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The day after Balder had retreated from that nameless gorge in Asgard, the Enchantress Amora, formally of Asgard, smiled contentedly as she got into her personal gondola. How I do love the modern world. As she sat down, an image of a boatmen waited on her, a most excellent illusion she had created for this exact purpose. The image began to pole them out into the water, when in reality it was Amora's magic which moved the small boat, the pole laying unused on the interior of the boat.
What care I for my previous plots or ambitions in cold, dreary Asgard? I may not be able to use magic openly, but that was never my way anyway. I may not have any direct power over people, but what do I care for that when I can live in comfort and leisure without such? Spas, masseuses, and pedicures, like the one I just had! In the name of all the Aesir and Vanir, where were such amenities back home?
Amora smiled as she heard calls of, "Hello, beautiful!" And, "My God, look at that woman. She's as beautiful as the stars above!" The adulation, in Italian came from several men around the canal who had stopped to stare at the breathtaking woman lounging in her boat like a movie star as it went along below or beside them.
And no end of handsome men to wile away time with if I wish to. Though most of them don't have anything going for them beyond their looks, unlike Doctor Doom. But Paris snagged him first, which is fine. I have no need for a husband, let alone children, ugh. Indeed. Why ever did I want a husband in the first place? Particularly Thor of all people? An intelligent conversationalist Thor is not, for all his physical prowess. Indeed, looking back on it, I have to wonder…
Not for the first time, the Enchantress shook her head, setting that thought aside before it could gain any purchase. Instead Amora looked around at the city of Venice, her personal gondola winding its way through the canals slowly. She'd fallen in love with this city when she came here for a photo shoot. Paris had hired the former Asgardian for many different jobs, and while acting as a news broadcaster had been interesting, it had been her work as a model which had allowed her to explore, and enjoy, the human realm. Of all the cities Amora had seen during her work, Venice was the one Amora had liked the most. Perhaps that is the sign of the Aesir in me, Amora reflected, liking these little boats and the large amount of water nearby.
That thought made her chuckle to herself, then Amora put on some music on her headphones, and at the next bend in the canal, as soon they disappeared from sight underneath a bridge, hopped to her feet. With a wave of her hand, Amora dispelled the illusion of the boatman and second later, she canceled the spells on the gondola and took over, punting the little boat along, now under an illusion herself. The music of Jennifer Lopez began and Amora, the dread Enchantress of Asgard, continued on her way, humming along and generally grateful beyond all words to have left that life behind her.
Later that day, Amora headed back to her very tasteful studio apartment, which boasted a magnificent view of Venice from one of its richer districts, with a bag of groceries under one arm. Entering her current home, she left the bag on the table after cancelling the minor weightless charm she'd cast on it, heading into her bathroom. She proceeded to take a long shower, smiling as she inhaled the new shampoo that she'd bought that day, reveling in the feel of it pampering her silken locks.
Paris was right again, this new shampoo is magnificent, and I love the smell of pine and mint. She'd said the next time she needed me for a job wasn't until the fourteenth, I believe. Time enough to perhaps purchase a larger boat and go down the shore to one of the other nearby cities. Or perhaps I could take a few days and travel someplace else… hmm… decisions, decisions.
All thought on that score fled Amora's mind when she began to hear voices echoing from her apartment. One voice mumbled, "I don't know, this looks more like some kind of rich person's apartment, not…" The next few words were unintelligible, but the tone was unmistakably that of a young girl. The young intruder was then answered by another voice, male, old and crotchety. His voice was a low mumble, the words indiscernible, and wrath gave way to confusion for a moment.
They do not sound like a gang or any stalker I have heard of, but the fact that I am hearing anyone in my apartment is the issue! Not only do I have the only key and this whole complex has it's own security, but I warded my home against any unwanted intrusion, magical or not! So how did these unknowns even enter? Still, if whoever this is has assumed that I am a weak mark, they will find themselves gravely mistaken.
With an angry scowl on her face, Amora tersely wrapped a towel around herself and marched out, orange tongues of magic blooming around her hands. I will worry about getting rid of the bodies later. "I have no idea what you two were trying to accomplish here, but you will rue the day you…" Amora's voice stuttered to a halt as she took in the scene in front of her.
There were indeed only two intruders. One was indeed a young girl who was busy putting away Amora's food—in the right places a part of Amora's mind noticed—while looking around her with a sense of childlike awe and curiosity. The young girl in question had violet-colored skin, elven ears, and a few marks on her cheeks that looked somewhat like tattoos but could well have been natural marks of some kind. She was a toned, lithe young thing and quite striking despite her drab clothing jeans and a thin shirt, the kind of clothing Amora had seen young people wear when they were backpacking across Europe.
The second person was an old man, who had laid himself out on Amora's sofa as if this was his apartment rather than Amora's. If the young girl looked like she at least tried to care for her appearance, the old man most certainly did not. His clothing, if it could be called that, was not threadbare by any means but patched and dusty from long travel and hard living. A robe of all things covered a tough pair of jeans and large boots, hiding whatever shirt he'd decided to wear. The man's gray locks were long and flowing, seemingly clean but unkempt.
But it wasn't their appearance that halted Amora, her anger snuffed out as easily as a small candle on a birthday cake in the middle of a gale. No, what stopped one of the most powerful magic-wielders of Asgard was the old man's eye, his only eye, catching her own, staring into her soul in a way that she had felt only once before.
For all her power, Amora trembled, the magic around her hands disappearing as Amora fought the urge to prostrate herself. "My Lord…"
"Say not my name in front of young Blink. That would ruin some of my fun. Call me Wanderer." The old man warned sharply before smiling beatifically. "Although considering how far we are from home, that is an appellation that could be placed at your feet too, is it not, Enchantress? You are also very far from home."
"Please tell me you don't speak in riddles," the young girl apparently named Blink almost whined, as she looked over at the towel-clad woman. She blushed a bit, then quickly moved to cover the old man's one eye with one of her hands. "Sorry about just, you know, coming in like this, but he was adamant that this was the place we had to be."
That act of childish innocence allowed Amora to regain some of her equilibrium, her gaze momentarily blocked from the Lord's weighty mien, and she snorted at the girl. "And obviously he was not going to accept any attempt to put things off or argument. Don't worry, child, I know that fact well enough."
She couldn't quite hide the bite of bitter memories from her words, recalling how she'sd long been persecuted by the Aesir for how Amora used her magic back in Asgard. Most of that had been caused by the laws of the very man before her, who himself was a practitioner of magic, which no man should be. By his own rules and beliefs, Odin is a damned soul, she thought not for the first time, scowling a bit. But worse, Odin has long thought only himself and those he trusts should use any magic.
"Truly, we would not be here at all if it were not grave. Grave enough that all wanderers go home, grave enough to speak of endings and beginnings, of not just ourselves, but of all," the Wanderer aspect of Odin announced.
