Chapter 41: Confrontation

"...Asgard?" Taz muttered.

There was a moment of silence as the two sized each other up. The young elite needed to figure out where he was, so he decided to stand down for now. He slowly floated down onto the bridge. The golden armored man frowned.

"Yes. Asgard. The strongest of the nine realms."

"Nine realms?"

Absolver was hearing a lot of new terms that he didn't understand. Hovering transport vehicles and spaceships flew overhead as he crossed his arms. The stoic man assumed he was in a galaxy extremely far away from the Coalition of Planets. Maybe even another universe. Just thinking about how long it could possibly take him to return made him click his tongue. He really just wanted to stay at his forest home. Was that too much to ask?

"Your knowledge is lacking. I am Heimdall, the gatekeeper of this realm, and the guardian of the bifrost."

"Bifrost…" Taz muttered.

Another unfamiliar term. He couldn't help but release a sigh. Thinking about the villain he just killed, he rubbed his temple. The supervillain could've indeed brought him back home. Unfortunately, the risks were too high. He'd already wreaked havoc on Earth using viltrumites. There was no way the young elite would give him another chance to do something else.

"Yes. The bifrost." Heimdall answered with an expression of patience. He gestured to the bridge they were standing on. Absolver nodded his head in understanding.

"............"

"You haven't answered my question. What business do you have here?"

"...I have no business here. It was only an accident that I arrived. Earth is my current home."

"Earth…Midgard? I see…"

"Midgard?"

"That is what we call the mortal realm." The golden eyed man explained.

Taz felt a bit of relief knowing that they knew of Earth. It didn't seem like he'd be away for too long. In that case, he'd take his time. Anissa would be able to handle the last few alternate Invincibles. Once he returned, he'd leave for Talescria with his caretaker.

"I need you to come with me, traveler."

"It's Taz."

"Taz. I cannot open the bifrost to send you home without King Odin's permission."

"Then let's go."

The two began to walk across the bridge. They conversed most of the way, finding a small bit of refuge in their similarities. Upon reaching the city, the stoic viltrumite enjoyed all of the new sites. There was a massive staircase that broke off into different levels of the kingdom.

There were merchant grounds, the warrior district, residential grounds, blacksmith forges, coliseums, and more. Absolver couldn't understand the runic language, but Heimdall was more than willing to explain it. At some point, they were joined by a squadron of soldiers.

As they continued up the stairs, they made it to the level of nobility and royalty. The grand staircase flattened out and revealed another section of the kingdom. The castle was one level higher. The golden warrior continued to lead Taz across the clearing.

"Heimdall!" A voice called out. The armored man turned to see a group of warriors approaching.

The man in front had curly blond hair that stopped at his shoulders. He wore fitting armor with a red cape attached. There was a jar of mead in his hands. Behind him was a stocky man with extreme amounts of facial hair. Beside him was another man of normal stature, seemingly the brains of the group. There were two more people, one of them being a battle hardened woman. Her black hair traveled down to her back.

"Mighty Thor." Heimdall responded. Thor chugged on his beverage before wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

"It is rare that I see you away from the bifrost. Is it because of this guy?" He questioned drunkenly.

"We are to seek an audience with King Odin."

"All of that for this man? Hmm…" The careless man eyed Taz up and down. A smile adorned his face. The viltrumite calmly returned his gaze.

"You dress like the heroes of Midgard. Trying out for the Avengers, I take it? Maybe the Illuminati?"

"...What?" Absolver responded. More terms that he didn't understand.

"Thor, let's not make their journey longer than it need be." The woman spoke up. Thor casually waved his hand.

"No, no. We're going to join them, Sif."

"What?!" His entire group exclaimed in unison.

"We will see what this farce is about." The blonde man exclaimed.

And just like that, the group joined them on the way to the castle, much to the reluctance of the warriors. No more words were spoken from Taz, and he only observed the group's conversations. He couldn't help but pop a smile at how casual they were.

'If only Viltrum allowed their soldiers to converse like this.' He thought.

After a good while, they reached the castle. Their arrival was marked with the sound of a horn. A soldier quickly jogged inside to announce Heimdall's visit. A few moments later and they entered the throne room.

The stoic viltrumite raised an eyebrow upon seeing the king on his throne. He was a massive man, covered in golden armor. A fur shawl covered his shoulders, draping behind him like a cape. He seemed well past his prime, white hair covering his features. There was an eyepatch over his right eye. In his hand was a spear which he held like a staff. His wife sat beside him.

"Heimdall…why have you left your post?" Odin spoke.

The entire group kneeled except Taz. When the young elite saw everyone fall to the knee, he knew things could possibly get troublesome. He hadn't kneeled to anyone except his caretaker. It's not that he wasn't willing, but there wasn't a suitable figure that he'd deemed worthy of him. Not even the Grand Regent.

"I wish to open the bifrost, my king. This man here wishes to return home to Midgard."

"Then how did he get here?"

