CHAPTER 158

We're halfway to a thousand stones, come on guys!

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[Bucky Barnes POV]

Yelena had called me immediately after she received news of Draul fighting against the Asgardian Gods. 

But what that fight had entailed was not something I ever saw coming. 

We all knew about Draul's little escapades on Mars that had the whole world on its last mental stand but we thought that would be the height of it. 

I knew how quack got when something starts irritating him repeatedly: he either puts his entire focus on solving the issue, or he just blows it up to high heavens… and what we were seeing was definitely the latter.

According to quack, the only satellite that could rival ours was Stark's and S.H.I.E.L.D's, and rivaling being that it was the most sophisticated on the planet and ahead of what other countries had. 

While it was impossible to get a view of what was happening on Mars, we were however able to get a view of what WAS happening on Mars. 

"There's no way we can hide this from the world government. The silver lining is that they have no idea that our resident meta is behind… this." Steve said as he did a double take on the pictures we were getting. 

The Olympus Mons was crumbling, at least half of it. 

We didn't know if it was erupting but we could already see a very wide storm covering a specific area of the peak. That was definitely where the quack was. 

"We don't have to hide anything. It's not as if we have any interest in Mars. NASA would want to explore the planet to find out what really is happening and see if they can find any alien lifeform, because we all know that what happened there was not the volcano erupting." I said. 

"But wouldn't it be stupid to go to a planet where at least half of the mountain, which is bigger than the United States by the way, is destroyed just for curiosity?" Nat pondered out loud. 

"We are humans Nat, being stupid is what we are." Yelena supplied to which Nat just rolled her eyes. 

"Oh my God!" Yelena's cries brought our attention back to see a thin visible line appearing across the entire mountain. 

"What the hell is that?!"

"Are the God's that strong?" Nat asked with worry in her tone. 

"No, they were nowhere near that strong. Thor was strong, but most of that strength came from his indestructible hammer and his ability as a God of the Sky, but even that was nowhere near enough to draw a line that is still extending!" Even I was getting worried at the new development. 

"None of the runes Draul scattered around the house had activated, meaning he's still alright. If he wasn't, we would have been teleported to a hidden spatial pocket." I reasoned. 

Draul was a very paranoid person despite what his seemingly easygoing character might suggest. 

According to him, this house was only a thought away from existing in a spatial dimension of his creation. 

Most of the things we carried around on a daily basis were enchanted with enough spatial spells that would teleport us back home if we were ever in danger, and it also acted as a signal for quack to know of our location and situation. 

He didn't tell anyone, except me that is, because he felt that it would be breaching heavily on privacy and also would mean that he didn't trust us enough to fight our own battles. Didn't stop him from casting the spells though. 

"Quack isn't in danger…"

"But that could change any minute, Bucks. We all know how Draul gets when he finds something annoying, he could flip for all we know and kill one of them. I don't think any parent would take kindly to something killing their child."

At Steve's explanation, we all paled as we arrived at a conclusion that was not comforting in any way. 

If Draul killed either Thor or Loki, it was very possible, 100% so, that Odin would bare his wrath on him. 

"Guys I don't like this…?" Yelena started but had to pause as the camera picked up something appearing in our living room, the blazing red eyes all too familiar to us. 

He looked at the camera that was focused on him as if he could see, which he definitely could and the next moment he was here with us, axe hanging off his shoulders and the Power Stone in his other hand. 

"Draul, are you alright?!" Yelena was the first one that reacted since his eyes only turned red when he fought a hard battle. 

I don't think she noticed how unusual his height was or the flickers of lightning running around inside his iris. 

"Why wouldn't I be… oh!" He paused whatever he was going to say as he saw the satellite imaging from Mars. "Yeah, Odin kinda showed up when I was about to wreck Loki. Oof! That is one old man I don't want to fight anytime soon."

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"Odin showed up?! What did you do?"

Draul frowned at that. "What are you all looking at me for as if I did something bad? It's not like I killed Thor, might have permanently scarred two of them but it's nothing they can't recover from. Well not all of them." 

What the fuck is this guy on? 

… Well what else can I expect from him? It's not like he's the most mentally stable person in the room. 

"But won't that sour any kind of possible future relationship with a pantheon? You made it clear that we might clash and butt heads against some gods. Having them ganging up on us won't do us any good." Steve reasoned. 

