The Ashen Keeper

Chapter 42

She must have hit harder than she thought because the way Loki bounced off the marble floor was not normal. He got up immediately after that humiliating smack. And it seems he has some courage after all. He took out his two daggers and charged at her.

"Good boy,", she complimented but that only served to anger him further. She tripped him with one foot and just as he was falling, she grabbed him by his shirt and put in knee in his chin. He passed out on the spot.

Men from Asgard came to carried him away as she went straight to Wanda.

"Ready for an answer, little one?", she asked in a gentle tone. She seems to have made up her mind as she nodded.

"I want to follow you."

"Why, little one? Doth, thou do not worry about thine brother?"

"I believe in him, and I think I will regret it if I cannot follow you to the wider world."

"Very well then, my disciple for now, tend to your juniors.", she said as she left. She would not heal their wounds to teach them a little lesson. Also, she believed in creating a stronger bond among her three disciples if they were to follow her wherever she goes.

"How was it, me dear Odin? Is thou in favor of the way I teach?"

"You can do anything as long as they are alive and have intact limbs.", he replied in the tone of a tough father.

"I have been meaning to ask this question, hath thou any knowledge of arenas like this in the wider universe?"

"Hmm...", he thinks for a while. "I believe Sakaar to fit that description. But beware for Sakaar is under the rule of an elder of the universe."

"An elder?", she mused to herself. According to the knowledge from Asgard, the elders were either immortal or eternal. But she was sure that they were a special kind of life form as they were said the witness the creation of the universe itself like the everlasting dragons.

She also wanted to ask the elder questions about Yharnam while training her disciples in his arena. She believes the elder to have some knowledge of that place. Especially when they have been around since the dawn of time.

She has already learned how to navigate in the void of space. It might not seem like it Asgard has one of the best technologies in the entire universe. And the pilots there were excellent teachers who were very precise in whatever they did.

"My dear Odin, thou has mention that the everlasting ones be allowed to reign free in the nine realms, hath thou not?"

"Indeed, I have, why did you think Asgard would not keep its promise?"

"Do not be offended, my dear Odin. I am merely asking for further clarification. I will now release all the everlasting ones for them to roam free among the skies they belong.", she said as thousands of dragons came into existence.

They had already known that they will now be going to the outside world. Only two were left with her. They were Selph and Falkor. Alduin could not follow her for he still had to rule over the everlasting ones. He did not say anything. Words were just a waste of time. He looked back merely nodded and flew away to the sky he rules.

Selph and Falkor were right beside her. She wondered how they would even fit on a ship unless they went back into her soul. It is at that time that they began morphing into humans. Both Selph and Falkor turned into human-like beings. The reason she used that word was because she could not describe what she was looking at.

Falkor looked like he was trying to fit in among a group of insects with his thin tall shape. He was pale, lanky had no face but came with his own suit and a top hat with tentacles coming out of his back. It's as if he was cosplaying some weird monster.

Selph was even stranger. She was no longer from head to foot than from hip to hip. She was spherical, like a globe. She could have found out countries in her.

"Is this thou definition of a human?", she asked confused.

"Be quiet!", Selph snapped as it seems that she the form she has changed into. This is probably the first time for them.

"We'll just go back.", said Selph once again clearly embarrassed. Falkor could only follow her as they return to her soul.

She just acknowledged Odin who was watching the everlasting ones with great interest and curiosity and simply teleported over to her disciple. Both brothers were awake, and they were clearly discussing something with Wanda.

The abomination Falkor turned into paled in comparison to what the faces of the two brothers looked like when she came. They immediately stopped talking as soon as she came in. For some reason, both of them kept looking at Wanda. She was just smiling for some reason.

"Get up, my disciples. It is time to go."

"Where are we going?", asked Thor as he followed from behind her.

"Sakaar."

"Sakaar? What's that?" his education needs further improvement it seems.

"Thou shall fight in a ring much like this."

"That's it?", he asked. It would have been easy for Thor to fight against regular opponents.

"Thou shall not use thy hammer. But first, we shall get a haircut for thee.", she declared with no room for further argument.

"And as for thee, Loki, thou shall train further in the matter of the arcane alongside Wanda with me." He looked like he would rather fight in the ring but decided against it as he nodded. With that, they got onto the ship prepared by Asgard.

They flew straight to Sakaar but they were stopped along the way by what she believed to be space pirates. "I'll deal with them", said Thor as he held his hammer.

"Leave this matter to me.", she said as watched the ship descent closer. She stopped Thor as she could still sense some 'good' among some of them. She opened her hatch to lead them inside. They obliged with enthusiasm as they rushed in with several weapons.

Leading them was a blue man with what the people of Earth called a mohawk. The difference was that it was shorter and made of some type of metal. "Well, well, well, look at here boys, what do we have here?"