Issue 82: A New Age Part 19
"Nope!" Peter ducked under a jump kick.
Fandral frowned before punching out with a hook.
"Too slow!" Peter leaned back slightly.
"How…" Fandral punched and kicked dozens of times only for them to be dodged with ease.
"Are we dancing or fighting?"
"Shut up!" Fandral attacked with more force.
Peter dodged a wind breaking kick as he rolled his eyes and said, "Sheesh, my aunt May kicks harder than that, and she's a 50-year-old woman!"
"Do you ever stop talking! Fight back you coward!" Fandral punched at Peter's jaw only for the Spider-Hero to tilt his head to the side.
"Wow, who taught you to fight, a Koala? I could see that punch coming from a mile away."
"RAAA!" The Elf threw dozens of punches that all let out small sonic booms.
Peter ducked, dodged, and weaved before jumping on his shoulders, "That one was almost too close, ALMOST being the keyword."
"Get off of me!" Fandral tried to grasp the Spider's ankles.
He hopped off and landed a few feet away with a 180 flip and said, "You're looking a little tuckered out there. I think someone needs a nap, Should I ask Thor where the closest crib is?"
The crowd was both shocked and amused. Fandral could hear his friends snickering at the insults being thrown around and he couldn't bite back his anger because he had yet to land a single blow on a Midgardian.
"Is this all you have? I thought Elves were supposed to be swift and powerful."
"You!" Fadral tried to rush forward when he saw his opponent grin.
"My turn," Peter snickered as he webbed the Elf's chest and yanked him over.
With a fierce punch to the gut, he sent the warrior flying back before the web stretched and suddenly pulled him back towards Peter's fist.
"That one was 10% of my strength. Let's see how you handle 30%"
Fandral reached for his weapons, but a quick couple of thwips and Peter had sealed his hands to the twin sheathes of the Elf's weapons.
Another punch hit the Elven God on the chest, sending him flying back again. However, Peter saw that his punch didn't do much other than keep him in the air.
"Hey, MJ, check it out! It's an Elf Punch Paddle Ball!"
Peter pulled him back and punched him with all his non-amplified physical strength.
He managed to get a grunt out of the Elf before he infused his fists with Chi and pulled him back for another hit. This time, he let go of the web line and sent him flying out of the training grounds with a fierce punch to the chin.
When he landed, the Warrior was completely knocked out but only bruised.
"Huh, that wasn't too tough. Though, I figured that punch would be enough to break his bones. I guess Elves are sturdier than I thought."
"Way to go babe," MJ whistled.
"Isn't using those webs a bit like using a weapon?" Sif asked.
"A real man fights with his fists, but a great man fights with his head," Peter smirked as he did some stretches.
"HAHAHAH! Marvelous young Parker! I see you have grown much stronger than when we last met."
"Well, why don't we go a round, Thor? I'm curious to see how much I stack up against an Asgardian while going all out."
"That was not your best?" Sif asked.
"Not even close," MJ snickered.
"It sounds like fun!" Thor jumped on stage and put his hands up.
Peter made his classic suit appear as he took his low to the ground stance and said, "I'm going to use everything I have, but as long as you don't use your hammer, I won't use my gemstones."
"Gemstones? Oh, are you talking about those things that glowed when you made the Aether disappear?"
"Oh, that's right. I got them after the whole alien invasion. See this is what happens when you don't visit. To be fair, I'll show you, just for a second though," Peter activated his Power Ruby.
"Power Ruby Active, 5 minutes and 10 seconds remaining."
The webbing on his suit glowed red before he rushed forward and punched hard enough to get his point across.
Peter's fists stopped short and the wind pressure from the blow nearly knocked the God off his feet.
"Well? It's no Mjolnir, but just like it, my gemstones are quite powerful. You could even call them fake Infinity Stones."
"I see…" A sweat drop formed on Thor's forehead while the crowd gasped, "Right then, I won't use my hammer…yet, I am curious to see how well your gemstones match up to Mjolnir."
"Well then, let's start!" Peter pushed his Chi to the limits and had his Symbiote empower both his body while gathering Chi from the environment.
