Vampire Thor Part VI

The Celestial Armour he wore struck the ground with an echoing sound every time he took a step. All around, strange beings and creatures watched his approach, monsters of all shapes and sizes cowering away from him, each capable of sensing the power within him. Yet Thor paid them no heed, his gaze focused upon the door at the end of the corridor, his footsteps loud and clear.

There was no need to hide his approach.

No need to move stealthily or sneak into this place.

Thor had come here for one very simple reason and he would see it done. As he approached the doors, large stone slabs were attached to the rough stone surfaces of some kind of underground palace. A former dwelling of the Gnomes, half-Midgardian, half-dwarf beings. Where the former owners of such a dwelling were was something Thor did not know, but he imagined that they were either dead or amongst the many servants of this place.

He reached out with one hand, tapping them lightly and both swung open, slamming against the walls on the other side allowing Thor to march into the throne room. Dozens upon dozens of beings were inside, all of them waiting for him.

Each parting to one side, making a path that led directly up to the throne at the far end of the room. Upon said throne sat the target of his visit, he lounged there, resting his cheek upon one fist as he looked down upon him with a cruel smirk upon his lips. Eyes black and watching his move with calm arrogance. A stark difference from the fearful awe that he had once looked upon him with weeks prior.

'The power within him, it's empowered him massively.' To what extent, Thor was not certain, but he could tell the difference in the Thor before him. He was not the same, neither in who he was nor his power.

"Welcome, Thor Odinson." The Vampire greeted, lips twisting upwards showing his fangs. Pure black eyes staring out at him, black cracks spreading out from his eyes. "What brings you all the way here to my kingdom? To offer a plan to free Asgard? Have you come to congratulate me upon my conquest?"

Thor had paid little attention to the actions of his vampiric counterpart. Gaea however had paid a great deal of attention, especially to the corrupt and vile power he now wielded. She had told him all he needed to know that Thor was not who he once was. They were conquerors, it was in their blood, all Thor's were warriors, men of war and battle. But they also possessed limits to what they would and would not do in order to achieve victory.

Some less so than others, but there was always a limit.

However, there was no limit to the depravity of this Thor's action. He unleashed hordes of bloodthirsty beasts upon his own people, letting them feast to their heart's content and letting entire cities be wiped out. His own people, those he swore to protect! That was not what a son of Odin should do, that's not what Thor Odinson should do.

In war, there were always casualties, innocent or otherwise. But to unleash beasts upon your own people? That went beyond simply the cost of war. Rape, torture, indiscriminate murder and many other atrocities were all committed under the orders of Thor.

Yet above all that, Gaea could feel the corruption that ran through Thor's body starting to affect her. Thor could not allow that to continue, Gaea could not fall, Midgard could not fall because that would then open a pathway to the Nine Realms and to Asgard. Even if it meant killing his counterpart, Thor Odinson would end this threat right here and now. He would abandon his station purely to remove a threat he had never expected.

"Nay, I have not come here for either of those." Thor shook his head, his vampiric counterpart smiling wider. "You have not been fully corrupted by the power within you, Gaea has sensed as such. Cast it out of your body, let us seal it away and be done with it."

The smile dipped lightly, a frown forming momentarily before the Vampire smiled widely once more. "I see, a last-ditch effort to see if I can convince myself to give up the power I now have at my fingertips. You're envious of it, aren't you? You desire it for yourself. Well, I'm afraid I am never going to give it up, this power is mine now and with it, I can finally surpass Odin!"

"Is that all it is for?" Thor questioned dubiously. "To surpass Odin, is that all you care about?"

"It's all I've ever wanted! I spent my life working to surpass him in power! To surpass him as a conqueror!" Thor roared out. "I wanted to do everything he had but better! To do what he never could! Now with this power, I can finally do just that!"

'Be careful, Thor.' Gaea whispered in his mind, her voice quiet and weak. Her preview and connection to him strained thanks to the power that his vampiric counterpart possessed. 'Your words are only strengthening the corruption.'

'I see.' Thor replied to her words, going silent and appearing to take his counterparts words on board. 'Then I have no choice. It would be better to simply kill him and let Death handle him.'

'He can still be saved.'

'At what cost?' Thor returned, power within him rising, lightning sparking to life around him as all the monsters scattered away rapidly. Vampire Thor meanwhile leaned forwards, claws scrapping into the stone of his throne, muscles tensing in preparation. "I'll give you one chance, surrender and I'll make it quick."

"Make it quick?" He scoffed. "How kind of you."

Then he disappeared from view, anyone still behind unable to even see Thor move. One moment he disappeared and then reappeared directly in front of the First Thor, almost as if he had teleported. All were surprised by the speed which was superhuman even to them, except for the First Thor who remained unmoving, eyes tracking his movements.

