FWOOOOSH FWOOOOSH
From each of the hundreds of portals emerged compressed beams of pure Wakfu, glowing with that intense cyan blue that lit up the night like falling stars.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
The beams began to fill the arid field in cascades. Each impact vaporized dozens of zombies in a five-meter radius, their bodies disintegrating into ashes and black smoke.
Jhon floated above it all, his arms still outstretched like a conductor directing an orchestra of destruction. His hair whipped wildly from the air currents generated by the explosions. His maniacal grin never faded.
Inside the base, everyone watched the screens with varied expressions.
"My God..." murmured Riri, her eyes wide open as she watched the massacre unfold in real time.
Kamala covered her mouth with her hands. "That was..." Her eyes sparkled. "Awesome!"
Kate frowned. 'So that's how he beat Captain Marvel?' She had previously doubted that he had defeated her the way he had told them, but now that she saw it clearly... he definitely could.
Yelena, off to the side, whistled softly, impressed. "Definitely not a normal stripper."
Melinda sat in front of the screen with a stoic gaze. Her expression didn't change, but her fingers tapped lightly on the console.
Alexei had stopped crying and was now staring at the screen with his mouth agape. "That guy... can do that?"
He turned toward Yelena, swallowing hard. "Daughter, remind me never to mess with him." Yelena just laughed and nodded. Kamala laughed a little too.
Outside, the massacre continued.
The zombies kept advancing like an endless tide, but for every ten that moved forward, thirty were pulverized. The arid field was turning into a lunar landscape full of smoking craters.
Okoye watched from her hill, her grotesque face twisted in rage. She gripped her spear so tightly that her knuckles cracked audibly.
Jhon had eliminated about a thousand zombies in less than two minutes. The army had been significantly decimated, but thousands remained. And the most dangerous ones were still advancing.
Abomination had recovered from the initial beam. His massive body emerged from a smoking crater, his green skin charred in several places but visibly regenerating. He roared at the sky, the sound vibrating the air.
"GRRRRAAAAHHH!"
Ghost had been moving through the explosions, her phasing ability allowing her to avoid damage. Her translucent form flickered in and out of reality as she stealthily approached the base.
Hawkeye had found an elevated position among the rubble. He drew his bow, aiming upward. His red eyes calculated the perfect trajectory toward Jhon's head.
Jhon saw them all, and his smile widened.
"This is the shit I came here for!"
He dove from the sky, the speed creating a visible sonic cone behind him. The air exploded in a BOOM that shook the entire field.
He landed in the middle of the remaining zombie army with an impact that created a twenty-meter crater. The shockwave hurled hundreds of zombies into the air like rag dolls.
THOOM
He straightened slowly, dust swirling around him. His eyes glowed with that intense cyan blue. He looked to his left, then to his right. Zombies everywhere, surrounding him.
"Come on."
The zombies lunged at him from all directions simultaneously.
WOOSH WOOSH WOOSH
Portals opened around Jhon in a perfect spherical pattern. The zombies entered through one side...
CRASH CRASH CRASH
...and exited through the other, crashing into each other with lethal force. Bodies shattered in mid-air, black blood splattering in all directions.
Jhon spun on himself, his hands tracing complex patterns in the air. More portals. More zombies being redirected.
One zombie tried to bite his arm from behind.
Without even turning, Jhon created a coin-sized portal right where the zombie's head would be. The head passed through the portal...
SPLAT
...and exited through another portal directly in front of another zombie's fist. The head exploded like a watermelon.
Jhon moved with grace, thrilled by the amount of cannon fodder to practice on. Just then...
Hawkeye fired.
FWIP FWIP FWIP
Three arrows sliced through the air, each on different trajectories but converging on him from angles impossible to block simultaneously.
Jhon saw them coming thanks to his perception. He raised an eyebrow, and a portal opened in front of him. The three arrows entered together.
WOOSH
Another portal opened behind Hawkeye. The arrows exited, aimed directly at his own head.
Hawkeye had no time to react. The arrows struck, piercing his zombie skull. His body fell from the elevated position, hitting the ground with a wet thud.
