"Sibling Rivalry"

by Matthew Turnage

Roger Willis is a man unlike any other. He has been given a sacred duty by the gods themselves. He is to guard the Cask of Ancient Winters with his life. It has been his obligation ever since his father was murdered, and the task was passed on to him. (circa Thor #345 or so - Matt) Now he wonders if that assignment is too much for a mere mortal as he runs for his life, clutching the cask close to his breast.

Roger hates the idea of actually carrying the thing around with him, especially when some sort of demonic creatures who want the blasted thing are chasing him. Unfortunately, he has little choice. Whatever those things are, they almost recovered the cask from Roger's hiding place. He just beat them to it, but now they're gaining on him and it doesn't look like he's going to make it.

Roger dashes through Central Park, looking for some place, any place to hide. He spares a glance behind him to see if they're gaining, and when he looks up, he stops in terror. He's been surrounded. It's over, and he failed his duty. Oh well, it was a good life while it lasted.

"What do you say, Sig? Supper at my place tonight?" Jerry Sapristi asks his business partner.

"No thank you, Jerry," Sigurd Jarlson, mortal identity of Thor and head of Warhammer Construction, replies. "I do not wish to be an imposition upon you and your family."

"Nonsense, we love having you over," Jerry says.

"And I appreciate your generosity, but I'm afraid I must decline," Sigurd answers politely but firmly. "I have some personal business I must take care of this evening."

"Okay. Raincheck?"

"Sure." Sigurd waves goodbye as Jerry boards the elevator and leaves Warhammer's offices for the day. "Lying to my friend is most distasteful," Sigurd thinks as he watches his friend go, "but in truth I do not feel comfortable eating at the Sapristis whilst mine own love, the Enchantress, wears the form of Jerry's daughter Jenny. 'Tis passing strange... when I am not with the Enchantress, the situation weighs heavily 'pon my heart, but when we are together those concerns melt away as 'twas nothing. The ways of a heart in love, no doubt."

Sigurd returns to his office and wraps up the day's business affairs. Upon completing his work, he briefly ponders going to his penthouse apartment for a relaxing evening with a flask of mead, but then decides a brief stroll and some fresh night air might be better at the moment. As Sigurd begins to walk the streets of New York, he begins to clear his mind of distractions.

"Mayhaps I should do this more often," Sigurd thinks as he continues his walk. "I have of late allowed events to weigh too heavily 'pon my soul. My duties at Warhammer, my responsibilities as Earth's champion... and my relationship with Amora. Oh, how life was so much simpler in my younger days, before I took on my duties as defender of my mother's realm. Slaying giants, riding with Balder and the Warriors Three... those were the days."

Sigurd wanders aimlessly across New York, and when he breaks his reverie he finds himself near Central Park. He notices his surroundings, then pauses as he scratches his head. "'Tis passing strange. Verily, I had no destination in mind as I set out tonight, yet now that I have arrived at Central Park, I feel as though I had been drawn here. Mayhaps thoughts of comradeship have led me towards Avengers Mansion... nay, 'tis something else. Methinks there is a bit of sorcery in the air."

Sigurd finds a secluded spot, and upon doing so removes his enchanted mallet Mjolnir from his duffel bag and strikes it upon the ground. A bolt of lightning flashes across the sky, and Sigurd's mortal rainment disappears as he is suddenly cloaked in the more familiar garb of Thor Odinson, God of Thunder!

"Whate'er evil lurks tonight, Thor shall find it!" the Asgardian promises as Mjolnir lifts him to the sky. He swoops across Central Park, his eyes searching for some clue as to what has transpired here earlier. Then, he spots a figure hidden in the bushes. Thor lands in order to inspect the figure more closely. As he approaches, he recognizes the battered and maimed form of...

"Roger Willis!"

If there exists an infinite number of universes, then the number of worlds in existence defies human comprehension. But to the Aesir, only nine worlds are of any importance. And while the Thunderer is busy on Midgard, on the world the gods call Jotunheim, a rider approaches. Utgard-Loki, ruler of the frost giants greets the rider and accepts a gift from him. The rider returns the way he came, and Utgard-Loki approaches the gathered armies of the frost giants.

"Behold, my armies of the frozen lands!" Utgard-Loki addresses the masses. "The pact is sealed, and the destruction of Odin One-Eye and the Aesir is at hand. Here in my hand I hold the Cask of Ancient Winters, delivered to us from Midgard by our ally. We shall unleash the fury of the bone-chilling winds upon Asgard, immobilizing those puny godlings even as it feeds our own strength. We shall grind their bones to paste and snuff the Eternal Flame itself!"

A triumphant roar explodes from the gathered throng, but the dull-witted giants fail to notice a black raven that has watched all that has transpired, and now takes flight to return to its master.

Meanwhile, back on Midgard, at the Sapristi family home....

"Mom, Dad, I'm going out for awhile," Jenny announces. "I'm supposed to meet up with some of my friends to catch a movie."

"Alright, sweetie," Jerry says. "Have a good time."

