sorry.
It was supposed to be uploaded around 10 a. m.
There are just too many ridiculous and chaotic things going on at home.
The alarms of a dungeon riot echoed throughout every corridor of the Golden Palace.
The sound of guards' footsteps came from all directions, the clanging of armor mingling with the piercing alarm.
Lynn stood at the entrance to the Queen's bedchamber, his back to the inside, his gaze passing through the flickering firelight at the end of the corridor, his expression calm.
Jane had already been led into the inner sanctum by Frigga. Lynn did not follow.
He knew he needed to stand guard at the door.
Another guest will be coming tonight, and that guest is different from the thugs in the dungeon.
The rioters were merely cannon fodder, used to lure away most of the people in the palace.
The truly dangerous guests will enter through places that others overlook.
"Your Highness."
A fully armed Asgard guard ran from the other end of the corridor and saluted Lynn. "The dungeon riot is mostly under control, and His Highness is leading troops to clear out the remaining forces. The Queen and that Midgard lady..."
"I'll be inside, watching over things."
Lynn tilted his head towards the door. "Take your men to the east side and block the way up from there. Be quick."
The guard hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but Lynn had already turned back into the corridor.
The guard swallowed his words, turned, and jogged away.
Lynn's fingers, hanging by her sides, curled slightly, then relaxed.
He heard the sounds of fighting gradually subsiding from the direction of the dungeon, the thunder of Thor coming from the depths of the palace, and occasionally the Mjolnir smashing through stone walls.
Lynn narrowed her eyes and said very softly, "They're here."
(I've made a slight edit here; the oppressive atmosphere of the Dark Elves in the movie version isn't insignificant, but it's definitely absent.)
(Initially, there was a lot of hype about how powerful the Dark Elves were, how they almost destroyed the Nine Realms. Who knew their actual combat strength was so weak...)
(The group outwits and fights each other for a Dark Elves that Odin can easily subdue...)
(At least in the comics, Odin gets a chance to fight.)
(In the movie version... Odin was basically just a background character... I can understand that he was wary of the power of the Aether and needed to stay behind to oversee things.)
(But the movie completely failed to capture that feeling.)
(It was a bit tough, so I boosted the Dark Elf's combat power.)
A black, misty figure flashed past the window of the inner sanctum, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth. They slowly emerged from the shadows between the outer walls and the columns, like ghosts exhaled by darkness itself.
The leader was tall, with long, silvery-white hair that looked like a wisp of withered light torn from the darkness. His skin was grayish-white, and his eyes had no pupils, only two dark red spots.
It must be Malekith.
The Dark Elves made no sound.
They landed without even stirring up dust, as if darkness itself had spread throughout the palace.
Malekith, with his men, passed through the outer hall and headed towards the inner sanctum.
His gaze passed over Lynn and landed on the door behind him.
His eyes held a longing for the Aether; he knew the thing was inside and just wanted to get in.
Lynn moved half a step towards the door, slowly and deliberately, just enough to block his view.
"Want to go in?" Lynn's voice was soft and somewhat casual.
Malekith stopped in his tracks.
"Kid, get out of the way." Malekith's voice was deep, like a stone rubbing against ice.
"See? I knew you'd say that."
Lynn shifted his weight onto one leg and tilted his head slightly. "I don't usually block doors. But for an uninvited guest like you, it's better to block them. By the way, this door isn't very sturdy, and I know you're looking for Aether, but unfortunately we're not planning to give it to you."
Malekith did not answer. The two Dark Elves beside him had already closed in on Lynn, the blades in their hands gleaming with the same cold black light as their armor.
Lynn looked at them, her eyes gradually turning cold.
He raised one hand, and a five-colored halo burst forth from his palm, simultaneously illuminating the cold wind of the corridor.
A pale gold shield unfolded first, causing the two charging Dark Elves to stagger backward.
Light and shadow collided, producing an extremely sharp, muffled sound.
Malekith set off.
He dodged to the side, avoiding a beam of energy that Lynn had thrown out, and swung a palm strike wrapped in dark particles.
Lynn sidestepped, his palm blade grazing the corner of his clothes as it struck the wall, sending shards of stone and dark red Mars flying.
A very soft gasp came from inside the inner hall; it was Jane.
You can faintly hear Frigga's comforting voice beside you.
Lynn forced back the Dark Elves on his left, kicked another in the chest, and used the recoil to turn around, blocking Malekith's raised hand just in time.
He was half a head shorter than Malekith, and the magic circle in his palm was already poised to be unleashed.
Malekith stared at him, his ashen face showing no surprise, only annoyance at being blocked by an ant.
"Who are you?" Malekith asked.
"King of Asgard! Uh... and temporary doorman as well."
Lynn's tone became nonchalant again, even a little flippant, "You came all this way, and you dared to barge in without even checking who's guarding the gate? Let me tell you, you can't get in, Aether you can't take the ether!"
Malekith's response was an even more brutal attack.
The dark particles condensed in his hand into a nearly tangible spear, aimed straight at Lynn's throat.
Lynn didn't take the spear head-on. He dodged the spear tip and simultaneously created a spatial rift behind Malekith. The torn air shrieked as it dragged another Dark Elves was lunging at the door inside.
His movements were incredibly fast; before Malekith's second attack could even take shape, Lynn was already blocking the doorway again.
"You think you can stop me?"
Malekith's voice remained cold, carrying the unwavering certainty of an ancient Destroyer, "There is light in your eyes, but light is always the first to go out. Only darkness is Eternity!"
"Speaking of an old man who's been asleep for so many years, it really doesn't sound very convincing..."
Lynn straightened his clothes, which had become slightly wrinkled from the fight, and looked up at Malekith, saying, "Besides, it's not time for me to die yet. Now, get out."
Malekith's eyes finally changed, filled with murderous intent.
He no longer tried to bypass Lynn, but instead focused all his power on him.
Dark energy exploded between the two, causing the entire corridor to tremble and the paintings on the walls to be swept away by the shockwave.
Lynn's magic circle shone even brighter, its five-colored halo expanding into a tiny circle in the darkness, completely protecting the door behind him.
In this exchange, Malekith was thrown back by Lynn's attack, crashing through the stone railing at the end of the corridor and sliding half of his body over the outer wall of the palace.
One of his two followers was swallowed by a spatial rift, while the other was pinned to a pillar by Lynn and unable to move.
Just then, the sound of clashing armor came from afar, and Thor was leading his men rapidly toward them.
Malekith knew that there was no chance to seize the Aether today. Continuing to fight would only lead to being surrounded. He looked coldly at Lynn, unwilling but decisive, and chose to withdraw.
"I will return. Aether belongs only to me!"
Then he let go and flipped off the outer wall.
Darkness enveloped his body, like ink seeping into the night from between the stone bricks.
Lynn didn't chase after him; he had already forced him back. Chasing after him would only leave Jane and Frigga in danger.
He turned and pushed open the door to the inner sanctuary.
Frigga stood in front of Jane, holding a sword in her hand.
She and Lynn exchanged a glance, then she lowered the sword she was holding.
She didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly at him.
Lynn leaned against the doorframe and slowly sat down.
After a few seconds, he suddenly chuckled softly, as if mocking his own earlier reaction.
"A gatekeeper? This job isn't as easy as I thought... my old arms and legs are really getting tired."
He looked up at the gradually brightening firelight outside the door, and at Thor, covered in dust and lightning, as he rushed into the inner sanctum. "Don't look at me like that. This isn't over yet."
Lynn gestured with his chin towards the outside, "I didn't dare go all out, and Malekith got away. We need to extract the Aether and send Jane back first."