Chapter 621 - No Jokes (1/2)
Patron welcome to DDantalian!
***
Things grew slightly out of hand in Cindy's house. The physical tension between Nik and Cindy was no secret to both the parties.
”I'm scared for real,” Cindy whispered while sitting beside Nik on the couch. She gulped, her scent making Nik's nose twitch but he held his brimming l.u.s.t, pleasure, and anger. He glared towards Strange, who, instead of teleporting him, appeared in Cindy's living room.
”I apologize once again,” Strange whispered, reading the atmosphere, literally.
”I won't do anything for you, now, not for any price,” Nik smiled calmly, ”don't misunderstand. I would have considered the offer if you would have knocked before interrupting but 'wooshing' into the room is... disgusting.”
”I am rid of the manners that my original self is confined with,” Strange looked at Nik before nodding at Cindy, ”but not to the extent that I have forgotten to feel sorry. Nik is a lovely man. I am deeply... something, that I barred your path of knowing your current company at an even deeper level.”
Cindy pursed her lips shut, not knowing what to say while Nik beside her didn't give her enough confidence that he was the best person to handle the situation. After all, with Strange's words, Nik's smile bloomed as he rubbed the tip of his nose with the side of his index.
”Aww, I didn't know you were such a flatterer,” he chuckled before his words took a 180 with his expression still pleasant, ”But you can kiss my services goodbye, you mannerless dogs— ah, no, everyone would have loved a mannerless dog with a beard. You, on the other hand, not so much.”
”Aha, I think that we shouldn't insult the person who can just appear in my living room,” Cindy laughed nervously while Nik looked towards her strangely.
”He's just a clone. You can kick him and he would only bark. He has a teeny bit of power that he can't use for petty reasons. At least, this is what he has shown about himself time and again,” he shrugged while Strange's expression worsened.
”Garuk knows that I am powerless, relatively,” Strange interjected, ”and he has resurfaced. He is going against the most civilized nation of the planet out of personal spite and I fear he may succeed. And you fit the bill of one of the most treacherous person, of course, this is the least you have shown about yourself.”
”Great, now we are exchanging insults. Since I am... out of this whose 'appearing out of nowhere stuff',” Cindy groaned, ”Please take this out of my house and next time don't break into my living room or I'll call the cops.”
”Great, you can take the address from me,” Nik chimed.
”The price you asked for was too steep,” Strange sighed, ”But it is worth the objective given that you join our order under my umbrella.”
”This is not making any sense and you need to leave, right, Nik?” Cindy stood up, annoyed that her guilty moment was ruined which she was guilty for, again.
”Yeah, but he did make sense. He doesn't want to share sensitive information unless I actually become a part of what this clone's real self stands for and I can bet that he will try to bug me in some form to keep me from betraying him eventually. It is really Master-Disciple contract 101 but yeah, dude, you need to leave.”
Strange took a moment to reconsider his options. He would have never really barged into anyone's home but as they were sitting here discussing, people were dying in Wakanda as they were discussing terms, and to deal with a bastard quite adept in the dark arts, they would need an equally deceptive wielder of magic. Primarily, the best option would have been him, the clone itself, but he cannot move against the bindings of Vishanti, not currently, at least. Moreover, the ancient God— Bast— won't move against a mortal, an appreciative, and rare quality found in the higher beings.
Turning his gaze towards Cindy, another being close to the web of the multiverse, Strange's gaze flickered.
”We need to help these people, Nik,” Cindy spoke up, much to Strange's surprise while Nik continued to look at Strange with intense focus.
”This God... Bast, you speak of, who is she exactly?” Nik inquired, making Strange jump from his seat as the man realized one of the flaws with low energy blessed to the clone— Muttering out loud.
---
”It takes vile to vanquish other evil!” Garuk cackled, his voice hissing and his sound without an actual face making him look all the more terrifying. He stood alone amongst the destroyed village. Massacred. Tribal men, and women. Elder, and children, lay in their pool of blood. Some tore in half, their guts spilled. Some stabbed in their heads with something big and the brain goo lathered over Garuk's hand testifying to the murder weapon.
”If this is a jab at my racial color,” with the glimmering black suit covering Garuk's opponent, a growl echoing from his throat, the man raised his hands, covered by metal claws, ”then you are pretty as your criminal records state you to be. My father delivered you to the Supreme Sorcerer in the past and I will finish the task he couldn't complete.”
”Clad in Vibranium,” Garuk chuckled, his posture conservative and still covered with heavy and full clothing, only his faceless head exposed, ”Keh- Kahahah!” he snapped his head back in a loud laugh, ”Vibranium is no longer my weakness. Grow up, son of Panther. You won't face me, I am no longer interested in your head but your mother's alone. The wench caught up to my plans back then. You won't fight my army, they've got the task to handle your service. You shall be haunted by them,” Garuk raised his left hand, his index dripping with nauseating substance as he pointed behind Black Panther.
Not looking back, however, the man under the suit of Black Panther stood his ground. His ears perked and his caution doubled. And then he heard it. A strange swishing sound behind him followed by a squelching sound of wet flesh getting chewed. Sputters and dripping blood, from the scent. Uncertain, the man slowly looked back and found two behemoths, one black, and other silver. Maws as big as a prehistoric predators, devouring the fallen kin in the village. Their torn bodies getting feasted upon.
”Stop!” Black Panther shouted with his body already propelled as he lunged towards the two monsters, gaining their attention while Garuk stood in anticipation.
On the other hand, Kingpin— Wilson Fisk— observed everything from the city. The massacre. Garuk only took pleasure in some murders out of his fetishes but most of the task was committed by the enhanced, day-long army.
”But what is Wakanda?” Wilson muttered to himself, his eyes narrowed at the realization of some sort of an ancient civilization that he wasn't aware of.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the hidden nation, bulky men with venomous glowing black-orange veins and entirely red eyes tore through the mundane villagers. The nearby official workers torn, too.
”Woah, are these the remaining two symbiotes?” Suddenly, a cheerful chuckle filled the slightly dark room while Wilson stood up only to feel a relatively small hand pushing him back into his seat. ”Hold now, you don't wanna turn like your odd purple fellow, right?” The whisper threatened as Wilson's eyelids trembled for a second.