A week after dealing with Hunter Brawn and Legault, I had finally gotten around to gathering up the requisite reagents for a Spirit Quest. They would be difficult to get my hands on, given how old a spirit I was attempting to contact. I was, however, able to source the specific late Pleistocene herbs from someone who knew how to slip in and out of the Savage Land past the UN Quarantine, the Mutant Gateway, agreeing to do it in exchange for me running what he called an errand.
That errand, however, would have me sidetracked for quite a bit of time. Apparently, the Late Baron Mordo had found the location of the Book of Cagliostro shortly before his death from cancer. Apparently, it had returned to a trap-filled labyrinth of Cagliostro's design. Gateway, using his powers of interdimensional clairvoyance, had looked into the future to see multiple potential paths forward, and in many of them, an Evil Sorcerer managed to get hold of the book and used it to bring about some form of apocalypse.
"I had planned to send the X-Men after it. However, with the recent troubles they have gone through, I am uncertain they would be an effective team. Besides, you should have access to it. It is your birthright, after all." Informed Gateway.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I questioned.
"Your mother's maiden name is Balsamo. Giuseppe Balsamo was the alias that Cagliostro used during the second half of the eighteenth century, assuming the identity of a nobleman whom he tricked into becoming his apprentice, and that he slew for his resources. You bear his blood, diluted by eight generations, of course, but you still have it." Informed Gateway.
"All right, I'll bite, how do you know that?" I queried.
"I know many things." Smirked Gateway.
"Yeah, because of how your powers let you peek into alternate timelines and other dimensions. You can't figure this sort of thing out by doing that, though. So, how would you know that?" I insisted.
"I could tell you, but you would be disappointed. I am not just a mutant, you know. I am also a Shaman of my people." Pointed out Gateway.
"So you're saying you found out magically? I don't buy that. Doctor Strange could've found out the same way, but he didn't." I refuted.
"No. He merely said nothing to you about it. That does not necessarily mean he did not find out and simply decided not to bring it up unless you asked." Shrugged Gateway.
I could only grumble at that. Dealing with a Character the writers put into the X-Books to be a mysterious mentor was cool when this was just comic books, but this was my life now. It was very different when you had to deal with that sort of person in a real scenario. Still, I'd used a favor with Emma Frost from the whole saving her students thing that happened during Operation: Zero Tolerance in order to track down Gateway. I couldn't exactly just give up on this conversation now that I'd burned a favor. I sincerely doubted Ms. Frost would allow me a do-over when it came to that sort of thing. She seemed the type to hoard favors like Dragons hoard Gold, after all.
"Fine. Where is this Labyrinth?" I asked, caving.
"In the Kemeri Wetlands of Slorenia, roughly Twenty-Nine Kilometers or Eighteen Miles west of the Port of Riga on the Gulf of Kärnu." Informed Gateway.
"Fine. I'll go there and handle this." I agreed.
"Excellent. Return here when you have the book, and I will bring you your herbs." Nodded Gateway.
"How will you know if I don't have a way to contact you?" I questioned.
"I will know. Trust me." Intoned Gateway.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you can be infuriating to talk with?" I asked.
"That is why I normally prefer to speak as little as possible, however, your powers make my usual tactics of psionic communication unfeasible." Smirked Gateway.
And with that, the Old Aboriginal Man got up off the ground and walked away. As he took out his bullroarer to create a portal back home, I couldn't help but feel that he was playing up the mystery because he was being forced to communicate normally at length, something he didn't often do. It was annoying, but then, his Age of Apocalypse Counterpart never shut the fuck up, so maybe he knew that based on his powers giving him a look at that timeline and decided to emulate the man to blow of steam? It didn't seem like something he would do, but I could be wrong. After all, how do you get a read on a guy who normally doesn't talk much, if at all?
Either way, I got the info on what I needed to do to get the Pleistocene Herbs that would let me communicate with the Spirit of Cave Bear. Plus, I might even get a super badass new Grimoire out of the deal, too. I couldn't exactly bitch about that without seeming ungrateful, now could I? One thing was for damn sure, though. I couldn't wait until I'd gotten good enough with Apparition that intercontinental teleportation was a thing that I'd be able to do. Having to rely on others to teleport you from one side of the planet to the other was going to get real old real fast. Shaking my head at Gateway, I made my way back to the Mansion. Emma Frost was standing outside, waiting for me to return from dealing with Gateway.
