Sweet

Flames surrounded us, and Loki screamed.

I inventoried him, and I looked around curiously. My clothes had burned off, and the fires were severe enough that the ice clothes I attempted to make melted immediately.

I took no harm from the flames, though; my fire resistance added to my physical resistance was already high enough that even without Armored Skin I wasn't bothered at all.

There were lakes of fire everywhere, and I was glad I had some resistance to blindness.

There were two guards, fire giants, and they turned and swung at me.

"It was an accident, coming here, really," I said. "Really."

I didn't have Allspeak, and they didn't understand English, so I ducked as one swung at me.

Some images in their mind were clear enough; they assumed I was an Asgardian, and apparently, they hated the Asgardians.

I swung at one, and he stumbled back even as the other guard tried to hit me.

I ducked under that, and I said, "Bone Garden."

Apparently, they didn't have bones, because it didn't affect them at all.

"Phantom weapon-Bladestorm!"

That was more effective, somewhat. I spend the next two minutes ducking even as the blades cut away at them. They had a massive amount of hit points.

Eventually, I wore them down and they fell.

Hopefully I wasn't going to end up leaving all of the Nine Realms at war with Midgard.

+10% FIRE RESISTANCE.

FIRE RESISTANCE IS NOW 73%

I grimaced as I pulled my hand from the body of the first giant. I'd hoped for more strength or constitution. Given that fire resistance stacked with physical resistance, fire resistance was my most well-developed resistance, almost to the point of immunity.

Given that each ten percent increase in resistance represented me taking one tenth the damage, it meant I could survive 10,000,000 times as much fire damage as any other damage type.

I could dance on the surface of the sun and only the gravity would bother me. Given that the gravity there was about twenty-eight times that of Earth, even that wouldn't bother me that much.

Realistically, only the blindness would bother me, and that would go away eventually.

I tried the other body, but I didn't find anything.

There weren't any structures around, and I had less than thirty seconds to bring Loki back. Considering that he was half frost giant, that probably wouldn't go well for him.

I'd watched how he activated the Nexus, keeping a hand on his shoulder to see what he was doing. He'd tried to send us both to different places, but I'd kept hold of him in transport.

I didn't know which realm was Midgard. He hadn't actually tried to send us there, so I had to choose one at random.

During transport, I was able to switch into my last hoodie. I'd have to get some more; otherwise I'd be wearing ice clothes all the time.

I stumbled out of the tree, and I saw a swarm of at least a hundred men wearing ancient armor. They were all holding weapons pointed at me.

"Is this… Asgard?" I asked.

The people here looked like Thor, at least.

"It is indeed, friend Taylor!" I heard a familiar voice call out. Thor stepped out from behind the group. "Where might you be keeping my brother?"

I gestured, and Loki appeared beside me, badly burned.

I touched him, healing him as well as I could, although it wasn't a complete healing.

+1 LEVEL TO ILLUSION!

YOU CAN NOW AFFECT UP TO FOUR PEOPLE WITHIN A 40 FOOT RANGE!

LEVEL 3!

Men stepped forward and placed him in handcuffs.

"What's happening back home?" I asked Thor, as I felt cuffs being placed around my hands. I inventoried the cuffs away, while creating the illusion that they were still there to the men cuffing me.

I replaced the cuffs before anyone could notice.

Presumably they were designed for someone of my strength level; I might be able to use cuffs like that in the future. Thirty tons was probably normal for Asgardians, but it was relatively rare on Earth Bet.

"Why am I being arrested?" I asked.

"My father has questions," Thor said. "Which I'm sure will be quickly resolved!"

"It's not about the Jotuns, is it?" I asked. "Because that was just aggressive self-defense."

"Aggressive self-defense?"

"They were coming right at me!" I said. "Or at least they were about to. Besides, they were planning to invade Asgard. I was doing you a favor."

"My father is wise," Thor said.

He believed that fervently, which didn't match the image I'd had of Odin from Loki. Maybe Loki was biased.

I used illusions to cover my arcane eyes as I sent them high into the air. I sent them out in all directions to see what I could. If I needed to teleport back to the Nexus, I'd have alternate points to jump to.

Apparently, Thor was much much stronger than I was, and Loki was only average among Asgardians- probably because he was only half-Asgardian.

Thor thought his father was even more powerful.

Considering that his father had defeated the Jotuns in combat in the past, and the Jotuns had thousands of hit points, I wouldn't put it past Odin to be the same.

I was much stronger defensively than offensively, a problem I was going to have to rectify if I was to ever defeat the Endbringers.

Asgard was beautiful.

A combination of ancient and modern, it had an aesthetic sensibility that I could appreciate. This seemed like a place where you could comfortably drink mead and get into bar fights while at the same time have more sophisticated entertainments elsewhere.

Were there Greek Gods in this world?

Olympus might be nice to visit.