Amora scowled, but even so she could still feel the old man's unblinking stare. Although Blink (and what kind of a name was that for a young girl?) still held one hand over his eye, it did precious little in reality. "If this is going to be an in-depth conversation, I am going to get changed first."
A moment later, Amora emerged garbed in her typical around-the-house attire, a loose shirt and long, loose pants, the kind of comfortable clothing she preferred to wear around the apartment. Normally I would dress up more for guests, but I will be damned to Niflheim if I show this old reprobate that much deference.
"Now why are you here… Wanderer? And no prevarication! Just tell me what you want from me, and furthermore, how by the Bifrost's holy light did even you get past my wards without me feeling a thing?!"
"What are wards? Er… sorry, but um, whatever they are, I didn't have any trouble getting us here," Blink said, tilting her head slightly as she silently held up an apple, asking silent permission from Amora to have a bite.
"Well, at least you have some manners, child. But the fact you didn't even notice my wards doesn't make me feel any better about you being here. Still, your comment at least tells me that it was you who brought the two of you here and not this old ," Amora responded, waving her hand in answer in equally silent permission.
"I don't know what that word means, but I'm certain that it describes this old goat, whatever it is," Blink answered around a mouthful of apple, shaking her head reproachfully. "Sorry, he didn't tell me that we were here to find a woman or else I would have tried to blink us outside on your balcony maybe."
"Foolishness. The time to care about such niceties has passed. We need to get in contact with Harry Potter," the aspect of Odin announced, fed up with the small talk.
Amora scoffed at the frowning older man. "Go through Magical Minds and get an appointment from one of his secretaries then. Why do you need me?"
"Did you not hear me? Pray are you deaf? We must speak to Potter! Not mere flunkies. And it is 'we,' not just me, make no mistake Enchantress," the Wanderer retorted. "I said it was time that all of us come home, and I meant it."
At that, Amora's lips curled back into a snarl. "If this is your way of saying that you wish for me to return willingly I—"
"No." The force behind that single word took Amora aback, and the old man continued on in the ensuing silence. "We go back to war, not to put you in a cage. We go back to the war, the war to end the cycle a bid for freedom, for all which will either lead to sweet victory or fiery ruin."
"That tells me absolutely nothing. Freedom for who?" Amora questioned, while Blink just looked confused, wondering what the heck she'd gotten involved in here.
"Freedom for everyone left behind. Freedom for me, for you, for the Aesir and Vanir all," the wandering aspect of Odin Borson answered.
Amora stared, but the Wanderer had obviously said as much as he was going to and, aspect or no, it was still Odin in front of her so all Amora could do was sigh. The old raven-pecked fool always could do inscrutable better than a whole cadre of mummers. Best to just go along with things I suppose. For now. "I believe I could get us into seeing Potter, yes. But even I would have to go through the one called Sage to do it. Or perhaps I could lean on Paris and have her pass on a personal request."
The seriousness in the Wanderer faded, and he shook his head with a chuckle. "No, no, that shan't do it all. Time to become serious it may be, but I would still loathe my last act in this grand play to be so boring. We will rely on Blink, and in doing so, will reveal yet another aspect of what we bring to the table."
"This entire conversation is going way over my head," Blink muttered. "And I don't like how you're just talking about me like I'm a commodity."
"That happens often around this scoundrel, child. Still, if organizing a meeting the mundane way doesn't have the proper flair that you seem to be going for, my Lord, I can understand why you came to me."
The use of that title for a second time caused Blink to stare at the woman, who she still hadn't been introduced to, then back at the old man. Amora ignored the girl, standing and moving towards the kitchen. "And I cannot deny that I too have a flair for the dramatic. But I don't suppose that my willing aid would grant me largess to slink off while you and Potter meet?"
"Indeed not! When one goes through to the trouble of picking up a piece, one does not then set it down beside the board unused," the Wanderer announced, flicking fingers at both women.
Amora sighed again, mentally whimpering at having her easy life so displaced but holding out hope that after this was all over, she would be able to return and pick it up again as if nothing had happened. "Blink, was it? Would you like something to eat? I'm rather hungry myself. You Wanderer can fend for yourself! This is my home, my kitchen, and as you are not guests invited to my table, and you are not facing duress nor foul weather, I may decide who to serve."
The Wanderer scowled, but did not gainsay Amora's word. The Enchantress went on. "Instead, you will tell us more about this war you mentioned and what you want from me personally. And not in ribald riddles or quips, old man, or else we will be having more than words whatever your power might be!"
Later, Amora would wonder if perhaps she should've allowed the wandering aspect of Odin to keep his plans to himself. They certainly hadn't made for pleasant listening.
OOOOOOO
Harry wasn't the only one among his command cadre who hadn't been to the Savage Land in a while. Indeed, the only one who had was Hela, so Harry had organized a day trip for himself and his ladies, or rather most of them, as when she was approached, Jean evinced no interest in exploring the city. She'd had a doctor's appointment that morning, and that always put her in an odd mood. So it was only Harry, Ororo, and Emma who'd decided to make the trip.
They were joined by Sage and the pair of MJ and Wyatt. Even though this visit was mostly just to look around and have a date out on the lake, business never stopped and as they walked to the room holding the runic doorways, Sage was still relaying some points to Harry.
"Forge has reported that he's happy enough with building the first human-made ships to your specifications, although Admiral Whitaker wants it on record that he doesn't think it's a good idea. In his opinion, the first human ship should stay here to flag the Home Fleet. As that's a human-type debate, I thought you should have some input."
"Does Forge know that he's going to be working with Kitty and that any designs he makes have to be run by Carol, her think tank, and Reed? I don't want him to go all absent-minded professor on us and start building ships without making certain that they match the criteria we need," Harry joked, although he knew Forge was perfectly capable of doing just that.
Yet of all the geniuses Harry had access to at present, Forge was easily the most capable of playing nice with others, and Harry took Sage at her word when she replied in the affirmative, going on to address her other point. "Good. As for Admiral Whitaker, I realize that having our flagship be a human-designed vessel is a big deal in terms of morale and public relations, but the fact is, we have enough Kree-made ships we just don't need more capital ships. The Warspite can serve as our flagship for now. And no, I'm not going to allow the first human-made carrier to be called Victory either," Harry said, ending on a dry note. "He got away with calling the defense force 'Home Fleet'. That's all he gets."
Ororo chuckled at that, as did Wyatt, although the others looked blank, and Harry rolled his eyes. "Nevermind. Let's just say that he was being very quintessentially British-first with that choice of a name and the Home Fleet thing. Now, MJ, you had something you wanted to say before we started our tour?"
"We're starting to get some pushback from the American public and the Chinese government who say that the Avalon Empire is just a new type of imperialism, but I had an idea about combating that before it becomes an issue, at least in the states. With your permission, I want to commission a documentary series about the number of alien races out there and what they're like. The more information we share on that score, the better the Avalon Empire looks."