"Did you get what you were after?" She questioned.
"I did. What do you know about Slorenia?" I queried.
"A dreadful country. There are three major ethnic groups in Slorenia. The Slorenes are the majority, a Slavic People who intermarried with the local Baltic Peoples in the medieval period. Then you have the Dudaks, related to the Finns, Karelians, and Mordvinians of Finland and Russia. The Slorenes and Dudaks are constantly at each other's throats all the time. See, the Curonian Germans, the third major Ethnic Group, were largely expelled from the country after World War Two and so aren't economically viable to use for exploited labor. The Dudaks are, though. The Soviets put a stop to the persecution and economic exploitation during the Cold War, if only so they could be the ones doing the exploiting of both Slorenes and Dudaks. Ever since independence, though, the Dudaks have returned to being an exploited minority under the economic bootheel of the Slorenes." Informed Emma Frost.
"That's surprisingly more informed than I thought you would be." I admitted.
"I do run a school, here, you know. Did you think the Massachusetts Academy doesn't have normal accreditation simply because we also teach young mutants to control their powers?" Asked Emma Frost.
"I just thought you were doing mostly administrative stuff, is all." I shrugged.
"If I didn't want to teach, I'd have hired more people than just Sean, Dear." Smirked Emma Frost.
"Point. Well, thank you for agreeing to get in touch with Gateway, Ms Frost. I appreciate it. We'll meet back up here when our business is concluded on both ends, if that's all right." I nodded, acknowledging Emma's point.
"I sincerely doubt I could stop Gateway from coming and going as he pleased if I wished to. As for you, you're always welcome here, you know. Much as I don't enjoy admitting fault, you saved my life and the lives of my students during the Government's Pogrom. I would be remiss not to pay you back for that." Agreed Emma Frost.
"I was just doing what anyone would under the Circumstances, Ms. Frost." I demurred.
"And yet no one else did. Curious, isn't it?" Pressed Emma Frost.
"All right, I get the point." I sighed.
"Modesty does not become you, Jan. Confidence is attractive, after all." Grinned Emma Frost.
Then, she touched my arm, and her grin took on a certain cat-like quality to it. I suddenly realized that the issues I was having with Animal Magnetism were back. Or maybe not, actually. Knowing what I knew about Emma Frost, the idea of not being able to read someone's mind might just be the equivalent of catnip to her. It was like playing hard to get, but with powers and to the extreme. Even if that was the case, I would still have to tamp down on the Animal Magnetism. As Emma spun on her heels and walked back into the Mansion, I could only groan.
This Spirit Quest couldn't happen soon enough. . .
XXXX
Meanwhile, in a castle that was situated in an extradimensional space on the outskirts of Crnilobara in Carpasia, Mors Cruentia was speaking over telecommunications with his ally, Victor Von Doom of Latveria. Both Balkan Dictators had been keeping an eye on the Mystical Goings on in Mainland Europe and Western Asia, looking for some way to exploit potential situations to their own gains. The fact of the matter was that any further attempt to expand their alliance had been diplomatically blocked once the Serbs had joined, and while Victor was in favor of an attack on Symkaria, Albania, and other states to either annex them or force a regime change to place a suitable allied puppet government in power, that had been complicated recently by the sudden introduction of new defense technologies cropping up in the hands of the Symkarians and Albanians.
Ablative Armor that could function well enough to defend against laser weaponry, particle weapons that could destroy a Servo-Guard or Zombie Soldier in one hit, and even a limited form of Personal Force Field that could block a blast or two from most weapons, including the ones used by Doom, had begun cropping up in the forces of Symkaria, Albania, and elsewhere. It had sent both Doom and Mors Cruentia scrambling for potential counters in this new arms race in the Balkans.
"I have come up with two distinct possibilities for mystical solutions to the current crisis." Intoned Doom over the communications.
"By all means, do share." Nodded Mors Cruentia.
"The First is the Book of Cagliostro. It has returned to the current timeline after being lost during a scuffle in the past between Baron Mordo and Doctor Strange. The second is the First Tarot, which I have tracked to Brooklyn in New York City. There, they have recently come into the possession of one Ian McNee. A powerful Sorcerer, though one lacking in the fine control that those such as I or Stephen Strange possess." Informed Doom.
