8 Lord Commander 1

Highfather and Darkseid narrowed their eyes on Drüin, their gazes slowly turning into glares as they flexed their own powers. "You speak on behalf of your king?" Highfather questioned with a warning tone.

"I speak on behalf of the Nine Realms", Drüin replied unfazed, "Asgard. Stands. Alone."

The New Gods stared at Drüin then watched as he turned around and began to walk away. That was when a Boomtube opened up, catching the God of Might's attention. The Asgardian Prince glanced back to see a black haired, scarlet eyed, five foot eleven inch tall woman. She had gray skin like Darkseid, black armor resembling an Amazon, and a sinister smirk that was being directed at him.

'Grail...why does this shit keep getting even more intense?' Drüin thought as he half turned in the direction of Darkseid. The Dark God of Apokolips glanced back at Grail with a raised brow as she stalked forward. "So this is the God of Might that you spoke of, father?", Grail sneered, "He doesn't look like much, actually he appears to be afraid to even back up that talk."

Drüin gave Grail a deadpanned expression as he shook his head at her. "I just destroyed your palace, not the Allfather, I did", Drüin revealed, "That was a message and a threat, Asgard is fully capable of destroying either one of you at any time...and we are not afraid to use what weapons we have at our disposal. So before you try to make me lash out at you, try to remember that you are in Asgardian territory. Speaking of.."

Drüin then turned his attention to all the New Gods in attendance. "Get the Hel off our realm.."

{Asgard, Bifröst Chambers}

Heimdall and Odin stood side by side as Drüin was returning from his meeting with the New Gods. As the God of Might materialized before them, he let out a slight breathe before looking up at the Allfather and Heimdall. For a moment there was silence before he gave them both a serious look. "We will need to be careful of who we allow entry to Asgard and the other realms." He stated, getting a nod from Odin as he stepped down from the Bifröst's controls.

"Of course", he replied, "Though I am curious as to why you did not allow them to offer any maiden to be wedded to you. It seemed as if this Highfather was more adamant to be our ally rather than enemy."

"That was because he wanted our military might to be brought down upon his enemies, father."

"You think of him as crude as that?"

"No, I know that he IS as crude as that", Drüin said as he and Odin began walking out of the Bifröst, "Highfather believes himself the icon of all that is good. But one must ask how does he define good? Darkseid is far more intelligent to not ask for an alliance, but a truce. If I were a fool then I would have taken him up on that offer. Asgard has enemies on both sides, and either one of them has the technology to bring them here whenever they wish. We must be wary, and always keep our eyes on them."

Odin nodded, trusting in his son's sound judgment much to Drüin's surprise. "Very well, however how will we tighten our hold on Midgard?"

"It has been many centuries since the realms has been graced with our prescence, but it is not without it's obvious advantages."

"That being?"

"What does a Midgardian look like father?"

Odin processed that question for a moment then gave Drüin a small smile. "That may work, though this will have to be planned and organized down to the lowest level."

Drüin nodded, knowing that Asgardians will have to more or less play the roles of mortals in order for Asgard to keep a strong presence on Midgard unseen. "Leave that to me father."

{War Room, Asgard}

Drüin, Hela, Tyr, and Brunhilde stood around a transparent holographic form for Midgard. Each of them except Drüin had a mix of serious and dark expressions. He had told them how his meeting with the New Gods went. Hela most of all disliked a certain one, Grail to he specific. The first to speak was Hela, though it was referring to the New Gods in particular instead of their current discussions.

"So, they are arrogant enough to think that Asgard requires their aid?", Hela suddenly commented, "Pitiful excuses for gods, I'd have flayed them alive for trying to coerce you. Why didn't you try to slay them while they stood before you?"

Drüin sent her a deadpanned look before letting out a deep breathe before speaking. "Sister, this is coming from your wiser brother, do NOT underestimate our foes."

Hela went to speak, but held her tongue remembering that he was Lord Commander, giving him rank above even her. Drüin looked to the map of Midgard before pointing out several locations. Then the discussions truly began, the plan that Drüin had in mind.

"Asgard is about to face a war that we have yet to experience. I am not sure as to how these enemies that we now face are going to strike. However, I can assume that after the recent failure to assassinate me, Darkseid will try more subtler tactics. So we can expect Apokoliptian spies or assassins to try and get into Asgard. As for Highfater, I can assume that they will attack us head on." Drüin deduced, then noticed Tyr frown as he looked to him.

