Chapter 22: Chapter 5 Part 4
Magus in Marvel
Chapter 5 Part 4
By: Pineappl3
Before I knew it, I was laying down on something hard with a throbbing agony in the back of my head. I gingerly touched the pain, only to feel a large bump making itself home there.
"You're awake pretty quick," a familiar voice said to me.
I opened my eyes and stared at the large man sitting next to me.
"That wasn't very nice of you, you know. Hurts like a bitch," I complained to ears I knew wouldn't care.
"Sure, complain all you will. You deserved it. If I hadn't stepped in and cleared the air I'm pretty sure that their friendship would have taken a turn for the worse. She had really almost believed you." He looked down at me with disapproval.
I lifted my hand in the air, and he took it. After being suddenly pulled upright by Balrog's behemoth strength, I felt woozy. I took the glasses from my pocket and put them back on before any visions occurred to further disorientate me.
"Well, I'm sorry, for all that's worth," I admitted. "I didn't have much of a chance of using this new divination power with my memories intact. I sorta found Baldur a bit too quickly to play around. I wanted to see how far I could abuse it, but I got a bit too excited.
"Well, where were we?" I continued before Balrog could respond. I took out the map in my pocket and navigated us over the blacksmith's booth. I could hardly read the map but I somehow found the way.
What greeted us was a ridiculously short man with brown hair and a full beard working hard at a small forge. Instantly, Balrog and I alike could sense our companion, Hakon, dwelling within the stubby man.
"Once a dwarf always a dwarf," I muttered as I walked up to the booth. We both waited patiently while Hakon was working on, well, whatever it was.
"These have no magic in them," Balrog said with curiosity as he held a few swords in his hands.
"I don't think that Hakon's awakened at all yet. For now, he's just a mortal that likes smithing."
After a bit more time, the man we believed to be Hakon finished up and came over to us. I had the passing thought that I should have taken off my glasses, but I wanted to work with my friends without abusing powers I couldn't even control.
"I noticed you lads were eyeing some of my work. Anything you want to buy?" He spoke to us with a very familiar voice, one I recognized to be Hakon's with certainty.
"I am Balrog, and this is my companion, Aldebaran," Balrog spoke before I could say anything. "Do you perhaps recognize us?"
"Hah, I'd think I'd recognize a man as big as you anywhere. But you're a Dane like me, right, if that's whatcha mean."
"No," I spoke up. "He means within you, perhaps in a dream or at the back of your mind like a sense of déjà vu that you can't quite grasp. What if I were to say you're from the world of Azum? In fact, you were one of the best blacksmiths that lived there. Your home was the Mun Thurim Mountains."
"You seem deadly serious, but that doesn't ring a bell. Sorry to say you sound a bit crazy, really. I am from Denmark and I've studied blacksmithing for about as long as I've been alive. I moved here a few years back to study it even further."
"Hmm, this is indeed difficult," Balrog stated matter-of-factly. "Should I remove this ring?" he turned to me and asked while showing off the ring that Baldur made.
"No, it's too much of a pain. Let's try a story," I responded. While Balrog could probably kill anything that may try to cause harm to us for being mutants, it sounded like a pain to deal with the aftermath.
"Now, Hakon," I said slowly, "please listen seriously."
"Hah, did you read my name somewhere and attempt to use it to convince me?" he chuckled at me.
"Nothing of the sort. It is and was your name on Azum. Now, let's see… Ah yes, Thora."
Before I continued, Hakon interrupted me. "All right, my name I'll buy, but how do you know my wife?" He looked at me with indignance, or perhaps it was just the natural protectiveness of a spouse.
"That's good to hear you met up with her in this world." I smiled earnestly. "That saves us another person to find. Now then, we were exploring the ruins of an underground temple. We discovered a source of divinity, which both you and Balrog got a portion of. This divinity made you gain the powers of a Storm Giant and as a whole, some ridiculous strength.
"Now, after that, we were assaulted by the contemporary gods and whisked away to the Wasteland to live out our days in an asylum. We were split up, and I had to take care of Balrog's wife, Celia, whereas you were kidnapped by a powerful demigod and enslaved to work for him. While there, you met your wife, Thora, who ended up helping you both escape. Ring a bell?"
"I… think…" he strained as the suppressed memories emerged.
As he was grabbing onto the side of his head, a massive bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck the dwarf. I instinctively reached out to try to protect him, but no magic emerged. With a deafening roar, Balrog and I were blown back.
Before I knew it, I was flung across the fair and slammed into a wall. I spat up an unhealthy amount of blood while gasping in pain. It felt like my organs had been crushed with a vice, which to say the least was quite uncomfortable. I had received my fair of damage in my adventuring days but this body was unaccustomed to the massive impact I had just received. Thoughts of whether I would die or not entered my head, but I shrugged them off with preternatural willpower.
'If I were to die, I won't be because of Hakon. That would be too silly. Though, I suppose I need to get Baldur to patch me up.`
With a groan, I arose to my feet and stumbled across the fairgrounds while avoiding the panicked crowd trying to desperately exit. I eventually reached where I had been blown away from and I saw that Balrog and Hakon were chatting with nary a care in the world.
"That makes it twice today that I've been attacked by my companions. Can't say it's a good track record for you guys," I said with an attempt at my normal levity.
"You're fine," Balrog said calmly. "I've been catching Hakon up to speed. As I was saying, our boss is looking to hire a talented smith, so come with us."
"Aye," the man in question said and then turned to me. "I'm sorry about blasting you across the room. If I could use my healing magic on you, I would, but it seems I've forgotten how."
As I looked directly at Hakon while he spoke to me, I noticed the glint of lightning captured in his eyes. Of course, the more obvious change was that he was a whole foot or two taller than before, but to me, that mattered less.
`Indeed, that's the Hakon I know.`
"Well great," I said aloud, "this is going to make a lot of headlines. Let's get out here now so we can escape and I can make sure I'm not dying."
"Of course." The other two laughed.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Pineappl3
Pineappl3 Here is the rest of the Aldebaran POV.
Back to Baldur tomorrow
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone