Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Chapter 4– Surprises and Confrontations
Steve Rogers sat in his office, scrolling through the I-Pad in front of him, a cup of coffee left forgotten on the side of his desk.
It had been a long day for the director of Shield. From signing permission slips for raids and monitoring operations on Hydra bases, to tracking global level threats like Dr. Banner, he had to keep up with it all. One would think he'd get some rest after dealing with all that crap, but nope.
No rest for the wicked.
The I-Pad in his hand contained, without a doubt, the most stressful piece of data he'd recieved in a long long time.
It's contents were declared restricted to anyone below Lvl 6 clearance. Not due to any particular risky information, but to safeguard the subject of its content: Harry Dursley, aka Agent Dursley, aka Mystique Soldier.
The last one had simply been a legend to them until recently, a mere uncertain whisper that that had spread through Shield like wildfire. The legends of a mysterious assassin who struck like a mystical wraith to kill powerful people painted the picture of someone on par with the Black Widow herself. But only the higher-ups were aware of how true these rumours actually were.
And yet, even they hadn't been completely sure. Atleast, not until one of their newer recruits gave an eye-witness report of a recent incident. But a more damning proof was recieved when they stormed through a Hydra base and recovered a file filled with info on project 'Mystique Soldier'.
Instead of someone fearsome and dreadful, the information that they got painted a gruesome picture of cruelty and abuse.
The boy, Harry Dursley, had been systematically abused and tortured for the past 5 years under the care of Hydra.
Some of the details in the file made Steve curl up his toes in rage.
He, who had lived through the 2nd world war and seen much of the unthinkable horrors that plagued this world...
He, who was known as the God of War Ares for the devastation he'd left in his wake when he conquered Hydra's German base...
Even he had to control himself when he read through the file.
'Harry Dursley came into Hydra's clutches when he was just 4, already having experienced malnutrition, and showing clear signs of abuse. Even then, the boy had a will of fire, being able to resist Hydra's personality training for 3 full months before he fell apart finally.
After that, he went under numerous amounts of experimentation, some of which left him weak and crippled. But one unique thing his handlers noticed was his absurd regenerative abilities, as he always recovered from anything under 8 hours. Which made him a perfect lab rat.
At the age of 6, the boy was broken enough that he lost all sense of self and only referred to himself as 'This one' to indicate that he was simply a tool of Hydra, nothing more.
Next year, he killed for the first time, and then was regularly given missions to assassinate numerous political targets that Hydra wished to replace.
But even after all this, what really made him invaluable to Hydra came a year later when the boy survived his transformation into Super soldier...'
Steve sighed as he closed the report, not bothering to reread the rest.
After going through all that, it was no wonder the boy was so closed off and paranoid. The people he'd assigned to keep an eye on him described him as someone excepting to fight for his life every second.
Steve sighed again. Harry reminded him of his failure every time he was mentioned.
61 years ago, Steve had sworn to absolutely eradicate every trace of Hydra. To never let another soul suffer from thar evil organization. To not let Peggy's sacrifice go in vain...
And yet, cases like Harry continue to erupt all around the globe. Children getting kidnapped from their homes with the sole purpose of being tortured and used in a lab...
But even amongst all of this, Harry's case was particularly extreme.
Which was why, even knowing that the boy was a massive risk to the society, Steve just couldn't find it in his heart to punish him for whatever atrocities he'd committed under Hydra.
No, he actually quite admired the boy. To be able to keep his mind sane after going through all that...it takes a will that most people nowadays lacked. Even more impressive was the fact that he achieved his freedom all by himself. The patience and planning needed to pull off something like that must be incredible.
This was exactly why he had something better planned for the boy. Harry would never agree to be a Shield agent, but what if Steve gave him something he desperately seeks? Freedom...and safety.
The world council would no doubt make a big deal out of it, but Steve just couldn't give a flying fuck. They will keep their mouths shut if they knew what was good for them.
He'd just finished wrapping up everything on his desk when the door to his office suddenly slammed open, and in came his second-in-command.
Dressed in a long black coat and an eye-patch, the scarred man looked like the toughest, meanest, son of a bitch around. There was no doubt in Steve's mind that he was one as well. He walked forth with squared shoulders, a single eye set in a scowl that would make any other agent scramble out of the way.
