If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
The voting battle continues! Give me them stones, and I will give you them chaps!
With love, Corn.
This means, if I wasn't clear, you guys could get a triple release again, so… that's that.
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[Alex Walker POV]
Just as Jarvis had predicted, the very moment Thanos had retrieved his adoptive daughter, Gamora, from where she was hiding, a notification appeared in my system, like clockwork.
[New Quest Created = The Six Infinity Stones!
Dancing under your machinations like a clueless puppet, Thanos it's on his way to collect the soul stone, and it's your mission to take the stone from his tear-soaked hands once he does so, taking from him not only the stone, he had to sacrifice the only person he had truly loved, his daughter, but the other in his possession.
Objective = Take the stones from Thanos.
Side Objectives = Let Thanos know you it was you all along before killing him.
Rewards = Soul Stone, Mind Stone, ????.
S-Rewards = ????, ????.]
A rather evil side quest if you ask me, but who cared, fuck Thanos, I wanted those ???? whatever they were.
Meaning all I had to do now was wait.
And the stones would be mine.
It was all a matter of time.
Which according to Jarvis's calculations would take exactly an hour and fifteen seconds.
"Well, I guess I could eat something," I muttered, feeling my stomach growl. Now that I think about it, I don't quite remember the last time I ate something, I mean, sure if I wanted to, I could simply not eat anymore, I didn't really need food after the Tiamut incident, but to that thought, I said fuck no, I loved eating. "I could go for a sandwich, I mean, Asgard has really good ham and cheese. The bread is meh, but the rest is top quality, besides I can always get some bread from Fury's fridge."
Well, it has been decided, it's time to make some sandwiches!
—--------------------
[Bucky Barnes POV]
I wasn't sure what my role in this upcoming war was.
In general, I wasn't sure what my role was anymore.
I used to be a soldier.
Someone on par with Alex, someone able to help him.
That was buried in the past now.
Leaving me with no real role, as I was far outclassed by everyone I knew now, with all of them filling a clear role in our group, except for me. It was funny really, I used to think that all I wanted was the fighting to end, and I still do, I still seek peace, it's just that now I also wanted to be useful to those I cared about.
I needed power to be able to protect those I loved.
Even that moron of Thor.
Not that he will ever hear that from me.
"I miss the days being a super soldier was all it took," I chuckled with a sigh, my shoulders tensing, as I looked at my hands for a brief moment, thinking of nothing. How pathetic, here I was pitying myself, instead of taking action.
When has crying ever solved shit?
Hadn't I told Alex not to do the same shit before?
"Grow up a fucking pair James, are you even listening to yourself?!!" I growled in disgust, slapping my own face with enough strength to draw some blood from it, nothing serious, "You are weak, big deal, ask Alex for help instead of bitching about it!"
"Ask me for what?" Alex's voice caught my attention, making me turn in the direction it had come from in a startled fashion.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to wipe the blood I had drawn earlier before Alex noticed...
"Making a sandwich…" Alex replied.
Right, I was in the Kitchen.
Fucking great.
I couldn't have had my moment in my room.
"By the way, is there anything I should avoid in the fridge? I mean, whatever you ate sucker punched you," Alex said with a frown, pointing at my hand.
"I punched myself," I replied.
"Why?" Alex asked, pressing the subject.
"I was being a moron," I answered with a small shrug, deciding to give him a short version of what had happened, "I had to punch the stupid out of me before I grew acccustomed to it."
Alex blinked, his face turning into one of surprise as he froze in place for a brief moment, before simply starting to laugh, with the laugh evolving to a point he was gasping for air, "That sounds like something Thor would do."
I…
No….
"You tell him anything and I will end you!" I barked at him, knowing very well that the threats I was throwing at him were impossible to achieve. Not only because I cared about him, but because there wasn't much of a difference between me and a Q-tip in terms of damage potential when it came to hurting Alex.
Then again, he could hurt his ears using a Q-tip, so… I guess the Q-tip stands as the superior fighter in this scenario.
"Ok, ok, I won't tell him," Alex chuckled, raising his hands above his head, "But seriously, what did you want to ask me though?"
Right, he had heard that part.
I sighed, "Well, the truth is… I'm weak, agonizingly weak. I can't protect anyone anymore, not you, not the girls, not our friends, hell, not even myself in what's about to come. I miss the days when being a super soldier was enough, but I have to accept those days are long gone. So what I want to ask of you is…" I paused, struggling to find the words, "I want you to make me the super soldier of now."
"Ok," Alex nodded, turning to the fridge to grab some hand and cheese for his sandwich.
"Just like… that?" I asked, taken back by how fast he had answered. Sure, I expected him to help, but I also expected more of a back and forth with the subject.
"Bucky, my daughters call you Uncle Bucky…" Alex answered, as he continued to grab more ingredients for his sandwich from the fridge, "I love you as a brother, I mean, by now you should know there's very little I wouldn't do for you."
I smiled, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders. To think a simple comment like that would blow away all the emotions I was feeling a few moments ago.
"So, what do you want?" Alex asked.
