Jotunheim

[ngm_miscellaneous]

The portal from Vincent's magic opened on one of the middle levels of the Norse universe. Snow crunched under boots and bare feet as the Avengers assembled in the realm of giants. The sharp, craggy land was as welcoming as an ice pick between the shoulder blades. But out there in the cold and blowing landscape was a young girl waiting to be rescued.

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[comic_awareness]

Bruce poked his head around the corner, catching sight of Loki. He didn't like this. Didn't like this at all.

Keeping flat against the wall, he edged himself into the room, hoping to remain unseen. If he could get Auhild, the others could distract Loki.

[lil_hulk]

Bruce might have been trying to be stealthy, but the eight-foot tall Hulk barreling through the cave was not. Jay was a distraction on massive tree-trunk-like legs.

Jay was running for wherever Loki's voice was coming from. He owed a trickster god a pounding.

[avengingwarbird]

Roxie is right behind Jay, as quiet as he is loud. If Jay can catch all of Loki's attention, then Roxie can play stealth-girl and attack him that way.

[the4thblackknight]

Marcus was a bit behind them, especially on foot, but he was close enough to hear the sound of Loki's voice and the noise Jay made as he closed in. He had his sword drawn, using its glow to light his way.

[vincent_amora]

Stealth for the second half of the party entering the cave is all but a moot point. Vincent draws in a breath and then gives a magically augmented war-cry.

"LAUFEYSON! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES THIS DAY!"

[wateronthebrain]

And Erin is bringing up the rear now. Vincent's shout at Loki makes her wince. He sounded much louder than he needed to be. But she wasn't going to complain about it.

[ngm_villains]

"It seems, little girl, that you have a bunch of would-be heroes running to your rescue," Loki says with a sneer.

Then he seems to teleport around the large area the cave opens up into. Each time he appears another Loki takes his place.

"The question is will they know who they are fighting," the ten Lokis say at once.

[comic_awareness]

Good. He was still flying under the radar. Now... where was Auhild...?

[lil_hulk]

"Don't care!" Jay roared as he ran into the large area. "The more to smash, the happier I am!"

He rushed the nearest one and would bull rush through as many as he needed to until he got his hands on the actual Loki.

[vincent_amora]

Vincent fires off a repulsor blast at the nearest Loki, still advancing, on the lookout for Audhild. His nerves are starting to seem a bit frayed, the way he keeps adjusting his hold on the Casket.

[avengingwarbird]

"I'm sure this is some sick sad girl's dream," Roxie said as she smashed the head of one Loki with her mace. "Some sick sad girl who thinks you're some wounded, misunderstood man that needs hugs, cuddles, and cocoa-infused mead." She smashed the Loki again. "Me? So not that girl." And a third smash, this one sending the fake Loki flying across the room.

[the4thblackknight]

"You're officially weirding me out, Warbird," Marcus commented as he charged at one Loki, swinging his sword. With a living being, it would short-circuit its nervous system and knock them unconscious. He had no idea how it would affect a Loki or Loki copy.

[wateronthebrain]

"Yeah that's pretty weird," Erin supplies finally popping up. She blinks then throws water at all the Lokis.

It doesn't seem very effective.

[ngm_villains]

"Oooh, that tickles," the Lokis taunt. Suddenly this has gotten a bit creepy. They start to teloport around together and start flinging about arcs of arcane energy.

Audhild is tied up and sitting at a kiddy sized table. Oddly? There were toys to distract her. She had apparently not approved of them just like she hadn't approved of being kidnapped.

[comic_awareness]

Bruce took a quick flight aided leap and landed next to Audhild.

"Don't worry," he said quietly, working to untie her, "I'm here to rescue you."

[lil_hulk]

Arcs of arcane energy stung when they hit. That made Jay angrier. He paused in trying to grab one in trying to see a pattern. He had a guess of one.

When a Loki showed up to his right, he was going to grab and start using it as a baseball bat on all the others. Or just smack it repeatedly on the floor.

[avengingwarbird]

Roxie started knocking the blasts of magical energy directed at her this-way-and-that with her mace, ensuring that they ended up going in directions that would cause harm to none.

She glared at the nearest Lokis. "That the best you got? You Asgardians are wimps compared to us Olympians, clearly."

[vincent_amora]

"LOKI!!" Vincent rushes ahead, but winds up clipped by Jay swinging one of the Loki replicants. Vincent is knocked to the floor of the cave.

The Casket tumbles out of his grasp. "NO!"

[the4thblackknight]

Out of the corner of his eye, Marcus saw the casket go flying. Disbelief washed through him. That thing had nearly cost him and Erin their lives and Vincent dropped it?

"You incompetent tit!" He shouted at Vincent, ducking around the 'Loki' he was swinging at to try and recover the thing.

[wateronthebrain]

"Someone grab it," Erin yelps as one of the Lokis back hands her and she goes bouncing into a wall in surprise.

[ngm_villains]

One of the Loki look-alikes not actively engaging anyone laughs.

"Fool!" He grabs the Cask and starts to open it to engage some of the power of the Cask.

"You simply tripped... and here I thought you were an Avenger." Loki had failed to notice the little trick Amora had left behind. Luck is about to go towards the Avengers now.

[comic_awareness]

A carefully controlled photon blast freed Audhild, and Bruce scooped her up.

"Don't worry," he said. "We're gonna go home now."

[avengingwarbird]

Roxie noticed that one of the Loki-alikes was not like the others.

She rushed him.

[lil_hulk]

Jay saw what Roxstar was doing. Since she was going for the front, Jay was swinging a not-quite-puny-god at Loki's backside. If the fake disappeared, he would at least smack Loki with one hand with the way he was holding the ragdoll fake.

[vincent_amora]

Vincent just starts shrieking at Marcus and Loki alike as he hurls attack after attack at the Loki with the Casket. "Shut up shut up SHUT UP SHUT UP!! I AM an Avenger!!"

He has to sell this part until Loki's fully tried to tap the Casket's powers.