The man didn't say anything as he came to a stand in front of Steve. His lone eye simply glared at him, demanding answers.
"Agent Fury." Steve greeted amiably, even knowing what was to come. "I'm guessing you're here for the boy?"
The man didn't say anything, his scowl simply deepening even more.
Silence spread through the room as the two highest ranking Shield members stared at each other, one with apparent anger, another with a calm smile.
"Drop the act, Nick. I'm not in the mood for your games." Steve commanded, letting just the slightly bit of authority twinge in his tone.
Nick fury might look fearsome and frightening to most of the Shield, but Ares had dealt with way too much to be affected by something so inane.
"Yeah well, I'm not one that likes wasting time. But someone just had to butt in and cut my orders dead." Fury finally spoke, his voice bursting with irritation. "You don't wanna arrest the boy? Fine. You don't wanna interrogate him? Got it. But why for the love of motherfucking god don't you wanna recruit him in? He's literally made for it, trained for it, grown for it. We will never get a chance like this ever again!"
This time Steve was the one to maintain the silence, a single raised eyebrow forcing Fury to calm down and take deep breaths. "Sorry for that, sir. I've had a tough week."
"Understandable." Steve nodded. "Now as for the boy, I would ask you to stopping speaking of him like some goods you wish to purchase. For all his faults, he is still a child.
The man stared at him uncomprehending, before his brows pinched up in another scowl. "With all due respect sir, I think you're out of your goddamn mind. That boy is no child."
For the first time, Steve felt the beginnings of irritation. "Mind you words, Agent Fury."
"Now hold on for a goddamn second." Fury dragged back a chair and plopped his butt down. "You do realise that boy would gladly slit both of our throats in a jiffy if he thought he could get away with it? You want that boy to just...stay without any supervision, let him roam free like he's a motherfu–"
"Enough." Ares ordered, and Fury finally shut up.
The man still looked rearing to go, but he knew an order when he heard one.
Steve leaned back, fishing a lighter from his front pocket, and took this chance to observe the man. Fury usually wasn't this worked up, and neither was he ever this... impertinent.
Something must've truly rattled his 2nd in command, but that doesn't mean he could walk in here and demand things.
"That boy," Steve started, absently lightning a cigar. "Has never experienced childhood. Never."
He took a drag of smoke, relaxing in his seat. "Do you realise how quickly he could become unstable if he continues like this? No, that simply isn't the way to go. He must experience childhood. He deserves it. And I have the power to give it to him, so I will."
The one-eyed man looked down at his lap for a few long minutes before finally facing up. "Begging your pardon sir, but his childhood was over the moment Hydra got to him."
Steve suppressed the budding guilt, pushing it down. Even knowing it wasn't his fault, every time Hydra's evils were reminded, it made him feel personally attacked.
"Whatever mockery of 'Childhood' you force on him now will only make him irritated at you." Fury continued strongly. "The Mystique Soldier is not a child sir, and you better get it through your goddamned head. He is a magical version of Romanoff, that could whoop most of our agent's asses black and blue. We better hope that he doesn't have some stupid plan at world domination cause he's angsty about Hydra, or else we'll be in some real deep shitstorm."
Steve stared at the man for a few seconds, unresponding.
He knew, objectively speaking, what the Agent said was atleast partially true.
The thing is, Harry wasn't Romanoff.
He was still a child, almost 10 if the file's information was to be believed, and children healed from emotional scars the fastest.
With some care and encouragement, Steve had no doubt that the boy could grow up to be an outstanding human. Something Fury didn't seem to believe.
Plus, the boy wasn't here to join Shield. He was here because he had nowhere else to go. Pushing him now will only turn him away, which was exactly the thing Steve feared the most.
Someone like Harry needed proper guidance and advice, to guide him away from the dark path that he was currently walking. For all Fury's brilliance at handling Shield's affairs, he simply didn't understand emotional things like this.
Steve sighed, disappointed in his second-in-command. Times like these made him worried for the future of this organisation.