Inside the base, Kate let out a trembling sigh and turned her face away. Seeing her mentor die, even zombified, hurt her. But she knew it was necessary.
Jhon didn't stop to admire it. He immediately turned toward where Ghost was stealthily approaching the base entrance.
He activated the communicator in his ear again and spoke. "Blade."
The response was instant. "What do you need?"
"You've got an intruder. She can phase." Jhon dodged a zombie trying to tackle him, creating a portal under its feet that sent it straight into a group of its companions. "Take care of her. Don't let her reach anyone."
"Understood."
"Ah... and Kamala." Jhon spoke again.
"Yes?" She responded through the communicator.
"Is Friday doing what I told her?" He asked while feeling a tremor in the ground.
"Yup, it's already extracting the data." Kamala turned toward the Iron Man suit next to the command room, pulling all the base's information. Suddenly she widened her eyes. "I almost forgot to tell you! Alexei and Yelena already went to start the cars so we can head to New Asgard. Though Alexei wanted to go fight with the new shield he wished for, but Mrs. Melinda stopped him." Then she widened her eyes again. "I forgot too!... bla bla bla."
Jhon felt his lips twitch listening to Kamala ramble as if he weren't killing zombies outside, but to not kill her excitement, he let her finish.
After about 30 seconds of nonstop talking...
Jhon cut the communication and focused on the real challenge.
Abomination charged toward him like a runaway train, destroying everything in its path. Smaller zombies were crushed under its massive feet. The ground shook with every step.
Jhon stood completely still, his arms hanging loosely at his sides in a relaxed posture.
Abomination closed in. Fifty meters. Forty. Thirty.
Jhon closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He let his Wakfu flow freely, his perception expanding to cover every inch of the battlefield.
Twenty meters. Fifteen. Ten.
Abomination leaped, its massive fist raised, ready to crush Jhon into the ground.
AAARRRRGH
Jhon's eyes snapped open.
"Down."
WOOSH
A portal opened above him. Abomination fell through...
WOOSH
...and exited through another portal in the ground, digging a fifty-meter tunnel underground from the speed and momentum. The impact shook the entire field like a magnitude 5 earthquake.
Jhon looked down at the hole Abomination had created. Smoke and dust rose from the tunnel.
"You should stay down there."
But Abomination wasn't going to stay put. Its roar echoed from the depths, and it began climbing back up.
Jhon sighed. "Fine. We'll do it the old-fashioned way."
He slowly removed his vest, the movement deliberate so those inside would notice (ahem, time to show off). He let it slide off his shoulder and held it carefully.
With a gesture, the vest disappeared into his dimensional inventory.
Jhon cracked his neck. Crack. Then his knuckles. Crack. He rolled his shoulders, muscles rippling under his skin. He bounced in place, shaking out his legs.
Abomination emerged from the hole with a massive leap, landing twenty meters from Jhon. It straightened to its full three-meter height, its massive body blocking the moonlight.
"GRRRRRAAAAH" It roared, black saliva dripping from its fangs.
Jhon assumed a fighting stance, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands raised. No portals this time. Just the primal feeling of bare-handed combat.
"LET'S GO!" He pounded his chest while shouting at Abomination.
The zombie roared and charged.
THOOM THOOM THOOM
Its strides shook the earth. The distance closed in seconds, and Abomination swung its massive fist at Jhon, making the air whistle sharply.
Jhon blocked it with his forearm. The impact created a visible shockwave. The ground beneath his feet cracked in a radial pattern.
But he didn't budge an inch.
"My turn."
BOOM
His fist sank into Abomination's stomach. The monster doubled over completely, vomiting black blood.
Jhon didn't stop. He unleashed a brutal combination.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
Right fist to the stomach. Left to the ribs. Right to the jaw. Left to the kidney. Knee to the chest.
Each blow echoed like thunder. Abomination tried to counter with a wild hook, but Jhon caught it with one hand, his fingers closing around the massive fist. He squeezed.
