For we once so loved the world by HowlingDarkness95

Chapter 32

The moment Loki crossed the great body of water, he shifted back into his human form immediately, stumbling slightly in the after effects of the spell, unused to shape-shifting after going so long without using that particular spell. He shook his head, retrieving his staff from his pocket to steady himself. He could feel the traces of the land's magic lingering in the air, leaving a disgusting taste in his mouth. Loki moved quietly, enshrouding himself in his magic and illusions even though there were no signs of anyone around him – he didn't want to take the chance and pay for it. After all, he had grown up learning to be cautious, unlike his oaf of a brother who always charged into battle headfirst, leaving Loki to cover his back for him.

He walked slowly, keeping an eye out for any signs of the draugar*. He had only been on Niflheim once before, but Hela – when she had calmed down enough not to breathe fire on him – had warned him about the section of Niflheim where the draugar inhabited. Their 'home' was filled with dark magic, magic which sustained them and was a whole different kind of horror from the illusory magic that had ensnared him before Hela had saved him. Not even the wolves of Niflheim dared to cross into their territory, their beastly instincts driving them away from the undead. He sighed, of all the places for Percy to actually wander into...

Then again, Loki mused, he could have been attempting to get away from the wolves and ended up across the river as a result, since the wolves would never dare to cross the waters of the murky river, not even for a special soul. But Percy could cross it. With his powers over water – Loki paused, frowning slightly, did his powers still work? He sighed, there was no point thinking about that now, if the boy didn't have his powers then he would have to protect the two of them from the horrors of the realm and convince Percy to come with him. Loki slapped a hand to his face, of all the things... he thought, annoyance surging through him. How was he supposed to convince Percy when he wasn't even allowed to tell him his name?

A low hissing sound filtered through his thoughts and the god ducked down behind a stray tree, the trunk big enough to shield him from view – not that his magic wasn't enough, but he had always been overly cautious. His hand rested on the staff that lay on the ground beside him, also hidden from view. Loki peered around the tree, scanning the landscape for signs of the creature that made the noise. He waited with bated breath as another hiss echoed across the plain, the pitch slightly different this time. He narrowed his eyes as two draugr shifted into view, their forms hunched over as they shuffled across the plain, their jaws hanging open and their faces a myriad of claw marks and rotten flesh. Loki wrinkled his nose, the smell wafting towards him filling him with disgust, but he remained where he was, observing the corpses quietly.

They chattered and chittered in a way reminiscent of the chitauri, making Loki cringe at first, but their 'speech' was accompanied by the occasional moan that punctuated their speech. Loki had absolutely no clue as to what they were saying, or if they were even capable of intelligent speech, but he knew that if there were two right here, it meant that more were gathered elsewhere. He racked his brain for more facts on the draugr, but for once, his extensive knowledge was failing him. As they were the undead, and animated by magic, it wasn't surprising that Asgard had little to no knowledge of them. Add in the fact that they were supposedly dead as well...

One thing sprang into his mind, that despite the condition of their body, they were extremely fast.

That thought entered his head a split second before he leapt out of the way, a double-bladed axe splitting the tree he had been hiding behind. The good news was that he had avoided certain decapitation and a permanent stay in the realm. The bad news? He now had the undivided attention of all three draugr.