MJ chuckled wryly, pushing a long thread of red hair out of her face as she went on while Wyatt held the door open for her. "We're also starting to see some local groups protesting how many veterans are signing up to have dual citizenship. And those astronomers who were angry we're destroying asteroids and using them as military bases have gotten organized. Their screaming is beginning to get more airtime in American news, and their rants are being taken more seriously online. That's not something we want to see. There are also a few dozen pro-mutant supremacy sites we should be aware of, but I think between Sage and me, we can figure out who set them up and start to marginalize them without giving them the kind of attention they want."
Harry frowned at that, then shrugged his shoulders. "I think that falls on the heading of releasing more information as well. If we can get the realists on our side, we can get the scientific purists to back off, and those astronomers aren't the kind to make real trouble. As for your idea about a documentary series, that sounds like a fantastic idea."
"I would ask Una and Mar'vel to help. Having actual aliens discussing their society will add credence to your documentary. And, if we are speaking on future troubles, my love?" Ororo interjected, turning to give Harry a look he knew too well.
"I'm always willing to hear whatever you want to tell me, Ororo, you know that. now's a good time as any. Just remember to leave problems and portents at the docks, hmm?" Harry teased in response.
Ororo smiled back slightly but still brought up the issue she had seen building for some weeks now. "Understood and agreed. But back to my concern. I think we need to honestly consider adding another artificial intelligence to our resources. Pinoptes is becoming far too stretched between helping on the educational side of things and running our ever-growing number of sensor arrays."
"Should we slow construction of the Raven Towers then, the Verdun platforms and so forth?" Emma inquired. "I don't want to know what an AI, no matter how seemingly sane, would do if it feels itself being 'stretched' and then is relieved of its duties. Especially one who is connected to so much of what we do."
"I don't think we should pare Pinoptes back," Ororo cautioned. "Further, I think working with the teachers and the students is good for it. But Mary Jane and Sage need dedicated supporter and someone really needs to focus on keeping track of the construction side of things. Let Pinoptes handle the sensors and the education side of things, but only that. It shouldn't also have to direct the thousands of repair droids work on the various asteroids, the ships' flight paths and so forth, let alone Hephaestus 2."
"Agreed. I'll sit down with Tony, see if he can find it in his heart to program another artificial intelligence. And just like before, I'll have Reed go through the programming before full activation," Harry answered. "That seemed to have worked for us so far, and I honestly don't think relying on either one of them alone to program an AI would work out as well."
"Truer words were never spoken. One big brain is never going to be as good as two," Emma quipped before glaring at all of the others bar Wyatt, her hands on her hips. "And with that out of the way, and while I realize this sounds extremely strange coming from me, no more talk of business for now. You and Hela are still going to sit in on that meeting later, and I want to make the most of the time we have."
With even Sage being agreeable to that, Harry led the way through the long hallway directed to the runic doorways in Camelot. From there they took one to a runic doorway set high up in the tower in the Savage Land and then from there to another local one that would deposit them in the budding city on the lake.
As he did so, Harry examined the numerous doorways the group passed, reflected that Kitty had been very busy. Or is she still getting help from Wanda and Clea? Regardless of who created this particular doorway, it deposited the party of six within what Harry had heard was being colloquially called a runic waystation.
A few odd looks were sent their way from passerbys, as it wasn't the normal time of day that people transferred from the tower into the city or vice versa, but that was all. Harry and Ororo were under a minor glamour to hide their identity, and the others, even Emma, were not famous enough to attract attention here.
Upon exiting the waystation into the rest of the city, MJ, Wyatt, and Emma all froze, staring around them. "By the Spirits!" Wyatt breathed.
Harry also paused, looking around appreciatively, while Sage slowly removed her special glasses, replacing them with regular sunglasses as she too took in the view with a faint smile on her purple-painted lips. "It's nice to see that all your hard work has paid off."
The runic waystation had been set up on a small hill in the center of the growing city. Around the hill a road circled, other roads splitting from the circle leading off through the city. While this added height didn't mean they could see everything, as the edifice wasn't all that tall, even so, it did afford them a very nice view of the surrounding area.
The cityscape was eclectic to say the least, just as Harry had said to Emma during their date at her mansion. Indeed, in terms of the number of buildings versus the size of the area, perhaps it didn't really deserve the term city yet. But it was impressive all the same.
For one thing, the waystation was situated in a building that looked like a mound crossed with a large, modern loghouse-like structure. Harry detected the hands of Hela and perhaps some of the indigenous folk in that. Don't the lizard-kin live in buildings like that? I know they are the most pleased with our takeover of the Savage Lands. On top of the mound was a small lighthouse-like structure for some reason.
Looking in one direction, the group could see one of the roads leading directly into a large, interconnected area of differently designed buildings. According to what Harry had been told, this was the area devoted to the various scientific communities developing here. Agriculture, ecology, mineralogy, paleontology, all these fields and more had their own spaces here. Indeed, even Carol's original think tank had relocated to the Savage Land. Their headquarters was a large dome-like structure with wings out to either side arched to catch the sun's rays, lined with hundreds of solar panels.
In contrast, the botany division stood out as a series of smaller bio-domes, where indigenous flora had been replanted to be studied in manageable examples of the various and extremely diverse ecologies the Savage Land boasted. The areas between the small bio-domes were open to the public, but each dome was also guarded by a small security fence and a retina pattern security system. People could look but only those directly involved could go inside.
A small stream also wound its way in a U-turn pattern through this area. Offshoots fed into several public botanical gardens, but the main river wound under another building, apparently devoted to scientists conducting experiments and research related to the lake. That building, Harry recalled, had been part of the initial base that Magneto and his Brotherhood had set up. I think only that main building of Carol's think tank could say the same. Good grief, no wonder she said I'd recognize it by its wings. Hah!
In another direction was a growing housing district. There were not, as was found in other cities around the world, large and blocky apartment buildings. Instead, most of the structures were actually small two or three-story houses. The few apartment buildings constructed so far were spread out in different directions. The original barracks building was one such complex, after it had been refurbished of course. But even there, Harry could see that the designers and the construction teams had gone out of their way to make the new buildings at least look impressive. One condo Ororo pointed out as they made their way down the hill looked like a giant triangle of marble and glass, while another MJ seemed to like arched over a distant street, straddling both sides of the road.
As they walked, Harry and his group saw that the fledgling city had various things that one would assume a city would have. A large, utilitarian ACME sat squat and almost annoyingly out of place, taking space between two intersections. Elsewhere, hardware stores and several bars had set up shop, looking almost generic compared to the rest of the city.
The theater Emma had spotted and urged them towards did not. It was built around a dip in the land with a wide dome for a roof that and a façade that looked like a Greek temple. Inside, the theater was separated into four segments, each segment able to open up to the sky.
There were also people. Lots of people. Buildings were still being put up in a few lots even near the city's center, including what looked like some kind of sports complex, and construction teams were everywhere, speaking English, French, or Mexican amongst themselves in the main. Other people were scientists, their conversations low and intense as they moved around. Harry saw more than a dozen nonhuman locals, members of Shanna's tribe, along with men dressed as if they were preparing to head into the jungle. Intermixed among them all were normal men and women going about their lives. There were only a few kids though, and they were teenagers or older. It was a school day, after all.