CRACK
Abomination's hand bones began to crack under the pressure. The monster roared in pain.
"Pathetic." He whispered with disdain as he watched the monster struggle.
Jhon yanked it forward while pulling his own head back.
THOOM
He headbutted it directly on the bridge of the nose. The monster's face exploded in black blood, its nose completely caved in.
Jhon released it, and Abomination staggered back, dazed.
"You know..." Jhon walked toward it slowly, cracking his knuckles again. "In the comics, you fought Hulk on equal terms. You were a real threat. A damn force of nature."
He stopped in front of Abomination, staring directly into those lifeless red eyes.
"Here..." A cold smile formed on his face. "...you're just a tougher-than-normal punching bag."
Abomination roared in rage and lunged with everything it had.
Jhon sidestepped the first blow with a minimal step. He blocked the second with his elbow. He caught the third with his hand.
Then his real counterattack began.
A twelve-strike combination in less than two seconds hit Abomination. Too fast for normal eyes to follow. Only blurs and the shockwaves from each impact were visible.
Its ribs cracked like dry branches. Abomination's jaw dislocated. Its eyes swelled. Its chest caved in.
The healing factor tried to repair the damage, but Jhon struck faster than it could regenerate.
Abomination dropped to its knees, its body no longer responding properly. It tried to stand, but its legs trembled.
Jhon stood over it, looking down. Then he grabbed the monster by the top of its head with both hands, his fingers sinking into the thick skull.
"This ends here. I'm bored of you." He declared as if the zombie was worth nothing.
He lifted Abomination completely off the ground with brute force, the three-meter monster dangling in the air. Then he began slamming it into the ground.
THOOM
Once. The crater deepened ten meters.
THOOM
Twice. Twenty meters.
THOOM THOOM THOOM THOOM THOOM
He didn't stop. Each impact shook the entire valley. The sound was like war drums played by titans.
At two hundred meters deep, he finally stopped.
Abomination was still breathing, its chest rising and falling irregularly. Its healing factor kept it alive, regenerating the damage almost instantly.
Jhon observed it from above. 'Oh?' His expression shifted from amusement to something more serious.
His eyes began to glow. An incandescent yellow joined his hazel eyes until they blazed like beacons in the dark.
Energy built behind his eyes, hot and powerful. The air around his face distorted from the intense heat as his smile grew.
"Even you have a limit."
Two beams of pure cosmic energy shot from his eyes.
SHHHHHHHHHH
The sound was like metal being melted at thousands of degrees. The beams were so bright they lit up the entire crater like daylight.
They pierced Abomination's skull, burning, vaporizing, destroying every cell in their path. Flesh charred, bone melted, brain evaporated.
Abomination roared, then shrieked, then...
Silence.
Its body fell lifeless, a smoking hole through its entire head. The edges glowed orange from residual heat.
This time, it didn't regenerate.
Jhon flew out of the crater and landed on the surface, surveying the battlefield. Then he looked up toward where Okoye watched from her hill. Even at that distance, he could see her face twisted in rage.
...
Inside the base, Blade had already moved.
He ran through the corridors with superhuman speed, his boots barely making noise against the metal. His senses were at maximum, tracking the intruder.
There, on the second floor, he heard the almost imperceptible sound of displaced air. Knowing that, he took the stairs three at a time, his hand reaching back to grip the handle of one of his katanas.
Upon reaching the second floor, he saw Ghost trying to kill the Black Widows while they shot at her and lunged to fight. Understanding the speed difference between them and the ghost, he moved without question.
SHING
His katana sliced the air with a sharp whistle.
Ghost barely had time to turn intangible. The blade passed through her harmlessly, but it let her know she was under attack. Losing her 5 targets, she focused on her attacker.
She fully materialized, turning to face Blade. Her face, half-rotted and half-intact, twisted in rage.
GHRARHHH
Blade drew his second Uru katana granted by Jhon, holding both in reverse grip. His silver eyes glowed in the hallway darkness.
Ghost moved like a real ghost, her body flickering between states of existence.
