Post by Swith on Jan 19, 2016 16:29:15 GMT -4
NOMINATION 1: Farewell
Nominated by: The Starlight
Notes by The Starlight: "Anyway, here it is, our heroes have just returned from fighting a super-advanced race of aliens who wanted to destroy Earth and everything in their way. So what do our heroes do, they say farewell, until the next battle, and give each other gifts. I teared up a little, just a little, the feels!"
And so, at the end of that great war of stars and space, our heroes gathered on Earth, on the outskirts of New York City, where it had all began. Valka set down Mjolnir, smiling, having wielded it one last time. It was time for a new wielder. And there they stood in a semi-circle, deep in thought, before Valka spoke. "It has been an honor, fighting alongside you all. And once again I am proud to live in this age of heroes. I am almost sorry to see the War done, but I will look upon you all at least once more. And if ever Earth should need me, know that I, and all Asgard shall answer."
Craig smiled, looking up at the stars, and then, the Infinite Venture. "Manifest," he said, turning to the man who called him boss, Craig's beard now gone. "I'm lending the majority of the Infinite Venture to SWORD, so that they can continue to be one of our first lines of defense. But by Valka, if you guys get a scratch on her..." the inventor trailed off, joking. "But anyway. It has been great. I've seen so many things, and I've become friends with each and everyone of you. And now... I don't want to go." he said.
Manifest nodded, having grown a small beard himself during the war. "It was damn fine fighting beside you, Craig." His eyes, though tired beyond what most men were capable of feeling, still shined with pride and joy for his time during the war. "You as well, Valka, Hadrimmelis." He turned towards everybody assembled, taking a small pause to look over them.
Some men were proud. Proud of Humanity. Proud of the Venture. Proud of their Justice. Manifest felt his pride swell with them.
Others were sorrowful. The war was not without its losses- Not without its cut families and severed bonds. Manifest felt tears fill his long dry eyes.
Then there were a few who were simply tired. Tired of war. Tired of loss. Tired of the Universe forcing them to fight when they no longer had the strength to lift their arms.
To them, Manifest simply nodded, and it was all they needed.
He turned once more towards Craig, leaning in slightly so that only Craig could hear. "Call me Charles, Mr. Thomsen." He smiled. "Charles Crawler. It's a pleasure to meet you, and it is an honour to call you friend."
He turned towards Valka. "Should Asgard ever find itself in need of a blade, All-Mother, the Manifest Blade will forever stand vigilant at your service." He summoned a small medallion to his hand, offering it to her. On the front, it was inscribed with the Asgardian saying for 'War,' as well as a depiction of the Manifest Blade. The back was in English- 'Peace,' along with the Asgardian symbol for the Forge. "I picked up the design from an old Kree plan. Press the side that says "War," and I will arrive with the Blade drawn. Press the side that says "Peace," and I will come bearing gifts." He smiled at her. "I fought beside you in many battles, Valka, and though I may not have much to give in return for your bravery, this is the least I can do."
Lastly, he turned towards Hadrimmelis. "There is very little that one such as I can do for one such as you to express my gratitude for your vigilance and your friendship, Hadrimmelis of the World Dragons. Your power dwarfs mine in every way, and I stand in awe of your might and your compassion. To top this off, our first meeting was you saving my life." He chuckled slightly, then sobered. "At any rate, my gift to you is twofold- First, I extend an invitation. Whenever you wish to speak to me or interact with any on Earth, my mind is always open to you." He smirked slightly. "Not that I could stop you anyway. My second gift is one that is slightly more substantial." He closed his eyes and grimaced for a second before a blinding light enveloped them all for half a second. When it cleared, a small bright blue orb was floating in front of Hadrimmelis. "My dreams did not stop with the first one I told you about. Later, another struck- I learned of the shards of the Manifest Blade, and, in a rather brief sense, how they are connected to the Blade's power. During the War, I discovered one in a Builder transport. I do not know how to unlock its power, and I have a distinct feeling that I will not need to for a very long time. Until that day comes-" He nodded towards her. "- I am entrusting you with its power. It may not be much to one whose strength is as mighty as yours, but nevertheless, it is the greatest gift I could possibly give." He smiled.
He turned towards the crowd. "Today, it does not matter who you were." He announced. "It does not matter if you were called Vigilante, or Legend, or God. Today, I call you Brother and Sister, and today I call you Hero."
___________________________________________________
Nick Fury was watching this go down halfway across the world in the confines of a secret base.
"Well, damn. He's ready."