Heimdall went on to explain everything that happened. The god king eyed Taz the whole time, immediately noticing that he didn't kneel. He eventually interrupted the golden eyed man's account.

"Kneel." The king ordered.

Absolver immediately frowned. What a predicament. He didn't know any of these people. Why should he? Heimdall lightly tugged his cape. His eyes told an entire story.

'You want to return home, right? Then do as he says.'

That was the story his eyes told. The stoic viltrumite could easily discern it. Suppressing his disgust, he bent the knee. Thor's group heaved a sigh of relief. Thor was surprised that he even stood for so long.

Odin could see the unwillingness in his eyes as he kneeled. He couldn't help but see the childlike brashness of this youth. It reminded him of Thor, albeit only slightly.

"You may continue."

"A portal…"

Once Heimdall finished his explanation, they waited for the verdict. The white haired king slammed the base of the spear onto the floor. There was a moment of silence.

"The bifrost will NOT open for an outsider. This…child could be working for one of our enemy realms. He could be a spy. An infiltrator. Until we can discern your origins, you will remain on Asgard under our watchful eye. Disperse."

"Your grace." Heimdall responded.

There was another moment of silence. The group got up and began to head toward the exit. Unfortunately, Taz didn't like that answer. He stood up and remained in place. The young elite and the god king eyed each other.

"I said, disperse."

Everyone turned around at the words. They hadn't realized that the viltrumite wasn't with them. When they saw him glaring up at the king, they sweatdropped. Thor watched with anticipation. When was the last time someone had the balls to do this? He took another swig of his mead.

"You won't LET me return home? For how long?" Absolver questioned.

"Do not question me, boy. Begone."

"I've been a king before. Can't we have a conversation, king to king?" The stoic soldier continued. King Odin stood up with anger. His eyes were glowing with power.

"Your parents must not have instilled manners in you. Do NOT make me discipline you in their place!" He exclaimed.

Hearing the man talk about his parents that he didn't even know, rage boiled up inside him. He knew he was young, but when people flaunted it over him, it would eventually make him snap. Respect is earned. Not given.

"Child this. Boy that. All I see is an old man who can't please his wife." Taz growled.

His eyes began to glow red with heat. Slowly but surely, his bioelectric field spread across the kingdom. All he had to do was release it entirely, and the planet would begin to fracture.

RUMBLE

The whole kingdom trembled. Both of their auras pressed against each other. Parts of the ceiling were falling down. Asgardians from all over rushed to their homes as cracks appeared in the streets. Buildings slowly crumbled.

Odin didn't expect the young individual to have strength that reached the lower scale of an All-Father. It seemed that he could back up his words. The king finally looked at him seriously.

"You are strong for your age, but this attitude of yours will eventually get you killed. You lack patience and wisdom." The old god commented.

"...Are you going to teach me then?"

"If that's what you wish." Odin said.

He got into a battle stance with his spear. Absolver prepared to accelerate. Right before the two engaged, Heimdall's voice rang.

"Taz! Stop! If you touch him, you will not be able to return home!" He roared.

Odin and Taz did not break eye contact. It felt like an eternity as the two waited for the other to make the first move. Eventually, the young elite clicked his tongue. His aura died down, and he walked toward the exit. The god king only watched as he left with the group.

Once he was gone, the man sat down on his throne and gazed at the ceiling. He heaved a sigh of relief. His wife held his hand.

"It is good that you two didn't clash. Asgard would not have survived it." She commented.

"He is brash. Immature. Hot headed. Impatient. He should NOT have such power at his age." He answered. Frigga smiled.

"He is another muscle brain like our son, but in a different way. He isn't all bad though. I saw everything. Do you know the exact moment he turned hostile?" She asked. Odin shook his head.

"Once you mentioned his parents. You were too accurate when you said that. Maybe nobody really has taught him manners."

"I was right. That personality of his is dangerous. He needs to find a place for all of that rage inside. I cannot allow him to affect the realms until then." He said.

"...Then teach him."

____________

As they left the castle, Thor finally spoke up. The alcohol was still in his system, but he seemed aware. The playfulness was gone.

"Taz, you are much stronger than I ever thought. It is only now that I realize how small I really am." He revealed.

".............." The stoic man didn't speak. He was disappointed. Heimdall patted the viltrumite's shoulder.

"You might not be able to return right now, but that doesn't mean forever. The king just needs to make sure that you aren't an enemy." He explained. Volstagg, the hairy asgardian, spoke up.

"That oughta keep all of Asgard on their toes, aye? Whatcha did there definitely felt like an invasion force." He commented. Lady Sif spoke up.

"What was it like, standing up to the full force of the King?" She asked.

The group went silent. Everyone was curious to hear his answer. Even Thor narrowed his eyes. Taz clenched his fist before speaking.

"...He is the strongest person I've ever met."

That was the only thing he revealed. He had confidence that if he used his golden form, he'd be able to turn the tides. It was just speculation though.

Odin, who was eavesdropping from his throne, smiled.