Chapter 651: chapter 17
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Dragonborn's Might makes Right by Infonticus
Game X-overs & Avengers Xover Rated: M, English, Adventure, Words: 356k+, Favs: 1k+, Follows: 1k+, Published: Aug 25, 2021 Updated: Jun 12, 2022
514Chapter 17
Chapter 17: The Mystical Adventure for the Dragon's Balls
[Planet C-207, Nova Empire Training Planet]
"Who has summoned me?"
My dragon form- in all its massive gleaming Hevnokrenite glory- stomped onto the war-torn battlefield of the cratered city. Behind me were the assembled groundside raiding parties of Sakaar- looking up at me in awe and reverence. And in front of me…
"Ah, now that is a sight that never gets old."
… the horrified faces of the Nova Empire ground forces blanched as they peered out of their tanks and ships to look at the almost stadium-sized dragon that had appeared out of nowhere. They knew full well how utterly screwed they were now that I had been summoned. It wasn't the first time that I've been summoned nor would it be the last. And it was good to see that my enemies trembled in fear at the sight of me. They were quick to grasp the mechanics of my summoning too.
After all, the concept of Summoning Magic in videogames was simple: You use magic to conjure forth an immensely powerful being to lay waste to your enemies.
Such beings almost always make a flashy entrance, perform equally flashy attacks, then leave until the next time they're summoned. There were naturally some variations to it: Sometimes the summons were weaker than the summoner and acted more as cannon fodder than anything else. But the idea of a big, powerful and flashy summons was always a beloved classic, and that had given me an idea just a day or two ago.
What if I was that big, powerful and flashy summons? And thus, the 'spell' [Summon Hevnokren] was made!
"O' Mighty Hevnokren!" An insectoid Sakaarian raider with a Hevnokrenite Amulet chittered- bowing its head low to the ground, "We, your proud Chosen, have summoned thee to this great battlefield. Thy enemies have been gathered in great number for thee to bring to ruin!"
"I can see that."
Entire battalions of the Nova Corps seemed to have been gathered to this battlefield. Armoured Divisions with their heavy tanks rolled on their treads across green pastures, infantry divisions swarmed the ruins of the city, and their air wings- armed to the teeth with bombs and missiles- darted overhead in the blue sky. But against a dragon so massive that their largest tanks were like toys on its gargantuan metal palm? Razor-sharp claws as large as columns? Even they knew that their combined arms wasn't going to be enough.
"It's the dragon Hevnokren!" My enhanced hearing heard them cry out in fear, followed by the desperate shout of "O-OPEN FIRE!"
A furious lightshow of superheated yellow beams exploded from the Nova Empire energy weapons that ranged from shoulder-carried rifles all the way to the cannons mounted on tanks. A single beam would have melted concrete and steel into slag with a single hit, and there were thousands currently scorching the air… and I merely laughed them all off. My personal armour of Hevnokrenite could withstand Klee's Super Jumpy Dumpty nukes at ground zero, what more can my metre-thick dragonhide of Hevnokrenite?
"A fine welcome for me! Let me return the greeting in kind!"
"FO KRAH DIIN!"
(Frost, Cold, Freeze)
And from my massive draconic maw, a blizzard came forth- colder than what should have been possible with Newtonian physics. Swathes of Nova Empire soldiers froze to death as their blood freezed solid inside their arteries. Their jets fell from the sky like hail as their thrusters clogged with magically-conjured ice. Their tanks skidded to a halt as the brutal chill entombed their crews in solid ice. The warm spring afternoon of the continent we were on went back to deep winter once again with the temperature plunging to the negatives, and the battlefield fell silent as the snow began to fall.
And just like that, the immediate battle was won.
There were still some more fighting to be won however: The supercharged-version of the Skyrim spell [Detect Life] enchanted into my Hevnokrenite Dragon scales told me that there were still enemy companies scattered about the continent. But I'm certain that the Sakaarian groundside raiding parties can handle them though. Just your ordinary mopping up of enemy forces.
It was time to loot and plunder, however...
"My control over my Shouts needs a bit more work."
The war-torn city stretching out in front of me was- despite my best efforts to control the Shout- partially frozen as well. And that included thousands of civilians that we could have been made into profitable slaves. But fortunately, there were always more people to enslave on this planet of about 1.2 billion. However, I'll let the Sakaarian raiding parties handle that. After all, my Summon session only lasts a short amount of time before I go back to Sakaar.
== ] C [ ==
Time remaining off Sakaar before mission failure:
10 HOURS, 31 MINUTES, 57 SECONDS.
== ] C [ ==
Three minutes.
I will only operate off Sakaar three minutes for each planet, and only when I was truly needed. But that had an unintended side-effect where somehow…
"O' Dragon God of Conquest!" My insectoid Sakaarian 'summoner' shouted in deference as he bowed so low that his chitinous forehead sank into the fresh white snow, "Glory to thy bride of invention, Johanna! Blessed be thy child of detonation, Klee! We thank thee from the bottom of our squeedlyspooches for answering this lowly ones' prayers. Praise Hevnokren, Dragon God of Sakaar!"
… the Sakaarians had interpreted my handing out amulets as me wanting to start my own cult. And I'll be honest, even I was kind of weirded out by it.
The worship was fine, but the strange titles for Johanna and Klee that the Sakaarians had thought up all on their own were remarkably odd. I've even seen little idols of my dragon form, Johanna and Klee circulating around Sakaar and being worshipped by the masses- it was odd all around. Regardless, he summoned me. I answered his call. And I have judged that it was actually a very effective use of my time, so…
"That was a worthy summon. You have earned a silver of my favour…"
I channelled the tiniest fraction of my power into the Sakaarian- magically enhancing his body and mind to make him a faster, stronger and smarter (subjectively) bugman. Now, even without the Hevnokrenite Amulet, he would be faster, stronger and tougher than a normal Sakaarian. A fitting reward to encourage effective raiding and pillaging amongst the troops. And his fellow raiders could only look on in awe as the summoner glowed the colours of the Infinity Stones before coming out slightly taller and slightly more muscular.