Nick wasn't ready to be the director. No matter how much experience the man gained, he simply couldn't drop his incredibly vertical thinking. He was too cynical and pragmatic to lead an organisation as vast as Shield.
Sure, the world has become a dark place, and ruthlessness was sometimes needed to deal with lost causes. But if even the protectors of earth lost their humanity, would they truly be heroes anymore?
"Agent Fury," Steve began, his voice strong and unyielding. "You are dismissed for the rest of the week. Take this time to reflect upon your actions, on how close you were to legitimise child soldiers. Once you see the errors in your argument, we will talk again. Till then, I will personally handle this case. Dismissed."
The man stared at him incredulously for a few seconds, before his brows scrunched up in his iconic scowl.
"Sir." He saluted, and then walked for the door.
"Remember this, Nick." The man stopped but did not turn. "We are not Hydra. We must be better."
A last nod and the man was off, shutting the door behind him and once again plunging the room in silence.
His eyes rested on the picture of his first and only love. 61 years in has been, and not a day passed when he didn't mourn her death.
"I wish you were here." He sighed. "Everything would be so easy then."
A decade from now, he would reflect upon this moment and curse his younger self for uttering such foolish words.
Really, he had only said them in passing, why must the future be so cruel?
The crack of dawn struck the horizon not long after harry woke up, laid on his bed with eyes blearily staring at the dim yellow lighting on the ceiling. A week since he'd started staying with Kara and he was already able to sleep for a longer time.
Heaving a breath, his attention went to the system notif that he knew would be present. It always did, at this day of the year– 31st July.
[Happy Birthday: You are now 10 years old]
He didn't know what the system was exactly, but he was glad for its presence. Not only was the system the only being to ever wish him on this day, it was also the only reason that he knew when he was born exactly. Hydra hadn't known of course, and Dursleys didn't care to tell him.
It was only when he was 5, and the system's notifs flashed, did he truly know about it. This single msg had gotten him through some tough times, and he will forever be grateful for it.
Harry was surprised to note that it wasn't the only msg this time though.
[Puberty Stage Activated]–
[Perk Leveled Up: Enhanced Growth (Passive)]
[Perk Leveled Up: Super Soldier] Lvl 3
Puberty...he was unfamiliar with the subject. He simply knew it had to do with a human growing up and becoming self sufficient, which was always a good thing.
He'd like to get independent as soon as he can.
Super Soldier Lvl 3, on the other hand, was a much more joyous news. He quickly opened up his status to see the new effects.
'Status'
Harry Potter
Age: 10
Race: Wizard
Level: 23
Mana: 390/390
Health: 290/290
Stamina: 290/290
Stats
Strength: 20 (9)
Speed: 21 (9)
Dexterity: 21 (9)
Vitality: 20 (9)
Endurance: 20 (9)
Intelligence: 30 (9)
Wisdom: 29 (9)
Points: 23
Muted excitement spread through him as he took in his stats. His physique was now easily above professional athletes and weight lifters. And it will keep growing more and more. Soon, he may even come to match the winter Soldier physically.
As the first rays of light tricked in through the window, Harry got up from his bed, ready to start the day with a nice hot shower.
Another luxury that Harry experienced for the first time after arriving here. In Hydra, he had to take bath with icy cold water, even in winter. But atleast he felt clean back then. His homeless tenure had forced him to go without bathing for quite some time.
Which is why, when he says that he appreciated the hot shower, he absolutely meant it.
Coming out of his bathroom, he quickly decided on what to wear. Kara had brought some new clothes for him a couple days earlier, with a promise to take him shopping once she gets some free time. Harry didn't care, he was happy with what he got.
While he normally didn't treat birthday as some special occasion, he was currently on the quest to experience life, so he carefully selected the more fashionable clothes for today; a black hoodie that Kara had described as 'stylish', and a...yellowish-brown, sort of potato-coloured cargo pants that looked crumbly to his inexperienced eyes but were apparently quite fashionable nowadays.
By the time he was finished dressing up it was 6:30 on the clock and kara was still sleeping. Unusually late for her.
They both had different rooms and bathrooms, Shield having promoted her to a suite at his insistence to stay with her.