SHING
Blade slashed with his right katana. Ghost phased just in time. The blade passed through her like cutting smoke. But Blade had already anticipated that.
SHING
His left katana came from the other side, slashing exactly where Ghost would rematerialize for her counterattack.
SLASH
The blade bit into rotten flesh, tearing Ghost's arm from elbow to wrist. Black blood spurted in a gush.
"SHHHIIIEEE!" Ghost shrieked, retreating while clutching the wound. Her flesh hung in strips, exposing necrotic muscle and gray bone. Then she fully phased, vanishing from sight.
Blade closed his eyes, his other senses sharpening instantly. He listened carefully for the air displacement again. Three meters to his left.
No, wait. That was a decoy.
The real sound came from above. The ceiling.
Blade opened his eyes and looked up just as Ghost materialized, clinging to the ceiling like an insect.
She dove down, her claws aiming for his throat.
SHING SHING
Blade crossed his katanas above his head in a perfect X as Ghost materialized directly onto the blades.
CLANG
Their weapons clashed. Sparks flew down the hallway. Ghost phased again, passing through the katanas and Blade's body, emerging behind him.
But Blade was already turning.
SHING
His right katana slashed in a horizontal arc at torso height. Ghost barely phased in time. But the move forced her to rematerialize off-balance.
Blade spun with blinding speed, his katanas tracing a full circle around him.
SHING SHING
Both katanas crossed through her in an X. One entered her right side, the other her left. They met in the center of her torso, slicing through her dead heart.
Ghost froze, her red eyes widening in absolute shock. She coughed, black blood splattering from her mouth onto Blade's leather jacket.
Blade stared directly into her eyes.
"Game over," he said in a voice cold as ice.
SHLICK
He crossed the katanas in a fluid, brutal motion.
Ghost's body split into two perfect halves.
THUD THUD
The halves hit the ground with wet thuds.
Blade straightened slowly. He raised his right katana, eyeing the black blood coating the blade. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he shook the sword downward.
FWIP
The blood flew off. He did the same with the left.
He wiped both blades on the edge of his jacket, rubbing the metal against the leather until they gleamed. Then he sheathed them in the crossed scabbards on his back.
Blade raised his hand and activated the communicator in his ear. "It's taken care of."
Jhon's voice responded almost instantly, with a slightly amused tone. "Good work."
Blade gave the two halves of Ghost one last look. Then he turned and began walking back toward the base.
As he walked, he noticed the Black Widows watching from the side.
He gave them a brief nod and continued on.
---
On the main battlefield.
Jhon watched Okoye from his position. By now, he had eliminated most of the zombie army.
Okoye remained on her hill, her imposing figure silhouetted against the night sky.
Jhon raised his hand, making a "come here" gesture with his fingers. A provocative smile formed on his face.
Okoye gripped her spear so hard her knuckles turned white under her dark skin. A low growl escaped her throat.
"Arrrrogant..." she hissed, each syllable laced with pure venom.
Then she moved. Lunging.
Her body covered the hundred meters separating her from Jhon in less than five seconds. Her spear aimed straight at Jhon's heart, the tip cutting the air with a sharp whistle.
Jhon didn't move to dodge. Instead, he sighed softly. "It's a shame a great warrior like you ended up controlled for something like this."
Their eyes met as the distance closed rapidly. Okoye was three meters away. Two meters.
"As a final show of respect..." His voice lost all trace of mockery, turning serious. "...I'll limit my strength and beat you at what you've studied your whole life."
One meter.
The tip of Okoye's spear was millimeters from his bare chest.
Jhon took a minimal sidestep, avoiding the attack. The spear tip passed so close it nearly grazed his skin, but it didn't connect.
Okoye completed her thrust, momentum carrying her a meter past. She planted her back foot and spun immediately, readjusting her stance in less than a second.
Jhon looked at her directly and began walking with slow steps. As he walked, he extended his right hand horizontally to the side.
Wakfu responded to his call. It flowed from his body in visible waves of cyan blue energy. The energy swirled around his extended arm like snakes of liquid light.