"PRAISE THE DRAGON GOD!" he chittered- raising his spindly insectoid limbs high in the air, "I am blessed in Might and in Right!"
There were about a few thousand or so Sakaarian raiders currently in attendance. And it came as a surprise to me at how many of them shared the summoner's sentiments- a good thousand raiders immediately prostrated themselves into the snow before me. And the other few thousand raiders- upon seeing that other people were doing it- decided to err on the side of caution and fell to their knees as well. Their shouts of exultation echoing through the battlefield.
"Praise the Dragon God!" "Might makes Right!" "All Praise Hevnokren!" "Praise the Bride of Invention and the Child of Detonation!" "Hail Johanna! Hail Klee! Hail HYDRA!" "We are right in our might!"
My cult was growing fast, and I had mixed feelings about being the object of worship like that. But I was a ruler who allowed freedom of religion- mainly because people will have to pay me handsomely to care about what they thought. The fact that it only positively impacted my war goals only made not giving a damn that much easier.
"Yes, yes. Praise me, but only after you salvage as many of these frozen tanks as we can still use them. Thaw those tanks out, upgrade them until they're glowing with the reassuring blue glows of Tesseract-Energy blaster cannons and shields, and turn them against their former owners. I do not want us to be outgunned everytime we hit a hardened ground target."
"It will be done immediately, O' Dragon God!" the Sakaarian summoner immediately replied- still not raising his head from the snow.
"Well, at least we're getting military hardware for our troubles. Otherwise, this planet would not have been my first choice at raiding targets."
The Kree Empire won the latest bid for Sakaar's… services. They gave us three whole cruisers in exchange for us attacking this lonely blue and green Nova Empire planet of C-207. The considerable defensive fleet that protected the planet was easily smashed aside by the Tesseract-Energy technology that my fleet was equipped with.
However, the Kree Empire neglected to mention that this was a training planet for the Nova Empire's groundside forces: heavy tanks, artillery, elite special forces, airforces. It was 'the full enchilada' as they say. And the groundside raiding parties were having their rears handed to them on a silver platter…. At least, until I was summoned just now and turned all our enemies into popsicles. And with the main bulk of the planet's defence forces out of the way…
"Now carry on with raiding operations. As for me, it is time to do the standard procedure of finding the local planetary governor's female family members and raping them in front of him. Payback for putting up a fight instead of rolling over and surrendering all they have to my fleet."
Casting the supercharged Skyrim spell [Clairvoyance], it projected sets of mental images straight into my mind. Crystal clear images of landmarks and directions rushed through my mind before stopping at the frightened face of a fair-skinned fat man cowering with his family in a reinforced bunker. The bunker itself was half the continent away. However, it was a good thing then that I had the power of the Space Stone running through my very soul- it saves on the commute.
"Get over here!"
And just like that, space warped itself to pluck the frightened family from their reinforced bunker and deposited them right in front of me in the snow. The fat planetary governor stumbled face first onto the snow, but his female family members were a lot more graceful. Four of them, three girls in their late teens/early twenties and one that should be around her mid 30s. They all had the neon pink skin that was distinct to the Krylorian race, and bright pink pupils that went wide the moment that saw they were no longer in their safe bunker.
"P-please, Lord Hevnokren, spare them!" The rotund planetary governor pleaded as he stepped between me and his family- his massive beer belly straining against his teal Nova Empire uniform, "It was me who organised the resistance against your fleet, not them!"
"Well, that is surprising. You looked like the sort of man who would have cowered as I claimed your daughters. But I see that you're not as spineless as you looked. That backbone of yours may just prove useful to me, round mortal."
"What are you going to do with us?" he dejectedly responded- smart enough to realise that he couldn't stop me.
"For now, you and your family will enjoy relative safety in one of my cells on Sakaar. Be grateful that is all that I'll do... for now."
And with but a flex of will, the not-so-happy family was teleported in a flash of the Space Stone's energies to said cell underneath the Grandmaster's Tower. With one last glance to my ground forces, I teleported back to my Sakaar to nurse my growing headache.
[Roof deck of the Grandmaster's Tower, Sakaar]
A taste of godhood. Or perhaps, 'Suffering from Success.' That was what I was experiencing at the moment.
People imagine a lot of things when they think of Godhood. Some imagine omnipotent gods- creating worlds out of nothing, breathing life out of nothing, and returning the previous two back into nothing. Others imagine omniscient gods- knowing and controlling the destiny of the entire universe, subtly guiding it into whatever fate they please. Others still imagine omnipresent gods- the type of god who listened to your every prayer and thought, performing miracles every so often, a god that the faithful could take comfort in knowing was always there for them. But to my incredulous and never ending surprise… I was on track to become the last type of god.
And it was incredibly annoying!
It was mainly due to the inane and absolutely eye-rolling prayers and thoughts that I was receiving. Something that my metal Hevnokrenite made it all possible: From hearing the wearer's thoughts, to channelling power to them- enchanting them to be faster, tougher, stronger or be able to blast ice from their hands and whatnot. It was a considerable upgrade to my growing fleet.
So of course, in my eagerness, I distributed Hevnokrenite Amulets to the most deserving Sakaarian raiders. Mostly captains of whole ships, but sometimes, there would be a lone-wolf type that would be very capable at what they do. Naturally, all of my waifus also had Hevnokrenite in one form or another. And in every last one of them, I could hear most of their thoughts.
Thus, here I was: Driven to roll my eyes almost every second by the hundreds of prayers I received over vapid mortal concerns.
This Sakaarian Raider was praying for a bigger penis. This Sakaarian raider was hoping for a strong Xandarian man who she could lay her eggs inside of. Another Sakaarian raider was hoping that he would be able to find a good pair of socks for his mother's birthday. Fischl's train of thought was a jumbled chuuni hellscape with the most coherent thought about her being a 'Cursed sentinel-eternal of Sakaarian Twilight Realm.' Jean was strongly fantasizing about me stopping by and roughly 'raping' her right on her work desk. Klee was carpet bombing a Nova Empire city at the moment and feeling a bit numb. This billionaire playboy on earth was thinking of ways to monetize Angela's technology. And blah, blah, blah.