Alongside the other heroes of the Builder War stood the crimson-clad, crown-bearing human form of the Black World-Dragon, Hadrimmelis, progenitor of the Hadrian race, creator of worlds and protector of life in the Universe. Her scarlet cloak and cape fluttered gently in the breeze, and some of her golden locks of hair sought to imitate them. Her red gaze lingered over every face around her for a moment before moving onto the next, and a soft smile graced her regal features. She had been through many things in the past days, had gone through the trials of war alongside the men and women who stood with her at that moment, had annihilated more invaders than a mortal could count in his lifespan, all just to give her people, and the people of the Universe, another day to live. Of course, the losses that had been suffered during the war were still enormous, cause of immeasureable grief in several galaxies, but in the end, life had prevailed, and the Builders had been defeated, and though it would stand to reason that one such as Hadrimmelis, so powerful and so much greater than many of those who had fought, would not find her emotions swayed very strongly by their victory, the truth was that she was full of pride for the role she had borne in the war, in the achieving of said victory, a victory not for herself, but for life itself.
Hearing the words of the ones she had come to call her friends, the Black Dragon of Creation strode towards Craig, placing a hand on the Artificer Absolute's shoulder as she smiled at him. "Thomsen, I am told that some of my people have decided to settle on this planet of yours, as they have already learned of the truth about their Queen and wish to remain here and in other planets until such a time that I would return to my slumber of my own free will; I have even heard of one who was here since before this war happened, and who has attained some manner of fame among some of your people." The World-Dragon chuckled, referring to a certain magician of the Wynn clan of the mountains. However, she soon grew serious once more. "As such, I would like to request that you do your best to help them settle in and co-exist peacefully with the human race to the best of your ability. I know that there is already much that you must do, and I know that what I ask of you is no simple matter, but I trust that you will be able to help me, to help my children. You are a good man, Craig Thomsen, a good man who went to war." Hadrimmelis spoke, and then a smile came to her again. "Oh, and please say hello to your lover on my behalf. I've heard she may be a relative of an old friend of mine." She said.
Once she was finished speaking to the Artificer, Hadrimmelis turned to the wielder of the Manifest Blade, her soft smile growing as she listened to his words. Partially due to the flattery, that was true, but also due to the display of friendship and gratitude that Manifest was making towards her. Indeed, few creatures existed that could keep their minds untouched by her if she truly desired to gaze into their thoughts, but even so, there were fewer still that would grant another free access to their minds, even if they could not stop the other from breaking in without consent, and it was for that reason that Hadrimmelis was surprised to hear such words coming from Manifest. The mind was one's temple, their castle, and the gates of Manifest's castle would apparently always be open to her. The second gift that the human gave her was an intriguing one as well: a blue orb, a shard of the cosmic power that the Manifest Blade had been crafted from, a part of Manifest's own power that he nonetheless was choosing of his free will to give to her instead of claiming it for himself. It was not very useful to her, that was true, but it was the intention which counted.
"Your words flatter and move me, Manifest, but you give me too much credit. After all, though it is simply the truth that I am the greater of us both, friendship is something that can only exist reciprocally, and you have given me yours as much as I have granted you mine. Your gifts..." She spoke as she reached out to the blue orb that had been given to her, touching it with a finger and then watching as it suddenly reacted to her, identifying her as its new owner and glowing softly as its form seemed to shift, transforming into a sapphirine rose-shaped brooch that she used to replace the golden one with which she held her crimson cloak together; the accessory definitely seemed out of place in comparison to her usual red, black and gold attire, but she wore it proudly nonetheless. "...are quite welcome, but they will not be without response." She stated as she held her hand out, the palm facing upwards and glowing softly as a small vial seemed to emerge from it, bearing a glowing golden, viscous liquid of sorts within that she offered to the wielder of the Manifest Blade. "This is dragonsblood; I trust that the name will make it evident where exactly it came from." She chuckled. "If ever you find yourself on the verge of death, you need only drink a drop, and you will feel yourself recover in less than an instant." She explained.
"Oh, and if you drink the whole thing, you will stop aging and become immortal." She added as an afterthought, as if she had nearly forgotten to mention it.
"In any case, I am content to be called your friend, Manifest, and I trust that this gift, a manifestation of my desire to see you live for many more years, will be more than enough to show this. And now, to end this exchange with a gesture that a human such as yourself would find appropiate..." She trailed off, and then pulled Manifest into her embrace in a rather uncharacteristic gesture for one of her stature. If ever Manifest had wished to claim to have been hugged by a dragon, a goddess, a queen, or just an attractive blonde lady in general, now he was free to claim all four and be completely honest about it.
