Ch.229 New Armor
Two Days Later.
Standing in Tony Stark's lab, Ronan couldn't hide the grin breaking across his face as he eyed the armor in front of him.
Too cool!
Jet-black suit, jazzed up with gold streaks.
That damn mysterious vibe hit him like a wave.
And the overall look? Right up Ronan's alley.
He was all about this aesthetic!
"So, what do you think? Pretty slick, huh?"
Tony sidled up, smug as hell.
"Damn right it is."
"Gotta hand it to you, Tony—you're a genius at this."
Ronan nodded, satisfied, running a hand over the suit.
What guy could say no to gear like this?
"Per your request, I built in an offline assist system."
"Not as pinpoint as Friday, but it'll handle most stuff."
"Key thing? As long as the suit's got juice, it's got your back."
One of Ronan's ideas from the jump.
Where he was headed, Earth's networks wouldn't reach.
Tony'd proved twice already—off-planet, AI goes dark.
Might not always need it, but better to have it, right?
"Didn't you say it was overkill?"
Ronan raised a brow.
Back when he'd pitched it, Tony brushed it off as unnecessary.
Guess he'd had a change of heart.
"You're the client, got it?"
"I meet your demands—am I wrong for that?"
Tony shot him a glare, still stubborn as a mule.
If Ronan didn't know Tony's own suits had the same system, he might've bought the act.
"Sure, sure, you're right."
For nailing the blueprint so perfectly, Ronan let it slide like nothing happened.
"Activation's tied to your fingerprints and DNA."
"No one else can use it."
"Give it a whirl—just slap your hand on the core."
Tony, knowing he was on thin ice, switched gears.
Ronan glanced at him, got a nod, and pressed his right hand to the chest's energy core.
Next second—
The suit flowed like water, spreading from his hand across his body.
Right arm, chest, head, legs—stopping at his left shoulder.
Whole deal took maybe a few seconds.
And bam—Ronan was rocking his brand-new, custom armor!
Buzz!
The gold inverted triangle over his eyes lit up, vision snapping back—plus extras.
[Mental Link Established]
[Primary Armor Functions Online]
[Assist Module Active]
[Current Energy: 100%]
Lines popped up on his "screen," clear but not blocking his view.
He turned to Tony.
"Don't ask me how to use it—I suck at teaching."
"Instructions are loaded in the suit. Authorize it, and tutorial mode kicks in."
"To shut it off, think 'deactivate' in your head."
Tony waved it off—he wasn't the professor type.
Ronan didn't push. He silently thought deactivate, and the armored feeling melted away.
That liquid sensation flowed back—not off his hand, but pooling at his right wrist.
Once the suit fully retracted, a bracelet-like band sat there.
"Nanotech can embed in your body, but I figured you'd hate that."
"You mage types are all precious about your flesh."
"So, I went with the bracelet."
Tony caught the question in Ronan's eyes.
Ronan nodded, clicking it together.
In the 616 universe, that other Tony had walked him through some armor basics.
Not deep, but enough.
Core idea? Adapt to any fight, anywhere.
Years back, Tony'd brainstormed—what if he got jumped without his suit?
Cue the suitcase-style Mark 5.
"If you're not using the suit, the bracelet's got tricks."
"Scanning buildings, hacking devices, anti-eavesdropping—stuff like that."
"Tutorial's got the details."
This suit was Tony's brain on full blast—modern tech's masterpiece.
He'd sweated the small stuff too.
"Thanks, Tony."
Ronan clapped his shoulder, voice tinged with something heavy.
Tony squirmed a bit—touchy-feely Ronan wasn't his speed.
"Keep it low-key, though."
"I don't hand out gifts to just anyone."
Tony smacked Ronan's arm back.
Ronan got his deal—self-centered sometimes, but clutch when it counted.
That's his charm.
Everyone screws up; owning it and growing? That's human.
"Thanks for the gift."
"I owe you one."
—
Next few days, Ronan was a kid with a new toy.
Humans dig fresh stuff—Ronan too.
He ran through the tutorial, mastering the suit's ins and outs.
Under Wong's jealous stares, he "accidentally" transformed a few times in front of him.
One word for the suit:
Cool!
Seriously cool.
Beyond looks, it delivered.
