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*****
Back on Vormir, Feny's experience bar had been nearing its limit. He had estimated that with Red Skull's "assistance," it would take a week at most to trigger his seventh skill extraction.
However, he hadn't expected the teleportation to happen so abruptly, leaving him just a tiny fraction away from that seventh draw.
He had originally planned to visit Kamar-Taj today to find a way to grind out the remaining experience. Unfortunately, Loki had been discovered so quickly that Feny was summoned before evening had even set in.
Hearing Nick Fury's words, a thought flashed through his mind: perhaps he could take this opportunity to use the God of Thunder as a high-level "mob" to farm the last bit of XP.
"I've never met an alien before. Let me go meet this god of thunder!" Tony chimed in immediately, his scientific curiosity toward Asgardians getting the better of him.
Captain America, who had been harborng a certain level of wariness toward Tony since before Feny arrived, furrowed his brow. Having spent the most time catching up on files since his defrosting, Steve had a reasonably good impression of Thor—a deity who, after all, had a lover on Earth. He countered:
"Stark, we don't know Thor's motives yet."
"Which is why I'm going—to get the facts for everyone!"
Tony was equally annoyed by the Captain's rigid attitude. After speaking, he shot a provocative look at Feny over his shoulder, silently asking if he wanted to tag along.
Feny was already calculating whether he could hit his seventh extraction milestone through Thor, so he decisively accepted the "challenge."
Stepping up beside Tony, he said, "I'll go along too. I'll keep an eye on things and make sure he doesn't go overboard!"
Out of respect for Feny—his "savior"—Cap yielded slightly. More importantly, someone did need to handle the situation.
According to Nick Fury's intelligence and news reports, Steve knew that Feny and Tony were the only two among them who could fly, and Feny was likely the most powerful.
From their brief interactions, Feny seemed far more grounded than the erratic Tony. Steve looked at Feny and finally nodded, offering a single piece of advice: "Please, act with caution."
Feny gave a quick acknowledgment and equipped 'Incursio,' a feat that once again stunned the low-profile Clint Barton.
Tony's suit, however, wasn't nearly as convenient. Although he had improved it countless times, it couldn't compete with the speed of Feny's transformation until nanotechnology was perfected.
"Is it true you're the one who pulled that guy out of the ice?" Tony asked curiously as they made their way out.
"That 'guy' happens to be an American hero," Feny replied with a smirk, glancing at Tony. "It was Nick Fury. He found the Captain in the glacier and just had me use a portal to bring him back."
"Then he should stay in a nursing home instead of standing around here giving orders!" Tony muttered, still clearly piqued by the earlier exchange.
"Technically, he's from your father's generation," Feny teased. "If you really think about it, you should probably be calling him 'Uncle'."
"Call him Uncle!?"
Tony seemed to visualize the scene, a visible shudder running through his frame. He shook his head vehemently. "I'd rather let the shrapnel in my chest reach my heart."
"Speaking of which... have you ever thought about getting those taken out?"
Feny's pace slowed slightly as he looked at Tony. Tony's expression turned hesitant. Initially, he hadn't trusted anyone enough to perform the surgery. Now, it was less about trust and more about fear—he was terrified of the possibility of failure.
The world could survive without Tony Stark, but it couldn't survive without Iron Man, and Tony wasn't ready to leave everything to someone else yet.
Furthermore, with palladium poisoning no longer a concern, a beautiful girlfriend, and powerful armor, his life was relatively happy. He preferred to maintain the status quo.
"Do you have a way?" Tony asked, turning his head. If Feny had some special, foolproof method, he wouldn't mind trying.
"I don't," Feny admitted, shaking his head. None of his current abilities were suited for extracting delicate shrapnel from a human chest.
He thought of a certain future "Doctor-turned-Sorcerer." That man would likely have a high chance of success, but given his current ego, he'd probably refuse the surgery unless it guaranteed a 100% success rate to protect his reputation.
"But you could try looking for a doctor in China..." Feny suggested, recalling the original timeline.
"Right," Tony replied with a hint of disappointment, not giving the suggestion much weight. What he lacked wasn't a skilled surgeon, but the psychological readiness—or rather, a guarantee of absolute success.
Seeing Tony's face, Feny dropped the subject. He did have one more suggestion in mind, involving people with a much higher probability of solving the issue safely: the "impoverished" nation of Wakanda.
Because of Vibranium, their technology was leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the world, and the Black Panther's sister was a literal genius. Their medical tech could likely resolve the shrapnel issue with ease.
But getting them to help was the problem. Wakanda was isolationist to the extreme; they barely looked out for their own kind, let alone an outsider like Tony.
As for using money—while they appeared poor on the surface, their consistent refusal of international aid suggested that wealth wasn't a lever that would move them.
Feny kept that suggestion to himself for the time being.
While he was lost in thought, Tony had finished suiting up. Following Nick Fury's directions, the two flew toward the target coordinates.
The sky above the Helicarrier was thick with dark clouds, occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning. As Feny hovered in mid-air scanning the surroundings, Fury's voice crackled through the comms:
"Dark energy levels are still peaking. Be careful!"
Just as the words left Fury's mouth, a massive bolt of lightning tore through the sky, accompanied by a falling silhouette.
Feny spotted him instantly—it was Thor. This was his first time seeing the God of Thunder in person. The brilliant red cape and long golden hair were unmistakable against the gloomy backdrop.
"I see him!"
Tony had spotted him as well. His voice sounded excited over the comms as his thrusters flared, propelling him toward Thor at high speed.
Feny followed close behind. As Thor descended, the dark clouds began to break.
After a moment of freefall, Thor raised Mjolnir to steady himself. He caught sight of Tony charging toward him and was momentarily startled.
Then, his warrior instincts took over. Before his brain could fully process the situation, he swung Mjolnir, hurling a bolt of lightning straight at Tony.
"Power at 300%!" Jarvis reported in Tony's ear.
Ever since meeting Feny, Tony's research on "Anti-Feny" countermeasures had never ceased. One of the primary focuses was how to deal with "Explosion Magic." Consequently, Tony had significantly upgraded the armor's ability to absorb pure energy.
And electricity happened to be the most common energy source in the modern world.
"Hey guys, you saw that! He threw the first punch!"
Tony clearly wasn't going to interpret that lightning bolt as a friendly Asgardian greeting. After broadcasting to the team, he fired an experimental repulsor blast right back!
(End of Chapter)