I also noticed that I was feeding off their faith slightly. But compared to the Infinity Stones that I had in my possession, the power that I received from that faith was negligible to the extreme.
Yes, I can channel immense power to the Hevnokrenite amulets from anywhere in the universe- empowering the wearer with immense strength and endurance that would have given the Hulk a challenge, however, I was still a warlord. Sitting on my rear as I materialised pallet after pallet of Vibranium for my constantly expanding Sakaarian Fleet was not what I started my universal conquest for. I craved to rape, kill and pillage as well. So, when I distributed those enchanted Hevnokrenite amulets to Sakaarian captains that have proven themselves in battle, I told them that the Hevnokrenite amulets had the spell [Summon Hevnokren] enchanted into them.
'Just grip the Hevnokrenite Amulet and pray to me.' I had instructed them. My only condition to them was that it was only to be used when the fighting was most desperate- when I could both turn the tide of the battle and also enjoy the slaughter the most.
And it has been working well.
So far, I've only been summoned for an inane reason once: Some fool pleaded for me to save their terminally ill offworld lover, and I had immediately cured them both of stupid by incinerating them where they stood.
Now if only people would stop thinking so loudly with pointless random thoughts too, that would be well appreciated. It wasn't that my mind was being overloaded with psychic input, no. My mind could keep up with the unending inflow of strong thoughts and prayers thanks to the Company Perk [Psychic Talent] which I had bought early on.
It was just that I already didn't give a damn what other people thought, so why should I start now? Besides, I'll handle researching ways to exploit this psychic connection later. I had better things to do in the meantime like starting a universal war for the Dragon Balls.
"Topaz."
"Yes, Lord Hevnokren!?" The big-boned former assistant to the Grandmaster saluted as she came running onto the roof deck, and I held back a sigh of disappointment.
I really needed waifus with administrative experience to keep Sakaar running. While Sylvie 'The Glorious High Queen of Asgard' was busy putting the Nine Realms in line, I had no one to oversee general day-to-day operations here on Sakaar. I should see if any of the Genshin Impact waifus can be delegated to the task while I was off raping, killing and pillaging around the galaxy.
Or alternatively, I should look for ways to eliminate the need for waifus altogether. Projects for later. The enemies in the immediate area need to be dealt with.
"Assemble the next batch of worthy recipients for my Hevnokrenite Amulets within the hour. But add two names to the list: 'Moraga' and 'Bulane.'"
"Right away, Grandmaster!" she saluted once again before marching off to the elevator.
Of course, shuffle the last syllable of their names and it's evident that 'Moraga' is 'Gamora', and 'Bulane' is 'Nebula.'
'Moraga' and 'Bulane.' Their cover story was that they were two adoptive sisters turned mercenaries who joined the Sakaarian Fleet just recently. They had arrived just a few hours after Gamora and Nebula evaded capture by the Favonius Knights. What a coincidence. I wasn't even mad that these two were here, because it took serious guts to come back and try to infiltrate Sakaar again right after having their cover blown the first time around.
The fact they tried again to infiltrate meant that they didn't know that I had the Magic of Divination on my side, otherwise they would have known how futile the effort was. I had a dedicated Hevnokrenite scale on my Dragon form that was enchanted with a permanent [Clairvoyance] spell pointed at capturable waifus/husbandos. I practically knew where every named character in the MCU was. At least, those who weren't protecting themselves with magic like the Ancient One from Doctor Strange, or those who were in alternate timelines/dimensions/planes of existence.
But Gamora and Nebula being on Sakaar was perfect, because now I get to lead their daddy dearest to his doom.
(An hour later)
The Grandmaster's Tower had undergone a comprehensive reconstruction.
When I arrived, it was just like any other skyscraper- a thin, blocky tower made from the scavenged hulls of a thousand fallen starships, and decorated with the faces of past arena champions. An iconic landmark for the planet, the tower was an enduring symbol that the Grandmaster ruled over this pitiful world.
But not anymore.
After several expansions using the energies that I had absorbed from Reality and Space Stones, the tower stood as wide as any of earth's largest football stadiums, and taller than any of its skyscrapers. Its foundations pierced so deep into the ground that the planet itself would have to break before this tower would topple. All in all, it was a monolithic structure of metal that would serve as a constant reminder to the denizens of Sakaar as to who ruled the planet through sheer might.
The Dragon's Tower, the Sakaarians have taken to calling it.
But apart from the auspicious name though, it was currently devoid of purpose aside from being a glorified perch for my increasingly large dragon form, and the occasional convention centre. But I had big plans for this tower, it would be the cornerstone that would realise my goals for the Dread Armada. The deaths of some of my key waifus had shown just how dependent I had become on my waifus to project power. How dependent my progress with research into the magical sciences hinged on minds that were not mine. And being dependent on other people like some mortal weakling was wholly unacceptable for me.
However…
== ] C [ ==
COMPANY MISSION
Mission Title: Under Draconic Rule
Scope: Standard-Level
Objective: Rule Sakaar for 10 years.
[?] Sub-Objective #1: Kill the Grandmaster and wrest Control of Sakaar from him
Sub-Objective #2: Triple the population and economic production of Sakaar within the next 5 years.
Sub-Objective #3: ?
Condition: You cannot leave Sakaar for more than 72 hours each month.
[?] Sub Reward #1: 40 Credits
Sub Reward #2: 200 Credits
Sub Reward #3: ?
Mission Reward: 1 T11 Ticket
== ] C [ ==
If this distraction with my homemade Dragon Balls goes well enough, I will achieve complete godhood long, long before the 10 years are up, and then, I will have no need to depend on waifus as extensions of my power.
Just as I had originally intended.
