the spot in the ground she had started digging. He stepped closer to the hole and peered in. It was just poor timing on his part is all. No way he could have seen it coming.
A growl and grunt of effort sounded out, and something shot out of the hole. Scout, leaning over the hole, didn't have time to back away, and caught a chunk of solid gold to the chest. The slab of metal was half the size of him, and the impact sent the dwarf and the mineral end over end. Scout landed on his back, gold landing atop him and driving the breath from his lungs.
"Arf!" Ammy barked and poked her head out of the hole. She clambered out with a grumble, her paws just a tad more uncoordinated than she'd like. Seemed like the beer was kicking in.
Scout lay there, holding the chunk of gold in his hands against his chest, groaning in pain. He glanced down at the glimmering material and closed his eyes. One deep breath later, and his eyes snapped open again, looking at the solid gold in his hands.
"Hey! Hey lads!" Scout let out an excited laugh. "We're rich! Lookit wha' Ammy found!"
"Wer rish?" Driller slurred, clamouring to his feet.
"Whassat?" Gunner asked, picking himself out of the hoard of man-eating bugs. "Whatcha got there?"
"Well, would you look at that?" Engineer grinned and jogged his way over.
"'ts gold! We're rich!" Scout exclaimed. He got to his feet and held the chunk of gold high.
Amaterasu padded closer; a tad wobbly on her paws. The room walls spun and twisted, and the floor beneath her paws seemed to be made of water, sloshing and shifting all over.
"Hehe! We're rich!" One of them shouted.
"We're rich!" Another cried.
"We're rich!" "W'err rich!" "We're rish!" "We're rich!" "We're rich!" "Oi, Molly, ged o'er 'ere, we're rish!" "We're rich!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, not again," Mission Control sighed through the communicators. "Every time. Every single time." There was a pause and a hum. "Hey, Amaterasu, was it? Do you want to help these drunk idiots out? They're going to be doing this for hours, and they need to be back on a drop pod in three hours. I've already given up trying to understand the Glyphid situation. Or even who or what you are. Just… Bring 'em back home?"
A task helping people? Well, why didn't he say so in the first place? Ammy was great at helping people, they even said so. Well, maybe? That "thank you" was usually tucked between "Ah! There's a wolf in my cabbage!" or "Why is there a dog in my bird bath?" from completely unrelated people.
Ammy shook herself off, flinging rock and stone from her fur, and set her sight on the four dwarves who were… performing some odd ritual around the gold. She wasn't going to ask. Instead, she took a step forward, and-
Careened to the left, the ground beneath her feet spinning and wobbling and twisting. Ammy stumbled and staggered, attempting to stay upright under the rather strong effects of dwarf beer. In her attempts to not fall, she wobbled her way toward an edge that led to a ten-meter drop. Her paws tangled, and she rolled across the ground, flailing as the slope grew steeper.
Ammy was pitched off the cliff with a startled "wurf!", sending the white canine into the hoard of Glyphids below. She landed upon what the dwarves had called an Oppressor and draped herself across its various chitin spires and spiked, nestling into a comfy spot.
She asked it to carry her to the Queen, to which it happily obliged, stepping over the other human-sized bugs as it moved. Before long, Ammy found herself in front of the Queen again. She rolled over and sprawled out atop the massive bug, trying to keep the world from spinning too much.
"Awurf," Ammy commented.
A floor-rattling rumble escaped the Queen.
"Boof," Ammy replied.
A loud chittering sound was the response.
"Woof!" Ammy barked,
The Queen shifted in her seated position and tapped the ground with a foreclaw. A relatively quiet screech rattled out of the Queen's jaws, to visible effect on the surrounding Glyphids.
The four dwarves screamed in drunken terror as the hoard of Glyphids all reacted and moved as one, surging forth in a wave toward the four. Flailing and scrambling and clutching onto the gold for dear life, the dwarves were buried under a sea of insects.
Then, the Glyphids began to bury themselves into the rock, digging tunnels into the world around them and spreading outward. The world around them shook and shuddered as the mass of tons of insects buried themselves into the surroundings.
All four dwarves were left with an iron grip on the chunk of gold, pale-faced, and completely unscathed by the wave of nightmares that washed over them.
The results of the mass excavation were rather astonishing. A towering pile of minerals, gemstones, crystals, and other valuable items loomed overhead, glimmering in the light that radiated from Amaterasu.
The dwarves had been speechless, and their immediate reaction had been to dive face-first into the pile. Unfortunately for them, solid chunks of metal are not very yielding and they ended up bashing their faces into the minerals with varying cries of pain.
The drunken Driller tried to dive in again, believing the first time to be a fluke.
He ended up having a power nap after hitting his head, sprawled out on the pile of riches.
Currently, Engineer was busy shoving what seemed like an impossible amount of rocks into the affectionately named Molly. The mobile storage container was currently settled down beside the pile of shiny rocks that were many times its size.
How the heck did it all fit in there? There had to be some kind of weird dimensional bending technology that would allow Molly to handle a load that large.
While Engineer was busy, and Driller was napping, the other two were busy with their competition of sorts.
"This is Steeve." Scout pat a standard Glyphid on the head.
"This's Steevie," Gunner replied. He planted a hand on the Praetorian's head and scratched it under the chin.
"This is Steevo," Scout huffed. He turned around, grabbed one of the Twins by the mandibles and hugged its head. The pleased sound the giant insect made was rather surprising.
"Well, now yer jus' cheatin'." Gunner crossed his arms and clambered his way onto Steevie. Without a word, the duo left Scout to the affections of a rather massive insect.
"Amaterasu, I don't think I quite understand what the hell is happening. You said these minerals are an exchange for… what exactly?" Mission Control asked through the communicator Ammy had stolen from Driller.
"Awurf," Ammy replied.
"Neutrality? That's… is that possible? I'm willing to fight Management to get it to work, but still. So, what, they don't attack first, and we don't attack first?"
"Boof."
"I… yeah, okay. Yes. We can make this work. Even if it's only this one little section, that's a hell of a lot better than what was going on before." Mission control paused for a moment. "We'll end all extermination missions to Glyphids for the moment, but if any attacks happen to us, they're back on."
Amaterasu wasn't exactly sure how she ended up brokering a peace agreement between an interstellar space mining operation, and a species of insects that could destroy anything said mining company sent, but… Hey, everyone agreed that it was for the best. The Queen wouldn't have her children killed, and the company wouldn't lose employees to angry bugs.
The Glyphids didn't need the minerals. The miners didn't need to kill the bugs. A win for both sides, even with the communication barrier in place.
"Oh, they're almost out of time, just so you're aware. If you could, would you escort their collective drunk asses to the drop pod? The station will be out of range soon, and I'd rather not have Management tearing into me about another lost team. Especially not with the size of this haul."
Amaterasu barked in agreement and stumbled to all four paws. She shook herself out, dusting the grass and dirt from her fur, and dislodged the thirty Glyphid hatchlings that nestled into her fur. Apparently even insects like soft fluffy beds to sleep on.
Now sober and completely functional again, Amaterasu began her task of rounding up the dwarves. She wandered over toward Gunner and leaped up onto the back of his mount. She gave a little wuff of greeting and gestured with her head that they needed to go.
"Noh, ah don' wanna," Gunner huffed. "Steevie can't come wif me."
Amaterasu narrowed her eyes. They were going to be leaving, or else they'd be stuck here for another week. They definitely didn't have the food or resources to last that long.
"Woof."
"Noh! Ye can't make me."
…
Amaterasu leaned in and clamped down on Gunner's armour. A sharp tug and a twist of her head sent Gunner flying through the air, landing in a sprawl beside the dozing Driller.
Engineer chuckled and shook his head, loading up the last of the remaining minerals into Molly. The poor minecart with legs looked to be shaking under the weight of everything it was carrying. Ammy swore she could hear it screaming in agony. But machines didn't tend to scream unless they were sentient. But who would make a sentient minecart, that would be silly. That'd be like Making gun turrets sentient, or motionless boxes able to feel emotion.
Totally pointless, and probably wouldn't ever happen.
Scout was a tad harder to catch. The Twins decided to play a game of Keep Away with Scout from Ammy. Whenever she would approach, they'd both dive into the dirt and emerge on opposite ends of the room. They seemed to be enjoying themselves from the chittering laughter. The Queen was no help at all, encouraging them to play and have fun.
Amaterasu didn't exactly have time to waste at this particular moment. She flexed her natural gifts on reality, and the world came to a standstill. Ammy effortlessly weaved her way through the hoards of Glyphids and clambered her way onto the frozen Twin. Her jaws clamped around the armored wrist of Scout and she began dragging him away.
She did try to avoid bouncing his head off of rocks and other objects, but occasionally the drunk dwarf just happened to swing too far to the left or right and end up with a face full of Glyphid thorax. No, definitely not intentional for trying to play keep away.
The tight grip on the world relaxed, and everything resumed. The Twins dipped down into the ground again, only to re-emerge Scout-less. Panic ensued, and the duo began burrowing through the ground to find their little dwarf companion.
The Queen similarly seemed shocked for a moment, feeling the effects of the world around her stopping and starting all over again. The sudden blur of white tipped her off that something about that wolf was not quite right.
Still, everyone was in a group together now. That means they could go home, and they'd be safe and sound aboard their space station.
"No."
"Ah don' wanna go."
"Ish 'oo mush ffffun, ah wanna shtay…"
"Feck off, lemme play more!"
…
The dwarves' protest and refusal to move didn't last long. With a few strokes of her Celestial Brush, vines erupted from the ground and bound the dwarves up in a big bundle of whining, complaining, and burping mass. They didn't struggle so much as they did pout, but they made their position on the decision very clear.
Amaterasu didn't listen to any complaints though. She grabbed one of the vines between her teeth and began dragging the dwarves. She walked slowly to avoid bashing the dwarves against solid stone and turning them into concussed and drunk messes. The five of them left the cavern, followed by an entourage of insects. Hundreds of Glyphids followed them through the cave system and to the location of the drop pod.
Upon reaching the transport vehicle, the Twins burst from the ground. The duo sat on either side of the path to the drop pod, and raised a leg into the air, waving at the dwarves. In their drunken state, two of them began crying while they waved back to the bugs.
Amaterasu padded her way up the ramp, still dragging the dwarves. With them bound and left tied up, she rolled the bundle of grumpy, distraught miners into the middle of the drop pod.
"Great work, Amaterasu. We appreciate your efforts. If Deep Rock Galactic ever encounters you on Hoxxes IV again, we will be sure to treat you as a friend and offer you a share of the spoils," Mission Control spoke from the drop pod speakers.
Ammy perked up. Treat!? Where? She wanted the food! Her tail was a blur and she whipped her head around, looking for the treat in question.
"Ah, my apologies, poor choice of words."
Amaterasu was crushed. The short whine and the drooping tail caused Mission Control to cough and clear his throat uncomfortably into the microphone. All four dwarves looked at Ammy and began muttering to themselves. One of the four mentioned something about sending a supply pod full of beer for her, which Mission Control very firmly put a stop to.
He did agree that maybe they should send some food, however.
Ammy padded her way back out of the pod and sat down at the foot of the ramp. She watched the metal slab lift and slide back toward the pod, while the metal doors began to close.
"Nooooo, Ammmmyyyyy!"
"Ah'll never ferge' ye, Ammy!"
"Thanks for the help, Amaterasu!"
"Oi, come and visit us sometime!"
"Team, I have to remind you that creatures from planet side are not allowed on the ship. The last time that happened, Management discovered thirteen new diseases. One of them was only contagious through, erm, close physical contact. We don't need a repeat of that." Mission Control's logic was infallible.
Ammy barked in farewell and raised a paw to wave at the four. Then something caught her attention.
A Glyphid hatchling was sitting near the doors of the drop pod. She barked for it to get down, which alerted the Twins to it. Their concerned cries only encouraged the little shit, who chittered in return and skittered its way into the drop pod seconds before the doors slammed closed.
The pod began rising, a torrent of heat and light erupting from the bottom. Amaterasu barked at the Twins and panicked Glyphids to stay put.
Ammy bounded forward and leaped. With her paws outstretched, she dug her claws into the metal siding of the drop pod. She wriggled and pulled herself higher, and sank her teeth into a chunk of metal that was sticking out of the vehicle. It probably wasn't that important.
Amaterasu clamped onto the drop pod as it rose faster and faster, hanging on tight as the layers of the planet fell away. Before she knew it, they were above the surface of the planet, and rising faster.
Amaterasu huffed. It looked like Management would be dealing with a newcomer on the station after all.
The drop pod shuddered as the titanium-tipped carbide auger carved its way through the depths of Hoxxes IV. Its occupants sat in their seats, watching the various layers of the hazardous planet pass before their eyes. A glance to the side revealed the number on the depth display steadily growing larger.
-700m
-800m
-900m
-969m
The drop pod shuddered to a halt, hydraulic dampers cushioning the impact of the multi-ton vehicle and preventing the occupants from becoming a red paste. HR had a field day explaining that particular incident for the twelfth time. Kevin in Engineering had also been promptly fired while they resolved the little issue of beer being used as hydraulic fluid.
Beer was good for a lot of things. It was arguably more important than water. However, it was not a great alternative to high temperature-resistant hydraulic fluid. Beer tended to ignite under the high pressure of a drop pod impacting the planet and subsequently allowed all the force to be transferred to the occupants.
Not good for squishy living things. Molly would be fine though!
It had been a solid idea initially, they had to give Kevin props for that.
The titanium mesh doors before the four clunked and shuddered, heavy industrial bolts shifting. The doors opened with a hiss, allowing the four occupants access to the interior of the planet. Four sets of boots stomped their way from their seats and toward the open area of the cave.
Well, not before every dwarf slapped the hanging fuzzy dice on the way out of the pod. For good luck! Definitely not from some sort of habitual joy of seeing the things swinging around.
"Oi! Outta the way, Slowpoke!" Scout shouted. He shoved passed Gunner and caused the heavyset dwarf to stumble his way down the ramp.
"Ey, watch it ya fecker!" Came the reply.
The Engineer gave a soft chuckle and padded his way down the ramp of the drop pod, shouldering his smart rifle. As for the Driller…
He took two steps down the ramp, immediately lost his balance, and careened to the side, plummeting straight down to the cave floor. His shield broke on impact, but the dwarf was more than okay. The drunkard was currently laughing his ass off, having enjoyed the shortcut a little too much.
"Alright, listen up, Team," Mission Control spoke. "Scanners have been picking up some unusual Glyphid activity. Your task is to go to the nest, take out the Dreadnaught cocoons, and investigate the cause of the odd movement. Every nest within three klicks has been emptied and gathered here, so expect heavy resistance. Try to come back with all your limbs intact—Management is not happy about the forty-two leg replacements in the last three months. Good luck, miners!"
"Wha- 'ang on, did 'e say 'free?" Gunner asked.
"Nnno, 'e din' ya daf' idjit," Driller slurred out. The inebriated dwarf attempted to get to his feet, only to fall forward onto his face. Laughter from the likely brain-damaged dwarf rang out. "E'… E' says 'free, noh' 'free. Y' lot nee' ta qui' drinkin' 'n tha job!"
…
"The hell did he say?" Engineer asked.
"Got no feckin' clue," Gunner replied. "Ey, Zippy, loight please!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm workin' on it!" Scout shouted from somewhere in the darkness. "Flare out!"
A brilliant flash of light burst from the darkness and shot across the cavern. It careened up toward the roof, and stuck there, illuminating the entire area in a wash of white light. All four dwarves were stunned-well, three of them, the fourth was still drooling face-down on the ground.
"Hey, you did pick Crystalline Caverns, right? You didn't fat-finger the controls like the last four times?" Engineer asked.
"It said Crys'al Cavern when ah 'it the damn fing!" Gunner protested.
The cause of their confusion was the frankly startling amount of greenery within the cavern. Bright pink vines snaked across the walls and into the rock; odd-looking trees grew from what looked like nothing at all, just sprouting out of the crystals lining the cavern; bright red, yellow, and blue flowers speckled the grass below their feet.
Crystalline Caverns wasn't supposed to have anything like this in it. Nothing of the sort—this was new. New wasn't good in their line of work. New meant Management took interest and suddenly they couldn't sneak beer in their spare magazines and would have to take things seriously.
Then again, Mission Control could have royally fucked up their drop location, or some sensors could have been calibrated poorly. Hell, maybe some drunken dwarf snuck in after them all, changed the mission location, and then enjoyed the confusion while face-down in the grass.
"Oi, yer scanners are all screwy!" Scout shouted. The nimble, flighty little shit was sitting atop a moss-covered crystal near the roof of the cavern. "Recalibrate yer shite ya numby!"
"One moment, Team. I'm going to request percussive maintenance on the equipment. In the meantime, continue with your mission," Mission Control spoke. "Shouldn't be more than a few minutes, as long as Maintenance doesn't fall into the equipment like last time."
"Typical DRG. Whatever, let's get goin', we still have a job to do." Engineer checked his scanner, and then started his jog through the cavern.
"Oi, c'mon ya drunkard, on yer feet or ah'll leave yeh for bug food." Gunner grabbed Driller by the back of his suit and yanked the drunk to his feet. A firm push sent the dwarf staggering forward, step after step, somehow remaining on his feet as he wobbled his way forward.
For about six steps. Five more than Gunner thought he would get, to be honest.
"Alrigh', up we go," Gunner huffed. He grabbed Driller by the back of his suit again and walked him forward. The duo moved forward after Engineer, with Driller being held like some sort of giggling and burping meat-shield.
Engineer, Gunner, and Driller (assisted by Gunner) made their way across the cavern, stopping occasionally to point their scanners at various flora that was growing throughout the cavern. This was nothing like the flowers and plants that were native to Hoxxes IV—they didn't even try to stab, bite, or explode! Truly some odd and likely dangerous specimens to lure them in before activating some acid trap, or piling onto the dwarves and consuming them.
That theory was also out when Driller wriggled his way out of Gunner's grip and flopped face-first into the brilliantly coloured flowers. Well, he wasn't dead, so it seemed like the evil plant theory was out entirely.
"I've got good news, and bad news, team," Mission Control finally spoke. "The good news: the scanners are properly calibrated, and no amount of percussive maintenance changed the results! Bad news: you're still in Crystalline Caverns, and we have no idea what's going on down there. Management has given approval for five free resupplies if you need them. Carry on with your mission, and try not to bring back any new diseases with you."
"I'm telling ya, the feckers up there have gotta be smashed ta' think this'sn't the Biozone or somethin'," Scout called out. The flighty fecker's grappling hook impacted the wall beside the trio.
Gunner stepped to the side, while Scout sailed in, crowing in excitement as he sailed through the air. Engineer was too busy looking over the plant growths on a crystal to notice the incoming form careening toward him.
SMACK!
A litany of curses, shouting, and several direct insults about one another's mothers echoed around the cavern. The forms of Engineer and Scout bounced and rolled across the grassy floor, bounced off a crystal low to the ground, and disappeared behind a rock.
The shouting and hollering came to a stop rather fast. Gunner quirked an eyebrow, and grabbed at the rather floppy form of Driller, hoisting him up once more. The machine-gun-toting dwarf glanced at the rock and started wandering toward it.
"Ey, ya doin' alrigh'?" Gunner called out.
"Nnnoooh, 'm drinky an I can' ffffffble me legsh," Driller slurred out. "Do ah sssssteel hav'n legsh?"
"Ya still have yer legs ya idjit. Ah'm carryin' yer drunk arse." Gunner hefted Driller a little higher onto his shoulder. "Oi, you lot alrigh'?"
"Shhhh't!" "Shut up!" "You shut up ya dumb-ow!" "Quiet, you'll kill us all!"
Frantic and furious whispering rolled out from behind the rock. Gunner wandered his way over and peered around the rock. He was expecting many things. A Glyphid Praetorian for one. Maybe they had stumbled upon the cocoon and were immediately beside it. Maybe another corporation had their robots hiding just around the corner.
He had not been expecting a sheer drop straight down into another massive open cavern. Engineer and Scout were both lying on one of those platforms that Engineer was able to put down, lying flat on the yellow surface. The two were looking straight up, eyes wide, making various hand gestures and motions to keep silent toward Gunner.
A glance to the side revealed why.
Glyphids. Not the normal ten or twenty that would be in a swarm. Not even the challenging hoard of fifty that would try to shred everything that even looked mildly edible.
There had to be hundreds. Maybe more. The cocoons the team had been assigned to find were down there too. The good news is that they were already destroyed. The bad news was that they were broken open from the inside. Whatever was in the eggs had already hatched.
The gathered Glyphids stood relatively still, despite being all crammed together into one large cavern. Some were hanging out on the walls, others clinging to the bottom of crystals. Grass and greenery lined the cave, and an odd glow from somewhere out of sight lit up the entire area.
They were going to need some bigger guns and more backup. A lot more backup. Maybe they could call in those supply drops right on top of the swarm and see how many they could take out before funnelling them all into the main chamber.
Whatever it was they were going to do would require a lot of planning, effort, coordination, and above all, stealth to ensure that-
"Ah'll keel em' all fer yeh, doooonnn' even worry." Driller decided to make their plan of action for them. Apparently, at that one moment, he was aware enough to reach around and grab a satchel charge, before whipping it around Gunner and down into the hole.
And onto the small platform the other two dwarves were sheltered on.
Driller's aim was poor on a normal day, so this drunken accuracy was unsurprising. Still, Engineer and Scout both began to panic and do their best to move away from the block of explosives sitting on their tiny platform. The silent screams and flailing from the duo below were cause for alarm, especially when Scout kicked at the satchel charge, and sent it skidding toward the edge of the platform.
"Hehehe, 'ts time ta go boo- ah'noh mah buh'n!" Driller's momentary success was halted by his drunken grip on the detonator failing. The little device bounced off the ground at Gunner's feet and tumbled end-end over-end toward the hole in the ground.
It plummeted over the edge and toppled downward. Engineer tried to reach for it, swiping at it over the edge in an attempt to grab it. His panicked swipe only served to hurl the small device across the cavern, sending it straight into the hoard of giant insects.
All three of them—Driller was still flailing over Gunner's shoulder—watched in horror as the detonator bounced across the carapaces of the Glyphids. It hit one, two, three, four of them, bouncing off of their backs or off their heads, before it finally came to a halt.
Right at the feet of a Praetorian. The massive insect wheeled itself around, heavy footsteps causing the smaller insects around it to back away lest they get crushed. It looked down at the offending object at its feet, and then up toward the ceiling.
Glyphids were not known for their amazing eyesight so there would be no way it would know to-
It stepped on the detonator and crushed it.
"Well, that's not good," Engineer spoke.
All four of them—Driller had managed to wriggle out of Gunner's arms and crawl his way toward the edge—flicked their gaze to the satchel charge that sat on the platform, almost in the middle of them all.
Nothing.
They looked back toward the hoard of insects that-
Beep! Beep!
"Shit!"
The satchel charge destroyed the platform under Scout and Engineer, and the ground beneath Gunner and Driller. All four of them plummeted downward, flailing, spinning, cursing, and in the case of Driller, throwing up a frankly absurd amount of alcohol.
In the brief duration of their fall, they managed to catch various glimpses of the source of light inside the cavern. Unfortunately, puzzling out the source of light became second priority to landing without splattering across the ground.
Engineer whipped his platform gun around in an attempt to give them all at least some form of protection, and give them a softer landing than the grass-covered stone. He aimed the device at the floor and-
Was caught off-guard by a vine hurtling out of the wall toward him at mach-holy-shit. The green vine coiled around him firmly and had him in its clutches. His downward momentum was slowed, and he struggled in its grip. He'd much rather end up splattered across the ground than become plant food. If he survived this, he was going to swear off vegetables for the rest of his life—not that he ate them anyway.
Three similar vines shot from the walls or floor and wrapped around the dwarves, gradually slowing their movement. Panicked shouts and fears of becoming a handsome dwarf-pancake quickly turned into frantic struggling as the damn vegetables held them tight.
Meanwhile, Driller was laughing his ass off, caught upside down in the vine by his leg. He swung to and fro without a care in the world, dangling in the air above a hoard of violent insects.
The vines began lowering them to the ground, straight toward the hoard of insects that were now staring at them. Every single one in the cavern was fixated on the four of them, eyeless gaze locked on to the four intruders.
"Well, shite. If this's it lads, ah wanna say 'ts been fun," Gunner spoke.
"Speak for yerself, you're all a bunch of arseholes!" Scout protested. His flailing and kicking grew more violent.
"We've had a good run. Let's fight like hell, one last time," Engineer said.
"Weeeeeeee!" Driller cried out, still swinging by his leg in the plant's grip.
The hoard of Glyphids backed away from the four, clearing a space on the grass. The numerous insects stood there, twitching, split jaws gnashing and clenching. They were still held tight in the vines, and no amount of thrashing, kicking, biting, or drooling caused them to slacken.
A deep, chittering roar of the Praetorian sounded out, and the hoards of insects shifted out of the way, making room for the large insect to stop its way forward. The four panicked, and started thrashing harder—Driller just threw up again.
Another, louder roar sounded out. The large form of the Praetorian stepped to the side, displaying the larger form behind it.
A Glyphid Oppressor. The damn thing was even tougher and more vicious. It stomped its way forward, the impacts of its steps causing the ground to vibrate. It didn't get too far before a pair of chittering roars and growls sounded out. The Oppressor very quickly stepped to the side, nearly trampling on the smaller ones around its feet.
"Oh, shite…" Gunner breathed.
"Ah! No, feckin lemme outta here! I'll keel all ya bastards!" Scout thrashed harder, red in the face from straining.
Dreadnaught Twins. Two massive beasts that were difficult to manage on a good day. Damn things could dig fast, attack faster, and hit like an orbital supply pod. The two titans of insects prowled forward, their natural glow refracting off the exposed crystals in the room, casting the nearby area in an ominous orange.
The ground shook with every step from the pair. Glyphids backed away to make room for their approach, acting more and more like a set of coordinated soldiers for the pair. The Twins came upon the clearing, and instead of lunging toward the helpless dwarves, they split apart and moved to the side.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The cavern walls shook, and dust rained down from the ceiling. Large crystals cracked up the entire lengths with each thundering impact.
"Awh, come on, this is getting ridiculous. Get on with it!" Engineer exclaimed.
His bravado very quickly faded when the source came into view. It emerged from the inky blackness of the back of the cave, towering above everything around it. The spires of chitin on its back scraped the ceiling and shattered whole crystals that would have taken twenty dwarves to move. Its jaws would be able to snatch up a drop pod and crush it.
"Oh, tha's jus' noh fair," Gunner grumbled.
The single largest Dreadnaught any of them had seen lumbered forward. It loomed closer and managed to interrupt the source of light with its mass. Darkness fell upon the four, and every step forced the Glyphids around it to scatter out of the way.
It opened its great jaws, the yawning chasm before the four set to claim another team of victims. They had all given up, accepting defeat and looking at the creature head-on. If they were going to die, then they'd be doing it with bravery, honour, and—
"Ruff!"
And with a dog?
The light source illuminating most of the cavern seemed to move. It shifted and leaped from one of the highest points in the cavern, the crystal having been refracting the light previously. The white form plummeted downward, faster and faster, before landing right on the head of the massive Dreadnaught.
The creature that emitted the light stood squarely on top of the gigantic Glyphid, sitting upon the behemoth like it was nothing more than a hat. This gave the Dreadnaught an appearance similar to that of an angler fish, which seemed to terrify Scout further.
The ball of light leaped from the head of the Dreadnaught, and fell to the ground, landing on the grass-covered ground with sure footing. All four dwarves had to squint at the approaching thing as it fearlessly walked before the hoards of insects.
It came closer…
And closer…
It came to a stop right before them all. The four were unable to see the thing through the light it was emitting, but it radiated a warmth that felt like sunlight, something none of them had felt in a while.
"Ack! Eeeey, 'urn tha' down… yer, yer loigh's ssssoooo noisyyy," Driller slurred out. He raised a hand and tried to block his face from the intense light radiating outward.
Surprisingly, it worked! The light began to fade, though the feeling of warmth didn't. The blinding radiation dimmed further and further, allowing the cave to return to comfortable levels of light.
All four dwarves stood in a mix of terrified, confused, and mildly upset that they weren't getting drunk.
"Awuff," the dog spoke.
"Did that dog just talk?" Engineer asked.
"Yesh, shhhe says 'ello'." Driller smiled. He wriggled in the vine's grip and reached toward the canine. "Ey, ey, poochy pupper! Can ye sssay 'Roggs an' Shtone'?"
"Arf awoof?" The dog tilted her head and perked an ear.
"Yesh! Ya 'erd 'er lads! Rog' an' Shtone!" Driller cried, punching the dirt when attempting to punch the air.
"…feck it. For Rock and Stone!" Scout shouted.
"Yeah! Fer Rock and Stone!" Gunner added.
"Rock and Stone!" Engineer exclaimed.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Amaterasu honestly wasn't quite sure how she ended up down here. One minute she was cruising along through the multi-verse, stamping out a demon invasion of an alternate earth alongside a rather violent individual in green—he had a bad habit of ripping and tearing them apart with his bare hands. The next moment she found herself deep underground on an entirely new planet.
She blamed the Spicy Blue Cube for this one.
Granted, it was difficult to tell that she had initially jumped dimensions. Going from one rocky hellscape to the next didn't really leave much in the way of landmarks or sights to tell where one was.
Then again, the fact that this planet didn't spin tipped Ammy off that something was amiss. The other big thing was the different sun above the planet. No, Amaterasu hadn't exactly seen the sun yet, as she was working her way to the surface from the molten depths of the planet, but she knew. Blue suns just weren't the same. They were all bluey and felt funny—a little too cancer-inducing in the sunbeam department.
So, upon finding herself on a new planet, she did what she usually did. Harass the locals!
Oh, they were an interesting bunch—a little bitey if you said the wrong thing about their mothers, but overall, a decent set of folk. They were rather kind in their efforts to escort her upward to their matriarch. At least the queen of this general area of the planet. There was a lot of planet to cover, after all.
But with nothing more than some gentle and soothing applications of her Celestial Brush, and some tales of her adventures, Amaterasu had secured herself a trip to the surface of the planet. Sure, she could have just dug and sliced through the stone, or even used her brush techniques to summon bombs, but…
That would take ages, and she honestly just wanted a nap.
That was how Ammy managed to hitch a ride on the absolute monolith of a Glyphid and sleep while everyone ascended. Occasionally she'd crack open an eye and speak with the Queen about several things, like how stone spaceships flew, or what fighting techniques would best beat down a furious green rage monster.
Oh, and the Queen loved it. She hadn't been this excited to go on an adventure in years. Even so, she was still old, and it showed, having to take breaks every so often. But still, it didn't take too long at all to make progress toward the surface of the planet. These locals were just built for digging through rock and stone, and she was almost jealous.
Then she asked about pancakes, and their confusion had caused all jealousy to fade. She'd take not being able to swim through rock in exchange for being able to eat pancakes.
They'd been nearing the upper leg of their journey when the group had come to a stop to take a break. The Queen had curled up in the back of a cavern, while the entourage that they managed to pick up along the way pooled into the cavern and just… watched. They waited, or shifted around, or chittered and clacked their jaws.
The Twins were a rowdy bunch, however! Ammy had fun tossing them around and playing 'kick the boulder' with the rather chaotic duo. They'd been taking a break when those dwarves quite literally fell into the situation.
A few swipes of her brush and the plant life that tended to grow around her managed to catch all four of them. Another set of people saved, these more vocal and chattier than the Glyphids that she had spent the last three days with.
Though, how things progressed this far was entirely beyond her.
"For Karl!" Engineer shouted.
"Fer Karl!" Gunner cried.
The duo thundered toward one another, holding chunks of crystal as spears. Their mounts raced toward the middle of the cavern, powerful limbs shattering the ground beneath them. The Twins cried out a furious roar and pounded the ground faster.
Faster being a relative term. They were rather slow, all things considered. Amaterasu would be able to outpace all of them in her sleep, especially now that she had her full capabilities back.
But they were having fun, and honestly, so was she. The Queen also seemed to be enjoying herself, considering her quiet chittering laugh while she watched from the back of the cavern.
The Twins finally made contact in a thunderous collision of chitin and muscle, the cavern shaking from the force of impact. The plan the dwarves had to knock one another off their mounts with the crystals fell short. That was due to the fact both were hurled off their mounts, sailed across the room, and landed on a pile of dirt that the Glyphids had dug up to act as a sort of arena barrier.
Engineer and Gunner laughed as they rolled down the dirt and to the grassy floor below, coming to a halt at the feet of the hoard of Glyphids. Without fear, they stood up and charged right back up the hill, attempting their game for the seventh time.
"For Karl!"
"Fer Karl!"
…Eighth time.
Amaterasu glanced to her left, her eyes lingering on the form of the large green-butt bug. Then, she moved lower, looking at Driller, who was holding one of his flamethrower's canisters in his hand.
"Oh, righ' srry poochy, didja wanna sip?" Driller asked. He reached out and wobbled in place, holding the fuel canister in his hand.
Ammy leaned in and took a sniff. It was alcohol. She gave Driller a look and huffed under her breath. Still, it was a free drink, she might as well while everyone was enjoying themselves. She took the large red canister between her jaws and pushed herself up to all fours. Then, she tilted her head back and allowed the booze to start flowing.
"Awh hell yeah! Get it, Ammy!" Scout cried out from his position atop one of the larger insects. "Chug, chug, chug, chug!"
"Yeahaha geddit! Ye've go' this," Driller slurred.
She did her best, after all, a goddess like herself can't be sloppy when showing off in front of new friends. So, she emptied the entire canister in a single, long pull, taking down all that dwarven beer without hesitation.
