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*****
Hearing Feny's words, Thor was so choked with rage he didn't know what to say. He could only glare at him and huff, "Even if you win like this, there is no glory in it."
"Doesn't matter. I only care about the result."
Feny was nonchalant. All he needed was for the system to register a victory so he could bag the experience points. As for glory, he'd worry about that after his seventh skill was safely in hand.
"Hurry up and admit you lost!"
Feny urged him again. He had set the exit point of the portal to the same high-altitude coordinates as last time, so the hammer would be hurtling back toward them any moment now.
"I will not!" Thor shook his head stubbornly.
"Is the dignity of a single sentence worth more to you than Mjolnir?" Feny adopted the tone of a patient mentor. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time it stopped deeming you worthy? If its feelings get hurt, it might just abandon you again!"
Thor hesitated. Having experienced the pain of being cast out once before, he genuinely feared a repeat performance. In his moment of intellectual struggle, he completely forgot that his previous unworthiness had been due to Odin's enchantment, not the hammer's "feelings."
Ultimately, fueled by his desperate need to find Loki and his concern for his hammer's emotional state, Thor caved.
"I lost!"
Thor clenched his fists and muttered the words under his breath. It wasn't that he had never tasted defeat in battle before, but never had it felt this humiliating.
"Good, good!"
Beneath his mask, Feny was beaming as he felt the surge of experience points hit his account. Just as he was about to say something else, the familiar whistle of displaced air returned.
"My hammer!"
This time, Thor kept a wary eye on Feny. He intentionally mentally commanded Mjolnir to take a wide, curving flight path before finally letting it fly back into his palm.
Once the hammer was back in his grasp, Thor fussed over it—stroking the metal and inspecting it for any scuffs or damage. Only after confirming it was unscathed did he grip it tightly and look at Feny with a frown. "Are you people of Midgard?"
"Genuine humans, through and through," Feny nodded, descending to the ground. "We're here for Loki, too. There's a man in charge of this operation; you should get the full brief from him first."
If it weren't for the preceding battle, Thor likely wouldn't have given Feny's words a second thought. But having witnessed Feny's capabilities, the dynamic had shifted. Moreover, this wasn't Asgard; he felt he had "matured" and couldn't just charge in blindly like his younger self.
"Is it the one you call 'The President'?" Thor asked, recalling something.
"Uh, no. His name is Nick. And 'President' is a job title, not a name." Feny shook his head helplessly. Fearing more bizarre questions, he beckoned, "Anyway, just follow me."
As he led Thor back to the Helicarrier, Feny reported through the comms: "Alright, mission accomplished perfectly. I'm bringing Thor back now."
The team back on the carrier was speechless. Captain America, in particular, felt he had misjudged Feny's character; thanks to Stark's influence, he was starting to develop a bit of a grievance against the young mage.
"That fight was completely unnecessary," Steve complained over the channel.
Before Feny could respond, Tony—who had already returned and stepped out of his suit—snorted. "We don't all have your silver tongue, Cap. Besides, he threw the first bolt."
As the two began to bicker over the topic, Feny lost interest and simply muted the channel. He had no intention of joining the Avengers anyway; they could argue until they were blue in the face for all he cared.
Upon reaching the cloaked Helicarrier, Thor looked genuinely impressed. He couldn't resist a bit of competitive pride, though: "We have large ships in Asgard as well. Much larger than this."
"Are they for sale?" Feny asked, turning his head mid-flight.
"What?" Thor blinked, not quite following.
"I asked if your Asgardian starships are for sale," Feny repeated.
"Uh..." Thor scratched his head. He was a prince, but he didn't exactly handle the export department. "I usually travel via the Bifrost. I'm not really sure about the market price for a warship."
"Fair enough," Feny shrugged, letting the matter drop.
Once inside, Nick Fury was the first to greet the Asgardian.
"Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the man in charge here."
Thor looked Fury up and down, his gaze lingering on the eye patch. He suddenly asked, "Are you more powerful than those two?"
Fury froze, his extended hand hanging awkwardly in the air. He answered honestly, "I probably couldn't survive a single punch from either of them."
"Then why are you the one in charge!?" Thor asked, baffled.
"Because we don't choose our leaders based on who hits the hardest," Feny explained, deactivating 'Incursio' and rolling his eyes on Fury's behalf.
Thor looked at Fury, seemingly deep in thought before nodding as if he'd just solved a complex puzzle. He shook Fury's hand. "Thor Odinson, of Asgard."
The rest of the team stepped forward to introduce themselves, and soon it was Feny's turn again.
"Feny Halsey. Earthling. Professional Mage."
Thor still felt a bit salty about their skirmish, but since he was a guest, he could only resort to verbal posturing: "Loki knows many spells as well, though they lack your raw power. But my mother's magic is certainly superior to yours; she is the greatest mage in the Nine Realms."
Feny curled his lip but didn't argue. He believed Frigga was powerful—after all, Loki's "dagger mastery" was clearly an inheritance from her—but "Greatest in the Nine Realms" was a bit of a stretch.
That title clearly didn't take the Ancient One into account.
Feny figured it was either a title they used among themselves or a matter of professional classification—like calling someone the greatest "Sorceress" while ignoring "Wizards." Regardless, he could just as easily call himself the Nine Realms' Greatest Explosion Specialist!
Introductions finished, Thor got straight to the point.
"Loki is dangerous. I must capture him quickly. Heimdall saw him communicating with the Chitauri; he believes Loki intends to lead them in an invasion of Earth."
"Oh, right—the Chitauri don't belong to Asgard or any specific world. they are galactic mercenaries who invade planets for hire," Thor added, making sure to distance his home world from the threat.
"Did Asgard only send you?" Fury asked.
"The Bifrost is damaged, and the Nine Realms are in chaos. Asgard simply cannot spare any more men."
Feny looked at Thor and suspected this was exactly what Odin had told him—likely to keep him busy so he wouldn't have time to pine for his Midgardian girlfriend. If it hadn't been for Loki's unexpected appearance, Odin probably wouldn't have let Thor near Earth for a long time.
"Your brother is in the country below us," Fury said. "He's taken control of the nation through unknown means. We are currently discussing the best way to deal with him."
Fury looked at Thor. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"Suggestions?" Thor paused, idly spinning Mjolnir. "Why don't we just go down there and hit him?"
(End of Chapter)