It began to materialize in his hand. First the shaft appeared, a long rod of pure energy glowing like crystal. Then the tip formed at the end, sharpening gradually.
In two full seconds, he held a perfect spear of pure Wakfu. It was exactly the same length as Okoye's, about two meters from base to tip.
Jhon spun it with a wrist flick, testing the balance. The spear cut the air with a sharp whistle, leaving blue light trails in its path.
Okoye screamed and lunged again, this time with no strategy. Just pure rage.
Her spear came in a horizontal sweep aimed at cutting Jhon in half.
CLASH
The spears clashed in the center, metal against pure energy. The sound was like a giant gong being struck. A visible shockwave exploded from the impact point, kicking up dust and debris in a perfect ten-meter radius circle.
Okoye pressed with all her strength, trying to break Jhon's guard. Her arms trembled with effort. Her feet sank five centimeters into the earth from the force she was applying. Her face twisted with strain, baring clenched teeth.
Jhon held with "ease," his spear not moving a millimeter despite the pressure. But there was something off about his stance. His hands were in the correct positions on the shaft, yes. His back foot was planted correctly, yes. But there was rigidity in his movements. No fluidity. No natural grace of someone who had wielded such a weapon for years.
His grip was too tense. His shoulders were slightly raised, creating unnecessary tension. His weight was distributed fifty-fifty between both feet when it should be sixty-forty.
And Okoye, even as a zombie, still retained decades of Dora Milaje training.
Her red eyes narrowed imperceptibly.
She twisted her spear with an expert wrist motion, sliding it at a forty-five-degree diagonal angle while applying rotational pressure. It was a technique designed to disarm less experienced opponents.
Jhon's Wakfu spear nearly flew from his hands. Nearly.
His fingers tightened around the shaft at the last second, maintaining control through sheer brute force. But the move forced him to step back fully once, his feet leaving deep marks in the loose earth.
His brow furrowed slightly. Not from pain or frustration, but... concentration.
'So that's how she did it...' He thought as he watched Okoye recover her stance for the next attack. His eyes analyzed every microscopic detail of her form.
Her weight distribution. Sixty-two percent on the back foot, thirty-eight on the front. Her torso position. Rotated thirty degrees to one side.
Everything. Jhon absorbed it all like a sponge.
CLASH CLASH CLASH
Okoye attacked with a fluid combination. High thrust aimed directly at Jhon's neck, fast as a viper. When he blocked by raising his spear horizontally over his head, she spun instantly. Her entire body rotated like a top, maintaining momentum while lowering her spear in a swift sweep toward his exposed ankles.
Jhon jumped, barely clearing the sweep by centimeters. His feet left the ground.
Okoye didn't pause. The moment she saw his feet in the air, she pivoted again. Her spear spun with her, creating a lateral attack aimed at his floating ribs.
Jhon had barely any time to react while airborne, vulnerable without footing.
He twisted his body awkwardly, trying to interpose his spear.
CLASH
The impact sent him flying three meters to the side. He landed rolling, shoulders hitting the ground before using the momentum to get back to his feet.
THRUST
A lightning-fast thrust came straight at his face. Jhon shifted his head to the side, but not fast enough.
The tip of Okoye's spear slashed his right cheek, cutting from cheekbone to jawline. Three centimeters deep. Bright red blood immediately welled from the wound. The liquid ran down his jaw in rivulets, dripping from his chin to the ground.
Jhon stepped back twice fully, his free hand instinctively moving to the wound on his face. He touched the blood with his fingers, then pulled them away to examine them. They were completely covered in red.
He slowly ran his tongue over his wound. His eyes shifted from their usual hazel to a reddish hue, but it didn't last. A blue energy passed over his cheek, and the wound healed as if it had never been there, in less than a second.
"Heh." A smile formed on his lips. He couldn't look bad now—he had already said he'd beat her at her own martial art, so it was time to act on what he'd learned.
The next exchange was different. Okoye attacked with a low sweep, exactly the same move she had used before.
Only this time, Jhon didn't just block it.
