All the ways lead to Sakaar

Chapter 8

While Loki and Darcy were completing their task, The Grandmaster was taking a rest in the tower. 

Or at least he tried to because he couldn’t stop thinking about his beloved scepter and his emissaries. 

First of all, he was hoping that they will find the artifact and bring it back to him in one piece, but second…

He really wanted both of them back alive.

He actually never finished this ‘Hamilton’ show and he couldn’t do that without Darcy and her iPhone. And even if he could, what would give him watching it by himself, if then he wouldn’t have anyone to talk about it with. Of course, he could make other people watch that but only the Midgardian seemed to be so well-informed and detailed about everything.

Also, Loki intrigued him. His sparkles with which he could do almost anything - he saw a little something, but the trickster was claiming he can do much more - and his funny phrases.

After all, they were the first people since… well, it was easy to lose good timing on Sakaar, but let's say, a few months, who actually made him want to know more about them and their abilities.

So just after he woke up he tried to do something that would help him stop thinking about prolonged waiting.

He fast decided the only person that could do something about that was his loyal guard - Topaz.

He found her in the game room, as always waiting for him with his - them - well, now without his scepter.

“Topaz.” He said. The woman raised her head uninterested and looked at him with her usual expression.

“Yes?” She asked blankly.

“What were you going to do today?” Asked the Grandmaster sitting comfortably on the empty armchair not far away. 

The woman blinked a few times.

“Enjoying your companion.” She answered. “As always.”

The Grandmaster frowned.

“Oh, no no no.” He said irritated. “I know what are you doing now. I asked what are you going to do.” 

Topaz slowly shook her head.

“That’s exactly what I'm going to do.” She said. “Unless you want to stay alone.”

“No.” Answered the Grandmaster disapproved. “I don't enjoy being alone, I told you that too many times.”

Topaz looked around with wonder.

“How about meeting someone?” She proposed.

“Melting?” The old man looked even more disgusted than a moment ago. “Without proper scepter? That would be a barbarism.”

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. The Grandmaster felt even worse now. It’s been more or less a week since this weird Midgardian arrived and even less since the trickster from Asgard did, and he already was attached to them.

He was getting old.

“What about the Champion Contest?” Said finally Topaz, but Grandmaster disposed of her with a wave of his hand.

“We have no one knew who could possibly beat a current champion or at least give a good show” He explained.

“And how about the feast?”

“I'm not hungry.”

“A talent show?”

“I got bored with it years ago.”

“A massage? I think we have a new massagist.”

“I’m not sore.”

“Maybe a book? There's still this old library on level thirty.” Kept suggesting Topaz.

The Grandmaster blinked a few times looking like he tried to remember something.

“You mean this thing full of paper and letters?”

Topaz nodded.

“No, that's too old-fashioned, I already feel old enough.” He rejected the idea.

There was a long moment of silence between them again. The Grandmaster sighed. He hunched, feeling tiredness rising in him. A disaster, really. 

Could that be just because of his two new favorites? Or the scepter?

He frowned. It had to be the scepter.

Yes, definitely a scepter. 

He always found and lost another and other people and he never missed them. Well, almost. 

“Maybe a spaceship race then?” Said Topaz suddenly breaking him out of thoughts.

He squinted his eyes wandering about the idea. 

That one actually sounded good.

“Yes! That's an excellent concept! Get the ships ready!” He ordered violently waking up, all ready to see the competition.

***

When Darcy opened her eyes she saw a sky and a tip of the Grandmasters tower above her. At first, she didn't know what happened.

It was worse the first time, but that one wasn’t much better. Everything seemed heavy and foggy and the only thing she wanted to do was falling asleep.

She almost lost consciousness again, when suddenly she heard a loud, irritating sound reminding her about the plane's engine.

That made her sober up almost immediately.

She sat on the ground and looked at the source of sound with squinted eyes - she couldn't be sure but it seemed to be one of the Grandmasters spaceships.

Darcy groaned reminding herself how did she get there.

“I’d rather him to be the god of runaways instead of a god of mischief.” She mumbled to herself clenching her feasts and frowning. 

At first, she wanted to find another way out of Sakaar. Maybe in the city, she would be able to find someone to help her. Maybe they had some public, interplanetary transport.

But she rejected that idea as fast as she thought of it.

Even if there was something like public, interplanetary transport then it wouldn’t reach Earth and without any money or anything else someone in space would like to buy, it really didn’t matter if she was on Sakaar or anywhere else, if it wasn’t Midgard.

Besides something told her that the only way out of there was by the spaceship, which she both didn’t know we're - not counting the tower of course - to find or how to drive.

That’s why she decided that she’ll find the god, find the scepter and then try to convince him once again - this time successfully - to help her with running away.

Darcy got up from the ground and flitted away from the dust from her silver skirt and purple mantle. 

She turned her head in the direction of the garbage dump. It was true she already got lost in there once, but she also found there a freaking Rubik’s Cube! And if somewhere out there was someone or something able to help her it was surely there.

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I love writing from the Grandmaster's perspective. He is jut such a child and such a sweetheart and from the other side a really dangerous person.
But he doesn't intend to be dangerous he just doesn't see the consequences that his actions bring for others.
And... yeah, I love it.
I hope you enjoyed!