CH-7. The Ancient One
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Finally, Tony stepped over the rubble and appeared at the entrance of the cave.
"86 days. Do you know how I survived these 86 days?"
"Now, it's finally my turn."
Tony appeared at the entrance of the cave, shouting. The scene in front of him made his mind spin.
"Where are the people?"
Tony remembered that there had been hundreds of gangsters here, but now, at the entrance of the cave, there were no living people—just dead bodies lying all over the ground.
"Could they have been killed by that guy?"
"I spent two months working on this armor, and I never even used it?"
"What do I need this tin can for?"
"So what if I have this armor?"
Tony decided to look around to see if there was any opportunity left to show off.
---
Jaxon chased the criminals, and the number of people around the bald guy grew fewer and fewer. Watching Jaxon stare down the bullets heading toward him, the bald guy felt an overwhelming sense of fear.
The bald man knew his situation was dangerous.
The Jaxon before him was impervious to bullets and nearly unstoppable.
"If you're not afraid of bullets, are you also not afraid of grenades or missiles?"
The bald guy made a decision and quietly pulled out a grenade, tossing it toward Jaxon.
Jaxon, however, was not fazed by grenades—their speed was much slower than bullets. He dodged easily, but the grenade landed on a pile of weapons.
"What the hell?"
Jaxon saw the grenade explode and knew it was dangerous to stay in the area. If all the weapons detonated, the entire area would be leveled.
"Bald guy, go to hell!"
Jaxon dodged the explosion, grabbed the bald man, and threw him into the flames.
"The bald guy is done. This explosion could set off a chain reaction, destroying all the weapons."
"Time to leave."
---
Jaxon quickly ran back to the cave and spotted Tony just emerging. Tony had heard the explosions in the distance, and in a flash, Jaxon appeared in front of him.
"What happened to those damn guys? I wanted to show them the power of my armor!"
Jaxon quickly said, "Don't worry about them, they're pretty much dead."
"Shit, if that bald guy set off a bomb, all the weapons here might explode."
"Fly out of here quickly. I'll go inside and get Ethan."
Tony was surprised Jaxon knew his armor could fly, but he knew the most important thing right now was to leave. If he got caught in the explosion, even his iron suit wouldn't protect him.
Tony watched as Jaxon darted back into the cave, and he prepared to take off.
"Well, my armor's at least good for something—it can get me out of here."
Just as Tony was about to lift off, he noticed the pile of weapons hadn't fully exploded yet. His mind raced, thinking about the past few days and his anger flared.
"These are the weapons that I made, and you used them against me?"
"These weapons have to be destroyed, or innocent people will be hurt."
"Maybe not just the weapons here... maybe the entire weapons division of the company needs to be shut down."
With that thought, Tony activated his flamethrowers. Long streams of fire shot out, engulfing the pile of weapons.
---
Jaxon hurried through the cave and found Ethan. He quickly grabbed him and led him toward the exit.
"Ethan?"
"Oh, it's you? Where's Tony?"
"Now's not the time for talking—we have to get out of here. Don't resist, I'm going to take you with me."
"What?"
Before Ethan could react, Jaxon's symbiote suit extended, wrapping Ethan up securely.
When they reached the cave entrance, Jaxon saw Tony still there, burning the weapons.
"Hey, Tony! Time to go!"
Tony saw some of the weapons start detonating, triggering more explosions.
"What about you?"
"You fly out first, I'll catch up based on your flight path."
Tony didn't waste any time, "Alright, you better run fast."
He activated his suit's thrusters, and the large armor slowly rose into the air.
Jaxon and Ethan had already reached the exit, watching Tony's flight path in the sky, and waited in the landing zone.
The armor was still rough and likely damaged by the explosion. After flying a short distance, the suit began to fail.
Tony panicked as he started falling from the sky.
"Damn, this armor isn't built for flying!"
"Jaxon, save me!"
Ethan was also nervous, watching Tony plummet toward the ground.
"Jaxon, can you save him?"
"Of course."
Jaxon sprinted to the landing zone, and his symbiote suit extended into tendrils, catching the falling Tony with ease.
Tony finally hit the ground, but the impact had been almost entirely absorbed.
Tony, who had narrowly avoided death, was ecstatic, "Haha, I survived!"
"Thanks, Jaxon."
"You're welcome."
Tony couldn't contain his curiosity any longer, "Is your suit made with nanotechnology? That's impossible—nanotech isn't capable of that yet."
"Of course it's not nanotech. It's an alien symbiote."
"Aliens? Wow, that's unexpected. Are you sure this thing isn't dangerous?"
"I promise you, it's safer than the missiles you made. At least it won't fall into the wrong hands."
Jaxon had completed his mission and had no intention of staying in the desert any longer.
"Just wait a bit longer. Your friends will probably come to rescue you soon. Ethan has some food and water; it should be enough to last you a while."
"Don't tell anyone about me."
Ethan handed over the supplies, and Tony accepted them, "Hey, Jaxon, how should we explain everything that happened here?"
"Couldn't you just get rid of all this before they arrive? They're more concerned about you than this stuff."
"With your intelligence, I'm sure you'll think of something."
"And if it's really that hard to explain, I can take the food and water back now."
Tony, not knowing when Rhodes and the others would find him, realized how important these resources were and quickly refused, "No way, don't even think about it."
"We won't reveal anything about you, I promise."
Jaxon had completed his mission and was ready to leave. He decided to see what rewards he'd gained once he returned, so he didn't plan to stick around.
"I know a lot of things that might interest you. If you're curious, contact me once you're back."
Leaving his contact information, Jaxon turned and left.
Tony and Ethan sat in the desert, eating the food and savoring it. Tony couldn't help but exclaim, "This is what real food tastes like. Damn, it's delicious. I finally feel alive again."
---
Jaxon returned to his villa, ready to check his spoils.
Just then, sparks appeared in the air, swirling into a circle. A circular portal, about a meter wide, formed in front of him.
The moment Jaxon saw it, he knew who it was—The Ancient One.
His actions to save Tony Stark must have drawn her attention.
Sure enough, a bald sorcerer with an extraordinary presence stepped through the portal.
One of the world's guardians, the Sorcerer Supreme, The Ancient One, has arrived!
"Jaxon, I need you to come with me."
"Of course, Master Ancient One."
Jaxon addressed her by name, and The Ancient One wasn't surprised at all. She merely gestured for him to follow through the portal.
Jaxon stepped through and looked around curiously. This was the magicians' holy land, Kamar-Taj.
It looked rather ordinary—nothing special.
The Ancient One seemed to read Jaxon's thoughts, "The place itself isn't what's special."
"Would you care for some tea?"
"Though I'm not much of a tea drinker, I wouldn't miss the chance to taste the Ancient One's tea."
Jaxon sat down, accepting the cup she offered.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The Ancient One didn't waste time with pleasantries.
"I've been protecting this world and observing the future. A few days ago, I sensed a shift in the timeline. The future is now unpredictable and uncertain."
"I realized something extraordinary has occurred."