Chapter 11

"My son, it is good you have returned not only with the criminal Loki but with an ally as well," the regal man says, turning his gaze to me.

"Indeed, an ally and friend. Father, Mother, this is Dante, Sorcerer and defender of Midgard. He not only aided in keeping Loki in custody when he attempted to escape capture on Midgard but has repaired the Bifrost." Thor gestures to me. "Dante, this is my father. Odin, King of Asgard,"

I bow my head respectfully,

"Greetings, King Odin."

He nods in acknowledgment, and Thor introduces the woman,

"And this is my beloved mother, Frigga, Queen of Asgard." He says with a caring smile.

"Greetings, Queen Frigga." I also bow my head to her and get a gentle nod in return.

"You have performed a great service to Asgard, Sorcerer. What do you seek in compensation?" Odin says to me with a neutral look on his face.

"I don't need anything, King Odin. Loki wanted to bring war to my world and to rule it. I felt a duty to stop that from happening. And although Thor did not need to fight, he came to Earth with your assistance to stop Loki and his army. The least I could do was try and repay that favor." I explained.

"Hmm," Odin looks at me in contemplation for a few moments, "Very well then, you shall be named friend of Asgard and treated as such. There shall be a feast and celebration for your service." 

As much as I enjoyed seeing Asgard personally, I planned to stay only a bit longer than it took to fix the Bifrost. I couldn't blow off being called before the King without offending them. Now this. I can't tell him 'No thanks' without it getting awkward.

"I'm honored, King Oden. But there is no need to-," I began to try and get out of this amicably, but Thor chose now to chime in and cut me off,

"NONSENSE! It is the least we can do, my friend. I shall be able to introduce you to the Warriors Three as well. All will want to hear the retelling of our battle against the one known as 'Hulk.' Ah, how the maidens and warriors alike shall be enthralled by..." 

Thor began to regale the incident on the carrier here and now, working himself up at the memory of the fight. At the same time, I felt an anime sweat drop forming on my forehead. Thor's mother gave me a kind smile, but it also held commiseration.

I silently cursed Thor as he excitedly grabbed me by the shoulder and dragged me back down the great hall despite my consternation. I managed to break his grip, straighten myself, and give my regards to the King and Queen. Receiving a deadpan nod from the King, the Queen did her best to hide her laughter.

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Feasts and celebrations looked to be a common occurrence here, as by the time Thor had led us to yet another massive hall, long tables stretching from the front to the back of the hall were being filled with huge platters of food and drink. Numerous people were already there partaking, and as we entered through the large double doors, a roar erupted from the crowd, which Thor returned with a boisterous laugh.

Thor led me farther into the hall, grabbed two large tankards off a table, and handed me one.

"Cheers, my friend!" 

Thor said before banging his tankard into mine and downing the entire thing in moments. I brought mine up to my lips, smelling it first. It had a rich honey and oak aroma. I sipped it first and was almost overpowered by the strength of the alcohol before my power flooded my body and neutralized it.

It was by far the most potent drink I've ever experienced. Having traveled around the world and tasted most of the favored alcohols, nothing comes close. It's a mead of some kind, and the taste was outstanding.

After taking a large gulp while Thor watched, he let out another boisterous laugh,

"AHAHA, I knew you were strong for a Midgardian, but you can drink Asgardian mead with such ease as well, " he says, firmly clapping my back.

"Midgardian? Who is he, Thor?"

A deep male voice speaks from behind Thor, causing him to turn and see three men and a woman walking up to us through the crowd.

"My friends! It is good to see you. Come, I wish you to meet Dante, a Sorcerer of Midgard and mighty warrior who aided in the capture of Loki and even restored the Bifrost." 