Tony kept it light—traded some defense for speed, no drag on Ronan's moves.
In combat, it opened up close-range options.
Sparring with Wong, he didn't just lean on Kamar-Taj spells.
Up close, random spots sprouted weapons.
Palm cannons from his hands.
Arm blades and daggers for attack or defense.
Plus stuff Ronan hadn't even dreamed of.
Some he'd rarely use, but nice to have—cherry on top.
"No more, I'm done."
"I couldn't beat you before—now with that armor? No shot."
On the training field, Wong tapped out under Ronan's barrage.
Fist-to-fist, Wong was outclassed.
Add the suit's tricks? He was toast.
"Don't throw in the towel like that."
"Wong, my right-hand man—you gotta step up your game."
Ronan dropped the suit, flashing pearly whites.
If not for that grin, Wong might've bought the pep talk.
"You think everyone's like you?"
"Freak."
Wong rolled his eyes.
To him, Earth had no one left who could touch Ronan.
Scratch that—he was untouchable here.
"Can't beat me, fine—but no personal attacks."
"Pick a nicer word for my strength."
Ronan pouted—freak?
He wasn't some creep.
"Pfft, check their faces—think I'm wrong?"
Wong jerked his chin at the crowd.
Their spar had drawn Kamar-Taj mages like flies.
High-level scraps like this? Rare learning ops.
Sure enough, Ronan scanned the crowd—every face screamed one word:
Freak!
Fuck!
Ronan's lip twitched. He didn't even feel that strong.
Hell, he half-wanted to tussle with Captain Marvel—see who's Earth's top dog.
Hybrids excluded, though!
Those alien-Earth mixes? Their freak levels outclassed everyone.
"Man, my bad."
"Shouldn't have smoked you in front of everyone."
"Forget you calling me a freak—we're square."
Ronan patted Wong's shoulder and bailed.
No way he'd stick around branded a "freak."
Not a hot title.
Wong rolled his eyes again.
Ronan's shamelessness wasn't new, but he always upped the ante.
Each time, more brazen.
Good thing Wong was used to it—he waved off the crowd and followed.
Once they split, the mages erupted in chatter.
Topic? One thing only.
How freaky—er, strong—was their Sorcerer Supreme?
The duo hit the Sanctum, portaling to New York's branch.
"Heard you tracked the Darkhold?"
Wong asked once they were alone.
They'd hashed it out before.
Wong's take matched Ronan's—snag the Darkhold, seal it at Kamar-Taj, or stash it somewhere empty.
It was a wildcard Earth couldn't afford.
The book even had evil-god-summoning recipes—bad news.
But that'd wait 'til after "Sleepwalking" got sorted.
From the Darkhold copy Ronan had skimmed, Sleepwalking's fallout meant two parallel universes smashing together.
Two outcomes:
Both blow up on impact.
Or one wipes the other out first.
A win-win fix? Ronan had no clue.
"Yeah, it'll pop up soon."
"Falls into some normies' hands, though."
"Won't trash Earth, but it'll stir up fights."
Ronan nodded—he'd checked with the Time Stone.
Wong nodded back.
"And Sleepwalking's fallout—your plan?"
"If the Darkhold's got nothing…"
That's what bugged Wong most.
They couldn't feel the universes pulling—hence the panic.
If a progress bar showed how long 'til the crash, maybe they'd chill.
No such luck—no bar.
Tomorrow, they might wake up… or not even wake.
"I'll figure it out."
"If the Darkhold's got no fix, then…"
"I'll hit that other universe again."
Ronan gazed at the horizon, sighing soft.
Sleepwalking wouldn't be a cakewalk—even with a Darkhold solution.
If it got dire…
He shook his head.
Worst-case scenario.
Wong didn't interrupt—knew this was Ronan's burden alone.
The only way.
He turned quietly and slipped off.
Ronan had his mess; Wong had his chores.
Why he'd taken them on when Ronan asked—no pushback.
He knew Ronan's power was for bigger crises.
Like now.
After who-knows-how-long, Ronan's phone buzzed, snapping him out of it.
He fished it out, glanced at the screen, and grinned again.
After days, Phil Coulson was finally calling back.
This time, bet it's good news.
If he guessed right, the Darkhold had surfaced.