Walking away from Manifest, the World-Dragon now found herself standing in front of Valka, wielder of cosmic power and inspirator of a free universe. "Valka Silverhand, All-Mother of Asgard, it was a pleasure to fight alongside you." The Black Dragon stated, nodding. "To me, my people, the Hadrians, are as my children, in a manner far more literal than you might suspect right now: it was by my hand that they were created, and I nurtured them and loved them as if they were my own sons and daughters, come to this world from my womb. I will not lie; it was painful to see them go, and it is painful to hear that they do not wish to return for the time being, but they have grown mature and chosen this by themselves, and I respect their decision, as their mother and as their queen." The servant of the Dragon Force explained. "It is for this reason that I give you all of my gratitude, Valka. Had it not been for you and your Valkyries, the ammount of Hadrians that would have been struck down by the rampage of the Builders would have become too great for me to bear. You saved them, you bought them time so that they could escape, and most importantly, you helped me awaken without sacrificing them, so that I could continue to protect them; it is at times like these that I regret how limited these human languages can be, as they do not allow me to properly convey the gratitude I feel." The World-Dragon spoke.
Then, she held out both of her hands, both palms facing upward. From one of them, a small black object in the shape of an oval diamond emerged, no larger than one of the human illusion's fingers, and no thicker either, though it was quite heavy for its size. What emerged from her other hand was a simple gray stone. Neither of them seemed like very interesting objects, but their dull appearances belied their truth. "This," Hadrimmelis began, offering Valka the black object first. "is one of my Worldscales; it is nearly as durable as I, and though it is quite difficult to use as a forging material, I trust that you will be able to do so without a problem, as forging is one of your specialities. Do not let its size fool you, I have compressed it in order to give it to you, but with your magic, you should have no problem undoing this and bringing it back to its true size. Be careful where and when, however; it is a tad larger than that thing humans call 'Europe'." The World-Dragon spoke, and then offered the second object, the gray stone. "This," She continued. "is a stone that formed near my core. By itself, it bears no value, except perhaps to a few curious researchers and scholars, but I have endowed it with a fragment of my power, so that wherever you and I might be, as long as you bear the stone, you will always be able to call me to your position, should you need my assistance or simply request my company. I do hope that you will not be forced to use it to call for an ally in a time of need, but if that ever happens, then you can count on me." She stated.
Finally, taking a few steps back and looking at everyone present, Hadrimmelis smiled once again. "It was a treat to meet you all, and it was a pleasure to fight alongside you. I hope that whatever paths you may follow from here onwards will be filled with good fortune, and I am glad to call you all friends."
Craig smiled. "Damned right it was. You better come visit sometime, Charles," he whispered. "And if you ever need me, do call." Turning towards, Hadrimmelis, he smiled once more. "I think I have just the right thing, I've been meaning to form a refuge for those new or hated by humanity, sadly. You have my word, my lady, they shall be safe. He looked at his hands as Hadrimmelis said that line of the poem his mother had taught him. "I don't suppose you met my mother, she often said the same thing. But this time, I think it turned at very well, that a good man went to war. His eyes widened at the statement about Etla, a reminiscent smile growing on his face. "Really? I'll be sure to tell her that."
"And as for my gifts," Craig said, as he pulled out the Orb of Cognition, "Orb, multiply." The Orb, humming a bit, split into three identical versions of itself, Craig handing one to Hadrimmelis, Manifest and Valka. "The Orb of Cognition, I call it. For you, Hadrimmelis, I doubt that there are many alien races that you do not know, but I have not met one yet that the Orb does not. The Orb also contains my consciousness, and if you ever want to chat, just say my name. You can code it to your own DNA so that you and you alone may use it with a drop of blood in the whole. It also contains several Earth movies and TV shows that I think you'll enjoy.
"Manifest, your Orb has the same functions as well, along with some different ones. You can change its color, decrease its size, and most importantly, upload the weapon designs that you have in your head to it. I know you have gained a lot of new ones, and if you ever fear that you might forget some, you can put them on the Orb to make sure that never happens."
"And Valka, the Orb will be able to alert you of events on Earth, and also contains some Midgardian movies and TV shows as well. It has some other features, but figuring them out is half the fun."
Valka looked upon all of this, cradling the gifts she had been given, sniffling a little. Craig looked at her with a small smile, "Valka, are you crying?!" he asked.
She looked up indignantly, "Asgardians do not cry! The All-Mother does not cry!...," leaving a short pause before she admitted, "A little yes. It has been an honor, Craig, Manifest and Hadrimmelis. You do me too much honor. As for my own gifts," she poked a finger in the ground, slowly drawing up a diamond deep from the surface of the Earth. From there, she murmured over it a bit, her hands glowing, before she summoned a sword and put one of the shards in it and handed it to Manifest. "Here, my friend. An uru sword, that can be changed into any melee weapon as you please. The diamond shard can be extracted easily. Tap it once, when extracted, and I will bring food and cheer and song. Tap twice, and I will bring my sword. Tap thrice and I will bring an army of Asgardians. Also, if you twist the top, a fire springs out. It will never go out, not even in water or in the vacuum of space. We all must walk dark paths at some point, and I, All-Mother have walked many of those and I fear I will walk another quite soon. Let this be a lamp to you in dark places, when all other things go dark."