"How—I mean… I knew before coming here that this city was pretty large already. But Harry, this place has only been here for what, four months? Five?" Mary Jane asked, breaking her stunned silence while Wyatt looked around intently.
"A little longer. But you need to remember that some of these buildings have been repurposed from what Magneto and his followers created. And they also had their own 'homegrown' construction droids for the roads and more simple things," Harry explained, winking at the redhead. "As for the rest, you should know. How many applications have you and Sage looked at for scientists to come here and research the Savage Land?"
"If you're talking about applications we accepted; fourteen thousand, two hundred and ninety-five. At your direction, I chose 'division leaders' for every five hundred. Above them, I created an oversight committee from a group of emeritus professors to organize the various divisions in different sectors so that there is some overlap, but not too much. About forty percent of those scientists paid for the privilege to come here as individuals or to represent various colleges or laboratories elsewhere," Sage answered instantly, although she was also shaking her head and looking back at the bio-domes as she spoke. "But over six thousand live here full-time at this point. And I agree with MJ; I personally signed off on most of the funding and expenditures here under your name, and even I'm astonished by all this."
MJ shook her head slowly as well, taking in the view around the theater while Ororo looked quietly proud as she exchanged nods with a few of the people around them. These individuals didn't recognize her thanks to her glamor, they were simply being friendly, and she happily returned the gesture, as pleased in that courtesy and the smiles on their faces as the rest of the city.
"When Harry and I decided that the original supply depot by the lake would be the natural place to build a community of colonists, we brought in several dozen construction companies we had made agreements with via the Hellfire Club and Emma." Ororo nodded her head to Emma, who nodded back easily, also smiling widely—or as widely as she ever did in public—at the visible sign of their efforts. "Then, we simply told them that everything had to be structurally sound first and then beautiful if it could be done. With that, and the magic words 'money is no object', one can work wonders."
"Exactly. That, and when we started to build up a surplus of the construction robots originally designed by Doctor Doom, we sent several hundred of them down here. Plus, most construction teams, electricians, metalworkers, and so forth live here now. Along with many Magical Minds personnel, a large majority of their families and the families of people working up in Fortress Mars. But beyond that, it really was the magic words Ororo mentioned, that has been the real reason behind this explosive progress."
"I don't see many cars. I've seen many people on bikes and a few people using those odd two-wheeled contraptions with handlebars. Is that by law?" Emma questioned.
Seeing that Sage, Wyatt and Mary Jane also looked a little confused about the lack of vehicular travel, Harry answered with a grin. "And how exactly would we transport cars here? They can't fit through runic doorways. Not the normal-sized ones, anyway."
That caused everyone to nod, but Wyatt frowned and gestured over to where a truck was rumbling along the road, carrying some kind of load in the back. "And what about those? Or the construction machines?"
"We use the submarine to bring in necessary materials. Cars are luxury goods at this point. Trucks, on the other hand, are useful. Eventually, we might have a homegrown car-building division of Magical Minds, especially given my acquisition of Saab. But for now, if it can't be used for actual work, it's classified as a luxury good and isn't going to be coming in via the submarines or the runic doorways. The only exception is jeeps, as they can be used in the jungle."
"There is a certain amount of forethought going into this topic as well, including our systems of public transportation. There are the tramways as you saw in the center of the city, hover buses leading out of the city, and so forth," Ororo explained further, not noticing that only Emma was nodding in agreement. Sage, Wyatt, and Mary Jane had all missed the tram earlier.
"Indeed, the hover technology has been a boon for many of the indigenous clans, just as much as our medical technology. We've made a point of not doing anything to change their cultures beyond keeping the peace between the various local groups, which they're thankful for, but the medical side of things has been the real key to practically every group signing onboard with Harry and the Avalon Empire acting as the overarching federal government here in the Savage Land. That, and the agreement not to create conventional roads beyond the area ceded to us as a 'colonial zone'."
"I can see your point, but that is a pity. Imagine the kinds of race courses you could build in a place like this," Emma murmured, practically drooling at the thought. If Emma was going to admit to one vice over all her others, it was that she loved sports cars and races.
This was something that Harry fully understood and even shared with Emma. He could all too easily remember how meeting his eventual wife and racing her in Switzerland had changed both Emma's life and his after all. Just as much as meeting Ororo when she came with Charles to speak with Reed about me did.
Sensing the nature of his thoughts, Emma moved over, sliding one arm around Harry's waist before leaning up to kiss his chin as his arm wound around her in turn. Mentally she sent, "Yes, love, that was a most serendipitous moment for me as well. Still, tell me you have some plans in that area at least. Please?"
"Well…" Harry hedged out loud, then laughed. "Maybe in the future. One massive road all along the edge of the Savage Land wouldn't be too difficult to secure a deal for. But I also don't want to put in roads beyond the areas we've already worked out with the tribes without their approval, so actually constructing it could be annoying, at least at first."
Wyatt nodded in firm agreement at that, reflecting that Harry's takeover of the Savage Land had been helped by the fact that he had essentially replaced the previous tyrant, Magneto, than anything else. The indigenous people had already been used to living under an overlord. He'd simply replaced tyranny and aloof despotism with a new, more democratic and kind type of leadership. It was better for them, sure, but it wasn't anything they weren't used to. "Just so long as the indigenous populations don't start to be pushed back and sequestered away in reservations," the Native American announced warningly.
"Not going to happen. As Harry said, the city's limits have already been decided. And with how many scientists are here to study the local wildlife in its various native habitats, there's always going to be strong representation against unplanned expansion in the city's government too," Ororo announced firmly.
"We might want to emphasize that in the documentary series about the Savage Land. If we can show we're working with the natives and that they are happy to help us, we can undercut a lot of people wondering if the Savage Land has been subjected to the same type of imperialistic colonization and takeover that India, Africa, and even the Middle East were subjected to," MJ murmured.
"Further, there's no real need for expansion here," Harry added. "The Savage Land produces food, sure, and exotic plants and animals. But I'm not interested in selling any of that, nor is there any kind of black market."
"See the issue about getting cars in. Anything going out is also highly secured," Emma interjected.
"Right. There's also no local market, so no black market even here. As for mineral resources, I've got several hundred asteroids, many which have precious minerals, to exploit. I've got no need to mine anything here in the Savage Land." Harry finished.
So saying, Harry sent a teasing look down to Emma, whose face assumed a cold, aloof expression. She made to pull away, but Harry's hold firmed and he didn't let her. Emma was still somewhat sore at Lorna Dane officially becoming the richest woman in the world thanks to her work on the various asteroids. Even worse for Emma's sensibilities, that fortune grew as Lorna continued to work with the Avalon Empire.
