Book 4: Arcane [Thor]

Chapter 12

Thor didn't know how much time had passed when he regained consciousness. His surroundings were pitch black, no longer in the bottom of the woman's ship. It felt like he was sitting up now. Disoriented, the god found it impossible to move. There was a flash of multiple lights. The area became lit and he found himself moving through a long metal hull of some kind. Full of machines and architecture unfamiliar to the prince.

"Fear not, for you are found," a recorded female voice filled the area. "You are home and there is no going back. No one leaves this place."

A quick glance down revealed that Thor was indeed cuffed to a metal chair. The restraints were strong enough to hold him, tugging against the restrains. Breaking out wouldn't be so easy.

"But what is this place?"

The projected imagery changed into a vast void of time and space. A consuming blackness lit by thousands of stars, planets, and nebulas.

"The answer is Sakaar."

A song played in the background. Thor recognized it from one of the movie nights he'd shared with Anya. He just couldn't remember the name off the top of his head.

"Surrounded by cosmic gateways, Sakaar lives on the edge of the known and unknown. It is the collection point for all lost and unloved things, like you."

A rainbow tunnel formed, the planets falling away. Like the Bifrost, but more saturated. Not as beautiful. It looked like a trippy rainbow.

"But here on Sakaar, you are significant. You are valuable."

Thor's eyes widen. An asteroid came right towards him, pressing back into the chair to wait for the impact.

"Here you are loved."

The asteroid wasn't real from the way he passed right through without injury. It'd appeared so real and the god let out a breath.

"What the hell?" Thor mumbled.

"And no one loves you more than the Grandmaster."

A hologram of a silhouette appeared with no definitive features. A man, based on his stature, who bowed with arms out in welcome.

"He is the original, the first lost and the first found," a city line accompanied the hologram man, "the creator of Sakaar, and father of the Contest of Champions."

The next collection of holograms took on the forms of two warriors in gladiator type wear, one killing another in a grand arena.

"Where once you were nothing, now you are something."

Suddenly, the lights went out.

"You are the property of the Grandmaster."

Thor didn't have to worry about the lack of light for long. The rainbow colors had reappeared, brighter than ever before. The speed of his movements increased too. It felt like he was hurtling out of control towards an unknown location.

"Congratulations! You will meet the Grandmaster in five seconds. Prepare yourself."

The god's eyes shut, not enjoying assault on his eyes.

"Prepare yourself."

He couldn't help but look again. It felt like he was traveling at the speed of sound.

"You are now meeting the Grandmaster!"

Thor screamed in alarm when a room came into focus. Like being awoken abruptly from a bad dream. But he wasn't asleep. The scream in his throat died out, eyes darting back and forth to find an array of guards surrounding the chair. And directly in front of him sat a strange man. He had silver hair that seemed weightless from the way it was styled for the ends to face up, a painted blue strip to resemble a goatee, light tan skin, and wore royal looking robes with an array of red, blue, and golden colors.