[center][h2]GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY[/h2]
[b]IN[/b]
[h2]SPACE ODDITY[/h2][/center]
[hr]
The Halls of Niðavellir were dead. That much was certain as the group reached the atrium of the Great Dwarven Forge after a short entry hallway. The tall columns of glittering stone were adorned with carvings of the great Dwarven Lords and great victories of the past. They began to swirl when they got to the top, culminating in a swirling dome representing the sun of their world. It was incredible and a testament to their skill.

The beautiful, gleaming stone that had once echoed with the sounds of smithing hammers and the roar of the fires were now cold and silent, save for the sounds of the Guardians' footfalls. This was one of the most beautiful places in all the Nine Realms to Thor. He had always been fascinated by the creation of weapons, almost as much as he enjoyed wielding them. And the work the Dwarves did was unparalleled in the universe. That was something that he was always fond of.

Thor was taken aback at the amount of bodies that were strewn about the beautifully carved stone walkways of the Dwarves. These had been his friends and comrades in years past. Next to them laid Chitauri warriors, the drone army sent by their enemy to slaughter mindlessly.

Thor spat, and the liquid mad a strong slap on the stone floor. He couldn't help it. There was no honor in this battle. Their enemy had sent another army of mindless, killing machines to do their dirty work instead of doing it on their own. There was no honor in this slaughter. 

He had seen many of these dwarves in the halls of Odin’s very castle. Some of them had carved the Throne of the Allfather themselves. To see them meet such an ignoble end was disheartening to say the least. That they were cut down for The Destroyer was made even worse. A weapon they never wanted to create had been their downfall.

Still, Thor could scarcely believe the amount of dead that were here. While the dwarven people were known more as smiths than warriors, they still could hold their own in most fights. For the Chitauri to have overwhelmed them, it meant their numbers were staggering. The Chitauri force must have numbered in the thousands. That was another sobering thought.

There were far too many set against them at this point, and more seemed to be piled on every minute.

“You know, for dwarves they’re pretty big,” Rocket murmured, trying to break the tomb-like silence.

“Dude, definitely not the time,” Quill hushed him.

“Dwarves being short was a tale they themselves spread,” Thor explained to the group, ignoring the raccoon’s discretion. “They believed it would lead anyone who wanted to invade their lands to underestimate them.”

In fact, the Dwarves were nearly seven feet y’all. Not as big as the giants, but large and very strong in their own right. But while they could hold their own and were dangerous in numbers, they had no natural affinity towards battle.

“They were slaughtered,” Hawk was equally disgusted. “There was no honor in this. Merely an extermination. Such an end was not fitting for the legendary smiths.”

Thor nodded to her with appreciation. She had begun to open up to them, and he was happy to see it. When they had first met he had thought she had no honor. It had been the only explanation for a Thanagarian warrior to be exiled. But instead he had found that it was the exact opposite. She was more honorable than any warrior he had ever seen before. She had sacrificed her people's goals for the good of the universe. It was astounding. 

Still, the eyes that met his weren't completely trusting. She didn't trust him. She had always seemed to know more about him than the others did. That was enough for Thor to understand her distrust. The gods, not just the Asgardians, had disappointed and deserted the galaxy for ages. He saw that now. They had shirked their responsibilities and the mortals were suffering for it. He could feel it in his blood. It had been reawakening in him as he traveled with these weird, lost creatures he was beginning to think of as friends.

Now he needed to slay his enemy so he could get around doing something about that.

"So what is this Destroyer?" Rocket asked. "Could it say...blow up a moon? I've always wanted to blow up a moon."

Thor chuckled despite the ridiculous question, "It could, depending on the soul, or souls, that inhabit it."

"I am Groot?"

"Yes, the weapon is powered by souls," Thor allowed his embarrassment to tinge his voice. "As I told you, the weapon was designed to fight the dark elves. The war against them had ravaged the realms. Odin, my father, was both enraged and vengeful when he ordered the Dwarves to create the Destroyer. He used the souls of every elf he killed on the field of battle to power the weapon. He saw it both as a path to victory and punishment at the same time. A, what would you call it Quill, double whammy?"

"Yea that's a doozy, to be honest," Quill patted him on the arm.

"My father should have destroyed it, not hid it," the Thunderer shook his head. "Failing to do so was always going to be a problem."

"Weapons like that never stay buried forever," Hawk agreed.

"So it *can* blow up a moon," Rocket stroked his chin.

Suddenly, Quill put his arm up, "I got life signs. One down each of the hallways."

"Oh of course," Rocket put his face in his palm. "Because that doesn't scream trap or anything."

"I am Groot."

"Yes I am being sarcastic," Rocket sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if there's anything but bark inside your head."

"Trap or not, someone here may be alive and have answers for us. We need to find them," Hawk shrugged.

"Gang, let's split up and look for clues!" Quill exclaimed excitedly. Everyone else looked at him out of the sides of their eyes. "Sorry, I've always wanted to say that."