Why his insistence? Because he did not trust Shield to not eliminate him should he be alone. The only person he even remotely trusted was Kara, who was seen as a valuable Shield member. So he could atleast sleep reassured that Shield wouldn't blow up the entire suite with their own agent still in it, just to eliminate him.
His feets crossed the kitchen and the living room to reach Kara's room. She still wasn't up so he must do his job and wake her.
It won't do to be late for work now would it?
He decided to be a good boy and banged on her doors.
"Kara!" He yelled over the thump thump thump of his fists. "Wake up! It's over six already!"
He didn't get a response. So of course he repeated his screaming. "Wake up or I'll be locking the door behind me!"
Still no response.
Frowning, he twisted the knob and to his surprise and disappointment, the door clicked open. What a reckless Shield Agent.
The scene that was revealed to his eyes made him grimace. There, lying on her bed facedown, was the body of Kara the lazy. Still dressed in the same cloth as yesterday, with a half-eaten pizza box on her table. She even had her high heels on.
He sighed. "Weekends are too dangerous to leave her alone. I will remember this."
But as he walked over to her, he strangely felt his eyes scanning her figure. Which was abnormal considering he didn't see her as a threat anymore.
Even if she carried a weapon he wouldn't care too much. He paid an especially close look to the curvy bottoms, sticking out like high grasslands in her tight black dress, the big bubble made by her behind stretched her dress to its extreme ...and her wide thighs that showed off milky white skin through the side-cut on her dress...
He shook his head with a frown. What was wrong with him? He was wasting time.
He climbed over her bed, turning the wasted woman to reveal her face, before rearing back his hand and giving a tight slap on her cheek.
The woman woke up with a gasp, her hands scrambling for weapon. "Attack! The base is in danger!"
Another slap shut her up.
"It's almost seven. You're going to be late." Harry stated, climbing down.
"...Harry?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. "Did you just hit me?"
"Of course not." He lied. "Must've been a dream."
Kara gave him a suspicious look before nodding. "What time is it anyway?"
"Almost seven." He repeated.
"Oh." She said, before her eyes widened. "Oh shit! Today's Monday!"
"Good luck." Harry waved at the woman as she scrambled for her bathroom.
He was just turning around when her yelled at him. "Can you remove my uniform please!? It's on the hanger!"
Harry sighed again. Sometimes he wondered who was the adult in this house.
The Shield headquarters was a massive building located in the streets of New York.
But then again, there were dozens of massive buildings in New York so that doesn't narrow it down at all. Which was most likely why they chose it, hiding in plain sight and all that.
The building had multiple segments of Shield divisions, though the only one that Harry current had access to was the gym. Apart from their suite of course, which was on another floor.
Today was supposed to be a special day. Not because of his birthday, but because most of the Shield agents were going to return to the base. Apparently they've been hunting after Hydra bases since the fateful day of his freedom.
Harry couldn't careless. He'll thank god if they ended up killing each other. Except for perhaps Kara that is, but she usually stayed in the base so he didn't worry too much. No, he simply followed the same pattern he'd been doing for the past week.
That is, training. And completing daily quests.
[Quest [The Daily Grind] in Progress]–
Running (0/10Km)
Push-ups (0/100)
Sit-ups (0/100)
Squats (0/100)
Weight lifting (0/100)
Ever since his first Story Quest's completion, these daily quests once again became an important part of his training, due to the rewarded Xp increasing by 5 times.
With Hydra they'd been practically useless. Not just due to the mere 10 Xp they gave, but also because he couldn't complete them most of the time. Hydra did not believe in the effectiveness of his system's exercises, so they'd barred him from doing anything outside of their parameters.
Now? Now he could take his sweet time to complete these quests, while also enjoying the 50 Xp that he received every day. According to his calculations, he will roughly need to follow this regime for a month and a half to level up, even after adding in the fact that the required Xp to level up increased each time.
It was utterly unfathomable. 8 full levels in a year? Winter Soldier would be nothing in front of him, should Harry survive into the adulthood.
Of course, 'Survive into Adulthood' has always been his main objective anyway.
He finally arrived at his destination, walking through the open doors.
Shield's Gym was a little old school compared to what Hydra facilities had, but it did the job. The first thing he did was complete his quest for push ups, sit ups, and squats. They took very little effort, especially weightless squats, so he enjoyed finishing them quickly.
