Chapter 1: Attack
"Thor, are you sure we can trust the guy? If we couldn't trust your brother, even under top levels of surveillance, how can we trust a sorcerer even more powerful?" Tony asked as they flew in the Quinjet towards London. "I am quite sure you will like him, man of iron. He is quite intelligent, much like yourself." Thor replied. The lightning god was taking the Avengers to meet the friend who'd located his father in such little time, eager to create an alliance between the two. With magic as powerful as the realms themselves, Doctor Strange could be a very powerful ally. The lightning god sat to Tony's left, on a drop seat. The tension in the air was making the scientist nervous, Thor often catching the man scratching his neck or head in anxiety. "If Thor can trust him, we should be able to trust him, too." Steve said. Captain America, or Steve casually, had decided to dress in more friendly clothing for the event. A simple T-shirt and jeans, his shield hanging firm on his back. He looked slightly strange, but asking the soldier to leave the weapon behind would be considered a threat. "He was known on Asgard as a mysterious soldier who waged war on magical grounds against threats greater than the universe itself. My father was fond of the man, even if he hadn't met him. I can be considered lucky to have gained his attention as I did." Thor explained. "So, is he a questions first kind of guy, or attack first kind of guy?" Bruce asked, eyes nervously flicking to the window. "He will not know you, so his forcefield may shut you out. I will go in first and ask for your entry to be permitted. Hopefully, he will grant it." Thor replied with a smirk. "And the best plan, if he attacks us, is to…?" Nat asked. As always, Widow was prepared for an attack from someone she doesn't know. "Run. I will intervene to prevent any major injury." Thor replied. Nat nodded, a look of relief washing over her face. "We're here!" Clint called from the driver's seat. He landed the jet on the roof of a large building, setting it in Cloak Mode for protective reasons. "Follow me." Thor said, walking down the exit ramp and along the top of another building. The others followed stiffly behind, crossing two streets and pausing at the entrance of another building. The building was old and framed by a library look, old bricks and wood marking the outside. Walking up to the door, Thor carefully pushed it open and held it for everyone else to enter. The lightning god allowed them to wander around a bit while they waited for the Sorcerer to show himself, exploring the various halls, relics and rooms. Once they determined that the man wasn't going to show himself, Thor led them to a massive hall where he'd met the man before. "Strange? It is a friend!" he called. His voice carried through the building, a high pitched cry replying to him from another room. Everyone darted towards the sound, Thor at the head and Bruce at the rear. They scene they stumbled upon was peculiar. A large stone creature, dressed as a japanese samurai in black armor, stood over a figure lying on the ground, its four arms gripping a massive black sword each. They watched as the creature bent to the one lying on the ground, lifting it by a hand on its throat as it cracked a large, sharp toothed smile. "You fight well, Strange. However, when it comes to similar powers clashing together, the strongest will prevail." the stone creature boasted. When Strange didn't respond, the creature's smile faded down to a frown. "Too weak for words, hm? Perhaps a bite would make you change your mind?" it hissed, tightening its hand on Strange's throat. Tony turned to Thor, whispering in his ear. "Who is that?" he asked. "Kimeliton, the King of Swords. He uses powerful magic to corrupt powerful creatures, turning them against each other. I have seen his work myself, on Asgard. He is not someone to be taken lightly." Thor replied. Kimeliton flung Strange against the wall, his back impacting with a loud bang and knocking several pictures off the wall as he fell to the floor. "You think it's that easy to beat me?" Strange's voice asked, his body slowly lifting itself from the floor into a bent standing position. "You haven't given up much of a fight, dear Sorcerer." Kimeliton replied with a grin. Strange vanished for a split second, appearing behind the stone creature while slamming a foot into his head. Kimeliton stumbled forward, almost falling to his knees as Strange summoned a flaming sword, swinging it down into the man's shoulder. Stone blew everywhere as Kimeliton's shoulder exploded, the man giving a cry of pain in response. Throwing two of his swords, Strange caught each and flung them back, impacting the man's left foot and right knee. Using his third and fourth sword, Kimeliton swung frantically at Strange as he charged, the sorcerer parrying each and adding a roundhouse punch to the side of his face, sending him flying to the floor. Strange gathered his breath as the stone man got back to his feet, gathering pieces of himself back to his body again. "Still have a little fight left in you, hm?" the king purred, swinging two of his arms forward. His swords impacted the wall on either side of Strange's hips, pinning his clothing to the wall, along with his body. Strange squirmed and jerked to try and get free, the king advancing in his distraction. Using his two other swords to pin Strange's chest to the wall, he leaned in close to the sorcerer's body. "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no time to fight, some time to die. I'm not going to kill you, Strange, you're too delicate for that. My prize is deeper inside you. He's hiding in your soul, and I desire his attention if I am to regain my home planet again." the king purred in his ear, a large, snake-like tongue slithering from his mouth to hover over Strange's shoulder. Strange jerked hard as the tongue slithered closer to his neck, wriggling its way under his collar and peeling back his clothing to reveal his pale, skinny shoulder. Advancing further, the king caught each of Strange's fists as he threw punches at the man's face, pinning his arms against the wall beside his head. "Release me!" Strange snapped as the king leaned in close to his neck. Thor couldn't catch what he said, but he watched as Kimeliton pulled back his lips and snapped his jaws onto Strange's throat. Strange let out a cry, his voice dying quickly as Kimeliton's power flooded his system. "Strange!" Thor cried, launching his hammer at the stone man and sending him flying backwards into a purple portal that appeared behind him. The portal closed just as Strange hit the floor, landing unconscious against the wooden boards. Strange's forcefield went down as well, allowing everyone to rush forward and surround the sorcerer. Tony held the man's head gingerly in his hands, checking for a pulse and whatnot. "He needs medical attention, now." he reported, Thor hoisting the man onto his hip and heading for the entrance to the building. The second they got into the Quinjet, Clint autoset the ship to head for the mothership in twenty minutes. Thor carried Strange into a small Observation cell, directed by Nick Fury for security reasons, and lie him gently on the small cot supplied to him. "This is a dire issue, but Strange has defense mechanisms that prevent any physical contact while he is unconscious. We must wait for him to awaken to deal with his medical treatment." Thor explained, stopping Tony from entering the cell with a medical kit. They dismissed themselves to go do whatever it is they desired, leaving Thor to carefully watch over the sorcerer in hopes he would recover quickly.