"She isn't even doing anything with it!" Emma mentally groused to Harry, though her attempts to get away quickly faded. Now she only maintained a pout on her face. "It's just building up in her bank accounts! What is the use of being wealthy if you don't do anything with it? Lorna has more gold than most first-world countries and it's just sitting there!" More than her pride, that fact offended Emma's sensibilities. "She even turned down my advice on investing!"
Harry commiserated with her, but mainly by giving her a mental ear to listen, as he'd already known Lorna didn't have any real plans for her money just yet. In fact, she was too busy enjoying her time with Steve and Betsy to even think about it.
Meanwhile, the group had made their way through the city, now heading out to one of its outer edges. This area reminded Wyatt of frontier towns, which he said aloud. "Almost like a mix between a Hollywood Wild West set and ranches back in Texas."
The buildings around them were indeed somewhat smaller and more rustic-looking. To one side of the road that they were walking along was a large paddock full of cows, and elsewhere other animals could be seen here and there, including some of the indigenous animals. Interspersed within this area were watchtowers, each containing a few people that Wyatt could barely see from where he was walking, though he could pick out that each was armed with a large rifle of some sort. In the distance, he could make out the sonic towers, the sound-based weapons system that kept the larger animals of the jungle at bay.
Wyatt also noticed that people around them were armed, far in contrast to the city's center. He pointed this out, wondering, "I had thought that the various animals inside the range of the towers weren't much trouble. Why the guns?"
"Because a lot of these people out here on the edges of the city head out with scientists and explorers daily. On top of that, sometimes more stubborn animals can bull through the sonic-based defenses. A few local species even seem to be developing an immunity to them." Harry answered before shrugging. "Or maybe they're going deaf. We're not certain which yet."
"There's also defending against other people to consider. But you'll notice the signs." Wyatt looked in the direction Ororo pointed and noticed the signs. Closer to the city center, the signs had been white text on blue, but they were now purple on black. "As you pass further in towards the city center, these signs change. That tells people that they are entering an area where they are not allowed to carry arms unless they are part of the police force. What people do in their own homes is up to them, but they can't carry in public in the more heavily developed areas."
Sage nodded. "We also offer incentives in terms of money and other such things for people to exchange the rifles they've brought in with them for gene-locked rifles and guns. And the gun owners must all submit to monthly safety tests to make sure that they understand what they're doing with their weapons. That caused a bit of a kerfuffle from a few Americans, but they agreed to it eventually."
"Aren't you an American too?" MJ asked, cocking her head to one side as she looked at the other woman. "Or have you gone native thanks to how much time you've spent in the UK?" The way Sage had said it made it seem like she was speaking of a group of exasperating foreigners.
Sage merely shrugged. "I've moved my permanent place of residence into the Avalon Empire. I'm no longer an American citizen."
That simple revelation caused MJ to silently nod, wondering if she would ever get to that point. She still identified herself as an American, but the only times she ever went to the States was when she stayed at Emma's mansion, meeting with Susan, doing various PR-related jobs, or shopping in New York. She even lived in an apartment near Magical Minds. I suppose when the locals here in the Savage Land develop their own sense of fashion and build up a decent enough shopping district, I might think of doing the same thing.
From there, the group wound their way around the city, seeing the different types of architecture on display, before stopping near the lake in the dock district. Here, the docks that had previously serviced Magneto's submarine had been expanded. There were now more than a dozen different wharves, including an area devoted to swimming and boating for the local students, one to the city's scientific community, and three for people who just wanted to go out onto the lake, either for exercise or pleasure.
It was to these that they eventually wound their way, although Ororo spent a few moments explaining about the education system here in the Savage Land, with Harry and Sage asking questions as she did. Emma was not interested, and the other two had already split off.
MJ and Wyatt were interested in exploring the Savage Land, and Wyatt had the forethought to bring along the magical pouch that contained his rifle for self-defense. Mary Jane in contrast just wanted to see what driving the cool, dune buggy-like exploratory vehicle things would be like.
Emma and Harry were also mildly interested in that, but when they'd arrived at the wharf, they'd found Hela waiting for them, a smile visible under her half-mask. "There you are! I've already booked us one of the larger private catamarans for the day, my Seidr Man. Come," she'd gestured imperiously. "It is a gorgeous day out, and I believe that we should make the most of it."
She'd looked at Sage apologetically but very firmly, not that she'd needed to. The other woman had already begun to back away, smiling cheerfully at them. "You all have fun. I think I'm going to head back to the science sector. I want to know what has been discovered about various plants here in the Savage Land."
Jean soon joined them, and the group of lovers spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon out on the lake. Jean and Emma laid out on lounge chairs, soaking in the sun, with Jean dressed in a full one-piece suit after much cajoling from Harry and Ororo. In stark contrast, Emma wore a bikini that would probably have been illegal in most countries, the thing barely covering her nipples and privates, while she delighted in Harry and Ororo combining their efforts to cover her in sunscreen. Ororo and Hela enjoyed sailing around, as did Harry, who engaged all of his lovers in conversation until Jean and Emma both fell asleep, lulled by the sun and the waves.
But unfortunately for the sleeping duo, their naps were interrupted about an hour later.
Harry looked up from where Hela was teaching him how to steer at a sudden shift in the air. An instant later, there was a loud pop, and three people appeared in the air above the boat. Two of them instantly fell with a yelp, one of them shouting, "I told you I couldn't tell where we'd land!" to the other.
The third, a woman Harry and Hela both recognized instantly, waved her hands and all three paused in midair.
It was that recognition and the haphazard method of their arrival that halted Harry, Hela, and Ororo's instant violent response to such an abrupt interruption. Harry lowered his raised hand, staring at the blonde woman as she alighted onto their boat, while nearby, Jean and Emma woke up, the former scowling and the latter instantly creating a barrier over the twosome.
With Ororo taking over for Hela at the wheel, Harry strode forward with the Asgardian goddess flanking him, scowling slightly as he addressed the blonde. "Amora. I could've sworn that you had turned your back on your whole evil sorceress ways that I'd heard about, so what is this intrusion about?"
"I have, I have! I am not here to pick a fight with you Potter, most decidedly not!" Amora hastened to reply, backing away almost to the point where her shapely rear hit the ship's guardrail over the prow. Harry Potter had been stronger, magically speaking, than Amora was when she had interviewed him on live TV. Now she could sense he was far stronger, which made her initial desire to not fight him even stronger. "I am merely here with these two because this elderly… gentleman… has something to say to you."
"You couldn't have made an appointment?" Harry asked warily as he glanced at the other two intruders, one who looked to be an old man and the other a young girl. The young girl was obviously a mutant from her appearance and seemed exhausted, shaking her head as she stared around them with somewhat glazed eyes. She also made no move to get to her feet from where she'd fallen.
The old man, on the other hand, had already stood up and was looking back at Harry with a certain amount of dignity, far more than one would expect from someone who had just been teleported into midair and then saved through no art of his own. Yet Harry's thoughts juddered to a halt as he stared at the old man, then over at Hela, then back at Amora. "I think I recognize that elderly… gentleman. Is he who—what—I think he is?"