"I see. I assume we divide the task of obtaining such items between ourselves?" Questioned Mors Cruentia.
"Indeed." Affirmed Doom.
"Very well, how do we divide responsibilities, then?" Queried Mors Cruentia.
"I propose a simple yet elegant solution, one that gives respect to both halves of our partnership. We flip a coin and let the fates decide." Offered Doom.
"All right. In that case, let's get on with things. We are both busy men with Kingdoms to run, after all." Insisted Mors Cruentia.
"Very well. I have here a Latverian Franc, see that heads is the Mask of Doom, while tails is the shape of Castle Doom." Agreed Doom, grabbing a single gold coin and holding both sides up to the Camera so that Mors Cruentia could see that Doom was playing fairly.
"Flip for yourself first, Victor. Whatever remains, I'll take on myself." Remarked Mors Cruentia.
"Agreed. Shall we say heads for the Book of Cagliostro and tails for Ian McNee?" Asked Doom.
"We shall." Confirmed Mors Cruentia.
Doom flipped the coin and positioned the camera via a remote. As the Latverian One-Franc Coin landed on the desk that Doom had been seated behind, and the camera zoomed in on the result, Mors Cruentia could see that the coin had landed on tails. Doom made a noise of annoyance at that, likely, Mors thought, he saw Ian McNee as a Sorcerer of a lower quality. However, it had been Doom's proposal that had seen him deal with the man, so he could hardly complain.
"Ian McNee seems hardly worth my time. The Fates have spoken, however, and Doom's Word is as good as gold. I shall head to Brooklyn to obtain the First Tarot. Perhaps there will be something else in McNee's Sanctum of a similar level of power I might use as well." Opined Doom.
"Which leaves the Book of Cagliostro to me." Nodded Mors Cruentia.
"You will find it in a Labyrinth of Cagliostro's Devising in the center of the Kemeri Wetlands of Slorenia, roughly Twenty-Nine Kilometers west of the Port of Riga on the Gulf of Kärnu. Be prepared, you are not the first Sorcerer to attempt to steal the Tome, there have been others, though they have not exited the Labyrinth. That does not mean they are not still inside, however." Warned Doom.
"I will take that into consideration. Good luck on your end as well, Victor." Concurred Mors Cruentia.
"Bah, luck is for fools and lesser men. Doom makes his own luck." Scoffed Doom.
Then the communications cut out, leaving Mors Cruentia alone in his Castle. As he exited, one of the Castle Servants brought him a bottle of wine and a glass, a Château Haut-Brion Eighteen-Ninety-Eight that he had liberated from the Wine Cellars of General Vladić after disposing of the Former Supreme Leader of Carpasia. The Servant, a girl in her late teens dressed in Renaissance Clothing, as all the servants of his Extradimensional Castle and the attached Town were, opened the bottle and poured Mors a glass.
"Drink, Milord?" She questioned with a smile.
Mors Cruentia nodded at the girl, thankfully, before sipping from the glass. The wine was excellent, he would give the departed Supreme Leader that much. He tasted notes of blackcurrant, vegetal, and spice with a long, vibrant, and acidic finish. Honestly, it was good to be the King, even if he had to butcher plenty of people to get there. He had gotten there, however, and now that he was on top, no one would stop him from enjoying himself.
"Was the wine to your taste, Milord?" Queried the Girl.
Mors Cruentia looked at the Girl, with her honey-colored hair and generous bust. Could he afford to take advantage of her tonight for a bit of company while in bed? She couldn't do much to stop him, even if he pressed the issue against her wishes, of course, that was the point of having so much power. He could fuck with others, but they couldn't fuck with him. That wasn't the issue, the issue was how that would work if he then had to travel to a Labyrinth in Slorenia tomorrow and face various deadly traps and puzzles? Would he be slow to react? Possibly. When it came to ancient sorcerers like Cagliostro, being slow to react meant death. It was a shame, she looked quite lovely.
"Leave the glass and bottle. I will be retiring early this evening." Instructed Mors Cruentia.
"As you wish, Milord." Confirmed the Girl, leaving the bottle and glass on the table before curtseying and heading out.
"It's a damn shame. Oh well, there will be time for that later." Sighed Mors Cruentia.
Then he went back to his planning for tomorrow's excursion to Slorenia. . .
