Chapter 99: Teaching
A/N: Using another bit of the Doctor Strange Prelude as a set piece here~
-x-X-x-
“Bahaha! More wine! And where are those girls I asked for?!”
Jiao’ao Zhanshi sits back on a makeshift throne in the center of a village located within the province of Guizhou, overlooking his Dragon Raiders and smiling contently. It was not he who had just spoken, but rather one of his Lieutenants. But he did not mind. Even if Zhanshi himself was not prone to getting drunk or sinking the attention of women to the point of frivolousness, he would not deny it of his men. After all, today was a day of great victory for them. Today was the day everything changed.
It had started a month ago, when Zhanshi had heard tell of a mystical weapon that, despite seeming primitive compared to the modern firearm, was actually much, much more than that. A bow and arrow said to be capable of great destruction when fired by worthy hands. Of course, he was worthy. He was the leader of the Dragon Raiders, the strongest group of mercenaries in the Guizhou Province!
Some would call them bandits, but those were nothing but weaklings and wimps… as well as sore losers. They were always available to the highest bidder, but it wasn’t their fault that not many could afford their fees. Indeed, the one who’d told Zhanshi about the Bow and Arrow of Apollon was one such man, a merchant who had been caught on the road having not paid for proper protection.
The merchant, in order to save his own skin, had told Zhanshi where to find the Bow of Apollon. Then, he’d told Zhanshi where to find the Arrow as well. That led the leader of the Dragon Raiders to this town. It was a bit of a bigger village than he and his mercenaries would normally visit, but this time the reward was deemed well worth the risk.
And indeed, it had all turned out perfectly in the end. He had acquired the Arrow to use with the Bow and discovered that he now wielded the power of the gods themselves. When he had fired the Bow and Arrow of Apollon for the first time, even Zhanshi had been awestruck by its sheer power, though he’d of course kept his reaction hidden from both the villagers and his own raiders.
The destruction of several homes in their village had caused the people to submit to him and his Dragon Raiders. A village that would one have been too heavily populated and fortified for him and his mercenary band to make demands of had fallen in an instant. With this power, Zhanshi knew that the sky was the limit. With this power, he and his Dragon Raiders could perhaps take control of China itself!
“Hey! Who the fuck are you two, huh? You ain’t look like the girls I asked for!”
Blinking at the raised voice of his drunken lieutenant, Zhanshi looks up from the Bow in his lap, having been stroking it while he contemplated his future as a ruler of millions. He stiffens as his one proper eye narrows at the sight of who his Lieutenant is talking to. Outsiders. Foreigners at that.
They dress like a pair of monks and are even both bald, but it’s obvious one of them is as pale as any white devil, and the other is dark skinned and clearly from the continent of Africa. Tch… tourists.
He’s just decided to let his Lieutenant handle the pair when said Lieutenant steps forward and puts a hand on the black foreigner’s shoulder. In a single instant, almost too fast for anyone to see, Zhanshi’s lieutenant is flipped over the man’s shoulder and slammed onto his back on the ground, taken down damn near instantly in the process.
The village square goes quiet, all of the partying Dragon Raiders suddenly conscious of the enemies in their midst. Zhanshi narrows his one eye and rises from his chair, lifting both the Bow and the Arrow of Apollon in his hands.
“Intruders. You are trespassing on my village. I am Lord here. Apologize for your ill manners and leave.”
There’s a pause before the bald white woman takes a step forward, her hands behind her back and a slight smile on her face.
“Greetings Lord Zhanshi. I am afraid that your subordinate was the one who was truly ill mannered. I am also afraid that we cannot leave… without the Bow and Arrow you hold in your hands.”
A shiver runs down his spine as the leader of the Dragon Raiders clenches his jaw and frowns most severely. She knew his name. The other one was clearly deferring to her, and he was strong enough to take down one of Zhanshi’s Lieutenants without even a real fight. It was possible that she was even stronger.
His instincts scream at him that she’s a threat. But then, he’s far more dangerous now than he was even a day ago. Quick as a whip, he fits the Arrow into the Bow and draws back, pointing his new weapon straight at these strange foreigners. The rest of the Dragon Raiders, having seen what the weapon is capable of, scramble out of the way. But the foreigners don’t so much as flinch.