Even when Vampire Thor pulled his fist back and threw it forwards with all his might, First Thor didn't make an attempt to dodge.

It struck with a loud boom, the ground beneath their feet erupting outwards, the entire mountain they were within shaking violently. Continuing to vibrate long after the blow had been thrown, almost appearing to be on the verge of breaking apart on the outside, large cracks forming upon its sides.

Yet the First Thor remained standing firm, Vampire Thor's fist resting against the surface of his Celestial Armour directly in his abdomen. There was a pause, Vampire Thor tilting his head to one side, not quite sure as to what had happened or what he was seeing. That punch had contained all of his strength, but First Thor didn't even seem perturbed by it.

Instead, he looked down at him, an indiscribale look of both pity, amusement and disappointment showing upon his face. "Is that all?"

Scowling angrily, Vampire Thor swung his other fist up, First Thor actually taking a step back to avoid the strike. 'Ah, I see.' Vampire Thor realised, momentum carrying him up into the air as he watched First Thor draw his fist back. 'So that armour was why he didn't take any damage from my stirke.'

Then he watched the armour around his fist forming into a sharp blade before First Thor thrust his fist forwards. He had every intention of impaling him in that instant, but Thor burst into mist putting aiming to put some distance between him and the First Thor. Only for he to run into a powerful gust of wind that threatened to tear him apart. Quickly reforming his body, he realised he had been trapped when he saw the First Thor appear above him.

The punch that struck against his jaw threw Vampie Thor into the ground, this strike actually causing the mountain to collapse in on itself as Thor struck the ground with such force.

Yet the First Thor wasn't done, cosmic energy gathering within his arms, a powerful glowing ball of crackling energy bursting to life and rapidly growing. So bright was the light it emitted that many nearby villages and towns thought that they were witnessing a second sun taking shape.

Vampire Thor himself was buried within the debris of the mountain, broken jaw slowly stitching itself back together. 'Damnit!' He cursed internally, glaring up at the floating figure. 'I need more power! Even now I need more!'

He finally had a chance to surpass Odin, to surpass everyone. This power he possessed was meant to be that answer and yet, he was being defeated easily by this Thor? That wasn't something he could allow to stand, he wouldn't allow himself to be defeated here. Not when he had a chance to accomplish everything. This power was his answer and this Thor wanted to take it for himself.

'I won't allow it!' He snarled angrily both hands digging into the large stones around him. "I won't allow it!" His roar echoed out, muscles flexing with an explosive force that the debris surrounding him were thrown away from him. Meanwhile, Thor holding the two largest slabs of stone threw them with all his strength directly towards First Thor.

They didn't do much, two beams of lightning lancing out and reducing them to ash. Both continuing on and striking out at him, the ground once more exploding upwards. More and more bolts of lightning raining down upon him with titanic force.

Eventually, Thor let the ball of cosmic energy disperse, arms lowering by his side and staring down upon the deep crater beneath him. Smoke wafting up into the air and with a flick of his hand, a powerful gust of wind dispersed it entirely.

There, lying within the centre was a single charred figure.

'In the end, he was not able to prove much of a threat.' It was disappointing, that warrior spirit within him momentarily resurfacing, heart pounding in excitement. The last time he felt that way was when he fought against the Fallen One. That fight when he had put everything on the line and nearly lost.

He had thought that however slight, his counterpart would be able to make him feel like that again. But it appeared that would not be the case.

"Is it done?" Thor asked.

A voice carried itself across the wind. 'It is, I can feel the power that he had been releasing into my body withdrawing. It is still within him, but it is growing faint, almost as if it is dying.' Thor nodded his head and turned, taking off into the sky.

"Then my task is done."

However, if Thor had remained, just a few minutes longer. If Gaea had not been focused on expelling the corrupt power from her body, they would have both seen the truth. Thor was not dead, his charred body slowly healing itself, his body remaining pitch black in form, pulsing lines of white energy forming across his body like tribal tattoos.

Fingers dug into the ground as Thor pushed himself up onto all fours. Brilliant blue eyes surrounded by pure darkness glared up into the sky as lightning sparked across his body. Fangs bared, as they slowly turned into a smile.

If they weren't so distracted, they would have noticed all of this and perhaps they could have stopped him. But it was too late for that now, Thor now knew the power of the First Thor. He knew that corrupting Gaea would have to wait. He would bide his time, working from the shadows as he once hated the Vampires for acting. But his revenge would come, he would see the First Thor brought to his knees.

It didn't matter how long it took, he would succeed.