"My prince, what makes you so sure that this Highfather is going to attack us?", Tyr questioned, "If Darkseid could not break us, then why would they try?"

"Because Tyr, Highfather is only aware that I destroyed Darkseid's palace." Drüin replied, getting an understanding nod from the God of War. Drüin remembered how Highfather wanted knowledge of the Bifröst, and knowing that was a terrible idea, he decided not to share it. Even though he didn't truly know how it worked.

"Brunhilde, your Valkyries will work coincide with Hela and her Berserkers. We do not know what to expect when facing Highfather'a forces, but we can expect them to try and make us submit."

At that last sentence, Hela spoke up. "Make us submit?"

Drüin looked to her before replying. "Highfather sees himself as everything that is good, we use that against him. He knows not that Asgard is the center of our forces. Meaning he will be unawares if we simply evacuate the city and have our armies take arms across the realm."

Hela remained silent after Drüin's explanation, allowing him to continue.

"These locations on the map is where I believe that we should have Asgardians stationed across Midgard. The realm of the mortals are at a disadvantage, for they know not what dangers will emerge in the coming days. Be sure to have trusted commanders in charge of these smaller forces. They are not to reveal themselves unless absolutely nesscessary. The mortals resemble us quite a bit, to the point that we could be considered one of them. With that said, any questions?"

Brunhilde spoke up for the first time during the discussions with a curious look sent to Drüin's way. "My prince, how do you plan to keep our warriors hidden over Midgard? We are not well versed in magics."

Drüin sent a smirk to Brunhilde who narrowed her eyes on him. "That is because Lady Frigga will be having magicians that she has trained stationed alongside our men. They will use their spells to conceal our warriors until they must strike."

Brunhilde, Hela, and Tyr began to realize the genius of Drüin's plan. The Aesir Asgardians were incapable of magic such as the Vanir. Though the Aesir's were significantly stronger, the Vanir were far more flexible in all other fields. Tyr was next to speak, placing his only hand on his chin as he looked over the map once more. "What shall we call these warriors, for they will need a new name since they will not battle for a long time."

Drüin almost froze, not having thought that this would become an issue. So he decided to just roll with it and came up with a name on the fly. "We will call them the Black Raiders, for they will be in strategic positions to attack our enemy if they try to make a foothold on Midgard. As well as being cloaked with darker armor...have the blacksmiths prepare the armor immediately, Tyr."

All three Asgardians nodded to which Drüin decided to end the discussion. "Is there anything else that we should add before dismissing?"

Neither of the assembled group spoke, remaining silent until Hela spoke up with a slight gleam in her eyes. "What of these once great empires on Midgard that father spoke of, the Amazons, Atlanteans, and supposed gods?"

Drüin began to think on that, knowing that the Amazons and Atlanteans existed. Though only one of them would possibly wish to be an ally if push came to shove. The other two were far too stubborn, and Drüin didn't need to think twice on one of them. Coming to a decision, he looked to Hela before speaking. "The Atlanteans seem to be thinking of themselves rather than Midgard as a whole. As for the gods of Midgard....they are not trustworthy enough in my book. The Amazons however could be useful in the coming battles."

Drüin then looked to the other two Asgardians. "That said, it does not mean that we are capable of meeting with them. The Atlanteans are isolationist, the Midgardian gods are selfish, crude, and immature, and the Amazons cannot be found...for now. Until then, stay vigilant, if there is nothing more to discuss then you are all dismissed."

With that, Brunhilde and Tyr bowed their heads and exited the War Room, leaving the two siblings alone. Hela continued to look at the map before looking at Drüin with an odd look. "If you have something to say dear sister, I would suggest that you say it while I still stand here." Drüin said with a hint of mockery.

"You plan to visit her again....do you not?" Hela questioned, causing Drüin to tense up a bit before closing his eyes. His silence was that of sorrow rather than professionalism.

"She deserves to have at least one of her children to see her Hela..."

"You still defend her, after what she's done?"

"She is still our mother..."

Hela looked away, an unsure look on her face before turning to leave the War Room. Drüin opened his eyes, but kept his gaze forward as he thought over Hela's words. He still remembered the day that Asgard lost a good queen...the day that he lost his mother to madness.