I stepped into the spacious atrium at the ground floor of the tower for one more grand lie. The atrium was devoid of any furnishings: just a wide open empty space with tiled titanium-alloy floor, tiled titanium-alloy walls and titanium-alloy metal ceilings. There was nowhere to hide, and it made my audience of the few hundred Sakaarian raiders fidgety as they stood at attention- giving me distrustful looks as they kept their weapons in arms' reach. They probably expected Hevnokren himself to greet them- a giant of dragonbone and wrath. But instead, they were greeted by this delicate-looking girl.
"Thank you for coming, everyone!" I cheered with a charming smile to my audience as I struck a girly pose in my Barbara form. Soft blonde hair cascading past my feminine shoulders, cheery steel-blue eyes glossing over each of my audience, a frilly frock dress of white and blue and gold resting on my slender and very feminine frame, perfect white stockings clinging to flawless long legs and a soft lyrical voice.
Here I was once again- wearing the innocent face of a gentle-hearted young woman. And I had to hold back a bloodthirsty grin of anticipation as the time came to make weaklings fight amongst themselves over pretty lies told by a pretty face all over again.
"All of you have likely heard rumours about why Hevnokren has called you here." my cheery feminine voice echoed across the atrium, "But only one of them is true. Regardless of what anyone else thinks, each of you is here because you have distinguished yourselves in the previous raids, and by our Dragon God's command, you are to be granted a token of his favour."
With a flex of will, a metal crate appeared beside where I stood- provoking a few of the jumpier raiders to raise their Tesseract-Energy Lugers. Barely refraining from rolling my eyes at their pea-shooters, my dainty hands popped the metal lid off the crate and lifted a fistful of Hevnokrenite Amulets. And everyone immediately lowered their weapons to stare at what I had.
"Yes… you recognise these being worn by some of the more veteran raiders, don't you?" I smiled sweetly, "Wear them, and they will make you stronger, faster, tougher and perhaps smarter. It doesn't matter if you believe these amulets to be some source of advanced nanotechnology, cosmic radiation, or even magic; they will work regardless. Hevnokren has also commanded me to relay to you all this message: 'Do what you will with the power you gain from them, but remember that Might makes Right.' "
There were murmurs and whispers. Of course there would be, that was par for course. In a dog-eat-dog world that was Sakaar, deception was but one of the many ways to gain power. If it was the bone-armoured giant Hevnokren saying these things, they would not be doubting as much. But instead, they had innocent 'Barbara' relaying the message.
"Of course, feel free to decline." my- Barbara's- voice coolly advised, "There are no consequences to declining… apart from realising how much harder it is to keep a competitive edge when all your rivals and peers have grown so much stronger, faster and tougher overnight."
And that immediately had them hurriedly stepping up to claim their own Hevnokrenite Amulets, and I smiled as I gave them out one by one. Eventually, a pair of neon pink-skinned women in their raiding leathers stepped up to accept their Amulets. 'Moraga' and 'Bulane.' Or, more accurately, Gamora and Nebula in disguise.
"This had better work." 'Moraga' grunted as she slipped the amulet on while handing another amulet to her sister 'Bulane.'
"The veterans have had no complaints about these amulets as you can no doubt feel for yourself." I reassured them with a soft smile- meeting her eyes with my own steel-blue ones, "These are made by Hevnokren himself!"
And immediately after they put it on, the daughters of Thanos visibly shivered as they felt the power of the Hevnokrenite Amulet flow through their bones. And I began hearing their thoughts- mostly about how lucky they were to have gotten a second chance at infiltrating Sakaar and how they have been successful in acquiring one of these infamous Amulets. And that suited my deception just fine. Let them think that they have successfully infiltrated the ranks of my trusted elites who wore my Hevnokrenite Amulets.
"This will be… adequate." Nebula in disguise hummed as she grasped her Hevnokrenite Amulet, and Gamora nodded with her before they both walked off- still a bit taken aback by how much power that little amulet of Hevnokrenite granted them. And I merely flashed a bright smile as I continued handing out Amulets to the rest of the Raiders.
It didn't take much time afterwards for me to finish the task. And as I cheerily waved off at the last Sakaarian raider, I heard Gamora and Nebula talking through their amulets.
"None of Hevnokren's women had presented significant leads to the location of the Infinity Stones." Nebula subtly whispered to Gamora from their vantage point at a nearby restaurant. "But we have never seen this one before."
"She's definitely one of Hevnokren's though." Gamora whispered back- no doubt eyeing me through the window, "She dresses as weird as the rest of them. That, and Hevnokren trusted her enough to distribute these amulets to his favoured raiders- wait, she's on the move!"
And I merely acted the part of the cheerful waifu as I hummed and made my way to a nearby upscale bakery while on foot. The immediate surroundings of the Dragon's Tower was more upscale than the rest of Sakaar as it had a lot of the cartel HQs in the vicinity. And wherever rich people played, expensive businesses popped up. There was still violence and murder on the streets, but it definitely had a more… formal air to it.
Gracefully slipping through the crowds of people, I entered the bakery with the two daddy's girls observing me from the bar just across the street. Sitting down at the private function room in the corner of the bakery, I ordered myself a sweetroll as I listened in on the two sisters.
"Can't be anyone else aside from one of Hevnokren's women." I heard Nebula whisper to sister as she and Gamora watched me sit down to eat sweetroll, "This shithole planet has more cutthroats, junkies and opportunistic slavers than the rest of galaxy combined… and she's walking around like she's on a shopping trip on Xandar. Wait, she's receiving a transmission."
Showtime. It was then that I 'received a call' from 'Hevnokren.' The Hevnokrenite magic-comms bracelet on my wrist projected a life-sized hard-light model of my normal Dovahkiin form.
"It's a hard-light transmission from Hevnokren!" I heard Gamora whisper with laser-focus. And I had to push down my urge to laugh at how gullible they were. Gamora and Nebula didn't know that the Hevnokren they were seeing was just a holographic recording that I was passing off as a live call. Just as I had rehearsed
"Good afternoon, Hev." My soft lyrical voice greeted the hard-light hologram. "Let me finish my brunch and I'll head straight to the tower."
Clad in the dragonplate armour that everyone on Sakaar recognized, the Hevnokren in the recording looked down at me with those blood-red eyes peering through the eyes slits of that bony Dragonplate helmet. And it was then that I understood first hand how intimidating I looked to everyone else.