He rushed towards Thor and started with a powerful punch.
Thor grinned as he raised up his hand and punched back. The two connected in a test of might that created shockwaves around them.
"Holy crap! If feels like a mountain just punched me," Peter thought as his broken bones rapidly healed.
"Not bad, that actually stung," Thor waved his hand in the air as if to shake off the damage.
"Whoo…I didn't think my bones could break so easily. Okay, let's cut loose!"
Peter threw another punch that Thor dodged before the god raised his foot to counter.
The Spider Hero jumped over Thor's foot and kicked him in the head, staggering the god slightly. Peter didn't stop, he followed it up with spinning heel-kick before landing on the ground.
Thor's fist came down like lightning and exploded with power while the hero leapt back.
"SHIT!" Peter shouted as the ground cracked and trembled.
"You are fast, Spider! But I am faster," Thor appeared in front of the Hero and punched again.
Peter put up his guard and took the blow before he was sent flying into the air. The punch was so powerful, a sonic boom echoed between the two fighters that hit the spectators with a massive gust of wind.
Weblines landed on both sides of his opponent while Peter held on to them tightly. He used the force from the blow to stretch the webs to their limits before all of that kinetic energy allowed him to rebound from the attack and sent him flying back towards Thor even faster.
With both his feet stretched out like a falling missle, Peter kicked at the Lightning God with all of his strength.
Thor raised his arms to block and took the full force of the blow. His feet slid back as he started to laugh, "Excellent young Parker. Keep it up!"
Peter grinned as he unleashed everything thing he had. He dodged Thor's attacks before hitting him repeatedly with swift and lightning-fast blows.
Thor couldn't help but admit it felt like his was being punched by an Asgardian teenager, but since all Asgardians are freakishly strong, that was still enough to sting.
Peter then saw Thor's muscles flex as he readied a mighty blow and stepped in, narrowly dodging the Norse God's fist as he extended his own.
The counter blow landed on Thor's chin and knocked him back slightly while Peter felt all the bones in his hand shatter like glass.
"Fuck, that stings," Peter cursed.
"Heh, not bad. You used the force of my own blow against me," Everyone gasped as Thor wiped away a bit of blood from his lip.
"Perhaps Steve was on to something when he said the Martial Arts of Earth shouldn't be looked down upon," The god of lightning grinned.
Peter smirked, "Well, he's not wrong. Martial Arts started to help the weak defeat the strong. When the strong use it, the effects are magnified accordingly. Swinging your fists around wildly can only get you so far."
"Let's put that theory to the test," Thor pulled his hammer from his hip.
"Right, Power mode active," Peter said his suit glowed red.
The two charged each other and threw their weapons out. Peter used his fist and Thor had his hammer. They struck each other before creating a massive explosion of energy that knocked the two back.
Fandral woke up and went pale as he saw his Prince and Spider-Man trading blows. Fist met hammer, god-tier lighting storms and Chi spewed out into the skies, blood splattered, and bones broke.
"What am I watching?" Fandral questioned as the cheers drowned out his question.
Peter slugged Thor in the chin with a fierce uppercut that sent him flying into the air. Thor responded by swinging his hammer around a few times before flinging himself back to the ground like a falling star.
The ground shattered around where he hit, but Spider-Man managed to dodge the blow only for the Norse God to redirect his attack and land a powerful strike against his opponent's stomach.
As the blow from the God's hammer pushed into him, Peter groaned in agony nanoseconds before he was flung back by the immense pressure. The hero grabbed his waist in pain while he felt his bones rapidly healing and webbed out with his other hand to keep him from getting further away. The webline stuck on the ground, and he started to slow down, but this time, Thor was ready for him.
The God of Lightning rushed to his side and swung his hammer towards his head. In response to the threatening blow, Peter tilted his whole body, dodging the hammer while striking Thor in the side of the neck with a swift kick.
Thor hit the ground and tumbled back before Peter jumped on him and started hitting him with everything he had. Punch after punch, he pushed Thor deeper into the ground. However, it didn't last long. A blast of lightning shot him out of it, throwing him high into the sky while Thor floated back up to ground level.
