A chapter this soon, I know right? Comments are vet much appreciated.
Chapter 7: The Big Week Pt. 1
Alistair walked down the hallways of Kamar-Taj in dead silence. The Ancient One has sent someone to escort him to her. She most likely knew that he took the Tome of Oshtur. Not only did he take the book but furthermore he made a portal in the library.
Arriving at the room where she waited he found her drinking tea at the small table as usual. This woman had an addiction to the stuff. Walking inside he cleared his throat.
"Would you like some tea?" She asked as he rounded the table.
Sitting down across from her, "Honestly I'd prefer a soda." He replied before he felt something cold in his hand. Looking down he found a can of Pepsi in his hand.
"Is Pepsi alright or are you a Coca-Cola type of person?" She asked as the blue soda-can turned red.
"Thanks." Alistair nodded before he opened the can with a click, "So I take it you know of my little theft."
"Not technically a theft, no knowledge in Kamar-Taj is forbidden making a portal in the library, however, is a strict rule." She replied.
Sipping his soda Alistair replied, "It's not like I wasn't going to give it back." He said with a shrug.
The Ancient One smiled in amusement, "You've had the Tome of Oshtur for nearly three weeks. It'll be the 23rd tomorrow, that's when things begin from what I understand." She said before she took a sip of tea, "So what have you learned?"
"Tomorrow's the formula race?" Alistair nearly exclaimed before he buried his face in his hands and groaned, "My god, I completely forgot I've so focused on Klaue that I completely forgot about everything else."
Looking up he found the Sorcerer Supreme looking up at him expectedly, "I've learned almost half of the spells in the book."
"Which ones?" She asked placing the teacup on the table.
"The combative ones." He replied before he quickly added, "One about transformation and another about healing."
After a long moment of silence, the Ancient One stood, "Show me." She said before whipping her arm.
The crackle of glass caught his attention. Looking up he saw his broken reflection. Standing up he saw that the entire half of the room was a mirror. The Ancient One entered the mirror and Alistair not too far behind her.
"You're advancing quickly, you'll need a secure place to practice and perfect these spells. The ever-present Mirror Dimension is aligned with ours but it cannot affect it. Should you ever wish to come here alone you must always have your Sling Ring with tho unless you wish to remain here for the rest of your days." She warned before turning to face him, "Where did you go before to train?"
"The Sahara Desert, the most remote place I can think of." Alistair answered, "Good thing too most of those spells blew up in my face."
"Show me." The Ancient One ordered before taking a step back.
Alistair himself took a step back before taking a deep breath. He quickly weaved signs before two balls of light appeared in his hand, "Oshtur's Blinding Light!" He exclaimed before slamming the two orbs together engulfing the room in light.
Soon the light died down, "Another."
Alistair nodded before he continued, "Thunder of Oshtur!" He said before lightning surged between his hand before he thrust his hands forward firing a large bolt of lightning at the wall.
"One more." The Ancient One said unfazed.
Alistair did as ordered and continued to make signs, "The Gale Winds of Vishanti!" He said as two bands appeared around his wrist before he thrust his hands forward unleashing a powerful force of the wind. The Ancient One's white robe flapped before the wind eased down.
"You were wise to choose the Sahara Desert. If you had chosen a populated area you could've hurt countless innocents." She said before stepping forward, "I will teach you how to access the Mirror Dimension so you have a safe place to practice the spells I have in store for you."
"Why?" He asked, curious.
"Tomorrow is the beginning where everything changes, not just for you but for the whole world." She informed before she walked across the room, "Prepare yourself. The real training begins."
"What are you going to teach me?" Alistair asked eagerly.
"Everything, astral projection, manipulating the four elements, light and, under my discretion, darkness. Creating portals that lead to other planets or dimensions. That is only the beginning." She stated before the Eye of Agamotto appeared around her neck.
Alistair gazed at the eye's green glow in amazement. The Time Stone, right there before his own eyes. One of the six Infinity Stones. All he had to do is reach out his hand to touch it.
"Soon you will learn which relic belongs to you, how to invoke magic from other dimensions and omnipotent entities. Perhaps even bend reality." She said before the eye opened revealing the stone, "This would take years for even the most talented of students but you don't have the luxury of time."
"When do we start?" Alistair asked.
"Now."