When the canister was finally empty, she crushed it in her jaws and spat it out onto the ground. Amaterasu turned toward Driller and gave him a big doggy grin, complete with her tongue flopping to the side. Then she turned her attention to Scout and reared back on her hind paws. She dipped her head in a bow, and waved to him.
"Yeah, girl! Rock and Stone to the bone!" Scout cheered.
Amaterasu's round of applause was short-lived, as the Twins crashed together once again, sending Engineer and Gunner hurtling across the room. Their trajectory was different this time around, and the duo landed with a heavy crash right into a pile of Glyphids. The massive insects chittered in protest or skittered away from the two dwarves, who went from tumbling through the hoards of bugs to flailing at one another in an extremely drunken fashion, complete with beard pulling, name-calling, and mother insulting.
"Management is going to have all our asses for this," Mission Control sighed. Ammy could hear him through the communicators all the dwarves had. "Look, team, they don't need to know about almost all of you using spare ammunition containers as flasks. That's absolutely acceptable in this kind of work. But for god's sake bring back at least something shiny."
Shiny? Oh, she could do shiny alright! There were plenty of shiny things around here. There was the obvious stuff, like gold. There was also… uh… Some red spikey stuff. Oh, and some blue spikey stuff! And… there were some interesting sorts of gems and rocks in the walls too!
In fact, Ammy thought she could see one now. Little pebbles of gold stuck out of the ground like a sore thumb, giving away the position of a buried mineral. Amaterasu made her way across the cavern, parting the sea of Glyphids without having to even speak a word.
Ammy's cross-cavern journey was accented with outraged cries for her to "bring the sun back!" She merely increased the light output from her body, her natural form shining bright in the pitch black.
"Thank you, Ammy!"
"Thank ya, Ammers!"
"Than's poochy pup!"
"Yer stealing my job, Ammy!"
That last one was lighthearted. All of them were some form of drunk at the moment, each having snuck a drink within their extra ammo magazines or tanks. In true dwarf fashion, they were never truly without some form of liquor on them, though they had insisted to Amaterasu that it was only a stereotype and a complete coincidence they had brought it on this particular mission.
She didn't believe them but was enjoying herself too much to comment.
Amaterasu weaved her way through the hoards of insects and came to a halt at a particular path of grass with some gold rocks poking out around the plant life. They wanted something shiny? Well then, she would deliver.
Ammy began digging, her paws and claws sinking into the solid stone beneath like one would sand. She moved solid chunks of stone and flung them behind herself, burying herself deeper and deeper into the rock.
She dug deeper still. And deeper.
"Oi, Ammy, ya good?" Scout asked.
As the one with the most mobility and rather impatient nature, he fired his grappling hook and soared toward the spot in the ground she had started digging. He stepped closer to the hole and peered in. It was just poor timing on his part is all. No way he could have seen it coming.
A growl and grunt of effort sounded out, and something shot out of the hole. Scout, leaning over the hole, didn't have time to back away, and caught a chunk of solid gold to the chest. The slab of metal was half the size of him, and the impact sent the dwarf and the mineral end over end. Scout landed on his back, gold landing atop him and driving the breath from his lungs.
"Arf!" Ammy barked and poked her head out of the hole. She clambered out with a grumble, her paws just a tad more uncoordinated than she'd like. Seemed like the beer was kicking in.
Scout lay there, holding the chunk of gold in his hands against his chest, groaning in pain. He glanced down at the glimmering material and closed his eyes. One deep breath later, and his eyes snapped open again, looking at the solid gold in his hands.
"Hey! Hey lads!" Scout let out an excited laugh. "We're rich! Lookit wha' Ammy found!"
"Wer rish?" Driller slurred, clamouring to his feet.
"Whassat?" Gunner asked, picking himself out of the hoard of man-eating bugs. "Whatcha got there?"
"Well, would you look at that?" Engineer grinned and jogged his way over.
"'ts gold! We're rich!" Scout exclaimed. He got to his feet and held the chunk of gold high.
Amaterasu padded closer; a tad wobbly on her paws. The room walls spun and twisted, and the floor beneath her paws seemed to be made of water, sloshing and shifting all over.
"Hehe! We're rich!" One of them shouted.
"We're rich!" Another cried.
"We're rich!" "W'err rich!" "We're rish!" "We're rich!" "We're rich!" "Oi, Molly, ged o'er 'ere, we're rish!" "We're rich!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, not again," Mission Control sighed through the communicators. "Every time. Every single time." There was a pause and a hum. "Hey, Amaterasu, was it? Do you want to help these drunk idiots out? They're going to be doing this for hours, and they need to be back on a drop pod in three hours. I've already given up trying to understand the Glyphid situation. Or even who or what you are. Just… Bring 'em back home?"
A task helping people? Well, why didn't he say so in the first place? Ammy was great at helping people, they even said so. Well, maybe? That "thank you" was usually tucked between "Ah! There's a wolf in my cabbage!" or "Why is there a dog in my bird bath?" from completely unrelated people.
Ammy shook herself off, flinging rock and stone from her fur, and set her sight on the four dwarves who were… performing some odd ritual around the gold. She wasn't going to ask. Instead, she took a step forward, and-
Careened to the left, the ground beneath her feet spinning and wobbling and twisting. Ammy stumbled and staggered, attempting to stay upright under the rather strong effects of dwarf beer. In her attempts to not fall, she wobbled her way toward an edge that led to a ten-meter drop. Her paws tangled, and she rolled across the ground, flailing as the slope grew steeper.
Ammy was pitched off the cliff with a startled "wurf!", sending the white canine into the hoard of Glyphids below. She landed upon what the dwarves had called an Oppressor and draped herself across its various chitin spires and spiked, nestling into a comfy spot.
She asked it to carry her to the Queen, to which it happily obliged, stepping over the other human-sized bugs as it moved. Before long, Ammy found herself in front of the Queen again. She rolled over and sprawled out atop the massive bug, trying to keep the world from spinning too much.
"Awurf," Ammy commented.
A floor-rattling rumble escaped the Queen.
"Boof," Ammy replied.
A loud chittering sound was the response.
"Woof!" Ammy barked,
The Queen shifted in her seated position and tapped the ground with a foreclaw. A relatively quiet screech rattled out of the Queen's jaws, to visible effect on the surrounding Glyphids.
The four dwarves screamed in drunken terror as the hoard of Glyphids all reacted and moved as one, surging forth in a wave toward the four. Flailing and scrambling and clutching onto the gold for dear life, the dwarves were buried under a sea of insects.
Then, the Glyphids began to bury themselves into the rock, digging tunnels into the world around them and spreading outward. The world around them shook and shuddered as the mass of tons of insects buried themselves into the surroundings.
All four dwarves were left with an iron grip on the chunk of gold, pale-faced, and completely unscathed by the wave of nightmares that washed over them.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
The results of the mass excavation were rather astonishing. A towering pile of minerals, gemstones, crystals, and other valuable items loomed overhead, glimmering in the light that radiated from Amaterasu.
The dwarves had been speechless, and their immediate reaction had been to dive face-first into the pile. Unfortunately for them, solid chunks of metal are not very yielding and they ended up bashing their faces into the minerals with varying cries of pain.
The drunken Driller tried to dive in again, believing the first time to be a fluke.
He ended up having a power nap after hitting his head, sprawled out on the pile of riches.
Currently, Engineer was busy shoving what seemed like an impossible amount of rocks into the affectionately named Molly. The mobile storage container was currently settled down beside the pile of shiny rocks that were many times its size.
How the heck did it all fit in there? There had to be some kind of weird dimensional bending technology that would allow Molly to handle a load that large.
While Engineer was busy, and Driller was napping, the other two were busy with their competition of sorts.
"This is Steeve." Scout pat a standard Glyphid on the head.
"This's Steevie," Gunner replied. He planted a hand on the Praetorian's head and scratched it under the chin.
"This is Steevo," Scout huffed. He turned around, grabbed one of the Twins by the mandibles and hugged its head. The pleased sound the giant insect made was rather surprising.
"Well, now yer jus' cheatin'." Gunner crossed his arms and clambered his way onto Steevie. Without a word, the duo left Scout to the affections of a rather massive insect.
"Amaterasu, I don't think I quite understand what the hell is happening. You said these minerals are an exchange for… what exactly?" Mission Control asked through the communicator Ammy had stolen from Driller.
"Awurf," Ammy replied.
"Neutrality? That's… is that possible? I'm willing to fight Management to get it to work, but still. So, what, they don't attack first, and we don't attack first?"
"Boof."
"I… yeah, okay. Yes. We can make this work. Even if it's only this one little section, that's a hell of a lot better than what was going on before." Mission control paused for a moment. "We'll end all extermination missions to Glyphids for the moment, but if any attacks happen to us, they're back on."
Amaterasu wasn't exactly sure how she ended up brokering a peace agreement between an interstellar space mining operation, and a species of insects that could destroy anything said mining company sent, but… Hey, everyone agreed that it was for the best. The Queen wouldn't have her children killed, and the company wouldn't lose employees to angry bugs.
The Glyphids didn't need the minerals. The miners didn't need to kill the bugs. A win for both sides, even with the communication barrier in place.
"Oh, they're almost out of time, just so you're aware. If you could, would you escort their collective drunk asses to the drop pod? The station will be out of range soon, and I'd rather not have Management tearing into me about another lost team. Especially not with the size of this haul."
Amaterasu barked in agreement and stumbled to all four paws. She shook herself out, dusting the grass and dirt from her fur, and dislodged the thirty Glyphid hatchlings that nestled into her fur. Apparently even insects like soft fluffy beds to sleep on.
Now sober and completely functional again, Amaterasu began her task of rounding up the dwarves. She wandered over toward Gunner and leaped up onto the back of his mount. She gave a little wuff of greeting and gestured with her head that they needed to go.
"Noh, ah don' wanna," Gunner huffed. "Steevie can't come wif me."
Amaterasu narrowed her eyes. They were going to be leaving, or else they'd be stuck here for another week. They definitely didn't have the food or resources to last that long.
"Woof."
"Noh! Ye can't make me."
…
Amaterasu leaned in and clamped down on Gunner's armour. A sharp tug and a twist of her head sent Gunner flying through the air, landing in a sprawl beside the dozing Driller.
Engineer chuckled and shook his head, loading up the last of the remaining minerals into Molly. The poor minecart with legs looked to be shaking under the weight of everything it was carrying. Ammy swore she could hear it screaming in agony. But machines didn't tend to scream unless they were sentient. But who would make a sentient minecart, that would be silly. That'd be like Making gun turrets sentient, or motionless boxes able to feel emotion.
Totally pointless, and probably wouldn't ever happen.
Scout was a tad harder to catch. The Twins decided to play a game of Keep Away with Scout from Ammy. Whenever she would approach, they'd both dive into the dirt and emerge on opposite ends of the room. They seemed to be enjoying themselves from the chittering laughter. The Queen was no help at all, encouraging them to play and have fun.
Amaterasu didn't exactly have time to waste at this particular moment. She flexed her natural gifts on reality, and the world came to a standstill. Ammy effortlessly weaved her way through the hoards of Glyphids and clambered her way onto the frozen Twin. Her jaws clamped around the armored wrist of Scout and she began dragging him away.
She did try to avoid bouncing his head off of rocks and other objects, but occasionally the drunk dwarf just happened to swing too far to the left or right and end up with a face full of Glyphid thorax. No, definitely not intentional for trying to play keep away.
The tight grip on the world relaxed, and everything resumed. The Twins dipped down into the ground again, only to re-emerge Scout-less. Panic ensued, and the duo began burrowing through the ground to find their little dwarf companion.
The Queen similarly seemed shocked for a moment, feeling the effects of the world around her stopping and starting all over again. The sudden blur of white tipped her off that something about that wolf was not quite right.
Still, everyone was in a group together now. That means they could go home, and they'd be safe and sound aboard their space station.
"No."
"Ah don' wanna go."
"Ish 'oo mush ffffun, ah wanna shtay…"
"Feck off, lemme play more!"
…
The dwarves' protest and refusal to move didn't last long. With a few strokes of her Celestial Brush, vines erupted from the ground and bound the dwarves up in a big bundle of whining, complaining, and burping mass. They didn't struggle so much as they did pout, but they made their position on the decision very clear.
Amaterasu didn't listen to any complaints though. She grabbed one of the vines between her teeth and began dragging the dwarves. She walked slowly to avoid bashing the dwarves against solid stone and turning them into concussed and drunk messes. The five of them left the cavern, followed by an entourage of insects. Hundreds of Glyphids followed them through the cave system and to the location of the drop pod.
Upon reaching the transport vehicle, the Twins burst from the ground. The duo sat on either side of the path to the drop pod, and raised a leg into the air, waving at the dwarves. In their drunken state, two of them began crying while they waved back to the bugs.
Amaterasu padded her way up the ramp, still dragging the dwarves. With them bound and left tied up, she rolled the bundle of grumpy, distraught miners into the middle of the drop pod.
"Great work, Amaterasu. We appreciate your efforts. If Deep Rock Galactic ever encounters you on Hoxxes IV again, we will be sure to treat you as a friend and offer you a share of the spoils," Mission Control spoke from the drop pod speakers.
Ammy perked up. Treat!? Where? She wanted the food! Her tail was a blur and she whipped her head around, looking for the treat in question.
"Ah, my apologies, poor choice of words."
Amaterasu was crushed. The short whine and the drooping tail caused Mission Control to cough and clear his throat uncomfortably into the microphone. All four dwarves looked at Ammy and began muttering to themselves. One of the four mentioned something about sending a supply pod full of beer for her, which Mission Control very firmly put a stop to.
He did agree that maybe they should send some food, however.
Ammy padded her way back out of the pod and sat down at the foot of the ramp. She watched the metal slab lift and slide back toward the pod, while the metal doors began to close.
"Nooooo, Ammmmyyyyy!"
"Ah'll never ferge' ye, Ammy!"
"Thanks for the help, Amaterasu!"
"Oi, come and visit us sometime!"
"Team, I have to remind you that creatures from planet side are not allowed on the ship. The last time that happened, Management discovered thirteen new diseases. One of them was only contagious through, erm, close physical contact. We don't need a repeat of that." Mission Control's logic was infallible.
Ammy barked in farewell and raised a paw to wave at the four. Then something caught her attention.
A Glyphid hatchling was sitting near the doors of the drop pod. She barked for it to get down, which alerted the Twins to it. Their concerned cries only encouraged the little shit, who chittered in return and skittered its way into the drop pod seconds before the doors slammed closed.
The pod began rising, a torrent of heat and light erupting from the bottom. Amaterasu barked at the Twins and panicked Glyphids to stay put.
Ammy bounded forward and leaped. With her paws outstretched, she dug her claws into the metal siding of the drop pod. She wriggled and pulled herself higher, and sank her teeth into a chunk of metal that was sticking out of the vehicle. It probably wasn't that important.
Amaterasu clamped onto the drop pod as it rose faster and faster, hanging on tight as the layers of the planet fell away. Before she knew it, they were above the surface of the planet, and rising faster.
Amaterasu huffed. It looked like Management would be dealing with a newcomer on the station after all.
Crescent Glaive
Knight Of The Blood Moon
- Location
- The Blood Moon Keep, Planet Noxum IV
Rock and Stone lads!
Though on a more serious note, this wasn't a crossover i expected to see. Awesome though
Though on a more serious note, this wasn't a crossover i expected to see. Awesome though
- Location
- Quebec
That was freaking awesome. Upside is the Dwarves now have bot a non-aggression treaty with this part of the planet and they got a new mascot.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I honestly love putting together crossovers no one expects and trying to make them work anyways. I've got a little idea wriggling around for a Portal 2 and Pokemon cross to mess with at some point.
Many thanks! Ideally, if everything goes well, progress in peace and cooperation continues. Dwarves riding along on Glyphids to fight off the Rocpox would be cool.
Halloween Omake - Scary Stories
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Surprise! Have a Halloween short I wrote in two days. No proof reading or regular editing, so this is a little rough around the edges. My apologies. I am working on the next chapter, and have another Ammy Omake lined up as well.
I'd like to thank Nithalys, BaronOfBonk, and Moxie for being amazing supporters and great friends. They get to read my chapters early and make suggestions by supporting my writing, and you can too by becoming a Patron.
I also have a Discord server where I discuss my writing, provide updates, share ideas, and bounce concepts off of people. Enter "AT25n3N7fP" into the Discord server search to get access to Ven's Shenanigans.
Thanks for reading, and Happy Halloween. And yes, it still counts, there's like 5 minutes until midnight for me. Still October 31st.
"Brother, must we do this?" Loki asked.
"Of course! Just think of it as… Cultural enrichment. Yes, that sounds believable," Thor said.
"Who are you trying to convince, myself, or Father?" Loki huffed, and looked around the street, eyeing up the oddly dressed humans. "Besides, this is Midgard, what possible culture do they have to enjoy?"
"You musn't judge them so poorly. Afterall, you were bested by them."
"…Shut up," Loki grumbled.
Thor's booming laughter drew looks from all around, yet no one seemed frightened. If anything, they were being appraised and given nods of approval. A few people glanced at Loki, and made a conflicted expression, as if unsure whether they should yell at him or not.
"Remind me why we are wearing our armour. Isn't the idea to blend in?" Loki asked. He glanced down and brushed off his chest, making sure he was perfect. "Will I not terrify the mortals?"
"Oh, not at all. I mean, other than the usual children you terrify, that is." Thor laughed at the side-eye Loki gave him. "Jane told me about this festival humans have called All Hallow's Eve, or something along those lines. It's similar to our own Samhain."
"Another piece of Asgardian culture stolen and corrupted, colour me surprised," Loki scoffed. "So, what, instead of paying respect to the dead and making sure faeries and monstrous beings don't crawl into this plane, they… dress up?"
"Exactly!"
"And…" Loki looked around. "They send children out into the darkness with others in disguise?"
"So I've been told."
"To what end?"
"To collect sweets, and to terrify others," Thor explained. "It is quite popular around the world. You should see some of the terrifying creatures that humans have created. Quite the creative lot, these Midgardians."
"Oh, please," Loki scoffed. "I'm sure that anything these people can come up with has been stolen. Anything original in their minds cannot be the least bit frightening."
"We shall see, brother," Thor hummed.
The duo walked down the streets, passing by throngs of people in bright plastic outfits. Some people were rather scantily clad, while others were so well dressed that it was impossible to tell if there was a human inside of it.
Loki turned his attention to the occasional creature he was quite certain were actual monsters lurking around children. But not a single one of them attacked or devoured the tiny humans like he expected them to.
One of the most notable examples was a tall, antlered being standing in the shadows of a tree. Its antlers meshed with the tree branches high overhead, and its thin black form looked to be wreathed in shadows. Loki had only spotted it by the glimmering of its white eyes.
"Thor, I think that child is about to be that things dinner," Loki commented, nudging his brother in the ribs.
Moderately concerned (though Loki would never admit it) the pair altered their course toward the tall being wreathed in darkness, who had a hand outstretched, beckoning toward a child. They could hear it speaking, with many voices, yet all in a hushed whisper almost impossible to hear.
The child it was talking to wandered right up to the creature, and looked up at it, staring. Then, the creature started to reach downward, its large clawed hand aiming for the child.
Thor gripped his hammer, and Loki summoned a knife into his palm.
The child was motionless as the tall creature planted its hand on the child's head… and patted her. The monstrous being gently patted the child several times over, and then reached into its cloak. With an unnaturally flexible motion, it pulled its arm back out of the darkness and presented the young one with a small wooden toy, similar to that of a horse.
"Oh, wow! Thank you, Mister," the child said. "I like your costume!"
Another series of many-voiced whispers rolled from the creature's tongue, and it raised an arm, pointing.
"Okay! Goodbye! Happy Halloween!"
Just like that, the child ran off, racing toward the group that had been waiting, as if oblivious to the entire thing. The parents seemed unconcerned, and the other children merely crowded around, wondering what the other child received.
Loki blinked, and looked back to where the creature had been.
It was gone.
"…Brother, tell me you saw that thing," Thor said.
"I did," Loki replied.
"I've never seen that before. Do you know what that creature was?"
"No idea. And I'm not sticking around to find out." Loki whirled away and began marching off in the direction Thor had been guiding him before, and his brother quickly fell into line beside him. "Now I know why they aren't afraid of me."
Despite walking away from the area where the creature had been, Loki couldn't shake the unease that crept down his spine. He could almost feel those long, spindly fingers gripping his shoulders. He could hear the whispers in the back of his mind—all those voices combined and muttering the same tongue.
Loki glanced back.
Two glowing eyes stared him down, baring into his soul.
He jumped, and blinked, whirling around to face the creature.
But it was gone. The only thing that remained was a lingering thought in his head, one that he knew he didn't put there.
Behave. Or. Perish.
"…Thor, if I end up possessed or something infinitely worse, please take me to see Mother instead of caving my skull in with your hammer. That's one of the few things you cannot fix by hitting it hard."
Thor merely clapped a hand on Loki's shoulder and remained silent.
Through the continued walk, Loki started to take notice of more and more of these odd, non-human creatures. He never saw that antlered being again, but that didn't make the sight of these new monsters any more welcoming.
"Humanity has some possessive defenders," Loki commented. He looked at Thor. "And I'm not talking about you and your friends."
"Cultural enrichment," Thor replied, a grin on his face. His eyes, however, looked uneasy.
Maybe it was a good thing Loki didn't manage to take over Earth after all. He'd hate having to deal with these nightmarish creations that lurked in the dark, watching over the people.
Their people.
Thor and Loki continued on, and eventually, they reached their destination. It looked like a public park of some sort, with trees sparsely littering the area, and a fire in the middle of this small clearing that Thor had led them into.
Loki glanced around the darkness and swore he was being watched. Still, he faced forward and observed who Thor was dragging him to meet.
"Jane, I told you I would make it!" Thor exclaimed, his arms wide as he approached the woman on the other side. With a laugh, he scooped up Jane, and spun around, holding her close. "Could Darcy and Selvig not make it?" He set her down and took a step back.
"No, Darcy decided to go out and terrorize the neighbourhood, and Selvig had a… Well, he…" Jane seemed distracted. "He's busy. Hey, Thor? Is that Loki? You know, the 'kneel to me, mwahaha' guy." Jane looked at Loki, who gave her a wide, closed-mouth smile, and then she looked back to the beaming Thor.
"I did! I wanted you to meet him. He's changed since the whole world invasion thing," Thor replied. "Loki is a much better person."
"Oh, really?" Jane turned to face the trickster, her voice laced with disbelief. "And how have you changed? After trying to kill Thor multiple times, and invading the fricken Earth."
"Well, for starters, I haven't tried to kill Thor," Loki replied. "And-"
"Well…" Thor interrupted.
"You shoved me down a stairwell while drunk. You deserved the stabbing." Loki huffed, annoyed. "You're still alive, get over it." He then turned back to Jane. "And I have not stabbed anyone in the back-"
"Well…" Thor interrupted again, in a higher-pitched voice.
"Anyone who did not deserve it, Brother." Loki rolled his eyes. "Are you telling me that stabbing that clearly evil wizard in the spine counts as 'back-stabbing' someone?"
"I mean…" Thor shrugged in a helpless sort of motion. "You did stab him in the back. I believe that is backstabbing."
"That's not the same thing!" Loki protested.
"If you think about it, it kind of is."
"Oh, for- it's not even close."
"It's in the name!"
"It's not literal!"
"But you took the knife, and-"
"Brother, I swear-"
"Boys, can you just-"
A thunderous explosion of sound startled everyone into silence. The deep, powerful bark echoed off buildings and caused the fire to flicker dangerously, threatening to go out. In the silence that followed, the three listened to the noise echo for several long seconds, each turning their attention to the source.
A large white wolf, standing at the edge of the visible clearing. The area around her glowed white from her fur, the light illuminating the grass and trees. She stepped forward, eyed the three around the fire, and spoke a single command…
"Boof."
"Yes, Ma'am." Both Thor and Loki said at the same time. They immediately sat down on the logs around the fire, and looked at the ground, unable to meet the wolf's gaze.
"Oh, you did make it." Jane smiled. "I wasn't sure what to make of your email. Did you use the computer to transcribe your words or something? All it said was-"
"Bark!" Amaterasu interrupted.
"Yes, that," Jane deadpanned. "How does that even happen?"
The wolf dipped her head in a shrug and padded forward, coming to sit at the only unoccupied side of the campfire.
Much to Loki's dissatisfaction, that side happened to be next to his own. He glanced over to the wolf and found those blazing golden eyes staring straight at him. Straight through him.
After several uncomfortably long seconds, Ammy huffed, and nodded, turning her gaze away from Loki. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"The only other responses were generic 'I'm busy' statements from your friends," Jane turned to tell Thor. "That, and Stark said he was 'planning to be sick that day,' so he's not coming."
"How does one plan to be sick?" Thor asked. "That sounds like a most unpleasant- Oh! I see now."
"Idiot," Loki huffed.
"Well, more fun for the four of us!" Thor grinned, and spread his arms, gesturing to everyone present.
Loki stewed in his thoughts while Jane passed around long metal rods with wooden handles, and materials for some food she called "smoars", whatever those were. He stuck the metal end of the rod into the coals, and watched it slowly start to glow orange.
An intrusive thought wriggled its way to the front of his mind, and he briefly wondered if he could kill Amaterasu with the glowing hot metal. Just a quick poke through the eye and into the brain.
Loki banished the thought just as fast, and turned the stick around, watching Thor's actions, while Thor was instructed by Jane. He then glanced at Amaterasu, and froze.
She was just holding the stick in her mouth, while a miniature sun floated in front of her, instantly heating up the metal to the point it started to droop. Amaterasu panicked, and pulled the metal out, causing it to curve and curl around. Then, without warning, ice erupted in front of her and coated the metal mid-swing, causing it to freeze in its position.
She blinked, and crossed her eyes, looking at the now sharply curved rod. Her eyes flicked up to meet Loki's, and then back down to the stick.
To Loki, then to the metal rod.
Back to Loki…
Then to the stick…
"No, you keep that one. That's your fault," Loki said. He grinned at the sad whine that rolled from the wolf.
No, attacking her would be a horrendous idea. He liked his organs inside his body, thank you very much. This wasn't at all the same wolf that he had fought and stabbed aboard the Helicarrier all that time ago.
This was a much more terrifying creature.
"-another tradition is to tell scary stories around the fire." Jane's voice interrupted Loki's musing. "I can't remember too many from when I was a child. There was this one my grandfather told me though. About how on clear nights like this, without a cloud in the sky, you would be followed.
"He'd tell me to look up and watch the stars carefully. You wouldn't be followed on the ground, because there was nothing around you to see. No, you had to be careful of the open sky above. He told me to keep my eye out for moving stars and follow their path. He told me that if those stars ever stopped moving… Run.
"He never told me what it was, only that whatever it was had snatched up his friend when he was a child, and he'd never seen him since. All because they didn't keep an eye on the universe above."
…
"…Is that it?" Loki asked.
"What do you mean?" Jane said.
"What I mean is that it isn't scary in the slightest. Space isn't terrifying at all." Loki then paused, and narrowed his eyes. "Well, falling through wormholes into the clutches of alien warlords tends to be a jarring experience."
"You know, I forget you two are from another planet. Another realm. You just seem and act so… Human." Jane gestured to the two, and huffed. Then, she turned to Amaterasu. "At least you're from here, right? Us Earth creatures have to stick together."
"Arf!" Amaterasu said.
"She says she's from the Celestial Plain, and that she had a friend from the Moon in another life," Thor translated.
Jane blinked, and sighed, much to Loki's amusement.
"Alright, fine. You go then. Tell us your scary stories," Jane huffed.
"I'm certain many of our creatures in the Nine Realms would be terrifying to a human," Thor laughed. He immediately backtracked from the glare Jane shot him. "I-I mean that many of them have gruesome abilities that couldn't live on a planet like Earth. For example, there's this one stripey creature that stalks its prey for days, unrelenting. And finally, when it gets close enough, and its prey has collapsed from exhaustion… It unhinges its jaw from its face and launches out to grab its victim with razor-sharp teeth."
"Oh, hey, Humans used to do that," Jane said.
Thor reeled back, and even Loki raised an eyebrow, eying Jane. Thor reached forward hesitantly and poked at Jane's cheek. Then again, lower, at her jaw.
"What are you- oh!" Jane laughed. "No, not the jaw thing, that's a Goblin Shark. I mean the stalking things until they collapse. Humans used to do that, and then kill the animal. That was probably tens of thousands of years ago though."
"I see." Thor hummed in thought. "Well then, what about this? I've once encountered a creature with incredible abilities. It can change the colour of its skin at will and is incredibly intelligent. It'll ripple the colours on its body to hypnotize you, so you don't even notice it coming closer, and closer, and then-"
"Cuttlefish," Jane interrupted. "We've got one of those too. It's underwater. It has tentacles and can change its skin texture. Darcy thinks they're kind of cute."
"It has tentacles?" Thor asked. "…Perhaps Earth is more dangerous than I once thought."
"Oh, that's not even the worst of them," Jane continued. "Honestly, the big scary things you deal with will kill you, sure. But the worst things are the ones you can't see."
Loki leaned in, intrigued. He was very much experienced in the 'being invisible and killing things' department. Now how would pitiful Midgard compare?
"I guess I'll start with a boring one. There's a species of jellyfish called the Box Jellyfish. It's difficult to see in the water, and if you get stung, the venom goes after your heart and nervous system. You can die in minutes with enough venom," Jane explained. "Or a few hours afterward."
"Arf!" Ammy commented.
"Oh yes, go ahead and eat one. I'm certain that won't end horrifically for you," Loki snarked.
"That one's not so bad. The brain worms some animals have here are pretty creepy-"
"Brain worms!?" Thor exclaimed.
"But they don't really bother humans at all," Jane finished. "That's for the brain-eating amoeba. It lives in warm water and gets to your brain through your nose. Pretty deadly."
"I'm starting to notice a trend with your world and deadly water creatures… And parasites," Loki commented. Thor was just sitting still, watching Jane with horror.
"Oh yeah and rabies! Rabies is especially terrifying. It's spread through bites, and you might not even know you have it for years. As soon as you show symptoms, you're guaranteed to die a slow, agonizing death. You start foaming at the mouth, get aggressive and bite other people, and you get scared of water. Only one person has ever survived. It's a whole thing."
…
Well… that was gruesome. And further confirmed Loki's thoughts on how filthy and disgusting Earth truly was. Honestly, he would have been doing it a favour if he had taken over. He'd even have gotten rid of those parasites and diseases for them with time.
"Oh, right, I forgot. Most cases of it are spread by… dogs."
Thor and Loki slowly turned to face the large white wolf who had been sitting around the fire. Emphasis on had. Loki hadn't even noticed her leave. He glanced around, then realized exactly what was going on.
"Oh, yes, very funny. Go on then, pretend you are a disease-ridden mutt and startle us. I'm waiting," Loki spoke to the darkness.
But… There was nothing. It was silent.
The sound of the children laughing or small screams of surprise from around the city had fallen silent too. It was as if everything had vanished.
As if the world around them had fallen silent, hiding from a predator.
A gust of wind swept through the park, carrying with it leaves and dust, and the scent of sickeningly sweet. That was quickly overwhelmed by the scent of something rotting. No, not something.
Someone.
Something moved to the left, but looking toward it revealed nothing but a little flash of red. Had it even been there at all?
A footstep to the right. Multiple steps, dragging through the grass; scraping along the stone. Stalking.
Despite knowing this was likely just a trick, Loki couldn't help but grab a knife. Thor's grip slid down to hold his hammer, electricity crackling over the surface. The feeling of being watched came back ten-fold, and Loki swore he could see glowing white eyes far in the darkness.
"Help!" A woman's voice shrieked through the darkness. "Someone! Help me plea-" She was cut off with a sickening wet crunch. Whatever was left of her seemed to gurgle and gasp through the remnants of her throat.
They still couldn't see anything.
Then, a growl. Long, low, and utterly predatory. A weight settled onto them, a presence turning to face the three around the fire.
A pair of blood-red eyes blinked into existence, peering through the darkness. Then another.
And another.
Red eyes and footsteps surrounded them. Drawing closer. Closer. Just out of sight.
The fire behind them erupted in a glorious fireball, casting a bright light outward and showing off the creatures that had been stalking them.
Loki wished he'd never seen them.
Horrific-looking canines surrounded them. Some limped forward on all fours, while others prowled like predators, eyes unblinking. Their skin sloughed off of them in patches, and blood oozed from their dehydrated bodies.
Loki could hear their gasping, and the sight of rotting teeth flashed with each breath. Foam rolled from their jaws and pattered to the grass below, hanging from their jaws in disgusting strings.
Then, the ground rattled. Not from a heavy step, but from a deep, thunderous growl. A wolf stepped forward out of the darkness, its fur melding with the shadows so well that it was impossible to tell how large it was.
Its eyes leered at them, pure white. It moved forward in powerful strides, lording above the living corpses of the canines that surrounded them. It walked closer, and closer, baring down on Loki.
He threw another knife forward, straight at the creature's eye. It made contact.
The knife shattered.
Lightning crackled beside him, and Thor shot a thunderbolt straight at the approaching beast. It hit it head on, and-
The electricity rolled off of it, and shot straight into the air, fizzling away harmlessly.
The creature lunged, blitzing toward them at an impossible pace. Loki barely had the time to raise his arms in defence, a scream tearing itself from his throat. A final act of defiance as Death came for him.
He heard a sickening crunch.
The world went dark.
…
Then the world was white. And smelled sweet. And was incredibly disgusting to touch. And foamy and sticky.
Loki opened his eyes, and looked down at himself. He was covered in this foam of sorts. He looked over at Thor, who was much the same, caught between disgust at the resulting mess, and horrified at what they'd all witnessed.