Peter landed against the ground, his entire body smoking and crackling with short bursts of electrical discharges.
"Cough…ugh…did anyone get the name of that planet that hit me…cough..." Peter struggled to stand.
Thor was bruised and had a bit of blood on a few wounds when he smirked at the Midgardian and started laughing, "I'm impressed, Peter. You've grown more than I thought was possible."
"Actually, I still have quite a few tricks up my sleeve, but they're basically cheat codes."
"Cheat codes?" Thor looked confused.
"Oh, we are so playing some videogames when you head back to earth. What I'm trying to say is," Peter held out his hand and used Magneto's powers to pull over Mjolnir and made it orbit around his body.
"I can manipulate metals and magnetic fields and do a bunch of other stuff that I would consider unfair in a test of strength," Peter reached out and grabbed the hammer.
Spider-Man cleared his head of all distractions and said, "Ultimate Power, Ultimate Responsibility."
A lightning bolt struck down on Peter as he felt the powers of the Thor Force flooding every cell in his body.
"Whaaaooo! A guy can get used to this feeling," Peter smirked as his outfit changed to become a mix of Thor's gear and his own.
Thor and just about every had their jaws lowered with surprised expressions on their faces.
Higher up, two Elder Gods looked down at the scene before them in both shock and awe.
"Well, this was unexpected," The beautiful Frigga commented.
"Yes…I expected him to be worthy…but I still don't like him."
"Why?" Frigga asked with a curious expression.
"His will is too strong, it won't bend for anyone but his own whims, and sometimes, that can be dangerous."
"I don't know, from what I've seen, he looks pretty flexible to me,"
Odin lifted a brow, "Was that joke?"
"Yes, dear. You worry too much these days. I can tell he doesn't mean us any harm, he seems to be good friends with Thor, and in fact, he could be a good thing for Asgard," Frigg looked at the boy playing with the hammer, "Many of our people have grown complacent, think ourselves superior to the rest of the universe, but this child is showing them how much has changed around us. When was the last time our people strived for a goal of self-improvement?"
"Hmm…perhaps you're right, my love," Odin wondered what their visitor would do next.
"Uhh…can I have my hammer back," Thor said, feeling a bit naked without it.
"Why? Not like you need it. I mean, your power doesn't come from it, not really." Peter said as he jumped on the hammer and floated into the air.
Thor looked confused as Peter floated closer towards him, "I'm pretty sure you're the god of lightning not the god of hammers. This thing," Peter jumped off and grabbed hold of the handle, "It's just a conduit to help you control it. The real power, that's right here, buddy."
As Spider-Man poked at where his heart was, causing he Norse God to really ponder about his powers.
"Similar to various cosmic forces, the magic running through your veins, the blood of the gods, it's all yours. The first step in conquering it, is becoming aware of it."
Peter activated his Reality Topaz and let him experience the full power of his godly might.
"Tell me, Thor, what are you the God of?"
Thor opened his eyes with a wide smile on his face and looked up. Storm clouds gathered above them and massive lightning storm shot down and covered Thor's body completely.
He raised his hand and called back his hammer before saying, "I'm the God of Lightning, Sky, and believe it or not, Agriculture. I am Thor Odinson!"
Peter smirked as the powers left his body and he returned to normal. Only the entire time he was generating the Thor Force, he was pouring the pure energy into his Power Ruby. Surprisingly, he had increased the timer limit from 5 minutes to 45 in the short time he wielded the godly force.
"I knew pure energy was better for the Power Stone, but without adding all that matter, I'm not sure the microverse inside them would have been able to absorb all that extra energy."
"Shall we continue?" Thor asked.
"Nah, I can see that your w-a-a-a-y stronger than me right now. Maybe we can spar or train together on Earth sometime," Peter held out his hand.
Thor smiled and shook it before they heard the crowd cheering like mad men.
The God of Lightning raised his friend's hand into the air and shouted, "Subjects, this here is one of my best friends. He is the Champion Totem of Midgard and I hope you show him the same respect you show me."