Hela nodded slowly, staring hard at the old man. "For a given value, yes. Hail, Lord Odin."
The girl gasped, staring up at the old man, then shook her head. "That's who you are?! Really? You would think the chief god of the Vikings could have dressed better."
Harry barked a laugh while the old man looked a little annoyed, mock-glaring at the girl before turning his one-eyed gaze on Harry. But before he could answer, Hela did it for him. "In terms of the lore and history that is known of my folk, Lord Odin has always enjoyed going about in disguise to get a feel for his worshipers and see how they would act in unusual circumstances. In this fashion, he would judge them in both normal times and the battlefield, the better to see the true worth of the jarls and warriors who looked to him for his favor."
"Lord Odin also likes to be talked to rather than about by those in his presence!" Odin announced irritably before stepping forward from his two companions. To the utter shock and surprise of Hela and Amora, the aspect of the All-Father bowed from the waist towards Harry. He didn't hold it for very long, but doing such a thing at all was significant. "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes! In the name of myself, as representative of myself, the King of Asgard, I do come before you, Harry Potter, to ask for your assistance in freeing our people. We have struck back, but we have reaped the whirlwind in doing so. The Ragnarök comes, and I fear that should we fail to acquire external aid, it will sweep us all away."
OOOOOOO
It was a very grim group of dragon slayers who started their way back up Yggdrasil from where the corpse of Níðhöggr had been left amongst the World Tree's roots. It's members did not carry Volstagg's body with them, which under normal circumstances would have been returned for a warrior's burial at sea. But this honor had been denied the robust Asgardian, for his body had decomposed to naught but bits of wood and bloody matter at an unnatural pace, leaving nothing behind. Even his clothing had turned to dust.
Nothing had remained, save a small cairn they put up to remember their friend. Whatever purpose he'd been created for, why he'd been hiding Thor's gauntlets inside his own body, none of it mattered. Volstagg had been their friend. That was the most important thing.
Twice Beasts waylaid them twice on their return, but neither assault had been difficult to beat off. Better, Skadi now led them back the way they came correctly, even though something kept on trying to ensnare them in illusion. The Shadows had utilized illusions and mental assaults to mislead and trick the Asgardians before, but though Skadi had no idea where the attacks were coming from, her senses could no longer be so easily confused. The others were still tricked occasionally, but even then Skadi saw through the falsehoods fast enough that the party's progress heading up was far better than climbing down.
One night as they sat around the fire, Skadi reflected on the continued attempts to charm them from afar. "I confess, it has me confused. It is not in Yggdrasil's nature to do this. If one is faced with an illusion, that illusion must be created by another's mind and for a reason. Going down, I had thought that somehow Níðhöggr was releasing such spells but the creature is dead and still we are plagued by them."
"Do you believe these illusions to be targeted against us specifically, or traps long since laid out for anyone passing by?" Sif inquired of the Huntress as she and Fandral replaced the dressings on Tyr's shoulder and chest. "Perhaps even something set in place to keep the dread wyrm from escaping?"
But it wasn't Skadi who answered. It was Thor, and all eyes turned toward where he stood, glaring out into the darkness around them. "They have been directed against us. And by the same people who… who…created our friend Volstagg to hide my Gauntlets of Power. But their artifice failed them in the end. They created life and forgot that in life, there is always free will. Now our friend is gone, but these pieces of seal offal yet remain. They will feel my fury!" The Thunder God growled.
Even from where she kneeled beside Tyr, Sif could hear Thor's grip on Mjollnir clenching, causing the wooden handle to creak and groan. Once again, Sif suppressed a shiver, but not of fear. No, hearing Thor speak like that called to something equally as base but equally as unwelcome. Stop that, girl! You haven't fought all your life for recognition as a warrior despite being a Vanir, and a woman to go all girly over Thor of all people!
The two remaining warriors of the Warriors Three had been the most subdued of the party since their friend's death. But now, Hogun spoke up from where he had been cooking the last of their meager rations over a small fire. "Think you they are one and the same then? But who would have the power to lay such a trap so long in the making? Surely ensnaring all of us in illusions is no easy feat, to say nothing of… of creating life as they did in brave Volstagg. And for what reason would they create a, a person to hide your gauntlets within in the first place?"
Catching Thor's darkening features, Hogun went on calmly. "I do not gainsay you, Thor. Truly having two sets of enemies so well versed in magic would be the stuff of nightmares. But we durst not have enough information to even guess at their goals, let alone their identities."
"Could it be the Enchantress? Or perhaps the Dark Elves? Malekith certainly has the knowledge of magic and the power, to do it," Tyr interjected, grimacing a bit as the work on dressing his wounds continued. Although Asgardians healed quickly, they had all taken a heavy thrashing from Níðhöggr.
"Nay. For all of her magical power, the Enchantress cannot truly create life like this," Thor denied. "Nor can I think of any reason why Amora would do so. Well known it is that I am not the most forward-thinking of fellows myself…" he paused as his friends laughed or good-naturedly jeered at the comment, which was all too true. "And if anyone else here could tell me why she would do it, I would listen. But I still maintain that it would not be her. "
Sif's eyes narrowed, but Skadi moved for her before she could ask. "Why?"
"Because Amora is still on Midgard, and Midgard is cut off from us," Thor reminded them all, surprising everyone. It took a moment, but they all realized it was true. Amora had, in effect, been banished after-the-fact by Lord Odin. The realms were currently mystically separated, so even if she desired to, Amora could not return.
That made Sif breathe a sigh of relief, although why she felt such, she did not quite know. The others simply nodded and then turned their attention to the idea that it might have been the Dark Elves. Had the deception been some long thought-out plot to infiltrate Asgard, gone awry because they had created a personality too well?
"But then again, why would they hide Thor's gauntlets within their creation?" Tyr reposted. "That is just as important as the act of creating true life. Why that manner of concealment? Further, how did they even come to possess the gauntlets in the first place? And why could they not destroy them?"
Everyone there nodded, but Thor had no answer, staring down at his gauntlets, clenching and unclenching them in thought. "Truly, I cannot even remember when I lost them, friends. Who knows how long they have been missing?"
Skadi cut through the debate with the same skill she wielded a hunting dagger. "Who and how long matters not unless we can track them down. None of us have the magic to do that, not even I. When I examined Níðhöggr on the belief that he could have been involved or touched by the magic of these other enemies, I could not find any trail that I could follow. So unless they reveal themselves now that their plot has been foiled, we have no means to strike at them here and now."
"Agreed," Thor answered reluctantly. "Whichever the case, conjecture at this point serves no one. We have a long day's trek ahead of us tomorrow. Bed down all of you, I will take first watch. We can take this matter before Lord Odin when we return. Surely Father will know what to do."
To that, no one raised issue or alternate answer, and everyone bedded down quickly.
OOOOOOO
The instant Harry and his companions and their new guests exited the runic doorway into Camelot Blink gasped, her eyes going wide as her body stiffened, her hands going to her stomach. "OOOH, wha… what the heck is… ugh!"
