Chapter Seventy-One: The Sea King's Armor

Svartalfheim.
This was the homeland of the Dark Elves. Once, Malekith, King of the Dark Elves, sought to use the Aether to dominate the Nine Realms. On the day when the nine worlds aligned, he launched his war, only to be defeated by the Asgardians. The Aether itself was hidden away by the old King Bor, in a place no one could find.

Svartalfheim became nothing but a wasteland, and the Dark Elf King fled with the few soldiers that remained, escaping in their ships.

A thousand years later, with the nine realms again nearing alignment, the slumbering Dark Elves in the depths of the universe were awakened by the call of the Aether.

Malekith returned to Svartalfheim. Gazing upon his lifeless, scorched homeland, he swore an oath: he would invade Asgard, reclaim the Aether, and rebuild his world.

…

Asgard, Dungeons of the Celestial Palace

Arthur made his way to the dungeons to see Loki, who was imprisoned there. Contrary to Arthur’s expectations, the Asgardian prison was neither dark nor filthy; in fact, it was quite splendid, as resplendent as the palace itself. The cells were individual rooms, each shielded by an energy barrier to prevent escape—advanced technology, by the look of it.

Loki had been locked away in the deepest part of the dungeon, in a luxurious suite all to himself. His mother had even decorated the room lavishly: sofa, coffee table, fine wine, and fruit—everything one could want.

Arthur looked at Loki, who lounged on the sofa, sipping wine and reading. Was this really a dungeon? With such food and drink and no labor required, Arthur half wished he could enjoy it himself.

“You’re still alive?” Loki looked up at Arthur, surprised. During the Battle of New York, Arthur had been lured by Loki into a trap he had prepared.

“Thanks to you, I got to experience a little space travel. It took some effort to get back,” Arthur replied.

“Not a bad place, is it? But do you even know what you did wrong?” Arthur demanded.

“Which thing are you referring to?” Loki shot back.

“You actually worked with Thanos to seize the Cosmic Cube? Don’t you realize that, once Thanos got his hands on it, you’d be the first to die, and then he’d destroy Asgard? Did you really think you could be king of Asgard?” Arthur mocked him.

“Did you really think I’d give Thanos the Cube? Only I can control its power! I was just using him,” Loki said, feigning cleverness.

“You underestimate Thanos. Not only did you fail to obtain the Cube, but you also lost the Mind Stone. Wait and see—Thanos will come for you,” Arthur retorted.

“Whatever. I’m already a prisoner. If Thanos comes, Odin will deal with him,” Loki replied indifferently.

“Just stay put. We’ll be seeing each other again very soon.” With that, Arthur turned and left.

…

Arthur then made his way to the Bifrost transmission hall, where he was to meet Thor—they had planned to travel together to Nidavellir to retrieve his armor and weapon.

“What are you two talking about?” Arthur asked, seeing Thor still in conversation with Heimdall.

“I can’t go with you to Nidavellir,” Thor announced.

“Why not?” Arthur inquired.

“Heimdall has discovered that Jane Foster is missing. I have to go to Earth to check on her,” Thor explained.

“Is that so? Very well, I’ll go to Nidavellir by myself.” Upon hearing of Jane’s disappearance, Arthur knew the alignment of the nine stars was imminent, and it was almost time to set his plans in motion.

Heimdall teleported Arthur to Nidavellir. This was Arthur’s third visit, and the dwarves were busier than ever.

Arthur saw dwarves forging a vast number of weapons, while Asgardian soldiers waited to transport the finished arms in batches. The efficiency was impressive.

“You’re here? Your armor and weapon are finished,” King Eitri of the dwarves greeted Arthur.

“Thank you so much. Let me show you what I brought.” Arthur handed over a barrel of fine wine slung over his shoulder.

“Oh? Asgardian mead? Smells wonderful.” Eitri uncorked the barrel and inhaled deeply.

Arthur picked up his armor—golden and radiant, yet remarkably light in his hands. Had Eitri cut any corners?

But then, something marvelous happened: the armor automatically fastened itself onto Arthur’s body, not unlike Tony Stark’s nanotech suit from the movies.

The golden tunic and green trousers shimmered with dragon-scale patterns; his hands were encased in green gauntlets that extended up to the elbows, forming protective bracers. The right hand bore six gem slots.

Once donned, a golden cape unfurled from Arthur’s shoulders, and finally, a golden crown materialized atop his head.

Incredible—this armor was like some magical treasure, able to dress its master of its own accord. Eitri’s craftsmanship was flawless, matching exactly the designs Arthur had drawn.

“This armor was forged from Uru. It can be imbued with magic. I’ve added some basic spells—auto-dressing, and it can change appearance,” Eitri explained, noticing Arthur’s astonishment.

“Change appearance?” Under Eitri’s instruction, Arthur envisioned a different style in his mind, recited the incantation, and the armor transformed at once into a black suit, white tie, and leather shoes.

“Unbelievable!” Arthur felt the fabric of the suit—there was no difference from the real thing. Was it really this magical?

“These are just the basics. Uru is a wondrous metal—just like Thor’s armor, it can change form at will.”

I’ll never have to buy clothes again, Arthur thought, thoroughly delighted with this feature. It was, by far, the most practical ability of all. The armor shifted from T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers to a hoodie, jeans, and skate shoes, and then—accidentally—into a Japanese schoolgirl uniform and miniskirt. Arthur was having the time of his life.

“That’s only one function. Its core attribute is defense. Uru and Vibranium are the twin supreme metals of the universe—remarkable for their durability and self-repair,” Eitri said.

“The gem slots you asked for are set into the right gauntlet. It can wield all six Infinity Stones at once, though I don’t recommend you try that. Besides, you’ll need to acquire the stones first.” Even as Eitri spoke, Arthur drew a yellow gem from his pocket and slotted it into the index finger.

“So you really do have one! No wonder you wanted those slots,” Eitri exclaimed, astonished.

The gem fit perfectly into place, then the gauntlet vanished, perfectly hidden from view. This armor was truly extraordinary! Arthur decided to name it the Aquaman Armor.

He picked up his new trident—now golden, and crafted exactly as he’d designed, far more beautiful than before. Arthur sensed that, wielding the new trident, his energy flow was much faster than with the old one—its power had clearly grown.

With a wave, the trident transformed into a golden ring, which he slipped onto his right index finger.

“Thank you! Your craftsmanship is truly the finest in the universe. I’m thoroughly satisfied with this armor and the new trident. Thank you, Eitri,” Arthur praised the Dwarf King.

“Ha! It was nothing. Next time you want something made, come straight to me. You’re Thor’s friend, so you’re my friend too,” Eitri replied heartily.

“I’m honored, Eitri. If there ever comes a day when Nidavellir is visited by someone named Thanos, do whatever he asks. Don’t resist—just buy time. I promise I’ll come to save you,” Arthur said sincerely.

“Thanos? Who’s that? What would he want with Nidavellir?” Eitri was puzzled.

“Just remember what I’ve said. You’ll understand when the time comes,” Arthur answered, mysterious as ever.

“All right, I’ll remember.”

…

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