I was dragged to the palace, and I let myself be pulled along. These people didn't know me, and they were just being professional.

I'd reserve judgement until I met their leader.

"Loki!" the old man on the throne said. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I was just trying to assert my right to be a king?" Loki said, with a wry smile.

"He was mind controlled," I said.

Loki gave me a sharp look.

"What?" Odin said.

"I can read minds, and he was mind controlled. He's an ass, but he wouldn't have done what he did without some nudging."

"How do you know this, child?"

"I can read minds," I admitted. "It's one of the things I can do."

Odin frowned.

"Is that true?" he asked Loki.

Loki shook his head. "No…that's impossible."

"I keep telling you it's not," I said. "But it's like you hardly even hear me. That's a sure sign of being mastered."

Loki shook his head, but he seemed confused.

"No one is my master," he said, but there was no strength to it.

"We will take him to the mind healers, and then we will decide to what extent he is guilty," Odin said after a moment.

Loki was dragged away.

"Now you, Miss Hebert," Odin began. "Mortals are forbidden from Asgard."

"I'm just passing through," I said. "Send me back to Midgard and I'll be out of your hair."

"I have some concerns about what you did to the Jotuns," Odin said.

"Are you planning to attack Earth?" I asked.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "However, if I'd said yes, what would you have done?"

"Killed the guilty and spared the innocent," I said.

"And how do you determine who is guilty and who is innocent?"

"They are condemned by their own thoughts," I said. "And if I can't read their minds, then they are condemned by their actions."

"I was once like you," Odin said. "Full of anger and rage, convinced that my way was the only right way."

"To defend your people from murder and conquest isn't just a matter of opinion; it's a necessity."

"The Jotuns were not planning to attack Earth," he said. "They were planning an attack on Asgard."

"They'd have come to Earth eventually," I said. "I could see it in their heads."

I didn't mention that those thoughts had been filtered through Loki, nor that he might have twisted some of them.

Looking into Odin's mind, hoping to find out where he was going with all of this, I was stunned.

He had a connection to a sort of force. It filled him and gave him power that magnified his own. He called it the Odinforce, and sometimes he had to sleep to renew it.

He could see the entire universe as he slept. The Odinforce was in everything, and it bound all of life together.

I could barely read his thoughts, so distracted was I by the magnificence of the Odinforce and everything it represented.

All power, all knowledge, wisdom beyond anything I had ever known. He was suffused with it, and yet he was barely able to access the smallest portion of it.

"Miss Hebert?" he asked.

I'd lost track of what he'd just been saying.

"So, what do you plan to do with me?" I asked. "I'm nearly out of clothes, so if you plan to fight me, I'll have to figure something out."

I wasn't going to waste my last Armani suits. Maybe thick armor, or maybe just avoiding getting hit.

"I am not going to fight you," Odin said. "Nor am I going to try to imprison you. Your young companion was more than happy enough to inform my son of the futility of that."

Looking at him, I waited for him to continue. If he was going to send me home, I wasn't sure why he was pussyfooting around.

"I'd ask you to stay for dinner," he said.

"I'm sort of responsible for Vista," I said uncomfortably.

If I wasn't going to get to fight these people, I wasn't sure what they had to offer me.

"I can make an exception to the rule," he said. "Just this once. I'd like to speak to you about not starting wars in the Nine Realms without at least talking to the people who would be affected after you leave."

That sounded really boring and annoying, like listening to a lecture from Piggot, at least the version of Piggot I saw in the Ward's minds.

"We would offer you a bath and a dress," Odin said. "As well as a feast."

I looked around at the dresses the women were wearing in the court, and despite myself, I was intrigued. Armani had felt surprisingly great; what would clothes by these people feel like?

As it turned out, they felt amazing.

Whatever technology they used to get my measurements, the dress they put me in fit like a glove. It was beautiful too.

Surprisingly, they had showers. The showers were made to look like a natural waterfall, but the waters were pleasantly hot. I could feel the heat if I wanted to, even though hotter water would not cause me any pain or damage.

It was incredibly relaxing.

By the time dinner was ready, I found myself in a good mood. It had only been a few hours since the Fallen had attacked me; there was still time to find them and finish them off.

I already had a plan in mind to deal with Chort; showers were surprisingly good for inspiring new ideas.

Although I didn't need to eat, the smell of the food made my mouth water.

Vista was dressed in a smaller version of my outfit. She felt deeply uncomfortable. She was still wearing her visor; presumably she as trying to record everything she saw for the PRT to analyze later.

To people who lived five thousand years I must seem like a toddler. She would seem like an infant.

There was a long table, and it was covered in food.

I was seated next to Odin and the Queen. This was usually Loki's place. Thor sat across from me, and Vista was seated farther down the table, but still in sight.

Everyone waited for Odin's signal, and when he nodded, everyone dug in.

The food was incredible.