Then came the weight training. The last time he was here, he was able to lift over 260 kgs.
The unusual thing about gamer's body was that his strength was almost equal in all of his muscles. So his deadlift, squat, and bench press were quite similar in number. All around 250-260 kgs.
Harry smiled as a familiar sense of excitement spread through him. He was quite looking forward to find his new level of strength, though he already had a theoretical estimate on the numbers.
Starting small from 60 kgs, he kept adding more and more weight as his quest numbers increased at a steady pace. Until finally, he started feeling the pressure.
One thing was easy to notice instantly; he was definitely stronger.
The amount of effort it took to bench or deadlift over 250 kgs just yesterday was absurd, and he usually never attempted the former alone. Couldn't risk the weight falling on his throat now, could he? Not that he'd be helpless of course, he had his magic afterall. Still, it was a risk not worth taking.
Now? He was lifting over 260 kgs, his previous maximum, without hitting his limit. The difference was easy to notice. In the end his theory was proven correct when his new deadlift limit hit 290 kgs. The conclusion? Each point in strength equalled 10 kgs of lifting.
So 29 Str points meant 290 Kgs.
Science aside, he had to admit being strong brought with it an amazing feeling of safety. While he was getting accustomed to these sweet delicious bouts of emotions, he still enjoyed simply basking in the warmth they spread through him.
Even more excitement came from the fact that he will only keep growing with every level.
Soon, he finished the weight lifting part, and moved on to the next; running. He will also need to do a speed test, to see his max limit.
There was a row of treadmills towards the back, and usually it would be occupied by other people in the gym but Harry had selected this time carefully. No one visited the gym at this time of the day. And so he was free to use it however he liked.
The only part of training he didn't like was using these treadmills. For some reason, most of the American treadmills only had a single unit for speed; miles/hour. While Hydra had forced him to learn both units of measurement, he still found Km/h more comfortable to use. Not simply due to his system, but also because he thought mile was an unnecessary unit. It literally meant 1600 meters, compared to the neat 1000 that Km had.
Unfortunately, he was in America. No point in feeling unnecessary frustration.
Again, he started slow. Going 8-9 m/h, or,12-15 km/h. He kept on increasing and increasing until he reached his limit, sprinting at a breathtaking 30 km/h. A full 3 km/h increment. It was easy to conclude that 1 stat in speed meant 1 km/h.
A good thing the system was smart enough to use the logical measures.
Quest [The Daily Grind] in Progress–
Running (X)
Push-ups (X)
Sit-ups (X)
Squats (X)
Weight lifting (X)
Reward: 50 Xp
Finished with his quest, Harry spent the next half an hour punching the air out of the boxing bag.
Bare knuckle boxing might be one of the most lackluster idea he'd ever had, but Harry still kept up with it. With his current lack of training aids, this was the only way to level up Unarmed Combat.
"You're a little too young for this, don't you think?" A voice interrupted his assault on the defenseless target.
Harry turned around, and came face to face with a small old blonde man. He stood around 5'7 to 5'8 at most, and looked more like a retired stick figure than a fighter. Certainly not the fearsome god of war that laid waste to multiple Hydra bases.
Of course, harry knew better than to underestimate Steve Rogers. He'd seen his stats afterall.
"Ares." He greeted the man, slamming the gamer's mind to keep his nerves calm. "It is...a pleasure to meet you."
"Really? I heard something different from Agent Palamas." The old man smiled slightly. "Why, she almost threatened to neuter me if I give you trouble."
"Well then you better not, right?" Harry smiled lightly, but his words were quite serious.
If the man was looking to interrogate him then he'd be in for some frustrating time.
Ares laughed aloud. "True. I'll try not to. Though most people seem to dislike me from the start, trouble or no."
"I think the word you are looking for is 'intimidated', Captain." Another voice cut in.
The man that came from behind Ares was less than half his age, probably around Melinda's, though he did look the part of it.
'Observe'
Phil Coulson
Age: 35
Race: Human
Level: 23
"Hello, mister... Harry." The man finally settled on his name. "Agent 33 had a lot to say about you. All good things I assure you."
