This fanfiction draws inspiration from the creative ideas and original content of L3187, including the characters Alex Algird, Dave and Goron Algird, Driada, Crazdal, Xanad/Adam Watcher who are creations of L3187. You can show your support for them by following L3187 on TikTok. Thank you for your support!
A wet cloth upon their forehead.
That was the first thing Alex felt as they stirred awake. They opened their eyes to a near blinding light.
Their eyes adjusted to it, then they took a look at their surroundings. Alex saw that they were in some sort of room. It appeared to be some sort of guest quarters in a manor of some kind.
They felt that their mask and the top half of their suit was taken off. The wounds that they sustained were bandaged. They saw their upper half and their mask on a chair off to their side. Alex took the cloth off their forehead and sat up completely. That was a mistake, however that was a mistake.
They groaned in pain, their head was spinning, they were disoriented, and they fell over off the bed into the floor with a thud. "Dammit!"
Alex struggled to get back on their feet, they had slowly risen up and taken a knee to catch their breath.
Suddenly, they heard the door open. Acting on instinct Alex shot a web at the person. They hit a serving tray of tea and biscuits out of the hand of Steven Strange.
Steven was shocked to see Alex up but was surprised to see his tea set stuck to the hallway wall covered in web. He turned back to Alex, "I was just trying to give you some tea, you dick!"
Alex was panting, trying to regain their strength. "Steven?"
"Yeah it's me, don't lose your mind about it." Steven walked over and gave Alex his hand, "Come up."
Alex hesitated a bit but then gave Steven their hand.
Steven helped Alex to their feet and put their arm around his neck to help them back to the bed. "Come on, you're in no condition to stand up, let alone fight."
Alex was in no condition to argue, and they were helped back into bed.
Steven gasped, "Damn it, your stitches tore." He saw blood seeping slowly from the bandages he applied to Alex's back.
Alex tried looking over but couldn't. They winced in pain, "Fuck!"
"Here, if you can lie on your stomach, I can reapply them."
Alex shook their head as they slowly turned over on the bed. Steven helped them and then summoned a medical kit.
Steven put on a pair of glasses with three lenses and began tending to Alex's wounds again.
He cleaned Alex's wounds, wiping the blood on a clean cloth rag. They winced as Steven applied antiseptic to their wounds and then began reapplying the stitches.
Alex looked back at Steven as he stitched them up. "Were you the one who saved me?"
Steven shook his head, "I can't fight the Children of the Cosmos all by myself now can I?" He teased them.
Alex winced as Steven worked on their wounds, but they couldn't help but crack a weak smile at his teasing. "Guess not," They replied, gratitude evident in their voice. "I owe you one, Steven."
"Don't mention it." Steven nodded as he stitched them up.
As Steven continued his work, Alex's thoughts started to clear. "Steven, how were you able to find me," They asked, wincing again as the needle pierced their skin.
"Simple, I placed a tracking spell on you."
Alex was surprised, "You what?!" Alex tried to rise, but a sharp pain from their ribs stopped that.
Steven stopped them from moving again, "Take it easy, I only did it as a measure to make sure nothing bad happened to you, and I was right to do so judging what happened last night,"
Alex winced again, this time from the memory of the previous night's events. "Yeah, that was... intense," They admitted. "I can't believe the Children of the Cosmos got the drop on me like that." They fell back onto the bed and let Steven continue his work.
Steven continued to work on the stitches, his hands steady. "They're a dangerous bunch. After I got you out of there I was able to fend them off. I even managed to capture one of them!"
Alex was shocked, "Which one?"
"The one with the daggers and the Moon mask."
"She is the one who did all this to me." Alex mentioned. "She must have put something on the blades. When she sliced and diced me, I started feeling groggy, and sluggish. That's when they got the advantage over me."
Steven nodded solemnly. "Yeah I took a look at her daggers and saw that they were coated with a deadly poison. You're lucky I got you when I did. I was able to extract the poison out from you, but you're still feeling the after effects of it," Steven said, as he finished stitching up the wounds and covered them with fresh bandages. "Okay, you're all set." Steven summoned a pair of loose fitting pants with a drawstring belt, and a loose fitting shirt. "Change into those, will you? It's loose fitting and it's better for the time being while you recover."
Alex was grateful for Steven's help and nodded, carefully sitting up and wincing at the soreness in their body. They took the offered clothing and began to change, moving slowly and gingerly to avoid aggravating their wounds further. Once dressed, they settled back onto the bed, feeling more comfortable in the loose-fitting attire.
