A Feather's Trick ➸ Loki fanfiction

Chapter 28

Hela strolled at the far side of the bridge, seething with power. A vision of death. Weariness clung to my bones. She walked towards us, menacing and deliberate. We stepped forward to protect the Asgardians, huddling together.

"I think we should disband the Revengers." Thor announced.

"Really? I thought it was going quite well." I said in a hushed voice.

"Hit her with a lightning blast." Loki urged.

"I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning. It did nothing." Thor complained.

"We need to hold her off until everybody's on board." Valkyrie asserted.

Thor looked at the people boarding behind us, "It won't end there. The longer Hela's on Asgard the more powerful she grows. She'll hunt us down. We need to stop her here and now."

"What's our move?" Valkyrie asked.

"I'm not doing 'Get help.'" Loki refused immediately.

Thor stepped forward, then looked back, "Asgard's not a place. It's a people." He paused before breathing heavily. "Loki, This was never about stopping Ragnarok... it was about causing Ragnarok. Go to the vault. Surtur's crown. It's the only way."

"Bold move, brother. Even for me." Loki looked impressed.

"Loki!" I called him. He turned around quizzically. This was dangerous. More dangerous for Loki than any of us. I was terrified of losing him. "Be careful." I looked at his lips, but there was no time.

"Always." He smirked noticing my gaze. He ran off to save our people.

"Shall we?" Thor beamed at us, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"After you." Valkyrie curtsied.

Thor attacked. Hela fought with pitch black weapons while Thor conjured powerful bolts of electricity. Both of their powers seemed stronger than before. The battle was relentless and fast-paced. I longed to join in, but knew I would get in the way. Thor was holding his own against Hela. Maybe we could win.

The moment I thought that, she punctured his shoulder and darted past him with startling speed. Thor rushed Hela again. Valkyrie and I joined in, forcing her to fight us all. We continually blocked her attempts to spear the Asgardians. She wasn't landing any fatal blows, but she was shredding us and making steady progress towards the ship.

The refugees finally made it aboard, with Heimdall, the rock and the other creature being the last to get on. Thor and Heimdall made eye contact.

"Go! Go now!" He called out.

As the ship's engines began to power up, Hela harpooned Thor. He went down, grimacing in pain. I caught him, caressing him with my wings. Hela began to conjure an enormous black spike from the bedrock of Asgard that stabbed the ship, preventing it from leaving. Her Butchers scrambled up. We heard the Asgardians cry out in terror.

As the first wave arrived on board, they were soon dropped. Their leader ran forward, leaping off the ship and landing on the bridge right where they were all coming to life. He blasted with two Midguardian guns, ensuring none could get onboard. The ship began to lift off.

"Hela!" He called. She looked disappointed as she fired a blade through his heart. She clutched Valkyrie, but her attention was on the aftermath of his last stand and the ship's escape. She was furious.

"Skurge." Thor sounded regretful as he pulled the harpoon. He nodded to me thankfully as he got up."Hela! Enough!" Thor yelled. She turned to see Thor laying down his sword. I seathed Vindr, putting away the arrow I held. "You want Asgard? It's yours."

"Whatever game you're playing, it won't work. You can't defeat me."

"No, but he can."

Surtur exploded through the roof of the palace with a boom. He was slowly growing in size, as was the massive flaming sword he carried. His arrival shook the bedrock, causing fissures to appear and dislodging the foundation on the bridge and around the palace.

"No... NO!" Hela's eyes widened. I wanted to be triumphant. I wanted to celebrate. But seeing the place I had lived for years destroyed beyond repair in front of me... broke my heart.

That soon vanished when Valkyrie used her remaining strength to drive Dragonfang through Hela's chest, pinning her to the bridge. Hela tried to deliver a death blow but Thor bolted forward, pulling her from her clutches. He fired lightning into Dragonfang, which dislodge the section of the bridge she was pinned to. The ground beneath Hela broke free, and she went falling down into the expanding fissure.

Badly injured, we looked up to see Surtur increasing in size, now towering over the palace.

"Tremble before me Asgard, for I am your reckoning!" He boomed. He swung his sword, destroying an entire city block.

"The people are safe. That's all that matters." Valkyrie said.

"We're fulfilling the prophecy."

"I hate this prophecy." She groaned. I agreed.

"So do I, but we have no choice. Surtur destroys Asgard, he destroys Hela so that our people can live. We need to let him finish... No!" Thor was interrupted by the Hulk leaping up, landing on Surtur's face. He began pounding the fire giant with furious punches. "Hulk no! Stop it you moron!"

Surtur took a destructive step back, reaching up and grabbing him with a giant fiery hand. He hurled the Hulk away from him sending him crashing down. He stumbled to his feet, dazed and smoking. After gathering his bearings, he got really angry and headed back for round two.

"Hulk, just for once in your life, don't smash!" Thor screamed.

"But... big Monster." The Hulk argued.

"Hulk! Let's go." Valkyrie ordered.

He stopped, looking between Surtur and us, "Friends." He picked us up. He squatted down before leaping with all his might towards the ship.

He landed gently, casually dropping us. Surtur was extinction level scale below, slashing away. I watched as a massive black spike exploded from the water and slammed into his chest. From beneath the water, Hela rode a huge spike going for Surtur with all her might. Surtur wound up, holding his sword above his head.

"I am Asgard's doom!" He shouted.

True to his word, he fulfilled his destiny. His sword was driven through Hela and into the heart of Asgard.

"The damage is not too bad. As long as the foundations are strong, we can rebuild this place. It will become a haven for all people and aliens of the universe..." the Rock spoke. When the fiery sword touched the crystalline base of Asgard, there was a detonation of energy. A cataclysmic earthquake, the entire realm split in two. In an instant, our home was blown to pieces. Asgard was gone. "Nope, those foundations are gone. Sorry."

"What have I done?" Thor doubted himself. Heimdall joined us.

"You saved us from extinction. Asgard is not a place, it's a people."