All at once the darkness around them lit up, and that heavy presence surrounding them gathered into a single point, and then vanished without a trace.
Right to Amaterasu.
Who was holding a broken can in her mouth, and absolutely covered in this white foamy substance. She shook her head and tossed the can forward, and Loki managed to see the words "whipped cream" on the side.
Jane laughed and stepped away from Thor, holding her own can of punctured whipped cream. Her laughter grew harder and louder, much to Loki's ire.
"Odin's beard, what was that?" Thor asked.
Loki took a breath in an attempt to calm himself, and sat down on the log once again, silent. He wiped at his face, and brushed his clothing off with shaky hands, doing his best to clean himself off.
Then, Amaterasu barked once, and the mess of whipped cream seemed to melt away as if it had never existed in the first place.
"I think we got them," Jane laughed. She walked toward the wolf, who was currently trying to lick her forehead free of whipped cream, but only resulted in her tongue snaking around wildly, missing everything. "Bluetooth speakers and meat left out in the sun for a few days helped too, of course."
"You… You planned this!?" Thor exclaimed.
"Mhm. I figured since you were both from some magic, super clean and healthy space-faring world, you weren't used to the disease and illness that we see here," Jane explained. She reached down and wiped off Amaterasu's forehead, and allowed the wolf to lick her palm clean. "So, I had Ammy help me scheme something up to scare you."
"I… Well. I hated every second of that," Loki finally said to the wolf. "I despise your very being, and I hope you can never find comfort when you sleep." He turned to face Jane, and narrowed his eyes, before shifting his gaze to Thor and thinking better of it.
Amaterasu looked far too smug for what she had accomplished, and Loki briefly entertained the thought of driving that metal rod through the wolf again. Not lethally, of course. Just a little… pokey.
Then, he recalled the absolute monstrosity that wolf was. Her control of the elements, defying physics, and being a general nuisance to all things that made sense.
No, he'd better not.
He glared at the wolf, who grinned back at him, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.
"Well, Loki, do you have any stories you'd like to share?" Jane asked. She flinched when he glared at her through the fire.
"Oh, yes, let me tell you the story of how I invaded a planet and tried to conquer the natives. It's quite the thrilling tale," Loki huffed.
"Brother," Thor sighed.
Loki glanced at Thor, and then toward Amaterasu.
She thought she could just scare the two of them without consequence? Well, maybe no consequences with Thor, he would likely be laughing it off in minutes.
But if they wanted something scary, he was going to deliver. Something specific, targeted, and very on topic for one particular member of the group.
"Actually… I do have a tale to tell. It's not a story so much as a prophecy, however. One about a wolf."
At that, Amaterasu's ears perked up. Loki managed to hide his smirk behind a hand, and tried to pass it off as if he was thinking of something.
"Oh, no, never mind. It is far too terrifying for mortals. It's cursed, and speaking of it may summon the beast." Loki waited, hoping that he had her hooked.
"Awoof!" Amaterasu said.
Got her.
"Well, if you are certain. This one might involve you, after all," Loki turned to face Amaterasu now, and leaned forward. "This is the story of Fenrir."
"Loki…" Thor's voice was low.
Loki ignored him.
"Fenrir is said to be a powerful wolf, born of the gods. He was strong, terribly so. So powerful that the gods decided to raise the wolf themselves in order to keep it under their control. But it kept growing."
Loki glanced over at Thor, who looked on in disapproval, and Jane, who seemed bored, as if she'd heard this one before.
Amaterasu was enthralled. Perfect.
"The wolf continued to rise in power and size. More… And more… To the point that the very gods who raised him became worried. And it grew more powerful still, so, they betrayed the beast, and tried to bind it so that it may never become a threat to the gods.
"Of course, this hurt Fenrir. Betrayed by the very people he viewed as family, and raised him as their own. He grew cold, bitter, and dangerous," Loki said. He conjured up some of his magic, to show a wolf tied to a rock. "Despite the gods best efforts, he broke free. So, they tried again."
The illusion he conjured up showed the wolf shattering the chains, only to be thrown back against the rock and bound by larger, tighter chains. It thrashed and struggled, and… Broke free once more.
"The gods, terrified of his wrath and power, lied to the wolf. They said it was merely a game. A test of strength for one as mighty as himself. Fenrir knew otherwise. But, his fondness for those that raised him stayed his jaws."
Illusionary figures stood at the feet of the towering wolf, who seemed to grow larger with every passing second. They gathered in a small group, and left the wolf to the side, unable to hear what was said.
"Finally, in desperation, the gods turned to the greatest metalworkers the universe knows: the dwarves. They fashioned the gods a chain so firm that it could restrain both magic and physical might. Again, they approached him, and challenged his strength with a chain that looked far too soft to work against him. He knew it was a trick. So, he offered them a deal."
The massive wolf lowered its head and opened its great jaws. One of the figures reached forward and allowed the wolf to hold his hand in its great maw, dragging the figure close to the stone they intended to bind him.
"It was meant to be a bluff. Surely, they wouldn't risk physical harm to one of their own if they lied to him. Yet, lie they did. The magic chains sprang to life, and coiled around the wolf, locking it against the boulder. Betrayed, he bit down, and severed the hand off the god."
The figure wailed in agony, and pulled back, clutching at the bleeding stump while the wolf fought against its binds. Then, it grew wise, and curled around, biting at the chains with its powerful jaws.
"The gods, eager to prevent its escape, and to prevent the creature from swaying mortals into freeing it, pried its jaws open. It fought, and strained, but through numbers and sheer might, they opened the great wolf's jaws. They couldn't bring themselves to kill the beast, so they took a sword, and jammed it in the creature's mouth. The point wedged up against the roof of its mouth, and the pommel against his lower jaws. The wolf could never try to bite at its chains again, for fear of death."
The illusionary wolf struggled against the bindings, its muscles quaking from the force it put into the struggle. However, it remained subdued, and kept its head on the ground, not willing to risk death to free itself. The gods walked away from it, leaving it alone.
"Trapped, and unable to escape, the great wolf still lies in wait. Chained to the stone, and unable to exact its revenge upon the gods." Loki smirked, and lowered his voice, causing everyone to lean in closer.
"It is said that one day the wolf will escape. It will be freed from its bindings, and hunt down all who wronged him. With its jaws wide from the sword in its maw, it will grow further ; stronger; faster. Years of growth and power once restrained, now unleashed."
The wolf broke free from its chains, horrendously disfigured. Upon an impossibly tall body the wolf towered high into the sky. It's lower jaw hung loose and dragged on the ground, stretched and broken from years trapped with the sword in its mouth. It walked forward, horrific in its movement, eyes blazing with hate. Its mouth reached high into the sky, and one-by-one, stars started to go out.
"With his jaw dragging on the ground, and its mouth reaching into the sky, the wolf will devour anything and anyone in its path. And with its enormous jaws, it shall bring about the end of the world…"
The illusionary wolf stalked forward, jaws parted, toward the sun. The great fiery orb was flared and illuminated the darkness within the wolf for several seconds. Then the sun shifted to the form of a wolf. The wolf, white with red markings, fought back the darkness around her.
Until, the wolf snapped its jaws shut, and the light from the sun, Amaterasu, was extinguished.
"By consuming the sun."
Loki pulled back, a wide grin splitting his face, as he looked upon the Goddess of the Sun. Amaterasu sat there, eyes wide, her fur on end. Her paws were tensed hard enough that her claws sank into the log beneath her. Those bright golden eyes flicked around, scanning the darkness, as if waiting for this great beast to appear.
"Loki, you know that tales of Ragnarök shouldn't be spoken lightly," Thor said. He looked at the spooked Amaterasu, and narrowed his eyes. "Though… I suppose this one was warranted."
"You know, I can't tell if these stories are ever accurate or not. I mean, in that one, the wolf is supposed to be your son. And in another, you transformed into a mare and-"
"Ah ah ah! Silence!" Loki interrupted Jane with a horrendous glare. Then, he turned his gaze to the side, and fixed Thor with an icy gaze. "My Brother told many tales when he visited Midgard throughout the years. He was just mad I was courting the woman he desired, and she preferred me."
"Oh, no, no, they're all very true. Saw them with my own eyes," Thor grinned.
"You- No. No stabbing. I got you back for that hundreds of years ago." Loki huffed, and brushed a hand through his hair, trying to remain calm and collected.
Trying to find something to change the subject, he looked at Amaterasu once more. She was still on edge, her fur standing upright, and her eyes scanned the darkness, searching for threats.
Loki grinned.
Well, he is the god of mischief and trickery.
Loki pulled upon his magic and his mother's teachings, and began to shift the world to his will. Darkness began to creep overhead, the moon disappearing, followed quickly by the stars. One by one, they flickered out as a massive shadow moved in front of them.
The fire in the center of the camp flickered, and died, vanishing with a whisper.
Heavy footsteps and deep breathing seemed to come from all around them. Every step caused the ground to shake, and every breath caused the wind to stagger them all.
Then, a low, rolling growl. It was like thunder, all encompassing, and entirely too close and loud.
Thor held Jane close, watching with a bemused smirk. Amaterasu stood on her log, body glowing a brilliant white, lighting up the clearing. She was crouched, braced, expecting something to attack.
But nothing did. It kept stalking. Circling. Consuming.
The trees at the edges of the clearing vanished with a single movement. Amaterasu whipped around to face it, eyes wide, a growl of her own sounding out to challenge the creature.
And then it stopped.
The silence was entirely too loud. Too filling. The nothingness around them took up far too much space. It was crushing. Suffocating.
Then, a scraping noise was heard. Something shifted out of the darkness. Amaterasu looked higher and higher, her eyes following the impossibly tall form of the creature. Its jaws oozed blood, and its maw led to only darkness and death.
Fenrir stood tall, its jaws parted wide, scraping along the earth and reaching high into the sky. Its body towered over them all, blazing green eyes illuminating the beasts scarred and spiteful face.
Then, it lunged!
Amaterasu jumped in surprise, and let out a loud yelp of terror.
KA-BOOM!
A bolt of lightning screamed out of the sky and crashed down upon the illusion with entirely too much energy. The ground exploded where it hit, and energy was unleashed in all directions, catching Loki in the spread.
Loki cursed and tumbled backward, his body numb and twitching from the electricity coursing through him. He growled, and got to his feet, staggering as his legs jolted about on their own.
"Thor! You ruined-"
"I did no such thing, Brother," Thor said. He nodded his head to the side.
Loki whirled around to find Amaterasu standing at the edge of a crater, the ground sizzling from the lightning strike. Her fur stood on end, bristling with electricity, causing her to resemble a sheep.
Amaterasu turned around, and faced away from the pit, using her hind legs to kick dirt into the crater, as if covering up the last of the remnants of the thing that had startled her.
Apparently, Amaterasu could summon lightning bolts when surprised.
Joy.
"You know, I thought hitting you with lightning all that time ago did nothing to help," Thor said. "I'm glad the thirty-seventh time seems to have worked."
Loki looked between Thor and Amaterasu, blinking.
No, he was done. He'd had enough for the day. Screw these human traditions and customs.
Loki whirled around with a huff, cape billowing around him, and left.
Amaterasu and Humanity were both horrendous cheaters, and he refused to entertain them any longer. No, maybe he'd go back to terrifying the Asgardian children instead. That was far less lethal.
"Loki?" Thor called out to him. "Brother, where are you going?"
"Away," Loki replied. "I don't care where I end up, just meet me there when you're done. I've had enough of Earth for one day, thank you."
Loki resisted the urge to look down when he felt the presence of Amaterasu fall into step behind him, following him. Apparently, Thor elected to stay with his favourite human.
Gods damn it all.
"Awoof?" Amaterasu asked.
"Nope. Silence. I cannot stop you, but I refuse to entertain your presence with conversation. Go chase your tail or something equally demeaning. Gods and poor imitations of deities should not mingle."
"Bwoof."
"Wha- I was referring to you!"
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"Brother, must we do this?" Loki asked.
"Of course! Just think of it as… Cultural enrichment. Yes, that sounds believable," Thor said.
"Who are you trying to convince, myself, or Father?" Loki huffed, and looked around the street, eyeing up the oddly dressed humans. "Besides, this is Midgard, what possible culture do they have to enjoy?"
"You musn't judge them so poorly. Afterall, you were bested by them."
"…Shut up," Loki grumbled.
Thor's booming laughter drew looks from all around, yet no one seemed frightened. If anything, they were being appraised and given nods of approval. A few people glanced at Loki, and made a conflicted expression, as if unsure whether they should yell at him or not.
"Remind me why we are wearing our armour. Isn't the idea to blend in?" Loki asked. He glanced down and brushed off his chest, making sure he was perfect. "Will I not terrify the mortals?"
"Oh, not at all. I mean, other than the usual children you terrify, that is." Thor laughed at the side-eye Loki gave him. "Jane told me about this festival humans have called All Hallow's Eve, or something along those lines. It's similar to our own Samhain."
"Another piece of Asgardian culture stolen and corrupted, colour me surprised," Loki scoffed. "So, what, instead of paying respect to the dead and making sure faeries and monstrous beings don't crawl into this plane, they… dress up?"
"Exactly!"
"And…" Loki looked around. "They send children out into the darkness with others in disguise?"
"So I've been told."
"To what end?"
"To collect sweets, and to terrify others," Thor explained. "It is quite popular around the world. You should see some of the terrifying creatures that humans have created. Quite the creative lot, these Midgardians."
"Oh, please," Loki scoffed. "I'm sure that anything these people can come up with has been stolen. Anything original in their minds cannot be the least bit frightening."
"We shall see, brother," Thor hummed.
The duo walked down the streets, passing by throngs of people in bright plastic outfits. Some people were rather scantily clad, while others were so well dressed that it was impossible to tell if there was a human inside of it.
Loki turned his attention to the occasional creature he was quite certain were actual monsters lurking around children. But not a single one of them attacked or devoured the tiny humans like he expected them to.
One of the most notable examples was a tall, antlered being standing in the shadows of a tree. Its antlers meshed with the tree branches high overhead, and its thin black form looked to be wreathed in shadows. Loki had only spotted it by the glimmering of its white eyes.
"Thor, I think that child is about to be that things dinner," Loki commented, nudging his brother in the ribs.
Moderately concerned (though Loki would never admit it) the pair altered their course toward the tall being wreathed in darkness, who had a hand outstretched, beckoning toward a child. They could hear it speaking, with many voices, yet all in a hushed whisper almost impossible to hear.
The child it was talking to wandered right up to the creature, and looked up at it, staring. Then, the creature started to reach downward, its large clawed hand aiming for the child.
Thor gripped his hammer, and Loki summoned a knife into his palm.
The child was motionless as the tall creature planted its hand on the child's head… and patted her. The monstrous being gently patted the child several times over, and then reached into its cloak. With an unnaturally flexible motion, it pulled its arm back out of the darkness and presented the young one with a small wooden toy, similar to that of a horse.
"Oh, wow! Thank you, Mister," the child said. "I like your costume!"
Another series of many-voiced whispers rolled from the creature's tongue, and it raised an arm, pointing.
"Okay! Goodbye! Happy Halloween!"
Just like that, the child ran off, racing toward the group that had been waiting, as if oblivious to the entire thing. The parents seemed unconcerned, and the other children merely crowded around, wondering what the other child received.
Loki blinked, and looked back to where the creature had been.
It was gone.
"…Brother, tell me you saw that thing," Thor said.
"I did," Loki replied.
"I've never seen that before. Do you know what that creature was?"
"No idea. And I'm not sticking around to find out." Loki whirled away and began marching off in the direction Thor had been guiding him before, and his brother quickly fell into line beside him. "Now I know why they aren't afraid of me."
Despite walking away from the area where the creature had been, Loki couldn't shake the unease that crept down his spine. He could almost feel those long, spindly fingers gripping his shoulders. He could hear the whispers in the back of his mind—all those voices combined and muttering the same tongue.
Loki glanced back.
Two glowing eyes stared him down, baring into his soul.
He jumped, and blinked, whirling around to face the creature.
But it was gone. The only thing that remained was a lingering thought in his head, one that he knew he didn't put there.
Behave. Or. Perish.
"…Thor, if I end up possessed or something infinitely worse, please take me to see Mother instead of caving my skull in with your hammer. That's one of the few things you cannot fix by hitting it hard."
Thor merely clapped a hand on Loki's shoulder and remained silent.
Through the continued walk, Loki started to take notice of more and more of these odd, non-human creatures. He never saw that antlered being again, but that didn't make the sight of these new monsters any more welcoming.
"Humanity has some possessive defenders," Loki commented. He looked at Thor. "And I'm not talking about you and your friends."
"Cultural enrichment," Thor replied, a grin on his face. His eyes, however, looked uneasy.
Maybe it was a good thing Loki didn't manage to take over Earth after all. He'd hate having to deal with these nightmarish creations that lurked in the dark, watching over the people.
Their people.
Thor and Loki continued on, and eventually, they reached their destination. It looked like a public park of some sort, with trees sparsely littering the area, and a fire in the middle of this small clearing that Thor had led them into.
Loki glanced around the darkness and swore he was being watched. Still, he faced forward and observed who Thor was dragging him to meet.
"Jane, I told you I would make it!" Thor exclaimed, his arms wide as he approached the woman on the other side. With a laugh, he scooped up Jane, and spun around, holding her close. "Could Darcy and Selvig not make it?" He set her down and took a step back.
"No, Darcy decided to go out and terrorize the neighbourhood, and Selvig had a… Well, he…" Jane seemed distracted. "He's busy. Hey, Thor? Is that Loki? You know, the 'kneel to me, mwahaha' guy." Jane looked at Loki, who gave her a wide, closed-mouth smile, and then she looked back to the beaming Thor.
"I did! I wanted you to meet him. He's changed since the whole world invasion thing," Thor replied. "Loki is a much better person."
"Oh, really?" Jane turned to face the trickster, her voice laced with disbelief. "And how have you changed? After trying to kill Thor multiple times, and invading the fricken Earth."
"Well, for starters, I haven't tried to kill Thor," Loki replied. "And-"
"Well…" Thor interrupted.
"You shoved me down a stairwell while drunk. You deserved the stabbing." Loki huffed, annoyed. "You're still alive, get over it." He then turned back to Jane. "And I have not stabbed anyone in the back-"
"Well…" Thor interrupted again, in a higher-pitched voice.
"Anyone who did not deserve it, Brother." Loki rolled his eyes. "Are you telling me that stabbing that clearly evil wizard in the spine counts as 'back-stabbing' someone?"
"I mean…" Thor shrugged in a helpless sort of motion. "You did stab him in the back. I believe that is backstabbing."
"That's not the same thing!" Loki protested.
"If you think about it, it kind of is."
"Oh, for- it's not even close."
"It's in the name!"
"It's not literal!"
"But you took the knife, and-"
"Brother, I swear-"
"Boys, can you just-"
A thunderous explosion of sound startled everyone into silence. The deep, powerful bark echoed off buildings and caused the fire to flicker dangerously, threatening to go out. In the silence that followed, the three listened to the noise echo for several long seconds, each turning their attention to the source.
A large white wolf, standing at the edge of the visible clearing. The area around her glowed white from her fur, the light illuminating the grass and trees. She stepped forward, eyed the three around the fire, and spoke a single command…
"Boof."
"Yes, Ma'am." Both Thor and Loki said at the same time. They immediately sat down on the logs around the fire, and looked at the ground, unable to meet the wolf's gaze.
"Oh, you did make it." Jane smiled. "I wasn't sure what to make of your email. Did you use the computer to transcribe your words or something? All it said was-"
"Bark!" Amaterasu interrupted.
"Yes, that," Jane deadpanned. "How does that even happen?"
The wolf dipped her head in a shrug and padded forward, coming to sit at the only unoccupied side of the campfire.
Much to Loki's dissatisfaction, that side happened to be next to his own. He glanced over to the wolf and found those blazing golden eyes staring straight at him. Straight through him.
After several uncomfortably long seconds, Ammy huffed, and nodded, turning her gaze away from Loki. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"The only other responses were generic 'I'm busy' statements from your friends," Jane turned to tell Thor. "That, and Stark said he was 'planning to be sick that day,' so he's not coming."
"How does one plan to be sick?" Thor asked. "That sounds like a most unpleasant- Oh! I see now."
"Idiot," Loki huffed.
"Well, more fun for the four of us!" Thor grinned, and spread his arms, gesturing to everyone present.
Loki stewed in his thoughts while Jane passed around long metal rods with wooden handles, and materials for some food she called "smoars", whatever those were. He stuck the metal end of the rod into the coals, and watched it slowly start to glow orange.
An intrusive thought wriggled its way to the front of his mind, and he briefly wondered if he could kill Amaterasu with the glowing hot metal. Just a quick poke through the eye and into the brain.
Loki banished the thought just as fast, and turned the stick around, watching Thor's actions, while Thor was instructed by Jane. He then glanced at Amaterasu, and froze.
She was just holding the stick in her mouth, while a miniature sun floated in front of her, instantly heating up the metal to the point it started to droop. Amaterasu panicked, and pulled the metal out, causing it to curve and curl around. Then, without warning, ice erupted in front of her and coated the metal mid-swing, causing it to freeze in its position.
She blinked, and crossed her eyes, looking at the now sharply curved rod. Her eyes flicked up to meet Loki's, and then back down to the stick.
To Loki, then to the metal rod.
Back to Loki…
Then to the stick…
"No, you keep that one. That's your fault," Loki said. He grinned at the sad whine that rolled from the wolf.
No, attacking her would be a horrendous idea. He liked his organs inside his body, thank you very much. This wasn't at all the same wolf that he had fought and stabbed aboard the Helicarrier all that time ago.
This was a much more terrifying creature.
"-another tradition is to tell scary stories around the fire." Jane's voice interrupted Loki's musing. "I can't remember too many from when I was a child. There was this one my grandfather told me though. About how on clear nights like this, without a cloud in the sky, you would be followed.
"He'd tell me to look up and watch the stars carefully. You wouldn't be followed on the ground, because there was nothing around you to see. No, you had to be careful of the open sky above. He told me to keep my eye out for moving stars and follow their path. He told me that if those stars ever stopped moving… Run.
"He never told me what it was, only that whatever it was had snatched up his friend when he was a child, and he'd never seen him since. All because they didn't keep an eye on the universe above."
…
"…Is that it?" Loki asked.
"What do you mean?" Jane said.
"What I mean is that it isn't scary in the slightest. Space isn't terrifying at all." Loki then paused, and narrowed his eyes. "Well, falling through wormholes into the clutches of alien warlords tends to be a jarring experience."
"You know, I forget you two are from another planet. Another realm. You just seem and act so… Human." Jane gestured to the two, and huffed. Then, she turned to Amaterasu. "At least you're from here, right? Us Earth creatures have to stick together."
"Arf!" Amaterasu said.
"She says she's from the Celestial Plain, and that she had a friend from the Moon in another life," Thor translated.
Jane blinked, and sighed, much to Loki's amusement.
"Alright, fine. You go then. Tell us your scary stories," Jane huffed.
"I'm certain many of our creatures in the Nine Realms would be terrifying to a human," Thor laughed. He immediately backtracked from the glare Jane shot him. "I-I mean that many of them have gruesome abilities that couldn't live on a planet like Earth. For example, there's this one stripey creature that stalks its prey for days, unrelenting. And finally, when it gets close enough, and its prey has collapsed from exhaustion… It unhinges its jaw from its face and launches out to grab its victim with razor-sharp teeth."
"Oh, hey, Humans used to do that," Jane said.
Thor reeled back, and even Loki raised an eyebrow, eying Jane. Thor reached forward hesitantly and poked at Jane's cheek. Then again, lower, at her jaw.
"What are you- oh!" Jane laughed. "No, not the jaw thing, that's a Goblin Shark. I mean the stalking things until they collapse. Humans used to do that, and then kill the animal. That was probably tens of thousands of years ago though."
"I see." Thor hummed in thought. "Well then, what about this? I've once encountered a creature with incredible abilities. It can change the colour of its skin at will and is incredibly intelligent. It'll ripple the colours on its body to hypnotize you, so you don't even notice it coming closer, and closer, and then-"
"Cuttlefish," Jane interrupted. "We've got one of those too. It's underwater. It has tentacles and can change its skin texture. Darcy thinks they're kind of cute."
"It has tentacles?" Thor asked. "…Perhaps Earth is more dangerous than I once thought."
"Oh, that's not even the worst of them," Jane continued. "Honestly, the big scary things you deal with will kill you, sure. But the worst things are the ones you can't see."
Loki leaned in, intrigued. He was very much experienced in the 'being invisible and killing things' department. Now how would pitiful Midgard compare?
"I guess I'll start with a boring one. There's a species of jellyfish called the Box Jellyfish. It's difficult to see in the water, and if you get stung, the venom goes after your heart and nervous system. You can die in minutes with enough venom," Jane explained. "Or a few hours afterward."
"Arf!" Ammy commented.
"Oh yes, go ahead and eat one. I'm certain that won't end horrifically for you," Loki snarked.
"That one's not so bad. The brain worms some animals have here are pretty creepy-"
"Brain worms!?" Thor exclaimed.
"But they don't really bother humans at all," Jane finished. "That's for the brain-eating amoeba. It lives in warm water and gets to your brain through your nose. Pretty deadly."
"I'm starting to notice a trend with your world and deadly water creatures… And parasites," Loki commented. Thor was just sitting still, watching Jane with horror.
"Oh yeah and rabies! Rabies is especially terrifying. It's spread through bites, and you might not even know you have it for years. As soon as you show symptoms, you're guaranteed to die a slow, agonizing death. You start foaming at the mouth, get aggressive and bite other people, and you get scared of water. Only one person has ever survived. It's a whole thing."
…
Well… that was gruesome. And further confirmed Loki's thoughts on how filthy and disgusting Earth truly was. Honestly, he would have been doing it a favour if he had taken over. He'd even have gotten rid of those parasites and diseases for them with time.
"Oh, right, I forgot. Most cases of it are spread by… dogs."
Thor and Loki slowly turned to face the large white wolf who had been sitting around the fire. Emphasis on had. Loki hadn't even noticed her leave. He glanced around, then realized exactly what was going on.
"Oh, yes, very funny. Go on then, pretend you are a disease-ridden mutt and startle us. I'm waiting," Loki spoke to the darkness.
But… There was nothing. It was silent.
The sound of the children laughing or small screams of surprise from around the city had fallen silent too. It was as if everything had vanished.
As if the world around them had fallen silent, hiding from a predator.
A gust of wind swept through the park, carrying with it leaves and dust, and the scent of sickeningly sweet. That was quickly overwhelmed by the scent of something rotting. No, not something.
Someone.
Something moved to the left, but looking toward it revealed nothing but a little flash of red. Had it even been there at all?
A footstep to the right. Multiple steps, dragging through the grass; scraping along the stone. Stalking.
Despite knowing this was likely just a trick, Loki couldn't help but grab a knife. Thor's grip slid down to hold his hammer, electricity crackling over the surface. The feeling of being watched came back ten-fold, and Loki swore he could see glowing white eyes far in the darkness.
"Help!" A woman's voice shrieked through the darkness. "Someone! Help me plea-" She was cut off with a sickening wet crunch. Whatever was left of her seemed to gurgle and gasp through the remnants of her throat.
They still couldn't see anything.
Then, a growl. Long, low, and utterly predatory. A weight settled onto them, a presence turning to face the three around the fire.
A pair of blood-red eyes blinked into existence, peering through the darkness. Then another.
And another.
Red eyes and footsteps surrounded them. Drawing closer. Closer. Just out of sight.
The fire behind them erupted in a glorious fireball, casting a bright light outward and showing off the creatures that had been stalking them.
Loki wished he'd never seen them.
Horrific-looking canines surrounded them. Some limped forward on all fours, while others prowled like predators, eyes unblinking. Their skin sloughed off of them in patches, and blood oozed from their dehydrated bodies.
Loki could hear their gasping, and the sight of rotting teeth flashed with each breath. Foam rolled from their jaws and pattered to the grass below, hanging from their jaws in disgusting strings.
Then, the ground rattled. Not from a heavy step, but from a deep, thunderous growl. A wolf stepped forward out of the darkness, its fur melding with the shadows so well that it was impossible to tell how large it was.
Its eyes leered at them, pure white. It moved forward in powerful strides, lording above the living corpses of the canines that surrounded them. It walked closer, and closer, baring down on Loki.
He threw another knife forward, straight at the creature's eye. It made contact.
The knife shattered.
Lightning crackled beside him, and Thor shot a thunderbolt straight at the approaching beast. It hit it head on, and-
The electricity rolled off of it, and shot straight into the air, fizzling away harmlessly.
The creature lunged, blitzing toward them at an impossible pace. Loki barely had the time to raise his arms in defence, a scream tearing itself from his throat. A final act of defiance as Death came for him.
He heard a sickening crunch.
The world went dark.
…
Then the world was white. And smelled sweet. And was incredibly disgusting to touch. And foamy and sticky.
Loki opened his eyes, and looked down at himself. He was covered in this foam of sorts. He looked over at Thor, who was much the same, caught between disgust at the resulting mess, and horrified at what they'd all witnessed.
All at once the darkness around them lit up, and that heavy presence surrounding them gathered into a single point, and then vanished without a trace.
Right to Amaterasu.
Who was holding a broken can in her mouth, and absolutely covered in this white foamy substance. She shook her head and tossed the can forward, and Loki managed to see the words "whipped cream" on the side.
Jane laughed and stepped away from Thor, holding her own can of punctured whipped cream. Her laughter grew harder and louder, much to Loki's ire.
"Odin's beard, what was that?" Thor asked.
Loki took a breath in an attempt to calm himself, and sat down on the log once again, silent. He wiped at his face, and brushed his clothing off with shaky hands, doing his best to clean himself off.
Then, Amaterasu barked once, and the mess of whipped cream seemed to melt away as if it had never existed in the first place.
"I think we got them," Jane laughed. She walked toward the wolf, who was currently trying to lick her forehead free of whipped cream, but only resulted in her tongue snaking around wildly, missing everything. "Bluetooth speakers and meat left out in the sun for a few days helped too, of course."
"You… You planned this!?" Thor exclaimed.
"Mhm. I figured since you were both from some magic, super clean and healthy space-faring world, you weren't used to the disease and illness that we see here," Jane explained. She reached down and wiped off Amaterasu's forehead, and allowed the wolf to lick her palm clean. "So, I had Ammy help me scheme something up to scare you."
"I… Well. I hated every second of that," Loki finally said to the wolf. "I despise your very being, and I hope you can never find comfort when you sleep." He turned to face Jane, and narrowed his eyes, before shifting his gaze to Thor and thinking better of it.
Amaterasu looked far too smug for what she had accomplished, and Loki briefly entertained the thought of driving that metal rod through the wolf again. Not lethally, of course. Just a little… pokey.
Then, he recalled the absolute monstrosity that wolf was. Her control of the elements, defying physics, and being a general nuisance to all things that made sense.
No, he'd better not.
He glared at the wolf, who grinned back at him, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.
"Well, Loki, do you have any stories you'd like to share?" Jane asked. She flinched when he glared at her through the fire.
"Oh, yes, let me tell you the story of how I invaded a planet and tried to conquer the natives. It's quite the thrilling tale," Loki huffed.
"Brother," Thor sighed.
Loki glanced at Thor, and then toward Amaterasu.
She thought she could just scare the two of them without consequence? Well, maybe no consequences with Thor, he would likely be laughing it off in minutes.
But if they wanted something scary, he was going to deliver. Something specific, targeted, and very on topic for one particular member of the group.
"Actually… I do have a tale to tell. It's not a story so much as a prophecy, however. One about a wolf."
At that, Amaterasu's ears perked up. Loki managed to hide his smirk behind a hand, and tried to pass it off as if he was thinking of something.
"Oh, no, never mind. It is far too terrifying for mortals. It's cursed, and speaking of it may summon the beast." Loki waited, hoping that he had her hooked.
"Awoof!" Amaterasu said.
Got her.
"Well, if you are certain. This one might involve you, after all," Loki turned to face Amaterasu now, and leaned forward. "This is the story of Fenrir."
"Loki…" Thor's voice was low.
Loki ignored him.
"Fenrir is said to be a powerful wolf, born of the gods. He was strong, terribly so. So powerful that the gods decided to raise the wolf themselves in order to keep it under their control. But it kept growing."
Loki glanced over at Thor, who looked on in disapproval, and Jane, who seemed bored, as if she'd heard this one before.
Amaterasu was enthralled. Perfect.
"The wolf continued to rise in power and size. More… And more… To the point that the very gods who raised him became worried. And it grew more powerful still, so, they betrayed the beast, and tried to bind it so that it may never become a threat to the gods.
"Of course, this hurt Fenrir. Betrayed by the very people he viewed as family, and raised him as their own. He grew cold, bitter, and dangerous," Loki said. He conjured up some of his magic, to show a wolf tied to a rock. "Despite the gods best efforts, he broke free. So, they tried again."
The illusion he conjured up showed the wolf shattering the chains, only to be thrown back against the rock and bound by larger, tighter chains. It thrashed and struggled, and… Broke free once more.
"The gods, terrified of his wrath and power, lied to the wolf. They said it was merely a game. A test of strength for one as mighty as himself. Fenrir knew otherwise. But, his fondness for those that raised him stayed his jaws."
Illusionary figures stood at the feet of the towering wolf, who seemed to grow larger with every passing second. They gathered in a small group, and left the wolf to the side, unable to hear what was said.
"Finally, in desperation, the gods turned to the greatest metalworkers the universe knows: the dwarves. They fashioned the gods a chain so firm that it could restrain both magic and physical might. Again, they approached him, and challenged his strength with a chain that looked far too soft to work against him. He knew it was a trick. So, he offered them a deal."