She accepted the orb, grinning, already imagining binging on movies with Thor and Sif while eating PopTarts. "The same diamond goes to you, Craig, with the same flame. Though, if you put your lips to it, you will taste elderberry wine, the same wine that had a refreshing effect upon you when we forged your Silverwing armor."
She took Hadrimmelis' Worldscale carefully, staring at the World-Dragon for a moment and then bursting out into joyous laughter at it being larger than Europe. Once she calmed down, she took the orb and pressed it to the hilt of Oathbringer, fixing it there. "It bears great value to me, my friend. And as for your gift," Valka said, summoning a beautifully carved sword with the Asgardian rune for loyalty upon it, with the World-Dragon's name upon it as well. "This was my first sword, adapted to your purposes, infused with a portion of my power as well. It will inspire loyalty and courage in both yourself and all your allies, and foes shall quake when they see it. The same diamond shard is in its hilt. And also," Valka stated, waving to some Valkyries, who brought some casks, "Asgardian mead, and elderberry wine. The latter is refreshing, and the former is strong enough to make even your dragon form burp and rumble in delight. I have also included the recipes, should you wish to make more."
And then the All-Mother looked towards all those gathered. "We are sword-mates, brothers and sisters, you all and I. And I will see you again, that much is assured. Should any of you ever wish warm halls and a good, hearty meal, the gates of Asgard shall ever be open to you. And let us not forget the fallen as well, both men, women and planets. I shall write their names on the Wall beside our Lake of Remembrance. Asgard shall never forget them, nor you all. It has been glorious, my friends."
Manifest accepted the orb of cognition gratefully, immediately summoning a small pouch (That almost unquestionably appeared to be a cloth knife hilt) and shrinking the orb into a size that fit. "The cloth is nanofiber- It won't tear. Thank you, Craig."
After a small chuckle at Valka crying, he accepted the blade with awe. "Valka, this is.. Incredible." He stared at it for a moment. "I think... I will call it Infinite, in hopes that our friendship and our alliance shall last for all time." He summoned an ornate hilt for the blade on the right side of his belt, to match the one that appeared on his left when he used the Manifest blade. He sheathed Infinite with a flourish and opened his mouth to speak.
Unfortunately, he was cut off by the sudden arrival of Spiderman, web-slinging his way directly to the four. "Hey guys! Hope I'm not interrupting anything, really sorry about this, but, uh, an alternate version of the Justice League is kinda attacking the United Nations right now. Daredevil, She-Hulk, and Trophy are doing their best to hold them off, but it isn't exactly going well. Any chance you could, uh, lend a hand?"
Manifest smirked, glancing at his compatriots, waiting for their response. They didn't need to ask his as he quickly unsheathed Infinite and summoned the Manifest Blade to his hands.
After having given all of her gifts, Hadrimmelis was pleasantly surprised to see that her fellow heroes had decided to honor that tradition as well, and received the gifts from both Craig and Valka with grace and gratitude. The Orb of Cognition that she received, while perhaps not too helpful immediately, was certainly an interesting gift, which could definitely turn out to be useful in the future, not to mention that she did indeed feel curious enough to learn more about the culture of the humans; naturally, in her awakened form, it would have been the simplest of matters to simply dig into the collective psyche of all humanity to learn more about them, but there was no fun in that approach, and she felt that it would be more exciting and stimulating to learn little by little, exploring their culture directly instead of receiving it already digested by the mind of some mortal. With that in mind, she smiled at Craig, appreciating the gift, as well as his promise to watch out for the Hadrians that had migrated to Earth after the war.
Valka's gifts were quite interesting as well. Though the flame of the sword was not too helpful to her, as even though she was the Black Dragon her most powerful element was that of light, the other functions of the blade she appreciated more, as she knew that she could always count on Valka's assistance, no matter what the endeavor. The blade itself was also an exquisite work of art, a masterpiece by part of one of Asgard's greatest forgers, and certainly a worthy gift for anyone, including someone like her. The two casks that were given to her she was quite curious about, but felt that it would be best to wait until later before opening them and trying out their contents. She had no reason to doubt Valka's words, but either way, it would be more convenient to indulge in such things once she found a more comfortable location. For the time being, she stored them in the Dragon Force Dimension and thanked Valka.
It was around that time that the one who looked like a spider arrived, asking for help from the heroes of the Builder War. Hadrimmelis saw that Manifest was more than ready to go and assist his friends, and she felt that perhaps she could at least earn some rapport with humanity on behalf of the Hadrians, her people, but figured that she would ask first.
"It would certainly be a good opportunity to test out this new blade of mine." She commented, smiling towards Valka who was already leaving, heading back to Asgard. "But I was under the impression that humans preferred to sort out their matters by themselves. If you, however, really require my assistance, then I will gladly give it." She stated.
