Vampire Thor Part V

He ruled the world as the leader of the Vampyre race.

The various Covens scattered across Hyboria may rule themselves, but their leaders answered to him. He was the first of their kind, a member of the Cult of the Darkholders under Thulsa Doom, injured by King Kull and turned by ancient sorcerers of Atlantis into the creature he was now. All Vampyres that had formed came from him, the magics used to create their race lost in the Great Cataclysm.

But Varnae was growing tired.

They were Vampyres, beings the feasted off the blood of the living, powerful beings destined to rule this land. However, many of his kind did not share his understanding. They may possess the power of a Vampyre, but they viewed the world and acted like a human. Politics governed their actions, controlled and limited them.

None of them understood that they were beyond trivial things. Whatever they wished, whatever they desired was theirs to take and do with as they pleased, none could stop them. But while he may rule as King of the Vampyres, Varnae knew that his long absence from that throne had led to many forgetting why he was King in the first place. Not only that, but Varnae knew that many of his kind had grown stronger as well, much stronger.

Enough that some could even challenge him now.

A stark contrast from earlier times when he ruled unchallenged.

His time as ruler was over, the respect, the fear that once kept the others in line was gone. When he called assemblies of all Vampyre leaders, the number of attendees dwindled until all but a few chose to ignore him. That number continuing to dwindle down with every passing day.

His grip upon power was gone and Varnae was tired. The scheming, the politics he despised it all and he had reached a limit. He may be stronger than most Vampyres, but he didn't have that determination to keep pushing and striving for more like they had. In the past, he constantly pushed the limits of his new powers, the ancient magic that clung to his body aided his growth in power.

But they had disappeared, Varnae going out and simply revelling in his power and doing whatever took his fancy. Feasting freely and watching the world pass by. Now that time had passed, his fellow Vampyres were seeking to remove him from power, eliminate him and take the throne for themselves. He was under threat and so, Varnae sought to remove himself from the equation entirely.

A successor.

That was what he needed more than anything at this point. Someone strong enough to take the throne and bring all the Vampyres to heel. Varnae could live for many centuries more, his powers were still greater than most and he knew how to hide and survive. He had survived the Great Cataclysm where humanity was all but wiped out.

But what kind of a life would that be? Constantly looking over his shoulder, pursued and hunted like an animal? It was not a life Varnae wanted.

Donar was but one of many beings Varnae had turned, hoping to see what he could do. He acted like a Vampyre, even as a human, conquering whatever took his fancy. A man fuelled and driven by his desires, Varnae could see a bit of himself in Donar. Varnae had always known that Donar would become a powerful Vampyre. His prowess in battle as a human was monumental, greater than his greatest foe, King Kull from before the Great Cataclysm. Turning him into a Vampyre would breed a powerful being, one that would be of great interest to watch over.

However, Varnae had seen the way he acted, just wandering the world, studying people around him and doing nothing.

It had been disappointing.

Where was the Vampyre he had seen within Donar as a human?

'This is him.' Varnae thought to himself with a smile, blood dribbling down from his lips as he stared up at the figure standing above him. Donar had changed massively, he stood tall and strong, eyes nothing more than a black hole that emitted nothing but hypnotic darkness. Black cracks spread across his skin, a dark and vile power emitting from his body.

Varnae didn't know where this power had come from, but he couldn't help but smile. "Go ahead, do it." Despite his disappointment, Varnae was seeing what he had seen in Donar when he was a human before his very eyes. This was what he had wanted in a successor, someone who took what he wanted without care. "You win."

And then, Donar shot forwards, fangs piercing into his neck and draining him of his blood.

Once every last drop was drained from his blood, he reared back and released an animalistic roar into the air. Varnae, King of the Vampyres was dead. A new King had now taken his place, his name Thor Odinson.

-X- Line Break -X-

"You have sensed it, haven't you?" Thor nodded his head, stood upon the edge of the cliff and overlooked the calm ocean below. Beside him, Gaea came to a stop at his side, looking upon the sight same as he.

Yet both of them were not looking at the beautiful blue ocean that spread out across before them. No, their gaze was focused upon the darkness that clung to the mainland beyond the horizon. Even from so far out, they could sense it growing and spreading, something had to be done before it spread further.

"What is happening?" Thor asked.

Gaea frowned. "Your counterpart, the Vampyre has been corrupted by an ancient Anti-Life entity." She explained, remembering when an ancient King, one of her children had been corrupted by that very same power. If it had not been for the actions of the Asgardian Kings, it would have spread across all of her world, engulfing all her children and threatening to do the same to her.

"I should have never let him go." Thor shook his head with a frown of his own.

"You were being sympathetic to someone who had suffered from a shattering realisation as to his fate, just as you had," Gaea told him. "The others that came before him were happy to fuse with you, to become part of a greater whole, however, he wished for time to come to terms with what he had been told. It is not a mistake to be sympathetic, it is a strength of character."

"And now for my actions, a Thor has been corrupted and threatens to spread evil across the world." Thor didn't let up. He had allowed the Skrull to go free, he was dedicated to saving Asgard and had access to a wider universe. Whereas he would remain here, guarding Mjolnir, it would be the Skrull that went out to actively save Asgard. However, this time, he let a Thor go and he was no longer the same being he once was.

"What do you intend to do?" Gaea questioned, though she already had an idea.

For many centuries she had watched over him, helping to find Thor's and direct them to him. She watched as he trained and guarded the island, being worshipped by the Deviants as a deity, their deity. He had not left this island since, but she had spent many days talking with him, helping him keep his sanity as he waited for that one person who could claim Mjolnir.

From that, she had gained an understanding of who he was.

"I will stop him." Thor declared firmly, clenching his fists.

"He can still be saved. It's not too late for him yet, the power has not corrupted him fully." Gaea said and there was a pause from Thor, but he nonetheless burst off into the sky. As he did, Gaea retreated within herself, entering into the world around her once more.

The power within Thor was not fully assimilated, if Thor Odinson arrived before the Vampyre was fully absorbed then it would be an easy victory. But if he didn't, if he left it and gave his counterpart time, gave the power within him time to corrupt him fully then all that would come of their battle was annihilation.

The fight that would ensue could be devastating, the ancient power corrupting the Thor was empowering him further. So much so that his power was still growing at a rapid rate, Thor may have defeated the servant of the World-Eater, but this new Thor could prove to be a challenging foe if given any more time to grow.

The outcome of this battle could change things for the better or for the worst.

Gaea couldn't say what outcome it would be, but she knew enough to know that this would have far more reaching consequences.