The massive wolf lowered its head and opened its great jaws. One of the figures reached forward and allowed the wolf to hold his hand in its great maw, dragging the figure close to the stone they intended to bind him.
"It was meant to be a bluff. Surely, they wouldn't risk physical harm to one of their own if they lied to him. Yet, lie they did. The magic chains sprang to life, and coiled around the wolf, locking it against the boulder. Betrayed, he bit down, and severed the hand off the god."
The figure wailed in agony, and pulled back, clutching at the bleeding stump while the wolf fought against its binds. Then, it grew wise, and curled around, biting at the chains with its powerful jaws.
"The gods, eager to prevent its escape, and to prevent the creature from swaying mortals into freeing it, pried its jaws open. It fought, and strained, but through numbers and sheer might, they opened the great wolf's jaws. They couldn't bring themselves to kill the beast, so they took a sword, and jammed it in the creature's mouth. The point wedged up against the roof of its mouth, and the pommel against his lower jaws. The wolf could never try to bite at its chains again, for fear of death."
The illusionary wolf struggled against the bindings, its muscles quaking from the force it put into the struggle. However, it remained subdued, and kept its head on the ground, not willing to risk death to free itself. The gods walked away from it, leaving it alone.
"Trapped, and unable to escape, the great wolf still lies in wait. Chained to the stone, and unable to exact its revenge upon the gods." Loki smirked, and lowered his voice, causing everyone to lean in closer.
"It is said that one day the wolf will escape. It will be freed from its bindings, and hunt down all who wronged him. With its jaws wide from the sword in its maw, it will grow further ; stronger; faster. Years of growth and power once restrained, now unleashed."
The wolf broke free from its chains, horrendously disfigured. Upon an impossibly tall body the wolf towered high into the sky. It's lower jaw hung loose and dragged on the ground, stretched and broken from years trapped with the sword in its mouth. It walked forward, horrific in its movement, eyes blazing with hate. Its mouth reached high into the sky, and one-by-one, stars started to go out.
"With his jaw dragging on the ground, and its mouth reaching into the sky, the wolf will devour anything and anyone in its path. And with its enormous jaws, it shall bring about the end of the world…"
The illusionary wolf stalked forward, jaws parted, toward the sun. The great fiery orb was flared and illuminated the darkness within the wolf for several seconds. Then the sun shifted to the form of a wolf. The wolf, white with red markings, fought back the darkness around her.
Until, the wolf snapped its jaws shut, and the light from the sun, Amaterasu, was extinguished.
"By consuming the sun."
Loki pulled back, a wide grin splitting his face, as he looked upon the Goddess of the Sun. Amaterasu sat there, eyes wide, her fur on end. Her paws were tensed hard enough that her claws sank into the log beneath her. Those bright golden eyes flicked around, scanning the darkness, as if waiting for this great beast to appear.
"Loki, you know that tales of Ragnarök shouldn't be spoken lightly," Thor said. He looked at the spooked Amaterasu, and narrowed his eyes. "Though… I suppose this one was warranted."
"You know, I can't tell if these stories are ever accurate or not. I mean, in that one, the wolf is supposed to be your son. And in another, you transformed into a mare and-"
"Ah ah ah! Silence!" Loki interrupted Jane with a horrendous glare. Then, he turned his gaze to the side, and fixed Thor with an icy gaze. "My Brother told many tales when he visited Midgard throughout the years. He was just mad I was courting the woman he desired, and she preferred me."
"Oh, no, no, they're all very true. Saw them with my own eyes," Thor grinned.
"You- No. No stabbing. I got you back for that hundreds of years ago." Loki huffed, and brushed a hand through his hair, trying to remain calm and collected.
Trying to find something to change the subject, he looked at Amaterasu once more. She was still on edge, her fur standing upright, and her eyes scanned the darkness, searching for threats.
Loki grinned.
Well, he is the god of mischief and trickery.
Loki pulled upon his magic and his mother's teachings, and began to shift the world to his will. Darkness began to creep overhead, the moon disappearing, followed quickly by the stars. One by one, they flickered out as a massive shadow moved in front of them.
The fire in the center of the camp flickered, and died, vanishing with a whisper.
Heavy footsteps and deep breathing seemed to come from all around them. Every step caused the ground to shake, and every breath caused the wind to stagger them all.
Then, a low, rolling growl. It was like thunder, all encompassing, and entirely too close and loud.
Thor held Jane close, watching with a bemused smirk. Amaterasu stood on her log, body glowing a brilliant white, lighting up the clearing. She was crouched, braced, expecting something to attack.
But nothing did. It kept stalking. Circling. Consuming.
The trees at the edges of the clearing vanished with a single movement. Amaterasu whipped around to face it, eyes wide, a growl of her own sounding out to challenge the creature.
And then it stopped.
The silence was entirely too loud. Too filling. The nothingness around them took up far too much space. It was crushing. Suffocating.
Then, a scraping noise was heard. Something shifted out of the darkness. Amaterasu looked higher and higher, her eyes following the impossibly tall form of the creature. Its jaws oozed blood, and its maw led to only darkness and death.
Fenrir stood tall, its jaws parted wide, scraping along the earth and reaching high into the sky. Its body towered over them all, blazing green eyes illuminating the beasts scarred and spiteful face.
Then, it lunged!
Amaterasu jumped in surprise, and let out a loud yelp of terror.
KA-BOOM!
A bolt of lightning screamed out of the sky and crashed down upon the illusion with entirely too much energy. The ground exploded where it hit, and energy was unleashed in all directions, catching Loki in the spread.
Loki cursed and tumbled backward, his body numb and twitching from the electricity coursing through him. He growled, and got to his feet, staggering as his legs jolted about on their own.
"Thor! You ruined-"
"I did no such thing, Brother," Thor said. He nodded his head to the side.
Loki whirled around to find Amaterasu standing at the edge of a crater, the ground sizzling from the lightning strike. Her fur stood on end, bristling with electricity, causing her to resemble a sheep.
Amaterasu turned around, and faced away from the pit, using her hind legs to kick dirt into the crater, as if covering up the last of the remnants of the thing that had startled her.
Apparently, Amaterasu could summon lightning bolts when surprised.
Joy.
"You know, I thought hitting you with lightning all that time ago did nothing to help," Thor said. "I'm glad the thirty-seventh time seems to have worked."
Loki looked between Thor and Amaterasu, blinking.
No, he was done. He'd had enough for the day. Screw these human traditions and customs.
Loki whirled around with a huff, cape billowing around him, and left.
Amaterasu and Humanity were both horrendous cheaters, and he refused to entertain them any longer. No, maybe he'd go back to terrifying the Asgardian children instead. That was far less lethal.
"Loki?" Thor called out to him. "Brother, where are you going?"
"Away," Loki replied. "I don't care where I end up, just meet me there when you're done. I've had enough of Earth for one day, thank you."
Loki resisted the urge to look down when he felt the presence of Amaterasu fall into step behind him, following him. Apparently, Thor elected to stay with his favourite human.
Gods damn it all.
"Awoof?" Amaterasu asked.
"Nope. Silence. I cannot stop you, but I refuse to entertain your presence with conversation. Go chase your tail or something equally demeaning. Gods and poor imitations of deities should not mingle."
"Bwoof."
"Wha- I was referring to you!"
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Sorry about that. I've written about 2-3 chapters for my other story and then this omake and another one, and the beginnings of the next chapter. Its been on hold for a bit while im stuck on it so I figured I should pump out some other content in the meantime. I think I'm slowly climbing back onto the Ammy train.
xbox432
Lover of Editing
Honestly, if there was any chance at all of Fenrir not being bat shit crazy after all the torture the Asgardians put it through, then I'd say Amy may have finally found a candidate for date night.
Also, heh, I'd never thought of that before, but you're right. The Asgardians and a lot of other highly advanced civilizations would probably be horrified by all our diseases and parasites. A lot of those things are pretty damned horrifying.
Also, heh, I'd never thought of that before, but you're right. The Asgardians and a lot of other highly advanced civilizations would probably be horrified by all our diseases and parasites. A lot of those things are pretty damned horrifying.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Honestly Fenrir in the stories got fucked over so hard by the gods and they wrote their own doom lmao
And yeah! You see Asgard as this big sparkling utopia and don't really see anyone sick, yet they have medical stuff to deal with an infinity stone infecting a human. Shit's crazy. Figured after a few hundred/thousand years they're all going to forget how gross parasites and diseases can be. rabies especially freaks me out, so I figured I'd mention it. And also all the horrific shit in the oceans.
I hope that's a good interesting haha. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 20 - A doG of Ice and Fire
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And we're back. Sorry about the delay. Got and lost a job, made a Discord server, was writing for my other story, made a Patreon, etc etc. I'm hoping to post an update to at least one of my stories every 2 weeks, so expect more updates.
I wanna thank my Patrons, Baron Of Bonk, Moxie, and Nithalys, for supporting my writing, giving feedback on the early chapters, and making suggestions. Also, for being absolute sweethearts.
I also want to thank Tetrine, Baron Von Richington, Grima, and Incog for beta reading and making suggestions or just letting me know what they thought. Couldn't do this without you all.
Copy and paste the code "AT25n3N7fP" into the Discord server search and you can join Ven's Shenanigans. You can get notified about updates, get sneak peeks and little previews of my writing, and talk with others who enjoy similar things.
Edited: November 17th, 2023. Fixed typos.
Amaterasu allowed herself to be carried, her back paws brushing over the ground as Thor lumbered forward, her body swinging side to side with the movement. He was holding her under the legs like one would a puppy; Ammy realized the Hulk had held her the same way.
She wagged her tail, delighted that beings who could beat people to death with their own arms found her approachable. They were so friendly and affectionate!
Despite Amaterasu's joy at seeing Thor again, her excitement was dampened by several factors. She didn't get to say goodbye to Steve or Phil; there were still areas of Killian's estate she wanted to upend and replace with plants; worst of all, the thing that caused Amaterasu the most concern…
The portal Thor dragged her through felt identical to the ones created by the Spicy Blue Cube, which only meant misfortune and discomfort—and possible alien invasions, those were pretty terrible as well. She was sure she could handle another one should it happen.
But what were the odds of aliens invading Earth again? Probably wouldn't happen.
Thor stepped through the portal, and it spat the two—three if the little rat in her neck floof counted—into a chamber of sorts. It was kind of neat in an architectural way with triangular pillars, but the colours were boring dull greys.
What wasn't boring were the glowing pedestals around the room, covered in various objects that seemed relatively important. Some radiated power, and Ammy really wanted to go investigate them.
Or lick them.
Thor plopped Ammy on the ground and stepped to the side. The swirling blue portal closed behind them, fading from existence, leaving the two in the rather large room, alone. As if to be sure of that fact, Thor glanced around, trying to see if anyone had followed them.
"I suppose there might be a better time to say this, but, Lady Amaterasu… Welcome to Asgard!" Thor beamed at her, full smile on display as he spread his arms, gesturing to the area. "Well… Welcome to Father's Vault. I needed the Tesseract to retrieve you because the Bifrost is destroyed." Thor dropped his arms and smiled sheepishly. "I asked you here-" Ammy shot him a questioning gaze. "-I took you here because I would like your assistance."
"Aroo?" Amaterasu asked, and tilted her head, ears flopping to the side.
"I fear I spoke too soon. The assistance is not needed immediately, that's for tomorrow." Thor turned and gestured for Ammy to follow. "No, it's important that we leave this area quickly. Father will not be pleased if he learns of your presence. He should be distracted with plans to repair the Bifrost."
Amaterasu blinked, and stood up, completely confused about why she was here. She'd have liked an explanation of this help she was to give at the very least.
Oh well. There're new places to explore, and new people to meet/help/harass! That's more than enough of a reason to be here. Besides, she was going to hang out with Thor some more, which was always fun. The only other person from the group she's not spent much time with is Bruce Banner.
She planned on correcting that little mistake soon enough.
Thor paused at the doorway and turned, looking down at Amaterasu with a hum.
"Alright, here's the plan. There are two guards outside the doors. I'm going to distract them, and then you can sneak out. Or you can do that disappearing thing you did in front of me. Or… Whatever it is you can do," Thor explained and gestured vaguely to Amaterasu. "I do not think repairing structures will be useful… Unless you think we should break out of the vault and then seal the hole?"
Amaterasu shook her head, and gave a short little "ruff", asking for Thor to wait. Thor grimaced but nodded. He glanced over his shoulder at the sealed door, as if he expected someone to burst through wielding a war hammer, or some kind of battle-axe.
The power within her welled up, and with a single thought, Amaterasu vanished into thin air. There was no sound to accompany the move or any gradual shift that might betray her location. Amaterasu was gone.
"…Lady Amaterasu? Are you still there?" Thor asked.
"Wurf!" She replied. Amaterasu hadn't moved from her spot at all, and she was still very much there. Ammy reappeared briefly and stuck out her tongue, then vanished once more.
"Well, this makes things much easier!" Thor clapped his hands and grinned. "Alright, here's the new plan: you follow me, and I'll lead you outside the Royal Palace. After that, we should be fine." Thor turned and placed a hand on the door, pushing it open.
Amaterasu watched the door swing open, with Thor still turned away from it. Standing in front of the door was a rather tall, imposing looking man, with dark skin and brilliant gold armour. Oh yes, and his massive sword was drawn as well.
That might pose a problem.
"We should be free to go, as long as Heimdalllll…" Thor finally turned around, coming face-to-face with the very man he spoke of. "Oh! Heimdall! What, uh, what… are you doing here? I thought you were in Himinbjorg watching over Asgard."
"I am watching over Asgard," Heimdall said. "With the Bifrost destroyed, there are three ways into Asgard. Magic, space flight, and the Tesseract. The strength required to breach Asgard's defences with magic would make it detectable immediately. I would spot any ships coming toward Asgard long before they arrived, which leaves…"
"The Tesseract?" Thor asked.
"The Tesseract."
"Well, it's a good thing that's locked up in Father's Vault then, isn't it? Can't let someone get their hands on it. They might use it for something nefarious." Thor clapped his hand on Heimdall's shoulder and flashed him a grin. "You do your job well; it's no surprise Father has kept you around all these years."
Heimdall gave Thor a deadpan stare and quirked an eyebrow upward. Thor's smile fell, and he brushed off Heimdall's shoulder pauldron with his hand.
"Oh! Oh, is this the Vault? That's my mistake, I was looking for- you're not buying it, are you?" Thor asked.
Amaterasu blinked, and stepped forward, sneaking her way toward the door. She hoped to sneak her way past Thor and Heimdall, and maybe slip away from the consequences of appearing in a secure vault.
"I am not." Heimdall stepped forward, and his eyes flicked down. With a move that seemed far too fast, his blade swung around and pointed directly at Amaterasu, the point just brushing against her nose. "I see you, wolf."
Amaterasu yelped in surprise and jumped backward, the illusion crumbling to nothing around her. Her fur stood on end, shocked from being seen. It should have been impossible!
Unfortunately, as always, Amaterasu's aim when jumping without looking was rather poor. Sure, her front paws landed perfectly on the polished floor. Her back paws though…
They landed on the stairs, already lower than her front, and slipped out from beneath her. Her back legs slid further down the stairs and she stretched out, trying to keep herself from falling. Her front paws began sliding backward on the polished surface, being dragged backward against her will.
The evil force of gravity was at it again.
Alas, her one weakness, like all dogs, wolves, and other creatures with anything other than tentacles or conveniently grippy bipedal feet…
Smooth surfaces.
Ammy glanced at Thor, gave a low huff goodbye, and began sliding down the stairs on her belly. She slid backward and watched Thor and Heimdall both slowly grow further away with each step she descended.
Amaterasu gave a low "awoo" that trailed off as she slid down the stairs, all the way to the very bottom of the steps. She landed on the floor and spun around in a slow circle, coming to a rest near the middle of the room, having slid for several seconds.
"Boof," Amaterasu said up to Thor and blinked owlishly.
"…So, nice to see you, Heimdall. I'll just be on my way with my friend here and go-"
"No," Heimdall interrupted, "you stay put. I believe I recall your father being explicit in his instructions that anyone arriving on Asgard must be approved." He looked down at the wolf lying at the bottom of the stairs. "I don't believe he approved Amaterasu to be here."
Ammy perked her ears up at that. He knew who she was? Interesting…
"If there is one to blame, that is me. I asked Lady Amaterasu to-"
"Awuff!" Ammy protested from her spot on the floor.
"What!? I did not kidnap you!" Thor exclaimed, bewildered. "I merely explained I needed assistance and carried you through the portal. There was no kidnapping done."
"It sounds like you just grabbed her and left," Heimdall added.
"Wurf!" Ammy chimed.
"You only arrived after the battle as well? For shame. That is not very warrior-like." The little upward quirk of his lips let Amaterasu know Heimdall was in on this.
They were going to get along well; she was sure of it.
"There was a battle!? If I had known I would have gladly fought by your side!" Thor protested. His hand drifted down to Mjolnir, his hammer, as if itching for a fight to join. "I had no idea. You must still be yearning for battle, so soon after the last."
Amaterasu shook her head in protest. No. She was quite done with battling for today. After projectile vomiting fire she was quite happy to deal with something more normal, like being abducted and dragged to a new world. Much more familiar.
"Why did you believe it would be a good idea to try and sneak someone into Asgard?" Heimdall asked.
"I did ask Father if I could bring a friend from Midgard who may be able to fix the Bifrost," Thor said. "He did not approve, and said our people should remain separate."
"Tell me exactly what was said." Heimdall turned away from Amaterasu and focused on Thor. "As well as you can remember."
Amaterasu took this brief moment to get to all fours. She shook herself off, fixing the fur that was ruffled the wrong way from her slide down.
"I went to Father recently, and we talked of the state of the Nine Realms. It seems that war is breaking out with the loss of the Bifrost and Asgard's protection," Thor said. "I told him I knew of a friend on Earth who might be able to help repair the Bifrost."
Ammy kept her ears perked to listen, but her attention quickly fell to something else. Her gaze turned toward the room, or more importantly, those fancy objects within the room. Pedestals lined the area, various objects upon them. The things that really drew her attention were the blue box that wasn't the Tesseract, the fire at the end of the hall that radiated power, and the Tesseract itself—that spicy blue cube.
With her eyes set on Tesseract, Amaterasu began stalking her way toward it. She'd been looking forward to this moment for a while.
"And what did the King say?" Heimdall asked.
"He told me that our people should not interact more than necessary. Father was against the very idea of bringing a Human to Asgard," Thor explained.
Amaterasu slunk her way closer, paws silent on the floor as her prey stood unaware, open to attack. Finally, she would have her revenge. The Spicy Blue Cube had humiliated her and thrown her around like she was nothing to it—like she wasn't even a threat.
She'd show it who the real danger was.
"The King stated that you could not bring a human?" Heimdall asked, relaxing his stance.
"Yes… I believe I just said that," Thor replied.
"Well. I have done my duty to Asgard and followed the King's instructions," Heimdall said. He sheathed his sword and nodded at Thor. "I see no Humans here, and there have been no threats to Asgard invited within its walls."
"Ah, so you did catch on to my reasoning. I believe Father will not be too upset when he finds out. After all, I have personally seen her abilities in action, and she fought in Earth's defence."
"The King may not be upset with you bringing her. But you did bring someone into his Vault without permission. Speaking of which, you may want to deal with your friend." Heimdall nodded toward Amaterasu, while Thor paled in realization of his little error.
Amaterasu crouched down, and then jumped up, planting her forepaws on the pedestal. Directly in front of her was the Tesseract, sitting there, humming menacingly. Like the villain it was. True evil incarnate.
She had to show it who was boss.
"Amaterasu! Wait, do not-"
She lunged!
Her paws wrapped around the back of the Tesseract and her jaws descended upon the Spicy Blue Cube, teeth scraping against the energy barrier. Amaterasu turned her head when she heard footsteps and watched Thor racing toward her.
Her gnawing and chewing sped up.
She dragged her tongue across the surface and left a trail of slobber and drool on the cube of pure energy. The tingling and static sensation rolled over her tongue but she continued like the warrior she was; gnawing, biting, licking, and chewing on the object of otherworldly power.
Clearly, the cube was intimidated by her assault, for it did not react.
But unfortunately, her revenge was over far too quickly.
Thor grasped the Tesseract with one hand, and with the other, he pressed on Amaterasu's chest. She fought against it, of course, but the might of an Asgardian, especially the God of Thunder, is nearly impossible to resist for long.
With a playful growl slipping into a disappointed whine, Amaterasu was sent sprawling backward, landing on the floor in a pile of limbs and floof. Thor was left holding the cube that was just dripping with wolf slobber and had little teeth marks covering the outside.
With a grimace, he swung the cube toward the ground a few times to let the drool wick off the surface of the cube. A quick inspection revealed the teeth marks on the cube were not fading, despite the barrier being made entirely of energy.
Thor set the cube back on the pedestal and turned away, looking at the sprawled out and flopped Amaterasu with a raised eyebrow.
"Lady Amaterasu… Odin's Beard, what were you thinking? Why did you chew on the Tesseract?" Thor crossed his arms and looked down at Ammy.
"Arf!" Amaterasu replied with a wag.
"…Fair enough," Thor admitted. "Well then! That's that, let's get going." He clapped his hands together, and turned away, taking strides back toward the entrance of the vault. "On the bright side, you no longer have to disguise yourself. That makes things much easier."
Amaterasu rolled to her belly and stood up, shaking herself off from the brief lounge on the floor. With a happy little "wurf!" she followed after Thor.
"We will have to meet with Father eventually, but I believe that should wait until after the Bifrost is repaired," Thor continued.
Well… She tried to follow after Thor, but every step taken had absolutely no effect. Amaterasu wasn't moving forward. She looked down to figure out why and blinked in surprise.
Her paws weren't on the ground. She was floating!
Amaterasu flailed and wriggled around in an attempt to put her paws back on the floor, but it wasn't any use. The faint blue glow around her form pointed to only a single culprit.
The Spicy Cube wanted revenge!
Amaterasu gave a small "wurf" as she started to rotate end over end, flipping over herself in slow circles. She gradually grew higher and higher, the ground falling away.
"Lady Amaterasu, what are you-" Thor turned around, looking at the ground, only to find a significant lack of wolf. He looked around, trying to spot her. Finally, his eyes shifted upward, and he locked eyes with Ammy.
"Wuff!" Ammy called from above and raised a paw in greeting. Or farewell. She wasn't too sure what was going to happen. Luckily for her, falling didn't really pose a significant danger to her health. Luck of the draw for godly powers.
"What- where are you going?" Thor asked.
Ammy gave the wolf equivalent of a shrug and flailed her legs a little, only causing her rotation to start spinning along all axes now, not just end over end. She was going to get dizzy.
Ammy looked up and watched the roof grow closer and closer. She closed her eyes, waiting for impact…
But nothing happened.
She cracked her eyes open and looked around.
Amaterasu found herself on the opposite end of the room now, above the fire, and slowly floating sideways. The wall was quickly approaching, and she watched as it grew closer, and closer…
A blue portal burst into existence, and the universe jolted around her, spitting her out into a new location.
Right behind Thor.
Ammy gave a warning "awoo" as her speed seemed to be increasing steadily. Thor whirled around, only to get hit in the face by a speeding ball of godly fluff.
Amaterasu watched Thor fall to the ground, clutching his nose in surprise, while the impact sent her spinning to the side, her rotation speeding up further.
The Spicy Cube was out for revenge and wasn't letting her go. Another portal burst into existence.
Ammy vanished.
Nick Fury was not having the best day. He'd sent Stark, Rogers, Coulson, and a team of agents to go retrieve a magic time-travelling dog, and shut down a basement lab super soldier operation.
"What do you mean you lost Fido?" Fury asked. Well, 'asked' was putting it lightly. It was more of a barely restrained growl. "Rogers, Coulson, explain."
"Do you want the quick version or the full version?" Steve asked.
"Quick version," Fury replied.
"We don't know where she is," Steve said. "Slightly longer version: Ammy puked fire, then Thor stepped out of thin air and carried her away."
…
"It seems that Thor came through the same kind of portal the Tesseract made," Coulson added.
Fury sighed.
"Just… Alright. Give me a longer version. Anything important. The rest can be handled in the debriefing." Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed the corner of his eyes. The things he put up with to try and keep the world safe…
"Alright, well, to start, there's a new super soldier serum to worry about. Super strength, endurance, incredible regeneration, and the ability to heat up enough to melt steel. The users may explode," Steve explained. "Killian-"
"Aldrich Killian," Coulson supplied. "Their leader and the company owner."
"Thank you. Killian gave himself some enhanced version of it. He was… I don't think Stark and I could have beat him. Not with what we had, at least. I couldn't touch the guy, and he didn't stop fighting even after Stark cut him in half with some kind of laser."
"Fantastic... How did you stop him?" Fury asked.
"It seems like they got Ammy with some Extremis to make her explode. It… sort of worked? But then she puked fire, which somehow snaked around and hit Killian so hard it buried him in the ground and melted the rock around him," Steve explained. "Then she froze him."
"Rogers, can you repeat that?" Fury asked. "Because I'm pretty sure you just said the dog can breathe fire now. Or control fire."
"That's what it looked like. I'm sure you can get the footage from Stark if you ask."
Fury muttered several choice words under his breath, many times over, and mumbled something about magic, physics, and a broken dog-goddess-thing. Could he go back to alien invasions? Those were much simpler to deal with.
"Fine. Coulson, add it to the file." Fury paced around the room for a moment longer. "So, what was this about Thor? He used the Tesseract to kidnap Fido?"
"It looked like it. The residual energy the scanners picked up was nearly identical to that of the Tesseract," Coulson said. "That, and it was, well, blue and swirly and everything. Fits the whole colour profile."
"Do you know where Thor took her? Is her tracking collar still working?" Fury asked.
"No idea, Sir," Coulson replied. "She left the collar with the captured scientists."
"Thor said he had an urgent problem to deal with," Steve added.
A flash of blue interrupted Fury's thoughts, and he turned his head to the side. His eye narrowed, and his leather gloves creaked with the clench of his hands.
"We're running a triangulation pattern right now to see if we can pinpoint where Frosty was taken. If it's not too far, we should know in-"
"Don't bother," Fury interrupted Coulson.
"Sir?"
"I found her."
That flash of blue had been Amaterasu herself popping into existence. Fury's eye tracked her as the wolf lazily floated across the room, spinning in slow circles in front of him.
"Aroo?" Amaterasu perked up and gave her best attempt at a smile to Fury.
While upside down.
"Could you repeat that?" Steve asked. "You-"
"Found her," Fury said. "In Washington. In this conference room."
Amaterasu was still floating across the room, her paws grazing over the conference table, knocking over empty Styrofoam cups and mugs full of pens. Clearly, she didn't care. If anything, it looked to Fury like the wolf was reaching for more things to knock over.
Amaterasu's tail brushed along the projector in the middle of the room and left a dark smear of black ink across the surface. Fury watched the ink ooze into the internals of the machine, which immediately began sparking and smoking.
"What? Why is she there?" Steve asked.
Amaterasu heard Steve's voice this time, and her ears perked up. She kicked her legs and flailed around, rotating herself upright. Her paws swiped at the desk and carved gouges into it, but she made no progress stopping herself.
"Awoof!" Amaterasu barked, her tail wagging faster.
"Fido, you'd better sit down and stay put. Stop flying," Fury ordered.
"Flying?" Both Steve and Coulson asked at once.
Amaterasu huffed and let out a whine, and her attempts at grabbing the table to slow herself grew more desperate. She wriggled, and planted her paws firmly on the table this time, claws digging into the surface.
She slowly slid backward, claws carving grooves into the table. Fury watched the wolf look down at the gouges she was still making, and then she looked at Fury. Then the table again. Then Fury.
Amaterasu tilted her head and gave her best "I didn't do anything, I'm innocent" smile.
Fury didn't buy it.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to tell her such. There was no warning or time for either Fury or Amaterasu to prepare.
One moment she was there.
Then a wave of blue washed over her.
Amaterasu was gone.
…
"-sir? Can you hear me?" Coulson's voice came through his earpiece.
"I can hear you," Fury ground out.
"What happened?"
"That dog is taunting me. I don't know how, or why, but she is." Fury stared at the spot where Amaterasu had vanished, and followed the claw marks along the table, back to where she had first appeared.
She didn't come back.
"Fury, I seriously doubt that Ammy is-"
"Rogers," Nick Fury interrupted. "If I find that dog again before you do, I'm sending you to help with tech support. Find Fido."
"Yes, Sir." Steve's voice sounded a little more panicked.
Fury closed the communication line, took a breath, closed his eye, and tried to take a moment to relax. He could feel a headache coming on.
"…I swear if I see that dog in my dreams, I am taking a vacation." Fury left the room and started his march down the halls. "I don't care if the world burns then. I'll be on a beach. It can burn all it wants."
Multiple SHIELD agents overheard him and watched on in concern.
Maybe he had finally lost it after all.
Loki huffed and paced in his cell, eyeing the energy barrier that kept him imprisoned. He'd already searched the thing countless times for a weakness. There were none.
It was just like his Father to make sure that everything was perfect when it came to keeping his enemies locked away. Traitors to the kingdom and threats to the Nine-Realms deserved life in prison, but all the world-ending artifacts merely needed four guards. They hadn't even rebuilt the Destroyer yet.
They were all fools, and Asgard was vulnerable. Did they not see that?
He longed to make them all strong. He wanted to put Asgard on top again, and to secure its place in the universe. Odin was ignorant of all that was out there, but Loki knew the truth.
The Other had shown him. The dangerous beings that lurked in the cosmos, and the terrible might they wielded. It had shown him the destruction its own Master, Thanos, had wrought throughout the universe.
Worlds scorched. Populations razed to half. An unending campaign of destruction and violence across the universe for the sake of "peace", "generosity", and "mercy".
Lies. There was no mercy in such acts.
Loki knew the truth behind the invasion. They could have taken the Tesseract once he had his hands on it, but they wanted the Earth as an encampment. As a staging ground for their assault.
No, Loki saw through their plans.
Thanos had wanted the Earth under his command so that when the Convergence occurred, he would have direct access to pillage the Nine-Realms, and to spread his army across the universe.
He wanted the treasures of Odin's Vault, and ever the strategist, determined they could take it all in a single strike.
Loki had planned to take the Earth from under their noses and defend Asgard.
He hadn't exactly planned it from the start, of course. That idea came to mind after his run-in with that damned wolf.
Amaterasu.
She thought he could change his ways? Change his nature? That he could go back and make amends for the mistakes and betrayals he had committed?
No, there was no going back. But he had planned to alter the path going forward. It had been simple. Conquer the Earth, and then use the Tesseract to control the armies, and create weaponry that could rival the mightiest weapons of Asgard. All to defend his homeland.
It might have been a rather reckless plan, now that he thought about it. What was that mortal saying? Visions of the past have twenty eyes? No, that sounded wrong. A little too Eldritch.
Despite his failure, Loki had held back in the final moments of the battle. He could have slaughtered many innocent Humans, but he didn't.
…Not exactly a fantastic moral accomplishment, but still! He made an effort, and he had instructed the Chitauri to go after those Avengers relentlessly.
…And maybe also injure some humans to draw out the protectors of the Earth, in the event they were strategizing. He wasn't exactly proud of that part, but it worked! And from what Odin had told him, the Human deaths from his time on Earth remained under one hundred.
That was a reasonable number! They made more children than that in a day; he was sure they'd be fine with those few losses. They acted like prey animals, and bred like prey animals, so they would repopulate like them as well.
Loki huffed and ran his fingers through his hair.
Damned wolf, throwing doubt into his mind. Encouraging him to be better, and to alter his plans. He should have committed and allowed the ends to justify the means once he was the ruler of Earth. That, and those humiliations. Throwing him around in that prison for the Hulk, and forcing him to retreat after he stabbed her through the heart.
If he ever saw her again, he'd-
"Arf!"
Loki slowly lifted his gaze from the floor, tracking the source of the sound. He gradually turned himself around, unsure if he wanted the noise to be real or not. Green eyes locked on the very creature he was thinking about moments earlier.
"Amaterasu," Loki hissed. The wolf's ears perked up and she tried to turn herself around to face him, only to be stuck flailing and floating backward.
As if by reflex, Loki summoned a knife into his palm and hurled it straight at the creature. The blade whistled through the air, his aim true, aiming for the back of the white wolf.
Clang!
The blade missed! No, he didn't miss.
Amaterasu moved. Her body had shifted its position in space and teleported to the side. She was even facing away from him; how could she have seen it? Despite her blindness, she had moved, and the blade struck the wall.
"Awuff," Amaterasu taunted. She finally turned enough to be able to look at Loki.
The Asgardian hurled two more knives at the so-called "Goddess of the Sun", the blades aiming for her eyes.
Loki didn't even see what happened. One moment the blades were careening toward her face, and the next, they shattered. The force that shattered them struck him as well and sent him stumbling backward several steps.
"Gah!" Loki growled. "I don't know why you're here, or why you taunt me so, but I will-"
Loki took a step forward, oblivious to the ice slick that appeared on the ground beneath his feet. He windmilled his arms in an attempt to stay up, only to slide and scramble on the ice. His feet slipped and he felt as if he was falling for twenty seconds before he finally hit the floor. He cranked his head against the edge of a table they'd decorated his room with, causing the table to upend itself onto him.
The contents of the table—various plates and a vase of flowers—spilled onto him, covering him in water, broken glass, and flowers.
He remained on the ground for a long moment, and blinked, looking straight up at the ceiling.
Amaterasu slowly drifted into his line of sight, the wolf upside-down, her paws tucked against her chest as she floated above him.