Hevnokren, a seven-foot-tall (210 cm) obelisk of invulnerable dragonbone armour, bulging muscles, dangerous magicks and rape stood over my dainty five-and-a-half-foot-tall (165~ cm) frame. It was made worse by how I knew what level of brutality that form was capable of. And for all intents and purposes, Hevnokren was here- looming over my small feminine body. And I had to say, it was suitably intimidating. Because if there truly was anyone to fear in this universe, it would be myself.
"This cannot wait." his deep voice intoned like boulders crumbling- rattling me down to the bones. "I need some specific items to be found and retrieved, Barbara."
"Whatever you wish, I'll do my best to acquire them, Hev." I replied- sitting up a bit straighter at attention. The Hevnokren-hologram nodded before his large bone-gauntled hands pulled up a holographic screen. And on its display was a shiny metal ball just slightly smaller than a lemon with seven stars embossed on one face.
"I need you to find this." He gestured to the ball. "There are seven... Seven pieces of a wish-granting artefact which I suspect to be Celestial in origin."
Celestials: God-like beings the size of planets in the MCU that created stars and livable planets. They briefly appeared in the Marvel movie 'The Eternals.' And they were suitably overpowered and famous enough that the locals here in the MCU would easily buy the lie that they were the ones who created the Dragon Balls.
"But aren't the Celestials extinct?" my soft voice debated back.
"That is irrelevant." Hevnokren immediately rebutted, "Extinct or not, their fully-functioning toys remain."
All lies, of course. I made the Dragon Balls, the Celestials aren't extinct, and they had nothing to do with the Dragon Balls. But Nebula's dramatic whisper of 'Celestials!' told me that the two were slurping up my lies as eagerly as sluts did for my semen. Lying to people will never stopped being amusing, especially when they're ijust begging for someone to tell them the lies they want to hear.
"But surely they won't be needed when you have three Infinity Stones?" I offered again- ignoring the sharp intake of breath from the two Daughters of Thanos as it was 'revealed' that Hev possessed half of all the Infinity Stones already.
"I suspect these… Dragon Balls have power comparable to the Infinity Stones." He growled in annoyance- his large hands creaking into fists, "Enough power for one or two universe-changing wishes."
Acting out my 'shock and panic', my steel-blue eyes widened at the implication, and I licked my suddenly dry lips.
"Can… can people just wish for all six Infinity Stones to be transported straight to them?" I whispered lowly- knowing that Gamora and Nebula can still hear me though. And I can hear them hold their breath as they awaited the answer they have been hoping for. The gullible morons.
"If these Dragon Balls can do that…" Hevnokren's deep voice mused in consideration, "We can't take the risk of them falling into anyone else's hands."
I scowled as I nodded in silent agreement. That would have been frighteningly and completely BS to have all those hard-earned Infinity Stones suddenly whisked away because someone else collected seven other items… if it weren't all complete lies, of course.
"So, find these seven Dragon Balls." He commanded as he stepped closer- forcing me to crane my head upwards as his armoured form loomed over me, "But do it discreetly and do it now, Barbara."
"I-!" my soft feminine voice stammered out, "I won't fail you, Hev!"
"See to it that you don't." His deep voice rumbled with just a hint of a threat. A bone-plated gauntlet rose up to lift my chin towards him- making me meet his blood red eyes that were filled with promises of such brutality. "You do not want to know what I'll do to you if you fail, Barbara…"
And as his dragonbone-gauntleted hand gripped the neckline of my white frock dress, I tensed up every muscle in my body and held my breath in my throat- playing the part of the frightened girl under Hevnokren's command who he was threatening to assault and rape.
"So I'll expect a report on your progress soon, Barbara. And I will allow no excuses." Hevnokren finished abruptly- letting go of my frock before he flickered out of existence.
I placed my hand over my chest- trying to calm down the 'frantic beating' of my heart. And I held back a victorious grin at how my performance had sold the lie well enough to fool Gamora and Nebula. I could hear their thoughts through the Hevnokrenite Amulets that they wore. But the ongoing conversation between them was even more hilarious.
"To think Celestial Artefacts like that would still exist… I have to relay this to Father!" I heard Gamora mutter to herself.
And with my 'still nervously shaking' hands, I helped myself to another slice of my glazed sweet roll to calm myself down from bursting out in laughter. The Daughters of Thanos gobbled up all that bullcrap about Celestial artefacts and the power of the Dragon Balls. And now, they were going to go back to Thanos and feed him the same amusing lies. I know that this was my goal from the start, but this was just comedy gold! They were just so desperate for useful information that they'd pounce on the very first scrap that they saw!
"What do you mean 'I have to relay this to Father'?!" Nebula growled back at her sister in a low, hostile tone. "You're not going to steal all the recognition, sister!"
"One of us has to keep an eye on this 'Barbara.'" Gamora tartly responded, but her sister apparently wasn't buying her excuse.
"If you're so selflessly dutiful…" Nebula mocked, "Why don't you stay here and I'll report to Father?"
The pregnant pause between the two told me that Gamora was caught on her bluff. That and their thoughts were all about outdoing the other. The rivalry between the two sisters on who can suck up to their daddy better was occupying a lot of their thought process. I had to keep from rolling my eyes: Daddy Issues incarnate these two were.
"Now is not the time for this… but fine." Gamora conceded the point with a sigh, "We'll make the report together, then we'll tail Barbara. Father should know about this wish-granting 'Dragon Balls' as soon as possible."
And just like that, Gamora and Nebula left, leaving me to enjoy my sweetroll in peace without them staring at me. I felt their Hevnokren Amulets rapidly move in the direction of the docking bays- likely to use their ships' comms to discreetly contact Thanos.
Just as I wanted them to do.
That's it, Gamora and Nebula. Run back to daddy Thanos. Tell him all about the Dragon's Balls. Distract the purple titan with shiny baubles and make him focus his attention away from Sakaar. Away from what I was really planning. Let him tear through the galaxies looking for the Dragon Balls. Let him distract everyone until it's far too late to stop me. Because the wheels were now in motion now, and all I needed to do was to keep them rolling until this whole universe drove itself straight off a cliff.
