31 Vampire Thor Part II

It was cold.

The freezing ocean water dragging him up onto the shore, the salt stinging his wounds as they bled furiously, staining the sand and waters red with his blood. Yet the pain of his body was nothing in comparison to the pain that ravaged him internally as something ate away at him from the inside.

Yet as he stared up at the setting sun, Thor couldn't help but smile. He had lost everything, but gained something far more valuable in return. His vast empire that spanned across nearly the entirety of Pictland and half of Aquilonia was gone. The legions under his command, decimated by but a handful of beings. However, he didn't care, Thor had only conquered them purely to satisfy his urges.

Saving Asgard would be impossible for him, he was weak, even weaker as a Midgardian. There were many versions of Thor out there, each more powerful than him. The need for him to save his people was unnecessary, so he would live his life his way.

In Asgard he was raised as a warrior, a conqueror. That's how Odin had trained him, someone who sought to always expand the borders of Asgard's vast empire. An average tale that many Thor's had with only the most minuscule of differences to separate them from being the same. It was just his luck to be born into some of the most unluckiest of situations whereas they were born into more profitable ones.

Let them save Asgard, he would just do what he was good at.

Battle and conquest.

That's exactly what he did, battle after battle he fought. Tribe after tribe submitted to his will, cities and vast swathes of land fell to his rule. Thor's aim was unknown, perhaps he would continue until he grew bored? Or perhaps he would conquer all of Hyboria?

Thor didn't know where it would all end and he didn't care.

He would follow the whims of his mind whether that lead to victory or defeat. Ultimately, it led to defeat at the hands of a group of powerful beings. There was no term for them in Asgard, but they shared similarities to the Draugr of old, yet also many differences. However, Thor had learned that the Midgardians had other names for them.

Creatures of the Night.

Bloodsuckers.

Living Dead.

Undead Ones.

The Ones Who Cannot Be Slain.

The Men Who Drink Blood.

Deathwalkers.

But another more common name, Vampyres.

Thor had never encountered creatures like these, Draugr? Yes. They were tough beings to face, mostly because their numbers were usually vast despite being rare to come across. Never tiring, never resting, they just kept coming and swarming you. If one wasn't careful, they would find themselves quickly overwhelmed.

Back in his youth, Thor remembered many times he entered ancient tombs, battling against the Draugr within purely to test his skills. That was until he found a home upon the battlefield, battling against living enemies of much greater power and skill.

Thor didn't hesitate when encountering these beings upon the battlefield. No vast army, just a handful of figures. An insulting sight at first, yet one Thor found himself curious to see unfold.

He gave the order for his men and despite numbering in the tens of thousands, they never stood a chance. The small group of a few dozen Vampyres tore through his army like they were nothing. Each possessed incredible strength and speed, enough to completely disappear from sight and tear men in half with ease.

However, Thor had experience in fighting fast foes and while fighting those stronger than him physically was a new experience, it was one he revelled in. A new challenge and he met the foes head on.

He lost.

"You will become one of us, Donar." The voice of that man, that beast-like figure replayed in his mind as he felt his vision darkening. Despite feeling his heart slow, much like how it did when he died, Thor couldn't help but feel excited. He couldn't wait for that power to be his for then, a new chapter in his life would begin.

One where everything could and would change. Thor would settle for nothing less than that, this was not like his previous life as a Badoon, endless opportunity awaited him. He would take it with both hands and seize everything he had ever desired. The duty to Asgard had been severed by his fathers actions, he was free to do whatever he so wished. With this power in his grasp, nothing could stop him now, not upon Midgard.

And as he had come to learn, there were many interesting things to behold.

-X- Line Break -X-

Watching the sun slowly creep down, Thor slowly rose up, marching out across the cave toward the entryway. Much of the island was still bathed in sunlight, but small sections were shrouded in shadow, areas in which he could stand out in the open freely.

The island was small, but not uninhabited.

Thor had learned very early on that there was a strange mystic magic surrounding this island. Dark magic that clung to it, just like the beasts that roamed the land. When he had been new to his powers, the beasts had swarmed him and he had barely been able to escape with his life. Since then, as he adapted and discovered the depths of his powers, he also studied these strange creatures.

Children, little girls that in the span of a single night seemed to grow and morph into monstrous creatures. He didn't know how they reproduced, something to do with the magic he suspected, but they were powerful.

Each possessed incredible speed and strength.

'They would make good soldiers.' Thor thought, fangs peeking out as he smiled widely. He may have the power of a Vampyre, but that didn't change anything. Saving Asgard could be done by someone else, no doubt Strong-Thor and Kree-Thor had probably succeeded, especially with that strange cube of Kree-Thors.

He was unneeded.

So, he would simply follow his desires, the ones that had controlled him as Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard. Back to the battlefield he would go, conquest and war, they were what he was trained for, that was what he lived for. Being King was what he had wanted, to go out and lead the golden army of Asgard on a great crusade that surpassed his father, King Odin and his grandfather, King Bor. That was the ambition Thor had held as a young boy and now, he would satisfy that desire.

Beginning with the Vampyres of the world.

There would be more out there, he knew it. Tales of these beings were told from every corner of the world of Hyboria, there were others out there. He would find them and make them submit. Being King of Asgard was no longer possible, but King of the Vampyres, that was still within his grasp.

Time to seize it with both hands.

As the sun continued to set, the island being shrouded deeper within darkness, Thor leapt forth, body diapering into mist that rushed across the sky. The beasts of this island would be the beginning, then he would set forth for the mainland.