"…What is happening?" Loki asked himself, bewildered. He sat up and lunged for the wolf above him, fingers grabbing for her throat and-
His hand passed right through her. Loki blinked, and waved his hand through the wolf, watching her form ripple and wave around his arm. Loki growled, pulled another dagger from the ether, and began stabbing at the false Amaterasu, if for nothing other than the satisfaction of watching the blade plunge into her.
But also to lure Amaterasu into thinking he was fooled by her low quality illusions. His were far more convincing.
A bark from behind him jolted him from his pretend stabbing of the wolf through the head. Loki turned, ready to intercept a wolf lunging for him.
He'd been expecting a single wolf.
Not over twenty.
Two dozen Amaterasu's floated about his room or bounced around on the furniture. They wandered across the ceiling as if gravity had suddenly flipped, and stared at him while they ambled through the air. Some barked and wagged, while others just wandered in and out of the energy barrier holding him inside the cell.
Clearly, he'd gone mad.
Then, he realized that, no, he was far too intelligent and mentally stable to lose his mind. That was an impossibility.
Which only meant one thing.
"You… you stole my magic," Loki said. "You stole my magic! You're no Goddess, you're a parasite. A leech! You steal from others and-"
Something hit the back of his knees and threw Loki off balance, sending him crashing to the ground once more. He looked back to find black ink wisping away from his prison clothing. The snarl that tore itself from him was not very dignified, but that didn't matter.
He locked eyes with the real Amaterasu, ignoring the empty and false magical signatures of the illusions around him. Loki pressed his hands on the floor to push himself upright.
Only to have them encased in ice an instant later. He pulled once, twice, then huffed. Loki managed to get his knees beneath himself, and heaved himself backward, straining against the ice that appeared out of nowhere.
Then, he froze. Literally. Another wash of ice swept over Loki, encasing everything beneath his shoulders in ice.
"You- Let me out and face me!" Loki shouted. He grit his teeth and pulled hard, struggling to break his way free of the ice.
Loki thrashed and pulled and strained, his Asgardian and Frost Giant strength put to work against the cold material. He heard a crack, and then another. He was making progress!
Then, he realized that it was just his joints shifting and being pulled from his efforts. Loki growled.
"When I get out of here, I will-"
Loki locked eyes with Amaterasu once more. She stuck out her tongue at him, and without any warning, vanished in a swirl of blue.
The Tesseract, Loki realized.
But it was far too late. The wolf was now long gone again, out of his reach.
It was then that Loki decided to practice some of the more inventive curses he had picked up from his time on Earth. He strung them together like beads and weaved himself a tapestry of filth and horrific syllables that would have made Thor proud.
Despite his curses, he was still stuck.
He was going to have to wait for the ice to melt.
Gods damn it all.
Luckily, after tormenting Loki and visiting him in his prison chamber, Amaterasu found herself back in Odin's Vault. The only downside?
She was hurtling straight toward a blue cube with handles. This wasn't the Spicy Blue Cube that was tormenting her. No, this one radiated cold and power and danger.
It also looked like it would be fun to play with. And Ammy really wanted to bite it. It'd be like chewing ice… Probably.
Not that she had a choice; the Tesseract rocketed her toward the stone pillar face-first. Amaterasu hit the pillar hard enough that it drove the breath from her. The pillar, Other Blue Cube, and Amaterasu were sent sprawling across the polished floor.
Thor let out a panicked yell as if expecting something bad to happen. Heimdall stood tense and waited, his eyes roaming around the room.
Why were they panicking? She just knocked over the pillar, it's not like it was the end of the world or anything.
Amaterasu took a moment to reorient herself, her head spinning from the collision and the feeling of gravity suddenly pulling down on her again.
Heavy footsteps drew Amaterasu's attention, and she tilted her head, looking to see both Heimdall and Thor approaching her. Thor was displaying a myriad of expressions, torn between horror, relief, concern, laughter, and that narrow squint a parent would give a misbehaving child.
Heimdall looked bored, and eerily neutral, as if this whole thing had been completely expected.
"Do you often chew on objects of immense power?" Heimdall asked.
"Awoof!" Amaterasu confirmed. They looked interesting and tasted funny.
With a huff, Amaterasu pushed herself to all fours and shook herself off.
Well, that whole adventure had been fun. And she'd seen Grumpy Eyepatch again, and run into the Whiny Trickster once more. Both ended in an overall positive experience.
For her at least.
Still, she'd had her fun. The Tesseract had its revenge upon her, and she managed to return the favour. She sent it a glance, and the cube pulsed with power as if daring her to try again.
She would. Just not when Thor was watching so he couldn't tell the others about it.
The sound of grinding and scraping drew her attention, and Ammy found that Thor was moving the pillar she'd knocked down back into its place. There was a chunk missing from the bottom which kept throwing it off balance, so Ammy used her divine powers to Restore the pillar to its previous condition.
"Have you learned your lesson yet?" Thor asked. He turned away from the pillar and crossed his arms, raising a brow at Amaterasu like a parent would a misbehaving child.
The nerve! She was being professional and getting revenge. There was nothing goofy or fun about it. Definitely not. There was no joy at all in flying about the place or having bested the Spicy Cube in combat.
Yeah, she definitely came out on top this round.
Seeing as the pillar that held the cold blue box was now upright, Amaterasu padded over to the object, intent on helping out.
"No! Amaterasu, don't touch-"
Thor's warning came too late.
Amaterasu wasn't sure what it was with her and magic blue boxes. Maybe it was the colour? Maybe they all had a unique flavour that demanded they be sampled? Or maybe she just had a biological—was it biological if she was a goddess?—urge to touch and play with every single object of immense power she stumbled across?
Whatever it was, it was putting in work.
Amaterasu grabbed one of the handles of the box in her teeth and hefted it up. She was behaving and wasn't chewing on the box because it hadn't wronged her. It didn't teleport her all over the place, it didn't make her fly around. This was a nice box.
She liked this box.
Ammy ignored Thor's mildly horrified and concerned gaze, trotted up to him, and showed off her successful retrieval. She had grabbed some sort of powerful artifact without anything going horribly wrong!
See? She could be trusted with it.
Amaterasu balanced on her hind legs and planted her forepaws on the pedestal. With all the grace of a goddess, she lowered her head, set the blue box onto the pedestal, and then pulled her head back.
…She set the box on the pedestal and pulled away.
Just... Put the box down.
She growled, and shook her head, attempting to dislodge the box.
Amaterasu tried to let go, only to find that it had frozen to her tongue! She rolled her tongue out and crossed her eyes, attempting to look at the magical item affixed to her face.
This one wasn't her fault! Why did these things happen to her?
"Here, Lady Amaterasu, allow me to help," Thor said. Ammy flicked her eyes to him, and then immediately sprang away from his grasping hands.
She knew full well how strong Asgardians were, and she'd rather not have her tongue ripped from her face, thank you very much. She could do it herself.
Freeing herself from the icy box, that is. Not the tongue removal part.
Probably.
Maybe.
If she cut off her tongue, would she be able to Restore it?
Ammy darted backward with the box, and shook her head, retreating from the approaching God of Thunder. Heimdall unsheathed his sword and approached Ammy rather quickly, a focused look in his eyes. She bounded backward, holding the box, and tried to think of what to do.
"Hold still, wolf. I will remove your tongue from your body, and our healers will construct you a new one," Heimdall ordered. He held his sword at the ready, the massive weapon glimmering in the light.
Nope! None of that, thank you!
Ammy retreated further, dragging the box along on the ground, and came to a halt a decent distance from the two.
She might have regained some of her fire abilities, right? Maybe that would help! And considering she could generate ice out of sheer will, maybe she could do so with fire. From her face.
Would that qualify her to be some sort of dragon?
Questions for later.
Amaterasu focused on that feeling from earlier in the day. That feeling of warmth inside her, focused around her very being. The heat that radiated outward from the fire she'd expelled just hours ago. The sensation of being too hot and burning and melting and pushing all that force out.
Ammy held down the box handles with box paws, opened her jaws, and willed her magic to obey her.
It started small and built up in her core. She struggled and forced it upward and out, recalling the feelings of purging Extremis and the fiery hell from her body.
But instead of a torrent of fire…
She burped.
Ammy's ears folded back, and she blinked, hoping the blush on her cheeks wasn't showing through her fur. Then again, she naturally had red on her face. Why did a little more matter?
She grumbled and clamped her jaws around the handle of the box, and darted away from Thor once more, edging her way toward the back of the hall.
"Lady Amaterasu, bring that back immediately!" Thor shouted. "The Casket of Ancient Winters is immensely dangerous, and could spell the death of us all."
So overdramatic. It was just a box!
Amaterasu tried again, paws on the box, and willed fire to come forth.
Fire spilled from her jaws in a slow trickle, basically just fiery drool at this point, oozing onto the polished floor with a sizzle. She focused and tightened her grip on her magic, which seemed surprisingly slippery and difficult to control.
Slowly, Amaterasu managed to solidify her grasp on that burning warmth in her center, and pulled.
Flames spilled from her jaws in a horrific torrent, bathing the ice-box that clung to her, and showered the ground in fire. She tried to pull away but found her tongue stuck fast, so she pumped more magic into the fire.
Immediately, bright white, searing hot flames screamed from her jaws and bathed the magical artifact in equally magical fire. She could feel her tongue coming free from the metal of the ice-box and kept at it.
Her eyes flicked up to see Thor staring at her, horrified. Or was he excited? It was hard to tell through the shimmering air. Heimdall, meanwhile, didn't seem worried at all. Or, maybe his face was stuck like that.
Still, her plan was working, and with a shove of her paws and a tug from her head, she came unstuck from the blue ice-box. Ammy stumbled backward, while the blue box tilted and shifted, rocking back and then coming down with a thud.
The impact caused the box to open.
There was maybe half a second for Amaterasu to prepare herself before she was blasted by an intense wall of cold, heavy ice, and winds. Ammy was launched backward from the assault, some of her fur already frozen solid from that brief contact.
Ammy flew backward and landed at the base of a brazier full of fire. It radiated warmth and magic like nothing she'd felt from a fire before. It felt… warm. Natural. Like laying in a sunbeam, but thousands of times more intense.
Thor let out a horrified, surprised sound, and tried to rush for the box, only to get buffeted by a gust of ice and sent staggering backward. He reached for his hammer after, electricity thrumming through him.
Heimdall's neutral look vanished, and he quickly charged forward, ready to intercept the box with his bare hands and seal it.
He slipped on some ice and slid past the box, stumbling as he tried to regain traction.
Amaterasu stood up, looked at the box spewing ice and wind, which quickly started filling the room, and then glanced back to the fire.
Well… She'd done crazier things.
Amaterasu turned, and without hesitation, leaped into the fire.
Immediately she was set upon by warmth. A satisfying heat seeped into her fur and soaked her bones. It wasn't hot or uncomfortable though. It was comforting and soothing, like a blanket made of pure magic and fire. She supposed this made sense.
As the Goddess of the Sun, what was more fire than a ball of plasma suspended in space and radiating heat and energy at an impossible scale?
Magic fire? Nothing compared to an impossible amount of mass undergoing nuclear fusion in the heart of a star.
Amaterasu took a deep breath in, and the fire flared up and outward, responding to her. She exhaled, and the fire flickered, dropping lower, flickering around her paws.
She allowed the feeling of the fire to mingle with her energy, her magic. She could feel it gravitating toward her naturally, as if drawn to her very being. With closed eyes, she took another breath, and the fire roared around her, spiralling up into the air, licking at the ceiling, a spinning tornado of fire surrounding her.
She exhaled, and the fire vanished, turning into nothing but shimmering and sizzling coals beneath her paws. Within her though, the fire raged.
Amaterasu snapped her eyes open, and focused, grinding the world to a halt around her. With her natural gifts, she used her Celestial Brush to draw a pathway of ink for the flames to follow. She arced it around the walls of ice that had begun to build up around the ice-box, and directed that magical fire straight into the opening of the container.
Ammy released her grip on the universe.
The fire surged forward, spiralling and screaming with energy boosted by the Goddess of the Sun. It snaked around the pillars of ice that had started to grow, and splashed across the walls that formed, melting them faster than they could form.
The fire of the Eternal Flame, consumed by Amaterasu, and enhanced by the power of the sun, shattered through the ice and filtered straight into the Casket of Ancient Winters.
The trailing snake of fire vanished into the box, and the container began to rattle violently. The ice that had built up around it started to quiver and cracks began running up and down the surfaces, causing them to start crumbling.
Ammy leapt from the dead brazier; the Eternal Flame found something new to call home. Someone new.
Paws carried her forward and splashed in the pool of water that grew outward from the ice-box. Then, just as quickly, the water started to evaporate, only to condense, forming itself back into small chunks of ice. The cycle repeated over and over again, the contact with the Casket of Ancient Winters interrupted by the Eternal Flame rattling around and combating the cold.
Ammy grabbed the box and upended it. Out spilled a single piece of ice, glimmering with light and radiating magic. Concealed within the ice was some of the fire she had pushed into the box, leaving a living flame dancing and flickering within the shard of ice.
It was a mesmerizing sight, the fire and ice combatting one another for dominance in a struggle for power.
Ammy leaned in to look at it closer. Her nose pressed against the surface, and she gazed at the fire within, dancing and sending out light. She could feel the fire within it starting to flicker and die out, while the fire within her continued its eternal dance.
Faced with either forcing the very essence of cold and ice into the box, or dealing with this issue once and for all, Amaterasu made the safe decision.
She bit down on the ice and shattered it.
Amaterasu looked at Thor out of the corner of her eyes as she crunched and chewed on the remnants of the Casket of Ancient Winters. More specifically the Ancient Winters part. The Casket was fine and completely usable. They could use it to house some other small object of immense danger and magic.
Thor's confused mumbling and vague gestures amused Amaterasu, but she didn't give up her task. She crunched down on that magical essence like she'd watched other dogs in Central Park consuming ice cubes.
It was very similar. In fact, the crunch was satisfying to no end. And did it ever taste good. It did make her tongue tingle though. It was probably a magic thing.
The pool of water evaporated with the loss of the ice keeping it cool.
And just like that, everything was back to normal. Well, other than the absence of the Eternal Flame, and the Ancient Winters essence. Both of those were still technically in the room.
Within Amaterasu. Not as some physical thing, however. The powerful magics swirled and combatted one another inside of her and quickly fell into sync.
The Goddess of the Sun had just assimilated the Eternal Flame and the Casket of Ancient Winters into her very being. They didn't exist separately from one another any longer. They simply were a part of her now.
Amaterasu could still feel them swirling around, mingling with her magic and balancing each other out. Yet, with a single thought they faded into obscurity, spreading throughout her being, and becoming just another aspect of Her.
Ammy turned to face a stunned Thor and gave a happy little bark. Her tail swished across the damaged floor, and she gave him a big doggy grin for all the trouble she'd caused. She'd clean it up, she wasn't some sort of monster that left problems for others to deal with.
"I… I don't… What just… How?" Thor pointed and waved his arms at Amaterasu in some confused motions, unable to properly put his feelings into place to respond. "Why did that… Heimdall?"
"I can honestly say I did not see that coming." The person in question had his hair blown back, and face covered in ice. Thor wasn't much better off, with icicles hanging from his beard.
"Thor," a new voice spoke from the entrance to the vault.
Thor immediately paled, and he whirled around, looking as if he'd been caught in the middle of doing something he'd been explicitly told not to do.
"Father! I can explain-"
"Heimdall," Odin continued.
"My King." Heimdall inclined his head in a slight bow.
"What have you done?" Odin asked.
Amaterasu could feel the weight of the King's gaze on herself. It pierced her very being and examined her in her entirety. She could see the wisdom and the years in that eye and realized she was now face-to-face with the most powerful being she'd ever met.
"Well, Father, I have good news," Thor said. He flinched when Odin's piercing gaze shifted to him instead.
Odin raised an eyebrow at Thor and started making his way down the stairs and into the Vault. His steps echoed in the room, the weight of his presence causing the very air to feel thick and heavy with magic.
Odin came to a stop before his son.
"I am this close to banishing you for your actions, and killing the wolf for high crimes against Asgard and her people." Odin narrowed his eye, and his presence seemed to grow tenfold. "Speak, boy."
"Well. The Frost Giants no longer have reason to hate us, for we no longer have their Casket. Surtur won't be able to return to full power ever again. The danger contained within the vault is no longer anything to worry over," Thor said. At Odin's unimpressed gaze, he continued. "Two possible versions of Ragnarök have been eaten by the Goddess of the Sun? Surely that is a good thing."
Odin blinked. He and Thor stared at one another, and Amaterasu could almost feel the conflict and tension between the two.
Then, without a word, Odin whirled around and started his march back toward the entrance of the Vault.
…
"Come, Lady Amaterasu. Father seeks an audience with us. We should avoid angering him further." Thor gestured for Ammy to follow Odin.
Amaterasu complied, and padded along behind the King of Asgard, while Thor fell into step behind her.
Today had been an interesting day, all things considered.
Amaterasu sneezed, and a swirling mixture of flaming snowflakes rolled out into the air.
That was going to take some getting used to.
I wanna thank my Patrons, Baron Of Bonk, Moxie, and Nithalys, for supporting my writing, giving feedback on the early chapters, and making suggestions. Also, for being absolute sweethearts.
I also want to thank Tetrine, Baron Von Richington, Grima, and Incog for beta reading and making suggestions or just letting me know what they thought. Couldn't do this without you all.
Copy and paste the code "AT25n3N7fP" into the Discord server search and you can join Ven's Shenanigans. You can get notified about updates, get sneak peeks and little previews of my writing, and talk with others who enjoy similar things.
Edited: November 17th, 2023. Fixed typos.
Amaterasu allowed herself to be carried, her back paws brushing over the ground as Thor lumbered forward, her body swinging side to side with the movement. He was holding her under the legs like one would a puppy; Ammy realized the Hulk had held her the same way.
She wagged her tail, delighted that beings who could beat people to death with their own arms found her approachable. They were so friendly and affectionate!
Despite Amaterasu's joy at seeing Thor again, her excitement was dampened by several factors. She didn't get to say goodbye to Steve or Phil; there were still areas of Killian's estate she wanted to upend and replace with plants; worst of all, the thing that caused Amaterasu the most concern…
The portal Thor dragged her through felt identical to the ones created by the Spicy Blue Cube, which only meant misfortune and discomfort—and possible alien invasions, those were pretty terrible as well. She was sure she could handle another one should it happen.
But what were the odds of aliens invading Earth again? Probably wouldn't happen.
Thor stepped through the portal, and it spat the two—three if the little rat in her neck floof counted—into a chamber of sorts. It was kind of neat in an architectural way with triangular pillars, but the colours were boring dull greys.
What wasn't boring were the glowing pedestals around the room, covered in various objects that seemed relatively important. Some radiated power, and Ammy really wanted to go investigate them.
Or lick them.
Thor plopped Ammy on the ground and stepped to the side. The swirling blue portal closed behind them, fading from existence, leaving the two in the rather large room, alone. As if to be sure of that fact, Thor glanced around, trying to see if anyone had followed them.
"I suppose there might be a better time to say this, but, Lady Amaterasu… Welcome to Asgard!" Thor beamed at her, full smile on display as he spread his arms, gesturing to the area. "Well… Welcome to Father's Vault. I needed the Tesseract to retrieve you because the Bifrost is destroyed." Thor dropped his arms and smiled sheepishly. "I asked you here-" Ammy shot him a questioning gaze. "-I took you here because I would like your assistance."
"Aroo?" Amaterasu asked, and tilted her head, ears flopping to the side.
"I fear I spoke too soon. The assistance is not needed immediately, that's for tomorrow." Thor turned and gestured for Ammy to follow. "No, it's important that we leave this area quickly. Father will not be pleased if he learns of your presence. He should be distracted with plans to repair the Bifrost."
Amaterasu blinked, and stood up, completely confused about why she was here. She'd have liked an explanation of this help she was to give at the very least.
Oh well. There're new places to explore, and new people to meet/help/harass! That's more than enough of a reason to be here. Besides, she was going to hang out with Thor some more, which was always fun. The only other person from the group she's not spent much time with is Bruce Banner.
She planned on correcting that little mistake soon enough.
Thor paused at the doorway and turned, looking down at Amaterasu with a hum.
"Alright, here's the plan. There are two guards outside the doors. I'm going to distract them, and then you can sneak out. Or you can do that disappearing thing you did in front of me. Or… Whatever it is you can do," Thor explained and gestured vaguely to Amaterasu. "I do not think repairing structures will be useful… Unless you think we should break out of the vault and then seal the hole?"
Amaterasu shook her head, and gave a short little "ruff", asking for Thor to wait. Thor grimaced but nodded. He glanced over his shoulder at the sealed door, as if he expected someone to burst through wielding a war hammer, or some kind of battle-axe.
The power within her welled up, and with a single thought, Amaterasu vanished into thin air. There was no sound to accompany the move or any gradual shift that might betray her location. Amaterasu was gone.
"…Lady Amaterasu? Are you still there?" Thor asked.
"Wurf!" She replied. Amaterasu hadn't moved from her spot at all, and she was still very much there. Ammy reappeared briefly and stuck out her tongue, then vanished once more.
"Well, this makes things much easier!" Thor clapped his hands and grinned. "Alright, here's the new plan: you follow me, and I'll lead you outside the Royal Palace. After that, we should be fine." Thor turned and placed a hand on the door, pushing it open.
Amaterasu watched the door swing open, with Thor still turned away from it. Standing in front of the door was a rather tall, imposing looking man, with dark skin and brilliant gold armour. Oh yes, and his massive sword was drawn as well.
That might pose a problem.
"We should be free to go, as long as Heimdalllll…" Thor finally turned around, coming face-to-face with the very man he spoke of. "Oh! Heimdall! What, uh, what… are you doing here? I thought you were in Himinbjorg watching over Asgard."
"I am watching over Asgard," Heimdall said. "With the Bifrost destroyed, there are three ways into Asgard. Magic, space flight, and the Tesseract. The strength required to breach Asgard's defences with magic would make it detectable immediately. I would spot any ships coming toward Asgard long before they arrived, which leaves…"
"The Tesseract?" Thor asked.
"The Tesseract."
"Well, it's a good thing that's locked up in Father's Vault then, isn't it? Can't let someone get their hands on it. They might use it for something nefarious." Thor clapped his hand on Heimdall's shoulder and flashed him a grin. "You do your job well; it's no surprise Father has kept you around all these years."
Heimdall gave Thor a deadpan stare and quirked an eyebrow upward. Thor's smile fell, and he brushed off Heimdall's shoulder pauldron with his hand.
"Oh! Oh, is this the Vault? That's my mistake, I was looking for- you're not buying it, are you?" Thor asked.
Amaterasu blinked, and stepped forward, sneaking her way toward the door. She hoped to sneak her way past Thor and Heimdall, and maybe slip away from the consequences of appearing in a secure vault.
"I am not." Heimdall stepped forward, and his eyes flicked down. With a move that seemed far too fast, his blade swung around and pointed directly at Amaterasu, the point just brushing against her nose. "I see you, wolf."
Amaterasu yelped in surprise and jumped backward, the illusion crumbling to nothing around her. Her fur stood on end, shocked from being seen. It should have been impossible!
Unfortunately, as always, Amaterasu's aim when jumping without looking was rather poor. Sure, her front paws landed perfectly on the polished floor. Her back paws though…
They landed on the stairs, already lower than her front, and slipped out from beneath her. Her back legs slid further down the stairs and she stretched out, trying to keep herself from falling. Her front paws began sliding backward on the polished surface, being dragged backward against her will.
The evil force of gravity was at it again.
Alas, her one weakness, like all dogs, wolves, and other creatures with anything other than tentacles or conveniently grippy bipedal feet…
Smooth surfaces.
Ammy glanced at Thor, gave a low huff goodbye, and began sliding down the stairs on her belly. She slid backward and watched Thor and Heimdall both slowly grow further away with each step she descended.
Amaterasu gave a low "awoo" that trailed off as she slid down the stairs, all the way to the very bottom of the steps. She landed on the floor and spun around in a slow circle, coming to a rest near the middle of the room, having slid for several seconds.
"Boof," Amaterasu said up to Thor and blinked owlishly.
"…So, nice to see you, Heimdall. I'll just be on my way with my friend here and go-"
"No," Heimdall interrupted, "you stay put. I believe I recall your father being explicit in his instructions that anyone arriving on Asgard must be approved." He looked down at the wolf lying at the bottom of the stairs. "I don't believe he approved Amaterasu to be here."
Ammy perked her ears up at that. He knew who she was? Interesting…
"If there is one to blame, that is me. I asked Lady Amaterasu to-"
"Awuff!" Ammy protested from her spot on the floor.
"What!? I did not kidnap you!" Thor exclaimed, bewildered. "I merely explained I needed assistance and carried you through the portal. There was no kidnapping done."
"It sounds like you just grabbed her and left," Heimdall added.
"Wurf!" Ammy chimed.
"You only arrived after the battle as well? For shame. That is not very warrior-like." The little upward quirk of his lips let Amaterasu know Heimdall was in on this.
They were going to get along well; she was sure of it.
"There was a battle!? If I had known I would have gladly fought by your side!" Thor protested. His hand drifted down to Mjolnir, his hammer, as if itching for a fight to join. "I had no idea. You must still be yearning for battle, so soon after the last."
Amaterasu shook her head in protest. No. She was quite done with battling for today. After projectile vomiting fire she was quite happy to deal with something more normal, like being abducted and dragged to a new world. Much more familiar.
"Why did you believe it would be a good idea to try and sneak someone into Asgard?" Heimdall asked.
"I did ask Father if I could bring a friend from Midgard who may be able to fix the Bifrost," Thor said. "He did not approve, and said our people should remain separate."
"Tell me exactly what was said." Heimdall turned away from Amaterasu and focused on Thor. "As well as you can remember."
Amaterasu took this brief moment to get to all fours. She shook herself off, fixing the fur that was ruffled the wrong way from her slide down.
"I went to Father recently, and we talked of the state of the Nine Realms. It seems that war is breaking out with the loss of the Bifrost and Asgard's protection," Thor said. "I told him I knew of a friend on Earth who might be able to help repair the Bifrost."
Ammy kept her ears perked to listen, but her attention quickly fell to something else. Her gaze turned toward the room, or more importantly, those fancy objects within the room. Pedestals lined the area, various objects upon them. The things that really drew her attention were the blue box that wasn't the Tesseract, the fire at the end of the hall that radiated power, and the Tesseract itself—that spicy blue cube.
With her eyes set on Tesseract, Amaterasu began stalking her way toward it. She'd been looking forward to this moment for a while.
"And what did the King say?" Heimdall asked.
"He told me that our people should not interact more than necessary. Father was against the very idea of bringing a Human to Asgard," Thor explained.
Amaterasu slunk her way closer, paws silent on the floor as her prey stood unaware, open to attack. Finally, she would have her revenge. The Spicy Blue Cube had humiliated her and thrown her around like she was nothing to it—like she wasn't even a threat.
She'd show it who the real danger was.
"The King stated that you could not bring a human?" Heimdall asked, relaxing his stance.
"Yes… I believe I just said that," Thor replied.
"Well. I have done my duty to Asgard and followed the King's instructions," Heimdall said. He sheathed his sword and nodded at Thor. "I see no Humans here, and there have been no threats to Asgard invited within its walls."
"Ah, so you did catch on to my reasoning. I believe Father will not be too upset when he finds out. After all, I have personally seen her abilities in action, and she fought in Earth's defence."
"The King may not be upset with you bringing her. But you did bring someone into his Vault without permission. Speaking of which, you may want to deal with your friend." Heimdall nodded toward Amaterasu, while Thor paled in realization of his little error.
Amaterasu crouched down, and then jumped up, planting her forepaws on the pedestal. Directly in front of her was the Tesseract, sitting there, humming menacingly. Like the villain it was. True evil incarnate.
She had to show it who was boss.
"Amaterasu! Wait, do not-"
She lunged!
Her paws wrapped around the back of the Tesseract and her jaws descended upon the Spicy Blue Cube, teeth scraping against the energy barrier. Amaterasu turned her head when she heard footsteps and watched Thor racing toward her.
Her gnawing and chewing sped up.
She dragged her tongue across the surface and left a trail of slobber and drool on the cube of pure energy. The tingling and static sensation rolled over her tongue but she continued like the warrior she was; gnawing, biting, licking, and chewing on the object of otherworldly power.
Clearly, the cube was intimidated by her assault, for it did not react.
But unfortunately, her revenge was over far too quickly.
Thor grasped the Tesseract with one hand, and with the other, he pressed on Amaterasu's chest. She fought against it, of course, but the might of an Asgardian, especially the God of Thunder, is nearly impossible to resist for long.
With a playful growl slipping into a disappointed whine, Amaterasu was sent sprawling backward, landing on the floor in a pile of limbs and floof. Thor was left holding the cube that was just dripping with wolf slobber and had little teeth marks covering the outside.
With a grimace, he swung the cube toward the ground a few times to let the drool wick off the surface of the cube. A quick inspection revealed the teeth marks on the cube were not fading, despite the barrier being made entirely of energy.
Thor set the cube back on the pedestal and turned away, looking at the sprawled out and flopped Amaterasu with a raised eyebrow.
"Lady Amaterasu… Odin's Beard, what were you thinking? Why did you chew on the Tesseract?" Thor crossed his arms and looked down at Ammy.
"Arf!" Amaterasu replied with a wag.
"…Fair enough," Thor admitted. "Well then! That's that, let's get going." He clapped his hands together, and turned away, taking strides back toward the entrance of the vault. "On the bright side, you no longer have to disguise yourself. That makes things much easier."
Amaterasu rolled to her belly and stood up, shaking herself off from the brief lounge on the floor. With a happy little "wurf!" she followed after Thor.
"We will have to meet with Father eventually, but I believe that should wait until after the Bifrost is repaired," Thor continued.
Well… She tried to follow after Thor, but every step taken had absolutely no effect. Amaterasu wasn't moving forward. She looked down to figure out why and blinked in surprise.
Her paws weren't on the ground. She was floating!
Amaterasu flailed and wriggled around in an attempt to put her paws back on the floor, but it wasn't any use. The faint blue glow around her form pointed to only a single culprit.
The Spicy Cube wanted revenge!
Amaterasu gave a small "wurf" as she started to rotate end over end, flipping over herself in slow circles. She gradually grew higher and higher, the ground falling away.
"Lady Amaterasu, what are you-" Thor turned around, looking at the ground, only to find a significant lack of wolf. He looked around, trying to spot her. Finally, his eyes shifted upward, and he locked eyes with Ammy.
"Wuff!" Ammy called from above and raised a paw in greeting. Or farewell. She wasn't too sure what was going to happen. Luckily for her, falling didn't really pose a significant danger to her health. Luck of the draw for godly powers.
"What- where are you going?" Thor asked.
Ammy gave the wolf equivalent of a shrug and flailed her legs a little, only causing her rotation to start spinning along all axes now, not just end over end. She was going to get dizzy.
Ammy looked up and watched the roof grow closer and closer. She closed her eyes, waiting for impact…
But nothing happened.
She cracked her eyes open and looked around.
Amaterasu found herself on the opposite end of the room now, above the fire, and slowly floating sideways. The wall was quickly approaching, and she watched as it grew closer, and closer…
A blue portal burst into existence, and the universe jolted around her, spitting her out into a new location.
Right behind Thor.
Ammy gave a warning "awoo" as her speed seemed to be increasing steadily. Thor whirled around, only to get hit in the face by a speeding ball of godly fluff.
Amaterasu watched Thor fall to the ground, clutching his nose in surprise, while the impact sent her spinning to the side, her rotation speeding up further.
The Spicy Cube was out for revenge and wasn't letting her go. Another portal burst into existence.
Ammy vanished.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Nick Fury was not having the best day. He'd sent Stark, Rogers, Coulson, and a team of agents to go retrieve a magic time-travelling dog, and shut down a basement lab super soldier operation.
"What do you mean you lost Fido?" Fury asked. Well, 'asked' was putting it lightly. It was more of a barely restrained growl. "Rogers, Coulson, explain."
"Do you want the quick version or the full version?" Steve asked.
"Quick version," Fury replied.
"We don't know where she is," Steve said. "Slightly longer version: Ammy puked fire, then Thor stepped out of thin air and carried her away."
…
"It seems that Thor came through the same kind of portal the Tesseract made," Coulson added.
Fury sighed.
"Just… Alright. Give me a longer version. Anything important. The rest can be handled in the debriefing." Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed the corner of his eyes. The things he put up with to try and keep the world safe…
"Alright, well, to start, there's a new super soldier serum to worry about. Super strength, endurance, incredible regeneration, and the ability to heat up enough to melt steel. The users may explode," Steve explained. "Killian-"
"Aldrich Killian," Coulson supplied. "Their leader and the company owner."
"Thank you. Killian gave himself some enhanced version of it. He was… I don't think Stark and I could have beat him. Not with what we had, at least. I couldn't touch the guy, and he didn't stop fighting even after Stark cut him in half with some kind of laser."
"Fantastic... How did you stop him?" Fury asked.
"It seems like they got Ammy with some Extremis to make her explode. It… sort of worked? But then she puked fire, which somehow snaked around and hit Killian so hard it buried him in the ground and melted the rock around him," Steve explained. "Then she froze him."
"Rogers, can you repeat that?" Fury asked. "Because I'm pretty sure you just said the dog can breathe fire now. Or control fire."
"That's what it looked like. I'm sure you can get the footage from Stark if you ask."
Fury muttered several choice words under his breath, many times over, and mumbled something about magic, physics, and a broken dog-goddess-thing. Could he go back to alien invasions? Those were much simpler to deal with.
"Fine. Coulson, add it to the file." Fury paced around the room for a moment longer. "So, what was this about Thor? He used the Tesseract to kidnap Fido?"