{2000 Years Ago, Asgard}

"Mother!" Drüin called, he was without his armor at this point as he charged up a flight of stairs. He found dozens of Asgardian men and women in armor laying dead in puddles of their own blood. His gaze landing on them with a look of shock and sorrow before moving ahead. He came to a halt near a bridge and saw his mother, Freyr rushing towards the palace. With rushed aim, he hurled Aëgor like a javelin and watched as it landed in front of her, blocking her path. The Asgardian woman came to a halt and glanced back at her son. The look in her eyes was that of anger, one that was being directed to Drüin now. Slowly, she turned to Drüin as she held a no weapons but her hands were covered in blood. Her armor was black and violet in color palette, her body refined in the important aspects of herself, and her hair was a mixture of black and white. At her hip was an undrawn sword, though blood could be seen at the hilt, showing that she had used it very recently.

"You would dare take up arms against me, my own son?" Freyr questioned, to which she watched as Drüin take cautious steps forward.

"Mother, what you would do is drive this kingdom into ruin....you know not what you do."

"I would take down a tyrant and be called a hero!"

"You would be called a monster!"

Drüin watched as her face contort into a scowl. His mother seemingly directing her anger onto him with her full attention. "Speak your next words carefully son...."

"Have you even realized what you've done? How many lives that you've taken in your path!?"

"They are poor souls who are too ignorant of the truth..."

"What truth!?"

Freyr frowned, then pointed at Drüin before letting out a deep breathe. "That you my son...is suppose to end Ragnarok....but to do that Odin must die."

"Who has spouted these lies to you?"

"They are not lies, I had foreseen this while I had visited Midgard."

Drüin shook his head at her, then called Aëgor to him. The spear flung upwards and towards the God of Might, but before it could even make headway, Freyr caught it out of the air and shook her head at him. "You would dare use my own weapon against me? Shame on you..."

Drüin narrowed his eyes before taking up a defensive stance, then charging forward at Freyr. The Goddess of the Hunt simply twirled Aëgor in one hand, then spun around to strike her son up side the head at his temple. The blow sent him stumbling to his left, but he recovered and delivered a side kick at Freyr's hip. She grunted before bringing the bladed tip of Aëgor to bare on Drüin. The Goddess of the Hunt lunged forward, intending to drive the spear into her sun's shoulder. Drüin dodged, but felt the spear nick his neck as he rolled to the side. He then tackled Freyr, but found her still standing, and sent her knee into his abdomen. Instead of kneeling over in pain, the God of Might tanked it, then lifted Freyr up and over him. Freyr's head collided with the pavement behind him, as Aëgor fell from her grasp. She gritted her teeth, then rose up and begin to trade blows with her son.

Drüin had already spun around, sending an enclosed fist to her face. She caught his punch, and used his momentum against him by pulling him forward. Freyr moved her free arm's elbow into his stomach, and watched as he made an audible groan. Unfortunately, Drüin would not be done in by that alone. He headbutted her, then grabbed her by the cuff of her armor and began to bash her face with repeated punches. Drüin punched his mother again and again, until she suddenly caught his fist and gave him a sad smile despite herself having a blood nose. "You held back..." She uttered.

Freyr did her own headbutt onto Drüin, sending him reeling back before catching himself. She slowly drew her sword now, then pointing it at Drüin.

"I do not wish to kill you son, I only wish to make sure that you become the king that I know that you will become.."

"A king who rose from the ashes of those around him?" Drüin retorted as he glared at his mother, she shrugged before raising her sword. She then dashed at him, aiming to incapacitate him. Drüin called Aegor to his grasp, the weapon flinging into his grasp. Twirling it in both hands, the God of Might moved the spear to parry his mother's sword. Then spun around to smack her temple with the butt end of the spear. He then spun around again, getting unto a crouched position and unleashed an energy blast from the spear's bladed tip. Freyr swiped diagonally her sword after recovering from being hit by Aegor. Her blade cut through Drüin's energy attack, absorbing the blast. The blade began to hue with golden light before she fired back at her son, using his own attack against him.