With a single step, my Barbara form teleported to the top of the Dragon's Tower where my massive stadium-sized dragon form stood watch over Sakaar.
"Let's see how much of a fight 'Earth's mightiest heroes' can put up against me when their greatest source of power is none other than… me." I murmured while wearing a grin of anticipation for the impending murderous free-for-fall. "These hordes of weaklings will fight amongst themselves and keep themselves from distracting my work. Meanwhile, I'll be busy battling against the only power in this universe that could rival the Infinity Stones. And when I emerge victorious, I'll be violently claiming their power as my own, then… truly nothing in this universe will be able to stop me."
My Barbara form gave a oh so gracious smile as she extended her arms wide open to the horizon.
"So, where are you now, O' prospective bearers of my Dragon Balls?" I whispered, "Go forth, and prove yourselves worthy of all seven. But remember…"
"Might makes Right."
[A prison cell underneath the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf, Asgard]
"Curious little thing, aren't you?" Loki Laufeyson muttered to the lustrous metal orb in his hand as he lay on his cot.
He gave it a little toss into the air before catching it.
"One night, you are not. And the next morning, here you are." He mused with a slight smile, "Oh, if only pretty things snuck into bed with me all the time in prison. Perhaps my stay here would be more enjoyable."
He wasn't sure what it was to be honest.
It wasn't part of his cell's furnishings, of that he was certain. He already had every bump in his cot, every flaw on his table's woodworking, every pattern on his ceiling memorised. And he certainly would have remembered this lustrous metal orb if it was in his cell from the beginning. Nor was it some odd device- it had no seams on its structure to signify that it was anything but an orb made of solid metal. There was nothing on the orb apart from the trio of stars embossed on its side.
He was absolutely starved for mental stimuli, and this metal orb was the most that he had received in the past day or so since he was deposed by that brute of a warlord from Sakaar. And Loki didn't know where his plans had gone wrong. All he had done was invite the warlord to a feast as they observed the destruction of Jotunheim via the power of the Bifrost.
"How was I supposed to know that the brute would take it as a threat?" He complained to the orb, "… well, it had been a threat. A subtle one, at least. A reminder that Sakaar may have had its great fleet, but Asgard had its Bifrost. A military alliance between Sakaar and Asgard was all but assured then. At least, an alliance where I would have been able to twist the big oaf into doing my bidding. But it was an alliance nonetheless!"
However, it was all for naught now. From the scant little gossip that he had heard from the guards, decrepit old Odin had already woken from his Odinsleep.
"Yes… good for him." He murmured to himself just before he heard the sounds of footsteps that he was all too familiar with.
He immediately went to channel magic onto the orb to make it disappear from view. Just paltry tricks that any beginner illusionist could do, but none as skillfully as he did. So, imagine his shock when the orb refused to disappear. That made him sit up from his cot- his wavy raven black hair bouncing down his shoulders as he eyed the orb as the footsteps grew louder.
Left with no other choice, he simply stuffed the lemon-sized metal orb under his pillow- just a scant second before his mothe- his adoptive mother walked into view still in her usual periwinkle blue dress..
"Loki…" She smiled sadly at him, and he had to push down the spark of irritation from her pity.
"Seeing as you're here, I take it Odin has recovered." He groused at her.
"Yes, he has. And your… sister has taken the throne." She responded, and Loki sucked in a breath through his teeth in annoyance. Governess Sylvie… He actually enjoyed her company. The constant back and forth of witty retorts like duelers with their swords. She possessed a cunning mind that he considered to have been the only one to ever have come close to his league. To think she was one of Odin's spawns too… Loki loathed every last one of them. But he couldn't deny the slightest twinge of regret over it for her.
"She's not my sister, and Odin is not my father." He ground out- hardening his heart.
"Oh, Loki…" Frigga sighed, "She's more closely related to you than you realise."
And his head whipped back to look at her incredulously. A hundred possibilities went through his mind. Was she also a frost giant? His actual sister by way of Laufey? Actual family? But no, he wouldn't give Frigga the satisfaction of seeing him interested by what she said to him. She had lied to him for far too long already. They all had. He would not humour Frigga. So, he pushed it all down: His anger at being lied to, his sorrow at being betrayed, and his hope… that he had an actual family that he knew of.
"Why are you here?" He evaded the topic, and Frigga simply stepped forward- closer to the golden energy field that separated them.
"Is it not enough for a mother to see her son?" She smiled a bittersweet smile, and all that self-control vanished as those words pushed Loki off the edge of his patience. How dare she?!
"I AM NOT YOUR SON!" He bellowed to her- striking the golden energy field with his fist. "I was never your son. How could I have been that when Odin never gave me the chance?! When Thor was granted everything while I was granted nothing but scraps!?"
And Frigga once again just looked at him with those blue eyes filled with pity and sorrow.
"We gave you our love, Loki." she whispered in that tone she used when he was but a child- the same tone when she instructed him on how to harness the magical talent within him for the first time, "Is that not enough to prove that we consider you our son?"
And for some reason, Loki felt like he had nothing to say. He was unable to do anything but look away. Anywhere but the eyes of the woman who had taught him, and raised him.
"In another place, in another time… you would have known that as well." she whispered mournfully- sounding like she was on the verge of tears, "And my only regret will always be not that we decided to take you in as our own… but that we did not reveal your heritage sooner. Sylvie is proof of that wisdom."
And at those words, Loki immediately turned his questioning gaze back onto her.
"What do you mean by that?" he prompted- confused at how his- No, Thor's sister fit into all this.
"I believe we have already spoken enough for today… however I will return." Frigga sighed- placing her hand on the golden energy field that kept him prisoner and meeting his eyes with her own blue ones, "And I bear the hope that one day, Loki, you will realise just how much you mean to me. To us both."
And with those last words, she turned and began walking off. But Loki wasn't done with her.
