Thor #401 — Nick Peron

Sep 27

Sep 27 Thor #401

The Wager

1000 AD

On a night out drinking with his friends the Warriors Three and Balder, Thor boasts that mortals are cringing cowards. Overhearing this Loki proposes a wager. Even though this most certainly some kind of trick, Thor finds himself stuck accepting the bet in order to save face. Loki challenges Thor to go to Earth bereft of his power and join the crew of an exploration ship to the New World to prove that he is braver than a mortal. If Thor should lose, he will agree to go into exile forever and forfeit his right to the Asgardian throne. Thor is confident he can win this bet and sets about to head to Midgard.

He soon arrives in a fishing village in Norway and under the name Sigurd, convinces the captain of a ship sailing to the New World in search of treasure to accept him as the last member of his crew.

Meanwhile, Loki arrives at an abandoned Atlantean outpost on the ship’s sailing route. Knowing that the ship will make a stop to explore here, Loki begins casting spells to set traps for Thor and the crew of mortals.

On the voyage, “Sigurd” becomes fast friends with a brave crewman named Baldric and the two become fast friends. As the ships get near the island, Loki summons a storm to force them to land. While saving members of the crew that are thrown overboard, everyone begins praying to Thor to save them, unaware that he is among their crew. The thunder god is tempted to use his power to dispel the storm, but refrains from doing so. When they arrive on the island, the captain spots the Atlantean outpost and sends “Sigurd” and Baldric along with a team to explore the structure for any treasure.

Meanwhile, back in Asgard, Thor’s allies go to Odin to tell him about his wager with Loki. Odin is furious, but refuses to intervene even if it means Thor has to give up his right to the throne. The All-Father curses his son for allowing his arrogance and pride get the better of him.

Back on Earth, Thor and his mortal allies soon find themselves trapped in a room full of giant rats. The thunder god finds himself surprised by the mortal’s bravery in the face of such supernatural foes and even comes to Baldric’s aid when he is injured. That’s when Thor notices that water is leaking from the floor above and deduces that they are beneath a cistern. Quick think, he uses his strength to pull free one of the ceiling tiles, causing a torrent of water to wash the rats away. As everyone regroups, Baldric notices “Sigurd” is very concerned about retrieving his pouch, little suspecting it contains Mjolnir.

The only way out of the room is by a staircase that will bring them deeper into the fortress. Thor leaves some men with the wounded as he, Baldric, and the others go looking for a way out. They soon find themselves in an old tomb where they are attacked by the reanimated corpses that have been laid to rest inside. The creatures crumble to dust when struck hard enough but their numbers are too great and eventually, Baldric is fatally stabbed from behind. This devastates Thor who begins madley dispatching the remaining zombies. Seeing that Thor might actually win his wager, Loki tips his hand by using his magic to transform a nearby lizard into a dragon.

Recognizing the dragon as being native of Asgard, Thor realizes that Loki has been cheating this whole time. Now allowed to use his power, Thor pulls out Mjolnir and drops his mortal guise and uses his powers to get rid of the dragon and reanimated corpses. Shocked to see that one of their crewmates was the god of thunder, the surviving soldiers bow down to him. However, Thor tells them that they need not worship him because they have proven that they are as brave as the gods themselves.

Thor then returns to Asgard where he confronts Loki for cheating in front of Odin. However, Odin orders his son to stand down, pointing out that even though Loki cheated it Thor was equally to blame for the loss of life for accepting the wager. As Loki retreats to scheme anew, Thor has come away with a valuable lesson: That mortals can be worthy and could be come gods themselves given enough time and that he should nature this potential in them. Thor also takes solace in the fact that Baldric has earned himself in glorious Valhalla where he will spend eternity living in valor for his bravery.