Nominated by: The Starlight
Notes by The Starlight: "Anyway, here it is, our heroes have just returned from fighting a super-advanced race of aliens who wanted to destroy Earth and everything in their way. So what do our heroes do, they say farewell, until the next battle, and give each other gifts. I teared up a little, just a little, the feels!"
ENTRY BEST HEARTWARMING/TEAR-JERKER SCENE - PLEASE NOTE THAT EACH POST IN THE SCENE IS DIVIDED BY A LINE.
The Builder War
Epilogue
Epilogue
And so, at the end of that great war of stars and space, our heroes gathered on Earth, on the outskirts of New York City, where it had all began. Valka set down Mjolnir, smiling, having wielded it one last time. It was time for a new wielder. And there they stood in a semi-circle, deep in thought, before Valka spoke. "It has been an honor, fighting alongside you all. And once again I am proud to live in this age of heroes. I am almost sorry to see the War done, but I will look upon you all at least once more. And if ever Earth should need me, know that I, and all Asgard shall answer."
Craig smiled, looking up at the stars, and then, the Infinite Venture. "Manifest," he said, turning to the man who called him boss, Craig's beard now gone. "I'm lending the majority of the Infinite Venture to SWORD, so that they can continue to be one of our first lines of defense. But by Valka, if you guys get a scratch on her..." the inventor trailed off, joking. "But anyway. It has been great. I've seen so many things, and I've become friends with each and everyone of you. And now... I don't want to go." he said.
Manifest nodded, having grown a small beard himself during the war. "It was damn fine fighting beside you, Craig." His eyes, though tired beyond what most men were capable of feeling, still shined with pride and joy for his time during the war. "You as well, Valka, Hadrimmelis." He turned towards everybody assembled, taking a small pause to look over them.
Some men were proud. Proud of Humanity. Proud of the Venture. Proud of their Justice. Manifest felt his pride swell with them.
Others were sorrowful. The war was not without its losses- Not without its cut families and severed bonds. Manifest felt tears fill his long dry eyes.
Then there were a few who were simply tired. Tired of war. Tired of loss. Tired of the Universe forcing them to fight when they no longer had the strength to lift their arms.
To them, Manifest simply nodded, and it was all they needed.
He turned once more towards Craig, leaning in slightly so that only Craig could hear. "Call me Charles, Mr. Thomsen." He smiled. "Charles Crawler. It's a pleasure to meet you, and it is an honour to call you friend."
He turned towards Valka. "Should Asgard ever find itself in need of a blade, All-Mother, the Manifest Blade will forever stand vigilant at your service." He summoned a small medallion to his hand, offering it to her. On the front, it was inscribed with the Asgardian saying for 'War,' as well as a depiction of the Manifest Blade. The back was in English- 'Peace,' along with the Asgardian symbol for the Forge. "I picked up the design from an old Kree plan. Press the side that says "War," and I will arrive with the Blade drawn. Press the side that says "Peace," and I will come bearing gifts." He smiled at her. "I fought beside you in many battles, Valka, and though I may not have much to give in return for your bravery, this is the least I can do."
Lastly, he turned towards Hadrimmelis. "There is very little that one such as I can do for one such as you to express my gratitude for your vigilance and your friendship, Hadrimmelis of the World Dragons. Your power dwarfs mine in every way, and I stand in awe of your might and your compassion. To top this off, our first meeting was you saving my life." He chuckled slightly, then sobered. "At any rate, my gift to you is twofold- First, I extend an invitation. Whenever you wish to speak to me or interact with any on Earth, my mind is always open to you." He smirked slightly. "Not that I could stop you anyway. My second gift is one that is slightly more substantial." He closed his eyes and grimaced for a second before a blinding light enveloped them all for half a second. When it cleared, a small bright blue orb was floating in front of Hadrimmelis. "My dreams did not stop with the first one I told you about. Later, another struck- I learned of the shards of the Manifest Blade, and, in a rather brief sense, how they are connected to the Blade's power. During the War, I discovered one in a Builder transport. I do not know how to unlock its power, and I have a distinct feeling that I will not need to for a very long time. Until that day comes-" He nodded towards her. "- I am entrusting you with its power. It may not be much to one whose strength is as mighty as yours, but nevertheless, it is the greatest gift I could possibly give." He smiled.
He turned towards the crowd. "Today, it does not matter who you were." He announced. "It does not matter if you were called Vigilante, or Legend, or God. Today, I call you Brother and Sister, and today I call you Hero."
___________________________________________________
Nick Fury was watching this go down halfway across the world in the confines of a secret base.
"Well, damn. He's ready."