"How'd you know I'm the Champion Totem?" Peter asked.
While the Asgardians cheered at the top of their lungs, Thor smiled and said, "Let's just say, I'm more in tune with my godly abilities now. I can see more about the universe, it's almost like the knowledge is pouring into me."
Peter titled his head and thought, "Maybe I just strengthened his ties to the Odin Force…huh, neat."
Thor looked back at the crowd and said, "Prepare a feast! Tonight, we dine on the boy's first prey!"
The crowd cheered again and started scrambling to prepare for the party.
"Come, young Hero! We shall go to Aesir and hunt a god beast for us to feast upon! I did promise you a hunt."
"Right…" Peter looked to MJ.
"Sure, go have fun. I'll spend some time with the girls. I want to make my own Bifrost for traversing the solar system. With Jane and Sif here, I'm sure we can make sense of what I build."
"Well, let's go," Peter rubbed the back of his head with an excited expression. Truthfully, he wanted to see what animals the gods hunted and gather samples of them to recreate on Venus. He wanted to fill that world with exotic animals that were both good for the environment and could be turned into a commodity.
"We shall hunt a Stagg and Mountain King!" Volstagg shouted as he patted his belly and laughed.
Fandral looked away and said, "Sorry, I undestimated you. It won't happen again."
"Honestly, you shouldn't look down on anyone regardless of strength or birthright. On Earth, we have a saying that even a child can knock a person out if they hit the right spot. Nobody is perfect in every aspect, and that all life is equal regardless of their position in life."
"Is he always so…preachy?" Sif asked.
"Heheh, he wouldn't be Peter if he didn't want to help someone improve in one way or another," MJ chuckled.
Peter leaned in, "And here's the biggest piece of advice I can offer you…Never…ever…flirt with a woman who is already taken."
Hogun, Volstagg, and Thor all snorted before bursting into laughter.
"I told you that your attitude with the ladies would bite you on the arse someday," The Dwarf nearly fell over.
"To be honest, you deserved it," Hogun patted his friend's shoulder while trying not to laugh.
"Can we just leave," Fandral sighed as they all started walking away.
While watching them leave, MJ turned to Sif and asked, "So, what do you guys do for fun around here?"
"We can spar," Lady Sif raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, no. Can you tell me about Asgardian magic? I'm really interested in the technology you have."
"I can share what I know…but were you serious about building your own Bifrost?"
"I was. I managed to copy the powers of a technopath that can build almost anything. If I want a teleporter and have the necessary parts, I can build one just by willing it into existence. From there, I take it apart and figure out how it works."
"Sooo cool," Jane smirked as she walked beside them.
"What does her temperature have to do with anything?" Sif asked.
"Uh, it's modern slang for something amazing or awe inspiring," MJ felt a sweat drop down her brow.
"Oh, how strange. Well...follow me, I shall lead you to some of our brighter Asgardians."
While they guided into the castle, Peter and the Warriors 3 stopped at the Bifrost entrance.
"To Aesir, Heimdal," Thor cheerfully shouted.
"Very well, pick up some Angel Berries for me. I haven't had the wine in years."
"Will do, gatekeeper," Fandral said as he held his hand on the hilt of his swords.
Heimdal slammed his sword into the key holder and twisted as the machine came on line.
They hopped through and landed in the middle of a vast wilderness that spread far beyond what Peter could view.
"Incredible, this planet must be four…no five times bigger than Earth, yet the gravity is..."
"2.1 times heavier."
"Aesir is my home, please allow me to show you where to hunt," Hogun said as he held on to his dagger.
"Lead the way old friend," Thor patted him on the shoulder.
Peter took in the sights as they passed through the forested terrains. There were trees that stretched thousands of feet into the air, rivers filled with rare minerals, waterfalls that spilled into lakes hundreds of times larger than anything he'd seen on Earth.
He saw giant animals such as boars, deer, elk, goats, and even a few wolves from Norse legends.
There were highlands with clouds rolling off them like snow, countless herbs and fruits Peter's never seen before, and canyons that stretched out for miles.
