LRAB Chapter 308: First Blood
Chapter 308: First Blood
Chapter 308: First Blood
If you want to support me check out my patron at /athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
I would like to thank my beta, Akisu, for his help in this chapter.
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13th May 2013, Royal Palace Asgard
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
"Fear makes companions of us all. What you're going to do is very hard, and very scary. You're right to be afraid, but don't let it rule over you, remember why you're doing this, why you're prepared to risk everything for this, and you'll pull through."
Loki gave Thor and his mother a longing look, "Glorious purpose indeed."
I chuckled, but stayed silent to Loki, "Good luck, God of Mischief."
I waved my hand and opened a portal, and Loki stepped through it, "Morrigan!" he spoke up. I turned and looked at him, "If anything happens, if I don't make it. I just wanted to say thank you. You have helped me more than you realize, and for that, I will forever be grateful."
I nodded, "It was a pleasure, Loki."
"Yes, it was."
He turned around and left through the portal. It felt oddly final, but I guess he knew the risks of his gambit. As for me, I had an army to lead, and parasites to slay. I slowly walked towards my allies, and prepared myself for one of the most important conflicts in my life, hoping that everything would be alright.
Slowly, I turned and moved towards Odin. Asgard's army had assembled, and their coordination and discipline were impressive. They stayed unmoving on the Bifrost bridge, attentive to their King's orders. I could sense the excitement and bloodlust from every single soldier.
I never understood Asgardian culture really. They celebrated death during combat and craved conflict. It must have been a headache for Odin, who probably sent them on quests for Glory or something as asinine. It was how he handled this part of their culture which was cemented before Odin was born, and which is used by him when he rallied the troops to conquer the nine realms before his ritual.
Frigga, Thor, and Odin greeted me with grim smiles. Yes, they understood that many of their people would not return home after today, but they will be free in their next life. It did not make things better for the prospect, but it is what it is.
The platform we were standing on, started levitating and moving towards the Bifrost. Odin was probably going to give his speech. I honestly don't think the soldiers even know what's at stake here.
The leader of the Dark Elves presented an imposing figure, with glowing red eyes that showcased his channeling of the Aether, the Reality Stone.
I still don't understand why someone would choose to absorb an Infinity stone into their being instead of putting it in a weapon and using it. Even the Celestials used them that way, to avoid any physical backlash and to guarantee far more power and control when using the stones.
Then Malekith decided that he didn't like that way of doing things, and chose to absorb a fucking Infinity stone. The fact that he hadn't blown up was a miracle unto itself. And he must have some rudimentary control over the stone, as he generated a blast of red light that killed an entire row of Asgardian soldiers which gave his forces enough time to push back.
Odin immediately shielded the remaining forces from the attack with a large runic shield and was joined by Thor to fight against Malekith, a fight that shouldn't be that difficult all things considered.
I was personally protected by my own platoon of Asgardians which were told to guard me until the portal stabilizes and to join the battle later, something that seemed to irk them for some reason. They probably felt that this was a cowardly role for the battle, but I didn't care. They were idiots and that wasn't my problem.
Unfortunately, I couldn't help Thor or Odin in this fight. The portal needed my full concentration, and I couldn't cast anything else until it's properly anchored. After all, this was a portal based on the constantly shifting dimensions during the convergence, and it was a connection to a realm that was hidden and not really connected to the core universe. It was a very difficult thing to maintain constantly, and even more difficult to do so automatically when it's anchored. The constant attacks with the Space Stone and the Reality Stone did not help matters in any way.
However, Thor and Odin seem to have things in hand. Malekith's initial attack might have been a rallying cry for the Dark Elves, but the leader himself was struggling. Thor sent concentrated lightning one bolt after another and then used a thunder punch to attack him further. Odin then bound the Dark Elf, ready to kill him, which he barely escaped using a blast powered by the Reality Stone to destroy the runic restraints.
Thor then threw Mjolnir towards the downed Elf and made it circle him, creating a small tornado that he channeled through the hammer. Downgraded hammer it might be, it was still a very good weapon. This time, Malekith used a different technique that created a dark wave of energy that disintegrated everything around him. Odin shielded himself and Thor, but many Asgardians and Dark Elves were turned to dust after the attack.
Huh, it seems the guy knows more than a single attack. Odin must have understood the dangers that Malekith truly represented with the Reality Stone in hand and created a giant glowing runic array that immediately immobilized the leader of the Dark Elves.
Malekith's forces watched in a mixture of fascination and worry, and the Aether slowly started leaving his body as he screamed in pain. When it was halfway towards Odin, giant black swords filled with dark energy materialized and attacked the Asgardian army. In this attack, over half of the attacking force was decimated. Odin needed to stop his attack on Malekith to properly defend himself.
I knew this type of attack. I was very familiar with them when I fought their owner and Odin recognized them as well, as he looked worried for the first time since the fight began.
A portal filled with green and black materialized itself, and a woman stepped out of it. It was one that I recognized, one that Odin recognized. Hela was here, and with this, the plan almost went out of the window.
She looked at her father and gave him a grin, "Well, Odin. Long time no see."
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If you want to support me check out my patron at /athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.