"For a sandwich or for my power up?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Both," Alex replied, turning around to face me, while opening a small portal with his left hand, pulling a loaf of bread out of it, one from a brand from Earth.
If you want to read up to 20 chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz
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I patiently waited, sitting above the tallest mountain of Vomir, my legs crossed, as I counted the seconds for the Mad Titan's arrival.
[59 seconds for Thanos' arrival.]
I sighed, dragging a hand across my face in boredom, as I looked at the counter, counting each second pass. Feeling the thick mists of Vomir crash against my body, their energy and what sustained them breaking and dissipating upon mixing with my own leaking energy.
It was truly a sight to behold, at least for me, seeing this entire process happen over and over again, as the mist The mists of Vomir attacked my soul, or tried to, with each attempt failing.
A defense mechanism.
One the soul stone had created to protect itself.
How fascinating.
If only I had more time, I would've loved to study this phenomenon.
Unfortunately, we can't always get what we want.
[10 seconds for Thanos' arrival.]
I looked at the timer and smiled. It was time to end what I had set in motion.
Without moving, I turned my attention to the sky, seeing Thanos' ship breaking the atmosphere as it entered the planet, meaning I had a few seconds at most to prepare the last details.
Tilting my head ever so slightly to the left, I grinned, snapping my fingers to create an illusionary replica of the Red Skull to guide Thanos on the process to obtain the stone just like he had done in the movies.
Now, it was simply a matter of watching the Mad Titan kill Gamora from afar, giving the stone the sacrifice it required.
"Well, time to see their last moments," I sighed, using [Sight] to observe the events that were about to unfold.
[Sight] connected, I witnessed Thanos' ship land on the planet, creating a loud rumble across the area as the ship stabilized on the uneven ground of Vomir.
The ship was big, massive even, I wonder why he picked that ship if he knew he was to come only with Gamora.
Which in a completely unrelated note reminds me, I have a ship I have yet to even use properly. Not that I will never need it, I can teleport anywhere, anytime, but even then, the idea of traveling in a ship across space sounds rather exciting.
I mean, it could be my version of a road trip with the girls.
{Jarvis, please remind me to revise the idea of going on a space/road trip with the girls after the war.}
{As you wish sir.}
Bringing my attention back to what was happening with a creaking metallic sound, I watched as the large doors of Thanos' ship opened wide, with the Mad Titan's voice being the first thing to come out.
"Let's go, daughter," Thanos said, stepping out of the ship, his voice soft, sounding almost kind.
"Do I even have a choice?" Gamora shot back as she came into view, glaring at Thanos, her eyes full of loathe and anger.
I pitied the girl.
A pawn, playing under the thumb of another pawn, one I control.
Unfortunately for her, my pity for her was not enough to save her.
"We must do this, Gamora," Thanos replied, bringing one of his hands to her shoulder, looking like a giant grabbing a doll.
"So you say," Gamora replied.
"In time, you will see," Thanos replied, his tone full of melancholy.
I wonder what would've happened, had Thanos gotten a therapist before all of this started. Odds are, he would've been the same but on meds.
"Your demise, I hope," Gamora replied, following Thanos as he started to walk towards the beginning of his, their end. With the next following minutes being drowned in nothing but silence.
Eventually, however, the silence came to an end, as they reached the Red Skull's location, or the illusion of him for that matter.
The illusion greeted them as criptically as the Red Skull would've, starting the conversation, just like the original had done in the movies, starting to guide Thanos and Gamora to the top of the mountain, telling them stories of how all that have ever come for the stone have failed.
As they neared the top, I could see Gamora tensing, sweat running down her forehead, as her eyes darted around, as if trying to find something, anything with what to stop Thanos from reaching the summit.
I sighed, remembering a detail I had all but forgotten. She knew.
Not of how the stone was acquired, but of the location.
Keeping this place hidden was her way to stop him, for that reason she had destroyed the only map in existence to Vomir. She knew she would never have the power to stop him, not in a direct confrontation, so having this place erased from the stellar maps, was her victory, her last stand.
Well, at least her one true desire would come true, Thanos' demise, at my hands, moments after her own.
Focusing back on them, I looked as they reached the summit, trailing my illusion that guided them along the path.
"How is it that you know this place so well?" Thanos asked, as my illusion continued to move forward.
"A lifetime ago, I, too, sought the stones. I even held one in my hands. But it cast me out, banished me here. Enforcing upon me a punishment befitting my hubris. To be a pastor, guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess." My illusion replied, finally reaching their final destination, in more ways than one.
Staring at the edge of the mountain, Thanos turned to my illusion and asked, "Where is it?"
My illusion pointed towards the edge, "What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear, as it stands, nothing is ever free."
"What's the price?" Thanos asked, looking down the mountain for a brief moment before taking a step back.
"The soul stone holds a special place amongst the Infinity stones. You might say it has a certain wisdom."
"Tell me what it needs," Thanos pressed, his voice full of determination.
"To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power. The stone demands a sacrifice." My illusion replied, eyeing Gamora without Thanos realizing.
"Of what?" Thanos asked.
"In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love." At this, Thanos turned to face my illusion, shock bearing on his face. "A soul for a soul."
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