"Here, the best spot I have for hunting Kings of the Forest, we wait," Hogun said as he leaned against a large tree branch.
Peter stared out at the massive lake and sighed, "So, how big is the,"
"Quietly," Hogun said as the others snickered.
"Right…" Peter sat against the branch and waited.
It took several minutes before he saw it, a massive 30-foot elk with branched horns bigger than his body.
Thor tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at him to make his move.
"What no help?" Peter sent a telepathic message.
"Ooh, you can use telepathy too?" Thor thought with a surprised expression.
"I can do a lot these days," Peter smirked.
"To answer your question, the first hunt is sacred. You have to kill the beast by yourself. We'll help after."
"Right…give me a second," Peter turned invisible and lept off the tree.
The others were just as quiet by Thor waved his hand and placed his finger over his lips.
When he got close enough, Peter shook his head and thought, "First time I've hunted, but it strangely feels easy. Maybe the Spider-Side of me is helping on that end."
He placed his hands out and shot out two lines of webbing before using all his strength to pull the Elk's giant hind legs into the air.
Using a tree branch to support the creature's weight, the poor godly animal never stood a chance as its vision became a blur and was dragged into the air.
Peter webbed its body to the trunk of the tree and wrapped around it multiple times before landing on its neck. Then with a sharp burst of electricity, he put the animal down by slapping his hand on its skull.
The Elk let out a shriek of pain, but it only lasted a second before it became unable to feel anything.
"Bravo!" Thor shouted.
"No damage to the body, we'll have to hunt with you more often," Hogun complimented.
"Hahahaha! I would have broken its skull with my mace. How'd you kill it?" Volstagg asked.
"I delivered about 400,000 volts to its brain. I cooked it in an instant, so it shouldn't have felt any pain."
"Well then, let's get to dismantling it, I'll show you the ropes. Can you lower it?" Volstagg licked his lips.
"The heart has to be eaten right away or else it spoils, and it is often considered the tastiest part if cooked right away."
"Right, well then,," Peter lowered his webbing and put the animal near the ground, "Show me how to dismantle this beast. I'll store everything inside my bag."
Peter pulled the bag of holding out of his Symbiote and grinned.
"I hardly think…wait is that enchanted?" Fandral gasped.
"Yep, I'm a Sorcerer too. So we don't have to worry about the food going bad. It'll be just as fresh as when we killed it," Peter informed.
"Excellent!" Vostagg laughed again as he pulled out his axe and cut into the Elk.
He watched as the animal was bled, had its organs removed, and all the edible meat was stored in his bag. All except the heart.
Volstagg then moved to the lake and pulled out a large flat rock before setting it over two bulbus rocks, leaving a small space underneath it.
Hogun then used a spell to light a fire underneath the makeshift stove and Fandral used his sword to cut up the heart into steaks before seasoning the meat.
As the meat started to reach the perfect internal temperature of 130 degrees, Peter sniffed the air and started to drool a little. It wasn't what he was expecting, but after being handed a piece, he cut into it and took a bite with high expectations.
"Rich…buttery, kind of like beef tenderloin, point is, it's delicious!"
"Agreed! It goes bad in hours, so we usually don't bring it back with us," Volstagg said as he finished off his plate and got another steak.
"But with young Parker's magical bag, we can keep the food as fresh as when we kill it," Thor laughed.
Peter nodded his head and stored what was left of the heart, "Come on! I want to hunt some boar, bears, and anything else that taste this good."
"Right!" The group nodded their heads as Hogun took the lead and led them through the realm.
While they continued their hunt, MJ, Jane, and Sif were sitting around a room full of scrapped Asgardian tech.
Mary Jane's powers built the miniature Bifrost perfectly when Sif gasped in astonishment.
"How is this possible?!"
"A Meta-Human on Earth has this very same power and I copied it. I can't explain it very well, but if I desire a certain type of tech to be built, the ability builds it for me."
"I see," Sif said as she examined the miniature Bifrost, "Incredible, it even copied our rune magic."
"Come on, let's take this apart," MJ smiled as she started to dismantle it by hand.