Alongside the other heroes of the Builder War stood the crimson-clad, crown-bearing human form of the Black World-Dragon, Hadrimmelis, progenitor of the Hadrian race, creator of worlds and protector of life in the Universe. Her scarlet cloak and cape fluttered gently in the breeze, and some of her golden locks of hair sought to imitate them. Her red gaze lingered over every face around her for a moment before moving onto the next, and a soft smile graced her regal features. She had been through many things in the past days, had gone through the trials of war alongside the men and women who stood with her at that moment, had annihilated more invaders than a mortal could count in his lifespan, all just to give her people, and the people of the Universe, another day to live. Of course, the losses that had been suffered during the war were still enormous, cause of immeasureable grief in several galaxies, but in the end, life had prevailed, and the Builders had been defeated, and though it would stand to reason that one such as Hadrimmelis, so powerful and so much greater than many of those who had fought, would not find her emotions swayed very strongly by their victory, the truth was that she was full of pride for the role she had borne in the war, in the achieving of said victory, a victory not for herself, but for life itself.
Hearing the words of the ones she had come to call her friends, the Black Dragon of Creation strode towards Craig, placing a hand on the Artificer Absolute's shoulder as she smiled at him. "Thomsen, I am told that some of my people have decided to settle on this planet of yours, as they have already learned of the truth about their Queen and wish to remain here and in other planets until such a time that I would return to my slumber of my own free will; I have even heard of one who was here since before this war happened, and who has attained some manner of fame among some of your people." The World-Dragon chuckled, referring to a certain magician of the Wynn clan of the mountains. However, she soon grew serious once more. "As such, I would like to request that you do your best to help them settle in and co-exist peacefully with the human race to the best of your ability. I know that there is already much that you must do, and I know that what I ask of you is no simple matter, but I trust that you will be able to help me, to help my children. You are a good man, Craig Thomsen, a good man who went to war." Hadrimmelis spoke, and then a smile came to her again. "Oh, and please say hello to your lover on my behalf. I've heard she may be a relative of an old friend of mine." She said.
Once she was finished speaking to the Artificer, Hadrimmelis turned to the wielder of the Manifest Blade, her soft smile growing as she listened to his words. Partially due to the flattery, that was true, but also due to the display of friendship and gratitude that Manifest was making towards her. Indeed, few creatures existed that could keep their minds untouched by her if she truly desired to gaze into their thoughts, but even so, there were fewer still that would grant another free access to their minds, even if they could not stop the other from breaking in without consent, and it was for that reason that Hadrimmelis was surprised to hear such words coming from Manifest. The mind was one's temple, their castle, and the gates of Manifest's castle would apparently always be open to her. The second gift that the human gave her was an intriguing one as well: a blue orb, a shard of the cosmic power that the Manifest Blade had been crafted from, a part of Manifest's own power that he nonetheless was choosing of his free will to give to her instead of claiming it for himself. It was not very useful to her, that was true, but it was the intention which counted.
"Your words flatter and move me, Manifest, but you give me too much credit. After all, though it is simply the truth that I am the greater of us both, friendship is something that can only exist reciprocally, and you have given me yours as much as I have granted you mine. Your gifts..." She spoke as she reached out to the blue orb that had been given to her, touching it with a finger and then watching as it suddenly reacted to her, identifying her as its new owner and glowing softly as its form seemed to shift, transforming into a sapphirine rose-shaped brooch that she used to replace the golden one with which she held her crimson cloak together; the accessory definitely seemed out of place in comparison to her usual red, black and gold attire, but she wore it proudly nonetheless. "...are quite welcome, but they will not be without response." She stated as she held her hand out, the palm facing upwards and glowing softly as a small vial seemed to emerge from it, bearing a glowing golden, viscous liquid of sorts within that she offered to the wielder of the Manifest Blade. "This is dragonsblood; I trust that the name will make it evident where exactly it came from." She chuckled. "If ever you find yourself on the verge of death, you need only drink a drop, and you will feel yourself recover in less than an instant." She explained.
"Oh, and if you drink the whole thing, you will stop aging and become immortal." She added as an afterthought, as if she had nearly forgotten to mention it.
"In any case, I am content to be called your friend, Manifest, and I trust that this gift, a manifestation of my desire to see you live for many more years, will be more than enough to show this. And now, to end this exchange with a gesture that a human such as yourself would find appropiate..." She trailed off, and then pulled Manifest into her embrace in a rather uncharacteristic gesture for one of her stature. If ever Manifest had wished to claim to have been hugged by a dragon, a goddess, a queen, or just an attractive blonde lady in general, now he was free to claim all four and be completely honest about it.
