"This gem is carved from an exceptionally rare crystal," the Collector explained with great enthusiasm. "It absorbs and stores natural elemental energy."
"For a magician attuned to nature, its amplification effects are remarkable. And on the neck of the beautiful Miss Freyja, it will shine even more brilliantly."
When Freyja returned to join Soren and the Collector, she was already wearing the necklace he'd crafted a flawless crystal set into a delicate mithril chain. It shimmered with a dreamlike glow.
The Collector's lavish praise made Freyja blush.
She had fallen in love with the necklace the moment she laid eyes on it. After a brief internal struggle, she allowed herself to accept the beautiful gift.
Seeing Freyja choose one of the Collectors most treasured collections, Soren didn't hesitate. "Once my affairs are settled," he said to the Collector.
"I'll prepare a fresh batch of concentrated fantasy potions for you. Enough to last for quite some time."
The Collector nearly lit up. Ever since learning that the Grandmaster had unknowingly caused trouble with Soren's friend, he had worried that Soren might withhold the potions.
But now, with Freyja accepting his gift and Soren giving his word, relief washed over him.
"Excellent! Excellent!" the Collector said, immediately handing over piles of rare ingredients for potion-making. "Soren, thank you."
"And regarding your friend… I'll accelerate the search for Thor's whereabouts. As soon as there's news, you'll be the first to know!"
After repeatedly urging them to stay longer, the Collector finally escorted Soren and Freyja out.
Yet the moment they departed, his expression stiffened. They had already opened a space portal heading straight to Sakaar.
He needed to warn the Grandmaster before the situation spiraled.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Sakaar
The spatial energy around Sakaar was unstable and resisting.
A burst of distortion rippled across the sky, and Soren and Freyja were unceremoniously thrown out of the portal, landing in a heap on the dusty ground.
"What happened?" Freyja asked, brushing dirt from her robes.
She and Soren had teleported countless times together, nothing like this had ever happened.
Soren rubbed his brow, clearly frustrated. "The coordinates the Collector gave us were correct. My portal was stable too."
"But Sakaar has a powerful spatial barrier protecting it. Forcing a portal through it causes major backlash." He exhaled slowly. "Honestly, it's probably the same interference that dragged Hulk here when he fell through that space crack."
Freyja blinked in surprise. "So that Elder of the Universe… the Grandmaster… did he set this up on purpose to stop us?"
"Whether he did or didn't…" Soren's eyes hardened. "We're going to find him anyway."
He closed his eyes, and vast spiritual power surged outward. Sakaar wasn't a large planet… within moments, his consciousness swept across everywhere.
Soren's expression shifted from stern concentration to… bafflement.
"What is it?" Freyja asked, puzzled. "Your face suddenly looks strange."
Soren remained silent for a moment before breathing out a long sigh.
"There's a saying." He spoke.
"'When mountains and rivers seem to trap your path, suddenly willows sway and flowers bloom to reveal another village.'" He shook his head, almost speechless.
"And that… perfectly describes what I just discovered."
"What do you mean?" Freyja bright eyes widening with confusion.
Soren exhaled. "I found Thor."
"What? Where is he?!"
Soren pressed a hand to his forehead. "He's in an arena with the Hulk."
Under the sweep of Soren's spiritual senses, he had seen it clearly… a sprawling, neon-lit colosseum filled with tens of thousands of crowd's hungry for spectacle and in the center of the arena…
Thor…
No wonder even the Collector couldn't locate him.
"Come on," Soren said with a helpless sigh. "It's better if you see for yourself."
He took Freyja's hand and tore open a clean teleportation fold in space. In an instant, they appeared in the heart of Sakaar's capital city. A distortion of energy rippled around them as Soren's spatial shielding bent sight and sound so that no one could notice their presence.
"Thor!" Freyja yelled the moment her eyes fell on Thor's lone figure in the arena.
Above the arena, a massive holographic projection flickered to life… like the Collector's image, but flamboyant and theatrical.
The Grandmaster himself, rendered several stories tall, smiled down at the crowd.
"Welcome, my lovely, loyal citizens!" His voice boomed through the speakers:
The audience erupted in cheers.
"I assure you, today's match will be worth every second of your devotion! So let's give another round of thunderous applause for the warrior who dare challenge the Champion!"
The stands shook with excitement.