Stephen Strange fell into a practiced stance as soon as he emerged from the portal, dual Tao Mandalas already formed. The icy wind felt like knives against his exposed face, reminding him all too much of the time the Ancient One had abandoned him on Mount Everest. At least this time he was already wearing a winter coat.

Standing before him was quite a strange collection of figures. In the back was a gaggle of varied creatures that reminded Strange of nothing so much as the medical students he had been saddled with for rounds back at Metro-General - timid and easily discounted as threats.

Most prominent was what Strange could only describe as a demon. Standing at nearly eight feet, the gangly beast was covered in dark blue chitinous plates; from the joints sprouted patches of rough, scraggly black hair. Most striking, though, was the bright red mask it wore. It resembled a lizard skull, though one with dozens of curved, spiked protrusions, each of which had several smaller spikes branching further off, all curved to point in whatever direction it was facing. As primal as the demon appeared, it was distinguished from a mere beast by three features - the massive, single-edged blade it held upright in both hands, a belt around its waist from which hung a thin, leather-bound book, and the spark of malicious intelligence in the eyes buried within the thicket of spikes on its face.

Next to it stood a man dressed in a combination of robes layered with thin patterned leather armor, his face obscured by a helm of similar material. What Strange could see exposed, though, showed the man to possess dusky blue skin and piercing, light blue eyes. Though he carried no weapons, his stance with empty hands held aloft, not unlike Strange or Wong's own, gave him an aura of danger.

Last was a tan-skinned woman dressed in what appeared to be a form of old-fashioned regalia - practical but ornate black boots, long orange skirt, blue tailcoat, white cravat, and a flat orange cap secured by a length of white silk under her chin. Unlike her companions, she showed no concern over the sorcerers' arrival, merely turning to face and approach them from between her companions. As she approached, she made a small, dismissive gesture at her companions, who dropped into more casual stances - it was clear who was in charge.

Strange quickly glanced at Wong, and the two sorcerers hesitantly followed suit, dismissing their magical armaments. Taking a step forward, Strange cleared his throat before speaking. "What is your business with Earth?"

The woman paused, seeming almost consider for a moment, only to then respond in an unfamiliar language. Another shared glance with Wong, who proceeded to repeat the question in Lhasa Tibetan, hoping the local language would produce better results.

The woman's eyes lit up with recognition. Smiling and clapping her hands together, she responded in slow, deliberate words, focusing her attention on Wong, who then translated for Strange. "She understands Tibetan, though she claims that we're speaking a bastardization of something called 'Universal Metaconstant.'"

"Great, you can talk. Ask where they're from."

Another brief back and forth caused Wong to furrow his brow. "It's hard to say. As far as I can tell, she says they're from 10,000 places."

"That makes no sense."

"Forgive me for not perfectly translating a language I've never spoken."

"Oh for the love of…" Strange rolled his eyes and stepped forward, gesturing for the woman to give him her hand. She obliged, gently laying her hand in his own as though expecting him to kneel and kiss it. Strange brought his other hand up, runes forming in the air around his fingers, only to be stopped as her free hand surged forward, lightning-quick, and clutched onto his wrist, holding him in place.

Strange could feel Wong tense up behind him as he met the woman's eyes, her serious expression clear as any spoken words - any funny business, and they would be in for a fight. He nodded, and a moment later she let go of his wrist. Strange brought his hand up to just below her chin, which she raised to expose her throat. A quick application of runes just above her cravat, and Strange stepped back, satisfied in a job well done.

She paused for a beat, tracing the patterns of light with her fingertips. When she next spoke, the enchantment pulsed, and Strange understood the words as clearly as lightly-accented English. "A translation spell of some kind? Impressive. And here I was figuring out how to convince you to drink blue devil liquor."

Strange smirked. "A simple spell, limited only by needing the target to allow you access to their throat. Now then… who are you, and how did you get through the seals on the Arch of Gang Rinpoche?"