The drink was apparently Mead; I was immune to poison, so I could never get drunk. It was a sweet drink, and I liked it.

I glanced down the table at Vista. Apparently, she'd never had alcohol before, and she was already making twisted areas in the middle of the table to the entertainment of the other around her.

"As it turns out, you were correct about my son being under the control of someone else," Odin said. "But it was not the control of a person. It was a thing that controlled him."

"This, you mean?" I asked.

Odin hissed.

"That is one of the Infinity stones," he said. "There are six of them; Mind, Space, Time, Soul, Power, and Reality."

"And this one is…mind?" I asked.

He nodded.

Odin gestured, and a servant poured us both some more mead.

"And what do these stones do?"

"They are a source of power," he said. "And give the wielder control over their area of influence."

"So you could time travel with the time stone" I asked, leaning forward.

"Yes," he said. He looked at me curiously. "Most beings cannot hold a stone for long before they are overwhelmed by its power."

"It hasn't been a problem for me," I said. "Do you know where the time stone might be?"

It would be easy to use the time stone to jump back and save my dad. I could replace him with a cloned corpse easily enough. My earlier self wouldn't have even seen me if I moved fast enough.

"I do not," he said. He leaned forward, "They are incredibly dangerous. It's impressive that you are able to hold one without some sort of container."

"Well, there's my pocket," I said.

It was incredible that this dress even had a pocket. Apparently, the Asgardians were a little more practical about women's clothing than Earth humans.

It was a sign that they were a more advanced race, I guess.

"My son was influenced," Odin continued. "But he is not entirely blameless. If I were to set him free, there would be hard feelings among the people."

"So, exile him for a while," I said. "It'd be good for him to get the stick out of his ass and realize what it means to live like a regular person."

Odin smiled.

"I'm glad that you agree," he said.

"Agree to what?" I asked suspiciously.

"My son is clever," Odin said. "He would eventually get out of any prison short of Asgard's own. Once he escaped, he would undoubtedly try to return, and he would cause mischief."

My mind raced.

"But trap him in another world, one where I'm the only one who has the key, and he'd be unable to escape."

"Yes," Odin said. "I taught my other son a lesson in humility once; perhaps it is time to teach Loki as well."

"You think I'm a maniac who kills indiscriminately," I said. "Why would you trust your son to me?"

"Because it would be good for him," Odin said. "And just perhaps it would be good for you to be responsible for him."

"I'm responsible for entire worlds!" I protested.

"Humans have trouble caring for others in the abstract," Odin said. "A failing unfortunately shared by the people of Asgard. Individuals they are able to care for, however."

"Loki is an ass," I said. "Why would I take him with me? I can escape and find my way back to Midgard on my own.

"He is clever, my son," Odin said. "And he has a millennium and a half of experience. He may be able to advise you in meeting your own goals."

"What if I say no?" I asked.

"Then I might be forced to blame Midgard for the destruction of the Jotun army and two Fire Giants," Odin said.

"They'd blame Earth!" I said.

"I'm willing to smooth things over diplomatically," Odin said. "The Jotuns already planned to attack Asgard; this might make them think twice. Or I can blame you."

The last thing I needed was for armies of giants to attack the Earth. I'd already been responsible for the destruction of the zombie world; the last thing I needed was to be the catalyst for yet another invasion.

"Find another way," I said to Odin, pushing my will onto his.

He didn't even seem to notice the mind control attempt. He must be highly resistant to mind control, or maybe the Odinforce was controlling him.

"I don't think I will," Odin said. He stared at me, and he said, "Will you accept this burden?"

"I don't even have a place to live!" I protested.

"We will give you his weight in gold for your trouble," Odin said dismissively.

Six hundred pounds of gold? Gold was a thousand dollars an ounce back home. Sixteen thousand a pound…that was 9.6 million dollars' worth of gold!

That would do a lot of good for the Bay.

"For how long?" I asked.

"Three months," he said. "Make him better, and he can return here as the prince he wishes to be."

"Well, it's possible we might make each other worse," I said. "All right."

The meal was over soon enough, and Loki was led to me in chains.

Vista was incredibly drunk.

"Didn't you guys water her mead?" I asked.

Her attendant said, "We did…twice over."

"Right," I said.

Should I heal her, or leave her as she was? It might be amusing to see a drunk Vista, or maybe the PRT's reaction to me having gotten Vista drunk while we went on adventures together, but it might be more problems than it was worth.

Finally, I touched her on the shoulder and she stood up, alert and looking a little guilty.

Loki was led to us, his hands manacled.

"Well, let's go," I said.

I inventoried him, and I entered the Nexus.

CONTINUED EXPOSURE TO YGGRISIL HAS IMPROVED BLINK!

+5 LEVELS!

YOU MAY NOW BLINK THIRTY-TWO MILLION MILES AT A TIME.

That meant I could reach Mars in anywhere from two to eight jumps.

Sweet.