"Of course." Harry drolled out. "I do keep her rooms cleaned after all."
The man chuckled politely. "I'm sure that helps, but no. I was talking about your decision to rebel from the grasps of Hydra. I must admit to being sceptical at first."
"But?" Harry prompted when the man didn't continue further.
"But the footage of your fight is unquestionable." Ares replied instead. "That was an impressive display of skills and power."
Harry carefully observed both the men; Captain Ares' relaxed but assertive posture, with both hands at his sides. Phil Coulson's more reserved posture, polite but aware with both hands in front, one clasped by other...
"Are you here to interrogate me, Ares?" Harry asked bluntly.
He had no plans to play their games.
"Evaluate." The Captain corrected. "And no, they are not similar. I get that a lot. You aren't being forced to answer, just to share them if you so wish to. But no, we aren't here for any answers. Hydra doesn't interest me. You do."
The white haired man then climbed inside the boxing ring, starting to undress. "Come on. Sate the curiosity of an old man, would you?"
Harry stared at him, confused for a second, before he understood what the man wanted.
Fighting Captain Ares? His handlers would've thrown a fit. One command that every Hydra has to follow was 'You see a large red robot with a giant sword? Run. Ares doesn't leave survivors'. That man's personal vendetta against Hydra was legendary.
But then again, when will he ever recieve the opportunity to fight such a strong opponent? This was his chance to truly assess his prowess. How exactly will he fare against a fellow super soldier...
The sound of multiple footsteps made him turn around. Suddenly the once mostly empty gym was filled to the brim as people started entering. Around a dozen, each wearing a sleeveless grey-navy blue uniform with shield's logo on their chest. He could make out Melinda's face in the mix, as well as Maria Hill's. Though not Kara.
"I hope you don't mind an audience." The Captain called out, a slight smirk on his face.
Harry was... annoyed. He couldn't understand the man's reasons behind this. Did he wish to embarass him in front of an audience? Was this supposed to be a lesson for him? A punishment for once being in Hydra? Clearly he invited this bunch for a reason.
And as he observed the crowd, he saw a lot of unhappy faces. Some were even giving him nasty looks. He couldn't careless of course. They will find their heads detached if they tried anything.
But the point is, Shield was up to something. Or atleast Ares was. Something that Harry didn't understand.
"Relax."
Harry glanced to the side, finding Melinda leaning down at him.
"He wanted to give this year's shield graduates a lesson." She explained. "You've truly impressed him with your fight against Hydra. It was all he could talk about for the past month or so."
Harry found that hard to believe. Why would he show-off a former Hydra's skills? It was basically saying: 'See this strong kid? Yeah Hydra trained him and made him that. Isn't that great? Our enemy is so cool'.
No. That can't be it. Surely not...unless Ares literally didn't care about more people joining Hydra.
"And I completely agree with him." Melinda continued chattering. "I've only ever seen two people fight the way you did."
"I see." Harry gave a last nod before approaching the ring.
"I'm sorry for the whooping you're about to recieve kid." One of the male initiates said from the side, his friends snorting behind him.
Multiple responses flashed through Harry's mind before he found himself just not caring.
He settled on looking the thin guy up and down before elegantly stating. "Shut the fuck up."
His friends eyes widened, startled laughter escaping them, and Harry counted it as success. Especially when the guy turned red.
The ring wasn't large enough for a true fight, boxing the participants in a small closed square, but he guessed it presented its own type of challenge. You can't expect to always fight in open ground afterall.
Quest [Weather the Storm] in progress–
Survive against Ares for 1 minute ( )
Survive against Ares for 3 minutes ( )
Survive against Ares for 5 minutes ( )
Now this...this removed all of his reservations. He had nothing to lose from this fight. Everyone expected Ares to win anyway, so he simply needed to survive.
"How do you wish to proceed?" Harry asked his opponent as he climbed up the ring, swinging inside through the ropes.
"Oh don't worry about rules." Ares waved it away. "Just go all out. I can take it. Even your... special abilities."
"Very well then."
And with that, he attacked. The hasty plan that formed in his head relied on one thing: Don't go all out.