"Thanks, Steven," Alex said, a sense of relief washing over them as they realized how lucky they were to have someone like him on their side. "I definitely owe you more than just one for this."
Steven smiled warmly, his tri-lensed glasses glinting in the light. "You don't owe me anything, Alex. We're in this together. Now, you should rest and recover. I'll keep an eye on things for now. The Children of the Cosmos won't catch us off guard again."
Alex nodded, fatigue setting in as the adrenaline from their earlier awakening began to wear off. "You're right. I'll rest for a bit. Just promise me you won't let them get away with what they did."
Steven's expression turned determined. "I won't rest until we've put a stop to them, Alex. Now get some rest, you've earned it."
With that assurance, Alex closed their eyes, grateful for the respite and the knowledge that they had a powerful ally in Steven Strange.
Alex woke up a while later. They felt more refreshed, but their body was still tender from their recent injuries. They sat up slowly and looked over. There was a tea tray with a cup poured for them that was still warm. They took the cup and made short work of the tea, and the biscuits that accompanied them.
After the tea and the light snack, Alex decided to get up. They slowly moved and got to their feet, stumbling only a little. As Alex regained their strength and started to move about, they took a moment to assess their surroundings once more. The room they were in still had that air of luxurious guest quarters within a grand manor. The soft glow of the afternoon sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm and inviting ambiance. Alex couldn't help but appreciate the care and attention Steven had shown in tending to their injuries. It was clear that they were in the hands of a skilled and dedicated ally.
Feeling more stable on their feet, Alex decided to leave the room and explore further. They stepped out into the hallway, careful not to make too much noise as they moved. The manor was quiet, and the only sounds they could hear was the occasional creak of a floorboard.
Making their way down the corridor, Alex eventually found themselves in a spacious living area. It was tastefully decorated with antique furniture and adorned with various mystical artifacts. they couldn't help but be intrigued by the odd antiquities that adorned the place. The manor seemed like a treasure trove of mystical artifacts and ancient relics, hinting at the enigmatic history of its owner.
Eventually, they made their way to the main chamber of the manor, they saw Steven at some sort of workbench in the middle of the room.
Alex began to walk over there when they were taken aback by the sight of Moonchild trapped within a force field. Her eyes met Alex's with a mixture of anger and frustration as she lashed out by hitting the force field, only to be bounced back. It seemed that Steven had managed to contain her, at least for the time being.
Alex approached Steven, who was holding their Spider-suit. It looked like he was in the midst of enchanting or modifying it in some way. "Hey, Steven," Alex said softly, not wanting to distract him too much from his work.
Steven looked up, his three-lensed glasses glinting as he acknowledged Alex's presence. "Ah, you're up. How are you feeling?"
"Better, thanks to you," Alex replied, still wincing a bit as they moved. "I'm still sore, but that's life. What's going on here? How did you manage to trap Moonchild?"
Steven straightened up and gestured to the suit on the table. "I've been adding some protective enchantments to your suit. Moonchild is a formidable opponent, and I want to make sure you're prepared for the next encounter with the other two, and The Way. I'm not done with it yet, but it'll be ready soon." Steven nodded towards Moonchild, "As for her, after I beat her and her two friends. I used a containment spell to keep her confined. She won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
Alex nodded, appreciating Steven's dedication to their safety. "That's good to hear. But we need to find out more about the Children of the Cosmos and their plans. Do you think Moonchild will talk?"
Steven sighed, looking at the trapped assassin. "It's hard to say. She's loyal to her cause, and I doubt she'll willingly give up information. We may have to resort to other methods to get answers."
Alex clenched their fists in frustration. "Can't you read her mind or something?"
"I tried, but something stopped me from doing so," Steven said, as he put Alex's suit down and turned to them.
Alex was intrigued, their curiosity was piqued. "What was it?"
Steven pointed at Moonchild, "There's someone else in there."
"What?"
"Yeah, I probed her mind to try and find some answers, but I was surprised to find another mind, inside there." Steven put two fingers up, "Two minds vying for complete control. The original personality, and that." He pointed at Moonchild who had kicked the containment spell in frustration.
Alex looked at the Moonchild. "So, do you think the Way hypnotized her, and this Moonchild is the result?"
"That is my running theory," Steven said, as he got up from his chair.