"Have you already forgotten Ingrid's capabilities son?" Freyr questioned with a hint of mockery, then found Aegor's blade tip coming her way. It's razor sharp edge a mere five inches from her face. She narrowingly dodged, and scolded herself for trying to mock her son. She had forgotten that he would always take advantage of a pause within a fight. To strategize and execute on a hastily made plan. Aegor passed her head, slicing off some of her hair and nicking her neck. "Are you trying to kill me now boy?"

Drüin remained silent, already knowing that something or someone got to his mother. Or rather...her mind had been warped and made to stand against them. With a dark thought entering his mind, the God of Might gained a resolute expression. One that Freyr noticed as she swung her sword with a backhand, smacking the flat of Ingrid into her son's cheek. Drüin's eyes began to shine with a divine golden glow, and with Aegor in his hands, he let out a powerful shout. His shout was enhanced by his own power, it had sent his mother flying backwards and off the bridge to the other side of it. She hadn't expected something like that, nor was she aware of this ability of his. When she went to stand, she gazed up to see her son lunging at her, Aegor poised to pierce her through.

Gritting her teeth, Freyr raised Ingrid to block her son's attack. However she had misunderstood what Drüin was doing. Aegor's blade slid across the sharp edges of Ingrid as the two touched. Then with a flick, Drüin disarmed his mother...literally.

Freyr watched wide eyed at the lost of her missing limb, the hand being sent flying and to the side with Ingrid still firmly in it's grasp. "I'm sorry mother...but whatever spell that keeps you as my enemy, I promise to free you from it." Drüin apologized, then raised Aegor up, and with the flat part of the spear smacked it into the right side of her face.

{Present Day}

Drüin opened his eyes to find himself outside of a cell, he was in a different part of Asgard. One that housed the most dangerous adversaries who had ever threatened the safety of the Nine Realms. The prison was hidden away, with only a select few who knew of it's location and existence. There weren't many who were imprisoned here, only those who seemed unable to be killed were locked away. Prisoner who he had come to visit was his mother, one who had special privileges due to his intervention.

Drüin stared at the woman, her body limp and laying in a bed her size. She wore a black gown and looked to be less of what she once was. Her body was more lean than the robust one that she had years ago. There was utter silence between the two, nothing said and no sounds made, besides their own breathing. The first to break the silence was Drüin, his mouth opening to speak. "Good afternoon mother..." Greeted Drüin.

Almost immediately after he had said that, Freyr's body tensed up. She rose quickly, and sent a glare to her son. The glare remained affixed to him, even as she moved her body to face him. The goddess' beauty still remained, though her eyes gave off this emerald sickening hue. It was as if she had been possessed, something that pained Drüin to see. He was never able to find what or who had made his mother this way, only dead ends and wild goose chases. Not only that, but her condition seemed to worsen with each passing year. Freyr continued to change from the loving mother that he knew her as to this cold blooded murderer that now sits in this cell.

"Father has promoted me", Drüin began again, "I am now Lord Commander of all of Asgard and the Nine Realms. I know that is not what you would have wanted, but now I have finally been recognized as you had said. Father and Hela has changed as well, with the latter actually understanding the consequences of her actions."

Freyr said nothing, her expression hardly changing and her glare never shifting. The only response that Drüin got was a blink, nothing more. With a frown, the God of Might looked down to find a food tray in his grasp. Food prepared and cooked by himself so that she could eat. Pushing the tray of food through the golden barrier that separates them, he watched as it slid onto the floor. Freyr however still didn't move or even try to look at the food. She simply sat there with her cold glare locked onto her son. It would be an eternity of silence before she slowly opened her mouth and said very heartbreaking words.

"You are a disgrace...", She uttered harshly, "No son would turn on their mother if they truly loved them. I should have smothered you the moment that you were born..."

Drüin barely flinched when she said that, he kept up a stoic front but underneath his facade he was heartbroken. With a slow nod, he turned and began to walk away from Freyr's cell. The moment that his back was turned from her, he heard something hit the barrier. It was his mother, she had hurled something to try and hit him. Drüin felt as if he had broken his promise to his mother, he had hoped to free her from this insidious spell. Yet he couldn't do so, for none of Asgard, not even the Allfather could figure out what was wrong with her. A part of the God of Might felt that maybe she had become this way because of him. Maybe she had turned this way, because he hadn't taken up her side.

"I'm sorry..." Drüin slowly uttered as he felt a tear itch at the corner of his eye.