Liam studied Barton for a moment, and then, without a word, he reached behind him, producing a bow unlike anything Barton had ever seen.
Sleek and elegant, the bow was crafted from mithril and a mixture of alloys along with the toughest wood he could find. Delicate yet unbreakable, the limbs of the bow curved with an artistry no human craftsman could replicate. Strange runes, etched in a language unknown to Barton, pulsed faintly along its surface.
Barton's breath hitched. He didn't need to be told—this was no ordinary weapon. He knew this because he had seen the same kind of bow on Liam's hand before.
"This is an Elvish bow," Liam stated. "I crafted it myself. It is superior to any bow made by human hands."
"The runes on its limbs," Liam continued, pointing at two distinct markings near the grip. "One activates freezing arrows, the other—" He tapped the second rune. "—turns them into explosive arrows. Focus your will on the rune you want to activate before releasing your shot."
"You're serious?" Barton's grip tightened.
"I'm lending it to you for this battle. But when the war is over, I expect it back."
"Uh.." Barton looked around. He could see many eyes were now focused on him, even Fury was looking at him in one from the command center.
"You don't have to look at them. They will never be able to uncover the secrets the bow holds in their lifetime. Those who can, will never work of SHIELD." Liam said. This made Natasha smile. It seemed Liam didn't have a good view of their SHIELD, but here he was. Helping them. What a hypocrite.
Barton let out a low chuckle before pulling the string back experimentally. He barely had to apply force—the bow responded as if it were an extension of his own body. Smooth. Precise. Deadly.
"This is insane," he muttered. "I don't even know what to say."
"Then don't," Liam replied simply. "Just make every shot count."
Suddenly, the temperature dropped.
Frost began creeping along the edges of the makeshift camp, crackling over the ground in delicate but menacing patterns. The SHIELD agents shivered.
"He's here." Thor who was with Liam declared. Everyone came running out only to see Loki standing quite a distance away from their camp, and on his sides tall, imposing beings with ice-blue skin and burning red eyes emerged from the fog that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The SHIELD couldn't even detect when the Rainbow Bridge had opened.
Loki was draped in his Asgardian finery, the green and gold of his robes and of course his horned helmet.
"Brother." Thor stepped forward.
"Thor. You sound almost pleased to see me." Loki said condescendingly. "I wish I could say the same, but I have come only for you." He flicked his wrist, and the Frost Giants fanned out behind him, weapons of jagged ice forming in their hands.
"It is time to go home, dear brother."
"I will go home, if you dissociate yourself and accept your crimes of killing Laufey." Thor said.
"Brother, who are you fooling here. Everyone knows who killed the King of Jotunheim. You even threatened him, right on his face at his own Palace." Loki laughed. Suddenly a streak of silver and gold shot through the sky as he landed beside Thor.
"I'm guessing you don't do social calls, reindeer games?" It was Tony who had appeared.
"What are you called around here? Tin-man."
"Actually I have a more fancy name, but we can wait for the introductions." Tony replied as he eyed the frost giants and also the ultra large ones. He wasn't thrilled at all. "And you brought guests. How thoughtful, too bad I hate uninvited company. Alright, big guy. You're up."
A deep mechanical rumble filled the air as something massive fell from very high up. The ground trembled beneath its weight it landed.
BT 7274
The Titan's towering form loomed over them all, its armored plating gleaming under the cold light. The massive machine halted beside Tony, its glowing visor scanning the area. Liam had already known that his good old friend would be here, and he had underwent some upgrades to his tech. Thanks to the new technology of Arcanist and the Forge.
Loki didn't have a good look on his face as he looked at Wraithborn who hadn't spoken a single word but just like Thor, he could tell that he was a great warrior. There were also Natasha and Barton along with the Warrior Three. And aside that he also sensed soldiers with weapons on the far side ready to mow them down.
"So brother, you have opted for war. War you shall recieve." Then, with a mere flick of his fingers, the Frost Giants lunged forward like a tidal wave of ice and fury
Tony was the first to strike. He shot skyward, and unleashed a devastating Lightning Strike. Arcs of electricity split the battlefield, momentarily halting the advance of the Frost Giants as their bodies convulsed under the high-voltage onslaught."That get your attention, popsicles?" Tony quipped, dodging a spear of ice hurled his way.Barton wasted no time, channeling his will into Liam's Elvish bow. The runes flared as his arrow ignited in a blaze of fire. The arrow found its mark, striking a Frost Giant in the chest, detonating on impact with a fiery explosion that sent shards of ice and charred flesh flying."Yeah, okay, I'm in love with this thing," Barton muttered before nocking another arrow.
The Warriors Three charged forward, engaging the Frost Giants in brutal close combat. Volstagg's axe cleaved through icy flesh, Fandral danced through the battlefield with swordplay, and Hogun's mace shattered their frozen enemies with every devastating swing.
Then Liam moved.
A wraith-like blur, he vanished into Spectral Dash, appearing above a Frost Giant before plunging his spectral blade into its skull. He Shadow Pulled another toward him, driving his dagger through its chest before tossing the lifeless body aside.