Alex thought to themself, "Is there any way to reverse The Way's hold on her?"
Steven thought to himself. "Hmmm, perhaps." He muttered to himself before heading over to a row of bookcases against one of the walls. Steven perused his tomes and spell books.
He grabbed a book from the bookcase and opened it. Steven read through the book, and then put it down. He opened another book, perused through it until he found what he was looking for, "Okay I think I got it."
Alex watched with interest as Steven selected a passage from a page and began to read through it. They couldn't help but be impressed by Steven's knowledge and expertise in the mystical arts. It was clear that he was the right person to have on their side in a situation like this.
"What's the plan, Steven?" Alex asked, eager to learn more about how they might be able to break The Way's hold on Moonchild.
Steven flipped through some more pages of the book, scanning the text for the information he needed. "According to this, there might be a way to break The Way's hold on her, but it won't be easy. I'll need to perform a complex ritual that involves delving deep into her subconscious mind."
Alex frowned, realizing the difficulty of the task ahead. "Is there a chance it could backfire or harm Moonchild in any way?"
Steven nodded solemnly. "Yes, there are risks involved. If we're not careful, we could potentially damage her psyche irreparably. However, it's a risk we may have to take if we want to get to the truth and stop The Way."
Alex took a deep breath, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I'm willing to take that risk. We can't let The Way continue their plans unchecked."
Steven appreciated Alex's determination. "Very well. I'll need to prepare for the ritual and make sure we have everything we need. In the meantime, you should rest and regain your strength. I'll continue working on your suit, and we'll plan our next move carefully."
Alex nodded, "Sounds like a plan." They looked around, "Do you have any spare chairs sitting around? I kind of want to stay here."
Steven shook his head, and with a wave of his hand, summoned a nice comfy recliner for Alex to sit down in. Alex smiled and sat in the chair, "Thank you Steven." They looked over at Steven as he worked on their spider-suit. "What are you planning on doing to my suit?"
Steven smirked, "I'm altering the tensile strength of the fabric used to make your suit. Doing so will make it more resistant to bladed weaponry, and energy based attacks. That way you will be able to take heavy damage before the integrity of your suits fails."
"But it would still fail?"
"Well yes in time, nothing lasts forever, et cetera et cetera."
Alex thought to themself, "Could you add something to make my suit resistant to my energy being taken from me?"
Steven looked puzzled, "That's a specific ask. Why do you want that?"
"The third assassin, the one with the Star mask. She only had to touch me, and in doing so drained me of all my energy. It was as if I hit a brick wall," Alex explained.
Steven looked at the suit, "I'll be able to put that in as well. I'll also put some additional shielding in your suit, you can never be too careful."
Alex smiled, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it, now just relax. You still need to recuperate, you're still not at one hundred percent yet."
Alex reclined on the comfy chair. "Don't need to tell me twice." They groaned in comfort as they got more comfortable. "It's been ages since I have just done nothing and relaxed."
"You have all the time in the world to do so here, time works differently in the Mystic Mysterium."
"Is that what this place is called?"
"Yeah. It was left to me by grandfather and I have used it as my base of operations ever since."
"And what do you mean when you say time works differently here," Alex asked him.
"A little secret of mine, but to give you an idea. Three days worth of time has elapsed since you've been here, but only six hours have passed out in the world."
Alex was amazed, "That's incredible Steven!"
Steven smirked, "Bah, now go on get some more rest. Hopefully you'll just need another nap or so before you're fully healed." Steven got his hat from which was resting on his workbench and reached into it.
Alex was surprised to see Steven reaching into his hat.
He pulled out a nice thick blanket and handed it over to Alex, "Here."
Alex chuckled as they took the blanket, "You wouldn't happen to have anything to eat in there as well?"
Steven reached inside his hat once again and brought out a sweet roll, and handed it to Alex. "Here's a hat snack."
Alex chortled as they took it, the sweet roll was still warm. "Is there anything you don't have in that hat?"
"I honestly don't know. I have never done a full inventory of my hat before," Steven teased.
Alex chuckled, feeling grateful for Steven's lightheartedness in the midst of their predicament. They settled into the comfy chair, covered themselves with the blanket, and enjoyed the warm sweet roll.
As they nibbled on the treat, they relaxed in the mystical surroundings of the Mystic Mysterium. After they finished their sweet roll, Alex closed their eyes, and laid back in the comfy chair..They knew that they would need all the strength and resolve they could muster for what came next.