Walking away from Manifest, the World-Dragon now found herself standing in front of Valka, wielder of cosmic power and inspirator of a free universe. "Valka Silverhand, All-Mother of Asgard, it was a pleasure to fight alongside you." The Black Dragon stated, nodding. "To me, my people, the Hadrians, are as my children, in a manner far more literal than you might suspect right now: it was by my hand that they were created, and I nurtured them and loved them as if they were my own sons and daughters, come to this world from my womb. I will not lie; it was painful to see them go, and it is painful to hear that they do not wish to return for the time being, but they have grown mature and chosen this by themselves, and I respect their decision, as their mother and as their queen." The servant of the Dragon Force explained. "It is for this reason that I give you all of my gratitude, Valka. Had it not been for you and your Valkyries, the ammount of Hadrians that would have been struck down by the rampage of the Builders would have become too great for me to bear. You saved them, you bought them time so that they could escape, and most importantly, you helped me awaken without sacrificing them, so that I could continue to protect them; it is at times like these that I regret how limited these human languages can be, as they do not allow me to properly convey the gratitude I feel." The World-Dragon spoke.
Then, she held out both of her hands, both palms facing upward. From one of them, a small black object in the shape of an oval diamond emerged, no larger than one of the human illusion's fingers, and no thicker either, though it was quite heavy for its size. What emerged from her other hand was a simple gray stone. Neither of them seemed like very interesting objects, but their dull appearances belied their truth. "This," Hadrimmelis began, offering Valka the black object first. "is one of my Worldscales; it is nearly as durable as I, and though it is quite difficult to use as a forging material, I trust that you will be able to do so without a problem, as forging is one of your specialities. Do not let its size fool you, I have compressed it in order to give it to you, but with your magic, you should have no problem undoing this and bringing it back to its true size. Be careful where and when, however; it is a tad larger than that thing humans call 'Europe'." The World-Dragon spoke, and then offered the second object, the gray stone. "This," She continued. "is a stone that formed near my core. By itself, it bears no value, except perhaps to a few curious researchers and scholars, but I have endowed it with a fragment of my power, so that wherever you and I might be, as long as you bear the stone, you will always be able to call me to your position, should you need my assistance or simply request my company. I do hope that you will not be forced to use it to call for an ally in a time of need, but if that ever happens, then you can count on me." She stated.
Finally, taking a few steps back and looking at everyone present, Hadrimmelis smiled once again. "It was a treat to meet you all, and it was a pleasure to fight alongside you. I hope that whatever paths you may follow from here onwards will be filled with good fortune, and I am glad to call you all friends."
Craig smiled. "Damned right it was. You better come visit sometime, Charles," he whispered. "And if you ever need me, do call." Turning towards, Hadrimmelis, he smiled once more. "I think I have just the right thing, I've been meaning to form a refuge for those new or hated by humanity, sadly. You have my word, my lady, they shall be safe. He looked at his hands as Hadrimmelis said that line of the poem his mother had taught him. "I don't suppose you met my mother, she often said the same thing. But this time, I think it turned at very well, that a good man went to war. His eyes widened at the statement about Etla, a reminiscent smile growing on his face. "Really? I'll be sure to tell her that."
"And as for my gifts," Craig said, as he pulled out the Orb of Cognition, "Orb, multiply." The Orb, humming a bit, split into three identical versions of itself, Craig handing one to Hadrimmelis, Manifest and Valka. "The Orb of Cognition, I call it. For you, Hadrimmelis, I doubt that there are many alien races that you do not know, but I have not met one yet that the Orb does not. The Orb also contains my consciousness, and if you ever want to chat, just say my name. You can code it to your own DNA so that you and you alone may use it with a drop of blood in the whole. It also contains several Earth movies and TV shows that I think you'll enjoy.
"Manifest, your Orb has the same functions as well, along with some different ones. You can change its color, decrease its size, and most importantly, upload the weapon designs that you have in your head to it. I know you have gained a lot of new ones, and if you ever fear that you might forget some, you can put them on the Orb to make sure that never happens."
"And Valka, the Orb will be able to alert you of events on Earth, and also contains some Midgardian movies and TV shows as well. It has some other features, but figuring them out is half the fun."
Valka looked upon all of this, cradling the gifts she had been given, sniffling a little. Craig looked at her with a small smile, "Valka, are you crying?!" he asked.
She looked up indignantly, "Asgardians do not cry! The All-Mother does not cry!...," leaving a short pause before she admitted, "A little yes. It has been an honor, Craig, Manifest and Hadrimmelis. You do me too much honor. As for my own gifts," she poked a finger in the ground, slowly drawing up a diamond deep from the surface of the Earth. From there, she murmured over it a bit, her hands glowing, before she summoned a sword and put one of the shards in it and handed it to Manifest. "Here, my friend. An uru sword, that can be changed into any melee weapon as you please. The diamond shard can be extracted easily. Tap it once, when extracted, and I will bring food and cheer and song. Tap twice, and I will bring my sword. Tap thrice and I will bring an army of Asgardians. Also, if you twist the top, a fire springs out. It will never go out, not even in water or in the vacuum of space. We all must walk dark paths at some point, and I, All-Mother have walked many of those and I fear I will walk another quite soon. Let this be a lamp to you in dark places, when all other things go dark."