Blink, or Clare as she had given her birth name, tumbled to one side in a heap. Everything she'd eaten the past few days came up, followed by the young woman collapsing to one side, her eyes wide and unseeing. "Wh… what the hell, where is, where is everything!?" Blink wailed. To Blink, whose mutant power gave her an innate understanding of her surroundings it was as if everything around her had been replaced by a wide gray zone, floating in nothing. It was like nothing existed beyond herself and the other people she could see nearby. This impacted her mind and stomach as if she had just gone from being sober to being drunk and also hungover in an instant.
"The Fidelius spell seems to be having an effect on you. That's an extreme reaction, but Nightcrawler went through something similar. Sorry, I'd forgotten," Harry waved a hand to banish Blink's sick, waving the other to conjure up a pen and paper before writing out the secret quickly. "Here, read this."
Usually, using the runic doorways bypassed the Fidelius. But to Teleporters, the impact on their preternatural spatial senses remained until they were read into the secret. Nightcrawler hadn't been sick when he'd first came through to Camelot, but he was thrown off-balance and quite panicky before Harry had read him into the secret.
Gulping, Blink read the note and almost immediately began to look better, although still pale and sickly. "Ugh, that helps, but oh boy, that wasn't fun at all!"
Wobbling to her feet, the young woman clung to Harry's helping hand as the others quickly came through after them. When Hela, who'd been following behind Amora and the Wanderer, emerged the group left the room devoted to the runic doorways heading out into the hallway beyond. There they broke up, with Harry and Hela leading the two newcomers up into the adult levels of the castle.
There, the group was nearly run over by Trickster, who was carrying several of the castle's younger residents as if he was a living bus. Illyana had obviously used the Engorgio charm on him again, just as she had during Harry's lesson with her a few days ago.
Behind them, Rahne raced, shouting, "Get back here, ya boggetts! Ya'll not try yer pranks on me and get awa' withou' a proper canning!" The fact the wolfish teen's shirt had been turned white with sparkly dots scattered across it, and that she looked as if she'd been hit by a mix of water balloons and glitter gave reason for her anger.
With a somewhat embarrassed groan, Harry hit the charging giant otter with a Finite Incantatum, returning him to normal size and tossing the kids into the air. A Leviosa spell caught the few who looked like they would have a bruising landing, and Harry scowled at the kids. "Do we have to have another talk about playful pranks, hurtful pranks, and the difference between the two?"
The children looked rebellious, and Rahne glared at them in return. "Ach, aye that ya do Laird Potter. I didnae do anything to—"
"Don't lie!" Illyana interrupted quickly, turning her attention from the girl clinging to her magic teacher with the cool violet skin to glare at Rahne. "You said I was evil! You said Mister Potter and the others were living in sin!"
Rahne winced as Harry looked back at her, a questioning brow raised. "I tried ta talk ta Anechka and a few of the others about faith. I… I mighta accidentally mentioned some opinions about magic and er… living in debauchery that I shouldn't have, but I prefaced all o' that by sayin' it was wha' the Catholic faith believed, not me. I'll apologize for it, but Anechka and the other Russians were raised in…"
Harry held up a hand, forestalling any more discussion. "I don't have time to sit down and mete out punishments right now. Therefore, I am ordering you to go directly to Father Garnoff. You all are to take whatever punishment he assigns." He looked specifically at Illyana and Rahne while the other children present winced. "All of you. While I know your heart might be in the right place, Rahne, it is not your job to see to the souls or our young flock here. Understood?"
All of the kids assumed hangdog expressions, but Harry was unmoved. Illyana and her coterie were far too quick to prank and had definitely gone too far in this instance, even if Rahne had backslid for some reason. And she was doing so well too. I hope Garnoff realizes he'll need to keep an eye on her from now on.
Finally, Melody, the group's conscience, reached out and took Illyana's hands. Illyana looked at her bestest friend, sighed, and nodded. "Yes, Master." She patted her familiar on the head, gathering the others up with a wave of her hand. "Come on, guys. Trickster can sniff the priest out right away. We should get this over with."
For a moment after the herd of youths had moved off, the trio of newcomers held silent while Hela and Harry exchanged amused looks. It was never dull around Camelot, that was for certain.
After recovering from her surprise at the children's appearance, Amora opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Blink spoke up, giggling as she looked from the retreating herd to the Wanderer. "W-Wait a sec, was that otter named Trickster? Heheheheheh…ooooh, it hurts to laugh…"
Shaking his head at the giggling and groaning young woman, Harry took Blink's arm once more and led her away. "Come on, young Miss. You have a date with our nurse."
After leaving Blink to be looked over by Una, Harry led Amora and the aspect of Odin to a waiting room. As they walked, Odin began to needle Harry, subtly insulting Harry for not marrying Hela, for the 'quaintness' of Camelot, and how he didn't seem able to instill order in the children. He even made fun of Harry using magic and his green eyes. But with Hela gently smacking the back of her hand against his, Harry didn't reply much, until they came to the waiting room where Carol and some of the others occasionally gathered for card games or darts.
Waving the aspect of Odin into the room, Harry kept a smile on his face with some difficulty, saying blandly, "Now, ask for a house-elf if you want anything. They should reply to you since you're magic-users but for the moment, please excuse me as I gather my people. We'll send for you when we're ready to address your request for help, Wanderer."
Huffing, the aspect of Odin marched over to one of the room's sofas and lay out out on it before Amora could even move to sit down, leaving his large, and extremely ratty boots towards the doorway.
Seeing Amora's clear look of revulsion at spending more time with the old man, Harry asked, "Would the lady prefer her own room?"
"Yes!" Amora answered immediately.
Tsk, it is as if you do not enjoy my company, Enchantress," Odin taunted.
"I don't. How is that even a question, meddler?" Amora shot back tartly. "You come into my life and upturn it with fell words and your mere presence and then ask me to continue to be polite to you? Well, I have no need of your blessings, your information and tales, so no, I will not torture myself further than I must."
So saying, Amora followed Harry out of the room as the Wanderer began to ask for mead and food.
"Is he trying to be annoying?" Harry questioned, confused by the aspect's attitude. "I don't remember him acting so abrasively when we crossed paths before." How that meeting had come about and under what circumstances would take too long to explain, and there was no need to at present.
To Harry's surprise, Amora and Hela nodded in the affirmative, with Hela going on. "Part of this personality is meant to be both helpful, wise, and yes, annoying. The better to test those he meets. A jarl who loses his temper to some old man's lack of manners or provocations is not worth Lord Odin's favor, and it is always in watching one treat those he thinks as lesser that you can take a leader's true merit."
"Huh, I don't seem to recall asking for his favor, as Amora said," Harry jested before leading Amora to another sitting area, this one an adult version of the sitting-room he had just stuck the aspect of Odin in. "Here. Drinks are in that cabinet over there. I would only ask that if you finish one of the bottles, have the courtesy to ask for a house-elf to come and replace it."
