fiction | Part of the journey is the end

5. Nidavellir

In the pod, Rocket and Groot were sitting in the front as Rocket flew it while Thor was standing and looking the other way. Rocket and Groot were bickering when Thor interrupted, translating one of Groot's sentences and Rocket was shocked that he spoke Groot. Thor said they'd taught it on Asgard as an elective.

"I am Groot?"

Thor laughed. "Yes, Tree, I can understand you."

Groot repeated his line, and Thor said they'd know when they were close, saying Nidavellir's forge harnessed the blazing power of a neutron star and was the birthplace of his hammer. It was truly awesome.

Bruce, Tony, and Peter's jaws dropped.

"A neutron star?" said Peter, amazed.

Rocket said it was time to be captain. He walked up to Thor and asked, "So, dead brother, huh? Yeah, that could be annoying."

Loki grimaced as Thor gave him another bear hug.

Thor said, "Well, he's been dead before. But, no, this time, I think it really might be true."

Tears welled up in Thor's eyes.

"And you said your sister and your dad?" "Both dead." "But still got a mom, though?" "Killed by a dark elf." "A best friend?" "Stabbed through the heart."

Everyone looked at Thor sadly. He really had lost everything.

Rocket asked if Thor was up to this murder mission. Thor said yes because rage and vengeance, anger, loss, regret were all tremendous motivators so he was good to go.

"Thor..." said Loki softly.

Thor shook his head, not wanting to hear anything Loki was about to say.

Rocket said Thanos was the toughest there was. Thor said Thanos never fought him. "Yeah, he has," Rocket corrected. Thor said Thanos never fought him twice and reminded Rocket that he was getting a new hammer.

"And I'm going to stab Thanos in the heart with it," said Thor, with determination.

"It better be some hammer." Rocket said.

"It will be."

"You know, I'm 1,500 years old. I've killed twice as many enemies as that. And every one of them would've rather killed me, but none succeeded. I'm only alive because fate wants me alive. Thanos is just the latest in a long line of bastards...and he'll be the latest to feel my vengeance. Fate wills it so."

Thor nodded, agreeing with himself.

"Mmm-hmm." Rocket said, "And what if you're wrong?" Thor said sadly, "If I'm wrong, then...what more could I lose?" He wiped a tear from his eye and walked off.

Thor's words hit everyone deeply.

"I could lose a lot. Me, personally, I could lose a lot." Rocket muttered.

Quill smiled. "Aw Rocket, you do love us!"

"Shut up, Quill."

Thor walked to the front. Rocket said if fate wanted Thor to kill Thanos, he'd need more than one eyeball and gave him a prosthetic one. Rocket said a jerk in Contraxia had lost it in a bet with him.

"And gave you an eye?" asked Tony, incredulously.

Rocket snickered.

Thor was shocked he'd given him his eye, but Rocket said he'd given him 100 units, but he'd snuck into his room and stolen the eye at night.