"It looked like it. The residual energy the scanners picked up was nearly identical to that of the Tesseract," Coulson said. "That, and it was, well, blue and swirly and everything. Fits the whole colour profile."
"Do you know where Thor took her? Is her tracking collar still working?" Fury asked.
"No idea, Sir," Coulson replied. "She left the collar with the captured scientists."
"Thor said he had an urgent problem to deal with," Steve added.
A flash of blue interrupted Fury's thoughts, and he turned his head to the side. His eye narrowed, and his leather gloves creaked with the clench of his hands.
"We're running a triangulation pattern right now to see if we can pinpoint where Frosty was taken. If it's not too far, we should know in-"
"Don't bother," Fury interrupted Coulson.
"Sir?"
"I found her."
That flash of blue had been Amaterasu herself popping into existence. Fury's eye tracked her as the wolf lazily floated across the room, spinning in slow circles in front of him.
"Aroo?" Amaterasu perked up and gave her best attempt at a smile to Fury.
While upside down.
"Could you repeat that?" Steve asked. "You-"
"Found her," Fury said. "In Washington. In this conference room."
Amaterasu was still floating across the room, her paws grazing over the conference table, knocking over empty Styrofoam cups and mugs full of pens. Clearly, she didn't care. If anything, it looked to Fury like the wolf was reaching for more things to knock over.
Amaterasu's tail brushed along the projector in the middle of the room and left a dark smear of black ink across the surface. Fury watched the ink ooze into the internals of the machine, which immediately began sparking and smoking.
"What? Why is she there?" Steve asked.
Amaterasu heard Steve's voice this time, and her ears perked up. She kicked her legs and flailed around, rotating herself upright. Her paws swiped at the desk and carved gouges into it, but she made no progress stopping herself.
"Awoof!" Amaterasu barked, her tail wagging faster.
"Fido, you'd better sit down and stay put. Stop flying," Fury ordered.
"Flying?" Both Steve and Coulson asked at once.
Amaterasu huffed and let out a whine, and her attempts at grabbing the table to slow herself grew more desperate. She wriggled, and planted her paws firmly on the table this time, claws digging into the surface.
She slowly slid backward, claws carving grooves into the table. Fury watched the wolf look down at the gouges she was still making, and then she looked at Fury. Then the table again. Then Fury.
Amaterasu tilted her head and gave her best "I didn't do anything, I'm innocent" smile.
Fury didn't buy it.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to tell her such. There was no warning or time for either Fury or Amaterasu to prepare.
One moment she was there.
Then a wave of blue washed over her.
Amaterasu was gone.
…
"-sir? Can you hear me?" Coulson's voice came through his earpiece.
"I can hear you," Fury ground out.
"What happened?"
"That dog is taunting me. I don't know how, or why, but she is." Fury stared at the spot where Amaterasu had vanished, and followed the claw marks along the table, back to where she had first appeared.
She didn't come back.
"Fury, I seriously doubt that Ammy is-"
"Rogers," Nick Fury interrupted. "If I find that dog again before you do, I'm sending you to help with tech support. Find Fido."
"Yes, Sir." Steve's voice sounded a little more panicked.
Fury closed the communication line, took a breath, closed his eye, and tried to take a moment to relax. He could feel a headache coming on.
"…I swear if I see that dog in my dreams, I am taking a vacation." Fury left the room and started his march down the halls. "I don't care if the world burns then. I'll be on a beach. It can burn all it wants."
Multiple SHIELD agents overheard him and watched on in concern.
Maybe he had finally lost it after all.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Loki huffed and paced in his cell, eyeing the energy barrier that kept him imprisoned. He'd already searched the thing countless times for a weakness. There were none.
It was just like his Father to make sure that everything was perfect when it came to keeping his enemies locked away. Traitors to the kingdom and threats to the Nine-Realms deserved life in prison, but all the world-ending artifacts merely needed four guards. They hadn't even rebuilt the Destroyer yet.
They were all fools, and Asgard was vulnerable. Did they not see that?
He longed to make them all strong. He wanted to put Asgard on top again, and to secure its place in the universe. Odin was ignorant of all that was out there, but Loki knew the truth.
The Other had shown him. The dangerous beings that lurked in the cosmos, and the terrible might they wielded. It had shown him the destruction its own Master, Thanos, had wrought throughout the universe.
Worlds scorched. Populations razed to half. An unending campaign of destruction and violence across the universe for the sake of "peace", "generosity", and "mercy".
Lies. There was no mercy in such acts.
Loki knew the truth behind the invasion. They could have taken the Tesseract once he had his hands on it, but they wanted the Earth as an encampment. As a staging ground for their assault.
No, Loki saw through their plans.
Thanos had wanted the Earth under his command so that when the Convergence occurred, he would have direct access to pillage the Nine-Realms, and to spread his army across the universe.
He wanted the treasures of Odin's Vault, and ever the strategist, determined they could take it all in a single strike.
Loki had planned to take the Earth from under their noses and defend Asgard.
He hadn't exactly planned it from the start, of course. That idea came to mind after his run-in with that damned wolf.
Amaterasu.
She thought he could change his ways? Change his nature? That he could go back and make amends for the mistakes and betrayals he had committed?
No, there was no going back. But he had planned to alter the path going forward. It had been simple. Conquer the Earth, and then use the Tesseract to control the armies, and create weaponry that could rival the mightiest weapons of Asgard. All to defend his homeland.
It might have been a rather reckless plan, now that he thought about it. What was that mortal saying? Visions of the past have twenty eyes? No, that sounded wrong. A little too Eldritch.
Despite his failure, Loki had held back in the final moments of the battle. He could have slaughtered many innocent Humans, but he didn't.
…Not exactly a fantastic moral accomplishment, but still! He made an effort, and he had instructed the Chitauri to go after those Avengers relentlessly.
…And maybe also injure some humans to draw out the protectors of the Earth, in the event they were strategizing. He wasn't exactly proud of that part, but it worked! And from what Odin had told him, the Human deaths from his time on Earth remained under one hundred.
That was a reasonable number! They made more children than that in a day; he was sure they'd be fine with those few losses. They acted like prey animals, and bred like prey animals, so they would repopulate like them as well.
Loki huffed and ran his fingers through his hair.
Damned wolf, throwing doubt into his mind. Encouraging him to be better, and to alter his plans. He should have committed and allowed the ends to justify the means once he was the ruler of Earth. That, and those humiliations. Throwing him around in that prison for the Hulk, and forcing him to retreat after he stabbed her through the heart.
If he ever saw her again, he'd-
"Arf!"
Loki slowly lifted his gaze from the floor, tracking the source of the sound. He gradually turned himself around, unsure if he wanted the noise to be real or not. Green eyes locked on the very creature he was thinking about moments earlier.
"Amaterasu," Loki hissed. The wolf's ears perked up and she tried to turn herself around to face him, only to be stuck flailing and floating backward.
As if by reflex, Loki summoned a knife into his palm and hurled it straight at the creature. The blade whistled through the air, his aim true, aiming for the back of the white wolf.
Clang!
The blade missed! No, he didn't miss.
Amaterasu moved. Her body had shifted its position in space and teleported to the side. She was even facing away from him; how could she have seen it? Despite her blindness, she had moved, and the blade struck the wall.
"Awuff," Amaterasu taunted. She finally turned enough to be able to look at Loki.
The Asgardian hurled two more knives at the so-called "Goddess of the Sun", the blades aiming for her eyes.
Loki didn't even see what happened. One moment the blades were careening toward her face, and the next, they shattered. The force that shattered them struck him as well and sent him stumbling backward several steps.
"Gah!" Loki growled. "I don't know why you're here, or why you taunt me so, but I will-"
Loki took a step forward, oblivious to the ice slick that appeared on the ground beneath his feet. He windmilled his arms in an attempt to stay up, only to slide and scramble on the ice. His feet slipped and he felt as if he was falling for twenty seconds before he finally hit the floor. He cranked his head against the edge of a table they'd decorated his room with, causing the table to upend itself onto him.
The contents of the table—various plates and a vase of flowers—spilled onto him, covering him in water, broken glass, and flowers.
He remained on the ground for a long moment, and blinked, looking straight up at the ceiling.
Amaterasu slowly drifted into his line of sight, the wolf upside-down, her paws tucked against her chest as she floated above him.
"…What is happening?" Loki asked himself, bewildered. He sat up and lunged for the wolf above him, fingers grabbing for her throat and-
His hand passed right through her. Loki blinked, and waved his hand through the wolf, watching her form ripple and wave around his arm. Loki growled, pulled another dagger from the ether, and began stabbing at the false Amaterasu, if for nothing other than the satisfaction of watching the blade plunge into her.
But also to lure Amaterasu into thinking he was fooled by her low quality illusions. His were far more convincing.
A bark from behind him jolted him from his pretend stabbing of the wolf through the head. Loki turned, ready to intercept a wolf lunging for him.
He'd been expecting a single wolf.
Not over twenty.
Two dozen Amaterasu's floated about his room or bounced around on the furniture. They wandered across the ceiling as if gravity had suddenly flipped, and stared at him while they ambled through the air. Some barked and wagged, while others just wandered in and out of the energy barrier holding him inside the cell.
Clearly, he'd gone mad.
Then, he realized that, no, he was far too intelligent and mentally stable to lose his mind. That was an impossibility.
Which only meant one thing.
"You… you stole my magic," Loki said. "You stole my magic! You're no Goddess, you're a parasite. A leech! You steal from others and-"
Something hit the back of his knees and threw Loki off balance, sending him crashing to the ground once more. He looked back to find black ink wisping away from his prison clothing. The snarl that tore itself from him was not very dignified, but that didn't matter.
He locked eyes with the real Amaterasu, ignoring the empty and false magical signatures of the illusions around him. Loki pressed his hands on the floor to push himself upright.
Only to have them encased in ice an instant later. He pulled once, twice, then huffed. Loki managed to get his knees beneath himself, and heaved himself backward, straining against the ice that appeared out of nowhere.
Then, he froze. Literally. Another wash of ice swept over Loki, encasing everything beneath his shoulders in ice.
"You- Let me out and face me!" Loki shouted. He grit his teeth and pulled hard, struggling to break his way free of the ice.
Loki thrashed and pulled and strained, his Asgardian and Frost Giant strength put to work against the cold material. He heard a crack, and then another. He was making progress!
Then, he realized that it was just his joints shifting and being pulled from his efforts. Loki growled.
"When I get out of here, I will-"
Loki locked eyes with Amaterasu once more. She stuck out her tongue at him, and without any warning, vanished in a swirl of blue.
The Tesseract, Loki realized.
But it was far too late. The wolf was now long gone again, out of his reach.
It was then that Loki decided to practice some of the more inventive curses he had picked up from his time on Earth. He strung them together like beads and weaved himself a tapestry of filth and horrific syllables that would have made Thor proud.
Despite his curses, he was still stuck.
He was going to have to wait for the ice to melt.
Gods damn it all.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Luckily, after tormenting Loki and visiting him in his prison chamber, Amaterasu found herself back in Odin's Vault. The only downside?
She was hurtling straight toward a blue cube with handles. This wasn't the Spicy Blue Cube that was tormenting her. No, this one radiated cold and power and danger.
It also looked like it would be fun to play with. And Ammy really wanted to bite it. It'd be like chewing ice… Probably.
Not that she had a choice; the Tesseract rocketed her toward the stone pillar face-first. Amaterasu hit the pillar hard enough that it drove the breath from her. The pillar, Other Blue Cube, and Amaterasu were sent sprawling across the polished floor.
Thor let out a panicked yell as if expecting something bad to happen. Heimdall stood tense and waited, his eyes roaming around the room.
Why were they panicking? She just knocked over the pillar, it's not like it was the end of the world or anything.
Amaterasu took a moment to reorient herself, her head spinning from the collision and the feeling of gravity suddenly pulling down on her again.
Heavy footsteps drew Amaterasu's attention, and she tilted her head, looking to see both Heimdall and Thor approaching her. Thor was displaying a myriad of expressions, torn between horror, relief, concern, laughter, and that narrow squint a parent would give a misbehaving child.
Heimdall looked bored, and eerily neutral, as if this whole thing had been completely expected.
"Do you often chew on objects of immense power?" Heimdall asked.
"Awoof!" Amaterasu confirmed. They looked interesting and tasted funny.
With a huff, Amaterasu pushed herself to all fours and shook herself off.
Well, that whole adventure had been fun. And she'd seen Grumpy Eyepatch again, and run into the Whiny Trickster once more. Both ended in an overall positive experience.
For her at least.
Still, she'd had her fun. The Tesseract had its revenge upon her, and she managed to return the favour. She sent it a glance, and the cube pulsed with power as if daring her to try again.
She would. Just not when Thor was watching so he couldn't tell the others about it.
The sound of grinding and scraping drew her attention, and Ammy found that Thor was moving the pillar she'd knocked down back into its place. There was a chunk missing from the bottom which kept throwing it off balance, so Ammy used her divine powers to Restore the pillar to its previous condition.
"Have you learned your lesson yet?" Thor asked. He turned away from the pillar and crossed his arms, raising a brow at Amaterasu like a parent would a misbehaving child.
The nerve! She was being professional and getting revenge. There was nothing goofy or fun about it. Definitely not. There was no joy at all in flying about the place or having bested the Spicy Cube in combat.
Yeah, she definitely came out on top this round.
Seeing as the pillar that held the cold blue box was now upright, Amaterasu padded over to the object, intent on helping out.
"No! Amaterasu, don't touch-"
Thor's warning came too late.
Amaterasu wasn't sure what it was with her and magic blue boxes. Maybe it was the colour? Maybe they all had a unique flavour that demanded they be sampled? Or maybe she just had a biological—was it biological if she was a goddess?—urge to touch and play with every single object of immense power she stumbled across?
Whatever it was, it was putting in work.
Amaterasu grabbed one of the handles of the box in her teeth and hefted it up. She was behaving and wasn't chewing on the box because it hadn't wronged her. It didn't teleport her all over the place, it didn't make her fly around. This was a nice box.
She liked this box.
Ammy ignored Thor's mildly horrified and concerned gaze, trotted up to him, and showed off her successful retrieval. She had grabbed some sort of powerful artifact without anything going horribly wrong!
See? She could be trusted with it.
Amaterasu balanced on her hind legs and planted her forepaws on the pedestal. With all the grace of a goddess, she lowered her head, set the blue box onto the pedestal, and then pulled her head back.
…She set the box on the pedestal and pulled away.
Just... Put the box down.
She growled, and shook her head, attempting to dislodge the box.
Amaterasu tried to let go, only to find that it had frozen to her tongue! She rolled her tongue out and crossed her eyes, attempting to look at the magical item affixed to her face.
This one wasn't her fault! Why did these things happen to her?
"Here, Lady Amaterasu, allow me to help," Thor said. Ammy flicked her eyes to him, and then immediately sprang away from his grasping hands.
She knew full well how strong Asgardians were, and she'd rather not have her tongue ripped from her face, thank you very much. She could do it herself.
Freeing herself from the icy box, that is. Not the tongue removal part.
Probably.
Maybe.
If she cut off her tongue, would she be able to Restore it?
Ammy darted backward with the box, and shook her head, retreating from the approaching God of Thunder. Heimdall unsheathed his sword and approached Ammy rather quickly, a focused look in his eyes. She bounded backward, holding the box, and tried to think of what to do.
"Hold still, wolf. I will remove your tongue from your body, and our healers will construct you a new one," Heimdall ordered. He held his sword at the ready, the massive weapon glimmering in the light.
Nope! None of that, thank you!
Ammy retreated further, dragging the box along on the ground, and came to a halt a decent distance from the two.
She might have regained some of her fire abilities, right? Maybe that would help! And considering she could generate ice out of sheer will, maybe she could do so with fire. From her face.
Would that qualify her to be some sort of dragon?
Questions for later.
Amaterasu focused on that feeling from earlier in the day. That feeling of warmth inside her, focused around her very being. The heat that radiated outward from the fire she'd expelled just hours ago. The sensation of being too hot and burning and melting and pushing all that force out.
Ammy held down the box handles with box paws, opened her jaws, and willed her magic to obey her.
It started small and built up in her core. She struggled and forced it upward and out, recalling the feelings of purging Extremis and the fiery hell from her body.
But instead of a torrent of fire…
She burped.
Ammy's ears folded back, and she blinked, hoping the blush on her cheeks wasn't showing through her fur. Then again, she naturally had red on her face. Why did a little more matter?
She grumbled and clamped her jaws around the handle of the box, and darted away from Thor once more, edging her way toward the back of the hall.
"Lady Amaterasu, bring that back immediately!" Thor shouted. "The Casket of Ancient Winters is immensely dangerous, and could spell the death of us all."
So overdramatic. It was just a box!
Amaterasu tried again, paws on the box, and willed fire to come forth.
Fire spilled from her jaws in a slow trickle, basically just fiery drool at this point, oozing onto the polished floor with a sizzle. She focused and tightened her grip on her magic, which seemed surprisingly slippery and difficult to control.
Slowly, Amaterasu managed to solidify her grasp on that burning warmth in her center, and pulled.
Flames spilled from her jaws in a horrific torrent, bathing the ice-box that clung to her, and showered the ground in fire. She tried to pull away but found her tongue stuck fast, so she pumped more magic into the fire.
Immediately, bright white, searing hot flames screamed from her jaws and bathed the magical artifact in equally magical fire. She could feel her tongue coming free from the metal of the ice-box and kept at it.
Her eyes flicked up to see Thor staring at her, horrified. Or was he excited? It was hard to tell through the shimmering air. Heimdall, meanwhile, didn't seem worried at all. Or, maybe his face was stuck like that.
Still, her plan was working, and with a shove of her paws and a tug from her head, she came unstuck from the blue ice-box. Ammy stumbled backward, while the blue box tilted and shifted, rocking back and then coming down with a thud.
The impact caused the box to open.
There was maybe half a second for Amaterasu to prepare herself before she was blasted by an intense wall of cold, heavy ice, and winds. Ammy was launched backward from the assault, some of her fur already frozen solid from that brief contact.
Ammy flew backward and landed at the base of a brazier full of fire. It radiated warmth and magic like nothing she'd felt from a fire before. It felt… warm. Natural. Like laying in a sunbeam, but thousands of times more intense.
Thor let out a horrified, surprised sound, and tried to rush for the box, only to get buffeted by a gust of ice and sent staggering backward. He reached for his hammer after, electricity thrumming through him.
Heimdall's neutral look vanished, and he quickly charged forward, ready to intercept the box with his bare hands and seal it.
He slipped on some ice and slid past the box, stumbling as he tried to regain traction.
Amaterasu stood up, looked at the box spewing ice and wind, which quickly started filling the room, and then glanced back to the fire.
Well… She'd done crazier things.
Amaterasu turned, and without hesitation, leaped into the fire.
Immediately she was set upon by warmth. A satisfying heat seeped into her fur and soaked her bones. It wasn't hot or uncomfortable though. It was comforting and soothing, like a blanket made of pure magic and fire. She supposed this made sense.
As the Goddess of the Sun, what was more fire than a ball of plasma suspended in space and radiating heat and energy at an impossible scale?
Magic fire? Nothing compared to an impossible amount of mass undergoing nuclear fusion in the heart of a star.
Amaterasu took a deep breath in, and the fire flared up and outward, responding to her. She exhaled, and the fire flickered, dropping lower, flickering around her paws.
She allowed the feeling of the fire to mingle with her energy, her magic. She could feel it gravitating toward her naturally, as if drawn to her very being. With closed eyes, she took another breath, and the fire roared around her, spiralling up into the air, licking at the ceiling, a spinning tornado of fire surrounding her.
She exhaled, and the fire vanished, turning into nothing but shimmering and sizzling coals beneath her paws. Within her though, the fire raged.
Amaterasu snapped her eyes open, and focused, grinding the world to a halt around her. With her natural gifts, she used her Celestial Brush to draw a pathway of ink for the flames to follow. She arced it around the walls of ice that had begun to build up around the ice-box, and directed that magical fire straight into the opening of the container.
Ammy released her grip on the universe.
The fire surged forward, spiralling and screaming with energy boosted by the Goddess of the Sun. It snaked around the pillars of ice that had started to grow, and splashed across the walls that formed, melting them faster than they could form.
The fire of the Eternal Flame, consumed by Amaterasu, and enhanced by the power of the sun, shattered through the ice and filtered straight into the Casket of Ancient Winters.
The trailing snake of fire vanished into the box, and the container began to rattle violently. The ice that had built up around it started to quiver and cracks began running up and down the surfaces, causing them to start crumbling.
Ammy leapt from the dead brazier; the Eternal Flame found something new to call home. Someone new.
Paws carried her forward and splashed in the pool of water that grew outward from the ice-box. Then, just as quickly, the water started to evaporate, only to condense, forming itself back into small chunks of ice. The cycle repeated over and over again, the contact with the Casket of Ancient Winters interrupted by the Eternal Flame rattling around and combating the cold.
Ammy grabbed the box and upended it. Out spilled a single piece of ice, glimmering with light and radiating magic. Concealed within the ice was some of the fire she had pushed into the box, leaving a living flame dancing and flickering within the shard of ice.
It was a mesmerizing sight, the fire and ice combatting one another for dominance in a struggle for power.
Ammy leaned in to look at it closer. Her nose pressed against the surface, and she gazed at the fire within, dancing and sending out light. She could feel the fire within it starting to flicker and die out, while the fire within her continued its eternal dance.
Faced with either forcing the very essence of cold and ice into the box, or dealing with this issue once and for all, Amaterasu made the safe decision.
She bit down on the ice and shattered it.
Amaterasu looked at Thor out of the corner of her eyes as she crunched and chewed on the remnants of the Casket of Ancient Winters. More specifically the Ancient Winters part. The Casket was fine and completely usable. They could use it to house some other small object of immense danger and magic.
Thor's confused mumbling and vague gestures amused Amaterasu, but she didn't give up her task. She crunched down on that magical essence like she'd watched other dogs in Central Park consuming ice cubes.
It was very similar. In fact, the crunch was satisfying to no end. And did it ever taste good. It did make her tongue tingle though. It was probably a magic thing.
The pool of water evaporated with the loss of the ice keeping it cool.
And just like that, everything was back to normal. Well, other than the absence of the Eternal Flame, and the Ancient Winters essence. Both of those were still technically in the room.
Within Amaterasu. Not as some physical thing, however. The powerful magics swirled and combatted one another inside of her and quickly fell into sync.
The Goddess of the Sun had just assimilated the Eternal Flame and the Casket of Ancient Winters into her very being. They didn't exist separately from one another any longer. They simply were a part of her now.
Amaterasu could still feel them swirling around, mingling with her magic and balancing each other out. Yet, with a single thought they faded into obscurity, spreading throughout her being, and becoming just another aspect of Her.
Ammy turned to face a stunned Thor and gave a happy little bark. Her tail swished across the damaged floor, and she gave him a big doggy grin for all the trouble she'd caused. She'd clean it up, she wasn't some sort of monster that left problems for others to deal with.
"I… I don't… What just… How?" Thor pointed and waved his arms at Amaterasu in some confused motions, unable to properly put his feelings into place to respond. "Why did that… Heimdall?"
"I can honestly say I did not see that coming." The person in question had his hair blown back, and face covered in ice. Thor wasn't much better off, with icicles hanging from his beard.
"Thor," a new voice spoke from the entrance to the vault.
Thor immediately paled, and he whirled around, looking as if he'd been caught in the middle of doing something he'd been explicitly told not to do.
"Father! I can explain-"
"Heimdall," Odin continued.
"My King." Heimdall inclined his head in a slight bow.
"What have you done?" Odin asked.
Amaterasu could feel the weight of the King's gaze on herself. It pierced her very being and examined her in her entirety. She could see the wisdom and the years in that eye and realized she was now face-to-face with the most powerful being she'd ever met.
"Well, Father, I have good news," Thor said. He flinched when Odin's piercing gaze shifted to him instead.
Odin raised an eyebrow at Thor and started making his way down the stairs and into the Vault. His steps echoed in the room, the weight of his presence causing the very air to feel thick and heavy with magic.
Odin came to a stop before his son.
"I am this close to banishing you for your actions, and killing the wolf for high crimes against Asgard and her people." Odin narrowed his eye, and his presence seemed to grow tenfold. "Speak, boy."
"Well. The Frost Giants no longer have reason to hate us, for we no longer have their Casket. Surtur won't be able to return to full power ever again. The danger contained within the vault is no longer anything to worry over," Thor said. At Odin's unimpressed gaze, he continued. "Two possible versions of Ragnarök have been eaten by the Goddess of the Sun? Surely that is a good thing."
Odin blinked. He and Thor stared at one another, and Amaterasu could almost feel the conflict and tension between the two.
Then, without a word, Odin whirled around and started his march back toward the entrance of the Vault.
…
"Come, Lady Amaterasu. Father seeks an audience with us. We should avoid angering him further." Thor gestured for Ammy to follow Odin.
Amaterasu complied, and padded along behind the King of Asgard, while Thor fell into step behind her.
Today had been an interesting day, all things considered.
Amaterasu sneezed, and a swirling mixture of flaming snowflakes rolled out into the air.
That was going to take some getting used to.
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- He/Him
Now we just have to find a way to stop Hela if she ever comes around. Might prove challenging. Friggen overpowered stabby psycho.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yeah, but Hela also won't have her army, since she needed the Eternal Flame to resurrect them.
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I almost want to imagine that whole encounter between Fenris and Ammy would be hilariously outmatched. Big towering wolf looming over her. Surprise, your tail is on fire. Also, enjoy staying upright on the ice. Ammy could probably grab him by the scruff and flip him over like Ant-Man to a normal person.
True, but Hela is also a whole fuckin menace on her own. She slaughtered the entirety of the Asgardian army, beat Thor at his then-most powerful, and had to be stopped by the literal end of the world. And, we didn't see her die either. She could very well not have died.
Doggo is gonna get that box no matter how many layers of security they put it behind. Revenge!
xbox432
Lover of Editing
Yeah Amy, just casually eat two apocalypses. *snort* Honestly, I think Heimdall was remarkably patient during this whole shenanigan.
Nah, that wouldn't be a problem at all. Just slip one end of a leash on Amy, and loop the other one around Hela's wrist. After getting back from taking Amy out for walkies, Hela would beg Odin to save her.
Chapter 21 - You Wouldn't Download a Sun
- Pronouns
- He/Him
We finally get to see Amaterasu flex her power a bit, and make some new friends. Next chapter is going to be a little more relaxed as we take in the state of the world outside of Ammy's sphere. Things are changing.
You can join my Discord with the server code "AT25n3N7fP" to discuss my stories with others, or just chat and hang out! I post snippets and ask opinions on the stories too, and provide little previews from time-to-time.
Big thanks to Baron von Richington, Tetrine, and Sleepless Archer for reading and providing suggestions and changes. They're wonderful people.
Also a really big thanks to my Patrons: Huuar, Sleepypuff, NetWon, Spartan211, IRS, blobbycat, Moxie, Nithalys, and BishopofBonk. I sincerely appreciate your support of my writing.
Thor could tell his Father was furious. It was the way he walked—not the slow, steady pace of a patient king. This was the stride of a warrior to the battlefield. Odin's spear hit the floor with every other step, the sound echoing through the halls, louder than the marching of the soldiers alongside them.
Odin was at the front of their group, followed by four soldiers who fell into line behind him. Thor and Amaterasu came next in line. Heimdall followed those two, and another six soldiers were behind Heimdall.
Quite the welcoming party.
Thor didn't blame his father for his reaction. After all, having two possible Ragnarök-causing weapons absorbed and eaten by a stranger to the kingdom was hardly ideal. Thor was certain the only reason his Father hadn't attempted to strike down Amaterasu in the vault was to move her away from the other magic artifacts.
Thor idly brushed the ice from his hair and beard.
Again, a reasonable decision. Amaterasu had an odd habit of licking and chewing on dangerous objects of immense power. Not the ideal individual to have in the armoury wing of the palace, let alone the Vault.
"I apologize, Lady Amaterasu." Thor glanced at the wolf trotting by his side. "I intended to conceal your presence until after the Bifröst had been restored. This is… not the outcome I wished for."
"Bwoof," Amaterasu replied, giving a nonchalant flick of her tail.
Thor sighed in relief. Thankfully, she seemed perfectly fine with how things have been going. It made sense when he thought about it. She ate the magic within the Casket of Ancient Winters and just stood in the Eternal Flame to absorb it.
That… That's not a thing that happens. Surtur was prophesized to use the flame to destroy Asgard. The Frost Giants had tried to use the Casket to freeze Midgard solid in a thousand-year winter, and longed to do the same to Asgard.
And Amaterasu just ate it.
If he were her, he'd be feeling pretty upbeat as well… As long as she doesn't overload in a cascading explosion of magic that causes the end of the world. That was still a very real possibility.
But she seemed fine.
Amaterasu let out a thunderous sneeze, quite literally exploding forth, causing several soldiers to jump. A large sheet of flaming ice spread out in front of her and covered her half of the floor for several strides. White fire danced over the surface, flickering with a soothing warmth that refused to spread to anything else.
Thor blinked.
Correction: Amaterasu seemed mostly fine. Only a little explosive and unpredictable.
Thor glanced behind himself, watching Heimdall wisely step to the left. He harmlessly passed by the ice with a bemused smirk.
The same could not be said for two of the guards, who decided marching on top of the magic flaming ice was a grand plan. The one in front let out a terrified gasp and windmilled his arms, his boots sliding effortlessly over the ice. The guard behind him also seemed surprised—Thor didn't understand how—and she slid forward.
The two guards twisted, slipped, slid, and spun around on the ice, their legs a blur of activity as they did their best to remain upright, clutching one another desperately.
Two more guards attempted to help the two who were struggling. With one foot on the regular flooring, and their other foot on the ice, the duo reached out toward the scrambling soldiers…
And promptly did the splits, their feet on the ice sliding out from under them. Two pained groans sounded out and they dropped to the floor, laying on the ice, spinning slow circles across it while clutching their groins. The two upright guards wound up slipping, falling backwards onto the other two. Four more pained groans and yelps echoed through the hall.
Odin sighed and his posture slumped ever-so-slightly. Amaterasu let out an amused huff. Even Heimdall had the good graces to cover his laughter by coughing and clearing his throat.
"Please, tell me that was not intentional," Thor whispered. He turned to look at Amaterasu, and was met by the biggest pair of eyes he'd ever seen. Wide, golden pools of vulnerability—so innocent and pure.
Unfortunately, it was offset by the rather smug look on her muzzle. How a wolf managed to look smug was beyond him, but she pulled it off well. Too well.
Amaterasu still denied it with a huff and a shake of her head. Thor didn't believe her.
Their stroll took them onto a battlement along the outer walls of the Palace. This path did technically connect the armoury wing to the central structure, but this was far from the fastest way to the throne room.
His Father was taking the long route for some reason.
While Thor was wondering why his Father was dragging things out, this gave him another opportunity. Thor could show Amaterasu the reason he'd brought her to Asgard in the first place.
One of three reasons, actually. But this one was the most important. The other two were considerably less so for everyone else.
For him though? Priceless.
"Lady Amaterasu." Thor tapped the wolf's shoulder to gain her attention. "Do you see that colourful structure in the distance?"
Amaterasu padded forward and stepped up to the side of the bridge, rearing back to stand on her hind legs. She looked out over the city of Asgard in its entirety, lost in the view for a moment. Her ears perked up, and she gave an excited wag, using her nose to point.
"Wurf?" Amaterasu asked.
"No, that's the Rainbow District, a permanent stain due to my brother's antics. In all fairness, it did add some much-needed colour." Thor laughed. "I'm referring to the bridge that leads out over the water," he explained. Amaterasu's nod prompted him to continue. "That's the Bifröst—the rainbow bridge. I shattered it to prevent Loki from destroying Jotunheim. Unfortunately, without the presence of Asgard, war has spread across the Nine Realms."
Amaterasu made a curious noise and tilted her head, her ears flopping to the side.
"Without the might of Asgard's forces, fighting and pillaging has begun within the realms," Thor said. "This is why I hoped you would be able to repair the Bifröst. The longer it remains broken, the more lives are lost, and the Nine-Realms will continue to lose faith in Asgard's rule."
Thor continued walking forward, shadows looming over him once again as the walls of the Royal Palace surrounded them. Amaterasu fell behind, staring out over the city.
For a moment Thor was worried Amaterasu would jump off the battlement. That would give his Father an actual reason to end her life—fleeing into Asgard and putting their population at risk.
Much to his relief the white wolf gave a little yip and padded forward, falling into step beside Thor. He reached down to pat Amaterasu on the back, earning a happy sound and a wag of her tail.
Odin continued his march to the throne room, leading their group. Again, he took redundant turns and twists. It was then that Thor realized exactly what his Father was doing.
He was stalling.
Thor narrowed his eyes and looked at the bottom of Odin's spear the next time he hit the ground. There was a faint series of sparks that rolled out across the floor and seeped into the palace itself.
Odin was preparing something. Gods damn it.
"Amaterasu," Thor whispered.
The wolf's ears perked up and swivelled around in his direction.
"I believe my Father is planning to imprison you, or worse. If something happens, you must escape. Odin is not someone whom you can cross and survive. Do not act until you feel your life is in danger, or I tell you."
Amaterasu huffed and rolled her eyes. Thankfully she nodded and spoke a little "yip" of acceptance.
Thor didn't believe she was going to do anything in the first place, but it was better to be safe. His father tended to be stubborn when he settled on a solution.
To be fair, Thor knew he could be stubborn as well—he was willing to listen to reason though.
Odin finally led their group to the throne room; something didn't feel right. Thor looked around and narrowed his eyes. The area was empty, and the pillars were all unimpeded, displaying the enormity of the throne room.