She accepted the orb, grinning, already imagining binging on movies with Thor and Sif while eating PopTarts. "The same diamond goes to you, Craig, with the same flame. Though, if you put your lips to it, you will taste elderberry wine, the same wine that had a refreshing effect upon you when we forged your Silverwing armor."
She took Hadrimmelis' Worldscale carefully, staring at the World-Dragon for a moment and then bursting out into joyous laughter at it being larger than Europe. Once she calmed down, she took the orb and pressed it to the hilt of Oathbringer, fixing it there. "It bears great value to me, my friend. And as for your gift," Valka said, summoning a beautifully carved sword with the Asgardian rune for loyalty upon it, with the World-Dragon's name upon it as well. "This was my first sword, adapted to your purposes, infused with a portion of my power as well. It will inspire loyalty and courage in both yourself and all your allies, and foes shall quake when they see it. The same diamond shard is in its hilt. And also," Valka stated, waving to some Valkyries, who brought some casks, "Asgardian mead, and elderberry wine. The latter is refreshing, and the former is strong enough to make even your dragon form burp and rumble in delight. I have also included the recipes, should you wish to make more."
And then the All-Mother looked towards all those gathered. "We are sword-mates, brothers and sisters, you all and I. And I will see you again, that much is assured. Should any of you ever wish warm halls and a good, hearty meal, the gates of Asgard shall ever be open to you. And let us not forget the fallen as well, both men, women and planets. I shall write their names on the Wall beside our Lake of Remembrance. Asgard shall never forget them, nor you all. It has been glorious, my friends."
Manifest accepted the orb of cognition gratefully, immediately summoning a small pouch (That almost unquestionably appeared to be a cloth knife hilt) and shrinking the orb into a size that fit. "The cloth is nanofiber- It won't tear. Thank you, Craig."
After a small chuckle at Valka crying, he accepted the blade with awe. "Valka, this is.. Incredible." He stared at it for a moment. "I think... I will call it Infinite, in hopes that our friendship and our alliance shall last for all time." He summoned an ornate hilt for the blade on the right side of his belt, to match the one that appeared on his left when he used the Manifest blade. He sheathed Infinite with a flourish and opened his mouth to speak.
Unfortunately, he was cut off by the sudden arrival of Spiderman, web-slinging his way directly to the four. "Hey guys! Hope I'm not interrupting anything, really sorry about this, but, uh, an alternate version of the Justice League is kinda attacking the United Nations right now. Daredevil, She-Hulk, and Trophy are doing their best to hold them off, but it isn't exactly going well. Any chance you could, uh, lend a hand?"
Manifest smirked, glancing at his compatriots, waiting for their response. They didn't need to ask his as he quickly unsheathed Infinite and summoned the Manifest Blade to his hands.
After having given all of her gifts, Hadrimmelis was pleasantly surprised to see that her fellow heroes had decided to honor that tradition as well, and received the gifts from both Craig and Valka with grace and gratitude. The Orb of Cognition that she received, while perhaps not too helpful immediately, was certainly an interesting gift, which could definitely turn out to be useful in the future, not to mention that she did indeed feel curious enough to learn more about the culture of the humans; naturally, in her awakened form, it would have been the simplest of matters to simply dig into the collective psyche of all humanity to learn more about them, but there was no fun in that approach, and she felt that it would be more exciting and stimulating to learn little by little, exploring their culture directly instead of receiving it already digested by the mind of some mortal. With that in mind, she smiled at Craig, appreciating the gift, as well as his promise to watch out for the Hadrians that had migrated to Earth after the war.
Valka's gifts were quite interesting as well. Though the flame of the sword was not too helpful to her, as even though she was the Black Dragon her most powerful element was that of light, the other functions of the blade she appreciated more, as she knew that she could always count on Valka's assistance, no matter what the endeavor. The blade itself was also an exquisite work of art, a masterpiece by part of one of Asgard's greatest forgers, and certainly a worthy gift for anyone, including someone like her. The two casks that were given to her she was quite curious about, but felt that it would be best to wait until later before opening them and trying out their contents. She had no reason to doubt Valka's words, but either way, it would be more convenient to indulge in such things once she found a more comfortable location. For the time being, she stored them in the Dragon Force Dimension and thanked Valka.
It was around that time that the one who looked like a spider arrived, asking for help from the heroes of the Builder War. Hadrimmelis saw that Manifest was more than ready to go and assist his friends, and she felt that perhaps she could at least earn some rapport with humanity on behalf of the Hadrians, her people, but figured that she would ask first.
"It would certainly be a good opportunity to test out this new blade of mine." She commented, smiling towards Valka who was already leaving, heading back to Asgard. "But I was under the impression that humans preferred to sort out their matters by themselves. If you, however, really require my assistance, then I will gladly give it." She stated.