MCU: Skull and Bones - Chapter 23: Third Step

Chapter 23: Third Step

2011

Puente Antiguo, New Mexico

Border of Town

(Brock POV)

Shaking my hands of the blood and bits of brains, I watch as the Asgardian warrior’s headless body falls to the ground.

As my markings emitted the brightest light I’ve seen so far, I took a moment to revel in the feeling of gaining power.

Waves of energy flowed through my body, giving me the sensation of utter euphoria.

If I wasn’t careful, this feeling could become addictive.

After a moment the vibrations of power subsided and I returned my attention to my current situation.

Looking at the two headless corpses, I tried to think of a way to hide the bodies when a thought popped into my head.

Gathering the bodies and the tossed aside head, I dragged them toward one of the nearby collapsing burning buildings.

Taking a page from Norse mythology, I threw the bodies into the fire and was happily surprised to see them burn like normal people.

That done, I shifted my attention over to the battle between Thor and The Destroyer.

I sit back and observe as Thor swings Mjolnir around and takes off straight up into the air, as the Destroyer gets back on its feet and looks up at the Thunder God.

Storm clouds gather in the sky around Thor as Debris which used to be the town of Puente Antiguo begins to whip around the area and rise up into the sky.

The Destroyer just watches Thor uselessly, kept grounded by its massive weight. It lifts its head up at the Thunder God, opens its faceplate, locks it in place, and unleashes a blast of fiery orange energy.

Thor dives downwards straight at it, with Mjolnir before him, and collides with the Destroyer’s fiery energy blast, overpowering it, pushing it back, and forcing it downwards at the Destroyer.

He jams his hammer deep into the Destroyer’s faceplate. The fiery energy within the creature builds up and explodes within him, firing out of all his openings.

Thor smashes the Destroyer to the ground in a tremendous heap as the fiery energy within it extinguishes. He pulls Mjolnir from its faceplate and walks away from its lifeless carcass. As he does, the other objects and debris, pulled into the air by the gale winds, drop down from the skies and surround the Destroyer, burying it.

As he moves to join his friends outside the town, I open my connection to Cyttorak.

“Hey-“

“HA HA HA HA HA!” Cyttorak’s deep boisterous laughter interrupts my question.

Seemed he enjoyed my show of ruthlessness as well.

“Well played child, well played! I haven’t seen such an entertaining performance like that since Hera rebelled against Zeus.” Cyttorak stated joyfully.

“Well glad you enjoyed the show, but I wanted to ask about that huge suit of Armor. Is it a good material to make my own from?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. That Golem is made entirely of Uru, a metal ore from the first moon in existence, and has existed since the beginning of the universe. It is one of the best materials to make your armor from.”

Nodding my head I look off into the distance, where Thor and what was left of his friends were conversing with an injured Coulson.

Seeing that I had a few minutes of privacy, a small smile came to my masked face as I moved to where the Destroyer had been buried.

**************

Puente Antiguo, New Mexico

Bifrost Landing Site

(Omniscient POV)

Jane, Darcy, Erik, and the two other Asgardians stand in the desert with Thor, Coulson, and several S.H.I.E.L.D agents.

“What about Volstagg and Fandral?” Sif asks as the Bifrost explodes down from the sky and the three Asgardians group together to depart.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Probably off getting into more trouble, we’ll ask Heimdall to find them after we return and deal with my brother.” Thor says, then turns to Coulson and gives the man a perfect grin.

“Know this, son of Coul. You and I, we fight for the same cause, the protection of this realm. From this day forward, count me as your ally…If you return the items you have stolen from Jane Foster.”

Coulson gives the God one of his signature smirks.

“Not stolen. Borrowed.”

Jane shoots him an irritated look and Coulson quickly continues.

“You’ll get your equipment back. You’re going to need it to continue your research… which, after today’s events, S.H.I.E.L.D would like to fully sponsor. If that’s all right with you.”

Jane looks surprised by the offer but before she could respond Thor walks up, takes her hand, and kisses it tenderly. Jane looks at him, her eyes filled with the fear that she may never see him again.

“Whatever fate lies before me, know you are part of it,” Thor declares as he takes her in his arms and kisses her passionately.

Once the two reluctantly separate, Thor returns to his two comrades and the Asgardians leap into the Bifrost.

************

Asgard, Heimdall’s Observatory

One Day After Loki’s Escape

Out of the broken and jagged Rainbow Bridge, Bifrost energy flows down, drifting off into space. Thor walks out to its edge to where Heimdall stands watching.

Thor joins him and stares out at the stellar void.

“Still no luck?” Thor asks.

Heimdall turns his golden eyes towards Thor and shakes his head.

“Something is preventing me from finding them. Every time I try, all I see is a crimson void.”

Thor lets out a sigh of worry and clenches his fist tightly.

“Do you think they’re still alive?”

Heimdall doesn’t answer and returns his gaze back to the infinite cosmos before them.

A tiny spark of unease reflected in his golden irises.

***************

Classified Location

S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier

(Nick Fury POV)

“The casualties numbered in the hundreds sir,” Coulson reported to me as I flipped through the file detailing the Battle of Puente Antiguo.

Looking at pictures of the destroyed town and burnt bodies, anger at not having anticipated this kind of situation filled me.

Throwing the file down on my desk, I stand up and move toward the window. Looking out at the vast ocean below.

“What about that metal monster?” I question Coulson.

“We found a few remnants, but a large portion seems to have been lost in the rubble. Our people are currently still searching through the debris.”

I nod and turn to face one of the few individuals I knew I could actually trust.

“How did the S.T.R.I.K.E team perform?”

Coulson gives a small smirk at my words.

“While there were a few casualties who were caught up in the battle, Captain Rumlow and his men outperformed our expectations.”

I nod, remembering the file on the young Captain.

“Keep an eye on them. Pierce pushed hard for that team, and I want to know if he has any ulterior motives.”

*************

Middle of the Desert, New Mexico

(Brock POV)

Looking down at the large pieces of the Destroyer that I managed to salvage from the ruins of Puente Antiguo, I opened my link to Cyttorak.

“Ok, how does this work? Do I have to find a blacksmith or something?” I asked.

“Nothing like that, just place your hand upon the Golem and will my domain to flow through you,” Cyttorak stated simply.

“That it?” I question, surprised at how easy it sounded.

“The ritual may be straightforward child, but do not underestimate it. You will be binding the armor to your very soul, so expect some pain.”

Nodding at his words, I kneel down in front of the Destroyer and place my hands on the cold metal.

Hesitating for a moment as another question came to me.

“What about the design? Do I get a say in how it looks?” I ask, remembering the dumb-looking helmet Cain would always wear.

“The armor will take on an appearance that matches your soul’s wavelength,” Cyttorak explained.

Taking one last deep breath, I closed my eyes and tried to force the Domain of Destruction to flow through me.

At first, nothing happened, but after a minute my markings began to glow with that familiar crimson light.

The crimson energy streamed through my arms, down to my hands, and spiderwebbed into the metal.

The metal began to burn and turn a dark black as the energy slowly trickled down, completely engulfing it.

After another minute the metal began to soften into a black liquidy substance and crawled its way up my arms.

“Aaaaarrrrrrrghthhh!!!!” I screamed in pain as the hot metal felt like it was burning my very soul.

As it crept up my neck and eventually my face, the world around me began to fade as darkness completely filled my vision.

*************

A/N: Hey guys! Another poll this chapter about the base look of the MC’s armor, the same rules apply. I have the final say no matter the result.

Hope you’re enjoying the story and as always thanks for reading!!