Jenny leaves the Sapristi's Cobble Hill residence. However, she has no intention of meeting with any of her friends this evening. As soon as she is sure she isn't being watched, she waves her arms, and the form of young Jenny Sapristi gives way to the incredibly gorgeous form of Amora, better known as the Enchantress.

"Sometimes I regret living this double life," she muses aloud, "but for my Thor...."

"Bah!"

Amora turns in surprise at the voice behind her. "Loki," she acknowledges. "Here to torment me again, I suppose?"

"Torment thou, my dear?" Loki laughs. "Nay, to woo thee, of course."

"To woo me?" Amora asks, puzzled. "Art thou insane, Loki? Thou threaten to destroy my happiness with thy step-brother, and thou callst this wooing?"

"Must thou mention the accursed Thor yet again?" Loki groans. "Thor, who has not brains enough to see through thy thinly veiled deception?"

"Have a care, Loki," Amora warns.

"Surely, o beauteous one, thou must realize that thou needs a lover worthy of thee," Loki continues. "Hast thou already forgotten poor Skurge, the late, lamented Executioner? He was certainly a muscle-bound oath very much like Thor, although I daresay even Skurge had more brains than Odin's favored son. And Skurge, at least, had personality."

"I warn thee, Loki," Amora growls, her voice low, "do not mention Skurge again. And leave Thor and myself alone."

Loki ignores her threatening tone. "Surely thou must realize that Skurge's sad fate will be visited 'pon Thor as well. 'Tis the way of all such warriors." Loki shakes his head in mock pity. "Of course, those with skill such as we will not succumb to dusty death. We have the ability to outsmart our enemies. And I know how much thou hates to be alone. How well I remember how quickly thou clung to Heimdall after Skurge's death.... Why repeat the same mistake? Forget Thor, and I shall give thee pleasures undreamed of."

"ENOUGH!" the enraged Enchantress shouts.

"Farewell, my sweet," Loki smiles as he disappears.

The Enchantress fumes. She had planned to visit Thor and have a pleasant evening alone, but now Loki has spoiled that. No, she decides, she won't let him have the satisfaction. But doubts begin to form... Thor will surely die the warrior's death, as Skurge did. Will she simply find refuge in another man's arms, as she did upon Skurge's death? And if so, why does she stay with Thor, if the relationship ultimately means so little to her, that she can simply move on to the next one? Or, does she really love Thor, as she never loved Skurge?

Amora shakes away the nagging thoughts. Clearly Loki is the source of her current dilemma. She simply needs to eliminate Loki, and all will be well.

In Central Park, Thor cradles the mangled form of Roger Willis. "Roger! Canst thou hear me?" Thor begins searching immediately for signs of life. Although he finds them, they are faint, and the medical knowledge he obtained as Donald Blake tells him he is already too late to save Roger.

"Thor," Roger weakly coughs. "They took it... they took the Cask."

"Who, Roger? Who took the Cask?"

But no answer is forthcoming. Thor lays the unmoving form of Roger Willis back on the ground, and rises to his feet. "Thou met thy end bravely, Roger Willis. Thou also fought by my side as a true comrade against the Dark Elves once, and I shall never forget. I shall make sure thou art remembered with honor."

"What have we here?"

Thor wheels about, his anger rising exponentially as he see a familiar figure approaching from behind. "Loki! What knowest thou of this?"

"Of what?" Loki asks, clearly not understanding why Thor is so upset. "The death of some insignificant mortal? I know nothing of this."

"And I should believe the Prince of Liars?" Thor rumbles. "This 'insignificant mortal,' as thou called him, was the guardian of the Cask of Ancient Winters. Mayhaps thou murdered him and stole that which was entrusted to him."

"Oh please, Thor," Loki scoffs. "Thou knowest me better than that. Had I taken the Cask, I would not have waited here to be discovered by thee. And I certainly would never have killed the mortal in such a ... crude ... and unimaginative manner. I came here to speak to thee on another matter."

"Such things will have to wait," a skeptical Thor replies, "for the theft of the Cask can only mean grim tidings for Asgard. I need not remind you that the last time it was used against the Realm Eternal, you fought alongside Odin and myself to preserve the Nine Worlds." (yes, it really happened, way back in Thor #353 - Matt)

"I fought to preserve myself," Loki replies indignantly.

"Ne'ertheless, I must find out who took the Cask, before doom befalls us all."

In Odin's Great Hall, the Allfather sits on his throne, and ponders recent events. Odin has always been preoccupied with Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods. He has spent centuries laying various plans in an effort to forestall the inevetable - he knows, perhaps better than anyone, that a god cannot escape his wyrd. What the fates have spoken will come to pass. Nevertheless, he feels it is his duty as the liege lord of the Aesir to try.

Perhaps that is what leads him to frustration now. Odin spends so much time attempting to avoid the old prophecies that when there arises a threat that is clearly not tied to Ragnarok, it forces him to examine his ongoing obsession with the unavoidable death of all he knows. But such musings are better left for later - at this moment, the loyal raven Munnin flies into the room and whispers his report into the ear of Odin. Odin nods in acknowledgement and Munnin leaves.

A moment later, the Grand Vizier enters the chamber. "Is there news, my lord?" he asks.

"Aye, there is," Odin answers, the concern etched into his brow clearly reflected in his voice. "The armies assembled against us have an unseen ally. The Frost Giants now have the Cask of Ancient Winters in their possession."

"Nay!" the Grand Vizier gasps in astonishment. "Then surely they must mean to unleash its vast power in order to further increase their frigidly derived strength."

"They canst have no other use for it," Odin confirms. "The situation is e'en graver than I had thought. Are the forces of Asgard ready?"

"At this very moment the armies of the Golden Realm gather on the plain of Vigrid," the Vizier confirms. "Harokin and the other Einherjar art already growing impatient for battle," the Vizier adds with a laugh.

"They wouldst not be amongst us if they didst not possess such spirit," Odin notes as he allows himself a smile for the briefest of moments. "The situation is most dire," he continues, turning deadly serious again. "I must call my son back to Asgard. We will need him in this time."

"Begone, brother," Thor waves his hand at Loki dismissively. "If thou wilt not be of help, leave me be. A warrior hath a task to perform."

Loki snickers. "And some say I am full of myself."

"Still thy tongue if thou wilt not aid me," Thor snaps.

Then there is a puff of smoke and a flash of light as the Enchantress appears in the park alongside Thor and Loki. "Thor, my love, here you are," Amora smiles as she sees the thunder god.

"No greeting for me?" Loki inquires.

"No more than you deserve," Amora answers with a scornful glance. Then, upon seeing the concern etched on Thor's face, she asks, "What troubles thee, my Thor?"

"Yonder lies the body of Roger Willis," Thor gestures. "A true and faithful companion when Malekith and Surtur attempted to bring about Ragnarok. Now he is dead, and the Cask of Ancient Winters he was charged to protect hath been taken by some unknown evil."

The Enchantress gasps. "The Cask taken? Have thou any clues to its location?"

"Nay," Thor replies. "But mayhaps Mjolnir can detect its magic...."

"No need, my son," a commanding voice booms from the sky.

Thor looks into the air and sees the grim visage of Odin spanning the sky. "My liege, knowest thou of this tragedy?"

"Aye," Odin confirms. "The Cask hath been delivered to our ancient foes, the Frost Giants. E'en now they prepare to unleash its fury 'pon Asgard, using the bone-numbing cold to strengthen them as they attack us."

"Nay!" Thor shouts. "Not if the God of Thunder has any say in the matter."

"Truly thou art the son of my heart," Odin beams. He then turns his attention to Amora and Loki. "Wilt thou join us in defending the realm against our ancient enemies?"

"Of course, my liege," Amora answers.

"Bah," Loki snorts. "Adopted son of Asgard I may be, but the blood of Giants courses through my veins. May thy destruction be slow and painful."

A pained expression crosses Odin's face. "E'er have I hoped thou wouldst embrace the Asgardian heritage I have given thee, Laufey's son." Odin sighs, then addresses Thor and Amora. "Return to the Golden Realm at once. Already our armies amass at Vigrid. The battle is soon in coming." With those words, Odin's face disappears from the night sky.

"Loki, Odin hath ever treated thee like his own son, and e'er hast thou spurned him," Thor says. "Thou art my brother, and despite our differences, e'er have I loved thee. Wilt thou not join us, when thy skills are needed."

"Hang thyself," is Loki's only reply.

"So be it," Thor nods. "Come, Amora, the Realm Eternal needs us! Let us waste no more time in answering our call to duty!" Thor spins Mjolnir faster and faster, until it reaches speeds no human mind can conceive. Then Thor and Amora vanish, as they are teleported to Asgard, leaving Loki alone in Central Park, to begin the next step in his scheme....

Next Issue: We start rolling full steam as Thor leads the Asgardian forces into battle against Utgard-Loki and the Frost Giants! But is this battle the real attack on Asgard's sovereignty or is it merely a distraction? Will Thor and Odin discover the answer before it's too late? How will Loki manipulate these events to his advantage? And will Fandral and Hogun be able to drag Volstagg away from his mead long enough to join the battle? There's only one way to find out, True Believer!

The Hammer Strikes!

Hi gang. I've decided to join the pack and start running a letter column in all series from Martinis & Skirts Productions. However, the only letters I've saved so far are for Brothers In Arms #1, so no letters for my Thor run this issue. But, as a special treat, I do have some letter for Ralph's issues, complete with responses from Ralph himself. So here we go...

Hey Ralph,

Wow! Thanks Mark! Those are some mighty big compliments, and I really appreciate them! I hope you keep reading what Mighty Matt has in store for everyone here on Thor, I know I will. And I haven't gone far, I'm right down the virtual hall writing Iron Man and Captain Marvel, as well as Daredevil!

Hi Ralph.

Thanks Paulo! any info is always greatly appreciated

Ralph,

Hi Avery, thanks for the good words, and Like I said above, I may have left ol' goldilocks behind, but I haven't gone far! - Ralph

Matt here again. One last thing before we go. I've included some Asgardian terminology this issue without explaining it. So, in case you didn't know, 'Aesir' is another name for the Asgardian gods, 'wyrd' is fate or destiny,and 'Einherjar' is the collective name for the heroes of Valhalla. See you soon!

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