282

Brian Bronzebeard

Forseti frowned as he listened.

Reflecting on it, he vaguely recalled this event from "Thor: Ragnarok."

During their battle with Hela, Thor and Loki had been thrown off the Bifrost and ended up on Sakaar. While Thor arrived later, Loki had been on Sakaar for weeks, befriending Grandmaster.

It seemed his situation mirrored that. Arriving through the wormhole a step later meant he was half a month behind Beta Ray Bill on Sakaar.

Time on Sakaar flowed differently than the outside world.

For a moment, Forseti was silent, then asked, "You sold him to Grandmaster?"

"Yes, we sold the horse-faced man to Grandmaster's cousin ,Carlo. Carlo is a greedy, miserly gambler. He's universally despised," Varg quickly clarified. "We... we do this to survive, we never mistreated your friend. With his strength, he should fare well in the arena fights, not be wasted."

Forseti pondered, "Tell me about these arena fights."

Wag explained, "Grandmaster's Arena is a hallmark of Sakaar. He's the pioneer and ruler here... The arena pits gladiators controlled by the surrender disk against each other. Many die, except the strongest or luckiest."

Forseti inquired about watching the fights.

"You buy tickets for the arena," Wag replied, "but the best seats cost a fortune."

With details on the arena and Grandmaster, Forseti departed.

First, he raided Red Ghost's gang stronghold for supplies, especially food—scarce amidst Sakaar's garbage dumps.

Beyond food, he salvaged a serviceable spacecraft nearby, enough for temporary travel or shelter.

But escape from Sakaar wasn't on the cards with this ship.

Forseti glanced up at the sky, noticing countless wormholes—Sakaar resembling a hornet's nest.

Sakaar, encircled by wormholes, distorted time flow and acted as a cosmic dumping ground.

These wormholes doubled as gateways for outside garbage—random items tossed in, from spaceships to people or animals.

Navigating these wormholes meant enduring spatial turbulence and dodging falling debris—a task only a robust craft could manage.

Sakaar was both a junkyard and a prison.

Inside the ship, Forseti found a map of Sakaar, stored within the ship's systems, and studied it.

Given Sakaar's dumping ground status, scavenging and banditry were the norm among the populace.

Only one area stood as a relatively prosperous city: Grandmaster's abode, often called "Sakaar City."

Forseti's current location wasn't far from Sakaar City—just a few hundred kilometers, with the ship swiftly approaching.

His exploration was cut short by the ship's discovery. Parking in a quiet, odorless spot, Forseti prepared to rest.

Opening the silver round box, Venom emerged, asking, "Where are we?"

"Forgettable junkyard, Sakaar," Forseti replied.

Venom recalled, "I've heard of Sakaar from the Kree. How'd we end up here?"

"An unexpected event..."

"What's the plan?"

"Forseti replied, "Find Bill and Hela, escape together. Currently unaware of where hela is, and Bill's trapped by Grandmaster—a hassle."

After Venom returned to the box, Forseti reviewed the Holy Deed.

As a band of thieves, revenge loomed for their sins. Would the Holy Light's rewards assist in their predicament?

The rewards mostly comprised space grids and low-value blueprints. Notable were three Holy Shield fragments.

Then, one item caught Forseti's eye.

**Experience Book: Brian Bronzebeard**

**Experience Level: Boss**

Brian Bronzebeard!

This dwarf was a well-known ally among the gods—a brash explorer in Azeroth. The Experience Book likely functioned akin to the Ragnarok mechanism—a random boss encounter.

Exploring the experience space, Forseti turned to find a burly middle-aged man.

Sporting an exaggerated copper beard and explorer's gear, Brian was every inch the seasoned adventurer. Unlike Nidavellir dwarves, Azeroth's dwarves were stout and stocky.

The experience space resembled Ragnarok's, shrouded in a drowsy haze.

"Follow me, warrior," Brian beckoned, rushing into the dark depths without pause. "Touch nothing I haven't touched—I'm the expert here!"

They soon arrived at a complex, mysterious device.

Examining it closely, Forseti realized it was a sealing mechanism for monsters.

"..."

Brian leaned in, muttering to himself, "Let's see what piques my curiosity today..."

*Click.* The mechanism activated, followed by tremors and a deafening noise in the dark.

*Boom.*

A door swung open, bathing the chamber in light, revealing a towering Draenei—a blue-skinned, intimidating figure emitting oppressive energy.

Beside him stood a colossal tree...

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