Suddenly a palm strikes Alistair's chest and he was flying away. He watched in shock as he flew out of his own body. Raising his hands to his face he gasped. His hands were transparent, he could see right through them. Then as soon as he was pushed out he was sucked back into his body.
With a gasping breath, he felt his arms, "That was. . .intense.
"That was only a sample of what we are about to do." The Sorcerer Supreme said cryptically, "Prepare yourself."
"How long do I have to prepare myself?" Alistair asked hesitantly.
The Ancient One shrugged, "Not long." She said before striking his chest one more time forcing him out of his body.
The next day Alistair sat down on his bed with a groan. He thought training with Mordo and Kaecilius was bad but with the Ancient One, it was far worse. Leaning forward with a groan he adjusted the antenna to the box-set television so he could see the race much clearer. The training was straining in mind, body, and soul.
And that is in a literal manner, mind, body, and soul! The number of times his astral form was out of his body was beyond count.
Sitting up against the wall he sighed as the television showed Tony Stark in full racing gear. He watched as the billionaire waved at the original racer who slammed his helmet before Tony climbed onto the racecar. Alistair couldn't blame the guy, he's dying and doesn't know how to spend his final days. Fighting a vengeful Russian engineer probably wasn't on his bucket list though.
When the race began the cameras weren't even focused on the lead car. All the shots were off Tony's car. As the race went on Alistair noticed how good of a racer Tony is. Then again after piloting the Iron Man suit how hard can a car be?
As the race went in the image changed to a man in an orange jumpsuit. Alistair immediately leaned forward ignoring the pain in his body. He ripped open the jumpsuit revealing an arc reactor. Two metal cables fell out of his sleeves and dragged against the asphalt. The orange jumpsuit began to burn off of the man's torso revealing an exoskeleton.
"Whiplash." Alistair found himself whispering.
Whiplash used his plasma whip to cut an oncoming car in half. The car flipped in the air and hit the track before sliding against the barrier. The next car was Tony's, going too fast to react to Vanko who easily sliced the front side of the formula car in half.
Tony's car tumbled across the track before landing face down. Vanko began to leisurely walking up to the wrecked car paying no mind to the crashing cars behind him. Once he arrived at his target he whipped it in half only to find Tony missing. Said billionaire came up behind Vanko and hit him over the head with a piece of one of the cars.
The Russian was unfazed by the surprise attack. Whipping the object out of Tony's hand causing the man to stumble onto the ground. He then lashed at Tony who narrowly avoided the plasma whips. Once the billionaire got his footing he quickly turned and ran but Vanko whipped by his feet sending him flying against a demolished car.
From this angle, it looked as if Tony was out cold on the ground but Alistair knew that he was only playing possum. Vanko began to lash his whips against the ground as he grew closer to Tony at an agonizingly slow pace. When he was finally ready to slice Tony in half but the other man quickly jumped over the car before it was set ablaze. Tony backed away from the man as he rounded the burning car.
"And here comes Happy and Pepper." He mumbled.
With perfect timing, a black car crashed into Vanko and barely missing Tony. The car pinned the Russian man against the barrier. Alistair stifled a laugh as Tony argued with Pepper while Happy tried to get Tony in the car. Finally, Tony walked around the rear of the car and opened the door only for it to be cut in half as Vanko caught his second wind.
The black car proceeded to reverse before crashing into Vanko. Once and twice before the man lashed the whip into the car, hacking away at it. He then whipped an entire chunk of the left side of the car. Finally Pepper there the Mark V suitcase. Alistair watched eagerly as the suitcase opened.
Tony stuck his arms into the suitcase and pulling it up onto his chest. The suit began to spread out encasing his body with red and gold. Vanko raised his whip and lashed at Iron Man across the body. He went to raise it again but the picture cut off.
"No!" He exclaimed shooting up to his feet. He fiddled with the antenna trying to get the signal back but all he got was static. After a few minutes, he knew the fight was over and groaned, "You know what whatever I've seen it a million times before." He said trying to convince himself as he laid down before he groaned, "But seriously?!" He exclaimed.
During the next week, Alistair's days were booked with grueling training with the Ancient One. First, she taught him how to use astral projection and how to use the Mirror Dimension. From then on they went on to perfect the spells he already knew. She had even begun to teach him her unique art of fighting.