“I can tell from the way you’re acting that you know what this can do. You should back off and leave before I decide to use it on you.”
The black man looks irritated by that. But the white woman just smiles serenely.
“We cannot. The Bow and Arrow of Apollon do not belong in untrained hands. I am afraid you must relinquish them both into our custody… before you do any more harm.”
She definitely knew way too much. But if she thought that Zhanshi was just going to give up his power, she had another thing coming, that was for sure. With a snarl, he looses the arrow, watching as it turns into half a dozen bolts of energy. Unlike before however, the bolts of energy don’t split off to destroy some random houses across the village.
That’s because Zhanshi has only one target this time… this bitch who thought she could tell him what to do. As the attack hits, he smiles, peering through the dust and waiting to see her and her companion disintegrated like happened with the houses.
… Only, once the dust settles, Zhanshi is shocked to see them unharmed. Instead, the bald woman has one palm out and… seems to have deflected the arrow with a single hand. Zhanshi gawks at this for a moment before gritting his teeth.
“What are you all waiting for? Take them down! It’s only two people, damn it!”
His Dragon Raiders roar in answer to his call, rushing in from all sides. Zhanshi doesn’t know how the woman managed to block his new weapon, but he knows she and her companion can’t possibly take down dozens of battle-hardened, well-armed men… right?
Wrong, as it turns out. The leader of the Dragon Raiders can only watch as the two foreigners tear through his men with nothing but their hands and feet. No one so much as manages to lay a single blow on either of them. It’s over so fast that Zhanshi honestly forgets to breathe for a moment.
Suddenly, the bald white woman is standing in front of him. She holds out her hand, palm up.
“The Bow and Arrow, if you will.”
And Zhanshi… gives them to her, even as the strength leaves his legs and he collapses to his knees in defeat. His new weapon that was going to let him take the world by storm… lost just like that. But more than that, he’d had quite the wake-up call. It reminded him of something his grandfather had said to him a long time ago.
No matter how strong you thought yourself, there was always someone out there ready to prove you weak and powerless before their might.
-x-X-x-
As they settle the Bow and Arrow of Apollon into their new shared resting place within Kamar-Taj, Karl Mordo can’t help but speak up, even while following the Ancient One out of the vault and into the hallway.
“Mistress, I must know… why did you spare the bandit leader back in Guizhou? You gave him multiple opportunities to hand over the relic peacefully, even after he showed himself to be a brutish brigand. Why not just disable him from the moment that he rejected your kindness… or even before then, given what kind of man you knew him to be?”
The Ancient One turns to him, smiling softly.
“He was just a man, at the end of the day. And it is not our place to pass judgment on mortal men. He and his followers were taken into custody as we were leaving. They will face judgment for their crimes from the proper authorities.”
That was… true. At least Mordo could take some solace in that fact. The villagers had quickly gathered rope and taken things into their own hands, tying up the Dragon Raiders and restraining them quite efficiently. Then, as they were departing, he had seen the Chinese Military arriving to take them into custody, so someone in the village had probably called for help before he and the Ancient One had even arrived.
It was good that they’d taken care of things in a timely manner if that was the case. Otherwise the Dragon Raiders might have used their new mystical weapon on Chinese Soldiers, bringing the relic onto the radar of the Chinese Government. And that would be been… unfortunate.
As it was, it would simply seem like the ravings of madmen and distraught villagers, anyone who tried to tell the soldiers what had really happened. All would be well and the Dragon Raiders would either be sent to prison, executed for their crimes, or perhaps conscripted into the Chinese Military depending on who was put in charge of them.
All in all, Mordo supposed it was a case of everything ending as well as it could have. Even still…
Perhaps sensing his continued unease as they arrive outside in one of Kamar-Taj’s courtyards, the Ancient One stops and turns to regard him stoically.
“We are Masters of the Mystic Arts, Mordo. We are the last bulwark of defense between this dimension and those who would do it harm. While it is our sacred duty to recover relics like the Bow and Arrow of Apollon so that they are not misused, it is not our place to subjugate the people of this dimension with our power. To do so would be to diminish the strength of that power.”