Harry met Ares in a flurry of blows, both getting into it from the get go but with him holding back slightly. A quick swing to the man's head that he jerked out of, followed by a swipe of legs while ducking down from his opponents counter punch. The Captain jumped away, steady and stable.
The first contact was over, now was time for the core.
This time, his opponent took the initiative.
If Melinda was indeed true about the motive of this fight then the man would most likely be looking to adjust to Harry's strength and speed. And considering Ares has seen him fight, he'd already have an estimated level.
He was proven right when his opponent attacked him with similar speed and strength that Harry moved in just now. And he had to admit...this guy was a monster. Every punch that he threw came with a sharp accuracy, each setting up the next attack, each just a chain of a long combination meant to push him in a certain way. Even though his opponent was lowering himself to Harry's level, his skill simply outstripped Harry's by a wide margin.
But that was what Harry expected from the start. He may have the system at his side, but Captain Ares has been fighting since world war 2. The sheer experience that this 88 year old man has accumulated cannot be surpassed by a few years of training. Especially when the man's body showed minimal signs of weakening from age.
Harry didn't plan to dominate in unarmed combat against the man. No, but what he wanted was to lure the man in, give him what he expected.
And then, when he least expects, burst out at full prowess.
Which was exactly what Harry did. As they met again, he went wild. The intensity behind his punch shook his opponents arm when he tried to deflect it away. The surprise that flashed behind captain's eyes motivated Harry further, and he rained a flurry of blows upon him, even cracking the ring's corner poll when one of his missed kicks landed on it.
And for the first time, he was taking the charge of the fight, pushing his opponent back.
Of course, no plan survives contact with the enemy. The words became a fact in front of his eyes as all too soon, Ares readjusted.
Afterall, if Harry had been holding back a bit, the god of war was doing so by a lot. And it showed in his next attacks when he too stopped pulling his punches.
The guy had more than 10 points advantage in strength and speed. Not only was he more skilled, he was also much more powerful. And it showed when the god of war easily started to counter Harry and put him back on defensive.
But Harry was flexible enough to still make his plan work. Briefly he wondered if he should just Increase his stats with points but quickly discarded it.
No, they can be used for something far important than quick boost in a mock fight.
But he did have one thing to salvage his plan: Magic.
Normally, wand magic wouldn't be too useful in such a fast paced melee fight. The incantations themselves would've taken a second or two. Enough time for Ares to pick him up and tear him in half.
But Wandless magic held a massive advantage in this regard. It was quicker. More subtler.
As Ares pushed him to a corner, harry responded to the next combination of attacks with a solid wall of magic. The man's fists bounced off of the surface while his knee was stopped cold, though the strikes did manage to send deep cracks in the wall. Harry didn't care, he just wanted to surprise his opponent, in which he succeeded.
And promptly took the advantage of.
He launched himself over the opponent, using the ring ropes to jump above his head. His feets came down to stomp upon the stunned Ares' head and use it as leverage to somersault over him, before launching a thick beam of pure force towards the man as he landed straight on his legs.
There was no way he could've dodged that. The beam of force was thick. As thick as Harry's entire body, taking almost all of his magic to create it. It should've blasted Ares from the ring, and maybe even injure him badly.
But somehow the man turned around and a massive sword suddenly came into existence to block the beam, cutting his magic in two. The two smaller beams went on to rip apart the ropes and poles, demolishing down the entire ring that they fought on, forcing Harry on his knees as he struggled to maintain his balance.
But as the dust settled, Ares stood on his legs, safe and sound, with his gigantic red sword resting on his shoulder, looking very much ready for the next round. Harry on the other hand...
Harry Potter
Age: 10
Race: Wizard
Level: 23
Mana: 37/390
Health: 278/290
Stamina: 28/290
...was tired. And panting. And just wanted to take a quick nap. Or a nice long nap.
Thankfully the collapsed stage made his opponent glance around in stress. "Alright, that was definitely not what I wanted. Fury's gonna be on my ass again."
He then turned to harry, shooting a small smile. "I think we can conclude this match with your win, Harry. I shouldn't have used this sword, but my instincts said I'd be in for some painful days at hospital if I let that attack land. And well...I've learned to trust my instincts in matters like this."