He shifted his back foot exactly as she had moments ago. He adjusted his weight the same way and rotated his hip at the same angle, thirty-two degrees, creating rotational torque.
The block was cleaner and more efficient. No wasted movement. No unnecessary tension in his shoulders. His spear intercepted Okoye's at the exact point.
CLASH CLASH
A quick exchange. Thrust, block, counter-thrust, block.
Jhon's movements began to mirror hers perfectly. When she spun left preparing a lateral attack, he anticipated it and adjusted his stance two-tenths of a second earlier. His feet repositioned automatically.
A growl escaped her throat, deep from her chest. "Grrrr..."
The frustration was palpable, even under the undead mask.
The spears clashed so fast they created a continuous melody. The ground beneath their feet began to disintegrate from the constant pressure of their movements. Each step, pivot, and adjustment left deeper marks in the earth. The five-meter area around them was turning into a circle of pulverized dirt.
The remaining zombies on the field died in the shockwaves from their clashes.
In thirty seconds of continuous combat, Jhon had absorbed techniques that would take a normal Dora Milaje warrior years to learn.
In one minute, he was returning her own attacks with nearly identical movements.
In two, he had already improved her spear style, adding his own variations.
"Whaaat... aaare yooou?" Okoye growled, desperation and disbelief in her voice. Her attacks became completely frantic.
Jhon didn't respond verbally. He was fully focused, lost in the sensation of combat.
THRUST
A quick thrust came at Okoye's face. She raised her spear to block, but Jhon had anticipated that.
At the last moment, he rotated his wrist, shifting the attack angle fifteen degrees downward.
His spear tip slipped under Okoye's guard and slashed her right cheek, tearing off a chunk of rotten flesh that fell to the ground with a wet sound.
"GRRRAAAHHH!" Okoye roared, trying one last attack. But she couldn't—Jhon had already predicted it.
In a swift strike, his Wakfu spear pierced the zombie's chest.
Time seemed to freeze for an infinite moment.
The tip emerged from her back, protruding thirty centimeters, dripping black blood in heavy drops to the ground.
Okoye froze completely. Her spear fell from her limp hands, hitting the ground with a hollow thud.
Her arms hung at her sides, fingers slowly opening, losing all muscle tension.
Her red eyes flickered, gradually losing their color, as if abandoned.
"Thank you for teaching me." He said simply, looking at her face with a touch of pity. "Die knowing that Wakanda's spear will live on in history."
Then he pulled it from her chest and swiftly moved it, slicing the Wakandan's body into four parts, ending her suffering.
He directed his hand to the communicator, speaking to his friends whose mouths were so wide open flies could probably get in.
"It's done. The path is clear."
Melinda's voice responded after a second of silence, her incredulity very palpable. "Understood. Good work."
...
[First person - Jhon]
5 hours later.
Several kilometers from the base.
Right now, I was inside the van we started our journey in, driving through a desert. Beside us were two more cars, and Blade's Harley.
The Widows were in the first one, while Alexei, Yelena, and Melinda were in the other.
Alexei stuck his head out the window and shouted about how he'd let me be with his "little daisy" (Yelena) if I granted him another wish. How did we get there? Well, before fighting the army, Kamala, Kate, and Riri decided to spill about the wishes, surprising only Alexei—which made Kamala deflate because the plan didn't work. Melinda just stared into the distance, not saying what she was thinking.
Alexei asked me for a Captain America shield with the Russian flag; I granted it as a test, and he immediately treated me like his blood brother.
Yelena had to drag him away or he'd end up asking for more.
It was after I finished killing the zombies that Kamala interrogated me about my power display. She asked how strong I really was and how many powers I had, complaining that I hadn't told her about shooting laser beams and... bla bla bla. An incessant hour of chatter.
Since I was shirtless again, I first asked them for something to wear, so they turned to Yelena to see if she had anything. She gave me a tactical uniform the men at the base used. I put it on and finally approached them to talk.
Deciding to be partially honest, I revealed what I could to the three. Of course, I created a Wakfu barrier to prevent sound dispersion.