Jane Foster looked at the internal structure while adding her speculations to Mary Jane's analysis of the machine.
"I wish I could offer more help, but magic is a bit outside my territory, maybe after a couple of years studying, I'll be able to pick it up," Jane sighed.
"Okay, let's try the pure technological path," MJ used the powers of the forge to remove all magical components and sighed as it finished.
"What?" Sif asked.
"Well, it's able to work, but without magic powering, the device is missing a power source. Hmmm…Ooh, I know! Let's try an Arc Reactor."
MJ pulled the object out of her bag and plugged it in, "Hmmm, still not enough. I'll try the Philosopher Stone instead."
After pulling the gem from her bag, Sif gasped as she looked at MJ with an expression of pure disbelief, "Where did you get that?"
"My husband makes them, heheh, it's a little funny how easy it is for him." MJ put the stone in the power source and smiled as it booted up to maximum capacity.
"He makes them? Is he a master Alchemist?" Sif questioned.
"Yeah, and I'm not too far off from being able to make them myself. Of course, Peter cheats with his Reality Topaz by making the ingredients needed to form one."
"Incredible, absolutely incredible. Do you have any idea how sought after a Grandmaster Alchemist is?"
"Is it that impressive?" Jane asked.
"Every person in the universe would kill to obtain the service of such a master. With the ability to turn common resources into rare materials, one could make anything they need, weapons, ships, and so much more, all for a fraction of the costs."
"I see, hey, MJ, can you teach me how to do that?" Jane asked.
"Sure, actually, Peter and I were thinking of adding these subjects to the Avengers Academy classes. We just have to set a proper lesson plan, maybe you can help!"
"Sure, sounds fun."
"She speaks as if becoming a Master Alchemist is easy," Sif felt her sanity slipping. She couldn't believe how different Midgard sounded from when she visited thousands of years ago.
The Asgardian Goddess watched as the girls took apart the machine and study it with extreme interest.
"This section has to be a quantum field generator," Jane said as she pointed at a grouping of circuits and components.
"So, you think it uses the energy to capture a wormhole and enlarges it?" MJ tapped her chin.
"Precisely, but it's more than that. I think it actually captures the wormhole and locks it in place to use at a later date. This machine is incredible," Jane replied.
"I have to agree with you on that," MJ nodded her head, "I think it uses quantum anchors to capture it and stores the wormhole in this part. It looks like some kind of advanced containment field."
"Think it's magnetic?" Jane asked.
"Maybe…we'll have to build one at the lab to make sure."
Sif was looking rather bored when MJ noticed and said, "So, I'm done working out my brain, I could use some exercise. Care to join me for my workout routine?"
"It would be my pleasure. I'm interested in how Mortals train," Sif nodded her head.
"Well let's do this then," MJ snickered before she saw Jane still enamored by the teleportation device, "You want to come too?"
"Nah, I want to keep studying this, if that's okay."
MJ took out the power sources and stored them before saying, "It's fine by me, but what if you want to leave."
"I'll take care of that," Frigg spoke up from behind the group.
"My queen!" Sif got on her knee and bowed her head.
"Oh, wow, the Matriarch of the Norse Pantheon is standing in front of me. It's a pleasure to meet you," MJ said as she held out her hand.
Frigg lifted a brow as she looked at MJ's hand.
"Oh, right…uh, it's an Earthling greeting. We clasp hands and shake,"
Frigg snorted, "I know what a hand shake is,"
The queen shook her hand and looked to Jane's nervous expression, "I'd like to talk with Jane here."
"Of course…I err, I mean it would be my pleasure," Jane gave a slight bow.
"Right then, Sif and I will be at the training facility," MJ tapped her shoulder while Jane gave a look of shock, almost as if she were asking MJ to stay.
"Right," Sif replied as she looked at the Spider-Heroine, "You remember the way?"
"Yep! I'll just head on out..."
"Traitor! I thought we were becoming friends!" Jane thought as she watched the two leave.
"Now that we're alone, I have a few questions for you," Frigg smiled.
"Greeaaat…" Jane felt a bit scared.