"True, but it's not like we are at war with Asgard. We would die before we even knew what was happening that it won't even be funny. While I might not be the best person in the eyes of young Gods, I think Odin and I came to a pretty good agreement considering the circumstances… and not to mention that he owes me a favor that he knows I will collect one way or the other." The air around him changed so did the little changes in his body as he reverted back to his normal form. 

"… And what favor is it that you plan on collecting? Just curious." Nat asked skeptically. 

"The Reality Stone."

"You don't really think Odin of all people would just hand over an Infinity Stone as the repayment for a favor, do you? That would just be spitting on his face, and not to mention the name of the stone you plan to collect doesn't really inspire a sense of security if you were to give it away." Steve said. 

"Potato potato, Steve. It's all the same in the end. No one wants another person to hold possession of not one, two, but three Infinity Stones. It would come to the point where Odin will have to make a choice, one that would put him and his realm in the crosshairs of the other pantheons' gods. 

Thankfully, the time for him making a choice would depend on when I am finally able to assimilate the Power Stone." The axe disappeared, most likely into one of Draul's spatial pockets. 

This was getting complicated real fast. Fast enough that we have to be on our toes moving forwards. "In other words, we would have more Gods coming for us and our only window is the time between you assimilating the Power Stone and then going for the Reality Stone."

"I am running some tests and theories with the Power Stone. Hopefully with that we should be able to bridge a reasonable gap in power." The power stone floated from Draul's hands into the orb he used in holding it, activating the security spells inscribed on it. 

"What about the Nordic Gods? Are you sure that they will finally leave you alone?" it looks like Nat was still worried about that. 

"I have a solid assurance on that. The injuries I gave them can be healed, though I'm not sure about Hogun's hands. Thor should be sparkling clean if Asgard's medical facilities are what I assume them to be. At the very least, I think that is enough scare for them to get off my ass. We shouldn't be seeing any Asgardian in the foreseeable future, that I can guarantee." Draul said and I was tempted to take his words for it but given his past streak, I could now spot a flag from a mile away. 

…. 

[Thor Odinson POV] 

I lost again. 

This time it wasn't only a loss I suffered. 

We had been brought to the brink of death had father not rescued us. 

My brashness had made me strike with the intent to kill and when my victim struck back with the same intent, I not only endangered mine life and also that of my comrades, but also my brother. 

The training I thought would have somewhat closed the gap between did nothing but open my eyes to the gulf between mine and mine opponent's strength. 

As the loser, even I have to admit that he was mighty. 

He could have killed us the first time we walked unannounced into his abode but he took the polite gesture and made to resolve the issue without conflict but my arrogance and blind faith in my strength refused anything else than his groveling apology. 

But the sickening thing is that despite all my failures, I still want to fight him one more time. 

But I know that should I face him one more time, I should accept the possibility of death. 

I had almost lost my friends with our latest venture, and while I had always sought a warrior's death, somehow the thought of dying at that man's hands didn't appeal to me. 

That wasn't a warrior's death. It was more like the death of a boar by the hands of a God. 

It had only been through the help of Eir that we were brought out from the gates of Hel. 

The ones with the most critical injuries had been Hogun and Volstagg: Hogun had half of his body destroyed and also lost one of his hands, while Volstagg had the most internal injuries. 

According to Eir, whatever it was that he was continuously stabbed with had a very immense condensation of destructive energy that seeped into his systems and wrecked destruction. 

Fandral surprisingly had the highest amount of broken bones after me but he was better after a few hours of healing. 

Sif had a hole through her stomach like everybody else but other than that she was fine for the most part. Personally, I think she is depressed that her own weapon was used against her allies. 

The one who came out relatively unscathed was Loki. 

There had never been a time that I so wished Loki would suffer an injustice as much as I did when I found out. 

Even now, all I could vision was Mjolnïr being stranded halfway across the galaxy while I and my friends were brought to the doors of death. 

But I will not despair. 

I will take this fear he had given me and use it as a source of strength and then I will fight him once more. 

Hahaha. He knows not of the Asgardian tenacity. I will do well to remind him of it. 

But for now, I will rest. Rest and reach an height of power untold and then I shall go back to Midgard and seek out another fight. 

Our battle will be legendary. 

"How are you doing, Thor?"

Sif called out to me. 

"Oh Sif! I see that you are back on your feet. That's good, that's good."

"Are you alright, Thor?" Whatever does she mean? I am well. No ill-fated curse has struck me. 

"I do not understand your need for worry. I am as fit as a six legged bull." I smiled at her, knowing fully well how false it was. 

Though that did seem to ease her worries as she smiled back. 

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