→ FIVE!

◜ the hammer got you off? ◞

THOR SAT ON HIS LEGS, QUIETLY PRAYING TO HIS FATHER. Amber was laying against the wall beside him, having her hands laced on top of her stomach and her eyes peacefully closed.

This was the first time she actually caught a break within the last few days, which she was thankful for; her limbs started to ache with all the movement.

In the middle of Thor's prayers, his voice was overshadowed by another.

Both of the prisoners looked up to see Loki standing above them. Thor turned his whole body, joining Amber in laying against the wall, staring at the God of Mischief.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Loki suggested, breaking the rising tension. "Being lied to. Being told one thing, and learning it's all a fiction."

"Aren't you known for lying?" Amber questioned, mostly to herself instead of him.

Silently, Thor reached beside him, picking up a small pebble. He threw it at his brother, watching as the rock phased through him. Amber squinted at Loki, the conclusion clicking in her head.

This Loki was only a hologram. Amber blew a raspberry, rolling her eyes.

Loki chuckled at the action, throwing up his hands. "I mean, you really didn't think I'd come and see you, did you? This place is disgusting."

Thor chucked another rock at Loki without a word. Amber did too, trying to make Thor feel somewhat better. Loki's expression dropped, glaring at Amber briefly. Amber returned it.

"Does this mean you don't want my help? I couldn't jeopardize my position with the Grandmaster. It took me time to win his trust." Loki watched as Thor juggled a pebble in his palm, throwing it up and catching it a few times. "He's a lunatic, but he can be amenable. What I'm telling you is, you and Amber can join me at the Grandmaster's side. Perhaps in time, an accident befalls the Grandmaster, and then..."

Loki reached out a hand towards a smiling Thor. Loki gestured to Thor, Amber, and then himself before jabbing two thumbs towards the ceiling.

Amber stubbornly threw a rock at Loki, which "hit" him right between his eyes. Thor smirked at this, gazing at Amber.

Loki dropped his hands in defeat. "You're not seriously thinking of going back, are you?" He approached the pair with calculated steps. Thor stayed silent, lacing his own hands across his stomach.

"Our sister destroyed your hammer like a piece of glass. She's stronger than the three of us; she's stronger than you. You don't stand a chance. Do you understand what I'm saying here?"

When neither of them responded, Loki scoffed. "Fine. I guess I'll just have to go it, alone. Like I've always done."

Thor continued to smile at Loki's facade. When Loki noticed his words weren't persuading them, he frowned. "Will you say something? Say something!"

Thor finally stared at his brother. "What would you like me to say? You faked your own death, you stole the throne, you stripped Odin of his power, stranded him on Earth―to die―releasing the Goddess of Death. But, I've said enough."

His eyes slowly travelled from the wall opposite from him to his brother's.

"Would you like me to go further back than the past two days?"

"You know, I haven't seen this beloved champion he talks of, but I've heard he's astonishingly savage. I've placed a large wager against the both of you tomorrow. Don't let me down."

Thor then grabbed a stray bottle beside him, hurling it at the wall with all his strength just as Loki turned and left.

Korg ran up to the wall, kicking it. "Piss off, ghost!"

⌁ ⌁ ⌁

"AW, YUCK! There's still someone's hair and blood all over this one! Can you clean up the weapons, once you're done your fight guys?! Disgusting slobs!" Kong complained loudly, holding some odd-looking weapon out to show the surrounding crowd.

To his dismay, no one was paying attention.

Across from Korg, was another rack of weapons, which Thor and Amber were currently browsing and discussing together quietly.

"Oh, Thor,"

Thor turned to Korg. He gazed at the choice of weapon in his hand, which was a three-pronged stick.

"Wanna use a big wooden fork?" Thor shook his head, looking back at the blade in his hands. "Yeah, not really useful. Unless you're fighting off three vampires that were huddled together."

"You know, I really wish I had my hammer." Thor said, now holding up a polished sword to Amber.

She took it with a grateful smile, twisting it around to gaze at it from all angles. Thor smiled at her before glancing up at Korg again.

"Your hammer?"

"It was quite unique. It was made from this special metal from the heart of a dying star. And, when I spun it really, really fast, it gave me the ability to fly." Thor smiled, lifting his hand in demonstration.

"You rode a hammer?"

"No. I didn't ride the hammer..."

"The hammer rode you, on your back?"

"No, I would spin it really fast and it would pull me off the―"

"Oh, my―" Korg cringed in disgust. "the hammer pulled you off?"

Amber snickered, and Thor quickly picked up on the meaning of Korg's question.

"The ground." Thor snapped, not smiling any longer.

Amber rubbed her hand over her mouth, trying her hardest not to laugh at him.

"It would pull me off the ground, up into the air, and I would fly. Every time I threw it, it would always," Thor extended his hand slowly before quickly retracting it. "come back to me."

"Sounds like you had a pretty special and intimate relationship with this hammer. And, with losing it, was almost comparable to losing a loved one?"

"That's a nice way of putting it."

Amber put down the sword, slapping Thor's large bicep a few times. "Hey, hey, hey, look. It's that junkyard chick."

Thor and Amber watched her argue with a bartender. "You see, that's the one who put us in here."

"Oh, yeah, Scrapper 142. Better watch out for those Asgardians, man. They are hard to perish."

Thor and Amber both simultaneously looked at Korg with wide eyes. "Did you say, Asgardian?"

Korg nodded at Amber, and Thor stormed off. "Hey! Hey!"

Scrapper 142 snapped the cap off her beer bottle with a flick of her knife, before looking over at Thor as Amber joined his side.

Reaching in her pocket, she held up the small rectangular device that controlled the device in their necks. "Hey."

Thor and Amber jerked away from the laser fence. Thor pointed her her sternly, "Do not zap me with that thing! I just wanna talk."

She placed the device on the countertop, allowing him to speak.

"Asgard is in danger."

Silently, Scrapper blew out the flame on her beer, raising it to take a few large gulps of it.

Thor caught sight of the tattoo on her wrist, almost hiding beneath her wrist gauntlet. He cracked a smile. "You're a Valkyrie!"

Valkyrie slammed her bottle down, already annoyed. Thor smiled on. "You know, I used to wanna be a Valkyrie when I was younger. Until...I found out you were all...women. There's nothing wrong with women, of course. I love women. Some times a little too much." Thor butted his shoulder with Amber, shooting her a wink. "Not in a creepy way, just more in a respectful and appreciating way. I think it's great that there's an elite force of women warriors. It's about time."

Thor smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

Amber glared at Thor. "Are you done?"

Valkyrie tipped her head towards Amber. "She's smart. You should listen to her."

"Lord of Thunder and Cat Lady, you're up!" a man shouted from afar.

Thor glanced over his shoulder, stepping closer to the gate. "Please, help me. I need your help."

She grabbed her beverage before waving at him. "Bye."

"Fine, then you must be a traitor or a coward," Thor called out after the woman, stopping her. "Because the Valkyrie is sworn to protect the throne."

The woman, by the name of Valkyrie, approached the gate with quick strides. "Listen closely, your Majesty. This is Sakaar, not Asgard. And I'm a Scrapper, not a Valkyrie."

Four guards approached the two, grabbing their arms to escort them away. Thor threw a single punch before both of their neck devices were activated.

Amber felt the veins in her face start to pop out, trying to fight the feeling of passing out. Valkyrie bent down, staring solely at Thor, "And no one escapes this place. So you both are gonna die anyway."

"Hey, what...the hell!" Amber yelped beneath her struggling. Her arms were grabbed, and she watched the ex-warrior walk away.