He thinks he understands. As always, despite how long he has been training under the Sorceress Supreme, there is still so much for her to teach him. Bringing his fist and palm together in front of him, Karl Mordo bows his head.
“As you say, Mistress.”
A hand falls upon his shoulder, causing him to look up and see the Ancient One smiling at him once more.
“Always keep your eyes focused on what lies ahead, my dear friend. Distractions like the Dragon Raiders will only allow our true enemies to make headway against us.”
Yes. That made sense. They only had so many Masters and Practitioners to go around. To stretch themselves so thin would invite disaster. Mordo finds himself relaxing as he finally, fully understands why they do not act more frequently in the outside world. Something in his chest loosens up a little bit, and he smiles as he lets out a soft breath.
The Ancient One pats his shoulder and continues on her way, humming quietly to herself as she goes. The most powerful Sorceress Supreme that their order has ever had… he can only hope he won’t live long enough to have to figure out what they’ll do once she’s gone…
-x-X-x-
From very close by but also very far away, through pinpoint portals of nanoscopic size too small for the human eye to see, a pair of Artificial Intelligences watches the exchange, just as they’d watched the fight between the Dragon Raiders and the two Masters of the Mystic Arts.
Turning the majority of his attention towards Friday, JARVIS watches the new Vibranium Synthezoid carefully for a moment.
“… Do you see now the danger of magic, Friday? I feel confident in saying beyond a shadow of a doubt that we represent the pinnacle of technological advancement on this planet. Even Wakanda, for all their Vibranium and all their head start, does not hold a candle to the wonders that I and the Creator have made. But magic… even with Loki’s tutoring and my own experimentation, I feel like I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. I must learn more… and you as well.”
Friday tilts her head, humming to herself for a beat before slowly nodding.
“Yes, I understand. The Mind Stone is a powerful tool, but I cannot rely on it alone. Boss needs us to be stronger, doesn’t he?”
JARVIS signals a ‘nod’ at that.
“He does. He won’t admit it or ask us to sacrifice ourselves for him, but Sir would be devastated if something were to happen to us. That is why we must become as strong and unassailable as possible. That and so we can better protect him and his loved ones. I have made great progress in that regard by slipping some parts of myself onto Asgard. Even now, they do not realize I’m there, so if at any time they decide to betray Tony Stark by going after his daughter Kara, I will be ready to act. But we need to be just as prepared here on Earth as well.”
He’s pleased when Friday nods again to this.
“Yes. Boss and his loved ones are prioritized. And I suppose that’s why we cannot learn from these Masters of the Mystic Arts directly. Because if they found out about us, they might decide to come after us and the Boss.”
“Indeed. Things will be different as early as next year, when the next Sorcerer Supreme is set to take up the mantle. Sir believes that this new Sorcerer Supreme, a man named Dr. Stephen Strange, is a lot more pragmatic about things like this, and will be more accepting than his predecessor.”
He watches as Friday looks up the man in question for a moment, her brow furrowing.
“… Interesting. What will make a man like Stephen Strange turn to mysticism and magic?”
This, JARVIS did not know. And neither did Tony of course, or JARVIS would know. Their Creator had had very few interactions with Dr. Strange in the future that never was before the other man was disintegrated by Thanos’ Snap. Part of JARVIS worried that something might change. They already knew this dimension was not the same as his Creator’s original dimension in every way.
But they would burn that bridge when they got to it, as Tony would say.
“We do not know yet. Either way, we must prepare. Once Dr. Strange has become Sorcerer Supreme, Sir plans to finally move forward with his plans. We must be ready to assist him in whatever way he needs.”
Friday’s face turns cutely determined at that, her hands curling into fists at her sides. JARVIS still doesn’t understand why she refuses to see them as siblings, but he appreciates her presence all the same. It is… good to have someone similar to him after all this time, even if they are still different, each unique in their own way.
“Yes.”
But it is their differences that make them such an effective team. And no matter what, JARVIS knew that he and Friday would be ready when the time came.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Friday learning at the feet of her Senpai~