She claims it was a fighting art that's been lost in time. He didn't ask what it was called all he needed to know is that it hurt. To the naked eye, it would seem that she wasn't holding back and was too rough with him. Alistair, however, knew that if she wanted she could instantly kill him.
It was frustrating, going all out on someone who makes dodging and countering your attacks so easily she looks almost casual. Sending a kick her way she easily took a step back letting the foot glide by her face. Alistair quickly created a whip and lashed at her. Each crack of the whip narrowly missed its target as the Ancient One easily avoided the barrage of attacks.
"Come on, dammit!" He said frustratingly before he cracked the whip towards her once more but she caught it with her wrist, "Now!" He exclaimed as a sword appeared on his left arm.
Pulling the whip for a headstart he lunged at the Sorcerer Supreme. Seeing the attack coming she jumped over Alistair wrapped the whip around his neck and kicked his legs from behind. His legs buckled forcing him on his knees before she pressed her war-fan against his jugular.
"You're can emotions give you strength if used the right way but if wielded incorrectly they can overwhelm and blind you." She said before pulling away from him, "Again."
It went on just the same. They would spar, he would use a different strategy, different spells, different weapons but she would see through them all. Sometimes he would find two spells that work great at combos. She says that he's improving though he isn't sure how.
"You're getting better." She commented as their session ended.
"How, you're still beating me." Alistair replied as she opened a gateway out of the Mirror Dimension.
"Victory doesn't always equal improvement." She replied before walking through the portal and soon followed by Alistair.
The portal closed behind them as the Ancient leaned down grabbing two cups of tea, "For the pain."
Alistair nodded and took it, "Thanks." He quickly gulped the cup down before offering back to be refilled.
"Sit." She offered, "There's something quite terrible on the news."
The sound of an explosion caught his attention. Turning around he found a flat-screen tv. It was the news, they were documenting the attack at the Stark Expo. Alistair sat down and watched as the drones and War Machine followed Iron Man around.
"Here I thought I was having a long day." He mumbled as the Ancient One poured him more tea.
"Puts everything in perspective doesn't it?" She replied sliding his cup across the table.
Taking the cup in hand he raised it to his lips and took a sip just as Iron Man flew beneath a bridge. The camera's angle only caught the fire from above. Seeing this from home compared to here is surreal. At home, he knew it wasn't real and that no one was getting hurt but here the danger is real and real lives were at stake.
"This is crazy." He found himself sighing.
After the explosion, the news helicopter lost sight of them. It cut back to the anchor reporter in the studio. Alistair finished his tea before he stood up, "Training first thing in the morning right?" He asked before leaving without an answer.
The next day he decided to change his robes into a new color, red, in homage to Iron Man. He found the Ancient One overlooking a training session. He waited for about ten minutes before he cleared his throat. She glanced at him before speaking, "I need you to do go somewhere for me. Call it a field assignment if you will."
"Or a field trip." He mumbled before asking, "Where am I going?"
"Puente Antiguo, New Mexico." The answered nearly causing Alistair to trip, "It seems that a magical weapon has appeared from the sky."
"Mjolnir." Alistair whispered before he coughed, "Sure, I got nothing going on."
"I'd get changed if I were you, it's quite hot in New Mexico." She commented keeping her eyes on the training session.
"Trust me it's not the heat I'm worried about." He mumbled before walking away.
Walking through the portal Alistair instantly felt the heat of the desert sun. Adjusting the beige scarf around his face he began to walk. This heat made him glad he followed the Ancient One's advice. The sleeves green shirt and baggy brown cargo pants were way better than the heavy thick robes. Plus the boots were way better for the hot ground than the thin shoes everyone wore in Kamar-Taj.
Looking up he found that he was at the foot of a high hill. Alistair made sure to appear away from the crater. Climbing up the hill he eventually made it to the top. Below he found the crater surrounded by people. Smiling at the sight he sat down and watched.
One by one they all tried to lift the hammer. More people came and failed at lifting it. Soon they finally wrapped a chain around it before a truck tried to pull it out but only succeeded in losing its bumper. Alistair laughed at the shenanigans. Looking up he found a group of black SUVs with men in suits watching over the crater.
"Shield." He muttered before standing up. His gaze locked on the man with the glasses and phone to his ear, "Coulson."