Something was off. The air was thick with energy; it tasted stale and used.
Thor looked behind himself to Heimdall and noticed his eyes were moving about the room, focusing on one spot, and then another. His hand drifted down to the pommel of his sword but he remained expressionless.
Amaterasu's ears swivelled left and right, focusing on specific spots. She narrowed her eyes and glanced from one side to another.
Thor couldn't detect anything, though. There was nothing around them but the few guards in their escort, and the feeling of magic in the air.
So that's what his Father had done: gathered multitudes of soldiers. They were surrounded, and the soldiers were hidden from sight and conventional detection. It was likely the work of his Mother.
None of the three made the fact they knew this public, however. They continued to follow after Odin, all the way to the foot of his throne. Four guards stood at attention, their spears crossed, barring the three from ascending.
Amaterasu sat down and looked up at Odin, tilting her head and letting out a curious whine. The instant she sat, a transparent barrier shot up around Amaterasu, encasing her in a yellow box. Runes glowed along the side, flickering with power—the runes slowly trailed down the box, seeping into the floor before reappearing at the top once again.
Thor recognized some of the runes, noting that the use of magic was forbidden within those walls. Other runes pulsed and shimmered, the written rules of the container absorbing fire and ice energies from any being within it.
Well, they were trying to.
The only reason Thor didn't start swinging his hammer at the barrier was because Amaterasu looked almost entirely unaffected. The smallest wisps of red and blue pulled away from her form—barely anything at all, almost like residual energy. He kept his hands at his side, one resting on Mjolnir's handle, while the other was balled into a fist.
The whole scene felt drastically unnecessary in his opinion. His Father's looming throne; being forced to look up at the King in representation of literal and figurative hierarchy; Amaterasu's sudden imprisonment; what had to be countless soldiers surrounding them all, waiting.
Thor tried to voice his opinion.
"Father, this all seems-"
"Silence!" Odin's voice was brimming with power and the shout echoed throughout the hall.
It was almost like a spell, the words carrying a compelling force that made the world around them fall silent. Thor found his tongue heavy; difficult to maneuver properly to even speak.
Amaterasu… Her tongue was hanging out the side of her mouth without a care in the world.
"You will not speak until I tell you, boy," Odin growled. "Are my instructions clear? Or will you disobey them once more?"
Oh yeah, he was furious.
"Yes, Father," Thor managed to say. He winced and glanced at Amaterasu, who seemed… calm. Impossibly so. Maybe a little bored, if the lazy swishing of her tail meant anything.
"Heimdall," Odin commanded.
"Yes, my King," Heimdall said as he stepped forward, bowing as he approached.
"Why have you allowed this to happen? The Tesseract is meant to remain in your possession or within the Vault at all times," Odin said. "It is only to be used in matters of restoring the Bifröst and in dire circumstances. What has been done could be considered treason."
"The Tesseract was within the Vault, my King," Heimdall explained. "As Prince of Asgard, Thor has access to the Vault. The actions taken have been in line with both my Oath to Asgard and your orders."
"Explain," Odin ordered. His eye narrowed, and his glove creaked as he tightened his fist around Gungnir, his spear.
"Thor invited Amaterasu into Asgard to repair the Bifröst, as he asked you prior," Heimdall said. "You did specify to Thor that Humans were not allowed. The situation within the Nine Realms is dire, for hundreds of people are losing their lives each day without Asgard's rule, and millions may follow." Heimdall stood tall and looked Odin in the eye. "As for my Oath: there is not an enemy of Asgard within her walls. I have fulfilled my duty to Asgard and her people, my King."
"A technicality does not excuse placing Asgard and her people in jeopardy!" Odin shouted. "That mutt is not Amaterasu. You've invited an energy-consuming parasite into Asgard, and you have fallen for its trickery."
"Father, I'm sorry, but that is Amaterasu. She-"
"That creature is not Amaterasu any more than you are Zeus!" Odin yelled. "You seem to think you exist outside of the rules, just as he does!" The King of Asgard stood up from his throne and slammed the haft of his spear to the floor.
The hidden guards around them materialized, golden sparks shimmering off of their forms, revealing the weaponry pointed at the trio. Swords and knives hummed with power; guns sat at the ready, whining with energy; magic users had their palms raised, the sound of spells and incantations on their lips.
The pillars around them shifted as well, reality rippling and distorting as the golden surfaces flowed like water. Thick lengths of chain started to form from the pillars, glowing red with a sinister magic that seemed to suck the very energy from the air. The chains began floating and snaked about above them like serpents waiting to strike.
Mjolnir shot into Thor's hand, cracking with electricity. Heimdall drew his sword, the large blade glimmering in the light. Amaterasu-
Thor looked over at Amaterasu and furrowed his brow.
She was sleeping soundly.
Amaterasu was curled up elegantly, her tail wrapped around her, and her head on her paws. She would have been the perfect picture of grace, had her head not been tilted hard to the side. That had to be uncomfortable.
And her tongue was out, resting on the floor.
…And there was a puddle of drool forming beneath her jaws.
"Father, you are making a mistake," Thor spoke up. "Amaterasu helped defend Midgard during Loki's invasion. I witnessed her help countless humans, slaughter Chitauri soldiers, and heal the injured. She can restore objects that have been destroyed, so I believed her abilities would work upon the Bifröst."
"The Bifröst is a technological marvel that was built on the backs of our greatest minds," Odin said. "Why would you think-"
The transparent barrier around Amaterasu rippled from a single spot and then fizzled out of existence. The barriers slowly melted to the ground, everyone watching in stunned silence.
Then, everybody vanished.
A confused murmuring filled the throne room. Metal boots tapped on the floor as people turned to look around and see what was going on. Armour shifted, and curious mumbling sounded out as people searched.
But there was nothing to see. It was all just a big, empty throne room.
"Hey, where did you go?" a guard asked from Thor's left.
"I'm still standing here, why- ow! That was my foot!" another voice exclaimed.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there," the presumed foot-stepper apologized.
"Hey, quit yelling over there!" someone on the opposite side of the room shouted.
"You're the one yelling, you idiot!"
"Don't call me an idiot, moron!"
"Don't call me a moron, you fool!"
"Would you idiots shut up?"
"You shut up!" several voices shouted at once.
Thor was lost. Not physically, that was what the guards were suffering from. No, he was mentally unprepared for the utter lunacy that erupted.
Carefully, Thor stepped to his right, angling himself to roughly where he recalled Amaterasu to be.
"Lady Amaterasu?" Thor whisper-yelled. The confusion surrounding them covered his voice. Barely. "Are you still there? Was this your doing?" He reached out and blindly fumbled around, reaching out for the wolf.
Thor bit back a surprised yelp as something warm, wet, and slimy ran along the back of his hand and up his arm. He pulled away, only to get caught by that thing again, this time across his face! It was-
"Wurf!" Amaterasu announced. "Awuff."
So, this was her doing—the invisibility at least. The loss of the barrier was not her, however. Who could have dispelled his Father's magic like that?
Thor was caught off-guard by the mass of fluffy wolf launching herself at him, sending them both to the floor in a tangle of limbs, tail, hammer, and fur. Thor grimaced and turned his head to avoid the licks assailing his face.
It would have been easier to avoid if he could see her!
Thor didn't understand this creature in the slightest. When did she start breathing fire? When did she start using illusions on a wide scale? How did she absorb the Eternal Flame and then eat the magic within the Casket of Ancient Winters? Why could she heal people and restore structures? What else was she capable of?
Who was she? If Odin claimed she was not Amaterasu…
"I believe we should cool our tempers," a new voice entered the fray. "Let us all take a moment, lest we do something we regret."
Thor knew that voice.
"Mother?" Thor asked.
A shimmer of gold rippled from where the voice sounded out, quickly spreading throughout the room. Within seconds the magic within the throne room faded, as did the weighted presence surrounding them all. The invisibility dissolved with a shower of sparks and the chains floating above them crumbled to dust.
Frigga, his mother, stood at the center of it all, between himself, Heimdall, and Amaterasu, looking up at Odin. Her hands were at her side, and she looked entirely unconcerned standing between four of the most powerful and skilled beings on Asgard.
"Frigga, why did you set it free? What is the meaning of this?" Odin asked, taken off guard. "Step away from that parasite."
Thor untangled himself from Amaterasu, pushing himself to his feet while Ammy stepped back.
"My dearest Husband, this is no parasite," Frigga responded. She turned and crouched lower, offering a palm to Amaterasu. "You should have more confidence in our children."
Thor glanced up at his Father, who seemed torn. The guards and soldiers surrounding the group had all lowered their weapons, not daring to point them at the Queen. Confusion was also evident on their faces—the frequent switching of magics and tone threw them off.
They weren't the only ones.
Thor turned his gaze back to his mother and Amaterasu.
Ammy leaned forward and sniffed at Frigga's offered palm. Then, the great wolf took a step back, and dipped her head in a bow, even extending a leg out in front of her. The image of grace was immediately dispelled when Amaterasu proceeded to drag her tongue across Frigga's palm, leaving a glimmering trail of saliva on her hand.
His mother merely laughed in response.
"Frigga. Come to me and away from that thing." Odin started his descent down the stairs, his eye narrowed, spear at the ready, aimed at Amaterasu.
"Can you not feel it?" Frigga asked. "The warmth? The energy within her?" She kneeled and reached forward, fearlessly grabbing Amaterasu's face. She squished the wolf's cheeks, and then stretched them out, turning to inspect the wolf and handling her like a common dog. "She clearly has a connection with the heavenly bodies."
Amaterasu loved the attention if the wagging of her tail meant anything. She followed Frigga's motions and inspection, opening her jaws when the Queen pried at them and looked at her teeth.
"It consumed two ancient magics that could bring about the destruction of Asgard, and possibly the Nine Realms," Odin growled. He came to a stop at the foot of his throne, his gaze on Amaterasu. "That thing is not Amaterasu. It is no member of the Amatsu-Kami."
"Perhaps not," Frigga admitted. Yet, she moved her hands back up to squish the wolf's cheeks together, prompting Amaterasu to blep out her tongue. "You are not our Amaterasu, that much is clear. But you are an Amaterasu, are you not?"
Amaterasu confirmed with a muffled "wurf", speaking through the squished face Frigga held her in. The Queen laughed and rubbed Amaterasu some more, moving her hands up to massage her ears, which flopped about from her touch.
"That is impossible," Odin protested.
"Are you saying Lady Amaterasu is of another world?" Thor asked. He looked upon the wolf, eyes following her red markings, and examined her form more closely.
Indeed, she was still a wolf. All furry and had four legs and everything.
"No, my son. Another universe," Frigga responded.
Despite the world-shattering realization that fell upon them, Frigga did not stop petting the wolf. Instead, she took her thumbs and pressed them just past the fluff of Amaterasu's ears, getting at those hard-to-reach spots that are seldom touched.
Amaterasu immediately tilted her head to the side and let out a groan, her eyes clenching shut. Every movement of the Queen's fingers was met with another little grunt or sigh, and Amaterasu leaned further and further over.
Thor and Odin both watched in silence as this Goddess of the Sun from another universe fell victim to the magic of Frigga. Specifically, her fingers. Amaterasu flopped onto her side with a groan and sprawled out, enjoying the affections, rubbing, and pats from the Queen.
Finally, Odin let out a long, low sigh, and closed his eye. He turned to the guards who were standing around awkwardly and addressed them.
"Leave us. Return to your regular duties."
Confused murmurs and curious sounds escaped the dozens of Einherjar—Asgardian soldiers—who began to disperse. Several looked back at the scene and shrugged their shoulders.
Life in Asgard was full of curiosities sometimes.
Odin tapped the bottom of his spear upon the floor again. A wave of energy radiated outward, dispelling some magic Thor hadn't been aware of.
"So… Is everything fine?" Thor asked with a sheepish grin.
"Do not push your luck," Odin growled. He sighed again a moment later, and his gaze softened. "The Queen's counsel has convinced me to allow this… theory of yours to take place. If, if, it works, I will consider all transgressions forgiven."
Thor paled slightly, and he flicked his gaze to Heimdall. He seemed completely calm. Maybe he had seen Amaterasu's powers work at some point and had confidence in her.
Thor turned his gaze back to Amaterasu and felt his worry ease somewhat. The wolf was lying on her side, her hind leg lazily kicking while the Queen scratched at a spot along her side.
Thor jolted in surprise at seeing two beady red eyes peering up at him out of Amaterasu's fur. The upper half of a white rat poked out of Amaterasu's neck fluff and looked around, gave a little squeak, and then vanished back into her fur.
He didn't even want to ask at this point.
Luckily, he wouldn't have to.
A set of side doors to the throne room were thrown open with a thunderous bang. A guard who had been reaching for the handle was sent flying backward, skidding across the gold floor.
"My King!" The soldier that threw open the doors cried out, winded. He jogged forward, slumped over, out of breath. He was missing his helmet and one of his boots. "My King!"
Everyone present turned to face the soldier. Everyone but Amaterasu, who had fallen asleep and was now snoring, sprawled out on the floor.
The offset step-slap of the soldier racing toward them was rather off-putting in the throne room, the sound echoing for an uncomfortably long time. Finally, the running came to a stop and the man in armour hunched over, out of breath.
"My King!" The man gasped. "My Queen! My Prince!" He looked up, and continued, taking in everyone else. "Heimdall. Weird stripey wolf thing… I have news!"
…
There was a long moment of silence, everyone looking at the man who had his hands on his knees. He looked right back at them, his gaze flicking from one to another. They waited for him to continue for several more seconds.
…
"Well? What news?" Odin finally asked. "Spit it out."
"The Bifröst, it's been restored," the soldier huffed.
Thor turned his attention to Amaterasu. She was now sitting up, looking as smug as a wolf ever could. How did she pull off that look? It had to be practiced.
Odin took a breath, facepalmed, and sighed into his hand. He slowly dragged his palm down his face, staring at the exhausted soldier.
"Of course it has," Odin said. "This information would have been useful five minutes ago."
"Apologies, my King, it was a long run. There was an energy barrier around the palace; I could not get in."
Thor didn't miss the pointed look Frigga gave Odin, nor the little clench of his Father's jaw.
"Skourge, what happened to your armour?" Heimdall asked.
"Well, I couldn't get in the normal way, so I tried a bunch of other spots. The barrier seemed to disappear when I was under a balcony, so I climbed up. I… fell several times and lost my helmet and boot. But! I made it to deliver the news!" Skourge stood up straight, arms crossed, and flashed Heimdall a smile.
Then he immediately hunched back over and took another breath, hands on his knees.
"Heimdall, why did you not tell me of the Bifröst?" Odin asked.
"I was distracted, my King. I have not looked at the Bifröst in a short while." Heimdall admitted.
"Distracted?" Odin asked.
Heimdall's only reply was to bow slightly and use both hands to gesture outward, encompassing Thor, Odin, Frigga, and Amaterasu.
"To his credit, dearest," Frigga said, "you are quite the distracting individual."
Odin's age showed at that moment, an old king exhausted with the antics of the younger generations.
Thor couldn't help the grin on his face when his father sighed once more.
Odin had, at the encouragement of Thor, Frigga, and Heimdall, begrudgingly allowed Amaterasu to accompany Thor.
Odin also threatened to strip her of her magicks, lock her mind, and chain her to a tree like a common dog if she stepped out of line. Then, he threatened Thor with banishment again if Amaterasu intentionally harmed Asgard or her people.
Just a delightful little cherry on top of it all.
This travel Odin specified was a straight line from the Palace and out over the Bifröst.
Amaterasu idly noted that a raven was following them from high above, like an escort.
She listened, however. Now was not the time for antics. People needed help, and as tired as she was from the fighting—and nearly exploding—earlier in the day, she was ready to go. There was no time to rest when lives were on the line.
"Are you prepared, Thor?" Heimdall asked.
"Indeed," he replied.
"Are you ready, Amaterasu?"
"Arf," she responded.
"Very well. Good luck, you two. I will be watching." The Gatekeeper of Asgard activated the Bifröst, turning his mighty blade within the mechanism.
In a brilliant flash of light, Amaterasu found herself hurtling through a tunnel of colour, an entire spectrum of brilliant lights shifting around her, carrying her and Thor toward the battlefield.
Their destination?
Vanaheim.
With the loss of the Bifröst, Asgard was cut off from the Nine-Realms, which meant they no longer had Asgard's armies to protect them. According to Heimdall, space pirates called the Marauders began looting and claiming these realms for their resources while Asgard was unable to help.
Some of realms either had their own armies to put up a fight against the Marauders, or had almost nothing to offer, and as such were left alone.
According to Thor, no one was crazy enough to attempt a strike upon Nidavellir, the home of the dwarves, as their weaponry and might were known throughout the universe. Likewise, the Marauders seemed against targeting Asgard, for obvious reasons.
Thankfully, they were against going to Midgard—Earth—due to how thoroughly Ammy, Thor, and the rest of the Avengers defeated the Chitauri. Apparently, that was a big deal in space politics and news cycles.
… Was she going to be a space celebrity now? She hoped not.
Two of the realms, Svartalfheim, and Niflheim, were both untouched as well. The former was a wasteland corroded by dark matter, and the latter a bleak world used to imprison prisoners and horrendous creatures. Pirates didn't seem to want to capture deadly creatures that Asgard locked away. Likewise, they stayed away from the prisoners—no one wanted competition over the Nine-Realms.
Muspelheim was a fiery hellscape that contained Fire Demons and Fire Dragons (who hated Asgard); Jotunheim was an icy wasteland defended by Frost Giants (who didn't want Asgard's help, and also hated Asgard); Alfheim, home of the Light Elves, had their own technology, shapeshifters, and armies (they were too prideful and snobby to ask for assistance. They might also hate Asgard).
Amaterasu idly noted that, despite being in command of the Nine Realms, almost all of the other civilizations that lived within hated Asgard. She wondered what exactly caused that rift between the worlds.
Maybe there was some sort of ancient rivalry or war? She'd ask later on.
With the military might of the other planets a sizeable threat, the pirates settled on skirmishes and brief looting runs. This meant that Vanaheim, home of the Vanir (who, Amaterasu learned, are just Asgardians with less fancy technology) was ripe for pillaging. A vibrant world without the defenders they once relied on, and technology that had no chance standing against space-faring weaponry.
Just free resources to plunder, and people to collect and kill, as far as the Marauders were concerned.
Thor and Amaterasu were being sent to the front lines of the war efforts against the Marauders. Ammy was a little excited. She'd never fought space pirates before. Sure, she'd flown on a stone ship that travelled through space in another life.
Here though? This new universe was full of wonders that just never ceased to amaze and excite her.
Thor and Amaterasu landed upon Vanaheim in a brilliant flash of light, the Bifröst scorching the ground beneath them with runes. Ammy took a moment to regain her bearings.
Immediately, they were set upon by the sounds of war. Lasers and guns fired from both sides in rapid bursts, trading shots. Marauder ships skimmed over the ground just above the heads of Asgardian troops and Vanir warriors alike. The sound was deafening and the air pressure from the passing ships knocked soldiers to the ground.
Air strikes caused thunderous explosions that shook the ground and echoed against the trees of the heavily forested world. A dull orange glow covered the battlefield, courtesy of the smoke pillars rising from the infernos that consumed the forests.
There were far too many ships; the invaders' air superiority was absurd. Several Asgardian attack vehicles zipped about the sky and shot down some of the Marauders, but progress was slow.
"Odin's beard," Thor cursed.
Amaterasu had to agree. Heimdall's description didn't seem nearly as bad as what was happening here. Maybe they dealt with worse than this on the regular.
Still, despite the legions of Asgardians being sent out across the planet, wave after wave of support coming in, it was early into the fighting. The Marauders had months to entrench themselves and take over.
Asgard had been at it for little over twenty minutes.
"Amaterasu, I will strike down their ships. I need you to provide support and halt the enemy on the ground," Thor said.
It was a solid plan, all things considered. Take care of the air superiority, and send her in to deal damage in large swaths to the enemy.
But Amaterasu had a better plan.
She was going to put an end to everything right here, right now. That, or just paint a massive target on herself, which, ideally, would have a similar effect and put a stop to everything.
It might also significantly inconvenience her for the rest of her life, and/or lead to Odin trying to strike her down.
If it succeeded, the result would be fewer casualties, or an end to the battle completely. Win-win.
Amaterasu gave Thor an affirmative bark, turned, and then bolted straight toward the battle. She pushed hard enough to crater the ground beneath her paws and kicked up a cloud of debris. Ammy sprinted across the battlefield littered with bodies and crashed ships, weaving between them effortlessly.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Thor shouted.
Vanaheim was a lovely, vibrant planet, filled with natural wonders that called out to Amaterasu. However, the world had odd features scattered across its surface: massive arches that towered high into the sky, well above the trees.
There was one of those arches right in the middle of the battlefield. That was her target.
Ammy glanced to the side. On her right were mostly Asgardian forces, while on her left were the scrambled masses of Marauders. The arch before her was massive, and she was going to need a boost to get up there.
Reality ground to a halt, Amaterasu forcing time to stop. She surveyed the battlefield and came to a decision. With her Celestial Brush, Amaterasu drew a long, curved line across the Marauder's side of the battlefield, all the way around to a spot in front of herself.
That tingly ice cube she ate earlier—Thor mentioned something about 'a thousand years of winter' if she remembered correctly.
What better time to put that to the test than right now, in the middle of battle?
She pushed the magic in her body forward, letting it flow along the ink she traced. The feeling of a blistering cold blizzard whirled around inside her, screaming to be unleashed upon the world.
Amaterasu relaxed her grip on reality and set the Ancient Winters free.
A blinding explosion of sheer cold thrashed its way across the landscape, following the path of her Brush. Magic poured from her body like a torrent of water, causing her to glow a blueish-white as she ran.
Pillars of ice burst into existence, ice shards erupting from the ground and launching out toward the side of the Marauders. Bodies were sent flying, some frozen solid, while others had holes punched into them from the razor-sharp icicles.
They were willing to kill innocents, so she didn't have any qualms about stopping them permanently.
The wall of ice shot upward into the sky and expanded outward, instantly chilling anyone within a short distance of it. Ammy watched the ice follow the path she drew, crouched, and leaped upward.
She careened through the air and over the heads of the Marauders she intended to stop, aiming for the endpoint of her ice attack. Her timing was perfect.
Just as she reached the apex of her jump, the final pillar of that massive ice wall shot upward, straight at Amaterasu. She planted her paws on top of it and jumped off, pushing hard enough to shatter the ice, and continued her path through the air.
Her attack had the effect she wanted. Immediately she could see ships turn and avert their attacks lest they slam into the ice, while others shifted to face her.
Apparently, battlefield-altering strikes drew attention.
Who knew?
Ammy flew true, her aim sending her in a perfect landing upon the slope of the arch. Her claws sank into the surface, carving up the metal and stone. She ran, racing her way up the tall structure, rapidly climbing higher.
Already, Marauder ships started to fire upon her. Bolts of energy whizzed by her and struck the arch but nothing hit her—she was running too fast to be targeted by weapons fire.
One ship careened toward her, predicting her ascent up the arch, its nose pointed at where she would be in seconds.
Ammy jumped and performed a front flip through the air, just barely clearing the ship that intended to skewer her. A quick swipe of her Celestial Brush caused a Power Strike to shear its way through the spacecraft, cutting it in half with a horrendous shriek of metal.
She watched the vehicle explode and slam into the Marauder's side of the battlefield, sending dirt and bodies flying from the dual impacts.
Her paws hit the arch and continued her run.
The slope began to even out, and she picked up speed, racing to her destination. She darted left and right, heavy weapon impacts shaking the structure beneath her. Amaterasu lashed out with swipes of fire, the brilliant torrents lighting up the battlefield. She struck with spears of ice, freezing ships and whole swaths of Marauders.
Finally, she was at the peak. She had drawn a significant amount of attention with her attacks, just as she planned. She needed all eyes on her for this to work.
The Ancient One had told Amaterasu not to draw too much attention to herself—for her safety, and everyone else. That ship had sailed long ago on Earth with all that media attention. This was just a slight step above that.
She couldn't think of a better time than now to go all out.
Atop the arch in the center of the battlefield, Amaterasu looked to the sky, forced the heavens to bend to her will…
And moved the sun.
The sun didn't move so much as the planet itself shifted. It was easy for her. A half circle with her Brush forced the world to lurch on its axis, casting this half of the planet into darkness. Night descended upon the battlefield in seconds, and the haze above rendered it pitch black, light from the moon unable to filter through.
The sounds of war stopped, and the ships racing through the sky came to a halt.
The only visible light came from pockets of fire around the battlefield, the forest blazing in the distance, and Amaterasu herself. Her body radiated a white glow, standing tall upon the arch.
With precision, Amaterasu used her Celestial Brush once again.
Lines of ink drew the fire toward her and extinguished the blazes around the battlefield. Long streams of flame looped upward and snaked around the arch, slithering higher into the sky. The forest fire in the distance flared up, and a river of fire swept through the sky, pulling away from the trees and leaving a smouldering husk behind.
The fire was pulled toward Amaterasu and curled above her, growing tighter and tighter. The flames coiled up above her, forming a quickly growing ball of pure energy and heat. As the river of flame from the forest fed itself into the ball, it only grew brighter and hotter.
The ball flashed, then condensed, growing tighter, brighter. It continued to do so, shrinking, flashing, condensing, growing hotter and brighter with each passing second.
It lit up Amaterasu's form atop the arch, illuminating her against the dark sky.
A single source of light above the darkness, shining over the battlefield.
Amaterasu took a deep breath, looked skyward, and belted out a long, haunting howl. The sound carried across the battlefield and echoed off the trees, rebounding. A chorus of howls rolled over the silent warzone as a result.
The miniature sun lurched, and shot upward, accelerating rapidly. The world grew dark as the large ball of fire shot through the smoke and into the sky, vanishing past the haze.
With the hole punched through the smoke, a beam of moonlight fell upon Amaterasu, reflecting off her fur and causing her to shine brighter, glimmering in the darkness.
Finally, Amaterasu had to do one more thing. It was as natural as breathing to her.
She drew a circle in the sky with her Brush, directly above her.
The world lurched once more.
Sunlight lit up the sky, the smoke above sending the battlefield into a deep shade of red. The only unfiltered light fell upon Amaterasu.
She stood tall on the arch, the sole pure light above the chaos.
Finally, she ended her howl, and let out a breath, the air wavering in front of her from the heat rolling off her body.
The battlefield was silent.
Spacecraft hovered in place, unmoving, facing her.
The Marauders looked up to her, jaws slack.
The Asgardians looked up at her, stunned.
Thor's booming laugh rolled across the battlefield, and he let out a cheer, raising Mjolnir to the sky. A single bolt of lightning streaked from above, striking his hammer, causing a powerful explosion of sound to follow Amaterasu's howl.
The ships above the battlefield immediately whirled around and shot off into the sky, leaving the ground troops behind. The Asgardians began cheering, letting out a roar of noise that washed over their opponents like a tidal wave.
Amaterasu stood above it all and glared down at the invaders, a low growl rolling from her jaws. Despite being high above them, she had no doubt the enemy heard it. If nothing else, they understood the intent and the glare levelled at them.
Some turned and ran. Many more dropped their weapons and gave up on the spot. A not-insignificant portion of them dropped to their knees and bowed toward Amaterasu, mumbling prayers or outright crying.
This wasn't something they could contend with. There was no chance. What army, what force, could fight something that could move the stars?
The battle was over.
Amaterasu glanced to the side when she felt the arch shake beneath her paws. Thor had landed beside her. The God of Thunder stepped toward her, set down his hammer, and dropped to a knee, bowing to Amaterasu.
Ammy did the same, extending one leg forward and dipping her head in a bow to Thor—respect for one another as warriors.
That display of formality lasted less than three seconds.
Amaterasu jumped at Thor with a happy bark; he caught her easily. Thor lifted her above his head, and held Amaterasu high, laughing alongside the happy wagging of the Goddess of the Sun.
"Lady Amaterasu, the halls of Valhalla shall sing of your victories! Your actions this day shall not be forgotten," Thor laughed. "There shall be a grand feast in your honour and the honour of all that fought in this battle."
His laughing turned into awkward spluttering as Amaterasu bathed his face with her tongue, sharing her excitement.
They'd done well today.
Amaterasu briefly glanced at the raven flying overhead, gave a happy bark, and poked her tongue out at it. It hadn't stopped its watch even when time had frozen. She knew she'd more than proven her intentions today.
Wait, Thor said something about a feast!?
This day just got better and better.
Odin sat upon his throne, stunned. He blinked several times and focused through the ravens he sent to follow the creature- the Goddess.
It was real. He would have the astronomers double-check the gravitational anomalies of the battle, but he already knew.
"Frigga, my love," Odin said calmly.
"Yes, my King?" Frigga asked.
"You were mauling the Goddess of the Sun," Odin said.
"I was petting her, yes," she replied. Her smile was far too knowing.
"You rubbed her belly like a common wolf."
"She seemed to enjoy it."
Odin took a breath and leaned forward. He planted his elbows on his knees, clasped his hands, and rested his head upon them.
He'd given his eye for all the wisdom in the universe.
Yet he was more than certain his wife was the wiser one.
"We'll need to empty the cellars. They'll be celebrating for a week," Odin sighed.
"I take it they won?" Frigga asked. She planted her hands on her hips and raised a brow.
"She moved the sun, my dear." Odin looked his wife in the eye. "There are not many who can move the heavens, and she made it look effortless."
"Well, she is the Goddess of the Sun." A bubble of laughter slipped from the Queen.
"That she is," Odin admitted.
That was not the Amaterasu whom Odin knew. The one he remembered did not harness that level of power, nor that variety of skills.
That was not their Amaterasu.
But she was indisputably the Goddess of the Sun.
Odin got to his feet and offered his hand to the Queen. His wife grabbed his hand and stood, following Odin as he started his way down the stairs.
"Where are we going, beloved?" Frigga asked.
"I feel I will need to partake in the festivities early," Odin sighed. "After everything that has transpired… I need a drink."
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Thor could tell his Father was furious. It was the way he walked—not the slow, steady pace of a patient king. This was the stride of a warrior to the battlefield. Odin's spear hit the floor with every other step, the sound echoing through the halls, louder than the marching of the soldiers alongside them.
Odin was at the front of their group, followed by four soldiers who fell into line behind him. Thor and Amaterasu came next in line. Heimdall followed those two, and another six soldiers were behind Heimdall.
Quite the welcoming party.
Thor didn't blame his father for his reaction. After all, having two possible Ragnarök-causing weapons absorbed and eaten by a stranger to the kingdom was hardly ideal. Thor was certain the only reason his Father hadn't attempted to strike down Amaterasu in the vault was to move her away from the other magic artifacts.
Thor idly brushed the ice from his hair and beard.
Again, a reasonable decision. Amaterasu had an odd habit of licking and chewing on dangerous objects of immense power. Not the ideal individual to have in the armoury wing of the palace, let alone the Vault.
"I apologize, Lady Amaterasu." Thor glanced at the wolf trotting by his side. "I intended to conceal your presence until after the Bifröst had been restored. This is… not the outcome I wished for."
"Bwoof," Amaterasu replied, giving a nonchalant flick of her tail.
Thor sighed in relief. Thankfully, she seemed perfectly fine with how things have been going. It made sense when he thought about it. She ate the magic within the Casket of Ancient Winters and just stood in the Eternal Flame to absorb it.
That… That's not a thing that happens. Surtur was prophesized to use the flame to destroy Asgard. The Frost Giants had tried to use the Casket to freeze Midgard solid in a thousand-year winter, and longed to do the same to Asgard.
And Amaterasu just ate it.
If he were her, he'd be feeling pretty upbeat as well… As long as she doesn't overload in a cascading explosion of magic that causes the end of the world. That was still a very real possibility.
But she seemed fine.
Amaterasu let out a thunderous sneeze, quite literally exploding forth, causing several soldiers to jump. A large sheet of flaming ice spread out in front of her and covered her half of the floor for several strides. White fire danced over the surface, flickering with a soothing warmth that refused to spread to anything else.
Thor blinked.
Correction: Amaterasu seemed mostly fine. Only a little explosive and unpredictable.
Thor glanced behind himself, watching Heimdall wisely step to the left. He harmlessly passed by the ice with a bemused smirk.
The same could not be said for two of the guards, who decided marching on top of the magic flaming ice was a grand plan. The one in front let out a terrified gasp and windmilled his arms, his boots sliding effortlessly over the ice. The guard behind him also seemed surprised—Thor didn't understand how—and she slid forward.
The two guards twisted, slipped, slid, and spun around on the ice, their legs a blur of activity as they did their best to remain upright, clutching one another desperately.
Two more guards attempted to help the two who were struggling. With one foot on the regular flooring, and their other foot on the ice, the duo reached out toward the scrambling soldiers…
And promptly did the splits, their feet on the ice sliding out from under them. Two pained groans sounded out and they dropped to the floor, laying on the ice, spinning slow circles across it while clutching their groins. The two upright guards wound up slipping, falling backwards onto the other two. Four more pained groans and yelps echoed through the hall.
Odin sighed and his posture slumped ever-so-slightly. Amaterasu let out an amused huff. Even Heimdall had the good graces to cover his laughter by coughing and clearing his throat.
"Please, tell me that was not intentional," Thor whispered. He turned to look at Amaterasu, and was met by the biggest pair of eyes he'd ever seen. Wide, golden pools of vulnerability—so innocent and pure.
Unfortunately, it was offset by the rather smug look on her muzzle. How a wolf managed to look smug was beyond him, but she pulled it off well. Too well.
Amaterasu still denied it with a huff and a shake of her head. Thor didn't believe her.
Their stroll took them onto a battlement along the outer walls of the Palace. This path did technically connect the armoury wing to the central structure, but this was far from the fastest way to the throne room.