The woman looked puzzled before glancing back over at the Arch behind her. "The King's Door? I know not what seals may have been placed on it, but all locks bend before the sovereignty of the Key of Kings. As for myself, I am Matani Ten Yodmani, Emissary of Queen Nadia Om, the Blood Flower Imperiatrix of the Gates of Fire, Bearer of the Word Glory, and Goddess of the Seven Part World." She recited the titles with the practiced ease of a long-employed herald.

Strange frowned - this Matani was sounding too much like Ebony Maw for his comfort. "Uh huh. And this Nadia, what does she want with Earth?"

Matani smiled the smile of an adult explaining a concept to a particularly dull child. "Our Lady wishes for nothing more than to welcome your world into the embrace of the empire that already surrounds it. As a closed world, I'm sure you have little knowledge of the glory that is waiting to be claimed as a subservient member of our Lady's empire."

Wong spoke up before Strange could, his hackles clearly raised. "And if we decline?"

Matani tilted her head ever so slightly, still smiling her sickly sweet smile. "Please, Preems…?"

"Wong, Sorcerer Supreme."

"Doctor Strange."

"Preem Wong, Preem Strange-"

"Doctor Strange."

"My apologies, Doctor Strange. This mountain top is hardly the place to discuss politics, I'm sure you agree. Please, let us descend to a more comfortable setting, and we can discuss the great many rewards your world will enjoy."

Strange was in no way prepared to allow these strange people off the mountain, but Wong stepped forward, placing a hand on his forearm to gain his attention. Leaning towards Strange, he spoke softly. "The Sanctum Sanctorum - it's empty right now, save Parker. An extra body and home field advantage couldn't hurt."

Strange considered for a moment before relenting. He didn't like the idea of bringing outsiders into the Sanctum, but if push came to shove, they had the holding cells in the undercroft. Sighing, he turned and created a portal back into the Sanctum lobby, stepping aside to gesture their new guests in. Wong went through first, relieving the two acolytes shoveling the ice inside of their duties and telling them to go home.

Matani turned to her two companions, who both briefly spoke in the unfamiliar language, to which she nodded. A few orders were barked to what Strange now recognized as a group of servants, who turned in on themselves and began chattering back and forth.

Matani turned to Strange. "We thank you for your hospitality, Doctor Strange. Joining me will be my companions, Tehtysythysehts," she gestured to the demon, "and Kasen Menetho, Geas Knight." The man bowed deeply.

"The rest of my entourage will be remaining here, making preparations on our side for the trade of knowledge and goods we hope to enact." Even as she spoke, the gaggle of servants filed back through the Arch, disappearing in crackling flashes of lightning.

With that, the group filed through the portal, the demon - Tethysythysehts - turning his head as he passed Strange to give him a rictus grin.


Peter was leaned up against a wall in the Sanctum, awkwardly watching the two acolytes shovel snow as he waited for Doctor Strange's return - he had offered to assist, but they had no more shovels. As such, when the magic portal reformed, he almost bounced forward excitedly to greet Strange, only to find Wong giving him a wary look.

"Parker, perhaps it's fate that brought you here today. The Sanctum will be playing host to some guests. They don't seem hostile, but it's best to stay on our guard. Do you have any way to contact the Avengers?"

Peter felt a pang in his chest - the only Avenger he had really known had been Tony. And even then he was mostly pawned off on… "Oh! Happy!"

"Happy?"

"Yeah, Happy Hogan! He was like Mr. Stark's… bodyguard? Assistant, yeah, assistant. He has to be able to call them."

Wong nodded. "Good. Call him, let him now we have something potentially concerning the fate of the world here. From how they were talking, we might have another Thanos situation on our hands."

Peter's blood ran cold, and he scrambled to pull his phone out and bring up Happy's contact. Even as he held his phone up to his face to hear the ring, he stopped cold, watching as three of the strangest people he had ever seen walked through the portal.