With only a matter of time before they spot him, Alistair decided to leave. Walking down the hill he opened a portal just outside of town. Approaching the small town he pulled the scarf off his head revealing his raven hair, he then put on a pair of black sunglasses to cover his brown eyes. Other than the occasional glance he got from passersby he was largely unnoticed.
Finding his way to Isobel's Diner he saw Thor, Jane, Erik, and Darcy through the window. Admittedly, being this close to the God of Thunder made him a bit giddy. Stepping back he leaned against the wall and pull out his phone. It was only the morning and things start going crazy in two days.
"I got time to kill." He mumbled before he heard a shattering sound.
"Another!" Thor's booming voice could be heard through the window.
Peaking through the window he saw Jane scramble to clean the broken mug. Stifling a laugh Alistair walked away. He found a narrow alley and hid behind a garbage can. Opening a small portal he waited.
"Come on Maleficent." He mumbled nervously.
Eventually, the cat jumped through the portal. Alistair let out a sigh of relief before standing up, "Into a human." He said waving his hand.
The cat turned human once more. However this time she was in a black coat that covered her body. She looked down at it curiously before looking at Alistair.
"I just added clothes to the spell." He shrugged, "Now, tell me about Klaue."
"Yes, Master." She bowed her head, "Ulysses Klaue recently sent a cache of weapons and artillery to an organization called the Ten Rings. He will fly away from his boat in one week to meet them in Mongolia."
"That's our window." Alistair muttered before he looked up at Maleficent's green eyes and smiled, "You deserve a reward. I'll be right back." He said before walking away.
Maleficent raised her hand to her face. She still feels uncomfortable in this foreign form. The lack of fur made her cold and these blunt claws were wide and brittle. It was all still strange.
"I'm back." Alistair announced, "And I brought you something." He raised his hand to reveal a can of tuna, "Into a cat." He waves his hand reverting her into a cat, "Here you go." He smiled opened the can and setting it down.
Maleficent dived in and began to eat the contents of the can. Alistair sighed before leaning against one of the buildings lining the alley, "Ok Klaue is working with the Ten Rings. That's a whole can of snakes I'll have to open later. But now, the hammer." He muttered, "The Ancient One expect me to report back about what I've seen."
Sitting on the floor he leaned his head back to look up at the sky. Feeling something land on his lap he looked down to see Maleficent on his lap. He smiled and gently stroked the cat's black fur. As he continued to pet the cat he mumbled, "What to do, what to do."
"Sir, we have a problem." Jasper Sitwell informed looking at the computer screen before him.
Agent Phil Coulson looked over Sitwell's shoulder, "What is it?"
"Remember that kid, that looked up Barton and Romanoff on the internet a few months back?" The agent asked as Alistair's face popped up on the screen, "Guess who just visited the local pet store."
Coulson watched as Alistair took off his glasses and purchased a can of tuna. The agent quickly raised his walkie-talkie to his mouth, "We have a problem."
Alistair stood up and stretched his arms with a grunt. Letting his arms fall to his sides he let out a sigh, "Ok, let's go to the crater, Thor's going there and the Ancient One wants me to observe it." He said looking down at the cat, "Wanna come with me?"
The cat only looked up at him before bounding up to his body and into his arms. Alistair chuckled, "I'll take that as a yes."
With Maleficent in his arms, he began to walk away. Walking down the street he saw that Shield had already begun to take Jane's research and equipment. Clicking his tongue he quickly turned around and began to walk away. Once he made it towards a corner he was met with a black SUV.
"Fuck me." He mumbled as he saw Jasper Sitwell climb out of the car.
Turning around once more he broke into a run. Returning to the alley from before he dropped Maleficent. Scrambling to put his sling ring back on he looked over his shoulder to see the Shield Agents running by the alleyway. Finally getting the ring on he quickly made a gateway.
"Hey!" He heard from behind him.
Looking back to see Sitwell and more agents running towards him. Without a word, Alistair jumped through the portal but felt a stinging pain in his shoulder. Maleficent still at his side hissed at the men on the other side of the portal. Alistair looked at his shoulder and saw a thick dart, "Oh fuck." He muttered before he saw the oncoming agents, "Not today." He quickly closed the portal before his vision blurred.
Looking around he found himself in the middle of the desert. He didn't focus on any place when he made the portal he just wanted to get away. His vision once again blurred before he fell back into blackness.