Tally Marks

Chapter 9 - Second Day of Combat

Loptr had no idea who they were going to pair him with for the second day of the fights.  He escaped his room while Valkyrie climbed out the window to avoid Topaz.  Again, he was still annoyed by the path they had chosen to take, but he accepted his beloved's request and would stay the course.  As such, he found himself standing in the preparation area of the arena once more, with several other combatants looking at him.  Loptr tightened one of his gauntlets before he stilled.  "I can smell Terra all over you," he commented before he turned around and found a red-haired woman standing behind him.  Her blue eyes narrowed as she studied him.  Up close, he was hauntingly like Loki; but his eyes were ruby red, and his hair was very white, and he lacked the maniacal expression she remembered from the would-be conqueror.  He was very calm and in control, and the good kind of control.  

"Steve says you're Loki of Asgard.  Is that true?" Natasha asked him plainly.  

"I do not know this Loki of whom you speak.  I am Loptr of No Where.  I serve the Grandmaster of Sakaar, En Dwi Gast.  I am not who you believe me to be," he answered.  Natasha knew that Loki was the God of Lies and Mischief.  However, the last time they spoke, she was able to pick up certain tells from him.   She could not this time.  He seemed so sure that he was Loptr and not Loki.  It could still be a trick; so she decided to probe further.

"You positive?  Sure you didn't leave your ID in your other pair of leather pants?" she suggested.  A hint of a smile appeared on Loptr's face at the jab.  He simply shook his head and continued to adjust his gauntlets and vambraces.

"I have always been Loptr, I am Loptr, and I always will be," he responded before he turned his back on Natasha.  Black Widow was about to say something else to him, when an Einherjar appeared before them and looked at Loptr.

"You are to fight the Light Elf Azrian of Alfheim today.  You'll be the third fight," the warrior said.  Loptr nodded his head and walked away from Natasha.  She frowned and left the pits, heading back to the balcony where she and the rest of the Avengers would watch the games.

"So?  What did he say?" Tony asked when Natasha sat herself down.  She gave Odin a sideways glance to see if he was paying attention, but when he did not tilt his head in their direction, Natasha figured they were safe.  

"He sticks by his story of being Loptr and claiming that he has no idea who Loki is," she answered.

"He's a natural born liar.  Of course he would say that," Clint interrupted and Thor shot him a look. 

"I replayed that first conversation I had with him over and over in my head as I spoke to him.  None of what I remembered about him was there.  It was like he was a slate wiped clean.  A ledger free of red," Natasha explained.  Thor stroked his chin and ignored the first match as it started.  Of course he was concerned.  If this was really Loki, how to free him from the Grandmaster and protect him from his father?  Both equally difficult tasks.  

"I would have to see him to confirm if it is in fact Loki.  Once I see him, we can work out how to rescue him," Thor said.

"Rescue him?  I am not rescuing that motherf*cker and that is that.  And you can't make me," Clint retorted as he stood up and left the balcony.

"Did something upset the archer?" Odin asked in his quiet, but commanding voice.   

"He's just pissed he owes me on a wager," Tony enlightened with a dismissive wave of his hand.  Odin looked like he was going to say something else when they heard a crash and glanced back to the field to see some kind of rock creature fighting an ogre?  They were not sure what they were looking at.  "Ah!  Pebbles versus Shrek."  Thor heaved a tired sigh while Odin just raised an eyebrow.

"I like him!  You should come to my planet!  You look like the life of a party, and I do nothing but party," En Dwi Gast commented.

That and reprogram poor amnesia victims to suit your own purposes, Bruce thought darkly to himself.  Tony just grinned at the Grandmaster.  

"I'll pencil you in, Liberace," he rejoined and En Dwi Gast chuckled at the nickname.  Another crash announced that the rock creature had been beaten to the ground by the ogre.  The ogre stomped on the Kronan's head and unfortunately it shattered before the Einherjar could put a stop to the fight. 

"Are there going to be many fatalities in this contest?" Bruce asked nervously, rubbing his hands together.

"A few.  A hazard, I'm afraid," Odin said in a noncommittal tone of voice.

"So loss of human life is normal for you Asgardians?" Steve said with a hint of judgment in his voice that was not lost on Odin.  

"I'm sorry that our traditions offend your delicate, mortal sensibilities.  Be reminded that you humans used to do this for sport as well," the All-Father countered.

"Yes, and like a good wine, we've aged well.  Unlike some," Tony rejoined, his eyebrows wiggling.  The horn announced that the fight was over and the ogre had won.  They dragged the Kronan away and the ogre left the arena, his arms raised.  Another horn was sounded and the Grandmaster let out a tired sigh.  

"When is this going to get interesting?  I feel like my brain hates my eyes for seeing this level of tedious entertainment," he commented.  Odin glared at him, but En Dwi Gast was choosing to ignore him.  

"You mean when is your fighter going to make an appearance?" Sif challenged and the Grandmaster shrugged his shoulders slightly.  

"Maybe," he answered with a smirk. 

"One more fight, then..." but Odin's words trailed off and Thor looked at him.  He suspected his father knew who Loptr was, and this was the proof he needed.  Odin knew and was doing his best to cover it up.  "And then your champion will fight a Light Elf."

"Yay!  Some excitement at last!" the Grandmaster said with a wicked smile.

Loptr slashed the Light Elf across the face with the mace at the end of his morningstar before he walked over to where he had fallen.  The Elf was moaning in pain and not making any attempts to protect himself.  "Do you yield?" Loptr asked.    The Light Elf spat his golden blood out onto Loptr's boot.  The warrior felt a pulse start up in his temple that lasted for all of five seconds before he stomped on his opponent's windpipe, crushing it beneath his boot.

"Hooray!  My champion!" the Grandmaster cried as Loptr walked off the field, wiping the golden blood from his weapon.

He might claim to not be the same person, but he's still the same killer, Natasha thought to herself.