JOTUNHEIM: MAXIMILIAN
Maximilian and Sol spun around and finally the world settled as they were in front of a large stony manor that shimmered like an illusion on the outcrop and plateau of a mountain with a silvery golden plaque saying "Halls of Loki". Sol and Maximilian stared at the manor as they slowly approached. Maximilian's blood started to boil at this Hall of Loki as lightning sparked around his limbs as he strongly felt that Victor was trapped in there. It had been so long since he'd seen him and the paranoia that had been gnawing at him reached a fever pitch. He muttered under his breath: "Hang in there Victor."
Without hesitation, Maximilian kicked down the door with a thunderous kick. Sol following timidly behind. Maximilian couldn't wait to see Victor again.
Before them, they stood in a large hall with sky-scraping stone snake-like pillars surrounding them in a marble floored hall. Their footsteps seemed to echo clairvoyantly in the hall. Maximilian felt Sol's warmth wash over him: "Maximilian. Be careful."
Maximilian unsheathed his sword: "I can't afford to wait for it."
The light of Gram, a gentle golden light seemed to glint through the hall. Moments later the large 3 meter door behind them slammed shut. Maximilian hollered out: "Loki! Show yourself!"
The braziers suddenly flared up with black flames that illuminated the hall in a deep purple light, illuminating the silhouette of a figure sitting on a throne with fiery horns. Maximilian shouted: "Face me!"
From the throne, the figure snarled and shapeshifted into a black firebolt as it streaked towards them, Maximilian barely had time to blink before the streak slammed into him and disappeared into the shadows again. Sol screeched as she suddenly went flying through the door and disappeared from view.
The figure's voice was hideous yet saccharine: "Just you and me.... Winner takes all..." and laughter echoed through the room.
The figure shrouded in shadow lunged out and Maximilian stared in disbelief as the figure revealed himself: It was Victor.
Victor's dark Dagaz blade crackled with fire, his eyes manic red, his skin gaunt and pale like a draugr. His clothes torn, tattered, and smoking. Victor's lips were contorted in a vapid grin. Maximilian barely caught Victor's lightning fast blade: "Victor! It's me!"
Victor shrieked and slashed downwards with force Maximilian didn't know he had: "I don't care. Loki has shown me the truth, that you Aesir will never change, I will never belong!"
Maximilian's swordlock with Victor was broken as Victor forced their blades up and Victor kicked him swiftly in the chest, sending the Odinson spiralling back. Without a split second of delay, Victor transformed into a bolt of inferno that shot through the floor and materialised behind Maximilian, sword in hand, and stabbed Maximilian through the gut.
Maximilian felt the burning sensation of Victor's blade pierce his gut as he felt his fingers slacken and Gram clatter to the floor. He gasped as Victor extracted his blade, shining red in Maximilian's blood. Maximilian sank to his knees, coughing up blood, as Victor walked to his front: "You see, 'Maxie', I didn't get "re-written" I'm still me. And I want you to know. I finally beat you and my inhibitions."
And he kicked Maximilian over onto his side. Maximilian felt his head hit the cold stone floor and felt the blood slowly seep onto the floor. Maximilian coughed and raspily responded: "This isn't you Victor... I know you-"
Victor struck Maximilian across the face and Maximilian collapsed onto the ground wheezing: "You don't know me! We knew each other for a month at best! How do you know anything, golden boy?"
Maximilian summoned the Uruz rune to his hand, and Victor hissed: "Don't you dare!" Rushing forth to stop Maximilian from healing himself.
But suddenly Maximilian lunges forward in surprising strength and grasped Victor's cold clammy forearm, allowing the life energy to flow forth to heal whatever broken remains of his soul. Victor's eyes seemed to lose that manic energy and turn grey again for a split second before Victor recoiled his hand: "Paltry trick old friend." And cast Maximilian aside. Victor sorely rubbed his wrist and picked Maximilian up by the neck: "You want to know why I hate you now? Very well. You see Maximilian, every ounce of pain I experienced was because you weren't there for me. I am who I am now because you weren't there for me. I thought you loved me. Now, you will feel the pain as I have."
Maximilian felt his wound dear and his face burn with shame. He watched his boyfriend's manic face contorted in anger and from behind Victor, a host of burning black tentacles and tendrils erupted from behind him and perforated Maximilian. Even though they weren't flesh wounds and left no mark, waves of pain exploded from him. Maximilian didn't even try to resist, in the Hall of Loki, about to be killed by the one person he felt a connection with.
After what felt like an eternity of nothing but blinding hot pain, Victor retracted the fiery limbs and Maximilian fell once again to the floor, smoking. Maximilian felt lightheaded from blood loss as he watched Victor's tendrils seem to fuse into two black feathered wings that were almost angelic. Wincing, he lifted Maximilian up and flew out and dumped him roughly on the plateau next to where he had apparently locked an unconscious Sol into the earth. When Victor looked down on him, Maximilian noticed that his eyes were stone grey again if only for a few seconds before flickering red, and Victor murmured: "Soon..." as Maximilian drifted off into sleep.