"As much as I would like to get drunk after the time I've had these past few days, I rather doubt now is the proper time for it. After, perhaps," Amora murmured. She paused, then looked over at Hela. "Lady Hela."
"Enchantress," Hela answered, nodding her head as something weird and feminine passed between them. Acknowledgment maybe?
"I think Amora's a bit jealous of Hela, love," Jean answered mentally, walking towards them slowly but surely. Beside her, Garm stalked, returning to his mistress's side now that she had returned from their aborted date. "Remember she was interested in Doom, but he wanted a woman who was interested in being part of a dynasty, so to speak. Amora's not."
"So like our own Emma then?" Harry replied in the same fashion, putting his arms around Jean lightly, caressing her stomach before looking over at Hela. The goddess was looking back the way they had come and had a pensive look on her face as she briefly touched Garm's nose. "I'm not going to ask if you're alright, Hela. But what are you thinking?"
"I… I do not know. I know that a part of me should be ecstatic right now. Another portion is terrified of facing Those Who Watch Above in Shadow. They have held all of the realms of Yggdrasil under their thrall for so long, including me and mine, that the idea of challenging them is hard to contemplate. The other aspect is that of the Ragnarök. The very name concerns me. It is supposed to be the end of everything, after all. Perhaps I'm feeling the shadow of past restarts, but it fills me with formless dread."
"Don't worry, love. We're going to beat them. We're going to send the Shadows running no matter what they throw at us." With that, Harry and Jean moved to hug Hela, giving her wordless reassurance before her sense of propriety, and Garm's smirk, drove her to gently push them away. Although, she was smiling as she did it and did not reject Jean's hand as it clasped hers immediately after.
Given their various duties and obligations, it took the rest of the day to for Harry's various officers and advisors to gather together, but eventually, they all convened in the Room of Requirement. Harry had a feeling that they might need the room's special properties at some point. There, Harry laid out what had happened and with the help of Hela and Ororo filled in those who weren't already in the know about the Shadows and their machinations before opening the floor to questions.
"Sort of a side issue I suppose, but it's bothering me a bit. How did they appear in the Savage Land? And what are the circumstances behind young Blink traveling with this… Odin?" Steve questioned.
And are we sure it is even really Odin? I would've thought that… well, I caught a glimpse of the elder when you arrived tovarisch To be honest, I had thought Odin would be much more impressive in person," Piotr admitted. "And he does not match the wise, if quirky elder that Dani mentioned speaking to at the Asatru festival."
"Agreed. While that old man's one-eyed stare was disconcerting, even to someone who's dealt with Nick Fury, I didn't get the sense of power from him I would've expected. Not like I get from you when you're not being careful, Hela," Steve stated, nodding his head towards her. He had arrived early and gone to meet the Wanderer for himself.
"Blink has no past as far as Dennis and I have been able to uncover," Sage answered, covering Steve's first questions. "She's either fifteen or sixteen, judging by the physical Una conducted. We know she's Argentinian at least, but their birth records are appalling at the best of times."
"I was able to dig up a few snippets of recorded video of someone matching her description Most of them were video recording taken from the sites of a few random break-ins, but that's about it, and she was never recorded as actually being involved. And, thanks to her age, the Big Book of Students is no help whatsoever. I checked," Dennis added, shaking his head. "On the other hand, that gang's gone belly up, and given the lack of paperwork, we can easily make her an Avalonian."
"I stopped in to speak with Clare when Emma told me this Wanderer had used a mutant to travel. Her mutant power is somewhat like Kurt's, only longer-range and more versatile. She's even been experimenting with some kind of weaponized version," Scott answered before his lips quirked. "Blink, she much prefers that name, also looked interested in Una's three-dimensional chess set and pestered me with questions about living in America and school. I think she's just a young girl caught up in things she didn't know much about. I also think that Professor Xavier and myself will be more than happy to put her up in the mansion after this. She'll fit in with Bobby and the rest of the second X-class very well."
"And before anyone asks about Amora, she's clearly involved in all of this quite against her better judgment. According to Amora, the other two just showed up in her apartment in Venice out of the blue, completely bypassing the wards and defenses she'd put up, and her emotions tell me she's not lying," Jean explained.
James Proudstar asked, "And how did they show up in the Savage Land of all places? You still have not said."
"When it comes to the Savage Land, we've always relied on being insanely hard to get to and it being hidden underground. Beyond a few wards designed predominantly to hide the place further from magical senses, I didn't think of adding specific wards to block teleportation. And even I would hesitate to try to use the Fidelius on the Savage Land, which is the spell which seems to have stopped Blink from popping into Camelot itself," Harry's lips quirked. "As for why the trio just showed up out of the blue so dramatically? Because it was dramatic."
There was a chorus of groans from around the table, and Steve, after facepalming, turned his attention towards Hela. "Is that normal? And you didn't answer Piotr's original question. Is that old man really Odin?"
When Hela spoke, her voice was dust dry. "Yes, it is very in keeping with the Wanderer aspect. When it is time to reveal his presence, Odin has about as much subtlety as a hammer to the nether regions. And I use the word aspect with aforethought. The Wanderer is not Odin, not really. He is rather an aspect of Odin, a part of his personality broken away to act on its own volition while given only vague goals. It is a sign of divinity that one can do so, and how often one is able to make these aspects depends upon how many you can contain."
"I have heard of this from Gaea, but I also noted that doing so comes with an extreme amount of risk," Ororo mused, while the others looked at one another in some shock at the idea. "If the aspect of the divinity in question is destroyed, then the power devoted to that aspect is also lost, as well as that character of the aspect. I realize that Odin has both power and knowledge to spare, but that doesn't mean this is any less of a gamble."
"While I have no idea about the whole power or gamble or anything like that, let's call him Wander-Odin to differentiate from the original," Emma suggested.
Everyone nodded at that, then Harry decided to move things along. "I'm curious to know what happened on the Asgardian end of things that has made the Wanderer aspect, who has been on earth for more than a few months now, finally come and find us. Now, unless anyone has any question about the background of events here, I'll ask Wander-Odin to join us."
Questions flew at that point, mostly based on what had happened to Harry and Emma when they were attacked mentally by the Shadows. The two of them fielded those and when asked Hela admitted reluctantly that she would have been overcome by the telepathic assault if not for Emma's aid.
"But between us, Betsy, Jean, and I should be able to defend those around us from such mental assaults. Telepathic attacks lose some of their power when they're sent at a group rather than individuals," Emma opined, not taking the time to needle Hela about her weakness as she might have when they first met. Since then, while Emma and Hela were not lovers and did not find one another attractive, they had become close friends.
"Steven also suggested coming up with a ward scheme to defend against such. I've had time to put down a basic concept, but finishing it, testing it, and then mass production would take a bit, and honestly, I'm not really happy with even the basic design. But we're not going to run into this without a lot of prior planning," Harry ended firmly. "While I want to help the Asgardians, and Odin in particular for helping us free Hela, that doesn't mean we need to charge forward blindly."