Attack | OPEN
A flood of irritation rose in his gut at Thor’s refusal to help him. Loki tightened his grip on the stolen sceptre in his hand as he sensed the movement, but his moment of hesitation cost him…Thor was struck by the creature as it blurred into his sight. Thor’s lightning drove rubble into the air, dust filling Loki’s nose and when it settled…the creature was gone.
Thor seemed…unsteady.
“If I break this, and you betray me, I will kill you.”
There was no time to form a sentence of his own. Mjolnir glimmered in the dim light and then —
— light and pain.
Jarring pain lanced up his arm, across his shoulder and down his back, and with it came a rush of power. It was as though a dam had been released within him, and Loki howled with the intensity of it. His own eyes took on an eerie as he let the magic burn through his body. His arm hung limp at his side, but it didn’t matter to him.
Too-solid duplicates flickered into existence, each with their own sceptre, glowing with acidic green light, and the smile that pulled at his lips was frighteningly exultant.
He was free.
There was a blurred movement to his left, and Loki spun, bringing his sceptre up in time to stop the pair of wicked blades before they could slice into his skin. The creature stood still, surprise etched across its grotesque features.
“You were not to have this sort of power,” it hissed. The thing was pale, with waxy skin and a gaping mouth with too-sharp teeth that dripped with inky-black saliva. The creature wore wispy robes that gathered shadows to itself and blurred it’s presence.
Loki only smirked in reply, and the creature hissed, dipping under the sceptre to strike at Loki’s unguarded midsection.
Loki’s laugh filled the air as his duplicate fizzled and vanished at the creature’s strike. His duplicates were all laughing.
The creature howled with anger, and vanished, blurring through the space as it struck at each clone, and each one disappeared as it sliced through them.
A vicious bolt of wicked green energy slammed into the creature, burning into its skin, and still Loki’s laugh continued. Tendrils of energy burst from the ground, wrapping themselves around the creature’s legs, and yet another nasty bolt slammed into the creature’s side.
Loki stepped into existence at Thor’s side, his expression a cold smile, his eyes burning as he watched the creature writhe in frustration from where it was held in the grip of his magic.
“Now, Thor. Strike hard, and together we will destroy it.”
Thor watched, grim-faced, as his brother regained his former terrible power. He wondered if he would be forced to act upon his threat, if he had the strength to go against Odin's law and kill another Asgardian. To kill his own brother...
He pushed the thoughts from his mind, focusing instead on the battle in front of him and the searing pain spreading like wildfire down his neck. Loki's laughter filled the air, grating on Thor's nerves, as he trapped the creature. Thor looked at Loki's satisfied smile with disdain. Had the return of his might expelled any thought of rehabilitation from his brother's mind?
When Loki gave the order to finish the beast Thor straightened up. Immediately he felt nauseous again. He gritted his teeth against the sensation as he spun Mjolnir to gain momentum. With movement mastered over generations of practice, he hurled the hammer at their enemy. Such was the force of Mjolnir's impact that it cleaved the beast's head clean off its shoulders.
He felt dizzy from the throw, but Thor kept his footing. Mjolnir now back in his grip he walked to Loki, a deep frown etched across his face. Before his brother had a chance to speak, Thor knocked the irritating smile off his face. As Loki stumbled backwards from the punch, Thor grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him close to his face. The nauseating feeling returned with vengeance, yet he ignored it.
“You can not dare laugh at a time like this,” Thor bellowed at Loki, “this is not some grand battlefield, it is part of these peoples lives!” He shoved Mjonir into his brother's face for him to see the dark blood dripping from it. “On this weapon is the blood of an innocent man. His death is on my hands, brother.” Thor dropped Mjolnir beside him and gripped Loki with both hands, both out of anger and out of need to stabilize himself against the debilitating pain of the poison. “You are a fool! I could have helped you, we could have fought these vile things on our own terms.” Sirens blared blocks away. Thor knew they could not linger, but he needed to make Loki understand. Of all times, now was the most vital for him to grasp the lesson of responsibility and respect. “Loki,” Thor said, his tone softening, “your actions have direct and very serious consequences. Do not revel in the death and mayhem we are able to inflict.”
A jolt of pain raced through the entirety of Thor's body. He let go of Loki, stumbled backwards and fell to his knees. The poison had reached his heart, the Norse god could feel it rampaging through his blood. “We are seen as gods,” Thor grunted, “and for a time we acted as such, thinking ourselves better than all.” He dragged Mjolnir to his side, using it to prevent himself from falling completely over. “It is time we began acting like...” Thor grimaced, knowing Loki would be loath to hear it, “mere men.”