His Father was taking the long route for some reason.
While Thor was wondering why his Father was dragging things out, this gave him another opportunity. Thor could show Amaterasu the reason he'd brought her to Asgard in the first place.
One of three reasons, actually. But this one was the most important. The other two were considerably less so for everyone else.
For him though? Priceless.
"Lady Amaterasu." Thor tapped the wolf's shoulder to gain her attention. "Do you see that colourful structure in the distance?"
Amaterasu padded forward and stepped up to the side of the bridge, rearing back to stand on her hind legs. She looked out over the city of Asgard in its entirety, lost in the view for a moment. Her ears perked up, and she gave an excited wag, using her nose to point.
"Wurf?" Amaterasu asked.
"No, that's the Rainbow District, a permanent stain due to my brother's antics. In all fairness, it did add some much-needed colour." Thor laughed. "I'm referring to the bridge that leads out over the water," he explained. Amaterasu's nod prompted him to continue. "That's the Bifröst—the rainbow bridge. I shattered it to prevent Loki from destroying Jotunheim. Unfortunately, without the presence of Asgard, war has spread across the Nine Realms."
Amaterasu made a curious noise and tilted her head, her ears flopping to the side.
"Without the might of Asgard's forces, fighting and pillaging has begun within the realms," Thor said. "This is why I hoped you would be able to repair the Bifröst. The longer it remains broken, the more lives are lost, and the Nine-Realms will continue to lose faith in Asgard's rule."
Thor continued walking forward, shadows looming over him once again as the walls of the Royal Palace surrounded them. Amaterasu fell behind, staring out over the city.
For a moment Thor was worried Amaterasu would jump off the battlement. That would give his Father an actual reason to end her life—fleeing into Asgard and putting their population at risk.
Much to his relief the white wolf gave a little yip and padded forward, falling into step beside Thor. He reached down to pat Amaterasu on the back, earning a happy sound and a wag of her tail.
Odin continued his march to the throne room, leading their group. Again, he took redundant turns and twists. It was then that Thor realized exactly what his Father was doing.
He was stalling.
Thor narrowed his eyes and looked at the bottom of Odin's spear the next time he hit the ground. There was a faint series of sparks that rolled out across the floor and seeped into the palace itself.
Odin was preparing something. Gods damn it.
"Amaterasu," Thor whispered.
The wolf's ears perked up and swivelled around in his direction.
"I believe my Father is planning to imprison you, or worse. If something happens, you must escape. Odin is not someone whom you can cross and survive. Do not act until you feel your life is in danger, or I tell you."
Amaterasu huffed and rolled her eyes. Thankfully she nodded and spoke a little "yip" of acceptance.
Thor didn't believe she was going to do anything in the first place, but it was better to be safe. His father tended to be stubborn when he settled on a solution.
To be fair, Thor knew he could be stubborn as well—he was willing to listen to reason though.
Odin finally led their group to the throne room; something didn't feel right. Thor looked around and narrowed his eyes. The area was empty, and the pillars were all unimpeded, displaying the enormity of the throne room.
Something was off. The air was thick with energy; it tasted stale and used.
Thor looked behind himself to Heimdall and noticed his eyes were moving about the room, focusing on one spot, and then another. His hand drifted down to the pommel of his sword but he remained expressionless.
Amaterasu's ears swivelled left and right, focusing on specific spots. She narrowed her eyes and glanced from one side to another.
Thor couldn't detect anything, though. There was nothing around them but the few guards in their escort, and the feeling of magic in the air.
So that's what his Father had done: gathered multitudes of soldiers. They were surrounded, and the soldiers were hidden from sight and conventional detection. It was likely the work of his Mother.
None of the three made the fact they knew this public, however. They continued to follow after Odin, all the way to the foot of his throne. Four guards stood at attention, their spears crossed, barring the three from ascending.
Amaterasu sat down and looked up at Odin, tilting her head and letting out a curious whine. The instant she sat, a transparent barrier shot up around Amaterasu, encasing her in a yellow box. Runes glowed along the side, flickering with power—the runes slowly trailed down the box, seeping into the floor before reappearing at the top once again.
Thor recognized some of the runes, noting that the use of magic was forbidden within those walls. Other runes pulsed and shimmered, the written rules of the container absorbing fire and ice energies from any being within it.
Well, they were trying to.
The only reason Thor didn't start swinging his hammer at the barrier was because Amaterasu looked almost entirely unaffected. The smallest wisps of red and blue pulled away from her form—barely anything at all, almost like residual energy. He kept his hands at his side, one resting on Mjolnir's handle, while the other was balled into a fist.
The whole scene felt drastically unnecessary in his opinion. His Father's looming throne; being forced to look up at the King in representation of literal and figurative hierarchy; Amaterasu's sudden imprisonment; what had to be countless soldiers surrounding them all, waiting.
Thor tried to voice his opinion.
"Father, this all seems-"
"Silence!" Odin's voice was brimming with power and the shout echoed throughout the hall.
It was almost like a spell, the words carrying a compelling force that made the world around them fall silent. Thor found his tongue heavy; difficult to maneuver properly to even speak.
Amaterasu… Her tongue was hanging out the side of her mouth without a care in the world.
"You will not speak until I tell you, boy," Odin growled. "Are my instructions clear? Or will you disobey them once more?"
Oh yeah, he was furious.
"Yes, Father," Thor managed to say. He winced and glanced at Amaterasu, who seemed… calm. Impossibly so. Maybe a little bored, if the lazy swishing of her tail meant anything.
"Heimdall," Odin commanded.
"Yes, my King," Heimdall said as he stepped forward, bowing as he approached.
"Why have you allowed this to happen? The Tesseract is meant to remain in your possession or within the Vault at all times," Odin said. "It is only to be used in matters of restoring the Bifröst and in dire circumstances. What has been done could be considered treason."
"The Tesseract was within the Vault, my King," Heimdall explained. "As Prince of Asgard, Thor has access to the Vault. The actions taken have been in line with both my Oath to Asgard and your orders."
"Explain," Odin ordered. His eye narrowed, and his glove creaked as he tightened his fist around Gungnir, his spear.
"Thor invited Amaterasu into Asgard to repair the Bifröst, as he asked you prior," Heimdall said. "You did specify to Thor that Humans were not allowed. The situation within the Nine Realms is dire, for hundreds of people are losing their lives each day without Asgard's rule, and millions may follow." Heimdall stood tall and looked Odin in the eye. "As for my Oath: there is not an enemy of Asgard within her walls. I have fulfilled my duty to Asgard and her people, my King."
"A technicality does not excuse placing Asgard and her people in jeopardy!" Odin shouted. "That mutt is not Amaterasu. You've invited an energy-consuming parasite into Asgard, and you have fallen for its trickery."
"Father, I'm sorry, but that is Amaterasu. She-"
"That creature is not Amaterasu any more than you are Zeus!" Odin yelled. "You seem to think you exist outside of the rules, just as he does!" The King of Asgard stood up from his throne and slammed the haft of his spear to the floor.
The hidden guards around them materialized, golden sparks shimmering off of their forms, revealing the weaponry pointed at the trio. Swords and knives hummed with power; guns sat at the ready, whining with energy; magic users had their palms raised, the sound of spells and incantations on their lips.
The pillars around them shifted as well, reality rippling and distorting as the golden surfaces flowed like water. Thick lengths of chain started to form from the pillars, glowing red with a sinister magic that seemed to suck the very energy from the air. The chains began floating and snaked about above them like serpents waiting to strike.
Mjolnir shot into Thor's hand, cracking with electricity. Heimdall drew his sword, the large blade glimmering in the light. Amaterasu-
Thor looked over at Amaterasu and furrowed his brow.
She was sleeping soundly.
Amaterasu was curled up elegantly, her tail wrapped around her, and her head on her paws. She would have been the perfect picture of grace, had her head not been tilted hard to the side. That had to be uncomfortable.
And her tongue was out, resting on the floor.
…And there was a puddle of drool forming beneath her jaws.
"Father, you are making a mistake," Thor spoke up. "Amaterasu helped defend Midgard during Loki's invasion. I witnessed her help countless humans, slaughter Chitauri soldiers, and heal the injured. She can restore objects that have been destroyed, so I believed her abilities would work upon the Bifröst."
"The Bifröst is a technological marvel that was built on the backs of our greatest minds," Odin said. "Why would you think-"
The transparent barrier around Amaterasu rippled from a single spot and then fizzled out of existence. The barriers slowly melted to the ground, everyone watching in stunned silence.
Then, everybody vanished.
A confused murmuring filled the throne room. Metal boots tapped on the floor as people turned to look around and see what was going on. Armour shifted, and curious mumbling sounded out as people searched.
But there was nothing to see. It was all just a big, empty throne room.
"Hey, where did you go?" a guard asked from Thor's left.
"I'm still standing here, why- ow! That was my foot!" another voice exclaimed.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there," the presumed foot-stepper apologized.
"Hey, quit yelling over there!" someone on the opposite side of the room shouted.
"You're the one yelling, you idiot!"
"Don't call me an idiot, moron!"
"Don't call me a moron, you fool!"
"Would you idiots shut up?"
"You shut up!" several voices shouted at once.
Thor was lost. Not physically, that was what the guards were suffering from. No, he was mentally unprepared for the utter lunacy that erupted.
Carefully, Thor stepped to his right, angling himself to roughly where he recalled Amaterasu to be.
"Lady Amaterasu?" Thor whisper-yelled. The confusion surrounding them covered his voice. Barely. "Are you still there? Was this your doing?" He reached out and blindly fumbled around, reaching out for the wolf.
Thor bit back a surprised yelp as something warm, wet, and slimy ran along the back of his hand and up his arm. He pulled away, only to get caught by that thing again, this time across his face! It was-
"Wurf!" Amaterasu announced. "Awuff."
So, this was her doing—the invisibility at least. The loss of the barrier was not her, however. Who could have dispelled his Father's magic like that?
Thor was caught off-guard by the mass of fluffy wolf launching herself at him, sending them both to the floor in a tangle of limbs, tail, hammer, and fur. Thor grimaced and turned his head to avoid the licks assailing his face.
It would have been easier to avoid if he could see her!
Thor didn't understand this creature in the slightest. When did she start breathing fire? When did she start using illusions on a wide scale? How did she absorb the Eternal Flame and then eat the magic within the Casket of Ancient Winters? Why could she heal people and restore structures? What else was she capable of?
Who was she? If Odin claimed she was not Amaterasu…
"I believe we should cool our tempers," a new voice entered the fray. "Let us all take a moment, lest we do something we regret."
Thor knew that voice.
"Mother?" Thor asked.
A shimmer of gold rippled from where the voice sounded out, quickly spreading throughout the room. Within seconds the magic within the throne room faded, as did the weighted presence surrounding them all. The invisibility dissolved with a shower of sparks and the chains floating above them crumbled to dust.
Frigga, his mother, stood at the center of it all, between himself, Heimdall, and Amaterasu, looking up at Odin. Her hands were at her side, and she looked entirely unconcerned standing between four of the most powerful and skilled beings on Asgard.
"Frigga, why did you set it free? What is the meaning of this?" Odin asked, taken off guard. "Step away from that parasite."
Thor untangled himself from Amaterasu, pushing himself to his feet while Ammy stepped back.
"My dearest Husband, this is no parasite," Frigga responded. She turned and crouched lower, offering a palm to Amaterasu. "You should have more confidence in our children."
Thor glanced up at his Father, who seemed torn. The guards and soldiers surrounding the group had all lowered their weapons, not daring to point them at the Queen. Confusion was also evident on their faces—the frequent switching of magics and tone threw them off.
They weren't the only ones.
Thor turned his gaze back to his mother and Amaterasu.
Ammy leaned forward and sniffed at Frigga's offered palm. Then, the great wolf took a step back, and dipped her head in a bow, even extending a leg out in front of her. The image of grace was immediately dispelled when Amaterasu proceeded to drag her tongue across Frigga's palm, leaving a glimmering trail of saliva on her hand.
His mother merely laughed in response.
"Frigga. Come to me and away from that thing." Odin started his descent down the stairs, his eye narrowed, spear at the ready, aimed at Amaterasu.
"Can you not feel it?" Frigga asked. "The warmth? The energy within her?" She kneeled and reached forward, fearlessly grabbing Amaterasu's face. She squished the wolf's cheeks, and then stretched them out, turning to inspect the wolf and handling her like a common dog. "She clearly has a connection with the heavenly bodies."
Amaterasu loved the attention if the wagging of her tail meant anything. She followed Frigga's motions and inspection, opening her jaws when the Queen pried at them and looked at her teeth.
"It consumed two ancient magics that could bring about the destruction of Asgard, and possibly the Nine Realms," Odin growled. He came to a stop at the foot of his throne, his gaze on Amaterasu. "That thing is not Amaterasu. It is no member of the Amatsu-Kami."
"Perhaps not," Frigga admitted. Yet, she moved her hands back up to squish the wolf's cheeks together, prompting Amaterasu to blep out her tongue. "You are not our Amaterasu, that much is clear. But you are an Amaterasu, are you not?"
Amaterasu confirmed with a muffled "wurf", speaking through the squished face Frigga held her in. The Queen laughed and rubbed Amaterasu some more, moving her hands up to massage her ears, which flopped about from her touch.
"That is impossible," Odin protested.
"Are you saying Lady Amaterasu is of another world?" Thor asked. He looked upon the wolf, eyes following her red markings, and examined her form more closely.
Indeed, she was still a wolf. All furry and had four legs and everything.
"No, my son. Another universe," Frigga responded.
Despite the world-shattering realization that fell upon them, Frigga did not stop petting the wolf. Instead, she took her thumbs and pressed them just past the fluff of Amaterasu's ears, getting at those hard-to-reach spots that are seldom touched.
Amaterasu immediately tilted her head to the side and let out a groan, her eyes clenching shut. Every movement of the Queen's fingers was met with another little grunt or sigh, and Amaterasu leaned further and further over.
Thor and Odin both watched in silence as this Goddess of the Sun from another universe fell victim to the magic of Frigga. Specifically, her fingers. Amaterasu flopped onto her side with a groan and sprawled out, enjoying the affections, rubbing, and pats from the Queen.
Finally, Odin let out a long, low sigh, and closed his eye. He turned to the guards who were standing around awkwardly and addressed them.
"Leave us. Return to your regular duties."
Confused murmurs and curious sounds escaped the dozens of Einherjar—Asgardian soldiers—who began to disperse. Several looked back at the scene and shrugged their shoulders.
Life in Asgard was full of curiosities sometimes.
Odin tapped the bottom of his spear upon the floor again. A wave of energy radiated outward, dispelling some magic Thor hadn't been aware of.
"So… Is everything fine?" Thor asked with a sheepish grin.
"Do not push your luck," Odin growled. He sighed again a moment later, and his gaze softened. "The Queen's counsel has convinced me to allow this… theory of yours to take place. If, if, it works, I will consider all transgressions forgiven."
Thor paled slightly, and he flicked his gaze to Heimdall. He seemed completely calm. Maybe he had seen Amaterasu's powers work at some point and had confidence in her.
Thor turned his gaze back to Amaterasu and felt his worry ease somewhat. The wolf was lying on her side, her hind leg lazily kicking while the Queen scratched at a spot along her side.
Thor jolted in surprise at seeing two beady red eyes peering up at him out of Amaterasu's fur. The upper half of a white rat poked out of Amaterasu's neck fluff and looked around, gave a little squeak, and then vanished back into her fur.
He didn't even want to ask at this point.
Luckily, he wouldn't have to.
A set of side doors to the throne room were thrown open with a thunderous bang. A guard who had been reaching for the handle was sent flying backward, skidding across the gold floor.
"My King!" The soldier that threw open the doors cried out, winded. He jogged forward, slumped over, out of breath. He was missing his helmet and one of his boots. "My King!"
Everyone present turned to face the soldier. Everyone but Amaterasu, who had fallen asleep and was now snoring, sprawled out on the floor.
The offset step-slap of the soldier racing toward them was rather off-putting in the throne room, the sound echoing for an uncomfortably long time. Finally, the running came to a stop and the man in armour hunched over, out of breath.
"My King!" The man gasped. "My Queen! My Prince!" He looked up, and continued, taking in everyone else. "Heimdall. Weird stripey wolf thing… I have news!"
…
There was a long moment of silence, everyone looking at the man who had his hands on his knees. He looked right back at them, his gaze flicking from one to another. They waited for him to continue for several more seconds.
…
"Well? What news?" Odin finally asked. "Spit it out."
"The Bifröst, it's been restored," the soldier huffed.
Thor turned his attention to Amaterasu. She was now sitting up, looking as smug as a wolf ever could. How did she pull off that look? It had to be practiced.
Odin took a breath, facepalmed, and sighed into his hand. He slowly dragged his palm down his face, staring at the exhausted soldier.
"Of course it has," Odin said. "This information would have been useful five minutes ago."
"Apologies, my King, it was a long run. There was an energy barrier around the palace; I could not get in."
Thor didn't miss the pointed look Frigga gave Odin, nor the little clench of his Father's jaw.
"Skourge, what happened to your armour?" Heimdall asked.
"Well, I couldn't get in the normal way, so I tried a bunch of other spots. The barrier seemed to disappear when I was under a balcony, so I climbed up. I… fell several times and lost my helmet and boot. But! I made it to deliver the news!" Skourge stood up straight, arms crossed, and flashed Heimdall a smile.
Then he immediately hunched back over and took another breath, hands on his knees.
"Heimdall, why did you not tell me of the Bifröst?" Odin asked.
"I was distracted, my King. I have not looked at the Bifröst in a short while." Heimdall admitted.
"Distracted?" Odin asked.
Heimdall's only reply was to bow slightly and use both hands to gesture outward, encompassing Thor, Odin, Frigga, and Amaterasu.
"To his credit, dearest," Frigga said, "you are quite the distracting individual."
Odin's age showed at that moment, an old king exhausted with the antics of the younger generations.
Thor couldn't help the grin on his face when his father sighed once more.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Odin had, at the encouragement of Thor, Frigga, and Heimdall, begrudgingly allowed Amaterasu to accompany Thor.
Odin also threatened to strip her of her magicks, lock her mind, and chain her to a tree like a common dog if she stepped out of line. Then, he threatened Thor with banishment again if Amaterasu intentionally harmed Asgard or her people.
Just a delightful little cherry on top of it all.
This travel Odin specified was a straight line from the Palace and out over the Bifröst.
Amaterasu idly noted that a raven was following them from high above, like an escort.
She listened, however. Now was not the time for antics. People needed help, and as tired as she was from the fighting—and nearly exploding—earlier in the day, she was ready to go. There was no time to rest when lives were on the line.
"Are you prepared, Thor?" Heimdall asked.
"Indeed," he replied.
"Are you ready, Amaterasu?"
"Arf," she responded.
"Very well. Good luck, you two. I will be watching." The Gatekeeper of Asgard activated the Bifröst, turning his mighty blade within the mechanism.
In a brilliant flash of light, Amaterasu found herself hurtling through a tunnel of colour, an entire spectrum of brilliant lights shifting around her, carrying her and Thor toward the battlefield.
Their destination?
Vanaheim.
With the loss of the Bifröst, Asgard was cut off from the Nine-Realms, which meant they no longer had Asgard's armies to protect them. According to Heimdall, space pirates called the Marauders began looting and claiming these realms for their resources while Asgard was unable to help.
Some of realms either had their own armies to put up a fight against the Marauders, or had almost nothing to offer, and as such were left alone.
According to Thor, no one was crazy enough to attempt a strike upon Nidavellir, the home of the dwarves, as their weaponry and might were known throughout the universe. Likewise, the Marauders seemed against targeting Asgard, for obvious reasons.
Thankfully, they were against going to Midgard—Earth—due to how thoroughly Ammy, Thor, and the rest of the Avengers defeated the Chitauri. Apparently, that was a big deal in space politics and news cycles.
… Was she going to be a space celebrity now? She hoped not.
Two of the realms, Svartalfheim, and Niflheim, were both untouched as well. The former was a wasteland corroded by dark matter, and the latter a bleak world used to imprison prisoners and horrendous creatures. Pirates didn't seem to want to capture deadly creatures that Asgard locked away. Likewise, they stayed away from the prisoners—no one wanted competition over the Nine-Realms.
Muspelheim was a fiery hellscape that contained Fire Demons and Fire Dragons (who hated Asgard); Jotunheim was an icy wasteland defended by Frost Giants (who didn't want Asgard's help, and also hated Asgard); Alfheim, home of the Light Elves, had their own technology, shapeshifters, and armies (they were too prideful and snobby to ask for assistance. They might also hate Asgard).
Amaterasu idly noted that, despite being in command of the Nine Realms, almost all of the other civilizations that lived within hated Asgard. She wondered what exactly caused that rift between the worlds.
Maybe there was some sort of ancient rivalry or war? She'd ask later on.
With the military might of the other planets a sizeable threat, the pirates settled on skirmishes and brief looting runs. This meant that Vanaheim, home of the Vanir (who, Amaterasu learned, are just Asgardians with less fancy technology) was ripe for pillaging. A vibrant world without the defenders they once relied on, and technology that had no chance standing against space-faring weaponry.
Just free resources to plunder, and people to collect and kill, as far as the Marauders were concerned.
Thor and Amaterasu were being sent to the front lines of the war efforts against the Marauders. Ammy was a little excited. She'd never fought space pirates before. Sure, she'd flown on a stone ship that travelled through space in another life.
Here though? This new universe was full of wonders that just never ceased to amaze and excite her.
Thor and Amaterasu landed upon Vanaheim in a brilliant flash of light, the Bifröst scorching the ground beneath them with runes. Ammy took a moment to regain her bearings.
Immediately, they were set upon by the sounds of war. Lasers and guns fired from both sides in rapid bursts, trading shots. Marauder ships skimmed over the ground just above the heads of Asgardian troops and Vanir warriors alike. The sound was deafening and the air pressure from the passing ships knocked soldiers to the ground.
Air strikes caused thunderous explosions that shook the ground and echoed against the trees of the heavily forested world. A dull orange glow covered the battlefield, courtesy of the smoke pillars rising from the infernos that consumed the forests.
There were far too many ships; the invaders' air superiority was absurd. Several Asgardian attack vehicles zipped about the sky and shot down some of the Marauders, but progress was slow.
"Odin's beard," Thor cursed.
Amaterasu had to agree. Heimdall's description didn't seem nearly as bad as what was happening here. Maybe they dealt with worse than this on the regular.
Still, despite the legions of Asgardians being sent out across the planet, wave after wave of support coming in, it was early into the fighting. The Marauders had months to entrench themselves and take over.
Asgard had been at it for little over twenty minutes.
"Amaterasu, I will strike down their ships. I need you to provide support and halt the enemy on the ground," Thor said.
It was a solid plan, all things considered. Take care of the air superiority, and send her in to deal damage in large swaths to the enemy.
But Amaterasu had a better plan.
She was going to put an end to everything right here, right now. That, or just paint a massive target on herself, which, ideally, would have a similar effect and put a stop to everything.
It might also significantly inconvenience her for the rest of her life, and/or lead to Odin trying to strike her down.
If it succeeded, the result would be fewer casualties, or an end to the battle completely. Win-win.
Amaterasu gave Thor an affirmative bark, turned, and then bolted straight toward the battle. She pushed hard enough to crater the ground beneath her paws and kicked up a cloud of debris. Ammy sprinted across the battlefield littered with bodies and crashed ships, weaving between them effortlessly.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Thor shouted.
Vanaheim was a lovely, vibrant planet, filled with natural wonders that called out to Amaterasu. However, the world had odd features scattered across its surface: massive arches that towered high into the sky, well above the trees.
There was one of those arches right in the middle of the battlefield. That was her target.
Ammy glanced to the side. On her right were mostly Asgardian forces, while on her left were the scrambled masses of Marauders. The arch before her was massive, and she was going to need a boost to get up there.
Reality ground to a halt, Amaterasu forcing time to stop. She surveyed the battlefield and came to a decision. With her Celestial Brush, Amaterasu drew a long, curved line across the Marauder's side of the battlefield, all the way around to a spot in front of herself.
That tingly ice cube she ate earlier—Thor mentioned something about 'a thousand years of winter' if she remembered correctly.
What better time to put that to the test than right now, in the middle of battle?
She pushed the magic in her body forward, letting it flow along the ink she traced. The feeling of a blistering cold blizzard whirled around inside her, screaming to be unleashed upon the world.
Amaterasu relaxed her grip on reality and set the Ancient Winters free.
A blinding explosion of sheer cold thrashed its way across the landscape, following the path of her Brush. Magic poured from her body like a torrent of water, causing her to glow a blueish-white as she ran.
Pillars of ice burst into existence, ice shards erupting from the ground and launching out toward the side of the Marauders. Bodies were sent flying, some frozen solid, while others had holes punched into them from the razor-sharp icicles.
They were willing to kill innocents, so she didn't have any qualms about stopping them permanently.
The wall of ice shot upward into the sky and expanded outward, instantly chilling anyone within a short distance of it. Ammy watched the ice follow the path she drew, crouched, and leaped upward.
She careened through the air and over the heads of the Marauders she intended to stop, aiming for the endpoint of her ice attack. Her timing was perfect.
Just as she reached the apex of her jump, the final pillar of that massive ice wall shot upward, straight at Amaterasu. She planted her paws on top of it and jumped off, pushing hard enough to shatter the ice, and continued her path through the air.
Her attack had the effect she wanted. Immediately she could see ships turn and avert their attacks lest they slam into the ice, while others shifted to face her.
Apparently, battlefield-altering strikes drew attention.
Who knew?
Ammy flew true, her aim sending her in a perfect landing upon the slope of the arch. Her claws sank into the surface, carving up the metal and stone. She ran, racing her way up the tall structure, rapidly climbing higher.
Already, Marauder ships started to fire upon her. Bolts of energy whizzed by her and struck the arch but nothing hit her—she was running too fast to be targeted by weapons fire.
One ship careened toward her, predicting her ascent up the arch, its nose pointed at where she would be in seconds.
Ammy jumped and performed a front flip through the air, just barely clearing the ship that intended to skewer her. A quick swipe of her Celestial Brush caused a Power Strike to shear its way through the spacecraft, cutting it in half with a horrendous shriek of metal.
She watched the vehicle explode and slam into the Marauder's side of the battlefield, sending dirt and bodies flying from the dual impacts.
Her paws hit the arch and continued her run.
The slope began to even out, and she picked up speed, racing to her destination. She darted left and right, heavy weapon impacts shaking the structure beneath her. Amaterasu lashed out with swipes of fire, the brilliant torrents lighting up the battlefield. She struck with spears of ice, freezing ships and whole swaths of Marauders.
Finally, she was at the peak. She had drawn a significant amount of attention with her attacks, just as she planned. She needed all eyes on her for this to work.
The Ancient One had told Amaterasu not to draw too much attention to herself—for her safety, and everyone else. That ship had sailed long ago on Earth with all that media attention. This was just a slight step above that.
She couldn't think of a better time than now to go all out.
Atop the arch in the center of the battlefield, Amaterasu looked to the sky, forced the heavens to bend to her will…
And moved the sun.
The sun didn't move so much as the planet itself shifted. It was easy for her. A half circle with her Brush forced the world to lurch on its axis, casting this half of the planet into darkness. Night descended upon the battlefield in seconds, and the haze above rendered it pitch black, light from the moon unable to filter through.
The sounds of war stopped, and the ships racing through the sky came to a halt.
The only visible light came from pockets of fire around the battlefield, the forest blazing in the distance, and Amaterasu herself. Her body radiated a white glow, standing tall upon the arch.
With precision, Amaterasu used her Celestial Brush once again.
Lines of ink drew the fire toward her and extinguished the blazes around the battlefield. Long streams of flame looped upward and snaked around the arch, slithering higher into the sky. The forest fire in the distance flared up, and a river of fire swept through the sky, pulling away from the trees and leaving a smouldering husk behind.
The fire was pulled toward Amaterasu and curled above her, growing tighter and tighter. The flames coiled up above her, forming a quickly growing ball of pure energy and heat. As the river of flame from the forest fed itself into the ball, it only grew brighter and hotter.
The ball flashed, then condensed, growing tighter, brighter. It continued to do so, shrinking, flashing, condensing, growing hotter and brighter with each passing second.
It lit up Amaterasu's form atop the arch, illuminating her against the dark sky.
A single source of light above the darkness, shining over the battlefield.
Amaterasu took a deep breath, looked skyward, and belted out a long, haunting howl. The sound carried across the battlefield and echoed off the trees, rebounding. A chorus of howls rolled over the silent warzone as a result.
The miniature sun lurched, and shot upward, accelerating rapidly. The world grew dark as the large ball of fire shot through the smoke and into the sky, vanishing past the haze.
With the hole punched through the smoke, a beam of moonlight fell upon Amaterasu, reflecting off her fur and causing her to shine brighter, glimmering in the darkness.
Finally, Amaterasu had to do one more thing. It was as natural as breathing to her.
She drew a circle in the sky with her Brush, directly above her.
The world lurched once more.
Sunlight lit up the sky, the smoke above sending the battlefield into a deep shade of red. The only unfiltered light fell upon Amaterasu.
She stood tall on the arch, the sole pure light above the chaos.
Finally, she ended her howl, and let out a breath, the air wavering in front of her from the heat rolling off her body.
The battlefield was silent.
Spacecraft hovered in place, unmoving, facing her.
The Marauders looked up to her, jaws slack.
The Asgardians looked up at her, stunned.
Thor's booming laugh rolled across the battlefield, and he let out a cheer, raising Mjolnir to the sky. A single bolt of lightning streaked from above, striking his hammer, causing a powerful explosion of sound to follow Amaterasu's howl.
The ships above the battlefield immediately whirled around and shot off into the sky, leaving the ground troops behind. The Asgardians began cheering, letting out a roar of noise that washed over their opponents like a tidal wave.
Amaterasu stood above it all and glared down at the invaders, a low growl rolling from her jaws. Despite being high above them, she had no doubt the enemy heard it. If nothing else, they understood the intent and the glare levelled at them.
Some turned and ran. Many more dropped their weapons and gave up on the spot. A not-insignificant portion of them dropped to their knees and bowed toward Amaterasu, mumbling prayers or outright crying.
This wasn't something they could contend with. There was no chance. What army, what force, could fight something that could move the stars?
The battle was over.
Amaterasu glanced to the side when she felt the arch shake beneath her paws. Thor had landed beside her. The God of Thunder stepped toward her, set down his hammer, and dropped to a knee, bowing to Amaterasu.
Ammy did the same, extending one leg forward and dipping her head in a bow to Thor—respect for one another as warriors.
That display of formality lasted less than three seconds.
Amaterasu jumped at Thor with a happy bark; he caught her easily. Thor lifted her above his head, and held Amaterasu high, laughing alongside the happy wagging of the Goddess of the Sun.
"Lady Amaterasu, the halls of Valhalla shall sing of your victories! Your actions this day shall not be forgotten," Thor laughed. "There shall be a grand feast in your honour and the honour of all that fought in this battle."
His laughing turned into awkward spluttering as Amaterasu bathed his face with her tongue, sharing her excitement.
They'd done well today.
Amaterasu briefly glanced at the raven flying overhead, gave a happy bark, and poked her tongue out at it. It hadn't stopped its watch even when time had frozen. She knew she'd more than proven her intentions today.
Wait, Thor said something about a feast!?
This day just got better and better.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Odin sat upon his throne, stunned. He blinked several times and focused through the ravens he sent to follow the creature- the Goddess.
It was real. He would have the astronomers double-check the gravitational anomalies of the battle, but he already knew.
"Frigga, my love," Odin said calmly.
"Yes, my King?" Frigga asked.
"You were mauling the Goddess of the Sun," Odin said.
"I was petting her, yes," she replied. Her smile was far too knowing.
"You rubbed her belly like a common wolf."
"She seemed to enjoy it."
Odin took a breath and leaned forward. He planted his elbows on his knees, clasped his hands, and rested his head upon them.
He'd given his eye for all the wisdom in the universe.
Yet he was more than certain his wife was the wiser one.
"We'll need to empty the cellars. They'll be celebrating for a week," Odin sighed.
"I take it they won?" Frigga asked. She planted her hands on her hips and raised a brow.
"She moved the sun, my dear." Odin looked his wife in the eye. "There are not many who can move the heavens, and she made it look effortless."
"Well, she is the Goddess of the Sun." A bubble of laughter slipped from the Queen.
"That she is," Odin admitted.
That was not the Amaterasu whom Odin knew. The one he remembered did not harness that level of power, nor that variety of skills.
That was not their Amaterasu.
But she was indisputably the Goddess of the Sun.
Odin got to his feet and offered his hand to the Queen. His wife grabbed his hand and stood, following Odin as he started his way down the stairs.
"Where are we going, beloved?" Frigga asked.
"I feel I will need to partake in the festivities early," Odin sighed. "After everything that has transpired… I need a drink."
Odd1todd89
The strange tightrope
- Pronouns
- It
Tyftc and I hope you have a wonderful day/ night.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Thank you for reading it! You have a lovely day/night as well!
GeekGod_of_Speed
He Who Enjoys The Big Words
I'm totally expecting ami to meet the mcu Amaterasu and merge together
- Pronouns
- He/Him
To quote my post on Space Battles:
I am planning on having them meet, yes. The circumstances have yet to be determined, but they will. Also, I guess the Marvel Amaterasu can shape-shift, which could lead to a whole other set of problems and goofy antics.
Next chapter is gonna be a bit more of an "interlude" with sections for Ammy, The Ancient One, Tony (Iron Man), Natasha (Black Widow), and one more character I won't spoil just yet. Been looking forward to introducing him for a while.
Thanks for reading!