Harry didn't respond save for a quick nod, too busy panting for some breath with his hands resting on his knees, even ignoring the flashes of message from his system.
He took a quick glance around at the gaping crowd as Ares turned to face them, taking in their shocked and incredulous face with no small amount of satisfaction.
"And that, kids," The man started, insinuating his words by pointing at harry. "-is why I said never to judge your opponent through size or age. Not in here. If you wish to continue serving the world through Shield then you must be aware of the risk. This planet...it's filled with things you cannot comprehend. Neither can I, for that matter. You just never know when a pissed off ten year old may screw you over. So when your superiors tell you your enemy is dangerous? You better believe them. Or you'll be signing a one way ticket to a casket."
Silence ensued as some of the people present looked down to the ground like scolded children, while the others had a face of grim seriousness. Even Maria.
It was...a surprising display of humility that Harry hadn't expected adults to show. Aren't adults supposed to be calm and confident? Well...his targets will beg to differ but harry couldn't imagine himself being this docile when he grew up.
But then again, he didn't know what exactly 'growing Up' entailed so...eh.
As the Captain continued to lecture the group, Harry finally took a look at the pings of msgs.
Quest [Weather the Storm] Completed–
Survive against Ares for 1 minute (X)
Survive against Ares for 3 minutes (X)
Survive against Ares for 5 minutes (X)
Defeat Ares [Bonus] (X)
Defeat Ares without Magic [Bonus] (—)
Rewards:
100 Xp
300 Xp
500 Xp
1 Level
[Happy Birthday]–
Rewards increased by 100%
[You Leveled Up] Lvl 24
[You Leveled Up] Lvl 25
[You Leveled Up] Lvl 26
Pleasant warmth spread through Harry as he took in the lvl up msgs. He hadn't expected to recieve any birthday gifts today, like he'd heard people usually get, but of course his system came up with a way anyway.
This was, without a doubt, the best birthday ever!
A shame he would've to shelve the celebrations for later. While he appreciated his system's gifts, he didn't appreciate Ares' plots.
For now, he had a legend to confront. And a threat to assess.
Because if things like this continued, he may just have to leave Shield behind as well...
AN: And done. Another massive chapter by yours truly.
So, what do you think of Steve and Fury's exchange? They are both characters with unyielding and strong personalities. Even though this Steve hasn't received that personality boost like canon, he is still a war veteran who has lived for a very long time.
I hope the decision to make him Shield's director didn't feel forced. It just makes sense to me for him to take up the mantle after Peggy and Howard Stark's death. He is definitely a more... lenient leader than Fury, but that doesn't mean he's weak. Neither in power nor in personality. And hopefully I did well to represent that.
Oh, and this isn't gonna be a Fury bashing fic mind you. I just can't see his character mashing well with Caps. I'd first considered making their relationship more like Danzo and Hiruzen from Naruto, but that just wouldn't work considering the age difference. While he is valuable enough for Steve to tolerate his crap, that by no means makes them equals.
I hope this also answers any doubt on why Harry isn't being too suspicious of Hydra's infiltration in Shield. Because they just aren't as big a problem as they were in the past. Steve's vendetta had made them extremely cautious and...limited.
Next, Harry's started his long journey through Puberty. How will that affect him? Well...You probably know.
Finally Harry vs Steve. I know some of you would be doubtful of his win, but remember, not only had Steve been holding back, he also hadn't worn his Ares armour. This was just a mock fight that Steve decided to accept as a loss.
And to be honest, even as young as Harry is, he is still a force to be reckoned with. So it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise for him to put up a decent challenge for Steve.
Also tell me if those 3 levels feel too sudden. I just realised while writing that ending, that Harry never had a birthday gift in his life. So I was like, you know what? Fuck it. It's not like the birthday multiplier is a plot hole or anything. He's just discovered it now cause he never recieved a quest on his birthday. Or if he did, he wasn't able to complete it.
Anyway, next chapter will have Harry confronting Steve and getting some answers.
That's it for this chapter.
Let me know if you like the direction this fic is going in. Harry will definitely be attending Hogwarts, so don't worry about that.
Follow, favourite, and review, and I'll see you lot in the next chapter.