I mentioned that I can gain a power from people I grant wishes to, but only when their emotions reach a threshold. Kate asked what he'd get if he granted her a wish; I told her her beauty, making her blush and stop asking. Ahem, gotta score points whenever I can.
Kamala asked the same, and I told her her intelligence, making her puff up her nose and stop asking. As for Riri, she asked for a custom tech suit, saying if I'm handing out wishes like cabbages, I might as well give her one—but the others yanked her ears and didn't let her.
That wrapped up the issues.
....
Suddenly.
In lotus position, sitting on the soft mattress in the van, I let relaxing smoke escape my mouth.
I was introspecting and analyzing what I'd gained from the experiences five hours ago. I wanted to try creating a spear martial art, but my knowledge of it wasn't that extensive. So far, I only handle the Dora Milaje style, adapted to me. I'd need much more to create the one I want.
I hoped that once this is over, someone who knows martial arts joins the shop, or the shop ends up in a xianxia or murim world. Any of those would work.
"Hey, he's acting like a Buddhist monk again, right?" Kamala whispered in Kate's ear. My lips twitched. Did they really think I couldn't hear them?
"I don't know, every time we get in the car he does that." Kate whispered back to Kamala. "If he weren't a battle maniac, I'd think he's crazy—maybe this helps calm his mind." She finished.
Kamala nodded dumbly.
I opened my left eye. "You know I can hear you, right?"
"Kyaa!"
"The statue speaks!" The two shouted in fake surprise.
"Pff." Riri, driving up front, laughed.
"Ha. ha. ha. So funny." I said. "Hope you laugh too when the arrow disappears."
"Hey! Not my arrow!" Kate grabbed her arrow like she was protecting it from a monster.
At that moment, angry shouts interrupted our conversation. They came from outside, specifically from Alexei.
"What!?"
"How do we need tribute to enter?! I haven't even eaten meat myself!"
I frowned and looked outside. "What happened?" I asked Riri.
But I didn't wait for her answer and let Wakfu leak from my body, sensing the "refuge" and the gigantic submarine under the sea. There were several strange energy sources behind, coming in other vehicles. Those sources were... rings?
A sharp sound of tires braking lightly was heard in the distance. That meant new people were arriving, so I suggested to the group, "Let's go out."
"Oki doki." Kamala responded, moving left to exit. Kate beside her was waiting for her to get out first.
"I'll stay here to move the car when they let us through." Riri commented, no sign of getting out. Her trust in me had grown... 2 points. Yeah, from 5 to 7—knowing I'm strong and have good intentions, she was starting to be a bit more vulnerable with me.
That's nice, since even if I don't see her as potential romance, her engineering talent is great for friendship. Plus, I like her.
"Okay." I replied, and with a soft click, the door opened, letting me out. Kamala and Kate the same on their side.
As soon as I stepped on the ground, I felt the air hitting my face. I let my eyes take in the supposed refuge firsthand where we'd spend the next few hours. They had very... good order, though maybe too good, which was strange.
"What's the problem?" I asked with a frown to the two guards aiming their weapons at Alexei.
The guard turned to me seriously, having seen me exit the car. "To enter, you need to pay tribute. If you don't have it, you don't enter—no buts."
I was about to propose something, but a voice interrupted.
"Hey! They're with us—we've got the tribute."
The one who spoke was an Asian young man inside a car fully equipped with weapons, essential for an apocalypse. They were the ones I'd sensed with my perception.
Beside him was a woman apparently of the same descent. Both wore slightly torn jackets, maybe from constant zombie fights or fights with humans and other races.
What stood out was that the young man had 3 strange connected rings on his right hand, preventing the virus from spreading in his body. The woman had 3 on her left. The rings were so large they covered their forearms, with patterns and symbols etched into them. Nothing a human could create.
So yeah, I figured they were the damn legendary Mandarin rings. And the young man who now had them would be his son.
"Is that enough?" Shang-Chi pointed to the cows in the trailer behind. His companions came in big armed trucks. A cop, two normal people, and a weird guy with a ninja mask.