"No! Answer me!" He shouted his command at her retreating back- his fist pounding at the energy field, "How is Sylvie involved in this matter?! Tell me!"
But no answer was forthcoming even as her footsteps disappeared into the distance, and he was once again left in his cell with nothing but questions heaped upon questions weighing on his mind. All alone.
"Well, almost all alone." Loki sighed as he took out the metal orb from underneath his pillow, holding it up to see his reflection on it. This magically resistant little ball of metal was his only company… Then his thoughts came to a screeching halt. And like a clear ring of a bell, an idea slipped into his mind.
A magically resistant metal orb! His rich blue eyes moved their gaze from the orb and to the golden energy field of magic that kept him prisoner.
But no.
He wasn't about to use this orb to disable the energy field. Not yet at least. He wasn't even certain who slipped this ball to him, or what he'll do if he even escapes his cell. Squeezing the metal orb, he attempted once again to shroud it from sight. Pursing his lips in concentration, he channelled his magic from his hand and onto the ball- wanting to see if there was a limit to how much magic this ball could sustain before…
Power
Power like nothing Loki had ever felt before exploded from the orb- it was like roots of pure magical energy were burrowing under his skin and spreading through his veins. Every muscle in his body burned like they were being set alight with undeniable strength. His magical might roared in triumph as it felt like it had been given a grand bounty to feast on- each errant twitch of his own magic felt so powerful that his body would burst before it could contain it.
Then Loki saw it. No… he felt it.
It felt like he could conjure illusions so powerful and so convincing that it would fool reality itself. Might. It felt like he could claim his rightful birthright as High King of the Nine Realms. To finally step out of the shadow of his 'brother' Thor. Makes. To lead Asgard into an era of prosperity greater than any king before him have ever considered in their loftiest dreams. He felt like he didn't need to make 'father' proud anymore. Right. It felt like he could lift Mjolnir, but he would have refused its power. He no longer wished to tread the same ground that others had.
No… it was time for Loki Laufeyson to forge his own path- his own glory. And just as he floated down from the rush of power, Loki saw that there were seven other orbs such as the one he held. He could feel them as if the orb was pointing him to them. Midgard. He needed to go to 'Earth' as the mortals call their planet and claim the other six orbs.
Just like that, his path was revealed to him as if the Bifrost had illuminated it. And as he sat back down on his cot and gripped the orb tight in his fist, Loki smiled- trying to control the jitters of excitement as the many, many possible schemes flowed in his mind.
"For the first time in my young life, I feel like I have found it: Purpose." He whispered to himself and to the orb with barely controlled anticipation. "Glorious Purpose."
[Wakanda, Africa]
Shuri, Princess of Wakanda and head of their research department was going to scream.
"Gaaarrggghh! You stupid, uncooperative ball!" she screamed at the shiny metal ball that sat on the observation pedestal of her laboratory. "Why won't you let me test you?!"
All around the lab, vibranium tools lay broken and various lab assistants of the Wakandan Design Group were looking clueless.
After all, it was not every day that a mysterious metal ball appeared on her brother's bedside table. No sign of forced entry and no alarms were tripped. It was like the metal ball had appeared there out of thin air… And that had her parents worried sick over that. They had this wild theory that it was a message from an assassin- as if to say that they could be strike where they slept. Patently absurd in Shuri's opinion. And that was on top of everyone else' wild theories of what that ball could be! Ranging from a very sturdy bomb, to new type of sentient Vibranium, and perhaps a sign from the panther goddess herself.
But, speculation aside, who can say what it actually was though? Certainly not her, because the ball refused to yield its secrets even to the best and brightest minds Wakanda had to offer. And all she could do was glower at it like it owes her money.
"Careful, sister." Her ever-wise brother T'Challa chided her as he strolled into her lab, "Remember what mother always says: If you make that angry face too often, it will stay that way."
Shuri rolled her eyes.
"Go practice being the oh-so-wise Prince of Wakanda somewhere else, brother." She grunted- straightening out her white lab dress. "And shouldn't you be worried about how this ball somehow got into your room?"
"I believe it is a sign from Bast." He smiled in return as he picked up the metal ball- just slightly smaller than a lemon- in his bare hand. The pair of stars embossed on its surface gleamed under the light as T'Challa tossed it slightly into the air before catching it, "Why would I be worried?"
That confident 'I am the great Prince of Wakanda' smile that he was shooting at her made her want to puke. And Shuri had to wonder how many hours he had spent just practising that smile in the mirror every day. It was like her brother was more concerned with looks than she was!
"Even if it is… what kind of sign would it be?" Shuri rolled her eyes before looking at T'Challa with a teasing grin, "Maybe it is a sign from Bast: a sign that my brother needs to lose weight or else he'll become round like that ball?"
"Very funny." He replied with a deadpan before sighing, "Seriously, Shuri… I believe this ball was sent by Bast herself."
Shuri watched as T'Challa stared into his reflection on the metal orb- a look of deep contemplation on his bearded face.
"This metal…" he muttered with his voice heavy with worry, "...it is impervious even to our most tempered Vibranium to scratch. And it was placed by my bedside table. Me! Heir to the Golden Tribe and future King of Wakanda. Could this metal hold the secrets to the next step to our Vibranium technology? Is this a new age for Wakanda? And has Bast entrusted me with being the herald to that new age?"
And Shuri could not help but shake her head.
"Brother…" She muttered softly. "There you go again- putting the weight of all Wakanda on your shoulders."
"But it does." T'Challa replied- squeezing his fist around the ball, "Because one day, I will be king. I must live up to the expectations of the people of Wakanda. The border tribe, the river tribe, the mining tribe, and the merchant tribe… they will all look to me to rule them with a steady hand, sister."
Shuri sighed in exasperation. Why was it that big brothers tend to be so hopeless without their little sisters?
"You are taking being Prince of Wakanda entirely too seriously like you always did." She smiled fondly back at him, "You are like a puppy that way. Always so ready to please our parents and being so sad when you cannot. It is just too bad that you're the farthest thing to being cute as an actual puppy."