XXXX
At the same time, in an undisclosed location, a television screen played in the dark as an American news broadcast blared out a jingle. A pair of glowing red optics stared out of the darkness at the screen as the news began to show clips from a press conference that had taken place earlier in the month. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and an unknown fourth person, going by the name of The Sorcerer, had recently formed a new team of Avengers, with Stephen Strange and Reed Richards as reserve members, apparently. On the screen, Captain America was giving a press conference on the new team.
"Cap! Chess Roberts, CBNC! Where did you all go? We thought you'd been killed fighting Onslaught!" Called out one Reporter, a Black Woman.
"A place called Counter Earth, some sort of pocket dimension facsimile of the real Earth. We had a devil of a time getting back, though, which is why it took us six months." Answered Captain America.
"Cap! Ben Urich, Daily Bugle! It's good the see you back in action. There were rumors that the Avengers recently intervened in a covert action in Serbia as this team's first mission. Any comment?" Asked another reporter, an Older White Man.
"We did go to Serbia and did help them out with something, but I'm not at liberty to say anything more than that at this time, though the Serbians did agree to our presence there." Responded Captain America.
"Cap! Helen Shaw, New York Times! Any word on your new member? He seems a bit new to be joining a team like yours." Exclaimed another Reporter, a short-haired Blonde Woman.
"Sorcerer is fully qualified. In fact, Iron Man and Thor were so impressed with his help during the recent NSA Rebellion that they convinced me to offer him a spot on the team right there and then. He's got our full confidence." Insisted Captain America.
As the press conference went on, the glowing red optics watching the screen dimmed as their owners squinted, clearly not pleased to hear that the Avengers were back in action. With a modulated growl, a metallic hand came up and blasted a beam of red plasma at the screen, destroying the television. The flash illuminated the rest of the being. He, or rather, it, was covered in sleek vibranium metal plating, but it was no less familiar to anyone who watched the news. Ultron had resurfaced.
"The Avengers are back in action, are they? Fine. Not even they will be able to withstand what I have planned. I only need a bit more time to finish my preparations. Then the world will see that no mere flesh can withstand the steel tide, not even the Avengers." Intoned Ultron.
As he turned away from the blasted ruin of the television, Ultron stalked over toward the far wall, an opaque panel turning clear as he approached. Outside the room, a hangar filled with hundreds of identical robots, war machines, and AI-powered vehicles was all busily being put together, plated in Vibranium by the robotic machinery of War. Soon, this unstoppable military force would be ready to rise up from this hidden base, on the floor of the Baltic Sea, and prove to the pitiful meatbags exactly why Ultron was the Superior lifeform.
And when they did, and the Avengers lay broken under the tread of steel feet, Ultron would spread his steel revolution to the whole world. . .
XXXX
AN: The next chapter is already up on my Patreon, so check the link in the threadmarked post if you guys feel like throwing me a couple bucks to get chapters in advance. Everyone who does is super appreciated and I can't thank my patrons enough.
All right, so here's the next chapter. As you can see, both Jan and Mors Cruentia are headed to Slorenia to try and grab the Book of Cagliostro just as Ultron Unlimited is about to kick off, and see Ultron attack and depopulate Slorenia with an army of Vibranium-plated Robots. It's likely that their respective trips out of Cagliostro's Labyrinth are going to be interrupted by the Invasion. At the same time, Jan's Animal Magnetism may or may not be working on Emma Frost as well. It's just as likely that she finds the idea of someone whose mind she can't read fascinating, making someone like Jan effectively catnip for her.
I promise I'm going somewhere with that subplot. It just hasn't happened yet. When it does, it's not gonna be pretty for Jan. This is the Marvel Universe, after all. There are some crazy women out there.
As for Slorenia, the Atlas of the Marvel Universe says it's roughly where the Western Half of Latvia is IRL. That allowed me to tie in Cagliostro, which allowed me to tie in Jan's ancestry. The Count of Cagliostro was known for his travels before taking up a position in Louis the Sixteenth's Court. One of the places he was known to have traveled to was the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, also known as Modern-Day Latvia, or, if you're in the Marvel Universe, Slorenia.
At any rate, the next chapter will include the beginning of Jan's attempt at Cagliostro's Labyrinth in Slorenia.
Stay tuned. . .21