"Heeello beautiful, who's the prettiest?" Kamala, unable to resist, had already approached to play with the cows—she hadn't seen animals in forever! The cows responded with a lovely moo that sounded like Christmas bells to her.
"Kamala, wait!" Kate went after her; she hates when Kamala can't control her sudden impulses, but what can you do—they're friends and help each other. She gave me an apologetic look and said: "I'll bring her back."
I nodded with a smile. Kamala's spontaneity was something I liked, so it didn't bother me. Then I turned to the Mandarin's son.
"You sure?" I asked with a serious expression. He narrowed his eyes at me—his senses screamed danger, like facing a damn lion while being a rabbit. But he ignored it. How strong could a model-faced guy be?
"Sure! No problem." He said with a smile. "Nice to see more survivors."
"Yeah, yeah, hehe." The woman beside him nodded dumbly, drooling a bit looking at me. Shang-Chi glared at her—maybe they were dating?
"What?! I can't help it—that guy looks like a celebrity! How has he stayed so clean in the apocalypse?" Katy Chen shot back at her "friend's" glare. Then she looked at me. "No offense, of course."
I just shrugged—I'm getting used to it. Wonder if I'd picked 1000 in charm, would their brains explode? Anyway, I didn't respond. I looked at the guard, raising an eyebrow. "So?"
The guard got a bit intimidated by my stare, swallowing. He went to check the cows and said: "I-I think that'll be enough."
"You think??" Alexei and Katy Chen shouted.
The first argued: "Are you kidding? Do you eat burgers every day?!"
"Exactly—if you don't want them, give them to me!" Alexei affirmed. He was hungry from the whole trip, and these guys say it might not be enough?
"Hey, careful with my cows!" Katy countered Alexei, as if she hadn't just given the poor animals away.
The guard was nervous. But he didn't have the power to change it. "Calm down! It's not my decision." He explained. "If you want to enter the city in the ocean, you have to see the boss."
"Boss?" I questioned doubtfully, searching my Marvel memory for who it could be. Nothing came up. "Who is it?"
"You'll find him inside." He pointed toward where the boss stood whenever they were about to sail. "You can enter."
He nodded and turned my face toward Kamala and Kate. They'd managed to control their friend, telling her not to get attached because they'd probably eat them. Kamala cried like she'd been separated from her soulmates, but eventually walked away.
Seeing everything was in order, I approached our van's window. I tapped the glass softly with my nail. Riri immediately lowered it, rubbing her eyes.
She'd fallen asleep in seconds—her sleepy face was pretty funny. With a teasing smile, I said: "What happened, little Riri? Fall asleep?"
"Hmph, none of your business!" She shot back, still rubbing her eyes. After finishing, she looked at me. "So, can we go?"
"Yeah, they let us in." I replied calmly after teasing her.
"Okay, okay." She started the car. Then shooed me with her hand. "Shoo! Go away—I'm starting the engine."
A smile graced my face. I stopped leaning on the door and stood straight. Then I started walking toward the supposed waiting area of the underwater refuge.
As I walked, with Alexei still arguing with Katy behind me, I wondered internally: Does Namor exist in this world? If so, I'd love to punch that fish in the face.
A maniacal smile spread across my face. Would I need my eternal form, or would normal work against him? I couldn't wait to find out.
A kid nearby with a lollipop saw my smile and froze, staring at me in fear. Then his lollipop fell, and he started crying for his mom.
'Shit.' My smile died, and I quickened my pace. My comical walk was seen by Kamala and Kate, who were laughing at me. I will have my revenge soon.
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Here, your future favorite author.
What did you think of this chapter?
Tell me your opinions.
By the way, I posted an Auxiliary with Jhon's powers so far. I also edited some essence stuff—didn't want to, but I had to change things to enter a pretty dangerous world in the future (because of that novel's protagonist). It has to do with vampires, hehe.
Which one could it be? - I'll read your answers.
Give power stones—Elysra is starving in the dimension.
[JhonDaoist]