Thor introduced me, causing the four of them and others around us to look toward me before he introduced them,

"Dante, these are my oldest of friends and comrades. This is the most fearsome and deadly maiden in all of Asgard, The Lady Sif,"

He gestures toward the woman, who had been looking at me like I was a strange new creature she was trying to learn more about. She had a beautiful, angular face with shoulder-length black hair flowing freely. She wore a metal chest plate that contoured her figure, with a one-handed sword strapped to her back. With a chainmail and leather skirt over leather breeches finishing off the almost iconic look of a Valkyrie. She had taken me in as well before softly nodding to me before Thor continued,

"And these are the Warriors Three! This is Volstagg the Valiant,"

He firmly patted the shoulder of a tall, ginger-haired man with a, quite frankly, glorious beard that he had the edges of done in braids. The large man carried an equally large double-bladed axe on his back. He reached out an arm in greeting and grasped my forearm as I did the same in turn,

"Well met, Sorcerer. You must be powerful to have restored the Bifrost and equally skilled for dealing with Loki's tricks." He greeted me.

Thor continued to the next of the three,

"This is Hogun, a wise, faithful friend and ally,"

Hogun is a man with East Asian features who has remained silent and stoic since Thor began. He wears his medium-length hair up in a high, fanned ponytail. Wearing a black and grey robe-like top with cloth pants, I've seen martial artists wear before. I see no sign of him carrying a weapon like the other three until he bows slightly, and I catch a glint of steel held at his lower back, tucked into a black sash that wrapped his waist.

"And last but not least, Fandral the Dashing,"

The blonde man gave a theatrical flourish and bow in greeting. He had an almost stereotypical 'roguish' look with a finely manicured goatee beard and quaffed short hair. I also noticed his eyes roaming from woman to woman amongst the crowd, so I'm getting the hint that he is a bit of a playboy. From all the weapons the Asgardians chose to wield, Fandral wears a rapier on his hip.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, honestly. From what I've seen so far, I'm glad that Loki seems to be an outlier among Asgardians." I say to them.

Thor looked slightly sheepish at me while Lady Sif groaned. 

Fandral gave a self-deprecating chuckle,

"Yes, he's not one for making friends on first meeting. So you are a Sorcerer, interesting."

I raise an eyebrow,

"Yes and no. It's more of an innate ability I've had since I can remember rather than sorcery. Why? Is it strange to wield magic amongst Asgardians? I'd thought it would be more common with Loki's illusions and Thor's lightning." I ask them.

"Magic is considered a woman's art. Very few men take to the study of magic. Loki learned from Queen Frigga, who is renowned for her ability in Asgardian magics." Lady Sif answered me, giving an eye roll at the gendered outlook of it. She seems to take pride in breaking that stereotype.

"He is more than a powerful Sorcerer, my friends. Come and sit. I shall regale you with our adventure upon Midgard, where he brought down even a being I struggled to bring low." Thor chimed in, catching their attention and even those around us.

'Here we go again,' I thought to myself as Thor began from when he was sent to Earth by Odin to capture Loki.

"..... And with such swiftness, even I could not follow. He stuck the 'Hulk' with a mighty blow that caused even I to struggle to stay on my feet from the blast. The great beast looked to whether the strike, but moments later, fell to its knees and lost consciousness, returning to the diminutive form of the one known as Banner." Thor had them enthralled with the retelling of the fight.

Lady Sif turns to look at me,

"How did you defeat this foe in a single strike? Did you use your magic?" She questions me. Everyone, including Thor, looks at me expectantly for my answer,

"Well, once I was in his blind spot, I increased the speed and weight of my fist as I swung it. Up to a point, it was as if I was swinging a building instead of a standard punch. I didn't want to hurt Banner, but the Hulk is insanely durable." 

"Indeed, the Hulk took several blows from Mjolnir and did not fall. A truly worthy opponent, but now I desire to spar against you, my friend." After drinking deeply from his mead, Thor says, "Let us go to the training grounds and have a match. I wish to test your abilities." He gets up with a laugh and starts heading toward the hall's exit.

Seeing Thor wouldn't take no for an answer now, I finished my drink and followed him.