When good mythical beasts go bad
A continent of rock hung adrift in the sea of space like an iceberg amidst the sea. A rainbow path traversed a short expanse of void to a gate. The gate guarded the only entrance to the walled city perched at the edge of the continent. Behind the city walls rose towers and palaces of fierce beauty, more splendorous than the host of sapphire-like sparkling stars dotting the dome of the sky. The city was Asgard, home of the beings believed to be gods in Norse legend. Although one cannot escape the foreboding nature of Asgard's architecture, the city shows no signs of Ragnarok. All is peaceful inside; no columns of black smoke billowed from its streets, no buildings lay crumbled into ruins, and no breaches marred the security of its golden walls. If Ragnarok had come, it had snuck into the city like a murderous thief in the night.
As the Guardians approach Asgard, a monstrous 3-headed Dog leapt onto Bifrost. It was a cerberus, trained to defend the realms. The cerberus pounces onto Drax in the lead and tries to savagely thrash his with all 3 heads simultaneously. Gamora and Star-Lord leap to his aid. The cerberus then used one head to continue ravaging his victim, while the other 2 heads defended from those who came to his aid. The Guardians win, after Drax brutally murders the dog.
Shortly after defeating the Cerberus, the Chimaera appeared. A lion-headed, goat-bodied, serpent-tailed monster the size of a buffalo landed on Bifrost to the rear of the Guardians. It immediately set to attacking Doctor Strange, who quickly dispensed the quickest of his evasive incantations. The Chimaera then changed its focus to Drax who it perceived as the strongest of the group, but was ultimately defeated by Gamora with her sword the Godslayer.
After defeating the monsters, they were hailed. "Ho! If thine eyes failed me in this moment, i would count thyself lucky that they endured long enough to witness your battle. Balder, Son of Odin, God of Light, will welcome you into the Legions of Asgard, for Ragnarok is upon us--What a glorious battle it shall be!"
The speaker was Gustave Iver, a typical Asgardian warrior. He carried both a spear and a sword. Gustave suggests to the Guardians that they visit Valhalla, where Balder is preparing the legions of fallen heroes. As he lead them to Balder, Gustave made small talk with the Guardians. He complained about the strange customs of his adolescent daughter, Fritzie, and told the gathering of the time he once spent in the sun-filled mortal land of California.
Balder is found inspecting a company of warriors in an immense hall. The warriors carried weapons from many different eras of Norse history. They stood perfectly still and stared blankly ahead. When Gustave informed him of the Guardians' presence, Balder quickly turned his attention towards them. Balder was the biological son of Odin and Frigga, and half-brother of Thor. Balder's birth had never been celebrated, as Odin recieved portents and visions of Balder's death as a catalyst for Ragnarok. This made his mother decide to magically imbue him with an invulnerability to all, excepting Mistletoe Wood. Balder the Brave grew up in the famed halls of Asgard and became a friend an ally of Thor and the god of light.
Balder informs the Guardians that 30 earth days ago, a small force of Olympians entered Asgard and attempted to ransack the city. They were easily beaten back, but Zeus placed the entire continent of Asgard under siege. Some sort of spell now prevents travel to and from Asgard by even extraordinary means. There are 3 Olympian beasts set to ravage anyone who tries to enter via Bifrost or other passageways. Ares recently delivered a message requesting Asgard's total surrender. Attempts to communicate or parley with Zeus have been met with complete silence. Balder assumed the Guardians had come at Asgard's time of need. Although Balder made his plans and issued his order with total confidence, Balder believed Ragnarok had come and he and Asgard would perish. While he intended to make a grand fight of it, Balder is convinced the Olympians are too strong to be defeated. His attitude was more due to ancient prophesies foretelling the end of the world than to fact. In truth, Balder looked forward to the fight with a certain sense of destiny.
While in Asgard, Doctor Strange makes a visit with Angela to Loki's castle. The god of mischief could not be disturbes however, he fervently worked on potions he claimed he would employ in the defense of Asgard when the time came. Balder informed the guardians that Thor was currently away in Jotunheim fighting the Giants in an attempt to keep them at bay, while his ally Beta-Ray Bill kept the hordes of Geirrodur from attacking. Balder suggests that the Guardians travel to Olympus to investigate the reason for attack.
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