"You focus on being Prince of Wakanda, brother." She gave him a quick peck on his beared cheek as she plucked the metal ball from his hand. "Let me figure out what this ball is all about, and when I do, you will be the first person to know."
"Very well, Shuri." He laughed, "I will leave it to you and the Wakandan Design Group's expert hands."
She tossed the ball into the air and caught it- holding it up to the light. The shiny metal ball was just slightly smaller than a lemon- a pair of stars embossed on its otherwise mirror smooth surface. And just by looking at it, she somehow had a feeling that this ball was going to change everything. It was like how the Americans say 'She could feel it in her gut.'
"You and me? We're going to change Wakanda." She muttered to the ball before frowning." So please cooperate."
Power
Power like nothing Shuri had ever felt before flowed from the orb like an unstoppable deluge. Might. it was like her every vein was plugged straight into a power socket. Tendrils of white-hot energy dug their roots into her skull. Makes. Every muscle in her body felt like it was boiling with her blood. She could feel it. The Vibranium. In the broken tools laying around her, lining the walls, lacing her bones and in her very blood. Right. And all she had to do was reach out and… willed the Vibranium to move. And like a choir of several thousand birds, the Vibranium sang to her as it moved as directed.
Then was once again in her now ruined lab, kneeling on the cold floor.
"SHURI!" She heard her brother shout, "Let go of the ball, sister!"
But Shuri was just left speechless at the sight right in front of her. It seemed that she had drawn the Vibranium from the tools and walls to form it- leaving the place a wreck. But it was worth it because of what was made out of the Vibranium: In front of her was a sculpture of the new nanite that she had been designing in her free time.
There, shimmering and gleaming lustrously under the light, was the nanite. A spindly spider-like thing, and it looked much more intimidating when it was as large as a human. It was to be her greatest creation yet. Something to propel Wakanda to heights never before seen. Every aspect of every Wakandan's life was going to be improved by the technology that she developed here in this lab.
This sculpture of her nanite… it was beautiful beyond just how it looked. It was beautiful in its symbolic meaning too. Formed from pure Vibranium- the same metal that had made her home so prosperous, this sculpture was Shuri's hopes and dreams for her home- for Wakanda- made real.
"Br-brother, it- it's- " Shuri gasped- a tear in her eye.
'It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.' She wanted to say. But before she could say that, T'Challa surged forward and snatched the ball from her hand in an attempt to get it away from her. Only to be subjected to the same experience as her.
"AAAAUGGGHHH!" Her brother screamed, hoarse and guttural as he was brought to his knees.
"Brother!" Shuri shouted in concern, but something else caught her eye and now a deep fear speared her through her belly and a horrified whisper slipped from her lips, "No… No, no, no, no!"
The sculpture of her nanite cracked and broke like an ice sculpture. Then it tipped over and shattered into a hundred pieces right before her eyes. The vibranium shattering like glass… just before it moved like a liquid- molded itself into a new sculpture.
Bast, the panther goddess stood proud atop a pedestal, and thousands of tiny people looked up at it in awe and reverence. SHuri could see some of the people wearing the clothes of the River Tribe, the Merchant Tribe, the Mining Tribe, the Border Tribe, and even the Jabari tribe. All of them united underneath the panther goddess.
"It's… it's beautiful." Shuri heard her brother whisper as he stared up at the new sculpture, and a stark realisation hit Shuri as she eyed the new sculpture. Was… was this her brother's dream? Just as the ball formed the Vibranium sculpture of her nanite, it also formed this sculpture of this symbol of unity in Wakanda. It did sound like something he would wish for you.
"My Prince, the ball!" Okoye, her brother's bodyguard, practically shrieked in alarm.
"It is… alright, Okoye." Her brother gasped as he got off from his knees and onto his feet- his dark eyes never once leaving the sculpture that was in front of him. "It is going to be alright."
"Brother…" Shuri hesitated as she walked up beside him to look at his sculpture too, "...Is this what you dream of?"
And T'Challa merely glanced at her with an amused smile like she had told a mildly funny joke.
"A Wakanda united as one under the goddess that has gifted us this land rich with vibranium?" His voice echoed as if he could see it in front of him, "How can it not be my dream, Sister? This ball… it can control Vibranium at a thought. If there was ever any doubt in our parents' hearts that this was a sign from Bast… this discovery will wash them away all uncertainty! We must share this great discovery with all of Wakanda!"
"I know, Brother." Shuri whispered with deep hesitations over this, but T'Challa was still swept up in all the excitement.
"I'll… I'll stay here and help clean up, Brother." She reassured him, but not before her eyes were drawn to jealously stare at the ball in her brother's hand. The little lemon-sized ball with its two stars embossed on its surface held firmly in his grip. And there was the briefest of tense moments when her brother caught her staring and he reflexively moved it away from her.
But thankfully, they both caught themselves. Shuri gave her brother a reassuring smile, and he returned it.
"You go share the news with mother and father." She urged him.
"I will, sister." He said, practically vibrating with excitement as her turned on his heels and glanced over his shoulder and walked off with the ball, "I will not forget to mention that this is all due to your efforts, either."
And just like that, he left her in her lab.
Shuri didn't say anything though. Her eyes were still drawn to the small shattered piece of her own sculpture that still lay on the ground. Leaning down to pick it up, she cradled it in her hand as if it was a bird with a broken wing. Then she glanced back at the sculpture. Her brothers' dream was made from the shattered remains of her own.
"It is going to be alright…" She whispered to herself as she held the piece close to her heart. Hers and her brother's dreams weren't mutually exclusive. They can work together to realise them both. But… he wanted to share it with everyone. There were around five million Wakandans in their home nation, and there was more than enough Vibranium under their feet that they would never have to worry about anyone being left out. There was enough of the precious metal for every single Wakandan to simply take some and make something good out of it.
But that starball? There was only one of its kind.
And Shuri couldn't help but purse her lips at the possibility. But surely- surely- reason will prevail, won't it? They were not like the people in the outside world who fought amongst themselves out of greed and pride over things like oil fields.
They were Wakandans, after all. They were better than that.
[