Deviant Thor Part II

A cry filled the air, echoing down the stone corridors and bouncing off the metal buildings. The dark, underground world around them shook as explosions erupted all across the underground city. Smoke billowing out making it difficult to breathe as they choked on the soot.

"Push forward!" Pelops roared, jewel-encrusted sword thrust forwards as beams of energy shot out from large cannons and staffs, smashing into nearby buildings. Thousands of bodies stampeded past him in nought but a blur chasing after the retreating enemy.

Three decades they had spent waging war across the underground cities. Three decades of fighting, killing and uniting the Deviant race into one cohesive force. Finally, after so long, they had succeeded in uniting the once-divided Deviant Earthlings and now their attention could turn to other threats.

But it had not been easy.

Despite Thor's great strength and Tantalus' reputation as the former leader of the Deviants on Earth. None of it mattered to Deviants, they were just like the rest of humanity that the Celestials had not evolved, just like the Eternals who claimed themselves to be perfect, they had become set in their ways.

Those in power did not want to give it up.

Those without it didn't care because they were happy with how things were.

Despite all of Thor's great strength, he'd be driven out just like he had been before.

As for Tantalus, well there was only one person who had still lived from the time when he had ruled over the Deviants of Earth. The rest of the Deviants didn't care, believing him to be a myth that didn't exist. Emperor Phraug, he only compounded that belief, unwilling to serve under Tantalus once more after having a taste of power.

They started off, returning to Thor's original home. As the smallest and weakest of all Deviant factions, even outnumbered and faced against superior technology, Tantalus, his sons, Peacekeepers and the small legion of elite Deviants Tantalus had brought along with him enabled them to end the fight quickly. It lasted no longer than a few days, Thor still possessing a number of supports amongst his former home.

While not possessing greater numbers or technology, the individual strength and power of the soldiers that Thor and Tantalus had meant that they surrendered soon after the initial war began. After consolidating power and preparing their new soldiers for war, they marched through the trade tunnels between nearby Deviant cities, focusing upon the smaller and weaker ones. Unlike against Thor's city, they didn't have any inside supporters, the Deviants of these cities had a larger number and resisted heavily.

Weeks passed before the next city fell, more technology and soldiers were added to their army as they moved on to the next. In the beginning, it was easy, Deviant cities falling one after the other. Yet that was until they took out the weaker cities, consolidating them into one empire before turning their attention to stronger cities. Those with vaster armies and with great technology.

Up until that point, they had been dealing with armies in the thousands and tens of thousands. But when they turned their attention towards the biggest cities, they were dealing in the hundred of thousands, millions even. The technology so much more powerful and cities vast expanses equal to ten or twenty smaller ones.

They took years to conquer, but they did it.

They just kept on winning, an unstoppable force that crushed all in its path. Even now, when Emperor Phraug had used their crusade to unite Deviant cities under his own rule. He may not have the strength and power to rival them, but he had the technology with which to cause serious problems. Taking his empire was a war that lasted over two decades, one in which both sides endured heavy losses, but finally, they had won.

"Pelops, with me!" Thor called, furred figure rushing through the hordes of Deviants. Powerful blows sending their broken, lifeless forms into the air as he rushed towards the main Citadel where Phraug had locked himself away. A last-ditch effort to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

His Citadel, the largest and most technologically advanced structure in all of Deviant society. A rival for the Great Machine that the Eternals had recently created to control their society for reasons currently unknown to them.

Its defences made it an impenetrable fortress, powerful turrets releasing beams of energy beyond anything is seen before. Powerful balls of light erupting from the epicentre of the beams landing, eviscerating anything that it engulfed. But Thor and Tantalus, the strongest of their kind kept pushing forwards, the Deviants under their command following their lead.

Black fog of the Black Legacy rushed out from Tantalus hands dissolving the beams of energy and all those caught in its grasp. Whether they be ally or enemy didn't matter to Tantalus

The victory was mere moments away and when it was, the Deviants would be united and therefore, turn their attention towards their true threats. The Eternals and even humanity could beat back the force of one, maybe even two or three of the larger cities alone. But against the full united force of the Deviant people, with all their technology and their vast numbers, they would be unstoppable.

Not even Ouranos and the leader of the Eternals, Kronos would be able to stop them. Not with Tantalus, Thor and the other elites they had, they would be unstoppable. Earth would fall into the hands of the Deviants and once again prove to the Celestials that they were the superior race.

Emperor Phraug as he so fancied himself, was just another stepping stone on this path for Deviant domination.

-X- Lime Break -X-

"You were right, the Eternals have become divided," Tantalus noted, stood beside Thor as they looked over the most recent clash between the forces of Kronos and his brother, Ouranos. "I honestly did not believe you when you said that the Eternals would be divided, how did you know?"

"I simply listened to what you said. After all, I didn't know much about the Eternals until you told me. But once I did, it became quite simple to see what would happen between the two brothers." Thor muttered.

It wasn't that hard really, while a lot of his training under Odin had been physical. Odin tried to expand his skills as a warrior, develop his powers and grow his physical strength to extreme proportions. But that wasn't all Odin taught him, he also taught him how to strategise, predict enemy weaknesses and learn how to exploit them.

Ouranos and Kronos were very different in the way they operated. Kronos was the idealist, the pacifist who wanted to avoid war. But Ouranos on the other hand was a warrior, he fought against any Deviant force that attempted to expand upwards, forcing them back into hiding. Never going further than that, predicting the divide became quite easy after that point.

It also represented opportunity.

"Taking the Lemurian Isles was the first move. Ouranos couldn't beat our united force back with the forces he had. He needs more which meant going to his brother who's a pacifist. They will be divided in their viewpoints on how to fight this war, forcing them into fighting against each other." Thor explained. "Allowing us to expand without fear of retaliation from the Eternals. All that we will be facing is humanity, who only have bows and arrows as their long-range weapons."

Tantalus scoffed in amusement, a large smile growing onto his face. "You don't believe that us moving will unite the brothers together?"

"Right now? Yes." Thor answered honestly. "Wait till the war continues on a few more months then they'll be unable to rectify and come together in any meaningful way. They'll be too divided by war to come together and therefore, leaving the continent of Thuria open to us."

"So we wait?" Thor nodded his head and Tantalus hummed. "I suppose it would make things a little easier. Though less fun."

"But it will save many Deviant lives in the process. We can use this time to make Lemuria a firm foothold of ours. So strong that the Eternals if they do rally the humans against us, would be unable to remove us from Lemuria. It also allows us to recoup some of the losses we've suffered and also allow time to fully combine and streamline the technology we have."

Tantalus hummed in thought. "I suppose what you say does have merit. The technological advancements on Earth are very impressive so I suppose we shall go with your plan for now. Though I will not wait too long."

"Understandable."

"I must admit, I'm surprised this came from you of all people. I knew you were quite a skilled commander, but not to this degree." Tantalus noted. "Where did you learn to lead and command armies to this degree?"

Thor's smirk was hidden beneath the red fur that covered his whole body. "I learnt it from no one." A lie, he had learned under one of the smartest men he had ever met, Odin. He later learned further under his brothers, Tyr, Baldur and Hermod during their final crusade of Ragnarök, until they all died.

But under them all, Thor had learned a great deal.

He also gained a great deal of experience.

That was what he was putting to use here, to ensure that the Deviants didn't have to live in hiding as he had. He would save them, they were his people, he'd never had a chance to be a proper Aesir until the final days. But here amongst the Deviants, he had a chance to change everything. To make things better and he was going to take that chance, no matter the cost.